#can't wait to be able to actually do details and practice the coloring!

[moca-draws]

Sketch of the coolest ranger mom!

[injestedsoap]

The 141 + Nik letting you paint their nails

Soap loves when you paint his nails. Admittedly they won't last long because he'll pick the polish off but he really likes watching you hold his hands so delicately, all your attention focused on his nails as you try to get the perfect stoke. He likes them done in black, no top coat because it won't last and he doesn't want you wasting polish on him like that, he talks animatedly the whole time, you have to keep grabbing his hands to get them back where you can work on them, laughing the whole time. He tends to smudge them quickly too, what can he say? He just wants to grab you and kiss you as soon as they're done.

Gaz really likes when you paint his nails. You tend to couple the painting with a hand massage and fuck if that doesn't feel good on his tense hands. You both put on your pajamas and he tells you all about his most recent job, you don't answer much, you need to focus on not getting any polish on his pretty hands, but you love listening to him and he likes to complain about work so this is really nice for both of you. When you're done Gaz is good and waits until they are all dry, top coat and all, before he grabs you to give you a proper thank you.

Ghost would rather eat glass than admit to anyone but you he loves when you do nail art on him. He wears gloves all the time anyway, who is going to know if he has bright pink nails with flowers carefully drawn on them, plus they look really nice and he knows you want to practice. You work with a playlist going of a mix of your songs and his, humming along to all the songs you know so well by now as you add the miniature details and Ghost watches you with the kind of tenderness he can only show when you're so focused you can't look up.

Price isn't much for painted nails but he lets you when you ask. You tend to just give him a clear coat, more than anything you just like this weird little intimate thing you can do for your partner, massaging his hands, moisturizing them, then carefully painting on a coat of shine to keep his nails nice and healthy. Price likes that, closeness that isn't complicated and doesn't demand anything from him but time, something he gladly gives you as often as he is able.

Nik actually asked you to do his nails when you two first got together. That really shouldn't surprise you, you've seen the old pictures tucked in the heli of a much younger Nik in mosh pits with safety pins shoved through his ear lobe, it's sweet, this little bit of his past he wants you to be a part of, refreshing his nails after so many years of not painting them. He likes dual colors, black on one hand, dark red on the other. He plays old metal music, it's bad in a way that's good, and he tells one story for every five songs and you hang on his every word as you blow on his nails to dry them.

[lukam8]

Picasso

(not related to the Scorpion fanfic, and this is a oneshot.)

Being on the Nevermore baseball team was pretty nice... until one of the furs throws a ball directly at your arm, and half of the baseball team tackles you thinking they're playing fetch. The force of the ball actually managed to break your arm, and the literal dog piled thankfully only sprained your ankle. Now you're off the team and bedridden with 2 casts until further notice. Just great....

---

"So can you tell me why you have a feather and ink bottle? Not only that but why the hell are you in my dorm?" you asked as she placed the small ink jar on your nightstand, sitting down on a stool next to your bed. You lay with a pillow behind your back, allowing you to sit up with your arm on your stomach and your ankle propped up on a pillow, both arm and ankle in casts.

"Enid suggested I aid you on your road to recovery with a custom of decorating one's bandagedwounds. I was against the idea, but being able to see you saddened by the fact you can't play your sport fills me with joy." Of course, that's the reason she would be here; the girl who you have an athletic rivalry with is making fun of the fact you can't do any sports right now.

You sit up correctly before pulling back your sleeves and mockingly flexing your muscles. "Just you wait, Addams, I'll be back on my feet and kicking your ass in no time."

She chuckles before speaking to you. "I'd like to see you try, now let me be a 'dear friend' and help you." She looks at you, mischief laced in her voice as she grabbed the ink bottle and feather.

Your cheeks puff up slightly as you try not to laugh, letting out a small squeak as she looks somewhat menacingly. "I understand you're against technology and shit but if you want, you can use my markers, y'know." You point to a small rectangular chest behind her; the Minecraft chest had a wooden Minecraft sign above it labeled arts and crafts. She walked over to the chest, opening it to reveal a stash of neatly, organized art and drawing supplies. Wednesday is actually surprised at the fact that you, the athletic asshole she's rivals with, is a neatly organized artist.

"Well, aren't you full of surprises?" Her previous cold and dead expression was now replaced with one of surprise with a surprised tone in her voice to match. Although confident in her skills, the amount of art supplies is actually

"Grab the box with a character that looks like sun and moon wearing jester pants Wednesday." She spots a marker box with stickers of video game characters plastered onto it. She blinks at the box before grabbing it and slamming the chest closed, a painful low crack of wood being heard; You hug yourself as it physically pained you to hear that. Wednesday smiles at your pained reaction as she walks towards you.

"Music and misery to me. Now, how do these work?" You grab the box from her hands as she sits on the stool, observing your every move to learn these new tools. You grab a marker, shaking it to allow the ink that hasn't been used since baseball or swimming season started. A loud pop is heard as you take the top of lf the black marker.

"So it's basically like a pencil, but try not to press too hard on it; It'll mess up the ink and the tip. And if you press it softly but let it sit there, the ink will spread kinda like...", you brainstorm ways on how to explain it to Wednesday Addams. "It'll spread like blood on a cotton ball or gauze." The tip of the black marker presses onto the cast on your ankle. A small black ink spot slowly grows until you remove the tip. "Just like that, think of it as using colored pencils...or in your case, charcoal. My ankle cast will get taken off in 3 days, so you can use it as a practice board or canvas."

"Don't be surprised if I draw your anatomically correct bones all broken...with detailed internals." She paused and looked into your eyes with an evil glint before continuing to speak.

"Be happy I'm even letting you in my room dorm; I would've kicked your ass out a long time ago if you didn't come here to draw ponies on my casts." You flip her off while sticking your tongue out and smiling as she gives you her famous death glare. "But besides that, are you ok with me putting music or a podcast?" She looks up at you before continuing to draw on your ankle cast.

"Just nothing like enid's music or I finish that furs job on your leg." You switch on your speaker on switch to Spotify; you select a murder podcast which was quite popular for its gorey details and its voice acting of the victims and killers. You decide to start on your favorite cold case: The Axe-man of New Orleans.

"Can you get me the crocheting needles and yarn from the chest....please?" You stayed quiet as she stared at you before closing the marker and walking over to the chest she had nearly broken. Wednesday returns with a smaller chest closed with a metal buckle and an ingraved sigil on the top. She returns to creating her dark masterpiece on your ankle cast as you open the chest. You hold a ball of purple and white yarn as you stare into space, deciding whether you should crochet the mushroom yoko wanted or the rainbow unicorn enid wanted. You're broken out of your thought train when you look up and see Wednesday still drawing on your cast. How can you be somewhat bonding with the same girl who overthrew your 2nd place in fencing class and broke your lucky baseball bat? You start crocheting as she switches markers, slowly shading the reds together to get the perfect mixture of blood red ink as it drips from the skull she drew on your ankle. "I'm surprised you're that good, not gonna lie."

"If I could beat you in sports and academics, I can certainly beat you at this." She snaps back at you as the podcast ends with its jazz outro before continuing to the Black Dahlia case.

"That you sure can do Ms.Overachiever." She gives you a side glare before returning to her drawing on your cast. You can't help but stare at her features: her dark eyes fixated on her cast, her black hair in her signature braids, and her pale skin that would make others confuse her for a dead corpse. She's never looked like this when you both would compete in fencing, track, or any other sport of competition. Maybe because most of those times, she's had a deadly look on her face.

"Draw a portrait of me. It'll last longer." You snap out of your trance when she calls you out, your face becoming a blushing mess. A smile tugs in her lips before she falls back to her emotionless self. You look down and focus on crocheting when you realize you've been working this whole time as you stared at her. A small black grumpy cat was in your hands; a quarter of its head was missing as you thought about Wednesday and ways you could finish the plush. You grabbed the white yarn and replaced a quarter of the cats head with an exposed skull. You place the small cat that's about a foot tall on near your left side, hiding it from the goth girl's eyes. You grow confused when a scurrying sound is heard jn your dorm. Wednesday looks down at her feet.

"Why would you bring a first-aid kit to their room?...Enid exaggerated their injuries." She lets out an exhausted sigh before Thing scurried up to your bed, freaking you out a bit.

"Dude, I thought you were a dog this whole time Enid talked about you...crazy." You begin to bond with Thing as wednesdsy keeps drawing.

-----

A thundering rain rages outside as wednesday finishes her artwork in your cast. It's a lone skull with blood surrounding the jaw bones. She actually smiles to herself, very proud of her work. She realizes you haven't said a single word in the few minutes she's been here. Wednesday looks at your clock as she realizes she's been there for 3 hours. She grabs her backpack as she speaks to you.

"I must be going, I've missed my writing time with your childish art tools. But I do admit this was...fun." The goth girl continues to speak before looking up at you. Thing rest on your shoulder as your head leans toward him slightly, you hold a new plush with your broken arm. The plush of your favorite animal with a baseball hat rests in your arm next to the black grumpy cat with half its skull exposed. Wednesday puts away your supplies before looking at your sleeping figure. Her backpack clicks open as she rumages around for something.

"Thing, wake up it's time to go." The door to your dorm opens as she exits, not before she left a box of her favorite mint cookies there on your nightstand.

"You know they'll realize you took it, right? What do you need with that plush? I know for a fact it's something you don't need." Thing signs as wednesday walks back toward her dorm, the thunder outside being audible from inside Nevermore's brick walls.

"I'm simply borrowing it, nothing less." Thing signs, telling her she said the phrase wrong as she enters her empty dorm room, enid still out on her date with Ajax at the zoo. "I said what I needed to say, Thing. I don't need your punctuation." Wednesday places Thing and her bag on her bed before preparing for bed.

-----

You awake in your empty dorm, the lamp on your bedside on, and your blinds open, allowing you to see the dark night sky still sobbing a storm. "Wednesdsy? Are you still here?" You spot the cookies on your nightstand and see your clock behind it. Wednesday had arrived 4 hours ago, so you slept for 2 hours when she might've left. You sigh as you smile at the box of cookies, opening them as taking a bite of a mint cookie. The flavor relaxes you a bit as you look around, realizing you're missing the self-plush you had made. Yet the cat you made was gone; there's no way she would've... right? You turn off your nightstsnd lamp and clean the crumbs off of you. The warm heat consumes you as your blanket covers you. The brightness from your phone blinds you before you turn it down to its lowest setting. Clicking from your phone fills your nearly silent room as thunder rages outside with the rain knocking on your window. 'Hey, when you get to your dorm, check if Wednesday stole my plush. If she did, send a pick.' You sent Enid a text as Ajax entered your dorm, yawning a quick hello before entering the bathroom you both shared. The 'sent' at the bottom of your text turns into a blue 'seen'. The texting bubble appears before reappearing with a photo. You blush as your plush-self lays nicely on her black silk bed against her pillows. Your phone vibrates as you receive another text.

'Thatsssssss kinda cute >;)'......You ask for one thing and she attack you for it.

' T///T sthu, she just stole it from me, ok? Make a big deal out of it, and I beat Ajax's ass.' You smile as she immediately starts spamming text, begging you not to hurt her boyfriend. 'Okok I won't, night and tell me how it goes in the morning.' You each text a goodnight before falling asleep. You pull the plush close to your chest as you look out the window, the rain calming down slightly. You fall into a deep sleep once more before your phone vibrates one last time.

'Looks like she really likes "It", doesn't she? :)' A picture of Wednesday appears on your phone for a brief moment, her hands holding your plush like a bouquet; a beautiful corpse bride.

----

[homestuckreplay]

Shrinking Wormholes; Transferring Syllogism Twine

(page 134-137)

Homestuck is my worst enemy. These past couple days without updates left me time to transcribe the video on page 137, which took long enough that I never want to look at it again. Which is a shame, because it's a cool video, the shifting colors and the twisting spirograph are good to look at and I like the irregularity of the movement. And I do respect the attention to detail - the fact that Hussie took the time to write out 231 meaningless phrases about DIY and spread them unevenly throughout the video shows a real dedication to recreating the video game experience. It feels very real, I can sense the anticipation when the video gets stuck on a particular phrase for a full second, that feeling of just wanting to play the game but having to wait.

Below the cut at the end I've listed all the phrases in the video, but it's LONG, so be warned. I'm also not sure this was a good use of time, there's not loads here that seems relevant. We get a broad overall sense of the game, which seems to be a building/DIY simulator, maybe something like digital Lego, maybe something more like having to maintain a house day to day, perform repairs and give it 'upgrades' like new lighting or a new garage, as most of the nouns are tools you could buy in a Home Depot.

Here's a few exceptions that jumped out to me:

Observing Avenues, Analyzing Eyes - both of these relate to surveillance

Transferring Syllogism Twine, Auditing Nescience Passages - relate to knowledge/logic or the lack of it

Anticipating Gateways, Shrinking Wormholes, Referring Time Spools, Retrofitting Aesthetics Portals - these relate to time and space, perhaps to messing with the laws of physics

Transcribing Existence Rivets, Finalizing Atma Augers - relate to life and the soul

It's interesting to me how these phrases are hidden within a barrage of far more mundane ones. I think this game will seem on its surface to be very normal and simply a reflection of John's existing life, playing in a digital house not too different to his very real one, but that it has more and weirder stuff going on below the surface. The game will present opportunities to escape the trap of the suburbs in ways that John can't yet figure out in real life - but will be able to in the game, because he has experience with gaming and coding. It might take some mild hacking and exploiting loopholes in the mechanics, but these possibilities are clearly coded into the game, or they wouldn't be in the loading screen. It's a game that wants the players to push its limits and see what's possible, and rewards a player who tries to go beyond the mechanics as presented.

John's had a lot of practice messing with his sylladex for 130+ pages, and I think that's really going to pay off when he starts using a similar skillset in game. It's interesting, because most characters (or people) would have an arc of learning a skill in a game and then exporting it to real life, while I think John's going to have the opposite, with the supposed constraints of the game actually giving him freedom, and the supposed open world of real life just closing doors to him.

Anyway, no wonder TT is excited to play this game. I bet she's eating up all these long words.

Transcript of Flash animation, p.137. Spelling mistakes come from the original.

Transforming Soffits Reorganizing Keys Formalizing Immersion Joints Justifying Kick Extractors Advising Aggregates Managing Elbows Recasting Connectors Achieving Aluminum Trowels Officiating Disks Exhibiting Absolute Spigots Progressing Coil Hydrants Jerry-building Reflectors Informing Casters Inventing Rubber Hoists Performing Wrenches Judging Chalk Adapters Upgrading Ignition Paths Regrowing Flashing Recommending Ratchets Approving Barriers Sweeping Impact Fillers Sewing Mirrors Detailing Collectors Enforcing Measures Distributing Systems Presenting Plugs Interwinding Registers Piloting Ash Diffusers Gathering Cranks Supplying Eave Pockets Undertaking Scroll Stops Accelerating Straps Designing Fittings Protecting Diamond Boilers Logging Downspouts Correlating Shingles Uniting Mallets Qualifying Electrostatic Lifts Sharing Clamps Obtaining Circular Fluids Ranking Foundation Gauges Sensing Miter Brackets Originating Space Networks Translating Drills Regulating Guards Selecting Gable Padding Utilizing Pellet Dowels Reconciling Artifacts Altering Pulleys Shedding Space Filters Determining Vents Representing Mortar Remaking Flash Rakers Supporting Funnels Typecasting Rotary Chocks Expressing Junctures Resetting Auxiliary Vises Professing Strip Treads Inlaying Matter Trowels Questioning Drivers Forming Edge Fittings Sketching Blanks Overshooting Spark Breakers Rewriting Controls Playing Tunnels Inventorying Buttons Enduring Joist Handles Effecting Ratchet Bibbs Unwinding Couplings Forsaking Vapor Conduits Defining Sockets Calculating Heaters Raising Grids Administering Tiles Measuring Resources Installing Ignition Remotes Extracting Corners Manufacturing Ventilators Delegating Consoles Treating Mounting Stones Enacting Jig Deflectors Intensifying Alloys Improvising Cargo Pinpointing Bobs Prescribing Arc Masonry Structuring Metal Chocks Symbolizing Lathes Activating Plumb Kits Adapting Coatings Fixing Channels Expediting Cordage Planning Compressors Enlisting Hangers Restructuring Keyhole Augers Shearing Ridge Hardware Collecting Reciprocating Bolts Maintaining Corrugated Dimmers Whetting Hole Collars Conducting Mandrels Comparing Assets Compiling Sealants Completing Paths Composing Equivocation Wheels Computing Dampers Conceiving Electrostatic Treatment Ordering Cotter Grates Organizing Ties Orienting Ladders Exceeding Materials Targeting Thermocouples Demonstrating Emery Stock Expanding Latch Bases Training Wardrobe Adhesives Overcomming Fasteners Streamlining Storm Anchors Navigating Springs Perfecting Turnbuckles Verifying Gate Pegs Arbitrating Arithmetic Lifts Negotiating Outlets Normalizing Strips Building Surface Foggers Checking Key Torches Knitting Grinders Mowing Planers Offsetting Stencils Acquiring Bulbs Adopting Rivets Observing Avenues Ascertaining Coaxial Grommets Slinging Wing Winches Instituting Circuit Generators Instructing Wicks Integrating Pry Shutters Interpreting Immersion Lumber Clarifying Coils Classifying Wood Bits Closing Cogs Cataloging Matter Strips Charting Holders Conceptualizing Push Terminals Stimulating Supports Overthrowing Shaft Spacers Quick-freezing Connectors Unbinding Ground Hooks Analyzing Eyes Anticipating Gateways Controlling Proposition Rollers [blank bar momentarily]

Converting Power Angles Coordinating Staples Correcting Benders Counseling Joist Gaskets Recording Gutter Pipes Recruiting Drains Rehabilitating Rafter Tubes Reinforcing Washers Reporting Guard Valves Naming Freize Sprues Nominating Rings Noting Straps Doubling Nailers Drafting Circuit Hoses Dramatizing Flanges Splitting Framing Compounds Refitting Stems Interweaving Patch Unions Placing Sillcocks Sorting Slot Threads Securing Mode Cutters Diverting Catharsis Plates Procuring Load Thresholds Transferring Syllogism Twine Directing Switch Nuts Referring Time Spools Diagnosing Knobs Discovering Locks Dispensing Hinges Displaying Hasps Resending Arc Binders Retreading Grooves Retrofitting Aesthetics Portals Seeking Stocks Shrinking Wormholes Assembling Blocks Assessing Divets Attaining Lug Boxes Auditing Nescience Passages Conserving Strikes Constructing Braces Contracting Saw Catches Serving Instantiation Irons Recognizing Fluxes Consolidating Fuse Calipers Mapping Shims Reviewing Chop Groovers Scheduling Lag Drives Simplifying Hoists Engineering Levels Enhancing Tack Hollows Establishing Finishing Blocks Estimating Adhesives Evaluating Mortar Examining Auto Turnbuckles Processing Foggers Servicing Avenues Transcribing Existence Rivets Revising Consoles Separating Absolute Stencils Budgeting Sheet Grommets Preparing Kits Realigning Cartesian Mandrels Painting Fasteners Filing Grout Hangers Finalizing Atma Augers Formulating Couplings Identifying Sillcocks Imagining Materials Inducing Shutters Influencing Wheels Licensing Chocks Lifting Extrinsic Mallets Overdrawing Ratchets Overlaying Ventilators Overriding Cardinal Soffits Specifying Element Aggregates Systemizing Divets Shaping Pockets Publicizing Aether Remotes Governing Archetype Dimmers Monitoring Assets Launching Manifestation Systems

[saunne]

Writing - Reflection and Personal Analysis (Pt 2)

(or the actual plan of what the rest of my NaNo will look like)

I have two main problems at the moment : Lack of STRUCTURE and lack of STYLE. And a less important BRAIN problem.

STRUCTURE

The biggest blockage comes from my lack of planning and the fact that until then I was writing in semi-improvisation. I had an overall plot line to follow, but nothing very detailed.

Which is the heart of the problem.

Because since this isn't a fanfic, I need a lot more careful planning. Chapter by chapter, I need to know what the chapter should be about, who we meet there, who we follow, what information we learn, what scenes take place there, what their purpose is, what clues I should slip in, what false routes pose... I need a step by step manual, a complete checklist, with scene fragments and possibly color coding.

So from now on, this is what I'm going to do for NaNo, officially switching to the Rebel side. No novel writing for me this month, we will focus on the detailed planning of said novel, scene by scene, chapter by chapter.

Well, I say "novel", but it would be more correct to say story. In order not to get stuck by a rigid structure that I'm bad with, I'm just going to put aside the volume by volume structure and simply plan according to my narrative arcs, since I already have some of the planning written during last Camp.

I am more than capable of catching up if I switch to this method. I already have a good backup of information, and putting everything in order and detailing what I want to achieve will help me move forward faster than the blind writing I was doing until now.

STYLE

It’s obvious that I need to develop my novelistic style.

My fanfic style has developed over 4 years but I will not and cannot wait 4 years for my novelistic style to mature. Having a clear plan will already help me avoid going off track when writing, but I need to figure out how I'm going to manage.

Am I more comfortable with a more compact or airier style ? Do I favor very long sentences or short sentences? What is the rhythm of my writing ? Do I have writing tics, words that come back too often, turns of phrase reused in all sorts of ways? How do I deal with dialogue ? Descriptions of decor ? The emotional and reflective side of internal monologue ? How do I integrate the information in a fluid way, the flashbacks, the questions ?

I think the easiest thing would be to practice writing short scenes, or even short stories. This probably won't be something I do during this NaNo, barring sudden bursts of inspiration for Erasde that override my obsessive hyperfocus on my fandoms, but I won't rule out the possibility.

Another possibility could be to restart written role-playing with @gabrielwritessometimes . I have OCs in his world and he has some in mine, so this might be something interesting to do together, depending on everyone's available time and energy.

BRAIN

I can't really change my brain, so we're going to have to learn to overcompensate for the ongoing mess.

I already know that I need to be in a certain mood to write and that if I'm not, there's no point in forcing it. The frustration of not being able to write my fics also plays a big part, so alternating between NaNo and my WIPs according to my mood, energy level and inspiration rather than forcing myself to follow NaNo seems to be a good solution.

Certain places (my bed, the library, cafes, parks) work better for inspiration and concentration. So setting aside a little money to go and spend a few hours in a café at least once a week with one or two drinks and a pastry could be a good idea.

And my brain being a 5 year old with a sugar addiction, it seems that returning to a reward system based on candy and other sweets could alleviate the fluttering in my brain. Watch out for Mom and don't forget dental hygiene I guess.

POST NANO AND CAMP

I'll probably be busy in December, covering shifts at the library, but I plan to continue writing. After NaNo, I'm going to set a daily writing goal : no word limit, but write at least once a day, on any project or WIP.

I plan to submit my thesis and take my oral exam at the beginning of next year, at the earliest for the February holidays and at the latest at the beginning of April. Once my thesis is out of the way, I should be much more relaxed in terms of writing, which will undoubtedly help.

I plan to attend next year's Camp NaNo, both April and July.

If I haven't finished planning by April, this is what I will continue. If I finished it, I will slowly start writing the novel and continue writing during July Camp.

In order to reduce my anxiety, I will work chapter by chapter. That is to say, write a chapter, send it to my friends who wish to give me feedback, whether as readers or official beta-readers. Allow some time to pass, during which I work on other projects or another chapter, before rewriting the revised chapter.

I write primarily for myself, with no publication goals at present.

I don't yet know what I will do with my story once it is sufficiently advanced, if I will try to translate it myself into English to share it, if I will publish it on a platform like ao3 or Wattpad or Webnovel, if I'm going to send it to publishers hoping to get published, if I'm just going to keep it for myself and my group of friends... We'll see.

[latimeria-fell-from-heaven]

𝐨𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝐭𝐡

nsfw below! ( gxg )

" you're so cute ayak~a!♡"

" mmnnfff-?!"

bluish-grey eyes widen in a mixture of surprise as your warm arms suddenly snake around her delicate shoulders, hovering your hands just above her chest. she lets out a yelp, high-pitched voice ringing out in the air but her noise of surprise dies down as she turns her head and calms down as soon as she realizes that it's just you. ayaka flashes you a small and gentle smile as she lets out a relieved sigh.

" a-ah ( name )..! i didn't realize you'd be coming over so soon. if i'd known i'd-"

" hehe, don't worry about it♡ i really wanted to surprise you, babe!♡"

ayaka lets out a soft " oh," as she straightens herself up to adjust having part of your weight being pressed down into her. you hum as her body shifts beneath you, but you do little to stop her and enjoy the feeling of her pretty little head beneath your chin. using one of your hands, you begin to gently drag your nails against her firm collarbone, back and forth, even going as far as to ever so slightly dip your finger down enough to be barely grazing her cleavage. you cheekily grin when she bites back a whimper, and although you can't see her pretty face and its adorable reactions, you can see the tips of her pale ears, now colored a dusty red.

" did ya miss me ayaka?" you blow hot air on the shell of her left ear, having shuffled your body over and leaning your head forward, and lowly chuckle when she lightly jolts, faint whimpers slipping through her pretty, pink lips.

" o-of course, i found an interesting light novel series, and..i-i wanted to discuss it with you, if i may?"

you pause, lips pressed together as you ponder over her words, but you smile nonetheless and pull yourself off her, standing up before walking past her and to the other side of the flat table. you plop down with an " oompf!" on the plush, round cushion beneath you before you lean forward and lazily rest your head on a closed fist, flashing ayaka a gentle smile.

" well then, do tell."

" o-of course..!"

--

" ...and i was finally able to purchase the fourth volume, and it was absolutely worth the wait! the way the main character is characterized feels so fresh and makes her stand out, and the way the sentences are structured are quite detailed but they still get the point across effectively. oh! and the dialogue feels so realistic and it feels like actual people having a conversation. and--"

ayaka is practically glowing with happiness as she continues to chatter, clearly having invested much of her time and mind into reading her newfound novels. it was honestly really adorable to watch since she hardly had anyone to truly ever talk with like this. but you didn't mind, you enjoyed listening to the pale-haired girl talking about her interests, even if she apologized for rambling on and believing that she was boring you with unnecessary details. speaking of which-

" o-oh, apologies, i've been talking too much...apologies ( name ).."

" mmm? it's okay? i don't mind listening to you, y'know? i always look forward to hearing you every time i come over."

you flash her playful grin as you lift the smooth teacup to your plush lips, tilting it forward as you take a sip of the steaming warm tea, humming at the sweet flavor that fills your mouth. with a satisfied " ahh" you place the cup back onto the smooth wooden table with a low thump and thumb away excess wetness that pools at the corners of your mouth. when you glance back up, ayaka's once pale face has erupted in shades of vermillion all over, her lips tremble and flutter like a fish trying to gulp air and her blue-grey eyes are helplessly focused on you.

" u-um..you..i..!"

" i love everything about you ayaka. the way you talk, how pretty you are, i even love your flaws y'know? so don't apologize for something like this, okay?"

" yes..thank you ( name )..♡"

she peers at you through snowy lashes with a minuscule but happy smile on her dainty lips, and you have to fight every urge in your body to tackle her and start smothering her in a flurry of kisses. but you're outside, and if you tackled her, she'd hit her pretty head on the firm floor and hurt herself, so you refrain from doing so. besides, you can coddle her in the near privacy of her room, if her damned brother doesn't pester you like last time. oh, speaking of that sly bastard-

" oh yeah ayaka, where's your brother? normally he'd be trying to butt in on us by now..."

" ah, my brother said he had some urgent business and that it would take him quite a while, and then he just rushed off rather quickly.."

" ah-"

you deadpan, already knowing what that slippery bastard was likely doingーparticipating in his regular beetle fights with arataki itto, a rather loud and brash man, but he had good intentions so you weren't too concerned. rather, you were elated that he wouldn't be around to bother you and your adorable ayaka or interrupt any of your hidden kisses beneath your shared futon.

" i think...i have a good idea on where he ran off too.."

you sigh as you pinch the bridge of your nose, before relaxing and letting it slip down to rest on the table once more. really, wasn't intruding on your and ayaka's quality time enough for that slippery bastard, or was he really that desperate for some entertainment? honestly, you were so close on telling him where he could shove it, and not in a polite way either.

" well, there's no point in staying up waiting for him. besides, it's almost sunset. might as well go inside."

" mmm, yeah,"

ayaka hums as she gracefully pulls herself up from her knees, balancing herself out to keep herself from tumbling over. she blinks rapidly, eyes darting all overーshe must be dizzy from sitting down for seemingly hoursーand she lifts her hand just a bit before pulling it back, having composed herself. you tilt your head as you jump to your feet, stretching yourself backward and groaning in delight when you feel your bones pop.

" you okay there ayaka?"

" oh, yes, i stood up too quickly is all.."

" see, i told you, you shouldn't just stand up so quickly; you'll just fall over from dizziness."

" but you did it just now and you seem fine."

" hey, shhh, that doesn't count. you didn't see anything."

" pfft-"

ayaka holds a hand over her mouth as she holds back a breathy laugh, finding your immediate denial funny, and you grumble in feigned annoyance, puffing out your cheeks. your shoes thump against the wooden floor, with ayaka just right behind you, so she can't see the trembling grin of ecstasy on your lips. finally, you'd be alone with your adorable ayaka and do all kinds of things together. you were a patient woman after all, and good things happened to those who wait, right?

" well then," you turn your head to face her, giving her a simple smile as you gingerly hold your hand for her to take.

" shall we?"

" mmm!" she nods and interlaces her fingers with yours firmly, and a pang of excitement shoots through your body.

--

" w-wait-hiiii-c-can't..'m gonna...s-something's coming out-AAAAAUHH-?!♡"

" so pretty..you're feeling this good from just one finger?♡" you coo, curling your middle finger up into her spasming pussy, her velvety walls clamping down tightly onto the appendage. it's like she's trying to suck you back in, trying to keep your finger snug and tight within her wet gummy cunt as she cums all over your finger, coating it with slick, translucent release

" -orry..i'm showry..!" she sobs incoherently, blue-grey eyes wavering as translucent tears form and spill over onto her pale cheeks. she's gripping the sheets so hard, trying to find something, anything to keep herself stable from the onslaught of pleasure you're giving her. it isn't the first time you've had her like this, but she's always so sensitive and shy like it's her first time all over again.

" it's alright, i like it when you're like this, so cute and pretty♡" is all you say with assurance, slowing down your fingers' movements and letting her come down from her high. she doesn't stop moaning oh so cutely, arching her back, spreading and exposing her puffy folds to your depraved and hungry eyes. your ayaka is so cute, so perfectly compliant in letting you finger and scissor open her tight pussy to your heart's content like the good girl she is. everything about her just drives you crazy and puts your heart and body in overdrive.

" so cute, you're so cute ayaka, i just wanna make you feel really good. can i do that? can i add another finger?♡"

" unnmmggg-! lease..p-pleashe..more..a-another..!"

" good girl ayaka♡" you smile, tugging your pointer finger and rubbing and pressing your padded fingertip against her puffy folds. she starts whimperingーyour middle finger hasn't stilled even once, still barely wriggling about inside herーthe sudden pleasure after an orgasm is clearly too much for her, but she's so good for you, so you know she'll be able to handle it. you hum in delight as her slick arousal coats your fingers with its dribbling wetness, making the glide of your fingers against her cunt much easier.

" HIIIIII-?!♡"

she shrieks when your finger pushes itself into her, tight wet walls stretching to accommodate both of your fingers pressed snug inside of her, and her whole body jerks and arches in response. you let her writhe about, knowing it'll only take her a few minutes to calm herself down, even if those ticking moments feel like an eternity passing.

" 's too much..( n-name )..pleashe, feelsh sho gwood..!♡" ayaka babbles stupidly, throwing her head back into the crumpled sheets beneath her. her snowy blue locks fan out behind her, stray hairs sticking up and giving her a less than elegant appearance; not that you mind, oh archons no, you love it when she gets all dumb on your fingers, her perfect cunny stuffed and stretched around your curling and wriggling digits. just the sight of ayaka so fucked out like this has your pussy ache and throb with unbearable heatーyou can fucking feel your slick arousal dripping and staining your inner thighs, getting them wet and sticky.

" it's okay, it's okay, you're doing so good for me baby, you're taking my fingers so well, feels like you're sucking me back in y'know?♡"

" there..right there..! i-i'm gonna go crazy..!♡" ayaka sobs, mouth hung open with strings of drool glistening against perfectly gleaming teeth. her eyes are clenched shut, thick lashes clumped together with watery tears that keep staining her flushed cheeks but they flutter open on occasion and stare at you. you don't pay any mind to her embarrassed stares, you focus on scissoring and rubbing your fingertips up against her spongy g-spot, abusing it relentlessly and making your adorable ayaka moan and cry out even louder.

" oh my, my ayaka is so lewd♡ i've only added two fingers and she's gonna cum so soon already♡ whatever shall i do with her.." you feign disappointment with a quick sigh, making sure to rub both fingers against her special spot to punctuate your point.

" AAAUNNMM-?! D-DON'T SAY SUCH THI-HIIIII! I-IT FEELSH SHO GWOOD..!"

" you say that, but you haven't even tried closing your legs. you must've been so lonely without me huh babe. don't worry, i'll make you feel really good, o~kay?♡"

" w-wait-UMMING-I'M CUMMING-'S TOO MUCH-!! GHHIIII?!♡♡"

with one last push of your fingers into her g-spot, ayaka near screams as her pretty cunny tightens up around your digits, and glassy cum gushes out violently, enough to make the sticky liquid land onto your forearm. you blinkーonce, twiceーbefore your lids settle down with clear perverse satisfaction and a smile spreads across your lips. hungrily, you lick your lips as you slow down your fingers' movements and begin to slowly retract your two fingers from her quivering heat, struggling quite a bit since her wet gummy walls clench tight around your digits. but a good firm tug does the trick.

" unnmmhhh-!!"

" amazing...you squirted all over my fingers ayaka♡ that's so cute♡ look, it's all the way up here."

you whisper with a shudder in your voice, barely able to hold yourself back on pouncing on her and fucking her silly until she can't think anymore. ayaka lets out a garbled moan in response, her blue-grey eyes wavering underneath her snowy lashes as she begins to calm down and her breaths become less laboredーmore relaxedーand her small perky chest stills. if you didn't know any better, you'd think she was a being sculpted by the gods themselves, her bare body smooth and supple like a fresh, untouched layer of snow resting on the frozen earth.

" i bet it tastes sweet too..♡" you mumble, drawing your arm close to your parted lips, and even in her dazed state, ayaka still has enough strength to try and feebly dissuade you from what she can only assume to be another one of your perverse actions.

" w-wait..( name )..you can't..! i-it's dirty..!"

you ignore her protests and lap at the crystalline fluid, slowly dragging your tongue against your heated skin, moaning in delight at the faint sweet flavor mixed with a salty bitterness that mixes and floods your tastebuds. it's almost bittersweet, but not quite there. but she tastes sweet, sweeter than what you've ever tasted before, and it's so addictive. so you can't help it when you start noisily and sloppily slurping at the excess fluid on your arm, then your fingers, coiling the wet muscles around your digits.

" ( n-name )..please, i-it's dirty..y-you shouldn't put something so dirty in your mouth..!"

ayaka still adorably cries out, but a quick glance at her, and you feel like giggling. she's so red, cheeks ablaze like a ripe cherry, and you can see her quivering cunny drooling with even more tempting slick arousal like it's a waterfall. you hum in response, slurping the last of her essence off your now spit-slick fingers as you pull them from the wet cavern, carrying a pretentious little grin on your glistening lips. seriously, how could she be so cute..!?♡

" mmm, but you taste pretty good ayaka. almost thought i was ascending to celestia or somethin'"

you cheerily say, no shame in your voice whatsoever as you hurriedly wipe your hand off on the sheets belowーyou can wash them laterーand take a breath in. wow, you were getting pretty good at keeping your voice steady; normally you'd be panting and groaning like a sex-crazed maniac, but you sounded as calm as can be. but that still didn't hide the fact that you were wet as shit. you could feel yourself dripping onto the sheets, your inner thighs slick with heavy arousal and barely containing it. god, you just wanted to fuck ayaka stupid alreadyーmake her scream your name until you were all she could think about and become stupid from pleasure. and you had a good idea of how to do it.

" hey ayaka, can you turn on your side for me, please?"

" a-ah, yes.."

she nods flimsily as she pushes herself up from her elbows, but winces when she pulls on her long hair by accident and reaches back to quickly push the snowy blue locks off to the side.

" turn your hips a bit babe.."

" l-like this..?"

" mmhm! you can keep your back on the bed if you want," you cheerily nod and give ayaka a gentle pat on her plush thigh, and she hums in response. you in turn spread apart your legs perfectly, exposing your dripping wetness to the cool air while edging yourself closer to her.

" lift up your legs please?" a silent nod from her and she raises her limb with a bit of a shudder, but she holds it up just enough for you to have the chance to firmly grab her ankle and hold it up for her.

" h-huh..?"

" now watch baby, i'm gonna rub myself against you, okay? let me know if you get sore or anything, okay?♡" you coo gently, smiling wide with excitement as more arousal pools in your lower belly.

" u-um..yes.." she breaths, watching you with unknown emotions swirling in her big doe eyes.

you nod with a hum, and with a gentle push of your hips, your swollen folds are pressed against hers. she lets out a sharp whine, soft pink lips pressed together as her entire body shivers. you can feel your juices flowing and mixing together now, and just the thought of it sends a delicious shiver up your spine.

" do you feel it ayaka? our pussies are pressed together like this. feels good, doesn't it?♡"

" mnnniii..f-feels good..!♡" she cries out, mouth hung open as drool begins to pool out.

" that's good," you nod, feeling her puffy folds throb against yours," now, i'm gonna move okay? i'm gonna rub our pussies together okay?♡"

" unnmmhhh..!♡"

raising your hips up ever so slightly, you drag your wet folds against hers, then tugging them to the left, then right, keeping the two of you pressed right up against each other. rolling your hips back and forth, you feel your folds spread apart just enough for your throbbing clit to be exposed and rub against ayaka's throbbing heat, and she shakily moans, hands shifting on loose sheets like she's searching for something to hold onto.

" ummgghh..( n-name )..f-feelsh gwood..m-my pussy feelsh good..!"

ayaka moans out, and she's even moving her hips as well, jerking them forward ever so slightly, rubbing and pushing her dripping folds against yours, and the added stimulation is nearly enough to make you cum on the spot.

" fuuckkk-mnnn-you feel so good baby, your pussy feels so fucking good-unnmm-you're making me feel so good-ounnmm-!"

dammit, now you were losing your composure, but when you were feeling this good and had such heavenly cunny like ayaka's pressed up against you, who wouldn't? it was like you were melting, but it felt so good that you didn't want it to stop.

" ( n-name ) i-i love you..! love you so much..!♡"

" haahh..i-i love you too ayaka.."

she sloppily smiles up at you, and you swear you can almost see hearts in her eyes from her lovestruck and fucked-out expression. with a sudden push, she presses her drooling pussy perfectly against yours, and you can't help the choked moan that spills from your mouth as you feel your folds contract and your wet insides convulse as your orgasm begins to violently and quickly wash over you. and you aren't the only one; ayaka is shuddering and moaning like crazy, and you can feel her release gushing out and mixing with yours.

" f-fuck..umming-i-i'm cumming..!!♡♡"

" ( name ), ( n-name ), ( name )...m-me too..! ghiiiiii?!♡♡"

you groan loudly, and start rapidly humping your swollen cunt against hers like a god in heat; you came this quickly like some kind of virgin and it's almost embarrassing for you.

" f-fuck..sorry..i came too quickly.."

" i-it's okay..i'm really happy though.." ayaka trails off, breaths heavy as she falls down from her high and her snowy lashes fluttering.

" w-we were able to cum together..♡" she smiles happily, her head tilted, giving her a more angelic appearance. you chuckle lightly and tug your hips away, and your breath shudders when you see sticky and translucent strings of cum that connect the two of you, heavy droplets dripping onto the soaked sheets below. you know ayaka can feel it too because she shudders and whimpers at the touch of cool air against her heated core.

" u-um..!"

" hmm?"

bluish-grey eyes dart back and forth, before focusing back on you and she heaves a breath.

" c-can we go again..?"

you blink in surprise before it clicks in your head and a smug smile spreads across your lips. she's really so cute..!!♡♡

" hehe, of course, anything my baby wants♡"

you hold her leg much firmer now, making sure to hold it open enough for you to nestle your throbbing pussy against hers once more, slowly grinding both of your sensitive cores against each other.

" make sure to scream my name lots, okay ayaka?♡"

[prof-peach]

To be honest, I bet ground types and grass types on the Island love to help Peach put together pigments for paints for watercolor or oil paints. I wonder which of the two Peach would prefer....water colors might be easier to mix, just requiring some binders and the pigment and have less flammable liquid to fool with for thinners (stuff that makes oil paint go further among other things)..... but oil paint has dimension you can't get with water colors, and details are easier..... though I think the deal breaker for Peach and oil paints would be the amount of time oil takes to dry (can be a Ridonk amount of time).... (excuse me I love painting is all and the idea of Peach being a painter makes me so happy)

Peach is unusually patient with things that aren't human orientated. She gardens, that alone is a big insight into her ability to wait around for things to grow and bloom in their own time, plus recovery work means pokemon need someone to be patient with them, she gives it all to that kind of work, so Oils would make a lot of sense for her. She likes hands on, so a textured piece would appeal to her as a viewer, let alone as a creative. Wants to touch em. For sure pokemon like Crustle would be able to offer up some seriously beautiful colours. Geodudes and onix may bring her back a particularly pretty tone of mineral they find while out and about. Those who bloom may allow her to take some of the petals, pollens or leaves, to see them turn into something else, something really special. Even shed shells of heracross or Vikavolt who have grown more, crushed up with oils or yolks, may produce iridescent tones and odd blues usually unavailable. She lets pokemon see what they donate towards, so the residents often try to sneak peaks at unfinished pieces. She has a tiny one room isolated shack out in the woods where no visitors can find it, laden with pots and brushes, an old splattered apron, and endless projects started but abandoned, a lack of time, or perhaps inspiration. On her person, especially on holidays or personla breaks with Grey, she carries a tiny A5 sketchpad, and a tin of watercolours, to get ideas down while exploring. She hides these in locations all over, and makes sure to stash them out of anyones reach or sight. If you manage to pickpocket her and not get wrecked by Val, you may see some of the pieces sold, or at least their origin ideas, as you flick through the warped pages. Her ability to brew a potion or tonic to heal extends to mixing colours, and she's become oddly proficient with them for such a brutish looking woman. That coupled with her love of baking, quiet joy in stitching and sewing, and patient work with plants, she's actually not as hotheaded as many would first assume. A dynamic individual brought up to be as self sufficient as possible, not to need others to help her, meaning she's practiced a lot of skills, just don't ask her to babysit, or talk in front of a crowd, and she'll probably do just fine.

[boymeetsweevil]

Call me maybe

Grouping: Reader x Namjoon

Word Count: ~6.59k

Warnings/Themes: Club meet-cute AU, 1% angst +99% suggestive fluff, (legal!) alcohol consumption, language, flirting anxiety(?)

Summary: It all started with a stupid drinking game...

A/N: this is the One Direction wattpad-style fanfic that's been haunting me for so long. beware of that and the fact that this is unedited hahaha...

“You know the rules, girls. Whoever wins this round of rock-paper-scissors is It.”

You and your three friends, warm and bubbly from 2 rounds of shots at this point in the evening, assume your battle stances and stick your hands into the center of your table. Four hands make a square over the scattered layer of empty decorative shot glasses from the bar in the club.

There’s an air of electric excitement that comes with this game, lovingly nicknamed Hunter-Gathering. Whoever is It gets a target and has to pursue that target in hopes of bringing ‘home’ free drinks for everyone the rest of the night. But no matter how attractive the target is, you can't ever bring them home.

“Wait, wait!” Lia chimes in. “I can’t be It this time. I did it twice already and my ass still hurts from the last time.”

Dani nods seriously. “Fair enough. That means the odds are upped for the rest of you.”

“So, we’re just gonna ignore that ass thing,” another friend, Alexa, looks around the table with confused eyes.

“Do you actually want me to give you the details?” Lia smiles slowly at her from across the table.

Alexa’s face brightens with her own smile, worry evaporated. “You know what? I don’t! Never mind.”

The game begins and somehow you find yourself the lone rock amongst two pairs of scissors. Alexa and Dani laugh with relief because they don’t have to put in any work tonight. You roll your eyes to the heavens and silently question your karma.

“Are you ready to pick your target?”

“I don’t really have a choice, do I?”

“Nope!” Dani grins.

She steps forward and grabs a clean face mask out of her clutch bag and wraps it around your eyes, careful not to muss your makeup or hair. Three pairs of hands rest on your shoulders and you let them spin you lightly around a few times. Not enough to get you dizzy but just enough to make sure you don’t know what direction you’re facing anymore.

“Alright,” Dani’s voice sounds out over the music of the club. “Take your pick!”

You stick your hand out blindly and someone unties the makeshift blindfold. Everyone follows the line your hand makes all the way to a tall figure standing by the side of the bar.

He’s probably the most handsome man any of you have seen in a while. There's an intimidating aura emanating from him. You figure it's the understated all-black outfit complete with the heinously expensive watch he's wearing and the sheer height of him as he towers over people near him at the bar.

“Oh my god,” Dani whispers as you all take in the stranger’s face.

“We can finally get top shelf vodka,” Alexa pretends to wipe a tear from the corner of her eye.

“Not bad,” Lia hums in appreciation.

“Okay, why is everyone acting like I bagged him already?” Your voice grows high with nerves. “I'm pretty sure I have, like, a 2% chance of interesting him."

“What are you so worried about?” Dani crosses her arms at you. “Just do whatever you did to get those history nerds to help you out that one time."

"This is not the same thing. Those guys parted their hair 90/10 unironically and thought Diva Cups are for when you don't want to hold your pee when you stand in line for roller coasters."

"You're kidding," Lia gasps. You wish you were.

"Well, just pretend he's one of them anyway." Dani suggests, "Every guy is the same."

You can't argue with that logic.

“I mean, I can try flirting with him, but he’s probably so used to people throwing themselves at him. I don’t think anything I do would, like, make a dent, you know?”

“Babe, no. No—listen to me, okay?” Alexa takes you by the shoulders and forces you around so you can see how serious she is.

“Tonight is the last free night of vacation. After tonight, we have less than a day to get over our hangovers, pack up the Airbnb, and then catch our 6am flight back home to start the spring term. Our last night of freedom lies in your hands.”

“But, what if—”

“No ‘but’s. Do you see yourself? Do you see your skin in this fresh white two piece? Have you seen how your tits look in this off the shoulder top? That poor man doesn’t stand a chance!”

Lia murmurs her agreement in the background and Dani mentions something about fearing for the guy's soul. You think about the freakishly good pictures you all took in the stylish club bathroom when you first arrived.

“I see your point.”

You turn back toward the bar to review your target. He sips from a dark green bottle as he looks around at the people on the dance floor between your table and the bar. As he continues to scan the room, he locks eyes with you. You hold his gaze even though your instincts are screaming at you to duck for cover. Surprisingly, he gives a small smile and raises his bottle in salute.

"See, you got the hardest part down already. Just fake the rest until you make it."

You chance a look back in his direction only to catch him staring in the direction of the table. When he catches your gaze again, he whips his head away, cheeks tinging pink under the soft yellow lighting at the bar.

Alexa cackles and starts detailing all the drinks she wants made with the top shelf vodka. Lia and Dani discuss leaving early to go back and clean up the apartment so it’s clean in case you break the rules and bring this guy back for the night.

“Uh, aren’t you guys moving a little fast?”

“Aren’t you moving a little slow,” Alexa counters.

“Hold on, Lex.” Dani turns to you. “You know you don’t actually have to do this if you don’t want to, right? Hunter-Gathering is just a game, there's no pressure.”

For all their poking and teasing, you're reminded right then and there that your friends would never put you in a situation where they thought you were actually at any risk. The weight you felt on your shoulders lightens somewhat.

“No, no, I definitely still want to play, I just don’t want you guys to get your hopes up.”

“I believe in you.”

Lia bumps shoulders with you quietly. She’s not the most affectionate, so you know she really means it.

“I’ll do my best.”

You let them tweak you a little bit, fixing stray hairs and wiping away smeared lip gloss and hiking up your skirt, giving you their drink orders, before you grab your purse and phone and push in your stool.

When you finally make it to the bar, he’s in the same spot as you first found him in. He spots you once you get close enough and naturally makes room for you. You set your bag on the bar countertop before hopping up on the empty stool immediately in front of him. The movement causes your skirt to ride up even more and you’re glad you only let Lia hike it up one inch instead of three.

Dani's advice about treating this guy like any other scrub from school reverbs in the back of your head right as the nerves start to set in. With the guys in your art history class, your grade was on the line. There was no room for hesitation when you could barely draw a stick figure, much less write an essay analyzing what an old painting style could tell you about the dairy economy in a certain town like some of your classmates were doing. It was because you were desperate that you were suddenly able to transform into a femme fatale. It also helped that these guys quivered at any interaction with an adult woman.

Tonight's drinks are on the line, you tell yourself. As best you can, you try to trick yourself into entering the same mindset you were in when you would lay on the charm extra thick for the art history guys.

You let the corner of your mouth lift up in a coy smile while you survey the bar. The bartender is moving back and forth quickly to handle the high demand. A second later the girl next to you leaves her spot with a tray of 8 bright pink drinks, practically glowing in the dark. You wonder briefly if you should try to get a round of those for the table.

“—one of those before?”

His voice is deep and pleasant. When you give him a look over your shoulder, you have to suppress a gasp. Up close he's even more handsome. You really have your work cut out for you.

“What?"

"That neon pink drink," he nods back in the direction of the girl who'd taken the cotton candy pink drinks with her. "I was wondering if you'd tried them before."

“No, I haven’t,” you smile, letting your lips part slowly. His eyes dart from your painted eyes to the colored stretch of your mouth and then quickly back up. “Have you?”

“No. But I like to try new things.”

You purse your lips as if in thought, something you've seen other girls do while flirting with guys at school. “You must be pretty unpredictable, then.”

“Huh? Well, I wouldn’t say that.” He stammers a bit and nearly drops his beer bottle trying and failing to put it down. All the intimidation you felt coming from him earlier seems to have disappeared.

“I was just kidding.”

Like it has a mind of its own, your hand reaches out to rest on his arm reassuringly while you continue to laugh at him. His features clear up then and a relieved smile blooms on his face, bringing out an adorable dimple with it.

“You’re teasing me,” he realizes with a good natured huff and steps into your touch.

“You seem kinda fun to tease.” You let your hand linger a little longer before finally pulling it back.

“It’s kinda fun. You're pretty good at it.”

Oddly enough, this isn't as difficult for you as you thought it was going to be. In fact, you find yourself naturally tilting your head and fixing him with an intrigued look from under your lashes. He takes the opportunity to look you over as well, a small smile on his lips.

The personal attention does make you a little nervous despite the fact that it’s positive. So you dig in your purse to avoid looking directly at him for too long and to give your hands something to do. You brush up against a tube of lip gloss, pull it out, and reapply some to your lips.

You look back at him when you realize he’s grown quiet, only to find him following the movements of the gloss brush tracing the curve of your lips, cheeks dusted pink and eyes half-closed like he's in some sort of trance.

Experimentally you press your lips together and then purse them to make sure the gloss is distributed evenly. The man doesn't blink once. Suddenly, all his expensive apparel and large stature aren’t so intimidating.

"Is there something on my face," you smirk.

He slow blinks down at your mouth twice before realizing you're speaking again. His eyes grow wide and he raises a ringed hand to rub at the back of his neck. The movement rustles the hair covering his ears, revealing their pink tips. Cute.

"Just looking."

You laugh a little at him again. He marvels at the way the club lighting dances around in your glossy smile.

"So, how come I've never seen you here before?"

"Well...it's the first time me and my friends have come here."

"I see." He pivots to face you and leans his closest elbow on the counter of the bar. "Are you guys new to the area?"

"You could say that, yeah."

He raises an eyebrow when you don’t elaborate. Without looking away, he raises his hand to signal to the bartender that he wants another drink. When the bartender runs right over, you realize this guy actually might be a big deal. Silently you pull your card out of your wallet as the bartender makes their way over. You figure you’ll have to spend some money before you can really ask someone like him to buy drinks for your table.

"What'll it be,” the bartender asks.

"Two of those pink drinks please," he says and before you can place any order the bartender zooms away.

While the bartender starts preparing the drinks, you turn toward him.

"Who said I wanted the pink drink?"

He grins down at you, a dimple now popping up in each cheek. "Who said it's for you?"

"I'm pretty sure it's for me."

"And what makes you so sure?" He takes a step closer to you.

"Just a hunch," you hum before crossing your legs.

The white fabric of your skirt hikes up your thighs again with the movement. You smooth your palms over the soft material.

"Nice skirt."

"Yeah? You like it?"

"I like it," he admits quietly.

"And the top?" You gesture toward the pair of straps on the matching tube top, manicured nails gliding over your décolletage. He wets his lips.

"The top too."

He reaches out one large hand to one of the straps that have fallen over your shoulder. The drag of his fingers against your bare arm as he fixes it makes you shiver. You lament the loss of contact when pulls his hand back.

The bartender arrives with your drinks then, startling the both of you out of the little staring competition that had spontaneously started. The pink drink seems to glow from within, topped with whipped cream and full of little round ice cubes made from some sort of darker rose syrup floating in the liquid like lava in a lava lamp. The color barely prepares you for the thick sweetness that floods your mouth on the first sip.

"Oh, that's kinda..."

He huffs a laugh around his own first swallow and nods in agreement.

"Not what you wanted?"

"It's just really sweet. You like it?”

He shrugs. “It’s alright. But—"

The way he cuts himself off has you confused for a moment before he's reaching towards you cautiously. You're not too sure what's going on until you feel the pad of his thumb swipe over the corner of your lips carrying away some of the whipped topping from the drink. Your eyes widen when instead of wiping the cream on one of the cocktail napkins available on the counter he brings his thumb to his own lips. In a fraction of a second the cream is gone, but you're left feeling a rush of fluttering warmth on the side of your mouth and in the center of your chest.

"You think your friends would like these?” He slides his drink to the side so he can lean on his elbow and turn to you again. Now's your chance.

“Um, I don’t think this is really their style.”

“What is their style?”

You rattle off their drinks of choice, making sure to mention their favorite brands with a sigh. Of course, whenever you play this game, the brands can change depending on the budget of whoever’s buying. This time, you make sure to name drop as much as possible, per Alexa's request.

“Sounds like your friends really know what they like.”

“Yeah, they have really…unique tastes.” You falter a little under his amused stare. “But we don’t always drink that way. I mean, not every bar even carries all those to begin with.”

“That’s true.” He nods. “This bar has every single of them, though. Pretty lucky, huh?”

“Yep,” you chirp. You’re not sure if you’re in trouble or not because he’s still smiling. He seems to be onto the game, but doesn’t seem bothered by it.

“Well, it would be a shame not to welcome you all to the city. Get whatever you want. My treat.”

“Are you sure?”

You place your hand on his arm again and squeeze for good measure. You don’t miss the way his large bicep flexes under your touch. After a beat, he brings his hand up to grasp yours and holds it while signaling to the bartender again. You give him a blindingly bright smile and he strokes his thumb over your knuckles.

He asks the bartender to ‘take care’ of your table tonight on him, and you realize then that you’ve won the game. The victory isn't nearly as sweet as the pink drinks from earlier. The rules prohibit you from bringing him home or going over to his place. And even if it wasn't prohibited, your vacation is basically over.

“Where are you and your friends from?

You take his hand between yours and play with some of the rings on his fingers. They’re beautiful together in an eclectic way and you wonder if someone chose them for him.

“It’s a kind of small city, not like this one. It’s really just our university and then a few surrounding towns.”

“What made you guys move here then?"

"Oh, Right." You feel guilty. "Me and my friends are just here for vacation."

He blinks at you but takes the news in stride. "Well, if you want—I know the city pretty well since I have a place here—maybe I can give you a tour of the town later this week."

"I'd love that, I really would. But we're actually leaving tomorrow."

"For real?” His eyes grow wide and he looks down at your linked hands before looking over your face. You're shocked to see his features fall.

"Yeah, it sucks."

“Damn,” he smiles bittersweet at the floor. “I wish we’d bumped into each other sooner.”

“I absolutely agree," the sound of Alexa's voice rings loud in your ear.

“Uh, hello. Did you need me for something?" Your voice is high and tight as you fix her with an accusatory stare. You're not 100% positive, but it seemed like you and he were having a moment.

"No, babe, I just wanted to come over and show you my beautiful drink. I wanted to come show my gratitude to you both for making sure we have a good last night. The girls will appreciate that. Thank you, kind sir."

“Name’s Namjoon. And no need to thank me,” he smiles at the exchange between you two and sticks out his hand. Alexa daintily lays her hand in his and he lets out an incredulous laugh before playing along and raising it to his lips.

"What a gentleman," she coos before pinching lightly at the skin of your exposed back. It's a clear message just for you, telling you that there's about to be a change in plans. "What were you guys discussing?"

"I was actually about to offer up our booth. There's more than enough room for your table if you wanted to move. Me and my team—friends definitely wouldn't mind the company."

“You don’t have to do that!” You pipe up, suddenly shy. But it's quickly dashed away as Alexa pulls out her phone and opens up the groupchat.

"Let me just ask our friends if they’d like that."

You already know the answer, so you sigh quietly and gather up your card, phone, and purse. You can’t say you won’t miss the privacy from when it was just you and Namjoon, but you’re glad to be with your friends again as well.

The move from your little table to the VIP booth is lightning fast. By the time you get your own drink, Lia and Dani are already clutching their things and vibrating with excitement near the ropes leading to the VIP booth. A few of Namjoon’s friends are chatting with them from the other side of the ropes.

Once your group trickles in, you don't miss how they all arrange themselves in the booth so you're forced to sit on the end next to Namjoon with barely any space. The only options are to let one of your legs hang off the edge of the booth the whole time or sit practically half in his lap. Alexa winks at you over the first sip of her next very expensive drink.

Namjoon's friends are occupied by your friends re-telling some of the more exciting parts of the beginning of your vacation. Some story about how 'someone' lost their top while trying to jet ski. You send a weak glare to Lia as she tries to get them to guess just whose top it was. That's what you get for experimenting with spaghetti strings, you suppose.

"Do you guys like to dance," one of his friends says after a while of vibing to the music once the chatter cools down. Hoseok, you think his name was.

"Yes, definitely." Dani remarks while re-applying lip gloss. "You know who's a great dancer?"

"Who?" Hoseok looks around excitedly.

"She's gonna say me," you groan. "Which is not even true but let’s just all move down there already, no more 20 questions."

"Just one more," she pouts. "Namjoon, do you like to dance?"

He looks down at you once he's also out the booth, that little amused smile back on his lips.

"Well, it's not really part of my day job, but I don't mind it too much."

"What's your day job," you blurt out.

"I'm a...musician."

"A musician!" Alexa rushes over to you to link arms. "Did you hear that? Namjoon’s a musician."

"I don't recognize you," Lia says and Hoseok and another one of his friends burst into quiet laughter behind her.

"You definitely won't find Joon’s pics anywhere, that's for sure," one of his friends says. The rest of them dissolve into another fit of giggles.

The club lights hide the muted pink tinge his cheeks take on, and Namjoon leads the way to the dance-floor with a chagrined roll of his eyes.

"You think he's really a musician?” You whisper to Alexa and Lia. Dani is somewhere up ahead, already dancing.

"Maybe technically. Going off the way his friends keep laughing, he's probably, like, a failed SoundCloud rapper or something."

"No failed SoundCloud rapper wears Gucci like that," Lia motions with her chin to some piece of Namjoon’s outfit.

"That's true," you hum.

"Rich parents," Alexa says simply.

You and Lia consider it and then nod.

As you settle on the dance floor, you feel the rest of your nerves drift away. Lia comes over to take a selfie with you, and the two of you flirt with the camera until she's satisfied with the photos you've taken. She grabs your hand and makes a show of spinning you around and you figure that this is how the night will go before you stumble out around 2 or 3am and drunk pack for the flight home the next morning. You let her lead you back, further into the crowd before you bump into someone.

Namjoon's large hand comes to stabilize you at your waist and Lia acts like nothing happened before dancing away, phone light illuminating her sneaky smile.

"You good?" Namjoon's voice is soft in your ear.

"Y-yeah."

"You wanna dance, or should I let you go?"

Your friends shamelessly all look at the way he curves himself around you, all with their thumbs up in encouragement. You're reminded of the way you did the same a few nights prior when Dani was getting hit on by some cute guy at a different club.

At that time it felt fun hyping her up and watching her make a move, seeing how enamored this random guy was with your friend. Of course he is, you thought at the time, she's amazing. And you remember that this is probably what's driving them tonight as well with you and Namjoon.

You chance a look at him and realize that he's come to rest his cheek lightly near your temple, a soft look in his gaze as he awaits your answer.

"Sure, let's dance."

Namjoon was telling the truth when he said he wasn't all that into dancing. But he put in enough work to be able to follow you and meet you halfway while you were grinding on him to the music.

Even when you shyly stepped away after the first few dances to return to your squealing friends, you loosened up over time with more music and drinks and found yourself naturally ending up on him again. The first few songs turned into more and more and soon you were face-to-face, with his thigh wedged between yours and a heavy palm on your lower back guiding you to the beat.

You're not sure when you decided to abandon your friends and his, but at some point you did return to the booth under the guise of checking your phones. And you did check your phone first. But soon he was crowding you toward the wall by the booth and leaving you with no air of your own.

"You're really leaving tomorrow," he sighed into a bruise he was trying to leave near the hollow of your throat. "Or did you just say that because I was some creep at a bar."

"I never thought you were a creep."

He looks down at you with disbelief before getting distracted by your kiss-swollen lips.

"I mean it. I'm just a little shy sometimes."

"What do you have to be shy about when you look like this, huh?"

"Stop," you laugh lightly and look away from him.

He'd made a comment earlier about how much he liked the pristine white two piece you wore, but you'd been inching his hand up your skirt then. Now, one of his thumbs rubs an idle pattern just below the curve of your breast.

"No, but seriously. Are you actually leaving tomorrow?"

"Yeah. The new term starts for us all in a few days."

"So, leave in a few days," Namjoon whines.

"That's not enough time to get ready for the term."

"But I'll be so alone without you."

He gives you an exaggerated pout that splits into a real smile when you snort at his stupid expression. He pulls you to him just a smidgen tighter then.

"Does this usually work with other girls?"

"I don't know. Never tried it with other girls," he frowns a little at you.

"Sure."

"You know me and the team almost went to Club BigHit last Saturday?"

"Oh, really? That's kinda funny." You try to imagine what might have happened if he'd come to the same club you went to earlier.

"Yeah," Namjoon's voice grows quiet. "If I hadn't gotten sick then we would have met last week."

"Yeah, maybe."

"You sure you can't miss a few days of the term?"

"Yes, I'm sure." You let out an exasperated laugh. "You can't really be this upset that an actual stranger is just passing through your life."

"No, I know. I just—," he lets his head fall forward until he's touching his forehead to yours. "It was like something clicked when I saw you. I feel like I need more time with you."

"Oh," your voice comes out a little breathier than you expected.

The same look that had flashed across his face when you first came up to him finally gets to rest on his features. You want to let him down gently because you really can't play catch up during the first week of school.

"Tell you what. I can't miss the beginning of the term but if you make a song with my name in it and it gets...say, 50,000 listens, I'll buy a ticket that same day and come meet you. Wherever you are."

He pins you with a look then, inquisitive and dark. His eyes scan your open expression for something, before whatever he finds passes the test. He stands up tall.

"And it just needs to have 50,000 listens?"

In your mind you were thinking it would be too lofty for a failed SoundCloud rapper, but something in his tone sounds like he's rising to the challenge and it makes you nervous. You spent a lot on this vacation, you can't afford to actually fly out so soon if he somehow managed to get the listens and call your bluff. Besides, targets are off limits.

"Um, actually make that 150,000. And it has to have my area code in it too." You rattle off the three digits to him and he quickly types your conditions into the notes app on his phone.

"Is that it?"

"That's it, I guess."

"Deal."

Namjoon pockets his phone and leans back into your space. Any worries you had clawing to the forefront of your mind vanish when he presses soft lips to yours once more.

A month passes.

You don't end up having a one-night-stand with Namjoon because it wouldn't be fair to your friends when they'd clicked with a target but didn't take them home. That and because Dani got sick on the dance floor from mixing strawberry daiquiri with one too many pink drinks. But you do pass on your full number after he very nearly begs you to give it to him while packing into a cab.

And then he never used it.

It's not that you were expecting much, but when a month passes with not so much as word from him, you figure he forgot about you and your little bet.

Then 2 months pass.

Even though you know that you only spent a fraction of a day with him, you can't help thinking about Namjoon. Namjoon and his pretty eyes and pretty words that made you think there was some sort of connection there. You realize after the first two weeks back that you don't have his number but by the time 2 months pass, you realize that was definitely on purpose.

4 months pass.

You're over it, swamped with end of term work like finals and grading and putting in hours at work. But every time your friends suggest a little fun and hooking you up with someone, every time someone asked for your number at a coffee shop, you said no. Because you're over it and you're busy and not at all disappointed for how hard you fell for the lies some failed SoundCloud rapper fed you on a vacation one time.

19 weeks pass.

You're all in Lia's apartment, basking in the first few days of the end of classes even if it means finals are a few days later. Alexa is playing her favorite playlist on the speakers and you're taking a break to get some coffee going in the small kitchenette.

While the coffee machine starts up you wander back to the main room. Alexa is leaning over to turn the music up, one of her favorite songs just now coming up.

"Who's this again," Dani pipes up from her spot on the couch. "It's that one guy's collab with the Bulletproof Girlscouts, right?"

"Yep," Alexa checks the song title before sighing. "This song is so old now."

"True, but it's my favorite one on the whole album."

"I guess it really has been two years since his last album, huh." Dani muses and then goes back to her practice problem set.

You try not to laugh at how cute Alexa looks sulking because her favorite artist hasn't put out any music in so long.

"Why don't you just play his new stuff," Lia says.

"He's on indefinite hiatus. This is as new as it gets."

Lia picks up her own phone, showing it to the group.

"He released a new single this morning."

"What!"

Alexa scrambles from her seat to grab her headphones and jam them into her phone. You all know how she gets about her music and let her have a moment to soak up the new song while you get up to check on the coffee.

It takes a few minutes to get cups out and put everything together since everyone has different tastes, so you're in the middle of pouring creamer when you hear a chorus of screams.

"Why are we screaming?"

You rush into the main room again only to be bombarded with music from the speaker, this time turned up as high as it can go. What must be the new song comes through the speaker, the bass vibrating on the ground as the speaker pumps.

"Okay, yes, new song. It's good but I don't get—"

"Just listen to the fucking bridge," Dani's voice comes out incredibly shrill as she cuts you off.

The beat surges for the bridge and suddenly the lyrics turn into the artist growling about some girl he met at the club with the prettiest little white outfit he'd ever seen. Saying something that sounds oddly like your name, although you figure that can't be right. But then the next verse has your name in it too, and the next one, and the next one.

Your feet take you to where Alexa's phone is plugged in and you pick up the phone to look at the song. It's indeed a song by her favorite artist, a prolific and mysterious rapper who's never shown his face and who'd been on hiatus from making music. The song title is simple, a small string of numbers that look suspiciously like your area code.

When you let out a tiny gasp, your friends let out more excited shrieks. You ignore them in favor of thumbing through the music app to the artist's page where the new single lies at the top of his discography. To the right of all his songs are the stream counts. Most of his older songs have a few dozen million or so. This brand new one sits at a modest 4 million, but the numbers trickle up as the app updates them in real time.

"What the hell?"

"I know!" Alexa cries, tears shining in her eyes. "I can't believe we sat in a VIP booth with him and I didn't even recognize his stupid voice!"

"What are you gonna do," Dani smiles widely at your stunned face. "Are you gonna call him?"

"I don't have his number," you say simply. Your voice comes out monotone with shock.

"You didn't get his number?" Alexa starts crying for real.

"People are blowing my phone up about this," Lia says once the song ends and begins again on a loop. "You might want to turn off your phone. It's just a matter of time until people start snooping around."

"Right."

You grab your phone from your pocket. On instinct you scan through your socials one last time before turning it off. There's a startling number of texts, calls, emails, and notifications on your social media apps. Curiosity gets the best of you and you open up one of them only to find your name trending as the top hashtag. Clicking on it brings up a bunch of tweets both from fans raving about the new song and wondering who the muse is, to random accounts with identical names in the handle all claiming to be said muse.

"Oh my god, he tweeted!" Dani shoves her phone into your hands.

As of right now [2:38pm] we're at 5.76 million streams. That's more than 150,000...

"What does that mean," she asks you.

"It means...he wants me to fly out to see him. Today."

"Oh my god."

Alexa screams again and at this point you've lost count of how many that is. Lia gets out of her chair and tucks her chin over your shoulder to read the post herself.

"You need to go," Alexa shouts. "I'll help you pack, let's go."

"What about finals?"

"Are you—are you actually thinking of not going because of finals?"

"I mean—"

"If you want me die, just say that," she does something with her mouth that looks like a manic smile.

"What Lex means to say is that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I'm sure even the profs would understand."

You're not sure what to say. First of all, you still don't have his number. Second of all, you're not sure how to fight through all the other accounts claiming to be you to let him know you saw the song. Third, you don't even know where to fly to. Fourth—

A Twitter notification chimes from your phone and a deadly hush falls over everyone. You go to your DM inbox with shaking fingers only to find a message request from an unknown sender. When you open the request, it's from Namjoon's agency.

Good afternoon,

You are being contacted today because one of our artists wishes to meet you. If you consent to the meeting, please review the flight information and tentative itinerary below and respond with your address and contact information. Please also note that the travel plans are for today [MM/DD/YYYY], so your response at your earliest convenience would be much appreciated. If you would like to go but cannot make it today—

"Do you think they'll send a car or should I book her a ride to the airport now?" Dani turns to Alexa.

"They'll probably send one to make sure the schedule is followed."

"That's true but what about—"

Lia taps you on the shoulder, startling you out of your stupor.

"There's a convenience store two doors down. Whatever you buy we can put in one of my suitcases and you can just take that. There's probably not enough time to go all the way back to your place."

"I—yeah, okay."

7 hours later finds Alexa, Dani and Lia finished with studying for the night. The entertainment channel is playing on the TV and the three of them have their heads bent over their phones and laptops, refreshing all the major gossip sites for updates.

"Maybe she's not even there yet," Dani sighs when the page she just refreshed shows no new posts.

"Yeah, I mean we still don't even know where she is," Lia says while putting her laptop to sleep. "What if they made her sign an NDA?"

"Even if they did, she'd probably still tell us once she got there. She's probably just busy killing time on the plane."

"She's sleeping!" Alexa screams a second later.

"Huh? How do you know that?"

"Check his instagram," is all she says before frantically typing a message to you about souvenirs.

Lia looks over at Dani's phone as she pulls up Namjoon's page. The rest of the layout is bare given his up until recent hiatus and the fact that he never posted any type of selfie. The video uploaded a mere 20 seconds ago undoes all the previous minimalism of the entire account.

The post isn't even of Namjoon. It's a black and white 5 second video of the top half of your naked back and shoulders, the rest of your body covered by the sheets. One of your arms is raised to cover your head with a pillow. The only sign of Namjoon is the arm that reaches out from the bottom of the frame, making it clear that he took the video himself. His hand reaches out to trace a heart over the skin of your shoulder blade. The caption reads:

Thanks for keeping your promise

[angellesword]

YOUR EYES TELL | JJK | 15 (FINAL)

Summary: You live in a world where people see in black and white. The solution to finally see the colors? It’s simple. You need to meet your soulmate and look at him in the eyes, but what if the person bound to you is already contented with the monochromatic world? What if…Jeongguk, your soulmate, is already in love with someone else?

Alternatively:

“A future without you is a world without color.”

Genre: soulmate au, e2l, slow burn, angst, fluff, roommate au

Pairing: Artist!Jungkook x Lawyer!Reader

Word Count: 4k

SERIES: CHAPTER 14 | SPECIAL CHAPTER 

"You sure you don't need anything?"

You weren't sure if it was annoyance or amusement that caused you to chuckle upon hearing hesitation in your father's voice.

"I'm good, Appa." You assured him, "it's just Jeongguk. Don't worry."

You were wrong. He wasn't worried because of Jeongguk. He was worried because of you.

"Okay," your father let out a deep sigh as he tried to calm his mind. "I trust your soulmate. Have fun, love."

And just like that, the call ended.

Soulmate.

After everything that had happened, your father still believed that Jeongguk was your soulmate.

You still did too. How could you deny that fact when you could clearly see colors now?

It had been four months since your eye surgery. You didn't think it was going to be a successful, mainly because you were convinced that Jeongguk's hatred towards you was the reason why you went blind.

Apparently, it was your fault.

You knew it was reckless to drive when you were under the influence of alcohol. This wasn't just about you. This was also about the people who could have suffered because of your stupidity.

Your father was actually disappointed in you. He didn't expect you to do something like this, especially because he knew that you had a careful approach in life.

You hated being a burden. Your greatest fear was to be the reason why someone was hurting. Your father didn't understand what ticked you to break out of character, and so he asked. He asked what was wrong—causing you to break into tears.

You couldn't keep this to yourself anymore.

You told him about everything you had been going through—like how your soulmate didn't love you and how stressful being a lawyer was.

Of course your father understood, but he told you that it wasn't an excuse to put yourself and other people in danger.

There were other ways to welcome or ignore pain. You agreed since it wasn't like you planned this to happen.

Your father didn't believe in you, though. He felt like you were trying to harm yourself. This was why he called you every single day. He wanted to make sure that you weren't driving or doing things you weren't supposed to do.

He freaked out when you told him that you were going out with Jeongguk tonight. It wasn't because he hated your soulmate. Admittedly, he felt like you were lying when you told him that Jeongguk didn't love you.

That can't be right. It was obvious. Your father had met your soulmate and he saw the way Jeongguk looked and talked about you. He couldn't be wrong; the boy destined to be with you was whipped—as in madly in love with you.

His claim turned out to be true when right after your surgery; you gasped and cried so hard because finally, you could see colors.

It was too good to be true. Was this seriously happening? Was Jeongguk really in love with you?

You couldn't tell.

You used to think that seeing colors was the indication of your soulmate's love for you, but it had been months now yet Jeongguk hadn't verbally told you that he loved you.

Sure. Actions spoke louder than words. You guessed you just had to be contented with this.

The past four months felt like a dream. Jeon Jeongguk, the most stubborn and egotistical person in the world, was acting like a lovesick fool because of you.

You told yourself that you did not want to love your soulmate. You stood by this. You had been ignoring Jeongguk's attempt to 'win you over.'

(Un)fortunately, the boy just wouldn't stop.

He would send you letters written in a small sticky note every day just to tell you the sappiest thing. On the other side of the sticky note, there's an exquisite drawing of every detail about you.

You realized that it was some sort of puzzle, but you hadn't really had the chance to piece it together because you were too caught up with the words written in the sticky notes.

Note 1 Red Red is the first color in the rainbow. She is my first love, but it ended. I'm saying this because I realized that the start isn't always the end. She’s the beginning, you are my end game.

This was the first note you had received from your soulmate. It was plastered on your front door—this was also the first thing you had seen after you had been discharged from the hospital.

Note 2 Orange Orange is the color I thought I know by heart. As it turns out, I've been fooled. I have been fooled by the world, but it's okay. You helped me see.

This note was unclear to you, yet it didn't fail to make your heart feel light. You weren't aware that Jeongguk was talking about how the florist who sold him orange tulips for almost a decade, the one who fooled him.

No one could take advantage of him now, though. You helped him with this problem.

Note 3 Yellow My mom said that yellow is the prettiest color. She also said that it shines the brightest. I'm glad I didn't believe her. It wasn't bright at all. It only reminds me of the time I thought I'll lose you.

It took you long to realize what he was implying.

Yellow.

This was the color of your shirt when your car crashed. Jeongguk remembered how dark life was when you were pushing him away.

Your soulmate had sent you hundreds of letters by now. All of his notes started with colors. Out of all the things he sent you, the yellow note was what stuck to you the most.

The black world was frightening. It felt cold and lonely and Jeongguk was exactly like that. He was lonely. He suffered from a major heartbreak that was why he turned cold. He hated what Red had done to him, but he wasn't really different from his ex-girlfriend.

Jeongguk hurt you the same way Red hurt him, but your soulmate was willing to do everything to make it up to you.

Aside from the notes, you also found out that Jeongguk was the one who cooked your food each day. You got mad at Red because she failed to tell you the truth. There was even a point wherein you stopped eating the food your soulmate had prepared since you literally didn't want to do anything with him anymore.

Jeongguk was still persistent. He would always pick you up from work and then he would ask if you wanted to grab dinner with him.

You always declined his offer to take you out. Turning him down was always part of your daily routine, so you didn't know what changed this Saturday night.

Why, after four months, did you finally accept Jeongguk’s attempt to ask you out?

"Can't resist his bambi eyes, can you?" Jimin laughed on the other line. Your best friend called right after your short phone conversation with your dad. It was like everyone was interested in your business tonight.

"It's just one date, Jimin," you rolled your eyes, yet the blush in your cheeks indicated that Jimin was right.

You still couldn't resist Jeon Jeongguk.

It wasn't like you were giving into him. No. It would take more than his wide, doe eyes to melt your cold, cold heart. He hurt you after all.

But last night was different.

You were supposed to have dinner with your subordinates since it was Friday, but then you spotted Jeongguk waiting outside the building of your small law firm.

He was standing there with trembling lips. Your soulmate was freezing under the cold winter, yet he still chose to wait for you.

You see, Jeon Jeongguk was banned from entering your office. You told the securities not to let him in since he was distracting everyone at work.

Your employees just couldn't stop gushing over your soulmate to the point that they weren't able to finish their task for the day. They were always trying to get Jeongguk's attention and the most annoying part was that your soulmate didn't seem to mind—not because he was a flirt too. It was actually because he was too naïve for his own good.

So yeah. You banned him from entering the building because he was a distraction and definitely not because you were blinded by your stupid jealousy. No. Not at all.

He was your soulmate, yes, but it didn't mean you had to stay together. The only thing you two should do was to try to be casual and not hate each other.

You couldn't afford to make Jeongguk hate you. This was the only rational reason why you agreed to go out on a date with him tonight. You were just scared and guilty for letting him wait for you in the snow.

"Whatever you say," you could imagine Jimin's teasing expression despite not seeing his face. "Have fun, okay? Love you!"

"Ditto! See you soon," you pressed the end bottom of your phone as your doorbell rang.

Seven pm. You bit your lower lip, glancing at the clock. Jeongguk was right on time. He told you last night that he would be outside of your door at exactly seven in the evening.

You sighed and fixed your hair a little before opening the door.

Jeongguk practiced speaking the things he would say to you tonight in front of the mirror. He swore he prepared so hard because he didn't want to disappoint you. He felt like this was his only shot with you, unfortunately it seemed like he was destined to fuck things up with you again.

"Oh fuck," his eyes dilated upon seeing you.

You were wearing this pretty dress that accentuated your curves. You looked so expensive and exquisite that Jeongguk felt like he was out of place.

Your soulmate was wearing a thick sweater and black sweatpants. His hair was messier because of the winter wind.

"You're not dressed." This was the first thing you said to him. The scowl on your face made him think that you already regretted agreeing to spend this night with him.

He was wrong. You were only frowning because you felt embarrassed. You took your sweet time preparing for this date. You even rushed to buy a fancy dress just this morning, causing you to feel like a fool.

It was clear now that you were more excited than the man who practically begged you to go out with him.

"I-I just thought it'd be better to stay home because of the weather." The boy said sheepishly while showing you the home cooked food he had prepared for this date.

You swallowed hard.

"Come in." And then you opened the door wider for him.

Jeongguk let out a sigh of relief. At least you did not kick him out. He wouldn't know what to do if that happened. He missed your home so much. He missed Miri as well. Too bad the fury pet wasn't around.

Miri visited the Kims' mansion every Saturday. Red picked the cat earlier this day. She said Miri was the only one that could make Soobin smile. Red and Seokjin, the newlywed couple, were only allowed to visit Soobin every Saturday. They always take the little boy to a nice place with your cat Miri.

Jeongguk realized that it was a blessing in disguise that the cat wasn't around since no one was scratching the couch where you and him currently sat on.

Jeongguk's idea for this date night was to simply watch some movies while eating. He thought that this was the perfect plan, sadly it looked like you didn't share the same sentiment.

"Jeongguk," irritation was laced in your voice as you called your soulmate's name.

You were irritated for the reason that you felt like he didn't really want to be here.

Jeongguk seemed preoccupied. It was apparent when you asked him what film he wanted to watch. He simply said 'whatever you want," while staring at you blankly.

You let it pass at first, but you couldn't ignore it now that the movie had ended and it appeared like he didn't even realize.

Jeongguk was silent beside you, but he couldn't sit without fidgeting. The air was awkward. He looked awkward, like he was uncomfortable or something. He wasn't even eating his food.

"Did you like the movie? Were you scared?"

"Uh," Jeongguk was staring again. "I'm...yeah. It's pretty scary,"

"Oh." You narrowed your eyes at him. "I didn't know you were afraid of zombies."

"Yeah. I am," he wasn’t and you knew it.

You huffed, crossing your arms. He was such a liar.

"The movie that we just watched," you gritted your teeth. "Isn't about zombies, Jeongguk. It's not even a horror film. It's Toy Story 4!"

You were annoyed. Why did Jeongguk even ask to be with you when he wasn’t going to pay attention to you or to the things the two of you were supposed to do?

"I'm sorry..."

And there's it again. The insincere apology. He was always sorry, but he never changed.

"You know what? Just go home. I..." You trailed off as tears filled your eyes.

Why did you always have to make a fool of yourself because of him?

"I don't want you here."

Jeongguk's heart sank upon hearing the words that left your mouth.

"No please," he also turned pale, eyes turning wide because he wasn't expecting this date to turn out like this. What he wanted to happen was to enjoy the winter night cuddled with you as the two of you watched a romantic movie.

Jeongguk imagined watching Love 911 to give you an idea of some of the things he wanted to try with you.

"What do you mean no? It's obvious that you don't want to be here. You're not even paying attention."

"It's not like that," he avoided your gaze.

You only scoffed. Typical Jeongguk. Always telling you that you didn't get him.

"Then what is it? Why do you look uncomfortable? Why do you look like you don't want to be here—"

"I told you it's not like that!" He was staring at you using those big eyes. His thin beckoning lips protruded into a pout.

"I just!" He sighed like he found it hard to explain what he felt. "Can't concentrate on other things because all I can think about is you!”

"What—"

He didn't let you finish. Jeongguk was rambling. He was nervous. He didn't want you to get mad at him again.

"Your dress really looks so good on you and your make up is really nice. You're really pretty...and really beautiful and really sexy and I really just...really—"

"Huh." you pouted, slightly cringing because of his excessive use of the word really. "So now you're blaming the way I look?"

You were teasing him to get rid of the funny feeling in your stomach. Damn Jeongguk for confusing the hell out of you. You were supposed to be annoyed, but why were you smiling?

And why the hell was it so easy to melt into him?

"No!" Jeongguk groaned. He was getting frustrated. You seemed to always twist his words and extrapolate things.

"Look..." He closed his eyes since he couldn't bear to look at you anymore. He was scared to see the disappointment in your eyes.

"I just love you okay? Like really, really, in love with you."

Jeongguk's heartbeat doubled when you didn't speak.

Silence engulfed the whole room that he was forced to open his eyes.

His heart went even crazier. It was beating erratically.

Why were you staring at him with an agape mouth?

"What did you say?" You were no longer in the mood to fool around. Sure, you were teasing Jeongguk, but it didn't mean he could also joke about feelings and love.

It wasn't fair.

"I love you?" Jeongguk said, unsure.

He wasn't unsure of his feelings. He just didn't know if you were referring to the last words he uttered.

"You...love me?" You were still in doubt.

Jeongguk simply nodded his head; a soft smile was plastered on his lips as he scrunched his nose. You knew this look well. This was his genuine self and it only meant one thing.

He wasn't lying.

"But..." you bit the inside of your cheek. "This is the first time you told me that."

"I thought it's obvious?" Jeongguk mirrored your confused expression.

He expressed what he felt for you by singing. Jeongguk thought you understood.

You did not. The song lifted your spirit and you also found the gesture sweet, but you still didn't realize it was his way of confessing.

"I mean..." Jeongguk pouted his lips more. "Your eyes tell, right? You can see colors now."

As soon as these words escaped his mouth, Jeongguk felt like he had been hit by a truck—crushing his bones and telling him how stupid he was for crossing the street even though there were signs that told him to stop.

Signs.

The signs had been there all along.

"You love me..." Jeongguk blurted out. His realization was too sudden that he couldn't help but a cry a little.

You panicked as you asked him what was wrong.

"I wasted six months because of how stupid I am!" His answer was unclear.

"Gukkie," you put your hands on the either side of his shoulder, urging him to look at you. "You're not making sense. Speak slowly."

Jeongguk shook his head, tears still painting his cheeks. It was funny how the situation kept on turning around. Just a few breaths ago, you were the one who was on the verge of crying.

"I told you you didn't understand!" Jeongguk was still not making sense, but you decided to stay quiet and let him speak.

It looked like he needed an outlet for the reason that his emotions were overflowing.

"I left b'cause I thought...you...d-din't love me!" He sobbed and your heart cracked.

How could he think this way when all you had ever done was make him feel the love you felt for him?

Jeongguk's twisted expression told you that you had voiced out the question running inside your mind out loud.

"I called you delusional since I believed that you really are," he was bringing back the wounds that you were trying so hard to forget.

Still, you didn't stop him from speaking.

"H-How can you be sure you love me when I myself know that I am not worthy of your love?"

Jeongguk knew that he had always been mean to you. He hadn't done anything to make you fall in love with him that was why he was questioning your feelings.

It wasn't him whom you loved. It was the idea of him being your soulmate. You liked the thought that there was someone out there for you.

It made sense now, though. The fact that he could see colors brightly made him realize that your feelings were real, but it didn't mean he understood your reasons.

Jeongguk stood by his statement. He was unworthy of your love.

"You're not doubting yourself, Jeongguk." You shook your head at him, proving him otherwise. "You are doubting my feelings for you."

This wasn't about Jeongguk's beliefs. This was about you. You grew up thinking that when you felt like everything was collapsing, your only choice was to trust what you feel was right. It's because at the end of the day, you were going to be the one to face the consequence of your actions—not your parents, not your friends, and not even your soulmate. They would be affected by your decisions, yes, but only indirectly.

They could make their own choices that would directly affect their lives even if their choice was based on your decision. People would end up having different results even though they walked on the same path.

"But why me?" Jeongguk sounded broken as he asked this. It hurt you to think that he really thought so lowly of himself.

He couldn't be blamed. He loved Red before; however, it was still not enough. He had moved on from her, but it didn't mean that all the scars would fade away.

His first breakup up caused him to think that despite giving your one hundred percent, it would still be lacking for some people.

But you weren't some people.

You were you and you had your reason.

"Sometimes you don't need a reason to love someone." Your reason was not having a reason at all.

Your soulmate wasn't sure if he agreed to what you said.

Jeongguk didn't believe that just because things existed, it was already valid. Validation cannot be valid if one would not give enough reasons to prove why it's worth validating.

This was the reason why Jeongguk was questioning the love you claimed you felt. He needed reasons. He was just a human after all—always in need of affection and reassurance.

"I mean...I tried thinking of a reason why I shouldn't love you, but I just can't find any." Your confession made Jeongguk blush.

You had always been straight forward.

The way you loved was the opposite of how your soulmate loved. This was probably the explanation why it took him long to admit his feelings for you.

As stated, Jeongguk was in constant need of reason. His drawings of you were his proof of the love he felt.

"If you can't find any reason, then just allow me to tell you the million reasons why I love you."

He didn't wait for your answer. Jeongguk simply moved closer to you. His face was just inches away from yours.

"You're smart." And then he kissed your forehead.

You weren't only a book smart. You were emotionally intelligent. You had taught Jeongguk a lot of things, especially when it came to forgiveness and compassion.

"You're brave." He kissed you left eye.

He remembered the night you told him you liked him. It was in front of many people. You didn't hesitate even when he was running away.

"You're patient and understanding," he kissed your right eye.

You tried to understand Jeongguk's annoying attitude.

"You work hard in all aspects." He kissed your nose.

"You're beautiful," he kissed your left cheek.

You really were. Inside and out.

"It's you,"

Jeongguk didn't know if he could love someone who wasn't you.

"Most importantly, I love you because you are my soulmate." And then he kissed you on the lips.

You laughed in between the kiss, but you didn't stop kissing him back.

Did you forgive him?

The answer was yes.

Were you ready to love him again?

Perhaps.

Were you still hurt by his actions before?

Yes.

Did you want to be with him?

Yes.

There were many questions flooding your mind right now. Some of your answers might not be the truth, maybe you were just too happy right now—caught up in the moment because you were in Jeongguk's arms again.

But it didn't matter now because one thing was sure.

You were willing to love Jeon Jeongguk again because you didn't want to repeat his mistake.

You didn't want to lose your soulmate just because of hatred and denial.

Things were clear now.

Jeon Jeongguk loved you and the world was no longer black and white.

 BONUS: (a poem made by young OC that made her realize why she should trust her own feelings)

holy. after 6 weeks???? i’m finally done writing this baby. wow. thank you thank you everyone for reading this—especially those people who never failed to send me feedback. i love you all!

New fic alert! READ HERE >> SAVE ME - Demon!Taehyung x Doctor!Reader

YES. I LIKE USING BTS’ songs as the title of my fanfics. 😅

[yourladystar]

Fire Emblem Warriors Three Hopes- New Trailer Analysis

Can I start by saying how f*cking ludicrous my timing is? I, just yesterday, posted my tier list for the FEW characters, and today I woke up to find a new trailer for Three Hopes just dropped. If you think I planned this in the slightest, you are sorely overestimating me.

Anyway, this trailer gave me a lot of material, and it's time to dig in.

Right off the bat, the very first thing they showed threw me for a loop. After almost two months of us thinking we got the premise of this game, they just come out saying, "Hey, you know that purple-haired guy you all thought was the villain? Well, sike! They're the protagonist and Byleth is the villain!" Like

What?!

Huh. I guess "Warriors-style spinoffs being an AU of the original game" is becoming a thing now.

But, honestly, this is probably the best thing about this game so far. Taking the designated protagonist and turning them into an antagonist and giving the spotlight to a new character is absolutely ingenious. Especially because, again they kept us in the dark about this for almost two months. I was already hyped for this game, but now I'm practically impatient for it to release. The moment it becomes available for preorder, I'm getting it.

Speaking of our new protagonist, Shez, they seem pretty interesting. It doesn't seem like they're taking Byleth's place as a professor, they seem to be more like a wandering mercenary who teams up with the house leaders because they have bad blood with Byleth. We still don't know the details of this game's story so I can't be sure of what Shez's deal is, but I'm looking forward to finding out more. I mean, the fact that they actually talk already puts them above Byleth. And even though I like the male design better, I will be playing this as the female because if this game does have s-supports, I am not missing out on Dimitri!

And I guess that transitions to the lords well enough. We do still have the split paths, but, again, since we don't know the details of the story yet, it's unknown why they're fighting each other or what they're fighting against. I still feel like at some point the three houses will combine into one, but we'll have to wait and see. Can I also take a second to gush about the path names? Scarlet Blaze, Azure Gleam, Golden Wildfire; f*ck those are cool names!

And since we're on the three houses, I can talk more about the characters we see. Granted, we don't get much for SB outside of a better look at Hubert, who I still love! He's goth in all the right ways! We do also get a quick shot of him confronting who I think is Ferdinand based on the hair color and armor, but they are just offscreen so I can really tell. Hopefully we'll get a better look at them soon. For AG, we get Dedue and he looks so good! They did my man justice! And for GW, we get a better look at Hilda, whose design I like better than her post-time skip look. And later in the trailer we see Lorenz and Oh my God I love his hair!

Seriously, they are just hitting it outta the park with these new designs.

And I have no clue how to segway into this, but we do get a quick shot of Flayn, and please don't hurt my baby. And also, how exactly does the church fit into all of this? Are they a neutral party? Will they be designated antagonists in certain routes? Are we gonna be able to recruit them? Please let us recruit them. Shamir, Cyril, Seteth, Flayn- I need them with me. Also, playable Rhea cause that would be cool.

And hey, I managed to create a leeway into talking about the gameplay!

Seems like one of my hopes for this game came true as we are getting gameplay features from Three Houses implemented into Three Hopes. Adjutants, weapon arts, battalions, side missions, and the one that caught me most off guard, class changing. Completely altering how you fight to fit your preference. That is amazing (even if I'm going to completely undermine it by sticking to my favorite class because that's just what I do when you give me lots of choices).

And we even get a whole new base to explore. Granted, I know some people found walking around Garreg Mach to get tedious after a while. I never had that problem, since I always found it relaxing. Just make it so the base isn't that big and allow us to access its features outside of it and it shouldn't be that big if an issue.

Also, I have no clue where to put this, but during what I assume is a map from SB, we see that Monica is a member of your team. Like, is that the real Monica? Is that Kronya disguised as her? Is she gonna get outed at one point? Is Edelgard still working with the Slithers in this? Actually, what is the Slithers role in this game?

This is how you can tell I'm invested, I'm asking all these questions.

Also, during the little cutscene montage, we do get a shot of someone that a lot of people seem to think is Holst. If this is the game where we finally get to meet him, that would be kinda sick.

And the last thing I want to discuss is Byleth and how they might be connected to Shez. The trailer says "Challenge the Ashen Demon as a mercenary who was meant to fade into the waves of history." This fits in well with the AU mindset since Shez doesn't exist in Three Houses, but it could take on a different meaning. It's possible that Shez has to fight and defeat Byleth or else they'll cease to exist. After all, we still don't know what's the deal with the new god Shez is connected with, but they do say "I'm the closest ally you have" and "We're partners in destiny", so they may know more than it seems. Or maybe it's a codependency thing where Shez has to exist so they can exist (I can't tell if the God is a boy or girl). We'll have to wait and see.

And no, internet, Byleth is not gonna die. I doubt that IS would have the balls to introduce a new protagonist just to have them f*cking kill the old one. I guarantee that at some point in the story, maybe late game, Byleth will join you. And it will interesting to see Byleth take on a smaller role. Just, for the love of God, don't have them take the spotlight from Shez. This is Shez's story, not Byleth's. I'd rather the focus be on this potentially interesting and intriguing new hero than the walking plank of wood we had last game.

Alright, I think that's everything.

Can you tell I'm really f*cking excited about this game?

[goth-albino-angel]

Yugiri's smile is everything. She has so many of them and they all mean different things. When she's relaxed, when she's excited, when she's confused, when she has no clue what's going on but everyone else is happy so she's happy, when she's relieved, when she's proud... She has so many different smiles and if Tumblr didn't have the 10 image rules, I would absolutely gush about every single one of them in detail. Unfortunately, if I do that, all of those posts will probably be eaten out of the tag, so instead, here are my top 10 favorite Yugiri smiles so far, images included. (Pre-Revenge episode 9)

10. Season One, Episode 2: The First Smile/ 9. Season One, Episode 10: The Sentimental Smile

Episode 2 is the first time we ever see Yugiri smile. Before this, she seemed relatively nonplussed or generally disinterested in pretty much everything going on. Even though she was in a different time period with complete strangers and a madman demanding her to be something she has no knowledge of, she was fairly calm. Then the first time we see her smile, it's when she sees something completely familiar. Her own face. Not only that, but she directs that smile toward the character that is going to become basically her little sister. The first one means so much and it's so important.

Within the same vein, her smile to Kotaro in episode 10 is one during an emotionally heavy moment. It's the first time he's hit an actual snag in his plans. Sakura's singular focus on the Arpino show rather than on the bigger picture of the group as a whole would have been a massive roadblock had she not realized her mistake.

Yugiri is the only one who properly realizes the reason they were sent into the mountains in the first place. Instead of simply sitting on the information, she's proactive about it and actually goes to discuss the problem with Kotaro. She wants to understand his reasoning so that she might be able to help him. And when she turns toward him, she also gives him the observations she's witnessed throughout her new life. This smile may be low on my list of favorites, but it's still unbelievably important.

...Also, when they released the preview image of this smile, my brain short-circuited for ten minutes, so it had to make it onto the list regardless.

8. Season Two, Episode One: The Professional Smile

This smile isn't much out of the ordinary for what we've come to expect of Yugiri, but it's on here because this was our first look at Yugiri after basically two years of very little. None of us knew how the group would come back, how the writing team had incorporated the unexpected pandemic, how things would play out, or what would be happening. The Promo showed Tae's hand flying off to knock off Sakura's head, but as 2018 displayed, the promos can't always be trusted. This showed that, even in this new world where she's only been awake for a year, she's putting her skills to use and working just as hard as the others. Thanks to the conversation from Episode 10 of the first season, we know she was trained as a geisha which would make service work much easier than it would be for the other girls.

I don't have too much to say on this one, to be honest. I do like that she's in softer lighting, as opposed to the others who were all surrounded by harsh lighting on their season two introductions. The softer lighting lends itself well to the lack of pigment and coloration in the girls' makeup, allowing Yugiri to look like she has some color, even if she still looks somewhat pale and tired. It doesn't give her quite the same sickly look the others have at their jobs. The red dress? 100/10. Perfect decision.

7. Season One, Episode Five: The Proud Smile

SHE. DOES. GYMNASTICS. She has every right to this smile! I did the math for this specific part of the episode and Yugiri got third place. The judges liked her rope aerobics so much, they shot her all the way to third place even though her distance was zero meters. It wouldn't have gotten her interviewed, but it would have at least put Franchouchou at the forefront. I still applaud Tae snagging first place, but Yugiri deserves some praise. She really did go face first into the mud on a bike and said, "Never again." She's so proud of herself. I'll be gushing about the actual gymnastics part in a different post a little later, too, but she definitely deserves to be proud of herself. I'm really gay...

6. Season One, Episode Four: The Cute Smile

Originally, this was just going to be me doing some keysmash version of a squeal or something, but there's something I'd like to draw attention to. I'm pretty sure that, by this point, Franchouchou only knows two songs. Yomigaere, which was supposed to be performed in episode 2, and Mezame Returner, which is what's being performed here. Of these two, Yugiri has more experience with this one, but from what the audience had been shown, it wasn't good experience.

Memorizing the lyrics would have been the easy part for her. It's that a good portion of the dance practice was also spent helping Lily get the steps down and potentially calming her frustrations. Then the performance itself would have been a complete disaster if Junko and Ai hadn't gotten over themselves at the last minute to finally help.

This is the first successful performance of Mezame Returner we're witnessing and it's clear the group's had more practice since then. You can see how excited and happy Yugiri is here because this one is actually going well. They had a bit more time to prepare, the two lead roles were actually involved this time, and the audience also was clearly enjoying the performance. She's so happy and it's just so heart-warming to see. Yes, even with the CGI. Don't @ me, she looks adorable.

5. Season One, Episode Seven: The Sassy Smile

This one also was just going to be a squealing keysmash thing, but again, I have something to point out. Look how much more confident she is now that Junko and Ai have, once again, gotten over themselves. Yugiri sees the effect that Junko stepping in had on the others and just like the rest of the group, her movements are more relaxed and free.

It's more obvious, actually, if you look at the way the other girls are moving directly after Junko helps Ai up in comparison to how Yugiri is moving. She did a spin while waiting for Sakura and Lily to finish their segment, and she could be cheeky during her own. She sensed that the tension had mostly dissolved and because of that, she allowed herself to relax and could properly throw herself into the performance. When she throws out this smile and wink, it's not actually directed at the audience. It's Yugiri telling the others that they've got this without breaking the performance.

4. Season Two, Episode Four: The Gentle Smiles

I put both of these here because Yugiri's just... so... caring? So much of what she does is passive that you don't realize just how much work she puts into relieving the stress from the other girls until long after the problem has been resolved.

In the first, she's speaking to Sakura. No doubt, Yugiri probably noticed how worried Sakura was about Junko. Even though Sakura was trying not to let the others catch on just how anxious she really was, Yugiri still knew that something was bothering Sakura as well as Junko. Yugiri knew that the key to easing Junko's mind lay in placating Sakura first. She's seen what happens to them all when they fall apart and she wants to avoid that at all costs. So, Yugiri lifts Sakura's spirits and gives her back the fire and determination to make a great performance.

In the second, Yugiri is watching Junko eat. Unlike the others, it's clear Yugiri knows that Junko is in much higher spirits than when last they saw her. Junko would likely have still been a stuttering, quivering mess otherwise, but she wasn't stuttering and her actions were purposeful and self-assured. Yugiri is very observant. She would have caught on that something had happened to make Junko feel better. What makes this smile even better is that she's not the least bit disappointed. The reason she made dinner was to help Junko, but she doesn't view the meal as a waste of time. She's so focused on other people, that she's happy Junko is feeling better at all and even offers her different platters to help keep her mood up.

These are high on the list for two reasons. One, they're a show of just how much Yugiri does for her girls. Two, YUGIRI COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOKSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!! YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS HEADCANON CONFIRMED BITCHEEEESSS!!! I GOT ONE RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT!!!!!

3. Season Two, Episode Six: The Affectionate Smile

I will be completely honest, I have no idea why this one is as high as it is. I admit, I did spend three hours replaying this single thirty second scene because it's really sweet and Yugiri and Tae don't interact very often, so seeing Yugiri not only be worried for Tae, but also be immediately reassured that Tae would be fine was just something my heart didn't know it needed until it had it. The sheer level of affection Yugiri shows toward Tae is too adorable. Especially since Yugiri usually only has moments like those with Sakura and, to a lesser extent, Lily. This smile's really cute, it's in the middle of a wholesome scene, and it made me love both Yugiri and Tae that much more.

2. Season One, Episode Three: The Excited Smile

Once again, an entry that was going to be a simple squealing keysmash until I realized there was something to point out here as well. This is the first smile we ever see from Yugiri that's genuinely enthusiastic. She has plenty of them, especially during her performances, but this is our first time seeing her fully incorporate herself into the group as an actual member and actually look excited to do something with the others. This was an omen of adorable things to come and damn did it deliver.

Honorable Mentions.

I'm only going to touch on each of these briefly because to be honest, there are a LOT of smiles I could've picked.

The first one is from episode 6 when the group is talking about their very first meet-and-greet. Lily asks Yugiri if she's keeping up okay, and Yugiri remarks that she's taking things as they come. This was a small look into the kind of character she is. As I mentioned before, she's very passive in the way she operates, but that's to the benefit of those she cares for. This is her admitting that she doesn't want to be a problem and it's just sweet that even though Lily is worried about her, Yugiri's still highkey thinking about everyone else.

To the right is a shot of Yugiri during Electric Returner. This one is just the squealing keysmash because she looks so genuinely ecstatic, it's contagious. She's NO DAMN CLUE what happened or why they sound so different, but she is absolutely living her best second life.

The next shot comes from the beginning of Yomigaere and is somewhat of a repeat of the above. She's excited to perform for such a big crowd, she's glad Sakura finally agreed to actually participate, and she's living her best second life. Whoever animates Yugiri's CG model? I love you. I want to send you a gift basket. She's always so happy during performances.

Then comes her smile after the group finds out Sakura's memories are back. She's just glad Sakura, her Sakura, has come back to them, that she accepts her crap luck and is still willing to stay. For Yugiri, this goes under the list of Best Possible Outcomes. Her family is whole again and she's so relieved.

Last in the top row is the first full frontal shot we get of Yugiri in the Saga Jihen music video. She's so unbelievably adorable here. I wish I could've gotten her first expression, but the curtain was still rising and without photoshop, I'm not editing an image to the degree needed to get her whole face lightened. Point is, she's cute and everyone deserves to see her adorable face on the first song she got to be center for.

First on the bottom row is Yugiri looking apologetic from episode 8 of Revenge. She's so cute. It was an honest mistake and she had no way of knowing the paper belonged to Kiichi. No doubt, that was probably why she offered to help him rewrite them later.

Next is how cute she looks in big sister mode. She's wiping the mud from Kiichi's cheeks and is taking such care with him. Throughout the entire episode, she treats him like a little kid and it's likely because her role was big sister for so long that she doesn't know how not to treat him that way. It really does shed light on just how kind she is to everyone, though, that she doesn't even think about her dirty kimono and focuses on cleaning him up a little first.

Then we have her smiling at Kiichi as she remarks on how beautiful his dream of reviving Saga is. She even says she hopes it comes true. His dream means something to her. She can't even fully see it, he can't even fully see it, but they don't need to. What Itou didn't understand this whole time is something Yugiri understood immediately just from listening to Kiichi talk. They don't need to see it in their minds, all they need is to feel it in their hearts, and that's something Yugiri knows.

And lastly on the honorable mentions, because this post is already super long, Yugiri smiling while she's cooking for her guests. It was a tossup between this or the pinwheel because it's just really nice that Yugiri can simply enjoy mundane things. I chose this one because it's a direct contrast to how she was at the beginning. Before, she ate with a disinterested expression, but now, she's cooking for guests rather than just for herself. The lift in her mood is obvious, and it's something so small but so heartwarming, I couldn't resist.

I would've put the pinwheel moment anyway, but unfortunately, as a com major, formatting and design are everything and an extra picture on the top or bottom without a balancer would've thrown the whole thing off. Maybe next time.

NOW FOR NUMBER ONE

1. Season Two, Episode Eight: The Softest Smile

This should have been expected. There's something genuinely touching about the fact that Yugiri really does give her everything, even to complete strangers. These girls barely know her, everyone in town barely knows her, but because her dance students suggested Yugiri go out and actually experience, Yugiri gives it actual thought. She doesn't dismiss them, she doesn't deride them, she doesn't make them feel foolish or anything like that. She treats their suggestion the same way she would if it had come from a close friend. And she does actually take them up on it.

Later, we see her come into contact with Kiichi to demonstrate that even full-on strangers aren't exempt from her kind heart, but this means more. All we know is that these girls take Yugiri's dance class, and from the way they speak when we first meet them, it's clear Yugiri has a professional wall between herself and those she instructs. But she still treats them as she would the girls back in Shimabara. It's proof that, even in the past, Yugiri really was just as kind-hearted as in the present. It's a show don't tell kind of thing that just speaks so deeply to the writer in me. I love this smile. It's everything. Her smiles are everything. She's everything.

[thewolfmanslayer]

Honestly the amount of people who say artists and writers should do stuff for free, or try to rip them off on comissions still royally piss me off.

I think the worst part of it is the entitlement, I dont want to make this too much about generations but a lot of commissioners are millenial/Gen z's who grew up on the "steal and pirate everything" mentality, take everything that you can because no one else is going to hand it to you. which I can get behind, when you are screwing over MULTI BILLION DOLLAR COMPANIES. NOT THE STRUGGLING ARTISTS AND WRITERS who are trying to keep food on the table as desperately as you probably are!

It's simple, you wouldn't walk into a restaurant, order food and tell the server "sorry I don't have any money, but I've got like a few thousand followers on social media, I can get your name out there, get the restaurant some exposure" NO! They don't need "exposure" they need you to pay the damn bill!

On top of that, most of these artists and writers ALREADY HAVE FOLLOWINGS. They already have thousands of people following them, waiting for the chance to get a commission, who are willing to pay for said commission, they don't need "exposure" when they're already out there! He'll even the artists and writers with a few hundred don't need it, they'll get more followers as time goes by, their skill alone will see to it.

And what is with people trying to get free art and writing? It's not going to work! You can't harass someone until they cave, trust me, you'll be long since blocked before you even have the opportunity. I don't do comissions, online anyways, but my own friends and family, people who actually know me STILL PAY ME whenever they ask for me to do art for them because they KNOW it takes TIME AND EFFORT.

How many times do we need to have this discussion???? Like when is it going to finally click that people who need to pay their bills just as much as you do AREN'T going to do this shit for free!?

Here's the thing about art and writing, that you've heard a billion times but still aren't getting; IT. TAKES. TIME. AND. EFFORT. TO. GET. DONE. the art isn't going to magically appear and the writing isn't going to suddenly write itself, if either were so convenient YOU WOULDNT BE ASKING AN ARTIST OR WRITER IN THE FIRST PLACE!

Look at that, you see that? The first picture I did back in 2012-13, the picture beside it? I did that TWO YEARS AGO. I didn't suddenly know exactly what to do, or had anything close to a god given talent for drawing (I'm not that talented). The first picture WAS THE ABSOLUTE BEST I COULD DO AT THE TIME THAT I MADE IT. In the time between these two drawings I admittedly took a break from art, but then I got back into it four years ago. EVEN STILL that was four YEARS of starting over from the basics, relearning everything, learning new things, wanting to actually improve my art.

Which, guess what, DID NOT HAPPEN OVER NIGHT. It was HOURS UPON HOURS of my limited free time as an adult drawing over and over and over and over again, every single goddamn day to get to the point that I was able to make that redraw look as good as it does in comparison. He'll, my art now puts them both to shame! Because I spent the time improving my quality!!

Now look at these artists doing comissions, they've probably put EVEN MORE of their time to get that good! They've put in LITERAL YEARS of sweat, blood, tears, frustrations and dedicated hardwork. Some did the same as me, self teaching and lots of practice, others probably had to go to school, which definitely wasn't cheap. But all of us put in that time and effort TO REACH THESE POINTS. Of being better artists, developing our styles, getting faster at drawing.

And maybe you think that this is super easy, right? That I or every other artist can just fire some art off and boom its good and done in like an hour?

FUCK. NO.

Even now it takes me several hours a day OVER MANY DAYS to make something exceptionally good! It doesn't matter how good an artist is, it still. Takes. Time.

Maybe the issue is that you don't understand how much actually goes into art, let me break it down for you, the steps that most people follow to finish ONE drawing.

-Rough draft: general character outline, get a feel for what I want to draw.

-Rough sketch: I start doing a bit of pencil to start filling in details like mouth, nose, eyes, hair, clothes. Ect.

-Penciling: I go over the rough sketch and clean everything up, maybe do some editing, this is when you can start making out all the details.

-Ink: I trace over the finished pencil with a pen tool and actually have the line art, everything looks clean, presentable, it actually looks like a character now. I'll spend time editing this and possibly redoing the inking many times over to get to a point where I like it.

-Flat color: I decide on which colors to use for skin tone, clothes accessories. Ect.

-Shading/highlights: I figure out where my light source is and how strong it is, I then apply the correct amount of lighting and shadows to the color to give it depth, I also have determine the texture of skin, clothes and accessories to make everything look real and natural.

-Blending: I smooth out the shading and highlights so that it looks more natural and isn't too hard (noticeable difference between color) so that it looks as natural as possible.

-Finish: I go over last minute details, finish any editing or corrections that need to be done. Once it's good I call it a day.

Each process is longer in length then the previous, with the exception of the final editing (as long as everything looks good) and even the rough draft can take some time. Over all this is SEVERAL HOURS of work for a SINGLE DRAWING.

So is it sinking in yet? How much is put into doing even a single character drawing? God forbid if its done with background. This isn't a "scratch a pen around and be done with it in ten minutes" kinda deal, no, this is SEVERAL HOURS OF SOMEONES LIFE BEING PUT INTO THIS

And if you still have the AUDACITY to try and wrangle free art from an artist then there's no helping you, you're just a selfish piece of shit, no question and I want nothing to do with you.

Someone might say "But I got free art/writing from.-" look I don't give a shit if someone did something for you THAT ONE TIME, these other artists and writers? Totally seperate and different people. You're one freebie experience does not, and should not apply to other artists and writers.

"But what if I really want this commission but don't have the money right now?" Well, that's tough shit. Save up and properly commission them when you can, it's not their problem.

"But what if I'm in a really bad financial situation and really want it?" That sucks, and I'm sorry, but again, not their problem. Chances are this is their only source of income and they need to make money so that they don't end up in a similar situation.

"They have a gift! They should share it!" What kind of cheap ass- LOOK, just because someone is talented or really good at something does not automatically obligate them to do anything for total strangers in anyway shape or form. These are living, breathing people, the same as you. They need to eat, they need to pay rent/mortgages, they need to pay vet bills, send their kids to college, do their taxes and everything else that YOU YOURSELF need to do. Asking anyone to spend their time doing something for free, when that something is how THEY ARE SURVIVING is beyond asinine. Not only that, this obviously isn't a hobby to them, it is very clearly THEIR JOB. Would you want to do a job where you didn't get paid at all? Doing a shit ton of work for absolutely nothing? No? Didn't think so.

"It shouldn't be about the money!" Well unfortunately, as with almost every other job, it is. We live in a world where we desperately need to make money in order to survive. That's the painful fact of the matter. If money never had to be an issue ever again then this would be a very different story. But it's not, plain and simple as can be.

Look, these people are just like you, artists and writers who are just trying to get by in a shitty ass world, using the one thing they have that let's them have an income. Leave them be, don't try and trick them, guilt them, or cuss them out when you don't get your way. Either properly comission or leave them the hell alone, plain and simple.

[whimsywit]

Hey, it's me again! ^.^ I was wondering if I could order a red velvet truffle this time. As a reminder, here's the info from the previous request (with new info that I forgot to mention on the other one 😅):

I'm a 5'4" tall, straight Virgo girl with brown eyes, glasses (I only need them for distance since my eyes can't focus all too well). My hair color is currently blonde, but I'm dying it platinum blonde (dying it from dark auburn so the color rn is kinda a caramel color). I'm pretty chubby, but I guess not that chubby since I'm not obese but not exactly healthy either....

Let's see... I'm pretty shy at first when meeting knew people, and tend to talk so fast I trip over my words from time to time and get tongue tied (This gets worse around a guy I like and it frustrates me). The more someone gets to know me, the more talkative I become (which doesn't mean I wanna talk all the time, I'd be happy listening to him talk more than me, but I do tend to go into an excited rant like Midoriya if someone brings up something I really like [aka MHA 🤣]). I'm sweet, caring, loyal to a fault but I can be stubborn when I wanna be and insecure (boy with me must have extreme patience)...

I love listening to music, singing (I haven't sang in front of a huge crowd before), reading, writing (though my brain jumps back and forth between ideas, so I haven't exactly finished writing a fanfic yet 😅). I get flustered easily when complimented, so....

Dislikes include bullies (I was bullied myself, so I hate it when other people do it) cheaters (been cheated on in a relationship, no way do I wanna go through it again), alcoholics and drug addicts (I would explain why but I don't wanna get into something that might trigger someone, so I won't get into the details, just know that my biological Dad was one and I've seen what alchohol and drugs can do to someone... It's not pretty)

Talents: I know for sure that singing is one of them (which is one of my hobbies XD) and I'm told I'm a talented writer (writing is also one of my hobbies :3), but given the fact that I have a brain that keeps switching focus on ideas for different fandoms I haven't finished anything yet 😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅

Fears: The list could go on forever.... I have a slight stage fright (I shake a bit until I start singing, but I don't freeze up, never ask me to public speak thou...). I'm insecure as well, so my biggest fear is not being good enough (I can't remember if I already told you if I'm insecure and the boy paired with me is gonne have to be super duper patient 😅)

Aspirations: I really wanna be a singer one day (I'm actually doing voice lessons so I'm on my way there! ^.^) I'm good at writing lyrics but composing music? Not so much XD Oh, I do eventually wanna have a family, just later down the road with the right guy ^.^

I admire someone who is brave, compassionate, loyal to a fault (as loyal as I am ^.^ and I don't mind if he gets a bit protective of me XD)...

But, since I got dragged into too much drama during high school, I hate people who spread rumors for attention, players (people who date multiple people), and I usually stay away from people who are arrogant beyond belief (believing in urself is important, but it becomes a problem if you're over confident, know what I mean?) and people who are conceited (not to say that loving yourself isn't important, it is! I just don't like it when people are obsessed with themselves.... If that made any sense XD)

Anyways, thank you for even reading this and I hope you enjoy the rest of your day!

OKAY GIRL FIRST OF ALLLLL tysm for all the likes on my stuff, it means so much that you like and support my blog even tho this took forever for me to get to (i really appreciate you for waiting so long btw) 🥺💖💗 Now, for your patiently awaited matchup, I thought you’d be best with...

Izuku Midoriya!

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»

OOH back to back protag boyfriends, lucky you ;0 It actually took me a while to land on him but I have no idea why, you guys are so similar it hurts in the best way possible oml—

First off, he’s ecstatic to find someone that doesn’t mind his muttering and rambling, even more so when he discovers you do it too! You’re both naturally shy and easily flustered (which makes for some very entertaining scenes when you’re both pining for each other and get all stuttery and flushed, people have full on brought out snacks and watched 👀👀) but it also means you understand one another well, able to comfort and assure the other with ease.

In more ways than one, if you really think about it. Both of you have a history of bullying, a tendency for low self-esteem, daddy issues, gosh your relationship is so mutualistic both of you always know what to say to lift the other up 🥺 On top of all that you also greatly admire each other—Izuku’s the bravest and sweetest guy you know by far, while he thinks you’re incredibly talented in turn. You constantly support each other with your goals, heroism and stardom respectively, fighting back whenever insecurities and doubts start to bleed through because you just care for the other so so deeply, and I’m def starting to sound like a broken record so lemme move onto the zodiac portion asjfakshswajdb

Izuku is a Cancer, a bit more of an emotional sign than Virgos tend to be, but that doesn’t make you guys any less close! The relationship is a very sincere, secure, and down-to-earth one, as along with everything else you have near-identical beliefs and domestic desires (which will make his mom very happy, she’s always wanted grandkids ûwû) so no matter what hiccups you may face, you guys always power through it ^w^

There’s not much else to say lmao, you guys are practically inseparable. All your nights are spent reading together and discussing your writings, yours being stories while his were hero notes, listening to music all the while, until it gets turned down in favor of your voice that sings him to sleep. He much prefers it anyway, and will for the rest of his life〜

[jinmukangwrites]

Whumptober Day 19

Grief | Survivors Guilt

Ao3

-o-o-o-o-

It's a cold autumn night when Tim enters the manor. There's been an early snowfall this year, one that has Tim shrugging off his winters coat and hanging it up beside the manor's front door along with his gloves. 

He looks around the foyer, thankful to immediately spot Alfred walking towards him from the familiar hallway leading towards the study. However, any kind of good mood Tim was in from being back at the manor for the first time in what was probably close to a month leaves when Alfred gets close enough for him to see the little, worrying details.

He's not wearing a suit or tie. Just dress pants and a white collared shirt with the sleeves rolled up. There's spots of red on Alfred's sleeves... and a rag is held in his wrinkled hands, stained with blotchy pink spots.

And Tim suddenly remembers why he's here.

"Hi, Alfred," Tim greets as Alfred finally finishes approaching. He looks haggard. Likes he's been up all night. He probably has been. 

"Master Tim," Alfred says, offering a small smile. "I apologise for not greeting you earlier. I trust the travel wasn't unpleasant?"

Tim shakes his head. Roads were scary slippery, but because the snow is still fresh and the time’s approaching dawn, there wasn't much traffic to make Tim's drive from the penthouse towards Bristol too horrible. "It was fine. And you don't need to apologise… I'm sure you've been busy. Where is…?"

Alfred sighs, his hands running through the rag without much purpose. Alfred's shaken. Tim heard it was bad, but he didn't think it was this bad.

"Masters Dick and Bruce are both downstairs with Doctor Thompkins. Master Dick has yet to wake, but considering we've just finished surgery, I don't expect him to be awake in the near future."

"How bad is he?"

Alfred sighs and moves so he drapes the blood stained rag over his wrists. "Major head trauma is the worst of it. Some broken ribs, a snapped wrist, mostly bruises and cuts. Doctor Thompkins is hopeful that he'll make a full recovery in time."

"And… Damian?"

Damian was there right? He was a part of this whole catastrophe? Nightwing and Robin were supposed to be on a team up. With a sinking stomach, Tim realizes Damian must have watched Two-Face repeat his ever so famous beating of Nightwing tonight. 

Tim hopes Harvey Dent and his stupid grudges stay in Arkham for a very long time this time around. If Tim sees him any time soon, Tim's not sure he'll be able to pull his punches as much as he should. 

Alfred's voice pulls Tim out from his thoughts. "Master Damian is… outside. Near the Graveyard. I was just about to check up on him, it's rather cold out..."

"Know what?" Tim says. "I'll get him. You look like you could use a nap."

Alfred's face softens. "If you're sure… then I will begin making some hot chocolate for the two of you to warm up."

"Thanks, Alf," Tim replies, a genuine smile rebelliously appearing on his lips. 

After he shoves himself back in his jacket and gloves, he's sure he’s prepared for how cold it is outside in the October air. 

Immediately, he's pelted by a harsh, gray colored wind speckled with small, glittery flakes of snow. The snow is wet, immediately melting when it touches his coat, and just managing to glaze the grass, but regardless of that it's still cold. 

What's Damian doing at the Graveyard at this time with this weather?

The trek towards the Wayne Graveyard is mostly uneventful besides a few slip ups on the stone path. He almost falls on his ass once, but by the time he sees the gate towards the family graveyard, he's relatively unharmed. 

The moment Tim walks past the gates, his eyes immediately fly towards the back of the plot where a giant angelic statue stands, her face shrouded with a hood and her hands brought up in prayer. 

Jason Todd's grave, Tim feels, has always been a part of Tim's life. Because his life never really began until Robin, didn't it. Which is… depressing to say but he can't really call the years spent practically alone with his emotionally distant parents anything close to a life. Tim decides to head that way. If Damian is sitting at any grave, it's probably near the ones dug recently, and not the old, weathered ones filled with names belonging to Wayne's no one actually really knows about. 

Ya know, no one knows about until they’re revealed to have been a part of some super secret old-timey cult or something.

He's probably at Martha and Thomas's graves, wondering what it would be like to have known them. The most experience he has with grandparents is Ra's Al Ghul, and, well, no one wants that guy as a grandfather. 

However, when Tim finally sees the form of a small teen squatting besides a grave, it's one that's no longer… valid. But one that keeps it's gravestone anyway, the dates scratched off. 

Tim feels something try to crawl into his throat to choke him. 

Of course the grave Damian's visiting is Dick's. 

Tim immediately decides to make his approach more cautious than what he was initially planning. He can't… really think of a time where he's seen Damian sit at this grave, even while they thought Dick was actually dead. Tim was… off with the Teen Titans and if he remembers correctly Damian wasn't even in the country for long after he came back to life. Bruce got amnesia and for quite a long time, it was only Alfred and Bruce in the manor, living in a carefully constructed illusion that Bruce wasn't Batman and had never taken kids into his home. 

Tim wonders when Damian found out Dick "died". How did he react? Did anyone even try to reach out to tell him gently, or did he find out on his own?

"Hey," Tim greets softly, lowering himself down to Damian's level in front of the fake grave. He sits on the balls of his feet and curls his arms over his knees before he turns to really get a good look at Damian. 

The kid huffs in response, just staring ahead of him like the gravestone was the most interesting thing in the entire world. His cheeks and nose are red, a stark contrast to his normally dark complexion. His green eyes shine vividly too beneath his sopping wet black bangs. Tim wonders if he's been crying. However, he doesn't dare ask.

"Alfred's making hot chocolate," Tim continues, really feeling out of his league now. He doesn't know what to do. He's never had to confront a clearly vulnerable Damian before. "I don't think we should keep him waiting."

Damian blinks slowly, his gaze finally leaving the gravestone to flicker towards Tim. 

And if eyes were the windows to the soul, then Damian's eyes have always been barred for as long Tim's known him. Barred and locked and shielded by blackout curtains. Now though? They're a stained glass window, shattered and hanging by twisted metal framework thanks to a rock that has been thrown through. 

Tim can't recall ever seeing Damian like this before. It makes him ponder what really happened tonight. If Dick's injuries were simply because of an unfortunate Two-Face run in. Bruce called Tim over to help go over evidence, but now Tim gets the feeling the real reason he's been requested is because Damian's hurting in his own way too, and Bruce doesn't know how to deal with it. 

Not that Tim knows how to deal with it either. The only person that really knows Damian inside and out is the very person who's just finished fighting for his life thanks to a brutal beat down via a psychopath armed with a wooden baseball bat. Again.

"Timothy…" Damian finally speaks, and Tim suddenly feels a chill enter his bones that's not from the wind. "What is Robin's purpose?"

Tim swallows, forcing surprise to stay off his face. Where has this come from? 

"What do you mean?" Tim asks slowly. 

"Tt." Damian turns back towards the gravestone, his usual sound of annoyance sounding half-hearted and incredibly tired. "Just answer."

And it must show how wrong this all feels because Tim doesn't even get the urge to roll his eyes at the demand. He lets out a breath that turns into a visible vapor the moment it leaves his mouth. 

"I guess… it's different for everyone. There's no… job requirement when it comes to Robin. What it means can change on who wears the suit. As long as you wear the colors and fight alongside Batman, then you're Robin."

Damian frowns. "I was told Robin is supposed to be Batman's partner. Robin is supposed to watch Batman's back and protect him."

"Who told you that?" Tim asks before he could stop himself. Damian gives him an unimpressed look. "Oh. Lots of people, huh? Um… I guess protecting Batman is a big part of Robin. I know… that's the reason I became Robin. To save Bruce from his own darkness."

"Then… I am truly an awful Robin."

The words are so shocking that it takes Tim a second to realize a single drop of clear liquid that wasn't snow has dropped down Damian's cheek. 

"Richard died while I was gone," Damian continues, water in his voice. "Even if his death was really a ploy to go undercover… he still got captured and tortured. I wasn't… there to protect him. And now, all I could do was stand uselessly while Dent…"

Damian brings a hand to his cheek to wipe the next tear that tries to fall. The sleeve of his jacket folds up around his wrists to reveal rope burns that definitely look like they sting.

Tim thinks he has a clearer picture now. Damian was definitely there, tied down and held back as Two-Face beat Nightwing to a bloody pulp. 

Tim is so caught up trying to imagine what Damian is feeling, that he almost misses what's said next. 

"If Robin is supposed to protect Batman, then… then it should have been me."

"No," Tim turns so he's facing Damian more head on. More tears drip down his cheeks and Damian looks done with trying to wipe them away. He's looking at the gravestone like he's the one who put it there. That the only reason it's there in the first place is because he wasn't there to stop it. "No, you're not allowed to say that. I take it back, Robin isn't meant to protect Batman-"

"You just said-"

"I was wrong, okay?" 

Damian opens his mouth, then closes it. 

Tim has to take a moment to catch his breath and gather his thoughts. "Look… Damian… you're a kid. It's never a kids job to protect the guardian. It's their job to protect you."

"That's the issue, Timothy, he was protecting me." Damian wipes his eyes furiously, his cheeks growing redder but not because of the cold. "Two-Face wanted me, but Richard tricked Two-Face into letting him take my place. Richard died because of me, and stayed away because of me, and now he's- he's hurt because of me-"

"Stop it," Tim snaps. He can feel his heart beating so quickly. His stomach feels like it's in knots. Damian snaps his jaw shut with a tiny, barely choked off whimper that almost has Tim wanting to stand up, go to Gotham, and show Two-Face what a baseball bat looks like from the other end of the beating. "Just… stop. It's… none of this is your fault. And if Dick heard you saying things like this… that it should be you… he'd tell you the same stuff. 

"You didn't do anything wrong Damian. Sometimes… Batman gets hurt. But you can't hold yourself responsible for that. Sometimes Dick gets hurt to protect you… us, and we can't blame ourselves for that. Dick did what he thought was right, and it's our job now to make sure he gets better. Okay?"

Damian's silent. Sniffs. From the cold or from tears, Tim doesn't ask. 

He wakes in the chilling silence of the Wayne Graveyard until Damian finally jerks his head in a tiny, ridged nod. "I… understand."

"Good." Tim then rises to his feet and grabs Damian's bicep, dragging his little brother up with him. Damian stiffens at first, but eventually complies. Soon, Tim has his arm wrapped around Damian's shoulders. Damian sniffs again and wipes his eyes. 

"You said… Alfred was making hot chocolate?" He asks, and Tim smiles. 

"He sure is. You think we can convince him to put in marshmallows this time?" 

Damian puts on a watered-down thoughtful face. Then nods. "I'm sure if we work together, we can also get cookies."

"Sounds like a plan, gremlin."

"Tt."

"Oh, don't give me that look. You like the nickname."

"I do not."

“Yes you do. Look! You're smiling!"

"You're seeing things, Timothy."

[nevermindthewind]

Waurel promt: Laurel has a lot of problems with the pregnancy hormones Laurel: Let's have sex, Wes. Right here, right now. Wes: I totally would, but none of the doors in this dorm lock. Laurel: Then let's do it against the door. It'll be like a threesome between you, me, and the door. Wes: Sounds hot, but I'll never be able to look at that poor door the same way again. I can't be so mean to such an innocent door.

They were almost to the clinic when Michaela called asking them, well telling them to pick up her laptop from Asher’s dorm.

Neither of them wanted to as Freeman was on the other side of campus, but after she threatened to withhold her incredibly detailed Evidence outline Wes quickly turned the car around and headed towards the eastern entrance. Laurel wasn’t as easily convinced.

“Doesn’t she know not to keep a pregnant lady away from food for more than 20 minutes?” she asked, folding her arms over her newly visible bump. “If I’m not within 100 feet of a roll of Oreos at all times I could collapse.”

Wes laughed. “Asher’s bound to have plenty of food in his room. We’ll steal a little something for the road. 

“Okay…You think he has oreos?” she asked hopefully.

“I wouldn’t put it past him,” he replied.

As they pulled up to a stop light Laurel’s attention was suddenly drawn to Wes. He had one hand on the wheel, the other resting on his lap. She watched his fingers tap the steering wheel in time with the music, and suddenly she was imagining those fingers doing something…a little different.

She bit her lip as she grabbed his resting hand and pulled it into her lap. Taking his hand into her own, she began playing with his fingers and interlacing them with hers. Wes smiled but didn’t take his eyes off the road.

That smile.

Laurel’s face began to warm imagining all the ways she could wipe that smile off his face. She turned to face the road, her eyes widening. A small smile appeared on her face.

Get a grip, Laurel.

–

By the time they reached Freeman she was practically on fire.

She got out of the car and immediately took his hand in hers and wrapped her other arm around his, pulling him close.

“Someone’s feeling cuddly this morning,” he said. He squeezed her hand as they made their way up the stairs to Asher’s room.

“That’s not all I’m feeling,” she muttered just loud enough for him to hear. Wes’ eyebrows shot up.

“Oh really?” he asked, turning his head to look at her. She looked up at him, desire reflected in her eyes. He grinned. “This pregnancy is making you hornier than Connor and Asher combined.”

“You love it,” she said, kissing his arm as they arrived at Asher’s room on the second floor.

“And you are such a bad influence,” he said with mock seriousness. They went into the room and immediately Laurel closed the door.

“Let’s have sex, Wes. Right here, right now,” she murmured into his ear, walking her fingers down his arm. Wes laughed and turned to look at her, raising an eyebrow.

“I totally would, but none of the doors in this dorm lock,” he fake whispered back, looking around the room.

She cocked her head playfully as she turned to face him, pulling him close by looping her thumbs through his belt loops.

“Then let’s do it against the door. It’ll be like a threesome between you, me, and the door.”

“Sounds hot, but I’ll never be able to look at that poor door the same way again. I can’t be so mean to such an innocent door.”

Laurel was getting impatient. She took off her jacket and tossed it on the floor before pulling Wes closer to her still, backing them up until she was up against the door.

“Wes. This is a dorm room. The door is hardly innocent. In fact, it’s practically meant for sex. It would be sad if we didn’t have sex.”

“Well we can’t have that, now can we?” he asked with a smirk, and with that Laurel knew she’d won.

She stood on her toes and kissed him hard, moving her hands from his waist to his face as she slipped off her flats, then quickly moving to unbuckle his belt. He kissed her back as he unzipped her jeans, not wasting any time. They only had a little time before Michaela got suspicious and he wasn’t taking any chances.

“Asher– “ Wes started.

“Won’t care, he never sleeps here anyway,” Laurel finished as she pulled him to her.

Laurel wiggled her hips, trying to help as he began to pull down her pants, revealing a lacy maroon thong. As she kicked them off to the side Wes kissed the corner of her lips and started a trail from her lips, across her jaw and down her neck before pulling back her sleeve to kiss a patch of freckles on her shoulder, his favorite spot. Laurel responded by pulling off her shirt in one swift movement, her growing breasts barely contained by her pre-pregnancy bra.

“God you’re beautiful,” he groaned.

“Please, you just like my inflated tits,” Laurel retorted with a laugh.

“Well I mean you’re not wrong, but the rest of you is pretty goddamn beautiful too.”

Laurel just shook her head.

–

Thirty minutes later they walked into the clinic.  

They’d carefully inspected themselves, taking care to fix their hair and clothes to get rid of any, well, evidence of their earlier debauchery.  

As soon as they walked in they were greeted by an irritated Michaela, who immediately rounded on them.

“What the hell took you so long?” she said through gritted teeth.

“Morning sickness,” Laurel shrugged, handing her the laptop. Wes giggled but managed to hide it with a cough.

“Aw don’t tell me you ralphed in my room,” Asher groaned, looking up from his file.

Laurel glared up at him. “No I didn’t, but if I did I highly doubt I’d have been the first to throw up in that pigsty,” she retorted.

“She’s right, you managed to take that room’s vomit virginity within a week of living there,” said Michaela as she sat down at their table.  Wes and Laurel followed, Laurel shooting a playful glance at him as they sat next to each other.  He wiggled his eyebrows in response.

That was when he noticed it; a small, but very noticeable hickey was beginning to form at the base of her neck.  

His eyes widened.  He didn’t know whether to laugh or panic.  She was going to kill him.

Of course, Laurel noticed the change in his expression almost immediately.

“What?” she mouthed, furrowing her eyebrows.

He cleared his throat and casually pointed at his own neck, attempting to disguise it as an itch and then pointing at her. She brought her hand to her neck, flinching as her finger grazed the darkening bruise.  Her eyes widened with realization.  A look of exasperation appeared on her face and she quickly aimed a hard kick at his leg under the table.  

“Hey!” he exclaimed quietly, trying not to attract any attention as his leg began to throb.  For such a tiny person she really knew how to kick.

“Serves you right,” she muttered.

“I didn’t hear you complaining earlier,” he shot back.  

Laurel narrowed her eyes, clearly trying to look angry.  However as she turned back to the box of files in front of her Wes could’ve sworn he saw a little smile creep onto her face.

–

They managed to go most of the morning without anyone noticing.  Everyone was too focused on prepping for their next case to notice the now plum colored bruise on Laurel’s neck.  

That is, until Michaela reached over to grab a document off Laurel’s desk and practically came face to face with it.

“Laurel Castillo what is that?!” she exclaimed loudly, pointing to the hickey. “How old are you, 15?” Laurel winced as everyone looked up to see what Michaela was referring to.  Wes was slow to look up, a sheepish look on his face.  

“Ayy get it baby mama,” said Asher, rubbing his shoulder up against Laurel suggestively. She promptly pushed him away.

“Jesus Waitlist, try to be a little more obvious next time,” Connor sniggered.

“Shut up,” said Wes, annoyed.  He glanced at Laurel who shot him a look and raised an eyebrow.

“This is a two way street, buddy.  If I’m going down you’re coming with me,” she shrugged.

“Yeah Wes, fair is fair,” said Michaela, nodding her head in agreement.  “But next time if you want to go all vampire on your girlfriend try to do it a little further south where no one can see it.”

“Michaela!” Laurel exclaimed. “Who are you and what have you done with the girl who hated talking about sex?”

Now it was Michaela who was embarrassed.  

“She actually had an orgasm, that’s what happened,” Connor observed.

“Yeah she hopped on board the Ash Daddy Express,” said Asher, sticking his tongue out and shaking his head.

“Disgusting,” Michaela groaned.  “And I’m just saying, if you’re gonna suck on each other at least make it easy to cover up.”

“Duly noted,” said Laurel, rolling her eyes before returning her gaze to her laptop.

“Wait a second…” said Connor slowly.  “That little guy wasn’t there when you guys got here.  When did you guys sneak off to do the dirty?”

“For your information, asshole, I haven’t left this chair since we got here,” Laurel retorted, keeping her eyes on her computer.

“You’re blushing,” teased Asher.  Laurel just shook her head.

“You’re ridiculous,” she told him.

Suddenly Michaela gasped.

“Oh my God you didn’t!” she said, looking from Laurel to Wes with a bemused expression on her face.

“What?” Wes said a little too innocently.

“Asher’s dorm! You guys totally did it in his dorm,” she said triumphantly, as if she’d cracked a major case. “That’s why it took you so long to get the laptop. You little liars.”

“I…don’t know what you’re talking about,” said Wes, not meeting her eyes. Laurel’s eyes were practically burning a hole into her computer.

“Aw man,” groaned Asher. “Now I’m gonna have to burn my sheets. Actually make that my whole bed, just to be safe.”

“Who said anything about a bed?” muttered Laurel.  She looked up with a smirk and held out her hand to Wes, who promptly high fived her.

“Ok no, I don’t want to hear this,” said Michaela, shaking her head.

“There’s the Michaela I remember!” she teased. Michaela just glared at her.

“You two are bigger horndogs than Connor during his Grindr phase,” Asher said, ruffling Laurel’s hair as he walked back to his chair.  

“Even I wouldn’t have sex in your dorm, it’s a death trap,” retorted Connor.

“True,” said Asher. “I don’t know whether to be proud or disgusted by the two of you.”

“This is coming from the two guys who collectively have had sex in every bar in Philadelphia,” Laurel popped back.

“Yeah I don’t think you two are really in a place to talk,” commented Wes.

As Asher and Connor attempted to defend their honor, under the table Wes took Laurel’s hand and squeezed it. She looked up at him.

“I really am sorry,” he said sheepishly. Laurel let out a tiny laugh.

“Don’t be. Like you said, it’s not like I did anything to stop you.”

“I know, but still. I should’ve been more careful,” he sighed.

“I don’t think careful is really our strong suit,” she said with a smirk, resting her hand on her tiny bump.

“True,” said Wes, laughing. “We probably should work on that.”

Laurel smiled before planting a quick kiss on his hand.

“I think we’re doing okay.”