#at one part it was like super quiet and stuff and i had some coins in my pocket

[abba-cchio]

i just rewatched across the spiderverse and i just now noticed that the hoodie miles puts under his big jacket in earth 42 is purple, since he's the prowler there, as opposed to his red hoodie in his own universe, since he's spiderman

cool little detail i didn't pick up the first time :)

[lavenderjacobs]

fluff alphabet - Sapnap

➳ wc; 2,1K (she’s a long one lol)  ➳ pronouns; gender neutral<3 ➳ song reccomendation; heart eyes - coin

A=Attractive (What do they find most attractive in a partner?)

nick’s an ass guy and you can’t convince me otherwise. he’s also just loves your thighs and your stomach. he loves how soft your skin is, and how good you smell. whenever he’s sad he just rests his head on your stomach while you tangle you fingers in his hair. 

B=Best memory (Their favourite memory of you)

he cherishes your first kiss so much. he just has such a soft spot for that memory. the moment he finally found out you felt the same about him, the moment he finally found out what your lips against his felt like. it’s just something he had looked forward to for forever, and to him, it was perfect. 

C=Cuddles  (What type of cuddles do they like?)

sapnap is a WHORE for cuddles. if it where up to him, you two would just lay in bed all day, tangled in each other’s arms. after a long day, he just wants to hold his favourite person and fall asleep with them, so he just wraps his arms around your waist while he uses your chest as a pillow. but if he’s in a chatty mood, he’ll just talk your ears off, ranting about something he finds interesting, while you’re all snuggled up in the crook between his neck and shoulder. 

D=Dirty mind (Do they have a dirty mind?)

I mean, come on. it’s sapnap. we all know he does. he gets *excited* very easily, which can sometimes get in the way when you two are just trying to cuddle. he just has such a soft spot for your body and has to have his way with you once certain ideas have entered his mind. 

E=Effort (How much effort do they put in the relationship?)

nick would definitely try his best. honestly you don't care if his plans actually turn out the way he intented them to, it's the thought that counts. and nick knows that. but theres just something about you that makes him want to spoil you and treat you like a princess. so prepare yourself for fancy dates, him making you your favorite food, all that type of stuff.

F=First date (What was your first date together)

arcade date arcade date arcade date. sap is super competitive and I feel like he would thrive in an arcade. he would play it off like he was just trying to proof how good he was at the arcade games. but he'd just love to see how hard you would be trying to beat him. obviously he'd let you win a lot, and when he collected enough tickets, he would get you the biggest prize he could find.

G=Gentle (How gentle are they with you?)

it....depends???? lmao. nick CAN be super gentle with you, he’s pretty protective of you and would never want you to get hurt, so he’s definitely very careful not to do anything to hurt you. but sometimes his instinct just kinda takes over and well, he can get pretty rough. 

H=Hands (Do they have nice hands?)

hmmm nick has like,,very manly hands,, if you know what i mean. i dont know, they're just so rough but yet so pretty??? and they're like really big compared to yours so when he holds ur hand, yours looks so tiny in his. and omg he won't shut up about it. "LOOK AT YOUR HANDS THEY'RE SO SMALL🥺"

I=Impression (What was their first impression?)

he just thought you were so ~cool~. like he immediately knew he wanted to be your friend. he was just so in awe of how funny, chill and charismatic you were. and it literally took two days for him to develop a crush on you. his friends would notice this right away and tease him about it so much omg.

J=Jealousy (Do they get jealous often? If so what do they do?)

YUP. nick gets jealous so easy yup yup yup. jealousy, protectiveness, possessiveness, you name it. you two would often get in fights about this, but most of the time you would just think it’s cute how riled up he gets. he doesn’t get mad at you (because you’re his precious little baby and can do no wrong in his eyes :D) but god help the souls of whoever tries to flirt with you, because they’ve got a hell of a storm coming.

K=Kisses (What type of kisses do they like/give?)

god nick’s such a passionate kisser. or at least he can be lol. he loves the way your face fits into his hands, and how soft your lips are. so he definitely is a fan of just some wholesome passionate kisses. but damn this man gets sloppy when he wants to. his lips constantly trails off to your jaw, neck and collar bones.

L=Love  (Do they show their love?)

i feel like his love language would be like a mix between words of affection and physical touch??? he’s definitely very verbal with his love for you. he doesn’t shy away from saying i love you or letting you know how much he appreciates you in any other way.

M=Memory: (Their favourite memory in general?)

there are certain moments where nick just sits back, watches, and realizes how amazing his life is. and how grateful he is to have you. for example, you were playing minecraft on his pc, and your house kept getting blown up by creepers, he found it adorable how mad you got every time. he just watched you play, while sitting on his bed. after a while, you looked over at him, and caught him staring. “what?” you asked after letting out a soft chuckle. he felt like he was gonna explode from how much he loved you. 

N=Nickname  (What nicknames do they call you?)  

i’m getting very strong “baby” and “doll” vibes from nick. he loves baby-ing you and smothering you with other loving nicknames. just any petnames that show how much he loves you he’s all for. he would also love calling you “pretty” or “beautiful” for obvious reasons. 

O=Over  (What happened the one time you ‘broke up’?)

nick HATES fighting with you, but once you two get into an argument he can get pretty carried away. he’s definitely the type to let his emotions get the upper hand on him. raising his voice a lot, stuff like that. but the second you leave to get some space he just breaks down. sliding down the wall and resting his face in his hands, just letting all the emotions out. he never meant to hurt you. when you came back to him, ready to be enclosed in his arms again, he had a hard time letting you back in. he just felt like he didn’t deserve you after he treated you like this. it took some convincing, but once you broke down his walls again, it was like he gave you all the love in his body. just smothering you with “i’m sorry”s and kisses. 

P=Parents (What would they be like as a parent?)

dilfnap dilfnap dilfnap  omg he’d be such a good dad. like just very caring and loving, but also strict and stern when he needs to be. he’d constantly be telling stories to the kids about the absurd adventures him and his friends would get into, and omg the dad jokes he’d make. idk maybe it’s my daddy issues but dad sapnap lives in my mind rent free. 

Q=Quirk (Something special about them)

he loves holding your hand. especially in public. if you’re in a crowded space, he just holds onto you very tightly as not to lose you. or if you two are just going on a walk together, his hands would just feel so warm and soft around yours. and omg he loves it when his hands are in his pockets, and you put your hands in there with him, and intertwine your fingers with his. hmmm he gets so soft when you do that.

R=Romantic (How romantic are they?)

i- uh- I MEAN HE WOULD TRY he really would, and again, that’s all that matters. I feel like he would be the type to try to prepare a whole surprise dinner, he would cook all the food himself, he would set the table all cute, with candles and shit, but just completely ruin the surprise by accidentally giving it all away by saying something or just behaving very obviously suspicious. 

S=Sad (What are they like when they’re sad?)

he just gets really quiet. he would never want to bother you or be a pain in the ass by complaining to you. but obviously you notice when something is wrong with ur bby boy. a sentence like “are you okay?” or “what’s wrong?” would immediately send him over the edge, burying his face in your chest, trying his best to supress his sobs. but he eventually calms down, and once he does, he’s able to just rant to you about whatever is bothering him.

T=Together (What are they like when you’re together?)

i feel like it would really depend on his mood, like he could be either SUPER chill, just wanting to savour the time you two had together. or he could be really hyper, constantly talking, wanting to do all kinds of activities with you. he’d be the literal definition of :D

U=Understanding (How understanding and empathetic are they?)

very. i just get such empathetic vibes from him. he’s such a good listener and he’ll just listen to you talk whenever you have something to be upset about. he never invalidates your feelings and omg he’d give the best advice. 

V=Value (What do they value most about the relationship?)

he loves that he can 100% be his self around you. there’s no part of his personality that he feels like he has to hide, or tone down, whenever he’s with you. you also aspire him to be his best self, he just wants to be the best boyfriend in the world. all his friends have noticed this too, you bring out the best in him.

W=Wedding (Would they want marriage? If so what would they like?)

eh. if you’re a person who really values marriage, he’d 100% do it for you. but it’s not like he HAS to. he gets a bit scared by the idea of this whole big event, where everything is about you two, he would way rather celebrate the love you two have in the comfort of your own home, just the two of you. the one thing he would love about a wedding, would be seeing you all dolled up, walking down the aisle, omg he’d be the proudest man ever to be able to call you his.

X=X-Ray (How well can they read you?)

the SECOND you start to feel sad or depressed in any way, nick notices immediately. he knows you better than anybody else, and he knows exactly what to do to cheer you up. it’s like his superpower. if you’re feeling anxious he’ll just wrap his arms around you really tightly, holding on to you until you calm down. and when you’re sad, and in need for something to cheer you up, he’ll take you outside for a walk in the park, or he’ll just sit in bed with you, watching your favourite show. 

Y=Yuck (What they would never want in a partner)

he hates when you flirt with his friend, even when you’re very obviously joking. his jealous ass can’t deal with that lmao. he also gets super pissed when his friends make flirtatious jokes towards you, they know how much it gets on his nerves and that’s really the only reason they do it. but omg he gets so pissed when it happens. 

Zzz (How do they sleep around you?)

nick would be the cutest sleeper ever omg. he doesn’t like to admit it, but he loves being little spoon. he loves resting his head on your chest, while you play with his hair, patiently waiting for him to fall asleep. 

[readyplayerhobi]

Flower | 32

; Hoseok x Reader

; Genre: Fluff

; Word Count: 4k

; Synopsis: You finally decide to take a dip into the world of online dating and find the Flower dating app. One of the top matches for you proves to be a guy who looks to be your complete opposite; tattooed, pierced, a metalhead and oh…incredibly handsome. What happens when you throw caution to the wind and reach out to him?

; A/N: A light chapter that I hope you’ll all enjoy! It’s fluffy and fun...but there’s also something significant that happens in it. So PLEASE let me know your thoughts and what you liked about it! The feedback has been decreasing as we’re getting to the end, which is a little disheartening :)

; Flower Masterpost

-

“Hobi! Oh my god, try this. It’s so delicious.” You practically moaned out, almost wiggling with delight on the aluminium seat. It wasn’t too hot thankfully, the clouds a little overcast but the hoodie you wore combat any chill. Still, you couldn’t bring yourself to care.

Because you were on vacation. And not the kind of vacations you were used to, which were usually a little weekend break here and there at the closest beach or some nature park. You didn’t have any kind of issue with those places of course but you’d always yearned to be able to travel even further. Explore other countries.

Which is what you were doing right now. 

For your second anniversary, Hoseok had surprised you with two weeks in Italy. Two things about that had shocked you. Firstly, the very fact that you’d now been with Hoseok for two years. Secondly, that he’d saved up some of his much higher salary and chosen to take you to one of the countries you’d always wanted to visit.

You hadn’t even known that he’d managed to subtly arrange it with your manager, a woman that you liked and enjoyed working for now. Two weeks of vacation time had been booked for you quietly and he’d organised the hotel, flights and even buying new suitcases. Stuff like this only happened in fiction, or so you’d thought.

But here you were, in the heart of Rome. It had already been a week and you’d eagerly taken in the magnificent sites of the Colosseum, the imposing Pantheon and the ancient Forum. As a lover of history, every part of it had excited you and you’d happily dragged Hoseok around to read every single information stand available while begging him to agree to go inside them all.

Not that he’d taken much begging really, he was just as eager to see things as you were. The only difference was that he was excited because of all the fantastic photo opportunities he was discovering. He’d brought his top of the line camera with him and was going wild with it, finding all the best angles and lighting to bring Rome’s important buildings to life.

For once, you’d been more than happy to pose for his photos. Each picture had you smiling so brightly, happiness evident in every part of you as you just relaxed and enjoyed yourself.

Hoseok leans forward, mouth open and waiting as you scoop up a good amount of pasta onto your fork. Carefully, a hand underneath to avoid any fallout, you fed it to him and watched his reaction eagerly. He chewed for a moment, expression thoughtful before letting out a quiet hum of appreciation.

While Hoseok had opted to go for a pizza bianca, you’d instead chosen the intriguing-sounding pasta alla gricia. It was better than you’d thought it would be, given you’d been a little unsure over the ingredients at first and your boyfriend agreed with your thought process as he nodded with a smile.

“It is good. Do you want a slice of this? It’s also better than it looks. Never considered having a pizza without tomato sauce anymore but...when in Rome, right?” Rolling your eyes at him, you sighed playfully. That was his favourite line to say at the moment, he seemed to take great pleasure out of it.

Instead of responding, you just opened your mouth up as well and let him feed you a piece of the pizza. For a moment, you let the flavours simply roll over your tongue as you chew. It was slightly salty, with hints of the olive oil it was cooked with and layered with delicious parmesan that gave it a lovely cheesy kick.

“Urgh, why doesn’t Italian food taste like this at home?” You moan softly, wiping at your mouth with the napkin before taking a sip of water. Laughing softly, Hoseok continues to eat as he shrugs and you marvel at how easily he travels.

Even though he quite clearly doesn’t fit into the little family-run restaurant you’d both stopped at, he seemed to feel at ease no matter where he was. While you understand feeling at ease with him at home, it was strange to see that he was just as comfortable no matter where he was.

“Probably because the food at home has been filtered through like...a million non-Italian mouths or something. The same way Indian food is nothing like what it is actually in India, you know? This is...this is the real shit.” Pointing towards his plate, he grins and you sigh affectionately before reaching out and brushing away some crumbs from his mouth.

He was like a child sometimes when he ate. Constantly get it everywhere except his mouth it seems. It was cute.

“Do you think they’d give me the recipe if I asked? I’d love to try and make this at home. Authentically.” Murmuring to him, you glance over to the older lady who had come out of the kitchen. This seemed to be a truly family-run place in that she’d only gone in there to cook your food.

“Err, I don’t know. Do you speak Italian? Aren’t Italian grandma’s like...feisty or something?” 

“Now you’re stereotyping.” Pointing the fork at him, he just grins and shrugs with amusement. You don’t argue any further with him though, instead focusing on cleaning up your plate with enthusiastic gusto. The two of you were planning to head over to the Trevi Fountain and walk around for a little while, enjoy some gelato and what remains of whatever good weather there will be today.

You were going to throw a Euro into the fountain to guarantee that you’d come back one day before kissing Hoseok silly in some alcove. Enjoy a little of Rome at night before finally heading back to the hotel. Maybe even some more kissing, who knows? You liked it with him.

Once you’d both finished, you went and paid. Unfortunately, you became far too shy to ask about any recipes once there, so instead, you just complimented the old lady in your broken Italian before smiling brightly and leaving quickly. Hoseok’s laughter at your inability to ask caused you to gently poke his ribs until he was asking you to stop.

The walk to the Trevi Fountain was long, but you found that you enjoyed every moment of it. Even though you’d only been here a week, you had fallen truly in love with Rome. An ancient city that has captured your young heart with its delicious food, stunning architecture and rich culture.

Even just a stroll in the evening like now, you felt like you were in some kind of romance film. From the subtle, warm filter Rome seems to have to its colour scheme to the old building’s, the cobbled streets in some areas and the way ancient ruins seemed to pepper the city liberally. You loved every inch of it. Including the graffiti and the not-so-tourist friendly areas. It was proof to you that the city was lived in, and had been lived in continuously for over two millennia.

Surprisingly, you didn’t talk much on the way there. Instead, you were too busy just admiring everything and simply enjoying the moment. If you were this in love with Rome already then you had the itch to not only get to explore more of Italy but also explore the world. And you certainly couldn’t think of anyone better to do that with than the wonderful man by your side.

“Where do you wanna go on vacation next? What about...Greece? Or maybe Japan? New Zealand and Chile are definitely on my list but I’d also like to go to at least one country in each continent. What about you?” Peppering him with questions, Hoseok looks at you with wide eyes before laughing.

“Woman! We’re not even through two weeks in Italy! And you’re already planning our next trip?” Snorting, he rolls his eyes before kissing your temple with more affection than his pseudo-outraged words. “I don’t know, I’m pretty open to anywhere I think. Maybe India? Try that real food like we’ve talked about? Egypt? We could try and visit all the super ancient places. What’s that place with the big, building thing carved into a mountain or somet? It’s all orange?”

“Petra? That’s in Jordan. I want to go there too!” He just smiles at you, squeezing your hand before squinting at the signpost just ahead. You’re finally approaching your destination and you grin as the two of you move through some of the little alleys that make up Roman streets before finally coming upon the world-famous monument.

“Oooh, it’s pretty,” You whisper, simply staring at it with awe. “The water is so...blue. How do they do that?”

The soft click of Hoseok’s camera distracts you, causing you to look over to him before raising a brow. He just smiles and shrugs, looking down at his screen and you presume he’s just taken another photo of you seeing something for the first time. It would seem he’s gaining a collection of your reactions.

“I know something prettier,” Hoseok whispers into your ear. Almost immediately you cringe, pulling away from him to scowl while your lips pull away from your teeth almost automatically.

“Oh don’t. Don’t be that cheesy guy.” You whine, half-heartedly fighting as he wraps his arms around your waist and pulls you closer. He’s laughing though, so you know he’s not offended by what you’ve said. 

“I’ll tell your mom that you don’t think she’s prettier than the Trevi Fountain then. What kind of daught-oof.” Bending over slightly, he holds a hand to his stomach from where you’d elbowed him. It doesn’t stop him from laughing though and you find yourself following along despite how annoying he can be.

“Here.” Handing you a Euro coin, Hoseok takes a deep breath before letting it out slowly. Standing upright again, he gives you that brilliant and beautiful smile that you’ve come to love so dearly over the last two years.

“I read about this, you gotta stand with your back to it and throw it over your left shoulder with your right hand. That means we’ll come to Rome one day.” Giving him a satisfied look, you do as exactly as you told him to and throw the coin with gusto. He takes a moment to watch the coin fly through the air before doing the same with his own Euro, sealing the promise of a future trip.

“How many coins do you think are in here? There are hundreds.” Hoseok whispers, wrapping his arms around your waist and cuddling you closely from behind. The two of you stand there for a moment and watch as others crowd around the Fountain, some throwing coins of their own in while others simply take pictures.

There’s plenty of tourists here, but thankfully your anniversary isn’t near the true tourist season. So while there’s a lot, it’s manageable in your view. Still, you wouldn’t want to be the municipal workers cleaning up after all this.

“Come on, I want some gelato now.” Pulling out of his embrace, you head towards one of the side streets that lead away from the Fountain, positive that you’ll find a gelato shop hidden away this close to a tourist trap. It’s what you’d do if you wanted quick money.

It takes no time at all to find a nice looking shop and you soon have a cone in your hand with three large scoops of delicious looking gelato topping it. One is just plain vanilla, another is pineapple while the last is strawberry. Nothing too outrageous, but just a combination that makes your taste buds dance.

There’s not much in the way of public seating, unfortunately, so the two of you just sit down on the curbside of one of the streets. It’s pretty deserted with only the odd parked car every now and then. A few more mopeds are parked a little haphazardly but you’re not too worried about them really, they’re small enough that neither of you would be a nuisance if they wanted to get by.

“Mm, this is good.” Hoseok hums and you look over, catching him at the very moment that he licks at his mint chocolate flavoured gelato. It’s a pretty innocent movement, but the way his tongue curls into the soft, frozen cream reminds you of how he uses that tongue for something and you shiver softly. Thankfully, he doesn’t notice and you quickly glance away. It doesn’t help that you’re now considering how cold his tongue piercing might be from eating that.

Quietly, the two of you simply enjoy your cold treat while the gentle buzzing of the tourists only a few streets away filters through the alleyways. It’s getting close to sunrise and even though you wouldn’t say it was cold, the air certainly felt cool enough to warrant you cuddling a little closer into the warmth of your hoodie.

“So, now that we’re just chilling for a little bit. I have something important that I’ve been wanting to talk to you about.” Shifting slightly until he’s facing you more, you look up slowly to find him giving you a serious look. He’s got one of those ‘I’m about to ask you something life-changing’ looks. You’re not sure why you know that, but you can just tell instinctively.

“Are you about to ask me to marry you?” Blurting out the words, you slap your hand over your mouth as your eyes widen. Well, you certainly hoped he wasn’t now. If he was, you’d just ruined the whole moment.

Sure enough, Hoseok’s eyes widen at your words and he recoils a little, confusion mixed with shock painted onto his face.

“What? No! Why would you think that?” You’d laugh under any other circumstances if Hoseok had this kind of reaction to anything else. But he looks concerned as to why you thought he might be proposing, a hand resting on his chest almost like he’s trying to protect himself or something.

“Well...I don’t know! You whisk me away to Rome for a romantic holiday for our second anniversary? Then, after having a good time, you tell that you have something important to talk to me about and you look so serious! It was an educated guess!” Folding your arms over your chest, you hunch your shoulders over to make yourself a little smaller.

“I wasn’t going to propose. Did you want me to?” He sounds a little unsure then and you see the way his lips purse in thought like he’s wondering if maybe he should have been proposing or something. “And anyway, if I was going to propose then you’ve totally ruined the moment! It’s meant to be romantic and shit.”

Yeah, now he looks put out. His lower lip jutting out over how his non-proposal has been interrupted and you can’t help the laugh that leaves you at the sight. He’s too cute for his own good, honestly.

“I’m sorry. I’ll make sure to not interrupt any romantic moment in the future. I promise.” There’s only the tiniest hint of sarcasm in your voice as you tell him that. Just a teeny, tiny bit. It’s enough to make him give you a droll stare though, reaching out to gently poke at your cheek with his index finger.

Grabbing his hand, you smile at him innocently before pressing a kiss to the soft flesh of his palm. For a moment, he lets you before shifting until he’s holding your hand in his own. Tilting your head at him, you wonder what he had been about to tell you and he understands the silent question with a small smirk.

“So, anyway. As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted. Just before we flew out here, and I mean literally just before. Like...only two hours before we went to the airport, so don’t get too mad at me if you’re going to get mad. But that’s beside the point. Anyway, our landlady called me.” Hoseok pauses for a moment, letting you compute that information before carrying on.

Given he was far more comfortable talking on the phone, you’d elected to have him be the point of contact for anything related to the house. You figured he’d be able to sort out any of the non-important stuff by himself and anything important would be discussed by you both. Like right now.

“Oh...have we done something wrong? We signed the new lease properly and on time, right?” The two of you had signed a lease for another year just the other month. You liked the house and felt fully settled in it now, not wanting the hassle of having to move anywhere when you’d made it feel like a home. Thankfully, your landlady, Elsie, was lovely and had dealt with any issues quickly and efficiently.

“No, we’ve done nothing wrong. It’s just...she told that she’s going to sell the house. She’s moving across the country to be closer to her family as they’ve all moved away. So she’s selling up everything here to fund her move to a retirement home over there. We’ve got a few months until it’ll probably be sold and will need to move out.” He goes to carry on talking but you’re gripping his hand tightly, worry flickering to life inside you and anxiety following quickly after.

“What! She’s selling? But...but what about us? What do we do? Oh god, we need to find somewhere that’ll let us take Kasumi and-” You’re quieted by Hoseok’s finger on your lips, a gentle smile on his own that seems oddly calm for the bombshell he’s just dropped.

“If you’d let me finish...I thought you weren’t going to interrupt anymore?” Teasing you lightly, he taps your lips before sighing and shuffling on the hard curb. Looking in both directions, he takes the opportunity to stretch his legs out, the black Converse on his feet looking just as dirty as ever.

“What I was about to tell you, was that she told me that we’d been some of her best tenants even though we haven’t been there too long. Because she wants to sell quickly and get moving, she then asked if maybe we’d like to buy the house. First dibs on it. It’s going to go up for a reasonable price and I know we’ve both been putting money into our individual savings accounts for the last year. I mean, I can afford the deposit if necessary and I’m pretty sure we can get a nice mortgage.” Staring at him with wide eyes, you don’t quite realise that your jaw has dropped until he’s affectionately closing it with bemusement.

“Also, before you say anything. Let me just...say my piece here. It’s a good price and well, I’d like to do it. We’ve been together two years now, I love you and I can’t imagine my future without you. So...it’s not a marriage proposal but it is a ‘would you like to take a leap of faith and purchase a physical house with me that will require a mortgage for many years?’. As I said, I’ve got enough saved up to cover the deposit and...well...I know my parents will put money in. What should’ve been my sister’s college fund instead got turned into a ‘whenever you buy a house fund’, despite me telling them to donate it. So...we can get a small mortgage. Easily manageable.” There’s no need for you to ask if he’s thought about this because it’s incredibly obvious that he has. 

So instead, you simply watch him in stunned silence. He wanted to buy a house with you. The house you currently lived in, that had become your home for over a year. Not just your home, but the safest place you’ve ever felt outside of your parents home. And he wanted to make that permanent.

Or at least, as permanent as you can get it without having to pay out lots of legal bills to get it all sold. This was a big move. A huge step in your relationship. Hell, in your life. A house. Buying a house. And you weren’t even thirty yet!

“I have some saved up,” Whispering, you cast your eyes down to instead focus on his hand as you gently trail along the veins and tendons along the back. “Probably not as much as you but enough to help.”

“Okay...what if you keep that money. And if we buy it, then we can use that money to start doing some of those home improvements we’ve always wished we could do? Like a new fence.” Gasping softly, you’re suddenly taken away from the fact that you were being faced with a big decision because your excited mind started to run away with you. While you weren’t a big fan of change, you were surprisingly a huge fan of causing planned change.

Which meant you loved decorating or building things. Moving the furniture around in a room and decorating everything into something entirely new was so incredibly satisfying. Plus, Hoseok was right. You’d spent the last year fantasising to him about all the stuff you would improve or change in the house if you could.

Because that’s what adult life was about. Getting excited at the prospect of new fencing.

“Oh my god, yes! And a new roof! Finally, get rid of those ugly tiles. And we can pave over the driveway so it doesn’t have that annoying gravel that gets everywhere. Can we redo the backyard entirely? I want a porch from the back door and then it leads down-” Laughing in amusement, Hoseok gently squeezes your hand before kissing your cheek when you look down in embarrassment.

“Okay, we can make a plan of all the DIY things we want to do. But I just need to know for the moment...would you agree to buy it? With me? We can sort everything properly when we get home, plan out the money and apply for the mortgage and all that. I just want to know for now.” 

You don’t respond for probably half a minute, causing Hoseok to frown slightly. But then you almost burst in excitement, jumping up and dancing on the spot in uncontrollable excitement. Hoseok wasn’t expecting it, his eyes widening in shock while his hands are reaching out to you as if he was worried you were going to fall.

“Oh my god! Buying a house! This is...oh my god. Hoseok! You want to buy a house with me?” Reaching for his hands, you half tug him up and he snorts while catching his balance. Resting his palms on your hips, he brings you to a halt before grinning down at you.

“Yes, I want to buy a house with you. I mean, that’s why I asked. So is this a yes? You're an impossible woman, you know that? It’s not a marriage proposal but I’d still quite like a yes from you…” Trailing off, he pouts slightly and you reach up to gently flick at his lip ring.

“Yes. I mean, we need to talk more seriously about it and sort out the finances but...yes. As long as we can do all the things I want to. Like new doors inside. I hate the doors we have now, they’re so annoying.” Hoseok sighs like he’s got the weight of the world on his back before dropping his forehead to your shoulders, arms wrapping around your waist and hugging you tightly.

“Okay, okay. I give in, we’ll make a list of all the things we want to change later. But you realise we have to buy the place first, right? And then save up again to make all these home improvement changes? It’s not going to be cheap.” You don’t hear him though, giving him a quick kiss before humming to yourself as you visualise your house as it is and your house as you want it to be.

Watching you closely, Hoseok lets out another breath before smiling and shaking his head. Well, at least you’d said yes. 

[shyrose57]

It works very much like illusions. Ranbob can see him but can't touch him. While Dream can touch him (though it feel like more of a faint touch). The entire time Ranbob feels like he's dreaming but due to physical evidence, like notes left by Dream, he knows it isn't a dream. He's just kinda existing. But in actuality he's not completely "there", sometimes he is aware of what's going on (though he never remembers more often than not) but that's when Dream allows it, other than that he's either floating aimlessly in the void or dreaming. Not aware of what's happening. 

Definitely, Enderman tend to be 7 ft+. Infact when traveling and Enderman spot Ranbob, they always voice their worry about him being so short. They know he's a hybrid so he was always going to be shorter than them, but he shouldn't have been this short. His growth is permanently stunted. Its a miracle he even got those 2 inches to be honest. Ran was definitely caught off guard seeing Ranbob so short. But quickly dismissed it in favor of attacking him. But later on as time passes, he can't dismiss the unease and concern he gets when he thinks about the difference so easily as he did eailer. The Gladiators notice right away but don't comment on it, the Fishermen think Ranbobs height is normal so when they meet Ran and learn Enderman hybrids typically grow that big and bigger their caught off guard, Cletus and Charles attempt to question Ran what its like to be so tall but Benjamin stops them. 

He did, the Dream Mask has a small bit of it broken off due to it being dropped (Ranbob didn't break it. He suspects maybe when it was being transferred it got dropped in its holding box and thats what broke it). Ranbob picked it up because he meant to throw it away, but he forgot too. Giving Dream more time to get a hold on him. They talked about whatever came to mind at first since Benjamin didn't want to start off with the rough questions. But eventually the two did start to talk about what happened to Ranbob and who/what Dream was.

Dream does not consider it important enough because he thinks he's never going back there. So it falls into disrepair and gets all dusty with some mold even growing in the room. 

Dreams petty and likes being in control of everything. But Dream would just kinda wander, making sure no ones alive. Every now and again he'll get bored and just destroy something. The fishermen explored and read about the history of Mizu while they were there, then after Ranbob attacked them spent most of the time arguing about what to do with him. 

It just leads to Cletus being mean/rude to Ranbob and taking much longer than the others to be comfortable around him. If that's what you mean.

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

Yes! When it was down to just 4 people left alive in Mizu, Ran stumbled upon the 4th person dead, then it all kind of clicks in his head, as the only other person currently alive is a Council Member, that it has to be his brother. So he rushes off to find the Council Member so they can stop Ranbob, only to find Ranbob standing over his dead corpse. Thats when the chase around Mizu ticks off that ends with Ran fleeing Mizu. 

Cause while spiders are passive in daytime, creepers aren't, and don't burn in the light. Plus they are loud with their explodes (yet oddly quiet) which can give his position away.

Eh I'll say. Their not really super common because mixing them can cause serious side effects during and after mixture. But the healing, sleep aids, and infection mixtures are common as they've been figured out and can safely be made. Fun fact: Subbin actually has an entire community and an official place in the government for figuring out potion mixtures, making new ones, and making the mixing process as safe as possible. 

The group doesn't really use the mixtures much, expect for Rans sleep aid and a every now and again healing mixture when a Pit match goes wrong. Cause Grievous used to intern in a potion shop and learned all about them then.

He really did. 

Your right! Not many people traverse it. Because he was a Technoblade follower, and they typically get taught the bare basics of surviving in environments like the Nether, deserts, snow, caves, etc in their teachings. He got da book from his Idol teachers, everyone in his Idol group got a book as well. 

You can ask! I welcome any and all questions.

There's gold coins (I forget the actual in-game name oop) ore deposits in the Nether, so he mines that. Not any specific ones, cause there is still a language barrier and a mostly gesture barrier (expect for the universal ones like wait, ok/good, no harm, etc). 

They made a group decision to try to check the Nether on a whim. Though mostly cause one guy just wouldn't shut up about it. They found a broken portal and managed to repair it enough to enter.

The Fishermen and Ranbob where kinda confused (cause Ran hadn't fully told them about his time on the run.) But expressed sympathy at his house being burned down. Jackie and Grievous wanted to search it for anything usable, Ran didn't let em cause he thinks there's nothing left. Watson shoots Ran a sympathetic look and declared that he wants to keep moving to find shelter. Benjamin quickly agreeing and the group moves on.

---------Tip of The Iceberg-----------

He does not expect in all of their times he's still the God of the world. 

Honestly, most of them were fine. Bad was the only one who was mad and wasn't ok with it. The Masquerade, The Pit, Sam, Sapnap, Quackity, Foolish, Ranboo, Skeppy, Tubbo, Tommy, and Karl all say the Egg wrote it because they all have had experience with the Egg. The Haunted Mansion, The Wild West, George, Fundy, Eret, Jack, Niki, and Puffy all say XD because they've either had no experience with the Egg or believe in XD's existence. Philza and Technoblade actually go both ways. (If I forgot someone, oops). 

Technoblade, Phil, Niki, The Pit, The Wild West, Puffy, Sapnap, and Sam are all on the Frontline. While the others are all split between research into the egg (The Masquerade is in this one of course), and running tests. Fundy is a runner, delivering orders, requests, or new information. Foolish is on both the researching, testing, and frontlines, he is on the frontlines when needed but otherwise is researching and testing. Karl is typically somewhere with one of the many Traveler groups. Quackity, Eret, and Sam (when not on frontlines) are on planning duties. 

The Egg is strong enough to propose a real and constant threat to the groups. Everyone is typically on the move to avoid the reaching of the Egg and its Eggpire. 

Bad hasn't gotten what he wants, which is Skeppy. And as he has "opened his eyes" a bit he sees the hypocrisy, manipulation, and lies that surround the Egg and wants out. 

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

Ye ye Brothers AU sorry.

The fishermen get to their home, wake up the next day, and Ranbob is already making a field for wheat and potatoes. Benjamin fucking squawks and races out to make Ranbob stop. And Isaac eventually has to come out and help cause Ranbob is refusing to leave. Cletus laughs at Ranbob and makes fun of him but stops when he sees Charles sadly staring at him. A silent ask to stop. 

He does but Porkius is chill and let's the Gladiators do whatever they want as long as they are still in fighting condition for matches and gives them money every week. Plus he's chill and is kinda friends with them. But sometimes Porkius has them go to extravagant parties with him. They all hate going, not just Ran. Mostly cause the rich people are snobs and either 1. Constantly insult them in conversation than act surprised when they get mad at them and report it to Porkius. 2. Talk with them but talk exclusively about themselves and are insensitive to the Gladiators. But sometimes there's actually people at the parties who are genuinely curious and kind and want to get to know the Gladiators. Those conversations are pleasant and the Gladiators, no matter who it is, actively enjoy the conversation.

Ran has always been mischievous. Even witnessing murder, being traumatized, hunted constantly, and fighting non-stop hasn't changed that. If anything he got more mischievous over time. 

Something extra I wanted to share: 

-There is music in world and the player the Gladiators share get brought on the trip so they can play music the entire time. 

  -Ran and Grievous fight over who gets to pick music often.

    -Fun fact about why I did this: Every single part of this story and all others has been either created by or inspired by music. For example the Tip of The Iceberg AU was solely inspired by the song True North (by Vocal Line), while Brothers AU was made from Ruler of Everything (by Tally Hall) and partly Mind Electric (by Miracle Musical). So I wanted to include music somehow. (I actually have a entire playlist with music that I've used for certain parts of the Brothers AU.)

Brothers AU:

Interesting, interesting. What triggers these 'dreams'? Can Dream do it, or is it like just something that happens?

I'm assuming only the brothers would know what the Endermen are saying, but there's also body language, so how does everyone react to that behavior? Do one of the brothers ever tell them what's being said, or? What's everyone's thoughts on Ranbob's height, seeing as the Fishermen were surprised, and the Gladiators immediately noticed?

How does Benjamin feel about what he hears? Is he a bit skeptical at first, or fully believing Ranbob's words?

So the room's in disrepair, interesting. At some point, it's mentioned that they go back there, I think, so does that strike anyone as odd?

He destroyed stuff? Like just general items or artifacts? How did Ranbob feel, if/when he was aware?

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

Why didn't he assume it was the Council Member? What clues led him to his brother instead?

Understandable.

Oh, that's really interesting!

World building galore, fantastic!

Who was the one guy?

He thinks? Was there something left then?

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

Tip Of The Iceberg AU:

Still the god? He didn't expect that? Was someone else supposed to be? If so, who? What's his reaction to learning such?

Bad seems to be straying from the egg, does he intend to leave it? Or does it have a way to keep him?

Do we have any particular groups here? People who fight or work well together, and kind of drift to one another? What sort of dynamics do we get with all of this, especially since everyone's on the move constantly to avoid the Eggpire.

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

Brothers AU:

Benjamin: Whatcha got there?

Ranbob: Excessive labor when I should be resting.

Benjamin, gasping: NO!

What are the parties typically like? Do they behave or cause havoc? Switch it up? Anyone in particular they don't hate talking to there?

Always mischievous, just better at hiding it. Wait, that means Ranbob would have known he was like that, wouldn't he? He'd know exactly what to expect. Would anyone else? Either way, that should be amusing.

------

What kind of music do they have, and what does everyone prefer to listen to?

(Time to go on a song-spree!)

[idjitlili]

Ditto

kili x reader

summary:Imagine kili forcing his way into your room ,when you and the company stay in an inn,as he thinks you had slept with someone and frankly you're bloody virgin.

word count:1784

warnings:bad language,uh shorts.

You had been apart of the company for a couple of months,Gandalf had requested you to come as you had been living with Gandalf for the last year of life,as you wanted an adventure. In which you had known him your whole life ,you were planning when you had turned 17 to travel with him while he made the arrangements of this adventure. When you had went to the prancing pony to meet this dwarven king with Gandalf ,you were very excited to see a dwarf. Though he wasn't what you expected ,he didn't like you at all.

Thorin had looked you up and down like you were a worm,before demanding to know why you were there. Gandalf had told him to hold his tongue behind his teeth,and that the reason you were coming was because you was an introvert , needed to get out into the world,and you knew how to defend yourself. In which the king scoffed at this but left it because he needed all the help he could get.

Sounds stupid to why you were coming but you really felt like you needed to do something with your life ,being stuck at home with your parents ,and you were at courting age you wanted to meet some new people. However mostly you just wanted to see the different parts of middle earth,oh how you longed to meet some elves ,damn you just bloody wanted to take some lembas bread.

Anyways that leads to you Bilbos house,once you had arrived you had attached yourself to the hobbit ,feeling intimidated by the muscular dwarves. Bilbo had seen this and decided not question it ,figuring out you were clearly shy ,when you could barely tell Bofur your own name.  You had clicked with Bilbo becoming friends fast due to your like of his sarcsm, and his attitude ,you werent shy when you had began to trust people befriending them ,then you would just let loose. It just took you a while to become comfortable around new people.

When you had met Kili you had sputtered and turned into a beet,but he had just found it amusing,you had been scrubbing the mud of bilbo's mothers glory box. You had felt incredibly gulity of the state of the hobbits home had been transformed into you had decided help out. All too busy to see that there was a dwarven prince standing behind you ,until they had cleared their throat making you turn your head to face them,to see a brunette dwarf looked own at you ,in which you had stared back at him not knowing what to say. He had gathered you werent going to speak ,taking that chance for him to do so instead.

"Kili,at your sevice." he had bowed his head slightly ,grinning widely,his voice charming ,damn you knew his game,ladies man. "uh...y/n..."your voice was quiet he almost didnt hear you,after that you turned back to cleaning but he did not leave. "whatcha doinggggg?"he had dragged out,you huffed in annoyance he was handsome but you knew already he immature,you had gestured to the mud and the cloth and soapy water. He had hummed in response. "what kind of idiot wipes his boots on a glory box pfft."he had tried to act surprised ,"a lady showed not be on the floor,she should be on a bed ,while a man is on the floor." he had puffed out his chest ,in the super hero pose,you had sent him a small smirk ,standing up with the bowl finished .

"uh.." you had let out before bringing two fingers on your left hand  to your forehead before sending them outwards ,like Captain Jack sparrow ,walking away before you could even see Kili's reaction. Yeah thats pretty much what happened,nothing special.

You did end up talking to kili some times during the journey,only if he spoke first or someone asked you to ask him something,other than that you stuck to Bilbo and Gandalf for conversation.

You hadn't noticed the glances that the youngest dwarven prince would send your way ;nor the teasing that the company you put him through. Kili didnt see the teasing that Bilbo would whisper to you ,after kili would come over to you to let you know there was stream near if you wanted to freshen up or to bring you your food,leaving you blushed faced afterwards. However he would notice your blushing face when he spoke to you ,in which he would smirk to himself. He did enjoy making you blush so easily ,or tease you ,causing you to not even talk without stuttering or a least being like uhh.

Anyways a couple months into your journey Thorin had stopped the company at an inn,oh everyone was so glad ,finally being able to sleep in a bed with pillows. You had all dropped your stuff in your rooms before heading back down stairs in the pub for dinner.  Kili had noticed you talking to a man at the bar before you sat down,he kept an eye on the guy for the rest of the night,as the guy kept walking you the whole night.But in reality it was just your brother who had been travelling with deliveries for his work and it just happened he was staying at the same inn tonight. You had planned on eating your dinner and going to bed.

"goodnight." you had spoken quietly leaving some coins on the table ,the dwarves had wished you goodnight back as they all watched you head over to the stranger man. They watched in disbelief as you hugged the guy ,and press a kiss on his cheek ,and him press on to your forehead, Kili had balled his fists in anger. Your brother had placed his hand on your mid back gentle walking you to your room.

Kili hadturned swiftly to Bilbo ,faced scrunched up in anger. "Is y/n courting that man?" he had rushed out ,his brother had smirked at him knowing that he was indeed jealous. "no she isn't." master baggins had stated grinning slightly too ,it was obvious the prince liked the human and she liked him. "It doesn't right for the lass,to sleep around ,ye?"bofur piped up ,causing some of the dwarves to nod in agreement. "maybe someone shpuld go check on her ,make sure she's okay hm?" fili had suggested raising his eyebrows at his younger brother ,moving his head in the direction you had went ,to encourage his brother to go after you.

"I'll go." kili spoken quickly not allowing anyone else to go ,fili and bilbo had smirked at eachother ,okay so maybe they had teamed up to get the two of you together. Thorin had just shook his head disapprovingly.  Of course Bilbo knew that ou had brother and it was clear to him that was your brother ,you wouldn't be that friendly to some stranger.

As kili was heading up to your room ,you had already wished your brother goodbye ,as he told you to stay safe.After that you had stripped down to your tunic that reached your mid thighs ,little shorts underneath which werent visable ,as you sat above the covers reading your book. The fireplace lit sending a warm a light across,as your eyes began to feel heavy. They began fluttering shut but were rudely interrupted by a knock at the door,your eyes  shot jumping to your feet. You had assumed that it was just bilbo coming to check on you,so you didnt bother to put on your pants when you was just going to get back into bed after. Your bare feet patted against the cold stone floor.

You twisted the door handle ,pulling the heavy door open revealing Kili ,you had stared at the dwarf not knowing what to say while his face turned in anger. "where is he?wheres the that man that took your innocence?!" he had whispered shouted ,pushing passed you gently ,to search your room ,only to see your book on your bed ,bed unmessed. "..kili.." you had spoke sternly,only to be ignored. "I don't understand ,oh you went to his room,oh wow ,just hookup with a random human soon as we-""KILI, that was my bloody brother you idiot! Not that it was any of your  business,my innocence is still fully intact." you never spoke to him in such a tone ,nor without stuttering.

Kili had turned to you ,his eyes now softening ,he walked towards you pulling you into a bear hug,which you hugged back quickly. "I'm sorry for over reacting ,I just saw you dressed like that and frankly when I saw you with your brother ,I got jealous."he had spoken into your ear ,rubbing your back gently. "w-why would you be..jealous?" you had pulled out of his grip to look at him.

He had scoffed ,"I thought it was clear,that I like you,y/n" your face blushing ,"ditto" you whsipered to him ,only for him to look more confused than earlier. "it means I feel the same,kili." some how you had gained the confidences ,pressing your lips to his quickly,only for him to wrap his arms around your waist ,press his to yours likewise. Resting his head against yours "yoou know what I think dildo gaggins set this up,anways you should be getting to sleep." kili had let go of you ,walking towards the door,only for you to grab his arm stopping him. "can't you stay in here?" you had looked at your toes wiggling them nervously.

He had lifted your chin up with his hand gently as he sent you one of his charming smiles as he nodded,you had let go of his forearm ,soon as you did he had pulled down his trousers ,boots ,leaving him in his shorts and tunic like you . You had blushed to the colour of a piece of raw steak,maybe you could see something through his shorts,he had wiggled his eyebrows at you. You had just pretended that you didn't look at his sausage for a good minute,getting into bed ,as did kili pulling you into him ,you were almost laying on top of him.

He was your patrick swayze.

[kookitykook]

Seven Soulmarks: Jungkook (”Loser.”)

~genre: soulmate au, fluff, some angst, sfw

~word count: 6.1k 

~pairing: jungkook x reader

~warnings: descriptions of bullying (nothing violent), family member death mention, a wild jackson wang appears (i needed a brother okay), listen it sounds intense but this is one of my favs i’ve written 

~summary: At the exact moment of your twentieth birthday, the first words your soulmate will ever say to you appear in black ink on the inside of your left wrist. Jeon Jungkook is devastated when his wrist reads one word: “Loser.”

See how the other boys meet their soulmates (all interconnected) Taehyung -- Jimin -- Namjoon -- Hoseok -- Yoongi -- Jin

~~~~~~~~~~~

Jeon Jungkook was six years old the first time someone called him a loser. 

It had been during a spelling bee. It was only the first grade, so the words had been simple things like “park,” “tall,” “flower,” or “here.”

In Jungkook’s case, the first word he was given by his teacher had been “soul.”

“S - O - W - L.”

The other students had immediately burst out laughing. Jungkook could feel his ears turning red as he looked at all of their faces, their laughter becoming crueler with each second of his confusion. 

“Oh I’m so sorry Jungkook,” his teacher had said. “Soul is actually spelled S - O - U - L. I’m afraid you’ve lost this time around, you can go sit in your seat.”

“Haha, Jungkook is the first one out!” One of the boys had shouted. Jungkook whipped his head over to look at him, only to be met with the bully’s gap-toothed smirk and a greasy finger pointed in his direction. “Loser!”

The word struck something deep in Jungkook’s chest, a chord that he never wanted to be played. 

How were they being so mean? The other kids in his class were laughing along with the bully, despite their teacher trying to calm him down. Jungkook didn’t understand … He was fine with losing the spelling bee, but now with all of his classmates calling him that word — loser — he felt smaller than ever, and he was a small child to begin with. 

His mother had always told him she loved his quiet, sensitive heart.

But Jungkook’s heart didn’t seem to love him back that day. 

And the tears rolling down his puffy cheeks only cemented the taunting nickname for the rest of his school years. 

***

“What’s up, loser?” 

“Nice jacket, loser.”

“Hey loser, can I copy your notes?”

These kinds of off-handed remarks were part of Jungkook’s daily school routine from that fateful day of the spelling bee up until high school. As much as Jungkook begged his family to let him switch schools as a child, it just wasn’t possible for them because of his father’s job.

Eventually, he stopped asking and just accepted his fate. 

It didn’t mean the name-calling ever hurt any less. 

Jungkook knew that he was sensitive, and he tried to grow thicker skin, he really did. But he also didn’t really want to change. He liked who he was, he just didn’t understand why nobody else did. 

“Hey loser!” 

Jungkook sighed, dropped his head to his chest at the unfortunately familiar voice of that same bully who coined his nickname after the spelling bee in the first grade. 

“Oh come on loser, don’t be like that,” the bully said with a cruel laugh, leaning against Jungkook’s locker. “We graduate tomorrow! Lose the long face for once!” 

I only have a long face because you treat me like shit, Jungkook thought to himself. But of course he didn’t say it out loud. 

People had been mean to him for the past eleven years, but he never could bring himself to be mean back. He knew there was a light at the end of the tunnel and eventually no one would call him ‘loser.’ So he just had to survive and be kind until he got to that place. 

“Graduation, yeah,” Jungkook said with a nod and a brief glance at the bully. “Can’t wait.”

“That’s the spirit!” the bully shouted, hitting Jungkook in the shoulder hard enough to push him into the door of his locker with a wince. “Last day, loser! Woo!”

Jungkook couldn’t help but wince again as the bully shouted right in his ear and then gave him a noogie before striding off down the hallway to possibly terrorize someone else.

“Last day,” he whispered to himself, closing his high school locker for the last time. “It can only get better from here.”

***

And it did. College was the best thing that could have ever happened to Jungkook. He moved to another city, went to a school where none of his high school classmates were attending, and was finally able to start over. 

He didn’t change anything about himself, but was finally in an environment where he could truly be himself without fear. It was life-changing. 

Confidence sprouted in him like a flower in bloom, and Jungkook found himself making friends, laughing without abandon, pursuing his interests with people that thought like him. 

His inward confidence rippled to his outward appearance as well, and his closest friends were two guys that he had met at the gym when he was just a freshman. Jin and Namjoon were both seniors, but they welcomed him into their friend circle without any hesitation. And when Jin heard that Jungkook enjoyed dancing, he connected him to Hoseok, who was a junior and captain of the dance team, and just like that the four of them were thick as thieves. 

This was Jungkook’s light at the end of the tunnel. Having friends who loved and supported him and got his weird sense of humor. 

And not once had any of them called him a loser. 

Now junior year was about to start and Jungkook had just moved out of the dorms into an apartment with Hoseok. Jin and Namjoon had both gotten their own apartments in the last year or so since they were making good money, but he and Hoseok were still typical broke college students (well, Hoseok was graduated, but was living like a broke college student while he saved up to open his own dance studio).

“Dude, did you hear about that new record shop that’s supposed to open up just down the street?” 

Jungkook looked up from his phone as Hoseok spoke, his friend sorting through one of the boxes he had yet to unpack even though they’d moved in two weeks ago. 

“No, I didn’t.”

“Yeah, I went by the other day to see if the space would be good for the studio, but it had just been bought. The owner’s name is Yoongi, super cool dude. He and his soulmate and some other girl were signing. Don’t know when it’ll open, but they bought the space.”

“That’s pretty cool,” Jungkook murmured even though he wasn’t really paying attention, still looking at his phone.

Hoseok scoffed, propping his elbows up on the side of the box and looking at his friend with an eyebrow cocked. “You’re not even listening to me. I need attention, Jungkookie, and you’re not giving it to me.”

Jungkook huffed, looking at Hoseok only to snort when he saw his friend pouting dramatically. 

“Sorry. It’s just … my mark is about to appear.”

“Wait, what?!” Hoseok screamed, making Jungkook wince. “What the hell, dude?! I thought your birthday was tomorrow!” He grabbed his own phone, looking at the date and groaning. “Man, I’m so sorry. I got the dates mixed up, if I had known I would have—” 

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Jungkook reassured him. “It’s not a big deal.”

“It is a big deal!” Hoseok’s shrieking was going to be a topic of conversation with their neighbors for sure. “It’s your soulmark year! What time will it show up?”

“My mom said I was born at 10:05.”

“Damn, you’ve only got … one minute! How do you feel?”

“I don’t know,” Jungkook shrugged, pulling at the loose threads at the end of his sweatshirt. His hair dipped down over his forehead, he would have to go to Jimin soon to get a haircut. “It feels kind of weird. That I have a soulmate out there at all.”

“Yeah, it’s trippy,” Hoseok agreed, looking down at his own wrist. “I can’t wait to meet mine though. She sounds feisty.”

Jungkook chuckled at that. He had been there when Hoseok’s mark had appeared. They’d been with Jin and Namjoon, the former laughing until he literally peed himself when Hoseok’s mark showed up and said, ‘Can you even breathe in those pants?’

“It’s just … until I met you and the guys, I never felt like I belonged anywhere. No one understood me. And to know that there’s a girl out there — I think it’s gonna be a girl anyway — a girl that’s just going to get me, it’s … it’s crazy. Aish, I’m probably overthinking it.”

“No man, this is normal,” Hoseok reassured him, reaching over and nudging him fondly. “Your soulmate is going to love you. And not just because, you know, the universe designed them to and all that, but because you’re great!”

“Thanks, hyung.”

Just then the timer on Jungkook’s phone went off. The two boys both froze, Jungkook turning over his wrist so that he and Hoseok could both look.

Nothing showed up. 

“You sure you got the time right?”

“Yes I’m sure,” Jungkook snapped, but it didn’t hold any real bite. “Just give it a minute.”

“Okay, okay.”

They watched in silence, Jungkook worrying at his bottom lip. What if nothing showed up? What if he didn’t have a soulmate? What if he’d already met his soulmate. That was a nightmare scenario waiting to happen. It didn’t happen often, but when it did, the words appeared gray and were the next words your soulmate would say to you. 

He hoped it was someone new. 

“Look!” 

Jungkook jumped at the sound of Hoseok’s voice, blinking his eyes back into focus. Sure enough, black ink was slowly appearing on the inside of his left wrist. 

His heart started to beat faster, and he could feel himself grinning. This was it, this was the moment he hadn’t ever really dared to dream about. His perfect match, the person who was made up of the same star stuff as him, his literally soulmate’s first words to him was going to be … 

‘Loser.’

Jungkook had never been skydiving before, but he had read that the very first moment you jump out of the plane, there’s a split second where your heart lurches into your chest and you just feel this overwhelming fear and wrongness. 

He had that feeling right then. But it didn’t go away after one second. 

“But … I …”

For the first time since Jungkook had met Hoseok, his friend was speechless. 

“I don’t understand.”

He could feel tears rolling down his cheeks, but he couldn’t bring himself to wipe them away. This couldn’t be happening. 

The words were in black ink, which meant he hadn’t met the person before, and yet his soulmate’s first word to him was going to be the word he hated most in the world? The name his classmates taunted him with for eleven years?

Jungkook was a kind soul. People had told him that his whole life, even before he started to believe it himself. 

So how was his soulmate going to be … so cruel?

“Kookie,” Hoseok started, his voice hoarse. He and Jin and Namjoon all knew what Jungkook’s early school days had been like, and the heaviness of that word on Jungkook’s heart. “I’m sure it’s not what it looks like.”

Jungkook said nothing, only continued to cry silently as his friend wrapped an arm around his shoulders and squeezed. 

It just didn’t make any sense. Jungkook hadn’t even met his soulmate yet and their cruelty was already striking the chord of pain that he thought he’d left behind. 

***

You were suspended for the first time in second grade. 

You didn’t even know second graders could get suspended. Years later you found out that you were actually your school’s first ever case of a second grade suspension and quite frankly, you wore the badge with pride. 

“Y/N, this behavior is simply unacceptable,” your principal said to you as you held an ice pack to your swollen cheek. “Your teacher tells me you’re the class leader and yet this is the example you’re setting.”

You rolled your eyes, which led to a wince when the tender, quickly bruised flesh pulled at the motion. 

“I’ve called your father, he should be here momentarily,” your principal continued. The look on his face was pissing you off. You didn’t even know what ‘pissed off’ meant, but you had heard the phrase on a TV show your older brother watched and it resonated with you for some reason. “I am very disappointed in you, Y/N. This school does not tolerate fighting.”

You huffed in indignation, wanting to stomp your foot but it didn’t reach the floor from the chair you sat in across from the principal’s desk.

“But he—”

“Hi, sorry I’m late.” 

At the sound of your father’s voice, you turned around in your seat so fast that one of your pigtails hit you in the face. 

“Oh, baby,” your father murmured. His gaze went straight to your bruised face, running around your chair to crouch in front of you and inspect the damage. “How did this happen?” he snapped at your principal. 

The principal scoffed at your father’s tone, clearly taking offense. 

“This happened because your daughter initiated a fight on the playground today, sir.”

You father looked back at you and blinked in confusion. “Sweetheart, is this true?”

You could feel tears prickling your eyes. The worst thing in the world was when your father was disappointed in you. 

You nodded, keeping your eyes downcast at your lap and swinging your feet. 

“Yeah, I hit him,” you mumbled. “But it was only because—”

“I’m sorry, Y/N,” the principal cut you off. “This school has a strict no-violence policy, any excuses are—”

“Let her finish.”

Your father practically growled at the principal. The beady eyed administrator gulped, looking away from your father’s intense glare. 

You finally felt comfortable enough to meet your father’s eyes as he turned back to you. In the matter of a mere second, his gaze went from livid to kind as he looked down at you. 

Your father and brother were your whole world. Your mother had passed away giving birth to you and even though you tended to feel particularly empty whenever you saw the other girls being dropped off at school by their moms in the morning, your father and brother were everything to you. 

“Why did you hit another student, sweetheart?” your father asked softly. 

“Because he called Lana a slut!” you shouted instantly, your tiny voice not so tiny anymore. “And I don’t even know what slut means but he said it like a real big jerk and then he pulled on her shirt so hard she fell down on the ground! And instead of helping her up he just kicked sand on her! And I warned him Daddy, I swear I did! I told him, ‘if you say one more word then I’ll sock you right in the mouth.’ I heard Jackson say that one time but don’t tell him I told you that. But then he looked at me and said ‘one more word,’ and then he kicked sand on Lana and me both while I was helping her up. And I knew if I didn’t hit him then I would be a liar and I would be telling him it was okay to push girls down and call them mean names and it’s just not, Daddy, it’s not okay! And the teachers weren’t doing anything, they never do, so I did it, I socked him right in the mouth and then he hit me back and so I hit him again and then Teacher separated us and then I came here and that’s what happened.”

The office went deadly silent when you finished, save for your sniffles. You wiped at your face with the back of your hand quickly, unable to look at your father yet again. 

Then you heard a small chuckle and felt your chin being lifted up. 

“Sweetheart,” he murmured. “You can look at me. I’m not mad.”

“You’re … you’re not?” 

“Not at all,” he assured you. “In fact I’m proud of you.”

The principal guffawed, but was instantly silenced by another glare from your father. 

“Do I think you should have hit the boy?” your father asked. “No. And we can work on learning some better options for when you see something. But Y/N, I will always — always be proud of you for standing up for what is right. Do you hear me?”

You sniffled, throwing yourself into your father’s arms. 

“I hear you, Daddy.”

***

Your father’s funeral was the day of your twentieth birthday.

For twenty years, you had known exactly where you stood in the world because you knew who you could always fall back on. 

And now he was gone and for the first time ever … you felt lost. 

Your brother Jackson gripped your hand tightly as the casket was lowered. He’d delivered a beautiful eulogy, and you knew that later you would feel terrible for putting all that responsibility on him, but in that moment … you were just numb. 

The snow falling around you wasn’t exactly helping. 

Jackson had tried to convince you to move the funeral so that it wouldn’t coincide with the day you received your soulmark, but you had refused. 

Anytime you had dreamed about when your mark would appear, the dream had always included your father being there with you. Now that he wouldn’t … what was the point in making it a big thing?

“Just a few more minutes,” Jackson said suddenly, startling you from where you were staring at the coffin slowly disappearing into the ground. 

“Huh?”

Your brother nodded down at your wrist. “Your mark. Just a few more minutes and it’ll show up.”

“Oh. Right.” 

“Y/N … I know this is hard, but—”

“Just don’t, Jackson,” you sighed. “I’m just … I’m tired. I’m so damn tired, I can’t make myself get happy about my mark. I feel like with him gone, I don’t even know who I am anymore, how the hell am I supposed to care who my soulmate is?”

“You know who you are.” When you snorted, Jackson grabbed you by the shoulders and turned you to face him. “Hey, listen to me. I know we’re both grieving and I know this sucks alright, I’m in pain, too.” His voice cracking on those words was enough to make you actually focus on him. “But you know who you are. So do I. And so did … so did Dad.”

You winced, looking away to where dirt was being pushed into the grave. Jackson grabbed you gently by the chin to make you look back at him. 

“You are strong, resilient, and you take no crap from anybody. I’ve never met anyone who stands up for what’s right the way you do, and sometimes that needs to mean you stand up to yourself when you get like this. You are who Dad raised you to be.”

“And who is that?”

“The same punk who socked a kid in the mouth on the playground for bullying your friend.”

Your laugh was a sad one, but it was there. Jackson smiled.

“You’re the same person who organized a protest to get the cafeteria to include gluten free pizza because one kid in your grade had celiac disease. You’re the person who organized a neighborhood wide clean up for the old lady down the street when her house got out of control because she couldn’t take care of it herself anymore. That’s who you are, Y/N. Kind and compassionate and yet mean as hell when you know someone is being a bully.”

You laughed out loud at that one, wiping away your tears with the back of your hand. 

“There it is,” Jackson murmured. “I knew that smile was still in there somewhere.”

“How am I supposed to smile right now, Jax? I’m … we’re at our father’s funeral. He’s gone, how do I … how do we keep going?”

“By being who he raised us to be. You — a freedom fighter with a heart of gold. Me — incredibly handsome and charming and talented and—”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it,” you chuckled. “I just … I’m afraid I don’t know how to be that person without him.”

Jackson smiled softly, shaking his head as he pulled you in for a hug. 

“Yes you do, Y/N. Yes you do.”

You hugged him back tightly as you could, letting your brother push the broken pieces of your heart back into place. 

“Oh!” you exclaimed suddenly, pulling away. “My mark!”

“Oh what’s it say, what’s it say?” 

“It says …” you pulled back the black sleeve of your dress and turned your hand over to look at the inside of your left wrist. “‘This is not what I expected.’”

“Huh,” Jackson remarked as you furrowed your brow. “That’s a pretty good one.”

And even though your heart was heavy, there was still a flutter in the back of your heart. 

You had a soulmate out there somewhere. Your other half was out there.

Whoever he ends up being … you find yourself hoping he’s the kind of guy your father would love. 

***

ONE YEAR LATER 

It was a well known fact that Jungkook hated bars. They were impersonal, usually dirty, not exactly primed for dancing the way that clubs were, and he usually got hit on a lot which is flattering, sure, but also super uncomfortable for him. 

But of course Jin wanted to celebrate his birthday at the bar where he met his soulmate — who was now his fiancee. Not that anyone could miss the fact that Jin’s soulmate was now his fiancee considering he announced it to the world every five minutes. 

Not that Jungkook was jealous or anything.

No … not at all. 

“Jungkook!”

The younger boy jumped as Namjoon slapped his hand on his shoulder, spilling a few drops of his drink on the bar in the process. He looked up at his friend and smirked. Like always, Namjoon’s hair was immaculately coifed. 

“Looking good, hyung,” he remarked with a smirk. “Any nice girls comment on your hair tonight?”

“Not yet, but it’s still early.”

“You know I can see your roots starting to come in, you should probably go see Jimin soon. And — oh my gosh, is that … it looks like your part is uneven! Call the hair police stat!”

“Alright you little brat, keep making fun,” Namjoon said cooly. “I’m not the one with a mop on his head.”

“The ladies love this mop of hair, hyung.”

“And yet you always turn them down. Ack, get those doe eyes out of my face. Hoseok!”

“Joonie-ah!”

Even across the entire room, Hoseok’s voice made it sound like he was right beside them. Seconds later the slender, red-faced and slightly tipsy boy was bounding up to the bar. 

“Hello, boys,” he sing-songed, waving down the bartender and asking for another beer. “Where the hell did Jin even go? This is his birthday party and he’s missing all the fun.”

“Ah,” Namjoon remarked, throwing back a shot. “I do believe I saw he and his lovely fiancee sneaking away a few minutes ago.”

“Soulmates,” Hoseok muttered. “Can’t live with them, desperately want to be them.” He thanked the bartender smoothly and grabbed his new drink. “Come on boys, let’s go meet some ladies and hope they say those special words! And if not, well … we can get them to say something else equally enticing!”

“Ah, you guys go ahead,” Jungkook said as Hoseok started to drag him away. “I’m going to finish my drink and then head home.”

“What?” Hoseok shouted (honestly, it was like his default volume when he was tipsy).

“Jungkookie, it’s not even ten,” Namjoon said. 

“I know, but I have a paper to work on and if Jin-hyung isn’t even here then I really should get back and work on it.”

“Aw, Namjoon, look at our little boy all grown up and being a responsible student.”

“Stop that,” Jungkook snapped, but not without a fond smile as he shoved away Hoseok’s hands from gripping his cheeks and shaking them. “You guys go. Find a soulmate or … a person for the evening.”

“Eloquent, Kookie, truly. We’ll catch you later, alright?” Namjoon asked, narrowing his eyes. 

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll see you on Saturday. Go ahead. And Hobi, don’t slam the door when you come in the apartment tonight, yeah?”

When Hoseok bounded away without an answer, Jungkook just rolled his eyes. Typical. It was a good thing he loved that guy already. 

Left to his own devices at the bar, Jungkook went back to his drink. He meant it when he said he had a paper to work on, but he paid good money from his very meager bank account for his drink, so he was damn well going to finish it.

It was kind of peaceful, sitting on his own at the bar and just having a drink. Getting lost in his thoughts, good ones of his friends and new dance choreo and a stupid pun Jin had told him last week. 

He only tensed up once when a woman in a green dress sat down a couple seats from him, fully expecting her to make a move on him, but then relaxing when she just ordered a drink for herself and didn’t pay him any attention at all. 

It was oddly serene. Until it wasn’t.

Jungkook was just one sip away from being finished with his drink when someone clasped his shoulder with an painfully iron tight grip. 

“Ouch, Namjoon, what the—”

Jungkook froze as he looked up to see someone he thought he’d left in another town, in a life long left behind. 

“Holy shit!” his childhood bully shouted, still as greasy faced and obnoxious as he’d been all through their school days, grinning with cruel delight. “I thought that was you! Damn loser, who would have thought I’d be seeing you here? I bet you thought you’d seen the last of me, huh?”

It was an odd feeling, to be thrown back into a past version of himself as Jungkook looked up at the person that had initiated a cycle of cruelty and misery for eleven years of his life. 

“I … I—”

“Haha, still stuttering, huh, loser?” The bully punched him in the shoulder and even though Jungkook had developed a fair amount of muscle mass since high school, it still hurt to be punched. “Damn loser, you been working out? Shit, you really bulked up! I wouldn’t have shit on you so much in high school if you looked like this! I mean, you really went from a dweeb to a good-looking dude! Good for you, loser!” 

“Uh, yeah,” Jungkook muttered, moving to stand from the stool. “Hey it’s uh, good to see you too man, but I gotta go.”

The bully just laughed and the familiar noise stirred a very real pain in Jungkook’s gut. 

“Still a loser, huh loser? I knew it was you when I saw you sitting at a bar and drinking by yourself! I guess you can bulk up and move away, but once a loser always a—”

“Hey tough guy.”

The bully looked up at the sound of your voice. Jungkook turned as well, hoping and praying that his eyes weren’t glassy. 

You stood up from your stool with a margarita in hand and daggers in your gaze as you stared at the colossal asshole trying to act macho.

“Hey sweets, I’m more than willing to chat with you once I finish catching up with my high school buddy here.” He clapped Jungkook on the shoulder once again, squeezing his meaty fingers into the fabric on his black shirt. 

“Yeah see I don’t know you,” you said, stepping up and smacking the inside of the bully’s elbow to make him let go of the unreasonably handsome, but quiet man that had been sitting beside you at the bar. “But I do know that ‘high school buddies’ typically don’t degrade one another and call each other names. So why don’t you buzz off and get your dick hard some other way instead of reliving your glory days of being the world’s biggest teenage douchebag.”

Jungkook’s mouth dropped, staring at you in shock. Not once, not once had anyone defended him in front of this guy. Until you. He didn’t even know you and yet you were standing up for him. 

The bully blinked in surprise, but then it only took a few seconds for his face to turn red with anger. 

“Listen here you bitch—”

“Watch it.”

No one was more surprised at Jungkook’s growled warning than Jungkook himself. You looked over your shoulder at him with a raised eyebrow and the slightest smirk before turning back to the asshole in question. 

“Call me or any other woman bitch ever again, and I’ll throw this drink all over your head, sock you in the mouth, and then get you permanently banned from the bar. Do you understand me or should I repeat myself slower?”

“Who the fuck do you think you are?” the bully snapped, puffing out his chest with held breath. 

“I think I’m someone that can spot a whiny ass bully from a mile away,” you remarked casually, not perturbed in the slightest. “So why don’t you just save all of us some trouble, and fuck off somewhere else.”

The bully looked over you at Jungkook, who was still staring at you shell-shocked. You continued to smile at the bully as if you were discussing the weather. 

“Kookie!” 

“Hey, hey, what’s going on here?” 

Hoseok and Namjoon appeared seemingly out of nowhere, the latter coming up to stand on the other side of Jungkook opposite of you. It was only then that you and Jungkook realized that most of the bar had gone silent and was watching the situation unfold. 

“Hey man,” Namjoon addressed the bully, lifting his chin. “Is there a problem here?”

The bully looked at the four of you standing side by side and straightened his shoulders, inhaling a shaky breath. “Oh I see, loser,” he addressed Jungkook. “You make it out of our little town, think you make it big, but you need a little posse to protect you. Still a loser through and through.”

“What the fuck did you just—”

“Hobi don’t,” Jungkook snapped, reaching behind Namjoon to grab Hoseok’s arm and pull him back. 

The bully laughed, raising his arms out to the side. “Like I said. You can’t even stand up for yourself, loser. You need these two pussies and your little bitch to—”

You threw your drink in the bully’s face, letting him splutter as you turned and placed the empty glass on the bar counter before rearing your arm back and punching him in the nose. 

The entire bar ‘ooo’ed as the bully hit the floor. 

You hissed, shaking out your hand as you looked over your shoulder to the bartender. 

“Jackson,” you said casually, flexing your fingers. “I’m calling in my monthly sister favor. This guy is permanently banned from the bar.”

“First of all,” Jackson replied, eyeing his groaning customer on the floor. “You already used your monthly sister favor when you needed gas last week. But because I’m a nice brother, consider this one an advance on next month’s.”

You grinned, turning back to where the bully was still rolling on the ground like an imbecile. 

“Alright, asshole, up and out. You’re banned, fuck off before I call the cops for trespassing since you’re officially banned. That’s right, out, out. Thank you, goodbye.”

The bully didn’t even spare Jungkook one last glance as he staggered to his feet and out the door. 

“Show’s over, people,” Jackson called out. “But tune in next week, we’ll probably have a rerun of some sort. Carry on!”

You stuck your tongue out at your brother, who just laughed and went back to serving drinks as the bar slowly moved back to normalcy after the scene you caused. Well … the scene you ended. 

You finally looked back to the three boys. 

Who were staring at you … slack-jawed. 

They were all really damn cute, one with sick looking hair, the other tan and glowing and red-faced (tipsy, clearly), and the one who had been bullied just … damn fine.

“I like your hair,” you remarked to the one with the platinum coif. 

His eyes went wide before sighing dramatically. The one on his other side promptly burst out laughing. “Dammit,” he muttered under his breath, stalking off to get another drink. 

You looked to the one who was still laughing. “What did I say?”

“The wrong thing,” the sunshine one said, still laughing. You guessed it was a soulmark thing, but didn’t push it. “That was awesome by the way. Nice punch!”

You smirked, shrugging with no small amount of pride. “Thanks, I do kickboxing.”

“Hey, Jungkook likes boxing!” he shouted, grabbing his other friend and shoving him closer to you. You laughed at the other boy’s scared expression. He had yet to say a word to you. “I don’t know if kickboxing and boxing is the same or not, but … you should talk! I need another drink.”

“Tell the bartender it’s on me,” you said, earning yourself a double thumbs up and a high-five from the sunshine boy. That made you laugh, turning to the other boy to tell him you liked his friends, only to freeze when you saw the look on his face. 

He was staring at you like you were an ethereal being or something. Pure admiration. You weren’t ashamed to admit that if he hadn’t been so cute, it definitely would’ve been creepy. 

You swallowed hard, not knowing what to say. He was just about to open his mouth to speak first when you blurted out —

“Loser.”

The boy froze, his big (and wildly beautiful) brown eyes widening like saucers. 

“Like … really?” you continued. “That dude is practically a professional bully and the only name he called you was loser? Pfft, what a moron. Seriously, don’t dwell on him for a single second, okay? Not worth your time.” 

The boy was still silent, and his stare was really getting to you. 

“Would you just … say something, please?” you asked, swallowing and running a hand through your hair. “I’m sorry if I overstepped, it’s just that I … I can’t just stand by when I see stuff like that. And you looked really uncomfortable and kind of scared and I had to step in. I can’t—”

“This,” he finally spoke, his voice soft and smooth in all the right ways, “is not what I expected.”

Now it was your turn to stare. 

“W-What did you just say?” you asked. 

Your right hand subconsciously moved to grab your left wrist, and Jungkook tracked the movement with his eyes. A smile started to play on his lips, growing wider with each second as he lifted his own left hand.

On the inside of his wrist, right there in black ink, was a single word. 

‘Loser.’

“I … I …” 

You knew you were gaping like a fish, but you genuinely had no idea what to say. 

“I … I am such an asshole!”

Jungkook blinked at you in surprise. 

“Oh my gosh you’ve spent this whole time thinking your soulmate was just going to insult you when you met!” you exclaimed, hands on your head and eyes wild. “Why the hell did I even say that? I’m so insensitive, holy crap!”

Jungkook stared at you, his smile only widening and then he burst into laughter.

And not just any laughter. Oh no, Jungkook’s laughter was open and honest and completely real. He was the epitome of ‘ahahaha!’ and it was the best damn sound you had ever heard. 

And it was contagious. Soon enough you were giggling too, hands on your cheeks as your face reddened in both embarrassment and delight. 

“Kookie!” Hoseok shouted from the bar suddenly, causing the two of you to look over at where he, Namjoon, and Jackson were clearly chatting. “What the hell is so funny?”

You looked back to Jungkook, grinning. His heart skipped a beat, and so did yours. 

The pair of you looked back to the trio, left wrists held up like badges of honor.

“She called me a loser!”

“He said I wasn’t what he expected!”

The three boys were silent for just a split second. 

Jackson promptly screamed and announced free drinks, Hoseok started laughing so hard he literally fell off his chair and spilled his drink everywhere, and Namjoon dropped his head to the bar surface after grumbling, “Another one?”

You and Jungkook looked back to one another, both of you positively beaming. In a rare display of boldness, Jungkook reached out with his left hand and gently grasped yours, running his thumb over the mark there. He giggled when you shivered and you could have melted on the spot.

“Sorry you have to wear the word ‘loser’ on your wrist for the rest of your life,” you said softly, feeling parts of you turn to mush as he looked down at you with utter fondness.

“It’s okay,” he said instantly, smile brighter than any sunrise. “That word doesn’t bother me anymore.”

[stillness-in-green]

MLA Week, Day 2: Judge/Shackles/Freedom

A threefer!  Spinner and his brand new lieutenants.  (Look, until Horikoshi starts deigning to give these guys names, they are free real estate.)

I was originally going to use this day to write about one of the more thuggy or delinquent-looking lieutenants, spin out an ex-con not being able to get his feet back under him and so sliding into the MLA’s sphere, but then I remembered this three foot tall goblin in a drugstore Halloween costume and decided to go with him instead.

Also included is Spinner’s number 1, this gal: 

Content Notes: Discussions of disability, portrayal of the marginalized having become the radicalized.  The Liberation Army’s really fascinating, y’all. 

———–      ———–      ———–      ———–

«I think you’ll like this one,» Nimble announces, the rainbow-colored letters of her quirk dancing in the air.  

“You thought I’d like the first two, too,” Spinner replies skeptically, looking away from the floating words to focus on his brand new number one, a woman with a face like a doll whose sculptor had gotten as far as the eyes—huge and green—before giving up on the rest, little things like a nose and a mouth.  She breathes by absorbing air through her skin like a frog, apparently, which is why she dresses the way she does, a distractingly low-cut tank top and a sweater jacket that he has never once seen covering her shoulders.  

She shrugs, expressive eyes briefly fluttering closed, and movement in the air draws Spinner’s attention back over to where her quirk—Sky Write—has spelled out her response.  

«I thought you’d like them too.  Can I call him in?»

“Yeah, go ahead.”  Just as long as he’s not a not surly bastard like the last two.  They’d had good quirks, the last two, but damned if Spinner’s going to work with people who can’t even manage to keep resentment out of their eyes for the length of a job interview, or whatever this process of picking subordinates out of an army full of people that were trying to kill him less than two weeks ago is called.  

Nimble’s letters dissolve into a shapeless blur as she looks over to the door, eyebrows briefly lowering in concentration.  A few seconds later, the door to Spinner’s makeshift office opens. Spinner’s eyes drop almost half-a-person’s length in height and he tries to keep the surprise off his face.  

“A kid?”

«He’s twenty-one, actually.»  

“What she said.”  The voice comes out a bit muffled through the black hood covering the kid’s—okay, the twenty-one-year old’s face.  But if he’s the same age as Spinner, he sure as hell doesn’t look it.  He can’t be over a meter tall, with the skinniest legs Spinner’s ever seen sticking out from under the hem of the black robe he wears like a kid running around the house beneath a sheet.  A big feathery ruff sits around his neck like a dried-out wreath.  

“Scarecrow, reporting in.” The weird little gremlin settles into a military rest in front of the desk, far enough back that it’s not too obvious that he has to tilt his head to look over it.  “It’s an honor to meet you, sir.”  

Spinner stares at him, trying to suppress a grimace.  Scarecrow stares back through little eyeholes cut in the hood, but without being able to see more of his face, it’s impossible to tell if he’s glaring or just has really piercing eyes.  

“Right.”  Spinner glances over at Nimble, who nods.  Her response scrawls itself in the air between them, facing first him, then angling to face the gremlin.  

«Show him your meta-ability, Scarecrow.  Catch!»  

She pulls out a 100 yen coin and deftly balances it on her thumb before flicking it out into the air over the desk.

Spinner bites back a yelp as bug legs unfold from beneath Scarecrow’s ruff, long, segmented things that narrow down to sharp points at the tips.  Two thin lines of silk jet out from the knobby second joints, catching on the spinning coin, and the legs reel it back in, bouncing it in the air, spinning it like a weight on a string, then cocooning it up with quick efficiency.  It falls neatly into his hand—not a normal human hand, Spinner notices belatedly, but a prosthetic, hard plastic and super articulated, with cables visible beneath the individual parts.

“I can fully cocoon up to twelve adult men a day,” Scarecrow rattles out.  “I can also pull myself up the sides of walls and move between buildings, if they’re close enough together.  I was inducted into the Meta Liberation Army on my sixteenth birthday; my parents have been members for ten years.  I know we’re a relatively new family, but—”

“I don’t—”  Spinner stops himself from finishing that sentence with care about that stuff, amending to, “I’m not worried about your—generation or whatever.”  Is that better?  Neither Scarecrow or Nimble react to it with narrowed eyes or a snarl, anyway. Promising?  “Why’d you join up?”  

Jumping on a bandwagon is one thing, but at least that takes a running start and a leap.  Not like joining a cult because it’s just the family business, Spinner thinks viciously at his memory of that greasy asshole Trumpet’s plated mask.

Scarecrow stares at him for a long second.  Spinner does his best to look serious, like he’s actually got a whole prepared list of questions or whatever.  Like he knows what he’s doing.  

Finally, Scarecrow holds up his hands, both spread wide, both obvious prosthetics.  His bug legs twitch and probe at the air.  

“I was born with no arms,” he says.  “Just my forelegs.  It’s not the same as having opposable thumbs, obviously, but it’s better than you’d think. But my teachers used to scold me for raising a foreleg instead of a hand to answer a question or carry things.  The kind of stuff a kid who didn’t have a birth defect could use their quirk to do and no one would look twice.  If I go out in public and so much as open doors for myself with them, people look at me funny.  Because I look funny.”

Don’t use your quirk at school outside of training lessons, Shuuichi-kun.  Spinner remembers that kind of bias, yeah.  All the non-heteromorphic kids could run around the schoolyard playing tag with snowballs in July, but heaven forbid he use his quirk to climb a tree so he can get away from bullies for the length of a lunchbreak.  

He pushes the memory away and nods at Scarecrow to keep him talking.  Not that the guy needs much pushing—he talks like someone who’s told the story before, hard-edged, voice intense despite a mid-ranged pitch.  He’s got just a hint of a—a hiss or a lisp, something that muddles the edges of his hard consonants.  The hood doesn’t move like he’s hiding mandibles under there, but…

“I’ve been wearing prosthetics for longer than I can remember.  The government pays for most of it, since I was born this way, but there’re a lot of limitations on it.  How often they’ll replace them, what my folks got charged for them.  It was always tight, and the kinds of prosthetics government money buys definitely weren’t as nice as these.”  He flexes his false fingers demonstratively.

“My folks and I met Re-Destro—” and there’s that note of reverence, the same tone Re-Destro himself’s using about Shigaraki these days “—when I was nine.  A family friend recommended Detnerat’s products to us, and he took an interest. That’s how we found out about the Army.”

“Yeah?”  Spinner crosses his arms over his chest.  

“My parents joined up because of me.  But I joined up for myself.  Because people think that because I have prosthetics, I shouldn’t need to use my forelegs in public.” Scarecrow’s voice sharpens.  “Like I don’t have the right to use the limbs I was born with.  I should have that right.  We all should.”

“We’re not out to reform society, you know,” Spinner cautions him.  He’s had to tell Re-Destro that too many times already, and that’s just having grasped it himself there in the ruins of Deika.  “That’s not what Shigaraki’s after.”  

Scarecrow gives him another long, quiet look, unreadable behind his hood.  Finally—slower, less practiced—he nods and answers, “Destro’s teaching was that oppression will always lead to revolution.  The Grand Commander of the Liberation Army is the one who’ll throw off those chains.  Whatever he makes of the world, I want to be there to help, not sitting in my shackles waiting for someone to hand me an answer.”

Spinner breathes out hard. He scratches at his hair.  

“…Right,” he manages. Don’t admit he said it better than you could.  “Well put.” He turns to Nimble and adds, “Well, he didn’t offend me.”

«I know you’d like him.»  Her words practically shimmy in the air, flickering green and yellow and pink.  «Then do we have our number 2?»

Spinner glances back over at Scarecrow, who’s staring determinedly out the window behind the desk, his back toy soldier straight.  He still looks more like a kid in a costume than anything else, but…  

Well, I like him better than people like the politician.  And we need to keep things moving, anyway.  Don’t stop running or someone might catch up.  

“Yeah, I think so” he says aloud, then takes a breath and leans over the desk, offering a hand.  Scarecrow takes it without a second’s pause, plastic clicking against Spinner’s scales.  “Welcome to the Support Regiment.”  

———–      ———–      ———–      ———–

I’ll have some links up about things here when I post this to AO3, but in the meantime, Scarecrow--whose condition at birth was called amelia--wears a hood not because he’s embarrassed of a bug face, but rather because he’s embarrassed of the way various surgeries to repair cleft palate and cleft lip have left his face looking.  He’s much more confident in showing off his meta-ability than what he thinks of as his disability.  

Scarecrow is also vaguely modeled on an insect called a webspinner, a tiny little bug that lives in big communal web “galleries” and has the unusual feature of its silk production apparatus being located on its front legs rather than the base of its abdomen like spiders.  The choice felt appropriate for an unusually tiny cult member with top-mounted spider legs.   

[survivormetaverse]

Episode 1 - "I know the game will pick up eventually" ~Shaad

chile lemme not get thrown out for making all these stan twitter bitch references I'M LICHERALLY HARMLESS I DON'T MEAN MOST OF WHAT I SAY DKJFHASJKLDG

~

ngl tho i'm kinda shitting myself over these challenges bc i don't wanna get tossed on the first round JKAHFSJKDGHJ my ant eye et tea is through the ROOF

~

oh girl, first impressions? ngl, the gays and girls here seem quite lovely, hopefully they won't have to carry me the entire time LMAO

Okay like the only person I like/talked to is Jodi but she seems like a smart cookie so ima sleep with one eye open. But idk I'm ready to put on my fake ass smile and my fake ass kind words and get through this part. It's interesting with 6 people per tribe like if we lose I don't have that solid "core" yet but theres a chance that it would be me, jodi, amy because we were the first three on and active so idk. the immunity challenge is cool, the hunt challenge is cool too. im not good at timed puzzles, so I don't think I'm gonna go for it but a part of me feels like everyone across the tribes isnt gonna do it becsuse theyre scared so thats a good opportunity to sneak in and play with less people against me? idk idk idk ahhh

🎶Oh my god we're back again🎶 Hey peeps!! :DDD Here I am againnnn, how fun! Tbh I forgot this was today lowkey and Dylan reminded me and I was like oop 😳 also I am so sorry to everyone that I cannot help but sprinkle the fact that we are now dating in all of my first convos bc IM VERY GAY apologies✨ for how often I'm mentioning it I mean 😂 My tribemates seems so cool, Jennifer and Babs are newbies but seem up to the challenge, Jay A and Colin already giving off immaculate vibes✨ Me and Dyl are hosting Ingary in a month and I do have like work and everything so I don't know exaclty how active I'll be in this game/ how far I'll make it but we'll see won't we!!

not me being a leader of whateva

~

it's the lack of reading comprehension for me (that was shade directed towards myself)

In the fools tribe !!! Moth is in my tribe which is good because we have played together before. The immunity challenge is divide and conquer! So I believe I will be doing the endurance one. I think I’ll be okay... and the hunt announcement is a good twist !!! I’m not sure if I’ll participate in the first one.. but I’ll probably change my mind. ANYWAYS, I’m ready to kick some ass 

Hey guys it's me Brayden and I am so here. I'm so excited to be playing again and stuff and I have already predicted the future that I'll be the winner. Anyways I was at an award ceremony for like the first 3 hours of the game which is kind of scary bc I feel like I missed alot but I'm trying to talk to people and stuff and see what's going on. I've briefly talked to Jodi, Amy, and Ginnifer (who is so hard to talk to btw I like send her messages trying to start a real conversation and she will just respond being like same or something). Anyways the other 2 people on my tribe are offline rn so ig I missed my chance to talk to them tonight so I'll do that tomorrow. Anyways I signed up to do counting and I'm so excited bc I literally KILLED the counting challenge on Kyoshi Islands so I'm so excited to hopefully kill it again. I also decided to play the hunt challenge even though I only have 3 chances bc I'm hoping alot of people will be scared to use one of their three chances to play in the first round and I can have a better chance of winning it. But I think I'm bad at puzzles. I didn't think it through that hard I think I got excited to play a challenge but whatever I'll probably win the advantage then in a few weeks win the whole game anyways see u later.

SO its the morning after the premiere!! Everyone's settled in!! and I kinda don't know how to feel?? Overall the premiere was kinda quiet, nothing happened worth noting tbh. Everyone on the tribe showed up, so thats good, but i think we're all just feeling each other out at the moment as for the people on my tribe! everyone seems chill but also i can't put my finger on it but SOMEHOW this tribe radiates chaotic energy. I don't know HOW or WHY but I just know it DOES. The way we're interacting in the tribe chat it seems like there's a very wide range of personalities and vibes. They're either gonna complement each other or clash, and I guess we're just gonna have to wait to find out which one!!! here are my quick night 1 first impressions that no one asked for :) Anastasia - she showed up kinda late bc she had life happening, understandable. BUT she kinda just jumped right in and started vibing with everyone!! so I think she's gonna be a strong social player. I talked to her and she seems really funny, I think I might really get close with her if I'm able to talk to her more Babs - IF our tribe does end up being chaotic, it's going to be because of Babs. They're definitely the most talkative and prominent person on the tribe, but I think they might come off as messy to others. they're really funny though!! so again I can see myself wanting to work with them if I can get to know them more. They are the biggest question mark on the tribe for me currently Elle - AH. I LOVE THEM ALREADY. Within minutes of us talking they mentioned Dylan and then I found out that they're DATING and I was SCREECHING. cutest shit i've ever heard. I'm so excited to meet and play with them. Dylan is one of my fave people in the org community so ofc I wanna get to know Elle and connect with them as well!! Jay - I think Jay seems like just a very genuine open person?? Like we talked for quite a while yesterday just about games and he was asking me questions about my experience with them and all that. idk if it's because he sees me as a threat or if its because he just actually wanted to get to know me. He lowkey gives me heterosexual vibes and idk if thats true or not but idk how to bring it up. but I def wanna keep talking to him and getting to know him!! I think he might be someone I can form a genuine friendship with Jennifer - kinda have no opinion so far. I think shes the quietest on the tribe. at least for me I didn't get the chance to hear from her much. kinda gives catfish vibes. kinda gives early boot vibes. idk. we'll see what happens!

Not too much yet tbh. Just finding my footing. People are loving my energy so hopefully they’ll keep me around

So i realized Amy is runner up from the season before mine in another org and so we connected over that... of course we are not going to tell anyone else but we did have that going for us to get started. brayden is only 16 but he told me he loves magic and wanted to learn more about it so i told him id teach him some stuff! dennis and i called and connected well BUT hes kinda playing SUPER hard and wanting to throw challenges already to vote people out.. this has never worked out for anybody!! josh is cool, he works at a grocery store so he's gonna kill the "b" challenge. ginnifer has been the most MIA but i have faith that we'll work together well for the popularity contest. yall know i cant play the reverse flirt game i so badly want to coin, but i do have romance tea for yall tomorrow. stay tuned........

Jay and I talked last night so i guess we're best friends. We decided to make an alliance and try to get Elle in it. But everyone has been pretty inactive besides Jay and Collin. I've only slightly talked to Jessica this whole game and Babs hasn't even said one thing to me and I texted them hi. And apperently Babs has left Jay on opened too so they might just suck at talking right now. Hopefully Babs will talk to me they seem so funny and cool D:

I won endurance 👑!!!! Hopefully the fools tribe wins this!!!! I played against Jennifer and Dennis. I could see myself playing with Dennis down the line if we merge. I haven’t talked to anyone but Moth. So I messaged my whole tribe Introducing myself. Hopefully things work out for me! 

Thoughts after the first 24hrs: https://youtu.be/I62bDSzgf68

You hear something ??? Same. Why is my tribe so quiet 😂😂😂😂 I’m trying to read off the vibes but I see nothing. 

I really love my tribe and the fact that they don’t know I played last season is a good strategy to play on my end

tbh i wish we lost i wanted to go to tribal and vote one of these people out :(

Welp we got second place in the first challenge :| which isn't bad!! But it's not first place 😂😂. But I had a fun day taking pictures so whateverssss. I said I would be chaotic in this game but the opportunity hasn't presented itself yet... Guess we'll have to wait and see✨

I think at this point, my team is shady and won't say anything to me so I am nervous.

The challenges were way harder than I thought. I didn't do well at all and let my tribe down. I feel like I will be the first to get voted out if we have a tribal hearing.

We lost yay. I had a feeling. Hopefully the tribe will keep me around for now since I won endurance.... lhsisowjshwowpwpwheowowhfiwpqpqpjw. Jared thinks we can vote Bri out. Which I’m fine with, I haven’t really talked to her at all. Jared and I are going to message the others and see where everyone’s head is at. Honestly I don’t care who goes home as long as I’m safe. Everyone is quiet which is so annoying. Blahhhhhhhhhh 

Well it’s my 3rd time playing and it’s not off to the best start, no one seems to be talking to anyone. And we lost meaning we are going to tribal council. So fuck- I have no idea what about to happen. I’m just hoping it’s not me or Jess

if i must confess, my strategy is to have a 4-3-2 alliance. i need a 4 to have a majority, but i dont have a 4 yet. within the 4, theres a three person alliance w me jodi and amy, but within that three i believe that the core 2 is myself and jodi. i really dont care who the 4th is. i like having jodi and amy as an alliance because theyre both doing wayy too much which is great for me :) i dont think any of these people have idols but who knows. i would love to throw the next immunity i wanna go to tribal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Looks like we’ve got something good. We’ve got an alliance that’s set to (hopefully) vote out bri due to inactivity. Let’s just pray it works

~

Trying to talk in this tribe is so difficult In both my other seasons I was pretty quiet all the time It is like that x10000 I was hoping to stay under the radar but that doesn’t work if no one talks at all I suppose it depends on if I’m being played or if everyone just doesn’t talk. I think there’s a plan. Let’s hope it goes well 

OKAY SO. Moth, Jared and I have a little alliance going on. We are set on voting out Bri. I just talked to Danny and Shaad and they are down with voting Bri out. I have high hopes that I’ll be safe at tribal. 

Better communication.. in sticking with that fact, our communication in my team could be better and we need to put more effort into what we do, I believe in us!

https://youtu.be/595h7hmL6VY

The start to this game has been a freaking snails pace...it’s unbelievable to me that these people do not want to talk that much, especially when it’s a tribe of 6. Colin and I talk the most, I’ve gotten a decent amount out of Anastasia, and to me it feels like those 2 wants to work with me and I am fine with working with them. Usually in a larger group you want to figure out who you can work with long term and use the first few tribals to establish trust, I may throw that out the window since there’s only 5 other people on this tribe. My strategy needs to be who the hell can get me past these first few votes before a swap happens, and I feel like I can rely on Colin and Anastasia for that. I’d like to pull in Elle, because she’s the one who’s talked to me the most out of her, Babs, and Jennifer. Everyone seems nice, but it would be lovely if people would be more active. 

I’m enjoying the fact our tribe won the first challenge everyone is very nice I love it :)

This round has been pretty smooth sailing. I know the game will pick up eventually but for now, we are just going with the flow as a tribe

https://youtu.be/UZVzZ6d6GRU

~

ok so apparently ginnifer isn't famous. she's just a bit quiet and mysterious. ok with me, just gonna take a while because I'm a loud and outspoken person (and player). amy, dennis and I have an alliance called "fang gang" (it's really just 3 emojis of vampires) and we're going to run the premerge hopefully. I do like brayden a lot, and maybe I'll propose a 3 with him, amy and myself to have a solid 4 control the votes until a swap. round 1 not bad so far!

~~~

Edgics:

Power Rankings:

Phantom

Jodi: I believe Jodi is thriving on this tribe. She is very obviously a social player who picks up on the littlest details. I’m sure she can sniff out a plot if it comes down to it. However, Jodi is the plot. She is the leader of her tribe and is easily the most active person in the game at the moment. So long as she keeps a smile on her face and doesn’t overextend to do something messy, she will find that she will make it safely to merge. Allying with Amy could be dangerous however since Amy has stated she needs to be voted out before a certain date. This means that Jodi needs to socialize with other members of her tribe and get new allies before hers will inevitably be voted out of the game.

Amy: Even though she wants to get voted out, Amy has set herself up perfectly at Jodi’s side. She can take the heat off of herself using Jodi and is able to hide better than others. As always, her UTR game has come out to shine. She hasn’t had anyone call her out and even though Jodi has seen her play she is still able to gain her trust.

Josh: Doing so well in the challenge has earned Josh’s place here. He makes his worth known early and has a great personality as well. This makes him very safe for any early tribal councils as no one is going to want to take him out; they want him on their side. Similar to Amy, he just seems to be using an under the radar social game which he is executing well at the present moment. And, as the star of the challenge, he makes himself safe for future tribals before the swap. However, I do fear that this early impression of competition prowess will come back to haunt him if he makes it to the merge.

Dennis: I would put Dennis higher, but Jodi, his ally, already is suspicious of him. She seems to think of him as a bit of a sneak and, as the tribe leader, her opinions matter the most. It is good that he is able to be Jodi’s ally so she might stray away from voting him out. However, his desire to go to tribal and play the game so early may bite him in the butt later down the line. I can definitely see him being called out for trying to play too hard too fast. At the moment, he remains high because he seems to be decently social and no one except Jodi has sniffed him out.

Brayden: There’s not much to say on Brayden’s game. He doesn’t seem to have any allies, his challenge performance wasn’t as good as others on his tribe, and he is not in any alliances yet. This spells disaster for Brayden if his tribe goes to consecutive tribal councils. Additionally, even though he was one of the few to play in the Hunt, he didn’t win and wasn’t even close to doing so. He even gave up part way through to do the immunity challenge. I would be saving them if I were Brayden, but hindsight is 20/20. If Brayden can squeeze into being the fourth of the Jodi, Amy, Dennis alliance instead of Josh then maybe his game forecast will be better.

Ginnifer: The thing that lands Ginnifer on the bottom is that she said that her tribe could vote her out if they lost the challenge. This primes people to already be willing to get rid of her in this game. Additionally, some people have expressed difficulty with talking to Ginny such as Jodi and Amy. The former still wants to give Ginny a try at being an ally while the latter was ready to vote her out if necessary. Ginny just needs to pick up social steam and outperform in the next comp if she’s going to have longevity in this game.

Fools

Jessica: In lieu of a clear leader, Jessica has stepped up as she started the first alliance on her tribe with Moth and Jared. No doubt, Jessica’s prior relationship with Moth helped facilitate. Additionally, this seems to paint them as the “active” members of this not active tribe. Therefore, it will be very easy for Jessica to dictate votes without getting labelled as a threat since her tribe is not active enough to do so. I can definitely see her leaning on Moth as a crutch, but for now she is the topdog of her tribe. Especially so since she was the only member of her tribe to win a challenge in Divide and Conquer.

Moth: As Jessica’s right-hand person, Moth is a secure spot. It also helped that they have played this game before and is on a not active tribe. This vibes well with Moth’s gameplay style since they aren’t a social powerhouse like Jodi or Colin. Instead, she keeps it more lowkey which makes this tribe in particular a great tribe for her to thrive in.

Jared: While he hasn’t provided a confessional yet, it’s clear he’s positioned himself well with Moth and Jessica. As the topdogs of the tribe, they are key people to get in with. Besides that, he seems to be a little more active than some others, but there’s not much else to say as of right now.

Danny/Shaad: Him and Shaad can trade spots on this ranking because they are playing similar games at the moment. They are both quiet and inactive, yet are not part of the core alliance of this tribe. This could spell danger for them in upcoming tribal councils if they don’t start working on people now. They seem to be safe for now based solely on Bri’s inactivity, but, otherwise, they need to pick up their socio-strategic game before it is too late.

Bri: She seems to be the most likely person to get voted out. She was not online at all for the first two days of the game and has since remained inactive. She is easy pickings for the top 3 of this tribe which really hurts my heart. I know her in real life and she is very sociable and easy to get along with. I have no doubt that in a real life game of Survivor or Big Brother, she would kill the social game.

S.E.E.S.

Colin: Similar to Jodi, Colin is the most social person on his tribe at the moment. However, unlike Jodi, he has not taken a leader position which works to his benefit. Despite being social, Colin has been able to slip under the radar of most people with a lot of them wanting to work with him. Colin is easily going to survive until the swap, but I will caution him from getting too many allies too quickly. This tribe in particular has a wildcard willing to blow things like that up so he needs to be careful.

Elle: Similar to her previous games, Elle plays an extraordinary social game and becomes very well-liked very easily. They have no problem fitting into any situation and I foresee them making it far if they gain the right allies. What puts her at number 2 as opposed to number 1 is that she hasn’t made any strategic comments yet. Instead, she is focusing on a social game which is not a bad thing. Colin has just shown more of his gameplay in these rounds.

Anastasia: Anastasia, despite being late to the premiere, has been able to socialize with key people such as Colin and Jay. Her prior connection with Elle has also sparked an interest in Colin in working with the two of them as an alliance. Overall, her and Elle sort of share the 2 and 3 spot since they are both well-liked, did well in the challenge, and are prime allies for Colin whose word will feel like law if this tribe ever goes to tribal.

Jay: Jay is neither here nor there. He isn’t in the bottom, but he is not calling the shots either. It is good that Colin wants him as his number 1 and that Anastasia likes him. Out of the three outside of this potential Elle, Colin, Anastasia alliance, he seems like he will be most likely to be saved until a swap occurs. His calls with people have certainly been helping with that as people are able to bond more with him through there. His activity could use work, but he doesn’t need to be active if he’s liked.

Babs: With another Jodi comparison, Babs has taken the leadership position of their tribe. However, they are not as social and, in fact, considered a big threat since they are so willing to talk freely and openly in the tribe chat. Their gameplay is going to be Messy, and people have already pointed that out, making them a clear target if this tribe goes to tribal council. Despite that, they aren’t at the bottom since some people, like Colin, have expressed interest in working with that kind of player as a sort of shield. If Babs were to tone it down and be more social with people (another problem with their game), they may be able to crawl up these rankings.

Jennifer: Sadly I have to put another phonetic Jennifer at the bottom. She did the worst in the challenge across her tribe and isn’t active either. For this round, it seems she would be the easy vote if this tribe had gone to tribal. She needs to start being more social and be more of a presence in people’s minds.

[dredreadsdrawing]

Oc-Tober Day 16: Palette

my tablet annoys me but i continue to draw with it :,o oof. 

I used this Palette day for my other beloved DnD oc. Reir the bastard half-elf rogue from a prestigious elf-mafia lolol. Thank goodness I had already wrote her backstory in a word dock like, in February XD Augh writing one bigass story is enough for today. Here it is: 

Reir is a half-elf. She was born from the daughter of the biggest elf-run criminal organization, and a poor young farmer. Whilst on the run, her mother was injured and almost died, but Reir’s father found and saved her. They fell in love while she recovered, but she was picked up quickly by her brother and taken back to their city base.

She missed the farm and countryside, so she’d sneak to visit her love secretly for years. When her father and brother found out, they freaked. A lowly, much younger human was no worthy life-companion for their rose. After losing Reir’s grandmother, they became incredibly overprotective of her because of her, and this situation was no exception. They put her under house-arrest and threatened the farmer with violence.

After years of tolerating their suffocating doting, she couldn’t handle any more. She broke out and ran to him. He agreed to running away with her, to start over somewhere else. Things were going well along their travels, until they hit an impasse and were ambushed. Her love was killed in front of her eyes. She was taken back to be a bird in their cage, her will to fight now extinguished.

A month later, her pregnancy was diagnosed. Her brother was the only one to find out along with her, and before he could report it to his father, she pleaded to keep it a secret. She wanted to keep the child; she had a new reason to live. He gave in and helped her hide it from their father, unknowingly assisting her in her last attempt to escape as well.

She ran away again, planning to get her child away from their overbearing crime life, but she had waited for too long to put her plan into play. She started giving birth mid-way into her travel, stuck somewhere alone with no help for miles. By the time her family found her, her brother forced to tell his father the secret, she was dead, her child wrapped around her arms and kicking fussily.

Her father was in despair. He punished her brother severely, blaming him for her death, while also dropping the baby to be his responsibility. He refused her legitimacy. He had plans to expand their territory and claims, but died soon after the incident, rumors floating that he took his life from the grief. Now the brother was alone as the head of the family, stuck with a baby without a family name.

He planned to abandon her to an orphanage, thought there was no place for a child in his life. But her likeness to her mother outweighed her likeness to her father, and he couldn’t go through. He ended up dumping her to two of his subordinates; a half-orc and another half-elf. She was to live in seclusion at the top floor of their base.

He was an absent father figure to her. He’d visit rarely and briefly just to overlook her education. He saw the job of raising her as a lower priority, put his duties as the leader of the organization above all else. To quiet her every time she acted out of line, he would punish her the same way his father would his sister; he’d lock her in a quiet, dark room. Instead of taking the punishment meekly and learning to be good, she took it as a challenge and rebelled from everything he threw at her.

She grew picking up the worst habits. If she wanted something, she’d no longer ask for it. Stealing was easier and more fun. If she wanted to know what others were doing, she’d simply follow them; she trained herself to be quiet and stealthy. Because she was constantly thrown into the room, she learned to hide things in her clothing and body, to pick locks, to adjust to the darkness quickly and to climb from ledges half an inch thick. As a child, she was a nuisance. As a teenager, she was a menace. As a newly fledged adult, she was an outright criminal working outside of her uncle’s interests and solely for her own.

When she became of age, she thought he would finally induct her into the gang, but that day never came. He assured her she would never be a part of them and gave her a list of reasons why. She took it ‘in slide’; if he didn’t want her, it was his loss. She went crazy with her crimes, never thinking of the consequences, or of the mess she’d leave behind. She could always run back to the comfort of the organization’s name even when she wasn’t a part of it.

She was giving their business a bad reputation. If he couldn’t control his own brat, how could he keep his subordinates in check? Contacts began pulling back, the city law enforcement was asking for bigger bribes, everything was going to shit. Her uncle was done covering for her, and he gave her a final threat. He told her no more tricks, no more stunts, no more getting out of the house. She would be a good girl, or she would be disowned completely. He wasn’t playing around. She nodded along, but rationalized his anger as stemming from her debt. So she just needed to pay everything back huh? As soon as he left, she planned her biggest scam.

She stole millions from the mayor, not knowing he was already under the gang’s thumb. She stored the money in the organization’s vault, and proudly paraded her deed. She was called to her uncle’s office, and she prepared herself for her induction. She dressed in her finest, prepared a beaming smile. She opened the door, going into a speech about how it was finally time for her to make her grand entrance, but one look at her uncle’s face shut her up. She smiled awkwardly, trying to get a rise out of him. What, no hug? A high five? Her uncle raised his hand. Excited, she made to move towards him, but was immediately knocked out by henchmen behind her.

Without a word of farewell, she was shipped far away, dumped across the world with a two day stay at an inn, a dagger, and a bag of coins. She woke up confused and without even a note of explanation. She was alone, and cut off.

 Extra info:

The half-orc and half-elf truly love her and treat her like their daughter. Her difficult relationship with her uncle was the root of her bad behaviorism though, and they felt powerless as they watched her fall into more and more hopeless tries for his attention. When she was shipped, they were heartbroken. They were never told of her final threat or how it happened, they were simply fired from their job as ‘nannies’, and reinstated in grunt work. They hold a grudge against her uncle and fully plan on escaping the organization to look for her.

To further explain her bad behavior from her uncle’s perspective: Her mother was a model-obedient girl type. She was an angel who always did what she was told (until she fell in love.) She had been kind, patient, and loving; the perfect sister and the perfect woman in her uncle’s eyes. Her daughter though, was the worst. She was a brat, rebellious, selfish, overconfident, and had zero regard for others.

Her nannies could see where all of these negative properties stemmed from as she grew. She became rebellious as a form of getting his attention, she’s self-centered because she was never taught to work in a team and never even had any friends, and she��s overconfident because she’s learned a lot from what she considers the best criminals. However, her uncle never spent much time with her at all. He never truly got to know her, and never had one on one conversations with her about herself. He was only ever around long enough to see the bad, never stuck around to figure out the good.

She was extremely caring towards her two father figures, the half-orc and half-elf. She’s clever and an extremely quick-learner; gifted in everything she put her mind to. She was determined to the point of being naïve; she always believed even when she pretended she didn’t need it, that her uncle would open up and accept her one day if she did a job big enough. She’s also super optimistic. She never lets anyone or anything bring her down, and has never let herself get depressed. She’s smart enough to get through anything; her overconfidence always shone through.

I’m uh, making some quick stuff for oc-tober lol. im sooooooooo behind :,o but i managed to get semi-caught up..... tomorrow ill have to do today’s theme lol Im jsut abit too depressed today :(

[stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale]

with you [chapter 5]

Summary: Clementine pops the question, Louis has nightmares, Violet can’t let go of the past, Mitch doesn’t know how to handle gross feelings, Ruby’s a goddamn sweetheart, Willy doesn’t ever remember to knock, Aasim can’t dance, and James is here, too.

Nothing like a wedding to bring this family together.

Note: I’m home from my grandmothers. My uncle came back a little early and now I finally get to sleep in my own bed and have internet. It’s been an exhausting two weeks but at least some good came of it. I finished rewriting/editing three chapters of [with you] which is progress. Working on this is what kept my sanity in check tbh haha. I still need some time to unpack and recover before being fully back on here, so I hope you enjoy this chapter! 

Also, I’ve updated [with you] on Fanfiction.net and Wattpad, as well. I’ve pretty much given up on them but then I thought that I do have readers on those platforms who have messaged me about [with you] so I might as well update them, too. So yeah. Thanks for reading and for your support for this story. :D

Ch1 | Ch2 | Ch3 | Ch4 | Ch5

Read on: AO3 | FF.net | Wattpad

---

Clementine yanks the basement doors open, only to gag when a nauseating scent of vinegar knocks her in the face. 

“What the hell?” she coughs.

“C’mon!” Willy grabs her arm and hurries down the stairs, dragging her with him. “Mitch! Clem’s here!”

Something heavy and metallic drops hard to the cement. “Shit!” Mitch curses. “Told you not to do that, Willy!”

“Sorry!”

She follows the young boy deeper into the basement and finds herself amazed at Mitch’s set up. The work desk is completely covered with drills, hammers, saws, files, batteries, a few of their solar panels, and other machines she didn’t recognize. Flashlights are wired in the air pointing directly at the anvil Mitch sits in front of. There’s a chipped bowl filled with a clear liquid sitting on top.

“Finally,” Mitch says when he sees her. Clementine’s startled by his more than usual unkempt appearance- hair standing in every direction, dirtiness staining his hands, shirt and face, and the weariness lining his eyes. 

“Uh, are you okay?” she asks him.

“Yeah, yeah,” he waves dismissively, standing from his stool, yawning heavily as he tosses a dirty rag away. 

Willy rushes to help him scoot the various tools aside so Mitch can reach something closest to the wall. It’s a small, brown box.

Clementine approaches the two boys, trying to hide her eagerness as she asks, “Well? Were you able to fix it?”

Mitch scratches at the back of his neck and turns away. “Not exactly,” he says, “It sorta got ruined when I messed around with it.”

Her heart drops. 

“Ruined how?”

“I may have broke it.”

“Broke it!?”

Mitch whips around, holding up a hand. “Now, don’t cry about it,” he says quickly, “it was a shitty ring, anyway. Louis would’ve broken it himself if you gave it to him… maybe.” He grabs a small wrench from the table and swings it around on his finger nervously. 

“Mitch,” she can’t help that her voice came out so miserably angry. “If you couldn’t fix it then you should’ve left it alone! What am I supposed to do now?”

“Woah, hey, don’t freak out! Just listen for two seconds,” he says. “I didn’t mean to break it. We started messing around with some stuff to try and reshape it but then it snapped and James came wandering down here and the whole thing was a shitshow. There was no saving that thing. Kind of a piece of shit. So,” he looks away as he shoves the brown box towards her, “We did you one better.”

Willy’s practically vibrating with excitement next to them as he motions eagerly to the box. “Open it! Open it!”

Clementine takes the box and pulls the lid off. It takes her a moment to process what she’s seeing. 

There’s a clean piece of fabric bunched up at the bottom, and within the folds rests two matching silver bands. Her head snaps up and her jaw drops. 

His exhausted, shit-eating grin is enough of a confirmation that what she’s seeing is real. 

“Oh my god!” she gasps. “Where did you get these?”

“Made ‘em.”

“What? You-” she blinks up at him in disbelief, “-you made these?”

“Super awesome, huh?” Willy laughs. “I told’ja we had it under control!”

“The smell’ll wear off, too,” Mitch says, “had to polish ‘em with vinegar.” 

Clementine carefully lifts the bigger of the two rings out of the box. “How- How did you-?”

“Quarters,” Mitch smirks. “Willy here keeps a pretty impressive coin collection. Took a while to find the right ones, but we got it.”

“Yeah, we made a shit ton of them!” Willy reaches into his pocket and pulls out various different rings, most of them scratched up or disfigured in some way. 

“It’s pretty easy once you get the hang of it,” Mitch shrugs. “Willy found this old book about sailors overseas making rings for their girlfriends back home. Just gotta hammer them then drill out the middle, do some filing and hammer some more. Once me and James knew what we were doing, we used the measurement I took of your finger and made yours. That one turned out great, so we made Louis’ to complete the set… and it only took us an entire day to do and there were, eh… complications , but they’re done.”

 Clementine runs her finger over the smooth surface, “This is-” she stops when she notices something engraved on it. She blinks, but it’s still there scratched into the shiny surface.

C + L

“That part was Mitch’s idea,” Willy points at the tiny letters, “had to use a really sharp nail to get it that clear.”

“We’ve all seen the piano,” Mitch quickly explains, rolling his eyes, “figured it’d be a good finishing touch. No big deal.”

She puts the box on the workbench. Without any warning, she throws herself at Mitch, wrapping her arms around his now tense body.

“Woah, hey, um-!” Mitch panics and sticks his arms out to avoid touching her.

“You guys have no idea what this means to me.”

“Uh-!”

He turns to Willy, bewildered. The young boy begins to laugh as he points at Mitch’s panicked face. Clementine reaches out and yanks Willy forward, pulling him into the hug as well. Even then, he’s still giggling like an amused child. 

Then, like the realization that they’re all hugging finally hits him over the head, Mitch jerks back, nearly tripping over his feet when turning back towards the work desk. He clears his throat.

“Said it’s not a big fucking deal, and it’s not like we did all the work, y’know. James helped, too, so just-” he grumbles, fumbling with the wrench, “-... consider it an early wedding present, or whatever.” 

Clementine can’t help but laugh at how weirdly cute it is that he’s embarrassed. She picks up the rings again to pull out the smaller one. It fits perfectly on her finger.

“I don’t know if I could ever thank you guys enough for doing this,” she beams, making a note to thank James in the morning. God, the ring fits so perfectly she can’t believe it. 

“Yeah, well, y’know,” Mitch nervously scratches his cheek, a rare smile betraying his lips, “whatever.”

”Mitch! Ya still down here!?” Ruby’s voice echoes from the top of the stairs. “Lou’s in the music room! Did’ja find the box of spare candles? We’re gonna need a lot to fill the whole place up!”

“Oh, shit-” Mitch hisses.

“No one’s down here!” Willy jumps into action, dashing towards the stairs and stretching his arms out. “ Do not enter !” 

“Gah, Willy, move it!”

Clementine closes the small box and shoves it into her pocket before turning to face Ruby as she pushes Willy to the side. Ruby sets her lantern on the workbench, lighting up the basement enough for Clementine to make out the thrill brightening her eyes. 

“Clementine!” she gasps. 

It’s Clementine’s turn to receive a surprise hug when Ruby practically tackles her. 

“Oh, Clem, I heard the news! Why didn’t ya tell me!? This is so excitin’! Ahh! I can’t believe ya didn’t tell me!”  Ruby pulls back to ask the boys, “Did’ja give ‘em to her yet?”

Clementine slowly turns to glare at the two boys.

Willy lowers his head in shame and Mitch fake coughs into his fist. Neither of them answers the question, nor do they dare look Clementine in the eye.

“ Mitch -”

“Before you flip the fuck out,” Mitch holds a finger up to stop her, ”she’s the one who came in here demanding to know what we were doing! She tried to wack me with one of Omar’s wooden spoons! I had to tell her!”

“Oh, no I didn’t! I said I would wack ya with one if ya didn’t explain yerself!” argues Ruby. “I thought ya were makin’ another bomb!”

“I haven’t messed with that shit for, like, weeks!”

Clementine can already see where this is going to go, and the best thing to do is stop it in its tracks.

“Okay, stop!” She raises her voice above theirs. The basement’s quiet again. She takes a deep breath. “I’m not mad.”

“You sound mad,” says Willy.

“I’m not. Ruby, you were going to find out about it anyway, though I can’t say I expected it to go down like this. Does anyone else know?”

“No,” says Ruby and Mitch. 

“Uhm, well…” Willy nervously laughs.

“Dude,” Mitch frowns down at the young boy.

“I didn’t mean to! Aasim saw me going through my coin collection earlier! Then he started asking all these questions and it just came out! But, I made him swear on his soul he wouldn’t tell anyone!”

“What?” Ruby asks. “When was this?”

“This morning.”

“And he didn’t say anything to me!”

“Yeah, because Willy asked him not to,” Mitch says. “Keep up.”

Clementine feels the beginnings of a headache coming on. 

She trusts Aasim. He's never let her down in the past, and he wouldn’t say anything to Louis, especially if he knows this is a surprise. 

“Anyone else?” Clementine asks.

Willy shakes his head.

So, of the people in their group, AJ, James, Mitch, Willy, Ruby, and Aasim all know.

That just leaves Omar, Tenn, and… 

And Violet.

She’s about to speak, but Ruby grabs her hand to admire the ring. “Wow, it’s even prettier on,” she gleams. “Gotta say, boys, ya did a real good job.”

Mitch rolls his eyes.

“Well, yeah .” 

“How’re ya gonna ask him? James and I were thinkin’ that you do it in the music room, of course, and we’ll help ya decorate it with candles and lanterns, make it real romantic.”

“Gross,” Mitch murmurs.

“Hush,” Ruby warns him. “Or, on the roof, under the pretty stars! Or, we can even decorate yer dorm! Whattya think? Omar can cook ya something special and, oh! I found some real pretty classical records fer ya to play! Ya gotta set the mood, after all.”

“We can make some cool fireworks, too!” Willy exclaims.

“Oh, no you won’t! No bombs, no fireworks!”

“Just a few sparklers? To set the mood?”

“No! Especially if it’s inside! Which I think would be best since ya never know with the damn weather.”

“Wow, Ruby,” Clementine’s astonished at the girl’s excitement. “You’ve put a lot of thought into this.”

“‘Course! I know I may be buttin’ in a little-” Mitch scoffs “-but I never thought I’d get to witness somethin’ like this after all that’s happened! I mean, a wedding ! It’s like somethin’ outta the fairytales! And, listen, ya don’t hafta take my suggestions. You can ask him any way ya want! Just know that we’re all here to help! Oh, and the wedding !”

“Oh, God,” Mitch groans.

“We’re definitely plannin’ a wedding!”

“Geez, who’s really getting married here?” Mitch asks, irritated. “You or Clem?”

“Oh, shut it! Why can’t ya just be excited?”

“Excited about what? Does nothing for me.”

“Y’know, thinkin’ about someone else fer a change wouldn't kill ya!”

“Okay, please stop arguing,” Clementine interrupts them. “At least let me get through the actual proposal before we start doing anything else.”

“Shit,” Ruby curses herself, “sorry, Clem. Guess I got a little excited.”

“So, what’s the plan?” Willy asks eagerly. “When are we going this?”

Clementine peers down at the ring on her finger, and says, “Now that I have the rings, I’m going to do it tomorrow. In the evening. I like your idea, Ruby, about the candles in the music room.”

“Thought ya would,” Ruby grins. “We keep a bunch of ‘em down here. We’ll all help ya decorate, ‘cept keepin’ Louis outta there might be a task.”

“That’s easy,” Mitch says. “Send him hunting for the day, him and Aasim.”

“My goodness, there’s an idea,” says Ruby, “that way, Aasim can keep an eye on him and make sure he don’t wander back here unannounced.”

“James, too,” Clementine adds. “Just in case Louis doesn’t listen to Aasim, or they get in a tight spot.”

“Right!” Ruby claps her hands. “Oh, I’m gettin’ excited again!”

“Geez, you’re acting more excited than she is,” Mitch jerks his thumb at Clementine.

“Believe me, I don’t think anyone’s as excited as I am,” Clementine smiles, holding up her hand to admire the ring one last time before slipping it back in the box. “It’s just a lot to take in. We just have to be careful now. Louis can’t know anything.”

They all turn to Willy, who hangs his head in shame once more.

“I said it was an accident.”

“I know,” Clementine sighs. “Maybe you should avoid him for now, Willy. Just in case. And, Mitch,” she turns to him, “don’t throw any more shoes at him.”

“Hey, you want him wandering down here? No, you don’t. Thought we established that. ‘Sides, the ring’s done. Nothing left for me to work on.”

“Right, but still, you can’t be acting all suspicious. He’s already worried about you. That’s why he tried to come down here yesterday.”

“Pfft,” Mitch scowls. “Worried…”

“Well, while we know Lou’s in the music room, I’ll gather everyone before they turn in and we can discuss the plan. Don’t worry, we’ll be discreet,” Ruby assures her. “Mitch, yer on candle and match duty. Willy, in the mornin’ I want ya ta go out and pick as many pretty flowers as ya can.”

“Aw,” Willy pouts, “how come I got flower duty?”

“It’s either that or ya gotta help Omar cook. Yer choice.”

Willy doesn’t argue. Omar’s a genuinely nice guy, but he’s also an incredibly particular cook. Willy wasn’t going to willingly put himself into that nightmare.

Soon, they have all the details worked out.

Aasim and James will take Louis far away to go hunting until evening, giving them a few hours to set up.

Ruby will work on setting up a little picnic area for them on the floor and figure out the music. Willy will go around with Tenn and AJ to pick enough flowers for a bouquet, as well as decorate an old vase to put them in. Omar will cook them something extra special, and Mitch will gather all the candles and place them in the safest places around the music room.

As for Clementine herself, she’ll help fix things up in the piano room, but there’s something else she wants to try, as well. Something that she’s been contemplating for the past week.

She hides the box in her jacket with a big, dumb grin stuck on her face. She still can’t believe that Mitch, James, and Willy actually made her a matching set of wedding rings. She tries not to show it, but the very thought of both her and Louis wearing them makes her giddy.

But, there’s still an issue pressing on her mind.

“Ruby?” Clementine’s grin is replaced with a worrying frown. “Are… are you going to tell Violet?”

And, just like that, the room becomes tense.

“Violet?” asks Willy.

“Oh, well, shoot,” Ruby mutters, “didn’t even think of Vi.”

“Don’t fucking bother,” Mitch snaps. “She’s not gonna give a shit, and if she does, she’ll just ruin the whole thing.”

Ruby looks up at Mitch with distraught eyes. “We gotta tell her, Mitch. She’ll feel left out-”

“Oh, don’t start with that bullshit. Why do you anyways try to include her?”

“Because whether you like it or not, she’s one of us. She’s family.”

“Oh, please. She’s an asshole!”

“You bite yer tongue, right now!”

“Well, it’s true!”

“The only reason she’s mean ta you is because yer a jerk ta her first! God, everyone else is decent, why can’t you be?”

A sick feeling comes over her. Clementine can’t quite place what it actually is, but it always boils within her whenever the idea of talking to Violet strikes her.

Over the past two years, she’s tried talking to Violet. Not big things. Saying, “Hello,” or “How are you?” or “Are you okay?” 

Every single time, Violet doesn’t mutter a single word. All she gives is a glare and the view of her back as she walks away.

She told Louis how much she missed Violet once.

He watched her suffer after losing Violet as a close friend. There were a few nights just after the delta that Clementine found herself crying, and he was there to hold her, to promise her that Violet would come around, she just needed time.

Louis tried to fix things between her and Violet.

She can still remember that night. He snuck into the darkness of the room. AJ was fast asleep.

Clementine can remember the rage filling her insides when she saw the bruise forming on his face and the tears slipping down his cheeks. She barely made it to the door before Louis grabbed her, begging her not to go after Violet, that she didn’t even know what happened. AJ woke up, and Louis lied about what was wrong. It was only when they were alone in the hallway that he told her what happened.

They’d gotten into an argument, Louis and Violet. An argument about her. Louis defended her and tried to understand Violet’s animosity. She refused to talk. She only cussed and shoved him away. 

Louis got too close, and like a reflex, Violet swung.

Violet didn’t come out of her room for almost two weeks after that. She spoke to no one but Tenn when he brought her food. 

She didn’t come out until Louis spoke to her again.

And it all happened because of her…

“Don’t worry about it, Ruby,” Clementine speaks up. “I’ll tell her.”

“The fuck you will!” Mitch‘s brow furrows in fury and his fists curl. 

“It’s not like she’ll try to stab me just for talking to her,” Clementine argues.

“Oh yeah? Just like how she didn’t try to stab you after the delta, right? For fuck's sake, had Louis and James not stepped in you would’ve had a nice big gash right between your eyes! She attacked you, Clem! And she’s never said sorry or even pretended that she felt guilty about it! She betrayed us! She’s a traitor!”

“Mitch!” Ruby gasps out. “Don’t talk so ugly! Vi’s no such thing! That was years ago and things have changed! Maybe if you put in some more effort-”

“Oh, fucking hell-”

“-then you wouldn’t be so damn quick to be cruel! And y’know, maybe it is time they finally sort this out.”

“Fuck that!”

Clementine straightens herself out and confidently stands up to Mitch. 

“I appreciate your concern, but-”

“My concern ?” Mitch glares. “What, my concern that I’ll have to dig your grave when that bitch snaps and puts a fucking cleaver in you?”

“She wouldn’t really do that, right?” Willy says, eyes widening.

“Of course she would! She’s-”

“Mitchell Robert Daymond!” Ruby exclaims, causing all of them to jump, startled. All eyes fall on Ruby’s small, angry form as she points right at Mitch’s face. “That is enough outta you. This ain’t yer choice, and bein’ a prick about it ain’t gonna get yer way! Gah, ya act like Vi’s some sorta- sorta monster and I’m sick of it.” 

Mitch opens his mouth to speak, only to have Ruby cut him off. 

“ No ,” she demands. “ No more .”

The air becomes uncomfortably heavy as the two glare at one another. Clementine finds herself breathing slower as if a regular breath would be too much for the tension. Glancing over at poor Willy, she finds him standing close behind Mitch, still gripping his arm and looking between the two. 

Only when Mitch tears his gaze away to scowl at the floor does Ruby turn back to Clementine.

“If this is somethin’ ya wanna do, then we’re right behind ya,” she says. “Vi’s not gonna be happy about it, that’s fer sure, but she won’t do nothin’ ta hurt ya, either. I know it.”

The tension in her shoulders relax with her sigh as Clementine nods. 

“I know, and you’re right. I’m tired of this. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life avoiding her when I can try and make things right. Maybe we won’t ever be friends again, but we can at least be on speaking terms." Clementine looks to her ring once more. “Louis will want her at the wedding, and if she isn’t there because of me…”

“Do what ya can, Clem,” Ruby smiles, placing a comforting hand on Clementine’s shoulder. “Just... promise you’ll be careful?”

“I will.”

“Fucking shit,” Mitch hisses under his breath, rubbing both hands over his face in frustration. “If you’re actually serious, then you’re not going alone. I’ll go with you and make sure she doesn’t pull anything.”

“I don’t think that’s a great idea,” Ruby objects. “Yer not exactly sensitive when it comes to stuff like this.”

“Fuck off, I can be sensitive,” Mitch snaps. “I mean- Not that I’d- ... It’s better if someone goes with her and last I checked, you’re supposed to be on watch with Aasim right now. And don’t you have a plan to share, too?”

Ruby hesitates, turning to Clementine with concern. 

Clementine can see why Mitch tagging along wouldn’t be ideal, but she had to admit that having a backup would make her feel a little bit better. Even if he merely escorted her to Violet’s room or made it known that he was only there to keep things from escalating to a boiling point- which, again, Mitch isn’t the ideal candidate for this role- it’d make her feel better.  

Then again, Violet might be doubly pissed to see Mitch, as well.  If there’s anyone she despises as much as Clementine, it’s Mitch.

“You don’t have to-” Clementine starts, only to have him raise his hand. 

“Yeah, I don’t have to do anything,” he frowns. “But, I’m gonna anyway.”

That gets a smile out of her. 

“And you won’t threaten her?”

He stares, then lowers his head in defeat. 

“I won’t say nothin’ unless I gotta.” Then, he turns to Willy. “You okay to clean this place up yourself?”

“Yeah, no problem,” Willy smiles.

“Well, ehm, guess I’ll get Aasim and James and tell ‘em ‘bout the plan,” says Ruby. “Vi should be in her room. She usually turns in early when she doesn’t have watch.”

Before leaving, Ruby turns to Mitch with one final warning, “Be nice.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

The feeling’s back, twisting in Clementine’s gut and accelerating her heart.

With that, they leave the basement.

---

The music room is filthy. 

Usually, Louis doesn’t notice or even pay much attention to the cleanliness of any room within the school due to the fact this everywhere is dirty. It doesn’t matter how much Ruby pushes or how many times Aasim scolds them for leaving messes wherever they go, the school will never match the cleanly standards it had prior to the end of the world. 

They have more important things to think about anyway, right?

Or maybe they just can’t be bothered. 

Perhaps both. 

But when he sat at the piano, fingers playing the keys he knew by heart, he noticed a thick layer of dust settled on the worn wood.

Swiping a finger across the top left him absolutely disgusted. To be honest, he can’t remember the last time he actually cleaned the piano, but given that the layer of dust is thick enough to make actual dust bunnies out of, it’s been a while. 

In fact, the music room is kind of a disaster. 

And he needs a better distraction anyway.

Sorting through the records he kept, he picks a classic record to play at random and gets to work. 

Within an hour, he’s already filled an old cardboard box with the trash that once occupied the floor, the tables, and everywhere else that garbage built up over years. Old soda cans, soiled books, broken shards of glass by the windows- all gone. 

Louis wipes down the piano with an old T-shirt he oddly found beneath the couch. Pictures from what looks to be a pirate comic fill the front of the shirt and for the life of him, he can’t remember whose shirt this is. Or was. 

He knows he’s seen it before, knows someone wore it… someone not around anymore.

Shit. 

Nevermind, he doesn’t want to think about that right now. Pushing that thought out of mind, he continues wiping away the dust. While the piano would always be worn, defaced, and out of tune, he still loved it and should remember to keep better care of it. 

So many memories were made sitting here. 

Most good, some bad. 

Memories of him sitting there with clumsy fingers, young and untrained, awaiting his cue from Minnie as she finished jotting down lyrics to their song. 

“Nevermind the darkness, nevermind the storm-”

Memories of him entertaining Tenn when he was scared of a thunderstorm, or playing something silly to make Violet smile. 

Memories of him and Clementine the night of the delta attack. 

“You are super cute.”

“Cute? Wow, uhm-”

Their first kiss. 

Louis runs his finger over their initials encased in a heart, carved by Clementine’s own hand that night right before he opened up to her, thanked her for being with him despite… well, everything. 

God, it seems so far away. 

Since then, more memories have festered within these walls, here at the piano.

“For once, I don’t think you’ve thought this through.”

“Why?”

Satisfied with his work, Louis tosses the shirt away. He slips off his jacket, setting it over the arm of the couch before placing himself comfortably at the piano once more. 

“First of all, it’s going to take us a million years to build all nine-hundred floors. Second, we’re going to need so much paint, and even with all of us helping, it’s going to take us two million years to paint it all! Third, nine-hundred floors means-”

“Nine-hundred and fourteen.”

A deep breath. 

“Excuse me, nine-hundred and fourteen floors means this house is going to be high up in the stars- literally in space!- and you yourself said that you hate climbing stairs. Do you know how many sets of stairs we’re going to need to make it to the top?”

“We’ll have an elevator.”

“That goes through the whole place?”

“Yep. Up, down, and sideways.”

“That’s ridiculous. I love it.”

Eyes close. 

Clementine laughs, pushing against his shoulder as he shakes his head. Whether his chuckle is due to the madness of Clementine’s floor plan, or because her fingers continue to purposely play the wrong keys, he doesn’t know anymore. 

“Then, what about a slide?” she suggests. “A big metal slide that loops around and brings you from top to bottom in seconds.”

“I like it, I like it,” he ponders, tapping his chin thoughtfully. “Except, that won’t help us in actually getting to the top.” 

The cool air blows in through the open window, flickering the flames of his candles and kissing the warmth of his cheeks. 

“What’ll be at the top, anyway?” she asks. “What’ll be worth climbing all those stairs to see?” 

“I don’t know, but it has to be something special.” He thinks about it for a moment. “What do you want?”

“Me?” she asks.

Pulling her hand off the keys, holding it in his own, he asks, “What do you want at the top?”

Another deep breath. 

“I don’t know.”

“C’mon, Clem,” Louis urges. “Anything you want. Name it.” 

She stares down at their linked hand, eyes drift shut as she thinks. 

“Well… we have to have that skylight, right?”

“Obviously, but that’s something I wanted, remember?” 

“Well, I want one, too. If we’re going to be up in space, I want to see it. Imagine seeing the moon that up close.”

“Maybe we’ll have aliens tapping on our roof.”

“I hope so.” 

He kisses her forehead, then her cheek, whispering in her ear, “What do you really want, Clementine?”

Louis’ fingers move effortlessly. 

His soft lullaby fills the air. 

“A tree,” she says firmly. “An apple tree with bright red Honeycrisps, right in the corner, and it’s roots throughout the floor, and-” she grabs his hand, comparing it to hers by pressing their palms together, “- a piano in the center. Any kind you want.”

Their fingers lace together.

“A glossy, grand piano. Mahogany- the color of leaves in autumn,” he brushes a curl from her face, “unbreakable and always in tune.” 

“And you’ll teach me to play?”

“You willing to climb nine-hundred and fourteen floors every day for your lessons?”

“Of course.”

It’s been a long time since he’s thought of their home- rather, their outrageous dream house that was inspired by the depressing story of how his own parents didn’t get to finish building their new home. 

A royal purple, nine-hundred and fourteen floor mansion with a treehouse, a skylight, and an apple tree growing on the top floor. Several pools, movie theatres, pizza parlors, bedrooms, bathrooms with hot tubs and full body showers, aquariums, roller parks- and even with all those things, they still have plenty of room left. 

Louis knows the possibility of that mansion coming to fruition is lower than low, they both know that, but it doesn’t make it any less fun to imagine.

How many nights did they stay up in bed discussing what kind of statue they wanted for the fountain, or what shade of purple they’d paint their bedroom, or how many dogs they would adopt, or if they were going to make Mitch sleep in the treehouse rather than giving him his own room? 

Louis stops playing, chuckling to himself. 

It’s been a long time since he’s played by himself happily, or since he’s thought of composing a brand new song. Usually, when he’s down here so late by himself, it’s to calm down after an all-consuming nightmare-

No.

Don’t think about that. 

Don’t think about that.

Don’t think. 

“An apple tree with bright red Honeycrisps, right in the corner, and it’s roots throughout the floor...”

Maybe he can’t build Clementine an outrageous purple mansion, but he can write her a new song.  

As Louis becomes lost in the music, a brief thought runs through his mind.

Finally... a nice night.

[theofficeimagines]

My Commitment Issues Are Worse

Disclaimer: I do not own any of The Office characters or direct quotes from the show. 

Ryan x OC 

Part 2

  After the unpleasant interactions had concluded, I made my way to my desk that was located towards the back wall behind an older looking man. "Hello" he turned around and asked "So new in town huh?" "Yeah" I put my stuff down trying to keep the small talk at a minimum. "Watch out for that guy." He said pointing at Jim. I looked at him and wondered if he was either senile or if there was something in the water in this place that made everyone bat shit crazy.   Noon rolled around and I decided to take my break and grab a snack from the vending mechine. When I opened the door I saw Jim and Pam look my direction and suddenly get quiet. I could almost physically feel the tension and wondered what that was about. "Sorry to interrupt. I…" "Nope. You’re not interrupting anything. Nope. I’m… " he said looking rather nervous. "All right" I said interupting him. I made my way towards the vending machine with the tense quiet still in the air. "I should get back to work." Jim said to Pam "Yeah. I know, me too." They both walked out leaving me wondering if I should mention this to Karen, since they had just begun to date, but I decided to just mind my own business. It was probably nothing. I scanned the vending machine with my eyes then suddenly, I heard someone come in. "Can't decide huh?". I turned to see who the voice came from. It was the cute guy from earlier standing at the doorway with his hands in his pockets. "Yeah lots of options" I said gritting my teeth at the corny statement. He smiled and held out his hand. " I'm Ryan by the way I haven't gotten to introduce myself yet, uh, Beth right not Elizabeth." I replied with a smile meeting his hand with mine for the handshake. I looked into his striking blue eyes and felt my stomach jump a little. It had been a while since I felt this feeling and I forgot how good it felt. "Yeah, nice to meet you Ryan." I was glad to finally get his name instead of referring to him as the cute guy. "Well since your having a tough time choosing and if you're on break I just took mine too. Maybe I could take you out to lunch? I could show you one of those super exciting Scranton hot spots. You could cash in one of those coupons in your gift bag." he joked. Was he asking me out on a lunch date? I knew for sure I wasn't ready to start dating right now. To be commiting to anything right now other than getting my life together. I was living in a hotel goodness sakes. I didn't want anything to hold me back from my goals. My brain was telling me 'NO NO NO' over and over again concidering the fact that he was also my co-worker but if I was being completely honest with myself, my body was telling me yes. A little fun wouldn't hurt.                                  "Mm.. sure okay maybe we coul--"                      "Oh my god Ryan! There you are I was looking everywhere for you." A girl said running into the breakroom wrapping her arms around his waist. Ryan groaned and rolled his eyes. "Oh hi.." she said in a rather catty tone not even having the courtesy of introducing herself. "Kelly do you really have to know where I'm at all times?"    "You know what, I'm actually not that hungry um.. I'm just going to go back to my desk." I said inserting some coins and choosing a granola bar from the machine. All during which Kelly was blabbering on about some celebrity gossip to Ryan. Does this girl stop to talking to breath? Honestly, it's almost impressive how much she can say in a short amount of time. The granola bar finally fell to the bottom. I grabbed it and made my way out the break room as fast as could.                                                                        The rest of the day consisted of watching a very  interesting orientation video staring Michael and Dwight, way too many meetings one of which resulting in Tony qutting, and ending in the air being let out of all the cars in the parking lot. The day felt as if it lasted forever. Karen, Phyllis, Stanley, Martin, Ryan and myself ended up gathering in a circle to talk. Stanley, Phyllis, and Ryan explained to us how this day was pretty tame compared to other days. "Trust me. It only gets worse." Stanley says. "Is he always like this?" Martin asked."Sometimes he brings more costumes." Ryan answered. I reflected on the day again and realized I had hardly gotten any work done.                                                  "When do people work?" I asked the group.     "Oh, we find little times during the day." Phyllis said answering my question.                           "How are we going to get home?" "Bob Vance has an air pump. He said he’d fill all our tires up."  "Bob Vance of Vance Refrigeration" Karen said.  Phyllis smiled at her and we all continued to chat for a little while hearing Stanley, Phyllis and Ryan tell us more Michael Scott stories. 

  Finally, 5 o'clock. Bob Vance had all the cars tires filled and everyone headed toward the door out of the office. "Hey are you ready?" Karen asked me stopping at my desk. "Yeah you go ahead, I still have to put these in here" I said as I put some folders into my desk drawer. "Alright meet you down there, do you want to grab a drink. I could sure use one after today." "Yes. Please that is exactly what I was thinking." We both laughed and she walked out the door. "Beth, you haven't left yet." Ryan said sounding relieved. "Could I talk to you?" I shrugged and nodded waiting for him to continue. "Listen...about earlier.." "Oh you don't owe me an explanation. Really I'm not really um.. looking to see anybody right now.." "Oh..right maybe as like friends or something we could hangout.. or.." "Maybe, I have to get going. Karen's waiting for me. I'll see you tomorrow Ryan." I said a pretty coldly. I was a little vexed that he was still seeming to try to get me to go out with him even though something was clearly between him and Kelly. "Okay.. see you tomorrow" he replied sounding disappointed? I don't know. And whatever was going on between him and Kelly I knew I wanted no part in being in the middle of that.   Karen and I arrived back at the hotel which  conveniently had a bar next door. Jim met us there and we had a few drinks and shared a few laughs refeclting on our day at work. Jim and Karen finished their last drink while I was still babysitting my half finished one. "Do you want us to wait for you?" "No! No you guys go ahead I'm done being third wheel tonight " I joked being half serious. I liked hanging out with them but I wanted to give them their space. We said our goodbyes and Jim and Karen made their way out of the bar.   "A scotch neat please." I hear someone say at one bar stool down from me. I turned and saw an extremely good looking man there. He was older than me. Maybe 15-20 years older but he was incredibly handsome. Black hair, brown eyes, some stubble and I noticed he was very tall before he sat down easily 6 foot. He turned to me noticing that I was looking at him.  "Hi there." He said smirking at me.  "Hi.." I said feeling my face get a little hot. "Can I buy you another drink?" He asked. "Oh no thanks I have to work tomorrow." He nodded and held out his hand "Elijah" "Beth" I answered simply mirroring his introduction. I shook his hand. This kind of attention was so foreign to me. Having been married up until about a month and some days ago, I never even really experienced dating. Elijah and I ended up talking for a little while. He was born here in Scranton and lived in Phili but was visiting his parents. We continued to talk and somehow ended up revealing we were both divorced. Something we had in common that I knew for a fact not many people my age understood. He was so put together and sure of himself. It was so sexy and refreshing. The conversation kept going and the flirting was getting a little heavy. I looked at the bar's clock realizing it was getting pretty late. "I should get going I have work in the morning, well in a few hours." I said. "Yeah I should get going too. I leave tomorrow evening. Here's my business card with my work number and my cell number. Give me a call sometime if you want. I come to Scranton pretty frequently. If you're ever in Phili too." We both got up off the bar stools and I grabbed my purse and put it over my shoulder. "Yeah definitely. I had fun thanks for a great conversation I had a pretty rough day." "Well I'm glad to hear I turned it around. I'll walk you next door." When we got to the front entrance, I looked up at him and he smiled down at me.  "Goodnight, Beth." he said to me leaning down to kiss my cheek. "Goodnight, Elijah" I replied with a smile and entered the lobby of the hotel.                                    I lay in bed and stared at the ceiling and thought for a little while about this evening. I had fun Elijah but the thought of that lunch date with Ryan kept creeping into my mind. How would it have gone? What would he have been like? What would we have talked about? How would it have...ended. I closed my eyes and began to trace my finger down my exposed belly and slipped it under the elastic of my panties. I bit my lip and let out a gentle sigh. Without warning I pictured the ending of the lunch date.. in the back of his car. I snapped myself out of that thought immediately. Honestly what the actual hell was wrong with me. My only priority right now had to be to work and get into law school. Nothing more. Nothing was going to stop me.  

Hi reader! I'm planning on making this a bit of a slow burn so I hope you bear with me! Don't worry some smutty stuff is coming soon 🤭

[softderekhale]

from the archives: snippets of a sterek pacrim au

hey y’all! i definitely haven’t been super active on this blog or tumblr at all lately, for a lot of reasons but mainly just... life. doesn’t that suck sometimes? but i really, truly hope everyone is doing well and you + your loved ones are staying safe. (long reflection + tumblr fic after the cut, lol)

i’ve been in kind of a funk with writing since the last time i “had” to do it, which was 12 days/sterek secret santa like, 6 months ago. it’s frustrating to me that i went from writing my longest fic ever exactly 2 years ago to having almost zero output now, but i’m trying not to be too hard on myself and i know writing is a really fickle pastime. anyway, this is a really long leadup, but i decided to just release some stuff i wrote into the wild. it’s either here or my google drive, so i might as well see if anyone wants to read it! 

pacific rim is undoubtedly one of my favorite movies of all time (it was only bumped down by into the spider-verse, but they’re almost tied ;D). it came out right after my sterek obsession began, and i always imagined writing a sterek au based around derek and stiles being drift compatible. that whole concept has always been so lovely to me and fits in nicely with some of my favorite soulmate-y tropes. this idea always felt too ambitious, though, and i didn’t write a single word of it until i rewatched the movie in november/december 2019. i wrote the following stuff in an extremely giddy haze over the next few weeks. i’m not good about pushing myself to write, so i never added any more, but i still really like what i had/have! i hope maybe someday i’ll feel the urge to come back to it. but anyway, here’s my completely self-indulgent homage to one of my favorite movies and one of my favorite fandoms. in my au chronology for this, following the events of the first movie, global governments and the ppdc decided to deploy jaegers for continued deep sea exploration to further benefit scientific discovery and avoid wasting such expensive tech/training. this lead to a lot of corporate interference re: treasure hunting, etc. (national treasure, but make it underwater). oh, and werewolves exist (because wouldn’t they make great jaeger pilots?!). also, A SECOND PACIFIC RIM MOVIE WAS NEVER EVER MADE. THE END. laura and derek were copilots before a kaiju-fighting incident forced them into early retirement. laura is still alive, though! (because it’s me.)

***

“Mayday! Mayday! LOCCENT, do you copy? This is Luna Geminae paging for backup. LOCCENT! Danny, we can’t hold them much longer…”

Laura’s growl of frustration rang in Derek’s ear as he strained against the beast.

“Keep holding it, Derek. You can do this. I know you can. They’re so close, Derek, they’ve gotta be. Just a few more—”

Derek never knew how Laura intended to finish that sentence. All he would ever remember was the scream that tore out of her throat. Later, he would describe it as the first time he ever understood the meaning of “bloodcurdling.”

“Laura!” Derek gritted his teeth as pain roared down his left arm, causing his vision to blur and spark white around the edges.

“My arm, Jesus, my fucking… They got my arm, Derek—” 

As water poured into the cabin above and around him, the last thing he remembered hearing was Laura’s anguished howl. Then the sky became fire, and everything went dark.

***

The day of the accident convinced Derek that his world would never stop burning.

For months after, when he lay staring at the ceiling until the early hours of the morning, the staticky shapes his eyes created to fill the darkness always melted and formed a wall of flames no matter how many times he scrunched his eyes shut and buried his face in his pillow. The noises, too — the ambient whoosh of the Dome’s ventilation system and the soft heart-like thud of the power grid soon coalesced into a unified, rhythmic chant that sounded more and more like Laura’s scream the longer Derek listened: Derek! Help!

In the days and weeks following their accident, Derek had tried every trick he could think of to reassure his subconscious that Laura was alive and safe, and would remain so even after she left his line of sight. For almost a week after she was released from the medical bay, he slept in the spare bunk above her. As reticent as he normally was to invade Laura’s privacy any more than he had to, experiencing her near-loss allowed panic and instinct to envelop Derek’s frayed nerves. He never fully explained it to Laura, but he didn’t have to — she never questioned his presence, nor did she point out that Derek always waited to fall asleep until he was certain she had already drifted off. 

Eventually, though, Derek realized the routine was leaving them both sleep-deprived and irritable. He resolved to move back to his own quarters, not wanting to smother Laura with his relentless, anxious presence. But he knew she still sensed his distress — every evening at 2300 hours, like clockwork, she knocked on his door to tell him goodnight and gently pressed her right palm against her brother’s neck before waving and returning to her own room. It was a routine they continued even now, half a decade beyond the fight that had left their Jaeger decimated. 

They had made progress, which Laura was always quick to remind her younger brother. Nothing could have prepared him for the aftermath of the accident, though, and the dark places where Derek’s mind would drift when there was no one around to distract him. Alone with his thoughts, no reassurance was strong enough to quiet Derek’s memories.

He shifted again in bed, his half-awake mind scrambling to remember the breathing exercises Deaton had taught him over the years.

Inhale through your nose. One. Two. Three. Hold. Exhale through your mouth. One. Two. Three—

Derek!

Start again. Inhale through your nose. One. Two. Three. Hold. Exhale through your mouth. Slower this time.

Good. Again.

***

This comes way after the scene above lol sorry

“Right hemisphere locked. Left hemisphere locked. Vitals are steady. Initiating neural handshake.”

Danny’s voice echoed through Derek’s head as he let his eyes flutter shut and tipped his head back. He’d been anxious about this moment for days now, but he would be lying if he said he wasn’t secretly a little — or a lot — excited, too. Drifting was a heady, emotional experience, and if he and Stiles were truly compatible, Derek might finally get to settle the unease he had felt since his connection with Laura was severed.

“Alright,” Danny said. “You should be feeling it in three… two… one.”

Derek’s eyes flew open, but his gaze defocused as he felt his center of gravity list forward before returning.

As his sense of internal balance returned, the tingle of the neural link fizzed over his scalp. There it is. Slowly, then all at once, he felt the rush of Stiles’ mind meeting his own. Their emotions flowed over one another like water, memories flashing and sensations pulsing before slipping away into their shared flow of awareness. Derek had trained himself long ago to let himself float until the waters steadied, and he could feel Stiles, ever perceptive, do the same.

“Neural handshake established and holding at 100 percent.”

Without having to think twice about the gesture, Derek felt his knuckles meet his palm as he dipped into a customary bow. As he and Stiles led Luna in her first exploratory steps, Derek felt the weight of any lingering fears melt away.

With Laura, Derek had always felt like they were extensions of one another, movements and decisions cascading seamlessly from a fully unified thought process. Drifting with Stiles, though, felt unlike anything Derek had ever experienced. They were two sides of the same coin — each aggressive and reserved in equal, opposite measure. If Derek and Laura were reading from the same script, he and Stiles were finishing each others’ sentences as they improvised the same scene. 

When they first met, Derek had found Stiles anything but graceful — but now, as they nearly seemed to glide across the ocean floor, he felt foolish for not realizing the instinctive adjustments and calculations stiles was constantly making based on his surroundings. As they steered Luna across the testing ground, Derek felt his temples begin to thrum with an energy he hadn’t felt in years. Best of all, he knew Stiles felt it too — he could literally trace the path of his elation as it wrapped around Derek’s senses and amplified his own excitement.

“How are you doing?” Derek shouted across the rig. It wasn’t a question he needed to ask verbally, but he chose to anyway, knowing it would help ground them both in the present moment and prevent any stray thought spirals from taking over their link.

“So good, dude. This is — this is unreal,” Stiles replied, slicing through the air with his left arm to test the angle of the jaeger’s knuckle daggers.

Derek smiled. “Not exactly like the simulators, huh?”

“Nothing like the simulators, man. Holy shit.”

As they continued to acclimate to the drift, Derek took Stiles through a few more of Luna’s signature maneuvers. Stiles’ extensive research showed, and combined with the knowledge he and Derek now shared, the moves seemed to come naturally.

“Do you want some music?” He and Laura always played music when training, but he didn’t want Stiles to feel—

“That’s all I want right now, Derek.” Derek’s grin broadened as Stiles flicked through the controls hovering in front of him. A heavy bass line thrummed through the cabin, and Derek finally did what he never thought he would be able to again in his lifetime: he let his mind relax and free-fell into the drift.

***

Two hours after he and Stiles had eaten dinner and finally parted ways, Derek still couldn’t stop thinking about their drift.

That wasn’t unusual, all things considered — emotional transfer was common, especially for werewolves and especially during the first few drifts with a new partner.

Every time Derek thought about his connection with Stiles, though, and the experience of their emotions weaving together, his mind kept snagging in one place. It was a place that had struck Derek even during the high of the neural handshake, not because it felt odd or foreign, but because it felt hauntingly familiar — but looked ugly and sinister looming over someone else. 

It was anguish. It was a grief that had been doused in shame and set alight. It was a feeling of loss and self-loathing that made Derek feel like he was suffocating. It was exactly the way Derek had felt every day for years after the fire, and again after the accident. 

He had tried to explain it to Laura as dispassionately as possible all the times she chided him for blaming himself or expressing guilt over what happened to their family, but he never knew how to describe it until he experienced it through Stiles’ memories. It was sore, like a bruised rib, a persistent ache that radiated out from the point of impact and lingered at the edge of his consciousness. Distractions might be able to push away some of the pain, but as long as he kept breathing, it would always be there.

Derek hadn’t seen exactly where Stiles’ pain radiated from, but it seemed to shroud the memories of his mother especially strongly. Stiles told him she had been sick, though — why would he feel guilty about her death?

He sat up, his leg bouncing as he fidgeted absently with a hangnail. Since deciphering what that unexpected shared emotion reminded him of, Derek couldn’t stop thinking about it. This, he knew, was normal too — without an outlet, emotional transfer tended to create a feedback loop as a co-pilot bounced back and forth between their own memories and their partner’s. 

Before he could talk himself out of it, Derek shot up and strode to the door. It was late, almost midnight, and the full body experience of drifting had left Derek racked with fatigue. But — he just wanted to talk to Stiles. To be near him, again, as if it were a substitute for the feeling of absolute synchronicity they had just shared. It would only take a few minutes.

He was so distracted by his own jumbled thoughts that it took him a moment to register who stood just outside his door as he flung it open — it was Stiles, hand paused in mid-air.

“Stiles.” Very eloquent, Derek, he chided himself with an internal voice that sounded suspiciously like Laura.

“Oh— Well. Um. Hi.” Stiles gave a small wave before shoving his hand in his pocket. “Sorry, I didn’t realize you were about to—“

“I was about to find you.”

Stiles paused. “Really?”

Derek stepped back, nodding toward the doorway. “Really. Do you want to come in?”

As he and Stiles stood facing each other silently, Derek scrambled for exactly what he wanted to say. Everything was so effortless when they were in the drift. Why was it so hard to find the words now?

To his relief, Stiles was the one who broke the silence. “Sorry, I’m sure you’re tired… I’m just kind of keyed up, I guess, and I couldn’t—“ Stiles ducked his head down. “I don’t know. I thought it might help to see you.”

“Don’t apologize. You have good instincts,” Derek assured him. “And I— I wanted to see you too,” he added, feeling the tips of his ears heat. 

He could almost feel Stiles’ sigh of relief in his own chest. “Can I sit?”

“Of course.” Derek scooped a discarded pile of clothes off his bed and gingerly sat down after Stiles, mindful of the careful space between them. “Are you feeling okay?”

Stiles’ eyebrows jumped. “Yeah, I feel fine, I really do, but I just feel… jumpy, I guess. Which is normal for me, but I can tell this is different. I don’t know how I know, but…” he trailed off, gesturing abstractly in front of him.

Derek nodded. “I know what you mean. You can’t really prepare for the drift until you’ve done it,” he said, remembering how disjointed he felt after his first few test runs. “But it gets easier,” he added.

Stiles shook his head. “I’m not worried about it. I trust you.” His eyes shot up to meet Derek’s, as if challenging him to dispute the steady, honest heartbeat behind his words. 

Derek was surprised to feel something behind his eyes sting at the pronouncement. He looked away from Stiles’ scrutinizing gaze, but he felt the other man’s eyes continue to study him. “I’m glad. I— that means a lot to me.”

Stiles nodded, remaining thoughtfully silent. Derek sensed he wanted to ask something, but wasn’t ready to admit it on his own.

“Is there anything I can do?” Derek asked gently, eyes seeking Stiles’ again.

Stiles looked pointedly away and bit at his thumbnail. “Um. It sounds stupid now. But I read… I read that physical contact can help,” he mumbled, so quickly Derek might not have caught it without his magnified hearing.

He realized Stiles’ admission may have felt embarrassing for a human, but for Derek, it was almost a relief. He reached forward slowly and cupped his hand over Stiles’ shoulder with a light squeeze. 

“It’s not stupid. You felt how intense the drift is. When you separate from a complete mental overlap, it can be disorienting. And you know how tactile wolves are — that makes it even harder for us, so you’re probably getting some of this from my own emotional bleed.” He didn’t miss the way Stiles melted into his touch, his whole body swaying into their point of contact.

Stiles nodded. “Yeah. That makes sense. Thanks,” his gaze flicked up to meet Derek’s.

“Do you—“ Derek didn’t really know how to ask for more contact. It came so naturally with other werewolves, so he’d never really had to think about it before. “I don’t want to touch you in a way you’re not comfortable with. But if you want to lay down, or you want me to lay down or…” He took a sharp, steadying breath. “I’m trying to say that I understand, and I think it will make us both feel better, and I’m fine with whatever level of contact you’re okay with.”

Stiles laughed, a bright and unexpected break in the tension. “Jesus. Listen to us. I feel ridiculous, but— Thank you. You’re very considerate.” He paused, expression drawing almost imperceptibly tighter. “I want that too, though. I want you to feel comfortable. If you’re not, if there’s anything I do— I promise I’ll ask, first, and if you can tell me, I want you to.” 

Derek felt a lump rise in his throat. Stiles’ words were sincere, but carefully chosen. He wasn’t sure how much of his own memories Stiles had observed, but it seemed to have been enough to understand that physical touch had once been a powerful weapon wielded against him.

“Thank you,” he answered quietly, before gently tugging at Stiles’ arm. “Here, lay down.”

The bed was barely wide enough for both of them to lay side by side, but it was just enough space for both men to settle on their backs with their elbows carefully layered between them. Derek hesitated for a moment before angling his head against Stiles’ neck. “Is this okay?”

Stiles hummed in agreement, the back of his hand flitting against Derek’s so softly he almost thought he imagined it. “This is perfect.” He inhaled deeply through his nose and tilted his head closer to Derek’s. They lay silently for a handful of minutes, and the rhythmic in-out of Stiles’ breathing nearly lulled Derek to sleep.

Suddenly, Derek felt Stiles still. “Why were you about to come look for me?”

Derek huffed. “I wanted to see you.”

“What, you had to check in on the rookie who can’t handle a drift?” Stiles’ tone was light, devoid of any real offense, and he jostled his shoulder gently against Derek’s.

“You did great. If anything, I— I hadn’t done it in so long, and Laura was my only co-pilot before you.” Derek frowned, remembering the heavy emotions of Stiles’ that had ensnared him earlier. He didn’t want to overwhelm Stiles, but he also wanted him to know that he both empathized with and thought highly of him. 

“I never thought I would get in a rig again,” Derek continued. “I don’t think I trusted myself enough. I carry… I carry a lot of guilt, Stiles. But when I thought about piloting with you, the guilt didn’t win. You’re the first person who’s been capable enough, smart enough, strong enough, that I didn’t have to worry.” 

Stiles didn’t respond at first, and a flash of panic seized Derek before he felt strong, warm fingers curl around his own.

“I won’t let you down,” Stiles said, his voice nearly a whisper and rough with emotion.

“I don’t think you could,” Derek whispered back, before he let his eyes slip shut and exhaustion overtake him.

***

When Derek awoke the next morning, he was startled — but it wasn’t in reaction to the way Stiles had draped himself over Derek in his sleep. Feeling Stiles’ arms around his waist felt oddly natural. The surprising part was how well he had slept — it was the first night of uninterrupted slumber he could remember having in months, if not longer.

***

yeah so... that’s all for now! if you read this, thanks and i hope you’re doing well!!! ❤️ 

[asgardianthot]

Flesh And Bones - part 1

Sam Wilson x Bucky Barnes

Soulmate AU

In a world where people bond with their soulmates through physical pain, living in the same compound makes the search much easier (or it should, if they weren’t so damn stubborn)

TW: self-inflicted injuries

words: 1742

A/N: this is my first time posting a series on the tumblrs but I’ve had the idea for months so here goes nothing

Series Masterlist

Pain is such human extravaganza.

For your body to react to certain dangers or stimulations that trigger specific nervous patterns, that’s something most living creatures are built with. We are but machines; when you lay your hand over fire and it hurts, your nervous system is alerting the rest of your body of harm and yelling at it to get away from said harm, similar to how old hair dryers would stop functioning when they overheated to prevent explosions.

That, we have a general idea of. Pain is natural and not a construct.

But suffering. Aching from love, or the lack of it… nobody does it better than humans. Super-humans included. Enhanced, hyper-trained, whatever. The pain parade of romance is something so deeply rooted into the dumbest parts of our brains, that that must be the reason behind soulmates.

The point is, it is only logical for such a cruel universe to bond love and pain so tightly.

It’s simple, really. Sometime in the speck of dust of time in which we live, a person will get injured. They’ll bump their toe on a kitchen counter, fall on their butts, cut their finger while chopping vegetables, or maybe get into a chaotic car accident. No matter the damage, when the universe decides that hurt idiot is your hurt idiot, you’ll feel their pain on your own skin. It also didn’t matter if you knew the person or not, only chances were your soulmate was a complete stranger.

At first it comes like a tingle, a small pinch or even the ghost sensation of a scratch. But if your soulmate is nearer than they should without you realizing who they are, the sensation becomes full and the closer they are the more vivid their pain feels on your own skin. It is extremely uncertain, however, if it has to do with spatial proximity, or emotional.

Sam Wilson would eventually sit on the park, after his morning jog, or afternoon jog, and contemplate people. He enjoyed the easiness, the memory of a time before the army, when his life was simple. No PTSD, no Avenging. To be fair, the Avenger life was the cure to the PTSD somehow, for Sam Wilson was a man of action and the more quiet his life was, the more his mind wandered. He loved the agitation, the missions, the feeling of helping people, yet every once in a while, or once a day even, he would simply sit and watch the futility of civilian’s walks around the park.

A woman sat next to him and didn’t offer any sign of kindness. She seemed busy -occupied- in the way that she moved and looked around, which is why he didn’t look at her any longer so she wouldn’t feel uncomfortable. However, he then began getting the feeling that she was keeping an eye on him, and when he glanced at her nervous hands, he noticed the poor woman holding a needle to her skin, poking her own hand a few times.

A desperate soul.

On one side of a binary coin, some people don’t believe in soulmates. They aren’t the easiest to spot, and when a couple like that is seen, there is no proof for a simple skeptical individual that they actually felt each other’s pain. There were studies proving the neuronal effects, and were those hard to execute, but not everyone fell for them. Some argued that it was psychological placebo, that the person forced themselves to feel their lover’s feelings, some accused the studies to be biased or false. Some were old and hadn’t found one so why would they believe soulmates were real? They’re not necessary. You don’t just love the person you’ll want to spend the rest of your life with, and them alone, there’s all kinds of love and affection. Then, well… some were simply bitter, covering up their fear of never finding one for themselves.

On the polar opposite, there were the desperate ones. They would inflict harm on themselves in public spaces, expecting a reaction from the passersby.

More than once had Sam seen a man stab their own leg or cut through their palm yelling ‘can anybody feel this?’ as if they feared this was their only shot, forcing the Falcon to run and make them stop hurting themselves along with other civilians. Some couldn’t wait. And Sam never understood why someone wouldn’t be able to enjoy life if they didn’t know their one and only; It made dating much more relaxed and fun and honest. Perhaps that person would eventually become your soulmate, and even though the probabilities of that happening were slim to none, it didn’t need to ruin every romantic relationship in your life.

Therefore with pain in his chest, he addressed the young woman whose eyes were directly analyzing Sam’s hand.

“Hey, lady?” he asked her, earning a big pair of hopeful eyes to find his; yet he had to give her a sad frown to let her know he wasn’t who she was looking for, thus gaining a mimicking disappointed look, “It’s not worth all this trouble.”

Her expression quickly turned into one of distance, like she was trying to protect herself from people who didn’t understand her. She sat back and allowed a smirk to take over her face as she stared into nothingness.

“You’re one of those people who think it’s all a hoax? A construct?” when obtaining no reply, she kept pressuring the Falcon, “Placebo effect? Self-conditioning?”

Sam didn’t give in. He simply took a big breath and sat up from the bench. When he turned to face her, her eyes weren’t as distant.

“No.” He said calmly, “I think yours will come when it’s time. Until then,” he raised his eyebrows a bit, “you’re just hurting yourself for no reason.”

Sam walked away before he could see the young woman’s lower lip tremble.

-

“I didn’t eat your cereal.” Bucky protested, plopped on the couch that faced a flat screen.

Sam, however, wasn’t buying it. He held his ground, one hand on his hip and the other agitating the skimpy remains inside the carton box, making it rattle.

“It’s empty.” He insisted, in a way that screamed paranoia over being accused of overreacting or being crazy.

Instead of acting in an opposite behavior, he gave Bucky all the more reason to treat him as if he were going insane.

“Well, it wasn’t me.” The soldier replied easily, not flipping through the channels anymore but surrendering to a local news one; after a sigh, he looked at the accusatory, “Maybe Steve did it.”

Sam pursed his lips before turning to Steve with a dead look on his face.

“Steve, did you eat my cereal?” he asked condescendingly, already knowing the answer to be no.

As a matter of fact, the blonde’s shirt had small dark spots where he sweat his morning jog on, his hair was still perfect for a regular person but a bit disheveled for Captain America’s inhuman standards, and he was focused on drinking from a water bottle.

He tilted his head to Sam, who nodded, more agreeing with himself than with Rogers.

“You’re the only one who stays on the couch all morning.” He braked back at Barnes.

He didn’t respond this time, perhaps because he was, once again, being accused of being lazy and not using his time nor his gifts wisely. Perhaps because he was just tired of saying he didn’t eat the cereals in question when he had undoubtedly and decisively eaten the cereals in question.

Paying attention to the random local news he’d landed on, he got the gist of what the reporter was saying. They were presenting a quirky story of a bitter man suing his soulmate. He claimed the only reason he got into a car accident was because he felt a sudden sharp pain in his foot and got distracted, and therefore, was asking for his soulmate to pay off the insurance money. Of course they had to find the soulmate who was allegedly responsible for the crash.

“That’s ridiculous.” Bucky mocked.

Sam sat next to him, already having dropped the subject of the missing cereals. He listened to the reporter interviewing the odd man and let an amused but very quickly evaporated smile.

“People have been pulling stunts like these for ages, you can’t be surprised.”

Barnes glanced at him for a second, then returning to the TV. He still thought it was the stupidest reason to sue he’d ever heard of.

“It’s insane.” He said anyways.

“I think it’s sad.” Sam derailed the commentary on an opposite direction, “Can’t be fun starting your lifelong love story through a lawsuit.”

Steve joined the conversation from behind the couch. “I’m pretty sure it’s just a way of getting their attention. You know, find them whatever it takes. It’s actually kind of romantic.”

Bucky scoffed. He couldn’t stop Steve from being such a hopeless romantic and blindly believe in fairy tales where there was none, but he could still be annoyed by the fact.

“A little convenient, isn’t it?” he raised an eyebrow in judgement, yet not turning around to face the blonde.

“What?” Sam shot defiantly, “You don’t believe in this stuff?”

They both knew he was referring to the soulmates paraphernalia. With his glum attitude and dark observations, Barnes did seem like the kind of people to discard the idea of a soulmate. Love that never changes, souls that bond… it did not sound like James Buchanan Barnes’ cup of tea.

“Not the whole part.” He admitted, “I think there’s a lot of bullshit to it.”

The smirk grew on Wilson’s face, “So you’re one of those wacko conspirationists?”

“What if I am?” Bucky shot back, just to mess with him.

He wasn’t though, or not when it came to soulmates, at least. NASA and the government, on the other hand? The man had seen too much inside Hydra to not believe any crazy theory to be possible. He dropped the subject and became more serious, shrugging a little.

“All I’m saying is there’s lots of rules and conditions, I mean, who makes the calls?” Bucky questioned, almost angry, “Who chooses everyone’s partners? And what if you hate your soulmate?”

“That’s the point.” Steve intervened with his bright optimism, “You won’t. They’re your other half.”

Bucky pursed his lips and picked up the remote to switch channels again.

“Sounds real dumb.”

[stragglewort]

Uncommon OC Questions! For Ardolf: 1, 2, 14, 18, 33, 38, 45, 50 For Martin: 4, 5, 10, 15, 20, 21, 36, 49 And 25, 41 and 43 for both! ＼(＾▽＾)／

Whoa, that’s a lot. You always know exactly how to pander to me. I’ll do my best! These are probably going to be some pretty long answers, though. 

________________________________________________________________

First up, Ardolf:

1.) A little-known talent of your OC?

Hm, for Ardolf? It would probably be his ability to work with children. Like, if he had been in a modern setting, he probably would’ve gone into family medicine or pediatrician work. Though he’s not a terribly charismatic person, he is pretty soft and fatherly and has high-key adopted nearly every child we’ve come across in the D&D campaign I use him as a character in. 

Otherwise? Whistling. He’s really good at whistling.

2.) What trait does your OC like best about themself? (Eyes, guitar skills, random bird facts, etc)

He’s extremely proud of his practical doctoring skills. Though he’s learned healing magic and divination now that he’s gotten older and wiser, he grew up in the Greymouth Clan – a house of human doctors and surgeons that almost specifically worked with hands-on medicine. Give him some bandages, some leaves, and a bit of elbow grease and he can patch you just as well as any spell! (Though maybe it’ll take a bit longer. He really just wants to be as helpful as possible, even after he can’t cast anything).

14.) Happy birthday! What kind of present would your OC want?

Anything from the heart! It could be a song, a poem, a letter, or even a neat looking rock. He hasn’t celebrated his own birthday for years and just the gesture of someone remembering would probably make him tear up. Had he been a bit younger, freshly baked sweet or herb bread would’ve been his jam! That’s only changed in the recent years because, you know, lycanthropy makes eating that sort of thing real difficult.

18.) Something that makes your OC laugh without fail? Carved pumpkins, gourds, and really anything that has a face when it probably shouldn’t.

Like, a goofy face? A scary one? A half-baked monstrosity that could barely count as a Jack-O-Lantern? Doesn’t matter, it’ll get him every time.

33.) A song that reminds you of your OC?

There’s too many to choose! Probably Kind Folk – instrumental by Kenny Wheeler and Brian Dickinson, Secunda by Jeremy Soule (from the Skyrim soundtrack), or The Bygone Days from Porco Rosso. Kind of just dependent on the scene!

38.) Random thunderstorm! How does your OC react?

He’d probably around and watch it go by. The thunder gets a little uncomfortably loud, considering his hearing is all lycanthropic, but something about rain and a nice mist reminds him of home at the times when he’s farthest away.

45.) What kind of self-esteem does your OC have?

A very poor one!

Though he does try to keep his chin-up, as he’ll say, the first word that would pop in his head to describe himself would be something like ‘monster’ or ‘creature’. Though his lycanthropy is something he wasn’t born with, and he’s spent a good portion of his life fighting against it, he’s begrudgingly settled on the idea that it’s a part of him he cannot control. And that tends to be a bit of a bummer sometimes! Though he tries to, he has a very difficult time separating the wants of the curse with his own – and though he’ll say he and the beast are two different beings (and ultimately, he’s right) he worries, deep down, if that might not truly be the case.

50. What is your OC’s happy place?

On the top of a mountain somewhere – close to his family – close to his friends – watching the clouds of morning mist roll across the peaks. Mostly anywhere safe, warm, and together with people he cares about.  

________________________________________________________________

On to Martin!

3.) Is your OC good at keeping secrets?

Hahaha, no. 

He certainly tries! But if he gets off on a nervous tangent (which is about 60%-85% of his dialogue) he has a tendency to overshare. Quiiite a bit.

4.) Your OC’s worst habit?

He cannot keep quiet. Half of the time he’s speaking, he’s usually not even sure what he’s saying! But boy will he say it. And he’ll say it in staggering, stuttering bulk. See above.

10.) Would your OC prefer to live in the city, the suburbs, or the country?

He has no idea. The suburbs?

A close-knit community, nice, quiet, everyone-knows-everyone and that means everyone knows who he is and maybe they’ll use that to catch him off guard. 

The city? 

So many people that he’d be faceless, could be safe! But also very, very unsafe. Notoriously unsafe. Wait, doesn’t he live in a city? If something happened would authorities even have time to help him? What if there’s so many people that they gang up on him? Hold on.

The country?

That’s isolated, safe, lovely – but what if it’s so isolated that if something bad happened no one would hear him calling! What if his neighbors were strange and odd, then what would happen? He’d be stuck with them! And the land prices!

If he’d have the choice, he’d probably live in a Minecraft house. On peaceful.

15.) Something that grosses your OC out?

Ironically, considering he’s a vampire spawn, blood! He’s super, extremely squeamish and cannot stand the stuff.

20. An obscure/ridiculous fear your OC has?

Honestly if you talked it up right, you could convince this poor man to fear anything. I cannot pinpoint just one. (Though high-key, reality television. He knows it’s usually fake, but what if it wasn’t? What if someday he’s just trying to watch TV or go grocery shopping and all of a sudden a camera crew shows up Truman Show style? Horrifying.)

21.) Does your OC have any type of disability, whether it be mental, physical, etc?

Mhm. Overarchingly he suffers pretty majorly from Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder (something that I plan to cover/work with pretty majorly in the stories) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (something he had been working with since before the whole vampirism thing). After the vampiric attack/turning, he also has some unnamed disorders he’s working with (I, as the author, have applied them as symptoms of his pseudo-vampirism, and didn’t want to apply real-world diagnosis to avoid some really poor misguided diagnostic attempts!) such as a whole lotta’ paranoia and general poor-coping with being a half-undead. He also has some pretty major ticks (specifically an eye twitch he, for the life of him, cannot get to stop).

36.) Your OC’s favorite fashion era? (20’s, 70’s, etc)

I’d say 90s grunge. But that’s kind of a stretch, and probably more of an excuse to not futz with his hair and wear clothes three times his size. 

49.) Your OC’s most prized possession?

:･ﾟ☆✧ The friendship he creates with the other Ghoul Parade protagonists :･ﾟ☆✧

In his apartment (which, mind you, is extremely cluttered and it the apartment equivalent of that Pepe Silvia picture) he has a small battery powered waterfall set up on what used to be his kitchen counter. It has a frog at the top that spits water into small pots that then pour into each other, and if he presses a button it’ll turn on some very soft LED lights. That. That is one of his most prized possessions.

29.) Someone does something awful in front of your OC. How do they handle it?

That depends on what sort of awful we’re talking about. He instinctively wants to help – to really help – and will go as far as putting himself into a hypothetical (or literal, who knows!) line of fire if someone’s really in danger. Though smaller things, in more everyday situations, he usually finds himself freezing up.

________________________________________________________________

And now, for both!

41. Does your OC like/make puns?

Yes. Absolutely. Without a doubt.  

43. Your OC wakes up with a coin super glued to their forehead. How do they react?

Ardolf would probably spend the whole morning trying to pry it off, before either succeeding or just giving up and asking one of his friends to help. To which they’d probably have no better luck. He wouldn’t be angry with whoever did it! More just kind of flustered until ultimately laughing it off. 

And Martin probably wouldn’t notice for some time (he doesn’t really keep any mirrors in his house. He can very-well see himself in them, but something about the connection they have to vampire lore makes him uneasy) and wouldn’t notice until someone pointed out. He’d then drop everything and take hours trying to figure out how someone got into his house to put a coin on his head. Why they did it. What kind of coin it was. If it was really, actually a coin. All to probably learn that he somehow did it himself in some freak minor mishap. Yes, that’s absolutely what he would do. 

[retvenkos]

Hi! Congrats Olive! That's amazing! 🔥 please? Okay Part 1: Im an ISFJ/INFJ, 6w7 and 4w3(i know i know you are only suppose to have 1 but i swear I’m both lol), And a slytherpuff! Straight female. I am very smiley and bubbly but am an introvert(or extroverted introvert) and can be super shy. I am extremely ambitious and loyal My friends call me optimistic and the happy one of the group but I actually suffer from chronic depression, OCD,  and major social anxiety.

Part 2: Also have abandonment issues due to my dad leaving. Can be overly emotional and sensitive. But I I love to laugh and find the positive in situations!  I am a very determined person, if I want something I won’t stop trying until I psychically can’t. When Im in expert in something I sometimes get a slight superiority complex, mainly when someone questions me on it, trying to work on that.I’m a Christian and my faith is very important to me!

Part 3 I LOVE to cuddle and hold hands and hugs but innocent otherwise. I have danced and done theater my whole life and love it and being on stage so much but ultimately decided to into video editing. I LOVE broadway and musicals but can’t sing for crap. I love pink and Disney(worked there twice) and nerdy stuff. Child at heart and old soul at the same time.  Oh and for Disney, Marvel, and Harry Potter please! Thanks so much!

Disney:

I ship you with Flynn Rider!

alright, we already know that flynn has a secret soft side to him, and i 100% believe that you unlock it without trying, on like, the second time you meet flynn.

i want to say that you met flynn fairly early on in his life - when he first got out of the orphanage and was still a thief in training. he probably made some dashing rescue when you were cornered by some thugs, and you thanked him with some coin and maybe a dinner? who knows. both of you are young and neither of you well off financially, so you share what little you have. when he leaves, you noticed he let you keep your money. so he’s a gentleman, huh?

he continues to find reasons to stop by your village, his excuses getting increasingly worse over time. on all of his visits, flynn seems to have the mission of getting to know you better - and you’re not going to easily reveal your secrets. after all, a girl’s gotta look out for herself, doesn’t she?

flynn learns that you are a very ambitious person with a lot of smarts that you’re proud of, and he likes your confidence - it’s something he’s had to build over a lifetime, so he loves the fact that it comes so easily to you.

he also loves your optimism. he used to have it, once, and it’s refreshing to find someone who truly and honestly believes in the world.

getting to know you is slow going, but it also takes time to get to know him, so fair is fair. and the more you learn about each other, the more you want him to stay. you, of course, know about his life on the run as a master thief, and he has hidden in your house plenty of times before.

what’s most interesting about your relationship is that flynn talks about the future with you. you know what you want to do with your life and are working towards it with all the tenacity in the world. you are headed in one direction and nothing can stop you, and that inspires flynn and reminds him of himself. and both of you are going to do all you can.

(if you want to get some angst in this headcanon set, maybe your ambitions take you to the castle - maybe you want to be a healer or someone who offers intellectual council, idk. anyway, your ambitions put you in direct opposition of flynn, and the two of you probably have a few run ins. and while there isn’t animosity and you always let him run free, there is a distance between the two of you. BUT, your time at court doesn’t work out and you have to go back to your roots - to flynn.) 

or! maybe you’re an actress in plays! you know that if you were, flynn would sneak into your shows to watch you and would leave you a single flower after your performance. 

you’re relationship is a lot of fun! it involves a lot of sneaking around, a lot of stolen, soft moments, and then talks at the kitchen table, with the candle burning low and all the world between you two.

ugh, i just love this concept.

Marvel:

I ship you with Peter Parker!

you and peter are the sweetest couple ever, two nerds who probably had feelings for eachother for a long time, but were too shy and awkward to mention them. 

since you mentioned video editing, can i propose the idea of you taking videos of spider-man, not knowing it’s peter? may i propose the idea of you making youtube videos about spider-man and kind of being his hype man in the early stages? may i suggest the idea that you are the reason why spider-man blew up online, and it stresses peter out to no end?

i really want peter to bring you into the fold and tell you that he’s spider-man because you’ve been bringing him a lot of attention and have started making theory videos on who he is and how he got his powers, and the stress of you possibly figuring out and telling the whole world is literally killing him.

then you can work to steer the evidence away from peter and to someone else, lol.

alright, but back to basics - you and peter both have altruistic goals! peter wants to make a difference and you do, too. you’re both kind of quiet in your goals but work toward them with a fervor, and it’s good for both of you to find someone with so much drive and willingness. 

also, the two of you are nerds! you can be nerds together! you would never have to hide your interests from peter and that is honestly such a relief. you definitely geek out over harry potter and all sorts of movies - you’re still trying to sell peter on paying attention to the full lore of star wars, but he really only listens for you and ned.

you both are a little sensitive, but you are able to work through that together. you both are unafraid to lean on the other and be vulnerable with each other, and that’s an exceptional trait to have, so the fact that you employ it so early on is good. 

peter, too, has that young at heart yet old soul vibe to him, and that’s because he’s had to struggle in life. he’s lost a lot of people and is poor, all of which ages him (mcu peter doesn’t really have this vibe, but other spideys do), and yet he is still a teenager! he’s still trying his best and wants to see the world! he has wonder in his eyes, and that makes him young again. you understand how he can be simultaneously both, which is good, because explaining that can be rough, and he also understand that in you. lots of mutual understanding is good for you - esp. since his life is so complicated, being spiderman.

oh! peter also loves watching bootl*gs of musicals with you. the two of you will hang out at his place, eating microwave popcorn while trying to enjoy the shaky video. peter talks a lot through movies, but it’s all good, because if you kiss his cheek, he gets flustered and goes very quiet for at least 10 minutes.

Harry Potter:

I ship you with Draco Malfoy!

okay, you gotta stick with me here, because i promise you i have some thoughts about this

i mostly get post-war vibes. i imagine the two of you didn’t interact a lot at school, and if you did, it was in passing - partners in charms once or twice, nothing that could make the two of you especially hate each other later in life.

i’m going all out and saying you both work in the ministry - in the same or similar departments, both of you working late into the night. you, because of your ceaseless ambitions and draco because working clears his mind from all the horrors of his past.

it first starts out that the two of you pass by each other at night, almost shutting off the lights on the other because you thought you were alone. i imagine that draco approaches you first - he has a problem that you can help him solve, and he’s pleasantly surprised by your pride in what you know and the vehemence with which you state the facts. he didn’t know you were so strong willed. it vaguely reminds him of himself, and that’s where the interaction ends.

after that, though, he’s bridged the gap. now, he’ll come over to you for advice on how to do some of his ministry work - you’re really good in a lot of areas, and you’re incredibly concise. when he comes over to your desk, you now ask him about some of your own challenging problems, and the two of you are work friends, now.

it’s a slow burn to end all slow burns, but eventually draco brings you a cup of tea/coffee/hot chocolate one winter's night when the two of you are working late - his way to say thank you for all of your help. he’s not used to this - reaching out and being nice, but you inspire it in him.

one night he helps you walk some paperwork back to your house - some work you still have to do over the holidays - and he offers his help, if you need it.

i imagine that you don’t exactly want to call draco malfoy over to your apartment during the holidays, so you don’t, but when you realize how far you are behind, you call him over on a saturday and the two of you work all day. it’s mindless filing, mostly, so the two of you have time to talk, if you want to. draco’s pretty silent this whole time, but you are talkative and you eventually get him to crack. you talk about your earliest years at hogwarts. draco rolls his eyes at how dramatic he was and groans at some of his actions. (”remember when you made those “’potter stinks’ buttons? you had a button press in the slytherin common room and gave them out to everyone. i can’t believe snape let you keep a button press!”) the two of you have a lot of tea and you go to get lunch at a restaurant nearby, and when you’re walking back after your meal (where he laughed - actually laughed at something you said) he turns to you and sincerely apologizes for all that he was in his hogwarts years. and because there was never too much bad blood between you two, you shrug off his apology.

and it takes a lot of time for both of you to open up - and i mean a lot of time. you guys steadily become friends who tell each other everything, and it’s you who drags draco to parties with other school mates whom he reconciles with (although he still gives apologies to the main trio, quite often). because you’re a little more extroverted, you bring draco out of his shell while still being introverted in your activities.

you also take draco to your favorite muggle places - the theatre being one of them. i want to say that you go to see les mis or hadestown, because i feel like draco would actually really like those musicals. you also do a lot of movie watching, which draco loves. he gets to set aside his troubles for a few hours or so, and it’s nice.

a few more ideas - you teach draco to cook, you realise draco has a love for poetry and find it very sweet (but you lord it over him, of course), you gossip about your coworkers together, and you star gaze.

EVENTUALLY the two of you get together, and it’s just really sweet. draco’s not big on pda, but he will always give you his arm, or he will hold your hand, and the love is in the gentle stares and soft smiles.

[yamithediaperdork]

Suki’s baby boy

Old ass story i did wayyy back in the day. here’s hoping it aged well XD

“So my super sexy girlfriend, how did your girls take it when you told them you were taking time off to be with a manly stud?” Sokka asked. it was a couple weeks after Aang had defeated the phoinx king, and life was returning back to normal, for the most part. Sokka was standing to become a little full of himself, but other than that, him and Suki were getting along great. “They asked who the stud was.”Suki joked, and then patted his head. “Kidding, but they were a little bit upset that i was taking off again so soon. maybe we should cancel our trip for awhile?” “what? no way! do you know how hard it was to convince Aang to let us borrow Appa?” “well..OK.” Suki said. though really, it had been HER who had convinced Aang, HER who had gotten them the supplies they needed HER who had worked out where they would stay..all Sokka had done was stay where he wanted to go, and whine when she wouldn’t agree to a place. ‘I swear, he’s acting more and more like a little boy every day.’

“We’re going on a trip, we’re not going by ship..it smells like Appa let one rip.” Sokka sang, walking ahead of Suki, carrying his bag of clothes, and leaving her carrying everything else. “Maybe, if your done amazing me with your lyrics..you could help me?” She asked. “what? oh sure. watch out for the root over there..that big rock on your rig-” “I MEANT CARRY SOMETHING!” “geeze, no need to yell. god, don’t tell me it’s your time of the month..” Sokka grumbled, grabbing some more stuff. Suki had been so loaded down that her face had been hidden, but as he took a few things, he saw her angry face, eye twitching. “..You still know how to kill me five different ways before I can fight back don’t you?” He asked in a small voice. “Seven.” was all she said. Sokka was blissfully quiet for the rest of the walk. Soon they came into a clearing, where Appa was waiting, Aang sitting on top and patting his head. “Hey guys!” he called, jumping up and gracefully coming down. “Hey Aang, thanks for letting us borrow Appa again. I don’t think traveling on foot would of agreed with Suki at the moment.” Sokka said. ‘deep breaths, in and out. once your alone you can explain to him how close he is to being dumped..off of Appa..at 100 feet..’ “Why not?” Aang asked. “Her aunt flow is visiting.” Sokka said in a stage whisper. ‘..make that 200 feet..over a pile of nice, sharp rocks.’

Soon everything was loaded and Aang said goodbye, watching the not so happy couple leave. “You’ve been strangely quiet for the past while.” Sokka commented. “look, if you feel bad about snapping at me, it’s OK.” He assured. “..Sokka, you used to have at least a little bit of charm..and you were so sweet.” Suki said, moving in closer to him, and then grabbing his shoulders. “WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?!” “Uh..” Sokka squeaked, getting shaken. the reins to Appa dropped from his hands and he feebly tried to push her away. “I swear to god, if you don’t stop being such a jerk soon, not only are you not going to have a girlfriend, they’ll never find the body!” She snarled, then pushed herself to the back of Appa’s saddle. Appa gave a loud growl, and Sokka came back up and grabbed the reins, patting Appa’s head. “This is gonna be a long flight buddy.” he muttered.

after not speaking to each other for five hours, they arrived at the first town on their little vacation list. Sokka had picked it, and Suki didn’t bother to remember it as they landed outside of the city. “So, where are we going to keep Appa?” Suki asked. “didn’t you take care of that?” Sokka asked. “..No, I booked our hotel, for three nights like you asked. you said YOU would find a place for Appa.” Suki said. “That doesn’t sound like something I would say.” Sokka said, rubbing his chin. “..For the first time today, I agree with you. Can you handle staying here with Appa while I go and find a barn or something where we can keep him.Can you do that at least?” Suki asked. “I did wanna go and see the weapon collection they have in town...” Sokka started, and then saw Suki’s face. “But yeah I can stay here with Appa my old pal!” He added quickly.

Suki stormed into town, with such a scowl on her face that the guards at the entrance to the town didn’t dare stop her. which was go for them, because she was just itching for a excuse to unleash some heavy violence. It took her nearly 3 hours to find a place willing to house Appa, and she was on her way back to the entrance of the village when a old woman in a shop stand called out to her. “Young lady, why are you so mad? fighting with your man?” The woman asked. “..No, he’s more of a boy.” Suki said, coming over. hell, her feet ached and she smelled like a stable after walking around all this time, let Sokka wait on her. “Let me guess, was once a charming young man, but now acts like a soiled brat?” The woman asked smiling. “..Yeah. thats kind of creepy,, how did you-” ‘It’s the way with most boys who try to be men. what you need to do young lady, is take the wind out of his sails..and I have just the tonic for it.” ‘should of figured..’ Suki thought, thinking about taking off while the woman look somewhere under her counter. “Ah! have him drink this, and I promise you he’ll stop trying to act like a big shot.” the woman promised. “..how much?” Suki asked. her coin purse was running a little dry, she hadn’t thought to bring much coin in with her. “For a young lady like you? It’s free.” the woman said, putting a small bottle in Suki’s hand. “just don’t go taking off right away..I’m sure you’ll be wanting more advice from me.” The woman said with a smile. “..this isn’t going to poison him is it? Cause he’s a dick and everything but i don’t really wanna kill him.” Suki said. “Poison?!” the woman asked, eyes going wide. “Ohhh, because I made that comment..heh..No dear. it will have a effect on him, but he will not die. I give you my word, and Madam Koza’s words is her bond!” as the old lady promised, her hand went over her heart, and she held a hand in the air. “well..OK. “ Suki said.

“What took so long? I sooo hungry!” Sokka whined, laying on Appa’s back. the grass that had been around Appa was all chewed up, in fact the big guy was still munching out. “Sorry, the only place willing to take him was on the other side of town. But I did stop off and get you something.” Suki was all smiles, as she took out the small bottle, and tossed it up to Sokka who caught it. “what’s this?” He asked, making a funny face. Suki climbed up onto Appa’s back, and moved into position to take the reins. “It’s a love drug. you take it now, and when we..you know..later..” Suki said, looking back and winking. the effect on Sokka was instant, as he tented his pants and took the stopper out of the bottle, and slugged it back. “I thought we weren’t gonna..ya know..cause of you..” Sokka started. “I’m not having my peri-” “Ew ew, don’t say it like that!” Sokka interrupted, coving his ears. Suki raised a eyebrow, he had been making references to it all day. “Alright, I’m not having aunt fl-” “Gross!” he whined, putting his fingers into his ears. “..I’m fine. it’s not that. I was just in a bad mood thats all.” she said. As Appa took off, Sokka calmed down and nodded, then looked over the edge and scream, crawling to the center of the saddle. “What’s wrong with you?” she asked, giving him a funny look. “W-We’re up t-too high..” He whimpered. “..Really? You’ve been hanging upside down from a zeplin and not been worried about the height before! not to mention how often you’ve flown on Appa!” Suki snickered. “D-Don’t laugh..I-I don’t know why..It’s just scary OK?” He whimpered. She was going to laugh again, but looked back, and saw that he was curled up in a ball, and shaking. ‘why the hell did I just give him!?’ she thought wildly. ‘what did that old lady say..he’d stop trying to act like a manly man..and  what else..I mean..he’s acting like a..little...kid. ah crap.’

Part of her warrior training had seen Suki study many, many poisons and other drugs that were used in the world, and she knew of one plant, that when boiled in hot water for long enough, had the ability to mentally regress a person. the plant though was suppose to be wiped out. A servant girl had used it on a warlord, and when he had recovered he had killed the girl and ordered all of the plants destroyed.

“Calm down Sokka, we’re almost at the stable OK?” Suki said in a nice calm voice. Her mind was spinning, the old texts she had read had dosage  levels compared to a persons weight.. At Sokka’s weight, with how much was in that vial.. She paused and did the mental math, and cursed softly as they landed in front of the stable. “Sokka, we’re on the ground OK? Do you need help getting down?” Suki asked softly. getting up and walking back towards him. He shook his head no, and slowly got up, now blushing bright red. “I-I don’t know what that was all about..I’m sorry.” he said, looking anywhere but at her. “..it’s OK” Suki said. She chose not to mention the small damp stain on the front of his pants, and instead hoped down to meet to stable master. “So this is a sky bison eh? should be interesting to look after eh?” The old timer said, smiling and showing all four of his teeth. His breath was rank and Suki just smiled and did her best not to breath any of the stink in. “whats up with your fellow there eh?” He asked, pointing behind her. Suki turned around, finding Sokka trying to carry as much as he could. ‘like a little boy trying to impress a girl..’ she thought with a smile. “What’s wrong with him carrying everything?” she asked. “I wasn’t talking about that eh, I was talking about how he pissed his pants eh.” the old man snickered. “He didn’t piss himself, he spilled a drink on himself. and I’ll ask you to please not go around pointing out other peoples flaws.” Suki said. her voice was low and full of menace, and with her back to Sokka, she crackled her knuckles. “Understand..eh?” she asked.

“That guy was awfully nice to give you half of your money back.” Sokka said. He was carrying his fair share of the gear this time, Though Suki had had to fight with him to let her carry any..even when it weighed him down so much he couldn’t even crawl.. ‘crawl..Oh Sokka..I’m so sorry..’ she thought. “Anyways, thanks for pointing out that wet spot, I can’t belive I wasted that much of that potion you gave me on my pants.” He giggled. “Yeah well, It’s OK. I’m sure you drank enough.” Suki said. God, she felt so guilty..how was she going to break it to Sokka? “Which street do we take now?” Sokka asked, stopping at a four way. Suki watched him trying to read the signs, and hoped she was wrong. maybe the dosage hadn’t been that high, and he had only wet a little because he was scared. “Huh..thats weird. I thought their signs were in English here.” Sokka said. He had the cutest little confused look on his face, and was scratching the top of his head, looking this way and that. “I know how to read the sighs.” Suki lied. “I’ll guide us. but before we go to the hotel, why don’t we go take a look around the market. I saw a stand before that I wanna go and check out.” ‘If that old bat doesn’t have a cure for him, I’m turning her over to the guards! those potions are illegal!’

It was harder than she thought to get back to Koza’s stand, not because she couldn’t recall the way, but because Sokka had to stop and look at every weapon, every toy, just about everything. She should of known better really, than to bring him in this state with her. he didn’t have the greatest attention span at the best of times, and with a little kids mind set it was even worse. But she didn’t dare leave him by himself. already he’d almost freaked out, when he thought he had lost her. she had only gone across the street to buy them some apples, and she came back to find him looking scared and teary eyed. Now she couldn’t get him to let go of her hand even her life depended on it, which was luckily seen as a sign they were lovers..till people got closer and saw and heard how Sokka was acting. After he had whined and begged to try out a new kind of gimmick toy, the merchant selling it had asked her in a whisper if she was looking after someone ill in the head. ‘great. he’s thinking like a 5 year old if i’m lucky, and the merchants think he’s retarded. can this day get any fecking worse?’ Suki thought. She was currently dragging Sokka along, he was whining he wanted to go back to the cake shop, since Suki hadn’t let him get a cookie. “I have my own money, way can’t I get one!” He whined. just when she thought he couldn’t make this any worse, he went limp on her, and just stayed on the ground. “Sokka, get up.” Suki whispered, looking around as a crowd was starting to gather. “want cookie.” He said, crossing his arms. “Sokka, for the love of god, get up now!” Suki hissed. “your causing a scene!” Great, she could heard the people now..comments were being made about the poor girl dealing with the retarded boy. “Sokka, if you get up and come with me strait to the booth i wanna go to, We will go back to that shop, and i won’t get you a cookie, I’ll buy you a entire cake just for yourself!” She hated having to resort to bribing him, but it seemed to work. though he had a little kids mind, Sokka was still a fairly able young man, and he rocked onto his shoulders, then nipped up onto his feet. “A whole cake? You got a deal!” he yelled. more laughter from the crowd, which he seemed to be noticing for the first time, and he turned to them. “what are you laughing at?” He asked. “Yeah, what are you laughing at?” Suki asked. if they truly believed he was handicapped, maybe they would have the good taste to point out something else, or just go away.. “ah.nothing son..it was just a funny sound a cat made.” A young man said. the crowd muttered they’re agreement, and slowly drifted away. “Thank you.” Suki mouthed to the man. he gave them a thumbs up, and Sokka returned it with a grin.

“he was nice.” Sokka said. he was smiling and still holding Suki’s hand, though he was moving his back and forth, making her swing hers. “Yeah.” “I wonder what the cat did that was so funny.” Sokka wondered. “..He might of farted.” Suki said with a grin. Sokka giggled. “eww, your so gross!” As they came up to where the booth was, Suki’s heart sank..the booth was gone! “excuse me.” she asked, getting the attention of anther merchant. “But the old lady who had a booth there..” “Oh, she’s gone home for the day.She’s actually quite the power house, says it’s one of her tonics. she’ll be back in a day or so. she doesn’t work everyday, says she needs time to make more tonics.” “Ah. Well, if you see her, can you pass a message on for me?” Suki asked, digging into her coin purse. Sokka was getting fidgety, and Suki knew she didn’t have much time left before she’d know if this was as young as he was going to get. “sure.” the merchant said, eyeing her coin purse. “Let me pay, a gentleman has to treat a lady.” Sokka said, blushing bright red and reaching into his coin purse, pulling out six coins, twice as much as Suki would of paid. “Tell her that the young lady she gave her word to, need her help. badly.” Suki said. Merchant nodded, and pocketed the coins. “And If I meet her here, and find out you’ve made no effort to give our message, I’ll expect those coins back.” Suki added.

“It’s just for a little bit, I need to pick up some things, and as you can see, he slows me down a little bit.” Suki said to the owner of the cake shop. “I dunno..” The woman said, stoking her chin. “He’ll be eating the cake in here anyways. if he wants anything else, let him have it, and I’ll settle up after.” Suki said. “alright, deal. but you explain it to him. I’ve seen your idiot boy causing trouble all over the market today. Suki bit back her reply to Sokka being called that. It really wasn’t his fault, it was hers! Instead, she walked over to the table where Sokka was sitting, and she was carrying the cake she had promised him. “Sokka, before I give you your cake..” she started. “uh-huh?” he asked, drooling. She set the cake down on the table “Are you going to be OK here by yourself for a little bit? I need to go pick up some girl things, and I don’t wanna gross you out again.” Suki lied. “Oh..well um..” Sokka looked around, and then motioned for her to come in closer. “what if bad guys come and try and take me away?” he whispered. ‘so cute!’ Suki thought, biting her lip to stop for laughing. “The nice lady who runs this place is going to be looking out for you OK? She’ll make sure you stay safe. now if you want a drink or something, AFTER you finish your cake, you can go ahead and get it.” Suki said. As she talked, she leaned down and slowly snaked her hand around, and removed Sokka’s coin purse, and turned to leave. “Heyyy! wheres my goodbye kiss?” he whined. “..and why do you have my money?” “..if you don’t have any money, bad guys are way less likely to come after you.” She lied, figuring if she left him alone with it, someone would scam him out of it before she got back. “Now be a good boy.” she said, and leaned in and kissed his cheek. “And I’ll see you soon OK?” He giggled and blushed at the kiss, and then shyly moved forward and gave her a little peck on the cheek too. “Kay. don’t be too long Kay?” He said. “I won’t be longer than it takes.” she promised.

It wasn’t as hard as she thought to find the stall she needed. With their being a good chance Sokka’s mind set was going to regress even more soon, she knew she needed certain supplies. from what she could recall about the poison, you never truly entered infancy again, but you did amazingly simple minded, and lose all control..down there, as well as moter skills. “Ten thick cloth diapers, two pairs of plastic pants, four safety pins and a jar of ointment please.” Suki asked the merchant behind the incontinence  booth. “Size and gender?” the man asked. “Male, and um..about my size I guess..never measured him.” She said, blushing. the man gave her a odd look, then bent down and took out the supplies she asked for. “..You know unless you’re washing these everyday, you’re going to need more than ten.” He said. “washing..them..” Suki made a face. She hadn’t even thought about that..her plan was to get him diapered, and wait till Koza showed up so she could fix him. she was just going to toss the used diapers. then again..she had about a day and a half, to two days to wait..better safe than sorry. “Toss in anther six. and do you have some sort of bag I can put this all in?” She asked.

Suki came back to find Sokka laying back in his chair, half the cake gone and a pile of glasses around him. his belly looked like it was bugling underneath his shirts and he had a drool line coming down from his mouth. “How was he?” Suki asked the shop owner. “He was well behaved. stayed there and pigged himself out on that cake. ordered some milk. you owe me 4 coins for the milk.” “Whats in the bags? did you get me a present?” Sokka asked, spotting the building paper sack bags, walking over. “Nothing for you, not yet.” Suki said, slamming 4 coins down on the counter. “Why don’t you go get your cake and wrap it up to bring back with us?” She asked. “..I get to take the cake WITH me?” He asked, grinning. “Well, I can’t take a half eaten one back.” The shop owner said. “Bring it over and i’ll wrap it for you kid. free of change.” The shop owner said. she added the free of cost thing, as she saw Suki about to ask. “Sounds like you warmed up to him.” Suki said. “Well, for a handicapped young man, he is rather cute.” “..Well, I’m not setting him up on any dates.” Suki said.

“So did you have fun?” Suki asked. they were on they’re way to the hotel now to check in. and for Suki, she had plans of getting Sokka into pampers as soon as possible. she was already noticing that he was stumbling around a little. as if the act of walking was getting too hard for him. ‘this isn’t fair. he’s young and fit..funny and smart..’ Suki thought mournfully. Though deep down inside, for all the of the headaches she was getting from dealing with him like this she had to admit she kinda sorta just maybe found a childish Sokka...cute. Then again it really shouldn’t surprised Suki that maybe she liked a childish Sokka. she had been drawn to him for his charms sure, but she also liked having a Boyfriend that she knew would need her to look after him. She had expected him to take a little more care of himself and her than he had, hence why the tension as of late. not to mention the period jokes which had gotten old. fast. “Yeah. Some boys came in and were starting to poke fun but ling kicked them out.” Sokka said. “Ling?” “That was her name. the cake shop girl.” He said. he jerked his thumb back in her direction and turned his head back. then proceed to trip and fall flat on his face getting some laughs from a nearby group of children. “Sokka! are you OK?” Suki asked. she rushed over and helped Sokka to his feet, and noticed how not only were tears welling up in his eyes, but there was a fresh wet spot on his pants again. “T-That..”He sniffled a little. Suki could tell he was trying to hold the fit that wanted to explode out of him in. “That hurt.” he finished, and tears leaked down the side of his face. Suki heard a soft hiss, but a short one, and anther wet spot joined the first one on his pants. “Sokka, we need to get you inside.” Suki said urgently. He sniffled again and nodded, but now the school kids were noting the wet spots and turning and pointing. “haha! that big kid pissed himself!” “some big kid. I bet you thats his mommy!” “S-Shut up!” Sokka yelled at the kids. Not thinking, he ran over, tears freely flowing from his eye now and shoved one of the kids making fun of him over. of course, while his mind was getting younger, Sokka was still a fit young man, and then kid went over like nothing and started to bawl. “Sokka, we have to go..NOW!” Suki said, panic building in her voice. she looked pass Sokka where what she assumed was a teacher was taking notice of one of her students being assaulted. Sokka thought Suki was mad at HIM and started to bawl himself. ‘This is JUST what I needed..’ Suki thought. She grabbed Sokka by the back of his shirt and yanked him to his feet, then gave him a kiss on the lips. “I’ll give you anther one if you can catch me!” She said. She then took off running and was praying Sokka would follow her. he did and though they got some stairs, she managed to get him back to their hotel without cause too much more trouble.

Suki waited by the door as Sokka came running in, about 10 seconds become her, huffing and puffing, but then grinned seeing her and poked her arm. “Caughtttt youuu!’ He said with a big grin. Suki was thankful that no one besides the clerk was downstairs at the moment and smiled and kissed Soka’s cheek. “That you did. now let’s get up into our room ok?” “kay!’ He said and smiled. the smile faded from his face as they walked in and he noted the two beds. “Heyyyyy, I thought we were going to share a bed!” He huffed, and crossed his arms. Suki sweat dropped. “Well, we might, but only if your a good boy OK?” “...Well OK.” He said. He gave a soft huff and stomped over towards his bed and was about to sit down on it in his soggy pants on the bed when suki eeped and moved over, grabbing him. “Now what!?” he whined and gave her a cross look. ‘jezze, someone needs a nap.” Suki thought dryly. “Sokka..your a little bit wet in the pants right now..we should get you changed before you sit on the bed.” Suki said. “you ARE mad that i wet myself!’ he yelled and pulled away from her, storming for the bathroom. “I’ll show you, i’ma big boy and i can make it to da potty any time I want!’ He said, thumping his chest then slamming the bathroom door. “5..4..3..2..1..” Suki counted down, rolling her eyes. “Suuuuki? can you come in and help me get my pants off?” Came the sheepish voice of Sokka. “i’ll be right in.” Suki called, but grabbed a few things..

When suki came into the bathroom, she had to put a hand over her face you cover the smile. Sokka was doing a fratic potty dance in front of the toliet and we fumbling with the latch on his pants. “Gottta poooop!” he whined, a hand on his butt. “Ok ok, calm down and hold still!” Suki said. She walked over to sokka and firmly took hold of his hips and then undid the latch on his soaked pants letting them plop to the floor. 'he’s not wearing underwear!’ suki thought going red faced as he flopped loose and free. Sokka however wasn’t paying attention to her or his underwear and just plopped down on the toilet and started to go. “awwww..see? told you I can use da potty!’ He said. he was smiling and beaming, kicking his legs ideally while on the throne. “You sure did.” Suki said humoring the poor boy. she took his soaked pants from around his ankles and set it in the tub..figuring she’d have one of the water benders working here fill her tub in a bit.