#and her hands are so cool toned they are legitimately pink

[gothprentiss]

got tagged by @fightingdragonswithwho a while back to do the before/after gif coloring challenge! first 3 have the original coloring on the right side, last 2 have the original coloring on the left. (original posts for these are: 1, 2, 3-4, 5)

this was fun! in the process i found a whole bunch of gifs i forgot to post (lol) and also realized what a mess my edit folders are. much to consider...

no pressure tags but i admire your work immensely and would love to see you do this: @hotch-girl @blanchett @alexcabotgf

[angegiarratanawriter]

TNTL Horny Addition

Warnings: Smut

Word Count: 3371

Summary: During an episode of Try Not To Laugh, you break Angela in an unconventional way

Being on the Try Not To Laugh stage has always been surreal for you. Having grown up watching the original episodes that were posted few and far between, it’s been so cool getting to see the show grow and gain its own cult following. It’s honestly one of the reasons that you had decided to audition for Smosh in the first place, and now, getting to be on that stage is one of the coolest things in the world.

This week on TNTL, you’re getting to work with Chanse, Amanda, Courtney, Tommy, and Angela. It’s a great line up, one that you know is going to be a hit once it goes up, if only because the chemistry between Angela and Chanse always makes for a killer video. It also helps that this episode is Simon Says, a clear fan favorite.

As the crew gets everything set up on stage, you pull out your phone and go into your notes app, pulling up the list of bits that you’ve jotted down over the past couple of months. As you’re scrolling, you find one that you’ve been workshopping for Angela. It’s a little bit hardcore, but you think that at this point your relationship is secure enough where you won’t get into too much trouble if you do it. You just hope you get the chance.

Emily calls the cast together to start shooting the intro, so you slip your phone into your pocket with a little smirk. You walk over and take your spot beside Angela, who immediately notices the smile tugging at your lips. She quirks an eyebrow at you in question, but you just shake your head and mouth ‘you’ll see’. Before she can say anything in protest, Courtney starts the into.

“Hey, everyone! Welcome back to another episode of Try Not To Laugh. This week we’re doing Simon Says, so the person in the chair gets to choose a theme or prop that everyone has to use. You know the rest of the drill, try to make each other laugh, spit out the water, blah blah blah. So, who wants to go first?”

“Ooh, I will!” Amanda says eagerly. “I want all of your bits to be set in a Western.”

“Nice,” Chanse says, doing a little fist pump.

While Amanda takes her seat in the stool, everybody heads to the prop area to start prepping their bits. Tommy and Chanse go out first and do their “Gay Cowboys” bit, which looks suspiciously like a recreated scene from Brokeback Mountain. Courtney goes next, wearing a tiny cowboy hat that immediately gets the laugh. As everyone takes their turn, you figure out what you want to do.

“Hey Ange, can I borrow your shirt?” you ask.

“Sure.”

Angela shucks off the white button down that she has on, leaving her in a form fitting black tank top. You take a minute to appreciate her arms before remembering that you have a job to do. You shed your own shirt and put hers on, only doing up the bottom two buttons so that your torso is left completely exposed. You then grab the fluffy pink cowboy hat off of the shelf and grab Courtney to help you.

As soon as you walk on stage, Amanda’s eyes go wide as she looks at your outfit. She pauses slightly on your torso, and you can’t tell if it’s because she recognizes Angela’s shirt or because she’s staring at your stomach. You take a quick glance back over your shoulder, before turning back to Courtney and starting your bit.

“Well, that was the strangest thing I’ve ever seen,” you say with a fake southern accent.

“I’ll say,” Courtney agrees, matching your tone. “I just don’t understand one thing-”

“It’s better you don’t try to. Things like this are better left to rest.”

“But-”

“Forget it, Jake. It’s Chinatown.”

Amanda smacks her hand on her thigh at the reference and turns to the side, spitting the water out before breaking out into legitimate laughter. You’re honestly surprised that this bit was such a success, as it honestly wasn’t your strongest idea out of the gate. Shrugging, you start to walk back towards the prop area but Amanda’s voice stops you.

“Wait, I wanna know what happened!”

“Uh…strippers in a motel?”

“What?” Amanda says, still laughing. “That has nothing to do with the movie.”

“I know,” you say, winking.

Without explaining any further, you turn around and walk back stage, letting Chanse take the floor. You walk slowly over to the monitor, taking the cowboy hat off and placing it back on the shelf on the way by as you watch his bit. As you pull off the button down shirt that you’d borrowed, you feel eyes on boring into your back.

You look over your shoulder to find Angela staring at you, her eyes dark and her lips slightly parted. A little smirk tugs at your lips, and it takes every ounce of self control that you have to refrain from teasing her. Under normal circumstances, you would, but nobody actually knows that you’re dating and there’s a camera on the prop area. Instead you settle for shooting her a wink that won’t be caught before grabbing your own shirt and pulling it on.

“Here,” you say softly, handing over the button down.

“Thanks,” she says, swallowing hard.

“No problem.”

When Amanda’s turn in the chair is done, Chanse takes her place and chooses to make everyone use the little toy chainsaw. Courtney ends up going classic with a Boneless bit, Tommy pretends to cut down a tree that falls on you, Angela chases Amanda around with it, and then they reverse for Amanda’s turn. When it gets to be your turn, you go out with no plan, and end up doing a hilariously bad monologue. It doesn’t get the laugh, but Chanse gives you a nod on your way off the stage.

Courtney’s turn is all about things going wrong on planes, so you trail out an allergic reaction bit where you use a massive sword as an epi pen. Tommy does a safety monologue while mimicking turbulence, Chanse and Angela do a two part bit that is similar to the flight simulator video that they did a while ago, and Amanda puts on a terrible wig and pretends to be the worst flight attendant ever.

Once Courtney’s turn is done, it’s Angela’s turn to take the stool. This is what you’ve been waiting for, and you can only hope that she ends up choosing something that will work with what you have planned. It takes her a minute to finally come up with a rule, but when she does, you do a little silent celebration with yourself.

“Alright, it’s opposite day, folks,” Angela says. “Do with that what you want.”

Smirking to yourself, you walk back to the prop area to get ready for your bit. You spend a minute reversing some things in your head before you get the go ahead from Emily. As you step out onto the stage, Angela looks up, and surprise colors her features. You can only assume it’s because you didn’t bring any props with you, but you know you won’t need any. A sly smirk tugs at your mouth as you stop behind her, leaning in so that your lips almost brush her ear.

“I know that you’re used to being the top in this relationship, but there are a few things that I want to do to you when we get home,” you whisper, your voice low enough that it won’t be picked up by the mics. “First, I’m going to fuck you against our front door, and then, after you’ve come at least twice, I’m going to carry you to our bedroom and handcuff you to the bed posts. From there, you have two options. I can go down on you until my jaw is sore or I can put the strap on and fuck you until you can’t feel your legs.”

The whole time you’ve been whispering in Angela’s ear, you’ve watched a deep blush start to creep up the back of her neck. You can tell she’s trying so hard to hold it together, but as you give her the options, she chokes on the water in her mouth and ends up coughing it out. Her head whips around to look at you, her dark eyes trailing a path down your body before coming back up and locking you into a staring match.

“Remember,” you say, a little bit louder so that the mics can catch it. “It’s opposite day.”

With a little wink, you turn around and walk back to the prop area, letting Amanda take your place on the stage. Throughout the rest of her time in the stool, Angela looks incredibly distracted. She hardly laughs at anyone else’s bit, only coming close when Chanse comes out in almost full drag.

“Girl, what did you say to her?” Amanda asks as she adjusts her wig.

“Something that’s probably going to get me in huge trouble,” you murmur.

As Angela’s turn ends, you head back out to get the rule for Tommy’s turn. He ends up choosing ‘the worst pick up lines’. Chanse rolls out the classic Tennessee one, while Amanda says something about eating dessert before dinner. Courtney goes insane with a line about looking for a third, while Angela goes so dirty that you’re sure that her entire line is going to end up getting bleeped. As you step out onto the stage for your turn, you decide to go classic as well.

“Roses are red, violets are blue,” you say, stopping center stage and batting your eyelashes at Tommy. “I really, really wanna fuck you.”

“Oh shit,” Chanse says from the back, cackling at the wide eyed look on Tommy’s face. “Do another, do another.”

“Violets are blue, roses are thorny, you make me very, very horny.”

That does it, and Tommy spits out the water he’d been holding in his mouth before starting to laugh so hard that he almost falls out of his chair. The crew is cracking up too, and you can see Emily exchanging a look with Shayne off camera. You think you hear something about Courtney having used that line on him when they first started dating, but before you can address it, you’re being ushered to sit in the stool.

“Okay, uhm, I’m gonna go with ‘weirdest things you can get delivered’.”

Amanda ends up going first, getting you with her classic PUS uniform and a tiny toilet that makes a flushing noise. Tommy goes next, coming in with Chanse dressed in a tiger suit and on a leash. Courtney brings out a box of vaguely phallic items, and then Tommy brings in the ripped scroll pretending that its the Declaration of Independence. Finally, it’s Angela’s turn, and you’re honestly a little nervous. She struts out in an FBI jacket and a pair of sunglasses, a pair of handcuffs in her hand.

“You’re under arrest for stealing hearts,” Angela declares.

“Awww, that’s adorable,” Courtney coos from backstage.

“No, it’s not. She’s literally stealing hearts and selling them on the black market. It’s about time that justice is delivered.”

The tiniest little inhale is all it takes to make your life a living hell, as you feel water get pulled down into your lungs. A cough threatens to burst from your throat, but you manage to force your mouth to stay closed, and no water comes out. When you regain control, you stand up and turn around, presenting your hands behind your back. Angela takes them and slaps the cuffs on with practiced ease before leaning in to whisper in your ear.

“You like this, don’t you? Well don’t you worry, you’re gonna get everything that you asked for.”

—

True to her word, the first thing that Angela does when you walk through the front door is pin you against it. A harsh moan slips from your mouth as she pushes a leg in between yours, but it’s swallowed when she connects your lips in a heated kiss. You feel hands move up to your hips, and your breath stutters out when they force you down onto a hard thigh. The movement creates delicious friction, and you suddenly find yourself in the middle of a chase.

As Angela works your hips in a steady rhythm, she starts to kiss down your jaw. As she gets to your neck, you feel her suck gently, hard enough that you can feel it but soft enough that it won’t leave a hickey. Your hips jerk at the sensation, and you suddenly feel an overwhelming need to have her mark you anywhere, everywhere, so you grab the back of her head and pull her in closer.

“Fuck, harder,” you stutter out.

“Is that permission?” Angela asks.

“God yes.”

You feel Angela smirk against your neck before she sucks a patch of your skin into her mouth and lavishes it with her tongue. A harsh moan falls from your lips as she pulls your hips down harder against her leg, and you start to feel the tell tale signs of your high. A rush of warmth spirals down your spine, and your lower stomach starts winding tighter and tighter until it finally snaps.

“Fuck!” you moan, tossing your head back against the door.

The white behind your eyelids blinds you, and you find yourself reaching out for something to hold you steady. Through it all, you feel Angela pressing soft kisses into your neck as she slowly starts to bring you back down. When you’re finally able to open your eyes, you find her already looking at you with an adoring expression on her face.

“So pretty,” Angela murmurs, tracing a finger down your cheek. “I can’t wait to fucking ruin you.”

“Then don’t,” you pant out.

Angela doesn’t waste a second, shifting her hands down your body and positioning them on the backs of your legs before scooping you up. It takes longer than it should to reach the bedroom, with both of you getting distracted by the smallest kiss or touch. When you finally make it, she places you gently down onto the edge of the bed and takes a step back, looking at you with hungry eyes.

“Get undressed,” Angela orders. “Now.”

You immediately scramble into a sitting position, pulling your shirt above your head before unclipping your bra and tossing them both to the side. As you work on getting your sneakers off, you watch Angela start to get undressed too. It takes her less time, and soon she’s walking over to her side table butt naked while you work overtime to get your skinny jeans down your legs.

By the time you manage to pull your panties off, Angela has already gotten everything prepped. There’s a pair of handcuffs threaded through the bars of the headboard, and she’s wearing your favorite strap. You can tell by the way that it’s glistening that she’s already put some lube on it, and that’s confirmed when you look up to see her wiping the stickiness from her hands with a tissue.

“Get up here,” Angela orders, nodding to the head of the bed. “On your back, legs spread, hands above your head.”

Not wanting to waste a second, you crawl up the bed and lay back against the pillows. It takes you a minute to get comfortable, but when you do, you obey the rest of Angela’s orders and put your hands above your head while parting your legs for her. Once you’re in position, she climbs on top of you and reaches up, snapping the cuffs tightly around your wrists.

“Pull,” Angela orders, so you do. “Comfortable?”

“Yes,” you reply.

“Good. If you want to stop at any time-”

“Just tell you. I know, baby.”

“Okay,” Angela says softly, brushing a strand of hair out of your face. “Are you ready?”

“So ready.”

With a nod, Angela turns her attention downwards and brushes the strap over your clit a few times. The action sends a jolt of arousal through you, and you can feel yourself clenching around nothing. She looks up at you one last time, and when you nod, she lines up with your entrance and starts to push in slowly. As she bottoms out, you’re taken a bit by surprise as a wave of heat rolls down your spine.

“Fuck, this isn’t gonna take long,” you mutter, blushing.

“Already, baby?” Angela teases.

Instead of dignifying her with an answer, you grit your teeth and and curl your fingers around the headboard, getting ready to hang on for dear life. You give a brief little nod, and then Angela is moving, setting a slow and steady pace that feels so fucking good but leaves you aching for more. Still, you had been close when you started and that hasn’t changed. If anything, it’s worse now, with Angela looking down at you, her lips parted, and the strap hitting just the right spot.

“Fuck,” you moan, your hands pulling at the cuffs. “Fuck, baby, I-”

“I know,” Angela says softly, her hips speeding up. “Take what you need.”

The pleasure spills over, and you feel yourself being thrown in to a mind blowing orgasm. Your entire body shudders as shock waves roll through you, bringing you up as high as you’ve ever been. As the pleasure starts to fade back to baseline, you tilt your head back against the pillows to try to force some air into your lungs. This opens up an opportunity for Angela to attach her lips to your neck again, and she takes it.

As your girlfriend sucks another mark into your collarbone, she starts to speed her hips up. The tip of the strap is hitting your g-spot on every stroke, and you can tell that it won’t be long until you reach another high. Not long ends up being sooner than expected, and your orgasm surprises you when Angela bites down hard on your neck. The comedown is a little bit rough this time, and you can feel the oversensitivity start to set in.

“Baby, I need you to come,” you say, your breath stuttering. “I don’t think I can take much more.”

“Do you want me to stop?” Angela asks, looking up in concern.

“God no. But I only have one more left in me.”

“I can work with that.”

Angela speeds up her hips until she’s practically slamming into you, the force of her thrusts causing the headboard to smack against the wall. The sound is obnoxious and sure to piss off your neighbors, but you can’t bring yourself to care when your girlfriend is making you feel this good. You feel her hips start to stutter, and you know that she’s close, so you do everything you can to help her along, rutting your hips up into her to increase the friction.

“Fuck, I’m there,” Angela moans. “Come with me.”

Never one to disobey an order, you feel your stomach tighten before a spark of pleasure steamrolls through your body. You gasp for air, trying and failing to get any in. It takes you a long time to come down, long enough that Angela is looking at you with a cute little pout on her face when you do finally open your eyes.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” you says, leaning up to press a soft kiss to your girlfriend’s lips. “Just a little over stimmed.”

“Do you want me to pull out?”

“Please.”

With an adorable little nod, Angela carefully separates your bodies. Once she’s pulled completely put of you, she grabs the keys to the handcuffs and unlocks them before getting up and disappearing into the bathroom. She returns a minute later with a warm wash cloth and no strap in sight. A smile tugs at the corner of your lips as she starts to wipe the wetness from your thighs, and you sigh softly.

“I love you,” you murmur.

“And I love you,” Angela replies, looking up with a smile. “Now get up and go pee, you don’t want to get a UTI.”

[gale-dragon-writer]

While I’m working on some stories, here are some random snippets from a few planned Miraculous projects~. They’re not in any particular order.

~}I{~

Kindness and Karma

}{

Malcom (Satan) growled in annoyance when he snapped out, "No! Your anger is the only thing that doesn't make any sense in this whole issue!"

Alya snapped back in anger, "What are you talking about?! How can me being angry NOT make any sense?!"

Malcom ran a hand through his hair when he stated, "Because there's no reason why You should be angry!" Before Alya could retort, the fiery redhead pointed at a surprised-looking Nino and then Kim when he snapped out, "They had a legitimate reason to be angry!" He waves his hands when he explains, "They gave you a specific deadline as to when they had to leave and wanted to leave no later than that! A deadline, that you agreed to! But you got mad at them for wanting to leave after keeping them at the event long after the deadline had passed! Their anger was in the right, while yours is just out of nowhere!" Malcom then pointed at a shocked Marinette when he stated, "Her anger is legitimate! She's fed up and upset with the majority of her supposed friends making plans and then bailing on her at the last minute when someone else gives them a call, yet you have been nothing but belligerent towards her!"

Karen (Ramiel) couldn't help but point out, "Mal is making a valid point." She shrugged her shoulders when she added, "While they are negative emotions, they are healthy responses to what has happened." She looked at the childhood friends when she stated, "So their emotions are normal for what happened." Karen then looked at the blogger when she said in a concerned tone, "You on the other hand... Seem to lash out at almost every interaction from what Mal and I have seen..."

Malcom folded his arms in annoyance when he scoffed out, "Which includes you leaping in my mouth when I asked legitimate questions."

Karen quickly corrected with a flat tone, "The phrase is "Jumping down your throat", Mal."

The fiery redhead huffed when he got out, "That too, Kare."

}{

Malcome and Karen glanced at each other in uncertainty before the one with the pink-tinted glasses stated in confusion as she semi-pointed her left index finger towards the group of girls, "Uhh, I'm not sure if it's because we're recent additions to this class or something, but I'm seeing a rather clear pattern to... Those indences."

Malcolm folded his arms when he stated in annoyance, "Agreed... It's making me wonder How is it that None of you noticed that it has been happening?" He scoffed before adding, “This also explains why Marinette has been acting the way she is.”

}{

Adrien: "Okay, can we agree that while it wasn't how we planned it..."

Marinette: "Yeah, no, it's got to be the weirdest way to find out someone's ID."

Plagg: "Well, at least it is a unique identity reveal. Hehe."

Tikki: "Not helping, Plagg..."

}{

Markov reviewed the data before asking, "Max, are you positive this is accurate?"

Max nodded when he stated, "It is. I quadruple-checked it..." He bit his lips when he said, "But if this is true..." Max looked at the screen again before he picked up his phone and dialled the number on the screen. Markov hovered as both listened to the dial tone.

The sound of someone picking up the other side of the line was heard. "Hello? Who's calling?" The voice of an adult man came over the phone.

Max took a deep breath before he said, "Umm, hello, is this Mr Antonio Rossi?"

}I{

Trip to Gotham

}{

Assassin’s Creed: … These new screen names oddly fit… Though I’m not sure about Alfred and Bastard’s…

Red Hoodlum: Demon Spawn, you better be talking about Blood and not me. Mine is literally my hero's name!

AcroBatz: Ah, right, Damian hasn’t met Jason Blood yet, so he wouldn’t know that ref.

RobinRed: I can tell you that it’s still going to be confusing having both Jasons in the same space… I’m surprised that Blood kept his cool in that situation.

Red Hoodlum: Really? Demon Spawn hasn’t met the Demon? I’m a little surprised.

Assassin’s Creed: Wait, so this Demon Knight screen name isn't Bastard? What are you two talking about? Who's this other Jason? And what does it have to do with a demon?

Sebastian: I just noticed the chat and read what had happened. Right now, all I have to say is…

Sebastian: Really, Master Bruce?

Demon Knight: Well, I agree with Bruce on that. You’re one hell of a butler.

Batdad: Exactly!

Sebastian: Hmm, touche.

AcroBatz: OH SHIT!

RobinRed: No! No! No! I don’t believe it!

Red Hoodlum: I did NOT read what I thought I read!

Kunoichi: ?

Assassin’s Creed: ?

Batdad: Is there something wrong with what we were talking about?

AcroBatz: Yeah! How the hell do you three fossils know about Anime?!

Sebastian: Master Dick, we are not fossils. We are merely older gentlemen.

Batdad: And we are allowed to indulge in Anime every once and a while.

Assassin’s Creed: Cass… Do you have any clue what they’re talking about?

Kunoichi: Nope. I was hoping you would…

Demon Kight: Back to the og topic… What was Cassandra texting about you Bat-Kids getting siblings?

Batdad: I was also going to ask that.

Kunoichi: 😏

}{

Alix was passing back and forth in front of the park bench Kim and Max were sitting at while Markov hovered above. The skater then got out in an annoyed tone, "I don't get it, why would Lila say something like that when it isn't true?" She paused as she looked at her friends when she stated, "We know the real reason why our class is going to Gotham, but if Lila claims to be "super close" to the Wyanes as she claims, she should've known that too."

Kim couldn't help but point out, "And know why it should be kept a secret until the Gala." He paused before he questioned, "But wouldn't that implication be worse if Lila is saying that she asked one of the Wyanes to have our class and Ms Mendeleiev's class go to Gotham?"

Max was feeling self-conscious when he got out, "Well, that can only mean one of two things... Either Lila is telling the truth and the reason we're going to Gotham is because she asked for it to happen... And the letter I got was a prank or... Lila is lying about both knowing the Waynes and being the reason behind the trip..."

Markov was quick to say, "Considering that the letter has the watermark and seal from the Wyane Company, I can conclude that it is 100% authentic." He held his claw in the air when he stated in a logical tone, "Therefore, Lila is lying about a major event."

Alix clicked her tongue before she said, "If that's true, then why make us think that?"

Kim shrugged when he suggested, "Attention? Because that's the only thing I can think of." He then had a thought before he placed a hand on his chin when he commented, "Wait, now that I think about it..."

}{

Adrien leans over and whispers to Chloe, "Uhh, do you have any idea what's going on here?"

Chloe whispers back, "No, I was kind of hoping you would."

Damian scoffs before he states in an annoyed tone, "They are not staying unless they can hold their own in a fight! I refuse to have any incompetent allies."

Cassandra: 😏

}{

Miss Bustier ran a hand through her hair when she got out in a flabbergasted tone, "I know I heard Marinette during roll call before we got on the bus! And our students can testify to that!"

Ms Mendeleiev placed a hand on her chin when she mused thoughtfully, "True, we Heard Ms Dupain-Cheng call out "I'm here!" at every roll call, but I can't recall actually Seeing her during roll call." She let out a thoughtful hum before she said, "Let's do something a little differently next roll call."

}I{

Smiling Agent

}{

With a smirk, she said, "Al'ight, Hawkmoth, I'll help you get those Miraculous. However, I'm doing things My way." With that, a black aura festered out of the Akumatized object and engulfed her.

}{

Marinette held up her hand in a 'hold-on there' manner when she got out, "Whao! Wait a second! I just talked to them regarding what kind of baked goods they would like and they told me a very different story."

Nino raised a brow when he asked, "How different are we talking?"

Marinette folded her arms when she stated, "That the type of items that Alya told me to make sure to have are things that two of them can't eat."

Ivan raised a brow in concern when he asked, "Wait, that... Doesn't make any sense." He moved his hands a bit when he added, "If they can't eat those flavours then they wouldn't ask for them."

Marinette narrowed her eyes when she stated, "Oh, they would have to ask about it alright, but only to make sure they aren't used at all." She held back a growl when she nearly hissed out, "Especially since one of them is severely allergic to one of the items!”

"Wait?! WHAT!!!?"

That was when Marinette asked in a serious tone, "So this is where I have to ask, who told you about their "favourite flavours"? Because from my point of view, someone thought it would be funny to put someone in the hospital, or worse."

}{

"Listen, I'm not bein' hypocritical or rude, but given that I can tell that Adrianne is not comfo’table when that Storyteller latches onto 'er at every interaction I've seen... It's kind of bad. So how the hell could all but a few of you NOT see that?"

"I'm a little more concerned about why Adrianne hasn't said or told anyone about the unwanted attention if it's that bad?"

"Or at least told her to stop or set up some boundaries."

}{

With that, he smiled.

}I{

Sin of Reveal

}{

Jason Blood smirked when he replied to the mental terrorist, "Oh, so you were after her! Guess that technically makes you a paedophile."

Hawkmoth: "WHAT?! No! I'm nothing of the sort!! I simply know that Ms Duapin-Cheng will be my greatest Akuma and will get me the Miraculous of the Back Cat and Ladybug!"

Jason let out a hum as he looked over the Akumatized item he used to catch the Akuma when he said almost casually, "So, that's what you've been waiting for, huh. I must say, you seem to have quite a lot of time to just sit around and wait for people to get emotionally distressed, especially teenagers, so I can't help but think that you don't have much of an active life."

Marinette couldn't help but be in awe at what she was witnessing. This man was... Taunting Hawkmoth... While he was in the middle of being possessed by the terrorist!

The rest of Miss Bustier's class came rushing over, also baffled and confused about what was going on as Marinette.

Jason kept that smirk with a short chuckle when he said, "Sorry, but I'm going to have to decline. I'm trying to avoid being involved with the Miraculous, and besides... Three's a crowd."

}{

Satan got all flustered and nervous when he got out, "Oh! My dear sister! It's good to see you!" He did his best to recover his composer when he asked, "But why are you here?"

}{

"SIr Raguel, we've got a bit of a problem."

}{

"Adrien, boyo, yah're allowed ta want answer ta questions yah had fur a good while, even if yah no longer have a connection ta tha source of it."

}{

Raguel tilts his head to the side when he asks, "Lord Satan, are you sure that you have the part of Young Adrien's soul that was agreed upon?"

Satan raises a brow at this as he shifts the box he is holding and says, "Of course I'm sure, I extracted it myself. You can ask the witnesses listed if you want to confirm." He paused before he asked the Angel of Justice, "Why do you think that I didn't have any part of Adrien's soul?"

Raguel replied in a slightly confused tone, "Because the aura coming from that box doesn't match Young Adrien."

Satan blinked in confusion when he asked, "I know it's Adrien's but... Why are you getting a different sense? And how does it feel?"

Raguel states in a calm tone, “I am not sure as to why it feels different from Young Adrien.” He then nods his head to Amelie when he adds, "But the bond you have in the box feels near-identical to that woman over there."

}I{

Inconsistency

}{

Marinette raised a brow at the question when she asked, "Why do you want to know that?"

Everyone flashed back to when Jazz kissed Officer Prowl on the lips before their final battle but knew they couldn't tell Marinette that that was the reason why they were asking.

Thankfully, Sabrina explained to the bluette, "Well, Mr Jazz did seem pretty affectionate towards Officer Prowl when we first met him, so I guess we couldn't help but wonder."

'Thank you, Sabrina!' the Miraculous Heroes thought with glee, now having a legitimate reason to be asking that question.

Marinette had an expression that read 'good point' before she finally said, "Oh, they're married to each other. In both the Magical aspects and the human way."

}{

Nino was waving his free hand frantically when he almost shouted into the phone, "Uncle Al! Calm down! I can't understand you when you're talking that fast! What happened?"

}{

Lila smirked when she said to herself, "I was right, this does look perfect on me~."

}{

Jazz tapped the surface of the wood when he asked Gabriel Agreste, "Given that there was a time gap between when her symptoms started and when she went inta tha coma... How come yah never brought her ta any hospital or even called an ambulance?" He waved his other hand when he added, "All this could've been avoided if yah did either."

}{

D hung up the phone and looked around at his work.

Everything was perfect.

}{

Officer Prowl looked up worriedly at Jazz as he clutched his niece close to his chest and then said in an anxious tone, "Don't make me arrest you."

"Don't worry, it an't gunna happen," Jazz stated coldly.

}I{

Until the Stories come out~.

[jungshookz]

teeny tidbits: jungkook picks y/n up from class & all eyes are on him

➺ pairing; badboy!jungkook x y/n 

➺ wordcount; 1.6k

➺ p.s. yes i’m aware this REEKS of 2012 wattpad clichés and i basically groaned and rolled my eyes the entire time i was writing this but i’m trying to redeem myself from the tragedy that was the 2018!badboykook fic and 2021!cee needed to get this out of her system!!! and sometimes cheesy things are good for the soul!! please enjoy this teeny tidbit and feel free to roll ur eyes with me 

(unfortunately i wasn’t able to track down the original maker of this gif but this is where i sourced it from! all credits go to the maker of course :-))) 

                                     »»————-　🏍️　————-««

“can’t you ask jungkook to get us in?” jimin sighs frustratedly, nudging you with his elbow before reaching over and pulling the door open for you, “come on… this is going to be the party of the semester! we can’t miss it!”

“i’m sure there’ll be a big ol’ party next semester, jimin-” you roll your eyes playfully before shaking your head, “besides, we’ve been to dozens of parties already! the world isn’t going to end if we don’t go to this one, right?”

“but kim taehyung is hosting this one!” jimin exclaims, grabbing onto your elbow before giving you a shake, “and his parties are legendary. do you know what people are going to say if they find out i wasn’t there??”

good grief

you’ve come to really like jimin in the five-ish months that you’ve gotten to know him, but if there’s one thing you could change about him it’d be his obsession with campus parties

(sometimes you think that jimin probably wouldn’t hang around you as much if you weren’t dating jungkook and his magical ability to get into pretty much any party possible... but that’s a conversation you can have with him another day.)

“you care far too much about what people think.” you frown, shaking your head in disappointment, “i promise you no one’s going to care when you tell them you weren’t at one party-”

“come on…! please??” your eyes widen when jimin stops in his tracks and stomps down on the ground like a petulant child, his plush bottom lip pushed out in a pathetic little pout, “don’t do this to me, huh? just- just bring it up to jungkook and see what he says- promise me you’ll ask jungkook- please please please-”

“okay, okay!” you turn around to face jimin before letting out a huff, “fine. if it’ll get you to stop whining, i promise you i’ll ask jungkook about getting you-”

“-us-”

“-us- getting us into this dumb party.” you smile, crossing your fingers behind your back, “happy?”  

you most certainly will noT be asking jungkook about getting you guys into this party because you’re sick of going to parties!

sure, this is all part of your ~university experience~ but that doesn’t mean you have to go to a party every other weekend

you’d love to just stay in and sleep

god, you’d kill for a good, long night of sleep...

even thinking about it now is making you drowsy

“mhm!” jimin’s face immediately lights up in a delighted smile before he points over your shoulder, “you can ask him right now.”

“ask him n-” you glance over your shoulder, eyes widening in surprise to see jungkook waiting for you by the sidewalk, “-ow... uh, perfect!”

jungkook’s here!

...you… weren’t expecting him to be... here...

jungkook gives a couple of girls a polite smile and a nod of acknowledgement as they walk past him with flirty giggles

“okay, uh-” you turn back to give jimin a stiff smile before crinkling your nose and holding a finger up, “would you mind waiting here for me?”

“i'll wait as long as you want me to as long as you get us into that party-!” jimin calls out after you as you hurry down the brick steps to jungkook

“holy shit. i’d love give his motorcycle a ride-” 

“mhm, any day... any day!” 

you stumble over your feet a little as two girls brush past you from behind, leaving a trail of sweet-smelling perfume tickling at your nose

“hey, there you are!” a grin spreads on jungkook’s face when he sees you coming towards him, pushing himself up so he’s not leaning against his motorcycle, “i was worried i was at the wrong building.”

“uh-huh, so what are you-” you clear your throat quietly before letting out a nervous chuckle, giving your boyfriend a chummy, super casual and not at all romantic punch to the chest, “what are you, uh, doing… here?”

“picking you up from… class?” he mocks your high-pitched tone with a boyish smile before pursing his lips, “you are done for the day, right? that’s what your schedule says.”

“yeah, i’m done, i just- wait a minute-” you frown, your eyes flickering to the side as you try to recall jungkook’s schedule, “shouldn’t you be in a biology lecture right now?”

“the prof dismissed us, like, forty minutes early.” jungkook shrugs, “so i thought i’d come and pick you up so that you didn’t have to walk all the way back to your dorm to meet m-”

“-why’d you take the bandaids off your cheek?” you interrupt him suddenly as you reach up to cup his face, gently brushing your thumb over the healing cut on his cheekbone (he was half-asleep and walked directly into the frame of the bathroom door), “i told you to keep them on for another day. i was going to take them off for you tonight.”

“they made me look lame.” he scrunches his nose and you immediately frown in disapproval, “plus, showing off the cut makes me look so much cooler-”

“that’s not a legitimate excuse-”

“it so is!” jungkook turns his head before pointing at it, “look at that and tell me you don’t think i’m cool-”

it’s not that you don’t love that jungkook knows what time you finish class and where exactly to pick you up (swoon!)- the thing that’s making you nervous is the fact that people naturally seem to just... stare at him whenever he’s around

to be fair, you would stare too if you didn’t know him!

the all-black outfit, the perfectly tousled hair that never seems to be out of place, the obviously very handsome face, and the shiny shiny motorcycle that makes a very obnoxious vrOOm-vroOOom sound whenever he revs the engines

you’re not embarrassed to be seen with him because you are very!!! fond of your boyfriend but…

well, it’s just that if they’re staring at him, they’re most definitely staring at you, too  

and sometimes you worry that you don’t look very compatible with jungkook... and then you worry that people are laughing at you and only you... and then you wonder what people mutter to each other whenever they walk past you two and give you that awful ‘how did someone like you land someone like him?’ stare... and then you feel like you have to prove that you’re dating jungkook but you don’t want to make a scene...

it certainly doesn’t help that there are rubber-duckies on your socks

also, it’s hitting you now that it’s pretty hypocritical to call jimin out on how intense he is about other people’s opinions of him when you’re so in your head about this

jungkook tilts his head curiously when he notices you glancing around like there’s a big target on your back and he resists the urge to snort

he knows exactly why you’re so twitchy, and as much as he wants to reassure you and tell you that literally no one is paying attention to the two of you - and even if they did, who cares? - ...well, he’s allowed to have his fun, isn’t he?  

“oh, what’s the matter, sweet girl? you still embarrassed to be seen with me?” jungkook coos mockingly, slipping an arm around your waist as he pulls you in towards him with a cheeky grin, “hm? don’t want anyone to see your big, bad boyfriend?”

“jungkook-!” you grip onto his forearm in alarm when he leans in, nudging his nose under your jaw so he can give the side of your neck a teasing bite, “cut it out, you weirdo-” your face immediately goes bright pink and you reach up to flatten your palm against his chest to create some distance, “jimin’s still over there-”

“is he?” jungkook hums, giving your warm cheek a kiss before pulling away and looking up towards the staircase, “ah, yep. i see him...” he gives jimin a wave accompanied with a friendly smile and jimin takes that as a sign to come over and join you two

“oh, god. he’s coming over.” jungkook keeps the smile on his face as he looks back down at you, “please tell me he’s not about to ask me about another party. i’m starting to worry that the number of times i’ve asked to come to a party is starting to make me look desperate for socialization- hey, jimin!”

you turn around so you can face jimin and jungkook reaches down to link his fingers with yours  

“hey, bro!!!!” jimin greets a little too enthusiastically as he holds up his fist for a bump, jungkook’s eyes flicking down to it before he reluctantly raises his own arm to bump his fist against jimin’s, “so, like, i’m sure y/n’s already debriefed you on kim taehyung’s party-”

“ah, yeah. taehyung’s party- you sure you wanna go to that one?” jungkook frowns as he glances back down at you, “because taehyung’s from one of the sleazier frats-”

“i heard they pop open bottles of champagne and spray them, like, all over everyone-” jimin gushes, jungkook raising a brow before chuckling lightly

“and you… want that?”

“it’ll look great on my instagram highlights.”

“that… yeah, that’s a bonus for sure.” jungkook gives your hand a squeeze and you bite back a giggle, “who cares about wasting multiple bottles of expensive champagne when they make for a great instagram highlight?”

“see? you get it!” jimin chirps before looking over at you, “he gets it, y/n.”

“mm, he certainly does.”

(jungkook likes jimin, it’s just that he thinks he’s a little too eager about his place on the social ladder sometimes…)

“oh, and don’t worry-” jimin beams, “y/n and i won’t abandon you at the party or anything because i hear their house is huge-”

“yeah, because i’m the third wheel in this trio.”

🎙️help me help you make your wishes come true (send me a request!)

✨why don’t you explore the rest of the library while you’re here?

💫or perhaps you want something shorter to read?

🌟or something even shorter?

[river-bottom-nightmare]

Nightwing 83 Review

guess who isn't weeks late this time. my opinion of the series is going up a little bit. it's still not great, but i'm not actively put off by it anymore the way i was after 81. not going to tag as spoilers, but be warned that they are under the cut

i’m sure you all are well aware of this but now, but dear god i love bruno redondo’s art. like, an unhealthy amount. the pink and blue is getting to be a theme with either him or just this run, but i am definitely enjoying it. the movement in this cover is clearly obvious, but well done. you recoznize right off the bat that the cover was drawn to drag your eyes down the page until you get to the bottom, but you enjoy the whole ride there. 

also, redondo’s way of drawing a character in stages of action so we can see just how much they’re doing in a split second of movement is quickly becoming something i like to see drawn with dick, and any other character that has that sort of ease of movement and body sense, like cass or sin or maybe a super. 

and he’s in action the entire time! there’s shot drawn just to show off a shirtless comic book character, the way nightwing is so often subjected to. he’s shirtless because he’s changing his clothes, and that’s all we see, no more and no less. very practical, very well done. i like it.

he looks so cute right here oh my god. the little squint, the hair curls. it’s adorable.

but also like. unless melinda has specifically outfitted the door spyhole so that the person on the other side can’t see dick looking through it (and in all honesty she might have) then everyone on the other side can see dick looking through that door. 

bringing your attention back to the “i can’t see melinda’s fbi file oh no!! it’s redacted!! whatever can we do!!” stupidity. redacted files are child’s play for oracle, and definitely doable for both dick and bruce. so that’s bullshit.

now, melinda apparently grew up with the maroni family, then took down part of the family from the inside. the maroni family is a large and notable presence in gotham, one that bruce pays a respectable amount of attention to. he definitely would have grown suspicious when two members of the maroni family were taken down, and with some investigation, he would have discovered melinda’s plan. and it should go without saying that the majority of things you see batman doing? dick can do it too.

it’s not so much that i don’t like how clever the villains/antiheroes are getting. i don’t like how dc heroes are increasingly written as less intelligent. they seem to be relying on pure fighting skills or luck, which may be the case for a couple heroes, but has never been the case for most of dc’s big name heroes, the bat family included. it’s irritating to me to see this sort of stuff pop up as a major plot point when i know that, if dick or bruce had been written with the amount of skill and power that they canonically possess, this entire mess would have been sorted out years ago.

unrelated but dick and melinda have the same hair

this may just be me, but i was always under the impression that dick doesn’t really have a “double life???”

yes, he’s talented enough to create enough differences between robin/nightwing and dick grayson’s mannerisms, way of movement, voices, and speech patterns so that it’s very difficult to put the two together.

but nightwing has never been separate from dick grayson, not the way bruce and batman is. he’s always leaned more towards clark in that aspect: his hero persona is an exaggerated, stately, larger-than-life version of who he really is. there’s no second persona, no real “dick grayson identity” and “nightwing identity.” they’re the same person with the same goals, ideas, and skills. one just pretends to abide by the law, and one gives up pretense of that.

oh good thank god. if he’d trusted her right off the bat (hehe. bat.) i would have slapped him upside the head. at least he’s still got instincts.

gosh the colouring on this is cool. the red has enough purple and pink tones to it that it doesn’t abruptly ruin the tone of the artwork. but it’s definitely glaring enough to take the reader outside of this personal moment they had slipped into between dick and melinda, to put them back in the present where they’re reminded that oh yea there are people hunting dick down. 

the next panel keeps this up too, in a less severe way. melinda’s bodyguard shows up (i forgot her name sorry :[ ) and subtly places us in the middle of an action scene rather than a private, personal scene.

laughing so fucking hard have our little vigilantes grown so accustomed to breaking into places that it doesn’t even register as a crime anymore??? tim coming in through the fire escape to pick bernard up for their date and being very much confused as to why bernard is freaking out.

i really like melinda’s shirt and now despite all the work i have to do and the fucking conference i have to host on monday i want to spend hours scrolling through clothing shops online trying to find this shirt. the mock neck/neckline is so cool i want it

so roland just assumes that a very dangerous vigilante who is highly talented in combat and a very dangerous bodyguard who is also highly talented in combat had a fight that ended with this very dangerous bodyguard being tied up and she looks completely fine? roland just assumes that her having no visible wounds or bruises means that they got into a fight and she lost that easily? uh. aight then

dick what are you doing. legitimately what the fuck are you doing. why are you posing oh my god. you are injured and tired and in absolutely no position to go hand to hand with one of main enemies. jesus christ run away or head to lower ground or something. don’t just stand around letting the floodlights show exactly where you are.

i don’t understand what he’s trying to do here??? blockbuster fully bought the story that dick fought them both, won, tried to get info out of them and failed, then hightailed it out of there. he didn’t have to draw roland out for a fight.

but it does look cool. the way the light just highlights his silhouette and the blue parts of his costume does look badass. he does get style points in my book for this.

w h a t  d i d  i  f u c k i n g  t e l l  y o u ,  d i c k ?

very classic superhero line and it does sound like something dick would say in a fit of righteous rage but also it makes me laugh so hard because all vigilantes think they’re so powerful that the law doesn’t apply to them. dick vigilantism is illegal. you’re acting above the law and pretending it doesn’t apply to you. hypocritical much?

it happens so often in superhero movies, tv shows, comics, whatever and it makes me giggle every damn time.

pretty decent comeback but before i start seeing people writing blockbuster as a thug i’m going to remind you that he made a deal with a demon for genius level intellect. if this turns into another bane situation i’m going to be a little miffed. he’s a smart man, which makes him a dangerous and infinitely more interesting enemy for nightwing.

this is so horribly in character i want to scream. (or. at least. it lines up with one of the versions of nightwing i have in my head.) he’s running right towards the bullets, miraculously doesn’t get shot, while making a sort-of pun. i hate this so much. i love him.

this is cool. this art is really really cool.

he leaped from a building right towards a helicopter that’s actively shooting at him, but none of the bullets are touching him. none of the corruption of the city can touch him no matter how hard it tries, because he’s too good to be corrupted. Comic Book Logic Can Be Good Sometimes Actually.

batman’s belt what??? swiss army knife who?? sorry, i only know nightwing’s bright blue escrima.

this is one of my favourite things about heroes with exceptional abilities, even more so if the hero is human. the things they can do are so far beyond the realm of normal human abilities that it’s equal parts terrifying and awe-inspiring every time they act.

he just used modified grappling wires to hook to the door of a moving helicopter, swung around the helicopter safely without hitting the blades, gained exactly the right momentum to swing upward again right through the opening of helicopter, then fought and tied up the men before they had any idea what was happening. that’s near impossible to do.

it’s stuff like this where i just sort of sigh in contentment. no matter how many times they leave out dick’s detective skills or conveniently forget that he’s actually a master planner and team leader and make him out to be this forgetful dude who makes everything up on the fly because of his “circus roots,” at least they won’t ever take away dick’s sheer physical ability honed to perfection. 

the art, too! in a few panels, dick’s drawn a little lightened or blurred. he’s moving so quickly and fighting so efficiently that he can barely be seen by the enemy. he’s got perfect form all the way through.

and THIS!

there was a helicopter that had five men shooting at him with what looks like machine guns. most people would be dead. some would run away, and be nimble enough to survive without fatal hits. there are very few people, even in fucking comic books, who can look at that hopeless situation and turn it around so quickly and thoroughly that he benefits from it instead.

i just. love nightwing.

it was funny the first time as a comic reader aware of the meme. it’s really not anymore. why the hell would you, in universe, be wearing a shirt that has a picture of your boyfriend being hit in the face by his father. 

okay that was funny. 

look at lil bitewing, so concerned for her human!!! love her sm. 

also a question as to the timeline of things. is nightwing happening before or after urban legends? 

i was so distracted by dick wearing a robe and briefs and nothing else that i didn’t register the second part until later. he slept for two days?? babs, baby, he recently had a very traumatic brain injury. why do you sound so nonchalant?

@TIM X COFFEE SHIPPERS GET FUCCCCKKKKEEDDDDD

ngl i totally forgot about that dude oops

this comic is giving so many reaction pictures. you know how you always use the worst possible picture of your friend for your friend’s contact picture? i’m just getting so many of these.

leslie!!! the titans!!! lucius!!! dick going to go see old friends!!!! the titans!!! this part made me so irrationally happy it really did. gar being the one to just. offer dick solutions with open arms. this was the best

i wish i could just copy and paste this entire scene, but that would take up way too much space, so i’m just going to talk about it instead. 

you gave me my name, nightwing, and you gave me some of the best advice i’ve received in my life: beautiful little throwback to nightwing’s origin. you’d be surprised at the amount of people who don’t know where the name came from, or who don’t know how much clark means to dick. and the fact that dick still looks up to clark as a hero, recognizes that clark isn’t always perfect and yet continues to hold him in such high esteem, and still looks back on advice that clark gave him fondly just warmed my heart so much.

for a man who has fearlessly stood up to darkseid, bruce will do a lot to avoid a conversation: “grrr. i’m the BATMAN. i’m so DARK and MYSTERIOUS. nobody knows the true me. no one ever will. i will be LONELY for the rest of my CURSED LIFE. such is the price of a hero. ignore my farmer himbo husband in the background”

but i don’t think there’s anything heroic about being a billionaire: another nod to how much dick follows clark’s example rather than bruce. yes, this was a very poignant and important criticism, and i think it’s wonderful that this was published in a pretty popular comic book. but the thing is, there is a way to be a heroic billionaire, but only in fictional universes. the way bruce, ollie, t’challa only ever use their wealth to help people. they donate massive amounts of money to charities that they themselves create so they know exactly how the money is being used. they hire people who aren’t likely to get jobs anywhere else and pay them much more than what a base living wage is. they use their power to help push progressive laws and social change. they are helping. 

dick doesn’t fully see it that way. he spent more than half his childhood the son of a billionaire, but still believes that one could be more heroic when one doesn’t have obscene amounts of wealth. whose example do you think he followed to come to that conclusion?

superman looked up to alfred pennyworth?: i mean yea alfred may have been a wildly irresponsible guardian and one hell of an enabler but goddamn if he didn’t love his kid.

you don’t need my input. you’ve thought it all through: ooooooh this line made me grin. for so long, dick’s treated clark as a mentor and a guiding figure. he’s still seen as a kid, an up and coming, snot-nosed titan with dreams of a better world. clark still thinks of him as a kid, despite watching him grow up. but this little line was something i think dick needed sorely to hear. he doesn’t need anyone’s guiding hand on his shoulder, he doesn’t need to ask for permission. he doesn’t need clark to support him the way he did when he was a teenager. he’s all grown up now, and he doesn’t need clark’s help. i imagine it was a bit of a surprise for dick to hear that. 

honestly, i couldn’t think of a better role model: ohhh but it doesn’t stop there. clark just straight up turns the tables on dick. imagine you’re dick, and you’ve looked up to this one hero your entire life, and then one day he turns to you and says that he thinks you’re so kind and smart and worthy of a person that he wants you to mentor his son!? goes to show just how much clark trusts dick.

i swear to god dick probably cries every time he hears clark compliment him because bruce is so rare and sparing with his praise that clark giving him the slightest hint of approval is just a dopamine rush.

also, now deathstroke and superman have both asked nightwing to mentor their kids. the juxtaposition is fuckin hysterical. imagine either of their reactions when they realize what kind of company they’re with

lets talk colours for a second, because i absolutely adore how classic colour tropes have been subverted in this comic, and in this general run really.

warm tones have usually (usually, not always) been associated with light and comfort and friendship and,,,,,well,,,warmth. whereas cool tones are usually used to unsettle, or make a scene seem colder and put the reader on edge. this varies if a comic only uses cool tones, or only uses warm tones, but if a comic uses both, this is generally well-used.

that isn’t the case in this run.

dark red, orange, and other warm tones have been used to symbolize danger, action, attacks. hot pink isn’t usually included in this colour group, but it’s definitely part of it in this case. in contrast, scenes that have cool colours give us the impression of slipping into a comfortable, calm scene with babs, tim, the titans, and other allies. even the beginning scene with superman has this blue, but then it transitions into something more golden coloured. dawn broke over dick, as his new idea came to light, and that was reflected in the art (and the sunrise setting.)

have there ever been times when dick’s longed for the comfort of his mask because he didn’t feel confident as dick grayson? i can’t think of any. i may be wrong, but this struck me as pretty ooc.

am i just??? gay and reading this all wrong??

cause i was under the impression that when someone says they are grateful for your friendship you don’t immediately kiss them. 

or is this like. normal straight mating rituals.

i mean he’s smiling afterward but still babs aren’t you supposed to at least make sure it’s okay first? you guys broke up a while back after you said something along the lines of “i want to be coworkers with you and nothing more because i don’t trust you or feel comfortable around you as a civilian anymore.” like lmao after you say something like that to someone i would assume that you don’t have the permission to just kiss them whenever you want.

show of hands who else got real sad when they realized dick was talking about himself in this.

sure, he could be referencing the things he’s seen blockbuster pull, and the children on the streets. but “i’ve seen money used for enforcement,” sounds a little too close to dick’s entire life being destroyed by one man threatening the circus to pay protection money for me to completely ignore. and “i’ve seen the poorest and most vulnerable blamed and punished rather than assisted” becomes a lot worse when you remember dick was thrown in juvie for a couple months until bruce was able to obtain legal guardianship, and in there, not a authority figure believed him when he told them his parents were murdered.

he’s lived this before.

a. mother. fucking. typo.

fucking why

i mean i’ve stated my distaste for the batfamily groupchat before but like. this is reaching new levels of ridiculousness. jason sounds like he was written by a fanfic writer. tim sounds like he was written by a fanfic writer. steph sounds like she was written by someone who doesn’t know the first thing about steph and wanted to include her for “family points!!!!!” damian’s supposed to be completely off the grid, and everyone’s searching for him. i do love the way cass texts tho.

well god fuck now i’m crying

dick got a phone call, a sorry, and a thank you out of bruce. i feel so much secondhand happiness for him, if that’s a thing. we’ll just ignore the way bruce looks ugly af and focus on the good parts okay?

and again with the colour symbolism here!

i’m either going to love this or hate this. who knows, we’ll see.

something something hearts something something pink is an evil colour something something. i need to know more about this guy but there’s definitely symbolism there. 

is it just me or does this dude look like the backstabbing traitorous absolutely motherfucking piece of shit villain that killed tadashi hamada in big hero 6?

~~

taggggg list: @woahjaybird @birdy-bat-writes @anothertimdrakestan  @subtleappreciation @screennamealreadyused @bikoncon @pricetagofficial @catxsnow @maplumebleue-blog-blog @sundownridge @thatsthewhump @xatanna-troy @red-hood-redemption​ @capricorn-stark​ @batshit-birds​ @comics-observer @buticaaba​ 

[shyneanon]

Been a while since I wrote a one-shot of my own inspiration! I had a bit of writer’s block, but I thought of something, and here it is! Just a little one-shot about Classic Sans that I wrote way too late at night.

---

Whenever Sans and Papyrus went to the grocery store, Sans would joke about sitting in the cart like a child. Paps’ frustrated responses were amusing.

But obviously such a thing wasn’t actually possible, so Sans had to stick with walking. It could be hard to keep up with his brother, so a lot of the time Papyrus just let him watch the cart while he strode around grabbing everything they needed. Goodness knew he was strong enough to.

This was one of those moments, so Sans lay his head on the handle to the cart, resting it. Man, it was cold near the dairy section. But his hoodie kept him warm, so he started to feel his consciousness slip away.

He noticed movement and his eyesockets instinctively blinked open. It was just a person; a girl, specifically, shopping nearby. Well, it was a distraction from falling asleep, and Paps got upset when he fell asleep, so he kept his eyes on you.

It looked like you weren’t used to this store; you were taking a while to find everything, and your eyelids would flutter in confusion as you glanced around the shelves.

You had long lashes….

Sans blinked, and attempted to shake the thought off. Random observation. It happens.

You grabbed something and gently brushed your hair out of your face so that you could read it. Your fingers looked really delicate…. And your hair looked so soft…. Sans watched it move as you unconsciously adjusted it. He found himself growing more awake as he watched, though he wasn’t sure why.

As you picked up something else and started reading it, you shifted your weight so that it was mostly resting on one leg. Sans’ gaze travelled down to your waist.

C… Curvy….

More messing with your hair. Sans… liked it when you did that….

You turned around, putting one of the items in your cart, and Sans got a proper look at you.

He didn’t notice when he mumbled, “Whoa.”

“SAAANS!”

He jumped, and looked over at his brother, who was glaring down at him. “What?”

“I SAID YOUR NAME AT LEAST FIVE TIMES, SANS!” He turned, following Sans’ previous gaze. “WHAT ARE YOU…”

He saw you and blinked. You were in the middle of checking your phone. You leaned forward a bit and your pose accentuated your curves; for some reason Sans suddenly felt very flustered and he glanced away. Was his face hot?

Papyrus gasped. “SANS! YOU’RE WATCHING A GIRL!” He grinned. “DO YOU LIKE HER?”

Well, if his face wasn’t hot before, it definitely was now. But he managed not to look alarmed. “Of course. You know me, Paps. Huge romantic.”

“DO NOT COVER THIS UP WITH JOKES! I, YOUR BROTHER, CAN SEE THAT YOU ARE CLEARLY ENAMORED WITH HER--”

Oh my God OK no. “Shhh!” Sans said.

“NO, I WILL NOT SHH!” He beamed. “COME ON, I HAVE AN IDEA TO HELP YOU TALK TO HER!”

He grabbed Sans’ arm and started pulling him in your direction. What is he doing? Sans legitimately considered shortcutting to escape, but that would upset Papyrus more deeply than intended. He’d noticed that Papyrus felt it was sort of selfish, using one’s abilities to just get yourself out of any situation you didn’t like.

Which it probably was.

“HELLO!” said Papyrus, and you looked up from your phone. Oh no I’m right in front of her. Why did he feel so nervous?

“Oh,” you said, smiling at Papyrus. “Hi.”

“WE NOTICED THAT YOU LOOKED LIKE YOU COULD USE SOME HELP!”

Now that he wasn’t being dragged at his brother’s much faster speed, Sans tucked his hands in his pockets, trying not to look nervous. What did looking… not-nervous look like, exactly?

“It’s not a big deal,” you said, looking embarrassed. “I’ve just never been here before.”

“WELL MY BROTHER SANS WOULD BE HAPPY TO HELP!”

Before Sans could do anything, he was shoved in your direction, albeit gently.

“HE IS A VERY HELPFUL PERSON WHEN HE WANTS TO BE!”

Your eyes went to him.

Wow, your eyes….

Sans raised one hand, smiling as casually as possible. “Hey.”

“Hi,” you said, smiling back. She’s smiling at me.... “Are you sure you wanna help?”

“Yeah, of course. My brother’s got us covered.”

“Thanks! You guys are so nice, if only everybody offered help to random people like this.”

“THANK YOU!” said Papyrus. “IT WAS SANS’ IDEA!”

Paps was lying? Paps never lied. Sans hadn’t realized that Paps would attempt to be his wingman in a situation like this. This is so embarrassing….

“I WILL SEE YOU OUTSIDE, SANS!” said Paps, and he went for their shopping cart.

Your attention went back to Sans and Sans felt his soul leap a little. Not sure what else to do, he held his hand out. “Hey. Nice to meetcha.”

“Nice to meet you too,” you said, and took his hand-- Why did I hold out my hand?! That had been a terrible mistake; your touch felt like a small jolt. Still, the two of you shook. “I’m (y/n).”

“Pretty name,” Sans said without thinking, then immediately felt his face get warm. Stop, stop blushing. C’mon. You act fine when you’re not all the time, this should be easy.

“Oh.” Was your face pink? “Thanks.” You looked at your phone again. “I’m shopping for my parents. We don’t need a lot, I… promise this won’t take up much of your time.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Thanks. Mm… we need cashews.”

Sans remembered a joke.

A joke. That would make him feel less awkward.

“Knock knock,” he said, not addressing what you’d said, and you blinked.

“Huh?”

“Knock knock.” He winked. “You’re supposed to say who’s there.”

When he winked he could swear he saw your face turning a soft rose color. It was so pretty.... But you smiled and said, “Who’s there?”

“Cash.”

“Cash who?”

Another wink. “No thanks, I prefer walnuts.”

You snorted and laughed a little. “That was horrible. I love it.”

Cute laugh…. Sans’ face got warm. “Yeah?”

“Yeah, I’ve got very low standards for humor.” You said it playfully.

“Well that’s great,” he replied with a grin, “cuz all my jokes suck.”

You thought a moment, then said, “I’ve got one.”

“Yeah?”

“Knock knock.”

“Who’s there?”

“Hatch.”

“Hatch who?”

“Oh, bless you.”

Sans let out a snort and a chuckle of his own. “Nice.”

“I have the feeling you know way more than I do,” you said, raising an eyebrow.

“You’re probably right.”

Your grin was so, so nice.

“C’mon, tell me more on the way there,” you said, and Sans’ soul leapt again.

“Sure,” he said, shrugging.

The rest of the shopping trip was mostly comprised of Sans leading you to various items while delivering terrible puns, and they made you laugh. Your laugh really was so cute.

Your face suddenly flushed red, and Sans blinked.

“What?” he said.

“Um… thank you.”

… Oh shit, did I say that out loud?

“Sorry,” he said, immediately trying to recover. “Did I say something weird?”

“N-- no,” you said, “it wasn’t weird, just… unexpected, hah.” You were still smiling, and your face was still pink. Had you liked the compliment…?

After a second, you looked back at him.

“I’m gonna miss you when this is over,” you said with a smile. You’d said it in a playful tone, but Sans still felt his face get hot. No, no, don’t blush in front of her, come on….

“Hey, me too. You seem cool.” He winked, and you turned pink.

“Stop doing that,” you said with a smile, “I’m trying to figure out if you’re flirting with me.”

“Do you want me to be?”

Your face got redder, but you shrugged. “Sure, I guess so.”

Sans’ soul felt like it was floating.

“Then I’m flirting with you,” he said, leaning on your shopping cart and giving you what he hoped was an attractive wink. You snickered. He wasn’t sure if that meant he’d looked stupid, but the reaction was a positive one regardless.

You looked back at your phone. “Um… oreo cookies.”

“Yum.” He thought, then said, “Those are on the other side of the store.”

“Ugh,” you said, but you were smiling. “I have to walk. It’s so much work.”

“Hey, I feel you.” He considered. “But…”

“... But?”

“I could get it faster.”

“How--”

Sans shortcutted to the aisle with the Oreo cookies, grabbed two boxes, and then shortcutted back to you. You looked bewildered-- probably wondering where he had gone and now wondering how he’d suddenly reappeared.

“What the heck?” you said.

For some reason, this made him feel really self-satisfied. “You wanted one or two boxes?”

You blinked. “How’d you do that? You… What did you even do?”

Sans shrugged. “I call it shortcutting.”

“So… it’s like… teleporting? You can teleport?”

Sans raised a finger to his teeth and winked. “Don’t tell anybody, kay? It was just for you.”

Your face lit up. Sans felt kind of dazed from looking at it. He couldn’t believe he was making you blush like that….

“Thanks,” you said softly. Looking a little embarrassed, you said, “We, um, only need one box though.”

“Cool,” said Sans, “I’ll just buy the other.”

You smiled as he put the single box in your cart.

By the time the two of you had left the store, Sans was almost halfway through with his box of cookies. Papyrus was, indeed, outside. Were the doors not automatic Sans assumed he’d probably be holding them open for every single person entering. And exiting.

“SANS!” he groaned. “OF COURSE YOU GOT SUGAR!”

“Sorry,” said Sans, grinning, “couldn’t help it.”

“YOUR TEETH ARE GOING TO GET ALL COVERED IN CHOCOLATE! YOU’LL NEED TO BRUSH THEM TWICE WHEN WE GET BACK!”

“Sure thing.”

You seemed amused. “You two are sweet.”

“THANK YOU!” said Papyrus. Sans just shrugged, feeling his face warm up again.

“... Hey.”

“Yeah?” said Sans.

Your face was pink. “Do you think… it would be OK if I gave you my number?”

... Really?

“Y… yeah,” Sans said, “of course.”

You held out your hand for his phone and he handed it to you, watching you as you typed it in. He couldn’t believe that… you… were giving him your number.

Wow.

He tucked his phone back in his pocket when it was handed back, and the two of you said, “Thanks” at the same time. Your smiles widened and you both blushed.

“See ya,” said Sans.

“See ya. Thanks for the help.”

“No problem.”

As you walked off, Sans felt like he was high on something. His soul was fluttering….

“YAY! YOU GOT HER NUMBER!”

Sans started. You weren’t out of earshot yet and Papyrus was already yelling.

“Yep,” he said, trying not to let it seem like a big deal.

“I AM SO PROUD OF YOU! YOU GOT A GIRL’S NUMBER!”

Sans’ face was hot all over again. He glanced over in your direction and saw that you were watching them with an endeared smile. Whyyyy?

But at the same time….

“It’s all thanks to you, Paps.” Sans smiled. “I never would’ve talked to her if you hadn’t forced me.” It was true. He would’ve been far too shy.

“OF COURSE! IT IS MY JOB AS YOUR BROTHER TO HELP YOU WHEN YOU NEED IT, AND YOU NEEDED HELP TALKING TO HER!”

“Thanks, bro.” He winked. “I’d say that I’d do the same for you, but the Great Papyrus won’t be nervous when he finds a girl he likes.”

“OF COURSE NOT! NYEH HEH HEH!”

The two of them headed for Papyrus’ car. As much as Sans joked with his brother, he wished he had the confidence Paps did.

But he was lucky that Paps was always there to help when he didn’t.

[waywardrose]

On Babbushka

There is a group of well-known writers in the fandom who have been discouraged and put down by one of their own, Zannah - @babbushka​. It happens behind the scenes in DMs. It happens in posts and tags.

In DMs, she has started conversations with seemingly innocent questions. When she doesn't receive the response she was aiming for, she diverts the conversation to criticizing and humiliating the person. She has attacked writers for tagging—or not tagging—a post in a way she deems appropriate. She has gotten into arguments over how characters were portrayed and then tried to claim victimization when the other person wouldn't knuckle under.

She will appeal to her following to attack any fan or creator who has an opinion that differs from her own. She will encourage friends to send rude anons. Those same friends will also DM the target with rude remarks.

Several creators have stopped writing altogether because of their interactions with her.

We are tired of being discouraged. We are tired of being talked down to. We are tired of being bullied. Enough is enough. Under the cut we share our stories, let the chips fall where they may. It's up to you, the reader, to decide whether to support her.

We can only warn up-and-coming writers, artists, fans, and supporters of her behavior.

-

Hope - @callmehopeless

The Australian bushfires of the 2019-2020 season were nightmarish—for those living through it and those witnessing. As the season went on, cries for help increased. Joaquin Phoenix used the time during his Best-Actor acceptance speech at the Golden Globes to call for unity, action, and accountability. Regardless of what we may think of him, it was a thoughtful speech.

Hope, who is an Australian, found Mr. Phoenix's message encouraging and reblogged a gifset of his speech.

That morning, Zannah made a post about Mr. Phoenix's shady past and his association with a known sexual predator. The main reason wasn't because his speech was inappropriate or not timely, but because she didn't think he should be the one to get the attention over other actors who had spoken of the bushfires during the Golden Globes.

While Hope confessed she was scared of the bushfires, scared for her loved ones, Zannah was more concerned with purity. To Zannah it was about the face of the message, not the message itself. It didn't matter that Mr. Phoenix was amplifying support for Australia, what did matter was that he had done bad things.

It was virtue signaling on Zannah's part.

Still, this remains a complicated argument. Can a person who has done bad things actually have something positive to add to a cause? Should we listen to a problematic person if they share an insight? Does it reflect poorly on us to agree with their isolated statement? Will we be canceled, too? What about the bigger picture?

In this case, the bigger picture was hundreds of homes were destroyed in the bushfires and families were displaced. People died, thousands of animals died. And it was because of climate change. Mr. Phoenix called for his rich peers to examine their respective lifestyles and to give back.

Yes, Mr. Phoenix has done bad things. Yes, he has associated with people who have done bad things. His words resonated with people on Tumblr, and they reblogged part of his speech. He said something that gave Hope hope.

Hope was asked by a third party how they could help. She came back with a resource guide for those who wanted to send aid to Australians.

When it became obvious Zannah wouldn't silence Hope, Zannah decided to sub-post about the interaction. There, she accused Hope of being a rape apologist for reblogging a gifset and finding a little comfort in it. Zannah placed her ego before someone who was facing a very real danger.

Side-eying an actor is one thing, shaming a person you know for finding solace during a scary time is another. Hope isn't responsible for which voice got picked up. The only "colors" being shown here are Zannah's. She put her own concerns about being perceived as morally pure above actually supporting a friend.

I'll keep this brief - I knew Zannah for many years. And on one of the lowest weeks of my life, when my suburb was burning down and I feared for my family: she convinced me I was a rape apologist for sharing Joaquin Phoenix's speech asking for action on bushfires. In all my life, I never felt more alone. To add insult to injury, she then posted memes mocking me - something that has stuck with me to this day.

I've had dear friends quit the fandom because of her kinkshaming. I've had people I love message me distraught over what she's said.

Enough is enough.

— @callmehopeless

-

Rose - @the-wayward-rose​

This PM exchange started after I tagged my reblog of Zannah's fic Feast (Cameron Bistle x Reader) with cw: white reader. I had been on her taglist, and I wanted to show support because I liked the fic overall. For context, the reason for my tag is because of this sentence:

"But then you're blushing so pretty and squeezing his hand affectionately and reaching for the handle to the passenger side of his car, and then you're laughing when he swats your hand away to open it for you, and then you're beckoning him down as if to ask a question – only to place a chaste kiss to his lips instead."

This is from Cameron's point of view.

She asked the reason for the tag, and I explained it was because of the use of "blush" to describe Reader's appearance.

She misunderstood my premise. I did not mean only white people blush.

According to Merriam-Webster, blush means "a reddening of the face especially from shame, modesty, or confusion" or "a red or rosy tint."

It is an autonomic response, though. It happens in all humans for body cooling and nonverbal communication. The main problem with using it universally is that melanin obscures the appearance of said autonomic response.

Here's an example of three runners:

The two pale women, left and center, are pink in the face. They are blushing. The woman of color on the right is likely blushing, too. However, the melanin in her skin obscures the blood in her cheeks. She is not pink.

That's the pitfall of the word "blush." The observer can't always see it. We know what it feels like. We all do it. The face and/or neck gets hot. The use of "blush" is shorthand in narrative, and I understand that. Nevertheless, when writing to cater to a reader-insert audience of unknown heritage, writers need to consider describing with universal terms.

Again, she misunderstood my premise. I clarified by asking how Cameron sees the Reader blush under an abundance of melanin:

She sidestepped the physiological explanation to go straight for justification. She tried to legitimize "blush" as "perhaps [this]" or "perhaps [that]" when I stated earlier that blush by definition is pink or is to redden. That's the logic. A noncommittal, covering-all-the-bases, complicated defense diluted the conversation.

With her earlier "I have friends of color, hence I can't be exclusionary" statement, I wasn't sure she would get my point. I take full responsibility for not explaining, too. I should've asked for some time to gather my thoughts, but I didn't. Truthfully, I was unprepared, because I didn't think my insignificant tag would be an issue.

Also, I was confused why she was trying to police my blog.

Her replies came rapidly—before I could mention my confusion—and felt aggressive in the moment. Maybe that wasn't her intention, but the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

That doesn't take away from the fact that words have meaning. It's why we use specific words. It's not understood in the narrative that her use of "blush" could mean a bunch of things. If I had known, I wouldn't have tagged as I did. How is a reader of color supposed to know that? How does Cameron see Reader's blush if she has darker skin?

As writers, we don't know who is reading. Someone could be very pale or very dark. A person with medium-toned skin can turn a shade of pink or red. A person with darker-toned skin will not. We can't assume all readers are medium to pale. We need to develop better writing skills. We have to include everyone.

Readers of color > White-writer feelings

When I stood my ground, she doubled down, stating I made no sense in my tagging and that I lacked the ability to learn from her. She then diverted the argument, attacking a ficlet I wrote a few days beforehand—which had nothing to do with this argument. The Christian imagery in that ficlet was upsetting to her and "in such poor taste" because she headcanons Flip Zimmerman (BlacKkKlansman) is 100% culturally and ethnically Jewish.

Flip stated in the movie:

"I'm Jewish, but I wasn't raised to be. It wasn't part of my life. I never thought much about being Jewish. Nobody around me was Jewish. I wasn't going to a bunch of Bar Mitzvahs. I didn't have a Bar Mitzvah. I was just another white kid. And now I'm in some basement denying it out loud[...] I never thought much about it. Now I'm thinking about it all the time. About rituals and heritage. Is that passing? Well then, I have been passing."

By his own admission, Flip is ethnically Jewish, but not culturally. These are two separate things, and that should be recognized. While Judaism is ethnically and culturally entwined in ways that other religions are not, one does not equate the other. You can be one and not the other.

At the time, I didn't want her to sic her 3000+ followers on me. I wasn't going to argue further. I asked myself if the ficlet was important and worth anon-hate and realized, no, it wasn't. It was a throw-away.

And since I'm not culturally Jewish, maybe I had misstepped. And since Zannah is both culturally and ethnically Jewish, I asked for her guidance.

She flatly refused my request. I don't know how I was supposed to learn from her if she wouldn't teach me.

It sounded as if she wanted me to delete the whole fic. Like none of it was worth saving because it hadn't been Zannah-approved. I had gone against her headcanon, and the fic was too offensive to fix.

The last sentence was supposed to cover her back from criticism, and it placed all the responsibility on me. Obviously, she was above such petty concerns as someone else's blog or writing. Never mind that she had just attempted to get me to change my tagging system and rewrite my ficlet. On my blog.

Later, I figured out she was only criticizing and not offering a constructive critique. Her argument was not in good faith. It was retaliation for not giving her the obedience she thought she was owed.

This is the passage that offended her:

"It’s because of the way he fucks you. Like it’s confession—though he’s never been much of a church-going man. Every touch, every thrust, is a truth between you. Even when it’s rough and greedy. It feels like flagellation when you claw his back. He wears the sin proudly."

This is what I edited it to:

"It’s because of the way he fucks you. Every touch, every thrust, is a truth between you. Even when it’s rough and greedy. It feels like flagellation when you claw his back. He wears your marks proudly."

Yeah, I'm not pleased with the revised passage. It's lost its teeth, but I keep it.

The anonymous message(s) she mentioned weren't very anonymous, either. Unfortunately, I've since deleted the two messages. I had apologized to Anon for disappointing them. I said that if the fic was too much, they should unfollow and block me. I meant that in a self-care way. At the same time, I did not—and do not—owe anyone discourse. I don't have to explain my art when it doesn't hurt anyone. And no one was hurt by some purportedly misplaced religious imagery.

I have been silent about this since late January/early February. I was embarrassed. I had been bullied into changing my blog and my fic by someone who proclaims to never do anything of the sort. I had been a fool. Since this conversation with her, I have been blocked/blacklisted by third-parties, most likely at her behest, when none of this exchange had been necessary.

-

Kassanovella - @kylorengarbagedump​​

Zannah's followers have asked her about Kassanovella’s Fix Your Attitude. For context, it's currently one of the most kudo-ed fics for Kylo Ren x Reader on AO3. It had a bit of a renaissance earlier in 2020 because a TikToker wrote a song for it.

There is nothing wrong with not wanting to read a fic. If the subject matter doesn't work for a reader, they don't have to partake. Easy as that. So, these tags aren't a problem.

However, it led to this...

She lashed out, calling Kassanovella's fic a joke. A joke.

She implied her fics should be as popular as Kassanovella's because she works really hard on them. She admitted she's tied to the metrics. She implied she wouldn't be writing fic if not for the external validation.

Here's the thing about fanfic: readers like what they like. They don't care about a writer's effort. They only know what works for them. They comment and give kudos, reblog and like what they connect with. That is not under the writer's control. All a writer can do is try their best and concentrate on what they're passionate about.

To bash another writer's fic because it's popular is disrespectful. This whole bitter rant drips of entitlement and is an affront to Kassanovella.

Some time later, an incident happened in a chatroom during a streaming event for veterans by Arts In the Armed Forces (Adam Driver's organization). At least one fan brought up Fix Your Attitude while waiting for Mr. Driver to make an appearance. They were also disrespectful towards the other presenters by demanding to see Mr. Driver. It caused a big stink within the fandom, and Zannah had some choice words.

While mentioning the fic during the livestream was inappropriate, it was also inappropriate to throw all fans of the fic under the bus as she did in her tag. Sweeping generalizations and incriminations of a subset of fans certainly reads as if she resents those fans for a perceived slight.

Next, Zannah made an earlier disparaging comment about Kassanovella's fic, Little Bird. Unfortunately, that comment is lost. However, the messages supporting the comment remain. (For context, Little Bird is a Kylo Ren x Reader The Handmaid's Tale AU. It has been well received in the fandom, earning thousands of kudos on AO3.)

What an author wants to write about and sexualize is their business. Fantasizing about being dominated by Kylo Ren isn't cringe. It's a sexual fantasy. Some sexual fantasies can be disturbing to those who do not share the same kink.

Sexual fantasies are like ice cream. There's a reason why there are different flavors.

Also, "I will never ever be a person that tells an author what to do or not do" is an absolute lie. As evident in this post, Zannah most definitely tells authors what to do or not do.

Again, she bashes Kassanovella, claiming her writing isn't good. Her motivation for bashing Kassanovella can only be speculation. With Zannah's previously stated opinion of Fix Your Attitude, though, it indicates a certain level of negative emotions.

-

Anonymous

An anonymous person came forward with a case of Zannah policing their blog. Anon has a sideblog for their personal AU with Flip Zimmerman. They reblog gifsets and post headcanons. They were an enthusiastic fan of Zannah's and reblogged a few of the gifset she made. Anon tagged their reactions, and Zannah blocked them for it.

Anon went to Zannah and asked why they were blocked, because all they wanted to do was have fun and support fellow Flip lovers.

Anon was under the impression that because they were shipping themselves, and not Zannah, with Flip, she blocked them. Their personal AU doesn't align with Zannah's headcanon that she alone is married to this character and has his children.

While Zannah's reply may sound innocent, and perhaps it is, it also speaks to someone who has set herself up as the owner of Flip Zimmerman. (Wait until Spike Lee or the real Ron Stallworth hears about that...) It appears that if a fan does not comply with the Zannah-approved headcanon, where only she is married to Flip, that fan shall be blocked. If a fan uses tags on their blog that she does not approve of, that fan will be blocked.

Zannah's policing is disturbing. Going into a blog to look for something as a reason to block is disturbing. Any fan is allowed to use any tag on their blog how they wish. If the OP has said their post can be reblogged, how a reblogger tags is beyond the OP's control. To punish that reblogger for not behaving in a way she finds acceptable is uncalled for and unjust.

-

Anonymous

Backstory: Zannah does not view Ben Solo's arc in the Star Wars sequel trilogy as acceptable canon. However, she does view the story she created for Flip Zimmerman in BlacKkKlansman as completely canon.

This is not the first time she has been asked to clarify her position. Nor is it the first time she has avoided giving an on-topic response. A question asked in good faith should be responded to in kind.

If a creator doesn't want to address the issue, they can state that they don't. Deflecting from the question only muddies the waters. Fans feel dismissed. The creator feels hounded, and comes across as irritated and unapproachable. No one has a positive fandom experience.

There is nothing wrong with having a headcanon. What is wrong is Zannah mandating her headcanon for Flip on the whole fandom. As evident in this post, if a fan does not comply with her headcanon, they will be summarily blocked.

Also, there is nothing wrong with rejecting canon. Writers of transformative works have always done this. The problem is shaming fans who have accepted canon while not offering justification for that shaming. A creator saying they "can't help them" is the creator washing their hands of responsibility from articulating their thoughts when they themselves began criticizing the canon in the first place.

Again, this is a bad-faith argument. Creators can't ask for discussion and attention and then get mad when their viewpoints are challenged. Just because a discussion isn't going a creator's way doesn't mean it's an attack, either. It means people want clarification, and if one criticizes, they should be able to back up their criticisms.

-

While sharing our stories has been freeing, it's not our aim as fellow fans to cancel Zannah. We would hope she would take the opportunity to reflect on the damage she has done to the fandom. We hope we all can move forward with a more approachable and supportive scene.

No one person speaks for our fandom. The actions of one fan do not represent the entire fandom. Whether creator or consumer, you are welcome here.

[posted July 25, 2020]

[bozers]

Paid Time Off Ch. 3

Chapter three is live! We got some cameos from some fan faves in this one! Content warnings include alcohol use, drug use and some blood from mild violence.

Chapter 2

  They were plunged into the fray again. Weaving and dodging drunk people, or two people fighting. Were they fighting? Jayce couldn't linger on everything that caught his eye. There was too much going on, his senses were overloaded in the first ten minutes of being here. Viktor, though, was cool as a cucumber. He peeked behind to check if Jayce was still there, and when he saw him lagging behind too far he reached behind and took his wide eyed friend’s hand.

The two of them finally made it to a town square area, the most open the street had been. Jayce hadn’t realized how claustrophobic he had felt until now.

“Hm.” Viktor mumbled “It seems it’s had a name change since I was here last.” He was peering to the end of the street, at a very well lit establishment. A giant green eye made from neon tubes sat atop a ramshackle roof. The pulse of loud bass music could be heard emanating through the darkened windows. 

“A place you used to go to?” Jayce ambled forward, although Viktor’s pace had slowed to a tentative crawl.

“It was called something different, but I suppose management changed. A lot has changed down here since Vander disappeared.” Viktor was looking around, voice low, eyes darting to dark corners.

Jayce slowed down and turned to him, placing his hand encouragingly on the small of his back. 

“Hey, let’s at least check it out, I bet it hasn’t changed too much.”

“The eye is new.” Viktor’s tone was muted, he wasn’t impressed.

But he continued on despite his initial hesitation. 

    The interior of the bar was nothing like Viktor remembered. Large overhead lights were dimmed, jukebox music pulsing. The smokey air was cloying, and people were openly snorting bright magenta powder off of table tops. He glanced up to look at well known good-boy Jayce, expecting to see mortification on his face, but was surprised when he saw the other man looking around curiously. Somehow Viktor felt relief, and slightly more relaxed now that he saw how casually Jayce was taking all this. He had to admit, he was no longer regretting coming down here.

The locals gathered among the establishment were rough, rougher than the usual fare that hung out here when Viktor was young. Groups crammed and thronged around the bar, laughing and carrying on amongst the din of the sound of snapping billiard balls on the pool tables. Despite the two new faces, no one really looked their way besides the rare raised eyebrow. But Viktor was used to that.

“Let’s get a table over there.” Viktor guided Jayce towards a cozy booth in the corner.

“Dang Viktor, you really were a party boy.” Jayce giggled

“Ahem, the pink cocaine is new.” Viktor pushed Jayce forward a bit harder than he meant to, but the man was sturdy and merely ambled forward and sat heavily down on the leather cushion.

As soon as they sat down, a blue streak darted at the corner of their vision. A young girl, barely ten, was crouched, peeking over the table. Her dark eyes darted between them.

“Can I help you?” Viktor ventured tentatively.

“Did a big doggy chew up your leg?” She whispered, like it was the most serious news of our time. “Or maybe it was a sea monster? Or a bomb?”

Jayce snorted. 

Viktor only rolled his eyes a bit, he was used to this. “No, I was born with a hip defect so my leg grew wrong.”

“Ohhhhh.” she sighed “My brother says I was born with a brain defect.” She emphasizes this by pulling on her hair and making explosion noises with her mouth. 

“Just like my friend here.” Viktor leans forward, chuckling through a toothy smile. 

“That’s not a very nice thing to say.” Jayce directs his stern eyebrows towards the both of them.

“Oh don't worry, he’s dead now.” the girl replied nonchalantly.

Both men looked at her, then at each other, desperately wanting to get out of this somehow. 

“Oh I’m so sorry to hear that.” Jayce did legitimately feel bad, she was a cute kid.

Viktor nodded solemnly, but didn’t say anything. 

The girl stared at both of them for a long few moments, unblinking. 

Then suddenly she cheerily declared: “Well, that’s all for now.” She spun around and proceeded to climb up the wall and into the rafters. She settled into her spot, and looked down on everyone below like a little blue barn owl. 

“Well, if I didn’t need a drink before…” Jayce breathes out a held breath, his eyes unfocused. 

There was something very wrong with that girl. 

“I will go get us drinks,” Viktor stood suddenly. “I don’t think I need to explain that some of the substances served here were originally meant to remove paint.” Viktor leaned on the table, craning his neck down so he could hear his friend’s order over the thumping music. 

Jayce looked up, face open and trusting as always. “I trust you to take care of me.” He winked.

Viktor spun away a bit too fast, causing his head to swim for a moment while he headed towards the crowded bar. Luckily it was dark, and the colored lights hid the fact that his face was a bit pinker than usual. 

He took his place in line, signaling to the barkeep for two brews. He glanced back towards Jayce, and it seemed he was examining the structural integrity of the table by pressing down and observing the grain of the wood. He glanced up at Viktor and smiled, slapping the table for good measure, nodding approvingly. 

Viktor could only give a weak thumbs up.

The barkeeper yelled across the heads of those seated on stools, thrusting two mugs out towards Viktor, who took them, threading his hand through both handles. 

As he turned to head back, Jayce was no longer smiling, but looking past Viktor with a mortified expression, his legs scrambling free of the confines of the booth. 

Viktor’s heart sank as he began to turn, too late to see the man coming up behind and kicking his cane out from under him.

Viktor stumbled forward, barely bracing his weight with his bad leg. Both drinks dumped onto the floor, but he didn’t fall. Instead he whirled around, swinging both of the metal mugs as hard as he could, crashing them into his attacker's face. The cloaked man, too busy pawing at Viktors pockets, was not expecting him to be so quick on his recovery, and took the hit to his face and staggered back, just in time to feel the heel of a large boot connect with his sternum. 

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Jayce screamed at the man as he crashed back into the crowded bar. He backed up to his friend’s side protectively, but didn’t take his eyes off the attacker.

Viktor had been hopping and stumbling, trying to regain some balance before grabbing Jayce’s outstretched hand for support. 

The people sitting at the bar were shouting and kicking at the man, some of them turned their ire towards the two men standing poised to continue defending themselves.

The man could only wheeze, clutching his face, blood running out of his nose. 

“Alright that is enough!” A woman's voice bellowed, silencing the angry shouts of onlookers. 

Both Viktor and Jayce looked up to see a lone figure peel through the crowd towards them, a clear path made way for her approach. 

Jayce realized this must be the bar owner, as she walked past them straight to the writhing man on the floor and grabbed him by the hair. Her half cloak billowed in one smooth movement. They all could only watch in stunned silence as she hauled him up, kicking and screaming, and tossed him to the street. 

She turned around after slamming the doors, declaring “There will be no cut purses in my bar, OR any stupid unnecessary fighting. Am I clear?” her eyes narrowed as she put a hand up to her ear, realized it was still clutching a mass of hair, and flicked it all away, listening intently to the crowd say in unison: “Yes Sevika.”

She nodded, satisfied.

As she made her way back to the boys, grabbing up Viktors cane in stride, she said. “Sorry about that, I get really pissed off when the street trash comes in to fleece the paying customers.” 

She explains as she hands over Viktor’s cane. “But you looked like you handled yourself alright. Not bad, given the bad leg.”

Viktor shrugged, looking into the woman’s eyes as he took the cane back.

 “He made the mistake of assuming I kept my wallet in my pocket.” He replied coolly as he settled back onto his own two feet.

Sevika laughed, “His mistake was assuming you were a topsider. He would have had more luck with this guy.” She jammed a thumb at Jayce.

Jayce, his heart still beating out of his chest, could only gesture to his full 6’6” self as if to say: Really?

Viktor smirked inwardly.

“Well, I feel bad.” She drew a cig from somewhere and poked it between her lips “I’ll get you some free drinks. It’s the least I can do, as a kindred spirit.” She gestured to her left arm, that Jayce now realized wasn’t there.  

Viktor nodded, a solemn line drawn with his mouth. 

The woman lit her cig with a heavy brass lighter, and snapped her fingers at the barkeep, he nodded and began filling two steins. She gave them both a two fingered salute, and swaggered off to her table to continue her dutiful watch. 

    Drinks in hand again, the two men made their way back to their table. 

They sat across from each other, mugs gripped tight and eyes still a bit wide from the adrenaline. Viktor suddenly threw back his head and drained his mug in one go. His face was a bit pinched and he drew in a sharp breath as she swallowed down the brew. 

“I would,” he coughed. “I would recommend not breathing at all when drinking this.” he bit down and willed himself to settle down.

Jayce looked on in horror “Are you ok?”

Viktor only squinted, breathing hard through his nose. “No, not really.”

“We can leave if you want, that was really crazy.” Jayce was still processing the whole ordeal.

“No, no, it’s ok, ” He waved his hand like he was trying to clear away a smoke cloud. “It wasn’t the fight, that is totally normal for around here.”

Jayce’s brow wrinkled. “That was normal?”

“It was actually quite a tame encounter, all things considered.”

“Tame???”

“No one was stabbed?” Viktor said, his voice going high on the last syllable 

“Alright,” Jayce pinched the bridge of his nose. “Then what is the matter?”

Viktor sighed. “What if that was the man’s last desperate effort to not die?” His voice was low and gauzy from the alcohol, “This place requires you to claw your way through every day. There’s no guarantees. Ever.” 

Jayce paused, hand suspended between his nose and the table. 

Viktor continued, “If our positions were reversed, if I never made it out of here, would I be that desperate? To survive?” Viktor looked deeply into Jayce's eyes for the first time since sitting down. The flush of alcohol clear on his face. 

“Viktor,” Jayce's tone was gentle. “I don’t think you would let yourself get to that point. You wouldn't attack anyone like that.”

“Jayce, I may seem capable of handling myself down here, but the truth is, I would have been eaten alive eventually if I hadn’t gotten out. The weak do not not last.” 

Jayce looked down, unable to stay cool under those piercing gold eyes. “Viktor, you are far from weak. But, if that’s true then,” He whispered, barely audible. “I’m glad you got out.”

 “And what have I done since then? How have I helped them?” Viktor sucked in a sudden breath, his hands shook slightly. “Sorry, it’s just the adrenaline wearing off.” 

“Listen,” Jayce reached out and put a hand over Viktor’s trembling fingers, squeezing slightly. To his intense relief, the other man made no attempt to pull away. “I know better than anyone how much you care. I see every day how it drives you to achieve the impossible. We share that passion, it’s what brought us together in the first place.”

Viktor’s eyes seemed wet, but it may have just been the strange lighting in this place. He didn’t speak, but his unwavering stare said enough.

Jayce continued after wetting his lips and giving Viktor’s hand another encouraging squeeze “I may not be from here, but I want to help these people too. It’s my responsibility as much as it is yours, but we can’t do it overnight, much less a year. Give it time, we’ll get there.” 

“You and your speeches…” Viktor shook his head, a smile was sneaking up the corners of his mouth. “I suppose I am being a bit over dramatic, but I am feeling that booze now so I might get slightly more tolerable to be around.”

Jayce chuckled, relieved that his friend was making jokes again. He realized he was still holding onto his hand then, and quickly slipped away pretending to scratch the back of his head.

Viktor stretched his lithe arms over the table “This was supposed to be a fun outing and I’ve managed to bring the mood down significantly.” He looked into his empty mug, frowning “I promise I will be ok, especially after a few more drinks.”

“Hey I haven’t even finished this one yet!” Jayce blustered

“Well get to it, Talis!” Viktor tapped his fingers on the table impatiently. 

Jayce tipped the mug back and tried to take a big swallow. But he only managed a few gulps before he had to tap, and managed to strangle a few words out.  “Are you sure this isn't the paint thinner stuff?” 

Viktor chuckled evilly “No this is basically the pale ale of the under-city.” 

The color drained out of Jayce's face “Oh god…”

“Don’t worry, it grows on you.” Viktor gestured towards the bar.“Go get us more, it’s why we came out tonight, yes?”

[flightsoffandom]

Co-Conspirators Part 2

Pairs: Aaron Hotchner x Reader

Words: 8510

Summary: After agreeing to start a secret relationship with Aaron. Its time to convince your co-workers so you can make it through the workday and wait for your upcoming date with Aaron.

Warnings: None

Notes: Left completely gender-neutral. So here is the second part. No creative title at this point in time cause I stayed up till 5 am to edit and post this. If I come up with one later, I might change it. Hopefully, everyone likes it as much as the first part. I’m actually thinking about continuing this and turning it into a more long term project. No lie if I do keep this, smut will probably get written into this, ope.

Continuation of Co-Conspirators – Part 1–Part 2*–Part 3–Part 4–Part 5–Part 6

You sat at Hotch’s desk and helped out with paperwork, keeping an eye on your co-workers as they came in. When the last person showed up, you wrapped up the work in front of you. You stood up and smiled at Hotch, “Our audience is waiting, ready?” Hotch looks up and over to the window, “Everyone’s here?” You nod, “Mhmm, I am going to slam your door for a bit of drama.” Hotch chuckles, “If you break my door, I will actually have to write you up." You roll your eyes and nod, “I know government property and all that blah blah.”

Working with profilers means they could pick up on anything and catch you guys lying. Luckily since both you and Hotch were also profilers, you knew exactly what signs and body language to mimic to make it seem real. You stiffen up and cross your arms over your chest in a defensive fashion. Hotch watches you, stiffening up himself, “We should make at least part of the argument loud enough for Rossi to hear through the wall” You nod, getting ready to start this fake fight. Some of the team could read lips, so you had to actually say the right things to pull this off. You take a deep breath before starting, “You know that cop deserved what I said to him.” Hotch easily follows your lead, “It doesn’t matter if he deserved it. It's inappropriate behavior out in the field.” You and Hotch working together had built up a good flow with situations like this. There has been more than one occasion when you had to play off each other to get information from an unsub. You tapped your foot to appear antsy, “You already yelled at me for this, why are we bringing this back up?” Hotch raises his voice, “Their police department has been bringing it back up for the last few months. They are talking about disciplinary action.” Hotch crosses his arms and glares at you, “You represent the FBI when you’re out in the field. You need to remember that.” You lean forward defensively, “Does the FBI want to just let people walk all over them?” Hotch stares at you, “It is our job to build bridges with departments. Not burn them.” You roll your eyes and start distancing yourself from him, “Yes… Yes… we have to bend over backward to keep everyone happy, even the assholes.” You reach for the door. You know Hotch will say something as soon as you open the door to get the message across to the team. You open the door, and right on queue, Hotch shouts at you, “Watch your mouth, and that's an order.” You huff loudly and walk out of his office. You make sure to slam the door on the way out, just enough to sell it. As you trot down the stairs, it takes all your willpower not to smile. It was actually kind of fun to fake argue. You see the team starting to look around, trying to figure out what is going on. So for a little flair, you hiss as you pass the group, “Bite me, Hotch.” You practically fall back into your chair and start angrily moving papers around. When you see Rossi looking at you while walking to Hotch’s office, you knew it was working. When Reid poked his head up from his desk and started questioning, “What happened?” Reid looked a bit worried. Emily walked past him, chuckling, “Just because your parents are fighting doesn't mean they love you any less.” Emily tussles Reid’s hair as she passes. You glare at Emily when she looks over at you. Emily shrugs and smirks in response. Reid quickly moves away from Emily’s hand, looking annoyed, “Hey, that's not what I’m worried about.” After that, work continued on, with most of the team not really saying anything directionally to you. You did get questioned by both Penelope and Rossi.

Penelope got you when you went into her zone to get some information you needed to continue working. You walked into her room, “Can I get some extra info from you pretty please?” Penelope completely turned around to look at you, “When you ask that nicely, of course… but…” Garcia plays with a fuzzy pen in her hands, “I wanna trade.” You raise your eyebrows, sitting in the extra chair in her office, “I don't have any new comics to show you, so I’m not sure…” You let your sentence trail off. Penelope grabs a piece of bright pink paper with words written in glitter ink, “Well, I have some for you…” You take the paper from her, putting it into your pocket. Penelope waves her hands, “But that's not what I meant.” You lean back in the office chair, narrowing your eyes at the brightly colored woman in front of you, “Okay?” Penelope taps the pen on the arm of her chair, “A sweet chocolate little hunky bird told me that you and Hotch had a big fight this morning.” You make sure to let out an annoyed huff, “Derek…” Penelope throws her hands up in surrender, “I didn't name names… I’m no snitch.” You put your elbow on the arm of the chair, resting your chin on your hand, “So what's the trade?” Garcia smiles, leaning forward, “Dirt for dirt.” You sigh loudly, “Fine, ask away.” Penelope scoots her chair closer to you, “I heard you got mad enough you slammed Hotch’s office door. Are you guys really that mad at each other? I mean, you two are the dream team.” Penelope pauses and wiggles her eyebrows at you, “Well, Derek and I are the dream team, so you and Hotch would be like the dream team... reloaded... or something.” Your act cracks a little, unable to fully keep it under wraps around Penelope. You chuckle but quickly regain yourself, “Maybe things will start going back to normal when he stops being an ass. My mouth probably doesn't help, but that's not going to change too drastically anytime soon.” You shrug it off. Penelope watches you. She starts giggling, “There's a reason I call you 'sugar' all the time.” You put your hand on your heart in mock offense, “I thought it was because of how sweet I am.” Garcia gives you a loving pat on the head, “That’s part of it. The other part is you don’t usually sugar coat things.” You smile, leaning forward in your chair, “I think I’ll just keep pretending it's because I’m a sweetheart.” Penelope smiles, turning around in her chair, “Of Course you will. So what did you need?” After you got the information from Garcia, you leave to go back to work.

Later in the day, Rossi passed your desk. He puts his hand on your shoulder and talks quietly, “Why don’t you take a break? We can have some coffee in my office.” You look up and give Rossi a confused look. You could tell it was more of a request than an actual question. You stand up from your desk, “Sure…” The team tries to discreetly watch you and Rossi walking up to his office. Since almost everyone was watching, you make sure to stiffen up when you pass Hotch’s office to sell it. Rossi gestures for you to come into his office, closing the door behind you. Rossi walks over to his desk, “During one of my marriages me and my wife would shout at each other all the time. Over anything and everything.” You stay near the door, glaring at Rossi, “What does this have to do with me?” You cross your arms and smirk, “If this is a proposal of some kind Rossi, I’m flattered, but you're not my type.” You get an extra cocky tone to your voice. Rossi scoffs and chuckles, “I’m taking a strict ‘three strikes your out’ policy with marriages, no exceptions.” You shrug, “So, Why did you drag me in here with the false promises of coffee?” Rossi casually sits back, holding up his coffee cup, "Didn't lie about coffee, just none for you." You glare at Rossi, grumbling. Rossi continues, "You two only argue this much because there is tension, just like my ex-wife and me.” You narrow your eyes at Rossi, trying to figure out if he suspects anything. Rossi continues, “I personally think you’d be good together, but you’d have to make the first move. We all know Hotch can be a stick in the mud.” You shake your head, doing your best to convince Rossi. Rossi shrugs, “That's just my two cents, take it or leave it.” You laugh and get ready to leave, “I get it. You're the cool uncle who is totally fine with breaking the rules. Thanks, but you're projecting.”  You left Rossi’s office. Crossing your fingers that Rossi bought it as you go back to work. If you and Hotch could just keep this up, everything would be fine.

It was actually pretty easy to keep that up. It didn’t take much else to keep selling it with the two months of ignoring each other. The work for the day was mostly just paperwork. Which you were thankful for. Considering if you guys got a legitimate case, there would be a high chance that it would take the team out of town. Meaning you’d all have to give up your day off. This was the first time you had plans you were looking forward to in months. You and Hotch kept up the act throughout the day. Messaging each other every now and then when it was safe. When the workday was over, the team trickled out of the building. Until only you and Hotch were left. When you were sure the coast was clear, you grabbed your paperwork from the day and headed to Hotch’s office. You didn't even bother to knock. Hotch doesn't even look up from his papers, “The team better have bought it because Rossi came in here and questioned me for thirty minutes after our ‘fight’.” You put a guilty look on your face, “Sorry… Reid seems to have bought it, though.” You sit in your chair in front of Hotch’s desk, “If we got those two to buy it, we are pretty much set.” Hotch looks up at you, chuckling, “Rossi said we remind him of one of his old relationships.” You wrinkle your nose, “He said the same thing to me. I’m going to take that as a compliment even though the man has been divorced three times.” Hotch shakes his head, going back to work, “I’m choosing to look at it as a positive as well.” You hum softly, getting comfortable in your chair as you start working. The peaceful silence you two share falls over the room.

After a few hours of quietly working away, you look at your watch, “Do you need to be getting home?” Hotch perks up and looks at the time, “Actually, yes.” Hotch looks down at the stack of papers he was wanting to get done. You smile, “Go, I can finish those up.” Hotch frowns, “I can…” You roll your eyes and interrupt him, “I got it.” Stubbornly you grab his stack of papers and pull them away from him. “Look, you finished your pile. You can go home.” Hotch glares at you, getting up from his desk. He stares you down, trying to gauge whether to argue or not. You smile at Hotch before going back to work. He decided against fighting you, “I’ll make it up to you tomorrow night.” Hotch starts grabbing his things. You watch him move about and laugh, “Looking forward to it.” Hotch goes to leave but then stops at the door, “Don’t stay too late.” You turn to watch him, smirking, “I won’t.” Hotch narrows his eyes at you and leaves the room. Right after he closes the door, he opens it again to add, “No sleeping in your car, either.” You roll your eyes but smile, “I've never done that before in my life.” Hotch stares you down, “I’ve caught you at least four times.” You sigh, shaking your head, “I promise I won't…” You tilt your head back and forth, “At least not tonight.” You grin at Hotch, causing him to shake his head. Hotch cracks a smile, “I’ll accept that answer for now. Goodnight.” As Hotch walks out the door, you call over your shoulder, “Goodnight.”

You diligently work through the rest of the paperwork in front of you. It goes by at about its usual pace. The stack dwindles down to the last few files, and you can feel yourself getting tired. You rub your eyes, trying to regain focus. You hear your phone go off. You reach for your cell and put it up to your ear, already knowing who would be up late enough to call you. You hold your phone to your ear with your shoulder so you can keep working. You tease him, “Now... now, Aaron. We haven't even been on our first date, and you're already being clingy.” You hear Hotch chuckle on the other end, “I’m concerned.” You keep writing away, chuckling, “Lucky for you, I like clingy.” Hotch’s voice comes across softer than normal, “Very lucky indeed.” You hear Hotch sigh before speaking at a normal volume again, “I thought I told you not to stay late.” You laugh, finishing a file, “Define late? This is a pretty normal time for me still.” You move onto the next piece of work, “Isn't it hypocritical, though? I mean, you're saying it's late, but you called me. Which means you were still up.” Hotch chuckles again, “You caught me.” You softly hum as you continue working, “What’s keeping you up?” You can hear Hotch moving around as he talks, “I still feel bad for making you finish my work.” You laugh, shaking your head, “You could be Catholic with the amount of guilt you lug around. I offered.” You finish writing and then flip the page, “I’m almost done. Also, I remember someone promising to make it up to me tomorrow night.” Hotch laughs, “What did you have in mind?” You scoff sitting up in your chair, “You're a profiler, I think you can figure it out.” Hotch sighs but you can tell he is smiling, “It's been a long time since I planned a date. Really want to trust me with that?” You finish the last file, “We trust each other with our lives, I think I can trust you with a date.” You start putting files away. Hotch chuckles as he replies, “Fair point.” You smile grabbing your things and leaving the room, “I’m officially leaving work now. Does that make you feel better?” Hotch teases, “I’ll feel better when I know you're not sleeping in your car.” You scoff, trotting over to your desk, “Fine, you're asking for it.” Hotch laughs, “Oh no.” You start digging through your desk when you find what you're looking for. 

Pulling out a personal wireless earpiece. You sync it up to your phone before putting it on, “There. Hands-free. Now you get to listen to my boring drive all the way home.” It sounds like Hotch is washing dishes as he replies, “Perfect. Someone has to make sure you take care of yourself.” You roll your eyes, heading out of the building, “Yeah...yeah… I’m a mess… Tell me something I don't know.” Hotch takes your comment seriously and thinks for a second, “It’s mortifying… but…” You make a curious humming noise as you get into your car. Hotch sighs, “I have been thinking about that kiss for that past two months.” Hotch lets out a nervous chuckle, “You had me worried when you ran away afterward.” Your cheeks burn. Glad you were talking to him over the phone so he couldn't see you. You start your car, “Clearly, my fight or flight leans towards flight.” Hotch laughs, “I’ve seen you walk into multiple dangerous situations without a second thought.” You make sure to focus on driving even as you chuckle, “I’ll correct myself. My romantic fight or flight leans to the flight side. I wasn't sure if you were interested in me or not…” You pause, smirking to yourself, “If I had known, I would have ended up getting us caught that night.” Hotch lets out another laugh, “It's probably for the best then, I definitely wouldn't have stopped you.” You pull into your parking spot, teasing “How scandalous… you're my boss.” Hotch teases back, “Which means I can give you orders.” You get out of the car, using a suggestive voice as you respond, “And if you ask real nicely, I’d be willing to follow them outside of office hours.” Hotch takes a deep breath, “I...I’ll keep that in mind.” You chuckle, walking to your apartment door. “Your duality kinda makes you the total package.” You pull your keys out, unlocking your door. “I get a sullen badass and a sweet romantic all in one.” Hotch scoffs, “Ahh yes, attached with a laundry list of problems” You hum happily as you walk in the door, “I assure you I have my own problems. We can exchange lists later.” Hotch makes a noncommittal noise as he seems to be taking care of a few things around his apartment. You let the door close behind you, automatically kicking off your shoes. Upon hearing the door, Hotch talks again, “Your home safe then?” You smile, dropping most of your stuff on the ground, locking the door. “Yep, safe, and sound.” You switch from your hands-free device back to your cell phone. You punch your security alarm code before bringing your phone up to your ear, “Feel better now?” Hotch chuckles, “Much.” He lets out a long sigh, his voice getting more serious, “Thank you, I know it might seem overbearing…” You peel off your clothes. Leaving a trail behind you as you interrupt him with a laugh, “Aaron… we both know what overbearing looks like. This isn't even close.” You strip down to your underwear and sit on your bed. “We have a spooky job that makes us rightfully paranoid, especially when it involves people we care about. So...” You flop back onto your bed, “You have nothing to thank me for.” Hotch’s voice takes on a happier tone, “When you put it that way…” He pauses before adding, “Maybe, I’ll just use this as my way of making up for two months of silence.” You grin happily, “Ohh, does that mean I can expect more extended phone calls?” Hotch chuckles, “Yes, as much as you tolerate.” You sit up, smirking, “That sounds almost like a challenge Agent Hotchner.” Hotch puts on a fake serious voice, “If you didn't take it as a challenge, then I’d have to make it an order.” You chuckle, dramatically gasp, “Using your position for evil.” You take a teasing tone, “You might wanna be careful threatening me, though.” You sit back up and head to your dresser. Hotch laughs, “Yeah? And what are you gonna do about it?” You pull on pajamas, grinning, “I have a date with an FBI agent. He is the best, and I imagine he wouldn't take lightly to you bullying me.” You can hear the eye roll in Hotch’s voice, “I recall someone mentioning you like it when I’m a bully.” You huff, “Should have never told you, now you'll use it against me.” Hotch chuckles, “For as long as I can.” You lay on your bed and let out a content hum. Closing your eyes, you tried to remember the last time you talked on the phone for this long. Or when was the last time you enjoyed a phone call this much. It was odd. Even through the phone, you could feel the special silence you and Hotch shared. Hotch broke the silence first. His voice came out soft and sleepy, “I think we both need to get some rest. I have a hot date I want to impress.” You tiredly chuckled, “Good night, I’ll see you tomorrow.” Hotch replied, “Sleep well.” Both of you ended the call, and you quickly passed out.

That night you got some of the best rest you had in a long time. After working for the BAU for two years and all the extra hours you put in, your body had gotten used to a particular schedule. To the point, you hadn't needed to set an alarm after your first six months with the Bureau. It wasn't unusual to sometimes get woken up by phone calls. It was almost always Hotch on the other end. So when you woke up to your phone ringing this morning, you instinctively grabbed it. You didn't even have to open your eyes to answer the call and bring it to your ear, “Please tell me you are not calling for a case.” What was utterly bizarre was how Hotch answered the phone. Hotch’s voice was happy, “Not calling for a case, just calling to talk to you.” He sounded wide awake. Making you curious as to what time it was but not curious enough to open your eyes. Hotch commented, “Did I wake you up?” You grumble, “You wake me up all the time, why do you sound surprised?” Hotch chuckles, “Because it's about three to four hours after you normally wake up.” Your eyes shoot open, “What? It’s 9 am?” Hotch sounded more than amused, “It’s closer to 10.” This time you shoot up out of bed. You mumbler mostly to yourself as you get up and out of bed, “What the fuck?” You didn't have any plans until your date later, but it was disorienting to wake up this late in the day. You could hear public background noise. Hotch sounded slightly out of breath as he spoke, “Clearly, I kept you up too late last night.” You scoff, sitting on your bed. “Don’t flatter yourself. If anything, I went to bed early last night.” You rub your eyes with your free hand, “I just slept a lot better than I normally do.” Hotch quickly gets a cocky tone, “I wonder why that is.” You chuckle and roll your eyes, changing subjects, “Why are you so peppy and tired, sounding at the same time?” Hotch chuckles, “I’m talking to you, and I just finished running.” You get up and head to your kitchen, “I bet that is quite the view.” You hear Hotch get into his car as he talks, “You're always welcome to join me.” You start making coffee, “I might take you up on that, but I don't want you getting sick of me.” Hotch chuckles, “After almost three years working together, I don’t think that could happen.” You smile to yourself, humming “That's very optimistic, I like it.” Hotch lets out a happy sigh, “I think I figured out our date tonight.” You chuckle, “Ohh… do tell.” Hotch teases, “The only thing I’m going to tell you is its dinner, and I would recommend dressing nicely.” You pour yourself some coffee, “Are we talking business, club, or just hot date nice?” Hotch laughs, “I’m pretty sure you don't even like clubs. I’m sure you'll know what to wear.” You grin and chuckle, “Are we meeting there?” Hotch playfully criticizes you, “Nice try. I’ll pick you up at 6 tonight.” You start drinking coffee, “I’m looking forward to it.” There is a short pause before Hotch lets out a sigh, “As much as I would like to talk as much as we did last night…” You smile to yourself, finishing for him, “ But you have important adult stuff to go do.” Hotch responds with a melancholy sigh, “Unfortunately, yes.” You play around with your coffee cup, “Well, you're free to call me anytime today… as long as it's not for a case.” Hotch chuckles, “I wouldn't dream of it.” You smile, “Now go be responsible, I’ll see you tonight.” You can once again hear the smile in Hotch’s voice, “See you then.” The call ends, and a large smile stays on your face.

You make yourself some food, ready to actually have a lazy day for once in your life. You may not have had a lot of free time typically. Using these few hours to do whatever you could to unwind. You had never been great at sitting around and relaxing, but today you were able to slide into it easily. You were eager for 6 to roll around. Putting you in a weird state of time, both moving too slowly and too quickly all at once. When it was finally 4, you started getting ready. Two hours early may have seemed extreme, but Hotch was good at staying punctual. So you just assumed he would be anywhere from thirty minutes to an hour early. Scanning through your clothes, you picked out the perfect outfit. Something closer to a ‘hot date’ look without being over the top. You finished getting ready for the date and sat on your couch. When your phone rang, you immediately picked it up.

Hotch was on the other end, already apologetic, “I know I said 6. I’m running a little late.” You chuckle, getting up off the couch, “How about I come to you then?” You grab your keys and stand by your door. You hear Jack murmuring in the background as Hotch talks, “I… Actually, that's a good idea.” You smile, “I’ll be there soon, then.” Hotch replies with a quick but sincere, “Thank you.” Ending the call. You chuckle and shake your head as you make your way to the car. You and Hotch didn't live too far away from each other. So it doesn't take long for you to drive to Hotch’s apartment. When you got to his place, you gave the door a rhythmic knock.

Hotch answered the door. He was in a suit, nicer looking than the ones he wears to work. The thing was that his hair was a bit of a mess, with the fabric of a bow tie laying undone around his neck. As soon as he saw you, Aaron’s face lit up, “Hey… Sorry, come in.” You couldn't help the giant smile that slipped onto your face. You weren't sure if you had ever seen him this disheveled in a causal situation. It was beyond adorable to see him like this. Aaron stepped back, opening the door fully for you. You walk in slowly, looking around, “Everything okay?” Aaron chuckles, closing the door behind you, “Jessica, Jack’s aunt is just running behind. So that threw me off.” As if right on queue, Jack peeks out and gives you a shy wave. You had met Jack quite a few times over the years. Jack was a sweet kid, and luckily he seemed to like you. You smile and crouch down, “Hey there, Jack.” Jack runs over, “Can you play with me before you and daddy leave?” Aaron goes to say something, but you interrupt him. You grin happily, “Of course, Lil’ man. Why don't you go find something for us to play with, and I’ll be there soon?” Jack smiles and runs back to his room, “Yay.”

You stand up and look back at Aaron. Aaron spoke to you with a sweet look on his face, “You don’t have…” You interrupt him again, “Did you choose a place that needs a reservation?” Aaron furrows his brow, looking more like he does at work, “Why?” You roll your eyes and glare at him, “Did you?” Aaron watches you, not sure what is going on, “No, I didn't.” You smile, “Why don’t you call Jessica and tell her not to worry about coming over.” Aaron crosses his arms, scanning your face, “Someone has to be here to watch Jack.” You fake gasp, “What is that a law or something, I’ve never heard of it before.” Aaron bores down into you with a glare. You shake your head and smile up at him, “I think me and you both being adults will be able to watch him.” Aaron watches you, thinking for a long while before speaking, “You got all dressed up.” His eyes rack over you, “You look great, by the way.” You give a cocky grin and eat it up, “Thank you very much.” You grab Aaron by his button-up shirt, pulling him away from the door. Aaron easily lets you lead him, a smirk slipping onto his face. You tease, “We dress nice at work all the time… maybe it would be fun to see each other in comfy clothes.” Once you get Aaron a few feet away from the front door, you stop. Aaron uncrosses his arms, and his face gets softer as he smiles, “That could be interesting.” You smile, rotating the two of you. So now your closest to the front door. You get a more serious tone, “Plus, it will give you more time with Jack. Our job is busy.” Aaron studies you again for a moment. You were sure he was trying to see if you really wanted this or were just saying what he wanted to hear. You tilt your head and reach behind you, grabbing the door handle, “I have a go-bag in my car. Let me go grab it so I can change.” Aaron smiles down at you and nods, “Okay, hurry back. Or Jack and I will start having all the fun without you.” You grin happily and reach up, giving Aaron a quick peck. Aaron does try to continue kissing you but pull away. You grin devilishly, teasing him before quickly slipping out the door.

Within a few minutes, you were able to grab your bag and be back at Aaron’s door. You give a rhythmic knock, and Aaron casually opens the door. Now he was in a plain t-shirt and a pair of shorts. You grin and whistle at Aaron as he lets you in the door. Aaron closes the door behind you, making sure to lock it. Aaron comes up behind you and grabs you by your hips before you make it too far into the apartment. You let out a startled gasp before blushing. Aaron chuckles as he leads you further into his apartment, “Payback for that peck.” He was leaning down to talk to you, “Use my bedroom to get changed.” Aaron motions to his room before letting go of you, giving you a soft, playful pat on the ass. You tried to hide your smile as you turned around to glare at him. Aaron just smiles back. Hiding your own smile becomes pointless. You close the bedroom door behind you. You look around, thinking about how the night was going to go. Not wanting to be too presumptuous, you put your bag against the wall away from the bed. You start quickly changing into your comfy clothes, a t-shirt and a pair of sweats.

Emerging from Aaron’s bedroom, you sneak over to Jack’s bedroom door, looking in. Aaron is sitting on the ground, playing with Jack. You smile and watch them for a second. It was nice seeing Aaron so happy, it gave you a fluttery feeling in your stomach. After enjoying the moment, you decide to move into the room, “So what's the plan?” You sit down next to Aaron and look at Jack. Jack was happily playing with action figures as he looked up at you, “I am choosing?” Aaron looks over at you with a smile on his face. You slide your hand across the floor until you reach Aaron’s. Aaron loosely wraps his hand around yours on the ground. You turn your attention back to Jack, “Yep, you know more about having fun than your dad and me, so you're in charge.” Aaron tassels Jack's hair, “That right, buddy.” Jack giggles happily before he goes off and brings over some things to do.

First, it was just playing with figures, after a while switching to legos. When Jack was ready to move on from toys, he chose board games next. With how much Jack looked up to Aaron, it wasn't surprising that the first board game he grabbed was ‘Clue’. Jack pulled the box over to you and Aaron, “Let’s catch bad guys like you and daddy do.”  Aaron makes a face and looks at you. You shrug smiling, “‘Clue’ is one of my favorite board games.” Aaron rolls his eyes, “Why am I not surprised?” You make a guilty face, “I suppose I shouldn't be surprised where I ended up career-wise. Though it was not my original plan.” You smile down at Jack as you help him set up the board game. Aaron also helps, “I’m glad you didn't choose a different line of work.” You chuckle, shuffling the cards, “You and me both.” You deal out the cards. You look down at Jack, “If you want, I’ll help you win Jack.” Jack looks up at you, “Really?” Aaron scoffs, “That would be blatant cheating.” You smirk at the man across from you, “Is it cheating when we get outside help? It’s called a consultation.” Aaron glares at you, smiling, “You're pushing it.” You put your hand to your chest in mock offense, “Jack, you're the boss. Would it be cheating or not?” Jack makes a face looking between you and his father, “We all help each other.” You hum happily, “You know you dad says the same thing at work, right?” You can feel Aaron watching you. Jack excitedly looks at you, “Really?” You nod, “Mhm, he always says ‘It doesn't matter who gets credit for it, as long as the bad guy gets caught.’” You smile at Jack, “That's how you know your daddy is a perfect guy.” Jack beams at his dad, “Daddy is the best!” You smile over at Aaron, “No argument here.” Aaron watches you with intense but happy eyes. You look away, blushing, focusing back on Jack, “Ready to catch the bad guy?” Jack rocks happily, “Yes, please.” You all start playing. Completely messing up the rules of the game in order to ‘consulate’ with each other. Obviously, you and Aaron slowly set it up so that Jack will end up winning.

When Jack won, he proudly announced it, “I got the bad guy.” You help Aaron cleanup as he talks to his son, “Good job, buddy. Even beat two professionals.” You laugh, finishing putting the game away, “You know what we get to do when we catch the bad guy?” Jack looks at you, curiously. You start standing up, “We get to fly on a special plane.” You gently pick Jack up before fully standing up. Jack giggles as you hold him. Aaron watches you with a smile, and you wink at him. You carry Jack out of his room, as you start making plane noises. Once you get to the living room, you dramatically fake fall onto the ground, keeping Jack safe the whole time. Once you're on the ground, you lay on your back, holding Jack up above you. He holds out his arms with a smile, and you continue making plane noises for him. You laugh happily watching Jack have fun, you didn't really care how silly you looked. After a few minutes, Aaron walks into the room, watching you two for a minute. Aaron walks over, “You having fun?” You smile up at both the boys, nodding. Jack squirms around, you move him to the side and let Jack stand on his own. Jack runs and tackles his dad with a hug, “So much fun. Can they come over more often?” Aaron crouches down to pick up his son, looking at you. Aaron smiles, “I think we could do that.” You sit up on your elbows, “Maybe you and daddy can even come sleepover at my place sometime.” Aaron raises his eyebrows, smiling, “That would be really fun, wouldn't it?” Jack beams, “The most fun.” You chuckle, watching the two. Aaron kisses Jack on the cheek, “Why don't you go play while we make dinner?” Jack nods happily, running off as soon as Aaron sets him on the ground.

Aaron walks closer to you, officially towering over you now. You flop back down onto the ground, “The view from down here is pretty nice… I like you in a suit, of course, but…” You grin, “Shorts are also a perfect look on you.” Aaron looked down at you with a smirk, “I’m liking your casual look as well.” You reach your arm up towards him. Aaron leans down and grabs you by your upper arm. You duplicate the action so he can pull you off the floor. It was a simple enough gesture, considering you both had helped each other up in the same way both in the field and during training exercises. You stood up on your feet, coming chest to chest with Aaron. You look up at Aaron and can’t help but smile, “I like how happy you look when we aren't at work.” Aaron smiles back at you, “I have a few good reasons to be.” You smirk as you add, “I thought that scowl was a permanent feature on your face.” Aaron rolls his eyes before lending down to kiss you. You kiss him back, wrapping your arms around his neck. Aaron’s hands rest on your hips. Easily getting lost in the moment until Aaron pulls away, “We need to start making dinner.”

You huff pulling away as well, “I suppose we need food to survive.” Aaron chuckles, walking into the kitchen. You follow behind him, “I have a confession.” When Aaron gets into the kitchen, he turns around to face you. His brow already furrowed, worried. You nervously rub the back of your neck, “I don't know how to cook.” Aaron laughs, “You don't? How have you survived this long?” You shrug, “If it has a box with instructions on it, then I’m good but passed that I’m useless.” Aaron chuckles as he starts pulling some things out of the cabinets. You sigh, “In college, when I probably should have been learning how to cook like an adult should… I decided my studies were more worthwhile.” Aaron smirks, watching you, “That is something Reid would say.” You glare at him, crossing your arms, “Well, that was how I became good enough to get hired at the BAU so jokes on you. If I had not neglected to learn adult stuff, I wouldn't have been good enough for you to hire me.” Aaron laughs again, “You have the instincts. I’m sure you would have still made it in.” You roll your eyes and huff again, “When do we ever have time to make actual meals anyway?” Aaron walks over to you, backing you up until your ass hits the counter. You keep glaring at him. Aaron kisses you softly, “I can cook so you'll be fine.” Aaron pulls away and starts working on dinner, “Just don't tell Rossi… He might stop speaking to you or demand you be fired.” You laugh and pull yourself up to sit on the counter, “We could tell him we were dating, and he would cheer us on. We tell him I can't cook, and he would be pissed… Sounds right.” You sit back and watch Aaron cook.

The dinner was delicious. Sitting at the dining room table with Aaron and Jack gave you the feeling you were a part of a family. Maybe you were moving too fast in your mind. You knew Aaron’s history and would never rush him into anything. You'd have a talk with Aaron later about it. But for now, you couldn't help how you felt. Sitting at this small table, having a nice dinner. Watching Aaron, who you've had feelings for since almost three years ago, looks so happy. While Jack cheerfully talked to both you and Aaron. It felt right, and it made your heart feel so full to be a part of it. So you couldn't help but feel like this is where you belonged.

Once all three of you were finished with dinner, you helped clean up the table. Aaron gently grabs Jack from the table, “Time to get you cleaned up.” Aaron carries Jack back towards the bathroom. You take this chance to start doing dishes. Walking over to the dishwasher, you pop it open. You start looking through the cabinets, figuring out where all the dishes are supposed to go. Aaron walks back into the kitchen, “You didn't need to snoop around.” He teases you. You chuckle, “You caught me, trying to find out all your secrets based on what food you buy and how you organize things.” You turn to him and smile. Aaron started walking into the kitchen, “I can take care of that.” You growl and move quickly enough to physically block him from moving further, “Don’t you dare.” You glare up at him, “You cooked, so I’ll take care of this.” Aaron glares back down at you for a moment before he cracks a smile, “Fine.” He leans down and kisses you softly. You smile as you kiss him back. Breaking the kiss so you can get back to the dishes, humming as you put them away. Aaron goes to check on Jack in the tub every now and then. While you're filling the dishwasher with the dirty dishes, the apartment is filled with Jack’s happy giggling and even Aaron’s laughter. The nice domestic feeling was a pleasant change from anything you were used to.

Right as you finished loading the dishwasher, you heard Aaron and Jack talking. You listen to the water start draining as Aaron speaks, “Pajamas and then bedtime for you, buddy.” Jack whines, “I wanna stay up with you.” Aaron sighs, “It’s getting late.” Jack resorts to begging, “Please daddy, just a little bit longer.” Aaron chuckles and caves, “Fine. Once you get dressed, you can pick a movie.” You chuckle to yourself as you hear Jack making excited noises which are shortly muffled by fabric.

Moments later, Jack comes bolting out of the bathroom, wearing superhero pajamas. Jack runs right to you, “Daddy said we could watch a movie.” You crouch down and smile at Jack, “That's exciting.” Jack tackles you with a hug. You scoop him up in a hug as you stand up. Aaron walks in, seeing you two and smiles. Aaron kisses Jack on the forehead before the three of you head into the living room. You set Jack down, “What movie are you gonna pick?” Jack goes over to the small collection of movies, very carefully looking through them. You sit on the couch, getting comfortable. Jack picks a movie and hands it to his dad. Aaron gets it set up while Jack joins you on the couch, taking the middle cushion. When Aaron comes to sit down, he takes the other end of the sofa. Leaving Jack between the two of you. As the movie starts, you rest your arm on the back of the couch. Jack snuggles up to his dad. Aaron then mimics your gesture and rests his arm on the back of the sofa. He then intertwines your arms. You and Aaron exchanged a smile as the movie starts. You lazily glide your fingers over Aaron’s upper arm. Jack picked Captain America, not surprising considering how much he idolized his dad and the association Jack made between the two. The three of you happily watch the movie.

While you and Jack made it all the way through the movie, Aaron fell asleep at some point. When the movie was over, Jack gave a big yawn, rubbing his eyes lazily. You look over at Jack slowly getting up, he looks from his father to you. You give Jack a small smile, whispering, “Mind if I tuck you in bed tonight since daddy is tired?” Knowing how much Aaron worked and how little time he had, you didn't want to wake him. Jack nods at you. You very carefully untangle your arm from Aaron’s. You wait for a second to see if Aaron starts waking up. When he doesn't, you gently reach down and pick up Jack, “Come on, sweetie.” You smile as you see how tired Jack is, already resting his head against your chest as you carry him. Slowly navigating your way to Jack’s room. When you get into his room, you pull the blanket back. Kneeling down and gently helping him into bed. Jack immediately gets comfy, moving around a bit. When Jack settles, you tuck him into bed. You're about to stand up when Jack looks at you and mumbles, “Read to me?” Jack yawns again, “Daddy does.” You smile down at him, “What book are you currently reading?” Jack shakes his head, “We finished.” You hum softly, “Okay, let me find another one.” You move so you can grab a book. Glancing through the titles, automatically ruling out any books you remember Aaron mentioning before. You land on ‘James and the Giant Peach’, grabbing it and sitting back down by Jack's bed. You open the book and start reading to Jack.

Jack only lasted maybe five pages before he officially passed out. You smile and sit for a second quietly, making sure he doesn't start to wake up again. When he stays sound asleep, you re-tuck him in before standing up. Placing a bookmark in the book before setting it to the side. You look down and watch Jack again for another moment. You had seen so many horrible things at work. It was nice to be able to see good, peaceful moments like this as well. You started heading to the door only to get startled and instantly freeze up when you see someone in the doorway. Aaron had a huge smile on his face, his arms were crossed, and he was leaning on the doorframe leading into Jack’s room. You glared at Aaron, annoyed at yourself for not noticing someone had been watching you. You walk to the door, whispering when you get close enough to Aaron, “How long have you been standing there?” Aaron moves out of your way, “Long enough.” You roll your eyes and walk into Aaron’s room. Aaron follows behind you, quietly closing his bedroom door. You stand there and stare at your bag for a moment, not sure how to proceed.

Before you figured out whether Aaron wanted you to stay the night or not, a question just fell out of your mouth, “I… uh… I wasn't overstepping or anything, right?” Aaron stops next to his bed. His features harden a bit, showing that he is studying you. You quickly add, “You were asleep, and I didn't want to wake you… but I know that…” You let yourself just trail off, not sure how to phrase it. You knew that this situation became a bit more complicated now. It was one thing when you hung out and spent time with Jack when you and Hotch were just friends and co-workers. But now that you and Aaron had expressed romantic feelings for each other, the whole dynamic had shifted slightly. Your hand crosses over your body to nervously rub your arm. Aaron’s features set a bit more before softening. Aaron smiles, “No, your fine. Jack likes you, and you're really good with him.” You smile softly, but your nerves win out. You shift back and forth on your feet. Aaron immediately notices. His eyes shift between you and your bag. Aaron was reading into it, “What's wrong? You haven't moved away from the door, and you put your bag as far away from my bed as you could.” You bite the inside of your cheek, avoiding eye contact, “I want to make sure I’m not moving too fast.” You let out a sigh and look back at Aaron, “I know your situation and history… and I…” You adjust yourself again, “I'm totally fine with the speed we are moving at. I mean, we have basically been dating for two years without the direct flirting… and without the whole having sex part... “ A smile twitches on your face before you blush and continue, “So… I want to make sure I’m not moving too fast... for you.” You watch Aaron for what seems like an eternity. Aaron's face softens up, and a comforting smile slides onto his face, “I will let you know if we start moving too fast.” You start feeling better, stepping closer. You smile, “So… You  want me to stay the night?” Aaron grins and nods, “If you don't get in this bed, I will pick you up and put you in it.” You chuckle and glare at Aaron, standing your ground. He walks over to you, looking down at you, “Last chance.” You shrug and still don't move. Aaron chuckles and sighs. In one quick motion, he grabs you by your legs. Draping you over his shoulder. You gasp and start laughing, “Aaron!” You playfully hit him on the back. Aaron turns off the bedroom light before he moves to the bed. He gives you a light smack on the ass before gently flipping you onto the bed.

You grin up at Aaron. He smiles back down at you before leaning down. Giving you a soft kiss before sliding into his bed next to you. You roll over to face Aaron, “You remember when we had to share a room on a case?” Even in the dim light, you could see Aaron narrow his eyes at you, “About a year ago? Yeah.” You chuckle, “It was a hotel with a huge bed, so we ended up sharing the bed.” Aaron smirks, “I was hoping you forgot about that.” You grin devilishly, “Kinda hard to forget, waking up with my boss spooning me.” Aaron chuckles, covering his face with his hand. “That was a complete accident.” You grin and tease, “It was a HUGE bed, we slept so far apart. That's one hell of an accident.” Aaron moves his hand and glares at you, “How do I know you didn't move closer to me first in your sleep, and then in my sleep, I ended up grabbing you?” You gently grab the front of his shirt, pulling him down for a short kiss, “If that's true, then both of us are at fault.” Aaron kisses you back, his hand moves up to hold the side of your face. Letting yourself get lost in the kiss. When you both pull away, you grin up at Aaron, “Still like being the big spoon?”  Aaron just smiles in response, so you roll over. He wraps his arm loosely around you, pulling you close to him. Your back pressed against Aaron’s chest. A content hum leaves you as you melt into Aaron’s hold on you. Easily your eyes fall shut. You let yourself enjoy the secure and comfortable feeling as you slip into sleep.

Continuation of Co-Conspirators – Part 1–Part 2*–Part 3–Part 4–Part 5 –Part 6

Tags: @dr-reid-ismyspiritanimal​

[ribcage-rodents]

Post two

Diana

Diana smiled indulgently resting a hand on Donna’s shoulder.

“Hello Donna, it is wonderful to see you again, I have some exciting news.”

Donna

She fidgeted awkwardly trying to act like she hadn't been eavesdropping.

Diana

“You are finally going to see the Man’s World. Go pack your bags, we will leave once you say your goodbyes. We can discuss the rules of your mission in my plane.”

Her excitement was only shown by the joyful flash in her eyes.

Donna attempted to keep her face in a soft smile with her eyes telling her emotions

much like her older sister does, as she made her way towards her home.

Scene 6

Bruce sat at the kitchen counter a cup of steaming coffee in one hand, while his face rested heavily in the other.

Alfred

Alfred curved around Bruce to top off his drink and use a rag to clean up a puddle of coffee Bruce had spilled while complaining about League business.

“I don’t understand why you can’t just let the boy have friends, master Bruce.”

Bruce

Bruce looked up exasperated from where his face was resting.

“Because Dick is more skilled and intelligent than all of those other ‘heroes’. I don’t want him to be influenced by those immature, idiotic, side kicks. Who knows what one of those older kids could encourage him to do!? He’s much safer at home.”

He said moving his hand sharply to the left spilling coffee all over the counter.

Alfred sighed deeply moving to clean up the coffee, sending Bruce a disapproving stare while he sheepishly averted his gaze. Dick was upstairs in his beautiful, pink-marbled bathroom leaning over the counter worriedly applying concealer to purple bruises on his neck as Tate Agile played in the background, he stopped for a moment to read to a text from ‘science lab partner’.

Dick

“Come on dude, it's not that big of a deal Bs never gonna know”

Dick sighed becoming even more concerned, he glanced in the mirror frowning at his reflection before replying.

“Idk Babs, I’d be in a ton of trouble if B found out”

He stared at his phone for a couple of seconds then added,

“Especially since you’re like a little too old for me”

Dick’s hand squeezed around his phone as he shut his eyes, he counted to ten silently before exhaling. Pretending he wasn’t waiting for her response he went back to covering up the bruises on his neck, despite his eyes flicking back over to the black screen every couple of seconds.

Yet when the phone finally pinged he hesitated, it wasn't until the second text arrived that he actually answered.

“No, our age difference really isn’t that big, if you think about it people get married with like a 10 year diff.”

“Are you gonna come out w me tonight?”

Dick sighed softly, his cheeks lighting up pink.

“Yeah I got some free time around 12-2am. But we’re just gonna hang out ok, just like a little bit of kissing. No making out or hickies or anything.”

His phone pinged again.

“Haha yeah sure that's what you said last time.”

“What's up w your schedule man? 12-2am is so random.”

“You might not need sleep but I do, next time we should just meet up during like second period or something.”

Dick’s frown deepened.

“I’m not skipping school. I think you’re a bad influence on me:(“

“You know we don’t have to do anything when we meet up we could just cuddle or something.”

He paused before deleting the last message.

“Ha, maybe I like making you into a bad boy”

“See you tonight, maybe I’ll make you break into the school to find the best secret makeout place!”

Dick set his phone face down, scratching at his arm he went back to covering up those bruises.

Scene 7

Wally was in his tiny little bathroom that looks like it was designed in the 1950’s. He was leaning over the tiled blue and turquoise countertop messing with his forever windswept hair. There was a loud banging at the door as Wally dragged a brush through the birdsnest on top of his head.

Wally

There was a brief pause before Wally once again dragged the brush through his messy hair. The banging returned causing Wally to jerk smacking his hand against the counter, he turned and opened the door staring annoyed at his uncle.

“What?”

Barry

Barry stared back a pleased smirk on his face leaning against the door frame.

“Come on kiddo, we’re gonna be late.”

He reached out and plucked the brush from Wally’s hand as he spoke.

Wally

Wally did a full body groan leaning back, he shot one last mournful look at himself in the mirror before he moved towards the door, his uncle disappearing into his room. Wally sighed rummaging through his room for his suit. “What's the point of having super speed if you’re gonna be late to everything?”

Barry

Barry zipped over to his nephew ruffling his hair, effectively ruining any improvement Wally had managed.

“I ask myself the same question everyday when I show up late for work.”

Flying down the streets of central the two speedsters made haste, two flashes of red and yellow sped down the streets and around buildings. Stopping quickly at a hotdog vendor, handing the man a red credit card decorated with tiny lightning bolts, the city's way of thanking the heroes. Before getting back on the road.

Flash

“So kiddo, are ya nervous?”

Flash called stuffing a whole hot dog in his mouth.

Kidflash

Kidflash made a contemplative noise, looking down at his feet.

“Well yeah, I’m not exactly good at making friends,... or being cool.”

Both speedsters came to a halt, Kidflash resumed looking down self-deprecatingly, shoving the last 12 hotdogs into his mouth. Flash slipped behind him resting a hand on his shoulder.

Flash

“Don’t worry kiddo, just be yourself they’re gonna love you!”

He punctuated his statement by ruffling his nephew’s hair one last time. The two then proceeded, one at a time to enter the transporter.

Scene 8

Kidflash stepped into the JL headquarters quickly moving to catch up with his uncle as he sped towards the monitor room.

Flash

“Welcome to the Justice League break room!”

Flash called happily swinging his arms open to fully display the room. He leaned in close,

“It used to just be the monitor room but we all started to hang around here, mostly because Wonder Woman and Supes like to annoy Bats.”

He said with a nod.

Wonder Girl sat alone on the edge of one of the ugly green couches, sipping on a mug of herbal tea periodically.

Flash

Flash bumped his shoulder against Kidflash’s, whispering an encouraging,

“You got this kiddo!”

The Flash then departed, walking over towards Batman and Wonder Woman chatting by the supercomputer both holding steaming cups of coffee.

Kidflash

Taking a deep breath and gathering all his courage Kidflash confidently strided over to where Wonder Girl was perched. Looming over her he plastered on his best ‘Wall-man’ smirk. Wonder Girl cocked a single eyebrow as a supercilious look settled on her lips.

“Hey gorgeous, I hope you brought your library card because you can totally check me out!”

He flinched expecting to be hit or splashed by her tea.

Wonder Girl

“Wow, I’m already regretting this,”

Wonder Girl huffed glaring at Kidflash

“Maybe I should’ve stayed home,”

She mumbled quietly to herself.

Speedy

Speedy came up behind Kf’s right purposely smacking their shoulders together before plopping down on the couch causing Wonder Girl’s tea to slosh spilling over the rim and roll down the side of her thigh.

“Ew, dude have you ever actually gotten a girl with that line?”

He asked his arms resting on the top of the couch. He then raised his hand in a halting motion.

“Nevermind don't answer that, you have loner-loser written all over you.”

Kidflash

Kidflash lost his composure striking his arms out, before bringing his hand back around to point towards himself.

“Hey! I get tons of ladies!”

Speedy

“Yeah whatever dude,”

Speedy cut him off waving his hand still resting on the top of the couch, looking in the opposite direction of the scene before him.

Garth

Garth parted from his King’s side as they entered the break room with a nod, he walked towards the other heroes, his dark eyes calculating.

“Hello, I’m Garth.”

He said before sitting down on the couch next to Speedy.

Speedy

Speedy made a face.

“Great intro fishboy! But shouldn’t you have like a superhero name?”

Garth

“No, I don’t have a secret identity.”

Garth spoke, his tone relaying how idiotic he thought Speedy was.

Kidflash

“What about protecting your family man?”

Kidflash asked, lifting both his eyebrows, he was never able to just move one, leaning towards Garth.

Garth

Garth’s eyebrows pulled together as frustration took over.

“I don't wear a mask, villains will know who I am regardless.”

Speedy

“Wonder Girl doesn’t wear a mask,”

Speedy said leering at Garth.

“Maybe we should come up with a dumb superhero name for you, personally I like Fishboy!”

Kidflash laughed loudly, Wonder Woman groaned standing up and walking towards her sister.

She was stopped by the Flash calling them over in an energetic voice waving the rest of the sidekicks towards them.

Green Arrow

Green arrow spoke first giving all of the teens a cursory glance before focusing completely on his own sidekick.

“Now listen up, this mission is very important to your future as legitimate heroes.”

Within his brief pause Black Canary sighed heavily at Green Arrow's natural talent for being a terrible parent. He moved one hand to his hip as he spoke lightly elbowing Aquman in the process.

“All ya gotta do is sit and watch your targets,”

Once again there was a lapse in his speech when he turned to check that Batman had brought up the images of the targets and the suspicious big black bags, as well as the address of their hideout. After seeing Batman had in fact project the correct information, Green Arrow nodded to himself before turning back toward the sidekicks. Jerking his thumb backwards, he continued.

“These are them.”

He took a moment to clear his throat at the odd phrasing.

Flash

Flash took that moment to take over patting his colleague’s shoulder as he stepped closer to the center of the group.

“We’ve been monitoring these guys’ set up for a couple weeks. We think that they’re smuggling something illegal in those big black bags-”

Speedy

“What do you mean “illegal” things?! Don't we get to know if there's gonna be guns or drugs or something, idiot-man!”

Speedy cut in sharply placing both hands on his hips and leaning forward, aggressively sneering in the Flash’s face.

Green arrow placed a hand on each side of Speedy’s chest pushing him back as Flash stood there shocked.

Flash

“So we’ll drop ya off at their hideout, be very careful sneaking into the building and while choosing stalking positions. If they begin to pack up and leave or the situation starts to turn violent, stay safe and contact us before attempting to fight. If they have guns, retreat to the transporter immediately.

Batman then swiveled around in his chair, sending a questioning glance at Wonder Woman from across the room, ignoring the conclusion of Superman’s story much to his disappointment.

Batman

“Why would you send these children out into the field if you don't trust them to fight without supervision?”

It was a statement rather than a question, challenging all of the other mentors.

Wonder Woman answered anyway with a judgemental look of her own, but Green Arrow was the one who spoke.

Green arrow

Green arrow took several long strides towards batman.

“Well we’re not just gonna leave our kids at the mercy of a bunch of gun wielding scumbags. I mean, Flash can’t even stand a chance against a handgun, do ya think any side kick could survive that?!”

Batman

Batman glared at him but spoke in a calm voice, only failing a little to keep the smugness out of his tone.

“Robin could.”

Aquaman

Green Arrow geared up to make another loud and spity remark but Aquaman spoke up for the first time since the debriefing began.

“If he is so proficient then why is he not here?”

He questioned with far more smugness in his tone.

Batman

“Because Robin is currently working on his own personal mission tonight.”

The statement was followed by Batman swinging his chair back around and continuing to type up a mission statement.

The group dispersed most of the sidekicks getting last minute pep talks, Kidflash who reached out to his uncle grabbing his elbow as he went to go carbo-load.

Flash

The flash turned to look at his nephew.

“What’s up kiddo?”

He asked, placing a hand on each of his shoulders looking at his face in concern.

Kidflash

Kidflash looked down taking a deep breath before locking eyes with his uncle.

“I-I don't know if I can do this uncle B.”

Flash

Flash answered with a sigh rubbing rough but soothing circles on his shoulders and nape.

“Alright listen kiddo, ya made a jerk out of yourself.”

kidflash‘s face whipped up to face his uncle.

“I know I flirt with all the ladies but I do so in a joking manner that means no harm or a promise for furthering the relationship...just apologize to Wonder Girl.”

Kidflash made a face at the ground scuffing his shoe against the shiny tile floor.

“Make some small talk when appropriate on the mission and you’ll have three new best friends in no time!”

Flash turned him around to face the other sidekicks and smacked him on the back pushing him forward.

Scene 9

A wide shot of the seedier area of Arizona, several of the lamp posts have been shattered and no longer work, streams of light shine across the wet road through boarded up windows of an old warehouse. The sidekicks crouched behind a stack of molding crates, listening intently as the goons played cards and chatted about their personal lives, peering at them periodically.

Roy

Roy groaned softly clunking his head against the rotten wood.

“This is so boring! They aren’t doing anything, I say we just jump ‘em now!”

Roy whispered looking expectantly at his teammates.

Garth

Garth glared annoyed, grabbing Speedy’s wrist in a surprisingly strong grip.

“We were given direct orders-”

Speedy

Speedy shoved his flat palm into Garth’s face creating space between them.

“Calm down Fishboy, I’d never go against our wise and fearless mentors’ orders,”

Speedy sneered, ripping his arm from Garth and rubbing his wrist.

[kerra-and-company]

your mirror and your opposite

Nine-year-old Minei is used to being alone and unwanted, but one chance encounter is about to change that.

Warnings: animal death (temporary), necromancy

A03

Minei was used to being alone. Running away from the orphanage had just made it official.

Everyone seemed to think of her as a problem to solve. Too smart, too independent, too at-ease with using necromancy. She should listen and follow the rules and not raise minions inside the house. Minei was having none of it.

So, here she was, a week later, walking through the streets of Divinity’s Reach, trying to find food. A baker had taken pity on her and given her a few stale pieces of bread, but every other merchant she’d run into had wanted gold, and she had none.

She was about halfway down a particularly dark alley when a pained squeak distracted her. She squinted ahead at the shadows.

A scrawny, orange cat had pounced on a big brown rat, slicing into the rat with its claws. Clearly pleased with its prey, the cat moved to bite the rat on the neck and finish the job.

“HEY!” Minei yelled.

The cat was so startled that it puffed up like a fluffy coat exposed to static electricity. It stared at the girl for a second, and Minei hissed at it. This spooked it enough that it took off running, leaving the dying rat behind.

Minei ran towards the small creature, which was taking labored, shallow breaths. She tentatively reached out and petted its fur, and it curled into her touch.

“I’m sorry,” Minei said quietly, her voice breaking. “I can’t heal you.”

A last shuddering exhale, and the rat lay still.

She took a deep breath. “But I can bring you back.”

Minei’s palms slammed against the rough cobblestones, and her fingers dug into the cracks. The ground erupted with green light as darkness encircled the rat’s body. She closed her eyes and tugged, with instinctive knowledge coming from somewhere deep inside her.

The magic listened.

A tiny nose nudged her forearm, and her eyes opened. The resurrected rat, with glowing green stripes marking its cuts and unnaturally dark eyes, squeaked. It would have terrified the orphanage children, but it looked beautiful to Minei, who scooped it up and held it close to her chest.

“Wow!” said a small but enthusiastic voice over Minei’s shoulder. She jumped back and spun around, shielding the rat from view with her hands.

The speaker was a child who looked about the same age as Minei. Their hair was in two blond pigtails, and they exuded energy. Part of that might have been because they were wearing a bright pink dress, but an equally large portion of it came from the light in their eyes.

“I’ve never seen anyone do necromancy before!” the strange child continued, brightly. “It’s creepy, but cool—creepy-cool!” They laughed. Minei blinked, loosening her hold on the rat, who clambered up onto her shoulders and hid behind her messy braids. Its dark eyes peered out at the newcomer.

The child confidently stuck out a hand. “I’m Petra! She/her. My dad runs the tavern down the street. What’s your name?”

A pause. “I’m Minei,” Minei said, tentatively reaching out. Petra grasped her hand with an oddly determined strength. “She/her, too.”

“Nice to meet you!” Petra said, her excitement evident. Minei didn’t understand—what was so great about meeting her? “What about your parents? What do they do?”

“I don’t have parents.” Her tone was flat.

“Oh.” Petra’s eyes shuttered for a moment, and she let go of Minei’s hand. “I’m sorry.”

“Why?” Minei scuffed the sole of her right boot against the stones. “You don’t know me.” It comes out defensive.

“I know you’re creepy-cool,” Petra said, utterly serious now. She glanced at her wrist, and Minei noticed a golden bracelet there, too big for her. “And I don’t have a mom, so I kinda get it.”

It was Minei’s turn to say, “Oh.”

Petra took a breath just a bit deeper than average and let it out with a quiet sigh. “So, are you from the orphanage, then?”

“No,” Minei snapped, recoiling from the other girl. The rat squeaked angrily. “They’re assholes.”

Petra, amazingly, giggled, bringing her hands up to cover her mouth. “You swore! My dad says I can’t do that until I’m at least sixteen. Oh!” She clapped her hands, and Minei jumped a little. “How old are you? I’m ten!”

“It’s—” None of your business, Minei almost said, but she stopped herself. “I’m nine.”

“What school do you go to? Are we in any of the same classes? Ooh! What’s your favorite subject? What about—”

Petra’s flood of questions halted as Minei’s stomach let out an embarrassingly loud grumble. She hugged her arms to her chest as if that would make it quiet down.

“Oh! Sorry! Do you need food? I have lots of food at home!” Petra paused, looking for something in Minei’s face. “If…maybe you’d want to come?”

Minei was hungry, and Petra seemed…weirdly nice, if forceful. She seemed legitimately interested in Minei, and she wanted to help; she wanted to know more about her. She thought Minei was cool. But—

“Your dad won’t want me there.”

Petra looked utterly confused. “Of course he will! Why wouldn’t he?”

Minei just stared at her.

Petra nodded, then. “Oh, got it. He’s not an…he’s not like…he’s nice! I promise!” She grabbed Minei’s hand. “Come on! He’ll be happy to meet you!”

And they were running through the streets before Minei could say anything else.

The rat dug its claws into her shoulder, and Petra’s hand was tight around hers. Her dad, Mr. Andrew Nizan, was big and tall, but he was soft and bright like his daughter and much less scary than Minei had anticipated. When he learned she had nowhere to go, he insisted she stay overnight, and eventually she obliged. Surely, they wouldn’t want her to stay for longer—surely, she’d be kicked out soon. But there was food, and a roof over her head, and she was finally, tentatively happy.

Please let me stay.

[forkanna]

[AO3] [WATTPAD]

NOTICE: Characters/settings ©2008 Atlus. Story © me. All rights reserved. M for later risque situations and coarse dialogue. Cover art by takethesnowtrain.

WARNING: Rise's views and Ai's views on the LGBT community, and especially those of other characters in this work of fiction, do not always line up with those of the author. Please do your own research! The more you understand, the better our world will be.

CHAPTER WARNING: Bulimia.

NOTE: Happy New Year! Welcome to my particularly long and exhaustive crackship tome that literally no one asked for! What else is new, right? The first scene of this chapter is almost entirely copy-pasted from my other P4 fanfiction, "We'll Face Ourselves", though I tried to spruce it up and shift perspective so it doesn't feel like quite so much rehash. I thought it served as a nice lead-in to this story, with some added focus on the new ship. The second half of this chapter and the rest of the fic is all-new, don't worry. The "Golden" is more a reference to it being additional "dlc" for my other fic, not to me specifically focusing on Marie or any such content exclusive to P4G. Apologies if this dashes anyone's expectations but I hope you enjoy the fic regardless!

As for anyone wishing for that fic to debut... you know the one... well, all things in time. Soon, I promise. In the meantime, check me out at jxsleator dot carrd dot co !

Jessex

                                                  PROLOGUE

Once upon a time, in the quaint town of Inaba… a minstrel girl and a stubborn princess fought over a handsome prince. Very briefly.

"Can't you give me a little kiss goodbye?" the minstrel pulled back to look up into the boy's stoic face, her large doe eyes shining with tears — on purpose. She was a top notch minstrel, after all. "Something to keep me from… from dying from missing you?"

"Oh please," the quiet innkeeper muttered under her breath with a begrudging smile.

However, the prince obliged the minstrel girl with a kindly kiss upon the forehead. She was in awe of his tenderness. Right up until…

"Excuse me? What do you think you're doing, you bitch?!"

The others pulled back to see royalty approaching, hands on her hips. A truly glamorous princess indeed, even though her regal vestments weren't nearly as radiant as they had been in days past. The ever-present lacy pink turtleneck lived underneath a cardigan today rather than her school uniform.

"What is who doing?" the pouting siren protested, clinging a little tighter to her prince's arm.

"You! Little trollop!" The flawless beauty stomped over to the two of them, honey-brown waves bouncing as she got right up in the singer's face. "Take your greedy little paws off my boyfriend!"

The idol stamped her foot and snapped, "HEY! I don't see your name on him anywhere!"

The prince gulped and began to back away. "Uh…"

"Really?" the princess scoffed. "What makes you think you have any claim to him, slut puppy? He went to the festival with me — and spent Christmas Eve with me, too! And for your goddamn information, we got pretty close!"

Though the siren was comely, and manipulative toward many of the young suitors in the land, it was in playful jest; she did consider them friends but couldn't seem to suppress her womanly wiles, so she flirted for sport. Alas, the princess wounded her deeply with such words; her lip wobbled at the princess's declarations, even though that may have been for show.

"Senpai, say that's not true! How could you, when I… I let you… you know!"

"Hey, it doesn't count when I'm just sitting there and you plop your butt down on my hand," the prince said reasonably. "And Ai-chan, we hugged a little; please don't tease her by making it sound like more."

The prince's pair of suitresses were chagrined. The princess seemed a little more genuinely hurt than her rival for his attentions but neither were particularly happy with being called out.

"Whew," the flop-haired jester exhaled, wiping his brow. "Don't know how you get away with it, juggling two chicks like that."

"That's not…" The prince sighed, shaking his head as he facepalmed. "Maybe I'm glad to be leaving."

But in truth, he was not. Nor was anyone else present. As they alternately squabbled and lamented the prince's parting, other classmates and citizens of Inaba began to approach to wish him bon voyage. He really had left an impression in the short year he had lived there. When the train whistle signalled that it was about to pull away, the bickering came to an end so they could truly see their friend off. A lot of tearful hugs and well wishes were offered before the prince was inside, looking out the window at them as it pulled away from the station. They ran after him all the way to the end of the platform until they ran out of space, then stood waving after him until the train was completely out of sight.

And thus the prince's tale gave way to another. One about a minstrel who had lost her way and found it again, and a princess who had not always known she was a princess at all.

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

                                                                CHAPTER ONE

"I just… he really left," Rise Kujikawa finally sobbed now that the click-clack sounds of the train had faded into the distance.

"Geez, turn it off already," Yosuke Hanamura sighed as he clasped his hands behind his neck, pressing his floppy hair hard against his neck. They turned away to start toward home or wherever the night might take them. "You don't have to keep up the act when he's not even here."

"Act?!" She shoved him from behind, and he stumbled a couple of steps as his arms windmilled out to the sides, attempting to regain his balance. "Not cool, Hanamura! I am grieving the death of my relationship!"

"What relationship?" Kanji Tatsumi grunted.

"Boys, you could be a little more sensitive," Yukiko Amagi told them in an even, reasonable tone. She was dabbing at her eyes like everyone else, and leaning a little more heavily than usual on her best friend, Chie Satonaka, but she seemed to be maintaining her composure better than Rise could manage. "We're all going to miss him so much."

"I'm just trying to get Rise to wake up," Yosuke persisted anyway. "She's delusional. We all know Nakamura was trying to scam on that chick at the hospital."

"What?"

"You know. The nurse. Though I think she moved away…"

Kanji cleared his throat. "Actually, I… thought that woman with the kid was his squeeze. Y'know, the one that came up to him a minute ago?"

Chie squeaked, "He was doing what with who?! That's… why? Why chase a married woman?!"

"Oh, I thought it was one of you girls."

The group of them turned to blink at the girl from the drama club. "Who are you again?" Yosuke asked — very rudely, even though they were all thinking it.

"Yumi Ozawa," she said softly with a slight bow. "He gave me a great deal of help when I was dealing with my own family problems, you know. And… well, I revealed I had feelings for him, and he shut me down. Just said he wanted to remain friends, and it's hard to argue with that, isn't it?"

While Chie and Yukiko were chattering to her about that, the boys suffering through a "girly" conversation they had no interest in, the slightly jealous Rise found herself momentarily distracted. Everyone kept moving along as she slowly came to a halt, turned her white sandals off to the side, and approached someone who looked like she could use her company. Even if she wasn't absolutely sure of that.

"You okay over here?"

"Oh… no, no, I'm fine. Mind your own goddamn business."

"Wooooow. I guess that's what I get for caring, huh?"

"Wait," Ebihara suddenly blurted, standing up from the bus stop bench and taking a couple of steps toward her. "All right, I may have been unnecessarily rude. I just have no idea why you would want to talk to me when I was your rival for Narukami's affections."

"Because you looked kind of pathetic over here, all by yourself."

"I did not! I'm not 'pathetic', I'm legitimately upset that my boyfriend left!"

"He wasn't your…" But at least she managed to cut herself off with a roll of her eyes, swallowing down the jab and instead moving to hold onto Ebihara's shoulder. Tears were already rolling down the teen queen's cheeks, and her voice was tight and strangled, as if she were fighting back tears — clearly a losing battle. "He could never stay here. We all kind of knew that, and just talked ourselves out of believing it. I'm so mad! But… I have to get over it."

Clearly shocked by her more reasonable response, the prissy girl took a moment longer to respond herself. By the time she did, she was looking down toward their shoes. "Completely ridiculous. Right? I should have known better, I… ugh, I'm so pissed at myself."

"Right?!" Rise still wanted to slap her for trying to steal the boy of her dreams, but it really felt irrelevant now. So instead she tried for her most convincing smile — which, considering her previous vocation, was extremely convincing — and said, "Hey, um, why don't you try getting to know us a little better? Might as well, since you'll have more time on your hands now."

"Sounds stupid." The words came out so fraught with emotion that they were nearly unintelligible, but Rise still understood. "But I have nothing better to do, so lead on."

However, the closer they drew to the remaining group of students, the more anxious the prima donna became. Rise didn't know why exactly — and she couldn't know until Ai cleared her throat to get their attention. She could tell Naoto had been deep in discussion with Yukiko and Chie, though not what about.

"Yes?" Yukiko prompted her in mild surprise.

"I… thought I should say… I am sorry." She swallowed hard, brows furrowed. The expression still made her look angry and snobby, despite her tone of voice being gentle now; she just had resting bitch face. "Probably too late. But I was really going through some things when I sidelined you two in Aiya, and being rude is second nature to me. Can't be the most stunning girl in school without it going to your head, can you?"

"You say that like I would ever know," Chie snorted.

"Right. And… normally I would be agreeing with you and belittling you, Bowl Cu- I mean, Satonaka. I have a lot of practice." Grimacing, she growled, "Got so used to being queen bitch that it's hard to just be nice."

After a brief silence, so awkward that it felt as if any sound would have been preferable, Yukiko laid a hand on Ai's arm, gentle and reassuring. "Please, Ai-san. We all have darkness inside of us; nobody is a perfect person. So I think it's very admirable you're seeing your flaws and that you're trying to improve. I am the same, and so are my friends."

"Oh yeah?" The girl let out a wet-sounding laugh; indeed, tears were budding at the corners of her eyes. "How the hell aren't you perfect, Miss Goody Two-Shoes? I mean… I've always been so jealous of how the boys talk about you. No 'buts'."

"No butts?!" Chie burst out. "What do you mean? She's got a GREAT butt!"

Ai chuckled a little more heartily at that. Naoto was the only one who tapped her chin while noticing Yukiko's slight blush from the compliment; the others weren't paying it any attention. "No, no, not her ass. Which — fine, sure, it's fantastic. I mean like, they describe both of us as really beautiful, or hot or whatever. Same words for both of us. But with me, it always had a 'but she's such a bitch', 'but she's stuck up', 'but she's psycho' attached. Yukiko… a couple of guys said you were snooty if you turned them down for a date, but the rest of them saw through that. You're a good woman and I'm just a good-looking woman. I did so much work to be beautiful so boys would like me, but I'm just… ugly on the inside."

Though clearly, Yukiko was about to speak up, Chie beat her to the punch. "So that's it, huh? You're pathetic."

"Excuse me?"

"C'mon, Ebihara. You're made of tougher stuff than that. Where's that girl who slammed her leg up on the table in Aiya and demanded we appreciate it?"

Though the teen queen had been firing up, being reminded of that moment in the diner made her squirm and fold her arms tightly over her chest. "That was stupid. Do you wanna know why I did that?" When Yukiko nodded, she pushed ahead, "Thing is, I was a... when I was little, I was nowhere near the adorable Ai you see before you now. Fat and hideous, got told I had pig hooves. So like, I'm sure it sounds really stupid to you guys, but having dainty little feet now is super amazing to me still."

"You were fat?!" Chie demanded, looking her up and down afresh. "No way! I call bullshit!"

"Yep, a total blimp. And I got hella teased because I didn't match up with their…" What a pregnant pause. "W-whatever. Yu already knows all this stuff, but pretty much I decided to reinvent myself when I found out we were moving to Inaba. Obviously it went to my head, but… at least I'm better now. Getting better all the time."

The rest of the Investigation Team was speechless. Rise, for her part, couldn't believe the superficial teen queen actually had some substance under that lip gloss. Certainly hadn't seemed that way when Ai basically bit her head off just for being at the shopping center with Narukami. Maybe he was the one responsible. After all, the stoic boy had touched all their lives, brought about an awakening of sorts to their inner beauty that they likely would never have found within themselves without him shedding that light. It just seemed to be one of his latent talents. Unsurprising that he had done the same for the entitled fashionista.

"There seems to be only one solution for this predicament," Naoto was stating firmly with a small nod, finger tapping her chin. "We must return to Aiya to remember our departed friend, and strengthen our bonds with each other."

"Oooh, a party!" Rise piped up with an excited little bounce, despite the light drizzle that was beginning to fall. "Yes please!"

"I guess that's a plan," Chie agreed as Rise, Kanji and Yosuke joined them. "What do you guys think? We catching the portal to the meat dimension?"

Grimacing, Yosuke demanded, "Do you have to call it that every time, Satonaka?! Geesh! Sounds super nasty."

"Bet you can't even handle it."

"Wha- OH YEAH?! BRING IT ON!"

                                                               ~ o ~

"PHWOOOO! I can't even look at it anymore!"

The ragtag group of assorted teenagers, who would seemingly have nothing in common from an outsider's perspective, were all sitting back and holding their stomachs by now. It was almost painful how much meat was straining to escape the linings of their stomachs. Actually, it was painful for some of them.

"Yyyyeah," Rise groaned in agreement with Yukiko's statement, arms like wet noodles at her sides. "My… I'm pregnant… food baby…"

"Even I'm feeling it a little," Chie was chuckling as Rise staggered to her feet. "And normally I can demolish one of these no sweat!"

"Must be… getting old," Yosuke said as their voices began to fade into the background. She could hear Satonaka clapping back at him, but once the bathroom door shut she could no longer identify words, just noise.

In fact… there was a new noise filling the ladies' restroom. Not a pleasant one. Brow furrowing as her lip curled in disgust, she glanced at the bottoms of the stalls and saw a pair of designer shoes with their soles facing up.

"Is… are you okay… in there?"

"HRRK!" What a weird noise — but not nearly as weird as the sound of pronounced retching that followed. God, how disgusting! Maybe she should just backpedal out of the bathroom… but before she could act, there was some spitting, a clearing of the throat, and a strained tone calling out, "Mind your own business! Do you have to be so fucking nosey?!"

Oh no. "Wait — Ebihara?"

"Yes! And this isn't something I want anybody to…" Another gagging noise. "Ugh… you probably have an Aqua Balance on you, don't you, Risette?"

Her eye twitched. "Just because I did the commercials doesn't mean I have a bag full of them on me at all times, you know!" But she still hated to hear a girl in need, so she forced herself to continue, "Need me to hold your hair back?"

"No, I… I got it. Practice."

"Practice? Just how often do you toss your cookies?!"

Dead. Silence. When it had gone on for a few seconds too long to be normal, Rise began to sense she had broached a topic that Ebihara did not want broached. Her brow creased harder, and eventually she said in a meek voice, "I'll… go get you some water."

"Thanks."

She was so preoccupied as she hit the bar to get some ice water for the prissy girl that she didn't even comprehend the words of her friends calling out to her — though she couldn't even see Chie and Yukiko at the table anymore. The rest were probably asking her what she was doing. And what was she doing? Why was she helping this complete bitch who would never do the same thing for her? There was no doubt in her mind that Ebihara would have completely ignored her if she found her voiding her stomach in a public restroom. Might even have laughed at her. But she still remembered how distraught she looked when they said goodbye to their mutual love interest.

Maybe hanging out with the Investigation Team had revived the conscience of a jaded teen idol who had taken a brief hiatus from the spotlight. No, it definitely had done that; what was in question was whether or not the same could be said of Ebihara's willingness to open up to her peers.

"Okay, here," she sighed as she opened the door — and almost ran straight into the girl's face. "WHOA!"

"Shit!" Ai yelped as she took a step back, then patted down her chest. "You made my soul leave my body — what the hell are you doing?!"

"Bringing you water! Do you need to add a little ginkgo to your diet, Obaachan?! It's been like one minute since I told you!"

"Fuck your water! I'm gone, I don't need this!" And she actually tried to push past her.

"Wha- hey! No, you don't just get to run off like this!"

"Don't you tell me what I can and can't do, you cow! Now get your goddamn cankles and your crow's feet out of my fucking way!"

Holy shit. That was a lot of random venom. Rise knew already that she didn't have either of those things, but she still felt the sting regardless.

"I… was trying to help you, but fine. Go away." And she stepped to the side with a flip of one of her mauve-tinted pigtails. "Don't let the door hit you on the way out, brat."

What a mistake it had been to be nice to Ebihara. They were too much alike. Sure, Rise knew how to be polite, and was always warm and affectionate with her friends, but they both had the Bitch Gene and it ran strong through their veins. Ebi just led with that instead of saving it for people who deserved it.

She wasn't sure how long she had been standing there, looking stubbornly into the corner, before she felt the glass of water being taken from her fingers. She started to grab after it — instinct telling her she had dropped it and needed to catch it — until she saw Ai swishing it around in her mouth, then turning to spit into the sink.

"Oh," she breathed.

"What?" Ai grunted before she tipped the glass up again and started gulping it down. The lacy choker above her turtleneck bobbed with every swallow.

"Nothing, I just thought- I mean, did you leave and come back?"

Breathing a loud sigh as she set the glass down, she turned to glare at Rise. "Nosey. You ask too many questions all the time."

"I do not! They're really normal questions; you're just a bitch."

Her eyebrows furrowed, and her jaw tightened. Rise was absolutely positive she was about to give her a tongue lashing. But then she just snorted and shook her head, looking away.

"Wow. I don't know what I expected from Risette, but it wasn't you."

"I know," she began, making this up as she went along. "You either thought I would be completely spoiled and stuck up like you, or I would be such a goody-goody that I never had anything mean to say about anyone. Those are the two flavours of idols, right?"

Ebi smirked and pressed an open palm to the center of her chest. "I spoil myself. And I told you what I went through as a child; don't I deserve it? Isn't this my time to shine?"

"Not if it means you piss off everyone around you while shining. That's just selfish, you know. Don't you care about anyone but yourself?"

"No. Why should I? They don't care about me." Her haughty tone turned bitter. "Nobody in Inaba. Not anymore."

Most of her ire fading, she said, "You gotta put yourself out there. This whole time we've been at Aiya, you barely said a word. I actually forgot you were here until I heard you puking your guts out."

"See my point? The boys who idolize me are the only ones that remember I exist. And even them… I know they don't care about me as a person. They just keep hoping a strong breeze will show them a little flash of my panties."

"No, that's not right. I'm trying to tell you that it's your fault."

"Excuse me?"

"How are we supposed to get to know you if you just hang in the background and never say anything? That doesn't-"

"Look, I don't need to take this," Ebi sighed with a roll of her hazel eyes. "At this point, I just want to go home and be alone. Is that allowed? Or are you going to block the door again?"

Rise's lips thinned in frustration. It wasn't worth it. She didn't want to keep banging her head against this brick wall anymore. So she didn't even say a word; just turned her back on Ebi before she said something particularly nasty.

"Thanks for the water," the other girl offered shortly as she strode out through the door. And that really was it.

"At least she thanked me," she muttered to herself as she finally took her place in one of the stalls to do her business. But in the back of her mind, she couldn't help but replay those conversations over and over in her head.

Because none of that blustering truly hid the fact that Ai Ebihara was in pain. And if nobody did anything about it, Rise was almost dead certain she was heading for disaster.

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

                                                 To Be Continued…

[akitokihojo]

Delicate - Chapter 2

"It's not that bad!" Sango assured, trying to pry the paper away from Kagome's face. Her best friend stared at it, the look of anguish plastered on her expression, and her fingers gripping the exam tight enough to crinkle the edges. "Let it go, Kay!"

"It's bad. It's so bad."

"No, it's not."

"This is the first test of the term!"

"But you didn't fail. Give it to me."

"How did I get that question wrong?" Kagome pressed, shoving her face a little closer to the exam paper as if it would make more sense an inch away.

"Ah, okay! I'm going!" The tone was defensive and forced, serving as enough incentive to gather Kagome's attention. Inuyasha pushed a guy their way down the corridor, continuing to give little shoves at his back each time he slowed down. 

"Oh no." Sango grumbled, her lips curving in distaste as she gave a small duck of her head. 

The two stopped just a few feet before them, Inuyasha holding his hand out in gesture to Kagome as he glared at his friend. The guy's cheeks were pink, and his dark blue eyes shifted between she and Sango uneasily, his shoulders stiff and raised.

“Get it over with, Miroku.” Inuyasha pressed, his tone stern, almost disciplinary. 

"When did we swap roles? I'm usually the one making you -"

“Just say it."

"Sorry." He sighed feebly, eyes drooping shamefully. "For, uh, spilling my drink all over you."

"It's okay." Kagome said, trying not to laugh. "Wasn't a big deal."

"You didn't get in trouble with your parents or anything, did you?"

"I threw the dress away, actually. Didn't want to chance it."

"Awe man, you threw it away!?" Miroku groaned, dropping his head back. “I’m so sorry! I’ll replace it!”

"It's really not a big deal. The thing was old, anyway." She insisted, finally giving into her laugh. It was hard not to notice how is indigo eyes fluttered to and from Sango, and though she was curious how her best friend was fairing from the attention, Kagome didn't want to make it obvious by looking over. Instead, she flashed a humorous glance at Inuyasha, who stood there with little-to-no expression, arms crossed in what she would deem as typical Inuyasha fashion.

“You sure?”

“Positive.”

"So, uh, what are you guys looking at?" Miroku cleared his throat, all former remorse gradually fading while he stepped to Kagome's free side to observe the paper in her hands. The damage was done before she could conceal it, his eyes growing large and brows raising high in total shock. "Woah, you got a 'D'? Yikes."

"Please, say it louder for the rest of the school to hear." Sango remarked sarcastically, a light scowl forming when she noticed Kagome try to hide her humiliated pout.

"Oh, sorry." He grimaced. "Was this your guys' first test of the year?"

"Miroku." Inuyasha, himself, seemed a little shocked at his friends lack of tact, golden eyes staring on in bewilderment as he tried to ignore the sinking expression on Kagome's face.

"No, no, this isn't bad at all!" Miroku said confidently, shaking his head incessantly. "First test is just the practice run! You can totally recover!"

Sango gave a reaffirming nudge against Kagome's shoulder, hoping she'd absorb the same amount of self-assurance that Inuyasha's friend currently harbored.

"Oh, I've got an idea! I've got a super idea! When you get a bad grade, what do you do?" He waited for an answer, eyes bouncing from one person to the next. They all looked unsure, distrusting even, and he knew it was all for good reason. Miroku was quickly losing all control over his better judgement, his nerves becoming jittery, his brain going completely haywire, and there was hardly any way to get ahold of himself now. He felt intoxicated, and knew he should stop while he was still ahead, but it was like whatever was left of his filter just flew out of the nearby window. The silence was tense, and his cheeks were hurting from the forced smile he maintained. When he realized he wasn't going to get an actual response from any of them, though, he unwittingly trudged forward. "You study. And you know who's not dumb?"

Kagome steadily folded up her test, over-creasing the lines with determined fingers. Was she being roasted by this guy? Was he legitimately calling her dumb, or was he just completely thoughtless? Her expression deadpanned, from her peripherals she saw Inuyasha drop his head to the side, and she could physically feel Sango's done energy. Miroku looked anxious, tense, but the smile kept on his face, even as he clearly realized his mistake.

"Not you." He said stiffly, as if to recover. "Because you didn't fail. I don't see an 'F' on that paper. Nope, I see a 'D,' and what does 'D' stand for?" More discomfort. More clenched sighs. “Definitely not an ‘F’! Wow, that was intense. Anyway, know what guy's worst grade ever was probably a 'B'?"

"Please stop." Inuyasha groaned, almost pleading.

"This guy right here." Miroku gestured to his friend with a point of his thumb, whose amber eyes were squinting, chagrined. "You should ask him to tutor - what? No? Should I leave?"

"You really should." The half demon nodded.

"You know, I sensed that, because I feel like I'm holding a shovel and digging a very deep grave for myself. You - you look very mad at me." He mentioned to Sango, his smile finally disappearing. "It's, uh, it's pretty terrifying. Wow. You could probably break me in half. I'm gonna - yeah, I'm gonna go."

Kagome watched the boy stumble away in amazement, walking as if the soul had up and left his body and the words he'd just sputtered out were barely processing. When enough distance was put between them, she twisted back to Inuyasha. 

"He's naturally like that!?" She asked, in reference to the hanyou’s claim while they were hiding from the rain.

"No." He gently shook his head, still shaken by the experience. "It's never been that bad before."

"That was..." Kagome trailed off, trying to find the proper word for what had just occurred. "Surreal."

"Alright, let's just move passed it." Sango waved her hand, as if dismissing the entire ordeal, shifting her entire attitude to act like it had never happened at all. "So, you're smart?"

"Well, I've never been tested or anything, but I stay afloat." He shrugged.

"Good enough for me. Pressure from your weird friend aside, how would you feel about helping Kagome out?"

"Sango!"

"I mean, I would do it, but I'm a C-average girl, myself. I kind of think she needs a bit of an aggressive push, if you catch my drift. Like, really drill it into her head."

Kagome shoved her elbow into her best friend's side, swiftly shutting her up before giving Inuyasha an apologetic look. "You really don't have to do anything. I'll be totally fine. In fact, if you could completely forget about the grade I got, that'd be great."

"So, you got a 'D.' Big deal." His shrug was more careless this time. Though his expression wasn't necessarily one of compassion, nor one she suspected was intended to make her feel any better, it was the lack thereof that ironically seemed to settle her nerves. "It's not gonna set you back so long as you pick up from there. Let me see it."

With minor hesitation, Kagome passed her folded up exam into Inuyasha's awaiting hand, watching him unfold it and take in the mistakes. His brow didn't crinkle and his lips didn't twitch to laugh at her. His face was straight, golden eyes sweeping over the test nonchalantly.

"These are all little mistakes. If it was really bad, you would have failed. I mean, you still suck, but it's not horrible." He said, refolding the paper and giving it back.

"Gee, thanks." She snagged it, folding it a few extra times for good measure.

"But, we don't want you to become a lost cause or anything, so I guess I can help."

"Don't do me any favors because you feel obligated."

"I'm not. I'm doing you a favor because you looked about ready to cry earlier, and it was pretty pathetic."

"You know, you really have a way with words." Kagome remarked, cocking her head to the side. Inuyasha gave a small upturn of his lips, the hint of smugness rolling from it, giving a small wag of his fingers in gesture for her hand. Confused, she apprehensively put it out for him, surprised when he grabbed her fingers to turn it so her palm would face him. He pulled a pen out of his pocket, clicking the ballpoint out before connecting it with her skin. His hand was hot against the back of hers; large in comparison. He had a firm hold, but never hurt her, not even when he tightened his grip as she gave a tiny twitch because the pen had tickled the middle of her palm. Molten eyes flickered up to her, and an unnatural heat spread over her cheeks, one she hoped wasn't as evident as it felt. With another click, Inuyasha's pen was shoved back into his pants pocket, his fingers releasing her hand so she could see what he'd written.

"I'm sure you can figure out what to do with that." The half demon stated, shoving both hands in his pockets as he sauntered around them in the direction his friend had gone.

"How much longer do I have to keep my cool for?" Sango asked, her voice barely over a whisper as they both watched Inuyasha disappear behind the corner. She noted the redness of Kagome's cheeks, the way she kept her hand open so the ink wouldn't smudge or rub away, and then the way her expression easily shifted into a dirty look.

"You're on a friendship timeout." Kagome brushed passed her, heading back inside their classroom and toward her desk to fish her phone out of her bag.

"What!? I totally did you a favor!" Sango whined, following close behind.

"You did not!"

"Yes, I did! You got his number out of this!" She made sure to hush her tone, crouching next to her best friend's desk so no one else would hear their conversation.

"First of all, it's strictly business. Second, you put us both on the spot. Timeout."

"Strictly," Sango scoffed. "No one said you had to exchange phone numbers to study. He could have always said to meet him in the library after school. You - are - welcome."

Kagome pursed her lips, cocking a brow expectantly, waiting for her friend to catch the hint.

"Fine. How long?" She huffed, dropping her butt into the seat in front of Kagome's.

"Three minutes."

Unlocking her phone and appreciating the momentary lack of harassment, Kagome input Inuyasha's phone number as a new contact, her teeth softly raking against her bottom lip as she hit save. If it was strictly business, why was she excited to have received his number? On top of that, she was nervous and she swore she could feel her heart thumping behind her ribcage. She pinched her lips together, but there was no fighting the smile that began to grow on her face. The guy was intriguing to her; hot and cold, seemingly sheathing a soft side, caring while possibly covering it with brash words - all of which yet to be one-hundred percent determined. But, that was what Kagome really wanted to take the time to discover.

As she looked up from her screen, she noticed Sango grinning at her, shrugging her brows knowingly. 

"Shut up." Kagome murmured.

Hastily, she typed in her message, hitting send before she could talk herself into waiting a while per teenage social conduct regulations. 

Here's my number, too.

It wasn't until after school that she felt her phone buzz with anything, her eyes doing their usual, nonchalant sweep of the courtyard as she and Sango made their way out before drifting down to the screen she held. 

Who's this?

She had to physically hold back her huff of vexation, not wanting to attract her best friend's attention to glance over her shoulder. Was this also typical Inuyasha fashion, or did he honestly not know? A subtle, paranoid part of her almost feared he'd given her a random number. But, he wouldn't do that. Would he? Or did he just give his number out to multiple girls and, depending on how quickly they chose to get back to him, it was hard to keep track of who was who? Oh god, did she even stand a chance? He was handsome as all hell, so who was she kidding? The guy probably had a leather jacket with HEARTBREAKER stitched on the back.

Strictly business. Studying. Not even a study date. Just pure, innocent, harmless studying. If she forced herself to keep up that mentality, there was no way she'd be bothered by any external forces threatening to send her overthinking abilities into hyperdrive. Who cares if she had a teeny, tiny crush on him? It was irrelevant to the cause; the cause being her grades. If she had to, she'd convince herself - someway, somehow - that she wasn't even attracted to him to begin with. She would travel far to meet a Jedi Master so that they could perform that mind trick hocus-pocus on her to make her believe that the person she would be working with wasn't anything special in the least.

Jerk.

Oh, Kagome. Got it.

Neither the quick response, nor the fact that he was probably playing with her made her smile at all. Not at all.

"I'm gonna do it." Miroku pumped himself up, bouncing on his feet.

"I wouldn't." Inuyasha said, his tone dull, eyes glued to his phone as he leaned against the tree.

"I'm gonna do it!" He repeated more persistently.

"I'm not saving you."

"I'm doing it!" His determination was admirable, even for him, fingers tingling with adrenaline, the flurry in his abdomen going into a wild frenzy as he power-walked his way toward the two unsuspecting girls across the street. Steady exhales left his lips, like an athlete exercising their breathing, totally prepared to work his magic like another ordinary day with the female specimen until the woman he particularly favored looked his way.

Miroku's mind blanked, his chest hitching painfully as his legs seemed to wobble pitifully, barely bringing him to his destination in front of the girls. She stared, blankly at first, her hand gently grabbing her companion's elbow to stop her trek, her attention, once fully devoted to her phone, flickering up to her friend then over to him. Their expressions mirrored one another's; mouths straight, eyes curious, brows cautious.

Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.

"Sango." He managed to say. It sounded almost confident, only a small waver noticeable.

The girl stiffened slightly, clearly waiting for him to continue. His mouth had shut, though. His smile fit uncomfortably on his face; small, strained, like a child obligated to sit there and hold a posed grin for four minutes straight until the photographer finally got their school picture taken.

"What?" She asked, tensely. 

If anyone had a portal into his mind, they'd see a tumbleweed passing through a desolate field of crusted land. "That's - that's all." Miroku said, trying to play it off though he was sure his mortification shined bright. Turning away, he sauntered back in the direction he'd come from.

Both Kagome and Sango watched him waddle across the street. Kagome, specifically, had to clench her throat shut to resist the fit of laughter that threatened to burst free, bringing a hand to cover the crinkled grin growing on her face. She didn't want to embarrass the poor guy more than he'd already done, himself, and she had a feeling Sango wouldn't appreciate it just yet. Not while they were still in the vicinity of the guy.

Inuyasha held a steady expression of total bewilderment having heard the whole thing, sparing a small glance the girls' way just as they started walking again, briefly locking eyes with Kagome, whose amusement never faltered, and then shot his gaze right back to what was left of the pride of his friend. "Dude..."

"What's wrong with me, Inuyasha? I've never done that in front of a girl, not even during my prepubescent days!" Miroku was shaken, blue eyes staring through the bark of the tree in total defeat.

"I told you not to."

"You don't understand, I can't function properly around her. I thought it was a temporary side effect of, I don't know, oxygen or something, but no! It's her! What sort of witchcraft has she conducted upon me!?"

"I don't know, but it's getting embarrassing to be associated with you."

"It's getting embarrassing to be me! I'm not like this! I'm not like you! I'm good with girls! I'm smooth as silk! Fine like wine!"

Inuyasha's grimace deepened.

"Once upon a time, I could sweep a girl off her feet with just a wink! Where has that side of me gone!? I mean, just two weeks ago I was fine! Enter Sango, Sango, and I'm pining like a little bitch boy!" Miroku's eyes were wide, riddled with absolute turmoil, fingers sweeping into his hair. "I'm - I'm like Hojo. Hojo. Good god, I'm a Hojo."

"And, on that note..." Inuyasha dropped his phone into his pocket, peeling himself off the tree to walk away and head home.

"Wait, you're just gonna leave?" Miroku asked, following. "In my time of desperate need?"

"What you need is to get a grip."

"Tell me how! What's a guy like me gotta do to get a girl like her?"

"Cutting off the rattail would be step number one."

Miroku gasped, horrified, clutching onto the tiny bundle of hair at the nape of his neck protectively. "Never! I will have you know that one day it's going to be as thick, long, and luscious as your own ponytail."

"Dude, it's like a fucking mustache. Just because you can grow facial hair, doesn't mean you should. It doesn't work for everybody." Inuyasha firmly stated.

"But -"

"Trust me, Miroku. You look like a classic nineties douche."

"Has anyone ever told you, you have a way with words?" He smiled crookedly, not offended by his friend's criticism in the least. Over the last year and a half or so, he'd learned the ins and outs of what the bastard truly meant to say. A good amount of his insults were heartfelt and intentional, but if you listened closely, you could hear the chime of his good-natured advice and shadowed compliments.

"Yes, actually." Inuyasha bobbed his head back and forth, as if proud of himself. "Kagome said the same thing earlier today."

"Oh-ho-hoooo, let's talk about that!" Miroku beamed, turning to walk backward just a few paces ahead of the hanyou so that he could focus on the expressions that were sure to wash over his face. It was one of the best ways to read the guy.

"What?"

"Did you think we were just gonna blow over this without revisiting? How you made me apologize to someone? How you made me apologize to someone? That someone being a girl. You made me apologize to a girl! What's the deal, dog boy?"

"Oh god, don't start!" Inuyasha groaned, rolling his eyes. "The one time I'm not at a party with you, and you fucking dump your drink on someone. It has nothing to do with her, and everything to do with you making an ass out of yourself."

"Not once have you ever -"

"Call me out already so I can deny the accusation." He rolled his wrist to gesture for his friend to pick up the pace.

"You like her!"

"No."

"You totally do!"

"No."

"You looked to the side when you said that." Miroku pointed, the cocky grin on his face growing.

"Stop staring at me, you creep. I hate it when you do that shit." The half demon frowned.

"What?" He shrugged. "She's pretty, she's sweet, and she's short - which is right up your alley since I know you love short girls. What are you, five-ten? Eleven?"

"Six."

"An even six. And I'd peg her at five-two, five-three."

"Who cares? She's got an attitude that could give even me a run for my money. No thanks." Inuyasha's tone was level, controlled. Very controlled.

"Sassy. She can handle her own. That's not such a bad quality if you think about it. No one likes a pushover."

"Knock it off." The hanyou ground. "There's nothing special about her."

"Oh man, you're just hand-feeding me material to go on and on about -" Miroku's hands rose defensively as his friend shot him a glare of warning. "- but I won't! Can I just say one last thing? There's nothing wrong with liking someone. It doesn't make you as vulnerable as you may think. I'm not trying to go all Doctor Phil on you or anything; I just think it'd be a good idea for you to let someone in. And, I know you're probably gonna say it isn't like that, but it can be if you just let it. Kagome seems pretty receptive to you."

"She's receptive to everyone. She's social."

"Not that social. I remember Koga tried to walk her home from a kickback last year and she did everything in her power to avoid it without having to slaughter his pride.”

"Don't blame her. The wolf's disgusting. She should have wrecked him, truthfully.”

"Oh, and just in case you didn't know, I'm not blind. I saw that little interaction you two had last week after school. The one where she was, 'being annoying.'" Miroku said, drawing air quotes with his fingers. "Except you were laughing, and she was flirting. It took me, your best friend, months to make you laugh for the first time!"

"Wear a skirt." Inuyasha joked, giving a one-shouldered shrug.

"Nice defense." Miroku smiled with smug implication. 

"Don't you live that way?" The half demon asked, the hint of finality in his tone, pointing down the crossroad.

"Oh, look at that! Time to go!" He laughed, crossing the street, continuing in his backward motion as he had been. In all honesty, Inuyasha found him to be the luckiest bastard alive that not a single car was coming considering he hadn't even checked first. "I'm just saying, man, would it be so bad if she did like you?"

Without control, Inuyasha's lips curved into a soft smile. The thought of Kagome's small hand in his causing a swirl of warm delight to knock his normal defenses off-kilter. And, he knew his friend was going to cling to that for as long as he could. With a tense sigh, he rolled his eyes in smooth recovery and headed down his own route home, not wanting to give Miroku any more material to hold over his head. The guy wasn't much of a gloater, but Inuyasha never much liked his business out there for anyone to know in the first place.

His phone had vibrated a little ways back, but considering his friend's wild tangent, he never had a clear opportunity to pull it out and check the text. He had old messages from his uncle and another friend that had been sitting untouched for hours now. Still feeling no sense of urgency to even read them, his thumb fell on the recent text from Kagome.

So, what's the plan, oh wise one?

His fingers worked on their own, typing out the reply and hitting send. 

Sunday around noon?

The screen hadn't even dimmed before the little, gray typing bubble popped up. 

I'm free. Where?

Your place cool?

My place is cool. See you then!

Are you not coming to school for the rest of the week?

What? Of course, I am.

Then, I guess I'll see you tomorrow. Dummy.

Kagome felt a heat rush to her cheeks. What was worse was she couldn't even tell if she was embarrassed for the rookie mistake she'd just pulled, or if she suddenly found being called a dummy endearing. Was this the tragic path she was destined to go down now? One with half parts constant humiliation for stupid things she may accidentally say, and half parts smitten with little names that weren't quite insults but weren't quite sweet nothings either? Setting her phone to sit flat on her desk, Kagome huffed out slowly, allowing her book bag to sag to the floor while she settled into her seat as she’d just gotten home. Propping her temple up with her fist, she typed a mindless response with a single finger on her free hand.

Yeah, that too.

—

Inuyasha stood before the door, honing in on what he could hear on the other side of it while waiting to be let in. Stumbling feet bounded down what he guessed were a set of stairs, the soft hum of music came from somewhere on the second floor, and the gentle tick of a clock on the wall counted away the seconds. Surprisingly, that was it. Even from outside, he could pick up the scents of two other people, but from how quiet the house currently sat, he figured they weren't home. 

The lock clicked and the door opened, bringing his gaze downward to land on the welcoming smile Kagome greeted him with. "You're early."

"Did you expect me to be late?" He retorted, walking through the threshold.

"Kind of. I always am." She said, shutting the door. Her feet shuffled along the wooden floor in their socks, like taking actual footsteps was abnormal in a place as comfortable as her own home. With a small wave of her hand, she ushered him to follow as she scuffled into the kitchen to their right, the sloppy bun on her head bouncing with her movements. Typically, it took a while for Inuyasha, or anyone for that matter, to feel relaxed in a place they'd never been, especially something as sensitive as another person's residence, yet watching her glide her feet along the floor like a weirdo provided a sense of easement. 

While her back was turned to him, he allowed his eyes to wander over her, oddly lingering at the nape of her neck. Short, loose strands of hair fell from the knot at her crown, curling and waving free to decorate her fair skin nicely, and though he was willing to bet it was the natural splay of her baby hairs, Inuyasha couldn't help but feel the messiness suited her so well that it was modeled to look that way. The long-sleeve shirt hung loosely on her, the texture appearing extremely comfortable, and the color a pastel pink, while her leggings were straight black and hugged her body nicely. Very nicely. 

Kagome grabbed an unopened bag out of the cupboards, the crinkling sound loud as she spun around to him.

"Sweet or salty?"

"Salty." He replied.

"Thought so. And cookies for me." She said, reaching toward the higher cabinet, her shirt rising to expose an inch of her midriff. Inuyasha looked off to the side, concentrating on the hanging aprons on the opposite wall. It was more out of habit than anything. He didn't enjoy taking the risk of making any girl feel vulnerable, and more than ever, he felt compelled to be mindful. 

She'd shoved the snacks in the crook of her left arm, shuffling over to the fridge and pulling out two bottles of water, which she then skillfully carried in the crook of the opposite arm, gliding back his way, passed him, and toward the stairs.

"Let me carry something." He couldn't help but chuckle. She was fucking cute.

"No, no. Come, come."

"Give me the waters." Their height difference made it easy to reach over her shoulders to snag the tops to the bottles, robbing them from her grip just before she began her trek up the stairs. 

Framed photographs scaled the wall the entire way up, giving the hanyou a brief glimpse into this family's past. Kagome as a little girl, a shapely, little boy, a woman propping a baby on her hip while a man supported a small girl on his shoulders, a hunched and elderly man with the proudest smile. It wasn't hard to figure out why he only smelled three different people and not five. She'd experienced loss. Just as he had.

She smiled more than him, though. She seemed to communicate better, as well. Was she good at covering things up? Had she healed? Or were her scars not as deep?

"Where's your family?" Inuyasha asked, coming off casual so it didn't seem obvious that he was prying. 

Kagome led him into her bedroom, the music playing through her laptop speakers on her desk light and folksy. "Mom's at work, and she dropped my brother off somewhere, so no clue where he is. Make yourself comfortable."

The two men in her life were gone.

Her walls weren't very cluttered, just a few things hanging here and there. A cliche galaxy poster hung over her bed near the door, a cork board with polaroids and photo booth pictures, and interestingly enough, a knotted, red string of all things. She turned off the music and shut her laptop, bringing his attention to swing her way and observe the clutter on her desk. On top of an open notebook, decorated with little scribbles and doodles, sat a pair of reading glasses. His first thought was to dismiss them as a hipster accessory, considering the fad for glasses was pretty large with girls and he'd never once seen Kagome wearing them around school, but when he saw the very minor magnification through the lenses, he realized he was wrong. Kagome wears glasses. And, then he thought of Kagome in glasses.

A curious grin grew on his face as he sauntered over and set the waters on the desk's surface, switching out for the pair of spectacles. "Four eyes, huh?"

Her cheeks seemed to ripen in tint, just by half a shade, when he held them in front of her face. The frames were thick, slightly curved on top while round on the bottom, maybe even a size too large for her, and in that brown, tortoise shell design.

"Uh, yeah." She meagerly admitted, actively trying not to duck her head. "I just got them not too long ago. I only have to wear them when I'm on my computer."

"If that's the case, you're probably supposed to wear them while you're watching TV and reading, right?"

"I may have heard something like that."

“And, what are we about to do?"

"Oh, no."

"Come on." Inuyasha ushered, handing the glasses over. He really couldn't help how badly he wanted to see them on her. "You don't want to make your eyes worse."

"You know, I get the sense that you're just looking for ammunition to make fun of me." Kagome grimaced, apprehensively taking them by the temple of the frame.

"Me?" He shook his head. "Never."

"Yeah, no, it's not worth it." She decided, putting the glasses down on top of her laptop, intending to reach across for her notebook.

"They're just glasses! What's the worst I could say?" He chuckled, his question stopping her mid-stretch.

"Knowing you, you'll come up with something."

"Try me."

Reluctantly, Kagome gave in with a disgruntled sigh, picking the glasses back up and sliding them over her ears. As she looked back at him, her brown eyes fully meeting his amber, it seemed as if he was painfully resisting to laugh. "Say it."

"What?" The word was tightly clenching in his throat.

"Just get it over with." She pouted.

"All you need is bifocals and you'll really be working those old man frames."

"They're not - they're cute!"

They really were. And, he really liked them on her. But, was he going to say that? Hell no. When she ripped them off and dropped them where they once laid, he swallowed his disappointment, chuckling as the sulk grew even more vividly on her face. She took her notebook and a nearby pencil, crossing the room to get comfortable on her bed where she'd dumped the bags of chips and cookies. 

"Alright, what subject are you worst at?"

"I think it's easier to ask what subject I'm actually good at." She replied, almost too confidently for someone admitting they were a mess. The half demon cocked a brow inquisitively. "It's history."

"Jesus, what did I sign up for?"

"It's not too late for you to back out." Kagome smiled, shrugging. “We can always just eat the munchies, watch TV, and pretend nothing ever happened.”

“Fat chance," Inuyasha dropped onto the end of the mattress. "I got nothing better to do, anyway. Math. We'll start there."

He could literally see the distaste on her face. It was like an an insult she was waiting for him to take back, and when she realized he wasn't going to, she reached for her bag on the floor next to her bed and pulled out the necessary book and homework packet. 

—

"Wrong."

"How?"

"It's wrong."

"I haven't even finished the problem yet."

"Yeah, stop while you're still ahead, dummy. Did you even look at the way I solved this one?" Inuyasha pointed to the similar problem he'd made on her notebook, the long equation written out for her to examine as she took to her sheet of homework.

The irritated, reddened skin of his knuckles came into full view, and having resisted the temptation for long enough - considering she'd noticed the scabbed skin an hour or so ago - and having to have endured his abrasive ways of tutoring, Kagome went ahead and flicked the end of her pencil against the marred area with no remorse. The hanyou jerked his hand away, glowering spitefully.

"You got into another fight, didn't you?" She questioned. Her tone was more snarky than anything, like it was a normal question and it was absolutely her place to inquire.

"Remember what I said the last time you asked?" He sneered.

"Let's see, I saw you last Friday night and you had a black eye and a scrape on your face." She was talking with her pencil instead of her hands, bobbing it around as she continued on, completely ignoring him. "By Monday afternoon, there was no evidence of the fight, whatsoever. Obviously, that's because your demon blood gives you supernatural healing powers. Now, considering these marks weren't around this Friday during school, and they're still pretty bad at the moment, my guess is they happened between that night and yesterday."

"Good deduction, Watson." Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Just one question: When did we see each other on Friday?"

Kagome adjusted her position slightly to hide the way she'd almost tensed, playing things off as smoothly as possible. "We go to the same school, Inuyasha. If you'd pay attention to your surroundings for once, you'd probably see me, too."

"Right." He said, dragging out the word while maintaining a straight expression. "Funny how you see me from a distance, and you pay attention to my hands of all things."

"S-stop dodging the question." She stammered, her confidence steadily dwindling away.

"How wildly observant of you. What else do you stare at?"

"Woah, I don't stare."

"I mean, it's okay if you do. A little weird, but I'm still flattered." He shrugged, an arrogant grin on his face.

She groaned loudly, clenching her jaw as she refocused on the math equation she was working on. "Never mind. Just stop fighting already."

“And, I think you'll know what my response to that will be." It took viable effort to remain patient, despite his sarcastic jokes. Patience was not his forte. He was hotheaded, and liked being hotheaded. It made people back the fuck off, but a twinge in his gut held him at bay.

"Yeah, yeah. Mind my business."

"Good. Now, erase that shit and start -"

"But, you could seriously get hurt!"

Inuyasha was the one to groan this time, lolling his head back before snapping back up to glare at her with slight indignation. "Oh my god. Knock it off, Kagome."

"What's the point of it? What does it even prove? That you're a big, macho, tough guy? You could really get hurt, or even hurt someone else! Why would you want to do that?"

The grimace on his face was strong, genuine surprise from her remarks overcoming his irritation. "Geez, you really are something straight out of Sesame Street."

"Wait, how did you - you heard that?" He pointed to the ears on top of his head in a duh manner. It was a paradigm to how much he actually did pay attention, no matter the disinterest he almost always had etched on his face. “Oh. Well, behave and I wouldn't have anything to lecture you about."

"Why do you assume the fights are my fault?"

"No, that's not what I'm trying to say. I would prefer to think they weren't your doing, but to be fair, you haven't given me any clarification to work with. I'm just trying to cover all bases. Behave could mean don't start fights or participate if someone tries to start one."

"So, don't fight back?"

"Right."

"Just let them hit me?"

"What? No."

"Well, what else am I supposed to do?" Inuyasha's tone was on the harsher side, agitated, his brow twitching inward in speculation. 

"Walk away. Are you saying people come and start fights with you?"

“Drop it.” He grunted.

"But, why?"

"I used to roll with a bad crowd, okay?" He fumed, fed up with her persistency. "Unfortunately, I've got some attributes that don't really allow me to go under the radar. Now shut up and get back to work!"

Kagome heeded his tone, sealing her lips, the space surrounding the two of them tense and awkward. She was sort of proud of herself for getting the truth out of him, or some of it at least, but she didn't like that he'd gotten so upset. He had a temper for sure. One that was maybe even worse than her own. Yeah, she was pressing for information that had nothing to do with her, and she could understand how that would tick him off, but the budding concern she had for him wasn't something she necessarily wanted to subdue. She wanted to know he was okay. To her, that wasn't such a bad thing. Depending on the scenario, Kagome would intrude on any one of her friends to make sure they were alright.

"Can I ask one more question, please?" She approached, her voice small and timid. She'd erased the entire math problem on her paper, the notebook propped on her knee, and her brown eyes were peeking up at him cautiously through her dark fringe. His scowl still lingered, mouth curved downward in clear disapproval, but he made no verbal attempt to stop her. "If you used to be such a bad boy, how come you excel so well in school? Not to sound totally judgmental, but stereotypically speaking, it's kind of contradictory if you think about it."

Ember irises fell down to focus on the scratch paper on her leg, his lips relaxing. "If you're such a goody goody, why do you suck so much in school?"

The rebuttal was fair. She couldn't even get upset about it, and there was no hesitation to her response. "For one, I'm not a goody goody. Two, I really don't have an answer to that, because I often wonder the same thing."

He chuckled lightly. "Then what would you say you are?"

“Average, probably." She shrugged.

“Is that what they’re calling it now?”

“Hush. What's your excuse?"

"I'm smart. I don't have a problem focusing, which apparently you fucking do." He, once again, tapped his finger against her notebook, a little more aggression that time. Kagome laughed, going back to scribbling down the problem, and it irked him that the gratifying sound calmed his blood. He'd never once felt soothed by a noise, or comfortable with a person right off the bat, or compelled to hang around despite being aggravated. In the moment, it was enjoyable. Nice. 

But, there was no way he'd allow an attachment to form.

It was a conscientious decision. One he didn't really have to remind himself of anymore. By now, it was habit to shut things down before bonds formed. He wasn't worried about things going too far with Kagome. It was a little disconcerting to recognize how quickly he, himself, seemed to unfurl to her, but he was sure that there was no possibility of either of them intending on making anything out of it. She was friendly, she was nosy as all hell, but that was about the extent of it all. He understood that she meant no harm.

What was interesting to him was how easy it seemed to be around her, to talk to her. Even after he admitted he'd made mistakes that have followed him to this day, she didn't seem to pull away or scorn him. Instead, she judged him for his good academic record, which was the exact opposite of what anyone would ever expect. Without overthinking, and without the effervescent pressing need to withhold himself, he decided indulging her with basic responses couldn't hurt.

"I made a promise to someone to get through school. That's all you're getting."

Kagome smiled. She had no intention on prodding for more. By him saying "someone," she could tell that he'd purposefully not given specifics, and she respected that. Additionally, this gave her a glimpse at his honest and loyal side. It was admirable. 

And, the softness that took over his features when he said it was enough to warm her to the core.

| 1 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |

[razorblade180-heated]

Sweet treat

Neo:*handcuffed to a chair* You know when we first met I thought you were all talk but now...

She watched Adam walk over to her and uncuff one of her hands. He stands her up and raises her arms over her head; recuffing both wrist around a pipe. Blush ran across her face has Adam trailed his hand her neck then tugged on collar of her shirt.

Neo was never one to submissive but recently she had been bugging Adam a bit too much. No better apology than letting him take the lead.

Adam:You’re a lot to deal with you know that?

Neo:Oh I know and you knew that from the beginning. So, you gonna do something about it? *winks*

Adam’s hand continues downward and seamlessly pops open every button on her outfit until her shirt leaves her exposed. The cool air of the warehouse hits her skin and goosebumps run over pale flesh. Adam keeps going towards Neo’s waist then unexpectedly ignores the button, but instead slides into pants; earning a yelp.

Neo’s legs start to buckle as she feels Adam’s fingers gey dangerously close to her mound.

Adam:Someone is having fun.

Neo:You aren’t?

Adam:No.

He leans close into her ear. “But I’m about to* his words break Neo down just a little bit. She didn’t know this could be so thrilling. Maybe switching had advantages she hadn’t realized.

She bucked her hips forward slowly in an effort to move Adam’s fingers closer to her sweet spot. She felt him dip down ever so slightly; grazing her damp mound before annoyingly taking is hand out of her pants. He was being devious.

Neo:Don’t be mean! Adam!!

Adam:This is your apology right? I’m going to abuse this opportunity.

He knelt die slightly and gave her a chaste kiss before walking away and out of her line of sight.

“Uh...Adam?” She said stuttering. Not knowing where he was made her a bit anxious. Quickly he came back into view with something that made her body go cold.

Adam pulled up another chair and sat down. In one hand he had a spoon. The other, a pint of ice cream; her ice cream.

Neo:What are you doing?

Adam:Payback is a bitch. You touch my stuff and eat my food so I’ll do the same.

Neo:I was saving that!

Adam:Shouldn’t touch my stuff then.

Neo:I’m letting you touch me!

Adam:Why would I reward your antics with sex? I’m supposed to be getting back at you; this is perfect.

Neo jiggles the cuffs but can’t move while Adam opens the pint of ice cream and takes a spoonful. “Revenge is sweet and best served cold.”

“You’re not funny!” She whimpered

“No but I’m also not half naked and bond to a pipe. I’m eating ice cream.” He pops the spoon in his mouth and hears Neo whine. Adam continues to do this for eight minutes until Neo legitimately looks sad and spiteful. “How you holding up?”

Neo:My wrists hurt a little and you one of two things I care about.

Adam:What’s the second?

Neo gives him a dumb look as her face turns red. Adam isn’t sure if it’s rage or embarrassment so he points to himself. He gets a sassy nod from Neo like the answer was supposed to be obvious.

Adam looks down at the pint of ice cream. ‘Half empty.’ He makes another scoop before walking to Neo and holding the spoon in front of her. Neo stares at her slightly melted dessert and begrudgingly takes the offer. “This doesn’t make up for-” She is cut off by Adam kissing her. A slight moan escapes her as her tongue gets overtaken by his. He tasted just like the ice cream and then some.

Adam slowly breaks off the embrace to catch some air while Neo’s temper slowly simmered down. “I’m still upset with you. She pouted despite her legs fidgeting from the contact. There was so many things she wanted right now and Adam wasn’t doing them. “I’m sorry okay? I won’t touch your stuff anymore.”

Adam looked at his partner in crime with a skeptical expression. She totally will do it again, but he can tell she was actually sorry. That’s all that really mattered. “I guess I forgive you.” He said putting down the spoon.

“Good, now can you please-” once again she was silenced. Not by a kiss though. No, Adam seemingly reached for the cuffs but then dropped his hand to Neo’s shirt and moved out the way of her chest before kneading her right tit like dough. The way he looked at her made her feel anxious and hot all over again. “What are you doing?”

“You said you were mad. I’m apologizing.” He raised the pint of ice cream and slowly tilted it until the cold melted substance fell on her skin. The sudden chill on her body made her yelp softly. “I’m also not done eating ice cream...” Neo had no time to answer before feeling his mouth kiss and lick every spot the ice cream slowly trailed down her toned torso and down to her waist. Neo’s entire body flinched and took in gasp of air as her hands desperately tried to free her. “You better lick up every last drop of ice cream you’re about to eat.” Neo said, with visible frustration and want. “Or I want forgive you.

Adam smirked at the girl who was trying to stay relax. “Guess I should start then. He undid her pants and pulled them down along with her pink panties. Neo was ready for whatever he could dish out. Until she felt his hands wrap around her things and hoist her up in a sudden surprise of strength. Neo was left startled and confused as Adam put one of her legs on each shoulder with his head right in between them. The warmth of his breath making her ache in the best way. Adam couldn’t help but look up to see Neo crimson red. “What?” He said playfully.

“You’re not the only one who loves ice cream.”

[owletstarlet]

19 shy, 27 giggly or 28 first for tanunatsu if you dont mind 💖

[#19, a shy kiss, from the 76 kiss prompts meme. Sorry it took so long! Established relationship because lord knows we need it right now–]

*** 

“Is that a new shirt?”

Whatever Natsume had been about to say never makes it out of his mouth. Instead he follows Kaname’s gaze down to where the triangle of soft pink is visible, flecked with bits of green, where he’s tugged at his scarf and begun to fiddle with the zipper.

“Oh,” is all he says, not quite meeting Kaname’s eyes. That, and a noncommittal “mm,” as he zips his jacket firmly back up and yanks the scarf back into place.

Kaname blinks, puzzled. “You can take your jacket off if you’re uncomfortable. It’s really warm in here.” His own jacket lies discarded across his knees; he’d needed it in the dim coolness of the aquarium where they’d spent the afternoon, but the little waiting room on the train platform is generously heated and getting stuffier by the minute.

“It’s fine,” Natsume says, expression now perfectly smooth, arms coming up to rest loosely across his chest. If Kaname didn’t know by now how to pick out the taut thread that the words rested upon, he’d have missed it.

And Kaname probably should have dropped it there. Except there’s high spots of color on Natsume’s cheeks, and he’s clutching a hot can of vending machine cocoa. “Are you feeling okay?” he asks, instead, hand hovering of its own accord above Natsume’s shoulder. He’s struck, then, by a worse possibility than him getting ill, worse and likely paranoid of him, that Natsume could be hurt and concealing it with the jacket and that Kaname had somehow missed the signs. He doesn’t think Natsume would do that, or at least that he’s a lot less likely to than he might’ve been even a handful of months ago, but it sets off a flurry of unwelcome images through Kaname’s head.

“No, it’s—I’m okay,” Natsume says, quickly, and he looks sincere enough that Kaname’s chest unclenches, a bit. He blows out a breath. “Just. The shirt’s a bit…much.” His mouth tugs into a brittle line. “It was Touko-san’s idea,” he tacks on. “…mostly.”

“Mostly?”

Natsume makes a tiny non-answer of a sound in his throat and shifts a little in his seat, now studiously avoiding Kaname’s gaze. And the picture he paints huddled there in the little plastic chair, cheeks dusted pink, is so frankly adorable that Kaname has to firmly remind himself not to let it show on his own face. Not if Natsume’s legitimately uncomfortable.

“You don’t have to take your jacket off if you don’t want,” Kaname says, slowly, “but it’s forty minutes until the next train, and I really doubt anyone else is going to show up,” he says, gesturing towards the deserted platform outside. A pause. “You know I won’t laugh at you or anything, right?”

Natsume doesn’t answer, but he does look up, and something has softened behind his eyes. It’s like there’s a few dozen honeybees trapped behind Kaname’s sternum, all knocking into each other and clamoring for escape, to see that look directed at him.

“O-or, um,” he continues, “If it’s really bothering you, you can wear this one.” He plucks at his own long sleeves. “I’ve got a t-shirt under it, and you could change in the station bathroom.”

The look Natsume gives him is just long enough for Kaname to think he should’ve just dropped it after all. But then his expression shifts into something considering. Very slowly, he reaches up and tugs his scarf loose.

“You said you won’t laugh,” he reminds Kaname, his tone just this side of defensive, and he unzips his jacket.

And it’s a near thing, for Kaname to hold back the sound that bubbles up in his throat, when he sees.

“I have this one,” he blurts, instead, finger coming up to lightly poke a spot just over Natsume’s stomach. “A-and this was the first I ever got—” he brushes just below Natsume’s collarbone, but the image printed in pale green onto the cotton is half obscured by Natsume’s jacket, still covering his slightly hunched shoulders. His fingertips catch the hem. “Can I—” he cuts himself off, upon realizing how very still Natsume is holding himself, like he’s been holding his breath. He lets his hand drop. “Sorry.”

When Natsume meets his eyes, though, he looks vaguely startled. “Wait, you. Want to see?”

“Yes.” The word falls all too quickly from Kaname’s lips, and he feels his face grow warm.

“…oh,” is all Natsume says, like he’s not sure how to parse this information.

“It’s just, um.” Kaname has to resist the urge to chew on the inside of his cheek. “I really like it. But you don’t have to.”

Natsume still very much looks like he’d rather melt into his scuffed-up plastic seat than take his jacket off fully, but to Kaname’s surprise, a pale smile touches his lips. “I know,” he says. And he shrugs off the jacket.

And…objectively speaking, it’s not all that different from many of the other shirts he owns, the newest of the several button-downs in the light colors and playful patterns that Touko seems so fond of selecting for him. He’s never indicated that any of those shirts are a little much, but then again Kaname knows that Natsume would deeply value anything chosen just for him by somebody who cares for him half as much as Touko.

But what’s got Kaname’s full and undivided attention at the moment is the shirt’s pattern. Spangled across the cotton, in splashes of green and purple and gray and darker pink, are an array of succulents and desert flowers, each no larger than a bottlecap. There are easily a dozen varieties, not fantastically detailed but not dissimilar to the ink-and-watercolor illustrations in the guide book he’s had the longest—a library book Dad had brought for him when he was twelve and laid up with pneumonia for the better part of a summer. A book which had, incidentally, ended up in a box of his possessions the next time they’d moved house. Natsume had flipped through that very book last weekend, sprawled out lazy and warm across Kaname’s bed. Kaname had kept tight reins on the impulse to volunteer entirely too much information as he looked at each page over Natsume’s shoulder, while Sensei offered his periodical commentary on which plants looked like they’d be the tastiest fried up in oil. Sensei had been entirely unmoved by Kaname’s insistence that they’d probably make him sick to eat, and had given Kaname’s own little collection of plants on the desk and windowsill enough long conniving looks that Natsume had cuffed him on the head for it. Kaname feels warmed to the core at the familiar images before him now, at the slowly-relaxing shoulders and the still-flushed cheeks of the boy wearing them.

“Where did you get it?” Kaname asks, tugging gently at one sleeve. Pachyveria exotica, his brain supplies, reflexively, at the sight of the pale green starburst beneath his thumb.

“That secondhand shop, the one near the post office across from the school. I was there with Touko-san. She chose it—well.” A sheepish twist of his mouth. “She saw me looking. And she said it’d be…nice, um. To wear. The next time you and me went out.”

“…Oh.” He thinks his own face must have gone a bit pink now, too. Then he asks, because it seems important somehow, “Did you want to get it? You know, for your own sake.”

Natsume smushes his lips together a bit, stares very hard at a spot on Kaname’s shoulder. Finally says, “…yes? I mean. Yes. I tried it on, and, uh, Touko-san said it looked nice. She said you’d think so too, and she sounded really really sure about it, and I guess I ended up agreeing with her?” His expression turns sour. “Then I tried it on when Sensei was around. He laughed so hard he choked on the eel he was eating.” His eyes narrow. “He’s not here right now because I threatened him.”

Kaname glances out at the platform, then, and the dark treeline beyond. Of course he’d noticed Sensei’s absence, but given that Natsume hadn’t seemed at all tense as he surely would if they were wholly unprotected, Kaname had figured that Sensei wasn’t far. If he wasn’t, then Kaname can’t quite help wondering what is out there watching over them. He forces his attention back to the matter at hand, though, saying, “I mean. Ponta doesn’t wear shirts, so I wouldn’t trust his opinion. And—” He closes the space between them, places both hands lightly on Natsume’s still-tensed shoulders. “Touko-san was right. I like it. So much.”

The twitch of Natsume’s lips, however slight, feels like an accomplishment.

Until he begins, “…but, ah—” before apparently thinking better of it, cutting himself off with a tiny shake of the head, looking of all things frustrated with himself. “Never mind.”

Kaname doesn’t press him, but he waits, not letting go of Natsume’s shoulders.

Eventually, Natsume huffs out a short breath, and glances down at his shirt. “I don’t remember the names,” he admits. “Of any of them. And I know you’ve told me. Probably more than once. And we’d even looked at your book together. The library over near the park didn’t help either, they only really had gardening books and—”

“You went to the library?” Kaname interrupts, unable to help himself.

“Um.” It takes a little longer to happen this time, as Natsume realizes exactly what he’s just said, but the shade his cheeks eventually land upon is spectacular, like they could scald Kaname’s fingertips if he touched them. “Just for a little while,” he mumbles, fiddling with the hem of the shirt where it sits on his thigh. “I just checked the one section.”

“You went to the library,” Kaname repeats, slowly.

“But I couldn’t find the—”

The rest of his words are lost, then, between Kaname’s lips.

He can taste chalky canned cocoa on Natsume’s mouth; and Natsume doesn’t quite kiss him back, but some of the tension bleeds out of his shoulders beneath Kaname’s palms. After a moment, he feels Natsume’s arms snake their way around his waist.

When they finally part, Kaname doesn’t even get the chance to see if that astounding blush has changed any, because Natsume promptly plants his face against Kaname’s chest. Kaname huffs out a chuckle and rests his chin atop the crown of his head, silky hair tickling at his throat.

“Are you hugging me just to hug me, or are you hiding?” he asks, grinning.

“…you’ve done it, too,” comes the muffled accusation.

“That’s fair.” He brings a hand up to smooth Natsume’s hair, so incredibly fond that the feeling’s practically risen up to stick fast in his throat. “…You know it’s not a test, though, right? This, I mean.” He taps a spot on Natsume’s shoulder, letting his finger trace the strand of pale green pods tipped in plump, pink buds. Sedum morganianum.

“Mm,” is the only reply.

“I mean. I know a lot of the names are a mouthful. The only reason I learned them is because I kind of had too much time on my hands when I was twelve, so. It’s really okay.”

At that, Natsume finally pulls away, just enough to tilt his head up. By now his blush has receded to something a little less alarming. “You can tell me again,” he says, quietly, but eyes alight in that way that never fails to make all of Kaname’s insides feel somehow all bunched up and ready to burst at the same time.

“I don’t want to bore you,” he says, once he finally locates his voice.

“You won’t.” The answer is immediate, certain. “I mean. I’m still not sure I can remember them all, but. You’re really happy when you talk about them. That’s not boring.”

Oh.

Kaname leans forward, tucks an unseen smile into Natsume’s hair. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Kaname peers down across what he can see of Natsume’s back, from this angle. “…it might be easier for you to see which of these is which if I show you in a book.”

“I’ll have to put my coat back on when the train comes,” Natsume points out. Regardless, he makes no attempt to untangle himself from Kaname, his face once more squashed into Kaname’s chest, arms still looped around his waist.

“Good point.” Kaname leans forward as much as he’s able, squints a little, and touches a spot just below Natsume’s shoulder blade. “This one’s sempervivum calcareum.”

He feels a warm huff against his shirt. “You know I have no idea which one you mean.”

“This one,” he says, and taps the same image where it’s printed over the edge of his sleeve.

“Thanks,” comes the dry response, and Kaname thinks his face might crack in two from the sheer and idiotic magnitude of his grin.  

“You’re welcome. Here’s aeonium arboreum.”

***

[Pseudo-based on a thing I wrote about Tanuma’s hobbies: between Tanuma with his succulent collection and Natsume with his ugly button downs they make one(1) Disaster Gay. Notably I had @mayorofcattown’s awkward aquarium date piece  firmly in mind while writing this one; not that this scenario was intended to have been after a first date, but I was very charmed by the idea of Natsume getting All Dressed Up for a nice aquarium outing… ] 

[b4civility]

August,7

fanfic based on the “teenage love triangle” on Folklore, “Betty”, “August” and “Cardigan”. Still releasing new chapters, stay tooned! 

[NO WARNINGS] 

summary: Betty doesn’t realize she is touching James the first time she does so. James doesn’t realize she is everything he wants the first time he paints her sink red. Alisson doesn’t realize she wasn’t part of the plan. August slipped away like a bottle of wine, as quick as it could,staining everything it reaches.

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Chapter 1: Betty 

Whenever I have to pack, my head gets cloudy. Always seems like I got everything I need, except that the Object That I Take For Granted But Actually Use Everyday stays behind, like a bath sponge or a coffee pot. I know this will happen, but get a bit of a headache every time trying to fight it. All the boxes in mu checklist are checked, but this anxious feeling still buzzes inside my head. 

‘Check under the bed to see if there’s something there’, mom says. 

I check. There is, but nothing that belongs to me. 

I am moving from a house of girls to another house of girls, but at least I get to have the unspoken individuality of my belongings, the entitlement to my schedule and to have “ I would rather not talk about it” or “I want to keep it to myself” as a legitimate answer this time around. My sisters are pretty sad about it- Skyler says she will miss my closet the most. “ So I am supposed to buy my own earrings now? How much do they cost? Do you try them on at the store? Is it ok if I get them wet by accident or will they be totally ruined?” she shoots at me as I finish packing my jewelry. “ Did you not care to not spill water on my earrings when you wore them?”, I ask, but she just looks away and plays with the ones that are in her ear, that are, too, mine. They are the silver with some dark green balls at the end. I stole them from a fancy boutique when I was 14, igniting my addiction to this accessory. I stole a couple more until the guilt finally kicked in,and then became an expert on finding cheap and not that bad ones at Aliexpress. I’ll just let her have it, looks better with her short hair than with my long one. Even though we have the same kind of curls, mine weren’t as defined as hers when I had short hair. A little bit shorter than the earrings, makes her look so edgy. She loves it. 

Eliza, in the other hand, despites my wardrobe, but worships my baking skills. One Sunday or the other we bake together, she makes sour doo biscuits and I bake a cake. This is our stack for the week, and then we try a different recipe for the dessert that day. We have a nice dynamic in the kitchen by now-she hates making cake but loves eating mine and I feel the same way about her biscuits, ans since both of us have a sweet tooth, baking is taken very seriously under this roof. 

The four of us get in the car, I get the backseat since Eliza is our official DJ (not that we gave her the title, rather she took it),plus, mom likes her by her side. Never have I ever sat behind the wheels when the entire family was in the car, for some reason mom would always get cautious about it when I asked if I could drive in these situations, even though I have been each and everyone’s chauffeur at some point. 

Tomorrow, at this very hour, I would be waking up to none of them. The closest thing to not being a sister I ever had was before I was seven, when Skyler wasn’t born yet, the bedroom was all mine and dad only had one volleyball player in our backyard. The closest thing I ever got to not being a daughter when he left. I was 12, Skyler was 5 and mom was in no condition to deal with her and our loss at the same time. Grandma was around a lot for the next 2 years. I couldn’t say the same about our mother, even up to this date. 

So I was reading her body expression, her smile at what my sister was saying about the music she chose, her thin neck, blurred by some hair strands that got out of her pony tale and eventually felt on her shoulders covered by her green cardigan, and how easily breakable her peacefulness appeared. Not because of my departure,no, she has been looking like this everyday since that last day. I don’t believe the other two ever notices that, not when they got their hands full with the colossal mess they make to get their older sister’s attention. It does work, I’m even moving houses because of it;college is just a social-acceptable excuse. 

Three hours later we have completed our journey from Mendax to Verum, the college town just 20 minutes away from campus. Five other girls were to live with me, none that I have met yet, but their facebook page tells me I got another Political Science major in the house, two English majors, a biology southmore and soon-to-be-graduated journalist. I sort of hoped I was going to be the first one to arrive so I could get my stuff in place first, not have all the stubbornness that run through my family’s DNA thrown at them as a first impression and possibly bake a Homecoming/Welcome/If My Words Fail Me At Least I Have This Going For Me cake. Plus, I own Eliza this last/ first moment, so I’d ask for her help. 

 The house was unapologetically pink. The pastel tone suited the wood-revested building very well, so much it felt like Barbie Dream House: College edition. The family house energy of it, the immense porch space, the spacious interior corridors,two livingrooms and the hugh gress space in the backyard were the opposite of what you would expect of a college girls’ residency, yet everything you wish they all looked like. Besides, this was a very prospect location for an off campus party, so I think I got the upper hand with this one. 

“ You are in a Barbie movie scenario for your entire graduation. I’m so jealous I can’t barely put it into words” Skyler said, staring at it, blinking as if she was waiting for it to disappear the next time she opened her eyes. “ Yeah,I will be sitting at the porch waiting to see if Ken shows up anytime soon,too.” I answered as I stood next to her, holding boxes. “Yeah, be sure to look very carefully for him at the massive Homecoming barbecue you guys are going to be having in this abnormous big backyard of yours”.So it was that obvious.” But don’t get attached to the first cutie you see, ok? Someone better could be just around the corner... ”. I don’t even want to imagine how her college years are going to be like. Probably a little cooler than mine; she always knows how to make a fun moment even funnier. Is it legal to bring your underaged sibling to a uni party? 

“Don’t worry. I’ll keep you in mind whenever I get more-than-two-dates invested in someone here”

Did Skyler really thought that my next romance would just fall into my backyard, like that?  

Chapter 2: James 

The sound of the wheels rolling on the concrete always get people looking, even when you are far from them. Anyone in top of a skateboard becomes a model in a suburban street, whose streets turn into a red carpet filled with paparazzi. I try to say something like “good morning” or “hello” to whoever I am passing by in an attempt to make my politeness overcome the annoyance of the loud noise, and convince myself that it works. Somehow, I often end up in a situation where it would be better not to be seen: whether is when I am riding my board and I get loud or in places I shouldn’t be attempting to land a trick at, or when I am pointing my camera at someone, trying to get a picture without them noticing. As if it isn’t happening for the hundredth time, I awkwardly pause, try to wave at them so I don’t come out as a stalker and gesticulating an apology all at once. People generally frown and move some place else, as a anyone in their right mind would. But only my headphones come with me for the ride when I know I will be taking The Pink House road. Two years ago I was riding by for the fourth time in the same week - ok, that was pretty stalker-y - getting shots of the house, the thing that struck me at first, and then the feature that actually grabbed my attention: the girls. There were four college girls living there, all who seemed so bubbly,so full of life, so enjoyable to the eye, so hot. By that time I had the count in my head, and one of them was missing. Didn’t mind much, got some rather good photos of Claire, the only one that I(oddly,but actually) knew. We made out at a uni party that I had sneaked in to the year before. As soon as I looked forward, A bloody face jumped in front of me,screaming, scaring me enough so that I felt in the concrete, scratched an elbow and hurting my feet. 

“THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DON’T WEAR PROTECTION PADS!!!!! AND ALSO WHEN YOU ACT LIKE A CREEP FUCK,BASTARD!” 

As I pointed my head to the sky, the bloody shadow took away the mask, to reveal the fourth girl missing. “I-I-I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to.. I was just… The house, I-”

“Oh God ,it’s a creepy kid”, she said, throwing a hand to help me get up. “ So just because you are a cute teenager you think you can spy on stranger’s house like that?!?”- she said I was cute- “Yo, it’s no stalker”- kinda was- “just a random kid with a camera. Partially broken camera, you might wanna pick that piece up”. That was the day I met Inez. We got quite acquainted since that day, and photographing a place that you are allowed in got boring after the first two times so we just became friends.

I searched for her, but instead saw a brown girl istead. A new girl. Someone I was not ready to see. I stopped breathing the second she raised her head and I could see her almond eyes better, the spark on her cheeks reflecting the sun. The next thing I knew I had my face on the concrete, with the same elbow scratched, again. 

“Shit, are you ok? You're bleeding” she (yes, she!) said to me.

“I-I’m cool, I’m cool… you know,just...whatever, happens all the time and shit...” . My mouth doesn’t know how to work when my brain is in complete shock with the view, apparently. 

“You should at least wash it, your elbow could get infected, come on inside” she said, as she held my hand and arm very softly. You could see she was trying not to touch the injury much, but I swear I wasn’t feeling my entire body. 

Chapter 3: Betty 

“I suppose we should have a first aid kit here, somewhere…”- he’s painting my sink in red as the water runs in the wound. What a way to start. “Eliza, Skyler, help me; you go look if you find anything in the bathroom and you, keep at the kitchen cabinets”.

“It’s on the upper shelf, actually”, he answers.

It was.What the fuck?

“So you live here now?!?!” I hear a voice from behind that isn’t my mother’s. It’s the biology major,even though she is blonder than her facebook pictures.

“I-I-I just… arrived…. I’m sorry he… I was just...” Was I ever going to come up with the right sequence of words to explain that I, a girl she never met, had got into her house with a bleeding,also strange boy and two teenagers running wild looking through her stuff? The chances are beyond unlikely,at its best. 

“Not you, I was expecting you- I mean  him”, she arched her eyebrows.

“Inez ! long time no see, girl!”, he replies with a sort of laughing, trying to lighten up the mood. I wasn't understanding one bit of what was going on.

“ You couldn’t wait for the party so you just brought it right in yourself, huh? Look at the mess you made in my kitchen! You know, I am leaving here next year so you better make a good impression of yourself for the other girls if you want to keep falling in our doorstep and getting aid” 

“I don’t think I’m their first option but I can make it work, never smile at someone and didn’t get a smile back” he says softly, kind of taking advantage of it, as he smiles at Inez, and she tries to hold it, but smiles back. I smile a little bit too, but still- what the fuck is happening?!?! 

“ You believe that your white teeth will get you anywhere, don’t you?”

“It got me aid the first time I ever felt in your doorstep. Also got you letting me teach you how to skateboard,which was super cool” he started sounding a little bit more teenager-y. How old was he? 

“ I always wanted to skate, you just happened to have a skateboard”. The air in the room was decrisealing chaotic. What he did worked. 

“Oh, like we were the only two people here, I am so sorry; hi, I’m Inez, welcome home,Beatrice!” she turns to me, shaking my hand, with a relaxed smile on. 

“Thank you, you can call me Betty” He really softened the mood, the words even came out of my mouth normally. 

“Ok, sure. I was meant to be here earlier but I had a salon appointment. But you met the house mascot already,so that’s one thing out of the list”- she points at this skater, sitting on the sink- “ This is James, he’s around more than he should. Do you need help? with the boxes?” And then I remembered of my sisters, running loose around the house and my mom, probably on the car outside. 

“ My sisters and I got everything by the porch already, there aren’t many”

“Fine, I will just wrap up this skater’s arm in a band-Aid and then I’ll show you your room. Clem is your roommate. You are enrolled in political science too, right?”

“Yeah”

“Nice, I think you two will be quite a match then. James, get your board rolling outta here, you are done, you can stop scarring my new roomate. 

“ Thanks, ‘Nez” he hopped out of the sink. “ It was never my intention to scare you. Nice meeting you, Betty” he gives me a quiet smile, looking into my eyes just for a second before looking at the ground. He ran a little bit down the hallway, got on the skateboard and went out of sight. He had this boyish posture, stubborn, unaware of his own size. His broad shoulders moved along with his waist as he strolled away. It was nice meeting you,too,James.