#my laptop is charging rn so i wonder if it's charged enough

[frenziedslashers]

Hi there! I would like a request a OS about Peter B Parker x Fem! Reader as a married couple Smut (Reader is Mayday's mother). The Reader is like Starfire (An alien superheroine and a beautiful hot like fire (literally, since her powers comes from the sun) person married to a human) Like Malewife and Girlboss...So when Peter comes home, she's taking care of her daughter meanwhile he was on patrol, so she put her daughter on bed time. She wants to have a night of "fun" with her husband. Taking good care of him with a bath and a dinner so then the "fun" can come. With a purple robe and a sexy lavender lingerie. I can leave the smut part to you with some recommendations Lactation Kink, Praise kink, "Mommy" kink, Oral (Female and male receiving), Creampie, maybe 69 position...

Take good care 🥰

Early Nights Off;;

A/N: Dude, I am literally blowing you kisses and hugging you platonically through my laptop rn. I was smiling and kicking my feet when I saw that you nearly instantly sent me a request for Peter. I am so in love with him, I love my silly goofy DILFs hehe. I have never written for a lactation kink before so I will not be doing that as I do not know how and Idk how comfortable I am with it LMAO I will try and interoperate the rest into this for you though. Thank you again, literally my savior for my brain rot rn. HE IS SO MALEWIFE THOUGH, YOU ARE SO REAL. I hope this is good enough, this is my first Peter fic haha.

Warnings: Breeding Kink (I just know he has one after Mayday.), Praise Kink, "Mommy" Kink sort of?, Oral (F and M Receiving), Creampie (Wrap it before you tap it guys), Reader is an alien (Not proofread, sorry lmao)

Any other day it would be easy for Peter to patrol the city all night. Even if the crime activity was little to nothing. He could spend all day and night swinging from building to building. It beat sitting at home with nothing to do.

Except now he had a reason to be home. Even before the two of you had Mayday, and it was just you. He found himself crawling through the window of your shared apartment earlier and earlier each night. You were his weakness, and he was never ashamed to admit it.

After you gave him his first kid though. There were some nights that he wouldn't go out at all. Too enraptured by baby Mayday to even think about leaving your cozy home. Playing with the baby. Watching you nurture and care for her. Being a dad was something he enjoyed a lot more than he ever thought he would. He had Miles to thank for breaking his fear of kids.

Tonight was one of his early nights. Calling it quits after all he found for crime activity was a man robbing a woman of her purse. Cliché and typical, but he put a stop to it nonetheless. Getting the woman's purse back while also tying the attacker up in front of the New York Police Department with a letter attached to him.

'Caught him robbing a lady, you're welcome. - Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.'

He wondered if they ever actually took in and charged the people he left on their doorstep like that. Or if they simply untied them and let them run because they had no proof they actually did anything wrong? That was a question for another time, though. Right now he was focused on opening the bedroom window. Crawling in and shutting it behind him to keep the muggy air outside from entering the room.

He was quick to take the suit off. Figuring he wouldn't need it for the rest of the night. Pulling a grey shirt on that hung on the side of the bed. Keeping only his boxers on to allow his body to cool down from the warmer conditions outside.

You were in the living room. Comfortable pajamas on while you lulled Mayday to sleep in your arms. A soft hum leaving your throat as you rocked her back and forth. He had to stop and watch for a while. Leaning against the door frame that led him from your shared room to the living room.

"You're back early," you cooed. At times he wished you didn't have the ability to sense him like he could you. It was nice sometimes, though. Not at times that he wanted to just sit and watch you mother his baby.

"I missed my beautiful girls," he murmured, that smug smile gracing his features. You were glad to have looked up and seen it.

"Well, I just fed her and got her to sleep." you informed, and he nodded. Licking his lips while his eyes raked over you. Practically undressing you and imagining all the things he could do to you right now. It had been so long since the two of you had any time to each other. That seemed to be one of the few, if not only down falls to being parents. Sex felt scarce, but that didn't mean it was totally absent from your lives.

"I think I might shower while you lay her down," he spoke, shifting his feet as he went to turn back for the bathroom down the hall. "Or I could run you a bath while I make you something to eat?" you offered and he just couldn't say no.

He smiled, nodding his head while staring you down. So much love and adoration was in his eyes. He was perfect. Mayday was perfect. You were perfect.

"What man could say no to that offer?" He snickered, to which you rolled your eyes. Smiling fondly at your husband while you stood to your feet. Kissing his cheek when you made it over to him. "I'll get that bath running then," you hummed. Heading for Maydays room to put her to bed. Shutting the door behind you before you scurried off for the bathroom. Swaying your hips a little more than normal since you knew he was staring.

He was, too. His eyes eating you up like candy while they took in your form. God, he could eat you alive.

The water was the perfect temperature. The soaps that you put in it had him melting into the atmosphere. Everything was perfect. He couldn't ask for anything better. When you came walking in with food, and that skimpy bathrobe that drove him crazy. He was certain you were praying on his downfall.

"You spoil me," he told you as he took a plate from your hand. Watching as you sat on the edge of the tub with your own plate in hand. The both of you eating together. Peter a little more eager than you. He loved his food.

"Only because you spoil me in return," you grinned. He raised a questioning brow. Taking a bite of the Mac and Cheese that you warmed up from the night before. "How? I don't make enough money to spoil you. You spoil me more that I do you, and it's a little unfair," he pouted a bit. He hated the fact that he couldn't spoil you like he wanted to, but you never seemed to mind. Everything was fine the way it was.

"You find your ways, Pete," you hummed as you put your plate on the sink counter. Climbing off the tub so you could kneel on the floor next to the tub. His eyes were glued to yours. A questioning glint to them that begged for you to explain further.

"You don't need money to spoil someone. You pamper me with little things. Like your affection and how romantic you can be," you smiled, because he truly was a sap. He loved spending nights cuddling with you. Kissing over your body while reminding you how beautiful you were. Praising you for carrying his baby. Your baby. Making dinner for you on the nights that you couldn't bring yourself to. Or simply taking you and Mayday to the park to get some ice-cream and be a family.

"If it weren't for you, I probably would have never had little Mayday, either," you admitted, and he raised a brow. "Really?" He questioned, and you nodded.

"I never really wanted kids. Not until we started dating. You made me realize that I don't need to be scared of that sort of commitment ever again. You gave me a beautiful daughter," he felt his heart racing at your words. "I never really wanted a kid before you, either. It scared me, being a superhero and all." You both chuckled at that. Staring at one another for a moment or two.

"I guess we both spoiled each other in that department," you told him, and he nodded. "Guess so."

When Peter and yourself finally finished eating, that's when you helped him wash his hair. Something that he was going to do himself, but when you offered to do so. He just laid back and let you.

Your fingers pulled through his hair. Nails scratching his scalp just right while you spread the shampoo. A soft moan leaving his lips while his eyes fell shut. It had you smiling to yourself. Biting your bottom lip to try and keep it from growing any wider.

You leaned in to press a kiss to his shoulder. Your hands trailing down his chest while you leaned in closer to his ear. Peter's eyes opening when he felt your breath on his ear. His eyes trailing down to your chest. Catching a glimpse of the lavender bra under your bathrobe. The thought of you in lingerie had him grunting. His cock twitching to life under the water. It had been too long since the two of you had done anything like this. Something that wasn't a quickie before he left for work after his lunch break, while Mayday was down for her afternoon nap.

"God, I love you so much," he muttered, and you giggled. Pressing a kiss to his temple. "Scoot down so I can wash your hair out, goofball," you teased, and he felt his heart thumping. "Yes Ma'am."

Once his hair was all washed it was time for him to call it a night. Eyes begging for you to take him to the bedroom so you could both fuck like rabbits. Before Mayday that's what it felt like you two were. Primal Animals that only knew how to fuck or make love. Whatever mood Peter was in that night deciphered how he screwed you.

Tonight he wanted to pamper you. To really spoil you since he knew you planned to do the same to him. Gosh, "I'd do anything to be between those thighs," He murmured out loud. A dumbstruck look on his face. He hadn't even noticed he said it out loud, and you knew it. A giggle escaping your lips while you leaned forward. Ghosting your lips over his. "Not if I'm between yours first," you cooed, and he shuddered.

His face was a slight red out of embarrassment. He hadn't meant to say that to you out loud, but it wouldn't be the first lewd thing he'd ever said to you. Peter was fairly good at telling you what he wanted and how he wanted to do it. The more lust filled he got, the less of a sensor he had.

It was like a race for the both of you. Peter standing from the tub while flicking the switch so the water would drain. Scrambling out of it while you laughed and giggled with him. The both of you doing your best to be quiet so Mayday wouldn't wake up.

You ran for the bedroom. Feet pattering against the wooden floor while he did the same. Shutting the door behind himself before he pulled you in for a kiss that he craved. One that you both craved, really.

"I know you're wearing it," he spoke against your lips. Pulling the string of your bath robe so it would fall open. He was quick to pull back so he could see your frame better. "You still like it?" You asked, and he was quick to nod. His fingers running up your sides to your breasts. Giving them both a light squeeze with a groan. "Baby, I never want you to take it off," he chuckled, and you both knew that was a lie. By the end of the night he'd have it ripped off you and in a pile on the floor.

His lips came in contact with your neck. Fiery touches that you would never get used to. Your own powers were controlled by the sun, yet this heat was always so unfamiliar to you. So nice.

"Peter," you sighed as he sucked on your skin. Your body jolting when his fingers pinched your nipples through your bra. "You're so gorgeous, you know that?" He asked against your skin. Licking over your collar bone. You chuckled with a nod, "You tell me all the time," "Yeah, well I don't say it damn near enough." You rolled your eyes at his comment, reaching up to run your fingers through his hair. "Yeah, and I don't tell you how good of a boy you are for me enough, either," he let out a grumble of a moan against your skin. It was so easy to rile him up, you loved it.

"May I?" You asked, ghosting your fingertips over his shaft, and he nodded. "Words, Peter," you demanded, and he shuddered. "Yes... Yeah, please," he mewled, and you snickered. He was already a mess.

You shrugged the robe off, allowing it to fall to the floor to give his hands more access to your skin. Your hand quick to reach between your lovers legs and grab him. Giving him a slow stroke before stopping to squeeze the base. His head fell onto your shoulder. A sigh leaving his lips while he gripped your hips.

"I need you," he called, "God, I need you so bad, don't tease me," he cried a little, and you had half a mind to listen, but you didn't want to. You had other plans for the night. You wanted to draw out this time you both had together for as long as you could.

"No," you purred, and the whine that he let out was heavenly. "Now, don't pout, Petey," you purred, "be a good boy for me and I'll reward you," he nodded frantically. He just wanted you to carry on and do something. Anything.

When you started to drop to your knees he felt his heart stutter in his chest. Everywhere your hands grazed as you slid down to the floor was on fire. At this point he couldn't tell if it was from his excitement, or if you were doing it yourself.

Your hand stroked his shaft a couple more times. Peter watching with excited eyes. His thighs shaking while he fought the urge to thrust forward.

"You can touch me, Peter," you told him, and he nodded. His shaky hands coming to tangle in your hair. One staying on the top of your head while the other came to cup the side of your face.

"Will you be good?" You asked, and he nodded. "I know you will," you hummed, kissing his hip. Listening to the moan that left his throat just from having your lips so close to where he wanted you the most. He craved you to the point that it hurt.

When you did finally reach his cock, the noise he made was unreal. Your eyes darting up to his with warning. One of his hands shot up to cover his mouth. A soft 'sorry, my love,' falling from his lips. He truly didn't mean to be as loud as he was. He could never help it. He prayed that one day the two of you could find a babysitter for Mayday so neither of you had to hold back as much as you both did.

Your head bobbed and he felt his knees shaking all ready. His brow knitting together while his chest began to heave. He couldn't take his eyes off of you. You were like an angel. On your knees, committing sin. The thought made him shudder. A hum rumbling from his chest while his head lolled to the side. "Feels so... Good," he purred, and you hummed in response. The vibration sending a wave of pleasure through his body. Both hands shooting to the top of your head so he could stable himself. His mouth slightly parted while his vision grew blurry from the tears that pricked the corners of his eyes.

"God, like that, shit," he spewed out words. You knew he was close, even if you couldn't sense it like he could sense your own approaching orgasms. You would know from how many times you've made him cum in your relationship.

You didn't allow him to, though. Another groan leaving his lips while he buckled forward. His hips thrusting forward a little in an attempt to chase your mouth. "Dammit, I was so close," he slurred, and you chuckled. Leaving an open mouthed kiss on the side of his cock. "I know, and you did so good for me baby," you purred, and he whined. He had such mixed feelings for your praising tease. He loved it, but he also despised it.

"How about I reward you now?" You asked, looking up to your lover with a grin. He was quick to nod in agreement. Licking his lips while he waited anxiously for what you had to say next.

"You wanna fill me up tonight?" "You have no idea," he practically growled. The sound of his voice. The switch from whiny to damn near feral. It went straight to your core. Your breath hitching as he helped pull you to your feet. Pushing you back until you were on the bed.

He fell on top of you. Caging your body with his own. Something seemed to snap in his eyes and it excited you more than taking control over him. It wasn't often that you let him be in complete control, but right now. All you could think of is what he had said in the tub.

"You still want your head between my thighs?" You asked, and his eyes were quick to meet yours again. A smirk pulling at his lips while he stared down at you. "I'd live there if I could, baby," you both chuckled a little at this, but you both knew it was true, too. There were some mornings that you'd wake up to his head between your thighs. Eating you like you were his last meal on earth. He'd just give you head if you'd let him. He never really expected anything in return from you.

He lips crashed down onto yours. A kiss that had you both gasping for air when he was done. Teeth on teeth that led to his tongue exploring your mouth.

His hands were on their own mission. Scaling your body. Taking in every dip and curve that you had. Memorizing you like he did every other time he touched you. If he didn't have any other responsibilities, he could stay in this position with you forever. Touching your body while kissing you with fervor.

One of his hands cupped your breast. The other resting on your thigh. His lips finally parting from yours with a string of saliva still connecting you both. A smug and dreamy smile on his face. "I love you," he hummed, and you giggled. "I love you, too," you told him, and his smile grew. He couldn't believe how lucky he was to have you.

His lips trailed over the top of your breasts. Kissing and sucking. Leaving little marks on the soft skin. His hand on your thigh sliding up your body so he could take both of your breasts in his hands. Squeezing and toying with your sensitive mounds of flesh. Your back arching with soft noises that left your throat. Every sound that you made only fed his ego more than it did before.

His mouth replaced one of his hands. Mouthing over the thin fabric that his your nipples from the air. Saliva wetting your skin through the fabric. A sharp inhale coming from you when he nipped your sensitive skin. Your fingers gripping his shoulders while he teased your body. He knew what drove you crazy. Just like you knew what drove him crazy.

His free hand trailed down to your panties. His hand cupping your sex with a moan. He could feel how hot you were down there and it drove him wild. His middle and index finger running over your mound. Feeling how wet you were through the fabric of the lingerie. It was intoxicating him. Just as much as his touch was intoxicating you.

His mouth switched over to your other breast. Biting the flesh while he pushed your panties to the side to slip his middle finger inside of you. A gasp leaving your throat while you tugged at his hair. "Pete!" you snapped, and he grunted, "'M sorry, you're just so good," he moaned against your skin. His now free hand reaching behind you to undo the bra that kept him from your bare skin. Gibing him the chance to abuse your nipples without the fabric in the way. Though, it didn't last long before his mouth was trailing down your stomach. Leaving wet kisses on his way down.

Once he met your clothed sex with his face he felt himself growing impatient. Nudging your clothed clit with his nose. "You're so pretty like this," he sounded drunk. He practically was. Anytime he had sex he was. He was intoxicated by you. You were his perfect drug.

His fingers hooked your underwear. Pulling them down your legs and tossing them to the side. Peter blew on your sex. Keeping your legs apart with his strong grip. "Stay still for me, please," he asked, looking up with pleading eyes. Though there was a hint of command behind them that had you clenching around nothing. You only nodded your head in agreement, which had him smiling.

He was quick to get to work. Licking up your slit. Your breath hitching while your fingers tangled in his hair. His hips bucking down into the bed to try and gather some sort of friction for himself.

He licked at your sensitive bud. Licking and sucking until you were squirming and on the verge of tears. Biting the back of your hand to hold back the cries that tried to bleed from your mouth.

"Taste so good," he rambled. Reaching a hand down to push two fingers inside you. Curling them up, then dragging them out. Slipping the digits past his lips to take a taste. Moaning around his fingers before slipping them out. "Heavenly," he sighed, before diving in once again. Lapping you up like a dog.

It wasn't long before you were summing on his tongue. You told him you were close, but he knew. Only abusing your clit until you were convulsing underneath him. If it weren't for you pushing his head away, he would have made you cum again, too.

"Peter, please," you cried, and he looked up from between your legs. "Just one more time," he tried to plea. Leaning down to lick your clit again. Your body jolting at the overstimulating feeling. "Peter, if you aren't inside me in the next ten seconds I swear to God," you snapped, and he smirked. "All right, all right," he chuckled, kissing your stomach before pulling himself up so he was positioned between your thighs.

He moved above you for a moment or two. Just staring down at you with those adoring eyes. You hated how he looked at you sometimes. It made your heart ache and wish that you had met him sooner than you had. He always made you feel so special and so loved.

"I want another kid," he blurted, "Maybe a little boy, he could have your eyes," he daydreamed out loud, and you nearly laughed. Yet, you couldn't. You only stared back up at him. Hearts practically in your eyes while you reached up to cup the sides of his face. "Only if he has your smile," he chuckled at your words. Leaning down to nuzzle your nose with his. "Is that a yes to baby number two?" He snickered, reaching down to rub your stomach. He was obsessed with you, and he couldn't get over the thought of you carrying another one of his kids. He was already crazy for you, but seeing you pregnant with his child? It did things to him, and you knew it, too. He wasn't shy about it.

"You like being a mommy?" He hummed, and you nodded, "Only for you," you chuckled, and he snickered. "You're a good one too. So loving, caring, rewarding," he winked with the last word, and you rolled your eyes. Swatting his chest. "Peter," he shrugged. "You are, I'm glad you are, too. Mommy. It's a good title for you," He cooed, leaning in to press a kiss to your lips.

"Peter, it's been over ten seconds," you reminded him, wrapping your legs around his waist. Bringing your hips up to meet his. The both of you shuddering at the friction. "All right," he sighed out, but instead of pressing himself inside of you like you wanted. He pulled away from you. A frown settling on your lips. "What?" "Hands and knees, now," you stared for a second. It never ceased to surprise you when he ordered you around, but you never really complained about it either.

Once you were maneuvered around he was quick to pull you closer to him by your hips. Leaning down to kiss the dip of your back. "Gonna fill you full," he murmured against your skin, rubbing the tip of his dick along the slit of your sex.

"Shit, Peter," you wined, leaning down to lay the side of your face on the bed. Peter let out a moan at the position you put yourself in. Ass in the air, face in the sheets. You were gorgeous.

He hushed you, biting his lip while putting his fingers against your lips. You sucked them into your mouth and he swore it was one of the hottest things you've done.

When he pressed inside of you, you both fought to stay quiet. Peter was practically falling apart above you. The thought of fucking a baby into you had him harder than he had expected. His hips giving a few testing rolls to make sure you were wet enough. Only moving when you gave a nod.

His thrusts were slow at first. Rolling against you with rhythm. Until they weren't. Until you begged him to move fasted and he had to listen to you.

Both of his hands were on your hips now. His own hips thrusting in and out of you at a past that had your whole body trembling. You pawed and gripped at the sheets. One of his hands keeping hold of your hip while the other reached for one of your hands. Intertwining his fingers with your own. Even while he was fucking you dumb he showed so much affection for you. It was almost overwhelming.

Peter leant over you. Pressing a kiss to your shoulder blade while he panted and moaned in your ear. The sound of skin on skin echoing in the room. The faster he got the further you got smothered into the bed. He was chasing that high that the both of you craved. When he felt his approaching, he was quick to reach between your thighs to rub your clit with the speed of his thrusts. Bringing the both of you to the highs that you desired. His hips slowing while he rolled out his orgasm and rubbed out your own.

Peter lay limp above you. His chest heaving on top of your back. One hand running up and down your side while the other squeezed and rubbed at your hand.

"One more?" He asked, and you chuckled. "Your libido's too high for your own good, Peter," you sighed, and he chuckled. Pulling out of you which caused the both of you to groan with distaste. "I'm not hearing a no?" He questioned with a brow raised. Helping you roll onto your back. "One more," you told him with a nod, and he grinned. "Maybe two?" "Pete, don't push it," you giggled, reaching out to wrap your arms around his neck. Peter laughing into the kiss he gave you.

[joyfultimetravelbanana2222]

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[florrickandassociates]

TGF Thoughts: 5x04- And the clerk had a firm...

You can tell I’m enjoying this season when episodes air on Thursdays and I’ve written a recap by Friday night. More under the cut, as always. 

I woke up very early on Thursday morning and couldn’t get back to sleep, so I decided to just watch this episode on my phone (I write these on rewatch). I’m sure the show was hoping that the upside-down clips of fake!Love Island would be disorienting, but wow, did this work on me. Between the lack of sleep and how plausible it would’ve been for me to accidentally have my phone upside-down with rotation lock on... I truly thought it was an ad for Love Island and also had to pause the episode to check my phone settings. Good job, show!

It turns out, however, that Carmen is doing a headstand and watching reality TV on her laptop. Very happy to see Carmen at home. It would be easy for the show to have her just be a mysterious presence at the firm, so even seeing her do perfectly normal things is a good reminder that she is a whole person and not just Associate Who Will Defend Anyone.  

(I wouldn’t have expected Carmen to enjoy reality tv, but then again, I love Big Brother so...)

Carmen lives in a studio that doesn’t look like it is brand new!!! I’m ridiculously excited to see an apartment that actually looks like a place someone fresh out of law school might live. I’d believe it if Carmen lived in a studio in a luxury building or a one-bed on the salary she’s surely making at RL, but it’s very refreshing to see a character who isn’t super-wealthy on this show that tends to be about, well, very wealthy people.  

Carmen is smarter than every other character on this show and on most TV shows: instead of opening the door without taking any precautions, she puts the chain on first. Remember how people used to just show up at Alicia’s door when she was the governor’s wife, and she’d always just open the door and look surprised?  

Charles Lester is at Carmen’s door even though it’s nearly midnight. She tries to get him to leave, but he insists on staying. She closes the door to undo the chain, and uses the privacy of the closed door to grab a makeshift weapon, just in case.

Carmen explains her apartment by saying, “student loans.” So she doesn’t come from (excessive) money. (Or she was cut off by her family, but I feel like the early character description of Carmen said something about her family not having money.)  

Lester has something very important to tell Carmen, but all his notes are on different scraps of paper and, even though he says his information is time sensitive, he takes his time looking for the right piece of paper.

He says Carmen can’t say she heard the info from him, blah blah. He’s there to share that in ten minutes, someone at the firm is going to be searched by the FBI. This info comes, of course, from Rivi.  

Do we think Lester has to reference his notes to remember that the FBI is searching a name partner of Carmen’s firm? Or do we think he’s fucking with her? I think the latter.

Carmen was doing exercises to help with migraines, btw.  

Carmen calls Diane to tip her off. Diane and Kurt are already asleep, but luckily, Diane has her phone on full volume and takes the call. She’s not happy about it and asks if it can wait until tomorrow. Asks is the wrong word—she instructs the caller to hang up if it can wait.  

Even though Carmen can’t say where she got the information, Diane knows it must be from Rivi. Seems obvious enough.

Kurt gets out of bed and starts locking up guns and getting to work; Diane calls Liz. Liz is in bed with a guy we’ve never seen before and she does not really want to talk.  

Liz notes that the info also could’ve come from Wolfe-Coleman, since Carmen is “tangled up with some rough characters.”  

I’m sorry, fake Netflix CEO man... WHY ARE YOU STILL TRYING TO KISS AND PLAY WITH LIZ WHEN SHE IS ON THE PHONE TALKING ABOUT PURGING FILES AND THE FBI????  

I don’t even hold this against the character. This is one of those things the writers of this show LOVE doing to heighten tension. They think people behave like this in real life and that it’s funny to have a million competing priorities at once, so they insist on doing things like this. In reality, I would be concerned about any person who did not hear “FBI” and go, “um, what the hell is happening? I should stop trying to fuck rn.”  

Kurt starts burning papers. Is no one going to point out that maybe being on the phone (after you KNOW you’ve had NSA issues) talking about tips from powerful criminals and asking questions that are pretty clearly about document destruction... is a bad strategy?  

Dude, why are you STILL GOING after Liz clearly tells you to stop!? Do you want me to hate you?!  

Liz adds Jay to the call. He is asleep and also his hallucination from the premiere is (sadly) back. I still don’t get what they’re going for with this, so I’ll just be happy that (1) there is only one hallucination this time and (2) it’s only on screen for a minute.  

This dude is really chanting “Let me see ‘em!” at Liz while she is on a frantic work call! This is how we are introduced to him! This is not funny! If this weren’t being played for laughs/to raise the stakes by having a lot going on I would be calling this man misogynistic!

Liz remembers that Diane has full boxes of files! They spill onto the floor as she tries to hide them! Drama!  

And then the FBI arrives, so Diane asks Liz to take her 9 am with Wackner

The FBI enters, accompanied by... Nancy Crozier! Nancy is now an AUSA for some reason!

Nancy has graduated from “just a girl from Michigan” to using her pregnancy for dramatic effect. I guess she’s aged into being Patti Nyholm, or something. (I would LOVE to see Patti Nyholm show up on TGF.)  

I know the client files are top of mind for Diane, but isn’t it kind of obvious that the FBI would be there about Kurt, given that the FBI was talking to Kurt days earlier?  

9 mins in is early for credits!! (This first act flies, too—did not feel like 9 minutes.)  

I say this once an episode, but isn’t it so fun to see all the characters from season one of TGW pop up in season five of TGF?  

Liz sees her new man, Del Cooper, in reception. He’s a client. They try to be professional with each other. Liz remembers Diane’s 9 am with Wackner and asks the receptionist to tell her when he arrives. She dismissively says it’s “Some judge guy.” Wackner is, of course, already there and watching the interaction with interest. He uses this as an opportunity to “look for the restroom,” observe Liz meeting with someone else, and walk down to the associate floor.

He asks associate Leah (we’ve definitely seen her several times before) where he’s supposed to go for the staff meeting. She asks if he means the partner meeting or the associate one—he wants whichever is more interesting. She says she only knows about the associate meeting, and so he tags along.

Leah and Lucy (the associate from last week; Michael Boatman’s daughter) talk and assume that Wackner is from STR Laurie and thus in charge of the fate of their careers.  

The associate meeting is fairly small—Leah refers to it as their “daily” so I wonder if it’s more like a team meeting than a meeting of all the associates.  

The COTW is about a comedian who isn’t always PC. FakeNetflix is getting a lot of Twitter pushback.  

“Ah, so you’re worried about being cancelled,” Liz notes. “Don’t say the ‘C’ word,” Del jokes. Then he asks the firm to do a sensitivity read of the comedian’s act.

Liz asks why them. David doesn’t get why she’s asking, though obviously Liz knows he won’t be offended by her question since they have a relationship outside of work. Del thinks that RL is the right firm for this task because they are a black firm, and also because this can be an audition for the rest of their legal business.  

This seems like it is better for a PR firm or image consultant? Not a law firm? But sure.  

Diane explains the whole January 6th situation to Liz. Liz immediately understands that if Kurt is in trouble, Diane is the one representing him. Because Kurt is Kurt, I’m willing to accept the “spouses-representing-each-other" trope here. But let the record reflect that, as always on this show, it is a TERRIBLE idea to have your spouse represent you! Just pick someone outside of the firm! JUST PICK ELSBETH, KURT.

Diane asks how her 9 am went; David Lee interrupts to ask Liz why she is being so casual with Del. “David, I am on the phone,” Liz responds. I love that she doesn’t really answer him.  

Leah and Lucy try to turn the associate meeting into a showcase of how great they are; the other associates catch on quickly and all are happy to answer Wackner’s questions. He wants to understand jury trials.

Nancy’s pregnancy act does not work on Judge Farley, yet she keeps it up anyway. Court doesn’t go well for Diane, but it also doesn’t go well for Nancy.

Some of these interactions remind me a little too much of Peter’s trial at the end of TGW, like this one where Nancy goes to Diane with information about Kurt.

Leah gets off the elevator as Diane and Nancy talk, and to Diane’s surprise, Wackner is shadowing Leah! She takes a moment to look surprised before we return to the scene with Nancy.

I like all the little interactions within this Wackner plot. Diane asking Liz to meet with Wackner both connects Wackner to Liz AND shows that Diane would turn to Liz for back-up, and having Wackner/Leah run into Diane in court is a good reminder that even though Diane is dealing with a pressing issue, Wackner hasn’t just disappeared.  

Diane encourages Kurt to talk. She wants to know if he’s not telling her something because she’s his wife or because she’s his lawyer. This is maybe why you don’t hire your wife as your lawyer.  

Kurt says it’s because of politics—Diane doesn’t like that, since this is one issue where their politics should be shared.  

“Diane, this works between us because we don’t let our political judgements overwhelm our respect for each other,” Kurt explains. But... is that relevant to this particular issue?  

Diane asks the same question, essentially, noting that January 6th changed “everything” for her and she can’t treat this like a “chess game” anymore. Kurt wants to know what she’s calling a chess game. She says their marriage is the one thing that’s not a game.  

On one level I understand exactly what Diane is saying and on another level I have no clue what this dialogue actually means. She can’t treat things like a game anymore, but also their marriage is the only thing that isn’t a game? So does that mean she can treat everything else like a game, then? I think what she’s trying to say is that the time for seeing political disagreements as a calm and rational game of strategy is over, and that she values her marriage and won’t play around with it.  

Kurt tells her what he burned—a list of people in his little group. He says he’d protect them just like he’d protect Diane’s book group friends. Oh, wow, I was not EVER expecting to hear about that arc again! This is a pretty perfect time to mention it, though, since Kurt DID protect book group for the exact same reason he’s protecting the members of his club.  

Other than “winning over a new client is important,” I have no idea why Liz and David Lee would gather together a group of partners to do the sensitivity read. I don’t know who IS the appropriate person to do the sensitivity read, given that this is a law firm, but I know this is a bad call.

Oh, they are going to go through line by line dissecting each joke in a group. They get through one joke before Madeline notes that the comedian is “objectifying black men.” A black male partner says he doesn’t mind. Madeline says that doesn’t matter because the joke is racially insensitive.  

Overlapping chatter ensues, and the partners try to make changes to the comedian’s jokes, like substituting Norwegian for Nigerian. This... is not what law firms do. The joke isn’t funny with the substitution, but it also wasn’t funny before. It was low hanging fruit and the correct answer is to just cut it entirely. (Also, if you’re a comedian and all your jokes are about common stereotypes of groups to which you do not belong, you are probably not a very funny comedian!)

Diane has Jay do some more investigating. Jay looks up when Diane says, “ringleader of the insurrectionists,” and Diane is just like, “I know.” Then Carmen walks in.

Diane congratulates Carmen on “hitting the ground running” and then asks again how she knew about the warrant. Diane says she’s covered by the same attorney-client privilege, so Carmen should be able to share. Carmen notes the warrant was actually about Kurt, which does not answer Diane’s question. “So this came from Rivi?” Diane asks. Carmen says she can’t confirm.

“Carmen. You have been here three weeks. You have two clients: Wolfe-Coleman and Oscar Rivi. It’s one or the other!” Diane notes. Yep. I love that they didn’t forget that this isn’t much of a mystery. It’s more about principle than anything. If Diane knows it’s one of two sources and needs more information, I’m sure Jay can figure it out.  

Carmen knows she’s stuck, so she asks if she can make a phone call. “I think that would be smart,” Diane says.  

I’ve noticed that Liz and Diane are both being quite firm with others this season—and I like it. They're spending more time with lower-level characters, and both Diane and Liz have reasons to be more curt this year. Diane is under a lot of stress and it’s showing in all of her interactions; Liz is making a point of seeming in control to establish herself as the leader of the firm.  

Then Marissa walks in. “What is going on with your crazy court judge?” Diane asks. “My?” Marissa asks. “Marissa, I am in no mood for defensiveness,” Diane insists. She mentions Wackner missing his meeting and shadowing Leah. That’s news to Marissa.  

Marissa heads to Wackner’s court to figure out what’s going on.

Wackner is now experimenting with juries. This is interesting to me—I'd wondered before how smart it was to just have Wackner make all the rulings, so exploring the idea of having a jury shows he’s thinking about that, too. Also, it’s another sign that Wackner wants his court to have many of the same structures as a real courtroom. There are still judges, juries, witnesses, trials—he's starting something new, but it feels more like he’s testing out improvements for an imperfect system. I wonder if his end goal would be to set up separate courts, or if he’s more interested in shaping laws/reforming the system? Surely Wackner has ambitions of scaling up whatever conclusions he comes to. So what are they?  

The reason for the juries is that the associates told him that juries are racially biased, so he’s trying to correct it. He also explains how he ended up shadowing Leah, and advises Marissa to go exploring whenever she’s kept waiting. (I have a feeling Marissa doesn’t need to be told this, but then, that’s why she’s Wackner’s “muse.”)  

Marissa notes that Wackner’s court is looking nicer—there must be money coming in from somewhere new. Wackner confirms there’s been a sympathetic donor.

Wackner is dealing with a case about NFT fraud. Marissa says she doesn’t know what that is. I’m going to assume that Marissa is using Wackner’s strategies against him (she had just accused him of playing dumb to get others to talk) because I cannot believe that Marissa, who always knows random facts, ESPECIALLY ones that involve weird corners of the internet, would not know what an NFT is.  

Marissa hears the case is about $4 million, and she’s shocked because this raises the stakes a little more than even she is comfortable with. Wackner has a signed and notarized document saying that both sides will honor the verdict. It is, as Marissa points out, notarized in 9 ¾ court by Wackner about a fictional case. “About a fictional crime,” Wackner adds on.  

I’m a little surprised this is all these writers had to say about NFTs! Maybe they knew that by the time this aired, the actual topic would feel dated.  

Mandy Patinkin is just SO GOOD as Wackner! I’m watching a fictional show about a fictional crime in a fictional court and even I am starting to believe in his ludicrous court!  

Wackner’s jury selection process involves catching potential jurors in traps, like pretending to know the national anthem when they don’t. Smart. Probably super problematic if you think about it too hard and put it in the wrong people’s hands and people start to know the system. But smart, for now.  

Diane is now in the sensitivity read meeting, for reasons passing understanding. They are still talking about the first joke. Jay calls Liz out of the meeting and notes that everyone in the room is old and no one is funny. “I’m funny!” Liz argues. Diane tries to leave the meeting, and Liz tells Diane Jay’s idea about needing younger people. “Oh god yes,��� Diane agrees. I’m glad she sees it and a little alarmed that Liz doesn’t! I feel like they should’ve sent the tape to everyone interested in participating, then asked them to write up (separately) anything they found questionable or offensive, and gone from there, ending with a close review of anything that wasn’t previously flagged. If you debate every single line for hours you’re going to get nowhere.

I don’t know why Liz is so concerned that Jay thinks she’s not funny? But she is.

Diane asks Liz to join her meeting with Carmen and Lester. This is a scene I’ve been waiting for! Diane and Liz are both there and so the scene FEELS important. The plot advances. And, most importantly, they address why Carmen is staying at RL!

Lester reiterates that Carmen is super important to Rivi, so if Carmen says she can’t share info, then she can’t share info. Liz and Diane do not accept this. “I am a name partner. Carmen is a first-year associate,” Liz says. “Now, Carmen is free to resign and hang her shingle wherever she’d like. She can even go and work for you. That is up to her. But while she is here, she is subject to the rules and the mentoring of this firm.”

Lester tries to take Carmen out of the meeting. Liz and Diane won’t let him: They need to know if Carmen is staying with the firm, now.  

“You have a lot to learn, Carmen. And you can only do that here,” Diane pitches. I don’t think that’s exactly true, but it’s not untrue.

Here is a question I have about Carmen: she is WILLING to represent drug dealers and rapists. Does she WANT to? She chooses RL, so I’m guessing her interests lie in big law and not in aiding criminals.  

Lester leaves, but not before saying Kurt is about to get a grand jury summons. Diane gets one too. It’s not the usual guy! Too bad.

A bigger group is now deciding on if jokes are offensive or not, and they’re doing so with paddles that are red on one side (offensive) and green on the other (funny). I’m sure this is going to go well.

The group sees the replacement jokes and they are confused. Marissa wants to see the original joke. Julius shows the room, and everyone laughs. The joke is funny—and offensive. Someone from the mail room notes that he would be the butt of this joke, but he finds it funny, so he thinks the comedian should be able to continue with her set.  

Here is where I think I fall on this: Get sensitivity reads to get ahead of any huge issues (like, don’t be Pepsi with the ad with whichever Jenner it was who solved racism). Be aware of the potential issues. Let viewers decide what is and isn’t offensive, and make informed decisions rather than arbitrary rules about what content to show. You’ll KNOW if you are indulging the tendencies of someone with a history of making the same type of problematic jokes (for example, maybe if you are reviewing something by Tina Fey and she tries to write another edgy plot where racial stereotypes are the punchline, you advise her to not do that because, I mean, why WERE there so many episodes of 30 Rock that involved blackface??). You’ll KNOW if you are giving a platform to someone who is actively trying to spread misinformation and be cruel to others. Someone’s going to be offended by everything, and it may be a huge deal and it may not be. IMO, it doesn’t really matter that I can’t make an exact set of rules about what is/isn’t smart to air. I don’t think anyone—not networks, not creators, and not audiences—would benefit from that. Lawyers might, though, for all the billable hours...

“You can’t tell a joke without offending someone,” Jay notes. I do not think this is true! Puns don’t offend anyone!  

David Lee’s counter-example to Jay’s point is Gilbert & Sullivan. Of course it is.

As always, the argument devolves into overlapping chatter. These episodes exhaust me. At least this episode has some fun with the topic of the week and seems to have more of a point of view than some of the past episodes where the only conclusion is, “Wow! Controversy is controversial!”

Marissa ends up in the mail room with Jay and one of the mailroom guys (captions say his name is Jimmy). They are mocking the partner’s ideas of comedy. Jay and Jimmy agree that the best comedy is mean. But, Jay says, now it feels like you need “a permission slip to tell a joke.” Is... this true? This feels like one of those things people who would never actually get “cancelled” worry about because their fear overtakes their ability to understand what really gets someone cancelled.  

Then again, this episode was written by professional writers who would absolutely know better than I am if people are really hesitant to tell jokes.  

Jimmy has started making literal permission slips to allow people to tell jokes about specific groups. Jay and Marissa are down.  

Jay asks Jimmy to make a card for something so inappropriate he wouldn’t joke about it... and Jimmy prints a card that says Greta Thunberg. No one wants to joke about that.

And you know why this joke lands well for me? Part of it is that the vibe of this scene is very fun and laid back. But mostly it’s because Younger tried to make a Greta Thunberg joke this season, and it was quite possibly the worst, most embarrassing thing I’ve seen a TV show do in ages. It wasn’t funny, just mean, over the top, lazy, and never-ending. (Poor Younger. That show had an awful final season.)  

Liz is still worried she’s not funny. She asks Del if she’s funny and mentions Jay’s comment. He says she’s funny, but she’s not convinced he’s being honest. He points out this is a discussion no one will win. Del ends up accidentally saying “I love you” to Liz, which is a big deal for a relationship we’ve seen for all of two seconds. Liz says they don’t have to talk about it, but Del insists on explaining that he meant “affection,” not love. I’m glad they’re talking about this.

“Then maybe we should get married,” Liz says as seriously as possible. She stares at Del and smiles. He laughs and admits that was funny. It was VERY funny!  

Grand jury time! Yet Another Ham Sandwich: The Sequel: The Musical: The Series. (Am I funny? Pls tell me I’m funny and hip with the teens!)  

It’s Diane’s turn first. She does well, but there’s not much to say when Nancy plays the recording of Diane phoning the FBI with the rioter’s name. I did not need the clip from last episode in here. Diane is calm in court, but rushes to tell Kurt immediately. Nancy predicted Diane would do that, so she calls in Kurt before Diane has a chance to warn him.

So, wait, Kurt thought all of this was just a COINCIDENCE? Diane didn’t tell him earlier?! I don’t love this choice, but okay.  

Liz finds a joke permission slip on her desk. Julius has one too. “Did you use it?” Liz asks. Julius doesn’t understand what that even means. Then they trade clothes, because Liz does want to tell a joke about white girl clothes.

Julius suspects the cards are a way to make fun of the partners for being unfunny. The associates are also chatting about the cards, having lots of fun, so it’s clearly not about the partners.

I think now is an appropriate time to mention that TGW and TGF have both been consistently hilarious shows and have been on the air for a combined twelve years. Neither rely on the types of jokes that these cards permit. This is a kind of interesting thought experiment, but... doesn’t it say something that the shows never use these jokes as crutches and still manage to be funny? This is what I meant earlier about people being afraid of cancel culture when they’re not actually really at risk of coming under fire. These writers know how to write things that are funny. They know how to make comedy out of absurdity and subverting expectations. And yet they’re worried about how to have jokes that aren’t mean? Really?

The first laugh out loud funny TGW moment that comes to mind right now is the episode that ends with that obnoxious talk show guy trying to out Diane as a lesbian. That joke deals with identity. But it still holds up 12 years later, because the joke isn’t that Diane could be gay... the joke is that Diane DOES NOT GIVE A SHIT what this pest is saying about her on TV, and so she laughs. And because the tension of the talk show guy’s BIG DRAMATIC REVEAL is cut with Diane’s dynamic, loud laugh, we laugh with her! I’m not really sure what I'm trying to illustrate with this example. I’m just noting that you can be topical, funny, and entirely appropriate at the same time... and these writers are great at finding that balance.

HR starts, like, texting (they TEXT Marissa!!!) employees about the joke permission slips? It’s so bizarrely done that I thought this was going to be a prank.  

Jay decides they won’t go to HR, and Jimmy decides they’ll delay. Why wouldn’t HR just come down and take away the cards?

For this week’s dose of Wackner Wackiness, witnesses will be fully costumed, and it goes without saying that the costumes will be as over the top as possible.

David Cord is the mysterious donor. Marissa spots him and instantly puts the pieces together. Cord explains he met Wackner on the elevator. I can’t say enough how much I like that this season has a lot of moving pieces that feel like part of a whole. Cord showed up as part of a case that caused internal debate at the firm and had a thematic parallel to an ongoing plot, then crossed over into Wackner’s plot once he was established as a character!  

Cord says he’s interested in “disrupting things” so he’s interested in Wackner. I did not need the still photo of where they founded HP that’s used to illustrate humble beginnings, I guess.

Nancy mentions Kurt’s unfortunate last name—she so would. Kurt takes the fifth. Was this thing about needing a reason to take the fifth true in the earlier seasons and just not mentioned? Didn’t Kalinda and Will use this strategy?

Nancy, obviously, plays the recording of Diane reporting the rioter. Kurt conceals his reaction for the grand jury, but he’s pissed.  

Diane tries to apologize and Kurt asks for another lawyer. This is the right move. I can’t be all that sad.

The partners have collected all the cards and are trying to do damage control with HR. (Interestingly, there are certain topics the cards we see don’t touch on. Like, where’s the rape joke card? Aren’t rape jokes what we usually talk about when we talk about comedians getting cancelled? And where are the jokes about minority groups (aside from little people, referred to using the PC name instead of the names that would probably be used in most offensive jokes about little people) not represented in the TGF cast? I find this little bit of self-censorship quite notable, especially given that the writers seem to be arguing in favor of not regulating humor. These omissions, which MUST be intentional, tell me the writers do have their own lines they won’t cross...)  

(My larger point there, and where this funny-but-unnecessary subplot fails for me, is that this whole episode feels like a bit of a panic over cancel culture and winds up being a strawman argument. I don’t disagree with the conclusions the writers come to and I do find some of these scenes funny. But at the same time, I don’t think Cancel Culture is actually about coming after every single joke that makes fun of any person or group (if we must do a cancel culture plot, why not do one about someone who is an odious person and yet still has a following even after they’ve been “cancelled”). And I don’t think that showing HR as a very stern, strict, humorless body is helpful. I’m getting ahead of myself, but all that accomplishes is having Liz win on a point that pretty much everyone can agree on, because no one is actually as humorless as STRL’s HR department! Humor has so many gray areas and if you try to make it black and white, obviously the side that’s saying YOU CANNOT MAKE JOKES ABOUT ANYTHING is going to be the one that is wrong.  

I did just remember that all of these writers have probably dealt with unfun and strict standards & practices departments, and I like the way HR is portrayed more if I try to imagine them as Standards & Practices.

Liz decides she is going to see HR so she’s seen as an authority figure, not someone subversive. But first, Liz has to meet with Del and the comedian.

Wackner and Cord are in Diane’s office. Diane’s skeptical of their alliance. She also points out that it is corrupt for Wackner to be financed by Cord and decide on Cord’s cases. This is true. Cord says he has no vested interest in any of the cases. And Wackner says he’s the “most untouchable man on earth” and quotes a song again. Yet another example of how this court only works if Wackner is in charge.

The comedy meeting does not go well. David Lee is already trying to pitch their other servicces. The comedian finds the censored version hilarious in how terrible it is, and then she starts making fun of it, loudly, and for way too long.  

David thinks it went poorly; Liz isn’t concerned. David is all, “you failed” and Liz asks him to cool it and notes that David isn’t the highest-ranking person at STRL, so he should “stop the shit” and work with her. She’s already sounding more like a boss.  

Julius complements her on being “Boseman-like,” which is true (though I wish she didn’t need to be compared to her ex-husband). “I know,” Liz says quietly, likely because she hates that Adrian is still influencing her this much.  

Del joins Wackner and Cord in the elevator, and this isn’t the end of the episode but I’m going to pretend it is so all the episodes can end on elevators this year. It’s close enough.

Kurt’s new lawyer is Julius. Ah, yes, choose the corrupt judge Trump pardoned who works at your wife’s firm to represent you. Seems smart.  

Liz walks past Diane’s office and the camera follows her up to HR. She tries to get HR to understand humor. They do not. And that’s the episode.

So, a few thoughts to conclude. First, I went into this recap thinking I’d have a lot more to say about cancel culture and the way this episode handled the debate. But I ended up liking this plot—and this episode-- more the second time around. I still don’t think this episode said anything groundbreaking about cancel culture, because I don’t think it actually engaged with the topic beyond the surface. As I noted earlier, coming to the conclusion that jokes should be allowed because we’re all human isn’t really a resolution the real topic. What about accountability? What about allowing for some jokes to be too far without taking the teeth out of every joke? What about the way people panic over cancel culture when they’re not being canceled (this episode felt a little bit like a panic over cancel culture, which is why I reacted negatively to it the first time through) or about how cancellation doesn’t always stick or have meaning? There is SOMETHING to explore here, but I don’t think this episode found that something.  

Second, because I didn’t find a way to work it in above... is it me, or is it actually HELPING the show to not have Adrian or Lucca around!? This season feels so much more focused than the past several, and I think it might be because the writers (who are, as always, very good at adapting to curveballs) had to restructure the show. Lucca always had her own subplots that were separate from everything else, and Adrian’s charisma tended to overpower others’ presence (especially Liz’s) whenever he was in the room. It didn’t help that the writers seemed to LOVE writing Adrian plots, even if it meant neglecting others.  

Don’t get me wrong—I love Adrian and Lucca both. But there’s something to be said for a tighter show with three main interconnected pieces (Liz/firm drama, Diane/FBI and Kurt, Marissa/Wackner’s court) that carry over from episode to episode. Like the titles of the season, these episodes build on each other.  

Also, there’s the right amount of every character this season. David Lee is used sparingly; Jay and Julius are supporting players who sometimes get the spotlight; Wackner is a huge presence but his plot feels like part of the show; Carmen feels important but isn’t being given screentime for the sake of screentime; Liz is finally the type of lead she should’ve been from the start; Marissa has nicely grown into a role closer to leading than supporting; Diane remains a clear lead.  

5x05 next week!!! I am expecting some Hitting the Fan level quality and at least one fan-service-y reference. (Not really, but wouldn’t it be fun?)  

[mhafiction]

Out & About (PT. 1)

Read Pt. 2 Pt. 3 Pt. 4

Pairing: Bakugo x reader

Fluff/Friends to Lovers (?), lots and lots of pining.

Synopsis: Reader is very close friends with the Bakusquad, except for the aloof and mysterious Bakugo. He still intrigues them however, and a night out with the group might actually be the the push they need to really get the ball rolling on transitioning their awkward comradery into something a little- more.

Note: this is the first fanfic I’ve ever written, I’m very spooked. There’s a ton of stress out there in the world rn, and I’m trying to find comfort in writing. I hope you enjoy. (Also I’m sorry abt the formatting of this fic I don’t have a laptop to post from :0) -K.

“I’m so glad we could do this, guys!”

You beamed at your friends, excited to set out for the evening. The major exam everyone had been studying diligently for all week was finally over, and the Bakusquad agreed to celebrate by going into the city to enjoy the night life. To be completely honest, in the week leading up to the test, you had been strangely on edge-but not just because of the workload. The dormitory had become oddly quiet, with everyone either off in the library or retreating to hit the books in the silent comfort of their rooms. You missed the hustle and bustle of everyone chatting, eating Sato’s latest confectionary masterpieces, and most of all, the unbridled energy your friends provided. Well, most of them, anyway.

At least now you could finally relax for the weekend and enjoy a good meal with them.

“Right? It feels like forever since we’ve done something like this,” Mina groaned, leaning her head on your shoulder. Her spikey horns jabbed into your chin. The murmur of the station felt familiar, a calming setting for you and your friends.

Kirishima flashed one of his bright smiles. “Aw, it’s only been a couple of weeks!”

“Yeah but you know I’m clingy,” Mina pouted. “I need my favorite peeps or else I get sad and droopy.”

You chuckled, pushing her playfully off your shoulder. “You’re so dramatic, Mina.”

You were thankful for such cheerful and enthusiastic friends. They were all energetic, happy, and extroverted. They really brought you out of your shell at the beginning of the year, and you had gotten to know them all so well over late-night movie marathons or afternoons at the arcade. You surveyed your little group, watching Kaminari begrudgingly charge Sero’s phone, Mina laughing uproariously at his some joke Kiri cracked, and their general bubbly aura. Then, your eyes caught on a familiar pair of piercing red ones.

Scratch that. You had gotten to know most of them pretty well.

What could you say about Bakugo Katsuki? Well, he was impulsive. Talented. Aloof. Angry.

That was about it. How such a grumpy, quiet boy had attracted these walking rays of sunshine was beyond you. Not to say you hate Katsuki or anything. In fact, one might say that you like him.

He had that extreme sort of passion that you’d never seen before, in anyone. He had a keen eye for people’s strengths and weaknesses, both in combat and just in genral. He encouraged you through those traits to go beyond your limits. And though he was cruel and rude to others, the worst he had been to you was a little standoffish. You knew Bakugo was going to be a really great hero someday, and you wanted to get to know him better. Most days, it felt like you were getting to him; becoming something a person would call friends. Then he’d look you in the eye with those dark, stoic eyes and it felt like you knew nothing about him all over again. If eyes were the windows to the soul, Bakugo guarded his with a legion of soldiers and an iron gate.

It’s okay you mused to yourself. Nobody really knows him, to be fair. Except maybe Kiri and Deku. But he’s known Deku for years! And Kiri can get anyone out of their shell. Why would Bakugo want to be good friends with me? He’s not obligated to. I shouldn’t pester him. But I still want to get to know him! Damn.

“Oi, Y/N!”

You snapped out of your thoughts. Bakugo glared at you. Or maybe it was just the way his face naturally was. Maybe it was just you, but those red eyes seemed to soften a bit.

“C’mon, train’s here.”

You nodded following behind your chattering group. The car was nearly empty, and most of your friends darted for the seats. Kaminari laid across three, spreading out as if her were royalty. Chances are, he probably felt like it.

“This is the most luxurious thing I’ve ever experienced,” he sighed. Sero flicked the back of his head, causing Kaminari to shoot up with a yelp. “That’s sad, Denki. Scooch over.”

Kaminari turned to you, rubbing the his head where Sero had flicked him. “Not sitting, Y/N?”

“Nah. I’ve been sitting at a desk all week, I’d like to refrain from it for now. I’ll bet my postures’ shot.”

Denki shrugged. “Suit yourself,” he splayed over Sero’s lap. “But just know you’re missing out.”

“Don’t get too comfortable, Sparky,” Bakugo growled. “It’s almost rush hour. By the next station, this place’ll be packed.”

Bakugo took his place by one of the seats, opting to stand by the pole next to the door. He was close enough to the seats so that it was clear he was part of the Bakusquad , but just far enough to isolate himself from the conversation. You stranded almost directly across from him, allowing yourself to face the group so that you could converse with all of them, rather by being in a row side by side. Your hand gently held the plastic ring above your head. You all had fallen into a comfortable chatter, laughing about how well you did on the exam and the latest slip-up Kaminari had made in training. The train swayed gently, and all was well. Then came the next stop.

You gaped at the crowd that had accumulated at the doors, dreading when they’d open. All tired looking folks dressed in smart suits and clutching their briefcases. You were silently impressed by their sheer numbers. Living in isolated school dorms with the little student social bubble you had had made you forget how vast the city was. It made you miss your morning commute a little bit. But, when the doors finally opened, that feeling completely evaporated.

It was as if a sea of black ties, dress shirts, and loafers had washed over you. You looked down, determined to contain your bewildered expression. The others were not faring so well in that department. Their cartoonish expressions were accented by quiet (and sometimes loud) yelps at the office people trampling their toes. Bakugo remained unfazed. In the chaos, you loosened your grip on the plastic loop to check your phone. 5:00 PM on the dot. We really are kind of dumb. You wondered to yourself why Bakugo hadn’t said anything when you suggested the outing after class. He was usually so outspoken when it came to stuff like that. And it’s not like he hadn’t known. You sighed, putting your phone away. I should have checked the time before we left... if I had just suggested to go a little later, the crowd wouldn’t be this bad. Well what’s done is done.

As you slipped our phone into your pocket, you found yourself being sharply pushed by the crowd. Another swell of people had entered, and your loose grip didn’t serve you well in such a circumstance. Naturally, you fell forward. Right into Bakugo. Your head collided with his and you tried to reel backwards in pain- but Bakugo pulled you closer to him, grabbing your wrists with an impressive grip.

“Owwww...”

“Shut up, you’re making a scene,” He hissed, eyes scanning you with... worry? As if suddenly becoming aware of this, Bakugo quickly returned to his usual cold demeanor.

You groaned. “It’s not as if it’s my fault that I got pushed. Or that you have a such a hard skull.” You suddenly realized how close you two were. Most of your friends were pretty physically affectionate, and you had no discomfort hugging them or cuddling with them. But Bakugo was not a “cuddle” person. Hell, his if his attitude wasn’t enough, his hair said it all. He did not like being touched. But here you were, chest to chest, his hands gripping your wrists, faces just a nose apart.

If it bothered him, he didn’t show it. You turned to look at the spot you were just standing in, craning your neck just to get a peek. It was tough.

“It’s useless,” Bakugo sighed. “There’s three extras in the place you were. Bastards are glued to their phones.”

You shrugged, peering up at him. More and more people were cramming into the car like sardines. “Guess I’ll have to stay here for now. Sorry.”

Bakugo averted his stony gaze, a gentle agony lining his face. “S’okay.” The rest of your group seemed to take no notice of the state the two of you were in. Mina and Kiri has pushed themselves up against the wall in an effort to be as small as possible, Sero’s gangly frame was not doing him favors, and you swore you heard Kaminari sobbing somewhere, though his shock of blonde hair was out of sight. Somehow, aside from the awkwardness of being near Bakugo, you weren’t uncomfortable. He had stopped holding your wrists and instead kept his hands hovering near your waist in order to keep you from falling over or accidentally bumping into another passanger. Not that you needed it our anything. You knew it was because he felt uncomfortable putting his hands anywhere else. Your own arms were similarly placed, and in a weird way, it was as if you two were embracing. Probably as close to a hug from Katsuki that you’d ever get.

With nothing else to look at, you observed his features. You knew already that his eyes were something else altogether, but you released a short intake of breath. Bakugo was handsome. You had thought that when you first saw him, but you truly had taken it for granted. This close, his features were rendered beautifully. His jawline, the way his hair fell- it was sort of ethereal. He kept his eyes trained on everything but you, as if he were trying to forget you were there. But on top of all that...

“Bakugo, you smell like caramel?” His eyes darted back to your own, that vulnerability you had only seen recently shining through. It stayed a little longer than last time.

“Tch. It’s my quirk,” he tried to look away, but you pressed him further.

“Oh? I didn’t know that,” you hummed, trying to keep your composure. Talking this close to Katsuki was beyond your skill level. You patted yourself on the back internally for at least making it this far. “Does it have something to do with your parents’ quirks?” He flinched, and you worried you had gone too far. He never had been one for small talk. But he obliged, a faint pink dusting his cheeks. “Kind of. My mom sweats glycerin and my dad can make explosions with his hands. I sweat nitroglycerin, and it lets me make explosions. And nitroglycerin smells like burnt sugar, or-”

“Caramel,” you finished, grinning. That was probably the most he had ever said to you in one sentence. And, to your suprise, he smiled back. But this smile melted your heart. It was sweet and unassuming and he didn’t even seem aware of it. You tried to hide your shock. “Heh. Smart Y/N. You’re such a know-it-all.” He tapped your forehead with his fist, right at the spot you two had collided. You flinched. The injury was still tender. Bakugo’s face changed, but still remained vulnerable and kind. “I’m sorry. Are you okay?” He knelt to see you eye to eye, and examined your face. He had asked with a genuine concern you had never seen before. Those words seemed like they weren’t meant for his mouth. You felt your face flush. If he was just an inch closer you two would be-

What the fuck?? No way. No fucking way.

There was no way. It wasn’t possible that you could be falling for Bakugo fucking Katsuki. The explosive boy who cackled maniacally whenever he got to punch someone. The sport festival victor who beat up Uraraka, the human equivalent of a cinnamon roll, without an ounce of mercy. The student so notorious for his mean streak that the League of Villains had tried to recruit him.

But that internal part, deep within you knew that he was more than his surface-level outrage. That’s why you liked him so much, right? That’s why you wanted to be his friend. He was a boy who was passionate, ambitious, and honest. Not many could see that. Still, more than this, he displayed a tenderness you didn’t think he was capable of.

A tenderness that was only a nose away from meeting your lips.

“I’m fine, Bakugo.” You attempted to subtly scooch backwards, hoping to increase to distance at least by a smidge. If you stayed in a position like this after a revelation like that, you’d truly implode.

Bakugo was no idiot. He saw you squirm at the proximity, and drew back, his usual aura returning. Internally, he smacked himself. Idiot, idiot, idiot. How could you forget? At best, you two are just friends. Most of the time, you’re just acquaintances. Control yourself, Bakugo.

You two kept this awkward silence until your stop, cheeks ablaze. After what felt like forever, your destination was announced, and Mina gave a shout of joy and relief so loud it seemed like it shook the entire train. You and Bakugo squeezed past the suits, you offering up enough apologies to compensate the both of you for a lifetime of sin. When you reached the door, it felt as if you were finally getting your head above water. You sighed deeply, talking in the rhythms of the station.

“Wow. That was awful,” you breathed. Bakugo grunted. His eyes refused to meet yours, and your heart sank. This was the Bakugo that everyone knew. The grumpy and angry Bakugo and nothing more. Not the sweet boy with the soft eyes who had asked with the gentlest tone if you were ok. But you still liked him. What is wrong with me?!

Mina flopped on the floor like a beached whale. “Ughhhhhhhh.”

“Mina, get up! That’s so gross,” Sero stepped over her, disgusted.

Kiri checked the group, making sure everyone got off. “Where’s Kaminari?”

A distant screech sounded from the train, and Kaminari burst through the doors just as they were about to close, talking his place on the station floor beside Mina. You laughed. This happiness made you forget about Bakugo, if at least for a second. But his eyes were trained on you, watching you toss you head back in joy and look at everything with such a deep love.

You saw, for one second as you turned back towards him, that soft smirk he almost never had. And your heart beat faster.

“Okay everyone! Let’s go!”

[softspiderling]

swanky fortune - part five | t.h.

Summary: the day of the premiere has finally arrived. Will you finally find out what kind of spoiler Tom was talking about?

Pairing: Tom Holland x Reader

Song I’ve listened to while writing: Loco Contigo by DJ Snake, J. Balvin and Tyga

Author’s Note: another chunk for you to read. I’ve enjoyed writing it, even though I’m so stressed from vacation and finding WiFi. Vietnamese WiFi sucks. The hotel we’re currently staying at doesn’t have good WiFi so I'll try to improvise and upload this chapter from my phone. Fingers-crossed that it’ll work.

PS: It didn’t work. But I sat down in the stairwell of the hotel and now my laptop actually connects to the wifi so

Warnings: mentions of alcohol, cursing

Word Count: 3,6k

Masterlist

Teaser | Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five | Part Six | Part Seven | Part Eight | Part Nine | Part Ten

As the alarm blared next to your ear the next morning, you groaned and rolled over in bed, smushing your face into the soft pillow. After Tom had left the evening before you spent a long time thinking about the conversation you’ve had with him just before he left.

“Would you stop acting like you’re such a burden to me? Is it so hard for you to believe that I actually like spending time with you?”

“I just don’t get why- I mean, I participated in a raffle to go to your premiere and meet you, so I’m obviously a fan of yours. We barely know each other, isn’t it weird for you? I’m just waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

“Hey, you’re not forcing me to do anything, okay? I want to spend time with you, you’re fun to be around. You’re not a burden. I’m doing this because I want to... Say yes if you understand.”

“Yes.”

“Good.”

You had to admit, you didn’t quite understand. Well, you did understand, you spoke English. You just didn’t understand how he could feel that way. You couldn’t wrap your head around the possibility, that you could gain (or perhaps already have??) Tom as a friend (or maybe even more?!). It all seemed so surreal.

Lucky for your brain, you didn’t have any time to tear on your hair: you had to get ready for a red carpet premiere!

After treating yourself for five more minutes of snoozing, you forced yourself out of the bed, knowing you were going to need every minute you could spare.

You unlocked your phone, hoping to have missed a text notification of someone, but the only notification you’ve gotten during the night was, the message that your phone was fully charged. With a heavy sigh, you stretched your arms and got dressed, wanting to grab some breakfast before you had to start getting ready.

A couple of hours later, you were sitting on the floor in front of the mirror, doing your make up. Your dress was hanging on the door of the closet, freshly ironed, your phone was blasting Shawn Mendes’ newest hit ‘Senorita’.

“But every touch is oh la la la, it’s true la la la,” you hummed to yourself, while filling in your eyebrows, when the song was interrupted by a series of loud pings, announcing what must have been a flood of texts coming in. Putting down the eyebrow kit, you’ve reached for your phone, scrolling through the texts.

Tom: hey Y/N I hope you’ve slept well, bc we have a full day in front of us🤙🏼🥳💃🏻🥂

Tom: I’m getting styled for the premiere rn and this is the only time I have the time to text you

Tom: wow that sounded so snobbish🤦‍♂

Tom: ANYWAY you’re getting picked up by a driver, I sent Harrison your number and he’ll text you when he’s there

Tom: I have to go now, they’re doing my hair and if I move even a centimeter, Nelly is going to kill me😬

Tom: see you later x

You grinned at the texts and your treacherous heart did a flip at the small x at the end of the last text. Your fingers hovered over the white bar, gnawing on your lip, you tried to think of something witty to reply, when another text came in, this time from an unknown number.

Unknown number: hi y/n! we’ll be at the hotel in like an hour, so get ready, you don’t want to be late!!

Unknown number: this is Harrison btw

You snorted out a laugh, saved the contact and decided against replying, sticking the charger back into the phone to resume to getting ready.

Several attempts of a winged eyeliner, curling eyelashes and blending eyeshadows later, you were finally done with your make up. Touching up on a few strands of hair, you unplugged your curling iron before clipping the front part of your hair back and stared at yourself in the mirror, exhaling softly.

This is it. You’ve kept your make-up fairly simple, sticking to things you know. Taking the dress of the hanger, you stepped into the dress and zipped it up behind your back. You sat down to put on your shoes, fastening the tiny strap and stood up in front of the mirror.

“You clean up nice,” you mumbled to yourself as you smoothed down the sides of the dress. You did look pretty. You just hoped you looked nice enough to not stand out like a sore thumb during the premiere.

Insistent knocking pulled you out of your thoughts. You narrowed your eyes, wondering who it might be, and as you opened the door, you were faced with a very handsome looking Harrison.

“What are you doing up here?” you blurted out and he grinned, shaking his head.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you’re annoyed to see me,” he said. “But since I do know better: I am here to escort you to the car.”

You flushed, realizing how rude you must have sounded.

“Sorry! I wasn’t just expecting you, that’s all,” you quickly said and he waved it off with a chuckle. “It’s fine. I know it wasn’t meant to be rude. Are you ready to go?”

“Yeah, I’ll be right out.”

You headed back into the room to grab your purse and phone, checked your teeth for lipstick stains in the mirror, before you returned to the door where Harrison was waiting for you.

“Okay, I’m ready.”

Harrison smiled at you.

“You look lovely, Y/N.”

“You look very dashing too, Harrison. Thanks,” you replied with a grin and he offered you his arm.

“May I?”

Laughing, you accepted his gesture and the two of you headed downstairs, chattering about the movie.

“Hi guys!” you greeted the rest of the group when you reached the car, climbing on a free seat.

A chorus of greetings were exchanged and soon everyone was talking over another, while the driver took you to the venue of the red-carpet premiere. The driver took a turn and suddenly, you were in front of a crowd, a huge Spider-Man balloon floated in the air and thousands of paparazzi were standing behind barricades, snapping pictures of people who were walking down the red carpet.

You felt your heartbeat quicken and you gulped, following everyone else when they climbed out of the car. Fans were screaming, you heard different reporters asking questions and the sound of pictures being taken filled your ears.

“You okay?” Nikki asked when she took in your pale face. She looked worried and let the boys walk a few feet before going to stand by your side.

You nodded quickly and gave her a shaky smile. “Yeah I’m fine. Just a little nervous, that’s all.”

“I totally get it. But you have nothing to be worried about,” she assured you and wrapped an arm around your shoulder in comfort.

“We’ll be here the whole time.”

You gave her a grateful smile and together you walked to the back of the red carpet. You caught sight of a few familiar celebrities amidst the crowd, though the main star of the event has yet to surface.

While a few fans recognized Harrison and the Hollands, you were happy to stay back while they took pictures with a couple of people. You were peeping over the heads, trying to catch a glimpse of Tom.

“You looking for someone?” someone asked behind you and when you turned around, he was standing in front of you, dressed in a dark red suit, brown glasses framing his pretty face.

Wow.

“You, actually,” you replied and he shot you a grin. “You look very handsome.”

His cheeks tinged a faint pink and he reached out to pull you in a hug. “Thanks. My stylist did a very good job. You on the other hand,” Tom said, pulling away to eye you up and down.

“Clearly are able to take care of yourself. You look beautiful.”

You rolled your eyes at him and blushed, huffing. He always found a way to make you feel like a little girl with a crush. It was ridiculous. Tom laughed at your reaction and pushed the glasses further up his nose, his smile suddenly widening.

“Oh look, there’s Zendaya!” he called out and you turned to look, while he waved her over.

“Z, this is Y/N. Y/N, this is Zendaya,” Tom introduced the two of you and you looked at the other girl in awe, holding a hand out.

“It’s so great to meet you, Zendaya. I’m a huge fan!” you gushed and she smiled warmly at you, knocking your hand away, hugging you instead.

“Oh!” you blurted out in surprise before you hugged her back.

“It’s nice to meet you! I’m glad you were able to come out to watch the movie with us. I love your dress, by the way,” Zendaya told you and you gaped at her.

“Are you kidding? Your dress is out of this world! I love the subtle homage to the new Spider-Man suit. You look amazing!” you complimented her and she beamed at you.

“Thank you so much, I’m glad you like it.”

“Didn’t you want to ask her something?” Tom asked, giving you a nudge.

“Oh yeah!” you said, suddenly remembering. “I was wondering how it was to kiss Zac Efron. I mean, he’s really hot and he has to be a good kisser, right?”

Now that you’ve actually asked her, you realized that it was a really dumb question to ask someone. She must think you were deranged. But if she did, she didn’t let it show.

“He was a pretty good kisser, yeah. But I’ve actually had better,” Zendaya replied with a smirk and you frowned in confusion. That sounded very ominous. But before you could ask for further explanation, she was called.

“Zendaya! Over here!” someone in the crowd yelled and she gave you and Tom an apologetic smile. “I’m needed elsewhere. But I’ll see you inside, yeah?”

With a wave, she disappeared into the crowd and you turned to Tom. “She’s had better? What’s that even supposed to mean?”

He shrugged nonchalantly, raising his hand to wave when his family joined you.

“That Spider-Man floatie is a bit overkill, don’t you think?” Harrison asked, leaning on Tom who only looked smugly at him.

“I think it’s perfect, actually. I’ve always wanted to look down on you.”

Harrison snorted and punched Tom lightheartedly.

“Oh shut up, div. But hey, I’m really proud of you, yeah?” The two embraced and you smiled as you watched them. You were glad that Tom had someone who stuck by him, no matter what. Harrison seemed like a great friend.

“What Harrison said,” Dom chimed in and Tom beamed at his father, slinging an arm around him.

“Thanks dad. It means a lot.”

Sam clasped Tom on the back before the whole family was hugging it out.

The sight made your eyes water a bit and you exhaled softly, as to not ruin your make up.

“Mr. Holland, we need you back on the carpet,” a young woman said, a headset on her ears.

“Yes, of course, sorry. I’ll see you guys inside, okay?” Tom promised and with one last meaningful glance in your direction, he disappeared with the woman.

After mingling around the red carpet for a little longer, Nikki and Dom herded you inside the movie theater, finding the seats that were reserved for you.

You were excited for the movie, you couldn’t wait to see how it would deal with the aftermath of Endgame and based on the trailers you’ve seen, you were ready to get your heart broken.

While the last people found their seats, you craned your head around and saw Tom sitting a few rows behind you. He was in an animated conversation with Jake Gyllenhaal and, holy shit that’s Jake Gyllenhaal, before Jake leaned over to whisper something to the younger man, who then turned his head in your direction, slowly grinning.

You glared at them and stuck your tongue out at them, before turning your eyes to the screen, though you could still feel Tom’s eyes on you.

“Here,” Harrison said, tossing you a box of tissues as he settled back in his seat, munching on some popcorn.

“What are these for?” you asked, waving the tissues around.

“You’re probably going to cry, better be prepared,” he replied and you snorted, grabbing a handful of popcorn.

“You wish,” you muttered, your eyes flittering to the screen as soon the lights dimmed, and the movie started playing.

Much like other Marvel movies, Far From Home immediately pulled you into the storyline, laughing at the jokes, cringing at secondhand embarrassment and also dabbing your eyes with the tissues Harrison brought you every now and then (you purposefully ignored the blonde’s grin as you did so).

The movie was nearing the end, you had goosebumps on the skin and your mouth was parted as MJ ran towards Peter on the bridge and they embraced tightly.

Your eyes followed the scene. And you whispered a quiet. “No…” as they kissed, receiving an elbow in the ribs from Harrison.

You turned your head and Tom was already looking at you, giving you a wink. What a jerk.

With a huff, you turned back to the movie, the thoughts in your head racing around.

Twenty minutes later, you exiting the movie theater, your mind completely blown. While Tom’s brothers talked excitedly with Harrison about the movie, while Tom’s parents navigated you through the building, you were busy thinking about that kissing scene and what Zendaya had told you before.

When she said, she’s had better kisses, that was an insinuation to Tom, you were sure. And you were also pretty sure that that was the spoiler Tom was talking about.

So what exactly did that mean?

Was that them indirectly telling you that they were dating? Surely Zendaya wouldn’t tell you that Tom was a good kisser because they were such good friends, right?

But why would Tom wink at you during that kissing scene? You were a bit confused, to say the least.

“Alright, you kids have fun, we’re heading back,” Nikki sighed and you gaped at her.

“What? You’re not coming to the after-show party?” you asked and she shook her head.

“No, we have an early flight tomorrow, Paddy’s going back to school Monday morning.”

Paddy nodded, though he seemed a bit subdued. You bet he was sad that the rest of his brothers were allowed to enjoy themselves, while he had to go home with his parents. You felt a bit bad for him.

“It was great to meet you, Y/N,” Dom told you and hugged you briefly, before Nikki and Paddy did the same.

“Yes, I’m really glad I got the opportunity to come out here with you guys,” you answered with a sad smile. You were sad to see them go, they really grew on you in the short time you got to know them.

“I’m sure we’ll meet again,” Nikki reckoned and you gave her an exasperated look.

“In what world? We don’t even live in the same country.”

She shrugged and gave you a sneaky wink. “You never know what’s going to happen in the future.”

You sighed in defeat. “I guess you’re right about that. Has anyone told you that you’re really wise?”

“Kiss-ass,” Harry coughed and looked at you innocently when you narrowed your eyebrows at him.

“What? Just had something in my throat.”

You rolled your eyes at him, but let it slide, waving at Nikki, Dom and Paddy when they left for the car.

“Alright, let’s go in,” Harrison said and the four of you headed inside the building where the after-show party was held.

The hall was decorated in the respective colors of Spider-Man: red and dark blue, without looking tacky. Upbeat music was coming out of the boxes that were standing in the room and everyone was enjoying themselves, mingling with drinks in their hands.

Following Harrison, you headed to the bar, skimming through the menu.

“I’d like a white wine, please,” you then ordered and Harry groaned, leaning his chin in his hand. “It sucks that I can’t have a beer.”

“A white wine, two cokes and a beer,” the waiter said, placing the drinks in front of you. The twins reached for non-alcoholic drinks with a sigh, while Harrison raised his beer.

“Cheers mate!” he said, overly cheerful and Harry knocked his glass into Harrison’s, causing the beer to spill all over Harrison’s hand.

“Whooops, sorry,” Harry apologized in a sweet tone and his friend glared at him, muttering a faint “Div.” under his breath.

“You’re both idiots,” you told them with your wine glass in your hand.

As the boys continued to bicker, you turned away with a snort, opting to watch your surroundings instead. You weren’t sure if Tom was already here, you hadn’t seen him while leaving the movie theater.

He was probably off with Zendaya doing god knows what. You shut your eyes and groaned internally. Why were you even acting all jealous and dumb? He wasn’t even yours to begin with, it wasn’t like you had a right to act like this?

You pinched the bridge of your nose, scolding yourself before regaining your composure. Letting your gaze wander, you saw Tom across the room, posing next to Zendaya, who was now wearing a beautiful dark green dress. He met your gaze, which you quickly averted, but out of the corner of your eye, you could see him excusing himself and walking over to you in quick, confident strides.

“Hey guys. Are you enjoying yourselves? What’d you think of the film?” Tom asked when he reached the bar, his hand on Harrison’s chair.

“The fighting scenes? Amazing! Even though I’ve been there during most of the scenes, it was still really cool to see it on the screen!”

“Honestly, I liked every scene Jake was in, even though he was the villain.”

Harrison nodded, agreeing with Sam as he sipped on his beer. “Jake killed it.”

“What’d you think?” Tom asked with an arched brow, noticing your conspicuous silence.

“Y/N’s embarrassed. She cried like a baby, you should’ve seen her,” Harrison told him.

“I get emotional during movies, okay?” you huffed at Harrison. “I loved the movie. I’m still processing it, if I’m being honest. Like, who even allowed this?”

Tom laughed and his eyes crinkled. “I know, it was pretty rough. I felt really bad when I was shooting some scenes, but hey, everything worked out in the end, right?”

“More or less,” you muttered underneath your breath, nipping on your wine. Tom snickered and gestured to the bartender for a beer, before hauling himself on a chair.

“So, the kissing scene was the spoiler, huh?” you asked quietly and he looked at you amused.

“Yep. What’d you think?”

You shrugged, keeping your voice light. “It was pretty cute. A bit awkward, though, but very fitting because it’s MJ and Peter.”

“I don’t even think that it was because of that,” Tom laughed, thanking the bartender when he got his beer.

“It was just awkward because it was Z and me. It’s really weird to kiss someone when you’re good friends with them.”

You nodded, absentmindedly, before it sunk in. Wait what?

“Wait, what did you just say?”

He gave you a look and took a gulp from his beer. “I said it’s weird because we’re such good friends.”

“You’re not dating?” you asked, stumbling over your words.

“What? No, of course not,” Tom looked at you funnily. “Why would you think that?

“Are you kidding me?” He had got to be kidding you.

“Why else would Zendaya say that ‘she’s had better’ when referring to kissing you on-screen?” you asked him and he flushed slightly, wiping the condensed water on his beer pint away.

“She was trying to be my wing-man.” He finally ground out, keeping his eyes on the counter.

Wait… Is he trying to say…?

“I’m just really bad at this, and Zendaya knows that I like you and she was trying to help me out. Sorry if I made it weird. I should probably go,” Tom mumbled and pushed himself off his chair, beer in his hand and flush on his cheeks.

He turned to leave and you reached out to pull him back, only to grab a fistful of air

“Wait!” you finally croaked out, having regained your ability to speak, but Tom had already disappeared between the people.

“Fuck,” you muttered and turned your head in every direction, eyes wide in panic. Your reaction really must have spooked him, even though you hadn’t even reacted yet. His confession just really caught you off guard.

But seriously, who would even tell their crush they liked them at a crowded party?

“Hey,” Harry asked, appearing next to you. “I saw Tom running off. Did something happen?”

You nodded and bit on your lip nervously. “I really need to find him,” you told him. Harry looked like he really wanted to know what exactly had happened, but you must have looked really upset, because he just gave you a nod and started asking the people around you, if they’ve seen Tom anywhere.

“I saw him leave out the back,” a waitress told you and Harry.

“Thanks!” you told her and immediately turned on your heel, leaving Harry to fend for himself while you headed towards the back of the building.

Ignoring the looks from the staff, you pushed open the heavy door, stepping out into the alleyway, sighing in relief when you see Tom leaning against the wall with closed eyes.

“Hey Tom,” you called out softly and he startled upon hearing your voice, opening his eyes to look at you. They were wide and vulnerable.

He opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, you beat him to it.

“I like you too.”

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[bazzaya]

the underground

Minerza AU. Erza is a grad student who is trying to be responsible after her chaotic undergrad days. Minerva is a street dancer and the frontman of her group that performs in competitions with other b-boys.

Summary: Erza just wants to get an early night’s rest for once, but Bacchus and Cana are insistent on reliving the glory days of their undergrad years by dragging Erza out for a night. The last thing she expects is to become immediately captivated by the hot dancer who can work absolute magic with her hips.

A/N: This is... entirely self-indulgent. I imagined Minerva in a hot outfit on accident and my brain told me to write an entire AU just as an excuse to put Minerva in such an outfit. It also has Erza reaching unfathomable levels of thirst for Minerva, and honestly same. This got away from me. Have fun looking into my elaborate fantasies that keep me up at night. I didn’t proofread it at all. I’m too tired and I’m desperate to post. Also, @gsut, you said you wanted tagged. Here you go.

Word Count: ~6.6k. FUCK.

[Ao3 Link/FFNet Link]

Sorry! I mean... Enjoy!

Erza turned out the light to her bedroom with a content sigh, piling into bed shortly after. She plugged her phone in to let it charge, and there she saw the time- 10:23. That was an early night for her compared to most other nights, where she stayed up until ungodly hours in the morning with grad school work. She was going to savor a night of full sleep.

Just when Erza was close to curing her exhaustion with sleep, her phone buzzed on her nightstand. She was jolted from her calm state by the sudden noise, but she forced herself to forget about it and go back to sleep. Her phone kept buzzing however, at least once every thirty seconds or so, and soon enough Erza got fed up with the noise and threw the blanket off of her, reaching out for her phone and nearly tearing it off the charger.

[Bacchus:] hey

[Bacchus:] hey

[Bacchus:] hey Erza

[Bacchus:] are you asleep already?

[Bacchus:] HEY ERZA WAKE UP

[Cana:] dammit erza wake up we're tryna reach you

[Cana:] what LOSER sleeps at 10:30 anyways?

[Cana:] has grad school turned you into a grandma

[Bacchus:] did grad school fuckin kill you

That was ridiculous. She was getting bombarded with messages as if she hadn't just spent time with her friends five days ago. They knew that grad school hadn't killed her. They were just being annoying now. Begrudgingly, Erza typed out her reply to Bacchus only (she figured he was with Cana), her fingers loudly clashing against the screen of her phone. She was mad. Why can't she sleep in peace.

[Erza:] If someone important hasn't just died, I don't want to hear it. I finally have one night where I can get an early night's rest. Let me sleep in peace!

[Bacchus:] :(

[Bacchus:] loosen up sis! we were lookin to invite you out for a wild night

[Erza:] I'm sleeping. Maybe some other time.

[Bacchus:] come on! it'll be fun! cana's here with me it'll be like old times back from the undergrad days. unless you already forgot about your fun undergrad days bc of your fancy grad school

[Erza:] We literally hung out five days ago. We went clubbing.

[Bacchus:] it'll be like old times back from five days ago!

[Bacchus:] Cmon Erza. We really mean it this time. We even found something new and WILD to do

Before Erza could reply, she got a text from Cana.

[Cana:] before you say no you should know we are literally outside of your apartment building rn

[Cana:] and we did not just waste a trip and taxi fare over here for nothing

Erza sighed, climbing out of bed and heading to her window. She pulled back her curtain and looked down at the street, spotting Bacchus and Cana, who waved to her. Letting out another sigh, Erza typed back her response.

[Erza:] Give me ten minutes.

[Bacchus:] aight but there ain't no need to doll yourself up too much. it'll be dark and looking too refined'll make you stick out like an idiot

[Erza:] Good lord then.

It took her all of two minutes to throw on some torn jeans and some sort of shirt. She didn't turn the light back on so she hoped that it matched somewhat. Erza grabbed a jacket as she left since it was nighttime and a bit drafty, and to hopefully tie the outfit together. She strolled outside the apartment building soon enough, watching as Cana and Bacchus nearly cheered at the sight.

"She lives!" Cana exclaimed loudly, face lighting up with a wide smile.

Bacchus crossed his arms over his chest. He wasn't wearing a shirt, just a leather jacket. Erza wondered how he wasn't freezing. "You're rockin' the rugged look, sis! You'll fit right in!"

"Thanks." Erza replied, voice dry and affected by her exhaustion, "What have I been dragged out of bed for?"

"Follow me! I'll explain on the way." Bacchus spun around cleanly on his heels and pointed in front of him, "Yo, so you know how I had to bail on you guys two weeks or so ago because the boys pulled me away for a night?"

"Erza and I still had fun on our own even if you couldn't make it." Cana looked at Erza with a smirk, laughing under her breath.

Erza just stared ahead of her, "Go on."

"So, Nobarly got invited to go to this underground music spot because he knows a guy, and he invited me and the boys out with him. Now lemme just tell ya' this, it was the WILDEST thing I've ever seen, yo! And your man just got an invite for tonight's gathering." He glanced over his shoulder at Erza and Cana, a sly look on his face, "I thought I'd bring the two wildest girls I know with me! You'll love it!"

Cana flicked at Erza's shoulder with her wrist, clearly unable to contain her excitement, "You ready for something incredible?"

"I'm ready for bed…" Erza's shoulders sagged and she let out a sigh, eyes falling shut.

Cana frowned at that, regarding Erza with a concerned look, "Y'know… If you really don't wanna join us, there's always next time. We can walk ya' back to your apartment."

Bacchus looked over his shoulder again, an eyebrow raised, "She's right, sis. We wouldn't know how ballbusting grad school is. We didn't mean'ta overstep if you're really that beat."

Shaking her head, Erza tried to force a smile, resting her hands on her hips, "Nah… I'm good. I could use the break. Don't pay me and my complaining any heed. I'll wake up soon."

"Now that's wild!" Bacchus regained that excited swagger to his step, "I guarantee ya', one second of action here will keep you up all night!"

"But I have an 8am class in the morning.." Erza began though she cut herself off shortly enough. She wasn't going to sour the mood any longer. "Right. Show the way, Bacchus."

Bacchus nodded gleefully, "Got it, sister!"

A little while later, Bacchus led them to a rundown parking garage. The whole thing was sketchy as Bacchus showed them to the lower levels of the lot, and Erza got a bad feeling in her stomach. She wondered if she could hold her own if she got jumped. Then she remembered she once punched a guy in the face for saddling up to Cana one night while she was particularly drunk and the guy wouldn't take no for an answer. The guy was knocked out immediately. The memory made Erza feel slightly safer. Besides, she had a muscly guy on her side in Bacchus plus an utterly ruthless, dirty fighter in Cana. They could probably take a robber.

On the lowest level of the lot, a lot practically empty and covered entirely in graffiti, Erza was able to hear the sound of hip-hop music clearly, and there were a lot of people crowded together. There were two tables set up, one with alcohol and the other with a mixtable and a laptop. Speakers were on either side of the table with the music equipment, and a guy was manning the table, eyes on the laptop and hand toying with the disc of the mixtable.

As Erza walked around and took in the sights, there was only one thought in her mind. "Did we just join a gang?"

"Nah." Bacchus shook his head, he and Cana both making a beeline to the table with alcohol, "It's a dance battle, yo! And we gonna watch!"

"I was really afraid it was gonna be a rap battle." Cana said, snatching up a red cup of beer, "A dance battle is better. Hey Erza, you want some?" She turned to Erza and pointed with her thumb at the table.

Erza shook her head, "I really shouldn't. I can't show up to classes hungover anymore."

"You can limit yourself to one!" Cana pointed out.

Letting out a laugh, Erza just shook her head again, "And you should know that's all it takes to get me hammered."

Cana just nodded at that, flashing a smile, "You got me there."

"Think fast!" Bacchus suddenly shouted. Erza turned towards him and saw something flying at her, and she was able to react quickly enough to catch it. It was a can of soda. "Y'know, since you ain't gonna drink." He paused for a moment, "...You might not wanna open that for a few seconds. I didn't think that through."

"Yeah, I don't want to get soaked before this starts. But thanks though." Erza grinned his way.

Bacchus slung his arm around Erza then, pulling her closer to the action, "Do ya' know how this stuff works?"

Erza shook her head. Cana slid into the conversation, "This is our first time, man." She pointed out, speaking into her cup of beer.

"Fair 'nough. Alright, so I hope you brought some cash with ya', because how this is judged is that teams go up against each other and dance to a song they picked beforehand, but they also have to dance to a song the other team decides! The winner is judged by audience reaction, so whoever gets the loudest screams, wins. The cash is to show your support. They like it when they get paid."

"So… like a stripper?" Cana asked. Her expression was entirely serious.

"Not that far off!" Bacchus laughed, "But for real, it's like, polite or somethin'. You should really shove some money their way. They get like a guitar case or somethin' out for it once it's underway. You'll see."

Erza nodded along, crossing her arms, "Alright, I think I got it. I'll keep it in mind." Her eyes drifted across the people amongst the crowd. The crowd was pretty organized, gathered in a huge circle to allow room for the dancers, though no dancer was out yet. Erza was trying to scan the people for who she thought the dancers would be. One thing she noticed was how she and Cana were practically the only women there. Her cheeks puffed out at that; she didn't mind, but it was a little disappointing. She couldn't resonate with anyone so far. She didn't know who she'd fork her money over to.

"Ah, man…" Bacchus stretched an arm over his head, getting himself psyched up for the show, "I hope that trio from last time is here… God, the hell were they called again? The… Pussycat… Dolls? Wait, no, that ain't it… Damn, I must've been more wasted than I thought.."

"Not surprising…" Cana again spoke into her cup.

"Pot, meet kettle." Erza laughed under her breath, shaking her head.

Before Bacchus or Cana could protest, everyone was silenced by a loud, screeching mic. The crowd all looked to the DJ station, where the DJ was holding the mic.

"LET'S GET THIS SHOW STARTED!" The DJ, whose name was actually DJ, shouted into the mic, earning him excited shouts from the crowd and applause. Erza clapped her hands together, feeling a little out of place with these energetic, wild fans. Cana and Bacchus fit right in.

"TONIGHT'S FEUD IS THE BIGGEST AND BADDEST! WE GOT A LONG-STANDING RIVALRY HERE! OUR FIRST TEAM IS NONE OTHER THAN THE DEVILS IN THE DARK!" DJ motioned towards a quartet of men who stepped out into the circle, causing the audience to shout in excitement.

Erza only raised a brow curiously and looked at Bacchus, nudging him with her elbow, "Is this the bunch you were talking about that were super good?"

Bacchus shook his head, "Nah, ain't them. It was a trio."

"I dunno about you two, but this bunch looks super good…" Cana nodded in approvement, raising her glass.

"AND THEN WE GOT THE SABERTOOTH TIGERS! AND GET THIS, FOLKS! THEIR FRONTMAN, RIGORA, USED TO BE A MEMBER OF THE DEVILS IN THE DARK! IT'S SOME REAL BEEF IN HERE TONIGHT! OOOOHHH!" DJ cheered, and the audience joined in out of surprise.

"The Sabertooth Tigers! There we go!" Bacchus snapped his fingers proudly.

"How the hell did you get The Pussycat Dolls from that?" Cana huffed, furrowing her eyebrows.

Bacchus shrugged with a laugh, "I told ya'! I was wasted as hell!"

Erza's focus, however, was on the dance group itself. Immediately two guys entered the circle. One of the guys was blond and had his hair spiked up, and he was dressed in a lot of fur and tight-fitting clothes. He seemed to be the more energetic of the bunch, and he dragged his thumb across his neck at the Devils in the Dark as light from the parking garage reflected off his single earring. The other guy was a stark contrast, with black hair and baggy, dark clothes. His expression was entirely stoic, almost bothered and angered, and he stared down the Devils as well. That was two of the tigers, but… didn't Bacchus say they were a trio? Or did Bacchus drunkenly mix up the details again? Whatever it was, Erza's answers came shortly enough, and they sure floored her.

The light and dark tiger were standing side by side, but they were shoved away by someone behind them, and that someone stepped out in front of them both. They had long black hair underneath their "OBEY" hat, and some of the hair was done in braids on either side of their head. They were wearing baggy black pants, a purple crop top that read "HUSTLER," and a grey sweatshirt was tied around their waist. A blue tattoo was situated right above their left hipbone, and their exposed stomach was incredibly toned… Erza found herself biting her lip at the sight, and then the figure had lifted up the visor of their hat, revealing a very feminine face done to the nines in makeup. She was the only other girl there besides Cana and Erza, and she was the frontman of The Sabertooth Tigers. Where was that money bin Bacchus was talking about before? Erza was ready to throw her entire life savings into that bin for this dancer…

Cana looked at Erza then back to Bacchus, "Something tells me she found a team she likes…" She mused in a teasing voice.

Bacchus smirked at the sight of Erza practically drooling, "Keep an eye on the sis, yeah? We don't want her to throw away all of her money just because she's thirstin'."

Pursing her lips, Cana waved her hand in front of Erza. "I think she's so far gone she can't even move to reach her purse!" She said, laughing.

"AFTER LOSING THE COIN TOSS, THE TEAM DUKING IT OUT FIRST WILL BE THE DEVILS IN THE DARK!" DJ doubletapped on the trackpad of his laptop, starting the music, "LET'S GO!"

The start of The Devils In the Dark's song sounded damn near satanic, but Erza drowned it out as best as she could. Her focus couldn't be on them if she tried. She was spellbound by that tigress just by her strolling out into the circle. If she was that taken back by that tigress merely walking, she was going to be destroyed by the time the tigress actually danced, if Bacchus's word was of any merit. Erza watched as the tigress talked with the two males on either side of her, whispering between themselves. She tried to read their lips since their words were drowned out by the music. There was something the blond one said that she couldn't quite make out with his lips due to it not exactly matching up with what he was saying prior. Could he have said the tigress's name? Off of the blond's mouth, it seemed as if he was saying 'Minerva'... Well, Erza would just assume she was named Minerva then.

Soon the song faded out, and Erza was jolted from reality at that point. She had caught absolutely none of the Devils' performance. Not that she really cared; all four of those men were pretty ugly and unappealing. No wonder Minerva seemingly defected from them. They were pathetic.

Minerva lifted her hand closest to DJ and snapped her fingers. DJ didn't even give them an introduction; that action of Minerva's alone was enough. It was obvious who was really in charge here.

Before Erza could stare for too long, Bacchus nudged her with his elbow, "I know ya' got a clear fave already, but keep an eye out on those two fellas by her sides. They were the Twin Dragons before the tigress came along. They were legendary in their own right, but now they're even bigger and badder with that sister by their side!"

Erza only nodded, and both of them knew that Erza wasn't actually going to take her eyes off Minerva. It was worth a shot, though.

A clear distinction between the Tigers and the Devils was that while the Devils focused on hard, heavy moves and techniques, the Tigers were more fluid with their movements, the in-betweens of wow moves just as captivating as the wow moves themselves. Everything was so expertly linked together, flowing with ease, and it oozed mastery. When the chorus came, suddenly the Tigers' movements exploded into something far faster and harder, but their synchronization and fluidity remained even with the change of pace. Minerva moved with grace, every move executed with precision and purpose, and there was no mistake or stumble in sight. The icing on the cake was when the end of the chorus came and there was a slower break, which led to the body waves in the choreography. Erza watched how Minerva's hips and body rolled with ease, how Minerva drew in her bottom lip and smirked as she moved, how Minerva far outclassed the word sexy with her confidence and swagger. The body waves drew out raucous cheers from the audience, Cana included probably in support of the Twin Dragons, but Erza was the opposite, stunned into sheer silence as she stared. The breath had been knocked out from her body, her mouth agape. She was taken entirely.

Even when the song ended, Erza wasn't freed from her captivation. She was fixated on the rise and fall of Minerva's chest from being out of breath. She couldn't help but notice the added glow on Minerva's skin from the sweat of all the fast and constant movement. It was around that point where Erza finally opened that can of soda she got from Bacchus. She was getting pretty thirsty. Even she was seeing that now.

She forced herself to focus on the Devils when their challenge song rolled around. The Tigers gave them a pretty difficult song to dance to on the spot seeing as it wasn't hip-hop, as the lot of underground dancers were typically used to. It was a simple song, almost slow with its groovy instrumentals. For a group accustomed to hard and heavy moves, being forced into a song where there were no explosive instrumentals was a severe disadvantage to the Devils. The Tigers picked well. Somehow, however, the Devils were able to incorporate some hard, rigid moves into the song by matching the drum beat, and it appealed greatly to the audience. They were earning loud cheers, but Erza couldn't see the appeal at all. Then again, she was heavily biased at this point. There was no looking at the Devils objectively anymore.

Even if the Devils sucked, Erza had to applaud their tactics in choosing a song for the Tigers to dance to, for many reasons too. Seeing as the frontman and visual of the Tigers was female, the Devils chose a song that was sexy but in a very masculine and aggressive way in an attempt to trip up Minerva. The Twin Dragons were able to fall in line with the music and atmosphere easily, moving smoothly to the beat and taking up at the front of the formation. It was smart, being at the front and nearly shielding Minerva from sight at first. Their moves were appeasing the crowd as is; Cana was losing it over those two. However, it seemed like they were just out front in order to stall, since Minerva returned to the front when the chorus hit, reinvigorated after feeling the music for some while. She was able to plan out some moves to the song while she let the Twin Dragons take up the front, so it made for an explosive return when she hopped back in front. She fully immersed herself in the atmosphere of the music, juggling between quick, sharp movements and slow, flowing ones. Every move had a scandalous flair to it, matching the tone of the song, and Minerva's body flowed so perfectly to the music. It was as if she were floating with every movement, gliding easily across the pavement and moving as if she were weightless. The sex appeal wasn't lost on Erza as well. She was even more entranced than in the last song, if that were even possible. Minerva's expressions as she danced, biting her lip, letting her eyes fall half-lidded, every quirk of her brow… Erza was gone. She was ready to throw all her money at the Tigers. She was completely fine with that.

It seemed as if the Devils weren't expecting the Tigers to adapt so easily to their song, so already their confidence in winning was fading. Their expressions turned sour and they shook their heads, grunting in anger and irritation as they turned away and stormed off. They tried to salvage their reputation by rebelling, calling the whole thing rigged. That was a forfeit if Erza's ever seen one. She wanted the Devils to be crushed.

"LOOKS LIKE THE SABERTOOTH TIGERS WIN THIS ONE BY DEFAULT! LET'S GIVE IT UP FOR THE VICTOOOOOOOORS!" DJ shouted, throwing his hands in the air. He blasted some music to celebrate too.

"WILD!" Bacchus crushed his empty red cup in his hands from the energy flowing through him.

Cana was shimmying to the music that was playing, sure to keep her drink safe so it wouldn't spill, "This music ain't half bad… I could probably join one of these dance battles at this rate, eh?"

"We'd make the wildest dance team! Ain't that right, Erza?" Bacchus looked to his side in search for some sort of agreement, but Erza had vanished. Narrowing his eyes suspiciously, Bacchus looked around and spotted her following the lead of some of the other guests, tossing some bills into a case. Bacchus could only flash a sly expression at the sight, "To think the sis was tryna bail on us tonight! Bet she enjoyed it more than we did!"

"I dunno, man.. Those guys were some nice eye candy…" Cana lifted her cup to that, starting off after Erza, "I got a thirst deposit to make too!"

Bacchus hurled his crushed cup towards a far-off trash can with perfect accuracy from tons of practice before following the two girls, "Ain't nothing wrong with some good ol' physical appreciation, I guess!"

When Erza finally got to that cash case, she noticed how the Tigers were standing there and chatting amongst themselves, with Minerva's back to the case for the most part. Erza got out the money she wanted to leave before walking up and throwing it in, and there she saw Minerva glance over her shoulder and look Erza over before flashing a sly grin. Erza's expression looked blank for a moment in response, but she hurriedly spun on her heel and turned away, dragging Cana off with her with widened eyes.

"Wha- hey! Let me be thirsty too! What the hell?!" Cana shouted, trying to fight against Erza's grip.

"She smiled at me." Erza said in a hushed voice, "I've been noticed."

"Oh my god, you are so pathetic!" Cana growled with a shake of her head, "So what?!"

"Ladies, ladies…" Bacchus slid into the conversation and slowly but surely guided the two of them away from each other, "Remember the rules! No fighting unless it's certain each person has had an equal amount to drink! And you, sister, are sober!" He turned his attention to Erza in that moment.

Rolling her eyes, Erza glanced over to the Tigers again. The Twin Dragons were walking the opposite way, and there was Minerva, looking right at Erza, beckoning her forward with her two fingers. Erza just watched as Minerva spun away after that, almost certain Erza would follow eventually. "Hey guys…"

"What now?" Cana crossed her arms.

"Remember that Halloween where I drank so much that I let you guys convince me to crash that one party dressed as a fairy?"

"That night was wild! No one ever let ya' live that one down and they all just kept calling you Fairy Queen!" Bacchus smiled at the memory, "But, uh… why the sudden trip down memory lane, sis?"

"We all know that ain't you anymore." Cana pursed her lips, glancing Erza over.

Erza shook her head, "Bad Decision Titania's not dead." She ran after Minerva once she said that, not even sparing Bacchus and Cana a second glance.

Bacchus pointed after Erza as she ran off, looking over at Cana, "Now that's wild."

"Welp." Cana smacked her lips and just strolled right back over to the money case, "At least now I can give my money over in peace…" And she set her cash down on the pile with a flourish.

Meanwhile, Erza had followed Minerva into a deeper portion of the lot, situated underneath the ramp that led to the upper levels. Erza slowed down from her near sprint, looking to level her breathing before reaching Minerva so she didn't look too desperate, and her heels clicked on the floor and echoed throughout the garage as she approached the hideout under the ramp.

"So…" Minerva spoke, not even facing Erza but her voice still able to carry to the other, "I take it this is your first time around here?" She asked with a knowing tone, gaze fixated on something she was working through on the table in the little hideout.

The fact that Minerva wasn't actively looking made Erza react normally, instead of trying to be composed. She smiled nervously, shoulders sagging, "Is it that obvious?"

"Well, I had hoped you weren't a regular that made a habit of dropping that much money every time. That would be a sure fire way to run anyone broke." Minerva laughed to herself, turning around and leaning against the table, "Besides, girls aren't too common around these parts, and I surely would've remembered one with such vibrant red hair showing up before."

Erza ducked her head to keep her face out of view, brushing some hair behind her ear out of embarrassment. Minerva was onto her, that was for sure. "Heh… You're right. My friends dragged me here for a night out. They're the partying type."

Minerva tilted her head, an amused and intrigued look on her face, "Sounds like you weren't exactly a willing party out there tonight." Yet she did not falter in the slightest.

"I was looking forward to a nice night of sleep before my 8am class tomorrow. That never happens." Erza tried to laugh to soften the blow. It came out very forced and awkward. "Though… my 'unwilling' mind changed once I got here."

Letting out a satisfied hum, Minerva pulled off her hat and ran a hand through her hair to fix it. Her face was much more clear to Erza now that the visor wasn't blocking most of it, and Erza drew in her bottom lip between her teeth at the sight. That was not lost on Minerva in the slightest, and Minerva pushed herself off the table and started walking closer. "That's good to hear. It really is refreshing to see more women around here… Sometimes all the men around becomes a bit of a drag, you know?"

"I would imagine." Erza noticed how Minerva was moving closer, and she wound up taking a few slow steps back. Her heel hit something however, and she realized how she had walked her way towards a large support column. She was only a few inches away from having her back pressed against it, and she glanced back to Minerva who wasn't deterred in the slightest. "Uh…" Erza stammered, struggling to find something to say. Her eyes wandered Minerva's body- brilliant move, eyes -and Erza remembered how Minerva was only wearing a sleeveless crop top. "Aren't you… cold?"

Minerva shrugged indifferently, placing a hand on her hip. "Doesn't bother me." She had backed Erza up against that support column, and there she rested the flat of her arm against the concrete above Erza's head, barely any space between them. There was still room for Erza to slip out if she so wished, but Erza again biting her lip and letting her eyes wander more told Minerva that that probably wasn't happening. "Care to give a lady your name?"

"Erza." She had managed to cough out. Restraining herself was growing damn near impossible.

Minerva grinned at that, "They call me Rigora around these parts, but… for you, I think you can call me Minerva."

Erza managed to smile in response, letting out a laugh, "What an honor.."

"What can I say? I like you already." Minerva tilted her head, speaking in a coquettish voice.

Hearing Minerva's tone so seductive and smooth was Erza's breaking point in holding herself back, and suddenly her hand slipped around to the back of Minerva's neck. "Thank god…" She whispered, voice laced with desire as she pulled Minerva towards her and joined their lips together at last. Minerva half expected for Erza to have jumped on her the second the conversation started, so she wasn't surprised in the slightest and merely closed her eyes and jumped in when Erza forced their bodies together.

Erza's back was fully pressed against the support column now with Minerva's weight against her, though she couldn't bring herself to care about being so caught within Minerva's trap. The only thing she could think about was how Minerva wedged her leg between Erza's own, and how Erza had somehow come to wrap her leg around Minerva's waist. Minerva's free hand came to grip Erza's thigh, her nails digging in enough that Erza could feel the pinch through the fabric of her pants. It brought out a moan from Erza during the kiss, and that caused Minerva to let out a low laugh when she pulled away for air. Instead of diving back in for Erza's lips, Minerva instead trailed down Erza's jawline until her lips definitively settled on the base of Erza's neck and attacked fully. Erza threw her head back, biting down on her lip with a soft moan at the sheer intoxication sensation brought on by Minerva sucking on and toying with the skin of Erza's neck with her teeth. Gradually Erza's hands wandered Minerva's body, and soon Erza was reaching up underneath the loose fabric of Minerva's top until Minerva seized both of Erza's wrists in her grasp.

Minerva guided Erza's hands off of her as Erza only got a fleeting touch of her chest, and her fingers fumbled with Erza's own while Minerva pulled away from Erza's neck. "Let's not forget about that 8am class now… You wouldn't sleep a wink tonight if I let this go any further." Minerva laughed under her breath, voice still carrying that salacious tone even if she were the one to break things off. What a tease.

Erza pursed her lips together and let out a heavy exhale, still out of breath from what had happened. She damn near let out a whimper of protest in response too, but she followed Minerva's lead and slowly lowered her leg from around Minerva's waist as well as freed her hands from Minerva's own. "...Right. I should go."

"Oh, come on. Don't sound so disappointed, Erza." Minerva leaned in closer, a smirk on her lips, "I fully intend on finishing what I started. I just know that if I kept you up any later, you'd feel like hell in the morning. That's why you were so apprehensive about coming out here tonight, right?"

Letting out a sigh, Erza crossed her arms and leaned against the column. Judging by how intense that got in a few moments, Erza figured if she let it go all the way, she would never be able to fight the exhaustion during class. She hated how Minerva had a point there. "Uh-huh. And just how are we going to get around to finishing this?" There was a hint of bite to her words as she spoke.

Minerva only raised an eyebrow, impressed by such bite. She reached down to the jacket wrapped around her waist and started to untie it, and it was like a smack to the face for Erza, watching Minerva take it off but for no purpose. "Easy, now. I'm here every week with Sting and Rogue. I have a feeling we'll run across each other far before then, though." She teased, throwing her jacket on and adjusting it before stepping back to pick up some of the things she had stashed in that little hideout.

"If you say so." Erza pushed herself off the column, arms still crossed.

"Enough with the glum look." Minerva walked back towards Erza after grabbing her hat and bag, slinging the latter over her shoulder. She took Erza's chin between her index finger and thumb, "I always follow through on what I say and do. I'll make sure we get what we both want."

Erza couldn't fight that, and instead she loosened up some and let her arms fall to her sides. It brought a playful grin to Minerva's lips.

"Better." Minerva said, walking past and waving halfheartedly behind her, "Catch you around, Erza. I'm sure I'll see you soon…" And her last note was a low snicker.

Erza could only watch as Minerva walked off, letting out a heavy sigh. She couldn't believe she just got led on by the underground dancing tiger.

Her hopes and dreams of a long good night's sleep were squashed the second Erza left her apartment to join Bacchus and Cana, and she only got a few hours in by the time she returned home. It felt like hell to roll out of bed in the morning and get herself ready for class, but she made enough coffee to power through it.

Erza was one of the first to arrive to the lecture hall, and she slid into one of the seats in the back. She didn't want to risk accidentally falling asleep in class in a front row seat, so she took the safe route in taking a seat far away from the professor. That way, if she passed out in class, it wouldn't be that noticeable. She took a long drink of coffee from her mug to try and get herself attentive enough to focus, but as she expected, it wasn't working very well. It seemed as if she would just have to suffer through the day.

Suddenly, while Erza had admittedly half-lulled herself back to sleep, she heard a voice nearby.

"Is this seat taken?" The female asked in a droll.

Erza rolled her eyes and sighed. The lecture hall was near empty and this person wanted to take a seat right next to Erza. She still cleared up some of her sprawled up belongings, clearing up a seat to her left. "No, go ahead." She spared a quick glance at the evil female who was pulling this stunt on her, catching a glimpse of how her black hair was cleanly pulled back into a tight, high ponytail without a single strand out of place.

The female smoothly slid into the seat next to Erza, setting her bag down and leaning back in her chair. "My, my… Here I thought you would be happier to see me, Erza. I told you we'd be running into each other soon."

Erza groggily looked over at the female, a raised eyebrow distinguishing itself from a blank, exhausted expression. She didn't say anything. She was just confused and annoyed.

"Don't tell me you've already forgotten…" She spun some of the fabric of the bottom of her sweater around her finger before lifting it up, flashing a blue tattoo right above her left hipbone.

The realization hit Erza like a brick to the face, and she suddenly blinked a few times as her eyes shot wide. "Minerva?!" It was easy for her to miss; Minerva looked completely different than she had the night prior. She was in a grey sweater and black leather pants, and her makeup was less colorful than the warpaint-esque look she had before. The flawless ponytail threw her off as well, but Erza realized that the stark red of Minerva's lips was the exact same. She had spent enough time staring to know.

Minerva only smiled slyly as a result, lowering her sweater over her stomach again, "I knew that red hair was familiar from the second I saw you at the lot. Hearing you complain about your morning class only solidified things. The world's smaller than one might expect, no? Looks like we're classmates."

"And you're the one who always shows up to class looking so perfect and stylish that it puts the rest of us dead-inside students to shame…" Erza commented, eyes taking in Minerva unabashedly, "I would have never envisioned you and her being the same after last night…"

"What can I say? I do have a bit of a wild side…" Minerva teased, that coquettish voice from the night before returning. She leaned closer so that her lips were right by Erza's ear, and she rested her hand on Erza's thigh as she did so, "Once this class is over, I say we have some unfinished business to get to, don't we? I'm not through with you yet, Erza.."

Minerva's seductive whisper sent chills down Erza's spine, causing her to close her eyes and shudder in anticipation. It felt as if her cheeks were burning and up in flames, but even so, there was a ghost of a smile on her lips.

Erza didn't pay attention to a single word of her professor's lecture. She could only think of what paradise awaited her once class was over.

It was everything she expected and then some.

[bonegard]

Hey guys!   My wonderful girlfriend @cereusblue whom I’m sure most of you already know, has run into a bit of a problem. Her ancient laptop has finally died and wont charge and just all time bad news. She’s unable to make enough money in any quick fashion to get the money to get a new laptop and since it’s broken, she wont be able to do commissions or post for a while. Which I’m sure you guys know sucks.

Which means that we both will be opening collaborative commissions. She would be doing the sketching and stuff and lay out the image, I’d Ink and color since I still have computer access rn to do digital work. All proceeds for the collab commissions would be going to her laptop fund so that she can get back to drawing art and finishing up the commissions that she already has! 

We really only have one example of a collaborative art piece, (she did the coloring and I did the sketching and lines) but if you’re willing to give us a chance, then you can have a bit of both our art in one!

Prices are:

Half Body

Lineart: $10

Flats: $15

Shaded: $20

Full Body

Lineart: $15

Flats: $20

Shaded: $30

Additional characters are +$10

[notwithout-mymuse]

Fic: Giving me faith to get me through the night

Robert and Liv (because that’s the only dad!rob content we need rn amirite?) hurt/comfort. Featuring domestic fluff, bonding and general drunkenness.

My first attempt at an ED fic, so feedback would be appreciated!

Robert/Liv, Robert/Aaron

Warnings: minor injury, blood, vomiting (none overly graphic I don’t think?), alcohol, underage drinking, panic.

Title from this song (minus the pretty cringey early 2000s video)

--

Stupid. You’re stupid.

You keep walking down the street, head down, eyes stinging with unshed tears.

Why did you think this was a good idea?

The guy was a creep. The party was full of weirdos.

It’s dark. The only light comes from the hazy, buzzing streetlights.

They’ll be so angry at you. They’ll want you to leave. And it’s all your own fault.

The shops you pass are all closed-up for the night. The curtains drawn in the houses.

You’ve drank too much. You feel sick. Your head is spinning. But you keep walking. Fast. Faster.

You can still hear the blaring police sirens, the blue lights flashing behind your eyes every time you blink.

It’s starting to rain. You’re cold. Didn’t you leave the house with a jacket? Probably. You’re not wearing it now. You wrap your arms around yourself. It doesn’t help.

You keep walking. You need to get home. Faster still.

Your ankle throbs. You can feel the warm stickiness of blood seeping into your shoe.

Someone shouts drunkenly somewhere further back down the street behind you. You’re not sure if they’re shouting at you or not. You don’t stop to find out. Faster.

The realisation that you don’t know where you are or where you’re going creeps up on you slowly.

There’s heavy, panting breaths. You quickly look around you. No one there. The panic is your own.

You would give anything to be tucked up in bed at home right now. Warm, unconcerned, safe.

You lost track of your bag around the same time as your jacket. It’s only when your back pocket buzzes that you remember. Your phone wasn’t in the bag.

You pull it out, but you don’t stop walking. You ignore the twitter notification. You go to your contacts. He is the first person you instinctively think of. You call him.

--

It’s past 2am when Robert finally shuts off the water and steps out of the shower to dry off. He pulls on his boxers and an old white t-shirt, and quickly towel dries his hair, eager to finally get into bed. The warm water had only done so much to ease the ache in his neck and shoulders from where he has been hunched over his laptop for hours, trying to untangle the mess that Jimmy had somehow made of the Home James accounts.

Robert knew that if Aaron was home he would have berated him for being a workaholic and dragged him to bed long before now. But Aaron is out on the lash in town with Adam, and Liv is sleeping over at Gabby’s, which left Robert with the rare and peaceful solitude of the Mill to get stuck into his work.

Robert hears his phone ringing from the bedroom, where he had left it on charge. He snorts softly and moves towards the room to answer it. Even though it was the early hours of the morning, Robert was half-expecting a call from Aaron, who had more than once drunk-dialled him from a bar or taxi during a night out, usually to say something soppy that he would then deny the next morning.

But Robert’s phone didn’t light up with it’s usual “Hubby x”. Instead it was Liv’s name that appeared, above a picture that Robert had taken of her when they were decorating the Mill, her smile full of mischief and a large streak of paint across her right cheek. He picks up on the last ring.

“Liv, what’s up? You okay?”

Liv’s answering voice is distant and shaky.

“Robert! Can you…. I’m sorry… can you come and get me?”

“Where are you, at Gabby’s house?” Robert demands quickly, worry rising. Since when does Liv ask for help?

“I’m…no I’m not at… I don’t know where I am… look please don’t be mad but I lied ok…” Liv pauses, Robert can hear her breathing heavily before she speaks again, like she’s been running.

“I didn’t really go to Gabby’s I went to a house party in Hotten with this lad from school, but it all kicked off so I left and…and now I don’t know where I am… Rob, what do I do?”.

By the time she stops speaking, Robert has already put his phone on loudspeaker and put the device down on the bed so he can grab the closest pair of jeans he owns from the wardrobe, and Aaron’s purple hoodie from the hook on the back of the door to throw on.

“You said you’re in Hotten? Where exactly?” he shouts towards his phone.

“I already said I don’t know!” Liv snaps back, indignance failing to mask her fear.

“Ok. Ok just… stay calm alright? I’m coming to look for you. Don’t hang up ok?”.

At that Robert dashes out of the room, phone in hand and down the stairs. He gets as far as the front door of the apartment before he dashes back to the kitchen table for his forgotten car keys.

As soon as he’s run through the rain, jumped in his car, and switched on the engine, all in record time, Robert places his phone in his lap so he can talk and drive. Shooting quickly out of the driveway, before he speaks.

“Liv, you still there?”

“Yeah, mmhere” she mumbles back.

“What can you see? Is there anything around you that might tell me where you are? Any road signs?”

“No… it’s just houses”

Robert runs his hand through his still damp hair, tries to quell his own rising panic. The last thing Liv needs is him losing the plot.

“Can you look it up on your phone? If you hang up for a couple of minutes, get google maps up and tell me what road you’re on. Then call me back, can you do that?”

“Erm…yeah I think so.”

“Ok. Do it. Then ring me straight back ok?”

“Yeah ok.”

Robert can’t help but sigh heavily when she hangs up. Wondering, not for the first time, how on earth he found himself co-parenting a troublesome teenage girl at 2:30 in the morning. But he also can’t deny the hard, sick feeling in his gut that he knows won’t go away until Liv is with him. Until she’s home.

Robert keeps driving towards Hotten, his foot hard on the accelerator. The rain coming down heavier now, his windscreen wipers squeaking, a chill in the air.

After what feels like an hour, but is probably no more than a couple of minutes, his phone rings, making him jump in the eerie quiet.

“Liv?”

“Yeah… um, it said I’m on Queen’s Road… I don’t know where that is but…” Liv stutters out, before Robert cuts across her.

“That’s ok, I do. Can you stay there and wait for me? Is it safe for you to wait where you are?”

“I think so. I can’t see anyone around.”

“Good, find the brightest part of the street and wait for me, I’m on my way.”

--

Liv squats down to sit on the low wall under the nearest streetlight. Her hands still shaking, wet hair plastered to her head as the rain refuses to let up, and now she’s stopped moving her ankle is hurting more. She focusses on the phone she’s holding by her ear to try and ignore the ache, listens to the sound of Robert shifting to change gear. But she can’t stop her head swivelling left and right, checking that the street is still deserted. She sees car lights in the distance, but they turn off far down the road.

“Are you gonna be long?” she can’t help but ask. She just wants to go home.

“2 minutes” Robert replies.

When he finally pulls up, Liv is so grateful to see his poncy car and dumb face, that the second he’s upright, she barrels into him and holds on to him with a death grip. The tears finally begin to fall now, mingling with the rain and falling onto Robert’s chest as she feels his hand come up to cradle the back of her head.

“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry!” She gasps.

“Shh shh, it’s ok, you’re ok… I’m here now”. Robert holds her close for several beats, before pulling back to get a good look at her. Eyes widening when his concerned gaze lands on her bloody foot.

“You’re hurt! Why didn’t you say so? What happened?” he demands in one breath.

“It’s fine, I just tripped, it’s not even that bad.” But before Liv has even finished speaking, Robert is pulling his – Aaron’s – hoodie off and is wrapping it around her frozen arms, before helping her round to the passenger side door.

She wants to tell him to knock it off, that she’s capable of getting into a car, that she’s not a baby. But she doesn’t.

Instead she lets him help her into the car before he doubles back round and gets in to the drivers’ seat, listens to his assurances that he’ll see to her foot once they get home, and focuses on the comforting warmth of the car that spreads through her in stark contrast to the frigid wind and rain outside. She slips her arms into the sleeves of the hoodie, even though they’re far too long for her and they drown her hands. She can’t resist pulling one sleeve up to her nose, inhaling the faint combined smell of Robert’s posh shower gel, and Aaron’s cheap body spray. She would later blame her wayward thoughts on the vodka she had drank, but in that moment Liv couldn’t help thinking that the old, ratty hoodie smells like home.

--

By the time Robert pulls up into the driveway of the Mill, Liv is fast asleep. She had stayed awake just long enough to tell him what had happened. How she had got Gabby to cover for her so she could get the bus into Hotten to meet some lad called Ben, whose older brother was throwing a house party while their parents were away. How she had regretted it when Ben spent the whole time getting smashed and leering at all the girls. How some of the older lads had got into fight with some guys who had tried to gatecrash the party, culminating in a large, drunken brawl on the front lawn and the neighbours calling the police. At which point, Liv had told him, she’d panicked and ran from the house and down the street, but not before stumbling on a loose paving stone and scraping her ankle.

She looks peaceful now, under the glow of the Mill’s porch light. Bundled up in the purple hoodie, head resting on the window, all bright pink cheeks and messy, slowly drying hair. Robert doesn’t want to wake her when she looks like this, but he knows he needs to. He might just be able to carry her into the house, but there was no way he could get her up the spiral staircase. Ignoring the voice in his head that sounds suspiciously like Aaron saying “well you chose the damn thing, what’s wrong with a normal staircase?”, he reaches over to shake Liv’s shoulder gently, not wanting to scare her.

Once he’s guided a sleepy and unsteady Liv into the house, he instructs her to go up the bathroom and wait, and is surprised when she doesn’t argue. Robert stops by the kitchen to fetch a glass of water and the first aid kit from the cupboard by the sink, before following her upstairs.

He’s not surprised that as he reaches the half-open bathroom door, he hears Liv retching and enters to see her hunched over the toilet, pale and groaning. Robert crouches by her side, brushes her hair away from her face and keeps a hand between her shoulder blades until it stops. It takes a few minutes and several flushes of the toilet for her stomach to stop heaving enough that she can sit on the closed lid of the toilet and sip gingerly from the glass of water that Robert has brought her.

However, she has recovered enough that she is able to summon an eye-roll when Robert encourages her to lift her leg up into his lap, where he is perched on the edge of the bathtub, so that he can see to her foot.

“Ouch! Some nurse you’d be” Liv complains when he starts dabbing at her cut with a damp cloth to try and clean out any dirt.

“Well don’t drink so much next time, and you might find it easier to stay on your feet!” Robert retorts.

There’s no heat behind either of their comments, their eyes too understanding, but the bantering makes things feel more normal.

Thankfully once the smeared blood had been cleaned away, the cut isn’t too bad. Robert works quickly but thoroughly, adding antiseptic cream and dressing Liv’s foot.

“There! Should be fine, just keep it clean so if doesn’t get infected ok?” he tells her.

“Ok…. I’m gonna go to bed now I think” Liv says as she limps toward the door, leaving Robert to turn around and clean up.

He thinks she’s gone, so he jumps a little when she speaks again.

“Robert?” Liv says, voice small and quiet, hand still on the door handle.

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for… this… everything. Look, I know I’m not your kid, so you didn’t have to turn out in the middle of the night to… you know…look after me… and stuff. Most people would have just shouted at me…” She trails off awkwardly, her tired face tinged with a blush that has nothing to do with the weather this time.

Watching the discomfort and uncertainty flit across Liv’s face makes something in Robert’s chest seize. Because he knows that feeling. The feeling that you’re too much trouble to be worth anyone’s time or effort, that you’re too much of a fuck-up and that everyone will leave you eventually. The feeling of not knowing where you belong, or who with. His heart aches with empathy.

“Liv. I meant what I said when Aaron was in prison – you deserve to be looked after properly. And besides, we’re family now, it’s what we do” Robert says softly.

“Although” he continues, less softly this time. “Don’t think this is the end of it. I’ll be telling Aaron about your little adventure, and you are so going to be grounded tomorrow!”

“Ugh!” Liv groans and rolls her eyes, but the whole sarcastic attitude is undermined by the grateful unshed tears in her eyes. Her mouth tugging up into a genuine smile, even as she turns and heads down the hall to her room to face-plant her bed.

--

It’s almost 4am by the time Robert’s cleaned up the first aid supplies and checked on a now passed out Liv. He leaves a fresh glass of water on her bedside table, tucks her duvet in around her, and makes sure that she is lying on her side with her bin nearby in case her stomach tries to rebel again. When he finally crashes into his own bed, his shoulders ache more than ever, and his eyes itch with tiredness.

Robert is seconds away from sleep, when he hears a car door slam, shortly followed by the creak of the front door and footsteps on the stairs.

Aaron.

Robert silently prays that his husband isn’t in as rough a state as his sister. One vomiting person is more than enough for one night.

“What time do ya call this then?” Robert can’t resist asking cheekily.

He can’t see Aaron in the darkness but he can tell that his husband jumps.

“Sorry, I thought you’d be asleep by now… didn’t wanna wake ya.” Thankfully he only sounds slightly tipsy.

“Ha! Chance would be a fine thing!” Robert mumbles into his pillow as he listens to Aaron strip down to his underwear, swearing as he stubs his toe on the dresser in the dark, before sliding into bed behind him.

“What’s up? Can’t sleep? I bet you were up late working again weren’t ya?” Aaron says, as he moves to wrap his arm around Robert, their legs tangling as he spoons Robert from behind.

“Long story. I’ll tell you in the morning.” Robert responds, deciding that there was no point getting Aaron worked up at 4am, now that Liv is home safe.

“Mmmkay” Aaron mumbles. Pressing a kiss to the back of Robert’s neck where his breath is gently tickling his skin. He smells vaguely of beer and kebab, but his mouth is gentle and his body is warm and comforting.

The last coherent thought Robert has is that everyone is now home, curled up safe and sound - right where they belong.

[survey-babe]

Survey 183

Would you like to have twins? idk maybe when I’m older but I guess u’d have to be careful about bringing them up as separate people that are still close? idk

How old is your most recent ex? 18 (most recent being 3 years ago lol)

How does your hair look right now? it’s ok tbh will need a wash tomorrow tho probs

What color were the last shoes you wore? black

Are you currently listening to any music? yeye been on the glee recently

You’re trapped in a room with your last ex for one day, what do you do? probs laugh loads n loads and also probs have some deep convos about life lmao

Who was the last person you got into an argument with? i don’t rly remember. probs my mum tbh

Do you think you can last in a relationship for 3 months? absolutely n i have done :)

What are you listening to right now? 'i will always love you’ by glee lmao

Are you expecting a child? no

Are you waiting for anything in particular? the next time I’m seeing Nathan as always lol. Also Ella to get better :( I miss her

Last person to really piss you off? idk probs my mum lmao

What time did you go to sleep last night? about 12

Do you think you’ll be a good mother/father? I hope so but I have no faith in anything I do tbh. I think I could manage it yeh

Marriage in your future? Absolutely. Free stuff innit

If your best friend liked your last ex, what would you do? well my best friend did like my ex n they got together n i was a dick about it. If someone was to like katie now I 100% would not care but if i was to break up with Nathan n someone liked him I’d be mortified n torn as to how to act bc I’m so in love with him but wouldn’t want to be a twat n get in the way of his/my friend’s happiness lol

Want to have kids before you’re 30? I always wanted to wait until I’d got a good career but tbh I’d be happy having a kid as soon as i finish uni and secure some kind of job tbh (as long as i stay with nathan until then. want to have been with someone a while before we have kids)

Have you kissed more than 10 people this year? no

Do you like meeting new people? yeye usually

What are you doing right now? this survey n listening to music

How many piercings do you have? 0

Does anybody have a tattoo with your name on it? not that’s connected to me

Would you go out with someone right now if they asked? nah

Do you think somebody’s in love with you? absolutely and I love it so much

Who do you spend the most time with? idk i spend a lot of time with a few people. I guess it’d be nathan bc we spend at least one night a week together

Can you recall the last time you liked someone a lot? yeh rn xx

Last person you rode in a car with? my mum n dad

Do you mind sleeping on the floor? I’d rather sleep on a bed but the floor isn’t too bad

Do you enjoy summer? yeh

Do you have a phone? Yes

Is there anything you wanted to do today that you didn’t? some sociology revision. got stats n psychology done tho so it’s ok

Is it hard leaving people behind? yeh

Will you kiss someone within the next week or two? :D

What kind of outfit are you wearing right now? pyjamas

In the next 48 hours, will you hang out with a guy? no i probably won’t hang out with anyone in the next 48 hours :(

Did you do something mean to someone today? idk probs

What is your favorite night to go out? friday of course

Has someone ever made a promise to you and broke it? yeh but I’m over it

Have you ever tripped over something in public? of course who hasn’t?

Do you think you and your best friend will be friends in ten years? yeh for sure

Do you wish someone would turn up at your front door right now? no unless it was nathan lol

Are you addicted to cigarettes? no

Is any part of you happy at all? yeh most of me is happy tbh

How was your day today? p good tbh. got on with quite a lot of revision and saw my favourite person in the world. Miss Ella loads tho n feel helpless when she’s in pain :(

Do you have more friends that are girls or boys? I have more close friends that are girls but my extended group is probs similar amount of boys n girls tbh

Have you ever been caught skipping class? i don’t think so

Do you hate anyone? yeh :(

How often do you listen to music? often

Who were the last people to hang out at your house? Nathan

What did you do yesterday? revised n then revised some more n then went to my grandma’s for tea n then revised some more

Are you going on vacation soon? I am doing in summer yeh :D

Do you ever watch the Disney Channel? no

What’s on your mind right now? revision tbh

Who do you call more than anyone else? Nathan

Do you bite your nails? yeh :/

Do you have a job? no ://///

Have you done anything bad in the last week? I don’t think so?

Do you like someone right now? yeah

Are you jealous of anyone right now? I get jealous over stupid things all the time

Does anyone like you? yeh

Have you ever mooned anyone? haha idk what mooning even is anymore

Where is somewhere you travel every summer? nowhere. we used to go to Wales every year but haven’t been in about 3 years 

When was the last date you went on? idk what counts as a date. last time i went out like for a meal w/ just me n nathan was probs about a month ago? I don’t remember

Do you own an iPod? no

What person on your Facebook do you talk to the most? probs Nathan tbh or maybe Ella

Do you want to fall in love? I never did want to fall in love bc it scared me loads but now I’m in love it’s the best thing ever (still scary sometimes but the good 100% outweighs the scary)

Do you wear flip-flops when it’s cold? no

Do any of your friends have children? no

Do you ever take medication to help you fall asleep? nope

When was the last time you had Starbucks? i don’t think I’ve ever had starbucks

Can you whistle? kinda

Favorite TV show?

atm fresh meat, dear white people, pointless, n i’m also looking forward to the new seasons of kimmy schmidt n oitnb

Do you own any band shirts? don’t think so

What is your favorite salad dressing? i don’t rly know a lot about salads lol

Are you on a desktop or laptop? laptop

Are you currently wanting any piercings or tattoos? i want a few tattoos but not piercings

Would you ever date anyone covered in tattoos? idk about covered bc I’m not about face tattoos but I wouldn’t be averse to other parts of the body. it wouldn’t necessarily attract me tho

When was the last time you slept on the floor? last slept on cushions on the floor last weekend n do it every weekend

Do you eat breakfast daily? no

Do you feel more comfortable with a male or female doctor/nurse? i guess maybe female?

You’ve locked yourself outside and no one will be home for a few hours, you? go to my next door neighbour’s for a key

In the past 48 hours have you hung out with a guy? yeh just a few hours ago x

Have you ever walked on the beach at night? don’t think so

What were you doing at 2AM this morning? sleeping

How many kids do you want? probs 2 maybe 3

Are you interested in more than one person at the moment? nope

Last night, did you talk to anyone until you fell asleep? :( to Ella’s answer. I did talk to ella and nathan until i fell asleep yeh

Who are your last 3 missed calls from? idk bc my phone’s out of charge

What’s the best thing about summer? not having responsibility n doin loads of fun shit but also relaxing n sleeping in when u need it. If the weather’s nice feeling the heat on ur body n falling asleep in the sun is nice n also day trips out with the grandparents n friends n idk it’s just nice

Should you be doing something else instead of this? yeh I’m gonna go sleep in a min

Do you ever wonder what your life looks in someone else’s eyes? i do all the time n it stresses me tf out

Who was the last person of the opposite sex to text you? Nathan

Do you think you would make a good boyfriend/girlfriend? idk Nathan says I’m a good girlfriend but i definitely do not feel like one bc i moan all the time n give him loads of shit n i’m not as supportive as i could be n i don’t tell him i love him enough n idk that’s probs just my self hatred comin through xox

Whose bedroom were you in last? mine

Why do you feel the way you feel? idk bc hormones n social context innit

[aro-aizawa]

@jeansfreckledjesus replied to your post: goluckydanny: ifishipititsprobablygay: ...

Not cool guys….people work really hard to make these programs and they need to eat too

Especially because artists talk about people stealing their art or people not paying enough for commissions

Seems a little hypocritical. Believe me, as an artist who can’t afford most art software I know how hard it is to not have really good programs

I’d recommend going halfsies with a friend or two and sharing a subscription? Or, do what I do: explain to your school (if you’re in one rn) how they could purchase a subscription or two to use in your art class.

i understand where you’re coming from and i do agree to an extent. some programmers absolutely deserve to be paid for their work, but in my personal opinion there’s reasonable charging and there’s overcharging.

(((the following argument may be wrong in places let me know if some of my points are incorrect. i have very little experience with photoshop, being a fan of SAI instead)))

once upon a time you had to buy photoshop for one big payout at something crazy like £400+ (i forget the exact amount but in american terms that’s about $565+) and for poor artists and beginner hobbyists that ridiculously crazy amount of money. honestly i can afford to get a whole damn laptop complete with a kickass amount of RAM and memory. 

nowadays, yes it is much cheaper to buy, but in the long run it’s fucking expensive. you pay for it on a month to month basis and the cost for a license is £9.99 ($9.99 if you’re american which is some other kind of bullshit because with the exchange rate that’s £3 cheaper than what the uk gets). it sounds a lot more managable, because hey you only have to pay for it then right? 

but there’s twelve months in the year and that £10 racks up to £120 (americans saving £35 over the brits). and this is only for a single license. so if you’re moving computers all the time then good luck with that, your payments are multiplied by the amount of computers you use. 

whilst yes, if you’re still in school and very lucky you might be able to convince some staff to get you it, its highly unlikely depending on your curriculum. at least in my experience we very very rarely did digital art and if we ever were allowed to do it we had to supply the means to use it ourselves because it was our choice to use it. and if you are able to convince them, its somewhat unlikely they’ll buy it for you to use on a home computer.

and splitting it with a friend? well back to a point i made earlier, it’s a single license, so unless you share a computer with them then good luck with that. 

moving onto paint tool sai and clip studio, im a little less defensive over this method of getting it. but it’s still sort of relevant. 

paint tool sai is rather confusing to purchase. at least, in my opinion. the website looks outdated at best and shady at worst, trust me i would love to purchase the official program to support the creators as it is a wonderful program that has served me well over the years and it looks to be made by a relatively small company. but the website makes me hesitant.

clip studio is a little of column a and a little of column b. it’s somewhat expensive for the deluxe version, with no way to tell the difference between the two of their products. do you go full out saying might as well and buy the full feature version for £168 or make-do with the basic version? i have little experience with using it but it does seem like a relatively good program.

art is something that everyone should have the freedom to get into and do at will. it’s not something that should be restrained. so thinking on these lines, i’m kind of for people using these programs for free to an extent. 

a good art program should be something that can be made natural to use over time. sometimes you can try and use a program and for whatever reasons (tools that just don’t work for your art style, computer issues, complicated UI, etc) it just doesn’t work for you. congratulations you’ve spent a possibly huge amount of money on this program to find that it just cannot work. and you can’t give away your license to this program, nor can you get your money back. 

my policy is that it’s okay to use free versions of these programs to an extent. think of it like...oh! say you get into an all you can eat buffet for free. the restaurant won’t mind too much if you get a reasonable sized meal, but if you end up eating a huge number of platefuls to the point where you’re practically robbing them, then that is when it’s no longer okay. in a similar way, i think it’s okay to use these programs for a while to get used to them, and if you like them and they become your main use for drawing, then that’s when you should step up and buy the official one yourself if you can afford it. 

in a similar vein, if you’re an artist who uses the program to make commissions and you are getting regular ones with decent pay, absolutely you should buy the official versions. otherwise it’s like borrowing someone elses sewing machine to make clothes to sell and not giving the owner of the sewing machine anything in return. kind of a dick move there, dude. 

td;lr: some artists are broke, some programs are overpriced and some artists shouldn’t be dicks.