#haven’t raged over mario kart in a while

[suashii]

i was supposed to go out tonight but i think i’m just gonna take an edible and play games on my switch instead 😗✌🏽

[moo9395]

My Ghosts headcanons

I've had these sitting in a google doc for ages so I might as well hand them over.

I've split them into stuff that 'could take place in canon' and 'modern au' stuff

Robin:

Fluent in multiple languages (kind of canon but whatever)

He has a PhD in astrophysics 

Humphrey:

He gets migraines

He’s a teacher (this is quite popular), Headteacher humphrey is cool as well

Failed his driving test 4 times in a row

Coffee gives Humphrey headaches so he drinks more of it. 

Mary:

She was a girl guide (me coded) (Credit to @kingofthefrogs swapped au for inspo)

Welsh (me coded)

Dyslexic

Kitty:

Can be heard on a spirit box (Credit to kingofthefrogs)

Likes Call the Midwife.

She is a Nurse or Doctor, possibly a paediatrician. Haven’t seen this done yet but I think it could be fun given her fascination with Maddocks’ injury.

She loves iced coffee.

Thomas:

He is scared of dogs (channeling me right now) Dante is a weird exception to this that Fanny often complains about but secretly is proud of.

He can experience temperature as a ghost. (Credit to Ailendolin) He is susceptible to heat stroke and sometimes gets a cold, especially after going in the lake.

He's left handed

He is dyslexic and/or short sighted. Bonus if he refuses to wear glasses. Double bonus if this gives him constant headaches.

Studied abroad in Holland for 2 years and developed a weed addiction, he moved back to the UK to get over it

Coffee gives Thomas headaches so he doesn’t drink it. 

Fanny:

Hypochondriac. 

Incredible at Netball (she's such a netball girlie) she plays wing attack or centre

Captain:

He has reading glasses.

Scared of chickens (Alektorophobia) (Inspired by @upsetslingshot on ao3)

Cap was in army cadets (me coded) and loved it.

Pat:

He's claustrophobic, he was in life and the fact that he died while struggling to breathe has worsened that.

He’s basically blind without his glasses. (like Velma type blind)

Road rage.

Julian:

Has hemophobia (fear of blood)

Julian was in army cadets and hated it.

Multi Character (mostly modern au stuff):

Thomas, Fanny, and Mary love watching Downton Abbey. Thomas is a passionate fan of Edith, Mary likes Sybil, and Fanny is a big fan of Violet Crawley (as she should be).

All autistic (Julian and Robin AuDHD).

Cap, Thomas, Mary, and Julian are cat people

Pat, Robin, and Fanny are dog people

Humphrey and Kitty passionately refuse to pick a side.

Thomas, Cap, Pat, Fanny and Julian are tea people.

Humphrey, Kitty, Mary and Robin are coffee people.

Robin and Humphrey as siblings/ twins.

Thomas and Kitty met in school. Thomas was being picked on and Kitty defended him.

Julian and Robin met in Cambridge Uni, Robin was doing an astrophysics PhD, Julian was doing his classmates a masters in politics.

Cap and Fanny play badminton together.

They have a group football team (more on that later)

Mary and Robin hooked up once (I know its canon but I love when it also happens in modern au's)

Hogwarts houses:

Hufflepuff - Humphrey, Pat, Mary

Gryffindor - Robin, Julian

Ravenclaw - Fanny, Thomas, Kitty

Slytherin - Cap

I'm very willing to elaborate and hear other opinions on this.

Mario Kart mains:

Robin - Bowser

Humphrey - Shy Guy

Mary - Yoshi

Kitty - Daisy

Thomas - Peach

Fanny - Toadette

Captain - Luigi

Pat - Koopa Troopa

Julian - Donkey Kong

The football team (my pride and joy):

Robin - goalkeeper, he once scored from a goal kick

Humphrey - defence, very good at headers (lol) but is frequently injured mainly due to being clumsy

Kitty - defence, she gets very invested in the game and will break knees (while apologising) 

Cap - defence, it took him a while to pick up the sport but he’s thriving, works very well with Humphrey and Kitty

Thomas - surprisingly good left winger, other teams generally see him (being himself) before the game  and write him off as a weaker player - he loves proving them wrong

Fanny - right wing, her and thomas make a weirdly good duo, she's absolutely incredible at penalties 

Pat - central midfielder and the team captain (Cap conceded that maybe Pat was a little bit better than him at football and should take the lead ‘just this once’)

Mary - Striker, really strong with both feet, closes her eyes when she takes a shot but somehow is still usually on target 

Julian - Striker, solid player but is frequently sent off for inappropriate celebrations

I had way too much fun re-reading these.

PLEASE USE THEM AND SEND ME THE FICS IM OBSESSED.

[gryffindorcls]

The Surprise Guest

Hello, lovely readers!

A few months ago I was asked to write a piece for the @mlpandemicreliefzine​. It was such a fun project to be a part of, and now that it's been out for a while, I am happy to share with you the fluffy Marichat one-shot I wrote for the zine.

Happy reading!

---

SUMMARY: One Friday night, Chat Noir accidentally barges in on a "girl's night" sleepover happening in Marinette's room. After being encouraged to stay, Chat joins the group in a game of truth or dare during which Marinette reveals the name of the boy she loves.

LENGTH: 2972 words

AO3 FANFICTION

---

RAP RAP RAP

Marinette’s heart stopped.

“Is someone knocking on a window?” Alya pushed herself off the ground and padded across the room.

“N-no! I...uhh...it’s probably just the wind!” Marinette sprang out of her seat and tried to pull Alya back to the circle of girls sitting in the middle of the floor. “Don’t worry about it! Mario Kart is waiting for us!”

RAP RAP RAP

“There it is again!” Alya stood on her tiptoes and peered out the window next to Marinette’s desk. “That’s funny I could have sworn-”

The hatch above the lofted bed swung open with a bang. All heads turned towards the sound as a mop of blond hair poked through the opening.

“Princess, are you in here? Are you okay? I was knocking, and I didn’t see...oops.” Chat Noir’s eyes scanned the room. “Hello, ladies.”

“Oh, look!” Alya locked eyes with Marinette and gestured towards the hatch. “The wind has a face.”

Marinette groaned and buried her face in her hands. “This can’t be happening.”

“Oh, but it is, and I can’t wait to hear you explain your way out of this one.”

“It’s not what it looks like.”

“Really? Because to me, it looks like one of Paris’s heroes is asking to come in, and judging by his cute little nickname for you, I’m guessing that this isn’t the first time he’s paid you a visit. How am I doing so far, Princess Marinette?”

“Unfortunately, you’re doing pretty well.”

Chat ducked behind the lip of the opening. “Did I come at a bad time?”

Marinette pinched the bridge of her nose. “I told you that I was busy today.”

“I forgot.”

“Obviously.”

“If he’s here, does that mean there’s an Akuma?” Rose smashed her hands against her cheeks. “Is it after one of us?”

Chat shook his head. “No Akuma tonight. Everyone is safe.”

“If there’s no Akuma, then why are you here?” Alix narrowed her eyes. “Are you two dating or something?”

“No!” Marinette raised her hands in front of her. “It’s nothing like that. He just visits sometimes.”

“Yup!” Chat chimed in, “Every Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday night!”

“Not helping!” Marinette hissed at the boy through gritted teeth.

He sunk further behind the ledge. “Sorry.”

“You have scheduled visits!” Alya chuckled and placed a hand on Marinette’s shoulder. “Girl, I expect details.”

Chat cleared his throat. “Should I just leave the snacks and go?”

“Aha!” Alix exclaimed, pointing towards the hatch. “He brought snacks. They’re totally dating.”

“We’re not dating!” Marinette stamped her foot on the ground. “We’re just friends. I swear!”

“I don’t know. My brother always brings his girlfriend food, and he’s always talking about how in love with her he is.”

“Chat is my friend.”

Alya crossed her arms. “And tell us, how did you manage to become friends with him?”

Marinette looked at Chat, and after finding the silent look of approval in his eyes, she swallowed and took a steadying breath. “One night I was really upset, so I decided to sit out on the balcony. I may have started crying, and that’s when Chat found me. He told me he was also feeling down, so we talked for a few hours. He checked up on me the next day, and that’s when we realized that we enjoyed hanging out with each other.”

“Did you invite him to hang out with us tonight?” Mylene asked, cocking her head to the side.

Marinette sighed. “No, I did not.”

“You know, I should just go.” Chat tossed a canvas bag overflowing with snacks onto Marinette’s bed. “I’ll see you on Sunday, Princess.”

The unspoken sadness behind his words sent a pang through Marinette’s heart. “No, stay. It’s fine. Besides, I think Alya would kill me if I told you to go home before she had the chance to grill you at some point tonight.”

“You know it.” Alya chuckled and shot a finger gun in Chat’s direction.

“Wait.” He peeked the rest of his head over the ledge. “Really? I can come in?”

“Yup, and we were just about to play Mario Kart.” Marinette watched as Chat hopped onto her bed and scrambled down the ladder. “Did you want to play with us?”

“Do I?” He vibrated with excitement as she handed him a controller. “Is this what normally happens at sleepovers?”

“Have you never been to one?”

“No. I’ve only ever seen them on television and in movies, but those people are always doing each other’s hair and playing Truth or Dare.”

Alix’s eyes lit up. “Ooo, yes! We should play Truth or Dare.”

“No!” Marinette switched on her computer and loaded the game. “We are not playing Truth or Dare.”

“Ugh, lame!”

“We are playing Mario Kart, and then we are watching a movie.”

“I don’t know, Marinette. Playing Truth or Dare with a superhero sounds kind of fun.” Alya shot her a grin.

Marinette glared at her. “Video Games. Movie. Bed. That’s it.”

“You know,” Chat interjected, “I’ve never played Truth or Dare either.”

“Of course you haven’t.”

“It could be fun.”

“But you know what would be even more fun?” Marinette leaned in and flicked Chat’s bell. “Kicking your butt at Mario Kart...again.”

He chuckled. “That’s some big talk coming from someone who’s about to get crushed.”

“So says the boy who loses every time he’s played against me.”

“Oh, it’s on, Princess.”

“Jeez, if you two lovebirds are done flirting, some of us are ready to actually start playing,” Alix huffed, flopping onto the floor.

“For the last time, we are not dating.” Marinette crossed her arms and looked at Chat. “Right?”

“Yeah, we’re not.” She could have sworn that she saw his eyes dim when he spoke his confirmation, but surely it was just a trick of the light.

“See!” She said triumphantly. “We’re just friends.”

“Could have fooled me!” Alix held her stomach and laughed. “I’m just kidding. Anyway, are we playing or not?”

“Yes.” Marinette pressed start on her controller. “We are.”

As the first race began, she settled herself next to Chat Noir, accidentally brushing her knee against his. Her heart sank when she felt his body stiffen under her touch. Usually, Chat had no problem getting close to her. More often than not, they found themselves wrapped around each other under piles of blankets.

She couldn’t help but wonder if she’d done something wrong. Maybe he was upset that she’d said no Truth or Dare. Maybe she was too harsh. Maybe she should have said yes. After all, it was his first sleepover, and playing Truth or Dare wouldn’t be out of the ordinary.

Despite the internal debate that raged through her mind throughout the gaming session, Marinette came first in almost every race. After her eleventh win, she leaned over and rested her head on Chat’s shoulder.

“Better luck next time, kitty.” She looked up only to see him quickly turn his head away.

He must really be upset with her.

Alix slammed her controller onto the ground. “Ugh, can we do something else now? I’m getting bored.”

Alya rolled her eyes. “Are you sure you’re not just getting tired of losing?”

“Actually, I also wouldn’t mind doing something else.” Rose set down her controller and smiled. “Marinette, didn’t you say that we were going to watch a movie tonight?”

“A movie would be cool,” Juleka mumbled under her breath.

Marinette looked at Chat Noir. “Well, I’ve been thinking about it, and I thought that maybe we could play Truth or Dare...as long as we’re careful, that is! We’d have to promise to not ask Chat anything that could reveal his identity.”

Alix threw a celebratory fist into the air. “Yes!”

“Are you sure, girl?” Alya furrowed her brows. “You seemed pretty against it before.”

She nodded. “I’m sure. Besides, I think our surprise guest really wants to play. What kind of hostess would I be if I denied him the full sleepover experience?”

He met her gaze. His mouth rounded into a small “o” as a dusting of pink peeked out from underneath his mask.

“Are you okay?” Marinette asked tentatively.

He cleared his throat. “Uh, yeah. I would love to play!”

The rest of the group excitedly agreed and reformed a circle in the middle of the floor. The first few rounds filled the room with laughter as Mylene did the worm and Alya showed off her best Nino impression.

Once the giggles died down after watching Alix's reaction to putting ice cubes down her shirt, Alya adjusted her glasses and smirked. “Alright, it’s your turn, Marinette. Truth or dare?”

The last thing Marinette needed was for someone to dare her to kiss Chat Noir. “Truth.”

Alix rubbed her hands together. “First truth of the night. Let’s make it a good one.”

A wave of regret washed over her. “Oh, no.”

“Oh, yes! Who do you have a crush on right now?”

“I guess I should have seen that one coming.”

A pang shot through Marinette’s chest. She lowered her head and swallowed the heartbreak that threatened to resurface.

It had only been three months since she’d made the choice to move on from Adrien, and the wound still felt fresh. She’d done her best to bury the feelings she had for him, but her heart always circled back to the selfless boy who shines brighter than the sun.

However, she learned that as long as she didn’t actively think about Adrien, the hole inside her heart wasn’t as noticeable. Chat’s visits had really helped take her mind off of everything, but now it looked like it was time to face her feelings head-on.

“Oh, I know!” Chat blurted out, “It’s Luka!”

“No, it’s not.” Juleka’s hands covered her mouth while she spoke. “Marinette turned him down when he asked her out.”

“Wait, really?” He turned to Marinette. “Isn’t he the boy you’re in love with?”

Alya shook her head. “No, they had a connection, but I think we all know who really captured her heart.”

“Who?”

“You mean you really don’t know? She never told you?”

Hot tears welled in the corners of Marinette’s eyes. “I’m trying to move on.”

“Do you still love him?” Rose asked quietly, "Because it's okay if you do. Feelings like that don't just disappear overnight." “Yeah, but it doesn’t matter now. He’s with someone else. I lost my chance.” The words tasted bitter on her lips.

“No, you didn’t.” Juleka shook her head. “Don’t tell anyone, but I saw Luka kissing Kagami last weekend.”

A collective gasp filled the room as Marinette’s head shot up. “Are you serious?”

“Mmhmm, he doesn’t know that I know, but she comes over a lot.”

Alya nudged Marinette’s arm. “I think you just got your second chance.”

“But he and Kagami were so close!” Marinette grabbed her pigtails. “I could have sworn that they were dating.”

“You know, I don’t remember him ever saying that they were dating.”

“I guess I just assumed. I thought I saw them kiss.”

“I don’t think they did. I know he didn’t tell Nino that he kissed her, and those two pretty much know everything about each other.”

Chat held up his hands. “I’m sorry, who are we talking about right now?”

“It’s a boy from our class. You might know him. He was in that fragrance ad that seems to be on every billboard in the city.” Alya pointed to the class picture hanging on Marinette’s wall. “His name is Adrien.”

“Hold on.” The intensity in his eyes startled Marinette. “You have a crush on Adrien Agreste?”

“Um, yeah?” She shrugged. “I thought he was dating Kagami, so I tried to make my feelings go away. It didn’t really work.”

“But why?” His voice had dropped to a whisper. “Why him?”

Marinette thought back to her encounter with Adrien in the rain–the day love became more than just a word in the dictionary. “I accused him of something when we first met, but instead of getting angry and brushing me off, he reached out to me and asked to be friends. Is he one of the most beautiful people I’ve ever seen in my entire life? Yes, without a doubt. But it was his kindness and selflessness that made me fall for him.”

“You really love him, don’t you?”

“With all my heart.”

“Is that why you were crying that night on the balcony?”

“Yes, but you made me feel a lot better. Thank you for that.”

Chat pushed himself off the ground and began pacing around the room. “I...he made you cry! You’re so sweet and kind, and he hurt you. How are you not mad at him?”

She reached up and grabbed Chat’s hand as he passed in front of her. “It’s not his fault! I never had the courage to tell him, so he doesn’t know. He’s a wonderful person.”

“Doesn’t sound like it.”

“Chat…”

“He broke your heart, Marinette.”

She shook her head. “No, if we’re being honest, I kind of broke my own heart. I never told him how I felt.”

He took a deep breath. “You should tell him.”

“I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“What if I’m not the one for him? He deserves to be happy!”

“I have a hunch that things will work out pretty well if you tell him.”

“Look, it’s not that I haven’t tried before.” Marinette buried her face in her hands. “But all of those attempts ended in disaster. How would this time be any different?”

“Easy.” Alix pointed to the cell phone on Marinette’s desk. “I dare you to text him.”

Marinette crossed her arms. “Nice try, but it’s not my turn right now. It’s Chat’s.”

“Fine. Truth or dare, Chat Noir?”

He plopped down on the ground. “Dare.”

“Excellent.” Alix grabbed the phone and handed it to Chat. “I dare you to help Marinette send a text to Adrien.”

“No!” Marinette snatched her phone out of his hands and held it against her chest. “Why?”

“Because it’ll be hilarious.”

"But it's my phone!"

"And it's his dare."

Marinette grabbed Alya’s arm. “Help.”

“No can do, girl.” She shook her head. “Alix is right. He got dared.”

With a sigh, Marinette reluctantly handed her phone over to Chat. “Please don’t do anything too embarrassing.”

“Trust me, Princess. I’ll make sure you get that date.” He took the phone and got to work.

“You may have to spell it out for him. Adrien’s a great guy, but he’s a little dense in the love department sometimes.” Alix’s laugh rang through the room.

Chat glared at her. “Rude.”

“If you knew him, you’d agree.”

“Unfortunately, I have a feeling that you’re right. Rude, but right.”

Marinette didn’t know if she should scream or run away. “Please don’t tell him that I like him in a text. That should be something I tell him to his face.”

Chat ran his fingers through his hair. “I know. All I did was write out a message asking him to meet up with you in the park tomorrow.”

“Did you already send it?”

“Yup.”

“I...but...what if he’s not free?”

“Oh, he’s free.”

“How do you know?”

“Uhhhh.” Chat scratched the back of his head. “I read somewhere that his father is out of town for the next week. I guess I just assumed that Adrien had nothing on his schedule.”

Marinette did her best not to hyperventilate. “Okay, yeah...this is great. Goog...I mean doog...I mean...oh, no, I’m stuttering again! It’s been weeks since I’ve done that. I’m going to make a complete fool out of myself tomorrow!”

“No, you’re not.” Chat rested a hand on her shoulder.

“How do you know?”

“Because you’re amazing, Marinette, and he’d be crazy to not like you back.”

His smile melted away her fears and calmed the restless beating of her heart. It was amazing how safe he always made her feel, both in and out of the mask. Marinette knew she was lucky to have him as her partner and her friend.

“I know everyone didn’t get a turn to go, but I really don’t think we can top that round.” Alya walked over to Marinette’s computer. “How about we watch that movie now?”

“Works for me!” Marinette leaned against Chat. “Want to sit next to each other?”

He nodded. “Yeah, I do.”

While Marinette set up the movie, her guests made a cozy nest of blankets and pillows on the floor.

When she was finished, she took a seat next to Chat. She soon found herself wrapped in his arms with her face against his chest.

Although sitting like this had become a regular occurrence between them, tonight felt different. Instead of the loose hold she was accustomed to, Chat held her as if she’d slip away if he let go. To her surprise, she really enjoyed the change.

As the movie droned on, the steady beating of Chat’s heart relaxed every fiber of her being. Reflexively, she reached her arms around him, snuggled closer to his side, and reveled in his warmth.

All too soon, Marinette gave into the heaviness of her eyelids. Still vaguely aware of the world around her, the whispers of an oncoming dream beckoned her further into the depths of her subconscious.

She felt a gentle pressure against the crown of her head before a hazy voice etched its words onto her heart. “You make me happy every single day. You always have, and now it’s my turn to make you happy. You’re the perfect girl for me.”

And for the first time in months, Marinette was at peace.

“I can’t wait for tomorrow, Princess.”

That night, she had the sweetest of dreams, and the next morning, she woke up with Adrien’s response in her notifications.

[proudfreakmetarusonikku]

Vampire au?

But Tommy is the vampire.

Dream is a history nerd who wants to visit a old castle. He doesn't believe in vampires. Those are just silly old myths.

Tommy, the current owner of the castle, is very nice to Dream. Dream didn't expect the current owner to be so young , but Tommy says he's the owner not because he's the only one of the blood line left , but because he's the only one who actually stays here.

Dream doesn't know that the rest of his family is just asleep right now. As they have been for the last five hundred years.

Tommy owns the castle because he's the only one awake right now.

Lets mix it up a little. Eret and Foolish are his parents.

Reverse obsession again.

Dream accidentally cuts himself, Tommy smells the blood. Tommy gets a tiny little bit of blood. Just enough for him to get a taste for it. It tastes better than any blood he's ever had. Dream's not leaving that castle if Tommy has any say the in it.

VAMPIRE AU? I love you.

Dream honestly didn’t expect being able to find a castle to stay at so easily. He expected to have to sift through ritzy hotels and museums to find one, if he could at all. But apparently, only a few miles from his house, was one maintained and owned by some rich eccentric, Mr Gathers. He’d done some messaging and the owner seemed entirely willing to let him stay for a pittance. Dream supposed what they said about rich people being lonely was true.

When he arrived at the castle, it was dusk. Dream was honestly surprised to see the only person there to be a boy. He was tall, but in a gangly way, and had deep bags under his eyes. He was young, maybe sixteen, and while he looked sickly he was also almost eerily perfect in appearance, a doll-like delicate face framed by cherubic curls. Dream was pretty sure he was an albino, his skin almost pure white, his hair a pale, pale blond, and his eyes almost red when the light caught them.

“Hey, do you know where Mr Gathers is?” Dream asked politely.

The boy huffed and crossed his arms. “Yeah, right here, you dickhead.”

Dream laughed, in disbelief and the boy furrowed a brow. “I’m being serious, prick.”

“You don’t own a castle by yourself at fourteen, kid, no matter how rich.”

“I’m sixteen!” He insisted indignantly. “And no one else even wants to stay here. Haunted, innit?”

“Ghosts aren’t real.”

“Tell yourself that, if it makes you feel better.” The foul mouthed teen held out an immaculately manicured hand. “Anyway, you going to introduce yourself? I’m Tommy.”

“Dream,” Dream said, bemused.

Tommy toured him through the castle and it struck Dream how immaculate the whole thing was. It felt like he’d walked into an actual Renaissance-era castle, in some ways, apart from obvious modern conveniences scattered around haphazard. Dream supposed he couldn’t blame the teenager for wanting TVs and computers and proper lighting and plumbing.

What was odd was that Tommy had a lot of the guest bedrooms reserved, which he said in the vaguest way possible and refused to elaborate. Also strange was when they finished the tour. Tommy had turned to him and said, “And that’s that! Apart from the dungeons, but if you visit them that’s your own damn fault.”

“What, is that where the ghosts are?” Dream said teasingly.

Tommy shrugged. “Something like that.” For some reason, that struck Dream as odd, but he assumed it was just a joke, and headed up to his room for the night.

Life in the castle was strange. Tommy slept during the day and woke at night, which he supposed makes sense if he was albino like Dream suspected. Tommy didn’t bring anything up, but Dream went through the effort to start doing the same. The castle was eerie when he was all alone. That was another weird thing too. Dream was pretty sure he and Tommy were the only people living in the castle, but everything was always immaculate, his clothes always folded, food always provided (enough for him, Tommy seemed to eat at other times.)

Still, things were pretty cool. When Dream wasn’t walking the castle in awe, taking as many pictures as he could to send to the group chat (he’s not exactly sure Sapnap or Skeppy or Jack or Ant would appreciate it, but hopefully Niki and George and Bad and Sam) might like it.), he’d spend time with Tommy. Tommy was strange, but he was nice, though he hid it through his abrasive outer shell.

Things got strange, though, when Dream cut his finger. It was something stupid, a paper cut while reading with Tommy (he had an impressive library, Dream was pretty sure there was several massive historical finds in there, but Tommy mostly read shitty cheap new novels to laugh at them).

Dream grabbed his hand. “Can I kiss it better?”

Dream raised his eyebrows. “What? No, that’s weird. You’re, like, a baby-“

Tommy had already gone ahead, and if that was weird what happened next was weirder. Tommy grinned widely (did he always have fangs). “Mind if I have some more?”

“Tommy, stop. This weird vampire act isn’t funny.”

“Act?” Tommy laughed.

“What, are you delusional enough to think you’re actually a vampire?”

“You’re the delusional one, if you haven’t noticed,” Tommy laughed. “Look, let me show you something.” Tommy dragged Dream down into the dungeons, surprisingly strong for how frail he looked. Dream was surprised to not see the filthy, abandoned cells he expected. Instead, lying on individual altars were five people, some as young or younger than Tommy up to two who looked old enough to be his parents. Above them was an ornate portrait, showing what appeared to be the oldest of the two along with a younger Tommy, but with blue eyes, not the familiar red.

Holy shit. Holy shit, he wasn’t kidding. This was- this was honestly the fucking scrarist He turned to run, only for Tommy to grab onto his wrist, furrowing his brows. “Where are you going?” he said, genuine confusion in his voice.

“What do you think? You’re a- a monster!”

Tommy rolled his eyes. “Look, just admit you’re still baby raging over me beating you at Mario Kart last night.”

“What- no! I’m horrified because you- you shouldn’t be real! You’re a myth!” Dream was half hysterical.

“And I haven’t even introduced you yet,” Tommy mumbled in frustration, before speaking up. “Whatever weird human reason you have, you’re not leaving. Your blood tastes far too nice.”

“Let me go!” Dream shouted, desperately trying to pull free.

“Look, I’ll let you win at Mario Kart next time,” Tommy said with a shrug.

“This isn’t about Mario Kart!”

“Isn’t everything about Mario Kart? Oh, and women. The only things in the universe superior to Mario Kart. Actually-“

“Can you just shut up and explain what’s going on?!” Dream said half in terror and half in frustration. Tommy beamed.

“This is my family! There’s Eret,” he gestures to a fluffy haired brunet in an elaborate dress, “Foolish,” a copper haired, freakishly tall man, “they’re my parents. Well, my sires, but my actual parents were shite so I consider them my parents. They took me in when I was little! There’s also Tubbo,” a small boy around Tommy's age with messy mousy brown hair and severe burn scars, “Fundy,” a boy who couldn’t be any older than fourteen with long ginger hair, “and Wilbur!” a curly haired boy with a massive scar through his stomach. “They’re practically my brothers.”

“They’re sleeping. Have been for a while, we got hit by some pretty bad hunters, they need to heal. Probably won’t fully, honestly, which is shit. But they’ll wake up soon, and we can all be a real family! Oh, I’ll need some more blood bags- hey, give me your phone-“

“No!” Dream protested, but Tommy snatched it from his pocket, opening it up (did he steal his passcode) and looking at his contacts.

“Hmm… yeah, you’ve got enough people on here for me to track down. Niki… you’ve mentioned her a few times, I think she’d get along with Fundy… Jack Manifold… no one to notice him missing? Sam… ooh, he works in IT, I always wanted to know how the fuck computers work. Yeah, these'll do. Shouldn’t take too long to get them all, then everyone can wake up, and we'll be able to have some real fun then!”

If anyone else wants to send in some more AU ideas it’d be lovely and I will make them heavily involve c!primeboys no matter what and again that’s a challenge.

[lostcoves]

ft. asahi azumane x gn!reader

genre: fluff

wc & warnings: 1.2k | none

premise: in an attempt to kill pandemic boredom, you and your boyfriend attempt to find a new hobby together.

note: this is my piece for love and lockdown, a sinful sluts server collab! wanna thank @kkodzvken​ and @petalsrdead​ for being my beta readers!

“(y/n), be careful,” asahi commented to you when you hopped on his back to attempt the double plank yoga pose.

“don’t worry! i got this!” you exclaimed, positioning your feet by asahi’s neck. you gripped your hands on his legs and asahi pushed himself upward, the two of you achieving the double plank yoga pose.

“fuck yeah! we’re doing it!” you cheered.

asahi joined in on your cheers, “yeah! we are–” but the celebrations were cut short when asahi lost his balance, causing the two of you to go crashing down. limbs tangled up, you let out a huff of annoyance and grumbled to your boyfriend, “check yoga off the failed hobbies list.”

“sure thing,” he sighed, disappointed. 

spending time with your boyfriend was a good time. you loved your sweet asahi! but throw in a national lockdown due to a pandemic? then time with your boyfriend can turn unbearable very quickly. 

you remembered getting the notification on your phone that lockdown was in effect because of the coronavirus, a deadly virus that ravaged many nations. you and asahi, having lived together for a few months, were eating takeout from your favorite thai place when your phones buzzed with the message. 

“well, we gotta do something to pass the time in lockdown!” you proposed a list of hobbies the two of you could try while in lockdown. asahi was so happy to spend more time with you, the fashion company he worked for gave him time off because of the pandemic and at home assignments that could be completed whenever so he could dedicate more time to you. 

yet, neither of you realized how hard trying new hobbies out was.

hobby number one: mask making

asahi whipped out his two sewing machines and multi-colored cloth while you printed out the instructions on how to create a homemade mask. 

“so we just sew this end and that end?” you read off the guide, unsure of to sew a mask. asahi, ever the fashion designer, got it right off the back and got to work sewing. you, on the other hand, struggled to find the correct ends to sew and ended up creating an abomination of a mask. 

 “ta da!” asahi held up his completed mask, a beautiful masterpiece that could bring a grown man to tears. meanwhile, you held up your backwards, mismatched mask and chuckled nervously, “i don’t think i’m cut out for mask making, azu..”

“should we try a new hobby?”

“yes please.”

hobby number two: baking - more importantly, baking banana bread 

with an american chef/youtuber on in the background for motivation, you and asahi suited up to tackle the kitchen. dressed in matching aprons (created by asahi himself), the two of you approached the kitchen with gusto and confidence. 

“banana bread, huh?” asahi looked over the recipe you got off the internet. 

“it’s all the rage!” you announced, proud to be ahead of the trends. 

“this looks easy enough to make. wanna give it a try?” asahi proposed.

excited, you responded with a nod and you both got straight to work with dealing out the ingredients and prepping the oven for the banana bread. baking with your boyfriend was so romantic! you couldn’t wait to see the end product of your baking.

not even ten minutes later, you and asahi were standing in your kitchen, as the firefighters put off the enormous fire your banana bread caused. with your hair singed and asahi coughing up smoke, you deemed this hobby to be a complete and utter fail.

“new hobby?”

“new hobby.”

hobby number three - video games

“look what i got!” you showed off your new gaming console to asahi. his lips formed a small ‘o’ at the sight of the shiny console and he asked, “you got the new nintendo switch?!”

“yup! my parents sent this over to help us kill the boredom,” you whipped out a game case with the words ‘mario kart 8 deluxe’ on the cover, “and they sent a few games for us to play.”

“your folks are the best,” asahi laughed. 

“wanna play a round of mario kart?” you offered to your boyfriend.

“sure why not! it will be fun!”

it was, in fact, not fun.

asahi was a bit of a sore loser when it came to video games. after lost eleven– yes, eleven– races in a row, asahi was on the verge of breaking the console when you interjected.

“let’s do a new hobby, babe!”

“okay..”

hobby number four - making whipped coffee

“okay, i think we can do whipped coffee!” you clapped your hands together, staring at the spread of ingredients before you. asahi eyed the materials warily and asked, “are you sure that we’re not gonna burn the kitchen down.. again?”

“we won’t using an oven!” you countered.

“well.. alrighty then!” asahi smiled, grabbing the ingredients.

not even five minutes passed before the two of you were dealing with another banana bread incident, as the fire department put out the flaming blender. you sighed in frustration, covering your face in your hands at the sight. 

“new hobby?” asahi frowned.

“ugh.. yeah, new hobby,” you sighed.

hobby number five - painting

asahi went out and brought home some painting supplies. the two of you would paint one another, a cutesy couple activity. surely, you guys couldn’t mess up painting, right! right? right. 

“uh.. azu?” you paused from painting your boyfriend.

“yes, honey?” he asked, stopping his process as well.

“i think i’m allergic to the paint,” you held up your forearm where you had gotten some paint on. ugly red blisters broke out on your skin, traveling up your arm. asahi could only stare in surprise at the sight, unsure what to do.

“azumane, take me to the hospital. i’m about to go into anaphylactic shock.”

"yes, honey!”

to the present

you and asahi just failed couples’ yoga, your sixth attempt at gaining a pandemic hobby. annoyed and upset, you leaned your head against asahi’s shoulder, as he took some deep breaths. 

“so,” asahi peered over at you, “from attempting to find a new hobby, you made a monstrosity out of a mask, we burned down our kitchen, i almost broke your gaming console, we burned down our kitchen again, and we had to take you to the hospital for anaphylactic shock.. am i missing anything?”

“nope,” you popped the ‘p’ and huffed, “we suck at this.”

“agreed,” hummed asahi.

“there is one hobby we haven’t tried, though.”

“oh?” you caught asahi’s interest.

“couch surfing.”

thus, you and asahi made your way to your couch and pulled up netflix. down the rabbit hole you both went, as you found yourselves sucked into the world of anime and reality television shows. 

“this is the life,” asahi commented, holding you in his arms while you finished up another season of the american show friends.

“it is,” you nodded in agreement.

“totally beats baking and making whipped coffee.”

“oh for sure.”

[ggukkiedae]

hiii it’s me again hehe!! can i request hannah and yangyang playing video games together (like mario kart or just dance) and then they have a fun little penalty or smth?? i feel like it would happen irl for some reason 🤔-🍟

hi, bub, how are you? it’s nice to hear from you again 🥰 of course you can request! yangyang is pretty competetive and hannah (when in the right mood) can be the same, sooooo yeah this would totally happen at some point alsjdhhf i kinda built on it a little, if you don’t mind 🤧 but anyway here you are 💖

italics are for english, bold is for chinese

It was a loud night in the Lee Siblings Dorm. With both Yangyang and Haechan over and everyone having a free day the next day, The six members decided to gather in Mark and Hannah’s room for a mini Mario Kart tournament.

“No!” Haechan's cries of despair were all the other five could hear as he came in right behind Yangyang and coming in third. “Dammit, Yangyang! Haeeunnie, you have to avenge me.”

“I got you, Duckie,” Hannah laughed while Yangyang set up the next round. She turned to Yangyang with an open mouthed smirk, tongue pushing against her cheek the slightest bit. “How about we make this interesting, Schnucki?”

Yangyang turned to her with a raised eyebrow. “I’m listening.”

There was a slight tension in the air as the couple stared each other down. Haechan had a knowing grin on his face, already aware of what Hannah had up her sleeve. Mark popped some chips into his mouth as if he were watching a movie while Sungchan and Shotaro watched with wide eyes.

“If I win,” she began, “then you have to make it seem like you slept with me to Ten oppa and Kun baba.”

Yangyang gulped. Everyone knew that, out of all the NCT members, Kun and Ten were among the top overprotective members over Hannah. Well, after Haechan.

Haechan snorted at that, knowing that, despite Hannah and Yangyang both being adults, the news of them sleeping together would incur rage from Kun and Ten. Also Doyoung and Jungwoo, but going to the WayV dorms may be safer for this consequence because Johnny and Taeyong are quite unpredictable.

“Good luck, hyung,” Sungchan laughed after clarifying the proposed consequence to Shotaro. “I’ll try to make sure you at least have a body for your wake and funeral.”

“But we haven’t slept together,” Yangyang’s eyebrows furrowed. “Well, not in that way.”

“Which is why this’ll be funnier,” Haechan shrugged.

Hannah chuckled and reached back to fist bump him before turning back to Yangyang. “And, if you win, I’ll grant you a wish.”

“A wish?”

“Anything you want,” she smiled sweetly at him. A stupid grin spread across his face while he pulled out his phone.

“I don’t like where this is going,” Mark spoke up. “My bed is literally just across those cubbies.”

“Not like that, you loaf of white bread,” Hannah threw one of her throw pillows at him. “Save your fantasies for your girlfriend.”

“Hey! I don’t have fantasies about my girlfriend!”

"Yeah, well, half the world's population does." She shook her head at Mark's appaled expression and turned to Haechan and Shotaro who were both snickering. “I’m glad you two are enjoying this.”

“Start the game already,” Shotaro got out amidst his laughter.

She shook her head and started the game with Yangyang. Ten minutes, a lot of screaming, multiple bananas thrown, and a string of curses later, Hannah passes the finish line just a second before Yangyang. His anguished cries were drowned out by the sound of five people cheering.

He gave them an incredulous look. “Was no one on my side?”

“Sorry,” Shotaro laughed.

“Not sorry,” Haechan continued, “we all want to see you get beat up by Kun hyung and Ten hyung.”

“This will be fun,” Sungchan grinned.

Mark shook his head and got up. “I’ll get the first aid kit.”

“They’re not actually going to kill me, are they?” Yangyang looked at everyone who remained in the room. Upon seeing the looks on their faces, he let out a nervous chuckle. “I’m dead.”

He pulled out his phone and opened his message thread with Ten, knowing that the Thai boy was sitting in Kun’s room listening to drafts their leader had in his computer. He typed out a message before shutting his phone once again and proceeding to hide in Mark’s closet.

“I’m not here,” was the last thing he said before shutting the door.

Hannah chuckled and got up. “I made rabokki earlier today, and there’s pork belly in the fridge. You guys hungry?”

“Noona, you’re the best,” Sungchan grinned at her before racing out the door and towards the kitchen, Haechan hot on his heels.

“You don’t really think they would attack Yangyang, do you?” Shotaro asked her while helping her up. He helped her pick up the bags of chips left behind and let her loop her arm through his.

She laughed and guided him to the living room. “Sweet, innocent Roo. Keep your eyes on the living room door. In about 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1.”

Comically on cue, the door practically slams open as Ten's worried figure walks right in. He gathers her right into his arms, cradling her head to his chest, which proved a struggle considering her arm was linked with Shotaro’s. Kun slammed the door behind him and headed straight into her and Mark’s room.

“Where is he?”

Hannah and Shotaro exchange glances before Shotaro escapes her arm and pokes her cheek before rushing to the kitchen to keep Sungchan and Haechan there.

“Oppa, what are you doing?”

Ten dragged her to the couch and coddled her to himself. “My little baby was violated!”

She snorts, but let’s Ten do what he wants. From the sound of his voice, he was either about to break a person or break down crying.

Mark steps into the hall with the first aid kit in hand. “Oh, hey, hyung. What’s up?”

“How could you leave her alone with the sheep?”

The 99 liner was about to speak when the door next to him opened to Kun dragging a protesting Yangyang out into the living room by the ear. Hannah held back her laugh and tried to head to the kitchen. Keyword: tried.

“Not so fast, Hannah Lee,” Ten pulled her down next to him, “you’re not leaving my sight anytime soon. Mark, I’m sleeping over.”

“Knock yourself out.”

She watched in amusement while Kun dragged Yangyang onto the couch and stood in front of him. The WayV leader pulled out his phone and showed it at the maknae’s face.

“What is this?”

She squinted her eyes to read the screen. Yangyang’s message read ‘do you think the pill is good enough protection?’ and, once she read it, she burst into laughter. Kun turned to her with a stern look on his face.

“Huang Huanuo,” he faced her, “are you laughing right now? This is serious! Do you know what could happen? To both you and your career? Were you even ready? Did he pressure you?”

Yangyang looked appalled, “Wait, why am I the bad guy?”

“Not now.” Ten's glare combined with his serious voice silenced the younger.

“Baba, relax,” Hannah escaped from Ten's hold and placed her hands on Kun’s shoulders. “I know my limits, and I know whether I’m ready or not. You don’t have anything to worry about.”

Kun looked more stressed put than he ever did in his life. “Nothing to worry about? Huanuo, I know you aren’t ready to do something like that, especially this early in a relationship. When I tell you it’s okay to tell us if he pressured you rather than protect him, then it’s okay.”

“Besides,” Ten stood and placed a hand on her back, “the industry we’re in is cruel. If the pill doesn’t work, then you’re gonna be torn apart. I don’t want you getting hurt over him.”

“Relax, guys,” she shifted so she could face the two older members at the same time, “you don’t need to fight anyone. This was a prank. Like you said, baba, I’m not ready for anything like that.”

When the words registered in their head, she could see them physically relax. Kun pulled her into a hug, which she returned to somewhat apologize for making him panic. Ten in the meantime shook his head a little before bending down in front of Yangyang.

“You better be thankful this is a prank,” he threatened the younger. “I don’t care if we’re group mates. If I hear you hurt my baby in any way, shape, or form, or forced her into something she doesn’t want to do, you’ll cease to exist.”

Yangyang’s eyes widened as he nodded. “I won’t. Don’t worry.”

“Good.”

She chuckled at their exchange before patting Kun’s back. “You good, there?”

“I was so worried.” Kun buried his face into her hair. “Never ever do something like this again, okay? I almost had a heart failure.”

“Got it,” she smiled. “Do you guys want to stay for dinner? The six of us have rabokki and pork belly on the menu. I can whip up egg rolls.”

Ten looked confused. “Six of you?”

“Six of us.” Yangyang confirmed while standing up and pointing to the counter that separated the living room/dining area from the kitchen where four figures were poised. “Mark hyung, Haechan, Shotaro, and Sungchan are watching from there.”

The four in question waved while happily munching on chips as if it were pop corn. Hannah let go of Kun and proceeded to scold the four for eating chips right before eating dinner. Yangyang rushed over to help her set everything up.

“Good show, hyungs,” Haechan smiled brightly, “I enjoyed it. Understood nothing, but enjoyed it!”

Kun and Ten met eyes for a moment before Kun practically collapsed onto the couch in exhaustion.

“Hannah and Mark’s manager moving out is the worst decision the company has ever made.”

[jalebi-weds-bluetooth]

OTP Ask Memes Questions

Hello everyone, 

Thank you SO much for your questions guys. It is SUCH fun! With the flurry of questions I’ve sorted out things below as to questions that have been asked so as to you can ask the ones that haven’t been asked yet :) 

Also, I kinda answer 5ish questions a day (or perhaps more) so don’t worry if your ask hasn’t been answered yet - it’ll be answered the next day! 

Again, thanks a bunch for the questions!

1. Who wakes up first?

Answered here for Arnav & Khushi.

2. Who wants to stay in bed just a little longer?

Answered here for Arnav & Khushi.

3. Who takes longer getting ready?

Answered here for Arnav & Khushi.

4. When they can’t sleep, what do they do?

Answered here for Arnav & Khushi.

5. Who falls asleep while watching a movie?

Answered here for Arnav & Khushi.

6. Who falls asleep last, watching the other with a small affectionate smile?

Answered here for Arnav & Khushi.

7. Who comes up with the cheesy pick-up lines?

Answered here for Akash & Payal.

8. Who gets extremely competitive playing Mario Kart?

Answered here for Arnav & Khushi.

9. Who accidentally pushes a door instead of pulling?

10. Who sets the other’s ringtone to something loud and obnoxious behind their back?

11. Who rearranges the bookshelf/DVD shelf in alphabetical order?

Answered here for Arnav & Khushi.

12. Who does the hands-over-the-eyes “Guess Who” thing?

Answered here for Akash & Payal.

Answered here for NK & La.

Answered here for Arnav & Khushi.

13. Who points out a dog when they see one?

14. Who’s prone to road rage?

15. Who’s prone to wearing socks indoor (or to sleep)? 

Answered here for Arnav & Khushi.

16. Who reminds the other to put on sunscreen before going to the beach (or pool)? 

Answered here for Arnav & Khushi.

17. Who carries all the important documents while traveling?

Answered here for Arnav & Khushi.

18. Who gets the window seat?

Answered here for Arnav & Khushi.

19. Who puts their cold hands/feet on the other?

Answered here for Arnav & Khushi.

20. What do they argue about the most?

Answered here for Arnav & Khushi.

Answered here for Mahinder/Manorama.

21. Who’s clumsier?

Answered here for Arnav & Khushi.

22. Who texts more often?

Answered here for Arnav & Khushi.

23. Who is better with kids?

Answered here for Arnav & Khushi.

24. Who’s the better cook?

25. Who mistakes salt for sugar?

26. Who puts the fork in the microwave?

Answered here for Arnav & Khushi.

27. Who cooks at 2 in the morning?

28. Who lets the microwave play the loud beeping sound at 1 a.m.?

29. Who licks the spoon when they’re baking brownies?

Answered here for Arnav & Khushi.

30. Who likes doing the dishes?

31. Who has bigger cravings? What are they?

Answered here for Arnav & Khushi.

32. Who remembers what the other one always orders at a restaurant?

Answered here for Arnav & Khushi.

33. How do they eat ice cream? What’s their favorite flavors?

Answered here for Arnav & Khushi. 

34. Do they go on dates? What are they like?

Answered here for Arnav & Khushi.

Answered here for Anjali & Aman.

35. What do they smell when they smell amortentia?

Answered here for Arnav & Khushi.

36. Which one is the secret snuggler?

Answered here for Arnav & Khushi.

37. Which one offers their jacket to the other when they complain they feel cold?

Answered here for Arnav & Khushi.

38. Who reaches for the other one’s hand while driving?

Answered here for Arnav & Khushi.

39. Who leaves little notes in the other one’s lunch? (Bonus: What does it say?)

Answered here for Arnav & Khushi.

Answered here for Akash & Payal.

Answered here for Anjali & Aman.

40. Who is the most affectionate?

Answered here for Arnav & Khushi.

41. Who is the big spoon/little spoon?

Answered here for Arnav & Khushi.

42. What is their favorite feature of their partner?

Answered here for Arnav & Khushi.

43. What is the first thing that changes when they realize they have feelings for the other?

Answered here for Manorama/Mahinder.

Answered here for Anjali/Aman.

Answered here for Arnav & Khushi.

44. What are their nicknames for each other?

Answered here for Arnav and Khushi.

45. Who worries the most? Over what?

Answered here for Arnav and Khushi.

46. Who initiates kisses?

Answered here for Arnav & Khushi.

47. Who says I love you first? How did it happen?

Answered here for NK & La.

48. Who tells their friends/family about their relationship first?

Answered here for Mahinder/Manorama. 

Answered here for Aman/Anjali.

Answered here for NK & La.

49. What do they do when they’re away from each other?

Answered here for Arnav & Khushi.

Answered here for NK & La.

50. Who gets overwhelmed by small acts of kindness?

Answered here for Arnav & Khushi.

[blackhakumen]

Mini Fanfic #691: Mother Kagura Strikes Again (King of Fighters)

12:57 a.m. at the Sound Beach.......

Kyo: (Walking Next to Chizuru to the Large Beach House They Are Staying for the Week) Sheesh....I know our mission and the whole Verse fiasco would be challenging and all, but I didn't think it would be damn near confused! ('Sigh') So much for having a normal tournament for once....

Chizuru: There are a lot of things that we still don't know about the tournament yet, Kyo. It's best not to worry too much about it in this time of hour

Kyo: Yeah. I guess you have a point there. (Opens the Door For Himself and Chizuru) After all the crap we been through today, I'm just glad I get some shut- (Eyes Widened at What is in Front of Him) eye......

K': (Angrily Screams at the TV Screen While Playing Mario Kart 64 with Rock) You Goddamn, Motherfucking, PIECE OF SHIT!

Rock: Why do you keep yelling at the game for!? It's distracting!!

K': Maybe I wouldn't be pissy if that DUMBASS WARIO DIDN'T TRY AND SCREW ME OVER!!

Rock: K', this is 150cc Grand Prix. OF COURSE WARIO WOULD TRY TO SCREW YOU OVER! YOU NEED TO GET GOOD!

K': (Glares at Rock) YOU NEED TO SHUT UP!!

Shingo: (Loudly Cheers For Both Sides to Win the Race) COME ONE, YOU GUYS!! ONE OF YOU HAVE TO WIN AT SOME POINT! IT'S NOT THAT HARD!!

K': YOU AIN'T HELPING, KID!!!

Rock: He's right! You're.... really not helping us right now, Shingo! I'm sorry!

Shingo: I'M HELPING PLENTY!!!!

Kula: (Too Busy Happily Eating her Bowl of Ice Cream Throughout the Loud Chaos)

Kyo: The hell are we looking at right now?.....

Chizuru: (Sighs While Placing her Hand on her Forehead and Slowly Shaking her Head) I'm not even sure myself. But this must end....(Turns to the Group From a Distance) Everyone!!

The living room is still getting louder with bickering and rage until.....

Kyo: (Stomp his Feet to the Ground) HEY!!!!!

And with that, the group of four immediately stop at what they were doing turns to the Scared Treasures Duo in Silence, with K' and Rock slowly pausing the game altogether.

Shingo: O-Oh uhh...H-Hey, you guys! (Immediately Starts Chuckling Awkwardly) So how was your day together?

Kyo: Confusing and tiring. We were going to have ourselves an actual R&R till we saw you bozos acting a fool in Mario Kart.

Chizuru: (Crosses her Arms While Giving the Group a Motherly Glare) What have gotten into you four? Do you have any idea what time it is right now? Why on Earth are you all making a loud ruckus in the middle of the night?

Shingo: Just......(Slowly Begins to Shrugs) Cause?

Chizuru: Shingo-kun......Be honest.

Shingo: ('Sighs in a bit of Defeat') Okay. So....we didn't know how long you guys would be gone for. Soooooo....We decided to do stuff around the house to keep us company.

Rock: We ordered pizza, watched three movies....

Kula: (Smiles Brightly) I got ice cream!~

Rock: We made Kula a bowl of ice cream, and play some video games afterwards. With K' being a sore loser with all the games we've played so far....

Kyo: (Chuckles Lightly) Yeah. I can definitely believe that already.

K': (Glares at Kyo While Balling his Fist) You wanna an ass whooping session already, Kusanagi?

Kyo: (Gives K' a Smug Smirk on his Face) I like to see you try, Mr. Sore Loser.

Kula: (Giggles Softly at K's Dispense)

Chizuru: ('Sigh') No fighting each other please. It has been a long day and I believe it's high time for all of you to get a goodnight's rest.

Kula: (Immediately Starts Getting Sad) Awwwww.....Do we really have to go to sleep now?

Chizuru: (Simply Nodded) I'm afraid so, my dear. I'm certain that Maxima and Serah wouldn't be too happy to see either of you don't get enough sleep, now would they?

Kula: ('Sighs in Defeat') Noooo....They won't......

K': (Rolled his Eyes) They'll probably start chewing out ears off if they notice we've been dozing off....

Rock: Same with Mary. (Chuckles Lightly) Though, I'm pretty sure she would give some sort of stern lecture about the importance of getting sleep or whatever. Still love her though.

Kyo: What about Shingo over here? (Gives Shingo a Smug Smirk as Well) I'm sure Momma Kagura wouldn't be too pleased to see her boy dozing off either

K': ('Heh') Yeah. We wouldn't want that now would we?

Shingo: (Glares at Kyo and K') Really, you guys? You think just because I called Chizuru-Senpai "mom" once, you just assumed that she would be worried about me 24/7?

Kyo: Yep.

K': Pretty much.

Rock: (Slowly Starts to Shrug) I mean, you did call her mom

Kula: (Happily Nodded in Agreement) Mmhmm~

Shingo: Yeah, well.....Too bad! (Crosses his Arms) Cause there's no way that would ever happened-

Chizuru: On the contrary, Shingo-kun, Kyo is right.

Shingo: Yeah! You tell 'em, senp- (Eyes Widened at What Chizuru Just Said) W-W-What now?

Chizuru: I said that Kyo is right, Shingo-kun. (Gives Shingo a Genuine, Worried Look on her Face) I would've been very worried if you haven't gotten yourself enough sleep throughout the week.

Kyo: (Smirk Grew a bit Wider at Shingo) You were saying?

Shingo: I-I-I....('Sighs in Utter Defeat') I'll get enough sleep for your sake, senpai....

Chizuru: (Smiles Softly) Thank you. I hope the rest of you would do the same.

K': Whatevs. (Goes Upstairs) I'm going to bed.

Kula: (Waves at Everyone Else While Following K') Goodnight, everybody! Sweet dreams!~

Rock: (Yawns While Making His Way to his Room As Well) I might as well get some shut eye too. Been a long day....

Shingo: Same. (Waves at Kyo and Chizuru) Goodnight, Kyo. Goodnight, mo- (Eyes Widened Again Once He Realized What he Was About to Say) I-I-I MEAN! S-S-SENPAI...uhh-

Kyo: (Chuckles Lightly at Shingo's Dispense) Go to bed already, you momma's boy.

Chizuru: (Giggles Softly Waves at Shingo) Have a goodnight sleep, my dear son~

Shingo: (Blushes Before Sighing Heavily) Okayyyy.....(Slowly Makes his Way to his Room)

Kyo: (Watches Shingo Going to his Room With an Amused Look on his Way) I swear. That dork is too easy sometimes.

Chizuru: You go to bed too, Kyo.

Kyo: (Eyes Widened in Complete Shock While Turning to Chizuru) Wait, what!? Why me too?

Chizuru: We have a busy day ahead of us tommorow. You need just as much as sleep as everyone else in this house.

Kyo: Yeah, but I'm practically an adult now. I'm way too mature to get tired that easily.

Chizuru: (Has a Unconvinced Look on her Face) Right....And tell me. (Raised an Eyebrow) How are things going for you in high school as of late?

Kyo: (Went Completely Silent for a Few Seconds Before Sighing and Making his Way to his Room as Well) I'll see you in morning, Chizuru......

Chizuru: (Giggles Softly) Likewise, Kyo. Goodnight.

'Room Door Close'

Chizuru: (Sighs While Sitting Herself Down on the Living Room's Sofa and Frowns a bit in Worry) Verse....Orochi.....All of these things and more are a lot more troubling to think about for my liking. Who knows what this tournament will have in store us.....(Looks up and See the Nintendo 64 is still on) Hmm.....Well....(Smiles a Little While Picking Up a Controller herself) I suppose a simple game of Mario Kart could help ease my mind for a bit.

And with that, Chizuru at some video games till she eventually fall asleep on the sofa.

@keyenuta

@kof-headcanons

@kingoffighters

@caleb13frede

@italian-love-cake

@snk-universe

@albion-93

@ma-lemons

@pkrhythm12

[augmented-beauty]

For the OTP ask meme, 8, 11, 14, 43 and 40 for Alex and Adam, please? 😊💙✋

AWWW YIIIS, I missed my babies, I needed that 🥺 43 is extra-long, literally a long ass rant full of warm, fuzzy feelings. 

8. Who gets extremely competitive playing Mario Kart? Alex, hands down. Like, she does in a cute way, being extra focused (yes, also sticking her tongue out a bit in concentration), gaze glued to the screen...it's still full of giggles and funny reactions that are so typical from her, though

11. Who rearranges the bookshelf/DVD shelf in alphabetical order? I can see Adam doing it. Alex sorts things following her heart, in a rational order of her own, and books are sorted by height. She'd definitely admit that his method is handy, though. Probably wouldn't have the will to do it herself, but that's another story

14. Who’s prone to road rage? Oooh, definitely Alex. She's the one with a temper after all. It never crosses any line, but you can be sure she might get sassy and swear while driving

40. Who is the most affectionate? Honestly? Hard to say. They're both very affectionate with each other, especially behind closed doors. Quite PDA friendly, too. I'd say Alex only because she's already comfortable with showing affection in public, too, respecting his boundaries and decency, of course. Adam needs a bit more time for that, but at some point, he just can't help himself anymore. He fell head over heels, after all.

43. What is the first thing that changes when they realize they have feelings for the other? Oh dear oh dear. Alexandra is a little shit about it. She already knows she fell hard for Adam when she moves to Prague, it's literally the reason why she applied for Miller's team. At first, nothing seems to be too different about her, she's simply even more affectionate than before, still in a friend-like way. It doesn't seem odd either, as they haven't seen each other that much for literally two years for so many reasons. It's once she realises that Adam might have feelings for her too that things start to change a little. Here and there, she gives him subtle hints, kinda teases him, but always respects his boundaries. She knows him too well, Alex knows that even in the case he does have feelings for her, Adam needs some time to figure things out, to think, to be ready. That doesn't stop her from trying and speed things up a little bit, though. 

On the other hand, Adam doesn't change much on the outside. But there's a hurricane on the inside. He finds himself pondering a lot but feeling a bit guilty for it at the same time. Adam knows damn well he can trust Alex completely, that she'd never hurt him in any way, and yet, it's not that easy for him, not after Megan. Still, despite his insecurities, he finds himself thinking about her. Day by day, he notices more and more things that make him understand how he can't see her as "just" a friend anymore. Adam realises just how much her laugh and smile make him happy and warm his heart, even more so if he made her laugh or smile, how her kindness has him flat on his ass, how important she really is for him. And of course, he finds himself admiring her beauty, noticing little traits that he never saw or that never found as cure or beautiful as he does now. Her fashion sense also affects him in a completely new and different way. The way she wears her eye-liner, the shade of lipstick she picks for the day, the way her clothes hug her so nicely and fit her so well, how all of the above is yet another way she has to express her personality...his mind is overloading in a nice way for once. Adam knows he's doomed as soon as he finds himself imagining how her curls must feel under his touch, or wishing to caress her, kiss her, cuddle with her. Adam is sure she does see that something is off with him here and there, Alex knows him too well not to notice, but despite his uncertainties, he doesn't mind.

[imagine-loki]

The Slutty Webs One Weaves

Title : The Slutty Webs one Weaves

Chapter NO. 8

ORIGINAL IMAGINE: Imagine Loki’s Asgardian wife learns women write fanfiction about him on a trip to Midgard. She’s edgy for the duration and lets him have it when they get back.

Author: lokilover9

Rating: M

Pepper returned from the lobby to an edgy Tony. "Was Hannah down there? What took you so long to answer your phone?"

"No and I was talking to someone."

"You stalled to make new friends? I worried you were dragging said witch up here in a headlock."

"Wrong. Is Loki still consoling Brianna?"

"Yes."

Pepper dropped a mini bomb and Tony disconcertedly sighed. "He isn't going to like this." The couple appeared at the guest room door. "Hey, Little Warrior. Feeling any better?"

She nodded.

"Badass and I wondered if you'd stick around. Maybe Daddikins can conjure Mario Kart? I miss you kicking my tushy."

Virginia's nervous smile had Loki encouraging it and once Tony had Brianna distracted, they slipped out of sight. She conveyed returning to the Tea shop, claimed Hannah resembled an old friend and asked which direction she'd gone in. The cashier said she did a double take at something in the lobby, appeared as though seeing a ghost and dashed towards the hotel exit without her purchases.

Loki's face became a storm of tumultuous emotions and she startled when a snap of his fingers conjured a book.

"Should I have said nothing?"

He cynically chuckled, scanning the title pages. "Ever thought your God in heaven found amusement in bombarding your life with fuckery, like the Norn's do mine? The arm of his celestial robe hanging high while he mockingly inspires you with a goblet of mead? 'Rise up, Homes. I'm off for a shag with Mary.'"

"All Midgardians have."

"Have all dragged their only friends into Alice's fucking wonderland where the big bad wolf keeps hounding at the door? Excuse me, I'm intertwining fairy tales."

"Probably half. Are you okay?"

"Right as rain, girlfriend. Right, found it. I haven't used this spell on a child and need the right measurement of ingredients."

She nervously stumbled over a pair of small shoes. "A 'spell???'"

"To make Brianna sleep. Shhh. I must concentrate."

She watched, dazzled, as tiny bottles appeared mid air and part of their contents emptied into his cupped palm. Moving it in a circular motion, they combined like fluid sand, glowed a soft white, then faded into transparent flakes as the book and bottles vanished.

"Calmly return to the main room with me?"

They did just as Tony blundered a turn at Mario. "I'ma gonna givva you such a smacka, you cartoon pisano."

When Brianna laughed, Loki waved his hand before her face from behind. "Forgive me, Min Lille."

"D..dad���"

Tony caught her. "What's up with the magically induced coma?"

"She's better off." Said Loki, sharper than intended.

Stark situated Little Warrior while he paced, grinding a fist into his palm. There hadn't been time to process any definitive plans to apprehend Brianna's captors and discovering the fourth incited a rage only her reciprocated love had contained. Now, his nerves were stretched to their limits, forcing him to convey more than he wanted, risk finally reaching out for help and configure one. Fast.

"Scotch, Snowflake?"

He sighed heavily and stopped. "I must keep a clear head and so should you. The secrecy and lies, the hiding, everything I've done has been to protect Brianna and yourselves since the instant she graced my life. If I'm to continue, we need to trust each other completely. No matter how disturbing my information, you will make no inquiries, tell no one and from here forth, do 'exactly' as I say. Should you veer off course, we leave for real and you'll be fighting a dangerous battle alone. You may regardless if I can't contain Thor's rage over this."

"A battle with who?"

"This will hit home, Tony. Give me your word."

"It's yours, Pepper's too, right?" She nodded. "For insurance, she can text you a pic of me in a chastity belt. Hell, send it to Jimmy Kimmel. Are we good?"

"I'd rather you signed a wager to become a goat. How much longer is your suite booked for?"

"Another ten days."

"Virginia, pack for a week please? I need your help with Brianna at a safe house. Tony, contact your pilot. You're going home."

"Alex is in Aruba celebrating his girlfriend's breast implants. 'Why' Loki?"

"Fuck." He muttered. "Because I'm certain Fury's involved in Brianna's existence and you 'don't' want him up your shit when you aren't there. He was fucking Hannah and six and half years ago, introduced her and Jillian to Viriginia at his fiftieth birthday bash."

Tony slid both hands down his face. "I..shit..whoa. How do you know that and who's Jillian?"

Pepper frantically retraced her memory. "Jillian...was she the petite brunette with doe like eyes?"

"Congratulations." Loki replied. "You've also met Brianna's Mother. It's all in her diary."

"WHAT?!?" Said the couple, shocked.

"Save your questions! If Brianna's the reason Hannah bailed, by now the evil foursome knows she's escaped and you're aware she exists. Were I Fury, I'd be gathering my accomplices for interrogation, initiating a low key search for the four of us and putting eyes on the Tower 'and' Thor, where he'll find Astrid. Please, 'help me.'"

"Okay, okay. Can you teleport me back?" Asked Stark.

"No. Fury knows I have that ability. If S.H.I.E.L.D's watching and never see you enter…"

"What the fuck? You think they're involved too?"

"Oh my god." Said Pepper.

Loki tuned them out and conjured a bag of burner phones. "Book a seat on the next flight out in any class. Delete our past conversations and cease using your phones to contact me. If Brianna awakens, have her call me on one of these. I'll be back before dawn."

"You're leaving???"

"Yes. To relocate Astrid and warn Thor. Wish me luck he doesn't break New Mexico."

Loki vanished into a portal leaving the couple aghast.

"Well Butch, we're up to our eyeballs in another shit storm. I should've ignored the flu and gone with you that night."

She cracked a tiny smile. "Before or after you fell asleep next to the toilet?"

Tony nodded, observing Brianna in her slumber. "And dreamt Buzz Lightyear brought me our duvet."

"High fevers induce hallucinations. That was me in a white pants suit."

"You sure sounded like 'Tim The Toolman Taylor.'

He was doing it again. Comedically rambling off topic to cushion the blow of a truth that rubbed him wrong from every angle.

"Tony?" Said Pepper.

"Hm?"

"Promise no veering? I haven't trusted Nick since Steve found those weapons on the Helicarrier."

"None of us Avengers do either. I won't, he's too dangerous. With the ability to fuck us over worse than any accusations of harboring a missing child could. Virginia..this is bad. What more was in that diary?"

"It is, but we have to stay focused. A sleep deprived, frazzled Loki discovering we aren't ready, won't want to talk. I'll get our suitcases."

Tony followed. "Did you bring a warm coat? I'll bet he conjured that safehouse in the Siberian Tundra." ***** Loki first returned to their room to collect his and Brianna's things. Time was crucial, but before seeking Astrid, he needed to tune into her ring. Left on, it steadily recorded her and using a hologram, he rewound to the day he departed Asgard and quickly scanned through the mundane.

He watched her pained reaction to his note, heard hers and Frigga's spiteful words, witnessed their treatment of Thor, heard himself being defended, their following remorse and the lies conjured betwixt Mother and son. Although impressed by Frigga duplicating Astrid's ring, he wasn't in the mood for another presumed 'lecture on morality' and fast forwarded to them parting ways in Asgard.

Night after night, he saw Astrid entering Ingrid's bed chamber and once heard his Mother in law scolding a hidden Roddy from her doorway. "Doth's thou newest mistress prefer perfuming as well? Your stench giveth you away."

He'd have laughed if not for Astrid's tears, but when forwarding to the present, she wasn't sleeping at Thor's. His means of travel would remain portals and high on adrenaline, he arrived to gather her belongings and cringed at the sounds of lovemaking.

"That's it princess. Take your Kings tallywacker like a good girl."

'Norns.' Loki conjured more burner phones, blared the living room's television and Thor came running, cock at full mast. "Brilliant way to greet an intruder, dingus."

"Brother!" Thor exuberantly bellowed on approach.

Loki conjured a dagger. "Hug me naked and tallywacker gets beheaded. Where's Astrid?"

"At the Rosewood."

Loki frowned. "You let my wife, who hops realms on a fucking whim, stay at a hotel???"

Jane came rushing down the stairs in a Betty Boop robe and he arched a brow. "Hi, Loki. It's only for two nights and she offered to give us time alone."

Thor's smile faded. "I didn't hear anything in the guest bedroom. Did you bug our house?"

"Yes, brother. 'I', snagged a side job installing covert surveillance on Midgards superheroes. Spark another spliff and do cover your cock?"

Jane did with a decorative plate from the dining table. "Astrid's room number is 718."

"She won't be returning. Do not leave, answer the door, your calls, or open the blinds. I 'will be' returning, but briefly."

In a flash, he was gone and Jane looked up at Thor. "I can't call in this soon, my vacation just ended."

"Loki wasn't asking, Jane. Something's awry." ***** Astrid had risen early and after seeking ice, dropped the bucket upon discovering Loki in her room. Accustomed to wearing Midgardian attire, her blue jean leggings contoured her shape, highlighted by a white tank beneath a second of mesh knit. Her blond waves cascaded down her breasts and she looked so virginal without makeup, his loins ached.

"Hello, my lovely."

Unsure what Thor had conveyed, she hesitated approaching. "Hi. I would offer you a drink but..." She knelt to gather the cubes and hide a falling tear. "I hav..haven't any liquor."

Loki lovingly gathered her into his arms. "Astrid."

"Forgive me, Min kjærlighet." She sobbed. "I made you run when needing me most."

He kissed her lips and cheeks. "I ran for a multitude of reasons, but have left Brianna sleeping to come for you."

"You knew I was on Midgard?"

"Not until recently and you mustn't be angry with Thor for not conveying so. He stayed silent at my request, even to Jane and was oblivious to our location. You mean the world to me as does Brianna now too, but something's gone wrong and I fear you're both in danger. It would take too long to explain and there's so much I must before you meet."

"Then let's return to Asgard. Wouldn't we be safe there?"

"We can't yet."

She slowly slid from his embrace, confused. "Brianna's in danger, yet isn't with you or Thor. She's with Tony and Pepper isn't she?"

"Yes, my lovely, but you can't be angry with them either. They've been wonderful to her."

"I'm not, I'm sad again. Everyone knew about her before me. What does that say about 'us', Loki? Are we okay?"

He embraced her again. "Yes. Darling, Tony, Pepper and Thor knew of her before I did too and you knew before Jane."

"Really? Wait, Thor lied to myself and your Mother?"

"Astrid, please. He had to, they too might be in danger and Brianna will panic if I'm not there when she awakens. Come with me to a temporary location until everybody's situated?" Loki kissed her hands. "It means being shielded from Heimdall for a while. If not, Thor can..."

She hastily kissed him. "I'm not returning to Asgard without you."

Loki wanted to bed her until she wailed his name so loud, her voice cracked every window in the hotel. "Prepare thyself, my lovely. You're going underground."

While she checked out, Loki ventured to Alberta and created her a lesser version of their bedchambers in Asgard.

Astrid caressed the beds plush duvet of greens and gold. "You replicated everything."

He conjured her luggage. "I wanted you to feel at home."

She smiled. "I'll be okay, Loki. Go."

With a newfound determination, Loki returned to Thor. "I thank the Valhallas you've dressed."

"You've seen me naked before, brother."

Loki addressed Jane. "He was playing nude hide and seek in the backwoods with some maidens, late for another archery lesson. Our father sent me searching. Without appearing rude, may we please have a moment alone?"

She frowned at Thor. "I'll be in the garage inflating my bicycle tires."

Thor waited for the door to close. "You could've said we were teens. How have we been compromised?"

"Clever, brother."

"Are Brianna and Astrid safe?"

Loki nodded.

"Flying human and Virginia?"

"Not if Jane talks."

A loud growl from Thor soon had her running back inside. "Holy shit on a pogo stick!"

He was standing in the living room holding their heavy glass coffee table above his head with Loki in his face. "Throw that and it vanishes before landing."

"Then I'll break something else!"

"This is why I kept information from you! Think rationally, Thor. Your neighbors will post this all over social media. How will that benefit any of us?"

He gently placed it down. "Brother, he..a child?"

"I know, but please let me handle it my way?"

"She's your daughter. I respect that. What do you need from us?" Loki eyed Jane and Thor sighed. "Yes, you can trust her."

When he was done talking, she hurled on the carpet while Thor pondered murdering Fury.

Loki used magic to clean it up. "You have my instructions. No interfering."

"We understand, brother. Go." ***** After leaving the Savoy, Hannah had rushed to the nearest pharmacy and returned to her hotel, spitting sparks. "That lying bitch! Her little brat does have powers!" She checked out, checked into another across town and called her boyfriend. He answered from a plane on it's way to England.

"Hello, pretty lady. Did you enjoy your heart throbs play? Wish I could've come."

Hannah eyed the stolen silk tie Tom had used to bound her wrists the night before and deviously grinned. 'I don't. Hiddleston and I hooked up.' "Tom was amazing." 'With a dick that makes yours look microscopic.' "How was Mrs. Finkelsteins second facelift?"

"Useless, but she's rich. I bought you some new lingerie."

"Did you keep the receipt? I'm breaking up with you."

"Hannah, why? What will I tell my parents?"

"Life doesn't always work out as planned? Don't miss your connecting flight to Sweden. Bye."

She hung up, turned her ringer off and opened a box of black hair dye. "Now that I'm screwed, so are you 'Pepper Potts' and your billionaire boyfriend."

[andimlonely]

You Shine

BNHA; Denki Kaminari x f!reader | With finals approaching, your diligence is cranked up to the highest setting, but after rarely seeing you outside of class for a few days, Denki has to step in before you run yourself into the ground.

✿♦ Fluff and angst 

A/N: I was struggling with this one for awhile but I think I like how it turned out in the end. Listening to this: https://youtu.be/AGtKpeY6UqI really helped to inspire me, because it captures the feeling of the angsty moments well. Really, a lot of the angst I write will probably pair well with that song if it’s not super heavy. I hope you enjoy this one, and maybe even find some comfort in it if you can relate! 

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

“Heya, (y/n),” greets Kaminari as he strolls into your room casually, as he always does, clad in a black tank and grey track pants.

You lift your head and glance over your shoulder at him from your desk, noticing the dampness of his forehead and hair, “Hey, Denki. What’s up?”

“Nothin’ much. Kiri and I just got back from the gym. Can ya tell?”

It takes one glance at your blond friend’s silly pose, an attempt to flex all the muscle he purported to have, for you to chuckle, “Yeah, I can tell.”

He chuckles along with you, retorting that maybe he isn’t all muscular yet but he’ll get there, and dropping down onto your baby blue beanbag chair - and probably widening the small but worrisome ripped seam that you have yet to sew back up. 

While he makes himself comfortable, you continue to tap at your keyboard, then pause to read, then tap away again, a monotonous cycle that threatens to lull him into a boredom-induced nap. By now Denki is used to the sight, having learned of your diligence before he even got to know you personally. In fact, it was due to Aizawa’s praise towards the students with perfect scores on the first exam that he reached out to you in the first place. With Yaoyorozu overbooked for studying sessions, it was between you and Midoriya, and while he had nothing against his freckled classmate, he wasn’t going to choose him as a tutor when there was someone cute and just as capable available. 

But despite how accustomed he is to seeing you hunched over your desk, he’s no less dismayed. 

“Don’t tell me you’re still studying,” he groans, his head tossed back against the beanbag. 

The rhetorical nature of the question has you playfully rolling your eyes. “Should I even answer that? Besides, have you even started studying? Finals are next week.”

“It’s Monday! This week just started and you’re already worrying about the next one?”

He really won’t let this go. Exasperated, you drop your pen and swivel around so you can plead him to let you study.

“Denki,” you whine, “We’ve been over this. Cramming at the last minute isn’t a good idea, didn’t you learn that after the last math test?”

He cringes at the mention, raising his hands defensively, “Alright, alright. I’ll let you study, but you’re still playing games with us later. I’m not gonna let you ditch me for some homework.”

“Fine,” you sigh with exaggerated reluctance. Secretly, as exhausted by Denki’s refusal to let you work in peace you are, you’re endeared by how persistently he tries to give you a break. Taking a little time to go get food with your best friend, or watch a movie, or anything really, sounds especially fun right now. Almost fun enough to loosen your tight study schedule, almost.

It’s not as if you want to study, or that it’s some kind of recreational activity for you. Flicking endlessly through pages, straining your eyes scanning line upon line of text, and scrawling numbers and letters that become progressively less neat in your notebook are all pretty dreadful to you. But the prospect of being handed back an assignment marked with anything less than 90% possesses your body to keep at it. The weight of maintaining such a strict regimen might strain your shoulders, but the weight of failing or underperforming threatens to crush you. And as much as you want to let it every now and then, you sweep the idea aside by burying your nose into your work. 

With a reminder that you have a few hours until you have to report to Jirou’s room for some gaming, Kaminari dismisses his still mildly sweaty self for a much needed shower. 

----

You spent that night huddled between Jirou and Denki for a couple hours, immersed in the almost evenly matched brawling of Smash Ultimate and the tumultuous rollercoaster of a game that is Mario Kart, among other games. It felt nice to indulge in something fun for awhile, even more so surrounded by your friends, but before it went on for too long you excused yourself back to your room for the night. 

That was the last time Denki and Jirou had seen you outside of class not hunched over a book or your computer, or training furiously at the gym. Needless to say, your absence from the group activities, and spaces outside your room in general - besides meals - quickly grew worrisome. 

“Dude, I haven’t seen (y/n) out here like all week,” Kaminari frowns, “I get it’s finals almost, but she’s kinda pushing it, don’t you think?”

Jirou, after taking a drink from her water bottle, sits on the adjacent sofa. “Definitely. I tried dragging her out earlier but she was asleep at her desk.” 

“Damn, dude. All she does is homework and study. I’m getting kinda worried about her.”

You might be what Denki considers an overachiever, but he’s never seen you this determined, except maybe during practical exams and of course during the many villain encounters the class has endured. But as for school work, you’re never this obsessed.

“We should try talking to her or something,” Jirou suggests, sharing in the blond’s concern for you.

“She’s so stubborn though. I tell her to take it easy all the time, she just won’t have it.”

“That’s not what I meant. Of course she’s not gonna listen if you tell her to take a break. I meant ask her why she’s so stressed in the first place. Maybe something else is bothering her.”

For some reason, the idea that something besides compulsion and maybe a little masochism is fueling your tireless work hadn’t occurred to him before. 

Denki crosses his arms, “Ya think?”

It makes sense as he considers the idea. But what could be so compelling to keep you chained to your desk everyday? He isn’t sure, but he aims to find out.

----

You barely hear the knocking over the audio playing in your earbuds, the explanation of a scientific concept you find too abstract put on hold as you answer the door.

“Denki. You knocked,” you say, eyebrows hovering far above your eyes.

Your eyes. You look so tired. Denki is struck by the darkness encircling your usually bright (e/c) irises, now swimming with tired determination.

“I know,” he replies, his hand stroking the back of his head as he steps into your room, “I dunno why.”

The curtains are loose, completely shielding your room from any light that could spill in from the night sky, though it could surely use some; your table lamp is the only source of light in the dimly lit room. In the dark he can still make out the clothes and few other items littering the floor around you, probably accumulating from all the time you sank into your studies this week.

“I assume you’re here to tell me I need a break, but I already took one. I watched youtube for an hour or so,” you inform him, a tired smile on your lips.

His smile is weak, and you notice it. “Not bad.”

He’s too quiet. 

“What’s wrong?”

A nervous chuckle falls from his lips, “Nothing’s wrong.” 

“Then.. Why are you so quiet?”

The only times Denki ever acted this strange were after brushes with villains, and that time he was feeling insecure about his critical thinking on the field, so you know better than to believe nothing is bothering him. 

“Ah.. guess I’m just tired. Aren’t you?”

“A little,” you confess, your fingers tugging at the hem of your t-shirt. “But I can’t stop now. I’ve gotten a lot done, but I still have lots to finish.”

“Dude,” your friend whines, and you sigh, already ready to protest his insistence that you’re pushing yourself too far. “I know you don’t wanna hear this, (y/n), but you really need to take a break. We haven’t even seen you out of your room since the other day, except for dinner.” 

“Denki, I don’t have time for this..”

“I’m serious, (y/n). We’re getting worried about you. Not even just me and Jirou, but the others too.”

“Worried? I’m fine.” 

Even you don’t sound so sure, your stare locked on anything that isn’t Denki. 

He drags a hand down his face, groaning once again. Maybe his pestering is annoying, but enough is enough. He would rather risk you hating him for a little while than let you run yourself into the ground like you’ve been. 

“(y/n), look. I get you’re driven and all, but it’s okay to take a break, you know?,”

“No, Denki, it’s not okay! It’s not chill, or cool, or fine! I have to pass - no, I have to ace these tests!” 

Your outburst has him taken aback, and he places a hand on your shoulder, eyes like honey saturated with sincerity.

“Hey, hey. (y/n). They’re just tests, relax.” 

“Relax”..? The word alone has you flying into a fit of rage. How could he possibly expect you to just relax, as if it’s easy, as if you can erase the glaring red numbers that flash through your mind any time your hands aren’t busy. As if the imaginary anvil hanging over your head will just disappear if you pretend it isn’t there. As if you can even dig yourself out of the mounds of paper you’re swimming in in the first place. 

“They’re not, though! Why aren’t you getting that?! Maybe you don’t feel an urgency to do well, but I do, why is that wrong?”

Denki has never seen you this distressed before, and he only grows more alarmed by the way your eyes grow glassier every time you speak. 

“It’s not wrong, (y/n).. But obsessing about it like this is. It’s not like you’re anywhere close to failing your classes, so why is this freaking you out so much?”

“Because it’s the only thing I have! If I don’t do well academically then --” 

Before the rest can escape, you cut yourself off, halting the flood of words that threaten to break through your lips. Your wrap your arms around yourself, your fingers pressing firmly into your arms.

But Denki can’t forget what you’ve said. He has to know. Why are you so desperate to prepare for these finals?

Rather than try to make you look him in the eye, he steps into your line of sight again, urging you to finish your thought. 

“Then what..?” 

Half of your face is illuminated by the glow of your lamp and computer, a gleaming droplet rolling down the slope of your cheek. Your breaths stutter faintly. The silence feels thick, so gripping in the absence of your raised voice from just moments ago. The room’s energy might have diminished but the weight of your emotion clings to the air.

“T-then I.. don’t stand out at all,” you murmur, all the defensiveness from before drained from your voice.

‘(y/n)...’

His hand is raised as if reaching weakly out to you, but you turn your back to him.

“What are you talking about?..” 

‘Isn’t it obvious?’

“My quirk isn’t really exciting, and my field work is fine but it’s not outstanding.. If I can’t ace every test, then there’s nothing exceptional about me at all. I’m just.. mediocre without my academics.” 

And you struggle to even stand out then. Yaoyorozu, Iida, Deku.. even Bakugou. All of them are just as, maybe even more, focused on their grades and just as often share in your tendency to receive high marks. It’s not as if you want them to fail; you even admire their intelligence and diligence, but sometimes, sometimes it seems so unfair. They already have such amazing quirks, make such an impression whether they’re participating in something controlled like the Sports Festival or finding creative ways to elude villains. They already seem like heroes. Why can’t you have just one moment to feel that capable, even if your moment is confined to the classroom?

“(y/n).. Hey, that’s not true. You’ve got it all wrong. There’s tons of stuff about you that stands out.”

By now your shoulders are shaking, every drop of frustration and exhaustion you locked away to be able to focus on your studies over the week seeping out of you at once. 

“Like what, that I’m the least interesting student in the class?” 

Denki’s chest stirs with a guilt-like feeling. How could you think this way? How could all this fear and insecurity you’ve been carrying have slipped past him? Quirk aside, he isn’t the brightest, but he thought he at least knew you well enough to notice when something is wrong.

He moves in front of you, and seeing you have your head lowered, he crouches before you so his face is in sight.

“No. Like how great you are at thinking on your feet. And how much you trust other people, instead of just taking the reigns every time you’re working with them. And all the creative ways you use your quirk. I’d never be able to think up stuff like that if I were you. Hell, I couldn’t even think of a way around the obstacles of my quirk without some help.”

“But.. what if my quirk just isn’t special enough?..”

“Hey. I get it. Sometimes it can feel like the rest of us fade into the background when you look at people like Bakugou or Todoroki. They seem like they’re lightyears away from us sometimes, and it can be kind of a downer. But just look at all the times relying on their quirk wasn’t even enough.”

“Yeah.. I guess so.”

He continues.

“I mean, yeah, quirks are pretty important, and powerful ones get all the attention. But if the only thing you have going for you is your quirk, I dunno, I doubt you’re gonna get very far. Don’t you think? I mean maybe if I was as smart as you I’d have a lot more brain cells left after using my quirk for a long period of time,” he jokes, tender smile deepening when you crack a laugh of your own.

“I guess I’m trying to say.. Your quirk is just as cool as anyone else’s, but it only is because you made it that way. You don’t have to ace every test to stand out, because you already shine without that. But it’s not like you even have to try that hard to do well, right? So just.. Keep being you.”

“I.. shine?”

“Even without your quirk, or your good grades,” he nods, rising to his feet, “You’re already awesome without all that.”

Without warning, your arms are wrapped tightly around him, your face buried into his shoulder, dampening his shirt somewhat as the tears you were suppressing flow free - not that he cares. You could blow your nose with this shirt and he wouldn’t mind if it meant he got to feel you like this. With the arm not trapped in your embrace, he squeezes you closer.

“I’m sorry for yelling at you,” you mumble into his shoulder.

“It’s okay. You’re kinda cute when you’re mad anyway,” he grins, half expecting you to shoot him a playful glare, but you stay nestled in the fabric of his t-shirt instead. “So you promise you’re gonna slow down?”

You can’t remember the last time you felt this calm. You don’t want to let him go, not any time soon. Despite how close you’ve become, you had never hugged Denki for this long, but now, as he sways you lightly right to left, you can’t imagine going long without it. 

“I’ll try,” you nod, face flushed as you come down from your emotional high, “Could we maybe.. watch a movie together? I’m tired of studying for tonight.”

“‘Course. I’ll get my laptop, it’s bigger.”

[ravenforce]

Manhattan 4

Word Count: 3797

Pairing: Lou Miller x Fem!Reader 

Warning/s: None. Except probably some minor baiting, and tooth-rotting fluff. :)

A/N: Thank you so much for everyone who likes, and follows this story. You guys are amazing. Please leave your reactions, bloody or otherwise, on the comment section. My inbox is open too if you’d like to pop by. Oh, and please note the ff:

1. If there are any grammatical mistakes I’ve still overlooked, I apologize.

2. Also, I’m sorry if this took a while. With the pandemic COVID-19 raging throughout the world, I struggled to stay in the light for a while, and with my city going on full lockdown there was so much unrest. Rest assured, I’m keeping with the strict home quarantine. I hope you guys are too. We can beat this virus if we follow the rules for now. You know the protocol, stay safe. Stay with me.

3. For requests, I haven’t yet to write, I apologize too and again. I just can’t find inspiration to write for some characters right now.

Manhattan Parts: 1 |  2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9

(Photo not mine. Credits to the owner)

***

Saturday - New York, New York

“What is this sorcery?” Charlie said amused as he stood beside Agatha on your open kitchen.

The two assistants were so engrossed in watching Lou interact with you that they didn’t see Debbie and Rose entering the kitchen area from the other side of the apartment. 

“That, children is what you would call love,” Rose whispered dreamily yet still startled the two. Agatha blushed from being caught half gossiping.

Debbie just smiled, watching her best friend laugh so freely with you. Never did she saw Lou act in such a way with her other dalliances. She has strict rules of engagement: don’t call me, I call you; we’re not friends so they can’t be chummy with me especially in public; more importantly, they’re not my girlfriend so they can’t act like one; jealousy is a capital offence; no dates; no sleepover, Debbie recalled. Yet here is her blonde friend violating all her rules for you. 

“Careful using the L-word though,” Debbie mused before sipping her mojito. “Those two can bolt.”

“Better let them figure it out,” Rose whispered before walking away to join the party in your huge industrial living room. Charlie and Agatha nodded as they watch you kick Nine’s ass on Mario Kart, and Lou looking extremely proud of you. 

A few more rounds of continuously losing to you in both Mario Kart and Tekken 7, Nine threw her joycon on the couch. 

“This thing is rigged!” she exclaimed before collapsing on the couch next to you. You rolled your eyes playfully at her. 

“Didn’t think I’d see the day, someone would beat your ass at video games,” Daphne teased.

“You’re good, Y/N’s just simply better,” Lou added fuel to the fire, taking your attention away from Nine’s pouting. It’s not that you weren’t paying attention at her all night as she moves around gracefully, pretending to approve of the curated setup of your apartment like she wasn’t the one to help you put them together.

“Shut up,” Nine grumbled. “Your crush can be seen from outer space.”

That effectively shut the blonde up while the rest started laughing. Lou threw a pillow on Nine’s face, making everyone crack up even more. 

“Alright, children. It’s way past your bedtime,” Debbie said. “Let’s go home.” Everyone groaned but started putting on their shoes and coats before thanking you for dinner and the awesome night.

Agatha and Charlie were already waiting for the lift when everyone filed out on your hallway, except for Lou who stood way too close behind you that you could feel her hips against your ass. You fought hard not to blush as images of what those powerful hips do to you flooded your mind. Lou stretched her hand out for Debbie to take the keys to the company van they used to go to your place. Debbie accepted the keys with her eyebrows cocked. 

“I’m gonna stay and help clean up,” she intentionally husked out behind your ear. 

“Yeah right,” Rose, Tammy, Daphne and Debbie all said at the same time before walking away laughing.

“Clean up my fucking ass,” Nine drunk mumbled before Constance and Amita dragged her away but not without wishing you have a good fuck first. 

***

You nearly kicked the door closed in your haste to turn towards Lou who immediately wrapped her arms around your waist. She slowly walked you back until you’re secured against her body and the door. Your breath hitched when her hand crept down from your waist down to your ass.

“Lou,” you half-whispered, half moaned when she squeezes your backside. “What are you doing?”

“Nothing,” she said while peppering featherlight kisses along your jaw. “Yet.”

It’s becoming increasingly hard to focus as Lou started kissing down your neck. The last straw to your self-control was when she sucked on your pulse point. You groaned before you tugged on her soft blonde hair and pulled her face towards you. It was Lou’s turn to groan when you started kissing her with so much fervour.

She tasted like blueberries and vodka. And right at that moment, you think you could go on forever as long as she never stops kissing you. She’s simply intoxicating and extremely dangerous for your carefully constructed guard. You knew that to stop yourself from falling, you should have put a stop to your affair with the woman the moment you found out that she’s your boss. Yet here you are, still flying closer and closer to the sun.

The desire to feel her hands and her lips again overtake your need for control over all situations. How can you want anything else when Lou’s too good with you. She knew all the buttons to push to make you crave, she knew the right amount of pressure to make you squirm and shake, and she knew how you like to be touched to ensure you come undone screaming her name.

“Lou,” you moaned against her lips. You can already feel the telltale heat coiling on your belly, flow downwards and creating a huge wet patch on your Victoria Secret underwear. You swear you think Lou can smell how ready you are for her by the smirk on her face.

“Yes, love? Use your words,” she said confidently. “What do you need?”

Before you can get one word out though there’s a knock on the door.

“Y/N/N! Open up,” Tony yelled on the other side of the door.

“Fuck,” you whispered before bumping your forehead down on Lou’s shoulder.

You cursed under your breath for forgetting that your apartment is the designated nest for the Avengers in Manhattan since you’re the only one living alone. Maria, Wanda, Carol, and Nat are renting an apartment in Brooklyn while the boys are staying together in the Bronx. It extremely pleased you when your friends informed you a week prior that they all got into various programs in New York as well. Now, not so much. You forgot what a massive cock block they all are.

“I intended to but we have company,” Lou said seductively before completely untangling herself from you to open the door.

***

“Lou?” Thor asked incredulously when he saw who opened the door.

Before Lou can say another word though you decided it was the right time to push away from the door, giving away a hint on what you two were doing before their arrival.

“Hey,” you said overly enthusiastic. “Come on in.”

Lou who had one of her hand on the door, opened it wider so everyone can come through. You had to take a step back to give your friends space, making your ass connect Lou’s front again. You had to bite your lip from making a sound. Lou loved the expression on your face though that she oh so subtly grind her hips against your ass. Thankfully, your friends were more interested in the interior design of your apartment to pay you and Lou any more attention.

When everyone was inside, Lou suddenly stepped away from you and towards the door.

“You’re leaving?” You tried not to sound desperate to have her stay but you don’t expect her to sit around and wait for everyone to leave so she can finish what we started.

“I believe we’ll have to finish this another day,” she said genuinely looking apologetic. She knows that you know how much she wants you but she knows the Avengers are more likely going to spend the whole night with you anyway.

Lou turned to leave but you caught the sleeve of her shirt. You surged forward and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “You better, or else I’ll find someone else to scratch my itch,” you whispered on her ear before you bolted back into your apartment. Leaving Lou staring at your door and grinning like an idiot. At that point, she’s not even going to deny that she has a fucking crush on you.

***

When you got inside, Maria’s waiting for you in the hallway. Everyone was busy setting up everything for your private party in the living room. You immediately tackled your best friend into a bear hug. 

“Easy tiger,” she said giggling while you ignored her and murmured repeatedly how much you missed her. Even though it’s just been a couple of days since you last saw each other. When you pulled away, Maria gave you a funny look. 

“What?”

“Were you and Lou house warming before we arrived?” she asked cheekily.

“No?” Maria cocked an eyebrow at you. Convincing Maria of a lie is close to trying to convince yourself.

“She offered to help clean up,” you tried one more time but it only made Maria laugh out loud. Everyone was informed that you’ll be hosting a dinner for your colleagues from the gallery that’s why they came over late. So it wasn’t technically a lie, still, Maria can see right through you. 

“Right. So how come you have this,” she said before wiping her thumb across your jaw. When she put her finger up for you to see, there was a visible lipstick stain in the exact same shade that Lou’s wearing. You pursed your lips together.

“Next time you try to lie to me, make sure your face isn’t covered in evidence,” Maria teased one more time before dragging you inside your own house.

***

Monday - First Day High

Lou unconsciously frowned when she entered the conference room packed full of everyone except you and Debbie. She was so excited to come to work because she wasn’t able to talk to you the day prior since Thor and Loki decided they wanted to spend time with her before they drive back to the Bronx. Daphne immediately caught her expression.

“Don’t fret my dear, she’s joining us today,” Daphne said with a firm smirk on her face. “It’s her first team meeting after all.”

Lou rolled her eyes before plopping down on her seat on Debbie’s right. Charlie came around to give her a cup of coffee. She accepted it thankfully before engaging Amita and Rose with small talk. A few minutes later, the door opened signalling your arrival back into the room. Lou took a sip of her coffee at the same time you put down the stack of papers on the table giving her a full view of you.

She ungracefully coughed out her coffee, even spraying some of it on the table. You looked at her with concern, while everyone started laughing. She immediately wiped her mouth and the table with some napkins in an attempt to save her dignity. She’s rarely embarrassed since she always carries herself with grace.

So she held her head up high. No one can begrudge her of her reaction especially since none of them warned her - intentionally, she’s sure of it - that you’re dangerously hot in work clothes.

“Thank you, dear,” Lou heard Rose say beside her when you passed to give everyone a copy of the agenda. You smiled at the kind woman.

“You have talent on dressing yourself. Would you mind if I make some pieces for you sometime?” Rose continued, catching you off-guard. You’re literally just wearing a white button-up blouse tucked inside a black knee-high leather pencil skirt, and black heels. You don’t see any reason for a fashion designer like Rose to take an interest in making you some custom made outfits.

“Uhm, thank you, Rose,” you said softly before resuming on your task. Rose giggled excitedly and asked you to come to her office before the day ends so she could take your measurements.

“Oh no, Lou,” Nine sing-songs. Lou looked at the tech-girl with an impassive look on her face.

“Y/N’s gonna hit the runway with Rose dressing her. She’s gonna be popular soon. Are you ready to share her to the world?” Nine continued to tease, making the blonde woman frown. When you arrived behind Nine, you dropped the stack of paper in her head, instead of just handing her a one piece. Everyone giggled except Nine.

“Hey!” she complained.

“Sorry.” The smirk in your face tells her you did it intentionally. Nine grumbled softly about how she used to be your favourite. You just chuckled before looking across the table to Lou and giving her a subtle wink, which totally made her smile and all mushy inside.

***

The two-page agenda took almost all day to go over especially between discussing each point, Nine, Amita and Constance can’t stop interjecting jokes whenever they can. If you have a dollar for every time Debbie sighed or rolled her eyes, you would have collected enough for a whole months rent. Towards the latter part of the meeting, the team started discussing battle plans for the upcoming art week. The gallery is located in the art district, and the competition is tight. They needed something that’ll put the Heist in the art map of New York City.

“Any ideas?” Debbie asked, pinching the bridge of her nose. So far nothing is standing out for her.

You looked around. Everyone was deep in thought, clearly racking their brains for ideas. You raised your hand like you were in class. You feel kinda silly doing so but it caught Debbie’s attention.

“Yes, Y/N?”

“As a new gallery, The Heist isn’t carrying any artist yet, correct?”

“Unfortunately, yes.”

The process of selecting an artist to sign on board with the gallery is tedious. Mostly it was a question of chemistry. The team collectively agreed that they wouldn’t carry an artist whose personality deflects from any of them as it will only create friction in the group. Everyone in the team has a purpose but more importantly when Debbie chose them, she chose them based on how well they would mix and work together and up to date, no one has proved that she chose wrong.

“Maybe it’s time to change that,” you suggested boldly.

There’s a collection of murmurs. “But most of the popular artists in town are already booked with other galleries,” Daphne mentioned.

“Who said about signing known artists?” Daphne frowned.

“We can’t sign nobody’s Y/N,” she answered. You smiled softly at your brunette boss.

“Everyone was a nobody at the start,” you started to explain. “Until someone believed in them. We can be that someone to a nobody. We can be that difference.”

For a few excruciating seconds, your heart hammered in your chest like the first time you presented one of the techs you invented in Stark Industries.

“That’s…” Debbie started. You look her directly in the eyes. “Actually brilliant.”

Everyone turned to Debbie and asked, “Really?”

“Yes. It’s wild but maybe that’s why I like it,” she said to her team then she turned again to you. “Do you have a plan?”

You grinned like an excited puppy. “Well I was thinking, we could find at least two artists’ that uses two different medium,” you explain. “The gallery’s huge enough for a painter and an installation artist.”

“Do you have artists’ in mind?” Tammy asked, starting to get on-board with the plan.

“Maybe.”

“Okay,” Debbie said. “Have your presentation ready before next weeks meeting.”

“Yes ma’am,” you answered smiling. You caught Lou looking extremely proud beside Debbie.

“Great! Now can we have lunch?” Amita asked. “My brain cells are dead.”

Debbie adjourned the meeting as soon as everyone confirmed they know their assignment for the week. You were about to head out when Debbie asked to see you in her office.

***

“I’m going straight to the point,” Debbie said as she fixes her stuff in her table. She sat down after a few seconds and looked at you. “I know you slept with Lou.”

You bit your lip to stop yourself from smiling. “I did.”

“I really don’t care if you do, again but can I count on you to keep being this professional?” she asked. “Since you’ve seen all of my friends, they’re children.”

This time, you didn’t try to stop yourself from smiling. Her concern is definitely warranted. “I promise. I also promise that whatever this is, it won’t affect my work here at the gallery.”

Debbie smiled, somehow she just knows she can trust you. So she let you go without further ado but before you can even open her door, she called for your attention again.

“Oh, Y/N.” You turned your body towards her, one hand clutching the door handle. “I’m assigning you to spearhead the artists’ acquisition for the art week. And whatever happens, please don’t have sex in my office.”

The change of topic in one sentence can almost give you a whiplash had it not been too funny that you started laughing hard.

“I don’t make promises I can’t keep, boss,” you said before pulling the door open to leave. On the way out, you almost bumped into Lou. She gave you a questioning look as you continued to giggle as you keep walking away.

***

Lou was still looking at you when Debbie spoke, “I get why you like her. She’s brilliant.”

“She is,” Lou said almost dreamily. Then she blinked her eyes to look at her best friend who’s looking at her like she knew something she doesn’t. She didn’t probe though, she’s not sure she’s ready to know the answer just yet. “Anyway, everyone left ahead for the restaurant. Are you coming?”

“I am,” Debbie answered before gathering her bag. Lunch at their favourite restaurant every Monday has become their tradition since they all moved to Manhattan and started the gallery. It has become the team’s way to decompress on a #ManicMonday.

While waiting for the lift, Debbie couldn’t help but be annoyed by the incessant ringing of Lou’s phone. 

“Aren’t you gonna get that?” she asked curiously. There are only two reasons why Lou wouldn’t answer her god damn phone. First, she’s avoiding whoever is on the other line, which is always most definitely a girl had sex with. Lastly, she’s in the middle of making passionate, consensual, no-strings-attached sex with someone else. 

“Nope,” Lou answered. “It’s just Therese. She wants to meet tonight.”

“She’s just Therese now?” Debbie questioned. Therese is Lou’s ex-girlfriend who she started bedding again a few months ago, adding her to the roster of women she beds on an occasional basis. “Something happened?”

Lou shrugged in time with the arrival of the elevator. She didn’t answer for a while.

“I’m just suddenly tired of all of it,” she said when they stepped off the elevator at the ground floor.

Debbie wondered for a moment what it meant until she followed Lou’s line of sight. She wasn’t surprised when she saw you eating casually at Agatha and Charlie’s table. Lou can’t stop the small smile on her face thinking Debbie wouldn’t even notice it. Oh, but Debbie did and she understood. Out of everyone in the team, Lou’s the only one who isn’t dating monogamously.

They’ve all played the field when they’re younger until they found someone worth throwing the towel in and committing themselves to. Everyone thinks that she’s looking for magic but that wasn’t the case, she was actually looking for something simple. She just wanted someone that makes her feel home. For a long time, she searched all over the world only to find what she’s looking right under her nose.

Debbie smiled watching the loving look on Lou’s face as she watches you for a heartbeat before walking directly towards the exit. Debbie didn’t mean to look when Lou whipped out her phone and started typing a message for you. 

Plans tonight? I missed you yesterday.

Lou’s phone lighted with a reply while she’s reversing out of the parking lot that she couldn’t stop Debbie from reaching for it and opening her text message. She grumbled and begged and threatened the brunette not to read it but she knew it was futile. 

“Ready to finish what you’ve started,” Debbie read laughing. Lou blushed from her neck to the roots of her hair. 

Yes! See you tonight. Debbie texted on Lou’s behalf. She’s so happy for her best friend, she couldn’t even care that you’re younger or that you’re their employee.

Can’t wait. xx

Taglist:  @kaytoopio​​​​​ @marvelfansince08love​​​​​ @marvelb00kwolf​​​​​ @shycucumbersandwich​​​​​ @subject7creed​​​​ @inkstainedhandsofgold​​​

[amanda-teaches]

I think this challenge is going to be one of the best I’ve ever run, because both writers and readers will get to participate in both the Supernatural and Marvel fandoms. That’s something for everyone! Sounds amazing, right? Well, here’s how it works:

Below the cut, there will be 50, yes 50, dialogue prompts. I may have gone a little overboard, but that just means more people will get to play along!

For any prompt, you can choose whether you’d either like to write that fic or read that fic.

If you want to WRITE it, send me an ASK with the prompt and fandom/pairing. So, for example, “Hey! I’d love to write “How could you?!” with Bucky x Reader in Marvel” or “Can I have “I’ve never stopped loving you” with Dean x Reader in SPN?” Basic writing challenge stuff, huh?

If you want to READ it, send me an ASK with the prompt and fandom/pairing asking for me to write it. I’ll write it and tag you in it to read. Here’s an example: “Could you please write “You’re such a dork” with Sam x Reader in SPN? I’d love to read that!” 

If you don’t specify that you want me to write it, I’ll assume you’re writing it, and things will get confusing, yada, yada, so please be clear you want to read! 

I WILL ONLY BE TAKING 10 REQUESTS FOR ME TO WRITE, for my own sanity, haha. If the 10 spots fill up before all the prompts do, I’ll be closing requests to read and only taking writer sign-ups.

Some minor rules before we get to the prompts:

You do not have to be following me to participate, since I’m only just starting in the Marvel fandom, but I’d love it if you did!

It can be fluff, smut, angst, crack, or any combination of the four, Supernatural or Marvel. No ships please, for this one. Whatever you choose to write, please make sure you use proper warnings. :)

There is no minimum or maximum word count. But, if it’s over 500 words, you need to use a keep reading, or I won’t reblog it.

The due date for this challenge is Tuesday, June 30, because I want to give everyone plenty of time. If you need an extension between now and then, though, that is totally fine! Just send me a message and let me know. As long as you communicate with me, I’m flexible! Full disclosure, I very probably won’t get all my fics written and posted by the deadline, especially if I’m doing all 10, but I’ll get them out as quickly as possible. :)

When you post your fic, please tag me in the A/N so I see it and mention that it’s for my Writer + Reader Challenge. If, for some reason, I haven’t liked your post within 48 hours, just shoot me a message with the link. I will reblog and leave feedback on every single fic.

Okay, now to the fun part- the prompts! Just jump down here:

Disclaimer: I did not come up with these prompts. I took them from a prompt list by @wegunnateachemhowtosaygoodbye that can be found here. I want to give full credit, so you all know I’m not stealing anything, because this creative genius was not mine.

“Am I supposed to be scared of you?”

“Before I do this, I need you to know that I have always loved you.”  WRITTEN BY ME! requested by @adventureisoutthere98​ Bucky x Reader

“BOOM! That oughta show you not to mess with me!”

“Crocs? Who hurt you so much in this life?”

“Damn. You clean up good.” 

“Delete that immediately.” @deans-baby-momma​ Dean x Reader

“Did I just say that out loud?”

“Do you…well…I mean…I could give you a massage?” WRITTEN BY ME! requested by @foxyjwls007​ Dean x Reader

“Either ask her out or I will do it for you!” @hardcoresupernatural​ Dean x Reader

“Everyone keeps telling me you’re the bad guy.” @allandoflimbo​ Bucky x Reader

“Game’s over you son of a bitch! Tell me where she is!” @supernaturallymarvellous​ Steve x Reader

“Go on then, tell me. Tell me you don’t love me.” @wi-deangirl77​

“I am not losing you again!” WRITTEN BY ME! requested by @deans-baby-momma​ for either Winchester

“I beat you at Mario Kart and now you’re banishing me to the couch for the night?” WRITTEN BY ME! requested by @spngeek7983​ Dean x Reader

“I came home to a Nerf gun on the front porch and a note that says ‘Here is your weapon. I have one too. Loser cooks dinner. Good luck. xo’” @princessmisery666​ Steve x Reader

“I can’t explain right now, but I need you to trust me.” @atc74​ Lee Webb x Reader

“I can’t get you out of my head.” @softboibarnes​ Bucky x Reader

“I don’t snore, do I?” “Like a chainsaw.” @wayward-and-worn​ Dean x Reader

“I had a nightmare about you and just wanted to make sure you’re okay.” @devotedwaywardangel​ Sam Wilson x Reader

“I love you. I’ve loved you since the moment I first laid eyes on you and – Oh, screw it!” @fk12b​ Loki x WinchesterReader

“I saw you staring at each other, I just wasn’t sure if it was sexual tension or murderous rage.” @katymacsupernatural​ Dean x Reader

"I see the way you look at me when you think I’m not looking.” @cap-winter-barnes​ Dean x Reader

“I’m like 20% sure this plan will work. The other 80% means we could die horribly and violently, but honestly it’s a really solid plan.” @hannahindie​

“I swear if you weren’t so attractive, I’d have punched you in the face nine times by now.”

“I’ll sleep under the sheets, you sleep on top of them.”  @herfalsegod​ Dean x Reader

“I’m so stupid to make the mistake of falling in love with my best friend.” WRITTEN BY ME! requested by @deanwanddamons​ for Dean x Reader

"I’m sorry, what were you saying? I keep getting lost in your eyes.” @pinknerdpanda​ Steve x Reader

“I’ve been in love with you my entire life.” @carryonmywaywardcaptain​ Dean x Reader

“I’ve never felt this way about anyone before… and it scares the shit out of me.” @wingedcatninja​ Dean x OFC

“If I die, I’m going to haunt your ass.”

“Is… that my picture in your wallet/as your home screen?” @arrowsandmixtapes​ Clint x Reader

“Looks like we’ll be trapped for a while…”

“Mind if I cut in?” @waywardbaby Dean x Reader

“Oh, my God! You’re in love with her!” WRITTEN BY ME! requested by @adoptdontshoppets​ Dean x Reader

“Please, take me instead!”

“Remember our first date? When you took me to Starbucks and it took me 15 minutes just to choose a flavour of Frappuccino? I was never sure about anything, never. But I was so fucking sure about you!”

“Shit, are you bleeding?!”

“Since when do you drive a motorcycle?” 

“So, I found this waterfall…” 

“Stop taking pictures! I’m fucking stuck. Be useful and help me!!” @cleighwrites​ Dean x Reader

“Stop talking about love for a minute and help me with this bullet wound.” @deanwinchesterswitch​ Dean x OFC

“Teach me how to play?” WRITTEN BY ME! requested by @dolphincliffs​ for Dean x Reader

“The skirt is supposed to be this short.” @thoughtslikeaminefield​ Dean x Reader

“This is by far the stupidest plan you’ve ever had. Of course I’m in.” 

“Twins? We’re…we’re having twins?!” @kickingitwithkirk​ Dean x OFC

“We’re in the middle of a thunderstorm and you wanna stop and feel the rain?”

“You fainted…straight into my arms. You know, if you wanted my attention you didn’t have to go to such extremes.” WRITTEN BY ME! requested by @dean-winchesters-bacon​ Dean x Reader

“You need to wake up because I can’t do this without you.” @waywardnerd67​ Dean x Reader

“You’re my one exception.” WRITTEN BY ME! requested by @hannahindie​ for Bucky x Reader.

“You’ve only heard his side of the story. You never asked mine.”

[inspired-by-the-music]

 For You: 4 O’Clock

Taglist: @jineunwootrash

If you would like to be added to any of thos blog’s taglists, please ask!

Chapter 10: The Light in the Darkness

Lei’s POV

The night before our Atlanta concert, while everybody was gathered in his room to watch the conclusion to his and Mark’s Mario Kart Tournament, Baekhyun decided that we weren’t having the “real Atlanta experience” unless we ate some of the local food together. 

“Come on Lei!” Baekhyun said before dragging me off his bed, where I sat, laughing with Lucas when Mark took the title of champion after Baekhyun’s attempts to cheat failed. “We haven’t bonded since the camping trip!”

From the way he smiled during our ride in the elevator and while holding open the door to his car (another perk of being the leader: having independent means of transportation) for me, I expected that Baekhyun had whisked me away from the group to taunt me about Momhae. 

The closest he came to teasing, though, was wiggling his eyebrows as he asked, “What’s the matter, Lei? Did I interrupt an important romantic conversation with Lucas?” Baekhyun looked so much like a little boy as he situated himself behind the steering wheel, I had to laugh at him. “Okay. So where are we going, Lei?”

Glancing at the time blinking on the radio display, Baekhyun sighed. “Well, shit, what’s even open at this hour?”

It was only 9 o’clock. Maybe it was a starless night, or maybe the city lights drowned out the stars. Still, I tried to look for anything in the sky— Baekhyun even reached up to slide some part of the ceiling to reveal an overhead window— as I answered, “A lot is open, Baek. Atlanta’s a busy city, ya know?”

I found the moon— full and distant— and Baekhyun asked, “Well, what do you want to eat?”

“What do you think the others would like?” Feeling like Baekhyun was looking at me, and therefore probably making some goofy face, I glanced over at him and was surprised to find that he was focused intently on the road ahead. 

He shrugged. “Who cares what they want?” Then, as if he hadn’t dragged me along on his nighttime adventure without giving anyone else a chance to tag along, Baekhyun said, “If they wanted to have a say-so, they should have come with us.”

Baekhyun flashed that goofy grin again, and I bit back my laughter to admit that my favorite restaurant was probably Buffalo Wild Wings. So that’s where we went, and that’s where Baekhyun discovered the “Blazin’ Wings Challenge” and decided that it would be absolutely hilarious to prank everyone with the hottest wings served. 

Maybe I should have done more to discourage his chaos. Maybe he wouldn’t have listened to me anyway. Maybe I was a little too surprised that he ordered chicken tenders and mozzarella sticks— my all-time favorite— for me (without having been prompted) to say anything. 

Anyway, Baekhyun concealed his laughter pretty well until everyone, initially excited that we returned with food, shrieked after taking bites into their wings. 

“What’s the matter?” Baekhyun chuckled from his place beside me on the carpeted floor. “I got the mildest ones on the menu! All of you are just sensitive!”

Taeyong was the only person who could take the heat. Wiping sauce from the corners of his mouth with a napkin, he asked, “Have you guys noticed that something is going on with Momager lately?” The tremor in his lips was probably less of a reaction to the food and more an expression of concern. 

When Taeyong’s eyes met mine, a faint pink blush painted along the bridge of his nose, and he stifled a giggle by pretending to choke on his mouthful. This— giggling when he looked at me— was the closest he ever came to acknowledging face to face that he knew about me and Taemin. 

Taeyong’s giggle prompted me to look at Taemin. Sitting beside Kai (always) he met my gaze, subtly panicked. Kai, whose lips were swollen and stained red from the hot sauce, also gawked at me with tear-filled eyes. I wondered why he didn’t stop eating considering his reaction; he must have been hungry. 

Lucas, surprisingly, was the most discreet in studying my reaction to Taeyong’s question. He only dropped a half-eaten wing into its box, licked his fingers clean, and glanced at me out of the corner of his eyes as he propped his head on his knees, which were drawn up to his chest. 

I didn’t have to look at Baekhyun to know that he was looking at me, holding his cheeks in his hands and watching the chaos unfold with mischievous sparkles in his eyes. I guess he was just as delighted with mayhem when he wasn’t its source. 

The five of us: Taemin, Kai, Lucas, Baekhyun, and I knew what (or, more accurately, who) was on Mom’s mind. It was just a matter of discovering who would spill the beans. I had a good idea of who it would be. 

Before Baekhyun quite had a chance to speak, Ten’s eyes widened curiously. “What do you mean?”

Taeyong shrugged. As if he hadn’t been worried enough to bring up Mom in the first place, he tried to lessen the situation’s urgency by calmly explaining, “I don’t know. She just frowns a lot these days, and she seems a little out of it. Do you think she’s feeling okay?”

Mark’s face was scarlet and sweating. His shifting eyes looked at me and reminded me that he witnessed Mom and Donghae’s phone call argument in the van. He didn’t know details, but Mark wasn’t nearly as oblivious as I would have liked him to be. 

At first, Mark didn’t say anything. He tried to bite down on his lips, but once it was clear that nobody was going to answer Taeyong, Mark reasoned, “Momager is probably just feeling tired. You know, we’re getting pretty close to Christmas break. We all need the time to recharge, right?”

While Taeyong and Ten agreed with identical nods, I beamed at Mark for thinking of such a rational explanation. Maybe he would always try to make up for his comment in that interview even though I didn’t think he needed to. 

Despite being grateful to Mark for allowing me to hold on to Mom’s secrets a little longer, I was starting to feel exhausted by the grip I clung to them with. Mom probably didn’t want SuperM to know all of her personal business— although she had a stunning lack of reaction when I told her that Baekhyun was trying to blackmail her— and I wasn’t dying to explain it to them or anything, but since the Great Come Apart in Grandma’s dining room, it seemed like the secrets that once towered over me, glowered down at me, threatened to define me were as tiny as a speck of dust. 

It was true. Mom was the idol who never debuted. But she was so much more. She was the one who could fix anyone’s problem. She was the one every idol knew and loved. 

More importantly, she was the person I admired most in all the world because, well, she had always been there. Mom was there before any spotlight. Mom’s eyes were trained on me before anyone else’s, and her eyes were never critical. My mom— she was beautiful— and everything I was was a reflection of her. 

I had been considering what it meant to be the fulfillment of her dreams, and it meant that I couldn’t be afraid. It meant I didn’t have to be. There was liberation in the fact that I could be confident in the truth that no matter what anybody in that hotel room, in the country, in the whole world even (!) said or thought or did, I now knew who I was. I knew who Mom was. I knew that no matter what— come what may— we would love each other forever. 

All along, I had the forever love I couldn’t admit to wanting, and that’s why I didn’t wince or roll my eyes or sigh or feel the slightest tremor in my chest when Baekhyun said, “Maybe Mom caught whatever bug kept her from Donghae’s party.” Baekhyun’s tongue darted between his lips to lick at the hot sauce gathered around his smile. 

I can’t explain why I didn’t feel any sort of rage toward Baekhyun even as Taemin, Kai, Lucas, and Mark cut their eyes at him. I don’t understand why I almost laughed at Baekhyun’s childish little smirk. “Yeah. Maybe she did.”

I don’t understand why Baekhyun was not at all surprised by my reaction. His smile only grew into something a little more genuine before I looked away, distracted by Ten’s gasp. 

Ever the gossip, Ten leaned forward and shrieked, jaw dropped, “She didn’t go to Donghae’s party?”

Seeming to sense my lack of anxiety, Lucas laughed and launched a particularly greasy fry at Ten who, of course, caught it in his mouth with a smirk. “You would’ve noticed if you weren’t too busy drinking and dancing like an idiot with Hendery!”

“Wait.” Taeyong’s eyebrows knit together. “Is Momager sick? Donghae’s party was just before we left. What if she didn’t have time to recover? All this touring can’t be good for her health, and—”

Baekhyun caught my eyes briefly before blurting, “Obviously, Taeyong, Mom was faking.” He patted Taeyong’s shoulder. “No need to waste your empathy on a fake illness!”

Mark shook his head. “Nah, man. There’s no way. Mom loves Super Junior. She wouldn’t skip the party unless she really had to.” Raising his eyebrows at me, Mark wordlessly asked, “Right, Lei?”

At that, everybody turned to face me. 

And I didn’t know what to say. 

Taemin spoke up softly, lips still pretty despite being painfully swollen from Baekhyun’s silly hot wing prank. “I think we should mind our own business.”

Although Kai seconded, “Yeah,” with the slight nod of his head, Baekhyun argued, “You can’t blame the others—” he pointed at Ten, Taeyong, and Mark— “for wanting to know about Momhae’s 15 years of unrequited love!”

If looks could kill, Taemin would have murdered Baekhyun with a glance. I wonder what Taemin might have said had Lucas not made me laugh by jumping to his feet to debate, “Dude, that love is totally requited!”

I knew my reaction to this situation was wrong because Baekhyun and I were the only people laughing. I thought he sat next to me to set my world ablaze, but when he doubled over in laughter and laid his head of floppy blonde hair in my lap atop my polka-dotted pajama bottoms, I almost wanted to imagine that Baekhyun was there to encourage my laughter. That wasn’t the first time we laughed together in the wrong place at the wrong time, but as I cradled my face in my hands, I thought maybe it had been too long since the last time. 

Kicking at us, Kai growled, “What the hell is wrong with you two? Get off of Lei, Baekhyun. Idiot.”

Baekhyun sat upright, likely spurred when I started bouncing my leg. “Sorry,” he said insincerely, “that was just hilarious!” Moments passed in relative silence before Baekhyun hummed, “What were we talking about?”

Taeyong’s face was contorted in bewilderment. “What the hell is a Momhae?”

Still standing over everyone, Lucas crossed his arms. As if it were obvious— and maybe it was— Lucas answered, “Mom and Donghae.”

“That’s a good ship name,” Mark assessed. 

And Baekyun smiled. “Thanks! I came up with that!”

Ten cocked his head to the side. “Wait. Why did Baekhyun know about Momhae before I did?”

“Yeah.” I turned to face Baekhyun, and he almost distracted me with a funny face. “How did you find out about Mom and Donghae? Sehun didn’t tell you. He promised not to tell you if Donghae told him anything.”

Baekhyun raised his eyebrows and asked through pouting lips, “Are you sure Sehun’s really loyal to you?”

Without hesitating, I firmly nodded my head. At that point, for some reason, there was no doubt in my mind that Sehun hadn’t aided in Baekhyun’s quest for information. Maybe I wanted so badly to believe that Sehun was my ally— that we were somehow friends— that there was no room to question his motives. 

“How romantic!” Baekhyun squealed and pinched my cheeks. When I kept staring at him, demanding an explanation for his knowledge, Baekhyun’s grin faltered. He, who I never knew to speak in anything other than a bright shout, mumbled, “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

The others had descended into chatter among themselves, so I challenged Baekhyun, troubled by the absence of mischief in his eyes. “Try me. You’ve been chaotic enough lately that I think you owe me an explanation or two.” 

Baekhyun stared at me blankly. Once I smiled, he laughed. “I—”

His voice fell off as we felt Taemin’s eyes on us. Taemin’s stare wasn’t jealous— why would it be?—  or in any way disapproving, but Baekhyun seemed to find something in it that I couldn’t. Shaking his head, Baekhyun huffed, “Maybe some other time, Lei.”

My simultaneous intrigue and disappointment at the ambiguity of Baekhyun’s answer— my frustration that he was always impossible to understand— was all short-lived. Across the room, Taemin’s eyes crinkled fondly as Kai muttered something to him, and suddenly I was too breathless to notice anything or anybody else. 

I was too breathless to notice that Ten was talking to me until he crouched in front of me and flicked the center of my forehead. “Hey! I was talking to you! Stop gawking at your boyfriend and answer me!”

Taemin and I drew gasps that were suspicious enough before Lucas yelled, “Taemin and Lei aren’t dating!”

Ten might have been joking around about having caught me staring at Taemin, but Lucas’s outburst couldn’t have made our relationship more obvious. As Ten smirked at having accidentally stumbled upon a truth, Baekhyun barked, “Just repeat your dumb question, Ten! Nobody wants to hear about Taemin and Lei’s love life!”

It wasn’t like Baekhyun to pass on an opportunity to make me squirm, but I was too grateful that he used his authority as the leader to silence Ten to meet his eyes. I was so relieved that I could only fix my sight on Ten in anticipation of his question when Mark mumbled, “I don’t know. I kinda wanna know what’s going with Lei and Taemin.”

After Taeyong hushed Mark by placing a hand on his shoulder, and Ten swallowed his desire to tease me after shooting a glance at Baekhyun, Ten asked, “So what’s our plan to make Momhae a reality?”

I wheezed. “What?”

There was no plan. I didn’t believe in meddling in others’ personal affairs. Mom had her reasons for rejecting Donghae’s confessions all those years, and it was not my place to force her to reconsider. 

If you really want to know my opinion, I didn’t approve of Donghae’s recent behavior. I think maybe some people liked to be chased, but I have always thought that it takes love to accept “no” as an answer. I have always thought there was a certain beauty in saying “not yet.” There was something special about believing that destiny doesn’t have to be forced. 

Everything in me balked at the idea of forcing the hand of fate. 

Besides, Mom was capable of pursuing Donghae when she was ready. Evidently, he was just a phone call away. Maybe he was getting desperate in those days, but I imagined that if he were capable of moving on, he would have already. 

I didn’t know if Mom and Donghae would end up together. I just wanted to believe that if they were meant to be, they would. I wanted to believe that I wouldn’t lose any sleep if they were strained for the rest of our lives. Above all, I knew that I didn’t want to help SuperM make real emotions into a joke. 

Maybe they weren’t trying to make it a joke, though.

Looking like he stood on the brink of tears, Mark confessed, “I don’t think I can live comfortably knowing that Donghae has been pining after Momager for 15 years. That’s a long time to walk around with a broken heart.”

All at once, it hit me that 15 years was most of my life. In my loyalty to Mom, had I forgotten those sad dimples that formed in Donghae’s chin when he realized that she hadn’t come to his birthday party? Had I forgotten how his voice wavered when he vowed to fix whatever kept them apart? 

Mark’s empathy for Donghae reminded me of mine. 

“Well I’m concerned about Mom!” Lucas’s eyes were rounded. He also looked like he was about to cry. Maybe it wasn’t just a topic of gossip for him. “Just look at Donghae! There’s no way she hasn’t fallen for him. And even if I’m wrong— even if she doesn’t love him the way he loves her— do you really think she doesn’t feel the burden of breaking his heart?”

I told you: I never stopped being surprised at how perceptive Lucas was. 

I opened my mouth to tell him that Mom was okay. And even if she wasn’t right now, she would be. He didn’t have to hug his knees like that. He didn’t have to frown like that. He didn’t have to squeeze my heart with his sadness like that. It would be okay. 

Taeyong, the sole voice of reason, dictated, “Of course, it’s all very sad, but we are not getting involved in Momager’s personal business.” 

Ten, Mark, and Lucas groaned in discontent, so Taeyong looked to Baekhyun for support. 

But before Baekhyun could assert his opinion on the matter, Mom burst through the door. “Baekhyun, where is—” Mom must have found or forgotten what she was looking for. Her question changed. “What are all of you doing in here? It’s past curfew.”

Mom didn’t pause long enough for anyone to answer. She waved a hand dismissively. “Nevermind. All of you, go back to your— Oh my God! Kai, are you okay?”

Following her concerned gaze, I saw that Kai’s face had swollen red, especially around the lips. Is that why he had gone so silent? I worried that he was having an allergic reaction until he replied in a normal voice, “Yeah. I’m okay.”

Probably concerned that Kai’s face wouldn’t return to normal before tomorrow’s concert, Mom sighed raggedly. “Okay. Good.” 

Nobody stood to return their rooms, so she put her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes at our defiance. “Seriously, guys, go to bed! Why are none of you even meeting my eyes?”

I had been searching Mom’s face for confirmation that she was okay. A glance around the room revealed that everybody was staring guiltily at their empty to-go boxes. They were reacting as I had when I first learned pieces of Mom’s identity; they were trying to reconcile Mom the manager with Mom the human, who felt love and heartache. 

When they looked up from their puzzle pieces to look to Baekhyun to answer as their leader, they probably didn’t expect him to ask without any trace of a grin, “Ma’am, are you ever going to accept Donghae’s confession?”

If Mom was surprised by Baekhyun’s question, I couldn’t tell from her mere blinking. She wasn’t the same person who stood motionless in the dance studio just months ago when Baekhyun alleged that she was the idol who never debuted. I wondered if she was proud to seem more human to us. I wondered if she found more pieces of herself; I wondered if she loved them as much as I did. 

Mom must have been moved by our genuine concern. “Thank you for asking, Baekhyun, but it’s really none of your business.”

Baekhyun’s lips tucked into a thin frown as he nodded his head. 

“Now go to bed,” Mom instructed softly. “We have a busy day ahead of us tomorrow.” 

And so the others, as they rose to unsteady feet, understood that there was nothing they could say or do rush the hands of fate. Silently, we understood that we could only hope that things would work out in the way we imagined was best. 

I don’t know why that truth, which had existed since the dawn of time, took our breath away. I think the truth must be different once you know it. I think none of us felt quite as helpless as we did when we parted ways to return to our rooms. 

Laying my head against Taemin’s chest, I said, “Everything will be okay.” My voice wasn’t quite mine, though, because I was just repeating what Mom told me in Grandma’s dining room. I told myself that wanting to believe is as good as believing, but they were never the same thing. 

Taemin repeated, “Everything will be okay.” His voice was the light in the darkness. I thought that if I just stayed close to Taemin, I could learn to burn that bright. 

[argentdandelion]

That One Sad Fic Where Noelle’s Dad Dies

“Noelle.” “Wha—? Kris, it’s 3:00 AM….” Noelle said, squinting at her bedazzled cell phone in the darkness. (Ever since it assassinated her actual clock, she had to adapt.) “Skip school today. Go to your dad.” “…what? Why?” “Choose a game,” Kris said, with all the concision and emotion of a very ticked-off grandma.

“Alright, Kris! I got it!” Noelle turned on a lamp and hurriedly scanned through the video game titles.

Mario Kart, Professor Layton, Grand Theft Auto…

Noelle smiled and pulled out a title. “Ah, the perfect one! Silent Hill!”

“And for the love of Dog, do not bring Cooking Mama. Sweet Angel, that will only make him die faster!”

“Oh. Right. Shouldn’t bring anything too relaxing.” Noelle put down Silent Hill and chose Dragon Blazers III.

Noelle’s ears perked up. “Did…you just say ‘die faster’?”

But Kris had abruptly hung up, like clothes in a closet.

—–

“Dad? Dad?” Noelle gently shook her father from his sleep. The lamp was on, beaming light onto his face.

Rudy blinked blearily into the intense light. “Oh dear…now I’m getting medical care from aliens.”

Noelle frowned. “Come on, Dad! You said it yourself, we’re deer monsters.”

Dimly, Rudy noticed the furniture setup was different from what he remembered. He glanced across the room: the flowers in the glass cover had been put on the small counter by the sink, leaving the angel doll dethroned and emanating an aura of rage. The Nontondo console, sitting on a bedside table, was hooked up to the hospital TV and trying to keep its relationship discreet.

Emblazoned on the TV screen were the words “Dragon Blazers III”. It was drawn in fire-coated letters, as if overcompensating for a lack of innate coolness.

Rudy yawned and looked outside. The sky was still dark. “Noelle, why are you waking me up in the middle of the night?”

“It’s not the middle of the night, Dad.” Noelle said sheepishly.

“Oh, good.”

“It’s 3:20 AM.”

Just then Rudy noticed the bags under his daughter’s eyes, her messy hair, and the few crumbs stuck to the fuzz of her lips.

“Noelle.”

“Yes, Dad?”

“Lick those lips of yours.”

Noelle stared at him awkwardly.

“You got crumbs stuck to your fuzzy lips, and I don’t think you’re going for a flavor saver.”

“Dad, a flavor savor is a soul patch, not a mustache!”

“We’re covered in fur. It’s kind of hard to tell the difference!”

Rudy laughed, before pausing thoughtfully. “Eh, it doesn’t matter much. It’s not realistic for society to expect women to constantly shave.”

“I mean, of course,” Noelle wrinkled her brow. “There’s no way anyone has the time for full body shampooing and hair removal.”

Noelle moved a tacky little chair closer to the bed (clearly intended for smaller visitors), and cringed at the squeak. Noelle smiled, and handed her father the other controller.

She yelped.“Oh! Darn! It’s a single-player game!”

“Ah, good. It’d be messy to be a player and also married.” Rudy winked.

“How’d you know it has a marriage option?” Noelle asked, befuddled. “….Never mind.”

Rudy slowly leaned over, looking at the item Noelle held. “You only got one controller? Oh, it’s fine. I can always watch. You’re much better than me at these games anyway.”

—-

“Gosh darn it, Shella.”

“Come on, Noelle! You can swear harder than that.”

Noelle blushed.

“This is the last time I’ll ever be able to see my little girl swear a blue streak.” Rudy said solemnly.

“It’s the wish of a dying man, Noelle. Now let it rip!”

“Fu–”

—-

Noelle painted the room blue as the ocean with the intensity and number of her swears…including two Rudy had never even heard before.

Noelle hunched over with an exhausted look, panting. Suddenly her cheeks bulged, and she spat out one little swear lingering in her throat.

Rudy sat in his bed, stunned at the depths of foulness to tumble out of the mouth of a sweet-natured teenage girl. “Wow, Nolle…

I am so proud of you.”

Noelle beamed, still flushed with the exhaustion of releasing sixteen years’ worth of repressed cussing. Noelle’s cheeks bulged again….only to erupt into laughter. Soon, Rudy, too, was laughing, and the room itself was filled with laughter (and swear residue).

Rudy’s ears flailed out, and with a bug-eyed look Rudy coughed out some dust.

Noelle stared at the dust smeared on her father’s hand. Rudy looked solemn. “Noelle, I think it’s time I told you the truth…”

“I’m part vacuum cleaner.”

—-

They had traveled deep into the dungeon in the bowels of the earth. Suddenly, the claustrophobic halls expanded into a greater room….

“A cutscene!”

Noelle perked her ears up and forward, leaning closer to the TV with a gamer’s hunch. She sat there for a few seconds, straining her ears, but the sound had been turned too low for that sweet, sweet cutscene music.

“Oh, darn. Wish I could hear the music.”

“Oh, Noelle, you can turn it up. The only other guy is the Warrior, and he’s delusional. Guy thinks he’s a NPC spouting foreshadowing for an incomplete game.”

Noelle adjusted the hospital TV’s buttons the old-fashioned way, as the remote was on paternity leave after irresponsibly siring tiny music players.

Atmospheric music ran through that quiet hospital room.

“You dense son of a submariner! Wither away!”

Smiles filled their vision as they enjoyed the scene together, as they witnessed the bizarre scene of characters innocently smiling while delivering scathing dialogue. Ill-advised ‘cultural translations’ for a tougher audience, Noelle thought. But I love it.

A room away, a patient quietly fumed and flailed his limbs, ranting again. Muffled as it was through the sounds of battle, and laughter, and conversation, none heard him. He shed a single manly tear through his costume.

—-

Swarms of Modiglettes tread towards them in the darkness.

Noelle tensed up with a little “eep”, and Rudy turned to his daughter’s terrified face. “What are you waitin’ for? Flare ‘em!”

Noelle shook off her fear…and decided to upgrade the spell to ZettaFlare, for good measure. The vastly over-levelled scale of the spell wrecked the swarm of Modiglettes…and the entire dungeon. The enemies soundly defeated (as well as most of the party), the scorched, half-dead remainder of the party weakly cheered.

"Creepy! Just like that angel doll!”

“Heh, you think so?” Rudy said with relief. “That thing’s a nightmarish abomination!” Rudy glanced toward that faceless angel doll on the counter top, still a little askew after all those hours beside the flowers. He felt it glaring at him judgmentally…as if wishing for his death.

Rudy noticed, just then, the petals falling from the wilting bouquet…onto that letter enclosed within.

"Kris…they’re a good kid.”

“Earlier, they told me to come visit you.” Noelle replied offhand.

Noelle had never seen her father’s brows rise higher. “Huh. That’s awfully out-of-character for them. I sure hope that isn’t a clue they know something we don’t.”

Noelle laughed nervously. “Yeah, I sure hope so! It’s….probably a sign of some turmoil or trauma that occurred off-screen. That totally happens in RPGs, so it’s not that weird.”

—-

As Noelle defeated foe after foe, progressing on her journey, she spoke less and less. The same went for her father. He reclined in his bed, his head heavy.

Noelle said nothing: not of her anxiety, not of her sadness, not of her ever-growing desire for soda and cheese chips.

“Dad? You haven’t said anything in a while. It’s getting kind of awkward. ‘Companionable silence’ is, uh…not something I’m very good at.”

“Oh, you don’t have to narrate everything,” her father said. “It’s not like you’re playing it for an Internet audience.”

“After all, video games can be…” Her father looked down before looking back at her. “an activity well-suited for urban hermits.”

—-

“THE END”, it said.

Noelle stared at the screen. “What happens next?” Noelle asked, her voice laden with tension.

“The credits screen, of course!” Rudy replied.

“No, no…I mean…what happens to the characters?” Noelle said, glancing towards the window. Her hands still clenched the controller.

“…Y’know…I like to think they all went home after beating the final boss, and had that long-awaited cake.”

“I don’t think they’ll ever get the cake,” Noelle said quietly, looking down. “They always thought they could, but then things happened no one could predict, and now they have to live a cake-free life.”

“You’re right. Come to think of it…a lot of games have cake you can’t get…” Rudy looked out into the distance, up towards the ceiling. “I suppose all they can hope for is finding joy in cupcakes, muffins and brownies. After all, it’s not like having a cake-free life stops them from finding happiness. There are a lot of caloric baked goods in the world.”

Noelle stared at her father, her eyes wet. “Are we…are we even talking about cake anymore?”

Rudy lifted an eyebrow. “It’s good advice, literal or not, and it’s straight from my supply of fatherly wisdom.”

Then, suddenly, there was a weight on Noelle’s hands, and Noelle’s eyes went wide open. Her father weakly squeezed Noelle’s hand, looking straight at her with a wan smile.

“Noelle, dear. Life stinks. But video games make life stink less. When I’m gone, game so much the WHO gives you a disorder.”

“I promise, Dad.”

Her father laid back on the bed, staring up towards the ceiling again.

“DAD OUT!” He shouted. His tongue stuck out and his eyes turned to X’s.

Tears bubbled in Noelle’s eyes. “His eyes turned to X’s…just like the video games…”

—-

It was a beautiful day outside. Birds were singing, flowers were blooming. On days like these, kids like Kris should be inside playing Nontondo games, but no, Kris had to go be all nice-like and visit someone whose dad had died.

Kris found Noelle standing by the window, light streaming past her silhouette in the early morning light. Kris stared at Noelle’s back in a way that definitely wasn’t creepy.

The two of them stood like two islands in a quiet ocean…but for the malfunctioning air conditioning system, which was quite terrible at imitating calming ocean waves.

Kris observed a massive snarl in Noelle’s hair. It was so big it looked like her hair had gotten pregnant. Dear sweet angel mother of Dog could she not have combed her hair a little before visiting her dying father at 3:30 AM?! Kris thought. But Kris kept quiet.

“Yo, Noelle, your hair is awful,” Kris said. Kris cringed, hurriedly adding: “Also, sorry ‘bout your dad. Obvious foreshadowed deaths are still super sad.”

Noelle spoke in a voice drained of tears, due to a quick surgery she had to improve tear evacuation in her face. Thankfully, Kris wasn’t looking at Noelle’s face.

“I suppose so,” Noelle said quietly. “But if it means I got to spend time with my dad, one last time…then it was worth it for my hair to look like it got goshdarn pregnant.”

Oh thank Dog we agree, Kris thought. Would have been awkward if I brought it up.

“I don’t know what I’m gonna do next,” Noelle said, almost to herself. “Life’s…never going to go back to normal, with my dad being all corpsey.”

Kris looked at the bed. It felt empty. “It’s kind of ambiguous whether he’s a corpse or dust.”

“You don’t know…maybe we scheduled a cremation service ahead of time, ‘cause he was on his way out anyway.”

The room was quiet again, but for the annoying creak of the malfunctioning air conditioning. It sounded like a wooden ship breaking apart in a storm-tossed…No, no. Make for a more subtle metaphor, Kris told their own brain.

The moment carried on, stretching out like a lazy morning. In that unhurried moment, where a person could simply be alive, Kris lost track of time. It didn’t matter: it was either 9:27 AM or croissant o’clock.

What did Noelle see, in one of the best views in all of Hometown? The houses below? The woods beyond? Undyne arresting Snowdrake for streaking?

“Thank you, Kris,” Noelle said quietly. “Thank you for somehow knowing roughly when my dad was going to die, despite having zero medical knowledge.”

Noelle’s ears floated up. A few seconds passed. Noelle turned around, exposing her hideously enlarged tear ducts.

“OH MY DOG KRIS DO YOU HAVE TIME TRAVEL POWERS?!”

But Kris had long since bounced the joint.

—-

Everyone knew it was coming. The foreshadowing was very obvious.

Kris stood stiffly in the doorway, a sense of unease building in their various body parts.

At first, the room seemed unoccupied. Then, Kris caught a soft, high-pitched noise. Kris caught Noelle sobbing, her face concealed under a waterfall of hair. (Much like a waterfall was wet, it was also wet. But with tears.) A thought occurred to Kris, unbidden, that her hair was beautiful: long, and blond, and finely combed, and increasingly stained with tears and snot. Her arms wrapped her arms around her body.

Kris did a double-take.

“Noelle…why are you brandishing a disembodied pair of your own arms?”

Noelle coughed out her sobs and swallowed.

“These are my sorrow arms, Kris….I grow them whenever I am enduring the crushing pain of existence.”

Kris’s blank face somehow looked hesitant.

“I doubt that. I’ve never grown any sorrow arms.”

“…oh. I’m sorry, Kris,” Noelle said, a little subdued. “Growing a second pair of arms under overwhelming sorrow must be a monster-only thing.”

“I only wish…I could have played Dragon Blazers III with him.”

Kris paused, tilting their head just a fraction of an inch. “How long would it take to finish Dragon Blazers III?” It was a mundane inquiry, very similar to “Do you have croissants?” in how mundane it was.

Noelle sniffed. In a brittle voice, like a piece of plastic (the brittle kind), she said: “It’s pretty big. About eight hours, I-I think.”

“If you could finish the game with your father, would you?”

“I’d do anything for it.”

“Would you give me hair-care tips?”

“…what?”

“’Cause I couldn’t help but notice how beautiful your hair was, despite the fact it’s increasingly stained with tears and snot.”

“Kris, I am mourning my dead dad. Please read the room before asking for hair care tips.” Noelle’s arms tightened around herself. “But, yes…theoretically, I would provide hair care tips.”

“Despite that unwanted tone of voice, I’m gonna be the better person and rewind time so you can play a video game with your dad, all good Samaritan-like.” Kris said.

“…what? Rewind time?”

—-

“Yo. Red SOUL.” Kris said blankly, sashaying towards a SOUL in a birdcage.

“I need you all up inside me.” Kris said, as seductively as a teenager of unclear age could while still being legal. Kris opened up the cage and their SOUL eagerly jumped into their chest cavity.

“PSYCHE!” Kris exclaimed. “I knew you’d automatically rewind time, sucka! And I’m gonna make Noelle slightly less sad!”

[heart-eyes-kippen]

You’re kind of amazing  (a tyrus oneshot)

Hello!! I just thought I’d preface this by saying that I wrote this for a different ship before I even knew about andi mack (so - a while ago!) but I was reading over it last night and I thought it fit tyrus so I edited it and it hopefully (?) shouldn’t be too different to my writing now, but if there’s discrepancies that’s why!! 

~

College was something that took up a lot of TJ’s mind, particularly seeing as it was his first year and there were so many aspects of it to adjust to. This was expected — TJ had known it wouldn’t be easy. One thing that had been unexpected however, was the person that had kept him awake at night throughout the year, the thoughts that had filled TJ’s mind and wound their way around his heart. That person, of course, was Cyrus. At any given moment TJ’s thoughts would wander to the increasingly lingering stares they shared, the way Cyrus had been laughing harder at TJ’s corny jokes as of late. 

 It didn’t even have to turn into a relationship, right? He could just ask him out on a date and go from there, he thought to himself. One look at Cyrus’ sparkling eyes as he laughed at something Buffy had told him confirmed that it certainly would not work out that way. TJ was a goner, and he was far beyond the point of trying to hide it. 

 He set down his can of beer, allowing his eyes to slide over Cyrus’ face, and the way it was lit up by the sunlight pouring inside. Everything blurred around him slightly as he stepped forward, making his way over to the group.

 “I don’t know what it is but Marty has been beating me at every single Mario Kart game, I swear. The universe hates me,” said Cyrus, leaning back against the couch with a stubborn huff. 

 “Maybe you’re just not cut out for Mario Kart, underdog,” TJ teased, feeling a small smirk creep onto his face when Cyrus caught his gaze and feigned a look of offence. 

 “Why TJ, fancy seeing you here! Come to find any and every opportunity to tear me down?” 

 “Of course not!” he exclaimed, collapsing down onto the couch beside him, “I think you’re great.” 

 “But you just think you’re better?” Cyrus questioned, arching an eyebrow. 

 TJ shrugged his shoulders, directing an innocent smile at him. 

 “TJ versus Cyrus in Mario Kart?” Andi suggested, shooting TJ a quick wink.

 “I’m not scared of anyone — not even handsome basketball-players! It is so on, Kippen.” 

 Cyrus was completely oblivious to the way TJ’s eyes widened at those words. He spluttered for a few moments, shooting Marty (who was laughing his ass off) a dirty look before managing to collect himself. 

 “Well, I’m not scared of...cute clumsy theatre nerds...” TJ retorted, smiling slightly when he noticed Andi roll her eyes. Cyrus’ face was lit up with laughter as he turned to find a pair of controllers amongst the pillows of the couch. 

 TJ was completely, utterly, soul-crushingly gone.

 “You two are something else,” Amber muttered, standing up to join Andi on the large bean bag next to the couch.

 TJ couldn’t help but let his gaze settle on Cyrus, who had concentration written across his face as he fiddled with a few of the plugs behind the TV. His eyes travelled from Cyrus’ dark hair, to his brown eyes, to his soft lips, to — oh crap he was looking back. TJ let out a fake cough and turned to face Marty, who was having a rather heated debate with Amber.

 “I don’t see the point,” Amber insisted.

 “It’s the experience Amber, the experience!” 

 “Cinema food is way overpriced — how is that an experience? You know what’s part of the cinema experience? Going to the grocery store to buy food and sneaking it into the theatre,” she said, and Marty just let out an annoyed huff.

 TJ rolled his eyes and turned back, deeming it safe to look at Cyrus again; except he had apparently chosen the wrong moment because suddenly their gazes were meeting and he felt the air seep from his lungs. Cyrus hastily averted his eyes and grabbed the controllers, dropping down next to TJ and handing him one.

 TJ would never tell anyone, but the way Cyrus looked at him as he passed the controller over made it slightly difficult to breathe.

 “Prepare for destruction, Goodman,” he said, tone a lot softer than he would’ve liked.

​

“You may play basketball, but no one can beat me at Mario kart,” said Cyrus, as he scrolled through the map options. 

 A vague look of amusement crossed Buffy’s face. “Except for me, Andi, Buffy, Jonah, Marty...”

 TJ couldn’t help but laugh at that, watching as the track Cyrus had selected loaded on screen. Despite actively trying not to look over at Cyrus, he yet again found his eyes wandering. There was an adorable look of determination on his face, which had TJ smiling despite his best efforts. Cyrus was possibly the sorest loser he knew, but he was Cyrus; cute, charming, helpful, funny—

 “TJ, you idiot!” Marty yelled with a laugh. 

 Oh crap — the race had started.

 Andi let out a soft laugh of her own as TJ realised his mistake and frantically drove forward. 

 “I must say TJ, your focus is outstanding,” Marty teased, poking at his side.

 “Shut up,” he mumbled, immediately throwing down a shell that he picked up. 

 Because Cyrus had distracted him (albeit unknowingly) from the race, TJ thought it was only fair to distract him back, just for a few seconds. He shuffled over from his end of the couch all the way to the other boy, giving a small cheer when he had overtaken a group of persistent karts. 

 A smile tugged at his lips when he realised that it was already working; Cyrus was hastily glancing over at him, eyebrows raised. 

 “What are you doing?” 

 TJ just shrugged and continued shuffling until he was right next to the Cyrus, their shoulders practically pressed up against one another. Cyrus shot him a bewildered look. 

 “Okay TJ, there’s this amazing term called ‘personal space’, invented by someone who clearly understood that it’s very much needed for people to — oh my god what, I’m second now?!” 

 TJ grinned, before hurriedly moving back over to his side of the couch. 

 Marty, Buffy, Amber and Andi had all begun chattering amongst themselves, rolling their eyes occasionally at the duo when they were being particularly dramatic.

 “Watch out Cyrus!” TJ called, tossing back a shell at his kart and watching as he spun across the track, veering right off it.

 “How could you!” gasped Cyrus.

 TJ honestly didn’t know what happened. It was as though one minute he was absolutely set on winning, then he was looking over at the adorable look of concentration painted across Cyrus’ face, and the way he was all curled up in the corner of the couch, brown eyes fixed on the screen. It was all too much.

 In what wasn’t his proudest moment by any means, he ended up letting Cyrus win. 

 Cyrus was absolutely thrilled about this, of course, a glowing smile spread across his face as he set down his controller. 

 “Oh hush, you got lucky, we get it,” TJ rolled his eyes, a blush warming his cheeks.

 “I haven’t even said anything yet!” he exclaimed, shuffling over to give TJ a playful smack on the arm. 

 Andi giggled at that and shook her head, turning to whisper something to Amber. TJ felt a small jolt of panic run through his veins. 

 “Hey, it’s rude to keep secrets!” said Cyrus, playfully narrowing his eyes. 

 “Take your own advice for once,” Buffy retorted, lifting an eyebrow when the boy’s face turned a deep shade of red.

 “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Buffy.”

 ~

 “I have to say TJ, you really seem to love...interesting...timing,” Cyrus mumbled, running a hand through his hair.

 “Thanks,” he responded, with no where near his usual playfulness.

 TJ was stood at the door of Cyrus’ shared apartment at 2 am, soaking wet due to the raging storm outside.

 “Try not to wake Buffy up, she has a long day tomorrow,” Cyrus whispered, gently closing the door behind him. Even then, the sounds of howling wind pierced right through the walls, seeping in through the cracks of their front door. TJ advanced hesitantly, slipping off his shoes. 

 “Hang on,” Cyrus whispered, practically stumbling his way down the hall and turning into his room. 

 He soon returned with a huge, fluffy towel, handing it over TJ with a small smile. 

 “There you go.” 

 “Thanks,” he said, wriggling out of Marty’s thick jacket and pulling his shirt over his head. Cyrus’ expression was all worry when he looked up, their gazes meeting. 

 “So what brings TJ Kippen to this apartment at 2 am in the morning?” he asked, in a way that almost seemed conversational. 

 “Just wanted to get away from the house for a bit,” TJ spoke softly.

 “Okay....for any particular reason?” Cyrus asked carefully, leading TJ into the living room.  It was pitch black apart from the faint glow of the moon, until Cyrus flicked a switch that had harsh light flooding it. 

 TJ hesitated before responding, taking a few moments to scan over the room. He’d been there multiple times, but for some reason he wanted to stall as much as he possibly could. 

 It was clear that Buffy and Cyrus had each left their own mark — there were shelves of books about athletes, about history and dinosaurs, sticky notes with various facts on them, a case full of DVD's and a box filled to the brim with bracelets Andi had made (and still makes) for them both. 

 When TJ finally tore his gaze away, Cyrus was still standing there, clearly unsure of whether he should repeat his question or drop the matter. TJ let out a small sigh. 

 “I couldn’t sleep.” 

 I just wanted to see your face. 

 When Cyrus just looked at him in puzzlement, TJ shifted uneasily.  

 “I was just...thinking. And I couldn’t really stop. I thought being somewhere else might help. So I took Amber’s car,” he winced slightly before continuing, “I should probably text her.” 

 “Oh.”

 “Yeah.”

 “Um...if you don’t mind me asking...what were you thinking about?” 

 TJ swallowed at that, shifting his gaze down towards the floor. There was silence for a few long beats.

 “I think I’m gay.” 

 The words were quiet, but with the deafening silence that followed (save for the storm outside) you would’ve thought they’d been an echoing shout. 

 Cyrus’ looked at him with vague surprise. TJ pulled the towel around himself, feeling oddly exposed all of a sudden.

 “I mean, I’ve known...well, not known per se, just...suspected for a while. Since high school.”

 Since becoming friends with you. 

 “Well, that’s okay! You know that, right? There’s nothing wrong with that,” said Cyrus, stepping forward to place a gentle hand on his shoulder. “And...I’m glad you felt comfortable enough to tell me.” 

 TJ nodded. “Yeah. I know. But when something’s been a secret for so long...”

 “I get it,” Cyrus nodded, and from the understanding on his face, TJ knew he did. “You can stay the night if you want, I’m sure Buffy won’t mind. She has to be up pretty early tomorrow anyway.” 

 TJ’s eyebrows furrowed slightly when he noticed Cyrus avert his gaze, biting his lip as he looked towards the hallway. 

 “What’s wrong?”

 “Oh, it’s nothing...it’s just that we only have my bed and Buffy’s bed...do you mind? My bed is pretty big, so...” 

 TJ’s breath caught in his throat. Before he could give it any thought whatsoever, he was speaking.

 “I don’t mind...uh, sleeping with you? If you don’t mind either. I mean we’re friends, right?”

 “That’s true.” 

 Silence fell for a moment. TJ fiddled slightly with the ends of the towel. 

 “Well, I’m kind of tired so...wanna just go?” asked Cyrus, and TJ swore he felt his heart skip a beat.

 “Yeah, sure.” 

 TJ desperately tried to calm his nerves as he followed Cyrus through the darkened hallway, turning off the living room light behind him. A smile crept onto his lips as they walked into Cyrus’ room. He wasn’t sure exactly what it was, but somehow he had always felt comfortable there. 

 “You got another succulent?” he asked, looking towards the bedside table. 

 Cyrus’ face turned a light shade of red. “Yeah. I did. They’re cute in my defence!” 

 TJ raised his arms in surrender, still smiling slightly as he placed the bag down and began rummaging through it for spare clothes. He entered the bathroom to change (and to assess the damage the rain had wreaked on his hair), emerging again soon enough and placing the towel in the small hamper by Cyrus’ bookshelf.

 Cyrus slipped underneath the blankets as TJ tossed his bag next to the bed, carefully climbing onto it and laying as far away from the other boy as he could.

 “I hope you can get to sleep okay,” Cyrus whispered. 

 TJ looked over at him, and although there was darkness obscuring his face, he could tell that Cyrus was nervous; it was practically radiating off of him. He couldn’t him; he felt nervous too. 

 “I think I’ll be okay.” 

 ~

 Golden sunlight poured in through the windows, illuminating Cyrus’ face and making his brown hair look a few shades lighter. TJ couldn’t find it within him to wake the boy up, so he spent a few moments just observing, slightly transfixed.

 He very nearly had a heart attack, however, when Cyrus’ eyes fluttered open, immediately landing on TJ. A jolt ran through him in, and he immediately shifted so that he was looking up at the ceiling instead, white turned a pale yellow due to the sun. 

 He heard Cyrus laugh, all gravel and rasp due to the fact that he’d just woken up.

 “Creep,” he mumbled, giving him a playful shove.

 TJ attempted to play it off with a smile as he got up and gathering his books for the morning. He shot a quick text to Amber and Marty as he searched through his bag for clothes to wear, completely oblivious to the pair of eyes that were on him. 

 ~

 As the sun began to hide behind the horizon, TJ and Cyrus made their way down to a nearby park to mess around. TJ always appreciated this time at dusk; the air was cool, the sky was a gradient of pinks and oranges, and the streets were relatively empty too, save for the cars that passed them. They were sat on a large swing, sitting back to back and using their legs to push off the ground and swing as high as they could. After almost falling multiple times, Cyrus decided to hop off, pulling TJ along with him.

 “Awww, but it was just getting fun!”

 “And dangerous,” said Cyrus, rolling his eyes. 

 They made their way over to a bench instead, despite TJ’s complaints, and despite the pouty look he gave Cyrus as they sat down. Cyrus just shook his head however, the beginnings of a fond smile on his face. 

 They both went quiet for a few minutes as they observed the final streaks of colour in the sky. TJ was acutely aware of the space (or lack thereof) separating them. 

 “After years of knowing you TJ, I never knew you played piano,” Cyrus spoke suddenly. 

 TJ just laughed. “I didn’t think it was information worth sharing.”

 “What?! If I were as good at piano as you are, or even half that, I’d boast to the whole world!”

 TJ just shrugged, dragging his feet along the wood chips beneath him. 

 “I don’t know.”

 “I don’t think you give yourself enough credit sometimes,” Cyrus declared.

 TJ raised an eyebrow at him. 

 “Okay, okay, asides from bragging about your ‘dashing good looks’,”

 “Cyrus—“

 “You’re kind of amazing, TJ.” 

 TJ looked down at his hands, knowing well that his face was probably a deep shade of red.

 “What about you? You’re great at helping people, you’re great at exams, you’re like, amazing at taking photos, you’re pretty much the nicest person I know...I guess I can look past the star wars obsession...”

 Cyrus gave him a beaming smile at that, one that had TJ’s heart soaring.

 TJ wasn’t exactly sure what happened — one minute it seemed they were looking at one another with soft smiles, then the next minute TJ was closing the distance between their lips and Cyrus was stilling with shock. When TJ realised this he immediately pulled away.

 Mortified at the pure shock on Cyrus’ face, TJ got up from the bench and began fast-walking away, still reeling from the fact that he had actually kissed Cyrus. What had he been thinking?

 His fast-walk quickly turned to a run, one fuelled almost entire by adrenaline. He shoved a few protruding branches out of his way as he sprinted up the path, his panicked, muddled brain somehow remembering the route back to Cyrus’ apartment. Icy air filled his lungs, and his breaths had become ragged by the time he finally arrived at the front door, darkness enveloping him. 

 Cyrus was left on the bench, blushing crimson as he brought a hand up to his face and watched TJ’s form disappear into the night. 

 ~

 “Hi Buffy,” TJ panted as he hurried inside. 

 “Hi...”

 Buffy raised an eyebrow, watching as TJ scrambled about the apartment to grab his things. She hesitantly followed him into Cyrus’ room, where he was tossing his clothes into a bag.

 “In a hurry to leave?”

 TJ gave her a small smile. “Yeah...I just wanna get home.” 

 TJ rushed into the bathroom, grabbing his toothbrush and heading for the door again. To his surprise however, Buffy seemed to be blocking it.

 “Buffy. What are you doing?”

 “Look TJ...” she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, “I know it might be scary for you...to like someone and have them like you back. But as someone who’s known Cyrus for like 10 years now, I know he’d never hurt you on purpose. He cares about you.”

 TJ felt his face pale at those words. 

 “What are you saying?” he asked quietly.

 Buffy’ eyebrows were furrowed slightly with puzzlement. “He didn’t tell you?” 

 TJ’s heart began to race. “You’re saying he likes me? Is that what you mean? Cyrus Goodman likes me?”

 Buffy just stared for a moment, clearly taken aback. TJ could feel himself growing somewhat desperate for an answer. 

 “That’s exactly what she’s saying,” a voice chimed in from behind her. 

 If TJ wasn’t shocked before, he most certainly was now. All he could do was watch, completely frozen, as Buffy stepped back to allow Cyrus in, giving them both a knowing smile before closing the door behind her with a soft thud. 

 There they were — TJ stood in the centre of the room, a toothbrush in one hand and a bag full of things in the other, the colour almost completely drained from his face. Cyrus on the other hand, with some sort of newfound confidence, was approaching him with a small smile. 

 TJ could barely help himself. 

 “I’m sorry for kissing you. I really shouldn’t have, I didn’t ask or anything beforehand. It was...it was dumb. But I’m sorry — do you like me? Because...because I like you. I kind of have for years.” 

 TJ normally prided himself on his ability to word his thoughts at least somewhat eloquently, but at that moment he wasn’t even fully aware of what was leaving his mouth. He just knew that Cyrus was getting ridiculously close now, and he was standing up on his tip-toes, and then — as if TJ had never run away in the first place — they were kissing again, slower this time. 

 It took TJ a moment or two, but he began to melt into it, drawing Cyrus in and holding him steady. For a brief moment he worried that his lips would be slightly chapped from the cold, but if the bright smile on Cyrus’ face as he pulled away was any indicator, he didn’t seem to mind.

 Cyrus brought a gentle hand up to cup TJ’s face, head tipped to the side. 

 “Yes, I like you TJ. I have since like...forever.” 

 TJ let out a breathless laugh, still reeling and still in total disbelief. 

 “Since forever? Now that’s embarrassing.”

 Cyrus just rolled his eyes, gently sliding his hand down TJ’s arm and grabbing his bag from him, setting it down on his bed.

 “You kissed me and then ran away before I could tell you that I liked you? Now that’s embarrassing.”

 TJ felt himself blush at that.

 “Touché,” he remarked, as he walked over to the bed and collapsed down onto it, gazing up at the other boy. For a moment, he felt the urge to look away from the returning stare, but he couldn’t drag his eyes away even if he wanted to.

 Cyrus ended up settling down beside him, wrapping his arms around TJ’s waist. “I’m kind of glad you decided to come over.”

 TJ smiled, running a gentle hand through Cyrus’ hair. “Me too.” 

 ~

 (The following morning) 

 Group chat: this is a gay/bi/pan event only. go home. 

 Buffy: I KNEW IT WOULD WORK OUT EVEN IF U TWO ARE IDIOTS

 Amber: good!!!! i might’ve died if u two kept flirting for all of eternity 

 Andi: tj if u hurt cyrus i will end u. cyrus if u hurt tj i will end u. LOVE U GUYS <3 

 Marty: TJ BROOOO u finally did it!! i’m proud of u (and cyrus) <3 

 Cyrus: i love u all omg 

 TJ: what am i doing here?? who even are u guys i don’t know any of u 

 Cyrus: yeah what ARE u doing here

 TJ: wait i think i vaguely recognise u. cute guy with brown eyes. 

 Buffy: i’m already tired of this.

 Marty: buffy i love u

 Buffy: love u too!!! <33 

 TJ: Now that’s what we call a hypocrite. 

 Cyrus: why are we all a mess 

 TJ: You’re not a mess!!! you’re beautiful and amazing!!! 

 Andi: tj u have to stop rn, he’s blushing like crazy

 Cyrus: LIES 

 TJ: cyrus goodman u are talented, smart, funny, wonderful, i could kiss u all day, 

 Andi: okay! you’ve officially killed him.

 Cyrus: SKDEKJSJSJ  

 Cyrus: TJ. come over rn 

 TJ: I’M ON MY WAY 

 Cyrus: <33