#// his au's are more dynamic but only to the extend of if i have multiple ships going on in them. which i don't really??? i don't actually

[hellguarded-moved]

// btw i just wanna say i've always been huge on continuity. and i value each and every interaction, so you can be sure that if ig has met your muse, they're somewhere in his memory, they've made some sort of impression. while his story is still steadily evolving in the background for the most part, you can be sure your muse has had some effect on him on way or another.

[grayintogreen]

OKAY SO. I am (and this is obvious for my followers as opposed to this tag), I am currently running headlong towards the ending of my huge CR longfic, but I have started to develop my next project. Not sure when I'll start posting because if I do it too soon it's going to be hard to keep up with it and YCDHN and I do NOT WANT THAT, so I'm gonna poke at it casually while seeing how much of YCDHN I can write before I come back from my posting hiatus in March. If it looks like I'm making a lot of headway in getting the next three chapters written, we'll see.

SO WHAT IS THIS NEXT PROJECT? Glad you asked.

learn that even death may die is going to be a Hazbin Hotel fic that goes AU after 1x06 (due to that being where I started plotting it). The official summary is as follows:

When Lucifer agrees to seal his powers to set an example of humility to buy more time for the Hotel to work, Adam and the Exorcists scheme with the Vees in order to take the Hazbin Hotel down once and for all. Meanwhile, Alastor has a little secret that he'd like to be through with that would change the face of Hell if anyone knew...

And Husk has caught feelings, which is unrelated to all of the above.

It's a plotty, ensemble piece, featuring Found Family dynamics, Alastor and Lucifer being each others' biggest haters, Husk and Angel in a bodyguard AU for reasons, and the kind of plot you can expect from the idiot who brought you two million words about Cree Deeproots.

Here's an extended preview of the first chapter. Spread the word! Get hype! It's something I'm really excited to work on when I've gotten a lot more progress on my YCDHN backlog.

The last week had been… Harrowing, to say the least. The Extermination had been personal- deeply personal- and while no one at the Hotel had fallen, the line of angelic spears stabbed into the ground outside with demon heads proudly spelling out YOU CAN’T HIDE FOREVER (Vaggie had noted that was such a waste of spears) had made the message clear. This was going to continue and next time they wouldn’t be so lucky.

She didn’t know when the next would come- back to a year or another six months or another week. She had paced, relentlessly, as the Hotel put itself back in order and those who had been injured licked their wounds. Husk, in particular, had survived a scuffle with Adam, himself, and while he didn’t appreciate the warm embrace he got for his bravery, she didn’t know how else to thank him aside from maybe a very expensive bottle of booze at Angel’s suggestion, which he did like and seemed to like even more when she told him it had been Angel’s idea.

That should have been something she lit on! Something that she could really sink her teeth into and do something about! Were Angel and Husk an item? Was there unspoken tension? What would that do for Angel’s suitability to Heaven? Surely, a stable, monogamous relationship could only-

But no. She’d let that thought slide out of her mind with barely more than a hum, never mind a full number about it. Her mind had to be on the Hotel and protecting it. She couldn’t even do a lesson plan in these conditions! Activities had ground to a halt in favor of ‘work together to clean up the corpses.’ She was going to scream or bite or… or something.

Vaggie helped. She always did. The initial shock of learning about her being an angel had passed and while there had been some distance in the month leading up to the Extermination, Vaggie’s dedication to her remained absolute and she had nearly gotten herself killed multiple times to make up for what she felt were her sins in the past.”

”Demons kill each other and that’s different,” she’d said when Charlie told her that no one in the Hotel, save herself, was fully clean of demon blood.”They aren’t killing because they think everyone here deserves to die. It’s different.”

So that was still sort of a whole unresolved thing too, and that was just before her father kicked the door in, ready to throw down because he had one rule when his hand was forced about the Extermination and that was not putting his family in direct harm. Getting him to do more than fume and fuss over it had occupied a lot of time she didn’t actually have, but the end result had led her here… Back to Heaven.

With her father.

Outside the golden gates, he stood ramrod straight, fingers clenched so tightly around the head of his cane she was certain his fingers would grip right to the core. She glanced at his shaking hands and laid her own over them. “Dad, it’s okay.”

“I haven’t been back to Heaven in… Oooh.” He whistled. “Awhile. It’s…” He tugged his collar. “Not actually full of great memories, y’know, sweetie?” He leaned over to whisper. “Maybe we should just go back down and work on this on a lower level. I know some phenomenal wards. You think that dusty radio guy has moves? Your dad has better moves. I invented some of those runes he uses. My wards- pristine.”

She wrinkled her nose and pulled him closer to the front desk. “Daaaad, come on. It’ll be fine. I think things will actually work out this time if you’re here.”

“Really? ‘Cause I feel like they’re gonna go much worse.” As if to prove it, the second the pair strode towards the desk, St. Peter nearly flung the guestbook to reach for something underneath the desk. Charlie had to lunge to stop his hand from hitting a button with a very familiar runic symbol on it- fuck, they had a Lucifer button.

“Wait wait wait! He’s not- we’re not here to cause any trouble. We just need to talk to Sera- or Emily. Actually, I’d rather talk to Emily, if it’s… all the same.” She shot him a winning smile.

Behind her, Lucifer was making what could only be described as a ‘stink face.’ “This is going greeeeat. Are you sure about this, Charlie? It’s not too late to go back.”

“Dad!”

“Charlie!” A winged shape suddenly burst free of the Gates and wrapped tight arms around her middle. Unable to resist, Charlie wrapped her arms around the gray-clad form as well and spun her around. “Emily!”

“Oh my Heavens, Charlie, I’m so glad you’re okay!” Emily pulled away to grip Charlie’s hands so tightly that it was a pleasant kind of crushing. Like a weighted blanket. She leaned forward to whisper, “I’ve been doing all I can. There are angels who truly believe this isn’t right. Sera has told me to give it up, that doubting leads to Falling, because-“

Both girls looked askance at Lucifer, fiddling with the head of his cane awkwardly, that vapid look he got when he was overwhelmed making it clear that he’d stopped paying attention.

Charlie, for the first time daring to doubt, whispered back in a nervous high-pitched lilt, “Iiiis it bad that I brought him here?”

“No! I… I don’t think.” Emily frowned. “I should warn Sera, of course.” She stepped back and approached Lucifer, who flinched like he was about to be scolded- oh dad how badly did the angels hurt you. “Greetings, Morningstar,” she said, bowing a bit. “It is an honor to meet you. I was only a fledgling when you Fell.”

“For the record, I didn’t Fall. I was pushed.” Lucifer, seeing Emily’s own flinch, immediately softened and underneath all the anxiety, Charlie caught a glimpse of the angel her father had been once as he ducked his head and accepted her greeting graciously and with the genteel quality of true nobility. “Thank you for being courteous about this. Tell the High Seraph that we won’t take up any of her time. We… have a deal to renegotiate. It seems Adam’s legions have forgotten what we agreed long ago.”

Emily bobbed her head with a grin and slipped through a portal, leaving St. Peter to anxiously open the Gates without his usual aplomb. Charlie strolled through and Lucifer, feeling somewhat more confident after seeing how Emily treated him, tapped the poor angel’s desk with his cane. “Keep up the good work, Pete.”

The promenade was still full of people dancing about in a joyous display of virtue and peace, but now looking at it, all she saw were people who had somehow gotten lucky. She tried to find a commonality in any of them, something that she could take back and use to prove her point, but there didn’t seem to be a single thing these people had that hers didn’t… besides, you know, the fixation on sin and murder. And, honestly, some of them might have that too, hidden under the surface. Look at Adam.

“Heyyyy, Short Stack! How’s it goin’?”

Speak of the fucking prick.

Every fiber of Charlie’s body reached for Hellfire and only her father’s iron-tight grip on her shoulder kept her from exploding in a rush of demonic energy. Her horns appeared and vanished in the blink of an eye and she focused on deep, healing breaths as Adam, the walking canker sore, swaggered up to them on the promenade.

“They’ll let anyone in here these days, huh?” Adam planted his hands on his hips and grinned. Behind him, Lute bristled.

“Funny. I was gonna say the same thing about you. Hah!” Lucifer barked. All that anxiety he’d worn outside had been cast aside like an old coat- something about Adam had struck the same nerve that Alastor had only in a different key. A beat, and then: “No seriously, how did you get in here? I was there, remember. You also ate the apple. It was a, uh, whole thing, actually.”

“Yeah, but I did it second.” He reached into his ear with his pinky to dislodge a bit of wax and flicked it across the golden streets. “That counts for something.”

Still lingering on the angels’ wishy-washy answer about how precisely one gets into Heaven and with the proof that there wasn’t some actual code to follow right before her eyes, Charlie crossed her arms over her chest and fought the urge to scowl. Scowling gives you lines that make your smiles less effective. Everyone knew that.

“How’s the wifey, by the by, Lucy? Still smokin’?” Adam slammed a hand into a fist. “Oh wait. I forgot. You two are hella divorced, amirite?”

“We are not divorced.” Lucifer began to panic, whipping to Charlie like he expected her to believe any of that shit. There was something in his eyes that spoke volumes about the truth of what was going on with him and Lilith that she would have to unpack later- she hadn’t asked before. It was too painful to bring up. “We- we’re on a break. Yeah, a break. Just a break.” He swallowed, leaned on his cane, and adjusted his stance. “Which is more than I can say for you and yours. How is Eve, by the way? Oh waaaait! She’s in Hell. With me. Just like your first wife. Hah. Man, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say one of us knows how to treat a woman.” Another pause. He leaned into Adam’s space and whispered. “It’s me.”

Adam’s ghoulish face screwed up in disgust. “Yeah, okay, pal, you just drink your ‘respect women’-” are the air quotes necessary? really?, “- juice. You can use it to gargle after you lick my balls.”

“Adam,” Sera’s voice said, coarsely, snapping him to attention with a mumbled aw fuck mom’s home.

She hovered as glorious as ever with her six wings, towering over Lucifer as she landed between him and Adam, shunting him out of her space and into Lute’s. Charlie and Emily both shot him sour looks and held hands in solidarity as they watched the fallen Morningstar engage with the High Seraph for the first time in millenniums.

The seconds ticked on in agonizing awkward silence. Lucifer’s throat bobbed. “High Seraph.”

“Morningstar,” Sera murmured, politely, her shoulders tense. Another long moment of silence followed- clearly she was waiting for Lucifer to explain himself. Charlie’s palms started to sweat, but not Emily’s. Angels apparently didn’t sweat. Her grip alone, however, spoke to her anxiety matching Charlie’s.

Lucifer’s jaw trembled and he finally, finally yanked himself together again. “Maybe we can talk about this somewhere more private? The street is… Open.”

Indeed, they were starting to attract attention. People might not recognize Lucifer on sight these days, but that apple and snake motif was sort of painfully obvious when you thought about it for a moment. Sera gave a nod and circled her fingers in the air to open another portal. “Certainly. Come into my office.”

Adam started to follow and Lucifer thrust his cane to stop him. “No, no. Not you. Seraphs only.”

Adam snarled and lowered the staff. “Your piece of hellsnatch daughter ain’t a seraph, Little Man.”

Charlie saw her father’s eyes light up with a fire she only saw when he had to be in a room with Alastor. “What did you say about my daughter?”

“Dad.”

“You want me to say it louder? Or do you want me to moan it, Daddy?” Adam leered.

“That’s enough!” Emily snapped before Sera could, her small form crowding into Adam’s space, all of her angelic eyes open and glowering daggers at the lesser angel. He shrank back. “There will be no more disrespect in this room. Adam, this concerns you, so you will be allowed entry, but please keep your mouth shut.”

Charlie felt her heart squish as Emily brushed off her dress and then strolled through the portal, nose primly in the air. Sera, lips pressed together, only gave a sober nod and followed.

“How come he-“ Adam snarled, but Lute gripped his arm and pushed him into the portal.

“Pick your battles, sir.”

“I wanna pick this one,” he whined as he vanished into the Seraph’s study. Lucifer and Charlie lingered for a moment- one with hope in her heart and the other rapidly descending into the pit of despair after just seconds of glorious, if not damning and futile, wrath. She reached for his hand.

“C’mon, dad. You got this.”

The soft smile melted her heart even more than Emily’s protection had. He stood on his toes to pull her into an embrace and give her a kiss on the head- more to comfort himself than her, she was sure, but she didn’t mind. He hopped through the portal and she followed into an austerely decorated space. Painfully minimalist. Ooh this was not a side of Heaven she liked at all. There wasn’t even art on the walls. Just gray slate with a huge plate-glass window behind the bare desk. Not a single knickknack to distract from its function.

Sera slid into the seat behind the desk, while Emily stood at attention next to her, hands clasped in front of her, eyes still fixed on Adam, daring him to speak. He skulked in the background, intentionally toying with the boring book-laden shelves- also free of knickknacks and personal touches- by running his fingers on the spines or pulling them out and pretending to read them before tossing them at Lute to put back with a bored eyeroll.

Conjured chairs were produced for Lucifer and Charlie, which they took, gladly. With everyone who was going to settle having done so, Sera sighed.

“Let’s talk, Lucifer. What brings you back to Heaven? You were told to never come back.

[sillyshrimps]

I think the Au could really explore some interesting aspects of the characters. Especially since both the professors are together and the Ais wanting to help and escape the crater.

You've heard of keeping the marriage together for the kids now get ready for keeping the marriage together for the time machine.

But unfortunately for the professors the ais quickly learn that 1. Those captured raidons will actually listen to them. 2. Miradon's ability can be used to power themselves outside of the area of the crater. They're going on vacation- and the professors don't exactly want their dopple gangers running around unsupervised so they are also forced to take a vacation with them. It's a pro gamer move because the Ais have also been trying to get them out of the lab for a long time.

Then there's poor Arven. Who just visits the light house one day and is surprised to find multiple miradon, kiradon, sada and turo. And almost immediately a fight breaks out between professors of I thought you'd tell him.

Then there's also a different dynamic I'd like to explore with Arven and the Ais.

One where they're not so much as parental as they are... Arven's new odd younger siblings. In this AU mabosschif still gets injured. So he's still bitter with his parents about most things. But one thing he knows for sure is... Area Zero isn't safe. And he needs to find a way to extend this vacation as long as possible. If not for his parents sake than for the Ais. He... doesn't quite know what to do with them at first. They summon alot of complex feelings, were these some kind of replacements? He doesn't know. But their genuinely curious nature and immaturity make it through to him. These things had their faces but they were nothing like his parents.

The moment he knows that they're different is when they present to him an odd pair of gloves. They don't fit him... he's about to lash out when he realizes they're not for him. They're for mabosschif.

"You mentioned that his paws are ice cold. We believe that this may help allivate the symptom."

From that point on Arven is furiously protective of his new siblings. He is distrusting of his parents. Worried they're using the Ais for a sinister purpose or against their will. They're only a handful of years old. Aren't they kids like him? Forced to grow up too early just to suit their creator's needs. Arven doesn't want that to happen to them. He feels how much damage has been done to himself by that. And he could never wish that on another soul- even artifical ones.

I like your second interpretation too! They honestly, probably would feel more like younger siblings than a copy of his parents. It's true that they have their memories, but they never actually saw the outside world, which is... something else.

[south-sea]

You've talked a little bit about Black Doom in your Second Chance AU, so now I've gotta ask- what's Metal's reaction to Black Doom wanting to get closer to Shadow?

good question.

i'm so far behind i haven't actually written some of this down yet, so buckle up because there's some nuance and clarifications i need to get through first:

metal was in stasis at the time of shadow's namesake game, but was brought out of it shortly after.

the only relevant black doom in terms of second chance shadow is alt doom.

there are no plans whatsoever for second chance shadow to meet aruna. this is absolute nonsense that means nothing, and i kind of regret it because it sets a weird expectation of aruna's character/their dynamic that has long since been inaccurate. it was a shitpost and should be disregarded in the context of any AU.

so the thing with alt doom and second chance shadow is it's less that alt doom wants to get close to him, and more that shadow just kind of accidentally's into meeting him.

alt doom and his kind have advanced so far beyond thoughtlessly preying on sapient species by this point that they're like just any other random multiverse species themselves, having established small settlements here and there. they don't even really live in a hive/comet anymore. instead they have various stores and restaurants (it's not all just human meat i promise; the whole point is they've diversified and like catering to multiple species for the sake of networking) that you'd expect of any other reasonably-sized community. they're socially progressive and have a keen sense of protection/looking after their own.

shadow, always going here and there just for fun and sampling food along the way, ends up in one of their settlements/restaurants totally unaware of who or what they are. he is not with metal during this first visit.

he has a reaction to something in the food that would only have an effect on other black arms (think like the good feelings dark chocolate is said to provide, but amplified twofold on account of shadow being "black arms but to the left" and therefore metabolizing it differently. dude ends up a blissfully sleepy purring heap in his nest like an hour later. to a regular black arms, at most it would just relax them a bit). obviously he knows that was not normal. comes back later to ask the restaurant owner like hey what the fuck was that. cue a [leo points at tv] moment where the owner realizes the implications here.

word spreads like wildfire through the hivemind, and alt doom is alerted. shadow was not present for his own game's events, but does by this point have his own medical/creation records, so he's aware of the basic gist of who black doom is and is shocked to see him show up. it immediately clicks and puts a lot of things into perspective. alt doom technically never even got to meet his son, but is very much aware of everything, and knows exactly who he's looking at (without quite realizing they are in fact from the same timeline).

they Talk. technically not even about what went down on earth, but about the ARK and various other personal things.

alt doom is not particularly thrilled by what he hears. he's also a bit troubled by the whole "this kid, who could literally be his own kid if not another instance of him, straight up died". either way, shadow is part black arms. the protective instincts in alt doom are reasonably strong, so he more or less extends an offer to just Be There for shadow in some parental capacity, especially given certain other grievances shadow has.

that said, alt doom isn't overbearing about it or anything. at most, he offers, and shadow is welcome to reject it/drop by whenever for advice or whatever. he doesn't push for more than that, and doesn't indicate he wants more than that. alt doom is superficially warm and excellent at mimicking sincerity, since that makes him and his kind more agreeable to other species who might be interested in beneficial arrangements, but he is personally neutral about Most Things. while in this case he does genuinely care about shadow to some degree, in general he's mostly operating based on what's socially beneficial for his kind.

shadow's just relieved to have someone who can help teach him about the more niche aspects of his existence that literally no one else has been able to up to this point. he doesn't pull a 180 and suddenly become reliant on alt doom's presence/guidance or anything, he's just comforted in the knowledge he, in a peaceful capacity, exists and is accessible.

so now we finally get to metal's role in this. it's easy to forget he's originally from semi-modern's timeline. and on that timeline, semi-modern shadow was very much present for his namesake game's events.

metal himself was also present, but in stasis. he does not personally know what black doom normally looks/looked like, but passing glances later on after he was reactivated ensures that he knows what the mobian one (aruna) looks like, mostly out of context. point being he does not have context to assume alt doom = A Former Enemy by visuals alone at first.

he does later visit the alt arms settlement on occasion to pester unrelated store owners, so he's aware of what they are, but it never particularly bothered or worried him. from his perspective, these people are going above and beyond in terms of looking after shadow's wellbeing in their own way, and they are not the same as the black arms from his own home timeline. alt doom is included in this assessment, even after learning who he is relative to "shadow in general" as a concept.

alternates are alternates, he reasons. just look at how different semi-modern and second chance shadow are.

not a single one of them even give a hint of malicious intent. metal is meticulous and thorough, and in short, every one of them passes the vibe check. he has no reason to be worried. they're allies, for a few reasons, especially on the "helps take care of his charge" front. metal does not care about them, or alt doom, on a personal level, but he values what they all bring in terms of utility, and is not interested in jeopardizing their collective arrangement with baseless concerns.

if he had more of a personal involvement with a black doom prior to any of this, or if alt doom was any amount of pushy to keep shadow around more often, then he'd be suspicious. but ultimately he concludes that the alt arms at large are not a threat.

you don't smack a beehive when they're just peacefully going about their business (and providing nice things to your favorite person).

[oftomorrow]

3, 4, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14

questions for muns ( accepting // @tnott )

3. Whose writing has impacted your writing style the most? (You can choose anyone! Famous writer or not.) — I hate that I’m about to say this, because these books are frankly not well written. But I think Warriors (yes, the cat books) shaped my writing style a lot more than I care to admit. They have a very plain writing style that doesn’t use that much flowery language in favor of just getting to the point, there’s generally a greater focus on action and dialogue than vivid description, and they really, really overuse the em dash... yeah. It me.

4. Which muse of yours is your all time favorite? If you stopped writing them: why? — This has to be Reg. I’m coming up on seven years of writing him, and he’s seen by far the most development of any characters I’ve played. I have multiple extended verses with him with partners that I absolutely adore, and it’s just so easy to slip into his shoes for a bit. Other muses I sometimes have to fight to find their voices, but never for him. His voice is just there. Lately I haven’t been playing him on Tumblr as much, due to generally slower/less active partners (and Clark’s muse being so ridiculously high rn), so he’s been restricted to Discord. But I do adore him, very much, so if any of you have Star Trek AUs (or others, he’s got a bunch), please feel free to go bother the broccoli boy.

6. Is roleplaying the only writing-based hobby you have, or are there other things you like to write? — I occasionally write fanfic, but it’s not a common thing. I prefer the collaborative aspect of roleplay. If I’m just writing for myself, I tend to lose inspiration after a while, but having another person to bounce off of helps keep my energy and excitement up long-term.

7. Describe your favorite relationship dynamic. (Can be any kind, platonic, romantic, familial, antagonistic, etc.) — On this blog? I absolutely adore writing Dad Clark. Whether it’s with his literal children, or just the eighteenth angsty teenager he’s decide to forcibly mentor, every single one of them is just so fun for me. S&L focusing so heavily on Clark as a dad was a large part of why I fell in love with the character again and made this blog, so naturally it’s factored into things here pretty heavily.

12. What roleplay trends do you remember from the year you started tumblr RP? How did you feel about those trends? — I don’t know what year it was, but there was briefly a promo trend where you would post a simple row of icons and then basically write a pitch for your blog, describing your character almost like you were a salesman, trying to entice interested people to follow you. And I absolutely loved it because it didn’t require any fancy graphics, just a couple icons that you likely already had. Instead it relied solely on your writing and how interesting your character was. That one should absolutely make a comeback.

13. What themes/motifs do you hope other people notice most about your character? — I’m not really sure what I want other people to notice, I can only say the ones I try to lean into. The main one being that Clark is just a regular guy before he’s Superman. He’s just a dorky farmboy who happens to have god powers, and he’s doing his best to balance that.

14. Which roleplay community has been your favorite to write in? — Overall, I’ve had the best experiences in the Trek RPC. I’ve also had the worst experiences in the Trek RPC but that’s besides the point.

[pitter-patter-esikars]

What made you start shipping some of your JJBA ships?

Hmm! That's an interesting question! It's a bit of a longwinded answer and so I'll pt it under a cut! I'm sorry I don't have art for this question, but I'll try to make it up!

I think it depends specifically on the ship to explain why it appeals to me! There's a lot of arguably mainstream ones I like (Bruabba, Avpol, Esikars), because I like the characters as individuals because they're so interesting to me on their own and I think as a pair, they compliment each other and really show what I think is fascinating.

For very canon ones, like Sorlato, Yukako/Koichi (and Squatizi in my heart), it's not broken so I don't see why I should fix it! Yukako had to grow on me a bit because at first she scared me, but like. I love her now. I just think the ones that are technically canon work in their own right in any given scenario and they do pair well and play off each other (cant say much for Sorlato obviously but. theres implications lol). THere's obviously all the Jobro ships (Gyjo, Josuyasu, Jotakak) that I don't have in a different setup, and I think they hold very well as tried-and-true dynamics with plenty of potential for characterr growth in a positive manner that I find particularly pleasant!

Then there's the one I like to call "Braincell Hot Potato" because I like group dynamics and sometimes just making it a ship is a fun way to play even more with the banter and possible scenarios. Joseph/Suzi/Caesar/Whammu is a really fun one because if you split them, Joseph/Suzi clearly worked (for a while), and there's a lot of appeal to Caesar/Whammu on their own, but if you throw in Joseph as the bane of both of their existences, and Suzi as the voice of reason, it's a really funny dynamic! To a lesser extent is Erina/Jonathan/Speedwagon and Jolyne/F.F./Hermes, just because I like them so much as trios I would feel bad if I personally separated them. ESPECIALLY the Stone Ocean girls, I'd feel like I personally needed to atone if I were to cut any one of them out here.

I have a lot of nonsensical ships though! Terence/N'Doul/Vanilla was first proposed in a fic as roommates and tbh the idea really stuck. I used to HATE Vanilla Ice but after he grew on me after MANY years and now I really like throwing him into modern AU scenarios in my brain to think about how he'd tackle them. Terence is on the complete opposite side of him and N'Doul is both almost a voice of reason in comparison and ALSO my favorite villain in part 3, so I didn't see a problem with stickin them all together. I think they just need some time away from Blond Bodysnatching Bloodsuckers. Mariah/Midler is because I love them both very much even though we don't see Midler technically! I think that since canon doesn't touch on them much, they're absolutely fun to pair because it means I can show them the love Araki very clearly forgot to! And there's the obvious villain ones like Karspucci and Kiraboss where their only interactions that I've ever seen near canon has been EoH or Jorge Joestar, and I think they have the potential to be hilarious. Under what circumstances would Kira and Diavolo get along without immediately losing their minds and murdering each other in a loop a-la-Cube House incident? Do Kars and Pucci have anything in common at all? No clue, we should explore these uncharted territories! In a similar note, Shinobu/Kosaku (Kira) is interesting to me because Shinobu was having a great time and Kira actually seemed a bit happy for a moment there, and I wonder if he would be a normal person if he had just Chilled TF Out for a bit. Obviously in canon that's not what happened but I wonder what could've happened if Kira decided to just steal Kosaku's life and do it better than him and be happy with it. Also my wife likes Shinobu very much, and that's what made me think about the ship at all dbfjhg

La Squadra is interesting to me because I really like how the duos (Meloghia, Forluso, Risopro) play off each other as it is, but their appeal as a group extends to there being a lot of shaking up the dynamic. Prosciutto and Illuso, smug bastards as they are, would have a HORRIBLE time on a mission together but I feel like that could be fun to think about. Risotto and Ghiaccio very clearly have opposing personality types but their stands would be exceedingly interesting to figure out were they to do a duo mission. Formaggio and Melone might be the most compatible outside of Meloghia and even then I dont think anyone would leave unscathed. I even like Risotto/Bruno as capos who care deeply for their teams and might even have similar ideologies and circumstances are what kept them from really being friends or getting along. Formaggio/Pesci is also a ship that's slowly gained my attention because I've seen a lot of cute art and while I don't actually ship Pesci with anyone because I'm quite content with his stuff in canon, I just think it's a neat one!

All-in-all though, shipping is really just a side thing! I love ships and character dynamics and scenarios and banter but I also don't really need it to engage with the characters I think! La Squadra's dynamic for me is just as interesting if I didn't think certain characters dating could be funny. Battle Tendency is amazing as it is regardless of if I like Caejose as a couple or as idiot friends who also hate each other.

The only ship that truly matters hands down, is Esikars because...listen. Esidisi had no reason to follow Kars for 10k years and raise kids with him and defend him from their whole race. Esidisi went OUT OF HIS WAY to throw his dignity and tact out the window in the hopes that he could buy enough time for Kars to get the Red Stone even though he KNEW he was going to die. It's stated multiple times that Kars hates Joseph SPECIFICALLY for killing Esidisi. What would drive Kars and Esidisi to be as casual with each other as they are (given their clear ranking system). You LOOK at me and tell me there's no love there.

[feliix]

more than friends (with benefits) ↠ felix

↠ Felix x Reader

↠ Genre: Smut, Fluff, Angst, FWB!AU

↠ Rating: M (18+) ↠ Word Count: 2k

↠ Summary: You always thought being friends with benefits with Felix was a dream. At least, that was until the benefits starting outweighing the friendship and your feelings got sucked in.

↠ Warnings: friends to lovers, fwb to lovers, explicit sexual content, unprotected sex, dirty talk, creampie, praise, multiple orgasms, mutual pining

↠ A/N: hi sorry this is very unedited I might go in and fix stuff later sorry Im lazy right now and banner creds to me okay enjoy!

“So wet for me,” his deep, gravelly voice fills your ears, the room spinning around you with each buck of his hips. Teeth sinking into your lip, you grasp for the sheets beside you. His rhythm is quick, persistent, and you’re unable to catch your breath.

“Felix,” his name leaves your lips in a high pitched whine. It's getting harder to hold on with a pace like this. Had you not already cum twice just tonight, maybe your stamina would be a bit higher. But the familiar knot in your stomach is getting tighter and tighter as his thrusts persist. 

It's not long until you're coming undone around him. The force of his hips driving into you, the firm grip his hand has on your ass sets you aflame. Just a few more powerful ruts; he’s angling himself just right to hit that sweet spot deep inside you. And that's when your legs begin to shake, the force from your third orgasm taking over.

A gentle scream escapes your mouth as you ride out your high, Felix’s pace only quickening to grant himself an orgasm of his own. Oversensitivity sets in quickly causing your eyes to slam shut in dismay; mind blurry with small white stars as your pussy continues to spasm around him.

“So fucking tight,” Felix’s thrusts persist through your orgasm, leaving your legs shaking and all you can offer is the tightening spasms of your pussy. You clench around him rapidly, enticing him to come to his finish. “ Fuck, baby. Such a good slut for me.”

Unable to catch your breath as your orgasm begins to subside, the sound of his voice shooting right to your core and letting out an extra gush of arousal. Felix takes this as a sign to go harder, busing himself by pounding into you. Each time his hips meet your ass he leaves a gentle slap on your supple skin. When he bottoms out your back arches instinctively. The pressure of his tip on your sweet spot drives you wild, your fingers grabbing for the sheets underneath you to hold onto. 

But him fucking you from behind causes you to miss the sweet contortion of his face as he reaches his high. You can only feel the grip he has on your waist tighten, the pads of his fingers pressing deeply into your skin as he ruts into you with such fervor. 

He doesn’t pull out, you’ve already told him that he doesn’t have to. All that's on your mind is being filled to the brim with Felix’s cum. “Fuck,” you’re aching for his release, squeezing your core as hard as you can to ease it from him, “want you to fill me up.”

With a few especially hard thrusts Felix is collapsing over you, holding you close as his cum paints your walls. The pace of his thrusts slows as soon as his hot body presses against yours, eyes fluttering shut as you both come down from your highs.

If you didn't feel his heavy breathing fanning over the back of your neck you may have forgotten where you were. The labored sound of breathing fills the room around you. His rapid heartbeat pounds against your back; it's slowing now, that's how you know he’s about to pull out.

It's the same routine every time. He comes over, you fuck, you cuddle, he leaves.

Which is okay, the two of you aren’t dating or anything. You’re friends with benefits; emphasis on the benefits half and a little less stress on the friends part. This isn’t how it’s always been. Things used to be the other way around, ironically. 

Felix was your best friend, it wasn’t until you initiated this little arrangement that things changed. 

It’s a blur how it all came about actually. Just one day you got a little too worked up while looking at his plush lips, making a move and changing the dynamic between the two of you forever. After letting him fuck you once, you never came back from that.

The Netflix nights faded into the dark as the Netflix & chill nights came more frequently. It isn’t something that you noticed at first, you were into it, gosh, why wouldn't you be? So many girls would love to be in your place – hooking up with their highly attractive guy best friend. But over time you began to miss the relationship you used to have. Watching a movie without pausing halfway through to have sex is unheard of now. You can’t remember the last time you were actually able to do that. 

The worst part is you think you might be missing something else. The more you hookup the more you find yourself longing for him – not just his touch. When he leaves, you feel lonely. Not just the ‘I’m alone’ lonely, either. You want to be with him all the time, spend time doing fun couple-y things in addition to the hot sex you have every night. You want more from this, you need to be more than friends.

And before you know it, Felix’s body is relaxing as he pulls out of you slowly, a trail of cum following in its path beginning to drip down your thigh. A deep sigh leaves your lips when the weight of Felix’s body flops down onto the mattress next to you. You want him to know you’re bothered, you’re just too scared to bring it up on your own.

It doesn’t seem that he notices, though, he just lets out an exhausted grunt in return. In a split second reaction, you sigh again, trying to cover it up by extending your limbs to look like you’re stretching. The second one may have been a bit too dramatic; Felix noticed it this time, the look on his face riddled with confusion.

“Something wrong?”

Oh, great. Well, you got what you wanted, not having to start the conversation but you’ll definitely be the one to ruin it. You could just deflect, say ‘nothing’ and carry on the way you were – but that won’t do much to help your own feelings. 

“Actually, yeah.”

The phrase surprises you just as much as it surprises Felix, you just do a better job of covering it up than he does. His eyes are wide, head turned in your direction now as he begins to sit up. Luckily both of your clothes were in close vicinity – this probably isn't a conversation that neither of you wants to have naked.

Or have in general, for that matter. But getting dressed is a nice way to avoid eye contact, which seems to be the only thing you’ll be able to avoid in this awkward moment.

“What’s up?”

The concern in his voice is prevalent. He’s doing what he can to stay calm but deep down he’s worried. The meek thought of you cutting him off crosses Felix’s mind briefly; a pang of anxiety cuts through him like a knife. And he doesn’t do a great good job of hiding it, but thankfully you’re too caught up in putting on a shirt that you don't notice. 

Guilt starts eating away at you once you realize what you’re doing, what you’re about to tell him. This could ruin everything between you. You don’t think he’ll cut you off, no; but chances are you tell him and things will change forever. The second you speak up about it will determine your future with Felix – if there even is one.

“Have you ever thought about,” your voice stalls, letting a deep breath pause your thoughts in an attempt to ease your mind, “not just having sex anymore?”

“You wanna stop hooking up?” 

“N-no, that's not what I meant!” The words fly out of your mouth more forceful than you intended, and before you're able to stop yourself from spilling them. A puzzled look quickly crosses Felix’s face as he waits for you to continue. There’s a strange tension beginning to surround you, making your palms sweat and stomach twist. 

The air is feeling heavier as thoughts are flooding through your mind. The longer you prolong this conversation the more it's going to hurt you in the end, “Things have just...changed.” 

His head nods along with your words, bottom lip caught between his teeth as his face sinks. Somewhere along the timeline of between being best friends and friends with benefits, that friendship you had was lost. It isn't just you who realized that.

“Because I have feelings for you?”

“Y-you what?” 

You have to pinch yourself to make sure that this is real and what you heard Felix just said was true. But he finds humor in your response, a breathy chuckle leaving his lips as your jaw slowing drops. All this time and you both have been oblivious to each other's feelings…

“I thought you knew that…” His voice is soft, trailing off at the end as embarrassment creeps up. A rosy blush tints his freckled cheeks, soon covering them as he buries his head in his hands. 

“You never told me that,” you chuckle endearingly, butterflies pounding at your chest as heat rises to your cheeks, “did you know that I have feelings for you?”

“Noooo,” his voice is playful, head sinker deeper into his hands as small giggles leave his lips.

It a split-second reaction your hands are taking hold of his wrists, gently moving them from his face to look at his eyes. They’re narrowed into squints, his face squished into a smiling mess as his ears are red with embarrassment. 

“So were you just not gonna tell me?” You say in a joking tone, doing your best to ease Felix’s nerves. 

“I didn’t want to lose you.”

The mood of the room suddenly shifts. Felix’s smile is quick to fade, his cheeks settling back to normal as his eyes slightly widen. Your heart twists with his words – the thought of losing him to something so silly hits you like a million bricks. Sucking in a deep breath, he reaches for your hand, noticing the change of your expression and giving a sympathetic smile. Your eyes follow the trace of his tumb over your hand, stroking the skin lightly as you sit in silence. 

You wonder if that thought has weighed heavy on his mind for a while, how long he’s had feelings for you. It must have hurt him feeling like this was nothing more than sex to you; if only he knew.

“You wouldn’t.”

Felix’s eyes light up at your words, his hand gripping yours a little firmer now. The butterflies you first felt are still there, flapping away in your stomach each time the corners of his lips curl up into a smile. Just when you thought you couldn’t fall any harder there he is, cheeks blushing as his head turns to face you. A swift hand is brought to your neck, holding it as he effortlessly moves in towards you. 

Your heart pounds in your chest as he moves closer, focusing your eyes on each of his features; catching his tongue swipe across his bottom lip. His face is just centimeters from yours, his eyes staring down at your lips and his hot breath fanning across the soft skin of your cheeks.

“I love you,” his deep voice whispers over your lips. You aren’t given enough time to return the words before he’s moving in closer.

Time stills in slow motion when his soft lips meet yours; the world could stop turning but all that would matter is that you are here, right now, in this moment with Felix.

‘More Than Friends (With Benefits)’ is copyright 2020 @chaangbin​​, all rights reserved. Please do not repost on any platform or translate without permission.

[fandom-monium]

Bonding

Summary: In which you suddenly transfer into the BAU, and Spencer is too socially awkward. (alternatively, the failed attempts Spencer makes trying to connect with you.) “You’ve been profiling me, Doc?”

Word count: 2.3k+

Tags/warnings: Spencer Reid x reader, another attempt at gender neutral reader so no pronouns, Fluff(??), kind of first meeting (?), Spencer Reid pining is everything (what an adorable loser), Spencer socially awkward is also everything, reader insert, mild social anxiety (??), no big warnings except a couple fucks and damns

A/N: TO MY TODOROKI FANS: YES, I’M STILL ALIVE. SOULMATE AU EP 5 IS STILL UNDERGOING EDITS. COMING SOOON~ THX FOR WAITING!

New beginnings are scary, Spencer Reid understands that more than anything. A fish out of water at school, thriving in all academics; it came naturally to him, but the rest... well being over six years younger than his classmates didn’t make things much easier. It winded him trying to connect with his peers. He gave up eventually, no one bothering to extend a line to him, and when they did, it wasn’t out of good intentions. He learned that new things are terrifying, be ready for the worst.

So when you stride into the bullpen without so much as a notice, no one’s prepared. Not even you, Spencer notices, your hands flexing at your sides. You shove them into your pockets as you politely smile.

“Everyone, this is SSA (First Name) (Last Name), our newest member of the team,” Hotch introduces.

They manage a welcome but introductions are cut short as a new case presents itself with severe urgency. 

Garcia whines, unprepared for your arrival. You later reassure her it’s fine, but Spencer figures you’re relieved by the way your shoulders relax.

Oddly enough, the way you ease into their team dynamic is almost instantaneous. Not like the way a puzzle piece fits because that would imply that the team is a set when in reality it’s changing; not often but it happens. 

No, your addition is similar to a LEGO brick.

You slip into the role of profiler with ease. You hesitate at first, but your voice doesn’t tremble in the slightest as you offer your own opinions and observations pertaining to the case. You provide them support much like the base of a LEGO model. 

Later on, when Spencer divulges this to you, you smack him hard enough he bruises. You equate him to a peach. But you grin, and the ache fades almost instantly.

Spencer would go as far as to say he respects you, despite not knowing anything about you at the moment. Your devotion shines through whatever hesitancy you had earlier, and though your debut to them was hurried, your dedication is not lost to the team, prompting them to give you the welcome you deserve.

As a result, they make an effort the next couple weeks. A “united force of camaraderie”, Garcia calls it.

Hotch and Rossi go to you, whether you’re at your desk or called to them. Usually, it’s for an extra opinion on a case because you’re fresh eyes. From his desk across from yours, as he inconspicuously watches you purse your lips, attempting not to smile at your seniors, Spencer realizes you do think differently than the rest of them. It’s slight but not too obvious. Maybe it’s because you’re new; you’ve only joined a week ago, or maybe it’s because the team has known each other for so long they’ve learned to predict what they’d say. He isn’t sure.

You do your best to answer them before returning to your assigned tasks.

While Morgan normally makes jokes and teases, he switches his methodology with you for reasons Spencer can’t infer. Instead, he manages to include you in whatever he is doing if you’re within the vicinity. You respond in kind before quickly moving on. 

Jokes and teasing come soon.

In an attempt to naturally get to know you, JJ and Prentiss question you, not like interrogating of course but⎼from what Spencer overhears (he just happens to be within earshot, totally not eavesdropping)⎼sometimes when they border on personal, he notes your swift change in body language. Like they hit a switch: open to closed. And when you answer them, you never give more information than asked for, quick to redirect the conversation. He’s certain they notice as well, but they don’t push. 

Your gratitude is evident in the soft quirk of your lips.

To his chagrin, Spencer isn’t as bold as his friends. When you interacted with each other, it was by extension of the team starting it or on the job so mainly professional. He isn’t even sure why he finds it so hard to talk to you because it’s not like you’re intimidating. 

Okay, maybe just a little. 

But he won’t let that hinder him. You deserve your spot on the team, and, just like the rest of his team, Spencer wants to do his part in making you feel welcomed.

Which means he has to talk to you, and not just about work for once.

Unlike the rest of his team, however, Spencer has to build up courage, frustrating him more than he’d like to admit because sometimes he misses his chance. For example, this morning: you stood at the coffee maker, burying your face in a book as you waited for it to finish brewing. He recognized the cover immediately but when he opened his mouth to rant to you, he choked.

Spencer Reid choked. He never chokes, not when it comes to books. But the words died in his throat, not even making it past his lips. Never had the doctor been so baffled with himself. He scoured his memories for signs, anything that would justify his stumble, yet there was nothing that rationalized this occurrence. He didn’t have this problem before. At least... not with other coworkers.

He cleared his throat to try again, but, to his dismay, you filled your mug and left.

On the other hand, Garcia is the most upfront with you, which leaves Spencer simmering because he would give anything to have that kind of confidence. Although, he can tell the tech analyst’s friendly demeanor almost… annoys you? No, that’s not right. You don’t outwardly dismiss Garcia when she catches you, and when he says catch, he means catch, as in he witnessed you on multiple occasions going out of your way to avoid the colorful hacker.

A month has passed since you joined the BAU. As he arrives early that morning, Spencer spots you down the corridor, and normally that wouldn’t pique his interest, but the way your eyes sweep the halls in every direction is too much. He snorts, nearly spitting out his coffee.

Curious, Spencer trails after you; he slows his pace, careful to maintain distance so that he would be at the end of the hallway and you at the other. You eventually come to a halt, making him freeze mid-step. His heart drops to his stomach. Oh god, did you notice him following you? Of course you did. You actually completed the FBI fitness exams.

But you don’t turn to him. Instead, you press your back against the wall, and as you peek over the edge, he wordlessly makes his way over. His curiosity overrides any nerves. He leans to peer over your shoulder at whatever you’re tailing and…

Ah, he gets it now.

At the end of the hallway by the elevators, Garcia stands a vibrant Sphinx among a sea of dark pantsuits and white-collared button downs, tapping her foot as she waits. Spotting the (your favorite color) paper bag in her hand, he thinks it’s safe to assume it’s another attempt to get you to warm up to her. The tech analyst purses her lips, pulling up her watch.

“Come on, come on…” You mutter, your eyes flicking down at your own.

Spencer glances at you, unsure of what you are waiting for. A minute passes.

Then Garcia looks at her watch again, letting out a frustrated huff. The elevator dings open behind her, allowing her to trudge into the crowded metal box, and the second the door closes over her disappointed pout, you sigh in relief.

The word tumbles out of Spencer’s mouth before he even processes what he’s doing. “Morning.”

You shriek, whirling to face Spencer only to smack into his chest. Though he prides himself in the growth spurt he hit as a teenager, Spencer isn’t at all sturdy and buff as Morgan, so, despite your close proximity, you nearly knock him and his precious coffee over. Luckily, your reflexes are faster than his and you clasp the front of his vest, tugging him into you. He fumbles with his free hand, catching your elbow. “I’m so sorry!”

It takes a moment for you both to compose yourselves. Before Spencer can fully register your hand steadying his wrist, you step back. Something inside him deflates.

"Don't scare me like that," You press your hand over your heart as you start towards the elevator. He follows next to you.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to, but I couldn’t help but watch the whole,” Spencer gestures at you with his coffee cup.

You groan, smashing the elevator button, “Alright, go ahead.”

“Go ahead with what?” His brow furrows. The elevator doors open, allowing you to enter. He hits the button for the BAU floor, and the doors shut with only you two, standing side by side.

“Tell me I’m a bad person, tell me I’m mean or whatever for dodging someone as nice as Garcia. I know you want to,” You grumble, not looking him in the eye.

“I don’t think that.”

The skeptical look you throw him makes him blurt out the words before they could get stuck in his throat. "I mean, it’s clear you don’t dislike Garcia. You give her your full attention whenever she's talking to you, you gratefully accept her gifts despite your obvious discomfort, which seems to spur her on by the way. Actually, you display similar mannerisms with everyone in the team⎼”

Your brows climb your forehead as Spencer digs himself further into the profile hole he made of you. He spills the numerous observations he mentally filed away, and as he rambles he finally understands how his coworkers, probably every person he’s ever rambled to, feel because oh god, now even he wants himself to shut up! Shit, what is he doing? Why? How to stop?

It’s one of those moments in life where words are out of his mouth before he realizes this is not the time or place⎼it certainly isn’t his place⎼ for this, to be profiling you the way he is doing right now.

Yet here we are.

In his head, he’s screaming but it’s too late, and when he finishes seconds later, there’s a beat of silence. You gawk at him. His eyes widen as his chest heaves; his heart pounds like it’s about to break out and escape.  

Then you glare at him, a playful gleam in your eyes. “You've been profiling me, Doc?” 

Oh god, let this elevator break down and drop him. Wait, no, that would kill you too. Fuck.

Spencer swallows, his face growing hot. He tells himself it’s because he just embarrassingly gave a near complete profile of you, unwarranted, definitely not because of the way you say his title. He could apologize⎼he should⎼but his mind blanks and anything else he has to say dies as his throat closes on him. He tugs at his collar, turning to face his pink reflection in the elevator doors.

To his relief, you chuckle, “Don’t worry, I’m not mad. Should've expected nothing less from a genius.” 

“Thank you?”

The doors open and you exit. Before you reach the glass doors, Spencer, biting his lip and unwilling to let the first real conversation he has had with you to end, gathers the remains of his confidence to tap your shoulder. You face him, your expression curious as you halt in front of the BAU headquarters.

Clutching the strap of his bag, he stammers, “Do… Do you want me to talk to Garcia? I mean, I won’t tell her we talked of course. I’ll make a suggestion or something⎼make it seem like it’d be her idea⎼I guess. Might help her tone it down, you know? For you?” He cringes at the last bit, his voice octaves higher than normal. God, what is he, thirteen? How he regrets his boldness. 

If you notice, you don’t mention it. Rather, you give him a onceover, and he tries not to squirm as your sharp eyes scan his face, his body language. You’re sizing up his character, profiling him the way he did with you. The difference is he had a month; you have a few seconds. “You’d do that for me?” You question softly.

Terrified his voice will betray him again, Spencer nods. 

“I⎼” You lick your lips, searching for the right words. Then you smile, a genuine smile, not the shy ones you offered to the team before. It's not awkward or polite. This is way better; your eyes crinkle, there's teeth, and Spencer squints, unsure whether to stare or grab his sunglasses in his satchel because wow, too bright. 

Both. He can totally do both.

I’d do a lot of things for you... as long it’s legal, a tiny voice in the back of his head admits. Spencer can’t bring himself to argue.

“I appreciate that.” Oh right, conversing. He shrugs. “No, really. I know that I’m being stupid and irrational⎼” He opens his mouth to protest. Social anxiety⎼any thing that makes you uncomfortable⎼ is most definitely not stupid. But you shake your head at him. “⎼No, I know I am, and I should get over it as quickly as possible but…” You trail off, glancing to the side.

Spencer follows your apprehensive gaze through the glass doors into the BAU headquarters. It’s early morning, people dawdling around the office, calmly going about their morning routine. It lacks the usual organized bustle as people stand in the corners and chat by the coffee machine, while others take calls or type at their laptops with an air of serenity. A rare, mellow day.

Before you can complete your sentence, Morgan speeds past you, bee-lining for the doors. “Sorry to interrupt, but we got a case!”

Spencer sighs. Spoke too soon.

You both follow behind him without question, leaving your thoughts unfinished, but Spencer catches the impish grin Morgan throws him over his shoulder. He curses under his breath, promises of his friend’s destruction on his lips. 

Just when he was starting to have an actual conversation with you.

Needless to say, eyebrows raise when he drags himself to the round table a couple seconds after you.

Author’s note: You can’t tell me that Reid pre-prison did NOT love action figures, figurines, LEGO models. He is a total nerd, it’s genetic.

So, I just started watching CM since it’s on Netflix. I now love this pipe cleaner with eyes. Can’t tell if I want to caress his lovely jaw or watch him squirm though...

I am basing this one(?)shot on how I get overwhelmed by friendly people. Not to say I don’t like Garcia, bc I love her, she’s one of my fav characters. But at the same time, thanks, I have mild social anxiety. I remember in my COLL 01 class, this guy was making an effort to socialize with our project group mates with invites to hang out together. I could not even. It was like the first day of class, like, chill, my guy.

Also, I‘m sad that I can’t imagine Reid with anyone that isn’t not interesting?? Sad bc I’m such an average person so when I project myself, it feels more unrealistic than it already is and hurts just a bit. I favor the idea of him being with like wild ppl, opposites attract, dumbass and smartass, badass and geek dynamics, stuff like that???

So, the reader’s back story is gonna be hella mysterious and stuff... ;P

And, I’m really into the idea of a Spencer Reid x Hunter!Reader. May try my hand at a CM x SPN crossover in the future. Only problem is that I haven’t finished SPN...

I’m accepting suggestions and ideas!!

Connecting (Bonding Part 2) is in masterlist!

[whomst-art-thou-whomst-whomst]

Ultimate Note thoughts, part 3

As promised: analysis of the iron triangle’s different side combinations. This is also me thinking out loud about characters in planning my Leverage AU (which is a go, I decided) so any additional insights/corrections/clarifications would be greatly appreciated!!

Discussing the Iron Triangle’s Different Dynamics: “and they were tomb raiders. Oh my god, they were tomb raiders.”

Wu Xie and Pangzi: Tianzhen and Fatty

This bond is one of the sweetest and most well-developed bonds I’ve ever seen. I had mixed feelings about parts of Sound of the Providence, but one thing they got right was that Wu Xie and Pangzi have been platonically married for decades at that point and the love is still strong. These are two people who can banter about nothing and enjoy each other’s company. In Ultimate Note, Pangzi is given more emotional range and we get to see his thoughts on Wu Xie multiple times when puppy is unconscious/missing and in peril/yikes there should be a Wu family discount for therapy. What’s really beautiful between the two of them is that they see each other for their real selves and think those real selves are awesome and worthwhile people, warts and all. Pangzi knows Wu Xie is at once obsessively driven in his goals and fundamentally naive about those same goals; “Tianzhen” is probably a mild curse as often as it is a loving pet name. But he still shows up to help and support him in those goals. The scene where Wu Xie insists on waiting for Xiao Ge under the jade meteor thingy is a good indicator of this dynamic; despite being the one to make a rule that they will leave once the bottle under a slowly dripping rock is full, Pangzi silently pours out the filled bottle multiple times as Wu Xie sleeps. It’s also such a lovely and quiet moment to show how much they both worry over Xiao Ge together, although Pangzi, true to form, covers up a lot of his negative feelings in order to soothe and distract Wu Xie.

Pangzi and Xiao Ge: the official “Wu Xie Adoration/Defense/Commiseration/Smack Some Sense into Him” squad leaders

It’s a good touch that at the start of this adventure, both Pangzi and Xiao Ge have things going on that exist outside of Wu Xie: they both take on jobs for the same raid and deliberately do not involve Wu Xie (now that I think about it, it does kind of make sense that Wu Xie is upset at first that he is always playing catch-up with their plans, he gets enough of that with his own family. Like, *we* know there’s a good reason for their actions, but professor puppy does not).

The show does make it clear that their squad has Wu Xie at its core, and these two definitely have nights after bad raids where they (mostly Pangzi) sit with a drink and discuss management of their mutual disasterbebe. A perfect example of their system is the scene where Wu Xie cuts his hand and stubbornly ignores Pangzi; our guy takes an immediate shortcut by loudly telling Xiao Ge that Wu Xie is “being stubborn again” at which point the Man in Black gently but firmly manhandles Wu Xie into getting a bandaid over the cut (the frustrated tenderness in Xiao Ge’s face as he gazes at Wu Xie for a half second cut is just beautiful). And it’s clear that this is a regular situation: if one of them can’t get through with usual tactics, they reassess and get the other one involved. However, we do get to see that Pangzi’s protectiveness extends now to Xiao Ge, and the sweetness of those cuddles when emokitty is sick on their way out of the desert are just cute as hell and show it’s not just Wu Xie that Xiao Ge trusts with his vulnerability. It’s a far cry from their early dynamic in the Lost Tomb of “wanna fight bitch I can take you.” Pangzi is Xiao Ge’s caretaker post-amnesia (the little name tag with if-found-please-return is both cute and heartbreaking) and juggles his different roles like a pro. I really want to return to an analysis of Pangzi as caretaker in another post sometime.

Xiao Ge and Wu Xie: *cue epic music of the “Prioritize and Rescue the Damsel” Theme*

This relationship…look.

Like I said before on (checks notes) that one post or whatever, it’s a beautiful romance. And I don’t particularly care (lying through my teeth) that it’s not ever openly acknowledged throughout the series (except in asides by Pangzi and Hei Yangjing, trolls extraordinaire who ran out of fucks to give three tombs ago), because as with most things for these two, words are less important than actions. Even in other series, like Wu Xie’s ten-year devoted widow period where we find out he can access something only accessible by Zhang family members, he constantly drops hints as to a great loss that has defined his life—his single-minded devotion to Xiao Ge is Wu Xie’s double-edged sword. Every series does a great job with the long gazes at each other—somehow for that time, it seems like it is just the two of them in that moment, even if we know their third-twentieth wheels are waiting awkwardly nearby. An important part of their dynamic is that Xiao Ge always, always protects Wu Xie when he is able to, even if it’s just to stop him from tripping a little on some rocks (I think this might also be why their relationship is so revered? Like, who doesn’t want the assurance of an unconditionally loving sexy swordsman in black who has been known to disappear but who will come to your aid in moments of need—WAIT IS THEIR ROMANCE JUST CONSTANT REITERATIONS OF THE PRINCESS BRIDE???). But we also see how Wu Xie protects Xiao Ge, consistently checking in with him and making sure he is treated as a person and not a tool; it must be confusing to outsiders to see the well-known “Tomb-Raiding Train-wreck Twink” (no I don’t accept constructive criticism on this) fussing over what appears to be a stoic superhuman warrior’s physical and emotional needs. Any period of separation or sight of the other in pain brings out Wu Xie’s best sad puppy eyes and Xiao Ge’s most prominent micro-expressions (I think we can all agree Xiao Ge’s face had the most dialogue during that weird-snake-egg saga), and I just love how their relationship develops over the series, from suspicious puppy with abandonment issues to a calmer sense of “he’s gonna do what he’s gonna do, but he will come back.”

[theonlygamergost]

Girls and pigs night out - Fd!au

This fanfiction is based on the Family Dynamic au made by @antarctic-bay if you would like to know more, go check them out!!!

Also please bear in mind that the things written in this might not be canon!

This fic was corrected by the lovely @im-default

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Niki has the house to herself this weekend, but her plans get cancelled last minute, so one of the Pandel brothers decides to become the back-up plan

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Warning!: Swearing

Enjoy~

“What colour do you-“ “Pink”

Niki was asking Techno the colour he wanted her to paint his nails, but his reply cut her off before she could finish the sentence. She stared at him, blinking a few times.

“That was… quick” she grabbed the pink nail polish, “Ouu~ What if we do pink and black?” she excitedly showed him the two glass bottles next to each other, “Sure” he softly smiled at how happy the girl was.

Niki had the house all to herself this weekend, Eret had left for an update course regarding his job and Tubbo was sleeping over at the Pandel household, leaving her alone.

She had tried to invite someone over, but everyone she asked already had plans, making Niki quite sad.

What made her extremely sad was when Minx agreed to a girls' sleepover but had to cancel it last minute. Techno was with her when she received the text and the poor girl felt avoided.

”I know they don't mean it Techno” she sobbed, holding the tears in, ”But it looks like everyone is avoiding me” dropping the phone on the sofa, she held her head between her hands, her body shaking with each sob.

”There there…” he caressed her back. Techno wasn't one to comfort people, he was usually the one to make them cry, so being on the comforter side wasn't familiar to him.

But be understood the situation Niki was in; Wilbur and the musical friend group weren't available, she had asked classmates only to be rejected with a ”We have an exam to study for, we aren't all like you who gets good votes because we are pretty and sweet talk the professors” which was first of all very rude, and second of all, not true. Techno knew how much Niki studied, they sometimes even studied together. And for a third, she invited Minx, she agreed and then sent her a text saying she couldn't make it, even Techno would feel avoided at this point.

”I know it's not like that but-!” she started crying, Techno could only feel bad for his friend.

But then, a thought arrived.

”What if you still have the sleepover, but instead of being girls only, it's for girls and pigs?” she looked up at him in disbelief, a tear rolled down her face, ”Y-you would do it?” he shrugged, ”It's not like I had anything better to do at home anyway” she smiled and hugged him, catching him off guard, ”Thank you Technoblade” he smiled and hugged the girl back.

So that's how they got in this situation, listening to One Direction songs while Niki painted Techno’s nails, of course all topped by a glitter face mask and some good old gossip.

”Wait wait wait- so you're telling me she stole her friend's money only to gift it back to her, look nice, and hit on her boyfriend?!” Niki stifled a giggle as Techno repeated what she had just told him, ”Yep, Janet had a crush on Adam for a while now, and even if he is taken, with her best friend, she is still trying to hit on him” Techno adjusted the border of his face mask, ”What a bitch” Niki burst out laughing, she had never seen Techno gossip, and the funniest thing was that he knew a lot about his classmates, he just kept quiet about it since he had no one to gossip to.

”If I remember correctly, she also tried to hit on Will” he gave Niki his other hand, shaking the one with fresh polish on around to dry it faster, ”Let's be honest Techno, who hasn’t tried to hit on Will? Every girl in the school has fallen for his charm” they giggled at the fact that yes, that was true, but even if that was a thing, Wilbur was still single.

”Well not all of the girls, you didn't hit on Wilbur” Niki rolled her eyes, ”That’s… correct, but I did fall for his charms, just not in that way, I am his friend after all” Techno nodded, mumbling ”true true” to himself.

”And done! Oh my God Techno you look so good!” Niki closed the nail polishes and admired her work, ” You did an incredible job Niki, oh! oh! Can I paint yours?” Techno asked excitedly, already looking at the drawer with the polishes, ”If I did pink and black you have to get pink and white” she giggled at the sight of Techno in Eret’s borrowed t-shirt, it was too large for him and it made him look like a blob, ”Are you suggesting we get matching nail polish?” she fake-gasped, ”Heck yeah I am” he smiled as he sat back down next to her with the small glass bottles, his nails weren't even fully dry yet here he was, painting Niki’s nails.

After the nails dried out and they took off the face masks, Techno proposed a “Midnight snack” aka strawberry vanilla and chocolate ice cream (of course eaten directly from the box with a big spoon) while bingeing various Netflix series.

After a couple of hours, Niki looked at the boy lying next to her and noticed how soft his pink hair looked, so she reached out to touch it and gasped, slightly scaring Techno, “Oh my god your hair is so soft for being dyed! How do you do it?!” He smirked, “Conditioner and hair mask?” He replied like it was the most normal thing in the world, she gasped again, “You use a hair mask?” She looked at him in shock, his smirk got wider “Once a week”

They ended up talking about their hair care routine and what brands they used for dyed hairs shampoos, while the tv was just background noise, Niki started to gently make small braids in Techno’s hair, “I can’t believe I never noticed how soft and bright your hairs are! I need to try out your brand” Techno’s hair wasn’t that long, but long enough to make multiple braids, decorating his silk smooth hair.

“If you want to try out various brands, do not try the purple-bottle one, it slightly darkens the colour of your hair, especially if it’s a bright colour” Niki nodded making a mental note.

“I have tried a lot of brands before I found mine, but-” Techno’s phone started ringing, interrupting his sentence, Niki kept braiding his hair peacefully.

It was a video call from Phil, Techno was resting his head on a cushion on Niki’s lap so he extended his arms in front of him and answered:

“HELLO TECHNOBLADE, Hi Technomate~” The greet of his two brothers came in at once, the two distinct voices overlapped.

“Helloo~” He greeted back, Phil was sitting at the kitchen counter while Tommy was standing behind him.

“Where are you Techno? You didn’t tell us you were spending the night out” He apologised by moving the phone so Niki was in the shot behind him, “I’m staying at Niki’s tonight, I’m sorry I forgot to text you” Phil nodded and reassured him it was fine, meanwhile, Tommy noticed Niki who kept braiding Techno’s hair.

“Oh my- BWAHAHA!!!” he burst out laughing, “What are you laughing at Tommy?” Everyone got a bit confused, “Look at Techno’s hair!” to that, Phil awed, thinking it was very cute, Tommy laughed once more while Techno blushed.

“Y-your just jealous I look better than you!” He did something he rarely did, stutter in embarrassment, but Tommy got angry at the roast and didn’t realize it.

To get back at him he asked one of his cringy questions:

“Hey, Technoblade! Wh-what are you doing at a girl’s house all alone?!” Techno grinned and brought his phone closer to his mouth so he could whisper the reply, “Girls and pigs night out, bitch”

That phrase went into Wilbur’s quote book.

[volfoss]

ships to rate: bruabba and gyjo? maybe even yasugap if you're up for it

ok ur about to see such a long post its nto even gonna be funny, tldr i love them all

also gonna put a fic i really like for them if ive read one/ a fic idea i wanna write plus maybe ranting, this is not coherent but my spelling isnt too bad

post under cut bc its very long

Bruabba:

my loves my lifes

they r so soft for each other

the fucking rain scene when bruno extends his umbrella

and how bruno is like trying to hold back his emotions post abba dying

in case its not super obvious by the sheer volume of bruabba content i reblog this is one of my otps

ALSO the fucking boat scene where abba pretty much is like yeah ur home bruno

ajdskjghdsgjk

hc that they r meeting up in the afterlife w nara and having a good time (also read a phenomenal fic about it that ill link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/33118039 it is emotionally fucking me up days later <3)

dads dads dads but bruno is the caring dad that just gets you and takes care of you in the most gentle way and will sacrifice himself over and over again to see u happy and abba is the sitting in the armchair and u sneak in like 2 minutes past ur curfew ur busted but i was also worried about you

these two men own my whole heart (also my ao3 history i exclusively am reading bruabba and dadbacchio)

i have so so many thoughts toward them like yeah i just love them so much

i will never ever not write them as in love

t4t and bi4bi

every single canon thing about them makes me so soft but i think what makes me softest is just how its so clear that they rely on each other in situations

fanon interpretation rant rq:

but how some ppl really interpret them so ooc that its just like bruno mommy and abba cares about literally none of their kids (explanation on the mommy thing is bc most of things that do that are weird bc they really r treating bruno like a single parent who is raising the gang on his own and thats all when abba is literally there and caring about ppl (ie the purple haze incident w giorno, like he wasnt the most nice in his wording but why else would he be like hi move away from the danger if he didnt care??)

ppl also just tend to not really do the separation between how abba acts around others and how he acts towards bruno and has him being kinda aggressive towards him for literally no reason when they r literally so soft w each other

and also they r both so fucking pretty and i am in love with them both

if i think about them too long i will combust and i am blaming u solely for that one

ship dynamic of savior x savior bc they both really did save each other and i love them sm

fic ideas for them r they both live and leave passione and take their kids w them <3 (gang would crumble but thats not my problem)

ok also another hc that i have for them is that bruno will buy larger sweaters and wear them and give them to abba if hes having a rough time, they have a shared closet imo

10/10 ship

Gyjo:

OK OK OK

FEELINGS ON MAX

these guys r also my beloved but in a depressed x very happy but hiding depression way

the the fuckingn way that gyro ltierally risks everything in the ringo roadagain fight to save jognny

and the way that johnny is literally fucking broken post gyro persiheing and adopts his speech pattern a bit and ugh

I am obsessed w gyjo but i think the funniest crack ship is poly but w diego and they all fucking suffer (fic that sold me on that: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22887796/chapters/54705517)

i cannot find the one fic that i really loved for them but needless to say i am soft w them living and just being together

update i found it: its a modern au and really really sweet! https://archiveofourown.org/works/31821940/chapters/78780595

one day ill actually write the fic idea i had for them which was basically they live and they dont sell the land they got from the sugar mountain arc and johnny wanted to start somewhere fresh anyways and gyro adopts marco and they make a lil log cabin and have a nice rest of their lives

i am a massive sucker for their ship

ALSO how johnny is always laughing at gyros jokes

smth i wish we got more of in canon were those moments where they just chilled and talked and had those kinda interactions

fandom complaining time!! the fucking way that some ppl just really take the gyro funny and johnny submissive trope is like my biggest pet peeve. did they not read sbr?? did they not see the multiple times that johnny has murdery eyes? i think personally its ppl infantilizing him a lot and it makes me really frustrated

ok also a fic that really really fills me desire for a they all live and everyone is happy is this one: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22812394

i love them sm but unfortunately cannot have coherent thoughts about them :(

10/10 ship

Yasugap:

gonna start this out w saying i did mildly speedread through jojolion so i dont have as many big screamy thoughts

BUT!!! them!!!!!

their canon interactions r the cutest thing and even if they werent, id ship it solely to spite joshu

josuke is a million trillion times better for yasuho (not just bc of how joshu is a fucking freak and is absolutely the worst i would run him over with a dump truck)

i really like how they both r so happy around each other but i think my favorite scene w them is when yasuho has to explain to josuke that hes crying and hes just like :') yeah

but they have so so many cute moments and the ending makes them the only couple to make it out of this list

i love how yasuho is just like willing to drop anything to help him and how they help each other out a lot during the whole time (if im remembering right?)

their dynamic is just 2 sweethearts

also love the moment that hes like look away yasuho :) then proceeds to beat a man up

they r canon (as is everyone else sorry <3)

i dont read a lot of part 8 fic since i need to reread it to properly understand the plot post like chapter 65? so i dont have any recs or complaints

BUT i do have a few hcs!!

i think yasuho would get josuke matching phone straps or phone cases

and when they move in together, i think they would raise sugar gliders (or potentially kidnap squirrels from the local park)

i love all of yasuho and josukes interactions but oh man every time that josukes past gets brought up i do start bawling

they both mean the world to me and how their romance is just built on such a clear foundation of trust and care it makes me so soft

they both give off such dog ppl energy tho and i love that for them

ALSO ok the way that yasuho helps josuke w his memory and is always there for him

i will never ever ever get over them

but i think one of my favorite scenes is the one right at the beginning where she gives josuke his name and how that plays into the rest of the story with him discovering his identity but still clinging to the one that she gave him since it was him, he wasnt just kira or josefumi he was josuke

10/10

if i think about them anymore i will start sobbing, the last chapter wrapped every last thing up so well and im so so glad that it did

[bigskydreaming]

Thinking about Kings of the Sky and Jason's titans. Kid Devil, Beast Boy, and Danny Chase are shoo ins. Who else? Arisia Rrab would fit. Sprout? (Damn a lot of options are sexually controversial.)

LOL actually I do have the full, extended lineup of Jason's Titans in that AU all figured out: 

Here's the initial post explaining the background of my fave Jason ship, JasonTom, and possible choices for Jason's teammates and my reasons for each. 

And here's the post laying out the finalized list of Jason's lineup of Titans and who each one's respective mentor from Dick's lineup is.

Beast Boy is solidly a member of Dick's lineup because this AU only diverges from canon around the point where the Garzonas case happened, and despite being younger than a lot of the others, Gar was still well established as one of Dick's Titans by then. And tbh, Vic and Gar are one of my fave dynamics and I can't imagine not writing them as BFFs forever, which just works better with them in the same age range. One of my biggest RAGE, I RAGE, DC! changes to the New 52 was them aging down Gar and Raven, because I just love their friendships among the NTT so much and just look at that choice and get stuck on a loop of going yup, that was a choice that happened alright, but WHY was it a choice and does it HAVE to be a choice? Let's make it not a choice that happened. 

Danny Chase floats in a kinda in between state between Dick and Jason's lineups, due to his age and established dynamics with the characters present here. This goes AU well before Titans Hunt so Danny, Joey, Arella et al don't die as they did there, so he never becomes Phantasm, so he's kinda the slightly older, more experienced confidante to Jason's generation of Titans and is like lol yeah fuck the older Titans, I heavily endorse you doing anything and everything that will make them groan in exasperation, particularly Dick.

Kid Devil I didn't make part of the lineup because I most primarily associate him with being part of Tim's lineup of Titans during the year of Countdown/52, and okay that's also clearly a total cop out since I made Amy one of Jason's lineup and she was literally a traitor on that same lineup of Tim's so what is the truth, me, hmm?? 

Okay, lol lbr, the reason I didn't include Eddie was total pettiness/personal reasons. I just kinda have a.....grudge, I guess you could say, against his character for the way his 100% offscreen friendship with Jason is hyped by a lot of Jason's fans while they actively ignore the ON the page moments we got between Dick and Jason back then, where Dick actively tried to build a relationship with Jason, and they just default to being like "no. Dick hated Jason. Is canon. No shut up it totally is." 

And then two seconds later its like okay and now let's talk about Jason and Eddie's epic friendship which consists of two whole pages referencing them being pen pals and teaming up one time pre-Crisis (which again, was where Dick and Jason's brotherly relationship truly lived and we saw tons of at the exact same time, so its like okay so Eddie and Jason, still BFFs forever because of a couple pages, but Dick and Jason, mortal enemies because Dickhead was an asswipe to Jason all those times we didn't actually see because he wasn't actually an asswipe. Got it!)

LOL so the point is, that discrepancy, let's call it, just annoys me on principle. When its like, painfully obvious that almost an entire fandom's view of Dick and Jason's dynamic is contrived and literally just a choice Big Name Fans with a large influence over what new fans do and don't know, like, made a long time ago, and people just decided that oh okay, we can hype the hell out of two pages of bonding with a character most people don't even know exists while ignoring multiple repeated displays of genuine sibling affection between brothers just because we don't like that narrative and prefer Jason be misunderstood and resented by his brother for Reasons, I'm just like.....mmm, don't love that. 

As you can see, it gets me easily worked up into a tizzy, lmao, and while I don't MIND being in a tizzy while posting meta thoughts all tizzily, I prefer not to WRITE write while in a state of being tizzified, and so I just decided to swerve around making Eddie a Titan here and putting a lot of focus on his and Jason's friendship, since I don't trust myself to be objective and nonpetty about writing it. I'm just like...eh, I don't want to write them, and I know and understand why I'm making that choice, so I'm fine with it. *Shrugs* 

(Which is basically what I actually always argue for people to do more of so I try to take my own advice. Like, I truly don't think anyone should HAVE to write characters they aren't thrilled about, lol, like why would they, but I just believe its better to just be fucking honest about the why of it and own it, even if just to yourself, so that it doesn't leak into the actual writing in the form of like, resentment that you feel you HAVE to write someone you don't actually want to invest page time and effort into.)

So for the record, Eddie and Jason ARE still friends in this, they do still have that penpal relationship, just modernized, and I didn't do away with that or anything, I just keep it mostly just referenced and happening off the page while on page I focus on the lineup I outlined above and the friendships I develop there.

Arisia and Sprout just didn't come up when picking my lineup because I'm not as familiar with their characters and at this point there's already so many characters even peripherally in the mix that its unlikely I'll throw them in, but eh, you never know. Most of the people I did pick though are like, C and D list faves that I always thought had mega untapped potential DC remains committed to untapping, because I can delve the hell into characters like that, with all the gusto. 

So yeah. That's the What and the Why of all that story direction!

[stitch1830]

I don’t know how you feel about this but personally I kind of like the idea of Lin being Kantoph’s only kid? Idk Kanto and Toph just kind of strike me as one kid people. There’s also a certain kind of dynamic you have with your parents when you’re an only child that’s kind of hard to explain but it just makes sense for Lin, Toph, and Kanto to be like that in my head? Idk. I’ve noticed that when a family has multiple kids it’s like there’s the adults and then there’s the kids and there’s more of a line between them but when you’re an only child your parents are kind of your friends if that makes sense?

I definitely think this would fit their characters well! Toph and Kanto are working people that care about their careers and having kid wasn't really in their plan to start, so I can see them just having one. They love Lin to pieces, but the dynamic they have with just the three of them is sweet... why mess that up? And you're right there's sometimes a disconnect between parents and kids when there's more than one. I can see them worrying about how another kid would change their family and maybe that thought stops them from ever having more.

I can also see Toph and Kanto having more than one kid only because they want to make a 'big' family of their own. Toph was an only child, and maybe she was lonely. Kanto lost his parents when he was young and he craved that family feeling when he got with Toph. So I like the idea that they let responsibility slip a couple times and those instances turn into one or two more kids!

I guess I don't mind making my ships have multiple kids only because I can control how they interact with them if that makes sense... Like, in this AU, why not make the family dynamic be super close and have all the kids feel like their parents are their friends? I'm in a unique family situation where my siblings and I are actually really close with our parents and we often prefer doing things as a family than alone. One time I took an extended trip by myself to visit friends, and I kept wishing I was with my family only because I know I would've had more fun with them. And for my AUs, I can see most of my ships being close with their kids like my family is. It's also fluffy and heartwarming! If we can crank the angst up to the max, why not the fluff?

But Kantoph is a pretty flexible ship in my opinion. I can see them having no kids, just one kid, or as many as three kids (maybe not more than that lol). I personally don't have much experience with only child dynamics (I'm trying to think... and most people I know have a sibling or two... weird!), so I'll follow your lead on only-child HCs haha!

[honsoolie]

step on me.

pairing: Yoongi/reader

genre: idol!au, crack, fluff 

warnings: getting stepped on (is that a warning?) cursing, mention (1) of sex but it’s super tame 

words: 2k 

rating: pg15

a/n: thank you to @mindays for taking a look at this and @joonsrack for helping come up with alternate words for “kneel,” even if they didn’t make it to the final draft. read this on ao3 :) 

“Is that something that you would be okay with?” 

“What?” You blink, still not quite able to process what’s being asked of you. 

This has to be a dream. You’re going to wake up soon, and laugh at how ridiculous your sleeping mind can be. 

This can’t be real, but the way that the uncomfortable chair bites into the backs of your thighs tells you that it’s real. The earnest look in your manager’s eyes tells you that this isn’t just a joke. You know you’re fooling yourself. 

“For a scene in the music video. Agust D will trample over the court officials as he raps. The director thought it would be a nice touch for him to step on someone. You know, to really show off the power dynamic,” Your manager says, like that’s a totally normal thing to say.

 Like she’s commenting on the weather, except she’s asking you for your permission to be used as a footstool. You’re at a loss for words. You open your mouth to say something, but you come up with nothing. 

“We could find someone else, if you’re not comfortable with it.” Your manager softens her gaze, leaning back in her chair. She moves to make a note on her computer, but you interject. 

“No! No. It’s okay,” You say. You’re still fairly new to the agency, and you need the experience. You don’t need to be the new girl that also refuses to get her hands dirty. 

You continue, “I can do it. I’ll do it.” At this point, you’re not sure who you’re reassuring. 

“You’ll be thoroughly compensated for it, so keep that in mind.” She doesn’t buy your willingness, not yet. After all, who would be so keen to get fucking stepped on? 

“Yes, of course.” You nod. You need to show that you’re serious about this job, that you’re a working professional, that you’re willing to buckle down for the sake of the company. 

“He won’t be touching you for that long, it’s just one scene. It shouldn’t hurt.” Her attempts to assuage you don’t help. 

“I understand.” 

“Great. I’ll mark you down for it and we’ll begin shooting next week.”

“Sounds great.” You manage a tight-lipped smile, one that doesn’t reach your eyes.  Your manager mirrors the sentiment. 

“Thanks. Can you close the door on your way out? There’s a draft,” She says, eyes not leaving her monitor. When the door closes behind you, you laugh in disbelief. 

One of your first big appearances in a music video, and your face won’t even be in it. 

In the next week, you try to soothe the gnawing worry by watching interviews, fancams, anything to help prepare you for what’s to come. Knowledge is power, right? 

But if anything, it makes it worse. You watch video after video where the many of the commenters are languishing over him. Ironically enough, one comment reads, 

  step on me, min yoongi :”(

 It’s well deserved, honestly. It’s no lie to say that Min Yoongi is attractive, and even more so when he’s on stage. His charisma increases tenfold when he’s rapping into a mic, eyes trained on the thousands of fans before him. 

You shut your laptop and curl up on your bed. There’s no way to make this easy for yourself, is there? 

 ~

The day of the music video shooting, you don’t see any trace of Yoongi on set—and you hope to keep it like that, out of your own self-preservation. As you make your way on set, signing in and changing into your costume, the same hollow feeling follows you around in the pit of your stomach. 

You’re sitting in the waiting room when someone clears their throat behind you. When you turn around, it’s the exact person you had hoped not to see before the shooting took place. The Min Yoongi. 

“Ah, hello,” You say, bowing ninety degrees. When you stand back up, the hood of your costume falls over your eyes. You push your hood back down, the extra fabric pooling around your shoulders. You can only hope that you don’t look as ridiculous as you feel.

“So… I guess you’re the person I’ll be...” The Min Yoongi starts. 

“Stepping on?” You offer. You both share a quiet laugh together, among the humming chatter of the makeup noonas and your other colleagues getting ready for the shoot. The air is so suffocating that it feels like you’re the only two in the room, or maybe it’s your own nervousness clouding your judgement. Oh God, this is so much worse than you thought it would be. 

“Uh, yeah.” He looks, if anything, coy. It’s a charming juxtaposition to his extravagant get-up. 

You spot the Jordan trainers he’s wearing. It’s a nice touch, anachronistic to the traditional clothes he’s wearing. Truly fit for a king, you muse. 

You laugh, just to fill the awkward silence. “I’ve never done this before,” You say, like this is somewhere casual. Like you’re in your first boyfriend’s bedroom, and you’re getting ready to take the next step —but it isn’t. The circumstances are decidedly more glamorous. You’re sitting in some dimly-lit waiting room, talking to a celebrity you’ve idolized since forever, getting paid to be in a music video for a song that’ll rake in hundreds of millions of views. 

Even before the cameras start rolling, there’s something about the blond wig and the scar and the aura that makes you want to get on your knees and worship. You’ve met big stars before, but there’s something about him that just commands a state of speechlessness. 

“Well, I never have either.” He shrugs his shoulders, not taking his eyes off you—but you can’t bring yourself to meet his gaze. 

You kick yourself for being so flustered. You’re a professional, you remind yourself . You’ve worked with Bighit before, for other music videos, this is supposed to be the same. 

He’s just… so much taller in person. Perhaps not taller. Naver told you he was one of the shorter members of BTS. 

Imposing, then. Ethereal, definitely. Nobody ever told you how delicate his features were, or how deep his voice was, or how warm his eyes were. 

“I figured.” You try to look him in the eye, but your gaze falls wayward at every attempt. He’s being so professional, and down to earth, and nice . And here you are, barely able to form a complete sentence in his presence. 

He laughs again. “I’ll try to make our first time memorable, then.” He gives you a familiar smirk, one that you’ve seen before. It looks a lot like the one that he has on before one of his verses on stage, like he has the world at his feet. Before you can come up with a response (not that you were going to, awestruck as you were), Yoongi was whisked away by a makeup noona for final touch-ups. 

So much for a good first impression. 

~

Never in your life did you think that you would be kneeling before Min Yoongi’s feet, dressed up as a Joseon era court official, waiting to be stepped on. What did you have to be so nervous for? After all, you weren’t the one doing the stepping.

You kneel at the tape marking that labels your place. Dozens of your colleagues take their places around you, forming a perfect grid. 

Luckily for you, it’s not sweltering hot like the last time that you shot a music video with Yoongi. You remember the hot air of the room that you shot the Interlude: Shadow music video in, how crowded you felt among everyone else. He hadn’t noticed you among the sea of extras. Of course not. You looked the same among the faceless people, all of you donning the same black parka. 

Even back then, months ago, you never saw him up close. You were fresh meat then, too focused on just doing the right job and staying under the radar. Certainly you weren’t close enough to get stepped on. Not even close enough to talk to him. 

The concrete is warm beneath your touch and you close your eyes as the music begins to play from the speakers. The first shots that they wanted to take were just of Yoongi walking up and down the walkway, so that was easy enough. All you had to do was lay there, prone. You can hear his footsteps, feel his shadow pass over you. God, this was too much.  

There’s no warning as to when it’s supposed to happen. You hear the director call to cut over and over as they switch angles, touch up Yoongi’s hair and makeup, give staging directions. When you hear the director say your fated scene is next, the anticipation crawls from the pit of your stomach to your throat. 

But you still don’t know when. You don’t know what lyric or what second he’ll descend upon you, nor can you even see. All you can really do is lay there and let the concrete bite into your knees. 

When it finally happens, it’s more shocking than it actually hurts. You gasp inaudibly under the music as you attempt to bear the weight of him, the air forced out of you. Yoongi isn’t exactly heavy, but you’re not exactly made to be stepped on. You bite your lip to try and stay quiet. It’s over just as quickly as it started. 

“Cut!” 

You sit up from your kneeling position, more breathless than you should be. Yoongi extends a hand out to help you up. His hand is soft, and so is his encouraging smile. 

Oh God, his hand is soft. There’s an understated strength in the way he effortlessly pulls you up off the ground. 

“I’m sorry,” He says, rubbing your shoulders. You are absolutely pliant under his touch. “Are you okay?” 

Physically, you’re fine. Just peachy. But Yoongi looking deeply into your eyes with his hands on you is too much. It’s all you can do to nod. 

“Mm-hmm,” You muster, but it’s barely more than a squeak. 

“Let’s look at the shot, see if we need to do it again.” You had forgotten that it might have taken multiple takes, and you’re not prepared to have Min Yoongi help you up over and over again, touch you over and over like that again.

In a way, the shot looks a little glorious. The camera focuses on the Agust D in the video, before panning out to reveal the dozens of court officials that kneel before him. The delicate, soft features that you saw backstage are gone. The Agust D in the video, hooded eyes and all arrogance, jumps on one of the hooded figures. It looks like it should have hurt more than it actually did. 

“Great,” The director says. “Let’s move on.” 

The rest of the shooting passes by without incident. You wait until nightfall for the final scenes of the day, where you nod your head in time with the music as the black-haired Agust D usurps the king. 

When the filming is over for the day, you move to get up, eager to get changed and eat dinner. When you push the hood out your eyes (for what seems to be the hundredth time today), Yoongi is again standing before you. He smiles. 

“I’d love to work with you again.” 

a/n: ummmm this idea popped into my mind a couple days ago while I’ve been procrastinating on the rest of my wips. even after a month after d-2 dropped, the yoongi thirst hasn’t left me. this totally wasn’t an excuse to watch the daechwita mv over and over again. i hope you enjoyed it as much as it did writing it!! 

[enemyofrome]

dear yuletide author

Hello, Yuletide Author!

Thank you so much for writing for me! I hope you have fun with this, and I’m already super excited to read whatever you come up with! :D

Things I like: enemies-to-lovers, enemies-as-lovers, subtle humour, competence kink, characters who appear imperturbable or flippant but are riddled with painful vulnerabilities, and the reluctant showing of that vulnerability. I’ll read anything from plotty intrigue to plotless fluff. Also 1000000% here for AUs (modern, ancient, coffee shop, soulmate, whatever) and crossovers between any or all of my requested fandoms. Historical accuracy appreciated; historical liberties welcome.

Things I’d rather not read: original characters in a major role, genderbends unless specified, A/B/O, conflicts based on misunderstandings or romantic jealousy.

Things I don’t want to read: “period-typical” misogyny/homophobia, graphic violence or torture, erasure of canonical disabilities, animal death, incest, rape, abusive relationships. Toxic family dynamics are a particular trigger and I’d rather a fic not focus on them too much, even if it’s canon. I read all ratings, but I tend to skim sex scenes unless they do something for plot and characterisation.

Past letters: 2020 | 2019 | 2017 

Requests:

1. Punic Wars RPF (Hannibal Barca)

I love that Hannibal was not only good at War Things but extremely well-read and erudite; he spoke multiple languages, wrote treatises in Greek, enjoyed wordplay and snark, etc, and was a grumpy introvert who disliked posturing and had to be wheedled away from his work to go to banquets and such.

Competence kink is what I’m saying. Competence kink.

(I love all of the Barcids, and would happily read anything about any of them, so don’t feel like you have to focus exclusively on the Hannibabe himself!)

Ideas:

I ship Hannibal and Scipio to hell and back but would also enjoy them as best friends/frenemies with benefits/partners-in-crime etc, though I would rather you not pair them with anyone else but each other. (That being said, Scipio is optional. Rome is optional. War is optional. If you wanted to write a fic that focused exclusively on Hannibal and his family, I’d be so down.)

This is a fandom where I’d particularly appreciate light-heartedness, not least because Hannibal was a historically attested Little Shit with a wicked sense of humour. Sibling bonding! Cracky extended family gatherings! Giving Romans aneurysms! Giving his allies aneurysms!

Honest efforts at historical accuracy will be very, very appreciated, but I would also enjoy alternate universes of any sort. Modern AU! Space AU! Carthage Wins AU! Etc. (Just no The Barcids As Romans AUs, please.)

If you're looking for more inspiration, or just eye candy, here's a docudrama starring Alexander Siddig as Hannibal. There's also Extra History for a quick and humorous if not wholly accurate crash course on the First and Second Punic Wars, featuring some adorable stick figures. And here’s my Punic Wars tag on tumblr, where I yell often and copiously.

(Don’t erase Hannibal’s canonical disability, please! See above for more detailed DNWs.)

2. Howl Series - Diana Wynne Jones (Howl Pendragon)

Ideas:

A pre-canon fic set in Wales would be amazing. What was Howl like in university? We know from DWJ that he majored in philosophy—why? Did he ever finish writing his dissertation on spells? When did he first know he was a wizard? How, exactly, did he find the door to Ingary? Was he telling the truth when he said he never met Suliman in Wales? (My ship of choice is Howl x Ben Suliman—my take on it here and here—and I would literally liquefy if you wrote this for me, but you don't have to.)

Howl's early years in Ingary are also really interesting to me. Like, it can't have been easy setting up a life in an entirely new world where he had no money and didn't know anyone. How did he get by? Why on earth did he catch Calcifer? Did he have to use Sophie's cayenne pepper trick a lot when he was first "starting out in a small way"? How did he meet Mrs. Pentstemmon? How many aunts brained him with their frying pans for seducing their niblings?

Or something that fills in the gaps in HMC. Sophie is a really unreliable narrator at the best of times, which is one of the most intriguing and frustrating things about the book, because there's so much we just don't know. What was Howl doing behind the scenes to try and save Suliman and Justin? Where did he really go when he was supposedly out courting? What were his first impressions of Sophie (besides DEATH BY CLEANING)? When did he fall in love with her?

(My HMC tag is here!)

3. Lymond Chronicles - Dorothy Dunnett (Francis Crawford of Lymond)

Ideas:

Injury! Sickfic! Huddling for warmth with a person of your choice! In a series that is about 99 parts hurt to one part comfort, I will take all of the hurt/comfort tropes, romantic or platonic. (The scene in Game of Kings where Richard nurses Lymond back to health is one of my most favourites --  it’s quite possibly the point where I was like, oh no, this series is going to be ingrained in my brain forever.)

Any sort of AU where Lymond and Marthe grow up together/are raised as siblings, and get up to all kinds of shenanigans. (Unpopular opinion: Marthe is one of my favourite characters, and while you don’t need to include her at all, I’d love it if you did!)

An exploration of the many, many people who had fleeting (or not-so-fleeting) crushes on Lymond, and perhaps even his perspective on said crushes -- I’m talking Will, Jerott, Mariotta, Mikal, etc.

Something stupidly, unapologetically cracky, that makes it impossible to take Lymond seriously. Because let’s face it, we deserve it. A wild sheep chase? Some ridiculous harebrained plan to accomplish some impossibly obscure objective? Lymond accidentally discovering the one thing on earth he’s not good at? Bonus points if Philippa has to rescue him, and someone ends up under the table laughing.

(Dorothy Dunnett tag here and here!)

[tiredcowpoke]

TITLE: Of Lines PAIRING: Arthur Morgan/Reader REQUEST: @all-good-things-have-a-ending requested for a college/university au with Arthur x Reader. WARNINGS: Not really? Some mention of divorce and cheating (in the past).  NOTE: This is long again, sorry. lmao Really, this is such a broad idea that it could be a whole thing, so it was hard to figure out where to end this for a sort of one-off thing. Anyway, just some stuff to note. I did shift around the idea of student x professor because it’s got a power dynamic that I’m not a fan of, despite both Arthur and reader being consenting adults in this. So, instead I went with a professor x professor thing with some compromise on that. However, I hope it’s still good. I rewrote parts of this multiple times so I hope it worked out nice in the end. lol This can also be read as gender neutral, there’s not much focus on the reader’s gender.

With it being a familiar university, you figured it would curb some of the anxieties you had about this. 

Yet, you felt like a new student.

However, it had been a good couple years since you were a student of anything. This time it would be a role reversal where you weren’t the one sitting in one of the chairs in the lecture hall, hoping the professor had a good vibe about them and that the course material wouldn’t be too brutal. No, you were the one standing in front of that student and many others just like them. Thankfully, you didn’t have to deal with the eight-in-the-morning stares of a way too early history course but the idea had your stomach twisting something bad at points. 

You were in charge. You knew the material and you had your lecture notes, just had to...give a little introduction to yourself and the course layout and worry about the content the next day. 

The thought pulled a small sigh from your nose, something grounding as another dull ding of the elevator told you that you were arriving at the floor you needed to be on. 

Thankfully, the first thing you had was an office hour that could allow you to collect yourself before you started your day of lecturing. You weren’t expecting any students, not on your first day. The university was still pretty small, newly minted and trying to make a name for itself, and you knew the office building was a bit of a mix and match. You knew you would be sharing the office space with someone, as it had been in your previous institution. 

Walking down the hall toward the door you were looking for, having chanted the name a couple times coming in order to find it, you were greeted by a somewhat animated student stepping out of the door, talking quickly with someone sitting just inside. Well, there went your hopes of having the space to yourself for a bit. You tuned out the conversation for a moment, glancing up at the names beside the threshold of the door. Only two, your name, seasonal instructor, and an Arthur Morgan, Phd. 

The name gave you pause, your eyes narrowing a moment as a small pang of familiarity hit you. Morgan. Morgan…

“Well I’m gonna go over that project in class, so don’t go worryin’ too much about it right now, alright?” 

You glanced up at the voice, now much clearer as a man stepped out from the doorway as the student he was talking to slipped by you with a small nod and wave. His face hit you instantly, though you knew he had aged some over the last couple years. Little less lively, looking somewhat tired, despite the somewhat friendly and inquisitive stare he gave you in return. 

“You here for the office hour?” he asked, “I got some time right now for a couple minutes, if that works. What course you in?”

“Oh, I’m not in any course,” you replied quickly with a small chuckle--he didn’t recognize you. You weren’t sure if you were relieved or a little disappointed about that.

“I’m actually just looking to get into my office…” you continued, pointing slightly toward the empty desk space behind him. 

“Oh,” he replied, the surprise that touched his expression a little amusing, “Ah, right--course you ain’t. I’m sorry, it’s been...a mornin’.” 

“Yeah, I can relate,” you said, stepping in after him once he had turned with a somewhat heavy sigh. 

You placed your things down on the desk, letting out a small breath through your nose. This was an interesting turn of events. You knew you might run into the professors you had been taught under, coming to teach at the college, now university, that you had got your degree from before moving on. He had aged a bit in appearance from what you remembered of him, but you recognized his voice. Out of all the people you could have been sharing office with, it was that old professor you had wished you could have strangled when you were a student. 

Taking a Fine Arts course for the credit had been required for your degree, and taking a fundamentals to traditional drawing had seemed like easy credit. Maybe it would have been, if it hadn’t been Arthur teaching it. He had seemed nice enough--laid back teaching style, admittedly nice to listen to and you had certainly heard enough comments about how he wasn’t hard to look at either. Yet, when that first project rolled around, things changed. Sandwiched between a couple heavily essay focused courses, trying to work on a drawing seemed easy enough that you hadn’t given it much thought, and he had been quick to kick you in the teeth for it. The grade had been bad and his comments seemed...overly nit-picky at the time. His previously laid back attitude had started to come across as arrogant to you soon after, making him your least liked professor that semester. 

You had finished his course decently enough after that, making it a semester goal to make the final project to his liking as a sort of metaphorical flipping off. ‘I am listening and did retain your lessons, you ass.’ 

You had drank after finals to moving on from his course. 

“You teach here before?”

The question pulled you from long dead and buried frustrations, your gaze lifting from one of your lesson plans toward where he was leaning back against the chair. You wanted to laugh--if only he knew. 

“No, this is my first year here at least. I did teach at another institution in the city for a couple years, but got a better deal here.” 

“That explains it,” he said with a small nod, pausing a moment before he extended a hand out toward you, “Arthur Morgan, Fine Arts professor.” 

Yeah, you knew. 

“History. Seasonal, for now,” you replied after gripping his hand, followed by your name. 

There was a touch of something in his expression, a slight narrowing of his eyes. You thought for a moment that it clicked and he remembered you. However, if he did, it wasn’t commented on as you broke the handshake, turning back to his work after a small grin and nod. 

A part of you was feeling somewhat grateful for the conversation being dropped. 

                                                             ***

After the first initial weeks, putting names to faces and breaking into the course material, things started to fall into place for you a bit more. 

Really, it started to feel more like how it was at your other institution. Though, with it being a smaller university, that meant smaller classes. Your introductory ones were a little fuller with people taking them for the required credit, your higher level ones thinning out a bit. However, that wasn’t a terrible thing, those courses starting to feel a little more relaxed than your others and it put less on your plate in the long run. 

Your continued office hours with Arthur were going alright, too. The two of you managed to work around each other, knowing you tried to tune out the conversations he had with his students and Arthur doing the same with the odd one that would come to you for advice. However, from the office hours you remembered having with him, the ones he had these days seemed a little more...forgiving. Granted, you had avoided going to him for anything while you were a student likely on pride alone, but the odd time you had it was an experience that you had wanted over with quickly. 

Perhaps he could tell. Still. 

Yet, there was the odd time you would be interrupted by his cellphone and the odd grumble about it, Arthur usually hurrying out of the room to answer it. There was the odd time he would shoot you and/or the student you were advising an apologetic smile before slipping out. 

You didn’t want to dip into his personal life. He had his good days and bad days. 

Though, you really weren’t expecting to walk in on it. The campus had a small coffee shop that it seemed both professors and students frequented, yourself included during the time you had between classes to eat. However, you were surprised to see a familiar figure waiting in line, talking quietly into his phone. You really didn’t want to surprise him or eavesdrop, but with how the line was currently set up, it was kind of hard not to. 

However, much as you had your gripes about him from your time as a student, you wanted to respect his privacy. Still, he seemed to be in some heated argument with someone, his tone quick and stiff. You were somewhat familiar with it, though not in this context. Yet, he fell silent as the other person on the line seemed to talk, Arthur bowing his head as he ran a hand across his face. 

Though, you found your gaze dropping as he seemed to look around himself as he listened. His gaze landed on you for a moment before he continued on in a more even tone with his conversation, seeming to wrap it up as he hung up with a sigh. You bit the inside of your cheek, trying not to look as awkward as you felt. 

“The food here any good?” he asked, casting you a glance over his shoulder somewhat. You pulled your gaze away from his own to glance toward the menu, twisting your mouth to the side somewhat. 

“I think they’re locally made, so I don’t want to say anything bad. Could be worse, I haven’t gotten sick or anything.” 

Arthur hummed lightly, somewhat amused but it wasn’t hard to see the tension lingering. 

“Well, it’s either this or nothin’ for me today, so guess I’ll have to take your word for it.” 

“The coffee seems to be the popular choice, anyway,” you continued, shrugging before glancing down at your phone to check your email a moment while you waited. A couple automatic reminders, students telling you of sickness, and a few questions you still had to answer. 

“You wanna eat with me?” Arthur asked, causing you to glance up with slightly raised eyebrows. 

“Sure, why not?” you replied with a small shrug. You were colleagues, it wasn’t some taboo thing. 

Not that you were thinking of him in any other way. That train of thought pulled a small tightness to your brow, a frown tightening somewhat on your face. You really didn’t want to think too deeply on it, but being back on this campus pulled a lot of interesting acknowledgements forward. Perhaps you had to set aside your judgement you had made of him as a teacher, and...well, there had been a part of you, even back then, that had wanted to impress him. You had told yourself it was some wounded pride, yet you had to wonder why it was that class. It had been something taken just for the credit. 

Maybe we should stop carrying on like a child. 

You placed your order, picking up the coffee and one of the pre-made sandwiches from the stand before following Arthur toward one of the free tables. 

“I...I’m sorry ‘bout the phone calls,” Arthur said after a moment once you had sat down across from him, causing you to raise your eyebrows slightly before shrugging. 

“They’re not as disruptive as you think,” you replied around your own shrug, “Don’t worry about it.”

“Universe seems to know when you’re around so you can witness ‘em…” he muttered into his own cup, removing the lid as he tested the heat of the beverage. 

You watched him for a moment, knowing you should just leave it at that. Enjoy your food, at least as much as you could, and move on. Yet, you found yourself biting the inside of your cheek, the cardboard sleeve of the coffee cup warming the tips of your fingers as you hovered your hand around it. 

“...You okay?” you asked, bracing yourself to pull back if you crossed some sort of boundary. 

Arthur glanced up at the question, meeting your gaze for a moment before dropping it again and shrugging as he took a sip from his own cup. 

“Sure,” he replied, leaning back in the chair somewhat, “Just...some personal issues. It’ll be resolved in a couple weeks, can just...move on from it.” 

“It can be hard to leave that stuff at home,” you replied, nodding your head, “Went through the ringer myself in my second year teaching.”

Arthur let out a small sound from the back of his throat, something close to agreement. You started to eat a little in the silence that followed, though the admission that followed had it hard to keep the touch of surprise out of your expression. 

“I’m gettin’ a divorce,” he stated, not looking up from where he was studying the surface of the table. 

“...I’m sorry to hear that,” you replied after a moment, watching his expression as he shook his head. 

“Picked the worst month for it, feels like I’m goin’ through the motions here with all that in the back of my mind. Ain’t so bad when I know I’m not gettin’ a call in a bit, but feels like she’s expectin’ me to drop everythin’ because she’s still tryin’ to move out. I know my schedule isn't makin’ that easy.” 

“That’s...messy business,” you replied with a small nod, glancing down. “I, uh...I got cheated on a couple years back in the middle of a semester. Had to try to run a lecture during the same week, fielding the...stupidest questions while holding that in my chest and had to look the bastard in the face at the end of my days trying to split up our stuff. It really feels like you’re going through the motions, but...it’ll feel more natural again after a while. Though, I imagine I went a little hard on undeserving students during that point.” 

“Hell I’m probably doin’ it, too,” Arthur returned, causing you to chuckle lightly. 

“Eh, I wouldn’t say that.” 

“Why’s that?”

You glanced back up at him, a small grin pulling at your expression as you raised your eyebrow. “You really don’t recognize me, huh?”

The completely confused expression that tightened his expression almost had you laughing again, Arthur taking a moment to really look at you. Being under his gaze had you almost wanting to squirm and glance away, but you had started this whole thing. Eventually, there was a shift in his expression, his head lifting somewhat before he was leaning back. 

“You were in one of my classes,” he stated around a small huff, causing you a nod with a grin bit back. 

“A good couple years back, yeah,” you said, “You made it hard to forget, considering I was pretty convinced you made it your mission to rake me over the coals for a fundamentals to drawing course.” 

You were expecting some defensive remark, for him to lean into that small voice in the back of your head that told you that you hadn’t really applied yourself in that class until he forced you to. Yet, he just ducked his head slightly, letting out a small huff of a chuckle. 

“...I was a bit of a cocky bastard when I was younger,” he replied, “Might’ve been feelin’ a little showed up by some of my students. Y’know, ‘those who can’t do, teach’.”

“Ah, I’m sure that’s not true,” you muttered, rubbing the back of your neck somewhat, “Though, I’m happy to see you stepped off that a bit over the years.” 

“Sure,” he said, meeting your gaze with a small grin pulling at his lips, “Though, I grade fair. Always have.” 

“Yeah, well...I might not have been giving much of an effort until you showed me that wasn’t going to work. I thought it would be easy credit.” 

“Well, guess we both had somethin’ goin’ on with that.” 

“...It was still an introductory course.” 

“Alright, alright.” 

You both shared a bit of a chuckle after that, the tension somewhat stepping off. You weren’t so foolish to think it wouldn’t exist after, but it felt nice to sidestep some awkwardness about you having to share space with him multiple times a week. You shared some small talk about your classes for a while before separating to finish off your days. 

Though, when you returned to your office to collect some things, you found a note sticking to one of your folders that you hadn’t put there. Pulling it off, you were met with unfamiliar handwriting. 

               I feel like I crossed a line today by telling you all of that. If I did, I’m sorry. Still, I didn’t get the chance or really thought to say so, but thank you for listening.  - A. M. 

                                                                  ***

This really wasn’t turning out to be your day. 

A hell of a day, too. The last day before a reading week and you could tell most of your students had checked out, something you were close to doing so yourself. Teaching a class at seven at night was always a bit brutal, but after knowing your car had sputtered out a final goodbye as you were pulling up to campus that afternoon and that you would have to take the bus home? Well, it sucked. 

You let out a tired sigh as the elevator came to a stop on the floor you needed, planning on just picking up a couple things from your office for the break before taking this adventure home. The evening was darker than you had been expecting with the rain that had come over the afternoon, falling steadily now as you noticed through one of the windows in the open doors you passed. Great. 

Though, you were surprised to see a light on in your office. You had been under the impression that Arthur’s classes had wrapped up well over a couple hours ago, catching him moving between reading something and checking his computer in the light of the desk lamp. Pausing at the door, you couldn’t help but curse your luck somewhat. 

You could admit that things had been pretty well between the two of you after that one lunch, even having a couple more over the months that followed. Perhaps things even started to lean a bit into a solid friendship, though it was hard to deny that small part of you that spoke to some type of attraction toward him. It really was something you kept shoving down as the days went along--he just got divorced, you should just keep things somewhat distant from that. Yet, it was hard not to notice the growing closeness, the shared jokes, the knowing looks and smiles when getting done with dealing with particularly difficult students. 

At the moment, however, you really just wanted to pick up your things and wallow in a bad day on a bus ride home. 

Yet, it was hard to do so in a particularly silent building, walking over to your desk and rummaging through your folders had him jumping slightly, glancing in your direction before letting out a breath. 

“Christ, could’ve knocked or somethin’,” he remarked, causing you to glance his way somewhat sheepishly. 

“Sorry, just needed to grab this.”

“You usually workin’ this late?” he asked as you turned around, placing your things down on the desk beside you. 

“This semester, yeah. I just got done with my last class,” you replied, shaking your head, “Now it’s just a long bus ride home. Hell of a way to start my break.” 

“You takin’ the bus? In this?” he asked, glancing toward the window with the heavy droplets of rain still hitting the pane. 

“I don’t have a choice,” you said with a shrug, “My car gave up after driving here, I had to get it towed.”

“Well…” he started around a sigh, glancing back toward his things before checking the time on his laptop. You caught onto the next part of his statement, your hands raising somewhat at your sides. 

“It’s not really a big deal, you don’t need to offer…” 

“You guessin’ my words before they leave my mouth?” he returned around a small huff, glancing back toward you, “Where in the city do you live?”

“Just a little outside it, about fifteen minutes from here,” you replied, “By car, at least.”

“That ain’t too bad,” he replied, “I can drive you--if you’ll let me.”

“...Well, I’m not exactly excited to be taking the bus at night and standing in the rain,” you remarked around a soft chuckle, “I...wouldn’t mind that, I guess. I’ll have to return the favor someday, if I can.” 

“Eh, sure. It’s fine. Just give me a couple minutes here.”

You nodded, feeling a touch of relief at not having to take the long way home, yet there was now a twist of anxiety about taking this car ride with him. Things had been pretty friendly and professionally distant for some time, the odd line stepped over every now and again but nothing extreme. Now this? 

It’s a sweet gesture, you thought as you flipped open one of the essays you had to grade over the week break, there’s probably nothing more to it. 

Still, you found yourself accepting it in the long run anyway, following him down toward the car park a couple minutes later. A bit of a beat up old truck, actually, though it still looked modern enough--which you should have expected from him. Much as he was spending his day teaching artistic young adults, he still had a way about him that made him stick out a bit. You knew you hadn’t been expecting the southern drawl when you had him as a professor those years ago. 

“Air conditionin’ sucks, but the heater’s good at least,” he remarked as you climbed into the passenger seat once he had unlocked the door for you, “Though, considerin’ the night, that’s probably for the best.” 

“Good winter car, at least,” you remarked, doing up your seat belt as he fiddled with the air and radio a moment. You could pick up on the familiar voice of the local talk radio host, something your own father listened to quite a bit. 

Interesting choice, you thought while trying to hold back a chuckle. 

Arthur started up the truck, finally pulling out from campus as you gave him your address. Really, it was hard not to feel a little awkward to be sitting in his car like this, much as you were grateful for the offer. You tried not to give into the urge to dig around, a nervous habit--always had to do something with your hands. Instead, you let the lull in conversation fall off somewhat as you listened to the rumble of the engine, the faint voice of the radio host, and the rain against the roof and windows. Still, you couldn’t really help yourself--

“You really are a lot more modern cowboy than I had been expecting,” you commented, earning a quick laugh, something genuine. 

“Yeah, goes a little deeper than the accent. Just the way I grew up.” 

“So how’d you end up here?” you asked, glancing toward him. You were aware it was a bit of a bold question, but you had been feeling a little more comfortable about that lately. With him, at least. It was something you could overthink later (or kick yourself over later if he brushed it off.)

“What, the city?”

“Sure, teaching.” 

“I can draw,” he said around a small chuckle, “Had a friend get my foot in somewhere, allowed me to get into college and it took off from there.” 

You nodded, taking that in. You knew he really wasn’t all that older than yourself. You had started college as a mature student after giving up on the idea for a while, going back after you found yourself considering it again. 

“I wish I had a more interesting story, but mine lines up pretty well with that,” you replied around a soft chuckle, “Minus the foot in the door, but I had a couple people push the idea after drifting around a bit after high school.” 

“Yeah, that sounds pretty common,” he remarked. 

“Thanks for doing this, by the way,” you said after a beat, “You could have left it at a ‘that’s too bad’ and let me sort it out, and I wouldn’t have been mad.” 

“Eh, it’s nothin’,” he said, glancing toward you for a moment, letting out a small sigh through his nose as he looked back out at the road. “Don’t have anythin’ waitin’ on me back home, anyway.” 

You hummed, nodding your head lightly as he seemed to let the conversation fall again at that. You noticed the tightening of his hands on the wheel for a moment after. The written words of that little note sat in your mind a moment--more about crossing lines. Really, you found yourself wanting to ask how he was doing with all of that. You had noticed the phone calls had become less, Arthur’s energy picking up a little but it was hard to tell sometimes if he really was doing alright. Still, if he wasn’t going to expand on that, you weren’t going to push it. 

Really, the weight of the day seemed to press down on you a bit, making it hard to keep up with heavy conversation anyway. You watched the scenery roll by, familiar at this point. Eventually, you could pick up on the landmarks that suggested that your neighborhood was coming up. You directed him around the turns until the familiar building came into view, Arthur pulling up into the driveway. 

“Well, this is it,” you said around a somewhat tired sigh, “Thank you, again.” 

“Yeah, it’s no problem,” he returned. 

You paused a moment, knowing you should just open the door and get out. However, his little offhand comment seemed to sit in your mind for a moment, making you bite the inside of your cheek. You knew you were going to leave it be, yet--

“You, um...are you going to be okay?” you asked, meeting the somewhat confused look he had been settling you. 

“Oh--yeah. Yeah, I’ll be fine,” he returned quickly, waving a hand. “Not even sure why I said that, just slipped out. I’ve been...gettin’ used to it again, you don’t need to worry.” 

“Well...in the vein of saying things we maybe shouldn’t say, I do find myself wondering about how you’re doing anyway,” you replied, “But alright. I’ll see you after the break.” 

You opened the door at that, stepping out into the cold spray of water before shutting the door. You knew your last words were bold, but you had found yourself saying them anyway. Perhaps a part of you wanted him to know that someone did care. However, you didn’t get to linger too much on that thought as Arthur’s voice cut across from the driver’s side of his truck. 

You paused as he lowered his window, stepping back toward him as he leaned against it somewhat. 

“I...you’re free to forget I even asked, but you doin’ anythin’ for the break?” 

You blinked against the slight sting of rain in your eyes for a moment before shaking your head with a shrug, feeling the wetness starting to soak into the neck of your shirt and jacket. 

“You want to...I don’t know, get coffee? Have a meal?” 

“...Is this as friends? Colleagues?” 

“Well...I wasn't quite thinkin’ of it that way,” he remarked, almost lost to the sound of the rain around you. You could feel your heart thud, a shiver ripping through you from the cold as you felt the rain soaking the top of your head but you could feel some heat touch your face. 

“Alright, sure. Why not?” 

The relieved grin that touched his face was almost enough to make your night. You knew there was a part of you that would question this, already feeling that pulling at the back of your mind as you put your cellphone number into his phone. He just went through a divorce, you didn’t want to deal with this if he was just looking to use you to sort through all of that. 

However--well, it was just a meal. You could figure that out from how that goes. It wasn’t enough to quell your excitement, at least. 

You would have laughed at the idea all those years ago that you would be willingly going on a date with professor Morgan, bane of your existence, but the thought left a smile on your face for the night anyway.