#i can totally understand the museum guide though

[notsosecretlyalesbian]

“I hate to admit it, but I actually learned some stuff from you.”

Abbott Elementary | 02×22: Franklin Institute

[testuik]

A Guide for Tbilisi Restaurants and Bars

Discover the vibrant culinary scene of Tbilisi with this comprehensive guide to the city's best restaurants and bars.

In 2016, there were hardly any good-looking restaurants in Tbilisi to eat or enjoy your time out as far as I remember. We walked around a lot until we found a burger place and the guys were so proud of themselves for being able to open such a place. Weird huh. This time I was so impressed with the variety and quantity of Tbilisi restaurants, cafes, and bars. Tbilisi was like heaven. We couldn’t decide which restaurants to try, which bars to crawl to, and which cafes to relax in. So we tried to at least have some snacks and drinks in most of them.

Mafshalia მაფშალია 

Location: 137 Davit Aghmashenebeli Ave, Tbilisi, Georgia 

Georgian cuisine is something I am familiar with. Also, I tried some restaurants in Tbilisi for Georgian cuisine in 2016. What I learned is you need to choose little places over known restaurants. Well, Mapshalia is also well known even though it is a small restaurant owned by a family due to their cheap, large portioned, delicious dishes. We waited for almost an hour before getting a table during dinner time. After finally sitting down, we ordered Megruli style khachapuri, chicken kharcho with nuts, cheese dumplings, and mchadi. We were going to order ghomi with cheese but the lady stopped us and told us it was enough for 2 people. 

The owners and servers only spoke a few words of English but they were kind enough to try and understand my broken Russian. If you decide to go there bring cash. Credit cards are not accepted, only cash. 

Hinkali Factory ხინკლის ფაბრიკა

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hinkalifactory/ 

Location: Various 

I love all kinds of dumplings and try them whenever possible. The first time we came there we went into a tourist restaurant near Meidani. We ordered each type of hinkals and none of them were good. They had thick uncooked skin, the insides were bad, were somehow oily. We became sick afterward and couldn’t really eat anything else for the next few days. So I was hesitant this time. My friends at the hostel told me the place I went to was the worst possible place you could try Georgian food and suggested I visit Hinkali Factory. 

We went to the Hinkali Factory on Pkhovi Street and ordered regular beef hinkal and pan-fried Asian filling hinkals. Also, mushroom chebureki cause I like chebureki a lot. The hinkals were amazing. They were thin, well-cooked, and juicy. The food went well with kompot which is a fruit-based drink. Not exactly juice because you boil and strain the fruits but it is light and fresh in the end. The only thing I didn’t enjoy was the mushroom chebureki. The filling was too wet so the fried dough became soggy. Also, you could only taste coriander and no mushroom at all. The prices were fair and they take credit cards. 

Kazbegi Beer 

Website: http://www.kazbegi.com/ 

Location: 68a Dimitri Uznadze St, Tbilisi 0112, Georgia

Kazbegi is a local beer brand and this location is in between a store and serving hall. I took my friends there and they were shocked. The place looked like a canteen and there were only Georgian men at the tables. A total local place. No tourists at all. I enjoyed it much but I can agree the place is not for everybody. They serve snacks and fish plates as I have seen but we only ordered beer. The beer was good and cheap. 

8000 Vintages 

Website: https://8000vintages.ge/ 

Location: 60 Irakli Abashidze Street, Tbilisi 0162, Georgia (They have other locations as well, this is the one we went) 

8000 Vintages is a must visit place if you are into wine. Well, I am allergic to wine but I still wanted to enjoy a good cheese plate while my friends are sipping their selection of wines. The inside was like a museum and I liked that a lot. Prices vary depending on your tasting wine but I can say they offer wines for every price range. 

Prinz Bar

Location: 37 Shota Rustaveli Ave, Tbilisi, Georgia 

If you have read my blog post on Tbilisi techno clubs and bars you may be familiar with the name Prinz Bar. The place is a vegan bar/kitchen by day and becomes a dance floor by night. The place is located on the first floor of an apartment. The entrance feels like you are entering someone’s home but the inside is really cool. I am amazed by their bbq burger made from fried oyster mushrooms. Definitely recommended. 

The only tip I can give is, that Google reviews say the Prinz Bar opens at 2 P.M. but doesn’t. So go there later. 

WU Shi 

Well, I need to tell you, Instagram made me visit this place. Their page came up as an ad in between stories. They had arcade games, playing hip-hop, and a selection of Japanese beer. So we went in, the games were there, we had fun. On the other hand, the sushi selection was really little and only basic ones had. I found the price to be expensive for the basics BUT the fish was really fresh and tasty. So I don’t regret it. For the Japanese beer, I couldn’t try any of them because they ran out of them when I visited. So if you are looking to enjoy sushi you can pay a visit. 

Art-Cafe Home 

Location: 18, lermontov 0105, Georgia

I also talked about Art-Cafe home in this post. I came there first in 2016 and it was summer. The weather was nice and sunny and we watched the sunset from their terrace. This time weather was cloudy and rainy from time to time and we went in before opening time (they were kind enough to take us in). Still, I enjoyed the terrace. We got some local dark beer and sat before moving on to visit another museum. They also have an art gallery and a dancefloor for parties. 

Canudos Ethnic Bar კანუდოს ეთნიკ ბარი 

Location: Mikheil Javakhishvili Str. 2 Samaia Square, Tbilisi 0108, Georgia

I like ethnic themed places so Canudos was a must visit for me. We went there after having a late lunch in Prinz so I haven’t tried anything except their fries. The garden is nice, interior is cool, price–performance ratio is normal. Regular beer costed more than most of the places I went but it wasn’t an expensive place at all. 

Warszawa ვარშავა 

Location: 19 Aleksandr Pushkin St, Tbilisi, Georgia

Warszawa caught our eye while we were walking from Old Town Wall Ruins to Freedom Square. We decided to get a beer. People were standing outside, chatting. I realized it is a good place to make friends as everybody was talking in English at the time. Beer was regularly priced. 

Other Places 

I have went to a few other places other than the mentioned ones above. These two below are in a really far from the Tbilisi center. You need to pay a special effort to end up in this part of Tbilisi. Our main effort was to visit the Nutsubidze Skybridge. So I didn’t want to recommend them as usual places. If I weren’t to visit the bridge I would definitely pass them. 

Amra ამრა (7 Sandro Euli Street, Tbilisi 0179, Georgia) : A great place to try Abkhazian – West Georgian food. Not budget friendly at all, also I found portions small but they offer a unique cuisine. I liked their adjika chicken (don’t remember the full name) 

Strada Sandro Euli სტრადა სანდრო ეული (7 Sandro Euli Street, Tbilisi 0186, Georgia) This restaurant is right near the Amra and we accidentally

walked in while looking for Ambra and I liked the interior inside. If I had time I would try that place too 

Here are some other bars we went to during our self-guided pub-crawling: 

Bunker Bar (9 0105 Mikheil Lermontovi St, Tbilisi, Georgia) 

Rudeboy Bar Tbilisi (9 Shalva Dadiani St, Tbilisi, Georgia) 

World’s End Bar (Sololaki, 7 Shalva Dadiani St, Tbilisi 0105, Georgia) Ambavi ამბავი (12 Galaktion Tabidze St, Tbilisi 0105, Georgia) 

I don’t have enough experience to talk about any of them except Ambavi as we had only one drink in each and then went into another place. Typical pub crawling. I talked about Ambavi here as the place had a dj when we went and I found it suitable to enjoy a night out. 

These places are really well-known (also famous on Instagram), pricey but good quality: 

Cafe Stamba (14 Merab Kostava St, Tbilisi 0108, Georgia) 

The Kitchen (14 Merab Kostava St, Tbilisi 0108, Georgia) 

Lolita (7 Tamar Chovelidze St, Tbilisi, Georgia) 

Keto & Kote (3 მიხეილ ზანდუკელის ჩიხი, #3 თორაძის ჩიხი, Tbilisi 0179, Georgia) 

Salobie Bia (17 Shota Rustaveli Ave, Tbilisi, Georgia) 

PAUL Restaurant (3/5 Galaktion Tabidze St, Tbilisi, Georgia – also has other locations) 

Kikliko (28 Mtskheta St, Tbilisi 0179, Georgia) 

These places offer a full experience of food, specialty drinks, and interiors altogether. Read the reviews on Google if you are interested in visiting any of them and check prices beforehand. Also, don’t get surprised as the Cafe Stamba and The Kitchen has the same address. As I mentioned above they are within two hotels located near each other. 

Places I Couldn't Try But I Wanted To

And these are the places I wanted to try but either I was too full or had other plans and didn’t have time to visit later. Note: they are not budget-friendly at all. 

Restaurants: 

Klike’s Khinkali Restaurant (#1 Shio Chitadze St, Tbilisi 0108, Georgia)

Grafika გრაფიკა (5 Mikheil Lermontovi St, Tbilisi 0105, Georgia)

Old City Wall Restaurant ძველი ქალაქის გალავანი (2 Shota Nishnianidze St, Tbilisi, Georgia ) 

Weller (56 Egnate Ninoshvili St, Tbilisi 0112, Georgia) 

Café Littera კაფე ლიტერა (13 Ivane Machabeli St, Tbilisi, Georgia) 

Cafes: 

Plantloverstbilisi (4a Niaghvari St, Tbilisi 0108, Georgia ) 

Shukura შუქურა (49 Irakli Abashidze Street, Tbilisi 0162, Georgia ) Pin Pon Cafe პინ პონ (13 Lado Asatiani St, Tbilisi 0105, Georgia) 

For Drinking Out: 

Tsota Tsota Craft Beer Pub (7/20 Geronti Kikodze St, Tbilisi, Georgia)

Dirty habit Bar (9 Geronti Kikodze St, Tbilisi 0162, Georgia) 

Wine Factory N1 ღვინის ქარხანა N1 (1 Vasil Petriashvili Street, Tbilisi 0179, Georgia) 

[curlabroad]

A Guide for Tbilisi Restaurants and Bars

In 2016, there were hardly any good-looking restaurants in Tbilisi to eat or enjoy your time out as far as I remember. We walked around a lot until we found a burger place and the guys were so proud of themselves for being able to open such a place. Weird huh. This time I was so impressed with the variety and quantity of Tbilisi restaurants, cafes, and bars. Tbilisi was like heaven. We couldn’t decide which restaurants to try, which bars to crawl to, and which cafes to relax in. So we tried to at least have some snacks and drinks in most of them.

Mafshalia მაფშალია 

Location: 137 Davit Aghmashenebeli Ave, Tbilisi, Georgia 

Georgian cuisine is something I am familiar with. Also, I tried some restaurants in Tbilisi for Georgian cuisine in 2016. What I learned is you need to choose little places over known restaurants. Well, Mapshalia is also well known even though it is a small restaurant owned by a family due to their cheap, large portioned, delicious dishes. We waited for almost an hour before getting a table during dinner time. After finally sitting down, we ordered Megruli style khachapuri, chicken kharcho with nuts, cheese dumplings, and mchadi. We were going to order ghomi with cheese but the lady stopped us and told us it was enough for 2 people. 

The owners and servers only spoke a few words of English but they were kind enough to try and understand my broken Russian. If you decide to go there bring cash. Credit cards are not accepted, only cash. 

Hinkali Factory ხინკლის ფაბრიკა

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hinkalifactory/ 

Location: Various 

I love all kinds of dumplings and try them whenever possible. The first time we came there we went into a tourist restaurant near Meidani. We ordered each type of hinkals and none of them were good. They had thick uncooked skin, the insides were bad, were somehow oily. We became sick afterward and couldn’t really eat anything else for the next few days. So I was hesitant this time. My friends at the hostel told me the place I went to was the worst possible place you could try Georgian food and suggested I visit Hinkali Factory. 

We went to the Hinkali Factory on Pkhovi Street and ordered regular beef hinkal and pan-fried Asian filling hinkals. Also, mushroom chebureki cause I like chebureki a lot. The hinkals were amazing. They were thin, well-cooked, and juicy. The food went well with kompot which is a fruit-based drink. Not exactly juice because you boil and strain the fruits but it is light and fresh in the end. The only thing I didn’t enjoy was the mushroom chebureki. The filling was too wet so the fried dough became soggy. Also, you could only taste coriander and no mushroom at all. The prices were fair and they take credit cards. 

Kazbegi Beer 

Website: http://www.kazbegi.com/ 

Location: 68a Dimitri Uznadze St, Tbilisi 0112, Georgia

Kazbegi is a local beer brand and this location is in between a store and serving hall. I took my friends there and they were shocked. The place looked like a canteen and there were only Georgian men at the tables. A total local place. No tourists at all. I enjoyed it much but I can agree the place is not for everybody. They serve snacks and fish plates as I have seen but we only ordered beer. The beer was good and cheap. 

8000 Vintages 

Website: https://8000vintages.ge/ 

Location: 60 Irakli Abashidze Street, Tbilisi 0162, Georgia (They have other locations as well, this is the one we went) 

8000 Vintages is a must-visit place if you are into wine. Well, I am allergic to wine but I still wanted to enjoy a good cheese plate while my friends are sipping their selection of wines. The inside was like a museum and I liked that a lot. Prices vary depending on your tasting wine but I can say they offer wines for every price range. 

Prinz Bar

Location: 37 Shota Rustaveli Ave, Tbilisi, Georgia 

If you have read my blog post on Tbilisi techno clubs and bars you may be familiar with the name Prinz Bar. The place is a vegan bar/kitchen by day and becomes a dance floor by night. The place is located on the first floor of an apartment. The entrance feels like you are entering someone’s home but the inside is really chill. I am amazed by their bbq burger made from fried oyster mushrooms. Definitely recommended. 

The only tip I can give is, that Google reviews say the Prinz Bar opens at 2 P.M. but doesn’t. So go there later. 

WU Shi 

Well, I need to tell you, Instagram made me visit this place. Their page came up as an ad in between stories. They had arcade games, playing hip-hop, and a selection of Japanese beer. So we went in, the games were there, we had fun. On the other hand, the sushi selection was really little and only basic ones had. I found the price to be expensive for the basics BUT the fish was really fresh and tasty. So I don’t regret it. For the Japanese beer, I couldn’t try any of them because they ran out of them when I visited. So if you are looking to enjoy sushi you can pay a visit. 

Art-Cafe Home 

Location: 18, lermontov 0105, Georgia

I also talked about Art-Cafe home in this post. I came there first in 2016 and it was summer. The weather was nice and sunny and we watched the sunset from their terrace. This time weather was cloudy and rainy from time to time and we went in before opening time (they were kind enough to take us in). Still, I enjoyed the terrace. We got some local dark beer and sat before moving on to visit another museum. They also have an art gallery and a dancefloor for parties. 

Canudos Ethnic Bar კანუდოს ეთნიკ ბარი 

Location: Mikheil Javakhishvili Str. 2 Samaia Square, Tbilisi 0108, Georgia

I like ethnic themed places so Canudos was a must visit for me. We went there after having a late lunch in Prinz so I haven’t tried anything except their fries. The garden is nice, interior is cool, price–performance ratio is a bit above other places but ok. Regular beer cost more than most of the places I went but it wasn’t an expensive place at all. 

Warszawa ვარშავა 

Location: 19 Aleksandr Pushkin St, Tbilisi, Georgia

Warszawa caught our eye while we were walking from Old Town Wall Ruins to Freedom Square. We decided to get a beer. People were standing outside, chatting. I realized it is a good place to make friends as everybody was talking in English at the time. Beer was regularly priced. 

Other Places 

I have went to a few other places other than the mentioned ones above. 

A bit outside the center

These two below are in a really far from the Tbilisi center. You need to pay a special effort to end up in this part of Tbilisi. Our main effort was to visit the Nutsubidze Skybridge. So I didn’t want to recommend them as usual places. If I weren’t to visit the bridge I would definitely pass them. 

Amra ამრა (7 Sandro Euli Street, Tbilisi 0179, Georgia): A great place to try Abkhazian – West Georgian food. We went there as one of my friend's family was from the region but he hadn't had the chance to try local food yet. Not budget friendly at all, also I found portions small but they offer a unique cuisine. I liked their adjika chicken (don’t remember the full name) 

Strada Sandro Euli სტრადა სანდრო ეული (7 Sandro Euli Street, Tbilisi 0186, Georgia) This restaurant is right near the Amra and we accidentally walked in while looking for Ambra and I liked the interior inside. If I had time I would try that place too 

For pub-crawling

Here are some other bars we went to during our self-guided pub-crawling: 

Bunker Bar (9 0105 Mikheil Lermontovi St, Tbilisi, Georgia) 

Rudeboy Bar Tbilisi (9 Shalva Dadiani St, Tbilisi, Georgia) 

World’s End Bar (Sololaki, 7 Shalva Dadiani St, Tbilisi 0105, Georgia) 

Ambavi ამბავი (12 Galaktion Tabidze St, Tbilisi 0105, Georgia) 

I don’t have much experience talking about any of them except Ambavi as we had only one drink in each and then went into another place. Typical pub crawling. I will talk about Ambavi in another post as the place had a dj when we went and I found it suitable to enjoy a night out. 

Well-known (but I passed)

These places are really well-known (also famous on Instagram), pricey but good quality: 

Cafe Stamba (14 Merab Kostava St, Tbilisi 0108, Georgia) 

The Kitchen (14 Merab Kostava St, Tbilisi 0108, Georgia) 

Lolita (7 Tamar Chovelidze St, Tbilisi, Georgia) 

Keto & Kote (3 მიხეილ ზანდუკელის ჩიხი, #3 თორაძის ჩიხი, Tbilisi 0179, Georgia) 

Salobie Bia (17 Shota Rustaveli Ave, Tbilisi, Georgia) 

PAUL Restaurant (3/5 Galaktion Tabidze St, Tbilisi, Georgia – also has other locations) 

Kikliko (28 Mtskheta St, Tbilisi 0179, Georgia) 

These places offer a full experience of food, specialty drinks, and interior altogether. Read the reviews on Google if you are interested in visiting any of them and check prices beforehand. Also, don’t get surprised as the Cafe Stamba

and The Kitchen has the same address. As I mentioned above they are within two hotels located near each other. 

Wanted to visit but couldn’t

And these are the places I wanted to try but either I was too full or had other plans and didn’t have time to visit later. Note: they are not budget-friendly at all. 

Restaurants: 

Klike’s Khinkali Restaurant (#1 Shio Chitadze St, Tbilisi 0108, Georgia) 

Grafika გრაფიკა (5 Mikheil Lermontovi St, Tbilisi 0105, Georgia) 

Old City Wall Restaurant ძველი ქალაქის გალავანი (2 Shota Nishnianidze St, Tbilisi, Georgia ) 

Weller (56 Egnate Ninoshvili St, Tbilisi 0112, Georgia) 

Café Littera კაფე ლიტერა (13 Ivane Machabeli St, Tbilisi, Georgia) 

Cafes: 

Plantloverstbilisi (4a Niaghvari St, Tbilisi 0108, Georgia ) 

Shukura შუქურა (49 Irakli Abashidze Street, Tbilisi 0162, Georgia ) 

Pin Pon Cafe პინ პონ (13 Lado Asatiani St, Tbilisi 0105, Georgia) 

For Drinking Out: 

Tsota Tsota Craft Beer Pub (7/20 Geronti Kikodze St, Tbilisi, Georgia) 

Dirty habit Bar (9 Geronti Kikodze St, Tbilisi 0162, Georgia) 

Wine Factory N1 ღვინის ქარხანა N1 (1 Vasil Petriashvili Street, Tbilisi 0179, Georgia) 

[writingfool001]

For your Fluff Writing Event, may I request prompt 12 with Azul, Riddle, and Malleus along with a gender neutral reader?

Simple Confusing Phrases

Prompt: A and B not speaking each other languages, falling in love and learning together.

Author's Note: I am putting English/Japanese because of a general preference.

Riddle

Riddle was confused and thought you were making fun of him since he thought you were speaking gibberish until you used your phone as a translator to tell him that you couldn’t understand him. Riddle is patient and is very well known for his academics, especially helping his peers and underclassmen. You have given him a book or something to help him learn the basics of your language and he gives you the basics of speaking english/japanese. There are many lessons spent with wild gestures trying to translate a word for each other and pronunciation. 

Overtime, you both learn where you can do basic conversation for both languages and slowly you both have a special place in each other’s hearts, but obviously neither of you know that. You gave Riddle a small nickname which no one else understood, but Riddle would listen to you talk about him and how you hope that his feelings are the same.

Every time he got a phrase or wood right and saw you praise him, his heart fluttered and his face flushed. 

For a while, he would try to be covert about asking about your crush, but you knew exactly what he was talking about. You decided to up the ante and started saying I love you. You learned how to say it in the language he was teaching you, but he still did not know the phrase in your language. It took him a while to pronounce and  figure it out. Once he asked if he was correct, you nodded and said he was correct then said your nickname for him. Flushed face and turning his head to try to hide as he replied that he shared the feelings. He is a little embarrassed when you tell others how you got together.

Azul

Passing you in the halls, he would see you carrying  a notebook and a pencil around and write things down. For a while, Azul sent the twins or went himself to totally not spy on you for information. When the whole Magift fiasco was happening, the twins told him that when you spoke in a different language and Ace yelled to not yell at him in a language he didn’t understand. After that Azul kept a low profile until Azul officially first met you to strike a deal, he was curious about why you brought Jack and you wrote that Jack was your verbal translator while you wrote on the paper. Once you outdid him, you stayed with him at the museum and just listened, even if you didn’t understand what  he was saying, but you enjoyed the sound of his voice.

The both of you got friendlier which brought up you asking if he could teach you he was interested in your language and was very willing to help you learn how to speak in your language, mainly as an advantage to mess with some people, but mainly to spend time with you. He would give you great material, come one he literally made an entire study guide, and he is a pretty good teacher. Like Riddle, he is patient, but after a while, He would occasionally get embarrassed and flustered when you would chuckle at his cuteness, thinking that you were making fun of him. Once you learned how to speak the common language, you focused more on teaching him your language.

Jade has told you about how a couple of evenings, he’s gone to give Azul his tea and has seen the octopus scribbling frantically while reading books. He read the same books throughout the day and muttered phrases under his breath. Once he finally reached the last goal of your language lessons, you started to call him a cute nickname and saying I love you to him which immediately confused him. 

You yelled it at him once and he just texted you to not yell at him in a language he doesn’t understand even though he understands everything else you say in your language. Finally after a while, you finally repeated the phrase again before writing down the answer and slid it across his desk. He had some doubt in his eyes, but he took a hold of the paper and read it before his face turned into a rosy shade. You had to stop him from running off to his octopot and you were financially responsible for him losing a week's worth of sleep as well as distracting him. Cuddles and soft kisses were the only way you could pay off the debt.

Malleus

When malleus first met, he thought you were scared of him and was about to leave before feeling a tap on his shoulder. Turning around to see you holding a piece of paper with a singular sentence.

Hi, I’m (Y/N).

From then on, he was the chatter one of you two and he appreciated your curiosity as well as your questions. He asked about why you don’t speak and you told him that you don’t speak the same language as others, resulting in you speaking a sentence which surprised him. In his entire lifetime, he never has heard the one you spoke. He offered to teach you how to speak in exchange to learn about your interesting language. You nod excitedly and set up small study sessions under the moonlight, that is a meeting that he doesn’t forget or decide not to attend. You rank over dorm leader responsibilities, good job. 

It was a rocky start, but you both learned the basics and would give each other homework to work on. If you saw him, you would approach him and say the phrases you were practicing in English/Japanese, resulting in him responding in your mother tongue. When a smile spread across your face, this man’s heart exploded and he melted a bit. 

As you two continued to work together, he challenged you to speak a couple minutes in the language you were studying. Again, seeing you all flustered as you talked, he knew he was in love with you. He praised you on how well you are speaking and understandinHe struggled a bit, but had a great grasp on speaking your mother tongue.

The next day, you approached him in the hall and told him you love him while smiling before rushing off to your class. Malleus.exe has crashed, he stands there for a couple minutes before snapping out of it and starting thinking about it. He spent the entire day, somewhat distracted from everything around, to think deeply about the phrase you said. He understands that “you” is something “him”. Lilia noticed his nonofficial son struggling and asked how you were doing before commenting that the little night meet ups are so cute, acting like a couple.

Lilia just earned his front seat at Malleus’s and your wedding. Malleus immediately disappeared and imagined just chilling in the Ramshackle lounge, enjoying the peace you rarely have, then it get interrupted by a knock at your door.

You go and open the door to see your tall horned crush, gleaming to no end, before he scoops you up in his arms and buries his face in your neck. He whispered that he loves you too in your language, causing you to smile and wrap your arms to pull him closer. Enjoying this beginning moment of a long path.

[museumshift]

Museums in Media: Moon Knight (2022)

I re-watched the first and second episodes of Moon Knight again to break down all the museum scenes. I'll go chronologically in case you want to give it a rewatch. Which you should, the show is amazing. It ticks off all the boxes for me: Action/Adventure, Egyptology, and Oscar Isaac.

Steven and Donna

When we see Steven enter the British Museum, he starts by talking to a little girl about mummification, the afterlife, etc. The moment is interrupted by Donna. Granted she comes off as kind of horrible, but it might be understandable if he is constantly shirking his responsibilities at his actual job. Having been in a position that has to oversee multiple people, it can get frustrating. However, I personally would have waited until he was done talking to the guest and/or interrupted in a more subtle way.

She is totally right though, he's not a tour guide. I know, I know. I love Steven Grant – he's an adorable floofy-haired Egyptology nerd who looks like Oscar Isaac. That being said, it seems like they either would or should have given him a chance at it – due to the vastness of his knowledge. However, the British Museum has more than just ancient-Egyptian artifacts so, maybe, he wouldn't have been the best candidate for it. The amount of interaction FOH (Front of House) staff has with the back-end (collections, exhibits, education, etc.) can vary by institution. Many might not even be aware of his knowledge. While Donna says, "The answer is still no." I'm not entirely sure that would have been her department to make that decision. She is wearing a blue blazer AND the other tour guide was in blue as well. Could be a coincidence. However, if she is in charge of the tours, why is she also the manager of the gift shop?

The Graphic Design Blunder

Steven gets annoyed that the promotion for the new exhibit about the Ennead only shows seven of the nine deities. I cannot imagine that the marketing department did this by accident. The British Museum (even a fictional version) has ALL the money. Various different design concepts and proofs would have had to go through multiple levels of approval.

Historically, the Ennead (which comes from the Greek "the nine") is a group of nine deities in Egyptian mythology. They are Atum, Shu, Tefnut, Geb, Nut, Osiris, Isis, Set, and Nephthys. However, the Ennead can also include Horus. There were several "groupings" of Egyptian deities and they were usually worshipped by region.

Here's why I think there are only seven listed/shown.

In the graphic, there are Horus, Osiris, and Tefnut – that Steven mentions. When zooming in there is also Shu and another name I can't quite make out that ends in "–or" which could be Hathor, but she is not one of the nine. So, this leads me to believe that they are going with Marvel's council of gods – that Ennead includes Hathor. With that in mind, it's likely that there is some mixing of the Ennead based on the "universe" we are in (we learn this later in subsequent episodes and when we finally meet the council/group).

This "blunder" could have been used as a plot device to show Steven's knowledge (likely) or the graphic designers could have included the deities that are either the most well-known and/or show the most prominence in the current/upcoming exhibit (also likely).

When he's in his room later, reading about them, it looks like Horus is on top of the hierarchy – which leads me to believe they are going the Marvel route (which makes sense). However, I don't think Horus was at the top of the hierarchy in Marvel's version. Either way, I wanted to bring it up. I'll leave this now. Some actual Egyptologist and/or Marvel expert can weigh in.

Security

I literally shouted, "Oi! Stop touching that!"

It's been a while since I've been to the British Museum but I remember guards and educators being EVERYWHERE. You cannot tell me that someone (other than Ronnie) saw this and just didn't say anything. I call BS. While Ronnie, the absolute traitor of the security team, didn't say anything, I'm surprised another employee didn't walk by and have an issue with it. Another one of Harrow's followers shuts some majorly large doors (probably always kept open during business hours) and you are telling me a tour guide, educator, Donna, etc., didn't hear it and go 'WTF was that?' Hm. Eventually, they are opened by a group but it seems like someone should have been on that sooner. Speaking of Donna, she has been on Steven's ass since we met her. While he did ask her for a minute, he was gone far longer than a minute. Are you telling me she didn't get pissed at waiting for him and track him down? Nah. Unlikely.

Also, be respectful of the museum artifacts, mate... even if they probably were obtained unethically. #repatriate

The Chase Scene

This scene starts off with the museum closing. Expected things are seen: shutting down of the major lights, cleaning staff, etc. THEN Harrow gets on the intercom. Where is the security that's NOT under his control? What about the other staff? Who gave him access to the intercom system?

Side note: Thankfully, he saved that jar. *whew*

It looks like he didn't need his access card to enter the back areas. There's access control on the door and it's still red before he, essentially, runs through them. We see him fumble with his card later – as it's not in his hand when he pulls the shelves down. Either his secret Moon Knight strength came into play while he was under duress or it just didn't make sense for the scene.

The most 'WTF' moment for me was that he needed to use his access control card for the FUCKING BATHROOM?!?!?! Are you kidding me with this? I have NEVER worked at a place where the bathrooms themselves were access controlled. Sure, they've been in areas where you have to use your card/fob to get in but not to the actual bathrooms.

On another note, I'm not sure Steven would have had access to these back areas. In the scene, I can see art crates. I'm not sure if they are empty or not – they might be because they are next to cleaning supplies, but just because we know best practices and standards doesn't mean we follow them 100% of the time. Especially in cases where it's behind the scenes. Sometimes, shit just happens. In addition, this seems like the back area for collections staff, facilities, etc., and as a FOH employee, I'm not sure he would even have access to these areas. Perhaps he does. You can control these cards per door so when his key doesn't work on the first door (it goes green to acknowledge a card swipe but he's denied entry), this could be an indicator of this. Either way... THE BATHROOM?!?!?!?!?!

The Following Day

J.B., our friendly albeit useless security guard (who at least is not working for Harrow) meets Steven at the museum's entrance. Based on the footage they are looking at, it seems as if there's no actual proof that Steven committed the destruction of property. It's circumstantial at best – as you would think that they would also look at the footage of him running down the hallway and into the bathrooms.

HR's Repsonse

They state that they aren't pressing charges and offer him assistance to seek treatment (even though they are sacking him). I've seen a couple of people respond that HR handled his (potential) issue better than they expected – I can't be sure if his diagnosis is even listed, or if Steven even knew about it. I can only guess the museum took an intuitive leap to get him help.

I can also make the intuitive leap that those making these statements are state-side. Medical treatment is treated much differently in the UK where it's free. #mustbenice

******************************

Anyway, these are the things I spotted while watching the series. I thoroughly enjoyed this installment. Might be my favorite one so far... The Falcon and the Winter Soldier ALSO has some museum slip-ups and no-nos that I will want to explore at some point.

Was there anything you noticed? Let me know!

This is me signing off... I'll just leave you with this:

[renova-writes]

Coney Island Hotdogs

Requested by: @maximeevansblog

Summary: “The reader is the daughter of bucky barnes, and the have a daddy - daugther Day, but the reader wants to sleep but her dad has other plans , and end of the Day the asks what do you wanna eat Mac donalds and the watch a movie, but the reader falls a sleep trough the movie, and he carries her to bed, but she wakes up and her dad she go back to sleep button, i am carring you to bed, and allot of fluff and cuteness and if its ready you tag me right thanks”

Words: 2,004

Warnings: Just basically a bunch of Fluff. Some mentions of bullying and death, but very light and fun

Other Works: masterlist

"Five more minutes," you whined. The clock on your bedstand read 5:39 am.

"Hey, button," you heard a voice whisper. The dark locks dangling over you told you that it was your father. "Get dressed. I have a surprise for you."

"It's too early."

"I know, but I'll make you a (your favorite caffeinated drink)" Your dad obviously wanted you to get up but was not going to force you. That was one of your favorite things about him. He never forced you to do anything you didn't want to.

"Really" Your sleepy eyes lit up at the mention of caffeine.

"Yes button, really. I promise. Just get yourself ready to go, and it will be waiting for you" he smiled and walked out of your room, "Also, bring a jacket. Just in case."

With that, your dad left. As you paused for a moment in your bedsheets, soaking up the last moments of fluffy warmth before you needed to get up, excitement crawled up your spine. It wasn't often that you and your dad did things, just the two of you. He was always busy with the Avengers, or you two were over with Sam and his family. When you did make time for special days, he usually asked you what you wanted to do beforehand.

His walking into your room at five in the morning, asking you to get up so that you two could have a bonding day, was unusual. He must have something special planned.

You forced yourself to get out of bed. That was going to be the hardest part. Half asleep, you dragged yourself over to the bathroom. You did your business and paused after washing your hands to brush your teeth and your hair. A smile crept across your face in the mirror as you tried to guess what you were going to do.

The zoo? The park? Maybe the museums?

You lived in the Avenger's tower in the heart of New York City, so there were many options. You gave up trying to guess and decided to go with whatever. It was going to be fun no matter what.

It was the beginning of spring, so it was warm during the day but cold in the mornings. You picked out a light floral dress, leggings, and a cardigan so that you could have layers. Some essential jewelry and your boots would also be a part of your outfit.

After putting on your clothes and some basic makeup, you made your way to the main room of your apartment. Just like he had promised, your dad had gotten your beverage from the Starbucks next to the lobby. He had probably gotten it before waking you up as it was sitting in the microwave/fridge.

"Hey button. Nice to see that you finally have awoken from your cavern of blankets," he joked, "You ready. I've got an amazing day planned out. Just the two of us."

"Yep. Where are we going."

"Button, that's a surprise!"

"Tell me!!" you giggled.

"Well, it wouldn't be a surprise if I told you," he smiled. A goofy grin was on his face, with admiration pouring out of his eyes.

"Just a hint…" you begged. "I'll probably forget by the time we get there."

"No. I want it to be a complete surprise," your dad insisted, "that's why, after you drink your drink, I want you to put on a blindfold."

Oh dear, he was very insistent about this whole surprise thing.

"But first, BREAKFAST!!!" he exclaimed as he presented you with your favorite breakfast, waffles, and strawberries. The plate seemed to sparkle with deliciousness as your stomach cried out in hunger.

"Yummy!!!"

"See, I remembered your favorite" he seemed very proud of himself. You had mentioned that you liked waffles when Wanda had made them for a birthday breakfast.

"Dig in! I put some strawberry syrup into the waffles themselves so that we would have extra strawberry flavor."

He handed you a fork and a knife, and you cut into them. The heat fell off of the bite on your forked, and you braced yourself in anticipation. Your father could cook; he and Steve used to make dinners for the team. But that was with Steve, now that he was gone, your dad rarely cooked. It had been hard for him. He was slowly getting over it; you definitely helped. Having somebody to take of, his therapist agreed, was very good for him. But his food was very hit or miss. This morning, however, the waffles were amazing.

The strawberries tasted fresh and had the perfect amount of sweetness. The waffles were eggy, precisely the way you liked them.

"Dad! These are delicious!" you exclaimed.

"I know, right, they're so good," he nodded in agreement, "but can I admit something? I stole the recipe off Auntie Wanda."

It didn't matter where he got the recipe from. They were delicious. It took the two of you a total of 10 minutes to eat the entire plateful.

He pulled a blindfold out of his pocket and put it around your eyes. You had faith that he wouldn't let you bump into anything. You weren't going to have to worry about the crowded city streets. When the strangers passing by got a glimpse of his metal arm, they always made a beeline away from him.

You knew it hurt him. You could see it in his eyes. He was your dad, after all. When you were younger, you couldn't understand why they were afraid, but now that you were older, you knew. It never, even for a second, hurt your relationship with your dad. You loved him. You knew that the real James Barnes was a cinnamon roll. This was a man who wouldn't kill spiders when he found them in the kitchen. This was a man who hung out with the Parker boy and played video games.

Even though the blindfold around your eyes took away your sight, you knew that your dad was checking to see if his gun was where he needed it. After all, he was the Winter Soldier. But that was an everyday thing. When he stopped rustling with his pockets, you felt a hand on your shoulder guiding you out of the room.

------

As soon as you heard the crowd's excitement, you knew where you were. The smell of cotton candy and hot dogs confirmed it.

Your dad had taken you to Coney Island.

You hadn't been there since you were a little kid and couldn't control your excitement. The hand that had been guiding you on your shoulder disappeared and removed the blindfold.

After taking a moment to adjust to the light, your eyes took in the flashing lights and kids running around. The roller coasters and carnival games all around you captivated your attention and caused a smile to form on your face.

"How's this for a surprise Button?"

"Dad, this is amazing! Thank you!!!"

"What ride do you want to go on first?"

The morning flew by in a blur. You and your dad had decided to go on every single ride you could. He had enjoyed the bumper cars and had won you a stuffed panda bear on one of the shooting games. You got the famous coney island hot dogs for lunch and ate on a bench on the beach. The entire morning, there was one thing that you really wanted to do… Ride the Cyclone.

"Hey, dad….."

"Yes Button"

"Can we ride the Cyclone"

"Um. of course. We have to. What's the point of coming here if we don't."

You threw away your trash and got in line. A man with purple hair and tattoos strapped the two of you in and took your picture.

"Alrighty ladies and gents," the loudspeaker in the car said. "Are you ready for the Cyclone"

Everyone on the train whooped and hollered in excitement, and the car lurched forward. Slowly you crept up the first hill and felt the adrenaline follow. At the top, you saw the people on the benches below. You couldn't help but compare them to little dolls from your height.

With that, the car reached the top of the hill and falls.

"Whoa, Button, I think I'm going to be sick," Buck said once you were off. He was looking somewhat green and queasy.

It was your turn to guide him... to a trash can. It turned out he wasn't going to throw up, which you were grateful for, but the Cyclone's toll had been taken. He rested his body on a bench and called it quits.

"What time is it," he asked. You checked your watch. It was two in the afternoon. "How about we do something a little, slower."

"Sure," you agreed. You were in Brooklyn, his home borough, and he decided to take you on a tour of where he grew up.

"And this is the alleyway where your Uncle Steve decided to get in all those fights," he said you passed by. "One time, after I saved his tiny ass, he told me that he thought he had pulled a muscle, and I was all like, 'Steve, you can't pull what you don't have."

You giggled at the thought of skinny Steve. Continuing on your tour, you saw his old apartment and walked through the one he shared with Steve. It had been turned into a museum, and you laughed together for an hour as he pointed out every single detail that had been changed.

"There was no way that we could have two beds! There was no heater, so we shared one! Why would they change that! It wasn't like we had anything going on between us!" he argued. You laughed as the tour guide still could not recognize one of the old occupants of the apartment.

Once your dad seemed satisfied with his tour, the two of you walked down to the nearest subway stop. In the underground station, you passed those golden arches.

"Dad, can we get McDonald's," you asked.

"Are you sure, Button, we can get much better food back a the tower"

"Yeah, we haven't had it in forever, and I need to feed my inner Chicken nugget," you joked.

He must have been in an excellent mood because he gave in to the lure of the golden arches. He also seemed like he really wanted a burger because he got his usual order, Two big macs, a large fry, and an M&M McFlurry. The super-soldier serum had granted him the ability and need to eat loads of food. You also figured that he wanted a break from Pepper's food because she had decided that the entire team needed to become more healthy conscience. It wasn't that anyone hated her food; it was just somewhat bland. And besides, who wants couscous when you can have Micky D's.

After Bucky had wolfed down his food, and you had savored each bite of Chicken Nugget, you got on the train back home. You could feel yourself grow tired as your body finally rested from an exciting and full day. Your head drooped down and rested on your father's shoulder.

"Hey, button, let's watch a movie in the tower."

He picked out a classic, The Wizard of Oz, and made popcorn. You barely made it to the tornado before your eyes finally gave up. You were so tired that you didn't feel your dad pick you up and start carrying you to your bed.

Your eyes fluttered open as you heard 'If only I had a heart' playing from the TV.

"Hey, Button," your dad's voice whispered, "You fell asleep. I didn't want you to wake up on the sofa, so I'm taking you to your bed."

He laid you down and pulled up the blankets. With a kiss on your forehead, turned to leave.

"Dad, I love you," you called out.

"I love you too, Button" On that note, he turned out your light and closed your door

[valentinmings]

new memoir segment, semi-edited so constructive criticism is always welcomed! about people wanting "something more" in life

this is a relatively PG piece but, content warnings! ghosts

@creativesolstice i've actually almost finished my whole memoir thanks to this project :)

This may be a biased worldview, considering my own beliefs on the topic, but I have this idea that most people crave something more from their life. Something “other.” I think that everyone, at least once, looks at the life they’re living, at the situation they’re in and thinks to themselves that they want something more.

I think some people find it, in the form of a significant other or other meaningful relationship, maybe in a job or a new place to live, a religion or certain set of beliefs, I think these things satisfy that craving for more in an obviously realistic and tangible sense. I think some people never find it. They spend their entire life looking for that thing, that other, that they see people find elsewhere and it just never really clicks for them.

I think those people, the ones who never click, I think those people crave something supernatural. I don’t necessarily mean witches or fairies or vampires, although those can absolutely be included, I mean tiny magics, paranormal encounters, psychic abilities. I think that’s why things like ghost tours and magicians are so popular. My younger sibling even started practicing magic tricks, not witchcraft but card tricks, because they wanted to impress, they felt drawn to it. I think there’s magic embedded in the arts, in cooking, in music, in painting, in writing, I think everything created by human hands carry a piece of the creator’s soul within it.

I know that I’m trusting you with a piece of mine.

I remember when I went on a trip with my mom to stay in this haunted hotel for a weekend. We stayed for two nights, and on the second day, my dad and older brother came to join us. On the first night, when it was just her and I, we went on this ghost tour that was run out of the hotel. It was a lot of fun, and even though we didn’t have any supernatural encounters, we learned a lot about the history of the area we were staying in, which is a bonus with any ghost tour. We had a really fun time, visiting these places after dark, lead by a guide with a small flashlight, being told ghost stories and tales of personal experiences other tourists had. We went to a museum, a public park, an old cemetery marker for a cemetery that doesn’t exist anymore, and finally ended the tour in the attic of the hotel.

Most of these places were also fun daytime attractions, so when my father and brother joined us the next day, we took them to all the same spots and retold the stories we were told. Passing on these legends and fables with only our memories to rely on. I was relatively freshly 18, so when my dad asked me to take pictures of these places, even though I had pictures from the prior night, I grumbled but complied and forgot about it.

The rest of the weekend went by without any fanfare, and a few days after we all got back home, my mom asked me to show her some of the pictures I took while we were there. So, I scroll through my camera roll and come across this weird picture with a strange circle of light in it. After being confused for a minute or two, I realize what’s happened. I must have captured a spirit of some sort on camera. I took two pictures at the old cemetery marker during the day, one right after the other, they have the exact same time stamp and everything. In one picture, there is an orb of floating light, almost like a flashlight being shone directly at the camera, in the other picture there is a thick wall of vines and leaves that block out most of the sunlight from the same area where the light is coming from. I honestly, truly believe that I captured an actual ghost in that picture.

Now, I understand that you can totally and completely think I am lying, and I have absolutely no way to prove to you that I am telling the truth, but I would like you to take comfort in the knowledge that I have absolutely no idea how photoshop works. My family is full of skeptics and even I am still a little unconvinced about the entire situation, but there is definitely something unexplainable in that picture.

Just the other week, actually, I went on a ghost investigation tour with one of my friends. This ghost tour company is also actively “investigating” the different spirits in my city, as well as other cities where the company has set up. Everyone taking the tour got EMF, electric and magnetic field, readers and had the option to walk around with dowsing rods. My friend and I both opted out of the dowsing rods, he thought they looked funny, and I thought they’d be unreliable, but we walked around with out EMF readers held out in front of us looking for any sign of something supernatural.

I later found out, while on the tour no less, that my friend is actually afraid of these kinds of things. He doesn’t like ghost tours and he was hoping not to have any sort of supernatural encounter, which is not why people go on ghost tours. Later on, during the second half of this two hour tour, we were sitting outside a haunted building and both of our EMF readers began going on only in the space between us. We both moved our phones out of the way, in case the readers were reacting to them, which did not end up being the case. Naturally, we concluded that the little ghost girl the guide was talking about had decided to join us and sit between me and my friend, so I scooted to the side to make room for her between us. As we walked away I said goodbye to her but kept my reader around hip level in case she followed us, which she did for about half a block. When it looked like she had finally stopped walking with us, I turned around and waved a final goodbye.

I may not be an active believer in ghosts, but I’ll be damned if I don’t treat what may or may not be one with respect and manners. I can just imagine being a dick to a ghost I don’t believe is real or around and then being followed home and tormented because I pissed it off. No thank you. Not at all. I would cry.

Despite my “supernatural” encounters, I’m still looking for that something more, that something extra, to possibly make my life slightly more exciting. I can’t wait to find it, but at this point, even if I don’t find it, if the universe doesn’t decide to hand it to me one day, I think I’ll create it myself. Maybe I’m already creating it myself.

I think it’s worth asking if you think you can create your own magic, or do you need to wait to find it naturally?

[demonologistfucker]

WIP Angel MC! x Obey Me pt 2

Part Two - The Museum date with Satan. This is just a ruff of what I got so far. I am enjoying this but i Haven’t had a lot of focus for writing. So I just wanna share what I got so far.

Step into the shoes of an intellectual. I know they are uncomfortable, but these are cushioned with a bias outside human prejudice. They have their own prejudices of course, it’s just not As silly as a humans…. Either way, it’s a different way of looking at history. There is no need to keep colonial powers looking refined and noble.

This museum is not full of anything Real. They are all magical replicas of artifacts long burned, brutalized and forgotten. While it could be enlightening to a great deal of humanity. The plaques mainly speak of the demons who worked along with those doing the burning. It left a rather sick feeling in the angel’s stomach. While showing off the great wonder that was ruined. People still boasted about causing the burning. 

Satan did a better job explaining the history. He was detached. Thinking about the matter as a history, and could talk about it easily. Yet when he turned to MC. They had tears in their eyes. Thinking of what it felt like to just be a people, and slaughtered for living. The Angel felt the reality. Both marveling at the people who could create such art and monuments, and the utter despair at how this art came to the Angel’s eyes. So Eventually the Angel started to tune out the world around them, and focused more on their guide. A stranger who was still linked arms with MC. 

“I have a question,” MC looks up into Satan’s eyes. 

“I might have an answer,” The corner of Satan’s mouth pulled into a sharp smile.

“Do you view angels and demons as enemies?” MC watches Satan’s face closely. His eyebrows shot up for only a second. A brief flash of surprise, and then quickly to thought. His gaze drifting upwards as he rolled the matter over in his mind. 

“I think about this a lot, actually,” Satan rubs his chin. “I’m unsure. We are certainly told that we are opposites, but if we looked at the data, I think we’d find something else.” Satan chews on the thought, “There is a whole research of study on whether good even exists, yet there is a realm that claims to obtain All Good. Or define what it is. Which is just ridiculous, and as you can see.” Satan puts a hand on his chest. “Demons are not raging beasts. Sin has its place in reality. Too much of it would be disastrous, true, but not enough would also be a problem.” Satan kept his gaze away from the Angel. Not truly wanting to see them get upset about his stance. 

“Can you give me an example?” MC tilts their head. “No one’s talked about sin like that before.”

“Well… Let’s use wrath. Wrath being deemed a sin which is reasonable at first. Being angry and destructive is not helpful. However, wrath has been brought out to protect children, or to fight for justice. Wrath without thought is bad, but it is not bad in itself.” Satan glances at MC to see their expression. Then stays when he sees that MC is thinking it over. 

“What matters is how it’s used.” MC says softly. To which Satan nods. “There are plenty of supposedly holy people who are really cruel to keep their virtues.” Now both MC and Satan are sharing a smile. “Some of those people really are the worst. They manage to live up to His standards and yet are still-” MC grits their teeth. 

“Bastards? Fuckers?” Satan tries to keep a helpful face, but can’t help the corner of his mouth twitch up. 

“Yes!” MC shakes their head to let out some frustration. “Then they summon me to bring them to the bathhouse.” 

“You have to bring humans to bathhouses?”

“Where ever they want to go. It is their ‘paradise’ after all, and since I’m not a high ranking angel, so I’m basically supposed to care take for whatever human souls are around me.” 

“That sounds… Infuriating.” Satan says politely. He’s overjoyed to see the Angel seething with annoyance, but then something drowns it out. Their face falls and goes back to a placid expression. 

“It’s the duty of an angel.” MC’s voice is dryer than before. 

“Hmm…” Satan realizes he shouldn’t be staring at the Angel and looks back to whatever exhibit they had landed in front of. “Do you like your duties?”

“Do you like yours?” The Angel looks blankly ahead.

“Ours are very different. I simply Am the avatar. I can spend my days reading and be finishing my duty.”

“Really?” MC looks up in surprises. 

“Well, sorta of,” Satan chuckles. “I have RAD duties I can’t get out of, But that’s my choice in the end. I respect Diavolo enough to agree to his leadership, and RAD is his domain, so I do it for him.” Satan shrugs. “They don’t take up too much time for an immortal anyways.”

“That’s… so different from Heaven. I get maybe five hours to myself a day?” MC can’t even give an accurate number. Keeping track just makes it worse. “It’s all preselected work, too. We have no choice it what domains we’re put under.”

“No choice at all?”

“Supposedly it’s from the Divine plan,” MC rolls their eyes. “But I’m unsure of it.”

“No plan is ever perfect, let alone one made from one mind alone.” Even as Satan says this, he is prepared for a fight. His few conversations with angel’s before him had always ended in one. Angels devoted their existences to this divine plan. Critiquing it was a critique of everything they stood for. Instead, MC just nods. Their eyes overwhelmed in sadness. So Satan takes a deep breath and refocuses on the world around them. 

“It is amazing what humans are able to turn rocks into,” Satan looks at the old stone statue with amazement. 

“I’ve tried to do it before, and I can never manage.” MC tapped their chin as they reminisced. “They can make rock smooth, as if they were just pinching clay.”

“I can’t even work clay well.” Satan chuckles. Then there is silence as MC’s mind wanders down a bunny trail.

“Earlier they said that I would be attending school, is that true?” Satan nods. “Weird,” MC begins to laugh. 

“Why do you laugh? I will also be attending.” Satan says this even though he finds the whole school situation fairly fun himself. Still remembers the dinner when Lucifer broke the news that joining RAD also meant having to go through university again. They had completed their courses millennia ago. Satan was honestly a little excited. Brushing up his skills wouldn’t be the worst time. Though, all the other students sounded rather stressful.

“It will be curious. I didn’t expect to be introduced to Hell this way. It’s just… Okay, you’ll understand if I tell you how I imagine this, Exchange, would go in the Celestial realm.” Satan nods and leans back. Ready to listen. “Greeted with trumpets, obviously.” Satan rolls his eyes. “Then a personal conversation with It.” This makes Satan chuckle. “Then guided around the Celestial realm to all its numerous wonders. Shown the polished paradise where you can indulge in Nearly anything.” MC lifts a finger up with a crooked grin. “Though, you Can’t be a sinner, so you must be nice to Everyone you meet. No matter how annoying. If an Issue arises, you have to bring it up at court, and have it processed. It’s worse for angels, but guests wouldn’t see that. It would take months to see the court bit anyway. It would all be Sickly sweet.”

“And here you met a busy prince, told you had to go to school, and left to get eaten.” Satan keeps his head forward, but glances to see the angel’s reaction. 

“I’m enjoying it a lot.” MC smiles. 

“Not worried about your safety?” 

“Not Much,” MC Shrugs. “I don’t think I’ll be totally helpless,” Then MC looks to Satan’s face. Which seems to loudly be saying ‘okay, tell yourself that sweetheart’. “Do you think I should worry?”

“I think it was wise that you asked for a guide,” 

“Me to,” MC smiled, “I like your company.” MC pulls the hand they have clasped with Satan’s closer. For a moment, holding Satan against them. Letting their wing brush against his back. Then MC eases back. Failing to hide a blush that ran across their face. “ Just don’t imagine me helpless.”

“I could never.” Satan smiles softly. “I am the Avatar of wrath after all, and as I can tell.” He looks down at his open hand. Pretending to hold a board. “You have indulged in my sin at least six times.” A humorously low number for Satan. The average human indulged in it at least 50 times by their first birthday. That’s for a remarkably well tempered child, too. 

“That high?” MC winces, but then straightens their spines. Remember Why that had indulged, and feeling proud of that choice. 

“That is very low, and I think it would be good for your health to indulge in it a little more.”

    “Is this how you became friends with Alexander?”

“It’s how I became much more than friends, Dear.” Satan puts a hand on his chest. Looking utterly too proud of himself. MC grimace only deepened as they felt their face heat up. They are saved by an alert on Satan’s D.D.D. “I am afraid I have dinner soon. Your human roommate will be at purgatory hall for dinner, though. I can walk you back if you like?” Satan looks rather annoyed at his phone, but his face relaxes as he looks at MC. 

“That would be nice,” MC smiles and can feel the heat once again rise in their face and chest. “What on your D.D.D made you so upset?”

“Oh, you could see that?” Satan looks rather apologetic. 

“Clear as day, man,” MC has to try and not laugh. 

 “The message came from Lucifer,” Again he says the name with such disgust. MC wants to giggle. “He was reminded I must come to dinner and meet the new human.”

    “The face you just made,” MC has to put a hand over their mouth. Thankfully, they were almost out of the museum. But on the way on they got a couple glares from the Serious Observers. “What about this new human is so upsetting?”

    “Oh it’s not them,” Satan grimaces, but then straightens his spine. 

    “Then what is it?” 

“The process of picking was idiotic. It took four years for them to finally decided on what three humans to pick. The last one was completely random, it turns out.” Satan takes a deep breath. “I left the project after the first human was picked.”

“Who are they?”

“Solomon.” Satan says with a grimace. Left is a gentle way of putting what Satan did when Solomon was picked. The table was thrown through the wall and Satan marched out through the hole. 

“Who?”

“You don’t know? Oh, right… Angel wouldn’t hear about him, I guess.” Satan chews on his lip for a second. “He is an ancient king who managed to get pacts with 72 demons, and accidentally became immortal.” Satan’s has a great number of suspicions about Solomon. There are barely any humans who have One pact with a demon. Yet this human managed to get 72, and immortality. While also maintaining a beloved relationship with a great number of people. To Satan, this reeked of evil in hiding. “He’s also a super powerful wizard and has gone through the university magic program so many times he rewrote a portion of it.”

“So that’s who they picked to show off the magical prowess, huh?”

“It doesn’t even work,” Satan groans. Satan had sat through hours of meetings debating which humans to brings, and how their presence would affect the experience for Other humans in the trip. They fisted wanted a human who had some understanding of the magical to be a grounding force for the other two. Satan had many suggestions of Other magicians who could do a job. Magicians who did have 72 pacts with demons. One of whom being his younger Sibling. “We should have picked a human who could actually use the program. He was a powerful magician before coming to our school. He used it to have fun and meet people.“ 

“So he’s open to fun?” MC bounces slightly as they walk. 

“He can be… but he’s often looking out for himself first.” Since Satan so clearly distrusts Solomon. MC chooses to ignore this, and instead is excited to meet this weird wizard.

“Ah, prioritizing ones own needs. The gift of the ego… that we all have.” MC smirks. Feeling that MC was poking fun at Satan. He bristled and turned a lovely read. 

“It’s not just ego,” Satan huffs. “How could he make so many pacts without being devious?” 

“I don’t know,” MC shrugs. “Have you asked him?”

“No,” Satan looks aghast. “He’s a cunning being, I can’t just ask him.”

“I’ve heard cunning humans can be the most fun,” MC is now starting to walk back to campus with a little more speed. 

“Who would say that?” Satan looks bewildered at the little angel. 

“Simeon,” MC says, unbothered by Satan’s judgement. 

“He enjoys Lucifer’s company, I would not blindly trust Simeon’s taste.” Satan’s lip curls upward when he mentions Lucifer. MC thought on the matter. Simeon had given Lucifer a hug. When it was rather clear that Lucifer was Not a hugger. 

“Do you know if Simeon and Lucifer know each other? I’ve never heard Simeon talk about him, but it’s also frowned upon to talk about him in general.”

“I wouldn’t know, but Lucifer did spend the most time in heaven out of all of us,”

“Ah, who’s Us?”

“Oh my brothers,” Satan sighs, “They might know if Simeon and Lucifer have a history, but I won’t be asking for you.” 

“That’s fair,” MC nods. 

“Do they not talk about the revolution in the celestial realm?”

“Only brief mention. He doesn’t like it being brought up so… most just avoid the topic. I really don’t know much about it.”

“Hmm,” Satan frowns. He didn’t want to strike Lucifer’s ego, but what he did is important history. “I might have some history books you could borrow if you’d like.” It was strange being confronted with the Angel’s reality. Satan couldn’t imagine a life without living in the shadow of that revolution. His exists was born from its grief and agony, and this Angel knew of it only in passing. Did that mean they didn’t know his history at all? 

“Oh, that would be nice, but” The Angel blushes and closes their eyes.” I’m not the best of readers. My eyes get distracted?”

“I have heard of conditions similar to that,” Satan nods, “Well the topic is a heavy one, but if you wanted I could explain our side of the history some time.” They were now walking down the path to Purgatory hall. Satan felt is stomach dip at the thought of leaving. Next would be a dinner of more polite conversation. With the chance, he’d be living with two new assholes now. “If you wanted I could put my contact in your D.D.D. That way we can schedule, and If you need a guide again-” His words faltered as the blush becomes too hot. 

“I would like that very much.” MC Smiles and hands over their D.D.D.

“Oh-” Satan just finished it with a smile, and then takes the D.D.D. With thin fingers he types it all in. “I do have a schedule, so I can’t be your guide always but,” Satan looks into the Angel’s eyes, and feels his heart get stuck in his throat. “Don’t be afraid to ask.”

“I definitely won’t,” MC says, even though their heart was starting to race. MC stumbled as they hit the first steps up into Purgatory hall. “Thank you for taking me around.” MC’s wings flutter slightly, trying to dispel anxiety. “It was really nice getting to know you.”

“It was truly a pleasure,” Satan smiles, and then bows low to the Angel. As he rises, he keeps his eyes steady with MC’s gaze. There is a heartbeat where they are both caught staring at each other. Satan should be going home now, and the Angel should be heading inside. Instead, they both linger. Feeling their hearts surging in their chests, and wondering what they can possibly do about it. “I hope you enjoy your dinner,” Satan regrets the words instantly, but his feet are already moving to walk away. 

“You to!” The Angel blurts, feeling horribly awkward, but also thrilled. The nerves of wanting to make a good impression. As they watched the elegant blond walk away. MC could still feel excitement brewing within them. 

The feeling lingered as MC walked into the main doors of Purgatory Hall. Already they could feel that something was different within the building. A new presence shifted the home's energy. The air now had the smell of a laboratory. MC wandered down the hall till they reached the kitchen. Which is where they found Simeon, Luke, and a stranger gathered around the Oven. The Stranger was tall with bright white hair. The light in his eyes was unmistakably human, but something was off. 

“Are you certain it’s supposed to look like that?” Simeon squinted at the Oven. 

“I have never done this before,” The Strange says easily, but both Simeon and Luke look utterly terrified. 

“What’s going on?” MC asks as they walk behind Luke to get a view of what’s going on. “Why is it...cracked?”

“I believe that’s a part of the baking process,” The stranger smiles warmly and then extend a hand to MC. “My name’s Solomon, I am the human exchange student who will be living with you three.”

“I’m MC,” They take Solomon’s hand. His hand is surprisingly dense and cold. Heavier than the Angel had expected. “I thought there were three humans?”

“Indeed, but the other humans get to live with the brothers.” Solomon sighs. “I still don’t understand why they get to be close to the princes of Hell and not me.” Solomon actually did have a guess why, but he wanted to pout about it.

“Do you want to hear Lucifer and Mammon fighting with each other all the time?” Simeon chuckles.

“That’s a fair point,” Solomon nods. “Not to seem like I’m complaining about being with you three,” MC hadn’t even considered that Solomon might not be happy to be staying with three angels. Now though they had to think about it. A man with 72 pacts with demons might not have the most favorable opinion of angels. MC couldn’t exactly blame him for this, but hoped it wouldn’t get in their way. 

“I think our company is much better than those demons,” Luke tilts up his chin given everyone a good look of his nostrils. 

“Not better,” Simeon tuts, “we our own kind of fun, and will still have plenty of time with the brothers if we choose.” 

“You like them?” Solomon eyes Simeon. 

“Yes,” Simeon smiles genuinely. “I am really happy to see them again.” Solomon nods, and then smiles himself. 

“Me too,”

[thebooki3h]

Lukadamianette Au Part 2

First Here Next

We begin where we left off, with Luka and Marinette on one of the dates Luka Planned. Just because it makes sense in this, Luka and Mari arrive a week early

Because Mari is emancipated and excused herself for the first week of school before the trip during which the class is still in France bc they just ended summer and all that jazz. also I have decided that the trip has turned into a half semester exchange program even though this doesn’t make the most sense, but the French school thought the class could use a reward and tbh they just wanted to get the Akuma class out for awhile. Also this way they aren’t in Gotham for a whole semester of senior year. The trip is planned for the first half of the first semester of senior year. I know that this doesn't make a whole lot of sense but just stick with me.

They go sight seeing and basically on a week long date bc the following week begins the Wayne sponsored exchange program and when Luka has to work for Jagged. One day they go to museums, the next the go to famous parks around Gotham (which are thriving thanks to Poison Ivy), the next they see all of the famous villain spots (which are surprisingly popular tourist destinations bc for the most part they don’t get hit twice in short periods of time) which is a good cover for studying past bat battles. They take days in between to rest and use the inspiration they gained to make new songs or clothing designs. 

They share hotel room bc Mari’s parents stopped being her parents a long time ago and lost their say and bc Jagged says they are grown up enough to be responsible for their actions (which brings a blush to their cheeks every time bc “daaaaaddddd” “uncle jaggeeedddd”)

Mari also makes it her mission to visit all of the non chain coffee shops at least once while they are there bc coffee became her best friend when she was active as ladybug. She meets Tim in almost everyone because Tim also drinks coffee obsessively. Luka is more of a tea drinker because coffee interrupts his musical thought process and tea is less harsh. Marinette drinks tea when she wants to relax but coffee is the fuel of the gods. She expresses this to Tim and that's how they become acquainted bc finally someone understands his love for coffee. They exchange numbers after they run into each other for a fourth time. (Luka silently thinks that he might have to talk to Mari about her obsession of coffee again and if there is a rehab center for coffee drinkers) Tim learns that Mari is from the exchange class very quickly based off of Luka’s French accent as well as her light French accent that is mixed with a couple things he can’t quite place.

The class arrives, Lila ofc tried to pull something to leave Mari behind and she thought she was successful so she was gloating. She ofc took credit for the whole trip claiming that she was super close to the Waynes and that she helped Damian acclimate to his new school (she actually knows that Damian didn’t start living with his father until 10 bc why not). Mrs Bustier tries to check in under both her name and Lila’s name, both of which don’t work because they are A) an hour and a half early and B) all of the reservations are under the contest winners name (they have to ok their chaperones to use their name) C)Mrs Bustier told Mari to make all of the reservations under Mari’s name anyway and she totally forgot that. 

So the sit in the lobby for an hour, Lila has the whole class riled up bc Marinette isn't there and it is al her fault that they can’t get in to their rooms. Marinette shows up with Luka 15 mins before the class was supposed to show up (they had just gotten lunch at a cafe that jagged had recommended) and she is laughing and happy, which causes the class to BLOW UP in her face. She ignores them and checks everyone into their rooms. Kagami and Chloe share a suite bc they are rich in their own right and upgraded their shared room bc they are dating and signed up to be roommates. They got this okayed by Buister in writing JIC. Marinette as the contest winner also got a suite (the room she had been staying in with Luka that she just extended the booking for)

Lila and Alya obviously make a big fuss about them getting special treatment but bustier can’t do anything because Mari won’t let her. She secretly thinks Mari is a lost cause now but she tries her best to get her to see that she has to be a role model. Mari actually planned the whole trip and she did a fucking fantastic job bc its Mari and planning something is what she is great at. She has all of the bases covered including iternerary, bookings for food, emergency contact info, health info, info on Gotham, safety procedures and the whole shebang. All of which had to be approved by  Bustier and that Bustier has copies of but totally ignored.

The next day they try to pull the let’s leave an hour early to leave behind Marinette stunt. Not only does that fail because the tour can’t start until the contest winner is there, but they arrived before Wayne tower was even open to the public. Because jagged is extra he shipped Luka and Marinette motorcycles to Gotham bc they were going to be there for a couple months, they also got special permission from Wayne enterprises to park their bikes in the employee parking structures from Tim once he heard that they rode bikes as expensive as Jason’s. So she left early from the hotel with Luka(bc she knew that Bustier would leave her behind somehow) to go meet up with Tim at a new coffee place (one of his favorites). They end up riding on their respective bikes to WE together so they can hang out before the tour. Luka goes to a recording studio to meet up with Jagged, but not before a very passionate kiss goodbye, which makes Tim blush. (Tim may not seem like the biker type but he is a bat and he lives with Jason so he not only knows how to ride a motorcycle well has one, so it may not be his favorite mode of transportation but he’ll live)

So he and Marinette walk to WE about a half an hour before the class is supposed to be there in the middle of a debate on how best to brew coffee (Mari insists its French press) and low and behold they are there yelling at the receptionist. Mari gives Tim a look that says I’m so sorry you have to see this and yes I was not exaggerating walks up to the receptionist and apologizes for what she is about to do (not for the classes actions bc fuck them they can apologize for themselves she has learned to not take responsibility for others actions and she won’t let all that work go to waste). She then proceeds to yell, much louder than someone of her stature presumably should “SHUT THE FUCK UP OR I STG I WILL BREAK JOKER OUT OF ARKHAM AND LOCK HIM IN A ROOM WITH ALL OF YOU WITHOUT FLINCHING” this is shocking to everyone, especially mrs bustier who is  scandalized  that her role model student would do something like this.

Tim had a feeling that something video worthy would happen so as soon as she walked away he started recording, and he was NOT disappointed. The video gos straight to the batfam gc and Luka immediately. He powered off his phone then he proceeds to start laughing and applauding. Upon seeing the CEO’s reaction the rest of the employees start applauding as well bc damn those kids were rude. Tim then walks up to Mari talking at a speed no one but Mari, Chloe and Kagami could understand (bc the class is not fluent in English no matter what they would tell you). Mari proceeds to blush once he informs her that he sent a video to Luka (he does not tell her about the batfam gc)

Chloe and Kagami are immediate intrigued bc this is NOT what they picture when Mari said she met someone who loves coffee as much as she does. they may be hella gay for each other but damn that man is ripped. They join the convo while the class remains befuddled bc who knew Mari even swore. in the back of his mind Nino is reminded of a young blue-eyed girl who lost playground privileges for a week bc someone made fun of his glasses and proceed to punch said someone in the nose. But he shakes it of because Mari hasn’t been like that in years. 

Bustier eventually collects herself and gently, so as not to cause an Akuma (apparently she didn't get the memo), reminds Mari that they are here for a tour and she needs to get the class their passes.  So Mari leaves her friends to get acquainted and goes up to the receptionist, to whom she apologizes for her actions again, and the receptionist replies with a laugh and a “honey, you just made my week, there's no need to apologize I should be thanking you” (she does thank Mari). Mari gets a special pass bc she’s the contest winner to which Lila and Alya (then the rest of the class for the most part) proceed to throw a hissy fit over. The receptionist is so over them though and doesn’t even blink. 

Then their tour guide shows up. (its Dick and his assistant Damian). Damian proceeds to scold the class for a solid ten mins (which coincidentally leads up to their scheduled time to start the tour). Dick slides off to talk to the receptionist and his brother who isn't working and is talking to real people for once. Just for that they are his favorite out of the class. Tim unfortunately has to go to work so they talk to Dick to get acquainted until the tour has to officially start. 

Los tres amigos are the only ones who pay attention to Dick at all (he leads the tour bc he’s been there the longest but Damian throws in a comment here or there mostly related to shenanigans his family has gotten into but overall useful facts. for example these windows are reinforced because our CEO (Tim) leaned up against one, fell asleep and fell through the window to the office below.)

The rest of the class is focused on Lila who is talking a whole bunch of nonsense about the Wayne family and how she has helped them with their business. Some things actually sound kinda legit, but Mari and Co. know that it is BS. Dick tries to bet bustier involved but she makes an excuse for Lila and goes on her phone and doesn’t really pay attention. 

Eventually the class tour turns into Dick talking to Mari, Chloe and Kagami while the class vaguely follows them. Damian doesn’t really say anything because he generally doesn’t do well talking to strangers and these girls seem ok and he is still insecure (not that he would ever admit it to anyone ) about social interaction now that he has figured out how people who weren’t raised as assassins act. That is until Dick starts talking about shenanigans that his brothers get into, and Damian jumps in correcting him because  I did not try to tackle Todd, Grayson I did tackle Todd quite successful and also Alfred won’t let you into the kitchen anymore because you almost burned down the east wing of the manor not  because he is territorial over the kitchen. And Mari hadn’t really paid attention to Damian until now but OH MY KAWAMI he is hot, and how did she talk so long to notice that. 

She ends up taking a pic of Damian without him noticing (he really doesn’t notice which is a feat in itself but Dick does and he will  be teasing Damian about it later bc obviously) and she texts it to Luka bc if she is going to freak out over his hotness she wants Luka to do so too. ( he sees the pic in the middle of recording and he ends up needing a water break bc gay panic and he really is extremely handsome. Recording gets delayed even longer bc jagged cannot pass up the opportunity to tease him son and he does so mercilessly and Mari totally knew what she was doing when she sent that picture) Luka ends up demanding that she gets Damians number or he will because that man is fine.  

Mari now knows that the stuttering idolization that she had with Adrien wasn’t really healthy and Luka likes to remind her all the time that she can be smooth when she wants to be (sometimes unintentionally but she practices on Luka because she loves to see him blush). Mari then makes it her mission to compliment Damian as much as possible so that it is crystal clear and very obvious that she is flirting with him. If he even shows a little discomfort in a negative I don’t like this kind of way she will stop because she will not make someone go through what she went through with Chat Noir and unwanted advances.

Chloe, Kagami and Dick immediately notice that she is flirting with Damian. Chloe takes a video for Luka bc she knows that he would want to see this and Dick takes a video for the Batfam gc. 

Just to be clear Mari and Luka have talked about seeing other people and maybe adding a third person to their relationship as long as they talk about it. that line of communication was opened when Mari sent a pic of Damian to Luka and when Luka asked for his number that was his “go ahead” for her to flirt with Damian. Lila doesn’t understand how that works and neither do the rest of the class so that is a point of contention between the class and Mari. She would NEVER cheat on Luka, she loves him and he is the most important person to her in the world. Something that Juleka understands (she just doesn’t like Mari bc of Lila she knows how polyamory works this is why her and Luka aren't as close as they used to be)

Moving on... the batfam gc blows up for a second time that day and so when the class goes to the cafeteria Tim just has to see this for himself. Mari tries not to be obnoxious in her flirting so she compliments Damians intelligence by asking him questions that weren't included in the tour, and she asks him about his interests and is like that must have taken a lot of time to perfect you must be very dedicated. Damian isn’t used to genuine compliments especially from strangers so he is very flustered by it but he makes no indication for her to stop. 

The day winds down and the class has some free time before they have to go to dinner but the do have to leave the tower. Mari does actually get Damians number (he thinks she must be very well trained to get his number that quick bc he refuses to accept that he gave it to her because he likes her) Mari promises to ft him later bc he promised to let her meet his dog and she doesn’t want to wait until the class has dinner at the manor to see Titus.

First Here Next

Taglist

@dood-space

@toodaloo-kangaroo

Also I’m not very sure about how to go back and edit posts to link new parts so if anyone knows how to do that please comment or message me because I would love to learn!

[alittlewhump]

Unbidden - Act 2, chapter 8

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Content warnings: None

Morgan followed the sound of voices through the archives. He'd taken a more familiar route this time, one that skirted closer to the markets than he'd liked. Blaise and Cain were discussing something, but Cain stopped mid-sentence when he spied Morgan.

"Morgan! It's good to see you again, friend, though I had not expected you so soon." Morgan allowed himself a small smile. He'd missed Cain and his stories, his easy friendliness.

Blaise spun around to face him. "What are you doing here? You-" She seemed to lose her train of thought briefly as her eyes lingered at the collar of his shirt. "You should be resting."

"I want to make up for the time I've lost," Morgan said, growing serious again. He didn't feel tired, exactly, and anyway there was no respite to be found in his shared room. "There are demons seeking the tomb of Tal Rasha as well. Time is of the essence. What is it you've found?"

He couldn't read Blaise's expression as he came around the table to look at the books laid out across it. It turned out that finding the tomb would only be half the problem. There was a specific artifact needed to open it, and it had been split into pieces. A staff, which Morgan recognized from a tour of the local museum, and an amulet, which Blaise had already managed to recover from the demons who had held it. But it was not as simple as just having the pieces; there was a strange device required to bind them together, and that was guarded in yet another tomb by magical traps set by an ancient order of mages known as the Horadrim. Cain was familiar with this order, luckily enough, and was certain that he would be able to use the device once they'd located it, and it looked like Blaise had already eliminated several options from a long list of possible locations for that tomb.

It was growing late in the day, though, and Blaise flatly refused to start a new expedition before the morning. "You might be fine," she groused, not sounding as though she believed that to be the case at all, "but I'm hungry and tired. I'm going back to the palace. You can come with me, if you want. You could probably use the rest."

Morgan didn't want to go back, not yet. He looked down at the map on the table in front of him. Most of the marked locations were far enough from the city to be troublesome, but within a reasonable distance of a waypoint. Potentially good ways to keep himself occupied, to make sure his skills hadn't suffered too badly from disuse. Unfortunately, he'd never accessed most of the waypoints. He would need help with that.

"I'll stay here for the night. I can catch up on research." He paused. Perhaps someone else could act as a guide, someone he wasn't already deeply indebted to. "Is there someone who could show me to these waypoints?"

"Yeah. Me. Tomorrow." No luck there, then. Blaise put one hand on her hip. "Are you really sure you want to stay here?"

"Yes." He'd fled his room for a reason. If he didn't have something useful to focus his attention on now, he was going to come apart at the seams. He just needed to occupy himself, and that was going to be much easier here.

"All right, fine. But I'm not going to take you anywhere tomorrow if you haven't gotten any rest."

Anger flared suddenly hot in Morgan's chest. She kept insisting he rest, as though he hadn't just lost - how much time exactly wasn't clear, but it was certainly at least a few days of precious time, while she apparently picked up the slack. Did she still think of him as a child, someone who needed to be taken care of? Just another responsibility to shoulder? He slammed his open hand down on the table, growling "I don't want-"

He caught himself there, squeezed his eyes shut. Took a deep breath. Control. She had every reason to see him as an inconvenience, and that wasn't important. How others perceived him was inconsequential, he reminded himself. The only thing that really mattered was the Balance. His most important task was to find and stop the demons intent on upsetting it, and he wasn't going to get any closer to that goal by antagonizing a person who could help him. What he needed was her cooperation, not her respect.

"I apologize for that outburst," he said, opening his eyes but keeping them deferentially cast down. "It was not called for. I have had my fill of sitting idle, but I will rest when I need to."

Blaise was silent for a moment. "That's... whatever. Fine. See you tomorrow." She left without further comment. Morgan smoothed down the paper he'd rumpled in his childish show of temper. Not counting the claw vipers, it had been a long while since the last time he'd let himself get agitated to the point of lashing out. He was still on edge, not feeling quite settled in his skin after all that had happened. How long was it going to take him to get back to normal? He would have to focus his meditation on regaining emotional control for a while. This type of behaviour was totally unacceptable.

Cain cleared his throat. "Shall we continue? I believe I have at least another half hour in me today." He smiled warmly and Morgan relaxed a little. He could count on the scholar to leave well enough alone, to focus on the task at hand as he so badly needed to do.

"Yes, please."

Cain dedicated the better part of the next hour to filling in details about the Horadrim and their role in imprisoning Baal. He had managed to put together a diagram of the runes he suspected would be holding the demon lord in place, which Morgan set aside carefully to memorize later. He also had a general idea of the area where the Horadric cube, the device required to reunite the staff, was located, and what manner of traps would be securing it. The trouble was that the desert landscape had shifted over the intervening years, so none of the nearby landmarks were there any more. It was in this general area that Blaise had been concentrating her efforts, having gotten clearance from her superiors to pursue the lead. She had made impressive progress. Hopefully she would still be willing to work with Morgan after he'd repaid her efforts with nothing but a short temper. She didn't tend to accept apologies well, though. He'd just have to work harder at making himself useful.

After Cain retired for the evening, Morgan settled into what felt like a reasonable pattern of alternating between study and meditation. He had to ease himself into it at first; the urge to focus all of his energy on the problem of finding the cube was very strong. But the longer he studied, the more he realized he did need to rest himself properly. Once he passed the initial hurdle of forcing himself to stop and meditate, it was actually a relief to do so. It was good to meditate with peaceful intent again. The familiar, uninterrupted mental exercises were calming in a way he'd sorely missed, and it felt like a luxury to be able to sit in a comfortable chair again. Of course, everything felt like a luxury, compared to... well. It was nice to have a fresh appreciation for the small things.

By the time the sun was coming up, Morgan was satisfied that his understanding was at least adequate. Blaise and Cain found him leaning over the table comparing two maps, trying to pick out notable landmarks from the older one that might still be recognizable in some way.

"Good morning," he greeted them, looking up from his comparison a few seconds later. Both appeared to be in reasonably good spirits.

"Morning. So, do you still want to go out today, or do you want to keep studying?" Blaise lingered at the threshold while Cain made his way around the large table.

"I'd like to join the search today. I've rested," Morgan added quickly at the expression that flickered across her face. "More than I expected. I can keep up."

"Right. Get your gear and some breakfast then, we should go before it gets too much hotter."

Morgan flinched as a hand came down on his own. He'd almost forgotten Cain's tendency towards this sort of casual contact. The old man patted his hand twice, smiling encouragingly.

"Do stay safe out there. Good luck."

"Thank you," Morgan said, sliding his hand away. "I'll meet you at the waypoint," he suggested as he headed past Blaise. She didn't agree or refuse, instead following him out of the archives wordlessly. She only broke her silence once they were outside.

"You know you don't have to do this," she said, uncharacteristically quiet. Morgan searched her face, but couldn't identify the expression on it.

"No, I do. I can't just stand by and do nothing as evil gathers its forces. As a follower of-" he caught himself, remembering they were out in public. "I am obligated to do everything in my power to ensure that Darkness does not triumph over the Light," he explained instead.

"After all you - I mean, don't you think you've done enough by now?" Her unreadable expression didn't budge. At least it wasn't anger, he decided. That was a positive.

"No. There is no 'enough' until the Balance is righted. And even then, there will always be more to do." It wasn't a single task to be completed, it was a duty that extended past the definition of 'lifelong' as most people knew it. Long after his body was dust, even long after his spirit faded, there would still be more to do. It just wouldn't be his to do any more. But since there was still life in him in this world, he had to keep working toward the larger goal.

Blaise seemed unsatisfied with his response, but they had reached the waypoint. "Well, I guess I'll scout ahead while you get yourself together. If I'm not here when you get back, just wait for me."

"Very well." He turned to head towards the palace. If he was fast enough, he could get equipped and still visit the marketplace before it got too busy. There was a vendor who sold nuts and cheeses, good nutrient-dense foods that would be suitable for eating while travelling. It would save time if he could avoid larger meals altogether.

Morgan was relieved to find his room empty when he reached it. It wasn't that he didn't want to see Jemali, exactly, but he wasn't looking forward to it either. Not before he managed to get a handle on his emotions. To dismiss the lingering ache of disappointment that he'd invited in by allowing himself to believe briefly, stupidly, that the kindness he'd received had been anything other than a transaction. Of course he knew better, but it had been a moment of weakness. Nothing to do for it but try to get stronger.

His equipment was still as he'd left it. Despite not wanting to keep Blaise waiting longer than necessary, he let himself fall into an easy rhythm of tightening and checking buckles, running his fingers along the edges of the straps to find any thinning or splitting spots. It was a pleasantly tactile exercise, and the familiarity was a comfort.

The small bag of trinkets had been placed back with the others. It was tempting to go through them, to satisfy his vague curiosity about the cost of Jemali's service, but he'd already spent more time than he intended here. It was time to move on to the marketplace, then the desert. Yes, it was good to have an itinerary again.

[welllpthisishappening]

First-Line Defensive Pairing

Of all the things they’d done in the last few months, spending the afternoon at the Museum of Ice Cream was one of the more ridiculous. Mostly because of the wooden spoons they gave out on the tour. Partially because it seemed Will Scarlet could not stop casting furtive glances at Belle French. Or the heels that always matched her dresses. Maybe because she kept answering his hypothetical questions. And maybe even because he was willing to drift far closer to genuine these days. At least when it came to his feelings for her.

————

Word Count: 3.7K AN: Take two! Ok, so apparently yesterday when I posted this Tumblr thought it’d be a really cool idea to just...reformat the entire story. With whole graphs in totally wrong spots. Anyway, here it is again. Just as ridiculous as yesterday. With just as many Will and Belle emotions. Because that’s a thing I’m doing now, apparently. Writing Blue Line-era Will and Belle. If you’d like more of these flirt-prone idiots, here is their first date and Belle getting annoyed that Will fought someone on the ice. Technically, this was part of the kiss prompts and was “height difference kisses.” I hope the five of you who are interested in this enjoy it. That includes @shireness-says​ and @eleveneitherway​ who are mostly to blame for this.

————

“I’m going to ask you a hypothetical question.”

Belle lifted her eyebrows. Let some of that light creep back in her gaze, a flash of amusement that regularly made Will’s stomach leap dangerously close to the base of his ribs. That’s why he did it. Maybe not the rib thing, partially because he wasn’t even sure that was the correct technical term. The rest of it, though. The eye thing. Sure. Definitely. One-hundred percent. Why he’d also made sure the little wooden spoon they’d been given at the start of this tour was still in the corner of his mouth; to guarantee absolute absurdity, and he figured that started when they decided to spend their afternoon at the Museum of Ice Cream, but he was willing to take it all a step further. 

In the absurdity factor, at least. 

Other things were—

Well, it wasn’t as if they explicitly decided to keep the relationship a secret. Not on purpose. Not really. Or come to any sort of legitimate agreement regarding the use of the word relationship. It never seemed...important, honestly. And that was a potentially problematic and lackadaisical approach to someone who made Will smile with an almost alarming consistency in the last few months, but she’d also sort of snuck up on him, and Ariel was going to be so annoying. 

About the whole goddamn thing. 

She’d never shut up about it, he knew. 

So he didn’t push. Belle didn’t, either. An unspoken agreement, that’s what it was. He had other things to do, anyway. Like get ready for a playoff run and ignore the lingering ache in his calves after the echo of Arthur’s whistle stopped ringing in his ears, and, ok, his apartment was starting to feel a little bit larger than it had in a long time, maybe since Killian had moved out, but that was fine. Cup runs did not come because someone was in a relationship. Will had seen that first hand. With Cap, of all people. 

Watched the way his whole life had fallen apart around his ankles, little shards of hope and possibility that, Will knew, still threatened the structural integrity of Kilian’s internal organs and all four ventricles of his heart, and he did not understand enough basic biology to be making those sorts of sweeping observations, but Robin had lost someone too and that had been horrible and tragic and—

If Will simply did not want to jinx things, then that was neither here nor there.

Relationship’y speaking. 

It was good. They were good. He hated the wooden spoon they gave them to taste test half a dozen ice cream flavors. 

He was legitimately worried about getting splinters in his tongue. 

No excuses could possibly reason away that problem pre-game. 

Belle’s eyebrows were still in the same spot. “You going to follow up on that, or…” “Would you burn a Gutenberg Bible? To stave off the apocalypse and or potential frostbite?” “Those two things go together, do they?” He shrugged. “In this instance, yeah, because—” “—Well, it wouldn’t matter,” Belle said, eyes flitting towards the overly enthusiastic tour guide and the seemingly never-ending history of ice cream, “because I wouldn’t allow myself to be in that position. And I don’t live anywhere near the Public Library. What would I be doing there when the freeze-wave came?” His stomach. Did that thing. Jumped and twisted, got a ten from the Russian judge on its floor routine. He was cautiously optimistic he’d be able to pull off a flawless beam performance too. It was an exceedingly convoluted metaphor. Wrong Olympics, too. 

“Does salt air give you mind-reading powers?” “You’re not nearly as subtle as you think you are,” Belle grinned. Moving her hand faster than he was entirely prepared for ensured that he nearly dropped his small plastic cup of churro churro ice cream. He made noise. Without trying. A hiss and a grunt in the back of his throat that then led to a sound escaping between Belle’s half-hearted scowl, and that sound was closer to a giggle than either of them would ever admit and just enough to mess with his mental faculties a little and the tour guide stopped talking. To stare straight at them. 

Color lifted on Belle’s cheeks, ice cream-covered spoon held awkwardly between them. 

“As you were, ma’am,” Will said, all false bravado, and that was something of a trend. In several different capacities. It was far too depressing a thought to have while eating cinnamon-flavored ice cream. 

Belle elbowed him. 

And the tour guide got back to her to spiel. Without a reprimand. 

“Say freeze-wave again without laughing.”

Her eyelashes were more of a problem, honestly. Than the eyebrows. Or the specific jut of her chin Will had rather quickly learned meant she was ready to challenge him on some ridiculous topic, fully prepared to argue a position she might not have otherwise agreed with. Only because it wasn’t what he was arguing, and it was easy to understand why she won that Model UN award. 

Plus, her eyelashes were just stupid long, and he thought she was really pretty. 

Like in a fundamental sort of way. 

“Freeze-wave,” Belle enunciated, pausing between syllables for maximum effect, “are you asking me Day After Tomorrow questions because of the ice cream, because I’m a librarian or because you’re the strangest man alive?” She finally ate the rest of the ice cream. It was starting to melt, that was why. This was very melt-prone ice cream. “Oh, shit,” she mumbled, “this is really good. Better than mine.” Something popped in his shoulder when he reached towards her plastic cup. He wouldn’t tell Ariel about that, either. 

“Which kind is—” Fighting off the objections of a small librarian who resolutely refused to wear anything except heels, no matter what the weather was like, was not usually as difficult as it was in that moment. Will assumed it had something to do with sugar. Or the force of his smile. Robbing the rest of him of energy and the ability to fend off either one of Belle’s fists. “Why are you like this?” “You didn’t want to try peanut and pretzel. With peanut butter swirl.” “Swallowed the flyer for this place while I wasn’t looking, huh?” Sticking her tongue out was distracting. Almost enough that he didn’t notice the absolutely atrocious attempt at impersonating his voice. “Oh, no, no, babe, I don’t want that; you can get peanut butter anywhere. That’s not special.” “Well, it’s not.” “I’m a big fancy hockey player, and I know everything there is to know about ice cream flavors and the potential life-changing palette moment that comes from the sublime combination of salty and sweet.” “Oh, now you’re just taunting me.” Her eyes narrowed, that time. His smile was going to permanently stretch out his cheeks. “You have a disgusting mind.” “You can’t get churro ice cream everywhere, babe.” “I’m going back to get honey later.” Will hummed. Stuck his lower lip out. Noticed that flash return. And hoarded it. Like a relationship—

Ah, fuck. 

“Would you burn the Gutenberg Bible?” Her laugh was quickly becoming his favorite sound. Which wasn’t bad, per se. Was just kind of passably concerning. God damn. It was the heels. All of them kept matching the dresses she wore. She kept wearing dresses. 

Of course, that was going to mess with Will’s head. 

Belle shook her head. “No.” “Historical significance?” “Well, once again, I would not be in that position, would have listened to science and fled to warmer climates, so as not to make myself prey for escaped...what were they? Tigers?” “I honestly can’t remember,” Will admitted. 

“This was your hypothetical!”

Heads snapped their direction. Frustration creased the tour guide’s forehead, and they’d paid extra to learn about the history of ice cream. Will had already known about the origins of the ice cream cone, though. So, the whole thing felt almost like a raw deal, and he was far more interested in preserving the color in Belle’s cheeks. He saluted. Who he was saluting was anyone’s guess, but it very likely was the otherwise unengaged teenage kid trudging behind his family who absolutely recognized Will. 

“That’s going to end up on sixteen different social media sites,” Belle warned, not quite able to get her voice to an appropriate whispering level. 

“So long as he got my good side, you won’t hear me complaining.” “Do you have a good side?”

“Sweetheart, the self-confidence. God.” She squeezed her eyes shut. While practically beaming at him, and Will had to bend his knees to reach, something else creaking in the process, but that was fine, and good, and pretty goddamn fantastic because her lips tasted a bit like chocolate. 

“‘S’not your best work,” Belle mumbled, almost entirely into his mouth. 

“Brain freeze.” “I would burn no books. That’s my final hypothetical answer.” Her eyelashes must have existed purely to torment him. Leaning back made it clear when they fluttered back open, and he swore there were flecks of gold in her eyes. Maybe he was melting, too. With the ice cream. That was almost poetic. “None at all? What if you were going to die?” “Maudlin.” “I don’t know what that means.” “Liar,” she challenged, another smile tugging at her mouth, and Will was clearly staring at her mouth. Stained slightly with chocolate, as it was. “I stand by it, though. The book stuff, not the commentary on your burgeoning intelligence.” “You want to find a corner to go and make out in?” Different laugh. The kind that came with her head thrown back, hair tickling Will’s forearm because at some point his arm had found its way around her, and touching Belle was becoming something almost close to second nature. “I could keep complimenting you if you want,” Belle said, “or I could give you my reason for not burning books.” “You’re a giant nerd, that’s why.” She clicked her tongue. “Very, very cute nerd, though.” “Betcha say that to all the girls.”

His stomach stilled. Dropped a few inches, for good measure. Below where it was supposed to be, and inching dangerously close to his feet, and what Will could not imagine was a very sanitary floor. The Museum of Ice Cream had a giant sprinkle pit. Nothing about that seemed very sanitary. 

“I think stories have a purpose,” Belle said, still not quite whispering but definitely getting there, and he knew. Knew she knew. What he was thinking and feeling and unspoken understanding was quickly becoming the name of this particular game. With them. 

Where it wasn’t a game at all. 

Damn. 

Ariel was going to be so annoying. 

“No matter what they are. Shitty as they can be, all those ups and downs, and ridiculous, often unnecessary melodrama. It’s going to matter to somebody. Someone, somewhere, will be living their life and read those words or see those letters, and they’ll think, wow, whoever wrote this, gets me, and it will change everything for them. They’ll go back to it. Find solace and safety in it. Themselves, maybe. They’ll believe everything will be ok. Even if they only think that while they’re reading.” “Don’t forget audiobooks,” Will muttered, voice strangled and tinged with emotion. In the ice cream museum. Figured, honestly. 

Belle pinched the side of his wrist. 

“Ow. Avoid the bruise further up, please.” “Did you get hit?” Nodding took more energy than it should have, too. She hadn’t been to a game. He hadn’t asked her. What an idiot. “Not bad though, that’s just—” “—Par for the course.” “Mixing idioms, mon trésor.” “Oh, I got that one, actually.” “Slow pitch softball, that’s why,” Will reasoned, some of the tension he wasn’t especially pleased by loosening. 

“I think we’re on a roll now.” He hummed. Nodded, again. Curled his fingers into the back of Belle’s dress. Blue, that afternoon. With matching heels. “It all matters,” she added, soft and earnest, and his eyes snapped. To her and with her and that second one didn’t make sense, not really, but he was and wanted to be and that absolutely terrified him. 

Of it all falling apart again. Of it not being enough. 

He wasn’t enough. 

A story no one was ever all that interested in finishing. 

“You think?” Belle nodded. “Why’d you start playing hockey?” “Quite a transition.” “Tit for tat, or—no, no, c’mon don’t look at me like that.” Red stained her cheeks, now. Making it difficult to concentrate on anything else, although the desire to kiss her again was a fairly strong second, and that kid was taking more pictures. “That’s not fair.” “You’ve brought this on yourself, babe,” Will argued, and he hoped Lucas didn’t yell. At him. He’d never really listened to the social media rules. “It’s a very long, occasionally depressing story about a kid and his single mom, the second of whom often worked her ass off and her fingers to the bone, and all those other delightfully visual clichés. But then! Who would guess, she got a job picking up extra shifts cleaning at the rink in town. Home to the world’s shittiest ice and loudest Zamboni, it instantly drew the attention of our kid-like hero. 

“He was...infatuated, let’s say. With the sounds, especially. Nothing sounds like that first scrape of skates on fresh ice. Full of possibility, you know?” Belle didn’t answer. Will kept talking. “Best noise in the world. And then he learned there were other noises. Pucks hitting the back of nets. Sticks clanging together. Grunts and groans and the game itself, how loud it was. Helped silence some of his thoughts, none of which were ever very good. Lots of worries, some about his very dead sister, then a few more about that mother and her predilection toward clichés.”

“Good word,” Belle murmured. He kissed the top of her hair. The kid was openly staring at them, now. 

“Anyway, the crux of the story is that the guy who owned the rink agreed to let the kid play on the rink. Knew the mother, understood her situation, and hockey is expensive. Like, well, we spout all that bullshit about hockey is for everyone, and I’ve got to stand up there and smile and nod and agree, and it’s fucked up because it’s not really true. Hockey’s for rich kids and families with regularly functioning alternators in their car.” 

He shook his head. Had to. To chase away the memories and the cobwebs, and Cap knew this, too. Understood it, even. Remembered a life before the Vanklads, and not every kid got the Vankalds, and sometimes Will let himself wonder what would have happened if he’d found the Vanklads. Or their upstate New York equivalent. 

Gotten better shin pads, probably. 

“Hockey’s an exclusive sorta club,” Will continued, “gotta know someone who’s related to someone else, and they know someone who played, and it’s six degrees of increasingly desperate separation. By some lucky twist of fate, though, Jimmy Newell knew some bastard who knew somebody else, who saw me play, and you don’t say no to USA Developmental. Spent two years in Minnesota, way before Cap did, so he doesn’t get to claim that state as his own.” Belle’s lips twitched. “Good to know, for argument’s sake.” His stomach was becoming a problem. 

Heart, too. 

Sputtering and slamming, uneven beats that were going to leave another bruise. Will licked his lips. 

“I went to Developmental, declared for the draft, got picked by New York, went to college, stayed in college, and the rest is history. As they say.” “They do say that, yeah.” “What’s the next question, then?” “How do you know there’s another question?” “Shot in the dark,” Will shrugged, but that was a lie, and it was getting increasingly easier to read that pinch between her eyebrows. “So, hit me.” “Literally?” “Please do not literally hit me. Locksley’s been feeling the forecheck the last couple’a practices.” “I know what that means!” Someone shushed them. Will couldn’t imagine the color will ever leave Belle’s cheeks. 

He kissed the bridge of her nose. 

“Who’d you get to teach you French?” “Who said I didn’t just learn French on my own?” “Babe,” she chided, and, well, that was the tipping point. As they say. To his heart and his stomach and—

“You wanna come to a game this series?” Belle blinked. Once, twice. Leaned back. Tilted her head. Likely waited for the camera crew that was inevitably lurking in the corner he was cautiously optimistic they’d make out in eventually. Didn’t happen, though. There was no camera crew. 

Just Will Scarlet, professional hockey player, and part-time sap. Standing in one of the more nonsensical museums they’d been to in the last two months. Although they did go to the transit museum on three separate occasions, and he could honestly say he didn’t expect that. 

So, maybe this was all just—

Par for the course. 

He’d have to make some sort of deal with Eric. To make sure Ariel didn’t proclaim her relationship-plotting victories from a variety of rooftops. Someone in front office had to know someone else with Empire State Building connections. 

Zelena probably did. 

Ariel would use that. 

“Where would I sit?”

He pulled her. Up. With an almost violent amount of force, threatening the safety of both of Belle’s shoulders in the process. But she’d asked the one question he hadn’t totally considered in his half-plotted plan, and getting his mouth back on hers was an acceptable diversion. Plus, she looped her arms around his neck pretty quickly. 

Which had to count for something, he figured. 

One hand cupped the back of his head, pulling him closer. Like he had any intention of being anywhere else, swiping his tongue against Belle’s lip and swallowing her sigh. They were still in public, technically. Her feet trailed the multi-color carpet beneath them, Will’s arms tightening and his palm flat against her back and her spine, and if she kept rocking up like that, he was going to do something drastic. 

Something in the same realm as melting, probably. 

Strands of hair tickled his skin, making him tilt his head and alter the angle, and that was entirely appropriate, but getting kicked out of the Museum of Ice Cream would probably make an absolutely fantastic story. Once they told people they were—

Doing whatever it was they were doing. 

They’d get there eventually. 

“Cap’s sister-in-law is coming,” Will said, not entirely able to catch his breath, “wants to see Kris and—” “—Should I know who that is?” “Works in equipment, and that’s not really the point.” “What is?” “That Little Vankald isn’t super interested in listening to Cap be full older brother on her and, far as I know, is fully capable of getting tickets wherever she wants. Can sweet talk the gold out of anyone’s pockets, and—” “—Wait, wait, are you equating hockey tickets to gold?” “When I’m playing, ma choupette.” “Is that cabbage?” He hummed. Nearly tripped over his own feet trying to hold onto Belle and the mostly melted cup of ice cream and paying for more churro ice cream made perfect sense. At the moment. “One of the kids at school was French Canadian,” Will explained, “used to swear all the time on the ice, and then he’d use stuff like that.” “You’re sharing endearments with a trash talker.” “More or less, yeah. Used to infuriate other guys.” “Who wants to be called a cabbage?” “I think you’re super cute.” Belle scowled. Didn’t argue, though. And Will refused to linger on the beat of his pulse. “I’d really like it if you were there,” he added, “Little Vanklad’ll be cool about it. She owes me. I fed her for a very long time.” “Did you just?” “I make incredible garlic bread; ask anyone.” “Wow,” Belle drawled, “just like people on the street, or…also, do you call her Little Vanklad all the time?” “To her face and behind her back with startling regularity. Not everyone gets my French endearments, babe. Consider yourself lucky.” 

She scrunched her nose. 

Stayed silent. All Will could hear was the soft explanations of the tour guide, and the questions from tourists who probably also thought going to the Museum of Sex made them edgy. After they bought a STRAND tote bag. God, maybe he was a dick. A judgmental dick, who still had too many thoughts and used an occasionally violent game to silence them by making sure he was the one dictating the noises and the trash talk and—

“Hey, uh, Will...Mr., uh—Mr. Scarlet? Do you think we could get a picture?”

Belle’s lips disappeared. Behind her teeth, and that didn’t do anything to temper the sound of what might have actually been joy. At the prospect of the staring teenager and his photo request. 

In the goddamn Museum of Ice Cream. 

Giving a jerky nod, Will quickly scanned the kid for any team-branded, but it didn’t look like he was wearing merch and that was a rather small miracle. Far as those things went. 

Still, he had been in the middle of a pretty intense internal dialogue and potential freakout, and there was going to be ice cream on his hand if he didn’t throw this cup away. 

Belle took the phone. 

The kid’s phone. 

“Smile,” she instructed, and Will tried. Really. He hoped he didn’t end up looking like a murderer on Twitter or Instagram or whatever kids used, and he had no idea when he got that old. When things started to freak him out, and he let the nerves claw back in, and the worry take root and—

“Hey,” he said before the kid could walk back to his parents and their matching STRAND tote bags. “You think you could take a picture of us, real quick?”

No one had ever moved faster. 

In, like, the history of photography. 

Circling an arm around Belle’s waist, Will’s smile came a bit easier and that was good because he was totally unprepared for what happened after that. Another instruction and flick of someone’s thumb, but then Belle was on her toes, even with the heels, and her lips were pressed against his cheek and it was like some sort of really exceptional sugar high. 

Without the threat of inevitable crash. 

Will didn’t think so, at least. He was also pretty positive it wasn’t tigers in The Day After Tomorrow. Wolves, maybe. 

“Tell Little Vankald to save me a seat.” “I mean, I don’t think you should call her that.”

Her teeth grazed his jaw. Both of them were laughing in the picture, the kid’s eyes going impossibly wide as Will thanked him. “How hard you think it is to set up an Instagram account?”

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

So I did the word generator and got sacred, so like maybe sacred with Korekiyo? :I

"...and that’s all there is to know about this sacred necklace.” Korekiyo finally concluded as he looked away from the glass display, gazing at you. “See, a mere label only tells a fraction of its story. There’s so much more to it.”

“Yeah I can agree with that.” You nodded. “Jeez, Kork..you should become a tour guide for this museum. You’d be amazing at it.”

“Oh, that’s not for me,” he dismissed with a small chuckle. “To be in charge of a bunch of bored teenagers or insolent children is just...I could never. I’d rather guide one single individual who is actually captivated by these artifacts.”

'And it seems I’m that lucky individual.’ You thought, before you took his hand and led him to another exhibit that caught your eye.

Indeed, a museum date was probably the best thing you could’ve come up with--especially since this is the first time you’ve actually gone out together as a couple. 

Korekiyo was, understandably, unsure of where you should go to commemorate this new relationship that had blossomed.

He had his confession to you down to a science, though he never expected you to actually accept it. All he could think was that you’d never love a strange, unusual, and mysterious man like him.

But when he was proven wrong, he was happy--yet at total loss as to what to do next. Fortunately, that problem is far behind you two now.

“It says here this skull is from....hey? You okay, Kork?”

“H-Huh..” The anthropologist blinked, snapping out of his thoughts as his piercing golden eyes gazed at you once more. “Oh, I’m sorry. I was just..thinking...”

“About...?” You tilted your head.

“...about..how...you’re the most beautiful artifact there is.” He smiled behind his mask. “And how none of these can compare to the spectacular display before me.”

After making sure nobody was looking, he quickly took your hand, bringing his mask down to kiss your knuckles, before covering his mouth again. Even so, a burning blush appeared on his face.

He never removed it in public..so for him to do that now symbolized how special you were to him and how much he trusted you.

A warm smile appeared on your own face as you hugged him. “Smooth as ever, sweetheart.” You laughed.

[dajaregambler]

HeliosR - Victor Valentine Card story “By all means….”

Translation of Victor Valentine’s 3* “ Waterfront City Guide” card story from ‘Helios Rising Heroes’.

Jacqueline: Eh, Victor-chama, you’ve eaten Italian gelato before?

Victor: Indeed, although it was quite some time ago.

Jacqueline: How was it? Was it tasty?

Victor: Generally speaking, it was a predictable taste. It could be said there’s quite the possibility of one’s expectations differing due it being a meal in a foreign country---

Marion: Oi, Jacqueline wants to know if it’s tasty or not.

Victor: Fufu, how rude of me…. If I had to say, I’m not of the sort to be particularly fond of ice cream on a normal basis.

Victor: Savoring the gelato alongside an authentic espresso was, in itself, considerably delicious…. is what I would say.

Marion: All of that just to answer yes. Learn to get to the point

Jacqueline: That’s so nice~ Victor-chama. Jacqueline wants to go to Italy and eat gelato too

Jack: Jacqueline・・・Aren’t you eating ice cream right now・・・

Jacqueline: I can eat as much ice cream as I want!

Jacqueline: The ice cream here at Helios museum is super tasty but, I still wanna taste gelato from Italy~

Jack: Is that so・・・

Jack: So you’ve gone on vacation in Italy, Victor?

Victor: Not as vacation, it was to mainly attend an academic conference.

Victor: Now that I think of it, you cleaning robots hadn’t been made yet at the time.

Jack: If it’s about a time I don’t know, then it must be when you were studying under Oswald?

Victor: Yes, I went to observe Oswald presenting at the academic conference. Together with Nova….

Marion: What….?

Victor: I have said it wasn't a vacation, however Nova was awfully in high spirits and treating it as one.

Marion: ………

Jack: Besides eating ice cream, what other things have the three of you done there? 

Victor: Let me see…. I can only recall how magnificent the contents of Oswald's presentation were...

Marion: You’re kidding me

Victor: It’s the truth. What one deems to be vacation is something that I haven’t been interested in the past and neither now, which is why it hasn't made a lasting impression and…..

Victor: Ah, if I did have to say, it was a pleasant experience to be able to see various works of art and sightseeing spots which I’ve had the basic knowledge of up until then.

Victor: Especially in Florence, with Botticelli’s “Birth of Venus” and Michelangelo’s statue of David, and countless of other pieces of work depicting the Renaissance era

Victor: In Rome, we went around to see the Trevi Fountain and La Bocca della Verità, the colosseum and various other tourist attractions.

Marion: Eh?

Jack: While you said that it hadn’t left an impression, you unexpectedly did go see a lot

Marion: Trevi Fountain, La Bocca della Verità? Colosseum…..?

Marion: Have you been to Piazza di Spagna and Sant'Angelo too!?

Victor: ? Yes, we had more or less….

Marion: Ugh… uuuugh~....

Victor: What is it? Is that a sad… no, frustrated expression?

Marion: That’s not it!

Victor: Ah….I understand now. The places I have mentioned are all ones that were featured in that one movie.

Victor: You would repeatedly watch it over and over when you were very young….

Marion: !!

Victor: Even though it was a simple to understand romance movie, I remember observing you, thinking for what reason a child could be so fascinated by it.

Marion: T-that movie is not that simple….!

Marion: I’m sure you can enjoy the movie while holding that point of view, but that a lone woman could grow so splendidly in merely a day…..

Marion: It’s a masterpiece with so much to learn from, and it makes you think about every line of dialogue and scene!

Victor: Hm…

Marion: Wh-what… Don’t you have more to say?

Victor: No, nothing in particular….Rather I’m interested in what your interpretation is, by all means go on?

Marion: Gh, enough! I’m not saying anything else!

Victor: Oh my, that’s unfortunate. I wasn’t making a fool out of you, it came out of a place of genuine interest....

Victor: It ought to change the way one enjoys their trip when present at places featured in a movie they enjoy that much. 

Victor: Speaking of which…. Nova had put his hand inside the mouth of La Bocca della Verità, being noisy about how it caught him, to think he was imitating the movie.

Victor: At last I’ve come to comprehend what it meant

Marion: …..I would’ve gotten it immediately

Nova: What, whaaat~? Could it be that it’s about me?

Marion: Nova!

Nova: Sorry~ Especially for being late for the tea party….

Jack: Has work settled down?

Nova: Aaah yeah, fortunately. Although there's a bunch of drone maintenance waiting for me back home….

Jacqueline: Victor-chama was telling about this vacation in Italy right now

Nova: Eh, vacation in Italy?

Nova: Wait don’t tell me, is it when I went together with Vic to my dad’s academic conference?

Nova: Been a while since then~ Honestly don’t remember a thing about the conference, but we did go around doing a lot of sightseeing in Florence and Rome 

Marion: ………..

Nova: Wait Vic, remember how we threw coins into the Trevi Fountain?

Victor: ? In the Trevi Fountain….?

Nova: Yeah. My dad had told me how there’s a legend that if you toss a coin in there, your wish could come true

Nova: Although it’ll be granted depending of how many you throw in there, throwing one coin should at least make you able to go back to Rome once again 

Nova: At the same time we said how we wanted to come back again and threw one in, I cleaaarly remember it you know~

Victor: ……. Did we, really do such a thing?

Nova: Geez~ we did! We aaaabsolutely did!

Victor: …….

Jacqueline: Jacqueline wants to get brought along when you go again. I wanna eat tasty gelato~

Nova: Of course you’ll come along. Jacqueline, Jack, Marion and Vic too. Let’s go with the five of us together

Marion: …..Together with him, you say

Nova: Isn’t it fine, Marion♪ We had wished it upon the Trevi Fountain, Vic has to absolutely come with us together

Victor: I’m telling you, I don’t recollect doing...

Nova: Yes, yes it’s all good. Aah it’ll be so much fun, we totally have to go together with all of us♪

Victor: …..Good grief. How overbearing

-

Notes:

The title is a reference to The Roman Holiday (1953), when Princess Anne declares at a certain point in the movie: Each, in its own way, was unforgettable. It would be difficult to - Rome! By all means, Rome. I will cherish my visit here in memory as long as I live. It is certain this is the same movie mentioned in the story.

[retvenkos]

“i’m happiest with you”

DATING NINI SALAZAR ROBERTS WOULD HAVE TO INCLUDE...

okay, so nini gets  i n v e s t e d  in her relationships, so pls be all in alongside her

it will cause rifts in your relationship later if you are not as committed as she is

nini will send you good morning and goodnight texts

ngl,,, sometimes she will send you lin manuel miranda’s good morning goodnight tweets. she loves him.

she is in love with showing affection, so i hope you know that she is going to do a smattering of little things that are vvv cute

you probably get in the habit of doing little, sweet things too

like leaving notes in her locker or sending her those heart explosion memes at lunch

i hope you know,,, nini is big on pda

she will constantly hold your hand or hang on your arm

she loves to give hugs

she loves to give you short, sweet kisses

and she loves it a whole lot when you do things back

especially if you are more shy. it warms her heart.

if you play with or braid her hair

if you put your hand in her back pocket

or give her kisses on the cheek

nini loves love

it is both her superpower and her downfall

also,,, nini is totally here for all the cliches

she has probably seen every romance movie ever made and lives for anything that is remotely similar to all of those hallmark movies

sometimes it can be draining, knowing that you have all these picture perfect relationships to live up to

but if you talk to nini about it, she realizes that she has a lot of expectations, and she understands and scales back a bit.

you guys definitely have a lot of study dates

whether it’s studying lines for the musical or studying for an academic test, the two of you are in her living room, your books spread across the table

you bring the snacks and she brings all of her highlighters, study guides and more

she gets really into her work and then you have to distract her to get attention

she says it’s annoying but she’s smiling too much for you to take her seriously

and you clearly have a great relationship with kourtney

if you don’t nini is immediately suspicious, ngl

and kourney is your go to for all things date related

like, clearly you know nini really well, but if you’re ever unsure, go to kourtney. she  k n o w s 

i like to think that since nini is so good at showing you love physically, you are better at telling her, verbally

you will constantly compliment her on how sweet, kind, smart, and loving she is

which is most likely followed with a kiss or bop on the nose

or you write poetry about her

pls do so - she will make it into a song and it’s so cute

i honestly hope that you are as enthusiastic about love as she is

it would be so cute if you said “i love you” first, it would really reassure her that you care for her not just because she cares about you, but because she matters to you

and that’s a thing, i feel like - nini puts her all into a relationship because she has a deep insecurity that no one will love her the way she loves them

so she tries to  m a k e  them love her - with gifts, with gestures, with overflowing amounts of love

so if you were to take that big step first - tell her you love her when she hasn’t asked for it, yet - she will feel like it’s the truth

pls, lord, give nini someone deserving of her love

i also feel like nini needs someone who’s really sincere in love, yes, but is also very chill?

like, she needs to get casual displays of love - the small things that are gentle reminders that ‘yes, i still care about you’

someone who will take her to get cheese fries after a late rehearsal or leave her random texts through the day that say you were thinking about her.

also, a little known talent of nini’s is that she’s really good at painting?

she’s been helping to make sets for musicals since, the fourth grade and she’s had a lot of time to hone her skills

so, if you ever want to just,,, paint with her, following those bob ross tutorials, it is vvv cute

she will tease you if you aren’t good, and if you are, she’ll distract you by flicking paint on you

which, naturally, will create a paint war

and omg,,,, when she is older and gets a house, painting her walls is going to be something she does a lot, so i hope you are together to see that cuteness

you are definitely going to be that couple, though, that goes out a lot to do stuff

nini has so much energy, please take her to the zoo or the aquarium, or a museum

somewhere where she can walk around and take silly photos with you

she kinda sucks at taking good photos (you are the expert, lets be real), but she loves to have them to put on her wall

nini loves you to death, and once you show her you feel the same...

AND FLUFF ENSUES.

[justasparkwritings]

Codename Cupid: Chapter 14

Previous: Justifying Jimin

Pairing: Kim Taehyung X OFC

Genre: Angst, Secret AgentAU, AgentAU, Government Agent AU

Rating: PG17

Word Count: 2.6K

Warnings: Swearing, Mentions of Non-Consensual Sex, Mentions of Rape, Rape Aftermath, Rape Recover, Rape Culture

Summary: Codename V and Codename Cupid begin their courtship, which ends rather quickly when Cupid crosses a line. 

TRIGGER WARNING: There is conversation regarding rape in this chapter. It does not glamorize, but does give modest details. 

PLEASE SKIP IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO READ 

Codename: Love Reimagined

Fall, One Year Post Grad

           Lee Euna met Kim Taehyung on a Wednesday. Both were attending a gallery opening, Taehyung as a friend of the artist, Euna as an investor. He knew the minute she walked into the gallery, the way her pearls glistened in the carefully planned lighting, her midnight locks curled to delicate tendrils cascading down her back. There were many adjectives to describe Lee Euna, and as a woman nearing the top of the largest company in the world, the one that was most often negated was beautiful. Lee Euna, a stunner, a total package, brilliant, kind, gorgeous. Taehyung could understand the draw to her, her demeanor was congenial, but her eyes were daring. They spoke when her lips didn’t, they saw what others tried to hide, they observed and recorded so that she could strike. To an untrained eye, in combination with the way tabloids depicted her, Euna wasn’t a threat.

           But Taehyung knew different.

           Armed with the knowledge of her last two relationships, Taehyung approached confidently.

           “The use of yellow is a fascinating commentary, don’t you think?” Taehyung asked.

           “Mm, I’m more intrigued by the abject use of black as negative space, particularly as it moves throughout the series, blurring ever so slightly with each piece,” Euna told him, eyes trained on the image in front of them.

           “Until you get to the end, completely white,” Taehyung finished.

           “You know the artist?” She asked him.

           “I do, and you?” He smiled brightly at her.

           “Let’s just say I have a piece in mind,” She smirked gently.

           “I’m Taehyung,”

           “Euna,”

           “It’s nice to meet you. May I walk with you to the next piece?” Taehyung asked, a gently smile dancing across his lips, the anticipation of understanding Cupid further, of getting to see the sides of her Codename Suga and Mr. Handsome, got to see. It was always exciting, he thought, getting to know a new mark, exploring the dynamics, flirting with the soon to be blurred lines. Ever the extrovert, he thrived when he was taken off surveillance and placed in the field, even when he ran missions on the ground, following marks, urging them in certain directions or to locations, the threat of being caught was high, and he loved it. Standing next to Cupid, waiting patiently for her response, he felt that first inkling of danger, of mystique, of upholding the narrative Namjoon had constructed for him.

           “That would be lovely,” Cupid smiled before turning to walk towards the next piece.

~~~~~

           Taehyung courted Cupid for the next few weeks, before she took him to dinner and into her bed. From there, it was a blur of museum openings, concerts, gala’s and drinks with friends. From the jump, Cupid was 100% in. She was immediately falling for Taehyung, making plans for their future, and bulldozing boundaries like traffic cones in drivers ed. Tired of being hurt, jaded from heartbreak, Cupid was already swimming in the deep end while he tiptoed in. Getting him to her side, though, proved difficult and frustrating. Taehyung tried to resist, to persistently put up new and more transparent boundaries, but they always seemed like a suggestion to Cupid. He allowed it to go on for a few months, until it became alarmingly clear that this was not acceptable, and she was going to move forward without asking him if it was okay.

           Taehyung scheduled a meeting with Namjoon, in the privacy of his fully walled office, and sulked in. The nerves at an all-time high, the panic he felt, the sickness in his stomach, the low taste of bile in his throat, loomed large over him.

           “Something’s not right,” Taehyung said to Namjoon. He sat opposite his brother on the couch Namjoon kept in his office for late night missions, or nights when he didn’t want to drive home.

           “Meaning?” Namjoon asked, confusion laced in his bespectacled eyes.

           “I think it’s getting out of hand,” Taehyung sat with his hands in his lap, eyes downcast as the tears began to fall. He’d shown minimal distress throughout their team meetings but was spending less and less free time in the office. A sign, that both Yoongi and Seokjin took to mean he was with Cupid, though transcripts weren’t showing up.

           Gently placing a hand on his forearm, Namjoon asked, “Tae, what’s wrong?”

           “I can’t do this, with Cupid,” He whispered.

           “What’s happened?” Namjoon asked, unsure where this was going.

           “She, she’s trying to get pregnant, Yoongi was right, she’s obsessed with it,” Taehyung inhaled slowly, rickety breaths leaving his quivering lips.

           “By you?” Namjoon was confused, it hadn’t been long enough for her to start making these claims, they’d only been seeing each other for a handful of months. Was she deviating from the pattern?

           “Yes,” Taehyung let out the sob he’d been trying and failing to hold. Namjoon had seen the man cry, in their years together, he’d seen everyone cry. They’d lost a mark, years ago, and Taehyung had just been a trainee. The man, in touch with his emotions and often lost in thought, took his job seriously, and worked diligently to do his best at all times. This, whatever was happening between Cupid and him, was abnormal.

           “Taehyung, what is she doing?” Namjoon’s voice was measured, gentle in tone and volume, deep resonance embracing Taehyung in support, in love, in familiarity, in understanding.

           “She’s scraping out condoms, not letting me pull out, and I’ve torn condoms before because there’s holes in them. Holes, Joon, I’ve found them in the wrapper!” Taehyung was shaking, tears still streaming from his emotive eyes.

           “Does she think you don’t know?”

           “I don’t know. She doesn’t care or she thinks I don’t care, or -

           “Is this nonconsensual?” Namjoon asked.

           A simple question, a measurement of balance of power, of two adults mutually agreeing on a set activity, of a designated maneuver, of an act, together, one not moving forward without the other, in tandem. Do you consent to this, or do you not?

           “Absolutely not. She has never asked, nor have I given any form of consent. I have actively tried to stop her, I have actively tried to not engage with her, I have said no and stop. She doesn’t.” The sobs return, shaking his entire body.

           Namjoon wrapped an arm around Taehyung and pulled him into his side. Taehyung didn’t need to look at Namjoon to know how incensed he was, how furious he was, how heartbroken and disgusted and devastated, he was. He felt it in the bear like hold he had over him, he heard it in his voice as he spoke again.

           “Your mission with Cupid is terminated immediately, get your phone, you will end your relationship right here and now.”

           “Will that ruin the plan?” Taehyung whispered.

           “What’s the number one rule?” Namjoon countered.

           “Our safety, and our emotional and physical health are more important than a mark or mission,” Taehyung didn’t need to think, it was written on his heart, he’d just hoped he’d never have to evoke it.

           “Exactly. Do you want to use your time off? I suggest you do, take a few days. Do you need to go back to your therapist, Dr. Aarons?” Namjoon rattled off the necessary measures Taehyung could take, knowing he would force him to rest and ease back into work.

           Nodding solemnly, Taehyung’s voice was a whisper. “Yeah, that might be a good place to start. I’m sorry,”

           “Sorry for what?” Namjoon shook his head, confusion in his tone.

           “For, I don’t know, disappointing the team.” Taehyung glanced up at Joon for the first time.

           “Taehyung, when have you ever disappointed the team?” Namjoon’s question was rhetorical. “You are risking yourself for a mission and it’s not worth it. She’s engaging in dangerous, illegal, immoral behavior. You have to look out for your personhood. I am so sorry that she has done this, and that you feel like you need to apologize to me at all. You are not at fault. I am only disappointed that when I noticed you pulling away, I didn’t seek you out to ensure you were okay. I am sorry for not doing my part as your leader.”

           Taehyung held Namjoon as they let the words float between them, Taehyung breathing them in as Namjoon’s softened gaze continued to hold him.

           “Thank you,” Taehyung whispered.

           “Do you want me to accompany you and Golden Maknae when you break up with her?” Namjoon stood up, stretching before sitting down at his desk.

           “Can’t I just ghost her?” Taehyung was surprised by the suggestion of doing this in person.

           Namjoon looked at him, realizing the suggestion he’d made. “Aren’t you past that point in your relationship?”

           “I don’t know, it’s only been four months?” Taehyung stood.

           “Four months and she already wants to procreate?” Namjoon was stunned again, nothing about Cupid predicted this. It wasn’t a pattern of behavior, but a hint at one, nothing had come to fruition and he wasn’t going to put another man on Cupid detail ever again.

           “You’ve seen my jaw,” Taehyung smirks.

           “Text her, don’t call, we know how that went for Yoongi,”

           “Can I do it in here?” He asks.

           “Conference room? I need to brief the team,”

           “Okay,”

           “You don’t have to stay. Once you break up with her, you can go home, Tae. You don’t need to stay for this at all, you aren’t required to,” Namjoon stood from his desk and guided Taehyung out of his office to the conference room.

           “I’ll stay,” Tae nodded, using the sleeve of his cardigan to blot his tears.

           “You do not to explain to them what happened,” Namjoon informed him.

           “I know,” Tae nodded again.

           “What’s up?” Hoseok asked sitting down at the conference table. He’d yet to finish his project, recreating a few false documents for Jimin.

           “Yeah, we’re having a full meeting at 3PM? Isn’t it almost quitting time?” Yoongi wondered as he twirled in his chair.

           “One step closer to Friday,” Seokjin reminded him.

           “We have an update on Codename, Hoseok, what did you name V’s mission?” Namjoon said, stuffing his hands in his suit pants.

           “Love Reimagined,” Answered Hoseok.

           “One of your shorter titles,” Yoongi quipped.

           “What was Yoongi’s?” Jimin asked.

           “Codename: Another Shot at Love,” Hoseok was proud of himself, beyond proud. He took great care to name each mission or task, ensuring it was fitting and catchy. He was waiting for their final mission on this case, a chance to reference one of his favorite Netflix Originals.

           “And Jimin’s?” Yoongi added.

           “The ongoing, Codename: The Mochi of it All,” Hoseok beamed.

           "What was mine?" Seokjin wondered.

           "Codename: The First Heartbreak," Hoseok couldn't stop smiling.

           “Why must you take the time to give such long names?” Seokjin laughed.

           “It’s part of my flair,” Hoseok giggled.

           “Alright, Codename: Love Reimagined is hereby closed, finished, completed.” Namjoon said redirecting the men. They all turned to face him, confusion and shock on their faces. This wasn’t the plan.

           “Really?” Hoseok asked.

           “Why?” Yoongi followed.

           “How come?” Seokjin rounded out the men.

           “It’s cancelled,” Namjoon’s voice was firm, a means to end the conversation.

           “Taehyung, are you okay?” Jimin asked. The two men shared an apartment, and Jimin had noticed on more than one occasion Taehyung retreating into himself. He felt it too, the absence of his best friend, his partner in work and in friendship, no longer wanting to spend time together like they always did. He hadn’t checked in as much as he wanted, his own mission filling his time as the relationship progressed consistently. Jimin spent time twirling his engagement ring on his finger, embarrassed by how much he liked the medal on his skin, the small encrusted diamonds twinkling in the light.  

           “No, I’m not okay,” Taehyung could always meet Jimin’s gaze, his hurt brown irises inked with tears told Jimin it was far worse than he realized.

           “You don’t have to tell us,” Yoongi said. “But if you do, I guarantee we’ll fuck them up.”            “Codename Cupid took advantage of me, more than once, in a sexual manner,” Taehyung pushed the words out of his mouth, the burden leaving his shoulders as he leaned into the comfort of his friends.

           “Are you fucking serious?” Yoongi yelled.

           “No, no,” Jimin shook his head, the tears already forming.

           “Tae,” Jin whispered.

           “You, are you, oh my god,” Hoseok couldn’t comprehend the words coming out of Taehyung’s mouth.

           “I’m done, cancel my mission,” Jimin declared.

           “We can’t cancel your mission,” Namjoon said.

           “Why not?” Jimin demanded, eyes on fire.

           “What good does that serve us?” Countered Namjoon.

           “I, you expect me to date this guy, be engaged to him, when his sister raped one of us? Are you fucking with me?” Jimin yelled again, standing to slam his hands against the table. Taehyung winced, not only at the volume, but because he hadn’t used the word yet, hadn’t thought it applied to what had happened to him… but maybe, it did.

           “I expect you to complete your mission as directed unless Codename Arrow is endangering your life,” Namjoon repeated.

           “I won’t,” Jimin said.

           “You will, you have what, three weeks left?” Namjoon asked.

           “The engagement party is December 21,” Jimin said.

           “Alright, it’s almost Thanksgiving. You just gotta make it until then,” Yoongi offered, a shrug of his shoulders. In Jimin’s place, he would absolutely end things with Arrow, but they needed the last set of Christmas bonus checks and the final 2020 financial reports, both of which wouldn’t populate on Arrow or Cupid’s computers until mid-December.

           “She abused him,” Jimin whispered, the tears falling down his cheeks.

           “Jiminie has a point,” Hoseok muttered.

           “We cannot let this slide,” Seokjin said. “I never thought, I never thought she’d do this.”

           “We will have justice when we bring them down,” Namjoon reminded them, his words hollow in the moment of their pain.

           “Do we have evidence of the, of the, fuck, I can’t say it,” Yoongi shook his head, the words stuck on his tongue.

           “You don’t have to say it,” Taehyung’s voice was raw, emotions bare. “I’ve documented what I can, bagged things, written a detailed report… I used one of Hobi’s forged Police Reports to document what I knew they’d ask and took pictures to accompany it. The evidence is sealed in my office.”

           Lifting his head to look at him, Yoongi asked, “Taehyung, how long have you been sitting on this?”

           “Not too long, a couple of weeks,” Taehyung shrugged. It had only happened three times, which is three times too many, and three times it shouldn’t have. He had been shocked the first time, unsure what had truly happened to him. The second time, she used a different tactic, and he knew what it was. The third time caught him off guard, unawares. He was embarrassed that he let it happened, mortified that he put himself in this situation, and angry that he was so mad at himself instead of being outraged, furious, loathing, towards her.

           “Tae,” Jimin said again.

           “We need to write an official report so we can put this into our official filing,” Namjoon’s voice had simmered, its resolute calm returning.

           “Not tonight,” Seokjin said, a reminder that Taehyung was still reeling from the trauma.

           “Have you broken up with her?” Yoongi asked Taehyung.

           “I texted when we sat down,” Taehyung fished his phone out of his pocket. “She responded.”

           “Do you want to read it out loud?” Namjoon questioned.

           “Hobi’s just going to send us a memo of it anyway,” Yoongi shrugged, his heart weighing down his entire body. “After this, can we call it a day?”

           “Absolutely,” Namjoon agreed. “Taehyung, you want to read it?”

           “It says,” He scanned the message, eyebrows shooting towards his hairline, jaw slacking as he reread the message. “She says, she says she’s pregnant.”

Next: How Cricket Got Her Name

[grown-clone]

Hiii!! I’m here with your matchup! So….I decided to match you with a boy and a girl bc I couldn’t choose and you said it doesn’t matter! I thought a lot about this and chose to focus a lot on your hobbies, interests, and personality. So….your first matchup is….

Mei Hatsume!!

Mei Hatsume aka the girl who helped Deku in the sports festival eith her killer inventions is your first match! I matched you and her together because to be honest, you remind me of her in a way. You two are just a like enough to click but not so similar to where it’s annoying. You said you liked Riot Girl music which I can totally see her being into. We’ve also seen that she can be intense too, so you two, I believe, would share a lot of the same social tendencies. Which, would make it semi-easier to understand and communicate with each other.

Some Headcannons for you two <3

Since Hatsume spends a lot of time in her own subsection of the work shop, I imagine when you two started getting close she would make a little sub-section for you

You could put all your art supplies and things in your space and you two could be creative together

Hatsume seems like the person to want to blast music whilst she works so I hope you like loud music

Of course I believe that sense you and her would have a similar music taste it wouldn’t be bad

I feel like you two would maybe have a day out of every two weeks to a month where you each try each other’s hobbies

Like maybe she tries making a piece of jewelry or something with clay

You help guide her through it and show her the ropes of whatever she is making

Then, maybe you make a simple little robot or something with her

She shows you which wires go where and all that good stuff

You two are creative and have so much fun together

But I hate to say it

She would crush a tea cup

So drinking tea with her in nice mugs or tea cups is kinda hard

But she tries her best for you

To be gentle with the your mugs

Oh, and you didn’t hear it from me

But for your birthday she’s planning on making you a tea cup out of clay

Ejiiro Kirishima!!

I have paired you with Ejiiro Kirishima! This is because you mentioned how adventurous you are, and I see Kirishima as a guy who loves an adventure. As for spontaneousness, I can 100% see him as the type to kind of just come pick you up on a whim to do something. Since you two share a love for adventure you both have many wonderful and irreplaceable memories of new experiences together.

Some Headcannons for you two <3

You two would do all kinds of new fun stuff

Go to parks, go on hikes, go to new things in the city

Anything that’s a new experience you two are up for

Kirishima will call you if he sees an add for something

Like maybe a new tea or ice cream shop

And he will come pick you up and take you there

Though, you two donmt really like just sitting down

So, you two would go out to a small trail and maybe walk and eat your ice cream

If it’s tea then I can see you two going to the top of a really tall building and drinking your tea up there

My word you guys have SO many pictures from all your new experiences

Like…..you two have a scrapbook

I imagine it’s kinda like the only thing you two do consistently together is work on y’all scrapbook

It has all of your adventures in it with small notes and things made by the two of you

I can see Kirishima loving sculpting and pottery, or just art in general

Of course he’s not that person at a museum who knows who did every single piece of art and is like “the blue represent the sadness that the painter was feeling ect ect”

But he has an appreciation for art, he thinks it’s super manly that someone would spend so much time on something so beautiful

So, you two would definitely do tons of art together

You help him make a ring for himself and he wears it all of the time

He finds it manly too

And again, you did my best this from me but….

He’s totally going to make you a matching ring for your birthday

So y’all can match and be cool kids 😎

I hope you like these! I tried my best, and if these offend you or upset you in any way my deepest apologies. It’s just my opinion and interpretation. Ily too and this was so much fun to do! 💞

I CANNOT STOP SMILING I LOVE THESE SO MUCH!!!!! Omg thank you SOOO much these are great!!!! UGH you're amazing and I love it!!! I'm also writing your matchup right now, so i hope you enjoy who I've picked too!!!