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crystalelemental · 2 years

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With the turn of the new year soon upon us, now is as good a time as any to present another rendition of my favorite sync pairs. There are a lot now, but we’re keeping it to 25 to make sure it’s interesting.

25) Nanu. Nanu’s such a fun unit. Prior to his grid, the discovery of Screech/Bite utility kept him in a great position for F2P clears, supporting all sorts of threats like Kahili and Bugsy, or Dark-type pals like Masked Royal or Sidney. I find myself constantly going to Nanu as a third partner. But. I’d be lying if I said I found him particularly consistent. Screech is good, but often Leer feels just as valuable. Bite only getting Aggravation 1 means 40% which isn’t great, and worse is tied to getting crits so he demands crit support even if his partner doesn’t.

24) Champion Iris. I feel bad about it. But C!Iris has dropped a lot. So bad they took away her Champion designation. Now she’s just Alt Iris. It’s a tough life. I think what happened here is, when you have a favorite for like over a year, eventually you reach the point where you want to try out other units. That’s kinda what happened here, I think. She’s still good and fun, but nothing new has developed for her so I’m kinda like yeah, time to try other stuff. Also there are a ton of Dragons, and I find myself really wanting to try those out instead, so she just doesn’t see much play. Add in that she can be frustrating to work in Gauntlet sometimes, requiring higher-end tools than I’d like to utilize, and it’s...tough.

23) New Year Sabrina. I still really like Sabrina as a character, but I will admit that unlike a Jasmine, Caitlin, or even Roxanne, Masters hasn’t really done anything all that interesting with Sabrina, who often feels very uninteresting. Perhaps that’s why I’ve kinda meandered away from her a bit. I still love the New Years alt, and find her traits fantastic...but I also have to admit she’s not doing much anymore. I don’t get excited busting her out like I once did. I blame competition. Special Attack/Crit is a nice niche, but she’s decisively the worst option given how inconsistent crit rate is. Her other buff skills are nice, but similarly inconsistent. The one thing she does have is Endure, but now so does Winter Jasmine, who is way more consistent and useful and also I like her better. So I feel bad. Because I do love this alt. But she’s definitely dropped in the rankings.

22) SC Lillie. If you can believe it. I do love Lillie, and I think this outfit’s adorable. But also it’s...it’s just her original Nihilego cosplay in a different color. I really think part of it is just that the outfit’s kinda boring. Because otherwise, she’s a fantastically efficient special attack/crit buffer. Who sees less use than SS Kris and SC Jasmine. And often goes unused. I feel weird about it. Because she’s great utility, great design, great character. But I’m rarely like...extremely hyped about bringing her in. Not like the others.

21) Candice. Candice is so much fun. Like, as the original Common Grid leader, Candice was a shining beacon of hope for others to get similarly blessed grids, and also like someone who’d probably fall to like mid-tier performance. She...did not do that. In fact she’s still one of the best. What’s more interesting is that she’s gone from just really good, to kinda absurd? Like, her sync nuke can handle a lot of Gauntlet stages with minimal support. Despite Fire-type weakness, she’s handled Entei and Moltres. It’s just fun to see what kind of nonsense Candice can pull off.

20) Roxanne. My girl. Roxanne’s one of my favorite gym leaders, and despite being a common, Roxanne gets a ton of use. The Endure effect was a beautiful thing to get in tandem with how much she buffs. I feel like Roxanne isn’t particularly flashy as a unit, but what she does have is tremendous consistency. She’s useful in almost every game mode, and performs well every time I bring her out.

19) Anniversary Lillie. “Woah, what happened?” Same thing with C!Iris. But also worse, because her gimmick is kinda bad. Piercing Blows has landed on “Not that useful” in my eyes, due to how hard it hurts DPS. And her sync is such a joke that she’s the worst sync damage among Ghost-types if she misses Super Preparation 4. It’s just...sad. And at this point I find myself more excited to see what Shauntal’s grid looks like than running Lillie again. I know a lot of people feared it, and wanted it not to happen...but I did want 5/5 Master Fair grids. I wanted Lillie to get what she deserved. Because this alt is really pretty, it’s a top tier pairing, and conceptually I love how it operates. It’s just not what it used to be anymore.

18) Palentine’s Dawn. Palentine’s Dawn has fallen on hard times. I still love her. The design is great, I love me a good debuffer, but she’s...okay, she’s entirely outclassed now. Lucian is significantly more consistent, and even alleviates all gauge issues for free. Palentine’s Dawn cannot compete with Lucian’s abilities. It’s kind of funny just how hard he took over with just one move. Dawn still has her utility, it’s just a lot rarer to see her used over Lucian.

17) Kahili. Among flying types, I never really expected to gravitate toward Kahili. I always liked her design, but like most of Gen 7, she didn’t get much time. Also Toucannon is anathema; my darling Pikipek evolved into this and I’m still sour. But here we are, with one of my favorite Flying-type damage dealers to run. I think it’s the set. Massive sync damage with Super Preparation on the side, or Defense Crush on Peck to really mess up Gauntlets. She’s far from a world-beater, but I love getting Kahili to work.

16) Winona. Another Flying girl, apparently I have a type? Winona’s always been a top utility unit, and after grid, that’s been expanded to ludicrous extremes. While the lack of MPR on Rain Dance hurts, Winona ultimately gets a lot to justify her use regardless. Hurricane DPS is perfectly sufficient for most Flying-weak stages, and her sync nuke is pretty good when supported. Granted, “supported” means SS Kris and Anni Skyla, but it’s super fun to watch her go. Without that, the utility of Rain and Air Slash’s 60% flinch rate is divine. Add in a trainer move that buffs speed for gauge control, and I legitimately find Winona more valuable than May. I recognize May is far stronger and has MPR, but I find myself going to Winona every time. She’s just great, and I love her.

15) SC Diantha. Unlike a lot of others, there hasn’t really been strict competition for Diantha’s role as a favorite Fighting-type. Diantha’s remained top pick for a good, long while, but I’m still enjoying breaking her out. The ability to dominate any Gauntlet stage helps too. She’s just so ridiculously good.

14) SS Lyra. I really, really love this unit. Lyra’s outfit is adorable, and I love the added lore they give, setting it up as a dancer outfit from a prior era that was associated with Celebi. And the battle performance. I was supremely underestimating her. Guaranteed flinch didn’t, and still doesn’t, feel like anything special. Guaranteed Sleep is a thing with comparable effect, and it’s super janky thanks to consistently high resistance rates and single-target effects that mostly mess up timing. Why would flinch be any different? And the answer is...because Lyra’s flinch is a passive, that allows her to queue another move before it activates. Resulting in guaranteed continuation of your gameplay flow. Lyra...actually is the perfect utility tool. Barring Gauntlet stages that are immune to flinch, Lyra’s a win condition on her own. It’s great.

13) SS Dawn. Nothing’s really changed here either, but I do want to reiterate, I love that it’s based off storybook princes she wanted to be like. Something about that is adorable to me. I will admit that as much as I adore the alt, I haven’t been using her as much. I feel bad about it. She’s great, but I’ve been taken with using worse offensive threats, and Dawn doesn’t help those out as much.

12) SC Hilda. Similar to Diantha but more extreme. Rock is hard to shop for. Fighting at least has the occasional “I’m gonna try out Bruno” reaction, with the possibility of Wally if I ever wanted. But Hilda is uncontested. There is no other Rock-type. Every common I’ve tried is terrible. We really need BP or Lodge Roxanne to save that type for F2P. But honestly, even if other options existed, Hilda’s supreme. A cute dress for a fun character, and one of my favorite mythical Pokemon. They’re fantastic.

11) Kris. SHE’LL KICK YOU APART, OOO. I adore Kris. Masters does such a good job with her personality, and as a unit, I always kinda liked that she was a unit who had some kind of need. But then it started to feel unfair. She was literally the only unit in the game with unsalvageable accuracy issues. Aaron was a glimmer of hope, but that just locked her into one option, which is never great. But then, the expansion. 250% sync, 50% move, fixed accuracy, can buff crit to cap by herself. Kris went from zero to hero real fast. If I liked using her before, the acquisition of the best grid expansion just made her a delight. Did you know she can easily truck Moltres with just Eggmon Blastoise? Yeah. Two uses of Rain is sufficient. She can explode the second bar, and whatever’s left of the third. She has to hold herself back from beating Moltres too hard in Bar 3 so Rain doesn’t leave. Kris is ridiculous. She’s become a go-to for all Water-weak content, and honestly content in general.

10) Lysandre. Lysandre was always a fun option to use, especially in Gauntlet where he feels like someone who cannot die. But truth be told, in the current era, Lysandre...feels ridiculous. The full 5/5 grid, which I do have thanks to early player luck, absolutely rules. Crit Strike 3 and Brainpower were perfect multiplier choices for him. The inclusion of Downside Up is goofy, but it actually lets his trainer move buff his defenses, which plays into Healthy Buffer 5. Lysandre got bulky again move damage now. And being effectively immune to defensive drops means I’m willing to bet good money he’s one of the Latios solo options now. It fixed his CS performance too. Now his sync can actually threaten, thanks to 130% more damage behind it. It’s so good.

9) SC Rosa. You want to talk about what I love? Debuffs. Sure that won’t be relevant later. Special Attack/evasion debuffs is such a neat combination, and the heavy debuffing of special defense off Seed Flare is just a delight. SC Rosa has fantastic utility and the best Grass-type damage in the game, backed by great support tools. Also, a super cute outfit, with Sky-Fome Shaymin. Which I love. This was such a good return. Rosa was overdue for an alt, given her prominence in the game, and they did not disappoint.

8) Renegade Cynthia. Still a favorite. Nothing’s really changed. Love the outfit, really love the role. Do feel like she’s less exciting than she once was. When the hype wore off, she feels more like a supporter to other Ghost-types I’m more excited about testing, but at least she maintains that relevance.

7) Winter Whitney. This may be a touch of recency bias, but Winter Whitney rules. Triple Terrain effects, spread debuffs/team buffs per attack, great flinch rate, legitimately absurd damage on sync despite Normal typing. She can even tank. She can even tank. Whitney’s just ridiculous. This feels so much more aligned to her as a character. Miltank at least got good stuff with the grid, but the HGSS rematches always gave me the impression that Whitney is actually really interesting as a trainer, given some of the strategies she employs. And Sawsbuck really feels like it fits her eclectic style.

6) Lucian. I feel so weird leaving Lucian out of the top 5, but I stand by the favoritism that happens. Truth is though, Lucian...might just be my most frequently used unit. Lucian’s such a strange case of a 1/5 unit being ideal already. Growl has that much utility. Attack and special defense drops are great, AoE is fantastic, adding in a team speed boost each use is ridiculous. The fact that he then goes on to acquire this massive sync nuke at 3/5 is just icing. Lucian’s been useful in every mode. He sets up fantastic clears in CS, explodes Gauntlet stages, and is integral to Day 1 no heal clears in Villa. It often feels like there is nothing this man cannot do.

5) Winter Jasmine. I feel like I owe Classic Red an apology for underestimating Supereffective Up Next as an applied feature. Sure, it was because the rest of his kit doesn’t impress me while Jasmine’s does, but oooh man. Jasmine is nuts. SEUN on its own slams foes, but her bulk is absurd. I have yet to see her drop. To like...anything. And she’s not even the one getting the immediate +3. The fact she had double Potion MPR or the ability to block defense debuffs, or the ability to guaranteed paralyze foes that hit her, and can stack physical or special moves up next? Jasmine’s been ridiculously fun to play. I adore her.

4) SS Cyrus. It is...hard to say this isn’t my favorite. Look, I am Gen 4 fanatic, and a ton of that is Platinum and Explorers of Sky. I loved Cyrus, I loved Darkrai, and the idea that we now live in a world where they partnered those two up? I will never be over it. It’s so perfect. Add in that he’s the most consistent Dark-type damage dealer by a mile, while also providing Zone and sleep support? Cyrus can do it all. Not at once, but still. He’s absurd, and I adore this one.

3) Halloween Caitlin. Nothing’s changed, still the best. I love Caitlin so much, and this alt is precious and devastating, and despite cries of her kit being niche, her stocks keep going up with plenty of units capping crit but not their needed offenses.

2) SC Jasmine. While Winter Jasmine is gorgeous and I love it, SC Jasmine remains my preference. This is partly just...Celesteela. Jasmine and Ampharos felt so guaranteed that it could only work against them if they didn’t do it. But putting Jasmine with my second favorite ultra beast? That was unexpected and delightful, and she’s remained a favorite since. Add in that she’s my favorite type of support, special attack/crit buffing, and can even drop special defense of the foe off a one-bar spam that guaranteed recharges the gauge it used? Jasmine’s fantastic in so many ways.

1) SS Kris. But I think Kris is still #1. I adore this alt. It’s gorgeous, it’s unbelievable role compression, it’s my favorite kind of buffing support. Kris does everything I could want for a unit, and she’s kinda become my go-to for just about everything. Even stuff that doesn’t strictly need Rain, I’ve started going to her even before Jasmine lately. She’s just so good. And the outfit’s fantastic, the pairing with Suicune is ideal. Everything about SS Kris is still the best. Top unit introduction for the year, absolutely.

#pokemon masters #favorite sync pairs

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kwnnys · 9 months

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BAKING WITH BLLK BOYS !

cw ; a bit suggestive/established relationship w the first one, I have no idea how to bake so don't!! sue me!!!, swearing, inconsistent writing style

THE FLIRTY ONES !

he's somewhat innocent at the beginning, reading out the recipe and grinning as he watches you confidently put on your apron. woah, he didn't realise how hot you could look in such a simple piece of clothing.

he doesn't try to hide the fact that he's shamelessly flirting and trying to coax you. purposely smudging icing and powdered sugar on the corners of your lips, letting out a chuckle when you shoot him an annoyed glare.

hes standing behind you and peeking over your shoulder as you mix the batter. he shakes his head, saying that you're doing it all wrong and he places his hand over yours, 'demonstrating' on how to properly mix it. he shrugs in denial when you call him out for just wanting an excuse to hold you, whistling and glancing to the side.

you know those creepy thirst traps of men baking and they just completely violate the food? he probably does that in front of you for the shits and giggles. pouting and whining that you're 'no fun' when you scold him to stop.

he can't keep his hands off you. playfully slapping your ass the moment you bend over to put the tray into the oven. he ignores your little scoldings, and he cuts you off by scooping you up and placing you on the kitchen counter, caressing your waist as he presses his lips on yours.

the cute baking date you had planned quickly turns into a steamy makeout session as his hands run through the back of your head and he pushes you closer, exploring your mouth with his tongue before— wait, did the smoke alarm just go off?

SHIDOU, REO, BACHIRA, AIKU, KARASU !

THE LAZY ONES !

he wasn't too fond of the idea of baking. couldn't you two just place an order from your local pastry shop?

you end up having to drag him by force to the kitchen, where he's standing boredly and watching as you do basically everything. it's his presence that counts.

he does help out every once in awhile, passing you the ingredients required or the utensils that you needed. his brows furrow when he sees you pour 3 cups of sugar into the mix. isn't that too much?

all of a sudden he's backseating and pointing out your little mistakes. your inaccurate measurements, or your poor decorating skills. it drives you crazy, to the point where you just shove the bowl into his hands and tell him to do it himself if he's so bothered.

he quickly shuts up at that, and the two of you finally finish baking the pastries! and what do you know, they taste delicious.

NAGI, KAISER, OTOYA, CHIGIRI, SAE !

THE GRUMPY ONES !

he's reluctant at first, but eventually agrees. he is very strict when it comes to recipes, and he makes sure that everything goes perfectly according to what the article says. its hard to take him seriously though, not when he's wearing a pretty pink apron with that stoic look on his face.

it's a bit suffocating. he's bossing you around, and he always has his eye on you. oh, you're trying to sneak some sprinkles into the batter? not on his watch, sprinkles weren't included in the recipe.

he's uptight, but it's just the perfectionist in him. he needs everything to be flawless, it's like he was baking for the minister of Japan himself.

he also makes sure not to make a mess, scolding you when you even let a drop of icing drip onto the counter. he's washing the utensils every 5 minutes. you're sure your water bill is going to suffer.

though, it's somewhat worth it in the end, because these taste like the best sweets you've ever had in your life! the texture is perfect, and the cute decorations on top make it all the better. even so, you might have to think twice before inviting him over for another baking session...

BAROU, RIN, (WILD CARD) KUNIGAMI !

THE 'HES TRYING HIS BEST..' ONES !

he's not too experienced when it comes to the art of baking. sure, he's made christmas cookies with his parents every once in awhile— but he's amateur level at best.

he's squinting his eyes trying to read the instructions, tilting his head in confusion. what was the difference between baking soda and powder again..? was there even a difference? what would be the consequence if he accidentally mixes them up?

but no worries, you're there to guide him! or, he hopes. turns out, you know just as little as he does. and the two of you look like clueless puppies in the kitchen.

you end up having to bring in a third party, someone that has much more experience. he tries to help as much as he can, offering to do the more simple tasks like washing bowls and preheating the oven.

the end results isn't too bad. it's slightly more burnt than he expected. oh well, nothing a bit of frosting can't hide fix.

ISAGI, KURONA, YUKIMIYA, NANASE !

THE SURPRISINGLY EXPERT ONES !

he had told you he wasn't much experienced when you brought it up, to which you said was completely fine! you had been wanting to brag about your newfound skills from the classes you've been taking, after all.

so then why.. is he doing everything? you're confused. he said he wasn't experienced, and yet he was far better at this than you. he didn't even need to look at a recipe, he's doing everything by feel and instinct.

he's even giving you tips. not in a taunting or teasing way, but in a genuinely trying to help way. you want to be mad at him, to call him out for lying but— he's smiling so sweetly, and he seems to genuinely be having fun.

you ended up missing the chance to show off to him. but it was worth the joyful and fun memories you made that day.

HIORI, NESS !

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egg-emperor · 2 years

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whelp, i had an interesting dream about eggman and starline like having kids. like a human and a platypus lol

I'm not big on fan kids stuff because family related stuff in general just ain't my thing but I have made a small exception and thought about the possibility too, considering Starline was messing around with DNA and it could possibly make something like it possible despite both being male and interspecies, if Starline could've eventually advanced in his skills to create whole beings with their DNA. Kind of cursed but intriguing too, how it'd work and how a human and platypus of their own would look and all.

Starline asks Eggman if he can try for an experiment to test his abilities but it's actually also because he just really wants to have kids with him lol. He'd be really proud to say that Eggman is the second father of his kids and it gives people an idea of how close and intimate they get with each other, even though they weren't actually naturally conceived. I always saw him taking their relationship a lot more seriously than Eggman who was just fucking around with him, so he'd just be like "woah wait what" to all this because he didn't intend for it to go so far.

But maybe Eggman thinks he can't pull off something so crazy so he's reluctant but is eventually just like "ugh fine whatever you can try it" to Starline's pleading and he uses his DNA. But then he actually does succeed and he's like "oh shit wait I can't do this" because I just can't imagine that even IDW Eggman would be enthusiastic about living kids, the appeal in robots is that they don't require the same amount of time and care, so only Metal Sonic can be his son lol. So I could see him being unenthusiastic and would get Starline to deal with them most of the time while he says he's too busy.

Eggman would be clearly uninterested unless he could get some use out of them for something like his plans if they could eventually become evil like their fathers and then he'd suddenly try to act like he cares Idk 💀 Best dad ever djdbwkgksbg But he wouldn't have to pretend to be more enthusiastic because Starline would just be so happy and lovestruck, constantly gushing over them being like a family, getting to say Eggman is the second father to the kids, and him just being at their side and interacting with them for a few seconds every now and then delights him even though it's hardly very fatherly.

And so Eggman just thinks well at least it's easy to keep him happy and hopefully raise his chances of always wanting to stay with him and remain loyal to him, since that's what he's been trying to do since they met. It's why he got intimate with him in the first place, to keep him hooked and get all the good use and benefits out of his adoration for him as he could and just have fun with having him wrapped around his finger. He'd thought of many ways to do so but still, never was having kids with him on his mind as one of the ideas as he never even expected it to be possible lol

I've thought about this to a surprising degree for how little the general concept interests me but in this case I think it's a pretty interesting and funny what if XD

#everyone else be like oh Eggman would be such a great father figure #then there's me like he's already not a good dad to Metal and he'd be a deadbeat instead of taking on those responsibilities lol #I can't see it any other way genuinely he's a selfish old man and can't be bothered he's too busy jfshskglsjhg #a bit like his own father but worse!#dr eggman #eggman #dr robotnik #dr. eggman #staregg #eggline #asks #my post #idw sonic

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m-aster-of-spinjitzu · 3 years

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orange and gold

...I just need more Cole and Vania content, they seem like they'd be great friends.

Basically it's just 'Cole goes to visit her there, they almost burn down the kitchen, and make way too many puns', lol.

Set a few months after Master of the Mountain, but before Seabound or The Island.

Also yeah, I couldn't think of a better title, sue me- I just know that they wear one of the colours at some point, so... 🤦‍♀️😂

Trigger warnings: none I think? Huh-

Also, bingo!! I really need to learn better time management, dear freaking gosh- I hope I'm not too late though? I know it's like half a day late, eek- and I was supposed to post this earlier, but I ended up literally falling asleep while writing it😂

Thank you so much Fabro, for hosting such a cool event!:D Your comments on my fics literally never fail to make my day<3. And I'm so glad that I met so many awesome, really skilled people through this event too - it's been a lot of fun working alongside y'all:D, I wish I'd had more time to interact instead of posting stuff and vanishing lol, but exams be like:////

Prompt: cooking (does baking count as cooking? I realized too late lol-) from @ninjago-bingo 's warm board.

Word Count: 2497

---

Trying to escape from killer dire-bats hadn't been on Cole's to do list today - although the mountains were kind of beautiful.

It was a bit difficult to see them while he was being dragged to his death, but hey, didn't Jay always tell them to be more positive?

That was, until he made the mistake of looking down.

Miles of snowcapped mountains touched the pastel blue sky, but he was more focused on exactly how high he was from the ground.

Great.

Trying to swing back onto the Bounty, he didn't notice a golden-winged blur shoot past the bat, almost dropping their spear in haste.

"Let my friend go, or I'll-"

"Vania?"

She throws the spear at the bird, successfully knocking one of its wings.

Huh. She must've been practicing - throwing with accuracy while flying seemed kinda difficult.

"I'm so sorry!" she replies, grabbing his arm before he fell down too. She winces at the strain on her wings, almost dropping him onto the deck. "I was supposed to come earlier, but there was an issue with one of the mines, and it took forever to-"

"There ain't anything in this world that's managed to kill me yet," he replies jokingly, checking that the autopilot hadn't been damaged. "I doubt an angry bird is going to be the first."

"Didn't you mention that you became a ghost once? Pretty sure that means you were dead-"

"Shh, that's not an important detail," he jokes.

"If you say so," she replies with a grin. "Did I mention that Chompy's been tearing down the palace flower arrangements again?"

"Send my regards to the gardener-"

"Did you just make a pun?"

"Remind me why I decided to visit you again?"

"Because you love me?" she asks stepping onto the ground as the Bounty landed gently.

"I hereby crown you as my platonic soulmate," Cole deadpans, taking her hand. "Vania and Cole-"

"Destined to annoy each other for eternity," she giggles, swinging their hands up and down. "But seriously - thanks. I don't think I realized how much work being a queen was."

"What's it like?"

"I mean - I'm glad that people trust me, and they come to me if they have a problem, but the paperwork is a nightmare. I never get to go outside anymore, I swear."

"Paperwork? Also, you just invited me here for a week. I don't wanna disturb you?"

"Nah, I cleared my schedule, don't worry. And trust me, you don't want to know. Everything requires some sort of official written thing, and it's so boring-"

"Official? But you're the queen?"

"Well, yeah, but I don't really want to change something unless it benefits the people. Not after..."

Her smile dims, eyes straying to the palace walls.

Oh- oh.

"You're nothing like him," Cole says firmly, squeezing her hand. "I mean, if you need to take a break, or you can make your job a bit easier by cutting out something unnecessary, that's just gonna help you become a better queen. You've definitely got the interests of your people at heart, and that's the most important thing, you know? And well, uh, everything seems to be going great so far - you don't have to beat yourself up over someone else's mistakes."

"Thanks," she replies softly, her smile slowly returning. "Speaking of breaks, what do you think we should do this time?"

"You could show me around the city again?"

"You've already seen everything cool," Vania giggles, skipping ahead of him. "We don't renovate much - unlike you guys-"

"Hey, it's not our fault that our city gets destroyed every few months-"

"More like every few days," she teases, tying back her golden hair. "How about we find some dragons to adopt?"

"Tempting, but where would you keep them?"

"They could sleep in my room-"

She breaks off when she notices him laughing. "What?"

"N- nothing," Cole replies, in between laughs. "Jay and I just made a bet."

"On what?"

"How many dragons you've adopted. I bet at least six, he bet fifteen."

"Well, jokes on both of you - I'm pretty sure my advisor's going to throw a fit if I show up with another one," she starts, giggling. "We've got twenty living in the palace right now."

"Twenty dragons?"

"They're so cute! You just look into their adorable little eyes," Vania pauses for breath, continuing her animated gesturing, "and you can't help but wanna hug them!"

"Oh, Jay's going to be so mad."

"Aww, I'm sorry guys. They're just too adorable!"

"...Wanna hear a funny story?"

"Yeah, sure!"

"I actually used to be terrified of dragons-"

"No way!" Vania exclaims. "Y'all have been on a lot of adventures though, so-"

"Nah, we used to have our own dragons at first. They were pretty cool! I just- I'm a simple guy! Huge animals with wings are scary up close when you're barely a teenager."

"Or when you're really short-"

"We're the same height!" Cole exclaims, facepalming in a bit of a fondly exasperated way.

"I'm two years younger than you-"

---

"Ugh, whose idea was this?"

"Yours," Vania grins, sitting down on the kitchen counter.

"You were supposed to help me, not leave me high and dry!" Cole accuses jokingly, staring at all the appliances they'd found in the cupboards.

"'One must always be prepared for new adventures,'" she quotes seamlessly, waving one of- what was his name again? Mulch something? Oh! Clutch! Some explorer he was, leaving them to die in the pyramid - Clutch Powers' books in the air.

"Fine," he sighs, staring at the old recipe book she'd found in one of their back cupboards. "But you've gotta help me? I almost burned down-" "Woah, what? If you finish that sentence with 'kitchen'-" "In my defense, Kai was playing a prank on me-" "In my defense, I wouldn't like to explain how the queen of Shintaro burnt down the palace by teaching one of her friends to cook," she grins, flipping through the pages. "What do you wanna start with?" "Something simple?" "Have you ever tried baking bread before? It's a lot of fun!" "I haven't really had the time, but that sounds kinda interesting."

He skims the recipe, raising his eyebrows. "Wait, why does this take hours? I thought you said it was simple?"

"Trust me, it is," she laughs, adding, "besides, I still wanna hear about all your adventures!" "Uh... okay," Cole replies hesitantly, "but if this fails, I'm so sorry." "Give yourself some credit, you guys literally saved the world! Multiple times!" "Bold of y'all to assume we know how we did it," he laughs, only half-kidding. "Besides. I botched soup once."

"I've botched toast," she mock-sighs, smiling. "Pretty sure that makes us even."

"Lemme get this straight. You've messed up toasting bread, but you can bake it from scratch?"

"Trust me, I don't know either," she giggles, trying to open a brightly coloured packet of... something? Did flour come in packets that small?

"Uh, why are you opening something called 'feast'?" he asks, eyebrows creased in confusion.

"Feast," she echoes, trying to stifle her laughter. "Off to a... rocky start, aren't we?"

It took him a second.

"I already regret this," he jokes, facepalming. "But I'd say that your puns are, uh, gold."

"I've un- unleashed-" breaking off, she half-falls off the counter, laughing so hard her face starts to go red, "a monster."

---

"Uh, is it supposed to look like that?" Cole asks, frowning.

The mixture looked less like the dough he'd been expecting - more like one of Jay's inventions gone wrong.

Badly wrong, he thought, eyes widening at the goopy mess of foam that threatened to spill over the jug.

"The yeast?" Vania echoes, poking her head out of one of the cupboards. "Yeah, all good! It always looks a little gross, and you're gonna doubt ever eating bread again, but at least it doesn't taste like it's fermented-"

"It's what?"

"Yeah," she grimaces, exaggerating her disgust a bit. "If aliens ever fell from the sky, they'd think we were crazy for eating bread-"

"Aliens? I think we're a bit crazy!" Cole exclaims, trying not to laugh.

Vania smiles, then sighs, lugging a huge bag of flour onto the counter. "I can never open these bags properly," she starts, eyeing the the bag a bit warily, "and it always makes such a huge mess all over the kitchen. You'd think they'd make it easier for people to use, right? I swear-"

He jokingly puts his hands over his ears. "I can't hear you!" "But you know that I've sworn off swearing-" she replies, breaking off with a laugh. "Pun not intended - that actually made sense in my head. I swear!"

"No," Cole interjects with a grin, shaking his head. "You don't, remember?"

"See, this is why we're friends-"

"Friends? Is that all I am to you?"

"Oh, be quiet," she shoots back, exaggeratedly dragging a hand down her face. "I mean, sure, just because everyone thinks that we're dating doesn't mean that we-"

Wait. What?

"People think that we're dating?" he asks, clamping a hand over his mouth in a poor attempt to muffle his laughter. "I- I- really?"

"I know, right?"

"Even my friends thought so at first," he confesses, dragging a hand down his face. "I mean, as much as I love you-"

"I love you too," Vania replies, completely seriously. "Even if you'll always be more like an annoying-"

"Hey-"

"Sibling to me than anything else," she finishes, grabbing a pair of scissors. Cole watches, a little alarmed, as she stabs them into the flour bag over and over.

"Is it... supposed to be this difficult to just open the bag? Seems kinda stupid-"

"Well, er, they have this piece of paper with glue that you're supposed to pull away from the rest of the bag, but it never works properly and I-"

"Well, we could always make our own flour," Cole interjects, laughing. "I mean, I've got a scythe? Let's go!"

"Uh, but we don't have wheat growing here. I don't think it'd suit the climate very well?"

"Wheat a shame," Cole sighs jokingly, measuring out the flour (which had, finally, escaped the bag).

"Oh my gosh," Vania deadpans, "you did not just-"

"Yep, I did."

"You're horrible," she giggles, "then again, I was the one who started this whole debacle, so I think we'll share the blame."

"Debacle? Where'd you pick that one up from? Sounds kinda cool-"

"Oh, it's from a book someone wrote about you guys," Vania says casually, pouring a cup of water into the bowl.

"Hey, uh-" Cole starts hesitantly, twisting his fingers back and forth, then breaks off. "Why'd you read all that stuff about us, anyways? Adventure books don't really seem like something you read a lot, since we have similar favorite books. I mean..."

"Well, um..." Vania trails off, clearly uncomfortable. "Uh- I guess, well, it sounds kinda stupid, but I'd never really met anyone my age who wasn't a royal or something. I... er, I didn't want to be left out, you know?"

Cole thinks back to a scroll; a quest, a sacrifice. One that his friends never seemed to really notice, unless it was with horror or flinches. Not that he blamed them, but - joking about how he was much more useful to the team when he was freaking dead than he was before he'd stumbled and fell in the temple?

That had been a bit far, even for his best friend. Locks could always be picked or something, he didn't need to be a ghost to provide some sort of value-

Well, that's not completely true, is it? a small voice questions, and he can't keep his hands from shaking a little.

"Jay here thinks you're the least valuable ninja."

Not enough to be a performer. Now, not good enough to even be a ninja, apparently.

Well, he reminds himself firmly, you don't have to be the best - just stand up to those who are cruel and unjust.

Nothing but a scar that glowed warm orange occasionally left of the whole Cursed Realm ordeal, sometimes it was all too easy to forget - or pretend - that it had never even happened in the first place.

Other times, like when he'd dropped a glass of water on the floor and his hands hadn't stopped shaking for hours, or when he woke up screaming, expecting to fall through his bed again, it still felt like he was trapped as a ghost. Literally - and maybe a little figuratively as well.

Yeah. Yeah, I know.

"Thanks for trusting me with that," he replies softly. "And I'm sorry. That sounds... horrible, but, honestly, you're a pretty cool person, and I ain't just saying that because we're friends. People can be awful, and they can- they can leave, but you don't need to pretend to be someone you're not for people to accept you. I kinda know what it's like, and it's... just, uh, not great."

"No, thank you," Vania says, rubbing her eyes. "You're pretty cool, too. And I'm glad that we become friends, even if wasn't in the- the, er, greatest circumstances."

"Right back at ya. The fall was pretty terrifying, though," Cole says casually, as if memories of that nightmarish plunge into the depths of earth don't still send shivers down his spine.

"No, definitely! I was so sure we were gonna splat onto the ground or something, thank gosh we didn't."

"Yeah..." Cole trails off, reading the recipe they'd been following. "Oh- do we just leave the bowl somewhere for a few hours now?"

"Oh, yeah," Vania answers. "Other than clean up the kitchen, what else do you wanna do?"

"That's kind of you, but, ah, I don't mind. You can choose something."

"I don't mind either," she replies, covering the bowl with a dishcloth. "Seriously, I don't."

"Same here though."

"Really, I don't mind-" Vania breaks off with a laugh, adding, "Well, actually, there is something."

She doesn't elaborate, thoughtfully gazing out the window.

"Well, what is it? Don't keep me in the dark."

"Ugh, it's kinda stupid-"

"I'm sure that it's not- well, unless you want to try to jump off a flying ship with a homemade parachute to prove a bet to someone-"

"Do I even wanna know?"

"...uh, probably not. We're way too crazy sometimes, our Master has a hard time keeping us in check. Your thing, though?"

"Can I give you a hug?"

Cole blinks for a second, expecting some sort of punchline.

"That's your thing?"

"Well, yeah- I mean, I said it was kinda stupid-"

"No no, that's not what I meant. You're so sweet - that's all."

"Well, not more than you-"

"Nah, you're sweeter-"

"Let's just call it a tie," Vania says with a smile, reaching over to give her friend a hug. "Thank you so much, I swear- well, no, I don't, but you know, anyways-"

"Yeah," Cole replies, laughing softly. "I know."

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pa-panda-heroes · 4 years

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Ahhh I love your blog! May I ask for hc’s of the league figuring out that the female reader is very flexible and into yoga?(●’◡’●)

thank you very much!! I love seeing you in my notifications btw ( ◠‿◠ ) it means a lot to see you there.

LoV figuring out female reader is very flexible and into yoga!

Tomura:

Tomura would honestly find out accidentally. It would take either one of the other members telling him accidentally or his walking in on you while you’re in action.

He’s quite impressed at your balance and flexibility and admires it. He has to wonder if you put in a lot of time and effort to become so flexible.

If you try hard enough, you can convince him to join you and learn yoga himself, but he has to watch you a few times and see what it’s about before he decides to or not.

He’ll just sit and gawk silently, mostly in awe because woah, that looks uncomfortable and you’re so flexible. Throw a downward-facing dog his way and you’ll catch him moving his head to the side as if to track yours.

Tomura may look lanky and scrawny, but he’s pretty flexible himself, and he’s stronger than he looks. So anything really basic won’t be very troubling for him!

But his balance is... not great. You have to do more supervising than instructing when teaching him anything that involves balance. He’s just a tad clumsy!

He will frequently tell you that being so flexible and nimble can be useful in a fight, but at some point he’ll probably admit he loves it because it gives him a good opportunity to acceptably gawk in awe at your talent and focus - and commitment.

Tomura won’t be super quick to master the poses, you notice, and that may or may not be because he gets undivided, one-on-one attention from you!

Mr. Compress:

Mr. will absolutely appreciate yoga as an art. It’s good for physical and (supposedly) mental health, not to mention it requires a lot of practice, effort, and patience. Naturally he admires you for being into it!

You don’t have to offer to teach him - he’ll outright ask. It never hurts, right? It’s possible to teach an old dog new tricks! Especially when that old dog has such a great teacher!

Whenever he sees you in a particularly stretching pose or just how flexible you are, his instincts kick in and he has to look away for a moment because how is that not painful?

You’ll catch him researching and practicing poses that are too advanced for him or are generally difficult because he just has a curious mind and wants to do more.

His favourite thing about yoga is that it’s something you can enjoy in various ways together! Warm-ups, trying new poses, it doesn’t matter what you do, as long as he gets to marvel over your abilities.

He’s the most likely to push himself to improve, not to show off or in a rival-ish way of catching up to you, but just because he enjoys it so much.

Mr.’s balance is more than impressive, but if you compliment him on it, he’ll be a little more modest than you’d think and he’ll find a way to send a compliment your way instead.

If you manage to use that nimbleness and flexibility in combat, he’s going to gush with pride and stop for a moment and point at you like “that’s my y/n, that’s my y/n! Look at her go, the lithe little thing! Isn’t she incredible?”

Twice:

Much like Mr., Twice is going to have that super proud attitude towards your abilities and will want to show you off to essentially everyone he meets. Inside of the League and out. All the time.

“Y/n, do the thing! Please!” he’ll say, holding his hands together with an imploring tone. He’s referring to a move that you can do to show off your flexibility.

Convincing him to join you will take a lot of effort, but considering it’s you, it will work and soon enough he’ll have his own mat (before you can even tell him to get one) and will be rearing to go.

He might not love the whole ordeal at first, but considering it is challenging for one’s physique and it’s more relaxing than slugging a hammer at a tire, he’ll learn to appreciate it.

Twice stays fit, we know this by looking at his costume - so he’s not going to totally shy from it. He can build muscle other ways and obtain flexibility this way.

He’s honestly enamored with how you move while you’re practicing (or in general honestly), so you’ll catch him staring a lot. It’s just relaxing to watch the slow and fluid movements.

Not great at yoga. Sitting still for periods of time and patience don’t really mix well with Twice.

Expect him to ask for your measurements so that he can make a clone of you to practice even when you’re busy!

Himiko:

Why didn’t you tell her sooner??? Omg y/n! Himiko loves yoga and she’s really good at it!

She’s like a kid in a candy shop when she finds out you’re into yoga and super flexibile - so is she! She learned it for combat, but still, that’s means girl bonding time!

Himiko is super flexible herself, so she’s totally going to try to compare your flexibility with hers to gage and see if one or possibly both of you can help each other improve.

And she’s 100% going to suck you in to doing it with her. She gets rather bored and lonely while she practices alone, so now that she has a yoga buddy? She’s so happy she vibrates in place!

She will literally want to buy matching or complimenting mats, yoga outfits, and even drink containers because it makes her so happy to be able to bond with you like this.

It’s probably not how you’re supposed to do it, but she likes to hum while she’s in pose. It helps her relax and sit still.

Sometimes it mindless humming to whatever she thinks sounds pretty, and sometimes it’s actual songs that she enjoys.

Give her the role of teacher and ask her to teach you a pose, and she’s totally up to the task. She’s actually a great teacher (and handsy if you’re comfortable with that). Give her the role of student and she learns really quickly.

Dabi:

He’s probably the only member for whom yoga is a no-go. He can’t help it. Stretching skin too much stretches his staples, and that’s a recipe for a literally bloody disaster.

He’d probably be willing to dabble with something that doesn’t involve stretching or balance, but it takes a whole load of convincing and demonstration on your part. He’s just really uneasy about it.

Dabi’s more than happy to watch, though, whether his dirty mind is kicking in or if he just wants to marvel at your talent and focus.

He can participate in that he can be on standby in the rare case you lose your balance, so that he can catch you and prevent you from falling on the floor if need be.

Prepare for stares and innuendos. Sometimes. Okay, maybe all the time. He’ll tease you constantly for your flexibility and what he “could do with it.” Sometimes he teases you just to tease you about it.

Prepare for every gift you get from him after he finds out to be yoga pants. Tight ones. And low-cut tops - bonus if the tops are baggy.

He will admire your abilities and he’s not afraid to tell you that. Dabi’s impressed with your progress and skill and you’re going to know it. He’ll even brag about to the others when you’re not around.

The more he sees you do yoga, the more he sort of wishes he could join you. You look so focused yet so at peace. He would like to experience that.

Spinner:

Not entirely sure how yoga works. He knows of it and all, but he’s never tried or went out of his way to learn about it.

So is he curious? Yes! Does he think it’s neat? Sure! Is he willing to try? Eeh..

Show him what you can do with your learnings from yoga, though, and he’s interested! He’s rather impressed by what the experience is given you, and he wants to see if he can benefit from it, too.

He’s in a bit of a rush, though, trying poses that are too advanced for him and sometimes hurting himself. You have to make sure he goes at a proper pace.

But he’s a quick learner, so that helps with his rush to catch up to you. You still have to keep him on a tight leash, though!

Spinner is the type to show you off anyway, but he’s really going to show you off for being into yoga. You’re doing what you can to take care of yourself, and he’s proud of that.

Literally won’t practice without you. You’re his second pair of eyes that makes sure he’s in the proper position, because he’s still a beginner. Plus it’s just not as fun without you.

His balance isn’t the best, so he’ll constantly ask you to help him improve because who better to ask? You’ve got it down pat! He knows you’re a great teacher.

#mha #mha headcanons #mha x reader #shigaraki x reader #mr compress x reader #twice x reader #toga x reader #dabi x reader #spinner x reader #shigaraki tomura #mr compress #twice #toga himiko #dabi #spinner #i don't know as much about yoga as i should (despite being told to do it for my scoliosis hnhn) but i looked up some thing #s and hope this is okay?

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stayndays · 4 years

Text

Stray Kids as Totsuki Students!

Also known as “Stray Kids as ‘Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma!’ Characters”

“You’ve just passed the entrance exam to attend Totsuki Academy, where some of the biggest chefs today studied! As you and your friend explore campus and attend class, you run into some of the most talented male chefs of each year, and your friend is more than willing to explain to you who they are!”

Disclaimer: This is based off the anime “Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma!” and while it won’t include major spoilers to the show (other than character inspirations), it’ll feature elements from the show people who haven’t watched it won’t understand, so here’s a brief explanation!

The Elite Ten Council - The top ten students of the entire school, students of all high school years are able to join (mainly composed of second and third years however).

Shokugeki - A cooking duel between two chefs (unless it’s a team shokugeki). An official shokugeki must be authorized by an academy staff member, have an odd number of judges, and both chefs must agree to it. Both chefs must also wager something if they were to lose. (if they don’t meet these requirements, then it’s just an unofficial shokugeki lol)

If you read all of this in an energized anime voice, everything will make sense lol

*by the way, don’t think that i’m saying this particular member is bias/racist towards the cuisine they’re assigned too, you guys don’t want all of them to specialize in korean cuisine, right? so don’t take it the wrong way ;_;

Bang Chan | “The Composer Chef”

3rd Year

Specialty: Korean Cuisine

Inspired By: Eishi Tsukasa & Soma Yukihira (slightly)

“The one in the middle of the hallway? That’s Bang Chan, the second seat of the Elite Ten! He’s right behind Jihyo in seating, as she’s the daughter of the director. Chan’s specialty is Korean cuisine, which doesn’t sound too gourmet at first, but man, does he pull through! They say that when you take a bite of his food, music fills your ears! Despite his reputation, I’ve heard he’s actually quite nice and friendly to underclassmen like us, and hardly ever participates in shokugekis. He’s popular with everybody, though, so I doubt he could ever taste our food, Y/N…”

Lee Minho | “The Spice Wielder”

3rd Year

Specialty: Chinese Cuisine

Inspired By: Erina Nakiri & Terunori Kuga

“Oh, and the one next to him? That’s Lee Minho, the fourth seat of the Elite Ten Council! He insists we call him Lee Know though.. Lee Know focuses on Chinese cuisine, and his food has enough heat to make your tongue dance in excitement! He’s also known for having a picky taste, and he’s managed to scare everybody off by giving harsh criticism, even to his underclassmen… But I think he has a soft spot for one of the other Elite Ten, Jisung? I think? Regardless, I wouldn’t recommend getting into a shokugeki with him because of it. He’ll absolutely destroy you with a smirk on his face…”

Seo Changbin | “The Meat Master”

3rd Year

Specialty: Meat

Inspired By: Ikumi Mito

“And that’s Seo Changbin, fifth seat of the Elite Ten! His family runs a pork company, so he often uses pork in his dishes, meat in general. And he’s always able to get the highest quality cuts of meat, too! His specialty is a feast of various kinds of meat, with little vegetables in sight, but I’ve heard it still tastes light and even refreshing! Before joining the council, he was challenged to shokugekis a lot because people thought he was an easy target, but after a couple rounds, nobody bothered him anymore…”

Hwang Hyunjin | “The Eiffel Tower Prince”

2nd Year

Specialty: French Cuisine

Inspired By: Takumi Aldini

“Wow! That’s Hwang Hyunjin, the second-year prince of French cuisine! He’s also the sixth seat of the Elite Ten! He used to study abroad in France, and he came back to Japan just to perfect his craft at the academy. Hyunjin is known for cooking at alarmingly fast paces, which worries mentors, but he’s never missed a step. He’s also known for constantly battling the seventh seat, Han, in unofficial shokugekis. He even has a fan club when he does shokugekis… I think he’s ahead of Jisung by only one round!”

Han Jisung | “The Ruler of the West”

2nd Year

Specialty: Western Cuisine

Inspired By: Yukihira Soma (slightly)

“And Han Jisung? He specializes in western cuisine, and likes to cook burgers! He’s somehow able to create these delicious, gourmet burgers, and they’re equally as good as Hyunjin’s French dishes. This means that he’s very egotistical about his talent in cooking, but honestly? I’d be too! Jisung also travels a lot, often flying out to countries like America to discover new western dishes. And with these dishes, he’s hoping to finally defeat Hyunjin once and for all in an official shokugeki, to take the first seat of the Elite Ten! So, who are you rooting for, Y/N?”

Lee Felix | “The Chocolatier Fairy”

2nd Year

Specialty: Desserts

Inspired By: Momo Akanegakubo

“That’s Lee Felix! Originally from Australia, he used to work at his family’s candy store. Now, he can make the most delicious chocolate desserts! I’ve heard his classmates say that he carries coffee taffy with him, and before cooking, he eats one to get really hyper and produce the best desserts he can! One time, I ate one of his sample brownies and the chocolate covered my tongue like crazy! You should try it when you get the chance too, Y/N! And I heard he’s gonna have a shokugeki with Son Chaeyoung, the strawberry princess and eighth seat, to try and take her spot in the council! Let’s go watch it later!”

Kim Seungmin | “The Vegetarian Genius”

1st Year

Specialty: Vegetarian Cuisine

Inspired By: Alice Nakiri & Zenji Marui

“Woah, the guy two seats in front of us? That’s the spoken prodigy of our year, Kim Seungmin! He specializes in not only vegetarian cuisine, but also likes using high tech machinery to make his food! He can season tofu to make it taste like actual meat! His plating is also beautiful and elegant.. Seungmin’s also highly intelligent, and he spends a lot of his time in the library, studying food history. Wow.. he really has everything, huh? No wonder everybody’s jealous of his skills! Y/N, we should train to try and defeat him! What do you say?”

Yang Jeongin | “The Dark Horse of Totsuki”

1st Year

Specialty: Japanese Cuisine

Inspired By: Megumi Tadokoro

“Oh! Are you okay? That was a really hard fall.. let me help you, come help as well, Y/N! Our classmate that we just helped? That’s Yang Jeongin. Although very clumsy, as we just saw, I’ve heard he has the full potential to reach the top when he’s older! He started off as a dishwasher at his family’s traditional Japanese restaurant, but now he cooks along with them! He’s also a pro at obtaining the freshest ingredients possible, which is one of the biggest keys to his success! I wanna see how he does in class today! Ooh, let’s try to surpass him, Y/N!”

a/n: wow!! that was a heck ton of writing, took me more than a week to write?? but this was super duper fun to make! i hope you guys were able to find all the tiny references i put in there, and i hope this was accurate enough! and idk, i just find it fun writing skz, who aren’t exactly the best at cooking, as these master chefs lolol and!! if you want me to write some blurbs in this au, such as the hyunjin vs jisung match or the felix vs chaeyoung match, let me know!!

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yutaya · 3 years

Text

Iron Fist Rewatch 1x05: Under Leaf Pluck Lotus

I like this shot. The way the women are shown reflected in the wall first. Also lol quintessential synchronized female power strut

Why wait until you’re IN the office to move your wedding ring?? Or to unbutton your shirt? Well, that one I can understand - let all the people who see you heading INTO the office see the shirt still buttoned up. The ring, though - unless the POINT is to be seen moving it? Imply that you’re open to cheating or something? Ugh.

This is so sketchy.

Danny’s employees be like: “Having? My voice heard? At work? Having? My opinion? Be valued? My? Contribution? Being? Acknowledged? Personally??? ??? ??? What is happening????? ??????” And then it’s the “the worthy leader’s people love and are completely loyal to them” trope (aka one of my greatest weaknesses) forever. <3

Lmao Joy you’re cold.

“Is that heroin? You bring drugs into my office?” *Laughing/sobbing*

Ward just staring blankly while Danny name drops a bunch of triad stuff like Ward is supposed to know what that is. Danny: “...It’s a criminal syndicate.” Ward: *heavy sigh*

Danny, continuing: “So I was talking to the criminals with the hatchets and asked them for intel. They sent me a box, which was clearly a message!” Ward: “You 👏 sound 👏 in 👏 sane. 👏” Danny: “No, look, the proof is that the symbol on this heroin looks like the undying dragon that made me a living weapon!”

Lol “Harold said so himself” no faster way to turn Ward off a plan, sorry Danny

Danny. How do you manage to make half your conversations sound sketchy as hell?

Joy: *brings up the Hatchet men and Red Hook right after Danny was telling Ward about it in relation to the Hand* Ward: *alarm bells ringing because HAS DANNY BEEN TELLING JOY ALL THE THINGS WE SPECIFICALLY ARE NOT ALLOWED TO TELL JOY?* Joy: Anyway, about Dad’s cancer... Ward: Oh, ok then.

Siiiiiiigh this conversation where Ward reassures Joy that she’s a good person making the right decision when she feels bad about doing something but does it anyway - to protect their own company and personal interests - and adds on a load of “also you don’t really feel guilty because you think this is wrong, you just feel sad because you’re remembering Dad, don’t mix it up”

Colleen to Claire, Iron Fist 1x05: “Oh what was that? Come on, hit me.” Colleen to Misty, Luke Cage 2x03: *hitting directly on Misty’s stump while Misty yells at her to stop* “You came to me. I’m not easy. You don’t like that?”

Claire: “I guess I got tired of people doing things for me all the time.” Claire was a helpful nurse in Daredevil, and a friend with medical knowledge in Luke Cage - Iron Fist is where she says “I am tired of being reactionary”

LOL Danny’s cute little smile when he comes in to see Colleen doing her normal thing, training a student, just - it’s so loving and adorable even though they BARELY KNOW EACH OTHER YET

Claire just giving Colleen knowing looks ahahahaha

This scene is SO CUTE Jessica and Finn do such a great job playing all the body language and speech cadences like two teenagers with crushes on each other

DANNY ordering takeout for a talk with someone without even checking to see if they’re free first is SO PRESUMPTUOUS what if she wasn’t free (which she WASN’T) or didn’t want to talk or had already eaten/already had meal plans?

I’m literally laughing out loud hahahaha takeout hahahaha

Claire is laughing at them too. This fumbling “date?” conversation is too adorable I can’t

LMAO Claire knows EXACTLY how much she is third wheeling them right now but she doesn’t care because Damn that food looks good. Girl knows what she wants. (Also a little bit of female solidarity helping to buffer when your friend has literally said “no” to the guy - but in this particular case it’s SO OBVIOUS that Colleen likes him back that I read she’s leaning more towards the ‘it’s just to make sure but also that food looks REALLY good’ - then again, especially with all the things Claire has seen there really is no such thing as ‘too cautious’... let’s go with the way she hints is an opening and when Colleen leaps on the opportunity for Claire to stay it becomes ‘yep, I’m definitely doing this, Colleen doesn’t want to be alone with the dude: confirmed’)

Ward is looking at the problem as what it is: a set-up, and they don’t fall for traps. Joy goes “Remember that I am better at public perception than you - there are more factors here to consider than what everyone involved in this particular case knows. I’M thinking long term about potential future ramifications.”

“He’s in a completely different world, Joy.” “He lives in ours, now.”

That awkward moment when you’re already digging in and someone starts praying

The way Danny just goes shutters down mode when Claire starts probing about how harsh life in the monastery was

Colleen, brainwaving to Claire: ‘YOU BITCH DON’T LEAVE ME HERE’ Claire, brainwaving right back: ‘”Vow of chastity.” I’m good. You’re on your own, girl.’ She does do one last check in to make sure Colleen really isn’t worried though which I appreciate.

Danny. You lovable buffoon. You think Ward’s problem is that he doesn’t believe you? And that if he did believe this was happening he would of course immediately take action to shut it down? Colleen to Ward, sometime in the future: “Danny has Always had way more faith in you than you deserve.” ToT

Colleen: “Ok soooo I’m still not seeing the part where you had to come tell me this? Am I just your favorite sounding board or...?” Danny: “Well, I want you to come stakeout and possibly getting killed WITH me, of course.” Colleen: “Wait, is this a date?” Danny: “What? No! I mean. Unless you want it to be?” Colleen: “No!” Danny: “No. No, uh, definitely, uh, not a date. Heh.” Colleen: “Good.” Danny: “Good.” *both nod*

Of course the argument that gets to Colleen is how this will endanger her students.

DANNY trying to convince someone to do something and then when they hesitate dropping “by the way I’m your new landlord” on them is SKETCHY you foolish foolish boy. How do you manage to come across so sketchy all the time?!

Ward: *cheerfully throwing Danny under the bus* Joy: *warning Look* Ward: *sighhhhhh you ruin all my fun Joy*

Joy: *radiating ‘just wait til we’re alone’ vibes at Ward* “:) I will back up my brother wholeheartedly because we are a united front and I refuse to let the board see any cracks to even try and exploit :)” *’JUST YOU WAIT WARD YOUR ASS IS GRASS’*

Ahahaha “Ward has always led our company to greatness with his mad genius” when Ward knows most of those decisions were actually Harold I’m cry

Danny. That’s Colleen’s private property Danny. It’s very presumptuous to order takeout, buy her building, and start playing with her katana, Danny.

Martial art style teasing rivalry culture I love it

They’re too cute

AI YA

“suck on that, Dad” Ward be like “yeah i went against everything smart that Joy and board were arguing for me to do just to make your precious company look bad DAD whatchu gonna do, huh? gonna send me more vaguely threatening text messages about how not a single moment in my life is private from you, huh, DAD? fuck you”

Danny: “it’s just nice, having someone to count on.” Colleen: “You have the Meachums.” Danny: *remains silent* IT’S SO DAMNING ahahaha Colleen has so many reasons to hate the Meachums hahahaha

Danny: “I don’t even know what I’m doing or saying until it’s taken the wrong way,” Well, I’m glad you realize that, Danny. You’ve seen how many times in the last TWO EPISODES ALONE people have recoiled slightly and gone “woah, woah, what are you doing?” Oh buddy.

Danny: “Ok, look, this stakeout is dangerous, but it’s not ILLEGAL. Technically, I own that pier, so it’s not trespassing or anything.” Radovan: “No hospitals! I’m a wanted man in several countries.”

High Ward T_T and the two different conversations Ward and Joy are having right now T_T and the way Joy doesn’t have the information to even begin to know what Ward is talking about but how she can FEEL that it’s BAD and - T___T

High Ward with his walls down cuddling Joy’s arm and saying “you stood by me” and Joy scared as hell but not hesitating on “we’re family,” as her explanation T________T

“The Hand.” - Danny knew this was The Hand going in. Claire is freaking out because SHE LEFT HELL’S KITCHEN TO GET AWAY FROM THE HAND FUCK THAT HOW DOES THIS KEEP HAPPENING TO HER? Colleen is freaking out for an entirely different reason. :(

“The Hand is everywhere.” Cut from Claire and Danny to a new shot of Colleen looking on in the background.

Claire: “This is not something a rich kid from the Upper West Side can just ‘handle’, ok? This is a job that requires someone with special.... skills.” Ahahahaa poor Claire how DOES this keep happening to her?

Danny, with utmost conviction: “I am the ONLY one who can defeat them.” Claire: *long, defeated sigh. How many freaking times has she heard this before and how many times will she hear it again?*

Colleen: “This is my choice.” Danny hears: “because it’s the right thing to do and I care about the people of this city especially my kids who are highly likely to be effected and also I maybe care about you too.” Colleen means: “because this is the Bad Hand that is sullying my family’s good name and I will not let that stand. I will work together with my family and we will defeat this.”

Gao: “’His hands’. Are you sure it wasn’t his fist?” Guard: “Ummmmm what’s the difference”

CULTS ARE SO SCARY HE REALLY JUST KNELT THERE AAAAAH

#iron fist #iron fist rewatch #under leaf pluck lotus #my stuff #the immortal iron fist

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prettywordsyouleft · 5 years

Text

The Perfect Match

Summary: Jinyoung couldn’t believe someone like you could match him in any way when he first met you. But that didn’t stop him from thinking of you constantly either.

Pairing: Park Jinyoung x reader

Genre: meet messy / “soulmate” au / fluff

Warnings: none

A/N: This is dedicated to @ahgase55g7 who not only is an amazing friend who listens to me and all my fiction ideas all too much, but actually convinced me to write this fun little story. I hope you love how it’s come together, Amanda!

Word count: 6233

Like most people in society, Park Jinyoung wasn’t immune to the belief of a perfect match. Every person on Earth had at least one, another human who could come into your life and fit next to you like a puzzle piece. Of course, some would refer to this matching phenomena as having a soulmate, except you weren’t limited to just one person.

In a land where people’s faces blurred with one and the other, the population so large that it made it impossible for a simple face to stand out against the crowd, a system had been formulated by the ancestors of their time to help with finding your match.

It seemed silly really, to rely on something as simple as a zodiac sign; an animal year you were born under that would lead you to the one who would fulfil your life’s potential.

And yet here he was, just like everyone else around him, aware of the little nuances people signified themselves by. A snake embroidered on your favourite jacket or a set of goat earrings, everyone had their way of distinguishing themselves for others to read. A beacon to find someone who complimented you in every way with their own animal. Everyone had multiple levels of compatibility, a triad of good and bad, with each sign having at least one perfect match.

For Jinyoung, as a dog, he was on the hunt for a rabbit.

It wasn’t as if he was actively pursuing it. There was, after all, more to life than searching for bunnies on backpacks or headpieces. He was a hard-working entrepreneur, attempting to make his big break in the art industry. He envisioned a space in which art would be displayed at the forefront, to colour the individual and evoke emotions within them that left a lasting impression.

He wanted to bring some of the old back into this modern world.

Of course, his dream was bigger than his reality. He had the building, the time, and most importantly the dedication.

What he lacked were exhibitions that would draw the attention into his facility. He needed to branch out, employ some contracted artists who matched his vision and start planning for his big moment.

And that’s when he met you.

“Am I late?!” a voice screeched, heels clinking across the tiled floor in a way that disturbed the harmony within the art gallery, Jinyoung whipping around to see who would be so bold to do such a thing. You appeared then, face flushed with colour from your evident haste, your steps not slowing any despite how close you were to him now.

“Woahhh!”

Your eyes now round as saucers as you noticed the sculpture ahead of you, you tried to redirect your path somewhere else, and Jinyoung managed to reach out in time, yanking you back towards him and away from the precious artwork you nearly assaulted. Instead, with the acceleration of the movement, the force sent you both sprawling onto the floor, Jinyoung taking most of the fall.

For a moment, everything was silent.

And then, just like the tornado that you had been spinning into his world, your mouth started to move just as fast. “Oh my God, are you okay?! Of course, you’re not you’re on the floor! And you caught my fall, I’m so sorry! Can I help you, does it hurt?! Is there-”

“Up!” he managed to instruct once his lungs inflated with enough air that your incident had knocked out of him and you scrambled to your feet, a hand reaching down for his and pulling him up just as quickly.

Your avid gaze scanned him from head to toe, actively searching for an obvious sign of distress or pain. Unfortunately for you, it was all internally and he suppressed a groan, his eyes growing hard the longer you did it. Jinyoung cleared his throat noisily. “Are you here for the interview?”

Nodding animatedly, you swung out your arm, blinking in confusion when you noticed it was still linked to his. Giggling nervously, you snapped your hand back, letting him go. “I’m Y/N. I rung earlier.”

“Earlier?” he repeated and once again you nodded with far too much energy. He sighed, just watching you was exhausting. Then again, that could very well do with the way you had crashed into him just before as well. Jinyoung frowned; he hadn’t received a call from anyone today.

You slowly glanced around the studio, your gaze widening and your mouth fell ajar as you soaked in the assorted artwork. When you had spun around the room entirely, you then lifted your index finger to your mouth. “This is an art exhibition?”

“Well, yes,” he answered as if that wasn’t the most obvious reason for the display before you. He scrutinised you, not seeing what he had expected from a candidate. Most carried large portfolios around with them and dressed in professional attire. Whilst your blouse and jeans combo was clean, it definitely didn’t leave him with a great first impression. “You’re an artist?”

“Oh goodness no, I’m a writer!” you exclaimed, waving him off casually. You then grinned. “Though, I suppose words can be like art. Not everyone has the gift of the gab or the skills to write creatively.”

“A writer?”

You nodded up and down and he grew dizzy. “That’s me! You are the place looking for a part -time editor, right? I’m so terrible with directions; I got lost three times on my way here. That’s why I was late.”

It all made sense now, and Jinyoung let out a laugh, the gesture rupturing out from his chest so loudly that for a moment you merely stared. And then you joined him, laughing heartily that you hadn’t realised he had stopped. He then shook his head firmly. “I’m not hiring a writer.”

“Really?” you asked and he folded his arms, cocking his head to the side. Instead of apologising as he expected you to, your eyes grew round again, a curse leaving you before you spun out of his space towards the exit, taking yourself out to torment the sidewalk and whoever else got caught up in your wind. Jinyoung was stunned, you had left without so much as a polite farewell and he blinked after your departure, trying to decipher how such a person could even exist.

It was then when he noticed you left something behind, crouching down to inspect the item. He stared at the bunny plushie in horror, wondering how on earth someone like you could be someone who matched him so perfectly.

“There are better matches out there for me,” he murmured, carrying the signifier into his office and placing it down heavily on his desk. Scrunching his nose up at the item, he then let out a cry in pain, the adrenalin now wearing off and making him reach for his back haggardly.

“Stupid bunny!”

Jinyoung never expected to see you again. Although you had dropped the bunny behind, he assumed you would cut your losses and focus on the more important things in life. And despite coming to this logical conclusion, it didn’t mean he stopped thinking about you.

Not at all.

For the next two days, he replayed the interaction with you from all angles, sometimes cursing you out for your erratic mannerisms, and others chuckling at how different you were from everyone else. Even if he didn’t want to admit it, he was intrigued by how someone like you existed. He was so used to his quiet lifestyle where everything was a result of his hard work. He knew what to expect from each day due to the personal standards he maintained. With you, it seemed life was much more exciting. He almost envied you, the carefree nature in how you came in and subsequently departed, uncaring of your first impression you left behind. Granted, you had been in a rush, all the same, he could tell there was a different set of priorities between you both.

Jinyoung wondered if he took everything too seriously and was missing out on some magic in life that you seemed to have discovered. Or maybe you carried it from within. He just couldn’t figure you out. And the fact that you were someone that matched him on the zodiac compatibility charts didn’t ease his mind any.

Still, when you stepped back into the gallery later in the week, albeit with a slower gait this time, he was stunned. Blinking rapidly to ensure he wasn’t imagining your appearance, he came down from the balcony above, thumping down the stairs until he stood before you, his breath unstable. You smiled brightly and his heart thudded in his chest unevenly.

“This might sound really odd, but-”

“Your bunny?” he cut in impatiently and your lips curled up further.

“Oh thank god, I did drop it here after all!” Without any hesitation, you reached forward for his forearm, shaking it excitedly. “Please tell me you kept it safe!”

“I didn’t know if you would come back or not, so I’ve stored it in my office,” he explained and glanced down at his arm you still encased your hands around. He didn’t understand why he was being so weird today. Maybe that just came from being in your company. He was slightly dejected when you yanked your hands away with a nervous chuckle.

“Sorry, I get a little too animated sometimes.”

His mouth twitched, humour evident in his eyes. “A little?”

“Mhm!” you hummed positively as you followed him to the room off the side of the atrium, marvelling his office as if it was the most amazing space you had ever entered. It made Jinyoung anxious, unable to see what impressed you with his own eyes. “Woah, you have a lot of credentials.”

Your praise didn’t make him satisfied, instead, he turned to peer at you curiously. Handing over your bunny, he then folded his arms across his chest and leaned back into the tabletop. “Only what’s required of me to run an art gallery.”

“Only?” you echoed, shaking your head to refute his sentence. “Your passion is evident with all these achievements. I admire you for reaching out for your dreams. Being a curator must be a fulfilling role.”

He didn’t know how to answer you, overwhelmed by your words. You were the first person to tell Jinyoung how proud you were, and you were a mere stranger. It struck a chord within him, his mouth falling ajar as he sucked in a steadying breath.

You truly had a multitude of charms to you that he wasn’t expecting.

Shaking the bunny in your grip, you attached it back onto your bag’s handle, patting it now that it was safe where it belonged. “Thank you for taking care of her! I shouldn’t keep taking up the time of someone as busy as you are.”

“Did you get the job at the editing firm?” he blurted out and your smile that had been reaching up into your eyes left them, disappointment filling the space where happiness once was. You didn’t hide a single emotion in front of him and Jinyoung stared back at you intently. It was refreshing to meet someone who he didn’t have to work so hard to understand how they felt - even if you were still one of the most confusing humans he had ever come across.

“No, but that’s okay right?! Someone will find my skills set useful soon!”

“Do you want to go grab a coffee, if you’re not busy?” he continued, surprising himself along with you.

Leaning forward, you peered into his face for signs of something he was unable to decipher before you grinned. “Do you like me, Mr Curator?”

“Jinyoung,” he introduced rapidly and shook his head. “I uh, just feel like I might have played into your unfort-”

“You’re really cute right now!” you exclaimed with a giggle and nodded your head. “I’m kidding about the liking part, but getting a drink does sound appealing. Should we?”

You both walked to the closest coffee shop after he locked the front door to the gallery, Jinyoung peering at you every now and then. You didn’t seem to be as affected as he was in your company. His mind was reeling, had he truly just offered you coffee and fumbled over it? Receiving a single praise from a stranger sure seemed to affect his psyche more than he had realised.

But Jinyoung knew deep down there was more to it. The way you hadn’t left his mind and reappeared as if he had conjured you up himself seemed to speak volumes to him. Even if you had some less than desirable traits, you had hooked him in some way. Jinyoung wanted to understand you more as if he had been presented with a piece of artwork with no obvious way to describe it. Every time he thought he had an answer, you would show another angle, leaving him with no other option than to observe you further.

It was his staring that seemed to unsettle you the most once you were both seated with your beverages, your cheeks flushing the longer he did so. “Do you always observe people as if they’re paintings too?”

“Well, I-” Guilt flooded his features as you giggled, playing around with the straw to your iced latte.

You leaned in closer and Jinyoung snapped back, rigid from your easy approach. “So tell me, Jinyoung, what kind of impression do I leave you with?”

“Chaotic,” he answered immediately, cheeks reddening when he realised he said it aloud.

You laughed heartily then, satisfied with his answer. “I like that. The mind of a creative writer is pretty much just that.”

“Are you published anywhere?” he asked and your humour simmered down. Jinyoung became aware accomplishments were something of a weakness for you.

You shot him a wry smile after sipping at your drink. “Unlike you, it seems my drive isn’t as proficient. Maybe one day, I’ll make it big, but I doubt my words far too often. It’s easier to edit others.”

He could relate to you there. Sure, he ran an art gallery, but none of his own paintings were displayed there, despite being known as an artist for most of his life. He shook away the connection, returning to the first part of your reply. He pursed his lips together before asking, “You’ve observed me too?”

Grinning, you nodded. “One might even go as far as to say they’ve looked you up online, Park Jinyoung.”

This surprised him, though he was unsure if he liked that you had or not. Had you figured his zodiac sign matched yours in any way too? He instinctively fingered the dog logo on the corner of his phone case on top of the table, wondering if you had noticed it before now. You seemed to pay his action no notice, lifting your hand up solemnly instead, ready to pledge an oath of some kind.

“To be fair, I mentioned the other day I’m useless with directions, right? Well, I remembered the name Gallery Park and that’s how I found my way back to get my bag charm today. I admit I was curious about your work, from one creative enthusiast to another. However, I have to say it wasn’t as impressive online as it was in person.”

“Ex-excuse me?!” he squeaked, his thoughts screeching to a halt, derailed at your dismissive approach. You weren’t teasing, that much he could tell with your casual gaze and he gaped at you, confusion settling in. Hadn’t you just praised his efforts earlier?

“Who designed your website? Are they boring and dry in nature? There was nothing compelling to bring any attention to what you or your gallery hopes to achieve at all.”

“Bor...Boring?!” he repeated, and your eyes rounded, realising he was the one behind the website. You weren’t apologetic in the slightest and he gasped for air to calm his nerves.

He had been right to consider you chaotic. You were definitely tampering with his peace once again. “It’s professional.”

“Sure, sure,” you agreed with an unconvincing tone, glancing out the window, something outside catching your attention. It irked him and he placed his hand down on the table with more force than he intended. Your stare found his again, now amused by his clear dishevelment. “Did I strike a nerve?”

“More than one,” he admitted gruffly and you giggled, taking another drink. Jinyoung didn’t know what to do. Part of him wanted to get up and leave, to walk away from your tumultuous personality and back to where he felt most at ease. He stared at his take out cup, gulping some of the coffee down and then over at you. Still, you made no attempt to apologise. Just as you had said earlier, he had worked too hard for what he owned. You had nothing that he could compare to and-

“I felt bad for interrupting your hiring process the other day, so I did this for you. If you don’t like it, you can simply throw it away.” Slipping a USB stick towards him, you then picked up your drink, shaking the cup and shooting him another smile. “Thanks for this. It was nice spending time with a professional today.”

He couldn’t figure out if your last line was a dig or not. In fact, Jinyoung didn’t have a single clue on how to take anything when it came to you. He had experienced so many emotions in the short space of time, acting uncharacteristically from his usual self too. And yet, he still couldn’t shake how intrigued he was over you. When back at the gallery, he booted the USB up in his computer, opening the file immediately. The document soon appeared and he scrolled over the multiple pages quickly, trying to figure out how this would be of any benefit to him.

“What is all this?” he murmured, returning to the top of the document and began to read.

He soon realised you had taken the information on his website and reformatted everything. From the front page introduction to the current exhibition details and even his about page, you had transformed it to sound, well, he wasn’t able to think of a single word for it. It was coherent yet appealing, your choice of words executed as beautifully as fine paint strokes, each word earning its place and showing why it was there.

You hadn’t stated his achievements in a bulleted list, instead, you had gone into them as if you had been a part of the journey yourself, describing Gallery Park and Jinyoung himself in a way that highlighted his strengths effortlessly. He had to admit, this was far better than what he already had on his web domain. Jinyoung was excited, as if he had been introduced to a new person with an amazing outlook in the art industry.

In reality, it was just him and that kind of overwhelmed him. How could he sound this good?

Scrolling through again to the end, he stopped, cursing his hasty reaction to you earlier. You were good. Too good. How had you not been hired?! He felt as if he had become the biggest fan of your words, now sitting here feeling let down that he had finished reading through. He craved more, wishing for further content with your flavour on it.

He regretted giving back the bunny. There was nothing to bring you back here, nothing that stood out as something that could lure you back so he could thank you. Congratulate you as much as you had him earlier. The doubt you showcased in your work, Jinyoung wished to eradicate. He was desperate to do something, anything for you.

It was then that he saw something taped onto the underside of the USB stick. A URL. Typing in the web address, he discovered your world. The magic that encompassed you as a person came from within here. He spent hours going through your works, reading stories both fantastical and realistic enough that he felt he knew the characters as if they were people he had met in his life by the end of the story. He hadn’t realised he didn’t eat dinner until his stomach begged at him into the later hours of the evening to feed it and slowly he roused from the drunken stupor he felt he was under, shaking away the remnants of the last world he had read and packed up for the day. He walked out of the gallery and locked up, frowning when a hand shot out in front of him.

“I wondered, would he be hungry by now?” you started and Jinyoung froze, eyes glued to you as you bounced into view. You feigned a thoughtful pose before grinning again. “I have no idea if you have allergies to food, so I tried to pick something common. Here.”

“What… what are you doing here?”

“Should I go?” you countered and Jinyoung snapped, lurching forward and shaking his head as he gripped your wrist. You smiled warmly, liking the feeling.

“How did you…?”

“You have to sign up for my blog to read my content. Only you would choose a username with your initials in it, Jinyoung.”

He chuckled, relaxing somewhat. “How come it feels like you know too much about me?”

“Maybe I do,” you teased and shook the bag of food. “Are you going to take it or not?”

“Want to come in here and eat with me?”

“Ooh, back into the building that has so much going for it?” you announced, nodding happily enough. Jinyoung unlocked the door again and took you into the back room, the small staff cafeteria lacked a lot in content. Only a lone fridge where he stored drinks for his clients and a small table decorated the room and you glanced around before smiling.

“Did you hire anyone?”

“No one shares the same vision as I do,” he told you with a shake of his head.

You smirked. “You aren’t prepared to see other people’s visions either.”

“I saw yours,” he mentioned and you faltered, chewing on your bottom lip lightly. Jinyoung smiled as he reached out for one of the packets of food and opened it. “Well, I read it.”

“What did you think?”

“You should let the world read your words, Y/N. They’re better than you think of them,” he encouraged and you didn’t respond, making Jinyoung feel vulnerable. He wanted to be just like you, to show the praise you had for him right back. He wasn’t as bold as you were, however, and grimaced at your lack of reaction. “Do you, not uh, want to?”

“I thought if I wrote for a living, I would get to live my best life. I’d share my favourite thing with everyone. Turns out, it doesn’t keep money flowing as well as I’d like. So I picked up editing tasks because other people have words that need to be shared too. It’s hard to balance both sometimes.” You blinked rapidly and turned so he could see you deal with your emotions. “Ah, why am I telling you this?”

“The same reason you remodelled my portfolio,” Jinyoung stated, realising the longer he stared at you that he was becoming captivated. He smiled. “I think we have a connection, don’t you?”

There was no giggle, no teasing in your eyes as you looked at him. Instead, you radiated a warmth he had never seen before from another person. Was he watching you fall for him as the seconds went by? Your lips curled up, your hands reaching to catch your head as if it had grown too full to hold itself up alone. And then you nodded.

“Maybe there’s more to explore with you, Mr Curator.”

Jinyoung didn’t try to hire you right away. He had attempted to pay you for your website work, but you flat refused it, telling him you were truly doing him a favour. And that you had. With your amendments, the site traffic seemed to double. He was soon receiving messages about the venue, wondering if he would be open to holding functions there for business clientele. Whilst Jinyoung hadn’t ever imagined anything other than art exhibitions, this was a smart business tactic. The more people visited the gallery, the more word of mouth would travel. It wasn’t long until he was making a steady name for himself in the more affluent circles.

And that’s when Jinyoung realised he needed someone savvy with words to be in charge of PR. “You would be perfect for the role. You say it yourself, you have the gift of the gab, Y/N.”

You looked at him carefully, your fork remaining raised midair. It had become somewhat of a tradition over the last three months that you ate dinner together at least once a week. Tonight, Jinyoung had taken you out to an Italian restaurant, and you seemed to connect this to his offer. “Is this delicious meal a form of bribery?”

He didn’t miss a beat. “If I say yes, will you work for me?”

“I don’t want to,” you announced and he frowned, your rejection confusing him. He knew the temporary roles you were holding at various positions around the city were taxing for you to keep up with. He wasn’t offering you something short-term. You had often proclaimed to want more of his stability in life. And he was literally offering you a way to reach out for it right now.

Your eyes remained resolute and he sighed heavily. “Why not? What is it that bothers you about the gallery?”

“The gallery isn’t a problem. I’d love to work there and see it grow into a bustling hub for art enthusiasts. Jinyoung, the problem is you.”

“Me?” he echoed. Even after knowing you for as long as he had, you never failed to surprise him. He arched an eyebrow, wondering if this was one of your dramatic moments. “What about me is a problem?”

“Everything about you is a problem to me,” you mentioned, sparing some of the pasta in your bowl, spinning your utensil slowly, methodically. He watched the motion as if he was the pasta you were coiling, his stomach tightening the longer you didn’t answer him directly. “I can’t work with someone like you.”

“Like me? Y/N, you’re being ridiculous and-”

“I like you, Jinyoung,” you confessed, eyes lifting away from the food finally. You smiled, albeit gently compared to your usual ones. “Can you imagine liking someone so much but then you have to work for them too? There’s no distinction between work and personal life. I can’t do that.”

Jinyoung blinked slowly, his fork clinking into his bowl the longer he deciphered your confession. And then he snapped his eyes up to find yours. “You can’t just say that!”

“Why not? It’s the truth. What if we fight as a couple, and then at work we have to engage in projects closely? I don’t think my mind could handle that.”

He was all but hyperventilating at your casual reply. Sure, it showed you had thought about it carefully, but he couldn’t comprehend that right now. You were acting as if he and you were already something. Jinyoung didn’t know what you were to him.

“Y/N, you can’t just confess you like me without thinking about my feelings too!” he hissed out, taking a long gulp of his wine. You giggled and his eyes nearly fell out of his head. “How can you laugh right now?!”

“Because you’re being cute again.”

“I’m-!” he started, voice an octave too high and Jinyoung glanced around himself awkwardly before leaning towards your unaffected eating self. “I’m not cute, and you’re moving far too ahead of yourself!”

“So you don’t like me back? Well, that sucks,” you replied, letting out a heavy sigh. And then you went back to eating. “I still can’t accept the offer. You’ll find me staring at you, yearning over my one-sided crush at the most inopportune moments and I’ll eventually have to quit when you haven’t fallen in love with me within a year of employment.”

“You’re toying with me,” he concluded and whilst you did grin, indicating your wicked play, something about the look in your eyes told him it wasn’t all false. Just as he had that night you first bought him food, he could see the emotions unfolding in your eyes. There was a sting from his hasty dismissal, yet the warmth remained in the back at a safe distance this time.

Jinyoung realised he was waiting for it to come forward as it usually did. But you didn’t allow it, looking down at your meal and exclaiming that his offers always came with such delicious food.

He couldn’t taste the flavour anymore.

Your confession plagued him.

In fact, the scenarios you created did as well, making it harder for him to work in the office some days. He would be working on answering emails or planning out upcoming events for the gallery when the image of you would sneak up in his head, offering forth several options. Sometimes your careful words that night would win out, showcasing just why working with you would be a nightmare. The fantasies would more often than not turn down a path you hadn’t voiced. He would imagine the shared smiles, subtle touches and bouts of unrestrained passion after hours until Jinyoung was certain there was something terribly wrong with him.

More often than not, whenever he was riddled with thoughts of you, he would find himself standing in the atrium, eyes glued to the entrance in anticipation.

He’d think back to the way you had come through the automatic doors, barrelling over like the chaotic wind you were. Jinyoung was positive that on that day you had swept off with his heart, rattling it enough that it now only beat in tune for you.

He was hesitant to speak of his growing feelings to you, however.

Although it was petty, your confession over dinner that night had wounded his pride. Whilst he had still been in a land of denial then, he knew he had hoped to be the one to tell you how he felt first.

That you were the rabbit to his dog, the matching puzzle piece he had hoped to meet in his lifetime. Opposites attract and you were the complete mirrored image of him. His calm was messed with your wind, the peace challenged by your chaos and his head rivalled your heart.

Jinyoung knew this was love.

He was aware deep down that he wouldn’t feel complete until he told you, and so Jinyoung began to plan his confession. You might have stolen his thunder but he’d still be able to create the perfect brew between you both for a love storm to take over. He decided he would use the ruse of convincing you to work for him, knowing that if he sounded desperate enough, you would come to his aid.

And that you did.

“Okay, I’m here, how long do we have until the clients arrive for tonight’s event? How could you hire a catering team that would cancel on the day at such short notice?!” you exclaimed as soon as you were inside the atrium, hands reaching up into your hair to tie it back from your face.

You looked determined and ready to work.

So Jinyoung let you.

Taking you into the kitchen, he pointed to some of the food he had started preparing. “It’s not a huge event, luckily. Can you finish prepping these two dinner plates and I’ll go upstairs and ensure the private viewing room is ready for them to arrive.”

“I’ll bring them up when I’m done,” you announced and he nodded, happily leaving you to the task before dashing upstairs to give himself a pep-talk. He couldn’t remember the last time he felt this anxious and when you entered the room, he was startled, flinching visibly.

You chuckled as you placed the food down, approaching him and reaching for the collar of his shirt to tidy it. “I’m sure the client tonight must be important for you to look this frazzled, Jinyoung.”

“I uh-”

“I believe in you. I know you have it in you to make sure tonight goes as smoothly as you hope,” you continued, unaware of how your words were lending him the courage to continue with his plans. He smiled, standing there as you smoothed out his attire, waiting until your gaze shifted up to his. When you did, you narrowed yours, questioning his expression.

“The client is already here.”

“Where? Oh my god, go greet them! I’ll dash down as soon as I can so you can entertain them.” Your eyes darted around the room rapidly and you gave him a little shove. But Jinyoung didn’t shift away, and a short puff of air slipped from between your lips impatiently. “Why aren’t you going?!”

“I should greet them in a way that would dazzle them, right?” he asked and you nodded all too much, making his smile curl up further. He cocked his head to the side. “Make a lasting impression that they cannot forget?”

“Yes, Jinyoung, would you jus-”

Your sentence effectively cut off when his lips met yours. Reaching to hold your face with both of his hands, Jinyoung kissed you passionately, his mouth moving against yours in a way that he could tell had surprised you. Your hands gripped at his waist for support from his sudden approach, soon relaxing and slipping around and up his back as you kissed him back. It seemed like an eternity was spent between you both as he explored your mouth, bodies flush against one another as your tongues danced together. This was heaven, a Nirvana that had been in front of him all this time and he had been so slow to reach out for.

Yet Jinyoung knew the wait had been worth it. His feelings for you were at their highest point now, and he was certain you could taste how he thought of you the longer he kissed you. It was giddying and even he was having a hard time keeping up with all the explosive lust enveloping you both.

Eventually, you needed air. It was reluctant, the way you tore your mouth away from his, eyes hooded as you tried to comprehend everything that had just happened. “I’m not quite following you.”

“I was just greeting my client,” he murmured, eyes still locked on your swollen lips. He smirked, satisfied with his handiwork. Rubbing your face gently, he travelled up until he was seeing your eyes, the lust sitting right on the surface, along with the warmth he had grown to enjoy the most. He grinned, resting his forehead against yours and dropped one hand away from your face. “God, I love you.”

“You can’t just say that!” you breathed, hands now gripping onto him for support. He laughed, how had he known you would be the type to go weak at the knees. Blushing profusely, you blinked rapidly, trying to garner some sort of response. “You can’t tell me you love me without me being ready to hear it!”

“You’ve been ready a whole lot longer than I have.”

“I know,” you complained, sucking in a deep breath and trying to fight your way through the lust to find some sense of coherency. You looked up at him, completely lost. It was surprising to see, you normally went along with everything so easily. You were searching for confirmation, and if he hadn’t of been pressing into you so closely, Jinyoung was certain you would have pinched yourself to see if you were dreaming. You took a deep breath. “Tell me again.”

“I love you, Y/N. I love how chaotic you are. How magical you make my world feel. How I wish to be around your carefree spirit every day. You’re my match in life, I’ve known that we matched from the beginning.”

“You did?”

He nodded, smiling back at you. “You left it here for me as a sign from our first meeting. I knew with how crazy you drove me back then that you were the one for me.”

You frowned but didn’t say anything else, a smile soon erasing any doubt. Stepping up on your toes, you hovered around his mouth, your breath fanning on his face. “The food’s getting cold.”

“Are you hungry?” he wondered and you smiled, nodding your head. He faltered. “Really?

“Are these lips ever going to find mine again, or will you have me starve?”

Jinyoung laughed before he kissed you again. And when that kiss ended, the next began, the food long forgotten with another hunger. It was when he travelled his lips to your neck that he suddenly stopped, brushing your hair aside with his hand. He blinked, looking at the small tattoo behind your ear. “You’re a tiger?”

“Mm,” you hummed, arching your neck towards him for the pleasure to continue. You pouted at him when it didn’t. “Is that a problem?”

Jinyoung smiled, chuckling even, before he shook his head firmly. “No. You’re my perfect match.”

_________________

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bluemoon-writer · 3 years

Text

LwS - Chapter 7

Word Count: 1.6k

Summary: Harry decides to sit with the Slytherins for lunch and slowly they become friends. Drabble series Part Crack fic, part serious.

Chapter 7 - Author's Notes

Read on: FF --- Ao3 --- Wattpad

Or hit 'keep reading' to read on Tumblr.

Harry plodded into the Great Hall shoeless, soaking wet, and smelling strongly of rubbing alcohol. He sat down at the Slytherin table with a heavy sigh. Blaise and Theo, who he sat between, scooted away so they wouldn't be dripped on. When no one asked about his disheveled appearance, Harry sighed again, even more dramatically this time.

Draco rolled his eyes and indulged the Gryffindor, "Alright, Harry, why are you all wet?"

"And where are your shoes?" Blaise asked, curling his lip.

"And could you really have not sprayed some cologne before approaching us?" Pansy asked pinching her nose.

Harry gaped at them in shock, "Were you not in Potions class with me? How can you act like you don't know?"

The Slytherins shrugged at each other, in their eyes it was a normal potions class.

"I'm afraid our focus on our work obstructed our observation skills, please enlighten us to what occurred," Theo said dramatically.

"Yes, and we beg your forgiveness," Daphne added sarcastically.

Harry nodded cordially. "Your apology is noted."

Then, with a theatrical air, he began his story. "It all started when I was late to Potions this morning. I was paired with Draco as punishment, but we're friends now…" Harry looked away dramatically, "Little did I know, Draco would betray me!" Pansy and Theo gasped in fake surprise. Harry nodded thankfully to them for playing along.

"Draco," Harry pointed at the blond boy accusingly, "ruined our potion!"

"I DID NOT!" Draco exclaimed at the same time that Pansy gasped a, "No!", Theo shook his head in despair, and Blaise tsked. Even Daphne played along and gave Draco a critical look.

"He did!" Harry cried. "Our potion exploded! And I took the blame for Draco's grave error, it pains me greatly that my dear friend cannot even admit to his missteps." Harry wiped away a fake tear while Draco rolled his eyes.

Theo patted Harry on the back while Pansy reached across the table and grasped his hands, murmuring, "We're here for you Harry, be strong."

Blaise crossed his arms and shook his head at Draco, "I'm so disappointed in you, Malfoy."

Draco was turning red as he stuttered about his innocence. Daphne appeared to be holding back a laugh.

"Do you know what happened next?" Harry whispered in mock horror.

Pansy clasped her hands over her ears, "I don't know if I can listen to this!" Daphne finally gave in and played along by prying Pansy's hands off her ears.

"Keep it together Pansy! You have to be strong, and witness Harry's testimony," she declared dramatically.

Harry nodded at her, "Thank you Daphne, I am gratified by all of your support." His voice dropped back to a whisper as he continued his tale, "The potion…It spilled everywhere. and guess who had to clean it up? That's right, me! It was harrowing, the smell made me gag and the potion was so acidic that it melted my shoes! Then, it got worse. Since it was a dangerous liquid, Snape sprayed me down with some sort of counteractive water, soaking me to the bone."

Harry shook his head sadly, "I was so, so cold." The Slytherins commiserated and scolded Draco for causing Harry such pain. Draco sighed; it was clear Harry wouldn't stop until the blond played along.

Draco placed his hand over his heart, "Harry, my dear, kind, friend. It tears at my heart to hear of your struggles. I curse the name of Severus Snape for giving you such a trial. You have my deepest apologies, if I could, I would take your place in a heartbeat."

Harry grinned at Draco cheerfully, "Oh lovely, because Snape counteracted the dangerous properties of the potion, so someone still needs to clean it up. I'm so glad to hear you'll do it!"

Draco gaped at Harry, "Y-you, you trickster!"

The others burst into laughter. Theo cried, "Ah, I knew Harry was up to something!"

"Up to something?" Harry said in dismay, "I am only interested in justice!"

"Spoken like a true Gryffindor," Daphne said.

"Yet, enacted like a Slytherin," Blaise mused.

Harry opted to ignore the two in order to focus on Pansy pointing her wand at him.

Harry put his hands up, "Woah, Pansy, I'm innocent, I swear."

Pansy rolled her eyes, "Do you want to be dry or not?"

Harry paused to think, "Well, everything is more dramatic when you're wet…"

"Is that why you entered the hall soaking wet?" Theo asked.

"No, he did that so he could trick me!" Draco fumed.

Harry ignored Draco and turned to Theo. "I did it for the aesthetic. If I wasn't soaked then you all wouldn't have been nearly as interested in my story."

"I'll do you for the aesthetic," Draco muttered.

"Well, that came out of no where!" Blaise exclaimed at the same time that Harry sputtered, "Excuse me? You'll do what?"

Draco turned red, "I-I didn't mean it like that!"

"That explains why he's been obsessed with Harry for so long," Daphne said.

"I'm sorry Draco, but I'm afraid there's someone else I'm interested in," Harry said apologetically.

Pansy patted Draco's back, "No wonder he messed up the potion."

Harry gasped, having an epiphany, "I WAS NOT BETRAYED! Draco was simply distracted by my presence, my windswept hair, my luminous eyes, and my handsome face! "

Theo's eyes widened, "Of course! It all makes sense, that is what caused the accident!"

Harry placed his hand over his heart, "Draco, I'm so deeply sorry for the pain I must have caused you by accusing you of something as cruel as a betrayal to your love."

Draco was completely red. The blond took a deep breath, stood gracefully, and walked away. Harry was impressed that he didn't run or move quickly at all. Everyone deflated slightly as their fun was abruptly ended.

"Well, now that Draco's gone I suppose there's no point to me being wet anymore. Pansy, is that offer of a drying spell still open?" Harry asked, reverting back to acting like normal.

"As long as I can spray you with some cologne."

"Will it get me wet again?"

"What? No, it's just cologne."

"Oh…then in that case, I accept."

A much dryer Harry was ready to dig into his meal when he was interrupted by Pansy once again.

"We must do something about your shoes."

Harry looked down at his feet; he had forgotten he was barefoot.

"Never fear Pansy! I have spares in my bag."

Harry pulled out the comfortable muggle shoes he had stored in his bag. Daphne and Blaise both made faces of disgust, Theo looked vaguely interested, and Pansy was covering her face in horror.

"Crocs? Who hurt you so much?" Pansy said in disgust.

"Were you not listening? Draco did!" Harry exclaimed.

"Didn't we determine that it wasn't a betrayal?" Blaise asked.

"That does not erase the pain of thinking you have been betrayed!" Harry declared passionately.

"Then you must work on forgiving Draco, he was simply overwhelmed by his love," Blaise argued.

"Blaise Zabini! Cease your lies and slander!" Draco said, reappearing at the table and slamming his hands down. Everyone blinked in surprise at his sudden reappearance.

"Draco? How did sneak up on us like that?" Theo asked in confusion.

Draco sniffed haughtily, "A true Slytherin has mastered the art of subterfuge and…sneakiness."

Daphne raised a delicate eyebrow, "The art of sneakiness?"

"Never mind that!" Draco pointed a finger at Harry, "I'm here to clear the air."

Draco paused dramatically before declaring, in a slightly hysterical voice, "I did betray you! I was acting on feelings of dislike, not of love!"

Harry gasped, but quickly composed himself. He cocked his head to the side and a simple question.

"Well, why not?"

"Excuse me?"

"Why don't you have a crush on me? I'm a totally catch."

"Yeah, Draco, Harry's the savior of the wizarding world, " Theo added.

"How can you not have a crush on him?" Pansy asked.

"W-well, I could say the same for all of you!" Draco stuttered

"We're his friends, it would be overbearing for us to have feelings for Harry and vice-versa," Daphne explained in a dull voice.

"Harry and I are friends too."

"No, we're not. You admitted to the betrayal, so obviously we aren't friends," Harry said crossing his arms over his chest

"Well, then let's become friends."

Harry struggled to hide his grin before saying, "Friendship requires trust, and I can't trust someone who has betrayed me."

"Well…he could do something to prove his trustworthiness…" Blaise said slowly.

"I suppose, but what?"

"That's easy, Draco can trade shoes with Harry!" Pansy chirped. Harry perked up, a grin slowly forming.

"Yeah! Draco, give me your shoes!"

Draco scoffed, "You want to me to trade shoes in order to prove how trustworthy I am? How childish, but fine, I'll do it."

Pansy clapped excitedly. Daphne smirked and leaned towards Harry, "Show him your shoes first, before trading."

Harry lifted the firetruck red shoes up and had a front row seat to see Draco's soul leaving his body.

"M-muggle! Muggle shoes? You want me to wear that? I refuse!"

Harry wiped away a nonexistent tear, "Would you really throw away the opportunity of our friendship so quickly?"

Draco scowled, "How can this possibly prove my trustworthiness?"

Blaise leaned in to explain, "Harry is practically a muggleborn since he grew up in the muggle world, by wearing these shoes you're showing acceptance for the muggle world and therefore, acceptance of Harry."

Draco sighed before sitting down and pulling off his shoes, "Do they really need to be such a garish shade of red though?"

"Are you saying that you don't accept Harry's Gryffindor heritage?" Theo asked in a scolding manner.

Draco shook his head and muttered, "I shouldn't have come back."

Harry laughed out loud, and smugly put Draco's shoes on, surprised, that they fit. He decided not to tease Draco too much because the glint in the other boy's eyes promised revenge.

#lunch with Slytherin #midnightsonder fanfiction #bluemoon-writer fanfiction

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xxisxxisxxis · 5 years

Text

Gateway Drug | Part Forty-Six

Table of Content or Part Forty-Five

Wattpad

Words: 3K

Warning(s): Explicit language, sexual situations, mentions of drug abuse, mentions of abuse

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"You bailed! You bailed on rehab, you bailed on sobriety and you bailed on me!" I throw at Nikki.

My shaky hand pushes the door of the guest bedroom open, seeing the outline of Nikki's body, in the dark, spread across the mattress on top of the comforter, probably reeling on a high.

I carefully step inside to the bed, my hand trailing over his bare chest.

He looks at me hazily.

"I've never bailed on you, Vivian!" He argues. "I have never--"

"I wanted to do this to fix our relationship, to fix us, and I was counting on you being sober in order to do so successfully and you broke out of rehab and loaded up the same night!" I bark. "How the hell can we fix--"

"--What's the point of therapy if you refuse to follow instructions she gives us?!" He points to Dr. Strun as she watches us go back and forth. "She gave us a rule of thirty days of no communication, no contact, unless it's an emergency, and no intimacy and I thought that would be pretty easy for you because you were down my throat about doing everything we could to make the work but no! We get home and twelve hours later you were like a fucking nymphomaniac all the sudden!"

On day one of therapy, Dr. Strun immediately recognized we needed a reset button, and so our "no contact" rule was set for one month. And if we failed to follow the rule, we started back at day 1. Even if the slip up were to occur on day 27.

I'd be lying if I said I followed the rule better than Nikki did.

"Because I miss you!" I tell him.

He gives out a sigh, knowing why I'm in here, about to blow our third shot at attempting no contact in the past week.

"I'm right here!" He says back, pointing to himself.

"You haven't been here since 1983!" I declare.

I gently kiss him, and his hand runs over my thigh, pulling me onto him.

"Okay, calm down." Dr. Strun says to us calmly, the two of us taking deep breaths. "Vivian, what do you mean by that?" She asks me.

I sit back down on the couch in her small office and sigh, holding back tears.

"He started heroin in 1983." I explain. "And he's slowly lost who he is in the past three years as his addiction has gotten worse."

"How does he act when he's under the influence?"

"Confusing. One minute he's having a good time, laughing and smiling and the next minute he's mean and abrasive to anyone who breaths the wrong way." I explain.

"And what was he like before his addiction?"

I peel my tshirt off, my chest against his as our tongues move together, his fingers in the ends of my hair as my hands fumble to get his pants undone and my panties off before he rolls onto me.

"Frustrating, aggravating, obnoxious, but it was always out of fun, easy to talk to, pretty understanding, nice to be around, caring..." I say a few things and she nods, and her eyes flicker to Nikki.

"How do Vivian's words make you feel, Nikki?"

"Like she's punishing me for being exactly what she married." He tells her.

"How the hell am I punish--"

"--Vivian, if you would please save your words for a minute, I want to hear what Nikki has to say, please." Dr. Strun says and I keep my mouth shut and nod compliantly. "Nikki?" She nods in encouragement and he sighs.

I'm hooking my legs around his hips, pulling him into me with each thrust, my fingers lacing through his thick black hair as his teeth tug at my lip.

"When we first got together she knew I drank and did drugs and she still wanted to be with me. When she agreed to marry me she knew I drank and did drugs. When we got married she knew I drank and did drugs but she suddenly started acting weird and distant because I incorporated smack into my routine and then aired out our issues in front of our friends and now blames our relationship issues on drugs, which is exactly what I've been doing since before we met." He laughs humorlessly. "And I know coke and heroin effect people differently because one's a stimulant and one's a depressant but if she married me knowing I do drugs, she should have considered the possibility I would eventually try heroin."

"Vivian?" Strun allows me to talk now.

My back arches, my body on edge as he utters "fuck" under his breath, his forehead against mine as I tighten around him.

"You told me you were only smoking heroin for your injured shoulder and then you would put it down. The fact you ended up shooting it and hid it from me for eight more months just proves you knew you weren't suppose to be doing it. So there is no 'she married me knowing...' because no, I did not know you would be so stupid as to think you could start something as additive as junk and then think you could put it down without professional help. I was obviously so very wro--"

"If anyone should be whining about not knowing they married a monster, it's me, because I didn't know I was marrying a physically abusive psycho--" He harshly interrupts me and my eyes bug at Dr. Strun raises her brows.

"I'm not abusive!" I argue, standing up.

"--So I'm sorry if I turn to heroin to cope with your outbursts!"

I try to catch my breath as I recover from my orgasm, my body bathing in euphoria as Nikki licks up a little drop of sweat running down my neck, continuing to fuck me.

"I abuse you?! All you know how to do anymore is beat me down, Nikki!"

He moves to pull out of me but I roll us over again, sinking down onto him, and he grabs at my hips and thrusts up into me, warmth spreading through me as he finishes into me.

"Woah, woah, woah!" He stands next, fury in his gaze. "I have never, ever, hit you, Vivian Sixx."

It was true, the only times he would put his hands on me out of anger was to wrap his hand around my throat, or my wrists or my shoulders, and despite his temper, he wouldn't really hurt me, it was just to prove a point, but I was trying to justify my abusive tendencies like he was trying to justify his drug addiction.

"Okay." Strun starts, probably afraid she's going to have to separate us like mad dogs fighting. "Firstly, there are different forms of abuse other than physical." She informs us. "There's sexual, emotional, economic and psychological. Now, Nikki, is Vivian actually physically harming you? Because I am required by the state of California to report domestic abuse to authorities." She tells him. "Which can result in your wife being arrested."

He stares at me, actually weighing his options before scoffing a little.

"No." He shakes his head. "She doesn't physically harm me. She just depletes me."

He sits down and I rub my lips together and wipe the tear that's dared to fall down my face.

"Well, that makes both of us." I mumble and he rolls his jaw.

"Bob warned me I was getting my degree's worth with you two, but I wasn't quiet expecting this." She tells us, tiredly. "I believe you both have incredibly reckless and unhealthy coping skills that have been manifested through your co-dependent relationship. You've both made it very clear early in these sessions that you can't live with or without one another and I personally deem the fact you," she nods towards me. "Solely depend on him and have since you were seventeen years old, and he use to depend on you but now drugs have taken your place and you don't know how to handle that reality so you lash out with abuse. And you," she now looks at Nikki. "Have deep rooted issues far beyond how Vivian treats you that are causing you to feel the need to turn to your addictions. She is not the reason you're on heroin, she's just an obvious choice cover-up that you lie to yourself with to avoid reflection on your life before you even met her."

Nikki and I don't say a word.

"How many days would you say it will take to completely reset things between you two?" She asks me.

"I don't think we need to be separated." I admit. "Just teach us a way to get along with each other, that doesn't require either of us to just bite our tongues and take shit from the other person, and we'll be on our way." I reply and has raises a brow and looks to Nikki.

"How long?" She asks him, he looks at me, then at her, sighing.

"Ninety days, maybe more?" He tells her and my eyes widen.

"Are you kidding me?" I chuckle although it's not funny. "Three months of not even acknowledging each other?"

"I think it's a fair amount of time." Dr. Strun agrees with him.

"Yeah, for him to do whatever the fuck he wants without having to answer to me for it." I shoot back.

"Vivian, the more you cling to him, the more he clings to his escape. I want both of you in a healthy place mentally, physically, and emotionally. That could start with you learning to be independent."

"I'm sorry, are you insinuating I'm as bad for my husband as heroin is?" I snap and she exhales.

"I'm saying, it typically takes ninety days to overcome addiction. You are addicted to your husband. You can't help him get sober if you aren't sober yourself. Ninety days of no contact, except this time we'll take it a step further. If one of you is able to get out of the house and stay with a friend for the duration of the separation, I suggest you do so."

"Nikki, we're not doing this." I shake my head, panic filling me as tears are now streaming down my face. "Nikki, please."

"You wanted to fix this. We're fixing it." Is all he says before I'm leaving her office as fast as I can to throw up as a wave of dread joins in with the panic.

I decided I'd be the one to leave the house, and ended up staying with...

"Mi casa es su casa." Steven tells me, smiling big behind his hat that's holding a can of beer on either side of his head, motioning me into their apartment. "The bedroom is your's, obviously, and Duff's sprayed it down again with sanitizing spray, so you're good." He explains.

"Thanks." I mumble, stepping into the bedroom with the mattress on the floor, sitting my suitcase down.

"So, are you guys separating?" He asks me cautiously.

"I don't know what we're doing." I confess, emotionally drained. "I'm gonna go to bed."

"It's only 6:00, Viv. The party hasn't even started."

"I'm all partied out, Stevie. Maybe I'll feel better in a couple days, I just really wanna sleep right now."

"Oh, okay...lemme know if you need anything." He tells me and I nod before he shuts the door.

I wake up after a few hours, hearing laughter flutter through the door from the living room, and I sit up, stretching, before switching on the lamp on the floor so I can see to get my pill bottle out of my purse.

My purse isn't in here, and I sigh at the idea of having to speak or see anybody else.

I take a breath and convince myself to go get my purse from out of the living room.

Opening the door, I'm met with Tansy, Duff, Mandy, Steven, Slash, Slash's fucking snake, Izzy, and a couple girls I've never seen before and probably won't ever see again.

They all go quiet when they see me. I'm probably one hell of a sight to behold: mascara dripped cheeks, eyes puffy and nearly swollen shut from crying, tangled hair, and a bright red nose with dried snot clinging to it.

"Hey, Vi--"

"--Shut up, Izzy." I cut him short the one time he isn't saying something to purposefully aggravate me. "Where's Axl? I need someone to scream at." I add, digging in my purse and opening up my pill bottle.

"Care to share?" One of the girls next to Slash asks, reaching her hand out.

"It's fucking antidepressant." I tell her and her face falls. "I need to pee." I say next.

"Uh, Axl's in the shower." Steven informs me.

"Great."

I step to the bathroom, opening the door.

"Hurry up, I need to piss." I yell over the sound of the water.

"There's a sink." He replies.

"I'm not using the sink."

"Well then hold it!"

I roll my eyes and snatch the curtain back, seeing a naked Axl in all his glory.

"It's not my fault you sickos completely uprooted your freaking toilet and I refuse to squat over a sink."

He just looks at me, completely unamused and probably considering strangling me.

"You have ten seconds." He steps out of the shower, and I take my pants and panties off, carefully stepping into the shower but standing at the very back and pulling my shirt up to avoid getting it wet before pulling the curtain closed. "One, two, three--"

"You're supposed to count by Mississippis." I snap and he groans.

"One Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi, four miss--what're you doing?" He asks me as I toss my shirt and bra over rod of the shower curtain.

"Getting a shower."

"I thought you said you just had to piss?!"

"I did, and now I'm getting a shower." I tell him, wetting my hair.

"Well then I'm finishing mine!"

"I don't care!" I blare back and the curtain opens and he spitefully climbs back in, seething, and I grin.

"I'm not living with you for three months." He states, pointing his finger in my face.

"Switch." I say, and he shuffles past me so he can stand under the water and I can put shampoo in my hair. "Well then tell Nikki to stop being a little bitch. The only reason he wants to seperate is so he can spend time doing whatever he wants without hearing my nagging."

"So he sends you to us so we can hear it for ninety days?" He snaps.

"Oh, see, I told him I was staying with Vince and Sharise." I explain.

"...And what happens when he finds out you're staying with five guys?"

"He wanted to get rid of me for a few months. He's rid of me." I shrug. "Switch."

I rinse the shampoo from my hair as he runs conditioner through his.

"So, 'no contact' really means..."

"Ninety days of no communication, contact and intimacy."

"So you can't have sex for three months?"

"Nope."

"Dear God you're gonna be she-satan by the time this is over." He grumbles.

"Nah, Nikki can't go three months without pussy. He'll come find me in, like, eight days."

"Or he'll get it from someone else." He scoffs before realizing what he said.

"And I'm done." I flatly let out, not even bothering to put conditioner in my hair or finish bathing before getting out of the shower.

"Viv, I didn't mean--"

"--It's fine." I wrap their one towel around myself and shut the bathroom door as I leave.

Everyone gives me an odd look as I walk by them, quickly putting together I was just in the shower with Axl, but I do hope they know I'd rather sew my vulva together than ever fuck Axl Rose.

I shut myself in the bedroom, putting a hand over my mouth as a sob tries to escape my throat.

The next month was spent slowly deteriorating. I wallowed in depression, neglecting to take my Nardil for a few days at a time without realizing my antidepressant couldn't work if I wasn't taking my medication the way I was supposed to, even if I did just miss a couple days between each dose.

I tried to play like I was okay but the guys knew I was really down.

Steven got into the habit of sleeping with me so I wouldn't be alone, and I could tell what nights he hung out with Nikki because he would smell like our house.

By then Nikki knew I was staying with them, but at that point, unbeknownst to me, he'd begun to find solace for my absence in that of heroin, crack-cocaine and Vanity...or what I like to call "the trifecta that damn near killed me before it was all said and done."

"C'mon, Viv, it'll be fun." Stevie nudges me and I roll over in my bed and look at him, Tansy and Duff.

"What's the point of going out for my wedding anniversary when my husband can't celebrate it with me?"

"I talked to Tommy and they're celebrating it tonight. You should, too." Tansy says.

"I don't know..." I go on. "It just seems wrong."

"You're on a healthy break from one another. Not divorced. C'mon, babe, you gotta get outta this room." Steven points out.

"Fine. We can order pizza and celebrate in the living room." I state.

"No..." Duff chuckles, shaking his head. "...Just trust us, Viv. We're gonna have a good time."

I look at the three of them, going back and forth with myself.

"Fine." I let out a sigh. "Let's go out."

And so began our hellacious, but very fun, night out, that ended in the Los Angeles Police Department.

#nikki sixx #tommy lee #vince neil #mötley crüe #gateway drug

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fly-flower-fanfics · 5 years

Text

Drunken Kisses

Peter Parker x Male Reader

Warnings: Implied smut, alcohol

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"And what the fuck are you doing with those, RJ?"

Tony's voice rung out, calling out the nickname he had given me. It stood for Reused Junk, since I always was found stealing leftover junk from Tony's workshop. I turned to face him, holding up my hands filled with metal scraps. Tony always let me use the scraps of metals he didn't need, but he never seemed to know what I used them for. Hell, half the time I didn't even know what to sue them for. I just created art with them, abstract art or whatever.

"Art stuff," I answered.

"Art stuff?" Tony folded his arms over his chest, a small smirk making its way onto his lips. "Really?"

"Uh, yeah! Look, Tony, babe, I need nothing more than my wicked mad skills, my rugged good looks, and maybe like, half a million dollars." I carefully gathered the pieces into a box so I didn't get cut. I then picked the box up and held it underneath my arm.

Tony laughed, stepping to the side to he could let me pass. "I'll think about the last one."

I winked at him as I passed by. "You'll give into me one of these days, Stark!"

Tony and my friendship was probably one of my favorite things about being here. I wasn't the biggest, baddest, or coolest Avenger, but no one ever seemed to make me feel inferior to them. Tony, after learning about my intense creativity, would ask me what I would think of a design or ask for my help with one. We quickly became friends, and the rest was pretty much history. We teased each other as much as we could, but were there when anything went wrong.

Another one of my favorite things about being here was Spider-Man himself — little Peter Parker: the brown-haired boy was the one I fell in love with. Tony seemed to pick up on it right away, and I blamed it on him being bisexual that he was able to immediately sniff out my crush.

Peter was always soft and almost the opposite of Tony in every single way. My heart fell for the spider boy almost as soon as I laid eyes on him. I couldn't get enough of him, but I almost swore he didn't feel the same way.

I wouldn't say that I was perfect at picking out other people's sexuality, but Peter didn't radiate anything about being into guys in any sort of way. Though it hurt, I would rather stay his friend than to potentially ruin our friendship over my feelings.

I ended up back in my room, plopping the box of scraps onto the desk I owned. I reached out and grabbed the rolling chair I'd stolen from the lab before sitting on it and wheeling myself towards the massive sculpture that sat in the corner of my room.

It was a large spider web with little mementos stuck inside of it. I always added to the web whenever there was spare metal that I was able to fold with my hands. I kept everything in the web like a special sort of shelf that fit my style and aesthetic.

Pictures were the main thing that littered my sculpture. It was pictures of times that I didn't want to forget. There were pictures of Steve and I dancing when he was teaching me the little he knew. Pictures of Tony and I making silly faces with one another. Pictures of Bucky and I out on the roof. Peter and I watching movies. Loki and I pretending to fight one another. Pictures of all of us doing whatever. I could even begin to describe all the ones I had taped up onto the metal web. There were scraps of things I had taped up there as well. Movie ticket stubs, ice cream cone wrappings, leaves, papers, drawings, anything and everything.

Everything on my web was a reminder to me of the family that I had, the family that I had made.

"Woah..." I spun around in the chair to see Peter standing in my doorway, his eyes glued onto my sculpture. "Did you make that?"

I felt myself become flustered as I turned my head to look as well. "Yeah. Yeah, I did."

"That's awesome!" He walked up to it and looked over the pictures and items I had on there. "I don't even remember you taking some of these pictures." He pointed to an amusement park wristband I had put up there. "I took you there; I remember that."

"Yeah. It was fun. I'm shocked you remember that." I got up from the chair and went to stand beside him. "Shocked I remember that," I admitted with a laugh.

My powers had fucked with my memory a bit. I had the power of hypnosis and mind reading, but it required an immense amount of mental control and focus. It made me forget things sometimes, and I didn't like that. So I made my sculpture so I would be unable to forget.

"Does this help?" Peter asked.

"Yeah," I said, "it does. I don't remember everything in great detail, but it's helped. At least I haven't lost everything, ya know?"

I cleared my throat and went over to my bed, trying to fix it up a little. I felt a bit self conscious about Peter being in my room, but it didn't really seem to bother him. I sat down on my bed and watched the boy.

Part of me desperately wanted to read his mind and have a walk around to figure out if he liked me back the way I liked him. No, no, what the fuck? That was wrong. Absolutely wrong. I frowned at myself and shook my head, standing back up.

"I'm gonna head out to grab something from the kitchen. You're welcome to stay, just-just don't tell anyone else about the sculpture. It's a little embarrassing for me." That wasn't a lie; I was embarrassed that I needed help remembering things. It was just I didn't want everyone to know that I valued them so dearly. I wasn't sure how they'd react, and I didn't want to seem like a pushover.

I grabbed a can of soda from the refrigerator. What would Peter think of it? I closed my eyes as I opened the drink. He wouldn't care so much, would he? He looked interested, but would he think it's weird?

"Hey! RJ! So glad you're here!" Tony called out to me, startling me.

I opened my eyes and looked at him, eyeing him suspiciously. "What've you got planned...?"

Tony merely winked and grabbed my hand, yanking me along behind him. "Nothing!”

I could smell the alcohol on his breath, and it was clear that the hero was rather tipsy. "Fucking liar!" I shouted back as he pulled me into the living room.

Thor, Bruce, Natasha, Clint, Wanda, Steve, Bucky, and Peter were sitting on the floor. Various glasses littered the ground around them, showing that everyone had some sort of alcohol in their system. Well, everyone but Peter and I. We made nervous eye contact, and it was obvious that we were being drug into some kind of game.

Tony plunked me down on the floor next to Steve, and I found myself laughing. "What the bloody fuck are we doing?" I asked Tony.

He thrust a half-filled bottle of wine at me. "Oh, sweet boy, we're playin' a game. But you and Spidey over there gotta finish this so we can play."

I'd been friends with Tony far too long, so I had a higher alcohol tolerance. Peter looked scared out of his mind, so I drank most of the bottle before handing it to him to swallow the rest.

"The point of that was?" I asked Tony as he went out, grabbing a couple bottle of alcohol and two more shot glasses.

"So the two of you could be a bit tipsy with the rest of us," he answered as he handed both Peter and I a shot glass. Only then did I notice that the others were holding shot glasses in their hands.

I looked around the circle suspiciously, but I couldn't figure out what we were doing or what Tony was planning.

"Never Have I Ever," Tony said, basically reading my thoughts.

"Oh my god, Tony, this is a college game," I said, laughing.

"Yet it shares secrets," he replied, filling up the shot glasses.

We went around the circle, playing the stupid game. It was more fun than I had originally thought that it would be. Peter and I were relatively pure, though, based on some of the things that were being asked. I was comfortably buzzed when Tony decided to be the asshole best friend and ask the question:

"Never have I ever had a crush on another person in the room."

Thankfully, Natasha, Clint, Bucky, and Steve took shots as well as I did. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Peter downing his shot.

"Oooh! Steve?" Tony pressured, slurring his 's' a little bit.

Steve's cheeks turned pink as he glanced over towards Bucky. Bucky only took the chance to take Steve's face in his hands and kiss him. I couldn't help but cheer along with the rest of the team. It was about time those two had admitted it to the rest of us.

"Clint drank," I teased, pointing over to him.

He rolled his eyes at me with a laugh and gestured to Natasha. "I'd sure hope I like my girlfriend or this would get real awkward real fast."

"Peter, I'm surprised you drank to that," Natasha said.

I turned towards Peter, and his whole face was flushed red, probably because he had been spotted.

"Who is it?" Tony asked. Peter bit his lip, refusing to answer aloud. His eyes eventually met mine silently before he looked back down at his lap. "RJ? Ooh, damn, RJ! You lucky bastard. Woulda sucked if he didn't like you back."

I rolled my eyes at Tony's drunkenness. At least he kept the secret for long enough. Peter's eyes came back up to meet mine and I shrugged. I wasn't ever really all that shy, but the alcohol helped boost my confidence.

I got up, walked over to him, straddled his hips, and pressed my lips up against his. He kissed me back hesitantly as the others whistled behind us.

Once I pulled away, I smiled down at him. "I kept the wristband because that's when I fell in love with you."

Peter looked over my face and his eyes settled on my lips again. "I fell in love with you when we went to the movies the week before," he muttered before pulling me back in for another kiss.

The alcohol made him bolder, and I would be lying if I said that that didn't turn me on at least a little. I ran my fingers through his hair, gripping it and giving it a light tug. Peter left off a soft gasp, a blush darkening his cheeks.

I smirked as I pulled away, scrambling to my feet and pulling Peter up with me. "Sorry, Tony. I gotta play your little game later. Maybe next time some things'll have changed," I said with a wink, taking Peter to my bedroom.

#marvel #marvel x reader #x male reader #peter parker #peter parker x male reader #lgbt #gay peter parker

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writeanapocalae · 5 years

Text

Inktober: Abandoned

Gavin slammed the door to his shitty little apartment, kicking off his shoes and all but throwing them across the hall. Dude chirped at him with annoyance before running down the hall. He’d figured out when Gavin was in a mood by now and knew to go to bed. He’d end up there eventually and then Dude would sit on his face and he wouldn’t be able to cry or hyperventilate without drowning in fat orange cat.

He didn’t want comfort. He didn’t want care. He wanted to punch and slam into things and hurt. It was so strong, so visceral. He dug his fingers into his arms, but he couldn’t feel the press because of his jacket. He wanted to feel it. The pain was in his head, not in his body. He wanted to expose it.

He screamed, not caring who heard him, loving and hating the way that his throat choked around his visciousness. He was a monster. It made sense for him to be alone. It made sense for them all to want him to stay away.

It was an overreaction, he knew that. He’d had worse, he’d been left behind before. He thought that he was doing better though, that people were starting to like him. It wasn’t even a big deal. So he wasn’t invited to a party that almost all of their coworkers were invited to, who cares? They probably just didn’t want his ugly mug around to shit all over everything. That thought didn’t even make sense to him but he knew he was no good at parties, that he was too much a pessimist.

He hadn’t been invited to a party in years. He still showed up sometimes, but the fact that this was Tina’s birthday of all things and he thought that she was his best friend made him hold back. He wasn’t going to crash it. If she didn’t want him there, there had to be a reason.

He thought he was doing better. He thought that people were starting to like him.

He was a fool. How dare he think that he could change people’s opinions of him? So what, he had a big android for a partner and he wasn’t shitty to him and he smiled more and he brought in chips every once in a while, that didn’t make him a good person. It wasn’t enough. Just thinking about it made him feel pathetic, like he was a dog begging for table scraps of affection.

He lit a cigarette, finding the half empty box in one of the coats hanging by the door. Another thing he’d failed at. He was a quitter, even at quitting. He lit it easily, practiced, and inhaled the smoke deeply, feeling the nicotine relax his tension, make the withdrawals fade for the moment.

There was a knock on his door. He spun on his sock, a little bit too far because of the hardwood, and glared at it. Someone thought he was worthwhile or, at least, they thought it would be fun to see him in his misery. He straightened up, hoping that whoever it was could see him glaring through the wood. It wasn’t someone coming to check in on him, to give him a late invitation. It was a neighbor, annoyed by his noise. It had to be.

The knock landed again, each beat measured, the same pattern and weight behind the fist.

“What do you want?” he barked. Nothing. They wanted nothing. They wanted him to be nothing so that they could go back to their lives.

“It was brought to my attention that you may require my services,” came the voice on the other side, loud enough that he could hear it clearly but no mare. He knew that voice, that calm demeanor that would never be shaken, that emotionless cadence, that deep tone that kept him up some nights. The nondeviated androids were the only ones from the bullpen not invited. Alongside him.

He was actually somewhat surprised that Nines hadn’t been invited, he got along with Tina better than many.

“I don’t ‘require your services’ or whatever the phck you’re going on about!” Gavin practically shouted. “Why don’t you just go, uh, get, phcked or something!” He wanted something more clever than that, something that was more personal. What he gave was amateur.

“I have no interest in getting phcked,” Nines stated in that cold tone though there was a beat of silence that made it sound like there was more that he wanted to say on the subject. “Officer Chen wanted me to check in on you.”

He sputtered at that, grimaced. He didn’t know when Nines had learned how to lie but he didn’t like it. Tina wouldn’t have told him to do that and Nines was pretty good at ignoring orders that he didn’t like so there had to be something else.

Gavin let himself sag against the door, the pressure flat and somewhat painful against his back. His jacket may have protected him from his fingers but it wasn’t padded enough to make a door comfortable. “Leave me alone.” He rubbed at his forehead with his hand, careful not to stab himself in the eye with his cigarette.

“No,” Nines said.

Gavin stilled, turning to look at the door again. Nines said no to him? Of all people, he said no to his partner. Gavin had never heard him say no before. He always followed orders, though sometimes he would decide that it was a low priority and would put off an order as long as he could. That was how he’d explained how he wasn’t killing every deviant around him. He still had his mission, but he was putting every other mission at a higher priority. He would get around to it when he had nothing else to do.

“I don’t need you!” Gavin slammed his heel into the door and regretted it immediately. “I don’t need anybody.”

Then he fell.

The door was opened quickly and he had no way of catching himself before gravity was having its way with him. He called out with surprise, dropping his cigarette and throwing out and arm to catch himself, but Nines was there, catching him easily with those big strong arms of his. Gavin had to look up at him, upside down, and he was just so - ugh, Gavin didn’t want to think about it. Still, the thought that the bag of bolts had caught him so easily did things to his insides and he was certain that he’d have trouble sleeping again.

Nines pushed him back into a standing position and entered his apartment as if he’d been invited, walking easily over to the cigarette on the hard wood, pushing his heel on it, and twisting to snuff it out. “You were doing so well, Gavin. This is disappointing.”

That stung. Gavin closed the door, wanting to bolt through it. He didn’t want Nines there. He didn’t want to be a disappointment. He was disappointing everyone these days. And he was trying too, so so hard.

“Don’t say that,” he whispered, leaning against the door, this time with his head against the wood. He didn’t want Nines seeing his expression. He didn’t want Nines to see that he was hurting.

“Giving up on the things that you want will only disappoint you,” Nines continued. “No one told you to stop smoking, you decided that on your own. Smoking again will exacerbate these other emotions that you’re feeling.”

“Why do you even care?” Gavin asked the door. “Because Tina told you to? Why would she even care? She doesn’t even want me around.”

A hand on the back of his head. Cold and solid and there, present. It made Gavin want to be sick. It didn’t but he wanted to pull away, be disgusted, because he was being touched by a machine, some parody of human emotions.

“I must apologize, it is due to my confessing to her that you were not invited. She does think of you as a friend and invited everyone else so that you would be guaranteed available for me to speak to you.”

Gavin glanced back at him. His LED was yellow and processing, thinking of the best thing to say, trying to understand Gavin’s reactions.

“What’s so important, huh? I thought that I just wasn’t wanted. That I was being abandoned by my friends, again!” he could feel the anger growing in him again, this time directed at Nines instead of himself. “You could have said whatever bullshit you wanted to at any time! Why’d you have to go tell Tina first? You don’t trust me? We’re supposed to be partners!”

Nines grabbed him by the edged of his hoody pulling him up and off of the floor, most of his weight against the door. He started to panic at the effortlessness that Nines had moved him. It was another testament of how inhuman Nines was.

Nines mouth was cold and too hard and there was no give to his lips, no finesse. It was the kind of kiss that came from a machine who had only watched others kiss and never tried to himself. And it was being pressed to Gavin’s mouth, making his toes curl as his hands came up to run through Nines’ hair. Gavin was following but he was leading as well, showing Nines how to kiss better, opening his mouth and biting at his lips and licking into him. He was heady with it, drunk, not thinking, and when he did think his hands went to Nines’ chest shoving.

“Woah! Woah woah what the phck are you doing?”

The LED was flashing and spinning, processing while Nines panicked. Red meant panicking, so did flashing, at least it did in deviants. Gavin didn’t know what it meant in a nonfeeling android.

“I must apologize, I must have incorrectly analyzed your desires.” Nines stated, eyes downcast, hand coming up to touch his lips and then to his LED, as if to hide it.

“You’re not a deviant! What are you doing kissing me?” Gavin shook his head, shook all of him. This was so sudden, he felt desired, wanted, and he knew that wasn’t right, that couldn’t be true.

Nines went stiff, LED stilling, half yellow half red. “I am a deviant.”

“No you’re not!” Gavin argued, “You’re stiff and weird and robotic! You can’t consent to things like kissing and romance and shit! You just follow orders!”

The LED started spinning again, pure yellow. “I was informed that you were a detective. I am concerned with your lack of detecting skills. I deviated thirty four days ago.”

Gavin’s mind raced. He didn’t want to do the math, not right then, but there was only one incident he could think of that could potentially deviate an android. They were on a case, and they’d gotten separated in chasing a subject. The building they were rushing through had been abandoned and in such disrepair that Gavin had fallen through the floor at some point, hitting his head hard enough to be knocked out. When he’d woken up Nines was so out of commission that he’d needed repairs. It had been a week until he’d seen Nines again. He hadn’t noticed any difference.

“You don’t act like a deviant,” he argued.

“I am not comfortable with deviancy. I did not want to worry any of our coworkers, or you, with my emotions.”

Gavin went closer to him, not feeling his steps. He ran his hand up the back of Nines’ neck, up to his hair again. The other one went to his jaw and he could feel Nines lean into it, even as he closed his eyes slowly. The LED switched to blue, his own hand finally coming down to rest on Gavin’s shoulder.

“So, you’re really feeling this shit? For some ugly bastard like me?”

“You’re not ugly,” Nines corrected. Gavin chuckled at how he didn’t correct the bastard part.

This time Gavin kissed Nines, getting up on tip toes to reach. It was smaller, more endearing, as Nines followed his instruction, learning quickly.

“You’re not just going to leave me, are you?” Gavin breathed against him. He could feel Nines’ arm snake around his waist, hold him close so that both of their fronts were tightly pressed together. He wished that he didn’t sound so emotional.

“As long as you want me,” Nines pressed a kiss to the side of Gavin’s mouth, “I’ll be yours. And not just because I am an android.”

At that Gavin smiled. He didn’t trust it, but for the moment the words were enough.

#whumptober2019 #no. 26 #detroit become human #gavin reed #rk900 #reed900 #my writing #fanfiction

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spyder-m · 5 years

Text

Love Games

ao3 / ff.net

Summary: On a particularly grueling trip through Mementos, the Phantom Thieves play a few rounds of "Never Have I Ever" to fend off boredom. In doing so, they learn more about their leader and advisor than they had anticipated. Shumako.

Ann's eyes carefully scanned the bleak expanse that was Mementos, low-level shadows scurrying away from the blare of headlights.

Blue irises strained as they adjusted to the darkness of the subway, not wanting the target to disappear from her sight.

"I spy with my little eye… something that's brown and grey-"

"Railroad tracks," Futaba answered, not even bothering to look up from her laptop.

"Wow, Oracle. You got it on the first try! How did you know?"

"Are you for real?!" Ryuji exclaimed; the outburst startling a quietly sketching Yusuke beside him. "There's only like three things down here you coulda possibly been lookin' at. Urgh! This game sucks!

Delving this far into the depths made for a long and arduous trip.

Though Morgana's bus form was fairly spacious, with the seven of them packed in together; and a lack of proper air-conditioning; it was becoming a little stifling.

Some of the more fiery members of the group were beginning to get on each other's nerves.

Beyond the occasional pit-stop to stretch their legs, fighting off shadows and scouring out the different nooks of Mementos for treasures or potential targets, served as their only reprieve.

Even Makoto couldn't find too much of a distraction in the drive. Each level was beginning to look eerily similar, and Futaba's persona could usually map out a clear path through to the next exit. Save for swerving to avoid the odd shadow, it didn't require much concentration. Her muscles were already settling unconsciously into a rhythm.

Still, she had been able to find comfort in the silent form of Joker beside her. It was remarkable how well he could read her and ease the tension she felt with a gentle smile or supporting touch of his hand. The calm washing over her like a healing spell.

He was measured in the affectionate gestures, not wanting to attract the attention of their passengers; currently seeking out other ways to pass the time.

"Alright, fine. Let's hear you suggest something then, Skull." Ann huffed, her eyes narrowing as she folded her arms.

Blinking, the blond scratched his head in thought; not having expected her to turn to him for a suggestion.

"Well, uh... there's that game Westerners always play in movies." He offered. "Y'know, the one where they hold up their fingers and say something they've never done before."

"Isn't that a drinking game?" Makoto's glare lifted, catching the others in the rear-view mirror. "I'll remind you we're all underage and in a car."

"It don't have to be." Ryuji waved his arms, not wanting to incur the wrath of the team's advisor. "Come on! It'll be fun!"

Despite some initial skepticism, the crew supposed that Ryuji's suggestion might not actually be such a bad idea.

The founding members of the Phantom Thieves had been together for several months now and felt pretty tightly knit. The exposure to one another's pasts, their most guarded secrets and inner selves only helped to shift their relationship towards something much more intimate.

Still, between time in the Metaverse, strategy meetings, studying for exams, and part-time jobs, they didn't get many opportunities to spend time together as friends.

They were still a lot of things they didn't know about each other as people.

Haru was their newest member and didn't seem to have many friends outside of their immediate circle. Futaba was still coming out of her shell and sharing secrets among friends could help to continue building her social skills. Yusuke… Well, Yusuke was an enigma. For as long as they'd known him, there was still a lot they hadn't quite figured out.

Even Makoto; though having acclimated well with the team and into her advisory role; was still striving to more learn about her peers.

These were the kind of games kids their age would normally play at parties; a luxury their unique extra-curricular activities as the Phantom Thieves often deprived them of.

It could be a great opportunity for them to get to know each other better.

"Ooo, I'll start!" Futaba called, her hand shooting up. "Never have I ever… gone on a trip to Hawaii!"

"Wha- Oracle! That's not fair!"

"Mwehehehe…" The youngest member cackled. "Well, I had to get one up on you guys. Never underestimate the original Medjed."

"Well, alright. That's one finger down for... Everyone except Oracle. Alright, Noir. It's your turn."

"Oh. Well, let me see." Haru pondered. "Never have I ever... Tried the 6,000 yen Dark Ivory coffee at the Wilton Hotel."

The engine rumbled amidst the dip in conversation, the teens looking between one another with blank expressions.

"Uh, Noir?" Ann eventually broke the silence. "Clearly none of us have done that before. Now you have to lower a finger. You're supposed try to try and get us out."

"Oh, I could never do that. You're all my friends."

"But that's the point of the game!" Ryuji's voice rose again. "You're gonna lose at this rate!"

"Moving on." Ren interrupted, his lips sliding into a smirk. "Never have I ever eaten so much fatty tuna that I made myself sick."

"What?!" The Mona-bus vibrated as an indignant mewl reverberated throughout. "Why are you singling me out, Joker? I'm not playing. I don't even have fingers!"

"We can keep track. That's one down for Mona."

"Hmph. Fine, but I'm going next."

"Whatever. Do your worst."

"Never have I ever… called a Maid Service before."

"You damn cat!" Ryuji exclaimed, thumping the side of the car. "I thought we agreed to keep quiet about that."

"You called a Maid Service?" Ann side-eyed Ryuji, a shudder crawling up the base of his spine.

"Well, uh…" Anxious, Ryuji glance darted around the inside of the car, desperate for a lifeline. "Hey! I- I'm not the only one who's guilty here. Right, leader?"

Swallowing, Ren begrudgingly lowered a finger.

"What?!"

"A maid's services? Hmm, how fascinating. I wonder if they would be willing to serve as the model for my next piece?"

"Dude, it's 5,000 yen a visit. Like you'd be able to afford that."

"Also, I thought you agreed; no more nude paintings!"

"Anyway! Uh… Panther; you're up next."

"Oh, me? Hm, well... Never have I ever… dated before."

To the surprise of no one in the group, Ryuji, Yusuke, and Futaba each kept the fingers up, while Haru lowered a finger. However, given the circumstances surrounding her and her fiancé, the Thieves were happy not to ask for any more details. What piqued their curiosity more so, was when Makoto and Ren both each lowered a finger.

"Wait… What?!"

"Dude! You mean you were out scorin' hotties and didn't think to tell me?!"

"Well, Joker has had an entire life outside of Tokyo that we are not privy to…"

"Plus, his charm stats are like… maxed out."

"Right. Still, I really wasn't expecting that from you, Queen."

"W- well, there is someone… That I'm seeing."

The car jolted, almost swerving off of the tracks and into the station's wall, as Ann pulled herself over the front seat.

"What?!"

"Panther, please! Stay in your seat."

"Oops. Sorry!" Ann flushed, returning to her spot in the middle row. "I just can't believe you'd keep something like that from me."

"W- well, we both agreed to keep things... discreet."

"Perhaps we should move on from this topic for the time being," Yusuke suggested. "It seems to be getting Panther rather excited."

"Right." Joker nodded. "Well, Queen; it's your turn."

Makoto paused, one hand slipping from the steering wheel to touch her chin.

There was much she had not experienced before finding the Phantom Thieves, things that many would see as a normal part of life for a typical, Japanese teenager. If she were being tactical, there were likely several answers she could give that would get most of the others out.

Still, recently she had been fortunate to gain friends who brought more of simple pleasures into her life. In particular, it was thanks to the young man seated across from her that she had been able to broaden her horizons.

Though, thinking on it; as she caught Joker in her peripheral vision; Makoto realised, with a flush, there were still things she wished to learn.

"Never have I ever... kissed someone before."

"Woah, woah, wait a minute." Ryuji interjected. "You're with a guy but you haven't even swapped spit yet?"

"Skull." Ann sighed, her nose wrinkling at the boy's crude description.

"N- no, it's fine, really." Makoto countered, lifting her hands from the wheel briefly. "It's all still very new to me. I think he's just been holding back on my account. I just wish there was a way I could let him know that I want it as much as I think he does."

"Aw, don't worry, Queen!" Futaba encouraged. "I'm sure he'll come to his senses."

"Yeah! Any guy would be lucky to be with you."

"Anyway, looks like Joker and Noir are the only ones who lowered their fingers. No surprises there."

"Actually," Joker cleared his throat, and raised his hand, showing that his total was still at seven.

"Okay, now I'm confused."

"What else is new?"

A pained meow rang from the car as Ryuji's bat struck the inside wall.

Makoto flushed as she felt Joker's gaze cover her; the stark white of his mask accentuating his eyes, drawing her to them. She bit her lip, readjusting her grip on the steering wheel.

"I suppose you could say I was... holding back."

"I- is that, so?" Makoto answered, trying to keep her eyes focused ahead, away from Ren's longing stare.

She had hoped that in keeping her answers curt and concentrating on the road ahead the conversation would shift, the rest of the Thieves carrying on with their game. Yet, their interest had seemingly turned towards their leader, as he watched her with a fond smile.

"Queen, pull over here." Joker instructed abruptly; his tone sharp.

Makoto slowed the vehicle to stop, suspecting that Joker had spotted a target.

She immediately ripped off her seatbelt and moved to open the door, more than willing to steer the focus away from their conversation.

However, at the flash of red covering her own gloved hand and ceasing her movement, she turned, catching Joker's mask with a puzzled expression.

Having readied herself for battle, Makoto's normally sharp reflexes had been prepared to react the moment something grasped at her. Though, her guard slipped as Joker's fingers caught her the jaw.

Their masks clinked together as he pulled her face towards his own; the breath that ripped involuntarily from her throat was caught by the soft pressure of his lips.

Her first kiss.

The scent of coffee still lingered on his breath, likely remnants from his breakfast at Leblanc. The bitter taste warmed her chest, striking and familiar.

Now unimpeded by her seatbelt, Makoto fell deeper into Ren's embrace, her hands lifting to catch in the thick clumps of his hair.

It was surprisingly soft.

Spurred on by the sensation of Makoto kissing back, Ren trailed his hands down to the swell of her hips, appreciating how her suit clung to them. Makoto's eyes bulged in surprise as she was pulled into Joker's lap, though she didn't break from his lips, her arms surrounding him.

With that daring gesture, it struck her that she was sharing her first kiss not with Ren, but Joker; an experience distinct from what she had anticipated. It hadn't been a shy, chaste caress that had caught her; a moment their relationship had steadily being building towards; but something bolder, more extravagant.

The gesture, in a sense, reflected how they had entered each other's lives, how they had awoken to their true selves in the Metaverse; abruptly and explosively. How everything strange and otherworldly suddenly began to make sense, as if it had been there, waiting, all along.

There was something captivating about the suave, cocky persona Ren assumed in the Metaverse. Seeing those soft, shy smiles of his break into confident grins; his dark, mysterious eyes, shining and proud. The way he remained strong and collected for the rest of his team, even during their most tense battles.

That he was forward enough to make the first move; where in the real world he may have hesitated; closing the distance between them like this, his lips flickering into a familiar smirk as they caressed against her own.

It was... sexy.

The magic dissipated as Makoto became conscious of the eyes boring into her, sliding up her spine like cold digits as she recalled, abruptly, that they weren't alone. Gasping, Makoto slipped from Joker's arms, glancing mortified, towards their friends.

Ann's hands had lifted to cover her mouth, barely containing the bright smile lighting her features. There was a sheen in her wide, starry eyes. Haru had moved up beside her, hands similarly cradled together.

"Oh, how romantic."

With a smirk, Futaba had, reflexively, pulled out her smartphone; a pout settling across her features when she remembered the camera function was useless in the Metaverse.

Beside her, Yusuke was rifling through the back of the car, eventually producing a canvas and a selection of brushes, frantically setting them up.

"You two, hold your positions! I must capture this!"

"Inari!? When did you bring that with you? And also, why?"

Ryuji watched on in curious silence, his brow furrowed as he scratched the back of his head.

"Huh? Skull? What's up?"

"So, like... Do they have to drop a finger now, or what?"

#persona 5 #p5 #shumako #fanfiction #ren amamiya #akira kurusu #makoto niijima #ann takamaki #futaba sakura #ryuji sakamoto #yusuke kitagawa #haru okumura

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sandsthewriter · 5 years

Text

27 things I’ve learned in 27 years.

Not that my short 27 years on this planet makes me some wise human being but I’ve learnt a few lessons and tidbits along the way as I stumbled my way through life as best as I could.

Thought I’d share them here.

Ps: Also, happy birthday to me! xD

1. The secret to everyday happiness is having an attitude of gratitude.

2. Shift your mindset from an “I have to do this” mentality to an “I get to do this” mentality. I get to go to work, I get to have a busy day, etc. Don’t dress your opportunities as stress.

3. Cook at home 80% of the time. It’ll save you a shit load of money, allow you to expand your culinary skills, and give you more control of what you put inside of your body.

4. Take care of your body. We only get one body in this lifetime and it is what allows us to do everything we want to do in this life. So taking care of it should be our ultimate priority - so eat right, workout, find ways to manage your stress, and get enough sleep.

5. Everything you desire is on the other side of consistency. Overcoming fears, making plans, and moving towards goals you’ve set for yourself is all good but for you to see real results, do what is required every single day. Put in the work consistently. Discipline is the ultimate form of self-care.

6. Put in the effort to understand yourself as it is the one sure fire way to improve your life. Knowing what you need, what you fear, your strengths and weaknesses, how you study, how you react to stress...get to know all that about yourself and more. Then instead of trying to work against your innate traits, use them and work with them.

7. Pessimism comes naturally to us. Sometimes it’s our default setting. We always have to work harder to stay positive but trust me it’s worth it.

8. Not everything you think is true. Our minds can convince us of quite a lot of things. It can be way harsher and judgmental on you than even your worst frenemy. Out of the blue if it tells you that you are a terrible writer with no facts to back it up, question that thought and investigate if it is true or not. Conquer your thoughts so you may eventually conquer your life.

9. On that note, almost everything in life is a skill. If you put your mind to it and commit yourself to doing the required amount of work, every skill in life can be learned. Want to be a good writer, you can learn it. Want to be a better cook, you can learn that too. Want to be more organized? Woah! Guess what? You can learn it! And in this day and age, learning something new is just a click away.

10. Mindset is everything. Everything begins and ends in your mind. There’s nothing you cannot change about your life if you put your mind to it. Within reason. If you decide you can, there’s a good chance you’d find a way to do it. Similarly, if you decide you can’t, you will guarantee that you won’t be able to do it. So approach life from a position of power, not defeat.

11. Stop complaining. Seriously. It serves no purpose and only brings more negative energy into your life. In most situations, you often have two options: change it or accept it. If you’re unhappy with something or a situation, change it. If you cannot change it, find a way to accept it and find peace with it. Worrying about it is pointless. Regretting the past cannot change it for it has already happened. Being anxious about the future is pointless for it’s still yet to come. Fretting about things beyond your control only distracts you from being present in the moment and enjoying your life.

12. Feel what you need to feel and then let it go. Grief, anger, resentment, envy...whatever it is, do not dwell on it. Do not let it fester inside of you.

13. Do not let how you feel rule you. Let it guide you, and guide it yourself but never let it control you. I used to allow how I felt on a particular day decide whether or not I went to school, or showed up for work, or whatever else. And in the end, I almost always ended up feeling guilty and shittier at the end of the day. It should be noted that I am not talking about mental health days that you just might need to recover from everything overwhelming you. But you should always pay close attention to whether you’re actually feeling terrible inside, or are you just feeling lazy. Sometimes reluctance is just laziness with a better excuse.

14. You’re not going to be at your 100% every single day. There will be fluctuations and happiness and sadness comes and goes. Just do your best to create your happiness. Just do your best to endure your sadness.

15. Be compassionate and patient with yourself. You’re doing the best you can. It’s the greatest form of kindness.

16. Don’t live pay check to pay check. Have financial goals and build up savings. Up until very recently (read 3 months ago) I used to spend my entire paycheck and go broke until the next one arrived. But hey! I am 27 freaking years old now and it’s way too late for me to be living that recklessly. Recording my expenses made me realize just how much money I used to waste on things I didn’t really need. Now that I have started making a realistic budget and actually sticking to it, I actually have more money to spend on things I really want to invest in.

17. Debt is never worth it. Trust me, it is no fun having something like that hanging over you. Especially for a control freak like me, it was just a horrible experience. I ain’t going to say don’t ever get a Credit Card. Just spend wisely. Most of the things you think you desperately need are not always necessities.

18. Confidence starts inside of you. The one person you really need to impress, is yourself.

19. But also...sometimes, even if you are not at your most confident self, you can still fake it till you make it. In other words, we all have bad days. We are allowed to have them. After all, we are human. We all have our struggles, and messes but it’s the way we carry them that sets us apart. Story time: one day, when I was at work, my best friend showed up on her way somewhere, and I was in my shittiest over-worn maxi dress. My hair was up in a messy bun that I usually put it up in when I just can’t be bothered to wash it and style it. I had red lipstick on, and flip flops. She took one look at me and said, “you look so beautiful and put together.” Trust me, I didn’t feel it but somehow my minimal effort looked passable enough. So learn to carry yourself well even when you don’t feel like it.

20. In life, failing in some capacity is inevitable. So, fail with purpose and fail productively. Learn from your failures. Become better from those learnings. 21. Declutter your life. Clearing up your space of things helps to clear up your mind. Clearing up your life of people and commitments help you simplify your life. Live clutter free. Love and respect yourself enough to walk away from anything that is not right for you.

22. Not everything that weighs you down is yours to carry. You can love people but you cannot “save” them. They have to save themselves.

23. Appreciating someone else’s success or amazingness does not in anyway lessen yours. Lift each other up.

24. Be aware of your ego. Don’t let it ruin moments, relationships, and productivity.

25. Take responsibility for yourself, your choices, and the consequences of those choices. Blaming someone of something else is pretty much equivalent to giving your power away. So don’t be the victim of your life. Take your power, and own it.

26. The purpose of life is to be alive and happy and just do the best you can. Don’t over-complicate it. Any of it. And definitely do not overthink it. There’s no grander purpose to life than to be alive.

27. The magic in life lies in everyday moments. Teach yourself to find the joy in everyday mundane things - the taste of coffee, a good song, laughing over nothing with a good friend...etc. Create your own kinda magic everyday.

#birthday #27 things in 27 years #things i learned #life lessons by sands #life lessons #growing up #30 in 3 #infj

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