#and then my friend (Adam) and i decided that we're actually going back so we can see the solar eclipse bc it's on the path of totality

[sugawhaaa]

hi love how are youuu <3<3

So, as my p1harmony writer of trust, i shall confess that i am in desperate need of jongseob content. And maybe youve already seen this, but this. This makes me *feral*.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C3sYJK3voX5/?igsh=MWx1eGFtcG9yNXR3Zw==

I dont know who decided that its a good idea to put im in a crop top and pants like that, but *lord*, they deserve an award. Anyway, you probably know what im hinting at, and in case you dont, man's looking *tasty*

Pls whatever you can come up with is fine i will literally mention you in my will because I am actually deceased right now thank youuuu mwah<3 have a good one and thx for listening to my random jongseob rant byeeeee<3<3

JONGSEOB ONE-SHOT

"I already know how it feels,"

Warnings::none (?)

Genre:: friends to lovers, little bit suggestive

Pairing:: bsf!jongseob x fem!reader

A/N:: sorry this is sooo shorttt it could've been longer but I feel like for this prompt it's quite good.

Request:: hiii I'm good ty ₍^ >ヮ<^₎ .ᐟ.ᐟ thank you for all the compliments (⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄) and dw I am down bad for Jongseob this era too 👌mwah mwah ₍ᐢ. ̫.ᐢ₎ ur request made my day and I'd listen to your rants any day (╯✧▽✧)╯

You turned off the shower and pushed the curtain aside. You stepped out of the tub and dried off your body and hair. You did some basic skin care like a cleanser, toner, and moisturizer before wrapping your warm towel around your body. Your hair still dripping a bit. You opened the door from your bathroom and walked to the main area of your hotel to see Jongseob. You blushed as you stared at him, water dripping from your hair.

"Sorry..." he says softly with pink cheeks. His brown turtle neck sweater swallowing him. You sigh.

"It's fine," you chuckle and go over to your bedside. Jongseob carefully scoots over to you, his headphones that are wrapped around his neck still playing some Lofi beats. As much as he told himself he had no romantic attraction to you his eyes were still glued to your exposed skin and wet hair which made his heart flutter. You used your handheld mirror to brush out your hair and through it, you could see jongseobs curious and filthy eyes.

"You see something?" You said in a teasingly seductive tone.

"N-No!" Jongseob jumped and looked away. You giggled at him with a smile.

"Are you sure~" you teased further as you leaned closer to him, putting your mirror down. At first he looked away from you but after a moment he looked back at you. His eyes went from your face to your chest and a twinkle could be seen in them. "Don't act like I didn't see that little glance and smirk!" You say as you hit him.

"Hey! It was just a second," he tried to justify himself as he moved away from your violent hands. You laughed.

"How would you feel if I stared at your private parts?!" You crossed your arms jokingly.

"I already know how it feels," he said with a light smirk. Your heart paused before you realized what he meant. Now what do you say? I mean it was just because of your curiosity and to be honest, sometimes you just couldn't help it because I mean it's pretty uh prominent... "You're blushing," he teased as his hands crept closer to you.

You stammered as you tried to come up with some excuse or explanation. His fingers walked up your arm slowly. "Yesterday when we were at the hotel pool, the day before that at the food court in the mall, the day before that when we were on the car drive to our trip your eyes were just so glued to..." he chuckled as his headphones played Britney spears quietly. Your face may as well be pure red. You shook your head but Jongseob grabbed your chin and kissed you. "We're leaving in twenty minutes to go to the buffet. Be ready," he smiled before standing up and heading to the door. Leaving you a flustered and confused mess, your heart racing...

Meanwhile, Jongseob outside your room was having a panic attack. Did he say too much? Did he cross the line? Did he touch you uncomfortably? Was he being too cocky? Oh he was just freaking out.

[fooled-around-and-fell]

Becoming Human

Summary: Adam heard you're feeling lonely, so his grand idea was to be a human (literally) to try and make you feel like you were at home.

Genre: fluff

Pairing: Adam Warlock x female reader

"Whoa, whoa, wait." Quill put his hand up, stopping Adam from explaining his point. "You want me to teach you how to be a human?"

Adam nodded. "Please."

"Well first of all, Midas, no human on Earth is gold, so.. we're gonna.. have to change that."

"My name is not Midas. That's a funny name."

"That's-- Nevermind." Quill sighed. "Why do you want to be a human anyway?"

Adam pursed his lips. "Research.. purposes?"

Quill could tell he was lying, but decided not to ask any further. Whatever kind of stupidity Adam was doing, he wanted no part of it.

"Alright, I know a guy. Just sit tight and I'll bring him over."

"Thanks, bro."

Quill frowned, Adam was clearly trying to act more human but it didn't work. "Never say that again."

"Right."

You joined the Guardians of the Galaxy when Thor decided to join them too. It didn't take long until Thor left again, but you decided to stick around.

You and Thor are good friends, you stayed through all of his ups and downs. But eventually you realized you needed to figure out who you were, and you can only do that yourself.

Rocket joined you in the diner, which you worked so hard for to get it approved. You loved diners back on Earth, and smash burgers was what you missed most. You introduced it to the team, and they've loved it ever since.

"Are you... dipping your fries in milkshake?" Rocket asked, a big hint of judgment there.

"Don't judge me. This is my comfort food."

Rocket grabbed a few fries and dipped it in the shake, following you. "Alright, it's not that bad, but I am definitely judging you."

He grabbed his own milkshake and sat on the counter.

"How you holding up?"

"I'm okay."

"It's been a while since you last visited Earth. Your Earth." He said, "If you ever want to go, we can take you."

"Thanks, I really appreciate it."

"Alright, no problem." He nodded. "Now- What the fuck is that??"

You turned towards the door where Rocket was looking and almost dropped your milkshake.

"Oh God-" You covered your mouth. Was it a laugh that was going to come out? Just shock? You had no idea how to react when you see Adam walk in the diner wearing Quill's polo shirt and.. looking like a proper British man -- especially with his accent.

"Uh," Adam swallowed thickly.

Rocket took it as a sign to leave, but also he did not want to deal with whatever's going on.

Adam approached you slowly. You, who's still covering your mouth in shock, but a grin is slowly forming underneath.

"You're freaked out." He stated. "I.. don't know why I did this.. now that I think about it, this was such a bad idea..."

"No, no," You quickly interrupted him. "You look good, really good. I just.. I was not expecting this."

Adam had a smile on his face after seeing your ear-to-ear grin. "Actually, I overheard you talking to yourself the other day. You said you felt lonely, and to make you feel better I thought you'd feel less lonely if you're with another human-" he rambled on, "and so I asked Drax -- which I now realize was a mistake."

Chuckling, you fixed the collar of his shirt. "So you did this to make me feel less lonely?"

He shrugged. "Is it working?"

"Adam," You held his hands, your smile unable to fall from your lips. "I do feel lonely sometimes, but it's not because I'm not surrounded by other humans. It's just a feeling that comes and goes."

"But," you continued, "Just being here with everyone, with you, makes me feel ten times better."

"Really?"

You nodded. "This was very sweet of you."

Adam let out a sigh of relief. "I'm glad you feel that way."

"But how did you do this?" You asked, asking him to turn around.

"Quill knew a guy.. he made a very strange looking liquid." He chuckled. "Should wear off in a couple of hours."

You placed your hands on his face. "Good. I like the real you better."

Adam pecked your lips. "Quill said I'd make a good.. himbo. What's that?"

You giggled. "It means someone dumb but beautiful."

"Oh," He considered it. "That's not so bad."

He kissed you again while you were laughing.

"You made my week, Adam."

He hummed just so happened to notice himself in the mirror behind you. "I do look great as a human. Maybe I should do this more often."

"No. Please."

a/n: idk why I've been in love with Will Poulter these past few days.

[janus-cadet]

The second card according to last week's poll- Husker, our dear old cat man, as The Hermit! It's also the eleventh card for the Hazbin/Helluva fandom. Which is- the most consistent I ever been in drawing for a fandom? Hurray!

The next one, Adam, is already decided- but I'm planning to do two more cards before maybe, eventually, taking a break. So, before we go under the cut for the explanations for the choice of card...

Yes indeedy. It's the mothers' poll.

Back to the grumpy old man!

The Hermit Upright is a card strongly linked to self-discovery and inner wisdom. It invites you to retreat into your private world and experience a deep sense of instrospection- a journey you have to do alone, to find you inner guiding light, and choose the next steps you'll have to take.

It might seem strange to chose Husk to represent it- but as much as his character seems stand-offish and disgruntled, he does strick me as someone who has done a lot of self-reflecting, and is able to see each other characters' situations with a clarity that no one else, in the show, seems capable of. He is aware of who he is, of what mistakes he make: this is a man who knows himself, and who finds wisdom in his own flaws.

And much as the Hermit of the card, he's a man who walked on this path alone (thinking that no one could relate- prefering the quiet and the solitude to the company) until he reached the point when he was ready to let others in, albeit in a small, careful way. Finding, despite himself, a place in the small group of the hotel, and a soulmate in Angel.

But the Hermit card often appears when you are at a pivotal point in your life, and maybe considering a new direction. Would that be, for example... redemption? Now, Husker is not quite there yet- but it's undeniable that his mere involvement with the hotel places him on a pivotal point in life, and one that encourages him to deepen his self-examination. This time to also accept the good in himself, and re-evaluate his personnal goals.

Finally, the Hermit may appear in your life as a spiritual mentor- one that may be an expert in his own right (a wise old bartender, who've seen it all), but who will teach you to find your answers within yourself. Which. Loser, Baby.

Okay, it's a lot of talking already. Bear with me, we're now going on the Reverse Hermit.

For as much as I feel like Husk's character is the most in-tune with himself, the struggles is still undeniable. The Reversed Hermit, therefore, encourages you to search deep within your sould, to help you find your way again, to find your way out of the bottle, and focus on rebuilding yourself. You may be damaged, but you can still go on with your life, and improve your situation; it all starts by working on yourself. Be careful not to isolate yourself too much, too. You should not be fully cutting yourself off from others, like a literal Hermit; do not underestimate the value of the connections you can form with people around you. And really, our dear Husker is getting there!

The Hermit Reversed can also indicate an unwelcome isolation in your relationship: one person may want to be alone or withdraw from the relationship, while the other wants to deepen the connection. You will need to respect each other's request for space (not by pushing your partner off his chair, Husker), but also be there to support as appropriate.

And that's it for today! We'll see each other again tomorrow, when I'll drop the first man himself- Adam, as the King of Pentacles. I hope this silly bird would apreciate the irony.

This is not, actually, the first time I drew the Hermit- but the first one, eh, I really did not like it. So, Husker becomes the official Hermit of the deck!

(If you have time,consider checking my friend @mimmixerenard 's version of humanized!Husker, it's very very good. Here is the link)

[nobodymitskigabriel]

Everyone talks about how shitty it was that Michael and Adam were cut short in s15 and how they wanted to see them go on cute dates and move in together and like. Sure. But I wish they'd been expanded in a different way. Imagine Adam being around for Michael's "betrayal" of Sam and Dean. Or maybe the angels welcome Michael out of the Cage and presenting him with the throne and Michael just...not knowing what to do. Or maybe God commands Michael to kill Jack and Michael needs to seriously grapple with potentially making the same mistake twice. And maybe all this is happening while Gabriel or Raphael is alive which adds extra archangel family drama to the pot.

All these hypotheticals just to say that I would've loved to see Michael be a part of a genuine conflict in s15 especially with Adam. They had each other for 1000+ years but now things have changed, and in the grand scheme of the Universe, what is 1000 years anyway? Maybe this was God's plan all along. Okay, so maybe all humans aren't all literally maggots, but is the fucking archangel Michael going to throw away everything he lived for for the angels' Plan B Adam Milligan?

So imagine Michael actually going back to and listening to God or Heaven and Adam being so offended not on the Winchesters' behalf, but just on principle after everything God's done. Adam gives him an ultimatum and tells him he needs to wise up or get out of his body, and Michael goes...you know what? No. I'm an archangel and you're my vessel. Why would you get a say here? So maybe Michael takes Adam for a ride, stuffs him to the back of his consciousness and gets on with his business like the Cage never happened.

Eventually Michael does leave Adam, either by halfway coming to his senses or getting kicked out by force and obviously that experience would be very traumatic for Adam who would just...not know what to do with himself after being betrayed and violated by his only friend for 1000+ years.

But whatever, right? Michael is an archangel. His Father is back. He doesn't need Adam or a vessel. (Except he sososososososo fucking does.)

So imagine Adam tagging along with tfw for some mission that goes wrong. Everyone is surrounded. It's game over. But then whatever demons or angels or whatever are about to kill them get smote like it's nothing. The ground trembles. The windows break. Absolutely blinding white light spills in. Everyone has to shield their eyes and there's this ear-grating noise that only Adam seems able to be able understand. Everyone is writhing on the ground, clutching their ears and Adam is just standing there casually like he's having a depressing and slightly tedious conversation. It goes back and forth between the most ghastly noises anyone has ever heard and Adam saying something like, "I don't know if I can trust you anymore" and this goes on for some time. We never actually hear what Michael says, but it seems to have a major effect on Adam who eventually does decide to forgive him and let him back in.

I also like the idea of Michael taking his throne back with Adam?? Like I know we're not necessarily rooting for Heaven on this show but yesss king make John's secret third son your Heavenly consort 💞💞 I do like the domestic potential Midam has but it doesn't just have to be domestic you know???

[rickie-the-storyteller]

Steph's Crew - Book 3 Summary

I was meant to post this last year to sort of close the Steph-related content and focus more on other projects. Actually, I was meant to post a lot of things last year...

Bretanie analysis (on here)

Season 1 of AU (on my second blog)

Jekyll and Hyde, but in the modern world (I've been working on that for fun on the side, and I've decided to post the full story on Wattpad)

Revealing the identity of the secret blogger (I'll probably do it in this post, since it is relevant to this part of the story as well)

I've been so busy, y'all. Sorry for the delays.

I just want to make sure I have time to do everything as best as I possibly can, so you can enjoy it. I think it was less pressure posting the Steph's Crew dialogues and snippets because they were old pieces of work, and since the time I first wrote them, I've neatened it up and made it considerably better than it was... I know that the stuff I've shared isn't the final product, so I don't feel the urge to make it perfect. At least not to the extent that I do with all these other projects lol.

Hopefully this can help make up for lost time. I'll get to the other posts mentioned on that list as soon as possible, but until then... here's a summary of the third and final instalment of Steph's Crew!

Enjoy!

Keep in mind that I'm still working on this one. It isn't finished yet, but I wanted to give you guys a rough idea of how it goes. And prepare for this, because it's pretty unhinged lol. I collaborated with my sister on some of the wackier ideas...

Book 3 is titled "Story of a Broken Thing." It picks up where Book 2 ends off, more or less (or at least, it fills us in on what went down since the end of Book 2). If you can't remember how UVC ended, then here's a link to that summary:

But to put it briefly, the crew have successfully solved the mystery, Brelise have split up again, Bret's gone on tour with his band, Dalice are together, Bephanie is over, and Stephanie got arrested... but then escaped from holding. Nobody knows where she could have gone.

Which leads us to Book 3. It is set a couple of years later (I think about 5 years after Book 2 ended), and a lot of stuff has happened in all that time...

Dylan and Alice have broken up. Wasn't meant to be, I guess. But don't worry - they're still friends, and there's no bad blood between them or anything.

Victor and Jen have unfortunately split up as well, leading to Jen moving back to Texas. Alice decides to go with her. She's doing alright - currently taking some classes at a local college, and helping out at her old dance studio in her spare time. She's also still making YouTube videos.

Bret's band is still doing well. They're not touring anymore at the moment, but they are super busy recording a new album, and filming music videos. Plus, they have been asked to perform at the Jingle Bell Ball towards the end of the year, which is very exciting. Even though he has moved back to the UK, because of the nature of Bret's job, he can't just stay in London with his aunt anymore like how he used to... but he still comes to visit her as often as possible. And he and Elise are still close friends, so that's cool. He's been seeing other people over the past couple of years, though.

Elise and Charlie are together. She decided to give him a chance. They're really happy together and they seem to have a pretty healthy, solid relationship for the most part (they've been together for two years straight by the time Book 3 has started). Charlie still harbours some degree of jealousy/wariness towards Bret, though, since she's still really good friends with him. He's never once brought it up to her, though. But it becomes a big deal in this part of the story... more on that later.

Ben isn't really in this part of the story... at least not until towards the end, when Stephanie randomly decides to call him for some reason. But he's doing fine. Moved back to his cooking job from Book 1 lol. It was good money, and now he doesn't have another person to share it with! Wait, that sad-

And by now, Dylan, Connor (who has finally moved on from Daisy! Thank God), Elise and Charlie have all finished their university courses. Yay!

In fact, this is what kickstarts the plot. Dylan's family (we get to see them again in this one! Specifically his mother, her new husband and his younger brother Sam. I feel like we didn't get enough of them last time) is very proud of him for finishing such a long, tough course (3 years, + 1 foundation year + 1 year of masters), and they decide to reward him with an epic summer trip to Australia. And it is during this holiday that he sees Steph again (she's not in Australia btw - he sees her when he goes with a family friend to the Samoan islands).

She fills him in on how she got there. I haven't neatly worked this part out... but basically, Reggie helped her leave the country (idk whether to make him a villain or some kind of loose cannon/antihero type of guy. Like, he's awful most of the time, but he's also one of Stephanie's oldest friends, and he can be genuinely nice when he wants to be. Especially to her. He needs to be in trouble tho lol. I think the thing about him is that he gets away with his awful behaviour easily, whereas Stephanie is kind of forced to be held accountable, even if she actively runs away from the consequences of her actions sometimes...)

After that, she was stuck on her own again for a while and needed a job. So she applied for a job at a local Natia hotel (Natia is a famous line of hotels... kind of like Hilton, to give a known real-life example). She didn't have enough money for a cab or bus, so she had to walk the whole way there through heavy rain. By the time she got there, she looked terrible lol. But when she arrived, she bumped into a handsome young man who kindly helped her out. He got her a room and some clothes to change into, which helped in making a good first impression and whatnot. She got the job!

Later, she found out that the guy's name was Jordan Natia. The son of the hotel line founder (he also owns the hotel she got a job at). She thanks him for her help, and he invites her for dinner... and the rest is history.

And by history, I mean she ends up marrying him lol. Dylan finds out that she now lives at the resort that he and his family friend are currently staying at. She also has a baby daughter named Mia (short for Miranda. Not suspicious at all). She loves her life so much right now. She's always prided herself on being a strong independent woman who can take care of herself, but she's surprised at how much she's enjoying being a stay-at-home mother and housewife lol. She loves spending time with her baby, and she loves her husband a lot, too. He takes good care of her. However, similar to Ben, he doesn't really know all that much about her (Jordan goes through a similar arc to Ben's in Book 2, where he finds out the truth about Stephanie, and it changes the way he sees her. Minus the cheating lol).

Dylan is shocked at how much Steph has changed since the last time he saw her, but he's happy for her at the same time. He can see that she's genuinely happy and seemingly at peace, which is great.

Meanwhile, back in the UK, Charlie has decided to propose to El. He's taking it VERY seriously - even asked for her family's blessing and everything. They all said yes... even Adam lol (he's grown to like Charles by now). One summer evening, he pops the question (in a truly beautiful and romantic way btw), and Elise says yes in the moment, but she doesn't know if she truly feels ready for marriage yet. Something about the situation feels wrong to her, but she doesn't know what it is. However, instead of communicating her mixed feelings to her now fiance, she decides to distract herself with hangouts with her family and friends, as well as getting into her work and other hobbies, preferring to think about anything other than her problems (man, does THIS sound familiar lol). Charlie starts noticing a change in El's behaviour and it begins to really upset him (especially since Bret is one of the people she starts spending more time with, and we all know how she feels about him), causing more strain in their relationship. It only gets worse when they find out about Stephanie's whereabouts...

Dylan messages the others about his trip everyday through a group chat. One night he reveals that he's reunited with an old friend of theirs and sends a picture of him and Stephanie hanging out. The others are shocked. Elise especially.

The situation started becoming somewhat of a controversy in the news... people started talking about it more online, many blogs and news websites (including The Looking Glass) started covering it. Alice made a video on YouTube talking about it (and it came from the unique angle of her knowing the person from school and being their friend and everything. She didn't mention Steph by name, though). It blew her channel up.

The story of Stephanie's escape was quickly resurfacing back into people's minds after being forgotten for such a long time. And this wasn't good for Steph lol. Especially after finally making a life for herself that she was genuinely truly happy in.

But that's not the end of the story.

I'll tell you the rest in part 2 of this summary!

[alea-says]

H50, season 5, episode 1 thoughts...

Whatttt?

Okay, I have seen this scene before. The boys obviously in some kind of therapy. I just, honestly thought it was part of the whole therapy episode that, I think, comes in a later season.

But apparently I get BOTH!

Danny: We have been together for three years

Steve: Four

The fact that Steve then corrects him down to the day. Yeah, someone's been paying attention.

Also, Steve in that blue button up. Mmmhmmmm.

This is so beautiful I just want to quote it all.

Sir Daniel.

The fact that this is how they're starting the season... it's an obvious recap of who everyone is for new viewers but ... really?? ... could they have made it any more mcdanno??

Steve: we're ohana

Danny: I guess I was just agreeing with him, for the first time

No matter how much they argue they're family.

This poor couple obviously something is gonna go wrong... and it did.

And just in case we haven't been able to tell from his general vibes, one of Danny's intro scenes is now him and baby Joan (I think, based on how short it is). Just so we know he's father material.

(And if it's Joan, interesting that him interacting with Steve's niece is considered important enough for his intro)

Kono and Adam being adorable.

Wait. Was she surfing with her phone on her ankle? I may need me a waterproof case like that that is actually waterproof!

Hey, Steve let someone else fly the helicopter.

Shaw: you must be Detective Williams

Max: I have given her the full heads up

Danny: you gave her the heads up on what?

Steve: it's all true

And now you know there's a drone... go put your vests on.

Steve and Danny teasing Jerry together. And Danny has to slap Steve's thigh while doing so.

I'm sorry, Jerry, but yes, people do still read hard copy books.

Book em Danno.

And Steve's been shot.

Oh, look at that, Danny's just the right height for Steve to put his arm around him and use him as a crutch.

Steve: I can't drive, Danny

Danny: oh really? There's a silver lining in the face of death. Fantastic.

Steve: my leg will heal. Don't get used to it.

Okay, but now we need some cool action for stopping the plane please.

Okay, that drone was cool. Even if I did was some super Seal shanenigans (but I guess Steve's been shot, so...)

But he's up and running anyway...

Go Danny! Nice shooting!

Okay, and that clip ejection and reload was hot.

Yes, Steve does need a loyalty program with every fifth bullet extraction free. Lol.

Also, I note Danny is the one allowed to push his wheelchair.

Max: I just explained to Dr Shaw that Commander McGarrett is the leader of five-0 and that you're his deeply cynical, misanthropic, short-tempered partner.

Max: Dr Shaw agreed with my assessment, however, she did think you were cute.

Steve: hey! *reaches his hand back for a fist-bump with Danny.

(Okay, but does Dr Shaw think Danny is Steve's cop partner or partner partner? Just asking)

Well, now they're setting up a whole bunch of things for the season...

Mention of Danny's brother again... that dude better not threateb Grace.

Okay, I think this is now one of my fav eps despite the fact wasn't as much fan of the drone storyline as some of the others we've had.

Deleted scenes...

Oh, this is a brilliant one of mcdanno arguing...

Danny: where do you get stones big enough to tell that lady that I get to drive my own car?

(Stones Danny? Where are your thoughts?)

Danny: I'd like to drive it when we're together as friends.

(Steve, Danny is inviting you on a friend date where he gets to drive the car, okay)

Oh wow. Catherine found Najib but decided to stay in Afghanistan.

Wow, so Catherine breaks up with Steve in a deleted scene.

(I mean, I'm not mad, cos I do like her as a character just not with Steve, and I like she was honest with him and her reasons for staying there are good)

[bfiaflbox]

So this is how it starts - Chapter 2

Chapter 1

Pairing: Matty x original female character

Warnings: drinking, smoking, swearing; mentions of: misoginy, cancer (in the past), infertility

Disclaimer: some of what the ofc is experiencing is rooted in my lived reality, however I lie for plot purposes a lot. I draw inspiration from things that I read somewhere or that actually happened to me or my friends. It's not proof read and English is my second languageso there's either too many commas or not enough commas.

Further disclaimer: yes I know it's not *that* hard to wrap a pan, it's very hard however to make it look nice...

"So you and Matty hit it off last night" it's not a question.

I'm on the phone with Carly after a "call me when you get this" message she sent me at 7am the following Saturday.

"Why would you think that??"

"Adam literally showed me the group chat where Matty called you "fit"" she laughs.

"Fucking hell, that sounds like we're back in year 9" I roll my eyes although she can't see it.

"Don't avoid the subject. What happened after you guys left for the tube station" she makes it sound like a conspiracy.

"We did just that. We went to the tube station and then home"

"I feel like you're leaving out *a lot* of details and one to three major plot points"

"fiiiine" i groan but have to laugh as well "it's ridiculous. Halfway down the road we decided to get another drink. We sat in a bar and talked until we were thrown out and then we went home"

"Liar"

"Not a lie" technically.

"Come oooon, I haven't been on a date in *ages*! I live vicariously through you" I hear Adam saying something in the background that I can't quite make out and they both giggle at something.

"I have to insist that this definitely wasn't a date and it really wasn't that exciting. Anyway, like I said, halfway down the road to the tube station Matty asked if I really wanted to go home or if I was up to get a drink with him. I said yes and so we went to a pub that was kind of crowded but we managed to get a seat at the bar. We talked about ... anything really. He thought it was kind of unfair that I had a pretty much clear Idea of what he does for a living and asked about being a tattoo artist and running a shop and all that. He told me about BJJ, I told him about growing up with five siblings. We got a bit drunk and I think at some point I kind of insulted him as "the queen of juxtaposition" or something, it was good fun...I think. Did I mention that we both were quite drunk? Fuck, I swear I made a proper fool out of myself."

"Yeah, you do that when you're drunk" Carly laughs.

"Thanks, I'm mortified... Well at some point he had to go to the toilet and some bloke thought he could take Matty's seat and chat me up. Next thing I know Matty's having a row with that guy and the bartender threw us out to prevent a pub fight."

"And there I was thinking you were thrown out because they were closing and you stayed that long because the conversation was just sooooo good" Carly interjects in a slightly mocking tone.

"Yeah, well, no. We had a laugh about it and went on to the tube station. Turned out he wasn't planning on taking the tube and just wanted to bring me. But yeah, that was it."

"Have you talked since?

"It's literally been nine hours and nope. I don't even have his number" fucking idiot not getting his number.

"Well that can be arranged, wait a sec"

My phone chimes with a message from Carly who just sent me Matty's contact info.

"Excuse you? You can't just give out personal information like that?!" I'm kind of glad she did though.

"Make it a good story at your guys' wedding and we're even"

////

Do I text or call? Text or call, text or call? I kind of want to hear his voice but I don't want to disturb hin in case he's in the middle of something. But calling is more personal, however, he doesn't even know I have his number and that's super creepy. Fuck, why is this so agonizing. Fuck it, I'll text him.

Me: Hey Matty, this is Hannah from last night. You know, the tall and pretty one :P Carly gave me your number in an act of rebellion against data security, hope you don't mind. Did you get home safe?

His answer comes in a matter of minutes.

Matty: Hello! Tall and pretty indeed. I did get home safe, although I feel like I should be the one asking you this.

Me: We're both alive and well it seems.

Matty: Good. Will you go on another date with me?

Me: What do you mean "another"?

Matty: Avoiding the question!

Me: Not avoiding, clarifying! but yes, I will go on a date with you.

Matty: Another! :)

Me: Seriously, is drunk shit talking and almost getting punched by some bloke your Idea of a date? That wasn't a proper date, my friend.

Matty: Who made you the Master of Proper Dates?

Me: Not you apparently

Matty: Also I would like to clarify that I do martial arts for self defense not to get into fights with random strangers.

Me: yeah keep telling yourself that

Matty: You're sassy, you know that?

Me: yeah, I do sometimes hang out with myself.

Matty: About that date... You free Friday?

Almost one whole week? My heart sinks a tiny little bit.

Me: yes, I'm free Friday.

Matty: Then it's a date. The second one.

Me: Serisously, that's such a weird hill to die on

///

On Sunday he sends me a picture of him in a park with Adam and Baby Hann and captions it: "Is it possible we have a favorite person in common?". I know he's referring to the child but I can't help but reply "I don't like Adam *that* much??" which earns me a bunch of laughing emojis.

///

On Monday I send him a photo of my super messy kitchen after trying to cook a halfway decent meal and caption it with "if one of your future date ideas involves cooking, I'm out" to which he replies: "A woman who doesn't love to cook? you will never make a man happy :P"

///

He calls me on Tuesday evening just as I'm in the middle of wrapping Christmas presents. "What are you up to at the moment?" he asks innocently enough.

"I'm trying to not lose my mind while gift wrapping?"

"For Christmas?? It's only the beginning of December!"

"And I hate Christmas shopping so each year I make one day at the beginning of December designated Christmas-present-day where I get all the gifts I need to get so I can relax for a whole year after that. Except for the part where I need to figure out how to wrap a pan"

"A pan?"

"Yeah you know the cooking thing. It's almost like a pot but..."

"I know what a pan is, woman" he laughs.

"It sounded like you wanted an explanation. I'm not judging, there are a lot of complicated words."

"you're such a menace. I meant why are you giving away pans for Christmas? that's a bit of a... weird gift?" he's still laughing.

„Hey, it's a nice pan and my sister-in-law asked for one, I’m not weird, I promise“

"I can't believe I'm asking this but do you want help wrapping gifts?"

"You mean now?"

"Yeah, I'm still at the studio but that's not too far from where you said you lived"

"Honestly, Matty, that would save my sanity and my evening"

"Cool, then I'm coming over"

"The place is a mess and tiny so don't expect much"

"Seriously, Hannah, you don't cook, you don't clean, what ever are you doing with your time??" his tone is obviously mocking.

"Be nice, I have a pan to hit you with if you get too cheeky"

"Uuuh, maybe I'm into that??"

"Please, don't be?"

We both laugh, I give him my address and we hang up.

An hour later I open the door to an overly excited Matty holding a bottle of red wine and grinning from ear to ear.

He hands me the bottle and adds "It sounded like you could use the moral support"

"Matty, I have to confess something to you" I say in a serious tone.

His expression changes and he furrows his brow. "What is it? Is everything ok?"

"I'm afraid I'm more of a white wine girly" I say with a mocking sad expression and a pout

"Pffffff, I thought you liked that Malbec the other day just fine"

"And I felt like a proper French philosopher drinking it"

"Fucking French philosopher" he laughs.

I lead him into the living room where the epitome of the gift wrapping mess is located and get two glasses from the kitchen. He pours the wine, takes a glass and looks around.

"Cosy" he nods

"Messy" I sigh

"Did you manage to wrap the pan?"

"Not yet"

"Why don't you just put it in a box and wrap that?"

"Thought of that, but I don't have a box that fits the fucking thing"

"Ok teamwork then" He takes a sip of the wine, puts his glass down on the coffee table, claps his hands and goes "what do you need me to hold?"

And that is how Matty and I end up on my living room floor, me giving instructions and cutting tape, him holding the paper in place, until it is finally done and the fucking pan is wrapped in paper.

"You could turn it upside down, draw a face on it and sell it as a duck"

"No more experiments, I'm just happy the fucking thing is wrapped in something"

We drink some more wine and wrap some more gifts although none of them prove to be as challenging as the pan.

"Hey will you help me wrap my gifts... later in December... when I actually manage to get something?" he asks and for a second he seems kind of shy

"Only if there's wine again"

"Just tell me which wine you like"

"Pinot Grigio"

"Whatever that is"

"You're the wine nerd??"

"I never said that!" he laughs.

His phone he had placed on the coffee table, before making himself comfortable on the floor, rings. I instinctively look and see the caller ID says "Denise".

"Oh sorry, I have to get that" he takes the phone and goes to my tiny kitchen.

I try not to follow the conversation which is kind of impossible in my rather small flat. He doesn't say much but I can make out a "looking forward to seeing you tomorrow" and that he ends the call with "love you".

My heart sinks. He has a girlfriend? Of course he has. That was to be expected when I think about it. He's handsome, successful, fills arenas with girls who love him... and on top of that he's funny and lovely. What a fool am I to believe he could ever be interested in me...

Matty comes back in the living room and just says "Sorry 'bout that"

"'s alright" I mumble. Yeah good job hiding your disappointment.

"Actually I probably should get going, it's getting late and you most likely have work tomorrow?"

"I do, yeah... Thanks so much for your help and the wine" I try my best at a fake smile.

"See you Friday?" he asks and I almost answer that no we won't see each other on Friday and that the date is off since he's obviously not single and I don't date men who aren't single, but I also don't want to explain to him that I kind of listened to a private conversation of his so I just choke out a "hmm yeah, see you Friday" before closing the door behind him.

Chapter 3

[aleksa-sims]

RL Simself Story ( 18+)

CW: Cheating

The next morning I went shopping with Sandra. S. will soon actually move. We went to that damn IKEA. Every time I enter an IKEA, I buy TRASH, that I don't need!! Anyway! Sandra and I were busy unpacking all those bits & bobs we bought. My Mom also came into my room, to ask where Nico was? She noticed that he left in the middle of the night and she probably heard us arguing.

N.'s Mom called him last night. She wanted Nico to pick up his fiancée. Yesterday before Nico came to me, he droped Stephanie at his Mother's house. Someone had to take care of his crazy ex- fiancee... Stephanie started that pity shit again and she also told N.'s Mom about me. She meant Nico was cheating on her. And of course his Mom didn’t feel like taking care of his fiancee, while he was shaking up with someone. (me) So yea, she's pretty mad! And I was mad at him because he didn’t come back to me, but stayed there. I told him, if he didn’t finally send Stephanie to hell, I’d date someone else, too! But N. didn’t take me seriously. He was just making silly jokes. That's why.... I called Dennis!! He accompanied Sandra & me today and we had a really nice day with him.🤷‍♀️

Mom: There you are!... Where's Nico? Why isn’t he with you? I thought you two never wanted to be apart again. 🤨

Me: His Mom called him. He had to leave.

Mom: I heard you two fighting! Did he change his mind about your Baby?

Me: N-no!... Agh, pls get off me.

Mom: Sandra! Who is that guy who accompanied you two?

Sandra: Um-....

Me: How-...How do you know??

Mom: I saw him outside with you two. You know, my "spy-window". That one in the kitchen! I could observe absolutely everything! So don’t you dare lie to me and tell me he’s Sandra's bf or something. That boy's clearly after you, A.! 😠

Me: Really? 👉👈 You think he likes me? ... No, JK!! 😉 He and I met at Ana’s College. Dorm!! He lives there too and... yea that's all. We're friends.

Mom: Since you mentioned this, what’s wrong with you and Ana? She told me it was a mistake to take you to her college . It's bcs of that boy??

Me: NO! It was Adam's fault! He made trouble for Ana and me. But Ana and I made up.... Idk why she's avoiding me?? I guess it has something to do with her new bestie Claudia. 💁‍♀️😒

Mom: Why don’t you ask her?

Me: I was busy with my own shit!!! But well, I'm gonna talk to her.

Mom: And now tell me what’s wrong with N. Did-....did he ask you to see other men? That's a familiar road for you two, isn't it?

Me: You nuts? I can't believe you actually think that!! 😲😠

Mom: I don’t know what to think or believe? You are pregnant A.! Second, you’re married to Daniel. And I just saw you outside with another guy. And it’s no secret that Nico does strange things to you.

Me: What kind of strange things? This thing with Philip and him last year was a fucking mistake! An experiment that went totally wrong for ALL of us! Especially for N.! However, it won’t happen again!

Mom: Your Dad knows! I told him last night. He wants to talk to Nico, so..... where is he?

Me: You already told him?? 😲 But-... ugh, idk if Nico will come by today? That stupid Stephanie!.............. Who knows if he’ll ever come back to me.😫

I told my Mom the truth that Nico had a fiancée. He broke up with her, but Stephanie just won’t let go of him. My Mom was so mad at me for getting involved in something like this. She accused me of being........... a bitch. She didn’t say "bitch"!! !My mother doesn’t use such.... bad words. 😇 (😒) I just can’t think of the right word in English rn, but it means the same.

Mom: How many times have I told you and your sister, never, to fall in love with a man who is taken or married! It's a really low blow, A.!

Me: You’re just saying that because of you and Dad! But-....I love him, I loved him before! So, he belongs to me! Not to her!

Mom: Then why did you marry Daniel? If... you’ve always loved Nico? You knew he had a fiancée. You deliberately decided to ruin their relationship! Just because your marriage didn’t work. The right thing would have been to ignore Nico’s messages. You never know what or WHO you want?... It’s like a curse on you. 🤦‍♀️

Me: You’re on her side, not mine! I hate you! And I didn’t ruin anything! He wanted to break up with her anyway!!

Mom: Sure, that’s why he’s with her now, not here with you. 🤷‍♀️

Shit, I think she was right. I have to stop this. I have to stop Stephanie! I'm going to have his Baby! Sandra said the same to me. I have to make it clear to N., that he’s gonna lose me, if he doesn’t do the right thing!!!! But Nico thought now that I’m pregnant, he’d be safe. I mean, I’m not sure he really thought that, but that’s how it felt to me.

Previous/ Next

[palettehao]

It's so crazy to me that throughout season 4 they made it a point to not have Mike ask El if she's okay ever in any bad situation she goes through.

Look at the roller rink scene and following, he instead makes snarky comments instead of comforting her and then when he does you know the whole "from Mike" scene happens and he starts invalidating her feelings, when they reunite he doesn't ask if she's okay it's Will who does, during the monologue we don't know if he asked afterwards but probably not given the current theme

And I just think it's really interesting that they decided to show his constant lack of comforting El (not even just in this season) compared to how he always comforts Will

Mike is super performative in his relationship with El especially when it comes to materialistic gifts or showing that "oh my God we're dating we're gonna go kiss now" but despite how much effort he puts into that performance he never puts in any effort to actually show emotional vulnerability in their relationship nor put the care in actually being a good boyfriend to El.

Throughout every season we see Mike asking Will if he is okay even if Will has done nothing saying otherwise and he makes sure Will is okay by asking multiple times or checking up on him and such, he doesn't do that with El (he might have done it a few times in S3 I think but still not as much as with Will, wherra lot of his worry lies) he genuinely wants to make sure Will is okay at all times and make sure they're okay, like how he will fight to make sure him and Will are on good terms, how he makes sure he always gets will back in a supernatural occurrence or in one that he unfortunately made on his own.

He's adamant in finding Will yet not finding El (S1 vs S2), he goes crawling back to Will when they fight but not with El, he can confide with his best friend but he doesn't confide in his girlfriend (even when it's about their relationship problems??), He owns up to his mistakes and the things he has done with Will but literally with nobody else and etc so much more that I just won't get into

The gist is he works so much harder in his relationship with Will then he does with his own girlfriend or with any of his other friends

He fights for Will, he confides in Will, he comforts Will, he's emotionally vulnerable with Will, he admits his faults when it comes to Will, and he's just genuinely the best version of himself when he is with Will

I'm rambling and have no idea where I was going with this now, but yeah it's interesting and some of my many random thoughts

[thoughtfulfoxllama]

I kinda struggle with the "Family Proclamation," but not in the way most people do

"By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families." It's a small thing, and when I see quotes from the Proclamation, it skips this part over. But I can't

I'm left wondering "what's wrong with me." I want to be a good Father, and a good Priesthood Holder (neither of which I had growing up), but I want to be the parent staying home. Me & my wife discuss, and we go back & forth on this issue, but we won't even have kids for a few years. It shouldn't be an issue then, but it is

I love cleaning the house, making dinner, and all those those activities that would've been called "women's work" in the savage ages. I have trouble holding down a job, no matter how much I like it (in fact, I try harder when I dislike it, for some reason). And this leads me to ask "how can God love me as much as other people, when he made them according to his divine design, but makes me against it." It's like when I realized I was attracted to my best friend (who was also AMaB), and wondered why God made me that way

It's kind of a stupid thing to get hung up on. I was able to keep my testimony from the worst slander the Baptists could throw at me (and I mean dig deep for stuff like "Adam-God" or "Blood Atonement"), from my own discovery of bisexuality, from my Liberal politics, from literally being told I couldn't go to the Celestial Kingdom because I didn't want to be sealed to my abusive mother (fun fact, I first met my wife when I was crying about that particular gem), but I struggle with this!? And I still believe the Book of Mormon is true, and Joseph Smith was a Prophet (as well as Brigham & having the Apostolic Authority, reinforced by the Savior visiting Lorenzo Snow). So, is this a case of God wanting me to suffer, or the Church getting it wrong?

And there's ways around it. My wife says we fall under "Disability, death, or other circumstances," which "may necessitate individual adaptation" (I have ADHD, Autism (which is just self diagnosed for now), and Depression). My father says I'm "providing for the necessities by making sure my wife is able to not worry about home." Both, while possibly true, just don't strike with me. But why can't I accept them!?

Whatever the answer, I hold on to the Testimony I have, that men are that they might have joy. Not joy in some far off future, but here and now. That we are called to build Zion, and I will do my part (even if the part of Zion I'm called to is only found in my home. Or even if it's across the world). That the Savior is my perfect example, whether I stay at home, or go abroad

But, I'm hoping for an answer sooner rather than later. Obviously, I'm looking for Work (Amazon is firing me because their Health Leave policy is crap, and they should obviously make a guy who is regularly passing out work but heavy machinery that has killed people before), because damn it, I don't want my kids to survive, but thrive. I'll work as much as I can to save up for them, and for mine & my wife's retirement. But if we ultimately decide, when we have them, that I'll be the parent staying home with the kids, I don't want to be constantly consumed with thoughts that I'm defying God's will

(And I do understand how heartless this may sound to the Queer Mormon Community. I'm in a Straight passing marriage (to someone I'm actually attracted to), and will hopefully have kids one day. In the Church where we're constantly told that's the ideal. I am not trying to be whiny, or take attention from the issue of Queerphobia in the Church, because it is an issue, and people are obviously struggling more than me. I hope it doesn't come across like I'm entitled or trying to say I'm suffering on the same level as some other people. I'm sorry if it does, and I'll do better next time)

[adamsvanrhijn]

So in your modern au headcanon, what would Oscar's and John's occupation, and their lifestyle in general, be? Do you think they'd just be into such different things they wouldn't be the type of a couple that does things together? I know this is a broad question, but approach as you wish.

well i certainly do not have one specific modern au headcanon but i do have lots of thoughts swirling in my brain

the thing about modern au oscar van rhijn is you need to choose your adventure. crucially you need to decide if he thinks of himself as gay and is out as gay or not. and then within that decision there are all sorts of things that can be true. and this, unfortunately for oscar, is going to define pretty much just about everything you can do with him in a modern au because of how drastically different the societal culture around gay people existing is let alone existing as a gay person. so you need to establish this about him before you do anything else.

and then the thing about modern au john adams is that he can almost juuuust about be easily transplanted, like john adams is absolutely a guy that many fandoms would eat up just slapping into a modern au and calling it good and now his life is perfect because he gets to live his gay truth and get gay married, EXCEPT

they would be wrong. because you also need to take a step back and remind yourself that if you saw someone behaving the way that john behaves with oscar at lunch in 1.08 then that would still in the year of 2024 be weird and uncomfortable.

ok? john has issues. we cannot forget his issues!

and then you also have to either decide what the deal with his background is because you need to remember that when agnes tells marian that oscar is bringing a friend over who is quincy adams's great grandson this is like, if this were happening today this is somewhat like being told you are being set up with a kennedy only the kennedys are a significantly less photogenic family. so you need to do some combination of, accept that he is not an adams in your au, or accept that the 20th century presidential line up looks a little different than the real world in your au, or accept that his family is not going to be as recently prominent in 2022 vs 1882 and make some adjustments to otherwise get the prestige/money combination correct. i usually go with the latter because i think "everyone in the country learns the name of your 8th great grandfather in grade school" is prominent enough. so that's how we'll operate for the purposes of this post.

still with me?

ok notice we have made a decision about john but not about oscar. this is because oscar in my opinion does have some universal constants i want to establish right off the bat before we get back to him being gay, not in order of importance:

meets the criteria for diagnosing an 8 year old boy with adhd as an adult man in his 30s

banker from a long line of guys who are bankers

fixated on money and social status

is not ticking all of the masculinity boxes, in conjunction with, is fashion conscious & cares about his appearance and presents himself in ways etc.

makes up things in his mind

and something that i would like to call out is that while the modern era is not the 1880s there are still industries where it makes sense to be closeted even in major metropolitan hubs and old school banking is one of them. however

ok honestly none of this is actually answering your question this is just me having autism let me actually answer your question

oscar is an old boys club banker as stated. ivy league private school upbringing

john does a prestigious white collar job that isn't real like management consulting. we're never getting information about what he does for a living but subject to change if we ever do. ivy league (harvard) private school upbringing

they are still Opposites Attracted, oscar is still guy at a party while john is reading at home not leaving the house because he would have to get a cab etc. except i think they are both rich asshole yuppies who own cars in manhattan and so john would either have to get a cab or Would Have To Drive, In New York

however when john is going to parties he and oscar are often at the same party because they get invited to the same things because they are in the same social community ie rich WASPs. they are members of the same clubs because that's a thing rich people still do. etc. like i think they are absolutely still entrenched in that community and it is their community the same as it is in canon. but unlike in canon it is much more likely that if others know you have a best friend you are obsessed with they might think you are gay, especially on top of it being much more likely that you could be known to be a gay person

so the nature of their interaction within that community vastly depends on what modern au oscar's situation is.

indeed the entirety of their relationship depends on that and it also depends on modern au john's tolerance for bullshit. like i think it is pretty high as per canon but john has significantly different options in the 2010s and 2020s than he does in the 1880s. so you need to get him to fall in love with oscar in the first place AND have oscar align with his goals for himself, which means that if oscar is closeted you need to either have, 1, john go into this not knowing oscar is closeted and he falls in love before it's too late, or, 2, john go into this not thinking that oscar is long term and he falls in love before it's too late, and/or, 3, john go into this thinking that he will be oscar's steadfast support in his journey to no longer being closeted so that they can one day get married and have ivf babies with three words in their last name because #lovewins

i don't think there's a world where gay marriage happens and being out as a gay man is a thing where john isn't out as a gay man and wanting to get married. so i really don't think the reverse, ie where oscar is out and john is not, is an option. like in the 1880s if john has a brother in politics in massachusetts or whatever and john is known to be gay that ruins the family's reputation. but in the 2020s if john has a brother in politics in massachusetts then "As the brother of a gay man" is the start of a statement said brother has on political campaign mailers next to the human rights campaign endorsement.

i think they do go to the same things though, they go to the same things in canon!! they would definitely do things together if known to be a couple. but they don't Always go to the same things, which is normal.

i totally lost the plot on this one but i think this mainly answers your question?

also oscar loves nail polish.

[cainluvr69]

Surely, We Can Make Miracles Chapter 19

Previous Chapter

Shylock: …nn… … …You are…?

Hwylryn: Hwylryn.

Shylock: …Are you a wizard…?

Hwylryn: Hehe… What do you think?

Lennox?: Hwylryn.

Hwylryn: Balthazar.

Shylock: …

Lennox?: Someone has destroyed the mermaids' jail. Go figure out what happened.

Hwylryn: Don't wanna.

Lennox?: You can't "not wanna".

Hwylryn: Balthazar. I've gotten rid of Gwawlyn's enemies.

Lennox?: The Northern twins, yes?

Hwylryn: Yep. Aren't I great?

Lennox?: Yes, if you actually took them down. I've yet to see their stones.

Hwylryn: They'll die. You know how effective dragon venom is. … I wonder if Gwawlyn would be happy with this. He liked those twins. They were strong, for wizards. They had the same face despite there being two of them, just like us, and that was fun…

Lennox?: Uh-huh, is that right. Hurry up and get moving. Kukuku… I see you've awoken, Shylock.

Hwylryn: Are you listening, Balthazar?

Shylock: Why not listen to what he has to say?

Lennox?: I'll listen later. Kukuku… I see you've awoken, Shylock.

Shylock: You're just trying to start the conversation over?

Hwylryn: Balthazar. I got rid of Gwawlyn's enemies, you know?

Lennox?: And so what?! I never even met that dragon in the first place.

Hwylryn: But… You remind me of him. You're violent, short-tempered, rude…

Lennox?: Hwylryn. You don't need to elaborate.

Hwylryn: Haha… Or maybe it's the other way around. Maybe I'm the one you resemble instead. Drifting down to the West because we couldn't keep living in the North.

Lennox?: … Shylock.

Shylock: Yes?

Lennox?: Wait for a while.

Shylock: Please, take your time.

Lennox?: …Hwylryn, what's wrong. What are you getting so sentimental about?

Hwylryn: A whole lot of things happened all at once. I thought I was going to encounter my most bitter foes, but instead I made a friend.

Lennox?: A friend?

Hwylryn: Yep. Tomorrow, we're going to line up early at that store together. We're going to get cake together…

Lennox?: You're going to get cake? At a time like this…?

Hwylryn: We're going to get torta di cocco. I gave you some too, didn't I?

Lennox?: You did, yes…

Hwylryn: Wasn't it good?

Lennox?: I guess.

Hwylryn: I'm going to be lining up with Akira tomorrow to get more.

Shylock: Akira…?

Hwylryn: You know them?

Shylock: Do you perhaps mean the Sage?

Hwylryn: That's right, they did say something about being the Sage. I made friends with Akira.

Shylock: So you're a friend of the Sage… …Could you tell me what your relationship with Balthazar is?

Lennox?: That doesn't concern you.

Hwylryn: We're old friends. Well, I think we're friends…

Lennox?: Cease this useless prattle!

Hwylryn: …I won't talk about that. I just got intrigued by him, so I decided to help him out. Balthazar told me about you, Shylock. Back before Adams Island sank.

Shylock: … Thank you, Hwylryn.

Hwylryn: You're very welcome.

Shylock: …Balthazar.

Lennox?: …What.

Shylock: Did you not turn to stone when Adams Island sank?

Lennox?: …

Shylock: How did you survive? What have you been doing all this time? Were you lurking here in the ocean depths this whole time?

Lennox?: …That doesn't concern you.

Shylock: This is how you've been planning on sweeping me off my feet?

Hwylryn: He just went and did that without talking to me about it first. He doesn't really care about my…

Lennox?: Silence, Hwylryn!

Hwylryn: … Whatever.

Lennox?: Wait! I didn't mean to offend you! There's still something I need you to do! Hwylryn…! …He's gone… What was he going to say I don't care about?

Shylock: Well, you certainly aren't considering his feelings, for one.

Lennox?: Hmph… And what do you think you know about him? You haven't even realized what he truly is.

Shylock: I know more about him than you do, at least.

Lennox?: You know what he is?

Shylock: I couldn't care less about that. I'm talking about his heart.

Lennox?: His heart?

Shylock: He told you that he's taken down his brother's foes, and he told you that you resemble that same brother. He thinks of you as a stand-in for his brother, Balthazar. That was why he wanted you to say something about how he'd taken down his enemies.

Lennox?: Did you read his mind?

Shylock: I don't need to do something like that to know what he wants.

Lennox?: Have you read my mind as well?

Shylock: Oh, yes.

Lennox?: …

Shylock: …

Lennox?: Then tell me. Tell me what I'm thinking about right now.

Shylock: I will not.

Lennox?: Why not? Do you have no confidence?

Shylock: Balthazar. In the North those who are strong are victorious, while those who are weak are not, yes? But that's not how it works in the West. The West is a country of desires. The one who desires is the one who loses. And you desire me. You want me to surrender myself to you, to be helpless before you, but the very moment you began to want me… Was the moment that you lost. After all, whether I give you what you want or not is all up to me.

Lennox?: … And yet I could turn you to stone here and now. I can make you experience enough fear and pain you'll beg me to turn you to stone! Do you want that, Shylock?

Shylock: Feel free to give me whatever you like. Though I imagine it'll bore me to sleep.

Lennox?: You're bluffing…

Shylock: Oh, my. This is neither a bluff nor an act. You see, I've found my heart set aflame recently.

Lennox?: …tsk. <Mare Praeda>!

✦✧☾✧✦

Mitile: Nero! The torta di cocco shopkeeper is coming here soon! He said he'll make torta di cocco for us with the castle kitchen!

Nero: That's great to hear! I'll have t' go see him later.

Riquet: Nero. Claudia wants to talk to you.

Claudia: I'm so sorry. No matter what I say, Dianne refuses to leave her office… You have something very important to ask of her, and yet she's not conducting herself the way a lord should. Please, let me apologize on her behalf. Is there anything that I could do to help you instead?

Nero: Well, I guess y'can talk with me so we can try to get the people 'round the castle to chill out a little. Why's the new lord refusin' to come out of her room? An' why's she hidin' stuff from us, an' why's she trashin' the castle magitech, an' what's up with her edict with the wizards' bazaar…

Claudia: The reason she won't come out of her office is because she doesn't know what to do. She doesn't know how to deal with what's happening, but once she steps foot out of that room, she'll be expected to deal with it. And so, she's blocked herself inside.

Mitile: But why? If she doesn't know what to do, she should try talking to people to figure it out…

Riquet: Are the other people in the castle treating her coldly?

Claudia: Oh, certainly not. They've all been working here since she was little.

Nero: Right, one of 'em said somethin'. Somethin' about Dianne bein' a crybaby…

Claudia: Dianne's always been a darling little angel ever since she was a child. Everyone adored her. And she had a tendency to burst into tears when faced with just about anything. She'd cry at hearing compassionate stories, when thinking about her studies, or even halfway through introducing herself. Once, when the previous King's cousin, Lord Antonio, visited us here, she burst into tears in the middle of her introduction. Everyone around her went white as a sheet. They were dead certain he was going ask if she'd never learned any discipline, or if no one's ever scolded her before. But Lord Antonio simply said, "What a darling girl she is," and wiped her tears… And he forgave her, just like that.

Nero: That ol' man's got some good in him, huh.

Claudia: Huh?

Nero: Oh, yeah, I know the guy too.

Claudia: Ah, I see. My apologies for speaking so self-centeredly…

Nero: Nah, don't worry about it. Keep talkin'.

Mitile: (I can't believe Nero's calling someone related to the old king "that ol' man"…)

Claudia: That event went from being just a funny story to tell at gatherings all the way to being something to boast about. After all, someone as illustrious as Lord Antonio himself had pardoned our youngest child's adorable tears. My sister wasn't the only one who was so happy about it that she went spreading the story everywhere she went. But it wasn't an incident Dianne herself was proud of. She did her very best to not cry. She didn't want to be called a crybaby anymore.

Mitile: I really understand how she felt…

Riquet: Did you used to be a crybaby too, Mitile?

Mitile: I… I wouldn't say I was that bad. Even though the grown-ups just smiled about it and didn't have any bad intentions behind what they said about me, it was still embarrassing.

Nero: Yeah, I've been there too…

Riquet: You have, Nero?

Nero: Yeah, well… No one had a lick of common sense or basic decency where I used t' be.

Mitile: What did they say?

Nero: I ain't repeatin' that in front of kids.

Claudia: Could you whisper it to me?

Nero: I definitely ain't sayin' it in front of a noblelady!

Claudia: Oh my, how terribly shy you are. Now then, where were we?

Riquet: We were talking about how Crybaby Dianne hated being called that.

Claudia: Ah, yes. Dianne had support during all this from my father--her grandfather--Lord Dionis, a man famous for his military exploits here in the West. He taught her swordsmanship, and he patiently showed her what a brave, wonderful human she could be. Thanks to his guidance, she became the gallant swordsman you see now. She barely resembles who she used to be. But… This is no longer an era where mastery of the sword can carry her; it's an era of magical technology. Someone said that to Dianne and my father. Even a fresh-faced rookie soldier could defeat the famous Commander Dionis with magical technology on their side.

Nero: Ahh… That musta been hard for the lil' missy to hear.

Mitile: (Now he's calling the local lord, Lady Dianne, "the lil' missy"…)

Riquet: But isn't magical technology very widespread in this country?

Nero: Not everyone feels the same about these kinds of things. 'Specially in the lil' miss lord's case, when it's got to do with what saved her heart, her grandpa's martial arts… It's no wonder she ended up feelin' so aggressive about magitech.

Claudia: That's right… Dianne began to hate even just the very sight of magical technology after that. She was so hostile towards it that she began putting her support behind the wizards without properly getting to know them first…

Riquet: So that's what happened. I'd heard that she was very friendly towards wizards, so I'd been looking forward to meeting her. But she didn't seem very friendly when I talked to her.

Claudia: I'm so sorry she let you down like that… She really doesn't have any prejudices against wizards, I assure you. But that description of her isn't an apt one. Still, to pretend to want to be friends despite having no real intention of it…is a terribly lonely thing.

Mitile: How can we get along better with Lady Dianne…? I thought I didn't really like her very much, even though I didn't know much about her until just now… But, after listening to what you've said about her…I don't think she's someone I can hate. I completely understand her frustration with being called a crybaby and with having her grandfather mocked like that. And the people in the castle and the island residents are the same too, aren't they? I do think that throwing out a big magical technology installation and making things hard for the head chef is going a little too far, but… If she could be honest with the people around her about what's making her miserable, or about what she needs help with…

Nero: Yeah, that ain't happenin'.

Mitile: Why not…?

Nero: 'Cause if she talks about what's hurtin' her or says she needs help, she's gonna go back to bein' Crybaby Dianne. And if that happens, she'll be lettin' everyone down. That's what she's thinkin, at least. Did I get that right, ma'am?

Claudia: Yes… I'm sure that's it.

Nero: No matter how people laughed at her or how bad it hurt, she worked as hard as her gramps did at the sword, and used it to change who she was. But y'can't heal wounds that reach all the way down to the soul so easily.

Riquet: …Like the wounds received from <the Great Calamity>?

Nero: Exactly. Mitile's completely right, is the thing. She should let herself get helped out if she's strugglin'. As long as there's people around her that are willin' to help, that is.

Mitile: …Nero…

Nero: But if they see how pathetic she really is, even just once, they'll be disappointed in her… If she says she can't do it alone, they'll say she's incompetent and look down on her. That's what she's been tryin' to avoid, but all she did was trap herself between a rock and a hard place. Even when she's surrounded by people, if she can't trust 'em, it's the same as havin' no one around at all.

Riquet: …

Nero: Even though she wants help so bad she could just explode. But she's so scared of the idea that if she actually says that to anyone, they're gonna laugh at her, mock her, and tell her it's all her fault anyways that she's not gonna say a thing about it.

Riquet: …Saying that you want help is… Something I did not realize could be so difficult for someone. (But I think Oz, Prince Arthur, and Cain are all like that, too…) (If that's true, then the times Oz has spoken with me are all very precious occasions…) (It's not something so simple that everyone can do it…) (It's something that's only possible because a special kind of trust has been formed…)

Nero: There's a lot of people like that. Hell, even I'm not immune to not wantin' to say it…

Mitile: I… I'd want you to ask me for help, Nero. There probably isn't anything I can do for you, but… I won't laugh at you or criticize you for it.

Nero: Thanks. I'm pretty fond of that part of all of you Southerners. It's the kinda thing that can save a guy…

Riquet: Me, too… I won't get upset with you.

Nero: Haha. Don't start tellin' lies, Riquet.

Riquet: It's not a lie! As long as I know the circumstances, I won't get upset with you. I don't want to hurt you by getting mad at you, Nero.

Nero: Hey, it's fine t'get mad. There are times where it's needed, even. Besides, ain't forgivin' people even when you're mad at 'em one of your specialties?

Riquet: I…suppose so…

Nero: Just forgive me as much as you can when that day comes, alright? Anyways… More than anythin', I need to go talk with her Lordship.

Riquet: You're planning on being the one who talks to her?

Nero: I mean… Well… Like… Someone's gotta do it… Even though I think I'd be pretty crap at it… But, well, I think I know what she's goin' through right now. She doesn't know what to do, but she does desperately want someone to help her out. Talkin' about it with one of her relatives or some brat's just gonna make her want to disappear even worse. So I figure I'll be good enough here… …I figure, but…my confidence is slippin' away… Riquet, how about you go instead?

Riquet: You need to make good on what you said you would, Nero. I think you're exactly right about both her and yourself.

Mitile: I'm sure your words will echo in her heart! You've got this!

Claudia: I think so as well! You can do this, Nero!

Nero: Thanks for cheerin' me on, guys… D'ya think y' could take me to her office, ma'am?

✦✧☾✧✦

Figaro: …Hah… …Lord White's presence… … (…I can't feel it anywhere…)

Painting Snow: …gh…

Figaro: …

Painting Snow: …uugh…

Figaro: Lord Snow… Lord Snow, can you hear me?!

Painting Snow: … …Fi…garo… …Where is…White…

Figaro: …

Painting Snow: I can't quite…grasp his presence… Where is he…

Figaro: …He's here. Lord White is right here. He's watching over you, Lord Snow. Don't worry.

Painting Snow: … …Heh…hehe… …Figaro, dear…

Figaro: …Yes…?

Painting Snow: You're such a kind child…

Figaro: … …Oz will be back with medicine before you know it. So stay strong and wait until he is.

Painting Snow: …Alright…

Figaro: You need not worry yourself… I am here, right at your side…

Painting Snow: …That's right… What a truly reassuring…thing to hear…

Figaro: …

Painting Snow: …

Figaro: Lord Snow… …Lord Snow…! … Haahh… He's still…moving a little…inside the frame… … …The moonlight is marking a path over the sea… …Please, don't take him…

✦✧☾✧✦

We split into two groups. The ones headed towards Shylock and Balthazar were… Murr, Rustica, and Chloe, as well as Arthur, Cain, and Rutile. And the ones who were going to be hunting for the cintamani stone were me, Oz, Faust, Shino, and Heathcliff.

Faust: It's highly likely that Lennox is going to be with Balthazar. If you see him…

Rutile: Don't worry, Faust. We won't hurt him.

Faust: Thank you.

Faust was obviously worried about Lennox. But if he joined the Western wizards in saving Shylock… That'd mean leaving the search for the cintamani stone on the shoulders of the younger wizards. And that worried him as well. But he had comrades he could rely on now. Oz was probably feeling something similar, since he was having to separate from Arthur.

Oz: …Are you sure you are prepared?

Arthur: You don't need to worry about us. We're setting out fully prepared to do what we need to do.

Murr: Even if you reel in the sea dragon, it's not like you can fight, Oz. On the other hand, their side would get a special bonus if that happens.

Chloe: A special bonus?

Murr: A powerful wizard's flesh and blood can be used as a medium to perform powerful magic. I don't think even Mithra could win against a sea dragon that's gotten a taste of Oz, if you catch my drift.

Arthur: Lord Oz, when your group locates the cintamani stone, please return to shore and take it to Lord Snow. Faust, it'd be a big help if you could join back up with us, though.

Faust: Got it. I know I'm starting to repeat myself, but please take care of Lennox.

Cain: Lennox is one of our precious comrades. We're not gonna hurt a hair on his head before we take care of Balthazar.

Oz: If both Shylock and Lennox are undamaged… Pursuing a battle against Balthazar and the dragon will be pointless.

Shino: Why.

Oz: For when the day breaks, I shall lay them low myself.

I bit my lip. Did that mean he was going to kill Hwylryn? My heart pounding, I decided to make my intentions clear to everyone one more time.

Akira: Before that happens, I'm going to try to negotiate with Hwylryn.

Faust: Right. Hopefully you'll find the dragon before you find Balthazar.

Murr: But if those negotiations go belly-up and Oz gets eaten, we'll have the single worst-case scenario on our hands. I didn't wanna say it in front of Arthur, but you need to be ready for that eventuality, Faust.

I saw Faust go a little green around the gills at that. He glanced away, hiding his expression. Arthur looked anxious, and Oz said nothing.

Murr: Soooo, time to get this show on the road!

Arthur: Master Sage! We'll definitely return with Shylock and Lennox in hand.

Akira: Yeah! Everyone, be careful!

Cain: You too, Akira! Oz! Be sure you look after them!

Oz: Yes.

And then we parted from one another, following the mermaids' guidance on two separate paths.

✦✧☾✧✦

Mermaid: …! …!

Cain: Looks like it's that way. The moonlight doesn't reach this deep, so I've kind of lost my sense of direction, but I think that's northwest… Is that where Adams Island used to be?

Murr: Yep, you got it! Your military command expertise is shining through!

Arthur: The sunken Adams Island… I never thought I'd see it.

Rutile: I wonder if Leno's there…

Arthur: The mermaids who'd been locked up claim to have seen Balthazar and Shylock there.

Rutile: I hope Leno is okay… Shylock, too……hm? Huh…? When did Chloe and Rustica get so far away…

Cain: Ack, sorry! I got too caught up in following the mermaids… I'll go back to help them right now!

Chloe: We're fiiiine! We can catch up! This way, Rustica. Good job, good job!

Rustica: Why thank you, Chloe.

Chloe: …Hey, Rustica. What did Murr mean by what he said earlier? About something he didn't want to talk about in front of Arthur, but that Faust needed to be ready for…

Rustica: Should it look like Lord Oz is going to turn to stone and thus fall into the dragon's hands, Faust should turn him to stone first so that we may partake of his strength ourselves. I believe that is what he meant.

Chloe: Wh…what…?! There's no way that's going to happen, right?!

Rustica: It won't. They were simply talking about what the proper way to go about things based on addition and subtraction would be. Simple arithmetic.

Chloe: Right… Faust wouldn't do something like that…

✦✧☾✧✦

Shino: (…It doesn't seem like very many people got what Murr was talking about.) (Faust can't attack Oz. His head's too full of Lennox for anything else right now…) (He can't even conceive of sacrificing someone else for his own gain in the first place.) (But I can.) (Sorry Oz, sorry Arthur, but if it's to protect Heath…) (I'll kill Oz before the dragon can if the Sage's negotiations fall through.) (…My hands are already dirty.) (There's no mission I'm not willing to carry out.)

Vespa: …! …!

Shino: …What is it.

Heathcliff: Shino! You started slowing down. Are you okay?

Shino: Sorry. I was spacing out.

Heathcliff: You can't go spacing out at a time like this.

Faust: Are you running low on magic?

Shino: I'm fine.

Akira: But you won't be able to breathe if you run out of magic…

Oz: Will you return to shore, Shino?

Shino: … There's no issue. Let's keep moving.

Next Chapter

[theconstitutionisgayculture]

I know you make it a point to not get involved in fandom (esp. on this site) because it's not worth the inevitable drama but I just need to vent a little.

Yes. Tumblr is "the queer site" or whatever. Okay fine. I believe everyone should be free to enjoy their content however they want its whatever that's what tags are for etc etc. But within the only fandom i even sort of interact with here there's been a recent uptick in the bullying of people who don't push certain messages, politicks, or HC/Ships. So some of us thought we'd make things easier and try to make things calmer in the tags by making a discord dedicated to actual factual tolerance where everyone who wanted to join in could openly discuss what they do/don't like no judgement no strings no doxxing and no requirements for everyone to agree just freedom to have whatever opinions even those that don't necessarily match the majority. Yknow, so I don't have to be dogpiled for not liking the ultra popular coffeeshop au fic series or Adam B Example isn't getting crucified for not enjoying whatever ship.

But no. No this cannot be allowed. Clearly everyone in this server is a raging ist-o-phobic slur-slinging terrible-no-good-very-bad villain with a capital Evil. Look we have redacted (and faked, but how do you prove that) screenshots of them being vile nazis in their semi-private server! More cropped proof seen here where they got annoyed after my friends and i decided to brigade and troll their introductory room by spamming it with graphic imagery and childish namecalling! They banned the smurf accounts we made to do this with too see how hateful!

Sorry i know it's not your drama I just.

Ugh. Is it really that impossible for people to leave others alone? We're literally trying to give them all they space they want, none of us care or hate that the popular ship is popular or whatever their personal HC is abt X characters's sex life or any of that we just wanted to be able to freely chat about the franchise we love. And tired of being browbeaten and wanted to maybe make our own little space to do that.

Also wish these people could understand it is perfectly possible to be lgb et al and not like the current things '~Pride(tm)~' has going on these days. I know that's part of it. But demanding political conformity from people who just want to enjoy their hobby in peace is so so stupid but i can't articulate it in any way that people will listen.

If you don't mind, I would like to know what this fandom is so I don't accidentally become adjacent to it at any point.

But you're right to be upset by all this. These people have no lives and are bitter and hateful. I hope you don't let it ruin your enjoyment of The Thing or drive you and your friends to be silent about it. The only way to even begin taking fandom back is by ignoring this kind of shit and pushing through. I'm sorry you have to deal with immature little nothings who can't handle people enjoying fiction in ways they don't approve of.

[daisyishedwig]

Chapter 19 of A Place To Call Home is up!

A Place to Call Home (68948 words) by Daisyishedwig Chapters: 19/20 Fandom: Glee Rating: Explicit Warnings: Rape/Non-Con Relationships: Blaine Anderson/Sebastian Smythe, Blaine Anderson/Kurt Hummel/Sebastian Smythe, Blaine Anderson/Kurt Hummel, Blaine Anderson & Sam Evans, Jeff/Nick the Warbler (Glee), Unique Adams/Trent (Warbler) Characters: Blaine Anderson, Sebastian Smythe, Kurt Hummel, Sam Evans (Glee), Nick the Warbler (Glee), Jeff (Glee), Trent (Glee), Tina Cohen-Chang, Marley Rose, Unique Adams, Sebastian Smythe's Parents, Burt Hummel, Carole Hudson-Hummel, Eli.C (Glee) Additional Tags: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Mutual Pining, Angst, Depression, Panic Attacks, Dubious Consent, Statutory Rape, Lack of Communication, Homelessness, Seblaine Roommates, Fix-It of Sorts, Polyamory, Blaine is kicked out, Hurt/Comfort, Blaine Anderson-centric, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Blaine transfer to Dalton, Friends to Lovers, disowned Blaine Anderson, trigger warnings listed in the notes on specific chapters as well Series: Part 1 of A Place to Call Home Summary: In a matter of days Blaine's whole world falls apart and everything he does to try and stay afloat only seems to make matters worse. A call to Sebastian Smythe is his last resort, and maybe the one that actually starts to make things better.

I can't believe how close we are to the end of this story. I'm so excited to share the final chapter with you as soon as possible. The final scene has been giving me problems so it might need more time, but we're almost there!

Chapter snippet below the cut

“I kissed Sebastian,” he blurted out, cutting Blaine off mid-sentence. 

Blaine froze, looking at him in confusion. “What?” He said, stunned.

“Last night when we got drunk together. We - we had a bit of a heart-to-heart and I just…I kissed him.” Kurt looked down at his lap, his hands twisting together. 

Blaine’s eyes darted around the room like he was having a hard time processing what Kurt had said.

“We’re both so sorry about it. It didn’t…we didn’t mean to. It just happened.”

Blaine’s eyes were distant as he stared past Kurt’s head. “Did…did he kiss you back?” 

Kurt nodded, the anxiety in his chest cinching so tight he could barely breathe. 

Blaine blinked like he was trying to pull himself back together but couldn’t quite manage it. “Was it…” he cleared his throat, “was it payback? For what I did?”

Kurt’s head shot up. “No!” he cried, “of course not.”

Blaine looked like he didn’t fully believe him.

“We - we were just talking. And he…he told me he loved you, and he just looked so sad. Like he was fully resigned to…well, to losing you to me. And I couldn’t stand to see him like that and it just…drunk me decided kissing him was the best way I could comfort him in the moment. And it was stupid and we immediately regretted it and I am so sorry.”

Blaine looked more present even as his brain was still trying to process what was happening. 

“I need…I think I need to go…somewhere.” He stood up slowly and gathered his things.

“Blaine,” Kurt tried, but Blaine just held up a hand to stop him.

“I’m not - I’m just confused, okay? I need to clear my head.”

[lycheesuwa]

Part 6: Selfish

Listen to: Cruel Love (Taylor Swift: LOVER album), Daylight

Osamu x Reader x Suna [Fluff/ Angst] (ANGST, drinking, fluff)

Summary: A final goodbye to the city that's hurt your heart for the past two years (1745 words)

Ft. Watanabe siblings, Kita Shinsuke

link to part 5 | link to part 7

Natsuki starts her move back to Hyōgo immediately, and surprisingly, you decide to move with her. Your job offers enough remote work that you can do that while you search for something in Hyōgo. The Shizuoka apartment is almost entirely packed up when Natsuki proposes that you guys go to a bar on a Sunday with her brother to celebrate leaving the city. Tenji says some of the guys from EJP might join as well, and knowing that Suna will be there, you scramble to find the cutest outfit you can from what's accessible from your closet and suitcases. 

You drink and Suna finds his way to your side, his hand on your hip as you lean into him and talk with him and his teammates.

“What's got Tenji’s little sister out tonight?” Komori asks at your end of the bar where you’re sitting with him and Suna.

“We're leaving for Hyōgo!” you exclaim. 

You feel Suna’s hand tighten on your waist. “What?” he asks. 

“Yeah, we’re moving because she’s in love—” you hiccup through a sip of your martini. “She's in love with Kita-san.”

Against your side, Suna’s fingers are digging into your flesh as he holds you tighter.

“Suna?” you ask, pushing his hand away. “You're kind of hurting me.”

Suna’s eyes narrow further and his brows pinch together, but he takes his hand away from you. “You're moving?”

“Natsuki wants to go home to Hyōgo,” you say. “And there's nothing I can't do here that I won't have there.”

“What about me?” Suna asks. “I'm here. You… You want to leave me?”

“You are here…” You say slowly, looking from him to Komori. 

“When do you move?” Suna presses.

“Um, next weekend,” you said softly. In four days, actually, but that's close enough. “The end of the month.”

Komori excuses himself to go to the bathroom, reading the tension between you and Suna. 

Suna’s fingers rake through his hair. “First her and now you? I really am unlucky.”

You feel something in your gut. “First her, and now you.” As if you haven't had to compete with her for any gram of Suna’s attention for all of your life, and now that you're making a selfless decision to move for your friend, he somehow makes it about you and him again. “You're selfish,” you say suddenly. “You're really selfish, Suna-san.”

Suna’s eyebrows lift as you snap at him. “Huh?”

“You only care about yourself and… I don't know— you've been using me for- for whatever this is that we are: friends with benefits, or whatever for the past… god, I don't even know, two years? Maybe that spring we made out it was just practice for her but— fuck, you've been leading me on for so long!” you burst out. “I loved you Suna, I seriously, honestly loved you and you don't— you can only think about her!”

You've never seen Suna’s eyes this wide before. “(Y/n)? Are you okay?” He waves his hand in your face. “We agreed to be friends with benefits, I thought?”

“We did but god, it fucking killed me every time you’d leave and then after that party in May you just— you tried to pretend I was her when you fucked me and— and now that I want to do something for my friend and maybe for myself you're here to stop me? I know you're here— god I fucking know you're here! You come sleep in my apartment because it's convenient and we used to be friends when we were eight, but I'm tired of this.”

“Wha— how does that make me selfish? You could have said no! You could have disagreed to be friends with benefits,” Suna snaps back. “Don't turn this on me, (Y/n), you're equally at fault here.”

“God, you're so full of yourself. I seriously loved you, but did you even like me?” you ask.

He pauses and you watch as his Adam's apple bobs. He can't answer because you know he never did.

“That's what I thought,” you say. And it's so unfair how his eyes glow a deep, beautiful, emerald green in the dim bar lighting and the soft glow illuminates his head like some sort of cursed angel. But this is Suna Rintarou, the man who's caused your heart pain for being the second option for the past fourteen years, since you were eight years old. And his form is beginning to blur as your eyes start filling with tears. You blink twice to try and catch them before they can spill, but the second time one tear has built up too much and splashes over the corner of your eye and down your cheek.

Komori returns with Natsuki and she pulls you away from Suna as you take the first shaky breath and then sobs wrack your body. Whispered shushes and hands on your arms to guide you to the car, and Tenji’s low voice as he starts the engine to drive you back to the apartment you called home for the past two years. 

After sobbing in the backseat of Tenji’s car on the way home Natsuki doesn't force you to sleep in your own bed, assuming correctly that you feel haunted by the fact Suna shared the room with you far too often. You curl up into her side, thankful for your best friend.

The last thing you see when you close the door to your room is the dark blue accent wall. The one you thought was gorgeous and reminded you of the night sky and you’d desperately wanted to paint a shooting star at the top corner but had to settle for those glow-in-the-dark plastic stars taped on instead. You leave them there, because you’re done wishing for stars in the night, and would rather the sun erase the midnight blue in your life.

***

Four days later you're driving with Tenji and Natsuki, her music blaring in the moving van, as you make the four hour drive to Hyōgo. The apartment you and Natsuki are renting resides across the street from your absolute favorite restaurant ever, Onigiri Miya. And on the first day, Kita and Osamu show up to help you move in. That night there's a grand gesture at the Watanabe family house for Kita to propose to your best friend, and there are tears in her eyes as Kita kisses her in front of her entire family, and you, and Osamu.

This year has been filled with good changes and it's only February 3rd. 

You find yourself on the back porch to get some air. You used to stand on the balcony at your apartment wishing that Suna would come and confess his feelings. Well, confess your feelings back at you. He’s called seven times but you ignored them, and so he left you one message that stays unopened on your phone. You can see from the preview that he started it with “I'm sorry,” but that's as much as you read before putting it away when he first sent it. You take your phone from your pocket and open the chat.

From: Suna Rintarou

I'm sorry (Y/n). I really took for granted how nice you were to me. I realize now that I liked being your friend, outside of the fwb we had. You share music with me, and can actively engage in conversation about the artists I like. I think I realized from you that I genuinely love someone else too, although I didn't have the words for it when we spoke at the bar. Thank you for tolerating me, and I'm sorry I wasn't a better friend to you. If you ever want to talk again, you have my number. 

The sound of the door sliding open tears you away from the device in your hands.

“I was gonna head back, and was wonderin’ if ya need a ride?” Osamu’s soft voice reaches your ears.

You turn to him, tears glistening in the corners of your eyes.

“Whoa, (Y/n), what's goin’ on?” his voice is worried, and his arms reach out to wrap around you. He's strong too, muscles built from his own volleyball days, but he's gentle as he holds you. “Hey, yer alrigh’.”

You’re crying but there was a sense of relief as you finished reading that message from Suna. He realizes that you were too good to him for the entire time you were friends. Now that he's aware of that, you're sure that you can move on and push aside the feelings you had saved for him your whole life, and find someone who will be there for you. Someone who wants to see you succeed and will stay the morning after to make breakfast. Someone who will hold you when you're crying, even if they don't even know why. 

“Are ya feeling unwell?” Osamu’s voice brings you from your thoughts.

You shake your head and let out a small sigh. “I feel better than I have in a long time.”

“Oh?” Osamu asks, letting go of you slightly. He takes half a step away before you wrap your arms around him.

“Wait,” you say. “Stay, please.”

Osamu smiles down and hugs you again, a hand going to the back of your hair to pet gently. “F’course,” he says. “I'm here.”

You were waiting for a torch to light your way, but Osamu is a fire burning through the night. He holds you as you cry the last tears you’ll shed for Suna Rintarou. 

There’s a million things that went wrong in your relationship, or whatever it is that you want to call it with Suna. You always thought you’d have a childhood friends to lovers’ story with him, since you were the only girl he talked to in junior high, and then he was your first everything. But maybe those rose-tinted glasses you saw him through made you blind to the truth— he was in love with the other girl, and through some twisted reasoning, decided that by pretending you were her he could satisfy his own needs. Putting your heart into Suna’s cold fingers, no matter how beautiful they are, was a mistake. You should have waited for someone who was warm and wouldn’t rip your heart out every time you woke up in the morning. Someone more like a breath of fresh air in the countryside, instead of the smog of the city.

Someone like Miya Osamu.

[c-h-pictures]

TCG Boys' Night but everyone's a little tipsy

Kaveh: Oh and uhh... The guy that lives down the road and owns a spaniel - what's his name?

Alhaitham: I have no idea who you're talking about.

Cyno: Daniel.

Tighnari, barely conscious: Oh, yeah, I know Daniel - wh - no! Shut up!

-

Kaveh: *coughing violently for no apparant reason*

Alhaitham: *talking over him*

-

Tighnari: Did you know there's a mind control fungus called -

Cyno: Cordyceps, we know, you bring it up every other conversation.

Tighnari: AND I WILL KEEP DOING SO UNTIL A HUMAN RENDITION OF IT EVOLVES AND IT TAKES OVER YOUR BRAIN SPECIFICALLY!

Kaveh: Why are you so mad today?

Tighnari: I was up all night because of an argument I wasn't even involved in.

-

Cyno: Tighnari! We just got out, where are you hiding?

Tighnari: *face down on the table*

Kaveh: Is he alive?

Alhaitham: *drops a workbook on Tighnari's back*

Tighnari: Mmmm...

Alhaitham: Yes.

-

Tighnari, sat behind the art stand at the arts & culture festival: Am I even allowed to be here? I'm not on the register for helping out.

Kaveh: You're my friend and I'm the organiser, it's fine. I'll let you sit underneath it and hide from the world if you need. And if you want to contribute to the stall, I can teach you how to make people's names fancy.

Tighnari: I don't want to be in the building - Cyno, stop taking all of the baklava, it's not for you.

Cyno: I'm not running any of the stalls, so technically it is. We'll make a deal, you'll stop getting mad at me for eating it and I'll cover for you skipping Maths.

Tighnari: I never mentioned skipping Maths.

Cyno: You look like you're about to cry and Maths is your hardest. And you've missed 3 homeworks that I know still aren't done.

Alhaitham, also eating from the food stand: I'm not coming up with an excuse for Kaveh skipping Maths.

Kaveh: How dare you?

-

[The day after the intruder alarm test interrupted a lesson]

Cyno: How are you after yesterday?

Tighnari: I'm only here because we're doing a practical, if we weren't, I'd be working from home.

Cyno, patting him: Okay.

-

Tighnari, elbows on the table, glaring at the knife in Cyno's hand: Fuck you. You're shit. It's an onion. Why can't you cut a fucking onion?

Tighnari: Kaveh! Are you done with your knife?

Kaveh: No.

Tighnari: All you're doing is scraping it into the beaker, you can use your finger for that! Give!

Kaveh, scared: Okay.

Tighnari, taking the other half of the onion: Archons, this one's shit too. I could cut this faster with my fingertips. And I do mean the actual skinned padded part.

Cyno: Never use skinned in that context again, that was a horrendous visual.

-

Fire alarm goes off

Tighnari:

Tighnari: I'm going to kill the person that decided to test these the day after each other.

Cyno: Don't say that with a knife in your hand!

Tighnari: This knife won't do shit to a human!

-

Tighnari: We should've brought the onion and the cuttings boards with us. Wait for them to sort things out, sit in the corner of the car park cutting on the ground.

Cyno: We wouldn't have been allowed to.

Tighnari: What were they gonna do? Tell us to go back into the building?

Alhaitham, watching the timer on his phone: Ours is already in the water bath.

Tighnari: How? Your knife was just as shit as ours.

Kaveh: We gave up after getting a quater of the onion cut.

Cyno: Why didn't we do that?

Tighnari: Because I'm now adamant to cut a whole onion with these knives to prove that they could've done it.

-

Tighnari: Why are they making us go through reception? Why can't we just - *realisation* shit, they're checking IDs.

Cyno: Why 'shit'?

Tighnari: I have my ID over my jacket because I don't like the feel of it against my neck. The jacket which I took off to put the lab coat on.

Alhaitham: Did you leave your ID in class?

Tighnari: Yeah...

Alhaitham: Ah, hope they don't hold you back for too long.

Kaveh: ...

Alhaitham: Did you leave yours as well?

Kaveh: Yep.

Alhaitham: Well, that's your issue.