#(and apparently always does since 'tails never gets upset')

[prowerprojects]

"Every Shatterspace contains a shard: creates a distorted version of our reality"

"If we bring them back here, and connect them to this real one— then maybe there is a chance..."

(Sonic Prime is not a multiverse story, it's one universe that got destroyed/distorted)

"They're not your real friends"

"Nine and all the rest of them are real!"

Sonic, you do understand that if reality gets restored, and the Shatterverse stops existing (because it wouldn't be shattered anymore), so would the shatterspaces, and everyone who lives there: everything would just go back to the way it was before.

But if you consider them real, you only have two choices:

Bring the shards together and restore your reality, bringing back your friends in the process, but the people created by the shattering of the Prism would go back to being just parts of your friends and seize to exist separately?

Or leave it be, and lose your friends forever, but their counterparts would still exist as their own entities?

So what would it be, Sonic?

Who has more right to exist?

[mariyekos]

Brotherly Bonding Day 5: Different Reunion

Playing around with an idea of Dante and Vergil reuniting at 11 or 12 instead of 18, which Changes Things.

The OG anime has Dante living with a woman who was said to be his "mother" at some point in his childhood, and I like to imagine Dante ended up bouncing through a handful of foster families before he went out on his own. The anime has him going by Anthony during this time.

In this verse, Vergil ends up going through one of the towns Dante's in and is stopped by someone who thinks he's Dante. Or rather, thinks he's "Anthony". Vergil has absolutely no idea what this person is talking about and gets increasingly upset by them trying to stop him from going off on his own, until Dante's foster father rounds the corner and freezes because. That child is not his son. He knows what Anthony was wearing that morning, he knows Anthony never wears his hair like that, and most of all-

"Anthony" and his foster mother round the corner a moment later, because they'd been together until the father decided to go ahead for a moment for whatever reason.

Cue Dante and Vergil both freezing while the adults are shocked because what do you mean there are two of them. After a few seconds the two manage to snap out of it, shouting "You survived!?" and "You're alive?" simultaneously, which concerns the adults even more because again, what the hell happened to these apparently identical twins to make them question the other's survival. Their concern only increases at Vergil's "but the house was on fire-" and Dante's "but there was so much blood-".

Dante's adoptive parents finally speak after that, asking "Anthony" what's going on, and it would be enough to snap Vergil out of it and make him mad at Dante, who he thinks is running from his heritage, and who he's upset at for forgetting and replacing his family. Two parents, no brother, it must be perfect for him. All the attention for himself. "Anthony's" life (said in a way that makes it clear that's not the name Vergil knows him by) must be great. If that's what "Anthony" wants, he can have it. Far be it from Vergil to ruin the "happiness" he's found.

Finally, Vergil runs. Dante tries to follow, but his adoptive father grabs onto him before Dante can make it anywhere. He demands an explanation, but Dante refuses to talk. They go home and his adoptive parents try for a while to get Dante to say anything, but eventually give up and that night everyone goes to bed distinctly uncomfortable and unsure of what to do.

Brief interlude for another headcanon of mine: I imagine that Mundus actually wasn't aware that Sparda had two children until years after the fire, maybe not even until the Temen-ni-gru. Dante and Vergil were identical, and never at the same place at the same time. He always assumed Sparda's son was constantly on the move- which Vergil was- and that he sometimes managed to get farther in a set period of times than others, for those times that he found Dante after having his demons track Vergil. As such, Vergil ended up being the one pursued for the vast majority of the time. Every once in a while the demons would find Dante and attack, but since he hadn't awakened his Trigger or most of his demonic blood, he was harder to trace and they tended to lose him. Of course, they did find Dante sometimes, such as when the town he'd been in as a child in the anime was attacked.

So back to this verse, with both boys in the same place at the same time, the demons chasing Vergil are lead right to Dante. That night, the town is attacked. Vergil sees them come for him and head to the town, but initially does nothing. It's not his problem. He should keep running and get ahead while they're not on his tail.

...but then he thinks about why they might have gone the other direction. And when the town is attacked and the screaming starts, Vergil eventually goes in with the Yamato, and is lead right to Dante's house, where Dante is standing frozen as demons break in. Vergil doesn't understand why Dante isn't fighting, but despite his anger at Dante, he doesn't want him to die either, and defeat the demons before Dante can be harmed too badly. Dante isn't unscathed- he'd probably be dead if he weren't half demon- but he's alive by the end of it. The same can't be said for Dante's adoptive parents, who were dead before Vergil entered.

After that, Dante and Vergil finally talk. Dante says he wasn't trying to replace Vergil, and it's not like he wanted to forget everyone (even if sometimes he wished he could), he was just scared and trying to do what Mom said. He tells Vergil that Eva had told him to make a new name and live a new life before she left to find Vergil, and he just wanted to follow her last request. He thought Vergil was dead. He was so sure Vergil was dead, and there would have been no one left who cared if Dante existed other than the demons who wanted to hurt him.

The statement about Eva going to find Vergil is basically the turning point of all this. Vergil asks what Dante means, Dante tells him everything, and knowing that his mom wanted to find him too, that Dante thought he was dead and was scared and tried to look for Vergil anyway after he got out of the wardrobe and house (HC that Dante did end up wandering over to the playground, saw the blood, and assumed the demons ate Vergil or something), and that those meant he was wanted basically have a major impact on Vergil's outlook on life and understanding of his current situation.

He pulls Dante onto his feet and tells him to go with him. Clearly, Dante can't protect himself. He needs Vergil. Vergil's going to teach him to fight and how to hide from demons. It's his responsibility as Dante's older brother. ...unless Dante would prefer to live under a fake name with a fake family. ...if he can find a new one. This one is...well. Gone.

Dante says no. He'd rather be with Vergil. He doesn't want people to keep getting hurt because of him either. He'll go. He wants to learn how to fight for real. He doesn't want to be alone anymore.

From there the brothers are reunited, running from and eventually pursuing/killing demons together until they are eventually approached by a human with a strange scar asking if they'd like more power, enough to get revenge on the one who killed their mother rather than just running from his minions....

[theblueflower05]

Imagine alpha!Jake fucking reader for the first and slightly freaking out when his dick is stuck inside reader. But once she explains knotting it drives him crazy. He pulls his half shrunk knot before slamming it back in moaning about how he wants to knot her over and over again marking her as his.

LMFAO WHY IS THIS ACTUALLY ICONIC?!😂

Because like-

You’re such a little minx. You’ve had your eye on Jake since the night he’d made his appearance at Home Tree. Trailing behind Neytiri like a lost pup.

While everyone else had been outraged, scared or upset- you had only felt curious. Innately intrigued by the five fingered dream walker.

When Jakes gaze had met your own in the crowd- you hadn’t backed down. Instead you’d given him a small smile, and a flip of your long braids.

Clearly interested.

Smut under the cut

As the days go on and he starts his Omiticayan training- it becomes apparent that the man is an Alpha and well, as an unmated Omega your self, that only spurs your desire for him.

You’re shameless and Jakes touch starved. It’s not long before the two of you are sneaking into the woods, your mismatched fingers linked. You drag him to all of your favorite hiding spots, one’s no other knows exists and let him touch you.

He’s so different then Na’vi men. Like a child almost- fumbling and not leaning into his sexual nature.

But just at first.

Just while he gains his bearings. While he learns what it’s like to feel pleasure in his Avatar body.

After that, he fucks you like a man possessed. With his tongue and his five fingers. His whole face. Oh it’s so so good. You become addicted to his touch.

When you finally let him inside of you- he slides into you, and you both emit punched out sounds.

It’s too good. You’re so SO tight. Tighter then anything he’s ever experienced.

It’s a dance, primal and sweaty and hot and you hold on tight to him as he learns it’s steps.

It’s familiar- not human- but close enough that he feels comfortable.

That is until he comes and can’t pullout.

He’s fucking terrified. His big golden eyes are round and his ears are pinned to his head- tail flicking erratically behind him as he tries to figure out what’s going on “Oh fuck- Y/N are you okay? Am I hurting you? I don’t know what’s going on- this has never”

You hiss- irritated and sore as his fat knot tugs on your rim. Your arms and legs go around him as you pull him down, trying to make him stop moving. “Stop moving, where is this energy from? Why would I be hurt?”

“I’m stuck” Jake does not get why you aren’t freaking out and chalks it up to the fact that this has to be normal for Na’vi. Why the fuck hadn’t anyone told him about this? “I’m literally stuck inside of you right now”

Your brows furrow and you reach up to cup his face “Yes, you knotted me. How else will we ensure your seed takes?”

And that just throws him into a whole nother wave of freak out. You essentially have to soothe and calm down the 10 foot tall hulking man that’s inside of you. It’s lots of back rubs and calming words spoken into his flicking ear. It’s okay, my love. We are joined by our bodies, isn’t it beautiful?

And

It kind of is. Beautiful. Jake thinks. Beautiful to feel your insides. Your tight silky walls pulse rhythmically around him. His cum is plugged into your womb.

Also soon as he’s done freaking out he realizes just how horny it’s made him, he’s almost fully hard again. He filled you up, and knotted you full. His Britain is buzzing with animalistic satisfaction.

His Pornhub history had always been filled with “Breeding Kink” rhetoric. Cute brunette gets her pussy creamed. Things of that nature.

This takes it to a whole different level.

He has a feeling he’s going to spend as much time as you’ll allow stuck inside of you.

….sorry you guys. I got carried away lol

[retrosofa]

I finished the second season of Dead Like Me as well as the follow-up film. The second season was fine, not as good as the first but still alright. I feel like behind the scenes drama and lack of direction were to blame. Aside from George, the character development for the Reapers felt misguided.

Mason and Daisy were the worst offenders. The series premiere has Mason celebrating his sobriety, which doesn't actually change things? He spends the entire episode being the same selfish idiot he always is. At the end of it he goes back to drinking. He then remains a fuck-up the entire season, the only difference being that everyone is pretty sick of it. Things kind of turn around at the tail-end but overall, his character arc was not very thought out.

I don't know what the hell they were thinking with Daisy. She spends half of the season pursuing Catholicism after she's smitten by a dead women's crucifix. Daisy, who has been dead for over 60 years, apparently never stumbled upon a cross before. Sure. After her little religious stunt, she gets upset when one of her marks is murdered by an abusive lover. Daisy can't deal with the situation, leaves the soul behind for Roxy to take care, briefly mentions she used to have a sister (I suppose implying her sister was killed by an abusive man?), and then starts dating an abusive TV producer in the next episode?? What??! EXCUSE ME?

And then there's Roxy and Rube, both of whom barely get any screen time this season. Roxy becomes a cop, which ends up just becoming a convenient plot device a couple of times. She doesn't have any story arcs or anything of her own, which is a damn shame. Roxy gets more screen time this season but she still gets shafted for Mason and Daisy. I can't tell if it's because of racism or Jasmine Guy having scheduling conflicts. Whatever the reason, she deserved much more.

Rube is reduced to a secondary role. He has his own arc this season, which is extremely heartwarming. While I like the story line they wrote up for Rube, it does feel a bit out of left-field. It also felt like him and George barely had any meaningful scenes together.

A few interesting things happen this season which bring up more questions than answers. We see two different instances of a reaper killing someone. Roxy shoots one of Mason's reaps, which surprises even herself. Since the victim was scheduled to die, it was fine. However, later on Mason kills Daisy's boyfriend, Ray in "self-defense." His death wasn't scheduled and his soul turns into a graveling, which haunts Daisy. The Ray-graveling subplot raises a lot of questions that don't get any solid answers. You would think Ray turned into a graveling because his death wasn't scheduled but he causes an unscheduled death at one point and Daisy is able to pop the man's soul out without any issues. So maybe he turned into a graveling because he was a bad person? I don't know. Ray is ultimately "destroyed" when George reaps him. This is never explored upon or explained as it happens right before the last episode.

As always, George was a lot of fun to watch. She's not as sloppy as the last season. She's gotten more comfortable with her undead life but is still a bit rebellious. This time around she's smarter about her decisions. In the first season she was constantly searching for loopholes and ways of escaping her fate. This season, she's owning it. We also get to see her dabble in romance and have a few nice scenes with Delores.

The last episode takes place on Halloween and doesn't offer a real conclusion but works fine. Most of the loose ends are tied up. I feel like even if this show didn't get canceled, it wouldn't have had a definitive conclusion. Although I wish it would've gotten another season or two, I think the ending is fine. I didn't feel cheated or anything. Overall, the TV series was pretty solid.

As for the movie...

Not sure if I mentioned this before or not but when DLM got canceled back in the early 2000's, I pretty much lost all interest in it. Nobody else I knew watched it and I was getting more into anime around that time. Years later MGM released a follow-up movie, which I remember hearing about but never bothered to watch until now.

It's bad. Like really bad.

There are hundreds of reviews online that will back me up on this. There are many reasons why the movie is bad but the biggest one for me is that it doesn't feel like Dead Like Me. I suppose since it's a "movie", they wanted to do something a little different but it's just a whole other beast. It also dismisses a lot of key "rules" established in the TV series, which I suppose was an intentional choice? It's just weird.

I also don't understand why they even bothered... the show had been canceled for years, two of the key actors couldn't come back, and the film doesn't answer any of the burning questions from the TV show. It's almost completely a waste of time.

On the bright side, we see that Joy has gotten a better handle on things and has seemingly moved on. Reggie gets some proper closure. The movie ends with the implication that George will take over Rube's role, which is fitting I suppose.

Overall, I'd recommend the show but would advise avoiding the film unless you're absolutely curious.

[prowerprojects]

I wasn't gonna bring up this conversation on my blog because I feel like I always end up being negative when idw is brought up, and I don't actually enjoy being negative... (Also I have to note that I'm not some kind of character analyst or anything)

But I absolutely love your analysis on game!Sonic, it perfectly encapsulates why I love him!

He's already the coolest person in the world, he can't exactly get development unless he's gonna develop into a completely different person because he's already well, peak, like you said. I don't really understand why a lot of people don't want him to be cool, but want his personality to be kind of a... stepping stone on the way to... maturing? Growing up? I don't know. If it were true, I would actually feel tricked, they spent so much time pretending that Sonic is the coolest, but now it turns out he wasn't? Does it make me a dummy if I believed that he was?

(And I guarantee whatever it is people want Sonic to struggle with there's more than likely already a sonic character that has those struggles, maybe they should get a bit more love instead of both making Sonic ooc and making this other character feel redundant)

But now onto the actual conversation:

The canonicity of IDW

Here's what I think: nothing changed. IDW didn't suddenly became more canon because of that livestream. I think those people misuse the word "canon" a bit, same with them proclaiming Sonic Prime "canon". What they actually mean is that they're "canon" as in they take the elements from the games and base themselves off them, and aren't creating a completely new alternative universe compared to the Paramount Movies, for example, or previous comics/cartoons.

I mean, Sonic X had them all be Space Aliens; Satam had a completely different world that had nothing to do with the games just with Sonic, Eggman and Tails in it; Archie wasn't even canon to satam, not to mention the games; aosth was a Looney Tunes parody; Sonic Underground; Fleetway had the whole Kintobor thing, Tails being from alternative dimension and Evil Super Sonic; the old manga was a Captain Marvel parody. Even if those things do resemble the games, it's just barely.

But when you read IDW, you should assume that the events of the games had happened as they did, and 40 issues in it wouldn't suddenly get revealed that Sonic and Tails met when Sonic saved Tails from drowning, or that Sonic was literally in the delivery room when Tails was born or something. (Same thing with Prime)

However, it does not mean that the events or characterizations in idw have any bearing on those of the games. I mean, they literally don't. Since idw takes place after Forces, and Frontiers makes references to every game under the sun, why not anything that happened in idw? Why is Tails still so hung up on Infinite, when it would make more sense for him to bring up Metal Virus (or at least bring it up in addition to Infinite), an event more resent and utterly traumatizing (my baby was catching Ls left and right).

What Idw is, and will always be, is secondary canon. Canon, as long as the new game doesn't come out and contradicts it, and as such, easily ignorable. Secondary canon is a very widespread thing, it doesn't mean that the things that are considered secondary canon are bad, it's just that things that are considered primary canon don't need to take them into account. That's all. It's not an insult or anything.

Having 60+ issues of mandatory reading is not a good idea, people aren't gonna do it, and Sega would not take that risk. (Especially since a lot of countries don't even get those comics published.)

I mean, look at what happened in Dragon Prince. (And apparently the Rise of Skywalker, I only learned about it from the GamesCage comments, I've never seen a Star War)

I've seen a lot of people being upset, and a lot of people celebrating, but all I'm gonna say is "eh". It's all the same as it was before. (Also sorry if I sound a bit... idk condescending, explaining what secondary canon is and whatnot (and not even giving the actual definition), not my intention, I've just been thinking about it for a bit so I wanted to get it all out.)

My opinion on IDW being canon to Sonic

I watched a video by GamesCage on the topic, who I've been watching a long while on YT before subscribing to him recently on Twitch, and it reminded me of my own thoughts on the matter as well!

But first some preemptive notes because I am entering Sonic discoursespace:

This is just some guy's opinion about a little blue dude! That's it! If you hate it or me personally because of it, I refer you to this image:

I won't ever go into using insulting or uncivil language. But because this is an opinion essay and I got opinions up the wazoo, I'm also not trying to word things in some neutral, disinterested way to appeal to all audiences here

That being said, game-story-wise, we don't fuck with meta-era shit here. I Do Not See It

I'm all for chats and discussions about the topic, agreement or disagreement alike in response to this essay—things just ought to stay civil and respectful. Think of WWSD (What Would Sonic Do?) and the image above

Sonic's morality and what IDW misunderstands of it

Though I respect what the IDW team does (I fondly remember following Evan Stanley's Ghosts of the Future on Deviantart back in the day), I don't prefer their characterisation of Sonic, and that alone is enough to have me a little chagrined as to IDW's integration into the games' canon. I think it's because, ultimately, it detracts from what makes Sonic's character—specifically his morality—unique and appealing to me. Though he isn't nearly as anti-hero in nature as characters like Shadow, Sonic still has moral tendencies that are atypical for characters that occupy the hero role as he's been avowed to have in the games, e.g. being labelled Team Hero with Tails and Knuckles multiple times

To give some sense of signposting, here are the headings of this essay:

Sonic distinctive moral thinking - The games' simple, reactive Sonic - IDW's merciful, principles-first Sonic: on freedom and oppression - Sonic's self-centred in a way, though, right? The mascot problem - "What's your idea then, genius?" – the reader reading this - Why keep things static - Examples of peak Sonic Conclusion

Sonic's distinctive moral thinking

To contextualise my judgement of Sonic as distinctive in his moral thinking, I think there is a tendency in Western media to give heroic characters very merciful streaks. Think Superman or Batman—codes of never killing or always offering mercy, often with backstory or informed moral reasoning behind it. While these streaks are understandable, they appear often and thus don't ring as special or particularly unique to me. Sonic has always been interesting to me because he explicitly does not entertain such clear moral principles. His attitudes embodied in his SA2 theme "It Doesn't Matter," Sonic Unleashed, or the Storybook Series (Black Knight being my favourite), show that he just does what he thinks is right and shows no qualms using considerable force (lethal in the case of Black Knight) if he has to against those he thinks are doing wrong—even against people who he would be friends with, like Merlina. He does not barter or reason; he takes action, moves before he thinks, and follows his heart

The games' simple, reactive Sonic

From my interpretation of Sonic regarding mercy, examples from the games show how he isn't interested in rehabilitating or looking for threats to neutralise like some Miguel O'Hedgehog. These tendencies become most apparent when his friends are involved. A standout example is when Amy protects E-102 Gamma from Sonic, convincing Sonic that he isn't like the other badniks. Another, more indirect example is Gemerl, where Sonic fights and subdues him from causing more harm but Tails is the one who reprograms and rehabilitates Gemerl, who lives happily with Cream and Vanilla with his more peaceful disposition. Sonic doesn't go out of his way to help Gemerl post-defeat, but he doesn't doubt or attack him further after his integration either

At heart, I find Sonic to be a reactive, not proactive, hero. He won't go out of his way to check if the day needs saving—he's not a dutiful guardian doing patrol like Knuckles or a principled fighter for an organisation like Shadow—but if Sonic sees someone in need, he won't just pass them by. And I find Sonic's moral judgements to be simple, instinctual, and self-centred in the most literal sense. They come from his bias towards his friends' judgement and what he believes to be right, regardless of how others may judge his actions. I've only mentioned some examples, but they highlight to me that Sonic is neither healer nor hunter. His main priority isn't rehabilitating or reasoning with his foes—he will do what he feels he needs to do, even if that means destroying something or someone for good. But, as Amy for E-102 and Tails and Cream for Gemerl show, he won't go out of his way to make sure threats are dealt with through violence if his friends vouch for them.

IDW's merciful, principles-first Sonic: on freedom and oppression

In IDW, the topic of him showing so much mercy and espousing freedom as an ideal he thinks everyone, even his enemies, deserves makes him much more merciful and deliberate in his mercy than I like him to be. I want to discuss this by briefly expanding on oppression and freedom, a topic that comes up in Surge and Sonic's fight and Surge angrily questions why Sonic wouldn't just end her. Sonic essentially answers it's because he values freedom for all, including his enemies', because he can exercise his freedom to stop them. It's representative of why I think some fans take issue with Sonic's characterisation because it warps how much Sonic might believably value freedom versus oppression on two flops: on philosophical concepts and characterisation.

IDW's concept flop, to me, shows a fundamental misunderstanding on the nature of oppression and freedom, assuming some inherent ranking of freedom above oppression. The two are different things: freedom is a kind of instrument, a means of doing things, a concept that has no content in and of itself. In other words, you have the freedom to do X; having freedom is only meaningful insofar as it enables to do what you want. Oppression, however, is not an instrument in the same way; it makes far less sense to say 'you have the oppression to do X' or 'you are oppressed to do X' like you could for 'freedom' and 'free'. Freedom, precisely because it is an instrument, enables far more flexibility—both good, evil, and neutral acts can arise from it. Oppression is a state of being with an inherently negative core, predicated on suffering and the oppressed being harmed.

Quick and messy take from me on this: freedom for all and oppression for some is worse(!) than freedom for some and oppression for none. But here's something that has a source, leading to the characterisation flop: according to Sonic Adventure's DX Director's Cut manual, the only thing Sonic hates is oppression (for, presumably, anyone). Honestly, you don't even need a game manual to tell you that. I think IDW writers make the mistake of assuming the inverse to be true of Sonic as well: that the thing he loves most is freedom (for, presumably, anyone).

Oppression being the only thing Sonic hates does not mean freedom is the only thing Sonic loves.

It may be notoriously slippery to insist on a consistency in the Sonic franchise (or maybe franchises, plural), but this philosophical gloss on freedom and oppression starts to explain why IDW's characterisation strikes me as inherently contradictory to Sonic's preexisting values. Namely, it shows how IDW commits a false equivalence between the two and assigns it to Sonic. Sure, Sonic likes freedom, but that's different to showing mercy and second chances. IDW ends up conflating the two. As a result, IDW has Sonic care more about the principle of freedom than about the feelings and suffering he knows he or his loved ones have gone through. Put another way, it makes little to no sense why Sonic would prioritise freedom for all, even his enemies, when he has been shown to much more consistently put the most weight on what his friends feel and what he himself thinks. IDW does little to no detectable work establishing why Sonic would have such priorities either

Also, not a real argument—just taking things to the extreme in a throwaway thought—but could you imagine Sonic in the beginning of Unleashed actually considering Eggman's pleas saying he's changed and telling Eggman he...values his freedom? Like. c'mon

Sonic's self-centred in a way, though, right?

How about that self-centred angle, though? Sonic's way of thinking is highly independent—he will do what he thinks is right, first and foremost. It would be easy to claim that IDW's characterisation is just a mindset Sonic just holds in the comics, and that alone passes muster; his brand of ethical egoism admittedly does a lot as writerly cover to justify nigh anything about him. Looks like a hedgehog, smells like a hedgehog; chances are it's our hedgehog, right?

I disagree. One: if IDW is considered canon and yet is just so different to what's appealing about Sonic in the games, then the decision to make IDW Sonic canon, to be frank, kinda sucks. That ain't my Sonic—that's some Marvelised-DC version of him trying to moralise that I don't find compelling, distinctive, or endearing.

Two: even if you try to adopt the angle that upholding freedom for all would just be what Sonic believes to be right, it would still be the same as saying Sonic cares more about philosophical ideals than what he sees right in front of him. He's famously poked fun at Knuckles for being gullible before—why is Sonic himself showing that same gullibility and benefit of the doubt towards hostile enemies or those who have notably wrought so much damage to the lives of those he loves?

The trouble is that IDW builds no meaningful narrative foundations on top of which to stake this claim on Sonic's mindset when the games exist. Like, I don't even privilege the games just because they've been around first and for longer (even though, hey, that is true)—he's just cooler in them. Sonic is no philosopher; he's repeatedly shown it's genuinely not that deep when it comes to his moral thinking in the games. All it is is that he has a good heart. As a result, it comes off as a considerable mischaracterisation to show his enemies mercy mostly in the name of freedom or hope for their change (i.e. lofty ideals) compared to something actionable he can do (i.e. kick their ass and break their tech so they don't hurt anyone he cares about again).

The mascot problem

GamesCage mentions a worthwhile point which he calls the mascot problem. Sonic, as a mascot for Sega, has certain narrative lines he cannot cross or change for good. Like with Mario, there is a clear status quo to maintain; for one, Eggman cannot ever truly be vanquished. However, unlike Mario (with the one exception of Super Mario Galaxy), Sonic routinely has narratives that he and his friends undergo. There has to be this delicate balance that Sonic Team, IDW, and anyone writing for Sonic must contend with as a result. You have to write stories—events and plot where characters grow and change and are affected—but maintain the status quo where many fundamental things cannot change

In other words: how do you explain that Sonic never gets rid of Eggman or his other enemies because he, as a company mascot, cannot ever do so?

IDW does this one way by assigning Sonic an inadvertent little philosopher's cap, which I've already opined is a mischaracterisation. It also just generates another kind of untenable narrative problem that's even harder to reconcile: how do you justify that Sonic, hero with a heart of gold, just lets his enemies keep on going for freedom's sake? Arguably, all that does is dress up the mascot problem but with worse consequences—it makes Sonic less likable. It casts him as someone who essentially ends up condoning his enemies' actions, which has already led readers to question his judgement and whether they would even want to root for a character like that when you have an alternative and contradicting blueprint that the games have already provided for him. Like, my boy embodies direct action and IDW turns it into direct-ish-but-hey-do-what-you-want-who-am-I-to-judge action. Dress it up however you want; it's a nerf on who he is

"What's your idea then, genius?" – the reader reading this

In my eyes, what could work for the mascot problem is falling back on the static nature of the characters that have already been long established. The basic formula is there: Eggman is tricksy, proactive, and two steps ahead, but Sonic is always good-hearted enough, reactive enough, and fast enough to catch up by the end.

Elaborating on that formula, you have enough of Sonic's existing characteristics to justify why bad things keep happening despite his presence. He's not like Iron Man, who takes it upon himself to leverage his resources and power to look out for the world when no one's really asked him to. Again, Sonic is a reactive hero; he's not a ruthless hunter and he likes his peace and quiet as well as his adventure. He'll do what he can to fight what's right in front of him but may miss the bigger picture or potential traps by going in too fast. That happened in the beginning of Sonic Unleashed and it made sense. Even in Black Knight, you had him try to whale on King Arthur armed with just a decreasing number of chilli dogs. In an extended or episodic storytelling format, this allows other characters to shine—Tails's powers of analysis, Amy's ability to connect with others emotionally, Knuckles' sense of duty—by contributing to plans and helping Sonic because he has persistent, character-defining flaws. Highlighting his non-proactive and chill nature allows for arcs with more breathing room, too, where the characters aren't going up against some world-ending force or they all hang out. On that front, I'd say IDW has done well giving other characters that spotlight

Briefly touching upon Eggman's characterisation and how that might address the mascot problem, his tried-and-true tendencies should be relied upon, too. He is incredibly intelligent but also a massive narcissist—it makes sense that he has his own sense of short-sightedness where he prioritises and secures his own well-being above all else and underestimates the importance or wrath of godly and natural entities he frequently exploits and disrespects. Because of how strong and distinctive Eggman's brand of narcissism and villainy is, it is honestly fitting that he will never change; that alone explains how often he will cause trouble and will never fully succeed. And that also justifies why Sonic will always be the one to fight him. Both have their imperfections and flaws and that has them in a deadlock.

Why keep things static?

Now, this might bring up the question of static-ness. It might seem like an odd solution to mascot problem to just lean into it. Surely, there has to be greater justification or some potential for change for things to stay interesting, appealing, and compelling for Sonic and his stories.

In response, here's my hot take: ya don't need any of that.

Here's a longer version of my hot take: in any given narrative, Sonic is at his best when he does not grow or change. Sonic is already peak. Others may flounder and oscillate, but he remains steadfast with his heart of gold. He is a pillar of strength. He is static. Think of him in the Sonic Adventure games, characters and humans' reactions to him in Sonic X, the knights of the round table's reactions to him in Black Knight, Chip himself remarking that Sonic has such a good heart that not even the powers of a fucking dark primordial god infecting and transforming him can change who he is on the inside in Unleashed. When unstoppable forces come about, lo and behold, he is the immovable object they meet!

Sonic always stays on the move—that's how you can justify all the amazing, different, wild stories he'll go through, because he is an adventurer at heart. You don't need to humanise a character and subject them to point-A-to-point-B arcs to make them enduring, beloved characters. Just because that's a common format for characters and stories and comics to take nowadays doesn't mean that it's a good fit for Sonic. He's never been one to do something just because everyone else is doing it anyway. I, no joke, think Sonic should be treated like a mythical folklore figure, never-changing and transforming the lives of those he meets before breezing on by—and what figures are more enduring in our consciousness than those of mythology?

And, to refer to IDW, there isn't any need to wax philosophical on top of that. Like I've repeatedly said so far, Sonic is no philosopher (and saying this as someone who did philosophy for undergrad, thank fuck for that). Leave the philosophising and podcast soundbites and video essays to the fans—in fact, I'd even wager the simplicity of Sonic's premise and character, or, hell, even the dissatisfaction that can come from that, is why his fandom even thrives (but that's definitely a separate topic).

Examples of peak Sonic

I forget which interview this was, but Sonic's characterisation was inspired off of Bill Clinton (aged like milk I know; this was before his scandal with Lewinsky), from the idea that actions speak louder than words for him. Obviously, Sonic does get in his quips with his friends and enemies alike, but he's not supposed to be Marvel superhero about it and isn't actually a massive braggart. Even the first episode of Sonic X shows his confidence and demeanour so well—he doesn't need to moralise or talk your ear off for you to know he'll fuck you up. And that's just so much cooler than what IDW accomplishes with their version of Sonic

Like, consider my beloved Murder of StH, which the IDW team had a considerable hand in! Sonic—while recognising that the train is more advanced than other badniks, exhibiting personhood and consciousness—still has the sole objective of destroying the train. Everyone shines and, granted, the format has it so that Sonic doesn't really appear till the end, but he's characterised pitch-perfectly there, instilling so much hope and forward momentum not only in his gameplay but in the heart of the player. Honestly, his late contribution arguably echoes Sonic X, where he often disappears or does his own thing, too

Even in a game or storytelling format where he should be front and centre, you could even explore some big themes with Sonic precisely because of his mental and emotional fortitude! The Storybook Series are so stellar in this regard—you got Sonic helping out Shahra, domestic abuse victim, on dealing with sadness, and him helping Merlina with existentialism and death of all the fucking things. And he doesn't flap his lips about it; he shows it through his actions. He's the protagonist but not in a traditional sense—he's the support and passing through and being unfathomably fuckin cool about it. Any lessons he ends up teaching you is not because he's out to teach you—it's because he's just living his own way and, wouldn't you know it, you just happened to be around for the ride

Conclusion

I'm not excited about IDW Sonic being considered canon because he comes off as an overeager philosopher's take on him when game Sonic is fuckin goated with the sauce. Though the story ideas and arcs in IDW seem cool, Sonic is the heart of the series, and if he's off, then the whole thing ends up a little wonky for my tastes.

To be clear, I don't have issues with different iterations of Sonic as some blanket rule—if the writers do the work to establish why and in what ways Sonic in a particular story is different, then that's just plain fun. Movie Sonic, Sonic Prime, and Sonic Boom are all examples of that. But, above all, the kind of Sonic I adore (and there are in fact many kinds) is the one who you meet and your life is irrevocably changed for the better as he hangs out for a while but never for long. In pivotal moments in the comics, IDW Sonic misses the mark on that for me

Though Sonic Team are making clear moves to integrate all the iterations of Sonic as canon regardless. I do wonder if that, as a move in itself, is the meta-narrative equivalent of Sonic Team changing game-mechanic tacks every game after '06 and Unleashed—a well-intentioned but misguided way to try to appease everyone which I've always thought is the most anti-Sonic thing you can do, but that's just the mascot problem in corporate as opposed to story form.

I was fine with Sonic Twitter just saying 'Everything is canon' as a non-starter – I'll just see how they do what they're intending to do and if I don't like it, then I always got an AO3 account handy

[mrpenguinpants]

Diluc: Comfort HCs

Oh no worries anon! We’re getting through everything and I can just see the top. I’m not sure if people saw it - probably not - but my entire blog has devolved into “See this genshin character? Animal.” and I refuse to have another cat character so I’m making Diluc a hawk.  

Apparently (maybe) Diluc’s bird is a nightingale [voicelines]. But I don’t really see Diluc the kind of guy to serenade you at night in secret because your father doesn’t approve of your marriage.

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Today’s appreciation post goes to fulltimeventisimp. Tumblr throws a goddamn fit when I try to tag people (even though I literally have a tag list but that’s apparently not good enough) so I hope you see this^^ You’ve been so nice and caring to me I feel so soft 😭 and I hope you’re doing alright! I’m remembering to take breaks and rest  💕💕

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Semi Part 1: Relationship HCs [I would read this just for the last point]

Diluc Ver: Jealous HCs

[Masterlist]

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[taglist]  <- if you want to be added, please read this first.

@hanniejji​  @mikeysbike​ @unionwitch​ @musekala​ @twistedsunnshiii​ @stanzastic​ @akaasea​ @xoneaboveallx​ @adoring-ghost​ @asheseiler​ @childelover​ @dilucsz​

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Diluc: Comfort HCs

Diluc has always had either an aloof or professional persona based on who he needed to talk to. In both cases, no matter the subject or how Diluc talked, there would always be some sort of forced distance so no one would mistaken it as familiarity or friendliness. There were only a two cases where he felt comfortable and those were with close friends and his staff. The third case being Kaeya but Diluc prefers to not acknowledge him and stashes that folder away. Even with friend’s such as Jean or Elzer, he could never really relax and let his true feelings slip until you burst into his life. Literally. “An unexpected outcome of an experiment,” is what Albedo had told him but regardless, since you entered his life he’s let himself regress into his younger days and let himself take for once.

Maybe that was why you had gotten so used to Diluc’s touched starved self that, when it was suddenly gone, you were feeling uneasy. Lately Diluc seemed to be spending longer hours at his desk or working at the tavern. You knew that he was just busy and there wasn’t any underhanded reasoning behind it, Diluc wasn’t that kind of guy. But did he seriously have to spend every waking moment, day or night, talking to the same people? When was the last time you saw him for more than two minutes? Diluc isn’t a big fan of idle talking but would it seriously hurt just to catch up? You didn’t even get together to have your weekly chess matches too.

You didn’t consider yourself a very clingy person and you knew what a relationship with Diluc was going to be like so why were you getting so bothered? You decided to take the situation in your hands and go visit him at the tavern only to see him so busy at work. It both made you a bit huffy, you wanted to storm in there and drag the man away from his work so he could stop trying to speed run life - not like that would ever happen because the second hand embarrassment would make you dissolve into the ground and you could never show your face to Diluc if you actually did that - but also making you more upset. Here he was, working and running his business, and you couldn’t go at least a couple weeks without seeing him. You ended up turning around and going home to scream into your pillow and sleep the heavy feeling away.

Your inner turmoil seemed to seep out into the open that Kaeya felt the need to bring it up. As much as Diluc dislikes Kaeya around you, he really does care about you and he still does owe you for the troubles he gave you when you first started going out with Diluc. He catches you while you’re off running errands and manages to coax you into getting some lunch with him. You’ve been bottling up your feelings so much that when Kaeya shows some concern you let it all pour out. At this point you don’t care if it’s Kaeya of all people you’re confessing your feelings to, you just want to get it off your chest because the man you’re in love with doesn’t seem to notice you’re actually there and it’s making you feel insecure about yourself. Kaeya gives you a sympathetic smile and tells you not to worry about it, he’ll personally knock some sense into Diluc.

Diluc’s been hard at work on another possible Fatui plan and business with the winery that he can’t help but feel that he was missing something. Was he overlooking something? He had planned this for a while so everything should be perfect. It wasn’t until Kaeya himself had to walk in, press his hand on the tavern counter, and call him an idiot that he realizes that he had been so wrapped up in his work and personal duties that he completely neglected you. He quickly passes his duties to Charles with a quick apology, throws his coat on, gives Kaeya a very strained thank you, and he’s out the door to find you. He’s already lost so much so he’ll be damned if he looses you. Not right now. 

You gave him the key to your home after a few months of being together, in case his he needed to temporarily hide should his night activities get the best of him. He’s already at your door in seconds as he quickly unlocks and steps in. 

“Beloved?” he softly calls out to not accidently scare you but he receives no reply. It’s dark inside but he can see your shoes at the door so he knows you’re inside somewhere. He softly closes and locks the door as he hangs his coat up. Carefully running a hand down the fabric and beside your coat as he looks around your small home. He’s always felt it was warm even when you weren’t here. The “home” he has will always be the place he grew up in but after everything that’s happened, he feels a bit alienated in there so he always appreciated that you lent him a key.

He catches the sound of some shuffling and follows the sound to see you under your blankets. He breathes a quick sigh of relief that you weren’t in any danger as he carefully circles around your bed before gently placing a hand on your back. He’s never been good at words or communicating his feelings so he’s at a bit of a standstill. Despite his reputation of being a nobleman of high esteem, you’re his first serious relationship. As far as he’s concerned you’re going to be his only relationship for that matter.

“I...apologize for my recent behaviour. It was never my intention to hurt you. I ended up letting myself get too blinded to see you were in pain and that was my fault. You don’t have to forgive me now but won’t you let me see your face my love?” he asked in all his awkward pose, put him in front of massive event and he’ll perform with flying colours but put him in front of his partner and he stumbles over his worlds like a new born fawn. But it seems to bring a small laugh from you as you peek from under the covers. 

He smiles softly as he sees your ears flush pink. No matter how many times he calls you that you always get so shy, he adores it. But he can feel the guilt rise up in his chest, you’ve always been there to support and reassure him that he was doing everything right. That things were going to be okay when he re-took his father’s business and you would be with him every step of the way. So in the best and awkward way that Diluc can manage, he tells you this. By the time he’s done he can feel his own face start to pink but it’s made you feel better so it was worth it. 

“Feeling better?” he smiles softly as you nod up at him as he lays down beside you, opening his arms in comfort, “Good, come here.” 

You shuffle closer to him as he holds you. It’s been awhile since he’s held you like this and even without realizing it, he’s missed this. Just you and him together, basking in each other’s presence. No work that needed to be attended to. No Fatui trying to cause him any more trouble. It was a safe place and one he didn’t want to let go.  

“What if we got married?”

There’s a beat of silence. 

Then a thud. 

You end up scrambling and falling off your bed face first. It’s a bit silent as you give off a pain groaned and climb back up and he can see your face has exploded red. He can almost see steam coming off as you try and nurse your nose. He blinks a bit at you taken aback as you stutter and scream into your hands as your brain seems to process what he just asked. You lift your face from your hands to look at him, somehow go even redder, and scream louder into your hands. He’s not sure if this is something he should be offended or concerned about but the weight he had been feeling earlier starts to fade away as a new and familiar feeling bubbles up. For the first time in half a month, Diluc let’s out a laugh as he tries to console you as you manage out a yes.

---

Gripping my writing hand why is no one stopping me? Diluc you’re literally acting like Childe rn. [if anyone is confused ahem Childe: Fiancé HCs (should be in my masterlist)]

Also, I continue to look away from the lore. Kaeya and Diluc are not on the best of terms but if they can have petty rich lady wine talk then Kaeya can walk in and call Diluc an idiot.

I was serious when I said that I researched hawk behaviours. I have learned the internet is horrible in telling me how hawks behave. But I did find this and I found this hilarious:

In the case of the red-tailed hawk, for example, the pair soar, screaming at each other; then the male dives at the female, who may roll in the air to present her claws to him in mock combat.

[alpacaparkaseok]

If You’ll Have Me || KSJ

➣pairing: Jin x reader (established relationship)

➣premise: Kim Seokjin. The love of your life. Your boyfriend of three years. The man who insists on taking you to the zoo for every milestone in your lives together. There’s just one thing...you have no idea what you’re celebrating this time.

➣warnings/tags: fluff, SFW, we live for Jin in this household if you haven’t noticed

➣word count: 4.3k

➣commissioned by @delacyrose224 as a part of army for AAPI! thank you so much for requesting this, I loveddddd writing this little story. I’m so soft for this man. you always have the best ideas!!

“We look like idiots.”

“Yeah, well,” Jin shrugs, handing you yet another t-shirt to try on. “That can’t be helped.”

You gasp, snatching the shirt away from him and heading toward the fitting room. “Rude! I meant with all of these ridiculous clothes!”

Jin’s laughter follows you as you close the door and throw on what feels like the thirtieth gaudy t-shirt from the zoo’s souvenir shop. This one is vivid blue, which you suppose is an upgrade from the caution-cone orange Jin had you trying on a few minutes ago.

“Ok,” you call out, “ready?”

“Ready!”

Peeking out of the little room, you notice Jin sitting on the little sofa in the waiting area. He grins up at you, already wearing a matching shirt.

“Do you like it?” He asks, lips pouting out a bit as he waits for your answer.

Avoiding looking in the mirror for too long, you manage a feeble, “Yeah…it’s not as bad as the others, I guess.”

That’s all Jin needs to hear. With a clap of his hands he’s jumping up and herding you toward the front of the shop. You don’t miss the amused glances people are giving you and your boyfriend, who pauses to grab a couple of baseball caps.

“Let’s see…” he brushes some of your hair back before sliding the cap onto your head, stepping back to get the full effect. “Perfect. And, it’ll protect your scalp from the sun!”

Like a couple of walking mannequins, the two of you head up to pay for the clothes you’re now wearing. Jin has a backpack on hand for your other clothes, which you unceremoniously shove inside before zipping it shut.

The cashier offers you a wide smile as she assists with the transaction. You know what she’s thinking:do I pity or envy her?

Honestly, it’s a toss up. Of course, there’s the fact that Jin often makes you do ridiculous things (exhibit A, bright blue zoo t-shirts with roaring lions on the front and waddling penguins on the back), but then again, you don’t stop him.

Rather, you egg him on. There’s something just so adorable about the way he gets so excited for such simple things. And for today, it’s over a trip to the zoo.

Of course, you’re excited as well. Mainly to see the meerkats, which Jin will never let you live down. When you told him that the meerkats were your favorite animal, he stopped and stared at you for an unnervingly long amount of time. You had begun to wonder if you’d somehow upset him when he burst out laughing, claiming that he could see it.

“See what?” You seethed.

“The resemblance,” Jin choked out between laughter. “You’re basically a meerkat in human form!”

With a smack to his chest, you glared at him and said, “Yeah well…you’re a walrus! Yeah, a walrus!”

Needless to say, he was extremely offended and didn’t speak to you for hours. In fact, the only thing that had brought him out of his misery had been you dragging him to the souvenir shop and giving him permission to get whatever he wanted. That apparently included getting you some items as well.

“Ah, it’s such a nice day,” Jin remarks the second you step outside. His hand slips into your seamlessly, a testament to the countless times you’ve repeated the action. “Perfect day at the zoo.”

Indeed it is. The sun is shining, there’s a cool breeze licking at the nape of your neck, and there’s fewer people than you’d expected to be here on a day like today.

Maybe it has something to do with the fact that it’s Tuesday morning. It would appear that most people – the sane ones, at least – are busy with work and other weekday obligations. Neither of you are, though. Jin has a rare day off and he’d had the day circled on the calendar for well over a month at this point. You had made sure a long time ago to have this day off.

“When’s the last time you went to the zoo?” You ask, glancing sidelong at your boyfriend.

Perhaps it’s his undeniable good looks or the fact that you hardly get to see each other due to your hectic schedules, but you can’t help the little sense of wonder that comes over you as your survey him in the morning sun. Somehow, you really have no idea how he does it, he manages to pull off the shirt and hat. Sure, he looks silly. But he owns the look.

It’s a wonder that he’s yours.

“Hmmm…” Jin ponders for a moment. “I think it was the last time we went together.”

You gasp. “That was like…three years ago! You seriously haven’t been since?”

Laughing at your shocked expression, Jin shakes his head. “Nope.”

Three years ago, close to the time when the two of you had first started dating, Jin wanted to take you out on a special date to celebrate the beginning of your relationship. Without telling you where you were going, you had assumed there would be a nice restaurant, maybe some sort of play or whatever else it is that fancy people do when they first begin to date.

Oh, how wrong you’d been.

Assuming that just because Jin was…well, rich, you couldn’t be more wrong about his taste in dates. When he had parked in the zoo lot and led you through the entrance, you had been waiting for the punchline.

There wasn’t any. No, he had simply wanted to spend the entire day with you. Walking around, having an “excuse to hold your hand” in Jin’s words, and somehow making you believe that crocodiles’ tails could change color when it danger. (don’t ask)

“I still think that it would be so cool to live up there,” you point to the houses in the distance, overlooking the zoo. There was a neighborhood of stately homes just a little way’s away which the two of you had snooped on after your date to the zoo all those years ago.

Jin chuckles quietly. “What if a tiger escapes and ends up in the yard?”

You shrug. “I guess it makes for a good excuse to always keep a steak in the fridge. I’ll lure it away with that.”

“Absolute genius,” your boyfriend hums, making you scrunch up your nose at his obvious sarcasm. “So, where should we begin?”

“At the beginning?”

Laughing jovially (honestly, the best thing about Jin is the fact that he thinks you’re funny), the two of you set down a little path which will take you to a butterfly exhibit.

“Agh, I forgot how hot it is in here,” you mutter the second you step inside. Plants of all different shapes and sizes loom over and around you, home to several different kinds of butterflies. A few stray butterflies flutter overhead, making you temporarily forget the humidity of the greenhouse.

Jin ooh’s and ah’s over the bright yellow butterfly that brushes past him. “Did you see that? It nearly landed on my nose!”

“Aw, it recognizes a Disney Princess when it sees one,” you coo, earning a half-hearted glare from Jin.

“I thought we discussed this,” he grumbles. “I’m Flynn Rider.”

“Right. My bad. Who am I again?”

A giant grin splitting his features, Jin wiggles his eyebrows at you. “Mother Gothel, obviously.” The slap to his right butt-cheek echoes through the greenhouse, quickly followed by his yowl of pain.

Pretending to wipe tears from his eyes, Jin limps after you as you continue through the greenhouse.

“You’re lucky nobody was in here to see that,” he says. “They could send you away for treating me so horribly. I mean, look! I bring you to the zoo, I buy you a nice shirt, I let you choose where we go first-”

Whirling around to face your boyfriend only to find a knowing smirk already on his face, you glare up at him. He knows that he won.

“Yah! What do you want?” You ask, exasperated. Limping forward, clearly milking this for all it’s worth, Jin pouts down at you with big, brown eyes.

“Just one kiss.”

You gasp, feigning horror. “A kiss?! In this sweaty, public greenhouse?!” You frantically point at the butterflies which are your only witnesses in here. “In front of the innocent butterflies?”

Jin looks at you and shudders. “Wow. I think it’s official.”

“What?”

“We spend way too much time together. You’re impersonating me right now, aren’t you?”

“Was it that obvious?”

“Yeah. But I still stand by my condition.” Finally taking one final step, Jin towers over you. With a playful wink, he puckers his lips.

“Ugh, I hate you sometimes.”

Jin peeks one eye open. “You just said you loved me earlier.”

“Is it too late to change my mind?”

“Sorry, no refunds.” Then, taking things into his own hands, Jin cups your cheeks and swoops in for a kiss.

On your nose.

Sputtering as he steps away, you glare at him. “What was that?!”

Turning on his heel and heading toward the exit, you notice that Jin’s over-exaggerated limp is long gone. With a devilish grin over his shoulder, Jin says, “You were taking too long. But you still owe me a kiss, whenever I ask for it. No matter where we are or what we’re doing, ok?”

You can recognize a trap when you see one. However, you’re left with no choice. Grumbling out a “yeah, whatever” you follow after him.

After the butterfly exhibit you make your way to the reptile house, opting to get all of the hot and humid indoor places out of the way while it’s still morning. The Gila monsters make you laugh as Jin takes a video of the tongue flipping in and out of its mouth and sends it to Hoseok. The two of you know full well that the boy in question will no doubt scream in horror as he watches the video.

Hand in hand, Jin finally swerves off the path toward one of the final indoor exhibits: Animals of the Savanna.

Once you’re inside, you pull and tug at Jin until he’s relenting and allowing you to find the meerkats. To onlookers, you’re sure you look like a child dragging their disgruntled parent to and fro. However, once you spot the meerkats, any thoughts of maintaining your dignity in front of these people eddies out of your mind.

“Jin! Jin! Seokjin!” You hop up and down on the balls of your feet, completely missing the tender look Jin sends your way as you drag him closer. “Look at them! Woooow there’s so many! Aww and there’s little babies, too!”

Jin just hums along, smiling as he watches your wide eyes. You get as close as humanly possible, grinning at the creatures that occasionally look your way. Through it all, he maintains some sort of contact. Giggling without knowing what you’re laughing about. Just laughing for the sake of it.

He just…loves the zoo. Yeah, that’s it.

It had been a silly idea, to bring you here three years ago to celebrate the beginning of your relationship. In fact, you had looked at him like he was already bordering on crazy when he had brought up the idea of doing something special now that you had agreed to be his girlfriend.

“Don’t people usually do something special for anniversaries?” You had asked. Your hair had been longer then, a tell-tale sign of your youth.

Jin shrugged, completely under your spell without your knowledge. He found it nearly impossible to look away from you at times like these. “We can do that, too. Next year. But for now, why don’t we just celebrate the beginning?”

“Sure,” you mimicked his shrug, snuggling into his side on the couch. Despite his unaffected demeanor, he wondered if you noticed the way his heart was pounding as you rested your head against his shoulder. “I’ll do whatever, as long as it’s with you.”

So, after discussing it with his best friends, he decided to take you to a beautiful dinner looking over the Han river. There was a new restaurant that was outrageously fancy and delicious, and he wanted to treat you to the best.

When he arrived at your apartment that evening, just in time to hopefully catch the sunset on the Han if all went according to plan, he overheard you talking on the phone. Your window was open, and like the snoop that he was, he waited to listen in on your conversation.

He wouldn’t have it he hadn’t heard your mentioning his name.

“I don’t know what we’re doing tonight,” you admitted. You were quiet for a moment while listening to the other side of the conversation. “You think so? I don’t know, I’ve never dated someone like this. You know, like…rich. What do rich people do on dates? I’m a little out of my element here, I just hope I won’t make a fool of myself.” Your laugh had him hurtling to reality, and he realized in an instant that he couldn’t take you to that restaurant.

A part of him knew in that moment that you were going to be the rest of his life. You were it for him. And if you want something to last, you treat it differently.

A perfectly forgettable meal surrounded by gossiping netizens wasn’t what you deserved.

So what did you deserve?

That had been the question on his mind as he tried to hide just how sweaty his palms were when he knocked on your door.

“Oh, I think he’s here. I – yeah, I’ll call you after. Ok, bye.”

Seokjin has always been good at pretending that he has a plan even when he has no idea what to do. Which is exactly what he did. You had been absolutely adorable, bouncing in your seat as he set off down the highway, begging him to give you a hint.

When he’d seen the exit for the zoo, he turned down that road without a second thought. You looked utterly confused when he pulled into the parking lot, and little did you know that he was just as confused as you were.

He just prayed that you wouldn’t think he was the dumbest person ever for letting those reservations slip through his fingers for the fanciest restaurant in Seoul. Perhaps a date to the zoo wasn’t the right idea, perhaps it wasn’t romantic at all, perhaps-

Perhaps you were happiest with his hand in yours and a meerkat a few feet away from you.

He’s so tempted to cash in that kiss right now, with how adorable you look. But he bites his tongue, reminding himself that he has to save it for later.

Once you’re loved of meerkats is sated enough for you to be herded away, Jin leads you to a street vendor. “Eat up,” he says as he passes the bread cone filled to the brim with macaroni and cheese to your outstretched hands. He’ll never understand your love for the little abominations, but he caves and orders one for himself as well.

“Don’t you want to sit and eat it?” He asks as he spies you wandering off. You twirl around, licking the cheese off of your lips. And stupid as it is, his heart skips a beat.

“They’re gonna feed the penguins in ten minutes!” You respond, clearly expecting that to be enough of an explanation. Again you turn to wander away. You’re not worried about leaving Jin behind, though. His long legs catch up to you within a few seconds.

The two of you eat in relative silence as you watch the penguins waddling around. Once you’re finished with your food, you spend a good hour sitting in the amphitheater watching the penguins and wondering which ones the two of you would be.

“I’m that one,” you point to a particularly fat penguin attempting to get out of the water. “That looks like me trying to get out of my chair whenever I eat.”

Jin nearly chokes on his water at your remark, squinting at the penguin that has yet to be successful in getting out of the water. “How pitiful. Oh, that’s me.”

Another penguin appears on the ice, looking down at the fat one.

“Oh, have you come to rescue me?” You ask, sitting forward and resting your chin on your hands. Jin immediately begins massaging the small of your back, knowing that it’s a troublesome spot for you most days.

“Probably- oooh down he goes!”

The two of you burst into a fit of laughter as the penguin pears down into the water only to lose its footing and slip in alongside the previously struggling penguin.

“Yeah, that’s us,” you confirm, still laughing.

“Definitely us. We’re a mess most days.”

You lean back, taking up your usual spot on the crook of his shoulder and resting your hand on the inside of Jin’s knee. “At least we have each other.”

You say it with a teasing tone, but Jin can’t help the way it goes straight to his heart. Sneakily planting a kiss atop your baseball cap, he squeezes you a little tighter. “Yeah, that’s true. Don’t know where I’d be without you.”

“Probably still on land,” you remark slyly, peeking up at him. With slightly pink cheeks and zero hesitation you utter out, “I love you.”

He’ll never get used to you.

“Love you, too.”

From there you head over to the polar bears, which appear to be largely unimpressed by your presence. Jin drags you to see the hyenas, sporting some strange interest in the creatures. It only makes sense to sit and stare at the large tigers after that, your mouth ajar as you marvel at its size.

Then it’s the elephants and rhinos.

“Ugh, it smells like your fridge that one time,” you joke the second to get a whiff of the rhino’s habitat.

“It does not!” Jin shouts, drawing the attention of some of the other visitors. “My fridge smelled much worse.”

You can’t help but cackle at his remark. “I stand corrected.”

Toward the end of your visit you pass by to visit the monkeys. “If you squeeze my hand any harder, it’ll fall off.”

You try and fail to relinquish your grip. “Sorry, they just freak me out.” As if on cue, a monkey swings by in front of the tall glass window, making you jump and squeal in terror.

“Should we leave?” Jin questions, hiding his laughter.

You bury your head in between his shoulder blades, squeezing your eyes shut. “No, just go fast.”

He does just that, speeding through the exhibit until he’s announcing that you’re nearing the end. Slowly you look up, blinking at the now dark sky.

“Have we been here all day?” You ask in wonder. Checking the time, Jin nods.

“Yep. It’s about time to head home.”

Languidly making your way back up the path to the zoo entrance and exit, you swing your hands back and forth. “That was so fun.”

Jin raises his brows. “Really? I thought you were a goner back there with the monkeys.”

Faking a shiver, you revel in the way Jin falls for it and automatically pulls you in closer. “I thought I was, too. But I just thought of the meerkats, and I made it through.”

Snorting, Jin waves goodbye to a few of the staff members the open the gate for the two of you to leave. “Is that so? It had nothing to do with your big, strong, boyfriend protecting you?”

“I don’t have a boyfriend.”

“Oh really.”

“No. Why? Did you think we had something going on?”

Rolling his eyes, Jin bumps you with his hip, making you giggle. “If not, this has been the most dedicated friendship I’ve ever experienced.”

“Dude, you have six best friends-”

“Ok, first you say I’m not your boyfriend, and then you stoop so low as to refer to me as dude?!”

Your laugh rings out loud and clear in the evening air, followed by Jin’s stupefied laughter. “You’re so dramatic,” you accuse, reluctantly freeing yourself from his grip as you near the car.

“Hey, you don’t get to judge me. It’s not like you’re my girlfriend.” Still bickering back and forth, Jin starts driving and heads off to the right instead of the left.

“Woah, where are we going?” You ask, frowning out at the night.

Jin shrugs. “Let’s go snoop around those houses again.”

“The ones by the zoo?”

“Yeah.”

You’re all too happy to go along with it. Clutching your hand atop the console, Jin maneuvers his way to the small hill overlooking the zoo.

“Wow,” you breathe out. “I forgot how beautiful this view is.”

Indeed it is. The city lights glow and glint in the distance, creating a warm blanket of familiarity. The zoo lights are shutting off, only a few left on here and there. The sound of music from floats up toward you as you roll the window down, drinking it in.

“The residents always hear the closing songs each night,” Jin supplies, somehow reading your mind as you wonder about the music coming from the zoo. “It turns off by ten on weekdays and eleven on the weekends.”

“How’d you know that?”

“I have some friends that live up here.”

You turn to look at Jin, eyes wide. “You do? How come you never told me?”

“They just moved,” he explains with a forgotten smile. “You wanna see their house?”

“Yes!”

Jin turns down a different street, slowly stopping before a beautiful home with colonial style columns in the front. Sure enough, there’s a sign in the front of the house with a red sticker stating SOLD for all to see.

“Should we look around the lot?” Jin asks, turning off the car and taking off his seat. “It looks like they’re not home right now, but they said we could look around if we wanted.”

“You told them we were coming?”

He shrugs, hopping out of the car and hurrying around to open up your door. “I mentioned that we’d be in the area.”

“Who are these friends of yours, anyway?” You ask, stepping out of the car. The house quite literally takes your breath away, and you turn around to capture the full view. The city is still visible, the zoo and its music appearing more like a memory than a reality. “Wow, this is amazing.”

“Uh,” Jin scratches the back of his neck. “Their names should be on the sign right there.”

Frowning, you ignore his avoidance of the question and skirt around him to walk up to the edge of the lawn. Crouching down, your eyes scan the sign for any names you might recognize. There’s a small paper, almost like a receipt, hanging from the sign. Smoothing it out from where it’s flowing in the breeze, you squint at the names that appear.

Sold to Mr. Kim Seokjin and –

You know that name. You know that man.

And the name beside his…

“It’s our names…?” You breathe out, not quite understanding. Straightening up, you turn to face Jin with a confused expression. “Why does it-”

There’s Jin, but he’s not where you left him.

He’s down on one knee, looking up at you with the expression he gets when he holds his breath. Behind him the city gleams as bright as ever, however it somehow dims in the face of what you see before you.

Jin, opening up a small box. And inside the velvety interior, a ring shining as though it were made of stars.

Suddenly, it clicks. The date to the zoo, where you’d first officially began this relationship. The house with your name on it, the way Jin had this day circled on the calendar for longer than you care to remember.

Jin can’t breathe, and he can tell by the way your chest has stopped rising that you can’t, either.

“I- I’d like to cash in that kiss now,” Jin stutters out.

In a rush of limbs and a mixture of laughter and sobs, you find yourself kneeling across from Jin and kissing him hard enough to bruise his plump lips. You’d feel bad, except for the fact that he returns the kiss with just as much fervor. When the kiss begins to taste of salt, you pull away to discern of those are your tears or his.

It’s both, you realize as Jin gazes at you, completely oblivious to the tears streaming down his cheeks.

“O-oh!” He exclaims, staring down at the ring box in his shaking hands. “Will you marry me?”

Without a single ounce of hesitation, you laugh, voice thick with emotion. “Yes!”

That’s all it takes for Jin to pull you in close again, attacking you with kisses at a speed you can’t keep up with. He pulls back, panting and eyes alight with pure elation. “And do you want to live here with me, then?”

You choke on a laugh, still crying and on your knees. “Of course I do, Seokjin. You- you bought me a house.”

“Yeah,” he sniffles. “I did.”

Then, gasping with wide eyes, Jin snaps his fingers. “I almost forgot!” Jumping up to his feet, he runs back to the car. You watch after him, too in shock to stand at the moment. Your glinting rings on your hand catches your attention, making you wonder when exactly he put it on. No doubt it was sometime in the midst of his breathless kisses.

Jin returns a moment later, dropping to his knees again. Nevermind the fact that there are plenty of places to sit. He has a lanyard around his neck, and he places another around your own.

“What’s this?” You ask, grabbing the little card hanging off of the end. Once you catch sight of it, you begin to laugh (and somehow cry) even harder.

Season passes to the zoo.

masterlist

[jjkpls]

the wishlist (m) - 3

“You used it.”

> genre : smut, fluff

> pairing : jeon jungkook x reader (f)

> words : 4.2k

> content/warnings : back at it again w/ the bff2l; one sided love, lot of pining; sextoys talk and use; explicit language; masturbation (f); ambiguous infidelity; awkward oc; koo being cute but insufferable

previous - next

For about a week and a half, you simply ignore the outrageous box sitting in the centre of your living room.

If you omit to remember what’s inside, it’s just a nice-looking decoration, embellishing your messy coffee table. It’s perfectly fine sitting between the unopened mails and the takeout brochures. You see Jungkook glance at it each time he comes over but he has the decency to not mention it. You might have read a little disappointment but he didn’t share it with you, not wanting to bother you, as you rightfully assumed, and in any case, you’re just doing exactly what you said you would: not use it. 

Then comes a glorious day of resting from work for you, and miraculously it matches your two closest girl friends' schedules and they owe to come over, celebrate a belated Christmas with you. And as you’re quickly tidying up the place, the question of the box being way too present here is raised again. They will ask about it. One will surely open it before you even get to answer.

The box has to go. 

And in your room, hidden in your bedside table where you know no one will peak, it goes. 

When you wake up from the fantastic, long-awaited Christmas celebration, it’s with a terrible headache. Mary, the amateur singer, received a ridiculous karaoke mic and if karaoke is involved, so is alcohol. You didn’t know that but apparently, you can get a severe almost deadly hangover from rosé. Well. Starting this new year already learning new things, how great. 

One thing that’s unchanged for this new year, as it seems, is Jungkook's talent for psychic arts. He somehow knows you need a copious breakfast made with love and by him, and the curious hangover shot only his roommate has the secret recipe of, to cope with being alive this morning. 

“Hello, Sunshine.” Your face feels so bloated and tensed at the same time like it’s made of playdoh and some devilish kid came and punched at it then squished it hard with its chubby mean fingers.

Very unpleasant.

You know you have very little to do with a ray of sunshine at the moment. You're more alike a gremlin or something. Therefore, as a gremlin would, you groan an answer. You catch through the minuscule slits you now own for eyelids a grin from him. It’s not even vexing or upsetting. His lovely, lovely smile is always a blessing. It’s the only thing that makes you not want to head back to bed and just sleep until death ensues. The pretty, pretty thing. With the big bunny front teeth. He is the sunshine. 

“Had fun last night?” He asks, still grinning, once he’s served you and himself two good plates of pancakes. He’s sitting in front of you, in front of this delicious looking good, yet he’s ogling you with a strange insistence. When he starts eating because you take too long to formulate a response, he munches slowly, still staring, instead of stuffing his face and swallow down the whole thing like a starving man, like he usually does. 

“Yeah. They spoiled me.” You say, quietly. You’re confused. You feel uneasy like there’s something you’re not getting. You hate this feeling. Usually, this friendship is filled with inside jokes you can make up exclusively via telepathy. But here you’re missing something, it feels. Or you might just be confused by the headache and possibly somehow still a bit drunk. 

“Oh did they?” The beam is even wider. You frown, nod, decide that it’s too early and your brain too foggy to try and investigate a confusion that might just be the product of your imagination. 

It doesn’t click then. It doesn’t click the next three times he asks you again, with slightly different formulations if, really, you had fun last night. 

He departs an hour later because he has an appointment with a client, as always leaving some of himself for your guilty pleasure and the marking on your eyelids of that curious grin. That curious mischievous grin. With the crooked shape, the white teeth looking menacing like a wolve’s and the eyebrows arched in suggestion.

How come such an attractive look can be so anxiety-inducing? You’re too fidgety, too confused and concerned to focus on anything. Remnants of the conversation rolling back again and again, trying to make sense of things that probably do not necessitate further explaining. 

The whole ordeal made you so nervous, you end up after an hour of trying to go about your day and failing poorly, sitting on your sofa, lotus style, eyes closed and hands turned up to the universe (hoping It might offer you some clearance It would just drop off in your palms). The thing is meditating is hard. Making so your brain would shut the fuck up is hard as hell. And you suck at it. 

Spoiler alert, you don’t reach the state of inner peace and quiet you wished to find. Instead, you make enough silence for your noggins to be more performing and suddenly it hits. Your eyes grow ten times in size, you almost fall from your sit for the shock is violent.

The moron.

You or him, probably both. 

You

I did NOT use it.

You

I put it away because the girls were coming over but I DID NOT USE IT

He simply replies with a winking emoji and you hate him for it. 

You

Jeon Jungkook, ur a dick I said I wouldnt use it EVER and I won’t, have a nice day moron. 

And again, this time, you mean it. You’ve never said anything with this much conviction in these twenty-five years of living.

Why would you now? When you now have experienced what it felt to have him look at you thinking you’ve done it. It felt mortifying without even knowing why. In all the case scenarios you could have come up with, you’ve never imagined that one. You would use it, he would know about it somehow, he wouldn’t be disgusted (it wouldn’t make sense for him to be as he is the one who offered it to you but your brain and soft ego sometimes are annoying like that), he would be amused, maybe content, but he wouldn't make you feel mortified. 

Having him considering you in a sexual position should be... cool, shouldn’t it? If you really like him that much. Maybe you were confused all along and actually, you don’t, you mistook your own feelings. 

Just a quick check of a mental picture you have of him, the fond smile growing just from his pretty face with the pretty everything on it can’t be trusted because, for all you know, everyone smiles this way when they think about him. On the other hand, the swift blush invading your cheeks when you (by accident) linger on parts you really really like about him -like his thighs or the man titties he’s been growing lately- serve to remind you that yes, yes indeed you like him. 

But he’s an asshole.

No matter how much you thought about it (and you thought about it a lot even though you’re ashamed to admit it), you've never consider it to realize, you never and you still don’t believe anything non-platonic would ever happen with him. You’re just made to be friends. The best of friends but still just friends. 

Not even taking a step but simply dipping the tips of your toes in these unknown waters turns out to be terrifying and you're mad at him because he’s putting you in this situation where you feel awfully uneasy. 

It should all remain a very personal, very intimate fantasy: your attraction for him.

He cracked the wall for a second, it felt wrong and terrible but it’s done and over with now.

It’s only you and your thoughts. 

You don’t ever mention it, he doesn’t bring it back up. Soon the season of celebrations and wishes is behind you, the world starts rolling slowly, boringly so with its lots of little annoyances and distractions and you’re not even thinking about it anymore, neither is he. 

You’re stressed out. Work is being a bitch as it does. And because it sucks most of your time and patience, the only quick way to unwind you know comes to play. 

But the hassle is not worth it. Unfortunately this you always need to realize afterwards. After having searched the internet for good masturbatory content for half an hour, working yourself for two hours and then, there’s the safety wee and the freshening up before bed, to wake up the next morning feeling like shit because of course, you sacrificed hours of sleep for an unsatisfactory outcome.

It’s not worth it.

It hasn’t been for months. Even if you’re still more able to take care of yourself and pleasure yourself better than most if not all men you’ve ever been with, something is missing: a man (or maybe just a dick). 

You feel bored and empty (in both senses). Stuck because the more you need to unwind, the more you try, the less you feel better. 

It’s the snake biting its own tail. 

Until a certain pretty blue box, sleeping inside your bedside table, recalls itself to you. It feels like a century had passed since the box arrived in your life, it doesn’t seem as scary as it used to, as stressful. The fact that Jungkook hasn’t mentioned it, might even has himself forgotten about it, help immensely. 

And it is the very moment, you forget to remember about this promise you made to him and yourself, the promise that you would not use it. 

Right about now, not only stressed and annoyed by everything but also horny for no particular reason, this dildo with the box that matches your planner sounds ideal. 

And it is ideal.

Feels like exactly what you needed. The size is not ridiculously big, it’s fairly tiny actually but given you haven’t had sex in a while, it suffices to stretch you out just fine. It’s new and exciting. The texture feels really nice, smooth, slipping perfectly right between your walls. It’s rather long, slightly curved, filling you in deep and teasing the spot that you could never even dream of reaching with your short ass fingers. And in no time (and you actually regret that) you’re on cloud 9, it’s a thought of the Santa that brought this blessing of a gift in your life that sends you there. You feel satisfied, content, fulfilled from the tip of your hair to your toes, smiling like an idiot because damn, that was a good orgasm. 

Right this moment, you feel fine about using the present. About quickly having thought about him too because it’s not that much of a big deal. He won’t know about it. He doesn’t really seem to care about your sex life anymore (which is, ironically, a blessing). Therefore why should there be a problem? Why would there be?

Apparently, you’ve underestimated the crankiness of your attitude for the few weeks that passed before the phenomenal orgasm. 

Apparently, you had been the worst kind of truculent bitch there is, to a level you didn’t even know you could reach (also no one told you!), because when Jungkook meets up with you, maybe after the third or fourth times of having used your lovely new companion, he noticed something has changed. Instantly. 

“What’s going on?” He asks with a bright smile and excited shiny eyes as if he expects you to have great news to share. 

“Nothing special...” Tilting your head to the side, you drag the words out as you try to think about it for a second, wondering if there’s something that needs to be told.

“Really?” He sucks on his banana yoghurt with eyebrows frowned, staring at you as if he’s studying you. Once the thing is empty, he tosses it in a nearby bin, crosses his arms on his chest and glares. He looks like a detective about to interrogate you. He would look intimidating if it were not for his lips, sucked in to gather the last taste of his yoghurt. “You look awfully happy.”

“Do I?” It makes you smile, shrug your shoulders. It doesn’t hit just then. It should be fine. He can’t unravel something that you don’t even have knowledge of, can he? But Jungkook is a little weasel. He loves to know everything.

Especially when it’s about you. 

“You better not be seeing anyone-“ You should wonder where this is coming from, all of a sudden. Instead, you take offence, how dares he?

“What do you mean ‘I better’? I do what-“

“Without telling me? You better not.” He has that shit-eating grin, his signature brat's smile, because he knows you can’t reach over the table to smack him in the head without risking to tip over your drinks or dip your sleeve in soja sauce. 

“Anyway. Nothing's going on.” For a second, a staring contest takes place on this convenience store's terrace. You’re not sure why. He’s daring you for no reason. Until his mouth twitches, wanting to smile and it makes you laugh so he follows along. “Were you not supposed to tell me about your next appointment?” 

“Client Amy, yes!” It shouldn’t make you laugh to hear him name her like that as it’s been his trademark to mention his clients as if they were Pokémon trainers but it does.

You’ve always thought that it’s his very personal way of living this childhood fantasy of existing within the Pokémon universe. His life is full of potential trainers. Most of the time it’s just Client Enter the Name here but sometimes it’s Baker Jin -who’s not actually a baker but a salesman at his neighbourhood’s bakery-, there’s Dancer Hoseok, who’s the main dance partner of his best friend and Roommate Park Jimin. Sometimes he calls you Friend Y/N, it’s frustratingly funny. You hate that you spill at least a nose snort at each and every single one of his stupid jokes. His grin always grows ten times bigger, his eyes twinkle in a lovely way but you know that you are encouraging him. Encouraging him to be fucking annoying, like a little brother who’s just pushing unfunny jokes too far, just keep repeating them because he knows he can get a reaction. “She wants me to tattoo the dragon from Spirited Away on her arm-“

You gasp and he smiles even wider. 

“I know, right? And I was thinking- to give it flow, I would have it- like fly through cherry blossoms.” Attentively, you listen, squinting a bit when he gets technical to try and picture the project you have a hard time making up alone in your mind.

Imagination and creativity have always been his thing. He had you impregnated with it long ago because he is too passionate and too much of a sharer to allow you to keep away from all arts -because you can’t hold a pencil straight without panicking at the idea of having to draw something- which you would have gladly done if it weren't for him. He’s the gifted one. And his drawings, either on paper, screen or skin, have always been a subject of huge admiration for you. You’re a bit ashamed to admit it but you’ve never really touched to anything really artistic. You often don’t really get it. But his stuff does something to you -and not only because you adore him but actually impartially. There’s no finesse, no pertinency, no trait nor emotion you’ve acknowledged and connected to better than the ones he creates. “You know this scene where he’s struggling against the little paper thingies and he’s flying through them and they’re going everywhere, I was thinking that, replace them with cherry blossoms. And there would be little petals like everywhere around it. Sounds cool?”

“It sounds fantastic.” You say honestly. You’re impressed by every single one of his projects. Always surprised, somehow, by the pieces he ends up making. Sometimes scrolling through the Instagram page he uses as a book, where he publishes his most elaborated, most expensive pieces and while recognizing his touch, the delicacy in his traits, the peculiar curls of certain lines, the overall feel to them, there’s always this sort of paradoxical disbelief. How could this kid make these and at the same time, who else but him to have made these?

Cute nose scrunches up. 

“I’ll send you my drawings when I’m done with them.”

“Cool.”

“Cool.” He is mimicking you. Same pose with the head nod and the leg cross. Same tone and same expression apart from the discreet light dancing in his eye. “So what’s up? You needed to talk to me about something yesterday, didn’t you?”

It takes a second for you to remember as the drastic change in your mood makes it seem the distressed text you sent him yesterday, right when you left work, was written a whole week ago. You don’t remember very well having felt so stressed and pissed off, pushed to your very limits by useless co-workers, that you felt the urgent need to rant about it all, vent your anger and frustration out to him. He was busy and didn’t answer right away. You got home, find the comfort of your sweater sitting on the warm heater and the glorious stand of your dildo and it all went away, bad mood, headache, grudges. 

Of course, it awakes a wave of shame within you. If you have been able to use it without feeling guilt nor embarrassment on your own, it’s something else to think about it in front of Jungkook. You’ve made sure not to think about this dildo in front of him ever. But here, it’s him recalling it to you without even knowing. 

Whatever, you can pretend that everything’s normal. With a barely natural cough, and the even more suspicious dismissive wave of the hand, you try to kill the conversation, “It was just my coworker getting on my nerves again, it’s whatever.”

Jungkook is watching you soundly. It’s nothing unusual for him. He’s the kind of persons that lean in when they listen to you, you never know how conscious they are of it but it’s like they really mean to make you feel important and heard. Therefore it shouldn’t worry you, he’s just doing his usual thing. 

It still makes you grow increasingly more nervous. 

It is factual that it is never “whatever”. The topic of your stupid dumb bitch of a coworker messing with you has always been a pressing subject you, every now and then, more often than you’d like, needed to ramble about to anyone willing to listen because she tended to make your life a pure living hell. The job sucks in itself but she made it a hundred times worse. And here you are, dismissing it. How suspicious. 

“When you texted me yesterday, I thought it was for something bad.” He starts, frowning and staring deep inside the empty cookie package sitting on the table. “Then I saw you earlier and I thought it was for something really good, because of your face.”

“What’s up with my face?” You try to play it cool. Play it nonchalant and oblivious. If you can’t see the aura of contentment he can visibly observe around you, surely you’ve seen the glow up your skin has encountered since you’ve started using this sex toy. Unexpected benefit of using it that wasn’t even listed on the box, the stress it’s relieved and the pleasure it’s given have just cleared your skin out. Unbelievable but true. And apparently, he noticed. 

“I don’t know. You look really... contented.”

“Contented?”

“Yeah...”

You shrug, looking down, at the crumbs on your side of the table, praying silently that the embarrassment you feel creeping up your face doesn’t show. “I’ve been used to you looking tired and all but you look-“ Like every single once of misery has been fucked out of your system. “Lately, you look... good.” The chosen adjective makes you tilt your head. For so many reasons, you didn’t expect to hear this one and for similar reasons, you don’t understand what he means. Without having you saying aloud anything, he gets your dubious grimace and chuckles, “Rejuvenated, actually.” Even worse.

To simplify in a few words, you used to look like an old decrepit hag and now that you’ve been thoroughly fucked -by yourself technically but still- you look rejuvenated. A word literally no one ever uses in real life.

You detest that he’s probably right. And now, embarrassment is not creeping but actually moving in, with all its stuff and luggage. Hopefully though, again, it doesn’t show on your stupid youthful face. “Are my compliments making you blush?”

Great. 

“You can’t make me blush, moron. And if you think those were compliments then-“ You give him big wide eyes of “well fuck” and of course he laughs at that. 

“Indeed, I can’t make you blush.” He has his serious, investigating type of expression again. You almost expect him to fetch a little notebook out of his pocket and start scribbling observations while asking you more questions. 

“What’s making you blush then?”

“I’m not blushing, it’s just hot.” His eyebrows jump in a rude disagreeing curve. You don’t get why. It can happen, to be hot outside, at the near end of Korea’s winter, while simultaneously having red and painful looking fingers on the verge of congelation desperately seeking warmth in your pockets. 

And maybe because it’s not the first time, he’s getting better at catching the signs, at drawing the lines in between the clues. Your caricatural post-orgasm happy face, your systematic defensiveness whenever the conversation is leading somehow to your sexuality, the blatant tell of shame on your cheeks when there’s nothing else ever that embarrass you in front of him. There’s only the common cause missing and quickly, ignoring completely your attempts at diverting the conversation on something else, a giant light bulb turns on on top of his head. It brings the light of understanding through his eyeballs who suddenly look extra bright. 

“You used it.” For a second, you consider packing up your things and just leave this fucking terrace along with the conversation. But you’re cold as fuck, the way home seems like too much torture to be going through alone.

Why are you like this?

Maybe there’s a vain hope that it will lead to some resolution. Some pleasant resolution. Maybe he won’t talk about it ever again if you just accept to have this conversation without showing the stubborn reluctance you’ve used each time. 

“Yes, I did. So what?” His grin is blinding. It’s one of the very very wide, very very bright ones. So wide it shows all his teeth and it doesn’t even look like the cute bunny smile anymore. It’s the predatory grin. It’s intimidating to solely focus on therefore you chose to pick the corner of his eyes and the top of his nose, all wrinkled up that have anything but intimidation to them. 

“You have no idea how happy that makes me.” You grimace. Indeed. You have no idea because you don’t even fucking understand. 

“You’re a weirdo.”

“I’m just happy you used my dildo.” You scoff and almost choke at both his phrasing and the way he so naturally says the word while you’re outside. There’s no one as dumb as you to sit outside with this weather but still, someone passing by could hear. 

Maybe there’s no deep further explanation to look for. Maybe it’s literally as simple as him getting you a present and him being happy that you found usefulness to it. Like most people. People are saddened sometimes pissed when they flop with presents. Maybe it’s that simple. 

“Don’t say it like that.” He cackles like a witch and you know, that once again he’s just messing with you, knowing exactly what to do or say to tickle your patience. 

“So I can gather it was good?” The worse of the nervous wave has passed. He asks quite nonchalantly. Perhaps it’s your ego wanting that but you hate the idea that you’d find yourself in a situation where he’s clearly more adult than you -even if on so many levels he is. If he can talk about it then you can. Try. You can try. 

“Hm. Was nice.” You kind of sound the way you do when as a teen your mom would ask you about your day and you just didn’t want to answer because of laziness, lack of interest, lack of willingness to share, but that will do. He nods, smiles with his lips tight, rather fondly. 

“How many times did you use it?”

Taking a deep breath, you mumble, shrugging faux casualness, “A few times.” More like a dozen times but he doesn’t need the details, does he? He nods again, still smiling, taking in your answer. 

“Cool.” And he’s satisfied. With the answer and the turns of events as it seems.

There you go, you did it.

You resolved the thing.

Now he can leave you alone with your fantasies and your -not his but your- dildo and there wouldn’t be any further occasion to bring it up. You might be a coward but it’s perfectly fine by you.

Sounds absolutely peachy.

If he chooses to play his part right.

A/N: oh myyy, we’re getting somewhere arn’t we? i really hope you enjoyed this part, let me know your thoughts, scream your frustration, i’m all ears (or eyes). next update will be a double one because the first part is quite short. hoping you’re excited. i wish you a beautiful sunday and a lovely week. take care, lots of lots love.

Tag list: @infernal-alpaca​ @kaepjjangiya​ @channiespup​ @jinsonaz​ @kpopfandomftw​ @ggukkieland​ (sorry love)

IF YOU WANT TO BE TAGGED FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER, PLEASE ASK IN THE COMMENT, THANK YOU :))

[enbypotat53]

Part two!

(SPOILERS YET AGAIN!)

Moving on to.. the afterlife? Inside Mephone?? (Where the hell is this place again??)

Anyways, I'm gonna be focusing more on the area/main storyline here - ships'll come later, promise :)

Starting off with these scenes! OJ, the season 1 winner, surrounded by all the challenge items - they're ultimately what MADE the show in a way. The zany challenge ideas, the competitors, the winner?? Those are parts of ANY good game show, right?

Yet he looks so regretful. So hurt. The show was ultimately what cost him his life; his friendships. Paper resented OJ for always focusing on himself and never crediting Paper for his hard work around the hotel. Taco betrayed him and their other friends just for a chance of getting the million. Marshmallow was ultimately right - the show DOES cause others to lose sight of themselves. And I think OJ is starting to realise that.

We also get a glimpse of Springy! I guess my theory of him being created by Mephone WAS correct! We never actually see him again after this though - was he just too defective to be recovered?? Or was he not deleted recently enough? Makes ya think, huh..

I also wanted to note on Knife/Paper's discussion here - I know I said I wouldn't get into relationships much here, but.. "I don't need you to protect me"/"Neither does anyone apparently"??

IS HE ALLUDING TO SUITCASE?? FUCK, MAN.. he really took that to heart..

Now onto Box and Suitcase! It seems we finally got an answer about the ocean hallucinations

(As a sidenote, I don't know what pronouns Box uses - everyone referred to them as "him" throughout the show, but I assume that was mainly due to them being inanimate and no one really knowing. Due to them having a mostly androgynous voice and (as far as I know) no one referring to them by any particular pronouns, I'm just gonna use they/them for now.)

Box being alive was something I kinda called from the start, but damn did their backstory get me. "I never learned how to swim"?? Their assumption that the other auditioners left them to die?? They seem so reserved yet resentful, and I think they're still angry about the idea that Mephone continued the show whilst using their corpse as a gag. I assume it's a lot different to Mephone - he seemed to be genuinely upset that they drowned, and he may have been trying to include them any way he could (ESPECIALLY since he couldn't recreate them perfectly - a nice nod to the fact that he wasn't all-there yet with the generation powers.)

We also finally know Bow/Dough's tail story! Although we never see the recommended characters in the mansion, I assume they're still there, so hey! New friends for the ghost crew!

I also find it interesting how the revival process works - it's a race against time, kinda how like in real life, recently deleted items usually only get 30 days before they're permanently gone (or you can choose to delete them earlier, sorta like what's happening here.) Does this mean Springy is a ghost?

Moving onto Knife and 4S! I'm honestly glad to see that 4S got his own form of conclusion - he realised that his anger wasn't a flaw, and that it could be channelled into helping others. I like that. It's a good message - don't change yourself to fit the "perfect" mould, but instead think of all the ways your qualities can be used. Even if they initially seem undesirable, they may ultimately be what's needed in a situation (which is very true in this case - Knife's initial throwaway gag of an idea to use the Picknix table to create weapons was ultimately what ended up defeating Cobs!)

Plus, just.. I'm glad they touched on Knife's fears - I picked this up in episode 17, but his fear of death? His regrets about killing Marshmallow? His realisation of how serious this all is now, and how it just. Hits him? Mwah. Chef's kiss. It's SO interesting to see how the murderer-turned-softie suddenly realises how much worse it could've been if Mephone couldn't recover everyone. How he was (literally) playing with death for his amusement, not fully understanding the gravity of his actions until it's too late to change them. Knife is such a well-written character, and I ADORE his arc.

As a final note - LOOK HOW HAPPY MEPHONE IS TO SEE EVERYONE?? HE CARES ABOUT THEM SO MUCH OH MY GOD 💙💙

Suitcase's monologue is so damn empowering too, but it's also so funny to see her reuse Mephone's "any questions??" line 😭💙 god, I love her.

(Next up will be the final scenes and the concert! :D)

OKAY so I just spent an hour collecting screenshots, time for the analysis!

(AS ALWAYS, MAJOR SPOILERS FOR INANIMATE INSANITY EPISODE 18 UNDER CUT!!!)

So I'll be tackling this like the episode 17 analysis, breaking it up into parts (except probably many, MANY more parts), but I'll start with Inanimate Island! (This won't be chronological, mostly just a by-area thing!)

And by god, do we start off strong. AN ANTHONY KOS SONG RIGHT OUT OF THE GATE?? HOLY SHIT.

Mephone thinking back on everything, his regrets about how he treated the contestants, his fears.. just. Wow. STRONG opening. (Also his little infodump to Mepad whilst they're still asleep/booting up, me too bud. Me too.)

Gotta admit I got choked up as soon as we started, both from built-up emotions whilst waiting, and just.. how powerful this was?? He cares SO damn much about the contestants, and Cobs destroyed EVERYTHING. This was his life, his escape (and we'll get to that later). Jesus, dude.

SPEAKING OF.

FUCK THIS GUY.

Holy SHIT did Joshua Waters do a phenominal job voicing him. I don't know if I've said it before but the II crew did SO good when they recast Cobs. Genuinely I don't think I could've asked for anyone better - you KNOW a VA is great when they can make you feel PHYSICAL RAGE just by saying their lines, y'know? When I first saw the trailer I had to actually take a break because I felt sick to my stomach just HEARING how this fuckass corn cob speaks to Mephone. His frequent infantalisation (both of Mephone, the contestants, the creatorbots, AND the viewers), and his manipulation, just.. eugh. He's probably the most well-written villain I've seen in a WHILE. AND HE'S SO PATHETIC?? He's a disgusting manchild who abuses his creations because it's the only semblance of power he'll get, and IT'S GREAT. I HATE HIM (/POS).

And ngl the self aware "it's good, just don't watch S1" gag made me choke on my lucozade, so thanks AE.

AND HOLY SHIT?? MEPHONE ACTUALLY FINDS HIS VOICE AND REBELS?? I'M SO PROUD OF HIM 😭💙

Again, more of Cobs being an asshole, but bless the Shimmers - they were so damn naïve, I'm glad they were warned and managed to get away, they just wanted their child back, man :(

NOW ONTO THE SCENE THAT MADE ME AUDIBLY SCREAM AND PUNCH MY BEDROOM WALL.

THEY KILLED MY BOY. MY BABY BOY.

Fun fact: I sent this message to a friend 2 hours before the episode dropped

Yeah I'm not okay.

Not gonna lie, I had a feeling it might've gone this way but I was PRAYING it didn't. Fuck, man.. Mepad is one of my absolute favourites for a multitude of reasons - he loves the contestants with all his heart, he'd do ANYTHING to protect them, and even though we could see how angry he was at Mephone in episode 17, he still gave his life to save him (and by extension, everyone else). He's a goddamn hero, but I wish he didn't have to die (and yes, I will be drawing fanart to cope). Glad he had a moment to be a badass though, Mepad is the living equivalent of "when the calm one gets mad, you know shit's about to hit the fan" and I love him for that 💙

ALSO LOOK HOW DISTRAUGHT TACO LOOKS?? MY BABY GIRL NO 😭😭😭

You could tell how much she cared about Mepad, and their friendship was SO important to me. I'll touch on this later but end song hurt my soul, ngl

AND WE OF COURSE HAVE COBS' DEATH.

So 10 image per post limit on the app fucked me over yet again, but I wanted to also briefly talk about Toilet so no popcorn image :(

I honestly think this death was so damn fitting for Cobs. It simultaneously feels dramatic, yet so utterly pathetic. It doesn't take itself too seriously, yet it's so built up and suspenseful - this is the moment we've ALL been waiting for. Seeing this bastard get his comeuppance. And to see his demise be a consequence of his vanity? He believed himself to be above everyone - he placed himself on a golden pedestal, thinking himself to be untouchable; he never would've believed he'd fall for such a simple illusion from "feeble minds", yet he did. He's a washed up old hack, through and through. All that grandeur? Just a façade. And honestly? The popcorn scene was so damn funny. Suitcase just casually offering Mephone a part of his father's cooked corpse had me cackling like a madman, it makes Cobs seem even more pathetic than he already was; reduced to a soft, delicate, utterly flavourless food that (if we're thinking about real-life movie theatres and how much popcorn people leave on the floor) is commonly stepped all over by everyone around. He remains in death how he always was in life.

(As always this'll be part one of the analysis, so strap in, folks! This'll be a long one!)

[duskamethyst]

playing with fire.

a/n: sooo this is my take on the racer!AU. i’ve spent some time watching movies about car racing to get a grasp on the whole scene so i hope i executed this well enough. i also used some terms that are related to cars and wtv, so you can google if you're curious.

word count: 3.8k

genre: smut, nsfw, mature, quirkless AU

warnings: illegal street racing

pairing: racer!keigo x f!reader

summary: keigo is notorious for being the king of speed and drifting in car races and you’ve caught his attention since the first night you joined as a line girl. although keigo has his eyes on you for a while now, he realizes that he might’ve missed a few things about you. and well, surprises aren’t exactly bad.. right?

keigo loves speed. he loves the adrenaline pumping in his veins.

and what better way can he express his love for it?

cars. races. 

keigo is a force to be reckoned with. he grew to be infamous for his incredible skills and talent in the scene and because of that, he also became the main target for the cops.

however, he’s not aiming for anything in particular. yet he doesn’t mind the prizes that come with it either; recognition, money, women. 

and boy, how he can easily get anyone wrapped around his finger.

but one thing he’s irritated about is how you’ve never paid him any attention. he got some killer looks, has won so many races, fucking loaded with money and he’s pretty confident about his size too (you can ask the other girls if you need reference, by the way). 

what more does he need to entertain you?

keigo gets excited when you’re filling the role of the line girl for his races on certain nights. he knows that it’s the best opportunity to show you what he’s made of and he wants you to know that you shouldn’t be taking him so lightly. 

the starting line is crowded with car enthusiasts, boys and girls alike– gathered for their love towards expensive sport cars, the sound of roaring engines, the thrill of watching and betting between two racers. the roads on the city outskirts has been put into lockdown by the responsible crews to avoid disruptions from other vehicles or bystanders.

keigo pulls up to the arena with his red nissan a few minutes early, not wanting to be late especially because he's the main star for tonight. his avid followers would already be there before him and instantly swarm around his loud car to cheer him on, wish him luck and maybe give him some kisses on his cheeks too.

as he’s chatting with the people around him, his golden eyes wander around from time to time to catch a glimpse of you in the arena. his eyes narrow when he finally sees you standing and talking by the window of his rival’s car. 

he wishes he could hear what you’re talking about that makes you all smiles and giggles while all he has ever gotten is the cold shoulder. keigo leans on his car, arms folded across his chest as he watches you from afar. he can’t stop himself from rolling his eyes when he notices you kissing the guy’s cheek before you walk away and strut in his direction to get across the other end. 

a playful smirk tugs on the corners of his lips by reflex as he watches you come nearer, the noises of the engines and chatters around him are quick to become white noises. yet, you only spare him a glance.

“hey,” you stop in your tracks and turn once you realize that he’s trying to talk to you and his lips curl into a lopsided smile as he smizes you with his golden eyes. “i’m keigo.”

you look at his extended hand peculiarly before shaking it firmly. “yeah, don’t humble yourself. all people here know you.”

“oh?” he raises a brow in amusement. “i’m just saying because you’re kinda new here.”

you smile, “already keeping tabs on me, keigo?”

“how could i not?” he chuckles. “always gotta keep you in my sight.”

“right,” you scoff. “what if i say that i’m taken and he’s my boyfriend?” you tilt your head to the side to point at the guy you spoke to earlier. 

keigo inhales through gritted teeth, feigning a pained and offended expression on his face. “then you have a bad taste in men.” 

“ha-ha,” you roll your eyes, pretending not to be amused by him yet he can see the small smile on your lips. “race is starting soon, you should get in your car.”

“don’t you wanna kiss me good luck?” keigo stares at your ass as you turn to walk away but he quickly shifts his gaze to your face once you turn to look at him. 

“i don’t think you’re the type that believes in luck.” you flash a sarcastic smile before striding off towards the front center of the track.

two race cars come forward before the red line that was freshly sprayed just a few minutes prior. keigo watches you as he revs his engine, sending a flirtatious wink when your eyes meet.

ignoring him, you raise both arms in the air, glancing between the two males who now have intense glares on the road ahead as they grip their steering wheels and gears firmly. 

“ready! set!” you shout through the revving engines and the cheers from the mob. “go!”

the moment you draw your hands down, both vehicles instantly speed off and emit white smoke from the friction of tires on the asphalt. when you spin around, you can vividly see that keigo is the one eating dust. 

keigo is calm and focused. like a hawk soaring in the blue sky, he keeps his prey within his vicinity before he waits for the right moment to pounce. he loves to chase– purposely letting his opponent get swept by their own overconfidence before he severely crushes down their will by swiftly changing the lead. some wouldn’t take the risk, but keigo absolutely loves the devastated look on their faces when he veers beside them by surprise.

any regular racers would be familiar with the track by now. he presses the clutch as he changes necessary gears while the mph meter increases gradually as his right foot presses down the accelerator continuously. keigo skillfully speeds through tunnels and every sharp corner until his bumper eventually lightly hits the race car in front of him, making the two of them neck-to-neck.

however, the car in front of him keeps on shifting side by side in an attempt to stop him from getting the chance to overtake. despite the adrenaline pumping in his veins, keigo is patient. he’s aware of the corner ahead where people usually make the same mistake and that’s where he finds the opening to strike. 

approaching the said corner, keigo has expected that the other car would make a wide angled drift thus with his own dexterity, he maintains perfect control as he drifts through the entire corner. 

“hah, bastard.” he snickers, glancing at his side mirror to see the other car struggles to catch up from the poor oversteering. 

keigo steps on the gas harder before he activates the nitrous oxide and boosts his ride until the finish line; easily completing the whole lap with the other car just a decent gap behind.

his ears are ringing with cheers as steps out from the car as people instantly flock around him to express their praises for his victory. keigo notices you weaving your way through the crowd to reach him and a triumphant smirk curls on his lips.

“i’m not surprised.” you say, voice lacing in sheer amusement. 

“yeah, but you’re the big prize for me tonight.” he wraps an arm around your waist and pulls you closer, ignoring the people around him.

“i wasn’t a part of the bet.” you chide. 

keigo smiles at you endearingly before he gaze trails far in the distance. “we gotta run.”

as if on cue, the most hated and startling siren echoes through the street. everyone quickly scatters to their cars and drives off while you get inside keigo’s car with him. he wastes no time and speeds off before one patrol car chases after him.

“hold on, baby.” he swerves through corners, changing gears as he presses the gas harder to try and get the police off his tail. “one more corner will shake him off.”

keigo expects you to be frantic but he is caught off guard when he realizes that you’ve opened the window and stuck your upper body out of the car window. 

“what are you–”

you lift up your shirt and flash your tits at the cops behind you, “fuck you!”

a look of shock is apparent on his face but then he laughs to himself, thinking that he’s seeing you as you actually are, even for a brief second, and not the cold façade you’ve always shown him.

you get back in and sink in your seat just before keigo makes it to the last corner, giving him a chance to widen the gap between him and the car behind him before he quickly brakes at a dark, quiet alley.

“think we lost them.” he peeks through the rear view mirror to see the patrol car passing and missing the alley you both are hiding. “let's wait for a few minutes before i take you home.”

the both of you stay in the car for a few moments, making sure that there are no more cops patrolling the roads before he starts to drive off to your house. keigo doesn’t know why but he suddenly finds himself to be rather nervous now that you’re alone with him. he chooses not to make you uncomfortable so he geeks about his car instead and talks about which car he’d like to own next and gives his own elaboration why he adores it in the form of horsepower, engine and all the shit that you’re probably not too familiar with. 

now he feels like an idiot.

keigo hits the brake once you tell him to stop in front of your apartment and he’s a bit upset that the journey ended quicker than he thought. 

“thanks for the ride, keigo.” you say before opening the door and step out. 

“sure thing. sorry if i talked too much.” he scratches the back of his neck in embarrassment. 

but he feels relieved and his confidence flows within him when he hears you laugh. “it’s fine. you did rather.. well.”

“you’re not too bad yourself,” he grins, knowing that you’re not talking about the race he won. “flashing your tits like that. you’re full of surprises.”

you close the door and lean down to the open window, “and i assume you’d like to know what i have up my sleeves?” 

“i’m taking you out after my next win.” he snickers, honey orbs glinting with overflown confidence and mischief. 

“only if i get to drive.” you smile cheekily, leaving him stunned before a cocky smirk etches on his lips. 

“bet.”

it has been two weeks since keigo last saw you and tonight is another night that you’re filling in as the flagger. he’s uncharacteristically super pumped for his race tonight, coming with extra determination to absolutely annihilate the race since he can’t wait for the biggest prize that awaits him. 

he watches as you stand in the middle of the starting line, not missing the wink you give him before you glance at the other male to see if both contenders are ready. both cars rev their engines as they wait for your signal. this time, keigo immediately accelerates with incredible speed and smokes the other, not offering the slightest chance for his opponent to take the lead.

the battle takes place in the parking lot tonight– from the basement until the rooftop. keigo is notorious for his drifting skills so he’s able to ascend to each floor without breaking a sweat, oversteering through every spiral ramp that eventually leads to the rooftop. 

sounds of screeching tires can be heard from the wire. the winner is already expected by the crowd, yet they all stay and wait at the finish line to welcome the first car to arrive. sooner than later, keigo’s car is the first one to appear and the mob instantly runs over to him while the other arrives seconds later with some ugly dents and scratches on their car. 

“you really didn’t hold back, huh?” you chaff, resting your arms on top of his shoulders before he pulls you into an embrace. 

“i just couldn’t wait to take my prize back home.” he whispers in your ear, just audible for the two of you but before he can take the chance to kiss you, you pull away.

“come on, playboy. let’s take a drive.” you quickly jump into the driver’s seat and rev his engine. as he’s about to open the other door, you intentionally step on the gas to make the car move forward. 

“you can do it.” you laugh, moving the car forward again when he tries to open the door.

“not funny, kid.” keigo looks at you in annoyance before quickly opening the door and sitting beside you. 

“i’m just teasing you.”

keigo rolls his eyes and sighs, “okay, go slowly when we’re going down the ramps.”

he guides you the whole way down, reminding you to be careful of the corners and to keep watch on both side mirrors as you drive down until you’ve successfully reached the exit of the building and onto the main road. 

“that’s good. i guess you know how the clutches work now. so when you want to drive faster, you should– holy shit!” 

you immediately accelerate and skillfully shift gears as you drive through town. keigo on the other hand, quickly wears his seatbelt and holds onto his seat in fear for the whole ride. it must be the terrified look on his face because he can hear you laugh like a maniac as you drive even faster.

“fuck! slow it down, kid!” he yells, staring widely at the road in front him to make sure you’re not crashing his car to any poles or other vehicles. 

keigo swears that his soul has already flown out of his body but luckily you both have made it in front of your apartment unscathed. he has no idea how, but he’s fucking glad the car has stopped.  

“that was fun!” you chirp and turn off the engine. 

“n-never again.” he stammers and quickly finds solace by stepping on the ground, thanking the lords that he still has the chance to see another day.

“get a grip, keigo. you’re lucky i didn’t use nos.”

you get out of the car and hand him his keys before leading him inside your complex. 

“i wanted to drive to your place but you were busy screaming when i asked you where you live.” you purposely pick on him, remembering how he couldn’t utter cohesive words except for ‘watch out!’, ‘holy shit!’ and some other things of those sorts.

“shut up.” he pinches your arm. 

“but my place is okay too, right?” you smile sweetly as you open your door and pull him inside. you both quickly take off your shoes and keigo’s arms easily wrap around your waist to pull you close.

“if here’s where you want to show me the tricks you have up your sleeves, why not?” 

“but you didn’t seem too entertained with my surprise earlier.” you pout innocently, leading him towards your bedroom.

“i appreciate it.” 

keigo crashes his lips onto yours and pushes both bodies back down on your bed. he quickly takes off his leather jacket along with his shirt and throws it to the floor before his hands roam around your body while your hands run through his fluffy blonde hair. 

you moan into the kiss when you feel his erection grinding against your pussy and he breaks away to pepper kisses down your neck. keigo takes off your shirt and unclasps your bra before he latches his mouth on one of your hardened nipples and tweaks the other between his fingers. 

“you’re so impatient,” he mumbles, pressing down your clit through the damped panties. “you’re so wet and i barely touched you.”

“stop it, keigo.” you whine breathlessly, rubbing the bud against his finger shamelessly to relief the dull ache. 

“hm? i’m just teasing you.” he mocks. “can’t take it?”

“you’re an ass.” you bite back playfully, making the male chuckle with mirth. 

keigo takes off your skirt and pulls down your panties, smearing his thumb with your slick through your puffy folds and revels over how warm and drenched you are. 

“fuck.” he hisses as he watches you squirm from his touch. “what do you want me to do to you, babe?”

you nibble your lips anticipatingly, “hmm, show me how fast you are in bed.”

his eyes twinkle with pleasure and his lips twist into a sardonic smile, “oh? that sounds more like a challenge to me.” 

keigo bends your knees up, holding your ankles as he dives down to lick a fat strip of your essence. you shudder from the feeling of his wet muscle lapping the slick up and down while he gazes at your blissful expression through half-lidded eyes. he intentionally circles your throbbing clit with the tip of his tongue and gives a harsh suck that causes your legs to tremble. 

“mmph– keigo!” you whimper, trying to close your legs together but he only pushes your legs up even more until your ass is lifted from the bed. 

he drags his tongue down slowly then prods it inside your dripping hole. he wiggles his tongue all around your walls, shoving it as deep as he can until most of his face is buried against your cunny. your cheeks heat up in embarrassment when you make eye contact with the male– his gaze is predatory and intense, his expression inexplicit as he continues to fuck you with his tongue.

the warm muscle brushing rapidly against your walls feels so lewd yet arousing. keigo can see that your tummy begins to twitch as your breath comes shorter while your legs shakes uncontrollably. keigo pulls away, licking his lips t0 clean off your juices yet you can still see some leftovers glimmering on the tip of his nose and his chin. 

“shit,” he slides in a finger inside your quivering hole and groans over the feeling of your walls clenching around it. “you’re ready to take a cock, aren’t you?”

“mmhmm, please.” you whimper, grinding your hips to match his pace after he fits in another finger. 

“i like you begging like this. not very cocky now, huh?” he curls his digits inside you, dragging it against the spongy part that bounds to tip you off the edge soon. 

“oh, fuck–” you gasp as the muscles in your lower stomach continues to tighten vigorously. “keigo– wanna cum–”

“then cum.” he snickers, pushing his fingers back and forth at a ruthless pace while his thumb ghosts over your neglected clit. “come on. you can do it.”

keigo mocks again, not minding how he comes off quite petty since he’s the one who has the upper hand now. so he uses that opportunity to make you beg and given the fact that you’ve grown more desperate, you let it slide.

“p-please–” your hips are shaking, begging for one final push before you can completely reach your orgasm.

“you need me to touch this clit, don’t you?” he coos, grazing his thumb teasingly. 

“pleaseplease. need you, keigo. make me cum–” 

keigo generously rubs tight circles on your clit, causing your body to spasm violently as you’re pushed over the edge and cream all over his fingers. keigo crawls on top of you, drowning your moans with a fervour kiss and the saltiness that has enveloped his tongue embeds with your taste buds.

“but that wasn’t enough to show you how fast i can be, right?” he chuckles, freeing his throbbing cock from its confinement, tip already flushed with a bead of precum before he shifts back down and lines with your quivering hole. 

you gasp when you feel his cock stretches your sopping cunny, each bulging vein brushes against your walls as he fills you to the brim. 

“shit. i– ‘m so full.” you sob, clenching your sheets firmly before he takes out his cock halfway and pushes back inside you steadily. 

“f-fucking tight. your pussy’s sucking me so well.” he props on his hands so he can look into your eyes while he pounds inside your pussy. reflexively, your legs are wrapped around his waist and allows keigo to ram deeper and concurrently kissing your cervix with his tip. 

“hah– feels good–” you moan. “choke me.”

your request took him by surprise and it’s clear from the way his cock suddenly twitches inside you. nonetheless, he complies; circling his palm around your throat and pressing carefully. 

“mmph– yesyesyes!” your eyes roll back as your mind slowly becomes cloudy from the lack of oxygen while the male growls above you, sheathing his thick cock in and out as your walls clench around him.

“goddamn, you’re clamping down on me.” he says through gritted teeth, applying more pressure around your neck as he thrusts harder. 

the air in the room is filled with the sounds of his balls smacking your skin and lewd squelching noises. the pressure inside your tummy builds up drastically and your toes are curling as you chase for another orgasm while you submissively let keigo milk his cock with your sloppy cunt. 

“come on, baby. cum on this fat cock.”

you’re unsure whether your mind is playing tricks on you or whether keigo’s pace has become more relentless and incredibly fast but you couldn’t bring yourself to care when it feels so good, the pressure inside your stomach is threatening to snap.

“keigo–!” with a loud cry of his name, you finally come undone– pussy fluttering around his cock and he finally lets go of his hold from your neck to let you breathe. 

“fuck yeah. good girl.” keigo nibbles on your neck, marking you with purple bruises as he rides through your high. his sporadic thrusts soon starts to falter and you know he’s just close when you feel his cock twitching inside. 

“fuck– baby– i’m gonna cum.” he says through grunts, brows furrowing as he desperately reaches for his climax. his hips stop moving abruptly, groaning in your ear as he fills you up with his load. 

the two of you stay in trance for a moment, regaining your composure before keigo pulls out his spent cock and lies next to you. while keigo is still in a daze, you get up and reach for the drawer beside you and get on top of him. keigo snaps back to reality when he hears the clank of a metal sound above his head. by tugging his wrists, he can figure that it’s a metal handcuff. once again, keigo is astonished. it’s confounding and thrilling; how many more surprises do you have in store for him? all underneath that cold guise, he has never expected you to be such a fun person to be with.

“round two? so soon.” he smirks conceitedly, golden eyes shining brightly with eagerness. “i must’ve been that good, huh?”

but you only chuckle and shake your head before looking at him dead in the eyes. he’s slightly perplexed, but his blood run cold once you show him a shiny badge in your hand.

upon his obvious dismay, you return his smirk. “keigo takami, you’re under arrest for participating in illegal street racing.”

duskamethyst © 2020 • do not modify, translate or repost anywhere.

[gnocchighoul]

the undateables get turned into cats

(a continuation of this post!)

~

Diavolo

Man… if you thought Beel was a big cat… 

Diavolo is a big cat.

Literally. Like, you’re pretty sure he’s a lion or something. He’s fucking HUGE. 

His paws are the size of your head, and when he flops down on you it literally knocks the breath out of your lungs. He probably broke one of your ribs, but you’re only 80% sure. 

If you’re walking side by side and he leans into you, there’s like a 70% chance that you’re gonna get knocked on your ass. For your sake, I hope you have decent balance.

He definitely only lets you, Lucifer, and Barbatos around him while he’s stuck in this form. 

He also really is not aware of his own strength in this form. 

Everyone realized that when you and Lucifer showed up to the palace and Dia went to love-tackle Lucifer, expecting the demon to catch him like he normally does, but instead ended up tackling his ass to the floor.

Diavolo was way too excited about it.

Lucifer was miffed.

(You got it all on video.)

Without his goofy smile or laugh, Dia’s eyes are like. Really fucking intense.

Lowkey… he’s a little bit terrifying.

But.... he’s also baby. 

Give him snuggles. Smush his face. Kiss his big dumb nose. Squish his big toe beans. Literally just throw yourself on top of him and snuggle him like a body pillow.

He LOVES IT.

Lucifer is horrified. Probably considers ending your life right then and there.

Barb thinks it’s fucking hilarious.

(It’s not that Dia necessarily Enjoys the experience of being turned into a cat -- he’s just Very sure that Lucifer is going to literally devote his life to fixing this, so he figures he might as well try to have a good time while it lasts.)

Barbatos

...He’s very chill but is also experiencing the BIGGEST existential crisis because he doesn’t fucking have hands to do anything. 

Listen, he’s not opposed to taking breaks. He enjoys relaxing too. But there’s so much shit that needs to be done and he can’t do any of it and it’s driving him up the wall.

Not that you would ever know, though. He’s very calm, even if he’s screeching on the inside.

So it’s basically canon that Barbatos helps Diavolo manage his time and keeps him from slacking off on his princely duties he’s literally a babysitter 

But like.

Come on. 

Diavolo is not gonna listen to a cat.

Diavolo gets up to so much mischief during the time that Barb is a cat, and since the prince is so busy being The Worst™, cat-Barb ends up spending most of his time with you.

Lowkey it’s weird as shit having a cat supervise you.

He’s sitting deathly still on the counter, spine ramrod straight, tail wrapped around his legs, eyes wide and all-seeing -- just Staring at you while you cook. 

You’re pretty sure he’s judging you. 

He’s actually reliving the trauma of Asmo finding him in all of his feline-glory and abducting him to play dress up.

(Cat-Barb is the least likely to bite or hiss at anyone, and he probably won’t throw a tantrum over being turned into a cat. Definitely wouldn’t mind sitting in your lap for some snuggles.)

(Is Very relieved when he’s finally turned back into a demon, though. Never wants to experience that again and is Not opposed to punishing whoever cursed him.)

(With Diavolo’s permission.)

Simeon

Don’t tell Asmo, because he’ll probably cry kick your ass, but Simeon is the prettiest as a cat. 

He doesn’t Totally mind being turned into one, either. If anything, this will make for interesting writing-experience. 

He’s way too nice as a cat. You don’t see his claws at all, ever. If he gets stuck in an unfavorable situation (cough cough, Satan trying to mother him) he’s more likely to run off than he is to put up a fight

He’s very graceful and quiet. 

Purrs when you pick him up, because he once heard that cat purrs are healing to humans. He doesn’t know if that’s actually true or not, but he does it anyways. 

He feels the safest with you, and definitely doesn’t mind when you scratch him behind the ears or hug him like a stuffed animal.

He won't just flop into your lap like some of the others -- most likely he’ll just kinda like. Weirdly lean against you. It’s cute though!

Honestly he’s gonna be content to just sit with you while you do your own thing. Maybe watch a movie or listen to some music with him, and he’ll be a-okay with it.

But.

If you give him catnip. 

he will literally just lay on his back on his floor for HOURS and knock the fuck out.

(Why do you even have catnip? I dunno, you tell me)

You assume that he’s dreaming about the celestial realm. Or TSL. or like. The secrets of the universe.

You can literally move his body however you want -- stretch his leggies, open his mouth, flip him over, pick him up --literally Anything-- and he just Will Not wake up.

Lowkey you think you might have killed him

When he Does finally return to the land of the living, he’s just gonna wanna snuggle u. 

But also turn him back into an angel Now, this has been a (mostly) relaxing experience but he’s ready to go back to normal now, thank u sdfghj

Luke

(Well at least he’s a cat and not a dog)

He is,,, the littlest baby kitten ever. Save him, dear god, before any of the brothers find him

Seriously, he’s so small

You can hold him in just one hand :(( he’s just a little boy :((

Don’t put him in your pockets or anything tho, he’ll be Very upset if you do. He just wants to sit on your shoulder and scream at the world with unbridled fury.

He’s a bumper car kitten. His lil tail sticks straight up and he has a lil round tumby :((

...

You know how all kittens are basically born feral?

Apparently, ferality also applies to those who are turned into kittens.

Basically, he still has the attitude of a chihuahua. 

Hissing, spitting, swatting--his instincts to just smack the shit out of everything and anything are Always operating at 100%. he’s a little firecracker. 

Does that thing where cats will hold something and kick the shit out of it with their back paws.

He’s very feisty. 

It isn’t a big deal, at least until Mammon makes fun of him and kitten-Luke LAUNCHES off your shoulder at him, like a little furball-missile of claws and teeth.

(Mammon just kinda catches him by the scruff and hands him back to you--but he does leave him alone after that lol)

His ears are basically always flat on his head, because he’s constantly Very upset with this whole situation and doesn’t want ANYBODY coming near him that isn’t you, Simeon, or maybe Solomon. He prefers you and Simeon, though.

He Might let Beel near him. Maybe. 

(If he promises not to eat him.)

kitten-Luke is the most likely to knead blankets and pillows (and also probably your leg). He has no fucking clue why he’s doing it, but he can’t stop.

I hope you’re prepared for joint parental custody with Simeon, because that’s what’s going to happen sdfghjklkg

Solomon

He’s very calm. It’s kind of unsettling. 

Will just sit on tables, watching everyone and everything in the room while his fluffy tail occasionally flicks around.

You can practically see the gears churning away in his mind while he observes. 

Will occasionally lift a single paw in the air, like he’s going to move or wants to say something, but then he will just sloooowly lower it again. Then just keeps staring.

He is the most likely to just wander off on his own. He just randomly vanishes, which is a Wee bit worrying, cause, y’know. He’s still shady.

You really don’t see much of him during his time as a cat. You have no idea where he’s going or what he’s up to, but he does occasionally bring you presents from his travels.

Even as a cat, he has the good sense to not bring you dead things. But you are a little concerned when he brings you a spell jar with glowing blue liquid in it. 

Like, what the fuck? Did he make it himself with his little cat paws?

Even after turning back into a human, he refuses to tell you how he got it. 

You keep it anyways.

Probably figures out how to talk with his normal voice, and scares the absolute shit out of you the first time he says something.

After he’s had his fun, he figures out himself how to turn back into a human and has you assist him with the process.

(Partially because he wants to study you, partially just because he likes you.)

[nejibaby]

Memories

Pairing: Neji x Fem!Uchiha Reader

Summary: There are a lot of terrible things that have happened to you as an Uchiha that you wanted to forget. But with Neji’s help, you’re able to move on and move along. Things have started getting better for you, however, once the Fourth Shinobi War was declared, time seemed to start running out.

Word Count: 2.1k

Memories - Part 1 | Deja Vu - Part 2

A/N: I didn’t exactly follow the plot and somehow it turned so angsty 🙈 Please let me know your thoughts~

There are memories you hold so dear that you refuse to have them tainted no matter what. Most of those memories are of the times you spent playing or training with your brother Shishui, his best friend Itachi, and Itachi’s brother Sasuke. Those times were the golden days for you; the best of the best, if you may.

Conversely, there are also memories that you just wish would disappear. They’re the memories of incidents you wish didn’t happen at all. They’re the type of memories that you push at the back of your mind, because you believe that if you think about it or even spare a single second for it, then it’ll be more real. Because you’re in denial. You’re in denial not only about the death of Shisui, but also of the Uchiha clan.

But then there’s a single memory you have that always stands out. It’s a memory that you both want to forget and remember.

The tragedy of the Uchiha clan had changed the only survivors — you and Sasuke. You had already started changing a little because you had to deal with your brother’s death, but seeing the horrible scene in the clan’s district had been the icing on top.

Your drastic change had been evident on the day you came back to the Academy after you were discharged at the hospital. What once was a girl full of life had become an empty shell.

The moment you sat down entered the room, people had started talking. Mostly it’s just about asking someone else if you were an Uchiha or if they know about the clan’s misfortune. They were meaningless chatters so you easily drowned them out.

But there was a comment that had reached your ears. “Why is it such a big deal? People die anyway, it just so happened her clan died on the same day.”

The comment kept ringing inside your head but then someone beside you spoke up, “Don’t you have anything else better to do than talk about someone else’s life?”

He was met with silence so he continued saying, “People die everyday, it’s a fact. Some die because of illnesses, some because of old age, some because of poverty, accidents, or murder. As shinobi, we can die in the line of duty. But that doesn’t make death any less painful to the one left behind.

“If your family is alive, then good, but maybe use that brain of yours because logic says not everyone gets to be as lucky as you.”

Naturally, you want to forget about the unsolicited comment of your classmate, but you want to remember that among the students inside the room, one boy had stood up for you. Quite frankly, you needed his saving that day. Otherwise, you would’ve beaten yourself up for mourning too long.

And when you realized who that boy was, his words weighed even more. Because Hyuga Neji was a boy notoriously known for thinking that everyone’s fate is predetermined from birth and that luck plays absolutely no part in it.

“Not everyone gets to be as lucky as you.”

And for a hot minute he had abandoned his belief as he stood up for you.

It sounds hypocritical if you think about it.

But maybe just as he had saved you, you had opened his eyes just a little bit and helped him see that his beliefs were skewed too. In a way, you had helped each other, at least you hoped.

It’s because of that day, that memory, that you find yourself gravitating towards Neji.

It isn’t attraction at all at first, more like genuine curiosity about him and his life. But you didn’t get to know him further until the Chunin exams where he had disclosed the way of their clan. It’s at that time where you understood why he acts the way he acts.

You can’t help but wonder about how two clans with almost similar circumstances— both with kekkei genkai, both living in Konoha, both considered to be one of the strongest clans in the shinobi world— could have completely different ways of living. One clan is almost completely annihilated, while the other has slaves of their own blood. And if you’re being completely honest, you aren’t exactly sure which is better.

You have gotten the urge to talk to him after hearing his story, although you really didn’t know what to say. But then the chance never came up because of the chaos orchestrated by Orochimaru.

After the Chunin exams and the attack of Orochimaru, you hadn’t heard of Neji for a while since you’ve been tasked to help with the repairs of the village. And when you did hear about him, it was terrible, terrible news.

Sasuke left the village to seek power from the very person who just wrecked havoc in Konoha. His leaving alone left you in despair. What Itachi was to Shisui is exactly what Sasuke means to you, and him doing such a thing without even letting you know makes you feel like a failure both as a friend and as a family.

The news didn’t end there, however. Apparently the squad that Shikamaru had led to retrieve Sasuke had been severely injured and were on the brink of death — one of them being Neji.

You remember feeling guilt and regret burning your skin. You remember the shame of not being able to save Sasuke from the darkness and not being able to help the retrieval squad in any way. You blame yourself for the horrible things that happened.

Since then, you have made it a point to visit the squad in the hospital every day, making sure you apologize and thank them for their service. But admittedly, it’s Neji that you always stay with longer.

It’s not that you aren’t comfortable with the others, they’re really nice and easy to get along with. But they always have other visitors with them, mostly their team members and relatives. Neji, on the other hand, didn’t get as many visits since his other teammate, Rock Lee, was also injured because of his fight with Gaara. So Tenten and Guy sensei would switch visits between the two every other day.

Besides that, his clan members rarely ever visited. And you didn’t want him to be alone in such trying moments, especially when you didn’t get to do anything to prevent this from happening.

As closed off as Neji is, because of your constant visits, you have found a way to worm yourself into the walls he put up. And by the time he’s discharged from the hospital, you somehow became close friends.

From that moment on, you find yourself coming to Neji on times that you’re in despair and in doubt. You trust him enough to tell him your stories, worries, and fears because he doesn’t judge you. And he does the same with you.

Neji listens when you want him to listen, and talks when you need him to talk. He’s quite level headed and very much rational, and because of that he gives the best advice.

With him, you find yourself healing and growing. With you, he finds himself learning to forgive.

Neji easily makes you see things in a different way; a different light; a different perspective, and helps you become a better shinobi and a better person in general.

For you, Neji has such a comforting aura. While he’s sometimes cold and stoic around others, with you, he softens up. With you, he’s gentle; careful even. And it’s because of this that you find yourself admiring him more and more.

But before anything could happen — before you could even confess — the Fourth Shinobi War was declared.

Just like that, time seemed to start running out. And you have lost all hopes of being together with Neji as a lover rather than a friend.

The war is awful. Quite frankly, it overwhelmed you too much, too easily. The bodies lying on the floor with dried out blood reminded you of the massacre of the Uchiha clan. But the only person who’s able to calm you down and help you move along is Neji.

The both of you fight side by side, always nearby Hinata in case she would need help. When the night comes and the enemies cease their attack, it’s your turn to talk Neji into relaxing a bit because he’s started straining his eyes from too much use. And because it’s you who asked and it’s you who’s there with him, he knows he and the rest of the Allied Forces are safe, so he rests.

But somehow chaos ensues and in the middle of it, you both get separated. You’re worried deeply, but you trust his skills and his strength, and you know you’ll be reuniting with him again.

And reunited with him you did. But when you have found him once again, he’s blocking out the Ten Tails’ attack with... his body.

With desperation, you transported to his side as quickly as you can. Summoning your last bits of chakra, you use Susanoo to protect him, Hinata, and Naruto. The last thing you remember is the look of relief on Neji’s face, but before it could morph into worry, you have already blacked out.

By the time you have woken up, you’re in Konoha’s hospital. The first thing you see is Neji resting his head on the side of your bed, peacefully sleeping, looking as angelic as ever.

Your body aches with every breath you take, even more so with little movement. But you didn’t let that deter you from weaving your fingers along the Hyuga’s hair. He stirs almost immediately and then he opens his pretty eyes. He sits up upon seeing you.

“I’m sorry, did I wake you up?” You softly ask.

He doesn’t respond to your question. “You’re awake,” he sighs in relief. “You’re finally awake. Let me go call Lady Tsunade and Sakura.” He stands up.

But before he can even take a step, you grab his wrist. “Stay,” you mumble.

Neji looks at you, reading your face. But then he nods and sits.

“Is it over?” You ask.

“Yes, the war’s over.”

“What happened after?”

“It’s a long story… but tell me, how are you feeling?”

“I’m feeling fine. My body aches, but it’s not a big deal.”

“What do you mean it’s not a big deal?!” Neji looks upset that it takes you by surprise. “Do you remember what happened? Didn’t you know you almost died?! You almost used up all your chakra to use Susanoo! That’s so stupid and reckless!”

His aggressive tone effectively gets you angry. “I did it for you!” You snap. “Of course I remember what happened! Even if I want to forget, the memory is branded in my mind! You fucking wanted to use your body to shield Naruto from that attack, didn’t you? How is that not stupid and reckless? Huh?”

Neji’s chakra flares up as he clenches his jaw. Yet, he doesn’t speak.

You breathe out, trying to calm down. You rarely ever fought with Neji and he’s never really raised his voice to you. With your body still tired and aching from the war, you didn’t want this conversation to escalate further so you try to diffuse the situation before it blows even more out of proportion.

In a low voice, you speak, “I was so scared, Neji. I didn’t want to lose you. I’ve lost everyone I’ve ever loved.”

A tear falls down from your eye and Neji’s heart breaks at your forlorn state. “I don’t want to lose you too. I can’t…” you squeak. “I love you so much, I can’t lose you.”

Neji’s breath hitches at your declaration. He could hear his heart drumming against his chest.

You love him?

He doesn’t know if he heard you right or if his mind is just playing tricks on him. It happened before. He’s loved you for so long… and there have been plenty of days he dreamt of hearing you say you love him too. And right now he isn’t sure if this is the reality or just another one of his dreams.

As if you’ve read his mind — like you always seem to be able to do — you repeat your words. “I love you, Neji.”

It’s the confirmation that he needs. And hearing your words knocked the wind out of him. “I… I…” he starts saying.

But you’ve taken his stuttering and his pale, panic-stricken face as a sign of an incoming rejection, so you look down instantly and say, “It’s fine if you don’t like me the same way. I just hope we can still be friends after—”

“No, I… I love you too,” he breathlessly confesses before you even finish your rambling.

Your head whips up after the words left his lips. You stare at him, unbelieving.

And just as you did a while ago, he repeats his words with conviction, “I love you too.”

A smile makes its way to your face, and when he smiles back, you immediately know this is a memory you won’t ever forget.

[skellebonez]

Prompts 1, 9, 17, and 49. Huntsman Has been visiting Sandy for a few weeks now and Moe has made it clear he does not trust the spider. One day, while Sandy's busy Huntsman decides he's had enough of this cat and goes into a rant which then turns into him venting some stuff. Therapy cats are for more then just pets apparently. (Bonus points if it's from Moe's POV) - Pixel Anon

Apparently I am bad at figuring out how to write from a cat’s POV, but this was the PERFECT prompt for me to continue Second Chances Over Tea! This is where stuff really starts to... deviate.

Do not give me that look/How long have you been standing there?/I can’t do this even though everyone says I can./That cute act is all just a lie.

Where time had gone Huntsman had no idea. There was both no time and too much time. Syntax had everything he needed to rebuild and reprogram the spider bots and he’d been doing everything he could to try to replicate the venom with little to no success, much to the increased frustration of the Spider Queen.

She wasn't upset at him, not really. Huntsman knew she was just taking out her frustration at the situation on the poor scientist. Had it been in the weeks before Huntsman would have brushed it off and told him to deal with it.

But now... he felt bad for him. He could tell Syntax was trying his best. The human turned demon wasn’t quite as harsh and clinical as he had pin pointed him as, that much had become clear when he had noticed Huntsman’s odd behavior. His behavior since he has started sneaking out to visit Sandy. He never pushed, never pried, but did make a point to remind him to charge his communicator and to message him on the nights he was out.

Huntsman wasn’t stupid. He knew that Syntax knew he was lying. There was no need to go out and search for materials or do more recon now, the scientist knew that. But he never pushed, never yelled at him to stay and help (though that was probably because he knew that this stuff was not Huntsman’s line of specialty), never prodded about exactly where he went.

Though he had to know by now.

He’d pointed out the smell of motor oil and tea clinging to his clothes once, when they were alone. The cat fur and nip that has stuck to the edges of his undershirt another day. The saltwater that made his hair stick awkwardly to his face and lingered in the air yet another. Huntsman realized over a week into his nightly visits that there was a GPS built into in his communicator.

Syntax wasn’t stupid either. He knew Huntsman was visiting Sandy. He had to have. Huntsman did not trust him to not have turned on that GPS remotely on that first night to learn where he was.

So why stay quiet?

And why was Huntsman thinking these things, things he wouldn’t have thought weeks ago had he been doing something similar in other circumstances?

... he knew why... and it had to do with where he was. And who had been slowly starting to make him look at others with a more critical eye outside the hunt.

He let these thoughts roll around in his head, thoughts he has pushed down and down and farther down until over the course of the last 18 days, 2 and a half weeks and nearly a month since he stole the Crimson Jimsonweed petal from Sandy and the other reached out a hand in kind, until this moment.

It was just past 2:30 in the morning. Huntsman was laying on Sandy’s couch, only the third time he had stayed since that first late night, the other having gone to bed himself. And that blue cat with the matching mohawk was sitting on his chest.

“Get off me,” he hissed, only to be met with a low hiss from the feline. Not a warning or a threat, more a rebuttal to his own. Mo, he knew his name was, and he was the favored cat of Sandy. Always with him, on his shoulder or somewhere nearby. A smart and feisty little thing. He simply stared at the spider demon, moving to sit more firmly on his chest with a thump of his tail and a low purr. “Do not give me that look, cat. Or the purr. That cute act is all just a lie, I know you don’t like me being here.”

Mo did not reply, as he was simply a cat. But he blinked slowly at Huntsman, something Sandy told him cats only did with people they trusted not to hurt them, and he narrowed his gaze at the cat in suspicion.

“I’m getting mixed signals here,” he said, sighing as he sat up in defeat knowing he would not be resting any time soon with his racing thoughts. Instinctively, as he’d done this many times before with the other cats on the ship, he wrapped his arms around his stomach and let Mo slide into being held to his chest. The cat seemed to smirk in victory, as if getting him up and messing with him was his plan all along. “You’re weird. But then again so am I. So is everything about this... whatever this is.”

He reaches up, scratching behind the oddly colored cat’s ears and earned no reaction aside from the continued stare of the cat.

“Don’t think I haven’t noticed that you watch me every time I come over,” he continued, stopping his scratching before roughly picking him up and holding him out across from him to glare at the cat. “How you always sit where you can watch me, are constantly glaring at me and growling when I get too close to your owner. How you just don’t trust me even though I haven’t done anything to you or him since that time on the mountain. But why would you trust me anyway, I just showed up one day in your house after we attacked you on New Years so... I can’t really blame you...”

He frowned, putting the cat down far more gently than he had held him up. He rubbed his face, looking down at the communicator that he wore with a sigh.

“... everything we did on the Lunar New Year was a mistake,” he muttered to himself, grazing the communicator with a claw. “I never asked any questions. Just went along with what my Queen asked of me. If I had asked something, anything, maybe she wouldn’t have accepted that spirit’s help with her plan. I was her advisor until Syntax came along, I should have said something! I’m supposed to be a hunter but I couldn’t even realize we were the ones being hunted until it was too late!”

This seemed to catch Mo’s attention. The smirk on the cat’s face faded into something of confusion, if that was possible for a cat, and he took a step forward and placed a paw on Huntsman’s leg and mewed up at him.

The spider demon barely reacted, not pushing Mo away like he normally would.

“If I had said anything Syntax would probably still be human, I’d still be advisor, and we wouldn’t be scrambling like headless chickens trying to figure out what she’s planning on using us for! Or Syntax wouldn’t because for some reason I’m here, on this couch, instead of in our lair! I’m here running away from the problem, giving them the barest scraps of tech I weasel out of your owner with nice conversation and company for tea because... because what!?”

He growled, curling in on himself a bit as he bit down on one of his fingers in frustration. But the words kept coming, maybe it was because he hadn’t slept since the night before or maybe it was just a long time coming. Maybe being constantly somewhere he finally felt safe when he hadn’t realized how unsafe he felt in the lair over the last few months broke down his walls that he spent so long building up. Maybe the talking he’d done with Sandy did it.

Or maybe there was no reason aside from him feeling safe ranting at a cat.

“I came for help at first but I didn’t need to keep coming. But I have every day and I know why but I just-I can’t! I can’t keep coming here every day like this, we’re running out of time! But I don’t want to go back, not with her there. But I have to, my Queen and Goliath and Syntax the smarmy bastard are there without me and I just... I can’t do this even though Sandy says I can. I’m...”

“Scared,” Sandy’s voice came from the nearby doorway, startling the spider demon from his ranting and making him realize that at some point Mo had actually crawled into his lap and was pawing at his hand.

“How long have you been standing there?” Huntsman asked in horror, not knowing how he could have possibly managed to miss the large form of the blue demon just. Standing there.

“Long enough,” he said softly, coming over and grabbing Huntsman’s wrist with the gentlest grip he could manage and pulling it away to inspect the bite he had inflicted on himself. “Huntsman, you-”

A soft bing rang through the air, the text notification from his communicator, breaking the tension between the two as Huntsman pulled his arm back to check it quickly.

‘Huntsman, Spider Queen is demanding your presence. She is getting angry. If you are awake you must return at once. Immediately, if possible.’

Another one came in, typed so fast he could barely finish reading the first.

‘Goliath is getting worried about her. Scared. She’s angrier than I’ve seen her since the festival and won’t listen to us. We need you here.’

And another.

‘I need you back here. Please come back. Please.’

Please...

In all the time Huntsman had known Syntax the other had never said that word without being condescending... but something about these texts... and the timing...

“Something’s wrong,” he said to Sandy, standing quickly and dropping Mo onto the couch gently. “I have to go.”

“Home?” Sandy asked, reaching to grab Huntsman’s coat without another question.

“Yes,” he replied, realizing that... oddly, that felt like the wrong answer to him. Somehow. “Synta-”

“You don’t have to explain,” Sandy interrupted, pushing a small parcel into Huntsman’s hands. “Not if it slows you down. Go, it’s the piece you said your friend needed.”

“... thank you,” Huntsman said, after a short pause, feeling like he should have done more as he rushed out the door and into the warm dark of night.

He thought he heard Sandy’s phone ring as he left but couldn’t be certain.

~

“You keep going,” Huntsman said after a short pause, turning back in the direction they came. “Just in case. But I have something I want to check.”

“Uh, be careful!” Goliath yelled back as Huntsman broke out his mechanical legs and sprinted back toward where they left the mech.

He may not know the Monkie Kid well, but Sandy had told him enough about MK that he thought that maybe... maybe...

Maybe if he came clean to Spider Queen...

He thought he heard a distant yelp that almost sounded like Syntax.

When he had returned Huntsman had found that Syntax was telling the truth. Their Queen was working in a near frenzy, trying to rush through the building of their mech. Syntax was trying to explain to her that there was not enough time to complete it at the rate she was requesting without the venom, that even with the extra materials the bots had gathered with the tech Huntsman himself had proffered they weren’t fast enough.

Then the Monkie Kid had literally fallen into their lair.

Huntsman didn’t know why he was there. He knew that Sandy couldn’t have told him what they were doing, he knew the other wouldn’t do something like that now after all the time they had spent together. His only guess was that one of the things that the bots had grabbed for the mech had belonged to the young man.

He heard the sound of fighting, his Queen and the Monkie Kid yelling, and somewhere distantly... he thought he heard Goliath yell too.

He almost turned around, almost went back, but something kept him going.

Until he burst into their little hideaway in the lair, a flash of golden light and the Monkie Kid standing over his Queen laying on the ground with the mech head destroyed behind him. They didn’t see him, but he could hear them clearly.

“Haven’t you figured that out yet?” His Queen argued. “There’s no running from what she is!”

Whispers on the wind followed and in flash of more brilliant, powerful light, there she was.

“Spider Queen’s right,” the Lady Bone Demon, the Lady White Bone, The White Bone Spirit, agreed as she stood tall and imposing and terrifying above them all. “Destiny will always catch up.”

Huntsman didn’t know what she did. Something, clearly, as the Monkie Kid held his head in clear confusion and agony and backed away from her in fear as Spider Queen stepped between the two of them. And without thinking he rushed forward, moving to stand behind MK and glower at the possessed girl before the three of them.

“Ah,” LBD breathed with a smile, tilting her head playfully as she looked at Huntsman and drew the other’s attention to him. “I was wondering where the final unnecessary piece ran off to. No matter, captured or not you’re only an extra in this little game anyway.”

“You!” Spider Queen snapped, turning her attention back to LBD once her surprise at seeing Huntsman had worn off.”I should have taken you out the second you walked into my lair!” She turned to MK and Huntsman with a look the elder demon knew to be full of disguised fear of her own. “Both of you! RUN!”

It happened so fast. Lady Bone Demon did something and... and Syntax was there. And Goliath. But they weren’t, it wasn’t them, not as they were. Blue and white and cold and ghostly instead. His Queen lunged at them and LBD and his own survival instincts took over as he grabbed MK’s arm and RAN. He barely registered when the young man pulled away from him and golden light flashed and suddenly they were going up.

There was something gripping his shoulder, sharp and small and he realized that somehow, some way, MK had turned into a bird and was flying out of the sewers with Huntsman and a sign of some kind in either claw.

There was more blue, a brilliant flash from that shot up into the sky, and the two of them plus the sign crash landed onto a roof.

A roof with a pig demon, a young girl with green streaks in her hair, an oddly well dressed for bed attire man who looked at him with more recognition than the other two... and Sandy.

Sandy, who looked down at him and MK with a mixture of confusion and slowly dawning horror at where MK must have gone and what them being together must mean.

As the Spider Demon stood, slow and clumsy in his lack of sleep and the shakiness of adrenaline, he looked back to the young man who had pulled him out of harm’s way without a single question.

“We have some explaining to do, kid.”

[archaxwii]

A Safe Place to Stay

Warnings: This story contains safe, soft, consensual, non-sexual vore. As well as g/t content. If you do not like any of that please do not read.

This is the part 2 to my first Skephalo vore fic. Sorry for how long this took to come out, I originally meant for this to be out like 2 weeks after the first one but life got really busy and my motivation has been completely shot, but hey it's here now so pog. — 

Skeppy was having a bit of a rough day today. He'd come back from his bi-weekly therapy visit from Puffy, and he clearly wasn't handling the old memories being brought up too well.

Bad had been working on cleaning and rearranging the mansion a bit when Skeppy came up behind him, deciding to leap on his back and cling to him like a heavy, diamond sloth. Luckily he was in his smaller form or Bad would have fallen face first on the floor... he still would've appreciated a bit more of a warning because if he hadn't realized it was Skeppy on him he would have grabbed him and flung him straight into the nearest wall.

Bad really wanted to be upset with Skeppy, but  it was very clear that he was actually distressed and Bad didn't want to make him any more miserable.

So now he was currently sitting on their shared bed with a tiny Skeppy lying on his chest.

For a moment Bad almost thought Skeppy had fallen asleep, since they were having a rare moment of silence as he gently pet (pat? petted?) his head similar to how you would soothe a cat. He wouldn't have minded if they just stayed like this for the rest of the day, but Bad did still have things he wanted to do today.

"Are you ever gonna let me get up, Skep?" He gently asked, not stopping his petting.

Skeppy was silent for a moment before attempting to bury his head furthering into Bad's chest, whining," Nooo, stay and cuddle with me please..." Bad couldn't tell how serious Skeppy was being, but it hurt to hear nonetheless.

"But Skeppy, I have stuff I need to do today! I have a meeting with Ant and Ponk soon, and we need food, you wanna be able to eat tomorrow right?" He was mostly teasing, but he'd hate to have to do it all tomorrow.

Skeppy's only response was another drawn out whine.

" Hmm, do you want me to carry you on my shoulders like I used to do with Sapnap when he was a kid?" He offered, trying to come up with a compromise.

Skeppy shook his head." Don't wanna be outside right now. It's too much." He mumbled.

Bad sighed. Maybe he should just take the day off...he hated leaving Skeppy like this.

They sat in silence for another minute while Bad thought. He did have one idea, but he wasn't sure Skeppy would like it.

Bad let out another contemplative "hmm"."...There is something I can do, so I can still do my errands, I'm not too sure you'd like it, though." He tentatively proposed.

Skeppy shifted a little to look up at him." Mm? What's that?" He said tiredly.

Bad gave him a small grin." You're kind of sitting on top of it." He hinted.

For a few moments Skeppy only stared at him with confusion, before it finally sunk in what he had said.

It had become very routine for Skeppy to eat Bad after they'd both had a tiring day. It happened at least once or twice a week now, but so far Bad had never been the one to eat Skeppy, maybe now he finally could.

Skeppy gazed at him nervously, moving to sit on his knees to look at him better." I- I don't know Bad, we've never done that before." He rubbed his arms anxiously.

Bad smiled at him reassuringly, softly holding Skeppy's hands in his." I know we haven't, but you know it's safe! You've done it to me dozens of times by now, I promise it'll make you feel better! And if it doesn't, I can always bring you back up and we can try something else." He explained calmly.

Skeppy fidgeted a bit. He knew it was safe, and he knew how much Bad enjoyed it, but it still made him nervous to think about being eaten alive.

Instead of giving an answer, he shifted down, pressing an ear against Bad's stomach, probably flustering the heck out of the poor demon. He closed his eyes, imagining what it would be like inside.

He thought of all the times Bad had told him about how warm it was, how safe he felt. He had described it as though he felt nothing could hurt him. Warm. Safe. Surrounded by his best friend.

It sounded like exactly what he wanted.

On any other day he probably would have said no, but he was so tired, reliving those memories had left him completely drained, he wanted to be with Bad so desperately.

Skeppy let out a long, drawn out sigh.

"Sure...you can...eat me..." He hated every word of that sentence but he couldn’t deny the hopeful, happy grin Bad gave him.

Bad's tail thumped rapidly against the bed like a dog’s." Thank you so much, Skeppy! I promise if you are scared or don't want to do it anymore at all I will immediately stop, ok?" He affirmed.

Skeppy nodded slowly, not making eye contact.

"Is it ok if I pick you up?" Bad inquired softly.

Skeppy nodded once again, he wasn't sure he could speak anyway.

Bad slowly lifted Skeppy up to his mouth." I'm gonna have to lick you and stuff so you don't get hurt on the way down, ok?" Skeppy simply nodded again, just wanting to get it over with.

Bad carefully placed Skeppy into his mouth, carefully avoiding the sharp teeth. He had a shockingly sour but sweet taste, like that fake blue raspberry flavor. It took Bad a moment to adjust to, but his mouth was flooded with saliva.

Skeppy froze as Bad covered him in short, rapid licks, coating him in layers of thick saliva. He decided it was incredibly disgusting. Although he did have to admit it was pleasantly warm, like suddenly been dropped into a hot bath, he couldn't imagine what it felt like the deeper he went.

The demon was clearly enjoying himself, he drew Skeppy in a little further, leaving him no choice but to stare down the dark tunnel of Bad's throat. It didn't last long, though,  as Bad's mouth shut with a click behind him.

Skeppy squirmed as he was left in darkness, not sure if it was worse or better than seeing the full picture.

The licking gradually halted and Bad, unable to really speak, gave him a questioning hum. Asking if Skeppy was ready to be eaten.

Well, Skeppy didn't think he'd really ever be ready, the real question was," Does he trust Bad?"

I mean, was that even a question?

He reluctantly gave the roof of Bad's mouth a pat and he was swiftly swallowed down.

He was concerned that the heavy, crushing sensations that pulsed across his whole body were going to break something, before he remembered that Bad was much squishier than he was and had yet to be hurt by all the times Skeppy had eaten him.

As he was dragged down deeper he slid past Bad's loud and thunderous heart, making his head spin. Maybe he should've gone feet first...

After a few more swallows and seconds that felt like an eternity, Skeppy spilled into a slightly larger more open area. 

He laid still for a couple moments to recover, which was apparently too long for Bad as he nervously asked," Are you alright, Skeppy?"

"Yea...I'm alright, just give me a sec." Skeppy breathily replied.

" Oh no, I didn't hurt you did I?" Bad anxiously pressed a hand to his stomach.

"No, no, you're fine, I just...wasn't expecting all that, I'm alright, I promise." Skeppy said hastily to not worry Bad anymore.

Bad visibly relaxed, and started rubbing slow circles into his stomach.

Skeppy was quick to move over to where Bad's hand was and lean against it.

The comforting sensation was enough to clear his head a bit and make him realize where exactly he was right now. He was in Bad's stomach. That was so weird. But...he wasn't sure he could bring himself to hate it.

It was almost too warm, and Skeppy grimaced at the thought of having to clean out the slick slime that he and his clothes were coated in. It was loud too, Skeppy could still hear the hammering of Bad's heart and the deep breaths the demon took, and if he listened closer he could hear the rest of Bad's body toiling away as well.

But...he didn't hate it, it all served to remind him that he was with Bad. At the very core of his being where no one could hurt him. Within his very best friend who he loved so dearly. Bad was protecting him with his whole being, and Skeppy trusted him to do so.

"Are you ok?" Bad gently asked, trying to casually lean back into his bed and not freak out over Skeppy's complete trust in him.

Skeppy didn't verbally respond, but instead decided to turn around and start rubbing the walls of the stomach like Bad would do for him.

Bad stiffened before all but melting from Skeppy touch, he'd never gotten to experience this from the outside before and he wasn't prepared at all for how it would feel.

Bad's eyes slipped closed and he couldn't stop the raspy purring that emitted from his throat.

Skeppy almost stopped as the chamber vibrated lightly from a seemingly unknown source, before he remembered this was the sound Bad would sometimes make when he felt clingy and they cuddled together in bed. He only did it when he felt really happy and comfortable.

Skeppy smiled at being able to elicit this rare happiness from Bad, and practically doubled his efforts.

Eventually they both tired out and decided it was time for bed. Skeppy lied down, pressing himself against the stomach walls, not caring about the extra layer of slime that coated him, and Bad continued to lie on his back, but protectively wrapping both of his arms around his belly.

They exchanged their good nights and drifted into sleep, Skeppy feeling warm and safe at last, and Bad feeling content and happy to protect Skeppy.

[chaoxfix]

hedgehog clown emoji

ao3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/39313344 word count: around 4000 summary:

Humor is a coping strategy. But in high frequency, even good jokes come across as a cry for help. ...And in Eggmanland, Sonic's mile-a-minute jokes aren't even good.

//

If there’s one thing Tails doesn’t trust, it’s the idea of Eggman actually succeeding. 

Eggman’s had a dream of opening up an amusement park for years now; Sonic told Tails about a few attempts from when they were really little, when Tails was about four, maybe even before he met Sonic, because Tails doesn't remember it at all. (Though Sonic doesn't necessarily say he was involved, so maybe it was more of a Knuckles thing.) Even Sonic was just a kid then, barely starting out. Apparently this time, Eggman tried to turn Angel Island into a carnival? Tails doesn't recall -- but he does remember Eggman trying to turn Station Square into Robotnikland. This would make at least attempt three. Maybe even more, if there are other ones he doesn’t know about. Tails doesn’t really get the whole ‘amusement park’ thing though. Truth be told, he’s never understood most of Eggman’s fascinations. But he’s even more lost on how Eggman seems to think an amusement park connects with his other grand schemes, and why he keeps going for this one particular scheme. 

One attempt, sure. Two -- whatever. But three? That was getting weird, for Eggman.

Especially for how specific it is. And compared with waking a bunch of ancient evils… It’s still a pretty weird scheme to keep returning to. Tails would pay a lot of money to have Eggman go to a therapist.

Not even just to mellow him out on all the murder, either. Just to figure the guy out.  

Either way, whether Tails understands Eggman or not, he’s weirded out by the idea of Eggman succeeding at any of his plans. Even something that just seems like a business venture. 

To see Eggmanland achieved… It’s not something that sits quite right with Tails. 

And the fact that there was zero security leading up to the park just screams ‘this is a trap’. Hence investigating it with Sonic, who seems even more bothered than Tails, based on how agitated and impulsive it’s made Sonic. He’s been weird ever since they heard about this place. And it stresses Tails out to see Sonic upset – he’s usually so calm about death-defying schemes. 

Even now, Sonic looks agitated, though that may just be the close quarters of this place. They’re still a ways away from Eggmanland, and Sonic’s never liked travel that prevents him from running. 

For now, Sonic is sitting in a huge window-seat. Or, ‘sitting’. He bounces his leg fast enough to make it intangible and blurry. Tails gets it, on some level; Sonic is basically energy personified. And when all that energy has nowhere to go on the long ride up, it’s a bad mix. Especially when there’s always the threat of an ambush on the way up. If Eggmanland isn’t real and the ride up is the secret plan, Tails will be really disappointed in himself for falling for it… 

Sonic seems to feel the same, the possibility of a threat at any time. Even aside from his foot-tapping, Sonic doesn’t get out of a defensive, ready-to-spindash position the whole way up. 

It’s enough to make Tails give him more than a few worried glances. 

“When you tap your foot that fast, it kind of messes with my vision,” Tails finally says. 

“My bad.” Sonic shoots him an apologetic smile and rubs the back of his neck, awkwardly slowing his foot-tapping enough that it looks less… intangible. It does cause him to start tapping his fingers, though. All his energy has to go somewhere . 

Tails lets out a long-suffering sigh the way only siblings can. But he can’t help looking even more worried, when he glances back and sees the expression on Sonic’s face. 

Sonic’s actually got a contemplative frown on, rather than sheer boredom. Tails knows him well enough to know the difference. If he had to describe it, the second one looks like a slug. 

The first is way more worrying. Sonic is famous for never contemplating. 

(Or, Tails thinks, never contemplating when others are watching. Which makes this way, way worse, if he was contemplating so hard even Tails noticed.) 

Tails moves to sit down next to him. He offers him a deck of cards to shuffle, knowing sometimes it eases Sonic’s nerves to give him something to do rather than just burn through energy. Sonic takes it, absently starting to shuffle and re-shuffle and re-shuffle again. 

“Sooo,” Tails starts, somewhere around the ninth time. “You only tap your foot like that when something’s bugging you,” he points out. “Everything okay?”

Sonic looks up. Blinks. “What are you talking about? I’m great.” 

Tails squints. 

“Okay,” he says, reminding himself it’s basically his job to make his brother relax. …Right? “That’s good. But even if you aren’t, this place should be fun, right?” 

“It’s built by Eggman, I’m not sure if fun’s the right word.” 

“Yeah, but if it’s an evil scheme, you get to trash it, which is always fun.” 

Sonic shuffles the cards a tenth time. “Oh. No, I meant if it wasn’t an evil scheme,” he says. “I don’t think he could build an amusement park that’s actually fun. Which kind of makes me hope it’s an evil scheme. Is that wrong?” 

Tails laughs just a little and shakes his head. He really hopes this isn’t the moral dilemma Sonic’s caught up on. “No, you’re probably right. He sucks at most things.” 

“That is why we call him Eggman,” Sonic says. “He sucks eggs.”

Tails watches Sonic’s blurry fingers, and the cards. “...You still gonna trash it if it’s not evil?” 

It goes quiet for a long moment. Maybe this really is what Sonic’s worried about. Huh. “I’ll just leave a really petty Yelp review,” he finally says. Shuffle eleven. “Maybe trash things that are easily replaceable. It just depends on how bad – as in, un-fun – it ends up being. But again – totally an evil scheme. We might as well not even talk about it. Every time he tries building a carnival, amusement park, whatever… it’s a disaster.” 

“This is the third time, right?” 

Sonic forces himself to shrug like it’s no big deal and shuffles the cards again. Twelve. “Eh, mostly. That time on Angel Island with the Chaotix, and not even I was there. But then… Station Square, before…” Sonic pauses. Looks briefly troubled. “And then he even went out of his way to take over Circus Park and Casino Night Zone, and did a lot more redecorating than usual.” 

“He’s just evil. I don’t know if there’s a pattern.” 

“Three’s a pattern. Or five. Whatever.”

“Yeah, but he has a lot of patterns. Like making robot replicas of people he dislikes.” 

“Mostly me.”

“Yeah, mostly you.” Tails laughs a little. “Swear you’re okay though? You just seem kind of down.” 

“Down? Me?” Sonic abruptly stops shuffling the cards, stacking them perfectly on the table in front of them. “What makes you say that?”

Tails gestures to the cards. The feet that are still tapping. The fingertips that are drumming on the table now that Sonic is no longer actively shuffling the cards. 

“Okay, and your point being?” Sonic asks. “I hate traveling when it’s not on foot.” 

“You bought a plane at nine.” 

“FOUND a plane at nine,” Sonic insists. “And you of all people should know the Tornado isn’t transportation, she’s a work of art, an experience, a-” 

“A way for baby you to not face your fear of running over water,” Tails says. He watches Sonic sputter, and snickers, just a little. “I’m kidding.” (He’s not.)

“Anyways, I’m fine. Just a little stir crazy. And I don’t like the idea of Eggman finally building this thing. I know it looks cool from afar, and maybe it won’t be as bad as we think, but… I just have a bad feeling. Every time he’s tried this before, people got hurt.” 

Tails nods, a little more seriously. “Whatever is going on, we can fix it.” 

“Of course we can! No doubt in my mind.” 

“So you’re really okay?” 

“Yeah, Tails,” Sonic says – voice bordering just on the side of annoyed. “I’m great. See?” He points at a trademark grin on his face. “When do I ever frown unless it’s really warranted? We’ve got this. No need to worry.”

“I’m not sure that’s how feelings work…” 

Sonic grins more even wider. It almost looks aggressive, showing way too many teeth. “Aw, c’mon, Tails, this is the hero smile, it means everything’s fine! Remember Station Square? Having a positive attitude saved lives!”

Tails scrunches his mouth to the side, taken aback. Is Sonic right? Should they just – not worry about things? “I guess you’ve got a point?” 

“I’ve got a lot of points,” Sonic says with a wink, and points to his quills. Tails really does roll his eyes this time. “Anyway, like I said – we’ve got this. You keep to the… techy stuff. And I’ll take the lead for positive attitude and speed.” 

“Does that mean you don’t want me fighting with you?” Tails asks, brows furrowing. 

Sonic hesitates for a second. “Not til we see if this place is safe enough,” he says. 

Tails’s frown deepens. “But - Sonic, we’ve been to way scarier places together–”

“Eggman’s built something he’s tried to make twice before,” Sonic says. Voice just a touch more aggressive than before. “I check it out first. Okay?” 

Tails lets out a long sigh. Then he crosses his arms, sinking deeper into the chair. “...Okay.” 

“That’s my guy,” Sonic says. “And hey – lighten up. There’s no reason to worry. We’ll handle this like we always do.” 

He gets up after that, giving Tails space – and Tails busies himself with an old project for the rest of the flight. 

Soon after, they finally land, and Sonic all but sprints out of their travel pod to explore this place, coming back just as quick to give Tails the run-down of whether this place passes basic ‘how big a trap is this’ inspections. 

It does. Yet Sonic insists on traveling everywhere by himself first. 

Tails just can’t figure it out. Sonic insists that nothing is wrong – cracking jokes like they’re on a vacation, or maybe just returning quips like Tails is Eggman. But he's done everything alone, only returning when he's beaten another part of Eggmanland and needs a break. If there's really nothing to worry about, he'd let Tails help him.

Tails can’t make heads or… er, tails, of it. 

//

To no one’s surprise, there is, in fact, an underlying evil scheme. 

Eggman’s capturing aliens – Wisps – and harvesting them for energy. It’s strangely familiar to some of their oldest adventures. Tails remembers the little containment pods Eggman used to put woodland creatures into. He even thinks Eggman was trying that with Angel Island’s wildlife; that the Chaotix were freeing woodland creatures who powered his carnival, too. 

They aren’t fun memories, remembering those scared, trapped little animals. Sonic was always really good at making them feel safe again, but it’s been years since it was their primary focus on adventures. Eggman hasn’t done as much of it lately, far more focused on raising ancient gods.

Sonic’s on it as usual, though. He’s been traveling all over the planet and setting wisps free along the way, destroying the generators that the wisps are being used to power. The cool thing is that unlike most of their old woodland creature friends, the Wisps can actually help a little, giving Sonic power-ups and helping him save their world. 

But – and this is just Tails’s professional, best-friend, little-brother opinion – Sonic still hasn’t been himself. Which is weirder than usual, because Sonic is usually most himself when they’re fighting Eggman. Still heroic, definitely. Confident, probably. Funny, …debatable. Sonic’s been putting way too much emphasis on his positive attitude and completely disarming humor ever since they got here. They’re good things to have, sure, in small doses. But… 

The ride up was bad enough, but ever since Sonic got here, his good humor has been bordering on manic. It’s kind of unsettling. 

Especially the jokes and quips. Non-stop. Tails does his best to play along, because he figures Sonic’s just going through something, and that he’ll open up with enough positive reinforcement… But it’s been days, and no progress has been made. Part of Tails thinks he’s just going crazy, overthinking things – 

But he’s got a gut feeling that something is wrong.

It’s not until Tails catches Sonic alone that he has solid evidence. The first time he catches Sonic alone, he’s talking to himself next to the ruins of a robot. Not all that weird – and Tails gives him appropriate little brother sass for it. 

But it’s like he’s practicing his jokes. Which is a little bit sad. And a lot worrying. 

After that, Tails can’t help but follow him sometimes, hiding behind carnival food stands and benches, hoping for some concrete evidence on what’s wrong rather than a vague ‘something’, so he can figure out a solution for his best friend. 

And that’s when he finally, finally sees him. 

Sonic. The real Sonic.

He’s sitting on top of a picnic table, tapping one heel against the wood and metal.  

And for the first time in days, he doesn’t have that huge, over the top smile. He’s not smiling at all, actually. Instead, he looks… serious. 

Contemplative. 

Uh-oh. 

Sonic suddenly looks around, and Tails ducks further down, hoping not to be spotted, because it would be very weird to explain why he’s hiding. 

But Sonic doesn’t see him. And with his solitude confirmed, Sonic finally leans back and relaxes. He lets out a big sigh, then lays down on top of the picnic table. He stares up at the sky, looking… worried . 

He doesn’t talk to himself this time – Tails isn’t sure if that’s worse, or better. It’s definitely worse for Tails’s research though, because he doesn’t give Tails anything to work with, or anything to look further into.  

His eyes fix on one of Eggman’s logos though, and then one of the many power-lines that feed wisp energy to the park – and Tails thinks… maybe, he can follow his line of thinking, if he analyzes it enough. 

Focus. 

Wisp energy, and Eggman’s logo. 

Obviously he’s thinking about what they’re doing. Freeing wisps from Eggman’s control. Obviously he’s sort of bugged by what’s happening to the planet… And the wisps on it. But it’s not all that different than what they’ve faced on their world. 

But then, Tails realizes the look on Sonic’s face. 

It’s what’s been what’s missing the past few days. He cares about this. 

He cares, but he hasn’t showed it to anyone else. Not really.

Tails’s ears droop. He can’t think of a single reason for why Sonic’s been avoiding showing real care and compassion.

Worse – now that Tails is thinking about it… he can’t figure out if this is something new, or if Sonic’s been doing this for a while. Is he doing it on purpose? 

The only one of his friends that’s even on this planet is Tails… And if he’s not even showing Tails what he really thinks, or feels…

It puts a knot in Tails’s stomach. 

It’s unsettling. He hates being protected like this. It’s bad enough Sonic’s not letting him help do the real work here. Hasn’t he shown that he’s good enough in the past? Hasn’t he shown that he can help, that he can do really, really good work? Hasn’t he shown that he cares about people and the wisps and wants them safe, too? 

It hurts. 

…But it’s not just about Tails. So he tries to let it go. 

This, right now, is about Sonic and what his big brother is feeling. 

Tails wants to be a good little brother and show that he cares – and maybe that will show Sonic that it’s okay to care, too.

So Tails steels himself, squares his little shoulders, and brushes his tails off. He gets up from the bench he’s been hiding behind – then marches over to Sonic, albeit walking as quietly as he can. It wouldn’t do to give Sonic time to run. (Advice he has, uncomfortably, learned from Amy.)

For once, sneaking up on him works. 

Tails pokes his head into Sonic’s field of vision, still staring at the smog in the sky. 

“Sonic?” Tails asks – and predictably, Sonic startles, pantomiming falling despite being solidly laying down on the picnic bench. “You okay?” 

Once those words are out of his mouth, he regrets it. 

Sonic hates being asked if he’s okay. 

He doesn’t get annoyed though – not visibly. Instead, that awful just-slightly-stretched smile appears on his face. It’s not too different from a real smile, but it’s frustrating to see. Because Tails knows there’s no reason for him to grin like that. Not just from seeing Tails, especially when Tails just snuck up on him and Sonic should be annoyed right now. The fact that he’s grinning means he’s hiding something. 

“Yeah, buddy, you just caught me dozing off,” Sonic says – as if he really needs to justify spacing out. 

Tails’s shoulders droop. “Really? You didn’t look sleepy.”

“Yeesh, twenty questions used to be more fun.” 

“I just-” Tails puffs his cheeks up, frustrated with already messing this up. “You looked like you were thinking.” 

“Is that bad? Here I thought I was supposed to be thinking more– But if you’re worried about me cramping your style or stealing your schtick-” 

“That’s not it! You just looked sad.”

The outburst seems to surprise Sonic. He blinks at him again. Hesitates. “Uh… Well,” he starts, actually taking a second to think through his answer. Then. “Nope. I’m good.” 

“You’re… sure?”  

Sonic’s ear flicks to the side. “Tails, buddy, what’s up with you? Why do you think something’s wrong with me, huh?” 

Tails feels himself start to pout. He tries to screw it into a more dignified expression, but it’s hard. He doesn’t know how to deal with the big-brother tone. Especially when Sonic’s been so dismissive. He knows his big brother! So why does he keep getting brushed off like it’s nothing? “Because…”

“Because what?” 

Tails hasn’t had to put it into words yet. ‘You’re too happy’ isn’t right. And he doesn’t have any proof except a hunch that Sonic’s faking – that, and the discomfort from feeling like Sonic isn’t taking this seriously since he’s been joking around way more than usual, and- 

“You look like you swallowed a lemon,” Sonic says, now sitting up. He lightly punches Tails’s arm, and Tails realizes that he’s missed his opportunity. “Now who’s the sad one, huh?”

Tails sighs. “Sorry, Sonic. Just… You don’t seem… Yourself…?” 

Sonic tilts his head to the side, like he’s truly baffled. Then, he takes a moment to look at his arms, and his chest, and down his legs to his shoes. “Well, I don’t know. Everything I can see looks fine to me. Something on my face I don’t know about?” 

Tails doesn’t know what he expected, honestly. Of course Sonic isn’t taking this seriously. He’s only making Sonic see him as more and more of a little kid. “...No…”

“Then don’t worry about it, buddy.” Sonic ruffles Tails’s bangs, then smiles. For a second, it actually looks legit. Maybe Tails is just going crazy and nothing’s wrong. Maybe he’s just been overthinking things, imagining it when Sonic looks like he’s cracking under pressure and using jokes to cope. 

Naturally, Sonic immediately ruins it. He winks, big and exaggerated, and that dumb grin is back. 

“Don’t be sad, alright? Or I’ll have to keep telling bad jokes to cheer you up.” 

Tails wrinkles his nose. “No, see, you don’t have to tell bad jokes no matter what I feel-” 

“Sure, pal.” Sonic wipes the underside of his nose. “Whatever you say.”

It feels like Tails’s last chance. Before they totally lose the moment. “...You’d tell me, if things really were bad, right? If there was ever something we couldn’t win?” 

Sonic’s eyes widen, just for a split second. 

Then, he puts a hand on his arm. “There’s never going to be anything we can’t do, as long as we do it together,” he says. “You let me worry about that, if it ever happens. But it won’t. Because I’m here. If I start stressing, you’ll know. But this – don’t sweat it. We can do it.” 

Tails looks up at him, feeling the faintest connection. 

“You promise you’d let me help?” 

Sonic gives his shoulder a squeeze. “Promise.” 

Then – 

“Hey, Tails,” Sonic says, and the knot immediately appears back in Tails’s stomach. Is this it? The moment Sonic tells him what’s really going on?

“Yeah?” 

“Y’know… the next amusement park area I’m going to has some killer hot springs. You should stop by with me.” 

Tails’s ears perk up, just for a second. “You mean it?” 

“Yeah! It’ll be fun. You can relax since you’ve been worrying about this, and… More importantly…”

Wait. 

No.

Chaos damn it. 

This is Sonic’s joke-setup voice. 

Ever the long-suffering little brother, he droops his shoulders, gives Sonic his best deadpan expression, and patiently asks, “More importantly…?”

“It’s got juuust the right ambiance, for…” 

Tails sighs. Directs his eyes skyward. He knows what’s coming next. 

“... Boiling Eggman’s plans. Eh? Eh?” 

Sonic grins and laughs at his own joke before Tails can even pretend to. 

It’s not the worst joke Sonic’s told to break tension – but this isn’t tension that Tails thought needed breaking. He sighs, but makes himself chuckle before Sonic can stop laughing. Can’t let his big brother feel like he’s not supportive.

But before Tails can ask anything else, Sonic stretches his arms over his head and gets to his feet. 

“Anyway,” Sonic says, “I’ve gotta get going. Wisps to save and all that. You keep working on that translator, buddy, I’m sure we’ll need it working in real-time soon. It’d be mega useful when I’m going through the park and wisps come alongside me like they’ve been doing. I’d love to talk with them in real time to make sure they’re really okay with helping me with all those power-ups. I…” 

Sonic trails off, and Tails gets just the faintest glimmer of that contemplative mood before. 

Tails thinks maybe, maybe, he’s worrying about using the wisps power. If it’s like how it is with Eggman. If it hurts them. If they’re doing it because they feel like they owe him. If they really feel free. If it’s really okay to use them after freeing them. 

Or maybe he’s worried about something else. Maybe he’s worried, like Tails is, about Eggman having already conquered this planet. Worried about what it would look like for their world. Worried about Eggman using this as a test-drive for their planet. Worried about why Eggman is so good at converting life-force into energy supplies. Worried about what would happen, if he captured something with as much energy as– 

“Sonic?” Tails prompts, hoping it’ll help him finish that sentence.

“...Nah, it’s nothing. Don’t worry about it, bud.” 

Tails is just about to demand a real answer, but Sonic winks, gives a two-fingered salute, and zooms off before he can say another word. 

Tails is left looking at the blue blur, the afterimage left behind. 

He sighs. Something’s definitely wrong. Or at least weighing on his big brother’s mind. Maybe heroing for this long is just getting to Sonic… Tails hopes not, though. Eggman’s never been caught for good. Until he is, Sonic needs to be in good condition to keep fighting. Otherwise, who knows what could happen. 

… ‘Good condition’ probably includes good mental health. Huh. 

Tails pauses. Then kicks a rock, because it should really have been obvious. Of course Sonic thinks he’s giving off ‘perfect mental health’ energy. Of course all of this is to just make it seem like he’s great. Like he’s a hero everyone can depend on, who’s not even the least bit worried about the very real threats going on. Of course he’s trying to put on a strong, and most importantly positive, front. 

It’s worked before. With Chaos. 

It’s not Sonic’s fault that no one’s ever sat him down and told him that it comes across as creepy in too strong of doses. And chaos knows he receives enough positive reinforcement for it, with Eggman countering his quips, and all his friends looking to him for positivity. 

Ugh. 

When they get off this planet, Tails is going to have a serious talk with his big brother. He’s sure of it. Until then… 

Until then, he’s just got to make sure they win. That they really do have nothing to worry about.

//

notes:

rationale for this fic: sonic colors creeps me out. specifically sonic himself. he just. doesnt seem to care that there's an entire planet of enslaved aliens being drained of their lifeforce. the jokes are nonstop so sonic just kinda gives off sociopath energy. anyways this fic exists bc i NEED an in-game reason for why sonic is Like That in this game. fortunately ... i think i got it. sonics just stressed and overcompensating as fuck because of course he thinks it works

anyways this is part of the lang series bcause sonics tone is WAYYYY off this whole game, and tone is a big part of communication and language, yea?

last note: if you, like me, find sonic colors cutscenes too painful to get through, you can still get the "is sonic a sociopath now?" humor vibes from just watching rise of the wisps lol

[moonbeambucky]

Hey Neighbor (Part 22)

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader, Peter Quill x Reader Word Count: 3377 Warnings: fluff, angst

Summary: You had a plan and then life came along with one of its own. With your future almost derailed you worked hard to get yourself back on track and finally everything seemed to be going right… that is, until your new neighbor moved in.

A/N: I’m not going to lie, you’re going to be mad for a while. Feedback is always appreciated!

HEY NEIGHBOR PART 21 | HEY NEIGHBOR MASTERLIST

If you told yourself that after what happened Bucky you would be smiling and laughing more than ever before you would have called yourself crazy. At one point it felt like you would never be happy again and then you met Peter.

Peter was the sun that shined brightly pushing the clouds away. You went on a few more dates, texted everyday and found that there was no longer room in your mind for sadness. Bucky was the past and though you didn’t want to be friends at the moment you didn’t hate him as much as you had before.

“Ooh flowers! Someone must really like you,” Mr. Lee said, smiling from the security booth.

You smiled walking over to him, setting down the large vase with the gorgeously arranged bouquet Peter had delivered to your office.

“I think he really does,” you beamed, thinking about how sweet Peter has been.

Sure it’s still very new but you really like him and can’t wait to spend the weekend together. He had both days off and it was so tempting to call out of your internship. If you hadn’t taken off last weekend for the stupid wedding you would have, but you know that you can’t.

Steve finally hangs up the call he was on, and you didn’t miss his tight lipped grimace and the way he eyed the flowers as if they had wronged him personally.

“If you’re happy with Peter I’m happy for you but you really need to let Bucky explain.”

Your eyes flared with a flash of rage wondering if Steve betrayed your trust and spoke to Bucky and on top of that you were really tired of people telling you what they think you need to do. You bite your tongue, not wanting to berate Steve in front of Mr. Lee with the variety of colorful words that were swirling in your mind.

Instead you replied calmly with only the teeniest hint of sass in your voice, “Steve, there’s nothing to explain and I don’t care.” You wished Stan a good weekend, grabbed the flowers and walked out.

Steve knows you’re lying, that despite what you said you’re still hurt, he just wished you weren't so stubborn about admitting it.

Laughter filled the air in Peter’s apartment as the two of you danced in his living room, the lively music from his “Awesome Mix Vol. 1” playlist bouncing off the walls. Groot lays across the couch watching as Peter’s other pet, Rocket, a ferret with raccoon coloring thanks to the dark mask around his eyes, tries to unhook the latch of his cage.

Life has been so much happier with Peter in it. You love snuggling up next to him, petting Groot who insisted his head stay in your lap as you watched a movie together. Peter’s lips press a gentle kiss on your forehead, stirring you from the sleep you had nearly given in to. A tender smile spreads across your face as you look up to him, reaching forward to kiss him. A surge of desire ignited your senses, leaving you and Peter to some heavy petting that did not involve Groot.

The following Friday night you and Peter were eating at his place, trying your best to ignore poor Groot who whimpered beside the table. Steam was rising from the fresh pizza that sat on the table and as appetizing as it looked your stomach couldn’t help but twist with a little guilt. But pizza wasn’t something exclusive to Bucky, that’s silly. You could have pizza– it’s food, it’s fine. You shook off the thoughts.

Groot’s eyes followed the slice in hand to your mouths, gruffly barking in frustration because he wanted some.

“Down,” Peter commanded after Groot pawed at him.

You gave the dog a sympathetic smile, feeling bad as you continued to eat. Your eyes shifted towards your screen that lit up with a message from Wanda, wondering if you were going to make it tonight. You hadn’t hung out with everyone in a long time, spending whatever days Peter had off together. And then there was the fact of really not wanting to run into a certain someone, but Wanda assured you Bucky was not there.

It would be nice to introduce Peter to everyone, maybe Steve could change his attitude if he met the man that made your cheeks ache from smiling so much.

“My friends are all hanging out at a bar right now and invited me so, I don’t know if it’s too early for this but if you maybe wanted to come with me?” You cringed at yourself, realizing how you unconfidently rambled on.

“Sure kitten, I’d love to meet your friends.”

“Really?” You bit your bottom lip, smiling widely as Peter’s hand reached over to caress your cheek.

“I’d do anything for you.” The light sparkled in his eyes as he stared at yours, dropping his gaze to your lips and gradually back up again.

You would have texted Wanda back if your fingers hadn’t carded through Peter’s hair, your lips on his as he lifted you up, your thighs wrapping around him as he carried you to the bedroom. An unwatched table left Groot alone, happy to steal a slice for himself.

The night air was cool on your hot skin, still a little sweaty after your romp with Peter. You wondered if the smell of sex lingered on you, walking towards the bar together and stopping every few paces because Peter couldn’t keep his hands off you. With his arms around your waist he pulled you close to him, the metal gate of a closed store clanging as he leaned against it to capture your lips.

You were all smiles by the time you walked into the bar, hand in hand with Peter. Your eyes lit up when you spotted Steve and Clint, with Peggy and Natasha being revealed the closer you got to the table. You saw the back of Wanda’s head and were about to call out for her but your voice died in your throat as you spotted two familiar faces.

Bucky, and with him was that woman, Claire.

Your lips press tightly as you stare at her. Looks like Bucky kept his date after all, adding another fuck buddy to his mix since you left.

“Hey Y/N! Glad you could make it!” Sam waved you over.

Wanda whipped her head around, her brows raising with concern. With the squeeze of Peter’s hand against yours you put on a smile. Sam was the first to get up and introduce himself but you took over, introducing Peter to everyone including Bucky and the woman whose name you pretended you forgot.

“I have to go to the bathroom,” Wanda said, smiling tensely.

She grabbed your arm before you had a chance to stop her, pulling you into the women’s room.

Her hands balled into tight fists that she shook in frustration. “I wish you told me you were coming. I thought you didn’t answer because you weren’t and Bucky only showed up like twenty minutes ago but if I knew I would have– ”

“Wanda, I don’t care.” She studied your smile, looking for cracks in the facade she knew you had to be wearing.

“Uh huh, okay.” She rolled her eyes not believing you. “It’s barely been three weeks and you’re telling me that you don’t care? That’s bullshit Y/N and you know it.”

“Wanda, I mean it!” you snapped. “Bucky and I had sex– that’s it!” The cutting motion of your hand emphasized your words. “I’m with Peter now and I’m happy so you need to drop it, okay?”

You pulled the handle of the door roughly, wanting to quickly get back to Peter. A smile graced his face with everyone’s eyes on him. You slid in next to him, catching the tail end of a question Clint had asked.

“Hmmm craziest story. Well there was a time we got called to an apartment in Queens because this kid had a Q-tip stuck in his ear.”

Everyone wore a look of confusion that only grew the more Peter spoke.

“It was this high school kid with his buddy and one of ‘em thought a spider crawled in his ear. So apparently they were trying to shake it out but it wasn’t working so the other thought they could dig it out with a Q-tip but he pushed a little too far and panicked, thinking it was stuck in his brain.”

“And what happened?” Peggy asked.

“The EMT’s were able to remove the Q-tip but the whole time the kid was freaking out, saying he could feel the spider biting him in his ear but they didn’t see anything.”

Claire spoke up, not that you wanted her to. “That’s why I always advise patients not to stick anything in their ears.” Whatever miss know-it-all, I’m sure Sam would say the same thing too.

“But the weirdest thing is that a week later I saw this same kid walking by the station so I ran out to see how he was doing. He turned down an alley and then he was gone, disappeared outta nowhere. So I look up…” Peter paused, making eye contact with everyone before finishing, “... and he’s climbing up the walls– like a spider!”

Everyone burst into a fit of laughter and Peter admitted the first half of the story was true. He wrapped his arm around you, proud to have seemingly won over your friends’ approval. Most of them at least. You tried not to make eye contact with Bucky but it was hard. You felt his gaze burn deeper with every sign of affection Peter showed, and anytime you happened to give in and catch his eyes you felt your upper lip tremble.

But this was fine. The chapter in your life with Bucky is over. It wasn’t even a chapter really, it was a short story, a few lines of prose and it’s over. This is fine.

This is fine...

It took a while to fall asleep that night. Even though your body was desperate to rest after another an amazing round of sex with Peter your mind could not shut off. You were thinking of Bucky and the emotion that poured through his eyes, the tense line solidified in his lips. Was he upset with you? He couldn’t be. You haven’t done anything wrong. You weren’t the one that fed him lies and played with his heart like a game, tossing it aside for a shinier toy. No. If Bucky is upset that’s all on him, because he let you go and not the other way around.

In the early morning you and Peter walked with Groot until you went separate ways, the two of them heading to the station to begin Peter’s shift and you headed home. You didn’t bother sneaking in like you had before. If Bucky heard you then whatever, you don’t care, but you don’t want to speak to him.

Last night had been very awkward, having not said a word to each other. You’re not sure if anyone who wasn’t aware of the situation realized there was tension, though Natasha had given you a curious look when you said goodbye. If she didn’t know she probably suspected and you’re fairly certain you’ll be under interrogation soon.

You couldn’t help but wonder if Bucky was under the same scrutiny. His mom was still tagging you on Facebook posts, a mix of funny animal videos and “mom approved” memes. Does she know what happened? Probably, considering the Fourth of July is coming up and she hasn’t extended a barbecue invitation. Does she know about Claire? So far you hadn’t seen Claire Temple on her friends list.

Yes, you stalked her through Bucky’s Instagram. It’s not a big deal, you just wanted a little more information about who she was.

                                              Claire Temple            Compassionate Helper 👩🏽‍⚕️ Avid Runner 🏃🏽‍♀️ Coffee Addict ☕

Scrolling through her photos you learned she is a nurse and (after having a minor heart attack) you learned she used to work at Metro-General. She doesn’t post much, a few pictures of the sun setting between the skyscrapers or graffiti on the side of the building; typical aesthetic pictures. But sprinkled in between those were pictures of her with people; colleagues from her new job at Sacred Saints, smiling as her arms barely wrapped around a brick of a man; her brightly colored sleeves popping against the umber of his skin. She grinned from ear to ear with him, ex-boyfriend perhaps?

Stop stalking her Y/N, stop it now!

You exit her profile, vowing not to look again though you’re not sure how much you trust yourself to keep that promise. But then again Claire was just one of many people that Bucky was sleeping with, so unless she was insanely clingy you didn’t think she’d be flaunting a picture of a guy she knew she didn’t have a chance with.

Besides none of this mattered anyway. Even if Winnie invited you to a barbecue you wouldn’t have been able to go because the Fourth of July happens to be Steve’s birthday and everyone was getting together to celebrate.

Luckily Peter had off the whole weekend and you were so happy he was coming with you. He looked very handsome in his FDNY shirt with casual shorts that showed off his thick calves while you stuck with a mostly red, white and blue theme, breaking out your red converse again with jean shorts and a blue tank top with stars on it.

In the late afternoon you boarded a crowded train to Brooklyn where Peggy’s friend Carol was happy to host a party to celebrate America and America’s ass. Apparently that was her nickname for Steve, teasing him with it because she knows how red he turns when he hears it.

Steve and Carol became close because of Peggy and though she seemed a little reserved at times you could tell they had broken the ice with each other. You met Carol before, seeing her at Steve’s apartment, and with her girlfriend Val when everyone went out for Peggy’s birthday a few months back. Carol lived in a building right off the water in Brooklyn Heights and had the perfect view for fireworks.

Hand in hand you and Peter walked down a lively street with kids riding their bicycles past you, and rhythmic music flowing from open windows. You were buzzed into the building, climbing up a hefty flight of stairs before reaching Carol’s apartment.

Val opened the door, her face lighting up as she threw her arms around you. There was barely a moment to admire the white stars painted around the eyes of her light brown skin as she introduced herself to Peter, catching him off guard in a welcoming hug before inviting you both in.

“Can I get you guys something to drink?” she asked, gesturing to the assortment that filled the kitchen counter, various bottles of soda and seltzer, beers, bottles of liquor. “Firecracker jello shot?” she offered, holding out a tray of them.

“I think I’ll say hi to everyone first, thanks,” you replied, making your way into the living room.

Steve was staring at the view from the window, setting the beer down from his hand when he heard you call his name.

“Happy Birthday!” you greeted, hugging him tightly. “What’s this?” You smirked, pointing to his jaw as he and Peter were saying hello. “Too lazy to shave on your birthday?”

Steve ran his fingers along the beginnings of a scratchy beard. “I think I’m growing it out.”

“I wonder what Peggy thinks… Peggy!” you turned to shout for her, seeing her on the other side of the room with Carol.

You said hello to them, meeting a few of Carol’s friends along the way. Soon more of your friends showed up and you were having a great time until Bucky and Claire walked through the door. You were the closest one to the entrance, wishing you had Peter by your side to distract you but he had been caught up in a conversation with Carol about her time as an Air Force pilot.

“Uh hey Y/N,” Bucky spoke, your name a foreign word on his tongue, “Happy Fourth.”

It was probably because of the fact that you were on the spot, with all eyes on you as Sam shouted for Bucky, that he leaned in to give you a half hug. Your palms didn’t quite make it up to return the favor. His touch reminded you of the ways he had you crying out his name, but now you shivered because it all felt wrong. Claire actually hugged you though she was a little hesitant, unsure if meeting you once constituted a greeting like this.

You made your way back to the living room, uneasy and in need of a distraction, not finding that in Peter who was still deep in conversation. Clint’s gaze caught you from the opposite side of the room, and he signed asking if you were bored. You shook your head, forcing a smile and signed back, “Not with you here.”

Clint strode over, grabbing a handful of chips first before he stopped beside you. You hadn’t seen him that much so it was nice to catch up a little. He was so happy the school year was over, hoping now he and Natasha might have some time to actually plan their wedding.

“Speaking of couples, it’s weird to see that, right?” He nudged his chin towards Bucky and Claire.

“What’s weird?” You’ve seen Bucky’s fuck buddies before, that girl Dot tried to weasel her way into hanging out with everyone on St. Patrick’s Day but at least Bucky had the common sense to spare you all.

“Bucky. That he actually settled down. Who would’ve thought?”

Clint chomped on chips as your mind spiraled into panic. You tried to control the tremble of your voice as you asked for more details, finding out Bucky actually decided to date Claire. Bucky Barnes. The man that’s fucked more people than the American healthcare system was actually, seriously, honestly in a committed relationship.

Your heart pounded in your chest, overwhelmed by this knowledge that has you on the edge of screaming at the top of your lungs and bursting into tears. Your feet took you straight to Val, not having to do much convincing to get her to do a jello shot (or three) with you. It seemed she had sampled a lot already herself and you wanted to feel just as loose.

She wooed loudly, grabbing some patriotic tinsel that decorated the table and placing a bunch first behind your ear and then hers. She stumbled a little bit but you caught her, both of you laughing as you helped her stand somewhat upright, fixing the metal necklace engraved with some sort of Norse symbol from around her neck.

With a bit of booze in you things didn’t seem so bad, except for walking down the stairs, that wasn’t the best idea, but by the end of the night that’s what everyone did. Carol’s apartment was on a dead end street that led right into the entrance of a pedestrian walkway that stretched out above the highway. It had perfect views of Manhattan, the Brooklyn Bridge and the beautiful booming fireworks display.

Peter stood behind you the whole time, his arms around your waist, face nestled in your neck pressing a kiss that made you squirm in delight. But your mind was cruel, reminding you of Bucky’s lips where Peter’s had been; of the chill on Bucky’s nose as he sought the warmth of your skin; of Bucky’s hands around you, holding you close like a puzzle piece fitting perfectly together.

The fireworks were reflected in the tears of your eyes, that you thankfully brushed away before anyone noticed. That was the last night you hung out with your friends as a group.

You couldn’t do it anymore, seeing Bucky and Claire hurt. Maybe it was the lies, all the bullshit you ate up like a starved child. And then it hit you.

Bucky wanted a relationship, but not with you.

PART 23