#maybe even giving a baby a paper plate for safety reasons?

[countess-of-edessa]

are there really people out there who eat off of paper plates every day? like not homeless people or frat boys but like. families with mothers and fathers?

[foli-vora]

my girl

A/N: look, I don’t even fucking know. I saw the reference picture and my mind just went absolutely feral. What started out as what could be a simple threesome, soon turned into this—whatever the fuck this is. I refuse to apologise. I enjoyed this ride and will now throw this out into the abyss like a grenade and run back to the safety of my blankets, ashamed to ever return.

This is for @autumnleaves1991-blog Writers Wednesday ❤️ such an incredible idea! Thank you for letting me join in!

Pairing: Dave York x f!reader x Francisco “Catfish” Morales

Word count: 2.4k

Warnings: this is straight up filth. FILTH. SMUT 18+ NO MINORS!! Swearing, alcohol, fingering, oral sex (f receiving), lactation kink—not everyone’s cup of tea, I get it... dirty talk, Dave’s a bastard and Frankie’s a pussy eating king—both things we know by now. Um, enjoy, I guess?

+

“Fuck.”

You laugh lightly, head falling back onto Dave’s shoulder as Frankie drops his cards to the table with a drawn out sigh.

“You can’t lie for shit, Morales.”

He shoots a half hearted glare at Dave, crossing his arms stubbornly. “I don’t think that’s a bad thing, York.”

You snort quietly, fingers intertwining with the hand resting comfortably on your thigh. “It’s not a good thing, either. Drink up.”

“Two against one is hardly fair.”

Dave grins, momentarily pressing against your back to reach for his own beer before reclining comfortably back in the chair, pulling you tighter against him as he goes. “You say that like she’s a threat—she’s as hopeless as you.”

“Rude.”

The sun still warms your shoulders as it starts it’s descent below the heavy tree line behind your property, the bright summer glow fading into something softer, more relaxing, and you eye the mess of paper plates, cups and random toys strewn about in the yard—the leftover destruction of your sons first birthday.

Dave’s fingers softly pinch your chin and return your focus to the table and the drinking game currently taking place, coaxing another beer into your hands while he kisses softly below your ear. “Stop looking at it—we’ll do it in the morning.”

“Yeah, when I’m long gone.” Frankie mutters, grinning at you before tipping his head back and polishing off another can while Dave laughs quietly.

He liked Dave. The guy was strange sometimes, what with his out of town work and mysterious friends that made the hairs on the back of Frankie’s neck stand, but Dave was a good guy... adored the absolute hell out of you and that’s all that mattered. He served, too, but unlike Frankie choosing to retire, he took up an opportunity with the CIA. Not too shabby.

Frankie’s checking in with his babysitter a little while later, having lost again, when he hears a little moan. His eyes move towards the sound before he can help it.

What the fuck?

Frankie shifts in his seat, not looking straight at the pair of you in fear of fucking flat out moaning. He chalks it up to just not being with someone for a while but wow. He could see you from the corner of his eye, see Dave’s hands and the way they move to squeeze and pinch at your tits as his mouth practically devours yours. You’re complete putty in his hands, melting into his lap and taking whatever he gives you hungrily.

Maybe he should go.

Fuck. Did you just whimper?

Jesus. He needs to leave now.

“I’ll head off... give you two some space—”

Dave’s low voice stops his rise from the chair, his ass hanging awkwardly over the seat as eyes that match his in colour and depth zero in on him from across the table. “What’s the rush, Morales?”

“No rush. I just don’t want to intrude—”

“You’re not. Sit down. Have another beer.”

Say no. Say no.

“Sure.”

He resettles in the chair, immediately reaching for another can as wonders why he suddenly feels so fucking studied under Dave’s watchful gaze.

“So how long have you wanted to fuck my wife?”

You blink in shock, “David!”

Frankie just about chokes. Beer spills from his lips and he hacks a cough in surprise, sleeve catching the drops of liquid that fall from his chin. Fuck. Fucking shit. What the fuck is he meant to do? He’s gonna get his ass kicked, and if he’s being honest with himself, he fucking deserves it.

He should’ve fucking left.

“Man, I swear—” He swears what? He can tell by the way Dave’s looking at him that the man already knows. He’s not angry—not even a little bit. He’s just... smug. And curious. What kind of fucking game is this guy playing?

“Oh god, Frankie, I’m so sorry—please ignore him. David, what’s the fucking matter with you?!”

You bristle when he blatantly ignores you, instead raising a brow in challenge at Frankie. “Am I wrong?”

Frankie works his jaw, eyes narrowing slightly as he tries to work out Dave’s play. He doesn’t seem to be looking for a fight. Doesn’t seem to be doing it out of spite or wanting to upset you. He has no idea how to act, what to fucking say.

Dave nods, grinning. “Thought as much.”

His hand cups your chest, squeezing the flesh softly, and you squirm in his touch, cheeks flooding with embarrassment for your friend as Frankie swallows uncomfortably, eyes immediately finding the crushed cans on the table. “Dave—”

“He doesn’t mind—do you, Morales?”

You watch in slight surprise as Frankie’s eyes flutter to your chest, watching the way Dave handles you roughly before they’re moving away again, almost shy.

“It’s alright. You can watch. Can’t he, honey?”

And then Frankie’s looking at you, eyes unsure and questioning but burning with something that has a thrill running along your spine. You nod quietly, heart beating unsteadily as Frankie’s eyes widen slightly, body squirming in the chair.

“If—if you want to.”

He exhales softly, now watching with rapt attention as Dave brings both hands up, undoing each button of your dress until your modest cotton bra is on show, nipples poking through and straining against the fabric. He feels the air leave his lungs the second Dave pulls at the cups, spilling your tits out to the open air and his wandering gaze. He can’t help but make a noise at the sight of them, cock hardening to the point of discomfort as Dave massages them softly, your eyes rolling a little as he pinches at your nipples.

Frankie stiffens in the chair, breath catching and stomach dropping.

Fucking shit—

Dave hums lowly in appreciation, feeling a warm dribble across his thumb and fingers as you squirm from the familiar tingle in your breasts. “She’s trying to stop and dry it up, but it takes a while, doesn’t it, honey? Not that I care—more for me in the long run.”

Frankie almost whines. Fucking whines. He catches it just before it falls from his throat, close to embarrassment. Dave knows—the bastard. You look so good. So fucking good. Fuck, there’s so much—

“Have a taste.”

You moan softly at the idea, and Dave hushes you softly as he presses a kiss to your throat.

Frankie eyes the milk that falls from your nipple before glancing up and meeting Dave’s gaze, lips pursing in thought despite the way his cock throbs in his jeans. What was the ulterior motive here? Was it a test? Was he just looking for a reason to knock him out? Does he even care?

Dave watches him, expression unwavering, almost teasing as he coaxes more milk from your tits and runs his fingers through the warm stream sliding down your skin.

“What’s the catch?” Frankie eventually asks, voice hoarse, and Dave grins.

“No catch.”

Did he get up too fast? By the way Dave laughs at him, he probably did. He doesn’t care. He can’t get around the stupid fucking glass table quick enough.

Frankie drops to his knees in front of you, attention completely focused on the way Dave squeezes gently at your nipple and draws more milk from your tit.

He wants to double check. He knows Dave would never push you to do something you didn’t want to, but there’s been a bit of alcohol involved, and even though he knows your tolerance level is much higher than a few beers, hell—even tequila doesn’t bring you down, checking doesn’t hurt. “Are you—”

You nod, “It’s okay, Frankie.”

“Go on.”

He doesn’t need to be told twice. Frankie’s lip attach to you the second Dave opens his mouth, his tongue running immediately over your nipple and groaning when the taste of your milk sinks into his taste buds. So fucking sweet. You whine into Dave’s ear when Frankie increases his pressure, greedy for more as you flood his mouth, and your stomach tightens at Dave’s low hum.

“Feel good, honey?” He asks quietly, other hand cupping and rolling your free nipple in his hand as Frankie moans softly against your skin, the prickle of his facial hair so different to Dave’s clean shaven face, but no less pleasant.

“S-so good—”

Dave’s fingers gently pinch at the hem of your dress, sliding it up along your thighs and pooling it above your waist before coaxing your thighs open a little more, Frankie immediately moving into the free space as soon as he could. Dave pulls your panties to the side, running his fingers through your slick folds with a low groan.

“You’re so fucking wet. Do you like him sucking on your tits?”

You whine quietly, hips arching into the two fingers that swirl around your entrance before they slide in and curl against your hot walls. He moves slowly, dragging them almost lazily in and out of your pussy as he feels more of your arousal coat his hand.

“Yeah, you do like it—so does he. Do you think he can hear how wet you are, baby? Do you think he can hear my fingers move in this greedy little cunt?”

Frankie groans. Loudly. He’d be embarrassed if he wasn’t so fucking turned on. He can hear it. It’s driving him fucking mad. He wants to look, wants to watch how your face moves as Dave finds that spot deep along your walls, but he can’t pull away from you. Not yet. If this is the only chance he gets to do this, then he’s taking it and fucking running.

Dave’s gentle as he pulls his fingers from you, swirling his slick soaked fingers around and over your nipple before coaxing Frankie to the other side. The obscene groan that vibrates against your chest sends flutters through your entire body as Frankie laps at your skin with a ravenous frenzy, tongue smoothing over every bit of wet skin he could find before latching onto your nipple without abandon.

Dave picks up on it immediately. “Easy. You hurt her, I hurt you.”

A tongue smoothes over your nipple in silent apology, and your fingers run through the flattened curls of Frankie’s hat hair in acceptance, his face nuzzling against your skin as you bring him closer. Dave’s fingers return to your pussy, leisurely circling your clit, swollen and throbbing from lack of attention.

“Do you want to cum, honey?”

The needy whine that leaves your mouth has him cooing into the side of your face, fingers picking up speed and pressure at the desperate little buck of your hips.

“Maybe if you ask Francisco nicely, he’ll eat this pretty pussy until you cum.”

Jesus fucking Christ.

Is he serious?

Frankie shudders against you, cock straining so fucking hard against his jeans he almost wants to cry. He’d beg if he has to. If that tiny little taster Dave gave him was anything to go by, you’d drive him fucking wild.

“P-please Frankie—”

Dave tuts lowly in your ear, “‘Please Frankie’—you can do better than that. He can’t hear you.”

“Fuck. Please—”

“Please what?”

“Please eat my pussy—please—”

Dave winds his fingers into Frankie’s hair and tugs sharply, the other man detaching from your tit with a wet smack of his lips. He eyes the small trail of milk sliding into Frankie’s beard and scoffs quietly, “Messy.”

Frankie’s already flushed cheeks darken even further, but he doesn’t care. All he cares about is how fucking stunning you look, legs spread and face morphed in ecstasy as Dave rubs over your clit with a shadow of a smirk—the man knew he drove you crazy.

God, so fucking wet—

You’re dripping. He can see it. He watches the way your entrance flutters, pussy clenching hungrily around nothing as Dave slows his movements.

“Well? You heard her.” He parts your folds, baring you in all your slick fucking glory, and Frankie all but fucking loses his god damn mind. He dives in, uncaring that Dave’s fingers are there and his tongues probably running over them more than he cares to count. Dave doesn’t seem to mind.

The cry that falls from your lips has Frankie pressing forward, mouth pressing greedily against you as his tongue works at your pussy, lapping at your weeping entrance before lathing attention to your clit, tightening his lips around the nerve and letting his tongue massage over it.

“Oh fuck, Frankie—”

Dave hums, curved nose trailing softly along the side of your face as you thrash in his arms, bucking into the mouth that all but fucking devours your pussy. His tries to ignore the way you shift on his lap, the way your ass drags so fucking nicely over his hard cock straining under you, tries to ignore the delicious fucking sounds coming from both you and Frankie, but he can only endure so much.

He bites into your shoulder, eyes tightening as he fights off the waves of tempting bliss tingling at the base of his spine. Not yet. He wants more.

“Come on, baby. He’s been so good—cum on his mouth. Give it to him.”

Your body thrums with waves of electricity at Dave’s words, each swipe of Frankie’s tongue driving you further and further until you’re stiffening, Dave cooing quiet praises and quickly slapping a firm hand over your mouth as you find your peak, crying out and shaking in his arms as Frankie holds onto your thighs, tongue burying itself in your fluttering pussy to take everything you give him.

Your cries turn into whines, and soon you’re squirming, trying to get away from Frankie’s mouth. He takes the message before Dave can intervene, pulling away with a shaky exhale and desperately trying not to blow his load in his fucking jeans. He had a feeling Dave would never let him live it down, but it was so fucking hard not to. You were wrecked.

He watches you come down from your high from the floor between your thighs, heart hammering as Dave softly runs his fingers along your skin, voice almost silent as he murmurs in your ear. Dark eyes are soon on him and Frankie briefly worries he’s overstepping his welcome, until Dave speaks.

“That’s what you get when you lose, Morales. Imagine what you’ll get if you win. Deal ‘em.” Dave nods to the cards on the table, acting like he didn’t have you still trembling in his arms with your tits out, and dress bunched around your hips with your pussy still spread and quivering.

Frankie swallows, nodding silently and moving back to his seat, reaching for the cards with a sudden urge to win and wipe that fucking smirk off of Dave’s face.

+

Tags: @anu-simps @seasonschange-butpeopledont @withasideofmeg @you-got-me-starry-eyed @mouthymandalorianalso @frannyzooey @wyn-dixie @intu-witch-tion @amneris21 @mad-girl-without-a-box @pinguinstudiert @sergeantbannerbarnes @betterthanbucky @kat-r-in @starlightmornings @randomness501 @antisocialthat70sshow @buttercup--bee @sleep-tight1 @spideysimpossiblegirl @greeneyedblondie44 @hope-for-the-best-98 @bunniwarrior @fangirl-316 @acourtofsnakes @leaiorganas @princess76179​ @mamacitapascal @221bshrlocked @danniburgh @lv7867​ @autumnleaves1991-blog​ @julesorwhatever​

[binxyu]

Being the main writer for the college paper made it particularly hard for people not to be in your business because, well, you were in their’s. Thus, everyone in the school was aware of your relationship with Juyeon and Hyunjae. But, that doesn’t stop a flirty athlete from hitting on you.

>>Pairing: Lee Jaehyun x Lee Juyeon (doms) x fem!reader (sub) | athletes!jaehyun and juyeon x writer!reader

>>Word Count: 4.3k

>>Genre: Oneshot / Requested / Smut

>>Warnings/Kinks: Choking, creampie, cum eating, cum play, double penetration, exhibitionism/public sex, harassment (not from the boys), marking, oral (giving + receiving), possessiveness, praise, saliva, and unprotected sex

The reminder you had set on your phone was not enough to take your focus off the man in front of you.

Truth be told, you were quite forgetful for a person with such a tight schedule.

Writing on your hand was tried. It didn’t really work considering you washed your hands consistently throughout the day (damn the germs in colleges), smudging the ink to an unreadable blur on your hand.

Thankfully, that’s how you had met your boyfriends. Yeah, plural. There’s an s there.

You had been rushing towards an assignment you had been given for the paper. It was a request to interview some of the top students in the music department and damn late wasn’t even enough of a word to describe how long ago you were supposed to be there.

Showing up a couple hours late resulted in most of the students already gone, hiding away in their dorms for the afternoon.

But, there were two students still waiting for you. Lee Jaehyun (although he likes people to call him Hyunjae) and Lee Juyeon.

They were your saving grace for your paper and, in return, you let them take you out on a date.

Now, months later, your relationship with them still ran strong.

But, apparently your hearing didn’t because the reminder sound on your phone didn’t even register as you write down practically everything the athlete was telling you.

He actually was a classmate of your’s and a pretty popular one at that. The whole school practically knew about him.

“And that’s how I beat the record”, you nodded sweetly, keeping that signature interviewer smile on your face. It did a fantastic job of getting people to open up and this guy was no exception.

“So, one last question, are you dating anyone?”, you weren’t asking for yourself. Especially not when you were already quite... busy... with the two men you were already dating. It was more for the majority of the female population in the school who did like him.

Besides, everyone in the school knew about you and, more specifically, your polyamorous relationship. It wasn’t seen everyday to be fair. You three stuck out like a sore thumb.

“No, I haven’t really been looking”, bullshit. You had been to the football games, the man loved to rile up the crowd. He practically chucked his shirt into a girl’s face the other night when it was “too hot”.

It was just above 50 degrees that night.

“I see. Thank you for the interview”, you smiled and he nodded, smiling back at you before a lightbulb seemed to go off in his mind.

“Are you looking?”, he must have noticed the shocked expression you had because his hand encased your’s, seemingly trying to soothe you as his thumb traced the back of your hand.

All it did was make you more anxious.

“No, sorry, I’m not. I’m actually taken”, there goes that reminder again but you ignored it. It was probably just your reminder to take your gummy vitamins or something stupid the boys put in there because they cared. Maybe a little too much sometimes.

“Oh, by who?”, it wasn’t a curious question. He didn’t believe you. His tone said it.

“By us”, uh oh.

Turning around, you were met with your two lovers. They hovered over you like angry wolves and you could only feel like a little lamb underneath them.

The athlete had flirted with you before and that only made the situation more intense. Of course the football player knew about your relationship. It just didn’t seem to matter to him.

Until, well, now you guess.

“You didn’t come”, shit. So, that was the reminder?

You had a date with them after this interview and it completely flew out of your mind like a paper lost in the wind.

“Sorry, I lost track of time”, they nodded and, for a moment, you thought you saw their eyes soften as they look at you but they just returned back to those icy cold stares.

Even the muscular athlete was scared. Everyone knew how possessive your boyfriends were.

It was pretty obvious after a particularly ignorant party animal laid his drunk hands on you. Before he could do anything else, he was already thrown on the floor with Juyeon’s fist landing on his cheek while Hyunjae pulled you back into his chest like he was some kind of shield.

It was hot, you weren’t going to lie, but it did make you a little worried for people you truly did just want to be friends with.

“Hey, babies, let’s go. Let’s go have our date now”, you placed each of your hands on their chests. It was a gentle move that always seemed to calm them and you smiled as you felt their heartbeats slow down, your own starting to match theirs as you felt it through your hands.

“Fine but you”, Hyunjae pointed with precision at the man, “stay away from her. She doesn’t like you and she’s said no multiple times. She’s ours” the man finally nodded and ran off while you were stuck standing there with a wave of arousal shooting to your core.

Ignore it. You can’t be walking around with marks again-

The internal scold fell short as the boys wrapped you up in a hug. You could practically feel the warmth from their anger coming off of them in waves.

“Next time listen to your reminders. We set them for you for a reason”, Hyunjae scolded you, grabbing your phone to turn off the pesky sound. You really didn’t hear it. Maybe your hearing does need to be checked.

“I know I know. I’m forgetful”, you pout and the boys looked at it, wanting nothing more than to kiss your pouty lips until they’re swollen. Juyeon just chuckles instead and ruffles your hair sweetly.

It was such a sharp contrast to how cold he looked a minute ago but you were used to it. They were usually cold to others but were exceptionally sweet to you.

Well, most of the time.

“Come on, dory. We’ve got to get outside”, that’s always been Hyunjae’s favorite nickname for you. Sadly, you couldn’t argue that it didn’t suit you.

Sometimes you even forget what your name is.

“Okay”, you nodded and held their hands, walking securely in between them. You always did feel safe with your boyfriends and being without them was honestly terrifying. They were like your bodyguards.

Out in the beautiful field of the campus was a little picnic blanket, laid out with plenty of your favorite foods.

They always loved to spoil you and, while the sight in front of you wasn’t much of a surprise considering it was their favorite form of dates, it made you happy nonetheless.

“Aw, thank you boys”, you gave them both a peck on the cheek and sat down. You weren’t much for public displays of affection.

Hand holding? That was fine. It was their way of saying that you were their’s. But, the bigger things like kissing or hugging? That was more of a private thing for you.

Those were actions you did when the three of you could safely display your love for one another without being judged because, let’s be honest, you’re not much of the outgoing type.

Sure, you have to talk to lots of people for your writing, but that didn’t mean you liked to. You actually liked to keep to yourself.

It was odd considering Hyunjae and Juyeon were quite popular due to their singing skills. Everyone wanted them but they only had their eyes set on you.

They helped you sit down, filling up your plate with delicious treats that almost had you drooling. You just realized how hungry you were when your stomach let out the most obnoxious growl you had ever heard.

Okay- maybe you also forget to take care of yourself. When you’re busy the last thing on your mind is what your body wants. Just the task at hand is important.

“Dory, do we need to start setting reminders for food and stuff too?”, Hyunjae shook his head as Juyeon handed you the plate of food. You quickly shook your head back, taking a bite of the fruit sitting on the plate in your lap.

“No, I just got busy. I’m not too hungry”, Hyunjae looked at you with the most untrusting look. He knew you and he knew that you frequently “got busy” and that meant you frequently forgot to take those vitamins or to at least drink water.

As you ate, you started to circle the important details you had written down during the interview, making a clear note in your head to add those facts into the paper.

Sad thing was: the athlete barely gave you anything to work with. Most of it was just bragging or hitting on you.

“What an asshole”, you sighed and rested your forehead on Juyeon’s shoulder. He simply chuckled and started to run his fingers through your hair. You weren’t a saint by any means but cussing was rare. You found it to be a bad habit in public while you swore like a sailor in the safety of your bedroom.

“Frustrated?”, Hyunjae asked, rubbing your back with his large palm, working the knot he knew you had. They really did know your body so well.

“Yeah, he didn’t really give me anything to work with. Just flirting”, you didn’t mean to let the last part slip out. It was just what you thinking about and sometimes that filter in your brain was clogged with all the useless information you kept there.

“Maybe you could do your report on someone else?”, surprisingly, the response was calm and you had to let out a sigh of relief.

“Maybe. I’d have to ask”, you were the writer for the school but it didn’t mean you had free will. Everything had to be ran by someone else. Every decision.

“Alright, I’d feel much more comfortable if you didn’t have to talk to that guy again”, you nodded in agreement.

God forbid something go right because weeks later, after one failed attempt at switching stories, you were put on the athlete’s case once again. This time it was because he was the reason the school won against their rivals.

So, there you sat on the desk chair. You had just finished your journalism class and, ironically, the jerk was in the class with you. You both just agreed to do the interview in the classroom.

You had already told the boys about it and they promised to check in soon. You were worried but also thankful. Your gut had an awful feeling about this guy.

As you were reaching for your notepad and pen, a hand stopped you. It was wrapped around your wrist and you looked up in surprise to see the athlete’s eyes sparkling with mischief.

That can’t be good.

“Come on, no one has denied me before. Why won’t you go out with me?”, it made you scoff and you yanked your wrist from his cold, rubbing the red flesh with your other hand.

“Because I’m taken. So, drop it”, that seemed to strike a nerve. He looked furious and fear flowed through your body when he got up.

Before he could reach you, a hand gripped the collar of his shirt, lifting him up and throwing him out of the room. Juyeon rushed to you, gently wiping away tears with his thumbs.

Wait- you were crying? You hadn’t even noticed.

Hyunjae seemed to take the high road and just simply shut the door in the student’s face, locking him out.

They honestly rarely fought but when they did it was brutal. That’s why they tried to never do it in front of you.

“Are you okay? He didn’t touch you?”, you reassured him you were fine by letting him look you over, his eyes quickly looking over you as if you had some hidden life threatening injury.

After some time, you were already feeling better. The boys had made it their mission to make you laugh as much as possible in the classroom, doing silly dances and even tickling you. They just loved your laugh too much.

“Baby, I have an idea for your newspaper”, Hyunjae looked a little dazed. Well, more than dazed. You couldn’t blame him considering you had all been playing a game of cards and you sucked so fucking bad at it. Therefore, your little game of stripping if you lost resulting in the boys completely clothed while you sat there completely bare.

“And what is that?”, you shivered as the cold air hit your back. Juyeon pulled you in between his legs and wrapped his arms around you in an attempt to keep you warm. Plus, his hold was barely below your breasts and he truly did love those.

“Make it a smut”, you gasped when Hyunjae connected his lips with your’s harshly, a little more rough than usual. Then, it hit you, they held all that anger in just to use it on you.

While you would never actually write a smut for the school paper (unless you really wanted to be fired), you liked to idea of using it to rile them up. They loved your writing and, more specifically, the wonderful sex scenes you wrote.

Anytime you were busy, you’d write them one and then you’d be happy to oblige to their request to act it out when you got back to your dorm. Sometimes they were short scenes and sometimes they were long. Either way, the boys were happy to help you fulfill your fantasies.

The only difference today is that there is no prompt. They get to make up the story themselves.

“Do you want me to tell everyone how good you two fuck me? How well you stretch me out?”, just your words alone had Juyeon’s erection desperately trying to escape the confinement of his jeans. You could feel the bulge against your back and you watched as the wetness started to coat your thighs.

“Yes, tell everyone how good we make you feel”, you nodded in agreement and looked at the door, thankful that there was no windows uncovered in the room.

Finally, feeling safe, you turned around and started to unzip Juyeon’s jeans, pulling it down his legs along with his boxers. You simply tossed them, watching them land on the surface of one of the desks.

Hyunjae wasn’t far behind, removing his own clothes and doing a similar action to them, discarding them as if they were the trash beneath his feet.

“Turn around”, you nodded, turned your body back around and you immediately knew what he wanted. You leaned down to make yourself level with his cock, your eyes running over the veins and the angry red tip. Your ass was right where the man wanted it, high up in front of him.

Your lips wrapped around his shaft, running your tongue along the sides to coat it in your saliva. It always made the movements a bit easier. Juyeon groaned and dove his tongue down your slit, suckling at your clit once he reached it.

The moan you let out sent a vibration through his sensitive tip, causing his thighs to shake slightly. It was a beautiful sight.

Not forgetting about your other boyfriend, you looked up to make eye contact with Hyunjae. He licked his lips as he watched you practically gag on the large cock that belonged to Juyeon.

He was always a bit of a voyeur and, as much as he loved the sight, he couldn’t wait any longer. He sat on his knees next to you and moved his own cock closer to your mouth.

Hyunjae was bigger than Juyeon, stretching you out beyond belief but Juyeon was longer, hitting your cervix with every thrust. Both were a perfect mix of pleasure and pain. Different but well balanced.

You brought your head back, releasing Juyeon from your mouth and you replaced where your mouth had been with your hand, jerking the man off. A long string of saliva connected your mouth to his but you couldn’t care because Hyunjae’s dick was far too tempting to forget.

You wrapped your mouth around his cock now, feeling your jaw lock slightly from the sheer volume you had taken in. He was just as delicious as the previous one and you couldn’t help yourself from sucking him like he was your favorite lollipop. To be honest, he was.

Juyeon slipped a finger inside of your dripping cunt and you whimpered, listening to the sound of your pussy clenching around the digit, soaking it in your wetness.

“I think she can take both of us now”, you stopped for a moment, a little surprised. Sure, you three had discussed double penetration but you never really felt ready. Could you really handle that much?

Maybe you could.

“Let’s do it”, your words came out muffled since you were still infatuated with the taste of Hyunjae’s dick. The boys smirked at one another and Hyunjae gripped your hair to pull you off of him. Your hand instinctively let go of Juyeon’s dick too, missing the feeling of having something to play with.

You never liked to sit still but you knew you probably were going to have to after this session.

“Up here then, baby”, Hyunjae chuckled as you yelped, his arms under your body as he laid you across the desk. You winced when a pencil sharpener landed on the floor off the desk, probably breaking into pieces.

How had no one heard you before this? You had no idea.

Juyeon got up off the floor, rushing to Hyunjae’s side. Hyunjae held your thigh and pushed it open more, taking in the beautiful sight of your glistening pussy. It was his favorite work of art and Juyeon wanted nothing more than to continue the feast he was in the middle of.

“Alright, we’ll go one at a time, okay? If we need to stop then tell us. You okay with this still?”, Juyeon asked softly. Despite how cold they were, they still asked for permission and it was especially important now.

“I’m okay with it. I’ll tell you if you have to stop”, you nodded and looked up at the two. Fuck, you were so lucky.

They both had little stars in their eyes whenever they looked at you and it always reminded you that they were indeed your stars. Those little stars in their eyes only lit up when they looked at you.

Hyunjae decided to go first as the bigger of the two, gently easing his way into you. The stretch was slightly uncomfortable at first but no longer painful. You had adjusted to both of them rather quickly solo but together? That may be a bit harder.

Right when he brushed against that specific spot inside of you, you covered your mouth and moaned, gripping the edge of the desk.

Hyunjae watched you, smirking when he realized you were already becoming overwhelmed with pleasure. He loved watching you try to hold onto anything to keep your grounded to reality. He always seemed to bring you to cloud 9.

“All in. Now you’ll take Juyeon too, right? You’ll be a good girl and take him too?”, you nodded obediently and looked between your legs, noticing that Hyunjae had completely bottomed out inside of you. You already seemed so full, a bulge present in your stomach from where Hyunjae had settled.

Truly, no one could make you feel this good with so little effort but them.

Juyeon gripped your other thigh and pressed small kisses there, a gentle reminder that it was okay to stop him. That he loved you.

He sucked a few marks to the skin, making you whine because once they start they don’t stop. You’ll be covered in marks by the end of the hour.

Once you were spread wider, almost completely folded, Juyeon guided his cock in beside Hyunjae’s. Now, that hurt.

“Slower! Slower please”, Juyeon quickly nodded, noticing that your eyes were watering. He gently wiped them away and stayed still for a moment so you could get used to the stretch. When you nodded, he slowly moved again and you felt your vagina quickly adjust to the size. Like you were made to handle both.

And, now, you couldn’t stop moaning under your hand. It did very little to muffle the noises but it was your only hope of not getting caught.

Hyunjae was pressed against your g-spot as Juyeon had taken it upon himself to settle his tip against your cervix. And, inside of you, their cocks rubbed against each other in an unspoken competition to see who could go deeper.

Of course, Juyeon would win that category but that didn’t matter to Hyunjae.

Both watched their bulges in your stomach as one pulled out and pushed back in. Then, they started alternating until you were so stretched out that they could move together in perfect unison.

The sounds of skin slapping filled the room as they fucked you raw, sharing you in the most perfect way. Everything felt so good that you could already feel the knot forming in your stomach, begging to be released and coat their cocks in your cum.

“You like it, hm? Does it feel good?”, Juyeon teased as he watched your eyes roll back and your nails dig into the wood beneath you. You nodded but your love didn’t like that. He gripped your throat, squeezing it slightly right where he needed to.

The blissful feeling only became more unbearable as you felt some oxygen escape your throat. Tears spilled down your cheeks before he let go, allowing you to breathe.

“Yes! Fuck, I love it!”, the boys leaned down to suck marks all over your breasts, stomach, and hips. Still easy to hide but you knew that wasn’t going to last long.

Their hips snapped against your core as they moved, Hyunjae’s pelvis bone rubbing against your clit perfectly. It made your mouth hang open in a tiny scream and you couldn’t hold it anymore, squirting all over the two as you came.

You had never done that and you were scared that they would hate it but the bright smiles on their faces made you relax. It made you feel good and that’s all that mattered to them.

As the thrusts continued, you squirmed from the overstimulation and Juyeon had to pin you down by your wrists to keep you from falling off the desk.

Their movements became more sloppy and they came together, filling up your clenching cunt with their cum. You felt way too full with all of it and their cocks still inside of you, tapping Juyeon’s arm in a silent plea.

He understood and nodded at Hyunjae, the both of them pulling out to milk the rest of their orgasm’s on whatever they could find. Your thighs, clit, stomach, chest, arms, etc. You looked like the filthiest thing they’ve ever seen and they couldn’t be more proud.

Juyeon put his clothes back on and went out to grab a towel from the locker room as Hyunjae just stared at the cum spilling out of you and down the side of the unfortunate wooden desk.

He seemed to be deep in thought as you tried to breathe correctly, his finger entering your hole without warning and you looked down to see him pull it out. He looked you dead in the eye as he licked off the mixture of cream, humming happily when he found out he loved the taste.

“We taste delicious together”, he leaned down and held your ankles as he started to lap at the cum dripping out of you, eating it up like it was a five star meal. You shivered from the feeling of his warm muscle meeting your cold skin as he licked you clean, licking his lips every time he came up for air.

“How in the world am I going to write an article when that is in my head?”, you motioned to the sight of the cum dripping down his chin. His lips were swollen and his brown locks stuck to his forehead from the sweat. He looked ravishing.

“Smut”, he popped the m for emphasis and you shook your head, letting him kiss you so you could taste it too. It tasted like the best mixture of fruit and you found yourself diving your tongue in his mouth for more.

“Oh yeah, we definitely have to stay together if this is how good we taste”, you giggled and Juyeon had entered just in time to get a taste too. He kissed you, swirling his tongue inside of your mouth before he pulled away. He licked his lips and acted as if he was critiquing a meal.

“I’d have to give my thanks to the chef”, he joked and you smiled, letting out a little chuckle as you tried to sit up but your legs were not having it and neither were your boyfriends.

They rubbed your thighs as you laid back down, trying to ease the soreness in them. Juyeon kissed your hand lovingly and your heart swelled from all the love you felt for the two.

You had no doubt that they were really the ones you were going to spend your life with.

“Looks like the school newspaper is going to have to wait. Unless you feel like writing on a cum stained desk”, Hyunjae chuckled and you huffed, knowing that that paper was definitely not going to be done by its due date.

[1plus1kiyoomi]

Chapter 22: How I Met Your Mother

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[masterlist]

“Okay, listen up my children!” Kiyoomi announces in the middle of the living room, the kids all looking up to him. “Your mother won’t be around for 3 days-”

Kin starts crying because of his father’s words, taking Sakusa aback. His boy must love you so much since he’s the only who seems affected that you are away. The girls... don’t care.

“Don’t cry! Don’t cry! We are only 30 minutes in and you’re already crying,” Kiyoomi sighs, picking Kin up from the ground.

“You should not have mentioned mama,” Kia scolds him. Kia takes a seat on the couch which Mina and Mira follows. She is their leader, not Kiyoomi. If a hierarchy is made in your house it would turn out like this:

You

Kia

Mina

Mira

Kin

Kiyoomi

Yes. Sakusa Kiyoomi, the provider and the pillar of the house, is at the lowest ranking in your house, simply because he isn’t around all the time. He only goes home once or twice a month, leaving all the childcare and managing of the house to you. The wedding planning is only the side dish of what’s on your plate. He has so much respect for you that he’s willing to lower his pride and hurt his ego.

Kiyoomi is more than happy to take care of the kids for you. You get to rest and he gets to spend time with your children. It’s a win-win situation for the two of you.

“Mama!” Kin cries harder, and Sakusa bounces him on his arm, hoping it will stop him.

“If you stop crying we will go see the fish!” Kiyoomi cheers and Kin stops crying. “We will change now and then go see fish.”

“Really?” Kia questions her father, already old enough to be aware of Kiyoomi’s fear of crowds and germs. She knows that there is no way that their dad will bring the four of them in the aquarium. Especially since it’s a weekend, so it’ll be packed with people.

And Kia was right. Kiyoomi didn’t bring them to the aquarium, but to a small fish market. Kia is disappointed but not surprised. At least Kiyoomi tried, right? “Where’s the fish?” Kin asks, looking around as he sits in his stroller. The place only has a few people and small stalls, which Kiyoomi really likes.

They stop in front of a stall where fish are laid on trays of ice, shocking the twins. Kia just face palms, and Mina is just standing there but is also in disbelief. “What? It’s fish.” Kiyoomi defends himself, shrugging.

“It’s dead,” Mina remarks as she stares at the deceased sea creatures in front of her.

“A fish is a fish,” Kiyoomi argues. Kia scans through the surrounding and spots a small tank with king crabs in it. She points at it so they go to it. Kin and Mira are now out of their stroller and are almost glued to the glass tank. The owner of the shop comes out asks if they’re going to it at the store. Kiyoomi says yes, since the kids look so excited to be seeing crab for the first time.

What he didn’t take in account is that the kids will recognize that the crab they were staring at outside is now their food. Cue the loud crying from Kin and Mira. The number of times Kia has face palmed because of her father is uncountable. Mina is chill, playing with the claws of the cooked crab, making her younger siblings cry even more.

“Stop crying. Try it!” Mina puts a piece of meat in Mira’s mouth and she stops. Kin halts as well, confused why his twin stopped wailing. Kia feeds him the crab and he falls in love with it. Kiyoomi sighs in relief, very thankful that he has reliable daughters.

One task done.

Their lunch finally ends and they head to the toy store. Kiyoomi has already planned to buy kinetic sand for the twins since he can’t bring them to the beach. It’s a scary place. He might be the most cautious guy in the country, but he’s still like any clumsy father. The chances of him losing one kid at that place is high.

“Do you wanna walk?” Kiyoomi asks the twins, not wanting to carry a stroller around. The two nod so he takes out the safety harness and puts it on them. Mina and Kia are holding hands, walking obediently beside their father. The family of 5 enters the store and the kids become excited immediately.

“We can buy anything we want?” Kia asks in awe, which Kiyoomi just nods to. “Let’s go Mina!”

“Don’t go with strangers, okay?” Kiyoomi tells them as the two run off somewhere in the store. He picks up tubs of kinetic sand, clay, and slime. Then, he follows the twins around the store, picking up whatever they seemed interested in.

“You want that toy car?” Kiyoomi asks Mira, picking them up from the ground so they can see a clearer view of the toys. Kin points at a toy gun at another shelf. “I’m sorry, buddy, but you can’t use that yet, and maybe your mama will shoot me using that if she finds out I bought you one.”

As Kiyoomi and the twins are picking more stuffed animals, Kia and Mina come running towards him. “Papa! Papa! Can I buy a bike?” Kia pleads, tugging on Kiyoomi’s pants. He takes a deep breath in before agreeing to his eldest daughter.

“Where are your toys?” Kiyoomi asks them, seeing that the two girls are empty handed.

“I only want a bike and Mina wants a picture book,” Kia answers. Kiyoomi furrows his eyebrows in disappointment, but in his mind he’s actually really happy that the girls seem to be taking saving into consideration.

“Are you sure?” Kiyoomi raises an eyebrow at them.

“Can I buy a skateboard too...?” Kia shyly requests, doing a cute pose. Kiyoomi chuckles and agrees with her.

“How about you Minari?” Kiyoomi asks the younger girl.

“I want paint,” Kia nonchalantly says and Kiyoomi does a thumbs up to her. After that, they start to run to wherever they can get their wants. Kiyoomi walks after his kids, the twins already asleep in his arms, their heads on his shoulder. He spots Kia, scanning through the wide catalog of bikes, a small skateboard already tucked below her underarms.

“Can I get the blue one?” Kia tells the employee who is assisting her, pointing at the baby blue bike she wants.

“You don’t want the pink one?” The employee asks, presenting the pink bike. Kia looks at him in disgust.

“Do you think girls only like pink?” Kia remarks, taking the employee by surprise. Kiyoomi smiles under his mask, amused by his daughter’s words. He internally taps the his back because he’s pretty much the reason behind her attitude. He’s proud to say that he has raised his children not to believe in gender norms.

Kiyoomi feels someone tug on his pants, so he looks down and sees Mina holding a small cart filled with coloring materials, picture books and papers. “Is that all you want?” Mina nods and holds his hand.

After checking Kia’s bike they head to the cashier to pay. Kiyoomi then realizes that he has done the one thing you told him not to do. Spend money on the kids. But you won’t know right?

One task has been failed.

As they reach the house, all the kids immediately go to the bathroom to wash. Kiyoomi knows that they adapted this habit from him, and he feels happy that they’re understanding his personality even at a young age. Kia even sprays alcohol in her sibling’s hand every time they come back to the car. It’s the little things his little kids are doing for him that makes him love them even more.

The four of them falls asleep after the bath so Kiyoomi arranges the stuff they bought. As he is arranging Mina’s books, he notices the abundant number of books that included dogs. “Does she likes dogs?”

Kiyoomi is tired. He has never felt this tired after intense games or practices. Childcare is a whole new level of tired. Just when he thought he can rest, Mina walks out of her shared room with Kia. “Hi, baby. Did you sleep well?” Kiyoomi asks Mina which she doesn’t respond to. Instead, she comes close to him and hugs his leg. Surprisingly, Mina starts crying. “What’s wrong?”

“I missed you, papa,” Mina explains. Kiyoomi sits on the foamed floor of the living room, giving Mina a hug.

Mina has always been quiet. She always waits for her turn silently. She never begs for attention even if she wants it deeply. Mina only shows affection towards you and Kiyoomi when she’s alone with you, but with her siblings around, she gives way to them. Sometimes, Kiyoomi feels guilty because of this. Unlike Kia, Mina has never spent time with you and Kiyoomi on her own. Plus, she was then followed by the twins when she was still a baby. He’s afraid that Mina might start thinking that she is less important than her siblings.

“I missed you, too, Minari,” Kiyoomi says back. He puckers his lips so Mina gives him a short kiss. He hugs her once again, calming her down from her cry. She calms down so Kiyoomi takes this as a chance to trim her bangs. “Should we cut your hair?”

The two of them go to your shared bathroom as quiet as they can, not wanting to wake the other kids up. Kiyoomi sits Mina down on the sink, then takes a pair of scissors out of the drawers. “Don’t move, okay?” He starts to cut her bangs, thinking he’s doing a good job. But once he lets go of her hair, the room becomes silent.

Sakusa messed up. Big time.

Mina checks her reflection at the mirror and giggles. “Weird,” Mina says in between laughter, causing Kiyoomi to chuckle as well.

“Your mom will be so mad at me...” He cuts some more length off, but no matter how hard he tries, it’s just an uneven. He then decides to stop, not wanting his daughter to look like an unidentified animal.

“I like it, papa. Thank you.” She doesn’t like it, but she doesn’t want to break her father’s heart. Mina hugs Kiyoomi after taking a look at the mirror. Kiyoomi kisses her cheek, then laughs at the result.

“You’re still cute.”

Two tasks done.

As they return to the living room, they see Kia sitting on the living room couch, staring at the wall emptily. She sees Mina’s new hairstyle and grimaces. “You’re bad at cutting hair, papa,” Kia says, unfiltered. Unlike Mina who is considerate like you, Kia is as blunt as Kiyoomi. He doesn’t say anything back since she was right.

“Can you teach Mina the alphabet while I make dinner?” Kiyoomi requests and Kia nods in agreement. Mina goes to Kia while Kiyoomi goes to the kitchen to make dinner. He’s thankful that he has such a reliable daughter. He would probably not make it without Kia around.

Three tasks done. Somehow.

At first, Kia was teaching Mina the alphabet, but then she had to go to Kiyoomi’s bathroom to wash her hands, and that’s when she saw Kiyoomi’s ripped jeans that he wore a day before in the laundry basket. She hurriedly called Mina and ordered her to bring paper and glue.

“Is papa poor?” Mina gasps as Kia presents the ripped jeans to her. They sadly look at the piece of clothing and feel bad for buying so much at the toy store while their father was wearing clothes with holes in it.

The older girl flattens the pair of jeans on the floor and starts to glue the colored paper over the torn parts. Mina mimics Kia and does the same thing to the other leg of the pants. Kiyoomi, still in the kitchen, wonders why he suddenly can’t hear his children. It’s never good when they’re silent.

“Kia! Mina! Where are you?” Kiyoomi shouts and he hears small footsteps coming from his room. He checks over the counter and sees his pants are now covered in decorative paper. He almost drops the knife he is holding from the sudden transformation of his pants.

“We covered the holes in your pants papa! You might get cold!” Kia reasons as she shows off their little project. How can he get mad at them when they are just worried about him?

“Thank you, Kia, Mina,” he laughs and snaps a picture of them on his phone. Things that his kids do that don’t make sense but is damn adorable.

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“Just go to bed. I beg you,” Kiyoomi pleads to his children who are still jumping on the bed. “It’s already almost 12AM. Please sleep.”

Kiyoomi is damn tired. How do you handle the four of them on your own? He suddenly feels bad for leaving you alone with them. And he hasn’t heard a complain from you even once. His love for you has become deeper just from taking care of the kids in one day.

“Bedtime story!” Kia cheers, putting herself inside the blanket, which her siblings follow. Kiyoomi sighs in relief. Finally.

“What kind of story do you want?” Kiyoomi tucks the blankets properly on their bodies, making sure that the four of them are comfortable in his bed.

“How did you meet mama?” Kia asks, causing Kiyoomi to smile.

“How I met your mother, huh?” Kiyoomi hums, thinking about how you first met. His smile grows, remembering every detail of how you met.

The first time Sakusa had met you was in Itachiyama. You were outside the volleyball gym, and he was on his way to practice. For some odd reason, you were smelling the roses by the wall. He thought you were the weirdest person he had encountered and judged you right then and there. After that, he would notice how you came to the same spot to smell the roses every single day. He didn’t even understand what smelled so good about them. He may or may have not tried smelling them after practice just to check why you kept smelling them.

It went on for weeks, but Sakusa never thought of talking to you. He just didn’t see see a reason why he should. Until one day, it rained so heavily that he became so worried for unknown reasons. On his way to practice, he stopped by the usual spot where you would smell the flowers and he didn’t see you there. Of course you wouldn’t be there, it was raining so hard. He didn’t care about you.

He was sure he didn’t care until he found himself carrying a bouquet of roses one morning to give it to you. He couldn’t believe it himself. But he couldn’t contain his feelings anymore.

You were a virus that slowly corrupted his mind that all he could think of is you. Maybe it be in class, during practice, on his way home, before he sleeps, after he wakes and sometimes he even dreams about you. Your virus then slowly travelled to his heart. He couldn’t explain it but every time he saw you, his heart would pound so fast he felt like he would suffer from cardiac arrest.

But it was also you who soothed him. When he was feeling down, he thought of your smile after you smelled the roses and he’s back up again. The calm he felt when he passed by you in hallways was enough to encourage him to do great in practice and in games. He didn’t even know your name but he already has a mission of taking your last name and replacing it with his.

You were his illness and his cure.

His cousin, Komori, wasn’t surprised to see him standing by the school gates with flowers in his hands. As the libero saw the roses, he immediately knew Sakusa was waiting for you.

Sakusa was never quiet about his feelings judgement towards you. Everyday the spiker would complain to the libero about how weird you were. Each day, Sakusa had something new to complain about. You cut your hair? He would say it Komori. You painted your nails a new color? Komori would hear about it. You were wearing a different bag? Komori definitely knew about it from Sakusa.

Komori had concluded that Sakusa had developed a liking towards you but the latter hadn’t notice yet. So when it rained hard the day before and Sakusa’s plays were bad, Komori knew Sakusa would do something about it. Sakusa was an honest man, even to himself, especially to himself.

You were on your way to school, when you saw Sakusa standing by the gates. Of course you knew him. He was famous in your school despite his too blunt personality and germaphobic tendencies. You had a little crush on him, but you also were aware he’d never like you back. You’d go outside their gym everyday to smell on the flowers and see him. He was a happy a crush. So, seeing him with flowers outside your school broke your heart.

‘So he had a lover, huh?’

You walked past him, head lowered in defeat. You heard murmurs and whispers as you continued to walk but you ignore them, head full of sad thoughts. Suddenly, you felt a hand on your shoulder so you turned your head and saw Sakusa standing before you, handing you the bundle of flowers. Everyone else was staring at you and Komori was hiding somewhere, taking a picture of the commotion.

“I think you got the wrong person,” you chuckled awkwardly, not knowing what to do since other students were looking at the two of you. And Sakusa Kiyoomi, the ace of the volleyball team, your happy crush, the man of your dreams, was handing you a bouquet of roses.

“You’re the girl who smells the roses outside our gym every afternoon, right?” Sakusa said as he pulled his mask down.

You literally short circuited. He was much more taller and more gorgeous up close. He smelled good, too. But what surprised you the most was that he lowered his mask to talk to you. Maybe you saved the world once in your past life to be able to experience this.

You nodded unsurely, glancing around you in nervousness, not able to look him in the eye. “Forecast said it’ll rain later in the afternoon so you won’t be able to smell the flowers outside the gym. So take this.” Sakusa explained to you.

You couldn’t believe it. The boy who you had a secret crush on since the first day of school had noticed you. You didn’t expect anything at all. Considering how he was with people, you thought you didn’t have a chance so you never made a move aside from stealing glances and watching from a far. To say that your heart was beating fast and that you felt butterflies in your stomach was an understatement. One more word from him and you would probably burst.

“Is that so?” A smile slowly grew on your lips, finally making eye contact with him. You were trying so hard to play it cool, but your reddening cheeks were giving you off. “Thank you. I’m (Y/N) by the way.”

“You can call me Kiyoomi.”

“And from that day on, I would bring your mother a rose everyday,” Sakusa tells Kia, fondly looking his children, the products of your love.

“So you liked mama ever since you met her?” Kia asks, seeing her father smile foolishly. A small giggle leaves Kiyoomi’s mouth and Kia teases him. “Papa is a simp.”

“Where did you learn that?” Kiyoomi gasps.

“Momo,” Kia answers and Kiyoomi takes a mental note to smack his cousin when he sees him again. “Papa, do you love mama?”

“We wouldn’t have the four of you if I don’t,” Kiyoomi answers with a chuckle. He checks his other kids and they have already fallen asleep. “Now go to sleep.”

“Good night, papa,” Kia greets him before closing her eyes. “I love you and mama so much. I am happy you are our parents.”

“We love you more.” He kisses their forehead one by one, before settling on the edge of the bed. He takes his phone out and messages you, hoping you were still awake.

All tasks complete.

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Facts:

Kia is already 5 years old at this, while Mina is 2 and the twins are 1.

Mina thinks dogs are cute because Komori looks like one and he is her favorite uncle.

Mira is the quiet twin while Kin is the more vocal one.

Kin likes fish because the last time Hinata came over, he showed him a picture of his gold fish. Hinata is Kin’s favorite.

Bokuto is Kia’s new favorite uncle/boyfriend because Atsumu has children and Kita is married. She doesn’t want to get in trouble.

Mira is loyal to Kiyoomi.

Taglist:  @elianetsantana​​ @aoi-turtle @ptv-hades  @aquzairus @a-applepi  @justoneofthefangirlsarianna-r13 @morenabambinii @chaelysian @loser-keiji​​ @mxngy @ne-kuroon1fangirlsblog @d-efend @missalicebaskervillemarvelousbakugou @agaashesmilktea​ @bonkyandloki @kimi09 @ntimacy @mkazuyuh  @ushi-please @minty-mangos-world @dearest-kiyoomi​ @yeehawslap  @onlyshinji @obsessedwhxre @adrasteiaxandromedaa @abuliawrites @song-of-storms162 @tnu-ree @keichainn  @bunnybitesthedust @lililiynx  @maitenight @prettyinblack231  @hyoonx23

[the-curious-butterfly]

Slumber Party (Part 1)

(Let’s have a little fun with our fluff shall we)

Ask anyone and they’d tell you Eda was a powerful witch, a force to be reckoned with, and downright terrifying when she’s mad. Someone like that could not be tamed, she was wild, she was free, she was wearing an apron and covered in flour. 

Truly horrifying, and perhaps just a little on the unexpected side.

Now on the question of how she got into this predicament in the first place. It was simple really. Earlier that day Luz expressed that she’s never had a slumber party, well there was the Moonlight Conjuring but she meant just a typical slumber party without any of that other stuff. And Eda, for some unknown reason that even she herself couldn’t fathom, suggested that maybe it would be okay if Luz wanted to have one. 

Cue the young girls squeals of excitement, a little extra dose of that parallel arm thing, and here she was. In the kitchen making cookies for her kid and a few other young witchlings. Why? Well because Luz wanted them of course. Just don’t tell anyone for she still has some semblance of a reputation that she wants to maintain. But gosh darn it why was it so hard to say no to that kid or refuse her anything. Not only that but she was going out of her way to do things without even being asked. 

It wasn’t Luz who suggested the slumber party. And Luz didn’t actually ask for the cookies nor was it said that she had to make them, she could have gone out and bought some after she overheard her kid mention them. Just what the heck was going on with her lately.

Before she could continue on that reputation shattering train of thought King came bounding into the kitchen and onto the counter. “Are those cookies I smell?” 

She had to smack his paw away after setting the tray down on the counter. “These aren’t for you they’re for the kid, last I check you weren’t one.” 

King glared at her as he stomped his little foot. “Demon’s can still enjoy cookies too. As king I demand you give me one!” 

Eda rolled her eyes at his antics “sure pipsqueak, keep pretending you’re in a position to make demands.” Her smile was smug but instead of the reaction she expected he looked away and asked for one, even going so far as to say please. And she just didn’t have it in her to refuse, or at least not anymore, what was happening to her. 

“Alright just one, the rest are for the kid- at least wait till they cool down!” But it was already too late, he had reached for one and ended up burning his paw which he proceeding to stuff in his mouth as he hopped from one foot to another. 

She would have made more comments if it wasn’t for Luz popping up right next to her, effectively startling the witch. “Oooo cookies!” oblivious to King’s predicament the girl also decided to reach for one which I’m sure you can imagine what followed. It took all the strength Eda had not to bang her head against something. 

It could have been anyone, literally anyone, but these are the two she got stuck with. 

While King continued to cry over most likely nothing, Luz composed herself much faster for she gave Eda a grateful smile. “Did you make these?” 

“Yeah, I overheard how you said they were great for parties.” Eda crossed her arms and looked away during her reply. It’s not like it was a big deal. 

“Thank you, Eda!” Oh no, here comes another one of those hugs. ‘You know you like them, stop pretending you don’t’  Shut up brain!

“Willow, Gus, and Amity are going to love these!” The young girl’s enthusiasm was contagious as she helped to get the cookies onto a plate before taking them into the living room and setting them on the coffee table. Eda followed to find her living room decorated with pillows and blankets strewn about. On the couch was a huge bowl of popcorn and a few of King’s stuffed animals minions were already sitting there. 

“Luz said they could partake too!” The little demon added cheerfully from behind her before climbing up on the couch to grab hold of his favorite minion, Francois. “Tonight we shall make our plan to take over the Isles!” King held the stuffed rabbit over his head as he laughed evilly but quieted a bit when he felt someone petting him. 

“No world domination tonight, you little peach, just friends and fun!” His evil laughter turned to cute giggles as Luz picked him up to sit on the couch with him in her lap. 

Eda hadn’t realized how soft her expression became until a knock at the door broke her out of her trance. “Some guests have arrived, hoot hoot.” Hooty declared as the door opened on its own. ‘No ****’ was what she wanted to say but there were children present and also this story has a rating to keep. 

She crossed the room to find Willow at the door standing between her two dads. “Good afternoon, miss Eda.” The young girl smiled warmly at her and Eda couldn’t help smiling back before directing her attention towards the kids parents. 

“Thank you for allowing WIllow to stay over.” commented a dark skinned man with a rather bushy beard. For some reason Eda wanted to ask if he was able to hide things in it too but decided against that. “Willow’s been so excited, it’s not often she gets to do this.” Added the other nerd-looking one with the glasses. 

“Dads!” Willow cried out with more than just a hint of embarrassment.

“Sorry sweetie, you know we’re just as happy as you are.” Seems Luz wasn’t the only one who was missing out on a lot. Eda once again smiled at the witchling as she pointed behind her. “Luz is already waiting on the couch, if you’re not careful her and King might finish off all the snacks before you even have a chance to have any.” Well mostly King, Luz would be more preoccupied with being a good host.

The young witch giggled “Thanks again, miss Eda!” She chirped before moving past the older woman to join Luz on the couch. Eda watched her go with a content expression on her face before turning back towards Willow’s dads. The one with the beard was already writing something on a piece of paper. 

“If you need anything, anything at all, feel free to scroll us.” Bushy beard handed her the paper while glasses continued talking. “She has this medication she needs to take, she’s usually very good at remembering but could you see that she does just in case?” 

“You know what it’s like with kids, when they’re having fun it’s easy to forget everything else.” 

For a moment she was taken rather aback with the situation she founded herself in but was quick to compose herself as she shot them a genuine look of understanding. “Of course I will, I promise she’s safe under my roof.” She was simply saying what she would want to hear if it was her dropping Luz off at someone’s house. 

It seemed to be enough though for the smiles they shot at her were bright and warm. “Thank you very much, despite your reputation you really are a good person like Willow said.” And just like that the world had to prove she still had heartstrings. How dare that kid spread lies about her. 

After waving goodbye, Eda closed the door only for another knock to be heard what felt like seconds later. Since she was right there she opened it herself this time before Hooty could swing himself open and most likely hit her in the face. She wouldn’t be able to guarantee safety under her roof if there wasn’t a house anymore. 

Gus stood with his reporter dad and waved rather excitedly at her. “Hi Eda, are Luz and Willow here?” Before Luz she would have found him exhausting but the girl was way worse so she was numb to it now.

“Nope, you just missed them.” She crossed her arms and gave him a toothy grin to which he responded by deflating just a bit. “Of course this would happen.” 

The older witch chuckled. “I’m just messing with you kid, go on in.” Eda moved aside to let him pass which he did, rather loudly. She wondered if she was actually gonna get sleep tonight. Then she realized she was allowing a bunch of kids to stay in her house for the night. So no, most likely not.

She heard someone clear her throat before realizing that oh yeah, Gus’ dad was still there. “Thanks for letting him stay over, and uh nice to see you didn’t get petrified.” Oh man he was just as awkward as his son. 

“Um, thanks? Is there something else you wanted or can I shut the door now?”

“Yeah, sure. I’m going now, sorry about that.” So that’s where the kid got it from. 

She was at least able to make it across the room this time before the door swung open. Hooty didn’t even wait for the knock this time as three kids were left standing with their fists held out. 

Two of them, the clearly older ones, laughed. “I’d love to have a door like this someday.” The older girl commented while her brother nodded. “Just imagine all the stuff we could pull off with one.” he added.

The smaller one in the middle frowned as she crossed her arms. “See if I ever visit you.” 

“Of course” her older sister began in a singsong voice. “You’d only put up with this kind of torture if it was for~” This prompted a rather red faced Amity to quickly cover her mouth before she said something she’d regret, causing the boy and even Eda to smirk as she made her way towards the door. 

“Hey kids.” 

“Hi Eda!” The twins said in unison once Amity let Emira go. “We’re just here to drop off our precious baby sister” Emira commented as Edric patted their, growing increasingly frustrated, little sister’s head. 

“I could have walked myself.” The witchling growled out but her expression completely changed, which did not go unnoticed by any of the three, when she saw Luz approaching the door. 

“Amity!” The human cried out happily as she greatly encouraged the young witch inside. “Hurry, we were just about to start playing a game!” 

“I-I’m coming, just hold up already.” Her tone feigned annoyance but in truth she was very happy with any attention from the human. It was adorably amusing. 

“So” Emira smirked as she acknowledged the other two with her again. ”Who wants to make bets that something will happen tonight?” 

“Psh, together in a house at night? If something didn’t happen I’ll be amazed but also greatly disappointed.” Eda stated before adding. “You’re on kid!” 

After all the bets were placed the twins waved goodbye and Eda could finally close the door without worrying about any more guests needing to show up.

Knock knock.

Or so she thought. “Kid, how many people did you invite?” 

Luz looked up from their game to count on her fingers. “Let’s see just Willow, Gus, Amity, and-” 

“Hello, sister.” 

Of all the people Eda expected to see standing there Lilith was not one of them. Heck she would have expected even that Boscha girl more than her own sister. True things were slightly... better, for lack of a better word, between them but now that she wasn’t in the coven she tended to keep to herself in the tower behind their house. 

“What are you doing here, Lilith?” She didn’t intend to sound mean or anything, just surprised. 

“The human, Luz, invited me to your ‘party’ as she called it.” 

Eda looked towards her apprentice with an expression that conveyed she wasn’t mad just, confused and maybe slightly sad. “Why?” 

As Luz considered what she’d say for a moment her group of friends watched and waited for her explanation to which she finally just shrugged. “I guess I just thought, it’s been some time since everything happened, why not take little steps towards making things better.” Eda and Lilith considered what the girl had to say as she continued. “Whether we like it or not Lilith is gonna be with us now. She’s powerless she can’t go anywhere else. It took awhile and I still don’t know if I forgive her... But I think it’s okay to start letting her back in little by little.” 

Silence ruled the house as Lilith looked towards the human gratefully, so that’s what her younger sister saw in her. Finally Eda turned towards Lilith with a sigh. “Luz is right, you’re welcome to stay if you wish.” 

“Perhaps for just a little while, I won’t overstep my boundaries.” They gave each other small smiles before Eda directed her towards the couch. She then fixed her kid with a stare as she held the door open. “Now is there anyone else I have to worry about? Did you invite the emperor too?” 

“Well” Luz joked causing Eda to roll her eyes. “Kid, if it wasn’t for all these people I would have thrown you outside by now.” 

“Nah, you love me too much.” 

“A fact I’m starting to regret.” The others chuckled at the Owl Lady’s comment as she closed the door, finally. 

Walking over towards the group she saw Luz rise up from her spot with a start. “Oh gosh, I forgot the drinks.” 

“Hey kiddo, it’s okay I’ll get them” Eda ruffled Luz’s hair. “You just have fun with your friends.” To that Luz wrapped her arms around Eda’s neck and nuzzled against her cheek with a “Thank you!” She was always dramatic with her appreciation that way. But instead of complaining Eda held her back for just a moment before letting go and dropping her on the floor. “Affection, gross.” 

“Just you wait, one of these days I’ll get you to stop pretending that you don’t like it.” 

“Sure kid, whatever you say.” Eda turned to her sister with a slightly cautious look. “Would you mind helping me?” 

“Not at all.” Came the quick reply as the two older women made their way into the kitchen leaving the kids, and King, alone. 

Most had soft smiles on their faces as if they just saw the cutest thing ever. Amity’s face was the same as ever but there was a bit of red to it, she was the only one not looking in Luz’s direction. 

“Okay, now who’s ready for truth or dare?” Luz asked, to which Gus responded by raising his hand and asking what that is.

[101flavoursofweird]

Brenda deserves better.

I’ve talked about some of the other under-appreciated PL ladies like Katia, Janice/Melina and Marina. Now here’s Brenda.

In PL4, Brenda appears in a grand total of two cutscenes (with 0 voiced speaking lines), in a bonus episode and a few credit pictures. At first glance, her character profile doesn’t give us much insight into her personality either. She doesn’t get her own description in the PL4 character section of The World of Professor Layton, just a quick summary in Luke’s Family section. It’s easy to see why people don’t get immediately attached to her.  

There are plenty of other female characters in PL4, even those who aren’t ‘reoccurring characters’, who leave a much bigger impression— Rosa, Emmy, Arianna, Loosha, Marylin, Wren (A lot of my personal favourites!)... Listing them all now, I’m just realising that it’s no wonder Brenda doesn’t stand out! 

We first hear about Brenda when Layton asks Clark how she’s doing. Clark replies dismissively, ‘My wife is fine. She’s away. Family matters.’ Liam O'Brien doesn’t get enough credit for how well he plays Clark. Seriously, as much as he snaps at Luke, if you replay PL4 you can hear the anxiety hidden in Clark’s voice. He then quickly moves on to Luke. Layton says that he hasn’t seen Luke since he was a baby, which would suggest he hasn’t seen Brenda since then either. 

Brenda enjoys travelling, as her character profile indicates, so her absence wouldn’t seem too suspicious at first for Layton. However, it’s the manner in which she left that’s odd. If you talk to Brenda’s NPC friend, Thomas, he’ll discuss Brenda’s departure with Luke. Brenda would usually chat about her travel plans with Thomas, but this time, she left without a word. Thomas wonders if there’s a reason for this. He notes that Brenda always loved family vacations, unless she and Clark were fighting... He could be referring to fights Brenda and Clark have had in the past, or to more recent fights during the spectre attacks. Brenda noticed how Clark was acting like a different person after Evan Barde’s death (something Luke also picks up on), so that might have led to some misunderstandings.  

Luke thinks his mum left because she couldn’t deal with his dad anymore. (Or that Clark had even hidden Brenda away!) But she would never just leave without telling Luke. 

Beth the maid notes that Clark has changed since Brenda left and she’s been hearing noises from the Tritons’ cellar. 

As awful as it would be for anyone to be trapped in a dank cellar for months on end, it must have been especially awful for someone who loves travelling. And in their own house too! Sure, Angela got locked in a hotel room. Yeah, Flora was trapped in a barn. Bill Hawks got taken to Future London for like a week—no one cares. But at least they all got rescued fairly quickly. Much like Angela, Brenda had a hunch about the villain in her town... and she ended up getting imprisoned by Descole.   

When Brenda and Doland escape from the cellar, Brenda’s first concern is Luke and Clark’s safety. Emmy asks if she’s OK, but Brenda doesn’t answer. She’s just shocked to hear that Luke is with the professor. Professor Who? Hershel Layton?! Again, this suggests Layton hasn’t seen Brenda for many years— since Luke was a baby. 

In Layton’s bonus episode with Clark, Layton mentions how Clark and Brenda have always been close. Layton is the one to suggest that the Tritons should come back to London. 

Sadly, we don’t get a conversation between Luke and Brenda, or Clark and Brenda, during PL4.

We do learn that Luke is protective of the bear his mum got him for his birthday. There’s also the heartbreaking bit about Luke calling out to his mum in his sleep while she was missing. But then, we get THIS precious picture from the PL4 credits:

Thankfully, we get more interactions with Brenda during Azran Legacy, and we get more of a feel for her personality. Luke spots his mum in Kensington High Street and wants to say hello to her with Aurora. Brenda is surprised to see Luke, as she thought he was off on a trip with Professor Layton. (She actually calls Layton ‘Hershel’ when she speaks to him!) Brenda is quite happy to let Luke tag along with Layton. Though, she does tell Luke to be on his best behaviour— no reckless rushing around. 

Luke mentions in a dialogue box that he got his blue cap from the fancy hat shop in Misthallery. @laytonerd​​ came up with the idea that Brenda may have bought Luke his classic hat. (In the Layton universe, giving someone a hat is a sign of love*.) And from what we see of Brenda during Azran Legacy... yeah, that sounds about right.

I love how something so simple like the Dress Up Minigame can reveal so much about a character. Brenda is elevated from Loving Mother to Hippie Angel Lady. That quirky part of her personality was already alluded to in her character profile. But now we see that Brenda doesn’t just collect odd souvenirs... She has a very unique style as well. (Her top hat appears to be inspired by Hershel’s top hat—again, adding some weight to their friendship!) Luke thinks her whole outfit is just too much, but Clark thinks she looks stunning and it suits her to a T. This is probably just one outfit amidst a huge wardrobe of wacky outfits. Perfect for Brenda and Clark’s wedding anniversary! Clark states that Brenda’s angel outfit reminds him of when they first started seeing each other... and he doesn’t know what he did to deserve her, making Brenda blush. Luke wants no part in this.

Brenda’s favourite colour is yellow. A colour associated with the sun, flowers, hope, cheerfulness and energy. (Like Emmy!) But it’s also associated with sickness, cowardice and deceit. (Again, relating to Emmy!) I wouldn’t call Brenda a coward, but she was a pawn in Descole’s plan and it probably took some time for her to recover from that. But, from her demeanour, she seems cheerful when she’s in London!

Brenda’s obviously quite close to Doland too. He worries about her when they escape from the cellar. It’s not like he does all the chores around the house! Brenda is the one to cook Luke’s favourite meal (roast lamb) when their family is reunited. Brenda knew when something wasn’t right with Doland while Descole was in disguise. She even refers to him as ‘Our Doland’. Awww!  

We get several conversations between Clark and Layton in PL4, along with a bonus episode, demonstrating their friendship. But I really wish we could’ve seen more of Layton and Brendas’ friendship. Brenda is very relaxed about Luke going with the professor on his trips. (This isn’t surprising as she is a fan of travelling herself.) Brenda is very similar to Layton in how she picks up on other people’s behaviour. Brenda noticed that Doland was acting out of character, and she noticed Clark was being manipulated. She tried to go to the authorities (though, Third Eye Jakes wouldn’t have been much help...) and so, Descole had to take her out of the picture. She, like Layton, posed a real threat to Descole’s plans. Brenda describes Hershel as being very dedicated and hardworking when he was a student, but he’d also disappear for days on random adventures. With Brenda being a traveller herself, that’s another thing she and Hershel have in common! 

To this day, I’m still not 100% sure what Brenda does for a living. In Luke’s Family section in The World of Professor Layton, it’s mentioned that Brenda was ‘also Professor Layton’s classmate’. I’m assuming this means she studied archaeology as well? During AL, she talks about how she’s going to Gressenheller’s Library to do some research for a paper on plate tectonics... I thought that had more to do with geography than archaeology, but who knows? Maybe she does both! So, she might either teach at Gressenheller like Clark and Layton, or she has returned to university to do some studies of her own. She doesn’t seem to work in the same department as Clark, at least. She ‘drops by’ to see how Clark is doing, and to get a look at his department’s cutting-edge technology. 

Brenda, like Professor Sycamore, is partial to the odd pun! She then proceeds to give them a puzzle— ‘Mutual Meeting Place’.

It’s about four friends going to the theatre! ...Four friends. Could that possibly be a reference to Layton, Clark, Brenda and Claire? The girl in the puzzle picture also just happens to have red hair and she’s wearing green! (I just made myself sad.) Unfortunately, Claire doesn’t get so much as unnamed reference when Clark, Brenda and Layton talk at Gressenheller, but it’s easy to imagine Claire was close with them back when they were students. 

I’d like to think Brenda was particularly good friends with Claire. (They may even be a rare ship of mine...) *Who else was obsessed with quirky styles, and bought a hat for someone she loved? Brenda’s top hat in her Dress Up costume looks just like the hat Claire chose for Hershel. Brenda has an interest in new technology— imagine how many hours she spent discussing science with Claire! “You want to be the world’s first time traveller? Sure, go for it!” I find it quite significant that Claire’s death— and the institute explosion— were referenced in PL4. (Chelmey’s bonus episode is so hard to watch!) Had the Tritons already lost touch with Hershel (and Claire) before Claire’s death...? I wish Level 5 had given us more content for the Gressenheller gang. 

I can’t really say Brenda went through any under-appreciated character arcs, like Katia or Janice/Melina. She starts out as Luke’s-loving-mother... and by the end of the prequel games, she’s still Luke’s loving mother, which is fine! By AL, I guess you could say her relationship with Clark is much happier, if they were fighting before? And in the AL bonus episode, she admits she was initially worried about Luke when he wanted to go on adventures with the professor, but she can see has Luke grown up since then. She even helps Luke choose the blue sweater that he wears during the original trilogy games. Brenda and Clark don’t appear during the original trilogy- obviously, as their characters weren’t invented yet. But we could take this as a sign that they’ve accepted Luke’s growing independence and they still trust Hershel immensely! 

There is a picture of the Triton family meeting up with Layton, Flora and the Barde siblings. Luke, Arianna and Tony are looking at a photo, remembering the time they spent together in Misthallery. Brenda is smiling at Flora in the background. Brenda’s clearly happy and, like the Barde siblings, she was able to move on from what happened with the spectre.  

@the-triton-family-blog​ was also a great help for this post!

[another-snape-story]

Morning Post

Chapter XIII

“Pity you didn’t partake in carving pumpkins last night, it was fun,” you complained meeting Snape at your door awaiting to accompany you to the Great Hall for breakfast.

“I’m not excited about these childish entertainments,” he stated blankly.

“So, Professor McGonagall is a child, in your opinion?”

Snape rolled his eyes, defeated.

“Ha! Got you!” you cheered.

“It’s just not my cup of tea.”

Actually, the point was not in ‘childish entertainments’ in general, but in enormous amount of people involved in this activity, whose presence Snape had no desire to tolerate longer than necessary. Moreover, he found it unacceptable risking his reputation by being caught at such a shameful piece of work.

In fact, Snape had one tiny pumpkin in his private chambers, carved carefully all by himself. When was the last time he did it, he’d hardly remember, but this year he discovered he was in sort of a festive mood. Where did it come from? He supposed, he knew it. If you’d offered him to do it together, he would’ve probably agreed – not without showing reluctance and discontent, of course. Snape heartily regretted losing the whole evening of enjoyable pastime in your company. Maybe he should’ve sacrificed his grim image? Anyway, it was way too late for remorse.

Once you climbed the narrow spiral staircase to find yourselves in the Entrance Hall, someone ran into you, knocking you off your feet right in Professor Snape’s arms.

“Damn you, Quirrell!” he growled. “Watch your step!”

“I’m s-s-sorry,” he adjusted his turban and disappeared behind the corner.

“He’s been frantic lately,” you rubbed your shoulder, throwing scornful look in his direction.

“Idiot,” Snape hissed.

Meanwhile a crowd of Gryffindors rushed by, Harry Potter among them. The boy greeted you with a cheerful smile which vanished once he noticed your gloomy companion. Snape, annoyed by recent unpleasant encounter with his stuttering colleague, seemed now even more intimidating.

“Nice boy – Harry,” you smiled, as you leisurely continued your way along the corridor. “So diligent. He’s having a hard time. So many things other children find common are new to him.”

“He’s not the only one in this boat,” Snape snapped disdainfully. He didn’t like children, you knew it. Neither did you, actually – at least not that loud mass.

A Hufflepuff girl brusquely slipped between the two of you – just in time to confirm your conviction.

“Ugh, how you’ve been surviving here for so many years?” you grunted.

“Self-control and tones of sedatives,” he answered plainly as you entered the Great Hall, which buzzed and hummed in usual mealtime routine. His wit never failed to make you laugh, this time was no exception.

Eyes rounded in amazement, a few heads turned in your direction, watching you as you made your way to the teachers table. Beaming with joy, you created a huge contrast with the man black as thundercloud.

“Severus! You should’ve joined us last night!” Professor McGonagall exclaimed with a mixture of reproach and disappointment on her face.

“I’ve been told off already, thank you very much,” he pulled the chair for you to help you sit and took his place beside.

“He’ll assist us next year,” you whispered, so that Snape wouldn’t hear.

“Oh? How did you manage to persuade him?” McGonagall leaned closer, curious and excited.

“I haven’t yet,” you replied furtively for the sake of privacy, “but I think it’s quite possible.”

Satisfied, the old lady straightened on her chair. After making some hard thinking, she gave Snape a meticulous look, drawing it on you and then back on Snape. As if coming to a conclusion, she smiled slyly.

You didn’t pay attention when owls delivering post flooded the room – you rarely received letters – not once during your staying at Hogwarts. But dozens of surprised gasps made you raise your head from your plate. Everyone’s attention was caught by a long, thin package carried by six large owls. Even the small envelope landed on the table escaped your notice. But not Snape’s – with the tail of an eye he studied the inscription.

“Broomstick?” you instinctively looked up at Snape, searching for an answer. “Is it a broomstick?”

“It is,” Professor McGonagall affirmed without hesitation.

This very moment the birds dropped it right in front of Harry Potter.

Snape squinted in disgust, his spirits reaching the lowest. “Potter again. Always Potter in the spotlight.”

“Come on, why does he annoy you so much?” you grudged. “The boy changed in the face, when he saw you today!”

“They all annoy me, these dunderheads,” he spat.

“He’ll replace Charlie Weasley in Gryffindor Quidditch team,” McGonagall announced proudly.

“What?” Snape outraged. “But first-years are not allowed…”

“I’ve settled this matter with Albus, Severus. He agreed it was a good idea,” she cut him short crisply.

“The boy barely mounted the broom! You can’t…”

“He’s showing better skill in flying than Terence Higgs so far!”

“Let us not become personal!” Snape barked, his nostrils fluttered in resentment.

Sitting in a crossfire, you had no other option but to follow the argument. You found it curious that Snape cared about Harry’s safety. Strangely, it didn’t come along with his attitude towards the boy. Nevertheless, you tended to take his side rather than McGonagall’s – you also found it insane throwing a child into this chaotic whirlpool of players, Bludgers, Quaffles, Snitches, and Merlin knows what else.

“Remember you promised to give me xylem sap?” you addressed him quietly, carefully putting your hand on the man’s wrist.

Once he faced you, for a brief moment you sensed all his anger directed on you.

“I need it in my class. Shall we go fetch it now?” eyes locked on his, you tightened your grip.

“Yes…” he let out a heavy sigh. “I suppose…”

With a gesture concealed from Snape’s view, you apologized before Professor McGonagall and were about to leave, as Snape stopped you.

“Won’t you take it?” he handed you the envelope. “As far as I can tell, it is for you.”

Indeed, there was your name on it. And the other name, which promised no good. Without reading, you shoved the letter in your pocket.

“Is everything fine?” seeing how upset this small piece of paper made you, Snape asked worriedly.

“Yes,” you squeezed a smile and headed for the exit, a tall man in black following you. He was still annoyed with the news about Potter being taken into the Quidditch team, but his wrath subsided a little – not without your involvement. He was thankful you saved him from burning bridges with Minerva, but what he appreciated most was your sympathy, which he – in his opinion – didn’t deserve.

“It is not right!” he complained. “They can’t just rewrite the rules for no reason!”

“A legend in a Quidditch team, isn’t it a good reason?” you noted sarcastically. “You have no power against two ganged up Gryffindors who happened to be the school’s main authorities.”

Snape sniggered at your remark. You’ve always managed to push his thoughts off distressing rails.

“We’ll be cheering on Slytherin harder then,” you stated. “Won’t we?”

“Absolutely,” Snape agreed. He felt much better now.

“See you at the feast?” it was no longer possible to delay the moment of parting – classes were about to start in a few minutes.

Snape smiled mildly and gave you an affirmative nod.

“Thank you for xylem sap, by the way,” you smirked playfully.

“I have some, if you ever really need it,” his brow sprang cunningly.

“Is there something you don’t have, Snape?” you laughed and hurried off.

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[apex-academy]

Chapter 5: Caring Is a Hazard to Your Health (#25)

“Um, hello! Good morning! It is now 7:00, so the off-limits areas have been reopened! And, um! You have four days left if you want to save your loved ones! Everyone do your best today…!”

Ugh. Yet another morning where I’d rather hide under my pillow and go back to bed, but I’d better not. Missing the breakfast meeting would just make people worried for my safety and/or piss them off. Neither’s a great option.

So I get dressed and head over. Breakfast might be a good time to practice cracking eggs…

But then again, no.

I go for some instant miso instead, which has a strangely long list of artificial preservatives on the bag, but I don’t care. Soup is soup. As long as I don’t accidentally dump a bunch of salt in or something, I can tolerate it.

A few others have come and gone while I’ve been in here, and by the time I have my bowl ready, everyone but Yuki has left for the cafeteria. I look over my shoulder at her.

“I think the meeting’s about to start, if now’s a good time for a cooking break.”

“I’ll be just a second…”

“All right.”

I don’t want my food going cold, so it’s better to leave her behind for a minute than drag her out immediately. Odds ten to one some food or other would catch fire if left unattended.

Maybe not if she’s the one cooking, but. Anyway.

I find a seat with Kanagi and Kaichi. Another table over, Aidan and Mahavir exchange words too quietly for me to hear. Then Tsunyasha and Ichiriki are over at the kids’ table by themselves. I won’t object to the arrangement.

Kanagi and Kaichi have struck up some kind of conversation about skate parks by the time Yuki wanders in with a rice-and-something plate. She sits by Mahavir.

Aidan doesn’t wait long after that to start the meeting.

“Good morning, everyone! Thank you for attending!”

“I have quite a few announcements to make, so I’ll ask first if anyone else has something he or she would like to bring up.”

“Oh boy.”

At any rate, I don’t feel like announcing my file cabinet discoveries, so nothing from me.

“…”

“…”

“…”

“Oh, oh!! I have something to say!”

“What is it?”

Ichiriki hops to his feet.

“I love you guyyyyyyys~!”

“Aww… We love you, too…”

“…”

“Duly noted. Anything else?”

“Nope, that’s it!” He waves before sitting back down.

Aidan gives us another five seconds or so, but no one else speaks up. Not sure if we had nothing to say or if we’re all just stupefied by that outburst, but I’m fine with moving on to whatever Boss Baby’s handing us now.

“All right, then! I’ll lead with what I’d like to call a proposition, but in reality it will be our new rule if no one can provide compelling evidence that it isn’t for the best.”

“Yet another of your little ‘rules,’ hmm?”

“I’m listening…”

“Okay.”

“Starting at curfew tonight, no one is to leave the dorm area at any time unless all of us are gathering for our morning meeting.”

“Eh?”

“Uh, ‘s there, like… food?”

“We’ll extend the duration of the meetings a bit so we’ll be able to prepare the rest of our meals for the day. Otherwise, yes, there will be no leaving for food.”

“What about our cooking lessons…?”

“I’m afraid I’m going to have to shut that down after tonight. It’s only until the motive is over, though. Hopefully there won’t be any reason to make this last longer than that.”

“So wait, I can’t even, like, leave my room?”

“What the heck, dude?! The gym’s totally right there! I can at least, like, go that far to blow off steam, right?”

“That won’t be allowed under this system…”

“…However! I will allow for the possibility of a few arranged events! But only if every one of us attends, the entire time. If anyone fails to come or needs to leave, it will immediately be canceled. Likewise, depending upon the possibility of danger, some events may be excluded as a matter of course.”

“You can’t do that!”

I almost raise my hand like this is real school.

“Am I allowed to stay in my study hall instead of my dorm room?”

“That sounds very uncomfortable and also doesn’t have a bathroom.”

“Fair enough.”

“And, to clarify, I did refer to the dorms as a whole. It’s still acceptable to visit others or meet in the hall, as long as you’re in a group of three or more.”

Yuki raises her hand.

“What about the Nurse’s Office…?”

“There should be very little in there that needs to stay in the room. We’ll have the rest of the day today to gather any necessary supplies to keep in our rooms for the time being.”

“You’ll also be able to stock up on books, paper, games, or whatever else you might need to tide you over.”

“How’s that s’posed to make a difference?! I can’t play volleyball in my dorm!”

“Oh, but you could at least get a tennis ball or something to bounce off the wall!”

“It’s not super duper sport-y, but it is still kinda!”

“But if I break stuff in my room, then I’ll actually, like, have to deal with it.”

“What exactly have you broken outside of your room?”

“Oh, pay no mind to this foolish babbling.”

“It’s terrible folly to think anyone—let alone a blackened sinner!—can dictate where the Holy Assassin spends her time.”

“I am not trying to ‘dictate’ anything here!”

“Really now.”

“The principle is the same as when we agreed to set a curfew. Breaking it only puts yourself in more danger. It will do you no good to go wandering around alone; it would only make you a less trusted person and a more appealing target for anyone tempted by the motive.”

“I understand that my current proposal is considerably more extreme, but we would only be on lockdown until the end of the motive. It won’t be the most enjoyable experience, but I have every reason to believe that conforming with it will keep us safe.”

“…Not to mention that, with the slew of physical injuries that have gone around, most of us probably ought to be resting a lot more than we are, anyway.”

“…”

“Fair ‘nough.”

“Still don’t like it.”

“Frankly, I don’t like it, either. But if it’s necessary, it’s necessary.”

“I think it could work!”

“Oh, we could totally have sleepovers, too, right?!”

“That’s a bit riskier than daytime visits, I’m afraid.”

“Aw…”

“There’s just one thing…”

“And what’s that?”

“What about Kaichi…?”

“Is this still on the subject of sleepovers?”

“Guessing it’s more about the whole no-memory thing.”

Aidan nods.

“I’ve already prepared some papers that he can attach to the back of his door for easier reference. We can get started on those once everything else is sorted out here.” He turns to Kaichi. ”I assume you’re more likely to follow seemingly arbitrary instructions if they’re in your own handwriting, yes?”

“Prob’ly?”

“Couldn’t ‘xactly give y’ my track record.”

“Well. If anyone notices Riseiin out wandering around, please detain him. It’s doubtful he’d be trying anything, but he could be in danger.”

“Wait, we’re arresting people now?!”

“Er, perhaps I could have worded that differently…”

“Though on that note, exactly what do you plan to do to enforce these rules, hmm?”

“Like, yeah. Doesn’t telling everybody not to leave totally make it easier for somebody to leave?”

“In theory, yes, but by constraining us to a small area, it will be much easier to monitor prohibited movement than if I allowed roaming the whole first floor, for instance.”

“And how exactly do you plan to ‘monitor’ us, whelp?”

“Well, I’m not about to blurt out the details so you can try to circumvent it! Goodness.”

“But rest assured, measures will be taken.”

“Ahaha, this all sounds super not fun!”

“It’s a temporary arrangement. I’m certain everyone here can handle it for just a few days.”

Kanagi groans.

“Is this a solution or just a whole second motive?”

“Hummmm… It’s kind of a lot…”

“But we’ve been trapped for a while, anyway, right…? So being… a little more trapped? Isn’t that big of a difference, I think…”

“To one room rather than five floors? Perhaps you mortals have an even more pathetic grip on the universal concept of ‘space’ than I thought.”

“I thought you weren’t confined to space?”

“That’s correct.”

“……”

“Don’t try to logic her.”

“So, aside from acknowledging that this isn’t entirely ideal, are there any further objections to the proposal?”

“……….”

“I’m good.”

“You’re good with basically everything.”

As for me… I don’t like this, but it’s only a couple of days. No pool room, no other facilities, presumably no hot meals aside from breakfast. Surely I can survive that.

A lot better than I could survive a murder attempt.

Is this motive really that much of a threat? Are we so sure someone will try something? Maybe Aidan thinks Mahavir’s going to cave and doesn’t want to single him out? No, this is too extreme for that. Clearly there’s more than one person here who could reasonably kill for this.

Considering I just about killed for less…

That’s… That’s different.

But I can’t well promise it won’t happen to someone else, can I? And it doesn’t even need to be for selfish reasons. If anyone thinks this is a genuine threat to our loved ones…

“So, like, ‘this sucks’ isn’t good enough?”

“I’m afraid not.”

“Oh, worry not, foolish creature. If you don’t like it, you’re quite free to go about as you please regardless of what this one says.”

Mahavir scowls at her.

“I don’t remember electing you as our leader.”

“IIIIII…”

“…don’t remember electing Aidan, either, though!”

Kaichi opens his mouth.

“Please don’t.”

“Boo.”

“All right!! So with the basics of the situation out of the way, we can start talking about possible event planning!”

“Additionally, if anyone would like to start preparing his or her entertainment options for the period or manage any other business before curfew hits today, you may go ahead now, but!”

“Please remain in a group of four at all times!”

“Even for bathroom breaks?!”

“For that, ensuring all of you are in the general area at the same time will suffice.”

“This is totally bogus.”

“Do you want to start making arrangements for a sports competition tomorrow or not, Miss Yuukei?”

“…”

“…Kay.”

Easily won over, huh.

Guess I ought to get going if I want to grab some good books and a deck of cards or something. Wonder how we’re splitting in half here…

Ah. I won’t be going back to that cabinet anytime soon, then. Bringing three people with me is not that conducive to a private investigation.

It can’t be helped. Trying to find clues about the mastermind has never been an easy fix. It won’t keep another death from happening in these few upcoming days.

Whether or not our little lockdown will, we can only wait and see.

[BACK] [NEXT]

[bubbyleh]

it was arrogance to think you knew how to handle this - chapter 2

yeah, sorry. not enough time has passed between the posting of the last chapter for me to provide any new insight! again, scroll down my blog for the ao3 link if interested.

chapter 2: green to blue

Gordon immediately rushes to Josh's room, who he wakes when he scoops him out of bed. At first he's groggy and confused, but Joshua is comforted by his father's presence and quickly falls back asleep. Gordon holds his son, the most precious thing in his life, as he sits on his couch. He holds the kitchen knife tightly, away from Joshua.

He's not sure why nothing is happening. Gordon is half an hour deep into planning a move in his head when he realizes this. The Fae who was outside seems to have just done... nothing? Gordon's not entirely willing to believe they've just given up.

The sun begins to rise. The clock begins to creep closer to a time Gordon would usually wake up. He convinces himself, maybe, that the random Fae was just a one-off encounter. Gently, Gordon sets Joshua down on the couch, making sure he's still covered by the blanket from his room. He doesn't really want to leave Joshua's side, but at least he can still see him from the kitchen.

Joshua will probably be up soon, and Gordon wants to have breakfast ready by then. Having something to eat will occupy Josh for at least a little bit, which means any chaos he causes today will be delayed for at least a little bit.

As quietly as he can, Gordon starts sorting through his kitchen. He leaves the knife on the counter, within reach should the need arise. Normally he wouldn't make pancakes without a special occasion, but after the stress of last night, let alone the stress of the past month, he thinks he deserves some goddamn pancakes.

It's extremely easy to disappear into a task. Making breakfast while keeping an eye on Joshua is enough that Gordon doesn't begin asking himself questions, like why Fae would even be coming around and asking for Joshua now. He pushes thoughts like those aside, because he's a rational adult who's fully capable of compartmentalizing! He can have a panic attack later, when they've safely skipped town!

Once Josh wakes up, he's quick to his father's side, repeating "Pancakes! Pancakes! Pancakes!" Josh jumps as he speaks, grabbing onto the edge of Gordon's shirt.

Well, Gordon thinks, Fae or not, kids love pancakes. He picks Josh up, holding him with one arm as he flips a pancake. "Whoah, no good morning?" he teases.

Josh grumbles out a, "Good morning" before attempting to climb over his father towards the stack of finished pancakes.

"Slow down there, kid," he says, pushing Joshua's insistent hand away from the plate. "What makes you think you're getting any?"

The absolute look of betrayal that Josh's face turns into is absolutely hilarious, so much so that Gordon has to stop himself from completely bursting into laughter. "But I want them!" Josh insists.

"Yeah, well, maybe I made them all for myself. Didn't think of that now, did you?"

Joshua furrows his brow and attempts to wiggle out of Gordon's grasp towards the pancakes. The safety hazard that is Josh messing around near a heated iron pan is not lost on Gordon, who cries out, "Josh, hey!" The words scare Josh enough that he freezes, allowing Gordon the chance to get Josh back on the floor, away from the stove top.

"Joshua," he says, in a typical dad warning tone. "What's the rule when Daddy's cooking?"

"Be careful around fire and pans," Josh mumbles, looking towards the floor. Gordon sighs, relieved both for Josh's safety and the fact he knew the rule. Gordon kneels in front of his son.

"I know it was an accident, okay?" he assures him, placing his hands on Josh's shoulders. "I just got real scared, there. That pan's hot enough that it'll hurt me if I touch it, you could have gotten seriously hurt." Which is... definitely something Gordon doesn't want to think about the implications of. He doesn't know if iron and fire burning stacks for a Fae, but he'd rather not find out.

Josh reaches forward and hugs Gordon, and for a moment, that anxiety is gone. Gordon just hugs his son back. He takes a deep breath, internalizes it for a moment, and then gets back to dad business. He pulls back.

"Why don't you go sit at the table, and I'll get some pancakes ready for you?" Gordon suggests. Josh's eyes immediately light up, and he nods happily. Gordon smiles as Josh climbs into his usual chair at the table.

Hopefully, that filled today's Joshua Incident quota.

- - - -

For most of the morning, it rains, which Gordon is thankful for as it means he doesn't need to provide to actual reason he wants to keep Josh inside. However, it doesn't stop Gordon's eyes from straying towards the window, keeping an eye out for any movement. Even as Josh rambles as he scribbles vaguely humanoid shapes, Gordon can't find himself completely able to focus.

Because, horrifyingly, someone came to his front door with the purpose of taking his child. All Gordon can think about is potential encounters with this Fae increasing in severity. What the fuck do they even want Joshua for? It seems like a reversal from the old warnings he would hear growing up, that Fae would steal a human child and replace it with one of their own. Oh, if only Gordon could laugh at that now. Instead, he's clenching his teeth so hard that not even a single "hah" could pass through.

"Josh," Gordon says suddenly, interrupting the four-year-old mid-rant about princesses. Joshua looks up at his father, orange crayon stilled.

Despite Joshua's more chaotic tendencies, Gordon's heart swells when he looks at him. He thinks about their house, the place he's raised Josh in for the past four years. It's where he brought his son home for the first time, where Josh took his first steps, said his first words. The place their little family of two lives.

Which is why Gordon takes a deep breath before he says, "What do you think about moving?"

"Moving?" Josh parrots, his head tilting to the side slightly.

"Yeah, moving," Gordon keeps his voice steady. "Like to a new house. Somewhere else."

Josh turns back to his paper and continues drawing. "Um, all our stuff is here," he remarks.

"We'd take that with us, buddy," Gordon chuckles.

Joshua's eyes light up. "Let's take the house with us!"

Gordon hears the mail slot on the front door jostle, like someone is having trouble getting a letter through. Weird, they don't usually get mail. He decides to check on it later.

He shakes his head. "We can't take the house."

Joshua's bright smile turns to a frown. "But I like the house." He grips his crayon a little harder.

"The whole point of moving is that we get a new house," Gordon explains, but Josh still doesn't look too happy.

"But I wanna stay in this house! I wanna take it with!" Joshua begins shouting, and dear god, Gordon does not need to deal with this now. He's halfway through formulating a response when...

"Bro, just take the house with you."

Both Freemen snap their heads towards the hallway, where the strange voice came from. Gordon's heart nearly stops, as he recognizes the Fae from last night (or, more accurately, earlier in the morning). Except, he isn't exactly person-sized anymore. No, the Fae is closer to the size of Gordon's hand this time around, but that does not stop the anger that begins to rise in him.

"I don't understand the problem," the now small Fae says, absentmindedly scratching the stubble on their face. "S'not like you can't just take the house somewhere else."

Gordon shouts, "You again!?" at the same time as Joshua's, "Little guy!" He's almost too slow to stop Josh from running towards the Fae, grabbing him by the back of the shirt and holding him with one arm. It's easier, actually, to grab the Fae, who's four inches tall and doesn't make any effort to flee.

"What the fuck is your problem!?" Gordon yells into the tiny Fae's face. He ignores Joshua's scandalized gasp.

The Fae just looks annoyed and crosses their arms. "Man, I told you this, like, six hours ago. You should've remembered better." They point down at Joshua. "Just, um, give us the baby thing and we're all gonna leave you alone."

"I'm not going to give you my son!"

The Fae hums for a moment. "What if I like, marry you. Then it's also my son and I can take it."

"Wh- no!" Gordon sputters, "First of all, don't call my kid an it! Second-"

Gordon's cut off when the Fae begins to sing, small blue orbs flying into Gordon's face. Because, suddenly, a whole chunk of Gordon's anxiety and rage is gone, and he can't really remember why he was so mad in the first place. Mostly he feels... confused? He can faintly hear Josh saying, "That's pretty!"

Gordon gently lets Josh down on the ground, but he still keeps a grip on the Fae in his hand. "What did you just do to me?" he asks, his voice a little too unsure.

"Calm down," is all the Fae says. "Just give me the kid?"

Very suddenly, Gordon's anger returns tenfold, because of course that's why he was so upset, how could he forget? He's about to give this little shit a piece of his mind, but then Joshua sings. A stream of green and blue orbs exit his mouth, just like the one the Fae just used on him.

"Oh shit," the Fae, for once, looks thrown off. They squirm a bit. "You didn't tell me little dude was a mimic, man."

Gordon, once again, feels entirely unprepared for what he just witnessed. After a long pause, all he manages to get out is, "I've never seen him do that before."

The Fae laughs, but to be honest, it sounds more like cackling. "No shit. He can only do that when I'm around, because he's copying me. Stupid." They sigh. "He'll be able to do it a lot more if you just let him come with me, man. It would be way more fun."

Gordon's gaze finally returns to the itty bitty Fae in his hand. Walking them back to the front door, Gordon chucks them as far as he can into the woods.

[hoffkk]

Fake Date, Real Kiss

A Brightwell Fanfic

Story By: @hoffkk

Prompt: Gimme a question and I’ll give you a brightwell kiss!

Question given: Feta or goat cheese for your salad?

**********

"Feta or goat cheese for your salad?" asked the chipper waitress.

"Feta is fine." Malcolm smiled.

"All righty, I'll go put in your orders." she smiled back then made her way over to the kitchen entrance.

He gave a nod in return then glanced at Dani sitting across from him. It was strange seeing her all dressed up in a black cocktail dress with full make up and side swept hair. She looked beautiful, then again, she always did to Malcolm. Although, she usually fell in the beautiful without really trying category. Tonight, however, she was in the undercover and glamorous category. Technically, they both were. They were on a fake date at the upscale restaurant Scarpotto's. A restaurant known for its delectable tiramisu, and, to the rich and immoral, as a front for selling drugs. Let's just say that if you tip well, you get one hell of a doggy bag. The team decided to set up a sting in order to find proof of the drugs and, hopefully, of the murder of the restaurant's hostess.

So, there they sat, drinking wine and enjoying some fine dining, like just another posh couple relishing a night out in the big city.

"So, is this how you typically treat a girl on date?" Dani probed. "You know, with a fancy restaurant and expensive wine."

"No." Malcolm smirked. "I don't have a typical date. To have a typical date, I'd have to actually date."

"You date." She told him knowingly.

"Well, obviously, I dated Eve." He agreed. "And there may have been one or two other casual affairs over the years, but I've never dated consistently."

"I'm guessing being the son of a serial killer put a damper on your dating life." Dani noted, only half-teasing.

"Something like that." Malcolm nodded. "What about you? What's your typical date night look like?"

She thought for a moment then said, "Probably, beer, take-out, and a movie."

"That sounds... boring." He told her. "I thought you'd do something more adventurous."

"Yeah, well, you know how exhausting the job can be." Dani explained. "After working long days, it's nice to have a chill night."

"You mean it's easier." Malcolm corrected.

"Tomato, tomahto," She retorted. "but for the record, I did go on more fun dates every once in a while. However, I can undoubtedly say that I've never been on a date like this."

"Did go? As in, you don't date anymore?" He inquired.

"Not for a while, no." Dani replied. "Work keeps me busy."

"Interesting." Malcolm muttered before taking a sip of wine.

"What?" She quirked a brow.

"You use work as an excuse for not dating," He shared his observation. "but there are plenty of cops who find the right balance and make it work. Just look at JT, he's married with a baby on the way."

"Well, I'm not JT." Dani asserted.

"No, you most certainly are not." Malcolm retorted, giving her another onceover.

She bit back a pleased smile at his response then said, "but you're right. I do use it as an excuse."

He pushed on, "Care to elaborate?"

Dani took a long swig from her glass before replying, "I told you before that I have trust issues. Part of the reason why is that the last couple of guys I've dated turned out to be jerks. One lied about who he was, one tried to control me, and another cheated on me. After the last relationship failed miserably, I decided dating just wasn't worth the trouble. In fact, it's been over a year since my last real date."

"Wow." Malcolm responded. "I'm sorry... about the jerks, I mean."

She just gave a shrug while playing with her napkin on her lap.

"So, you're just never going to date again?" He queried, trying to hide his disappointment.

"I wouldn't say that." Dani amended. "I mean, I'd consider dating again, but the guy would have to be worth it. Very worth it."

"As he should be." Malcolm nodded then lifted his glass and toasted, "To the one who's worth it."

"To the one." She reiterated, clanking her wine against his.

Before they could go on, the waitress was back with their salads. For the next hour, they ate, talked, and laughed. It was a pretty great non-date overall except for Arroyo and JT listening in from a van across the street, and of course the buying drugs thing, which was going exactly according to plan. Malcolm ate his meal then precisely half of his dessert before turning his communication device on for the guys to hear him speak the code phrase to the manager who came to check on their dining experience.

"How was your meal this evening?" The smarmy manager asked in false politeness.

"Perfectly palatable." Malcolm spoke smoothly. "but I'll need to take my dessert to go."

"Very well." He nodded and grabbed the plate of half eaten cake. "I'll take care of it personally."

Malcolm gave an appreciative nod in return and watched the man disappear into the back.

Dani took a sip of her water to cover a whisper into her own com device and said, "Manager's on the move. Stand by."

A moment later, the manager returned with a medium-sized white paper bag that had the restaurant's name on it in golden script. The top was folded over to seal its contents inside. Setting it on the table, the manager spoke, "Your dessert, sir."

Malcolm casually handed over a rolled up wad of cash to the man via handshake as he thanked him for his service. He then stood to help Dani onto her feet and into her shawl. Making his way out the door of the restaurant with Dani in one arm and the doggy bag in the other, something bothered Malcolm.

"Are you okay?" Dani asked, noticing his perplexed expression.

"Did that seem too easy to you?" He wondered aloud.

"We had a solid plan and followed instructions. It was supposed to be easy." Dani told him. "Stop over analyzing things."

"You're right." He relented as he waited for the signal to cross the street, so they could hand off the evidence to Gil. That's when they both heard a loud click and immediately turned to look at the take out bag. After exchanging a glance with Dani, Malcolm opened the bag and retrieved the black plastic container inside. It was supposed to hold the drugs. However, peering inside, his eyes went wide as Malcolm saw a small timer with a red blinking light and thin wires surrounding it. Closing the box quickly but carefully, he yelled, "Bomb!" The pedestrians near them screamed and fled for safety, while Malcolm tried to figure out what to do. There was an alley nearby he could toss it in, but there could be somebody back there, and it would probably take too long to get it back there anyway. There seemed to be no good option and only seconds left to react.

"Malcolm! The garbage can!" Dani shouted, pointing over his shoulder.

He hurried over to the metal bin, threw it in, covered it back up with the lid and made a run for it. "GET DOWN!" He screamed, knowing it would go off any second. Jumping through the air, he tackled Dani to the ground and shielded her with his own body as a loud explosion erupted behind him, flinging garbage and debris everywhere.

Malcolm and Dani didn't move for a long moment as they stared into each other's eyes deeply and held onto each other for dear life. Her heart was racing and she was breathing heavily, but she managed to blurt out, "Malcolm, are you okay?"

"Are you okay?" He panted back. When she nodded, Malcolm finished, "Then, yeah, I'm okay."

Just then, Arroyo and JT made their way over and hoisted Malcolm up off of Dani and onto his feet. After helping Dani up next and making sure they were both okay, a million questions ensued. A little while later, after being checked out by paramedics, Gil sent the two of them home, figuring they had been through enough for one night, and he and JT could wrap things up themselves at the scene. Agreeing to leave, Malcolm hailed a cab for him and Dani. He had the cabby take them to Dani's place first, wanting to make sure she got home safe. Once they arrived at her building, he told the driver to wait while he escorted Dani inside, up three flights of stairs, and to her door.

It had been silent for the entire walk until the end when Dani turned to face him and said, "Thank you for walking me home. It was very chivalrous of you."

"You're welcome." Malcolm smiled timidly then added, "You know, tonight was fun... I mean, right up until we almost died in an explosion."

Dani's lips quirked upward as she replied, "Yeah, it was."

"Maybe..." He started then quickly cut himself off.

"Maybe what?" She probed curiously.

Taking a deep breath, Malcolm pushed forward, knowing that if he learned anything from tonight, it was that you have to make the most of the present because you never know what will happen in the future. So, he continued his thought and said, "Maybe we could do it again sometime?"

"You mean, without explosions, drug dealers, and the guys listening in on us?" Dani quipped.

"Yeah, just you and me... and maybe some beer and take out." Malcolm clarified with a knowing twinkle in his eye.

Biting her lip, she stared into that sanguine sapphire gaze of his and thought for a moment. Breaking into a smirk, she finally answered, "Yeah, I'd like that.

"Really? I-I mean, good. Me too." He fumbled. "So, I'll call you, or you can call me if you want."

"Well, we'll see each other tomorrow." Dani reminded. "We've got a case to solve remember?"

"Right, the case." Malcolm nodded. "We will take care of that first, then I'll call you."

"Sounds like a plan." She told him.

"Not a plan. A date." He corrected, finally saying the word aloud.

"Yeah, a date." Dani agreed with a grin then turned to unlock her door. Opening it a crack, she paused, turned, and called out, "Malcolm?"

He had just turned to leave, but turned right back around at her voice and replied, "Yeah?"

Crossing the distance as rapidly as she could in her stiletto heels, Dani pressed her hands against his chest and kissed him tenderly. Pulling back after a brief moment, she whispered, "Thanks for protecting me tonight."

Astonished by her actions, Malcolm didn't have time to say or do anything before she sauntered back toward her apartment. It wasn't until Dani was inside that he touched his tingling lips and mumbled, "You're welcome." Then, turning once more, he headed back down to the cab with a goofy smile on his face and a spring in his step.

[zen3to5]

J/H 7-23: Take It or Leave It

I suspect some of you reading this rewrite are more interested in what happens in this episode than in the season finale. This was certainly the moment of the show I was most interested in changing, and spent the most time on, once I decided to go past Season 5. I hope you enjoy it.

FF.Net AO3

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SHOW TITLE   INT. FORMAN BASEMENT - NIGHT   It’s a quiet night in the basement. HYDE sits in his chair, sunglasses off, head bowed in thought over the coffee table. He’s bent far enough over that SCHATZI, sitting on the table, can sniff at his hair. DONNA, sitting on the couch, and ERIC, enjoying a popsicle while standing behind the couch, watch Hyde with great amusement.   ERIC: So, Hyde – it’s Friday night. Weekend’s coming up. The end of another week. Almost the end of the month. The month Jackie said you had to decide whether to marry her or let her go take that TV job in Chicago.   HYDE: (looks up) What’s your point?   ERIC: Oh, no point – I just like throwing that in your face.   Donna chuckles, swats Eric on the arm.   DONNA: Hyde, don’t you think it’s a little cruel to make Jackie sweat it out all month? I mean, shouldn’t you just get it over with?   HYDE: Get what over with?   DONNA: Well, you’re gonna say “no” to marrying her, right? Unless...   She and Eric gasp together. Eric drops his now-empty popsicle stick, and Donna’s right hand goes over her mouth while her left hand grips Hyde’s arm.   DONNA (cont’d): Oh, my God, you’re thinking of saying “yes!”   ERIC: Oh, my God. You want to marry her.   DONNA: (mocking) You want to marry her because you love her.   ERIC: (doing Hyde, to Donna) “Jackie, you’re everything this poor little orphan boy ever needed.”   DONNA: (doing Jackie, to Eric) “Oh, my God, I really am!”   HYDE: Would you two shut up? I don’t know yet, okay? And, if I say “yes,” it isn’t because I love her. Love is a concept cooked up by Madison Avenue to sell to losers who’re too afraid to be alone.   ERIC: Uh, no, you’re thinking of kittens.   He exits up the stairs.   Hyde sighs, sets Schatzi down on the floor and starts fidgeting with his eyeball ring. Donna slides down the couch, closer to Hyde’s chair.   DONNA: You really don’t know what you’re gonna tell her, do you? What, you’re not sure if you want to wake up every morning to – (doing Jackie) “Steven, we need new patio furniture! Steven, I need $200! Steven, don’t forget the PTA meeting!”   She laughs; Hyde scowls.   DONNA (cont’d): (serious) Or are you not sure she should stay here?   HYDE: (sighs) Look, remember when Red got sick, and Forman had to stay home but you were still gonna go to college, and he didn’t ask you to stay? And then when you were gonna get married, and he didn’t show up? He didn’t not do those things because he didn’t want to be with you. He just didn’t want to see you give up on your dreams and ruin your life. He let you do that on your own.   DONNA: What do you mean? I didn’t ruin my life. Radio DJ was the kind of job I was gonna go to college for, and I got that job anyway, so I didn’t need to go. I mean, okay, I thought I would travel more – or at all. I thought I’d get to do more of the writing. Point Place doesn’t get the biggest acts anymore. My boss is a skeevy perv. And I only stayed for Eric, and now he's going away, so...   She frowns, looks off in thought. From the corner of her eye, she notices Hyde staring at her.   DONNA (cont’d): Hey, this isn’t about me! This is about you and your loud-mouthed girlfriend, and if you don’t give her an answer, she’s gonna flood every station in the area with non-stop ABBA requests until you do!   She sits back in a huff, arms crossed. Hyde sighs and bends down to scratch Schatzi’s ears.

MAIN CREDITS   BUMPER   INT. FORMAN KITCHEN - DAY   Breakfast with friends, invited or otherwise. FEZ and KELSO sit at the kitchen table, each with a plate of bacon, eggs, and sausages. Eric stands across from them, between the table and the stove. A sheet of paper is in his hand; his practice teaching notes. He pays them an occasional glance as he tries out a lecture on Fez and Kelso while they eat.   ERIC: “And so the baby, safely nestled in a tiny craft, is sent to safety, and is found by a loving couple who raise him as their own until, one day, when that baby is fully grown, he learns the truth about his identity – and his destiny. Now, you may be thinking, ‘that’s the story of Moses.’ But what if I told you that it’s also the story of... Superman.”   Kelso’s jaw drops and Fez’s eyes bulge.   KELSO: Whoa.   He stabs at some eggs with his fork and, without looking away from Eric, lifts them up to Fez’s mouth. Fez takes the bite and does the same thing with a sausage for Kelso.   KELSO (cont’d): (with mouth full) If church had talked more about Superman, I might’ve paid more attention when Moses was knocking down the walls of Bethlehem to save Noah from the Trojan horse.   ERIC: Pretty great, huh? And UW wants to expand the class’s appeal to ladies, so I’m working on a whole series of lectures about female empowerment in Wonder Woman.   FEZ: She can empower me right into the bedroom, if you know what I mean.   KELSO: You know what I always thought would be great? If you did it with Wonder Woman, but she kept her bracelets on the whole time. And then, if she brought the lasso of truth, she could get freaky with the lasso, and then... other stuff could happen.   Fez nods approvingly.   FEZ: Do you think the lasso would work on I Dream of Jeannie? Or would the genie magic grant her immunity?   KELSO: Did you just suggest a Wonder Woman and Jeannie three-way?   FEZ: Or Samantha from Bewitched.   KELSO: Or Wonder Woman, Jeannie, and Samantha from Bewitched!   He and Fez share excited gasps and dopey grins. Eric looks between them, eyebrows raised.   ERIC: Okay, guys – do me a favor and never visit me at UW when classes are in session.   RED and KITTY enter from the living room. Red gives Eric a contemptuous once-over.   RED: (to Eric) Well, well. If it isn’t the University of Wisconsin’s newest teacher. A lazy smart mouth who just wasted a year of his life sitting around in my basement, and who wasted most of the other seventeen years also sitting around in my basement.   ERIC: “Lazy?” I’ve spent all day, every day since I signed up for the pilot teaching program putting together lectures, reading lists, lesson plans – I even picked out Star Wars curtains for the classroom!   RED: Well, isn’t that great – you’ve finally come around to making some use of your time, and you spend it plotting out how you’re going to “teach” a lot of useless crap.   Kitty tuts, swats Red’s arm, and pushes past him to Eric.   KITTY: No, no. Honey, we are so proud of you for finding a way to pay for college and get started on your career. In Madison. The big city. Where there are concerts and restaurants and laundromats and you’ll never have a reason to come home to your mother. (sniffs) Who I guess will just stay here and die.   Lip quivering, she turns away and tends to a plate of bacon remaining on the stove.   RED: (to Eric) Teaching a pilot class that nobody can make any practical use of and making your mother cry. I guess that’s all in a day’s work for Professor Dumbass.   ERIC: Okay, you know what, Dad? I don’t have to take this anymore. Because I did exactly what you wanted me to do. You wanted me to pick a career – I picked one. You wanted me to go to college – I’m going. I even found a way to pay for it on my own. And you’ve just been a jerk about all of it. But I’m out of here at the end of the month, and until then, we’re done.   He gathers his notes and exits out the patio door.   Kitty crosses to Red, smacks him on the arm again.   RED: Ow! That one hurt!   KITTY: Serves you right. Eric’s right, Red. Would it kill you to show your son a little pride and support?   RED: For what? It’s not like he’s gonna be teaching anything useful.   KITTY: You think the only “useful” things are the things they taught you in the war! How many times since Korea have you had to fix a bayonet onto anything?   KELSO: (to Red) You know what? I bet the reason you’re being so mean to Eric is ‘cause you’re sad he’s gonna be gone, but you don’t wanna admit it.   FEZ: (to Red) Aww... someone is feeling the empty nest.   They both snicker.   RED: No, but I’m feeling like your asses are empty. And I’m about to fill them with my foot.   He gives the boys a cold stare. The grins fall from their faces. They jump to their feet and race out the patio door.   BUMPER   MUSIC NOTE: “I Want You to Want Me” by Cheap Trick.   INT. RADIO STATION - DAY   WFPP control room, early afternoon. “I Want You to Want Me” continues; it’s playing on-air. Donna sits at the control panel. JACKIE is with her, in a spare seat she has rolled back against the wall.   Donna turns off her mic, takes off her headphones, and turns to talk to Jackie.   DONNA:  I don’t know, Jackie. I mean, what if Hyde’s right? What if I’ve wasted a whole year of my life, just like Eric? And now he’s going to college and I’m gonna be stuck here in this dinky town, trying to get good music in between farm reports and ads for Benny’s Bodacious Bods Gym.   JACKIE:  Okay, Donna? No offense, but the only words of Steven’s I’m interested in right now are “yes, Jackie, I will marry you.” (sighs) God, why did I open up my heart to him?   DONNA: Yeah, I was a little surprised. I thought for sure you’d just try to manipulate him. I mean, the bitchy stuff is your bread and butter.   JACKIE: You know, I had fake pregnancy right up my sleeve, and I didn’t use it. Now I’m the vulnerable one, waiting for his answer.   DONNA: Well, Jackie, you did give him until the end of the month.   JACKIE: Which is almost here. Look, I thought, “if I really put myself out there, he’ll see how much I love him and say ‘yes’ right away.” And when he didn’t, I thought, “okay, well, maybe he’ll take a couple of hours or a couple of days and then say ‘yes.’” But now I think he’s only taking so long ‘cause he’s gonna say “no.”   She puts a hand to her face and turns away. Donna stands, crosses to her, and pats her back.   The control room door opens, and MAX enters with a stack of records. His long absence hasn’t changed his sense of style or scruffy facial hair. The girls don’t notice him at first, or he them; he crosses the room, sets the records down, and only on turning around does he see Donna and Jackie.   MAX: Donna?   Donna looks up, sees Max. She smiles and crosses to give him a hug.   DONNA: Max? Oh, my God! Where have you been? No one’s seen you since the Steve Miller Band concert.   MAX: Well, after I did the interview with Stevie, I bumped into someone from security. Knocked the drink tray he was carrying out of his hands. He said “wassa matter, you on dope?” And then one thing led to another, and... well, I’m back now. But I’m surprised you’re still here. Weren’t you and your boyfriend going to UW together?   DONNA: Oh, well... you know. Some things happened. (beat) Hey – how did you end up working at WFPP? I mean, was a small town radio station where you thought you’d end up?   MAX: Oh, no. No, I had my wild years, following the tour buses, traveling with talent I managed, living and covering the music scene from New York to L.A. Eventually, you get tired and want to settle down. And it’s a good thing we have going here.   DONNA: But you had your wild years first?   MAX: (nods) And that’s a good thing too.   He gives her a small smile, and Donna smiles back.   Their moment is interrupted by the arrival of the diminutive MR. RANDALL, as stodgy as ever. He knocks on the doorframe to claim attention.   MR. RANDALL: Max! What have I told you about leaving your music recommendations on my desk? You do it again and you’re out of here. For the last time, that Huey Lewis and the News group isn’t going anywhere!   He storms out.   MAX: (to Donna) Of course, not everything about this place is a good thing.   He grunts and exits.   CUT TO:   INT. FORMAN KITCHEN – DAY   Later in the afternoon. Kitty sits at the kitchen table, enjoying a cup of tea while she reads the newspaper.   Red enters from the basement, a box loaded with old toys, games, and posters in his arms. One G.I. JOE sticks out prominently from the load, as does a CANDYLAND BOX. He sets it down on the island, and the sound draws Kitty’s attention.   KITTY: (points at box) What have you got there?   RED: Nothing much. Just a few of Eric’s old things.   KITTY: (stands) Oh-ho! Seems like Michael was right after all. Seems like someone’s upset that his only son is leaving us in a few weeks and went looking for a few of this baby boy’s things to remember him by.   She chuckles, raps the table with her knuckles, and folds her arms, very smug.   RED: No, Kitty. I’m hauling some busted parts from the muffler shop to the dump later, and I figured I’d get rid of some of Eric’s old crap while I’m at it.   Kitty’s face drops like a rock.   KITTY: How can one man be so completely devoid of sensitivity?   RED: Easy. It was blown off by shrapnel on Okinawa.   Red picks the box back up and exits into the living room.   CUT TO:   EXT. FORMAN DRIVEWAY – DAY   Overlapping with the end of the previous scene. The Vista Cruiser idles in the driveway. Eric and Hyde are seated in the patio chairs. Eric looks through the patio door into the kitchen, watching Red leave, while Hyde leans back and relentlessly taps his foot and fidgets with his eyeball ring.   ERIC: Man, can you believe Red’s being such a hard ass about this pilot teaching program?   Hyde gives Eric a look.   ERIC (cont’d): What?   HYDE: You’re gonna be teaching nerd books and Scooby-Doo to college kids and you’re surprised Red Forman’s making fun of you? Man, how is it that I’m the long-term guest in your house, and you’re the one who doesn’t get your dad? That’s like Han Solo knowing better than Luke Skywalker about Uncle Owen being a hard ass about the moisture farm.   Eric breaks into a dopey grin.   ERIC: Hey – did you just -   HYDE: Don’t get weird on me, Forman. I’ve gotta plan out my whole life before the end of the month and I’ve gone through my whole stash.   ERIC: Man, why is this such a big deal? I mean, Jackie’s basically letting you off the hook. It’s like the greatest going away gift ever – never having to see or hear Jackie Burkhart again.   HYDE: Oh yeah, it’s the perfect gift. It’s free, she didn’t have to wrap it, and it makes me wish I was dead. (sighs) Screw it. I’m not getting anywhere just sitting here. There’s only one place a man can turn before making a huge decision like this.   ERIC: Dive bar?   HYDE: Dive bar. You drive.   They stand, clap each other on the back, and head for the Vista Cruiser.   FADE TO BLACK   COMMERCIAL   BUMPER   INT. DIVE BAR - EVENING   A dive so din, dark, and dank that even Bud Hyde wouldn’t tend that bar. A small, disreputable looking lot populate the place, which boasts a dart board, pool table, and a few short round tables, all occupied.   Eric and Hyde enter and immediately make for two open bar stools. Eric sits to Hyde’s left; a TRUCKER is already seated to his right. He doesn’t acknowledge the boys, and they don’t acknowledge him. Eric signals the BARTENDER for two beers.   ERIC: Man, Hyde, look at us. I’ve got my future in college to prepare for, you’ve gotta decide what to do about Jackie, and yet – here we are, about to get so drunk it’ll be a miracle if we can make it home with us and the Vista Cruiser all in one piece. (beat) I’m gonna miss this.   The bartender places two bottles of beer in front of the boys.   HYDE: (to Eric) You know, if anybody responsible we know was here, they’d tell me I’m not gonna find the answer to my problems with Jackie at the bottom of this beer. But you never know until you look.   ERIC: And, if it’s not in that one, it could always be in the next.   They pick up their bottles, clink them together, and take a big swill before slamming them back down on the counter. Slow push-in on Hyde’s bottle, and we begin:   MONTAGE. SET TO “YOU REALLY GOT ME” BY THE KINKS.   A) Hyde’s one bottle is now two. Slow pull out as Hyde, now tipsy, lifts up the second bottle, takes a swallow, and leans against a still-sober Eric.   HYDE: Okay – I made up my mind about Jackie. I’m gonna marry her! I’m gonna be Mrs. Jackie Hyde!   He takes another swig of beer and slams the bottle down. Push-in on the bottles, and cut to:   B) The two bottles are now four. Pull out as Hyde, now properly drunk, swings one of the bottles around as he spins his stool to face Eric.   HYDE (cont’d): How dare she give me an ultimatum! This is my life she’s messing with! She can go to Hell! I will see her in Hell!   He throws his head back, empties the beer bottle down his throat, and slams it back on the counter. Push-in on the bottles, and cut to:   C) The four are now seven. Pull out to find an off-balance Hyde and a now-drunk Eric with their arms around each others’ shoulders.   HYDE (cont’d): What the hell’s so great about Chicago anyway? And you’re getting out of here, Donna won’t stay here forever – what am I supposed to do? Spend the rest of my life in that basement, babysitting Tweedledee and Tweedletard? No way she’s leaving me alone with that!   He and Eric both swoop up their bottles, take a drink, and slam them down. Push-in on Hyde’s bottles, and cut to:   D) Seven is now ten. Pull out as Hyde pounds a fist down against the counter.   HYDE (cont’d): What the hell is she thinking, wanting to stay around here? This is her life she’s throwing away! (to Eric) Would you stick around here for a burnout living in your parents’ basement? No! No, you wouldn’t! No way I’m letting her do that!   He grabs a bottle, takes a swig, and finds it empty. He tosses the bottle over his shoulder and signals the bartender for one more. Push-in on the remaining bottles, and cut to:   E) Extreme close-up on Hyde’s loose, slack-jawed, spacey-eyed face. He’s well-loaded at this point.   HYDE (cont’d): You know what, Forman? I’m a little confused. But I do know that I love you, man. I really, really do.   He leans to his right, and we pan with him as he puts an arm around the trucker and kisses him on the cheek. The trucker shoots him an evil eye, and Hyde leans back slightly.   HYDE (cont’d): Hey, where’d Forman go?   Pan to the left as Eric, now well off-balance, leans in and taps Hyde on the shoulder.   ERIC: Still on your left, buddy.   Pan right as Hyde looks back to the trucker and offers a sheepish grin of apology. The trucker responds with a punch to the face. Hyde just manages to keep his balance long enough to throw himself back at the trucker and tackle him to the floor and out of frame.   Eric spins around for a better view of the fight. He’s slack-jawed and glassy-eyed himself, but still with it enough to pump a fist and cheer Hyde on.   ERIC (cont’d): Whoa, Hyde! You – you get ‘em, man! You got ‘em! You got ‘em! You... you really don’t got him. Wow. This is not good.   He looks all around the room; no one’s coming to help. Eric sighs and picks up his bottle.   ERIC (cont’d): Well, I had a future all planned out. There are worse ways to go.   He takes a swig, slams the bottle down, and leaps into the fray.   BUMPER   MUSIC NOTE: “You Really Got Me” continues.   INT. CONTROL ROOM – NIGHT   THE CIRCLE – or a half-circle, at least. Donna sits at the control panel, headphones on – she’s in Hot Donna mode. She sits to the left of the microphone, and Jackie, also with headphones, sits to the right. A diffuse cloud of smoke fills the control room. A stick of incense, propped in a bowl set under the mic, burns softly.   “You Really Got Me” wraps up. Donna flips on the microphone and leads in.   DONNA: This is WFPP, and you’re listening to Hot Donna. (plays bacon noise) That was “You Really Got Me” by the Kinks, requested by Jackie Burkhart.   Pan across the microphone stand to Jackie, who waves at the microphone as if it were a camera.   Pan to Donna.   DONNA (cont’d): Jackie, you’ve been here in the studio with us for about four hours now. You got anything you’d like to say to the listeners at home?   Pan to Jackie.   JACKIE: Yeah, there’s something I don’t get – why would Sally sell seashells by the seashore? That’s a terrible location for a seashell stand!   Pan to Donna.   DONNA: You know, you’re right. I mean, if she wanted to make money, she would sell seashells by the subway.   Pan to Jackie.   JACKIE: You know what she should sell by the seashore? Shoeshines. ‘Cause your sandals get so sandy.   Pan to Donna.   DONNA: Sandy sandals... we should start a girl band called Sandy Sandals. (into mic) That’s right, Point Place – you may have just heard the launch of Hot Donna and the Sandy Sandals.   She and Jackie both giggle. But it doesn’t last for Jackie; pan to her, we see her face fall as she blinks away the beginning of tears.   Pan to Donna.   DONNA (cont’d): Jackie, what’s wrong?   Pan to Jackie.   JACKIE: Well, sand reminds me of dirt, and dirt reminds me of Steven.   She puts a hand over her eyes. Donna’s hand reaches over to rub her back.   Pan to Donna.   DONNA: For those of you just joining us, Jackie has been requesting songs from the mix tape she made her boyfriend, Steven Hyde, who she’s waiting on a very important answer from. Hyde, if you’re listening, Jackie is down here at the station with me. So if you’re listening – get over here, give her an answer, and get her out of my studio.   Jackie’s hand reaches over to shove Donna, but Jackie’s laugh rings out. Donna smiles, laughs, and shoves back. They get into a playful tussle.   Cut wide – the Circle is broken. Mr. Randall and Max enter the recording room. Max looks bemused, Mr. Randall horrified.   MR. RANDALL: What the hell is going on here?   The girls break apart. Max sniffs the air, waves away some of the smoke around his face.   MAX: Donna, did you get into the stuff I hid in the Hendrix sleeve?   Mr. Randall turns on Max, aghast.   MAX (cont’d): I mean – what’s that smell?   Mr. Randall clearly doesn’t believe that, but he lets it go, turning on Donna instead.   MR. RANDALL: (points to Jackie) Donna, what is this little twerp doing in the recording room?   Jackie gasps, jumps to her feet.   JACKIE: “Little twerp?” Excuse me? I’m Jackie Burkhart! I’m on TV! That’s twice as good as radio – that’s just science!   MR. RANDALL: (to Donna) Get her out of here.   DONNA: No! Mr. Randall, Jackie’s my friend. She’s having a hard time right now, and we’re working through it together – live, on-air. It’s a new format for Hot Donna – lovers’ tolls and rock n’ roll.   Jackie nods. Max chuckles, but Mr. Randall is not amused.   MR. RANDALL: The only format gimmicks I want are the ones we can sell with billboards of blondes in halter tops. Now if you want a long-term career at my station, you’re gonna stick to the regular format. The princess of Munckinland can cry somewhere else.   Jackie takes a step back in shock. Max, behind Mr. Randall’s back, gives him a dirty look.   Donna looks from Mr. Randall to Jackie, to her microphone and all around the studio. She takes her headphones off, stands, and crosses to Mr. Randall.   DONNA: You know what, Mr. Randall? I don’t want a long-term job here. In fact, I don’t want any kind of job here anymore.   Mr. Randall frowns, tilts his head; he doesn’t understand. But Max gives Donna an approving nod, and so does Jackie.   Donna smiles at them both and races back to the microphone.   DONNA (cont’d): You hear that, listeners? This is Hot Donna’s last broadcast on WFPP, thanks to scum-sucking Mr. Randall, who you should feel free to protest. But you can still find me on the student radio at UW, where I’ll be attending this fall with my student teacher boyfriend. He’s pretty scrawny, so if you see any football players coming for him, help him get away.   Jackie races over to the microphone.   JACKIE: And make sure to tune in to next week’s Jackie on Point Place Public Access! It may be our final show – it all depends on the answer my boyfriend gives me! Ya hear that, Steven!   She and Donna grin. Donna puts an arm around Jackie’s shoulders.   DONNA: And if that boyfriend says “no,” then Hot Donna and the Sandy Sandals get a van and spend the summer touring America!   She flips on the next song – “Lovin’ Touchin’, Squeezin’” by Journey. Mr. Randall throws his hands up and exits, while Max nods approvingly again and crosses to join the girls as they sway to the music.   BUMPER   MUSIC NOTE: “Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’” continues.   INT. FORMAN GARAGE - NIGHT   The garage is in relatively tidy shape. Red’s Toyota rests comfortably in the center, and a large tarp is draped over an indistinguishable shape.   Red stands at his work station. His back obscures whatever he’s working on as Kitty enters with a jar of preserves and sees Red.   KITTY: What’ve you got there, Red? More of our only son’s favorite toys? What, the dump was too far, so you’re just gonna go at ‘em with a ball pin hammer?   Red gives a little jump; he didn’t hear Kitty come in. He turns to face her, still shielding his project.   RED: Um...   The garage door ratchets up, and Eric enters. His shirt is torn, his eye is black, and his hair is ruffled, but he’s never looked more alive. His parents have never looked more shocked at his appearance, either. Eric relishes in their reaction for a second, then points at Red.   ERIC: That’s right, Dad. It’s your son. “Professor Dumbass.” Guess what? I was at a bar. I was in a bar fight. And I WON a bar fight! Yeah, Eric Forman and Steven Hyde got in a bar fight, and I’m the one who saved his ass! With moves I learned from – guess where – Batman, Luke Skywalker, and Hong Kong Phooey!   He strikes a karate stance and does a few air chops.   Red and Kitty turn in toward each other to share a look. As Red turns, Eric gets a look at what’s on the workbench.   ERIC (cont’d): Dad, is that my old G.I. Joe?   Red tries to move back in front of the bench, but too late – Kitty pulls the box of Eric’s things from earlier into her arms and goes through it. Except for the Candyland box, everything’s still there.   KITTY: Red, these are Eric’s things you had earlier in the day. Are you keeping them with you in your workplace here?   Eric takes a step toward Red.   ERIC: Dad – you’re gonna miss me, aren’t you?   He and Kitty both smile at Red, who looks like a caged squirrel. He squirms as he looks back and forth, from his son to his wife, until he finally straightens up and clears his throat.   RED: Yeah, well... (to Eric) If you’re back home more than once a month, I’m throwing all this crap on the grill.   He turns back to his workbench.   ERIC: (softly) I’m gonna miss you too, Dad.   A slight relaxing of the shoulders lets Eric know Red heard him.   Kitty steps around Red toward Eric.   KITTY: Honey, did you say you saved Steven from a bar fight?   ERIC: Sure did, Mom.   KITTY: You? Saved Steven?   ERIC: Yeah. He’s in the Vista Cruiser, trying to put his shades back together.   KITTY: Are you sure? Maybe – maybe you drank so much, you – you got a little turned around.   ERIC: Okay, I’m feeling really good about myself, so I’m just gonna leave before anyone says any... not good things, and go find Donna. But first – I may have saved Hyde from the bar, but now I’ve gotta take him to face a fate worse than death – an ultimatum from Jackie.   A gasp from under the tarp startles everyone. Fez and Kelso stick their heads out from under it, with matching eager faces.   KELSO: You think she’ll kick him in the nads this time?   The Formans all glare down at them.   RED: What the hell are you two doing in my garage?   He rips the tarp away. The Candyland game is set up between Kelso and Fez, with small piles of M&Ms by both boys’ knees.   Kelso and Fez look down at the game. They look up at a fuming Red. They scramble to their feet and bolt from the garage. Fez turns around, slides back to the board, gathers up the candy, and flees again.   CUT TO:   INT. PINCIOTTI LIVING ROOM - NIGHT   The girls are home. They share the couch. Jackie, looking much less happy, is curled up on one end with a bowl of popcorn, while Donna sits at the other end. Some instrumental rock plays on the radio.   JACKIE: Oh, my God. He’s gonna say “no.” Steven is gonna say “no,” Donna. I know he’s gonna say “no.”   DONNA: Jackie, you gave Hyde ‘til the end of the month. He’s still got time, and I’m sure he’ll do the right thing. Marriage is just a big step, and you know Hyde always waits until the last minute to do unpleasant but necessary things.   Jackie tosses a handful of popcorn at Donna, who silently laughs and waves it away.   Eric enters, head held high.   ERIC: (to Donna) Hey there, toots.   Donna looks up, sees Eric. She smiles and crosses to him.   DONNA: Eric, I have great news! I quit my job!   ERIC: Wow! (beat) Why?   DONNA: I’m gonna go to UW with you. I’m enrolling in the journalism college and working at the student radio station. We can get an apartment, and we’ll finally be together.   ERIC: Donna, that’s so great.   He and Donna embrace and kiss. It’s only when they pull apart that Donna notices the state Eric’s in.   DONNA: Oh, my God. What happened to you?   ERIC: I won a bar fight.   DONNA: (beat) Okay, no, really.   ERIC: Well, if that’s how you feel, I’ll just go have sex with someone who’ll believe me.   He takes a mock step toward the hallway. Donna, grinning, pulls him back. They embrace and kiss again, but Eric pulls back.   ERIC (cont’d): One second.   He looks around Donna to Jackie.   ERIC (cont’d): Hey, Jackie? I got something for you.   He gestures to the doorway into the hall; no one is there. Eric steps into the hall, looks around, and then down at something to the left.   ERIC (cont’d): Oh, here it is.   He bends down and hauls something up. He drags it into the living room – “it” is Hyde, his shades crooked and his lip busted. Hyde finds his footing and shoves Eric away.   HYDE: All right, all right! You’ve done enough, Forman. And I could’ve handled that fight myself. I just needed that guy to be shorter. And drunker.   Jackie stands.   JACKIE: Steven?   Hyde looks up; he’s just noticed Jackie is there.   HYDE: Hey.   An uncomfortable silence settles into the room. Eric and Donna back up to the far wall as Jackie and Hyde meet in the center, a few feet apart. “Tiny Dancer” by Elton John comes on over the radio.   HYDE: (beat) So – month’s almost over.   JACKIE: Yes. (beat) Do you have something to say?   HYDE: Yeah. Do you have a place to live in Chicago yet?   A bolt of hurt crosses Jackie’s face. Her eyes turn glassy as she clutches at her chest. Eric shakes his head and Donna looks away.   JACKIE: (voice shaking) Yes.   HYDE: Good.   Jackie bows her head; she’s already started to cry.   HYDE (cont’d): Is it in Chicago, or out in the suburbs around Chicago? ‘Cause big cities are full of connections, but if we’re in the suburbs, that might be a problem. I don’t want to have to look too hard or drive too far.   Jackie, Eric, and Donna are all speechless. None of them knows exactly where Hyde’s going with this.   JACKIE: Steven, what are you saying?   HYDE: What, man? I’m saying – forget this ultimatum crap. You wanna go to Chicago? Let’s go to Chicago.   Eric and Donna’s jaws drop. Jackie’s does too. She wipes her eyes and reaches a hand out but stops short of touching Hyde.   JACKIE: Wait – Steven, are you saying you’d want to come with me? (he shrugs) But – but what about your job? Your future –   HYDE: Jackie, before the Formans took me in, the only “future” I saw was hopping between stints in prison and abusing squatter’s rights so I could say I wasn’t technically homeless. I never saw a future. I just took what came along. I still don’t have a plan for the future, except... except you. And, since you do see a future, and it’s in Chicago... I want to be with you.   He takes his shades off and tosses them on the couch. With a deep breath, he pulls his eyeball ring off his pinky and holds it out to Jackie, who gasps quietly and takes a step back.   HYDE (cont’d): I love you, Jackie. Marry me?   Jackie stares at the ring. Eric and Donna lean in, eager for more. Jackie looks up at Hyde’s face.   JACKIE: Your eye ring?   Her tone is hard to read. Hyde stirs.   HYDE: Look, I know it’s not a diamond or anything, but it’s the only ring I got, and –   Jackie throws her arms around Hyde’s neck and pulls him into a deep kiss. When it ends, they’re both out of breath.   HYDE (cont’d): (beat) So that’s a yes?   The tears are back in Jackie’s eyes, but they come with a smile, the brightest smile Jackie’s ever had.   JACKIE: Yes.   Hyde gives a relieved sigh; he’s smiling too. He slips his ring onto Jackie’s ring finger and takes her hand in his. A glassy look comes to his eyes – something not missed by a beaming Donna and Eric.   DONNA: (points at Hyde) Oh, my God. Tears. Tears of joy.   ERIC: (sniffs) She really is everything our little orphan boy needed.   Hyde and Jackie both give half-laughs, half-sobs.   HYDE & JACKIE: Get bent.   Even with that sentiment, Hyde opens his arms as Donna and Eric cross to hug him and Jackie in turn. They quietly slip out of the living room as Hyde and Jackie embrace again. Hyde wipes away Jackie’s tears and she plays with the ring. It’s too big for her finger; she doesn’t care. They kiss as the music swells beyond the radio to fill the scene.   ELTON JOHN (v.o.): Hold me closer, tiny dancer Count the headlights on the highway Lay me down in sheets of linen You had a busy day today...   FADE TO BLACK   CREDITS   INT. FORMAN GARAGE - NIGHT   Fez and Kelso, back at their game. The lights are all out and the tarp is gone; they sit on the ground in the dark, playing by the light of a flashlight Kelso shines down on the board.   RED (v.o.): I’m coming into the garage.   The boys jump up. Kelso shuts off the light. The screen goes black. We hear frantic footsteps and a loud crash.   FEZ (v.o.): Ai!   END.

[glenncoco4]

Plenty of time. (Ch. 20)

A/N: It’s almost graduation day. Threw in a little something for you @mashmaiden. 

XXXX

She’s sitting at their kitchen table skimming over potential living quarters for them when they move to Georgia in June. Looking up across the room to where her boyfriend who’s clearly more invested in the game than getting things in order before their big move, she lets out a frustrated sigh. “Marty, come on. We gotta look at these apartments.” 

“Baby, we still have plenty of time.”

“No. No, we don’t. There’s only two months until graduation and then two weeks after that I have to report to training and you start your internship. So, no. No, we don’t have plenty of time. The next few weeks are going to be hectic with finals and then you taking the bar. We need to get this done.”

“Okay, you’re right.”

She raises her eyebrows like, duh.

He leans down placing a quick peck to her lips. “Let me just change out of my work clothes first and I promise we’ll look.”

Her lips curve up, giving him a grateful smile.“Thank you.”

XXXX

She hears him walk into the living room but doesn’t look up from the listing sitting in front of her. 

It’s a few minutes and he still hasn’t came to the table, she takes a quick glance at what he’s doing and the moment her eyes land on him, she rolls her eyes and bangs her head against the table. “What are you doing?”

He struggles to get to the table but when he does, he reaches out from behind his back, holding out an object.

Sensing that he has a reason for wearing an astronaut costume, because it’s definitely not Halloween and they haven’t been invited to any costume parties, she sits back up. She really wants to know why. Just why? Her brow furrows when she sees the black stone he’s cradling in the palm of his hand. “What’s this?”

“Well, baby, I went down and got it for ya.”

The brunette scoffs and sends another eye roll his way. “Get that ridiculous thing off and come help me.”

Shrugging, he reaches back and undoes the velcro, pulling the suit down and slipping out of it. Well there goes $30 bucks. 

She takes another glance up to see if maybe he’s coming this time but once again she’s left questioning her boyfriend’s sanity. “I hope that suit wasn’t a rental.”

“Why?”

“Marty, you were buck naked in there, probably sweating. Just imagine someone else wearing that the same way you just did and not getting it dry cleaned afterwards.”

“So you’re saying.”

“That your sweaty balls basically just rubbed against some other guy’s sweaty balls? Yeah, that’s exactly what I’m saying.”

“Yeah, I’m just gonna….” He points in the direction of their bathroom and turns around in a sprint towards the shower. 

She begins to shake with laughter at the disgusted look on his face. “Hurry up or I’m gonna pick out a place and you’re just gonna have to deal.”

XXXX

He walks back in 10 minutes later having scrubbed the grossness off his body. “Okay, I’m ready. Let’s do this.”

Laying out the pieces of paper, she speeds him up on where she’s already at in the process of finding their new home. “So I narrowed it down to these four. Distance between campus and your firm. Pricing, obviously. Safety of the neighborhood. Parking and temporary leases. Seeing as though we’ll probably only be there for about 2 and a half months I figured it would be best to go with these options.”

He’s not even looking at the listings. His gaze is locked on her and the intensity of her demeanor. Oh, how he loves this woman. She’s magic and beauty. The intensity of his love for her is nothing he’s ever felt before. The warmth of her presence and the fierceness in her eyes sets his heart on fire. Marty.

“Marty? Babe?”

“What? Oh, yeah. Those all look great.”

“Where were you just now?”

He reaches for her hand, intertwining their fingers. Leaning over, he places a loving kiss to her lips. “Right here with you. Where I’ll always be.” 

She brings her forehead to his, placing her hand on his jaw. “Right where you belong.” 

He bring his lips to hers one more time. When he finally pulls back, he looks down at the table ready to get this off their plate. “Now which one of these babies is closest to the ocean?”

[365daysofsasuhina]

[ 365 Days of SasuHina || Day One Hundred Seventy-Eight: It Was Pink ] [ Uchiha Sasuke, Hyūga Hinata, Hyūga Hiashi, Umino Iruka ] [ SasuHina ] [ Verse: Best Years of Your Life ] [ AO3 Link ]

She took it with her everywhere. The grocery store with her mother, the park, her occasional doctor visits, relatives’ houses...everywhere. Whenever Hinata Hyūga went, her little bunny plush went with her. It was pink, and unbelievably soft, with long floppy ears, and a heart-shaped nose. Big brown eyes seemed to stare right through a person as she’d cling it to her chest like a life preserver. It was her comfort, her best friend, her safety blanket. A first gift from mother to daughter upon their arrival home from the hospital. From the moment her tiny fingers could grip its soft plush form, they rarely let go. Sitting at the table, riding in the car, waiting in line: her constant companion.

And after her mother passed bringing her little sister into the world...it became one of the few shreds left Hinata had of the first person who loved her. Hanabi, that sister, was given a similar gift: a blue elephant...but it never seemed to carry the same weight.

Hinata’s emotional attachment to the toy was unfathomable. Any time it was out of sight, or thought to be lost, she was inconsolable. Her only relief would be its safe return. She slept with it, played with it, ate with it. No matter the task at hand, it had to be there, too.

And then came school.

Hiashi tried to pry it from her. Keep it home. It might get lost, he told her. It might get stolen. Dirty. Torn. But all in all, she didn’t care. Nothing was enough of a deterrent to make her consider leaving the bunny behind. The only compromise her father could eek out of her was to write, with a permanent marker, on the bottom of the plush:

Property of Hinata Hyūga. Along with their address, and their phone number.

Hopefully, that way, it would never get lost...at least, not forever.

So, come the first day of school, Hinata had her backpack, and with its head sticking out the top (so it could breathe, she reasoned) was the plush. Hiashi, taking her in to ensure she settled comfortably, looked almost embarrassed to be seen with a daughter acting so infantile. 

All the other first years were milling about, almost all with accompanying parents, some with elder siblings. Looking around in wonder, Hinata barely resisted the urge to fetch her bunny from her bag and hold it tight. After all, she had to spare a hand to hold her father’s. And she tried to never hold her precious bun with less than two hands. Not after so many times dropping it.

Her new teacher was a young, nervous-looking man. Iruka Umino, as he introduced himself to Hiashi. The pair spoke for a time before attention turned to Hinata.

Knees bending to her level, he gave her a wide smile. “Hello, Hinata! I’ll be your new teacher. It’s very nice to meet you!”

Her chin ducked to her chest shyly. “H...hello.”

“She’s rather wary of strangers,” her father warned.

“Oh, that’s fine - every child should be, really. Strangers can mean danger. But I’m sure we’ll get along soon, once we get to know each other.” A hand gently rested atop her head, stroking her hair.

It warmed something in her chest.

“Now, I should warn you…” Hiashi then went on, tone quieting as to avoid being overhead, and embarrassed. “She has a toy that she’s...very fond of. She insisted she bring it to class. I hope it won’t be a distraction…?”

“Oh, not at all! A lot of kids bring familiar things with them to their first class. And to the contrary, it usually helps them focus by keeping them calm! We’ll be sure to keep an eye on it, so it doesn’t get taken by any other kids.”

Not looking wholly convinced, Hiashi simply nodded. Clearly his distaste for the crutch remained.

As the morning aged and the first bell rang, he left her in Iruka’s care to head into work. The rest of his class gathered, Iruka ferried them all into their classroom, giving introductions and starting them on their education. Hinata was settled into her own little desk, plush held to her chest. Given their age and the new environment, the first day was kept relatively tame, and soon, it was time for their first recess.

The play yard was massive: several acres watched over by the teachers as their classes were given time to roam, run, and play. Shy as ever, Hinata mostly lingered by the building, watching the other kids and keeping ahold of her toy.

But after a few minutes, she heard something...strange. Glancing about in search of its source, she eventually parted her way through some bushes in an inlet of the school’s outer walls.

There, tucked away and...crying? was a boy her age: knees hugged to his chest and face hidden atop their caps.

“Um...h-hello…?”

Startling, his head snapped up, tear-stained face looking to her in surprise before dashing at his cheeks with a hand. “W...what do you want?”

“I heard you, and...went to find you. Um...are you - are you okay?”

Expression wilting, he refused to look at her. “...I’m fine.”

“Then...w-why are you crying?”

“...my dad didn’t let me take Mister Roary to school today…”

“Mister...Roary…?”

“My dinosaur. I wanted to take him with me. But Dad said no, and when I - w-when I cried, he…” The boy’s lip trembled. “...he t-threw him away…! Said that t-toys are for babies, and…” Words dissolved into crying, and Hinata wilted in sympathy. His toy was thrown away…? What an evil, evil thing to do! While Hiashi has bemoaned her attachment before, he’s never threatened to take her plush away.

“...I’m sorry…” Getting a bit closer, she crouched, still holding her bunny. Glancing down to it, Hinata thought for a long moment...and then held it out. “...here.”

Sniffling, the boy looked up, still hiccuping before looking to her offering. “W...what…?”

“This is my bunny. She keeps me company. My mama gave it to me a long time ago, when I was a baby. But I think - I think she should go with you.”

Awe slacked the boy’s face. “You’re...giving her to me…?”

Hinata gave a nod. “She’s my best friend. But nobody should be alone. She can go with you, now.”

Still shocked, it took him a moment, but after a pause, he carefully accepted the plush. Dark eyes looking it over, he then brought it to his chest, curling around it tightly.

“...thank you...does she have a name…?”

“I just call her Bunny, but you can call her whatever you w-want. She’s your friend now, okay? Don’t let your daddy see her, though!”

“I won’t.” Nuzzling his cheek against the soft material, he then asked, “What’s your name?”

“Hinata. What - what’s your name?”

“Sasuke.”

“Hi, Sasuke.”

“...can we be friends?”

That got her to brighten. “Y...yeah! Bunny is my friend, and your friend...so we’re friends, too!”

A tentative smile pulled at his face. “...okay.”

And so it was.

Awaiting her father’s arrival after school, Hinata waved as Sasuke walked with his brother, gushing about his new toy, and his new friend.

Of course, the first thing Hiashi noticed was the plush’s absence. “Hinata, where is Bunny?”

“She went with a friend!”

He stared, jaw nearly agape. “You...you gave her to someone else?”

A nod. “...he needed her more than me.”

After a moment, a kind of understanding softened his form. “...well, maybe you’ll see her again someday.”

“...maybe.”

Fate, however, had other ideas.

After two years of school together...Hinata found Sasuke missing from the classroom at the beginning of their third year. After several days of worrying, the rumors made their way to her.

Sasuke and Itachi’s mother had divorced their father, and taken them to another city where her sister and her son lived. Sasuke was now attending another school, in another town.

The news, admittedly, saddened her greatly. The pair had become good friends over their two years of school together. But Mikoto had decided that Fugaku’s hard methods of parenting were...unsuitable for her children.

It had all began with him throwing the boys’ toys away.

But he never did find Bunny.

And that, at least, Hinata took comfort in: knowing Sasuke had a friend to take with him. That, in some small way, part of her, too, went with him.

...she hoped Hiashi was right: that she would see Bunny again. Because now, that meant seeing Sasuke, too.

The rest of primary and middle school passed quickly, each year seemingly shorter than the last. And now, secondary school is already half over, Hinata contemplating where her life will lead once it’s all said and done.

And even after so many years, she still wonders how Bunny and Sasuke are doing.

Arranging her locker on the first day of her penultimate year, she glances over as whispers reach her. Girls flock together, all staring at something - someone? - down the hallway. Trying to glance between them, Hinata’s eyes squint through the masses.

...and then she sees him. There’s no mistaking that unruly hair.

Bag hanging at his side as he scopes out his locker, Sasuke glances between numbered plates and a folded paper in his hand. The gaggle of girls move to the other wall as he gets closer, allowing him passage through the corridor.

Hinata, still surprised, just...stands there.

Glancing to the remaining obstacle as he keeps up his search, Sasuke meets her eyes.

...they stare.

Recognition slowly brightens his gaze. “...Hinata…?”

“...Sasuke.”

Searching her face for a long moment, he then seems to startle. “...hold on.” Tucking his guide between his teeth, he unzips his bag, digging around before pulling something from its depths.

It...it’s Bunny.

Staring at the plush - which hardly seems a day worse for wear - Hinata eventually drags her eyes up to his face. “...you...you still…?”

“I think it’s about time she went home...don’t you think?”

Blinking slowly, Hinata gazes at the plush, softening...and taking it into her arms. Funny...it seems so much smaller now as she gives it a welcoming squeeze. Smiling warmly, eyes closed, she then looks up, lips still lifted. “...it’s good to see you both.”

“Yeah...you too.”

                                                            .oOo.

     Oh my goshhh, this is so cute xD I had so much fun writing it! A nice change after feeling so blegh about yesterday's, lol      I do love me some childhood!SasuHina. They're both just such adorable babbs. Them being friends as kiddos is just...music to my ears. I love it! And them carrying that as they get older, letting it develop into romantic attachment? *chef finger kiss* Perfect xD I super enjoyed writing this piece, indulging in my favorite tropes, lol      Anyway, I gotta call it a night cuz...it's late, as usual xD But! I hope you enjoyed, and thanks so much for reading!

[keelywolfe]

FIC: Partners in Grime (baon)

Summary:   Stretch has survived a lot over the years. Surviving Edge's vacation week should be a piece of cake.

Tags: Spicyhoney, Established Relationship, Domestic Fluff, Mentions of Depression

part of the ‘by any other name’

Read on AO3

-or-

Read More Here

~~*~~

Stretch wasn’t used to babysitting and that was a fact. Oh, he played games with the neighborhood kiddos, showed them experiments and occasionally planned events but he was pretty sure none of their parents had fooled themselves into thinking that anything he did could be called supervision.

He hoped so, anyway, or there was going to be some inevitable disappointment somewhere along the line.

Anyway, so yeah, babysitting. Not so much. He was used to having the house to himself for most of the day where he could sleep in or watch television or go to the lab—

(don’t think about that)

—or post on twitter while hanging out with the chickens. His days weren’t planned so much as they were loosely connected reoccurring events, and Stretch was fine with that.

Having Edge here every day was ruining his carefully disarrayed schedule and he loved Edge, he loved him so much, and he’d love him even more if he’d sit down for five fucking minutes.

Stress, yeah, sure, Stretch was going to gather up his own stress and shove the whole messy wad of it up Ass-gore’s namesake. But Red had warned him if his bro didn’t chill the fuck out, Asgore was considering sending him on a longer vacation and Stretch was pretty sure that was a sanity massacre waiting to happen.

In the interest of saving them all, Stretch would do his duty to Monsterkind and help.

So far, that had consisted of letting Edge do whatever the fuck he wanted around the house. Just because Stretch didn’t see the purpose of attacking the grout with an old toothbrush didn’t mean it wasn’t an important task, (or so he guessed because he’d spent a lifetime not cleaning grout and he hadn’t dusted yet.)

And just because their neighbor’s smiles when he brought them yet another plate of cookies or muffins were getting a little tight didn’t mean there weren’t other people who would appreciate a treat and so what if Stretch was shortcutting two streets away to find them?

Problem was, cleaning and baking looked like they were losing their luster.

He’d give a half-hearted thought to taking Edge into town to go shopping or maybe a movie but subjecting innocent Humans to him didn’t seem like the best way to build good relations between Humans and Monsterkind.

That left sex as Stretch’s main form of entertainment, hey, may as well enjoy the forced confinement, right?

But after a few days even his libido was starting to make flimsy excuses to call it a night, and while Stretch was usually ready for any reason to desecrate the couch again, if they ever wanted anyone else to sit on it again, they were going to need to let it air out for a couple days. At least washing the sheets gave Edge something to do.

That afternoon he was sitting on the poor, abused sofa, still aching pleasantly in a few key areas from earlier when he realized Edge hadn’t followed him back downstairs. The shower had been turned off for a suspiciously long time and he’d believe Red and Sans were swapping condiment preferences along with spit before he’d believe Edge was laying back down for a nap.

It set off more than a few alarm bells. Time to investigate. For the safety of the City and everyone in it.

Who knew that Edge taking a vacation would give him Superman tendencies?

Shortcutting could be silent if he put enough effort into it. Last time he’d bothered was when he was grabbing all the kids during the ‘human invasion’, if that’s what they called a handful of dipshits, but he did it now. Otherwise Edge would hear him on the stairs.

When the void cleared, Stretch could see Edge was sitting on the bed facing away from the door, almost hunched over, a far cry from his usual perfect posture. Checking his phone from the looks of it, naughty naughty.

“what are you dooooooing?” Stretch asked, pleasantly.

Edge jumped and nearly dropped his phone, fumbling to catch it before it fell on the floor. The look on his face was like a damned neon sign, flashing his guilt for all to see.

“Nothing,” he said brusquely.

Oh, yeah, smooth, that’d fool a lie detector, for sure.

“uh huh,” Stretch leaned against the door jamb and crossed his arms over his chest. “nothing. so, my guess is either you’ve taken up watching porn on the sly or you were checking in on your work email. and we both know you’d show me the porn, i always like a good laugh.”

His silence spoke volumes. Edge didn’t like to lie and since he couldn’t Obi-Wan his way out with any ‘some other point of view’ bullshit, he was going with keeping his mouth shut.

Stretch shook his head sadly. His baby was letting him down on the sneak factor; he should’ve checked while he was still in the bathroom. “you know, i promised that i’d keep an eye on you this week. you wanna be responsible for making me break a promise?”

“I didn’t promise,” Edge muttered but he sighed and let Stretch take his hand, followed him back downstairs like the world’s saddest, boniest puppy, “This is ridiculous.”

“uh huh.”

“I’m perfectly fine.”

“you’re definitely fine, babe, always loved those jeans.”

“I’ve taken a couple of days, I’ve relaxed—“

“uh…yeah…about that. you might need a refresher on the whole ‘relaxing’ thing. i could google it for you.”

“And I’m ready to be back at work.”

“you and me both.”

“What was that?” Edge asked distractedly.

“sit.” And when he didn’t, Stretch pushed on his shoulders until Edge gave in and finally sat down heavily on the sofa. Sternly, Stretch told him, “stay there.”

When it looked like Edge was probably going to obey even if it was with all the grudging he could muster, Stretch went to the kitchen. Time to bring out the secret weapons.

He came back out with a heavily laden tray, covered in plates that held the sort of things that required toothpicks and stupid green garnishy things, and announced, “i have snacks. i have drinks. we are watching netflix.”

“Where did you get this?” Edge eyed everything suspiciously, like Stretch had taken up poisoning as a part-time job. “I know you didn’t make it.”

Well, if he had, then he would probably be well on his way to his first paycheck as an amateur poisoner. “i did not, my brother did, so it’s probably safe. you know you love his spinach puffs. now, eat and watch tv.”

“Must we?” Edge groaned. He flopped back against the cushions and honestly, this was fascinating from a scientific point of view. Edge on the verge of a tantrum was a state of being that Stretch hadn’t even known existed, much less that he’d be the one to discover it. He should write a paper. “I’ve seen enough television to last the rest of the year.”

“i hope not, i’m looking forward to the new season of ‘masterchef’. anyway, i think you’ll like this one.”

He picked up the controller and started the episode. Bright music began along with a man explaining, “It’s a never-ending battle to fight the clutter—"

Edge sat up and grabbed a spinach puff, stuffing it into his mouth and chewing with an impressive amount of grudgingness before slumping back to glare at the tv.

If Stretch survived this he was asking for a raise.

An hour later and Stretch was ready to mark this one as a win. Edge was riveted in a way even Gordon Ramsey rarely managed. Probably a good thing Stretch had already married him, or he might be on a plane with flowers in hand, ready to spark a little joy.

Stretch wasn’t quite as enamored; he was okay with the show, sure, the host was a sweetheart. It was just a hell of a lot more fun watching Edge. The way he quivered as the families tried to excuse their messiness, like he was resisting the urge to reach through the screen and shake them. His visible satisfaction when they showed they were on the right path and the episode ended with triumph and order.

It was fucking adorable.

He didn’t get to watch Edge like this very often. Usually if they were watching television, Stretch liked to live up to his namesake and stretch out, laying half on Edge and half off the sofa, soaking up the warmth from his blanket and his baby both.

It was moments like these that he was jarringly reminded that Edge really was younger than him, the same age as his little brother. With his crimson eye lights wide and focused on the screen, enchantingly absorbed, he looked his age in a way he rarely did.

He’d gone through so much in his life; some of it was visible on his bones, the crack in his socket was the most obvious but there were others, scars that had healed roughly without a gentle hand to press soothing magic into them. The other scars were buried a hell of a lot deeper and whether they were why he needed a break from work or they were the reason he drove himself so hard to begin with was anyone’s guess.

Stretch had his own theories.

But that combined with his unrelenting attitude made Edge seem older than he was. Didn’t help that it was hard to gauge ages with skeletons. Plenty of Monsters guessed that Stretch was the younger one.

He liked to think it was because he was young at heart, fuck you very much.

And then after everything he’d gone through, Edge went ahead and hitched his life to Stretch’s broke-ass wagon. Looking at Edge and thinking about the years he had yet to come sometimes made that bitter little voice that lived in the back of Stretch’s thoughts come to life, syrupy-thick, persuasive, and as foul as swamp water, asking him what the fuck he thought he was doing here, telling him he didn’t deserve this. Edge had earned better than having to spend his life dealing with Stretch’s brand of generic bullshittery.

Today more than usual it was easy to stuff that voice back. What kind of asshole would it make Stretch to try to make his choices for him? Stretch had a little too much experience with that and once you allowed it to start happening, it was fucking difficult to flick the switch back. Besides, if his taste in partners was questionable, at least his baby had a good soul.

He was selfish, knew it, but still. He wanted to be the one to spark joy in Edge

When the episode ended, Stretch didn’t even ask. He reached out automatically to push the button that skipped the intro on the next one. The spinach puffs were a distant memory but there were still the tapenade toast points to contend with.

A glance back at Edge made Stretch duck his head to hide a smile. Edge looked like his inner neat freak was getting a deep tissue massage. Now that, friends and neighbors, was relaxed.

“can i ask something?” Stretch said, idly, “how is it a clean bee like you can stand to be with me?”

Edge managed to tear his gaze away from the television long enough to look at him with genuine surprise and a little fond scorn, probably for the pun. It tore away the last bit of the illusion of youth and that left nothing but his own husband, who told him archly, “Marie says it herself. I love a mess.”

Okay, damn, affection and insult in one, and by the Angel, Stretch loved him so, so much. “i asked for that.”

“You did,” Edge agreed. But he caught hold of Stretch and pulled him in anyway, tucking him in comfortably against his side. He was soothingly warm and Stretch snuggled in happily, sighing as Edge pressed a kiss against his skull before whispering to him, “You bring me joy.”

Well, hey, mission accomplished. Now Stretch only had to keep it up for a few decades, no biggie.

But first, he needed to survive the week.

-finis-

Notes:

I can't help but feel that Edge would love 'Tidying Up With Marie Kondo'. His platonic soul mate. ^_^

[entro-writes]

Every Road Home: Chapter 2 Flash Gordon.

A Prime All Might x Reader Fic

A week had passed since you had picked up your DVD of the original Batman movie. You sit huddled again on your couch, watching Adam West fluster around in his underwear-clad superhero suit, a comically large, paper mâché bomb held high above his head. He dodges nuns, a baby carriage, a marching band Then turns tail towards the sea, a flock of (clearly not wooden) ducks bob below. He looks around, exasperated.

“Some days you just can’t get rid of a bomb!” you say together with Mr. West. You smile.

You glance over to the lone DVD placed neatly on your shelf. Flash Gordon. You had reasoned that when you had first left the second-hand DVD shop that you had accidentally grabbed his DVD instead of your own. He must have totally forgotten to trade it with you when he brought you yours.

Several times you thought about bringing his DVD back to him, but you hadn’t seen him since. You had tucked yourself away, back to the comfort and safety of your apartment as if nothing had happened.

But still, the gentle yet strong laughter of his flitted through your thoughts. Maybe if you went back to the DVD store and left it there for him…no…you couldn’t bear seeing that cashier again. What if you waited on the spot where you had met—ridiculous as if he’d come back to that spot for no reason. You snort at your own train of thought, maybe a “Lost and Found” poster reading, “Found. One of the most gaudy, over-acted movies ever made (otherwise known as Flash Gordon), seeking ridiculously tall blonde to pick it up.”

Your phone buzzes.

You pick up the glowing screen and see it’s a text from your younger sister, Louise.

Not long ago, your sister had gone to New York, working there as a design artist for a new small-scale company that was making suits for heroes. Pride blossomed in your chest at the memory, she was incredibly talented and was definitely going places in life. You unlock your phone and read the message:

L: Hey you. What are you up to? 😊

You type back.

Saving the world, as usual. Just kidding. Still here. What about you?

In the blink of an eye she responds.

L: We have a new client! She’s so cool, her quirk gives her cat-like abilities and features, so I gotta work around those, designing this one will be SOOO much fun!!!! :0

Another few seconds.

L: …you know, I miss you a lot. I worry about you too. ☹

You bite your lip.

L: I know you’ve been going through a lot, the anxiety, depression, and stuff but…you need to get out of there. Go places. Meet people.

You type back.

Yeah. I wish I could. But I can’t.

Tears well up in your eyes. You feel so pitiful the way you are now. You put your phone down, ready to fall back into another pit of depression when it buzzes again.

L: I’ve got it! Why don’t you come and live with me here in New York?!

Your eyes widen.

What?! Really?!

L: No ur too much of a nerd LOL. Yeah of course you dummy! Just think of it!! The two of us, sharing a flat, taking on the big apple. We party! We geek out! Maybe you get out to the streets and meet a handsome stranger? ;)

You roll your eyes but a smile paints your face. Your heart thrums with excitement, But…

Then the usual feeling of intense dread takes over. New York is a massive city. With lots of noise and smell and worst of all…People. Even with your sister at your side you would be terrified, and you knew that all too well. Too many eyes watching you, too many heartbeats in one place.

Too many unsaid thoughts for you to accidentally pick up.

You shiver, the corners of your mind returning to that sickeningly familiar static. You try to breathe. Your thumb hovers over the keypad of your phone.

I can’t do it, it’s too much. It’s not like can afford it anyway.

You put down your phone. The screen glows again but you don’t read your sister’s reply. You curl yourself up into a ball on your couch. Coward. Stupid. Worthless. Pathetic. You feel your insides get tense, you clench your teeth. You taste salt on your lips as your eyes drip. You lay there and let yourself cry in silence for a long time.

You take a deep breath and wipe your damp face with your shirt.

You need…something.

You will yourself hard enough that you stand up. You grab a clean pair of socks, your shoes, your purse. You head towards your front door when you stop. You turn to look at the shelf and the lonely DVD sitting there. The memory of reassuring laughter fills your mind. You shove the DVD in your purse and walk outside.

The day is sweltering, once again but you know you have to be outside to tame your feelings. You don’t know where you are going so you wander around, past the neighborhood park with its scalding metal slide and rusty swings. All empty. You stop at the drinking fountain for a sip of room temperature water before wiping your face with your sleeve and moving on. You walk through a small cul-de-sac. The lawns vacant of all life except for a lawn gnome or two. A dog barks. Flies buzz around the trashcans set out for pick up. You walk. You’re already parched again. Your tongue sticks to the roof of your mouth. A cold soda sounds pretty good. There’s a gas station across the road.

You look both ways and step off to cross the street when everything seems to move both faster than the eye and slow motion at once.

The screeching of tires. The stench of burned rubber. The crunching of a bumper plate.

You cover your head with your hands, unable to put together a final thought when…

It stops.

You look up, confused when you see a long blue cape flutter around you. An impossibly tall man—no—hero stands between you and the vehicle that had nearly made you roadkill. His hands made massive dents in the front of the red convertible…he had stopped it with his bare hands and stood like it was nothing at all. He glances down at you with a familiar smile.

“Are you quite alright?”

You nod wordlessly.

He drops the car with a heavy clang, the two occupants shrieking in surprise.

“I think you’ve had quite enough of the joyride, you two. First my best friend’s car and now you nearly crushed this young lady. Turn yourselves in peacefully and no one will get hurt.”

The woman at the wheel has rat-like features, long teeth and whiskers, only made less attractive as she spits at the pavement before grabbing the man next to her, hopping out of the car and running for it.

The hero turns to pursue the two of them when the man lifted what looked like a remote detonator with his hand. The hero skids to a stop, instantly putting together the situation before leaping back towards you.

“GET DOWN.”

No sooner had he reached you then the car exploded, rattling the earth beneath your feet and shocking your eardrums. You carefully opened your eyes, finding that the hero had grasped you and tumbled you both over to the sidewalk. He has you cradled in his muscular arms, you feel his chest rise and fall once. He carefully unwraps you from his cape before dusting the debris from his shoulders and his V shaped bangs.

“Today isn’t turning out how you planned, I can imagine.” He says with a laugh.

Everything clicks.

He’s the same man you ran into that day at the DVD store.

You swallow hard and reach for your purse “I, uh—”

“Sorry, miss, but those two criminals are not far and I have to put a stop to this madness. We can talk later.” He turns and looks around, searching the area.

Your mouth opens and shuts like a fish.

The only building nearby is the gas station. He rushes in and you hear a loud clattering and a woman’s shout. You can’t help but get closer. You peer inside and see the fluorescent lights flicker. The hero stands silent. Listening. The floor erupts beneath him and he flips out of the way. Out from the earth comes the rat-faced woman, she had used her claws to dig underground. She swipes at his face, he dodges, yet his cheek gets sliced in the process. He sweeps his leg under her, knocking her off balance and she falls. He takes the opportunity and pounces on top of her, pinning her arms behind her back. In the flickering lights you see him pull out a pair of handcuffs.

The two of them walk out the still working sliding door of the gas station. The woman grimaces at you, her lip swollen and split from her fall.

The hero stares her down, an intensity to his ever-present smile. “I will find your accomplice, Ms. Johnson, either now or later. Tell me where he is and it’ll be better for the both of you.”

Suddenly static crackled in your head once again, causing your head to throb. You looked around. It was neither the woman nor the hero.

A piece of cloth came down from an air vent behind the two of them.

“—Bastard”

“BEHIND YOU!” you shout.

He hero spun around in a split second, his hand grasping the cloth in his hand as it wriggles with a life of its own. He tugs and the air vent brakes with a sharp twang, a pile of what looked like bandages fell to the ground.

“There you are, Mr. Threadborne.” The hero says as he pulls him closer with a jerk.

The pile of bandages comes to life and wraps itself together in the shape of a man. He snarls at the hero before offering his hands in defeat. The hero puts him in another pair of cuffs, one, you noticed, has a different design than the woman’s.

“Gauze Threadborne and Prairie Johnson, how lucky can a guy be to catch both you villains at once?” he laughs heartily.

He glances down at you, looking like he has something to say when you both hear sirens approaching. A pair of police cars swerve into the gas station. Four officers walk out and greet the hero before he explains the situation.

“These two were driving down this street, speeding in a stolen car, as usual when they nearly ran into this young lady. Luckily, I arrived on time to stop them. They unfortunately made a brief escape, taking advantage of a remote detonator that was held next to the engine of the stolen car. I tailed them to this gas station, the man employed here escaped without issue. We fought, and, thanks to this young lady, I was able to apprehend them both.”

The manner in which he says all this sounds much more professional than how he had spoken to you before.

The ratty woman, Prairie, screeches, cutting through their conversation. “I ain’t gettin’ inside that clunker, ‘specially not without my baby cakes in there with me!”

“Oh, sweetie pie don’t you fret,” coos the bandage man, Gauze. “We gon’ be together soon enough, don’t you worry your pretty little head.” He turns to the hero “…an’ when we get on the streets again, I’m gunna show this prick that was no way to treat my girl.” He hisses, his hollow eyes staring daggers.

The hero, meanwhile, looks totally oblivious to his threat. He smiles pleasantly at the police officer as he shakes his hand.

“Thanks for your help, All Might.” The officer says, adjusting his cap before climbing into his car. The officers take the criminals and speed off just as fast as they came.

The hero, apparently named All Might, peers down at you with a question in his bright blue eyes. You clear your throat once more.

“I-I um, think this is yours.” You hand him his copy of Flash Gordon.

This was going to be longer but, I think this is an ok length. Don’t wanna overdo it!

~Entro-pie

[pinesconessecrets]

Soulmate AU

For @ladynightmare12

“You’re incredibly ugly,”

Dipper had been staring at his arm for about fifteen minutes. He didn’t notice it immediately upon waking up, as he had a habit of scribbling notes and doodles on his arm, but when he did notice it, his heart stopped. He got his words. The first words he would ever hear his soulmate say.

He sat on his unmade bed, his room split evenly between pinboards and science fair trophies, and stuffed animals and macaroni sculptures. As a seventeen year old boy, he wasn’t eager to share a room with his sister, but- of course- he had never known anything else. The morning light shone through the window, one curtain pink and the other a deep green, as it was positioned dead in the center of the room.

His soulmate calling him ugly wasn’t exactly ideal for their first words. In fact, he was dreading his meeting with this person. He couldn’t tell the person’s gender, but honestly that was the least of his worries. The thing at the front of his mind was that his soul mate was astrologically destined to call him ugly in their first conversation.

“Dipper! Hurry up!” he heard his sister cry from downstairs with her mouth full- presumably eating pancakes or something like that. Dipper usually only had time for toast or a banana in the morning. He hurriedly threw on some clothes and a hoodie he never wore- not wanting to show the world his words. He especially didn’t want his sister to see them, she would never live it down. Her words had appeared last year, though nobody had said them yet. “Sorry, I think this is your glitter pen.” It certainly suited her. Every day she dropped her glitter pens on the ground on purpose, but nobody had said the words exactly right. Mabel listened extremely closely, to be safe.

The teenage boy rushed down the stairs and grabbed a pancake from a plate by the stove, eating it with his hands without and syrup or butter.

“How do you eat that? Doesn’t it get stuck in your throat?” Mabel asked, her words on clear display on her inner arm.

“It slides down easier without sticky sugar syrup keeping it stuck in there. Your cholesterol must be off the charts with all of the sugar you eat,” Dipper said sarcastically as he shoved his books in his backpack.

“You’re worried about my health? You eat ramen noodles for every meal,” Mabel teased. Dipper rolled his eyes as he put a Cup ‘o noodles in his backpack next to his books. He did eat an insane amount of ramen, but he did enough running around in the woods to burn off the calories.

“Whatever. Let’s go, if I’m late to Pre-Cal again I’m going to get chewed out,” Dipper said, sliding open the door and exposing himself to the cool morning air. It wasn’t that cold, as he had his hoodie on, but he would much prefer warmth. Cold meant less exploring and adventuring in the woods, though he was sure that his parents wouldn’t actually mind that. He had gotten poison ivy twice, and neither times were fun for anyone.

He walked to the old Montero Sport that he and Mabel shared, though Dipper didn’t have his license yet. He knew how to drive, he just didn’t make enough money to pay for the car insurance. Mabel had a cushy job at Starbucks where she got paid quite a lot for her age, but Dipper could hardly get any hours at his job at Chick-fil-a in the same mall.

He cringed when the radio blasted Carly Rae Jepsen- not because it wasn’t great music- but because it was nearly maximum volume. Mabel had a fun habit of blasting music after work at night and forgetting to turn it back down. Carly Rae was a good way to wake up, but not at that volume.

Mabel turned the radio down and began driving, the album playing much more quietly as they drove along in unnatural silence. Usually on the way to school they had a lot of conversation, but the air between them was still. Mabel eventually spoke up, smirking gently.

“You got your words, didn’t you?” she asked, and Dipper went bright red. She wasn’t supposed to find out. Nobody was supposed to find out. He wanted to die without anyone reading the words on his arm.

“What? No. Of course I did. Didn’t. I didn’t get them yet. Definitely not,” Dipper said, knowing immediately that he had given himself away. When Mabel laughed at him, he was sure that he would have to show his twin the embarrassing text on his arm.

“Let me see it. Come on, I bet it’s sweet. Why are you so embarrassed?” Mabel asked, and Dipper shook his head. “Come on! We’re twins! I showed you mine immediately!

“Yours was nice! Mine is… bad. It’s bad,” Dipper sighed, and Mabel rolled her eyes.

“It can’t be that bad. Show me,” Mabel said, grabbing her brother’s arm and pulling up the sleeve. Dipper was quick to take the wheel with his free hand.

“Your husband has bad handwriting,”

“Husband? What makes you think it’s a guy?”

“Bad handwriting,” Mabel rolled her eyes. “So he calls you ugly. So what? You call me ugly, and I’m clearly flawless, so why are you worried? Maybe you’ll have one of those enemies-to-lovers things? That’d be really fun.” she grinned.

“I’m just, I dunno, I don’t want to have this experience when the person,” He emphasized the word “person” instead of saying the word “boy”. He wouldn’t mind if he was a boy, but it wasn’t set in stone. “Calls me ugly. I don’t want that in my memory forever. Like, if we make it, my kids are going to ask how we met. And I’m going to have to tell them that we met when their mom or dad called their dad ugly.” he sighed.

“Bro, everything is going to be fine! You’re going to get a man soon! Or a girl with bad handwriting,” she shrugged. She gave a sympathetic smile, and took the wheel once again, to Dipper’s relief.

“…Thanks Mabel,” Dipper smiled back at her. He was glad that Mabel was so supportive- though sometimes it was kind of annoying. However, having her involved in his life was useful, since he needed someone besides his parents to lean on.

The two arrived at school, Dipper rushing to get into the building and get to Pre-Cal. It was hardly his favorite class, but it was a hard one, so he wanted to spend as little time away from that class as possible, for his own safety. He sat in his usual place near the front of the room, beside a boy he never really acknowledged. As a young man obsessed with cryptids and monsters and such, he didn’t exactly have a surplus of friends, and so he wasn’t familiar with most of the people even in his grade level. The only times he talked to people were when they were paired with one another for group work.

Dipper looked over and noticed that the normally quiet boy was looking down at a packet of paper and mumbling words to himself that he couldn’t quite hear. Every once in a while the boy would highlight something, and then carry on mumbling. Dipper never really paid attention to this boy before. He wasn’t ugly, he had dark brown hair and identical eyes, and he was wearing a cute yellow sweater. He was about to ask what he was reading, when the teacher in front of him began speaking. Like the good student he always was, he paid attention and took diligent notes that would be easy to study later.

Throughout class, however, he kept noticing the boy beside him not taking notes, and continuing to mumble. Dipper got a little bit annoyed that he couldn’t understand a word he was saying, but he didn’t comment on it. He didn’t want to call this boy out in the middle of class for, what, working? Studying? Memorizing something? Mostly he was just annoyed that he didn’t know what he was saying. He felt compelled, for some reason, to hear his voice. He wanted to know what sort of voice came out of this rather cute, shy boy.

He wrote down a note on a scrap of paper, glancing over at the other boy as he did so. Sorry if this is creepy, what r u reading? -Dipper. He folded it up and was about to pass it over, when he was called on for a question. For the first time in a long time, he had no idea what the answer was. He was working on the note, and not the problem, so he was drawing a blank. “Um…. linear?” Dipper said, knowing full well that the answer was wrong. He cringed at how his voice cracked due to embarrassment.

“Wrong unit, Mr. Pines. Pay attention instead of doodling. Give me that,” The teacher said, and Dipper tried to ignore the class’s giggles as the teacher crumbled up the note and put it in the garbage. Dipper looked over at the boy, worried that he was giggling, but was a bit disturbed by what the boy was doing. He was no longer mumbling and highlighting, but instead he was just. Staring. The quiet nameless boy was looking at Dipper like he had grown a second head- which he hasn’t yet, though he was doing some experiments on lizards. The boy looked away a second too late, after the two had made direct eye contact. Dipper wasn’t so eager to talk to the boy anymore after doing that. Was there something in his teeth? His hair? He checked both, while doing his work, and both seemed fine. What was he staring at?

Dipper continued his work, though he couldn’t shake the feeling that the boy beside him was staring. Every time he looked over, though, the boy wasn’t looking. Eventually he could see him doing his mumbling again, and it brought him a sort of relief. Things were bath the way they were supposed to be- Dipper was taking notes, and mystery boy was mumbling and highlighting. All was right in the world.

As class came to a close, Dipper felt a feeling creeping up on him. It wasn’t a good feeling, not really. It wasn’t quite sadness, it was more like… Disappointment. Like he had been expecting something to happen that even he had no idea what it was. Probably that he hadn’t finished all of his homework in class, Dipper figured, silently and to himself. He put all of his books into his bag as he heard the bell ring, before looking over at the mystery boy. He was slinging his baby pink backpack over his shoulder, pocketing his highlighter, but still reading over the packet of words. There were quite a few pages, and Dipper was very interested to see what exactly was so riveting that he would do it instead of calculus. Though, most things were more riveting than calculus.

However, he didn’t want to embarrass himself yet again and attempt to talk to this boy. After all, evidently, he had a soul mate waiting for him, somewhere out there, biding their time before they would meet and call him ugly. Mystery boys weren’t really worth his time- though Dipper did appreciate a good mystery. Maybe at another time.

He walked out of the classroom to the hallway, knowing and not acknowledging that mystery boy was standing directly behind him, still mumbling. Dipper could hardly hear him at all what with the noise of hundreds of teenagers all talking at once, like a riptide of bodies and gossip. High school was truly a uniquely terrifying place.

He took a few steps out into the hallway before something made him stop dead in his tracks. Time seemed to slow down, and he took a few moments to process what he had heard. He could hardly believe it was true, it was so soon, barely anyone heard their words spoken on the same day they arrived. Some died before hearing them. Dipper, however, heard them directly from a voice behind him.

“You’re incredibly ugly,” The mystery boy said from behind Dipper, still looking down at his paper with furrowed brows. Dipper stopped walking and turned, though that immediately resulted in him being pushed by the riptide, hitting his head on the doorframe of his calculus classroom.

“Oh my god, are you okay? That sounded really bad, do you have a bump?” These were the second words he ever heard his soul mate say, and he had to admit he was grateful that they were nice words. He was actually concerned about him.

“You… you think I’m ugly?” Dipper asked, his head pounding a bit. The taller boy looked confused, which was a very cute look on him.

“I… what? Oh! No!” he said quickly, looking down at his paper in his hand. “It’s, um, a script. I’m an actor, um, I just got cast in the one-act. I’m working on getting off book.” he explained, his voice slowly becoming more audible as people cleared out of the hallway. “I’m Wirt, by the way. And you’re… Dipper? I think? You don’t talk in class, so, um, I’m guessing here.” Dipper thought he was incredibly pretty.

“Yeah, Dopper. Um, Dipper. That’s me,” Dipper smiled awkwardly. “I don’t want to, um, alarm you, but…” he said, rolling up the sleeve on his hoodie. Wirt blushed a bit, but nodded in understanding, rolling up his as well. Among numerous doodles were the words, “Um… Linear?”

“I got mine two years ago. What about you?” Wirt asked with a smile.

“Today, actually. You can imagine how I felt when I learned my, um, soul mate would call me ugly when we first met,” Dipper chuckled awkwardly. Wirt laughed.

“I didn’t actually know I was gay until today. I mean, I had my suspicions, but I guess it’s set in stone now. Well… set in skin,” both boys laughed. The conversation would have gone on for longer, but the bell rang, and the both of them realized that they were late to class.

“Oh, wow, okay. Can I get your phone number? I’d like to get to know you better,” Wirt asked, and Dipper happily nodded, taking a sharpie out of his pocket. He embarrassedly took his hand and wrote down his phone number on his arm, before pocketing the sharpie.

“I’ll see you later, then, Dipper Pines,” Wirt gave a dorky smile before walking away. Dipper was still for a few moments, before giggling quietly, and walking to his next class. Mabel was not going to believe who her brother just met.