#chocolat cracks

[voidaxelis]

drew Cassis & Chocolat in Plumberry Art Club's aggie

[heartfuldodgerart]

chocolat is unironically my favourite mv party member.  all the others with their middle-school romance drama and angst and here’s a guy who just gives you worms he finds under rocks just before a dungeon with lots of rocks in it.  what a champ

[kovopedia]

[dilemmaontwolegs]

You Came, You Called || LN4

Summary: when strangers follow you from the nightclub there’s only one person you want to call.

Warnings: angst, threatening behaviour, fluff

WC: 2.4K

Lando stirred at the sound of his phone ringing on the bedside table. There were few people who could get past the ‘do not disturb’ setting that came into effect after midnight. With bleary eyes he reached for the phone and cringed at the bright light in his face but the sight of your name chased away his exhaustion.

It had been 162 days since you last spoke to him. It had been 162 days since he had ruined everything. He regretted his foolishness for every single one of those days and his stomach flipped at the thought of hearing your voice.

“Hey,” he answered, a flinch following as his voice cracked from lack of use while he slept. He quickly cleared it before trying again. “Hey.”

“Hey, baby.”

Alarm bells rang in his head and he sat up straight. Had you called the wrong man? That thought soured in his mouth.

“I’m on my way home.”

It wasn’t your unsteady voice he was focused on but the male voices that sounded far too close for his liking. “Aw, don’t call your boyfriend. We only want to talk.”

“Where are you?” Lando was already pulling on a pair of sweatpants and grabbing the first shirt he came across. “Are you okay?”

“No,” you whispered with a tremble in your tone. “I miss you.”

“Tell me where you are, sweetheart. I’m on my way.”

“Come on, gorgeous, it’s just a bit of fun,” a man called out and Lando saw red when he heard you choke back a sob. He knew the sound because he had been the reason for it before, and it had haunted him ever since. “He doesn’t have to know.”

“I’m heading towards Chocolat Boutique, please hurry.”

“I’m coming, sweetheart. I’m on my way.” Lando was already racing down to the garage and jumping in his McLaren. The engine roared loudly in the underground space before he tore out onto the street. “Keep talking to me, okay?”

The small store would have closed hours ago, but it was down the street from Jimmyz nightclub which was where you probably had been. He didn’t even know you were in town, and he didn’t have a right to know your whereabouts anymore.

“I’m scared, Lan.” The pain echoed around him as his phone connected to the car and played in surround sound.

“I know you are, but it’s going to be okay. I’m almost there, I promise.” He didn’t care about speeding tickets or running red lights. He flew through the narrow streets as he was forced to listen to the cat calls.

“I didn’t know who to call,” you admitted as you tried to walk faster but your heels hindered any escape. The three men were getting closer but they were in no hurry as they prowled both sides of the street to herd you along.

“You can always call me, love,” Lando swore, taking the last turn fast enough for the tires to squeal in protest. “And I’ll always answer.”

He found you on the footpath clutching your phone to your ear, hand cupped over the microphone as you spoke to him. Fear had widened your eyes and your normal stature cowered under the gaze of the men behind you.

Twisting the steering wheel, Lando skidded to a halt beside you and threw the door open. You had seen him angry before, when races don’t go his way, but this was beyond anger. Waves of rage rolled off him as you leapt into his arms, your trembling form finding itself molding perfectly back into his body. Two puzzle pieces slotting back together.

“I got you, sweetheart,” he soothed as he cradled the back of your head and glared over your shoulder. “You’re safe now.”

He might not have been the most imposing figure but you knew Lando was strong and regularly had boxing lessons for training. You had no doubt that if anything escalated he would use every lesson to protect you, but the cowards shrank back into the shadows of the shops.

“Let’s get you home.”

You were in such a state of shock that you didn’t see Lando wince at his mistake. You hadn’t called his apartment home for 162 days, not since you packed your bags and left. But right now you longed for that place where you had felt so safe and secure, tangled in his sheets and he curled his body around yours.

He opened the passenger door and reluctantly stepped out of your embrace to guide you into the seat. The doors locked as he started the engine and you exhaled a heavy breath of relief when the street was left behind.

Tearing your eyes away from the tinted window, you looked at Lando properly and saw his disheveled appearance. “I’m sorry for waking you.”

“I’m not.” He took his eyes off the road for a second before reaching over to take your hand. “You’re freezing.”

He couldn’t tell if you were shaking because you were cold or if it was the adrenaline leading to shock. Dropping your hand he reached behind your seat to grab a hoodie that was always left in the car. The material was soft and smelled like him as you pulled on, inhaling deeply at the familiarity of the scent.

“I miss stealing these,” you whispered as you buried your cold hands into the front pocket.

Lando chuckled at the admission. He missed seeing his hoodies on you and asking if you knew where his favourite ones were. You would lie and he would smile at how terrible the attempt was.

“You can steal that one, if you want. I have too many now that they don’t mysteriously disappear.”

The car pulled into the garage and you found the space where your car used to park now filled with a pretty Lamborghini. A new sense of sadness hit that of course everything could be upgraded and replaced. “You can take me to my hotel. I wasn’t thinking clearly, you probably have company.”

His lips turned down at the thought and he shook his head. Lando understood why you would assume that, after all it was the reason you had left. What he had thought was harmless flirting had wrought destruction on his relationship with you. He knew he should’ve deleted the messages as soon as they were received but a moment of weakness when he was away from you led him to reply.

He betrayed your trust and he had regretted it ever since.

“There isn’t anyone,” he said as he parked. “There isn’t anyone ever, just to be clear.”

You mulled over his words as you stepped out of the car and accepted his hand, trading the warmth of the pocket for his palm. You kept hearing the insinuation echo with each step in the empty garage.

“Did you go out alone tonight?”

You shook your head. “Ana felt sick so she left. I should have gone with her.”

“So why did you stay?”

You weren’t ready to admit there was a slight hope you would see him so you just shrugged. It was Saturday night in Monaco and Jimmyz was the place to be - especially for a handsome, single man like Lando. You hadn’t wanted it to be this way though.

“I stopped going there after…a couple of months ago,” he said as he unlocked his door.

“Why? You loved that place.”

“I loved going with you,” he corrected. “I got to hold you and dance, show you off to everyone. When I went back, everyone just wanted to use me.”

You could imagine the women fawning over him and the men trying to be his next best friend. Sex or money, it was all they wanted from him.

“I’m sorry, Lan.”

“Lan,” he chuckled, following the light down the hall to his bedroom. The blanket was tossed aside and his charging cord was half hanging from the wall, a testament to how quickly he had left his bed to rescue you. “No one else calls me that anymore. It’s always Lando Norris, full name, so fucking weird. It’s Lando Norris getting out of his car. Oh, look, it’s Lando Norris scratching his nose.”

You laughed at his impersonation and sat at the edge of the bed. It was such an innocent thing but it brought back a million memories made in this room and he was seeing them all too as he stood frozen.

“Are you going to stand there all night, Lando Norris?”

His eyes traced your lips that mocked him before he shook his head of the thought that entered his head. Going to his wardrobe, he grabbed a loose shirt and tossed it to you before turning his back. “That’ll be more comfortable to sleep in than your dress.”

You laughed to yourself as he turned away, despite intimately knowing every inch of your body, until you found his eyes in the reflection of the mirror. His tortured eyes dared you to tell him to look away, but they begged you all the same. Maybe you were feeling grateful for the rescue, or maybe it was just an old habit that you held his gaze as you rose to your feet and let your dress fall to the floor with his hoodie.

His eyes darkened and he groaned, but the sound woke him up from his stupor. “I’ll go sleep on the couch.”

“Wait.” You took a step towards him as he stepped towards the door. “Please stay.”

He heard the fragility in your tone and the residual fear from the evening creeping back. He knew it was a bad idea but he couldn’t find the words to voice them as he gripped the door handle.

You watched his fingers release their tight hold before he nodded. “But please put the shirt on,” he pleaded as you tested his self restraint.

It was summer and the air still held warmth despite the early hour, but you dutifully pulled it over your head and climbed into the sheets. Lando waited until you were completely covered before he walked around to his side of the bed and curled up at the edge.

You both lay in silence, back to back, watching the shadows on the wall as the minutes ticked away. Lando was like a heat seeking missile and he was fighting an internal battle to keep from rolling over and curling his body around yours. You had always loved physical contact, it was comforting to be wrapped in his arms.

You knew he was awake and uncomfortable.

He knew you were awake and uncomfortable.

A few more minutes passed and you could no longer pretend he didn’t exist, or that you didn’t want the comfort he could give. “Lan?”

“Yeah?” His response was instant and you felt the bed shift as he rolled onto his back.

“Stop being weird and just cuddle me so we can get some sleep.”

“I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

You giggled and reached blindly for him. “I am already.”

Your hand found his arm and he shimmied across the space until it curled around your waist. His knees tucked behind yours and his breath warmed your neck as he whispered, “I’m sorry. For everything. I know you hate me, but-”

“I don’t,” you interjected, twisting your neck to look at him in the dim light. “I did, I really did. But I don’t anymore.”

“You should. I hurt you so bad. I deserve your hate.”

You swallowed down the lump in your throat and looked away as you admitted aloud what you had known for a while. “I can’t hate you, Lan, not when I still love you.”

Lando froze still behind you and you weren’t sure if he was even breathing. “You still love me?” Disbelief, wonder, hope - it was so saturated in that question.

“I thought something terrible was going to happen to me tonight so I called you in case it was the last time I could. I didn’t want ‘I hate you’ to be my last words to you.”

Lando’s gut clenched at the thought and his arms tightened around you, crushing your back to his chest. “I wish you called sooner, I would come day or night to get you.”

“I know.”

“I don’t think you do,” he said sadly. “Every weekend for the past five months I wonder if you are out drinking and clubbing. I know it’s not my place, and I lost all right to know where you are, but I need to know you safe, sweetheart. It kills me to think that there might be someone else looking out for you, because that was my job. It should still be my job, to protect you, because I love you too. I never stopped loving you.”

You squirmed in his arms but they were too tight to move. “Lan, I need you to let go of me,” you murmured.

“I’ve tried, but I can’t. I can’t give up on us.”

“Lan.”

His breath was shaky but he released his tight grip on you, despite his desire to keep you close. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said any of that.”

He started to pull away but you finally had room to move and followed. “Lando! Come back, you muppet. I just wanted to see your face without breaking my neck,” you laughed.

He paused, a little from appearing between his brows. “Let go…oh…” His eyes lit up even in the dark room and he bundled you back into his arms. “Muppet is my word.”

You nuzzled your face into the crook of his neck and inhaled his scent. “I stole it too, like your hoodies.”

“I was a muppet so you can have it this time.” He pulled back so he could find your eyes. “Where does this leave us?”

“You broke my trust.” You felt him deflate at the words. “But when I needed you, you came.”

“You called.”

Your chest felt light with emotion those two words brought and you combed your fingers into his dark curls. “I don’t know where this leaves us but what I do know is that I really want you to kiss me.”

His eyes widened in surprise. “Now? Are you sure? It might just be the adrena-”

“Shut up and kiss me, Lan.”

He didn’t need to be told a third time.

[silverflqmes]

໒⦂ 𝐃𝐈𝐒-𝐌𝐎𝐈 𝐓𝐎𝐔𝐓.

synposis. you ask the fontainian boys and girlies for a lesson in the language of their nation — french, to better understand them and become closer.

genre. fluff + crack

ft. navia, lyney, furina, neuvillette

disclaimer. i had french for seven years in school, but my knowledge in the language is in no way perfect, so if i make mistakes, i apologize in advance! pointing out mistakes is okay, but don’t be an ass about it. furthermore, any terms of endearment that are written here will be used with their respective possessive pronoun to keep it gender neutral. for example, cherie is feminine, so i will put ma in front of it. cœur is masculine, so i will put mon. i hope this is lucid enough! lastly, if any qualities used ( fav color, macaron ) do not align with your preferences, feel free to change it in your head — i just used my own to make the sentence flow. OH and one more note i promise- some things can’t really be translated the same in english as they sound in french! mon cœur for example is not really a term of endearment you hear the same in english.. so if the translation sounds weird, it’s just because some things can’t sound the same unfortunately.. THATS WHY FOREIGN LANGUAGES ARE MORE ROMANTIC🗣️🗣️

gender neutral! reader

➫ 𝓝𝗔𝗩𝗜𝗔 ୨୧ ˎˊ˗

⌗ oh she was so excited when you showed interest in her native language, it was just so romantic and things couldn’t be expressed as deeply in english as they were in french.

⌗ very patient with teaching you! she prefers a more verbal approach with teaching you and despite her formal nature, she teaches you a casual and easy way of speaking that doesn’t make you sound robotic😭

⌗ “imparfait is used a lot when written, in speech however — between you and me.. you don’t hear it really often! so we’re just gonna focus on le passé composé~ <3”

⌗ if you feel insecure about your lack of accent, it’s okay ( bc me too. ), navia won’t judge you for it! she’s just happy that you’re willing to learn for her!

⌗ likes to set up a scenario for you to test your proficiency! this time around, she had invited clorinde to join you both for tea and macarons.

⌗ clorinde was as patient as a one came.. and was happy to be having navia’s macarons once more.

⌗ “ah~ y/n, voulez-vous un autre macaron? quelle saveur souhaitez-vous?” / “ah~ y/n, would you like another macaron? which flavor would you like?”

⌗ clorinde is just sipping away her tea as the gears are turning in your head to answer navia properly. “oui.. um, je voulais un de chocolat, s’il vous plaît..” / “yes.. um, i’d like a chocolate one, please.”

⌗ cue uncertainty in your words but navia just smiles brightly before clapping. “très bien, ma cherie~! voilà, un macaron de chocolat.” / “very good, my darling! here you go, one chocolate macaron.”

⌗ despite your embarrassment, the tea party went surprisingly well? you eventually got a little more comfortable despite your easy way of speaking, but navia couldn’t be prouder<3

➫ 𝓛𝗬𝗡𝗘𝗬 ୨୧ ˎˊ˗

⌗ he is a total tease with it and is the kind of tutor that would ask what you are referring to or press for more information just to mess around with you.

⌗ say he asks what your favorite color is, he’ll totally 100% ask WHY it’s your favorite color, and will await with this innocent smile for you to explain. like so.. “pourquoi le rouge est ta couleur préférée, hm? explique-moi s’il vous plaît, mon cœur~” / “why is red your favorite color, hm? please explain to me, my heart~”

⌗ “one of these days lyney, i swear..” you’d mutter and he’d just put a hand to his ear. “hm, qu’est ce-que vous avez dit? je ne comprends pas!” / “hm, what was that you said? i don’t understand!”

⌗ he is fr testing your patience, and now you are wondering whether or not it was a good idea to say you wanted to learn french. he is the most meddlesome teacher!

⌗ i feel like he’s one of those that refuses to answer you unless you respond in french. doesn’t have to be perfect, but he needs to hear you trying! thinks it’s the best way for you to pick up the language — an environment where you are inclined to speak it!

⌗ he probably makes lynette and freminet join in on this scheme of his.. fremmy is mouthing apologies in english to you while lynette is apologizing for her troublesome brother.

⌗ it’s needless to say, despite the extremities, lyney’s method kind of worked? i mean you’re in an environment where all you hear is french and you are forced to speak it in order to communicate with your lover and his family, sooo.. you’re bound to pick it up. sorta.

⌗ when arlecchino was in town again for a visit to check on her kids, you had this idea once you felt you knew enough of the language to ask for her approval on you dating lyney, since she hadn’t known yet.

⌗ so with lyney present, you shocked him completely by walking up to the fatui harbinger with a shaky confidence, holding your heart as you stared up at her. “madame arlecchino.. il m’a fallu beacoup de temps pour apprendre les mots.. mais,” you paused, sucking in a breath. “je voudrais avouer que je suis très amoureux de ton fils.. et je souhaite votre approbation!” / “miss arlecchino, it took me a lot of time to learn the words.. but, i wanted to confess that i am very much in love with your son, and i wish for your approval!”

⌗ lyney was in complete shock of what his ‘father’ might say, but when the smallest smile painted her lips, relief washed over him. “vous devez vraiment l’aimer beaucoup, si vous avez appris le français pour me dire ça.. vous avez mon approbation.” / “you must love him very much, then, if you learned french to tell me this.. you have my approval.”

➫ 𝓕𝗨𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗔 ୨୧ ˎˊ˗

⌗ oh, you thought lyney was bad? think again. furina is on another level of teaching french and just as troublesome, if not- worse, as he is with his methods of teaching you..

⌗ she’s got you writing, doing grammar and spelling, speaking, reading — everything you can imagine. all because you showed the tiniest bit of interest in the language since furina’s performances are often in french.

⌗ in hindsight, you just wanted to learn to understand her better whenever you attended her shows</3

⌗ when she realizes she’s overdoing things, she eases up and recoils a little, not wanting to overflow you with information. it was meant to be something fun for you both anyway to connect you more, not another year of education for you..

⌗ and so she switches to another method of teaching — which is practicing her scripts with you!

⌗ she helps you with your lines, and whatever you don’t understand, she will explain to you so that you guys can have your little performance together<3

⌗ she’ll summon her little animal friends with her vision to act as supporting cast while the two of you act out your lines. cue you being a flustered mess cuz you’re worried about your pronunciation and emotion since hers is so on point, but her eyes sparkle when she hears you trying. you can tell she’s glad you wanted to do this with her.

⌗ some scripts include her singing and it’s just the most beautiful thing. you had heard her once singing la vie en rose in the shower while reading a book and ever since, you’d wished to hear her again.

⌗ “et tu, mon ange..” she cupped your cheek, eyes filled with love for you. “mon étoile.. ma raison de vivre, de tout mon coeur, corps et âme, t’adore tendrement.” / “and you, my angel.. my star.. my reason for living, with all of my heart, body and soul, i adore you dearly.”

⌗ despite it being part of her lines, the script she was following, you had felt every word that was expressed and knew that furina had meant it all.

➫ 𝓝𝗘𝗨𝗩𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗘𝗧𝗧𝗘 ୨୧ ˎˊ˗

⌗ similar to navia, he’s very patient with you and not as strict as he looks like he would be. he’s very gentle and sweet about it.

⌗ when you told him you wanted to learn his native language, you could see the slightest hint of elation in his visage. if you were around water, it was bound to twinkle in response to his emotions.

⌗ it was decided that he would teach you as best as he could, and his methods were a little less verbal than the others though. he wanted to teach you the written part to help you with vocabulary and forming sentences. if you had that down, you would have a little more ability and inspiration to respond to him more easily.

⌗ although, he loved reading to you as well, even if it made you a little sleepy. his voice was just so soothing, you couldn’t help yourself when it came to monsieur neuvillette</3

⌗ however he made a point to do this after you guys practiced, since he realized it serenaded you more than it taught you.. but he didn’t mind, you looked so peaceful and adorable<3

⌗ still don’t have the pronunciation down for the very machine he used everyday for trials? he’s got you. “selon le jugement de l’oratrice de mécanique d’analyse cardinale..” yes. yes i did that. no translation needed.

⌗ it made you giggle a little when he said it, him obviously not phased by you asking him to pronounce it — little did he know you just wanted to hear him say it cuz it was silly..

⌗ one day you bring him a book series called ‘fables de fontaine’ — which are in essence, folktales of fontaine, with the intention of reading them with his assistance.

⌗ it made him smile to see you shyly hold up the stack of volumes, but he nodded and sat you down on his lap to read them together, as a means of testing your proficiency.. and maybe- just maybe.. cuz you wanted an excuse to be close with him.

⌗ regardless, he didn’t mind and rather valued the time you shared together since he was the ludex of fontaine — meaning he was often very busy and unavailable</3 so whatever time he got with you, was always and forever cherished by him<3 even if you kind of just maybe.. fell asleep midway while reading.. it just made him chuckle before pressing a chaste kiss to your forehead. “beaux rêves, mon bijou.” / “sweet dreams, my jewel.”

notes. i had this in my drafts for ages, to any of my french speaking readers — please don’t butcher me :’))) anyway i hope this was okay, little different from what i normally do since i don’t really showcase me writing in other languages cuz it’s more work to add translations — and it’s difficult to stay gender neutral😵‍💫

↳ return to main masterlist . request rules . send an ask

[tojisbbg]

❈ 𝗹𝗲𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗺𝘆 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻 ❈

❝one day i will stop falling in love with you, some day, someone will like me like i like you.❞

♡ manjiro sano ♡

a/n: current mood - wanting to breaking people’s hearts 😈 (sorry mikey stans)

content: mikey x reader (y/n), very heavy angst, right person wrong time, you’re mikey’s childhood friend, he’s getting married (lolz), not grammatically checked/edited

...

you finished adding the final touches to your makeup, a heavy sigh leaving your lips as you checked in the mirror if your concealer hid your puffy eyes well. some would say that whatever you were going through was tragic, a scenario that you would read about in romance novels where the main character is destined to a miserable fate.

and perhaps that was right.

you’ve been feeling miserable, sad and pathetic for the last month and a half since you’ve received the invitation. a piece of paper that felt like a sharp knife slicing your heart in half.

what was worse was that you couldn’t even find it in your heart to throw away the card. it was beautifully decorated with happy pastel colors and confetti, printed on expensive card stock, pop-up designs and a photo of him with the girl that was supposed to be you.

it was your childhood friend’s wedding, except for the catch that you’ve been holding in a burdening crush on him for the last twenty years. he was your person and you were his, being there for each other through thick and thin.

you both created a world where it was just the two of you while everyone else became a blur, a bunch of white noise. he was the invincible mikey and you were his key.

you couldn’t help but wonder, when did things change so fast? how did the perfect world you both created become nothing but dust?

---

(17 years ago)

“how is she, doc?” the young boy with a dragon tatted on his skull asked curiously as he stared at his friend, well practically family, in concern. 

“it was just an upset stomach, little man. we gave your sister some antibiotics to fight off those nasty little germs that’s been bothering her. she’ll be good in a few days. you sure you don’t have a parent or older family member we can contact?” the doctor asked, cocking an eyebrow as he held the pen in his hand eagerly, hoping the blonde boy would say something to him. 

“we’re orphans and she’s not my real sister. we have someone that’s been taking care of us for all these years and he’ll come by shortly.” he murmured, shame painting his face as his gaze went down to the floor. 

the doctor looked at him with sorrow, patting his head. 

“hang tight, buddy. keep her company, but don’t make her laugh too much or else it might make her cry.” he tried to create humor and it successfully made the frowning by crack a crooked smile. 

“yes, sir!” the little boy playfully saluted as he watched the man in the white coat walk away with a chuckle. 

“ken?” his ears rang up when hearing your faint call of his name, a small whimper following after. 

“y/n! are you hurting anywhere? should i call the doctor back? uncle’s gonna be here soon with remi. i told them to bring your favorite chocolate pudding.” draken gave you a cheeky grin, his hand now holding yours tightly. 

“you know me so well, sometimes i forget that i’m an orphan.” you laughed quietly, trying to not put strain on your stomach. 

“you’re not an orphan, y/n. you got me, uncle, remi and the other girls too. we’re one big happy family.” he persisted, eyebrows furrowing as he tried his best to convince you to believe his point. 

“you told the doctor that i’m not your sister, ken.” you whispered, your throat becoming dry as the words left your mouth. draken fell silent for a few seconds before sighing, laying his head besides your hand. 

“i told him that you’re not my real sister, y/n. there’s a difference. i don’t care what the law says because my heart says otherwise. you’ll always be the sister that i’ve always dreamed of having.” his eyes twinkled, a hand coming up to ruffle your hair. 

“so i heard one of my little girls was sick? maybe some chocolate pudding will make those little bad guys in your stomach go away.” your uncle’s voice boomed in your ward, a small smile plastered on his face as he shook the white plastic bag.

your eyes glimmered in content before you were pulled into a bear hug by remi. the girl sobbed on your shoulder, wetting it with tears and snot as she roared by your ears. 

“y/nnnn!!!! i thought you were gonna die when kenny told uncle! i love you, y/n, don’t leave ever me. ever.” she hiccuped between every word as your uncle and draken tried to console her and calm her down. 

“it was a stomach bug, remi. i’ll be better in a few days.” you tried to cheer her up. she raised her head, looking at you in doubt. 

“promise?” remi sniffled. 

“promise, you know i’d never lie to you.” you wiped away her tears before hugging her once more. 

your uncle handed the three of you the small containers of chocolate pudding. 

“why don’t you three take a walk outside, i’ll have this really nice nurse walk you guys. it’s good to get some fresh air.” the doctor said, patting your back and you all agreed, soon leaving the room. 

you happily skipped through the hallway, one pudding container in your pocket, while the other one was tightly secured in your hand as you ate it. 

“let’s play hide and seek, you’re the seeker ken!” you quickly blurted out, not giving either of them a choice before running off to the other direction. you faintly heard draken groan in annoyance, being tired of always being the seeker but he’d always do it for you. 

you saw a pretty quiet hallway and decided to turn to that corner, only to find a small quiet room. you figured that it wouldn’t be too much of a trouble to hide in here for a few minutes

you opened the door, nearly having a heart attack from the sudden appearance of another person. it was a boy with short blonde hair, he was huddled up into a ball, quietly whimpering and crying. 

“hey, kid.” you called out to him, only to not receive a response. a heavy sigh left your lips as you walked over to him, sitting on the floor besides him. the boy looked up at you, eyes all puffy and his nose red. 

he’s pretty cute.

“look, i’m really bad at comforting people. but, when i’m super sad, i eat chocolate pudding to make me happy again.” you said with a grin, digging in your pocket to get your other container out. 

you grabbed his hand and opened his palm before placing the treat in it. he stared at it in momentary silence. 

“who are you?” he finally spoke, looking at you with slight confusion. 

“just a stranger who’s hiding from her siblings in an intense game of hide and seek. what about you?” you chuckled, scooping another bite into your mouth. 

“i’m.. i don’t know.” he said with a shaky breath, shaking his head. 

“that’s fine, we don’t always know the answer to everything. ken is really mean sometimes, he’s a year older than me and asked me what 345 times 82 is. i could bet you my whole stash of chocolate pudding that he doesn’t know himself. tch, smart my ass.” you scoffed, earning a small giggle from your side. you side eyed him, seeing him detach the small spoon from the plastic lid before opening it. 

“what’s your name?” he asked you, eyes anticipating for an answer. 

“y/n. you?” you continued to inhale your treat as you waited for him to respond. 

“mikey.” the blonde boy scooped in a hefty amount into his mouth as he consumed the sweet dessert. 

“why were you crying, mikey?” you asked, not realizing how insensitive you were being. 

“it’s personal.” mikey shortly dismissed, but you were a little slow to understand and continued to persist until he caved in. 

“it’s just me and you in here. think of it as a bubble with just us, nothing comes in or goes out of this bubble.” you assured him, patting his back. 

for some strange reason, mikey felt like he could tell you anything from how comfortable you made him feel. considering the fact that he didn’t want to show any kind of reaction or emotion towards his family, he decided to seek that comfort and release in you. 

“my mother just died, about an hour ago.” he bluntly dropped the bomb, placing a very awkward and tense atmosphere between you both. 

“you’ll get over it, mikey.” you calmly answered, making his brows furrow with annoyance and slight anger. 

“how could you say that to me? my mother just died.” mikey said in disbelief, his tone heightening a little. 

“i’m telling you the truth. i’m sorry that this happened to you, especially at such a young age, but it’ll all pass and soon, today will just be one of your many bad memories. you’ll find peace and love one day and heal, mikey. that’s life.” you defended your previous statement, looking into his eyes with a gentle look. 

“and how do you know that? you’re just some ten-year-old weirdo that walked in on me.” he mumbled under his breath, making you giggle. 

“i’m an orphan, mikey. i don’t even know what my parents look like or if i even have any to begin with. not even any knowledge on if i have sibling or not. ken and remi aren’t my real siblings, just people i grew up with.” you shrugged, making the blonde boy thin his lips. 

“i’m sorry.” he apologized, his gaze lowering to meet his shoes. 

“it’s not your fault. there’s too much love in this world to be consumed by regret or grief. i’m not saying that you shouldn’t grieve, but you have to pick yourself up and continue with the rest of your life eventually. it’s what your mom would’ve wanted, mikey.” you ruffled his hair as his eyes shimmered with hope. 

“thanks, i’ll try. also, promise me that you won’t tell anyone about me crying.” mikey gave you a embarrassed look, holding up his pinky. 

“i promise.” you intertwined yours with his.

suddenly, the door flew open, which startled the both of you. 

“found you!”

---

“i’m really sorry, sir.” the doctor heavily sighed, trying to pat your uncle’s back as the man sobbed in his palms. 

“how bad is it? please, tell me she has time! she’s only ten, i want to be able to walk her down the aisle one day.” your uncle begged, choking between every word and cry. 

“the tumor in right in the middle of her brain, wrapping around each and every blood vessel. it’s to aggressive for us to remove it, i’m sorry once again, but it’s inoperable. she’ll bleed out before we can even remove a centimeter of it. with proper treatment and medications, we’re looking at maybe ten more years.” the doctor replied, making your uncle rub his temples in worry. 

“uncle!! meet my new friend, mikey! they live on the next block from our house.” you vibrant voice broke the depressing atmosphere. your uncle quickly wiped away his tears, giving you all a smile. 

“hey, i remember you! you were in s.s motors with shinichiro.” your uncle patted mikey’s head. 

“he’s my big brother.” mikey answered. 

“i see, why don’t you come and have lunch with us. we’re going out for burgers, i’ll text your brother that you’re with us.” your uncle suggested, making the small blonde boy nod his head.

and just like that, the both of you became inseparable. 

---

high school came around and you were the only thing that was piecing manjiro sano, or rather the invincible mikey, together. he formed a gang and that included your brother in it as well. you all were a pretty tight group to say the least, yet no one could truly understand him better than you could.

not even his right-hand men such as draken or sanzu. 

“i think i’m gonna disband toman and move away for some time, you now escape life for a little.” he sighed, opening the lid of the chocolate pudding before handing it to you.

“where’s yours?” you asked, confused as to why he only got one. 

“didn’t want one.” he shrugged, digging in his pocket before pulling out a box of cigarettes. he plucked one of the cancer sticks out, planting it in between his lips before lighting it. 

you watched him in disappointment, as he inhaled the smoke before coughing it out, eyes becoming watery as you scoffed. 

“dumbass, give me that.” you grabbed the stick before throwing it on the ground, stepping on it. 

“and that.” you grabbed the pack out of his hands before tossing it into the trash. 

“y/n.” mikey called out. 

“no, i’m really mad at you. i can’t believe you, mikey. pull that type of shit again and i’ll bury you, i swear. no girl would ever want to kiss you with a mouth like that.” you scoffed, flicking his forehead as he winced in pain. 

“not even you?” he teased. 

“i’d rather kiss a roach.” you playfully punched his bicep, earning a small laugh from him. 

“they only had one pudding left, so i didn’t get one for myself.” he explained himself. 

“we could always share, idiot. say ah.” you ordered, scooping a hefty amount of pudding before placing the spoon near his lips. he opened his mouth, eating it with content. 

“see, much better than cigarettes. but i was being serious, mikey, i don’t wanna see those near your lips or reach ever again. swear on my life?” you glared at him, making him choke. 

“hey! why are you giving me such a harsh swear??” he cleared his throat. 

“so you’re saying you’ll lie and do it behind my back?!” you yelled, making him quickly shake his head. 

“no, no, no! that’s not what i meant. i’m just saying that isn’t it such a big swear for something so stupid?” mikey tried to reason. 

“your health is not stupid, mikey. don’t push my buttons and swear already.” you rolled your eyes, making him sigh. 

“fine, i swear.” he said in defeat, stealing the reamining of your pudding to eat. 

“hm, good. oh, going back to what you were saying earlier, why so suddenly?” you questioned, backtracking to the previous conversation before you both got out of topic. 

“i don’t know, i feel like i’m bringing in my toxic energy in and engulfing everyone. maybe i should just let it all go and step back, you know? even you need a break from me to be honest.” he bitterly laughed. you kissed your teeth before grabbing a hold of his face, turning it to face you as you stared sternly at him. 

“mikey, i’m not going anywhere. what i promised you seven years will never break, even after we die. our souls are one, and i can’t leave my other half. so, let me run away with you. wherever you want, i’ll follow right behind you.” you gave him a soft smile, caressing his cheeks lovingly. his expression grew softer, tears welling in his eyes as he buried his face in your chest. you wrapped your arms around him, kissing the top of his head. 

it’s been rough on him, especially after losing shinichiro too in an accident. mikey’s been in a really dark place for a few months, shit, even scary if you were honest. he was snappy, rude, all dark and twisty. yet, you never gave up on him. 

because you knew that at the end of the day, he was still the same small boy you found in that closet crying to himself. 

“y/n, promise me something.” mikey sniffled, pulling away as he looked up at you, eyes holding so much vulnerability. 

“i promised my entire life to you, what more should i promise?”you joked, wiping away his tears with the pads of your thumb. 

“if we don’t find someone by the age of thirty, let’s get married. i’d rather spend the rest of my life with you than all alone.” he offered, a boyish smile dancing on his lips as your heart fluttered. 

you could’ve sworn that it skipped a few beats, making it suddenly harder to breathe as your cheeks grew warm. 

“stop fucking around with me, sano. it’s not funny.” you warned him, but his expression remained the same. 

“you’re being deadass?” your eyes grew wide and he hummed in response. 

“so, are you in or not?” the blonde boy cocked an eyebrow as he held out his pinkie, making you chuckle. 

“jeez, it seems like you’re making a life or death contract with me. yes, i’m in.” you answered, intertwining your pinkie with his. 

and to think that what you’ve been dreaming of for years were to come true would become only a nightmare. 

it’s not until emma’s death where mikey completely disappeared, not answering anyones calls or even yours. you spent days trying to look for him all over the city and even begging koko to somehow track his number or something. 

but every effort went in vain. 

you cried for months, refusing to eat and giving up on the sweet treat that only reminded you of him. you had nightmares every night, and the only thought that circled your mind was that he was dead. 

he was really gone. 

until after nearly nine years, he came back. not alone, but accompanied with another person. 

a girl, his girl, to be precise. 

mikey went to the philippines for those years, returning with a completely new get up that would make it hard for anyone to guess that it was him. his beautiful blonde locks were now cut short with an undercut, dyed black. 

you remembered the first day where he showed up at your doorsteps, your knees turned into jelly as you almost collapsed to the group if he didn’t catch you in time. you cried in his arms for so long, cursing and punching him from pain and anger as he whispered thousands of apologies to you. 

you were happy, so fucking happy to see that he was alive. it put your mind and heart to peace, until you saw her walk out of the car.  

“this is my girlfriend, y/n. we met a few years back and she’s just amazing, you know. i wanted you to meet the most important person of my life first since you’re my best friend.” he mischievously giggled, snaking an arm around her waist. 

your throat became dry, heart shattering into a billion pieces as each word leaving his lips was like knives jabbing at your heart. it bled, threatening to leak out of your eyes. yet, you held back, trying your hardest to fake a realistic smile to keep your cool. 

“nice to meet you.” you shook her hand. 

“the pleasure’s all mine, mikey’s told me a lot about you.” she said, making you awkwardly laugh.

“oh, i see.” you dryly replied, clearing your throat. 

“these are for you by the way, it’s a recipe that’s really sacred to my family. i hope you enjoy.” she smiled, handing you a box of what seemed like cookies. 

fuck, i can’t even bring myself to hate her. 

“thank you, that’s really sweet of you. uh, you both should stay over for lunch.” you offered, secretly praying that they refuse. 

“sorry, y/n, i gotta get my bike inspected by ken-chin. next time, yeah?” he ruffled your hair, as you managed to let out a small hum. you waved them goodbye before entering your house, locking the door behind you. 

you fell on your knees, letting out all the tears that you’ve been holding in. your cry was ugly, gut-wrenching and painful as it stole all the oxygen from your lungs and made you gag and choke. 

it felt like someone died, well, it was sort of like that. 

mikey was no longer yours, he was somebody’s else’s. you were all alone now. 

you’re the other woman. 

you probably shed a gallon of tears by now, trying your best to turn off the water tap glued on your eyes. but, the image of him snaking his arm around her waist never left your mind. 

you glanced at the box of cookies on the floor, opening the lid to grab one and take a bite. 

“fuck, they taste delicious too.” you cried, throwing it back in the box as you decided that it’ll be best to call out of work sick for tomorrow. 

---

the day has finally come, where you have to let him go. he was no longer yours, those days will never come back, now only a happy memory that you can confide to for comfort. 

“y/n, you don’t have to do this.” draken sighed, placing a hand on your shoulder but you shook your head, determined to attend that damn wedding. 

“i have to, ken. he’s my best friend, i can do at least this much for him.” you answered, fixing up the green dress that you wore before putting on your earrings. 

“be selfish for once, y/n! i know that you love him, alright? i’ve been living with you since diapers, i know you like the back of my hand. you can lie to anyone but me, i know that you’re not okay. which is why i’m telling you that you don’t have to do this. i’ll tell him that you’re sick or something.” draken’s eyes softened, his expresison growing sad as he looked at your pained expression. you were smiling at him, yet he knew the thousands of thoughts and words that littered your mind. 

“ken, i know. the only way i could give myself closure is by seeing it happen, in front of my eyes. i want my last memory of him to be happy and clear, so that when i think of him, i don’t feel pain or misery. if he’s happy then i’m happy because we are each others halves and no one can take that spot. besides, his fiance is so nice, i can’t even bring myself to hate her. he’ll be fine, i know he will.” you explained, grabbing drakens hands as you gave it a tight squeeze, looking up at the tall man that stood before you. 

he bit his lips to contain himself from arguing back, caressing your cheeks before letting out a sigh. he nodded his head, deciding to butt-out of your business. 

“okay, whatever makes you happy.” he said and you hummed in response before getting up to slip on your heels. 

“let’s go, we have a wedding to go to.” you smiled at him, slipped your arm in his as you guys walked out of your house. 

the drive to the church was short as it was the same one where hina and takemichi got married. you entered the ladies room where all the bridesmaids were getting dressed up as they all waited for you since you were the maid of honor. 

“y/n, you’re here! god, you look gorgeous, maybe i should ditch mikey and marry you instead.” she joked, pulling you into a hug as you chuckled, patting her back. 

“you look even prettier. damn, mikey caught a good one i gotta say.” you answered looking at her with eyes full of nothing but adoration. 

she was sweet and understanding, a perfect wife for mikey. he deserved this, after being through hell and back, he deserved happiness and peace. 

and you were willing to do anything to give him that, even if it meant to go to the ends of the earth and come back. 

“it’s almost time! come on ladies, get in position.” one of the bridesmaids announced.

“i’ll see you at the aisle.” you rubbed her shoulder as she hummed, then taking your leave as you entered the wedding hall. you walked up where the priest stood, mikey standing right across you. 

his eyes widened when he saw you, walking up to you without hesitation. he pulled you into a tight hug before pulling away with a smile. 

“you look absolutely beautiful, y/n, as always. i’m so happy that you’re here, i was honestly so nervous, but after seeing you, i got my courage back.” he honestly said, making it hard for you to form words to respond to him. 

“better not chicken out sano, i raised you better than that.” you playfully scolded him. 

“yes ma’am!” he jokingly saluted, making you both laugh. 

“mr. sano, please stand in position, the bride will enter in a few minutes.” the priest interrupted. 

“sorry. i’ll talk to you after the ceremony, okay?” he held your hands, giving it a tight squeeze and you swore that if he was just a hair more closer, you would’ve broken down into tears. 

“yeah, yeah, of course. go get married, sano.” you teased, making him blush as he walked back to his original position. you stood with one ring while draken stood with the other, the taller glancing at you frequently to check if you’re okay and you’d discreetly try to nod and give him the signal that you’re fine.

the music began to play and the doors opened, revealing mikey’s soon to be wife, now walking in with her father. a huge smile or her face as you looked over at mikey, only to catch him staring at you before averting his gaze to his wife. 

she walked up the steps, now standing besides you as she turned to look at her soon to be husband. the priest began to read the wedding vows and it was soon time to exchange rings. the beautiful diamond ring glimmered under your eyes and you couldn’t help but wished it was for you. 

it fit perfectly, like it was made for you and you knew that because you accompanied mikey when he went ring shopping. it was unfortunate to know that his fiance’s ring size was the same as you, so you helped him pick and size it. you remember not being able to take your eyes off of it as soon as he slipped it onto your finger. you felt chills as his skin touched yours, but now, it was reality; only not yours but hers. 

“do you, _____, take manjiro sano as your wedded husband, to cherish in love and in friendship, in sickness and in health, in success and in disappointment, to love him faithfully, today, tomorrow, and for as long as the two of you shall live?” the priest asked, and without hesitation⸻

“i do.” she said with the brightest smile, giving him the most lovesick eyes known to mankind. 

“do you, manjiro sano, take _____ as your wedded wife, to cherish in love and in friendship, in sickness and in health, in success and in disappointment, to love him faithfully, today, tomorrow, and for as long as the two of you shall live?” he now asked the groom, and to your surpise, mikey’s eyes were only focused on you. 

please, say no, mikey. say no! you’re mine and i’m yours, it always been like that. please, say no.

your mind screamed and your heart bled, hoping for some miracle to change the events to bring it in your favors. but to your disappointment, none of that happened. he gave you a small smile before glancing at his bride. 

“i do.” mikey said and the priest suddenly glanced at everyone in the room. 

“any objections?” he loudly asked, as a moment of silence fell in the whole room. 

me! i object. this wedding shouldn’t be happening, not even in a million years. that should be me in that dress and ring, not her. i don’t want to be the other woman.

“that’s a no then. i now pronounce you husband and wife. you may kiss the bride.” and with that being said, you averted your gaze to the bouquet of flowers as the crowd roared with cheers while they both kissed. 

a few tears slipped from your eyes but you managed to quickly wipe them away, praying that nobody saw them. to which nobody did, except for draken as the man look at you with nothing but an aching heart to see you this heartbroken. 

the after party was great, from the table of stories and lunch too. the cake was amazing as well, coming from the bakery that you and mikey often went to for study dates during your teen years. 

“y/n! there you are, i’ve been looking for you everywhere. i just wanted to come here and thank you again for helping out with everything. you’re amazing and i’m so happy to know someone like you.” mikey’s wife came to you and pulled you into a hug, as you pat her back. 

“of course, i wish you both the best of luck and a lot of happiness. treat him good, okay? he’s been through so much and he really deserves this. he’s a little childish and stubborn at times but he’s so sweet. he’s great and it breaks my heart to give him away but he’ll be okay. i know he will, he’s mikey after all.” you laughed, making her break into one as well. 

“mhm, you got it!” she smiled at you once more before being whisked away by another relative for pictures. 

“looks like you’re busy.” you heard a familiar voice behind you, turning around to see mikey grinning at you. 

“yup, busy practicing how to spend the rest of my life alone without my other half.” you teased, making him chuckle. 

“i suppose if you’re not too busy then you can spare some time to have a dance with me?” mikey wiggled his eyebrows, making your lips curl as you took his hand, being pulled away to the dance floor. 

you wrap your arms around his neck as his arms snake around your waist. you both sway to the song and it felt like once again everyone else was just a blur and you both were now back in your own world, just the two of you. 

“thank you, y/n. for everything, from beginning to end. i’ll never be able to repay you for everything that you’ve done for me. without you, i don’t think i’d even be standing here. you’re my one and only, forever and always; my other half.” he genuinely spoke, eyes glimmering with love and adoration, turning your brain into a bunch of mush and heart becoming all fuzzy. 

“you just got married, mikey, don’t make your wife turn against me by saying those kind of things.” you chuckled, making him crack a smile. 

“i mean it, you’re very special to me, y/n.” mikey said, tucking in a piece of hair behind your ear. you felt suffocated, feeling your airways and chest tightening. you couldn’t tell if it was from all that food you stress-ate or the feelings that threatened to pour out right this moment.

“can we go somewhere private, i gotta tell you something.” you urgently ushered him, as he quickly nodded his head before being dragged away to the groom’s room. 

you quickly closed the door behind you, locking it before turning to face him. mikey grew concerned at your behavior and silence as he constantly asked if you were okay.

“if someone were to ask me what would be the best and worst day of my life, i would tell them that it was the day that i met you.” you breathed out, making mikey tilt his head to the side in confusion. 

“huh?” he managed to say. 

“it was the day where i found someone that understood me as a person deep from within, knew my every thought and feeling before i even had to say it or act on it. i found my other half, the person that made me, well, me. the person whom i’ve grown to not be able to live without as well. which also brings it to why it’s my worst day as well.” you grew silent, words feeling too heavy to spew out as tears gathered in your eyes. 

“the person that i can’t live without, mikey.” you choked out, tears now streaming down your face as mikey’s eyes widened. 

“y/n, i don’t under-”

“i love you, okay! not as a friend, but as someone more. i wanted to be the person that you spend the rest of your life with.” you cried, making him gulp harshly. 

“i wanted to be your bride.” you sadly laughed, looking up at him with a tear-stained face as your mascara and eyeliner was now smudged. 

“oh my god, y/n.” he whispered, trying to pull you into a hug but you quickly stopped him. 

“don’t! if you hug me right now, i’ll break and won’t be able to stop myself. please, just hear me out. when we went ring shopping, i never wanted to take it off of my finger and it felt so nice when you put it on me. that night, i went home and couldn’t stop envisioning a future where it was us instead. i’ve loved you ever since we were kids, mikey.” you confessed, making him break into tears as he pulled you into a hug, unable to contain himself. 

“then why the hell didn’t you say anything before? you even had the chance to object when the priest said the vows. why didn’t you say anything!” he sobbed, his embrace tightening as if he never wanted to let you go. 

“because she’s good, mikey. you need a wife who’s sweet, tender, gentle and understanding. she’s perfect for you, mikey. you’ll be okay, i know you will.” you gave him a sad smile, holding his face as you looked deep into his eyes. 

“but you’re also-”

“no, mikey. you need someone who can cherish you and spend many more happy years to come. i can’t give you that.” you sniffled, making him furrow his eyebrows. 

“i don’t understand, what’s going on?” mikey panicked.

“i’m dying, mikey. that day that i met you, i was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor and it seems that i barely have a full month left to live. i was supposed to be long gone by last month but i guess i was lucky enough to see you get married.” you cried with a smile. 

“no, no, you’re lying to me. this can’t be! y/n, this isn’t time for jokes, please, i can’t lose you too. i’ll marry you, i’ll manage something, i promise. please, just don’t leave me.” he begged, holding onto you like you would disappear from his reach if he were to let go. 

“mikey, don’t make all of this go into vain. i worked so hard to come to terms with my feelings and get closure. which is why i waited until after the wedding to tell you because even if i do leave you, you’ll have her to be there with you. you need to live for me, and enjoy your life in happiness. okay?” you sobbed, trying to convince him but he kept shaking his head in denial. 

“no! please, y/n! i-i-”

“here, make sure to share with her, alright? don’t get too greedy.” you tried to joke to lighten the mood, as you opened his palm to give him the container of chocolate pudding. 

“y/n, please.” he cried, but you were stern with your decision. you felt yourself becoming light-headed and the familiar feeling of nausea. it almost felt like you were dying, ironically. 

“bye, mikey.” you gave him a soft kiss on his cheek before running out of the room. mikey yelled your name behind like a madman as he ran after you, but you were too ahead. the fresh air hit your skin, sending goosebumps everywhere and it felt like you could breathe again. 

you walked over to draken’s car and opened the door, sitting down as you were about to close the door. 

“i love you too, y/n! i always have and always will.” was the last thing you heard before slamming the door shut, breaking into tears. 

“start the car, ken.” you said in between your sobs, driving away from the church. 

“so, you gonna hide from him forever or what? you know, y/n, i never told you how much i love you. well, not like that. but, i’m grateful for having someone like you in my life. i’d do anything to make you smile, you’re the most selfless and kind person i’ve ever met. an angel is what you are.” draken rambled, making you softly chuckle.

“thanks ken, i love you too.” you tiredly slurred your words, draken glancing at you as he stopped at a light, a smile etching on his face.

“seems like you’re tired, let’s get takeout tonight and go to the movies with remi. you know, just like the old days. what do you say?” draken asked, only to be met with silence. he chuckled to himself as he decided to not bother you and let you sleep till you both got home. 

draken finished parking the car, calling your name a few times to try and wake you up, but you wouldn’t budge. 

“jeez, gonna make me carry your ass up those damn stairs.” he groaned while getting out of the car and opening the door to yours. 

“y/n-” he grew quiet, seeing your pale face made his blood run could. draken quickly bent down and put his ear on your heart, two fingers on your wrist. 

no beat, no pulse. 

“no, no⸻y/n, wake up! please, i need you to wake up!” draken cried, wrapping his arms around your cold and lifeless body to give you some of his warmth. 

but it was no use, you were already gone. 

[yiwoosol]

hi there!! i'm bear (he/him) and i'm so excited to finally be able to introduce you all to my boy here, lee woosol! he's a 24 yr old personal assistant to the ceo of a tech company (definitely not his dream job), and a lover of stories and sweet things. here are links to his profile, and bio, and under the cut i'll leave some tldr info about him. please like this post if you'd like to plot, though i'll be messaging everyone with welcomes anyway!

woosol was born in seoul on aug. 31st 1999, he's the second son, but when he was 13 his parents accidentally had a twin boy and girl (that they most definitely could not afford to have)

he was class president multiple times throughout school until he was 15 when he had to get a part time job to help support his family who were struggling a lot with the addition of the twins

despite previously having been smart enough to get into a sky uni, and wanting to pursue writing and literature, woosol had to settle for a mid-level uni due to his grades taking a hit from having to work, and decided to do a business management degree in hopes that he'd get a better paying job to help out his parents with money

he struggled through military service (he's not the athletic type at all) and finished his degree and now works a boring office job doing coffee runs and filing

he hopes to 'work his way up the corporate ladder' and hopefully land a better job in a publishing house later in life

he's got a massive sweet tooth, and eats way too much ice cream and pastries

he has yet to be dragged kicking and screaming into the gym by his boyfriend but he's really close to cracking because he gets winded going up the stairs at work when the elevators full or taking too long

he still lives with his parents purely because he feels obligated to stick around and support them and his siblings, even though his older brother's moved out and doesn't seem to feel the same filial responsibility that woosol does

he's growing increasingly more stressed, and its taking a toll on his health, from living with his parents and siblings, and really wants to move out but feels really guilty about that

of the seven deadly sins he's either sloth or gluttony. this man loves to not move and eat sweets. if he could he would sit in a chair reading and eating rice cakes, pain au chocolat, cream bread and ice cream for all eternity

[whatsbehindthefacade]

@bitmorerouge asked: ( trauma ) : one muse finds the other just after a traumatizing experience | Nini and Santiago ( im thinking post Satine's onstage death vibes yk when she collapses in front of everybody )

He needs to find Nini.

Santiago can feel his hands trembling, the way his stomach twists unsteadily into knots, and there's a part of him that somehow knows that it won't even begin to settle until he sees her, until he can touch her and physically verify that she's alright. It's not something he's ever felt before, but given the current circumstances, perhaps it's understandable. But whether it is or isn't, he needs to find her, much as he might want to offer some sort of comfort to Christian, to Toulouse. He should be a better friend, but right now all he can focus on is the woman he loves.

He'd had no clue about Satine. Of course he's been aware of her and Christian, that they'd been sneaking about behind the Duke's back, but now...now she's gone. He can't process it, it just doesn't seem real. She'd always seemed so full of life. It wasn't supposed to end this way. And maybe it's illogical, but nonetheless it's a stark shock to the system, a reminder that nothing lasts forever.

Everyone is everywhere, gathering in small groups, comforting each other, holding each other, tears flowing, sobs echoing through the Moulin Rouge. In and out he weaves, dark eyes looking back and forth desperately, taking in all the faces. Harold, looking ashen. No sign of her. Etoile and Vidal holding hands like they're afraid to let go. No sign of her. Anton pacing back and forth over the same three feet of floor, costume hat clutched tightly in his hands. Still no sign of her. He catches sight of familiar red glove, but it's not her, instead La Chocolat holding both Arabia and Baby Doll close to her, the youngest of the three women clearly hysterical. His panic grows.

But then finally, just as he's about to crack, he spots her. Santiago has never moved so fast in his life, and though he wouldn't usually thrust such physical affection on her without some sort of warning (he does have some sense of self-preservation, even if it's minimal), he can't help but wrap his arms around her, a little relief trickling through the tension in his shoulders at feeling her warm and breathing.

[tour-de-pants]

Guys, I did a thing...

Just a quick alt meet RPF of Watson and Holmes... You know I ship it, don't @ me! Let me know if I should do more :) -Pants

If he’d been paying any attention, Watson would’ve noticed the aggravated stare from the woman one table over. He’d been tapping a slim wooden stir stick against his mug for five minutes that must’ve felt to her like fifty. He wasn’t the sort to annoy strangers, or anyone, intentionally. Usually he didn’t even mind someone else running late to a meeting. But if Lestrade didn’t turn up soon he might just lose his mind.

Training diets were a hell he put himself through willingly, and after fifteen years, the strain was fairly easy to take. Without much of a sweet tooth to speak of, he had it better than many—especially poor Anderson, who harbored a desire for pain au chocolat to rival his want for a mountain win. Not a lot got to Watson anymore, but the smell of freshly roasted coffee beans in this place… damn if he wasn’t about to crack and down a massive hazelnut concoction worth half a day’s calories. 

“‘Ugh, honestly,”’ the woman one table over grunted, drawing Watson’s attention away from the door. He frowned as she met his eyes with a look of disgust. A lifetime in London wouldn’t be enough to understand these people. 

“‘Hey John, sorry ‘bout that. Perils of mass transport, you know how it goes.” ’Lestrade slid into the seat across the table, the bizarrely small size of which Watson was noticing for the first time. They really didn’t want folks to hang about, he guessed. 

“‘It’s alright, Coach,”’ Watson answered, gulping his unexpectedly still hot tea. 

“‘Aw, don’t you do that, mate. Makes me feel like an old man in charge of a bunch of teenagers.”’

“‘I know.” ’Watson smiled. Lestrade was a good guy—and a good coach. Maybe he was jumping the gun with this whole retirement thing. “‘So what are we doing here? Besides testing my resolve against the Kenyan roast of the day?”’

“‘Need to let you in on something before the Prologue, being team captain and all. I wish I could tell the whole group, but it’s a bit sensitive.”’ The clasping and unclasping of Lestrade’s fingers told Watson this wouldn’t be a time for jokes, regardless of what he was about to hear. Something distinctly non-chamomile turned in his stomach.

“‘What’s up? Is someone injured?”’ He leaned forward the few inches it took to bring their heads close. “‘Worse?”’ 

“‘Oh, no, no. Nothing like that, thank God. No, it’s…you’re getting…it’s a new teammate.”’

Watson leaned back in his chair. Of course it was a new teammate; it’d have to be, what with Sholto out. After that crash last year, the doctors said he would never mount a bike again. He’d managed to stay out of the media once he’d stabilized and been transferred to a rehabilitation facility. It’d been a big hit for the team in terms of the Tour and fears for their own safety out there. Few teams in recent years had been as cohesive as Speedy’s; the idea of bringing in someone new was hard enough, but—

“‘This close to the Prologue, though? Why can’t the other guys know? And why didn’t you just ring me about it?”’

“‘John, it’s…”’

Watson waited, stir stick tapping against his saucer now. He heard the woman next to him mutter a curse as she scooped up her laptop and walked off. Some people were just grumpy, he supposed. 

“‘John, it’s Sherlock Holmes.”’

It was Watson’s turn to curse under his breath. Sherlock Holmes. Sherlock Holmes who rode the Tour ten years ago? Sherlock Holmes who left the race and the cycling world in a cloud of cocaine use allegations and rumors about a tryst gone bad with his own teammate? Sherlock Holmes whom no one had heard from since?

“‘Sorry Greg.”’ Watson blinked hard in an attempt to make sense of the news. “‘I thought you said Sherlock Holmes.”’

“‘You can’t tell anyone, mate. And sorry for laying it on you like this. There are more things beyond my control than I’d like, but I can assure you he’ll be riding clean and is physically fit for the job. Listen, I hate surprises as much as the next guy, but my hands are really tied with this one. I’m letting you know now because I anticipate I’ll need your help.”’

Watson ran a hand through his hair, short and light despite it only being late June. He still couldn’t figure out why he’d had to come out all this way to hear about this, but Lestrade always had reasons for what he did and he was usually right.

“‘Ok. Yeah, alright. Thanks for the heads up. Whatever you need, I’ll back you.”’

“‘Great.”’ A relieved smile flashed across Lestrade’s face as he rapped his knuckles on the tabletop and stood to leave. “‘Now get yourself out of here before temptation wins the day.”’

“‘As if it ever could.”’ Watson nodded and returned the smile, waiting for the door to close behind Lestrade before moving to add his cup and saucer to the mounting pile of dirty china above the trash bin behind him.

“‘Ceramic,”’ intoned a deep voice behind him.

“‘Pardon?”’ Watson asked, furrowing his brow but not turning.

“‘The dining ware isn’t china. It’s ceramic.”’

Watson stepped toward the bin, tossing in his stir stick and paper napkin before precariously balancing his ceramic cup and saucer on the returns shelf. 

“‘Are you my conscience?” ’he asked, laughing lightly as his own joke and holding up pleading hands in front of his mug until he was fairly certain he wouldn’t be the one to send the whole lot tumbling to the floor.

“‘Unlikely. Though I suppose we’ll see how the early stages go.”’

Early stages? Watson turned slowly, eyebrows rising and jaw dropping as recognition dawned. Holy hell, you’re—

“‘Sherlock Holmes, yes. Kind of you to remember me, though perhaps the memory you’re recalling is not in itself so kind.”’

“‘What are you doing here?”’ Watson looked around suspiciously, feeling as though he ought to be paranoid though he didn’t know what he might be trying to spot. 

“‘Seeing as how it is a coffee shop, one might suppose I stopped in to purchase coffee. And as much as I do hate to be predictable, in this particular case, that supposition would be the correct one.”’

“‘Well yeah, ok, but I mean why are you here, in this coffee shop? Now?”’

“‘I take it an odd experience has befallen you in the past hour—no, half hour—and you haven’t yet processed whatever it is. News of some kind, I should imagine. However, blocking the bins with your jaw wagging like a goldfish, while apparently a natural choice for you, is in fact not typically the most productive one.”’

“‘Oh, sh—sorry, I’m very sorry,”’ Watson said to the miniature queue of patrons waiting to deposit their china.

“‘Ceramic,”’ Holmes noted impatiently. “‘Sit down at that set of chairs there. The place is emptying, I should return with my order in three minutes.”’ He cast a glance at the register. “‘Four, it’s the cashier’s first day.”’

Watson didn’t see him walk away, nor did he feel himself cross back to the small dining area and settle into a surprisingly uncomfortable armchair. It was impossible. Sherlock Holmes had been missing from the public eye, from the entire world as far as he knew, for nearly a decade. Now within minutes of being told the man had spontaneously resurrected to join Team Speedy’s/Sussex Honey, here he was in the flesh. Watson looked around the cafe. He didn’t believe in magic or kismet or any of those mystical type things. After forty years of life, he was sure he’d know by now if there were weird crystal-swinging forces at play. But what were the odds?

“Three thousand seven hundred and eighteen.” The tap of a paper cup on the low table by his elbow punctuated Holmes’s statement. “‘Of course that’s not the actual percentage chance of us encountering each other here and now, simply the approximate number of coffee shops available assuming we were both entering one at the same time.”’

“‘That’s one massive coincidence.”’ Watson eyed Holmes in the chair beside him, sipping slowly at his own paper cup’s contents. 

“‘The universe is rarely so lazy, or so Big Brother says.”’

“‘Big Brother?”’ Watson was now only ninety percent certain he wasn’t in a movie. Or a simulation. Or whatever the thing was you were supposedly inside of. 

“‘My big brother, Mycroft. Though if he had it his way, the capital letters would be spot on. The chances of us meeting here are slim indeed, but there’s something more…why is it you—oh. I see.”’

“‘You see?”’

“‘You’ve only just found out that we’re more than distant former colleagues of a sort. Quite the coincidence after all, then.”’ Holmes took another long sip of his drink. “‘Do make a start on that before it goes cold,”’ he instructed, pointing at Watson’s cup. “‘Wasting it would be a crime.”’

Heat radiated through Watson’s palm as he wrapped his hand around the cup. The scent of fresh coffee reached him halfway to his mouth, allowing him a moment to brace himself. He never was able to drink it black, but this was hardly the time to cause offense. He could almost hear Holmes smirking from a foot away. He can’t really read minds, I must have some rude look on my face. Wouldn’t have to if he’d only asked before he went ahead and ordered for me. Haven’t even properly introduced ourselves yet.

“‘You’ll have to trust me sometime. Might as well start with my impeccable taste in coffee.”’

“‘Right, yeah. Thanks. Cheers.”’ Watson took a careful sip. Then another. Whatever this was dancing across his tongue was like no coffee he’d ever tasted. He tipped his head back a moment, unsure whether he wanted to consume it all instantly or draw it out as long as it would last.

“‘You’re not being shipped to a desert island, it’s only the Tour de France. You can have another one of these in hand in a matter of weeks.”’

“‘This is the best coffee I’ve ever had in my life. This…what even is this?”’ He strained to see the board over his shoulder. “‘That Tanzania blend thing?”’

Holmes scoffed. “‘As if a blend of the day could produce such a depth of flavor. No, John—may I call you John?”’

Watson nodded. Day was already weird, why not. 

“‘No, John, this is not a blend. Look at the wall behind the baristas, over to the left.”’

“‘I didn’t even see that before,” ’Watson said, squinting at a large apparatus. 

“‘You do see, but you do not observe. That,”’ Holmes gestured with the cup in his hand, “‘produces this. Kyoto Slow, by name.”’

“‘How does all that even work?”’

“‘Perhaps if we both make it home from Paris,”’ Holmes said, sighing into another sip, “‘I’ll walk you through it.”’

------------- //irl author's note: Kyoto Slow is an awesome Mystrade fic, highly recommend. read on AO3.

[hiccanna-tidbits]

HICCANNA MONTH WEEK 1, DAY 5 SHE WILL BE LOVED - RUNNER RUNNER

***

Beauty queen of only eighteen She had some trouble with herself He was always there to help her She always belonged to someone else I drove for miles and miles and wound up at your door I've had you so many times but somehow I want more

I don't mind spending every day Out on your corner in the pouring rain Look for the girl with the broken smile Ask her if she wants to stay a while And she will be loved And she will be loved

Tap on my window and knock on my door I want to make you feel beautiful I know attention gets her insecure It doesn't matter anymore It's not always rainbows and butterflies, it's compromise That moves us along My heart is full and my door's always open You come anytime you want, yeah

I don't mind spending every day Out on your corner in the pouring rain Look for the girl with the broken smile Ask her if she wants to stay a while And she will be loved And she will be loved And she will be loved And she will be loved

I know where you hide Alone in your car Know all of the things that make you who you are I know that goodbye means nothing at all Comes back and begs me to catch her every time she falls

Tap on my window and knock on my door I want to make you feel beautiful

I don't mind spending every day Out on your corner in the pouring rain Look for the girl with the broken smile Ask her if she wants to stay a while

And she will be loved And she will be loved And she will be loved And she will be loved

I don't mind spending every day Out on your corner in the pouring rain (Please don't try so hard to say goodbye)

***

It's the perfect night for brooding.

The summer storm is reaching its apex, sheets of rain rattling against the roof and thunder growling overhead. Anna, for her part, is sprawled on her bed with her most depressing playlists on blast.

Family out of town, night closing in, house to herself. No one to scold her for disturbing the peace (like whatever "peace" that existed in her mind wasn't always disturbed). The perfect little bubble for her to puzzle out what's wrong with her.

There has to be something. Year after year, month after month, boy after boy. No one feels anything for her for long.

Always some hackneyed excuse why they can't see each other anymore.

She doesn't really get it. She's not a bombshell or anything, but she's halfway pretty. But apparently a shock of ginger hair and a dotting of freckles is where the appeal ends.

Most recently, a boy she met in Sociology 101 asked her to get coffee after weeks of flirting. And maybe it was her tangent about iguanas, or the overzealous way she ate her pain au chocolat, but...

Ty sat across the lecture hall the next time they had class, and rushed out as soon as it was finished. He stopped answering her texts.

He seemed so nice. But as soon as she showed something a little less palatable--a little less feminine--he was gone. She took 1/100th of a step out of the mold, and Ty headed for the hills.

It's fucking embarrassing.

Anna has a theory. But maybe if she shoves it down hard enough, she can will it out of existence.

Then she won't die alone. Probably.

A crack of thunder sounds above her house. She burrows deep into her blankets, sighing.

She remembers she used to be scared of thunder and lightning when she was little. Seeing pictures of people who were struck on mountains. The scars it left. How quickly some died.

That was before, of course, she recognized logically that she was safe indoors. But also before she felt a strange sort of kinship with the turbulence outside.

Her brain certainly feels messy and hectic and full of high-speed winds and powerline collapses. Never slows down enough for her to take a breath without feeling like she's drowning.

Perhaps that's why the boys keep leaving. They sense that, and they don't want to deal with the stress.

Anna can't blame them.

Still, it seems like someone somewhere along the way would've gotten attached enough to her to stay during her...less-than-picture-perfect moments. Apparently not.

So much for all the internet's claims that dating was easier in college than high school because "everyone is so much less judgmental and insecure."

Just barely audible above the rain, there's a rapping on the front door.

At first, Anna thinks she imagined it. But then there it is again--a firm thunking of a fist on wood.

Well. This is concerning.

A girl home alone in disagreeable weather, with the day moving toward dusk. This is how a good percentage of horror movies kick off.

Fuck that. She isn't going to be a statistic.

Anna supposes she could just not answer. But truth be told, she's lonely--and just about any human contact would do at the moment.

So as long as there's not an AI-powered drone outside.

She steals off to the kitchen, perusing the knife holder and making a suitable selection. You could never be too careful.

She clutches the wooden handle behind her back Being careful to put on a skeptical-but-not-too-hostile expression, Anna opens the front door.

And there's a face she's only ever seen in Skype calls.

*

Anna and Hiccup Haddock met their junior year of high school--in an online message forum, of all places, united via love of an obscure fantasy comic book series. They'd discussed meeting up in person--it was only a 3-hour drive between their home cities, after all!--but it never quite panned out. Between ACTs and college applications and grumpy parents paying for gas money, it wasn't really in the cards.

They'd schemed to go to the same college for a while--a big state school with plenty to offer both of them. Ultimately, they decided against it. It seemed like something they'd regret later, making such a big life decision on a relatively recent friendship.

Hiccup ended up running off to the state school, finally breaking out of his hometown and putting two more hours between them. Anna picked a local city college, commuting to campus to save her parents money on dorm costs.

They'd only ever exchanged addresses to send each other Christmas gifts. Anna had no idea Hiccup kept hers.

And yet. Here he was, hours from his campus and standing on her porch with dripping hair. Fully in the flesh, unless there'd been some breakthroughs in hologram technology that Anna was not informed of.

"Wh--what are you doing here?!" She only gets the question out after several seconds of incoherent spluttering. "You--you were driving in this kind of storm?!"

"You sounded really torn up about that Ty asshole. So I thought I'd come check in on you."

He says it so casually. Like they live right down the fucking street from each other.

What the hell.

Despite her parents' absence, Hiccup's car is parked on the street in front of her house. Politely not blocking the driveway.

So his courtesy extended beyond the wilds of the interwebs. Good to know.

But how the hell was he even here?!

"Are you real?" she demands.

"Are any of us?" he responds, not missing a beat. "Simulation theory and all that."

Yeah, he's real all right.

She tries to surreptitiously set the knife down on a dresser. Hiccup looks at her with raised eyebrows.

"Is that--"

Anna blushes. "Well, if you were a serial killer, I refuse to be the ditzy, dumb girl who dies first!"

After a beat, he nods approvingly. "That's a good call."

One last test.

She surges forward and wraps her arms around him for the very first time. Yep, definitely a solid human being made of real matter there, as far as she can tell.

He's more wiry than she would've thought. She always expected him to feel twiggy and brittle (especially considering how he talked about himself), ready to crumple at the slightest force. But there are lean muscles lining his arms and stomach, suggesting he doesn't give himself enough credit.

(Physically, anyways. Anna likes to think he at least has some idea of how smart he is.)

Hiccup hugs back after a moment. Anna very much likes how secure he feels.

"Wait, wait." She abruptly shoves him away, alarm gripping her. "Your physics final...!"

"Eh." He shrugs. "Not until Wednesday. I've got time."

"Yeah, at your campus is a 5-hour drive away!" She crosses her arms and glares.

"I studied last week already. And seeing you was more important."

Her cheeks heat up. "How on earth...?"

For a moment, Anna's lost for words.

"Hiccup, this is your future. Like...income tax, whether-or-not-you-make-enough-to-take-vacations future. There's no way some...half-rate social reject who can't keep any guy's attention for more than 5 minutes matters more than that."

"You do."

He says it with a certainty that's borderline infuriating. How the hell is he so wrong about her?!

And in a self-sabotaging way, at that?

"First of all...come inside, loser."

She tugs him through the doorframe, bustling into the bathroom and getting a towel to dry him with. As she wrings out his hair, she tsks disapprovingly.

"And what's so important about seeing me in person, huh? We talk almost every day, anyways. You could've just DMed me and not had to blow all that gas money."

"I don't know." He shrugs. "I wanted more than that."

He's looking at her strangely--like she's not the worthless piece of trash so many other people seem to think she is. Weird.

Maybe there's something wrong with his standards.

"I don't know why you put up with me," she says, forcing an awkward laugh.

He looks at her like she's a particularly tricky calculus problem he's trying to make sense of. "What kind of question is that?"

She falls onto the couch with a heavy sigh. Grabbing his arm, she coaxes him down next to her.

"I talk everyone's ear off about random shit. I can't stop sticking my foot in my mouth and making an idiot of myself. I'm a messy eater, and I, uh...eat a lot. I'm impulsive and I do dumb stuff without thinking and sometimes my brain lags like those computers from the 90s. Doesn't any of that bother you?"

"Oh, wow." He narrows his eyes, voice dripping with sarcasm. "You have normal human flaws. Whatever will I do?"

Despite herself, she smiles a little.

"Yeah, but it's like...it's more than that." For whatever reason, there's still a pit in Anna's stomach. "I guess having some icky stuff here and there is okay, if you have a cool and sexy enough personality to make up for it. But I don't. I don't have time to watch enough trendy shows or play enough video games and I can't remember shit about cars or assault rifles or MMA or sports or whatever the hell else I'm supposed to know to be someone's manic pixie dream girl. I'm into, like...good food and cute animals and anthropology and botany and stuff like that. Most guys think that's like...lame or pathetic or whatever. Or they just get bored and want to tell you about some Quentin Tarantino movie or football team they like. But you talk about what makes you happy, and they're, like...so unengaged. And you try and you try and you try to find common ground, but nothing works. They just look at you with this like...barely-concealed impatient sneer? Like they're counting the minutes until they're free from this freak."

"Is that what going out with Ty was like?"

Anna makes a face. Trust Hiccup to see your point long before you did.

"Him, and...others," she realizes. "A lot of others. Easy to write off a few as douchebags, but when they all head for the hills...I don't know. It feels like you're this perfect smorgasbord of traits to repel every dude you could ever possibly be attracted to. Too clumsy for this one, too stubborn for this one, too dumb-seeming for this one, too annoying for this one, too clingy for this one, too boring for this one, too emotional for this one, too giggly for this one, too outspoken for this one...you see what I mean?"

Hiccup pauses, as though picking his words carefully. For several moments, there's no noise but the beating of rain outside.

"I mean..." He sighs. "In my personal opinion, they're the boring ones if their heads are so far up their own asses that they don't want to learn about anything outside their tiny, stupid bubble. If any of them did stick around, I'll bet they would have put you to sleep blabbing on and on about...advanced economics or whatever, and then you'd feel too guilty to dump them because you finally found a guy willing to 'put up with you.'" He does the set of air quotes a little more dramatically than he needs to.

"Not true!" she retorts.

"Au contraire. I once rambled about car engines over chat to see how long you would politely engage before you conked out. I think you made it maybe...30 minutes? Which, considering how bad your insomnia is, is pretty short."

Anna gasps in horror, playfully punching him in the arm. (Pretty cool that she can do that now, by the way.)

"Hiccup! You were running social experiments on me? Without my express consent?!"

"Well, I'm not making a profit, so...it's a gray area, right?"

"Still! Incredibly unethical of you. If I snitch, you're never getting into psychology school."

"Oh no. There go all my grand plans of judging people for a living."

She laughs again, shaking her head.

She already feels a little better.

"Bottom line is." He leans into her side...and for reasons she can't quite place, it jitters her nerves a bit. (Probably still getting used to the weirdness of him actually sitting within leaning distance.) "I really think you're giving these guys too much credit. Hell, I'm pretty sure I would think half of them were as dull as a soggy washcloth. Not to mention stupid as hell, too, if they can't see how cute you are when you get excited about something."

"Wh--what?!" If Anna's cheeks were hot before, they're on fire now. "Stop it. I am not!"

She sure as hell hopes he didn't drive all this way to lie to make her feel better. That seems like a huge waste of both their time.

"Bullshit. You absolutely are." He says it with a certainty that throws her off again. He needs to stop doing that. "It's like...it's like that gag in comics where the speech bubble is intentionally not drawn big enough to fit all the text squished inside. Cracks me up every time. But also easily one of the most adorable things I've ever seen."

"I..."

She stares at the ground, unsure what to say.

"I don't think I'm the kind of girl people fall in love with. Maybe like for a little while, but not love. It's my destiny to be some bitter, lonely old lady with happily-married friends who all ditch me because they like their new families better, or...whatever. You know?"

"Now that...that is some bullshit."

Something inside her finally snaps.

"Would you knock it off?!" She scoots to the other end of the couch and turns to glare at him, arms crossed. "Did you drive all this way just to argue with everything I say?"

His eyes narrow, frustration quickly flaring up to match hers. "That wasn't the plan, but if all you're going to do is be an asshole to yourself and spout out dumb, self-loathing garbage, then I guess I have to. What, am I supposed to pretend I agree that you suck?"

"I don't know! You could act like I'm not crazy for thinking that, given...you know...the available data!"

"But it is crazy to think that!" Hiccup gestures wildly, as though trying to dispel aggravation through his fingertips. "You're fucking awesome! And I have no idea how you got this notion everyone who likes you is going to leave you, or who gave you that impression, but I want to punch them in the nose. It's complete nonsense."

"But--"

Anna is too late. The tirade has begun.

"No, listen to me, will you?! First of all, you have literally no reason to think your friends are going to abandon you as soon as they get into relationships, or have kids or whatever. Any partners they get are going to love you, too. And you'll probably be the cool aunt and designated babysitter if there're any kids or pets in the picture. So even if you don't find someone to get hitched with, or whatever your endgame is here, you're always, always going to have friends. You're always going to have me, for one. So stop automantically discounting that like it doesn't mean anything. It's kind of rude, and also...be serious. You really think I'm gonna go running after the first hot chick I see and forget all about one of my best friends?!"

Anna sucks in her breath, her thoughts finally catching up with her mouth.

"I guess when you put it that way, I see how that implication could be, uh...kind of insulting."

"Oy moy." He sighs, burying his head in his hands. "Thank you for finally noticing."

"I do appreciate you coming all this way." Anna looks away, studying the carpet. "I guess I feel bad about you doing it to help me with a problem that's probably pretty stupid."

"It's not stupid," he says evenly. "No one wants to be alone. Or at least...no one wants to be alone all the time. It's okay to get scared you'll push people you care about away just by being yourself. I know I have. But hey." She feels him put a hand on her knee, and instinctively feels the urge to slide her own on top of it. "I like hanging out with you, so it's my pleasure to be here. Promise."

"Okay." She laughs uneasily. "I guess if you don't mind my drama getting in the way of your finals week."

"Pffft, are you kidding?! Like I'd rather be practicing integrals than giving you a pep talk."

She shrugs. "Fair point."

"But the other thing you said...about no one ever falling in love with you. That's complete nonsense, too."

And just like that, her annoyance is back.

"What, you can see the future now?" she snaps. "Seems weird, for a man of science."

"I don't have to see the future to know! Can't you just trust me?"

It's her turn to bury her face in her hands, groaning. "You don't have any concrete evidence to support your claim," she grumbles. "Your study is not peer-reviewed or repeatable. You're a bad scientist and you should feel bad."

"I am peer-reviewed, it's just that my peers have asked to remain anonymous."

"Oh, sure! That's what all the phony scientists say!"

She swats him, and he laughs. Slowly but surely, the pebbles weighing down her stomach begin to lift one by one.

"Now!" He abruptly claps his hands, making her look up. "Enough of this self-pitying nonsense and onto better things. Have you eaten dinner yet?"

She gives him a quizzical look. "No?"

"Well, come on, then." He stands up and offers her a hand. "We're going to make pesto pasta and then scour Netflix for the worst low-budget film known to man."

Anna winces. That sounds like a lot of work.

"And why are we going to all the trouble of cooking actual food?"

He raises an eyebrow. "You were going to eat frozen eggrolls for dinner, weren't you?"

Anna sighs in defeat.

"I was going to eat frozen eggrolls for dinner," she confirms wearily.

He grabs her hand and pulls her to her feet, making her cheeks burn. "Come on, I found this recipe online that takes like 10 minutes. And we can make some raw chocolate chip cookie dough for dessert."

Anna lets herself be dragged into the kitchen, almost laughing at how incredulous it is that Hiccup got her excited about chores.

He must really care. For some reason.

*

"Anna. Anna, hey."

Two thoughts cross Anna's mind as she hauls her tired brain out of the comfy grip of unconsciousness.

The first is that there's late morning sunshine streaming in through her window, warming her cheek. It's early, but not affront-against-every-possible-god early.

The second is that there's another human being in her bed with her.

Anna remembers what a pest she was as a little kid, always hopping into Elsa's bed and waking her sister up to entertain her when her insomnia got especially unbearable. But since then, she and other people haven't spent a lot of time in each other's beds--save for the occasional girls' night sleepover.

So this is noteworthy.

"Wha--?"

Anna flips over to find a very-solid Hiccup Haddock (she verifies it via kicking him in the leg) grinning at her over the covers. Having migrated from the air mattress she inflated for him the previous night, she realizes.

"What're you doing up here?" she grumbles.

Not that it's a bad thing. She's just a little confused.

"I made you something."

She rubs her eyes, looking at him dubiously. "Something better than sleep?"

"Arguably."

"Fine."

Anna really isn't feeling the slog out of bed, but Hiccup looks so uncharacteristically giddy that she can't help but be curious.

She leans on him the entire way to the kitchen, slumping like an injured soldier staggering out of the battlefield. He doesn't seem to mind holding her in place.

And then she sees it.

There, sitting on a plate on the counter, are an arrangement of white chocolate-dipped strawberries. The sweet-smelling pot next to them that look like its contents were ripped out by a hurricane and strewn across the stove twice over are hard evidence they're homemade.

The chocolate is messy--lumpy and smudged with different shades of pink running together in a food coloring stunt gone terribly wrong. Icing guns were used to draw on stripes and patterns, interspersed with clumps of sprinkles.

Amateur, but done with more love and care than most people on professional baking shows.

Hiccup must have started this at 6 in the morning, if not earlier.

Anna's jaw drops. "You did not."

"I did too."

She shakes her head in wonder, trying to gather her thoughts.

"But...why?"

"Because you deserve to feel like you're worth it."

"Worth...what?"

"Worth fighting for. Worth loving. Worth caring about."

She turns to stare at him. His expression is almost pained.

"You're a fucking superhero." His voice shakes a little as he says it. "You've always been there for me, and helped me feel like I had something to offer when everyone else thought I didn't. I have more fun talking to you than anyone else I know. Just..." He lets out a breath. "I need you to know that whenever you need anyone, for anything, I'll help. My door's always open. Online, hell, even in person--just say the word, and I'm there."

All she can do is nod mutely.

"You're funny and delightful and you care so much about the people who matter to you and I just wish you could see all that," he goes on. "And I'm going to keep making you snacks until you do."

And then she's running to him, picking him clean off the floor and spinning him around. When she puts him down, he doesn't have time to escape before she's pulling him into a tight hug.

Clutching his shirt, she murmurs into his chest.

"I still don't know if I really deserve all this, but...thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you."

*

"So for the Lorentz Force Law, what constant do you use for the permeability of free space?"

Hiccup sighs, slumping across the other side of the coffee table and eyeing her glumly. "You know, you don't have to help me study for physics. I promise I'm fine."

"No!" She chucks the last of the chocolate-covered strawberries at him. "I will not be held responsible for you bombing your final!"

"Please, no more. We've been at this for hours now."

"We've been at this for 30 minutes!"

"Can we at least take a break?" His green eyes are big and pleading--nigh impossible to resist. "I never thought I'd say it, but I might implode if I have to see one more line of weird numbers. And this is coming from the engineer-in-training."

It doesn't take much for Anna to relent. Her brain also feels like putty, and she's getting so much secondhand anxiety that she has to constantly remind herself she isn't the one taking a physics exam.

She slams her laptop shut, stomach loosening in relief as the loathsome, math-filled screen goes dark.

"Okay. 30 minutes," she says, knowing damn well that the break will be longer than 30 minutes.

"We'll just do something simple," he says. "Like a walk."

As if being out in the fresh air is going to make them any more eager to return to flashcards later.

They emerge into cool air, making their way down shady, tree-lined avenues until Anna leads them to a sprawling park. She'd gone there all the time when she was little, sometimes even sneaking out without (gasp!) adult supervision in order to be alone with the squirrels and the bugs.

It's a beautiful afternoon. The world still feels fresh from the previous night's rain, a crisp aroma hanging on the breeze and water lingering on leaves and dripping from the ends of twigs like morning dew. The way drops of moisture catch late-day sunlight gives everything a bright sheen.

They come to an open field, smothered in runaway weeds and late-season dandelions. It has a wildness to it that makes Anna pick up her pace, giggling with excitement.

"Hiccup, look!" She plucks a flower, blowing a cloud of seeds into Hiccup's face. "Make a wish!"

He coughs. "I wish these flowers won't activate my allergies."

"You're not supposed to tell me, you dolt!"

"Maybe that's not actually what I wished for." He eyes her mischievously. "Maybe I'm misleading you for my own nefarious ends. Ever think of that, Firecracker?"

"What could you possibly be plotting?"

"Wouldn't you like to know." He wiggles his eyebrows. "Maybe it was world domination. Maybe it was more conservation protection for marine iguanas. Maybe it was for these damn dandelions to irritate your sinuses too, so you'll know how it feels."

"You little shit!"

Before she knows it she's chasing him across the grass, trying to blow as many feathery seeds into his hair as possible. Snickering, Hiccup squats down and arms himself.

Before they know it, it's a full-scale dandelion war. Anna has a feeling they'll both look they took a bath inside a pillow before this is all over.

She also has a feeling not one other physics problem will get done today.

*

Anna asks herself for the tenth time that hour what the hell she's doing.

Her hoodie is soaked, braids hanging limply out like soppy orange rags. The thunder overhead has been drawing ever closer, bringing a slow-building anxiety attack along with it. And yet here she is, running back and forth outside a dorm building she's never set foot in in her life and trying to figure out which window corresponds to Room 127.

This is so ridiculous.

The internet's in consensus: Acting needy is about the worst thing a young woman can do. In fact, expressing any desire for affection and care and "higher maintenance" than usual is the quickest way to make a man flee in terror.

At least Ty sure thought so.

But this isn't Ty, is it?

A long shot. An absolutely batshit plan. But Anna's done walking on eggshells in her pursuit of true love.

And then she sees him through the glass. Tall, lanky, sprawled on his bed with his face in a comic book.

So she did time it right. His physics final was over with, and he was busying himself catching up on Spider-Man.

Well. He could be procrastinating something.

But in that case...he wouldn't mind procrastinating just a tad longer, would he?

Throwing subtlety to the wind, Anna bangs on the window.

He bristles like a startled cat. When he turns, his alarm morphs into confusion.

He splutters incoherently as he cracks open the window. "Wh--how did you---what are you doing here, Anna?"

"Just returning the favor!" She beams. "Y'know, the...randomly-dropping-in favor. You're done with your finals anyway, right?"

"Yeah, but...that's a 5-hour drive!"

She scoffs. "And you made it. Why can't I?"

His mouth opens--then snaps shut again.

A complete loss for words. The most sure sign of Anna's victory.

"You gave me an open invitation, mister!" She reaches through the open window, jabbing his chest.

"That I did." Hiccup raises an eyebrow. "I just didn't expect you to take me up on that in the middle of a torrential downpour twice as bad as when I dropped by your place."

"...can I come in?"

He sighs. "Yeah, yeah. Just give me a sec."

Hiccup grabs a towel from a rack on his dorm wall and bustles back over. He half-pulls her into the room and half aggressively dries her soaked hair.

"Sheesh. You're going to get hypothermia or something."

Tutting disapprovingly, he wraps her in an old bomber jacket and an extra blanket.

Anna could get used to how she feels in his clothes.

"You're so dramatic." She pulls Hiccup's belongings closer. It's going to be difficult ripping them away from her now. "It's just a little water and stuff."

He rolls his eyes, but doesn't argue.

"So what's the occasion, then? To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I..." Anna takes a breath.

Maybe simplicity and mundanity wasn't always a bad look.

"I wanted to see you."

He blinks in surprise. "Me?"

She nods.

"My whole life, I've just...felt like some half-forgotten accessory in someone else's story. My sister's. My parents'. My friends', even, once they get more popular and I'm the 'anchor' keeping it all from getting to their head, I guess. But not with you." She sucks in her breath.

"With you, it's like...I mean something. Just by doing all the boring crap I do every day and drinking basic girl lattes and cheering from the sidelines as everyone else accomplishes these great things. And you don't think less of me for getting panicky about everyone secretly hating me or crying in my car because I worry I'm not good enough. And you're so smart and funny and handsome and just all around a genuinely amazing person, and I just...I'd rather be hanging out with you than doing just about anything else. And so here I am."

For a moment, he only regards her thoughtfully.

"Anna." When he finally speaks, his voice is quiet. "Remember how you said you weren't the kind of girl people fall in love with, and I said you were wrong?"

"Right." She smiles wanly. "And you didn't have any evidence to prove it."

"So I'll prove it, then." His voice grows louder, firmer. "You will be loved. Right here, right now. Because I love you."

She scrutinizes him, confused. "Well, yeah, of course you do. We're friends."

"That's not what I mean." He sighs in frustration. "I mean...yeah, obviously, but there's something else going on here. And I think you know, but you won't let yourself feel it because you don't think you deserve it."

"But maybe I don--"

"So put that aside for a second." His voice is calm, gentle--sounding scarily reasonable, even. "Forget what you have or haven't 'earned.' What do you want, Anna?"

"I..." She swallows. "I think you already know."

Her heart is pounding, and she wonders if this is all really happening.

Then his mouth is on hers.

He tastes like home. He tastes like walking through your front door after being gone for a long, long time, and finally going to sleep wrapped up in your own bed.

It feels like an eon before they pull apart. Anna doesn't mind.

And as they lay on the bed, foreheads pressed together with breathless smiles, Hiccup murmurs in her ear.

"Could I interest you in sticking around a while?"

She grins.

"You could."

***

...okay so I literally have no reason why this took so long. No real excuse here. I just had a case of Brain No Worky and, in beautifully ironic fashion for the ADHD and Autism Squared Ship, my double-dosing ADHD Autistic ass just noped on me for a hot minute and now here we are. 4 days from the end of this damn event and I just finished my final Week 1 prompt. Absolutely cringefail, yes, but tbh I think this is what Hiccup and Anna would want. Sometimes I just have to be a dysfunctional disaster!!! For them!!!

ANYWAYS. Here it is, several weeks late!!! I've always loved this song for them, and generally the idea of Hiccup propping Anna up and being her biggest cheerleader and just generally believing in her when basically everyone else ignores her, dismisses her, or puts her down (like several characters in F1 do this!!! Especially in some of the deleted scenes!!!). I just think my girl deserves someone who unabashedly adores her and makes her feel good about herself while still having a personality outside of like...blindly simping (sorry kristoff lmao). But also grounds her and kinda keeps her in check when she starts going on a self-loathing spiral or does some impulsive Dumb Shit without thinking.

Not that Hiccup DOESN'T also do Impulsive Dumb Shit but he has like no self awareness about it lmfao

I've actually been meaning to use that chocolate strawberry pic forever XD Was gonna use it for something valentines-themed, but...eh. Oh well. This works too! And of course I had to find some way to throw it into the story XD

Anna and Hiccup cooking pasta together >>>> I would've written that scene too, if I had the energy!!!

Pic credits available upon request!

[kovopedia]

[mightymizora]

Hey siri show me the scene where Alfred Molina cracks and binges in the 2000 film Chocolat

[evesaintyves]

WIP Word Search Game

thanks for the tag @whinlatter and also @ashesandhackles some time ago ❤️

i searched my whole WIP collection/abandoned project graveyard for these and... 😭. i have a lot of unfinished work. these are all unpublished chapters and one-shots-in-progress.

words: close | sharp | time | blood | touch

🔸️close - [The Last Mission, WIP chapter]

Just muddle through another few hours, yeah? Tonks slid her fingers over the inside of his wrist, right below the tip of his wand where he'd hidden it in his shirtsleeve. Then, as soon as we can, we'll... She jerked her head to indicate the woods. How cruel and close that apparition boundary seemed at this moment, guarded in the gnarled arms of the trees. And how the wood must abhor this antiseptic lawn, this parochial garden, and all these unnatural animals in their wingtip shoes and party frocks. How it must champ and growl to reclaim it all.

🔸️sharp - [perimeter walks, WIP chapter]

The grass came up to their shins. Awkward dandelion, a head taller than everything else, had gone to seed in seraphim puffs which broke against Ginny's thighs when she waded to the front door through the thicket. Spindrifts of fluff on the warm wind. The tipsy smell of the roof rotting through. "I've heard about this place, but..." Harry stopped before the door, which was ajar, and stood looking at the dark crack of it like he didn't want to go inside. Ginny laid her hand on his back, between his knife-sharp shoulderblades, still so bony even after all the funeral food, even after all her mum's rich, desperately-compensatory dinners. When she touched him he finished in a rushed mutter: "...I've never seen it before."

🔸️time - [untitled Parvati Patil one-shot WIP]

This time last year was the Weird Sisters singing believe that magic works, the strange biting pinesap scent of amortentia, Lavender's tiresome sighs, and Padma running up to grab Parvati's hand, just like when they were little, whispering just please be careful. If it can happen to Katie... Catastrophising was never Padma's style - that, she'd say, was Parvati's thing - and seeing her unflappable sister so scared had covered her in crawling unease, like the wavy feeling that stays on her skin when she swims in the lake too long. She's come to understand that that feeling was a message, that discomfort is a language that is older than words, is the truth of the body struggling to speak itself. These days her body rings all the time with these messages: the curdling in her gut when the man Carrow watches her and Lavender walk the aisle to their seats. The gallop in her chest when the morning owls come swooping, carrying fresh horror in their taloned feet, leaving the names of the disappeared to whisper in chains down the breakfast tables. The constant readiness like a low vibration in her bones: you are not safe here - do not sleep too deeply - prepare yourself to fight -

🔸️blood [All the Bricks in the Wall, WIP chapter]

Remus didn't sleep well in her bed. She kicked and mumbled and snatched the duvet away, and more to the point he never felt quite like he belonged there: he'd shift awake and the thrashing movement of her rockband posters in the dark would startle him, and then he'd lie there staring at the greenish glow of the stars she'd charmed onto her ceiling, and then the feeling of being an old man in a young girl's bedroom would creep up and make him want to take off his own skin. He'd think about going home to his bed, he'd even scheme how he might make her forgive him for it (a note on the pillow? come back in the morning with coffee and pain au chocolat?) but she wasn't the forgiving sort, and the thought of her cross with him  and all the things she might say (sneaking out in the night - had your fun - had your fill of me, have you?) was so much worse than not sleeping. It cost him in the end: one morning he dozed off on the tube and was forty minutes late for his opening shift at the café, then the next day, exhausted again, he cut himself so badly slicing apples on the mandoline that a jet of his blood shot across a sheet of kouign-amanns cooling and he had to chuck the lot of them. The owner, who never showed face in the mornings but was there that day of course, fumed silently for hours before calling him into the binder-crammed back office and sacking him. You're always giving away your shifts, you come in distracted, not ready for work—when you get yourself cleaned up, give us a ring and we might have something part-time for you. Remus was halfway home when it sunk in what he was being accused of, and he stopped dead and stood there for a moment in the babble of Upper Street, thinking he might be sick on the pavement.

next one is slightly spicy so i'm putting it under a cut. but first lemme tag @lunapwrites, @welsh-green, @ala-baguette, @artemisia-black, @alohaemora and anybody else who wants to do it!

your words: sick | ghost | whisper | sweet | face

🔸️touch - [untitled sort-of WIP - actually a finished one-shot that i didn't like enough to post and set aside to try to rework into something better (someday 🌠)]

Tonks threw her head back and moaned, her eyes half-shut and unfocused on the ceiling, one hand fisted in the shaggy hair at the back of Remus's neck. She was on his lap as he slouched on her sofa, their lo mein cooling abandoned on her coffee table. He'd been brave enough to slide a hand under her shirt and run his thumb over the mesh of her bra tonight. She'd learned by now to tilt her head this way when he touched her: to show him that she liked it, but also to give him privacy. He'd get flustered if he caught her looking, though she quite itched to see his face at moments like this. The flush of it, the swollen lips, the dazed heaviness of his eyelids. With her face upturned like this she could change herself discreetly, too, and this time she decided to go with one of her old standards: she made her lips a little darker and plumper, so they'd be irresistable when she brought her face close to kiss him, and morphed her nipples bigger and firmer under his roaming thumbs.

[slowroadtosantiago]

Day 42 - Ribadiso to O Pedrouso

Well that makes 6 whole weeks that we have been on the Camino and tomorrow we walk the 12 or so miles into Santiago! It’s going to be weird to not be in the Camino routine anymore.

Today’s 14.7 mile walk, whilst pleasant, was also quite hard for both of us coming on the back of two long days, and we both felt it in our feet.

We left just after 7 after an awful night’s sleep. I was awake with itchy bites on my arms and paranoia about possible bed bugs in my sleeping bag, and Jane had a heavy blocked nose from the pollen in the air.

We tried to get a coffee in the local bar with the grumpy waiter but it wasn’t open so cracked on.

We stopped about 3 miles up the road in a place called Arzua. We’d been in the countryside with small villages and it was strange to walk into a modern town.

We found a bakery with cafe open so had breakfast - pain au chocolat and coffee - before heading back into the countryside and forests.

We met Rick of Rick and Richard fame from a few days ago (the wine people). He was struggling with blisters so nurse Jane came to the rescue!

The countryside alternated between forests and open ploughed fields. There were plenty of people on the path and the ‘Cymru am Byth’ vandal was still about though there are fewer scrawls.

Just coming up a hill we heard music and came across a guy playing a keyboard.

Then after a quick coffee stop at 5 miles came across a wall of Pilgrim wisdom - lots of wise sayings.

Further on as we turned one corner we came across one house which had put plants in lots of shoes!

My favourite bit was when we went through a wooded area and there was a bloke playing meditation style music and several people were taking a sit down break with their eyes closed.

Lunch was at the 10+ mile mark where Rian caught up with us. It was a bit of a funky cafe and buzzing with all the people passing through.

We were still passing lots of old and new houses with hórreos (the outdoor buildings at height) so I amused myself today by taking pictures of them.

After lunch it was only an hour or so to O Pedrouzo and the Albergue. We checked in and as we walked into the dorm Laura was there too! It’s a nice enough place, not full, quite modern and we’re both on the bottom again. We did a batch of washing as everything was getting a bit smelly, then went for a wander meeting up with the two girls and finding a nice place to eat at.

I think the plan is to be up even earlier than normal to beat the crowds and get to Santiago early. I just hope we get a better night’s sleep.

[smalltownfae]

Favourite Opening Lines:

“He came one late, wet spring, and brought the wide world back to my doorstep.” - Fool’s Errand by Robin Hobb

“In the land of Ingary, where such things as seven-league boots and cloaks of invisibility really exist, it is quite a misfortune to be born the eldest of three.” - Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

“I lost an arm on my last trip home.” - Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

“No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality; even larks and katydids are supposed, by some, to dream.” - The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

“Let’s start with the end of the world, why don’t we?” - The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin

“The  unicorn lived in a lilac wood, and she lived all alone.” - The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle

“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.” - The Hobbit by J.R. R. Tolkien

“I’ll make my report as if I told a story, for I was taught as a child on my homeworld that Truth is a matter of the imagination.” - The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin

“Marley was dead, to begin with.” - A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way – in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.” - A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Favourite Ending Lines:

Careful with spoilers.

“The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.” - Animal Farm by George Orwell (Name a more iconic ending. You can’t.)

“If Hundreds Hall is haunted, however, it’s ghost doesn’t show itself to me. For I’ll turn, and am disappointed –  realising that what I am looking at is only a cracked window-pane, and that the face gazing distortedly from it, baffled and longing, is my own.” - The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters (Killer reveal)

“Oh,Constance,” I said, “we are so happy.” - We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson (this has the same effect on me as the ending of the movie Midsommer)

“I When they entered, they found hanging upon the wall a splendid portrait of their master as they had last seen him, in all the wonder of his exquisite youth and beauty. Lying on the floor was a dead man, in evening dress, with a knife in his heart. He was withered, wrinkled, and loathsome of visage. It was not till they had examined the rings that they recognized who it was.” - The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

“In the darkness, two shadows, reaching through the hopeless, heavy dusk. Their hands meet, and light spills in a flood, like a hundred golden urns pouring out the sun.” - The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

“Wolves have no Kings.” - Royal Assassin / “We dream of carving our dragon.” - Assassin’s Quest / “She settled into it and continued towards her destiny.” - The Mad Ship / “The past is no further away than the last breath you took.” - Fool’s Errand / “Perhaps having the courage to find a better path is having the courage to risk making new mistakes.” - The Golden Fool (all by Robin Hobb)

“Hoping that this time it will remain a lullaby. That this time the wind will not hear. That this time – please just this once – it will leave without us.” - Chocolat by Joanne Harris

“And Cat, though he was still a little lonely and tearful, managed to laugh too.” - Charmed Life by Diana Wynne Jones

[dragongutsixofficial]

The Easy Cheese thing has me thinking; if something as ubiquitous and familiar to me as Easy Cheese doesn't exist in Europe, what is there that I have never seen? If the impossible were to happen and you and I were able to visit each other, what could we eat together? What could we share?

I know what I'd want to share with you. I don't consider myself a particularly good cook (I subsist mostly off of sandwiches and freezer meals) but I think I'd want to take another crack at my mother's cheeseburger casserole. It was a childhood favorite of mine and my brother's, but unfortunately mother never wrote it the recipe down and I have been working on reconstructing it. It's as good as I remember though, and I like to think you would also enjoy it. And I'd definitely find us a place to light a fire too, so we could roast s'mores after the sun goes down.

Do they have s'mores in France? I really couldn't say, my knowledge of French cuisine is nonexistent. I wonder what you would show me if I were to go over there. What kind of snacks or pastries or meals you would share with me.

Sorry for the ramble. The possibilities have me thinking.

I THOUGHT I POSTED THIS DAYS AGO AND IT'S STILL IN MY DRAFTS I AM SO SORRY

Aaw that's incredibly sweet! I'm sure i'd love that casserole, it looks absolutely delicious from what you've told me !!! ❤️

As for s'mores... at first i had a guess you were talking about marshmallows, and we 100% have those. Surprisingly, i never roasted one !^^ But after looking up what a smore exactly is, i'm sad to announce that we don't have them here. =")

We do have bêtises de Cambrai ("stupid things from Cambrai") though, which come from the town of the same name. They're named that because the legend goes that they were invented accidentally by someone who messed up the proportions of another recipe ! They're small candies that come in a variety of different flavors- the original being mint, but my personal favorite being violet !

(You can't roast them over a fire though.)

Another one of my childhood favorites was actually cidre (cider). For us French people, it's an alcoholic beverage made with apples and it is delicious. And since it's actually barely got any alcohol in it, i actually had plenty when i was a kid. To this day, i think it's my favorite alcoholic drink.^^

One of the things i'd definitely make you try is The French Food™: a baguette. I've heard horror stories about your baguettes and as a proud baguette enjoyer I will not stand for it. Also, while I am not the biggest fan of viennoiseries, i still think pains au chocolat and croissants are still very emblematic (though the point of croissants is lost on me. They're basically never filled with anything here.)

As for meals, I don't know if any one of my favorite dishes is specifically French. But I think one of the best specialties we have (Normandy and Britain most of all) are crêpes- and i especially love them when they're topped with caramel. Incredible.

I also really like to cook, though i'm sometimes way too lazy to do so !^^ So I think i'd make you one of my go-to recipes, chorizo pasta (provided you like chorizo, else we'd find something else!), because they always do the trick for me. It's just a nice, hearty meal that I always look forward to.