#I'm not super into sweets especially American sweets

[tio-trile]

how many pancakes can you eat?

'bout treefiddy

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

Am I the asshole for calling my boyfriend out after a party after he very Frenchly insulted our cooking?

I (25M) am dating J (27M), and we live together. For the most part he's wonderful, super sweet, and perhaps the most French man living today. He's a walking stereotype, right down to the sexiness. He's Parisian (we live in the states) and has a huge obsession with wine and cheese, and I'll be honest, he can be pretty snobby. He was raised by some well to do old money family that disowned him when they found out he was gay and it shows. He has a few antiquated ideas of what America is like, especially when it comes to food. Anything that has roots he doesn't recognize gets criticized. It's a classism problem, we recognize that, and he is trying to work on it. He slips up sometimes.

We went to a housewarming party two nights ago. It was a potluck deal and I brought a beef chili I had been working on for like two days, it was my pride and joy, and J didn't even have anything bad to say to me about it.

Anyway, an hour or so into the party we went to get food. He had a few glasses of wine, so he wasn't quite thinking straight. It turns out somebody brought homemade Frito pie (and pretty fancy frito pie too, with jalapeños and sour cream and pico de gallo, it was amazing and delicious and I am still dreaming about it), I'm southwestern and it was a staple for me growing up so I tripped over myself trying to get at it. He noticed how eager I was and scoffed at me. I asked what was so funny, and he said it was baffling that I'd go for that first since it was "comically American, down to the fried chips riddled in it." I rolled my eyes and ignored him.

Turns out the friend who made it was standing a few feet away and overheard him. She told us that she worked super hard on making the chili and cooking the pie, and if he didn't like it, he didn't have to have any. I was so fucking mortified I felt like dying. I apologized on his behalf and we stayed for a bit longer, but I was so embarrassed and angry that we left about an hour after that. I couldn't make myself have a good time. As a bit of an apology I left our friend a container of the chili I made and said if she wanted to make a pie out of it I'd be honored, and she happily accepted.

This is where I may be TA. As soon as we got in the car I blew up at him. I told him that he disrespected my culture, my cooking, my taste, and worst of all, embarrassed me in front of a friend and insulted something that brought her joy. I said "if you see Americans as so lazy, stupid, fat, and disgusting, then why are you even living here? Why the fuck do you even wanna be with me? Am I just the only good one to you?" I was laying into him for about 5 minutes. It was the worst fight we'd ever been in, not that we get in many.

He got really quiet after that and just muttered out an "I'm sorry." We were silent the ride home and we went straight to bed when we got there. I even heard him sniffling when we were trying to fall asleep, which was heartbreaking and started to make me feel like I'd fucked up, too. He's been distant for the last few days and I feel like I need to apologize.

Do I? Was I TA? I just got so upset that I couldn't take it anymore. I really love him and I just keep worrying that any second he's gonna say he wants to break up, and I never want that to happen. Any advice is appreciated.

[cherrybombfangirlwrites]

Hey, remember how during Pride Month the writeblr community has posts circulating where queer authors are encouraged to promote their books with queer representation?

July is disability pride month, Disabled people are at risk of falling below the poverty line especially and i'd love to help those who are published get paid this month if i can, so...

Let's do the same thing but with Disability Pride Month!!!

Disabled Writers feel free to promote your stuff!

I'll start:

Hello, I'm Anna, I'm an Autistic and ADHD author! Here are my canonically disabled characters in books that will come out in like 50 years because I'm a slow writer:

(I noticed most of these are mental disabilities and disorders, probably because that's where most of my personal experience is, BUT i do have quite a few physical disabilities in there, and there's also quite a bit of intersectionality <333)

Prince Kaye (FSF series): Kaye has OCD! He's also mixed latino and bisexual <3 very sweet scrawny peacemaker prince born to a family of warlords <3

Captain Cassandra (FSF series): Cassandra is mute due to trading her voice and tail for human legs, and partially deaf due to an explosion on the seas during a battle. Due to losing her tail for human legs, she also experiences chronic pain in her feet (the original curse of every step feeling like walking on knives if you will). She's also plus sized, pansexual, and gets a pirate girlfriend

Erica (FSF series): Erica is an amputee pirate with a peg leg. She's also lesbian, polynesian, plus sized, and Cassandra's hopeless romantic pirate girlfriend.

Princess Hestia (FSF series): Hestia has an anxiety disorder! She's also plus sized, South Asian mixed (like her brother), and falls in love with a shy blonde bookworm trans boi named Elliot

Raven (FSF series): Raven is Autistic! He's a morally gray knight charged with being the personal bodyguard of a reckless princess. He's so Latino and bisexual <3

Princess Sapphire (FSF series): Sapphire has ADHD! She's the reckless adventure seeking and impulsive princess that Raven has to protect. She's also a redhead, and demisexual <3

Triveya (FSF series): Triveya is autistic and adhd! She's the resident wizard and magic expert in the cast of FSF, and is a little bit feral with a bubbly and nerdy personality

Kylee (TCIO series): Kylee is autistic and non speaking! She's a superhero with super speed and invisibility powers, and she's the youngest of the team while also being a mischievous and outgoing ball of sunshine

Bryson (TCIO series): Bryson is diabetic! I'm still developing his character so i haven't figured out which type he is yet (leaning towards type 2). He's the superhero team medic with healing powers (can't heal himself or emotional injuries with said powers), and he's also a black guy and the token straight of the team that's on thin ice

Chase (TCIO series): Chase has OCD, a bipolar mood disorder, and chronic depression and anxiety to go with it! He's the tech guy on the team of superheroes, and doesn't have any supernatural abilities, but he's really good with computers and tech. He's cynical and sarcastic (because of the ableism he's experienced in the past) but secretly does care, and he's also Romani American and Jewish!

Corie (Galaxy Des. series): Corie is a cyborg and has prosthetic limbs! She has a prosthetic eye, arm, and leg. The eye does come with a small interface and her arm does have a laser gun attachment. She built and repairs all of her robot parts herself, and is a highly feared and valuable assassin in the galactic underworld. She's also mixed brown and is AroAce!

NOVA (Galaxy Des. series): Nova is epileptic! She is an android who was scrapped due to malfunction, and became a smuggler who is good at her trade. Due to faulty wiring she's epileptic. She's a cynical and grumpy android who accidentally falls in love with a loveable human lesbian rogue. She's bisexual and has shiny chrome skin with cyan lighting in the cracks.

Pandora (Galaxy Des. series): Pandora is a part-time wheelchair user, autistic and adhd, and tourettic! He is a biologist that formerly did morally questionable work for the galactic government, and now does that same work in the criminal underworld and sells it to the highest bidder. She also uses he/she pronouns, is mixed brown, and pansexual!

Ethel (unnamed witchy wip): Ethel has one eye and PTSD! She's a witch in a world where magic has just been outlawed, and a witch hunting cult has been hired by the new king and queen to hunt down and eradicate witches. She's also AroAce and very underdeveloped because this is a backburner wip.

Thanks for reading! Links to my wips are in my pinned post! If you are a disabled writer and or have disabled characters, do share!

Happy Disability Pride Month!

[most-datable-datable-bracket]

ROUND 3 MATCH 1

Qiu propaganda:

“i love them sooooo much i was completely head over heels for cove but then i found out about qiu lin and ol2 and they took that spot in my brain IMMEDIATELY. that should say enough. also i just really want them to win this time </3”

“They're my beloved :] and also the only OL character not disqualified so I had to hdjdbdj I just wanna see how far they can go now :]”

“Genderfluid ADHD monarch. They enjoy mountain biking and ballet. As a kid, if they're set to Crush, they'll desperately try to find a way to link the MC's favorite color to themselves in an attempt to impress. They're the most popular kid in town and for good reason. Can be sharp as a tack, especially in social situations, but also can be so endearingly stupid.”

“Listen. Listen to me. Here's why Qiu Lin deserves the win (ha)

- They're a trans POC love interest (specifically genderfluid and chinese-american)

- They spend a lot of time in Step 1 (the first part of the game where everyone is a kid) being super nice and trying to accommodate for you

- They specifically try super hard to bring you (and Tamarack) into their already established friendship group

- (It doesn't work out super well initially but they're trying, be nice)

- Qiu's also just. Super sweet when you're set to have a crush on them in Step 1

- Like, their word count almost doubles when they have a crush on your MC

- There's one part of the game where you can bring up your favourite colour

- On a friendship route (or if you're set to neighbours), Qiu will maybe make a short comment about something related to your favourite colour

- On crush? Qiu stretches so far to tie your favourite colour back themself. Your favourite colour is green? That's the colour of their jacket!!! It's black? Like their bike, did they mention their cool bike!!! It's white, [imagine this is in italics] the inside of their house (no, really)!!! [end of imagining this is italics]

- They're also set to have an arc about much they accommodate for others and how they go from over accommodation in Step 1 to no accommodation in Step 2 to finding a balance in Step 3

- Also, like, they do in fact go through gender identity issues. In fact, they spend Step 2 not quite knowing their gender identity fully

Now, vote for Qiu!!!!”

"Genderfluid and uses they/he pronouns.

Their hobbies are mountain biking and ballet.

Most popular kid in town by, like, a mile. And for very good reason.

Immediately devotes themself to making sure their new neighbors (the MC and Tamarack) feel welcome in their new town.

Loooooves teasing their friends.

Is genuinely confused if the MC doesn't immediately consider them friends because. He considered you friends.

Not canonically ADHD (yet. things can change.) but like. The ADHD vibes are strong.

Forgetful and writes stuff down in a notepad to remember it, then proceeds to lose the notes. This happens constantly.

They have a whole arc about going from being overly accommodating and giving too much of themself to others, to closing off and not giving anything, to finding balance and figuring out how to be kind and caring without overexerting themselves.

Also, one of their closest friends is a trans woman. This is relevant simply because I love Renee and had to mention her."

Fenris propaganda:

“Broody hot elf with glowing tattoos and a sultry voice that escaped from his former slaver and joins your ragtag team of misfits that save the city. He is snarky with your companions and always so surprised to be loved and supported. Everytime I play and try to romance someone else I fail because I can't not flirt with him.”

“I've played through DA2 four times now and every time I think I'm gonna date someone other than Fenris and every time I don't do that”

“Please he is my husband. I literally cannot do a playthrough without romancing him regardless of how much I try to give the other chara ters a chance because his romance lines are just so good and he's always so surprised that Hawke is into him.”

[pink-evilette]

Hey girl! Before I ask, I just wanted to say I love your blog-especially your taste in movies! I've watched so many good movies from you! I noticed you kind of gravitate more towards campy, trailer park-esque vibes, which is something I also adore. I was wondering if you could think of any movies that have that specific vibe, that also fit with coquette/faunlet vibes. Thanks! And once again, love your blog!

Hi! Thank you so much for sending me this ask and for supporting my blog, I really appreciate it ♡

I try to watch lots of films that relate to the coquette/faunlet lifestyle and I'm constantly discovering new movies (@coquette-club is currently posting about lots of great films to check out)!

I love campy, trailer park/motel/road trip type films because that sort of lifestyle has always been interesting to me and I have seen many great films over the years that feature these motifs so here's my little list for you ♡

American Honey (2016)

Star is a young girl living in poverty with her dysfunctional family until she meets a charming stranger in a supermarket. They go on a road trip selling magazines door-to-door and meet many interesting people along the way. It's a beautiful film about growing up, first love, identity and features mainly unknown actors and improvised lines to feel even more gritty and real. Sasha Lane is incredible in this film and I adore her ♡

Black Snake Moan (2006)

Christina Ricci plays a young woman who is lost in life and suffers from nymphomania and Samuel L Jackson's character Lazarus attempts to cure her by imprisoning her with a chain around her waist. It's a seriously weird film and you've probably seen the clips of Ricci dancing with the chain, but it's also pretty enjoyable and features some really awesome blues music, southern sleaze and skimpy coquette outfits ♡

Hick (2011)

This one is a classic in the coquette world, Luli has become an icon to us with her dreams of running away to find fun in Las Vegas after being abandoned by her family at 13 years old. She hitches a ride with a cowboy and sleeps in a trailer, does cocaine and robs a convenience store (and that's just the first act). It's a super grimy film and I enjoyed the visuals too ♡

Ripe (1996)

Two orphaned sisters flee a car wreck and hitch a ride to a dilapidated army camp, where they stay with the grumpy caretaker and cause chaos wherever they go. It's really hard to find but worth the watch if you can, the aesthetics are so sickly sweet and feel just like Video Games by Lana Del Rey mixed with the warmth of a summer day ♡

A few miscellaneous:

Where the Heart is (2000) // Bones and All (2022)

~ Natalie Portman's character lives in a trailer park and is abandoned pregnant by her boyfriend in a wallmart

~ Road trip love story, our main characters steal and squat in various trailers, farms and other lodgings

The Florida Project (2017) // Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999)

~ A single mother lives in a motel in Florida

~ Teen beauty pagent star lives with her mother in a trailer

I really hope this is helpful! There are probably others but this is all I can think of for now, and there are many more similar to this that I haven't yet seen! Thanks again for the ask ♡

[mamaestapa]

Matching Necklaces & a Tough Loss

•pairing: Joe Burrow x reader

•series summary: Y/N Y/L/N moved to Cincinnati, Ohio for a new start. Move in day arrives and she discovers something terrible...the apartment complex gave her the wrong lease. Instead of living with who she originally was supposed to, she's now living with the hottest quarterback in the NFL, Joe Burrow. Y/N is stuck living in the same apartment with him for a year...which the two are not thrilled about. However, as time goes on, they realize that maybe this wasn't the worst thing that could happen to them. Will Y/N and Joe stay enemies, or will they find themselves falling in love?

•chapter summary: It’s the day of the AFC championship game. Joe has some sweet surprises for you and you meet Joe’s parents for the first time. However, the night doesn’t end the way you hoped it would…but at least you and Joe have each other.

•word count: 5.3k

•warnings: Angst, fluff, a very sad Joe, crying, comforting Joe, reliving the AFC championship game (literally broke my heart), i think that’s all? this is a very long chapter lol

series masterlist

——————————————————

January 29, 2023

Today is the day.

The day the whole city of Cincinnati and Bengals fans all over the country have been waiting for.

Today is the AFC championship game. The Bengals will be playing against the Kansas City Chiefs for the second year in a row. Both of these teams are slowly starting to create one of the biggest rivalries in the American Football Conference of the NFL. Both teams have excellent players on both sides of the ball, with both teams quarterbacks being arguably the top two in NFL at this very moment. It should be an exciting game for sure.

Not only will it be exciting, but it'll be quite interesting too. This is one of the most important games of the season. The winner of this game will head to Super Bowl 57 and play against the Philadelphia Eagles in hopes of winning the Lombardi trophy.

The nerves are high today for everybody—all for different reasons too. Of course the game is causing some of the nerves, but there are even more nerves being added to those from the looming game.

First, Emmas due date is today. You are all hoping she doesn't go into labor during the game...

Second, you’re going to be in Arrowhead Stadium for the game. You’ve heard from some of the girls that the fans aren't always the nicest when you’re in their territory. You’re hoping none of you will have any issues tonight...

And lastly, the thing that's causing you to have the most nerves. You will be meeting Joe's parents for the first time tonight.

You were going to sit with the other WAGs, but Joe was concerned for your safety so he asked if you could sit with his parents, just to give him some peace of mind so he wasn't worrying about you during the game...

~flashback~

"You're going to the championship game right?"

You smiled, "Of course I am. I wouldn't miss it for the world."

The corner of Joes mouth quirked up into a small smile, "Good," he said softly. He cleared his throat and began to fidget with the bracelets wrapped around his wrists, "I have something important to ask you."

"What is it?" you asked, setting down the towel you were folding so you could give Joe your full attention.

"The fans can get pretty intense at Arrowhead. I would hate for there to be a situation and I'm not there to protect you Y/n," he sighed, "My parents are going to be at the game, and it would really make me feel better if you sat with them."

Your eyes widened slightly at his suggestion. You still haven't met his parents. You were absolutely terrified to meet his mom and dad. But you do love Joe and you want to make him feel content, especially with the upcoming important game. Any way you could ease his anxieties leading up to game day, you would gladly do.

"But if you don't want to, I get it.” he said, “Maybe you could meet up with them before the game?"

"Joe," you said, smiling softly, "I'm sure nothing will happen. I'll be fine, I promise." you walked over to where he stood by the foot of your bed. You wrapped your arms around him and looked up into his soft blue eyes. "but if it'll make you feel better, I'll sit with your parents."

He nodded as a small smile made its way onto his face, "Thank you." you pulled away from him and got on your tip toes so you could kiss his nose. He scrunched his nose as soon as your lips were away from the tip of his nose. You chuckled at his reaction and went back to folding towels, thankful that you were able to ease your loving boyfriends worries.

~end of flashback~

Isn't he just the sweetest?

Right now, you’re currently in Macee's hotel suite getting ready with a couple other Bengals WAGs. The game doesn't start for a few hours, so you have plenty of time to get ready. As you were curling your hair, Holly and Macee were standing next to you doing their makeup.

"So Y/n," Holly grinned enthusiastically, "I saw you and Joe went Instagram official. That's so exciting!"

You smiled, "Yeah, it is. It feels good to make our relationship public," your smile faltered slightly, "even if some of his fans already don't like me."

It's true, You and Joe went Instagram official just days ago. While you received lots of love and support for your relationship from many fans, you received a lot of hate too. Many girls told Joe he could do much better and that they already didn't like you based on one shared photo. You didn't let it get to you though. You expected to receive some hate. So many girls fawn over Joe every day, so it only makes sense for you to receive hate from those that don't want him to be with anybody. You don't let it get to you though because you know that the real fans of Joes support him and his relationships. As long as he is happy, they're happy for him. And that's all that matters to You. Plus, you’re sure you’ll find a way to get some of those fan girls to come around. Hey, it worked with Joe.

Macee frowned, "Awe Y/n, don't listen to them. They're just jealous. You're an amazing woman and Joe is so lucky to have a beautiful girl like you."

Emma, who was sitting on the closed toilet seat doing her eyeshadow, smiled as she said, "She's right. Don't listen to the haters babe."

"Thanks girls, you're all the best," you smiled at them through the mirror. As you all continued your pre-game glam, there was a knock at the door of the hotel room. All of your heads snapped to the direction of the door. Holly placed her straighter down on the marble countertop, "I got it." She scampered out of the bathroom and down the small hallway, disappearing for just a few moments before she came back into the bathroom holding a white and gold gift box.

"Y/n," she said in a sing-songy tone. He held the box out, "this is for you."

You hesitantly grabbed the box from Holly's outstretched arms. A smirk was on her face as she watched you examine the outside of the box. You furrowed your eyebrows as you noticed there wasn't a tag on it anywhere that said who it was from.

"Are you going to open it?" Macee asked, setting her makeup brush down and watching you.

"I guess so," you shrugged, setting the box on the counter, "I wonder who it's from?”

You unwrapped the gold bow, setting it down on the counter as you took the top off of the white box. All three girls stood together with wide grins on their faces as they watched you open the contents of the box. As you pulled the top off, you let out a gasp as your eyes fell on a number nine diamond necklace identical to the one you got Joe for Christmas. There was also a neatly folded orange jacket and a small white note. You picked up the note, a wide grin making its way onto your face as you saw Joes handwriting:

Your heart swelled as you read his sweet message. You set the note down on the bathroom counter and pulled the jacket out of the box. Your mouth gaped open as you held it up and looked over both sides. The jacket itself was orange, with the front saying Cincinnati in white block letters with a black outline. The sleeves had three large black stars on them, and on the back of the jacket was the number nine and Burrow, just like the back of Joe's jersey. Both his number and name in white lettering with black outline just like the front of the jacket.

"That is adorable!" Holly gushed as you held up the jacket. Emma nodded, her eyes welling up with tears as she looked at the jacket.

"That's not all," you said as you set the jacket down so you could hold up the necklace, "he got me a necklace to match his."

Macee placed her hands over her heart and gushed, "How sweet. Joe is such a great guy."

"He really is," you nodded, beaming with happiness as you looked at the jacket and necklace once again.

"Well, put them on girl!" Holly exclaimed, motioning for you to put the jacket on. You slid the jacket on and looked in the mirror, smiling widely as you took in your appearance.

"Here," Emma said, reaching for the necklace, "may I?"

You nodded and pulled your hair up with your hands so that Emma could put the chain of the diamond nine necklace around your neck. Once it was clasped you thanked her and let your hair back down.

"You look so beautiful," Macee smiled genuinely, "Joe is going to love it."

You smiled, "I hope so."

The four of you went back to getting yourselves ready for the game. As you continued styling your hair, your smile never once left my face and neither did the blush on your cheeks. You were so excited for the game, and you I couldn't wait to see Joe after the game. If the Bengals win, it’ll be a night full of celebrating.

~time skip~

"Section one-o-one, row seven..." You looked up from your ticket to find your seat. You glanced down the row of seats full of Bengals and Chiefs fans. About seven seats in from where you stood at the end of the row, an empty seat was next to a honey blonde haired woman wearing an orange Burrow jersey.

That must be Joe's mom. You thought to yourself. You took a deep breath and made your way over to them, excusing yourself as you walked past the seated fans. The movement of more fans filling the section around them caused Joe's parents to both look up as soon as you got close to their seats. Joe's mom grinned as her eyes fell on your standing figure. She jumped up from her seat and immediately pulled you into a tight embrace once you were close enough.

"Hi honey!" she smiled as she rubbed your back, "you must be Y/n?" She pulled away and held onto your forearms. You nodded, "That's me."

"Joe has told us so much about you," she smiled, "he was right when he said you were the most beautiful girl he's ever seen."

You blushed a deep shade of crimson. You don't think you’ve ever heard Joe say that before. "Awe, thank you Mrs. Burrow." you said, letting out a slight chuckle as you spoke.

"Please, call me Robin." She smiled as she moved out of the way so you could introduce yourself to Joes dad.

"Hi," he smiled, "I'm Jimmy."

"Y/n," you said, holding your hand out for him to shake. He shook his head and pulled you into a quick hug instead. Based on first impressions, Joes parents seemed super nice.

"It's nice to finally meet you Y/n. Joe told us all about you before he came home for Christmas," Jim said as he sat back down in his seat, Robin doing the same.

"We were hoping we'd get to meet you then, but Joe told us you had plans." Robin finished.

You sat down next to Robin and nodded, "My family from Arizona wasn't able to fly in, so I just stayed home and spent some time by myself and with some friends of ours."

Robin frowned, "Oh sweetie we would have loved to have you! I'm shocked Joe didn't invite you. If I had known you'd be by yourself I would have reached out to you."

You smiled sincerely, “Oh it's okay, really. He invited me, but, I didn't want to intrude on your family Christmas."

"Oh stop, we would have loved to have you. You seem like a wonderful girl, plus you make Joey happy." She smiled, reaching out for and squeezing your hand.

"I'm glad," you said, smiling sweetly, "because he makes me happy too."

Robins smile widened and as soon as she was about to say something, the stadium lights dimmed and the pre-game announcements began. You took a deep breath and looked out into the field. The game would be starting very soon. Your nerves were at their worst as the anticipation of game day was coming to an end. In just a matter of hours, Joe and the Bengals could be heading to the Super Bowl for the second season in a row. You really hope that is what the outcome of this game will be...

As the game went on, it was back and forth between the kickers for a while. Each team scoring a pair of field goals before any touchdowns were made. About three minutes before halftime, Travis Kelce caught a pass and ran it in for a Chiefs touchdown. The fans beside you and Joes parents went wild while your shoulders slumped in disappointment. However, with just seconds to go in the quarter, Evan kicked another field goal for the Bengals, making the score 6-13. You tried not to be too anxious about the score as Robin reassured you that they were down at halftime last season and still came back to win the game. You were hopeful that it would be the same way this year, too.

During halftime you sat and talked with Joes parents and got some pictures with fans—which was something you weren’t used to. But all of the fans around you, even the Chiefs fans, were all very friendly. As much as you love sitting with the girls during games, it was nice sitting with Joes parents. His mom is super sweet, and his dad is so fun to talk with. You truly don't know why you were so nervous to meet his parents, they're both so kind and welcoming, just like Joe.

"So Y/n," Robin said, turning to face you, "Joe told us a bit about how you two met, but I want to hear it from you."

You chuckled, "It's crazy."

"Oh we've heard," Jimmy said, chuckling as he too turned to face you.

You let out a soft sigh before you told them the story of how you and Joe met and became roommates. You told them all about the lease switch up and the two of you not being on great terms at first—which Robin thought was hilarious. You told them about your first game experience, your short "fling" with Evan, celebrating Christmas with Joe, and all of the breakfasts you’ve shared together. Most importantly though, you told them about when you first realized you’re in love with their son and how you started dating. You were sure to leave out all of the uh...details that led to your relationship starting though. His parents didn’t need to hear about that.

"A lot has changed in my life since September when I moved to Cincinnati, but I wouldn't change any of it. Being Joe's roommate is the best thing that could have happened to me. It funny but, I'll always be thankful our landlord gave me the wrong lease. Because If it weren't for the lease situation, I don't think I'd be sitting here right now." you finished, smiling softly.

Robin began to tear up as she listened to you end the story about you and Joe. She smiled softly and leaned over, wrapping her arms around you and squeezing you gently.

"Thank you. You've made him so happy sweetie. I haven't seen Joe this happy in a long time."

Jimmy nodded, smiling as he said, "She's right. Joe really does love you Y/n, he has for a while."

Robin pulled away, "It's true. He called me back in early December asking for advice on what to do. He loves you so much, and it makes me so happy to see that you love him as much as he loves you."

You smiled, "I do love him," you gazed out onto the field, seeing the Bengals players coming out of the locker room and back to the sideline. Your eyes fell on Joe and your smile widened, "a lot." You finished softly, blowing Joe a kiss as his blue eyes scanned the crowd. His eyes fell on you and a smile pulled at his lips. He tapped the upper left side of his chest twice and turned back around to get ready to take the field. The bright smile stayed on your face as you watched him take the field with his teammates. Robin and Jimmy beamed with joy as they both watched your sweet exchange. It’s safe to say Joe's parents are very happy with your relationship.

The second half of the game felt like it was going on forever. The scoring went back and forth, and with almost thirteen minutes left of the game, the Bengals were on 2 yard line, getting ready to run it in for their second touchdown of the game. Joe snapped the ball and handed it off to Samaje Perine, who ran into the end zone with ease. Robin, Jim and you all jumped out of your seats and cheered wildly, giving eachother high fives before doing the same to the Bengals fans around you. Evan kicked the extra point, bring the score to a tie of 20-20. If your nerves weren't bad earlier in the game, they definitely were now. There was still plenty of time for the guys to score again, but they are playing against the Chiefs, so it won't be easy to get many opportunities to score again.

The time ticked down and neither team was able to get far enough down the field to score. Both teams were struggling offensively, however, with almost ten seconds left of the game, the Chiefs had the ball and it was 3rd and 4. Mahomes snapped the ball and you held your breath as you watched Mahomes scramble. Not able to make a play, he ran out of bounds. As he ran out of bounds, a Bengals player ran into him, knocking him down on the sidelines. The refs threw their yellow flags instantly.

"Oh god," you frowned as your head fell. The flag was on Cincinnati. With ten seconds to play, the Chiefs had the ball with a new set of downs. “It's over isn't it?" you asked, voice laced with sorrow as you looked over at Robin. Her lips formed in a straight line and she nodded. You watched the ending of the game with your hands covering your mouth the entire time. The chiefs scored the game winning field goal, sending them off to play in Super Bowl 57. The Bengals season was now over.

Your heart broke as you watched Joe walk out onto the field to congratulate Mahomes and the rest of the Kansas City Chiefs. Joe and his teammates have worked so hard all season, pushing through all of adversity and slander from the media as they've been dubbed "the underdogs" of the playoffs. You and so many others wanted to see them succeed so bad. Sadly, they fell short.

"God they were so close," Jimmy breathed out, shaking his head.

Robin frowned, turning to you as she pulled you into a hug, "I'm sorry sweetie. Want to come with us to meet Joe before he heads to the locker room?"

You nodded, smiling sadly at them. You needed to see Joe, but you knew seeing his disappointment would only hurt your heart even more. Once the crowd of fans started to leave the stadium, the three of you made your way to the locker room, Joes mom wrapping an arm around your shoulder as you walked to the tunnel. You were stopped by security, but once you showed your badges to the officers they let the three of you through. You waited a couple minutes in silence, the air somber as players exited the locker room with their heads hung low and shoulders slumped in defeat. The door to the locker room swung open and Joe walked out in his pre-game outfit, holding his bags and looking at you all with a sad smile.

"Hey guys," he said softly, "sorry for making you come all this way."

Joe dropped his bags as Robin walked up to him and pulled him into a tight hug. She rubbed his back as he wrapped his arms around his mother, closing his eyes and nodding as she whispered something to him. When she pulled away from Joe, Jimmy took her place and pulled his son into a tight hug. He pat Joe on the back as he pulled away from him. Joe's eyes fell on you, his beautiful blues growing watery as he smiled sadly at you.

"Hey you," he whispered, gesturing for you to come over to him. You smiled softly and fell into his embrace. You squeezed him gently as you stayed in each others arms for a few moments.

"I'm so proud of you Joe," you said softly. You pulled yourself out of his embrace so that you could place a loving kiss to his temple. It broke my heart to see Joe this disappointed. You knew he was putting all of the blame on himself, even though this loss wasn’t his fault. He pulled way and smiled sadly at you, "Thanks," he mumbled softly. You rubbed his shoulder and stepped away so that he could speak with his parents again.

"We're going to head back to the hotel. We love you so much Joe," Robin said as she pulled him into another hug, "we're proud of you no matter what honey."

"Thanks mom. I love you."

She smiled and walked over to you, pulling you into a hug, "It was so good to meet you Y/n."

"It was good to meet you guys too." you smiled, squeezing her gently. Robin pulled away from you as you said one last goodbye to Jim. The two of them left the tunnel and exited the stadium, leaving you and Joe by yourselves.

You noticed Joe's red eyes and slumped shoulders as he wore a slight frown on his face. You grabbed his hand and squeezed it gently, "I love you Joe."

"I love you too," he said quietly, he let out a heavy sigh as he looked down at you, "will you stay with me tonight? We leave tomorrow morning to go back to Cincinnati."

You smiled softly, "Of course I will. Just send me the address."

"I will," he cleared his throat, "I have to do a press conference, so I'll meet you there."

"I can wait for-."

Joe cut you off, "It's okay. I'll see you later."

"Okay," you smiled sadly, "well, I love you."

"I love you too," he said, voice soft as tears threatened to spill over if he looked at you any longer. He leaned down and briefly kissed your lips before walking down the tunnel to the room he would be doing his press conference in. You let out a soft sigh as you turned around and exited the stadium, deciding to head to Joes hotel and wait for him to get back. You could only hope he'd start to feel better soon. This loss was really getting to him.

~time skip...again~

You were sitting on the edge of Joes bed, texting the girls group chat and thanking them once again for welcoming you into their group with open arms this season. They truly are a wonderful group of women and you already can't wait for game days with them next season. As you hit send, the door to the hotel room opened. Joe walked in and smiled softly at you as he locked the door behind him.

"Hey," you said, voice quiet, "how was your press conference."

Joe slipped his shoes off and shrugged, "Good as it could be I guess." His voice was a bit monotone as he spoke, clearly still upset over the loss.

You couldn’t help but frown slightly at his demeanor. You stood up from the bed and walked over to him. You grabbed his hand before wrapping your arms around his tall frame. Joe wrapped an arm around your upper back, letting his hand come up to rest on the back of your head. His fingers softly ran through the strands of your hair. You stayed in each others embrace for a few moments before Joe pulled away and looked down at you.

"I uh," he rubbed the back of his neck, "I'm going to go outside for a bit. Get some fresh air."

"Okay, do you want me to come with you?"

Joe shook his head, "I'm alright." With that, he walked out of the room and out to the balcony of his suite. You frowned as you looked out to where Joe was standing. His shoulders were slumped as he leaned against the black railing of the balcony, looking out at the lit up city of Kansas City. You pulled your lower lip between your teeth, contemplating whether or not you should go outside to be with him. You knew he was hurting and he needed to cope with this tough loss on his own at some point. But right now, you couldn't let him stay out there by himself as his thoughts of self criticism ran wild. You took a deep breath as you walked over to the sliding glass door, opening it so that you could go outside to be with Joe.

You walked up behind him, careful not to startle him. "Hey," you said softly, placing a hand on his broad shoulder. You wanted to comfort him the best you could. You knew how tough this loss was for him. They were so, so close. Joe looked up at you with a tight lipped smile. His face full of a look of defeat, chin quivering and those beautiful blue eyes were watery with unshed tears that were threatening to spill over at any moment.

You frowned and let out a soft and sorrowful, "Oh." You wrapped your arms around his torso, letting your hands rest on his pecs as you held him tightly. You placed a soft kiss to the middle of his back before resting your cheek against him. You heard Joe sniffle a couple times before his shoulders began to shake. Joe turned around in your embrace so he was facing you. He immediately pulled you into his arms and buried his face in the crook of your neck.

You sat both of you down on the furniture of the balcony, holding him close as he finally let out all of the emotions he'd been holding in since the game ended. You slowly ran your fingers through his messy hair, careful not to pull too hard on any strands of his dark blonde hair. Joes shoulders shook as you comforted him. The frown never leaving your face as you rubbed Joe's back and whispered sweet nothings to him. It broke your heart to see him this upset.

"I'm so proud of you," you whispered before placing a kiss on the crown of his head, "so, so proud."

After a couple minutes, Joes painful sobs turned into the occasional sniff. He pulled his head away from your chest and wiped his eyes.

"I'm sorry," he said, letting out a wet chuckle, "I got tears and snot all over you."

You brought your hand up to his check, stroking his tear stained cheeks. "It's okay honey," you smiled softly, "it's okay."

Joe nodded as a frown arose from his lips, "I don't know why, but this almost hurts worse than losing the super bowl."

Your frown deepened, your tone melancholy as you asked, "Why's that?"

He shrugged and took a deep, shaky breath, "We were just so close. I know I let everyone down. I let my teammates down, my coaches, the fans, my parents, you. I just wanted you to see us get there again. I wanted you to be there when I won my first Super Bowl, Y/n. And I failed at that."

"Oh Joey," you grabbed his hand and squeezed it gently, "you'd never let me down. I'm so proud of you, win or lose. You have worked so hard all season, it's amazing you guys got to this point. Don't let one game get to you. I know it's important to you," you sighed, "but you're going to get to this championship every year. I know you are. And yeah, maybe I didn't get to see you win your first Super Bowl this year, but you have so many years left to get your ring Joe." you brought his hand up to your mouth and placed a gentle kiss on one of the prominent veins in hand, "and I'll be at every single game, watching and rooting for you, win or lose. I will see you get your ring someday, Joe."

He smiled softly and wrapped his arms around you, pulling you into a tight embrace. You hugged him back, squeezing him just as tight as he squeezed you. You breathed in his scent, finding comfort in it even if the smell of sweat still lingered on him.

"Thank you, Y/n. I love you so much." He murmured softly, his voice just a little bit louder than a whisper.

"I love you too, Joe." you kissed his temple, "I'm proud of you no matter what, nine." The two of you pulled away from each other and you held up the number nine iced out necklace that was dangling from your neck. Joe smiled as he pulled the exact same chain out from under his white t-shirt.

"There's that smile," you teased, leaning forward to capture his lips in a sweet kiss. Joe smiled into the kiss and brought his hand up to gently cup you cheek. You pulled away from each other and just stared into each others eyes. You could tell from his dropped eyes that Joe still seemed a bit disappointed with the outcome of the game, but he did seem to be a little bit more upbeat after he had his moment. He leaned back on the couch of the balcony of the hotel room. He put his arm up on the back and gestured for you to join him. You sat back against the couch and tucked yourself into Joe's side. He brought his arm down from the couch and let it rest on your side.

"You know," Joe said, quietly, "I'm actually looking forward to the off-season. I think it'll be the best one yet."

"Yeah?" you asked, craning your neck to look up at him.

"You know why?" he questioned as his fingers began to delicately stroke the skin of your arm. You hummed, urging him to continue. Joe looked down at you and smiled softly, his blue eyes shining from the Kansas City moonlight.

"Because I get to spend all of it with you, Y/n."

A blush rose to your cheeks as you grinned happily at him and his confession. The two of you smiled softly at one another as you laid back and enjoyed the moment together out on the balcony of Joes Kansas City hotel room. As sad as you are that the Bengals season has come to an unfortunate end, you can't wait for all of the memories that you’ll be making with Joe during the off-season.

hey loves!!

WHEW so that was a long chapter, i got so carried away with this😅 also, i didn't proofread this chapter much, so i apologize for any mistakes

i’m also SO sorry for such a long wait with this update. i've been going through some writers block lately, plus i've been extremely busy with graduation stuff. thankfully, i've gotten through the writers block and graduation is over! i should be able to get the last few updates out much sooner now :)

i have four chapters left of this series! we're so close to the end, isn't that crazy? i already have the next two chapters completed, so now it's just a matter of posting them. i'll wait a couple days before i post the next chapter though!

i hope you are all doing well. thank you again for all of your love and support with this series🤍

tags: @jackharloww @ilovejoeburroww @dandelionwrites8 @ijustcrypretty @sinners-98-world @a-moment-captured @stainednailpolishremover @spooky-stoner @xoxokiaraaxoxo @kkrenae @hallecarey1 @jordyn14

[gryfflepuffinthetardis]

Drunk in Love — Campbell Bain x Reader

Sweet Jane Masterlist

Summary: Campbell calls Y/N drunk so she can pick him up from his station’s night out at the bar.

Warnings: Drunk Campbell; Drunk Campbell is clingy, Reader is mentioned to be much shorter than Campbell who is roughly six feet tall (I am personally five foot two); Reader is implied to not be Scottish but it can be interpreted by being from a different part of Scotland (I am personally American)

Note: I'm not crazy about the Beyonce song, it doesn't really fit, but if you had any other suggestions of songs about intoxication and love...

(Post-Asylum; May be connected to “Sweet Jane” or read alone)

"They were utterly intoxicated by each other."

"Even drunk, I am caught off guard by the way I remain intoxicated by you."

"Be drunk with love, for love is all that exists."

1994 *Six months after the events of “Takin’ Over the Asylum”

It was two in the morning when the phone rang about six months after Campbell got the Scotland Radio job. 

“Ahhhg.” She groaned, blindly and lazily feeling around for her phone, knocking some things over, and answered her phone, “Hello.”

“Heeeeeey! Baby!” Came Campbell’s voice, clearly drunk. “Oh, I love you so much. Also, I’m super drunk with Eddie and them from work. Did I tell you I helped Eddie get a job at the station!?”

“Yes, Cam. I did. I was there when you did it." Y/n said.

“Twice a week.” He laughed, “But I’m just so sloshed! I can’t drive and neither can Eddie. Francine’s picking him up. Can you pick me up!? Pleeeeeeeeaaaaaase…” He kept that high pitched tone up until she said yes which she was going to anyways.

“Okay, yes. I will, just stop whining in that tone.” She said, “Let me get ready to leave first.”

“Love you!” Campbell sang and then he started singing Goin’ Out of My Head before Y/N hung up.

She groaned and rolled out of the bed.

--

When she arrived at the station, everyone else was gone except Campbell who was singing, drunkenly, I Want Your Cray-Cray at a high-pitched singing voice dressed in one of his hoodies just as his girlfriend was.

“I want your cray-cray!”

"Hey, radio star." Y/N said, walking up to her intoxicated boyfriend.

"Baby! My love! My world! My universe!" He laughed, getting up and throwing his arms around her neck, with him being so much taller than her, he nearly knocked her over but she managed to get a firm footing before that happened.

"Why are you sitting out here? It's way too cold."

"It's too hot in there." He said and tried to take another swig of alcohol.

"No. No, Campbell." She said, wrestling the bottle from his boyfriend who was whining now like a baby. "Come on, let's get you home."

"You first. I'm loving the view." He flirted, looking her up and down shamelessly, as he brought his hands to her waist, running his fingertips gently on her skin, below the hoodie. "You know how much I love seeing you in my clothes, especially my hoodies."

"Campbell, you're drunk." She sighed.

"And I did exactly what you told me to. I called you."

"Yes, I did. And you did so well." She cooed, her hand cupping his cheek and he nuzzled into it, proud of himself. "now come on. Let's go home." 

She pulled him towards her car and helped him into the passenger's seat before moving to the driver's seat. 

Campbell dozed off on Y/N's shoulder during the ride before she woke him up.

"No..." He whined so she turned the car inside light on and he groaned, "Ahhhhhg."

"Come on, party animal. Let's get you ready for bed." She said.

Campbell tried to be on his best behavior while drunk but he felt anyone else would've just dropped him on the couch... but not Y/N, not his Y/N. 

She sat him on the edge of the tub in the bathroom. 

"How many drinks did you have?" She asked 

"I don't know." He mumbled without opening his mouth.

She brought a breathalyzer to him and held the nozzle to his mouth, "Open." He opened his mouth. "Breathe." He breathed. The breathalyzer beeped and read... ".16... so you had like seven drinks?"

"Sounds 'bout right." He slurred, nodding.

"Campbell, that's too high." She scolded and he pouted like a little puppy. She placed her hand on his forehead, he leaned his head back, looking at her with an alcohol-glazed lovey look, and then she felt his cheek and once again he nuzzled into her hand. "You don't seem cold or clammy, your skin doesn't seem to be any paler than usual. You're breathing is quick. So, you don't have alcohol poisoning..." She took him by the hands and pulled him to his feet, "let's brush your teeth, your breath stinks."

"I think a kiss from you is enough. Because you're so sweet." He flirted, leaning in for a kiss.

She leaned away from the kiss, making him pout and give her his puppy-dog eyes. "And you're so cheesy." She brushed his teeth for him and then told him to stay still in the middle of the bathroom while she got him some pajamas, slightly worried he might topple over and hit his head on the sink or bathtub. She got him a Radio Scotland t-shirt as he usually slept in a tee and his boxers. She brought the t-shirt as he started to shed his hoodie and unbuckle his belt.

She blushed, "Uh, Camps, here." She muttered, handing him the t-shirt, avoiding looking at him but he didn't take it and she looked at him as he had planned and he pulled his shirt over his head and smirked, raising his eyebrows in a teasing manner.

"Campbell!" She said, sternly.

"Alright. I was just jokin'. I'll be out in a minute." He said with a drunken giggle in his Scottish accent and she left.

A minute later, he called, "Help."

She opened the bathroom door to find him just barely keeping himself from tripping due to his jeans at the floor now, pooled at his feet and him still being very drunk, and trying to put his head through a sleeve. "I'm stuck." She could hear the pout in his voice.

Y/N smiled, gently and she walked over to him, "stay still." She advised him.

"Never." He mumbled with a hint of a childish whine.

She eased him to stillness before fixing the t-shirt so his head went through the head hole and helped him navigate his arms through the sleeves.

"Aye, my hero." He smirked and she leaned up, gently kissing him and he never refused a kiss from her.

She was a goddess from Scottish or Celtic mythology in his eyes. She was the Baobhan Sith, the female vampire who seduced men with her beauty and he would gladly give her his blood if she asked. She was Mórrigan, the Irish-Celtic warrior-queen goddess. She was Cliodna, the Scottish-Celtic goddess of beauty, love, and passion. He worshipped her with his every being.

"Okay, superstar, time for bed." She giggled.

"Will you stay?" He asked, forgetting whose house this was.

"Well, this is my house. So..."

"I like to wake up, looking at you." He mused before flopping face-first on the bed.

Y/n rolled her eyes and pushed him on his side of the bed.

Y/N turned off the lights and climbed into bed. A few minutes went by before Campbell said, loudly, right in her ear, "WAIT!?" He startled her with the volume of his voice, making her jump and pull away from him, and he lowered it, "Sorry." She reached next to her and turned on the sidetable lamp. "What were you doing when I called you?"

"Sleeping..." She said, hesitantly.

His eyes turned back into puppy-dog eyes of sadness.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, love." He apologized, he cupped the back of Y/N's head. "I must've been pretty annoying all night."

"No, you weren't." She reassured him, puncturing each sentence with a kiss. A sure-fire way to keep his drunk self entertained--also a sure-fire way to keep his sober self enterained. "I'd get up in the middle of the night to come and get you as much as you need. I love you."

He smiled and kissed her before bringing her in so she could rest her head on his arm and he stretched the turn off the light and the two fell asleep to a morning of him whining about his hangover.

[lowkeyremi]

I'm home (Sakusa x inferred blackfem!reader)

Content: Reader studies abroad in america and has finally come home to see her volleyball bf <33

thank u for almost 400 followers, honestly i have no idea why u guys follow me lmaoo

No cw just fluff

"Are you sure he misses me?" Those pretty acrylics you got done before leaving the states tapped your phone as it was pressed up against your ear. 

"How many times are you gonna ask? He's your boyfriend, so you of all people should know he misses you. Badly. It's always "I wish she were here", or "(x) more months until she's home." He's always talking about you." Motoya scolds over the phone, you're standing by the baggage claim waiting for your suitcase to appear on the conveyor belt.

"Don't give me that attitude, you're his cousin, which was why I was asking." You push a braid behind your ear, wearing a protective style is important especially for traveling. You don't have the time to put up with your hair. 

"Sorry, sorry. Anyway, are you stopping by Osaka first or what?" His voice is filled with pure curiosity. A groan escapes your throat. How long does it take for one suitcase to come out? You should have checked it in as a carry-on. 

"Well I'm closer to Tokyo so I wanna head there first. I'm gonna surprise Kiyo." The jet lag is finally starting to hit you, it's about 11:30ish pm in Tokyo while back home it's 10:30ish am. 

"Alright, make sure to come visit me and Suna though, actually how long did you say you were staying? We play the jackals next week. Maybe we can all get together!" He seems very excited, it's evident in his voice. 

"I'll be here for the next month and a half. I'm so fucking tired." He chuckles, "it might take a night or two, you've been in the states so long." 

"Yeah, I was gonna get a rental but I might just uber to Kiyo's apartment." Motoya hears you yawn. 

"E-excuse me, are you tourist?" A woman asks you in broken english. 

"It's better if you rest then see Kiyoomi tomorr-"

"I'll call you back, Toya." He tries to say something but you're already pressing the red decline button. 

"No, I'm just here visiting family. I'm studying abroad in the states." You answer back in english. The lady stares at you as if she's trying to understand what you just said. 

You repeat your sentence in japanese and she replies meekly, "I'm sorry, I just assumed you were american because of your skin. I just wanted to say it's super pretty." She smiles at you shyly.

"Well you wouldn't be too far off, I'm half american. Also thank you, you're so sweet." She nods and walks off to get her suitcase.

"Finally! My suitcase." A few people stare at you, when they see you jump up in triumph, they musn’t understand your impacience. 

------

"Where to?"  The cab driver asks. He seems pretty fed up and his cab smells of cigarettes. 

"Let me pull up the address really quickly, I'm sorry." He sighs impatiently while you hurry to type in your password to find Kiyoomi's address in the messages shared between you two. 

"Okay, it's xxxxxxxxx." The man nods. The slow hum of the cab let’s you know that he’s began driving and your eyes close. Secretly you hope to get a little rest, not that it would help much. The man hits the gas and you jerk forward, luckily your seat belt keeps you from hitting the passenger seat's head restraint. 

"Sorry 'bout that." There’s a tinge of sarcasm laced within his voice and it holds no real empathy. Instinctively your eyes roll. Why do people have to make other people’s day bad just because their day was bad? He's definitely not getting a good review from you. 

The drive was about thirty minutes with traffic being slow at such late hours. The street lights of Tokyo make it hard to sleep, it’s so unnaturally bright.

Where you live now is nothing compared to the brightly lit streets of Tokyo. Sleep is no longer an option, those pretty eyes of yours trail certain restaurants and shops the cab drives by.

The cab driver hit the brake indicating that you’ve arrived at your destination. Within seconds he turns around to look you in your eyes, “cash or card?”

You don’t have much yen on you. Making a stop by an atm is your top priority for tomorrow. “Card, what’s my total?” 

He scratches his head. He best not make up a price on the spot, that’s super annoying. The total isn’t too bad, luckily. He definitely charged you more than he deserved though, yes it was timely but customer service was awful, if you could even call that customer service. 

Excitement was hot in your stomach as you stepped out of the yellow cab. The tokyo air felt so nice against your skin, it feels amazing to be back, even if only for a little while. Once you’ve collected your bags it was time to walk into the apartment building. 

The receptionist looks up to meet your eyes when he notices you. "Are you a new resident or are you visiting?" His voice is perfectly generated, you don’t quite remember him from last time, but he must have been working here awhile to nail that voice. 

"I'm visiting." You bite your glossed lip, the flavor of peach invades your mouth. It’s Kiyoomi’s favorite. Mainly because the first time he bought it for you, it was a last minute first date gift. Since then it’s stuck with both of you, he enjoys the way it tastes on his lips after you kiss him. 

"Alrighty, do you know which apartment you're visiting? I'll ring to let them know you're here. It is quite late after all." He says, glancing back at his computer. 

The plan is to surprise Kiyoomi.. you set your bag down on top of your suitcase. 

"Do you mind if I just go up? It's been a few months, and I want to surprise my boyfriend." The man stops for a second, "In that case go ahead, but let me tell you, many people come to surprise boyfriends or girlfriends and they end up breaking up because said s/o wasn't expecting them and was seeing their side piece."

You giggle, it's wrong to laugh at such a story but you know your Kiyoomi. He misses you so much, everyday when you facetime he whines about wanting to see you. 

"I thought that was only in very cringey romance movies but thanks for the heads up." He nods and sends you on your way. You make a mental note to get a new suitcase. Yours is ratty and the wheel is broken which means you must drag it everywhere. That is not convenient, especially when traveling a lot.

His apartment is on the fifth floor of the building. "Where's the key he gave me?" A groan escapes your lips. You really hope that excitement didn't override your rationality and that this key is somewhere in your purse. 

Frantically searching, it turns up under a bunch of other crap you don’t need. Without Kiyoomi to lecture about your messy purse it’s become a nightmare inside of it.  "Oh thank God, I can't ruin this."

Ding. It's finally time, excitement creeps up in your body. It's been about seven months since you've seen Kiyoomi in person. He came to the states for christmas to see you. 

With him being a pro athlete and you being a college student, it's hard to find time in your schedules to spend time with one another. Long distance relationships aren't the easiest and you missed him terribly. The thought of seeing him kept you busy while flying. Now.. now you're right in front of his door. 

With patience you slide the key into the lock and twist it the right way in order to open the door. 

You hear footsteps, Kiyoomi's lamp is on in his room. What's he still doing up? Doesn't he have practice later?

"Motoya, I fucking told you I'm not watching a movie with you when I have practice later-" Your boyfriend stops at the genkan when he sees you. 

All the anger in his face disappears and his face smooths out. Before you can even process what's happening, those long arms of your Kiyoomi are around you. You practically melt in his touch, becoming one with him.

“What are you doing here, baby? I- when did you land?” He asks all at once, his sweet breath right in your ear. He smells like vanilla and cinnamon, “God I missed the way you smell.” Is all you can say at the moment.

“I just landed like an hour ago, came to see my man before I go visit anyone else.” That chuckle of his warms your heart. He’s going to be the death of you, for sure. 

“I was just about to call you, it’s like 12pm in the states right?” He asks.

“Something like that. I love you so much.” It’s so random but true, you do love him. 

“I love you too, so so fucking much. I can’t tell you how desperate I was getting to see you.” He sighs. He leans back slightly to take in your face, you do the same. He’s so handsome and beautiful at the same time. 

You pull him by his collar to kiss those lips you love so much. Honestly you expected this kiss to be desperate but it was passionate and slow. He placed his hands on your face, they’re warm and inviting. You break the kiss and he smiles at you.

It reminds you of how much a grouch your boyfriend was when you had first met him. He was always frowning or pouting. He keeps telling you he doesn’t pout but you know what you saw. His hands don’t leave your face and hell if you mind. 

“I’m finally home.” You say with a small content sigh. It’s only for a month that you’ll be home, but soon enough you’ll graduate and get to live with him permanently. 

“Yes, my baby is finally home.”

[sleepyhead-poll]

BONUS! MOD'S CHOICE POLL!

Mod's Propaganda Under the Cut:

Judai:

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a Yu-Gi-Oh fan. For whatever reason, this series imprinted on me when I was a child and I just never let it go. I've watched the original series, season 0, GX, 5Ds, and Arc V, as well as read the original manga, the GX manga, and the Arc V manga, as well as watched all the movies. The point is: I like Yu-Gi-Oh. There are people who like it more than me, that have watched all the series and what not, but I think I still like it an absurd amount. And out of all the protagonists I know, Judai is my favorite. He's just so lovable, you can't help but like him! He's goofy, he's reliable, he's fun, he has a descent into madness, he's gay, what more could you want in a shounen protagonist? Though being sleepy isn't a major part of him, it's more of a gag of him slacking in class and always going to sleep, it's still super funny and I'm a little sad that he lost in Round 1, though I do like Sonic as well (who he lost to). Give the Slifer Slacker a chance!

Linhardt:

Considering Linhardt is my profile picture at the moment, I don't think I need to justify this too much. But I will anyway. Linhardt is the sleepy crest scholar. Although I will be the first to admit that I am not actually a Fire Emblem fan (and tbh I find the writing in Three Houses kind of bad) (sorry to those who enjoy it) I love Linhardt so much anyway. He's probably my favorite in that very large cost. I love that he's so unapologetically sleepy, like he doesn't care if you scold him to do work, he will do work on his own time. Not only that, but he's actually really smart and dedicated when he wants to be. Linny's friendship with Caspar is really nice, especially since I think someone needs to save Caspar from his awful dad & self-destructive tendencies. Plus, I really like his supports. Especially with Marianne, Hubert, and Edelgard. His supports with Dorothea in Three Hopes is also really nice.

Garfield:

It's Garfield. He's a classic comic. He's a classic meme. Little orange kitty. What more could you possibly want? I love Snoopy, but to be perfectly honest I think Garfield should have gotten as far as Snoopy.

Sleepytime Tea Bear:

Again. He's just a classic. What more would you want but a sleepy bear in pajamas on a chair?

Olruggio:

I'm a big Witch Hat Atelier fan and I love Olruggio. Like yes, I like Orufrey like everyone else, but I also just like Olruggio on his own. I like his scruffy little look and I love the fact that at first he is so intimating but almost immediately he's revealed to be a big softie. I love his light magic motif and I really think it's sweet that he made the thing to keep you warm when you sleep and gave it to the kids-- he's a FATHER. This man needs a nap fr though. Man I need to catch up with this manga.

Osaka:

IT'S OSAKA. Like!!! I don't even know how many clips and comics from Azumanga Daioh make the rounds around Tumblr, but specifically the ones about Osaka are amazing!!! She has the most autistic anime girl swag I love her so much. She's so sweet and earnest and silly... I always lose my mind at "OH MAH GOD!" and she has so many other classics. Like when she makes the Osaka stamp with her eraser or when she struggles to cross the street because she keeps zoning out when the light gets green or when she's distressed about Americans wearing shoes inside... I love her. And to her sleepyheadness, she's always falling asleep in class and whenever she's studying she just starts falling asleep. She's just like me fr...

Takane:

Back in the day I really liked Kagerou Project and so as tribute to my old obsession from middle/high school I have to give a spot to Takane. My favorite part of the series was when we saw flashbacks to the Yuukei quartet and Headphone Actor is still a bop.

Tanaka:

THE REASON WHY I STARTED THIS TOURNAMENT IN THE FIRST PLACE??? Last December during finals I decided to read something light and fun while working and I chose Tanaka-kun is Always Listless because I remember the title from a few years ago when the anime came out and like I loved it SOOOOOO much. He's the ultimate sleepyboy and he's just so funny and relatable. He needs to be carried around by his best friend Ohta and his ultimate goal in life is to minimize as much effort as possible and he's always nodding off and he dislikes being a main character, instead wishing he was a background character... my favorite guy for real.

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

out of curiosity, do you have any preferred headcanons for how tall the members of the Batfam are? who's the tallest to shortest?

listen I don't have exact measurements but I do have vibes. I'm going to say right out of the gate that I simply do not hold with DC artists and their habit of Russian nesting dolling the Robins so they're each a little bit shorter with age, it's a useful visual shorthand but it's also not my truth even if I sometimes agree with portions.

for instance: I do have to concede that Bruce needs to be the tallest of the Batboys in order to enable a lot of his whole schtick, especially your modern era Batmans who are built to be tanks as opposed to the sleeker, more acrobatically-oriented Batman of earlier ages. Batfleck honestly had a great build for it, 6'4 and built to loom.

on the other hand, I Know what male gymnasts look like and Dick came from a whole family of them; he doesn't need to be SHORT short but brother he is not the tallest Robin by any stretch. he's 5'8 if he's Lucky, likely shorter. and he's fine with it! he isn't insecure about being a compact king!

I strongly dislike the recent development towards drawing adult Jason as a brute, but I have long enjoyed the headcanon that he would have had a hard growth spurt after Bruce took him in and he didn't have to worry about food insecurity. he is absolutely taller than Dick but, HOT TAKE, I don't think he's a Lot taller. as Red Hood he's definitely exaggerating the difference with chunky boots + his stupid full-face mask for extra height, + his jacket and all his gear make him look taller and broader than Nightwing in his little skintight getup. out of costume they physically look much more similar.

I also super hate when Tim is drawn as a skinny short little waif, genuinely there's no reason for that. that's a little American rich boy who grew up on milk and white bread, there's no reason for him to look like he has Victorian urchin wasting disease. fuck this, Tim is taller than both Dick and Jason. same energy as the improv kid I went to high school with who was 5'11 but cool about it.

completing the circle and fully reversing the Robins, I know that other fans have pointed out that Damian's Asian heritage conspires against him being hugelarge as an adult, but genetics are a grab bag and I think he deserves to be Bruce-sized. adult Damian can pick Dick up and put him in the fridge if he wants. at present though his growth spurt is really taking its sweet time and he's hovering around Cass-height (see below).

Duke is hovering in a zone right between Jason and Tim but everyone forgets that and imagines him being taller because the little bat ears on his helmet give him a couple extra inches.

a lot of older comics, especially the Dixon run, frequently have Selina drawn like she's tall as all hell, and I honestly love that for her. 5'11, Megan Thee Stallion kind of build for her.

Cass is frequently drawn as tiny to an extent that is, frankly, implausible and borderline upsetting (if memory serves she literally got folded up and carried in a backpack once?) but listen: she's certainly not tall. I'm willing to offer her 5'3 as an absolute maximum. also literally no one asked but Michelle Yeoh is the Lady Shiva of my heart and shes 5'4, so that's canon To Me.

however tall Dick is in your head I want you to add one (1) inch and that's Barbara. this is so crucial to me.

Steph is like a deeply average 5'4 and a half, and I realize this Does mean that I've Russian nesting dolled the Batgirls (at least in order of appearance in comics, not the actual order they Batgirls) and I am Fine with that. throw Harper Row in here too, she and Steph are just chilling being average height gal pals.

Helena is freakishly tall by Italian woman standards, by which I mean like 5'7.

this is vile and I'm sorry to the Robins but unfortunately Jean Paul is a genetically engineered freak bred to kill so he's probably taller than all of them save for an adult Damian. 6'2 to my miserable boy. beginning to think I was lying when I said I didn't have exact numbers.

so I think in descending order the lineup I've created is Bruce, JP, Selina and Tim, Duke, Jason and Babs, Dick, Helena, Steph and Harper, Damian, Cass.

did I skip anyone vital you want to know about?

[imagination-overreaction]

Even More TF2 Ships

Soldier x Sniper / American Aviators

Took me a little bit to figure out which two these were based on ship name alone, but this is very silly to me. Soldier and Sniper are opposites to me: Soldier is loud and impatient, while sniper is, by definition, neither of those things. They do, however, have a shared love of psychologically scarring their opponents (Sniper with his Jarate and Solly with the honey thing) and blowing people's heads off with big guns, so there's definitely a connection there. After some research and reflection on this ship, I have concluded that they are both big time freaks. Weirdos. They're a couple that you look at and slowly back away from, because something is about to go horribly wrong. They are, however, professionals. They're not flirting on the battlefield (mostly because of how different their positions are) (also I'm not entirely sure if Soldier's fighting advice counts as flirting or not but I almost wanna say it does), they're there to do their job and do it well, but afterward… I don't know what these weirdos are gonna do. I don't know if I want to know. I also don't think that Sniper would tell his team that they're together, he doesn't seem like the type to talk about his personal life with his work colleagues. Soldier, however, has no such reservations, and his team will know about it. I like thinking about Sniper teasing Solly just a little bit, enough to make him blush, even though Solly is typically depicted as being more of a nuisance between the two. I also like thinking about Solly needing a step stool to kiss Sniper even though he is canonically only about 2 or 3 inches taller but shh let me dream.

Soldier x Engineer / Helmet Party

In my last post, I said that Engie would gift Heavy some monstrous artillery that he made, and I think the same is true here. Engineer would make Soldier some of the finest explosive weaponry that has ever been made, and I don't know if he'd use it. He'd want to use the true American classics, not this newfangled fancy nonsense… maybe he'd still blow shit up for fun, or to help Engie test his creation (which is also for fun). (I understand this may be contradictory to what I said about soldier/demo, but these two are fundamentally different. stupid x stupid doesn't work the same as stupid x smart. ) I hc Engineer as one of the 3 most capable and Normal of the mercs, but he's still a little bit… maniacal. Engie may or may not have replaced his own arm with a robotic one, what more is there to say? I imagine Solly's presence would not only encourage Engineer's crazier ideas, but also his dumber ideas. This is all to say that Fourth of July with these two would be wild, and there would be no survivors. I have seen what engineers irl do to fireworks, and Engie is no exception. I would not trust him not to wire together 7 mortars, and I wouldn't trust Soldier not to try and light them off by firing a roman candle in their direction. I think Engie would be super sweet with his partner(s), and that would cause Solly to absolutely melt. I don't know if Solly could handle being called Darlin' without combusting and/or mentally bluescreening.

Heavy x Spy / Spoovy

First off, Spoovy? Delightful, 10/10, no notes. Second, no one on their team(s) knows that they're together. At all. Months after they get together, one of them mentions having a partner and the rest of the team goes "???? Huh????" and he goes "Oh. I figured you knew already. Anyway--" These two do not talk, especially not about personal life and especially not to their coworkers. Maybe Heavy mentions something, but it really depends on who he's close to. Spy doesn't say shit to anyone, but you know what? I think he'd talk shit about the team to Heavy, and he'd learn Russian to do it too. Spy would learn to speak Russian decently I think, and Heavy would make the effort to learn some French. It would be difficult for Heavy to speak the language, but Spy would be endlessly endeared by the gesture. Recent findings suggests that Heavy does know French, but further research is required and I'm not rewriting this post. Learning a whole language for your loved one is one of the most wonderful ways to show affection and you can pry it from my cold dead fingers. With that in mind, I do think that Heavy and Spy would be one of the more tender and loving couples. They'd be cuddling on the couch, they'd be happily chatting over morning coffee (they both strike me as morning people), they'd be gross and coupley (on their own, not at work) and adorable.

Demoman x Pyro / Molotov Cocktail

Holy fuck these two would level the map. Pyro would like Demo purely because he always has the most wonderful confetti (explosives), and Demo would like Pyro because hey, it's damn good at what it does. Also because Pyro is just a genuinely nice and upbeat guy to hang out with ignore the comic where it cut soldier's hand off in the car, he's fine. This friendship would lead to Pyro learning how to use a detonator and while I do support women's wrongs, I also would like there to be any survivors. I feel like most of the pairs with Pyro are going to be a lot of the same, but this pair does have the added possibility of Pyro drinking. I don't think they'd drink enough to actually get wasted, since most alcohol is gross and bitter and yucky and yes I am projecting, but I think tipsy Pyro would get extra cuddly and talkative. Demo wouldn't be able to understand a damn thing they say but they'd be saying it, and he'd agree.

Thanks everyone for the notes, I really enjoy making these and it means a lot! I hope you enjoy, Soldier Anon, sorry for taking a million years and I promise there'll be more of him in the next part o7

Part 2 - - Part 4 (soon)

[brisquad-unit-4402]

rare matchup trade with @mysteriawrites

for one of my very cute friends. i was in a major writing slump over the summer but she encouraged me to get out of my slump by offering a matchup trade! this is my first matchup for someone and very overdue on my part so i'm excited wehe

☆ and even though it’s a matchup i tried to write a full fic with her in mind, but applicable to anyone. especially because this is a whole entire fic with 5,905 words.

mysteria sent me a super detailed description in our dms so here's a summary of it:

mysteria is 5'2, african american, a capricorn and an infj! she's kind, responsible, moody, soft-spoken, and introverted. she also describes herself as a social chameleon that can match the energy of a room, from quiet and clumsy to sassy and teasing if she's comfortable enough. she likes animals, books, reading and writing, personality quizzes, rpg/mmo/rhythm games, and sweets. however, she dislikes loud sounds, math, trypophobia, spiders, and inconsiderate people. she also dislikes when people she cares about don't properly take care of themselves, but tends to forget her own needs. she's really a caring person at heart!

your matchup is under the cut for the drama! i match you with...!

Mischievous but observant, the Phantom Thief Alban Knox!

tags: gender neutral reader, getting together, hurt/comfort, reader is an overworker, bad work environment, happy ending, breaking and entering (and other thief-typical crimes lol)

─── ･ ��ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

There's this little convenience store right in your neighborhood that happens to be on your daily commute to work.

The first time you visit, you realize it's about five minutes away from your home and open 24/7, perfect for late-night snack runs.

The staff is so small, the same guy works the graveyard shift whenever you visit: tousled mocha-brown hair, a lanky body too thin for his uniform shirt, and two differently colored eyes. One is dark, while the other is so vividly green it makes him look intelligent.

It doesn't take long before he starts to memorize your usual order, and for you to memorize the Hi, my name is Alban! name tag over his apron.

With time the friendly customer service starts to become just actual friend behavior. You begin to learn more about one another. He asks you about your day, and when you mention some of your coworkers at your dime-a-dozen tech job he's able to remember who's who.

Meanwhile you've seen the two bowls outside the sliding doors, one full of water and the other kibble. Alban leaves them out for the neighborhood cats, and you've been lucky enough to meet a few of them before they scamper away.

Alban is like a brother to the strays, however, and the konbini tends to be empty whenever you visit, so there's no one to stop him when the cats paw at his leg, begging him to pick them up as you rant about your latest project. They even let you pet them once or twice before they climb over Alban's shoulders, watching you with nighttime pupils. Apparently that's rare. The first time a stray nuzzles your palm, Alban secretly slides you an extra pack of the snack cakes you wanted.

"If she trusts you, then you can keep a secret," he says. The cat's tail curls around his wrist before he nonchalantly drop the cake into your bag. "Our secret, right?"

Over time it becomes a part of your routine. Work during the day, visit the konbini, relax after a good conversation with Alban. Once your company picks up a new security project, your schedule slowly folds over. With Alban's late-night shifts and you working longer hours after getting a lead position, he becomes one of the few consistencies in a hectic career.

You really do treasure the time you spend with him. Now that so much is going on at work it's like his store is the only place you can unwind before you get back to programming at home.

Not to mention he's one of the few night owls you know, and the only one that was there for you when you felt like you were falling apart.

It's not like you wanted to let your defenses down, though. You'd been working tirelessly for weeks on this security system, but today your clients blew a fuse over things out of your control. All this effort, and the way they reacted made you feel like it was for nothing.

"Welcome!" Alban's standard customer service voice disappears once he recognizes your face. "Hey, it's my favorite—woah, wait. Are you okay?"

It stuns you how quickly he picked up on your mood. The second you left work, you spent ten minutes trying to wipe the ‘on the verge of tears’ look off your face.

"Don't worry, Alban, I'm fine." You try to smile. "Just a busy day at work. What're the daily specials today?"

"Oh! Uh..."

It's pretty obvious that wasn't a convincing excuse, but he lists off the menu anyways. You appreciate that he knows how to give you space.

You decide halfway through that you'd rather get your usual, though, too exhausted to think of trying anything new. "And a donut," you add, longing for a comfort food.

While Alban gets started on your food, the aisles of bright, prepackaged snacks feels like staring at a headache. Itching for relief, you stare outside the windows instead. A grayed tail swishes along the glass outside while two nighttime pupils stare right back at you.

The air prods at your skin as the sliding doors open, and you approach the cat. You recognize her as one of the first to warm up to you when you started to visit. She continues to watch you, even as you reach a hand out. Her tail rises like smoke.

The stray's eyes squint up into crescents as you scratch under her chin. "A meal and affection for free," you muse. You're trying to not be bitter, especially since this one is skittish, but you can’t help but feel envious. "Must be nice being a cat instead of a human."

The brisk nighttime air stills. This calm makes everything feel like it’s falling out of your grasp, but you don’t have a choice in the matter. You're a resigned observer to your own life.

"I just don't know what to do," you say. Your job pays well, but you’re so sick of being treated like this, especially after such a bad meeting with your client.

The stray nestles up closer to your hand, nudging the touch closer to her body so you can stroke her back. Not a moment later, she backs away. With powerful legs and silent breaths, she pounces down from the ledge, while the smoke trails into the shadowy brush on the other side of the parking lot.

So you lean back against the wall. Cold brick outlines your back. Damn. Not even the strays are cooperating with your shitty day.

By the time you return to the inside of the konbini, your nose is reddened from the chill. The overhead lights wash the color out of your face, so bright that the night outside seems jarring.

At least you can smell your food. Alban returns to the counter with a paper bag that feels warm to the touch, and a to-go box full of donuts.

You cock your head. “I only ordered one donut, didn’t I?”

“Yep.” He seals the box with a sticker. It’s a cute cat with the same mismatched eyes as him and ‘Freshness Guaranteed!’ underneath its paw.

“So why…?”

“Because I want to give you some. It’s nice to get freebies, especially when it’s for a friend that could use ‘em,” he says. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t ask, but you’re not doing so hot, are you? If there’s anything I can do to help, let me know. I’d be happy to. Help you, I mean.”

He slides the bag of food and the donut box to your side of the counter. “But for now, you just keep those and take a moment to yourself.”

A steady aroma follows the bag while the donut box is warm under your fingers, freshly baked and at no extra charge, simply just because. One green eye and one dark stares up at you from the sticker, blending into the white fur as your vision blurs.

"Alban."

"Yeah, what's—?"

Alban’s question falters. Instead you speak, with one hand up at your eyes, glossy and turning wetter by the second. “Thanks.”

It seems the mask has fallen now. You hunch over as you sniffle. Hot shame seeps down your back like burning oil, the tears feeling more and more like they’re boiling. It only makes you more embarrassed and frustrated, which causes even more heat behind your eyes, and the cycle continues. Now here you are, crying in the cold light of a konbini while the poor cashier has no way out. You don’t even have the heart to look up at Alban’s face.

“Sorry,” you say. Your voice sticks together. “I-I shouldn’t be like this.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’m acting like a big baby, and I’m fine, I’m just—just making it weird, a-and you don’t even want to know.”

“But I do!”

Even though you don’t have the strength to raise your head, you can see Alban’s hands through mottled vision; namely, how they clutch at the counter—right before he sets them both over yours. You’ve never seen him without a pair of food-safe gloves, and these are no different, a solid black that sticks to your skin while fingers rest on your knuckles.

At his outburst, you dare to look up. His eyes are closed, mouth set in a crinkled frown, barely pursed as if he wants to say something. Alban reconsiders just as he opens it. Hesitation crawls into lowered brows, and your heart pangs even harder when he looks down at the hands. Either you’re seeing things, or there’s a bittersweet look in one eye and concern in the other. “If you trust me, then I want to know.

“Because you’re not ‘fine’. If you really were then you wouldn’t be crying at someone doing one tiny nice thing,” he blurts. “Did someone hurt you? Because if they did, I’ll give them a piece of my mind, no questions asked.”

“It’s… not a someone.”

That gets him to squeeze your palm. A wave of understanding bleeds through and travels up your veins. “I’m all ears.”

You squeeze back, eyelids smashing together as another fat tear rolls down your cheek. “It’s my jobbb.”

You aren’t exactly proud of how you weep, but the way Alban listens to you erases the regret. You spill your guts about the client, the meeting, the mismanagement, and that stupid security system you’ve been working on. Halfway through, Alban flips the ‘OPEN’ sign to ‘CLOSED’, thumbs off his gloves, and sits next to you properly.

By now his touch returns, resting fingertips on your knuckles and rubbing up your wrist. Without the gloves, he’s warmer than ever, and softer. He passes you a box of tissues from the office, too, and doesn’t even flinch when you honk into the tissues in-between sobs.

You explain everything, even the tiny stresses in your career. “I’m lost. It pays so much but I’m so exhausted,” you say. “I don’t want to leave but sometimes I just wish I could, I don’t know, transfer to a different location, or give the client to someone else, or hell, some kind of payback.

“But I’d not that kind of person. And even if I was…” Your eyes cast downward. The tears have slowed but they’re still so wet with misery. “I’m so tired.”

Your heart aches just at saying it. The realization has set in now. You’re tired.

That’s putting it mildly. You never noticed until now, but there’s an indescribable weight in your neck and shoulders, just about ready to snap you in two under the pressure. You used to love this job, and you still love what you do, but only now are you realizing you’ve put far more into it than your superiors deserve.

“That’s fucked,” Alban finally says, and you almost snort at how plainly he says it. Instead it comes out as a weak chuckle.

“Can’t your boss put two and two together and realize you’re already giving one hundred percent—no, two hundred into the project?” He asks, even though you both know the answer. “That’s stupid. There’s a whole staff of people, so they need to get their head out of their ass and give you a break.”

“I wish.” You sniffle. “I’m just a generic worker, but I’m the only one that knows exactly how everything operates. Makes me feel like I can't even rest.”

“Do you have any time off?”

“Well, yeah.”

“So take it. You need it,” Alban says. Then he playfully nudges you. “You know you deserve to treat yourself.”

That gets another chuckle out of you, louder than the last. He smiles softly and points out, “You’re laughing more.”

“You say things so simply that, I dunno, it makes things feel less difficult. Like when I think about it, it’s like this swirling black hole.” You exhale. “I was thinking about taking time off, earlier, but I told myself to tough it out instead of giving up. But now it doesn’t feel as extreme.”

“It’s not giving up. It’s resting. That’s a requirement.”

“Yeah. It just… doesn’t feel like it when I’m talking about me.”

“Then let me be the first to remind you that you’re allowed to relax just like the rest of us.”

You wipe your eyes again, this time with a tissue while Alban rubs your back. You’ve known that for as long as you can remember, but hearing Alban say it out loud is the beginnings of understanding. Internalizing that need.

You sniff, but rather than with hopelessness, a different feeling swells in your throat. Something like recognition, warm and loose rather than tight.

“Thanks,” you say. “For the food. And, you know, all this…”

The words get lost along the way, so you settle with a gentle tilt of your head to gesture.

Alban seems to get it without much trouble, though, and pats your back reassuringly. “It’s nothing.”

“I’d argue otherwise. I must have been a nuisance—“

“It's nothing,” he repeats. “No problem at all. If you ever walk in here crying again I’d do anything to make you feel better, you know.”

“Oh.” That makes you look away, almost scared of the fact. This type of caring is unfamiliar, and now that you’re all cried out, you can’t make heads or tails of the feeling. “That’s really sweet, I think.”

Alban lifts his hand off your body. The absence picks you up and out of your thoughts, so you raise your head. You watch as it rests back on his neck, right underneath his tousled brown hair. “Don’t mention it. Uh, how do you get home?”

“I usually walk.”

“Not that I don’t trust you, but you’re not about to walk home by yourself after crying your eyes out. I’ll drive you.”

Your eyes widen. “No, you don’t have to! I don’t want to be a bother!”

“Hey, I’m offering. No one visits at this time of night anyway, except for you.”

“Yeah, but it feels like I’m being a burden or something, and I don't want to cause more trouble for you than I already have, and—oh, forget it.” You bury your face in your hands. Your cheeks are still tempered from crying earlier, but now you can feel the unmistakable heat of embarrassment as well. “You’re not going to let this up, are you?”

He says, “Only if you’re sure you’ll get home safe. It’s late.”

“Fine, you can drive.” You pat at your face with the tissue. Your tears have long since dried, but maybe this will hide the blush. “I can’t say thank you enough.”

Alban shrugs that praise off as well, so intent on refusing your gratitude that it comes across as either sheepish or blasé. He busies himself with locking up the store while you clean yourself up (again) in the bathroom. He opens the car door for you before you can open it yourself.

The stick shift is a few years behind, but the console is rigged up to connect to Alban's phone. Before he starts driving, he hands it to you. "You can choose the music."

You thumb through a streaming service before finding a title your recognize from one of your own playlists, and at the first few notes of the song, the car enters motion. It's a quiet, comfortable silence filled up by the song and your directions to your home.

The walk to the konbini is fast, but driving is even faster, and the song barely ends as he pulls up to your home. "You got everything?" He asks.

You nod. "I do. Thanks, Alban."

"It's noth—"

"Oh, quit playing yourself down already." Before you can slip out of your seat, you lay a hand over Alban's as it rests on the stick shift, just like how he comforted you earlier. "No one at work took time out of their day to hear me out, not even my friends. You did. That means something."

"Still!" Alban says. "I wouldn't just ignore you."

"A lot of people would, and did. You're a lot better than you give yourself credit for." You poke his cheek. "Now repeat after me: you're welcome."

The poke makes his face squish up, cheek smushing into the corner of his lips while one eye closes. He blinks, uncertain, as if he entered uncharted territory. He likely has. If it wasn't apparent before, it certainly was by how long it took him to avert his eyes and say the words. “…You’re welcome.”

You squish his cheeks a little more as friendly affection. Barely visible under the overhead light, his face tints pink under the pressure of your hands. “Glad to hear it. I’ll see you later, Alban.”

“Right. Rest well?”

“I will.”

The door shuts and the headlights shine long shadows behind you as you walk away. Alban watches as you pull out your keys. You notice the shining lights only dim out after you’ve stepped inside your humble abode, and the warm feeling rises up again. He made sure you were inside safe and sound before he drove away.

It’s with that warm feeling that you speed through your nighttime routine and fall asleep in your bed.

It returns each time you visit the konbini after that night, too. Alban, in all his selflessness, still insists on giving you even more freebies than you know what to do with.

“Damn, Reader, if you visit even more often, I’ll have to order extra shipments of candies,” he quips as he scans your items—then snatches a king-size snack and slips it into your bag without charging you a cent more.

You snicker. “It’s not like I ask. You’re the one that won’t quit giving me things for free.”

“I’ve got more than enough to go around.”

“But you just said you’d have to order more.”

“How’s work? Still doing the security thing?” He asks.

You roll your eyes to the ceiling and huff not a second later. “Yep, same old, same old. One of my coworkers used the wrong parts on something, so I had to spend my entire shift today disassembling and reassembling it myself.”

"You know what I'm going to say—"

"That it's unfair and stupid?"

"—Among other things, but you're just going to say the pay is too good to leave, aren't you," he finishes.

You focus on the counter rather than Alban's movements. It's been a while since that night he drove you home and the wound has healed, but there's no mistaking the beginnings of a scar at the memory, all puffy-pink as it tries to recover to what once was.

You hate to admit it, but he's right. He quoted something you said word-for-word last week.

"I'm not just predictable, I'm mad," you say. "And tired of being mad."

"Not at anything new, is it?"

You sigh. "Nope. It's more like a lot of little things building up and just whittling me down. Same ol' soul-crushing machine as always."

The cash register dings as Alban places all your items into the bag, and you pay for half of what you should. "There isn't anything keeping you happy or loyal, is there?"

"Not really. It's all miserable, even the other departments." You even laugh bitterly. "I guess the employees get paid so much because there's no budget going into decent HR."

"You know what I'm going to say."

"Don't waste your breath."

"I can't tell you what to do."

"Gotta pay my bills somehow." The receipt inches out. Alban tears it off and slips it into the bag. "I'm looking, but I can't just quit yet. At this point, I don't care what happens to the place, as long as I get paid. Need to finish the security system before moving onto another job."

"I hope someone gives you a better offer soon. Workplace culture included."

"Me too." He offers the bag to you. You take the handles from Alban with crinkles and a skim along his fingertips. "At least I've got nothing planned tonight but binging a TV show over snacks." You jostle the bag, and the many candies inside. "In no small part because of you."

He beams at that, just before wiring his mouth into a thin smile to cover up his happiness. "We're always open! And I'm always here."

"I'm counting on it." That happiness spreads to you like watercolor on paper. "I'll come back soon, Alban."

He sees you off with the good cheer and well-wishes you've come to expect from Alban, and a request to keep out of trouble. Once the crisp white of the konbini's lights fade away into the night as you walk home, the dismal feeling returns.

Maybe you should take his advice and quit while you're ahead. It's no secret this job will kill you one day.

You bite back the thought as soon as it comes to mind. You need the cash. Quitting is tempting, but if you leave now, you won't have enough savings to fall back on.

"Until this commission is over," you mutter under your breath. You'll put in the two-week notice then, once the security project is complete, and that stuck-up client coughs up the high price for all your effort.

Until then, until then, until then. Your mind echoes as you go down the familiar path home, staving off the urge to think any more on it. All that's left for you to do today is watch some shows, relax, and hopefully, get a good night's rest before doing the same thing again tomorrow.

Even though the night in serves as a good distraction, you remember the grind ahead as you tuck yourself into bed, and with it, Alban's wishes for your happiness pushes the harsh thoughts away as you drift off.

As you'd expect, the days ahead are predictably mundane, save for the awful work environment you've become so used to over time. Some days it feels like you're the only competent person in the building. Other days you know it's true.

Which brings you to now. The coworker that sits closest to you left to go file some papers in another office—or take a personal call for the next twenty minutes, it's always a toss up with them—leaving you to your own devices as you work on something that should've been completed earlier this week. Again.

The office you're currently in is built for three at most, though it rarely fits that many. Usually you're by yourself or with another coworker, and now that you're alone, you have the freedom to sigh. You know how these things work, but having to pick up so much slack is just plain exhausting.

The lights go out.

The first thing you think is if the latest updates were saved. Your brain reminds you that the program was on autosave every minute, and you haven't typed in five. It'll be fine.

The next thing is that considering your industry, there's more than a few backup generators. There's no way it would take this long for one of them to kick in and get power back to the building.

Something's wrong. You don't have a clue, but outside your office windows, you can catch glimpses of other workers evacuating. There's no way it could be a natural disaster, and you doubt a fire would cut the lights, but considering how fast the other workers clear out, you aren't staying to find out.

You're one of the last people to leave a personal office, and you presume the last to start moving. The halls twist in the darkness, but you've memorized the layout, and your phone's flashlight guides the way.

The sound of keys on keys jingle behind you. You pivot with a start "Who's there?"

No one responds. Your light reaches a few feet ahead before being swallowed by the darkness. The ceiling boasts some LEDs for detectors, cameras, and the far-off 'EXIT' sign but not much else, and none of them are helpful at the moment.

Something else whooshes ahead, and you turn again, now starting to feel like a fish being circled by a shark.

"This isn't funny," you call out. That was stupid of you. Maybe the job is rotting your brain, and it'll be the reason behind your death, trapped in your shitty office while everyone else evacuates.

With steeled nerves you keep walking, twisting your phone around to get a piece-by-piece view of the hallways. The light bounces off the waxy leaves of a houseplant by a door. The water cooler where you refill your water bottle. Two pointed strikes of orange that shine one-at-a-time as the light flashes.

Cloth covers your mouth before you can scream.

They wire around as the orange comes into focus, now identifiable as two pins in a head full of shaggy hair. The intruder rests a finger on his lips as he shushes you, one green eye and one dark reflecting the light from your phone.

You manage to shake off his grip and hiss. "Alban?"

He blinks before widening his mismatched eyes. "Wh-what are you talking about? I don't know anyone named Alban."

"Oh, cut the crap, you—" You start, but remember the LED lights up on the ceiling. The cameras! You tug on his jacket sleeve as you dive into a corridor hidden from the security cameras, and luckily, he's shocked enough to stumble along. He slips out of your grasp in a matter of seconds, but instead climbs along the walls and hops between structures to obscure himself like a superhero out of a movie.

You push yourself flat against a wall as if it would hide you any further, while Alban clings onto the ceiling and inches down, dangling in midair. A strap is attached to the roof and around his body not unlike climbing gear.

"I'd recognize you anywhere," you say, "and if I didn't before then I definitely did the second you started talking."

Alban looks away. "Oh. Right. I should've expected that."

"Never mind that, what are you doing here? I work here!" You push him lightly, and he sways in air from the force. "Don't tell me you're behind the power outage."

He scratches the back of his head and gives you a coy smile, only half-apologetic, until you push him more. He flails before steadying himself by holding onto your shoulders. "Wait, I had a reason!"

"Uh-huh, and you're going to tell me it right now before I call the cops!"

"Psh, they couldn't catch me even if they tried—" Shove. Alban swivels around aimlessly. "Okay, okay, fine! I'm a phantom thief."

You grab him and glare. "So you decided to target my workplace after hearing me complain about it for eons. Give me one good reason not to twist you so hard we test if motion sickness can result in death."

"I mean, not entirely off?" He says with a sigh. "Okay, hear me out. The konbini isn't exactly a moneymaker. So I steal things here and there, but only from people who don't deserve it. You know, the types that steal their assets, treat everyone like dirt, exploit hard-working, good people... You see where I'm going with this, right?"

"Go on."

"I like to take only a little bit of it for myself, then forward whatever else I find to the original owners, or community projects that would use the cash way better than some hoarder. Which is why I decided to come here. It has an awful rep despite its net worth, and I dunno, it just seems like it sucks more and more of your soul out the longer you work here." Alban frowns. Even upside-down in the air, his concern is heartfelt, as genuine as that day you confided in him.

You can't even say he's wrong, not entirely. He really did listen to all your woes.

"So... I did some research. Didn't like what I saw. I don't think it's news to you, either."

"It's not great, no." You cross your arms. "So you decided to steal from them."

Alban pats down his pockets. Each of them has a hidden zipper, you realize, which must explain how he hasn't dropped any of his loot until he produces it and shows it to you. One by one, he hands you small boxes covered in secure foam. Your eyes widen as you open them. Each is a different minuscule computer part. "You recognize these."

"How could I not? These are upcoming designs. Not entirely complete, but once they are, they'll be gold standard. Maybe even more."

"Exactly. I did some rifling around in the offices, too. They'll be sold at an insane markup from the true estimated value once they're released to the public." Alban bites the inside of his cheek. "Most of the information and programming has been ripped off from programmers that either didn't consent or were severely underpaid."

"You're telling me. And the employees here will be earning pennies once it goes public."

He nods, serious as the grave. You've never seen him this dead-set on something but you recognize the blazing ambition in his eyes, and the curve over his mouth that forms when he's dedicated. He set his hand over the boxes you hold. "If you really want to return them, I won't stop you. I just want to do the right thing."

The packages aren't much bigger than jewelry boxes, and just as light, but holding them feels like handling priceless masterpieces. After all, they are.

"Why?" You ask.

"Because I trust you."

"Even after I spun you around like a piñata."

"It takes more than that to knock me out," Alban says. "Besides, even if you did, I wouldn't regret it. I think I'd endure a lifetime's worth of it if that's what it took for you to know how much I care."

You readjust your grip on the parts as Alban turns his head away again. "That sounded wrong. I mean, you work for them, not me. If this feels wrong, then you can call it off and I'll leave without anything."

He cares for me. You squeeze your lips together in deep thought. "You think so highly of me, even though I'm just a wreck that has a shitty 9 to 5 and mooches off your konbini food."

"Not a wreck," he corrects, voice tilted high in protest. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"You're such a handful." You present the boxes out and away from you. "Put them back in your pockets. There's the camera outside that I pulled you away from, and a few others in each corner of this floor."

Dumbfounded, Alban gingerly takes them just as you start doodling on a piece of paper. "You're just giving them back to me?"

"What does it look like I'm doing? There's only so much time before any authorities show up." You wait until Alban secures the parts away before pressing the paper flush against his upside-down chest while you stand at eye-level with him. "Not my best blueprint, but you can figure out the best route to sneak out from with that map I just drew up."

Alban stays still in the air, but you let go of the map as it rests under the collar of his jacket. He fumbles for the paper, narrowly avoiding any stray hits to your body due to the proximity.

While he's occupied, your eyes have finally adjusted to the darkness as well as how close you are to him. He doesn't notice you staring at all, nor how his cheeks are a rosier tone than the rest of his skin.

He manages to nab the paper and holds it back over his heart, where you pressed it. When he makes eye contact with you, you see to his core; both the smarmy phantom thief that infiltrated your office, and the understanding, generous dork that works nights at the konbini.

Your hand brushes with his as you take the cloth of his jacket collar. "It didn't sound wrong at all." In the dark, he tenses, gloved hands clutching the paper tighter while that blush grows into a muted red.

You drum up the courage he's shown you time and time again as you lean in. The momentum fuels you as he reciprocates, paper forgotten as it flutters to the floor in favor of holding you tighter as his lips brush along yours.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

bonus.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

You let go of Alban's collar, all lightheaded and woozy after a long-awaited kiss. It breaks off, but his arms are still tangled around your back in a loose hug. The dopey grin on his face is full of emotion; surprise, adoration, and a shred of greed like that wasn't enough for him.

"You need to get back to business," you say, breathless.

"Uh-huh?"

"And I should go before people think I went missing."

"Oh, duh. Yeah. Yeah, you should." Alban shakes his head to jostle him out of his stupor. He raises one limb after another as the cord retracts. "I'll be—ack!"

He flops face-down to the ground with a yelp. Then a groan.

You flinch. "Alban! Are you okay?"

"Ughhh."

Expecting the worst, you crouch down and hold his arm as he rises. "Ow, that hurt... No damage done, though."

"If you say so." You dust off his shoulders as he recovers. Sure enough, there aren't any scratches nor bruises immediately forming, and the concern turns into amusement as he presses his lips together. "Alban, your face is so red."

"Wh—no, it's not."

You pinch his cheeks. His brows are drawn together, all shy and flustered. "Oh, I can't wait to see what this looks like in daylight."

"It's just because I was hanging upside-down! Blood rushes to your head!"

"Yup, right after falling flat on your face."

He wiggles out of your grasp and up on his feet in no time. "You're teasing me and I won't stand for it. Bye!"

And with that, he bolts out of the room, grappling off the walls like a parkour artist until he becomes one with the darkness.

You watch him until he disappears, but you've got places to be, too. You rifle into your pocket where your phone and wallet rest.

That is, until you realize your wallet is nowhere to be found.

You frantically search your pockets until you realize the first one you checked, the one your wallet rested in, had a card inside that wasn't there before.

It's one of the generic business cards your company provides, likely lifted from another worker's office, but along the blank white cardstock, someone had drawn a cat paw alongside a note.

"You just got mugged by the robber! (But visit tonight to get it back.)"

There's a scrawl in the corner, scratched out to the point you can't tell what it was, but a few lines against the scribble makes you think the writer doodled something.

You'll have to ask him later.

"Tonight," you say out loud. It's been a long day, and like you said, you need to get back to the rest of the employees.

But after that, the workday is sure to be cut short as the higher-ups manage the police, and now you have plans.

And you could do without a 9 to 5 looming over you for a while.

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

✧. ┊mysteriawrites

✧. ┊ masterpost ✧. ┊ kofi

[grandmasterwolfeon]

An Inside Out 2 Human OC!!

As you saw from the last post I am currently working on a human OC for Inside Out 2 whom I'm shipping with Val! The bottom 2 images were drawn by my friend Allie since she helped me in trying to design her a bit! Also before anyone asks no Val is not a F/O(for obvious reasons) because the idea of her all stemmed from me being curious about OCxCanon and appreciating Val as a character because she’s super cool! I also noticed there are a lot of Inside Out 2 Ocs that are emotions and not humans so I wanted to be a little unique! P.S- Rei is her own unique character and not a self insert like my FE and Persona 5 selves because those are actually me and not OCs! Maybe somethings about her are loosely based off me like being a geek and the nationality, but she is her own character! Her name is Reika "Rei" Galvez and here are some tidbits about her: = Rei is Filipino-American and can speak English and Tagalog fluently (Her nationality is based off of myself although unlike Rei I only know little Tagalog but I'm trying to learn it a bit more!) = Rei is a huge fan of Shadow the Hedgehog (she selfships with him) and loves Get Up and Glow just like Riley! = She's a golden retriever therian (described as a golden retriever in a human body) = Her demeanor is sweet and shy along with being introverted, but when she's pssionate about her hobbies and interests she becomes an extrovert for a second! Although Val is helping her break out of her shell more. = Rei and Val are both from Oakland, California and have been friends since childhood! = She's apart of Bay Area High's Anime and Gaming clubs and is well known in the geek circles of the school! = She's always supported Val even when she became the captain of the Firehawks! Rei was always in awe seeing Val on the ice and it got her curious about playing hockey and ice skating = During the events of Inside Out 2 she and Val are a couple as she confessed to Val before she went to Hockey camp. She's been wanting to confess to Val for a while, but was nervous to do so until she got the extra charisma to confess. = Rei considers Riley to be the little sister she's never had since she's an only child. She even considers Bree and Grace like her little sisters too but she and Riley especially click really well in the sister department! = Rei loves to draw and loves cooking and baking! Let's just say she almost fainted seeing Riley's burnt chicken! = Dani likes teasing her and nicknaming Rei the "Captain's Pup" because of how Val nicknames her puppy Extra tidbit: When Riley has her anxiety attack during the events of the film she helps her by comforting her as she knows how it feels to go through it and remembers how Val comforts her whenever she gets them. I'm still trying to figure out her hair color and what to color the flannel she's wearing, but I hope you guys like her so far! Again thanks to my friend Allie for helping me with the concept sketches to help me better design her too! :3

[just-a-carrot]

hiii! ive lowk been *obsessed* with Our Wonderland since like, the begining of summer and OH MY GOD?! i unfortunately couldnt llisten to it with the music since i only had time to play it at like 2:00 am BUT the storytelling is fucking awesome, the fact that each character is some shade of morally gray instead of having a "super good ive never done anything bad ever" protag and a "haha im evil im never redeemable" antag we got to see like, a lot of complexity in the characters, and you really dont see that often. Especially with Iggy because even he did some pretty bad stuff (mostly in arc 3) and like it adds a sort of nuance to the game and i literally love it so much. uhm uh yeahhh thats basically it like i just really really like your storytelling it lowk had me questioning my morals and rethink some relationships ive had and like its such a good game like more people need to play it bcuz its so like complex and the narritave is so good and i just love it so muchhhjhhj!!!!

and thats not even talking about the art like holy shit? not only is ur artstyle like, AMAZING, but you were able to have a bunch of animated scenes and a shit ton of different character sprites and im like "wow" cause like thats honestly like really impressive. the thing that made me wanna play OW was the art cause i really like visual novels that have art in them.

sorry for going on that rant i just really like ur game its so good 😭

anywayssss my question is what inspired you to make OW or the OW characters?

wahhhh... this is really sweet... thank you so much... 😭💕 i'm really happy that you like the game and chars so much. lkdjafd i'm glad you say that tbh. it was definitely something i wanted to get across in the game... like... that there's no "wrong" and "right" or "bad" and "good" and that we all make mistakes and hurt people we care about. but it's less about the mistakes themselves and more in how you learn and get better and grow (and ofc talk and apologize, etc.), which is something the cast in general is not great at LOL i wanted all the chars to have deep flaws...

hmmm as for inspo, i've said before that the initial kernel of an idea came back when i was still in school and got really into horror vns, creepy vocaloid songs, games like american mcgee's alice, etc., and it just grew from there over many years of living with the idea and having it evolve. as for the chars themselves, that is something that i honestly could not tell you exactly where they each individually came from. like i had a general idea of the types of chars i wanted but as for their designs and such i mostly just sat down one day and drew them. and much of their characters grew and evolved both before and even during production. so there's no real single source for any of it lakjdfasd it was just a lot of various thinking, dreaming, and getting inspired by a variety of random little things over many years...

[thebindingofpillo]

Hi! The previous anon who asked about your bio here. Kind of random but I'm curious what the fav ice cream flavors of the cast are. And since I'm bored, I'm gonna give my guesses Isaac: Chocolate

Magdalene: pistachio

Cain: Vanilla Judas: hot fudge Eve: Cookies and cream Samson: strawberry Azazel: rainbow sherbet (not ice cream but seemed fitting idk why Lazarus: black walnut Eden: Prob doesn't eat but if i had to guess butter pecan Lilith: doesn't like ice cream but gets chocolate chip cookie dough for Fwendy Apollyon: believe they were confirmed to not eat in an ask years ago but if they could uhhhhh strawberry Bethany: Mint chocolate chip Jacob: peanut butter Esau: ghost ice cream Neapolitan

all of these were just done off of vibes and little to no thought went in to them

Hiiiiii I love all of these, tbf I haven’t really thought about their favourite ice cream flavours either but it’s fun! Here’s my thoughts. Disclaimer: I don’t really know a lot of American ice cream flavours lol

Isaac: he’d probably like chocolate ngl. A bit basic but alright. Nothing that stands out too much. I feel like he would also like vanilla. Either that or something stupid like bubblegum. He’s too done to care, he’ll get whatever he pleases lol.

Magdalene: something rich like salted caramel, or a very fancy vanilla. Rocky road. Cookie dough. Or all of the above, together. She has a huge sweet tooth and likes mixing and matching.

Cain: He likes it simple, so I guess vanilla could go. Or rum raisin because he’s an old man.

Judas: doesn’t really like sweets in general, so he doesn’t really have a favourite ice cream. If he had to choose he’d probably go with coffee or something not overtly sweet, like pistachio or dark chocolate. Always gets the smallest cone/cup available.

Eve: isn’t really one for sweets in general unless she’s feeling really down, in which case she’d eat a whole tub in one sitting. Likes chocolate chip, but when she’s feeling especially shitty she will branch out with stuff like caramel, chocolate etc. always with chunks tho, she loves chunks.

Samson: I know Americans make a difference between ice cream and gelato but I literally never knew what it was. Anyway Samson likes gelato. Probably cherry idk. There’s a super good cassata gelato at my local supermarket and I feel like he’d like that one but I don’t really know how to describe it lmao.

Azazel: another sweet tooth. I feel like he wouldn’t really have a favourite flavor bc he’d like way too many to decide. He’s always loved human food and is always down to try anything. I feel like he’d be interested in more uncommon flavours like popcorn (idk if its common over there, but I’ve never seen it here) or that raspberry and rosemary one i tried once. Or sea salt. WAIT almond ice cream with dried figs. That’s the one.

Lazarus: I have no idea how black walnut would taste. But I trust you.

Eden doesn’t eat, you’re right, but they might partake in the Human Activities from time to time. And when they’ll become human (spoiler) they’ll get to try a lot of different things! I feel like they’d have a very limited palate tho, kinda like a small child. So nothing too complicated, like strawberry.

Lilith: STRAWBEBBY one time I had a very good strawberry float with prosecco and it was so her. Fwendy would appreciate the cookie dough chunks tho, they can munch on them together u.u

Apollyon can’t eat :( but he’d like very basic flavours. There’s a flavour over here called fiordilatte that’s even more basic than vanilla, it literally tastes like milk, I think he would like that.

Bethany also strikes me as a mint chocolate chip girlie, I can see that. Lazarus knows that and always keeps it in the freezer so she doesn’t have to go without u.u

Jacob: mhmmmmmm very hard to figure out. I don’t really remember if he liked sweets or not, but peanut butter strikes that balance of not too sweet but still great so I can see him liking it.

Esau: isn’t Neapolitan like three flavours together mhmmmm he feels like a frozen yogurt kind of guy. With extra protein and fruit toppings.

[xxx-calliope69-xxx]

Pillow Talk

“You’re shit, you know that?” Porsche asked, snuggling his head onto Kinns’ shoulder and looking up at him as if he just said something sweet, like how, even at the accursed downward angle, Kinn still looked stupidly sexy.

Kinn pushed him off, unappreciative of his pillow talk. Porsche let himself fall back onto his bed. Kinn was hunched on the edge of it, in front of an old tv, gamecube controller gripped with pure, barely contained rage.

Despite all his wealth, or maybe because of it, Kinn didn’t grow up with many video games, especially the shitty, shovelware games that Porsche’s father used to get him as an award when he got an A at the end of term. The one he was playing now, the horrible Super Monkey Ball knockoff, was the last thing he’d ever gotten from his father.

It was one of those rare days they were together at Porsche’s home instead of Kinn’s. They were tucked away in his childhood bedroom.

Once again, the poor, poorly rendered monkey careened off the edge, and Kinn slammed the controller onto the bed. 

“Will you PLEASE stop forcing me to play this shitty children’s game?” Kinn barked.

“Aw, but I always replay the entire game at the beginning of the summer! It’s nostalgic!”

“But why do I have to play it?”

“Because it’s funny to watch you suck.”

Porsche laughed at Kinn’s grimace,

“Here,” Porsche sat up, grabbed the controller, and sat behind Kinn. He took the others’ hands into his over the controller, “I’ll show you how to play like that in that shitty American movie Tankhun made us watch, the one he was convinced would help me get over my fear of ghosts.”

“No, I think I’ll just go to bed,” Kinn said, falling back onto Porsche, pinning him to the bed.

“Hey! Get off of me!” Porsche squirmed underneath his captor, hitting his face and stomach with the one hand not pinned with the rest of him.

Kinn, unbothered and smirking said simply, “Nope. I’m tired of this stupid game, and I'm going to bed.” and, all for the bit, managed to pull the blanket from the edge and pull it over himself and captive.

Porsche sighed, “Will you at least turn over so I can see your face?”

“Why? So you can spit in my eyes and get free?”

There was a pause.

“I would never,” he lied.

Kinn laughed and turned over. Porsche put his newly freed arm around his waist, while Kinn bushed some loose hairs from the other's face. They laughed together and at each other.

The window was open, letting in the breeze that was only respite from the wet heat of summer. Cicadas sung in tune with the windchimes and distance talk of people outside having a drink as the sun went down. 

“This reminds me of summer break when I was a kid,” Porsche said, staring at the painted sky outside the window, “Playing video games while the sun sets, and having someone on top of me. Except, it used to be Porchay falling asleep on my lap, now it’s your fat ass.”

“Oh? I’m fat now? That’s news to me, especially considering what you said last night,” he leaned in close, and in the most insulting, high pitch moan he could muster, exclaimed, “OoOh, KiNn, YoU hAvE tHe BoDy oF a GoD!~”

Porsche smacked him off himself, “I never said that!”

“Yes you did!” Kinn laughed, pulling Porsche to his side.

He pouted, but still snuggled in. They didn’t talk, letting the cicadas fill the silence.

“Hey, Kinn?” Porsche asked

“Yeah?”

“If we wanna finish this game before tomorrow, we need to stop fucking around.”

Kinn took the pillow from under his head, and lovingly smothered his beloved.