#just some late night marker doodle that I made because art is hard lately

[cj-the-random-artist]

Made a secret life impulse doodle (heavily inspired by the skin made by @lolli-popples because its absolutely 11/10 gorgeous)

I gave him a flannel and an extra piercing for the vibes lol

Enjoy doodle

[musictrash0426]

Killing Stalking

 My name is Elizabeth Stevens, I’m 17 and it is one month until my senior year of highschool. Most of my friends are going crazy trying to plan out their futures. However, unlike my peers, I've known what I've wanted to be since I was 13. I want to be an artist, my parents fully support my decision which is nice. They have bought me plenty of professional quality supplies since my 14th birthday when they saw all the hard work I put into my art. I've even started selling prints of my work on Redbubble. I also have quite the following 

Overall I live in a pretty good neighbourhood. It has great people, including my best friend Kai who lives a few streets over. My family and I live in a pretty large house. It has three floors which is a little big if you ask me. There are only the three of us living here, me, mom and dad. But with that being said my parents gave me the entire basement on my 13th birthday. They also helped me set up every room down here the way I want. Not much has changed, even after being down here for four years..

When you come down the stairs you are greeted with my lounge area. Where  we have a couch, tv, game system, large bookshelf and some other things. Next we have my room where I have a fairly minimal look. I have a large bed, large dresser, a walk in closet, and my vanity where I do my makeup. The next room is probably my favourite; it's my art studio. Like I said my parents have supported me over the years so I have a lot of supplies. Honestly I couldn't be more grateful for them and everything they’ve given me. I have a full easel, desk, and a lot of supplies, markers, colour pencils, paint (water, acrylic, oils), alongside my new drawing tablet.

This morning when I got up, I went to my art room and started sketching. I've gotten into this habit as it helps me get into a creative mindset, along with getting into drawing for the day. Once I stop doodling I start to make a list of the things of supplies I had recently run out of. 

As I was about to leave, I asked my parents if they needed anything. My mom told me to get her a drink from Starbucks on my way home as she knows I’m planning on going there anyways. 

I get into my car and drive to the art store. Luckily this store is only 10 minutes from my house. I walk into the store and look for the supplies on my list. While going through the store, grabbing the things I needed, I decided I also wanted to try out a new paint while I was here. I got some winsor and newton acrylics in red, blue,yellow, sienna, black and white along with some mixing pallets. I also got a canvas as I want to make a large painting later. 

My mom texted me asking if I could pick up milk and eggs. So I ran into the supermarket and picked up the few things she wanted. I then went to starbucks, got both my parents, and myself a few drinks, and went home. 

I got out of my car balancing shopping bags on my arm,the drinks in my hand and I went inside. I put the milk and eggs in the fridge, gave my parents their drinks and made my way down to my art room to put my supplies away. I started brainstorming ideas of what I want to paint and I finally came up with a concept I liked. I open my sketchbook and I start to draw the rough copy of the picture before blowing it up on the canvas and painting it. While I am drawing out the picture I'm watching lavendertowne’s creepypastas series as it's one of my favourites on youtube. 

In my concentration, I lose track of time, and before I know it it’s 4:30 pm. My mom walks to my art room saying her and dad are going on a trip for the next week. So I get the house to myself, which is cool. I've been home alone before. “Elle, you can have Kai over to stay for the week if you want.” mom said. “Also I transferred some money into your account so you and Kai can just order some food if you guys get hungry.” 

“Thanks mom,” I say “ I love you.”

“Love you too sweetie.” 

I walk upstairs with mom as her and dad are about to leave. I hug them goodbye and tell them to have a safe trip. 

I decide to take mom up with her offer and invite Kai over for the week. Lately I haven't been wanting to be home alone. So I called him and he said he’d be over in 10 minutes. 

I grab a glass of water and wait, before I knew it there was a knock on my door and it was Kai. I give him a hug and he smiles. 

“It’s like we haven't seen each other in a while.” Kai teases me. We saw each other yesterday and I called him late last night because I just wanted to talk to someone. 

Kai has literally been my best friend since we were both in diapers. Our moms grew up together so it was bound to happen that we would too. He’s my biggest support system, he’s one of the only people who know how I got into art. I watched a lot of anime growing up, I still do, and the art style is what got me into wanting to be an artist. 

“Have you started a new piece yet?” Kai asked 

“Yeah I have! And I just finished the rough copy” I say.

“Can I watch you work on it?” 

“Of course you can silly,” I say with a grin. I show Kai the canvas to let him gauge what I’ve been working on. 

“It looks really good!” But his face saddens a little bit. “Are you doing alright?” I give him a confused look. “You tend to draw horror pieces when you're trying to get yourself into a better place.” 

Horror pieces are my favourite to draw. I don't have an explanation for it, but I've always liked them. Maybe it's because I loved horror shows growing up but who knows. I look back at all my works and Kai’s right. I tend to do these pictures more when I'm not the best headspace. 

“You really know me, at this point it's mostly subconscious” I laugh “I was also watching creepypasta videos so the idea could have come from that. Anyways, what do you think about it so far?” 

“I love it of course!” Kai says

I work on transferring it onto the canvas and after about 2 hours the pencil sketch is laid out. Once that's done we decide to go to the movies. We went and saw whatever Kai wanted to see. He picked some rom com which I wasn't mad at as I enjoy these types of movies. 

After the movie we went to a sushi place for dinner. I wasn't that hungry so I got the rest of mine to go. Then we went to the supermarket to get some candy and pop for tonight. We decided that we were going to stay up quite a bit of the night so I can work on my artwork and we can just talk about life and stuff. We pull into the parking lot and head inside. This store is open 24/7 so we have plenty of time to get our stuff, but still it is 11:30pm and something makes the air feel very eerie tonight. 

After walking around the store Kai and I look at eachother and we both feel like something is off because this uneasy feeling Kai and I hurry up and grab what we wanted. Kai and I decided to pick up Sour Patch Kids, gummy bears and some chips. We then went into the drink aisle where I picked out Dr. Pepper, and ginger ale. Kai picked out diet Pepsi and cream soda. We picked out the four flavours that we both love. We then decided to get a tub of cotton candy ice cream. As we were turning there was this lady who crashed her cart into ours as we were on our way to check out. I looked up and noticed that it was the same lady that had been in each aisle with us, which honestly didn’t make any sense as we just went to the isles we needed. 

We check out of the store and head back to the car. After putting everything in the trunk of the car, I look up and see the same woman still there. What the fuck?

“Hey Kai, can you take the cart back please?” He nods and I get into the car and lock it. 

I hear a knock that startles me and I look up. It was just Kai. I unlocked the door and he got in. “Wanna tell me why you had the door locked Elle?”

I look over and the woman gets into the car next to us oh great my horror brain made something out of nothing. She was also probably having a movie night with some of her friends.

“It’s nothing Kai, I think I’m just psyching myself out.”

“Okay.” With that we drove back to my place right in the nic of time too as it just started to rain. We shut off all the lights and lock the doors and windows upstairs. We head back down to my studio and I set up everything to begin painting.

I wanted something in the background while I was working so I put on Another. Kai and I have already watched it a few times but we didn’t want to start something new since I wouldn't be able to give it my full attention. Also it's a horror anime so it will put me in the mood for my painting.

I looked down at the outline I drew; it was a girl who had gone psychotic and had a knife in her hand. My plan is to add blood to her once the painting is completely dry, but first I start by painting the eyes. When they are finished they look very dead and already mentally gone inside. I take a break and lay my head on Kai’s shoulder.

“Tired?” he asks me.

“No, I just wanted a break.” We continue watching the anime after two more episodes. There was a bang of thunder and a flash of lightning, I looked out the small window and saw what looked to be a figure of a woman. I looked back to get a better look but she's gone. I must just be seeing things.

I brush it off then get back to my painting. About an hour later I finish painting the skin and I see another flash out of the corner of my eye. I think to myself how odd that is  because there was no thunder. I brushed it off as the volume of the show probably just covered the sound. I decided to be done with painting for the night, so we moved out into the lounge area and continued watching Another. There was another flash and in the window we saw her. The woman from the supermarket was in my window.We were going to call the cops then with another flash she's gone.

We decided we couldn't take anymore horror tonight so we put on Ouran Highschool Host Club a few hours later we were on the episode where a character named Tamaki was trying to figure out his friend Haruhi’s biggest fear. When we see a flash of lightning in the episode, it also flashes here, and we see her silhouette again and she vanishes with the lightning once more. 

Creeped out we went to my room and lay in bed, I cuddled into Kai because honestly I was shaking and needed comfort.

In the morning Kai and I woke up to banging on the door. I checked the time and it was 8:30 am. We got up and checked no one was there, but there was an envelope that said Elizabeth Steevens and Kai Kalua I brought it inside.

“Ummmm Kai?”

“Yeah?”

I turn the envelope to show him. We were both scared and didn't know what to do. We opened it and there were at least 40 photos of us, starting from when we were coming out of the movie. There were photos of us at the sushi restaurant, the grocery store, and the worst ones of all the ones that were taken looking into my house. Ones of us in my art room, in the lounge, and ones of us asleep in my bed.

Panicked, I call the police and they tell us to come down to the station. Since neither of us knew the woman's name they said there was nothing they could really do for us except to have us tell them if something else happens. Some help they were, I thought.

Kai and I went back to my studio and I continued working on the piece. This time our show of choice was Miria Nikki. As I was painting the hair I saw another flash and considering what happened last night we decided to go to my parents office and check the security cameras and lo and behold she's there on the property.

“Kai whats that in her hand?”

“I don’t know,”

I looked closer and saw that it was a knife. We once again called the police and this time they came, but hearing a car must have scared her. They came inside and asked to watch the cameras with us. Only this time she was at the back door that's connected to the kitchen and of course I happened to leave it unlocked…

“Oh Elizabeth, Kai, come out come out wherever you are..” The woman sang out menacingly. Her voice rang through the house loudly causing me to look to one of the officers for advice

He nods for Kai and I walk out.

“There you two are,”

“Do we know you?” I ask, genuinely confused as to who this woman is.

“Yeah I don't know who you are either.” Kai said just as confused.

“I'm Chloe. I am in your art class.” She says.

We were both confused; we don’t remember having ever seen her before. Our art class had six people in it, us two, three other of our friends and some weird girl who doesn't talk to anybody.

“... you’re the weird girl in our class aren’t you?” Kai questions.

“What did you call me?” She asked with a defensive tone.

“What did you expect him to say, you literally refuse to talk to us. Then whenever the teacher praises my work, you get angry. Besides who goes around taking pictures of people in their own house! That is fucking creepy.” I say

“I get angry because you always get the spotlight! Give someone else a turn.”

“Elle gets the attention because she actually shows her artwork, you just sit in the back of the class and do nothing. If you want attention why ignore us when we try talking to you? What is your problem? And why do you have a knife?” You can tell Kai is starting to lose patience with the situation, as his questions get increasingly aggressive.

“So I can get rid of my competition,” she smiles sweetly.

“What competition? There is no competition Chloe” I ask 

“What competition? I have liked Kai forever!” Chloe says frustrated, slightly getting closer to the two of them with the knife.

Kai puts one hand out towards her, while using the other to pull me back with him a couple steps, creating distance between her and I before he speaks again.“I will never like you. Besides there is only one person I like, and hate to break it to sweetheart but it's not you.” This makes me curious who Kai was referring to.

“Then who is it then?” she asks angrily

That's when Kai kissed me. I kissed him back, albeit slightly flustered. This caused Chloe to become enraged, she came towards us with the knife and that's when the cops came out and told her to put the knife down. She complied and dropped the knife as she didn’t realize that the police were here. 

One of the two cops took her away as the other came and told us they were going to hold her and do a mental assessment on her. He also checked to see if Kai and I were okay. After we tell him we are he also leaves, leaving Kai and I alone to deal with this new revelation.

“Do you actually like me? Or were you just saying that to get her to stop…” anxious about the answer since I have liked Kai for a while, but didn't want to make things awkward with him.

“Elle I have liked you for a while but I didn't want to lose you.” Kai says as he pulls me closer to him.

I don't know how to respond, all my mind was telling me was ‘kiss him’. I pull him in by his shoulders to another kiss, quickly dispelling doubts either of us had. Kai placed his hands on my waist and melted into it. He pulls away and leans his forehead against mine, just holding me. For the first time in a few days I felt safe.

“Kai?” I ask in a quiet tone almost a whisper.

“Yeah sweetheart?” 

“Can you stay while my parents are gone?” I don’t feel safe enough to be home alone, and you wanted to stay in the comfort that he gave you.

“Of course I can angel.”

[foodcourtdetective]

thinking too hard

summary: barry berkman has been trying to forget about his soulmate for both of their sakes, but Y/N is making it very hard and using their soulmate connection to draw all over him.

tags: angsty, soulmate au, love at first sight, very brief Barry x Sally, definitely a happy ending!

A/N: I’m just really into soulmate!au’s and Barry Berkman okay?!?! (and // means time passes)

word count 2.4k

AO3 x

He hated Los Angeles. Barry’s long sleeve shirt stuck to him in the desert heat, sweat pooling in his armpits and on his back. NoHank asked him about his outfit choice, offering him a short-sleeved shirt or a tank top.

“You want to take one of their shirts? They won’t mind, they’re confident in their bodies!” NoHank said, gesturing over to the Chechen recruits. Barry shook his head, clearing his throat in discomfort. After a moment, NoHank made a movement to push up Barry’s sleeves for him, but Barry was too quick and grabbed NoHank’s pinky, bending it all the way back.

“Shit shit, okay okay! Someone has body issues! We will talk about accepting your body some other time then.” Barry ignored him, staring coldly ahead as the young Chechen recruit finally hit a beer can with his bullet.

//

When he finally got back to his apartment, Barry made a beeline for the bathroom, nodding briefly at Jermaine and Nick on his way. After peeling off his shirt and grabbing the sink, Barry took a look at his body or rather what was on it. Today, his soulmate had kept it simple: a heart on his wrist, a note to pick up two lattes at 9, and a flower chain that started at his trigger finger and trailed all the way up his forearm. He sighed, holding back a soft smile as her traced up the stem of flowers with his other pointer fingers. As he ended the journey at his inner forearm, Barry stopped to see a less traditional note: written on his upper chest right over his heart, in simple cursive, it read please talk to me, Barry. A deep sigh filled the tiny bathroom and he gently caressed their handwriting.  The familiar movement triggered a whirl of memories.

Writing excitedly on his leg the moment he turned sixteen to introduce himself to his soulmate only to get no response. Giving up on love and joining the Marines shortly after. Noticing the shy hello scribbled on his hand seven years later when he was already too far gone. Writing to them any chance he got once he find out the silence was because they had not been old enough yet. Learning her name was Y/N and that she lived in California. Having to break off communication once Fuches put him to work. The sharp lines she had drawn as she had asked if he could feel the sharp indent of her pen, told him that ignoring them for their own good was ridiculous. The obscene images Y/N had drawn all over him the first couple of years, trying to get an angry message from him, any message.

His heart sank, but Barry knew as much as it hurt both of them, it was better for them to move on, to pretend to not have a soulmate. God knows Barry would rather hide her away, hide his shot at happiness, than have her be tortured or worse by any of his enemies or allies. He groaned, his knuckles turning whiter than the sink.

//

His acting class didn’t know what to make of him at first; his long, dark clothing sharply contrasted their tight shorts and tank tops, skin flaunting their connections. But despite himself, Barry grew close to Sally, a girl who had never seen any marks on her body. After hearing that Barry also had a blank canvas, she pounced on him with a marker she had seemingly pulled out of nowhere, drawing a star on his knuckles. However, despite her persistence, no matching star appeared on her own. Sally declared them star-crossed soulmates and asked him on a date.

After a late night of drinks, Barry found himself making out with Sally on her couch. She went to pull off his shirt and for the first time in his life, he mindlessly complied, distracted by the intimacy. Sally suddenly shot up from the couch, crying out as she pointed to the drawings adorning his chest. Y/N had seen the star Sally had drawn and, hopeful that it was a message to her, drew out an intricate night sky. Hidden among the stars, scrawled out in cursive, she wrote I’m here when you’re ready, Barry. -Y/N.

“How dare you! You lied just to get into my pants?!” Sally tripped over herself to pick up his discarded shirt, balling it up to chuck at him. Barry pulled it on, dazed all the way home until he saw the message glint in the mirror as he was getting undressed. Barry slammed his fist into the wall, shouting out in frustration. Ass his phone rang, the caller ID revealing it was Fuches, Barry scrambled to put his shirt back on, scribbling a message to Y/N on the fleshy part of his bicep. I’m a hitman. Don’t message me unless you want to die.

//

After the assignment, Barry found himself staring at his chest and reading her pleas to talk further. That’s not funny. Barry. Barry! Oh my god, you’re serious. That explains a few things. You gotta talk to me, your soulmate? I need to know why. Barry sighed, wandering over to his bedroom to get a pen from his desk. He sat on the bed, anxiously fiddling with the pen in between his fingers before writing on his trigger finger: you still want to talk to me? He waits, watching the loopy letters sweep down his arm like a signature under the floral art she continued to draw every day.

Yes, I have a death wish. He laughed at the absurdity of their conversation before responding.

Why are all artists suicidal?

See, I’d rather have this with you than live without it. Her words made him freeze in his tracks, his fingers gently stroking over the confession as they faded away, scrubbed off by the writer. She filled the now empty space with a series of numbers; Barry furrowed his brow, trying to decode the secret message. After a moment Y/N wrote again underneath them.

Running out of space! Text me! He hesitated, his heart in his throat as he debated if the convenience was worth sacrificing her safety. Finally, with shaking hands, he dialed the number and hit call. A soft hello followed the ringing, the voice so angelic that he knew he would do whatever she asked him to do.

“I said text, not call! You do know how to read, right?”

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay. It’s nice to hear your voice!”

“What? No, I mean I’m sorry for…” Barry trailed off, his mind swarmed by memories of pushing her away and feeling her anguish through the pointy pen tip.

“You wanted to protect me. I get it. Now we’re even from when I couldn’t write to you.”

“That wasn’t intentional.”

“It would have been! I was a pretty rebellious eleven year old.” He laughed, the silence after he finishes awkward until he breaks it.

“I’m in LA.”

“For work?”

“Yes.”

“I see.”

Barry doodles a flower on his thumb. It’s not as pretty as any of hers, but she draws a faint heart around it. He brushes the heart, his own beating so loudly it was in his ears.

“I’m scared.”

“Me too.”

“Because of who I am? What I do?” His throat was thick from holding back the dam of emotion, but his voice managed to crack in desperation.

“I’m scared you’re going to leave me again.” Barry paused at that, his own heart breaking a little at the thought of all of the pain he must have caused Y/N by abandoning her. He’s now drawing a bouquet on his forearm, a sloppier version of her own.

“You don’t have to be afraid of that. Once I see you for the first time, I’m probably never going to leave you alone ever again… Not in a creepy way…”

“I would love that.”

“I’m giving you an out right now. You can hang up, stay in the safety of your life as a… what do you do again?”

“Graphic design!”

“I knew you were an artist!”

“And I knew you were a comedian!”

“Weird way of pronouncing what I actually do…” She giggled at that, falling quiet after a hearty laugh.

“Look at your leg. I’ll see you there at 9. Don’t be late!” As she hung up, Barry pressed his phone to his lips in shock. Remembering her words, he pulled his pants down to read the directions she had jotted onto his thigh, the dots in the I’s drawn as hearts instead of dots; he almost died of pure joy right then and there.

//

In hindsight, it was good that Y/N had suggested a coffee shop to meet because Barry had not gotten a wink of sleep the entire night. He had stared at the ceiling, flat on his back and still fondly stroking her writing on his leg. As his pointer finger traced the hearts, he felt his own thud loudly in his chest. It was easier to protect her when she was just lines on his person, just another part of him that he hated, another vulnerability. But hearing Y/N’s voice, imagining what she might look like, had ignited a wanting within him, a need to be with her, his other half. She was no longer just a part of him; she was a separate entity that he wanted to get to know and love.

He had gotten to the shop as soon as it opened at 4, wanting to figure out where the best table inside would be and staking it out for them. The barista had made him order a drink at 5:30; panicked and feeling about a thousand years old, Barry ordered “something to bring me back to life.” At 6 he was shuttering, borderline convulsing from the quad espresso that he consumed quickly. His anxiety was through the room, but all he could do was dig his fingernails into his palm which was resting on his jeans over her handwriting. What if she wasn’t as okay with the age difference as she thought she was? What if it hits her that her soulmate is a hitman? What if the drawings stop appearing. What if—

Barry jolted awake in his seat, now realizing that he had crashed from the overdose of caffeine. The barista (Stacie, he later learned) made a joke about having to restart his heart. He checked his phone: 8:30am. Suddenly, a thought dawned on him and he ordered another drink. By the time Stacie brought it over and started walking back to the counter, the bell above the door tingled. Barry immediately stood up like Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice, turning to look at the customer. She sensed his stare immediately, turning to look him over as a dreamy blush painted her cheeks.

“Barry?” She whispered, his name less of a question and more of a disbelief. He swallowed, his throat dry as he looked over Y/N, his soulmate. She was absolutely picturesque, an almost pure aura of light around her as the door slowly shut behind her. As she drew near, Barry was almost too aware of how he towered over, a menacing presence.

“I gotcha a latt-“ Barry didn’t even get to finish his stuttering as Y/N grabbed his collar and pulled him down into a kiss. His mouth was already half open and he stumbled forward from the force of her tug. It wasn’t the most coordinated kiss in the world, her mouth mostly on his bottom lip and her teeth lightly bumped his by accident; but it was theirs. Barry felt his body fill with a warmth, like his whole being was sighing with relief at being united with his soulmate as he kissed her back. He had thought that the doodles and the sound of her voice would do him in, but this… this would knock his entire life’s path off track. After a moment, Barry gently placed his hands on her cheeks and pulled away, just looking down at her in awe.

“How did you know my coffee order?” Y/N asked, her grin stretched out wider than Barry previously thought possible. He babbled for a few seconds, removing his hands to gesticulate as he just expressed a bunch of word fillers before finally managing to get something out.

“Y-you, you wrote it on your hand as a-a part of your to-to-to do list,” he explained, trying to stick his erratic hands in his pockets but Y/N swung her hand forward to snatch his hand. She squealed, making a joke about how sweaty his hand was and Barry thought he would die of a heart attack right then and there. She pulled him down again, this time so they could sit at the table together and she could take a sip of her latte. Barry simply stared at her, his brain slightly short circuiting with delight. Eventually, rational thought caught up with him and Barry tried to remove his hand from hers, but she had a firm grip and a look in her eye that told him she already knew what he was going to say.

“You’re not worried about…”

“I thought we already went over this, Barry. I’m in! I’m all in,” she declared sweetly, leaning over to capture his lips once again. He was consumed by it, by her, his head swirling with a dizziness of emotion and his lungs burning with a heartache of regrets. They could have had this so much sooner, if he had left the army, if he hadn’t made that deal with Fuches, if he hadn’t been an idiot about wanting to protect her. The deep and mind numbing kiss ended as Y/N broke it to breathe heavy. Barry looked at her through lidded eyes, revering her with every fiber of his being.

“You are good at that! It’s a good thing too because it looks like I’m gonna have to kiss you every five minutes to get you out of that type of thinking,” she giggled, moving to lean back in her chair but Barry slung an arm around her waist, pulling her back into him with a soft smile.

“Better make it every two minutes because I’m thinking again,” he joked, his heart glowing as the love of his life obliged his request and kissed him senseless.

[shealwaysreads]

Writing’s On the Wall

A little something inspired by THIS pic that @jeldenil shared on the Drarry Discord Server - hilarious lines contributed by her and @hogwartsfemme 🙌

Betaed by the lovely @malenkayacherepakha and cheered by the sweet @drarryruinedme7 ❤️

Drarry | 2586 words | Harry POV, Auror cadets Harry & Draco, graffiti, gratuitous use of the ‘just out the shower’ image

Summary: In which the Auror department is surprisingly artistic, Draco is still an overdramatic shit, Harry still makes the most of any trouble that finds him, and getting horizontal is the solution to everyone's problems.

Also available on AO3

The first time Harry ever noticed graffiti that referenced him had been in the Quidditch locker rooms at Hogwarts. He had been pretty sure it was Draco or one of his cronies that had slipped into the Gryffindor area and spelled miniature Dementors to appear whenever someone walked past the blank game-play board. Oliver Wood had cursed and spluttered when he realised they had erased his intricate diagrams and game-plans, fiercely complaining to McGonagall.

Some of the highlights while he was at Hogwarts had been during the Triwizard Tournament - there had suddenly been loads of graffiti about him. None of it complimentary until he’d completed the first challenge, admittedly. “POTTER STINKS” had flashed across every toilet door in the castle in a lurid, flashing green for three weeks before Filch managed to convince Professor Flitwick to help him remove the charms.

Then a tiny doodle of him and a dragon appeared in an alcove on the way to the History of Magic classroom. Complete with glowing dragon flames it showed Harry and the Horntail flying a wild and cartoonish circuit around a sketchy Hogwarts, their endless chase looping every minute or so. It was probably Dean’s handiwork, the lines confident and skillful even though it was charmed onto rough stone walls - and his practice with art charms had come a long way since his first Quidditch banner. Within a week it had been scratched through though, a proud ‘CEDRIC’S THE BEST’ scrawled over it.

After the war, he saw it more regularly. The mark of the Deathly Hallows spelled onto walls, scratched into bar tables. Sometimes a cheeky ‘If HP sees this and wants a good time, Floo me!’ with addresses charmed underneath. It made trips to pub bathrooms, usually home of the more lurid examples of graffiti, an embarrassing trial sometimes - his friends always welcomed ammunition for their endless teasing.

Thankfully, he wasn't the only one targeted by renegade artists and overzealous fans. Ron had flushed beetroot red (clashing horribly with his hair) for a full half hour after seeing a particularly explicit suggestion about himself scrawled in muggle pen across the wall in the Leaky Cauldron. Harry had cackled all the way back to their tabled and regaled Hermione, Neville, Seamus, and Dean with the details while Ron hid behind his pint.

He was pleased when he joined the Auror Cadets and nobody seemed to be star-struck. Their tutors were strict but fair. Even Draco Malfoy wasn’t up to his old schoolboy tricks. It appeared that his attitude had matured just as well as the rest of him.

On too many occasions to count Harry caught himself appreciating just how well Draco filled out his cadet uniform, especially the clinging material of their work-out gear which left less to the imagination than he thought he should be subjected to at work...while still desperately wanting to see more.

The only issue Harry had with his cohort of fellow cadets, and even some of the wider Auror staff, was the giggling. He knew it wasn't to do with his ‘man who lived twice’ reputation because they’d made a point of pairing him with an Auror in his sixties for sparring classes during his first month of training. He’d had his arse absolutely handed to him during class after class for four solid weeks, and that had quelled any potential hero worship before it could start.

No. This was the kind of giggling that made you think people were talking about you. He walked into the break room and was immediately on edge as three fellow cadets started sniggering into their tea cups, going silent as soon as he turned around and made eye contact. And it happened when Draco joined sessions too. Not to mention the sly looks and excited mutterings that broke out whenever he and Draco were paired together in classes or for fieldwork.

It was driving Harry mad. That morning in duelling practice he had been partnered with Draco to fight against another pair of cadets, learning how to effectively work offensive and defensive spells while working in a pair - just like they would once they were full Aurors. He had been surprised earlier in the year at how well he and Draco worked together when fighting, but on reflection realised they knew each other’s duelling style so well from attacking each other that it sort of made sense.

Thankfully it was Friday, and the day was done. He and Draco had been on clear-up duty, packing away the cushioned mats and returning the sparring room back to its blank slate, ready for the first class on Monday. So it was just the two of them in the changing rooms, showering before heading home.

Ordinarily Harry would have just skipped out and headed home for a shower in the comfort of his own place, but he’d promised to meet his friends at the Leaky and only had half an hour before he was due to get the first round in.

With just him and Draco in the shower rooms it was actually peaceful, no sounds but the rush of water, no laughing cadets making Harry feel like he must have something on his face. Other than the obvious of course.

Just as he was drying off, thoughts of beer and a big basket of chips filling his mind, Harry’s peace was rudely interrupted.

“POTTER!” Draco barked. “ Explain yourself!”

Harry hurried to wrap his towel around his waist, and padded out to the main changing area to see what he was being accused of. Even the sight of Draco, his own towel riding low on slim hips, his hair still dripping water onto his surprisingly broad chest, didn't distract Harry from the sheer horror induced by the entire wall of graffiti he found.

There was the usual house pride slogans, the Hufflepuffs perhaps not so surprisingly prolific taggers given their famous loyalty. There was even a Deathly Hallows icon - a remnant from those first months post-war when Harry saw them everywhere. Some clever bugger had even charmed a big marker quill to stick to the wall - so anyone wanting to add their own touch to the wall wouldn't find themselves without a writing implement.

But the pièce de résistance was the two feet tall portrait someone had drawn of him and Draco together. As in. Carnally. It didn’t have quite the artistic flair of Dean’s magical moving paintings, but mini-Harry and mini-Draco didn’t seem to let that hold them back - both of them looking over their shoulders with surprised expressions while they continued rocking and thrusting together. With gusto.

Harry felt a hot flush creeping up his neck, and it was only half from embarrassment. His fellow cadets’ laughter and meaningful glances between him and Draco suddenly made sense. Clearly the whole bloody lot of them were in on it - given the number of different handwriting styles decorating the wall.

Draco was similarly pink, points of colour high on his cheekbones giving away his emotional state - just like when he got angry at school. If Harry wasn't sure Draco was about to launch into a full blown rant he might even have taken a moment to admire the way his rage made his eyes so bright. But an angry Draco was a long-winded Draco, and the pub was calling Harry.

“Clearly I didn’t bloody do this, Malfoy.” He gestured at the layers of writing and doodles. “This is the whole fucking team at it. Look! I’m not a Hufflepuff am I?!”

A scoff was his only response. Then Draco pointed out the ‘I need HP like a grindylow needs water’ tag, and raised one pointed eyebrow meaningfully at Harry.

“I think this smacks of your usual ego actually, even if you did seem to have gotten over that recently. And look - isn’t that your abysmal handwriting?!”

Harry peered at the word Draco was pointing at.

“What the fuck is ‘drarry’ though? I definitely didn’t write that. I don’t even know that spell.”

Draco rolled his eyes so hard Harry was surprised they didn’t fall out of his head. So overdramatic.

“It’s clearly a fucking portmanteau, Potter, you absolute idiot. Anyway. Aren’t we ignoring the elephant in the room here? They’ve drawn us fucking for Merlin’s sake - in our place of work! ”

Draco was working himself up to high dudgeon now, and Harry couldn’t exactly blame him. It was inappropriate. But it was also pretty funny. And frankly, from his perspective, he couldn’t blame the rest of their class for getting a bit carried away. He knew he must have contributed to whatever idea they had of the two of them together, with the way his eyes lingered on Draco’s arse so regularly. Even so, they should probably talk to the head of the Cadet teaching team, get this all sorted out before it spilled into a more public forum.

But winding Draco up had been one of Harry’s specialty subjects up to this point in his life, and far more fun than resisting Imperio or defeating Dark Lords, so he decided to indulge himself. Even if he ended up late for pub night. Or with a black eye.

“You’re right, you know. This is wrong.” He paused for a moment, taking in Draco’s approving nod before gleefully marching on to turn it into a thunderous glare. “Who said you get to top?”

A strangled noise escaped Draco’s open mouth, his brows twisted with frustration. Harry tried to keep his soaring satisfaction hidden, loving the play of emotions over Draco’s usually calm face. There was just something about seeing him get all flustered that made Harry feel the same way he did when he reached out to grab the snitch. Elated.

“ That’s what you take issue with?”

He was even gesturing with his hands now. Elegant fingers pointed angrily at their twins on the wall - still merrily copulating - while the other hand gripped the knot holding his towel up. Harry couldn’t help but drop his gaze for a moment, imagining what he might see if he annoyed Draco enough for him to let go of that towel for a moment.

Ever the hopeful Gryffindor, Harry leant forward and grabbed the marker quill. He grinned at Draco before drawing a big arrow pointing at their doodled likenesses, then wrote in bold letters ‘OK BUT HARRY TOPS’. He drew back and watched as Draco read his addition to the wall, waiting for the inevitable bomb to go off. This was better than sparring.

“There. I fixed it.”

But instead of an explosion of the poshest invective he’d ever had the pleasure of hearing - Draco’s command of archaic swear words was genuinely one of the highlights of their working together - Harry watched as Draco fell silent. His eyes were wide as he stared at what Harry had written, the spots of pink high on his cheekbones blooming into a flush that travelled down his neck and even onto his chest.

And now Harry was looking at his nipples. Fuck.

When he managed to drag his treacherous eyes away from those pert, pink, perfectly lickable buds he found Draco’s sharp gaze trained fully on his face. This didn’t bode well.

“You...fixed it? ‘Okay but Harry tops’ is you fixing it? That was the only part of this whole thing-” he gestured wildly at the wall. “That’s the only bit you have an issue with? Not the whole. Drarry thing. Seriously?”

He actually sounded almost plaintive. Harry suddenly regretted taking the piss, even if he hadn’t exactly lied at any point in this little melodrama.

“Um. Well. Obviously we should talk to Auror Lessing about it, it’s not fair that they’re doing this just to us. But. Well. I’m not offended people might think of us together I guess?” He shrugged his shoulders and nodded at their graffiti counterparts. “They look like they’re enjoying it anyway!”

Draco’s eyes narrowed as he watched Harry huff a nervous laugh. He advanced one step toward Harry, and Harry couldn’t help but notice the way his body still glittered with droplets of water from his shower. Couldn’t help thinking about what a pleasant way to spend some time it would be to lick each one of them. He hauled his thoughts back from that treacherous direction; his towel didn’t hide much and it definitely wouldn’t hide a very work-inappropriate stiffy.

“They do look like they’re having fun, don’t they.” Draco murmured.

Harry swallowed hard at the deep timbre of his voice.

“ That Harry doesn’t seem to be too disappointed to be on the receiving end. Shame it’s not an accurate reflection of reality.”

All thoughts of propriety flew out of Harry’s mind at that. Draco sodding Malfoy was flirting with him. Undeniably. Could a bit of embarrassing graffiti really be the thing that pushed them beyond the weird tension they’d had since eighth year?

“Well. Um.” He cleared his throat. “It’s just the assumption really. Probably because I’m shorter than you. But I’m pretty, um, versatile. And, ah, height difference doesn’t matter much in bed, I find.”

For the span of a heartbeat Harry feared he’d misread the situation, overstepped the mark. But then a wicked grin grew on Draco’s face and he knew he’d hit just the right spot. He stepped closer still, making Harry tilt his head up slightly to maintain their eye contact.

The small space between them filled with heat, and Harry felt like if he breathed in deeply enough their chests might even touch. He wondered if Draco was still holding his towel so tightly, but didn’t dare look down, didn’t want to break this moment stretching between them.

“I agree Potter. Very unfair of them to pigeon-hole you. They should know better by now.” He raised an eyebrow, challenge in every line of his face. “I was thinking of skipping pub night this evening in favour of a hot bath and a curry. But, as you’re feeling so versatile I’m happy to be flexible too. How about I join you and the rest of the motley crew for the obligatory Friday night pint, and then you join me for food?”

Harry felt his mouth drop open, shocked Draco had been the one of them to finally come out and say it so boldly. Draco just leaned closer still, his breath hot against Harry’s ear as he whispered, sending a corresponding shiver of excitement down his spine.

“I reckon we can test out your height difference theory, I’m sure my sofa would do the trick too - if you want to demonstrate for me?”

The image that conjured in Harry’s mind was enough to make him snap his mouth shut and stifle a groan of desire. He reached out to finally touch Draco, and closed the tiny distance between them to kiss him fully on the mouth. A broad palm at his waist, gripping tightly, pulled a gasp out of him. He dragged himself away from Draco’s mouth with difficulty, already panting slightly.

“Fuck pub night, get dressed. Last one to the apparition point is paying for the curry.”

With that Harry dashed across the room to pull his trousers on, grinning as he watched Draco wrangle his own on over still damp legs. He couldn’t wait to see what this mutual competitive spirit would create outside of the quidditch pitch or duelling ring, but he was sure it would be absolutely worth the tongue-lashing he’d get from Ron for ditching the sacred Friday night drinks for Draco.

Tagging @tedahfromtayla @maesterchill @tomoewantsdolls

[fanfic-inator795]

RotTMNT/Baron Jitsu Fanfiction: Dating... With Children - Chapter Two

(Also on AO3 if you want to leave a comment or kudos)

Plot:  Benjamin Draxum hardly considered himself a man of high social standing. Not because he was uncouth or unworthy of it, mind you, but simply because he didn't have much of a social life. Hard to have one when he usually spent his days at work, cooped up in a lab for so long that he often had his lunches in there, and his nights at home reading or doing research for more personal projects. But perhaps meeting handsome semi-retired movie star - as well as his four young sons - could change all that...

((Chapter two, ya’ll! Thank you to everyone for their support on this story so far, and I hope you enjoy the next chapter! ^v^))

“...What’ve you got there, baby?”

Mikey smiled, and held the drawing - consisting of crayon, marker AND a bit of paint - up for his father to see. “Lots of drawings!” he replied, “Didn't wanna choose one, so I made ‘em all! Like this guy here is a super cool dragon, an’ here's his friend who’s a turtle that can skateboard, and this is a bee that's always makin’ up words and making people spell them!”

“Heh, I'm sure I know what that's inspired from,” Lou chuckled, remembering how Raph shared that his class was having a spelling bee a couple weeks ago. He sat and listened to his youngest explain each doodle, nodding and making quick comments of his own as he did so.

“And that's all I really have so far,” Mikey finished, setting the paper down, “but I think I wanna try to add a few more drawings. Maybe some stickers too, THEN it'll be perfect!”

“Alright,” Lou nodded, “But when you're finished, would you please clean off the table? Remember, we have company coming over tonight.”

“Oh yeah! Don't worry, Papa, I will!”

“Good,” Lou smiled, ruffling his curly hair and making the boy giggle, “Thank you.”

“I'm glad Dr. Draxum is coming over,” Donnie spoke up from the beanbag, looking up from his textbook, “I wanna talk to him more about science stuff. And look!” He held up his book - ‘The Building-Blocks of Life’. “I'm reading up on genetics too! And I'm pretty sure I’ll be about as smart as him on it by the time I'm finished.”

Amused, Lou raised an eyebrow. “I didn't realize they were teaching genetics in the first grade.”

“They aren't. I finished my work early and got to go to the library again.” “Ah.” Lou made another mental tally in his head. The school hadn't said anything yet, but if this kept up, he'd have to go there himself and look into possibly moving Donatello up to Raph’s grade. “Can you believe that some kids aren't even interested in looking at the big kid section of books? Or at the non-fiction section? Those are the best sections!”

“Heh, no, I can't. But then it's a good thing that you can appreciate them.” He began to stand up, but stopped when his ears picked up on something. Some quiet whispers, a couple soft footsteps… The martial artist smirked, and prepared himself.

After a couple seconds, he felt something heavy run into him, slamming him to the carpeted floor. He let out an “OOF!”, unable to help himself, while giggles filled his ears. “I got you, Pop!” Raph grinned, “You're pinned!”

“Oh, are you sure?” Lou asked, “because I think-” He twisted his body quickly, knocking a surprised Raphael off before scooping him up into his arms, making the boy squeal. “That I have YOU!” Raph squirmed in his father’s grip while Lou gave him a couple quick noogies before kissing him on the top of his head.

“Daaaad!” Raph groaned, sticking his tongue out. Lou just laughed, letting the boy go.

“Told ya you couldn't beat him, Raphie,” Leo said, grinning at the whole scene as he sat on the arm of his pop’s chair, growing legs swinging, “He's like, the best fighter in the whole world!”

“Yeah well, I still pinned you for a second, right Pop?”

“Mm-hm,” Lou nodded, “Though next time, make sure to actually pin them once you have them on the floor. Don't just sit on them, but try putting your hands and weight on their shoulders. Makes it harder for them to move, slows them down some.” After a moment, he added “But, maybe don't try to tackle our guest tonight, hm?”

“Heh, I won't.” “Good. Now why don't you and your brother wash up?” Raph and Leo both glanced down at their grass and dirt covered limbs, grimaced at them and dashed out of the room.

Still chuckling a bit to himself, Lou picked himself off the floor and headed back into the kitchen. He had already started prepping a couple dishes, but he still had plenty left to do for their meal. His smile softened a bit as he thought about their guest…

It had taken five days for Draxum to call him. In that time, Lou had tried looking him up online. Draxum’s social media was pretty standard, nothing offensive or red-flag raising but nothing too interesting either. The only other piece of the man online was a brief biography on his lab’s research site along with a photo - where he had a very serious and professional expression on his face. A far cry from the fairly casual man he had met at the art gallery.

When he did finally call, it had been late at night, just after he'd put the boys to bed and right before heading to bed himself. Lou had wondered if perhaps this was planned, as a sort of “welp, I tried calling but there was no answer, oh well” type of thing. But Lou had answered, and much to his (and certainly to Draxum’s) surprise, they had ended up talking for a couple hours.

The conversation had started out pretty slow and standard. Lou asked how his day at work was, and Draxum asked how he and the boys were doing. After a while though, things became a little more natural, and their conversation almost became more of a banter. They’d go back and forth, discussing their favorite forms of entertainment, hobbies they enjoyed, and even sharing a couple personal anecdotes. And after all that, there was no way Lou wasn't going to end the call by inviting him over.

Draxum told him he'd have to check his schedule. It only took until the next morning for Draxum to text, letting him know that he would be free the following weekend. Again, Lou couldn't help but wonder if Draxum actually had to check his schedule or if he just didn't want to appear to eager, but said nothing. Instead, he simply gave him a date, time and his home address, and let him know that he was looking forward to it.

Lou had to admit, Draxum wasn't usually his type, but he was still unique enough to catch the ex-movie star’s interest. After all, how many buff science-type bookworms did one meet in their life? Draxum was certainly intelligent, and had a bit of a dry wit but never seemed like a snob. He was a bit stiff but not boring, spoke his mind and, if Lou was really being honest, was so hot. (Again, buff bookworms. Who knew?) Plus, his kids really seemed to like him too. In Lou’s opinion, that last bit was the most important one of all. So, with all that in mind, Lou just figured: “Eh, why not?”

It was funny how often that phrase came up during the big decisions in his life - like when he had decided that he wanted to try being a father when almost everything else in his life seemed hollow, and ended up adopting four kids instead of just one.

---------

Draxum looked at his watch. 5:17. A bit early but, wasn't that better than being late? Really, it was a good sign he was there at all, given that he was still a bit surprised at himself for even accepting the invite. ...Not that spending more time with Lou was necessarily a bad idea...

He then glanced up at the house he was now in front of. Having never actually been invited to a celebrity’s home before, he hadn't quite been sure what to expect. But a medium sized, cozy looking and slightly run-down home in Brooklyn certainly was a bit of a surprise. Maybe making action movies didn't pay as well as Draxum thought.

Still, he kept these comments to himself as he went up the walkway that was littered with chalk drawings and up to the door, knocking twice. It took a couple moments for someone - one of the boys, the one with light patches of skin around his eyes who was wearing a blue tee - to open the door. “You know the password?” He asked.

Draxum’s expression twisted slightly in annoyance, but he kept his cool. “Open says me?” He guessed.

“Mm nnnnope, sorry.” With that, the door was slammed in his face. From the other side, he could hear more young voices, scolding and lightly arguing with each other. The door opened again, and one boy had become four. “I was just joking!” Leo insisted while Donnie continued to glare.

“Hi, Dr. Draxum!” Mikey greeted with a wave.

“Sorry about my dumb brother-” “Hey!” “You can come on in,” Raph added.

Draxum nodded. “Thank you,” he said, moving his arm a bit so he could reveal more of the small box he had been carrying. “If you hadn't let me in when you did, this probably would have melted.”

Leo’s eyes widened. “Wait, you brought cake?! Well you should’a said so!”

With a ghost of a smile on his face, Draxum walked inside. The living room to the Jitsu home was inviting and very much in-use, but not the cluttered and messy space that Draxum had been worried it might have been. There was a reclining chair, a love seat, two kid-sized beanbags, a coffee table with several colorful marks now permanently on it, and a flat screen tv that was playing some cartoon. There were a couple toys on the floor, though not enough that Draxum had to worry about tripping over anything, as well as a few framed pictures on the wall. One of Lou at what looked like some award ceremony, one of him with a Chinese woman (ex wife, perhaps?) and of course, one of him with his children that looked like it was taken just a couple years ago.

“Hey, Doc!” a voice called from the kitchen, bringing Draxum out of his thoughts, “How’s it going? You find the place alright?”

“Yes, there's this wonderful thing called a gps that really helps,” Draxum dryly replied.

Lou chuckled, smiling at him over his shoulder, and blinking when he saw the ice cream cake in the taller man’s hands. From the look of the packaging, he could guess that it came from a pretty high end bakery. “Oh, you didn't have to bring anything.”

“Well, you said you were making supper, I figured the least I could do was bring dessert,” Draxum told him, “Should I just put this in the fridge, then?”

“Yeah, go right ahead.” Draxum did, and then sat down at the table. He noticed that Lou was just in a loose fitting, pale yellow tee and some jeans. Immediately, he felt overdressed, even if he himself was just in a button-up long sleeve shirt and some dark khakis. Still, Draxum tried to look as ‘casual’ as possible, but clearly it wasn't working by the way Lou kept glancing back at him from the kitchen counter

“I'm glad you could make it, by the way,” Lou spoke up, trying to break the ice a little, “I'm sure you get pretty busy, being a scientist and all.”

“Actually, unless I hit a big breakthrough or doing work on a time sensitive project, it's pretty much a nine-to-five job most of the time,” Draxum replied, “The work stays steady, at least.” Lou nodded, and went back to his cooking. Not wanting to risk falling into uncomfortable silence once again, Draxum decided to ask something that had been on his mind since they first met. “And what do you do for a living these days, given that your last film was in, what, the early 2000s?”

Rather than being offended or caught off guard, Lou just smirked. “...You sure you're not a fan of my films?”

“Definitely not,” Draxum retorted so quickly that it made Lou laugh

“If you say so! Anyway, yeah, that was about the time I moved from LA to here. I was smart about my last few paychecks, so I pretty much live off my savings.

Draxum blinked. “...Seriously?”

“Seriously. Though, I know I can't use ALL of it - I know at least one of my kids is going to be going to college - so I do odd jobs when I need to. Make appearances at conventions, do a quick commercial or two sometimes- heh, last year I was even paid to play on a gameshow. A stagehand kept an eye on the boys as they watched me play from the audience, I won some money for a charity, and then the next day I took them to Disneyland. Used most of that paycheck to do it, too. So, I guess you could call me a bit of a sellout.” Though judging by his tone, Lou didn't seem bothered by this at all.

“I don't think anyone could really blame you for taking less time consuming work,” Draxum offered, “Still, do you ever miss making movies, as cheesy as they are?” Or rather, were.

Lou thought for a moment as he tossed the last few ingredients into the frying pan. “...Yeah,” he admitted, “I do. Though, there are plenty of things about the industry that I definitely don't miss, and besides…” His smile softened a bit. “I've got plenty of other things to occupy my time.”

Suddenly, there was a shout. Turning in surprise, Draxum looked through the doorway and watched as Donnie tackled a laughing Leon to the floor. “...Speaking of which, do you know that your kids are tackling each other?”

“Oh yeah, they do that sometimes,” Lou nodded, not even moving from the counter, “Boys will be boys and all that. They're going to roughhouse no matter what I say, and as long as they follow the rules, I usually don't need to step in.”

“Rules?”

Setting down his stirring spoon, Lou counted them off his fingers. “No holding anyone down for more than a couple seconds, no using force to get someone to play what you want to play, if someone says they don't want to wrestle then just leave them be, and no making anyone cry. They're good boys, so that last one is usually punishment enough when they accidentally break it.”

“Ah, I see,” Draxum nodded. Well, that was one way to teach kids how to control their strength and think about their actions. Still, he wondered how Lou would go about things once his sons got a little older and possibly became interested in following in their father’s martial arts footsteps.

It didn't take much longer for their supper to be finished. The kids came to the table without even needing to be called, smelling the food and eager to eat as well as being excited to talk with their guest again. While Raph and Leo told Lou all about the latest exciting climax in their cartoon, Mikey shared one of his drawings with Draxum, who could only stare at it.

“It's, uh…” He tilted his head a bit, staring at the mess of bright colors and scribbles. What on earth was it supposed to be? A natural disaster mixed with a rainbow? “...Very nice, yes.

Mikey beamed. “Really?! Which one is your favorite?”

Shoot, there was more than one drawing there? Well, that at least explained why everything was so cluttered. “Er, well…” He focused a little more on the drawing, and try to find anything that resembled something other than a blob or a tumbleweed to him. “I like this… Cat. Yes, this cat over in the corner, with the… Ice cream on it?”

Mikey looked back at the paper. “That's not a cat.” “Oh, sor-” “But that's a good idea!” The boy gave Draxum another bright smile. “I’ll draw you a kitty with ice cream later, kay?”

“Heh, very well,” Draxum nodded, relieved that he didn't offend the young artist.

“-And then, they used the magic sword, and blasted the bad guys right into the sky!” “Yeah, and the main hero guy said the BEST thing afterwards! He's soooo cool!”

“Well of course, he IS the main hero, after all” Lou chuckled, setting the last of the dishes down at the table, “Donnie, please put your book away now.”

Donnie frowned, reluctantly closing his half-finished textbook. “Fine…” As he placed it back into his ever-present backpack, Draxum managed to catch the book’s title.

“Genetics, hm?” He asked, smiling a bit. Perhaps the boy had been inspired. “Enjoying it so far?” Donnie nodded, keeping his eyes on the silverware in front of him.

The meal was fairly simple. A baked fish as the main course, with fried rice and an easy-to-make salad as the sides. Still, what it lacked in uniqueness, it more than made up for in good flavor. “I'm usually not much of a fish eater, but this is quite good,” Draxum commented, after only a couple bites.

“Mm-hm,” Lou smirked, “I'm not just a handsome actor-martial artist, after all. I know how to cook.” Draxum just rolled his eyes, mildly amused at his date’s cockiness.

“You should try eatin’ the fish and the rice at the same time,” Raph advised, “They go really good together!”

Draxum was the type to keep his food, as well as the tastes and textures, separate while he ate, but he did try the combination once just to appease the eldest Jitsu child. As he continued to eat, Draxum kept glancing over at Donatello out of the corner of his eye. The boy in purple nibbled and picked at his food, fidgeting a bit and staying silent. Certainly different from the eager and inquisitive boy Donnie had introduced himself as, so what had brought on this sudden shyness?

Was it something Draxum had said? He couldn't think of anything that could've been taken as discouragement or dismissal. So, maybe Donnie just didn't care for his field of science but didn't want to offend Draxum by saying so? No, that didn't seem right either. So then, what-?

He noticed Leo leaning over, whispering to Donnie for a moment before being nudged away. Rather than being annoyed, Leo just looked a bit concerned while his twin just looked… Embarrassed? An epiphany went off in Draxum’s mind. So THAT was why Donnie wasn't talking to him.

“Donnie,” he began, getting the boy’s attention, “I was wondering if you had any thoughts on your research so far?”

Donnie continued to squirm, squeezing his fists in his lap. “I-I mean, I'm still reading through the book so, so I'm not really an expert on it yet.” Truth be told, while he liked all sciences, he had really taken a shine to robotics and technology the most. “But talking to you ‘bout it before gave me a good head start, and I know the basics of it already and, um…”

“Yes…?”

“A-And, I…” Donnie scowled before suddenly shouting, “I have a scientific theory! A-About genetics, I mean.”

Draxum nodded, keeping composed (because, wow, even he could admit this was kind of adorable). “May I hear about it?” he asked, making sure to keep his voice neutral to avoid sounding patronizing, knowing that a child as smart as Donnie would definitely notice.

“Well… O-Our genes are inherited from our birth parents, right? So we only have a possibility of getting what they, or the rest of their people in their family, had. But, maybe there could be a way to, um, switch out genes somehow? Maybe with gene samples from other people, or with genes made by scientists, and then those new cells could develop and make whatever kind of person with whatever features they wanted.” Donnie winced a bit once he was finished, and waited for Draxum’s reaction.

The scientist hummed. “Well, that is a sound theory. Perhaps a bit difficult to test at the moment, but I can understand the basis of it, as well as see how it could be possible one day.” Donnie’s eyes widened. He stared back at Draxum, and began to grin widely, as if he had just received the best compliment ever. Draxum held back a chuckle. “Would you like to discuss this theory further?” “Yeah!”

Unsurprisingly, once Draxum began sharing the concept of gene mutation, the conversation devolved into a mix of scientific theorizing with some sci-if-esque levels of speculation (Donnie) and a debate over which animal features and mutations would be best to mix with people (the rest of the boys). Still, the discussion was no less enjoyable, to the kids or to Draxum.

And as for Lou, he just watched and listened, a warm smile on his face. This may have been their first shared meal together, but Draxum already felt like a seat at the table that had always somehow been there

----------

“...I think I just made it impossible for your kids to go to sleep tonight.”

“Eh, they've had worse sugar rushes. Trust me, this is nothing. Besides, they'll burn it all up soon enough.”

The remaining slices of the ice cream cake had already been placed back into the fridge, and because it was still somewhat light out, the boys had been allowed to go play outside for a while. So, they raced out the door, leaving their father and his date to watch by the window while they started playing what Draxum could only describe as a mixed up version of soccer and cricket.

He wasn't even sure if they were keeping score. All he could tell was that the game involved running all around the small yard, using foam swords and hockey sticks to hit a ball as well as kicking it with their feet. Either way, they all seemed to enjoy it, with Raph happily teaming up with Mikey and offering him a piggyback ride whenever his youngest brother struggled to keep up.

Draxum hummed, taking a small sip from the tea Lou had made for him before setting the cup back down. “Your kids are definitely unique.”

“Heh, they sure are,” Lou agreed, “They really are good boys… And they really like you, you know.”

Draxum nodded. It was still sort of hard to believe himself, given how he often thought of children as nothing more than tiny annoyances. Yes, Lou’s kids were loud, and strange, and still a tiny bit annoying. But they were also clever and endearing, and even a little cute. So, he had no real problems with them liking him, or with liking them in return.

“...And,” Lou began, taking a step closer, suddenly making Draxum very aware of his presence, “I really like you too.”

“I-...” That was all Draxum could get out as he turned from the window, looking Lou directly in the eyes now. The handsome (‘ugh, why did he have to be so handsome,’ Draxum thought to himself, knowing this would all be so much easier if he wasn't) man stared back at him, lips curled into an honest smile. No cockiness or playing up his ego, Lou simply wanted him to know how he felt.

“And I mean it too. And uh, heh, no pressure or anything but… I hope the feeling’s mutual.” Draxum didn't say anything, but he didn't look away either. Lou took another slow step forward. Close enough together to do so now, Draxum dared himself to take his hands.

“I think… That's a possibility,” Draxum told him quietly, finally finding the words to reply.

Lou smiled, letting out a soft chuckle that made Draxum’s heart leap a bit. “Good to know…” They were closer now, enough for Draxum to see himself in Lou’s glasses. He told himself that he wasn't the kind of man to kiss on the first date, but Lou was making it SO tempting!

Their faces were getting closer, with Draxum’s own feeling much too warm. He placed his hands on the shorter man’s chest… And gently pushed him away.

The ex-action star blinked, the intimate mood gone in an instant, suddenly leaving him feeling cold. Still, despite his disappointment, Lou backed away.

“...It’s getting late,” Draxum stated, “I should probably get going.” He didn't waste time moving past Lou, now standing in the doorway between the kitchen and living room.

Lou nodded. “Right, of course. Well, thanks again for coming over. I had a nice-”

“I’m-” Draxum suddenly began to say, still refusing to look back at him, “I’m… Available next weekend, as well. So, perhaps you could come over to my place and we could have dinner there.” He paused for a moment before adding, “Just the two of us. It, it's the least I could do, cooking for you in return.”

“...” Lou’s grin returned. So there WAS going to be a next time! “Yeah, that sounds great! Just text me a time and your address and I’ll be there!”

Draxum nodded. “I will.”

“Heh, I’ll be looking forward to our next appointment, Dr. Draxum.”

Even with the light blush still in his cheeks, Draxum turned back around halfway, scoffing at him. “You don't have to keep calling me that. I have a first name, I won't be offended if you use it.”

Despite his internet search on the man, Lou continued to be coy. “You never told me it, Dr. Tall, Dark and Handsome.”

His date rolled his eyes, sighing slightly. He was tall, definitely, but he wasn't anywhere near dark. His skin just barely had a tan! “It's Benjamin. Benjamin Draxum.”

“Ah. Well, Ben, I’ll see you next week.” Draxum nodded, hesitating for only a moment before moving once more. Lou followed him to the front door, and they each gave a quick good night before Draxum left.

“Heh, a second date,” Lou told himself, still grinning about it, “How about that?” With his steps light and earlier disappointment being unable to touch his now sky-high mood, Lou went into his backyard and began trying to wrangle up his kids and get them back inside for pajamas and teeth brushing.

[nexttrickanvils]

Inked Souls

Written for Day 4 of Ryukita Week: AU

Characters: Ryuji Sakamoto, Yusuke Kitagawa, mentions of others

Notes: Soulmate AU where there are different types of soulmate markings/connections but in particular focusing on the idea of “Whatever your soulmate writes/draws on their skin appears on yours.”

---------

To be perfectly honest…

Ryuji had mixed feelings about soulmates.

Considering how his mother’s supposed soulmate constantly beat her and him… it was easy to be soured on the whole idea. Guess fate or destiny or whatever didn’t consider a lost job, anger issues, and a lot of booze a problem.

Lucky for ma that she had the kind of Soulmate Mark that was easy to hide (the first words he said to her were wrapped around her wrist like a tattoo.) Ryuji hoped that his would be just as easy to deal with or that he might be one of those who didn’t have a soulmate and thus no mark.

Unfortunately, it looked like the universe wasn’t done laughing at Ryuji Sakamoto. He was in his third year of middle school when he woke up one morning and found himself covered in colored splotches that didn’t wash off.

He remembers panicking and thinking he got some weird disease. Even though his mom assured him that he was fine, she was still willing to take him to the doctor. It was there that Ryuji was told that this was his Soulmate Mark.

Well not so much a mark as some kinda weird connection type of thing. Apparently if he put something like ink or paint on his skin, it would show up on his soulmate’s and vice versa.

So as far as he was aware of, his soulmate painted and they were apparently a slob.

Great.

This changed nothing. This was gonna be harder to hide and ignore than Ryuji expected but he still had no interest in this soulmate stuff.

---------

That lasted for about a month.

It’s not like he completely changed his mind or had some big revelation. He just got tired of constantly seeing paint splotches on himself. Ryuji grabbed the nearest marker and wrote on his arm.

“CLEAN YOURSELF UP!”

Ryuji was just annoyed and all the colors were distracting him from his homework… he wasn’t expecting a response.

“Who are you?”

He stared at the neat handwriting under his own sloppy writing. Are they serious? Ryuji remembers the doctor saying that this form of soul mark didn’t pop up often but most folks knew about it ‘cept Ryuji himself apparently .

So they should know who he is… unless they’re asking for his name? No way was Ryuji giving this paint covered weirdo his name. So he ignored it.

That is until more writing appeared on his arm.

“Did I do something to offend?”

Did they… really not know? Ryuji still didn’t feel comfortable giving this person his name but it wouldn’t hurt to respond right?

“I’m your soulmate, dummy. Now wash off the paint, I can’t do my homework with my arm looking like a rainbow.”

There wasn’t another response but it wasn’t long before the paint and writings came off. Ryuji quickly went to the bathroom to wash off his writing.

Months went by.

After their little “chat” Ryuji found himself getting curious about the person he was connected to. He still wasn’t ready to share everything (and for all he knew they were never gonna meet in person) but a message here and there wasn’t gonna hurt right?

It was mostly small little things like reminding them to wash off the paint or asking how their day was.

Sometimes there was a response and it was very formal (Ryuji wondered why destiny seemed to think he’d be good with someone who sounded like a grandpa) and sometimes there was no response.

Sometimes instead of paint splotches, there were doodles. Well maybe “doodles” wasn’t the right word. The pictures that would appear on Ryuji’s skin were elegant and full of detail. He didn’t know much about art but he knew pretty when he saw it.

Which was more than he could say for the dragon he decided to draw one day. He’s not entirely sure what he was thinking when he grabbed his usual marker and started drawing on his arm.

It was… it was bad. The thing looked like it had googly eyes, there were weird random spikes, he’s not entirely sure what happened with the claws, and so many other problems.

Ryuji couldn’t help but find an ink free spot on his arm and wrote: “Sorry this sucks.”

After a couple minutes with no response, Ryuji scrubbed off the drawing and message. But as he finished, new dark lines started to appear. He sat down and watched as the lines twisted and turned and connected.

Before long, they started to take shape and Ryuji’s eyes widened as he realized it was a dragon. But not just any dragon: his dragon. He recognized the random spikes though here they came off a lot more natural.

When it was finished, Ryuji was amazed. It looked awesome, he could almost see it as a badass tattoo. He almost didn’t notice the writing appearing on his other arm.

“Even though you felt disappointed with it, I rather enjoyed your art. I thank you for sharing it with me and hope you do not mind my own take on it.”

Ryuji read the message over and over… maybe… maybe having a soulmate wouldn’t be so bad… maybe they could make it work.

But after that… the messages and art came less and less. One day he was watching a drawing on his arm but then it stopped and the ink or paint or whatever they used became smeared until it was washed off. The drawings stopped after that.

Then came Ryuji’s first year at Shujin, Kamoshida, and the worst day of Ryuji’s life.

He thought of “talking” to his soulmate as he recovered in the hospital. But no. Besides, they hadn’t “talked” to him in a while, maybe they realized what a screw up he was. He certainly wouldn’t have blamed them.

---------

By the time his second year started, Ryuji pushed any thoughts about his soulmate out of his head. He had more important things to deal with.

Like meeting Akira, stumbling into the Metaverse, finding MonaMona the weird cat thing, and everything else.

With all of that going on; the only time Ryuji thought of his soulmate was when he, Akira, and Ann compared their “marks” during the group’s victory celebration. He couldn’t help but wonder how they were doing and if they were okay.

He didn’t expect that he’d get an answer very soon.

---------

Ryuji glared at the blue haired boy standing in front of Ann. She did not need this shit, especially so soon after dealing with Kamoshida.

“You’re the woman I’ve been searching for all this time! Please won’t you-”

“Wait a minute, I-”

“-Be the model for my next art piece!?”

The other boy dramatically raised his arm and that was when Ryuji noticed something. Peeking out from his sleeve was writing on his wrist. It was hard to see all of what was written but it looked familiar. Then Ryuji caught a mention of rice and miso and he suddenly remembered the shopping reminder he wrote on his own wrist this morning.

No way… there was no way… but it made sense… this guy was apparently an artist and there was the way he talked…

So what was the right way to say “Hey I know you’re obsessing over my friend right now but I think we might be soulmates?”

Obviously not that.

Before Ryuji could think of anything else, the other boy (he said his name was Yusuke right?) gave Ann tickets to an art show and went back into the black car with the old man.

Ain’t that just Ryuji’s typical luck? He finds his soulmate and they’re more interested in one of his friends. No… Ryuji wasn’t jealous. He’s just… just…

---------

The following days were not easy. Ryuji found himself having those old angry feelings about the idea of soulmates. Yusuke didn’t seem so bad when they wrote and doodled on each others’ arms… but on the other hand, “Dear Ol’ Dad” didn’t start out a constantly drunk piece of shit.

But on the other other hand, Ryuji couldn’t help but see a bit of himself and his mom in Yusuke. Making excuses for Madarame; assuring people that everything was perfectly fine and there was no abuse here, no siree.

Late one night, Ryuji grabbed a pen (the marker he usually used had long since dried up and been thrown away) and wrote on his arm.

“You don’t have to hide. You can trust me.”

Ryuji looked the message and scratched out the “me” and replaced it with “us.”

There was no response before Ryuji had to wash off the message.

---------

A couple days later, the team launched their plan to change Madarame’s cognition and get that big ass door open in the palace.

Ryuji isn’t sure how long it took and he couldn’t help but worry about Ann (and yeah sure Mona too) but the door did open and he and Akira were able to shut off the security shit. Now all they had to do was wait for Ann and Mon…

“NOOOOOOOOOO!”

He and Akira looked up and were greeted with the sight of Ann, Mona, and... YUSUKE!?

Okay Yusuke was here… wasn’t the first time they had someone with no persona powers along for the ride. They just gotta get out. They can deal with this…

Then Madarame’s Shadow showed up.

Everything went by so quickly. Madarame’s taunting, Yusuke realizing everything he knew was a lie, his awakening, the fight, and the five of them sitting down and talking.

As Yusuke talked about how he ignored the truth because Madarame was like a father to him, Ryuji… couldn’t help but feel that maybe Destiny or the Universe or whatever was actually onto something here.

But he still didn’t feel comfortable telling Yusuke. They’d only just now started to get along after all, it would be too much.

So for now, Yusuke, or rather, Fox just was the newest member of the Phantom Thieves.

---------

Yusuke was… weird. There were times where he’d get super emotional about something that wasn’t a big deal and the reverse where he’d take weird shit in stride (his lack of a reaction to Mona talking comes to mind.)

But… at the same time… maybe it’s because Ryuji’s seen so much bitterness in his life but there was something to the joy and excitement Yusuke showed when he was interested in something.

Sure he had like NO filter but considering what they’ve all seen of Madarame both in the real world and the Metaverse; Ryuji doesn’t blame Yusuke for not really knowing how to talk to people.

Yusuke was weird yeah but… Ryuji still wanted to know him better.

---------

It took about a week (Ryuji never wanted to see the Sayuri painting ever again) but the group finally reached the treasure and all that was left was getting the Calling Card ready.

Ryuji volunteered to write it again and have Yusuke punch it up a bit. The two decided on work on it in the diner. Maybe not the best idea to do it in public but they went to different schools, definitely couldn’t do it at the shack, and even though ma would be at work tonight, it would feel awkward to bring Yusuke to his apartment. So this was the best option (plus it got Yusuke fed.)

It took them about an hour and half between Yusuke drawing a new logo (“Yours is… done well enough though perhaps not suited for our purposes”,) the two figuring out what to write (“When I did the one for Kamoshida, I called him the “Utter Bastard of Lust.”” “Hm… if we continue the theme of the Seven Deadly Sins, I feel Madarame would be more “a sinner of vanity””,) and actually getting something to eat.

Ryuji was pretty damn proud of what they made.

But… there was still one more thing he needed to do…

After fighting side by side with the guy, Ryuji figured that he can trust him.

“Hey Yusuke...”

“Hm?”

Come on Ryuji. Now or never. How’d that phrase go? Don’t think, feel.

“There’s something ya need to see.”

Ryuji shrugged off his school jacket and pulled out a new marker from his pant pocket.

“Ryuji what are you...”

Before Yusuke could finish asking or before Ryuji decided to change his mind, he started to draw on his arm. It had been a long while and it ain’t like his art skills actually improved but he had a decent memory, hopefully Yusuke’s is a lot better.

Yusuke watched as Ryuji continued his drawing (he couldn’t help but wonder if he watched with the same intensity the first time.) Before long, Ryuji started to add in the details and that was when he noticed Yusuke’s eyes widen. The blue haired artist quickly pushing his sleeve up.

Just as expected, the dragon was on his arm and the details appeared as Ryuji continued.

Honestly Ryuji could stop right there but he felt that he needed to finish. The two sat in silence until Ryuji finally capped the marker and looked at Yusuke.

“...How long had you known that we were connected…?”

“Since we first met. I saw my handwriting on your wrist when you were being all dramatic and swinging your arm around. You didn’t really… I mean… I guess it didn’t really feel like the right time ya know?”

“I will admit that my behavior toward you all in the beginning was less than acceptable. Nevertheless...”

Yusuke smiles as he traces the copy of the dragon drawing on his arm.

“...I rather missed this...”

“Yeah… me too… Maybe… maybe after we change Madarame’s heart...”

Ryuji took a deep breath as his face turned red.

“M-maybe we could uh… just… hang out, get to know each other better. Ya know, do something other than writing and doodling on our arms.”

“...I would like that.”

[sunfish999]

Types of People, Kpop ver.

tag yourself haha enjoy

BTS

enjoy Starbucks, typically get an Americano. actually like snakes and most animals. read fantasy romance novels, and that goes for movies as well. when gardening, they prefer flowers, and like the aesthetic of a color scheme. “I’m in love with Khalid”. yellow walls, acrylic paints on wood. starry nights and writing fanfiction at 4:30am. can be bossy but is logical and fair when making decisions. screams at the tv during sports games.

BAP

stealing roses from a neighbors garden. passionate about anything they set their minds to. is sort of basic but in a cute way. lying in bed all day, quilts made by a grandmother. orange lotus soap with a basil scent. writing song lyrics or sheet music, playing the ukelele painted with flowers by your best friend. listens to depressing emo music but somehow it motivates them. cliche daydreams about crushes, can’t get over them even after being rejected. frilly socks and black tights. chipped purple nail polish. 

VIXX 

very sweet, into astrology. carries a picture of their little nephew in a leather wallet. clear phone case with the space gray iphone 8. likes holding hands with family members, friends, and lovers. lives near the ocean and always has sand between their toes. salty hair. a fresh, lemon scent with a hint of lavender. prefers pinterest over tumblr. “Jon Bellion is SO underrated”. very organized but has lots of things. black doc martens with doodles in gel pen. carries unscented chapstick everywhere.  

MONSTA X

tries to be an emo kid but really isn’t. has a lot of money but saves it all for ‘charity’ or ‘college’. aces school but always sleeps in class. mcdonalds all the way. laying in the grass on a sunny day. has some acne but is beautiful anyway. your average alternative music taste. down to earth, grows vegetables for their families. upside down herbs hanging from the kitchen window. is super athletic and most likely plays basketball. really good hearing but can’t see for shit. round glasses that are mismatched. 

EXO

singing in the shower, loudly, along with the music on your ipod. brushing your teeth with kids crest toothpaste. lives in jumpsuits and denim jackets. no one knows but they hate the dark. horror movies ftw. an entire shelf in their bedroom is dedicated to plushies. “yes i have to stand on this chair to take a picture of my food”. family camping trips every summer. plays the clarinet and looks forward to band camp. blasts lofi chill hop music whenever they’re in need of inspiration. pretty hands, no piercings. lives for doing anything with other people, will never hesitate to help out someone in need. 

SHINEE 

super nostalgic, keeps a memory box and still talks to childhood friends. That One Mom Friend. wants to major in psychology. keeps a dream journal and has a tumblr dedicated to psychic research. talks to their dog more than people. huge fluffy white comforter. listens to country music. likes the moments when it’s raining but the sun is out, and most wait for a rainbow but it never appears. doodles on your arms in crayola markers. cheetah print parkas are the way to go in winter. could be in a roller derby or bowling league. 

GOT7 

opening a window during a thunderstorm and just listening. forgetting to write in their diary. pressed wildflowers that are ugly to some but pretty to them. black fountain pens and nothing else. brings a smoothie to class every morning but never forgets fries at lunch. indie music is their jam. covers up the dark circles under their eyes with concealer, since they stay up until 3am. sleeping in super late on weekends and finally feeling refreshed. star of the soccer team and the lead role in the school musical. clumsy but charming. love at first sight. 

NCT 

making pinterest foodie recipes. prints out wikihow pages and keeps them in a notebook with them at all times. could read steven king at night without getting scared. screeches at jump scares but cradles spiders. is the world flat? probably does ballet or works out 24/7. keeps potted plants on their windowsill but can’t figure out why they keep dying. never turns the fan on while showering and then draws figures on the glass. drake is my spirit animal. phone is always at 80% but they never bring a charger anywhere. makes you go on the biggest ride at amusement parks or the biggest slide at waterparks. risk-takers and daredevils. 

BIGBANG 

ironically, watches the big bang theory. and the office. and parks and rec. along with friends. they really enjoy buttery popcorn but skip the salt. listens to 80s music. just above passing grades, hate attention. likes drawing with charcoal on big sketchpads. backhugs for their lover, kisses that send shivers up your spine. silver ring on their middle finger, wears a plaid fannypack everywhere. loves making jokes and is a living meme. lives on a large campus at the uni, works out with friends and is enemies with their roommate. eyebrow piercings and no-makeup makeup. carries a water bottle everywhere. 

DAY6 

works hard in school and their grades reflect that. has social anxiety but no one knows. pretty posters tacked on the walls. graffiti on the bathroom stalls and on train cars. champion chalk artist. always gets ice cream in a dish. two spoons, they love to share. sitting on the roof of a skyscraper and looking at how awake the city is. thrift store shopping. loves reading biographies and watching documentaries. listens to classic rock. 

TWICE

a cat fanatic. watches sherlock, doctor who, and supernatural. is a total geek. makes theories on every tv show ever. can’t fall asleep at night thinking about government conspiracies. gasps when people say they haven’t watched every star wars or read harry potter. “you mean to tell me you don’t know who BILBO BAGGINS is??” stargazing on the roof of your house. spilling tea on your sweater but just shrugging it off. will probably be a best selling author one day. smiles and says ‘have a great day!’ to everyone they see. the guardians of the galaxy soundtrack is everything anyone ever needed.

LOONA 

has a favorite poet. cringes at their freshman year GPA of 3.7. listens to podcasts. carries around an almost ripped rucksack so stuffed with books it’s a miracle it hasn’t burst yet. wants to major in philosophy but minor in math. works in a cafe that sells pastries. studies while perched on cushions that cover the floor of their room. falls asleep in random places. owns a pet bird. sings while baking cookies and played the flute in seventh grade. is fluent in french. 

BLACKPINK 

is into photography. annoys a lot of people but doesn’t let it bother them. smells like sweet perfume. idolizes Audrey Hepburn and owns a book about elegance. it’s on their coffee table. likes vintage hats and wears lace bralettes under everything. owns a record player that continuously plays classic piano records from goodwill. feels like they were born in the wrong generation. tries to capture their emotions with a camera. picks daisies and is an expert at making flower crowns.

RED VELVET 

has a sweet tooth. likes cookies and cakes and candies. desperately wants to travel to london. has an art instagram where they post calligraphy. plays card games every saturday. mornings in the saddle and stroking their horse. collects the eggs from their chickens each morning to make omelets. has quote decals on their walls. dazzling white smile and red lipstick. works as a nanny for the kids down the street. is always tired. listens to slow love songs and teaches ballroom dancing and waltzes. 

F(X)

is cool and they know it. pulls all nighters with ease, handles alcohol well. takes risks only because they have nothing to lose. is dissatisfied with life. predicted their own death and has written their will already. sells old notes and tests to younger students, as well as being an irish literature tutor. likes reading shakespeare. is the heartthrob of the school. stares out the window during class but can answer whatever question the teacher asks. ripped jeans and fishnets is a winning combination. is a black belt in taekwondo. only ever drinks hot chocolate. 

i don’t even know what half of these mean but tag yourself lmao this took years its 3:01am 

[mcrmadness]

A bit about visual arts and drawing from someone who has been drawing since has been able to hold a pen. With lots of, sometimes really (even years) long, pauses too.

In 2018 I finally was done with schools and my almost 5 years of working in a row ended too. I wasn’t sure if I was ever gonna draw again because for years I had been feeling like drawing but the last time I had ACTUALLY drawn was in 2013. Apart from small doodles I did at school while bored, but those were really nothing because I hated every line of them.

But that Autumn in 2018 I finally had time for myself and I found my inspiration again and I started creating again - I started drawing and I started writing, too. I started having those plot scenarios in my head again - I had had none during those 5 years of work and school that made me so tired I pretty much every day nearly fall asleep while sitting in front of my computer. Since Autumn 2018 I have used over 27 sheets of my sketchbook, mainly it’s for plots and plans and practicing for comics but also some other stuff is in there - and just last week I went to buy another sketchbook and a sheet of paper for comics because I have already used over 10 sheets of this one I bought last year. And before I could barely finish even with one! The old sketchbook has 60 sheets and there’s a few left and I have had it for 10 years. But in less than 2 years I have filled over a half of it already.

My ability to create was destroyed by antidepressants - the biggest reason for me to stop eating them was because I needed to create again but with them I just could not do anything. Or when I did, it all was so shallow and felt like I saw so much effort to even do something so simple. Without the antidepressants it’s been like a totally new experience to draw comics. It’s actually fun now and doesn’t feel like I’m working so hard to get something out of my head, at least not every second.

There’s also been a major change in my attitude towards drawing. In my teenage years I was very lonely and very much bullied and I felt like all I could do was to draw. And even then I felt like I was cheating because I could copy photos with pencils - still not perfectly, but I had created a technique that worked for me. But if I tried to draw something without reference photos... I had terrible temper tantrums with myself because I felt like I had no talent and I’m just lying to myself, “as if I could actally draw, bullshit, I’m just copying photos and not creating anything”. That stressed the hell out of me because when I was drawing those “copy drawings”, all I had in my head was to get it ready so I can show it to people. And I was happy to get them finished but I didn’t enjoy the process of drawing. And then I’d again get inner temper tantrums (that I now recognize as symptoms of Rejective Sensitive Dysphoria!) because I wasn’t getting enough attention, people were not looking at them, I didn’t get comments, I didn’t get anything, and I felt like I suck at everything and “maybe I’m actually not even that good, maybe I just think I’m better than what I actually am”.

I mainly stopped drawing after my late teen years because I realized it was not bringing me joy. It was attention seeking. Drawing was no longer fun, it was just stressful attempt to be seen and to be approved and accepted. I felt like if I can’t be approved and accepted as a person, maybe people could compliment my art and I could feel accepted through that. And then I had the biggest realization ever that I was no longer enjoying any part of drawing and in the end it was just making me sad and angry because of RSD, and I stopped drawing portaits because my friend told me that she thinks “drawings that are copies lack a soul in her opinion” and I just realized that I was untalented, I just knew the techniques but I wasn’t actually good at drawing. (For me it was always either a copy or no reference photos whatsoever or it was cheating - but I know much better now.)

Somewhen in 2017 I felt like I want to draw but I had no ideas. Then I started to come up with ideas based on my own deep thoughts and I decided to create the most simple character ever that would not look like a human but would be human enough to act like a human (they look like ghosts, really, I drew the first one for one drawing in 2013), that I could use for self-comics. I had been DREAMING of a comic book diary or webcomic about my life but I never knew how to draw “myself” because I really hated the idea OF drawing myself. So I started drawing these very simple creatures and my main point was: draw AS SIMPLY AS POSSIBLE, do not focus on details, do not focus on lines, do not focus on how anything SHOULD be - just draw and let them be simple and easy to draw. Take everything out of it and don’t stress the outcome. And it really helped. I haven’t drawn too many of them but lately I have been having a lot more ideas for what to draw. There’s one comic on the way, actually. Maybe even two more in the future.

I want to go back to the “I didn’t enjoy the process at all and just wanted to finish with them asap” a bit because lately I have been drawing more again and I have finally reached that point where I enjoy the drawing process. I just love everything about it, I love to see how the lines get drawn on the paper and how the stuff on the paper evolve, how something doesn’t look good but it doesn’t matter, let’s draw there another line next to it, maybe it will be better, then erasing some of the extra lines to see if it looks better like that or if I should fix more things. Before I was always filled with rage when I did this because I tried to get everything right at once and I was erasing and redrawing so many times I was lucky the paper did not break yet. But not now, I’m just sketching and enjoying the whole process! Last night I actually started TWO different drawings and I never do this - I always want to finish every project before I start with the next one. But I did all the sketching for the first one and I was just on the mood for sketching a bit more so I took and started the second one. Which eventually made me feel like I really really need to go back drawing “portait copies of my favorite musicians”. Because I love drawing with pencils and unfortunately I’m gonna draw on these with markers and erase every trace of pencil from there because they’re only sketchings. But we will see, maybe I will choose a photo to draw with pencils and try to draw another one - haven’t done that in 10 years. Apart from one that I started in 2012 and thought I’d never finish, but eventually did finish it last year. It didn’t turn out that good but mainly because of the persons in the drawing don’t look like themselves that much. But hey, it was over 7 years that I did not draw at all so I guess it’s not that bad.

I still get the RSD aftermath feels everytime I post my drawings somewhere because I still feel like I don’t get enough attention nor approval and it makes me feel like I have no talent nor skills, but at least I’m again enjoying the drawing process the same way I did when I was a kid.

[captainjanegay]

[1D] I don’t belong on this planet but you’re my home

Title: I don’t belong on this planet but you’re my home Ship: Ziall (Zayn Malik x Niall Horan) Genre: fluff, girl!direction,   Rating: General Audience Word count: ~2k Summary: The Universe was a really big place and yet somehow, Niall contained every single part of it. A/N: @cactinouis​ Lois, before I’ve met you I had no idea what happines is and there are no words in any known language that would let me express how much I love you. Happy Birthday, my moonlight. Inspiration Read on AO3 Big love for my dear Jules @lepetitcomte for being my beta <3

At first, Niall was like a supernova. A sudden, overwhelming explosion that Zayn couldn’t prevent. Before Niall, everything was easy. Kind of predictable. It was okay, Zayn was not a fan of surprises anyway. But then one day, that loud girl with bleached hair and smile brighter than the sun walked into her life. She was too loud, too different, too much. But at the same time she wasn’t this at all. It felt right to be close to her. It made Zayn’s gut twists, her hands sweat but also her lips curled into a smile, her heart skipped in excitement; like while riding on a rollercoaster.

The funny thing was - Zayn had absolutely no idea what a supernova was before Niall. Anything that was more than a few metres away was irrelevant. Harry, Zayn’s best friend and a roommate was always close, her favourite books just at her fingertips, even her family felt not so far away when she FaceTimed them everyday. And space explosions, like supernovas, felt like a completely different world. But suddenly Niall crowded into her life and soon enough she became Zayn’s universe.

They never really started dating; it was like they had been together from the very beginning. Maybe it all was too fast. Maybe it was too risky. And even then, Zayn wasn’t worried. For the first time in her life, she wasn’t worried. She couldn’t be, really, not when it felt as if someone took her like an empty colouring book and slowly started to filling the blank spaces with wonderful colours. She felt good with Niall by her side. Complete.

On one hand everything was fast, blurred, spontaneous, when it came to Niall. Just a few days after they’d met, the blonde girl showed up on Zayn’s door and before the latter could notice, they were taking a bus to get to the other side of the country. Just because. At the same time, though, Niall was calm, soft and gentle. Zayn loved those lazy afternoons when they were just lying together without saying a word for hours. Or when Zayn was working on some painting with Niall glued to her back or strumming quietly on her guitar. Sometimes, Zayn became bored and started painting on Niall’s soft skin. Niall just giggled and kind of tried to move away from the tickling of the brush, but made no real effort to do so.

One day, Zayn doodled on her girlfriend’s guitar. It was already late and Niall went to get them some snacks. Absentmindedly, Zayn started to drag her pencil on the hard, wooden surface. She stopped, as soon as the blonde was back in the room, her hand still on the guitar, where she just drew a Yin and Yang sign. Zayn’s eyes widened in panic when she realised what she was doing; Niall loved her guitars. But Niall’s face only lit up.

“This is sick! Would’ya draw anything more?” she said, cuddling to Zayn’s side again.

So Zayn did. She drew abstract patterns, flowery curls, starry chains. She drew the Sun and the Moon. She drew it all with a permanent marker, because Niall asked her to.

When Zayn was done, she handed the guitar back to Niall. “Here, now you can play me something.”

“Have you gone completely mad?” Niall raised her eyebrows, her voice slow like she was talking to a child. “It’s a piece of art, Zayn. I can’t just use it, you silly thing.”

To Zayn’s surprise, she really didn’t. Niall hasn’t played on her favourite guitar for three months, just because it was covered in Zayn’s messy doodles.

The walls in Zayn’s room were always white. It made a nice contrast to her mind, always crowded with thoughts. But at some point it didn’t feel right anymore. Zayn got up from her bed on one Sunday morning and moved everything from one side of the room to the other. She painted a huge, bright Sun in the centre of the wall. And then she drew the Moon further to the left. It was a way smaller, darker, a bit lost. It could exist only because the Sun existed.

Zayn added other things, not worrying about keeping it realistic. She grouped the stars into constellations, like those made by the freckles on Niall’s cheeks. On the other side, she made nebulae as tangled as Niall’s hair when she had to wake up in the morning, a grumpy pout on her face. She painted all of the planets, too. Mercury, that sprinted around the Sun just like Niall’s words sprinted sometimes when she was passionate about something. Venus, as warm as Niall’s heart. The Earth, the source of life, just like Niall was the source of Zayn’s everything. Mars with his surface as red as Niall’s cheeks when she was excited or embarrassed by something. Jupiter, as big as Niall’s talent. Saturn with his rings, that made him one of the kind, just like Niall was Zayn’s one and only. Uranus, with the shade of blue that matched Niall’s eyes. Neptune, where it rained diamonds, but even that made it less valuable than Niall was.

Zayn painted the Universe. Zayn painted Niall.

And when she explained where that painting came from to her girlfriend, Niall just kissed her senseless, with tears shining in her eyes.

That was when Zayn asked her to finally move in.

For their anniversary Niall took Zayn to the seaside. They went to some small harbour town, where Niall rented a whole cabin, just for them. Zayn was ordered to dress up nicely and she was taken to a posh-looking restaurant, but she and Niall managed to stay there for just a few minutes. It felt too fancy and just… not them. And that’s how they ended up eating pancakes, definitely overdressed for a lunch at some tiny café. Even if there were some weirded out glances thrown at them, they couldn’t care less. They were happy.

After the early dinner, that turned out to be more like a simple lunch, Niall dragged Zayn to the nearest ice cream booth. Despite the dark-haired girl’s protests, she bought 3 scoops of different flavoured ice creams for each of them. Holding hands, they walked towards the beach. It took them less than ten minutes and still, Niall was done with her goody before they sat themselves on the sand comfortably. Zayn was more than happy to share her ice creams with her tiny, ravenous girlfriend.

On the way back to the cabin, Niall dragged Zayn to the tattoo parlour. Considering Niall’s fear of needles it was the wildest thing for her to do, but the blonde girl only smiled.

“No peeking until it’s done! I need you here only for emotional support,” she said.

So Zayn fulfilled the obligation as well as she could, squeezing Niall’s hand when her girlfriend was staring straight into Zayn’s eyes, refusing to look at the needle even for a split second. And after an hour or so, the tattoo was done and Zayn was left speechless.

A tiny, crescent moon. That what Niall got tattooed on herself, just above her left ankle. She faced her fear, just to get a symbol that she associated with Zayn.

And when Zayn asked for a matching sun tattoo, they both knew that it was a promise. A promise, that they will be together till the end of the world.

And it meant way more than big words, engagement rings or formal stuff.

It was already dark when they got  back to the cabin. Niall wanted to disappear somewhere inside, but Zayn trapped the blonde girl in her arms. They stood in the middle of the room for a few moments, without a word, breathing steadily.

“Thank you,” Zayn whispered into the skin on Niall’s shoulder. “That was the most wonderful day. I love you so much.”

“What are you talking about?” Niall pulled back a bit, her eyes sparkling. “You really think it’s over?”

She went to grab her guitar and some blankets and a few moments later, they sat on the empty beach, light breeze tangling their hair. In the atramentous sky there were no clouds, but the moon lit up the night like a lantern. Niall had stars in her eyes and Zayn, for the millionth time, wondered how she managed to fit them there.

Just then, Zayn noticed Niall’s nervous lip bite when she was getting comfortable with the guitar on her lap. “So… I’ve written a song for you. You can count is a gift, but I’ve got a real one in my backpack, so don’t worry.”

Completely caught off guard, Zayn only managed a small nod as she shifted a bit closer to Niall, making their knees bump. Niall smiled, running her fingers across the strings and the first sounds escaped into the night.

I think the Universe is on my side, Heaven and Earth have finally aligned. Days are good and that’s the way it should be.

Niall’s voice was strong and beautiful, even though her eyes flickered nervously between Zayn and her guitar the whole time.

You sprinkle stardust on my pillow case It’s like a moonbeam brushed across my face Nights are good and that’s the way it should be You make me sing oh, la, la, la You make a girl go oh oh I’m in love, love

Zayn wasn’t really controlling her movements when she leaned forward, cupping Niall’s face with her hands and placing a soft, lingering kiss on her lips. She should’ve felt bad for interrupting her girlfriend but he couldn’t stop herself. Her cheeks were already wet from tears and she had to try really hard not to pinch herself. It all just seemed like a dream.

“Get off me! I haven’t finished!” Niall yelled, trying to push Zayn away. Although her wide smile and eyes that seemed a bit watery as well, made it clear that she wasn’t mad. Eventually, Niall managed to pull away from Zayn’s warm lips and she cleared her throat, “No more interrupting,” she waggled her finger at Zayn, before she started singing again.

And I see colors in a different way You make what doesn’t matter fade to grey Life is good and that’s the way it should be

Did you see that shooting star tonight? Were you dazzled by the same constellation? Did you and Jupiter conspire to get me? I think you and the Moon and Neptune got it right

‘Cause now I’m shining bright, so bright Bright, so bright And I get lost in your eyes

This time Zayn waited patiently, until the last sounds faded into the night, before she took the guitar from Niall and put it aside. For a few seconds they were just looking at each other, just like their eyes were having a silent conversation on their own. Finally, their lips met in the middle with a sweet kiss. They pulled away after a while, but stayed close as they lay down on the blanket. Zayn cuddled into Niall’s side, hiding her face in the blonde girl’s neck, only partially paying attention to the starry sky above them.

Before Niall, everything was easy. Kind of predictable. It was just sometimes Zayn felt like she didn’t belonged anywhere. But then one day, that loud girl with bleached hair and smile brighter than the sun walked into her life. And she made it feel like home. It was unbelieveable. Once, what now felt like ages ago, Zayn felt like she had nothing. And here she was now, holding a whole universe in her arms.