#gotta love how her hair stays in perfect shape while flying also

[francy-sketches]

people will say literally anything to hate on hotd for no reason I just saw someone say the dragons in got were better. bitch they look like burnt vegetables

[forsworned]

can i request a Rengoku x fem or male reader where he becomes completely smitten with the reader after they always make him snacks (and then some). mayybe he confesses in the end, idkk✨

[♥] love confession. {renguko kyoujurou x reader}

Genre: Fluff, Fluff and more Fluff!!

Categories: F/M

Relationships: Renguko Kyoujurou/Reader

Word count: 1,839

a/n: ahhhh!! i'm so sorry this took me so long to make. i hate writing when i'm not in the mood bc it signifiicantly depletes the quality of my writing and that's just no fair for you guys, i hope ypu enjoy this :) requests are open!

To say that Kyoujurou simply enjoyed snacks was an understatement. He was a snack fiend. He had a bad habit of carrying snacks anywhere and everywhere. Compliments to Mitsuri for making him pick it up.

[Name] would watch him pull them out of his sleeves. His uniform pockets and occasionally from in between the buttons of uniform. On multiple occasions, he’d sneak some mini taiyaki and other times senbei. When she was around him and she’d catch him, he laugh at himself and offer her some, which of course she would never deny. Kyoujurou was too cute to deny in her eyes.

Until one day, she had noticed that he hadn’t been snacking all day. Not once, not even a nibble and even that was enough to spark some suspicion on her end.

[Name] pondered all the times she had seen him that day and each time she had remembered, he seemed a little sad. Was it because he ran out of them?

Just then she had conjured up an idea. What if I made a bunch of his favorite snacks? That would definitely cheer him up!

Honestly, [Name] would do anything to see him smile and she would stop at nothing to get it. And slowly, but surely, that is exactly what she did.

It became a daily routine to bring Kyoujurou any snack she knew he would enjoy. And of course, he would accept every time because he simply could not get enough of [Name's] homemade snacks. Every time that he would ask what she would add to her food, she would insist that the secret ingredient was "love".

Which would obviously fly over his head (god bless his heart) because Kyoujurou was so oblivious it hurt. But like [Name] had firmly stated with all her heart. She wouldn't stop at nothing to get what she wanted. And what she wanted was Kyoujurou. So like any corny, cliche storyline, [Name] had told Kyoujurou that she planned a sort of taste testing for an upcoming cooking competition she had.

But like the good spirited man Kyoujurou was, he happily agreed. He would do anything to help his fellow comrades out. [Name] could jump for joy, but she held it in and instead gave him a time to meet up her place. Kyoujurou smiled his usual smile before bowing.

"See you then!"

*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:

By this time, she had already been in the kitchen for over two hours now whipping up a bunch of Kyoujurou's favorite snacks. The oven dinged signaling that her sweet potatoes were done. She pulled them out and set them down on the counter. [Name] was delighted with herself because not only was she done, but she had successfully prepared everything. The sweet potatoes were roasted to perfection and she set the scallion butter she also made on the side.

Now she had sakura mochi, senbei and takoyai. She wanted to keep it both sweet and savory so that he could enjoy both equally. All that was left was to surprise him.

[Name] pulled her pocket watch out of her breast pocket and checked the time.

He should be here any minute.

Her heart was pounding in her chest the more she thought about it. Somehow she had mustered up the courage to ask Kyoujurou to come to her humble abode--alone. And (mostly) happily obliged. There was still the lingering sadness about him that made her heart ache.

"[Name]?' She heard his voice call out and her anxiety peaked as she rushed to the door with a scarf in her hand.

"Yes, stay right there, please!"

And immediately he halted all actions and words. [Name] opened her door to see the fiery blonde smiling brightly at her and her breath caught in her throat.

"Hello, [Name]." His expression now slightly surprised, mouth in an "o" shape as he points to her cheek. "What's this?"

[Name's] cheeks dusted with a pink hue as she swiped her face and looked at her finger to see flour on it. She seemed alarmed which was enough to cause him to laugh at her.

"You wanted to show me something?" His voice soft now. And it took every once of [Name] to look him in the eyes and when she did, she could tell the same sadness was clouding his gaze.

She gulped and nodded her head as she pulled put the scarf. "You gotta put this on first."

Kyoujurou's cheeks visibly pinkened but he agreed and bent his head down as [Name] gently wrapped the makeshift blindfold around his eyes. Her fingers brushing against his skin was enough to send a shiver down his spine as she felt the wisps of her hair tickle her skin. She tightened the knot and Kyoujurou felt a lump form in his throat.

Her hands now in his as she tugged him along to her kitchen. Neither of them spoke as she led them there. Just two hearts thumping silently against their chests, unbeknownst to one another.

"You can take it off now." Her voice barely a whisper, but he heard quite well.

Her unraveled the loose knot and his eyes were now fully uncovered. Kyoujurou felt his heart stammer a bit , while his fiery orbs widened in blissful surprise.

"Surprise!" She cheered and she jumped with arms wide.

Kyoujurou did not move, just simply stood there speechless. His eyes carefully scanned the counter that was filled with his favorite treats and then to [Name]. He didn't know how to feel in that moment. He didn't know another human being was capable of making him feel a million and one emotions all at once. No one had ever done him such a courtesy and it made his heart swell.

His silence caused [Name] to twiddle her fingers nervously awaiting a response.

"Do you not like it?" Her voice was a squeak now. He gulped as he blinked back the tears stinging at his eyes. And then he did something that [Name] least expected. He had enveloped her in his warmth and squeezed her with such tenderness that she had never felt before.

"Thank you, [Name]." He breathed out. His chin sat on her shoulder blade as he closed his eyes and a small tear slipped out. He quickly wiped it away before pulling back and looking at [Name] who was staring at him with broadened [e/c] hues.

"No one has ever done me the honor of blessing me with such a thoughtful surprise." His smile was bright and cheery as ever. [Name] felt like her heart was going to implode.

"I'm in love with you."

She just blurted it out. Not intentionally. It just kind of came out. So abruptly in fact, that Kyoujurou immediately started to burn up. No one had ever confessed to him (false, many have confessed but he always took it as admiration and would pat them on the shoulder and smile completely oblivious).

"Eh?"

Was all that came out of his mouth. He didn't know [Name] liked him like that?! Sure she was super pretty, but Kyoujurou always thought she would take a liking to Giyuu since she was always poking at him trying to get him to talk. It's not that he didn't find her attractive, he very much did. But, again, it just absolutely threw him off because in his mind she could have any man she desired. But him? She liked, no--loved him?

"Ah! I mean--I--"

[Name] was at an unfortunate loss for words and she couldn't do anything to take it back, so she just braced herself for the consequences.

"Y-you're--" He pointed to her. "in love with me?" He then pointed to himself in shock. And [Name] thought she was going to pass out.

"Uh, yes. I am in love with you, Kyoujurou. I hope that this doesn't ruin our friendship..."

[Name] felt defeated at this point. She really couldn't tell if he felt embarrassed because he didn't return her feelings or not. Kyoujurou finally swallowed the lump in his throat. He noticed that [Name] was on edge and obviously needed an answer and none of his antsiness.

"I didn't think I was your type. I am extremely flattered." He deadpanned as he bowed respectfully in most erect manner.

[Name] felt an embarrassed sweat drop on the back of her head form.

"Y-you are?"

"Yes! I would find it most desirable if we formed an intimate bond!"

"Uh, Kyoujurou."

"Yes!"

"You can stop bowing now."

"Right!"

Kyoujurou was met with [Name's] glimmering eyes and flushed face and he saw her for more than his fellow comrade.

"Do you mean that." She hesitantly stepped forward. He courageously embraced her face with the rough palms of his hands against her smooth skin.

"Yes, I do. It would be an honor to have you by my side. If you would let me, of course." His voice smooth and even as he spoke. An illusion Kyoujurou had to conjure up to steady his beating heart.

"The honor is mine."

[Name's] face leaned forward and he felt her breath delicately aerating against his skin. And that's when his illusion broke because Kyoujurou had turned just as fiery red as the hair on his head and turned away in agitation.

[Name] was confused by his sudden humiliation. Did her breath smell bad?

"M-my apologies. I just got a little apprehensive when you got close." He gulped dryly as he peeped at her expression, but [Name] just burst into laughter.

She didn't think she had the capability of turning Kyoujurou into a flustered mess, nevertheless here he was doing just that. Oh, how the tables have turned.

"We don't need to rush anything, Kyo." She held a hand over mouth to hide her delight.

His blush intensified at the nickname. How much more was she going to embarrass him?!

She grabbed his hand and led him to the table where she was going to set everything up.

"Let's eat."

He followed her lead and sat adjacent from her and instantly his mouth watered as she set the dishes in front of them

"Thank you, again, [Name]. Really."

[Name] waved a hand as if to reassure him it was nothing as she took a chunk out of her sakura mochi. He quietly took a bite from his sweet potatoes and he was filled immediately with the void he had developed from years of coldness.

Soft, supple lips found themselves on his cheek and he felt his face flare up mid bite. [Name's] melodious laugh filled the room as she confidently took a bite from his chopsticks. Oh yes, the tables have indeed turned.

"Thank you for coming." She flirted as she made her fingers walk on his lap. His eyes followed them as they got closer to his upper thigh and he wondered where the shy [Name] had went. Another fit of laughter bubbled out of her throat as she faltered to the tatami mat.

"You are so cute, Kyo!"

It was only the beginning of [Name] driving Kyoujurou insane.

[farrawayfromthere]

Let’s Not Let A Year Pass By This Time

Pairing: Jordan Todd/Emily Prentiss

Word Count: 2k

Summary: After the family annihilator case that had been the last straw for Jordan at the BAU, they don’t see each other for a year.

A/N: for Day 4 of CM Fanfiction Week (Underrated character/pairing); tagging @simmonsmilf and @starry-eyed-spence (gif credit to @j3mily)

Jordan’s in line at a coffee shop in DC, eyeing a chocolate chip muffin in the display case with her name on it.

She fidgets with the zipper on her wallet then wonders with a small sigh if she’d be better off ordering an egg sandwich for the protein.

Today, her team’ll be flying up to a small city in New Hampshire who’s two post offices have both received bomb threats in the last couple days. She knows she’ll be interviewing postal workers all day; she’s gonna need the energy.

“Jordan? Agent Todd? Is that you?”

It’s a voice she hasn’t heard in what feels like a lifetime.

Jordan looks over her shoulder and finds herself face to face with a woman she hasn’t seen in over a year, just a couple customers behind her.

Emily’s face splits into that same huge, brilliant smile Jordan remembers.

“It is you! My god!”

She looks.... really good.

“Agent Prentiss,” Jordan says, eyes growing wide, mouth dropping open slightly.

Emily’s grown her bangs out, pushed them to the sides.

Her dark, dark brown hair falls smoothly, elegantly just past her shoulders.

She’s wearing a black pantsuit, well-tailored. A black, silky looking blouse underneath and black, thick heeled boots that make her feel even taller than Jordan remembers.

She looks, really, really good.

The guy behind her clears his throat and Jordan realizes the line has moved along.

She gestures for him and the lady behind him to go ahead, and reaches for Emily’s sleeve.

“It’s great to see you,” Emily says.

Jordan’s laugh is a disbelieving exhale.

The other woman extends a hand to shake and Jordan feels a strange, subtle swoop in her stomach when their palms press against one another’s.

Emily’s is still cool; Jordan’s, still warm.

Jordan wonders if Emily’s one of those people who always feels cold, just like she’s one of those people who always feels warm.

Suddenly, all the turtlenecks and sweaters she’d seen her wear around the BAU make a little more sense.

Emily’s hand squeezes hers back, and Jordan blinks up at her.

Emily’s eyes are bright, and even through their automatic, habitual coolness, suddenly, a little shy.

“Um, hi,” Jordan says, the words a little breathless.

“Long time no see,” Emily says.

“You’re telling me.”

Emily blinks and gives her a rueful little half-grin.

“I never called.”

“Well, I didn’t either,” Jordan says, keeping humor in her voice, “I meant to, in that first month, but—.”

“We just got so busy after you left. I didn’t realize how much time was passing, I’m so sorry,” Emily says.

They’d told each other they would stay in touch, but the days and weeks and months had just—slipped by.

By the time Jordan realized that an unacceptable amount of time had passed and she’d yet to make good on her promise to grab lunch or dinner with the older agent, the mere idea of picking up the phone and dialing her number made Jordan feel antsy with unease.

It would’ve been too weird; too awkward.

“It’s okay,” Jordan says, “Neither did I.”

Emily blows air out of her cheeks, expression full of relief.

“So we’re good?”

“Yeah, Prentiss. We’re good.”

She allows herself to take in Emily’s new hair for a moment.

She gestures lazily at it with her index finger.

“I gotta say. I like the no bangs look on you. Very elegant. Very mysterious FBI woman.”

Twin patches of pink appear high in her cheeks.

“Thanks.”

Jordan smiles.

“You still look like you could kill a man with one stomp of those boots though.”

A grin breaks through Emily’s blush.

“Oh, so they’re giving off the energy I’d hoped they would when I bought them?”

“If the energy you had in mind was ‘don’t mess with me’, then yeah, I’d say so.”

“Next,” the young man at the cashier calls.

Jordan winks at Emily, then steps forward to order her sandwich and coffee. She’s surprised when she finishes and the cashier looks over her shoulder to speak to Emily.

Quickly and efficiently, the taller woman orders herself a medium coffee and an old-fashioned donut from the display case. She pays for both of their orders without a moment’s hesitation, before Jordan can even open her mouth to protest.

“Thanks,” Emily tells the cashier, while Jordan, stomach swirling with a deep warmth that’s startling in its suddenness, places a couple bills in the tip jar.

They sit at a small table for two by the window.

When Jordan looks up from skim milk and raw sugar into her coffee, Emily’s eyes are already cautiously on her.

“So how have you been,” the taller woman asks.

“Uh, good,” Jordan says, then after a moment, ”I’m where I belong.”

“I’m glad,” Emily says, grinning as she mixed cream and a Splenda into her own coffee, “You didn’t seem to like working at the BAU very much.”

“I didn’t,” Jordan says honestly, “But some parts of the experience were better than others. Plus, JJ and I have been friends since our time at the Academy so....”

Emily pushes her hair behind her shoulders, revealing small silver disk shaped earrings that glimmer as she takes a sip of her coffee.

Jordan hesitates just a moment before saying it.

“I’ve gotta say: You look good, Emily.”

Emily’s eyes twinkle; a pleased smile spreads across her face, so genuine that Jordan realizes, for the first time, that Emily Prentiss has a perfect pair of tiny dimples.

Her eyes take in Jordan’s pristine navy blazer, her well styled ponytail. They linger briefly on her mouth, today a deep plum.

“Well, you look better.”

Jordan almost spits out her first sip of coffee; She’s acutely aware that her cheeks have just gone very hot.

Emily‘s smile is a bit too smug for Jordan’s liking. She rolls her eyes.

“I know I do.”

“Oh, really,” Emily exclaims with a grin.

Jordan looks down at her egg sandwich for a moment, appetite suddenly non-existent.

The fluttering in her stomach, the smell of Emily’s perfume is making it hard to think.

She smiles a small, tentative smile.

“How’s life?”

Emily takes a sip from her coffee.

“You know. Chasing down serial killers most days of the week, coming home, watching re-runs of The Sopranos, passing out. Rinse... and repeat.”

Jordan tilts her head.

“No special someone or someones’ to keep things interesting?”

Emily meets her eyes.

“Well I don’t know about special.... Distractions? Sure... but... uh... nobody I care very much about, and definitely nobody who cares very much about me. What about you?”

Jordan snorts.

“I don’t know about special,” she says, repeating Emily’s earlier words before half-smiling and shaking her head, “No. Nobody.”

“That’s good.”

Jordan raises a brow.

Emily winces at herself.

“I mean.... hey, that’s... it’s tough out here?”

Jordan laughs, the sound loud and genuine.

Emily hums, taking a sip of her coffee.

“How’s JJ,” Jordan asks, “The rest of the team?”

Emily sets her coffee down and smiles a soft smile.

“Good. She’s good. We all are,” Emily says, then after a pause, “She loves Will and Henry very much. I think they’re what keep her going now... but... I also think they make everything much harder than it used to be for her. She sees them in every case, and it scares her so much, even though she’ll never admit it.”

Jordan nods, understanding.

“I bet it helps though,” she muses, “To have someone to come home to. People to hold you at the end of those long-ass days you all have over at the BAU.”

Emily’s smile grows more faint.

“I wouldn’t know,” she says quietly.

“Well,” Jordan says, just as quiet, “Neither would I. But that’s what I imagine.”

“Yeah, well... it didn’t work out very well for Hotch,” Emily says.

Jordan fixes her gaze on her coffee.

She’d been overseas during Haley Hotchner’s funeral; she’d wondered how her murder had affected the team at the BAU, how it had affected Emily.

They all already had trust issues... she wondered just how much more they all feared intimacy now....

Emily seems to return to her senses, eyes darting up to meet Jordan’s and startling a little when she recognizes the compassion Jordan can’t help but feel for her.

Emily had been the best part of her time at the BAU.

And okay, maybe Jordan had developed a little, truly tiny, irrelevant crush on her in that time, and maybe.... maybe it had been a little devastating that they’d never gotten in touch again after she’d left the BAU—

Regardless, Jordan wants the woman sitting across from her to be happy.

She smiles faintly at her, then her eyes catch sight of the clock hanging over the cafe’s entrance and she starts.

“Shit,” she says, standing up, “I’m gonna be late.”

Emily looks up at her, for a second panicked, then she’s scrambling in her bag for something.

“Uh—please wait.”

She pulls out a pen and takes the cafe receipt Jordan’s crumbled up and forgotten on the table.

“We’ve gotta catch up properly, Agent Todd,” she says, scribbling her number on the back of it, “New number.”

Jordan tugs her phone from her purse.

“Just read it out to me, I’ll add you in right now,” she says.

Emily does.

Jordan smiles at it, then hesitates.

“Can I snap a quick photo of you for your contact? I‘m actively working with four women named Emily on three different continents.”

Emily’s eyes flash with a hint of something Jordan can’t decipher, then she nods.

“Sure—uh—how do I look? You’re gonna have to deal with this picture of me forever.”

“You know you look good,” Jordan says, holding up the phone, “But I’ll allow you one retake if you don’t like it.”

“Just one?”

“Just one.”

Emily straightens her back. She gives a small, close mouthed smile for the picture, dark eyes looking deeply into the camera.

“One... two... okay, got it.”

Jordan shows the picture to her and Emily grimaces.

“Ugh.”

Jordan scoffs.

“Oh, come on. You look like an English rose or whatever. It’s a good picture.”

“An English rose,” Emily repeats, laughing.

Jordan glances down at her still open camera and, lips quirking, snaps another photo.

This time, she catches Emily, eyebrows drawn up in amusement, grinning. She’s looking warmly out at Jordan over the lens of the camera rather than looking into it head on.

“Oh, I’m keeping this one.”

“What? Hey. Wait, let me see.”

Jordan shows her and Emily groans.

“No.... no, no, no.”

“Too bad it’s your one retake, huh?”

“But I didn’t even know you were taking it!”

“My phone, my rules,” Jordan says, putting her phone away and looking down at her with a grin, “I guess I’ll talk to ya later.”

Emily’s still grumbling under her breath.

Jordan lets a hand fall on her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze before making for the doors.

“Hey Jordan,” she hears behind her.

And Jordan remembers in that moment that she likes the sound of her first name in Emily’s mouth.

She looks over her shoulder.

“Let’s not let a year pass by this time, alright,” Emily calls.

Jordan laughs, “Let’s make it two!”

“Please don’t,” Emily calls back.

“Or three!”

On the train, she tugs out her phone again, smiling a little at Emily’s contact photo.

She dials her number and Emily picks up on the second ring.

“Well this is nice. You gave me your real number,” Jordan says.

Emily snorts.

“I see you have a very high opinion of me.”

Jordan hesitates.

“Well, I’ll be honest... I don’t know you very well. All I know....”

She takes a deep breath and lets it out in a gentle whoosh.

“All I know was that you were the only thing that made my time at the BAU bearable, Emily. You stood up for me when nobody else did. You cared enough to check up on me when I was having a bad day. Even when I just acted like a jerk in return. And I’ll never forget that.“

She stops to let the honesty of her words hang in the air, then:

“I honestly was a little bummed out that we never hung out outside of work like we said we would.”

Emily seems stunned into silence by Jordan’s honesty.

Jordan doesn’t care.

She’s happy she’s said it.

Happy Emily knows that she brought good into someone’s life, at least for a little while.

“I don’t know what to say,” Emily murmurs.

“You’re one of those people who can’t handle intense sincerity, huh,” Jordan jokes.

Silence again; she must be walking.

Jordan can hear the click of her thick heels even over the phone.

“Not on a daily basis, no,” Emily says at last, but there’s a happy edge to her voice, “Confession from me?”

“Go for it.”

“It bummed me out a little too, that we never got together like we’d planned. You were excellent company, Jordan Todd. And I... I guess I didn’t realize until now how much I’ve really missed you.”

Jordan finds herself smiling.

“Sap.”

Emily laughs and Jordan chuckles in response.

For a second there’s silence on the line, then:

“Let’s get lunch this week,” Emily says, “Someplace good.”

Jordan bites the inside of her lower lip, trying to fight her own smile, knowing it’s a fight she’s going to be having with herself all day.

She knows today will be the day she’ll be called out for asking about bomb threat details with a glimmer of a smile on her face.

She doesn’t care.

“How do you feel about sushi?”

“Name the place and I’m there.”

[sakurabutterflyart]

Hugfia Week, Day 3 AU

The Princess and The Prince of Thieves

Sofia was known to be the Princess of Enchancia. She used to be a village girl in the village which is why she has a closer relationship with the villagers. Even if she's now the princess of Enchancia, she still enjoys being there. 

As she grew older. Since she's not gonna be the heir of the throne, she'd decided to train as a protector of her kingdom. Just like her brother. 

Nobody in her kingdom knows about it except her family and friends, cause she thinks that it's best to remain a secret. And it did. 

When she was just having a secret patrol in her village and decided to go home with some ice cream, that's a bit far away from other houses. There are currently only few people since it's already closing. Which is a perfect opportunity for thieves to attack. 

Sofia was about to eat her favorite flavored strawberry ice cream, she heard loud noises behind her. Before she could respond what's going on, she saw a guy with black hair and dark green eyes knock her out.

The thieves who are called Black Ice, have been known to be constantly stealing banks, restaurants, and shops. They are known to be the kingdom of thieves, for they can't be easily caught and it's been years but it's still an active thieves group. For they are being well trained and well strategize by their leader named Hugo, who hides behind the name the Ice Prince. For he is the prince of thieves. He used to be a beggar who was about to loose his life, since he still has his fellow brothers in the streets who needs to be fed. Which is why he has no choice but to live his life this way in order to provide all of them.

"Is everyone knocked out and tied." He asked his men.

"All down brother!" Desmond answered. Gently placing the citizen and checking the tied ropes to make sure no one's gonna go after them.

"Let's better hurry, before the village guards finds out we're here. We have to take something home for our guild." He ordered and everyone is taking the things that they will need. They were here for the money but Hugo thinks that he should take something special for his family and that is ice cream.

"Hey Hugo look!" Hugo heard his brother called, waving him to come.

He took off the cloak of the stranger I knocked out earlier, revealing she was a lady. She has soft white skin, She is wearing something like a hunter or a high position knight clothing that is very unusual for a girl to wear. Caramel brown hair that's tied into a ponytail. But what really stand out the most is her tiara and her pink amulet, that I can tell right away that this girl is the princess of Enchancia, Sofia. 

"She's a princess Hugo, what are we gonna do?" Desmond ask, a little worried like we're in big trouble. 

"What's with that tone Desmond? Isn't this a great thing? We can just hold her as hostage and demand the king for a fortune of money and treasures." Axel joined in, squeezing the knocked out princess's cheek.

Hugo's POV

"I don't think that's a great idea big brother. If we do that the king is gonna order all his soldier as they hunt down our home, including other kingdoms that is allied in Enchancia. It's best to leave her alone." I spoke, making sure the action we take don't get us into trouble. 

I look at the princess who is out cold and I gotta admit, she's very pretty. I scanned her looks wondering why did someone from the castle go to the village and with this outfit? 

"How about we'll take something expensive from this princess..." It seems like she brought nothing. The only thing I found valuable is her crown and her... "This necklace looks very expensive-"

I was about to grab it until I was surprised that a very strong grip stopped me. I look at the owner of the hand, it's not my brothers nor anyone around this room but the princess.

I looked at her as she got up, revealing her fierce ocean blue eyes burning in rage towards me. "Don't. You. Dare. Touch. My. Amulet. My father gave it to me, this is too precious!" 

She speak in a low tone expressing anger, but before I can even react she punch my face that took me flying across the room to the walls. It must be her pay back for knocking her out earlier. I manage to stay conscious, when I looked at her amulet it was glowing revealing that it's magical.

While I'm still trying to get up. My brothers are going after her to stop her from attacking me. But she managed to spar them with her sword that seems to be magical, even her punch and kicks are strong to make someone fly. She even gets to shape shift into an animal that is strong, she can even fly as a fairy. As few minutes past, she manage to defeat all 50 thieves from the Black Ice. 

"Now it's your turn." She pointed her sword towards me with anger on her eyes. It was threatening but I somehow find it attractive. She charge at me with full speed, and my brothers cried out in worries. I managed to draw out my weapon. Both of our sword clash that creates a strong wind. 

We were glaring at each other and staring at each other's eyes. The longer I looked to her, her glares may be scary, but she was darn cute. I smirk at the thought that this lady is really... My type.

"You... You're this famous prince of thieves who leads the Black Ice." She grumbled, but it fails to scare me but it made me smile.

"Yep, the one and only Ice Prince. But you can all me Hugo my lady. And I'm guessing you're this famous Princess Sofia of Enchancia, the hero of this Kingdom." I get up and manage to recover from  the pain of her punch. Giving a peck on her hand as greeting. She raised a brow, confuse at my response. "Even though you're known to be in dresses and staying at a castle, what are you doing here in this village?"

She pulled her hand away from mine, still glaring at me. "Don't be so casual to me Ice Prince! I've heard so many rumours about your recent attack through every villages, you've given so many problems in our kingdoms! I'm here to arrest you."

She spoke to her amulet, "Amulet, I called James to bring soldiers to the village's ice cream shop. The Black Ice are here..."

Her amulet glowed. As she continue to draw out her sword and charge after me.

Third POV

They were battling, their sparring took longer with Hugo flirting with her and teasing her. Until the fought ended with Sofia's sword skills and traping him to the ground. 

Hugo's POV

"Hugo the Ice Prince and the leader of the Black Ice. You are under arrest for stealing shops and banks, kingdom to kingdom. You bring enough harm to all of us." She declared, pulling the collar of my shirt and pointing a sword to my throat. 

Our face were so close and I can hear my heart is beating faster than ever before. It was a love at first sight with this girl, even though I never believe in those things and think it's a ridiculous way to fall in love. She's just so beautiful and strong, there's something about her that is so special when I look at those eyes. I just can't take it anymore. 

I smirked at this beautiful sight and also pulling her collar towards me, before she could asked and form a sentence, I silenced her with my lips. I can her hear yelp in surprise between our kiss. She was trying to pull away by letting go of her sword and push me, but I also do the same with mine and hold her hands tightly. Deepening our kiss.

I have never thought of myself as being forceful to a lady before. I promised myself that even if I'm a thief I'll still keep my good side especially to a girl that I will like. But she's a different story, I'm a thief and she's a princess who's gonna arrest me, and I also don't wanna let her go.

After enjoying her touch, I finally let go and let her breath. She looked at me in shock.

"Sorry about that, you're just too cute princess" I smiled at her, and I can see her face slowly turning red in embarrassment. "If I'm really going to prison, then I will never regret kissing a strong pretty lady like you."

"Y-you.. you jerk!"

I winked but I met a very hard impact to my cheek, though it doesn't really hurt cause I really meant what I say to her. 

She was gonna slap me with my other cheek, though this time I caught her hand and pull her closer, whispering through her ears with my lowest voice. "I like you, you're going to be my most precious treasure princess, you're mine now. I won't allow anybody, not even another prince to take you."

I let her go and we stare at each other. Her eyes looks confuse, not knowing what to respond. I sigh, as much as I wanted this moment to last forever, I can't afford me and my brothers nor my family to get arrested.

I snapped my finger and shouted, "Now Derek!"

The ceiling opened with our guild's magic. Revealing a bunch of dark carriages, I can see all of my guild mates, which is also my family, throwing rope ladders for my brother's to retreat to.

"What the! What's going on!" I can hear Sofia shout in anger. 

I whistled with my fingers, loud enough for my horse Electra to come to me. I hop on her and look at the princess. She was about to charge me with her magic sword, but this time I manage to catch her sword with my magic. 

"I'm called the Prince of Thieves for a reason Sofia, I use magic too and I never get captured that easily." I gave her a victorious smile, I can see her face looking very angry and also disappointed.

"You tricked me with those dirty moves and pick up lines. Is this what you use to any girls you fought with?" She ask, clearly disappointed being taken advantage of being girl.

I caress her face as I give a quick peck on her forehead, and patting her. To assure her. "Nope, you're the first lady that I ever treated this way. Even I don't expect to feel this way towards anyone."

Third POV

He smiled and suddenly flew away with his horse, when he saw the Commander James charging at them with arrows and chasing them down. "Stay away from my sister!"

As Hugo flew away, he smiled and shouted to her.

"Goodbye Princess, I'll see you again soon! If other prince tries to steal you away from me, I promise I'll steal you first!" He left, revealing he also steal her tiara. "If the amulet is too precious to you, I'll take this one instead dear! Goodbye for now my lady!"

He left and Sofia gritted her teeth, but she was completely flustered. She doesn't have the will to fight and go after them, leaving it to James. But they weren't able to catch them.

She was completely angry as she walk home with her brother, not being able to capture the greatest thief of the kingdom. She felt her heart tingling and beating just by thinking about him.

She felt dizzy at the feeling. She touched her lips, remembering the pressure he placed on her lips. Feeling frustrated about it. 

"How dare he... Out of all people, why him?"

Not only did he steal her first kiss, he also steal her heart. 

(A/N: This is from my wattpad. In Hugfia Week I'm a bit busy but I'll try joining in.)

[florenceandthemachine]

hear your heartbeat

happy birthday to the incomparable @elisela!!! just for you, please enjoy a good fake-dating au with plenty of idiotic and family members abound.

12.5k - on Ao3

—————

“I’m telling you, Scotty. New York has been good to me. Maybe we should just renounce California and stay here for the summer.”

“Don’t joke about that, dude.”

Stiles laughed as he shouldered his phone, taking in the city air as he strolled along the streets of Manhattan.

Needless to say, Manhattan was far from home—while the city certainly was his vibe, Stiles was no stranger to tamping down the champagne tastes that clashed with his tapwater budget. The little shitbox apartment he got through NYU’s housing program was almost a thirty minute train ride from school, but Stiles figured that when he was more or less trapped on campus for nearly fifty hours a week, he could justify spending his breaks wandering the streets of Manhattan and really taking in the city.

On today’s agenda, Stiles was looking forward to wandering around a farmers market that literally stretched on for city blocks. There were fruits and vegetables literally as far as the eye could see, spices and roots and mysterious tubers of all shapes and size, but Stiles didn’t give a flying fuck about the food—his real interest were the vendors and the shoppers.

He had learned early on that open air markets like this were perfect meeting grounds for mythical beasts of all shapes and sizes, so, what better palace for him to do some… field work, so to speak?

There were nymphs who had full bouquets of beautiful flowers that lived suspiciously long in their vases as long as you complimented the blooms on a regular basis. Dryads who sold the most delicious fruit he had ever tasted, even if they charged six bucks for a pear.

Stiles had learned early on to avoid the fae—basically, any stand that sold crystal or metalcraft. His first time at the market, he had somehow wound up spending nearly four hundred dollars on quartz; the moment the money had left his hand, the stall had all but vanished in front of him.

“The people are good here. They’re fast. Blunt. Sarcastic. My kind of people.”

“Uh huh.”

Scott liked to call their whole situation lucky.

When Stiles applied to NYU’s doctorate program, he expected rounds and rounds of interviews, lists of deadlines he needed to memorize, and some less-than-subtle digs at his proposed field of study (which was fair, honestly—he knew that criminology and mythology rarely mixed).

What he didn’t expect was Scott, though, the bro of all bros. When Stiles told him he was applying to NYU, Scott had cheered him on, helped him prepare, and then immediately applied to different veterinary positions through the state.

(Scott was golden, obviously—he had years of training, letters of recommendation from everyone he had ever met, and him being a werewolf basically made him the animal whisperer.)

At the end of the day, Stiles got to pursue his passion thanks to a hodgepodge of grants at NYU, and Scott was awarded a fellowship in veterinary medicine through the Bronx Zoo. What kind of weird twist of luck would let the best friends wind up together across the country like that?

So, yeah, Scott called it luck.

Stiles called it karmic retribution for their supremely fucked-up years at Beacon Hills High, but even he could admit that ‘luck’ sounded nicer... and if Stiles was being honest, ‘luck’ was definitely the best way to classify his meeting Derek Hale.

Derek Hale was smart, he was sarcastic, and he could go toe-to-toe with Stiles over completely obscure things for literal hours. He was a first-year professor at NYU, who had the tiny office right next to the broom closet Stiles had managed to shove PHD desk into, and he was probably the only other person in the program that took mythology seriously (meaning he was the only person who didn’t make Stiles want to put his head through the wall).

He was also hot as fuck, but that was beside the point. Stiles had a little bit of a massive crush, but that was also beside the point.

They had built up a fast friendship based on a series of arguments about the Necronomicon, of all things, and Stiles loved the thought of being friends with someone who didn’t know him as the weird kid in high school who knew way too much about ritual sacrifice and circumcision.

He had evened out a lot through undergrad. He was still awkward, sure, but he was awkward with a refillable prescription for Adderall and some sort of brain-to-mouth filter.

(Honestly, the fact that Stiles had managed to avoid making a single joke about the werewolf who was stuck teaching Mythology 101 really did speak volumes to his newfound maturity.)

Speaking of Derek, though…

“Stiles! Hey, Stiles!”

Stiles almost jumped a foot in the air as he heard his name called, doing a spectacular near-drop-mid-air-catch of his phone as he regained his footing, turning on the spot to see a taller woman with jet black hair waving him over.

She was… okay, she was gorgeous—dark hair, smooth skin, someone who looked like she just stepped out of one of the windows on Fifth Avenue—but Stiles was decently distracted, because standing beside her was Derek Hale, the object of his extremely private affection for the past few months. Who, for whatever reason, was standing there looking like he wanted the sidewalk to open up and swallow him whole.

“Scotty, I’ll see you tonight, yeah? I gotta go.”

Stiles pocketed his phone as he cautiously made his way over to the pair—trio, he corrected, because there was another woman with them, looking incredibly more invested in the conversation now that another party was joining them.

He hiked his canvas a bit higher up as he smiled, trying to remember where he had seen the two before… students, maybe, but if that were the case, they would know Derek, not Stiles. They weren’t faculty members, he was sure of that. Donors to the program, maybe?

Well, if they were donors, Stiles sincerely hoped that Derek would have tried harder to wear literally any expression other than his current ‘bitter and miserable’.

And if they were donors, why were they so fucking happy to see him?

“I’m Laura. This is Cora.”

The taller of the two women extended her hand confidently as Stiles got within arms reach, and he instinctively reached out to take it, Cora following suit. “Derek has told us all about you. I have to say, I figured there was at least a ten percent chance you were made up, but… here you are!”

“Here I am!” Stiles was officially lost, but he kept his smile up, cheeks pinking up a little bit as he turned back to Derek. “You’ve been talking about me?” he asked, his voice on the line between flattered and teasing, nudging Derek playfully as he tilted his head.

“Stiles, I—“

“Of course he has! Derek’s a private guy, sure, but you can’t be surprised he told us about his new—“

“Laura—”

“Lord, Derek, calm down. You already had your big bisexual awakening, I’m allowed to be excited to meet your first boyfriend.” Laura shot back, her glare rivaling Derek’s absolute best ‘listen to teacher’ look, and Stiles could see the muscle in his jaw start to twitch. He probably would have done something, but… he was basically short circuiting, brain trying to keep up with whatever the fuck Laura had said, because Derek now had his arm around Stiles’ waist.

Derek had a big bisexual awakening?

And a boyfriend, apparently?

How had Stiles missed that??

“Stiles, these are my sisters, Laura and Cora Hale.”

Okay, great, they were Derek’s sisters. Stiles didn’t even know that Derek had sisters, which was a little sad if he thought about it.

Thankfully, he didn’t have long to think about it, because Derek—

“This is Stiles, my… my boyfriend. Now stop bombarding him. Give him half a fucking second before you go a thousand miles an hour.”

Oh—oh God. Stiles was the boyfriend.

He had seriously missed something, then—he didn’t think he had confessed his feelings for Derek anytime recently, or he probably would have died from embarrassment. Scott was really good at hiding his phone when he was drinking, which ruled that entire scenario out. Stiles could be forgetful at times, sure, but he thought he would remember if he had managed to score himself a boyfriend.

He looked up at Derek, trying to ignore the sudden burn of contact where their bodies were pressed together, but his brain was extremely focused the moment that he caught the look on Derek’s face, there and gone in a flash. He felt the hand squeeze at his waist, and the message was clear enough.

Please.

Ah, well. Stiles was always good at bullshitting, and this was no exception.

“No, no, Der, it’s fine! It’s good to meet you both, sorry, I wasn’t even expecting to see Derek until… uh, later, let alone meet anyone new,” Stiles said, his voice 100% betraying his nerves as it picked up an octave.

Laura’s voice was much more evenly toned, even if it was a little teasing. “Oh? You two have big plans tonight? We aren’t interrupting anything, are we?” she said with a grin, giving the distinct impression that even if they were interrupting, she and her sister wouldn’t be leaving until they were good and ready. Stiles felt his mind kick into overdrive, waving the question aside.

“Oh, nothing like that. We were going to meet up with my friend Scott for dinner, introducing the boyfriend to the best friend, you know how it is,” he continued, hoping his little chuckle wasn’t too terribly fake as he reached up to pat the lapels of Derek’s jacket, letting his fingers linger a little too long on Derek’s chest as he nodded.

He hoped that she knew how it was. Hell, Stiles didn’t even know how it was. He hadn’t exactly been rolling in romance since moving across the country.

“Well, if you say so,” Laura mused, raising a perfect brow, head tilted to the side. “You look like you’re about to pass out, Stiles. You alright?”

And, okay, Stiles knew enough to know what that meant. It meant that her super-sonic ears could hear his heart trying to break through his ribs with a staccato beat, typically a tell-tale sign that someone was lying, but… maybe he could work that to his advantage. He swallowed, voice a little tight as he laughed, waving the concern away.

“Sorry, I just wasn't… planning on meeting the family today,” Stiles said, probably the most truthful thing he had ever said. “Usually I’d try to prepare a little more, you know, make sure I’m wearing something nice and avoid putting my entire foot in my mouth. Maybe just a toe or two,” he said, relaxing minutely as Cora snorted from her position near Laura’s elbow.

Okay, so self depreciation was a good way to avoid suspicion with all the Hales. Got it.

“Well, if you both have plans, I’ll make this quick,” Laura said, her voice deceptively charming as she sidled up next to Stiles, though he certainly wasn’t going to complain about the way Derek’s hand tightened around his waist. “The semester is up soon, what are your plans this summer? Never mind, move them back. We’re having a family reunion the week after finals, and everyone is dying to meet baby brother Derek’s new boo after all the stories he’s told.”

…stories?

He looked up to Derek again, who was now blushing up to the tips of his ears, which—okay, cute—but which told him absolutely nothing and offered him exactly zero defense.

“Actually, I already have a flight booked as soon as my spring contract is up. Heading back to Beacon Hills for a few days, and—“

“Wait, did Derek already invite you?” Laura asked, her expression pleasantly surprised, and Stiles was speechless for a half second before Derek stepped in.

“No, I didn’t invite him because I’m not even going, Laura. Besides, he has his own plans with his own family,” he said, and Stiles blinked as he tried to keep up. “And what do you mean, they’re excited to meet him? I was very clear that the further I can keep him away from you and Mom, the better.”

Laura only rose a brow as she turned back to Cora, who took a beat before looking up from her phone, her expression halfway guilty as she clutched the device. “I uh—I may have just sent a picture of you two to the family group chat.”

Stiles choked on a laugh as Derek gasped—actually gasped—and pulled his phone from his pocket, making the mistake of releasing Stiles’ shoulder to unlock the device, looking absolutely scandalized as he glared at Cora.

It wasn’t long before Stiles had a similar look on his face, though, as Laura took advantage of his free arm, linking her own with his as she started to walk. “Alright, Stiles, here’s the deal.”

“Cora, you little—hey! Laura, get back here with my boyfriend!”

“Calm down little brother, the adults are talking.”

“He’s younger than I am!”

“So, Stiles, like I was saying,” Laura started, oblivious or ignorant to the way Stiles' mind had absolutely reeled when Derek had called him his boyfriend for the second time. “Derek hasn’t been home for more than a day visit since he moved out to this dump, and no one has raised a stink about it in years. This year, though, is… important,” she started, and Stiles nodded idly as he mentally ran through the calendar in his head.

The semester was over in just over a week, with finals crammed into three days after that, and then—oh, the full moon.

No, Stiles corrected himself, the blue moon. The first blue moon in May in probably… thirty years, if he had to guess. He nodded up to Laura as that clicked into place, a flicker of curiosity crossing over her face as she continued talking.

“We won’t take up that much of your time—it’s only like two events, I promise, and I also promise Derek will personally take care of whatever flight changes you have to make so you can still get some time with your family. After all, it’s not your fault my bonehead brother tried to exclude you until now.”

“I’m not a bonehead!” Derek said, his tone of voice just exasperated enough that Stiles sighed, carefully extracting himself from Laura’s grasp as they slowed to a stop near the curb of Fifth Avenue, the noise from the farmers market blending in with the sound of traffic as he turned back to Derek.

“Alright, hang on, hold up,” Stiles started, his tone firm enough to stop the three wolves in their tracks, Derek and Laura wearing matching expressions of surprise as they stopped in their tracks—even Cora was peeking over her phone, clearly interested, and Stiles couldn’t blame them. It had probably been a long time since either of them had been stopped by a human.

“Laura, Derek is not a bonehead. He’s smart, and he’s sweet, and he’s very kind, and it’s okay that he’s a little more private. Yeah, he’s also a stubborn asshole, but… well, that’s one of the reasons I like him so much,” Stiles said, the first genuine smile in the entire conversation gracing his face as he looked at Derek again. “But you know your brother. Did you really think that catching him off guard across the country in person was going to be the best way to convince him to visit?”

He was fine taking their silence as an answer, honestly.

“Now, Derek, that being said, I… if you are comfortable with it, I can rearrange my plans and come down with you. If you’re not comfortable with that, that’s okay too. Meeting the family—at least, the rest of the family—is a very big step,” he continued, his words very pointed.

(Yes, Derek, meeting the family would be a very big step for someone you weren’t even dating, please pick up on the subliminal messaging here.)

“But even if you’re not comfortable with me being there, I think you should still go down. I’ll get to spend plenty of time with my dad, you shouldn’t have to be all alone up here while I’m gone.”

Moving to smooth over the lapels on Derek’s jacket again, Stiles only barely tampered down a noise of surprise as Derek intercepted his hands, pleasantly shocked by how easily Derek’s warm, smooth fingers slipped between his own lanky digits.

Stiles felt his cheeks pinks up as he cleared his throat, doing his best to act normal, because he was… well, he wasn’t lying. He had absolutely thought about Derek being alone here in New York while Stiles was gone, but that was more in the sense that Stiles would miss him.

He just didn’t know that Derek might be missing some family, too.

Besides, he may not have known that much about the intricacies of a normal, family pack, but Stiles knew enough to know that a big event like this would probably be good for Derek, even if he didn’t want to admit it.

Even if Derek was going to reject his offer and go down alone.

…because Derek was going to reject him.

Derek was going to reject him, right?

Stiles had been fairly sure of that when he offered, but judging by the way Derek couldn’t meet his eyes after something as simple as holding hands, Stiles might have just fucked himself over. Derek opened and closed his mouth twice before he finally let out a huff of air and looked up, doing a remarkably good impression of a guilty animal as he looked at Stiles.

“…you’re sure you don’t mind?”

Fuck.

“Derek, I wouldn’t have offered if I minded,” Stiles said, and that much was at least true—but before he could say anything else, Laura was squealing in his ear, wrapping both of them up in a hug so tight Stiles almost had to remind her that he was human, but he was able to breathe again as the car next to the curb chirped.

“Thank God, Stiles, thank you for getting through to him! Oh, Nana is gonna flip out when she hears who’s coming—Derek, you know you’ve always been her favorite—Stiles, do you have any dietary restrictions? Derek, send me his number, and—no, Cora, you are not driving us back to the airport, move your ass—“

Stiles looked up to Derek, his expression somewhere between bemused and fearful as Laura rambled on, but… well, the apologetic look that Derek had on his face wasn’t much reassurance.

“—and Stiles, you’re going to love Beacon Hills. Bye boys! See you in two weeks!”

Stiles was left, partially shellshocked as Derek’s hand slipped from his own, the need for the facade no longer essential as the shiny silver rental car pulled into traffic.

“… Derek, since when the fuck are you from Beacon Hills?”

—————

“Scotty, stop laughing, this isn’t funny.”

“Dude, are you kidding me? This is hilarious.”

Stiles groaned as he shoved another slice of pizza into his mouth, ignoring the burning sensation that spread across his tongue as he tried to pack as much melted cheese as he could into one bite.

Scott’s apartment had been their go-to for the entire time he and Stiles had been in the city—not because it was huge and glamorous, not by any means, but Scott’s shoebox had a door between the bathroom and the living room, and therefore it was the best place for bro-time by default.

Stiles had loudly complained about the entire situation when he and Derek showed up on Scott’s stoop, firmly planting himself in his favorite of Scott’s chairs—the ‘old man’ recliner next to Scott’s little television, the game on screen forgotten as he recalled their harrowed tale.

“Stiles, if you weren’t comfortable with it, why even… okay, no, don’t you dare answer me until you swallow,” Derek snapped, and Stiles rolled his eyes as he swallowed a few times, sticking his tongue out at Derek once his mouth was empty.

“Good. Thank you for pretending to be an adult. Now, why did you even offer if it wasn’t something you were comfortable with.”

Because it was supposed to just be a gesture, Derek. Because I didn’t realize you would take it as a serious offer, Derek. Because you were supposed to say no, Derek.

… because I didn’t want you to be alone, Derek.

Honestly, as surprised as Stiles was that Derek took him up on his poorly-timed moment of goodness, he was even more surprised that after Laura drove off, when he numbly asked if Derek wanted to come over to Scott’s for some pizza, Derek actually said yes.

Derek Hale was being social. Alert the media.

(Well… maybe ‘social’ was stretching it a bit—Stiles didn’t know if it was a territory thing or what, but Derek had turned hilariously, awkwardly stiff the moment he stepped inside Scott’s apartment.)

“I offered because I’m nice, dick, but don’t even think that you can turn this on me. Derek, they knew my name. They knew what I looked like. And yeah, I mean, I’m a complete catch and all—oh fuck off, Scotty—but what in the actual, literal fuck?”

Stiles didn’t think it was possible, but somehow Derek got even more tense, shoulders tightening up toward his ears as he looked down. It took a moment before he answered, but Stiles knew by then that Derek usually had to… wind himself up to talk about some things.

“My mother lives on the opposite end of the country, and even then, she still managed to set up twenty four blind dates for me last year. Twenty four, Stiles. That’s basically one every other week. Do you have any idea how much small talk that is? And how much I hate small talk?”

Yes, Stiles thought, to both of those questions. He would never admit this out loud, of course, but thinking about one of the most intensely private people that he knew stuck at some shitty little coffee shop trying to chat with some random female on behalf of his mother was hilarious to a degree he couldn’t fathom.

It definitely wasn’t a redirection of his own… personal feelings that may or may not be directed at Derek. Not at all. Nope.

“So, around the time the spring semester started, when my mother let slide that she had passed along my number to yet another perfectly eligible barista, or something, I panicked and told her I had a boyfriend. And then she asked for a photo, and the most recent one on my phone was that selfie you sent miming your own death in the stacks, so…”

“Oh fuck, Derek,” Stiles started, downing the last of his beer. “Your big bisexual awakening wasn’t just you trying to get out of your mom setting you up on dates, right?”

“Don’t flatter yourself, ass,” Derek said, rolling his eyes as he shook his head. “The two events were completely separate.”

Stiles laughed at the thought, but even then, his mind was reeling. If this wasn’t a recent discovery, how in the fuck did Stiles miss that for so long?

“Well, you’re lucky Scotty and I had a flight booked anyway. I won’t let you face them alone, not when you have a picture perfect boyfriend to show off now—what role should I take on? Doting, love struck fool? Rebel without a care? Some sad forlorn loser who… okay, no, that one is too close to home.”

Scott stood up and laughed as Derek glared at Stiles again, but it didn’t take a genius to see the tiny smile on his face, or the way his shoulders eased as he leaned back into the couch.

“Alright, this is getting too intense a conversation while the game is on. Want another beer, Stiles? You, Derek?”

Stiles made a vaguely affirming noise as he wove his hand in Scott’s direction, eyes drawn back to Derek yet again as the other wolf politely declined, his own attention affixed to the television as the game picked back up.

Derek was… not a particularly expressive person, Stiles knew, and part of that was because Derek had what Stiles affectionately called ‘resting grumpy face’; at least, he did privately, because the one time he said it out loud Derek had thrown the Encyclopaedia of Demomorgons at his head.

So, to the outsider looking in, Derek might have just seemed uninterested in the game; but Stiles had been watching Derek work for the better part of a semester, and he knew perfectly well how to tell when Derek’s resting grumpy face formed an actual frown. Which it did. Because apparently, the Mets had personally offended him.

“I’m sorry, are you seriously glaring at the Mets? While they’re winning?”

Derek leveled Stiles with the most unimpressed glare he could as Scott laughed from his kitchen, walking back into the living room with two beers. “God, I hope he was. It would be nice to have someone with taste in the apartment for once.”

“Scotty!” Stiles gasped, clutching his heart as Scott handed him a beer, extending the claw on his thumb to pop the top off before he handed the bottle over. “The Mets are a treasure, okay? If God lived in New York, she’d be a Mets fan. I have suffered much for my Mets in my lifetime, and they—woah, Derek, you okay?”

Stiles’ charming cliches would have to wait, because when he looked over to Derek, his humor dropped immediately. Derek had gone white as a sheet, jaw slack as he stared at the beer in Stiles’ hand.

He stared back and forth between Scott and Derek, trying to figure what the hell had just happened; it wasn’t until he watched Scott pop the top off of his own beer, looking between the two of them, did Stiles put two and two together.

“Derek, you… you had to know that Scott was a were, right? Like, you had to. He—Scotty doesn’t do subtle.”

“Me?! Stiles, you called me a wet dog for like a month after I fell into the Hudson.”

Derek let out a sort of choked noise as he shut his mouth, coming back into himself as a bit of pink dusted his pale cheeks, hands moving in front of his face. “Of—of course I knew, but—you knew?!”

“Dude, I’m studying mythical lore and criminology. I’m the one who taught this furry fucker how to control himself. Of course I knew, I... oh my god. You didn’t know that I knew—uh, that I know.”

Matching looks of realization dawned on Scott and Stiles’ face as Stiles stood up, putting the beer down on the coffee table. He moved next to Derek as he sat down on the couch, keeping his movement slow, reaching out to pat Derek’s leg like he was a frail old lady.

“Derek, I know.”

After what felt like an age and a half, Derek melted into the couch, a huge sigh leaving his lips as all the tension in his body bled out like a string had been cut, burying his head in his hands.

“We’ve had arguments about wolves in pop culture. I’ve offered to help you out with your coursework every full moon for, like, the entire semester. Dude, you had to know that I knew, there’s no way I didn’t—Derek!” Stiles felt his giddy laughter bubble over as Derek shot him a red-eyed glare through his fingers, his scowl somehow less intimidating now that everything was out in the open.

Okay, Derek wasn’t just a wolf, he was an alpha. That was… interesting.

“God, you two really are perfect fake boyfriends. Two halves of a whole idiot. Derek, are you sure you don’t want a beer? Or maybe something stronger, if you have to deal with Stiles?” Scott said easily, laughing as Stiles immediately protested, though the way Stiles eased himself next to Derek wasn’t exactly subtle, either.

—————

Scott may have been joking, but by the time finals had come and gone, Stiles had accepted the fact that he would have to forgo booze and opt for a mainline of caffeine to keep up with Derek. How one person remained so meticulously organized, Stiles would never know—but in the amount of time it took for Stiles to wrap up his grant work for the semester, Derek had given four exams, proctored three more, cleaned out his office, and shared the updated flight itinerary with Stiles.

“Wait, wait, hang on,” Stiles had said, tripping over an empty box in his tiny office as Derek handed him his updated boarding pass. “Why do we have to change our flights? Scott and I are already booked, you can probably just join us, right?”

Derek rose a perfectly sculpted brow as he tapped the ticket again, shaking his head. “Hey, I promised you’d spend as few days as possible with my family, and I intend to keep that promise. The sooner we get in, the sooner we start that clock, the sooner you get to spend the rest your time with your dad.”

Stiles blinked as he looked down to the itinerary, eyes scanning over the earlier time—and it was non-stop too. That would be a bit killer on the legs, but Stiles could handle that, maybe he could take some time to sleep or pester Derek for...

“Uh, Derek... this ticket is for first class.”

“I know, Stiles, I booked it.”

“Dude, there’s a reason Scott and I booked an economy ticket with a layover in Bismarck. There’s no way I can pay you back for this.”

If looks could kill, Stiles would be... maybe not dead, but at least set on fire. Derek sighed, as though the weight of the world was on his shoulders as he rolled his eyes.

“You’re not paying me back, dumbass. You’re already doing a ton for me with this little... charade, the least I can do is make sure your frail human body—“

“Hey!”

”—is comfortable in a lie flat seat.”

“Look, I appreciate that, but I’m not leaving Scott alone on his flight in coach just because of our... fake... whatever.”

Stiles’ voice trailed off in curiosity as Derek sighed, his cheeks pink as he pulled the paper out of Stiles’ hand, pointing to the second half of the sheet—where MCCALL, SCOTT had been printed in big, bold letters, that Stiles had completely ignored.

“... you got Scott a ticket too?”

“Of course I did. He’s your best friend, I wasn’t going to ask you to leave him behind just for me. Besides, who do you think I got your information from to book the flight?” Derek said dryly, as though his deadpan delivery could cancel out the ruddy color to his cheeks, or the way that Stiles’ stomach flip flopped when the reality of that sunk in.

It was nice that Derek acknowledged the importance of their friendship, in the way that tugged at the little space right beneath his sternum, but something about the way Derek so quickly dismissed himself was... concerning.

Stiles couldn’t help but play that little bit of their conversation over in his head as he packed, as he hopped on the train, as he met up with Scott and Derek in security.

Scott, bless his heart, was absolutely elated—his excitement was almost tangible as they dropped off luggage, walked through security, and stood around at the boarding gate. Derek had to smack the both of them to get them to stand up when first class was called to board, and Stiles idly wondered if Derek regretted associating himself with them when he and Scott managed to trip in sync as they went down the jetway.

Derek and Stiles were seated together, of course, and once Stiles got over the novelty of not having a middle seat on a plane, he liked to imagine he fit right in—easing back into the seat, enjoying the comfort of the little blanket he had been given, grinning at the flight attendant as she checked in with them.

(Scott was one row ahead and across the aisle, close enough that Stiles could lean forward and smack him if he wanted to... but the moment Stiles saw his seat mate, a pretty woman with dark hair and impeccable eyeliner, he knew his best bro would be on a different planet for the entirety of the flight.)

His grin slipped a little bit, though, as he thought back to the conversation surrounding the tickets, and he looked up to Derek as he settled in a bit further.

“So, we never went over what role I should be taking on.”

“Stiles, just be yourself. You’re funny enough, and you generally mean well, they’ll love who you are.”

Yeah… who he was. Well, who he was was someone who was going to be dangerously invested in a fake relationship that would probably end terribly for him, so that was fun. He sighed as he settled into the seat, opening and closing his mouth a few times as he debated on where to go from here.

No time like a non stop plane ride to have a potentially awkward conversation, right?

“Dude, we’re friends, right?”

“We’re fake boyfriends, don’t call me dude.”

Derek’s tone was teasing as he flipped through his SkyMall, a small smile on his face, and Stiles felt a little bit of the tension ease out of his shoulders as he buckled in.

“First of all, I have called many boyfriends ‘dude’ before,” Stiles started, ignoring Derek’s snort of laughter, “and I’m being serious. We... we are friends, right?”

Be it his words or his awkward energy, Derek looked up, surprise on his face as he closed the magazine and stowed it away as the plane bumped down the taxiway.

“Of course we are, Stiles. You’re like... the only person I talk to at work outside of teaching, that’s light years ahead of most of New York as a whole.”

“I mean, I’m glad to hear, I just...” Stiles chewed on his lip as he turned in his seat, weirdly soothed by the roar of the engines as the takeoff roll started. “You know about my dad, and about my school, and about Scott, and those are basically the three important things in my life,” he started, letting out a sigh as Derek just stared at him blankly.

“It’s fine that you’re a private person, I can respect that... seriously, I may not understand it, but I can respect it,” Stiles said, grinning as Derek shot him a look, lowering his voice again as he leaned over the divider between them. “But I didn’t know that you were from my hometown, too. Or that you had sisters, let alone other family. I should have asked, I guess, but... you know you can talk to me about things, yeah? Even after all this is over, you’ll always be Derek to me. Not just another Hale.”

Stiles’ was smiling as he gently bumped Derek’s shoulder with his own, watching the way different emotions warred over his face, biting back on the urge to babble on so he could give Derek the time he needed to respond.

“We’re... we are friends, Stiles. We are.” Derek insisted, looking down to his linked hands as the plane continued to rise. “Sometimes, I just... I’m not great about talking about myself.”

For a while, Stiles thought that was all he was going to get, and honestly, he was fine with it—it wasn’t until the fasten seatbelt sign chimed off and the flight attendants passed out little bottles of water that Derek spoke again, his voice low as he cleared his throat.

“My family is huge. Like, big enough that we need spreadsheets and flowcharts to organize family events like this. I know they love me, and I love them too, of course I do, but I made some really, really stupid decisions when I was younger… I know they forgave me for it, but...”

Derek sighed, taking a deep breath as he ran his hands through his hair.

“Sometimes it’s hard to be around them and still be okay with myself, you know?”

No, Stiles didn’t know. He only had his dad and Scott growing up, but he nodded his head encouragingly as he took a sip of his water.

“I actually have four siblings. Mark is the oldest, and then Taylor, and I’m right between Laura and Cora. They’re betas, like my dad; my mom and I are both alphas, her mom, too…” Derek continued, and Stiles smiled as he settled into his seat.

By the time the flight landed, Stiles’ head was full to the brim with Hale family trivia, names, faces, teasing stories, and the warmth that had danced across Stiles’ chest for the past year or so had bloomed into a full-on fire.

Would it lead to his downfall? Probably.

But when he saw how Derek smiled when he remembered Mark’s graduating medical school, or heard the pride in his voice when he talked about Laura’s charity work, and the genuine joy he got to see when he heard another story about Derek’s childhood… well, that was all more than worth it.

—————

“I think you should kiss me.”

Stiles had to stop himself from laughing at the look that Derek shot him, doing his best to keep his body language casual as he leaned against the gas pump at a tiny station outside of Beacon Hills, though he knew his heart was going at about a million miles a minute.

“I—you—what?”

“Derek, I’m an affectionate dude, in case you couldn’t tell from all the hand holding. And if you’re going to freak out if I kiss your cheek, then you should freak out now, not when we’re in front of your family.”

Stiles knew full well his heart betrayed his confidence, but seeing Derek’s ears go pink as he dumped the armful of snacks Stiles had asked for into the back seat was a welcome sight—it was always nice to know that Derek’s cool and controlled exterior could be ruffled up once in a while.

Somewhere between the rental kiosk and the gas station, Stiles had decided that he was going to go all in on this. His little crush was already stuck right in the back of his throat and would be unlikely to dislodge any time soon, so he figured that indulging himself in the fake relationship Derek had set up for him… well, it wouldn’t do any good, but it was unlikely to make things worse for him than it already was.

It was a little weird being alone with Derek—Stiles didn’t realize it until now, but between meeting Derek’s sisters and meeting the rest of their family, this was the first time they had been alone together. They had other staff members at school, or strangers around the city, or Scott (who had politely declined a ride back to Beacon Hills with Derek and Stiles, choosing instead to split an Uber with his pretty new friend, Kira).

“You know, as far as first kisses go, usually they’re a little more romantic than just a demand. You’re supposed to woo me, Stiles,” Derek said, his sarcastic tone betrayed by his shy little smile as he pulled the nozzle out of his tank, closing the gas cap as Stiles gasped in mock offense.

“Hey, I said you should kiss me, not the other way around. Why should I have to be the one to woo?” Stiles started, sliding into the passenger’s seat as Derek followed suit. “After all, this relationship wouldn’t have even happened without your instigation, so why should I… uh… Der?”

Stiles’ voice trailed off as Derek’s hand sunk into the soft crook at the juncture of his neck, effectively cutting off his entire train of thought as Derek’s thumb pressed against the hollow of his jaw.

“Stiles.”

“Yeah?”

“I’m going to kiss you now.”

“O-Okay.”

For a minute, all Stiles could think of were those cheesy old rom-coms, where fireworks would go off, or bells would chime, but kissing Derek was nothing like that. It was the comfort of wrapping yourself in an electric blanket, instead of the shock of jumping into a frozen pond; the familiar buzz of goosebumps over his skin over a bolt of lightning. He felt a surprised little noise leave his chest as Derek’s tilted his head to deepen the kiss, his tongue flicking out instinctively to drag along Derek’s bottom lip, hands coming up to rest against the wolves chest.

Stiles could feel his heart beating through every inch of his skin as the kiss broke, struggling to remind himself how to breathe as he opened his eyes again, his nose brushing against Derek’s as he let out a little huff of a laugh.

“Was that enough woo for you?” Derek asked, his voice barely more than a whisper, and Stiles smiled as he nodded his head, savoring the way that neither of them moved back. Derek’s hand was warm against the crook of his jaw, his own palm flat against Derek's chest, and it was natural, it was so nice, it was—

Fake. It was all fake.

Stiles sighed, closing his eyes as he gently leaned in and pressed their foreheads together, that mantra playing through his head as he pulled himself back. He buckled himself in easily as he took in a deep breath, his goofy grin still in place as he looked back up to Derek.

“See? Now you can honestly tell your mom we had our first kiss at a gas station and that it was magical and I totally rocked your world.”

“Is that what happened, though? I mean, if you wanted me to kiss you so badly, you should have just asked,” Derek said, the sarcasm thick in his voice as he started the car, and Stiles laughed as they pulled out of the lot, his hand finding Derek’s easily once again.

Their silence remained comfortable as they left the city skyline behind and basically blew through Beacon Hills, the trees inching closer to the road as they wound through the preserve.

Finishing off a bag of M&M’s, Stiles cleared his throat as he crumpled up the wrapper and chucked it in the back seat, sucking a little bit of melted chocolate off of his thumb. “So. Is this regular introducing-the-boyfriend-to-the-family nerves I’m looking at here, or is this introducing-the-fake-boyfriend-to-the-family nerves? You don’t have any weirdos in your family, do you? An ex-felon auntie? A cousin who doesn’t quite get personal space?”

Stiles grinned as Derek laughed, oddly comforted by the sound as Derek shook his head. “Nothing exciting. A weird uncle, I guess. Lots of cousins, you should basically abandon any idea of personal space as soon as we walk in, and plenty of human family, too—so you won’t be alone in that. As far as felons go, well… none of us have been caught?”

“Hey, game recognizes game, it doesn’t count if you don’t get caught. And I can work with a weird uncle.” Stiles laughed at the sheepish look that Derek shot his way, his fingers still happily wrapped up in Derek’s warm hands. He could almost feel it when they crossed over onto the Hale land, the huge, white house as much of a giveaway as the shrieks of joy that even Stiles could hear from the property.

“They’re gonna love you, you know?” Derek’s voice was soft as he pulled the rental into a long row of cars, nearly lining the road leading up to the house, and Stiles felt the snarky remark die on his tongue as Derek caught his eye, his expression somewhere between grateful and wistful as he turned the car off.

“Maybe, but…” Stiles sighed as he popped his door open, chewing over his next words carefully. “But if they do, it’s because they already love you.”

He took it as a personal victory when Derek turned away, his ears pink again, and Stiles couldn’t help but grin as he followed the werewolf up the path to his family home.

The Hale House was probably as huge and impressive as the Hale family itself from the outside, and Stiles did his best not to gape like a fool as Derek opened the door for him, his hand finding the small of Stiles’ back as they stepped into the house. Polished floors, huge, high windows, a grand staircase that was the definition of grand, and—

“Derek!”

—and another unfairly attractive Hale moving forward to greet them. Tall, broad, dark hair with just a splash of salt around the temples and the goatee, shining a million watt smile on Derek and Stiles as he wiped his hands on his probably-uncomfortably-tight jeans.

Jesus, was everyone in this family gorgeous? Stiles was going to get a complex.

He looked up as the stranger and Derek briefly hugged, watching the halfway-subtle way they scented one another, Mark’s head buried in Derek’s neck for a half moment before they pulled away. If Stiles strained his ear, he could have heard something along the lines of ‘be nice’ as Derek pulled back; if the situation weren’t so funny, Stiles probably would have blushed.

“Don’t listen to him, I’m always nice. I’m Mark, and you…” Mark started, his million watt smile back in place as his eyes dragged over Stiles’ body, “... you must be Stiles.” Stiles snorted as Mark pulled him into an easy hug, catching Stiles just a little off-guard as he was wrapped in another pair of arms.

Apparently Derek’s family was an affectionate bunch. Stiles didn’t know if it was a wolf thing or a Hale thing, but either way, it was good to know.

“Mark, uh, Seattle, right? You’re the surgeon?” Stiles asked, clearing his throat as the hug carried on just a bit too long, regaining some footing in the introduction as he pulled back. “Derek’s told me a lot about you.”

That was… mostly true, Derek had told him enough about Mark to thoroughly embarrass the older male, and Mark looked like he expected nothing less as he laughed, holding Stiles’ shoulders as he stood at arms length. “Yeah, I’m sure he did, but it’s probably all garbage. After all, how can you really describe a wonder like me in words, huh?”

He actually winked, and Stiles honestly couldn’t believe that this dude was for real.

“Der, nice job with this one. He’s cute. Kid, is my brother treating you well? Cause, you know, if Hale is your taste, you can do much better than—”

”Mark—“

“Oh, lighten up Der-bear, there isn’t enough Botox in the world to get rid of those scowl lines. It was a joke. Now come on, everyone’s out back.”

Stiles laughed again as Mark put Derek in an easy headlock, ruffling up his hair as he led them outside, immediately filing ‘Der-bear’ away for future use as they stepped out into the backyard.

The backyard, which was absolutely filled with Hales.

He felt his heart do a funny little lurch as he was hit with the sheer family of it all—all dark haired, all gorgeous, and for just a moment, he wanted to smack Derek upside the head. There were probably generations of Hales here; Derek had all this family, this built in support group, and he was just going to spend the summer holed up in New York?

“Alright, Siles, we’re gonna keep you in with the main family and keep you away from the cousins,” Mark started, artfully ignoring the way Derek was swatting at him. “Uncle Peter all but insisted that Mom come pick him up, so you’ll get to avoid them until later tonight, but who you really want to watch out for is—“

“Is that my grandbaby?!”

Mark stiffened as Derek perked up, and Stiles couldn’t help but snicker as a bony hand shot up, grabbing Mark by the scruff of his neck, pulling him off of Derek with a flourish that would probably seem overly dramatic if Stiles didn’t know just how much werewolf strength was packed behind it.

“Derek!”

“Hi, Nana.”

Stiles couldn’t keep the smile off of his face as Derek leaned in to wrap his arms around the older woman—she was a good foot shorter than he was, her movements loud, with light skinned with the same tell-tale black hair that the rest of the family had. What caught Stiles’ eye, though, was the way Derek scented her—it was the same way Mark scented him, a familial nudge that Stiles read easily as a sign of deference.

Whoever this Nana was, she was clearly the woman in charge here.

“You know, we’re all technically her grandbabies,” Mark started as he reappeared at Stiles’ shoulder, rubbing the back of his neck, his childish pout painfully obvious as he pointed his words. “But you wouldn’t know it with the blatant favoritism she shows for Derek!”

“Mark, don’t be such a baby,” Nana Hale said as she pulled back from Derek’s hug, patting his cheek affectionately. She raised a brow in a spectacularly unimpressed fashion as she turned to look at her eldest grandson, sighing in mock disappointment. “Not that I thought a career based off of liposuction and face lifts would have brought you some maturity.”

“That’s—I don’t just do—Nana!”

“Now, who do we have here? Derek, are you going to introduce me to your special friend?”

Ignoring Mark’s protests easily as she turned her attention, Stiles felt his heart pick up again, his eyes flicking to Derek as he beamed; Stiles wasn’t sure if he was happy to see Mark get smacked down, or if he was happy to introduce Stiles, but Stiles would have literally killed a man to see Derek smile that brightly on a regular basis.

“Nana, this is my boyfriend, Stiles Stilinski. Stiles, this is my grandmother, Ger—“

“Nana Hale will do just fine, thank you very much,” she interrupted, pulling a face that made Stiles grin—he could absolutely relate to someone who would rather set their birth name on fire than own up to it. “Now, come here, let me get a look at you.”

Stiles stepped forward and hesitated a half moment, not sure if he should try one last time for a handshake or wait for her to initiate a hug, but before he could make up his mind she had her hands clasped on his elbows, a grip like iron stopping him in his tracks.

“Scrawny little thing, aren’t you? We’ll take care of that, don’t you worry. It’s good to meet you, sweetheart, let’s get you some food.”

“It’s good to meet you too—and some food sounds great,” Stiles said with a laugh, ignoring the fact that he was still full of junk food as Nana Hale all but preened beside him. Her grip was gentle but unyielding as she dragged him to a table that was piled with food, giving a half wave to Laura and Cora, who were stationed beside a punch bowl the size of a fish tank as he kept himself a half step behind Nana.

Stiles wasn’t dumb, okay? He knew how to make nice with wolves, and more importantly, he knew how to be subtle.

(He didn’t like it, but he knew how to do it.)

“Uncle Derek! Get Uncle Derek!!”

Thankfully, the moment was over in a flash as Stiles heard a familiar name called out in a high pitched squeal, looking back out to the yard where a hoard of kids had just caught sight (or scent?) of Derek, immediately abandoning the rough-and-tumble games they seemed to be wrapped up in to run toward Derek as fast as their little legs could carry them.

Derek immediately tensed, a manic grin on his face as he prepared to run, body twitching as he caught himself before taking off. He sent a look Stiles’ way that was somehow both apologetic and asking remission, and Stiles sighed as he smiled.

“You better run, Uncle Derek. They’re gonna get you,” Stiles said mock-seriously, only barely keeping a straight face as Derek instead ran straight to the kids, making all sorts of comedic noises as they mobbed his legs.

Fuck, he was cute.

Stiles’ attention was pulled off of Derek as he felt eyes on him, subtly scanning the yard before he made eye contact with another adult in the family, who was very shirtless, and very sweaty, and very much walking toward them with a bright smile on his face.

Okay, Stiles was definitely getting a complex.

“You must be Stiles!” he exclaimed once he was closer to their little group, and Stiles had never been as thankful for a child as he was for the tiny body perched on top of the other males shoulders, because he was just about at his ‘hugging gorgeous people’ limit. He was still sweating, for fucks sake, but Stiles supposed that even a wolf got tired out when they had eight kids hanging from their body until Uncle Derek stepped in.

“I am, and…” Stiles was about to assume this was the firefighter sibling, but as soon as he opened his mouth, the kid on top of his shoulders smiled, and Stiles was absolutely smitten. “And who is this little guy?”

The distraction was apparently a welcome one, because shirtless dude’s smile grew even wider, reaching up to pat the kid on a mop of curly hair before he lifted him up and over, holding him at chest level. “This is Isaac. Isaac, can you say hi to Stiles? He’s your uncle Derek’s special friend.”

Stiles literally felt his heart melt as Isaac gave a shy little wave, looking up at him with big blue eyes. He couldn’t have been older than three or four, and Stiles smiled and waved back as Isaac was set down on the ground.

“You wanna go play with Uncle D?” Any hint of shyness was forgotten the moment the question was asked, taking off toward Derek as fast as his little legs could carry him, which… wasn’t very fast, but was very, very cute.

“They all yours?” Stiles asked, raising an eyebrow as he looked over to Derek, who now had at least six kids hanging off of him. He smiled as the other male shivered, shaking his head quickly.

“God no, just the three. Erica and Boyd, and Isaac too, now that the adoption has been finalized. Those kids basically run the joint, Derek included—as long as you don’t mind the occasional toddler mobbing, you’ll fit in just fine.”

“Thanks, random shirtless man, I really hope so.”

Stiles grinned as Laura choked on a mouthful of punch, the weirdness of the situation apparently just now visible to her as she sputtered, punching her brother in the arm. “Oh god, Taylor, what is wrong with you! Go put on a shirt, you can’t just—you didn’t even introduce yourself, I swear—Stiles is a guest, you weirdo!”

They kept bickering back and forth as Taylor pulled an undershirt on over his head, the whining turning into background noise as he poured himself a glass of punch. He knew perfectly well what Laura was trying to say—Stiles is a human—and he was pretty sure he was mostly flattered by everyone trying so hard, but any coherent thought left his head as he took a bite of the ribs, watching Nana Hale grin out of the corner of his eyes as he groaned in delight.

“God, they really do have Derek wrapped around their pudgy fingers,” Cora mused, and Stiles nodded his head, swallowing. It was honestly hilarious to watch Derek try to manage all those kids by himself; they seemed determined to pile themselves onto his head and shoulders, and he could almost see Derek sweat, trying to make sure he didn’t drop anyone as Isaac managed to wriggle his way into Derek’s grip.

He tilted his head in consideration, taking a sip of his drink before he spoke up.

“Yeah, he always did strike me as that kind of Alpha.”

He couldn’t help but savor the way the conversation ground to a halt around him, Laura and Taylor both sucking in a deep breath as Mark shattered the glass he was holding. There probably was a better way to acknowledge that he was in on the secret, but as funny as it was watching Derek’s siblings tiptoe around the fact, he figured it was best to rip the bandaid off in one go.

Even if it meant he had the attention of the Hales closest to him in one second, flat, Nana’s burning red from where she stood with a plate piled high with food.

He probably should have been nervous, but as he looked back at Derek, he could tell it was the right choice—Derek was all smiles, waiting only a beat before he popped his fangs and playfully snapped at one of his little nieces, the air soon full of squealing laughter once again.

Keeping his gaze even, Stiles smiled in thanks as he took the plate of food Nana offered to him, watching as her eyes melted back into their darker, human color. She was staring at him like he was a particularly complex puzzle, and she wasn’t alone—Cora looked hilariously outraged that she didn’t realize sooner, and even Mark was looking over him with renewed interest as his hand healed.

“I knew you were a smart boy. He told you?”

Nana’s question was accusing, but not unkind, and Stiles shrugged it off easily as he popped a chip into his mouth.

“He didn’t have to. My best friend was bitten when we were both fifteen. He didn’t have… anything, no alpha, no pack, just me and my mad Googling skills, and we’ve had plenty of supernatural run-ins over the years. Derek didn’t tell me because he didn’t have to tell me—I’m not anything special, but I’d like to think I can spot a non-human from at least fifty feet. Maybe more on a good day.”

“Well, that’s where you’re wrong.”

Stiles jumped as he heard Derek’s voice from behind him, and it truly was a credit to his poise and sophistication that he only blushed a little as Derek’s arm snaked around his waist. His body was warm, far warmer than it had been ten minutes ago, and Derek’s breath came a little heavy as he kissed the back of Stiles’ head.

“You are definitely something special.”

“You—you absolute cheeseball, what is wrong with you—” Stiles managed to get out as he shoved at Derek’s shoulder, his entire face burning red as Laura and Cora both gagged. Any residual awkwardness melted away as Nana’s sharp laugh cut through the air, the sound putting him back at ease as he leaned back into Derek’s warmth.

Somewhere between the fortieth round of storytelling and the gathering moving back into the house, Stiles needed a breather. Derek’s family was huge, and loud, and honestly, Stiles loved it—but it wasn’t long before he felt an itch beneath his skin, his fingers buzzing against his thigh, the muscles in his jaw a little too tight.

Stiles had expected Derek to be pretty popular in the family—what he didn’t expect, though, was that he would be anything more than an introduction and the same polite questions that everyone gave the new boyfriend.

“Wait, no fucking way did the two of you take down a Kanima, Stiles, I’m calling bullshit right now—“

Derek’s siblings were great, but they were also the worst; the minute they found out that Stiles had his own supernatural background, they were pestering him for stories, demanding his opinion of things, getting more and more exasperated with his entire life the more he shared.

Stiles knew that his life was crazy, okay? He didn’t need the constant reminders or the slack-jawed shocked expressions to reinforce that fact.

“Jesus, we didn’t even know that there were any wendigos in the state, and you knew an entire family of them?”

The only stories he flat out refused to talk about were the… issues he had had with hunters through high school—this was a party, after all, and he didn’t want to be the one to bring the vibe down by talking about the one time an assassin held a gun to his head to try and draw Scott out.

Fun times.

“What do you mean, you just know a banshee? And set her up with a hellhound? Dude, who are you?!”

Kissing Derek had, oddly enough, only exasperated the situation. In less than a day, they had gotten better at trading little affections back and forth; but instead of helping Stiles calm down, they only increased that thrumming nerves that bounced around at the base of his skull.

Which sucked, honestly, because kissing Derek was… really, really nice.

Stiles waited until another cousin who’s name he would never remember caught Derek up in a conversation about another tradition he couldn’t follow before he squeezed Derek’s hand, taking the opportunity to stand up from his spot on the couch and slip away.

The Hale House was huge, and outside was no exception; Stiles soon found himself on the porch, a huge wraparound wooden structure with built-in benches that let you enjoy the kind of view that made Stiles remember why he loved home so much. He treated himself to a few pictures of the sunset over Beacon Canyon before he flopped himself down on a bench, rubbing at his neck.

“Stiles? Everything alright?”

He had half expected Derek to follow him out after a few moments—but to his surprise, it was Nana Hale that sat beside him, her cheeks still pink with laughter as she tucked a jet black flyaway behind an ear.

“Is—oh, no, it’s great! Just wanted to, uh, snap a few pictures of the view.”

Another half truth—he was full to bursting with those lately.

“I know that our family can be… a little overwhelming,” she said, her tone even as she rose a brow, keeping her gaze forward as her fingers drummed a pattern into her knee.

Stiles hummed in agreement, his own smile a touch more genuine as he looked over to her. “Maybe, but that’s not a bad thing. When I was growing up, I spent so much time wondering what it would be like, to have siblings, and cousins, and… well, it might be a lot, but it’s a lot of love, too. I’m really glad Derek has that kind of support.”

Nana’s fingers stilled against her knee as she turned to face Stiles, and for the first time, Stiles was really able to get a good look at her properly. He could understand why she was the matriarch of the family, and how she had kept that title so long; even if he hadn’t witnessed her taking Mark down less than four hours ago, there was a whole other kind of strength that she was showing here, radiating off of her in waves.

“He does. But he doesn’t just have us for love and support... or was I reading the way you look at him wrong?” Her tone was teasing as she rose her brow, and Stiles felt his cheeks pink up spectacularly as he coughed, his eyes flashing back to the window for only a moment before Nana patted his knee.

“Don’t worry, the house is completely soundproof. Those nosy little pups can’t hear a word we say. Now tell me, how long have you been in love with my grandson?”

Now fully, beautifully red, Stiles groaned as he hid his face in his hands, Nana’s laughter ringing strong and clear as she stood up and walked toward the railing. “Oh don’t be so dramatic, I have no intention of spoiling that surprise until you’re ready to really woo him with it. And you’d better woo him! You know as well as I do that he deserves the romancing.”

Her tone softened as she chuckled, trailing off with a sigh and a sort of wistful smile as she shook her head. “New York has been good to him. You have, too, I think. California was… a rough part in his life.”

Something in the way she phrased it got the investigative side of his brain thrumming, his curiosity piqued as he remembered what Derek said on the plane.

‘I know they forgave me, but… sometimes it’s hard to be around them and still be okay with myself, you know?’

The nosy part of him wanted to pry, to dig a little more, but his eyes flicked back to the window again, where Derek and all four of his siblings were doing a terrible job at acting like they weren't trying to stare him down.

“Whatever it is, I’m sure he’ll tell me when he’s ready.”

Apparently, that was the right answer—Nana’s face softened again as she smiled, nodding her head, beckoning Stiles into standing up. She put her hand in the crook of his elbow easily, steering them back toward the house in a way that allowed no room for compromise.

“You are going to be good for my Der-bear, I know it.”

“Oh, I mean, I hope so. Derek deserves that, and I definitely—“

“Just let him be good for you, too.”

She reached up and patted Stiles cheek as he stared at her, dumbfounded, automatically opening the door for her as she walked back into the house. His expression was mirrored in the matching expressions of slack-jawed shock from all five Hale siblings, all staring at Stiles as Nana started in on another family story that would be sure to embarrass Mark, or Laura, or anyone who wasn’t Derek.

He meant what he said, of course. Derek deserved someone who would be good for him.

Somehow, that was the problem here.

—————

“Stiles, you reek of nerves. All I can smell is nerves and bell peppers. It’s not a good smell. Are you going to tell me what you’re freaking out about, or what?”

Stiles jolted as Derek called him out so effortlessly, pulled out of the trance he had fallen into as he watched Derek work, pushing around some of the barbecue from the night prior with some fresh chopped veggies into a delightful spur of the moment stir fry.

Derek was also as dressed down as Stiles had ever seen him, in a light grey henley and a dark pair of jeans, and that was even more delightful than the stir fry.

“Wait, you—that’s just something you can do? Oh god, your entire family must have known how nervous I was yesterday, did they—“

“Stiles. Breathe.”

Right. Breathing. He could do that.

…. maybe.

The truth was, Stiles could honestly say that he was having a great time back in Beacon Hills.

Derek and his family were great, no lie, and fake relationship aside, the researcher in him was absolutely thriving seeing how a huge, well-established pack worked with one another. They were literally a well oiled machine, the personification of the old ‘it takes a village’ metaphor, and the only thing that amazed Stiles more than how well they worked together was how well they adapted to Stiles being there.

Of course, he thought a big part of that came from having the Alphas on his side—not just Derek, but Nana too.

(“I can’t believe she hugged you,” Laura had hissed after yet another glass of infused punch. “When she met my last boyfriend, she threw him off the porch.”

“Well, Stiles is a fragile little human,” Taylor had snorted, ignoring the way Stiles smacked his arm, “and Hank was a major, prolapsed asshole.”

“Well yeah, but that’s not the point!”)

As great as Derek and his family was though, getting to come home and surprise his dad early… well, there was no place on the planet he would rather be than wrapped in a signature Stilinski hug, the kind of hug where you held on just a little longer than you needed to so you can pretend you definitely weren’t crying.

He got to watch a game with his dad, he got to sleep in his old, lumpy-ass childhood bed, he got to make breakfast in his mom’s kitchen.

So yeah. Great time.

Or at least, it had been, until a text rolled through after he kissed his dad goodbye that morning.

der-bear: Do you want to come over for lunch? Nana has everyone out of the house, Mom and Uncle Peter showed up this morning and he’s already driving everyone crazy.

sent: sure man. want me to bring anything? :)

der-bear: Don’t worry about it. Besides, I figure we should talk before the bonfire anyway.

And just like that, something brought around a cloud to rain on Stiles’ parade.

“Is it about tonight?” Derek asked, and if Stiles’ hadn’t been so laser focused on his cooking technique (his arms, okay, he was staring at Derek’s arms) he probably would have missed the way Derek hesitated when he asked, like he was afraid of the answer.

He picked himself up off of the barstool at the island in their gigantic kitchen, leaning against the counter closer to Derek, reaching in to pluck a chunk of onion out of the pan, skillfully avoiding the swat from Derek’s wooden spoon. “What do you mean?”

“Well, you… You know we’re looking forward to having you with us, right?” Derek asked, spooning some of the food onto two separate plates, using his claws to rip two fresh chunks of bread off of a loaf. “But if you don’t… I mean, I just don’t want you to feel like you have to be there if you don’t want to.”

Stiles frowned as he accepted one of the plates, pulling the smaller chunk of bread off of one of Derek’s claws, mulling his next words over. “As long as you want me there I’ll be there,” Stiles said slowly, because there really was no way to politely say that Stiles would rather throw himself into the sun before his mythical lore studying ass missed out on observing pack activity on a blue moon.

“Why would you think I didn’t want you there?” Derek asked, looking like he was offended at the very notion, sliding a fork to Stiles as he sat down at the countertop, that offended look only growing as Stiles snorted.

“I dunno, I thought you might have changed your mind about it. Dude, you sent me a ‘we should talk’ text. I’m no expert, but I know that nothing good follows a ‘we should talk’ text,” Stiles said around a mouth full of bread, but any degree of playful levity he had gone for was sapped out of his voice the moment he saw Derek look back down at his plate.

“That, uh. I do think we should talk, but not about that. Stiles, I...”

Ah, fuck. Derek’s ears were pink again, and for once, Stiles thought that was a bad thing.

Stiles did his best not to panic as he thought through things, wondering what he had fucked up, because he just knew he had fucked up a little something. Maybe he had come on a little too strong last night, maybe he had gotten too comfortable with his crush, maybe—

“I was thinking that maybe… we shouldn’t be faking this anymore.”

—or maybe, he had fucked up a whole lot of everything.

Stiles felt his heart sink through his shoes as he swallowed his bread, his appetite suddenly gone. He brushed his hands on his jeans, giving a few short nods, swallowing again as he pushed back from the table a little bit. He thought for a moment that he should argue against it, but Derek had a sad puppy expression splashed across his face, and Stiles wasn’t strong against that on a good day.

“Oh.”

He could feel Derek’s eyes tracking him as he started to move, standing up and starting an easy track around the kitchen, flexing his fingers before he rubbed his palm with his thumbs, an old habit he had thought he had kicked back when he graduated from Berkeley.

“I think, uh, maybe you should wait until you’re back in New York to tell your family?” Stiles started, missing the tiny smile on Derek’s face before it melted into a look of confusion. “You should tell them I broke up with you, not the other way around, I don’t mind being the bad guy,” he added, staring down at his hands.

“Wait, Stiles—“

“No, seriously, it’s fine,” Stiles interrupted, putting a smile back on his face, because he knew this was going to be coming at some point. Derek had made up their entire relationship, and Stiles had worked hard to remember that the reality of it was… that it wasn’t reality. He was the one with the inconvenient crush, he was the one who had gotten stupid. This was all on him, and taking the high road to bow out gracefully would be too.

Or, at least, it should have been. But Derek had abandoned his seat as well, halfway following Stiles in his trail around the kitchen, putting his arm out against a countertop to stop Stiles at a turn.

“I said I wanted to stop faking, Stiles.”

Hell, when had Derek gotten so close to him? Stiles blinked as he backed up against the counter, Derek’s arms closing him in, and suddenly he was getting an up close and personal look at Derek’s lips, and his eyes, and the way the blush was going back up his ears, and—

...why was Derek blushing?

“I never said anything about wanting you to leave.”

But why would Stiles be staying if… oh. Oh.

Realization dawned on Stiles’ face as Derek blushed and looked down, moving his hands a little bit closer against the counter, and Stiles felt a shiver run down his spine as he felt Derek’s thumb settle right along his hip. He had to clear his throat before he could speak, swallowing down the hope that was threatening to bubble over, chewing on his lip as he put one hand on Derek’s chest, the other gently tipping his head back to look him in the eye.

“Dude, if you’re saying what I think you’re saying, you gotta spell it out, I’ve had a crush on you for like forever and if I’m mis-reading this—”

“I told you. I’m your boyfriend, don’t call me dude.”

Stiles laughed again, elation making him feel light and giddy, finally breaking eye contact with Derek as he felt his own blush burn through the back of his neck.

“Stay, Stiles. You belong here. With me.”

Rather than even try to form a coherent response, Stiles dropped one of his hands, cheeks still a ruddy color as he looped a finger into one of the belt loops on Derek’s designer jeans, pulling him just that much closer.

“Derek?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m going to kiss you now.”

“Oh, thank God—"

—————

Yeah, Stiles thought hours later, still feeling the warmth of Derek’s smile against his lips as howls sounded off around the Hale House, moonlight swirling around him from the vantage point he had on the porch.

This was exactly where he belonged.

[queenofthefullmoon]

An exhaustive list of Dark Souls 3 bosses I would or would not date

Iudex/Champion Gundyr

We’re starting off this list with a strong yes. Our boy Gundyr has had a hard, difficult life, and he deserves some good company. He’s tall, strong, and I trust him to protect us as we set a lovely camp site outside of the fire link shrine.

Vordt of the Boreal Valley

Vordt is big and he is feral which are truly the only two qualities I look for in a man. Together we’d be unstoppable. I mean, think about how easy it would be to go around with him: just climb on his back and let the rodeo begin, baby. This argument alone should be enough to convince you that Vordt is a suitable boyfriend, but here’s another one: if you get too hot in the summer, worry fucking not for your gigantic man can hold his equally gigantic hammer over you and cover you with snow like an italian man covering his pasta with parmesan.

Cursed Rotted Greatwood

Now while I’m certain it would be a perfect partner for some people, the Cursed Rotted Greatwood isn’t for me. For one, I am not fan of curses, or rot, or weird sticky balls, or strange orange acid, or pale white and slightly viscous hands bursting through a living tree. Secondly, I feel like the crowd of Hollows who group up around the tree would be a big impediment to our intimacy, and I’m not ready to be the mother of 20 Hollows.

Crystal Sage

No offense but you’d be an idiot for not wanting to date the Crystal Sage. All wrapped up in one package, you get a super competent sorcerer bf, who wears the coolest hat in the galaxy and an equally cool cape, and who overall looks like the upgraded version of a plague doctor. In addition to that he also has a pretty rapier so you can both engage in some sparring (which we all know is the most romantic couple activity).

Deacons of the Deep

Probably one of the worst options on the list, they’re all crusty, rotting men moaning around a biggass coffin. There are many technical questions. If I dated a deacon, would I have to date all of them? Can we go out on dates or are they obligated to stay next to the coffin at all times? Can I even date them at all?? Not that I would, because I have standards. The only pro to entering this relationship(s?) would be that I’d probably get one of their robes for free, but the cons are so numerous that I’d rather buy it myself.

Abyss Watchers

Let’s be real and honest even if it hurts. Would I date an Abyss Watcher? Yes. Maybe I’d even date two. However, would an Abyss Watcher date me? No, because they’re all in love with Artorias, and I can’t blame them for that.

Old Demon King

At first I considered dating the Old Demon King like a Russian Instagram model dates an old, rich American man: with a great deal of fake love but above all great patience in order to be the only person on the will. But then I thought about it more, and what does the Old Demon King have to offer, really? A big firework show that will leave him exhausted like the old creature he is, and maybe some pyromancies. Truly, it is not worth it, especially since I’d have to take residence where he lives, in a big old room filled with the corpses of his kin.

High Lord Wolnir

I’ve got nothing against Wolnir personally, but I have no interest in skeletons, nor in his army of skeleton children. As stated above I’m not ready to be a mother. I feel like if we got in an argument and he sighed, he would poison me with his awful breath and I would die a horrible death. Also, living on the brink of the Abyss doesn’t appeal to me that much. However I would like Wolnir to be a good friend I can talk jewelry with because let’s be honest, the man (skeleton?) is blinged the fuck out even in death and I respect that.

Yhorm the Giant

Yes, I would date Yhorm. He was nothing but a sweet, misunderstood giant who always tried to get people to trust him and he convinced me. I would put my life in his big hands. Think of the possibilities. Just like with Vordt he could carry you everywhere but in a less reckless way if you prefer proper manners. You’d never have to worry about not seeing anything at a concert. Also, may I add that waiting for you to show up while sitting on his biggass throne is an absolute power move? Yhorm is a Lord of Cinder, but above all, a Lord of this heart.

Pontiff Sulyvahn

Would I date him because of his appealing aesthetic? Yes. Would I date him for anything else? No. Sulyvahn is absolutely terrifying, completely unhinged in the most frightening way, which is that he doesn’t look bat shit crazy. I could be thinking that everything is going well in our relationship then suddenly he’d lock me in a dungeon then would feed me to his weird friend because I put a fork in the knife drawer. He could pretend to propose and give me a weird fucked up ring with his eye in it and the next thing I know I’d be running in a field on all fours. I don’t trust like that.

Aldritch, Devourer of Gods

I’m so sad about Aldritch because literally everything about him is completely unappealing, unacceptable, unnatural, unholy, abhorrent, but he has the delicate and beautiful face of Gwyndolin. While our lovely Gwyndolin looks gorgeous as ever it doesn’t make up for the fact that Aldritch devoured people and probably wouldn’t find love to be a good reason to not eat his partner. The only reason I can find to have a friendship (not even a romantic relationship) with him is if you really like experimenting with cooking and you really, really need someone to taste your inventions.

Dancer of the Boreal Valley

I feel attraction, which means that just like any other being who feels attraction, I would date the Dancer. She is beautiful, graceful, a bit feral, and would not hesitate to put a flaming knife to my throat, which is the description of my dream woman. Imagine walking the streets with her, trying to hold her hand while it dangles 3 feet above you and she insists on holding her sword, actually, so she might slay anyone who tries to approach you, which she communicates through icy breaths and murmurs. The date of a lifetime.

Oceiros, the Consumed King

Another awful choice on this list, Oceiros is RABID and also, as far as we know, still a married man. You really want to date a man that hasn’t even gone through his divorce but already looks like this? Me neither. I’m already not big on dragon fucking but the fact that he’s all viscous and has weird growths all over him is not helping. Also, he has children, and we know how I feel about that — although, given how he treats them, he probably won’t have kids very soon (too far?).

Ancient Wyvern

So I’ve stated that I’m not very big on dragon fucking. With that said, do I think the wyvern is sexy and beautiful? Absolutely so. You’re probably like « Blue you’re sending mixed signals, are you gonna date the lizard or not? » and to that I say, date? Perhaps not. I would however like to form a lifelong bond with this wonderful force of nature and fight by its side, live a long and fulfilling life travelling along with it, only to die at the same time atop the tallest mountain in the world, where our skeletons will be discovers hundreds of years in the future by brave explorers, who will confirm that the legendary songs that were written about us were in fact not just a myth.

Nameless King

You’ve just read what I said about the wyvern. I feel like the Nameless King really understands me and would respect me for that. We could bond over our love of dragons and other flying scaly beasts and perhaps share some chaste kisses while soaring the sky on our companions. It’s nice to date someone who loves pets as much as you. I feel like he would be a fun guy to hang around in general, maybe he’d let you braid his hair or try on his crown. He can arrange personalized fireworks shows for you with his lightning powers. I don’t think you’d ever be bored around him.  

Dragonslayer Armor

Dating an empty suit of armor has never bothered me (see: ds2 Ruin Sentinels), however I have beef with the dragonslayer armor. Is it a beautiful armor? Perhaps a bit worn off, but the reply remains affirmative. However, it is controlled by Pilgrim Butterflies, which basically means I’m dating one to multiple of these things in the shape of an armor, and I’ve gotta confess that I’m not down for that.

Lorian Older Prince and Lothric Younger Prince

Here comes the delicate moment where we have to make a choice without offending anyone. I personally, speaking for myself, in my own opinion, would rather date Lorian. Reason: he is big, strong, and a bit rabid, which I’ve made very clear is my type. I don’t dislike Lothric, but I feel like we’d be better off as best friends who have a really snarky group chat where we shit talk the entire kingdom. That’s pretty good because if I even just slightly disliked Lothric I’m pretty sure Lorian would sense it and would not hesitate to murder me on sight.

Champion’s Gravetender and Champion Greatwolf

Well the full name is just a formality here, I’m not completely insane so I don’t want to date this rabid wolf. I feel like the Champion’s Gravetender is just a normal dude who’s a bit in over his head and it’s not his fault but he just seems a bit boring compared to all my other options. Instead of a date I think he’d be more of an awkward flirt I had when I was bored and then I came to my senses but didn’t know how to disengage, but in the end it worked out because he was more interested in his work anyway.

Sister Friede and Father Ariandel

Again a choice has to be made and I will have to be predictable and say I’d date Elfriede. Just like Dancer she’s what the woman of my dreams is made of. She’s graceful and could easily take my life and I think it’s awfully sexy of her to be like that. I think I’d be accepted into the family pretty easily, which is important since Father Ariandel cares about Friede so much. I’d go visit him sometimes, play chess with him, bring him his flail, normal interactions with your girlfriend’s dad.

Soul of Cinder

I’m gonna be a tiny bit freaky here and say I’d date the Soul of Cinder. Dating it is just like opening a Kinder Surprise egg, you never know what you’re gonna get (sorry Americans for excluding you here). That makes life exciting and doesn’t let routine stall your relationship. Every day you can wake up with the question « What weapon will my darling walk around with today? The flaming sword, or the sorcery staff? » and be surprised by the answer. Truly ideal, but I understand it’s not for the faint of heart.

Demon Prince

I’m gonna go with a maaaaaaybeeeee? leaning towards no. I mean yes, the Demon Prince is a weird fleshy flaming demon, and that may be a bit gross, but I’ve gotta admit I admire his style, the drama of it all. The care he puts into his entrance, the attitude in his moves. If we don’t date I’d at least want to be friends so he can teach me his ways.

Darkeater Midir

I have very intense and contradictory feelings towards Midir. In one hand, holy shit, absolutely epic dragon, the spirit of companionship is growing in me. On the other hand, this beast is RABID and pretending I could tame him is foolish, and pretentious. I guess in the end the answer remains that I don’t date dragons, I just want to adopt them as my extremely exotic pets.

Halflight, Spear of the Church

Yeah I’d date Halflight, I know it’s the easy answer but look at him. I mean shit he’s walking around like a little thotty with his shirt open and you mean to tell me I’m not supposed to wanna date him because he looks pretty much like a regular dude? My boy Halflight WANTS me to date him or else he would not show up with his tiddies out to a sword fight, which as an activity already has enough erotic implications on its own.

Slave Knight Gael

I’m gonna say it unashamedly and I’ll say it again: I would date Gael. He’s been nothing but helpful and when he tries to attack you it’s to help his little lady that he’s adopted as his niece. We love a chaotic parental figure. Maybe he’s a tad bit old and dirty but there’s nothing a good bath can’t fix and I’m sure he’d appreciate having someone taking care of him for once. Again, he’s got that slightly unhinged quality to him that makes him delightful. When I walk around with my partner I want us to instill both fear and fascination in people which we would be able to accomplish perfectly well.

Dark Souls 1: Remastered date list // Dark Souls 2: Scholar of the First Sin date list

[buckysrighthanddoll]

Envy

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x female reader, Bucky Barnes x Savannah (OC)

Warnings: envy, jealousy, angsty implications, sexual implications (nothing actually described), fluff of course :)

A/N: So I’m fully aware that I haven’t been active on my blogs recently, and I’m sorry for that. Since the beginning of quarantine, I’ve been in a very rough family situation and had to move houses as a result. This one-shot will (hopefully) be the start of a series on the seven deadly sins; please give feedback and let me know what y’all think!

You weren’t new to the team. It was now 2018 and you were part of the original Avengers--you had fought in the Battle of New York and against Ultron. People have come and gone and died and retired; it was rarer to find someone who stayed and it was even rarer to attach to someone who was on the team.

Bucky Barnes was that rare, rare exception.

When he came along, your thoughts raced a million miles a minute. He was the Winter Soldier, after all, and you didn’t know how his recovery process was going to come along. You met him when he was in Romania--you fought him for a brief moment before he realized that you and Steve weren’t the bad guys, actually.

It was Steve’s idea to have you stay in Wakanda with him as sort of a caretaker. You had close contact with the team, even though you and Tony weren’t on the best of terms after the Accords, but you were also a hut away from Bucky. It was here where you fell for each other. Seeing him in the fragile yet strong state, the intimate moments as you both stared up at the stars, the kindred walks through the woods, it all made you fall.

Luck would have it that he fell twice as hard. You were caring and compassionate and, most importantly, patient and understanding. Growth was not linear, and you knew that. Being there for Bucky sometimes meant leaving him to his own business, but it also sometimes meant holding him while he sobs after having another nightmare.

You and Bucky had been an official couple for two years and five days. There were definite ups and downs to the relationship--Bucky was the most sincere and thoughtful man you had ever loved, but when the two of you fought, it was like hell on Earth. It could last a few hours or even a few weeks (three weeks, six days, and twenty-one hours was the current record). But, despite having a couple of massive fallouts and many, many bickers over safety during missions, you were a strong couple.

Never in the last two years had you been insecure, until she showed up. Her name was Savannah, and she was stunning in every sense of the word. Shiny chestnut hair, striking grey eyes, the perfect face, an even better body, the laugh that lit up the whole room--for fuck’s sake, even her powers were beautiful with her. She could shoot fire and water from her hands, but she did it in the way that made her seem elegant and graceful and--ugh.

Besides that, everybody on the team adored her. Steve had a crush on her, and you were pretty sure Sam did, too. Hell, even Nat seemed interested in her. The world seemed to revolve around her, and she knew that. And, lately, it seems like James Buchanan Barnes was wrapped around her perfect finger.

The insecurity started when she first moved in. Savannah was a late riser in comparison to most of the team, but that didn’t stop her from being so damn beautiful. During team breakfast, she came in twenty minutes after everybody else had sat down in a loose t-shirt and the shortest pair of shorts to ever exist on earth, and her hair was pulled back messily into a bun. Even without makeup, she was stunning.

She sat right next to Bucky with a plate half-full of food--part of her diet plan to stay in shape, you think she said (you looked at your now empty plate and couldn’t help but feel that perhaps you should also watch what you’re eating). She struck a conversation with him, and they held it for the entire meal. Rolling your eyes and making eye contact with Sam, you stood up and took your plate to the kitchen before getting down to the gym.

“New girl got your panties in a twist?” Sam asked a few minutes later. You tore your attention away from the punching bag and faced him, a scoff leaving your lips.

“Guess so.”

“You ain’t gotta be jealous,” He said, taking your hands. He takes a glove off of one of them. “Bucky loves you more than he loves his damn cereal in the morning.”

That earned a laugh from you.

You took off the other glove, and he motioned to the mat in a silent request to spar. You both worked out, and he took you down a couple of times before you were able to get the upper hand on him.

“That’s my baby,” Bucky sang as he entered the room. Your head turned toward him, looking like a Greek god in a tight shirt and workout shorts. Your eyes also caught Savannah walking in with him, but you tried your best to ignore her. “Wilson has nothing on you, sweetheart,” He adds as he comes to the edge of the mat.

“I took her down three times before you waltzed your metal ass in here,” Sam scoffed. You laughed and got up, going to the edge of the mat where your boyfriend was. He puts his hands on your hips and you reach for the back of his neck to pull him into a chaste kiss.

“You wanna go?” He asked you, nudging his head toward the mat. “I was gonna train Savannah, but I really want to lay some moves on you,” He smiles, wiggling his brows slightly.

“Oh my god, you are such a perv,” You joked, backing up to the center of the mat. “Come on, baby, show me what you got.”

It was a light spar, especially in comparison to how you normally fought each other. It was full of laughs and teasing moments, like right now. He had you pinned down, his hands wrapped around your wrists and his knees on either side of you. You glanced between his lips and eyes, and you caught him leaning in, but at the last second you flipped him over and pinned him down. He gave you a shocked look, but you just smiled up at him.

Of course, he didn’t let you win. He flipped you back over, but this time so that your face was planted against the mat. He holds your wrists behind your back and straddles your thighs, making you laugh. “Well, this reminds me of something,” You remarked.

“Dude, gross,” Sam said. Bucky got off of you and offered you a hand up, which you gladly took. “Okay, we gotta get this girl started. How about you fight (Y/N) first, Savannah?” Sam suggested. She nods her head and smiles cockily, stepping onto the mat. “No powers this time,” He tosses in.

The two of you go in circles for a moment, waiting to see who’s going to strike first. She looked confident, but you were a trained fighter in S.H.I.E.L.D., top of the recruits, and nearly beating out every single agent of experience. She had nothing on your physical fighting skills.

“You gonna fight me or are you just gonna stand there?” She taunted.

“Taunting gets you nowhere, dollface,” You smirked. You continued in another half-circle before she lunges. It was an easy dodge, just a simple side-step and kick, and she was thrown off balance. Her arms fly out to the sides to catch her balance, so you grabbed one and used it as leverage to flip her over you. Once she was on the ground, you straddled her and pretended to snap her neck, which indicated the end of the first spar. “Don’t ever let your emotions get the best of you in a fight,” You told her, getting up.

This continues for a couple more rounds, each time she gets her ass handed to her, but she does get better. Sam left by the time you both stopped fighting.

“Can’t I fight Bucky? Most of our opponents are male,” She asks, smirking slightly. It was abundantly obvious that she had a distaste for you, but it was completely reciprocated, so you weren’t bothered.

You and Bucky switch places, and she’s not doing well at all, even when Bucky goes easy on her. You could tell that she was faking being bad at fighting; she made it clear every time Bucky pinned her or straddled her and she gave him ‘the look’.

“Okay, let’s be done. I’ll get Steve to train you,” Bucky says, stepping off the mat. He gives you a side hug and a kiss to the cheek, eliciting a smile. “Do you wanna shower with me?” He asks. “We’re both pretty sweaty.”

You nod your head, choosing to ignore the death stare that Savannah was giving you.

_____

After that, you catch her trying to go after Bucky a little more. She started waking up at the same time as him and drinking coffee with him in the kitchen, she asked Tony to be placed on missions with him, she made it a point to not include you in conversations with him.

The worst part was that Bucky didn’t stop her.

It wasn’t like he was adoring the attention that he was getting from the both of you, but he most certainly wasn’t hating it, either. It almost felt like he was falling for her--you knew the signs, after all.

His laugh was a little more bubbly, his voice was a little deeper, and the body language conveyed that he was into the conversations they were having. It made your blood boil, and she knew it.

Eventually, you decided that you weren’t going to try to stop them from doing what they wanted. If he wanted to be with her, then so be it. All you had ever wanted for Bucky was for him to be happy--maybe you just didn’t make him happy anymore.

You compared yourself to her so much that any thought about you was straight negativity. You thought that you weren’t as pretty as her, and that your smile wasn’t as bright, and that she had a curvier body than yours, and that she was always so interesting and bubbly. You believed you were so boring by contrast--no powers, no unique features that you could see.

Just bland, boring, you.

“(Y/N), you good?” Steve asked, knocking on your door one day. Bucky was in the living room with Savannah and the rest of the team having a movie night, and she was sitting so unbearably close to him that you became nauseous and told him that you were just going to go to sleep.

Steve came into the room and sat on the bed beside you, making you look at him. “I’m fine,” You lied. You knew it was a lie. He knew it was a lie.

“It’s Savannah, isn’t it?” He asked.

You sighed and closed your laptop before looking back up at him. “Do you think he wants to be with her?” You asked sincerely.

“No,” Steve answers. “I think he’s happy to have a new friend, but he loves you more than he loves--”

“If you say ‘cereal in the morning’ I will chemically castrate you,” You threatened. He laughs and shakes his head.

“You know how he talks about his service days a lot? Any chance he gets, he’s talking about the good ‘ole days when he was actually charming and young?”

“Yeah, he talks about it for hours on end.”

“When he became the Winter Soldier, he didn’t feel human anymore. He thought with every fiber of his body that he was a monster and sub-human. He didn’t think he deserved to live because of all the things HYDRA made him do. But when you became official, and even to this day, he talks about you the way he talks about his service days--with pride and love. He told me that nobody can make him feel as loved and as human as you do,” Steve explains.

“But that doesn’t mean that other people can’t make him feel the same way. He’s an easy person to fall for--I’m not the only one who’s willing to sacrifice anything for him. What if she makes him happier than I do? Or what if he realizes that she’s so interesting and perfect and I’m just me.”

“Do you really think that?” Bucky’s voice asks. You snap your head up to the doorway in shock, where Bucky stood with a sweater. Steve awkwardly stands up and leaves the room, patting his best friend on the back on the way out. Bucky closes the door behind him and kneels next to you on the bed. “Sweetheart, do you really think that I’m into her?”

“It seems kind of obvious, Buck,” you sigh. “I get it. Everybody else sees that she’s beautiful and has an amazing personality. She’s amazing, and if you want her, go for her.”

“No,” Bucky says. His voice is full of emotion, stern and unwavering yet somehow soft. “(Y/N), I love you. You’re the one who has seen me at my best and my worst. You’re the one who makes me smile when I’m sad, who brings me back to reality when I’m having flashbacks and nightmares, the one who wipes my tears. You’re the one I want to marry someday and buy a house with and start a family with--whether that’s fur children, actual children, or just us, it doesn’t matter.”

“Bucky--”

“Steve was right. You make me feel human. Why are you jealous of her?”

You sighed heavily and tried to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill. “You smile so much with her, and you’re always together, and--”

“She makes me uncomfortable,” Bucky interjects. He gives a small laugh before he continues. “She’s clingy and too touchy and doesn’t know when I want to be left alone and in the moments I don’t want to be alone, she thinks that I want to be around her when I actually just want to be around you. She talks about nothing except herself and her family, and won’t let me talk about any issues I’m having. She tried to get me to kiss her tonight, but there’s no way in hell I’m letting that shit slide.”

“She did?” You asked. Bucky nodded in confirmation, which made you livid. You stood up and tried to get past him, but he wouldn’t let you. “I’m gonna beat her ass,” You sneered.

“No, baby, I’ve got it covered. I got up and grabbed your favorite sweater of mine from my room, threw it in the drier so it’s warm, and I fully intend on holding you and making sure you know that I love you. I already texted everybody in the team and asked them to never put her on missions with me or let her try to even talk to me.”

“You’re serious?”

“Dead serious, sweetheart,” Bucky smiles. He grabs the hem of your shirt and pulls it up and over your head, handing you his sweater to put on. It’s warm and it smells like him and holy shit you’re so in love. “Nothing comes between me and my baby.”

“God, you are so cheesy,” You laughed.

Bucky stands up and gets into bed with you, pulling the comforter over the both of you and pulling you into him. “You don’t have to be jealous, (Y/N/N). It’s always gonna be us.”

“Do you think I’m boring?”

“Absolutely not,” He answers. “I think that you are a perfect combination of wild and tame. You know when to have fun and laugh, but you also know how to be serious when need be. And the way you can break a man’s neck between your thighs? That’s the hottest thing I have ever witnessed.”

You bust out laughing but hold him even closer. “I love you, baby. Can we get some sleep?”

“Of course, sweetheart,” He says. He asks FRIDAY to turn off the lights and lock the door, and then he kisses your forehead before you both drift off to sleep.

_____

The next day, you actually feel rested, even though you woke up at 0430 with him (a rare occurrence nowadays). He asks if you want to go on a run with him, to which you say okay. It takes all of ten minutes for the both of you to get dressed and brush your hair and teeth.

You go out to the kitchen to grab waters for you and Bucky. Usually, nobody else is up at this hour besides Steve (who was in his room getting ready for his run as well), but today, Savannah was there as well.

“You running with us, too?” She asked, turning around with a pep in her step. Her hair bounced in its ponytail, and she looks absolutely perfect in her leggings and sports bra. You felt like you weren’t nearly as pretty in your t-shirt and sweats.

“Yeah,” You replied, trying to keep a friendly voice as you searched for the bottles you, Steve, and Bucky typically use. You find them and fill them.

“He said last week that I could join him whenever I wanted. Hope that’s okay?” She says. It’s almost like she’s testing to make sure you weren’t the jealous girlfriend.

“I don’t care,” You shrugged. “Hell, I wish the entire team would go on morning jogs.”

“Listen, I don’t want to ruin your relationship--you guys are really cute together--but I think you should know that he kissed me last night.”

You shrugged your shoulders and leaned against the counter. “If you were really concerned about not ruining my relationship, you wouldn’t try to lay the moves on him as if you’re Michael Jackson. You’re aware he’s got a girl, but that doesn’t seem to matter to you,” You responded. Your voice was shockingly calm despite how envious of her you were.

“But--”

“But nothing,” You interjected. “Not only that, but I’m not concerned about you ruining our relationship. We trust each other and we’re open about our communication. You’re not a concern to us,” You added.

“Damn straight, sweetheart,” Bucky said as he and Steve walked into the kitchen. He plants a kiss on my cheek and grabs the water bottle from me, leaning next to me on the counter. “I told you last night that I wasn’t interested. Trying to get a rise out of (Y/N) won’t work because she’s one of the most rational and open people I know.”

Savannah got so upset that steam started rolling off of her, literally. Seemed there were some downsides to being enhanced, you assumed.

“Listen, we’re sure you’ll do great on missions,” Steve said, grabbing his bottle from you. “But I don’t appreciate people who try to get between Bucky and (Y/N). Keep that in mind,” He says sternly.

Envy is one of the seven deadly sins. It’s defined as a feeling of discontented or resentful longing aroused by someone else’s possessions, quality, or luck. You most certainly felt that stupid feeling more than you cared to admit, but that was okay. Communication and being open could fix a vast majority of problems that arise. You were lucky, luckier than Savannah could ever be because you had a partner that was not afraid to talk to you about his problems; even better, he wasn’t scared to listen to your problems.

Bucky was rare, but the love you shared with him was one-of-a-kind.

[thetierdslytherin]

The Avatar’s sister pt.2

Bolin x reader

this is a continuation of the avatar’s sister and it’s also based off of  season 1 eipsode 2 of lok

2.2k words 

        I'm woken in the morning by an incessant knocking on my door. I try to ignore it by pulling a pillow over my head but after the knocking doesn't stop I'm forced to get up and answer the door “what!” I throw the door open coming face to face with.“Korra! You better have a good reason for getting me up before the sun is up.” I cross my arms standing in the doorway waiting for her explanation

            “I do! I have training in 30 minutes and you know Tenzin's rule I can't leave unless your with me so we gotta go so I can be on time, get dressed” Korra pushes me out of the way entering my room “come right inthen” I say sarcastically shutting my door following her to my closet as she goes through it throwing clothes in my direction “Now get dressed and cleaned up. We don’t have a lot of time. Plus the sooner we get there the sooner you get to see Bolin” My heart beats a little faster at the mention of Bolin as I change into some of my water tribe clothes then brush my teeth and fix my y/h/c hair into a braid.

           “Well even Bolin isn't enough to make me move fast this early in the morning and I just met the guy. Besides you only to see Mako” I tease as we head out of the building to the shore “Korra i’m well aware i'm not your mother or in charge of you but please be careful I don't want to see you get hurt” 

          “psh y/n i'm gonna be fine your making a big deal out of this”

           I sigh and stop walking, Korra stopping with me. I look into her eyes before saying “Korra I know guys like Mako, i've dated too many guys like him I just don't want you to get hurt”

           “Yeah well maybe you just start minding your own business like you said you're not my mother and you're sure as hell not in charge of me so let me live my life for once!”Well,That could have gone better. We spent the rest of our journey in silence only speaking when we ordered breakfast. Maybe I am being too controlling. Korra deserves to live her own life and make her own mistakes. But we did just meet the brothers yesterday and know literally nothing about them. But I know Korra and if I push the issue any more she’ll just cut me out of her life until she's over it. 

          “Your late” Mako doesn't even turn to look at us when we enter.

           “Okay yeah true but we brought food so lets call it even then?”

            I move to one of the tables setting their food down “yeah Mako look at this y/n was nice enough to bring us food so let's just take a break and enjoy the food” Bolin says starting to make his way over 

          “ we haven't even started yet so let's not. C’mon on Bo, Korra we have a lot of training to get through” The three of them run through drills for the better part of an hour before moving to the cool downs.

           “What's the big idea making me train this early in the morning? The morning is evil” okay dramatic much Korra? The three of them move into a triangle passing a weighted ball around.

          “Were the rookies so we get the worst time slot in the gym” Bolin passes the ball to Mako

          “And you're the rookiest of us all, we gotta get you up to speed if we want to survive in the tournament deal with it!” he passes to Korra 

          “You deal with it” she passes the ball back to Mako sending him flying backwards 

          “Children, children can you please not hurt each other this early in the morning. Alright let's not make this any more unbearable then it has to be” I pass by them to check on Mako and other than a sour look on his face he seems perfectly fine.

          Bolin pipes up “uh y/n not that i'm not happy to see you I really am it's just why are you here? you're not on the team?” 

          I glanced at Korra and said, “you didn't tell them?” she shakes her head I guess she just thought I would “tenzin's one condition for her joining the team. Wherever she goes I go so that means you're stuck with me, pretty boy. and you too mako… I guess” I go moving to stand by Korra. 

          “There are my hard working street urchins, it's an honor to finally meet you avatar” a muscly man in his mid thirties approaches us.

          “And you are?” Korra says crossing her arms.alright then just go ahead and pretend like i'm not even here.

          “Butaka I run this whole pro bending shabang. Anyways here your winnings from the match” Mako goes to pocket the cash but before he can Butaka stops him. 

          “First you owe me for the avatars new gear, gym and equipment rentals for last month, rent on your apartment, and a personal loan on groceries” By the time he's done there no cash left. Is it always like this for them?

          “Oh uh one more item of business the Fire Ferrets need to ante up 30,000 yuans for the championship pot” Damn ok that's more than I make for 6 months at my job and the brothers definitely don't have that kind of money just lying around.How are they gonna come up with it?

          “30,000 yuans!” My thoughts exactly Bolin

          “Sorry kids you have till the end of the week to pay or your out” with that final statement Butaka leaves along with the fire ferrets chances of playing in the championship.

          “The two of you wouldn't happen to have a secrets bank account filled with gold would you?” Mako and Bolin look at us with hopeful eyes 

          “No sorry boys I mean I have some money I could pitch in but not 30,000 yuans”

          “I've got nothing. I've never really needed money, I've always had someone taking care of me” Korra shrugs, giving a small smile. 

           “Then I wouldn't say you've had nothing then” Makos words carries no venom though, just distant sadness packing up his gear throwing it into a duffle bag.

           “I'm sorry I didn't mean-” “no its alright its just ever since we lost our parents we've been on our own” Bolin says giving Korra a sad smile shuffling towards us

           “Bolin, I'm so sorry that you had to go through it” I put my hand on his shoulder trying to offer some sort of comfort.

         “So anyway how are we gonna come up with the money?” 

“Ooh ooh I got it. I've been training pabu to do circus tricks now people would pay good money to see that” Bolin raises pabu into the air twirling him once.

          “C'mon bolin we need serious ideas” the smile immediately falls from bolins face and I can't help but stand up for him “that is a serious idea Mako. When we first came from the water tribe I know I would've paid to see pabu perform” 

          “ don't worry about it, I'll figure it out. I always do” and after that Mako walks out of the training room presumably to ‘figure it out’.

          “Hey korra why don't you head on back to the island bolin and I are gonna hang out for a little bit” he looks at me confused“we are?” I give him a nod “we are”. 

          “Yeah okay y/n just don't stay out too late you know how Tenzin gets” I give her a smile and a ‘of course’ then it’s just bolin and I left. 

          “So Bolin, how about you show me some of pabus tricks and you help me eat the rest of breakfast that Korra and I brought?” “um yeah but can i get a quick shower first im kinda gross?”

          “Only if you let me join you.” spirits his eyes almost bugged out of his head at my comment stammering to get an answer out before I take mercy on him “i’m teasing you Bo” 

          He clears his throat “right right yeah totally know that” That leads me to where I am right now Bolin and I on their couch eating cold pastries.

           “Hey Bolin” he pauses his eating for a second to look at me “why don't you tell me something about you. I mean we basically know nothing about each other except our shared love of pro bending and food” he looks thoughtful for a moment “Pshh not true” I shoot him a look saying ‘you sure about that’

            “Well I know you're a waterbender and that you have a sister and where you live...and that sounds way creepier than I meant it. I just mean you know you live with Tenzin who lives on air temple island not like I've been stalking you because that would be weird...” i've noticed he does this thing whenever he's embarrassed he’ll scrunch his whole face up for a second and start playing with his hands, which he's doing right now

          “Well okay but I don't know any of the important stuff” I say leaning in propping my chin on my hand 

          “What's the ‘important stuff?’”

          “Like your favorite color. You know a person's favorite color will tell you a lot about them”

          “Whoa hey now you just stepped over a line. I can't possibly tell you that” we make eye contact bursting out laughing at the notion.

           “ok fine I don't really have a favorite color” he scratches the back of his neck giving me a half smile

           “well maybe instead of telling me your favorite color you tell me about your parents” after seeing the look in Bolins eyes I quickly backtrack “you don't have to though I imagine it's a touchy subject I was just curious” he sighs setting his food down turning to me

           “no it’s not that it’s just not a very fun story to tell” he takes a deep breathe grounding himself “when Mako was 7 and I was 5 we were at home with our parents one night and a fire bender broke in trying to steal from us… he killed them right in front of us y/n, after that it was just mako and I. It's been that way ever since” he looks down trying in vain to keep me from seeing the tears in his eyes. I grab his hand running my thumb over his knuckles. 

          “Hey bolin why don't we go and set up for pabu to do his tricks” he glances at me “we could set it up under fire lord zuko's statute?” he laughs wiping the tears from his eyes

           “yeah y/n that sounds perfect” 

          We're both sitting on the base of zuko's statue on a carpet with two cups and a plank for pabu to walk on.Bolin and pabu have matching get ups and bolin has a fake mustache. while I sit beside Bolin bending water into different shapes to amuse myself. “Come one come all see pabu the fantasstic fire ferret as he crosses the ladder of peril upside down” Pabu then crosses the plank and flips landing on one paw which i'll admit is cute but not 30,000 yuans cute. “Thank you folks you are too kind too kind” Bolin says as a man passes by dropping 1 yuan into the cup. 

          Bolin looks a little upset by how far we still have to go “Hey Bolin look its a start you don't have to get all the money yourself i'd be happy to pitch in and i'm sure mako found a way to make some money” he sighs “yeah i'm sure mako has” that's the problem isn't it? I bet bolin is tired of his brother always solving his problems or better yet being the one who gets them out of ruts. 

          “Hey bolin is that you?” I Look up to see a well dressed man with urban water tribe clothes on getting out of his sato mobile 

           “oh hey shady shin” he waves at the man and I urgently whisper to bolin “by any chance is this leader of the triple threat triads shady shin?”

           “mhmm” 

           Wow since when did bolin run with gangsters? “I hear you're a big time pro bender now. Not bad.Anyways lighting bolt zolt is looking to hire some extra muscle” 

           “I don't know shin Mako told me to stay away from the triple threats” 

           “it's just some security work nothing crooked” he pulls out a fat wad of cash and throws it in Bolin’s cup he's about to agree before I cut him off before he can agree “double it and were both in i'm a water bender and a healer plus i'm good at ‘security work” 

           “Alright kid deal don't make me regret it” he puts another was of cash in the cup “now let's get going” Bolin and I follow him and get in the back of his sato mobile. What a mistake that was.      

[lovereath-a]

Ｔｈｅ Ｌａｙｅｒｓ Ｔｈａｔ

Ｍａｋｅ Ｕｐ Ｔｈｅ Ｍｕｓｅ  

LAYER ONE : THE OUTSIDE

Name: Mitsuri Kanroji

Eye Color: Light Green

Hair Style/Color: Triple braids, light pink that turns into a downward gradient green at the tips

Height: 167cm (5ft5in)

Clothing Style: Modest and feminine. When not in her work uniform Mitsuri tends to dress in clothes with lots of bright or pastel colors and floral patterns on them.

Best  Physical Feature: Everything, fight me on this. "I think my arms are my best feature! Because I can use them for so much! I can use them to hug my friends, to lift others up, to wield my sword and protect everyone. All that has gotta make them my best feature, right?”

LAYER TWO: THE INSIDE

Your Fears: “One time I had this dream where I was in an eating contest and I had to eat all this food or else everyone would disappear, so I kept eating and eating and eating but more food kept appearing and people were disappearing all like ghosts or something around me! No matter how hard I tried to eat all the food though more just kept appearing and people just kept disappearing one by one! It was super scary!!” Translation: Fear of not doing enough to protect others

Your Guilty Pleasures: “I really, really like seeing people get embarrassed and flustered! When people’s cheeks go all pink or red with a blush. It’s just so cute, it makes my heart go wild!”

Your Biggest Pet Peeve(s): “I really can’t stand when people don’t answer me when I’m talking to them. It doesn’t make me mad really. But it’s really rude and I feel like I said something wrong and what if I did say something wrong and they just aren’t telling me to be polite??”

Your Ambition for the Future: “I want to make a happy future for myself and everyone else. I want to find someone who will love me in every way and I’ll love them right back. And along the way I want to destroy those who make the world a worse place! So then everyone can live happily.”

LAYER THREE: THOUGHTS

Your First Thoughts Waking Up: “Do I need to gather enough honey for today?”

What You Think About the Most: “I think a lot about finding true love and about keeping the world safe. Those are the most important aspects of my life!”

What You Think About Before Bed: “I wonder what I should have for breakfast tomorrow?”

You Think Your Best Quality Is: “My strength maybe? It’s caused me a lot of problems. A lot of people don’t want to be with me because of it. But it’s always given me so many opportunities. Because of my strength I can be useful, I can help others and I can work to actually make the world a better place for everyone in it.”

LAYER FOUR: WHAT’S BETTER?

Single or Group Dates: “Single dates, I guess. I’ve never been on a group date before. I bet it’d be just as fun as one on one dates though!”

To be Loved or Respected: “I’d rather be loved. I don’t think I’m the type to be respected and if I was, I’d still rather be loved. Being loved and loving someone back is one of the best feelings in the world.”

Beauty or Brains: “Either is fine with me as long as they’re a genuine, kind and loving person. I don’t really care if they’re pretty or smart or anything else. Just as long as we love one another.”

Dogs or Cats: “I love both but cats tend to hang around my house a lot and they’re really flexible like I am too! That’s why I named some of my techniques after them, they remind me of furry me’s!”

LAYER FIVE: DO YOU?

Lie: “Eeeerrrr... I try not too. Sometimes a little white lie slips out though.” Translation: For the most part Mitsuri is a rather honest person but she’ll sometimes tell small lies.

Believe in Yourself: “I don’t know. I still have a long way to go.”

Believe in Love: “Yes! Love is one of the most important things in the world. It’s in every aspect of life. From what someone wears to who they spend time with to what they do. Love exists all around us and is so powerful.”

Want Someone: “Well I want someone to love, someone to hold and call my own. Someone who will hold me gently and call me their own. Someone who will connect their heart to mine and I can connect my heart to theirs and our love will transcend time.”

LAYER SIX: EVER?

Been on Stage: “No, I don’t think I could take the stage. With everyone staring at me, I’d freeze up immediately under all those eyes!”

Done Drugs: “Of course not! I need to stay in top shape, I can’t risk that.”

Changed Who You Were to Fit In: “Yes. But I’m never going to do that again. I want to make everyone in the world happy and that includes myself. I can never be happy with myself if I’m not myself.”

LAYER SEVEN: FAVORITES

Favorite Color: “I think yellow is my favorite color. So many great things come in the color yellow. Like the sun and sun flowers and bees and tempura!”

Favorite Animal: “Do bees count? I really love the honey they make and the buzzing sound when they fly around! They’re also really fuzzy when you hold them or look at them closely!”

Favorite Movie: “I don’t watch that many movies. It’s really hard to sit still long enough to get through an entire movie!”

Favorite Game: “Otedama! It’s so much fun to play with others and try to keep songs going while tossing the bags back and forth! I also like that no one ever gets really competitive over it, so everyone seems to have fun.”

LAYER EIGHT: AGE

Day Your Next Birthday Will Be: “Ummm... I think it’s on a Tuesday. Maybe?”

How Old Will You Be: “I’ll be twenty exactly.”

Age You Lost Your Virginity: “I’m still a virgin... I want my first time to be perfect.”

Does Age Matter: “I think it matters. Maturity can come at most any age given the circumstances but understanding comes with age. If... If that makes sense.”

LAYER NINE: IN A LOVER

Best Personality: “Someone strong in heart and in body would be nice too. Someone not afraid of who I am or what I can do. Someone willing to stay by my side no matter what. Someone who I can be truly, freely myself around and they’ll accept me as I am.”

Best Eye Color: “I think all eye colors are pretty as long as they hold kindness in them.”

Best Hair Color: “Any hair color is lovely. Although I always had a soft spot for dark hair.”

Best thing to do With a Partner: “Spending any time with a partner is the best thing to do. Shopping together, eating together, relaxing together, so long as we’re together I’ll be happy with my partner!”

LAYER TEN: FINISH THE SENTENCE

I love: “Love. Everything about it and the way it makes everything better.”

I feel: “Happy. I’m just happy to be here, living the life I’m in and being with the people in my life.”

I hide: “From nothing. Not anymore. I’m going to be brave now and I’m not going to hide myself or hide from anything scary!”

I miss: “My family. I wish I could see them more often and that my mom wasn’t so mad at me.”

I wish: “To see everyone happy. If I keep fighting. Then I think someday I can make this wish a reality.”

[twstedgrils]

Oc Master Post

Alright! I finally have all my ocs designed and written down! This is the official debut post for this oc blog! It’s really long (gotta go through 10 ocs lmao) so I’ll put a read more so it’s easier to scroll past. If your interested, please read and even ask me questions! I really want to interact with this fandom since everyone seems so nice and funny!

And yes, I did put grils instead of girls on purpose...I’m funny I swear

So I first want to say that my ocs are in an au, one which has NRC have female students (but still in low numbers) and an 8th dorm based on Captain Hook (making Ramshackle the 9th). Also Crowley is a tiny bit nicer to our mc in this au, mostly cause he’s basically her weird dad lol

There’s another addition to this au, but that’ll be addressed in my MC insert’s bio.

I’ll also list additional info that the text in the refs don’t address, including body types because I wanted my ocs to be diverse in that aspect.

Another thing, shipping. Oh great seven, shipping will be a free for all for me. I really like shipping. So any ship and every ship will be possible (as long as it’s not with Cheka or Ortho, cause no. Human Grim is fine, but he has to be in human form). With that in mind this blog will be very self-indulgent when it comes to shipping and such. 

I’ll come back to this to edit when I develop these girls more.

So first off we’ll start with my MC!self-insert!

I didn’t know what outfit to put her in, since Ramshackle doesn’t have a dorm uniform, so I just put her in her pjs (which were provided by Crowley).

Birthday: Feb 4 (my b-day lolol)

Best Subject: Math

Worst Subject: PE (for valid medical reasons)

Hobby: Drawing

Homeland: Not of TW

Body Type: Average

Charlotte (or Charlie as people call her) is usually quiet, especially when she first arrives in TW. But the more she’s comfortable around the people, the more she reveals her inner sass. She doesn’t want to admit it, but she’s as much as a dumbass as the ADeuce duo.

She’s also has albinism, but she used to constantly dye her hair into a more strawberry blonde so she wouldn’t get picked on by other kids. This condition also leads to her having to take many breaks during PE so she won’t burn.

She may like cats, but Grim really tests her fondness for them. But once it’s found out he can take a human form (and becomes more chill due to the amount of energy it takes to maintain said form) the two actually become the best of friends, which shocks the first year gang. 

Design Inspiration: White Rabbit and March Hare

Birthday: Feb 29

Best Subject: History

Unique Magic: Golden Doorknob (Summons a golden doorknob on any surface, making it a door to anywhere the user thinks of. Example, placing the knob on Ramshackle's walls and walks into NRC's Cafeteria via the door)

Worst Subject: Chemistry

Hobby: Track

Homeland: Afterglow

Body Type: Pear shape

Whitney is what you expect from a rabbit, timid, nervous, shy, anxiety filled, and easily intimidated. At first. If you manage it anger her, suddenly you’ll be hit by both a Scottish war cry and a rabbit kick. When she’s angry, she’s a rage filled bunny who throws the most foul of curses. Her switches are rivaled to Deuce’s bad boy switch. And just like the boy, when she calms down she get’s very flustered. 

She doesn’t talk to many people, as she hates attention. But after some she does become acquainted with the boys, almost on the line of friendship with each. 

Design Inspiration: Shere Kahn and Tigger

Birthday: Set 28

Unique Magic: Fun! Fun! Fun! (turns any part of their body into a bouncy spring. Often the tail is used)

Best Subject: PE

Worst Subject: Chemistry

Hobby: Basket Weaving and making jewelry

Homeland: Land of Pyroxene

Body Type: Apple shape (broad shoulders)

Kaya is seen as a tough no bs girl, many females admire how she can go woman-to-man with the Savanaclaw males. But actually she’s nothing but a goofball that loves to tend to baby animals and make cute things. She has a talent for making beautiful woven baskets and earrings. She helps Ruggie a lot whenever she sees him overun by errands. 

She does have a tendency to nap anywhere and everywhere like Leona and Silver, but she apologizes sheepishly when woken up. Because of her napping habit, she tends to stay up late into the night.

Design Inspiration: None

Birthday: May 24

Unique Magic: Second Chance (let’s the user go back to a certain point to try again. Only activated when close to death)

Best Subject: Chemistry

Worst Subject: History

Hobby: Singing and baking

Homeland: Coral Sea

Body Type: Petite

Wendy is a very small moon jellyfish mermaid. She was home-schooled by her mother under the sea, while her father ran a business on land. She visited land often to see her father, fascinated by all neon lights shining in the city.

She’s very quiet, like she’s actually a selective mute. She doesn’t tend to hangout with people because she fears most don’t like her because of her selective muteness. Oddly enough though, she’s always seen with Floyd, to the bafflement of everyone. She finds the eels mannerisms amusing.

She loves to sing, but doesn’t want anyone but her secret singing buddy (Daria) to listen to her. Her voice is very high pitched, but soft that it’s almost hard to hear. She also loves baking, often seen helping Jade and Floyd with preparing the sugary foods and drinks Monstro Lounge offers.

Design Inspiration: Iago and Jasmine’s red outfit

Birthday: Aug 5

Unique Magic: Dancer’s Delight (charms anyone who sees her dancing, perfect for distraction)

Best Subject: None

Worst Subject: None

Hobby: Dancing

Homeland: Land of Hot Sands

Body Type: Hourglass

Layla is like that one person who teases everyone and sees most as her friend. She uses both her height and pretty features to get a rise and fluster anyone. Her main victim is Jamil, much to his displeasure. She gets along great with Kalim, fueling his antics of carpet riding and shenanigans. But she does help Jamil in taking care of Kalim, often seeing the snake whisperer overworked.

She’s usually seen hanging out with Kaya and Whitney (with the rabbit being flustered by both of the taller females). She’s drawn to most in the Savanaclaw dorm, as she has the urge to pet their ears. She and Kaya are in the same class, so the two always buddy together, helping each other if needed.

Back home she comes from a line of exotic dancers, always entertaining other for money. With this in mind, she practices her dancing everyday. She hopes she can live up to the expectations her family has put on her. She’s not wealthy, but she’s not poor, so she doesn’t get too surpised over Kalim’s wealth. But she still does, especially when Kalim once offered to get her a tiger cub (she refused though).

Design Inspiration: Myself and Medusa (Hercules tv show)

Birthday: Mar 27

Unique Magic: Snake Eyes (paralyzes anyone with her stare if activated, even herself if she looks in the mirror)

Best Subject: History

Worst Subject: Math

Hobby: Painting and singing

Homeland: Isle of Lamentation

Body Type: Chubby

Daria is another quiet and reserved girl, she’s not shy per say but she prefers people to approach her than the other way. She doesn’t particularly like that she was sorted into Pomefiore, cause all she wants to do is paint and sing. This leads her to grow close to Epel and anger Vil. She purposefully doesn’t do anything to her appearance, only brushing her hair as she hates tangles. 

She tends to stay in a secret area with Wendy, singing with the fellow quiet girl. If not that then she’s doing artwork in her dorm room, ignoring anyone who dares to pull her away from her work. Often times this leads to both her and Vil having a glaring contest cause she didn’t sleep (”Too busy painting” she says.) or forgot to do her morning skincare routine.

Design Inspiration: Phosphora (Kid Icarus) and Electra (backstory)

Birthday: Jul 16

Unique Magic: Sparks Fly (allows the user to transfer any electricity from any device around her into her prosthetics)

Best Subject: Math

Worst Subject: None

Hobby: Modifying her prosthetic limbs

Homeland: Rose Kingdom

Body Type: Top heavy

Elina is the mom friend, always giving others affection and helping them when she can. Because of her affectionate self, she treats Ortho like her little brother. You’ll often see her playing with the boy, or in her room working on her prosthetics (with Idia helping). She loves making her limbs look non-human, but she has more human structure legs for school (as to not weird out her classmates too much). She’s made them since young, always improving and modernizing her limbs.

Because of a tragic accident, she has prosthetics for both legs and her left arm. And has trauma over car races or cars going over the speed limit. She never mentions her family around others, but it shows how much she cares for them. The same could be said for her friends.

Design Inspiration: Chernabog

Birthday: Jun 6

Unique Magic: ???

Best Subject: History

Worst Subject: Chem

Hobby: Making Clothes

Homeland: Valley of Thorns

Body Type: Shortstack

Maria is basically the opposite of Lilia, while he looks young but acts maturely she looks mature but acts like a complete child. Most believe she’s staff before she has to explain that she’s a student. She’s not a brat (thank sevens) but she is very naive and innocent. This causes for her dorm mates to become somewhat protective if someone makes a pass on her (she never notices cause she thinks they’re just being nice). 

She has a talent with designing clothes, no one can explain why. Many have approached her to pay for her designs, but she refuses. She says she much prefers to just make and gift her designs to anyone. When she’s working, it’s the most mature you’ll see her. Everyone she’s interacted with has at least one thing she’s made, whether they wanted it or not.

Design Inspiration: Hook and Scarlet (the female animatronic from the pirate ride)

Birthday: Dec 25

Unique Magic: The Sea’s Rage (a passive ability that allows the user to access inhuman strength, allowing her to lift even Jack or Malleus)

Best Subject: None

Worst Subject: All

Hobby: Pick-pocketing

Homeland: The Savage Seas

Body Type: Flat (Looks average thanks to her corset)

Jessie is the dorm leader of Bonäuber, a dorm based upon The Captain of the Seas, who is held almost as high regards as the Great Seven. She’s a very childish and extremely cocky girl. She always praises herself for being the best out of everyone, when in actuality she’s not the brightest. The only thing she is good at she is shooting a gun, loving a good hunt. She also has a child fascination for board games, so she often plays (and loses) with Azul and Idia. 

Most don’t like her because she has a bad habit of stealing from anyone and everyone. This is because of her hard childhood, having to steal to survive with no family. The Savage Seas, and the isles among it, were tough on those with no wealth. It wasn’t until a kind pirate gifted saved her from a beating and gifted her a gold coin, her first coin. She now wears the coin on her neck and vows to become a pirate as great as The Captain, using her loot to make others who were in her shoes to have a good life. Because of her ambitions, she always goes for the rich when looting, Kalim being her main target. But because of how nice and generous he is, she gets flustered and runs away without a single coin. (It’s really cute ngl)

As a dorm leader she’s overly not strict, the most she can be is over how clean the dormitory is. Uniform isn’t strict as well, only forcing those in the dorm to wear the striped shirt, vest, belt, bandanna, and boots. Bottoms can be anything, and the corsets were optional. Most dorm members were interestingly mostly females, which confused many. 

Their dorm building is a functioning pirate ship, usually docked on a deserted island. Occasionally the dorm will go on an adventure, since most are those who love the sea and can’t stay in one place. 

Design Inspiration: Smee and Tick Tock Croc (and maybe Louis from the princess and the frog)

Birthday: Oct 3

Unique Magic: When I’m Human (let’s the user take a human form with little drawback, like Kalim’s Oasis Maker. This slowly wears off if the user is over emotional, most commonly anger.)

Best Subjects: All

Worst Subjects: None

Hobby: Making tea and treats for Jessie

Homeland: The Savage Seas

Body Type: Hourglass (looks more exaggerated thanks to her corset)

Sammy (what Jessie calls her) is the vice dorm leader of Bonauber, she’s very mysterious and weird to most in the school. She’s always by the shorter girl’s side, and always takes care of her. She is a big enabler, sharing her ambitions with the leader. She’s very humble about her intelligence and abilities, often only giving praise to Jessie. She’s almost like a mother for the leader.

She’s secretly a crocodile that saved (and traumatized) Jessie when they were younger. As she saw the little girl run from an adult, causing the reptile to attack the adult. She didn’t know why, but at the time a sudden feeling of protecting for the girl took over. Ever since then the reptile was drawn towards the girl, almost obsessive. It wasn’t until she developed her unique magic that she stuck with the girl from childhood. Jessie never realized, as Sam is very keen on keeping the object of her affections(?) in the dark. If anyone threatens the two, Sam will open her eyes and glare with her slit pupils as scales appear faintly.

And that’s all of them! After posting this I’ll start working on two things.

1: cards, I want to draw cards for them as if they are canon characters. I’ll work on the school uniform cards first!

2: Grim’s human design, this one will be easier as he’ll just be a sketch. 

Again, feel free to ask any questions! I’ll answer with in character sketches! (with more elaborating in artist’s text) I’ll try my best to answer as many of them as I can! You can also dm me if you wish to just talk about twst with me!

[ridiasfangirlings]

One Night in the Dark

by Kabei Yukako

A lovely anonymous benefactor was kind enough to translate this and gave me permission to post it here, please enjoy!

“A large and exceptionally strong typhoon is expected to strike the Kanto region late tonight until early dawn. Disturbances in the railway schedule should be anticipated. The Meteorological Agency advises everyone to not leave their homes unless absolutely necessary...”

In middle of the strong rain and wind Yata pedalled his bike and reached Fushimi's home, where he, half pushed by the strong wind, stumbled into the entry hall. “Ugh, that weather really is terrible.”

Despite grumbling about it his voice betrayed his excitement. It'd be stranger if a middle school boy who lived in the present wouldn't get excited by a typhoon. He removed the hood of his raincoat, which the rain had penetrated even though he had pulled it up to his jaw, and shook his body from head to bottom like a dog, making raindrops fly everywhere.

To Yata Fushimi's house was less a “house” and more an “estate”. The entrance hall atrium was wide enough to hold a ball in and at the end of it was a wide staircase that looked like a young lady might descend from it while gracefully holding up the hem of her dress.

“Saruhiko...”

Just as Yata was about to call out to his friend, who should be upstairs in his room, he heard something crash behind him, and the sound of it made him jump. “Uah!?”

Deciding that it would be better to keep his bike indoors, he tried to open the large and heavy door but even though he had just stumbled through it it wouldn't move one bit, no matter how he pushed and pulled. Had his bike gotten caught in it, acting like a bar on the door?

Despite being obstructed by the heavy door, the wind howled outside and its rumble echoed in the entry hall. Just then the lights, which were illuminating the hall, flickered suddenly. The chandelier hanging from the high ceiling blinked before darkness abruptly fell.

“Oh... a blackout, really? This is getting pretty serious...” Yata muttered, looking around in the darkness that enveloped him. His merry voice started to sound a little hollow.

He heard the sound of water above him as if the world had been turned upside down and a lake was floating over his head. When he held his breath and strained his ears, tap... tap... he could hear a noise like that among the sound of water. Tap... tap... it came closer from the direction of the steps... it sounded almost like a murderer creeping closer to his prey...

Clank!

Yata's heart jumped at the sudden, high sound. Clank, clank... something hit the tip of his shoe. He almost let out a scream but quickly pressed a hand on his mouth and held his breath.

The footsteps had also come to a stop. Yata realised that something must've fallen down and crouched slowly down, feeling around on the floor. Even though the floor, made of antique tiles, was cold and hard, his fingers slipped into the layer of water that had accumulated there.

He felt the object with his fingertips and grabbed it, confirming its shape with his hands. Scissors...? Realising this, he got goosebumps.

Where is he...? The sound of footsteps had disappeared so he couldn't tell anymore. With his hand still on his mouth and while staring into the darkness, he slowly back away until he remembered that the door didn't open.

Outside a typhoon. A closed room he couldn't escape. On top of that a blackout. A somewhat “typical” western house... all perfect elements for a scenario. Y'know, the suspenseful kind where someone gets captured by a serial killer...

Wait, Saruhiko...! The moment Yata remembered that Fushimi was supposed to be upstairs a feeling other than fear won. He didn't know if he could fight back if push came to shove, but he grabbed the scissors nonetheless and called out with all his heart.

“Saruhiko...! Are you alright!?”

Right in that moment a bright light shone directly into his eyes. Blinded, Yata averted his face. “Uwah!”

“Misaki?” heard Yata a voice say from the direction of the light source.

“Eh?” Yata placed a hand on his forehead to shade his eyes and stared past the spots still left in front of his eyes. There was Fushimi standing at the bottom of the stairs, holding a torch in his hand.

“Wh- what the hell...” Suddenly sapped of his strength, Yata sunk to the floor limply. “So it was you, Saruhiko...”

“That's my line. So it was you, Misaki... I was wondering who was making that much noise in the hall.” Fushimi snorted and offered Yata his hand.

“A-and what about you, carrying scissors with you? What did you think you'd have to fight with?”

Yata laughed, trying to hide his embarrassment by poking fun at Fushimi as he grabbed the pale wrist floating in the darkness. Fushimi, too, grabbed Yata's wrist and pulled him up.

Fushimi's arm felt just like the floor of the mansion. Cool and firm and yet damp with sweat.

“What did you think you'd have to fight with?” Yata thought about that once more. Fushimi had gone so far as to carry a weapon with him, he had been so scared that it had slipped out of his hand – what had he thought had come here...?

“Saruhiko...” Yata purposely made his voice sound bright. “Don't worry. No way would anyone come back home in the middle of a typhoon like this.”

He let the backpack he had been carrying underneath his raincoat drop between them with an exaggerated thud.

“It's okay if I sleep here tonight, right? Hehehe, I brought a lot of stuff with me. You really do get excited in a typhoon at night, huh? Cola, snacks, and my mum prepared sandwiches for us, they're perfect as a midnight snack. And no matter what, during a typhoon you gotta have some croquets!” The smell of the fried food that had been prepared just before Yata had left wafted out of the containers that were crammed into his backpack and tickled their noses. Yata took the torch from Fushimi's hand who stood there, silent and apparently taken aback, and held it under his chin, trying to make a crazy face as best as he could. Fushimi's eyes, filled with the dark light, blinked behind his black-rimmed glasses. He didn't do Yata the courtesy of laughing at his silly face, but -

“... no way would anyone come here in the middle of a typhoon,” he said, hitting Yata lightly on the mouth with his fist and laughing earnestly.

“Yeah, right.”

“Also, 'eating a croquet in a typhoon' is not a thing.”

“Eh? Isn't that a Japanese tradition? Like eating an ehomaki on setsubun.”

“It's just something that became popular online. Even the ehomaki tradition is just a sales strategy of corporations.”

“Come on, don't ruin it for me. If you're gonna split hairs over it, then you just don't have to eat one.”

“But I want to.”

“You do, huh?”

Let's spent the whole night together and talk without sleeping. Let's stay indoors while the room is cut off from the world through the sound of the wind and rain pattering against the window, let's huddle up under a blanket. Outside a typhoon. A closed room they can't escape. On top of that a blackout. When they're together, a night like this was the best

[x1-imaginesreturns]

Butterfly (Part 1)

Masterlist

Pairing: Dongpyo x fem!reader - Soulmate AU!

Warnings: None

Word Count: 4,123

Notes: f/r means favorite ramen

Requested: No

Everyone is born with a soulmate, and a tattoo symbolizing the relationship that would come from it. But you always doubted that. What if it’s not happily ever after? What if somehow the system messed up and gave you someone that you could never get along with?

Of course, there were ways to remove your soulmate tattoo. It was painful, and your other half would never know you removed it. However, even if you did doubt the soulmate system, you kind of liked your tattoo.

At first, not even your parents could figure out what it was or where it was. They thought you were a rare case of someone who wasn’t gifted a soulmate tattoo. However, when you were 6, you had asked your parents what the little shape on the inside of your right thumb was.

Turns out you did have a tattoo, it was a little butterfly, dark blue in color. As a kid, you always admired it and even tried to look for people with the same tattoo as you, but it never worked out.

And as you grew older, it was like you were losing hope of ever finding your soulmate, so of course, your dreams and hopes slowly grew into doubt and despair. But none of that leaked into your personality, as you knew people would shun you and just say, “You just have to wait to find your soulmate!”, if they ever found out about your doubts.

Soon enough though, you were packing your bags, as you were leaving for college. You were majoring in music production, as music was something you had loved your entire life. You played the guitar and piano, but you wanted to further your knowledge of music and college seemed like the perfect opportunity. 

And upon arriving, you really felt like you were free, like you could fly away like a butterfly.

So, your first semester of college passed by without a hitch. You weren’t the type to have many friends, one or two always suited you best. And that stayed true here, far away from any of the friends you had back home.

Your new friends, Minjin and Sihoon, were there for you during thick and thin. Minjin was very outgoing and social, and had a real talent for dancing. You had met her when the two of you had been running late for class. Minjin had been looking at the ground while running, causing her to run right into you. After laughing about getting knocked over, the two of you decided it would be more fun to skip class, heading to the local café. It was history from there.

Sihoon was in a lot of your classes, as he was also majoring in music production. You guys first met when you had been paired up for a project in your music production class. After a few awkward days of working on the song, the two of you clicked. You produced an awesome song and earned yourself an A on the project.

And it turns out Minjin and Sihoon get along too, they were almost better off without you lol. The three of you went everywhere together and were always there for each other. 

And that’s how you ended up in Minjin’s dorm room for one of your classic sleepovers. Sihoon had volunteered to set up for the arts festival in the park the next morning, so he decided to skip out on the sleepover to get some sleep.

Soulmates was just something the three of you had never discussed, at least on a very personal level. Minjin had always said she couldn’t wait until she found hers, but she had never shown either of you her tattoo (nor had you looked for it). Sihoon had never really expressed interest in it, but you had seen his tattoo.

You were the quietest of the three of you. Never said a word about soulmates, didn’t say you had a tattoo, etc. You didn’t know it, but both Sihoon and Minjin assumed you didn’t have one and had started avoiding the subject.

And so, as you and Minjin were watching the sunset from her dorm window, a tradition you guys had started from the very first sleepover, she turned to you as the sun had finally disappeared below the horizon.

“Hey y/n?,” she says, as she walks towards the kitchen. “Yeah? What’s up Minjun?,” you answer as you follow her. 

“Do you have a soulmate tattoo?,” she asks, “You’ve never said anything about it, so Sihoon and I always assumed you didn’t have one, but it’s better to ask than assume.” 

“Wait you guys really thought I didn’t have a tattoo?,” you asked, bewildered. Minjin’s eyes light up and she jumps right over to you, grabbing your hands, “So you do have one? Where is it? Have you met them yet?”

You sigh and say, “Turn over my right hand.”

You don’t know why you decided to let Minjin see your tattoo, but you just hope that she would only tell Sihoon and not any of her other dance friends. While she didn’t see them outside of school much, she did talk about them a lot. 

She loved everyone in her dance class, except for Son Dongpyo. According to her, he was a no good show-off brat. You never bothered to ask anything more of him, figuring he probably was stuck-up or something. 

Anyways, Minjin squealed when she saw your tattoo and immediately starts bombarding you with more questions. “Oh my gosh!! It’s so cute, it’s a little butterfly, that totally fits you, oh my gosh!!!! Have you met them?? What are you hoping for in your soulmate?”

“Woah, okay slow down Minjin!,” you exclaim, backing away a bit. “Sorry,” Minjin starts, “I just got so excited. So what’s up, why do you never talk about it?”

“It’s kinda dumb,” you say, “But I’ve slowly lost hope over the years. I’m just not too optimistic about finding someone with a tiny butterfly on the inside of their right thumb. My parents didn’t even notice it for 6 years!,” you exclaim.

Minjin’s face drops a bit before she says, “I know it’s hard to wait... I’ve actually been waiting for a few months...”

“Wait what do you mean?,” you ask curiously.

Her eyes dart away from mine as she sighs softly. “Sihoon’s m-my soulmate,” she stutters out. 

Your eyes widen as Minjin turns around and lifts up her shirt to reveal a periwinkle-colored daisy on her shoulder blade, the same tattoo that Sihoon had. You remember Sihoon’s tattoo from the time the three of you had gone swimming at the beginning of the year.

“Why haven’t you told him yet?,” you ask softly. “I’m afraid he won’t want me as a soulmate,” she says quietly, “I know he can do better than me...”

You grab Minjin’s hands as you say, “No he can’t. You’re his soulmate. I can understand why you’d be nervous about it, but you can’t avoid it forever Minjin.”

She sighs. “You’re right y/n. I’m just worried. Getting rejected by your soulmate is worse than getting rejected by your crush,” she says. You giggle a bit and say, “You’re certainly right. Come on, let’s get popcorn and finally finish YG Future Strategy Office.” Minjin nods and the two of you enjoy the rest of your sleepover.

~~

You were rudely awakened the next morning by the sound of Minjin’s phone buzzing. Minjin immediately darted to get it and when she picked up, you didn’t recognize the voice on the other side. “Yah, Hyeongjun! Why are you calling me so early in the morning?”

“Cause you’re supposed to be at the arts festival this morning in about 15 minutes!,” Hyeongjun exclaims, “Hurry up, we need you!”

He abruptly hangs up before Minjin can snap back at him. She notices you sitting up and says, “Sorry y/n, I completely forgot that I had to go to that this morning.”

“It’s fine,” you answer, “Let’s just get ready quickly, you can’t be late.”

The two of you get dressed, do your makeup, and head out the door in no more than 10 minutes. Luckily, Minjin didn’t live far from the park, so she managed to barely make it on time. 

“Sorry y/n! I’ll see you later! Make sure to watch us!,” she says as she darts off towards her dance friends. ‘Guess I’ll go and find Sihoon, he’s probably still here,’ you think to yourself.

As you walk towards the center of the festival you see and smell the various stands selling all sorts of food. It all smelled so good, and you were tempted to get something, but you figured you should wait, as you just had breakfast.

Now, you weren’t sure were to look to find Sihoon, as you had never been to the arts festival. Sihoon had apparently been going his whole life, as he lived in the next town over, which wasn’t but 15 minutes away. 

After wandering around for around 10 minutes, you spotted one of Sihoon’s other friends, Eunsang. You had seen him a few times, as he was one of the baristas at your local café. However, you hadn’t been formally introduced to him ever, so you figured he would think you were some crazy stalker of Sihoon’s.

But whatever, it’s worth a shot, these events are kind of boring with no one to hang out with. You approached him from behind, and tapped on his shoulder, causing him to turn around. He looked you up and down and asked, “Do you need something?”

“U-uh yes, um, I’m looking for Sihoon. Do you know where he might be?,” you ask shyly. Eunsang raises one of his eyebrows and says, “No one asks for Sihoon. Who are you exactly?”

You don’t think you’ve felt more scared in your life. “U-um my name’s y/n. I’m in hi-,” you were abruptly cut off by Eunsang grabbing and shaking your hand enthusiastically.

“You’re y/n????,” He asks incredulously, his eyes widening. “Yes??,” You answer, confused. “It’s nice to finally meet you! Sihoon talks about you and Minjin all the time! I’m Eunsang but I’m sure you know that, considering you approached me about Sihoon, but I’ll take you right to him, I know exactly where he is!”

And so, Eunsang drags you all the way across the lawn towards the stand that the local café had set up. Sihoon was standing in the long line of people, his blue-gray hair standing out among other people. Eunsang smiles at you and says, “I know we didn’t really talk much but it was nice to meet you y/n. My shift is soon, so I gotta get changed. I hope I’ll see you around!,” Eunsang chimes, as he starts to walk away.

“Bye Eunsang!,” you say, still a bit frightened by his sudden change in personality. You walk over to Sihoon, noticing to subtle look of nervousness on his face.

“Hi Sihoon,” you say, standing next to him in line, “Why are you in line for coffee? You almost never drink coffee.” He shyly smiles for a second before stuttering out, “Well, I-I figured I would get Minjin a coffee, she’ll p-probably be cold after her performance!,” he says, not looking you in the eyes, “Yeah, yeah, that’s it...”

He trails off, looking shy. “Sihoon,” you say teasingly, “You have a crush on Minjin don’t you?” His cheeks flush a soft pink as he looks away from you. He then sighs and turns back to you and says, “Y-yes...but for a different reason than you might be thinking.”

‘Wait, no way... Sihoon knows that Minjin is his soulmate too?’ “She’s my soulmate!,” SIhoon exclaims, his cheeks a bright shade of red now, “I-I only know because she often wears see-through t-shirts.”

You giggle a little bit. “Well, I think you should try confessing to her then,” you say, “It’ll definitely go better than anything you’ve imagined in your head.” Sihoon sighs and say, “I’m definitely not her type though, and plus she definitely likes that Hyungjun kid from her dance classes.”

You slap your forehead in dismay. “Sihoon, you’re her soulmate! You’re exactly her type! And I get being nervous, but I think you should really at least try.”

At this point, Sihoon was next in line. You can tell he’s contemplating what you said, and you’re just hoping he takes your advice. Sihoon gets her favorite coffee, which is just a simple iced espresso. 

As the two of you walk towards the stage, where Minjin will be performing in about 15 minutes. But before you both sit down, Sihoon abruptly asks, “Should I really confess to her y/n?” You nod. Sihoon sighs once again and says, “Alright, I suppose this is it... should I show her my tattoo?”

“That’s up to you, Sihoon,” you say. You figure by now, he’s really nervous, so you try and change the subject. Sihoon seems to appreciate this, and the two of you flow into another conversation easily. Soon enough, someone announces that their dance team will be coming on the stage.

And as you see all 7 of them come onto the stage and get in the correct formation order, the familiar tune of Anpanman starts to play. At that moment, Eunsang rushes over and takes the empty seat next to you. He waves to you and Sihoon quietly, and then all of you focus back onto the performance.

However, while Minjin was doing great, you noticed another boy who was dancing really hard, and of course happened to be really cute too. You wondered who he was and if Minjinn had ever mentioned him before.

Of course, there was some part of your mind that thought it could be Dongpyo, but you really hoped it wasn’t him, as Minjin did make him seem awful. Maybe it’s Hyeongjun, as you’ve never seen him before either, and Minjin always says he’s cute, almost like a baby.

But you go back to being fixated on the mysterious boy, as his powerful dance moves continued to blow you away throughout the whole performance.

Little did you know, the mysterious boy had noticed you too.

~~

The performance ended powerfully, and you made sure to cheer for Minjin. You looked over at Sihoon, who was smiling, and it made you happy knowing that he definitely enjoyed it. All of them went backstage, and you could tell Sihoon was getting more nervous each minute that went by.

Deciding you didn’t want to put anymore stress on him, you walked over to where everyone on the dance team was gathering. As you approached, their “meeting” of sorts, seemed to end and all of them started to head in separate directions.

Minjin spotted you, and immediately headed in your direction. “Hey y/n! How was our performance?,” she asks, stopping right in front of you. “It was really good Minjin, you guys looked great up there!,” you say truthfully.

“Hey, you know what though?,” you say, causing Minjin to turn her head in confusion. “What?,” she responds. “You should go talk to Sihoon,” you say.

“Yeah! I should! I want to know what he thought!,” she says, oblivious to your true intentions. She darts off without another word, and you giggle a little bit. You just have to hope everything works out for them.

At this point, it was starting to approach lunchtime, and you were, quite honestly, getting hungry. After noticing the slightly more expensive prices at the food stands, you decided it would be better if you just picked up some food at the convenience store on your way home. 

You knew that Sihoon wasn’t going to want to stay much longer, and at this point, you knew Minjin would come with him. You started to walk back towards where Sihoon had been before, and as soon as you saw the two of them, you noticed the happy tears running down both of their faces as they embraced.

You smiled happily, knowing that Sihoon had listened to you and that the two of them would be happy together from now on.

However, you were feeling jealous in a way. They had technically found each other so easily, because of their pretty obvious tattoos, while you were stuck with this stupid tiny butterfly.

You brushed those thoughts aside though, there was no use in getting caught up on them. They were still your friends, and nothing would change about your relationships with each other. 

You finished making your way over to them, figuring it would be okay to ask if you could head to the convenience store now. Minjin waved at you once you started approaching the two of them, a big smile plastered on her face.

“Hey guys!,” you say, “I’m guessing it went well?,” you finish, winking at neither of them in particular. They both blush sheepishly as they also look at the ground shyly. 

“You guys want to head the convenience store down the road?,” you ask, “Everything here is a bit expensive.” They both nod in agreement and the three of you start walking over.

As the three of you are walking towards the convenience store, Minjin and Sihoon are laughing about something that you can’t decipher and that they don’t seem to want to share with you either, and besides, you’re struggling to decide what you want to get anyways.

You’ve already decided that you’ll get f/d to drink, but you’re not sure on what kind of instant ramen you’ll get. Pretty much everything sounds tasty right about now, but you figured you’d go with something you know you’d like, a.k.a your f/r.

As you enter the store, you head right for the refrigerated section, grabbing your f/d as Minjin and Sihoon debate over whether to get vanilla or chocolate ice cream. You giggle a bit as Minjin tries to use puppy eyes to convince Sihoon to get chocolate ice cream.

You’re walking away as you see Sihoon finally relent to Minjin’s wishes. As you go into the instant ramen isle, you immediately spot your favorite kind. Grabbing it off the shelf, you head to the check-out counter.

As the employee is scanning your items, you start digging through your small purse to try and find your wallet. However after looking through everything twice, you realized you didn’t have it. Sihoon and Minjin were oblivious to you, as they were now debating on what kind of ramen they should get.

“Um, I’m sorry, I guess I don’t have my wallet on me,” you say to the employee, bowing in apology. You start to walk away from the counter, but a hand catches your shoulder before you can walk away from the counter.

“I’ll pay for her stuff,” a cute sounding voice says, sliding a ten thousand won bill onto the counter. You turned to look at your savior, wondering what he looks like. 

It was the mysterious boy from Minjin’s dance team.

Now that he was close to you, you could really tell how cute he was. “T-thank you,” you stutter out, blushing. The boy smiles at you, shaking his head. ‘It’s no problem,” he says, still smiling, “You were the girl watching my dance team’s performance, right?”

“You saw me?,” you ask incredulously. The boy nods again, “How could I not notice such a cute girl sitting in our audience?,” he says, winking at you.

You blush as the cashier then hands you a bag with your ramen and drink in it. The boy takes the change from the cashier before turning back to you. “I don’t think I’ve seen you around before, what’s your name?”

“It’s y/n,” you answer, “What’s your name?,” you ask in return. 

“I’m Do-”

Before he can finish, Minjin grabs your elbow, storming away while glaring at the boy. As she drags you out of the store, you pull free of her grasp and exclaim, “What was that for Minjin?!”

She sighs and says, “That’s Dongpyo, obviously! I don’t my best friend becoming friends with an asshole.” You sigh and say, “I mean, he doesn’t seem that bad? He just paid for my lunch Minjin.”

She rolls her eyes. “I don’t need to explain it to you y/n. He’s just not a good person,” she says. You sigh. “Fine,” you say, “I’ll take your word for it, but that doesn’t mean you can get in the way if I see him again.”

At that moment, Sihoon walks out of the convenience store, holding his and Minjin’s lunch. Minjin smiles when she sees Sihoon, and she grabs his hand. “Let’s all head out,” Minjin says, “Let’s just forget that argument happened, okay y/n?”

You nod in agreement, glad to be off of that subject. The three of you start heading the direction of Minjin’s apartment, having a nice conversation on the way there.

However once you got to her apartment, Minjin turned around and blocked the door to her apartment when you were about to go in. “Hey sorry y/n,” Minjin starts, “Sihoon and I kind of want to eat alone, if that’s okay.” You smile at her and say, “Sure Minjin, I totally get it. I’ll see you guys at school on Monday then.”

They both nod, and Minjin finally closes the door on you. As you walk home, you can’t help the bitter feeling growing in your heart.

~~

As time went on, Sihoon and Minjin started hanging out a lot more, just by themselves. Most of the time, they didn’t even inform you that they were going somewhere. Things became especially weird between you and Minjin. She just seemed to not care for you anymore, but she was still pretending to be your friend because Sihoon still cared about you. But you knew things were perfect between them and you were happy that they had found each other.

But you had never felt lonelier. You found yourself wandering over to the local café a lot more now, often seeing Eunsang there on his weekly shifts. He’d talk to you for a bit if he could, and you found it nice to have the company once in a while.

But then you witnessed him meet his soulmate in that very café. Eunsang had a large X tattooed on the back of his hand. As the girl handed him the payment for her order, he saw the X, and it was history from there.

You thought it wasn’t fair that everyone around was meeting their soulmate and just moving on from you. Even in the letters you would get from your old friends sometimes, they would mention that they had met their soulmate or even include a picture of them.

Of course you were happy for them, but you were jealous.

And from time to time, you would think about Dongpyo too. You still couldn’t get over how cute and sweet he was. You’d see him walking the halls of your college from time to time too. 

With all of these thoughts, and the fact that you were losing friends by the minute, the rest of the school year started to drag on. But, finally, the final project before school officially let off for summer had arrived.

The music production classes would be working with dance majors to create a song that the dancers would be able to dance to. The music class would be working with a dance class in the same period.

Meaning... if you were correct, you’d be working with Minjin and Dongpyo’s class. 

And sure enough, the next day, Minjin’s class walks through the door. You only knew Minjin and Dongpyo by name, but the rest of them looked familiar. You wondered how they were going to choose the groups, and you just hoped you wouldn’t be put with Minjin, considering how things had been lately.

However, before you could figure out how you were going to be distributed, your teacher silenced the two classes. “Alright classes, due to the distribution of our classes, I’m going to need one from volunteer from each class to offer to work in a group of only two.”

You knew Minjin wouldn’t volunteer for something like that, and besides, why not live a little? You raised your hand confidently, not noticing that someone from the dance class had also raised their hand.

“Alright y/n and... Dongpyo, correct? You’ll be the group of two.”

You slowly look over at Dongpyo, not believing what your teacher said until Dongpyo flashed you the same smile he gave you at the convenience store.

What have you gotten yourself into?

~~

(Part 2)

[bffhreprise]

Entry 308

 The day after I arrived at Best Friend For Hire’s headquarters, I submitted an apology to James, using every ounce of my gift for writing to convey the depth of my regret, but… here, I might not even be considered gifted.

 Outside of this mansion, lifting a thousand pounds was impressive, computers didn’t talk back in a meaningful way, and magic hardly even qualified for myth, considered pure fantasy.  Here, people were casually superhuman, they wielded magic that could obviously be considered a military threat, and the most incredible developer of the age worked as a secretary.  I shook my head, thinking how that tiny girl had given me the very flyer that led me here.  At the time, I barely had acknowledged her, but I should have recognized her as the creator of my favorite game.

 After a week here, I was no less of an outsider, probably my own fault.  I never enjoyed socializing, though I did like knowing people were around.  Of course, most people elsewhere were stupid and barely capable of holding a conversation.  I silently questioned if I could keep up with any of the people who worked in this building, certain that I couldn’t with several.

 Jemal was new here, but I could tell he was bright, despite being a bit nervous when we spoke.  Who could blame him when James could fire someone at the drop of a hat?  Leaving this place after seeing it would be akin to being exiled from paradise.  The brief conversation with Jemal confirmed my suspicions on how well he was treated by everyone, and he obviously appreciated great pay.  Honestly, I could work here on the perks alone and be content.

 The food was prepared by a wholly remarkable chef that was more than willing to make allowances for every individual’s tastes.  The rooms were fit for royalty in luxury if not in size, and Mila had explained that employees were free to customize their quarters however they wished.   Though exercise and study were mandatory, they were also very useful types of exercise and study rather than a half-hearted effort to meet some corporate compliance agenda.  Then there was the library, a massive number of beautifully-bound books available for everyone.

 “Who’s that?” questioned a pretty girl with Brandon.

 “Dejon.  He’s not actually working here, just freeloading at the moment.” he explained.

 “What!?  Why hasn’t James tossed him out?” she inquired as if not speaking right beside me.

 Brandon shrugged.

 I knew I hadn’t made the best impression with everyone here, but… wasn’t that too rude?  Standing, I said, “I think he’s still deciding on whether or not to hire me.  As Brandon said, I’m Dejon Powers.”

 Snorting, the girl asked “Powers!?  Seriously?  You’ve got to fit in here.  I’m Deyanira.”  She proffered her hand, shaking mine when I accepted.  “So what powers do you have, Powers?”

 “Excuse me?” I questioned, feigning ignorance.  “What do you mean?”

  “He can mess with your head if you make eye contact.” asserted Brandon.

 I was frustrated that everyone here knew when I knew so little of their abilities.  “And what can you do?” I demanded.  “I feel like I’m the only one being kept in the dark.”

 “Sorry, buddy, but you don’t work here.” stated Brandon with a shrug.

 “Tell me.” I stated in frustration.

 Deyanira playfully gave Brandon a shove and said, “Oh, Brandon.  Give him a break.”  Then she faced me, saying, “I’m just an ordinary person.  No fancy magic.  Brandon can transfo…”

 Brandon quickly covered her mouth, yelping in pain just after.  “You bit me!” he exclaimed.

 “Serves you right for trying to shush me up!” she retorted.  Then she quickly said, “He can alter his size and shape.  Pretty nifty, huh?”

 “Really?  So does he use that energy stuff?” I inquired, picturing how useful that would be.

 “Nah.  I’m like you.  Fey magic.” replied Brandon.

 “Fey?” I asked, not sure what precisely he meant.

 “Yep.  Magical folk.” he replied with a smug nod.  Though I hadn’t actively tried to get to know Brandon or his sister, I had observed him enough to know he was always like this.

 “Care to meet one?” questioned James from where he sat.

 I turned to face him, asking “Can I?”

 “Yes.  I’ve decided that I’m too curious what she’ll think of you to not know.” he reassured me.

 “Is Mila fetching her or something?” I questioned as James watched me expectantly.

 “No, but she’s coming.  Don’t worry.” he replied, having obviously signaled someone to come.   After a minute or so, he asked “Do you still want to work here?”

 “Of course.” I insisted, not wanting him to doubt that for a second.

 “Why?” he questioned, still watching me.

 “Good pay, flexible hours, and an abundance of perks.” I explained somewhat curtly.

 His gaze was far too intense to meet as he asked “What about the people?”

 “What about them?” I asked, uncertain where he was going.

 “You really don’t care with whom you work?” he pursued.

 “Come on, James.  You have a great group here.” stated Deyanira.  “Dejon’s gotta like them, right?”

 “I really don’t think he does.” argued Brandon.

 “I could try finding out.” offered Cosette, the beautiful blonde whose current smile made me shiver.  I knew next to nothing about her and wasn’t certain getting to know anything would be safe.  She was obviously respected by the others, but she was also somewhat aloof, at least when I was around.

 “You’re all fine.” I insisted, not wanting to know what she had in mind.  The crazy powers I knew about were more than enough to intimidate me.  “Maybe a bit noisy, but the rooms are reasonably soundproof.”

 “A little noise helps you realize you’re not alone.” encouraged Deyanira.

 “I know.” I stated, having always loved reading in perfect quiet.

  “What would be appealing about working as a best friend for hire if you prefer being alone?” I inquired James.

 “I like people in a general sort of way.  Now and then, I just need time alone is all.” I replied, wondering if that was part of why James hadn’t hired me.  Did I need to be more extroverted here?  Not all of the others seemed like extroverts… I was fairly certain there was at least one I hadn’t seen, just going by the number of plates at meal times.

 Visions of a forest suddenly swam through my head as if the experience of flying around limbs was being injected into me.  I could feel the air against my skin, taste something sweet on the air, and feel… wings?  I wanted to turn to look if I had wings in the vision, but I couldn’t.

 “What… what are you doing to me?” I asked, feeling my stomach lurch a little during a particularly fast dive.

 “That is how the fey communicate.” replied James, smiling at me and nodding toward the doorway.  “Unique, isn’t it?”

 I nodded dumbly as a fairy small enough to hold in my palm darted over to James.  This was her… She was in my head, and so very happy.  She showed me a small stream, a pond, and all manner of creatures I had never dreamed could be real, many of which were obviously using magic.  Water danced through the air, snow moved unnaturally as it fell from branches, plants danced to a song in my head with numerous creatures on the ground, and the strange creatures laughed so very much.

 “Those creatures… what are they?  What is that place!?” I asked in awe.

 “The land of the fey!” exclaimed Deyanira.

 “Also known as part of my backyard.  As you’ve been told before, don’t enter the forest alone.  You might never leave if you do.” warned James, somehow not watching the fairy who very clearly wanted his attention.

 “This is all real?” I questioned, feeling more like I was partly asleep than truly experiencing someone’s reality.

 “This place takes some adjustment.  Trust me, man.  I know exactly how hard that was to believe.” stated Jemal, who had approached me from the door.  “The forest is like a thousand times more intense.  You really don’t want to be there without James.”

 “Emma never seems to mind.” argued James.

 “Yeah, but that’s Emma.  She’s… you know.  One with them.” insisted Jemal.

 James laughed but didn’t argue.

 “I really do want to work here.” I assured him, desperately wanting to see that place, those creatures.

 “Let me think about it for a while longer.  I’ll let you continue to stay here while I’m considering.” he replied before turning back to his game with the fairy still sending us visions of her day.

 I went back to my chair without returning to my character, immersing myself in the taste of the forest’s water as the fairy knew it.  I felt the smooth shell on a man who seemed to be part insect, I played games with birds and knew they understood me, and I stole a berry large enough to squeeze with both arms from a very tall, thin woman with hair the color of snow.  As time passed, one feeling was present more than all the rest: the tiny woman adored James.

[drewxmay]

Contestshipping Review - Part Fifteen - A Hurdle For Squirtle

Previous

Next

Index

-The Title-

Great it’s cool

-Episode Link-

I made this review and the next one a year after the rest of these and saw the links to the old ones stopped working so now instead of linking to links on youtube here is the episode on DailyMotion. Also this copy should we watched at 1.25 speed.

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x59dmbl

-The Review-

0:00

And the episode provides itself exposition! Unlike with the other reviews I’m not apposed to delivering some but the episode already does it so.

0:52

Theme soooong :D

2:13

End of song and CONTEST START YAY

2:35

Max: Our first contest in the Kanto Region!

Ash: Yeah. Let’s cheer really loud for May!

You guys are so suportive keep it up.

2:57

oo look ribbon. Very unique in that it onto has the bottom two.

3:08

May: Pretty exciting huh Squirtle?

Squirtle: Squirt al! (Ya :DDD)

So cute.

Harley: Hi May!

oof you scared me there.

Harley: I’m sorry I feel just terrible for giving you the wrong information about the contest entree pass yesterday. I’m just so glad you got in.

See Harley knows the basics on how to lie.

May: Drop the act Harley!

mad lil Squirt.

Harley: What’d ya mean?

May: I mean that it wont work! I know what you’re up too and im gonna win that ribbon

Harley: Wrong.

Harley: Wrong Wrong Wrong. You may have gotten into the contest but that’s as far as you go.

He’s right if you decide to use Squirtle during the fighting rounds.

3:39

Back to Lilian explaining contest stuff. When do we get to see great contest stuff.

4:28

It’s our good Rocket friends!

James: Do you think that Jessie could actually win?

Meowth: Let me put it to you this way: Not a chance.

Well I believe in her... If May isnt going to win then Harley might but I mean Jessie deserves some ribbons too she’s p awesome.

4:40

Harley is the first contestant WOO LEMME SEE

James: I recognize him!

Meowth: That’s the guy who messed up our gettaway with his Ariados!

His awesome Ariados.

5:00

Harley sends out his cacturn and tells her to use cotton spore (I think that Cacturn is a girl because that would made her a lesbian and that’s cool but whatever). The cotton spirals around in a sphere shape in the middle of the stage. Then, after a minute of waiting, she uses needle arm and

oooooo

6:18

Don’t be scared Squirtle it’s only going to stab you.

Then there are more contest appeals, but we never get to see harley’s score! Oh well.

7:06

Lilian: And now presenting our next coordinator empress Jessabella, the thoroughly fabulous.

Okay but Jessie had to ask to be called that and it’s just so perfect and over the top for her personality I REALLY LIKE JESSIE OKAY

Also that short hair is looking FABULOUS. Along with the headband because now it actually fits the color of the mask.

James: She’s up!

Meowth: Do it Jessabella!

More supportive friends. This is the content i’d like to see more often.

7:14

Jessie sends out Cacnia who is all set! They both start out running and then hug eachother. The audience is STUNNED that she just hugged a cactus.

Meowth: So far so good.

James: She’s holding out under the pain better than I could.

Best friends.

The audience makes comments about how that must hurt but Lilian, with tears in her eyes talks about how that must be true love how she and her pokemon can hug eachother even with out much it hurt, showing their deep bond.

What an interesting appeal!

Then, Cacnia uses pin missile, that explodes up at the top like a firework!

that’s actually beautiful. WHAT IS THE POINTS SHE GETS.

9:37

And now it’s may’s turn!

But Squirtle get’s stage freight... as I predicted. May please stay confident!

And she does :D It really shows how much she’s grown as a trainer, but she herself not being able to even pull herself through one little slip up and being so scared about screwing up and then later her pokemon is scared and instead of fretting over the things that could happen and worrying over this she says “It’s okay, it’ll be scary at first, but you’ll get used to it” really shows a development of character.

but then she sends out cumbuskin for the find round???

oh well :/

So! She takes off her bandcana, and Cumbuskin uses fire spin towards the bandana. Flames circle around it and cumbuskin jumps through those 

and sky uppercuts over and over next to the thing, making it spin in circles fast enough to tie it back into a hat and land right back onto May’s head!

cool!

Squirtle is very impressed by this and is very excited.

11:16

Looks like Jessie scored Higher than Harley! Cool!

Harley and Jessie end up being paired to battle and May and a background character are paired up. I guess that Jessie isnt getting that ribbon after all...

12:00

Also Harley and May. Nothing really interesting enough to caption jus that Harley is gonna win and he’s gonna make may upset.

what the fuck-

Jessie: They may have turned me into a human pin cushion but I’m the one who’s going to the final round and taking that ribbon!

Harley: Oh dear, and who are you!

actually that was spectacular haha.

Jessie: I’m coordinator Jessabella!

Harley: Ah, so you’re my next opponent, or shall I say next victim?

Jessie: Oh? This is fun. We’ll

Okay but these two interacting is the best. Their personalities just bounce off eachother so well.

12:55

time for the battlessss. Starting with Harley and Jessie! Harley sends out Ariados and Jessie sends out Wabafe-

WAIT A SECOND

I might have old memories of this episode ahhhh hahahaha

They’re standing there.

I finally found it hahaha.

Wabafett only really knows counter, which doubles the attack and sends it back at the pokemon that attacked it. Harley knows this, so he decides to do nothing so that she can’t attack him.

So they just

stand there.

Jessie: Oh c’mon! Just attack us already!

Harley: Not a chance! I know what you’re trying to do.

Lilian: You leave me no choice! Both of you are issued a yellow card.

And their points both go down by half.

Jessie: What??

Harley: No fair! 

Lillian: Sorry but this isn’t a staring contest! You’ve given us nothing to judge!

Jessie: What do you want me to do about it??? He’s the one standing there like a statue!

Harley: At least I’m not pretending to be some phonie empress!

Jessie: At least I dont have a mushroom for a hat!

OUCHHHHH

Harley: Ya well sticks and stones!

Lilian: I’ve heard enough! I have no choice but to give you both a second-

Harley: Alright alright alright! I’ll attack her!

Harley: If you keep her from disqualifying me i’ll do it. But, wait a minute! I know! No one said my attacks had to be offensive.

Wabbafett use Taunt.

15:30

Harley: Ariados use string shot!

And the string ties around Wababfett, but it doesn’t hurt him, meaning that Wabbafett cant use counter. Then Ariados starts waving Wabbafett around like a puppet, making him do handstands and what not. Harley starts singing hokey-pokey. Then Ariados throws Wababfett on top of him and Jessie runs out of points.

17:16

happy boy.

17:30

Quick show of May and Squirtle using bubble beam to knock out a Crowbat, and Harley using a spiderweb to trap a wallwrus.Then Squirtle knocking out a Victorybell (I think), and now Harley and May have to fight in the final round.

18:59

ALRIGHT BATTLE START.

May sends out Squirtle, and Harley sends out Ariados to use string shot and scary face. Ariados swings from the ceiling and scares the crap out of baby Squirtle. Squirtle lifts himself off the ground by using ice beam. He misses and lands on the floor.

19:23

Harley: Ah, you should’ve used Cumbuskin. Going against me with a fire type you might’ve had a fighting chance at least.

Get it because Cumbuskin is a Fire fighting type

Okay so then Harley sends out a string shot to Squirtle and brings him up to the ceiling where Ardiados is.

terrifying.

May looses points

20:00

May’s friends encourage her and Harley is plotting.

Ariadose uses spiderweb over the while stage!

Then Ariadose starts swinging Squirtle in circles till he drops him and lands in the spiderweb.

May looses points!

also this frame is looking particularly anime.

As Ariados climbs towards him Squirtle uses bubble. Ariados using his other lets pops all of the balloons. As a last minute attack, May figures to use Ice beam. It through Squirtle in the other direction before, and it’s so much power, it’s gotta work.

Squirtle breaks from the webs and freezes Ariados! But not only that...

It freezes the webs too!!!

22:32

Squirtle uses a bubble attack on the froxes Ariados. Bits of ice come flying off. Ariados tries to fight back but the webs are too slippery now, so instead he’s left sliding around. Squirtle uses tackle and sends Ariados crashing into the floor, getting May the win.

24:08

May has ribbon yaaay

The end of episode they’re all talking about how she needs to work on ice beam.

-Conclusion-

I personally feel like Jessie was the best part of the episode haha. Very over the top and very fabulous. I like how Harley and Jessie bounced off eachother in that once scene. I’m happy about how they still get to interact later. Not much else to say though, I like this episode a lot is all.

[ninjakitty15]

Chapter 14 :Witch, Please (Loki x OFC Pairing)

We didn't actually arrive at the Hotel, but by the piers where you can tour the old pirate ship near several restaurants and another hotel entirely overlooking the ocean. Loki stood in front of me, looking down worriedly at me the entire time.

"None of it's my own," I assured him, getting the feeling he was looking for injuries.

"You can't blame me for wanting to be sure, I don't think I've really seen you fighting without an army of your own to even the odds."

"I didn't survive as long as I have only to be outed by a bunch of power hungry humans. I'm ok, really, just really sticky and in need of a nap. Are you ok though? You had worse luck than I did back there."

"Not the first time I've been electrocuted unfortunately, not that it's something I can really get used to but I'll manage just fine, never you worry."

I snorted at the last bit. "You know, for someone that's been around since the dawn of man and takes after his mother, you should know it's not wise telling another woman not to worry, we'll do just the opposite anyway."

"You never seem worried though."

I shrugged. "I try not to but I'm still a woman with a soul at the end of the day."

"You're so much more than that," he murmured.

"You are ok though, right?" I asked again. "It wasn't just electric shocks they used on you."

"Extreme heat, yes, I know. I probably won't be at my best for a bit, but like I said I'll manage. Thank you though."

I smiled lazily. "You protected me when you could when we weren't even that close, it's the least I could do seeing as you wouldn't even be there if it wasn't for me."

"How did they catch you last time if you could so easily break out this time?"

"In the middle of a plane ride surrounded by innocent people. If I'm not on the ground, I can't raise the dead as they aren't airborne...things. They highjacked the plane with their own jets, took me off the one I was on and into theirs and before I could even try to escape, they bound me in more or less what you saw me in when you broke me out. Maybe next time I want to get out of the country, I'll go by cruise ship, lots more dead in the sea."

"You could also just ask me to take you," he suggested smoothly.

I grinned at this. "Mischief has many uses. I'd kiss you but I doubt you'd be turned on by this much blood, you don't strike me as a horror fan."

"There's people that are fans of gore?"

"Sweety, there's people who are fans of everything and anything, we live in a sick, twisted world of which there is no cure for."

"Except there is in fact a bunch of people called The Cure," a familiar voice interrupted.

We both turned to see Zari standing there, hands on hips, and giving us an unamused look.

"What took you so long?"

"Alicia turned sides, I had to give her my vote, George also. I don't know who else but there's gotta be a bigger player than those pawns."

She snorted and rolled her eyes. "Does it matter, you're still the biggest player of the board."

"That makes it my job to wipe it clean and correct it. Only problem they sided with people that pop up all over out of nowhere, I mean they literally came out of trees catching me the second time, the first time was out of air."

"Then if they want you two again, they gotta come to your turf, our turf even where they can't and won't catch you off guard, where everyone still on our side will see them coming and be ready. Isn't that why you're here?"

"No? I came here because I just wanted to be somewhere familiar and empowering to me, regardless of where I just came from, I missed home."

"Aw hun," she pulled me into a sticky hug then pulled away and peeled me off her. "Let's get you both cleaned up and away from the public for a bit, come, there's plenty of room in my home for two demi gods to crash."

Her cottage was just as I remembered, smelling of herbs and spices both locally and Lousiana grown, charms all over the place for protection and blessing, she was a basic witch after all, although an extremely powerful one as a voodoo priestess. She also provided me with new clothes once I was completely clean of blood and guts, offering to get Loki some clothes as well though he just did his magically changing thing but rather than just changing clothes, not wanting to be tracked facially by Tony, he turned into a slightly different person altogether. Instead of pale smooth skin, he had slightly tanned skin with some stubble by the jaw, he actually looked more human and less perfect like a god but still damned attractive even as the long black locks became short brown curls and green eyes turned to soft blue. Of course with the human face came the less sharp attire, jeans and a button up polo type shirt.

"I know you said you don't like facial hair but-" he began as I studied his disguise.

I reached up and stroked one side of his face, feeling the prickles he concocted. "Not bad, it's really just long gross beards I can't stand, stubble ain't a problem."

"What do you think?"

"It's...different. I think while you'll stay off Tony's radar, you'll be on every straight female's radar that sets eyes on you, as a god there was an air of perfection and being untouchable so no one else made a move out of fear, as a human however you're now considered fair game."

"Worried I might be snatched up by a mere mortal?" he teased.

"I'd say over my cold dead body but um that's actually already done so maybe a little?"

"Rest assured, you still have me in every form I come in."

"Interesting choice of words," I mused. "Can you come in that form too?"

He arched an eyebrow at me. "Just how many forms do you want?"

"Listen, buddy, I only ever knew of the two you told me about and now you're in yet another form just as attractive as the others, you can't blame me for being curious here when you chose that one yourself."

"I still hate your logic."

"And still love me so once more it all works out."

"Should we still call you Loki even though you're in disguise?" asked Zari, coming into the living room we were in with a tray of food and hot apple cidar.

"Kinda blows the cover there when there's ears and eyes and social media everywhere these days," I muttered.

"What's a good normal name here that doesn't sound too extravagant or outlandish?" Loki asked.

"Bob but you don't look like a Bob in any form or shape," Zari noted.

"John, Steve, Sam, Paul," I listed off.

"What about Tom?" suggested Zari. "Like Tom Felton or Tom Riddle?"

"I'm sensing you still see him as a villain since you chose the name of one and the actor's name of another in the same series," I pointed out.

"I'm just saying, its a good name, also Malfoy wasn't a villain, just fell into the wrong crowd."

I scoffed. "He was born into it since his family were Death Eaters."

"No one's born evil," Zari argued.

"Demon babies are."

"And just how many of those have you actually seen to know that?" she challenged.

"Wouldn't you like to know," I countered.

She glared at me for a long moment before the facade crumbled and she engulfed me in another hug. "It's good to have you back and just before things get really busy too. You can help me decorate the place and help me set up shop before the real crowds come in."

I grinned. "I can't believe I missed five years of that holiday, if my heart still worked it would be breaking all over again." I chugged the mug of hot cider happily, thank gods I still could taste after death or I'd probably try to go right back to the grave.

"I think I still have the costume you were planning on wearing for it before you disappeared too," mused Zari.

"You are the bestest best friend I've ever had, do you know that?" I asked her.

"I could stand to hear that more," she teased. "I really did miss you but I also knew you couldn't be gone for good, if I knew what happened or where to look even..."

"I didn't even know where I was when they highjacked the plane, was in the middle of a short lived nap when it happened and then suddenly I was in a fucking glass cell."

"And you still don't know who spilled?" she asked. "I didn't even know and we tell each other everything."

"It was a last minute change and you know how flying stresses me out, I didn't even think to tell you the change, I just wanted to go home."

"It had to be someone that saw you between England and the airport though right?"

"Seems only logical," I agreed while snuggling against Loki/Tom on the couch. "We'll come back to this, I think us demi gods could use a nap or something of that ilk at the moment."

"Is it that exhausting being dead?" she teased.

I grinned wickedly at her. "Care to find out?"

"Not today, bitch. I'll let you two recover, I'll be at my shop if you need me, lock up if you leave please." With that, she left us alone in the living room curled up on the couch and enjoying the much needed peace in each others unconfined company.

"I like her," Loki spoke up.

"I'd say she has her charms but that tends to come with being a witch."

[bites-kms]

La Joie de Vivre: Paris 32mm

Just came from Le Caveau de la Huchette - yes, the jazz club from La-La-Land. I didn’t know this, until I was at the door. I was just looking for a fun place to have a drink or two on a Thursday night and what a joy I found. I literally found the joy of life, or the Parisian way - la joie de vivre.

These people, they were so immerse into the beat, it was très magnifique. Specially there was this one women, with style and grace, short hair, long earrings, long skirt -long according to her age but edgy enough let her wave and move around-, without a bra, laughing and shaking her arms towards the back while killing the dance floor at the beat and rhythm of bebop with his partner, a black man with a white haired afro, with the same big smile and crazy moves as her. It was amazing. I only felt tele transported like this before and it was at Nicky’s, the best Speakeasy bar in Buenos Aires. But this was the real deal: I am in Paris, living the late roaring 20s, in between wars after the American soldiers fought in Paris, in a lost cave right next Ile de cité, few blocks away from Notre Dame. 

photocredits: Black Label Media  Although I must confess I was expecting to meet my Ryan Gosling - and yes, I did remember our dance mov(i)es - I met Mr. PH, or Pierre-Henri, the lovely Swedish/French, who lived in Utah from Uppsala. It’s amazing to be able to connect with all these people through music, regardless of age and origin, and this was even more special due to my Swedish experience. We danced and laughed a lot. I proudly made a fool of myself and decided I’m gonna learn this dance once Im back in NYC. Then I met Maurice, a younger, intriguing French guy with whom we danced more upbeat my-hips-dont-lie songs. That was some intense moves going on there! I had such a wonderful time I couldn’t wait to come home to write about it, I hope to make justice to the amazing experience I just had. Walking down the Seine, as Owen Willson in Midnight in Paris, I came back home - to this evil, evil Airbnb, not without stoping by the Louvre and enjoying all its secrets, changing my movie switch to the Da Vinci Code.

It’s still mesmerizes me how much these narratives shape our collective perspectives on the world. I was thinking about this exact same issue while walking down my office’s street the other day, back in NY, and saw a couple of police patrols going around like crazy, with a black SUV that looked as if it was from the FBI and a small but intense manifestation. I was surprised on how quiet the protesters were after the police cars passed by and didn’t make much sense to me. That was when I finally realized I was living this meta-reality and was tricked by my very own mind: this was all a set up for Gotham and I thought it was the real deal. I couldn’t stop laughing and my mind exploded for a couple of very long minutes trying to understand and process all these realities happening at the same time in my head!  So yes, this is my tribute to them, to the movies, to those little pieces of realities that we share in 32 mm (or blue ray, but that way is not that picturesque any more) And it feels weird that I start this tribute in Paris and not in New York, but I guess the NYC experience still feels a little bit surreal to me. At least here I know I’m not staying for good, I’m just here for 10 days, so I guess that makes me way more objective, an eager observer and an obsessed analytic of every minute.

I deserved some celebration after the success on the US embassy, so I decided to start with the simplest thing: let’s go for dinner! I went for my poulette avec pomme de terre but since it only came with fries, I switched it for the plat du soir and felt a little bit of the Jack Nicholson’s magic on Something Gotta Give at the Grand Colbert restaurant.  

I ended up in the most surreal circumstances on a Friday’s night. Lost, during a thin-rainy eve in Paris, searching for hidden wifi hotspots in order to reach my destination: a typical French bistro by Le Marais. What I didnt realized, was that I was gonna run into this typical French guy called William. William, is actually a PHD professor and researcher from Atlanta- although he has been living in France since forever, and as per a Woody Allen movie, he was wearing a brown suit jacket which was double his proper size. He was also wearing bigger trousers -not pants- and we debated about morality, existence and transcendence of matter and language over the Frankfurt School, Marcuse, Horkheimer, Adorno for more than 4 hours, having wine, charcuterie and terrine. It was a very nice movie cliche to experience without even planning it!

Who knew Paris was so famous in movies? I mean, of course in the collective imagery it is, but I didn’t actually realize the size nor the amount of “featured time” Paris have in this movie so called life. After my wonderful La-La-Land experience, my expectations were high and difficult to match, but oh you, dear Amélie, that was a hell of a Saturday we shared together! 

I went to Montmartre and started my film on the Abesees station, right next to the carrousel, close to her apartment. After a beautiful morning stroll with the sun on my face and the joy on each and every single pore of my being, I found the Cafe des 2 Moulins, where she enjoys the small but amazing things of life. Little did I know that not only the creme brûlée was gonna be amazing, but the atmosphere and the memories would be as such! The waiter became my fan: he noticed I was writing in my journal and started hitting on me with the sweetest and cheesiest lines ever, talking about the movie, practicing and mixing English and French, gifting me a pain au chocolat, drawing a heart gesture on the air before giving it to me. He even dared to asked for my number in the most courageous yet sweet way imaginable! It really made my day. Thanks Jullien, that was fun! Of course I also checked out the Studio 28 Cinema, where Amelie enjoys her movies. BITES & KMS SAYS: That’s a meta-hyper reality indeed: Amelie, a fictional character which I watch, goes and watches movies to the cinema in a narrative fiction, located on the same place I am standing right now in real life, thinking and wondering about what that character would be feeling at that moment, with the difference that I am feeling it right now. Wow #mindblown

Of course, I couldn’t stop singing My Song, performed by Christian (Ewan McGregor), feeling a little bit like Satine from Moulin Rouge, while going up and down hills. I hate Boulevard de Clichy, I absolutely hate it: it’s dirty, touristy, with no style nor personality, full of weird people in the bad sense weird can be understood. But well, even though the Bal du Moulin Rouge is located there, this is not whatsoever the best part of the Quarter. So, I kept my musical dream alive and went around the other small and hidden streets. I actually found a spot, which was absolutely perfect. I needed to stop and write about it. My piece of paper said something like this: “Little pieces of Paris, small and unique as the cobblestones of their streets, where only the little birds sing and the sun warms the soul, in between the distant buzz and talks from the tourists.” I imagine a little chambre on one of those top balconies, with lovers singing to each other, having sex and drinking wine in bed at 11 am on a Sunday, waiting to be drunk again to keep sleeping. I stopped by this wonderful Bistro called Le Sancerre. I had my first glass of champagne and had a delicious lunch, falling in love with all these movies, one scene at a time.

The following day I had a very specific location in mind: the Coulee Verte Rene Dumont: secret lover gardens. Only true Parisians go there and take their dates in hopes of some French kiss action. It is quite far off the tourist circuit, and that made me realized how the US is a rough copy of the best of France, with a very local spin. The Highline, that architecture phenomenon everyone is proud of, already existed here in Paris more than a century ago, and still lingers today. So, sorry Paula Scher, there’s nothing new under the sun. And talking about the sun, this was the setting for Before Sunset. I went there to seek inspiration and to reflect upon that proper dialogue that happens in the movie. Was sex with Ethan Hawke that forgettable or was it actually remarkable? Was he really happy with his wife? Why aren’t they together? Are they meant to be? 

I guess there is just time to listen to some Nina Simone - which, for the time being, we can switch for French Edit Piaf or Italian Mina- and to whomever is asking when I’m flying back, I’m just gonna do as Ethan Hawke: 

Celine- Hey Babe, you’re gonna miss that plane. Jesse- I know.