#Threshold Kiddies

[ms-demeanor]

i’m curious what your opinion is on the finer points of the case mentioned in the JSTOR post you reblogged earlier. the two sources in the post say that JSTOR didn’t press charges against him and had already settled with him by the time he killed himself. from what i read on wikipedia, the concern seems to be that JSTOR complied with a subpoena, which i don’t believe they have a choice to ignore? if anything it seems like the us government had reason to want him dead for wikileaks and public court records reasons, so they took a terms of use violation and blew it up into a dozen federal crimes.

is there more context i should be aware of? i have no particular affection or malice for JSTOR but the sources i found don’t exactly implicate the database or its employees in murder.

That's from page 175 of this document. This line: "The activity noted is outright theft and may merit a call with university counsel, and even the local police, to ensure not only that the activity has stopped but that - e.g. the visiting scholar who left - isn't leaving with a hard drive containing our database" is where I think the culpability starts.

If someone is downloading 1000s of articles (what seems like reasonable threshold for us to take action), what's wrong with us - or the university in collaboration with us - alerting the cyber-crimes division of law enforcement and initiating an investigation, having cop search dorm room and try to retrieve any hard drive that contains our content, etc. Our content is extraordinarily valuable and hard to replicate by the sweat of one's brow, but can be duplicated by savvy hackers and who knows what they want to do with the content?

Page 379: "Does the university contact law enforcement? Would they be willing to do so in this instance?

From page 1296:

I think the important thing to note here is that JSTOR had worked with MIT and had plans in place to prevent future similar downloads, but remained focused on identifying the person responsible for the downloads and ensuring that their data was deleted.

"I might just be irked because I am up dealing with this person on a Sunday night, but I am starting to feel like they need to get a hold of this situation right away or we need to offer to send them some help (read FBI).

And there it is. Page 3093 of the document.

JSTOR can hem and haw about it all they want, but you can't un-call the cops.

MIT was working with JSTOR on preventing future incidents of pirating, but JSTOR repeatedly said that they weren't going to let it go, that it was unacceptable to drop the issue, that they were going to continue to pursue the pirate.

You can scroll through the document and see the JSTOR tech department and abuse team talking about Swartz as a script kiddie, and a hacker. You can see someone talking about how this was real theft - making the comparison to stealing books even while admitting that piracy doesn't close others out of access.

You can see the thread starts with a joke about punching someone in the face for hacking their system, and includes the tech team ominously considering whether they should threaten the MIT librarians with the FBI.

There's something really important to note here which I don't think that people who aren't PRETTY DEEP into hackery shit aren't aware of: US law enforcement is absolutely rabidly feral about prosecuting hackers. People may be more aware of this now because of Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden (and perhaps a bit on tumblr because of maia arson crimew), but people who work in tech and who are in infosec - like the people joking about calling the FBI in these emails - would be aware of the bonkers disproportionate punishments faced by hackers. And knowing that, they kept pushing and pushing and pushing for identification of the hacker. They kept digging with MIT, they kept saying that simply preventing future incidents wasn't enough.

Early in the exchange someone from JSTOR asked "what's wrong with us - or the university in collaboration with us - alerting the cyber-crimes division of law enforcement and initiating an investigation, having cop search dorm room and try to retrieve any hard drive that contains our content, etc." and the answer is what happened to Aaron Swartz.

It is absolute bullshit for JSTOR to say "we arrived at a solution privately and didn't want to press charges" after law enforcement has gotten involved with a hacking case, especially one where they're talking about "real theft" and are attempting to quantify and emphasize the amount that was "stolen" from them.

The *public* may believe that private individuals or institutions are the ones who "press charges" but that's simply not the case. It's prosecutors who decide whether or not to go ahead with charges; they do it based on what cases they think they can win and what their office's perspective is on the crime. When you hear about people choosing to press charges it simply means that they decided to tell the prosecutor they wanted the case to go forward. It's up to the prosecutor whether or not that happens.

And the tech team at JSTOR had to know that law enforcement wasn't just going to wag a finger at an academic hacker.

There's a parallel here that happens sometimes when people have their identities stolen by their parents. If you mom takes out a credit card in your name, that's identity theft. That's fraud. That's illegal. If you reach the age of 25 and realize that your credit is ruined because your mom has been defaulting on cards in your name, you've got two choices to fix that: one is to accept the debt and pay it off and build up credit, and the other is to report the identity theft - which will end up with your mom in prison for a decade or so. Ruin your own personal finances, or your mom goes to jail for ruining your finances. So if you find out that your mom stole your identity you can't just call the cops to pressure her into transferring the debt to her name or something. That's not an option. The cops are not a threat to wave over people, they are not a way to get people to fall in line or act right. They aren't someone you can send to a college student's dorm room to retrieve a hard drive and have the matter drop.

When you call the cops on someone you are sending the full force of the law after them, and the full force of the law falls really heavily on hackers, and how heavy that blow can be is something that the JSTOR team must have been aware of when they were making snide comments about calling the FBI because they were frustrated with the noncommittal responses they were getting from librarians.

Ultimately it was the carceral state that killed Aaron Swartz, but they would not have been involved if JSTOR didn't think that what he did constituted theft.

Taking an *EVEN LARGER* step back from that, the idea that information can be owned and locked behind a paywall is what killed Aaron Swartz, someone who fought for information to be free.

Like. JSTOR is a licensing company. At the end of the day, cute social media posts and all, they're the same as the RIAA and ASCAB. They exist to extract a fee from people attempting to access information.

Aaron Swartz and all that he stood for are an existential threat to their core function.

Are JSTOR's hands as dirty as the federal prosecutors? Absolutely not. But they operate on a model that puts them in opposition to open information activists and it ended up with a hammer falling on Aaron Swartz that they dropped.

[namgyunation]

warm on a cold night

pairing: nam-gyu x reader summary: you and nam-gyu go to the arcade :] warnings: this is all fluff, meant to take place before the games, established relationship, nam-gyu is normal yayyy, only warning is for me pushing my badtz-maru agenda, not proofread! w/c: 6k a/n: went to an arcade a few days ago and have, in fact, found a way to make it about nam-gyu.

i know it's in there somewhere, your love for me is out there.

the air was cold, brisk, and the wind was just strong enough to bite through your jacket, weaving through the pockets of warmth trapped beneath the thin cotton to press microscopic kisses of ice into your skin.

you narrowed your eyes against the chill, pulling the pathetically light fabric of your jacket tighter around yourself, as if it'd do anything to stop the cold from slicing right through the measly layers of fabric ghosting over your body.

nam-gyu let out a puff of air next to you, slightly amused. you were brisk-walking, desperate and determined to make it to your destination quickly. nam-gyu's gait was relaxed, calm, almost bored, three of your shivery, frantic steps equalling one of his.

you brought your shoulders up to your ears, curling in on yourself, but it didn't do much to help.

next to you, dressed in a long sleeve and a thick hoodie, nam-gyu let out a sigh.

"cold?"

you grunted, not meeting his eyes.

"no one made you wear that, you know," he said, eyes flicking over your body. "this is what happens when you don't listen to me."

"i didn't think it was gonna be this cold." you don't dignify the second half of his statement with a response.

a snort. "'course you didn't."

you rolled your eyes.

after a moment, he looked up to the sky. "honestly, do you ever think?" he added, fake curiosity in his voice.

"you're so mean," you shot back, glaring at him out of the corner of your eyes. "we're almost there, anyways, it's fine."

a minute of silence passed, save for the faint chattering of teeth, and then suddenly he was unzipping his hoodie and draping it over your shoulders in one fluid motion. it smelled faintly of smoke and his cologne. you blinked up at him, surprised that he didn't just let you suffer for the rest of the journey to teach you a lesson.

you felt warmer already, but you couldn't let him know that.

when you didn't say anything, he raised an eyebrow.

"wow. no 'thank you', huh?"

"i don't want your stupid hoodie." you did.

"yeah? then give it back."

you sped up, clutching it tighter around your body as you pushed your arms through the sleeves and pulled the hood over your head. "no."

he smirked behind you, letting you speed past him in the borrowed warmth as he shoved his hands in his pockets.

when you stopped in front of the entrance, nam-gyu visibly stiffened, his expression guarded. the arcade was alive with sound and color, laughter and digital jingles seeping through the windows and settling into his bones. a preview of what was in store for him tonight. the neon signs lining the entrance hummed with energy, casting a multicolored glow over the two of you. a smile spread over your face as you took it in. nam-gyu grimaced.

you reached for his sleeve as he came to a stop beside you, tugging him inside, but he stood rooted in his spot, hesitating at the threshold.

you looked up at him, and he was nothing short of unimpressed.

"you're not serious," he said, eyebrows going up. "this is where you wanted to go?"

you huffed. "hey, you agreed to this," you reminded him, tugging him forward yet again.

"i agreed to go out, not do some kiddy shit."

"sucks for you, 'cause it's too late," you said, a hint of annoyance creeping into your voice, but it didn't last long. despite his moaning, you knew this night would end with the two of you in the arcade, whether he liked it or not.

you tugged again, and this time, he didn't protest, reluctantly letting his body tumble through the entrance.

the wind whistling in his ears was quickly replaced by the din of the arcade, a mixing pot of dings and beeps and electronic music. a current of energy flowed through him as he quietly surveyed his surroundings. it's loud, packed. racing games, shooters, rhythm games, and claw machines lined the walls. he frowned at the funky patterns in the carpet beneath his feet.

you led him through the place despite the fact that you barely knew where you were going. he let himself be pulled along in silence. soon, you were in line, waiting patiently to buy a game card.

"what are you doing?"

"i need to buy a card," you responded, not looking at him.

he narrowed his eyes at you but said nothing in response as the line inched forward.

"god, there are so many damn kids here," he muttered as he crossed his arms.

"that's what happens when you go to an arcade, nam-gyu." you smirked at him. "maybe they can teach you something about having fun," you teased.

he grumbled something under his breath as the line progressed. you started to step forward, but then there was a hand on your shoulder, warm and firm as he pulled you back.

"nam-gyu!" you whipped around to glare at him, effectively knocking his hand off of your shoulder. "if you don't wanna play so bad, then don't! i'm gonna buy a card for myself—"

he groaned, throwing his head back as he fished in his pocket and pulled out his wallet.

you watched him with narrowed eyes, both confused and annoyed with his behavior as his fingers flitted through his wallet, searching. you opened your mouth to protest again, but he quickly shut you up, pushing a sleek, black card against your chest.

"here," he said gruffly, eyes narrowing as you plucked it from his hand.

there's a gold stripe running across the front, and you bring it up to your face to read it. platinum club card.

your mouth fell open as you jerked your head back up to look at him. he'd shoved his hands into his pockets, tapping his foot as he looked off to the side.

your lips twitched, a grin stretching slowly across your face.

"you're an arcade nerd?"

his whole face twitched. "no."

"you have a platinum club card, nam-gyu."

he scoffed, offended. "i don't use that shit anymore," he said, voice clipped and indignant, going up slightly in pitch with something that you guessed was embarrassment. he tried to sound indifferent, but it came out too quick, too defensive.

you bit your lip, holding back a laugh. nam-gyu's eyes flitted from the floor, to the entrance, and then back to you. he looked like he was one word away from running out the door.

"but, you did, right? before?"

his jaw was tight as his mind clawed for a way out of the conversation, but all he could manage in response was, "i'm not... a nerd." he scrunched his face up, spitting out the word like it was something dirty. you'd be lying if you said that you didn't find it at least a little cute. "now drop it."

finally, a giggle escaped your throat despite your best efforts. nam-gyu made it too easy and too fun to give him a hard time. "doesn't it take, like, fifty punches to qualify for a—"

"holy shit," he sighed, his hand shooting out to snatch your wrist. he yanked you forward, looking down at you with a glare as he practically dragged you away from the line. "do you wanna play or not?"

you smiled, gripping the card triumphantly in your hand as he took his turn leading you through the maze of colors and whirring machinery.

it turned out, that, despite his grumbling, nam-gyu really wanted to play.

like, really, really wanted to.

he still wouldnt' say it, though. not out loud, at least. he didn't even need to, either, what with the way he practically shoved you towards any game that he caught you staring at for a second too long, his hand buzzing in yours with the barely disguised desire to win.

he'd played it cool at first, following you around lazily with his head tilted down and hands in his pockets once you finally dropped the whole thing with the game card. he pretended to check his phone, absently scrolling through the apps on his home screen as he watched you from beneath his eyelids with a pointed interest.

his eyes traced the path of your stare, waiting with bated breath to see what you'd pick. the second you pointed at a racing game and started tugging him eagerly towards it, it was over.

a switch seemed to flip in nam-gyu. suddenly, he was a machine, and the only thing written in his code was to win—and of course, give you a hard time about it.

"what the hell," you grumbled, the '2nd place' floating gloomily onto your screen for the third time.

next to you, nam-gyu stood up and clapped—for the third time—pumping his fists in the air and whooping loudly. his hair whipped around him wildly with each movement.

you rolled your eyes as he continued to celebrate. "are you seriously gonna do that every single time you win?" you weren't mad at all, far from it, actually, but it was definitely becoming clear to you that he'd had to have clawed his way to that platinum card somehow.

"yeah, actually. i will," he answered matter-of-factly, slightly breathless from his brief, yet animated, celebration as he smirked.

"okayyy," you deadpanned, pushing yourself to your feet.

"what, don't wanna see me win one more time?" he teased behind you.

you pretended not to hear him.

it was impressive how fast his discretion dropped more and more with every win that he was able to tuck under his belt.

you picked a shooter, and he quickly slid into the seat. he leaned forward to take the controller in his hands, and you watched as his fingers slotted perfectly over the buttons like it was instinct. you barely had half a leg on the seat before he was swiping the card and mashing the 'start' button.

you resisted the urge to tease him, not wanting to make him pull away and recede into himself again. not when he was finally starting to let himself have some fun.

he flew through the game like it was nothing, blowing through enemies round after round and getting headshots with a precision that you weren't even sure was necessary for a rudimentary arcade game.

he'd remind you constantly to reload, to pick up the health packs, your ears filling with jargon as he tried to quickly explain how to use the different abilities and when.

"click this button click this button," he urged as he pointed frantically to a hidden round button on the side of the controller. you soon found out that it was a secret power up, and it won you the round.

he grumbled whenever you died.

"again?" he huffed. "you just gotta aim and shoot at them, baby." he was so focused on the game that he barely noticed the rare pet name slipping past his lips. you smiled to yourself quietly as he reached over to grab the card before leaning down to swipe it on the reader like it was muscle memory. he mashed the 'continue' button for you without asking, not taking his eyes off of the screen for even a second.

he celebrated after every round you two cleared, reached over to rub you on the shoulders affectionately between loading screens, shook you enthusiastically whenever you managed to pull through a boss fight on your own while he was still on a cooldown before he could revive.

you had to bite your lip to keep yourself from making a comment on how unknowingly cute he was being. it wasn’t often that you’d see him get this invested in something. you made a few mental notes to force him to go to the arcade with you more often. whatever it took to pull that dopey smile and those stupidly adorable looks of accomplishment out of him.

it wasn’t long until the two of you’d finished the game. honestly, it wasn’t something you could see yourself going out of your way to play again, but seeing him happy made it worth sitting through. nam-gyu clapped you on the shoulder, shaking you enthusiastically from side to side as he celebrated your shared completion of the game.

he moved closer to you, pressing a quick peck against your hair that made your face warm.

“you’re so welcome for carrying you through that,” he said, his tone playful.

you rolled your eyes but smiled nonetheless. “ohhh, my hero. thank you so much,” you replied, giggling as you slid out of your seat to find your next target.

he just laughed, sliding quickly out of his own seat to follow you. you reached out to your side without looking at him, and his hand found yours instantly, your fingers lacing together tightly as you walked in tandem. there was a little bounce in his step now, eager, excited. he didn’t pretend to look at his phone. he was having fun.

you paused on your way to the rhythm games when you caught sight of the claw machines. nam-gyu raised an eyebrow at you as you pulled him along.

“oh my gosh,” you gasped, hands going up to press against the glass. “they have badtz-maru!”

“the hell is that?”

you pointed at the plush penguin in the machine, its eyes half-lidded and grumpy. “him. badtz-maru. he’s a penguin!”

nam-gyu didn’t seem to care. at all. his eyes wandered over to the rest of the arcade. “uh-huh.”

you blinked at him, eyes going back and forth between him and the plush sitting in front of you. you smiled. “he looks like you.”

he gave you his attention again, eyebrows going up with minimal interest at your statement. he turned to the machine and leaned in, eyes flicking over the plush lazily before turning to meet your eyes. “fuck no, it doesn't. it’s ugly.”

“no he’s not,” you said quickly, offended. “he’s cute. and grumpy.” you leaned into him to nudge at his chest. “just like you.”

“yeah, okay.” he turned away, clearly itching to move on. he wet his lips and shot you a quick glance. “these things are rigged. you know that, right? you’ll just end up blowing all our credits if you try and win that thing.”

you rolled your eyes but turned away from the machine regardless. “i know. i wasn't gonna try and get him. just wanted to point him out." you crossed your arms over your chest, annoyed by his indifference. "i like him, that’s all.”

he brushed you off, hands finding your shoulders as he pushed you forward. “good. plushies are dumb anyways. they just take up space.”

“they’re not, but okay,” you huffed, only slightly offended by his statement. “and you do look like him.”

he said nothing as you shook his hands off your shoulders and continued to walk towards the rhythm games. he paused for a second behind your back, shooting a look at the claw machine over his shoulder and making a mental note of its location before quickly speeding up to catch up with you.

nam-gyu lit up as you wandered past the various different machines, all spewing flashes of color and a cacophany of high-energy music and rhythmic dings. he bit his lip to keep from grinning, eyes trained on the back of your head as he watched you intently for your next move. he shoved his hands in his pockets, urging himself to lay off of you while you chose your next game.

you didn't really care which one you played. you picked the one with the cutest mascot on the front, quickly taking your place in front it and swiping your card before gliding your hands over the various multicolored buttons as you sped through the tutorial.

easy enough.

the first ten seconds had been a breeze. a smug grin slipped onto your face. you could feel nam-gyu's eyes on you, flicking between your face and the screen. his face was neutral as he leaned against the side of the machine, arms crossed over his chest as he watched you.

soon enough, though, the screen was a chaotic blur of color and light, icons flying past you rapidly in a steadily increasing flurry that became increasingly difficult for you to keep track of as the screen flashed with various messages of TOO EARLY! TOO LATE! in relentless, mocking red letters. your confidence wavered significantly as your eyes and brain struggled to stay on the same page.

suddenly, you were unsure if choosing 'hard' mode for your first time was the right decision, after all. your fingers fumbled over the buttons, mashing them frantically in a way that made some sort of semblance to you, but to anyone watching—nam-gyu, for one—was comparable to the grace of a fish out of water.

"wow," he said slowly, leaning forward. he squinted at the screen, nodding slightly as if there was anything there for him to analyze beyond the fact that you'd somehow found a way to miss every single beat. "you're, like, actually terrible."

you furrowed your brows, trying to block him out as you continued to struggle through the song. you were just about ready to smash the screen when you felt nam-gyu scoot closer.

he whistled. "damn. you really do suck."

"i know—" you started, brain short-circuiting as you desperately tried to claw your way back to a passing score, but before you can finish, you felt his hands find their way to your shoulders, rubbing you in what you assumed was supposed to be encouragement, but all it did was throw you off even more, if that was even possible with how horrible your score was already.

"nam-gyu!" you hissed, ready to find a way to blame your failure on him.

before you can say anything more, nam-gyu's body is pressed against your back, warm, firm. he didn't ask, didn't give you a warning, just stepped forward.

"move," he muttered, as if he wasn't practically boxing you in.

he leaned against you, arms slipping around you as his hands settled over yours to guide you over the buttons. his chest was warm against your back, his long hair brushing your shoulder as he leaned in even closer, effortlessly hitting every beat. for some stupid reason, it made your heart stumble a bit.

the shift was instant. as soon as nam-gyu stepped in, the game flowed smoother, notes clicking into place with a satisfying, rhythmic precision. his fingers worked quickly, effortlessly keeping up with the beat, and you barely register the fact that he's using your hands to do it.

you're too distracted.

by him.

by the way his face, usually so smug and teasing, smoothed into something else entirely—concentrated, sharp. his brows knitted together, his lips parted slightly. every time a particularly fast section appeared, he bit his lower lip just enough for it to sink between his teeth. the flashing neon lights from the screen cast streaks of color over his face—blue, pink, red—highlighting the sharp angles of his jaw, the slight furrow in his brow, the way his dark eyes flicked rapidly between the notes on the screen, not once needing to look down at the buttons he was pressing.

and god. he was actually good at this. you thought you'd be annoyed the second he stepped up and took over without warning, but it was a little hard to when your heart was busy doing stupid little somersaults in your chest.

he didn't seem to notice the way you were heating up in front of him—or if he did, he didn't seem to care. his focus was entirely on the game. his fingers flew over each button in time with the song, hitting them all with a quick precision. he's completely in control, guiding your hands like second nature. the rhythm sped up even more, and instead of panicking, nam-gyu leaned into it. his long, dark hair falls forward slightly, strands brushing against your cheek as he titled his head just enough to see better.

you let your eyes stray back to the screen, blinking as you silently took in the warmth of him around you, the closeness. it was a blur as the notes continued to move past in dizzying flashes.

"you're really into this huh?" you murmured, trying to sound unaffected.

his lips twitched, but his focus didn't break. "obviously," he muttered. his voice is lower than usual, smooth with concentration. "somebody has to make sure we don't embarrass ourselves."

the game reached its climax, and for a moment, it's all movement—his fingers, your fingers, the press of his body against your back as he leaned forward slightly, eyes locked onto the screen with unwavering intensity. and then—

the screen flashed, and soon a bold, colorful 'A' was bobbing up and down on your screen. the game exploded into bright, colorful victory lights, and only then did nam-gyu finally step back, letting out a satisfied huff, unbeknownst to the thoughts swirling through your head.

"there," he said, stretching his fingers like it was nothing. like he hadn't just hijacked your game and your personal space. he crossed his arms over his chest, a satisfied smirk coming over his face as he looked at you. "it would've been a perfect score if i'd done it myself, but you know. i did what i could with what i had."

you raised an eyebrow at him. "you really couldn't just let me learn?"

he let out a puff of laughter. "not when it was that painful to watch." he clapped a hand on your shoulder, hand trailing up to your neck to play with the loose strands of hair there. his smirk returned, smug and playful. "so. wanna see me play one more?"

you rolled your eyes, but there was a smile playing at the corners of your lips.

"and if i said no?"

"well, then i'd call you a liar." he pushed forward, spinning you around to face the screen as he positioned your hands over the buttons again, his fingers resting gently over yours. you bit back a smile as you reveled in the closeness once again. he leaned down, resting his head on your shoulder as he hummed, flitting through the different songs. "maybe you'll be a little less terrible on 'easy' mode, hm?"

time seemed to pass slower in the arcade. the music, the lights, the way the two of you were genuinely having fun—no drugs or alcohol involved (wow!)— it was just too easy to get lost in. the two of you had shuffled between various rhythm game machines, although it did nothing but prove to the both of you that you were utterly terrible no matter which one you played.

he stifled another laugh, hiding his smile behind his hand as red text flooded the screen.

MISS! TERRIBLE! TOO EARLY! TOO LATE! UHH... ARE YOU SERIOUS?

"i don't like this one," you mumbled, eyes narrowing as your mouth twisted into a scowl. "why's it being so damn mean?"

"dunno." he rubbed at his nose, still smiling. "but it's kind of funny." he stretched his arms above his head, his long sleeves pulling back slightly with the movement. after a pause, he added, "i need a smoke."

you blinked, turning to him, the game forgotten for a moment. "what? you're ditching me?" you pouted, but he was already reaching into his pocket, his shiny platinum card dangling between his fingers.

"not ditching. just—temporarily leaving."

you're about to tell him he's stupid, but then, without looking at you, he reached down and swiped the card against the reader—once, twice, three times. you hear the electronic 'ding' of the credits loading in.

your eyes narrowed. "did you just—"

"keep yourself busy," he interrupted, already turning away, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "try not to suck so bad while i'm gone."

you rolled your eyes especially hard this time, considering he'd decided to grace you with nine songs with the meanest rhythm game you'd ever had the displeasure of playing. "gee. thanks."

he only responded with a lazy flick of his wrist as he walked off.

but he didn't actually head for the exit. didn't have his cigarettes on him, even.

instead, once he'd made sure you were distracted with a few careful glances over his shoulder, he veered towards something else entirely—the row of claw machines that you'd stopped him at earlier. and more specifically—

that damn badtz-maru plush.

it sat behind the glass, smug little frown stitched onto its face, eyes half-lidded—looking almost smug, judging. judging him. sitting there stupidly like it owned the damn place. stupid. ugly. dumb. completely unnecessary. and yet, when nam-gyu's eyes landed on it, he clicked his tongue, pausing, hesitating, for just a second before he was glancing around quickly to make sure no one was watching, as if he was about to commit some sort of crime.

god, he hated himself for this.

but whatever. he was already here.

with a sigh and a slow grinding of his teeth, he swiped his card.

he steeled himself, leaning forward as his hand took hold of the joystick, the other hovering, twitching over the button. he felt like an idiot.

needless to say, the first attempt was absolutely terrible.

the claw barely even gripped the plush before it slipped right back into the pile. nam-gyu groaned, rubbing his temples as his head snapped back, hair whipping with the sudden movement. he cursed under his breath. "stupid piece of—"

a few nearby kids looked over. he exhaled sharply through his nose, jaw tightening. forced a smile.

see, the problem wasn't him. it was the machine. obviously. these things were fucking rigged. but if there's one thing nam-gyu hated, it was losing against something that he should be able to win against. he paused, suddenly hyper-aware of how worked up he was getting. he straightened himself, hands going up to his hair to tuck it behind his ears as he glanced carefully from side to side, making sure that no one had seen him.

why the fuck was he doing this again?

then, your face bubbled to the forefront of his mind—your big, dark eyes looking up at him, all starry and shiny and excited as you pointed. the way your hands pressed up against the glass, tugging him forward with that dumb smile on your face. he looks like you.

man. he hated this shit.

and yet, here he was, swiping his card again.

and again.

and again.

people came and went, barely sparing him a glance, but nam-gyu stayed glued to the machine, stubbornly maneuvering the joystick in between his fair share of frustrated smacks to the glass whenever he failed, which was growing to be quite a considerable amount.

his hair fell into his face as he leaned forward again, eyes icy and wide with an iron focus as he bit the inside of his cheek and lined up his next move.

he refused to walk away empty-handed. refused to let the machine win. refused to let this stupid, dumb, useless, ugly penguin win against him. him. no, he wouldn't let it happen.

he took a deep breath, stepping back for a moment to tuck his hair behind his ears again, roll up his sleeves that kept falling down. he leaned over either side of the machine, checking the position of the claw from every single possible angle before shakily closing his fingers around the joystick again, gripping tightly as his other hand twitched against the button—big, red, and mocking.

he stared at the plush, and it stared right back at him. nam-gyu's eye twitched, his lip curling into a vehement sneer as he leaned in closer still, jaw tight as he whispered, "you're mine, asshole."

next to him, a young couple quickly and quietly ushered their kid out of the aisle.

finally, he slammed the button with far more force than was necessary. the claw descended. nam-gyu watched it with bated breath, his body completely still as his eyes followed its path, down, down, down...

when the claw finally closed around the plush just right, his heart jumped, but he forced himself to stay cool, watching as the mechanical arm dug into the plush, sinking into the soft fabric like it was a marshmallow, and draggeddd badtz-maru towards the prize slot.

it was so, so slow.

nam-gyu could feel every second in his bones.

the moment it dropped into the chute, he exhaled sharply, shooting up and straightening like a steel rod. his fingers curled under his chin, covering his mouth, suppressing the stupidly satisfied grin threatening to spread over his face.

fuck. that felt good. dangerously good.

he stared for a moment before he squatted down slowly, carefully, still holding his breath, as if he still couldn't believe that he'd finally—fucking finally—got this stupid, dumb, ugly, useless, pathetic, waste of space penguin out of its cage.

his hands shook as his fingers sunk into the plush, yanking it out with a smug satisfaction as he stood back up. he held it in both hands, staring intently into its eyes.

he'd done it. won him. shown him who the fuck was boss. dethroned him.

he stopped fighting it and let a grin spread over his face as he shoved it under his arm like it was no big deal, turning back towards where he left you.

he'd got it.

and on the first try, too!

as far as you'll know, anyway.

when nam-gyu strolled back into the rhythm game corner, he found you stationed at the rhythm game he'd so graciously loaded up for you. you were in the middle of struggling through a song.

your face was twisted in deep concentration, lip caught between you teeth as your fingers twitched furiously over the buttons. nam-gyu noted the 'normal mode' in the top right corner. he suppressed a snort, wanting to watch you for a bit longer. he leaned against a nearby machine, observing.

you didn't even notice him, teeth gritting behind your lips as the FAILED SONG message flashed across the screen.

you groaned dramatically, shaking your head in frustration as you stepped back, hands going up to tangle in your hair as you slumped forward. "this game is so rigged."

nam-gyu scoffed. "no, you just suck ass."

your head snapped up towards him. "you're back already?"

he shrugged, casual. like he wasn't sweating through his shirt. like he hadn't come back from fucking war. "what, miss me?"

"sure," you said, a smile coming to your face as he approached you. you're about to tell him he reeks of smoke, to stay away from you, but you quickly notice that there is no smell. you raise an eyebrow, eyes flicking over his face. then, your gaze drops for a second, scanning him up and down, and then—

you frowned.

your eyes zeroed in on his arm. specifically, the black plush tucked beneath it, its cute, grumpy face staring up at you.

you blinked. once. twice.

and then your lips curled into a knowing grin.

"oh my god," you said, dragging the words out in delight. "you won it? for me?"

nam-gyu clicked his tongue, shifting the plushie slightly. he looked off to the side, feigning ignorance. "huh? what are you talking about?" he said, hand going up to rub smugly at his chin as he soaked up all the glory. he sucked in a slow breath through his teeth and pretended not to notice how excited you were getting, how your eyes lit up at the sight of him and this stupid penguin. he pretended not to notice how fast his heart was beating beneath his shirt. he pretended not to notice how much he liked it, too.

you wrapped your arms around it, and he wordlessly let it fall from his grip into yours. badtz-maru's marshmallow-like body spilled out between the gaps of your arms as you squeezed it tightly. he decided to pretend not to notice how much he liked that, either.

"the claw machine was right there. thought i'd give it a shot."

"and?"

he smirked. "and i won it." he flicked a hand through his hair. "first try."

you busted into laughter, eyes narrowing as you grinned. "oh, bullshit. there's no way you got him first try."

nam-gyu raised an eyebrow, glaring at you. "i did."

"nopeee. i don't buy it." you stepped closer, eyeing him up and down, amusement twinkling in your eyes, mixed in with gratitude. but you weren't done giving him a hard time yet. "be honest—how much did you waste trying to get it?"

he exhaled through his nose again, lips pressing into a thin line. "nothing. i told you. i won it first try."

"oh, so if i check the arcade balance right now, then—"

his eye twitched. you saw it.

"you're so predictable, nam-gyu," you laughed, rocking back on your heels.

he clicked his tongue, rolling his eyes as he tucked his hair behind his ears. "whatever. believe me, don't believe me. i know i won that stupid thing first try, so who gives a shit." he shoved his hands into his pockets.

you hugged it harder, leaning into him slowly as you pressed your whole body weight into him. "you like me," you teased. "real bad."

he groaned. "here you go with this shit." he turned away from you, eyes scanning lazily over the rest of the arcade as if trying to subliminally get you back to playing games.

"you like me so much you went and spent all your money trying to win me something i wanted."

"first try," he muttered, scowling.

you looked down at the badtz-maru in your arms, warmth coursing through your body as you imagined him standing in front of the machine, trying and trying, determined to get him just for you. you looked back up at him through your eyelashes, a smug smile on your face.

"and you were being so mean to him, too." you pushed the plush up in his face. he glared down at you, frowning. you snickered. "wow. you really do look just like him," you teased, your other hand going to fumble for your phone. "stay just like that, i wanna take a picture—"

you're cut off by his hand tightly gripping yours. he doesn't wait for a response before he's tugging you forward. and now, he's the one leading you.

"c'mon. let's look at the other claw machines so we can waste more money," he grumbled, not looking at you. his black hair fell over his face, obscuring the light dusting of pink on his cheeks. "whatever it takes to get you to shut up."

you grin up at him, squeezing the plush tighter with a little, knowing smile. "thank you, nam-gyu. i really like him."

his eyes flicked to yours briefly, and something in his expression softened. just a little. just for a second. then, just as quickly, he looked away, eyebrows going up.

"yeah, yeah, you're welcome." he said it quickly, like he didn't want you to think he was serious, didn't want you to think he really gave a shit about the plushie.

but you notice the way his fingers lingered in his pockets, as if fighting the urge to reach for another game, another challenge.

you caught him staring at the plush in your arms a few times, though you politely pretended not to notice. when you needed to go to the bathroom, you shoved it into his chest.

he stared at it as he waited, took one of its little black flippers into his hands. looked into its grumpy eyes, inspected the black spikes lining its head.

he raised an eyebrow.

damn. maybe it did kind of look like him.

he waited patiently for you to step out of the bathroom, tapping his foot with a hand shoved into pocket and trying to appear as casual and cool as one could with a gigantic penguin tucked under their arm. once you were in range, he smiled, slowly reeled back a fist, and punched badtz-maru right in the face.

he laughed as you snatched it from his arms, brows furrowed as you angled it away from him.

maybe, just maybe, he was having way more fun than he'd like to admit.

© to @namgyunation on tumblr; do not repost

ao3 link, if you'd prefer to read it over there

a/n: the arcade in this fic is based off of round 1 bc i went to one a few days ago lolol, just in case that helps paint a better mental image! i wanted to write something short and fun while simultaneously pushing my nam-gyu badtz-maru agenda bc he's my fucking favorite i'm sorry... also it's nearly 4am as i'm posting this so forgive any typos again!!! this was supposed to be out valentine's day but that clearly did not work out haha, so it's a bit rushed, but i hope it's enjoyable nonetheless :) alsoooo here's the badtz-maru plush in question LMAOOO. i own this thing irl so ofcccc i had to project it onto nam-gyu.

[clockwayswrites]

Danny/Tim, Blue, Tooty Fruity

@ailithnight Prompt fill #4. Feel free to continue this if you want! I was going to add more, but no, not, this is best right here.

-

Tim stops on the threshold to his apartment. His fingers tighten on the doorknob. Slowly, he leans back enough on his heels to to glance at the unit number by the door. Alright, yes, right apartment. He glances back into apartment. Back to the unit number.

Still the right number.

Tim is at his apartment, by all accounts. He shouldn’t have this much doubt. It’s just that… well, the apartment looks like a high school theater set for Gilligan island threw up in it. There are broad leaf plants framing the door and effectively hiding the sleek, modern kitchen to the left. Tan, sand colored drop cloths cover the floor along with a scattering of plastic sea shells. A large hammock hangs in the center of the room and there are colorful beanbags to the side. (Tim wasn’t sure where his real furniture was). The back wall is covered by a questionably painted landscape. The focal point is the volcano that leads up to the TV, mounted over the mantel, that’s playing a video of rising smoke over a tropical sunset. There are ocean noises.

He’s pretty sure he sees the edge of a plastic kiddy pool behind a bird of paradise.

His boyfriend appearing from behind the plants in nothing but by very small, very green speedo and a fabric flower lei doesn’t help Tim’s understanding in the least.

Danny’s face lights up with a smile though. “Tim! Aloha! Welcome to your topical vacation!”

What?

“What?”

[shiyorin]

Halloween Sandwich 

#Modern au

#Trick or treat with Ferrus and Fulgrim

#NSFW, 3p, noncon, reader is female...

#Happy Halloween with @roroco316

You had been so proud of your Halloween costume idea this year. Nothing too flashy or elaborate - just a classic ghost get-up that you could easily throw together from some old fabric layer. The pale, diaphanous draping perfectly complimented your lithe figure while offering an air of eerie mystery that you thought was deliciously spooky.

At least, that's what you assumed until the first trick-or-treaters showed up. 

An insistent rapping at your front door drew your grinning steps, already clutching at an overflowing basket with all the sugary loot. Surely these kiddies would get a thrill at seeing your haunting visage lurking behind the threshold! Tossing the sheet's tattered hem up to better obscure your face, you creaked the door open with an ominous groan.

"Oooooh, which tiny monsters come calling at my house?"

With a dramatic flourish, you flung aside the covering only to freeze in utter stupefaction. Because the sight that greeted you on the other side was anything but childish innocence.

Framed in the flickering glow of your porch lights stood two towering, impossibly statuesque figures grinning down at you. Both were clad in... well, outfits that could barely be considered proper costumes—leaving almost nothing to the imagination.

The first was some sort of bejeweled, leather get-up that looked like it belonged in a particularly porno. Amethyst silken scarves swirling around his chiseled physique scarcely concealed perky nipples and an absolutely thunderous package bisecting his leather thong with obscene definition. His angular features had even been meticulously highlighted with eyeliner and artfully feathered bangs that framed his smoldering gaze with practiced allure.  

And keeping him casual company was a positively rippling monolith of a man, dressed in...strategically wrapped bandages? His array of taut linen strips allowed tantalizing glimpses of sheened musculature and a deeply corrugated pelvis.

"What—?" Your voice came out in a strangled rasp, your diminutive form utterly dwarfed between these men You instinctively clutched your voluminous ghost sheet tight around your frame in self-consciousness, swallowing audibly. "Uh… hey… guys?" 

"Why hellooo there, sexy little ghost," purred the first one, presumably Fulgrim by the voice with a serpentine undulation, his eyes practically smoldering like lava flows. "And just what brings you out haunting the streets on a night like this, hmm?"

They were hitting on you. You went completely rigid, your jaw doing its best impression of a gasping halibut as you processed the situation.

"You… gotta be kidding me...! How old are you two supposed to be exactly? Because I'm certainly not—"

"This old, dear” Fulgrim cooed in a lilting baritone, lifting a single finger to trace the curve of your chin.  

Thankfully, the other man, Ferrus, elected to save his buddy from a well-deserved throat-punting by clearing his throat.

"Ah, don't mind my friend's poor manners, my little lady. The question still stands though..." His gaze lasered between your parted thighs like twin X rays, hefting a plastic pumpkin full of treats. "We've been… very good boys going door to door. So… are we due for some rewards… or does this evening demand a few tricks instead...?"

It took you a few seconds to process his insinuations before you physically recoiled, spine snapping rigid with incredulity.  

"Wha—You... you've gotta be joking right now, you perverts! That's it, I'm not in the mood to deal with demented horndogs on Halloween!"

Your threat was sharply cut off as Fulgrim abruptly stepped in closer, effectively caging you against the doorframe with one palm slammed against the surface. You swallowed thickly at his proximity, the former's musky sandalwood cologne flooding your senses with intoxicating potency as he loomed overhead like an avalanche.

"Now, now...surely my stunning treat isn't asking for any...unpleasantries?" Fulgrim purred, tilting his head. "After all, I simply must insist on having my cake... and eating it too..."

His free hand brazenly snaked through the tattered concealing drape of your costume, fingers nimbly finding and tweaking your cloth-obscured nipple. You jolted with a yelping gasp at the sudden violation, only for Ferrus' tree-trunk-thick arms to wrap around you from behind and pin your flailing against his.

"Easy there, my little lady… ee can do this the easy way..." he growled against the back of your ear, the delicious heat of his breath already leaving you in a dizzy spiral. 

Between their twin enormities compressing against your front and back, your head spun dizzily, fingers scrabbling for any leverage as you thrashed in weak protest. But every struggle only served to grind your vulnerable form against the solid bulwarks of their rippling muscles and swelling codpieces...

With a frustrated mewl, you finally wilted between your captors like a rag doll, eyelids fluttering as you stared up helplessly at Fulgrim's razor-carved jawline and gleaming smirk.

"F-Fine… you giant… freaks..." you rasped in meek capitulation. "I-I'll...give you your stupid Halloween treat this year..."  

Because let's be honest here. Some tricks simply don't require costumes to be properly appreciated…

*****

Tyranid eat this part

*****

Somehow managing a shaky smirk through your dazed panting, you mustered a glare up at them both. Your voice was raspy but defiant.

"F..fuck you..." The words earned matching barks of lewd laughter from them both as they leaned in closer.

"Yeah..." Ferrus grinned. "Fuck me. All night long, little lady…”

[baylardian-1]

season 3 janeway hanging out with her kiddies more is a big fave era of the AU for meeeeeeeee <3 she's awkward at it but she's trying :')

Resolutions and Basics happen and it's the beginning of a shift for her in feeling like she actually wants to be a mother. It's a slow burn up through Coda which conveniently shares an anniversary with Threshold = their first birthday, seeing what she's missing (though the alien in Coda would probably try to frame it in her mind as being like "they're going to be fine without you" but she'd see it and be like "im missing these moments with them :(" and afterwords she'd finally make the decision to be more involved in their lives.

[clipartghosts]

ICON014.BMF: A series of alternating black and white circles set inside one another. The bottom of each successive circle is aligned with the bottom of the previous circle. The visual effect is dizzying, as if staring down a long, pulsating tunnel. Which is exactly what Aaron sees when he opens the door marked “Warning: Cosmic Passage” in the subbasement of ParaMorTorque’s Evanston facility. He had sneaked down there on a tip and stumbled upon the door. There were no guards around. It wasn’t locked. He opened the door and there on the floor across the threshold he saw a dark hole the size of a kiddie swimming pool, and the hole went down and down and down, luminescent with white ripples. Aaron said aloud, as if he were in a movie (he was not), “I am made of stardust” and stepped into the cosmic passage.

[find-roronoa-zoro]

Roronoa Zoro X CisFem Reader

5

A small crowd had gathered in the living room to watch your second round against Kid and his friend Killer. You and Zoro had switched sides after being accused of cheating. Apparently they thought there was a slant to the hardwood flooring.

You were quickly winning this round. Hopefully it would be over soon because you were starting to feel it. They may not have won but they sank enough balls and you missed enough shots to have to down a fourth of the bottle of tequila. Zoro could certainly handle his booze. You were starting to sway while he seemed unfazed.

Kid stood across from you squinting obviously concentrating on his next target.

"C'mon Kiddy, shoot already." you slurred, "you'd think from that freakish height you'd have no problem."

"Shut up." he snapped chunking the ball straight at you.

It bounced off your face with such force that it flattened one side.

"Kid," Killer murmured.

Before anyone could react you lunged for the redhead. Just as you reached him he placed his hand on your chest shoving you back into the table breaking it drenching you in beer.

"That's my sister!" Luffy shouted.

You couldn't move from the pile of cups and splintered wood, everything was whirling and the air had been knocked from your lungs. Attempting to blink the room still you caught sight of Zoro leaning over you.

"Are you ok?" he asked gently scooping you up.

"Been.... worse." you wheezed.

"Someone had to shut the bitch up." you heard Kid holler.

A low growl rumbled through the chest you were leaning against, his gaze sharpening on the redhead that was trying to fend off Luffy and Ace. Suddenly without a word you were handed off to Marco. You could hear the thud of fists making contact with firm bodies as the shouting in the room grew louder. Someone quickly began taking bets. Killer and Thatch could be heard trying to break up the fight.

"You ok, yoi?" your brother asked glancing down at you.

Now that you'd had a few moments to process, "My back ... actually...hurts pretty... bad." you took a few sharp breaths as the pain shot up and down your spine.

"Smoker is coming!" someone shouted.

"Thatch," the blonde called, "grab those two. I'm taking F/N to the ER, yoi."

"Is she ok?" the brunette asked.

"Hurt her back." was all Marco said kicking the screen door open.

The cool night air blasted you in the face sending waves of goosebumps over your flesh almost instantly sobering you up.

"W-wait!" you stammered, "I-I'm soaked in beer."

"With maybe a fucked up spine, yoi. Just shut up." he laid you across the back seat of Thatch's car.

Because of the nature of your potential injury instead of being put in a wheelchair and entering with some dignity, they came out and back boarded you in the ER parking lot.

A few hours, an X-ray and a thorough examination later you left the hospital with a bruised tail bone, four bruised and one chipped vertebrae and a bottle of Vicodin. The sun was rising as Marco pulled into the drive. Thatch was waiting outside to help you in.

"The guys are still cleaning up." the brunette murmured gently guiding you over the threshold, "Think you can make it to your room?"

"Couch please!" you chimed merrily drifting on your painkiller high.

"Can someone get F/N's blanket and pillows?" he called, "on second thought, do you think you can handle a shower?"

"Ah, yeah I feel gross." you agreed still sticky from all of the spilt alcohol.

Thatch took you to Pops' bathroom so you could use the shower chair. While you were doing that he made a bed for you on the sofa and brought some of your clothes downstairs.

"Thank you Thatchy, you're such a great mom." you chuckled as he lowered you onto the sofa which was overflowing with pillows and blankets.

"Call me if you need something, ok?"

"Yessir."

The silence that had settled in was interrupted by soft footfalls, "Marco said you would need these."

You glanced over at your beer pong partner holding your painkillers and a bottle of water. His knuckles were covered in dried blood and his beautiful face had not been spared either. A black eye, busted cheek, brow and lip were just a few injuries you could see in the dimly lit room.

"There's a first aid kit in the hallway cupboard, can you go get it please?" you shifted turning on the lamp on the on table next to you.

He disappeared down the hall and returned with the medium sized white box. You patted the space in front of you and motioned for him to take a seat as you opened the box. Zoro swallowed and did as you wordlessly asked.

"You guys didn't even bother to clean each other up?" you asked breaking the capsule inside a cold pack and shaking it, "hold this on your eye for a bit, it might be too late to stop the swelling."

"We were busy cleaning." he reminded you, "Thatch didn't want the old man to see how big of a mess we made."

"Hah, yeah I'm sure we're in for a scolding." you gently tipped his chin and began dabbing an alcohol swab against his busted lip.

He hissed and flinched at the stinging briefly removing the compress to glare at you. Ignoring his protest you squeezed a small amount of ointment into your finger and dabbed it over his lip. He flushed lightly hoping you wouldn't notice.

"Shouldn't you be resting?" he murmured still watching your every move.

"I'm fine." you smiled softly increasing his pulse, "My brother's may be fine letting you walk around with a busted up face but I just can't."

You moved on to the next cut this time placing a couple of steri-strips over it. He pressed the compress over his eye again to keep from staring.

"It was pretty impressive, how you jumped at Kid like that," he chuckled, "what were you even planning to do?"

"I grew up with these guys, after a while their idiocy wears off on you so be careful." you tapped his nose, "I had every intention of punching him in the mouth."

You blushed watching an amused smile play across his lips.

God, he really was too handsome.

He was totally impressed with your unwillingness to cower away, he figured even now if Kid were there you'd make a second attempt.

You quietly moved the compress away from his eye and tilted his head to make sure you'd cleaned every nic and cut. He tried to ignore your proximity and the sudden urge to close in that space.

"All done." you smiled releasing his chin.

He blinked, "Ah yeah I should get going."

"Don't be ridiculous." you shifted grabbing a pillow and blanket, "That chair reclines."

Taking your blanket and pillow he made himself comfortable in the recliner at the foot of the sofa. Your eyes lingered on him after you switched the light off and settled back into your make shift bed.

"F/N?" he murmured.

You hummed.

"Thanks."

[baylardo]

whats nice about the pre Full Circle books for my threshold au agenda is that janeways effectively perched on earth in a teaching/desk position which means her having the kiddies around works perfectly well. :) and at least by the beginning of Old Wounds, shes surprised that she doesnt hate effectively having her wings clipped from the promotion. i deffo think shed step UP with parenting the triplets and hed take a step back for a time,,,, idk i think its a good time for chakotay to explore himself as a captain without janeway nearby.

[gnsaccountacy]

What is Kiddie Tax and How to Avoid It?

When it comes to taxes, children are typically in lower income tax brackets in the USA. That is why many wealthy parents would shift income-producing assets to their children’s names to avoid paying taxes at their top marginal tax rates, up to 37%. 

But the Tax Reform Act of 1986 changed it all. The new act requires a child’s unearned income above a specific threshold to be taxed at the parent’s tax rates. As a result, ‘Kiddie Tax’ was born.

Despite its sweet-sounding moniker, the “kiddie tax” is an often-misunderstood tax provision that can result in sizable income tax liability for your family. So, it is important to understand what kiddie tax is and how to avoid it.

If your child has an unearned income, it is a tax you should be aware of.

What is Kiddie Tax?

Kiddie Tax was introduced to deter wealthy parents from pushing certain incomes into their children’s lower tax rates. This tax provision has seen many revisions. As of 2023 kiddie tax rules, a minor’s unearned income typically includes:

Capital gains distribution 

Dividends

Interest income

Taxable scholarships

Income in custodial accounts under the Uniform Gifts to Minors Act (UGMA)

Income produced by gifts from grandparents

Under the current IRS rules for 2023, the unearned income threshold is $2,500 (up from $2,300 in 2022). The first $1,250 of a child’s unearned income is earned tax-free, and the next $1,250 is taxed at the child’s rate. Anything over $2,500 for 2023 is taxed at the parent’s tax rate instead of the child’s lower tax rate.

The child’s age is the most important factor in determining Kiddie Tax.

Kiddie Tax does not affect anyone age 24 or older at year-end. 

For those aged 19–23 at year-end, the tax can apply only if s/he is a full-time student for that year and his/her earned income (say from a part-time job) is ≤ 50% of his/her support.

A child age 18 or under at year-end is almost always exposed to Kiddie Tax if the child’s net unearned income surpasses the annual threshold.

The tax rules can be even more complicated if your child also has earned income. For more information, see IRS Publication 929 or consult an experienced tax advisor.

[voyagerihardlyknowher]

I'm not sure if you guys were still taking requests but if you were ever inclined to draw like the threshold kiddos in Christmas outfits or just Christmas hats, or all stuffed in a giant stocking... I would die of excitement

If they're not careful they're gonna enter brumation if they get too cold lmaoooooo.

Kathryn probably knitted lil baby Liam's entire ensemble of hat gloves and scarf,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, maybe she's projecting the command red a little bit.

[beautifulpersonpeach]

BPP, hi!

I've seen so many ARMYs mad and confused about JK talking non stop about Jimin during his lives. Jimin on the other hand never mentions JK (I mean recently). I really do not care even if they're married and have kids. But do you think it is safe for JK to draw so much attention to their possible relationship? I'm probably just paranoid, because SK is such a narrow minded country and what if something happens to them?

Am I being paranoid?

***

Are you being paranoid?

…kinda? I mean, for a lot of people, there’s a lot of daylight between talking a lot about your bandmate, gushing incessantly about a guy you’ve publicly called a dear friend for 10 years, and definitively coming out as being in a relationship with him. The reason I feel jikook are a thing is because of that quirk of that relationship plus a history of brow-raising behaviours that is most consistent with them relative to any other pairing.

But looking at it in isolation? Nah.

Some people might be confused because they feel JK’s behaviour with Jimin is unexpected, but most ARMYs I’ve seen already feel that jikook are very close (after hickeygate even the people most in denial about how close jikook are, had to rethink), and so they are more than happy to file away ‘JK fixating on Jimin during his lives recently’, into the ‘sus bro’ things jikook do without digging more into it, for whatever reason. JK can keep doing what he’s doing because most people in the fandom have determined that an official announcement or coming out is the threshold for allowing themselves to think of the members as being in relationships. Queer and not. It’s a bit silly, but I suppose in an effort to be respectful, people try to err on the side of caution by viewing all their actions through a kiddy, harmless, fraternal lens until explicitly told otherwise.

So yeah, I’d say you’re being kinda paranoid.

Then again, if you’re in a space where people are actually “mad” at Jungkook talking a lot about Jimin, then you’re probably in a space filled with solo stans / antis or rival shippers trying to mask, or homophobes looking for an outlet for that prejudice and anger. In which case, then I don’t think you’re being paranoid at all.

In fact, I’m nearly certain the second pattern you’ve noticed, of Jimin not mentioning JK to the same frequency (yet), only adds more salt to injury for them. Rival shippers and homophobes (especially closeted ones) are groups of people primed to see what we see, they just hate it. Lol. So JK going out of his way almost every Wlive to talk about Jimin or focus on him in some way, when the dominant narrative in rival shipping circles is that Jimin’s affection for JK is one-sided in the best case, or only fanservice in the worst - their narratives are being rubbished by the head joker himself. Effortlessly, spectacularly, and publicly rubbished to filth. Even the most delusional jikook anti has to feel a smidgen of embarrassment watching a JK live where he gushes about Jimin. It’s a shame these groups of people typically aren’t emotionally mature, because where a well-adjusted person would channel that embarrassment into rethinking their narratives, these groups of people seek only to lash out and punish the object of their obsession: Jimin.

And for the other Anon who asked me a few months ago about why taekookers/rival shippers and their solo stan peers are obsessed with Jimin, here’s your answer. Well, here’s one reason why:

They can tell Jimin is the obsession of the person they obsess over. They watch Jungkook too closely, too obsessively, to miss it. They can see how much Jungkook loves Jimin. And because they suffer from the illness of wanting a celebrity they obsess over to love them to the same degree, they hate the object receiving the love that in their minds is owed to them, or to someone they can easily self-insert as.

If you’re in a space filled with people like that I’m sorry to say but it’s a wasteland of lunacy. Get out. Flee. Pack up your skirts and run for the hills. Do it for your sanity, your hairline, and your internet service bills.

So yeah, there’s some risk people who are “mad” at JK, as you say, for talking about Jimin, could out them in a malicious detrimental way. You’re not paranoid about that. But I think that risk is small because people like this are ultimately cowards. Lol. They’re a bit insane yes but don’t have the guts to commit to doing any real damage outside of their tiny online spaces. So when you see people like that, I suggest you clean up the filth by reporting and blocking.

We’ll all be fine in the end. :)

[niishii]

haunted adventures with you—ft. haikyuu boys

summary; the boys go through a haunted house with you

warnings; just fluff

song; calling all the monsters -by thriii

*header images do not belong to me

author's note; happy fall!

"Heart thumps and you jump, coming down with goosebumps..."

"Shoyo...can we go through the haunted house?"

Asking Shoyo Hinata to go through a haunted house with you at the fall festival was a mistake. Of course, you were oblivious to the fact that he had been avoiding the haunted house all night. Between stuffing each other's faces with cotton candy and riding the same carnival rides countless times, you were unaware that a journey through the cheap haunted house was the last thing on Shoyo's mind.

"Sure, babe, let's check it out," he said, wanting to impress you. If there was anyone who would get scared, it was going to be you. At least that's what Hinata was banking on.

But, boy was he was wrong.

The moment you both stepped through the threshold and a man with a ski mask walked out with a chainsaw, the sound of your shrill-like scream was drowned out by a blood-curdling cry.

When he realized that he was the one screaming, Hinata looked at you and cleared his throat.

"What? He caught me off guard!" He said, waving his arms around as if to try and convince the entire haunted house that his scream was justified. You could only laugh and grab his hand before pulling him through the rest of the haunted maze.

The rest of the walk through the haunted house consisted of you and Hinata holding onto each other tightly as you both were in search of the exit.

Yeah, you both were never doing that again.

"You stayed in too late, to be getting afraid..."

"Hey, Toshi, can we check out the haunted house?"

Convincing Wakatoshi Ushijima to go in the haunted house with you took a lot more effort than you thought it would. It wasn't because he was scared (obviously) but it was more so because haunted houses weren't "his thing". In fact, the entire fall festival wasn't much of "his thing", but you managed to drag him on every single roller coaster and kiddie ride for the past three hours. And with every ride the two of you rode—even though he tried not to show it—you caught him smiling in enjoyment when he wasn't looking.

"I'll pass," he said, while juggling the giant teddy bear he won you from one of the carnival games; as well as two bundles of cotton candy. "I don't like haunted houses."

"Why? Are you scared?"

You both knew the answer to that question. If anything, the haunted house should've been scared of your boyfriend who stood over six feet tall and often wore a frown like his smile didn't exist.

Rolling his eyes, your gentle giant set aside the cotton candy and handed you your prize before taking you by the hand.

"Let's just get this over with. It's getting cold," he said.

You did your best to hide excitement as you gripped both the teddy bear and [insert first name's] hand. As you both walked past the creaky doors, a faceless man with long hair jumped out of the shadows, giving a guttural scream.

Just as you jumped and tucked yourself into your boyfriend's side out of surprise, you saw the haunted house actor fall to the ground. He was rubbing his head and peeling off his mask while muttering a bunch of expletives.

"Toshi!"

"Sorry," he said to you, seemingly embarrassed, though his expression made little difference to anyone but you. His lips were pursed, though his eyebrows were slightly raised as if he had seen a ghost. You and Ushijima took turns apologizing to the man.

The actor finally got to his feet, narrowing his eyes at both you and your boyfriend before he looked down at Ushijima's hand. "Whatever. Can I least have my chainsaw back?"

While holding in your laughter, you watched as your boyfriend handed the prop back to the actor who slid back into the shadows, muttering something about "not getting paid enough to do this". When he was gone, you hunched over and clutched your stomach as you laughed.

"I didn't know you were going to be this scared," You said once you were able to compose yourself. You clutched the large teddy bear in your arms and shook your head in amusement.

Rolling his eyes for the umpteenth time, he smiled slightly and wrapped his arms around your shoulders, pulling you close to his side. "I wasn't scared," he said, pressing a kiss to your brow. "I was just trying to protect you. You're welcome."

This time, it was your turn to roll your eyes. "Whatever, Toshi."

And you for the remainder of the evening, you both wandered through the haunted house —you clutching onto your boyfriend's arm so he wouldn't accidentally injure another actor.

"Tetsu, let's go to the haunted house!"

"This scene's extreme, I'mma get you so scared..."

This man was a little too eager when you asked him to go with you through the haunted house. If anything, you were starting to regret asking him about it after he plastered on an overly confident smirk that was riddled with nothing but mischief.

"Heck, yeah. Let's go!"

It was too late for you to turn back now as he dragged you towards the entrance. You were skeptical knowing the haunted house would only boost his ego. You gripped onto his hand as you both entered the house. The floorboards creaked as you inched forward.

"You know you can hold onto me if you get scared, [your name]," he said, wriggling his eyebrows. You rolled your eyes and shoved your boyfriend playfully, the action causing you let go of his hand.

"I'm not scared," You said, crossing your arms.

Amused by your overconfidence, Kuroo smirked. "Well, alright then. See you on the other side."

And like the childish boyfriend he was, he bet you to a race. The first one to get through the haunted house without so much as a scream was the winner. Of course you didn't have time to agree—or disagree—with this plan, because he was already walking down the hall.

You did your best to catch up, but he was already way ahead of you. You could hear his laugh echoing throughout the place as ghosts and skeletons popped out of nowhere.

After seconds of trying to find him, you ended up walking alone.

"Tetsu, this isn't funny. Wait for me," You said into the hallway that was lit with decorative skull lights. Crossing your arms you carried on, slightly annoyed that your boyfriend had left you to traverse through the haunted house alone.

The sudden cascade of creaking noises made you stiffen, but you did your best to ignore it. This was your first haunted house, and although it took a lot to scare you, that didn't mean you weren't at least jumpy from time to time. Stopping before another dark hallway, you looked around. Just as you looked over your shoulder, a set of arms grabbed you around the waist.

"Boo!"

You screamed as your boyfriend's laughter rang throughout the haunted house. It took you a moment to register that it was him, and when you finally did, you glared at him.

"That's not funny," You said, doing your best to hide your smile as you turned to face him.

"Yes, it is," he said, another laugh surfacing. "And since you screamed, you owe me a kiss."

Narrowing your eyes, you bit your tongue from protesting. As childish as he could be at times, you found it hard not to forgive him. Slowly, you rose on your tip toes and kissed his cheek. Before he could complain, you broke free as Kuroo, a pack of mummies, and ghouls chased you throughout the haunted house.

[stressedemoblackbratz]

romantic dreams

pairing: elliot x fem!reader

warnings: swearing and drug usage.

request: i was wondering if you could do elliot x reader where he and the reader are dating and she’s a poster child like miley cyrus was in her hannah montana days.

a/n: i really had no direction in this, but i hope you enjoy babes!

words: 603 + not proofread

so why wait to discover your dream? now is your chance.

Fez blinked.

that’s all he could do.

“so you dating the Disney chick?” he asked as Rue rolled up beside Elliot.

Elliot’s eyes shot up from the blunt before they focused on Fez’s blank gaze. he nodded at him. he knew Fez had seen them dip off at the party a few weeks ago.

“uh…yeah?” he answered before his eyes flicked down to see Rue still trying to roll.

“so don’t that mean like…” Fez started before stopping and thinking. “like you need to not do drugs. i hear them industry plants have it bad when it comes to their image.” he questioned as Rue finally finished rolling.

Fez tossed Elliot the lighter so he could light it. the lighters fire brightened up Elliot’s face before disappearing.

“i do drugs in private for a reason. not openly in front of everyone at a party.” Elliot explained. his thoughts drifted off as he thought back to New Years.

he had locked you and him in the laundry room the best he could as he did a line off your chest.

“their role model pretty princess is getting ruined at some weak ass party instead of going over her lines.” Elliot smiled, bending up from your chest to stare at you.

“…I guess these are the wrong lines huh?” you laughed before kissing him.

“so like do her label or whatever not know she’s dating someone.” Fez asked breaking through Elliot’s train of thought.

Rue nodded before handing the blunt to Elliot.

“yeah Eli…fuck the drugs. you have face tattoo’s. they let that shit slide?” Rue asked him.

he came to get high, not interrogated.

“you two hear enough stories to know nobody in that realm knows we’re together.” Elliot said while blowing out a cloud of smoke.

“once she’s done with that kiddy shit and doing like…some horror movie or some other shit though? she’s out of that contract? we’re definitely going public.” he said sitting up to hand Fez the blunt. Fez nodded as he took a hit.

“headlines gonna read, “once beloved child actress and face tatted beau party in Cuba” or some wild ass shit.” Rue laughed and Elliot snickered with her.

Faye suddenly stumbled into the room, tripping over her own feet.

“u-uh you two sell to actresses?!” Faye slightly yelled with her eyes wide. her chest was heaving, her skin was flushed, and her shirt was dirty.

either she had been running or being weird again.

Ash came in right after with you in tow, rolling his eyes at the blonde. “no bitch. we sell to her boyfriend.” he said as you crossed the threshold and grabbed the blunt from Fez.

“bro…” Fez said looking at Ashtray. “be nice.”

Ash walked away with a huff and you sat right beside Elliot, pulling your legs in his lap as he started to rub them.

“i do date the actress.” he laughed as Faye stared at you two with her mouth open.

“you still watch Disney?” you asked her. when she nodded you rose a brow at her. “my shows corny as hell, are you okay?”

“she obviously not okay. she living here.” Rue mumbled.

“you wrong for that shit.” you said while placing the blunt between Elliot’s lips, waiting for him to pull so you could kiss him through the smoke.

“i need to lay down.” Faye said before leaving the room.

“yeah…” Fez said as she walked away.

“that girl needs help.”

“no for real because i’m in the show, and you can’t pay me to watch it.”

[baylardo]

i had to just reblog cuz im longwinded hahaha CLASSIC 🤪

i was stratting this by looking at the episode lineup for season 3 hehehhh and i can only say things involving THAT PLOT winks depends on where u situate it in the episodes. likeeeee depending on how u wanna play stuff, whether or not shed have her little bout of sickness before or after belanna and vorik do in Blood Fever 😏 my only thought with that is that the Doc would obviously have experience to some degree dealing with it at that point. had it happened before blood fever, had it happened before the q and the grey. which im not opposed to except u have fun eps like Coda and Unity practically kissing each other in between Blood Fever in late season three hehe. just sayingggg Coda and Threshold share an air date i think???

also of note is Future’s End where i think we were talking about the time traveling nonsense somehow making kathryn and tom (not the kids since they were born that way) temporarily devolve and look human lmao (so they can more seamlessly blend in on the planet) i think we poopoo’d cosmetic solutions bc of their tails. and ummmm idk it fits the vibe of being so close to their goal but not THAT close and they have to give it up when they go back to their correct time. anyway futures end is like RIGHT before q and the grey. and with your ideas on the kiddies, i was thinking that yeah they wouldnt recognize their bio parents all that well, kathryns kinda whatever about it at first riding that high if being normal again, chakotay’s moody about it. i figure futures end might be where the babies start walking or talking 😈

i only mention it here cuz kathryn turning human AGAIN like an episode after this one is funny and has probably lost some of its charm to her lol. bc i think Q would try to tempt her with turning her human again hehe. then either he or Miss Q forcefully do it to her. (i was most recently thinking Q would forcefully devolve her when he blips her to the Continuum into the civil war dreess but idk hehe) thus with those two out of contact with Voyager, Miss Q and Chakotay scheme of how to get them separated and not mate lol. BUT YEA it could easily be miss q doing BOTH i just cant think of a convenient time for janeway to process that change lmao shes thrown into a war.

omg ALSOOOOO how much this ep revolves around mating is sooooo funny in that context lol 😂 like girl you get absolutely Ravenous for mating if Q timed out popping his question sooner/later.

haha TOM WOULD LOL just a couple of lizard lads (dads) 😏 idek if the boys get any mating fever haha i figured maybe volatile/rivalrous male behavior but not whatever weird stuff kathryns got going on haha. boys get stinky pheromones hahaha. i bet chakotay would be so pumped being able to chitter properly!!! 😭❤️ babies are still only like one year old if even. maybe they dont recognize him or call him papa or whatever haha SAD. but kathryn would have experienced the same predicament already in Future’s End.

i think im most inclined to have her cycle happen after Unity when shes lost her kindling feels for chakotay after Coda hehe. :3 just like some time inbetween eps in late s3

I was humoring an idea I’d had for The Q and the Grey where like,,,,, 

Whilst Q is attempting to entice Kathryn into mating with him, Chakotay and Miss Q are conspiring together to prevent that from occurring. And likeeeee, I guess the idea was that they’re gonna make Kathryn look “normal” again and have Chakotay sacrificially take on the evolved look for her; and that in seeing what he’s done for her, she’d ideally be swayed to go to him as opposed to Q. Which ironically DOES WORK, but not in the way they intended.

Alternatively, it could be seen as Q makes Kathryn “human” if only temporarily, and Miss Q evolves Chakotay thinking his new appearance would sway Kathryn. 

I think I prefer the former only because I like the idea of Chakotay having a little bit more agency in the dealings with the Q’s in an attempt to make Kathryn happy with herself again. Unbeknownst to him she already is. :)

[syphabelnyades]

Made in Abyss for fandom ask!

This ended up being really long so it's under the cut.

3 male characters I love:

Reg, Marulk, and Habo!

3 female characters I love:

Riko, Nanachi, and Vueko~

3 romantic ships I love:

(I see all the kids' romance ships as being purely innocent and wholesome. Kids just learning their first loves and all that. That stuff melts my heart.)

Riko/Reg - just. Ugh. Little kid puppy crushes and just figuring out that oh my gosh I like a girl/guy! is adorable. I love in the intro when Riko jumps into Reg's arms and blushes. It's just so wholesome and pure!

Riko/Prushka - There was definitely some budding feelings between them, especially on Prushka's end. It's another kiddy puppy crush that has that inkling of sadness because of Prushka's fate but also the bound romance of the White Whistle.

Nat/Marulk - Their interactions in Marulk's Daily Life were so sweet! It's apparent that Nat had a bit of a thing for Riko, so him seemingly moving on and then also having feelings for Marulk was sweet. I just wonder how Marulk got to Orth, though?

3 platonic dynamics I love:

Riko/Nanachi/Reg - Full team!! I love their interactions with one another! Everyone plays off of each other so well.

Lyza/Ozen - Oh god Lyza talking to Ozen and telling her that she wants Ozen to see off Riko to send the girl off to Lyza... That really got to me.

Vueko/Belaf - Though we didn't get to see too much of them, what Belaf told Vueko about her dark eyes holding beauty and whatnot was very sweet. Vueko is such a tragic character that never really caught a break, and I think someone seeing beauty in her after her lifetime of abuse was something that was finally a thing of comfort to her.

3 favorite moments in canon:

The elevator scene. Masterfully done. Absolutely horrifying. Using Forest of the Abyss over Crucifixion was an excellent choice in editing. And Mitty promising she'll be strong for Nanachi... aaaa.....

Riko getting hit by the 4th Layer's curse is gut-wrenching. The juxtaposition of her staying calm while Reg is sobbing and and freaking out is the best/worst part. This is a 12 year old who's bleeding out and poisoned and telling her meek, shy friend to break her arm and cut it off, and somehow she's keeping calm... until the pain sets in. God. Riko has balls of steel to even keep herself together for any amount of time in that situation.

The start of Dawn of the Deep Soul, with the team meeting the Umbra Hand in the Garden of Eternal Fortune, is such a haunting experience. Something about the whole garden going up in flames with the soundtrack playing is incredibly impactful. The actual track that plays, Encounter the Umbra Hands, has this amazing swell of violins (?) around the 55 second mark that, sadly, got drowned out in the movie, but listening to it on its own gives me chills.

3 favorite headcanons:

I know Irumyuui's babies are modeled after hermit rats, but I still like my interpretation that they're also very toylike in appearance and that they represent her playing House, sort of.

...honestly, I don't have headcanons for this series, just theories.

3 least favorite things about it:

begging the mangaka to please be normal and not a creep please please i love everything about this show except him being like that. it's fictional, yeah, but i still feel dirty.

I wish Riko had more to do in the climaxes of S1 and S2. She was very active during DotDS but basically S1 and S2's endings involve Reg crying and blowing up some poor abused anime child while Riko is passed out.

This is more of a game thing but I wish Binary Star was just... better. It's very clearly a licensed game adaptation and it's fun, but not $60 worth of fun. I got it on sale for $30 and I surpassed my $1 an hour threshold, but I still feel like I got cheated a little. There's a lot of clunkiness in the game that I think would've been better if it was an original property. There's this one quote by Sakurai about how licensed games are more concerned with feeling like the source material rather than being a good game, and I think that applies here. At the very least, I wish the Ido Front area was expanded and we got to find a really cool big relic or two as part of a storyline.

[starboygrove]

Surviving Eddie Munson - Chapter 21

“Wow, you three have simply outdone yourselves!” Eddie remarks, clapping his hands together with satisfaction. He’s looking around Robin’s backyard approvingly from his spot on the patio.

Steve and the ladies have transformed the modestly sized yard into something of a summer paradise; there are thematically colored balloons and streamers hanging about, different activities for them all to enjoy, and a small table is set up near the doors full of sugary snacks and drinks ready to be devoured.

“Not to toot my own horn, but yeah,” Steve boasts, suave little smirk on his face as he leans against the doorframe of the open French doors connecting the dining room and backyard.

“Okay you two, save the heart eyes for later!” A body shoots past Steve from behind and he’s quick on the draw, grabbing a fistful of Dustin’s shirt and yanking him back inside.

“Not so fast! I know you didn’t put any sunscreen on yet, go.” He commands, pointing to the kitchen island full of supplies, including an ample amount of sunscreen and two first aid kits.

“Mama Harrington,” Eddie coos sarcastically, earning a sharp glare from his boyfriend. He just laughs at his expense in response, returning to where Nancy and Robin are still setting up the waterslide.

“Guess that makes you the dad then, huh Munson?” Robin calls out, the yard small enough that she was able to hear the entirety of their conversation.

Putting those two words next to each other lights a delightful flame in Steve’s chest. He wants to be a dad so badly, and the mere thought of sharing that experience with Eddie is really doing something to him. Definitely something to think about later, when he isn’t responsible for ensuring the livelihood of the rambunctious group of teens that are sprinting out the doors at this very moment.

The younger teens have already transitioned into their bathing suits, ready to enjoy the water-based activities that have been planned out for the afternoon. There is a sizeable kiddie pool to lounge in under the shade of a large oak tree, already occupied by Will and El.

Naturally, Max and the boys are fighting for their lives to get to use the waterslide first. Its one of the fancy new ones with the little pool at the end complete with an inflatable sled, something Steve knew he had to buy for them the moment he saw it. In the midst of their struggle, the other young adults get completely soaked, so now its Steve’s turn to laugh at their expense from the safety of inside the house.

Clearly that was a mistake, because now Eddie is barreling toward him at top speed. Distantly, Robin shouts to not get the drapes wet; so a precise, slick hand shoots out just beyond the threshold to pull him into a crushing hug outside. He’s become instantly damp, and due to the force with which he’s been pulled they stumble down the steps magnificently onto the grass in a heap of limbs.

He groans from the impact, rolling off of Eddie and letting out a dry chuckle. “You’re so fucked, Munson,” he promises menacingly under his breath, already planning his revenge for later.

The other man hops to his feet and holds out his hand out to help Steve up off the ground. He graciously accepts and Robin trots over with a pair of towels for them to try and get dry.

“We should probably go get changed,” he suggests after they’ve dried off enough to be allowed to enter the house.

Robin’s parents are strict in particular ways, and although they okayed the party, it was under the reasonable assumption that nothing will become damaged. So like the good houseguests they are, they tread carefully to the first floor bathroom after grabbing their suits from their overnight bag in the kitchen.

The room is spacious enough that they both can move around each other just fine, but the sheer intimacy of what they’re doing is not lost on Steve. They respectfully turn their backs to each other for some semblance of privacy to peel off their wet clothes.

“You good?” Eddie asks in a shaky breath once Steve has his bathing suit on.

“Yeah,” he responds, and they turn to face each other once again. It’s not anything they haven’t seen before, but nonetheless Steve flushes lightly and makes a show of appreciating the sight of his boyfriend with a low whistle.

Steve reaches out and caresses his knuckles over one of the stick ‘n poke tattoos Eddie has placed in the center of his chest, looking up to find a familiar smoldering gaze.

“It’s for her,” he whispers, and Steve knows exactly who he means. It may be crude, but he can make out the shape of the pom-pom just fine. He splays his fingers out and feels for his heartbeat, his own quickening when he notices the rapid pace.

“When did you do it?”

“A month, to the day, after…yeah.” Eddie’s mouth screws up uncomfortably at the memory. “I got so drunk that I don’t remember doing it. Woke up with the needle still in my hand, I’m kinda surprised it didn’t get infected.”

Steve pulls him into a loving embrace, stroking Eddie’s hair. The other man sighs into the touch, burying his face deep into Steve’s neck. He holds him like this for a few moments before a knock on the door startles them.

“You’ve been in there too long for me to be comfortable! Do I need to give you guys ‘the talk’?” It’s Robin, and her tone is light and playful but it still makes Steve chuckle awkwardly.

He pulls the door open immediately to prove their innocence and Eddie makes quick work to busy himself with hanging their wet clothes up on the shower rod to dry, presumably so Robin doesn’t see the state he was just in. Like most men, he gets bashful about showing ‘traditionally feminine’ emotions, even around people he trusts.

“Lookin’ good, Rob,” he deflects, giving her a coy smile. She flushes and rolls her eyes, but she’s still smiling at the compliment.

Steve really does mean it, too. He’s not stupid; although their relationship is Platonic, they both have verbally acknowledging each other’s attractiveness several times.

“Aw, you guys match!” Eddie says from behind Steve after collecting himself. He has a light grip on Steve’s shoulder, and Steve recognizes immediately that he’s taken his rings off. Smart man, they could easily get lost in the roughhousing that is sure to come.

Nancy pops up from behind Robin, almost mirroring his and Eddie’s positions to get a look at their matching suits. She squeals in delight, pointing at Robin and Steve’s shorts. They’re literally identical, and not planned in any way.

The swim shorts look different on their bodies, but it’s clear that they are the exact same: navy blue with thin pastel pink and cream white stripes across the thighs. Robin has artfully matched her tube style top in the same shade of white, and the color combination compliments Nancy’s light pink one piece suit.

Eddie, like the coolest kid in town he is, has a tragically tight pair of swim trunks on, with bright flame graphics lining the bottom of the legs. It’s doing wonders for his physique, and he catches a brief appreciative look from Nancy.

“You guys are so cute, wait – let me get my camera!” Nancy sprints off into the other room, and Robin flushes delicately at the comment.

“She thinks you’re cute,” Steve whispers teasingly into her ear as he passes through the doorway, striding into the dining room.

Nancy ushers them over and props up the Polaroid on the dining table, fiddling with the settings and arranging them into a group pose. She insists that they take a couple of shots just to ensure at least one of them turns out right. Eddie, far more interested than Steve thought he would be, is just as anxiously waiting for the photos to develop as Nancy is.

“I heard if you blow on it, it comes up faster,” Robin offers helpfully, but Steve’s mind took a sharp turn, making him bend over with a howl of laughter.

“Oh my god, you are so immature!” Robin huffs indignantly, but Eddie joins in on the laughter as well. Before long, they’re all cackling madly with the contagious sound.

By the time they catch their breaths, the pictures have developed completely, and they trade them like cards in a circle to admire each of them. They look good, Steve thinks, like a totally normal group of friends who aren’t trauma bonded for life. He’s grateful for the life he has now, despite it all, and stomps down the thought of wondering if they would still have grown close without those horrible experiences.

“Can I keep this one?” Eddie asks shyly, holding up one of the pictures. Nancy agrees enthusiastically, offering for Steve and Robin to do the same with the remaining photos. She has a death grip on one of them in particular though, and he’d really like to be able to ask her why she wants that one specifically. Maybe later.

After storing the keepsakes safely, Nancy and Robin head outside to the sun loungers on the side of the patio, decked out in sunglasses and wide brimmed hats. Steve motions to make his way out, really wanting to try out the waterslide, but Eddie gives him a small tug on his elbow.

The other man is holding up a bottle of sunscreen and nods wordlessly to the young women with an impish grin. He catches on immediately and snatches it out of his hands, jogging outside with a skip in his step.

“Hey Nance, think you guys forgot something!” He says innocently, wiggling the bottle in his hand towards her.

She narrows her gaze over the rim of her sunglasses but takes the bottle anyways, perhaps a little too quickly. He gives her a wide, charming smile and joins Eddie inside so they can do the same.

Individually slathering the majority of their own bodies with the protective cream, they eventually take turns getting the harder to reach places for each other. Steve makes a mental note to suggest more back rubs in their future, melting under Eddie’s touch as he takes his time covering his neck and shoulders.

Finally, they are ready to join the others outside, and the kids pull them apart to claim their favorite parent. Eddie goes quite willingly with El and Will to sit in the kiddie pool. Will, ever the wise, has brought a few comics to read that Joyce had taken the time to protect the pages with a clear film when he was a child. He calls them his beach-books, which Steve finds absolutely fucking adorable.

Steve scampers over to the waterslide with utter delight and makes good use of his purchase. It doesn’t take long for his sides to start acting up though, and has to call it quits after a few turns. His skin may have healed, but the wounds run deep enough that his tissue is still tender and sensitive. He can only imagine that it’s even worse for Eddie, who had a rougher experience with the Demobats.

Dustin perceptibly suggests that they fill up some water balloons, to which the rest of the rambunctious teens agree wholeheartedly. They take turns at the hose, filling up 5 gallon buckets with a multicolored assortment of liquid projectiles. This piques the interest of the others except for Nancy and Robin, who are huddled together reading a National Geographic magazine on the patio.

When it’s Steve’s turn to fill his bucket of balloons, Mike approaches him tentatively. He motions for the younger teen to come over with a jerk of his head, and he kneels in the grass next to Steve.

“I thought about what you said,” Mike says in a hushed tone before sucking in a breath. “You were right.”

Steve smiles down at the ground, not wanting to scare the kid away with too big of a reaction. “I’m proud of you. What did it for you, in the end?”

He glances up to catch Mike’s expression but he’s beat red, mouth drawn into a thin line when he shrugs quickly. “Dunno, just did,” he rushes out.

“Well, as long as you figured it out, I guess?” He replies dubiously.

Mike nods in response, and looks like he’s contemplating saying something else before he wrinkles his nose.

“Don’t tell Nancy I said you were right. Ok, thanks, bye!”

The lanky teen sprints off to reunite with his friends and Steve finishes filling up his bucket of ammo without further interruption. Maybe he will get the full story out of him one day, but as long as everything worked out, that’s enough for him now.

Sensing the impending danger, Robin and Nancy retreat inside and shut the doors, but not before warning them to keep the balloons away from the hot tub – or else they’ll have to clean it out, emphasizing how not fun of a task that is.

They create two teams of four and face off; Lucas, Will, Max, and Eddie against Mike, Steve, Dustin, and El. This was their formation yesterday, and the new battle is essentially round two of the events that transpired the day prior. There is some revenge to be had, evident on the faces of the friends turned temporary enemies, and they all spring into action once the count down reaches ‘Go!’

*

Robin and Nancy are cooling off in the kitchen, joking around and placing bets on who will be the last one standing after the water balloon fight. With great foresight, they are preparing sandwiches for everyone when they inevitably tire out and get hungry, moving around each other so fluidly it’s almost like a dance.

While they are finishing up and storing everything in the fridge to ensure maximum freshness, Robin spots Nancy’s camera on the table and snatches it up.

“Hey, Nance!” She calls out to get the other woman’s attention, snapping a candid photo when she turns to look.

Nancy giggles when she realizes what Robin just did, flushing delicately and striding over to join her in the dining room. “I wasn’t ready! Not fair,” she pouts.

Taking the camera gently out of her grasp, Nancy instructs Robin to stand close and holds the Polaroid in a manner so she can capture a few photos of just the two of them. They make different faces in between the shots, and in the last one Nancy sneaks a quick peck to Robin’s cheek.

Nancy pays her no mind while she arranges the photos on the table to develop, which Robin is quite grateful for considering how badly she is internally freaking out at the moment.

Her fingers are still brushing up against the skin where Nancy’s lips were just moments ago when her friend asks a question she isn’t prepared to answer.

“When were you going to tell me you changed schools?”

She lets out a decidedly unattractive choking noise that quickly turns into a mini coughing fit. Robin slaps a hand to her chest once she can catch her breath in heaving gasps.

“Holy shit I think I almost died,” she pants. Nancy, the horrible no good friend she is, is stifling a laugh behind her hand. Robin would be a lot madder if she wasn’t so adorable while giggling at her expense. “I, you…like. It’s just—here’s the thing, okay?” She stutters, wringing her hands together.

“I guess I didn’t want it to feel…I don’t know, like presumptuous, if that makes any sense at all?”

“In what regard?”

Robin sighs, scratching the back of her head, trying to find the right words. She can’t really tell Nancy the truth, and honestly she’s gone back and forth between regretting her decision and being so excited about it ever since she switched. Although the Boston Conservatory is in fact a better school than Cleveland for the degree she is pursuing, Robin’s main motivation for the switch is so that she could be in the same city as Nancy.

“Robin…” Nancy says softly when she doesn’t reply in a timely manner. She touches her shoulder gently, causing Robin to meet her stare. “Did you change schools…because of me?”

Her blood drains from her face so quickly she has to sit down, suddenly feeling very faint. Nancy joins her immediately, keeping her tender grasp right where it is on her arm.

“Is, is that…should I not have? Is it weird? Please be honest.” She asks in a meek voice, furrowing her brows in embarrassment.

“No! No, Robin, no. It’s not weird, not at all. I…If I’m going to be honest, the only thing weird about it is that you didn’t tell me sooner. We tell each other everything, don’t we?” Her tone is warm and steady, but there is a slight pain behind her eyes. Robin feels awful for keeping this a secret for as long as she has.

“Yeah, I suppose we do, huh?” She replies weakly while staring at the table, but a horrible little voice in her head reminds her that no, she hasn’t told Nancy every secret.

She hasn’t told her how her stomach flips at the sound of Nancy’s laugh, or how her chest tightens every time they hold hands, or the fact that she is the only person who makes her feel like everything will be okay at the end of the day. Though in her defense, not telling Nancy the last one serves a dual purpose of not hurting Steve’s feelings, if he were to ever find out.

Nancy is biting her lip, worrying it between her teeth and averting her gaze when Robin looks up. “What if I told you I’ve been keeping something a secret, too?”

Her heartbeat picks up, and she tries to stomp down the feeling of hope that blossoms in her chest. There is only one secret she wishes Nancy has, but she feels foolish for even considering it.

“What is it?” She asks impatiently, voice so low it’s nearly inaudible.

Nancy’s face is pinched in contemplation, and just when she opens her mouth to speak, a water balloon hits the outside of the French doors. They jump in their seats simultaneously out of fright, both automatically reaching out to hold on to each other’s arms.

Robin shakes out an unsteady laugh, relaxing back down into her seat when her brain catches on that they’re still safe. She peers up at Nancy through her lashes, finding a burning look on the other woman’s face.

Without warning, Nancy leans in and kisses Robin on the mouth. It’s just a quick little moment, gone before she realizes it; but oh goodness gracious, the feeling she gets when she does realize it.

A warm flush spreads across her face, reaching her ears, down her neck, and even causing blotches on her chest. Curse her pale skin, she thinks, never being able to hide when she’s flustered. She’s stunned into silence, still gripping Nancy’s arms tight.

“Robin, say something?” The other woman pleads softly.

“Something,” she responds with a croak, which coaxes a snort and an eye roll out of Nancy.

“Was it, bad? Or…like, do you not like me back?” Nancy asks, her lip quivering slightly, and oh fuck! Oh fuck, this is really happening. Desperate to quell the other woman’s fears, she tugs her into an awkward embrace. Due to their seated positions, their legs knock into each other and she has to stretch in a weird way, but it’s better than nothing.

“It was perfect, Nance. You’re perfect,” she says breathlessly, carding her fingers through Nancy’s curls. Her friend hiccups wetly in her arms and Robin pulls back with concern. She’s started crying, little streams of tears running down her cheeks.

“Please don’t cry, it’s okay. We’re okay.” Robin says, cupping Nancy’s face and using her thumbs to wipe the tears away.

“I’m sorry, I’m just so scared, and I thought that like, we weren’t going to see each other ever again after the summer, so I just. I don’t know, I just felt like this was stupid, not that you’re stupid! Ugh, no. I mean like, I like you SO much, and it’s so scary, you know? I don’t know what I’m doing, and I hate not knowing what I’m doing. But then Steve told me you’re going to Boston, and that freaked me out a lot Robin, because….because it made everything feel so real all of the sudden.” Nancy is trembling in her arms, a tearful confession spilling out from her in a rapid manner that reminds Robin of herself.

She just nods appropriately, letting the other woman take her time to work through her words, feeling her own tears build up and fall from the raw emotion being displayed in front of her.

“Oh my god I’m so embarrassed right now,” Nancy laughs out wetly.

Robin shushes her in an attempt to console her friend, rubbing her arms gently in a soothing manner.

“Hey, the kids are starting to get--” Steve’s voice interrupts them as he bursts through the French doors. He halts abruptly mid sentence, looking at his two friends before him, taking in the sight of the state they’re in.

Slowly, he backs up and closes the doors behind him with a soft click, a terrified expression on his face as he leaves.

There is a beat of silence before they burst out into laughter, knocking their foreheads together and gasping for air.

“His face! Oh my god, did you see?” Nancy squeaks out, clasping a hand over her mouth.

“Yes, yes I did, shit that was good!” Robin replies with amusement.

Their laughter dies down eventually and Robin gets distracted by the sight of the photos on the table. She picks up the closest one and she smiles in delight when she realizes it’s the candid photo she took of Nancy just a little bit ago. Admiring if for a few moments, she hands it to her friend to get a look.

“Ugh, I look so silly,” she complains, forcing a sharp bark of incredulous laughter out of Robin.

“What! You look fucking incredible, Nance. Look at you,” she takes the photo back and points at it, being careful to not touch it directly. “Look at the way your hair glows from the sunlight behind you, you look like an honest to god angel. And if you know what you’re searching for here…do you see it? Your mouth is just about to break into a smile, you can just tell.” She says matter-of-factly, gazing lovingly at the picture.

Robin looks back at Nancy after putting the photo down, and the other woman is giving her a look that she’ll never forget.

“I never want to lose you. But Robin, I don’t think I can be just your friend anymore.” Nancy’s tone has grown incredibly serious. “Please Robin, please say you’ll be my girlfriend?”

“Well, I guess so, but only because you asked nicely,” she jokes, earning a light slap on her arm. “Hey! Okay, sorry, I’m just nervous.”

Robin slips Nancy’s hands into her own and looks deep into her eyes. Slowly, she leans in and places a gentle kiss on her mouth, sighing softly when the affection is reciprocated. They press their foreheads together once they break apart, and Robin can’t help the smile spreading on her face.

“Of course I’ll be your girlfriend, Nancy. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”