#again reminder that I tag for my archive not for my posts to be found in the search

[ihavethedreamies]

Birthday Surprise | Baekhyun

Byun Baekhyun - EXO

Rating: M (18+) MDNI

Word Count: ~3.5k

Pairing: Baekhyun x AFAB!Reader

Genre: Reader-Insert, Fluff, Smut, Cute, Sweet

!!This is smut…if that much isn't clear you should probably leave now!! MDNI!

Warnings: She/Her Pronouns used, Kissing, Bit of Swearing, Oral (F! Receiving), Fingering, Wall Sex, Unprotected Sex (Don't!)

Author's Note: This a story requested by/written for my friend @sadfragilegirl! I hadn't written something to post for EXO yet. It’s a little early for her actual birthday, but she didn't mind, so here is this as well~

I am cross-posting this on Archive. Please reblog! If you know anyone that would like this or future fics but they aren't on here my name and icon are exactly the same on the other site. Happy reading!

Sighing again, you found your eyes drifting to your phone again. Tapping the screen, there were still no new notifications. You understood with the time difference and his busy schedule that your boyfriend didn't always have a second to spare and reply. You didn't take it personally; it just was hard when you missed him as much as you did. The first week of a tour was always the hardest, but then it would get easier. After time passed though, the harder and harder it would get again. At least with Baekhyun's solo career, he was gone for a shorter time than with the whole group. You also never kept close track of his tours, only what he would tell you. It was too difficult to watch the fancams others would post, because they got to be there and not you. You had to work yourself though and couldn't go with him.

Another sigh left your lips and you reluctantly went back to watching the show on the TV. You didn't even remember what you had put on initially, but it had changed. Your phone dinged and you nearly gave yourself whiplash looking at it, but your shoulders slumped. Your food was there. Grumbling, you got up from the couch, shuffling in your slippers to the door. When you opened the door, there was the food you ordered and you grabbed the bag, but there was something else too. A box was set next to your food, and it looked like it might have been there before. It was white with a red ribbon and a red envelope stuck to it. Picking it up with your other hand, it wasn't very heavy, you headed back inside. You hadn't ordered anything…

Setting the bag of food down on the dining table, you plucked the envelope off the box, a bit of the paper tearing from where it was taped on. Your name was on it, but that was it, no address, yours or otherwise. Pondering what the heck it could be, you gently tore the envelope open, pulling the card out. Your eyes widened, then stung a bit as tears sprung to your eyes. You recognized the handwriting immediately.

Hello, Sweetheart, I'm sorry I haven't been able to talk with you the way we both want, or as often. It's harder for me to leave you at home whenever I do, even more than it is for you, believe it or not. Everything I saw wherever I went that reminded me of you, I bought. I know your birthday is tomorrow, but you'll have to wait for the presents when you see me. I did prepare a surprise though. There is a dress in the box, please wear it and a driver will come to pick you up tomorrow night at 7 pm. I miss you, and happy early birthday. ~Love, Baekhyun

You sniffed, trying to hold the tears back, feeling foolish. Why did you want to cry so hard? You wondered though what the heck he had planned. Did he set up a party or something for you so you wouldn't notice his absence as much? Finally going to the box that came with the card, you opened it and removed the tissue paper inside to see the dress. A huff of surprise left your mouth, that did not look cheap. Flipping the tag over to see the brand, you were then for sure. It was a beautiful, light blue, bouffant-style dress, the fabric had a dull sparkle throughout and was made from a smooth silk. Of course it was just your size.

"Oh, Baek…" You sniffed again, holding the dress up to yourself, wondering what shoes you were going to wear.

"Are you (Y/N)?" The sharply dressed man standing by a very nice black car asked you. You nodded, and he opened the door for you. You smoothed your dress down when you got in, adjusting it as you sat to keep it looking nice. It hit you right at the knees and you paired it with a simple set of gold kitten-heels. You had curled and put your hair up and added some gold jewelry to finish off the look. The driver got back in the car and began to head in the direction of the fancy part of town. You fiddled with the strap of your bag, watching the buildings and lights pass. Maybe ten minutes later, the car pulled into the entrance of an extremely fancy hotel. You had guessed it was a party, but maybe it would be a meal in the restaurant?

"Have a Happy Birthday, Miss (Y/N)." The driver smiled, opening the door for you and you shyly thanked him, once again adjusting your dress as you entered the lobby.

"Are you Miss (Y/N)?" one of the hoteliers asked as the automatic doors slid closed behind you.

"Yes."

"Please, follow me." She smiled, motioning for you to do so, leading you to the elevators. You got in and she pulled a card out of the pocket of her vest, sliding it into the reader of the elevator, then pressed the button for the roof.

"Have a Happy Birthday, Miss (Y/N)." She smiled once again, and the elevator doors closed, heading straight up. You were feeling a bit overwhelmed with the glitz and glam of the night already. You knew that your boyfriend was an international celebrity and had been for years, granting him plenty of clout and capital, but this…

The elevator doors opened, a polished hallway leading to a set of glass doors, and presumable, the rooftop venue. You couldn't see anything pass the doors, not even lights, just those in the distance of nearby buildings. Tilting your head a bit in confusion, you walked forward, heels clicking on the floor. When you got to the door, you for some reason felt your heart surge. Resting your hand on the handle, you took a deep breath and opened the door, stepping out into the night breeze.

"Surprise!" You startled, only somewhat unprepared. The lights had come on, the pop of confetti poppers and loud cheering welcomed you. It was hard to hide your smile, seeing all of your and Baekhyun's friends.

"(Y/N)!" An extremely loud voice heralded the action before you registered it, then found yourself engulfed by a Chanyeol. You let out an 'oof' as he hugged you, you rocked back on your feet from the force of his hug.

"Let her go!" Kyungsoo huffed, hitting the other one on the back, who recoiled in an overdramatic fashion. You shot the smaller man a grateful look, but then they both looked behind them. You couldn't see over them, but when they moved-

"Baekhyun!" You beamed, tears once again hitting your eyes and he caught you when you dashed forward.

"Hi, sweetheart." He hugged you close and you heard various voices coo at the reunion, "Happy Birthday." He kissed your forehead when you finally pulled away, then scoffed.

"Hey, you'll ruin your mascara." He swiped his thumb over your cheek and you sniffed.

"I…I knew you had probably planned a party or something, but I didn't know you would be here too!" Your smile brought out his own and you hugged him again as he chuckled.

"Ah, what?!" He shouted suddenly and if you hadn't known him for as long as you did, the volume would have startled you. He turned to look behind him aggressively only to have Minseok whisper something in his ear after hitting him to get his attention.

"Oh, right." He calmed down and Baekhyun pulled away from you some.

"I did not time everything right, so we're going to eat now, then do the rest." Your boyfriend smiled, leading you over to the table set up in front of all the others.

"The rest?" you asked, sitting down in the seat he pulled out for you. He joined you and everyone else was sitting at their own respective tables. He pointed to the side at a table piled with gifts and you gaped.

"You guys!" You spoke loud enough, lacing fake annoyance in your tone and your guests laughed.

"Kyungsoo picked out the menu." Baekhyun told you, servers coming out with the food. It was all of your favorites and tasted amazing. When everyone was done with the meal and plates were cleared, another group of servers came out with a beautiful two-tier cake. The rested it gentle on the table in front of you and lit the candles before excusing themselves with a bow.

"Make a wish, sweetheart." Baekhyun wrapped his arm around your shoulder, kissing the crown of your head and you pressed your hands together, eyes closed. Let it be that I can stay happy with him, forever. You blew out the candles and everyone clapped and cheered and then the real part of the party began. Another set of chairs were at the gift table, so you moved over.

"Half of these are from you!" You sent a look to your boyfriend who chuckled a bit.

"So? Just start!" He brushed it off and you started. You got a lot of things like skincare, makeup, and other such toiletries. There were some stuffed animals, a few sets of earrings, a few nice perfumes and a tennis bracelet. Like you said, half of it literally was from him, several different countries were the origin of many. One of the boxes you opened, you slammed closed immediately, face heating. You sent him a side-glare and he seemed to realize what you had opened.

"Oh, uh, you can do that one later." He grabbed it from you, setting it on the pile and hoping no one noticed that it was purposefully hidden.

"It works with a phone app, from anywhere…" He whispered in your ear and you wanted to interrogate him further but decided to do it later. After the presents were opened and the cake cut, you finally got to eat it. Trying not to make a mess with the frosting, you enjoyed the champagne that was brought out as well. People were already dancing in the large open area in the middle of the rooftop venue, and when another nice, slow song started, Baekhyun grabbed your hand.

"I thought it would be weird if we danced to one of my songs." He whispered to you as he brought you to the dance floor. It was the second slow song, but you understood why he did that. While he literally danced for a living, you were not nearly as graceful nor practiced as him. You set your hand in his, the other on his shoulder, his other hand resting on your waist.

"Just, follow the rhythm." He coached as you danced, several of your other friends dancing with their significant others. You smiled as you passed Jongdae with his wife, somewhat envying what they had. That was something to think about later though.

"I think you got something on your-" Baekhyun brought your attention back to him and he smirked before quickly kissing the corner of your mouth and you scoffed.

"Geez." You couldn't help but smile, resting your head on his shoulder as you swayed. When the song faded to a close, you reluctantly pulled away from him, but his hand stayed linked with yours.

"Yeol!" He shouted, catching his friend's attention. He flashed an 'ok' gesture and Chanyeol sent a thumbs up back and you frowned a bit. What were they planning?

"Come with me." He looked like a kid in a candy store, a wide grin spread over his pretty face and you followed after him as he led you inside. Chanyeol had started something on the little stage set up for the band, everyone's attention focused there.

"I was going to wait till after, but I can't." Baekhyun told you, pulling you with him through the only door of the rooftop shelter other than the one outside or the elevator. It was a small staging room it seemed, there was mostly just extra tables and chairs. When you turned toward him to ask him what he was talking about, his lips captured yours, and your words slipped into a whine. Your back hit the wall by the door, hands flying up to his shoulders and up the nape of his neck into his hair. One of his arms wrapped around you, hand on the small of your back, the other on the wall to steady you both. You were glad you chose a lip stain rather than lipstick since none of it transferred over to him. You sighed and his tongue slipped into your mouth, his leg coming between yours, pressing his thigh against your covered mound. You moaned, letting him pull back from the kiss reluctantly. His lips kissed the corner of your mouth again, then down to your jaw, and further to your shoulder. The off-shoulder sleeves left plenty of skin open, so he took the chance and sank his teeth in slightly. You tried to hold back your moan, not sure how soundproof the room was, grinding down on his thigh between yours. It had been way to long, and the little points of contact through the night were not nearly enough.

"How am I going to get out of here?" You scolded lightly as he moved across your collarbone, having most likely already left three or four marks.

"You can use my coat." He offered quickly, barely pulling his lips off your skin to speak, also removing said item. Baekhyun rolled his sleeves up, lips finding yours again. When his task was done, you giggled as he lightly smoothed his hand up your thigh. His finger hooked over the hem of your panties, snapping the elastic. You squeaked slightly when he pressed into you, pinning you into the wall further, teeth nibbling your ear lobe, licking over the golden hoops you had in.

"You're already wet?" He gave a huff of smugness and you just hummed, exhaling in bliss when his fingers ran through your soaked folds.

"Baek-!" You were going to try and rationalize your state, but it was a moot point because your breath left when he sank his finger inside you. You were tighter than usual, not even having been able to get off yourself, you needed Baekhyun. The remote vibrator he bought you made more sense then. By the time he added his second finger, spreading them to get you ready, there were probably three more marks on your upper chest. Your little mewls were obviously getting to him, but the night was for you, not him. He stopped his fingers and you wanted to protest, but he was sinking to his knees.

"Oh." You whispered, letting him gently pull your panties down and over your feet, tucking them in his back pocket. You would have scolded him, but all words left as he buried his tongue inside your wanting pussy.

"Baek!" You shuddered, slumping further into the wall, hands on his shoulders to stabilize yourself. He tried not to laugh at your squeal as he hiked one of your thighs up and onto his shoulder to get you open more for him. His tongue left your core, flicking at your clit, two fingers finding home inside you again. Your walls fluttered around the digits and he could tell you were close. With one more crook of his fingers, and kiss to your clit, you came and he helped you ride it, eagerly lapping at your essence flowing down his hand. By the time the waves of your orgasm faded, you were shaking and he smirked, standing while licking off his fingers. You noticed his hardened cock straining against his dress pants, fingers finding the zipper.

"Wait-"

"Can't. Do it better later." You insisted and he wasn't going to argue. Just as soon as you freed him, the head of his cock was at your entrance and he pushed in. Your gummy walls pulsed around him; the stretch stung from you going to so long without him. The same leg he had over his shoulder he held up over his elbow and you were so glad you were flexible. His thrusts were shallow and hard, trying to get to the crest for both of you fast so he could get you back to the hotel room and fuck you properly.

"Shit, Baekhyun." Your breath came out in pants, trying to stay quiet, but it was hard. Your peak was getting close again, your tight core around his cock felt like heaven, so he was close too.

"Come on, sweetheart. Cum for me." His sweet voice in your ear was all it took and he had to still as you came. He let go as well, the squeeze too good. Catching your breath, you startled when someone knocked on the door hard. Baekhyun must have taken it as a signal for something, because he got himself fixed up and let you have his suit jacket to cover your shoulders. In the low light he could see the rising deep red and purple welts, a few with light teeth marks.

"Okay, lets go."

"What-?"

"Yeol got everyone distracted, so now you don't feel good, so we're leaving!" He grinned like a goof and you scoffed, shuffling after him to the elevator. Chanyeol seemed to be guarding the door, back to you, and you giggled as the lift doors closed. Your boyfriend looked at you, his hair a bit messy and you both laughed. He still had your panties in his pocket… When the elevator got to the floor for the room he booked, you slipped out, slinking past a group of what looked like college guys walking down the hall. You held his jacket over you tighter, following Baekhyun as he led you. When he had gotten you into the hotel suite, your giggles turned into a full laugh, and he couldn’t help but join.

"Come on, sweetheart. The bed is all ready…"

After unwrapping you like you were a present, he sat behind you on the bed, leading you to rest your back to his chest.

"What are we doing?" You asked, letting his hands on your hips guide you. He sat on his knees, having you straddle his lap and he sank lower as you settled on him, cock filling you back up. Sighing at the feeling of him inside you again, he kissed over your shoulders again, sucking another mark at the base of your ear. Resting your head on his shoulder, his hands guided you to grind down onto him, the angle had the head of his cock right in the best spot, rubbing and pressing you into a tizzy. You wondered why it felt so much more intense than normal, more intimate.

"You looked so beautiful tonight. I knew the dress was perfect." His voice, low and soft in your ear seemed to vibrate over you and your hips stuttered through the rhythm you both had set. Baekhyun leaned back a bit more, you followed since you were resting on him, and the shift let him slide in even deeper and you gasped at the rapidly rising pleasure.

"I loved hearing you laugh in person, being able to hold you." One of his hands slid up over your stomach, cupping your breast.

"Feel your soft skin, kiss you, taste you…" You whimpered, his hips shifting to meet yours, thrusting up to meet your rolling hips.

"Wanna see you…" You whined and he hummed, smirking.

"Okay, sweetheart." While you were not pleased that he pulled out, you were quickly filled back up when your back hit the bed. His hands wrapped around yours when they went to cup his jaw, mouth meeting yours again. Linking your fingers, he pinned your hands up by your head with his, pulling back just enough so your lips still brush slightly. You wrapped your legs tighter around his waist, and he snapped his hips hard, picking the pace up immediately. You couldn't hold back your moans, writhing in pleasure under him, the bed frame groaning from the force. You wanted to touch him too, but his hands on yours prevented it. He smirked against your lips, switching to using his one hand to hold both your wrists in place. The free hand gripped your thigh, shifting your leg up higher so he could get even deeper inside of you. It was hard for you to get out anything intelligible other than his name and your orgasm was rising faster than you anticipated.

"God, you're so beautiful. I love you so much, (Y/N)." His pace was stuttering, the vice of your core sending him closer to the edge as well.

"Love you too~" You managed to get out and your voice crested into a high moan as you fell over the edge. He groaned himself, spilling inside, filling you with warmth and swallowing your noises with a sealing kiss.

"Happy Birthday, sweetheart." Baekhyun smiled warmly and you giggled tiredly.

"You really didn't have to do so much…" You pouted playfully and he hummed, shaking his head.

"I did. I love you, and whenever I'm gone for so long, so far away, you're all I think about. I honestly wish I would have done more.”

Master-Master List

[she-posts-nerdy-stuff]

Rewatching Shadow and Bone so here are some of my favourite little details that I haven’t seen loads of people talk about (this is almost definitely just part 1 so stay tuned)

The bird cage in Heleen’s office

The masks on stalls in the Ketterdam streets, including Komedie Brute masks, what look like the Jackal masks, and what I believe might have been a sun summoner mask

The song that Ravkan soldiers in Mal’s unit sing whilst they march in s1e4 is the Kerch drinking song Nina sings for Inej on the boat in Six of Crows

Matthias’ hesitation before saying “I feel nothing for you” and Nina replying “then I guess that makes you good at your job” is SO reflective of Matthias’ realisation that Brum didn’t have to drown the good parts of himself to do terrible things the way Matthias always did; Matthias had grown to admire Brum for what he believed was the ability to silence the good in himself in order to do what “must be done” because he found that so difficult to do, and acknowledging that Brum didn’t find those things difficult the way he did was one of the most important moments of being able to separate himself from the Drüskelle beliefs and begin to understand that what he went through was actually abuse and what’s implied to be at least similar to Stockholm Syndrome (I’ve written at length about this and if I get going I’ll never stop, so if anyone wants to know more lemme know and I’ll tag you in my post about it)

“Pomdrakon Players”, the group the Crows join to infiltrate the Little Palace, references Ravkan desert “Pomdrakon” where you soak raisins in brandy then set them on fire and try to grab them in the dark that Nina tells Matthias about on the ice

This isn’t an observation I just thought you’d all like to know that when I was watching the map room scene in episode 4 every time Alina said ‘Aleksander’ I repeated her in a stupid voice, which was really unfair to Alina because she doesn’t know but it was a genuine reaction and I stand by it because screw the Darkling

The comment that the Fjerdans don’t mark ash tress because they’re scared, I love that. I wonder if they pray when they mark trees, like they do when they cut them down? I personally got the impression that all trees were precious but ash trees were sacred when I read the book

The valve to turn out the lights in the Royal Archives Heist because all the lighting is gas powered!! Like I know this probably was just a thing we knew without really thinking about but it’s also really cool in that it reminds us about the class difference between the Crows and the others since, at least in the books, gas lighting isn’t as common to the Barrel as candles and bone lights are but is implied to be more common among the Merchants

Also not an observation but “you’re the quarter master, aren’t you?” “Yep” *wallop* will never not be hilarious and iconic

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the costume department for this show were goddamn miracle performers thank you for your service. I’ve banged on about the symbolism in the costumes before so I won’t now, but I have really only talked about s2 so I guess if you want more I could talk about s1

“No guns” *walking past Jesper* “no knives” *walking past Inej* “no weapons of any kind” *wait where’s Kaz* will always be fabulous

I genuinely have no idea how they did the Tailoring on Alina’s hair when Genya first does it for her but it is incredible like I don’t know exactly what changed but it just… I don’t know, it’s amazing

[thefrogdalorian]

The Best of Both Worlds - Chapter Seven

Din Djarin x Female Reader Modern!AU

❁ Series Masterlist ❁ My Masterlist ❁ Read on AO3 ❁

Word Count:  9456 Rating: General Summary: Despite feeling certain that you'll never see the ridiculously handsome man you gave a tour of the museum to, a special delivery is about to change everything... Content Warnings: Brief description of anxiety, reader feels a bit anxious in a crowded area. Author's Note: Big thanks once again to my amazing beta @suresnips!! I appreciate your feedback so much 💕  The slow burn is certainly slow burning. When I started posting this I was wondering whether I should tag it as slowburn which is ridiculous because 54k words in and they're still like THIS AUGHBSGJD just KISS you idiots! Anyway, really hope you enjoyed this one. I had a blast writing it. This is the last chapter I'd edited while writing, so updates might slow down a bit to once (but hopefully twice) per week now. Thanks for reading, I'd love to know if you're enjoying it so far!!

6. You're The Sunflower [Reader's POV]

You were under no illusions that the odds of seeing Din again were slim to none, but no matter how hard you tried, you had not been able to stop thinking about him. Ever since you had given him a tour of the museum on Friday night, you had been unable to shake the memory of how incredible you had felt in his presence. Of course, you were instantly attracted to him and felt the spark when the two of you shook hands. Plus, there was that look on his face when he referred to the beauty of the exhibits as he gazed at you. You had been unable to get the way his eyes had softened as he looked at you from your mind, no matter how hard you tried.

Work brought you no relief. Everywhere you went, you were reminded of him. Any time you had to leave your office work behind to face the public, you were barely able to focus on giving the various groups that you had been entrusted with a proper tour. You kept looking out for the patient brown eyes and dark curls that had left an imprint on your mind after such a short amount of time. Several times your heart leapt when you thought you saw a man with just the right physique and height, with similar brown curls. But then his head would turn and your hopes would be dashed. Unfortunately, there were so many visitors to the museum each day that these moments were all too frequent, delivering a crushing blow each time. 

It was ridiculous, pining over Din and looking out for him like this. You were under no illusions to the fact that you would never see him again. The time you had spent together that evening as you gave him a tour of the museum was lovely. In another life, perhaps the two of you would have been able to explore the genuine connection. But in this life: this was it. Your paths were never going to cross again. It was utterly ridiculous to think otherwise, no matter how much you ached to see him again. You just had a little crush on an attractive older guy. You would forget about him before too long.

Fortunately, today you had no tours scheduled. You were tasked with cataloguing some of the museum’s extensive archival collection. Specifically, seventh-century Chinese pottery. Although sometimes you found such work dull, you appreciated that everything had an order to it and a system to be filed under. Once it was completed, it would be incredibly satisfying. So you had thrown yourself into such work, partly borne out of a desire to see it completed but mostly, if you were honest, to distract yourself from the kind brown eyes of a man you would never see again.

The task was going well and you were making storming progress, especially considering that it was only mid-morning. That was until the familiar presence of your manager, Julie, entered the office and disturbed your peace. The sound of a heavy object being placed on the desk with a thud, caused you to look up.

It was perhaps the biggest bunch of flowers you had ever seen, in an ornate vase with stunning patterns running the length of the glass. You could tell, just by looking at it, that it was a luxurious bouquet that had presumably set back whoever bought it several hundred pounds. Your heart skipped a beat. There was no way these could be for you.

When your racing mind finally focused on the flowers, your jaw dropped as you realised exactly what they were. With their tall, green stems and bright yellow petals, they were unmistakably sunflowers. 

As you sat there, aghast at the beautiful bouquet before you, Julie finally offered an explanation: “These came in from a flower shop this morning. The delivery guy said your name. I have no idea who they’re from and trust me, I had quite a battle to get them through security. Luckily a guy called Mo vouched for you. Maybe the card makes sense to you.” Julie said, winking at you as she walked away, leaving you sitting there at your desk, mouth hanging open.

Surely it couldn’t be… from him?

You noticed the little golden card nestled in amongst the sunflowers, with trembling hands you brought it towards your face so that you could see who the flowers were from. On it, the neat black handwriting read:

Let’s show the kid a real rhino. Meet me at the gates of London Zoo.

Saturday, 11:30 am.

– D 

When you saw the single letter at the bottom of the card, you almost fell backwards off your chair onto the hard wooden floor below. It was from him. You felt your skin warming furiously as you read the message. Then, you read it again to make sure that you weren't dreaming. This surely had to be a joke, right?! An elaborate scheme to poke fun at you. 

But that was ridiculous, apart from Ria, who was in a different country, and Mo, who had no idea of your affection for Din, no one had any idea that the two of you had interacted. Plus, given the evident expense of such flowers, it was unlikely someone would squander such an enormous sum on playing a prank. So with all possibilities of a prank ruled out… you finally allowed yourself to believe that this was real. That Din wanted to see you again as much as you wanted to see him. He had felt the spark too and now the two of you would meet again in just a few days. 

You were in complete and utter disbelief that this was real. That there was a possibility that Din felt the same way about you. That, he too, held that same curiosity towards you; that pull that made you want to get to know him better. How, though, could someone like him possibly feel this way about someone like… you?

Julie inched back into the room, clearly having kept her distance from you to allow you to process the flowers and the note. You suddenly panicked and wondered whether she had read the note, and was coming back here to reprimand you for using your job to potentially start a relationship with a visitor. You reasoned that even if she had read the note, Din had left it deliberately vague with just his initial. She would never guess it was the man you had shown around this very museum only a few days previously. 

“I won’t pry,” Julie said with a smile on her face. “But whoever sent those must really care about you.”

You let out a deep sigh of relief. Julie’s demeanour proved that she was anything but mad at you. Fortunately, you and Julie had always gotten along. Unlike some of the other managers at the museum who would have hit the roof if one of their employees had been delivered such a bouquet in the middle of the day, she had been nothing kind to you. She was a couple of decades older than you and she reminded you of a family friend from your childhood. You had leant on her for advice when you had first moved to the big city.

“I think so.” You squeaked, feeling your skin burning up in embarrassment.

“Well, I’m happy for you,” Julie said, placing a comforting hand on your shoulder. “I wish nothing but the best for you. If you want to take your lunch slightly earlier and head off now, you’re welcome to.”

“Thanks, Julie.” You said appreciatively.

Budget cuts and constraints meant that sometimes the museum was understaffed and you were overworked, but Julie was always firm yet fair on the staff. She was great at getting the best out of her employees, she knew who needed to be micromanaged and who could work just as productively while being left to their own devices. You fell firmly in the second category, much preferring to be left to your own thing. And now, Julie could sense that the arrival of a large bouquet and card would send your productivity levels plunging unless you got to take yourself off and have some time to process it.

Your phone was in your hand before you had even left the museum, you were rapidly firing off texts to Ria. It would be early morning for her, but you knew she should be awake for classes and you hoped she was there to help cease the trembling in your body that had overcome you since the arrival of the flowers on your desk.

[ilovemando] 11:37: RIAAAAA!!!!! remember din, the hot guy i showed around the museum with his son?? He fucking sent a bouquet of SUNFLOWERS to my work and said to meet him on saturday at the gates of the zoo i told him about and recommended him to visit with his kid???

[thisistheslay] 11:40: OMG WHAT!?!? FLOWERS TO YOUR DESK!!! THIS SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING FROM A FANFIC I CAN’T BREATHE????

[ilovemando] 11:42 I KNOW. i was sure it was just my colleague pranking me but no, my manager confirmed it was hand-delivered by a flower shop this morning. and not any flower shop either, this one is like insanely london fancy. i’m just a peasant. i can’t believe this….. this kind of thing doesn’t happen to me!!

[thisistheslay] 11:45: Well, looks like it is happening to you, bestie. I’m so happy for you. What were the flowers like?

[ilovemando] 11:47: he got me sunflowers :’) after i told him van gogh was my favourite painter and i loved that piece. i can’t fucking breathe, honestly. my manager let me get lunch early and i have no idea how i’m going to eat let alone FUNCTION until saturday omg help me

[ilovemando] 11:50: but the thing is idk if it’s a date bc his kid is coming??? ahhhhh i dont wanna assume too much, maybe he just wants to be friends

You placed your phone back in your pocket as you found a place to sit in the park. Since the amount of money you had splurged on Mando merch at ForceCon, you had been forcing yourself to bring packed lunches to work in a bid to save money. It had mostly worked and you found that as the weather was improving, there was no greater delight than sitting outside in the park next to the museum and enjoying your lunch as you watched the world go by.

Once you had found an available bench, conveniently located underneath the tall trees that lined the edge of the park which partially protected you from the sun that was beating down as midday approached, you took your phone out and were relieved to see Ria had immediately texted you back. Your head had been swimming with possibilities over whether Din also viewed this as a date and you were eager to get a rational, outsider’s perspective. 

[thisistheslay] 11:53: I mean, if a guy was sending a fancy bouquet of sunflowers to MY desk, I would absolutely take that romantically. Maybe he just can’t leave his kid with someone and that’s why he’s coming, I wouldn’t take that as a bad thing necessarily.

You read Ria’s message and felt your stomach flutter with butterflies once again as she reminded you of what had just happened. Din had sent you flowers. At your desk. Not just any flowers, either. Flowers that were in a piece of art you adored, that your favourite painter had created. Din had remembered that little detail about you, despite you only mentioning it in passing. 

You shook your head and placed your phone in your pocket. You’d reply to Ria later. For now, you needed to eat your lunch and collect your thoughts so you could regain your composure and make progress on the task that you needed to complete at work that afternoon. 

When you returned to work after your lunch break, however, you found that it was a struggle to focus on carrying out important archival research when an insanely hot older guy that you had an enormous crush on had indicated that he wanted to see you again. Not only did he want to see you again, but he had enlisted a fancy London florist to deliver your favourite flowers, a detail that he had remembered from a brief comment, no less. It was probably the most romantic thing anyone had done for you, which was not exactly difficult. There had been a sad lack of romance in your life over recent years, aside from the Mando fanfics you had consumed each night before bed. Traditional books had fallen somewhat by the wayside when you were at University, but you found that you still had a voracious appetite for reading. Especially when it came to consuming stories where you were the object of Mando’s affections.

Work kept you so busy that you found yourself quite content to be single as it meant that your downtime was yours and yours alone. Plus, adjusting to living in a new city – especially a city as massive as London – had already been difficult enough, without introducing romance into that. Yet it appeared that when you had least been looking for it, a potential love story had fallen right into your lap. It was quite remarkable timing.

Your state of mind did not improve over the next few days. It was a struggle to maintain your composure for the rest of the week and focus on your tasks. Luckily, you had been moved to have a less public-facing role as you stayed behind the scenes in the offices, working on the extensive archives. Luckily, Julie had known exactly how to deal with the situation and had understood, perhaps even before you, that you were in no position to face visitors when your thoughts lay firmly elsewhere. 

Mercifully, with the help of some colleagues and a little bit of overtime, you completed the project on Friday afternoon, as planned. The relief and sense of achievement were immense, it had been no small undertaking to catalogue seventh-century Chinese pottery pretty much all on your own. You practically galloped out of work, excited for the weekend that lay ahead and in particular, to see Din again.

Despite your eagerness to leave work, you still took your time heading home, stopping for noodles at your favourite noodle shop on the way. You timed it just right so that you missed the main rush of commuters who were leaving London to return home and everyone else who was coming into London for a night out. You had had your fun in clubs and bars in the past, but you always felt ancient watching people heading for their nights out in skimpy clothes. There were a few of them, swigging from cans on the platform and laughing and chattering so loudly that you turned your headphones up to their maximum volume.

You did not begrudge them having a good time, but to you, it all just looked so uncomfortable. Rather than wearing uncomfortable clothing and cramming into overpriced bars to listen to awful music, you wanted to go home and sloth out on the couch in front of an episode of Mando. Although you had barely finished your last rewatch, you had just started another one. Despite how occupied your mind had been recently, it felt wrong somehow to not have a Mandalorian rewatch ongoing.

Lounging around on the couch in front of The Mandalorian was precisely how you spent your Friday night. With your comfortable pyjamas and facemask on, you felt somewhat relaxed, despite the churning that would commence in your stomach every time you thought about the prospect of seeing Din again tomorrow.

Although you were excited, you were also incredibly nervous. You wanted to make a good impression and hoped that the chemistry that had been there during the tour carried over to your day out at the zoo. But there were so many things to consider, questions to ask yourself about the whole situation. You found yourself dwelling on whether he viewed this as a date. You knew that you certainly wanted it to be one and sending such an extravagent bouquet probably indicated that there was at least some romantic intention there. But perhaps Din viewed going to the zoo to show Grogu a rhino as a purely platonic outing. You remained unsure of how to take it.

In addition, you were agonising over what to wear. You had triple, no quadruple checked your outfit for the zoo day out with Din. You fretted over how to style your hair, sending several shots to the groupchat to ask for their advice. As much as the groupchat had been helpful, you wished they had been physically present. There was just something about having people close that you couldn’t replicate online. Facetime and voice chats were helpful but you wished you had Ria by your side on the couch, giggling over the stupid goo facemasks you were slapping on your faces as you watched another episode of Mando. But Ria, and the rest of your friends, were thousands of miles away. You were all alone. Well, except for Mando, of course.

After finishing a steaming cup of your favourite herbal tea, you eventually turned in before midnight as you wanted to get up early to give yourself plenty of time. You were probably going to end up being at the zoo ridiculously early, but under no circumstances did you want to leave Din hanging, especially considering that you did not have his number. All you had was a time and a place to be. You were going to be there.

Despite how exhausting your week had been, sleep did not come easily. You tossed and turned, thinking about what tomorrow would bring. It was quite a turnaround of events, to go from believing that you would never see someone again to being only hours from facing them again. Nerves and excitement bubbled away in your stomach as you lay there, picturing the kind brown eyes and that crooked smile that you knew you were only hours away from seeing again…

The familiar tones of The Mandalorian’s theme song roused you from sleep at eight the following morning. You were a bundle of nerves and excitement, feeling as though your skin was tingling all over. As you lay there and slowly blinked your tired eyes open, you found yourself grinning from ear to ear as you remembered that you were awake so early on the weekend because the man whom you were incredibly attracted to wanted to see you again.

You knew there had been an undeniable spark between you and Din that evening at the museum. But you had doubted yourself and eventually convinced yourself that you were being delusional. How could he ever be interested in you? Din was just a polite, kind man, nothing more. How wrong you had been. Now, you were getting yourself ready to see him again.

Well, getting ready was yet to happen. First, you had to watch an episode of Mando as you ate your breakfast. It was a crutch you leaned on during times of great stress. If there was a big life event taking place, chances were that you had watched an episode of The Mandalorian at some point in the build-up to it. People leaned on all kinds of things, it just happened that yours was a sci-fi show that brought you an immense amount of joy. You might have been a little embarrassed about relying on it so heavily but, ultimately, you weren’t hurting anyone else with your hobby. You were proud that Mando had helped you through so much.

With your episode and breakfast finished, it was time to get ready. You had already agonised over the outfit for hours last night. However, in the early morning light, you doubted whether you looked good enough. You wanted to be comfortable considering how much walking you were sure to do, while also making an effort to impress Din. You ended up swapping out the skirt you had planned to wear for a pair of black and white striped cotton pants that were wide-legged enough to be cool in the summer. As you left your flat and headed to the station to make your way into London, you were glad for your last-minute outfit change. The thought of getting onto a busy transport network with all the grime and dirt of fellow passengers while wearing a skirt felt disgusting, somehow.

It was Saturday morning on the tube and mercifully, it wasn’t too busy. You were well accustomed to most routes by now and could use the tube with your eyes closed, if necessary. Today, however, you were so nervous that you felt yourself second-guessing your every move. Doubting whether you were heading in the right direction or on the right line and whether your tube would arrive at the zoo in time.

Fortunately, you remembered to bring your headphones, so you at least had the Mando soundtrack to keep you company. For a few minutes on the tube, you weren’t on an underground system hurtling underneath the streets of London at all. No, you were on a hyperloop pod on Coruscant, zooming along with Mando like you had seen him do several times in the show in pursuit of his most recent bounty. 

As strange as it probably sounded to anyone who did not love the show as much as you did, when you listened to the music you felt as though some of Mando’s certainty in himself and the confident way he carried himself was somehow being transferred to you. You loved Mando for many reasons, but one of them was how much you looked up to him and admired him as a person. He had many characteristics that you only wished you could possess yourself. You truly felt as though he was someone you aspired to be, even if he was fictional. 

You were so caught up in your fantasies, that you almost missed your stop. But fortunately, you realised in time and scrambled for the door. You glanced down at your watch and realised that you were pretty early, it was not even eleven yet. So, you decided to grab a coffee just outside the tube station so you wouldn’t be standing there at the zoo, looking like a little lost puppy. Plus, weren’t you meant to be fashionably late to dates? Or whatever this was? Wasn’t that a thing people did? 

The coffee shop you selected was a bit pretentious and hipster for your taste. You had no desire to order an oat milk two pump caramel chai latte macchiato or whatever it was that people who used a lot of beard cream ordered. So you just settled on a regular cappuccino, which came with a slightly judgmental look from the barista. With your order in hand, you settled down on a comfortable seat by the window in the corner of the shop and took out your phone, firing off a message to Ria.

[ilovemando] 10:49 - ik ur probably asleep now but i’m about to go to the date with din and im so nervous aaah. he’s so hot and i feel like im going to make a massive idiot out of myself. currently drowning myself in coffee. not sure it’ll help my nerves. text me when you wake up!!

Of course, Ria didn’t respond straight away. It was not even six for her and you gathered she was asleep like any normal human would be on a Saturday. With no internet friend to calm your nerves, you instead decided to pass the time by watching the people of London pass by your window. Usually, on a Saturday morning like this, you would be nowhere near the centre of the city, preferring to keep to your quieter neighbourhood. It was a treat to sit and watch people going about their business, young and old, families and alone. You felt as though you were seeing a real slice of life outside that window.

You liked being a wallflower, a quiet observer. You used to spend more time out and about before the pandemic but after everything had locked down you realised you didn’t like people that much, as harsh as that may sound. No, since those times you much preferred to spend your time inside, watching Mando or talking to your friends. So it was strange to be out on a Saturday morning in this part of the city, watching the world go by. The longer you sat there, you found that you didn’t hate it as much as you thought you would. It was a nice change of scenery. 

After a few minutes and drinking half of your cappuccino, you turned your attention inside the coffee shop. You noticed that there were plenty of couples here in this coffee shop, staring at each other affectionately from across the table, their hands clasped around their steaming mugs. It made your heart soar a little in hope, wondering whether those looks and these lazy mornings lay in your future with Din. Maybe you should do this more often. Maybe you and Din could come for a coffee here sometime.

Din, you thought with a start.

Thinking of him made you realise that you had completely lost track of time. It was now twenty past eleven and the Zoo was around a fifteen-minute walk away. You cursed yourself under your breath, you were always prone to daydreaming and could get so easily distracted sometimes, lost inside your own head. You had intended to be on time, maybe even early, to avoid giving any kind of impression that you weren’t eager to see Din again. Yet, now, to ensure that you would have to arrive there a sweaty mess, you would have to speed-walk to the zoo. 

Fortunately, you still had your headphones on and you switched to an upbeat playlist, soon falling into step with the fast guitar and drumbeat as you headed to the zoo. The streets were beginning to get busier now and your earlier musings about enjoying being in the city for a change were long forgotten, replaced by a general disdain for the human race. But then you remembered where you were going and who you were meeting. You couldn't help but feel a smile creep across your face. A smile that only got wider when you approached the zoo gates and you saw a familiar figure standing there, waiting for you.

You felt yourself instantly lighten as you noticed him. A stupid, insecure part of your brain had worried that you had somehow misinterpreted things and he wasn’t going to be there. But sure enough, Din was standing right outside the gates with Grogu nestled in his arms. They were facing away from you but it allowed you to appreciate how broad Din’s shoulders looked from the back as you approached him. You were equally delighted to see the sweet little boy again as you were to see his father. After all, if Grogu had not been so drawn to Dürer’s rhino, perhaps the three of you would not be here together now.

As you approached him, you appraised Din’s outfit. He was dressed in a grey knitted cardigan with a dark turtleneck underneath it and a similar pair of dark brown trousers to those he had worn at the museum. You noticed Din was wearing his trusty brown boots once again. You thought he was a bit overdressed considering it was almost July, but British summer was typically not the warmest, so perhaps he had got it just right. Grogu was wearing a light green, short-sleeved t-shirt and a pair of brown trousers. His curly hair was sticking up at all ends and you thought he looked thoroughly adorable. 

You were only a few feet away from Din now, but he still hadn’t spotted you. You weren’t quite sure how to play it – should you tap him on the shoulder? But you decided against that, you didn’t want to startle him with Grogu in his arms.

“Hi, Din,” you said quietly. Din turned around abruptly to face you as if your presence had startled him.

“You came!” Din said, his face suddenly lighting up, eyes crinkling in joy. The wrinkles beside his eyes were suddenly visible, a visual reminder that he was slightly older than you. But the reminder of his age did not make him look any less attractive. Din looked distinguished and handsome.

“Of course I came! Thank you for the flowers and suggestion to meet here. I loved them, it was very thoughtful of you to remember that I mentioned loving Van Gogh’s sunflowers,” you replied, voice shaking slightly with nerves.

“I’m glad you liked the flowers and didn’t find it, uh, creepy,” Din said nervously, placing his hand on the back of his neck again like he had done the first time you had met him in the museum. It was an adorable, bashful, mannerism that you adored.

“Of course not,” you smiled. “It was incredibly thoughtful of you. I’m so happy that you found a way to stay in touch.”

“Me too,” Din whispered, his eyes shimmering with an emotion that you could not quite place. Then he shook his head slightly and remembered the child that he was holding in his arms. “I hope you don’t mind me bringing Grogu along. But, like I said, wherever I go… he goes. And I believe you originally suggested the zoo because of his love for animals, so it wouldn’t have felt right to come here without him.”

“Of course it’s fine, Din,” You smiled. “Hi Grogu!” You beamed, giving a little wave to the little boy with the big brown eyes.

Grogu returned the smile, you were pleased to see that he seemed a lot calmer than he had at the museum. You saw Din visibly relax as you were fine with his son’s presence.

“It’s so good to see you again,” Din breathed. “I was nervous that you weren’t going to show up,” he admitted shyly.

“How could I refuse an invitation to a Zoo?” You questioned with a smile. 

“Really, you don’t get sick of something like this after working at a museum all week?” Din said, raising one eyebrow at you.

“Absolutely not! Well, a zoo is a bit different to a museum but either way, I always loved them since I was Grogu’s age. I was always the straggler during any school trip to a zoo or museum when I was younger. I could have spent hours there,” You began, but shook your head, realising that you were probably rambling. “But enough about me, why don’t we head inside and find those rhinos that I promised were here and that this little one would love?” You beamed, suddenly self-conscious that you were oversharing again.

Din did not seem to mind though. He seemed to enjoy your tangential little rants. Of course, a few days ago he had been a paying customer for them. Now it was just the two of you, and you were painfully aware that they could be annoying to certain people. Not everyone shared the boundless enthusiasm you held for things that you were passionate about. Not everyone found it sweet and endearing. You had learnt the hard way that people could be profoundly annoyed by your enthusiasm and did not understand that you were not trying to make them feel bad. But those judgmental people were far in the past now. 

It had taken a lot of time and a lot of hurt, but you had learnt the hard way that hiding parts of yourself was incredibly draining and only caused you more heartache and pain in the long term. So, with Din, you determined that things would be different. You were going to be nothing but one hundred per cent honest with him. After all, he wouldn’t have gone to all the trouble of picking out the flowers that you had mentioned just in passing if he didn’t like you on some level. It was time to be yourself and let Din see you for who you truly were.

That time had apparently come sooner than you were anticipating. As you made your way inside the zoo, you were suddenly getting the same vibe you had gotten at ForceCon. Where too many people were crammed into an impossibly small space, making things incredibly crowded. It was slightly panic-inducing, but you resolved to try and remain calm. Unfortunately, you did not have a comforting internet friend and a convenient staircase to hide under. It was far busier than you were anticipating. You usually visited the zoo when you had a half day off or on a Sunday afternoon when it seemed to be quieter. Since the weather had improved and it was a Saturday, though, it should have come as no surprise to see the zoo this busy.

Although you did not have Ria at your side, you were not completely alone. You glanced over at Din and instantly felt a rush of adrenaline course through your body. He looked so handsome, his strong side profile and beautiful nose silhouetted against the crowds of busy people. With his broad shoulders and looming presence, a feeling of calmness and security washed over you. Maybe if you had had him to ogle when you had been making your way through the crowds at ForceCon, you would have handled it better, you thought with a smirk.

That momentary relief was fleeting, though. The crowds did not cease, you found that same sensation of being swept away gnawing away in your gut that you had at the convention. But, you reasoned, you had handled that then, just like you would handle this now.

“Are you alright?” Din said, suddenly noticing that you looked slightly uncomfortable. You momentarily cringed, feeling self-conscious that he had noticed how much you were struggling. 

“I’m fine, just not a huge fan of crowds,” you admitted with a slight grimace. “It’ll be fine once we clear out of the entrance though and get on the paths to one of the enclosures. Actually, I think the rhinos are right at the back where hopefully not many people will head straight away. Maybe we could go there first, work against the crowds?”

Din agreed with your suggestion and was content to let you lead the way. The three of you headed down a path that seemed to be in the correct direction of where the rhinos were. It seemed like you were walking the same way as the crowds for a little while. You feared for a second that perhaps, everyone had the same idea as you to head to the back of the zoo first.

Eventually, the tide seemed to turn and more people began heading down the narrow path towards you. You had to squeeze in and get close to Din. You inhaled sharply at the way your skin tingled as you brushed shoulders with him. It was ridiculous that such a light touch, through a shirt, could set your entire body on fire like that. 

Then something bizarre happened. As you moved in to let the latest family pass, you noticed that Grogu was pointing at a young boy. You wondered for a second if they were perhaps friends, but when you looked a little closer you noticed the boy was wearing a shirt with Mando’s helmet on it. What a coincidence! You wondered if perhaps Grogu was a fan of the show. After all, despite its violent elements, it was surprisingly popular with kids. The comment Din had made in the museum about Grogu liking armour came to mind, too. 

You were about to ask Din whether he and Grogu had watched The Mandalorian, but you noticed a strange look suddenly sweep across his features. It seemed to you as if he wanted this family to move past you as quickly as possible. Din sped up and hurriedly walked a few paces ahead of you further up the path, clearly eager to get away from the child as quickly as possible. You frowned slightly and followed him, wondering what precisely it was about the tiny interaction that had spooked him so much. You didn’t question Din on his actions or push for answers. You guessed that he was just a little nervous with Grogu in the crowd. After all, the kid had a habit of running off which you were all too familiar with following his antics in the museum the previous week.

Fortunately, you did not have too long to dwell on the interaction as the path came to an end and you soon found yourselves at the edge of the rhino enclosure. Din picked Grogu up, lifting the little boy so he could take in the sights of the animals over the wire fences that bordered the enclosure.

“See, Grogu?” Din said, pointing in the direction of the beasts. “It’s the same animal we saw in that artwork the other day at the museum, a rhinoceros!”

Grogu chirped in delight, bringing his hands together in glee. The child seemed happy to be here, to be spending time with both of you. He was delighted, as he took in the fact that the same animal that he had seen in picture form a few days ago, was now here before him. Grogu could not convey it in words, but you were sure that he was delighted that you and Din had gone to the trouble of bringing him here.

You looked over at Din too, finding that he was equally enthralled by the rhinos, his brown eyes wide in awe as he watched them pace throughout the enclosure. It was sweet to see whatever stress that Din had endured after Grogu had been so drawn towards that Mando shirt, slowly releasing as he gazed at the magnificent, otherworldly beasts. 

You were still curious about Din’s adverse reaction to a seemingly innocent t-shirt. Perhaps Din just really hated that show, you reasoned. Pop culture was a topic that you had not really broached with Din thus far. You were a little afraid that your references might draw blanks from him given your slight age gap. Din being slightly older than you didn’t bother you and you felt as though there was no real power imbalance between the two of you. Plus, you loved how respectful and caring he was, in a way that guys your age were not.

As you and Din stood there admiring the rhinos, you found yourself mesmerised by the power of the beasts; the way their firm, coarse skin rippled as they took steps through the mud. It broke your heart to think that these creatures were poached for their horns and that some species were now critically endangered. Seeing them before you, they did not look real somehow. It was as though they were not from this universe and had fallen to Earth by mistake, one day. The rhinos looked like they did not belong here. In a way, you sympathised with them. 

Despite the fact you were here with Din, you found that your mind inevitably drifted back to Mando. You thought it was amusing in a way that Grogu had been so drawn towards rhinoceroses. They reminded you of the fictional creature in Star Wars, the mudhorn, that Mando wore on his pauldron. He had managed to slay one against all odds to get its egg and keep a group of unruly Jawas at bay. You remembered watching in awe as Mando used his cunning and strength to outwit the helpless creature. The rhinoceros was probably the closest thing to a mudhorn on this earth. It was an amusing coincidence, especially with Grogu’s attraction to the Mando shirt. 

After a few more minutes of gazing upon these magnificent creatures, you decided to leave the rhinos behind and head elsewhere in the zoo. Din had told you that in addition to rhinos, Grogu also liked frogs, so you headed towards the building that housed them. It was a magnificent brick building, with an ornate arch over the doorway. There were also plenty of windows to ensure that the reptiles inside were bathed in natural light. Unfortunately, it was also incredibly hot and humid inside, another measure necessary to keep the little creatures safe. You felt yourself beginning to clam up, both at the temperature change and the number of people crammed into this building. But then you looked at Grogu, his little face full of wonder as the three of you came to a halt in front of a large tank containing frogs, and your heart soared at the sight of him so excited. 

You moved to continue walking further around the Reptile House, but the sound of Din calling your name stopped you in your tracks. Grogu had forced his father to stop in front of one of the tanks and was practically squirming out of Din’s arms. The mischievous little boy tapped his small chubby hands onto the glass insistently, looking at the frogs almost as though he wanted to eat them. The kid loved frogs just as much as he loved the carving of the rhino, it seemed. You watched them with a smirk on your face, admiring the sweet scene before you. Well, it was mostly sweet, Grogu was undeniably being a bit of a menace. No matter how much Din tried to tell him that he wasn’t going to be able to touch the frogs, it seemed that the little boy could not handle that fact. He was devastated by the reality that the frogs were going to remain on the other side of the glass, out of his hands. 

You usually disliked small children, their wailing and constant need for attention irked you. Despite your usual disdain for children, you found it was impossible not to like Grogu. He was a cute kid, a complete charmer and, for the most part, very well-behaved. He had listened patiently to you at the museum the other day and had been exceedingly well-behaved on this trip to the zoo thus far. But it seemed that the frogs had pushed him over the edge. His bottom lip jutted out, beginning to pout. And then the wailing began. It was a terrible sound, one that was almost painful to your ears. You looked over to Din in panic, he had already gathered his son up in his arms and was pressing him against his shoulder in an attempt to console him. But nothing was working; the kid would not stop crying. 

“Shhhh, Grogu, shhhhh,” Din said, pleading as the toddler’s temper tantrum began to turn more than a few heads. “Sorry about this… I think it might be best if we head outside.”

“It’s fine Din.” You nodded and let him lead the way. 

Despite how busy the exhibit was, when a person had a wailing toddler in their arms, the crowds just parted instantly, without question or hesitation. You smirked as Din made his way through the crowd, mumbling ‘sorry’ and ‘excuse me’ with a frequency that any Brit would be proud of. You finally made it outside, blinking in the light. Din swung Grogu off his shoulder and looked at his son, caressing his cheek with his thumb, wiping the tears that were staining his chubby cheeks. You were in awe at the calmness and speed with which Din had approached the situation, undaunted by a wailing toddler which was, to you, a terrifying prospect. He was a natural at fatherhood, that much was obvious. 

“Alright, pal. We’re out of there now. Please calm down, Grogu,” Din pleaded, looking nervously around at the nosy onlookers.

You could tell that he was embarrassed and you felt incredibly sorry for him. After all, there was nothing to be ashamed about. Grogu was just a little boy, he didn’t understand that he couldn’t hold the frogs. You decided to step towards them and hopefully offer some words of comfort.

“Hey little guy, what’s the matter?” you asked, concernedly. “I know you love frogs, I really do… but you can’t touch them, Grogu. They have to stay in their tanks so they’re nice and warm. It keeps them safe and protects them. Just like you feel protected when you’re in your dad’s arms,” you smiled, hoping that your words were cutting through to the tearful little boy. Grogu stopped wailing and titled his head to the side, as though he was trying to process the new information you had given him and make his mind up whether it was agreeable. 

“That’s right, we wouldn’t want anything to happen to the frogs, would we?” Din joined in, nodding at you appreciatively for your intervention.

Grogu was still for a few moments but then began furiously shaking his head. It seemed that yours and Din’s kind words had finally gotten through to him. 

“Good boy! That’s it, Grogu, well done for understanding why you can’t touch them,” Din said proudly. 

“Well, you can’t touch those frogs, Grogu. But perhaps we can head to the gift shop on the way out and there might be a frog toy there for you?” You offered with a smile, hoping that Din was okay with such an offer.

Din nodded, seemingly approving of your suggestion and you felt relieved that you had not overstepped your boundaries. Thanks to yours and Din’s soothing words, Grogu soon calmed down. Now that you did not have a crying toddler to contend with, you turned around and noticed that you were standing by a play area that was currently deserted of any children. You laid eyes upon the swingset that was currently empty, a mischievous idea forming in your head.

“Shall we go on the swings?” You questioned playfully.

“It would be rude not to,” Din said with a smirk.

You made your way over to the swings, taking a seat as Din sat at the one next to you, Grogu sitting in his lap. Din told him to hold on but you had already begun moving yourself in earnest, kicking your legs out, determined to swing higher and higher. Din looked at you, a wide smile on his face as Grogu giggled. It wasn’t long before you and Din were both laughing hysterically.

Only moments before, Grogu had been violently wailing, but that terrible scene was now a distant memory as the three of you swung on the swing set. You knew that you would feel self-conscious about unleashing your inner childish side like this with most people. But with Din, you truly felt as though you could be yourself. You felt too, that the more he saw you interact with Grogu, the more he was also beginning to lower some kind of guard that he had encircled himself in. You continued happily swinging on the playground for a few more minutes until two small boys ran up to it, their faces dropping when they saw it was occupied. You felt as though you couldn’t stay there any longer with them watching you like that, so you looked at Din and the three of you climbed off and allowed the kids to play.

After leaving the swings behind, the two of you headed to the penguin enclosure, keen to see the magnificent black and white birds swimming around with your own eyes. As you and Din leant on the railings, Grogu between you, mesmerised by the creatures, the conversation shifted towards your romantic lives.

“So… uh, I was thinking perhaps we could go for some lunch at the cafe over there. Is that alright? I mean, there’s no one waiting for you back at home?” Din asked, his deep voice trembling as his brown eyes remained firmly fixed on the penguins.

“No, Din,” you breathed. “There’s no one waiting for me at home.”

“Wizard!” Din exclaimed. “Oh uh… I mean good, I wanted to spend the entire day with you.”

“Me too, Din,” you smiled. “I take it from your reaction that there is no one waiting for you, either.”

“No, it’s uh… it’s just me and Grogu. Always has been since I found him,” Din divulged and you thought you saw him grimace slightly as he admitted that. “I adopted him, you know. Don’t know much about his early life, but I’m all he has, now.”

“I gathered you had adopted him, but blood doesn’t always matter. I think you’re an amazing father,” you smiled at Din encouragingly.

“Thank you,” Din whispered, his voice cracking and eyes shimmering at your compliment.

At that moment, the little boy you had just been discussing so fondly decided to hold out his arms to Din, an indication that he wanted to be picked up. Din leaned down to scoop him up and the moment passed, but the implications of the conversation you had just shared were clear. You were both single. There were no barriers to you exploring something together. Grogu then began rubbing his stomach, an indication that he was hungry and the three of you headed towards the cafe that Din had earlier spotted.

After a delicious lunch, the rest of the afternoon passed without incident. Mercifully, Grogu did not encounter anything else that upset him as much as the Reptile House had. You and Din strolled around the remainder of the zoo at a leisurely pace, chatting to each other a little bit about your pasts as you went along. There was nothing in particular that either of you wanted to see, happy to let the mood dictate your pace. There was no pressure, nowhere for either of you to be. You gathered from comments that he had made about how busy he had been at work that week, that this was a rare, calm moment in Din’s schedule, as it was yours. He seemed to be relishing it as much as you did.

You were enjoying every moment in his presence, relieved that the spark you had first felt at the museum had carried over to your day out today. However, it was difficult to have a real conversation with him over the constant noise and toddler that you were accompanied by. Much as you had enjoyed your day out, you longed to see Din again in a quieter environment, perhaps just the two of you. But you would not make any demands or push him. Although he had been deliberately vague about what exactly it was that he did for a job, it sounded hectic and stressful. You completely understood if he wanted to spend his downtime with Grogu. You would put no pressure on him, expecting nothing even though you were extremely keen to see him again.

Eventually, you realised that it was almost closing time for the zoo. It was time to make your way to the exits and leave the animals and lush scenery behind. Though not before your promised visit to the Gift Shop, of course. You had promised Grogu a frog, after all. Fortunately, Grogu laid eyes upon the perfect toy to offset the disappointment that he had earlier felt at not being able to touch any of the amphibians. It was a bright green frog plush that he had toddled over to as soon as he laid eyes upon, pointing to it with a chubby hand, his brown eyes looking up at you expectantly.

Despite Din’s protestations that he would pay for it, you insisted. You wanted to treat the precious little boy and reward him for how well-behaved he had been throughout the day, despite his momentary lapse. Plus, Din had bought your tickets and the lunch you had enjoyed by the penguin enclosure. You felt it was the least you could do. The child was overjoyed, hugging his new frog friend tightly in one hand as he toddled alongside the pair of you out of the shop, Din clasping his other hand. 

As you made your way out of the zoo, there was an ice cream van by the entrance, clearly aimed at the crowd exiting the zoo, complete with persuasive children in tow. Grogu had locked eyes on the van that was selling the sweet, sugary treats and of course, there was only going to be one outcome, his big brown eyes were too much for Din to resist. So the three of you ordered a British summertime staple: a classic 99 Flake. It was soft-serve ice cream on a cone with a crumbly, flakey chocolate bar stuck in the ice cream.

After walking away from the van, the three of you found an empty bench to sit on, to watch the world go by and enjoy your treat. Grogu was perched contentedly on Din’s lap, and you noticed, heart skipping a beat, how close you and Din had naturally found yourselves sitting on the bench. Your shoulders and arms resting against each other, your thighs touching too. It felt surprisingly comfortable and affectionate considering how little time you had spent together. But you were certain of one thing: it felt so, so right. Of course, there were probably limits to what public displays of affection Din felt comfortable with in front of Grogu. You felt certain that this was a sign of his intentions, one that set your pulse racing.

After you had all finished your ice creams –  Grogu had ended up wearing more of his ice cream, the sweet treat smeared all around his lips, on his cheeks and nose – the three of you sat there in companionable silence. You watched as the dregs of the crowd filtered through the ornate gates where you had started your day hours before. The silence was pleasant, you were enjoying the sensation of being close to Din, his warm strong body resting against yours. You wondered if he had enjoyed the day as much as you had, hoped he had, at least. You wondered whether Din would like to see you again or if that was it. As if he could read your racing thoughts, Din broke the silence that had settled between the pair of you.

“So, uh. I was thinking… I would love to see you again, perhaps sometime in the week, after you finish work?” Din offered. “I can leave Grogu with a friend and meet you at the museum. Just be the two of us.”

“That sounds wonderful, Din,” You breathed, a shy smile crossing your lips as you looked into his soulful brown eyes. “I would love to.”

“Great!” Din said, smiling widely, clearly relieved that you were both on the same page about wanting to see each other again. “Let me give you my number, I’ll be in touch.”

You took your phone out of your pocket and held it towards your chest, unlocking it with slightly shaky fingers, overcome with excitement and tremendous relief that he had enjoyed your company. You were careful to hold your phone close to your body as you unlocked it so that Din could not see the picture that was your lockscreen. You weren’t sure how to explain the photo of you standing next to the incredible Mandalorian cosplayer that you had taken a picture with at ForceCon to someone like Din. Especially considering the way he had earlier responded to the Mando helmet t-shirt. You weren’t ready to show Din what level of nerd you were just yet. Surprisingly, you hadn’t brought Mando up to him yet. It was partly due to his reaction but also because you knew by your nature, how hard it would be to hide your true enthusiasm for it and just act like a casual fan. It was best left until you had gotten to know Din a bit better.

The unfamiliarity and uncertainty that lingered, despite how sure you were that you wanted to see Din again, was a reminder that this was only the second time you had spent time together. It was hard to believe that you had just met, because when you spent time with Din, you felt, somehow, that you knew him already. You had felt instantly comfortable in his presence, as though you had known him for many years.

And in a way, you had. You just didn’t know it.

Next Chapter

Taglist: @toxic-seduction @survivingandenduring @readingiskeepingmegoing

[ic3-que3n]

WIP Wednesday

I live! And i have been doing stuff!

I posted a new Attack on Titan eruri fic that i co-wrote with @theearlgreymage

AND

I finally went back and started working on the last chapter of my Snowbaz kid AU fic Remove the Years.

Here is a snippet from chapter 4:

Simon wore a t-shirt when he arrived. Blue with a dinosaur on it. Baz quickly amended his belief in t-shirts. He would never wear one but they looked really good on Simon. “Baz!” Simon said. “Is this really where you live? Its so creepy. Have you seen the Addams family? My mum showed it to me and their house looked exactly like this—” Baz found himself just kind of staring at Simon until Daphne came up and mentioned he should be a good host and show Simon around the house. “Ok mother. Come on Salisbury.” Baz grabbed Simon by the hand, turning quickly so Simon couldn’t see how red his cheeks had turned all of a sudden. Why did Simon affect him so much? He was just a boy he met in the park A boy that would be staying the night. In his room. Baz felt all the butterflies return. Maybe Simon would get scared and want to sleep in his bed. He should tell Simon some of the ghost stories about this place to make sure that happened.

Tags below the cut

Thank you for tagging me last Sunday and Wednesday: @noblecorgi @run-for-chamo-miles @angelsfalling16 @thewholelemon @prettygoododds @ileadacharmedlife @cutestkilla

Tagging:

@artsyunderstudy @nausikaaa @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @aristocratic-otter @wellbelesbian @youarenevertooold @onepintobean @iamamythologicalcreature @shrekgogurt @confused-bi-queer @palimpsessed @martsonmars @skeedelvee @ivelovedhimthroughworse @whogaveyoupermission @nightimedreamersworld @johnwgrey @mostlymaudlin @raenestee @ionlydrinkhotwater @wolfywordweaver @fatalfangirl @erzbethluna @bazzybelle @kohatenz @foolofabookwyrm-activated @facewithoutheart @moodandmist @chen-chen-chen-again-chen @stardustasincocaine @ileadacharmedlife @bookish-bogwitch @j-nipper-95 @larkral @stitchyqueer @rimeswithpurple @imagineacoolusername @brilla-brilla-estrellita @moodandmist and anyone who wants!

[shegeekery]

Dream Therapy (one-shot)

Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Loki (TV 2021) Rating: Not Rated Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Characters: Erik Selvig, Loki (Marvel), Jane Foster (Marvel) Additional Tags: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Emotional Hurt/Comfort

Summary: Dr. Erik Selvig struggles to recover from having a god in his head. A strange dream helps him see things in a new light.

“In related news, a lawsuit has been filed by New York contractors who argue that no-bid contracts are being granted to a small number of well-connected real estate developers, following the large-scale destruction of parts of Manhattan during the alien attacks two years ago.”

Dr. Erik Selvig switched off the television.

Two years. Selvig wanted nothing more than to forget the entire thing, especially his own part in it. My unwilling part in it, he reminded himself.

He’d had two years of therapy, medications, meditation, and trying to lose himself in his work. He was better than he had been when he was arrested for running around Stonehenge sans clothing. He could at least stand to wear clothing now, but he still found it difficult to focus with his trousers on. It felt too restrictive, reminding him uncomfortably of the sensation of being totally controlled.

There was no recognized diagnosis for “possession by malevolent deity”, so they were officially treating him for PTSD. Some of it helped, much of it didn’t. He felt more himself these days, but the nights were bad. In his dreams, Loki was still there. Still threatening. Still taunting him.

As a child listening to the old myths of his homeland, he’d loved the stories about Loki, the God of Mischief. He’d been tickled by the idea that there was actually a god for that. Now, just the mention of that name could bring on flashbacks to a time when he’d been utterly consumed by Loki’s blind ambition and disregard for human life, unable to think for himself and enslaved, body and mind, to Loki’s “glorious purpose”.

He sighed and turned back to his work. He’d been at the same problem for months, trying to account for discrepancies between the standard model of quantum mechanics and the observed behavior of Einstein-Rosen bridges. His friend and former student, Jane Foster, had provided some valuable insights, but he still couldn’t make all the pieces fit. 

I’m too tired for this. He shut his laptop and went through his evening routine. He took his medication, including sleeping pills, and hoped this would be one of the good nights.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

“How is your work coming along, Dr. Selvig?” Loki asked.

Selvig looked up from the graph on his computer monitor. What had he been working on, exactly? He didn’t know, but it was important. Very important.

“I…it’s…coming along,” he stammered. “Just, um, running some simulations.”

Loki glanced at the monitor. Instead of a complicated graph, it now showed a cartoon in which Garfield was taunting Odi.

“I suspect your heart isn’t in it, Doctor,” Loki replied in that quietly menacing tone he so often used. He raised his scepter. “Perhaps we need to ensure that your loyalty is still paramount?”

Selvig jerked out of the chair and backed away. “No! That’s not necessary. Really!”

Loki advanced toward him. “Oh, but I think it is.”

Selvig ran out of the room and into an endless hallway. He looked back, but Loki wasn’t there. He turned to see where he was going, and there was Loki, ahead of him, grinning maliciously. He ran the other way and back through the door, but now he was outside. It was dark, and he was in a nondescript alley. He kept running, turning a corner only to find himself at a dead end. He whirled around to find Loki advancing slowly toward him with the scepter.

“No! Please, not again!” Selvig pleaded.

Loki took another step toward him, then froze. Confused, Selvig waited for the inevitable, but Loki still didn’t move. The god was as still as a statue of himself.

“What’s happening?” Selvig asked.

“Dr. Selvig.” It was Loki’s voice, but his lips didn’t move and the voice seemed to be coming from…everywhere.

“What…what is this?”

“You’re safe, Dr. Selvig,” the voice said. It sounded surprisingly gentle. “This isn’t real. Just a dream. A nightmare.”

“Is this a trick?”

“No. Well, yes, actually. Your mind is playing tricks on you. But it’s your mind, Dr. Selvig. Nobody is controlling it now. You are free — and always will be, if I have anything to say about it.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Please look at my eyes, Dr. Selvig. What do you see?”

Selvig looked at Loki. In his eyes, he saw the malevolence, anger, and fierce determination that he remembered. “I see…fury.”

“And behind that fury?”

Selvig stepped just a bit closer, staring at the still-unmoving Loki, for the first time trying to really see him.

“I see…” he stopped, afraid to give voice to what he thought he saw.

“Go ahead. It’s alright.”

“I see…fear?”

“Yes, Dr. Selvig. Fear, and self-loathing. I was terrified — and I used intimidation to hide it, trying to make everyone around me more afraid than I was. I tormented those weaker than I was, to cover my own weakness. I wanted to rule by force and by fear, because I thought I was unworthy of true respect.”

On some level, Selvig understood that he was dreaming— but for some reason that realization wasn’t causing him to wake up as it normally would. The dream still seemed real to him.

“Why are you telling me this? Or…am I telling myself this?”

“It doesn’t matter. What matters is that it’s true and that you know it’s true. What I did to you was unforgivable. You’re a decent man, Dr. Selvig. None of it was your fault. Not even a god can withstand the power of the mind stone. Even so, you managed to sneak in an off-switch for the Tesseract’s force field while under my control. That’s a testament to your unusual strength of character and of mind. I underestimated you.”

“How do I make this stop, then?”

“That’s up to you, Doctor. Do whatever makes sense. If you want to hit me, hit me. Or vent your own rage in some other way. Here and now, you are the strong one.”

Selvig stood before Loki, hands balling into fists, feeling his own anger rising to replace the fear. Loki’s body remained frozen, but his eyes were now tracking Selvig’s every move. The urge to pummel him was overwhelming — but now that he’d seen the growing fear in Loki’s eyes, he couldn’t help but feel just a tiny bit sorry for him.

He took a step back. “No.”

“No?”

“I don’t need to hit you. That’s what you’d do, but it’s not me. Just…get out. Leave me alone and don’t come back.”

Loki simply faded away, leaving Selvig standing alone in the alley, which soon began to fade as well. Selvig felt himself floating, feeling more at peace with himself than he had in a long time. He was floating in a bed of seaweed — no, not seaweed; the long, thin strands that cradled him with warmth were glowing with a soft, greenish light, rocking him gently and lulling him into a more peaceful slumber.

He didn’t even startle when he heard Loki’s voice once more.

“One more thing, Dr. Selvig. In the morning, you may want to take a closer look at the rate of decay of particles entering the Einstein-Rosen bridge. I think you may find it interesting.”

-----------------------------------------------------------------

“Erik, hi! How are you doing?” Jane Foster always started their phone conversations that way these days.

“I’m doing great! Listen, I just sent you a rather long document, but the short version is…I think I’ve cracked it! I found a way to square the Einstein-Rosen bridge with the standard model!”

“Seriously? That’s huge! I’ll check it out as soon as I can! What turned it around?”

“I looked at the rate of decay of particles entering the stream.”

“Woah! I didn’t even consider that. What made you think of it?”

“Would you believe it came to me in a dream?”

[kayleigh-83]

Reverse WCIF!

Pulling this pic from my own archives. I used to have some recolours of the Freetime wall hanging quilt, including the one pictured here, but somewhere along the way I deleted them and Google has not helped me find them! Antisocialbunnysims post today of another quilt recolour reminded me to look into these again!

Does anyone recognize these and have a link?

EDIT : Found, thanks everyone! Will leave this up and tagged as WCIF for posterity, links in the comments!

[the-bar-sinister]

For the Comforting the Blorbos:

♟ - Board games/arts and crafts inside

For the blorbo group you feel most deserves a day in of playing board games or making something fun 😀

ask game link

Thank you so much for this prompt and I'm so sorry for what we've done with it XD <3

Rainy Day (North) Blues (2007 words) by Dave Strider Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: One Piece (Anime & Manga) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Donquixote Doflamingo/Trebol Characters: Donquixote Doflamingo, Trebol (One Piece), Diamante (One Piece) Additional Tags: Twisted and Fluffy Feelings, Boredom, Kissing, Found Family, Weird Fluff, Villains, Domestic Fluff, Light Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Mentor/Protégé - I make no apologies for posting the world's first Doffy x Trebol fluff. I was compelled.

-

Trebol's Side

The gloomy haze and downpour over the little island in the North Blue would have made it a miserable day even if the local factory-town rain wasn't acidic enough to sting when it got in your face– which it was. The business would wait.

In the smoky backroom of the hideout Trebol and Doffy sat in fat armchairs around an old chessboard, where the 'young master' was currently creaming him in three out of four games, much to both of their delight. Doflamingo was a much keener chess opponent than Trebol was used to facing, and Trebol was excited to use teaching him more of the theory behind the game to sharpen the young king-in training's mind for strategy and politick. 

After checkmating their sixth match, Doffy pinned the defeated king under his finger and declared. "I'm bored."

"Well, maybe time to do something else then," Trebol agreed, stroking his chin. Six games was enough that even Trebol's patience for the game was growing thin, and he considered some other diversion for the two of them.

Before he could think of something, let alone suggest it, without warning and without another word, Doffy stood from his chair and came and sat himself right across Trebol's lap.

Trebol felt his pince-nez slip on his nose as he looked down in astonishment. 

"Is that alright? I'm not too heavy?"

"Never, Doffy," Trebol promised. Trebol was far from the strongest man alive, despite the size of his body– rather frail from the cruel treatment of his enslaved upbringing– but he wasn't sure he'd tell Doffy even if the young master was too heavy for him. He wasn't though, just a pleasant, if mildly confusing weight in his lap.

"Good then. You may pet my hair." Obviously it was less permission, and more command. Once again it surprised Trebol, but Doffy's demanding nature was neither something new, nor something unwanted. Happily Trebol ran his fingers through the short blond locks, and Doffy arched into the touch like a big cat.

Bored, it seemed, for Doffy, meant in need of physical affection, and Trebol wasn't the least bit displeased to provide it.

A few minutes later, he poked Trebol in the chest. "Do you love me, Trebol?"

Trebol looked down, surprised yet again. "Huh? What kind of question is that, Doffy?"

He wasn't quite sure what he heard in Doffy's voice. It wasn't exactly insecurity, though Trebol admitted even someone as effortlessly regal as Doffy might need to occasionally be reassured, given the sorry state they'd found him in.

Doflamingo stared up at him and Trebol could feel the intensity of his stare behind his crimson glasses as he answered haughtily. "One that I'm demanding an answer to. And I'll know if you're lying."

Maybe he did need to be reassured after all. Well, Trebol was pleased to remind him that he was unwavering in both his support, and his affection.

"Hey, hey I wouldn't lie, Doffy," he placated. "Of course I love you."

Doffy stared him down. 

"And the others? They love me too?"

Another demand. And Trebol was equally sure of their devotion, and equally quick to defend it.

"They love you, Doffy. I swear. We all do."

"Good."

Doffy leaned against him again, and Trebol didn't question him about it further, instead going back to petting his hair, until a moment later when Doffy squirmed and reached for something on the table.

Trebol watched curiously as he grabbed a napkin and damped it with some water, washing traces of soot and sweat and other mundane filth of the day off of his face. It wasn't that unusual– Doffy had been living in the trash when they'd found him, and sometimes he'd get all twitchy and panicked about garbage or being dirty. Trebol couldn't blame him. 

And then, without waiting for permission, did the same to Trebol. The cool cloth carried away the grime rather refreshingly from his pale, soft face, and he certainly wasn't going to complain, but he was curious if there was something more on the young man's mind.

Before he could ask what was up, Doffy leaned up in his lap and pressed his lips to Trebol's.

Whatever question he might have asked was smothered immediately by kiss.

It came as a surprise but Trebol was certainly not about to say no to whatever their kingly young leader wanted, even if it was something he'd assumed would hold disgust rather than interest. He felt himself flushing as Doffy kissed him greedily and Trebol flushed as he returned it, hesitantly pressing his tongue into the young man's mouth only after Doffy had first invaded his own.

The door clicked open just as Doffy was breaking the kiss, and while Trebol went further scarlet and hurried to pull away in hopes to preserve the young man's dignity– surely he wouldn't want to be seen kissing him– Doffy pulled him back for a final kiss perhaps just out of spite.

Diamante lounged in the doorway, looking bemused. "Am I interrupting something, Doffy?"

Trebol, flushed and breathless, stared at his partner across the way with an equally bemused expression.

Doffy slid back into Trebol's lap properly and smirked. "No, you can come in."

Diamante shrugged and waved a hand as he came in. The rest of the gang came along over the next few minutes, and the chess board was put away, and a game of poker started in its place.

Doflamingo, who insisted he was bored of games for the day, lounged in Trebol's lap while they played.

Trebol never did get an explanation beyond a guess at Doffy's boredom, but it didn't bother him, far from it. He cheerfully thrashed the rest of the gang at poker with the pleasant weight of the young master on his lap.

Doffy's Side

The gloomy haze and downpour over the little island in the North Blue would have made it a miserable day even if the local factory-town rain wasn't acidic enough to sting when it got in your face– which it was. The business would wait.

In the smoky backroom of the hideout Trebol and Doffy sat in fat armchairs around an old chessboard, where the 'young master' was currently creaming him in three out of four games, much to both of their delight.

Doffy knew that Trebol was using it as an opportunity to drill him on strategy, and that was interesting enough for a while but on a day like this the amusement started to wear thin after a while.

After checkmating their sixth match, Doffy pinned the defeated king under his finger and declared. "I'm bored."

Unsurprisingly, Trebol was hasty to cater to Doffy's whims. It was one of the many things that he liked so much about the man.

"Well, maybe time to do something else then," Trebol agreed, stroking his chin.

This time however, Doffy had no intention of letting Trebol set the expectations for their next amusement. He'd probably suggest another game, or some reading, or perhaps even a sojourn out into the miserable weather if he thought Doflamingo was restless enough to want to get into a fight.

But Doffy had something else in mind.

Without warning and without another word, Doffy stood from his chair and came and sat himself right across Trebol's lap. He grinned widely at the shocked and confused look on the older man's face.

"Is that alright? I'm not too heavy?" He squirmed in his lap, just to make sure. Trebol, he knew, wasn't in the best of health, and he didn't want to crush him.

"Never, Doffy," Trebol promised.

"Good then. You may pet my hair." Obviously it was less permission, and more command. He knew that Trebol liked it when he was demanding– it always seemed to delight him, so Doflamingo liked to play it up, insisting on things rather than asking for it. It paid off, once again. Happily Trebol ran his fingers through the short blond locks, and Doffy arched into the touch like a big cat.

A few minutes later, he poked Trebol in the chest. "Do you love me, Trebol?"

Trebol looked down, surprised. "Huh? What kind of question is that, Doffy?"

Doflamingo stared up at him and Trebol could feel the intensity of his stare behind his crimson glasses as he answered haughtily. "One that I'm demanding an answer to. And I'll know if you're lying."

Doffy knew what the answer was. At least, the answer he expected to hear, but he still wanted to hear it. There was a dark voice that whispered in his ear sometimes that it wasn't true. That Trebol and the others were using him somehow, in some way he couldn't imagine. Which was ridiculous. They all cared about one another, and Doffy was the leader besides.

Of course they loved him. Unlike his father, who had ruined him. And his brother who had run from him.

"Hey, hey I wouldn't lie, Doffy," he placated. "Of course I love you."

Doffy stared him down. Hearing it sent a pleasant shiver of reassurance through him.

"And the others? They love me too?"

"They love you, Doffy. I swear. We all do."

It was true. He knew it was true. Trebol and the others loved and adored him. He was special, and beloved, and they were a family, and they'd tear down and destroy anyone who hurt any of the others.

"Good."

Doffy leaned against him again, and Trebol didn't question him about it further, instead going back to petting his hair, until a moment later when Doffy squirmed and reached for something on the table.

With his feelings satisfied, he was ready to go for the other part of his rainy day entertainment plan.

He grabbed a napkin and damped it with some water, washing traces of soot and sweat and other mundane filth of the day off of his face, and then, without waiting for permission, did the same to Trebol.

Doffy loved and cared for Trebol, and he didn't mind the former slave's somewhat sickly appearance, but he did want the both of them to be at their freshest for what he had planned.

Before he could ask what was up, Doffy leaned up in his lap and pressed his lips to Trebol's.

It came as a surprise but Trebol was certainly not about to say no to whatever their kingly young leader wanted, Doffy knew that he never would– even if it was something he'd assumed would hold disgust rather than interest. Trebol, Doffy knew, felt deeply unlovable at times. He wanted his mentor to know that it wasn't the case at all.

And besides, this was much less boring than a seventh chess match, and he could probably make an argument that it was just as strategic.

Doffy kissed him greedily and Trebol flushed as he returned it, hesitantly pressing his tongue into the young man's mouth only after Doffy had first invaded his own.

The door clicked open just as Doffy was breaking the kiss, and while Trebol went scarlet and hurried to pull away to preserve the young man's dignity, Doffy pulled him back for a final kiss perhaps just out of spite.

As he finally let the kiss break, he glanced slyly back at Diamante. He'd have to get him, too, another time.

Diamante lounged in the doorway, looking bemused. "Am I interrupting something, Doffy?"

Doffy slid back into Trebol's lap properly and smirked. "No, you can come in."

Diamante shrugged and waved a hand as he came in. The rest of the gang came along over the next few minutes, and the chess board was put away, and a game of poker started in its place.

Doflamingo, who insisted he was bored of games for the day, lounged in Trebol's lap while they played. He nuzzled against him, satisfied with the attention, and snuck amused looks at Diamante, who he knew had questions that Doffy didn't intend to answer for a while.

It was anything but boring.

[thornescratch]

this is a little out of nowhere but do you know if there are any primers for running a fic exchange? I saw you mentioned bring back a caps exchange like a month ago (which would be so cool). it kind of inspired me with another fandom, but I can't find any good guides and was hoping you might have some recs.

(Sorry for the long delay in reply. Clearly when I say I will get to something in a day or so, I-- uh, will not. Life's been a lot. Very sorry!)

With the proviso that @weaglerock did most of the actual hard work of the ALLCAPS Exchange and my role was mainly to make shitty promo manips (actually I still like this one) and nag people to turn stuff in and occasionally pinch hit--

Honestly, AO3 actually has some of the best resources for you, if you're planning to be like most exchanges and run your exchange through/post there. They've put together FAQs and tutorials and I think they're pretty straightforward and easy to understand.

Tutorial: Running a Gift Exchange on AO3

Archive FAQ: Gift Exchange

Challenges tutorial: creating and running a gift exchange

Signing up for a gift exchange

Reddit is also handy, and I've found a number of their posts with good advice: here, here (more from the user POV rather than the runner POV but good to think about, and this post were ones I referred to.

General advice:

I find if you have a random question and you can't figure out how to make shit work with AO3 or something, Fail Fandom Anon is a decent way to ask for help. Every post has a thread related to various Bangs/Exchanges going on, and you can post an anonymous request or question. Quality and quantity of response can vary based on when you post it (if the post is almost at comment limit and about to move to the next, you might not get much; just try again with a newly opened post), but usually someone will respond.

Most of the exchanges I've helped with were done before discord got huge, so I haven't utilized it as an organizer as much, but I've been in exchanges as an author where it originated from a fandom discord, and it did streamline communication to have a dedicated channel/discord for the participants. But mostly we used tumblr, gmail, and a googledoc for notifications and tracking.

Always assume some people are simply going to dip, for legitimate or other reasons. Shit will happen. It's super frustrating to delay opening an exchange because you're scrambling to make sure everyone gets something and that it's of decent quality so I'd advise definitely lining up multiple pinch hitters (and assume some of THEM will also bolt randomly) in advance, or be ready to do it yourself, or build in an extra time period of complete works being due before going live, or optimally, all of those things. Having more than one organizer/moderator is helpful!

Highly encourage people to include detailed author letters to accompany their requests. Have regular timeline check ins and reminders. Also, it's easiest to assume everyone's a newbie and err on the side of over-explaining. Have templates and formatted examples on hand for transparency; this includes examples of how you want people to make their requests and examples of an author letter.

Anyway, honestly my best piece of advice is to find a moderator who's already done this before and is good at all of it and will do most of it, and then just act like you've always been there and tag along for the glory. It worked marvelously for me. (But no, really, in the end I think the best bet for success is go back to an exchange from any fandom you enjoyed and felt was well run, look at their set-up/timelines/rules/verbiage, and then model after that accordingly. Obviously don't copy everything directly, or if you do, credit the those organizers.)

And, like, have fun.

[karasbroken]

The third in my series of idiom-inspired "in betweens" from Aeryn's POV is the last of the short snippets. I started getting more ambitious but this is just a bit of bickering with John, because of what she perceives is his weakness and what he perceives as hers.

Rating: G    |   Word Count: 2,795  |     Tags: Post- "Thrown for a Loss", Language Barrier, Bickering, Slice of Life, Pre-Relationship 

Crichton hadn’t realized she was there, not hearing her footsteps over his own labored breaths. So Sun paused where the shadows still gave cover and watched the human exercise. It was more rigorous than expected, sets of unfamiliar calisthenics, at a number and clip that had him sweating through the sleeveless undershirt borrowed from one of Moya’s former guards.

If she understood the movements correctly, they were focused for the most part on building strength in his major muscle groups. In her opinion, a misstep. He needed to improve his combat function, not add bulk to a physique already showy enough to land him on parade detail. If---she reminded herself---he had been the Peacekeeper he appeared to be.

Though in truth, he would have been classified Tech, not Infantry. Muscles enough to pull panels and lift engine blocks. Mind enough to understand a readout. He was even beginning to be able to diagnose basic issues with Moya’s systems. But no warrior’s instinct at all. His first solution in any conflict was always talking.

If they lingered in the less savory corners of space, that habit would get him killed. It might doom them all. If not for the chemical arm cannons, he would have been utterly useless in their recent entanglement with the Tavleks. Sun really should at least teach him how to handle a pulse weapon.

“That movement is very inefficient.” She moved into the light, noting that he only jerked slightly in his up and down motion at the rasp of her voice. The human was counting, One part of her brain cataloged the Eengrish number words, another was noting the approach to ten-tens. He didn’t answer until he hit that limit, pushing back on his heels to look her up and down.

Sun had dressed for a long session, minimal clothing. Her temperature regulation was still not what it should be, since the Drak, a monen ago. From Crichton’s sour expression, he didn’t find her physique as interesting as she found his. Or her simple observation had managed to offend him yet again. “Well bless your heart , Officer Sun. Why don’t you show me how a Peacekeeper does a push-up....”

[outlying-hyppocrate]

Uhm. It feels weird to do that. Like when I realised that when you tag someone in your insta story, you end up in their dms (fine by me with friends, not so much with "famous" people...). I usually only send asks to my very few /friends on here not "random" people. So did I rehearse 4, 5 even 6 times that message before opening this ask? Yes. Am I still pondering wether to actually send it once done or not? Yes. Well consider that if you're reading it, it means I obviously did in the end.

I came across your blog after falling the Luke Black rabbit hole on this website... like Alice (sorry, inside jokes with myself...). I've been reading posts of yours the entire day now (oups... didn't want to sound creepy like that... sorry... I'm not... I think...) You remind me of Anne Shirley Cuthbert when you speak. You strike me as someone who'd totally been keen to find their kindred spirit (if you've already found them great!!!). You also have her dramatic nature I feel (could be totally wrong and then sososo sorry...)

Anyway, just very random thought and that's it. Sorry for the derangement bothering.

Now I'll click send and wait desperately beating myself up for having sent it and feeling like a creep. Anxiety when you hold us... I don't interact with many people wether irl or on here (apart from some friends and even then I sometimes question sending them asks...)

Sorry for all the dumping pretty uncalled for but I don't know,

Anyway.

Have a nice day/afternoon/evening/night!!! (Chose the applying option)

first of all. i just want to say how much i absolutely love this ask?? hoping you have enjoyed reading my blog so far. it's sort of like an archive of the past three years no? plenty of room for change!! which there will be much more of. naturally. and. yes. i remember reading anne of green gables as a child. a wonderful book that was,,,,, perhaps i should read it again. to help see the parallels? you certainly are not wrong about my dramatic nature. i am a silly young man. dramatics are my entire heart and soul. (also please don't feel as if you've done something wrong by sending this in !! it was an absolute honor to receive. wishing you an equally lovely time wherever you may be. [: )

[chemicalbrew]

tagged

by @radellama thanks bestie!!!

1. why did you choose your url?

multiple reasons:

I chose chemicalbrew as my go-to handle everywhere important, because the handle I picked for this purpose as a teen is cringe

I like having canon URLs; especially if they are kind of hard-to-get and\or subtle references, which this one is perfect for, IMO. The last time I felt good about a handle in this sense was when I went by theplanetbuster

I like katzero :) a normal amount :) and I always will I think :)

Chemical Brew is just a good track and I love being reminded of its existence every time I log on anywhere.

2. any sideblogs? if you have them name them and why you have them.

I'm too lazy to upkeep them, so I compensate with my tagging system... Well, there is actually one where I wanted to put my writing if I ever did any, but in the end all writing I do is roleplay stuff on discord that's not meant to be shared widely HELP. And what I do end up getting out once in a blue moon, I just put on AO3...

I used to hoard a whole lot of URLs, but I got scared of getting terminated for a second time, so aside from the almost empty writing blog I mentioned earlier, I just hoard five that I'd hate to see anyone else have (some of these I used to go by, too)

3. how long have you been on tumblr?

Almost ten years; I haven't remade once, so you can see this just by going to the archive (don't do that, actually)

4. do you have a queue tag?

I do, and it's a Transistor reference :) I can count on my hands the amount of times I've queued stuff, though.

5. why did you start your blog in the first place?

Found this place while looking for Zelda fanart; thought it would be easier to use the dashboard instead of checking individual pages. At least I think that was the biggest reason. IDR

6. why did you choose your icon/pfp?

Zero I like him :) At this point it feels wrong if I don't have him as my pfp on here and\or discord so... here he is!!! (since I'm still Four on discord) Not to mention that I kinda need him here to match the rest of my stuff.

I put the NB flag border for Pride month this year for fun and I'm too lazy to put the old version back (also, once again, I like weird subtle shit like that.).

7. why did you choose your header?

I always choose my headers with purpose, though it's not quite the case here: this is a holdover from when I was cherrymegablaster, and it's meant to directly complement that URL in a way that's obvious if you played the game. LOL

I kept it because it's funny to call a drink a chemical brew (and because there's not enough DLC footage for me to make a nice gif with. There's a few stills I really like, but I prefer my headers animated!) ...and because I'm just really happy with the gif.

8. what’s your post with the most notes?

I can't be assed to use the site that scans for this stuff and I'm not proud of my ancient random shit that blew up a bit anyway. So... I'll just tell you this gifset I made on a whim is the one with the most notes.

I REALLY hope the rainbow katzero set outpaces it one day because it's also continuously showing up in my activity and it's easily the one I put the most work into. I need to get off my ass and make more gifs!!!

9. how many mutuals do you have?

...does anyone keep count of that? just the right amount to keep me happy :3

10-11. how many followers do you have? how many people do you follow?

343 \ 1414. why are these such nice numbers

12. have you ever made a shitpost?

Yes, but I don't post them, I just send them to my friends on discord. I'd say hatewar but it's on fire alone counts as a collaborative shitpost of the highest tier, but barely anyone knows what I mean and I love it.

13. how often do you use tumblr each day?

Ehhh, it depends... I know I check my activity mostly every morning just in case, and I check the dod3 and katzero tags once or twice a week, but it's not a strict schedule thing, I forget sometimes :] The tags are slow anyway, and I have sooo many active katzero posters blocked that it's even slower for me :p

14. did you have a fight/argument with another blog once?

I don't think so..? Definitely not in public, I've had arguments with friends I made here, but it's a different thing. I think everyone on my dash is largely chill and has moved on past the disk horse or whatever the fuck

15. how do you feel about ‘you need to reblog this’ posts

DO PEOPLE STILL MAKE THESE...

16. do you like tag games?

That and 'reblog and put your opinion on X \ what you did today' is always really fun, I <3 being annoying about minor details in my boring life (also I'm literally doing one rn, aren't I)

17. do you like ask games?

Yes, but I never get any asks, so I don't reblog them too often. :]

18. which of your mutuals do you think is tumblr famous?

@/ositia, they're a very good artist and I miss seeing them around

19. do you have a crush on a mutual?

I have only had two crushes in my life, and one of them was on a former mutual I've drifted apart from. I know he won't be reading this cause he blocked me, but I still think about him and I hope he's moved to a nice enough place, at least :")

20. tags

uuugh just do this if you want to

[gretchensinister]

[Ask Game] Writing Patterns

Tagged by @sylphidine (I don't forget ask games, they just go in drafts to mature for a little while.)

Rules: List the first line of your last 10 (posted) fics and see if there's a pattern.

I did this for last lines in a different game, so let's see if anything can be learned from the first lines of those same fics!

The list goes from oldest to newest:

Koz holds his vampire in his lap, holds him fiercely, holds him close.

(all I ever do around you is want, Rise of the Guardians, Pitch/Sandy, vampire AU)

“So, Sandy, I have an important question for you,” Pitch says, settling down next to him on a sofa in the Fountain Square house.

(Shortday at Fountain Square, Rise of the Guardians, Pitch/Sandy, bonus fic for my epic fantasy AU A Draught of Light)

Yellow. Gold. The difference between the two can be subtle, one changing to the other with a trick of the light, a trick of the eye, a trick of the mind.

(Yellow/Gold, Rise of the Guardians, Pitch/Sandy, eldritch AU)

It had happened again.

(Incarnation, The Dark Crystal/The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, SkekGra/UrGoh)

You knew it was later than you felt it was, but you had no idea how late it was in truth.

(Clearing, The Ritual, Moder/Reader)

The carnival heralds Halloween, Train rushing into a town innocent.

(Something Wicked Is Me, Something Wicked This Way Comes, poetry collection.)

“Test 1, begin.”

(New, Improved, Guaranteed Quality, erotic sci-fi dystopia (I have trouble describing this work) original work that exists because of Pitch/Sandy)

UrIm carefully made his way up the narrow path to UrSen’s cell.

(To Keep a Body Whole, The Dark Crystal/The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, mystic focus)

It wasn’t as if SkekGra hadn’t immediately had a few speculations about what UrGoh had in mind when he offered SkekGra a cup of mapzad tea alongside his pipe, while taking none for himself.

(Abundance, The Dark Crystal/The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, SkekGra/UrGoh)

Long    Story       Dead          Ahead                   →

(The Sleepover, Dragonball Z, LMAO okay this is the most recent thing I have posted on Ao3 BUT ALSO the oldest work on the list by far. The Archive is an archive! So when I found a notebook with a DBZ fic my friend and I wrote in middle school, I put it in the Archive for, well, archival purposes! I believe in academia they call this juvenilia. Anyway, you don’t get anything else on this list without this one babey! Also in middle school a story under 2000 words felt long to me.)

So, what have I learned from this? I think I've gotten pretty good at starting the story where the story starts, which is something I learned in my practice of writing a lot of fics between 500-2000 words--you can't waste any time with something that short. I also was pleased to be reminded of the deliberate bookending I did with New, Improved, Guaranteed Quality. Its not something that every story needs, but in this case I thought it made a lot of sense.

Some tags: @marypsue, @tejoxys, @bowlingforgerbils, @linddzz

[ask-the-crimson-king]

End and the Death Liveblogging Thread II: Electric Boogaloo

The first thread was getting long, so you can find it here.

As a reminder, blacklist the tag: #end and the death vol II spoilers if you dont want spoilers. Each post has been tagged accordingly.

Also sorry for not really giving much thoughts or commentary, this is mostly a, "here's some interesting passages of note that I found" thread. I'll definitely be making a post about my entire thoughts later on, though.

Anyway. We see Ahriman again:

I don't have much to say other than this is good. I am enjoying this. This does feel like a younger Ahriman is the one talking here for reasons I will maybe be able to articulate later.

But also, if he's legitimately going to try ransacking this archive for help in reversing the Flesh Change and forging the Rubric, that's also very cool. I enjoy this.

[let-it-rip-bear]

Any fic recs? :)

oh yes

an unorganized list of The Bear fic recs; most are gen just cuz im not a big shipper

nighthawks (5131 words) by arbitrarily Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: The Bear (TV 2022) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Sydney Adamu & Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto Characters: Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto, Sydney Adamu, Richard "Richie" Jerimovich, Marcus (The Bear TV 2022), Neil Fak, Tina (The Bear TV 2022), Gary "Sweeps" Woods Additional Tags: Character Study, Non-Linear Narrative, Post-Season/Series 01, Grief/Mourning, Implied/Referenced Canonical Character Death, Unresolved Romantic Tension Summary:

The work continues; the work begins.

Sunday Special (2073 words) by LearnedFoot Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: The Bear (TV 2022) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Sydney Adamu & Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto, Sydney Adamu & Richard "Richie" Jerimovich Characters: Sydney Adamu, Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto, Richard "Richie" Jerimovich Additional Tags: other characters make appearances too, Friendship, Found Family, Christmas, Post-Canon Summary:

The Bear stays open for Christmas.

the trap (5957 words) by bartonbones (@bartonbones) Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: The Bear (TV 2022) Rating: Not Rated Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto & Natalie "Sugar" Berzatto Characters: Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto, Natalie "Sugar" Berzatto, NYC Chef Additional Tags: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, a meager attempt to supply some h/c in this ao3 tag bc im getting desperate, Minor Injuries, Verbal Abuse, im legally required to tell you to not do the first aid depicted in this fanfiction, One Shot Summary:

You need to fucking be better at this, Chef says.

Yes, chef, he says.

Get better at this.

Yes, chef.

Calling out orders. Hands. Plating with tweezers and holding his breath. Wiping plates. It’s funny because before this, he’d think that it's a mistake you’d only make one time. He’d think getting shoved and screamed at and sent home to shake apart and wonder if you’re wasting years on your life on a thing you fucking suck at would be enough to remind you not to forget to wipe a plate again, but the truth is that it’s not, that nothing is, the truth is that it’s a fucking trap. He’s always going to forget something again.

OR: How Carmy got that scar on his hand.

I Cannot Put My Thumb On When I Went So Numb (1517 words) by neonsandwich Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: The Bear (TV 2022) Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto & Richard "Richie" Jerimovich Characters: Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto, Richard "Richie" Jerimovich, Michael "Mikey" Berzatto (Mentioned) Additional Tags: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Depression, Suicidal Thoughts, Implied/Referenced Suicide Summary:

Carmen’s meds stopped working.

Carmen had known that for weeks, months even. His meds had been steadily decreasing in effectiveness for a while, but there was always something more pressing going on in his life than trying to schedule an appointment with his doctor, much less enter the process of trying to find a new antidepressant and dealing with the potential side effects from that. Carmen would just deal with the dread and extra self loathing at night and maybe the occasional suicidal thought. It wasn’t like he was going to act on those thoughts anyway, not after Mikey.

he said only sundown, sundays, christmas (2117 words) by hyacinthdreams Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: The Bear (TV 2022) Rating: Mature Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Characters: Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto, Sydney Adamu, Natalie "Sugar" Berzatto, Richard "Richie" Jerimovich, Michael "Mikey" Berzatto Additional Tags: implications/references to suicide, implications/references to ptsd/grief, Dysfunctional Family, Character Study, No Beta, the Berzatto family, Atheist Character Summary:

carmen berzatto somehow screwed over the guardian angels in his life enough that he was going to a wedding, a funeral and a kid's birthday party all in one week, (bad things only came in cases of three or some shit like that, right?) all while trying to make sure his restaurant didn't go up in literal and metaphorical flames.

or

a study in carmy

ghosts and empty sockets (20510 words) by bartonbones Chapters: 4/4 Fandom: The Bear (TV 2022) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto & Natalie "Sugar" Berzatto, Sydney Adamu & Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto, Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto & Michael "Mikey" Berzatto Characters: Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto, Natalie "Sugar" Berzatto, Sydney Adamu Additional Tags: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Sibling Love, Found Family, Nightmares, Eating Disorders, sort of...mostly just whatever carmy's got going on with his stomach issues, Self-Esteem Issues, look. he's a miserable little guy and it's my job to write about the misery of little guys, Grief/Mourning, shrimp boy carmy real, pre carmen/sydney if you squint, a lot of handwaving over timeline and career details dont acknowledge it pls, Yearning Summary:

"Again, their breath moves together, only instead of a sigh of relief it holds still, caught in their throats. They seem to both acknowledge a door half-open, a window just cracked. Sometimes it’s like this—working on the Bear, talking about Mikey when they have to, when they mention the money or the inspiration or the afternoons Carmen has to plan around in order to attend the AL meetings.

They are always on the edge of talking about it. Sometimes Carm feels it like a lighter, finger pressed down flat, letting all the gas out, never making a spark. It never catches, it never burns, but it’s there, fucking up the ozone layer or some shit like that. He’s always fucking up something."

OR: After months of hard work, The Bear is nearing opening, with a inaugural write-up in the Tribune to go with it. The only problem is: Carmy can't talk about the restaurant without talking about Mikey, and he can't talk about Mikey without talking about himself.

Close Enough (1678 words) by bloodinthecut Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: The Bear (TV 2022) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto & Richard "Richie" Jerimovich Characters: Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto, Richard "Richie" Jerimovich Additional Tags: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Takes place after ep 8, Carmy is Not Okay, And we love to see it acknowledged Summary:

Richie is in the passenger seat. This is not by Carmy’s choice.

“Don’t think I didn’t notice you skippin’ family, again,” he said as they finally closed up, chucking his keys at Carmy’s head and barely missing his eye. “You’re driving. I can’t get caught up in any more shit after that assault nonsense.”

In which Richie confronts Carmy after everything.

Salve: something that soothes or consoles (20764 words) by ouroboros_ontology (@eroticwound) Chapters: 6/? Fandom: The Bear (TV 2022) Rating: Not Rated Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto & Richard "Richie" Jerimovich, Sydney Adamu & Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto, Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto & Natalie "Sugar" Berzatto Characters: Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto, Richard "Richie" Jerimovich, Natalie "Sugar" Berzatto, Sydney Adamu, Michael "Mikey" Berzatto, always haunting the narrative tbqh, mrs. berzatto, Marcus (The Bear TV 2022), Pete (The Bear TV 2022) Additional Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Dissociation, Hand injury, Grief, carmy is the boy on fire of my dreams, Multiple Perspectives, Angst, Post-Finale, Touch-Starved, Burns, Emetophobia, Implied/Referenced Suicide, corpse description, Canon-typical Cursing Summary:

Despite the money in the cans, Carm's still been off. Worse, maybe.

Or an accident in the kitchen puts everyone on the same page.

Yes, Chef/No, Chef (4991 words) by WatchMyFavesSuffer Chapters: 3/3 Fandom: The Bear (TV 2022) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Characters: Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto, New York Chef (The Bear TV 2022), Richard "Richie" Jerimovich, Michael "Mikey" Berzatto Additional Tags: Angst, Panic Attacks, Emetophobia, Verbal Abuse, Cooking, The French Brigade System, Fine Dining, Self-Esteem Issues, maybe hints of eating disorder (depending on how you look at the vomiting thing), mild body horror (in carmy's head), Perfectionism, black swan vibes, Whiplash (2014) vibes, Pre-Canon, Noma era, author watches a lot of cooking shows Summary:

“What the fuck is this?”

“Grilled branzino, Chef.”

“Wrong. This is dogshit.”

“Yes, Chef.”

Noma-era flashback, feat. abusive head chef, heavy Carmy angst, and a lot of kitchen jargon.

Bear Market Blue (4094 words) by threesmallcrows Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: The Bear (TV 2022) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Sydney Adamu/Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto Characters: Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto, Sydney Adamu Additional Tags: Eating Disorders, Past Sexual Abuse, Depression, Carmen "I'm straight up not having a good time" Berzatto, Character Study, Anxiety Summary:

In the intake room, he says to the nurse, “I mean I work in a kitchen for chrissake. I eat all the goddamn time.”

[gendervapor14]

OP Rarepair Month 2023: Week Five ~ Free

just posted the first chapter of my last story for the OP Rarepair Month 2023 event!! i fully intended for this to be a oneshot, but i absorbed too much inspiration, so now there are two other chapters in the works. should be able to get them out relatively soon!

title: all bark and no bite rating: T content warnings: none! relationship: rosinante/crocodile additional tags: fluff and humor, alternate universe - modern setting, boarding kennel au?, suspicions, fake/pretend relationship, undercover missions, sexuality crisis, first dates, trust issues, light angst, drunken shenanigans, awkward tension, awkward dates, first kiss

sample below! :D

The office door behind him rattled and Bell-mère showed face. “Hey. How’d it go?”

Rosinante kept his thoughts to himself for a moment. Rested a hand over his mouth in contemplation, before he glanced to the shorter woman and shuffled closer. “I have to personally babysit a crime lord’s dog. For a week.”

The manager produced an airy scoff, “What?”

“Friday, he’s dropping off Friday, and he’ll be back—”

“No, that’s, I don’t care about that.” She waved a hand, the other perched on her hip. “Crime lord?”

“Well, yeah. You saw the guy, right?”

“So, you’re judging this dude solely on appearances.”

“Here, look.” Rosinante ushered her towards the front counter. Grabbed the paperwork he printed before the visit. Vet documents, although there was some personal information available to mine. “Look at this. Billed to Sir Crocodile. That’s, that’s not a name! That’s a fake name, who the hell names their kid Sir Crocodile?”

“Isn’t your brother named Doflamingo?”

“That’s—completely different, that’s a cultural thing. Sir Crocodile, Bell-mère, that’s the name of a, a mafioso!”

“And why would you know that? Unless you’re in cahoots with the mafia?”

“No, I’m—” With potent exasperation, Rosinante slapped the pages on the shiny countertop and stared at the manager. “Can you be serious with me for five seconds?”

“Look, Rosi, you’re making a big deal about nothing.” She motioned to the paperwork. “Even if he’s the country’s top fucking shitbag, it doesn’t matter. We’re not here to put people in cuffs. We’re running a dog boarding facility. He has a dog. That’s all that matters.”

“Bell-mère, he could have blood on his hands. If we can get this guy arrested or—”

“Then what?” She entertained with a raised brow, “You’ll feel like a hero? They’ll put your name in the paper?”

“This isn’t about me.” He emphasized, “I have him in a very vulnerable position. I have his phone number, I have his address.” He slapped the pages, “We might be able to save a lot of lives here. This isn’t about the dogs.”

“Your job description is dogs.” Bell-mère reminded him. “We’re not marines anymore, Rosinante.”

“So? I can still help the world become a better place, right?” The hope didn’t leave his voice or his posture, gesticulating with vivid frustration, “What, you want me to just sit on my ass, complacent as ever, letting this underworld jackass take advantage of our lovely services?”

Bell-mère paused a moment to absorb the passion of his spiel. “Yes.”

“Well…” Raking fingers through his hair, Rosinante hunched over the counter again, futzing with the register. “I won’t. I’m not going to stand for it. I’ll figure him out. You can’t…unlearn an old dog…old tricks.”

Chewing on her bottom lip, his manager considered him evenly. “Happy about that one?”

“It’s, it’s a work in progress.”

“Right. Well, I suggest dropping it, because crime lord or not, he’ll probably bring in the big bucks. And we could use that kind of green, yeah?”

With an annoyed sigh, Rosinante rubbed at a temple. “Don’t you have some dogs to take out?”

thank you for hosting this, @oprarepairmonth!!

entry for week one can be found here :) entry for week two can be found here :D entry for week three can be found here :P entry for week four can be found here :3

[sketching-shark]

I see I came a little late with the first meeting of the chapter one of jttw in the new group. But I'm still not so sure how it works, I thought it would be like you send a link to the people that wanted to join and then they're members of the grupal blog, so they can post their art/memes and stuff without having to reblog it but making it directly, it doesnt work like that?

Also another question the first meeting is by joining a streaming to read the chapter or something? Or is individual?

Sorry for all the questions <\3

No problem at all anon! As it is this is my first time running a reading group and as such I'm bound to make mistakes, so please let me know if I'm making anything more difficult than it has to be or if there's something I could do to make the group more fun/accessible.

But to make what anon's talking about clear, they're referring to @journeythroughjourneytothewest, a reading group I'm running in which we're making our way through Journey to the West, one chapter per week. The general "rules" that I put for the group is that anyone is welcome to join, but that the official "meeting" is on Sunday, which is the day I encourage members to finish reading that week's chapter and to submit/finish their art, reactions, analysis, memes, etc. based on their reading experience. What I'm also asking people to do is to either submit these things to the reading group directly, or to @ the group's name in the description of their work so that I'm alerted to its existence and can reblog it. I guess if anything you can consider @journeythroughjourneytothewest to be something of an archive of people's reading reactions! While that is the current way it works, feel free to let me know if there's a better way to do it. I guess the main thing is I hope people find the current submission/reblogging policy an easy way to make sure their work is seen by others, and to either have it be submitted from their personal blogs so that it's in at least two places, or just have it be submitted to the group directly, whichever they prefer. I also hope that people find it a reasonable policy for me as the reading group's moderator, as while all submissions have been lovely so far I want to make sure there's nothing hateful (I can also put up a more general guideline for submissions if "hateful" is too vague).

As everyone has their own busy lives and schedules, there is no streaming to read the chapter, and it is left up to people's own prerogative to finish the chapter for that week and to submit their own work. A link to PDFs of the translation we're reading, along with the reading schedule itself, can be found on the reading group's pinned post.

I did make a post about the existence of this reading group that tagged people who showed interest when I first proposed it, but I didn't send out a reminder to those people for the first week...do you think that a weekly reminder to all members and people who showed interest in the group, along with a link to the reading group itself, would be something people would appreciate? I can see the appeal, but I also don't want to be annoying about it lol.

I hope that answers all your questions anon! But again, don't hesitate to let me know if you're still confused or feel like something could be done better. I can also reblog this to @journeythroughjourneytothewest itself if this explanation of this groups very general guidelines would be helpful.