#Picky Shopper

[mylittleredgirl]

the thing about cracking open a long-established popular ship tag on ao3 is that it allows you to be extraordinarily picky, and i think it must be the closest thing i will ever experience to being filthy rich. i scroll along at super speed like no today i am only interested in fics with this precise range of words and one of these three tags. only authors i’ve heard of, please. hmm, i suppose i could consider an unknown quantity given its apparent popularity with the people, but… no, no, this summary doesn’t do it for me. no particular reason, it’s just… eh, i don’t need to explain myself. bring me 50 more like this for me to choose from and we’ll see.

[nymphdiariesdotcom]

okay so hear me out! what if... i make genie and ingrid fatefully run into each other at the store and them both beinig regulars at said store they slowly build a friendship and connect unbeknownst to genie ingird is carson's ex and ingrid having no idea genie is carson's new girlfriend..??

[proteuus]

I need to replace my english copy of the secret history but edition options are uninspiring

fig 1 is the 30th anniversary edition coming out later this year, which is cool I guess but it's just a hardcover of the same boring black cover everyone has

fig 2 is the 25th anniversary copy which I think is p nice! I would get this one but it's weirdly rare and expensive

fig 3 is the classic vintage orange penguin situation. if I'm trying to get a copy of the book that's more ""collectible"" this is probably my best bet. to be frank though I just don't like this cover design for my collection.

fig 4 here is the mass market paperback, it's not bad. it's not that I like it more than the normal cover w the greek statue but Everyone has the greek statue cover I want a different one

fig 5 is some random paperback from 1993 it looks terrible but definitely would be different lmaO (**though the more I look at it the more I think it actually fits the vibe Perfectly... the book doesn't take itself as seriously as people make it out to)

[amathslutsguidetofandom]

I have something fluffy to give you🥰🩷

Bucky sees Single Mom!Reader at the local grocery store and Bucky being the gentleman he is offers to help her with her crying baby🥺

"Guess I'm Just Good With Them"

PAIRINGS: James "Bucky" Barnes x SingleMom!Reader

WARNINGS: Bucky being good with babies.

WORD COUNT: 867

*not proof-read*

ENJOY!

"Leila, honey. I know, but- Shh, shh," you pull your cart over to sit next to the toy aisle as you bounce your, now wailing, one-year-old girl on your arm.

"My love, I know, I know. But we gotta keep quiet," you wince as you feel the glares of the other ongoing shoppers on you and your child.

Being a single mom has its ups and downs, the ups are the highlights of your life. Witnessing the mini-you walk for the first time, saying "mama" for the first time, seeing her give you that gummy smile you love so much.

The others aren't your defining lows, but they hover in that range. The late nights, the screams, the tantrums, the picky eating. You had to do it yourself because your ass of an ex left you immediately when you said that you were pregnant.

"Leila, baby. Mama doesn't know what you want, honey," you have tried everything, but your girl wouldn't calm down to anything and nothing works. Your anxiety just increases as the number of glares doesn't stop rising.

You're on the verge of tears when suddenly you feel a tap on your shoulder.

"Ma'am, do you need some help?" a rough voice says behind you.

You turn and see this big, broad man with this sheepish look on his face, and the bluest eyes.

"I- uh," you stutter unsure what to do, you can't randomly dump your baby on some random stranger.

He shifts his weight from side to side, looking at your baby with a small smile. Leila whines harder and it slightly pierces your ears, you cringe and bounce her quicker than before.

The man picks out a Piglet stuffed animal from the toy aisle and shakes it in front of Leila. Her wail quiets down, and she reaches for the stuffed cartoon character.

Soon, it's just her flushed puffy face and dried tears on her cheeks as she holds the toy close.

"I-oh my god, thank you," you tell the stranger, he gives a tight-lipped smile and nods at your words.

"I can hold on to her and follow you around, while you do your shopping," he suggests, and you hesitate slightly but give in eventually knowing that this won't go anywhere if you don't take action now.

You hand Leila to the man, and he softly coos at the little girl. Leila seems fascinated by his gold and dark green metal arm.

"What's her name?" he asks, looking at you. "Oh uh, Leila," you say, pulling your cart closer to you. "And your's?" You blink at his question, before offering your with a timid voice.

"I'm James," he smiles softly.

-----

You finally paid for everything in your cart, and the tension in your shoulders seems to ease at the idea of you finally being able to get home.

Putting everything in the trunk of your car was easily done, with the weight of your child in James' arms.

Turning back to James, you see Leila still holding the stuffed Piglet.

"Leila, no, we didn't pay for that," you try to reach for the toy, but your stubborn little girl refuses to budge.

James chuckles, and he shakes his head, "it's alright, I paid for it. She can have it."

You're silent.

You're gobsmacked.

Did this man, this random stranger buy your child a toy?

That's more than your ex ever did.

"I-huh?-wha- James, you didn't have to do that," you quickly reach for your wallet, adamant about paying him back.

He grabs your wrist with one hand, his metal one carrying a tired Leila, "really, you don't have to."

You sigh and smile tiredly at him.

Sometimes, you underestimate the kindness of strangers. And as a single mom, you really are grateful for anything that comes your way.

You take Leila back into your arms and she's whipped. She immediately finds comfort in your arms and closes her eyes.

"Well, I guess we should get going."

Why did you say it like that?

Why did you say it like you didn't want to leave yet?

Like you didn't want to leave him yet.

You can see a sadness flash through James's face as he nods slowly, "yes, guess I should go too."

You both nod but remain standing at the Walmart parking lot.

"I should really go," you nod your head over your shoulder.

He nods as well.

As you turn to leave, he calls out your name.

"Is there a chance that I could grab your number?" He scratches the back of his neck. "I would like to see you and Leila again."

You blush at his words.

He wants to see you again?

You nod slightly and type your number into his flip-phone, you laughed when he first pulled it out.

You chuckle unable to wrap your mind around the idea of this gorgeous man wanting to ask for your number, "I still don't have a clue on how you managed to get her to quiet down back in there."

He laughs lightly and saves your name with a small heart next to it, you don't have to know that he did that. "Guess I'm just good with them."

💌💌💌

ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS PROMPT, BABES!!!

Bucky + children = me being super horny

I just wanna have a life, where this man is really 😩😩

Till' then

Stay Coquette-y,

Anya 🫶🏽🕊️🎀

[todorokies]

jjk characters as male thot jobs

including: satoru gojo, suguru geto, toji fushiguro, kento nanami

contents: sfw but very suggestive, jjk men acting like sluts, gn!reader but there is a fem term used once

a/n: you might not consider some of these as “thot jobs” but im here to hypnotize you ouuuuhhh *wiggles fingers around* .. this is so silly but i had a blast writing this one

☆ . . . since gojo’s brain is hardwired to find teasing others amusing and quite the pass time i could see him as a dentist. you go to your local clinic for a annual deep cleaning and this man purposely goes out of his way to make things seem inherently sensual but still manages to do his job professionally. he’ll coo and praise you for following the most regular orders “now open real nice and wide for me … that’s righttt, good girl.” and “bite down on this … mhm yes just like that, you’re doing a great job.”

he’d definitely be like the annoying ones who still try to have a conversation while knuckles-deep prodding in your mouth. “i can tell you haven’t been flossing as much as you should be, what’s up with that?” and all you can do is narrow your eyes at him. he always caress your jaw and cheek too even through the latex gloves his touches are so intimate and gentle at the end of your appointment you’ll be genuinely considering if you should fuck your dentist or not.

☆ . . . i had multiple options for geto but firmly decided on a ceramic artist. i can envision him owning a modern yet whimsical pottery studio —he wanted the modern look but nanako and mimiko insist on the whimsical interior.— he offers free beginner classes twice a month. omgg the way his hands knead at the clay and skillfully sculpts on the wheel with his fingers meticulously bending, making his veins more prominent while delicately morphing the creation into a vase. he annunciates his instructions with melodic calmness but still has authority present in his tone i swearrr his voice is like honey.

you catch his eye in one of his classes and offers extended hours free of charge to help you “better your form.” he sits behind you, cradling your forearms directing your movements but still making room for you to assist your own creation. his warm minted breath tickles the back of your neck causing goosebumps “make sure to sit close to the wheel and anchor your elbows tightly against your body…” the sultry in his tone doesn’t go unnoticed with him slightly moving to your ear next “don’t be afraid to make mistakes it’s all about trial and error darling.”

☆ . . . like the unemployed bum toji is, he seems like the type of man to pride himself as a ‘jack of all trades.’ which is why i see him in the freelancer field of work, specifically, a personal shopper. he has an app on his phone where he can either accept or deny requests. he’s quite picky with commissions when money isn’t running low, but don’t get him wrong, he’s willing to go the extra mile to please his clients. always prefers phone calls over text when discussing farther details knowing his gruff voice will have the recipient weak in the knees. he isn’t shameful to treat his full time employment as a part time hookup arrangement…if he’s lucky enough that is.

“here’s your stuff pretty.” the quite taller and muscular man at your porch hands over a brown bag containing your groceries. you don’t miss the way his hands graze yours in the exchange, his sharp eyes examine you like you’re his prey; awaiting for your next move in a game you involuntarily started playing. words of gratitude try to slither past your lips but ultimately couldn’t —you’ve officially peaked his interest— “hey, why don’t i help you unload your items?” at that you nodded making way for the sleazy man to enter your home and eventually your bedroom as well.

☆ . . . what differentiates nanami from the rest is that he’s unaware of how insanely attractive his profession as a baker is. he truly doesn’t understand the appeal of a man in an apron kneading dough and decorating pink frilly cupcakes. he co-owns a bakery with haibara !! they even enrolled in culinary school together. the interior is quite morden with wisteria and other succulent plants hanging from the ceiling; most of the time he’s clueless to very clear advances from others or kindly shut them down saying how he’s “not looking for anything serious” which is a lie he himself started to believe.

but on a faithful sunday autumn morning you stroll in just salivating at the thought of warm dewy chocolate filled croissants, fresh from the oven, when you see him; clad in a bulky knitted cream sweater tying a black apron around his slim waist whilst his becipes bulged slightly through the thick material of the sweater. “good morning, what can i get for you today?” one thing lead to another making you leave with not only a croissant but the blond man’s phone number —due thanks to his cheeky younger coworker, yuji, who wrote the number on your receipt including a note that read: ‘he’s soooo into you :)’—

reblogs & feedback is extremely appreciated !! <3

[flowersandbigteeth]

Which monsters of yours would freely give their credit card to their darlings, no questions asked vs. the monsters that’d ask for a “favor” of some type in return?

And then which monsters would just say “no” to me, and leave me crying cause I wanted a new Sanrio plushie?

This is such a cute question, I love it! Answers below:

First, in the hypothetical situation where he appears magically in our world, Golmad is going to tell you "no" to Sanrio plushies. Not because he is worried about money, but because badass Orc Queens don't carry around adorable plushies, they carry weapons. He'd suggest a nice mace or a whip in the color pink. However, after he sees your pouty eyes, that plush is going to mysteriously appear in your bedroom with a mini axe strapped to its back.

After your "adjustment" period is over, Roth is issuing you your own card and sending you on elaborate shopping trips with the club girls. The caveat is you have to give him a personal fashion show when you get back to show off the clothes you bought.

Leander is pretty sure spending money is your primary job and has contacted the bank to let them know you are authorized to withdraw however much you like. Every shop owner in town adores when you come in because they know you are dropping serious cash.

Serge will demand favors in a big way. He'll make you call him pet names and give him smooches in return for whatever you like. He will also trade treats for self-care. Brushing your teeth or showering yourself will result in cash prizes! Money isn't an issue, but he's not giving you the credit card because it's so much more fun to extract concessions for his whims.

Idreod has no problem with issuing you your own card, but you're in charge of the budget anyway, so you already know the balances and whatnot. His only stipulation is that whatever you buy better be high end. His wife has to look a certain way so people know she's above them.

With Vylkas the situation is switched. It's you giving him your credit card. Of course, you have to give him a card with a limit because he has no common sense and will spend all his money on cigarettes and decorations for his murder pond.

Hugo will bicker with you about spending money on frivolous things, but always gives in eventually. He'll pout when you buy designer clothes or plushies, but quietly build you a new shelf to store them or expand your closet to fit the new clothes. He'll tell you it's so he can add photos of whatever he built to his portfolio to draw new customers and earn back all the money you're spending, but you notice he is very careful with your new stuff (picking up and arranging your plushies if you leave them out or hanging up your dresses if you toss them on the floor) and asks you to wear things he likes for him or asks if you want him to grab your plushie while you're watching movies.

Rafe is the worst. He's happy to buy you what you like, but he demands lots of naughty favors in return. Extortion is his favorite bedroom game.

Chase also likes to be in control of the money, but he's more playful when he shakes you down. He likes to come shopping with you so he can demand kisses for him to swipe his card. He likes showing off to people that you're his and especially likes to make the other shoppers jealous, spending lots of money on you. He's a bit of a terror in the store. If a shop worker appears to be flirting with you, he'll make their life extra hard, demanding they run around getting all sorts of things you have no intention of buying. He's also very picky about the things you buy. He wants you to look like a cute little housewife, so very few pants unless they are leggings that show off your figure. He's perfectly happy to buy you plushies or other cute stuff, but practical things are a no-no. Why do you need a drill? He will do all of that hard stuff so his pretty little wife doesn't break a nail.

Lethia loves shopping and terrorizing you with naughty games. She'll demand you try on all sorts of revealing lingerie and racy outfits just to watch you squirm and blush in them. She doesn't see any reason for you to have "normal" clothes, but other than that, she'll buy you whatever else you want for a kiss. Her little pet has to look fabulous at her side so she'll take you to get your nails done with the most elaborate sets, hair dyed in mermaid or candy colors, and whatever other pampering you didn't know you needed. If she finds out you like plushies, you'll be buried in them. She'll have alerts on her phone for the latest drops, so you get the newest ones.

Once Nasos gets used to you not being a sleeve, shopping with you is his second favorite activity to the naughty stuff. He'd be excited to take you to all sorts of alien markets, just to see your eyes light up with all of the products you never knew existed. He's always been a simple guy, so he doesn't need much for himself. For you though, he spares no expense. Since you two are often on long trips into deep space, he wants to make sure you are plenty occupied and not bored. You wouldn't get your own credit card, but all you have to do is look at something with your big sparkly eyes and he's ringing it up.

Kostas is far more practical than his cousin. You are allowed treats, but only for good behavior. He's carefully helping you learn how to control your temper with a reward sticker system. When you deal with an emotion appropriately, you get stickers that can be cashed out for a treat at the end of the week when the two of you go to town for supplies. He's very specific about the stickers he gets, too, so you enjoy collecting them because they are super cute, not just for the big prize.

<3 <3 <3

[marleysfinest]

SHOPPING TRIP; JEAN X READER

THANK U @wyvernslovecake for this prompt & I’m sorry it took so long!!! life do be cray rn!!

jean x gn reader; fluff; no content warnings

there isn’t much jean wouldn’t do for you. he’s the loyal type, the stoic type, the will jump to your aid and defence without giving it so much as a thought type. where he was once selfish, maybe a little entitled, jean had come to realise that there’s more to life than looking after number one; leaving flowers at your door for you to return home to, texting you every morning and every night, swinging by work with your favourite coffee without even having to ask. he’d come to realise that he loved doting on you.

shopping, though? oh boy. that man hated shopping.

it doesn’t help that it’s a particularly sweltering day, with the sweat pouring from your brow as you both weave between the crowds of shoppers at the open-air shopping village. the cause for this somewhat tense shopping trip had stemmed from jean letting his hatred of browsing the stores get the best of him, and leaving it until the day before his mother’s birthday before revealing that he hadn’t picked up a gift. when you ask him what he thought was going to happen, his silence and scowl told you all you needed to know; I thought you’d pick something up for me.

his mother was, as you were very well aware, a notoriously picky woman. very loving and generous, but selective when it came to gifting. she wasn’t a stranger to exchanging gifts she wasn’t fond of, and jean had taken this act of pickiness as a challenge, and every year tried his hardest to get her something she would genuinely love. why he did this knowing full well he’d never want to shop for the thing to begin with, you didn’t know, but it was an argument that had long since been put to bed.

you drag him into another store - this one flaunting necklaces and trinkets of gold and silver - and hear a low groan behind you.

“this is ridiculous, she’s so picky with her jewellery!”

his tone was similar to that of a nine year-old schoolboy being ferried around by his mother.

“what’s ridiculous is you leaving it to the day before to get your own mother a birthday present!” you snap.

the store’s air conditioning leaves a lot to be desired, and realising that you’ve been at this for three hours now, you persuade jean to buy an intricate gold and ruby necklace and put in a little extra for the gift wrap. rush order excess was your excuse, and it was met with that signature groan and a roll of the eyes. you both walk back into the blazing sunshine, you feeling a little lighter from responsibility, jean from the dent in his wallet.

“let’s get a drink, please, I’m gonna die from this heat.”

realising that his attitude was beginning to irk you, you agree that a drink, a comfy seat, and a cool down is a good idea before you both started lunging for each other’s throats in broad daylight. you nigh-on run to the large bar at the far end of the mall, but just as it was in sight jean stops. wondering whether he was feeling alright or indeed had just collapsed dead through faux-exhaustion and carrying around such a bad attitude, you turn to ask what the problem is, until you realise he’s no longer by your side. he’s actually willingly walking towards a store window. heatstroke? delusions? a mirage of a cold beer in the window? you watch him keenly for a few seconds until he realises you’re not with him, and when he finds your eyes across the crowd, waves you over.

as you draw nearer, you realise that he’s looking in the window of another jewellery store. a certain high-end jewellery store, with a very welcoming duck-egg blue entrance and elaborate decorations, and you could see that the counters inside were surrounded by luxurious furnishings. you return to jean’s side, and take in the selection of diamond rings in the window.

“hypothetically speaking,” he began, “which one of these would you wear?”

you look up at him and realise that he’s deliberately averting his eyes from yours, keeping them fixed on the window display.

“hypothetically?” you ask, “babe, even hypothetically we couldn’t afford one of these.”

he rolls his eyes elaborately.

“hypothetically. hypothetically means anything is possible. now pick one.”

his tone wasn’t romantic or even overly affectionate, but you weren’t sure that you minded. jean’s signature brand of smugness and impatience was something that had grown on you over the years. you turn to look at the rings on display; all of them were obscenely beautiful, it was hard to pick just one. but after careful consideration you settle on a simple solitaire diamond on a white gold band.

“that one,” you say, pointing delicately to avoid hitting the window and being arrested for attempted theft. jean’s eyebrows raise in approval, and he nods lightly.

“alright…”

his voice trails off, and you’re left in silence for a few seconds before he snaps back to reality.

“c’mon, you can buy me a beer. if I’m gonna be getting you one of those things you’re gonna have to stop making me buy you stuff.”

you elbow him with force, and he laughs, throwing an arm around your shoulder as you head for the bar.

[unpredictable-probabilities]

Azul Ashengrotto of Royal Sword Academy || Chapter 5: Gifts, Dances, and Sparks

Summary:

It's the eve of the Autumn Dance and Jamil is nervous, both about Azul's Blot levels and being Azul's date.

He's not sure how the night is going to go with rival schools under the same roof, but there's only one way to find out...

Word Count: 9,262

Saturday rolls around, and Jamil finds himself in the school bus with his fellow NRC students on the way to RSA for the Autumn Dance. 

The town passes by outside the window, and Jamil can see the streetlamps slowly coming to life as the sun begins to set. Shopkeepers and restaurants turn on their porch lights for evening shoppers and customers heading to dinner. 

“Can’t believe ‘m gonna finally see RSA!” Floyd says, sitting beside him. His formal coat is only halfway buttoned, and the hem of his shirt hangs loose from being untucked. “Ya ever been there before, Sea Snake?”

Jamil glances up from where he had been absent-mindedly fixing his own outfit, a little self-conscious. "Hm? RSA? No…I've never been. Wouldn't be surprised if it's anything like its students–fancy and sparkly." 

Through the days leading up to the dance, Azul hasn't done much to contact him. For a while, he figured it was probably because he should initiate first, but even when he tries (using a small "hey"), there's been little to no conversation and… 

Well... Suffice to say that he's feeling restless, like there's something he's forgotten or overlooked. 

Trying to text and ask Kalim how he's been doing hasn't produced much results either, and he's beginning to think that somebody's sabotaging his mobile messages. 

Calm down, Jamil, he chides himself. They're probably busy with schoolwork and preparations for the dance. Azul told him as much. He gets busy at NRC, too. 

Still, worries about Blot and Azul have been piling up in the back of his mind.

"I hope you're not planning on setting anything on fire while we're there," he mutters. 

Floyd just laughs, which isn’t exactly reassuring. 

“Oh hey,” Floyd says as if he just remembered something. “We ain’t supposed to bring a gift or anything to our dates, right? I dunno how these things work, and I didn’t bring any for Flame Tetra.” He pats his pockets as if looking for a last-minute gift. 

"... Umm…" 

Jamil subtly pushes his small parcel further inside his jacket pocket. 

"I don't… believe so. Besides, I'm sure Rielle wouldn't—Wait, Rielle!?" 

He whirls around to face the merman, bewildered. "You asked HIM out as your date? Wh—How did that happen?" 

Floyd shrugs. “I texted him the other day to ask if he wanted to hang out. He said he’s too busy with the preparations and had to get some glass swans decorations or somethin’ from some shop. So I went to the shop and brought him some fries. We hung out while walking to the bus stop, then we reached it and he had to go back to RSA. But before he left I asked him to be my date.”

He pulls out something from his pocket and squints at it. “How about this spare button as a gift? Do ya think his suit would have buttons that need replacing?”

Jamil gawks at Floyd, speechless. 

Great Seven, this man is the option Rielle's left with now that Azul's unavailable? 

Jamil feels that he can't apologize to the sea prince enough as the silhouette of RSA's school rises from the distance. 

"Er... maybe gauge your standing with him first before you present him with the… button. How's that?" 

“Whuzzat mean?” Floyd wrinkles his nose in confusion. “Why, what’s yer standing with Octy?”

Jamil purses his lips, deciding to ignore the second question. "I mean... it's just a button. Rielle's prolly too nice to reject it, but I think even he’s got some standards." 

Floyd sticks his tongue out. “Yer too picky. Glad yer not my date,” he grumbles before settling into his seat and pointedly ignoring Jamil. 

They reach the RSA grounds, and after a short briefing from Professor Trein about maintaining good behavior throughout the night, they’re let out of the bus. 

As they approach the main building, the tall gleaming gates open on their own, and Headmage Ambrose walks out with a welcoming smile, flanked by two RSA students in formal wear. 

“Welcome to Royal Sword Academy,” Ambrose smiles warmly at them, the corners of his eyes crinkling. “I must say that it brings me great joy to see Night Raven College students on our doorstep. A unified celebration between our schools has been long overdue, if I do say so myself.”

"I couldn't agree more, Ambrose!" Crowley's voice announces from behind the crowd, and the crow-masked fellow promptly sidles himself up to stand before his students, wearing a pleasant grin. Somehow, despite the NRC Headmage's cheer, there's an evident lack of warmth to his demeanor in contrast (though that simply could be because of his dark midnight colors compared to Ambrose's friendly blues). 

"It's a great pleasure to grace these halls after so long. My!" Crowley softly gasps. "Aren't those your usual robes? Are you not dressing up for your own school event?" 

"Crowley," Ambrose says, in a voice that seems less warm. "I could tell you the same thing. Isn't that the ensemble you wear every day on campus? I mean, presuming you do stay on campus every day." His smile remains, but it's subtly different now than the one he wore when he first greeted them. 

Students from both sides eye each other in quiet confusion as they watch this strange display. 

"Why change what's already perfect?" Crowley beams, looking unperturbed as he ignored the other's jabs. "Meanwhile, your periwinkle blue ensemble makes you haphazardly stand out! A shame... I just thought you would treat yourself to a nicer outfit on such a special occasion, though I suppose it's always about looking 'simple and humble' with you." 

"Oh, I am sure you don't see standing out as a bad thing, given that you insist on wearing those feathers everywhere," Ambrose's eyes narrow as he chuckles. He turns to the students and his features become warm again. "Regardless, please come in! These gentlemen will lead you to the ballroom," he steps aside and gestures to the students behind him. 

"This way, please," says a tall brunette with a friendly smile. 

Gleaming corridors and tall arched windows welcome them as their footsteps echo along the marble floor. Everything is so sparkly clean that if Jamil knew nothing about this place, he’d think it’s a new building. 

NRC is by no means a pigsty, and the staff always keep everything clean and orderly, but walking through RSA’s halls had Jamil wondering how it’s possible for hundreds of students to live there and keep the place looking like it does now. The word “Royal” is in their name, so Jamil supposes that it’s only natural for the building to look like a palace wherever they look. 

“Those are some fancy tapestries,” Ruggie whistles as he walks beside him. “Each of them is big enough to cover my entire living room floor back at home. Bet they’re expensive, too.” He squints closer at the threads.

Jamil pauses in his stride and stays at Ruggie's side, raising an eyebrow. "Already forgetting the briefing that we're supposed to be on our best behavior tonight?" 

“Aww, I’m just looking, man,” Ruggie claps Jamil on the arm, pulling him along with the crowd and they start walking again. 

They reach the ballroom, an enormous space with a ceiling high enough to fit large chandeliers with long crystal lights, sparkling in the softly-lit room. 

Round tables draped in white cloth were set in intervals on one side, high-backed chairs surrounding each one. In a different part of the room, taller but smaller tables stood, no chairs. Jamil had been to enough fancy parties by the Asims to know that those tables are for people who prefer to be mobile during an event. Those sociable people don’t need chairs at a party. They pass by one of those tall tables, and Jamil sees two glass swans sitting pristinely as the centerpiece. 

Along one wall, a long buffet table is laden with various dishes of meat and vegetables and fruits. At the end, some catering crew are swiftly setting up the desserts. 

Calming classical music is playing from somewhere, and Jamil realizes that it’s the same song that Azul had been playing in the department store, but in a slightly different arrangement to make room for the violin accompanying it. 

Jamil looks around, beginning to wonder if Azul was the one playing the music. Idly, he searches for the source of the sound, pausing alongside the other NRC students as they awkwardly crowd around the entrance, wary about fully entering into the den. 

His gaze falls onto the piano at an elevated dais on one side of the room. Azul has an air of relaxation about him as he plays the song along with another RSA student at the violin in front of him. He’s wearing the outfit he had bought at the department store, the purple coat draped around his shoulders. 

Jamil stares and watches Azul, entranced as a small smile creeps upon his features. 

Well, he's glad Azul seems to be doing well. 

"What'chu staring at?" Ruggie asks, following Jamil's gaze. "Ohhhhhh. Geez, man, you're not even being subtle about it anymore." 

"Hm? What?" Jamil blinked, having failed to catch what Ruggie said. 

"I said the entrees look delicious, don't they?" 

"Ah. Oh… Yeah. I suppose they do." 

Ruggie squints at him, grinning. “I’m gonna head to the appetizers before Floyd gets to them," he deftly makes his way to the buffet table, cheerfully greeting the catering staff and waving at them. 

The other NRC students see Ruggie confidently moving about the room, and they begin to relax and file in, looking around.

Not wanting to look like a fool standing in the middle of the entranceway staring at seemingly nothing, Jamil moves along, too. 

However, since he doesn't wish to disturb Azul just yet while he's still in the middle of his performance, he starts to follow Ruggie, attempting to occupy his mind with something else for now. 

He looks around, wondering how many of the Savanaclaws showed up in the end. He's surprised to see that most, if not all, of them are present. The usually rugged-looking Savanaclaws are wearing formal clothing, some of them are even dressed more neatly than Floyd. He sees Leona in the corner, a small frown on his face as he adjusts the tie on his princely outfit of bronze and dark brown. 

Jamil was too busy taking in the sight of the Savanaclaws and their normally unsociable Prefect that he didn’t notice the RSA student in front of him until the other’s hand steadies him on the shoulder, preventing them from colliding into each other.

“Jamil,” Rielle greets him in surprise, a fancy drinking glass in hand. “Welcome to Royal Sword Academy. How do you find the place so far?”

Jamil looks at the prince. "Ah. Hello, Rielle. It looks…" He gazes around. "Enchanting. You all did a good job with the place. How have things been for you guys?" 

“Thank you,” Rielle tips his head politely. “Things have been… busy,” he chuckles, a nervous and relieved sound. “I now have the utmost respect for party planners. Honestly, what I’m most looking forward to about tonight is the good long sleep that I’ll be having.”

His expression turns a bit more serious. “Listen, I wanted to talk to you about Azul. Do you have a minute?”

Jamil tenses up. Does Rielle know about what's been happening between them? Jamil's feelings? The gift he's hiding in his jacket right now? 

"... All right," he stiffly nods. "I'm pretty free at the moment." 

Rielle visibly relaxes, and he turns to one of the tall standing tables beside them, placing his drink on it. He looks down at the cuff of his coat and fidgets with it for a second before speaking.

“Azul and I spoke the other day. With our busy schedules, he really made time for us to be able to speak privately, so I gathered that it was important. Jamil, I do apologize for ruining the mood of what is supposedly a fun party, but…” his composed expression makes way to that of worry, and he speaks more quietly. “Do you really think that Azul is at risk of Overblotting?”

Jamil blinks in surprise before he nods, acknowledging Rielle's sincere worry. If he already feels this concerned about Azul, he can only imagine how bad it is for a close childhood friend. "That's what I've been led to believe by... trustworthy sources. Why? What has he told you about it?"

“He told me what happened at your Equestrian Club’s obstacle course. How he felt a particular anger after… talking about Knight Class. He said he lost consciousness.” 

Rielle’s forehead creases with worry, and his jaw clenches. Jamil realizes that there’s guilt in the prince’s expression. 

“I never realized how hard it has been for him, being associated with me,” he says quietly. “I should have checked in with him more frequently, but I focused so much on my duties that I had ended up taking his presence for granted,” he shakes his head.

"... If anything, your presence in his life has gotten him this far," Jamil reasons. "You're both having a hard time with the way things are, but you've managed to get through them before, haven't you? What's changed?" 

“That’s kind of you to say,” Prince Rielle gives a small smile, then he sighs. “And to be perfectly honest… I think Azul and I have simply gotten weary. Our freshman year had already been difficult, especially with our adjustment to land. Now that we are in our Second Year, the expectations have only gotten higher. I cannot even be a few minutes late to class without getting a lecture about how as a royal, I should always be a role model for excellence, and tardiness is unacceptable.” 

He meets Jamil’s eyes. “That is why I am grateful that Azul found some breathing room in your presence, I of all people know how much he deserves it,” he says sincerely.

Jamil pauses, his mind beginning to race as he prods at the implications of this revelation. 

What's changed, he had asked. 

Could one of the changes have been Jamil himself? 

It's almost ironic, really, how the indentured servant got some breathing room in his life for once, spurred on by Azul's reassurances. Only to find the possibility that Azul, having seen said servant begin to fly, is starting to look at his own life in comparison along with the chains that bind him down. 

"... But then... what about you?" Jamil asks. "If this is a burden on Azul, I can only imagine how much heavier it is on your shoulders. How have you been coping with all of it?" 

Rielle looks down for a moment, a sad smile on his face. “I do not entirely mind the duties I have to do, helping others makes me happy, and I do aim to make things better for the people in my kingdom after graduation, as well as other merfolk who wish to visit the surface. I just kept telling myself that it would all be worth it in the end, and distracted myself in my work. That spontaneous hang out that Floyd had dragged me into on the day that he burned my school uniform while attempting to cook a pretzel, it was the first trip I had gone to in a very long time that did not involve me being a prince. I enjoyed myself immensely,” he smiles sheepishly, as if embarrassed. 

Jamil tries to rein back the weird look he was about to give him. "Oh, I hadn't expected that you'd… enjoy Floyd's brand of fun." 

In fact, he had been certain Floyd was going to add to Rielle's stresses. If Riddle was here, he'd certainly attest to that. 

Which reminds him... 

"...Are you saying you somehow enjoyed it so much that you said yes when he asked you to be his date?" Jamil asks. "I heard that you're attending the dance together, and to be honest, I'm still having a hard time believing it." 

“Oh, Floyd mentioned that?” Rielle blushes and laughs. He clears his throat. “Are you going to suggest that he and I do a… what was it, DTR?” he says playfully.

"Ah," Jamil quirks a shy grin. "You heard all that? Or… did Azul tell you about it?" 

“Azul told me, in that same conversation after he told me about his visit to NRC,” Rielle says. “And I brought it up because… I wanted to thank you. Azul and I had been dancing around such serious conversations, and without your intervention, I don’t know how long it would have taken us before we actually addressed our… dynamic.” He smiles at Jamil, then his expression turns a little somber. “Azul had been worried that him being your date was hurting me. And, it was. But not in the way that Azul or even I first thought.”

He pauses for a moment before continuing. “Azul and I had been with each other for so long, and we had both thought that that is how it would always be, and we had no problems with it. My father had implied a betrothal between us a handful of times, and neither of us opposed nor acknowledged it, not even to each other. 

When we talked the other day, we admitted that the arrangement was quite convenient for the both of us. I didn’t have to worry about my father marrying me off to some stranger, and Azul said he felt a sense of security for him and his mother with the prospect of our marriage in the future. We’re close friends, and for a long time we genuinely didn’t mind the thought of being married. In our world where duty awaits us at every turn, it was a nice thought that at least our future spouse would be someone with whom we could be completely honest and wouldn’t have to keep up appearances.

But we realized… that was it. We don’t want to marry each other, it was just convenient. And our recent reunion with Jade and Floyd–our first meeting with you–reminded us that we had a life before all of this,” he gestures around them. “Before titles were slapped on us and everyone expected us to act a certain way. We realized that we had the choice to make decisions that do not conform to the expectations set down before us, that we didn’t have to settle for what is merely convenient.

I told Azul that Floyd had asked me to be his date to this dance,” Rielle smiles, a bit of cheerfulness returning to his expression. “It wasn’t convenient at all for Floyd to travel all the way to the store where I was picking up the decorative glass swans, but he didn’t care. He still showed up with a bucket of fries because I mentioned that I hadn’t eaten lunch yet. 

I wanted Azul to be my date to this dance because he’s the one with whom I’m the most comfortable being around. But I realized that I’m really comfortable with Floyd, too. He has known me since middle school, and never once did he expect me to act like a prince or be a role model of any sort. I can be myself when I’m around him, and he doesn’t mind if I spill food on my shirt because he’s most likely already done it himself,” Rielle chuckles. “And Azul… well, Azul told me that he has had his own realizations, too,” he says vaguely. 

“Anyway,” Rielle continues. “Another reason I’m telling you all this is, I wanted to let you know that whatever… dynamic you want to pursue with Azul, I won’t be getting in the way. Neither of you have to worry about me, because I’m happy for you both,” he smiles genuinely at Jamil. 

Jamil listens to Rielle's tale with wide-eyed speechlessness. Azul actually talked it out with him… 

... And they've both decided that they don't want to be together in that way? 

… Rielle actually finds Floyd comforting? Perhaps he's been a tad too harsh on the fellow; it's true that his methods, though unorthodox and carefree, may just be the extreme sort of balance Rielle needs. 

He can only hope that this is one of the few things Floyd doesn't change his mind about. 

But more importantly, it was the words that came afterward that left him reeling. 

Rielle was happy for them both? Almost as if they're…

Was Rielle… giving him his blessing to court Azul? 

"... Um…" He utters out, going red in the face and falling into a small stumble backwards. "I... Wh… Huh? Wait, I'm… You're… he…" 

"Whazz goin' on?" Floyd asks, slinking up to drape himself over Rielle. "What'd ya do? You broke Sea Snake?" 

“Floyd,” Rielle brightens up. Then chuckles at Jamil’s reaction. “We were just talking about Azul.”

“Ohhhhhh,” Floyd says, his arm over Rielle’s shoulders. “No wonder he’s all a-flustered, then.” His gaze falls on the table. “Ooh! Is that the fizzy fruit punch?” he reaches over and picks it up—

Then sets it back down. 

“Uh, can I?” he asks Rielle, pointing at the glass. 

Rielle chuckles. “Go ahead. And yes, it is indeed the fizzy fruit punch.”

Jamil finds the scenario before him so jarring he snaps out of his bewilderment to be even more bewildered. "Floyd?" he asks. "Did you ask for permission just now? Over a fruit punch?" 

“Yeah, so?” Floyd shrugs and picks up the glass, then takes a sip. “Mm! I like it! I should tell Jade about this, I think he’s plannin’ to open a café at our dorm. If he makes a drink like this, I’d totally be there.”

“A café?” Rielle asks with interest. “That sounds nice, I can see Jade being quite the capable businessman. How did he get the idea?”

“Huh? Oh I wasn’t paying attention when he told me,” Floyd says. “Ooh! But we can ask him! Look, he’s there over by the appetizers with lil’ Remora.” He grabs Rielle’s hand and begins to pull him. 

Rielle just manages to look at Jamil and say, “Thank you for having that conversation with me, Jamil, it means a lot,” before getting completely pulled along by Floyd. 

Jamil stares and watches them leave, trying to blink his way back to a calmer composure. He could barely even register the café part. Who was establishing it? Where did Floyd and Rielle go? 

He shakes his head. Get it together. 

After calming down from all of that, Jamil realizes that the music has changed. It’s a different song now, and played on a harp by some RSA student that he didn’t know. The piano is vacant, and Azul isn’t on the dais anymore. Looking at his immeidate vicinity, he realizes with a start that he doesn’t see him at all.

Jamil begins to glance around the entire hall, walking to see if he can find a good vantage point. 

He spots the familiar pattern on the back of Azul’s coat, partially hidden by the small fountain emitting sparkling water. The golden embroidery on purple catches the light from the chandeliers. 

Azul is in a conversation with someone who is probably an RSA professor, based on how he seems to be scolding Azul. The man has thin round spectacles, a round face, white thinning hair, and a white mustache that’s thicker than his white eyebrows. 

Even from this distance, Jamil can see Azul’s tense posture, standing straight and proper behind the fountain. 

Jamil ducks to hide behind a nearby column, trying to get as close as possible to listen to their conversation without being seen. He normally would've left it alone, but something about the scene before him twists his gut unpleasantly. 

“The catering was almost a half-hour late, and the area for the meet-and-greet with the Moirai doesn’t even have couches yet!” The man seems so enraged with the absence of those couches that his mustache fluffs with his every syllable. 

“The restaurant informed me that there had been a problem with their refrigerated van which took longer to fix than they expected, Professor,” Azul replies calmly. “They offered their sincere apologies and would be giving us the desserts for free as compensation. As for the VIP area with the Moirai, the others are bringing the couches and tables there now as we speak. There is quite the large number of students who have signed up for the meet and greet, and the printing of their ID passes had only been completed this afternoon. Hence the preparation of the VIP area had been pushed back by an hour.”

“That is because you had little forethought for these things,” the professor says sternly. “I checked the logs, and it’s you who decided to add the meet-and-greet with the Moirai and modify the menu for the catering so close to the dance.”

“The committee had ample time for those changes, Professor,” Azul says evenly. “The delays that occurred will not affect the program at all—”

“There is no use for excuses, Ashengrotto,” the professor cuts him off.  “As a member of the committee, you are well aware that final decisions should be made two weeks before the event, and yet you still made modifications after that deadline.”

At this point Azul is looking more tense. “I was only aiming to make the program as enjoyable as it can be for the guests, sir.”

“By bending the rules?” the professor huffs. “You better hope that there aren’t any more mistakes during this event. I expected better from the Coral Sea’s future royal advisor.” He gives one last scowl before turning on his heel and walking away. 

Azul remains standing there. He takes a deep breath and releases it, but it doesn’t alleviate the tension in his shoulders. His right hand is clenched into a fist at his side. The light is too dim here for Jamil to make it out properly, but it looks like Azul is clutching a small object in his hand. 

Jamil glares at the professor as he walks away and out of view. Then he goes to Azul, taking in a deep breath before pushing himself off of the column to meet with him. 

"Azul…?" he tentatively asks, looking at the item in the boy's hand. 

Azul startles and turns to him, then his face relaxes into a smile. “Jamil.”

He follows Jamil’s gaze and looks down at his hand. 

“Ah,” he lifts his hand and opens his palm, revealing a tuning fork bent into an almost U shape.“I had been double-checking the instruments when Professor Weselton called my attention.”

He pulls out his Magic Pen and casts a spell on the tuning fork, straightening it out. 

“There, good as new,” he gives a small smile and tucks it away in his pants pocket. “How have you been? Have you eaten anything?”

Jamil takes a moment to process that before giving him a shake of the head. "Hadn't eaten yet. I was busy enjoying your performance. Other than that, I've been doing well... I would've approached you earlier, but you seemed… occupied in conversation there. How are you doing tonight so far?" 

Azul’s smile becomes more genuine. “I’m happy you liked my performance. I always enjoy playing the piano, so I've been having a pleasant time. Though admittedly Professor Weselton’s scolding had put a bit of a damper on things.” 

He steps closer to Jamil and turns serious. “Jamil, I’d like to apologize that I hadn’t been messaging you much the past few days. I had to do some extra work because of the modifications I had added to the party plans, and some of the professors weren’t happy with how much I had been going out lately, so I had to pay closer attention to things so they wouldn’t outright be against me going outside campus and staying out for long. Then Rielle and I had some serious conversations and I needed some time to think and…” he shakes his head lightly. 

“Regardless, I had planned to explain it to you tonight, and I do plan to make it up to you,” he reaches out as if wanting to touch Jamil’s hand, but hesitates. Instead he just smiles at Jamil. “I promise.”

Jamil watches Azul's hand fall back to his side then clears his throat. 

"You don't need to. The fact that you guys went through the trouble to set this up to begin with is compensation enough. And um… " 

He takes out the small pouch from his pocket, hesitantly handing it over. 

"I… thought to give you something. I had some time to myself in the kitchen and figured I might as well... They aren't much, but I hope they're to your liking." 

Azul looks surprised, then he takes the pouch and gently takes out the paper packaging. “Jamil, you didn’t have to,” he says as he unwraps it. 

"I know." Jamil mutters. 

Within the packaging is a batch of cookies, each one intricately decorated to look like pretty seashells that washed up along a sandy beach. A few of those shells are clam-looking confectionaries, designed to hinge open and close to reveal cream filling and a chocolate ball resembling a pearl. 

"I er… wanted to, though." Jamil was actively looking anywhere but Azul, both eager and mortified as he anticipates his reaction. "Besides, I figured that you deserve some sort of reward for all your hard work." 

Azul picks up one of the cookies, opening it to see the chocolate made to look like a pearl. He gasps softly, "Oh my. These are beautiful, Jamil, I’d never seen anything like it. Thank you.”

He closes it and puts it back in the wrapper and pouch. Then he clears his throat.

“I was planning to give this to you after the dance, but since we’re here…” he gets a small box from his pocket and hands it to Jamil. It’s about the size of his palm and is midnight black with sparkling white dots, resembling a starry night sky. 

Jamil eyes the item, caught off-guard. "Huh? Wait, what's this?" He carefully takes the box and opens it up. 

Inside is a small case for wireless earphones, a square with rounded corners, painted to look like the top of a tall tower, the lid that opens being the roof. When opened, the earphones float out of the case to hover gently above it, a small pair of wings unfolding from each, flapping like hummingbirds. The wings fold in and blend into the earphones when picked up, and the earphones just look like normal ones with a painted design of birds.

“I thought you might like music since you like dancing,” Azul says, shrugging shyly. “And you seemed to like the piano music back at the department store…’

Jamil ogles the device a little more, not quite believing his eyes. 

An embarrassed grin forms along his jaw and he gently packs the item away as he mumbles, "Wow... A Muses Olympos brand. I've never had such a fancy piece of tech before. Thank you. I'll take good care of it. It… really means a lot." 

Azul's shoulders relax. “I’m happy you like it. Shall we find a table and share these?” he holds up the pouch of cookies.

"Let's," Jamil nods, walking by Azul's side as the rest of the party goes underway. "... By the way, I managed to catch some bits and pieces of your conversation with your professor back there and... is he the only one or do most of them treat you that way?" 

Azul falls silent for a moment before he answers. “Most of my professors are much... kinder when they express their expectations about me, and no one else had anything negative to say about tonight’s program so far. Professor Weselton has just always been more uptight than the rest of them, we’re all used to it. 

"Well, I hope you don't listen to him because I for one think you did a great job." Jamil states. 

"Thank you, Jamil,” Azul smiles at him. "Would you prefer to sit at the bigger tables or just stand at the taller ones?” he asks.

"I'm fine with sticking to those for now," Jamil nods at the standing tables. 

They go over to a table, and Azul places the pouch on it. “So, what gave you the idea to bake such unique confections?”

"Well, I wasn't sure if you'd be into the sea motif, but it was the best idea I got. I hope you don't mind sweets." 

“I do like the sea motif," Azul says sincerely. "It reminds me of the beach where I often see shells washed up along the shore. Admittedly, I tend to avoid anything that has too many calories, including sweets, but you’re right, tonight I deserve a reward.” He takes a bite out of a cookie that’s shaped like a scallop shell. “You are quite the talented baker, Jamil Viper. I don’t suppose you can teach me how to make these?”

"It wasn't all me. I had a bit of help with it, but... now that I've learned the recipe, I wouldn't mind teaching you." Jamil remarked, enjoying the sight of Azul indulging in his creations. "Speaking of gifts, the one you got for me… You didn't have to get something that pricey. A pair of regular pods would've been fine." 

“I wanted it to be customized, and I didn’t have a lot of time to look for any other store that does that. Muses Olympos was the most accessible,” Azul explains. “Besides, you put a lot of time and effort into these cookies, all I did was buy those earphones.” He gives Jamil one of them. “Try one, the baker is really good," he smiles. 

"Accessible?" Jamil asks, picking up a cookie. "Last I've seen, they're found in high-end luxury department stores. Is RSA specially sponsored by the Muses or something? Or..." He glances around the room. "You got a classmate with connections to them?" 

“Rielle and I had visited their branch in town two weeks ago, inquiring about their sound system for this party. When I called them several days ago, they remembered my name. I may not have denied their implications that the earphones are for a noble and therefore have to be made posthaste,” Azul says with a twinkle of mischief in his eye. “And don’t worry, I told Rielle about it. He merely found it amusing and was happy that I found a store that would do what I wanted.”

"Huh..." Jamil smiles. "Well-played, Azul. I'll do my best to act the part of a noble if I ever have to bump into any of the people working there." 

"You already look rather noble to me," Azul says with a smile. "Your suit looks even better now than it did in the store, you carry it well." 

"You too. That's new, though," he gestures at the coat draped around the other's shoulders. 

"Ah, yes," Azul glances at his coat. "I found that it's more comfortable to play the piano when I wear it like this. It's less restricting, and I've decided to just keep it like so. Does it look odd?"

Jamil shakes his head. "It doesn't. It suits you well." 

You look cute in it. 

"How do you find the cookies?" 

"I really like them," Azul says. "And I'm not just saying that so you'll teach me how to make them," he says playfully. "You should have more, I can't possibly finish all of these," he nudges the cookies to Jamil. 

Azul bit down on the clamshell cookie, and some chocolate was left on his bottom lip. He doesn't seem to notice. 

Jamil, as he takes a cookie, notices and attempts to point it out. "Ah, there's a bit of chocolate over…"

He gestures to Azul's lip.

"Oh," Azul's eyebrows raise in surprise. 

He uses his thumb to wipe his lip, but it's on the wrong side and he doesn't get the chocolate out. 

Azul absently flicks his tongue across his bottom lip. "Is it gone?" 

"Ah, no. Here, lemme..." Jamil mumbles, absentmindedly leaning forward to wipe it off. 

As he touches Azul's lip, he suddenly realizes what he's doing. 

He's so used to doing this for Kalim that he acted without thinking. 

He quickly leans back and withdraws his hand. "Th-There. It's… It's gone now."

Azul is frozen for a moment, then he clears his throat. "Th-Thank you. Do you often bake?"

"Um..." Jamil lets his mind catch up for a moment before replying, "N-No, but… I figured there was no harm in giving it a shot."

"No harm indeed," Azul smiles. "You do cook at home, right? I seem to remember Najma saying that your dishes are, in her words, boring-looking?" he says in amusement. 

Jamil's eyebrow twitches at the remark. He turns his gaze to Azul again, confidence regained. "While I will admit that my cooking's appearances leave something to be desired, the food I make easily rivals that of a professional's."

Azul beams at his confidence. "Is that so? You know, I have heard the same remarks about my cooking. And not just because they want brownie points from Rielle," he says pointedly in a humorous tone.

Jamil playfully squints at him. "What're you suggesting here? A cooking competition between the both of us?"

"Oh, I'm sure I'm not suggesting anything. But if you insist," Azul says in feigned innocence. "Do we know anyone who might be capable of judging?" 

Jamil looks over to the other students present. Someone who wouldn't be biased nor easy to please would be ideal… 

"I nominate Vil," he gestures to the practically-glowing blonde across the hall, even though he's not sure if he'd have the time to indulge in such silly competitions. "Then another guy named Trey. Any potential judges on your end?" 

"Vil Schoenheit?" Azul says in surprise. "I wouldn't wanna add to his certainly busy schedule. Though of course I wouldn't mind it if he does have the time. As for here… " he furrows his eyebrows in thought. "My classmate Theo's family owns a restaurant, so he's quite knowledgeable when it comes to cuisine. And Cindo from Knight Class would be a viable judge as well. Where would we hold such a competition?" 

"Hmm... That's a good question--" Jamil pauses before he turns to the other. "You know, I heard that Jade's planning on opening up a café soon. Maybe once it gets all properly set up, we can hold it there."

"Sounds good," Azul says. "Perhaps you'd even want to cook there regularly when it turns out to be to your liking. If your claims are true, then Jade's café would be booming in no time."

Jamil shrugs. "I guess that's something to consider, though I'm not sure how to feel about having someone like Jade Leech as my boss... Did you have something to do with it, by the way? The café?"

"It's part of what we discussed when I visited NRC," Azul says. "I suggested that he could open a café to help promote his club. He invited me to help him come up with some recipes, and hopefully after this dance I would have more time."

"Sounds good. Perhaps you'd even want to come over regularly when the planning and managing turns out to be to your liking," Jamil mimicks Azul's tone, smiling. 

Azul chuckles, then smiles back playfully. "Will I be seeing you if I do come over regularly?" 

"Maybe," Jamil teases, though he's already mentally planning to ask Jade about the details later. 

"I'm sure Jade would be happy to have you cooking for his café," Azul says, then he glances at the buffet table. "Would you like to eat already? Oh, or are you waiting until after your dance-off with Floyd before you eat?" 

"Yeah, it's never a good idea to dance with a full stomach." Jamil looks at the hall, where some of the boys are already filing in to sway along to the new music at play. "What about you, though? How are you feeling about going out there on the dance floor with me? Getting any cold feet?" 

Azul raises an eyebrow. “Is that always how you ask someone to dance with you?"

"Never asked someone to dance before so you'll have to forgive my inexperience." Jamil chuckles. "I was being serious, though. Do you want to do this? If you don't want to dance, we don't have to." 

Azul smiles. “I want to. My mind hasn’t changed about that.” He slips his coat off his shoulders and wears it, smoothing it out and pulling it to make sure it looks proper. 

He steps to the side and holds out a hand to Jamil, looking like a proper gentleman. 

Jamil had been thinking he'd be the one doing that, but he's gotta say that he doesn't dislike being at the receiving end of attention like this. 

He looks fondly into Azul's gaze before accepting his hand and walking out with him to the dance floor, letting his cares melt into the back of his head even when his schoolmates notice and begin to stare. 

“You’ve really never asked anyone to dance before?” Azul asks as they walk to the dance floor, his hand holding Jamil’s. “What makes little old me so special?” he says playfully. 

"... I think..." Jamil stops at some point along the hall and promptly positions himself before the other. "You've become someone I want to see happy. You seem to view yourself incompetent when dancing was first brought up, and yet you still wished to come out here with me. So, even with something as hard for you as dancing, I want to help you enjoy yourself, no matter what anyone watching says." 

Azul seems surprised for a moment, his face reddening in the dim light. “Well, if you asked me to dance with you because you thought it would make me happy,” he says quietly as he places his other hand gently on Jamil’s waist, “you’re right.” he smiles. “You’ve become someone who makes me happy, and I’m hoping I can be the same for you,” he says softly.

"...You don't have to hope," he mumbles, placing a hand on Azul's shoulder, taking the first step. "You already do." 

Azul steps into rhythm with him, gazing fondly into his eyes. 

Jamil absently realizes that the music is a pop song that he’s familiar with, but the arrangement is slower to make it more fitting for a slow dance, the drumbeats and electro-pop sounds replaced with violins and a piano. A couple of RSA students are singing. 

We were strangers Starting out on a journey Never dreaming what we'd have to go through Now here we are And I'm suddenly standing At the beginning with you

“I took dancing lessons,” Azul softly says, smiling shyly. “We have regular dance classes, but I took extra dance lessons with my schoolmates that will be performing later.”

No one told me, that I was going to find you Unexpected, what you did to my heart When I lost hope You were there to remind me This is the start

"You took to those lessons well," Jamil grins, letting Azul take the lead. "You went through all that trouble for me? Even after the other party preparations you had to do?" 

“It was part of the party preparations,” Azul says with feigned innocence. “I planned to dance with you at this party, and I prepared for it,” his eyes turn playful. 

I'll be there when the world stops turning I'll be there when the storm is through In the end I wanna be standing At the beginning with you

“Your schoolmates are staring at us,” Azul whispers with a small smile. “Are you sure you’re alright with this?”

"If you're alright with dancing, then I'm alright with being the center of attention like this. We shall both suffer together," Jamil quietly jokes. 

"Whoo!" Floyd's voice cheers from the din of the crowd. "I wanna dance, too! C'mon, Flame Tetra, get on the floor with me!" 

And with Rielle's laughter bubbling up to the surface as he gets jovially yanked onto the fray, the fragile tension breaks. Groups of friends, individuals who just wish to sway along to the music, and couples–RSAs, NRCs, with even a handful of them boldly asking and challenging each other to a dance respectively–spread out to the dance floor, joining them both in a lively celebration. 

Azul laughs good-naturedly at the sight. “Look at that, it seems like everyone else is enjoying dancing as well.”

The space is big enough that even with the large number of people, there’s still plenty of room to move. In the crowd of well-dressed students, Jamil sees Ruggie and Leona dancing together with grins on their faces, their gazes only focused on each other. 

“Is that Ruggie with Leona Kingscholar?” Azul says in surprise. 

Jamil makes a low whistle. "Would ya look at that? Looks like the proud lion's finally let his walls down. It's about time." He glances back at Azul. "You know Leona?" 

“Not personally,” Azul says. “Rielle is required to know the names of the royal families, and by extension I became familiar with them as well. I only saw Leona once at a diplomatic royal event last year, but I didn’t get a chance to speak to him. What’s he like?” Azul asks curiously. 

"Oh-hoh?" Jamil quirks an eyebrow in amusement. "Well, can you tell me what he's like in those diplomatic royal events first?" 

This should be good. 

Azul thinks about it. “He did not look happy to be there, that was my impression. He never spoke unless absolutely necessary, and he only ever looked stoic or bored. However, he’s evidently intelligent based on the few conversations I’ve heard him join. At some point, some nobles were at a corner mocking King Falena’s rule. Before their snickers had even died down, Leona was already there. 

For a moment I was afraid that he would get violent, but he addressed all three of the nobles with their titles, and clearly and concisely listed down their shortcomings as leaders of their cities. I didn’t know most of the things he was talking about, but from the aghast and embarrassed reactions of the nobles, it looked like he hit the mark. He called them an embarrassment to the kingdom, bared his teeth, then walked away. 

I don’t know if King Falena ever knew of what he did, but Leona Kingscholar gained my respect that day.”

"Huh." Jamil glanced back at Leona once more. "You're not too far off, then, though I suppose I can argue that he seems to enjoy his time as the leader of the Savanaclaws more. However, he's just as largely disinterested with anything in general, like classes and meetings. It's hard to tell what gets the guy going other than the fact that he seems peeved about everything all the time, but..." He glances at Ruggie laughing at something Leona said. "It's good to see he's not always so dour." 

“Indeed,” Azul smiles, looking at Leona. “He’s much happier here than he was at that entire meeting.”

A different song had been playing for a while now, which Jamil recognized as a ballad from the Sunset Savannah, and it’s reaching the end. 

And can you feel the love tonight?  How it's laid to rest It's enough to make kings and vagabonds Believe the very best It's enough to make kings and vagabonds Believe the very best

Ruggie says something, Leona smiles, then he leans forward and kisses Ruggie, wrapping his arms around the hyena beastman’s waist. 

Ruggie leans into the kiss, embracing Leona around the neck. 

Some of the Savanaclaw students begin to whistle and holler as Jamil instinctively looks away from what seems to be a private and intimate moment. 

"Aw, shut yer yaps, guys!" Ruggie complains. "You're ruining the moment!" 

Despite his griping, all it takes is one inaudible comment from Leona and Ruggie proceeds to ignore the masses and launches himself at the guy. 

"Awww, that's so sweet!" one of the RSA students coos. 

Azul turns to Jamil in surprise. “Were they together this entire time?”

Jamil gives an honest shrug. "I'm not sure. I suppose they seemed close, though I didn't know it had gone to this extent. But I guess it explains a few things here and there…"

An announcement comes over the speakers that the Moirai would be performing next; applause and cheering burst from the audience. 

The band comes up on stage and greets everyone a good evening, earning another round of applause. 

One of the members, a woman with pink hair with blue highlights, says that they'll first be performing one of their most popular songs, and everyone is free to continue dancing. 

The crowd settles, a few people clapping and cheering their favorite band member's names. 

The song begins…

If there's a prize for rotten judgment…

Floyd appears, pulling Rielle along with him. "Heya, Sea Snake! Lil' Remora had the guts. When're ya gonna make yer move?" he nods to Azul. 

Jamil tenses up from Azul's close proximity and Floyd's blatant call-out. He hesitates, looking at his dance partner to see if he has any clue what the eel's talking about.

Azul seems to tense up as well, but he smiles at Floyd. "Hello, Floyd. How are you—" 

"Shush shush, Octy, I'm talkin' to Sea Snake," Floyd cuts him off then turns back to Jamil. "How's it goin'?" 

"Huh? What do you mean 'how's it goin''? What's supposed to be 'goin''?" Jamil asks, glaring at Floyd. 

Who'dya think you're kidding?  He's the earth and heaven to ya Try to keep it hidden  Honey, we can see right through ya You can't conceal it We know how you're feeling  Who you're thinking of

"Oh lookie, the song's for you," Floyd jerks his thumb towards the Moirai. "Why'dya keep hidin' it, Sea Snake?" he smirks. 

Rielle speaks up. "Floyd, do you wanna go get dessert? I saw some beautiful cupcakes over there, come on," he begins to tug on Floyd's hand. 

"Hmmmm fine, but this ain't over Sea Snake!" Floyd says as he allows himself to be pulled along by Rielle. "Listen to the song, Octy!" he gives a final yell before Rielle takes him away. 

Give up, give in Check the grin  You're in love This scene won't play  I won't say I'm in love!

Jamil watches Floyd get tugged away before worriedly smiling at Azul. "Hah-hah, that was um… weird. What's the song even about, I don't think I've ever heard of it before…"

Azul chuckles nervously, still holding Jamil by the hand and waist. 

"Ah, it's one of the most popular songs of the band," Azul says. "The um, lyrics are quite interesting." 

You keep on denying Who you are and how you're feeling Baby, we're not buying Hon, we saw ya hit the ceiling Face it like a grown up When ya gonna own up  That ya got got got it bad

"It feels like it's certainly communicating something," Jamil mutters. "... It's about someone who's in denial about falling in love with somebody, right?"

"It… seems so, yes," Azul glances at the Moirai, not looking at Jamil. "Though I do wonder why people go through the trouble of denying such a thing. It sounds terribly stressful," he chuckles. 

"Well..." Jamil mumbles, eyes drifting to the floor. "Maybe they're afraid that the other might not feel the same way… Or they're afraid of everything that could come after. Or that they might not know what it means to love."

He suddenly glances up at Azul. "Have you . . . ever liked someone that way?" 

Azul takes a moment to answer. "For the longest time, I thought I felt that way about Rielle. But I had some time to think about it, and getting together with him just felt too logical, like the answer to a homework, or something to tick off a to-do list. I didn't really want to be together with him. Fortunately, when we talked about it, it turns out he didn't like me that way either. And we were both relieved that we didn't have to hurt each other."

He meets Jamil's eyes. "How about you, though? Why did Floyd say that the song is for you?" he asks jokingly, but there's genuine curiosity in his eyes. 

Jamil's grip on Azul's hand tightens a bit, tense. 

"Perhaps someone is in denial about how they feel with me," he jokes, though his heart was not in the quip. In fact, it was racing, and he feels like he's going to vomit. 

Is this the right time to say it? He asks himself.

"... Or maybe Floyd knows me more than I'd like to admit."

Azul's gaze flickers around the ballroom a few times before settling on Jamil. 

"How would you feel, if that were true?" Azul asks him. "If someone is indeed in denial about how they feel with you?" 

"I... I wouldn't know. That's sort of a weird scenario to find yourself in, isn't it? Knowing for sure that someone likes you but they themselves won't admit it? What do you even tell them? 'Hey, I know you're into me so why don't you just go ahead and say it?'" He shakes his head. "Sorry, I'm making this awkward, aren't I?"

Azul chuckles kindly. "No, don't worry. And I suppose it was an odd question on my part, anyway." He falls silent for a few seconds. "Have… you ever liked someone that way?" 

"... I don't know," Jamil whispers.  "I grew up never really figuring out how I feel about anybody. I can't tell what's hate or love or like or dislike… I go through life only knowing what I need and what I want, and um… right now, it's hard to tell what I want."

Azul just looks at him for a few moments, his expression unreadable. "What do you need?" he asks quietly. 

The intelligence to figure out what I want this instant and the strength to act upon it.

Jamil sighs. "Just to have a quiet moment with you, where no one else is around to tell us what to do or tease us or mess with our heads."

Azul looks surprised, like he wasn't expecting that answer at all. 

Then he glances around before meeting Jamil's eyes. 

Azul says quietly, "There's a tower nearby with a balcony overlooking the gardens. Sometimes that's where we hold Astronomy classes, though now the telescope isn't there so there's quite a lot of space. It's not a rooftop, but no one would bother us there." He stares at Jamil, gauging his reaction. 

Jamil takes a second to pause just to hear how fast his heartbeat quickened.

Then he stops midway through the dance step and squeezes Azul's hand, almost like a plea, as his eyes furrow in determination. 

"Then let's go."

A relieved smile appears on Azul's face. Then he wordlessly pulls Jamil along through the crowd. A few people throw curious glances their way, but most of the attendees are absorbed in their own dances, conversations, and dinners. 

Jamil's gaze falls on their linked hands as they walk, and he hears the Moirai conclude their song. 

At least out loud I won't say I'm in Love…

Author's Note:

The songs used in this chapter are:

"At the Beginning" (Anastasia, 1997)

"Can You Feel the Love Tonight?" (The Lion King, 1994)

"I Won't Say I'm In Love" (Hercules, 1997)

Thank you for reading! ^_^

<- Chapter 4

Chapter 6 ->

(Masterlist)

[ilooklikeaburntchickenugget]

New Records, New Beginnings

A/N: Y’all I haven’t posted a story on here in four months. Four months. I’m genuinely sorry but also first semester of college high key kicked my ass. So here’s a little Christmas gift from me to you, and yes it’s a bit cliche but Hallmark-y type things are what we all love around the holidays (don’t lie, you love those stupid chick flicks too). Hope you guys enjoy! Pairing: Gerard Way x F!Reader Word Count: 2,852 words Warnings: A lot of fluff, like a lot of fluff.

You had spent most of your Saturdays like this, and nothing much had changed.

You would go out around midday after lunch at home, spend time shopping around whether it be physically buying something or just window shopping. It was a way to destress and reward yourself after a week of work that you felt was much deserved.

The only difference now was the increase in people shopping. Around late November and early December your usual shops became more crowded with people trying to find the perfect Christmas presents for everyone they knew. You were at least smart enough to have already completed your shopping for everyone in the first week… except your dad.

The guy who may have been your favorite person in the world also happened to be the one who was hardest to shop for. You loved him dearly, and while yes he did have a wide array of hobby on the spectrum of being a dad, it didn’t make it much easier to shop for him.

So you had landed yourself in a few record stores today, trying to find any album he would like. Generally he wasn’t that picky on music, he loved lots of artists and bands, but combine that with your mentality of record buying being “you better listen to it” and the task was becoming increasingly harder by the second.

You didn’t necessarily notice anyone around you, it was relatively busy given it being a record shop, maybe six to seven other people in the shop, but you were on a mission to find one of the few records you knew was actually worth spending money on given your fathers listening habits. You were also trying to draw away from buying yourself anymore records, given the two you already had snug under your arm.

Gerard, on the other hand, was like any other holiday shopper. Except he managed to be even worse.

He never shopped for Christmas gifts ahead of time, it was always about a week before when he started. He scolded himself every year for doing it, but never found himself changing the habit. So here he was, rushing into a record store and desperately trying to find this one damn record his dad wanted for his birthday… that happened to be tomorrow.

He didn’t scan around, take in any of these new surroundings, instead he promptly led himself to the cashier’s desk, nearly pleading to see if they had it.

“One copy left,” The older man from behind the counter said. He reeked of being pretentious based off of this record hobby, something Gerard found ridiculous when everyone was doing it now. “Back left corner.”

“Great, thanks.” He quickly made his way to the far left aisle and all the way down to where he was instructed to go, eyes scanning over the different bookmarks in-between each album marking a new artist or new letter of artists. He looked up, thankfully seeing you only about three feet away to put the breaks on his legs, but was met with ultimate grief and defeat.

Of course you had to be looking at the same album he needed. And of course, you placed it under your arm with the rest of your records.

So, he had one of two options here: One was to go home defeated, show up tomorrow with some lame card he got at a pharmacy for his dad, and get scolded at by his mother for not being more on top of these things. Second was to approach you, talk to you, and just see if you were willing to let him have it.

But he was bad at talking to girls. Like, really bad.

It was something his friends had joked about before, how he would much rather be reading or drawing than ever talk to a girl. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to (although many times he really didn’t) it was that he felt like he couldn’t. Women were just… hard.

“Um, excuse me.” He spoke up, nerves bundling in his stomach. Hoping this would be an easy interaction for him, he saw you turn around and instantly he regretted everything. You weren’t just a girl… you were a pretty girl. A very, very pretty girl.

“Hm?” You hummed a bit with your eyes growing a bit wide in curiosity. Wow, those eyes, he thought to himself, never seen that color before.

“I’m, um, not trying to be rude or anything,” He began nervously, “But my dad’s birthday is tomorrow and I’ve literally been to four other record stores and no where has the record he wants. This one only has one and you have the last copy so I was wondering-“



“Sure.” You replied before he could even finish, moving your arms a bit to reach for the one you had just grabbed, snugly fit close to your body. “It’s for Christmas anyways, for my dad too, but I have more time to find another one.”



“Really?” He asked, somewhat amazed that you would give this to him, and somewhat amazed that he could speak to you. “I- I really appreciate this, like you have no idea, really.”



“It’s totally fine.” You tightly smiled, “Besides, if not that one I’m sure I can find another one my dad might like.” He nodded.

“Um, thanks again.” He said with a kind smile and mini bow of appreciation which you chuckled at before he walked back to the register.

“Just this?” The same guy at the front asked him. Gerard nodded, placing the record on the counter and searching in his pocket with his other hand for his wallet. “I’m surprised you didn’t at least ask her out.” He mentioned as Gerard grabbed his card from his wallet, head shooting up.

“Excuse me?” He asked.

“I mean, not only were there clearly some sparks, but she gave up the record to a total stranger.” The older man explained, “That’s a new level of nice.”

Gerard looked back briefly at where you were, still browsing but approaching closer to the counter, before awkwardly clearing his throat and swiping his card. As soon as it was approved, he removed it, placing it back in his wallet and grabbing the bag.

“My advice, kid,” The man continued, “Don’t waste up an opportunity like this. The worst she can say is no.”

Gerard stood there for a brief moment stunned, and wondering what to do next. Yes, this stranger had a point about you, but the thought of asking you out despite the fact he really wanted to seemed beyond his ability. But then again, he did ask you for a record. That’s the same thing, right? You could’ve said no then and you could say no now, but that’s the worst that could happen.

With no actual foreseeable good outcome, Gerard retraced his steps to finding his way back to you. This time, you seemed more attentive as he approached you, looking up at him with those same stark eyes again. “I just wanted to say thank you, one last time.” He began, “You really saved me from having to deal with my mom scolding me tomorrow.” You lightly chuckled.

“It’s no problem, really.” You admitted, still with a smile on your face.

“Is there anyway I could pay it back maybe?” He asked, trying to put on some level of confidence, “Like coffee, maybe?”

You seemed a bit taken aback by his request, but after a brief moment of thought, responded, “Sure.”

Gerard could feel his muscles release their tense holding as he took a small breath of relief. “Great, uh, could I get your number, maybe?”



“Yeah, of course.” He handed you his phone as you typed it in, handing it back to him. Y/N, it read, fits her.

“Okay, well, see you soon, Y/N.”



“See you soon-“



“Gerard,” He finished ahead of you.

“Gerard.”

“Are you ready, Gee?” You asked from the front door, throwing your keys in your bag and awaiting your boyfriend to appear from the living room.

“Yeah, just a sec.” You could hear the frustration of him fighting with his boot echo throughout the hallway, a rough sigh following afterwards in frustration. “Here.” He finally said after a few more seconds, walking down to you and grabbing his coat from the rack.

Just a year or so ago you would have found it a pretty large disruptions to your average Saturdays had another person been mixed into that equation. But now, Gerard comfortably stood by your side riding along your Saturday activities. He didn’t mind it much, more than happy to play the cart-pusher and attempt to control your irrational purchases, like buying every Christmas scented candle you could get your hands on, or anything that had some sort of a dog or cat on it.

But he found some peace in just walking by you and getting weekly errands done plus having some fun while doing it. He had learned to try many new things on these adventures: tofu for the first time, a face mask, and honey barbecue chips were just a few. But it seemed like most items you gravitated towards said something small about you, which helped him to learn all about you quicker.

It also happened to give him a lot of ideas for presents, which was helpful this time of year. He had already found you a couple hoodies you had fallen in love with, a new pair of slippers, and a few other smaller items, leaving the bigger ones to be more creative and thoughtful.

“I haven’t been here in forever.” You remarked, pulling into the space right in front of your local record store.

“I know, right?” He replied, “It’s just so easy to buy this online.”



“True,” You agreed, shutting the engine off, “But at least local stores have cooler, older things that aren’t crazy upcharged.”

“Also, true.” He smiled, getting out of the car and waiting by the edge for you to get out too.

One nice things about record stores is that they never change all that much. Everything was basically the same here as it was last time, which led to a much more relaxed experience looking through each section. Aside from a few new titles and artists, almost everything sat as it was.

Gerard always kept a close eye on you in these situations. He had learned little hints you gave as to when you wanted something. Eyeing it for a bit longer than usual then gasping a bit, excitedly showing him something with a fun fact about it, maybe even blatantly just saying you wanted it. He kept a mental list of all the things you had wanted, trying to make an effort to check off every one (well, almost, bigger things like a dog were for a later discussion).

But here, in the record store where he met you and you him, where you had managed to save him from a hell of a scolding from his mom, his eyes stayed practically glued to your fingers as you scanned each title, lingering on some for longer than others. He stayed like this a good few minutes but keeping his distance and hoping you wouldn’t notice. He had eventually resorted to sneakily walking around and picking out records you wanted or ones he knew you liked. Again, the mental list of these artists stayed glued to his mind.

He had realized relatively quickly that his hands were getting full. He had picked out six or seven right now and hadn’t even made it a third of his way through the store. He took a sigh, looking back to make sure you were occupied and not looking anywhere near the register, before walking up and placing the records down on the front counter. “Would you mind just holding these behind the counter while I look around a bit more?” He requested, “My hands got kinda full.”



“No problem.” A slightly familiar voice echoed, Gerard looking at the older man behind the counter who was smirking, looking between Gerard and you.

Not thinking much of it, Gerard went back to his shopping habits, picking out record after record. He had gone up for another drop-off trip before you finally approached him, “Hey hon.” Your voice spoke up behind him. He quickly turned around, looking down to see the gorgeous woman he got to call his. “I didn’t find much, I was planning on going to the Target here to grab a few things but it still looks like your shopping.”



“Yeah, I am a bit.” He admitted with a small smile, “Go on without me, I’ll meet you there and pull the car closer to that lot.”



“Ya sure?” You asked, your eyebrows furrowing as they always did when you seemed to genuinely care. He smiled even more with a nod.

“Yeah, I’ll be good here.” You nodded back, giving him a kiss on the cheek before leaving the store.

Despite the distance making Gerard grow slightly more uncomfortable, and despite the fact he knew well that you were just a few store fronts away, he obliged to the opportunity before him and quickly collected every other record he knew you would want. The ridiculous figure holding at least half a dozen records under each arm was a man in love, every customer silently knew it. Because no one would buy that many records. That was a new level of head over heels.

“All set?” The cashier asked, the wrinkles on his forehead curling up as his smile grew, the question sounding more rhetorical and satire than anything.

“Uh, yeah.” Gerard awkwardly responded at the realization that he looked just a bit like a fool. The pile of albums in front of him stared right back as one by one they were scanned and placed into bags. He questioned how he would just sneak them by you, and with no avail to any answer.

As the total rang through his ears, he quickly slipped his card out of his wallet, handing it over firmly and not turning back. The cashier inched a smile, inserting the card into the machine. “So, things are going well?” He asked. 


“Yeah, ya know, life’s going alright-“



“Especially with the girl.” He commented back before Gerard could finish.

“Yeah, uh, really well.” He awkwardly chuckled at him, his lovesick state clearly clouding his vision at times.

The card reader beeped, allowing the older man to remove the card with the receipt and hand it back to Gerard. “Hey kid, do me a favor.” He requested, Gerard quick to nod his head and grab the bags, “When you guys are considering a song for your first dance, come to me and I’ll buy it for you two on vinyl.” Gerard turned to flustered as his eyes went wide in a moment of shock.

“Oh, um, I’m not sure-“



“You’ll be there.” He smiled from, clicking his ben against the desk, “Trust me.”



“Merry Christmas, sweetheart.” Gerard mumbled into your hair as you stood by your Christmas tree together. It was by no means Christmas, a couple days before, still, but you wanted to make sure to open all of your presents before you each went to your own families for the holiday.

“You too, hon.” You smiled back, tucking further into the arm draped over you his hand rubbing the small of your back. “Presents?” You asked cheerfully, he nodded back with a smile plastered across his face.

“Presents.” He declared back.

It had been a solid 15 minutes of ripping open the wrapping-covered boxes before hitting the last one, one which specifically Gerard requested you do last. You could tell by the shape alone that it was a record, a new one on top of the other stack of new ones next to you, but as you slowly ripped it open you realized what it was. You let out a small laugh as your fingers gripped the side of the two records.

“It’s supposed to make up for last year.” He briefly explained. You looked up at him and smiled.

“It’s perfect. Now I can actually give my dad this.” You replied, “But what about the second one?”



“Oh, I figured you give one to your dad, and then we keep one on hand.” He continued, “It was what caused us to meet.”



“That’s very poetic, Gee.” You softly said, standing up and walking over to his spot on the couch. You cupped his face lightly, leaning down to give him a soft kiss on the lips, which he gladly accepted and he moved his lips against yours. “I love you.”



“Love you too, sweetheart.” He smiled up at you, his hands now gripping your hips. “I figured we could put it up on the mantle somewhere, make sure it’s seen.”



“Sounds perfect.” Your hands delicately ran through his messy hair as he let out a purr of sorts in response, “Even if we never spin it, it’s perfect.”

[softxsuki]

꒰ ˆ ꒵ ˆ꒱ Hi, Han! Congratulations on 1000+ followers! I've been around since you hit 400 and I couldn't be more proud of you and how far you've come. You're too good for this world and just seeing you pop up in my notifications puts a smile on my face. („⊹𝅒⊹„) I'm sure you’ll get even more supporters soon (as you deserve) and I hope I'll get to see your blog keeping on growing! Thank for all of the content you put out for us, this plataform wouldn't be the same without you and would mean a lot less to me. (ﾉ´ヮ`)ﾉ*: ･

Anyway, if it's okay, could I please send in a request for the event?

❥ Pronouns:

𖤣 they/them

❥ Fandoms:

𖤣 Tokyo Revengers, Obey Me, Jujutsu Kaisen

❥ Gender:

𖤣 It doesn't matter!

❥ Type of matchup:

𖤣 Romantic

❥ Myer-Briggs Personality Type:

𖤣 INFP-T

❥ Zodiac:

𖤣 Sagittarius

❥ What I value:

𖤣 loyalty; open-mindedness; respect.

❥ My type:

𖤣 I don't think I have one, I never judge people by their looks and don't consider anyone I've met, until now, ugly.

❥ What's my personality like:

𖤣 observant; pretty short-tempered; indecisive (but i do make good choices); smart; ambivert; creative; genuine; lazy; camera shy; optimistic; I can get easily confused; forgetful; moody; reliable; sassy; people say I have great taste (for music, fashion, food, crushes, decorations, locations, etc); spontaneous; stubborn; sensitive;

❥ Hobbies/things I like to do:

𖤣 I don't think I have any talent to hobbies... So here are the things I like to do: traveling; shopping; exploring new places; spend hours swinging on swings; listening to music; eating out; collecting plushies;

❥ Details:

𖤣 I'm at my last school year and still have no idea of what to do with my life; I'm from Brazil; I've been trying to gain a little bit of weight; I have a sweet tooth; I'm very picky when it comes to food;

❥ Kind of scenario:

𖤣 Hmmmm, maybe what mornings with them are like?? I really don't know!!

𑁍 Take your time, Han! I hope you have an amazing day and life!! Thank you for existing, you're insanely special to me and to many others. 𑁍

1000 Follower Event Matchup #27

This event is CLOSED. You can view the event masterlist here.

Note: Thank you! It's crazy that I made this event when I hit 1k and now I'm at 1.5k...these matchups took me way too long. I'm so sorry for the wait. But omg you've been around since I was at 400 followers :( you've stuck with me for a while! Thank you so much for all your support. I hope you like who I matched you with <3

I match you with: DRAKEN, BEELZEBUB, ITADORI

Runner-ups were: Mitsuya, Lucifer, Megumi

Draken:

I feel like Draken would be your support system

He’s such a dependable guy, he’d want you to lean on him for once

He loves your sass btw, it adds a little spice to your relationship that keeps things interesting, so keep pushing his buttons

Always takes you out to eat, watching you with a little smirk as you happily enjoy your food (even if you’re picky and only eat chicken tenders with fries) as long as you’re happy he’s happy

He’s not the biggest shopper, but whenever you want to go out shopping he insists on tagging along, kinda playing your bodyguard and official bag holder, you’re not holding any bags with him around

What are mornings with Draken like?

Hmmm, I think he’s not the biggest morning person, so he’s a little slow at waking up (after all, he lives in a brothel which is more active during the night)

Groggy morning voice as he cuddles into you, hiding his face in the crook of your neck 

So definitely a slow morning, but be happy, because you’re getting an unusually clingy and cute Draken lol

Beelzebub:

This man’s brother is the avatar of sloth lol, he’s pretty fond of your laziness

Beel is our gentleman :( he’s a big ol teddy bear

Super loyal and respectful, he treats you like you’re his treasure

Pls don’t lose your temper with him :( he’d get all pouty, though having Satan as his brother, he is pretty used to it, but it would hurt more if you specifically get mad at him

You’re eating out like 10 times a day with him LOL

If you’re a picky eater, he’d gladly take whatever you don’t want from your plate, and even shares some things on his own plate that you love :( <3 so in love omg

And if you’re trying to gain weight, he’s the perfect person to help you out with that :D 

What are mornings with Beel like?

Well…he’s already up in the kitchen making you both breakfast

Surprises you with breakfast in bed every morning and is actually able to control his urges and manages to not eat the entire plate before it reaches you

He’s down to do whatever you want for the day, he’ll follow you around :) so long as you feed him along the way

Itadori:

This cutie is perfect boyfriend material, especially for you

I picture him taking so many off-guard pictures of you to save to his phone; no matter how much you try to convince him that you look horrible in them, he just spends the next few days gushing over them, admiring the small image of you on his phone <3

He feeds your plushy addiction, he finds your collection cute and loves seeing how happy you get when you get a new one added in 

Loyal golden retriever boyfriend 10000000%

Goes on a walk to the park with you while you swing on the swings side by side, chatting and eating the ice cream he bought you :D 

What are mornings like with Itadori?

Energetic…I hope you’re a morning person, because he’s fresh as a daisy pretty early in the morning, ready for another adventure with you

He’s the type to watch you as you sleep, waiting excitedly for you to wake up, and eventually you do wake up from feeling him watch you lol

Morning kisses are a must and maybe even some cuddles

EVENT REQUESTS ARE CLOSED

REGULAR REQUESTS ARE OPEN

Posted: 08/28/2023

[lucysweatslove]

Super first world problem rant:

I am almost out of my favorite anti-perspirant/deodorant. I use Lume after a shower but I also use anti-perspirant on subsequent days, before the gym, etc, because I don’t like to feel sweaty. The Lume is great when I’m not doing things to sweat and helps cut back on bad smells, really great for non-armpit areas especially, but it’s also expensive. So yeah, Lume after showers + additional antiperspirants as needed has been my go-to for a while now.

I’ve tried a lot of deodorants previously. I am, apparently, picky, and I rarely use up whole deodorants because I a) don’t use them super often with the Lume, and b) won’t use them regularly if I don’t like them. Spray deodorants make me sneeze and I hate how they feel going on. I tried them once and never again plan to use them. Solids are traditional and what I always used growing up, but they seem to get a film or something on that’s similar to hard pan on makeup. A lot of these also make me feel sick for some reason. It’s the smell- I’m not sure why but the smell just feels off, too strong, or somehow just gross most of the time. The most recent offender is also the worst: the Secret Sweet Nectarine solid tube. I want to vomit every time I use it, so of course I don’t use it unless I can’t find any other one, and even when I do use it, the “hard pan” film makes it pretty much useless anyway. 0/10, will never repurchase.

I recently-ish tried a clear gel (twists up like a solid but gel comes out of holes), more specifically the Secret one in a berry scent. I’ve had it for a while- probably was on sale or something tbh. I LOVE it, and I’m out. Like, I have to use that awful solid sweet nectarine that makes me feel horribly nauseous every time I smell it. This was particularly annoying because I ran out while traveling for that overstimulating wedding.

I placed a Walmart+ order last night for delivery today because in addition to needing more deodorant, I also needed conditioner and drink mix stuff (since water is gross, I said what I said). I try to avoid going in because Walmart is the further store away from us and I always get overstimulated just driving there. Can I do it? Yes. Do I ever want to? Fuck no.

Anyway, I was really excited because the secret gel deodorant has some kind of $4 back on 2 thing going on, which is a decent deal for something I wanted anyway. They have multiple scents- coconut, cocoa butter, water Lily, rose (ew), berry, vanilla, ocean breeze, lavender (also Ew). I was going to get the berry, waterlily, coconut, and vanilla, but with everything else it felt like a lot of money all at once (especially given how it can take me over a year to finish a tube), so I just got the berry and waterlily.

Walmart shopper couldn’t find the berry one for some reason and I had to approve a substitution. Wanna know what they wanted to sub it with?

Sweet. Fucking. Nectarine.

I had two option: decline the substitution, being left with just one tube and I wouldn’t get the sale deal, or I could accept it. I couldn’t see any place to request literally any other scent, like the coconut or vanilla. If I denied it, I would likely end up where I am now again- out of my preferred one and have to either smell awful to everybody else and feel gross or smell nauseating to myself.

The $4 back is good enough to almost cover another tube later on so I just accepted the substitution but i was pretty upset. I see where they were thinking- trading a fruit scent for a fruit, makes sense, especially as I wasn’t able to like, add in a secondary scent preference or whatever. So I’m not mad at the Walmart shopper. Just the situation anyway, because now the likelihood that 1 of my deodorants will be nauseating and maybe unusable is higher. I already gambled on the waterlily since I usually don’t like florals and just wanted to try it, so it’s like swapping out my safe scent for something also potentially disastrous.

They just delivered my order, and not only is there the sweet nectarine one, but the waterlily deodorant is a mf solid. Because I, like the exhausted dumbass I am, didn’t double check the listing when I added it to my cart.

So basically I just bought like 1-2 years of deodorant that I don’t like 🙃 since I’m never “going that way” and returns in general stress me out, I don’t feel empowered enough to make a return and get what I really want. If I complain to my husband, he won’t understand why I can’t return it and will get annoyed I’m complaining. If I ask for new ones, he’ll raise his eyebrows and say why when we just bought new deodorant?? Which means I’ll have to tell him I don’t like what I got and feel like I can’t return it which would then further cause an argument. I could probably get new ones near Christmas without it being weird to him. But I still feel relegated to using deodorants I hate for the next several months.

Is it a first world problem, and am I privileged to be able to afford and access deodorant in general? Yes. Am I especially privileged that I can access a wide variety of them? Of course. Am I still entitled to be annoyed with this situation? I think so.

[mydemonsdrivealimo]

2,26,36,40

hi ty i love all of these sm

2. Who gets up to cook at 2am?

answered here

2. Any sleep habits either had to get used to?

yes ofc. i answered more about jensen here but jensen also had to get used to bryces before bed bs. hes gotta moisturize and do a few skincare things but also hes gotta do something w his hair and also hes picky af w what he wears to bed bc textures but also if its too heavy or feels like its choking him or too tight on his legs he will just Die so thats a whole process. also his GLASSES but thats a positive for jensen lol he loves them more than life itself but bryce is bryce so he would rather die than have anyone finds out he has them. and lastly his mouthguard. bryce grinds his teeth in his sleep so he has a mouthguard but sometimes theyll scrape together in Just the wrong spot and let out the most horrible squeaky noise and jensen wants to kill him just a little

26. Who is prone to road rage?

bryce but thats bc jensen is WAY too chill about it. jensen lack of road rage is directly paired w his remarkable ability to give every person around him road rage bc he is the most annoying asshole driver you will ever meet. hes not doing illegal shit but also why is he doing that at all? jensen will give bryce road rage from bryce sitting in the passenger seat while jensen is driving. meanwhile jensen is just jamming out to his little playlists and bryce is sitting there like w his eye twitching and shit

26. How do they comfort each other?

bryce really tries to distract jensen. jensen gets enough head on solving and shit when hes alone or in therapy, so its really nice for him to get away from it for a little bit. on the other hand, jensen usually tries to give bryce something to bounce off of, and really tries to help him work through it (also if its a longer thing they'll try to pick up extra chores and stuff for the other so its just less on their plate)

36. Who is more protective?

bryce for sure. especially after he knows the extent of everything jensens been through, he Does Not put up w people giving him shit even a little. i think jensen is more subtly protective, especially bc he knows bryce knows what hes doing and can handle it. bryce also knows jensen can handle it, but in the moment he tends to not be as rational and will just be more worried about it yk

36. How’d they meet each other’s families?

well we know how jensen met keiki thanks to canon, but i havent talked about bryce meeting adria (jensens sister). jensen ends up flying out to see her completely unprompted after some tough situations. they really werent even close, but he was struggling and he knew shed understand what he was feeling (and he just needed to get away from edenbrook for a few days). they do a lot of talking, a lot of fighting, but also a lot of healing. they slowly start to talk more, just a check in every once in a while, and eventually for work she ends up flying out to the west coast (where they're living at the time). jensen offers for her to come visit, which she takes bc the event ends up being delayed by a day anyway. they do lunch and some other stuff and shes hanging at his and bryces place when bryce gets home from work. they talk a little but its pretty brief since she had to get back to her hotel, but they got along fine and eventually end up meeting a few more times over the years

40. Who is the skilled shopper for holidays? Who always waits 'til the last minute to get all of their gifts? (Which one gets stressed out easily)?

surprisingly jensens actually really good at finding gifts for everyone. he always picks something good, but when it comes to wrapping/presentation, totally different story. he will Maybe put it in a bag but thats about it. bryce struggles more to pick stuff, and ends up being last minute bc he cant make up his mind, but they always come out super pretty

40. Who makes the other smile with almost no effort at all?

both of them, but i think its more significant for bryce making jensen smile. jensen isnt a huge smiler, usually his face is utterly neutral, and he can keep a straight face at anything. but, bryce can always make him smile, whether its by doing something stupid or just looking at him all soft and jensen tries to pretend hes not smiling and his face is not red

[randalautoblog]

Imagine: the excitement of the hunt, the excitement of a bet, and the opportunity to leave with a good deal. Buying a car at a car auction takes some preparation and research, but the reward is well worth the chance to drive the car at a super-affordable price. On some online auctions, such as A Better Bid, you can get a good model like ford bronco 1964 at a very affordable price.

Buying a car at auction? In person or online, what will you choose - state or public auction? But wait, before you hit the auction or log into your laptop, let's talk about best practices. First, where do these cars come from? And more importantly, how do you ensure that you are making a smart investment? There are some very cool events going on at car auctions where you can bid on cars and get great deals. Some auctions are exclusive to car dealers, but others are open to the public and you can find them all over the country. In fact, there are tons of them in many states. And the best part: you don't even have to leave your home to participate! It's like buying a house without even setting foot in it. So why not give it a try and see what rides you can get!

Are you looking to spice up your online shopping experience? Why not try attending an online auction! Of course, this option may not be for the indecisive or picky shopper, but it's definitely worth a shot. Some auctions even allow you to bring a mechanic to check out the vehicle beforehand, but beware of those that keep the VIN a secret - that's usually a red flag. Add some excitement to your online shopping and give an auction a try! Have you ever wondered how cars end up at auction? It's not always because of a terrible accident or a car's last breath. In fact, some cars are there because rental companies or financial services firms just didn't want them anymore. And, during the pandemic, rental companies were selling off their vehicle fleets in droves. Another reason cars end up at auction is because they were seized or repossessed by banks, the IRS, or other government agencies. 

Stepping up to the auction car buying game? You might be wondering how to get into those closed-off auctions. Well, without a dealer license, it's a no-go. But don't get discouraged - there are plenty of public options for you to explore. If you're going for an in-person auction, make sure to do your homework first. Each auction has its own unique rules and caters to different markets. 

[marsti]

i went to the store to buy hair products and dinner. the food bank was running a drive there, asking shoppers to buy things to give them away. a teen approaches me and gives me a flyer, explains it to me, and i reflexively say i'm so sorry but money is very tight right now. i feel bad but it's true, after buying winter gifts we just dont have that much left.

i was a really picky eater and people don't give nice things to the food bank. they don't have the branded snacks i could only get once a month. we didn't have a coffee maker, so me and my mom still had to spend what money we had on the overpriced vending machines at work and school.

i'm in charge of food budget, i check the prices and expiration date of a nice brand of instant coffee and cookies i really like. they'll be good until 2025 and it's like 7€ for both, because inflation is what it is, but the food budget for the month is about 300€. i think we can make it 307€. i add them to my bag.

after checking out i give them to the kids, they thank me profusely. i say i'm sorry i can't do more, i know i said no earlier but what they're doing is important, it helped us a lot when i was their age. i put my beat up sunglasses back on and wish the kids good luck.

---------

i'm in the living room with my girlfriend and i say, i would have felt bad not giving them anything. but i feel bad spending this money we don't have, and i still forgot to buy toilet paper, and it's messing with my head, plus i only gave them two things so what difference does it even make. she says i did a good thing.

and i say i didn't see anyone with the green shopping bags they were handing out, i didn't see anyone give them anything. we're in a middle class neighborhood in a nice suburb! i'm an unemployed activist queer from an industrial workers town who grew up in asia so i definitely hold community support as a higher value than most people here, but still. was i the only one who gave them food that day?

and i say probably not, but i don't think the woman in the expensive looking trenchcoat i saw at the store gave them food either. i try to take a meaningful looking sip of coffee and accidentally spill it all over the torn up sum 41 t-shirt someone gifted to me in 2015.

[nickgerlich]

What's In Your Cart?

It seems like ancient history now, but the way Americans shop for groceries started to change in a big way back in 1988. That’s when the first Walmart Supercenter opened in Washington Missouri. It was a novel concept for Americans, because it combined groceries with dry goods and general merchandise.

While Walmart cannot take credit for the innovation, since there had been so-called hypermarkets doing so on an even larger scale in Europe and Asia in years prior, they can take credit for nailing it here. Walmart did such a good job that they systematically started replacing the majority of their older stores in favor of these behemoths, which in larger metros clock in at 200,000 square feet. In Amarillo, the stores on Coulter Road and Grand Street are both of this size, having opened in 1992. They have downsized versions for smaller markets, like here in Canyon, but the concept is the same.

Walmart did its time building its grocery business, and in 2001 became the nation’s biggest food retailer, with sales of $56 billion. It has not let go of that title.

Today, though, Walmart has laid claim to yet another honor in the grocery business: They are now the second-biggest e-grocery retailer, accounting for 36% of sales. Only Amazon, with nearly double Walmart’s e-grocery sales, is bigger.

And for yet another find-a-positive-in-a-pandemic exercise, ponder just how fast Walmart pivoted during COVID, jumping on curbside pickup and home delivery faster and better than its brick-and-mortar competitors. That advantage is still playing out today as the chain continues to grow its online grocery presence.

I see it every time I go to Walmart for groceries. Now let me explain something. In Canyon we have only Walmart and United, the latter of which is owned by Albertson’s and is slated for further acquisition under the Kroger umbrella. United has considerably higher prices on the things I buy, and lacks many of the items I want that Walmart routinely stocks. I’m not cheap. It just looks that way.

But when I am in our Walmart, I constantly see order pickers pushing their huge carts stacked with blue plastic bins. They are fulfilling orders for both curbside and delivery, and sometimes there are so many of them in the aisles that it becomes hard to shop with my little buggy. Like this last week, when there was a major traffic jam right in front of the pizza and pasta section, which, as my luck would have it, was where I needed to be. It’s kind of like driving on the freeway. You get out of the way of the massive trucks, even if you have right-of-way.

As for me, I have yet to order groceries online, aside from some specialty items I have procured through Amazon. I am just old-school enough, as my father taught me, to want to squeeze that lettuce, thump that melon, etc., before I make my selection. I don’t want tomatoes with bruises, nor broccoli that is starting to turn yellow. Only I can control for that, and that means in-person.

But I know the time is coming. I am no Luddite; I’m just picky. Maybe I should do a few test orders with non-perishable items, just to see how they do. Then maybe add some onions or cauliflower. I might just like this. Still, it’s going to be hard to let go of old habits and practices. My father was the grocery shopper in my family, and I watched him closely. He was a master at his craft.

Back in the Canyon Walmart, I think it might be time for them to consider opening a dark store, which looks like, feels like, and smells like a traditional store, but is not open to the general public. In the grocery biz, a dark store would be where all curbside and delivery orders are filled, alleviating the brick-and-mortar store from all those cumbersome trolleys.

Good for Walmart in responding best during the challenges of a pandemic. It paid dividends, and apparently enough people made the switch to online grocery shopping then that it is now habit for many. Just don’t run me over in the pizza and pasta aisle while you’re busy filling those orders.

Dr “Stay In Your Lane” Gerlich

Audio Blog