#astounded by how much i didn't even get to do yet i still got SO MUCH out of this game as it is

[shegoesbyjoy]

there are so many things i didn't get to do during my initial playthrough of disco elysium that I'm so so excited to try and do in my next one I am positively giddy

like i can't think of a single other game where even after finding out what all of these tasks are my sheer desire to replay the game has not diminished even a tiny bit in fact it might be stronger?? what a feat honestly

[cvnt4him]

Hello!! I was so wondering if you could write Izuku x reader angst? Like they are on a mission and reader gets hurt badly protecting Izuku? Or a pretty heated argument?!

Instead of doing just one or the other I'm doing both and put them together🤯

How could you..

Readers quirk is energy based, they can give energy to others and also take energy.

You were on a mission with izuku. It wasn't rare for you two to be paired up with each other but when it came down to hero work the two of you hardly seen each other, you always had to wait until after school or the next day but lately you two just haven't seen much of each other at all.

You were so excited to see him! His messy forest green curls, and those big lucent emerald green puppy dog eyes of his, how could you not be? When you two seen each other you called out to him making him turn to you with a confused face before it instantly lit up. He had a huge smile on that adorable freckled baby face of his.

"y/n!! I've missed you so much!"

"me too, baby!!"

You two hold each other for a while, giggling with your foreheads to one another before Endeavour breaks your two up. You both apologize, glancing at each other trying to hold back your giggles.

Endeavour figured since he already took shoto katsuki and deku on a patrol with him that izuku could take you himself, it was your first time being at Endeavours agency and being on patrol in general so you were really excited to get to do this with tour boyfriend!!

Izuku was just as excited, especially because he knew he could keep you safe. There had already been a petty jewelry thief a couple of blocks away and shoto reported back to izuku that they took care of it so there wasn't any real danger for you to get in! He promised himself he wouldn't let you get in danger.

While you two were walking and talking about whatever came to mind he couldn't help but to just admire you, the way you spoke so passionately about whatever you're talking about. The way you smiled so brightly at him, so blinding. You were truly astounding. Astonishing. There are so many words in this world, yet none of them can even begin to compare how truly perfect you are.

Just as izuku was going to jump into the conversation he was stopped by you. He looked at your horrified face then over to what's in front of you to see shoto on the ground with blood leaking down his face, and katsuki being choked by some muscle filled man.

Obviously it was instinct for the both of you to help. You quickly ran to help aid your two fallen friends who were hurt as izuku went to fight, occasionally glancing at you and your friends to assure you were okay. You helped them up as they both agreed they still wanted to fight.

They both ran to help izuku, he had gotten punched a couple of times causing his nose to break. You ran to him to assure he was okay, he winced as you checked out his nose. You always had some aiding things on your suit for times like these, your quirk wasn't a close range type of thing so you had to learn how to help people from afar.

Izuku smiled as you finished cleaning his wound and placed a fire truck bandaid on it. He rolled his eyes and kissed your forehead before running back off into battle, you had a hard time with your quirk considering it was energy based, if you were tired or not well rested or hungry or just didn't have enough energy your quirk couldn't work.

The man they were fighting was quite strong and definitely not something to take lightly, izuku got roughed up a bit along with your friends but that wasn't going to stop them from fighting. They were all pretty tired and you tried your hardest to aid them with as much energy as you could before your body started tiring out. Izuku sat you down so you could take a breather, a random civilian had called the police who contacted the pro heroes.

No one knew how long it would take for the pros to get there and you were all tired and out of energy, katsuki being the firecracker he is, he wasn't going to stop until his body was spent.

Izuku tried his hardest to get katsuki to reconsider but he just wouldn't, katsuki hadn't seen where the villain had gone so he just stood there panting and out of breath checking his surroundings. Where could the man have possibly gone, he was huge there was no way he could just.. disappear like that. Right?

Deku seen the man appear from behind katsuki and rushed towards him to push katsuki out of the way, you knew something bad would happen if the man caught izuku you just couldn't sit by and let that happen. You pushed shoto away from you, who was trying to help make sure you got rest, and gathered as much energy as you could to rush over to your boyfriend.

It's like time had stopped. Everything was happening before your eyes at such a slow pace, you pushed izuku out of the way and trapped the muscular man in a bubble that used up all of your energy, time had seemed to go back to normal as you collapsed to the ground. Katsuki groaned and instantly got up from being pushed out of the way by izuku. Izuku was confused, what could have possibly happened, he made sure that he pushed katsuki out of the way. So if he was okay and katsuki was okay what happened?

Izuku looked up to his friend to see him looking up at the big strong men moving in slow motion inside of a bubble, it brought a huge smile to izukus face, but then they all seen the bubble starting to crack, izuku instantly realized that was your quirk being in use. He looked down to see you unconscious. Izuku wanted to rush to you before shoto called out to him. The bubble above him popped and the huge man came crashing down, before the man could touch izuku he zoomed past him and grabbed you.

He held you close with tears in his eyes, he was fuming with anger. He let you get hurt even after he told himself he wouldn't, he couldn't believe that you'd gotten hurt.

You woke up in the infirmary, your head throbbing and your body sore. You felt like you couldn't move, you knew it was from the over use of your quirk but even still the only thing on your mind was your boyfriend. You needed to know he was alright. You tried to move but your body cramped horribly, you groaned in pain but tried to push through it. Alas, you couldn't it was too painful to endure, tears threatened to spill from your eyes as you laid back in agony. You wanted your boyfriend and you couldn't have him.

Just as you were about to turn over and lie back down you were scared up by the door opening, you see your boyfriend and the two boys you were on patrol with. Your face lit up as you see your green haired boyfriend walk through the door with a worried face. He rushed to you now that you were awake he could hold you close.

Shoto smiled as katsuki simply groaned and rolled his eyes at the loving display. You heard izuku sniff in the crook of your neck, it broke your heart to hear your love cry like this. He pulled back from the hug and wiped his face with his arm, he couldn't bring himself to even look at you like this, in the state that you were in.

You sat up the best you could, confused why he couldn't bring himself to glance at you. You try to smile at him only for him to inhale and let out a shaky breath before clearing his throat. You could tell he felt guilty, extremely guilty to the point it was so obvious he was beating himself up. He looked dead, tired, hungry. Just completely out of it. You hated when he got into moods like this, he always brang himself down.

"izu--"

"How could you..."

"how.. how could I what, zu..?"

"you- you jumped in front of me. You could've gotten yourself seriously hurt-- you did get seriously hurt. Because of me."

"izuku no it was my choice. I didn't want you getting hurt."

"so what, you got hurt instead? To what.. save me?!"

"yes."

He scoffs and rubs his temples, he couldn't believe you. The fact you'd just willingly admit it and not even try to excuse what you've done. You were hurt because of him. You were stupid and reckless because of him. He couldn't live with himself because of what you've done. You went and got hurt after he promised himself he wouldn't let you.

You sigh heavily, the tension in the room is so thick that a knife couldn't even break it. The two boys behind izuku looked so awkward. Shoto had a hard time understanding most social cues so he just mindlessly blinked and looked between the two of you silently, katsuki was literally drowning in the tension, he cleared his throat only to be interrupted by izuku.

"look. I just.. I love you, and- and you got hurt.. because of me. I can't.. I can't live with myself knowing I'm the reason you got hurt."

He stammered on his words hiding his hand close to his heart, it was beating out of his chest in anger, sadness, and so many more feelings he felt like he could explode.

"izuku. I'm not going to apologize for my actions. I knew the cost and I knew what would come. I was completely in control when I acted."

That only seemed to anger the greenette more, tears falling down his face as he dug his nails into the palms of his hands, sniffling and trying his hardest not to break down right then and there.

"ARE YOU S- SERIOUS?! YOU WERE HURT. BECAUSE OF YOUR SHITTY THINKING."

Izuku spat at you, tears streaming down his face as he sniffled and hiccupped. He tried so hard to hold all of his emotions back but he just couldn't. He was falling apart at the seams because of you. He loved you so much and he felt that he failed to protect you.

"okay.. and what about you, huh? You pushed katsuki out of the way and didn't even think about yourself. You're so busy trying to protect others you never take a minute to think about yourself. It's always hero this and hero that but never what does izuku want. How does izuku feel? So I'm sorry for trying to be a good partner by protecting you. But I will not apologize for protecting you."

Izukus eyes widened at your words. He hadn't even realized that he'd jumped in front of katsuki, he just acted on pure impulse. His eyes were puffy and his cheeks were flushed, he didn't know what to say or even how to react after that. He was just stunned. Katsuki and shoto took it upon themselves to see themselves out.

You were fighting back tears for numerous reasons, but the only one that kept getting louder and louder inside of your head was the one saying izuku was going to break up with you. You felt that it would come. You were afraid, but you were also angry. How could he break up with you for you protecting him after he almost carelessly lost his life? The one thing you seem to be asking yourself.

He looked down towards the ground and tried his hardest to wipe his face with his hands. His face was covered by his hair, you wanted oh so desperately to kiss his tears away. You were just afraid that he didn't want you anymore.

"I'm.. I'm so sorry.."

Izukus voice was low and hoarse, he was shaking and tears were still spilling from his eyes. He was just so emotional that he could see himself stopping anytime soon. You didn't exactly hear his words but guessed along the lines that he was apologizing, you felt so guilty that he even felt the need to apologize.

"come here, izuku."

You say bluntly with your arms held out reaching for him, within an instant he rushed over to you, collapsing in your arms tears rushing down his face even more. You simply chuckled and held him close, kissing his head and burying your nose in his hair. His tears got all over your hospital gown, dampening it with the salty liquid.

This was your first argument like this, but you were positive it wasn't going to be your last.

AN: it's currently 11:26 I was so scared I wasn't gonna get this done on time y'all, I don't plan on missing a single day chat🙏🏽🙏🏽

[fallingdownhell]

I absolutely love your works!

Can you make hurt/comfort with kazuha, albedo, alhaitham, cyno?

Where we're on a heated arguments about them too focusing on their job and completely forgot about reader

In the middle of the argument, the reader said

"Was i really nothing to you? Was i just some kind of object that you can just forget that easily?"

Thank you

Thank you so much!<3

And of course I can! I am always down to write some pretty, delicious angst!

Characters Included: Albedo; Cyno; Alhaitham; Kazuha

Content: Gender neutral reader; pre sumeru archon quest for Cyno's part; hurt/comfort; arguments; shouting; slight cursing;

Word count: 6k words

Thanks so much for the request. Hope you enjoy the end result!<3

Albedo

It was rare for Albedo to come down from his lab all the way up in Dragonspine to the City of Mondstadt. You never really minded it, knowing that you could go there to see him at any time, while he also paid regular visits to your home.

Yet, for some time now.. those visits have stopped. He never came by anymore, far too consumed on some discovery he apparently made a few weeks ago.

Even when you travelled all the way to his laboratory on the mountain, in the icy colds of Dragonspine, Albedo had given you no attention whatsoever.

He had acknowledged your arrival, then went back to his work, while you were sitting in some corner by the fire, trying to warm up again. Even your attempts at conversation were flat out ignored, seeing as he never bothered to give an answer. You weren't even sure if he had noticed your departure a few hours after you had initially arrived.

You tried again two more times, but as you got the same result every time, you eventually stopped trying and didn't go back to Dragonspine.

Then, two weeks ago, you heard that Albedo was back in the city for a supply run.

Hoping that you would run into him to finally talk to him you spend your day in Mondstadt, but you never laid eyes upon him. When you asked Sucrose about it, she told you that he had already left again.

You went home to see if he made a trip there and you just so happened to miss him. But upon your return, you didn't find any note from him or any other indication that he had ever been here in the first place.

The same thing happened again a week after that, and by now you finally had enough. You went to the Acting Grand Master and she told you that Albedo would be back today again, to drop of some reports.

Which is why you were waiting for him outside of the Knights of Favonius headquarters, though still in some respectable distance.

When you finally saw him again after a few weeks, it felt like you haven't seen him for a lifetime.

So, without hesitation, you made your way over to him before he could enter the building. Yet, he seemed to be so deep into his own head that Albedo didn't even notice your approach.

Only when you were directly behind him and firmly said "Albedo.", did he stop and turn around, looking at you.

You could see the expression in his eyes once his gaze landed on you, like he had a sudden realization that you still existed and he had forgotten about that until that very moment. It honestly hurt.

"Hey. Where have you been all this time? I missed you..", you said, hoping to get some kind of positive reaction out of him.

"You know where I was, (name). I was busy.", he said and then turned around to leave again. You were honestly astounded that he simply wanted to let things stand as they are. Well, not today and most definitely not with you.

"You wanna leave? Just like that? Seriously?"

That seemed to have at least some kind of effect on him, as he stopped once again and turned in your direction. Except for this time, he wore an annoyed expression.

"What else do you want from me? I said that I'm busy."

After that, an argument broke out between the two of you in the middle of the street, but neither of you cared. No matter how much attention you drew upon you, it was too late now. You were both to heated and too caught up in it to stop now.

Things were said in the heat of the argument, you were sure both of you regretted ever saying out loud, yet neither of you could care less right now. Everything seemed to be fair game at this point.

Until Albedo said one specific thing.

"Archons, you're impossible sometimes, (name). Insufferable. I've better things to do right now, you know!"

Immediatly after he said that, Albedo knew he had crossed a line. The way you went silent, no comeback falling from your lips. You were just staring at him in shock, like you couldn't believe that he had just actually said that. He wanted to retract his statement, but his pride prevented him from doing so.

So, instead, you both just stood there for some time, silently staring at one another. When no reply came from you, Albedo dropped his head, then turned around once again. But before he could take a step, he heard your voice again, though this time, it sounded broken, silent sobs being held back.

"So, that's it? Was I nothing to you?", you whispered, your voice slowly starting to break from the tears forming within you, but Albedo was still able to hear you. "Just some kind of experiment or plaything that you can toss aside and simply forget about? Do I mean nothing to you?"

Upon hearing how broken you sounded, and what you actually said to him, he instantly turned around again, the sight of tears rolling down your face feeling like a knive had been thrust straight into his heart. And what's worst was that he was the cause for your tears.

You stood there, waiting for an answer from him. Yet, when nothing seemed to come out off his opening and closing mouth, you just nodded at him.

"I see..", you said, your voice now entirely void of any emotion whatsoever. That, and the fact that you were the one now turning around to leave him like that, was the twist of the imaginary knive in his chest.

Finally being able to break free of his frozen state, he rushed towards you, stopping you in your tracks as he pulled you into his chest, caging your arms around you, burying his face against your shoulder.

"I'm sorry.. I'm sorry.. I'm sorry..", he whispered over and over into your ear, which only made the tears fall from your eyes even harder. You were shaking against him, struggling to breath. You wanted to break free from him, but at the same time, you never wanted to leave his embrace again.

"I'm so sorry, (name). You're wrong. You mean everything to me. I'm sorry I made you feel like that wasn't the case. And I apologize for the horrible things I said to you."

You stood there for a few more seconds, basking in his arms, then decided to slip free. Albedo let you, almost certain that you would be walking away from him now.

But you didn't.

Instead, you turned around to look at him, allowing him to see your tear stained face that he was the cause of.

"I think... we have a lot to talk about..", you mumbled, not being able to look him in the eyes entirely. But Albedo still saw it as what it was supposed to be.

A chance. A second chance to talk things out with you, make it better between you two.

And he gladly took that chance.

From now on, he would do anything to put a smile on your face every day, never wanting to be the cause for your tears ever again.

Cyno

Two months.

That was how long it has been since you had your boyfriend to yourself for more than a few hours.

Every day, he came back from his work much more later than he usually would, sometimes even not coming home for days on end. He didn't even leave a note or something to inform you of his absence, making you even more worried about him.

And now, even when he was at home with you, he was so cold and distant towards you. Sometimes, he went straight to take a shower and then to bed, not even sparing you a second. Other times, he did spend time with you, but you could tell that his mind was somewhere else, giving only short answers to your questions and statements.

Seeing all this, you couldn't help the doubt starting to well up inside you.

Did he fall out of love with you?

Did you do something wrong? Was he mad at you?

Was he... cheating on you?

You didn't want to think any of these possibilities true, but it was hard to ignore them when Cyno was behaving like this.

You tried to talk to him about this, how you felt, a few times, but he never really listened to you, keeping the conversation short so you couldn't bring your point across.

And now, you began to not only doubt him and the relationship as a whole, you doubted everything.

Did he ever even love you?

Was he only doing this out of convenience?

Were you just.. something expandable to him?

All of these questions and doubts plagued your mind day in and day out, not being able to find any answers to them whatsoever. The only one being able to give you the answers you so desperately wanted and needed, refused to give them to you.

It was driving you insane.

And now, you hit your breaking point. You weren't able to take it anymore. The constant doubt had turned itself into a depressive episode. You wanted to break free from it, but you also wanted to give Cyno one final chance. One chance to explain himself to you, to tell you the truth.

If he refused again, you would not hesitate to leave. Your mind was made up, everything was arranged. You had a small bag prepared, filled with clothing and other stuff you needed.

Tighnari had offered you to stay for a few days at Gandharva Ville where you could sort yourself out if you were not able to talk things through with Cyno. You were so grateful to him, though a small part in you still hoped that it wouldn't come down to this.

That evening, you waited and waited for Cyno to return home from work, but with every passing hour that he didn't show up, you lost more and more hope that he would come home at all today.

You sighed and were about to get up from your spot in the living room to go to bed, when the sound of the front door opening caught your attention. After all, it could only be one person that has the other key to the apartement.

"Welcome back!", you greeted him as you went out to the hallway, seeing your boyfriend standing there. He looked at you with a tired expression but didn't say anything in return.

Instead, he walked right past you, not sparing you another glance. You were baffled, to say the least. That blatant ignorance from him was what gave you the last push you had needed.

"Seriously?", you just said, turning around to face him again, this time though, wearing a stone cold expression.

"(Name), please. Not right now. I'm tired in case you didn't notice."

"Oh, I did notice. But I don't care anymore, Cyno. We have to talk."

"Please, (name). We can talk tomorrow, okay? I just want to go to bed now, not argue about something trivial."

Oh, he really dealt the final blow with that one.

"So, that's it? Do I even mean nothing to you? Was I just some kind of object you can forget about? Does this relationship even mean anything to you anymore?", you threw all of that towards him, not caring that you got more and more worked up with every word you said.

When you were met with nothing but silence from him, you took that as his answer to your questions.

"Okay..", was all you said, turning around and grabbing your packed bag before you went out the door, not even sparing Cyno one last glance. You just wanted to get out of there.

Cyno just stood there for a few minutes, still looking at the spot were you were standing before. Only now did the events catch up to his tired mind, yet he still didn't move.

He saw the defeated look on your face, the way your shoulders slumped at his dismissiveness, but he shrugged it off. Instead of running after you and trying to mend this misunderstanding, he went to the bathroom, took a shower and then made himself comfortable in the bed.

He was sure you would have returned by tomorrow and then you could talk about it.

....

Two days.

Two days have gone by and you still hadn't returned home. By this point, Cyno was beyond worried about you. After all, it was dark when you went out and he hasn't heard from you since then and no one in the city seemed to have seen you, either.

Thinking back to your last words towards him made him want to beat his past self up for not sitting down and talking to you then and there. For not running after you and bringing you back. Back to him where you belonged to.

He knew that he was neglecting you these past two months. It's not like he wanted to do so. Work has been increasing for him, the sages at the Academiya were up to something, and not of the good kind.

It put a lot of pressure on him, yet at the same time, he had to try and keep a low profile, for his sake as well as yours. But in doing so, he didn't even notice how much he had distanced himself from you. He really wanted to punch himself in the face for that, but it's not like that would bring you back to him, so he refrained from it.

He had been searching for you almost the entire day when you hadn't returned yet again. But his search seemed to not be granted success today either.

Not knowing what else to do, he decided to head over to Gandharva Ville. Maybe Tighnari would be willing to listen to him and maybe have a suggestion on how he could find you and apologize to you.

Once he arrived, he immediately made his way over to his friends hut, not caring for all the looks other people gave him. He was used to it at this point anyways.

As expected, he found Tighnari sitting at his table, scrunched over some research report. Upon his entry, his ear twitched and he looked at his friend. Cyno did find it odd however, that his friend looked at him with such a surprised expression. After all, it wasn't unusual for him to arrive unannounced.

"Cyno? What are you doing here?"

"What, can't visit a friend anymore?", he said jokingly, though it didn't sound convincing at all, judging by the look on Tighnari's face.

"You're right..", Cyno sighed instead, grabbing an empty chair and sitting beside his friend. "I need your help. It's about (name).."

"Oh, that situation? Yeah, I've heard about it from them already."

"You did? From who? And when?", Cyno asked, suddenly gaining new hope. If you were here, he might still have a chance at finding you.

"From them. I offered them a place to stay for a few days. Though after everything they told me, I didn't think you would actually search for them."

So you were here... and his best friend knew about the situation and was severly judging him. Cyno knew he deserved it, but he still wanted to try and make things right again.

"Tighnari, please tell me where they are. I need to talk to them. Please."

Tighnari looked at him long and hard, most likely trying to assess his intentions.

With a sigh, he then turned back around, focusing his attention back to his research. "I gave them the open cottage on the other side of the village. They should be in there, seeing as they haven't left it since they arrived here."

"Thanks.", Cyno mumbled, scrambling to get up from the chair to rush to where you are. He was almost out the door, when Tighnari's voice caught his attention again, calling his name.

Cyno turned around, facing his friend again. "Don't fuck it up again.", he advised, to which Cyno nodded his head. He wouldn't, he would make sure of that.

When he arrived at your temporary residence, he immediately went to knock on the door. He waited outside for a few seconds, but no reply.

So he knocked again, more urgent this time.

Still no reply.

"(Name)!", he exclaimed this time, knocking on your door again, but still to no avail.

Getting desperate, he decided to just try and see if the door was unlocked or not.

It was. The door slid open soundlessly, inviting him inside. Carefully, he walked inside, letting his eyes take in the interior. Since the door and most of the windows have been shut, it was almost dark in here, and to top it off, he didn't hear a sound.

He was almost panicing again, thinking that you might have actually left this place, until his eyes fell on the bed, and on it, he saw your sleeping figure.

Relief flooded over him, finally being able to see you again and to actually have the knowledge that you were safe and sound.

He then walked closer to you, only to take in your state. You may have looked peaceful sleeping like this, but your eyes were red and swollen, telling him that you had cried before falling asleep. And he knew that the reason for your sadness had been him.

The need to punch himself rose again, for making you feel this way when he had promised to do everything in his power to never do that.

Instead, he decided to crouch down on the floor, next to the bed, gently taking your hand into his, placing a soft kiss to the back of your hand.

He would wait here until you woke up again, no matter how many hours from now that would be. He would wait for you and ask you to please consider talking to him.

He wanted to properly explain himself and apologize to you. Whatever you decided on doing afterwards, he would comply by it. If you wanted to break up with him, he would understand that. If you decided to give him a second chance, he would thank you on his hands and knees.

But that decision would be yours to make and he was prepared to accept whatever would be thrown his way. But for now, he was content with simply holding your hand, quietly enjoying your presence which he had missed so much...

Alhaitham

The Scribe of the Academiya has been getting more and more busy these days. Well, for now, it's best to say "former" Scribe, since he has been temporarely promoted to Acting Grand Sage.

You knew that your boyfriend had absolutely zero intention of keeping that position, even if he was more than befitting for it, seeing how knowledgeable he was.

But he much rather prefered a simple life, and you couldn't argue with that logic. Who wouldn't like that, especially when pay and work hours weren't really affected either way.

Still, for now, both you and him had to live with the changed circumstances, even though neither of you were happy with them.

Alhaitham was working even more now, trying to sort out certain matters until a new Grand Sage has been chosen. You haven't really seen or talked to him in days, yet you brushed it off, telling yourself that it would change again once he got his old position back again.

Sure, he may have cancelled a few dates and had to call off a get together with your parents, but that was perfectly understandable.

You continued to give yourself excuse after excuse, hoping that soon enough, things would get back to the way they were before all of this had happened.

Couldn't take too long...right?

...

Three hours..

You had waited for him, at Puspa Café, where you were supposed to meet for your first ever date in ages again.

And he didn't show up... Again.

You wanted to give Alhaitham the benefit of the doubt, but it was getting increasingly more difficult for you.

When you got to the home you shared with him, you were greeted by an eerie silence, telling you, that he wasn't even home to begin with.

Probably still at the Academiya, working.

You sigh, adding yet another dissapointment to the list, as you went into the bathroom to get changed into more comfortable clothes. To think that you dressed up for the occaison, only to experience heartbreak again.

It's really starting to get difficult for you to forgive him for all this stuff.

....

Yet another date cancelled by him, thanks to not showing up... Again..

But this time, he didn't even come home in the evening.

It had you worried about him beyond anything, not knowing what was going on since he always came back.

You didn't sleep that night at all, only for him to angrily walk through the front door at three in the morning, mumbling something about the incompetence of the people he was forced to work with.

He only spared a glance in your direction before he went straight into the bedroom. By the time you got in there as well, he was already fast asleep in the bed. And when you woke up in the morning, he was already gone, not even leaving you with a note or anything like he usually would.

Somehow, this was your last straw.

You endured the exact same scenario so many times before. Yet, somehow, this time was just one too many times.

Next time, you promised yourself, next time you see him, you would talk to him about it, no matter if he wanted or not. Because if you didn't then there was no reason in your eyes to continue this dying relationship.

....

Turns out, the next time you would see him would once again be in the dead of the night, thanks to Alhaitham not coming home again any earlier.

When he walked through the door, he was surprised to see you still awake. Normally, you would already be asleep and he would just silently slip under the covers next to you, enjoying what little he was able to get from being close to you again gave him, before he was also knocked out cold.

But with you standing there in front of him, expression cold and hard, he knew something was up with you. And yet, he just didn't have the energy to deal with that right now. He just wanted to sleep.

"We need to talk, Alhaitham."

No greeting, no nicknames, no nothing. You were definitely upset, yet he still tried to get out off talking right now.

"Can we do this tomorrow, (name)? I'm tired."

"You mean like all the other times you promised me something and then stood me up? No, I think not. We talk about this now."

Oh, so that's what got you so upset?

"Look, I told you I would be busy for some time until things at the Academiya get sorted out. You can't tell me you didn't know about this.", he tried to reason with you, but it only seemed to upset you even more.

"You did say that.. but it's been weeks since I've last actually talked to you. It feels more like I'm your housekeeper right now, not your partner."

"This is absurd. Now you're just thinking too much into things, (name)."

After that statement, an argument broke out between you two, right here in the hallway where you "greeted" Alhaitham. You weren't full on shouting at each other, but you were talking pretty loudly. If people were to walk by outside, they could probably hear every word you guys were throwing at each other.

But neither of you cared right now.

At some point, Alhaitham walked past you, into the living room, trying to escape the argument. But you insisted on continuing it, following him into the room and at this point, he was getting fed up with the situation.

"Archons, (name)! Can you just shut up and leave me be? I don't have time for trivial things right now!"

Immediately after he said that, you went silent and his words caught up with him as well.

He looked at you, saw how tears started to form in your eyes and instantly regretted ever letting those words fall out of his mouth. Nothing was more important than you in his eyes, and yet, he still said that to you. Like you didn't mean the world to him, which you did.

"(Name)-!"

"So, what? Was i really nothing to you? Was i just some kind of object that you can just forget about that easily? To toss aside when you don't want it anymore?"

You hated how your voice cracked halfway through, how tears started to escape your eyes. And despite how much his words had hurt you, you still didn't want to run from the situation. You had to see it through.

"If that is how you truly feel about me, maybe we should end-!"

Before you were able to end your sentence, you were suddenly pushed against a strong chest, warm arms keeping you in an embrace you had longed so much for, yet right now, it wasn't comforting at all.

"Let go off me..", you stated weakly, giving no indication that you planned to reciprocate his sign of affection.

"Never..", he whispered, and with the way he sounded right now, you could almost think that he was starting to cry as well. Almost..

"I'm so sorry, (name). I truly didn't mean to say that. Please, you have to believe me, I don't mean it. You are not trivial to me, nor is our relationship.

I.. I love you. I truly do. Though I don't openly say it that often, that doesn't mean my words hold any less truth in them. You have to believe me."

"I want to... I really want to believe you, Alhaitham. But with the way things are and have been for those weeks... I don't think I can.."

By now, the tears are streaming freely from your face and you weakly put your hands against his chest, needing some kind of stability.

"Then let me prove it to you. Let me prove to you that I still love you like the first day, that I never stopped loving you, even if my words and actions made you think otherwise."

You were silent after that for some time, thinking it over. You had no idea what the best course of action for you would be, but in the end, you decided to go with what your heart was telling you. Wether or not you would regret that decision, you had to find that out in the future.

"...One more chance. You better don't fuck up again or I'm leaving for good.", you mumbled against his chest, his shirt already stained with your tears, but neither you nor Alhaitham cared about that in the slightest.

All he could focus on, was you in his arms and the fact you granted him with another chance. And he intended to use it the best he could.

Kazuha

Between travelling around the different nations and helping out Beidou on board of the Alchor from time to time, Kazuha never really had much time.

You love Kazuha. You really do...

But sometimes, you just can't help but wonder if you even have a relationship with him at this point.

When he's gone again, for weeks or sometimes even months on end, and the only form of communication with him stems from a few letters sprinkled in between here and there, how could you not doubt?

In the beginning, you used to travel around with him. And while you enjoyed the time spent with your boyfriend, getting to see all those different places and creating wonderful memories with him, you eventually grew tired of it.

That's not to say that you didn't enjoy wandering around the nations with Kazuha by your side, but you just couldn't imagine spending your entire life like this. Never being provided with a place of your own, to call your home, constantly on the go.

It just wasn't your way of living.

Kazuha understood that and would never force you to accompany him, just like you would never force him to stay with you, even when sometimes the loneliness just got more to you than on other days.

He always came back to you, but he never stayed for more than a few days before he was out the door again, not to be seen for an unknown amount of time.

It was difficult, living like this. You tried to live off the memories and happy moments you had with him when he was here with you, but it wasn't enough anymore. You wanted him by your side again, but you also knew that he would suffer in the long run if you were to ask him to stay here with you.

However, in your mind, it also wasn't an option to just leave thing unmentioned.

Which is why you made the desicion, that the next time he would come home to you, you needed to talk to him about your thoughts and feelings, in hopes you could come to a solution together.

.....

Turns out, the next time he's home again would be three months later. And like always, only letters could have been exchanged throughout this entire time.

Kazuha already had a sneaking suspicion that something wasn't right with you. He couldn't exactly pinpoint it, but the way you were writing in these letters sounded off from your usual way, which is also why he tried to make it back to you as soon as he could. He felt bad that it still took him this long, but there was nothing he could have done about it.

The city he resided in when he got that particular letter from you underwent a strict lockdown only hours later, due to a prisoner escaping. The entire city had been shut down to find him as quickly as possible, all forms of communication had also been cut short.

It took them three weeks to apprehend the convict again, and as soon as the city doors opened again, Kazuha was out of them and on his way back to you.

...

When Kazuha arrived back at the little cottage the two of you shared, it was in the late afternoon.

Already, when he opened the door, he was absolutely certain now that something was wrong. Usually, you would come running to greet him at the first noise or hint that he had come back.

But now? Nothing.

"(Name)? I'm back!", he yelled, in hopes of getting your attention this way, but still, no reaction. Maybe you were out buying groceries or something?

Still, Kazuha decided to wander through the different rooms, just to make sure he wouldn't miss anything. And now, he's glad that he did as he saw you sitting on the patio, wrapped up in a comfortable blanket.

As he approached you, he noticed that you must be deep in your thoughts, just staring ahead of you. He gently opened the door and when that also didn't seem to catch your attention, he decided to speak up.

"Darling?", he asked, cautiously, not wanting to spook you.

You flinched a little at the unexpected sound coming from behind you, but just as quickly, you relaxed again, realizing who that voice belonged to.

"Kazuha. You're back.", you stated, grazing him with a small smile as you turned around to look at him, but nothing more. Normally, you would jump up into his arms, almost taking his breath away.

But Kazuha didn't say anything about it, instead, he grabbed one of the other chairs and sat right beside you. He gently took one of your hands into his, holding it like that. He missed this, missed this physical contact with you.

"Please.. Tell me what's been bothering you, darling."

"....was I that obvious?", you asked, causing a small smile to appear on Kazuha's lips. But he didn't answer, instead waited for you to continue on.

You sighed, fixing your gaze away from him and ahead of you again, thinking about how to best approach this. It was silent for a few minutes until you spoke up again.

"It's just... You're always gone for so long that I-!"

Before you could actually finish your sentence, Kazuha began to groan beside you, making you look at him in confusion.

"(Name).. you know that I don't like being bound to one place."

"I know that, but-!"

"No but's! You knew what you were involving yourself in by being with me. Why are we even having this conversation now?"

You were shocked, not expecting Kazuha to immediately get so defensive about this. All you wanted was to talk to him and maybe propose an idea you had got when he was away. But the way he was acting right now made you feel bitter.

"Can you just listen to me? I'm not trying to confine you, I just-!"

"Yes, you are, (name). What else could you possibly want to achieve by beginning the conversation like that?"

Fed up from being interrupted by him a third time now, you've had enough. An argument started to ensue, when you didn't even intend for this to happen.

You've never experienced something like this with Kazuha, he was always level-headed, calm and collected. So why was he suddenly getting so defensive over this topic. It really wasn't like you were trying to hold him here.

But, with each thing said, both you and him grew more and more heated, the shouting starting to get louder and louder, until Kazuha suddenly stood up.

"If I knew you would get like that, maybe I shouldn't have returned at all."

As you heard him say that, you instantly went silent, looking at him with your eyes wide open.

No.. he couldn't mean that, right?

It also now seemed to catch up to Kazuha what he just said, as he also turned to look at you, shock written all over his face.

"(Name), I...", he began to stay, but trailed off, not knowing what he even wanted to say in the first place. He knew he had fucked up with that statement.

"So, that's it? I wasn't anything to you? Just something you can toy with when you get bored, only to be thrown away when you don't want me anymore?"

A single tear escaped you, running down your cheek and Kazuha immediately had the instinct to wipe it away from your beautiful face, to pull you into his arms and tell you how sorry he was.

So he did just that, pulling you into him, holding your face against his chest as he held your head secure with his hand, your tears now starting to come out freely.

"I'm so sorry, darling. I didn't mean to say such horrible things. No words can express how much I regret ever letting them out of my mouth."

You weren't able to answer him, your breathing being erratic, trying to choke down your sobs and crys. It positively broke Kazuha's heart that he was the immediate cause for this.

He just let you cry in his arms until you calmed down again, all the while he kept apologizing to you over and over, telling you how much he loved you and how much you meant to him.

The two of you would have to continue this conversation, but not today. Not when both of you were this wound up from everything that had happened.

The talking could be done tomorrow. Now was the time for healing...

[weirdthinkingdragon]

At Least There's One

Mostly dainsleif x gn reader (honestly could be platonic or romantic)

I don’t remember if he knows who the archons are. Possibly slight ooc dainsleif. This also got out of hand 

Warnings: you get a broken forearm and mentioned other ways of being harmed

Not proofread

Thinking of sagau again. What if you started wearing a mask and they accepted it as you'd change your face if you could? 

They absolutely despised you from looking like their creator (who is actually you but neither they nor you knew that), and have called you every name and even some harm at some point. But at least they're sane enough to understand that faces are genetic from birth. (I also believe teyvat isn't progressed far enough for beauty stuff like plastic surgery, so they knew you COULDN'T change your face.) 

So one day you had enough and just… started wearing a mask of some sort. Even a simple bandana worn like a treasure hoarder's seemed to work. Sure, they still didn't like you very much, but at least they weren't physically hostile and you could actually buy some stuff for foods. You were getting quite sick of just berries and not the best cooked meat. 

You knew ingredients for the recipes from memorizing them from playing genshin, but most if not all don't tell you exactly how long to cook it, always making you overcook or undercook it and just never coming out right or tasting very good.  

That's all you wanted and you weren't ever coming into a place full of people again until you absolutely had to. Every time one of your favorites glare at you it hurts so much more. The only thing you want to do is search harder for a way back to your real world but that better be possible in the wild. 

In speaking of that, it's almost funny to you how willing places were to give you recipes and even ingredients for stuff like hair products when you informed you were planning on stocking up and want to stay out of cities and even towns as long as possible. 

While traveling and stocking up, you thought of the best place to be. Dvalin seemed to be rather kind to you that one time you ran into him, but you knew he was close to Venti and he’d visit Dvalin a lot. He’d… probably not like you hanging so close very much. 

Liyue has so many mountains and you do NOT want to push Zhongli’s patience, whatever it may be. You’d rather not die by a rock or spear. 

Which is also why inazuma is out of the question. You don’t know where the traveler is, and you don’t even know if the puppet’s been changed yet or not. 

Sumeru is an okay option, but running into the rangers would be annoying, and no way are you going to the desert. 

Fontaine would possibly be okay, but that’s so incredibly far from where you are in mondstadt that you decide not to. And past that you haven’t played or experienced so no going other places either. 

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

Your bag is pretty much full as you go to leave. 

You’re distracted though and not looking in front of you, still thinking of where to go when you bump into someone. 

You look and know who it was immediately. You wonder because of who he is, would he act like the others or no?

He notices the glare the archon is giving you from quite a distance away. What could you have possibly done to make him not like you like this?

“Sorry! Wasn’t looking where I was going!” You were really worried you were about to be verbally beaten down again. 

“It’s fine. I forgot what I came here for anyways.” He didn’t, but he could just get it later. He left with you to spite the look the anemo archon was giving you. 

You two get a pretty far distance away from Mondstadt. “Care to explain why the archon seemed to hate you so much?” 

You decided the best way to tell was to show, and took off your mask. “Apparently I look like their creator?” You decided to continue with a lie in a way. “Which I wouldn’t know since I don’t really focus or care about gods or the archons or whatever.” 

He was astounded. That’s all? The only offense you’ve done is literally look like some fictional god or the “creator” he’s never seen or cared to read much about? He didn’t know the archons could find a way to be even worse. 

“I’m also looking for a place without people. No offense but uh, you seem like someone who’d know a good place for that.” 

He shakes off his slight stupor. “I usually don’t stay in a single place for long, but I do know a few.”

He leads you to a really isolated place that took a few hours of walking, but you managed. He even offered to help carry some of your items which surprised himself and you from knowing how he is. 

Your stomach rumbles loudly, embarrassing you. “Sorry. Sadly they wouldn’t let me order food and eat in the city.” 

He’s finding this situation more and more stupid. “That’s fine. Should be pretty easy to set a fire and make some food.”

It’s eventually made and you actually were able to follow a bought detailed recipe of a food you really wanted to try in the game. Looks just like it would. You offer some to Dainsleif which he relents and accepts after a bit of pestering by you. 

The first bite was the best thing you’ve tasted in literal months. It was so good you teared up.

A galaxy looking tear falls from your face, hardening into a solid mass as it falls onto your lap.  They’re not very small either. They somehow become triple in size of an average tear. Then another. And even a few more from just the delicious taste coming to you fall. You don’t even notice.

Dainsleif gets a very bewildered expression. He barely remembers reading about the so-called “creator” but that’s a sign of them that no matter what magic is used can’t be replicated. You… you’re really the creator he thought was fiction. And the strong believing archons… Even their people… He could almost laugh at the absurdity. 

One is still only half-made and sticking to your face. After another moment, it disappears like it was never there. The solid ones are still in your lap though.  

It wasn’t the last time you’d tear up either. A time not too long after that you were kidnapped after falling asleep. Dainsleif left to do who knows what, but you thought you’d be fine alone. 

They’re treasure hoarders. They’re not known to be very nice, and especially aren’t to you, who’ve they heard of as an imposter. While you were tied up one even went so far as to break your forearm. That hurt severely, making a few slip and them all stop dead in their tracks as a solid tear hit the ground. 

Thankfully Dainsleif saw them and you from coming back wherever he was. A protective urge formed from him actually rather liking you. The more he thought about it, the more he was open to liking you and having you as a god other than the archons and celestia. Why? Because being Human. That’s what you were, human. 

His mind made up you wouldn’t have had gods if you could. After all, you let Khaenri'ah form back then. There were gods, but if people didn’t want one, they didn’t have to believe in one. You let people be who they were, and he wouldn’t doubt you would have saved Khaenri'ah more if you could have. But he’s still here, so it isn’t fully gone. You let him stay the best of your abilities to spite the Archons. He likes you’re not all-powerful as well. At least not in this time you decided to come here. Maybe you needed to be human a while to get your strength back? 

Even if not the case, he now wants to be around you. To protect you the best he can, even if it isn’t the best. He also swears when he focuses on it that his curse feels slightly weaker when around you.

He injures them but doesn’t kill them. Just to send a message. 

The treasure hoarders end up letting the info slip next time they’re out of their disguises in mondstadt and liyue, making the two archons hunt you down do apologize for not believing you were. 

They surprisingly work together and find you and Dainsleif rather quickly. 

You’re laying on your back in the grass with your broken arm in a pretty poorly made cast and holding one of the solid tears in your other hand, turning and moving it to watch the sparkles like stars in it move as well. A part of you wishes you could bring one home with you. They’re actually really cool looking. 

Dainsleif tried his best to make a cast but obviously he’s not an expert in the medical field. He's resting as well fairly close to you. Honestly your thighs are almost touching. 

The archons notice and are quite envious. They glare at Dainsleif. 

He senses their presences and turns to look. Having you look as well.

They're shocked with the black shining item in your hand, and just realized all this time they were ignoring the real creator. Not again! They will NEVER ignore you again! “How dare you keep the creator to yourself.” Zhongli says harshly. 

What? You and Dainself share a rather incredulous look. Then go back to looking at the two archons again. 

This makes him hate the archons all the more. He didn’t really care about even the creator before, but at least he had and still has respects for them. And they really didn’t even think of finding a way to test it? Someone shows up for the first time ever in history with the face of the creator and they don’t question it?

How dumb, even the so-called gods themselves who were so beyond obsessed with you were too stupid to realize it was you. He finds it ironic. 

“Why would the creator want to be around any of you after the way you treated them?”

“But we didn’t know!” 

You just respond with an eye roll. You're not going back with them after the way they treated you. Not too long ago you encountered Dvalin again from temporarily staying by a place near the Stormbearer mountains. Dvalin even told you he'd try to tell Venti you're the creator but Venti must have ignored his friend. 

Dainsleif looks at the two archons like they’re stupid. “And… you didn’t bother to check? Even if you didn’t know, they could have still been a human you turned against, which is very unbecoming of an archon. 

You play right into the role, more time passing for you to accept it. "Precisely why I'm not going back. Why would I want to go with someone who'd turn against another just for them having a face of someone they know? I'm ashamed of you guys and your people honestly. If I wasn't the creator, you'd still treat me as nothing more than sand." 

"But-" Venti starts as you cut him off. Shame filling the two more by each of your words.

"I don't want to hear it. You made your Graves, now lie in them. I may not have powers now or ever, but that doesn't mean I should have been treated that way even as human. Leave." 

They did, but are planning ways to make it up to you. They have to have their creator with them, not some low-life like Dainsleif. If it comes down to it and they have to kill him to eventually bring you with them, then that's just what they'll have to do.

[knickynoo]

HELLO, EVERYONE! I SAW THE BTTF MUSICAL YESTERDAY, AND AM READY TO POST SOME (SEMI) COHERENT THOUGHTS!

[Fair warning that some things here may spoil parts of the show.]

• First things first: It was so good. It was so, so, very good. Incredible show. I'd been hearing great things about the show since it first came out in London, and I've been listening to the music since it dropped, so I pretty much went in knowing I'd like it but it still managed to be even better than I thought.

• Just the setup of the theater itself and the ambiance prior to it starting was so cool. The way everything is lit blue and there's all the electrical zapping and humming. THE CONSTANT TICKING OF CLOCKS THAT FILLED THE THEATER. Nothing had even happened yet, and I was like, "This is such a good show."

• My one big cause for hesitation was Casey playing Marty. I know absolutely nothing about the guy, but Marty is just so dear to my heart, and MJF's energy and physicality isn't something easily captured. I had my doubts about seeing someone try to bring Marty to Broadway, but Casey walked onto the stage, called out, "Doc?" and I went, "Yeah, okay. There's Marty."

• For real, though, Casey was phenomenal as Marty. He had the vocal inflection down. The right amount of crackliness. Very good balance of cool kid and disoriented mess.

• Um. HUGH COLES?!? Talk about brilliant casting. I mean it when I say that he somehow seemed more George than George from the movie. The audience reacted with a sense of awe when he started speaking and moving around the stage. It was like Crispin Glover had been plucked straight from the film and injected with More Georgeness. When he did the laugh, the audience went nuts. His physical acting and the way he captured George's gestures perfectly was amazing to watch.

• As I'd expected, Musical Doc is ten times more chaotic and unhinged than Movie Doc. Roger Bart's comedic timing is impeccable. He earned himself frequent howling laughter from the audience from the moment he appeared on stage.

• His "Good thing I kept this radiation suit from my Manhattan Project days" line was a nice touch.

• "Despite my fear of heights, I was standing on my toilet," was such a gem of a line.

• THE DELOREAN. WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT THE DELOREAN. I had no idea how they were going to depict a car speeding to 88mph on a small stage, but THEY DID IT. Astounding. Honestly might be the coolest effects I've ever seen done on a stage. Also, I wasn't sure how I'd feel about the addition of it being voice-activated and talking, but it worked nicely!

• The musical obviously had to trim some parts of the movie—and even omit parts entirely—but it was done so well that you either didn't even notice or miss they were gone. The change from George being hit by a car to simply falling out of the tree was one of these changes. (Marty's under the tree trying to catch him, btw, which is how he ends up getting knocked out)

• I couldn't tell if this was an ad-lib from Casey, but when he was trying to get his pants back on in the Baines house scene, he started struggling a bit with the tangled suspenders that were wrapped around one of the legs of the jeans and muttered in frustration, "Why do I wear suspenders??" Very funny little moment.

• Great chemistry between Bart and Casey. The connection between Doc and Marty was THERE. The musical GOT IT RIGHT. So many hilarious moments between them in the form of completely unintelligible banter, where they're just talking over each other and having like...verbal tennis matches of nonsense. It's hard to describe in writing, but trust me, it was so good. It went something like this:

Doc: "Marty!"

Marty: "Doc!"

Both Simultaneously: *literal gibberish*

• There's a beautiful little addition to the scene when Marty shows up at Doc's house in 1955 and tries to convince him he's from the future. After Doc asks him to take him to this supposed "time machine" Marty goes, "Sure, hang on, I just gotta grab some flashlights." Then he goes straight to a cabinet and quickly retrieves two flashlights without a second thought, to which Doc is like, "How did you know they were in there??" Marty knows!! He knows exactly where the flashlights are because of course he does!!

• Perhaps one of the funniest moments of the show was right at the end of the "Future Boy" number, where the music stops and there's that breaking of the fourth wall moment. Doc and Marty look around in confusion at all the backup singers and dancers awkwardly standing around his house (one of the singers continues dancing/singing long after the others has stopped lol) and Doc wordlessly opens the door so they can all scurry out.

• Doc's dream of visiting the year 2020 where everything is perfect and there's "no disease" got some very loud laughter from the audience.

• Oh. Oh, the scene at Doc's house at night after the demonstration with the toy car. The way everything gets solemn for a moment, and Doc is doubting himself and worried about failing. Marty's lovely little speech about how everything will be okay because he believes in him. He trusts Doc. He knows it'll work and they'll get him home. The way Marty is the one looking after and taking care of Doc in that moment. When he asks, "Do you need anything, Doc? Can I make you a sandwich?" And then when he says softly, "Goodnight, Doc. Pleasant dreams."

THE MUSICAL GETS IT RIGHT. THE WARMTH. THE LOVE. THIS WAS SUCH A NICE ADDITION.

• "PUT YOUR MIND TO IT" !!!! I loved this sequence so, so much. Marty gets to strut his stuff while George flails around trying to imitate him. It was funny, the choreography was great, and we get such a nice Marty and George hug at the end! Why didn't they hug in the movie??

• The audience was super engaged and reactive through the whole show, but it noticeably ramped up in the latter part—starting with the night of the dance. There was such an excitement as people anticipated George swooping in to take down Biff and protect Lorraine. When Biff went down, the audience whooped and clapped and cheered so much.

• EARTH ANGEL! THE MOMENT GEORGE AND LORRAINE KISS. It was just like the movie. The music suddenly swelled, Marvin belted out, "The vision of your happiness", George and Lorraine kissed, and the audience. Lost. Their. Minds. It was as if people were experiencing the story for the first time—that's how strong the reaction was. So cool.

• Audience also went wild at the start of Johnny B. Goode. That was a neat sequence as well. Huge laughs at the "But your kids are gonna love it" line.

• The clocktower scene! Marty handing Doc the letter and saying, "I wrote you a thank-you note; don't read it until you get home!!" LOL. So many amazing effects going on in this one. For those of you who have seen the show, you probably remember Doc running up the clocktower stairs, right? Did the audience nearly die of laughter like they did at my showing? That was truly one of the top 5 funniest moments of the show, in my opinion. It had me giggling hours later once I was home. For those of you who have not seen the show, I don't think I can adequately put into words what was happening during this scene, but it was incredibly funny. It's good there wasn't any dialogue during it, because no one would have heard it with the way everyone was laughing.

• The fire trails on stage got quite the awed reaction. Super cool.

• The hug! We get our Doc and Marty hug at the end! I'm so glad they realized that moment was missing from the movie.

• I liked the shift from Marty waking up at home to him waking up on the bench in town instead. The "George McFly Day" part was a fun addition, and it flowed nicely into Marty's "Power of Love" performance.

• THE CAR FLEW. IT FLEW UP IN THE AIR AND THE WHEELS TURNED IN AND IT WENT OUT OVER THE AUDIENCE. HOW DID THEY DO THAT. IT DID A COMPLETE ROTATION UPSIDE DOWN WHILE CASEY AND BART WAVED TO PEOPLE. If anyone knows of any videos or articles explaining how they did things with the car, please let me know because I can't find anything and I would love to know how they did it! You couldn't see anything holding the car, and i'm so confused! The effects were so good.

• Love how, when the show ended, the giant screen on the stage just said, "Make like a tree and get outta here."

...I think those are all my thoughts. I was planning to write up a post with just a couple of bullet points of highlights and instead. Well. This is what you get from me, and if you've followed my blog for any length of time, you know that. But really, the show was so well done. I had a blast. I bought a pin that says, "Whoa, this is heavy" and I'm going to put it on my denim jacket :)

For those who are planning to see the musical, I hope this helps hype you up for it. And for those who can't see it, I hope this gives you a good look at what it's like!

[flamingskull28]

(Agent 96 story from the poll)

3 sat between Callie and Marie, staring off and being unaware of everything besides the beaming summer time heat and her fellow Agents in the distance.

4 was practicing at the row of target bloons, there used to be just 3 but 4 and 8 worked together to add various targets, some moving and others impopable..

They were both so talented...

3's cheeks flushed as she watched 4 tear through the target range with each weapon she had then switch to the next and do it again with ease. The girls movements were perfect anytime she broke from a sprint, 4 instantly swung her weapon and took her target out then the next.

3 wondered if they'd ever be on that level of strength or precision, maybe not but it still was enjoyable to watch 4 at work. The Agents firm muscles catching 3's eye consistently, they showed perfectly with 4's long elegant tentacle, shorts and crop top combined with their hero jacket tied around their waist. Seeing 4 like this made 3's stomach flutter in strange ways... her face was getting way to hot as well..

3 turned their gazed to 8, who was tinkering with various weapons at Sheldon's upgrade station. Though it didn't help 3's situation as the octoling zipped through the contents of a splatling, seeming to know the device like the back of her own hand.

8 had taken off the front barrel of a hydra and grabbed the barrel from a nearby killer wail cannon, somehow gripping the heavy part with one hand showing strength simler to 4's. 8 went on to weld the two items together, taking a brief moment to admire the handy work then instantly diving back into the Frankenstein of a splating.

3 blushed further, these two were astounding. 3 knew how she felt about them but... how would she ever be on their level?

3 hoped she'd ever have the strength to tell them how she felt.

----

4 grunted as she put a full force swing into hitting the target balloon. Destroying the thing instantly. She smirked, having gone through the course with all her weapons three times now. This thing had been a pain for her and 8 to build... though 4 didn't think she deserved much credit, she'd only offered ideas and stuck mechanics together, 8 was the real brains.. she was so smart...

4 took a seat next to her training course, as close to 8 as possible without being to weird. She took the chance to look over the marvel of weapon tech, 8 had stuck together. 4 went over the amount of carefully connected components and clever welding it took to form a hydra with a killer wail, in her head and admired 8's skills even more. A blush overtakeing her.

She really hopped no one noticed her staring at 8's mechanics outfit and tied up tentacles, 8 was very pretty girl.... 4 never had the heart to say that to her though...

"H-Hey 4 mind i-if... I uh, try the training course?" 3 approached timidly, 4 found their nervousness adorable given the girl always looked so tough from afar. Oddly 4 got the same happy and bubbly feeling when 3 was around as she did with 8...

"Of course ya dummy, it's a training course for all of us. It's about time I see you try it out." 4 remarked with a lighthearted shoulder punch then stood back to give 3 room.

3 flashed a smile in response then rested their hero shot. 3 definitely didn't match 4 in strength or precision but her agility and tactical prowess were more then enough to burn through the training course.

4 was impressed with how efficiently 3 cleared it on their first go. Sure it was a bit slow and she manged to get knocked over by one of the reinflating balloons but still. Though 4 was a bit biased, she loved to watch 3 at work and this was no different, why was a question 4 had yet to understand.

A call from 8 caught her attention before she could ponder it.

"Maybe one day I can tell them about this weird feeling.." she mumbled

----

"4,3! I believe it's finished." 8 smiled confidently while wiping the sweat from her head.

"That hydra + killer wail thing you've been crafting?" 3 sat her gun down and walked over with 4.

"The Wailing Hydra." 4 stated matter of factly with a hint if teasing.

"Yup! Been putting this together all day, not to mention designing it.." 8 held the weapon up proudly, clearly struggling to support the weight. It was a hydra mixed with a killer wail, various tubed, braces and an extra large tank were required to make it so that was a given. "Who wants the first test run? I don't want to be using it if it explodes." 8 laughed with her statement though 3 didn't seem to catch that given her worried expression.

8 couldn't help but find it cute, 3 was a softie at heart and everyone knew it. It made 8 found of the girl... she assumed the butterflies thinking about them gave her was nothing though.

"I'll try it!" 4 reached out to grabbed the weapon from 8, her smile a mix of chaos and excitement.

"Careful! It's hea-....vy?." 8 was surprised when 4 easily held up the weapon with just one hand

"Eh a bit." Was all 4 said as she admired the thing, the tank inside taking ink from her own tank. It needed a full tank of ink to work. "I think it's full so stand back."

8 flushed seeing 4's pure confidence as the sound of mechanical whirling filled the air. The weapon audiblely pumped ink into the main firing mechanism and soon enough it was ready to fire.

4 let go of the trigger and a massive beam of yellow ink exploded from the barrel, a solid stream of destruction landing where ever she aimed, one that even popped the normally unpoppable balloons.

4 laughed as if this was the most fun she'd ever had. 8 watched on in admiration, why was this hot..? Must just be a random thought.... yeah totally.

Eventually the beam died down. 4 turned back around with a face of pure joy "That. Was. AWESOME!" 4 hugged 8 in appreciation, unaware of how the octoling instantly felt her whole face flush.

"N-No problem." 8 said trying and failing to keep her cool til 4 let go and then ranted about the amazing handling and all around great design, 8 felt lightheaded from the praise from a girl she looked up too.

Timidly 3 interrupted "Hey uh.. c-coukd I try, it looked fun..." 4 smiled brightly and handed 3 the weapon and made sure she was handling it right.

8 watched 4 instruct 3, her face still burning... maybe one day she could admit what they made her feel

[ababybiter]

living with bangtan part 5

bts x reader, slowburn, fluff, smut, enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, strangers to lovers

It's Wednesday. A few days after the...incident. You hadn't seen Yoongi apart from lectures and it was pretty awkward. Everything you thought it would be. But maybe it was more because it was Jungkook that would sit in between you. Your relationships felt like they were teetering on the edge of destruction. You needed some other friends, that didn't always congregate in your living room.

There's a girl in your class, her name is Nayeon and she always sits nearby and you don't really see her with other people. Which reminded you of yourself in first year, hovering near other friend groups, wondering if you'd just be swept in.

Today, as you sit in your usual order, yourself, Jungkook, then Yoongi, packing up your laptops and notebooks, you lean forward to wear she sits alone just in the row in front of you guys. "Hey, Nayeon, right?"

She turns, her glossy hair flips over her shoulder. "Hey!"

The confidence you can acquire through living with a bunch of buff men is astounding. "Want to get lunch?"

Turns out the two of you have lots in common, she hadn't made many friends yet from class, but she was still fairly close with her room mate from last year. She joins you in the library's cafe a couple days later after the two fo you spent the morning studying. "Y/N, this is Wonyoung!"

Nayeon was cute, but Wonyoung was stunning. You needed this girls skincare routine. She fixed you with a lazy smile and held out her hand in an oddly regal way. You shook it eagerly. "Nice to meet you!"

"Y/N. We finally meet." She speaks softly. "I've heard so much about you."

There's something to be said about having female friends, you've missed the comfort of the perks that come with it. The two of them start hanging around the apartment, the boys seem to get on with them and you don't feel so out numbered anymore. Not that the boys ever gang up on you, it was just nice to have some more girls around.

That weekend, the three of you make plans to go for drinks, but Wonyoung cancels at the last minute, claiming illness. Still, you and Nayeon go out and have a great time, you both send a couple selfies to Wonyoung, declaring how it isn't the same without her and quite obviously her skill with selfie angles that the two of you seem to be lacking in today.

You decide to bring Nayeon back to the apartment and you bust in giggling together. In your silliness, you accidentally forget about the problem with your door, it swings open, smacking into the wall. Luckily, Jin was out playing late night basketball with Namjoon. But Yoongi's door opens and he stands there squinting in the dim light coming from the kitchen.

"Sorry!" Nayeon beams. "Did we wake you?"

He runs a hand through his messy hair and takes in the sight in front of him. "No." He sounds resigned, as if he's given up fixing something that hasn't broken yet.

You make eye contact with him for the first time in over a week. "You know Halloween isn't until next week right? You look like a ghoul."

And then the kitchen door opens and Wonyoung walks out, holding two bottles of water. She turns and smiles at the two of you as if she hadn't just been caught in a lie.

It's your turn to take in the sight this time. Yoongi, with his tired eyes and sex hair. Wonyoung, carrying water back towards him, wearing nothing but t-shirt you were wearing just last week.

You don't say anything to him, just a squinted smile will do the trick. Not most evenings my ass. You think. He reads your mind and swallows. You turn to Wonyoung instead. "Feel better?"

"Much." She smiles that same lazy smile, the one that said, I know you live with the hottest boys on campus, and thanks for the connection.

"God, I didn't know she was like that." Nayeon sits down in your desk chair as you sit down on the bed. "Who lies about the shits? Like just say you've got the flu..."

"I can't believe him." You breathe.

"Him?" Nayeon blinks.

"He's just...ugh." You sigh. "Don't know what I expected from him, really."

"...Right." Nayeon eyes you, slightly confused. "Well anyway, screw them both, tonight was so fun."

"Yeah, it was. I'm so glad we became friends." You smile at her.

"I'm glad you spoke to me!"

The two of you laugh and fall asleep together. Well Nayeon sleeps, you lay awake wondering why it feels like there's a knife in your chest.

The next morning after Nayeon leaves, you stay in your room all day, too scared to run into Wonyoung again, or even worse, Yoongi. Sadness overcomes you at the awkwardness in the situation with Wonyoung, Nayeon is already ready to ignore her texts, even though she hasn't reached out once since the two of you saw her in Yoongi's t-shirt. A sinister thought appears, was she ever really your friend? Was she really just trying to pull Yoongi this whole time. The boys were kind of famous on campus for being extremely good looking, funny and popular, and she did seem if anything a social climber. You could tell when she hung out with you and Nayeon it was only because she didn't have any better offers.

You needed to squash whatever feelings you had stirring for Yoongi. What started off as annoyance turned to hatred and that turned to you begging him to rip your dress off. Not the most normal, healthy room mate behaviour.

You decided to risk the kitchen in the early evening for some cereal to inhale, seen as you were starving. You'd heard a few of them making something to eat about 20 minutes ago and now it was empty. You couldn't be bothered for the questions of isolation and you definitely weren't ready to face Yoongi. You take a seat at the kitchen table, hoping no one decides to come in.

But as your lazily feeding yourself some Coco Pops, Jin quietly walks in. He doesn't say much, but he walks by and ruffles your hair before grabbing some crisps from the cupboard. On his way back he glances at you, taking in your eyebags and folded frame.

"Mario tonight?"

You meet his eyes and his lips part in concern.

"Maybe." You quickly look down at your soggy cereal.

"Okay...well, you know I'm around...if you want to talk."

You keep your eyes there until he silently exits the room.

After battling the fear of human communication, the sick feeling finally passes and you decide to go for a late night walk with Hobi, knowing he'll listen without judgement. Plus he's been dying for some tea.

"Who lies about having the shits?" He wrinkles his nose as the two of you glance over at the late night tennis players. "At least that Nayeon seems nice."

"She is. Although I am know scared to invite any friend over."

"Why?" Hobi nudges you. "You want to keep the seven of us all to yourself? Didn't take you for possessive, Y/N."

"Stop." You groan. "It's not that. It's just...I think she was just using me to get to who she really wanted."

"I mean the girl knows what she wants and how to get it." Hobi seems far away for a moment. "But you shouldn't be so down about it. You got played by someone you just met, oh well. What's with the depression era?"

"I'm far from depressed." You chuckle. "Just feel...icky."

"About Wonyoung?" He narrows his eyes.

"...Partly."

"Y/N! I knew there was something else! Spill."

You sigh heavily, but you desperately needed to tell someone. "Okay, so you know when me and Yoongi went home after the club?"

"Uhuh?" He's practically salivating.

"Hobi you have to swear you won't spread this around!"

"I won't!"

"I'll be the village slut!"

"I won't!"

"Okay. So we kind of hooked up. Me and Yoongi."

"Kind of?" Hobi gapes. "Like not all the way but-"

"Yes, yes, whatever you're thinking. That." You cut him off before he describes in great detail what he's imagining. "I'm just starting to stress. I thought it meant more to him than it did and...he's not the only one I've kissed."

"Wait, woah, hold on, questions." Hobi waves his arms. "Did you want it to mean more to him? And what do you mean by not the only one?"

"Okay, the last part doesn't really matter, I just mean I've had lots of fun with you boys and some more than others...but with Yoongi, I don't know, right now I can't say I want it to mean something. I just feel kind of used after seeing Wonyoung. I just thought he'd treat me with a bit more...decency. I thought we were at least friends."

"You are friends and he does really care about you, we all do." Hobi bites his lip, thinking. "I think Yoongi is just...a man whore. But he'd never put you in any sticky situations-"

"Ew."

"He knows how to take care of his shit." Hobi tells you. "But I'm sorry he made you feel like just one of his girls. I guarantee you are more than that."

"So what do I do? Just carry on as normal? Lectures have been hard enough." You push at a loose brick as you slowly round the corner back to your apartment. "We can't not sit together cos then that makes things obviously awkward, but sitting together is just as bad seen as we don't talk. My notes have never been so good."

Hobi laughs. "It's tough I know. I get why people say you shouldn't hook up with a room mate..."

"Really? Do people say that?" You say sarcastically, palming your forehead.

"But you're both mature adults. And hey I had no idea you kissed anyone else so this will work out just the same!"

You stop on the path, looking up at the light coming from your shared kitchen window. "I hate this." You whisper. "What if they start talking and find out I've kissed 3 of them and-"

"Hey." Hobi takes your hand and kisses you on the forehead. "I'm with you."

When the two of you step into the kitchen the smell of warm brownies floods your nostrils and for a second your heart skips at the memory of Jungkook cooking you waffles. But instead it's Namjoon.

"Ohhh, Namjoonie." Hobi peers into the mixture, way closer than he needs to be. "Didn't know you were a stoner!"

"No way." Joon shakes his head. "They're for the faculty so hands off. Can you imagine if I laced them with weed?"

"Would make for an early lunch." You add and Namjoon smiles at you.

"You okay? Not feeling well?" He asks.

"I'm better now." You nod.

"Good." He goes back to mixing. "Want to help me with this?"

"For free?" Hobi pulls a face.

"I wasn't asking you, funnily enough." Joon's eyes soften as he places them back on your form. "I could use your gentle hand for the pouring."

"You don't know my hands are gentle, but sure." You step up beside him and he holds his hands up in mock surrender. You glance at Hobi and he gives you a subtle thumbs up.

You still can't get to sleep that night, some buried thought still bugging you somewhere at the back of your brain. It's got to the point where you are so deliriously tired that you now wish it would come forward so you could deal with it, whether that be confrontationally or not.

Luckily you have the next day off to sleep, when you head back to class on Monday, you're well rested and non anxious.

That is, until you're faced with the empty seat beside Jungkook, who you also haven't spent alone time with since the club. Yoongi is no where to be seen, so it's just the two of you back in row six. "Hey." You sit down. "Where's Yoongi?"

"Ditching." He watches you. "You okay?"

"Yeah, sorry I've been MIA. Just having a shitty mental health week."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Jungkook reaches a muscly arm over the chair and pulls you into a hug. He smells so good. "Can I do anything to help?"

"As long as...we're good?" You hesitantly meet his eyes.

He cocks his head like a confused puppy. "Of course we're good. Why wouldn't we be?"

"Great!" You breathe a sigh of relief. "Just checking."

A slow smirk forms on Jungkook's face. "Okay. Well, there's definitely no problem on my end. I'm glad we're talking. Feel like I haven't seen you in ages, seen as we live together. I've missed you."

"I missed you too." You lower your voice as the lecturer steps up to the podium and begins his talk. "Let's do something this weekend."

"Sure." He smiles down at you. "I've got a spa day voucher I need to use. It's not really the guy's thing, but what about you and me?"

"I'd love to! I love the spa!"

"Great. Can't wait."

It was now time to see Taehyung. He'd been extremely busy with his course so this one wasn't entirely on you, but he was your best friend since you moved in and it didn't feel right going any longer without putting in the effort.

you: wyd tonight?

bestae: meant to be going to some party with jungkook but i don't think either of us are feeling it. why?

you: me and nayeon are going to the movies, want to come?

bestae: yeah defo :) is it cool if jungkook tags along? i don't wanna ditch him uno...

you: lol yeah ofc, we were speaking today about getting together soon anyway

When V knocks on your door later that night he's holding a small bunch of yellow flowers. "Heard you were having a shitty week." He smiles at your gasp.

"Ohhhh, you're so cute." You grab them and the place them in an empty vase. "Is Jungkook ready? We need to get Nayeon on the way."

"He's going to meet us there. Some errand or whatever."

It's a long walk or a short drive to the cinema, and seen as Nayeon lives closer to the latter, you and V begin the trek to knock for her. You pull your coat jacket around you, the October air picking up it's timely chill.

"So, do you wanna talk about this week?" V starts.

You sigh. "It's nothing important, really. Just...think I need to take a break from drinking."

"Oh, you got sick?" He raises an eyebrow.

"No, no. I just tend to make poor decisions."

"Don't we all." He smiles and glances at you. "How poor are we talking?"

You slowly meet his gaze with a sheepish expression.

His face drops. "Oh no."

A laughs escapes you. "You mean Hobi hasn't told everyone and their grandma yet?"

"HOBI KNOWS AND I DON'T?" He gapes.

"Shh!" You smack his arm softly. "Stop making me laugh. This isn't funny."

V can see that you're troubled by this. "What happened, Y/N?"

"I sort of hooked up with Yoongi after clubbing."

You expect him to yelp again or maybe even worse, give you a disgusted glare, but instead a soft smile grazes his lips and he looks down at the pavement. "That's it?"

You look up at him, blinking erratically. "What do you mean, that's it?" You sigh, putting your face in your hands. "Second year is over and it's just begun."

V stops walking and stands in front of you, taking your hands in his. "Y/N, we're in college. We're allowed to hook up with people."

"I know, but Tae, it's Yoongi. We live together and...it's more than that. You guys are my friends. The best friends I've had in a long time and you're all insanely gorgeous and if I keep fucking up around you all-"

V is laughing again. "Stop stressing, Y/N!" He smirks. "Thanks for the compliment."

You blush and if his hands weren't holding yours you'd be covering your face again.

"Look, I understand why you're anxious now. If it was anyone else, yeah I'd probably lecture them. But I promise you, nothing will fuck up the dynamic. And I mean, nothing. The boys and I have lived together a long time, we're used to sharing." He winks.

"Right." You snort. "Don't get any ideas. It was a one time thing!"

"Sure, sure." He grins.

After collecting Nayeon from her flat, you meet JK in the cinema lobby. He already has an empty box of popcorn in his hands.

"No way you finished a box already!" Nayeon grabs it, disappointed to find it is in fact empty.

"I planned to get another one." He smiles down at her, taking the box back and placing it in the bin nearby.

"Constipation here we come!" V sarks as Jungkook glares at him over the one arm hug he gives to Nayeon.

"What do you mean we? You and Jungkook share a stomach?" You laugh.

"Pretty much." Jungkook steps towards you. "He eats off my plate whenever I cook." He pulls you into a warm hug. "How you doing Pretty?" He murmurs into your hair.

"Good." You speak into another one of his Calvin Klein t-shirts, the kid should sponsor them. He holds you for another few seconds before pulling apart slowly.

"Actually, doesn't matter how much popcorn you have." Taehyung places his chin on Jungkooks shoulder, batting his eyelashes innocently. "You're about to shit yourself either way."

Jungkook's lazy smile fades as he snaps his head towards you. "We're watching a horror?"

"Yes!" You exclaim. "I told V to tell you..."

Jungkook glares at his old friend and Nayeon sighs. "Don't worry, Jungkook we're in it together."

You thought you were okay with horror as you and V laughed at Nayeon and Jungkook jumping during the pre-movie trailers. But when the movie started, you realised how wrong you were. You sat on the end, Jungkook beside you, followed by Nayeon, then Tae. You and Jungkook ended up trying to hide behind each other the whole time, fighting to use each others shoulders as shields playfully.

"I can't believe you haven't seen the original!" Taehyung falls into step beside you as you leave the theatre. "It's so much scarier."

"I thought that was the original!" You laugh. "I guess you'll have to show me some time."

"How about tomorrow morning? Specific I know, but I actually have it off. No morning lecture baby!" He dances in the lobby.

"Fine, I definitely need to watch a comedy or something tonight." You decide.

The living room is however occupied tonight by Jimin who's using the PS4. You end up getting interested in the game, sharing the blanket beside him. Jungkook grabs yet another snack and joins you. As the two fo you watch Jimin play, the 3 of you get closer together until you're all snuggling under the blanket. Your head rests on Jimins shoulder as Jungkook's arm circles your waist.

You watch as Jimin's video game character tries a running jump and misses it's target, dying a hilariously long death. For some reason you can't stop laughing, Jimin tries incredibly hard to beat the section of the game which causes you to laugh even more, Jungkook leans over you, his bunny smile all you can see.

"You're actually crying!" He laughs, wiping a tear from your eye. For the first time in a while, you're just happy it's not from sadness.

None of you hear the door open, but you do hear the unmistakably fake cough for attention. You all turn to look at Yoongi, who's just gotten in. He looks good in a white tee, the arms cut off, showing his shoulders.

You pull your eyes away from the skin to meet his eyes for the first time that week. You catch your breath as Jungkook leans back.

"'Sup?" Jungkook asks.

"Y/N can we talk?" Yoongi's eyes bore into yours. Jimin looks up from his game and eyes him with interest.

"Uh, sure." You push the blanket onto Jungkooks lap and stand, following Yoongi out into the hallway. You think he wants to talk out there, but he walks right into his bedroom.

"Oh." You swallow, following him in.

It looks bigger this time, maybe because the window is open, the light of the moon spilling white light onto the bed. You can't help but follow the light, remembering the events that transpired between the two fo you here. Then you remember what's happened since, and who else has been here too.

You look away as he sits on the desk chair, almost as if sitting on the bed gives him de ja vu to when you stood in between his legs-

"I want to apologise." He starts in a deep voice.

You turn to him. "Oh." You mumble again, like you've forgotten all words.

"I shouldn't have...hung out of with Wonyoung." He gulps. "She was your friend and I made things awkward. I'm sorry."

You fiddle with a trinket on his dresser. Trying to work out what exactly he was apologising for. It didn't sound like he was referring to your hookup. "If it makes you feel any better, I don't think she was ever actually my friend."

"Why would that make me feel better?" There he goes, always answering with a question. He sighs. "It was pure behaviour from me, I crossed a line. I hope you can forgive me."

You look up at him. Crossed a line? By getting with one of your friends? You decide to test the waters. "You're allowed to hook up with whoever you want, Yoongi. Whether I introduce you to them or not." You pause and he waits for you to continue. "If she hadn't ghosted me the next day, it would have been pretty normal. But I think you giving into your usual impulses showed me who my real friends are. So thanks."

He opens his mouth and waits for the retort on that comment to come. When they don't, he relaxes into a relenting smile. "Glad I could be of service then." He meets your eyes with his dark ones. "Are we good?"

You hear your own anxious words repeated back at you. So you repeat Jungkooks response.

"Of course, why wouldn't we be?"

"Cool, cool." He nods. "Um, any idea what's going on with Jimin?"

The question catches you off guard. "Jimin?"

"He's being extra clingy and not leaving me alone." Yoongi runs a hand through his hair, messing up the wax. "I'll try and get Jin to take him out or something. Sorry, I'll let you get back to it. He seemed happier with you there."

"I'll keep a closer eye then." You turn to the door, then stop and decide to extend the olive branch even further. "Want to join us?"

Yoongi hesitates, biting his lip roughly. "Nah, its okay. Couch looked pretty full."

You nod. "Good night, then."

"Good night."

The original horror flick Taehyung was forcing you to watch the next morning actually had you on the edge of your seat. You absentmindedly played with Tae's hair as he laid in your lap, occasionally glancing up for your reaction to shocking scenes.

"Ouch!" He yelps as you tug a bit too hard when a character almost discovers a dead body hidden just out of view.

"Sorry!" You rub his head and he sits up, pouting. You giggle, grabbing his head forcefully. His eyes widen in shock as you pull him you, planting a big wet kiss on his head. You pull him away from you, holding his cheeks in your hands. "Big baby."

He stares at you, lips parted until you drop him and go back to watching the movie. Something stirs in his chest, and he decides just for that moment that he takes back what he said bout sharing.

"What?" You catch him looking at you more often than not as the movie goes on.

"Nothing. Look!" He points at the screen just as the murderer comes sprinting out of the darkness at the main character.

You scream, leaping off the cushion and landing in Taehyung's lap. You cling to him, burying your face in his neck. His hands are feather like on your waist, unsure whether to keep you there or not. "Y/N..." He whispers.

"Sorry." You lift your head, staring into his eyes with your fearful ones. You find you can't help taking in each of his features since you're this close. His eyes, so dark and full. His cheeks, red and flushed. His lips-

"Y/N." He taps you. "You should-" He shifts his crotch and you almost feel something hard against your thigh, but it's probably your imagination.

"Who wants to play this Squid Game board game I just bought-" Jimin bursts into the living room. "Oh!" He freezes when he notices your position.

"It's not-" You slide of Taehyung as he grabs for a pillow not so subtly. "We're watching a scary movie."

Jimin glances at the TV. "Right, and you got so scared you slipped and fell on Tae's dick?"

"Woah!" V puffs out his cheeks.

"Yes! But no! I-I'll play with you!" You stammer, eager to change the subject.

"I bet you will." He looks you up and down saucily.

"Just open the box, Jimin."

The rest of the week you spent catching up on reading for your classes. The library was actually decorated for Halloween this year, which fell on Sunday. Saturday morning you were up bright and early for your Spa day with Jungkook.

"Hey, so I've never actually been to one of these." You tell him as the two of you get out of his car in front of the white glass building 40 minutes from home.

"You've never been to a Spa?" He looks at you gobsmacked.

"Not a proper Spa, no...who paid for this?" You gesture at the gorgeous building that no doubt held an activity usually out of your budget.

"My dad got it for me last Christmas, never got round to using it." He holds the door open for you. "I used to go all the time though, it's good for the soul."

"Yeah, I bet." You take in the immediately calming atmosphere of the reception. "Damn, I'm already like, totally Zen." You close your eyes and pretend to practice your breathing.

"Come on, Cinderella." He pulls you over to the desk, soon enough the two of you are wearing warm towels on your face and laying side by side on two beds.

"Can we interest you in couples massage?" One of the Spa employees suggests.

Jungkook smirks as you suppress a laugh and decline the offer. What does a couples massage entail? The two of you massaging each other or both of you being massaged by someone else at the same time? Bit weird, you thought, even if the two of you were together.

Jungkook seems to be itching to get to the pool, so you don't make him wait any longer. He waits for you by the changing room exit. You decided on a black swimsuit with a zip down the middle. You check yourself in the mirror, and tug it down just a cm. It's a high cut in the crotch area too, showing a lot of leg and ass. You thank the heavens you decided to shave everywhere before coming.

When you find him after changing, he drinks you in appreciatively and discreetly. If you blinked you would have missed the way the corner of his mouth quirked up as his eyes roamed your curves. You on the other hand aren't sure how subtle you are. His body is something to marvel in. Golden skin carved by the Gods, this boy should be a model.

He turns to face you more then and you choke a little on air at the sight of his tattoo sleeve exposed fully, from his fingertips to his collarbone.

"Ready?" He smiles at you then, back to friendly.

"I hope it's not cold." You poke a toe in the water and are pleasantly surprised. "Oh, that's not bad!"

He looks at you funny. "Of course it's not cold. You'll only find pleasure here, Y/N."

You shiver all the same.

He jumps in, soaking you in water. You can't help by squeal. "Do you wanna die?" Your voice echoes around the empty pool.

"Get in." He kicks back, spreading himself out in the water. "You're prolonging the torture."

You know he's right. Before he can swim away, you jump, tucking your feet in to bomb the water surface right beside him. You come up to catch your breath and move your hair off your face. When you rub your eyes clean, he's closer than you expect.

"Oh!"

"Shh." His breath tickles your face. "I think the lifeguard isn't too happy with us."

You slowly turn and notice an employee padding along the linoleum nearby, a watchful eye on the two of you. "Oh no, is he going to kick us out?"

"No." Jungkook laughs. "I was just joking. He's not the lifeguard. Again, you won't be watched or judged here. We're paying to relax."

"Actually we're not paying for any of it."

"You know what I mean." He swats water at you. "There's cameras. They probably just keep an eye on us from the next room."

"That's even weirder."

"Let's give them a good show then." He reaches a hand behind you to steady himself on the floor, whilst also trapping you between him and the edge.

"A show?" You swallow.

"Yeah. Let's race."

"Let's- wait what?"

"Let's go from this wall to the other side. Ready and go!" He pushes off and starts front stroke to the other end of the pool.

"Jungkook!" You push off both feet and kick after him, obviously you're not match for him. By the time you get to the other side, you're panting. You can no longer feel the floor under your feet and you're not quite at the wall yet.

Jungkook is laughing. "Need some help?"

"Please!"

"Damn girl, we need to get you to the gym." He says as he pulls you by the hands, placing them on the wall beside him.

"One: can't afford it, Two: you cheated, and Three-" You catch your breath, leaning your chin on the linoleum. Jungkook pats your head.

"It's not fair, you got me feeling like jelly and relaxed before forcing me to compete against you. Ask me again after I warm up, Bunny boy."

"Bunny boy?" He laughs.

"Duh." You gesture at his cute smile. "Plus you've got the stamina of a rabbit."

"Is this you reading me again?" He smirks.

"I mean anyone can see it." You pant. "Your future wife / certain girls on campus are real lucky."

He barks a short loud laugh, throwing his head back. You get a strange urge to kiss his neck. Luckily your urges are under your control right now. You swim slowly to the shallow end, now you remember how swimming can be relaxing, when you're not racing against Jeon Jungkook, that is. If you stand now, almost half your body would be out of the water.

When you turn around, Jungkook is floating towards you.

"Thank you for bringing me, Kook."

"Of course." He looks surprised. "I'm glad I could share this experience with you." You both smile at each other. "Mind if I do some laps?"

"Go for it." You grin.

You sit on the edge, watching him ripple up and down on the surface a few times, until finally he makes his way back to you. He stands in front of you, water dripping off his body. You can't help but stare. He moves the water with his hand, grazing your knee. "Getting back in?"

"In a minute. It's still kind of cold for my liking."

"Sorry it's not like your boiling hot baths, Y/N." He teases you.

"I guess it's my own fault then." You flick your hair.

"You should have more cold showers. It's good for you." Jungkook places a hand either side of you on the linoleum. "I'll warm you up." He starts breathing hot air on your neck and arms, tickling you. You giggle and part your knees at the sensation. He takes this opportunity to slide his waist in between your legs. Your breathing gets faster as his mouth stops blowing and lips graze along your cheekbone.

"What are you doing?" You sigh, moving your head to the side, which only allows him further access to your neck.

"I don't know, what am I doing?" He plants a wet kiss on your neck, guiding his mouth to your cheek.

"Jungkook..." You breathe.

"Yes, Y/N." He brushes his lips against yours but doesn't press down just yet.

"Friends don't kiss." You murmur, almost hoping he can't hear.

"Yes they do." He moves his nose against yours softly. "Friends can kiss any time they like. We've done it before."

Well he is right. You can't find a flaw with his logic right now. You're wet in more ways than one. "Okay." You melt under him, it's not fair. "Just a little bit."

"Mhm, just a little."

You press your lips to his and your legs widen even more, inviting him closer. As his tongue is granted access to your mouth, his hands grab your hips and pull you towards him. He's hard. You moan into his mouth and he repeats the noise in a deeper tone. You move your hips against him, earning a whimper from him. His tongue licks against yours and his hands roam higher.

Where your first kiss was funny and what felt sexual at the time, it was nothing compared to the closeness of you now. Nearly naked with soaking skin. His swimming trunks strained against him, he prods into you through the material and you groan deeply.

Almost instantaneously, the two of you suddenly remember where you are and break apart. He hangs his head, catching his breath whilst your eyes dart around, relieved to find your still alone. You eye the camera awkardly.

"Well, we gave them a show at least." You snort.

"Yeah." He sinks back into the water. "Guess that was more than a little bit."

"We should probably go and...cool off."

"Agreed."

You almost pull Jungkook into your cubicle but decide against it at the last minute. Surprisingly you're not worried this time about your actions, maybe because you both kissed before and laughed it off. The time it takes you to get changed kills some of the horny-ness, and the walk back to the car is taken up by the the sound of heavy rain as you both sprint across the carpark.

"Well I guess we can't get anymore wet!" You exclaim, flicking chlorine out of your already wet hair.

Jungkook bursts out laughing again as he fumbles for his car key.

The rain is still pouring by the time you get to the apartment. You both walk up to the door and you pat your pockets. "Shit, I forgot my key card."

"Oh shit." He pulls out his phone.

"You didn't bring yours?" You gape.

"Only my room key." He shrugs. "I figured you'd have one to get inside."

"Great." You tut. "Let's hope someone answers.

"Yeah, Jin-Hyung." Jungkook is already speaking on the phone. "Let us in please...Funny. I'm with Y/N. Okay, bye." He hangs up and looks down at you. "He's coming."

2 minutes later, Jin opens the lobby door. Jungkook pushes past him and heads quickly for the elevator.

"You're welcome!" Jin calls to him before looking at you. "I only came down because you were here. That kid owes me my leftover chicken."

"Jin, that chicken was old as hell. He did your stomach a favour." He tell him, following him inside.

"How was your spa day?" He asks.

"It was...rejuvenating."

After tucking into some ramen and taking a long warm shower, you throw on some sweats and decide to take the bins out. It's your turn after all, and you had some more energy to kill. Thankfully the rain had stopped, leaving a smell in the air that you always favoured. As you're just closing the lid to the giant recycling outside, the lobby door opens and Yoongi storms out. He skids to a stop when he sees you.

"Oh hey, it's your night again?"

You walk over. "Um, yeah, it's been a week. Where are you going at this time?"

"Just-nowhere." He runs a hand through his hair. "Just going for a drive."

"Oh." You nod, watching him. He looks up at the windows for a moment.

"Want to come?"

You jolt at the sudden eye contact, not that he notices. You're wide awake, he looks stressed and like he needs someone to talk to.

"Sure." Luckily you already brought your phone down with you, so you follow him to his car in the lot round the corner.

The moon is bright again, you watch the lights of the bars whizz by as you drive through the college town.

"So, what are you planning on writing about for the assignment?" He breaks the silence.

"You mean the big one before Christmas? We have ages to decide." You side eye him.

"We do, but I know you've already decided." He glances at you.

You snort. "The importance of cinematography in storytelling."

He smirks at his ability to read you, but it fades quickly as another thought passes by him. "I think Jungkook is doing something similar." He glances at you for your reaction.

"That's cool. Probably loads of students are writing about similar topics. At least 50 will be doing it on zombies." You scoff.

"That's actually what I was thinking about doing." He states bluntly.

"Oh!" You gasp. "I didn't mean anything by it. I'm sure you'll give a niche perspective-"

He laughs. "I know, relax."

You breathe out. "So, is that what you're stressing about? The essay?"

"Who says I'm stressed?" He doesn't look at you, but he grips the wheel tighter.

"Um, you. Everything about your demeanour." You gesture. "No one goes on a night drive unless they need to think. Or not think..."

He blinks slowly, fond of your babbling. "You know, I'm glad you came. You're very...distracting."

"Well, I hope not. I'd like to get home in one piece, thanks."

"I mean from the stuff going on in my head." He chuckles.

You raise a brow. "Wanna talk about it?"

He looks at you for a beat before turning into a gas station. "I need to get some fuel." He gets out of the car pretty quickly after pulling in, to fill up the tank. You sit in the passenger seat fiddling with your phone. You watch him head inside the station to pay. He returns a few minutes later and throws something firm and furry at you.

"Ah!" You catch a red panda plushy. "What's this?"

"It reminded me of the one from the arcade." He re-starts the engine. "You still like those right?"

"Of course." You smile. "You're so cute. Thank you."

He blushes at the compliment. "I'm cute."

He drives back out onto the winding roads, circling back towards campus. He puts on the radio, Red Velvet playing at a comfortable volume.

"I think I've got some mint chocolate in that draw there if you want some." He clears his throat.

You open the draw and rummage through the random things. A star-fish car freshener that he's yet to hang up, a couple of CDs, classical and pop. An old DS game, and finally the chocolate.

"How old is this and how is it not melted?" You peer at the wrapper suspiciously.

"I put it there yesterday." He rolls his eyes. "Plus it's only getting colder. You got your outfit for Halloween yet?"

"I have some options." You tell him as the apartment building comes back into view. "Can't wait to see you dressed up, I can't lie."

"Mhm, the feeling is mutual." He parks the car and you hug the panda to your chest, a little too forcefully. Maybe if you squeeze it hard enough your heart will stop beating so fast.

There's a moment when you both sit in the stationary car without moving. You're about to speak when Yoongi throws the door open and steps out. You follow him.

"Thanks for keeping me company." He stretches. "I usually like to be alone, but it's weird how much I prefer you being around."

"Anytime." You smile.

You both chat on the way up to the apartment and you're pleased to be back to normal with Yoongi. Him calling you into his room the other day was way too serious, it was moments like these that seemed to fix everything.

As you pull out your room key in front of your room, he lifts a hand in a friendly way and starts backward to his room. In a moment of overwhelming gratitude and peak relaxation from today, you patter towards him and envelope him in a hug. He's stiff at first, but welcomes you gladly, closing his arms around your back. He smells like expensive cologne.

"Good night, Yoongs."

"Goodnight, Y/N."

END OF PART 5

hope you enjoyed this mixture of moments, see you for part 6, halloween <3

[sunbentshadows]

you post about covid a lot lol

Hey anon.

Wasn't sure how to answer this. Yes, I do!

In March 2020 I got sick. We didn't know with what, and we'll never know. All I know is I had no fever but my lungs were fucked. Tests for Covid didn't exist then - I went to the ER about a week before lockdown, they sent me on my way. Back and forth with video visits, trying to get follow-up care. As long as I had no fever and my blood oxygen was normal, doctors could, would, do literally nothing. Only option was the ER again - which was also, of course, full of Covid patients, and at that point they wouldn't accept you if you weren't, frankly, actively dying.

It took me a year to breathe normally. A full year, using an inhaler every four hours. There were days I thought I'd never get better, and at least a few when I thought I wouldn't make it because my lungs were so sick. We didn't have vaccines at that point. We didn't have masks, actual masks available - N95 masks, respirators, for much of that first year.

I got off lightly. I'm still not sure if I prefer it were Covid or not - that I haven't had it and whatever else I had was that bad, or I have had it, and it was that bad. (Lungs are fragile like that - they don't recover well, they leave you susceptible to worse things and worse recoveries even years down the line.)

I never want to be that sick again. My health has been kind of fucked since. Maybe it's related, maybe it isn't. I'm waiting for a surgery right now actually - amidst the second-worst wave of Covid we've ever had. But I need the surgery, and I can't wait it out til cases drop. Imagine trying to heal from surgery with a disease that ravages your immune system. Imagine getting the disease that makes you cough with several abdominal incisions. Imagine it's because even doctors decided they didn't give a shit.

I should not have to make that choice. I'm fucking furious the world is like this. I want to scream at everyone who has decided this is over, at everyone who has decided our lives aren't even worth the inconvenience of wearing a fucking mask. I am astounded at the profound ignorance and selfishness of people I once considered intelligent and kind. I am aghast at the collective amnesia. This disease killed more people in four years than every war in the US's existence. It is still the third leading cause of death. And yet people find it odd to care about.

Yes, at some point, I hope and believe it will become less virulent. But it isn't yet. We're only just beginning to understand the ramifications of the disease on our biology, but everything we uncover is bad. Extremely bad.

There are a million essays here. They've been written. The failure of policy. The failure of healthcare. The failure of community. The failure of scientific communication. The failure of every single individual choice that every single person is actively making, right now -- it sounds like, including you -- all of which mean people get permanently sick. People fucking die. The collective decision to absolve yourself of your responsibility, to decide there is an acceptable percentage of the population to sacrifice for your convenience. The "individual choice" to not mask or vaccinate weighed against someone's fucking life.

So yeah. Yes. I guess I do post about Covid a lot, relative to some other folks. Because jesus fucking christ.

[non-bionical-mecha-dude]

Leo x gn!reader in which reader plays guitar but is shy about playing for others, and Leo comes to surprise visit but stops outside their open window because they're playing, and gets flustered by how good Y/N is 🤗. You can decide an ending :3

THIS SOUNDS SO CUTE, This'll be fun to write 💅🏻✨

All Dialogue is colored to the corresponding mask of the turtles and Y/N's Dialogue is Pink (Regardless of gender) This is to help those with reading disabilities and reading difficulties to better understand what is being said and who is saying it. I HOPE YOU ENJOY

Also, the song referenced is called Tough, by Charlie XCX I think

ROTTMNT LEO X READER WHO PLAYS THE GUITAR

Leo had heard over a conversation one time that you play the guitar, now, being a mutant with only 3 fingers, that didn't really leave much room for any musical involvement with instruments, so hearing this astounded him. He constantly asked for you to play, time and time again, and each time you refused, saying how you weren't good, or how you didn't play infront of others. Although he very DESPERATELY wanted to hear you play, he respected your decision and tried with all his might to quite bothering you on the matter.

~Time skip, a couple days later~

You had been let out of school early due to a school faculty meeting. And sure, you could be doing homework, or that book report due in a week, but now wasn't the time. You wanted to try some more playing at your guitar, as embarrassed as you were about playing it in front of others, you enjoyed learning and playing new songs, sure, they took a lot practice, looking over note sheets, and understanding the fingering of each note, but it was all usual worth it. You had been hooked on this one song you knew both you and your boyfriend Leo knew, it wasn't a romantic song or anything, but it was a song you both seemed to enjoy. The song even reminded you of Leo, and the personality he had behind the jokes and smiles, but you would never tell him that. And maybe, you thought to yourself, maybe when you finally perfect it, you would play it for him. Help you get out of your shell as he would say, pun intended. You raced home, opening the door, running to your room, and getting your guitar out of it's case. You felt of the dark wood and the thick, yet fragile strings the instrument was laced with, strumming a few notes to warm up your fingers. You took out your phone, clicked the song you were hoping to play Leo some day, plugged your headphones in, and began to practice strumming the guitar to the song, using the song itself as a reference to each note that was needed to be played.

The lair was boring around this time, Y/N was still in school, Raph was training, Donnie was doing some nerd thing, Mikey was probably making some sort of graffiti somewhere, and Splinter was just sleeping on the chair as usual. So, Leo thought of the only thing a sensible person would do when they're bored. And that's breaking into your lover's apartment and waiting until they get home from school :D. As soon as 2:00 struck, he raced his way out of the sewers, and onto the roofs of New York. He took his sweet time walking to your house, sure, he could run, but if he ran, then he'd have to wait in one spot for longer, so, taking a small stroll wouldn't hurt. He got to your house at about 2:31, he counted each window and story to make sure that he got the right window (he had accidentally came to your house with flowers one time, but went to the wrong window and had to pretend to be some blind grandma's great grandson visiting from Saudi Arabia, it was actually kinda funny).

Quietly opening your window, he was about to step in, when he heard the most beautiful thing. Music. Oh, but this wasn't any type of music, it was music that YOU we're playing. He looked inside, seeing how you finished some sort of song. Your face looked so focused on your guitar as you sat criss crossed on the floor with your guitar in your lap. You didn't seem to notice Leo in the window. You played a couple of the last notes you had messed up on, before you started the song again. Then Leo recognized it, it was a song you both liked. The way you played the first notes was so beautiful, he had to lean against the window sill because of how weak in the knees he is from this. Getting the best idea ever, he smirked to himself and thought, Well, a little duet would never hurt nobody. He softly cleared his throat, waiting for you to get to the part of the song with the lyrics. The song was a nice song, one you could even slow dance to if you had the determination to do so, along with the lyrics being one's you had to think of to understand. Leo's not even sure how you both came across this song, but this song just made you both feel so happy together. He could fill a book with how many things this song reminded him of you, but he had to focus on singing the part we wanted to sing if he wanted to continue this.

🎶Maybe it's cause your mom never kissed you🎶

🎶When you wipe tears you wipe with muscle tissue🎶

🎶You bench pressing more than me's not the issue🎶

🎶I know you're honestly weaker than that🎶

🎶Let's open up and get deeper than that🎶

You zipped your head to immediately look at the turtle perching in your window, your cheeks beet red with embarrassment, you wanted to stop, but the second your fingers started to slow, Leo made a motion with his hands and wordlessly said the words,

"Don't stop"

You complied and nodded, taking your headphones off, taking a deep breath and continuing to play as Leo sang.

🎶 You're not so tough🎶

🎶I know that night lights on when you sleep🎶

🎶You're not so tough🎶

🎶Yeah you watch, eat, pray, love and repeat🎶

🎶And I'm sure you'd win in an altercation 🎶

🎶But you're still insecure to me🎶

🎶Oh so mess me up🎶

🎶I know you're not so tough 🎶

You ended the song there, and sure, it wasn't the actual ending of the song, and you would have loved to hear Leo keep singing, but it was a good place to stop and you had to talk to him. You gently lay your guitar on the ground and ran over to hug him, hiding your blushing have in his shoulder.

"So, what was that? You saying before how you weren't good at playing?" He teased, coming fully through your window and spinning you around.

"Oh please, i-it wasn't even that good" Leo looked stunned, speechless. He gave a dramatic gasp.

"Not good?! Baby, that was the best music I've ever heard!!! You NEED to play more often!"

"It was only good because I had the best back up singer ever to go with it!" You flirted back. You knew this would fuel his ego up later, but you didn't care.

"You know it! We could make the best band together! We can even call it, NEON LEON and his most wonderful, most beautiful/handsome, most talented, most smartest, most other things I can't even think of, Partner!" He said, pecking your cheek between each compliment, making your face turn a brighter red.

"Stoppp, Leoooo," you whined, trying to hide yourself against his shoulder.

"Nope! The compliment train has just begun, and there is no stop!" He continued to go through the night, complementing your guitar skills, flirting and teasing until your would get as red as you could. Pecking your cheeks, rubbing his face against you (red eared sliders do that to show affection) and wrapping his arms around your waist and spinning your around till you both got dizzy.

Maybe you should play infront of him more often!

[purplekoop]

FINALLY saw Mutant Mayhem, and it was really good!!! I might wanna give it a second watch later along with other Turtle stuff rewatches and do a more in-depth review then, but I'll say the spoiler-free highlights now.

The obvious striking thing is the film visual style, which going in I knew broadly as "like Spider-verse", but that feels like a gross oversimplification for this movie's fantastic look. It's a mix between grungy realism, rough sketchiness (my mom said it looked like one of my drawings, which, yeah I'll take it), and oddly some vague claymation vibes? The turtles especially feel like chunky molded clay in the best way. It's a super cool style that definitely stands out on its own but still feels thoroughly Ninja Turtles despite not quite looking like any one individual prior incarnation. A bit of 2012 with the grungy blockiness, a bit of Rise with the vibrant expressive animation, and a heaping dosage of just general "this would've been the coolest thing ever in the 80's."

Other major high point is just how... exceptionally pleasant the movie is. It's arguably the most light-hearted Turtles incarnation to date, even beating out Rise in terms of friendly vibes... well, barring the bottom-shelf swears and on-screen puke, personally could've gone without the latter but oh well. From the moment we see the turtles we get to see how much this movie appreciates the mundane, with dialogue, visual details, and quick gags that just... I dunno, feel natural? Like, this movie pulls of an astounding amount of reference humor that feels like it'd be irritating if it weren't so believably honest. Yeah, if they were teenage brothers they would say Mikey's head looks like a mix between Hey Arnold and Stewie Griffin. Of course they would. Also the "cringy" music choices rubbed me the right way too, again this movie's tone is so sincere that I can't help but love these too. My mom also specifically cited this as a high point. The "pleasant vibes" praise extends throughout the movie, but I think going fully in-depth on that point would require spoilers. Rest assured, this movie's an exceptionally feel-good watch.

I guess only critique is one I saw coming but because I was dodging spoilers I didn't have the full expectations for. I heard vaguely that there were gonna be a lot of classic mutants showing up for this movie, hence the title I suppose, but I was worried it was gonna be a Spider-Man 3 kind of situation where it'd be constant bad guys that don't leave much individual impact. Which... is both true and not true for this movie. It's not THAT detrimental by any means, but I do still wish the individual characters got to do more. I like what they do get to do, but only a couple actually get to do much, even Bebop and Rocksteady barely have a few lines despite being THE mutant bad guys and having some of the biggest celebrity voices. I think maybe even two or three of them could've been cut and their presence wouldn't have been missed, but I can also appreciate the novelty that these characters probably wouldn't get a big screen debut otherwise. I dunno, maybe I'm just petty these are all classic picks and aren't new characters from my eras of turtles. Fishface for the sequel, come on folks if I believe then you can too.

On that note though, I am hoping that obvious sequel bait goes somewhere, because this movie deserves it. I wanna see this incarnation again, which... I mean I'm pretty sure did well enough to where it's already in the works? If Spider-Verse is gonna be a trilogy (still haven't seen Across yet btw) then this movie certainly deserves at least one followup.

But yeah, great movie! I think I do have to put this as my favorite TMNT movie ever now, so uh... sorry to the original two live action movies and none of the others.

(also I was gonna do a season 1 review of TMNT 2012 but I started it a while ago right as I finished it early in January but then it got overwhelming and I didn't have as much as I wanna say so I don't know what I'm doing with that yet, I might move on to season 2 but idk there's still a lot I wanna say about the show but I still don't know the format. Also expect Things I Love #4 about a completely unrelated show I'm due to finish a rewatch of soon)

[bombingqueen]

Season 1 Overview

Season Rating: 8/10

This was a good season. I honestly miss when SPN was this grounded before the Angels entered. Season 1 has so many classic and good hunts and the best moments of brotherly bonding between the boys. And just innocence is bliss with those two.

Dean loves so much and so fiercely. Like, how does Sam and John not melt away from all that intensity? Especially Sam. Dean's love for Sam is pure devotion and adoration even if it goes beyond human comprehension to others. Literally Dean is the personification of love in all forms. Dean is terrifying when the ones he loves are in danger and there is no regret because he will do everything and anything for what he considers his. And it comes at the cost of himself. He will let people take advantage of him just to protect what's his. The fact that he stood up to John and put himself on Sam's side to show where his loyalty has begun to shift. (John straight up did abandon Dean and not just physically. Dude just wanted to have his Dad love him without his mistakes being thrown in front of his face or without the YED or Sam taking priority). I love this man even if he is an obsessive and possessive bastard.

Sam makes my heart hurt and bleed. This boy has been through so much and honestly I wish Sam never did return to the life. Season 1 Sam is so good and so pure (he still is in later seasons but there is something about season 1 Sam). The way he looks at a witness or family member of the victim in the eye and makes his voice gentle. The way he subtlety takes care of Dean. Putting his body in front of others to take the blow. I love him even if he doesn't believe he should be loved. It hurts how he is never the same after the encounter with the yellow eyed demon. He hides all that hurt, anger, and love behind a facade. I love how Sam looks at Dean differently with a whole new perspective. The way Sam looks at Dean just hurts; this boy loves his brother so much but also fears that he could lose Dean like he lost Jess. Sam during this season keeps his distance from Dean and the closer they get to the YED, the more he is losing himself to Dean's orbit. I'm sure Sam knew that once he let Dean in there was no turning back to 'normal.' The cross he bears would have killed him if he didn't have Dean to pull him from the edge. Dean is his constant, his compass, and his north star. The love the boys have for each other is unreal at times. Can't live with him, can't live without him (totally took that line from Hannibal. Speaks so loud of entangled lives.).

As much as I do not like John as a parent. He did what he thought was best at the time. I don't agree with the emotional and mental trauma he gave his boys but loss has a way twisting love into something unbearable. Unimaginable. And it is a torture to get up each day to imagine a world where it could be snatched away again. Bearing the weight of the cross is the life of a Winchester.

I am deliberately not talking about Mary yet because of the role she plays later on. I'm gonna be focusing on the Winchester men for most of the series.

Missouri is amazing and I love her. I wish we got to see more of her.

Top 5 Episodes:

Home (This deserves a post just for itself honestly. Mary's I'm sorry is just astounding considering future episodes. Also, John is once again a dick. Dean begging his father to come back is so freakin' sad but good television)

Dead in the Water (This episode just gives so much insight into Dean and how the trauma over his mom's death is so ingrained in every interaction he has with others that are in a similar situation or just vulnerable)

Nightmare (Gut-wrenching knowing what could have been with Dean and Sam if John had made a different decision and the events that would have happened had Sam powers was used for evil. This is also such a smooth transition into the bigger plot at hand and where the show really started picking up steam)

Faith (John is just an asshole period. You care so much about keeping them safe but you don't check up on your dying son. Sure John. Sam and Dean love each other more than life itself okay. Their love continues getting more and more possessive with each near death. Beautiful)

Something Wicked (Dean never was and was never gonna be a child. Had the weight of the world on his shoulders in more ways than one)

The Worst Episode:

Route 666 (This episode has literally always made me uncomfortable not gonna lie. Being a black woman has made me look at this episode in so many different ways and it just makes me upset for a lack of a better word. Considering that they don't revisit this type of thing again says something. That is a huge can worms that does not always end well.)

Favorite Quotes:

"People don't come here for the truth. They come for good news." - Missouri (Home)

"Man, I'm not going to give you a loaded pistol!" - Dean (Asylum)

"A young man with an important purpose. A job to do. And it isn't finished." - Roy (Faith)

"Sam's my responsibility. He's coming back. I'm bringing his back." - Dean (Benders)

"Yeah, I don't want you to leave the second this thing's over, Sam." - Dean (Shadow)

"These guy...probably bitchslap them both," - Sam (Hell House)

"Spent it on ammo." - John (Dead Man's Blood)

"I want you to go to school. I want-want Dean to have a home." _ John (Salvation)

[codename-adler]

Hello, Andrew.

(If this isn’t Andrew then bug off. I’ll know.)

So. Hi. I’m Aaron Minyard. Your brother. Your twin brother, you know. Did you know? I didn’t know. That was some surprise. Good surprise, though. Only good. Promise.

I don’t know if you know how I found out? I was at the park, doing things, you know, doing my own thing, and some police prick kept yelling for me, only, by your name. He swore I was you. Officer Philip Higgins, at your service. Well not really, he was ready to drag me back to where you belong (I don’t know where that is). But you must know that. How he is, I mean. Not where you belong. Although you just might. I hope you know. You could help me out then.

But, uh, getting ahead of myself. Imagine I start asking you all sorts of philosophical questions and truths when we haven’t even met… Yikes… You’d probably tell me to fuck off, and I’d agree with you. So I’m not gonna do that. It’s not why I wanted to write to you anyway.

Brotherhood is what I wanted to write to you about. I woke up that day, never in a million years imagining I’d go to bed a brother. Like, I have a brother . You. You are my brother. My twin brother. And I’m yours. I don’t know who was born first (I was, I’m sure of it), but… Twins , Andrew! That’s wicked cool.

And not just that. We are IDENTICAL. ("Monozygotic" twins, it's called. Epic.) Even Higgins was fooled, and frankly astounded when he found me. His face! Although he must’ve thought the same thing about mine, and twice worse at that. I can’t really wrap my head around the fact. That there’s a whole other person, completely separate from me, that looks exactly like me nonetheless. It seems impossible. I guess it’ll only really sink in when we’ll see each other, right?

I wonder if you and I have the same teeth. Mine are alright, I think. Not exactly Colgate-worthy, but I’ve got all of them, in the right place, which is good enough for me. I never really paid attention, before. I've learned that teeth are often different, even if slightly, in sets of identical twins. I read about it in a textbook at the school library. When I found out, I mean. I don’t want you to think that I have a weird tooth fetish or something. I just really like biology.

There’s so much to a body that you don’t realize makes a body a person. How does my hair look on you? Or like, the other way around. Higgins said we have the same eyes. But to what extent? Where do yours end and mine begin? Is it in the shape? The color? The light’s reflection in them? The lashes, perhaps, or the eyebrows above? What about the eyebrows? Two bodies, side by side, exactly the same in every way, yet one is you, and one is me. Wow. It just… It never stops. My brain exploded just now. Again. Does yours do that too? Since you’ve known?

Like, imagine we have reverse parts! I mean, you know how my right half is your left, and your right half is my left? Maybe our moles are mirrored. That could be how people tell us apart. “Hey, there’s Aaron with the left-cheek mole! Not to be confused with Andrew, with the right-cheek mole!”, you know? Jeez, we can’t be that identical, can we?

Can we really?

I don't have much experience with twins. There were those Conway girls in 4th grade, not identical, just fraternal twins. They still looked a whole lot like each other. It's crazy to remember them, now. To think, that as I was fascinated by the pair of them, not only did I have my own other half, but you were so close. And I didn't even feel it. Is that bad? Is there something wrong with me? With... us? Do you think, because of what happened when we were born... because of Mom... our connection suffered? Don't tell her that. Please don't tell her that. But how? How could I not feel anything missing? I never knew, Andrew. Never once had an ounce of a doubt. No phantom limbs, no echo in my mind, no unexplainable pains nor random premonitions. You were never there. Even now, as I write to you, I really hope you'll be at the other end of my letter, because you still feel... void. Like this is all a joke my mind is playing on me. I hope you're really real. Not just a pipedream.

Maybe we can work on it. The twin "bond" thingy. Maybe you knew? Not, like, knew-knew, just... knew? Or maybe looking back on things now, you realize you knew? I'm trying to do that, to look for memories where there could have been something tipping me off, but I have a shit memory. It's so vague and fuzzy most of the time. Does that happen to you? So much for wanting to be a doctor...

So did you? Know?

I hope you did, in some kind of cosmic way, as they say. Because if you did, maybe the connection, our twin bond, isn't totally broken. We can get it back to full strength. 

If you'd like, that is.

Imagine the fucking bad luck of it all if we were those ill-fated twins of big stories, destined to be sworn enemies, and everything would have been fine if that damn policeman had just minded his own business! Ha! 

I haven't really talked about Mom or the family. I hope you're not expecting a dad, because I haven't got one of those for you. I'm sorry. I would have liked for you to have a dad. I mean, when they find your long-lost family, you hope for the whole package, right? So yeah, no dad. But we got an uncle and an aunt, and a cousin! I'll tell you about them if you want to. I'm just worried I'll scare you off if I start right away, on top of the mess I'm already telling you now. But we got time, right? I shouldn't feel rushed, I must remember that. We found each other and there's no way I'm letting go. And we'll meet soon, right? I know Mom refused the offer your foster mother gave us, but Mom doesn't have to know... Not immediately, at least. I mean, she did carry us for 9 months, but I also shared the womb with you from the beginning, so I don't know who's got priority over who... But I'm choosing to give it to you. 

I'll stop my nonsense here, now. I don't want you to start believing your newfound brother's a total nutcase. I'm not, promise. I hope you're doing okay on your end with everything that's been going on. Your foster mom seems nice. That's nice. So, yeah, again I'm really glad you're here now, and I'll be seeing you soon, yeah? Okay.

Bye now.

- Aaron

[sirowsky-stories]

The Flowers Always Know

Chapter 9 - Spaghetti Fixes Everything

Description: Working at HQ wasn't just challenging, it was threatening to completely burn you out after just the first few days. Of course, it didn't help that you were so stressed you forgot to eat most days.

**Beware! Author chooses NOT to display warnings on the individual chapters of this story. Read at your own risk!**

Rating: Mature 18+ONLY Word Count: 4657 (1649 words added) Masterlist (this story)

   The weeks passed way too quickly after that.    You couldn’t understand how the clock reached 8pm so damned fast every day, you never seemed to be even halfway done with your tasks, even though you arrived a half-hour early and worked at least three hours late every single day, including weekends.    As if you’d been dropped into a black hole, and time had gotten warped, no matter how many hours of work you put in, it never seemed to add up to anything.

   You’d quickly learned two things on your first day. One, that your predecessor had left so abruptly he hadn’t even cleaned out his little wardrobe. And two, he had not kept his house in anything resembling order.    How the man had been able to get anything done, at all, astounded you. There was no order or structure to be found in his wake, and when you’d complained about it to Mrs. Moreno a couple of days later, she’d completely stumped you by saying:

   “Yes, well, now you understand why I wanted you to take it.”

   You’d sort of frozen in place right in the middle of transferring a file from one stack to another, with the shock of realizing she’d actually paid you a sideways compliment, but then she’d immediately ruined the moment by adding:

   “So, stop dilly-dallying and get that mess sorted out already.”

   You’d felt a lot less guilty about calling her horrid, then.    That was about two weeks ago. Or was it three?    Shit, what day was it now? You genuinely had no idea.

   Marcus had tried to stay in touch with you, popping his head in whenever he passed by your office, and calling or texting if he hadn’t found or seen you in too long.    While he was technically still working in the field, he didn’t go on every mission, electing to oversee and direct things from the control centre instead. So, most days he was just a few floors and corridors away.

   But you just never had the time to actually talk to him. When he stopped by, you were almost always heading out, or on the phone, or in a meeting. And while you always answered his calls and texts, the replies were short and mostly just apologetic.    And since you always worked late, and got up extra early, there wasn’t really any free time to just hang out either.

   In short, thus far, you were not very happy with your job.

   But today had been the worst one yet. You’d been in meetings all day, not even having enough time to squeeze in a tea-break in between, much less lunch.    You’d also managed to piss off two reporters, damned near broken your toe when you’d bumped into a railing, walked straight into a poor assistant on his way to deliver a bunch of documents to someone, sending them flying across the hallway, and just when you’d given up and decided to call it a day, the fucking phone rang.

   You had just gotten out of the chair and put your jacket on. Ten more seconds and you would’ve been close enough to leaving that you wouldn’t have bothered to answer the damned thing. But you did.    And to put the cherry on top of this disaster of a day, the person calling was a designer friend of yours who you’d reached out to for help on a project involving the supers’ children.

   He was calling to let you know that unfortunately, despite already being a week into it, he wouldn’t be able to do it. There’d been a family emergency, and he had to pull out. Which effectively meant you’d have to start over.    And of course, that project was the one thing with a deadline which simply could not be pushed. Andy had been your first choice to help you with this, and you’d been so thrilled when he’d agreed, because you knew he’d understand what you were looking for.

   You’d been tasked with creating something like a gym-hall for the powered kids at the local schools, because they needed physical exercise as much as the next kid, but they could so easily hurt the normal children. But of course, the budget wasn’t great, and Management wanted you to do as much as you could with existing buildings and materials.    And that’s where Andy had sprung to mind, because he was a genius when it came to material and repurposing.

   But this was also why you were now in serious trouble, since no one could do what his mind was capable of, and Management was expecting your proposal within the next week.    The clock was already after 6pm when you got the call, and since you’d gotten used to working until eight or nine, you decided you might as well get started on trying to salvage this right away, rather than go home and still not be able to sleep because you’d be stressing over it.

   You took off your jacket and sat back down with a heavy sigh, then reached into your desk to retrieve the project file.    It was thick and heavy and slammed down on top of your desk with a thud. You opened it to the first page and started to look over what would have to be scrapped, and what could possibly still be utilized, already knowing you weren’t gonna be out of the office until past your bedtime, with such a thick folder to get through.

   So, hunched over your desk, leaning on your elbows with your head resting against one palm, tired, starving and completely engrossed in the papers in front of you, you never heard the light knock on the door, or when it clicked open and then closed again.    You didn’t notice the slight ruffle of clothes, or the presence of another person in your space, you just wanted to get this done so you could go home and crash.

   But you did notice the warmth of his arms as they came around you from behind and pulled your back into his chest and didn’t let you go again. You noticed his breath on your neck before he kissed it, slowly and ever so softly.    You noticed when he pulled you up and out of the chair and turned you around so that he could hug you properly.

   The file and the problems which were stacked a mile high on your shoulders, all disappeared when he brushed his lips against yours and that heat instantly flared somewhere in your chest and abdomen.    You made no attempt to control yourself, at all, letting your exhausted body decide for itself what it wanted right then, resulting in what you could only describe as another attack.

   The heat surged through you until every single inch of you felt red hot. You kissed him with every bit of passion and desire you were capable of, while your hands made their way to his belt and tugged his hips closer.    And he responded in kind, lifting you up on your desk and parting your legs with lightly quivering hands. You were wearing a skirt today and he pushed the fabric back all the way to your groin, before settling himself flush against you, letting you feel his arousal.  

   And damn, did he feel good.

   He broke the kiss to allow you both to breathe, and nuzzled into your neck, but when he felt you flex your hips against him, he growled and lightly bit your shoulder as his hands started squeezing and massaging their way along the outsides of your thighs.

   “Hermosa… if we keep this up for much longer, I don’t know if I can uphold my promise to take things slow,” he cautioned, with an unexpectedly feral vibration to his voice.

   “Mmh… You started this,” you retorted, receiving another growl as you ran your tongue along his jawline, tracing back towards his mouth to kiss him again.

   “Sweetheart…” he tried again, after very reluctantly pulling away from your lips, “Either ask me to stop now, or this office will be christened in bodily fluids in a moment.”

   For a few seconds, you were confused, because surely, you’d somehow been transported to a bedroom by now. That was where your head was at…    But no. A quick glance around revealed the mental image to be fake, and the dull cappuccino-coloured walls and sound absorbent ceiling to be the reality you were still mercilessly trapped in.    And that killed the mood like sand poured over a campfire.

   “Okay. Stop,” you grumbled, disappointed to have to leave the fantasy.

   He instantly pulled back and loosened his grip on you, but kept his hands on your thighs, and your hips close together, possibly to hide his very obvious erection from anyone happening to walk in. Like Anita…    For a minute, you just looked at each other’s blown pupils while trying to calm your breathing down, then he smiled.

   “Hi. How was your day?” he politely inquired, trying to distract himself most likely, but he couldn’t have chosen a worse question.

   “Ugh… If you ever need to quell my desires, trust me, that’s all you need to say.”

   And you weren’t kidding. The frustration, exhaustion, stress and general feeling of inadequacy slammed down on you like a concrete slab, and suddenly you felt impossibly heavy.    He noticed the shift in your energy and took his hands off your thighs, snaking them around your waist instead. He stared intently at you for a beat, and you could almost see his mind working to try and figure out which level of exhaustion would lead you to say that.

   “Oh, preciosa. You’re trying too hard. Ask for help, delegate, don’t try to do it all by yourself.”

   “I do delegate, Marcus. Fuck, some days all I do is delegate!” you exclaimed, throwing your hands in the air with hopelessness. “But that asshole, Turner, left behind a bigger mess than anyone even realized, so no matter how much I get done, there’s always another fifty problems left.    And now Andy bailed on me, which means I have to start all over again on the schools, which of course has the shortest deadline of everything I’m working on, and which was the one thing I thought was handled.    I really don’t know what more I can do?”

   You sagged against him, resting your forehead on his chest, wanting so badly to cry but you were somehow too spent even for that.

   “I can’t do this. I’m so tired,” you whimpered, and he started softly running his hands over your back again.

   “Why do you think I have sofas in my office? Naps are your friend, my dear,” he hummed, but you scoffed at that.

   “I haven’t even had time to eat today, when exactly am I supposed to-…”

   “What do you mean, you haven’t eaten?” he cut you off with a dead serious look and his voice was suddenly sharp against the quiet of the room. “Since when?”

   Taken aback by his sudden shift in temperament, it took you moment to remember you were supposed to reply, and then you had to try and recall when exactly you’d last eaten something.

   “Uh… Yesterday, around 7pm, I think. I ordered something. No wait, that was the day before…” you fumbled, genuinely unable to remember, and the Heroic was apparently most displeased with this.

   “Ne creo en mis oidos…” he said, in a tone you interpreted to be incredulous.

   You had no idea what the phrase meant, but he sounded almost angry as he untangled himself from your legs and reached for your jacket.    Sitting there on your desk, you couldn’t help but shrink a little at the thought that he was probably angry with you, even if you didn’t understand why. And you were so exhausted that even such a small thing was enough to make you want to run away, when you would have normally just challenged him.

   “Come on, hop off the desk, you’re coming with me,” he declared then, holding the jacket out for you so you could just slip your arms into it once you were off the table.

   “I can’t just leave all th-…”

   “Sweetheart, I admire your loyalty to your work,” he brusquely cut you off, “but get your ass off that desk right now.”

   Not even bothering to ask why or where you were going, you simply did what you were told, and he slipped the jacket on you and led you out of the building, having to help you stay upright by keeping an arm around your waist the whole way to his car.    You dozed in and out of sleep as the vehicle hummed its way along the roads, having no idea where he was taking you. But at some point, you must have fallen asleep for real, because you woke up to the passenger side door opening, and him reaching over to unbuckle you.

   “Hey, we’re here. Come on,” he beckoned, and when you looked out in front of the car, you saw a house which wasn’t yours, but didn’t think any more of it as you forced yourself to get out of the car and let Marcus drag you to the front door.

   “Hey, dad. You’re late,” a voice called out as soon as you stepped inside.

   “Hey, sweetie. I know, I’m sorry, but I had to help a friend,” he answered just as the person the voice belonged to came skipping into the front hall.

   Oh… His house, of course. Where else would he go at the end of the day?    His daughter. Possibly the most adorable human being you’d ever seen. If only you’d had the strength to greet her as politely and warmly as she did you.

   “Welcome to Casa Moreno. You’re the first woman my dad has ever brought here, I’m very impressed,” she smiled and winked at you, and you so wished you could’ve played along.

   “Missy,” her father cautioned, but half-heartedly at best, and his daughter knew it.

   “What?” she countered, sounding innocent but defiantly crossing her arms, daring him to try and deter her from enjoying what was apparently a rare moment for these two.

   “She’s exhausted, and I’m pretty sure she hasn’t eaten in anything between twenty-four to forty-eight hours, so just be nice, please.”

   “I am being nice; it was a compliment,” Missy tried to deflect, feigning absolute innocence, but it got her nowhere.

   “Don’t even try that with me, young padawan. Go set the table,” he ordered, before following her into the kitchen where he raided the fridge for leftover spaghetti and meatballs.

   You couldn’t help but smile at them as they continued bantering while they worked. But you got so lost in their lovable conversation that you didn’t even remember to ask if you were invited to sit down, and after a minute, the room started getting darker. Which was odd because the sun had already set, hadn’t it?    Still, it kept getting darker, until you realized it was all in your head. But by then you were already falling.

   You woke up to an extremely worried Marcus fidgeting with wet towels and… Was that a blood-pressure machine?    Then, out of nowhere, you suddenly felt completely panicked. You practically bounced up to sitting on what was apparently their living-room sofa, and immediately scrambled yourself into a tiny ball in the furthest corner of it.    Your entire body was shaking with fear, but you had no idea why.

   “Dad… What’s wrong with her?” Missy whispered from the other end of the sofa, and she sounded so worried.

   “It’s okay, sweetie, she’s just scared,” he tried to reassure her, but she was a smart girl, and this had apparently truly rattled her.

   “Of what? She was fine a minute ago.”

   “I’ll explain later,” he said, meeting her eyes so she’d know he meant it, but also using the moment to move back and give you more room before he tried to reach past your fears. “It’s okay. I promise you’re safe. You’re not trapped, you can move, you can talk, you’re not lost in the darkness.    You’re right here… with me.”

   His honey-soft voice soothed you, making you wonder how he could know exactly what to say to help you?    How did he know it was the darkness that had scared you? You hadn’t even realized it yourself until he’d said it.    At those last two words, his current came flowing through you, and it was like a balm, moving through your nerves, coaxing them to relax.

   “Hermosa,” he finally whispered, not with expectation or pressure, but as though the word was an invitation for you to have a safe haven within him.

   Willing your body to move again, you crawled towards him, and he helped you by meeting you halfway and then hugging you so tightly.

   “It’s okay, hermosa. You’re safe, I promise,” he mumbled into your cheek, and you tried to stop yourself from shaking but it didn’t work.

   “I’m sorry, I don’t know what happened,” you cried, still too tired for the massive cry that was still clawing around inside your chest, looking for a way out.

   “You just got lost. We all do sometimes.”

   “What’s wrong with me?” you asked, your voice breaking with too many emotions to name.

   But Marcus pulled back to look at you then, and there was something very reassuring about how much he seemed to believe in what he said next.

   “How many times do I have to tell you, sweetheart? Surviving what you did was impossible. Did you really think something like that wouldn’t stay with you?    There’s nothing wrong with you. Being afraid of things that have seriously hurt you isn’t wrong, it’s wise. You were trapped in darkness for a long time, feeling helpless and weak. It’s only natural for you to be scared when faced with those same sensations again.”

   There was nothing wrong with his logic, you just couldn’t understand where the depth of his insight was coming from.

   “But… how did you know that that’s what I was feeling?”

   “I was with you all the way, remember? I saw every stage of your recovery. Every hurdle, every obstacle, and every victory, big and small. I know you,” he said, shifting one hand up to your face to catch the tears as they finally began to fall.

   If you’d had a crush on him before, you were now certain that you absolutely loved this man. And you really wanted to tell him about it, but perhaps not in front of his daughter, still standing by the end of the sofa, when he clearly hadn’t told her about you yet.    Not that there was much to tell, it wasn’t like you’d even been on a single date yet, you’d just… made out.    You sighed and closed your eyes, leaning your cheek into the comforting warmth of his palm. This really had been a terrible fucking day.

   “Hey, you still have to eat something, or you’re gonna collapse again,” he gently reminded you, while beginning to rise.

   You let him help you to your feet and over to the kitchen where he sat you down at the table before getting back to re-heating the leftovers.    Having fully expected Missy to keep a safe distance after watching you have a breakdown, you were quite surprised when she brazenly came to sit next to you instead, plopping down in her chair as though this had been the most normal, inconsequential evening ever.

   “So, you’re the one,” she pondered, but with that cleverness children had to their tone when they were equal parts curious and sure about what they already knew.

   “Huh?” was all you responded, confused by the notion that she would know anything about you.

   “The one the mad scientist… hurt,” she elaborated, and it sounded like that little pause was her catching herself before saying something else.

   It made you wonder how much she might understand about what had been done to you, and whether what she’d been about to say might’ve been something like “tortured” or “killed”, either of which would’ve been technically accurate, but perhaps harsher to hear.    The mere fact she’d stopped herself said a lot about her maturity and sensitivity towards others, and it softened something inside your chest as you listened to her continue to explain.

   “Dad wouldn’t tell me too much about it, but I read some articles and I saw a few of the news reels,” she confessed, quietly, in the hopes her father wouldn’t overhear and scold her for circumventing his efforts to protect her from the horror of it. “And he did tell me how you were so sick no one knew if you’d ever wake up. And then when you did, he said he needed to help you because he seemed to be the only one who could.    He wasn’t home much for those few months.”

   She finished on a thoughtful note, but it made you terribly sad and regretful.    You’d known that Marcus had needed Anita’s help to look after her while he’d helped you, but you’d had no clue of how extensively he’d been absent. Now that you thought about it, though, you could remember countless evenings of his diligent efforts, never hesitating to keep working well past his regular hours if he felt it was needed.    All for you. Which made it feel like your fault.

   “Oh… Missy, I’m sorry.”

   “No, no, that’s not what I meant!” she hurried to correct you, and you felt like it was important to her that you understood this. “It’s not your fault, of course it isn’t.    What I’m trying to say is, I’m really glad all his efforts helped you in the end. Cause dad… Well, he was so sad all the time you were in the coma, until he started being able to help you, and then it was like… he came alive too.    It means a lot to him, you know. That you made it.”

   Her father had his back to the two of you, while he worked on the leftovers, so you couldn’t see his face. But you were close enough that he should’ve heard most of this conversation, and something about the stillness of his movements told you he had, and that it was probably affecting him deeply.

   “I couldn’t have done it without him,” you replied, a little louder to be sure he heard it, before turning your full attention back to his daughter. “And I’m sorry you had to see me freak out like that before. I’m not normally this… fragile.”

   “It’s okay. We’re all allowed to have bad days, right?” she chirped, and you chuckled, but entirely without humour.

   “Yep. I just wish I could have a good one someday soon. Or I think I might really break.”

   You’d turned sombre and serious again, and if anything, you’d have expected her to not know what to say to that.    But contrarily, her eyes brightened, and a sly smile filled her face.

   “I’m sure my dad can help you with that too,” she grinned, actually cocking an eyebrow at you as she got up from the table.

   She then skipped over to a flabbergasted Marcus, the poor man too flustered to know how to react, hugged him goodnight and then disappeared down the hall, having already had her dinner at a reasonable hour.    You watched her disappear down the body of the house, realizing with both joy and dread, that you already loved his kid as well.

   “Um, I’m really sorry about-… She’s nev-… I’ve never seen her behave like this before,” he stammered once she’d left, clearly seriously rattled by Missy’s not so subtle attempt at matchmaking.

   “Don’t worry about it. I think she’s amazing,” you reassured him, and he threw a nervous glance over his shoulder, visibly relaxing when he saw the earnest smile in your eyes.

   You wondered if some part of him had been anxious about the two of you meeting, or thought you might not like her, for some inexplicable reason. Which then made you think it was possible he hadn’t just not brought any women home before, but possibly not even gone on a date since the loss of his wife.    Because you couldn’t think of any other reason he’d be so nervous about all this.

   Once he’d recovered, he brought the plates over and all but ordered you to dig in, while he did the same.    You didn’t really feel all that hungry anymore, mostly you just wanted to sleep. But with each delicious bite it was like your body began to remember it actually needed this stuff, and you ended up helping yourself to another large serving.    Which Marcus heartily approved of.

   “Now, that’s the appetite I’m used to seeing with you,” he grinned. “Feel better?”

   “Loads,” you admitted, noticing how a full stomach seemed to have made so many of your troubles seem a lot smaller.

   You leaned back in your chair once the last bite was swallowed, holding your glass of water and taking slow sips, when he reached out and took your other hand, resting on the edge of the table.

   “Hey. You can’t skip meals. I don’t care how hard you’re working, without fuel you will crash, that’s just a fact,” he admonished, and you stared at your empty plate, feeling like a kid being scolded for skipping class.

   He squeezed your hand, looking for a response and when he didn’t get one, he pushed his chair back and turned his whole body towards you.

   “Look at me, hermosa,” he demanded, and you did.

   “You. Can. Do. This,” he articulated, believing every word himself. “Find a way to do it on your terms. Find a way to make the tasks fall in line behind you, don’t let them try and climb onto your back and stack themselves on top of you. Force Management to hire you your own assistant if that’s what it takes.    You’re stronger than this, I know you are. Stop trying to shape yourself into a manager and start making the manager shape itself from you.    My hermosa doesn’t let a fucking job dictate her life.”

   Yes, everything he said was good and made you want to believe it. But in the end, all you really registered was one thing.

   My hermosa.

   You put your glass down and leaned over to kiss him, and for the first time, you didn’t lose control. You just kissed him. Warmly, lovingly, with your hands on his cheeks. And he just kissed you back. With no demands, no expectations.    But as much as you loved the intimacy and the comfort of being so welcomed by him, your body had been fed a huge meal and all remaining strength was now being rerouted to handle all that nutrition.

   He noticed how limp you were getting even before you did, and quickly helped you to your feet before you fell asleep at the table. Then he practically carried you to a bathroom, where you found some extra reserve of strength to brush your teeth and use the toilet, before he brought you to a bedroom. There, you flopped down on a soft and cool bed while he took off your shoes and helped you get under the covers.

   “I’d ask if you want me to help you undress, but I might get ideas,” he whispered while he pulled a few errant strands of hair back from your face.

   You could hear the smile in his voice, and you wanted to say something clever in return, but you were only seconds from unconsciousness by then, so all you could manage was a less than sexy grunt.    The last thing you were aware of before you succumbed to the blissfulness of sleep, was his lips brushing against your temple, and a whisper to sleep tight.

[phantomdoofer]

Chapter Four - Amicos

Peppino stretched as the sun rose. He stared at the ceiling from his couch, thinking. It was the second day since Giuseppe had shown up and turned Peppino's world upside-down. Yesterday he had received a message from an unlisted number:

Well, she didn't kill me. I may have a couple of cracked ribs, though. And thank goodness for the beard, else she might've broken my cheekbone. She wants you to come see her, of course. We're visiting Gustavo tonight. I'll be in touch when I can. G

He chuckled. Glad Ma still has that much spice in her. He knew her health was failing. Giuseppe was right, he should go visit. Who knew how much time he had left with her. The thought was... sobering. He'd only had a few years with Papa before he was taken. All his friends except Gustavo were gone. He was happy that his... brother was going to be in his life again. But his Ma had always been his touchstone, his rock. She had taken him in after the war, still half-mad with grief and shock. Put up with his drunken stupors, his rages, his depression, until he finally managed to get a life started.

Not today, he thought. Tomorrow. He'd close up early and take his scooter over.

He stood up and headed off to prepare for the day.

~~~~

Lunchtime, and Gustavo still hadn't contacted him. That was unusual. Even if he wasn't coming in, he always contacted Peppino. He was meticulous that way. It was a good trait to have - Peppino himself could be sloppy, absent-minded. You're a classic artiste, amico, Gustavo had told him one day. Too bad his bills didn't see it that way.

Peppino handed a customer their pizza. "Sorry for-a the wait, I'm a bit short-staffed today. Buona giornata!" They thanked him and left, the next customer stepping to the counter. I wish he'd at least contact me. He was getting concerned, his customers the only thing keeping him from starting to panic. He idly memorized the customer's order as he thought. Giuseppe said they were visiting him last night. Did something happen?

As Peppino quickly tossed the next pie's crust into the air, his phone buzzed in his pocket, and a knock came at the back door. Oh, grazie a Dio, he thought. He laid the crust on the board and wiped off his hands, then went and opened the door. "Thank goodness amico, I was getting worried-"

Except it wasn't Gustavo. It was Brick, looking concerned. Again Peppino was astounded by how human the giant rat could be. She sniffed at him, poked him with her nose, and looked pointedly in the direction of Gustavo's place.

Something was wrong. He checked his phone.

The same unlisted number.

Gustavo needs you, fratellino. It didn't go well. G

His heart skipped a beat. He hurriedly finished the pizza, apologized to the other waiting customers saying he had a family emergency, and quietly closed up the shop. Before he could hop on his scooter, Brick grabbed him and tossed him on her back. "Ehi, grosso ratto, non così in fretta-!" Too late, she was off, going as fast as his scooter. He relaxed on her back - it was a surprisingly smooth ride.

~~~~

When he arrived at Gustavo's apartment, he found one of Giuseppe's people waiting outside the building. The young woman approached him as he got off. "Mr. Spaghetti, glad you're here." She eyed Brick. "Damn big rat. Anyway, your friend didn't take it well last night, so the Major asked me to keep an eye on the place. He hasn't left yet."

Peppino nodded. Gustavo's parents had long passed. As far as he knew, he didn't have any siblings. It was just him and Brick.

Considering his own shock, he could only imagine how Gustavo felt.

"I'll-a check on him. It's OK, I don't think I'll need any help."

She nodded. "I'm still going to stick around. The Major's too concerned for me to do otherwise." She grinned. "And it's a nice day out."

Peppino nodded and started up the stairs.

Here it is. He knocked. "Gustavo? Amico? It's me! Do you mind if I come in?"

Silence.

Brick nosed the flowerpot next to the door. Peppino reached in and found a key. Really, Gustavo? A key in the flowerpot? That's the oldest trick in the book. He gently unlocked the door, and Brick pushed in past him.

Peppino gently closed the door behind him, then turned to look. Gustavo's home was just as he remembered it from the last time he'd been here - potted plants everywhere, some decorative, some herbs. The lingering smell of spices and pasta. A faint smell of rat. But he noticed the plants looked a bit wilted, and the smell of rat was stronger. He saw, just visible over the back of the couch, a faint hint of red-brown hair.

Gustavo.

Peppino approached slowly. "Gustavo? Amico? I was worried about you. Brick came and brought me here."

Silence.

Peppino walked around the couch. Gustavo was sitting stock-still, staring straight ahead. The classic thousand-yard stare. Oh no. He'd had this reaction so many times, but he'd never seen it on Gustavo, even when the stocky gnome had been wounded saving him. He was always cheerful, solid. To see him like this was like seeing the moon fall from the sky. He approached and carefully sat down beside him. Easy, Peppino, play this extra safe. He waved a hand in front of Gustavo's eyes. Slowly, he blinked. He turned to look at Peppino, a faraway look of recognition on his face.

"Peppino?" he said, faintly. "Amico?"

"Sì, Gustavo," Peppino said, "Sono qui. Ero preoccupato."

Gustavo looked down at his hands. He'd squeezed them together so tightly the nails had drawn blood. The blood had run down onto his pants, but it was long dried. The sight disturbed Peppino even more. Gustavo looked up. "Men came last night, to talk to me. One of them looked like you."

Peppino nodded.

Gustavo looked back down. "He... told me things. Things that didn't make sense. He said I was... a clone. Of another Gustavo. That it happened when I was little." He shivered. "He told me so many things about the other one. About how the government stole him away, and made me. How they were friends. Like brothers. How they traveled around the world." Tears started to well up in his eyes. "I asked where this other me was, why if it was so important I know these things, why he wasn't the one telling me." The tears started flowing. "He told me he died. He died. Saving him. I died."

Suddenly Gustavo was wrapped around Peppino, bawling. "I'm not dead! I'm not a clone! I'm here! I work with you! I have you and Brick and- and-" he choked. "That's all I have."

Peppino was crying, too. "Oh, amico. I'm so sorry." He stroked the gnome's hair, hugging and gently kissing the top of his head.

After a while, Gustavo spoke again. "He... the one who looked like you... said he didn't like telling me. But he said I had to know. He said... there are a lot of people who are clones, all over the country, and the government is going to announce it." Gustavo sniffed. "He said... you were one. Of him."

Peppino stroked his head. "Sì. It's true. At least I think it is." He told Gustavo of the meeting in the basement, their long discussion, the revelation that broke the other man. Gustavo watched with red-rimmed eyes, unusually silent.

Finally, he spoke. "So, it really is true. But... how? Why would they do such a thing?"

Peppino shrugged. "He said it was still classified, but it had to do with people with special talents."

Gustavo sniffed again. "But what special talents do I have? I can't charge through metal and stone, or run up walls, like you."

Peppino chuckled. "Amico, I've watched you pick up barrels with one hand I couldn't lift with two. Gnomes are special."

Brick snuggled her snout into Gustavo's lap, snuffling his face. He grinned, rubbing her snout. Peppino relaxed. Grazie a Dio per quel topo. "The man was crying when he left."

Peppino looked down. "You reminded him of his friend. Losing a friend... one like you... is hard."

Peppino grabbed Gustavo's hand. "You were my friend all through that war. When that damned tower showed up, you helped me. Afterwards you came to help me even more. I will always be here for you, amico."

Tears welled up in Gustavo's eyes again. He buried his face in Brick's fur.

Peppino held his friend's hand and patted his back until the sun went down.

<<Previous/Next>>

[apocalypticavolition]

Let's (re)Read The Great Hunt! Chapter 28: A New Thread in the Pattern

If I were one of those Net Troll Aiel, you'd never see my spoilers coming unless I wanted you to. Perhaps I am one and do want that, or maybe I'm an incompetent, but either way. There are spoilers for the whole Wheel of Time series under the cut.

Perrin watched the mountains of Kinslayer’s Dagger uncomfortably as he rode.

Hey, Perrin's back! And we've got a wolf icon. Because it's a Perrin chapter! It's not complicated.

The wolves said there were people in the mountains. Perrin wondered if they were some of Fain’s Darkfriends.

Not everyone is a Darkfriend, Perrin. You of all three boys have least reason to be this universally paranoid since you didn't actually run into any Darkfriends on your journey except maybe a couple of the Children.

Mat, his bow slung across his back, rode with seeming unconcern, juggling three colored balls, yet he looked paler than he had. Verin examined him two and three times a day now, frowning, and Perrin was sure she had even tried Healing at least once, but it made no difference Perrin could see.

Verin already being just a good person by trying to help Mat since she's here.

“Tell me again! Anything I may have missed, anything that will help me find the Horn. . . .” Ingtar drew a breath and let it out slowly.

Rand must not be able to think about the glory of the horn because Lanfear and Ingtar are hogging it all. Dude is getting a bit monomaniacal.

The wolves call him—or it—Shadowkiller; I think it was a man, but they wouldn’t go close enough to see clearly.

Ingtar's immediate leap to shadowspawn under the circumstances only enforces how corrupted his time made him.

“He flaming wanted me to see him, or I likely wouldn’t have.” Uno sounded disgusted at admitting it.

Uno, you're a great guy. I don't know that you're Horn great exactly, but you're a great guy.

He was a tall man, with skin dark from the sun and red hair cut short except for a tail in the back that hung to his shoulders.

Someone please tell the Aiel that the 80s are long gone and that their hairstyles didn't look good when they were contemporary, let alone thousands of years after the fact.

“Maybe Ingtar’s right,” Mat added quietly. “Maybe Rand is an Aiel.”

Perrin nodded. “But it doesn’t change anything.”

“No, it doesn’t.” Mat sounded as if he were talking about something beside what Perrin meant.

What are either of you talking about? Mat, are you planning on betraying Rand or something? It feels like what you'd be considering that now since the Portal Stones push you off that path for good.

But you have the look of those who have made the journey to Rhuidean and survived.

Urien must be suffering from excessive hydration and hallucinating as a result, since Verin very much does not have this look.

“You call it the Waste,” Urien said. “To us it is the Three-fold Land. A shaping stone, to make us; a testing ground, to prove our worth; and a punishment for the sin.”

Oh hey, here's another mention of sin - though of course this particular sin was really more an offense against Aes Sedai than the universe.

I . . . can tell you only what is known to all. Rhuidean lies in the lands of the Jenn Aiel, the thirteenth clan.

Since there apparently still are some Jenn (How? Why? Etc?), one wonders if perhaps they really do live there. Maybe underground? They've got to be somewhere, and Aiels are quite good at finding people, so...

“What would I not give,” Verin murmured, gazing up at Urien, “to have you in the White Tower. Or just willing to talk. Oh, be still, man. I won’t harm you. Unless you mean to harm me, with your talk of dancing.”

I like to think that Verin's whole life has been a series of events like this one where she almost gets to learn something astounding by the standards of the Tower but doesn't really get to focus on it because of the gravity of her real mission.

���He Who Comes With the Dawn. It is said there will be great signs and portents of his coming. I saw that you were from Shienar by your escort’s armor, and you had the look of a Wise One, so I thought you might have word of great events, the events that might herald him.”

“I cannot tell you where he is, Urien,” she said, “and I have heard of no signs or portents to guide you to him.”

Urien had a good instinct since these people absolutely could tell him about Rand.

They won't though. This is another great Aes Sedai tier lie. She can't tell him where Rand is at the moment and she doesn't know of any particular omens that would be relevant to Urien's quest. She knows plenty about the subject of course. She's just not sharing.

Of course, as much as I love Verin, I must admit that even she has her blindspots and biases, being willing to consider the possibility that the Aiel are nothing more than a Shadow's corruption of prophecy. Dang girl, that's cold and wrong.

Softly, as to herself, Verin spoke, still staring at the ground. “It must be a part, and yet how? Does the Wheel of Time weave threads into the Pattern of which we know nothing? Or does the Dark One touch the Pattern again?”

Speaking of, next time: It's bigger! It's badder! It's Texas!

[vro0m]

I knew you wouldn't let me down with your answer to my question about Lewis! I'm so glad I'm not the only one who could talk for hours about him. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love the thrill of watching races, but I will always be most interested in the people involved and Lewis is one of the most interesting and complex people I've ever come across. I feel like almost every time I see a new interview or he posts something online or whatever it may be, I learn something new about him.

I've definitely noticed his defensiveness in earlier years too. And like you said, totally understandable given everything he'd been through to even get to Formula 1, let alone what he's endured while in the sport. I could be totally off here but to me it really speaks to a lack of confidence. Or not a lack per say, that definitely doesn't seem like the right word for him now that I've typed it out lol, but maybe a self-doubt niggling in the back of his mind. I wonder if part of the reason he came off as cocky back then was because there was an overcompensation on his part, that he had a chip on his shoulder and perhaps a sense of responsibility to his family and especially his father who sacrificed so much, to his team to prove their investment in him was worth it, to himself of course. Perhaps he felt like no one would take him seriously if he didn't back himself up so much.

Lewis tries very hard to seem like he doesn't care what people think of him or have to say about him, but I think he actually cares a lot. It shows in his earlier defensiveness, in, as you said, his need to have control, in his carefully curated image, etc. Personally I don't really think that's a bad thing at all and I don't blame him for a second, but I understand why some would find it off-putting.

I’m glad you enjoyed the answer! I agree that he is very multifaceted. There’s a lot of layers to him, which makes him very interesting indeed.

I think the defensiveness comes from different things (all of which are of course pure speculation). First off, as you said, he might have doubted himself a bit, but at the same time he got such astounding results right from the get-go that that should have reassured him I believe. However he seems to have had doubts in 2009, when Jenson won, and then in the later McLaren years, when the car wasn’t good enough but not straight-up bad either and yet he couldn’t get results. When he starts winning consistently again with Mercedes, his relief is palpable. Also, there was definite pressure at the start of his career due to, as you mentioned, responsibility to his family and dad. He had to show everybody it was all worth it, the culmination of that being his ‘08 title. But then it took such a long time for him to win his second title, it must have been hard to keep his faith up during these years for sure. Also there might have been some impostor syndrome there, as he was and still is in a space that makes him feel like he isn’t welcome and shouldn’t be there.

Another thing that I believe contributed to both the defensiveness at the time and his current carefully curated image, as you so rightly put it, is the constant attacks he’s been under from the start. Sometimes the criticism was valid, sometimes he really made mistakes. But it’s difficult to not get defensive when people criticize you constantly, for every little thing you do, and attack your character as well. How could he have heard the valid things when he was hearing so many wrong things at the same time? How can you take into account all the hurtful things thrown at you to try to find the truth in it? How do you even know, then, that some of it is true and it’s not all slander? How do you protect yourself from the things that are just slander as you try to hear the truth? At some point it’s just self-preservation. You can’t listen to all the criticism when so much of it is unfounded, or you do, as you said, lose confidence and start doubting yourself. Now, with maturity, he’s been able to come up with an arguably better defense mechanism with this very controlled persona, but, as you said, it serves the same purpose as the defensiveness  once did.

It’s also difficult to be vulnerable. It’s true in general for all of us, but in particular when you’re surrounded by rivals that can and will use it against you. I think it’s admirable how openly sensitive he still manages to be given his circumstances, even through that public image filter. He earned it in a way, because he’s come so far and even though the criticism is relentless, it’s impossible to deny the place he carved for himself in this sport now. His legacy is indisputable. It would be much harder for a younger and/or less successful driver to be that way. He himself couldn’t be like that earlier in his career and life. In that sense, vulnerability is a privilege sometimes. Both in his case and for all of us at large. None of us is defensive and guarded without reason, and those of us who manage to be this open are very lucky (and very brave) to be able to be so, in a sense. However, he also seems to endorse it as a duty, a responsibility to his fans, to show that it is possible to let yourself be vulnerable and admit your shortcomings and talk about how you feel and that good things also come of it. I guess it is something he himself discovered on his path to undo that defensiveness and wants to teach others.

The cockiness, I believe, is partly, as we said, self-preservation, partly being a young F1 driver. I have noticed a lot of them are just like that in their early years. Seb was like that. Ricciardo was like that. Lando is like that. George is like that. And of course Max is like that. I mean there’s many examples. I’ve seen very few young drivers be humble tbh. It’s just part of youth overall I believe, many young adults are a bit cocky in some way. A bit egotistic. Feeling untouchable like you do in teenagehood. Feeling like you know better. And of course when you’re existing in such a competitive space on top of it, you have to be cocky, extremely confident, to assert that you’re worth it and that you’ve earned your seat. There’s so many others that could and want to push you out and take it from you. When these drivers prove themselves and know that they’re not so at risk of losing their F1 seat anymore, and also as they grow a bit older and find self-worth in other areas than their job, they tend to tune it down. Also usually, a few things happen in the meantime, both to drivers and people in general, that tend to humble you somewhat... It was definitely the case with Lewis.

Also Lewis is a bit cocky lol. This is the type of things he mostly hides behind the mask because people dislike it but here and there you see him be boastful, proud, arrogant. He believes he’s supposed to win, he should win. Like, it’s his right to win and be the best. He was born for it, he basically says so. He is extremely competitive and he’s said repeatedly he’s a sore loser. There’s this radio message from the Mercedes domination era... He wins a race and says “I hope you’re not getting tired of it cause I’m not” or something to that extent. Also “I’m build different.”, all of these things. I mean, that’s not humble, you know? But it’s well earned by now (and also just human nature) so fuck the haters.