#How I Learned To Stop Caring And Love Airplane Models

[judgeanon]

Plastic Skies - Prologue

Figured I should try to give this old place some new material, and since a friend suggested I start a journal of my latest obsessionhobby, what better place than tumblr? So here’s a needlessly long and overly indulgent history of how I got into model aircrafts, with a record of each project, their individual challenges and the tools I learned to use to overcome them.

Or at least, the prologue to that:

The year is 199X, and I say that not out of privacy but because I can’t remember the exact year I built my first model. My brother and I had gotten into war toys at a young age, ably aided and abetted by our ex-military dad, who made sure we were always well-stocked on little plastic soldiers and tanks and ships and, of course, planes. Our budding fascination with that last one received a big boost thanks to PC games like Jane’s US Navy Fighters ‘97 and F22 Raptor (the Novalogic one), with their digitized English voices we barely understood and their amazing two-dimensional trees dotting the barely textured landscapes. And at some point, model kits entered the scene.

My memory’s pretty hazy on how exactly that happened. It’s possible that we just saw a couple of boxes sitting at the toy aisle next to GI Joe Extreme and Spider-Man TAS toys, and dad or mom indulged us. Another alternative is this models catalogue we ran into at our dad’s one time, a thick full-color volume absolutely brimming with cars and tanks and, yes, planes of every year, model and size. I remember that catalogue fondly. My brother and I divided it up in our imaginations, each one picking and choosing which models were theirs, even if we never actually held them in our hands. Good times, but again, hard to say if that was the catalyst.

What I do remember are the models themselves. My brother built a Saab Draken, an F-16, a big fat F-15 and a few others. I remember building a Concorde, an F-18 (one of those glueless snap-tite models), a Spitfire and a P-51 Mustang. I think there may have been an F-4 Phantom in there as well. Point is, we were fiending. Our fingers glued together so many times, it’s a small miracle that I still have fingerprints. But there was a not small wrinkle in our approach to the hobby: for whatever reason, neither my brother nor I ever actually painted the models.

Memory fails me again on the whys of this decision. It’s possible that we just didn’t know where to buy paints, since we got all our models at toy shops or supermarkets. It’s also possible that we simply figured out paints were too expensive, and were more than willing to settle for just gluing the models and calling it a day instead of bugging mom or dad for a surefire mess-creator. It’s even possible that we were simply intimidated by the herculean task of painting. I know I tried doing decals once and swore to never do it again. But for whatever reason, our room was slowly littered with gray plastic airplanes haphazardly put together with cheap glue, treated more like puzzles than models, toyed with until tailfins snapped and Sidewinder missiles were lost.

Years passed. Interests shifted. We got a PlayStation 1 to replace our venerable Sega Genesis, and since this was at the peak of games piracy in our country, we could buy four or five games with the money of a single plane kit. So after I was done with that P-51 (which I remember was the first time I’d tried doing the landing gears, a massive feat of courage for the time), I quietly hung up my glues and never built a model again for over two decades. I’d still walk past the occasional hobby shop along the way to school and looked at the flawless shiny Sabres on display, but I never felt an urge to jump back in.

And then Ace Combat happened.

My first contact with long-running arcade dogfight series Ace Combat had been watching my brother play AC3 on the PS1 ages ago. Years later, I bought him Ace Combat: Assault Horizon on the PS3 for his birthday. Plane games, I’d decided, were one of His Things, and just like with the models on the shop windows, I never felt the desire to intrude on his territory.

That all changed dramatically in August of this year. I’d been living alone for a good couple of years now and managed to upgrade my PC far beyond anything either of us had ever owned. I was (and still am) living large, buying games on a whim with no fear of system requirements or even price. Having long gotten everything I wanted, now I was happy to just grab things on sale whenever they popped up, curious new gems or old classics I’d never given a chance before. Then, on August 8th, Steam took me to a sale on Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown, the latest entry in the series. It’d come out back in 2019 but had recently received a Top Gun-themed DLC pack. And funny enough, I’d just seen Top Gun: Maverick that week and enjoyed it quite a bit, so I figured, sure, why not?

I enjoyed Ace Combat 7 a lot more than Top Gun: Maverick. In fact, I enjoyed it a lot more than pretty much any other game I’d played so far in 2022. Call it a happy surprise, a revelation, a blast, whatever word you can think of, I promise it’s understating how deeply I vibed with this game. Everything from the gameplay to the story to the cool ass missions (Stealth infiltration ON A JET FIGHTER!) to the characters to the music, I was feeling it. I finished that game twice, then a third time to get all the hidden Aces, then a fourth time using a bright red MiG-21 armed only with machineguns because I was having THAT much fun.

And while I was playing through the campaign over and over, gleefully splashing bandits and dog-fighting thirty drones at the same time, something happened. One at a time, I found myself back in the cockpit of all those old planes from our creaky PC games and unpainted model kits. Falcons, Hornets, Raptors, they were all there, like old buddies I’d lost contact with, each one filled with hazy yet warm memories of sticky fingers and clicky keyboards. It felt like a reunion of sorts.

As I machine-gunned my way through giant airships like a time-displaced WWII fighter, a thought reached my head all the way up in the clouds it now lived in. A sudden desire to complete the circle.

I wanted to build models again. But this time, I wanted to do it right.

[princelylove]

Interesting headcanon for yandere Jotaro and yandere Noriaki, I also agree that both of them are very competitive, I think they will even use stand to "fight" each other behind your back or just simple using it to gain attention from you. I see Noriaki might use Hierophant Green to trip you so he can be the one help you stand up and take care of you. For Jotaro, I have this headcanon for him, he actually a good artist, do you remember how great his drawing about the fly in Egypt. I think he will use Star Platinum to help capture your beauty in his art and he will give you the best art to show how he adore and love you (after so many drawings, I headcanon he has a sketchbook full of art about you).

I know you said it's not high chance they will corporate together but I think if they do it, they will be unstoppable. The protective side of Jotaro and the manipulate side of Noriaki combine perfectly together. Do you think they will corporate if some special situation happen, for example another person also interested in you and try to steal you from them?

P/s: I enjoy talking to you very much, looking forward your answer >v<

How adorable, anon. 

Really, the only thing stopping them from being an unstoppable force together is their differing views on what to do with you. If they weren’t so firm on their position, you’d be sitting between them every day for lunch listening to Noriaki like he’s a podcast. 

You’re so right about Noriaki tripping you so he can play prince charming. He might even grab you with hierophant green to move you as he sees fit. Too handsy with someone else? Hands are suddenly kept to yourself at your sides. You can’t see stands, he thinks, so it’s harmless. It must be a little muscle tick or something. Are you feeling well? He doesn’t mind giving you some extra attention and care. 

That’s a cute headcannon for Jotaro, actually. He probably taught himself how to draw alone in his room. I don’t really think Jotaro was into videogames or sports in his youth, canonically he knows how to play neither of them, so he spends his free time drawing and listening to music or watching movies. He probably learned how to draw from those books about airplanes and ships he reads, he sketches like an engineer would. When he meets you, his sketchbook slowly goes from ships and fish to teaching himself how to draw humans, with you as his main model. It’s entirely from memory, so your nose might be a bit off, or maybe the length of your nails, but he’ll get it eventually. Suppose it doesn’t matter, since he hides his sketchbook in all of his school things so his mother doesn’t find it and fuss over her baby finally having a crush.

Noriaki hates that. He hates it so much that he’s adamant on actually showing you his own “sketches.” (Completed pieces with thirty hours put into them.) Look, he got every detail about you perfect. Isn’t it lovely? He loves painting stills of you doing what you love. This way, if Jotaro ever does show you his little drawings, it’s like he’s copying Noriaki’s hobbies at a beginner's level. He's happy to give Jotaro some tips if he asks!

They absolutely would work together if someone else tried making a move on you, undeniably. Noriaki only lets Jotaro have his little fantasy of playing hero and protecting you because he’s useful for keeping lowlifes away. Jotaro allows Noriaki’s crush because he thinks Noriaki isn’t bold enough to really tell you how he feels. It’s like a “enemy of my enemy is my friend” kind of situation, to them. Their friendship was going very well before you came into their life, they bonded enough to respect each other, but you’re certainly a stressor on whatever sense of friendship they had. 

Noriaki is fairly happy to let Jotaro do the dirty work and claim to be nothing like him. Jotaro scares off any potential suitors with his presence, his body language is practically screaming “Fuck off.” If someone’s stupid enough to persist after Jotaro’s initial warnings, then they’re in for a beating. If they STILL persist after that, Noriaki will step in. 

Since controlling outside elements isn’t working, it’s time to work from the inside out. He’ll make passive aggressive comments to you about the person, but mask it as just regular social shaming. You can’t blame him for talking badly, he doesn’t mean to be rude, it’s just.. Have you seen the way they talk to our teachers? They don’t participate in classroom cleaning at all, either. 

If that still doesn’t work, and their darling doesn’t pick up on their “hints”... Well, they suppose they can make a deal of some kind.

[boldlyvoid]

Hypothetically | Chapter 25-27

summary: Reader and Spencer were friends in kindergarten, she watched him grow up and explore the world while she was still trying to catch up to him. now that they work together, they fall in love incredibly fast.

friends to lovers, case of the week style story

A/N: Set between seasons 4 and 6, not following canon. all original crimes based on real-life stories.

Warnings 18+: Murderers, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Blood, Guns, mentions of autopsy, Fluff, Falling In Love, Friends to Lovers, bed-sharing, Riding, Unprotected Sex, Virgin Reader, Case of the Week, original crimes, Food mention, Smut, Oral Sex, Light BDSM, Pregnancy, Pregnancy Talk, obgyn appointments and info, Home Invasion, Past Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Emotional Manipulation, Grooming, Pedophilia mention, non-con oral (male receiving), Pregnant Sex, Daddy Kink, Breeding Kink, Homophobia, conversion therapy

Word Count: 18k

chapter 25

“What do you mean we’re working a missing dog case?” Hotch questioned his whole entire life at that moment as Mindy and Garcia explained the case they think they found.

“Sir, I promise you’re going to want to listen to this,” Garcia said softly, her green dress and pink hair pom-poms really reassuring him that everything was fine.

Y/N watched him roll his eyes and wish he was somewhere else, he had been getting more and more fed up with work lately. Having a hard time with Strauss, his wife, and the job in general. After Hayley almost died last year and being stabbed, he had the worst luck on the team.

“It’s going to take a minute for you to see what we see,” Mindy matched Garcia’s aura perfectly, dressed in a cat sweater.

“All 5 of these families have reported dogs missing in the Sacramento area. You think that’s not that weird, they’re probably stealing dogs for fights and step one in the serial killer handbook. But you’d be wrong,” Garcia explained, flipping from photos of missing dog posters to murdered families.

“The dogs go missing right, the parents put all their information onto a flyer, the flyer gets plastered into the neighbourhood where everyone sees it. The unsub takes the flyer, and the dog and returns it to the family just to get inside of the house. He learns what their safety protocols are like and then he decides to break in and murder,” Mindy laid it all out easily for them to follow.

“Is there any evidence that the killer is the dognapper?” Prentiss asked, chewing on the end of her pencil as she tried to wrap her head around it all.

“No,” Garcia pressed her lips together quickly. “But! Family number 5, they were murdered on Friday. Their crime scene is the newest, it’s where we’ll get the best idea of what’s going on.”

“Sir,” Mindy added. “If I’m correct about this, another family is going to die in 2 days. There’s been another small dog reported missing in Sacramento, the same type of family and everything. It’s a signature if I’ve ever seen one.”

“Send us everything you have, wheels up in 20,” Hotch sighed, taking his things and leaving the room.

“Is he okay?” Y/N asked Rossi.

Dave and he were the closest, Hotch never told his secrets of personal gossip to anyone else. He knew Rossi understood family problems the best. Having been married and divorced 3 times each.

“Don’t repeat this, Garcia that means you,” he teased her quickly. “He asked Hayley if she wanted more kids, after seeing you and JJ expanding the BAU’s gifted children program. She said she’d only have another baby if he took a few years off.”

“Oh,” Y/N wasn’t surprised. If Spencer wasn’t in the BAU he probably wouldn’t get it either. “He’s young, he can come back at any time, as you did.”

“Which is what I said to him. He just doesn’t know how he’d fill all the time yet, he doesn’t have an interest in fishing or cigars like moi,” Rossi explained. Standing up and straightening out his suit, “not to mention the writing chops to keep your brain fresh.”

“Come on grandpa, it’s time to board the plane you can brag later,” Derek patted him on the back. “Some of us like to stay active and have fun on our time off.”

“I’ll have you know I’m very fun,” Rossi argues as they leave the room. They were like a bunch of teenagers sometimes.

“Well, I’ll see you in a few days, just be in Vegas by Sunday at 2 pm,” Y/N frowned at Spencer. “Call me when you’re free?”

Spencer leaned in and kissed her softly. Rubbing his hand over her belly as he did so, saying goodbye to the little dude in there. “Be good, take care of each other.”

She smiled, wishing he didn’t have to go again. “We always do, come home to me safely boy wonder.”

In Penelope’s office, Mindy had basically moved in. It was big enough for the two of them and they worked together anyway. Sharing all the computer space, rolling around each other like crazy people as they switched jobs. That meant that Mindy’s office became Y/N’s office when she stayed back on a case.

Y/N would be 33 weeks pregnant as of Thursday, and officially Mrs. Dr. Reid by Sunday.

If everything went according to plan. This case seemed simple enough to get them home in time. If not, the flight from LA to Vegas wasn’t even that long. Y/N and Will had a plan if this was to happen, JJ and Spencer would head right to Vegas while Will and Henry flew in with Y/N. All she really needed was her wedding dress and hospital go-bag, and Spencer.

She wasn’t going to go into labour any time soon, Matty was still way too high and she was barely even having Braxton hicks contractions yet. If her body wasn’t practicing, surely it wouldn’t just start. She was a planner, she planned everything and this pregnancy didn’t seem to listen. All she wanted was for him to be born on or after June 10th, healthy and happy, that’s her only wish.

She hated cases like these, ones that made her sit behind a desk and just look at everything till it made sense. But it never did, not in her brain. Thinking like an unsub was the only time it made sense, but she never understood it. Kidnapping a dog just to kill a family was never going to be something one could just understand.

The only idea she had was to get someone inside the newest victims’ house and just wait for the unsub to return the dog. It would be the easiest way to bring him in for questioning. So she called Hotch.

“Hotchner,” he answered shortly.

“Hey, I was just wondering if you had a plan yet? If not, I’ve been thinking.”

“We’re trying to find a way to get eyes and ears inside the vics home,” Hotch explained, it sounded like he was driving and yelling over the speaker.

“I was thinking you could send in Reid or Morgan posing as a tutor or coach of some kind, then you can hide the equipment in the bag they bring in, it would be the least suspicious,” she ran her thoughts through to him.

“That would work, I’ll have the team see what we can do from our end,” Hotch ended the call abruptly. Still in the bad mood from when he left.

She couldn’t blame him, it’s a hard spot raising kids and having this job. Y/N and Spencer were still trying to figure out how they were going to pull it off. She couldn’t imagine what it was like for Haley, always being alone with Jack and half the time her life was in danger. The risk that came with the job almost didn’t feel worth it, especially when it meant losing your family on top of everything else.

They sent Derek in, with Penelope in his ear, as he set up the cameras and microphones. Setting up 24/7 patrol across the street in a model home. Meaning that Y/N’s job was basically over and all she had to do was kick her feet up and eat snacks until she could go home.

—

Spencer crawled into bed 2 days later around 4 in the morning, cuddling into her without even taking off his work clothes. She barely slept when Spencer wasn’t home, she opened her eyes when she noticed he was there, as if she hadn’t even slept yet.

He smelled like hotel soap and stale airplane air. “Hi,” he whispered as he tried to cuddle in close to her, being held back by her belly.

“Home just in time to have to fly out again,” she smiled at him softly.

“I know,” he sighed. “I doubt the bureau would like us if we used the jet to travel to a wedding. It’s bad enough we have one and no other unit does.”

“Are you excited or nervous?”

“Both.”

“Mmm,” she hummed along. “I’m nervous.”

“Why?”

“I still haven’t written my vows and,” she stopped herself, frowning a little as Spencer laid a hand on her face.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s all happening so fast. I feel like I haven’t had a chance to enjoy any of it and I’m worried if this is how fast the lead-up is, then how fast will the night be over?”

“Oh bunny,” he cooed. “I’ll make sure we get a moment alone, how about we sneak off during the party and go to the swing and just spend time together? Really make the most of our day.”

“Okay,” she smiled again. “A part of me wishes it was just us.”

“How about this,” Spencer said as he sat up, turning on the bedside lamp before getting out of bed. He looked through his underwear drawer and pulled out the box the rings were in. “Marry me, right now?”

“What?” She laughed.

“Just me and you, marry me?”

“It won’t count this way?” She rebutted, sitting up as well as she squinted in the light. Trying to wake up more.

“you’re not religious and you hate the government even though you work for them,” he reminded her. “Having a sheet of paper and dedicating my life to you are two completely different things.”

“I told you I don’t have my vows ready!”

Spencer sat on the bed, sitting directly across from her as he placed the rings on the bed. Taking both her hands in his as he looked into her eyes. “Just make it up?”

“You’re insufferable,” she teased him.

“And you love me,” he teased right back.

“Fine, Spencer Reid, you big fuckin’ dork,” she couldn’t stop herself from laughing. “My whole life I’ve just wanted to love you. I don’t know how I managed to pull it off, but here I am."

She let out a long, shaky breath as she continued. "You complete me, I don’t feel right when you’re not around and I never want to lose you. Marrying you means more to me than just becoming your wife, I don’t care about the term or the tax benefits," she laughed as a tear fell down her cheek. he wiped it away quickly.

"I was perfectly content just being in your rotation. Being your partner for life is a blessing to me, I’m going to love you forever.” She picked up and ring and put it on his finger.

His eyes were glossy as he watched her shaking hand slip the ring over him. He loved her more than he even knew how to describe at the moment.

“Do you remember that one time you asked me to show you how a real man loves a woman?”

She laughed, looking down at her gigantic belly. “Kinda hard to forget when I’m carrying around this extra 30 pounds.”

“It reminded me of a quote I read on a swing one time,” he said softly, watching her eyes gleam as she knew where he was going.

“The unqualified truth is, that when I loved Y/N with the love of a man, I loved her simply because I found her irresistible. Once for all; I knew to my sorrow, often and often, if not always, that I loved her against reason, against promise, against peace, against hope, against happiness, against all discouragement that could be. Once for all; I love her nonetheless because I knew it, and it had no more influence in restraining me, than if I had devoutly believed her to be human perfection.”

“What’s that from?” Y/N couldn’t stop the tears from falling down her cheeks, she had never known what book he was reading. She always wondered what his thoughts were in that moment when their eyes locked in remembrance all those years ago.

“Great Expectations by Charles Dickens,” Spencer replied, starting to cry as well.

That’s when she remembered it, looking over at the book that had been sitting on his bedside table for months. It was the book he re-read the most, the book he was reading that first night in Wichita when she asked to crawl into his bed. The book he put down before they conceived Matthew. The whole time she was falling in love with him, the way she did as a child, he was reading the same book because it reminded him of her.

“I didn’t expect that book to hold such a place in my heart the first time I read it. I only brought it to the park with me that day because it was the closest book to me, and I was having a really hard day,” he stopped to wipe his tears softly. “Yet somehow, every single bad day in my life has been made better by you. You’re my greatest expectation, and the only one I’m trying the hardest to live up to.”

“I love you,” she replied to him softly. Holding his face in her hands now as she stared into his eyes, “you’re always going to be everything I’ve ever wanted and all I’ll ever need. You’ve met every expectation, and beyond.”

“I love you,” he smiled. He took her left hand off his cheek, sliding the silver band over her ring finger, pressing it snugly against her engagement ring. “forever.”

“And then some,” Y/N added before kissing him softly.

She smiled against his lips, sitting back and looking at him with complete wonder. “Dr. Y/L/N,” she teased him, pretending to tip her imaginary hat.

“Agent Reid,” he copied her causing them both to laugh again.

“So when is our real anniversary then?” Y/N asked softly, trying to remember what day of the month it was.

“It’s April 20th.”

“Our anniversary cannot be 4/20!” She panicked. “Oh. My god!”

Spencer laughed from down deep in his gut, laying down against the sheets as she smacked his arm lightly. “I’m serious, but that’s so funny though,” she laughed too.

She laid back against the sheets then, Spencer cuddled into her side. His face in the crook of her neck while laying a leg over hers. She held him as close as she could, Matthew really starting to get in the way of everything she did now.

She let out a deep breath as she settled with Spencer against her. “I love you so much, my husband.”

“I love you more, my wife,” he replied. The words sounding like heaven on his lips.

chapter 26

She let out a deep breath when the dress actually zipped up. She was so worried that in the last 2 weeks her body had completely changed. JJ finished with her zipper, fluffing her dress and making sure everything was in place.

Her mom was wiping her tears for the 4th time in the last hour, Y/N couldn’t stop laughing every time she heard her sniffle. It didn’t feel as life-changing as her mother made it seem, Spencer and Y/N were already married in her opinion, this was just a nice formality for their parents.

She could hear all the people talking in her parent’s yard, a few kids yelling as they ran around each other. People were already drinking, there was food and snacks all around. It was just a big party where they were going to tell everyone exactly how much they loved each other.

As much as she was ready mentally, her body was shot. The butterflies in her stomach wouldn’t leave, the baby was kicking from the anxiety in her body no matter how hard she tried to calm down. It was nerve-wracking to be so open in front of so many people.

It was even worse with the fact she hadn’t seen Spencer since yesterday. As much as he claimed he wasn’t superstitious, he really didn’t want to see her before the wedding. Claiming his mother was the worried one, Y/N let it slide no matter how much she hated sleeping in her childhood bed all by herself with a mini-gymnast in her stomach.

“Are you ready?” JJ asked her softly.

She nodded, looking in the mirror at herself one last time. “Can I have a minute?”

“Sure,” JJ smiled, taking Debbie with her as they walked out of her room.

She stood in the window, opening the blinds and looking out towards the swings once again. Spencer was sitting there, swinging while staring at her window.

She smiled, feeling the butterflies leave her system in a beautiful flurry as their eyes locked. She was ready, she had always been ready to marry him.

She walked out of the room and down the stairs, holding the railing carefully. She was just wearing a pair of crocs under her dress, not trusting her big clumsy ass with heels.

She waited in the foyer as Emily walked across the street to gather everyone. She was officiating for them, Spencer wanted her to be the one to marry them, she was the closest thing to a sister he had.

Every single important person in their lives was in the crowd. Even Spencers father was there, in the back, quiet. Diana was happy to see him, Spencer felt indifferent. Gideon came too, which made it a little easier.

They all walked across the street then, gathering at the end of the makeshift aisle they laid out in the park. Penelope played a simple wedding march, starting the ceremony officially.

Everyone stood, turning towards them. Chloe went down first, dropping flower petals in big clumps here and there before running towards her mom. Then it was Y/N’s turn, opting out of the whole bridesmaid’s thing for the sake of not having to pick and choose between her co-workers and sisters-in-law.

Her dad extended an arm for her, she took it as she softly smiled at him. He looked like he was trying not to cry, “ready?”

“Let’s go,” she whispered.

Seeing Spencer at the end of the aisle was like a dream. She began to walk towards him, every step closer made her heartbeat louder and louder in her chest. Before she knew it she was standing in front of him, her dad giving her a soft kiss on the cheek before handing her over to Spencer.

The idea of giving her away was weird. He wasn’t giving her to him, he was simply helping her reach him. And he always had been.

Spencer’s hand was soft in hers and they stepped towards Emily together.

The music stopped then, causing them to turn to each other and smile. It was time.

It felt more like time stopped, however, getting a sort of tunnel vision for each other as the rest of the world faded away.

“Welcome everyone, you can take a seat,” Emily cut into the moment. “A few weeks ago Spencer asked me if I’d marry him off to his best friend, I of course said yes because who can say no to that face?”

Everyone laughed as Spencer blushed. “Spencer is the smartest man to work in the FBI, we’re not afraid to admit that. From the day I met him, he was nothing but informative and kind, as well as shy and personal. It took a while to learn anything about him, but once you get to know him he’s like an open book. And it’s a good story.”

“Like most good fairy tales, it’s a story told in two parts. Starting with a meet-cute of cosmic proportions, a plotline that would make any other ’right for each other at the wrong time,’ story run for the hills,” Emily exaggerated.

“And finally, a reunion,” her voice was soft then. “I’ll never forget the day Spencer held the door open for Y/N, she walked in with a smile on her face that was almost as big as Spencers. He introduced us to a childhood friend that day, not realizing she would become part of our family.”

Y/N felt herself getting a little choked up, seeing Penelope and JJ wiping their tears just off to the side.

“It’s a story best told in the first person,” Emily laughed at her own joke. “So, without further ado, ladies first,” she instructed, stepping away from the altar to keep the focus on them.

“Well?” Y/N shook her head at him, motioning with her hand for him to start speaking. Making everyone laugh once again. Spencer’s smile was adorable as he giggled.

“Would you say— hypothetically, of course, that soulmates are real, Doctor Reid?” She questioned him softly.

He nodded, “I would.”

“Good,” she smiled. “Because I think you’re mine. And I think I’ve known that for a very long time. There was something about you, that first day I saw you. You weren’t shoving dirt up your nose or pulling on my hair. You were reading a book, I believe it was Matilda, you were all by yourself and you looked sad.”

“Me, being me,” she laughed to herself, “I marched over to you and I asked if you wanted to play in the sandbox with me. One small gesture changed the entire course of my life, you became a friend and then a stranger again in the blink of an eye. I know what it’s like to know of you and not be in your presence and it’s the worst.”

She didn’t want to cry, but she knew she was about to. “I know you’re my soulmate because my soul physically aches when you’re not around. Like magnets, I’m pulled towards you and I’m willing to crush anything that gets in the way. You and I were once the same cosmic rock just floating through space, separated for millions of years until the time was right.”

“I found you right when I needed you,” she wiped a tear off her cheek quickly. “When we needed each other. And I’m never going to let you go.”

She turned towards Emily, grabbing a ring from her. “With this ring, you’re tied to me for eternity now, the way things always should have been.”

“I love you,” Spencer whispered, wiping his own tears before holding her hands again.

“Your turn, pretty boy,” she teased him one last time, laughing to try and stop the tears.

“Most of you know the story,” Spencer began his speech. Staring into Y/N’s eyes, trying to forget there was an audience.

“We met in kindergarten, she was wearing a sundress with green and pink flowers, much like today. You had bangs back then and a cute pink bow in your hair. And you were as stubborn then as you are now,” he smiled. “Mrs. Richardson had told me twice that we weren’t allowed to put water in the sandbox, no matter how important it was to the construction of my model pyramids. That’s why I was reading my book. You went to your backpack, grabbed a water bottle, and poured it right into the sand without thinking twice about the consequences.

“I didn’t really see you again until I was 13, I sat on that swing with my copy of Great Expectations by Charles Dickens while you sat in your window way up there.” He pointed at her house, past the swing set. “I’ll never know what you were reading or what you were thinking, but I have the exact moment I saw you ingrained in my memory,” Spencer’s words were soft as his thumbs ran over her hands.

“Out of my thoughts! You are part of my existence, part of myself. You have been in every line I have ever read, since I first came here, the rough common boy whose poor heart you wounded even then. You have been in every prospect I have ever seen since – on the river, on the sails of the ships, on the marshes, in the clouds, in the light, in the darkness, in the wind, in the woods, in the sea, in the streets.” Spencer recited from memory.

“You have been the embodiment of every graceful fancy that my mind has ever become acquainted with. The stones of which the strongest London buildings are made, are not more real, or more impossible to displace with your hands, than your presence and influence have been to me, there and everywhere, and will be. Y/N, to the last hour of my life, you cannot choose but remain part of my character, part of the little good in me, part of the evil. But, in this separation I associate you only with the good, and I will faithfully hold you to that always, for you must have done me far more good than harm, let me feel now what sharp distress I may. O God bless you,” Spencer’s voice trailed off to a whisper as he reached the end.

“I read that quote moments before seeing you again, and part of me knew the universe had greater plans for us. And I knew, Love her, love her, love her! If she favours you, love her. If she wounds you, love her. If she tears your heart to pieces – and as it gets older and stronger, it will tear deeper – love her, love her, love her!”

“With this ring,” Spencer finally added. Lifting the last ring from Derek’s extended hand, placing it on Y/N’s ring finger where it belonged. “I vow to love you till my very last moments, and if heaven is real I’ll be waiting for your loving embrace.”

She wiped her tears quickly, looking up as she tried to stop her mascara from smudging. “You’re a dick sometimes,” she started to laugh before hearing the crowd do the same.

“You love me,” he teased her.

“I do,” she smiled, pulling him in and kissing him hard on the lips. Getting lost in his embrace as the world around them stopped.

—

Having every single person that she loved mingle around her parent’s backyard felt a little surreal. Her father and Rossi were smoking cigars together on the desk, Levi and Will were discussing training stories while Chloe and Henry chased each other around the yard.

Emily and Noelle were slowly dancing in their own little world to the music that played, not too far from Haley and Arron who had the same idea. Jack was talking to Derek, sharing stories about their favourite superhero.

Diana and Debbie were going around making sure everyone had a drink or a snack, discussing their children and showing off to everyone that was there. It was a lot to take in, but she wouldn’t change it for the world. This was the most perfect little wedding she could have ever asked for.

Spencer never left her side, holding her hand where ever she went for the majority of the night. Knowing she hated being the centre of anyone else attention, calming her down from all the eyes that were on her.

“Do you want to go to the swing?” He whispered in her ear when they were finally alone.

“Please,” she looked up at him with pleading eyes. Wanting to just be alone with him for a while.

She snuck out of the yard and across the street, Y/N sat down on the swing for the first time in years, her big belly thanking her for the relief. Spencer pushed her lightly on the swing, helping her swing in the late-night spring breeze in rural Nevada.

The light in her bedroom was still on, illuminating the empty room she called hers for the majority of her life. Still unable to process the fact that she did it, she married Spencer. She made a life in his orbit, she was happy and loved and making a family with the man of her dreams.

This was the best revenge she could have ever gotten on any childhood bully or predator in her life. Pure happiness, that no one could take from her. Knowing she did this on her own, meeting Spencer out of the blue and building a life of joy and peace was so unbelievably wonderful.

“Tell me what you’re thinking about,” Spencer asked softly as he continued to push her on the swing.

“I’m just amazed that I did it,” she said softly.

“Did what?”

“all this,” she waved her arm out in front of her. “I grew up, I made friends and a family and found the love of my life even after believing for so long that I never would.”

“the universe had better plans for you than you thought,” She could hear the smile on Spencer’s face as he spoke. “You’re so deserving of the world and then some, you’re worth the universe to me. Brighter than any star in the sky, more powerful than the big-bang.”

She dragged her feet along the sand, stopping the swing abruptly before turning around to see Spencer. His eyes glistened in the moonlight or the streetlight. Either way, his brown eyes were glowing as she looked up at him softly.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“For what?”

She wrapped her arms around him as best as she could, pressing her cheek against his chest softly. “For showing me that love is real.”

“Being able to love you has been the best part of my life.”

She pulled him into another kiss, holding his face softly as she peppered kisses to his lips over and over. “You get me forever.”

“And then some.”

“Hypothetically,” she teased him lightly. “Anything is possible when the two of us get together.”

“I love you,” was all he could say before kissing her again.

They could hear the music travelling across the street for the yard, she wrapped her arms around him and swayed to the beat. Taking a moment completely alone with him to just appreciate him. To hold him close, hear his heartbeat through his suit jacket and just take it all in.

The rest of her life started at that moment, the birth of a new future. One with endless possibilities, endless happiness, and the most love in the whole world.

Soulmates, 500 years in the making.

Placing 500 more years of possibilities in the hands of Fate, who cradled them in her loving embrace. Making a future for them unlike any she’s made before.

Epilogue

2020

The birds chirping used to make her wake up with a smile, now it made her panic a little. She was so overly used to being woken up to a baby crying, a kid with a tummy ache, or the sound of fighting coming from the cribs in the twin’s room.

When it was quiet she worried, opening her eyes and looking around to see all 4 of her children cuddled up around her and Spencer. Completely asleep, and absolutely adorable.

Matthews’s face was beside hers on the pillow. His long hair falling over his face, just like his fathers used to all those years ago. She kissed her baby on the forehead, unable to fully understand that he was 10 now.

The twins were in the middle, Harper and Derek were attached at the hip all day long. Sleeping basically on top of each other, it was the only way they were peaceful. Since being squished together in the womb, they’ve become best friends and each other’s comfort person over the last 6 years.

Alice on the other hand was a daddy’s girl. Probably because she got the most time with him, 2 and a half years’ worth of all Spencer’s love and affection.

Spencer had quit the BAU when they got pregnant with their last baby, deciding he wanted to be with his kids full time. He wanted to be more present, to make more memories and just be a good dad.

Every morning Alice would find her way into the bed, she’d do whatever it took to get between Y/N and Spencer, cuddling into her father’s arms and going back to sleep. Almost every time, she would push her mom’s arms away, waking Y/N up in the process just to smirk at her as if to say; “haha my turn.”

She loved her little family. And they loved her too, she had been out of town for a week on a really bad case that required all hands on deck. They called her every day, begging her to come home soon, breaking her heart. So it wasn’t a surprise to see all of them snuggled in, taking in all the time with her that they could.

Matthews’s eyes fluttered as he woke up, his big beautiful brown eyes looking at her softly. “Mom,” he said softly with a smile before wrapping his arms around her neck and snuggling into her. “I missed you.”

“I missed you, Mr. Magoo,” she whispered into his hair, holding him close. He still smelled like her little baby, only bigger as he rested against her.

“Are we still going to Uncle Dave’s tonight?” He asked as he settled against her, wanting her to run her fingers through his hair. It calmed him as it did for Spencer, soothing his mind as it ran a million miles a minute.

“I think so,” she replied, picking him up softly and laying on her back more. “I think all your cousins are going to be there too.”

“Even Jack?” He asked, sitting up with wonder in his eyes. Jack was 15 now, and just the coolest dude in Matthews’s life. Much like how Spencer looked up to Hotch in the beginning.

“Even Jack!” She whispered with enthusiasm, trying to keep the others asleep but it was too late.

“Mommy!” Harper cried, pushing Derek away from her as she leaped into her mother’s arms.

“Hi sweetheart,” she couldn’t stop herself from laughing as she got smothered in hugs from the twins.

Spencer looked over at her then. Alice was snuggled into his neck, one hand on his shoulder, the other in his hair. She had always played with his hair every chance she could get. Especially whenever he held her or gave her a ride on his shoulders as they walked through the park.

“Hi,” Spencer smiled.

There he was, the love of her life. His smile made her feel at home, the love between them only growing every morning when they laid eyes on each other.

“Are you going to say hi to mommy?” Spencer asked Alice, rubbing her back softly.

She raised her hand to wave softly before dropping it back onto Spencer’s head with a smack, “ow?” He laughed lightly, making her bounce on his chest and laugh in response.

She was always quiet in the morning, leaving all the talking to her siblings. She was the calmest of them all, she was also the easiest of the 4 of them. She didn’t cry unless she was desperate for food or attention, she slept through the nights and was just all around not fussy at all. A literal blessing to their lives.

The twins were a lot, they knew they would be. She doesn’t miss the days and nights of them taking turns screaming. And she definitely doesn’t miss the ache of her body as two babies sucked her dry for almost 6 months. Breastfeeding kicked her ass the most, eventually making her lose too much weight and faint from low blood pressure, it sucked.

The outcome was beyond worth it. Derek and Harper were the craziest, funniest, loudest 6-year-olds in the whole world. If they weren’t writing a show, pretending to direct a spooky movie or pulling pranks on their father, they were planning to.

They had a specific dynamic, Harper was the planner and Derek was the do-er. Harper would come up with the sneakiest, worst ideas a child could have and somehow always managed to convince Derek to do it for her. A modern-day Jekyll and Hyde terrorized her home.

But Matthew, He was the sweetest. Being a single child till the age of 4 meant he was around Spencer and Y/N all the time, just the three of them. He’s shy but outgoing, he speaks his mind and he isn’t afraid to share his thoughts and feelings. He’s the best part of both of them but with all the confidence to follow his dreams. He was handsome and smart, he was sweet and kind, he was her baby. Forever and always, no matter how big he got.

He’s smart like Spencer, but not jumping through elementary school as fast. They agreed to let him decide when he turned 14. He deserved the chance to grow up with his own age group, to make friends and memories that were good and happy, to build the confidence to stand up for himself and others before he finished school. He didn’t mind it, he enjoyed helping other students when he finished his work early and asking for extra credit assignments.

And he liked being in class with Roz LaMontagne. They were smitten with each other from day one, always holding hands and playing nicely. JJ and Y/N always felt bad peeling them apart from each other at the end of a playdate, they were best friends.

It was like Roz had 2 older brothers with Henry and Matt, the 3 of them being so close in age they were often mistaken for triplets, with JJ and Y/N being their lesbian moms. It was a ruse that came in handy when they saw men checking them out, or when they wanted a family discount at the zoo.

Her life felt perfect, it was far from it in reality but she was happy with that. She worked long hours, her kids missed her every day, she didn’t see Spencer as often as she’d like and she was always tired. But that was what it took, she would work herself to the bone in an instant if it meant that she could come home and be snuggled like this every time.

“How was your week?” She asked Harper, brushing her strawberry blond hair behind her ear as she cuddled into her other side. Now having 3 children laying on top of her.

“Dad took us to the air and space museum,” Derek answered for her.

“No way!” Y/N enthused. “You need to tell me everything you learned!”

“The Museum is the largest of the Smithsonian's 19 museums and its Center for Earth and Planetary studies is one of the Institution's nine research centres. More than eight million people a year visit the Museum's two locations, making it one of the most visited museums in the country,” Matthew explained, remembering the sign at the entrance from memory.

“Wow, what was everyone’s favourite part? Maybe we can go again soon and you can all show me?” She suggested, riling them all up till they were bouncing on the mattress and screaming suggestions back and forth.

“Okay, okay,” Y/N settled them down. Watching them all sit-down and smile as they tried to stop laugh and listen. “Why don’t we go get breakfast and spend the morning together before we get ready to go to Aunt Penny’s party tonight okay?”

“I thought it was Uncle Dave's party?” Derek asked.

“It’s at his house but you know how aunt penny plans,” Y/N smiled at him. “How about you all go get dressed and pick something nice to wear while I talk to your dad for a bit?”

“Anything I want to wear?” Harper questioned her, very serious.

Y/N laughed, shaking her head, “something nice, but yes your choice.”

“Yes!” Harper screamed, hopping off the bed making the whole room shake as she ran down the hall. The sound of her bare feet slapping the hardwood carrying through the hallway in an echo.

“Matty, I’ll dress Alice, can you just watch her for a minute?” Spencer asked as he placed Alice in the middle of the bed.

“Sure,” Matthew smiled. “Come on Ali, I’ll read you a book?”

She put her arms out for her brother to carry her, and soon enough it was just Spencer and Y/N all alone again. Spencer and her both falling back against the pillows and sighing in the quiet.

Spencer pulled her into a hug, wrapping himself around her as he kissed her cheek, “I missed you so much, I hate when you’re gone.”

“That’s why I wanted to talk to you,” she said softly. “I got a job offer last night, and I think I’m going to take it.”

“What is it?”

“VICAP and the BAU are merging, even more, I’ve been asked to be the Chief of VICAP to personally overview the program and pass the information along to Prentiss,” She explained. “It would be a 9-5 thing, 5 days a week. I’d be home for dinner and all weekend long. We could have another baby or go on vacation? You know the possibilities are endless.”

Spencer kissed her again, “you’d be able to help people and be home all the time.”

“Exactly,” she smiled into his embrace. “I told them I’d let them know later today, they want me to start next month.”

“Follow your gut,” Spencer whispered, happy at the decision she was making either way.

“My gut is currently saying ‘feeeeed meeee’, so let’s get going!” She cheered as she tried to escape from his embrace.

He just held on tighter, tickling her stomach and kissing her neck, “help!” She cried, joking obviously and the kids knew that. Sure enough, 4 pairs of feet came running back into their room, dog piling them.

“I said help! Not suffocate me?!” She teased them as Spencer let her go, each taking a child and tickling them instead. Everyone was screaming again, giggling from deep in their stomach, feeling sick from how happy they were.

She loved every moment of it.

—

After 10 years, the BAU had gone through a lot of changes. Everyone seemed to come and go at least once, some leaving for good when their families started. But there were a lot of new faces now, once someone was on the team they were family.

It was a rare occasion for everyone to get together, especially now that almost everyone had kids. Spencer and Y/N went from being the 2nd set of parents to aunty and uncle to 8 kids in 10 years.

That meant that there were currently 12 screaming kids terrorizing Rossi’s beautiful backyard as the adults sat around the fire. “Please tell me no one here has a baby announcement to make, I don’t think I can handle a thirteenth,” Rossi complained, grey hair making him look more like papa Rossi than uncle Dave now.

“No,” everyone said in unison, laughing at the abundantly clear meaning. They were all too tired to do it all again.

“Like Spencer’s mom said, why have another when you can stop at perfection?” Emily joked as she leaned into Noelle’s embrace. “PJ is the best little guy in the world.”

“Spencer makes some great kids,” Y/N laughed. Remembering that time Emily nervously asked them if Spencer would be the donor for her child. Wanting her kid to be born with the best DNA she could think of.

“That he does,” Noelle smiled, looking into the yard to see PJ, Michael and Hank roughhousing like they always were.

They all had kids fairly close together, always making sure each new member of the BAU's gifted children program had friends who were more like family in their lives. Their small chosen family expanded not only in size but with the amount of love they shared for each other.

Henry was 12 now, Jack 15. They had always gotten along well together, being a little more on the nerdy side. They welcomed Matthew into their little group with open arms, as well as Roz.

Hotch ended up becoming Section Chief, taking a desk job so that he could spend more time with his family. They welcomed Jessie 6 years ago, right around the time Y/N had the twins. She was a spitting image of Haley with all the stern seriousness of Hotch. Seeing her and Harper try and work together was always funny. Harper and Derek were always trying to start shit somewhere, while Jessie ran to Y/N to tattle on them. It was the funniest dynamic out of all the age groups, and it was only going to get worse as they grew up.

“I don’t know,” Y/N sighed, looking at her kids as they all smiled and laughed. The joy they brought her was unimaginable, “I think 5 would be interesting.”

“You’re a psycho, and I should know, I’m an expert,” JJ just shook her head, blinking at the craziness. “I can barely handle 3.”

“Alice was so easy though,” she whined. “All of them were good, I miss having a baby who wanted to cuddle with me. It’s not fair Spencer gets all the attention now.”

“You could always quit, they’d love that,” he teased her softly, not wanting to wake Alice as she slept on him, tired from playing with everyone during the afternoon.

“My new position is going to be better for us,” she smirked.

“What position?” Penelope yelled at her.

“I’m going to be the VICAP unit chief,” she smiled, watching them all light up as they congratulated her. Starling the sleeping Alice on Spencer’s chest.

“I think I’ve done enough fieldwork, I’d like to cook more dinners and read more bedtime stories now,” she smiled. “I never thought I’d say that.”

“I don’t think any of us did,” Haley added. “I never expected Aaron to slow down, but when he did I think it was the best thing he chose to do. Jack and Jessie love having him around all the time.”

“To 10 plus years on the job, 10 years of friendship and the 12 new lives we brought into this world,” Y/N said as she lifted her can of ginger-ale, everyone following with their own drinks.

“To family,” Prentiss added.

“To family,” they all repeated.

Taking a sip before smiling at each other, everything ended up okay. It was more than they ever expected, and everything they hoped for.

—

The kids all fell asleep on the ride home. Spencer and Y/N each taking one of the twins upstairs first, placing them in their beds softly before returning to the garage for the others. Finding Matthew trying to carefully bring Alice inside to help his parents.

“Hey Matty it’s okay,” Spencer whispered, placing a hand on his back. “you go inside with your mom and I’ll take care of this.”

“Okay,” he replied, extremely tired as his eyelids drooped.

Y/N wrapped her arm around his shoulders, he was almost as tall as her already and she wasn’t ready for that. “Come on my baby,” she whispered as she led him into the house and up the stairs.

She helped him change into a pair of pyjamas before helping him into his bed, covering him in his adorable planet-covered sheets. She tucked him in nice a snug before sitting on the edge, looking down at him as he closed his eyes and settled in.

She brushed his brown curls off his face, making way for the kiss she was about to leave on his forehead. “Goodnight my Matty Magoo, I love you to the moon and back.”

“I love you to the edge of the milky way,” he replied with a small smile. “I’m excited for you to be home more. Dad worries about you and it makes him sad, I like seeing you both happy together.” He rambled all his thoughts out at night just like Spencer did.

She kissed his head softly, holding his cheeks in her hand as she looked into his beautiful brown eyes. “You are so sweet, have a good sleep and I will see you tomorrow. I love you.” She told him again, and she’d tell him a million more times if she could.

“I love you, too, mom,” he smiled one last time before closing his eyes.

She shut off his lamp, closing his door on the way out.

She stood in the hallway then, a hand on her heart as she thought about just how much she loved him. JJ wasn’t kidding when she said you grow a love so big you’d kill for them.

Back in the twin’s room, she made sure they were comfortable for the night, taking Harper out of the crazy dress and pants she picked out for the day. Tucking both of them into their little beds, kissing their heads before turning on their nightlight. They didn’t like the dark, and they liked to keep their door open a little so buddy could sneak in.

In her own room, she found Spencer in bed, shirtless with a book. He got sexier as he got older, it was impossible and yet it happened. Every year he looked different, in a wonderful way.

His hair was fluffy, his tummy was fuller— a dad bod as Penelope would call it. He wore glasses all the time now, having a hard time reading without them. It made him incredibly hot.

She changed into a cute pyjama set, satin shorts and a spaghetti strap top, wanting to get his attention away from whatever book he found this time.

She could feel his eyes on her as she changed, not wanting to look at him and make him stop.

He put his book down when she got in beside him, still on the right side after all these years. “What?” She asked him as he kept staring at her.

“Were you serious?”

“Yes I do think you’re sexy, I didn’t think you could read minds too?” She teased him.

“Funny,” he smiled at her. “Do you want another baby?”

She shrugged, “we could Russian roulette this and just see if it happens?”

“Seriously?” His voice dropped, softer than normal. “Because I would have 16 more kids with you if you wanted. They’re all so amazing, every time.”

“I know,” she felt her heart melt. “Matthew said you get sad when I’m not here, he worries for you.”

“All week, Harper wore her regular outfits because she likes making you laugh with her silly ones,” Spencer told her. They liked to share secrets about their kids at night. Basically profiling them.

“I love them,” her heart felt like it was going to burst.

“Come here,” Spencer requested, waiting for her to sit on his hips and look down into his eyes like she always did. She brushed the hair off his face, holding his cheeks in her hands.

His eyes are so much like Matthews, but it was Alice who looked the most like him. She had his nose, his chin, she was tall and skinny and just the most adorable copy of him. Every feature on him was in one of their kids, he saw the same thing in her.

“Are you sure?” She asked him softly.

“The only thing in the whole world that I know for certain is that I love you and this family. Even gravity is simply a hypothetical, but you and me… I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life,” his words soft and his expression softer.

She kissed him, pressing her lips against his for the first time in a while. It always felt like coming home, this was where she was meant to be.

When she pulled back all she wanted to do was look at him for a minute, to imagine what new little face the two of them could make together. All 4 of their children were so perfect, she couldn’t imagine a 5th possibility.

“Put a baby in me,” She whispered.

She didn’t have to tell him twice, he reached over to the night table to turn off the light before kissing her neck softly. His big, warm hands wrapped around her back, pulling her in closer to him.

He was so much different now from the first time they did this. Confident, stronger, older, but he was still her soft boy. He held her with care, kissed her like she was made out of glass. The contrast of his actions and the feeling of his rough hands on her body made her feel like she was on fire.

He pushed the straps of her shirt off her shoulders, dipping her back a little so he could kiss her cheek. He pushed her shirt down, freeing one of her breasts, holding it softly in his hands before kissing the newly exposed skin.

His tongue swiped across her nipple, making her gasp and grip his arm as she rutted into the feeling. He cradled her head in his hands, laying her back with her head now at the foot of the bed.

Still, between her legs, he pulled the satin shorts down slowly to see she never wore any underwear under them. He smirked, running his finger softly over her vagina, watching in awe as she spread her legs wider for him.

She could see how hard he was, his erection making a tent in his boxers as he teased her softly. “Still so perfect,” he praised her. “Look how tight you are, sucking my finger inside that tight heat.”

She tightened around him on purpose then, feeling his finger slip in even more. “Fuck,” he gasped. Moving down more to place a kiss on her clit.

Her breathing picked up then, even after 11 years of sex with this man, the thought of his tongue on her still made her shiver. He was just that good, always getting better every time he dove face-first into her.

Her back arched the second his tongue connected with her clit. Pushing herself into his tongue more and more as he explored her. Two fingers were inside of her now, Spencer’s mouth kissing and sucking and licking every single inch of her pussy as she quietly gasped into the darkness.

She wanted to scream for more, she always did, but she couldn’t anymore. There were 4 sets of ears just down the hall trying to have a peaceful night’s sleep, she had to remind herself of that every time.

“Fuck, Spencer,” she whispered, biting her lip so nothing else slipped out.

“What?” He whispered against her skin, kissing her groin and lower tummy.

“Please,” she begged softly, sitting up and climbing onto his lap once more. “Daddy?”

It had been years since she said that to him, not able to utter the words once he actually became a father. It lit a fire in him, pulling her in closer before he ripped the shirt off her body.

He held her against him, kissing her neck as he basically growled at the feeling. Becoming almost feral with the thought of fucking her. She was in love with the feeling, when he got rough with her it was the best.

She enjoyed every second of it, knowing she’d wake up in the morning with beard burn on her neck and between her thighs, not giving a single fuck. It was so worth it, the tickle of his facial hair on her skin beside his mouth, she craved it.

“I need you out of those boxers, sir,” she panted, holding his hair as he continued to kiss her neck.

He pulled off her, looking at her in the darkness with lust-filled eyes. “Lay back,” he instructed her.

She always listened, laying back against the pillows as he freed himself from the confines of his underwear. Crawling on top of her and hovering slightly as he looked down at her. He brushed her hair off her face, kissing her lips lightly before smiling.

“Tell me again what you want?”

She smirked, “I want you to put a baby in me, fill me up. Let me make you a daddy again?”

The noise that left his throat was enough to make her clit twitch again, it was deep and guttural and beyond sexy. He became an animal on nights like this.

She spread her legs again, wrapping her knees around him as he pulled him in against her body. “Fuck me, Spencer.”

He lined himself up with her quickly, dragging the head of his cock through her folds a few times before he began to push in. Little by little, achingly slow. Teasing her, knowing just how badly she wanted him to pound into her.

“Yes,” she sighed as he bottomed out, dropping her head back against the pillow softly.

Her hands roamed his back, waiting for him to start to move again. Digging her nails in when he finally did, pulling out slowly before pushing back in with effort.

“Ah,” she moaned softly, covering her own mouth as he started to move faster.

“Shhh,” he reminded her, kissing her neck again as he found his rhythm.

“Shut up and fuck me then,” she sounded desperate. “Please,” she added. Not wanting him to stop out of spite.

“Shut up and take it,” he ordered, placing his own hand over her mouth as he fucked her harder.

She couldn’t believe it, he was holding one hand over her mouth while his other reached for her clit, making her jolt forward at the contact. It was everything she wanted, it was rough and powerful and just the best reminder that she belonged to him.

Spencer was hers, she was his, they created this entire world together. She felt so overwhelmed, she wasn’t aware that she was crying at the pleasure till Spencer moved his hand off her mouth to wipe off a tear.

“Keep going,” she encouraged him. “Please, please.”

“Shhh,” he soothed her, “I’m going to make you feel so good bunny, you’re going to be so full, so beautiful carrying another one of our babies.”

That did it for her, she tilted her head back as she arched her back. Pulling Spencer’s fingers into her mouth so that she wouldn’t moan too loud as she came on his cock.

Spencer shuttered at the feeling, fucking into her with vigour as he tried to hold in his own moans. Sounding more like a whimper when he finally came, spilling into her with the force of a Mack truck.

He dropped against her body then, breathing deep into her neck. She wrapped her legs around him tightly, holding him inside of her so nothing slipped out. “Fuck.”

“I love you,” Spencer breathed against her skin.

She ran her fingers through his hair softly before kissing his forehead. “I love you more.”

They stayed like that for a while, only pulling apart finally to get cleaned up. Spencer turned back on the light, helping her to the bathroom quietly before stripping the sheets off the bed.

She returned to a freshly made bed and a dressed Spencer waiting for her. She put her shorts and a t-shirt back on, slipping into bed and cuddling into him once more. Having to look presentable for when the kids eventually came running into their room at 7 am.

She sighed into his embrace, smiling softly against his skin. “What was that Buddha quote you told me all those years ago?”

“When you meet your soulmate, remember that the act to bring you together was 500 years in the making. So always appreciate and be kind to each other,” Spencer replied softly.

“Goodnight, Spence,” she kissed his jaw softly as she snuggled in closer.

“Goodnight, bunny.”

the end

[mahkaria]

SY transmigrates early (and destroys SQH’s sanity in the process)

After a truly dreadful childhood with YQY which he swears he’ll strangle Airplane shooting toward the sky for (I can’t believe how long it took me to understand it was a sexual innuendo), SY arrives to Cang Qiong Mountain. He goes to Qing Jing, gets a fanclub which he absolutely doesn’t know about (what’s new?) and starts cultivating which is the coolest thing ever. So what if he set a few things on fire? He has to test all those cool spells. 

------------  Truth be told, it takes SQH an awful lot of time to notice the scum villain isn’t acting as he should. Can you blame him? Cucumber-bro is a hurricane locked in 5’1” tall body. He will smile at you at first and then murder you if he sees you annoy one of his shimei. 

It’s only when he hears him comment on (criticize) someone’s writing that he realizes: “Wait I actually know this guy.”. He talks to him about it and promptly gets punched in the face which...fair. 

Yet, despite anything, SY doesn’t try to avoid him after this. Quite the contrary in fact. They stick together to the point that even YQY comes to see him one day and asks what his intentions are toward his “precious little brother”. SQH : “Bro, you turned a nice guy into a yandere-big-brother-type.” 

SY *sipping his tea* : Accidents happen. (One day, when true An Ding Peak member wants to show their superiority over him which is a very nice way to say bullying, SY jumps into a fight to save him. SQH definitely doesn’t get a small crush on him because of this.)

Then the fated first meeting with Liu Qingge who at the moment looks more like a newly-born kitten than the fearsome War God arrives. Has he already told how terrifying Cucumber Bro is? Yes ? Well, he’d like to say it again. He knew already that this guy was fierce. Some authors liked to complain about how this “Expert reader” would make even the thickest faced person cry tears of agony. They couldn’t even ban him : he theoretically didn’t insult them nor say anything untrue ! 

All this to say that having gone through the scum villain’s upbringing didn’t soften him. Not. At. All. 

He beats any overly prideful person to the ground and looks like a model while  doing it. Each Young Master who thinks he can run away from his responsibilities ends up suffering. At the end, SY’s growing fanclub ends up gaining a new reluctant member. Now, SY can be seen followed by a Bai Zhan disciple who asks to fight him all day long. 

This isn’t good for SQH’s blood pressure. Like all passionate readers, SY loves experimenting with each aspect of the world he likes. A new cool spell ?  He has to learn it. A new creature with more teeth than should be possible? Let’s go see it. Stop screaming, bro, I’m sure it isn’t as dangerous as it seems. (They don’t talk about the first time he had manipulated a fan and destroyed a part of Qing Jing Peak. They don’t. Roofs are overrated anyway.) 

Liu (not yet) Qingge doesn’t help. To each of SY’s stupid ideas, he answers with an eager nod and by taking out his sword.  

SQH : aren’t you worried about the plot? Luo Binghe? Human-stick SQQ *who just discovered a new interesting beast or flower and wants to enjoy a healthy body* : We still have time. LQG *who doesn’t understand what SQH is saying* : Shixiong, there is Moon-shattering Lion there, let’s go fight it. 

It’s like wrestling with two hyperactives toddlers and SQH is so done with it. As if his king wasn’t enough, he has to deal with Shen “why should I care about my own life, let’s go see this giant monster over there” Yuan and Liu “I’m 13 but already have lost all my brain cells apart from those used to fight and watch Shixiong* Qingge. 

It’s exhausting. Unfortunately, he can’t seem to break away from them. The current peak lords seem to have the stupid misconception that SQH is a willing partner of those two’s insanity. It means that they all get paired in every.FREAKING. MISSION. 

By the time they are named head disciple, everyone knows of Cang Qiong’s earth shattering trio. It is a more literal name that SQH would like, Cucumber Bro really isn’t good at measuring out his strength. Liu Qingge doesn’t even try. 

The only person who understands is Mu Qingfan, the unlucky person who has to patch them up when they come back from their “adventures”. 

[hetalia-has-a-secretary]

Hola! May I pretty please with a cherry on top have some Germany, America, Russia, Japan, and England funding out one of their s/o’s main hobbies is building little airplane models by hand?

All the bonus points if the planes are specific to their country boyfriend’s history (for example, Japan’s s/o making tiny Yokosuka Ro-go Ko-gata)

(This used to be my favorite hobby in middle school lmao)

*Cracks fingers* I know nothing about airplane modeling! Time to do some extensive research!

Germany, America, Russia, Japan, and England learn about their S/O Airplane Modeling Hobby!

Germany:

He was trying to figure out why his S/O was in their room so long.

So he went to make sure they were okay, and knocked on the door.

When given the permission to enter he was pretty surprised at the sight that lay in front of him.

Tiny plane pieces to a WWII plane were scattered on their desk, paint lazily placed off to the side, and his S/O smiling with pride.

"Hey! Look what I found online! It's really cool looking! I saw the plane in a history book and went searching for a model... I hope that doesn't upset you..."

Granted the time period was a sensitive topic, but the plane was not. So yes. It was pretty cool.

He offered to help to hang the plane to the ceiling, along with a few other planes from around the world.

Now he knows what kind of gifts to get his S/O. And don't expect cheap paints or material either!

America:

I feel like america would be into, or had a phase where he built models of bikes or something. So this was up his alley.

Was also impressed with the collection that was on his S/O's shelf.

He loved the precision that was executed, and even offered advice on how to help keep the planes last longer!

He immediately needed to get you a set of the Blue Angels!

He helped them build the planes, and even helped position them just so on the wall so it looked like one of their many maneuvers were being made!

Very cool hobby, and it probably caused him to pick it back up again.

Russia:

He looked at you, then caught a glimpse of a Russian fighter jet.

"Oh! I love the little SU 35 jet! It is very good for the speed! Or at least was, Da?"

Careful with this one. He is fighting the urge to take the jet and make airplane noises.

He decided to sit and quietly watch his S/O instead. It made for some interesting bonding time as he gave ghem tiny history lessons about the planes of Russia!

Then he said something about rockets being space planes and it was kind of the cutest thing he's ever said.

Doesn't really buy them anything unless they say something about it. Then the thing they talked about mysteriously shows up within the next hour or so.

He swears he has no clue how that got there...

Japan:

He probably builds tiny mechas and figures so he has respect for the art of airplane modeling!

Will lend his S/O whatever tools they need because honestly? It's kind of a neat hobby.

Was immediately glued to the yokosuka ro-go ko-gata. Especially because it was made up of different models since it didn't really have any models itself.

Very impressed was Japan as he let you do your thing. Occasionally stopping back in to see how far they got, or if they needed help.

He wouldn't be against helping make any future models with them either! Maybe will buy a few cute anime based ones, or one of the Egg Planes he saw once!

England:

He was amazed to be honest.

He keeps forgetting that such small things can have such Great detail!

Why the plane his S/O was working on looks like a Boeing 380 Airbus- oh! It is!

Was very elated his love chose such a branded plane from his country. Even if it wasn't a cool fighter jet it's important to remember things like an Airbus are still important!

Also- IT'S SO SMALL!

He really can't get over how small it is, and then he saw the rest of the planes and was stunned at how well put the models are.

He has totally bought you planes at random. He just kind of finds them when he least expects it and thinks of his S/O.

Tried to help once, but it wasn't his kind of activity. He finished his plane though, but prefers his S/O to let him watch while he reads. Which to him is excellent bonding time!

[uwua3]

Hi! I love your writing! Can you do headcanons for childhood sweethearts with Misumi?

summary: misumi’s life was split into two acts—before and after his grandfather’s death

warnings: angst, family death, lying, memory loss, mentions of physical abuse, open–ended, running away, trespassing, unhealthy parental relationships

author’s note: this is somewhat childhood sweethearts but not the right time :) please enjoy this angst(?) and i hope to make you proud!

word count: 4,500

music: older brother’s theme (fall, then rise again) – shalfi

14.

🌻⚠️ ikaruga misumi

misumi couldn’t remember anything before he was 14 years old

it was as if his life was split into two acts: before his grandfather’s death versus now, after hakkaku tragically died

he knew his grandfather had to have a spare copy of his life’s script somewhere, perhaps hidden underneath his stacks of original works carefully stashed away in his office. was it folded into those paper airplanes he took the time to make? maybe, preserved within a dusty folder alphabetically organized within his filing cabinet

he just wanted to see one picture, of his grandfather’s smiling face towards the camera and hear all the fond stories about mankai and acting and what it meant to live your dream with your best friends. if he was lucky, maybe watch a clip of his favorite troupe acting while his grandfather wrote in the waiting lobby with scribbles on an old notepad

all misumi had to go was go back. was that too much to ask for?

but, he wasn’t allowed to come back, not anymore now that his parents were alive

misumi forgot who he was before hakkaku’s untimely death; he wasn’t anyone except his grandfather’s little boy and that was more than enough for him

now, he wasn’t anyone’s. just ikaruga misumi, the neglected son that didn’t exist to the public eye

misumi was 14 when he forgot what it was like to be happy

but, misumi was also 14 when he also stopped seeing you anymore

you were misumi’s childhood best friend who he met through his grandfather. you were the next door neighbor who didn’t judge him for his irregularities and soon enough, you two spent your years playing at hakkaku’s home after school

(“let’s get married, sumi!” you giggled, falling back onto the grass as the sun shined upon your happy faces. misumi didn’t think anything of it, taking your hand as he laid next to you and turned his head towards his best friend. “kay~ only if you make me onigiri!”)

(you paused to contemplate the deal before nodding, determined. “i’ll make you onigiri, let’s marry when we’re old then!” you were certain you could learn and misumi giddily cheered, kicking his legs with his sudden energy. “i’ll wait, then!”)

yet after his grandfather’s death, slowly but surely, misumi’s memory of you faded into nothing. days went by where misumi tried searching his brain after feeling like something was missing, but the process of grief took a toll on his mental state. he felt like there wasn’t any closure despite attending the funeral—what, or who, was missing?

after hakkaku passed, there was no one left to stop his parents from controlling every aspect of his life

from how he acted in public around other children to what he did every minute of the day outside of the house, any part of misumi’s rare freedom he treasured with his grandfather was taken away for the worse

this meant misumi wasn’t allowed to especially communicate with anyone outside of the pre–approved social circle (aka, no one)

it was a trap. all to gaslight misumi into believing his parents’ manipulative behavior came from how much they loved him

it wasn’t their fault, it couldn’t be. they wanted the best, even if it was at his own sacrifice. how could they, his parents, the people who were meant to love him, mean to do this?

they loved him, because if they didn’t, who else would?

misumi only knew one thing from his hazy past: hakkaku loved theatre. acting was his calling, it’s what made his grandfather smile the biggest even until his dying days

so misumi acted. he put on a smile everyday just like his hakkaku (he hoped his grandfather was looking down on him with that same smile)

misumi grew up to the family disgrace, no matter how hard he tried to fit in. he always stood out, wasn’t the same as the other perfect model students at the top of the class

other boys spoke when asked, had a polite tone constantly, rose their hand properly with the elegance of a crown prince. misumi could never sit still, was always called out for bouncing his leg or tapping his pen rapidly against the desk too much

everything misumi did was too loud; he drew attention to himself even if he desperately tried to look the part of a heir to a business legacy family

every time the rumors got a bit too much, he’d arrive home to both his parents sitting at the kitchen table and he knew what he had to do

they called it trainings, but it really felt like an excuse to punish him for not being like his younger brother, madoka

one day, it was a particularly hard session of training. misumi’s legs wobbled even as he ran as fast as he could, feeling the sting of his mother’s slap upon his cheek as tears threatened to fall. it was raining so loud, the droplets smacked against the ground and covered evidence of his leather shoes against the pavement

he was about 16 when he found himself at hakkaku’s house after all this time, at the entrance of the gate with his fists clenched and breath uneven as he skidded to a stop

misumi was about to scream at the top of his lungs, even if it meant risking being seen, before he noticed something in the midst of the haze

a drenched figure staring back at him with wide eyes

misumi paused, the ambush of the storm filling the space between you two as thunder sounded in the distance. you didn’t say a word, just at the bottom steps of the door past the gate

how did you make it in? did you jump it? misumi backed away to take in the full height of the gate and back at you, he nearly didn’t believe it until you sprinted full speed at the metal

“wait—!” misumi yelled over the rain, reaching his hand out to signal you to stop but you gripped the bars and propelled yourself with ease

he swore everything felt like it was in slow motion. the raindrops seemed to freeze midair when misumi’s eyes caught yours, even if it seemed like you were attempting to ignore his sharp gaze

that feeling of missing something came back again, but stronger than ever

time sped up quickly. you landed beside him with a thud even on the slippery mud. you didn’t spare him another glance, just moved to run. he didn’t stop you

misumi watched you leave after trespassing, standing in the rain as your shadow turned the corner

why didn’t he stop you? you were a stranger trespassing onto his dead grandfather’s property but why...

why did it feel like he knew you?

misumi stared after you, barely feeling the buzz of his phone in his back pocket as he pulled it out blankly, knowing it was his father

he picked up and didn’t even flinch at the sound of cursing anymore, just obediently said he’d come home without looking away

“i’m sorry father, it’s my fault, i know.”

misumi was 17 the next time he went to hakkaku’s home

there was no particular reason why. unlike last time where he arrived suddenly, it was like something was calling him this time. an instinct in his conscious was pulling him towards the abandoned house

this time, he was taller, a year older now, but still as outcasted as before. he skipped school just based on a gut feeling, his uniform not ironed like the other boys in his class

misumi sprinted faster, feeling the blood rush through his head as he barely managed to breathe from trying to release his energy. of course, he’d never be like the son his parents wanted so much

the long grass beneath his creased shoes indicated how long it had been since he had visited, the unmowed lawn extending into the road as misumi inhaled in the still atmostphere

the birds chirped in the background, the new day setting in as the calming blue sky passed by with distant clouds. the morning dew was still present and misumi knew his grandfather would’ve been reading the paper by now

misumi stopped by the gate again, closer this time as his fingers brushed the bars. he took in the way he used to pull the barricade open just to see his favorite man in the world, now it was locked and kept away from the public

a deep breath in and out. panting slightly, misumi closed his eyes and rested his forehead against the gate, embracing the cold chill of the metal upon his skin

misumi was about to turn away and hurry back to school to avoid a serious lecture again before he sensed something, or someone

a hesitant footstep in the grass confirmed his suspicions when he quickly whipped around and came face to face with a familiar figure

it was you! the person from last year!

misumi didn’t know how he knew because you looked different, too. you had on a school uniform as well, but a cheaper, less well–known one compared to his

(he didn’t recognize it, his parents didn’t let him interact with anyone outside of his private academy, anyways)

you were just as surprised, maybe even a bit scared this time, as you took a step back

misumi gripped the gate subconsciously, as he looked down at you. suddenly, he remembered who he was and what family he belonged (or wanted to belong) to. he automatically straightened his posture, standing tall like his parents taught him to

“who are you?” misumi asked, forcing his voice to come out colder than he intended. you winced at the question for some reason, turning your head to look at the wildflowers instead

you seemed to think before lifting your stare to the blue, clear horizon. your voice rang out and it felt like something misumi heard before

“a friend.”

silence. then, misumi sighed, his shoulders dropping and the tension bleeding out of his body when he realized you didn’t particularly care for the meticulous act he was meant to star in

you visibly relaxed when misumi let go of the gate, instead he slouched a bit as he put his hands in his pockets. you noticed how he rocked back and forth on the heels of his shoes despite the obvious price of them

putting his hand out for you to shake, he bit his tongue, automatically about to share his last name before refraining, knowing it wasn’t his to begin with

“my name’s misumi.”

you hesitated as well, but he didn’t know why. you appeared to already know his name as you carefully took his hand, seemingly debating something before sighing softly

you said a name that you’ve never gone by before, and before he could say anything, you smiled

“misumi... means triangle, right?”

misumi didn’t question a thing, just grinned genuinely for once and he looked much, much younger

there were some things left unsaid in this sudden and unusual friendship. misumi didn’t ask who you were to hakkaku, or why you were here in the first place, just accepted you had experience jumping over fences and trespassing

you didn’t ask misumi anything because you knew who he was. to the world, ikaruga misumi was a confusing teenager who didn’t belong to his prestigious family. to you, an acquaintance, misumi was the boy that was the reason you visited this home in the first place

it was something like a fever dream when you saw misumi again those years ago. you almost didn’t recognize his stylish trendy haircut you knew his parents forced him to have, the tight fitting uniform he must’ve hated for how constraining it was, or the polished dress shoes made of the finest imported leather

but you knew it was him when you noticed the loose tie with the triangle base prominent, the triangular–shaped handkerchief tucked into his breast pocket neatly with a creative pattern you knew he bought himself, the bright neon socks peeking out from underneath his classic straight leg pants

misumi grew up but he was still the little boy you played with at hakkaku’s residence, he just forgot about anything that made him happy before that

so when you ran away that day, you regretted it. you turned on your heel just to see an empty road where he used to stand, and the downpour was heavier by that hour. you were too late, you had missed him again

until when you were both 17. it was that day where you forged a new identity at the place that defined your childhood

you and misumi scheduled to meet at least every week, sometimes more if misumi’s family life was beginning to get to him (he didn’t have to say it, you already knew just based on his appearance alone)

you’d both hop the gate and rest together at the front porch regardless of weather, hiding from the rest of the world and forming a friendship again after years apart

to you, misumi wasn’t ikaruga heir to the family fortune and business with an eccentric flair and broken, fragmented past. he was the boy who really looked up to his grandfather, folded paper airplanes in a split second, and transformed himself into anything with a mold to please the people he loved

this meant he was willing to be anyone anybody needed at any time because he simply could, even at his own sacrifice

you were still 17 when misumi helped you over the gate even if you didn’t need it and decided to break in. it was sunny with the afternoon coming in, golden hour casting both your shadows across the landscape

“do you ever miss your grandfather?” you asked quietly, breaking the comfortable silence that always remained between you two. misumi helped you land on the ground, carefully releasing your hand and letting out a contemplative sound

he pushed his hands in his academy blazer pockets, almost pulling them out abruptly before remembering it was just you. despite the short time knowing you (or so he thought), he was oddly comforted by your presence and let himself slouch just slightly

“every day...” misumi started, his tone heavier than usual. you stopped walking beside him to listen and he followed suit, turning his body towards you but his gaze set on the warm silhouette of hakkaku’s home

“i hope gramps is watching me right now.” misumi mumbled, seemingly lost in thought before you ignored your own irregular heartbeat and smiled, tilting your head to catch his distant eyes

“do you want to go inside?” you carefully offered, unsure of his answer. misumi didn’t react, just continued staring at the moving shadow of the house before he nodded, as if unaware of his own subconscious decision

“i’m here for you, okay?” you said, holding your hand out for some reason. misumi took it without thinking and you fought back the surprised blush on your face, instead taking the lead and avoiding his considerate expression

“you feel... familiar?” misumi commented out of no where, and you laughed

“you too.”

misumi didn’t ask anything else, he knew his place. just helped you open the lock upon one of the windows he knew like the back of his hand (it was ingrained in his body, even if he didn’t exactly remember the fine details)

(when you came inside, you and misumi didn’t notice the framed picture hung by the entrance of you and misumi in hakkaku’s arms)

from that point on, you and misumi allowed yourselves to be surrounded by hakkaku’s creations as a way to cope with his inevitable death

at first, it was a silent way of mourning. you and misumi didn’t discuss your connections to hakkaku, the satisfaction of knowing you could share your pain was enough. but after gathering the courage to enter the home, you two became more open and honest with each other about how important misumi’s grandfather was

yet, you fabricated a web of lies in order to maintain your secrecy, pretending like all you did was live besides hakku or something else minor. misumi didn’t question it, he didn’t ask for much and was content with your company even if he rarely and silently questioned your truthfulness

during your time together, you’d take your time exploring each room over a span of months after overcoming the obstacle of invading a dead man’s privacy. it wasn’t much, just standing in the middle of rooms misumi barely remembered and running his fingers over the dusty surfaces

it was like he didn’t have it in him to find out who he was before his grandfather’s death anymore

you were both 18 when misumi decided to look through his grandfather’s office

“i’m ready!” misumi proudly exclaimed, his energy infectious and feet tapping against the hardwood floor. after a year, he had allowed himself to express his loud and odd personality without putting on an act of who his parents wanted him to be (living a double life was exhausting, but being himself with you was worth it)

(you understood, somewhat)

you smiled, giving him a big high five to return his energy but feeling your heart drop to your stomach. it was selfish, you know, but you almost didn’t want him to. if he found all those old scripts you and him wrote together, the awful calligraphy from your childhood years, the photo albums hakkaku liked having of his best kids—

you didn’t have the heart to tell him “no”. you trailed behind misumi as he took a moment to rest his hand upon the screen before pushing it aside, revealing the aged and undisturbed office that belonged to mankai’s first playwright

misumi took a step in and stopped, his breath hitching in his throat as his eyes darted from every corner of the room. you hesitated behind him, your shaking hand hovering over his shoulder before dropping it to your side. misumi spun around, a big grin on his face and you couldn’t help but smile, too

(even if reliving the memories he couldn’t remember hurt)

“i just know gramps must’ve worked here.” misumi mumbled in wonder, amazement even, as he let out a “wow” at the stacks of folders and cabinets with hundreds of bindings. you nodded, unable to find the voice to speak, treasuring the way his eyes shined just like before

“i wish we could’ve been here together with him.” misumi mentioned and you stifled a sound of regret in your throat. you wish you just told him who you really were, that you were his best friend of long ago, that you would always be his friend

but, you didn’t

you smiled, and nodded

“me too.”

from then on, you relived all those years acting out various scripts even though he was your only audience. growing up, you had the maturity to recognize how talented and powerful hakkaku’s writing was, and how every heroic role was created for misumi

(you particularly remembered a script hakkaku penned when he whispered to you that the bold, eccentric, one–of–a–kind protagonist was based on misumi. so when misumi found a copy, you told him the secret and you had never seen him happier)

piece by piece, misumi began unlocking parts of his childhood memory. blurred events became clearer with specific details of the rooms he explored—except one

a person? something, or someone, was constantly a blank figure at the back of his mind. every happy important memory he shared was with someone besides hakku, but he couldn’t remember who or why

sometimes, if you said a line a specific way, or struck a dramatic childish pose with a laugh, misumi’s eyes lit up in recognition. he’d take a second to look over you with a troubled furrow of his eyebrows, as if he was sure he knew you from somewhere

“are you sure we don’t know each other?”

“i’d never forget a boy like you, sumi!”

“you’re right! i’d never forget you, either!”

you were both trying your best to move on from the untimely death of your greatest mentor and parental figure. as long as you two had each other and hakkaku’s home, it would be okay

but, you and misumi were 18 when his parents found out about everything

it was the night after high school graduation. you and misumi laid on the mat floor of his grandfather’s work office, staring up at the open windows to the dark night sky. between you was an open bento box you packed for both of you, a favorite you were satisfied to discover hadn’t changed: onigiri

he was still wearing his satin robes and his cap was left abandoned by his side, the previously tight tie now barely looped around his neck and gel dried in his slicked back hair. with you, he let himself be the messier, less responsible version his parents reprimanded him for

(you seemed to like him regardless and he didn’t know it, but he liked you, too)

misumi bit into his onigiri, trying to compliment you with his mouth open as he giggled behind his hand. you never thought you’d be here again—sharing a homemade meal with a friend who came back into your life

you laid your arms behind your head, turning it to see misumi was already staring at you. you waited for him to continue rambling about his day, the rush of finally leaving his stifling academy, but misumi didn’t say anything

until, he smiled

“how did you know onigiri was my favorite?”

then, you felt a pang of guilt. it had been a few years of lying, even if everything else was true. somehow, that second name became a part of who you are, but you knew it was still wrong

the truth you wanted to confess was right at the tip of your tongue. the silence was eating away at you, and like always, misumi could tell if something was on your mind

“are you okay? here, have onigiri!” misumi smiled, holding out food without any care in the world. you paused, blinking

the moonlight illuminated his silver blue hair, making him glow even more as the amber hues of his eyes made your breath hitch. you could see the stars in his presence and before you knew it, you admitted your truth

“i‘ve loved you ever since we were 14.”

“what do you mean? we didn’t know each other before gramp’s death—”

misumi was cut off by a car door slam. when you heard the wheels stop, it’s like both of you knew

without wasting a moment, misumi grabbed your arm and pulled you to the dark corner of the room. your figures passed by the walls quickly as you pressed your back against his chest, trying to stifle your rapid breath in the shadows

you cursed under your breath, crouching behind the height of the desk as misumi’s arm around your waist held you back. you could hear their hushed voices around you; you thanked whoever was listening for misumi’s high athletic ability to launch both of you out of sight

“how do you think they found us?” you murmured, shutting your eyes with a gulp, trying to ignore the situation for as long as possible. misumi looked around, attempting to pinpoint the footsteps

“i... i don’t know.” misumi responded quietly, sounding defeated and solemn for once. you could physically feel him retracting back into his shell, putting on his mask to hide his true feelings

“misumi! you are coming home right now!” misumi’s mother shrieked, startling both of you to the core as misumi inhaled sharply. you knew what would happen if his parents found out. you started pushing him towards the window, muttering a “go, go!”

you knew if misumi was caught, he wouldn’t survive the brutality of his pathetic excuse of a family

“climb onto the roof.” you ordered, not giving him time to refuse. you knew he had the physical capability to do it and he knew it, too. as misumi pulled himself up with a flip into the roof shackles, you stood at the window anxiously as the footsteps got louder and louder

“come on, i got you.” misumi whispered, holding his hand out to you. you didn’t take it just yet, reaching into your pocket to place something in his palm, putting your other hand above his for a moment

(the gold of the triangular earring glinted in the moonlight. it was almost your way of fulfilling that marriage pact all those years ago, even if he didn’t remember)

“i love you, we’ll see each other again.” you promised even if there wasn’t nothing to guarantee it. before misumi could ask why, you let go at the sound of the screen door slamming open

you let yourself witness the moon for a last moment of peace, before turning around and confronting the parents you never thought you’d see again

they said your name and you winced, hearing a slight disturbance above you. you knew he knew, and sighed but remained standing your ground

“i’m sorry.” you whispered, much to the confusion of the ikaruga parents. but, you hoped he heard your overdue apology

“we thought we told you to stop seeing him.” his father said at the entrance, making you laugh with no humor whatsoever. you glanced at the half–eaten onigiri discarded on the floor, wishing you could go back to that time minutes ago

“he isn’t here.” you lied, knowing damn well the scuttle across the roof and noisier bristle of the trees was the last time you’d see him for a long time

hakkaku’s home became nothing more than sold property. not even a week later, the ikaruga family employed businesses to sort out the furniture and clear out the rooms. nothing was left that symbolized it was you and misumi’s safe space

but, misumi... it was like he was gone. if the ikaruga household was a professional family portrait, misumi’s figure would’ve faded into the background and disappeared for good. you knew he must’ve ran away, for the sake of himself and his disappointed family

(“i’ve always let my parents down... i’m not a good brother, he doesn’t like me.” misumi admitted one day after you found him in his grandfather’s office, curled up in the same chair hakkaku used to sit in. you simply folded a paper airplane with an encouraging message, throwing it towards his lap. the teary smile was worth the precise lines)

you didn’t see misumi anymore, and you couldn’t believe it. for some reason, you didn’t expect to lose him a second time

but when you reached up to your ear and knew that triangle earring was with him, you tried to move on. but, this time, alone

who knows? maybe, you’d see him again. you waited since you were both 14, you could wait again

[gabriel-agreste-has-no-rights]

Rating: G

Chapter Summary:  Adrien and Ladybug skate together. Chloe and Kagami play damage control.

Word Count: 2,809 | Chapter 3/4

XXX

“XY!”  Chloé shoved partygoers aside as she stormed up to the DJ table.

“Huh?”  Her former-favorite musician looked at her like she was crazy.  He was crazy!  ...And he couldn’t hear her through those stupid clunky headphones.

She yanked them off of his ears.

“Hey!  What gives, Cholera?”

“It’s Chloé.  Seriously, we’ve met five times!  How hard is it to remember my name?”  If she had to call Jean Claude by his real name, the least everyone else could do was give her the same respect.

“Chloé, Coleslaw, whatever.  Why are you yelling?”

Chloé pinched the bridge of her nose.  XY was probably just too stupid to remember.  Just like he was too stupid to follow basic instructions.

“You posted a picture to Instagram!”  

“Yeah?”  XY grinned and dug his pinkie in his ear.  Ugh.  His ears had to be clogged if he could stand being so close to the blasting music.  “Pretty cute, huh?  Lu’s a really good skater.”

It had been a pretty cute photo of Luka lifting XY above his head, while XY spread his arms wide like an airplane.  Frankly, it was shocking that Luka’s skinny noodle arms could lift his boyfriend.  But none of that was the point.

“No one is supposed to post photos until after the party.”  It shouldn’t have even been possible.  XY’s phone must have been some fancy model that could get past Max’s data block.  “You’re going to bring Adrien’s bodyguard right to us!”

“Pshaw, it’s no big deal.  They’ll be too busy looking at me to even notice he’s here.”

Chloé smacked her forehead.  She did not get paid enough for this.

“Is something wrong?”  Luka asked, approaching Chloé and XY with two slices of passionfruit cake.

“Yes, there is!  Your utterly ridiculous boyfriend is going to get Adrien’s party busted!”

Luka sighed at XY.  “Baby, we talked about this.”

XY’s bottom lip jutted out.  “But… it was just one teeny-tiny little picture…”

“Just listen to Chloé and take it down.  You can post it again when the party’s over.”

Finally, someone was taking her seriously!

“Awwww, fine.”  XY pulled out his phone and deleted the post.  “Happy now, Clooney?”

She huffed, but turned her back before she could say anything she’d regret.

“Excellent work, Chloé.”  

She jumped.  Kagami was standing right there.   How did she always show up like some kind of ninja?

“We will still need to engage our failsafes.”  Kagami began typing on her phone.  Chloé stood on her tip-toes, looking over her shoulder.  She was posting… some selfies with Adrien in a blue wig?  

“Hey, I thought no one was supposed to post pictures.” Chloé frowned.

“These will lead Nathalie and Adrien’s bodyguard off our trail.  I’ll adjust the lighting to make them appear as if they were taken just now.”  She added filters, and the background grew dark.  “Now they will believe Adrien is at the juice shop with me.”

“Not bad.”  Chloé smirked.  “You know, for someone who never lies, you’re awfully good at fooling people.”

“Only when necessary.  Adrien’s happiness tonight is my number one priority.”

Kagami’s gaze shifted down to the rink, where Adrien and Ladybug were skating hand-in-hand.

“You’ve done a good job,” Chloé said quietly, leaning against the railing.  Over her shoulder she watched Adrien and Ladybug weave figure eights.  Even over XY’s blaring music, she could hear their laughter.  Two years ago that would have made her jealous.  

But it was good to see her oldest friend and her biggest hero make each other happy, even if it was only for one night.

“Come on.”  Kagami smiled at her.  “No more slacking.  Time to learn how to skate.”

Chloé faked annoyance.  “Oh, alright.  If you insist.”

XXX

Adrien glided like he was in a dream.  The soft pressure of Ladybug’s hand in his was the only thing anchoring him to the ground, and even that felt too good to be real.

But she was real.  She was here.  She cared about Adrien enough to come to his birthday party.

“You didn’t hit your head too hard, did you?”  Ladybug giggled.

Oh.  He must have been staring at her stupidly again.  That was how he’d tripped over Marc and crashed the first time.

“I’m fine.  It helps that the ground is a built-in ice pack.”

She laughed again.  She never laughed at Chat Noir’s jokes this much.  Maybe she was just trying not to hurt his feelings on his birthday, but he’d take it.

“Look at that.”  She bumped his shoulder with hers.  “Looks like Queen Bee could use an ice power-up.”

He laughed as he saw Chloé wobble onto the rink, Kagami steadying her with both hands.  He was glad they were both getting along, or at least trying to.  Having so many of his friends in one place was the best birthday gift of all.

“I bet she’d love that.”  He wished he could use his ice powers too.  It would make it easier to avoid slipping and embarrassing himself again.

Not that she’d laughed at him, really.  That would be weird to get used to—not that he should get used to it.  As soon as he was suited up again, they’d be back to bantering and making fun of each other like normal.  

But for now, he savored the feeling of her eyes on his, of the way her brow softened beneath her mask every time he smiled.

(He was smiling a lot.)

“Hey, Adrien!  You gonna kiss her yet?”  

Adrien’s face caught fire at Kim’s shout.  Kim didn’t just say that.  

Please tell me he didn’t just say that.

His eyes darted to Ladybug’s.  She’d dropped his hand, and her mouth was stammering wordlessly.  

He couldn’t blame her.  His brain wouldn’t send a coherent thought to his mouth, either.

Kim turned around and started skating backwards.  “I’ve got a bet with Alix.  She thinks you don’t have the guts, but I believe in you.  Don’t let me down, man!”

He promptly crashed into Nino and Alya, and all three of them wiped out.  Normally, Adrien would’ve rushed to help his friends up.  But right now, he wanted nothing more to melt through the ice.

“Please just—ignore him,” he said quickly, falling back and clinging to the handrail.  “I don’t know where he got the idea that—I mean, not that I wouldn’t—er—I’m going to shut up now.”

She laughed hysterically, eyes darting back and forth.  Was she already looking for a way to escape?  

Gah, and everything had been going so well too!  He could almost believe that Ladybug… that she… what, liked him?  Just because she was nice to him and laughed at his jokes and held his hand…

“You know,” she said quietly, “I wouldn’t, um, mind if you…”

His heart sped up.  It could’ve done backflips in the pauses between her words.

“If I…?” He asked, trying not to sound too eager.  She could’ve been about to say anything, after all.  

Like maybe she wouldn’t mind if he left her alone forever.  Maybe she wouldn’t mind if he faceplanted on the ice like Kim did.  Maybe she wouldn’t mind if he locked himself in a tower, never to see the light of day until a fearless ogre came to save him.

She leaned in closer.  Her eyes sparkled as bright as the frosty tips of her tiara.

“If you… got me a slice of cake!”

He blinked, pulling back.  “O-of course!  Um, did you want me to bring it back here, or…?”

“Uh, yeah, sure!” She said.  “Er, on second thought, there’s no tables on the rink, haha, and I’ll probably trip even with my powers if I try to eat down here…”

“There’s tables closer to the entrance,” he suggested, still startled by Ladybug’s sudden shift.  The smile on her face looked strained.

“S-sounds great!”

Unfortunately, getting out of the rink meant skating past Kim again.  He’d finally made it to his feet with Nino and Alya’s help.  Alix sped past, blowing a raspberry at him.

“Just don’t make eye contact and we might be fine,” he said under his breath.

...Or not.

“Yo, Ladybug!  How’s my little monkey dude doing?”

Ladybug groaned.  “That’s my luck.”

“I thought Chat Noir was supposed to be the one with bad luck?” Adrien joked right before Kim got close enough to sling an arm around Ladybug’s shoulder.

“Hey, King Monkey.” She grimaced.  “Xuppu’s doing fine.  But, um, Adrien and I were just about to get some cake, so…”

“Aww, come on!  I bet my boy Adrien tastes better than some kind of fruitcake.  Who even thought of putting fruit and cake together?  Gross.”  Kim stuck out his tongue.

Plagg was shaking with laughter inside of Adrien’s borrowed hoodie.  Couldn’t the kwami Just Cataclysm him and put him out of his misery?

“It’s passionfruit cake,” he corrected on principle.  “And Marinette made it, so it’s going to be amazing.”

For some reason, Ladybug’s face only got more red at that.  “Right, amazing!  Definitely better than kissing Adrien, ha!  Ha ha ha…”

Ouch.  Now that hurt worse than a Cataclysm.

Kim winced in sympathy before patting Adrien’s shoulder.  “Sorry, buddy.  I tried.”

“Please stop trying,” he whined.

He and Ladybug finally escaped Kim.  Adrien glanced over his shoulder, and saw Nino flashing him a comforting grin.  Alya had dropped her head in her hands.

Me too, Alya.  Me too.

XXX

“Lesson’s over,” Chloé said while pulling her phone from her pocket.  She didn’t slip, even without holding onto the handrail.  Despite her attitude, she was implementing Kagami’s lessons well.

“The student doesn’t decide the length of the lesson.”  She crossed her arms.  

“She does when she has bad news.”  Chloé scowled.  “Max just texted.  That tracker you and Nino put on the Gorilla's car?  It’s going off.”

She held up her screen, which showed a map of the streets near their location.  A red skull icon flashed towards the ice rink.  Not good.  Adrien hadn’t even gotten the chance to eat his cake yet.

“We’ll have to deploy the contingency plan.”

“I thought you already—”

“The other contingency plan.”

Kagami grabbed Chloé’s hand and skated towards the exit.  

It was time to find Wayhem.

XXX

Marinette’s  pulse pounded in her ears.  Adrien was still holding her hand, even after Kim had come along and… well, been Kim.  But she could take it.  She was cool.  She was confident.  She knew Adrien had a crush on her!

And yet she was still too much of a coward to kiss him.

What if Nino and Kagami were wrong?  Granted, Nino knew Adrien better than anyone, and Kagami had probably never been wrong in her life.  

But still.

“I hope you like passionfruit.”  Adrien rubbed the back of his neck before cutting her a slice of the three-tiered cake.  It had taken her two days to fine-tune the recipe, not including the full afternoon she’d spent adding details with icing.  It was a pale shade of pinky-orange, dotted around the edges with rosettes of spring green.  Just like his eyes.

“Don’t worry, I love it!” she said.  It was a bit of an exaggeration, but she had gained a taste for it after eating one passionfruit macaron a week for the past two years.  “You’re lucky Chat Noir isn’t here.  He’d finish off this whole cake as soon as your back was turned.”

Adrien laughed.  “He’s got good taste, then.”

It was too bad Marinette didn’t know Chat Noir’s birthday.  Passionfruit was his favorite favor, too; she could reuse the recipe.  

They took their cake and some plastic forks and settled down at a table.  She sat across from him, but the table was small enough for her knees to bump his underneath.  She’d dismissed her ice transformation, so she didn’t have to worry about stabbing his feet with her blades.

“Wow,” Adrien said through his first bite.  “I knew this cake was going to be good, but this is—I’ve never tasted anything like it!”

“Really?”  She grinned.  If he was saying that to Ladybug, then he wasn’t just saying it to be nice.  He really liked her cake!

“Really.  I shouldn’t be so surprised, though.  Marinette’s amazing at everything.  She’s designed album covers for Jagged Stone, and won the student Ultimate Mecha Strike Tournament, and even impressed my father.”  He sighed wistfully.  “It’s too bad she couldn’t make it.  I really wanted to thank her.”

Her heart fluttered like a butterfly on steroids.

“I—I’m sure she wanted to be here too,” she said.  Should she find a way to sneak off and detransform?  Would Adrien have been happier if she’d come as herself?  “And I’m sure, if she were here… she’d want to thank you.  For being such a good friend.”

He stared at her with soft eyes.  A bit of icing still clung to his bottom lip.  She tore her gaze away.

You heard what he told Kim.  He doesn’t want to kiss you!

Wait.  That was what she told Kim.  After she’d panicked and blabbered something stupid by reflex.  Why had she said that?  She did want to kiss Adrien!  Now he was going to think that she hated him and probably hate the birthday present she’d brought and— 

“Ladybug?”  Adrien’s voice finally snapped her out of her spiral.  “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Huh?  Why wouldn’t I be?”  She grinned too wide.

He glanced down at her plate.  Her fork was stabbed into the thin styrofoam.  That wasn’t the only thing she’d stabbed, apparently.

“You, um.  Spaced out and carved a broken heart into your cake.  Unless it’s supposed to be an upside-down spade…?”

She hurriedly shoved forkfuls of cake into her mouth.  Ugh, she was a mess without Alya here to help her keep cool.  How would Alya feel about getting her miraculous back for the sole purpose of wingmanning?  

It probably wouldn’t work.  There wasn’t an illusion strong enough to cover up Marinette’s spazzing.

She swallowed her cake.  “I’m sorry, Adrien.  I just got distracted for a second.  What were you saying?”

“I was just talking about Marinette… you two are friends, right?”

“Friends?  What—what makes you say that?”  She blinked.

“She helped you fight the Evillustrator and Kwamibuster.  I guess I just assumed, but—”

“Wait.”  Marinette dropped the fork back to her plate.  For once, her mind whirled for a reason other than proximity to Adrien.  “You—how do you know Marinette helped with Kwamibuster?” 

Had Chat Noir gone around blabbing about Multimouse to everyone?  No, there’d never been a trace of her on the Ladyblog.  And Chat wouldn’t reveal heroes’ identities like that, even if she’d already told him that “Multimouse” couldn’t hold a miraculous again.

“Um… because, she… told me?”  Adrien shrugged.  A tentative smile graced his lips.

Her brow creased.  “No, she didn’t.”

This didn’t make any sense.  How did Adrien really know, and why would he lie about it?  

Unless—?

Before she could follow that train of thought, Chloé’s hands slammed down on their table.

“Sorry to interrupt, but you two need to go.  We’ve got company.”

“What?”  Marinette blinked.  “Is there an akuma?  I’ll—”

She shook her head.  “Worse.  Kagami’s backups failed.  Nathalie’s here.”

“What?”  Adrien stood, nearly kicking Marinette’s shin in his haste to get up.  “I have to stop her before she tries to have Nino arrested again!”

Marinette grimaced.  Yeah, Adrien’s sixteenth birthday party hadn’t exactly worked out.  But she wasn’t about to let this one get ruined, too.

“No way, Adrikins.” Chloé blocked his path.  “Kagami’s handling her.  She told me to make sure you get out before you’re grounded for life.”

“But—!”

“Ladybug, I know you’re smart.”  Chloé turned to her before he could protest.  “Take him out the window before he pulls one of his little self-sacrificing stunts again.”

Self-sacrificing.  That would be like Adrien.

(It would also be like a certain partner of hers, who also liked passionfruit, knew about Multimouse, and had a crush on Ladybug.) 

“I can’t just leave you—!”

Marinette stood and wrapped an arm tightly around his waist.  He cut off, blushing at their proximity.

“You heard Queen Bee.”  She winked at Chloé, who smiled.  “Let’s trust your friends.  And trust me, too.  I’ve got a surprise for you.”

He looked down into her eyes, then hesitated as if about to ask something.

“Whatever, just take your surprise out there!”  Chloé pushed them away from the tables.

“Right.  Hold onto me,” Marinette told Adrien before grabbing her yo-yo.

“You don’t need to tell me twice,” he mumbled into her hair, his arms firm around her shoulders.

This is fine, she told herself while trying not to melt into an ecstatic puddle.  Then she cast out her yo-yo and swung through the distant window.

She and Adrien had a lot to talk about.

[nobody-wants-ice-cream]

Everything Wrong With The Umbrella Academy. Episode 2, Run Boy Run.

Link to the first episode!

Same disclaimer as last episode: This is all in good fun! I wanted to do a really nitpicky re-watch of the series and found some really cool and interesting things I didn’t notice before. This is meant to have a Cinema Sins-esque tone. However, I did take off a lot more sins than Cinema Sins would have because I do genuinely like the series and the people that made it possible. So all of the good things got one sin off and all the bad things got one sin added. This is a really long post, so grab some popcorn. If there’s anything that I missed, feel free to add it!

Run Boy Run 

Grace started the Herr Carlson record before the kids even arrived. How are they supposed to learn if they miss the first few seconds of it?  What is the point of the record if they’re not even around to hear all of it?+1

The kids all have their hands on the chairs except for Five, showing that he will do something out of the ordinary. -1

Diego is causing property damage to Reggie’s chairs and Reggie allows this. Be consistent, show! Is Reggie lenient or strict? You could make the argument that Reggie doesn’t care about the chair because he’s rich. In that case, sinning for capitalism.+1

Klaus is already into drugs at the age of 13. We can see him rolling a blunt, and doing it quite well, presumably. +1

Ben is straight up allowed to read at the table. So then what is the point of the record if the kids don’t have to pay attention to it? +1

The kids expressions when Five stabs the table. The ones that we see are pure gold. Especially Klaus’s. Well done Dante Albidone. -1

Diego’s side eye when Five starts arguing with Reggie. This is the perfect expression for “my sibling is about to get in trouble”, so props to Blake Talabis. -1

Vanya’s side eye is also good. TJ McGibbon did well. -1

We see Five jump faster than a bullet, but he’s significantly slower when jumping across the table. +1

Reggie is a dick to Five, who just wants to explore his powers. We know that it’s dangerous because we see Five getting stuck, but Five doesn’t think that that is really a possibility. Reggie only talks in confusing ice and acorn metaphors. +1

Five’s face when Reggie presents the ice and acorn metaphor. -1

Vanya and Allison both give Five a look in this scene. This is what makes Five hesitate. Two of his siblings tell him it’s a bad idea, but he does it anyway because he’s a stubborn bastard. +1

Grace’s face drops when Five starts running out the door. Allison and Vanya also look absolutely horrified. -1

“Run Boy Run” is a little on the nose. Especially once you remember that The Boy is Five’s hero name in the comics. +1

No one cares that a 13 year old popped into existence out of nowhere when Five starts traveling into the future. +1

Easter egg! There is an ice cream cart outside the academy. If you’ve read Dallas, you know why I think that’s significant. Also, it happens to be my icon. -1

Five’s look of complete disbelief and horror when he is faced with the apocalypse for the first time. -1

“Vanya! Ben!” This has created a lot of curiosity in the fandom. In the comics he left before they were named, but in the show it looks like he chose to keep Number Five. Why? +1

The apocalypse looks very believable. -1

Title screen umbrella! -1

The awesome scene with Ellen Page and Aidan Gallagher continues in the next episode. -1

Where would Five have heard that rumor about Twinkies having an endless shelf life? It’s not like he was very exposed to pop culture as a kid. +1

Vanya doesn’t keep her Violin in the case. She leaves it proped on a chair, which is basically begging gravity to come and fuck up your instrument. +1

Five plays the pronoun game and doesn’t tell Vanya about Dolores. +1

The last thing Five heard for 40 years was Reggie’s stupid metaphor. That’s a sin for the metaphor and a sin for Five’s pain and suffering. +2

Vanya gives someone with a thirteen-year-old’s liver a few shots worth of hard liquor in a tall glass. +1

“You think I didn’t try everything to get back to my family?” This quote is Five at his core. It shows his exact motivation. Aidan Gallagher really could have screwed up with this line because it’s so raw, but the delivery doesn’t suck. Well done. -1

Is that liquor real? Aidan Gallagher’s face suggests that it is and he only takes two sips of it. Also, Five takes a sip when it’s just a bit, pours more, then takes another sip, and doesn’t drink any more of it. Sin for showmakers possibly giving a kid real alcohol and sin for Five only taking a sip after pouring a lot out. +1

However, if the alcohol is fake, which I really hope it is, sin off for Aidan Gallagher’s acting. -1

Five expects Vanya to believe his crazy apocalypse story. I had a hard time believing it when we were shown flashbacks as the audience. It wasn’t until they brought in the Commission that I actually believed it. If Five had explained the Commission, just like he did to Luther, then Vanya would have had an easier time believing him. +1

Vanya calls Five crazy and then expects him to not be hurt and want to stay in her apartment. +1

Vanya takes the pills after an emotionally charged scene. Pills-foreshadowing. -1

Five’s hands are shaking when he’s looking at the eyeball. This shows both his uncertainty, with this being his only clue, and shows that he is unwilling to leave his sister again even after she called him insane. -1

Mary J. Bilge. -1

The Lunar Motor Lodge has rates by the week, day, and hour. The Commission is super sleazy for putting Hazel and Cha Cha in a place that also rents by the hour. +1

Hazel and Cha Cha are an underrated duo. The “It smells like cat piss” dialogue is honestly really funny. -1

Obvious villains are obvious. I know they’re meant to be obvious, but it doesn’t change the fact that a show with a lot of subtlety just kind of thrust Hazel and Cha Cha in there with no subtlety at all. +1

Hazel stores the briefcase away and throws a screw, foreshadowing that this will be an important detail later. -1

No one, including police, notices the blinking and beeping, neon green tracker. +1

Patch is sort of right. Five made a jump in the middle of two of the local hires, which caused them to shoot each other. -1

“The guy had an eclair and the kid had coffee”. Patch’s side eye says that she thinks Agnes is getting her story mixed up. If we didn’t see what happened, then the audience wouldn’t believe Agnes either. Great acting Ashley Madekwe. -1

Agnes doesn’t stay in the back room. She crawls out so her head can dramatically pop up over the counter after Five leaves. This is a stupid decision on Agnes’s part.+1

Agnes is seen handling American money. Somehow we as a fandom didn’t notice this. Klaus also uses American money to buy drugs later in this episode. Sinning the showmakers not specifying which state at the very least, but reluctantly because I know that’s a reference to the comics. +1

“What other detective”. Camera cuts to Diego exiting Griddys. -1

Diego is a vigilante. What he is doing impedes the law. In this instance, we want him to stop Patch’s investigation because we know that the answer leads back to Five, which would be bad for the plot. However, Patch’s annoyance suggests Diego has done this to her before. How many murderers have gone free because Diego intervenes in Patch’s cases? +1

Diego did not consent to being searched and having his personal belongings taken. +1

Ebay exists but there is no internet or smartphones. What? +1

Diego thinks that this looks like a botched robbery. No way in hell does this look like a robbery of a doughnut shop in any universe. A bank robbery, yeah sure, but not a doughnut shop. What kind of doughnut shop has the kind of money that requires multiple guys with very large weapons, Diego? +1

The way Patch is described to Five by Diego in a later episode does not match the personality she actually has. +1

A whole crowd of people had nothing better to do than to watch the cops investigate a murder scene in a densely populated city. +1

Is Luther hitting his head after he wakes up a character choice? He does it again with the model airplane. After the low ceilings on the moon for four years, you would think that he would learn to duck. +1

Emmy Raver-Lampman gives an amazing performance when talking to Luther about Claire. -1

Allison has multiple posters of herself in her room. I am sinning for her younger self’s narcissism. +1

However, this narcissism goes hand in hand with Allison as a character. Props to the set designers for making these posters and hanging them up. It adds detail to Allison’s room and really shows who she was as a character. -1

“When Claire was little I used to read her books about the moon. I’d tell her her Uncle was living up there” Allison doesn’t remember that Luther was on the moon and therefore shouldn’t know about her divorce in the first episode, but says this in the second episode. +1

Luther looks so genuinely happy at being Claire’s personal superhero. -1

The ghosts torturing Klaus. +1

That fucking animal print thing Klaus is wearing. +1

Robert Sheehan is very, very attractive. This makes up for the monstrosity Klaus is wearing. -1

“You know you talk in your sleep.” “Oh there’s no point. You’re out of drugs” I love Ben as a character so much. -1

“Shut your piehole, Ben. Said with love” smooch. I love this line. -1

“I’ve got a crazy idea. Why not try starting your day with… a glass of orange juice or some eggs”. Justin Min’s delivery of this line kills me every time. -1

Pogo is really vague about why the papers in Reggie’s box are important. If he said something about the papers detailing the Academy’s powers in explicit detail, Klaus would have tried harder to get them back. +1

We don’t see Klaus pull out the Red Journal in episode one. +1

“Liar” “Drop dead” “Low blow”. This is an iconic interaction for a reason. -1

Pogo knows that Klaus can talk to ghosts, but remains offended when Klaus tells a ghost to shut up. +1

“Really awful, terrible, depressing times” Reggie is a dick to his children. +7

Vanya sleeps with the door to her bedroom open, even though we saw her close it. So she must have gotten up to open the door and didn’t notice Five was gone. +1

Where did Five go all night? Did he sleep back in the Academy? It couldn’t have taken him this long to get to the MeriTech building, so what happened to him? He changed to a clean uniform, so presumably he went to the Academy, but why did the show vague this? Did he walk into a department store and buy/steal a clean shirt?+1

Only the plot relevant person notices Five. The front desk girl doesn’t question why he’s there. And that is her literal job. I would know, I run the front desk at a medical office. If you don’t greet the patients then you’re not doing your job, front desk girl.+1

“Must have just [click] popped out.” iconic.-1

Five decides that violence is the best course of action to get the information he needs, directly contradicting “I know how to do everything” +1

The 1938 fingerprints may be Five’s. However, police usually discard this kind of evidence because there is a very reasonable doubt. Not to mention that anyone could have touched the knife. It’s a public place. Forensic evidence is not as reliable as it is portrayed in the media. +1

Diego is an asshole to everyone, but especially to Patch. She’s right, Diego is obstructing justice. How many murderers have gone free because Diego interfered in an investigation? +1

Diego’s boiler room is way too big to be a boiler room. +1

Luther’s reflection in Diego’s mask shows that Luther wants to know what it would be like to be number two instead of number one. Luther can’t lead for shit and subconsciously wishes that he didn’t have to. -1

With an aerial shot of the Academy from the outside, we can see that Reggie never bothered to take the laundromat sign off the mansion or that Reggie sold ad space on the mansion exterior. +1

Reggie is a dick to animals. See: the animal skeletons and the taxidermy. +1

Part of the mansion is painted an ugly neon green for no reason. +1

“Sorry I left without saying goodbye”. The “both times” is unspoken. -1

Vanya apologises for calling him crazy and being dismissive, but still suggests he needs mental help. He does, but maybe suggest it later when he isn’t convinced you think he’s insane? +1

Five lies to Vanya about something stupid. If he said that he was having Klaus help him with the apocalypse, I don’t think she would have minded. +1

Why does Five have so many toys in his room? Including a baseball? +1

Klaus comes out of the wardrobe as loudly as possible. The mansion does not have sound proofing (see: I Think We’re Alone Now dance party). There is no way in hell Vanya didn’t hear him. +1

This is the last time Vanya and Five interact. +1

Five’s room is more childish than a thirteen-year-old’s room should be. It honestly looks like he was the favorite because his room has so many toys in it. Like Reggie wanted to win his favor or something. Sinning for the weird set design choice and for Reggie being an asshole. +1 

The fake circumstances in which Five was born in their cover story gives me immense joy. -1

In one camera angle, if you look carefully they cut two takes of “what a disturbing glimpse into that thing you call a brain”. In the one where we can’t see his face properly, Aidan Gallagher is openly smiling. Corpsing. +1

Robert Sheehan is funny. -1

Syd the tow truck guy doesn’t really look like Sean Sullivan (actor that plays adult Five) enough for Cha Cha, a trained assassin, to not see that he isn’t their mark. +1

Hazel eating a sandwich in this scene. Also the “Italian for dinner line”. -1

And Cha Cha sees the differences between Syd and Five later! +1

“Time travel’s a bitch” “Especially without a briefcase” There's other time travel methods than briefcase or being Five? Elaborate. +1

Patrick is a dick to Allison. We understand why later, but really Patrick, you’re going to be an asshole when her father just died? Don’t get me wrong, Reggie abused the hell out of her, but still! Patrick should have let Allison talk to Claire. +1

Vanya tries to comfort Allison even though she knows nothing about the situation other than that it happened. She’s never even met Patrick! +1

Allison is clearly trying to get away from this conversation with Vanya, but Vanya presses on. +1

“Well if I wanted advice, Vanya, no offence, it wouldn’t be from you”. This is why Vanya doesn’t take Allison’s advice about Leonard. Also, Allison is a dick to Vanya. +1

This scene with Allison and Vanya is interesting. Allison is projecting her pain and taking it out on Vanya, who really should have seen and heard what happened enough to leave her alone. Both of them are the bad guy here regardless of how you slice it. I am sinning the show for this moment because they really tried to villainize Allison for this scene, but she does have some well thought out points and is in an emotionally compromised state. Or in other words, the fight between Allison and Vanya is stupid. +1

Grant/Lance/whatever gave Klaus and Five valuable office time. Doctors do not have time for this sort of crap. Shouldn’t this guy have patients? +1

Aidan Gallagher looks to the actor playing Grant/Lance/whatever as if he’s waiting for him to say his line. I see this all the time with younger kids in theatre, but they can get away with it if their character has a reason to look at that character. That being said, Five would have no reason to do this.+1

The sound effect that plays when Klaus slaps Five is really out of place. +1

Seeing Robert Sheehan slap Aidan Gallagher. -1

Klaus pauses as if he’s listening to Ben before he picks up the snowglobe. -1

The snowglobe. Robert Sheehan pretending to be Klaus pretending to be Five’s crazy dad. Acting. -1

Five looks like a proud grandfather when Klaus gets Lance to show them the records. -1

Five doesn’t pay Klaus for that brilliant acting. Also, how was Five planning to give Klaus $20. He doesn’t have any money nor do we ever see him with money. Five is a cheapskate. +1

Klaus calls Five “old man”. I thought that was just a fandom thing lmao. -1

“You must be horny as hell”. Great Klaus line, but super weird that he’s saying it to someone that looks thirteen. +1

Klaus is wearing the shirt that goes with his nicest outfit underneath Reggie’s pinstripe suit. -1

“Goodbye Dolores”, a song from the soundtrack, starts playing when Five starts talking about Dolores. This is good placement of that song because we later learn that he left her in the apocalypse when he left to work for the Commission. -1

Five is a dick to Klaus. Klaus is really trying to connect with his long lost brother, but Five jumps away. +1

That taxi driver doesn’t freak out and cause a car accident when a random kid appears in his car. +1

Also, how did Five pay for that taxi? Did he jump out of the moving vehicle too? +1

Leonard is so obvious from the start. So charming that he’s slimy. +1

Vanya can’t see this and is actually attracted to him. This may go back to that conversation with Allison when she asks if Vanya has ever been in a relationship. For all we know, the answer is no. +1

Leonard took three years of German in prison. I don't think American jails are that nice. +1

Leonard picks up another person’s instrument without their consent. As a musician, this is very, very painful. +2

Diego is paranoid, but also observant as fuck. -1

But how did he get his weapons back from the police? Are knives open carry in whatever state this is in? There are some states where Diego’s harness would be legal so it’s possible. I’ll have to look into this. Sinning the show for being vauge as fuck. +1

Luther didn’t notice the boiler room door open. +1

Diego throws weapons on his siblings. +1

Reginald Hargreeves died March 21st. The funeral is on March 24th. This is way too soon. It should have been a week or two not two days between the date of death and the funeral. Especially considering Luther suspects Reggie was murdered. And if you say that Reggie, Pogo, or Grace bribed them, then I’m sinning for bribery.+1

Diego eats a raw egg. Salmonella headass. +2

David Castaneda eats a raw egg. Why did you make him do this? It adds nothing to the character other than making Diego look dumb as hell. +1

Vanya interrupts her student while he’s playing and doing well. Whenever my teacher does that I get a minor heart attack. +1

Leonard is already lying to Vanya. He manipulates her by saying his Dad was into music and that's why he’s taking violin lessons. +1

An actual place named “Bricktown” in a place called “The City.” Sigh. +1

It is four o’clock when Leonard takes his lesson, but then after the lesson we cut to night time. What happened in those couple hours, show? Are you really saying that these characters did nothing interesting for all that time? +1

Emmy Raver-Lampman clearly isn’t smoking. Which is fine because she’s a Broadway actress and needs her voice/lungs for that part of her career. It’s weird because it shows that Allison isn't smoking. +1

Pogo scolds Allison for her language. Allison is an adult, Pogo. +1

Klaus made a drink at a young age and Reggie didn’t stop him. Or talk to him. He recorded Klaus drinking, but didn’t care. +1

The showmakers show us Allison’s face for dramatic tension instead of showing us the tape. This was a good choice and I feel it helped the narative.-1

They show a sign “Gimbel Brothers Seniors Tuesdays 10% Off.” after Five walks by. -1

The most awkward and dopey smile in existence when Five finds Dolores. -1

They play “Goodbye Dolores” after he finds her. That could have worked if they transposed it to the major key. Hello Dolores. +1

“Goodbye Dolores” transitioning into “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen. -1

This action sequence is great. -1

Hazel’s wrist splint. -1

Five cuts Cha Cha with a trowel. -1

The dual screen thing is cool. -1

Five literally jumps over a stand and somehow doesn’t get shot. Hazel and Cha Cha have Stormtrooper aim. +1

How did Hazel and Cha Cha leave? You would think the police would notice someone leaving through the back. +1

Similarly, how did Five and Dolores get out of this? Did he wait until he could jump and teleport outside the store? Can he teleport that far? +1

How did Diego get another police scanner so quickly? Unless that’s the scanner Patch confiscated? +1

“I gotta show you something” +1

Once again, Five should be a lot sweatier. What are these magic, sweat absorbing things you can buy in a department store and where can I buy them? +1

Five sees an eyeball and immediately picks it up for no reason. He doesn’t even know that’s Luther’s body yet. He just picked up an eye for no reason. +1

Five as a thirteen-year-old boy saw his siblings' dead bodies. Sinning for trauma. +1

Aidan Gallagher portrays this trauma well. -1

Overall Review: 

I love this episode and had a hard time finding things wrong with it. I genuinely like this episode and I think that it could have stood alone as the pilot. 

Some acting things I noticed, David Castaneda, John Magaro (Leonard), and Ashley Madekwe were the standouts this episode. All three brought something interesting to the table this episode and I look forward to re-watching their scenes. I wish Madekwe and Magaro all the best as I know that they probably won’t be returning for season two. 

The plot thickens! Hazel and Cha Cha were introduced in a very obvious way compared to the subtle way they introduced Leonard. There is a reason I adore this episode, and it’s not just for Klaus slapping Five (though that is part of it). 

Total: 52

Sentence: We saw Diego eat a raw egg. That’s punishment enough for this episode. 

[simtrospective]

if you could have a sims game/expansion pack themed around one decade....which decade would you choose?? love ur blooggg 💋💋

Thank you for the kind words! 💜

Oh man, let’s see. Do I choose based on aesthetic, or the gameplay (ahem, never mind the TS4 focus on aesthetic over gameplay...)

I’m going to go against what anyone who follows me might guess and say...

🥁🥁🥁

the 1960s! I know! But after some thought, I figured if we had a 1960s pack--like, a totally “perfect” one--it would serve as a great foundation for any 20th century decade play-through. Now, of course, I’m looking at this with an American’s eyes and no pack is perfect (often not even great...) but if I can decide the decade I decide the features too, so:

+A lot of technology, furnishings, and homes that existed in the 1960s were made/built “only” forty or thirty years prior; ideally it would be easier to fudge or cheat some of the bb mode stuff into decor appropriate for a 1920s mansion or a 1930s farmhouse. It would be easy to create a bedroom for a 1950s teenager. Want to take your sim into the 70s and beyond? We already have modern technology to complement modern times, but a 1960s pack would bridge the gap between ~the olden days~ and what came right before Apple decided it was appropriate to “help” us monitor the oxygen level of our blood tf...

+If you’re into recreating real history, a 1960s pack makes for a perfect backdrop for you to explore civil rights issues, race relations, feminism, major historical occurrences, political events, upheaval, change, and so on, both chaotic and disorienting as well as ultimately positive. Whether you want to go deep with your story or keep it light, tell it as it was or how it should’ve been, the narrative possibilities and features are almost limitless.

+Soooo complementary to the existing careers. Imagine playing the astronaut or lawyer careers if we had a pack that helped us to better contextualize the story we associate with them, made it easier to pretend we’d not yet been to the moon, or that it’s almost unheard of for a teenage girl to study law and become a judge. Not saying we can’t use our imaginations now, but the context would be entirely different if we wanted.

+Think of the hair! Think of the makeup! Think of the clothes! Think of the meshes! And if we’re covering the entirety of the 1960s, think of the variety of styles that encompasses! You’ve got swing skirts and wiggle dresses and skirt suits and mini skirts and cropped pants and women wearing real pants! Nehru jackets and slim-cut suits and mod fashion and hippie fashion and Space Age fashion and men dressing like dandies and wearing patterns and color but we still had Mad Men officewear and patrician sportswear but now we had definitive American sportswear and college preppy stuff and sport coats and colored tights and go-go boots and accessories galore. Anything goes!

+Think of the colors!

+Think of the music channels! Multiple! Motown and girl groups and psychedelic rock and classic country and like, I don’t care for the Beatles (I’m so edgy!) but like... British rock and roll? Like... the musical stylings of the British Invasion... in... simlish? I’m crying.

+I know you’re tired of it but more mid-century modern everything, please.

+And what about some new features? Have your own SimStock with a new event type such as a(n outdoor?) concert or festival. Start your own rock and roll band just like the Rolling Sims (idk idk). For kids, collect baseball cards, play baseball, make model airplanes, learn to sew, play board games, play various games outside with friends, and enjoy the RETURN OF THE LITTLE BAKER OVEN. The whole family can attend spectator sports and host Sunday dinners as actual in-game events. The teenager was “born” in the mid-1950s so a few years later, why not have a teen beach party just like in those silly movies? Fix up the old clunker your dad gave you. Teens can already mess around, why not let them go parking--or at least get together and play “Twister” (or some llama-themed variation thereof). Bring back the “Hang Out” interaction so your hip, hep, and happening friends groups of all ages can sit around and listen to music or discuss current events in a modern conversation pit.

Okay, so, I will stop here because this is already excessive, but. Yes. I would choose the 1960s. Thank you for this question, anon, although now I am sad because this pack will never come to be lol

[the-magic-lava-lamp]

Caught Up In You

Chapter 2 -  Sick of movies?

Summary: A story revolving around a group of teenage friends, their mishaps, their relationships and their coming of age.

Watch as they navigate through the highs & lows of high school relationships and learn to grow up as most of them are approaching the end of their Senior year.

Ships: SamBucky, ThorBruce, Stony, ValJane…(More ships & characters to come)

Word Count: 6,497

{Tuesday Afternoon} 

On half-days of school, it seemed that a silent agreement went into motion that each grade would go somewhere different & specific to celebrate. 

Freshman were designated the crummy little McDonald's where they could comfortably cause a scene yet miraculously not be kicked out. 

Sophomores got the Sub-Sandwich joint that was quite the walk away from the school and got your order right most of the time. 

Juniors were at the warm pizza shop with the most delicious slices a person could ever ask for. 

Seniors were basically living in the BBQ restaurant. It was the staple of their crummy little town and deservedly so. 

And Sam and Bucky were laying side by side on Sam’s rickety twin-sized bed, happily skipping the tradition. Bucky was propped up by his forearm which was gradually falling deeply into sleep and his spare was hanging in the air while his fingers curled and uncurled around Sam’s. The sun was coming in through the window and leaving the tiniest sun-spot against the wall behind them and from where Sam was sitting, it dusted Bucky’s face with a golden blush. He scooted over slightly to give his partner some more room but only succeeded in causing another loud shriek of protest from the bed springs. 

Bucky let his head fall back with a sigh. “God, your bed is so fucking loud.” His hair shook out of his eyes with the sudden movement. “It’s gonna give your parents the wrong idea, you know?” He spoke softly and pushed Sam’s palm back against the pillows. “And they already don’t like me.” 

Sam rolled his eyes and smacked Bucky’s hand. “My parents love you, man.” 

His partners eyebrow shot up with doubt but Sam only continued. 

“They talk about you all the time. Why do you think I invited you for lunch today-?”

“Easy, you love my company.” His voice was teasing and soft as he dragged his fingers down from Sam’s now open palm to his elbow. 

“They think you’re good people.” Sam dipped his chin down to emphasize that he really meant it and Bucky blinked his eyes away like he always did when things got serious. So Sam took the initiative and grabbed for Bucky’s left arm when he made the move to bring his fingers back up. “Hey, I’m serious. They are psyched that I’m dating such a stand-up guy.” He let go of Bucky’s arm and softly pressed his finger under his chin to lift it. 

Bucky hummed quietly and curled his fingers around Sam’s wrist. “Even though I spilled your dad’s soup all over your kitchen table last time I ate here?” 

Sam laughed loudly at the memory. “They thought that was cute.” 

“Cute?” Bucky frowned. “I ruined that tablecloth.” 

“Yeah but I told them it was because you were trying to play footsie with me and accidentally kicked the table leg.” Sam rolled his lips together to try and conceal his laughter when Bucky’s cheeks flushed with a real pink blush. 

“Hey! That was supposed to stay between us!” Bucky playfully started attempting to roll his body over Sam’s. “That’s so fucking embarrassing Sam!” He kicked his left leg over him and crawled on top, the twin bed’s springs squeaking over and over. 

Sam couldn’t stop laughing long enough to remind Bucky of the noise but he didn’t much mind with all the wrestling. That was until he started hearing the sound of his mothers footsteps coming up the stairs. There wasn’t enough time to do more than just shove Bucky off of him...sending him to the carpet with a soft thud just as his bedroom door creaked open.

“Hey boys, lunch is downstairs when you’re ready.” She smiled, stringing a dish towel through her fingers while she spoke. “And remember to keep this door open a few inches, huh?” She smirked as her eyes fell upon a dizzy looking Bucky on the floor. 

Sam smacked his hands over his face as soon as his mother left and groaned with embarrassment. 

“You’re lucky you have carpet, Sam. I smacked my head pretty hard.” Bucky teased, crawling over and kneeling in front of where Sam sat on the bed. Slowly he grabbed at his partners wrists and pulled his palms from his eyes. 

“That was your own fault.” 

“Eh, well.” Bucky shrugged. “That may be true but you owe me cause you’re the one who threw me off the bed instead of warning me like a decent person would.” He playfully shook Sam’s wrists and his friend scrunched up his nose. 

“I panicked. I didn’t have enough time.” He shrugged and rolled his eyes. “But I’ll get you lunch on my card tomorrow if it makes you happy.” He grinned and wiggled out of his grip so he could start getting up.

Bucky only shoved his way between Sam’s legs and grinned. “You’re so good to me, sweetheart.” 

“You’re an idiot, you know that?” Sam closed his legs around him as tight as he could, figuring it was ok because his mother had mostly shut the door. Bucky rested his forearms atop Sam’s thighs and shrugged. “Now can we please go eat?” 

Bucky nodded but then grabbed at Sam’s hands again, pulling at his long sleeves. “Wait, say it again, would ya?” 

Sam paused before he put together what Bucky was gettin’ at and his face fell into it’s happiest smile. He sighed dramatically like it was a hassle instead of the the epitome of how he felt. “I love you, dumb-ass.” 

Bucky happily let his hands free and broke from Sam’s legs. “Love you too.” 

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

There was something about traipsing around his home with his bare-feet pressing against the cold hardwood floor that Tony loved. The long fabric of his over-sized sweatshirt hit his skin just around the middle of his thighs and the cup of coffee curled in his hand was steaming. 

He’d figured he could get away without sleeping the previous night because he’d only be at school half the time, he’d just take a nap when he got home. But of course, he never actually takes these naps that he uses to excuse this kind of behavior. 

So Tony went right back to work as soon as he came home and made himself comfortable. Pulling some of his equipment that he’d left in other rooms of the house, he strolled into what he referred to as his ‘Lab’ though it wasn’t completely up to his standards yet. 

Three desks occupied most of the space with an overflowing amount of papers and equipment that he’d saved his own money up for. 

Tony twirled about the room and opened drawers to dig for whatever it was that he wanted. They were left hung open and really hammered in the idea that he needed more space. 

The drawer that housed most of his old gaming systems (which were for more leisurely experiments that were just for him where he could borrow some pieces from) was hanging dangerously too far down. It would have crashed if not for one Howard Stark who had somehow come home early from work and into the lab without Tony even noticing. 

“Ever heard of knocking, dad?” Tony mumbled but did not turn around to greet his old man. Instead, he continued fumbling around with his work. 

“The door was open.” 

Tony rolled his eyes and finally turned to where his father was standing. His hands were shoved deep into the pockets of his dress pants and he sported his usual dry expression. 

“Was there a reason why you came in?” Tony fiddled with some of the papers on his desk and plopped down into the soft wheely chair nearby. His legs habitually laid atop the desk and occupied most of the space. 

Howard crossed his arms and looked painfully awkward which was not something that happened too often. “What are you working on?” 

“I know that’s not what you came for but I’ll humor you for a minute.” Tony thumped his pen down and rolled his eyes like he wasn’t secretly a little eager to share his work. “Just some model airplane kinda deal. But it’s actually a bit more than that...” 

Tony hopped up to get his project and ignored his fathers watchful eyes. “A kind of delivery system for medical aid.” he shrugged and held out his model. “I modified the program of this old gaming system, boosted the output-and here’s the clever part-linked it to a communications satellite so I can fly the thing halfway around the world on 1 battery charge.” He finished his little speech and shoved the pen behind his ear.  

Howard examined the model carefully before nodding his head. “That is impressive.” 

“You’re holding back, why are you holding back? You never do that.” Tony sat up.

Howard only shrugged. “I’d make some changes, is all. But listen, Tony, I just came here to talk to you-” 

Tony scowled and leaned back in his chair. “There it is. Whatever you wanna talk about, I don’t. I have work to do. So...” Tony waved his hands towards the door but Howard remained stoic. 

“I’ll remind you in case you’ve forgotten, I am your father, young man. You need to treat me with respect. I will have none of these childish games that you so smugly think you’re good at playing.” Howard stood tall, hands out of pocket and Tony frowned. “Your mother asked me to speak with you because she’s been worried.” 

“God forbid you show me that you care.” His eyes rolled again and he stood from his chair. “What do you want to talk about, dad? What’s so important?” 

“Your behavior. The parties, the drinking, staying out past curfew-” 

“What else?” 

Howard rolled his eyes. “We’re back on this? I’m the bad guy because I don’t want you hanging out with...some boys. Be a respectable man and keep that part of your life private.”

Tony wiped his hand down his face to his chin and sighed. 

“What happened to the thing you had going with my assistant Annabel’s daughter...? Cecilia?” 

“Cissy was a great girl but severely not my type, dad.” He never thought in a million years that his father would ever play dumb about something. But alas, he was the great Howard Stark proving Tony wrong again for the millionth time.

Howard sighed deeply and the worry lines on his face were deeply exposed. “And you’re absolutely sure about that?” 

Tony widened his eyes for a few seconds before they grew too dry and he had to blink. “What like...have I experimented enough to prove my hypothesis?” He smacked his pen against his open palm and waited for his dad’s response. “Cause, gotta say dad, I’ve done a lot of experimenting to come up with my conclusion.” 

Tony was good at saying shit to make his dad pissed. 

“Never-mind. I can’t have this discussion with you because you obviously want to behave like a child.” Howard waved his hand in that ‘Holier-than-thou’ attitude and started to walk off. 

“No! Say what you really want to say, dad! Come on. Be a respectable man and tell your own damn son how you really feel!” He was suddenly desperate to hear what his father thought. He’d spent so long assuming it or being denied of it. 

“How I really feel, huh?” His father spun on him so fast that it knocked the wind out of Tony. He’d never seen his dad express so much anger. He usually opted for subtlety and cold looks. “You are an ungrateful brat. You stay out all night and worry your mother til she’s practically sick. And I come to find out that it’s because you’re sleeping around with guys?-” 

“I was just exaggerating, I haven’t actually slept with-” 

“I don’t care, son. It’s the fact that your Goddamn embarrassing this household. My co-workers have kids at these little high-school parties and I don’t need the talk to be about my son and some boys.” 

Tony swallowed and found that his throat was painfully dry. 

“Are you proud of that? Give me an answer and maybe prove yourself to be an honest man, at the very least.” 

Tony didn’t want to appear nervous but his heart was pounding. “Fuck off. I’m leaving.” Was about all he could muster before he took a pre-packed bag that was sitting on a desk for such occasions like this. 

He pushed past his lovely father and stormed about the house and slammed the door behind him. 

:

:

He stepped out into the street, feeling the brisk air which signaled their school year was coming up on it’s end very soon. Another block in the road towards acquiring the attention of one Steve Rogers. Suddenly the pressure of it all was getting to him. He swallowed a thick ball of mucus and enjoyed the way the low-hanging sun bled warm light onto his moist neck. 

The lighting was just that special kind of muted orange. Which reminded Tony of days he’d spent playing games at the park with the old gang. But those thoughts only lingered before the nostalgia was swallowed and adulthood was spat out onto the dirty sidewalk of a park which no more than a parking lot now. 

He rolled his lips together and looked at that empty lot, picturing the old swing sets and shit, when deliberately quiet footsteps fell next to him. 

“Missing our young, dumb days, huh Tony?” The smirk was clear in her voice. 

“Hey, Nat.” Tony chuckled and started walking his path again. 

Natasha smiled and decided to join him...apparently. She strolled on at the same pace and remained completely quiet in that eerie way of hers. 

“Was on my way to Bruce’s house actually.” Tony clicked his tongue. 

Nat shook her head. “Nah, he’s at that barbecue place with Thor, Loki and his weird friend-” 

"The witch?”

Nat smiled. “Wanda.” She corrected. “What’s with the two of them lately anyway? Never thought they were all that close, even when we were kids.” She pursed her lips and Tony smirked, having knowing something that Nat didn’t was always a rush. 

“Thor took Bruce out on a date to the theater on Monday night.” He bumped their arms together. “Not that Bruce wanted me to know about it, got my work days messed up. He seemed apprehensive.” 

“Holy shit.” She paused. “Guess I was too busy with you & Steve’s game of ‘Will-they-won’t-they’ to notice.” She returned the bump and happily sped up a bit. 

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

{Wednesday Morning}

“I will not condone a course of action that will lead us to war.” Jane Foster puffed out her chest and crossed her arms as she stood at the head of the science lab. “I was not elected to watch my people suffer and die.” She stepped forward strongly and stared dead forward for a few moments before giggling. 

From the bar tables, Thor and Valkyrie clapped next to the bunsen burner and sink. Loki set his chin on his palm and pursed his lips even though he wasn’t actually asked to be a judge. 

“I’m not trying to get a dramatics award, Loki.” She rolled her eyes. “Just trying to pass a History skit, ok?” She walked over and nudged him lightly before taking a seat next to Valkyrie. “Also last I checked, you didn’t like hanging around Thor’s friends.” She tipped her chin.

Loki smirked. “I have a free period and Wanda is in AP English. So I thought I’d spend what little time I have with you three-” Thor smiled at that. “It’s proving to be very boring.” 

“Would it still be boring if I shoved this beaker up your nose?” Valkyrie happily waved one of the skinnier looking beakers and leaned over Thor. Jane couldn’t help but smile with a touch of admiration and amusement. 

Loki didn’t seem bothered at all, just waved his hands up like he was better than that. “I’ll just wander the halls, shall I?” He winked and pushed the door open with his back and twirled out. 

“I think he’s opening up.” Thor smiled and merely shrugged when the girls gave him questioning looks. “He let me talk about Bruce with him.” He gestured his hand out. 

“More like at him.” Valkyrie added, glancing back at Jane with a grin as she squished closer. 

“All he ever has to add is those annoying little quips that sound all elegant but are really insulting.” Jane continued for her with hand-twitching gestures and beamed when Valkyrie smiled. 

Thor paused, realizing that he may be intruding on something without knowing. He wasn’t even sure they knew how close they were being. He did that little closed mouth grin and slapped the table. “I’ll just go tell Darcy about my date with Bruce.”

“Alright, moody.” Valkyrie teased, with a gentle smile. 

Thor stopped trying to stand and fell back on his stool. “SO.” He began and the girls happily listened. 

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

Tony stood on his tip-toes as he shoved his books into his locker. His shirt riding up as he stretched his arms and an approaching Steve found himself paying too much attention to the small peek of skin just above his hipbone.

Tony flattened his feet and twirled to face Steve who put on a grin, hugging some books to his chest. "Can you put these in your locker? Mine's too far from my next classes." He smiled a little and Tony raised his brow.

“Is it just me or is that an odd request, Steve?” Tony chuckled though he was actually panicking, overthinking already. But he reached out nonetheless to grab the tiny stack. 

Steve watched him with oddly interested eyes as Tony twisted them upright and got ready to shove them into the mess that was his locker...but-

Tony rolled his lips together and tried not to blush as he lowered the paperback of ‘The Great Gatsby’ with the napkin tapped to the cover. More specifically, a napkin from his theater with a little doodle of Steve on it. And above him, a bubble which read; “Sick of movies? how about coffee on Saturday?”

Tony glanced over at the blonde jock who looked as if he deserved someone beyond better and tried to hide his shock. “There are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy and the tired.” He quoted straight from the book & glanced up again with a smirk as he flicked his fingers against the cover. 

Steve grinned. “Pursing.” He pointed his thumb into his chest and Tony felt his stomach flip. 

He clicked his tongue and shut the locker with ease. “I’m not generally the pursued, Steve.” He gestured to himself and pushed past him as if he wasn’t hopelessly developing even stronger feelings for him as the days passed. “The busy and tired? More like it.” 

Steve watched him go off in dramatics for a few seconds before strolling after him with a small smile & a glint in his eyes. “Determined. Unbelievably smart. Charming ego. Better than any guy or gal in this school.” 

Tony internally rolled his eyes at the cliche teen romantics of it all. 

“C’mon, Tony. I think you have feelings for me too. How did this end up in me begging you endlessly for one date?” He smirked and was happy to see that Tony returned it with joy. 

“Maybe it’s my charming ego.” He shrugged and sped off to his next class but not before flipping Steve a peace sign and a wink. 

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

Bruce Banner managed to get through his first three classes with no lasting effects other than the growing bags under his eyes and a load of homework he was already planning on finishing soon.

However, he did end up avoiding Thor which was just plain rude... 

Each time unsettled Bruce more but he kept finding himself waiting for the next almost-encounter with some kind of mixture of eagerness for seeing the blonde but disdain for himself. He brushed it off for a few minutes as he trudged down the hall.

His favorite part of school days was the time he spent lingering at his locker. He’d discovered the idea of bringing himself a snack to stash inside his locker at the beginning of the day would feed him for at least the rest of the day. It was a minimal joy to have amidst the passing days of agonizing work and annoying people. It had been Tony’s tradition originally but Bruce decided to copy it almost instantly upon hearing it all the way back to Freshman year. 

It helped him to have something to look forward too, which was lame but did help his grumpiness. Which, if that continued to grow, he’d become irritable and maybe have what some called his ‘anger issues’. It wasn’t if not having a snack in the middle of the day cause him to rage out. But, Bruce found he could easily get worked up to an angry state if pushed too hard. 

Bruce reached his hand in his locker for another handful of his snack for the day, those weird Pretzel Rods. He’d been told they were a boring snack but he actually liked them...Hell, he liked having something salty in the middle of the day-

“Hey Bruce.”

“Shit!” Bruce must have jumped eight feet into the air from pure shock. He banged his head on the edge of his locker and let out a few choice swears as he choked down the last crunch he took and turned behind him.

Thor leaned down a little to rub at Bruce’s sore spot for him, which made the smaller man a little flustered. “It’s fine, Thor. Just a bump.” He chuckled and ushered the much larger hand away. 

Thor nodded, backing up a little. “I was just...” He chuckled, awkwardly. “You know we haven’t talked since our date-if you’re still comfortable calling it that, of course-and I-”

Bruce shook his head. “That’s completely on me-”

“Well, yeah. I did try to reach out-” Thor paused and shook his head. “Sorry, sorry. That was rude. Go on.” He smiled in that special little pure way of his that Bruce found it hard to take any offense. 

“I just...” Bruce swallowed, not sure how to explain to Thor just how terrifying it was for him to express interest in a man who just shouldn’t even be interested in him in the first place. It was just physically impossible. “I-uh...honestly don’t know how to act and I’ve never been with a guy let alone....” he gave Thor a once over. “It’s uncomfortable for me to talk about, sorry.” Bruce nodded, accepting that it was as far as he could go. He held out a Pretzel Rod like that might help. 

Thor gently took the snack and thumped it against his palm with a smile. “Man, I really like you, Bruce.” He turned the rod over with an amused expression but quickly looked up. “I hope you know that. But if you think you’d be more comfortable as friends...” Thor flicked the pretzel through his fingers. “I’d be ok with that. I just hope it’s not because I accidentally dumped my coke on your lap.” He chuckled shyly.

Bruce brightened. “Definitely not. That was...very endearing, actually.” He blushed. The bell rang over their heads and Bruce frowned. “I’d really like to talk this out with you Thor, ok? Really. Let’s meet after school on Friday...get some tutoring done too?” he asked, feeling very open and vulnerable. But Thor made it all melt away in an instant by happily biting his pretzel rod and nodding. 

“I’ll be there.” He raised the bitten half in a ‘cheers’ sort of gesture...

Bruce strolled off with an amused and confused smile. 

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

Fourth Period for the twins was Gym class. 

Which meant Pietro was having the time of his life, running around the track for the mile was probably the highlight of his school year. Wanda watched him turn a corner and felt the corner of her mouth pop up. 

They’d been a lot closer when they were younger but being teenagers seemed to change their relationship immensely. Growing into their very different personalities proved hard for them to match each other, thus made getting along difficult. 

He had his friends and she had hers...she swung the small grip she had on Loki’s palm and continued to walk the track instead of running. “He’s wearing the running shoes I got him for Hanukkah last year.” She mused as Pietro finished...first place. “Wish I was as good at something as he is with...this.” She gestured to the track with a frown.

Loki smiled. “You are.” he swung their grip that time before strolling a little ahead and walking backwards. "Look at you, the mighty Wanda Maximoff, with all your strength in the science of magic...” He trailed off and smirked when she rolled her eyes. “Seriously, Wanda. You’re one serious witch.” 

Wanda grinned. “Nobody takes that seriously except you, Loki.”

Her friend slowed down and strolled next to her again. “You’re smart, Wanda. Who cares of the physical strength it takes to run laps?” He teased her brother. “We’re going to college together, leaving our thick-headed brothers behind, and you’re going to study metaphysics.”

Wanda reached for his hand again and was happy, at least for the moment. Knowing both of them were actually proud of their brothers. 

“So, Thor’s after that Banner guy, you said?” She asked as they turned the fourth corner on their second lap. 

Loki scowled. “Yeah. Seems rather hung up on the whole idea of Bruce.” He shrugged. “They used to hang out a lot when we were younger. But mostly just at school. At home...” Loki shook his entire body and Wanda chuckled. “He’d have all those sleepovers with those testosterone filled jerks and that Sif girl.” 

Loki hated remembering all the times he’d tried to join those sleepovers as a mere child and been mercilessly teased out by Thor’s friends. Sure, he understood the classic younger sibling is ‘lame’ family trope but...it was Hell when added on to the fact that Thor was Odin’s favorite. 

Wanda nodded. “Growing up makes us all jerks sometimes.” She spoke in her ominous tone and looked off in the distance before Pietro jogged past them; she instinctively held her hand out for a quick high-five. 

The sound of their hands slapping made Loki smirk. “You’re right. Siblings are a torture but they are...” He looked off in Pietro’s path. “fun to have around.” 

The two of them grinned and continued to slack off. 

:

:

:

: :

:

: 

“Pietro is driving some of his friends home so he doesn’t care if I go home with you guys.” Wanda spoke as she walked back over to where Loki was leaning on the brick wall of the school building. Her eyes squinted from the glare of the sun but she smiled at the heat. 

“Tell your parents you’re sleeping over, I wanna try out some new stuff with my make-up and I-....” Loki paused and watch the oddball twirl about his pointer finger, which was dripping with subtle blood. He smirked. “What are you doing weirdo?”

She held out the cut for him to examine. “I cut it on Pietro’s watch-” She waved it around for a second before raising it up to her chin. 

Loki rolled his eyes, disgruntled at the sight. “I thought you stopped doing that, it’s so...uncivilized.” he watched the girl pop her finger into her mouth and suck the blood like it was no big deal. She shrugged and smiled around the finger, held still by her teeth now. 

From over her shoulder, Loki spotted a carefree looking Thor bounding over. He was making quick goodbyes to his little group, winking at Valkyrie as she and Jane fled school grounds. 

He stopped short of the pair and smiled brightly. Wanda tried to return the gesture but once she pulled her finger outta her mouth, lines of blood covered her teeth. Loki laughed at her but Thor just continued to grin at her. 

“Shut-up.” She pinched Loki’s arm as they followed Thor to the car and began swiping her tongue across her teeth. 

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

{Wednesday Night} 

“Your body heat is making me uncomfortable.” 

Sam tried to look up at Bucky while he spoke but the man’s chin was resting on the top of his head which made it rather difficult and though it was a touch too warm, Sam felt quite relaxed. 

They were curled up on the small bed that conquered most of the room in Sam’s room, his elbow probably poking into Bucky’s ribs. It wasn’t often that Bucky spent the night, due to the fact that Sam’s parents were wise to their relationship. But, they made an exception as long as Bucky slept in the guestroom once it was time for sleep...that and the door stayed open a few inches. It was no paradise but...they liked to be together. 

Bucky pulled slightly back and allowed Sam to scoot off his lap and plant himself firmly next to him on the couch. “The problem is that you’re always freezing.” He threw his arm around the man once more as if that previous complaint meant nothing to him which was something Sam often did. 

“Sam, you almost always feel like you’ve been out in the sun for a week.” Bucky scrunched up his nose, wondering just how it was that Sam could feel feverish so often. He reached his hand up and gently rested it on the side of his face, feeling for the heat, and then brushed it down across his chin to the other cheek. He could tell that the other man really loved when he did things like that. 

“Maybe it’s all the working-out.” Sam smirked, tilting his head to the side and meaning a lot more with that comment than he usually would. Bucky pursed his lips and pulled away slightly, the fabric of the couch rolling under his pants. 

“I only said you worked out too much cause I didn’t want you to keep hugging me when you were dripping with sweat.” Bucky said strongly before realizing how bad that made him sound. But Sam only started to laugh and soon enough, Bucky joined him. 

That was something he really loved about them being an ‘us’. He’d found their relationship was constantly full of playful bickering that was special just to them. Nobody else got it. Sam was just so...easy-going. It naturally rubbed off on himself that way. They found the perfect harmony as a couple.  

“It’s not that bad.” Bucky giggled and Sam happily shoved him a little.

“You’re always so sweet to me.” He playfully held Bucky’s hands to his his chest and then let them fall from his own grip but the boy only reached for Bucky’s hands again and absentmindedly played with them. 

Bucky looked at Sam with all the love in his soul and cuddle closer on the damn tiny bed. “Aren’t I, Doll?” He mumbled softly into Sam’s ear. 

“Can’t believe we hated each other at first.” Sam shook his head and chuckled.

“Did we really though?” Bucky bumped their arms together and nuzzled his nose along the line of Sam’s neck. 

“Maybe not, I mean...you told me you loved me within the first two weeks of dating, Buck. I think that says a lot about our ‘hatred’" Sam turned and bumped their noses together and chuckled lightly when Bucky blushed with embarrassment. “And what’d I say back, Buck?” He asked smoothly. 

Bucky looked thoughtful and bashful in the way only Sam saw. “That you loved me too.” He scooted closer. “And that we were probably dumb kids for meaning it so early.” 

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

{Wednesday Night}

The laundry basket that should have been on it’s way to the dryer, sat on the floor just in front of the small window in the living-room. The sunlight that poured through the open window highlighted the array of flying dust and bathed the pile of moist clothes in the kind of heat that would surely begin a blooming sunburn on any person who dared to sit there for that long. 

The basket had been sitting there for just about a half-hour without Steve managing to notice he’d forgotten all about it. 

He whistled softly to himself as he crossed the hardwood floor and set some magazine down on his coffee table. While he made the move to sit down, he noticed the plastic white basket out of the corner of his eye and hesitated. He wasn’t usually the kind of person who huffed about simple chores but it just served as a reminder that his regular routine of things had been newly shaken by his Fathers longer work hours.  

The joints in his legs cracked as if he was an old man when he heaved himself back up from the sitting position and over to the damn thing. He looked at it as if it had personally attacked him for a few seconds before kneeling down next to it, hand digging into it. He debated on whether or not it was necessary to rush this dryer journey and unfortunately, he would be needing these clothes soon. 

Hiking the basket up, he walked towards his door and heard the pleasing sound of the static television playing some family-friendly show from the living room. The lights above him flickered eerily and really set the mood for how creepy the Roger’s laundry room really was. 

He dug through the damp clothes to really examine what he’d shoved inside the basket and glanced at the TV every once in a while by peeking round the corner. It was some show he didn’t recognize but he pegged that to his distance from television lately. 

Through the wiggling static that made up the TV display, Steve made out some father figure on the show talking sternly to his daughter. Something about boys. “It’s always the funny ones that ya gotta watch out for. They can make you laugh, they can charm ya into anything. I don’t trust this guy-” 

Steve bit the inside of his lip and shook his head. He remembered hearing some line that was quite similar to that one on some show he’d watched as a kid. It never sat well with him, even as a little boy who sat way too close to the TV. He wasn’t a very funny guy himself. At least he never thought so. He’d been told on a few occasions that he could really be a hit with jokes but he didn’t think of it as stand-out or especially good. ‘Course, he didn’t think anything about himself was. But he always sorta wished it was a better talent of his. He’d seen a few pals of his get women that way and maybe it’d work just the same for him but it was a method he never practiced on purpose....-

‘Not that it mattered’ He smiled at the thought of one Tony Stark, who always made Steve laugh. He was just one of those funny guys which saved Steve from the problem all together. 

For the first time in his life, Steve found himself on the other end of the...’usual relationship arrangement?’. ‘Not that it was a problem’. But he’d been used to asking a lady out and sure-he’d been the one to ask out Tony but...man oh man...Tony had Steve completely wrapped around his finger like no other gal did. 

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

Their night was about to begin; The palettes that Loki had purchased were sitting in the middle of the carpet next to Wanda’s lit up mirror (which she’d continued to forget at the Odinson household for a solid two months) & Wanda was wrapping a Scooby-Doo band-aid around her finger. 

All was settled until Thor busted (gently walked if you asked Wanda) into Loki’s room with a hopeful expression. “I don’t wan to interrupt but I was wondering if you’d like me to drive you guys for ice-cream?” He smiled and took a seat on the carpet with them. 

“Something’s troubling you brother.” Loki chuckled. “But if your misery works in my benefit, I’ll allow it.” He shrugged but shot Thor a tiny yet meaningful smile. 

“Loki’s gonna do our make-up first.” Wanda smiled. 

Loki bit into his cheek and felt a sharp sense of nerves go through his body. It wasn’t as if Thor didn’t support him or even cared at all if he wore make-up but he’d never...done himself up with him in the room. 

“Can I watch?” Thor asked, happily. 

Loki shrugged. “Sure. I’m going to start with Wanda, who likes a lot of red shadows...so I’ll just get those ready before we start with her base...” He hummed as his finger waved around the palettes.  

He carefully began his work on Wanda and tried to pretend he wasn’t nervous under Thor’s eyes. “So how are things with Banner?” He glanced over. 

Thor rolled his lips together and shrugged. “We had a nice time on our...” He paused. “date. But he wants to talk things out on Friday.” 

Loki hummed and urged Wanda to close her eyes. “Bruce was always the oddest of your old little group.” He shrugged. “He’s not one for attention or...” Loki waved around a brush before trailing off. “I’m sure he likes you Thor. There’ll just be some things you’ll have to understand about him before you two actually get together, you know?” 

Thor perked up a little. “You are wise on these subjects, brother.” Loki shrugged, with fake modesty. 

: : : : : : : Wanda was glossing her lips as Loki swiped a perfect winged eyeliner down the slope of his eyes, mirror in hand. He tried to keep the proud look off his face as Thor actually seemed impressed with his work. 

It was a more subtle take on the look he’d been testing out but as he pulled back for a full view, he grinned. 

“I love it!” Thor smiled. 

Loki shoved down the literal pride he felt. Odin, his own father, was always ashamed to see these looks. But his Mother would always cheer and look amazed. And Thor...He just always seemed so naturally pleased and astounded by the talent it took. 

He never once made Loki feel weird about it. 

“Of course you do.” Loki put on a half-false confidence and picked up a lingering mascara tube. “Ruby Red...” 

He flicked the tube towards Wanda, who took her Que to really show off her glittering red look. 

“And...” Loki pointed back to himself. “Emerald City.” He gestured to the shimmery greens and smirked over at his best friend, who was now getting ready to get the ice-cream promised. 

“Now let’s go. You’re paying.” Loki smacked Thor’s arm as the younger two darted out the bedroom door. 

[virryth]

Doctor!AU Junhui

happy carat day~ the world’s sweetest, brightest, funniest boy, hope people see the other sides of him that i do ;-;

tw// mentions of mild domestic problems

Read Doctor!AU Jihoon | More Junhui au | More SVT au

2.3k | Fluff | Bullet | Not proofread

Mascot of the pediatric ward

Loves loves loves kids

The kids love him too, Dr. Wen is literally doctor of the year if you ask any of these kids

He’s not the only doctor in the whole ward, but he’s the most loved by everyone--the kids, the parents, nurses, techs, scribes, anyone and everyone who’s ever worked with him

And he’s loved for many reasons, Junhui has a way of getting kids to tell him many things

Treating children is a gift, they can’t always say what bothers them nor answer any medical questions. Their attention span is virtually nonexistent and they’re impatient, so what Junhui is able to do is truly a talent

Pediatric doctors must know how to create a non-threatening environment (even with sharp tools laying around) and ease their patients into a relaxed and cooperative state in order to treat them

Dr. Wen excels at his job

Speaks to the kids in this calm, innocent voice that ease their minds, all the kids not only listen to but also follow his words

Ever since Junhui was transferred to the pediatric ward, the amount of complaints from patients, parents, even nurses and doctors dropped exponentially 

Bitter medicine? Dr. Wen has a way to get the kids to drink up

Homesick? He’s here to keep them company if he’s free

Everyone knows his skill is a talent, but he doesn’t think so. He’s just here because he likes children and hates seeing them in pain

The less patient there are in the ward, the happier he is, children shouldn’t be frequenting hospitals when they can spend their free time outside in the playground

Some kids get so attached to Junhui they wouldn’t go to bed if he didn’t personally come and say goodnight

One of the residents, Zhennan, brings his baby brother to work sometimes because he didn't have a babysitter, and little Haohao is so fond of Junhui he keeps leaving the playroom to ask for piggy-back rides and airplane rides from the doctor (here!)

Zhennan, sulking but trying his best to be nonchalant: he loves you more... that’s fine;; i guess

Junhui, holding Haohao on his shoulders: noooo please take him back i have to work :((

Goes to work in scrubs like all the attending doctors but,,, he looks Extra Good™ 

Obviously because of his blessed good looks, but also he just has this natural air of royalty 

wears the white coat because the kids like to dig up candies in his front pockets (he always keeps them stocked)

Hair gelled back, forehead for days, bright eyes and a beautiful heart-shaped smile that lit up the entire ward

Honestly looks so expensive some days like he’s just in scrubs but the way he carries himself speaks a whole other story

People assume he probably drives an expensive sports car and owns a million dollar mansion but then they see him crouching down on the floor ruffling a kid’s hair and pinching his cheeks and they’re like… he’s just made of good old father material

Lowkey has a fanclub in the hospital

He kept to himself and doesn’t wander to the other wards often, except to visit Jihoon from ER or Wonwoo from Psych on consultation calls, but generally he’s in the pediatric ward or walking around doing his rounds on patients

Like most hospitals, people come to the nursery all the time to see babies and ease their stress

Let’s just say that recently more people have come for purposes besides looking at babies

Dr. Wen is so careful and gentle with his hands and words that the nurses ask him to administer shots to the crybabies when they’ve run out of options, and even though it’s not really his job, he likes to help out any way he can

Smiles a lot when he’s with the kids, a whole six feet something crawling on the ground, if he must, to communicate with them 

There’s a no running policy in the hospital but the kids are an exception and so is Dr. Wen

He’s a cHILD

Will play tag with them if they asked because he wants them to spend their time like how they would in a playground with their peers

Has fallen multiple times catching kids or just plainly tripping over himself to prevent them from falling

Actually acts like a child sometimes that doctors and nurses take care of him with parental eyes

Nurse Seungkwan is always like, “doctor please don’t drop the child.”

Dr. Wen holding a kid from up top like, “don’t worry, he likes airplanes :D”

But Seungkwan knows how much Junhui treasures each and every patient, so he lets it slide...for now

It’s still a handful dealing with Junhui though poor Seungkwan someone get him a drink

You only know him from the rumors, something about a very handsome doctor from pediatric that loves playing with children, your colleagues visit that section of the hospital sometimes just to catch a glimpse of him

It’s really not your business, you were never gonna see him anyway since you work legals for the hospital, handling lawsuits and medical jurisdiction and whatnot

Until a case comes up that pertains to one of the outpatients the ER admitted

Apparently, after receiving emergency care, the patient snuck to the pediatric ward to see her son who was hospitalized at the time, but she didn’t have any visitation rights from the child’s father and thus the father sued the hospital for letting this happen

It’s a simple case and can easily be settled, but the child’s father was adamant about meeting the mother with the presence of the hospital’s legal team as well s an attending doctor, so here you both are

You thought words didn’t do Dr. Wen justice, you didn't think any doctor could look this handsome 

Isn’t there another job title for someone born with those looks? Like actor, or model?

Junhui doesn’t look thrilled to be here and he’s a little jumpy, and at first you chalked it up to him feeling nervous, but then you noticed him glancing and smiling reassuringly at the little girl beside him... he was just worried for the child’s mental state

The meeting wasn’t pretty, at one point her parents were so heated in their argument that the child visibly recoiled, Junhui had to stop the parents and asked to be excused with the child

The meeting ended in a settlement, and you thought it could have been handled better without aggravating the little girl, but it wasn’t your place to speak so you held your tongue

It wasn’t Junhui’s place either, but he got angry regardless because his first priority is his patient’s wellbeing 

You have to admit, it was a pleasant surprise compared to some of the doctors you’ve worked with who cared more about not getting sued 

You thought he was a pretty great guy

Such a pity that this would probably be the last time you see him, right?

it’s not

Out of all the people to get snowed in with on a particularly late shift, it’s Dr. Wen from pediatrics

Just your luck that none of your friends were working a shift--Mingyu from dermatology dipped at noon when he heard about the snow storm, and Vernon from ortho was chilling at home on his off day

Just your luck that you decided to go sit outside the infant wards to wait it out, running straight into Dr. Wen who just got off work

And it’s not that you’re... awkward around Junhui, there just isn’t much to talk about between you two

You’ve met up a few times for lunch since you had mutual friends and had casually moved on to a first-name base, but you never really spent time alone with him 

So you were somewhat surprised when he offered to wait with you instead of his other friends who were also snowed in

“It doesn’t look like it’ll stop soon, we might have to wait it out till morning.”

“Oh, well, at least I have company,” you smiled.

It was strange, you really don’t feel awkward with him as you usually would around others

Maybe it’s because he deals with kids, he seems so carefree and welcoming that the silence between you two is just comfortable 

or maybe his pretty smile just puts you at ease

And it’s because of this easy space that you got to know him a lot more that day

You found out he became a doctor because of his little brother 

He likes to cook sometimes, though he’s limited to basic midnight-snacks type of meals

He plays piano, and he’s admittedly more shy than he looks

He also has a really easy way to get you to open up

and his laughter is so warm

Junhui learns a lot about you, too, and the more you talk, the more you regret not having this conversation with him sooner

When you met up for lunch the next week, scribe Chan and nurse Seungkwan could visibly feel something was going on

Chan, when Jun was out of earshot: is it just me or is something different between you two? 

Seungkwan: be quiet and eat your food before Jun-hyung gets mad at you

Chan: eyyy i’ve never seen Jun-hyung get mad mad

Seungkwan: hmm you know what, I’ve worked with him for years but I haven’t seen it either

Chan: right? I mess up on my charts sometimes and would have gotten strikes if it was with another doctor, but Junnie-hyung never got mad at me

Seungkwan: I wonder how scary he is when he’s mad,,, but can such a carefree guy be upset over anything?

You: what do you mean? of course he can

Chan: 

Seungkwan:

Chan:

Seungkwan: wait--

Chan: you’ve seen it?!

Junhui, coming back to the table confused as to why Chan and Seungkwan are looking at him with their eyes wide opened: what? why are you so quiet? what did i do? D:

To think Junhui has never gotten angry at anything until his patient was put in harm’s way,,, you’re grateful to be able to see how much he cared for others. You thought he was truly kind.

Slowly, lunches turn into dinners, and your friends faded away in the background

Since your work schedule aligned on most days, you would get off work at the same time as Junhui, and it became almost routine that you go out for dinner together out of conveniency 

Then conveniences turn into plans, and soon, you were spending almost all of your free time with Junhui

You like how he sees the world through these rose-colored frames, his view so optimistic and childlike

But you also see the hardworking side of Junhui, the lack of sleep and stress he faced pulling double shifts and on-calls to make sure the kids always have someone in case of an emergency

Of course he has worries no matter how carefree he may seem, everyone does, and you’re thankful he’s learned not to shoulder every difficult thing alone, because now he shares them with you

On such days, you always bring breakfast and spend your early morning with him so he can have a little break

He gets a little defensive when you ruffle his hair, “I’m not a kid you know? I have a pretty cool image to uphold around this part of the hospital.” 

but he welcomes the comfort and warmth you bring 

he doesn’t have a cool image everyone knows he’s a kid

Junhui appreciates your every moments with him, and didn’t realized he had grown to see you as someone special until his little brother asked him one night if he has a favorite person at the hospital

the first person he thought of was you, except.. you weren’t like Wonwoo or Seungkwan or Chan or Jihoon

You’re a friend... but you’re also not

To him, you were more than that, and he felt silly it took him this long to realize

He didn’t call it a date the next time you hung out, but he held your hand for the first time (and giggled to himself afterward, thinking you didn’t see, but you did)

Then Junhui picks you up to and from work whenever he can, holding your hands in the car, holding your hands on dates, holding your hands when he introduced you to his little brother

Your lunches together was almost like a parade as everyone now knows that you’re dating Dr. Wen Junhui from pediatrics

Nothing has really changed, except Mingyu was sulky when Seungkwan and Chan proudly said they witnessed this budding relationship, and the infamously intense Dr. Lee Jihoon from ER gave you a thumbs up when you worked with him on a case

Junhui speaks highly of you to anyone he meets, and though the attention makes you a little embarrassed, you love that side of him that isn’t afraid to speak his mind

There’s a deep maturity to him that isn’t often seen until he’s ready to show it, and you’re glad to be able to see this side of him

There’s the other side of him too, the one that sneaks up on you for a warm hug, squeezes your hand in between passing, and kisses you behind closed doors

Occasionally he’d just sit with you when you come to visit, taking the time he spends with you as a break from his hectic schedule

He would lean on your shoulder for comfort and play with your hands as you tell him about your days, chatting about the future and losing count of how many cats you’ve named together

When you saw him nodding off to the soft vibration of your voice, you felt a surging sense of comfort, of familiarity that only exists in your small bubble of happiness 

Junhui feels like home, and you never want to be anywhere else

-V

Read Doctor!AU Jihoon | More Junhui au | More SVT au 

[architectuul]

Curating an Exhibition in 2020: Handle with Care

Architecture exhibition Handle with Care: Tales of the Invisible opens at the Lisbon Architecture Triennale on October 15, as part of this year’s program of the Future Architecture Platform. To mark the occasion, here’s the interview with Sonja Lakić, architect, researcher and curator of the exhibition.

Preparing the exhibition at Lisbon Architecture Triennale headquarters, August 2020. | Photo © Sara Battesti

As we’re approaching the winter season of the pandemic which has pushed the entire world into various forms and intensities of isolation, it seems like there could hardly be a better time to reflect upon the practice of care and its relationship to architecture. Our rooms are becoming our worlds. When you began dreaming up this exhibition, did you anticipate it opening in this context of increased awareness of the spaces we inhabit? Absolutely not. The only spaces that curating this exhibition was supposed to unfold in, apart from Lisbon Architecture Triennale headquarters, were, obviously, interiors of Future Architecture platform partners institutions that I was, as it was originally planned, about to visit last spring. I would also add interiors of airports and airplanes to the list. Hotels included. I am still curious about all the breakfasts I missed due to pandemic. I, obviously, ended up making my dreams happen in front of my screen, meeting people sitting in front of their own laptops and/or computer screens, mostly inside their homes around Europe. I vividly remember the variety of blankets, cozy sofas and afternoon naps that violently came to an end due to numerous online meetings across Europe, as well as scaffolding outside an apartment in Turin that reminded me on L’Aquila, where I completed my PhD, planting a garden on a rooftop terrace in Lisbon, dilemmas from Berlin, and, finally, being taken next to a window in Barcelona to clap and support all the caretakers. I dreamt inside all of these homes without stepping inside any of them, appreciating them as the new landscapes of care, and, finally, landed in Lisbon: we are all, obviously, still in the mode of the increased awareness by all means, yet, the exhibition will get you covered from A to Z. It is, after all, handled with care.   

Space Which Meditates: Future Architecture Accessories | Photo © Sonja Lakić

How did your background in architectural research and your lasting interest in lived forms of buildings inform your work on curating this exhibition?

I am somewhat a dissident from the discipline: I work visually, yet, I operate at the scale of the everyday, chasing after the non-evident and doing the storytelling by often using the language of urban anthropology and urban ethnography. I do not believe that architecture is only a physical matter: there is more to the story than meets the eye. That being said, there was only one way to curate the “Tales of the Invisible”: zero concrete. Zero final solutions. Hardly any material architecture. From the very beginning, I knew there would be no space for the permanently built structures: instead, I, again, chose to focus on the human clay and bring different people and thinking experiments to light. I searched for different concepts and ideas, digging deep for passion and determination, attempts and failures, individuals and groups that once made the architecture world turn around, traveling back and forth in time, myself unlearning what architecture may (not) be. There is never a wrong moment to celebrate humankind and this exhibition is, to a certain extent, an excuse to do so: a gentle reminder of what still surrounds us and what we are made of, or, at least, once were.

The creative process: keeping it as analogue as possible. | Drawings and photos © Sonja Lakić

Curator's Log. An excerpt. Preparing "Handle with Care: Tales of the Invisible" exhibition for Lisbon Architecture Triennale under the Lisbon sun. | Video © Sonja Lakić

In your curatorial statement, you refer to this exhibition as to “homage to the quirks of the human mind”, “a call to re-think where we stand” and “a gentle reminder that life comes before buildings”. Can this be interpreted as an invitation to (re)consider the political role of architecture? I, most of all, envisioned the exhibition as a conversation, or, more precisely, a call for heart-to-heart exchange of this kind: my intention and desire is that people experience it and understand it in a variety of ways, yet, in full accordance with who they genuinely are. I never aimed to reach a consensus of any kind since that would mark an end of any debate. I, therefore, thank you for this question: I am more than happy to see that, days prior to the opening, the exhibition already lives its purpose by being interpreted. Thus, to a certain extent, the answer to your question is: yes, this is also an invitation to (re)consider the political role of architecture. What, for example, influenced my curatorial approach is “the awareness to the wonders” that Alberto Pérez-Gómez believes and, moreover, propagates in the book “Built upon Love: Architectural Longing after Ethics and Aesthetics”: we, whoever we may (not) be, should develop and nurture this skill that I interpret as “to stop and smell the roses”. This exhibition does this as well. Referring to your question, I have to say that I, obviously, find architecture political and this is, with no doubt, where consensus is inevitable.

Creating models from a discarded box of chocolate cookies | Photo © Sonja Lakić

Can architecture amplify the human potential for care-giving and care-receiving, and if so, how?

I believe that architecture itself stands for the noble discipline of care. This is why I, once upon a time, decided to study it: I recognised it as an opportunity to care about people while never letting go of mathematics, arts and drawing. For a nerd like me, to be engaged in this wide spectrum of disciplines is even nowadays of crucial importance, and was, therefore, as equally important during the early university days of mine, when I managed to detect  traces of psychology and sociology in very few courses I was enrolled in. 

Architecture, most of all, is all about a very particular responsibility that first comes with the vision of an architect and next translates to “a program” of how to use a building: this is where one needs to be very careful, while, simultaneously, to care a lot. The program is, say, often a recipe for how to live one’s life, as prescribed by an architect: of course, this rarely happens, for the life itself is not to be tamed. Architecture already amplifies the human potential for care-giving and care-receiving. Or, should I say that there are architects who do so? Maybe that would be more ethical. There are beautiful individual minds and collectives who stand for care by their mere existence, embracing their ethics in their texts and variety of programs. To paraphrase Esra Akcan, one of my favorite minds of all times: architecture can heal. And I believe it should. The process of healing may happen through the process of (un)learning, collaboration with other disciplines, seeing the world through the eyes of the other, while, simultaneously, never ever considering anyone as the other. Same goes for care. 

Taking a break in the summer of the 2020: the Sun, the ocean, the drinks, and the disinfectant gel. | Photo © Sonja Lakić

What, however, instantly comes to my mind when thinking about architecture and care, especially the healing process, is whether it is possible for the healing of post-conflict societies, including the country of my origin, that is, the region of former Yugoslavia, to happen via architectural programs that, to put it simply, celebrate life. What if, instead of constantly exposing one to memorabilia that recalls past events and somewhat advocates for the culture of mourning, we take care of people by gently reminding them of all the reasons why it is good to be alive? I am aware that this is somewhat calling for a revolution, yet, this is how “the awareness to the wonders” I previously mentioned may be attempted to achieve, without any actual construction happening: this is where temporary structures, installations and performances and engaging in performative planning and tactical urbanism, could play an important role. We owe it to ourselves, as well as to each of our individual human potentials, regardless of who we as individuals are, to, at least, try, having a little faith in architecture as an event rather than the final say. 

Sonja Lakić at Lisbon Architecture Triennale headquarters, August 2020. | Photo © Sara Battesti

The exhibition draws from the collections of the Museum of Architecture and Design in Ljubljana, MAXXI National Museum of 21st Century Arts and the Estonian Museum of Architecture. What does curatorial collaboration with museums scattered across Europe look like in a time of Covid-19? 

On the one hand, it resembled any other “new normal” kind of experience and, in that sense, it was not any different from any of the pandemic-imposed daily routine since it evolved around the absence of movement and the impossibility of touch. Simultaneously, it was quite a challenge: can you imagine curating an exhibition without stepping into an institution and getting to see a collection? I did dig deep within myself, looking for answers, and have to admit that, occasionally, it seemed to be a bit of a challenge. However, I have to say that I am immensely grateful to all the people that I crossed paths with and whom I collaborated with on this project: words are not enough to describe how easy and smooth the overall process was and how helpful, patient and caring were partners from Ljubljana, Rome and Tallinn. I learned a lot and indeed grew, yet, not only in professional terms: rather, collaboration with Museum of Architecture and Design in Ljubljana, MAXXI National Museum of 21st Century Arts and the Estonian Museum of Architecture had a profound impact on me personally as well and was, in this sense, a game changer. They were all extremely devoted and committed, helping me connect with architects and scientists that I, prior to this exhibition, have only read about. Oh, I went places I never dreamed of, and I will come back for more, however, in person. Hopefully no more screens.

Lisbon people and their balconies. | Photo © Sonja Lakić

A while ago, you stayed in Lisbon as a visiting researcher at ISCTE-IUL; now you’re back to curate an exhibition commissioned by Lisbon Architecture Triennale. What about the city preoccupies you these days? If Lisbon, as a living archive, could preserve one message from this exhibition, what would you like that message to be?

People. People always preoccupy me regardless of my geographical location. I am currently collaborating with ISCTE-IUL again and am also affiliated with ETNO.URB, so there are many big fishes to fry, and I am extremely happy and beyond excited for this. Of course, I could not help it: again, I observed the Lisbon edition of glazed balconies, and I found that one of them is especially dear to my heart, as it conceals the story about the most notorious apartment in the 1980s neighborhood where I found my home. 

As far as the message, I would say it is rather evident: life comes before buildings. People first. Always and forever.

Sonja Lakić (1983) is an internationally trained architect and researcher with a PhD in Urban Studies. Her work evolves around open architecture and dialectical urbanism, with a keen interest in lived forms of buildings hence anthropological and sociological aspects of architectural design and the built environment. Topics of her curiosity that she nurtured in Gran Sasso Science Institute and while briefly appointed as visiting researcher at ISCTE-IUL in Lisbon, include the everydayness of architecture, home(making), housing and informality, buildings as living archives, post-conflict societies. Sonja operates across different disciplines and scales, works visually, and collects oral histories, practicing unconventional ethnography and storytelling mainly through photography. --- By Sonja Dragović

[emma-nation]

Set Free - Choices July Challenge Day #10 (Love)

Pairing: MonaxMC (Ride Or Die)

Rating: T

Summary: Mona has been together with Allison for two years, but an incident will change everything, making her question their relationship.

Notes: I wrote this in a hurry, I hope you like it anyways.

Tag List: @zoe6111, @simsvetements, @mvrinettes, @whoinvitedalx, @scarlet-letter-a0114, @abunchofbadchoices, @kamilahmademedoit, @janurary, @talkinlikeateen, @eagle-one-1, @andreear17, @tia-bi, @monagf, @monahott, @fal-carrington, @crazzyplays, @honorablebicycle ​, @kinda-iconic ​, @choicesjulychallenge ​ (let me know if you want to be tagged!)

After a long and difficult exam week in college, Allison went back to her dorm room, ready to throw herself in bed and rest for the entire weekend. She put on her pajamas and when she had just laid in bed, noises of tiny fragments of stones being thrown on her window made her wince in displeasure.

"Probably some drunk guy playing a stupid prank," she thought.

She went to the window, ready to shout some offensive words, but who she saw instead made her grin, broad and joyful. As she opened the window, a familiar face climbed up the building, invading her room.

"Mona, what are you doing here?" She asked, barely able to contain herself to not squeeze her to death. It had been months since her last visit.

"I was passing by and..." the raven-haired girl smiled, "well, I kinda missed you."

"I missed you too!"

"Well, then what are you waiting for to kiss me?!"

Allison quickly wrapped her arms around Mona's neck, pressing her lips on hers and kissing her passionately.

"Now that's more like it," Mona finished by nibbling on her earlobe. "Were you going to bed yet? I could totally help with that."

"Yeah," Allison nodded. "I had an exam week and I'm completely exhausted."

Mona started walking around the dorm, reading the notes and books she left open on her desk.

"But this is a piece of cake. Nothing my favorite nerd can't do."

"I'm not so sure about it," Allison threw herself in bed again. "I'm pretty sure I almost failed."

"Almost?" Mona joined her. "I know you. When you say that, it's because you totally rocked."

"Not this time..."

Mona laid on the bed, right beside her. Allison snuggled against her body, resting her head on her chest. She closed her eyes to hear Mona’s heart beating inside her chest. Her heartbeats were somehow comforting and relaxing. Despite her cold attitude, her body was also warm as a fire pit.

"Why did it take you so long this time?" Allison asked, playing with Mona’s fingers. "I was beginning to get worried."

Mona took a while to respond. She kept staring distantly at the ceiling, as if she was searching for the proper words to answer that question.

"Things got out of control again, Allison. I was about to get promoted, but this jealous bitch... with a little digging on the internet, she found everything about me and ratted me to my boss. He quickly called the cops, of course."

"Oh shit, I'm so sorry."

The last time they spoke, Allison learned Mona had gotten a job. A real job, that was paying quite well due to her buying and selling skills. From her former job, Mona learned how to close deals very easily. She was quite thrilled about it, as she was finally able to create a new and normal life for herself.

After another silent moment, Mona looked at her and smiled again, before pressing another kiss on her lips.

"What matters is that I’ve managed to escape and I'm here with you again."

"So, did you bring me a gift from your latest adventures, like you do everytime?"

It was a tradition between them, everytime Mona came secretly visit her in college, she'd bring a small gift from the places she had been. They had been doing that for the last two years, since Allison started studying in Langston.

"Of course!"

From the pocket of her jacket, Mona took a car miniature. One that looks exactly like the real model she had.

"For you to remember me."

"As if it was possible to forget you."

"I know, gorgeous. Now where's my gift too?"

Allison went to one of her drawers, getting a necklace with a Japanese symbol, meaning luck.

"I'm gonna need a lot of it," Mona joked.

"Now you're going to have it."

Allison joined her in bed again, cherishing her presence as much as possible. She never knew when she'd be seeing Mona again. Sometimes it took days or weeks, and even months. Everytime she'd get worried that she had been caught or injured again.

While Mona gently stroked her hair, they eventually fell asleep together.

----------

In the next morning, Allison took Mona to her favorite coffee shop. She'd change places each visit. Sometimes it was her favorite restaurant, or the park, the museum, an amusement park... she needed to diversify, in case she was being monitored by the police.

Mona ordered an exaggerated amount of food, what suggested she had been driving non-stop, and probably barely eating, for a few days. Other than that, she was quiet. Too quiet. When that happened, Allison knew something should be seriously wrong.

"Our project is doing fine," Allison announced, trying to lighten the mood. "When I graduate, we're getting our own place."

Mona fought hard a smile, keeping her eyes lowered to her plate, as if she wanted to avoid looking at Allison.

"Are you keeping some money too?" Allison insisted, trying to cheer her up.

"Actually,” she sighed deeply, “I came here to tell you goodbye, Allison. It's the last time I'm visiting you."

"What?!"

"I'm leaving the country on Monday. I can't no longer live like this, and drag you with me. It's getting impossible to hide, and going back to jail is not even an option.”

“Y-You can’t be serious...”

“I came here because I wanted to have one last weekend, one last moment with you. One to remember.”

For the next hours, they spend the day walking around the campus, without caring if they were being seen together. Allison was extremely distressed by the latest news. She knew Mona was too, but she just managed to hid it too well, by cracking jokes or making sarcastic comments about her situation. They stopped under a tree.

“Imagine if I studied here too?” Mona teased, playing with Allison’s hair. “You’d have to work even harder to keep your number one student position.”

“It’s not fair,” Allison commented, with a crackling voice.

“What?”

“It’s not fair you can’t have it. It’s not fair we’ll have to get separated. It’s not fair when you keep paying for old mistakes, even when you willing to change.”

“I know, Allison. Honestly, I was aware of all of this when I went to Los Angeles with Kaneko. I knew there was no turning back.”

“But it has to be!” Allison protested, tears started rolling from her eyes. “I’m gonna talk to my dad, I’m sure he...”

“No way,” Mona interrupted her. “Your father hates me to his guts, do you really think he’d be willing to help?”

She was probably right. Allison knew, through her father, that Los Angeles Police was still after the Mercy Park Crew former members. Although he was no longer involved in the investigation, she doubted he’d offer help to clear Mona’s record. She buried her face on Mona’s chest and started sobbing.

“Hey, that’s okay, princess,” Mona wrapped an arm around her shoulders, bringing her even closer. “I always knew you were too good to be true. Actually, I’m surprised we’ve made this far. Someday you’re gonna meet a rich frat guy, who’ll take you out to fancy dates, buy you some nice gifts... you’re gonna be somebody else’s princess. The way you deserve.”

“I don’t want anybody else!” Allison grabbed her by the jacket, staring directly into her dark brown eyes. “I want you! I want a life with you! What about all our plans? Our apartment, our car, our business...?”

“It was just a dream and you know it. Reality strikes hard, babe.”

“I-I’m not letting you go.”

Mona didn’t say anything. She only held Allison close, enjoying that moment in complete silence. As a bird stopped in front of them, she finally spoke:

“You know what they say, that stupid cliche: if you love someone, set them free. I’m setting you free, I can’t do this to you anymore.”

----------

At the airport, Mona waited for her flight. She avoided thinking about Allison and everything she was leaving behind. She had to. Otherwise, the pain would would become unbearable and she’d give up.

Her love for Allison was her biggest weakness, it could make her vulnerable and easy to get caught. Still, she was more than happy to take the risk for the last two years. Together, they created a few good memories to remember.

Allison had one last request. On both of their wrists, they tattooed a small map of United States, with an ‘X’ marking California.

“So you won’t forget the way home, in case you want to return someday,” she said.

She caressed it, smiling with some sadness. It was time to go, her flight was ready to depart.

When Mona located her seat inside the airplane, she wished to take the spot near the window, to observe her surroundings for the last time. However, there was a huge bag taking over the seat.

“This seat is already taken,” a familiar voice said behind her. “Shotgun! I’ll sit by the window.”

She turned around to watch as Allison passed through her and sat down by the the window, with a mischievous smile on her face.

“What are you doing here?” Mona scowled, crossing her arms. “Will you ever hear anything I tell you?”

“Well, I’m learning from the best,” Allison laughed.

Mona rolled her eyes.

“You said ‘If you love someone, set them free’. ‘Free’ includes letting them choose their own path, make their own decisions and here I am. I chose to go with you.”

“You’re such an idiot.”

“I told you, Mona. You’re not getting rid of me so fast.”

[aspiestvmusings]

FFH vs MCU: PARALLELS

PARALLELS & CALLBACKS & OTHER LITTLE THINGS: FFH & MCU: 

WARNING...SUPER LONG TEXT POST! THAT INCLUDES JUST A TINY AMOUNT OF THE MANY MANY PARALLELS, CALLBACKS... etc 

Peter’s secret superhero identity (Spider-Man) revealed (not by him/his choice) in the end of FFH &  Tony’s secret superhero identity (Iron Man) revealed by him/by his choice in the end of IM1

Peter’s/The movies last words/line in FFH being “What the F*--” as the screen goes to black (as he sees the “news” on screen) & Aunt May’s/The movies last words in HC being “What the FU--” as the screen goes to black (when she sees Peter in his Spidey costume). 

The “BLIP” video edit “in memoriam” broadcast ending with comment /by Betty, i think) that it’s time to move on...  seems to hint at Endgame lines “Some people move on.../You gotta move on...” by Steve 

AC/DC’s “Back in Black” - the song/band that plays during some iconic Tony/Iron Man moments in past film(s) & the song that plays during the Happy/Peter airplane above the tulip field scene as Peter is about to make himself a new suit. Even though Peter thinks it’s Led Zeppelin #ILoveLedZeppelin as he hears the song starting ;) 

Tony’s glasses: “To/For the next/new Tony Stark” - Tony’s special glasses now belong to Peter. And they have a feature that had previously not been revealed - they include an AI named E.D.I.T.H (Even Dead Im The Hero”, cause Tony loved his acronyms) 

Tony & acronyms: from J.A.R.V.I.S. to B.A.R.F. to E.D.I.T.H. in “Far From Home” 

Tony wanting to build a “suit of armour” around the world/Earth, but being denied in past Avengers films & then literally building/creating a suit of armour around the people he cares about - Rhodey’s suit, Pepper’s suit, Peter’s suit + re-making CA’s shield by/in Endgame. And as revealed in FFH he also did build a suit of armour around the planet - he has tech & satellites that is weaponized & ready to protect the planet from outside (or inside) threats. He wanted to be prepared for (another) Thanos-level threat & he wanted to leave behind a defence system... 

Peter using Stark tech to build a new suit in FFH (and Happy watching him & seeing so much Tony in him - in how he uses the tech and all that...) and Tony building his Iron Man suit in IM1 - the holographic tech used - visual parallels PS. Tom Holland has said that he re-watched RDJ’s scene rom first IM in prep for filming his scene & tried to mimic the movements & all...the parallels & similarity are on purpose

Peter/Happy in FFH  vs Tony/Happy in MCU - friendship and being supportive, while providing transportation & backup to the superhero, also...

Peter doubting in himself & in his leader abilities (bearing the heavy burden of being the Earth’s mightiest hero & protector) in FFH...the same way Tony struggled with becoming/being the Earth’s protector 

Peter having PTSD/anxiety (after the events of the BLIP/SNAPS & his mentor’s, Tony's death) & being pressured by the public... and not being able to take the pressure... escaping the “press conference” at aunt May’s charity event     in FFH & Tony having PTSD/anxiety (after the events on NY battle & the vision of the future & finding out that there are great threats lurking in the universe..) and being pressured by the public...and not being able to take the pressure... escaping the diner/table in IM3, when kids come to him...the hero..for  an autograph. 

Peter making mistakes  on the way.. when learning to be the superhero the world needs (trusting Mysterio, his new friend & giving over the powerful tech to him) in FFH & Tony making mistakes on the way in all the MCU films.  

Peter being betrayed by someone he trusted (his new “friend” Quentin Beck aka Mysterio) in FFH & Tony being betrayed by his old friend & business partner, Obadiah Stane in IM1. 

Peter not answering phone calls from important people - sending “Fury” to voicemail (ghosting Nick Fury) in FFH & Tony not liking answering the phone/talking to important people on the phone - putting them on hold (cause he just likes to put people on the hold) - example: Coulson in A1

The murals & street art in Europe as Peter walks by a wall art with flowers & candles in front of it dedicated to Iron Man/Tony Stark in FFH & the shadows of the six people who died mimicking  “wall art” in Iron Man 3 being a visual parallel to that scene with candles (and flowers) in front of it..to remember those who are gone...but not forgotten.

Peter using the Tower Bridge sign as shield & that tech (DIY project made of car engine & drone bits...) as the hammer on the “Bridge fight scene” in FFH as a visual parallel to Steve holding his shield & Thor’s hammer during the final battle in Endgame.

All three MCU main heroes - Tony (his arc reactor), Thor (his hammer) & Steve (his shield) were represented & could be visually seen during that bridge scene... as Peter prepares to fight the bad guy...

Peter going through many “dimensions”  during the Berlin    “safe house” illusion scene in FFH being visually similar to Dr. Strange & other MCU films visuals of other dimensions/universes - the mirror dimension, the many other dimensions seen... Infinite illusions scene.... 

Peter not having his Spidey-sense (Peter tingle) - one of his superhero abilities not working in FFH... for a while (because of his emotional state - grieving his mentor) & Bruce not having access to Hulk  - his ability to turn into Hulk/go green not working during Avengers 3 (because of his emotional state - after the events of past films)

Peter ending up in Netherlands/Holland (PS. while many people use Holland to talk about all of Netherlands, Holland actually refers to certain parts...two provinces that together “form” & are called Holland)... because Peter/Spiderman is portrayed by Tom Holland. #funfacts

Percentages - MJ was only 67/76% certain that Peter is Spider-Man in FFH & Tony saying Pepper should give herself 12% of the credit for the Stark Tower & Pepper saying she was having 12% of a moment” in A1. 

Tony saying “You reached the Live Model Decoy of Tony Stark” when agent Coulson gets through to him on the phone in A1 & Nick Fury basically using “live model decoys” for himself & Maria Hill in FFH. 

Mysterio and his illusions - making others see things that aren’t: Peter seeing dying Quentin Beck on the ground at the Tower Bridge, when the real Quentin is actually standing next to him, ready to shoot him, but peter sensing it & stopping him in FFH & Loki & his illusions - making others see things in a twisted way: agent Coulson seeing Loki in front of him, when he approaches with the new blaster weapon, when Loki is actually behind him & he doesn’t see the attack coming in A1. 

“Appearances can be deceiving” was meant to hint at both Mysterio not being who he is & also Fury & Hill being not who they seem... That they’re actually skrulls (working for Fury)

Happy’s surfboard mention/clue to Fury... when he calls him to warn about Mysterio’s deception is a reference to the skrull first looks in Captain Marvel... when they arrive. They first take the form of a group of surfers...cause these are the first people they see on the beach... 

The spiders crawling on Zombie IM in the illusion created by Mysterio in that FFH scene are according to someone who paid better attention & knows spider species better than me... apparently Black Widow spiders... IF so then that is a visual reference to BOTH characters who sacrificed themselves...all in one scene.

ETA: Mysterio in FFH was not who he seemed to be to the public & he wasn’t a man...but a Team... kinda... & The Mandarin in IM3 was not who he seemed to be to the public & he wasn’t a man...but a Team...kinda. Quentin Beck pretended to be Mysterio (a caped superhero) in FFH ... using movie magic & mo-cap suits  and visual tricks & Trevor Slattery pretended to be The Mandarin in IM3.. he was a paid actor, playing the role of the bad guy, The Mandarin. 

ETA: Peter &  MJ/Michelle in FFH vs Tony & Pepper in MCU films...there are both story/plot & visual parallels. Both ladies are taller (basically) than their partner (both Tony & Peter are...kinda...tiny/short). And both knew the man before the hero in the suit. And both were (at least at first)not a fan of the superhero “flying” and all (both Pepper & MJ’s reaction to Tony & Peter taking them to “fly” was pretty much the same...they were not fans of it #NeverDoThatAgain  #omgICantTakeThisAnymore 

ETA: all the drones (dummy suits built by Ivan) in Iron Man 2 VS all the drones used to create the illusions in FFH

Fire “monster” (Elemental: Fire) being one of the “bad guys” in FFH (Spidey fighting fire) & Fire “monster” (the “Extremis”  that turns the host bodies into hot fire/fire hot) being one of the “bad guys tools” in IM3 (Tony fighting Extremis)

Tony “creating” his ..and Peter’s enemies in many/almost all Iron Man/MCU films & FFH: Tony's dad vs Vanko’s das and Tony vs Vanko in IM2, Tony vs Killian & Maya in IM3, Tony/Avengers vs ULTRON in A2 (Wanda + Pietro vs Tony/Avengers in A2), Tony vs Charlie Spencer’s mom in CA. CW) The Vulture vs Peter in SM1: HC...and now Mysterio/Beck vs “new Tony Stark” aka Peter in FFH. 

Peter being all alone (with just one ally/friend - Happy)...and creating a suit for himself...from scratch (using tech) on the plane in Holland in FFH & Tony being all alone (with just one ally/friend)...and creating a suit for himself...from scratch... from a box of scraps...in the cave in IM1.

Not to mention all the little details, callback, parallels & similarities..connected to the (original) comics, to past/other Spider-Man films - JJJ as the “news” man, the multi-verse menton, every single Spidey costume from MCU making their appearance again, multiple Spideys all in one scene, LMD (Live Model Decoys)...etc etc...

[fangirlbase]

A Stolen Kiss - Steve Rogers

Peggy Carter knew that Steven Grant Rogers was special by the time she put her eyes on his skinny figure. He wasn’t the ideal model to be on the training ground but admired his courage. Though weak and small, his personality and willpower were gigantic. If she had that stature she would want to run and hide, but not Steve. His passion for his country spoke louder.

That and the fact that he does not have a family.

Steve had lost his parents to the war, had not had a girlfriend and his best friend had also been summoned. It was explicable the numerous false identities in order to also be recruited. Although he had a boy's body, they had more courage and courage than the battalion's greatest men. Besides being really respectful of her, in fact. Watching him during the week of choice for the super soldier's guinea pig had become a habit for Peggy: when he least expected it, he surprised everyone with his intelligence.

The smile she had not been able to contain when, instead of flinging herself on the flagstaff for a ride with "the handsome Peggy," Steve simply removed the support pin and let it fall to the floor! Definitely a guy standing on the floor when it came to a female company. And when he was the only one to throw himself under a grenade in the midst of the puppets? They all fled, leaving him in a fetal position, protecting her still standing in the same place, as well as her companions.

The few words they had exchanged already made it clear when Peggy admired him, giving him a little freedom for a little friendship-which she disliked in other recruits. Okay, Steve was not completely indifferent to her, but he was in his place. Unfortunately he had learned his place with women being repudiated all his life - which he did not realize the extra attention Peggy was giving him.

As he began to scream from inside Howard Stark's capsule sensing the effects of the serum, she worried enough to leave her post and run within reach, only to have her jaw going to the floor as she came across the differences in her body . He was so .... High. But Peggy was not a girl who allowed herself to be attracted only by the physical - although that was also a factor that had helped with her feelings. The following weeks were pretty predictable, since all the girls had eyes for the particular soldier - but he incredibly did not care. At least not with them.

Something began to grow between the two of them and everyone could see it. He was cute when he asked for his opinion on everything and even when he thought that eating fondue with Stark was some sexual connotation, but when Peggy caught him kissing the engineer's secretary it destroyed his little world. Maybe he was nothing of what she thought. He'd just created a perfect picture of himself and now it broke his face. He had even followed her trying to explain himself, but she needed some time alone.

The brief ice Peggy made between them broke down the moment she learned that Buck had died, leaving immediately to look for Steve. She found him in the wreckage of what once had been a bar-the one he had invited himself to dance to and had not yet had the opportunity.

“Steve? Are you ok?”

“What do you think? It was my fault that I dragged Buck to that mission.”

"You can not blame yourself for that, Steve.”

"I asked him to come. It's my fault.”

Steve sat amidst the confusion caused by an explosion, completely indifferent to the outside world, not even noticing Peggy's concern. Since they had distanced themselves, he did not often worry about where she would be. He had enough experience to know that he had failed the girl who was in love, but he had not had the strength to stop kissing his secretary.

"Steve, you may even be called Captain America, but you do not have to carry the burden of it all on your back. I know how passionate you are of the country and defend it to the death, but you can not blame yourself for everything.”

“But….”

"You called him, but he said yes, Steve. Bucky knew the risks he was running.”

Peggy moved close enough until she found a chair that was strong enough to hold her, placing it next to Steve's chair, sitting down and holding his arm. He wanted to support the Captain but did not know where to start.

"Sorry for kissing Lorraine, Peggy. It was not my intention.” Steve said, blanching more than he already was.

"We do not need to talk about it if you do not want to, Steve.” Peggy did not want to hear about it.

“No, I do! I feel terrible for letting you take me for so little while you were on my side. I know I threw everything that we had out the window when I did not have enough willpower to push Lorraine.”

"And why did not you?" Her tone was low, afraid of the answer.

“After so many years being rejected by his physical structure, a stolen kiss does good for your ego. Not to mention that it was the first time I was kissing someone, so I'm sorry I wanted to enjoy it a little.”

“Steve....”

"I just wanted to apologize to you, Peggy.

"I think we may not have to wait for that dance ..." Peggy's whisper lingered on the captain, but as soon as he realized her intentions she regained all her color and a little more, turning into a red skull.

If he was right, that was Agent Carter's way of saying she gave permission for him to approach. It was a completely different move from Lorraine, but perhaps he preferred the suggestive request than to leave for the surprise attack - at least with the women. Cautiously Steve placed his hand on Peggy's cheek, feeling the softness of her skin. She approached in a self-contained manner, tracing every detail of her face with her eyes, until she let out a small sigh, throwing up all the captain's self-control. In an impulse he stuck his mouth in hers, fusing the way their bodies could in a hug. He did not believe she was even in his arms, kissing his mouth. His lips moved with will and a little haste, not giving a shit about who could possibly get into the destroyed bar. His lips parted and he asked for his tongue, needing to hold tightly around his waist so he would not faint when he felt that Peggy had willingly accepted the affection. The kiss was so intense they did not even realize how it all happened, but when they saw Peggy was already sitting on his lap, with Steve with the first buttons on the shirt open.

It had a mixture of sexual tension with great bugs of desire to take advantage of the life occasioned by the death of Bucky, causing both to forget the rules of social conduct of the time, giving itself of body and soul at that moment. Peggy kissed Steve more calmly, showing him all her affection and respect - as the captain hugged her waist tightly, fearing she would disappear and leave him alone. What had good intentions turned into something much more sensual to Steve deciding to caress his back slowly, stopping on her butt and bringing her closer. With a sigh Peggy rubbed their intimacies, blushing slightly as she felt the volume forming beneath her panties-the same sensation for Steve, who was fascinated by the woman's swollen nipples on his lap that practically demanded attention.

They looked at each other for a few seconds before returning to kiss passionately, this time leaving their hands looser. As a result Steve's hair turned into a mess, while Peggy had her shirt open, exposing her breasts covered by the thin bra. She felt it as he throbbed with contentment as he stared down at her back for the first time and was glad he did not have to hide them from the hungry stares of others.

“Wow. God damn it, Peggy!” Steve could not find words to describe how excited he was about the agent's full breasts.

“The uniform hides well.” Peggy whispered already in her passion, just wanting him to shut up and kiss her again.

"The uniform ..." Steve seemed to be clouded as he felt Peggy kiss his neck, trying to reason at all costs while stroking the woman's body in his lap “The uniform! Peggy, I think we'd better stop.”

“What?” She was breathless and indignant.

“Look at just where we are!” He spoke softly trying to be sober. "It would not be special enough. I think we'd better wait for that dance.” Steve buttoned Peggy's buttons by taking longer than necessary in the bust area.

"I ... You're right, Steve.”

“Here, it's more presentable.” He helped her regroup, both in her clothing and out of her lap.

"Thank you, Steve.” Peggy held it in her hand and stood on tiptoe, giving a chaste kiss to her mouth.

"See you Saturday night?"

“I will be waiting for you.”

Steve Rogers never attend that dance on Saturday night. He had been in an airplane crash and was found dead on Friday night. Peggy Carter never stayed with another man for continuing to fall in love with the eternal Captain America, only coming back to see him hours before his death, believing that he had come for her rather than being thawed.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

#1yrago Touring, complete: what gear survived four months of hard-wearing book-tour?

I had the last official stop of my book tour for my novel Walkaway on Saturday, when I gave a talk and signing at Defcon in Las Vegas. It was the conclusion of four months of near-continuous touring, starting with three weeks of pre-release events; then six weeks of one-city-per-day travel through the US, Canada and the UK, then two months of weekly or twice-weekly events at book fairs, festivals and conferences around the USA.

Now I'm touring complete. There's one more event on Aug 10 -- a kind of victory lap presentation at my local library here in Burbank -- and then a trickle of events over the next six months, but that's more like my normal baseline of public appearances, a very different experience to the kind of thing I did from April until last weekend.

It's been nine years since my first book tour -- the Little Brother tour -- and as always, there were new facts on the ground to adapt to, as well as hard-won wisdom that saw me through.

Here's some new stuff: indie bookstores are doing better than they have in years, and they're expanding into lots of live events, which are better-planned and better organized than ever. In many cities, there is one thriving indie and three or four suburban Barnes & Nobles, and these have changed, too: seeing as they are the only game in town, these B&Ns attract some stellar booksellers who intimately understand marketing and also really, really care about books. Also: all the indie bookstores have devoted substantial floorspace to embroidered socks. I'm calling it: we are at peak funny-sock.

Here's some stuff that's still the same: "Never pass up a chance to take water or make water." That is hard-won, important touring advice, passed from serious traveler to serious traveler as gospel. Airports are worse than they've ever been...and it's easier to buy your way out of the hardship, between TSA Precheck and Clear, which require that you give up a ton of personal information (which I'd already given up when I applied for my Green Card, so I went ahead, and it was so, so worth it -- so much so that I presume that anyone who has the wherewithal will buy their way into these programs and cease to do anything to mitigate the traveling woes of the general public -- watch for travel to get waaaay worse for normals who only fly a couple times per year).

I've been changing out my travel gear for years, trying to find the optimal combination of flexibility and comfort. I check a bag, and my suitcase was not lost once on this tour (it's happened before, though, and had to catch up with me a city or two down the road). The suitcase was severely damaged, and more than once (more on that below).

Here's the gear that survived this trip, stuff that will stay with me on upcoming trips.

Coffee

This goes first. Life it too short for shitty coffee.

I use an Aeropress (but you knew that). I've stopped carrying around a hand-grinder. I have only so many duty-cycles left in my wrist tendons and then I will cease to be a writer. I'm not wasting them on a hand-grinder. Now I grind my coffee before I leave and put the coffee in a Ziploc Easy Open Tab quart-sized freezer bag (I keep a stash of these in my suitcase and resupply at coffee shops when I run out, having them grind for me; this means I can't buy Blue Bottle coffee since they, alone among coffee shops, will not grind their retail beans, boo) (I also bring along a handful of gallon-sized bags for various purposes). I've tried a lot of sealing bags, and Ziploc's easy opens are the only ones I can reliably seal well.

I heat water in the remarkably great Useful UH-TP147 Electric Collapsible Travel Kettle, a silicone collapsing kettle that has a thermostat that keeps water at near-boil so long as it's plugged in and on. It's multi-voltage and worked great in the UK, and it collapses down really small. The only downside: it looks weird enough on an X-ray that it is a very reliable predictor of having your bags searched by the TSA after you check them.

I am utterly dependent on the Orikaso folding cup to use with my Aeropress on the road. The majority of hotels supply paper cups, or glasses that are too narrow for the Aeropress. Carrying a rigid cup that decomposes into a thin sheet of plastic the size of a sheet of printer-paper spares me the awkwardness of holding the body of the Aeropress with one hand while pushing down on the plunger with the other to keep from squashing the paper cup.

For emergencies, I carried a stash of GO CUBES Energy Chews, a "neutraceutical" whose manufacturer makes a lot of extravagant claims for them. I think those claims are silly, but these are basically gummy-chews made from cold brew coffee (and stuff) and they work very fast and well, but did give me jitters (which were preferable to caffeine withdrawal).

Toiletries

I carried my favorite shampoo, conditioner, soap and a supply of generic woolite in a set of four Innerneed silicone tubes (which I kept in a ziploc). I've used a  lot of different silicone tubes and these are my current favorites -- they have a locking mechanism that keeps the hard plastic lid more firmly in place on the silicone body of the tube, even when it's lubricated with slippery soaps, preventing the kinds of catastrophic breaches you get when the whole lid assembly just pops off the tube and everything comes pouring out.

I swapped out my old generic pharmacy rotary electric toothbrush for the Violife Slim Sonic Toothbrush, which is a AAA-battery-powered equivalent to one of those unwieldy, induction-charged Braun ultrasonic toothbrushes that my dentist wants me to use. It performs just as well as the Braun on my sink at home.

I suffer from really terrible, untreatable chronic pain and can't sleep or sit for any length of time without serious pain. I am absolutely reliant on my hot water bottle, with a knit sleeve. For my money, these are the best comfort items you can travel with -- I get them filled with boiling water by the flight attendants before take off and refill them hourly. At bedtime, I fill them from my collapsible kettle. The only downside: it's really easy to leave these behind in the bedclothes when you depart at 4AM.

I carried all my toiletries in Eagle Creek's Pack-It Wallaby Toiletry Organizer. It came highly recommended and after hard use, I see why: it has the best zippers I've ever had on a toilet bag, stores an incredible amount of stuff and still rolls up tight, and did a great job of containing one tube-of-goo breach that could have wrecked everything else.

Clothes

Before the tour, I did a bunch of reading on the best travel underwear and decided to try Uniqlo's Airism Low Rise Boxer Briefs -- they were so comfortable and so easy to wash out in the sink (and so quick drying!) that I threw away all my other underwear when I got home and ordered a half-dozen more pairs. I traveled with three pairs of these, which crumpled small enough that I could fit them all in a pants pocket (should I have a need to do so?) and I rinsed the day's underwear in the sink every night and hung them to dry, chucking them in the bag in the morning, dry and clean.

You might already know that I love the look of Volante's jackets and coats, so it won't surprise you to learn that I lived in an Augment hoodie for the first half of the tour (when the weather was cool), switching to a lighter-weight Peregrine for the second half, when things warmed up.

I started the tour with three different pairs of pants in my suitcase, but left two behind on a resupply stop at home, because I was only ever wearing my Betabrand Off-the-Grid pants, which have enough stretchiness in them to do some basic yoga in, have huge pockets that somehow don't bulge much even when overfilled, and a neat little discreet mid-thigh side pocket good for keeping boarding passes in. My complaint: these were not colorfast at all: they were basically gray by the time I got home, even though I only ever hand-washed them in hotel sinks with generic woolite.

I always travel with pajamas: when you're on long flights, you can change into them for comfort; they give you a way to interact with hotel staff from your room early in the morning or late at night without having to get dressed or put a towel around your waist. I've been buying deadstock vintage men's pajamas from Etsy all year, because they look awesome and are more comfortable than anything you'll get in stores today.

I've been using REI's Sea to Summit compression sacks as laundry bags for ages: there's no problem with wrinkling your dirty laundry, right? Compression sacks are sorcerous reminders of just how much space there is between molecules.

I lived in Native Jeffersons: basically a kid's croc shoe, but molded to look like a low-rise Converse All-Star. Super comfortable, and I could rinse them in the hotel sink every night and leave them upside-down against the wall and slip into them in the morning.

Comfort items

I traveled with a Stanley Adventure Flask that I filled with Jefferson's Reserve Pritchard Hill Cabernet Cask Finished, 15-year-old bourbon that's finished with a couple years of rest in old cabernet casks. Yum.

I always keep a couple dozen catering-sized sachets of Tabasco in my suitcase and handful in my carry-on. They don't seem to show up as liquids on TSA X-rays so you can keep them in your bag, and I've never had one burst in a bag. They make everything super-delicious (or at least bearable) and they are way more space-efficient than those cute, tiny, single-use Tabasco bottles.

Swimming

Swimming is the only way I can stay sane on tour. It keeps my chronic pain under control and burns some of the empty airplane-peanut and minibar calories.

I swim with an underwater MP3 player. After trying a lot of models, I settled on the Exeze players, which are only available for sale in the UK. However, I've since discovered that virtually the same players are sold under other brand names in the USA: one model I've tried and liked is the Aerb.

The reason I swim with an MP3 player is so that I can listen to audiobooks. I get through a couple novels per month this way. Audible's proprietary DRM format isn't compatible with MP3 players, so forget about getting your swimming audiobooks that way. Instead, try Downpour and Libro.fm, both of whom sell thousands of DRM-free audiobooks. Audiobooks and swimming are a magic combination. I couldn't make it through the tour without them.

Gadgets

I got my Calyx hotspot just over a year ago. It offers anonymous, unfiltered, unshaped, unlimited 4G/LTE wifi through Sprint's network, and supports the nonprofit good works of Calyx, who provide anonymity and privacy services to whistleblowers, journalists and many others. They are the good guys and this is a great product at a stellar price: $100 for the hotspot and $400/year for unlimited mobile broadband.

I continue to use X-series Thinkpads. I'm currently on the X270 and it runs Ubuntu very well. I didn't need any service on this tour, but I have on other tours, and I'm serene in the knowledge that the extended on-site next-day hardware replacement warranty (about $75/year!) guarantees that no matter what, I won't be without my computer for more than a day. My X270 took a lot of hard knocks on this tour and survived unscathed. My sole complaint: they screwed up the keyboards with the X230 (or so) and still haven't made a new chiclet keyboard that's half as good as the original Thinkpad keyboard. Please, Lenovo, bring my beloved keyboard back!

I use a Google Pixel phone and it's...not terrible. Everything about it works fine, but it has unbelievably shitty battery life. That is a killer on tour. The Alclap case solved that problem...for two weeks, and then it stopped working. I ordered two more, both of which were duds out of the box. The Scosche Magic Mount was more awkward to use, but also longer-lasting (it died last weekend, thanks to fraying in the wire that connected it to the phone).

Luggage

You know all those suitcases that come with ten-year warranties? They're all designed to have a ten-year duty-cycle...assuming that you travel once or twice a year. In decades of hard travel, I've yet to buy a suitcase that can live up to the punishment of daily flying.

So now I buy suitcases based on how easy they are to get warranty service on. I had heard great things about Rimowa, and I loved the look of their cases, so I bit the bullet and sprang for one (they're extremely pricey). I quickly discovered that their much-vaunted service was terrible -- in London, anyway. My options were mailing the case to Germany, or taking it to a service center on Euston Road where they were rude, deceptive, and all-around awful. I was ready to swap the case for another manufacturer when I moved from London to LA two years ago.

But in LA, the whole story is different. Rimowa's service here is handled by a place out in Beverley Hills called Coco's Leather and they're pretty good at fixing stuff (there's sometimes a week turnaround, but I've found that if I call them after messengering the busted case out to them, they can often turn it around in a day).

I needed it. My Rimowa case was seriously damaged three times on tour: twice it had wheels ripped off (the whole wheel assembly, including the riveted-on bracket, torn right out of the aluminum!) by Southwest's baggage handlers in San Diego. Another time, AA baggage handlers destroyed the latches.

I'm sticking with Riwoma for now. Every luggage expert I've spoken to says that there's just not anything that will survive the kind of punishment I put my bags through, so I'm buying based on warranties, and between Coco's Leather and Rimowa's long-lasting warranties, I can live with this situation.

I've gone through a lot of luggage tags over the years and have yet to have one last more than a few flights before it's torn off in the hold, caught in some grinding system. Now I use the TUFFTAAG Travel ID Bag Tag, made of hard-wearing aluminum with braided steel cables. Dozens of flights later, the tags are bent and battered, but still intact and still attached to my case -- that's a first.

https://boingboing.net/2017/08/02/hard-won-wisdom.html