#oh and ofc adding the wire

[oflgtfol]

call me John the way i be Carpenting 💪💪

[whyse7vn]

NICE ERA -

[ ot7 x reader ] > pt one HERE

🍼👨🏼‍🦲⁉️

8 participants - 8 online

———————————

yoongi: love you guys

jimin: are you killing yourself or something?

jk: 😧

yoongi: no i just love you guys

jk: i think yoongi is killing himself 😣

namjoon: here if you want to talk

yoongi: can i not just say i love you guys?

y/n: holy shit

yoongi r u killing urself????

yoongi: no i’m just spreading love

hobi: WOAH WHAT THE HELL

YOONGI ARE YOU DYING??

yoongi: no

jk: pls don’t kys yoongi 😢☹️💔

jin: yoongi is being more open with his feelings guys

hobi: his suicidal ones?

tae: pouring one out for you yoongi 🍾🥂

jin: no just his love for us all

isn’t that right yoongi??

yoongi: right

hobi: nothing about this is right

jk: i’m so scared rn 😓

y/n: is he drunk???

jin: on love!!

yoongi: on love.

namjoon: ew yoongi man what the fuck??

yoongi: we should all have a sleepover at my house like we did on kooks birthday

it will be fun

jimin: uhhhhhhhhhh

hobi: i’m literally shaking in fucking fear rn

yoongi: i’ll order food

tae: are you gonna poison it

yoongi: why would i do that?

tae: guys….

namjoon: in shock

y/n: jin done performed a lobotomy on yoongi ohmygod ☠️☠️☠️

jin: i did no such thing

jk: yoongi look at me this isn’t you

yoongi please

yoongi: hi jungkook

jk: MAKE IT STOP

GUYS MAKE IT STOP WHY IS HE BEING NICE MAKE IT STOP

namjoon: yoongi are you like actually ok?

yoongi: perfect

tae: have i shifted to an alternate universe

jk: shift

tae: night shift

jimin: you need one

tae: no i don’t

jimin: ok mr wire me 10k

tae: that was ages ago thank u very much

get over it

but guys tell him i have money tho lol

yoongi: jimin tae has money

tae: STOP iT???????

y/n: this is so unsettling

yoongi: isn’t it nice us all being together

having fun

and stuff

tae: what is stuff?

pls elaborate on stuff

jk: maybe joon gave yoongi cocaine

namjoon: shut up

tae: yoongi when you say stuff do you mean cocaine?

yoongi: love

us being together

friendship

we are friends

jk: yoongi can i be your best friend

yoongi: you are my best friend jungkook

jk: :D

yoongi: :D

jk: nvm this is really scary sorry

jk left “🍼👨🏼‍🦲⁉️”

tae: i agree

tae left “🍼👨🏼‍🦲⁉️”

yoongi: i miss you all

let’s go out to eat tomorrow yeah?

i can pay idm

jin: YESS IM IN

jimin: ofc ur in

yoongi: guys let’s not argue

jimin: ewuuuuu shut up

namjoon added tae to “🍼👨🏼‍🦲⁉️”

namjoon added jk to “🍼👨🏼‍🦲⁉️”

yoongi: welcome back ^^

jk: STOP

tae: i’m gonna throw up

jin: please accept the new yoongi

jk: NO

y/n: yoongi have you experienced any serious head trauma in the last 24 hours?

yoongi: no

hobi: i think he’s lying

yoongi: let’s all drink together today

jk: NONONONO

yoongi: oh do you have plans today jungkook?

we can move it to the weekend if you want

jk: girlfriendsaveme 😨

y/n: yoongi….

yoongi: yeah?

tae: yoongi send me a stack

jimin: LMAO u not getting that

yoongi: sure

jimin: fake

tae: HOLY SHIT YOONGI JUST SENT ME MONEY GUYS???

namjoon: oh my god….

hobi: he’s truly lost it

y/n: no fucking way

jimin: WAIT YOONGI ME NEXT HELLO????

yoongi: kk

jimin: I JUST GOT MONEY OHMGODDJJD

jin: isn’t this nice guys??

isn’t yoongi nice??

tae: yeah yoongi ur the best

jimin: love you yoongi

nicest man ever

yoongi: :3

namjoon: oh

yoongi: what can i say

jk: words probably

yoongi: i love my team

i love my crew

namjoon: oh wow

y/n: did he just….

hobi: MIN YOONGI JUST QUOTED SEVENTEEN?/!/£3

jimin: this is insane

jk: our biggest enemies in this life…

tae: WOWWWWWWWWW

jin: so proud!!

how mature how nice !!

jk: i’m going to commit murder and it’s going to be on myself

tae: i think i just threw up

hobi: yoongi you know woozi is in that group right?

yoongi: yes

jimin: and mingyu

the one she went a date with btw

y/n: stop

yoongi: i know.

hobi: he’s mad

yoongi: no i’m not

namjoon: it’s ok if you’re mad yoongi

y/n: no it’s not

jk: yoongi pls be mad

yoongi: i’m not mad

y/n: he’s not mad

jimin: normally he would be mad

yoongi: well i’m not mad so

jin: right he’s a changed man

namjoon: why?

yoongi: what

namjoon: why are you being nice

it’s like freaking us all out

jk: so much 😣

yoongi: i am nice normally

hobi: well no!

yoongi: i am nice

jimin: again no!!

tae: not even 24 hours ago yoongi told me to kms

yoongi: it was a joke

tae:

jimin: publicly executed is crazy

tae: right like omg?

jimin: understandable tho

tae: ok no

yoongi: it was a joke

tae: DIDN’T laugh

jk: yoongi punched me once

twice

three times actually

yoongi: as a joke

jin: guys let’s not focus on yoongi’s past but his present

and his present is nice!

jk: present

y/n: ?????

HELLO WHAT

YOONGI PUNCHED KOOK???

yoongi: as a joke

y/n: WHEN???? NAMJOON DID YOU KNOW?????????

namjoon: no actually i didn’t

jin: y/n joon ur in the past pls join us in the present

yoongi’s present

jk: i want the present

where is the present

yoongi: i’m nice

jk: i can travel to the present if need be

hobi: i’m confused

tae: in what context

hobi: this context ??

tae: oh ok

hobi: what other context is there

tae: sexually

namjoon: why is everything sexual with you?

hobi: sexuality by taemin lol

jimin: WHERE

tae: gay

jk: gay means happy

namjoon: guys

y/n: girls

jk: jimin are you not happy?

tae: jimin are you gay?

jimin: shut up

tae: me when taemin doesn’t call me back pt 407

jimin: why would taemin be calling you

tae: LOL

namjoon: guys enough

tae: one taemin mention he looses his mind you see that guys

namjoon: taehyung

tae: ok sorry

hobi: i’m still confused

NOT sexually

jk: i hope we are all gay (happy) toady!!

yoongi: me too

jimin: (kill yourself)

tae: (taemin)

jk: tae

min

tae min

tae in a min

tae in a minute

jimin x taehyung in a minute

y/n: fork in kitchen

hobi: oh ok

jimin: EW????

tae: that’s my name lol

WAIT WTF

ME AND HIM ????????

I KISS NO MEN

jk: one time you kissed me

tae: ON ACCIDENT

hobi: “accident”

yoongi type “accident”

yoongi: punching jungkook WAS an accident

tae: GUYS ME KISSING JUNGKOOK WAS FR AN ACCIDENT LIKE JOKE

jimin: yeah ok

namjoon: sighs

y/n: liar!!

tae: I WAS KNOCKING AT Y/NS DOOR CUZ WE WERE SUPPOSED TO GO OUT

AND WHEN THE DOOR OPEN I JUST WENT FOR THE KISS OK? EYES CLOSED AND EVERYTHING

jimin: sounds like he likes men to me

tae: NO

I DONT I JUST

STOP

DIDNT KNOW ITVWAS JUNGKOOK UNTIL I PULLED AWAY

jk: it’s ok my lips are very soft like that

y/n: fact

tae: NO ITS NOT OK

jin: wait that’s lowkey so crazy cuz how didn’t you notice the height difference

kook is like way taller than her

tae: thought she was wearing heels

y/n: it was 10 in the morning..

hobi: hold on

you didn’t know it was jungkook until you pulled away…

….

…….

……….

jungkook why did you let tae kiss you?

jk: i thought he was coming out to me

and i’m no homophobe !!!!

i didn’t know if that’s was a normal thing people did when they come out so i just let him do it

because like if i didn’t let him i didn’t want him to take that as me not supporting him yk?

i support him so yeah

idk

i was really confused

and no i didn’t kiss him back

i kinda just stood there

like

🧍🏻‍♂️

that and yeah

and he was all like “don’t be like that babe” and when he pulled away he screamed fell to his knees and then left

tbh i thought it was a dream

but i guess not

namjoon: how long did the kiss last?

tae: NAMJOON

namjoon: sorry just wanted to know

jk: maybe like 15 seconds

i think my lack of kissing back got to him

jimin: THATS CRAZY LMWKEORIFJFN

hobi: homophobe turned homosexual

tae: I AM NONE OF THOSE

jk: if it makes you feel better the kiss was really bad ur lips were really dry

tae: DON’T DESCRIBE MY LIPS SHUT UPLD

y/n: LMAO

tae: STOP TALKING ABOUT THIS LETS GO BSCK TO THE ORIGINAL TOPIC

YOONGI

YOONGI WYA

YOONGI HELLO

YOONGI

yoongi: i support you

hobi: #somuchsupoort

jimin: so brave

y/n: be who you are

namjoon: 👍🏼

jin: !!

jk: i support you for who you are❤️🧡🤍🩷❤️ (idk the flag )

y/n: lesbian

jk: really 😨

y/n: yeah

jk: but you kiss me 🙁

y/n: what

jk: i can be a woman for you

namjoon: okay !!!!!

enough sexuality talk

um yeah

yoongi say something

yoongi: i love you all

namjoon: omg…

jimin: ew man

hobi: gross

jk: i feel lightheaded

tae: gagging

y/n: 😟

jin: ok i’m not enjoying this as much as i thought i would i must say

yoongi: ?

jimin: ‘i must say’ 💀💀💀

hobi: bet he stroked his nonexistent beard while saying that

jimin: likeeee 😭😭😭

jin: can i live

there was literally nothing wrong with what i said

yoongi: right

jin: STOP

sorry force of habit

yoongi: don’t be upset with me jin

i’m sorry

y/n: yoongi

talk to us

normally

please

yoongi: i’m nice

y/n: i’m aware

yoongi: i’m being nicer

y/n: why

jin: wait omg let’s move on

isn’t it such a nice day lmao

yoongi: great weather we’re having

jin: summer sure is coming!!

hobi: ewww

y/n: this old people conversation ☠️☠️

jimin: imagine what their dms look like

jk: yikes

yoongi: jungkook

jk: sorry

yoongi im sorry

i actually meant

(Y)es (I) (K)now (E)very conversation they have is (S)uper cool

yikes

yoongi: thanks

just wanted to say i like your hair

jk: oh

jimin: his hair has been the same for like the last 5 months

yoongi: i know

just wanted him to know i like it because he’s my friend and he has nice hair

jk: wow

ok

is this real

wow

GUYS

yoongi likes my hair

y/n: wow

jk: YOONGI MY FRIEND

guys at first the new yoongi was really scary but now i think i like him

he’s my friend

pls be kind to MY FRIEND

MY BEST FRIEND

jimin: i still hate his yoongi tell me to kms right now before i do something crazy

tae: please

hobi: no joke

namjoon: yoongi i understand that you are being ‘nice’ now but i hope you don’t lose your true self and personality in this new chapter of your life

y/n: what joon said

jin: yoongi tell us what you like about ME next

ik it’s like really hard so i’ll let you pick 5

yoongi: jin i like

your

um

hold on can we talk about out contracts for one second

hobi: ohmugod guys he’s killing himself fr now

jimin: it was fun while it lasted bro

namjoon: sure

jin: NO WE CANT NO

yoongi: we’re all renewing right?

jk: yes bff ^^

jin: STOP

tae: yeah

hobi: yes sighs looks out window

jimin: thumbs up

namjoon: ofc??

y/n: lol i already renewed

yoongi: what

namjoon: are you thinking about not renewing??

jin: GUYS STOROORIRNRJIRJ

yoongi: y/n

you already renewed???

y/n: yeah?

yoongi: you’re not leaving

y/n: no…

yoongi: were you thinking about leaving?

y/n: no?

yoongi: so you didnt tell jin you i wish nicer????

y/n: lol no

didn’t jin say that in this gc himself like a few weeks ago lmao?

jin left “🍼👨🏼‍🦲⁉️”

yoongi: bye

going to find jin

yoongi left “🍼👨🏼‍🦲⁉️”

jk: um

yoongi joined “🍼👨🏼‍🦲⁉️”

yoongi: also jungkook you are not my best friend all of you can kill yourselves i’ve never prayed on anyone’s downfall as much as i do for all of yours i can’t believe this is my life ur all so annoying taehyung you WILL die the most painful death i promise you if any of you mention this day to anyone ever i will have your nudes on every website known to man and your address on twitter

fuck you all

yoongi left “🍼👨🏼‍🦲⁉️”

tae: does he know twitter is x now?

y/n: he didn’t mean that

he’s just a little upset

hobi: rip jin

jimin: how the hell does he have MY nudes

tae: didn’t know he was freaky like that 😈👅

hobi: bet you did

man kisser

tae: STOP

jk: best friend…

y/n: he still is your best friend kook he’s just upset at jin rn!!

jk: really?

y/n: yeah!!

jimin: she lying

y/n: SHUT UP

namjoon: so jin told yoongi that y/n was leaving the group because he’s mean

so to get her to say he was nice to us

jimin: glad your following joon

namjoon: ew

hobi: right?

namjoon: okay

cant believe we experienced that

let’s just sleep this one off boys

and girl

jimin: awoman to that

hobi: i have to smoke after this geez

jk: y/n pls hold me i’m traumatised

y/n: on my way

tae: ok but how did he add himself back into the gc tho…

—

didn’t even plan this but look jin did fr do this for HIMSELF LMAO

yoongi dumb as hell for not remembering this

tags: @piw6n @92jinnies @birdie-vhs @blairebangtan @hob3loveofmylife @jujubiism @bloopkook @ratchetpizza1 @myntalks @arloo00 @watamotee33 @y2kcy3brz @taiwan0618 @freyadanvers @gguksbeloved @raetf @bbsantc @winuvs @medicinemybish @bxnnyhime @seokmyballs @batukki @zyaaaszn @thelilbutifulthings @jazminethecreator @meowgiz @jmnscutie @threeopossumsinacoat @cynicalyoongs @lightningpussy54 @eunthv @gigiiiiislife @lowkeykin @iammeandmeisiam @socksfirstalways @knjlvr06 @lailaisarmy @thvkives @xstfudaisyx @xxxanimangxxx @solstice34 @ml8dy @hoeforseoks @futuristicenemychaos @featjunranghae

[medu-nefer]

y'all seemed to quite like the little crocheted ruthari (TY 💘) so i thought maybe some of you would be interested in a few close-ups 👀

(i added some crocheter rambling so feel free to just click on the photo and swipe to skip all that)

i also throught perhaps @careful-silent-still and @hypherr would like to see them too? 👉👈

so. first up, runaan. he has wire inside so he has some degree of movement, but he's also quite stuffed and the movement is unfortunately limited

i've been crocheting for a year, so the idea of coming up with my own patterns for his clothes was terrifying. therefore, i ended up doing just his boots, pants and the vest (it's hot in the silvergrove this time of the year, he doesn't need the shirt or the coat 😅), plus of course the horn cuffs. all accesories are removable of course. the original idea for the pendant was for it to be just one strand with a loop at the end but it didn't look good at all so i switched to something way simpler and more effective)

i suck at embroidery and i hate it but what can you do 🫠

so i made runaan first and he was going to be a little birthday gift to myself, but ofc it'd be criminal to make only him and the plan has always been to make him a little ethari too. i finished him on the 5th so i guess it all ended up being a gift for him 🤣

once i saw his turnarounds, though, it took me quite some time to hype myself up to actually start making him, because it's so many different clothes with no existing patterns and they're all so detailed (runaan's were too but i had gained some confidence while making him and wanted to work on ethari properly) 😩 still, i somehow did it.

i did change the flap of fabric hanging from his belt as i had no way of making a smooth ombre transition from purple to dark turquoise like he actually has it - so instead of 2 jarring colours, it's 4 jarring colours 😂 and i also didn't do the embroidery on that part and it made me very happy - especially since there was plenty of embroidery i couldn't skip

and just like with runaan, all of his articles of clothing are removable (the flap is sewn onto the belt, and the green patches are sewn onto the boots but other than that, everything is separate)

there is, however, one issue 😅 i think it stems from a couple of choices i made: 1. i used a different, slightly thicker type of yarn for ethari's body than i did for runaan; 2. i used a 3,0 mm hook instead of 2,5 mm; and 3. i messed up the patterns for ethari's limbs (i did them in rounds instead of rows; it was late and i was tired and by the time i realised that, i was on the 3rd one & couldn't be bothered to scrap them all - which i probably should have done XD oh well).

the first 2 choices were deliberate as ethari is canonically a little bit taller than runaan, but umm...

let's just assume elves grow until they're 40 or so, and so after 2 years in the coin, runaan stayed behind 😅

oh, and i also wanted them to be able to hold hands so they have magnets in their hands but in the end, they weren't strong enough to still work through two layers of yarn ☹️ i guess i could still use a little clasp but we'll see about that

so yeah. here they are 😊

P.S. please enjoy runaan at his baby yoda phase:

[llannasvsp]

Adding to your point about the earlier seasons being sexist, I fucking HATE how they handled the Cole/Jay/Nya clusterfuck.

Like Cole wasn't even interested until he found out why Jay was mad. ON TOP OF THAT, NYA flirted with him first. Cole was dragged along.

And then his bullshit of "She's yours, Jay," during the tournament like Nya couldn't fucking choose for herself. Nya then praised them for it!

I get that the writers wanted drama, but there were SO many better ways to handle that. They could have made it seem that Cole wasn't interested in Nya at all, and the drama was him trying to convince both Nya and Jay of that fact, and neither of them believed him.

A slight counterpoint I do want to add is that when the writers wrote these seasons. Jokes and drama like that were relatively normal if I remember correctly. That doesn't excuse it, at all, but it's an explanation.

This point also ties into the 'Zane wears a pink apron' joke from all the way back in season 1 that people are unearthing. Jokes like that were normal; 'Ha ha, the boy is wearing pink or purple', you know?

Overall, we do have to remember when these episodes were written. I think Ninjago has done a good job adapting to the times and fixing their mistakes, but I do fucking agree that the first few seasons have PROBLEMS.

Oh, I HATE the the love triangle. The worst thing about it was the fact that Nya just waited for them to pick?? Or the fact that she was legit about to sacrifice Cole and Jay because of the colors of the wires?? Like please, this is not what's important right now. Also, the scene where the ladder breaks and she's just like "ahhh oh no, help me!". NYA WOULD ABSOLUTELY NEVER. Ohhhhh it gets me so maddddd. And in Skybound, the fact that Jay blatantly disregards her boundaries? LIKE????

It gets me heated.

I am glad that the show adapted for the times, and ofc I can force myself through the things that I hate because I don't completely despise the early seasons. They're my childhood.

What I cannot stand are the people who think they're better for preferring s1-7 to s8-Dragons Rising, and the people who absolutely refuse to acknowledge the very obvious misogyny that is in early Ninjago.

[farfromstrange]

Foreigner's God: Chapter 53

Main Masterlist

Pairing: Matt Murdock x OFC

Chapter Summary: A familiar face knocks on Matt's door, demanding the truth about the past couple of days, but telling the truth would mean endangering him, and neither Matt nor she wants that to happen. She feels bad for lying to Happy, but there is no other way, not when she wants to protect him, so she puts on a mask and pretends she's okay when in reality, she is anything but, and Matt makes sure to take care of her with unconditional devotion.

Warnings: Angst, mention of injury and blood, hurt/comfort

Word Count: 5k

A/n: Fun fact: I wrote this chapter and the previous one as one chapter. Then I separated them because I struggled with the second part which is now this chapter. I completely forgot to post it here, which is why it has already been up on AO3 for a bit, but anyway. This is still pretty mental health heavy and so is the next chapter, so be careful and take care of yourselves!

Tag List: @acharliecoxedfan @gpenguin666 @lina-mar (& if you want to be added too, fill out this form!)

Read Chapter 53: I Will Be Your Remedy here on AO3!

Sometime around halfway into cleaning the kitchen, Matt perked up. Her breathing and heartbeat were calm, sounding their usual rhythm as she slept. He directed his attention toward the front door of the apartment complex. A familiar set of footsteps echoed through the hallway, followed by the stairwell. 

He took a few steps forward, waiting for the person to finalize their decision. A few seconds later, there was a knock on the door. He reached for his glasses on the dining table and quickly made his way to the front door. Another knock sounded out, this time louder than before. Eliza was still fast asleep in the bedroom, but he worried that if he didn’t open the door soon enough, it would be kicked in and then her sleep would be disturbed all over again. She needed the rest. Unexpected visitors were the last thing he wanted her to concern herself with, so perhaps he could find a way to send him away before he could even think about entering. 

Matt opened the door only enough for him to stand in the gap, listening to the rapid heartbeat of the man across from him. He could smell hints of sweat on his skin, his eyes were sunken and he’d probably had one or two coffees too many on his way. He braced himself on the door frame and waited for him to speak; if he told him that he knew very well who was standing in front of him, his cover would be blown, and that was a conversation he wasn’t ready for just yet. 

“Hey,” Happy said, his chest heaving with the lack of oxygen from his sprint up the stairs. 

“Oh. Happy?” Matt asked. “What’re you doing here?”

“I know you’re trying to play dumb, but we both know why I’m here.”

He took a deep breath. “Happy…”

“She hasn’t answered any of my calls. Eliza, she… she hasn’t even read my texts. I mean, I only saw the news long after the trial ended, but man, I tried reaching her as soon as I found out and she still hasn’t shown me a sign of life. I just need to know if she’s okay, Matt. Please.”

He raised his hand wordlessly, trying to calm his rambling down to a minimum. 

Happy’s eyes softened. “Is she here?” he asked. 

Matt was hesitant to answer. His expression seemed sheerly unreadable, and with each silent second passed between them, Happy grew more and more agitated, and his worry exceeded new limits. The desperation in his voice grew into a clear sound that could have been counted as begging. He was pleading with Matt for the answers he couldn’t find before, and the more he stared at his blank face, the more he began to suspect the worst. He was wired that way. 

“Please,” his voice sounded barely above a whisper. “I don’t ask for much, I just need to know what happened, and I need to see for myself that she’s alive and well. This is killing me here. You remember the last time she went MIA? Yeah, she almost died then and I thought I’d lost her, so I really need to know history isn’t repeating itself right now.”

He tried giving her space. It wasn’t the first time Eliza had disappeared off of the face of the earth without a word, and it wouldn’t be the last, but the context in which she disappeared was enough to shoot his anxiety levels through the roof. 

The news didn’t offer much information on the shooting, and he doubted the police even knew what was going on. He saw her on the video, replayed it a million times with Tony by his side. He remembered going pale in the face and excusing himself to call her, but Eliza didn’t pick up. He lost count of how many times he tried to reach her or coax a reaction out of her that would show him she was okay. She didn’t even read the countless text messages, and that was the most unlike her. 

His thoughts were all over the place, most of them incapable of being sorted, and the categories his mind found for certain horror scenarios were sickening. Happy felt nauseous, even more so while looking into his own reflection in the red glass that covered Matt’s unfocused eyes. His lip twitched, but he didn’t smile, he didn’t cry, he looked like a mere robot waiting for confirmation to act. He hated the anticipation, it drove his blood pressure to a point that would earn him a glare or two from Tony once he checked the stats of his new watch, but there was not much calmness to be found in his heart when it came to the troublemaker that Eliza was. And some of the trouble she got into wasn’t even her fault, her life just happened to work that way, and somehow that drilled the knife even deeper into the already weeping wound. 

Much to his surprise, Matt took a step back. He lowered his head, let out a weary sigh, and waved softly. “Come in,” he said. 

“Wait, really?” 

“Yeah. I was just about to make some coffee.”

Happy scattered his thoughts as quickly as they had fallen and followed after him into the apartment. He looked around, catching sight of some of Eliza’s clothing carelessly thrown over the back of the couch. He could smell her perfume and the remains of her favorite sandwich in the air. Her coat hung on the rack next to the door and her bag had found home over one of the chairs at the dining table. It looked nothing like the compound had looked back when she was still living there. The sight of Matt’s apartment was the perfect picture of domesticity, and he seemed to navigate well around the ordinary mess that came with the relationship. Pieces of him mixed with pieces of her and it formed a sanctuary they were both more than happy to be living with him. 

Matt was her safe place, he realized. She loved living with him. She was comfortable and felt at home, and she had quickly made his four walls into her own too. Even at the compound, Eliza kept a packed bag under her bed, ready to leave and run if the need arose. With Matt, it seemed entirely different; she had finally found a home, and it seemed as if she was nowhere close to running. 

Happy’s chest filled with pride yet a sense of sadness when he thought about what could have been, and how her life still managed to put stones in her way even after she had decided that staying was worth the fight. 

“Where is she?” he asked. 

Matt shushed the loud tone of his voice and pointed toward the milky glass of the bedroom door. “She’s resting,” he said. “She’s had a rough couple of days, that’s also why she hasn’t answered your texts. I think. She hasn’t been on her phone much. But she’s okay, Happy, I can assure you that. She’s always safe with me.”

“She’s okay?”

“Yeah, she is.” He mustered a small smile. 

Happy lowered himself down on one of the empty chairs. “Oh, thank God!” 

He didn’t mention her stay at the hospital, the countless breakdowns, or the events of the previous night. It wasn’t Matt’s story to tell, it was hers, and he knew Eliza wanted nothing more than to keep her family safe. If he had told Happy the truth, what little safety the unknown offered him would have been gone. He couldn’t make such a decision on his own, and it wasn’t fair to her, either. 

He stayed quiet, instead brewing the coffee he had intended to make. He focused on her presence in the other room, noting how her chest continued to rise and fall calmly. How long she would be able to sleep, he wasn’t sure, but for now, she was still safe and sound in her resting state. 

Matt poured the coffee into two mugs, a bit more relaxed now. “Milk or sugar?” he questioned. 

“Both,” said Happy. 

He nodded and added the last few finishing touches to their drinks before carrying them over to the table. 

“Thank you.”

“Yeah, sure.”

“I have to ask,” Happy couldn’t help himself but disrupt the growing silence before it could even settle in, “You were there. What happened?”

Matt sighed. “It’s a long story.”

“I have time.”

There was a fine line between saying too little and saying too much, and he wasn’t sure how long he could walk that line in the green zone before slipping. 

"The preliminary hearing... it was intense," Matt began, his words coming out in slow puffs of air, carefully choosing his every word. "With that I mean, emotionally draining for all of us. But Eliza, especially. The judge ruled in our favor, so we thought things would work out... When we left the courthouse, we thought we could move on, you know?" 

Happy nodded, his eyes glued to his lips as he hung on every word. 

"Well, needless to say, that also didn't work out. Viktor was talking to the cops and his lawyer was there and it was just... it was messy. And you know how she is; when Eliza wants something, you can't pull that woman back, no matter how hard you try. And I tried, but she still went to confront him."

His brows furrowed. "Confronted him?" he asked. “While he was talking to the press that already hates her? Is she crazy? You know what, that was a stupid question. Ignore that. Of course, she’s crazy. She’s never been short of that.”

Matt shrugged, his head nodding slightly. It was true; Eliza had a strong tendency to go crazy and get what she wanted whenever she wanted just by defying the odds and all possible rules. But that was exactly why he loved her so much. 

“Yeah,” he said. “Can’t argue with that. But she... she wanted answers, she wanted closure. I don’t blame her, I really don’t. You weren’t in that courtroom, so you wouldn’t know, but she went through hell and back in such a short amount of time. Seeing him get a platform to speak made him snap and I did consider letting her do what she wanted to do, believe me.”

“Well,” Happy found himself agreeing, “I’m not saying he deserved it, but…”

“He did deserve it. That bastard… he hurt her and he deserved a lot more than just being killed. He deserved the cruelest punishment known to men and I just hope that wherever he is, he gets fucking punished.” His eyes were absolutely wild behind his glasses. 

Happy matched the tone of his voice when he agreed once again. He wasn’t a religious man, but in this case, he hoped hell would make the man who did this to her suffer. Death was too kind for him, but there was also pain in death and he prayed to a God he didn’t believe him that he would meet his fate with the same pain he had caused Eliza and still continued causing her even beyond the grave. 

Matt took a deep breath. “But I did try to stop her because I knew she wouldn’t be able to live with herself if she seriously hurt another person again,” he said, “but before I knew it, chaos erupted and then everything went to shit.” He took another sip from his coffee, angry, almost, wishing it were a bottle of beer or something stronger. “Shots were fired, people were screaming, it was so loud, and Eliza was right behind him when it happened. I mean, right there. From what I heard, she had blood all over her. I shielded her, of course, but other than the three shots that killed Viktor, there weren't any more fired that day."

Dread filled Happy's eyes. "Is she... is she okay?"

"Physically, yes. But it was a shock for her, and she's been struggling to process everything. It's been... yeah, it's been a journey." Matt pinched his nose, fighting off the fatigue that started to settle in. "And she hasn't had it easy these past two days, so..."

“That’s why she hasn’t answered?”

He nodded. 

“Jesus Christ.”

“I’m sorry,” he said, “but you have to believe me when I say that I’ve done everything so far to protect her and I’m going to make sure she comes out of this alright. She just… Eliza needs time, Happy. Plain and simple. And you need to give those trying to find whoever did this time too. It was hard for me to accept at first too, but there’s no other way. She wasn’t the initial target, and she’s still alive. We have to hold onto that, you know?”

“Of course, I know that,” Happy said. His eyes stared emptily at the mug in front of him. “But-”

The sound of the bedroom door sliding open cut through their conversation. 

Matt had been so focused on picking the right version of the story that he lost focus on Eliza’s sleeping form. He missed the sound of the bed creaking and her heartbeat changing speed. As soon as the door started to open, he rose to his feet, his head tilted in her direction. 

“Sweetheart,” he said softly. 

She rubbed her eyes and looked at him, then Happy sitting at the dining table. 

“You okay? You shouldn’t be up. You should be in bed. I told you if you needed something, all you had to do was call for me.”

Meeting his worried eyes, she raised her hand and waved him off. “I’m fine,” she said. “Happy-” she turned to him. “I’m so sorry.” The nervous quiver in her voice moved to her hands as she fidgeted with them. They were hidden far in the sleeves of one of Matt’s sweaters. It was too hot outside to even be wearing wool, but she was expertly trying to hide the bandages on her knuckles, and her nervous ticks played along. It made it easier for her to keep up the facade. 

He stared at her, his eyes wide. The relief finally settled in fully, filling his heart to the brim. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t answer your calls or your texts. I didn’t pay attention to my phone and I just saw the messages you all left me in the past two days and I’m… I’m so sorry. I never meant to worry any of you.”

Happy rose from his chair and approached her. The circles under his eyes looked dark and evident as the sun hit them just right. He opened his arms, pulling her into a bone-crushing hug that she didn’t anticipate. 

He cursed under his breath. “Don’t ever do this to me again,” he told her, “you scared the living crap out of me. Oh, Jesus Christ.” 

He held her even closer, not wanting to let her go. He was scared that if he did, she would slip away or that he would lose her, and it was a fear that gradually paralyzed him and tuned out the initial relief he’d felt. 

From the moment she woke up from her nap and heard his voice in the living room, her body was on high alert. She realized she had abandoned that part of her life while she was so focused on herself. Tony left countless voicemails on her phone that still lay on the bedside table untouched, Happy did too. She skimmed over the messages and they were all pretty convinced she was dead.

The exhaustion was nothing like she had felt before. Her body ached, her muscles straining with every move, and she had battled with herself about whether or not to get out of bed and face him. She didn’t mean to, but she hurt him. She hurt him, Tony and Pepper, and everyone else who was so worried about her. She pushed away everyone and almost did the same to Matt, but he was persistent. He kept her alive, and she forgot about the world around them because right there, in the cozy apartment they shared, nothing existed but the two of them. She forgot what living felt like. Her existence didn’t feel all too real, so hearing Happy’s voice next door had been like a harsh slap to the face. 

She tried not to cry when he finally hugged her. “I’m okay,” she whispered, her voice muffled even more through his chest. 

“You need to be a lot more responsible with your phone.”

“I know.”

“You can’t keep doing that.”

“I know.”

“You almost gave me a heart attack.”

“I didn’t mean to,” she cut him off. “I was just so caught up, I didn’t think. My mind’s been all over the place lately. I had to take a break from life to sort this shit out and I’m sorry for not telling you guys I’m okay, but I’m here now and as you can tell, I’m fine, Happy. I’m okay.”

He took a step back to look at her. “You look exhausted,” he said. 

“I’m just tired, that’s all. Matt has been taking good care of me.”

“Good,” he glanced at the man next to them, “He better.”

“He has. He always does.”

“I appreciate that you have someone looking out for you, but please, the next time something like this happens, make sure you don’t disappear without a trace for two days. We’ve been worried sick. Tony, too, by the way.”

“That’s… unusual.”

“It just means that we care about you,” Happy corrected her. 

“I know and I’m sorry,” she said.

“I know you are, pumpkin. Just-” He hugged her again. “Don’t give me another heart attack. My blood pressure is already high and Tony is gonna kill me when he sees that my stats have changed for the worse.”

“I promise, I won’t.”

Happy's grip on her tightened briefly before he released her, giving her a gentle pat on the cheek. "We care about you, Liz, and we want to make sure you're safe. That's what family does, you know? We have each other's backs."

"Yeah, we do. Thank you."

Matt chose to step away and silently busied himself with the leftover dishes in the kitchen, still listening intently to their conversation. Eliza's heartbeat carried proof of how she truly felt, though, on the outside, she tried to shine brighter than the sun. She smiled at him, albeit a fake smile but Happy seemed to buy it. She made her voice sound more cheery than hoarse, and her body language spoke as openly as she could make it look even though open was the last word Matt would have used to describe her. He was worried, but he understood. He was the master of keeping secrets and sometimes you have to protect the people you love, which was exactly what she did. She protected Happy by not telling him the truth, and by not showing him how entirely hopeless and empty she felt inside, how much she was truly struggling, she eased his conscience. He was far too innocent to be dragged into their mess.

“You know, if you need anything,” Happy began then, “Tony and I are more than willing to help.”

“I’m fine,” she reassured him. “I have a roof over my head, a nice boyfriend and I have a job. What more could I possibly need?”

Mental stability would be a start. But that is something you can’t acquire on the market. 

“You’re right, I’m just worried about you. So if there’s anything you need, I want you to call me, okay?”

“I think I can manage that.”

“Thank you.”

As she led him to the door, she promised to call Tony back and explain, and she promised she would come around the compound soon. After talking to him at her father’s grave, they didn’t speak much other than the occasional conversation during the preparations for the preliminary hearing. He failed to do damage control when it came to the press, so he retreated. Tony Stark hated failure. He wasn’t used to it. 

Their foundation used to be strong, but it began to swindle one day and things weren’t the same as they once were. The circumstances changed. Her life changed. Tony changed. He wasn’t like a father to her anymore, just a man she occasionally spoke to because he hurt her in ways he couldn’t make up for. She forgave him, but the scars ran deep. She pushed all thoughts about him away and decided to move on, but he was still part of her life and whether she liked it or not, they were family. If her time as an Avenger taught her anything it was to appreciate what she had because it could be gone sooner rather than later. 

She had been so caught up in everything, she neglected what she had left of her family. She had Matt, Foggy, and Karen and they were her new family now, but the bond with the people she had once lived with was still there. She wanted to nurture it while at the same time, she was struggling to get over the events of the past and their role in it. She screwed up, her friends screwed up, and she had truly thought she would end up alone. Thankfully, she didn’t, but it had been incredibly close. 

Her head dropped to the door as it closed behind Happy. She took a deep breath. Anger boiled up in her veins. It glowed red hot and reminded her of a red towel held in front of the eyes of a bull. 

Eliza grabbed the nearest object she could find, which just happened to be Matt’s keys, and threw them against the wall with a loud, pained groan. Her hands were no longer covered by her sleeves, revealing the bandages underneath; they were close to getting soaked again, and Matt could smell the disinfectant mixing with her blood as it hit the sterile fabric around the wounds. 

He listened to her erratic heartbeat, but he knew better than to jump in. She had to channel her emotions, and as long as she didn’t channel them into hurting herself, he didn’t mind if she tossed his keys or the entire drawer across the room. 

Only when she raised her hand to land her fist on the wall did he reach out and pull her away. “That’s enough,” he said. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back into him. “You’re okay. You did so good, I’m proud of you.”

Her grunt turned into a weak whimper. “I hate lying to him,” she said. She was tired of the tears, but she wasn’t strong enough to fight them. 

“I know, I’m sorry.” 

“I just wish everything wasn’t so shitty…”

He shushed her as he rubbed her back, cradling her head with the other hand. She nuzzled into his chest. As he held her close, his hand wandered to her forehead. With her heartbeat still erratic and the sudden heat that seemed to erupt from her body, he couldn’t resist. He used his palm first, then used the back of his hand to confirm what he had already suspected. 

“You’re burning up,” he said. 

“I’m fine,” Eliza insisted. 

“Well, you have a fever, so I think you’re not fine.”

“What are you, a thermometer?”

“Technically, yes.”

“I can handle it. I’ve had worse.”

“I know that. I just think your knuckles might have gotten infected.”

She huffed. “It’ll go away.”

“Just admit you’re not feeling well,” Matt grabbed her face, “I just want to help you. Let me take care of you,” he said. 

Her muscles ached with the fatigue of the fever, and her skin was sticky with sweat. She hadn’t before realized how bad it got. 

Weakly, Eliza mustered a nod. He was grateful that he didn’t have to push her. He guided her to the couch, her limbs heavy as she walked. She sat down, waiting for him to join her, but he disappeared. The dishes in the kitchen clanged. She heard the tap run, the sound turning dull as it hit something soft. She even counted the seconds until he came back, her body locked up from the heat that burned her alive and the anxiety that she would be forever alone even though she wasn’t, and she hated feeling like her life wasn’t hers to control but belonged to the monsters in her head. 

Matt returned with a cold, wet towel and another cup of tea for her. She took it gladly, even took a sip of water as he draped the towel over her forehead. There wasn’t much else he could do. 

“Matt?” she asked weakly into the silence that had settled between them. 

He lifted his head with a soft smile. “Yes?”

“Can you… hold me?”

He nodded and sat down on the couch, his back turned to the armrest. She climbed into his lap, her back pressed flush against his chest. He held her close, his grip carrying enough strength to keep her from falling and making sure the badly glued pieces of her heart wouldn’t crack again. 

She leaned her head back against his shoulder and allowed herself to close her eyes. As the heat in her body rose, the exhaustion burned into her nerves. She clung to Matt, her one and only, her lifeline. He took that as a hint and tightened his hold around her, his arms wrapping around her frame completely. She was hot against him, but she needed him and he didn’t mind a little heat. He just wanted her to be okay, which she wasn’t, and that was something he desperately wanted to change. Being helpless was the worst feeling and he loathed it, especially when it came to the people he loved, and he had never loved someone as dearly as he loved the woman in his arms.

She relaxed as much as that was possible in her state, her lips parting slightly to let out a contented sigh. “Thank you,” she murmured, and he wasn’t sure if the slurring of her voice was due to tiredness or her being delirious. 

He whispered back into her ear, “Anything for you.”

But no matter how hard she tried, Eliza couldn’t find a way to restful sleep. She stayed awake in his arms, her mind consumed by thoughts. They were nowhere near close to finding the man who seemed to be putting Matt’s work to shame. He terrified the underworld of the city. He killed Viktor. And his alias suggested that killing criminals to enforce his twisted views of justice was simply his thing, and that turned into an even more terrifying realization because, in the end, Eliza was a criminal too. Perhaps that was why he visited her in the hospital, in the hopes she wouldn’t see him, and then left when she woke up. Perhaps the Punisher came to the hospital to silently tell her to count her days, that she was on his list of targets next, and that he would do anything in his power to make her join Viktor in hell, which Viktor had told her would happen soon enough. 

She didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of dying like him and then being forced to live with the thought that she failed to serve justice for all the other girls he hurt and whose deaths he was responsible for. 

Matt noticed she wasn’t asleep. He tried running his finger through her hair, but she still hadn’t found rest, so he chose to ask, “What’s on your mind?”

“Everything,” she admitted. 

In the solace of the dawning night, she was trapped in a spiral of what could have been, would have been, or should have been. She was trapped in the fears of the past and those of the future, and whenever she closed her eyes, she saw the faces of her victims and the faces of the men who ruined her life. She saw the childhood she had missed pass before her eyes. She was turned into a weapon and she never had a choice. And even now her past came back to haunt her every time she was happy, leaving her with no choice but to succumb to their painful claws of death. 

“What’s everything?” asked Matt. 

Eliza shrugged. “Just everything.”

“That’s quite a lot to think about.”

“Yeah.”

He paused. “What can I do to help you rest?”

“Unless you can shut my brain off, there is not much you can do.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault. Just hold me a little longer.”

“I’ll always hold you.”

“I know, and that’s why I love you.”

Matt smiled, pulling her even closer, almost impossibly so, and pressed his lip to where he could reach her temple. She reached out to hold his cheek, her eyes closing again. She stroked over his stubble and the slight flush on his cheeks from feeling her touch so gently on his sensitive skin. 

“I love you too,” he said then. 

She mustered a smile just for him and craned her neck so she could kiss his lips, her hand never wavering when it came to stroke his cheek. 

“We’ll find a way to get through this, sweetheart, I promise you.”

“You really promise?” she asked, her eyes glossing over with unshed tears. They glistened in the soft yellow light of the ceiling lamp that mixed with the colors of the ads that played on the billboard as clear as day. 

He nodded, using what little space he had left to return the gesture and stroke her cheekbone with his thumb. The calloused tip felt good against her heated skin and she sighed again. 

“I promise,” he said. 

She had to hold on to that promise. He promised they would find a way and she chose to believe it because if she didn’t, the fear would eat her alive. 

Tag List: @acharliecoxedfan @gpenguin666 @lina-mar (& if you want to be added too, fill out this form!)

[just-an-enby-lemon]

(second part): so since you threw the question back: some things I'd want them to carry over from the movie would be some of the designs - Bruce's look when he takes off the helmet and his eye makeup is smeared and his hair a mess is very fun for a young version of the character and it makes him seem more real and vulnerable. Selina's pre-Catwoman thief outfit is nice too, i like how makeshift it looks and that the beanie forms cat ears and how many earrings she wears, it suits her. Another design is the interior of Wayne Tower and the batmobile design, I wouldn't mind if these designs got carried over to the comics either. Another thing is that movie Bruce turned one of his father's old cars into the Batmobile according to tie-in material, which I think makes for interesting symbolism: using something his parents owned to avenge them. and another thing from that novel that could get carried over to the comics is that Edward was a mediocre or bad student - I know that's already older comics canon but I think they should bring it back again, it's always more interesting imo when he wasn't a good student because that would fuel his need to prove he is smart even more if even school was telling him that he isn't, and having him be someone that got failed by the school system not because he wasn't smart but because of his bad home situation and the way his neurodivergence was treated could be used to criticise that system too. Penguin starting his criminal career by working with Falcone could be interesting too

as for things I don't want them to carry over: aside from what you said also Riddler's character design, it's bland and the whole para-military vibe is something that doesn't really fit the character outside of the movie's version not to mention that it's always sad when a flamboyant character is made to fit society's standards of what is "normal" to be or dress like more. I also don't want them to carry over the way that his neurodivergence is portrayed because no offense to the actor but it came across like it really played up that he is a "scary autistic guy" who is scarier because he's not neurotypical. I also don't like how aggressive he is when delivering his riddles, it fits well for this version, but shouldn't become the standard interpretation imo. Oh and I think Martha being an Arkham shouldn't get carried over either cause her being a Kane is important because it makes Bruce jewish on his mother's side. The families could still be related though ofc, maybe via Thomas' mother?

...and now I'm curious what you think of those points haha

Okay. Let's go. About the desing choices you mentioned: heck yeah. I love how both Bruce and Selina's costumes show clearly that they are still starting their carrear and it's genuinally great. Wayne Tower has a great desing and adding to it soo does the Wayne Mansion.

And the batmobiles being adapted from Thomas cars and the desing reflecting it: aaaa. I did not knew that and now my hearth is melting.

• Edward being a mediocre student is something I actually have no opinion about on one way or anothe. I do have a soft spot for Ed being a bad student because his brain was wired different and the text based educacion system is a fraud because of the old comics. It works soo well to explain Edward misplaced fear of being a fraud, his need to prove his inteligence, because he is a genius, but since the way he filters and presents information was different than what formal education wanted he was wasted. A characther who failed by society in all aspects. It can even figure out in a version of him who doesn't know Bruce's secret identity (namely the Arkham games) as even though all evidences point to Bruce he refuses to believe that someone who was never failed by this system, who had the good grades and a good guardian and money and honestly everything could be Batman because that would mean that everyone was right that he was not helped because he isn't good enough.

But I also enjoy Edward being the best student in class and I feel like that can also created a system of self worth based on inteligence. I'm far from a genius but I had good grades and being a bullied kid with undiagnosed autism and just being weird the fact I was considered smart was the only value I could give myself for a long time. I had panick attacks when I forgot to do homework or got answers wrong because my value was being smart. It also creates a weird paradoxal feeling of you are better than everyone else because you are smart but also your value is only mesure by that if you do a mistake you are worse because you have no other talents. And since I wasn't a genius when things got hard (since no one teached me to study as I "didn't need it") and my grades started slipping in High School I started having severe panic attacks and that was how I started therapy. So I can see an Edward who never had this moment, who was mistreated at home and bullied and isolated and different but at least he had good grades and everyone always told him this was his only value and that this was enought to make him better than everyone else and he had no reason to not believe in both of those things. And still serves to criticize the education system.

So that's my way to say I think both aproachs are good and I like the idea. Sorry for the tagent.

• Penguin working for Falcone could be nice.

• Riddler's costume: Oh geez. It makes me question what they will do with Robin?

But seriusly it fits the universe. But comics are wild and any universe who has Constantine, Swanp Thing and Clayface has to stop trying for realism. Also people do dress dramaticatly or silly normally. So yeah. I hope they don't bring it to the main continuity. Also yes I hate when they nend characthers to fit into more socialy accepted clothes or behaviors and use "realism" as the explanation.

• FINALLY SOMEONE SAID IT. I mean some people are talking about it, but it's still such a small percentage.

DC has a huuge history with ableism in relation to bad portraits of mental health. Two-Face often poorly writen TDI is a prime example. Or just the fact that Arkham is based on Bedlam mostly for the scary factor. But I like to believe they are slowly improving on it or at least in showing that being neurodivergent and/or mentally disabled are not the reasons that the rogues are evil. Having Riddler's compulsive OCD being adressed in Unburied not as the reason for his crimes but as something that genuinally harms HIM and his perception of self was a small detail but it was a good start. Same with how they are slowly dealing with Harley being a survivor of DA or Bruce having panic attacks (showing Bruce having panic attacks was also a win in Unburied though it already had happened in some comics) or Jason dealing with PTSD. It's small things but they are progress.

That being the case it only makes worse for me how Riddler was portrait in The Batman. It was sooo fucking ableist. Specially for autistic people. And as an autist myself it gets me genuinally mad and offended. How the fuck did accidental coding on 1966 Riddler made for better stim representation than intencional coding (because it was intencional no one can convince me otherwise) in 2022?! Were they trying to be offensive? Was autism speaks involved in the charactherization? How did they fucked up soo bad?

• Agressive riddles should not be a thing. I think this is specially important as a thing that should not be translated to auditory media: podcasts, cartons, audibooks, future movies. Because I think it takes a lot of what riddles should mean for Riddler and also because I'm a firm beliver that all riddles should be told rhytimically in aduitory media, almost musicaly, specially with characther who do it a lot and/or like them. It just works better in my head.

• Yeah. Martha being an Arkham was something that was comic book cannon for a short while, but I don't like it. Bruce's accidental jewsish heritage makes soo much sense when taking into consideration how DC and MARVEL were founded mostly by jewish people. It feels an homage to this people (same reason I cannot see Peter Parker, Steve Rogers and Clark Kent as not being jewish though in Bruce's case they made it cannon, by accident but still).

While I think it could be interesting to have Bruce have Arkham blood on his father side. He is already related to two of the founder famillies and deeply conected with another via the Elliots. Maybe give the Arkham decendant to Tim to mix a little. Also Bruce being related to Jeremiah Arkham would be a strange thing in comics (like i don't think Mark Reeves plans to using Jeremiah so it's fine, but in the comics he already exists so it would be weird). I just think it could be cool but now really necessary at all.

Wow. I wrote a lot. Feel free to coment in any of it.

[sxftkxssxs]

Winged! Mc getting taken by animal control for being considered ‘too hostile’? Along with the M6 reacting to it (assuming they would be there witnessing it) with mc legit just getting hauled into a Vesuvia animal control style thing (carriage?) with one of those snare poles (long wire lassos or whatever) around the neck? Oh and a muzzle. Cant forget the muzzle. And I praise your writings they’re 💖💃beautiful✨💅

oh my god, a beautiful idea- and thank you! <333 (i did not really reread this so i hope this is good fjkdsl)

Asra

I personally don't think Asra would allow this?? but for the plot we'll say it just happened-

they're very upset, and no one in Vesuvia is safe

he hates seeing you so chained up, and immediately starts thinking of ways to get you out

they should not see you- if they do he might snap at that point

he's pulling lots of strings and so is the whole city

everyone loves you! they'll fight tooth and nail to keep you in the city

and ofc Nadia gets involved, which at that point, you have to give up

if anything they used left marks you can bet they're having the worst luck of their lives while in Vesuvia

he makes sure that everyone knows you're not hostile and if this ever happens again it's not gonna be as nicely handled

Julian

cursing the entire time

he handles this a lot less nicely than asra does

he thinks it's just downright stupid to think you're hostile! all you've done is fly around once in a while and maybe eat a bird or two!!

he's good at talking his way into and out of things, and somehow makes his way to where you are

...along with the whole part of the city that knows and loves you both,

it's basically an all-out brawl to get to you, mixed with Julian's sweet talk

Malak should be the one in the restraints honestly- he's poking everyone within range

you're definitely not the hostile one, and the whole city ends up seeing this whole thing-

Julian takes care of any marks that might've been left by anything they used, he's a little quiet doing so but eventually goes back to his normal self

Nadia

this would not happen,

I can't see how it would work unless it happened during Nadia's trial

which- in itself, the city would riot

adding the fact that Asra would still die for you? yeah no it doesn't work out

you're out of the muzzle and wire lasso in like- 10 minutes or less

Nadia will send a message a lot more deadly.

she's helping you rest and destress from the situation for the next day.

if there are any marks she'll have someone fix you right up immediately <33

Muriel

okay he's? literally stronger than a tree trunk.

even if they do get to you it's not for long and he hates seeing those restraints on you

it reminds him of his own collar and chains he kept on

Inanna is your bodyguard <33

she's just walking with you if Muriel isn't there

if you do get hurt in the process he tries his best to help and doesn't brush anything off

even if it's a tiny little bruise or cut it's gonna be patched up

you two probably aren't leaving the house the next day thanks to Inanna who refuses to let you leave unless it's important

Portia

I have a feeling she'd sneak you out with her brothers' help

Pepi is her little spy,

Julian has enough of a blabbermouth to keep everyone busy so

you're home safe and sound while everyone argues your case

I don't think that you'd get hurt much but if you did Portia knows how to patch little stuff up for you

and if she knows magic by this point she might help that way

you'll be relaxing with Pepi the rest of the night, and Portia might make you some food and tea if you'd let her

Lucio

doesn't happen sorry

you both probably aren't?? even in town if we go off of his upright ending. either way, Lucio could bribe them or just steal you back in some way

mmmm spoiled treatment after it happens though

I don't think anyone would want to do this since Lucio would whoop all of them for it

Mercedes and Melchior are all over you when you get back too.

he'll try his best to patch up any injuries you get but..it's best to let Asra or Julian handle it.

[brainrattlers]

Play It Cool - Tyson Jost (10/n)

Author’s notes: Tyson is trouble. I think we all know this.This starts up right after the last chapter, AJ just left for work, Tyson still at her house. This chapter is pretty fluffy. I feel like we could use some fluff right now.

Pairing: Tyson Jost x OFC

Warnings: Maybe language? Little bit of self-esteem issues.

Word Count: 2581

Need Part 9? https://brainrattlers.tumblr.com/post/687680928392347648/play-it-cool-tyson-jost-9n

About two hours into her shift, AJ’s phone started buzzing with a text from Tyson saying he was leaving and made sure the door was locked. She texted back a quick heart emoji as she was working on a ladder with some wiring. A few minutes later, her phone was buzzing away constantly in her pocket, and she thought something was legit wrong. Grabbing it, she noticed instagram notifications pouring in. Scrolling around trying to find the start of the craziness, she thought she might have been hacked, but no… This was actually Tyson’s fault.

AJ noticed the notification that Tyson had tagged her in one of his posts. Clicking on it, she was faced with an image of herself sitting on the bed, back to the camera with the JOST 17 shirt on full display, bedhead in all of its glory this morning. Comments were steadily coming in as she was trying to figure out when Tyson shot the photo. 

josty17 love waking up with her lol

mackinnon29 @josty17 unless you don’t want to wake up with her anymore, probably should take this down (38 likes)

tornadethedoodle Dad says he feels this photo with his soul. #curls (30 likes)

landeskog.92 oh boy. This is not going to end well. (27 likes)

jostysgirl17 WHO IS THIS *cries* (12 likes)

AJ thought about it a moment, and against her better judgment, she commented

wicketthewarrior You have no idea what you just started. Be afraid @josty17, be very afraid.

Immediately likes, replies, comments and friend requests starting pinging her phone. For the time being, AJ just shut off notifications for Instagram and went back to work. She’d sift through some of the nonsense and settings on her lunch break. One more buzz of her phone was another text from Tyson.

Tyson: Hope you’re having a good day at work babe. (winking emoji)

AJ: You’re lucky you’re cute, Jost.

Tyson: (kissing emoji)

AJ rolled her eyes and finished up the first half of her shift. Jess texted her right before lunch asking for details of what exactly happened. She admitted the small panic attack from the night before stemming from the hit on MacDonald, and how awful she felt asking for Tyson to come over after the game. But the fact he did, and was a perfect gentleman (okay like 97% perfect gentleman, Tyson is Tyson after all), scored big points in both AJ and Jess’ books. The photo, however, garnered a split reaction. Jess: I’m with Nate on this one, that maybe wasn’t the smartest move… minus points from me. Funny, yes, but only because it wasn’t Nate posting me. AJ: Wait, are you saying that you’ve already crashed with Nate? (winking emoji) Either way you know Nate wouldn’t post that because *Nate doesn’t post*, ha. No… no… Tyson doesn’t even know what can of worms he has opened in doing this. He won’t know when his payback is coming, nor does he know what it will be. But.. it will be something. (smiling evil emoji)

While eating her lunch, AJ sifted through all the notifications that poured in on Instagram, including a few players and their significant others adding her, and slew of other follows. Most of them she would have been fine with, but there were already hateful comments being posted on older posts. Comments about how she was ugly, how Tyson could do so much better, or that he’s a chubby chaser. She wanted to read through all of the comments out of sick curiosity, but also they really stung at the same time. Ignoring the trolls seemed to be the best option, but still… it hurt her heart. AJ started to worry what Tyson was dealing with, if he was receiving nasty messages and such. 

It must have been like Tyson was having similar thoughts, because he just texted AJ. Tyson: Hey, do you have a minute? 

AJ: Yeah, would it be easier to call? Within seconds her phone was buzzing, ID popping up Maple Syrup <3.

“Hey babe, what’s up?”

“I’m so sorry.” Tyson didn’t even know what to say at this point. And AJ could tell what he was apologizing for wasn’t even the photo. He took a deep breath before continuing. “I didn’t think… that would happen.”

AJ was prepared for this, and yeah, while it sucks, there are a good chunk of assholes on the internet. When she and Nate would squad stream, similar comments were there, but they were directed at her, not Nate. There were some comments toward Tyson that were straight up brutal.

“It sucks, but nothing I haven’t been through before. Are you okay? I never meant to reflect badly on you. I’m more worried about you right now.”

He was better equipped for this than she realized. “You know I deal with all sorts of criticisms from journalists and fans ALL THE TIME, right? Rarely do I pay attention to it. You sure you’re okay though? I can take it down still.”

AJ actually laughed, which was unexpected. “I hadn’t planned on going public quite like that, but… it is done. You’re good at yanking off the bandaids sometimes,” AJ chuckled again, “There’s no taking this back. Jess already showed me that the photo was spreading on Tumblr and a bit on Twitter. We’re a THING for sure now. What we have to do next though is combine forces and become the next social media power couple.”

Tyson busted out laughing, which relieved AJ’s nerves a bit. “Alright, but you’re probably going to have to be my social media manager so I don’t do that again.” The couple chatted a few more minutes, closing out AJ’s lunch break. The two made a pact to not read the comments except for names they recognized. And AJ started making plans on how she was going to get Tyson back for the original post. As the author, I’d be lying if I told you AJ wasn’t laughing a little maniacally at the thought.

Later that week though, schedules synced up, and Tyson finally let AJ know what he wanted for dinner, to fulfill her end of the bet she lost bowling during the double date. It just so happened that it was a Saturday night that the two both had off. In fact, as soon as practice let out that afternoon, Tyson headed to AJ’s house, with an extra gift in his backpack. Worst case scenario, he figured it’d at least garner a chuckle. With a knock, he found the door open and let himself inside, announcing his arrival.

“In the kitchen, babe!” 

The smells coming from the kitchen immediately hit Tyson’s nose, and his stomach was growling already. He followed the scent to the kitchen, where he found AJ with her hair in a messy ponytail, dish towel slung over her shoulder, and flour across her forehead. He stood in the doorway, admiring the view, much like he did that first day he met AJ. Except this time, she wasn’t on a ladder, and he was wearing more than just a towel. She was still singing though, swaying slightly to the soothing sound of Chet Baker’s “My Funny Valentine” coming from the speaker in the corner of the room.

This put a smile on Tyson’s face, for a few reasons. First, he loved hearing AJ sing. But it also made him think of the music his grandpa’s jazz band would play. He quietly moved across the kitchen, wrapping his arms around AJ’s midsection and rested his chin on her shoulder. The two swayed side to side slowly as she continued to chop vegetables on the cutting board in front of her. As the song ended, he kissed her neck quickly, earning a giggle from the scruff tickling her. Tyson grabbed a chunk of carrot off the board, and popped it in his mouth with a grin. His eyes were wide with wonder as he lifted the lid off of the crockpot, simmering a pot roast. AJ raised an eyebrow, Tyson getting the hint to put the lid back on. 

A timer went off, and the chef ran to the oven to pull out a bowl of dough covered in plastic wrap. With a clap of her hands, AJ sent a puff of flour into the air, and got the dough out of the bowl with a loud PLOP. Her fingers pulled chunks of the dough apart, and placed a few at a time into a bag containing cinnamon and brown sugar. Tossing the dough balls in the sweets, she emptied them into a pan, tossing in some pecans and covered it all in a mixture of melted butter, more brown sugar, and maple syrup (the good stuff, not the fake stuff. AJ couldn’t bring herself to use fake maple syrup, especially since this was for Tyson).

This whole time, Tyson had something in his hands, meaning to give it to AJ but didn’t want to interrupt the master at work. He watched as she masterfully stirred, melted, poured, taste-tested, and seasoned the items cooking. It hit him how lucky he was that AJ was willing, if not happy, to do this. As she finally took a deep breath and wiped her hands on the towel on her shoulder while sitting down, he took the opportunity.

“I know you’re almost done, but I saw this and thought of you.” He handed her a gift bag, complete with tissue paper on top. 

AJ looked at Tyson quizzically, then lifted up the paper to find something that felt like heavy fabric. Pulling it out and unfurling it, she found an apron in her hands, stating “Kiss the cook!”

“Well, what do you think?”

The cook rolled her eyes, and put on the apron, tying it around her waist. She did a 360 spin in front of Tyson. He leaned in and gave her a quick kiss.

“Just doing what the apron says!”

A smirk fell across her face, but the moment was interrupted with another timer going off. AJ scurried over to the crockpot, adding potatoes and carrots to the meat and broth simmering. Tyson tried to steal another carrot, but his hand was swatted away. Looking at her watch, she did some quick math, and found that the roast and potatoes needed to cook about 2 more hours. She gave him the option to choose the backrub now or later, and if he wanted to watch a movie/series or play video games.

Tyson tried to defer to her, but all she said was “I just want to sit down, I’ve been cooking for about 3 hours straight.” The new apron was hung on the hook near the doorway.

After thinking for a moment, Tyson made the decision that they could watch a series, that way she could go check on things between episodes. He queued up Letterkenny as AJ flopped on the sofa. 

“Nope, on the floor.”

AJ raised an eyebrow. “What are you up to, Jost?”

“On the floor,” Tyson repeated himself as he was moving the coffee table away from the sofa, and then sat down. “Get in front of me.” He awkwardly spread his legs with his knees bent, and pat the space in front of him.

Not sure what the plan was, AJ sat in front of him with some hesitation. He didn’t pull her back to lean on him, in fact, he kept her upright. But she wasn’t prepared for what was next - the feeling of Tyson’s hands rubbing her shoulders. His thumbs found the knots in her neck and shoulders, and along her spine. He couldn’t help but chuckle at the moans that fell from AJ’s lips as he massaged her back. Her eyes closed and head fell forward as he continued his welcomed assault on her tired muscles. She was putty in his hands. After an episode of Letterkenny had finished, his hands came to a halt, and AJ’s eyes opened again.

“What was that for? I’m pretty sure I owe you a back rub because of the bet...”

“Thought you could use it after what all you’ve done today,” Tyson leaned forward to kiss AJ’s shoulder before pulling her back flush to his chest, leaning her head on his shoulder so they could look at each other. “Besides, I’ll cash in that back rub you owe me at some point.” He smiled, leaning down to kiss his girlfriend’s lips, then hugging her tightly to him before keeping his arms loosely draped over her as the next episode started.

A few more episodes of Letterkenny played as the two would laugh, simply enjoying each other’s company until the timer in the kitchen went off again. Tyson was like a giddy kid jumping up to follow AJ. He intently watched her remove the roast and fixings from the pot, leaving the juice to be made into gravy. She stirred in a few more ingredients to make the magic happen, and put the monkey bread into the oven. Lastly, after grabbing a couple of plates and the bowl of salad from the fridge, the three course meal began.

After the greens were eaten, she picked up the bowls, and brought the platter with freshly sliced roast to the tiny table, followed by the pan with potatoes and carrots, and the heated gravy. Tyson loaded his plate up with food and dug in. The first bite of roast with gravy left him with his eyes closed, mouth chewing slowly, and a stifled groan as he swallowed. He opened his eyes and licked the corner of his lip.

“I know I asked you to make YOUR favorite meal for me, but damn babe, this might be MY new favorite meal!”  

AJ blushed at the compliment. It wasn’t a tough meal, just a little time consuming. But it always made her feel at home. And the best part was still to come. Tyson filled his plate up with seconds of everything as the last timer was going off in the kitchen. One last trip resulted with AJ returning to the table with a pan, plate, and a trivet. With some flair, she flipped the pan onto the plate, lifting to reveal the sweet, gooey bread that had been baking earlier.

If you thought Tyson was intensely staring at the pot roast being brought out earlier, imagine him smelling the sweetness of the maple syrup, brown sugar and hint of cinnamon, causing his mouth to water. AJ definitely had to swat away his hand from the extremely hot dessert on the table.

“Patience, Jost. Good things come to those who wait.” She winked and blew a kiss to him.

Tyson pouted but finished the mountain of meat and potatoes on his plate, impatiently waiting for dessert to cool. In the meantime, AJ hopped up to pick up what little leftovers were left. She was expecting some roast to be left over to make some beef and dumplings for lunches later in the week, but she had forgotten she just cooked a small roast for a professional athlete. Cooking in the future would need to be adjusted if she was going to continue feeding him plus hoping for leftovers.

Finally grabbing a small plate and a serving spoon from the kitchen, AJ dished up some of the gooey bread, drizzling some of the golden syrup from the dish over the top and placed it in between the two of them.

“Don’t tell Nate I’m feeding you this.” 

Tyson didn’t even hear her, his eyes went wide as soon as he saw the mapley goodness trailing into the nooks and crannies of the bread, and his mouth simply went “oh wow.” 

Digging a fork in, a piece of the bread broke off from the other pieces, and quickly made its way into Tyson’s mouth. AJ just watched for his reaction before she dug in to get her own bite.

Despite his mouth being full, Tyson managed to mumble out, “holy smokes, I love you so much.”

Tyson smiled and tapped his foot on top of AJ’s under the table as she was able to enjoy her own bite. A happy sigh came to be - it was pretty much a perfect evening. Good food, good company, good time. The good company even picked up the last plate and headed back toward the kitchen, and started filling the sink up with hot water and soap, much as she did when Tyson made her dinner. Grabbing the remainder of utensils and such needing washed, the pair scrubbed, rinsed, dried, and put away all the items, leaving AJ a clean kitchen. Tyson brought the rest of the monkey bread in, popping off one more piece. He teased her, as if he was going to put it in her mouth, but smeared it across her cheek and lip before gently placing it between her lips. She chewed and swallowed while squinting at him.

“Really, babe?”

Without hesitation, just a goofy grin, Tyson caught AJ’s chin with his fingers, leaned in… and sloppily licked the sugar off her cheek. Part 11: https://brainrattlers.tumblr.com/post/688999944222277632/play-it-cool-tyson-jost-11n

[degenrcy]

traitor (chapter 1); shigaraki tomura/f!reader

my online friends aren’t bad people! they just want to destroy hero society!

word count: 2.7k

warnings (for this chapter): underage (first year reader), grooming, minor use of jp honorifics, ik some people don’t like that too much, uhh i cant think of anything else lmk if anything needs to be added!

hi! this is my first time posting my works on tumblr and im unfamiliar with formatting hehe ^^ originally posted on ao3 but this version will be edited! also, this chapter doesn’t have any super explicit nasty stuff, so if that’s what you’re looking for stay tuned! any feedback is greatly welcomed and appreciated, i hope you enjoy!

it was the weekend, finally managing to finish all your work for school before it got too late to feel bad for not having anything done. that meant you could freely stay up late playing games, and maybe even spend sunday training.

you booted up your computer, instantly faced with the gray interface of discord. a few notifications from servers and the private messages with your friends. you first checked class 1-a’s personal chat.

deku: does anyone want to go on call? denki: yeah what r we playing deku: not for games, for studying! denki: wtf is wrong with you deku: sorry (*μ_μ)

you smiled at the messages between your friends, seeing that deku, uraraka, and momo were all in a call together, appropriately titled ‘study stream!!’. you debated in popping in to say hi, but you were positive they were deep into work. 

denki, kirishima, and jiro were all playing minecraft. you would join but it wasn’t a minecraft type of night, some fps action was much needed. you eyed the pm waiting to be read at the top of the screen, knowing exactly who it was from.

ten: hey u wanna play today : whenever ur off school i mean

you grinned, eyes lighting up and fingers instantly typing away.

y/n: ofc ten-kun!!!! is apex fine? i’m feeling very grind to diamond tn

before you could even click out of the tab to open up the actual game, ten was already typing back. a simple ‘yeah’, his status changing from blank to apex.

grabbing your headphones with a working mic, you placed them over your ears and plugged it into the jack, starting up the game and joining the call your friend started. as always, he was quiet, only the sound of shuffling around and the wire of (what you presumed) his own headphones hitting against something.

“hiii, ten-kun!” you said softly, close to the mic.

“hi, you.” his voice wasn’t ear-rumbling deep or anything, but it definitely gave away that he was older than you. however, he had that signature gravelly and groggy tone that assured you he wasn’t twice your age. for as long as you’ve known him, he hasn’t indulged you in much personal information.

you always wondered what he looked like.

“jeez ten-kun, are you seriously rich or something?” you gasped at the new skin he had equipped, it was just released in a bundle that was not so affordable, to say the least. on top of that, he always bought you skins and cosmetics as well- you weren’t mooching off him though- it was just fun to play with ten, he’s really good at the games he plays. 

“it’s called a job, when are you going to get one?” he teased.

“i’m still in high school! plus, we’re going to some big training place, so maybe heroes will come observe or something, then i’ll get one.”

mentioning that you were still young and in school never put ten off, at first being a sort of warning to the stranger you met online that you were potentially underage. now it was clear that he didn’t care if you were 16, he didn’t have any bad intentions. he just liked playing with you, you were ‘surprisingly good’, that’s all it was.

“really? where to this time?” ten asked, spamming voice lines.

“why don’t we drop hot spot?”

“no, i meant where are you going, with the school? idiot.” he sighed, dropping hot spot anyway.

“oh,” you giggled. “some place called usj or something? usg? i’m not really sure, i didn’t pay attention.”

ten tapped at his keyboard, satisfying smooth clicks of each cap, but his character wasn’t moving. you ran up to him in-game and punched him, sending him off the small cliff he stood on.

“why the hell did you do that? i can’t climb back up.” he groaned, and you only laughed as you looked down at him. the two of you continued to play for a couple hours, racking up competitive points and leveling up.

“-and then aizawa literally embarrassed me in front of the class, it was so fucked up.” you were telling ten about the situation you were in yesterday in class, where aizawa basically exposed your failing assignment for the class to see.

“i would hate to have him as a teacher,” (so he is a student? maybe a senior?) “is he coming on your little field trip too?”

“hey! not some little field trip, and yes. all might too, which i’m admittedly kinda excited for.” ten hummed, and you pictured him nodding. you wondered who his favorite hero was, he always avoided the question. you wondered a lot of things about your mysterious duo-queue partner. 

more typing without anything happening onscreen, you noticed that it’s been happening a few times.

“ten-kun, is your keyboard broken?”

he was silent for a while, all noises halted. “yeah. sometimes it just stops working so i have to spam.”

“you buy me all these things but can’t buy a new keyboard?” you teased, and he laughed sarcastically.

when the day to go to the training area came, you were excitedly texting your friend on the bus ride there.

i’m really excited!! hope it goes well, we can talk with the others maybe after!

ten: ofc. lowkey wish i could see u, but i’m stuck at home today

;(((

you did want to see him, to see exactly who the funny cool guy was behind the screen. it was cheesy, but you really did want to meet him- all your online friends, many who were mutuals of ten’s. you all met through another game you all played, teamed up together after one random match and all became regular playing buddies, they were fun and understanding and you trusted them. sure, there were occasions where some creep would say weird things to you or some of the other girls, but the boys were always there to fight them off.

so when villains attacked that day, you confided in ten the next time you were online, which was too many days too long.

“i-i’m sorry... i shouldn’t really talk about it much but... i’m sure you’ve seen it on the news.”

“yeah,” ten sighed, you imagined a faceless male running his hands through his hair. it would be longer, down to his ears, remembering a time where ten said he needed a haircut. “i did, are you alright? did you get hurt?”

“just a few scrapes and bruises... my teacher got seriously hurt though, but i was luckier than some of my other classmates.”

“if i was there, i would’ve protected you... and your friends.”

you sniffed, smiling and curled up in your blanket tighter. “thank you, ten-kun. i bet you would, with your mysterious quirk.”

he chuckled. “sure would. ahh, it sucks that we really can’t meet up now, wish i could take you somewhere nice to get your mind off things.”

“that’s really nice of you,” you couldn’t stop the smile stretching across your face. “i really wanna meet you and the others. even a video chat would be cool, maybe, i don’t know.” you felt a bit guilty always prying ten for his appearance, but a few of your other mutuals have already dropped their personal instagrams and even sent pictures of themselves. all except ten.

“aren’t you on like- probation now? especially being in ua?”

you pouted, even though he couldn’t see. he avoided your question again. “yeah. for a while, just to be safe.”

“figured that much, be careful, y/n. i don’t want you getting hurt or anything.”

“okay, ten-kun...” you whispered softly, eyes fluttering closed to the sound of his voice. the occasional typing and soft whirr of a fan in the background was strangely comforting, his occasional sniff or even soft curse at the game he was playing.

it was soothing, just hearing him be there with you. so calming you fell asleep on call with him.

ten-kun the anticipation is killing me!! send us a picture of your new outfit!!! rokiroki: yeah ten-kun~~~ ten: kill yourself ten: not u y/n

your smile lit up at the mirror picture that was suddenly sent to the group chat, gasping and instantly clicking on the attachment to inspect closer. an all black outfit, camera angled down so his face didn’t show up. ten-kun seemed pretty lanky, bony pale hands and shoes that looked huge on him because of his thin ankles.

the picture in your mind became a bit clear.

the sports festival was going to be held soon, a bit too soon after recent events. you wanted to do your best, show off your skills, make a name for yourself! 

“you want me to come watch you, is that it, y/n?” ten gave a quick laugh through his nose. you were surprised how quick he was able to catch on to you.

“i mean, if you want, you know... free to the public, and we can finally meet! bring your friends too!”

“that’s a terrible idea. bunch of neets coming to a high school to watch teenagers? i think we’d get arrested just for being near the school.” ten sighed, his chair creaking, so you assumed he was leaning back in his seat to stretch.

so maybe he wasn’t quite your age.

“did you ever do a festival?”

“nah. i’m sure you’ll do good though, win for me, y/n.”

and with that in mind, you didn’t exactly drop out of the festival, nor did you rank super high, you didn’t end up doing weekend training after all. but ten had all sorts of questions and general comments about the event.

ten: seems unheroic to me to chain the winner of the festival like that you think? he does kinda have some anger issues >.> ten: they dont have any deescalation techniques? ahh idk, guess not. ten: pretty fucked for a hero school : anyway, i saw that move you did last round. u really nailed that kid in the face lmao

you tucked your phone away when all might started to hand out medals, looking up at bakugo worriedly as he stood up there to be probably ridiculed, the crowd continuing to cheer. you didn’t know the full story as to why he was acting like that, but it had to be for a reason.

“t-there has to be a reason, why the fuck would this happen?!” you paced around your dorm, panicking to your best-online-friend about bakugo being kidnapped.

“calm down y/n.”

“dude, he was just here yesterday, and now he’s been taken by some fucking villains or some shit-“

“don’t cry, y/n. it’ll be alright. the heroes will find him, surely. he’s a strong kid.” ten was more hushed and quiet than usual, he wasn’t on his computer, that much you could tell. you sniffled on your line anyway.

“i think i’m gonna join my friends on the rescue mission, that’s doing what’s right, right?”

silence.

“right, ten-kun?”

“don’t come.” there was some ruckus in the background, his mic occasionally going on mute and back on.

“what?”

“don’t risk your life just because they want to do something stupid.” a knock at his door and a distant ‘yeah yeah, i’ll be right there’. “anyway. i have to go- don’t do anything stupid, y/n. i don’t want you to get hurt.”

“o-okay, ten...” your lip quivered and heart sank when he ended the call, wishing he was able to stay on the phone longer to comfort you. your classmate was just kidnapped, you really needed his reassurance! well, you also had your very concerned real-life friends but... ten was different, you knew he was. he always had good advice and stories and opinions on things- not the company-approved 'the heroes will take care of it!' talk your friends always gave you. 

bakugo returned home safe and quickly, back at school like nothing happened. you didn’t want to bother him further by sharing your relief he was alright, more concerned with the current issue at hand. ten had been inactive for what felt like forever, but he was suddenly back, in the server like nothing happened. like he hadn't been offline for weeks on end and no activity, no messages to you.

ten: new season came out lets queue y/n: where have u been!!!!!!!!! :0000 ten: oh lol ten: doing big boy things you wouldnt understand little girl rokiroki: lul OFAxAFO: dont be mean to little y/n-chyannnn!! <333

even though ten was playing a game you didn’t own with his friends, you joined the call anyway, voice overshadowed by the shouting of the other three people in the call, arguing about which skin was hotter or which character was nerfed this season. you became quiet and just played with them, waiting for the next opportunity to talk to ten patiently.

and so that chance came when ten pretended to get off the game just to put you and him in a private call.

“i missed you, ten-kun! where have you been? we were without a dps for so long.” you cuddled up in your bed, hugging the spare pillow close to your chest. ten chuckled, he had a whole new demeanor to him.

“missed me? what do you mean, missed me?” you knew he was teasing you, but his voice lacked the playful tone, he wasn’t doing his breathy little laughs.

“you know... just missed playing with you and stuff. w-without you i actually got my work done at school, haha.” your small laugh fell short, it was true. you used to spend so much time talking with him that you missed out on schoolwork, but now it felt weird. you didn’t want it to be weird. you wanted ten to miss you as much as you missed him.

“you sure that’s it? didn’t miss me in any other way?” there was a hum to his words now, his teasing was taking a different route entirely. 

your breath hitched, finger stopped scrolling through your phone, and that unmistakable feeling in the pit of your stomach.

“h-how can i miss you like that if i’ve never seen you in person, or know your name...”

“you tell me.”

“i just missed your voice,” there was no point trying to hide it. “like talking with you, and stuff. it’s not the same being with everyone else without you.”

“it was pretty boring not talking to you while i was out. my coworkers just aren’t like you.”

you smiled, burying your face into the pillow. you two continued to talk, catching up, throwing around jokes and making new ones. he mentioned how roki’s recent conquest of meeting a girl online and hooking up with her was completely fake, he would know, he spent the weekend with him.

“speaking of that, a-about what the guys were talking about earlier, the stuff about sending pictures?”

“what about it?”

“h-have you ever done stuff like that?”

“nah,” ten answered smoothly. he huffed, like he just fell back onto a bed. “don’t have any girls in my phone to do that.”

“you have me.”

“what?” ten bursted out laughing, and you felt all the shame and embarrassment rise up to your face. you were stupid for saying that, for thinking that was appropriate to say to some random dude you met online that’s probably was older than you and not interested in high schoolers.

“have you ever done that?” ten was calmed down now, breathing a bit heavier as he waited your response.

“no... not really interested in the people from my class.”

“from your class? are you interested in anyone else?”

“t-ten-kun... that’s...” your face felt like a million degrees. his voice was shooting straight to your stomach, making your thighs rub against each other.

“cmon y/n, you can tell me.” you closed your eyes and imagined that he was whispering directly into your ear, holding you against the wall, that pale hand was gripping your shoulder and working its way up-

“i think i like you, ten-kun,” you finally spilled. “and even though we’ve never met or anything like that- just this past year of knowing you and playing with you all the time... i think i got some stupid crush on you...”

ten was silent, and you wanted to fall into the floor after your confession. the earlier rush of excitement was quickly fleeting and once again being replaced by shame. he probably thought you were weird or gross, and he’s never going to-

“me too, i think.”

[outercrasis]

Oh what's that? Is it- a fic announcement? You bet it is.

Bonded

Max Phillips x Named F!Reader/OFC (Prudence Walker)

Paranormal Investigation AU

Summary: Prudence travels the country investigating paranormal claims and reports. When you get a call about a possible vampire you don't hesitate to check it out.

What you don't anticipate are things going sideways and getting yourself bound to the vampire for the foreseeable future. If you're lucky, you'll make it out of this ordeal alive.

Rating: Mature/Explicit 18+ (pls see my A/N regarding explicit content)

Warnings: it's a story based on the supernatural and a vampire so things are bound to get bloody, messy, and a bit dark at times. There will be more specific/individual warnings for each chapter, but if you don't like spooky and/or violent things this probably isn't the fic for you.

A/N: Hello there! I am super excited to announce this fic, I've been hard at work on it and to finally be sharing it with all of you is thrilling! First I want to say thanks to @castleamc for listening to me ramble and share random stuff about this fic, it has been very much appreciated, ily bestie 💕

This fic is mostly born out of my love for the supernatural/paranormal. I've been fascinated by it for as long as I can remember, watching Ghost Hunters with my mom as a kid. You can quote me as having said that if money was of no object my dream job would be to travel the US/world investigating paranormal claims, whether they be spirits, cryptids, demons, aliens, or whatever else.

Writing this has more or less become my excuse to fall down internet rabbit holes where the paranormal is concerned. I've also been wanting to write a more linear fic as well as something with Max so this just seemed like a match made in heaven (is that ironic? maybe).

I went with a Named Reader/OFC, as I wanted to flesh out the character a bit more, but I'll be writing in second person so insert away if you please! I really struggled to decide if I wanted this fic to be completely reader insert or an OFC and I think this is a happy medium for me. (I'd be remiss to not shout out @wyn-n-tonic Frizzy Universe & @radiowallet Poorly Wired Circuit for giving me the confidence to write the character this way💕)

There won't be a regular schedule for posting chapters as I'm still working my other series while I write this and I'll need to do research for (most) chapters. Life can easily get in the way of doing things like research and I don't want to make any promises I can't keep!

Regarding E rating: This fic is going to be a slow burner, so if you're expecting smut right away, I'm sorry but you won't find it here. It'll be there when it's natural for the story, not just tossed in for the sake of things (not that I think anyone else does that - I don't, I just want to make things clear here). I'm still rating it as M before that as I don't think it's suited for a general audience and I don't feel comfortable rating it lower when I know there will be sexual content in the storyline.

I'm very excited to start posting this fic and I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do writing it!

Coming soon!

(In the meantime, check out the spotify playlist I made for this fic!)

Everything/Max Phillips taglist: @castleamc @sharkbait77 @librariantothejedi @janebby @spideysimpossiblegirl @roxypeanut @paperbag33 @escapades-to-rivendell   @thisshipwillsail316  @lellowberry @danidrabbles ​ @stevie75 @tintinn16 @doin-stuff

If you'd like to be added to the taglist for this, please fill out my taglist here or reply directly to this post! (This will help me stay organized and not miss tagging you!)

If you'd like to be removed from this taglist, no hard feelings, just let me know however is most comfortable for you 💕

[1tsnoya]

HI love can you do a HC where the reader is in like a 'team slumber party" w the whole Karasuno vbc bc hONESTLY my heart is so soft for that idea like they're all jus vibing 😭😭 love my babies so much

IMPORTANT | a/n: i believe that i’m shadowbanned so my message history disappeared and my posts will probs slack for a bit >:( pls don’t mind </3 super sorry babes ! hopefully it gets resolved soon

✧･ﾟkarasuno sleepover✧･ﾟ headcanons

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* :･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

↳ it was like 2 in the morning and the gc with the volleyball club was blowing up

↳ everyone was awake and it was just CHAOS

↳ so it made you wonder — wtf would a giant sleepover with us all be like

↳ so u asked just that in the gc

↳ the responses were...

tsuki: no way

yams: cmon it’d be so much fun!!

kageyama: sure

hinata: LETS DO IT

noya: FUCK IT UPPP

tanaka: YUH GET INTO IT

daichi: sounds interesting

tsuki: fine

suga: i’m down!

asahi: me too!

yachi: i’m scared

kiyoko: it’ll be fine yachi

↳ so it was scheduled for friday night at 6pm

↳ and when everyone got there WOW it was so loud there was so much going on

↳ everyone finally calmed down when pizza was ordered hksksjhs

↳ a debate about pineapple on pizza went down

↳ HUGE SUPER MARIO PARTY GAME HOLY SHIT

↳ there were 12 of you (including yourself) and max was 8 players so kiyoko, yachi, asahi, and tanaka sat out

↳ tanaka was yelling at noya and hyping him up though and so was asahi at suga

↳ hinata picked diddy, kageyama picked the goomba, tsuki picked bowser jr, yamaguchi picked shy guy, suga picked yoshi, daichi picked donkey kong HSHSJJSH, and noya picked wario obvi

↳ so. much. SCREAMING

↳ tanaka: “NOYA OHMY- dont fuck this up you need to roll 4- LETS GO BABY LETS GET A-”

↳ he rolled a 4 pure luck and him and tanaka started running around screaming “LETS GOOOOO”

↳ tsuki: “you have 0 stars”

↳ noya: “wtf i’m still gonna win-”

↳ daichi was clueless at first but then really started getting into it

↳ suga was hyping everyone up but was super determined to win

↳ kageyama had the WORST luck. he could have sworn that the game was against him

↳ hinata made fun of him HAA

↳ SUPER CLOSE GAME BETWEEN SUGA AND TSUKISHIMA

↳ tsuki won are u fr?

↳ after another round, tanaka and noya suggested spin the bottle

↳ sigh

↳ they obviously were hoping to kiss kiyoko

↳ she played ONE round. ONE

↳ landed on yachi ofc<3

↳ SO MUCH YELLING WHEN IT WAS JUST A QUICK AND SMALL PECK BETWEEN THEM

↳ yachi was so nervous it was hilarious

↳ OH AND THEN IT LANDED ON TSUKISHIMA AND YAMAGUCHI

↳ tsuki did it like it was NOTHING

↳ cue the screaming. again

↳ after a few more turns, it started getting late so asahi took some uno cards out of his bag

↳ everybody changed into their jammies and sat in a circle

↳ hinata was wearing some old tee from grammar school as his pj shirt and the first and second years FLAMED him

↳ anyways. uno game. right

↳ tell me why daichi got the worst cards every turn

↳ hinata was peeking at other people’s cards

↳ kageyama was pissed off by how many cards he kept having to pick up

↳ so. many. plus 4 cards. from suga

↳ but ohohoh he got some karma

↳ yamaguchi placed down a +4 to give to yachi (he picked it up and was s o s o r r y) then she placed another one down to give to hinata, THEN HE PLACED ANOTHER +4 AND LASTLY TANAKA ADDED 4 AND GAVE IT TO SUGA

↳ 16 fucking cards- he was scared

↳ yamaguchi won <3

↳ and then asahi whipped out another game

↳ family feud....

↳ you can already tell how bad this is gonna get

↳ team #1 consisted of: hinata, kageyama, daichi, yachi, nishinoya

↳ team #2: tsukishima, asahi, suga, kiyoko, tanaka

↳ yamaguchi wanted to be the steve harvey of the night so you helped him keep track of points

↳ in the gc, asahi texted a msg for someone to bring a button

↳ tanaka brought a “nut” one 💀

↳ you placed it in the middle of the table. boom. what could go wrong?

↳ round one began...

↳ tanaka vs daichi

↳ yams: “name something you find sand in after a day at the beach”

↳ the fucking button SLAMMED AGAINST THAT TABLE AND SOUNDED LIKE IT WAS GOING TO BREAK

↳ tanaka: “MY ASS-”

↳ the GIGGLING THAT ESCAPED EVERYONE’S MOUTHS-

↳ daichi was just “:O um. my turn-or?”

↳ noya: did he get the point?

↳ kageyama: he is on the OTHER TEAM

↳ hinata: i guess but it was a good answer..

↳ i’m pretty sure you can already guess what team won

↳ a few more rounds were played and it was like midnight so you put a movie on

↳ tanaka noya and hinata sat in the front, laughing at every single thing going on

↳ kageyama: “hinata if u don’t shut ur FUCKING MOUTH”

↳ yamaguchi: “can you raise the volume?”

↳ tsukishima: “no they just need to shut the fuck up before i go over there and-”

↳ a pillow was thrown...

↳ shit went down..

↳ asahi: “come on guys let’s just watch the movie”

↳ daichi threw a pillow at him

↳ cue the surprised pikachu face @ daichi

↳ yachi was sCared

↳ so her, kiyoko, and you snuck off to the bathroom while chaos erupted between the boys

↳ kiyoko: “okay when they all fall asleep, i want to mess with them”

↳ yachi: “are you sure that they won’t kill us-?”

↳ OHOHOHO a plan was devised

↳ you three waited until the screaming died down a bit and then walked out

↳ feathers everywhere, uno cards all over the floor, and the nut button was smashed...

↳ wtf happened you left to the bathroom for like 6 minutes-

↳ “ummm...”

↳ “so...”

↳ “bed..time?”

↳ it was 1:30 in the morning and i’m sure you can already tell who was wide awake

↳ daichi, kageyama, asahi, yamaguchi, and tsukishima were trying to get ready to sleep

↳ you and the girls were trying to stay awake for your little plan

↳ hinata, noya, tanaka, and suga were just... wired

↳ yeah did suga surprise u? nope not me. that boy is chaotic at sleepovers don’t @ me

↳ they set up a smash game (while the others were sleeping) so tsuki woke back up to beat everyones ass-

↳ it started getting loud until daichi got up like - “shut✨the fuck✨up✨”

↳ so everyone quieted down HSJSHS

↳ you joined in on the game and teams were formed

↳ you and tsuki vs hinata, noya, and suga

↳ tsuki: “just pls don’t fuck this up-”

↳ you and him won😫obvi

↳ at the end when it was only tsuki and suga, he kept RUNNING AWAY FROM HIM

↳ suga was just — :p u cant catch me

↳ and when he did.. yikes..

↳ everyone eventually fell asleep

↳ except you, kiyoko, and yachi

↳ kageyama grumbles in his sleep, daichi sleeps like a serial killer, suga was just-he looked like an angel, asahi was lowkey breathing loud, noya and tanaka were SPOONING, hinata kicks in his sleep, tsuki sleeps with his headphones in?? and yamaguchi turns around every second

↳ it was time for the plan nehehehe

↳ kiyoko put makeup on kageyama, tanaka, and asahi

↳ yachi started doodling on daichi’s, noya’s, and yamaguchi’s faces

↳ you put an alarm set to go off in the morning and blast ‘deepthroat’ by cupcakke on tsuki’s phone ***yes he still had his headphones in

↳ and you all put some creepy clown doll right next to hinata’s face so that it could be the first thing he wakes up to

↳ next thing you know it’s 7AM and all you hear is “hUMPME FUCK ME-”

↳ tsuki was the first one awake and was already grumpy

↳ he thought that it was noya and tanaka’s idea to mess with him so he like shoved them awake

↳ “cupcakke? really?” and then he stopped to look at their faces

↳ yachi drew some fucked up shit on noya’s face and tanaka was wearing red lipstick with pink eyeshadow

↳ “it’s too early for this...” HE LEFT TO THE BATHROOM LMFAO

↳ oh god and then everyone woke up

↳ you and the girls were fake sleeping and listening to it all go down

↳ breakfast was.. interesting

↳ hinata was traumatized from that clown incident (he scream sounded like it came from his little sister) the boys were trying to rub off their makeup and it was smudged all over their faces, and the other boys were just ... trying to ignore the drawings on them

↳ ofc yachi drew a mustache on daichi

↳ oh and noya was trying to play the drawings off as tattoos😔

↳ you don’t even wanna know about breakfast-

↳ everyone agreed on pancakes and well...

↳ batter was everywhere and the smoke detector went off

[villainousshakespeare]

Putting It Back Together Chapter 1

Adam/OFC

Rated M (will probably change to E) - Grief, angst, eventual smut, mention of characters dead before the start of the story

Summary: Since the death of his beloved Eve, Adam had been barely living, only alive due to a promise he made to her. Then one night he meets his new neighbor, a woman dealing with grief of her own. Will they help each other heal or drive each other crazy?

@yespolkadotkitty @just-the-hiddles @hopelessromanticspoonie @wine-and-whines @arch-venus25 @caffiend-queen @devilish–doll @enchantedbyhiddles @hiddlesholic @i-do-not-fangirl-i-fanwoman @kellatron55 @ladyoftheteaandblood @latent-thoughts @gorgeous1974 @maryxglz @myoxisbroken @nuggsmum @nildespirandum @pedeka @redfoxwritesstuff @sinfully-lustful-darling @vodka-and-some-sass @wrathkitty @kingtwhiddleston @wolfsmom1​ @poetic-fiasco​ @shiningloki​ @dangertoozmanykids101​ @bookworm-christina​ @thecutestlittlebunbunfairy​ @amwolowicz​ @delightfulheartdream​ @frostbitten-written​ @what-a-flammable-heart​ @tom-hlover​ @nonsensicalobsessions​

So I decided to take a crack at Adam. The plan is to have this be around 10 chapters, but that is just a guess at the moment. It starts a little angsty, but will lighten up as it goes along. Hope you enjoy!

If you would like on or off the tag list, please let me know!

It was more of a mist than a drizzle adding chill to the late autumn air as he walk through the dark streets. Even this time of night there were noises of fellow wanders, zombies he was sure, but he managed to keep from the streets where they roamed. The last thing he needed was to be confronted with the mindlessness of what passed for humanity in these times.

That was the trade off of life in the city. The need to constantly dodge others was barely offset by the convenience of shops open late and services not bound by the constraints of daylight. Not that Adam needed many services of others. He was in most ways self sufficient. He had worked for centuries to make it so. With but two exceptions - sustenance and music - he had only ever needed one soul besides his own.  

She was gone now, his Eve. Eleven years had passed since she had taken a glass of tainted blood in Tangier. It seemed like yesterday, it seemed like a lifetime. He wished it were his lifetime. Only a promise dragged out of him at her death bead had kept him from following her into oblivion. She had used every trick she possessed, every weakness she knew in him, to get him to agree to her demand, and now he was trapped, bound by a promise to another century on this blighted earth. Eighty-nine more revolutions until he could use the wooden bullet that lay heavy in breast pocket and end his grief.

He had wandered after she left him. Angry and bitter, he had left Africa and roved across the globe. Everywhere he went, though, there were memories. He saw her everywhere in Europe. The Middle East was littered with memories. Even South America echoed a life spent together.

Finally he had come back to America. She had not spent as much time in the States. It was easier here. He had considered Seattle, New Orleans, Memphis, the various musical centers of the country, but in the end New York had drawn him in. Strange, he had never spent much time here. Too many zombies too close together. And yet, he could not deny it had definite advantages, and for the most part no one paid any attention to what anyone else did.

He arrived at last at the brownstone in the East Village where he lived his weary life. He was excited, or at least as excited as he was capable of these days, to test out the Rickenbacker bass guitar that he had stumbled upon in a pawn shop. The owner had no idea how rare the model was, and had not known how to react to the large roll of cash that Adam had thrust at him for the  instrument.

Quickly shucking his black leather jacket, Adam took out he new prize and lovingly stroked the light grained wood. He could feel the decades of music that it had produced still reverberating through the body. He flicked a series of toggles and buttons to power up his sound system and plugged the Rickenbacker in. Closing his eyes he placed his fingers firmly on the frets and plucked out a rapid series of low notes, loving the reverberation and full tones it produced. Just as he began to segue into an actual song, however, a loud bang sounded and the lights, sound, and all other electronic power went dead.

"Shit!" he spit out, mood collapsing back in on itself as quickly as it had risen.

Setting the bass gently back in its case despite his irritation, Adam fumbled through his belongings until he located his tool box. After attaching his head torch and grabbing a second flash light just in case, he made his way down the hall to the ladder that lead up through a hatch onto the roof where a small shed held the electric box for his home.

"Just what I fucking need," he muttered, pulling himself onto the tarred surface.

He was just picking his tools back up when a loud creaking noise drew his attention. Just a few feet away, a second hatch door had opened, and a shape was pulling itself up and onto the roof with some difficulty, judging by the swearing. Adam watched in dismay as the shape unfolded itself to reveal a woman silhouetted against the half moon. She had a large, over bright flashlight in her hands that waved back and forth as she made her way to the shed that was his own destination.

"Who are you?" he asked, intercepting her before she could reach the structure.

"Ohmyfuckinggod!" she cried out, jumping almost a foot as he appeared in front of her.

Adam crossed his arms and waited silently for her to calm down, mouth drawn down into a habitual scowl.

"You scared me half to death!" she told him needlessly when she had regained some of her composure.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded.

"Oh, you know, just signaling Batman that evil is afoot," she said dryly, waving her oversized lamp back and forth.

Adam continued to stare at her, unamused, until she sighed and gave him a real answer.

"I'm checking out the fuse box. Are you from 89? You must be, I guess. So your lights are out too? It doesn't look like it's the whole block, just our two buildings. Hopefully flipping the switch will bring them back on."

"There's no need for you to trouble yourself," he told her when she finally stopped talking. "I have things well in hand. The power should be on shortly."

"Great," she said with a forced smile.

She didn't move. Why was she still standing there? Adam glowered at her, hoping to scare her off, but the brainless girl just stood there.

"Did you need something else?" he asked reluctantly.

"No, just the one thing," she replied, blinking at him. "Shall we get to it?"

"This will hardly take two," he ground out. "And I know how the system works."

He should! He had redone the entire wiring himself. The convoluted system of shorting wires and faulty circuits had been a travesty when he moved in. It had taken him almost a month to tear it out and build a more streamlined, efficient energy grid. The only problem now was when he forgot himself and pulled too much power for the subpar wiring in the wall to take. He had considered redoing that as well, but it would take time and draw attention, which he was keen on avoiding.

"Wonderful, then you can show me," she chirped at him. "After all, you may not be here the next time it goes off, and then I won't know how it works."

She was not going to let this go, he could tell from the deceptively stubborn set of her shoulders. With a roll of his eyes that he doubted her human eyes could catch in the darkness, he turned on his heel and walked over to the shed. Let her look at it, he decided. It was not like she would understand what he had done anyway.

"Woah," the nattering woman whistled as he opened the door. "That is not what I was expecting at all! It looks like some form of microhydraulics, but there's no way you could have a water source up here. What are you using?"

Adam turned and stared at her, really looking at her for the first time. She was short, even for a woman, not even coming up to his chin. Her hair was haphazardly tied into a bunch on the top of her head and looked like it would be bigger than she was if she were to let it down. The eyes she turned up towards him were inquisitive and sharp. She was pretty, he thought, for a zombie.

"How do you know about that?" he asked.

"I tinker," she said with a shrug. "When I'm anxious. Which is a lot of the time lately, to be honest. Too much energy. Sometimes it helps to take things apart an put them back together again."

Adam opened his mouth to respond, but realized he had no idea what he planned on saying. He closed it again and turned back to his contraption.

"Well, don't get any ideas about taking this apart," he grumbled, resetting the mechanism.

"No, I wouldn't," she assured him. "I only mess with my own things until I'm sure I can get them back the way they started. I learned that the hard way. This is really amazing. You are pulling in a boat load of energy. I just hope you don't burn the buildings down when it runs into the wiring. You're a musician, right? I've heard you practicing through the walls. I was so relieved you were good!"

Did this woman never stop talking? Despite his lack of response she seemed perfectly content to stand behind him, shining her flood light on the shed as he worked to get things running again.

"Oh! I see what you did there!" she commented brightly as the low hum of electricity started back up. "That should fix it. And I'm pretty sure I will be able to do that myself next time too!"

"Don't," he ordered, shutting the door with a loud clang. "If there is any problem with the power, I will fix it. I don't need someone else ruining my work."

"But if you're not here?" she repeated doggedly.

"Look, this has never been an issue before, why are you suddenly on my case about it now?"

"I didn't live here before," she answered. "I just moved in last week. This... this was my Grandmother's home. She died. Last week. I'm trying to sort it all now but..."

The light from his headtorch clearly lit up the tears that sprang to her eyes. As Adam stood there in horror, the girl's chin began to wobble and silent sobs hiccupped through her body. A moment later she had burst out crying. Adam, unable to think of anything else to do, slowly and gingerly put one arm around her shaking shoulders and patted her lamely on the back, wishing he could be anywhere else in the world.

***

Lilly woke up completely horrified. It had been a dream, she told herself. It had to have been a dream. That was the only way she was going to survive the events of the night before.

The soreness in her eyes and the streaks of mascara on the backs of her hands, unfortunately, told her the sad truth. It had been real. She had met her dark, handsome, mysterious neighbor, the one who played dark, mysterious music at all hours of the night, on a dark, mysterious rooftop. (Well, okay, maybe the rooftop hadn't been that mysterious, but still!) And what had she done? She had wept all over him like pathetic child.

This, she sighed to herself, was one of the many many reasons why she was single. Any normal girl would have played the damsel in distress, fluttered their eyes and let him be their hero. He certainly had the looks of a brooding hero, even if he seemed to lack the inclination. Of course, it might just be that he lacked the inclination because she had yammered on about anxiety and tinkering, and her grandmother's death and the cried all over him.

Groaning, she rolled over and looked at her clock, only to be greeted by blinking numbers. Of course. She had been too upset when he had finally managed to steer her back to her roof hatch and rid himself of her, lost in a combination of grief and humiliation, to reset it. Great. That meant that the alarm had never gone off. It could be any time now. A quick glance at her phone confirmed her fear. 4:00 in the afternoon. It had happened. She had become completely nocturnal.

Slowly dragging herself up, Lilly staggered to the bathroom and tried to let the hot water wash away her misery. She was tired of feeling miserable. By nature she was not a gloomy person. Anxious, yes, but not gloomy. It was just being here, in the house that once was her happy place but now held too many memories. All she could see where ever she looked was her beloved grandmother. Playing the piano, reading in the window nook, cooking in the large, renovated kitchen. Grandma Lillian was everywhere.

Growing up, Lilly had been an awkward child; small of body but big of personality Gran had said. She was always moving, either her hands or her mouth, having a hard time with stillness. It drove many people to distraction. Grandma Lillian, however, had stated quite matter of factly that she simply had a lot to do and more to say, and therefore needed to do it quickly.

Lilly had spent all of her summers and school vacations here, escaping into the city. Here, she could be herself. With all of the characters in New York City, she was far from the oddest. Grandma Lillian let her patter away happily, always taking her words seriously. She had also found all sorts of mechanical things for Lilly to tinker with, focusing her energy in a more productive direction. It was nonsense, she had opined, that girls were not encouraged more to go into the technical fields. Obviously that was the reason why nothing in this world ran properly.

She had hidden her illness from the family, from Lilly, until the very end. Lilly cursed herself that she had not seen through the excuses for the cancelled visits. A seniors cruise with her girlfriends! She could not imagine the opinionated woman stuck on a boat without someone going overboard. It wasn't until the very end, when she was had been taken to Hospice, that she had phoned Lillian to let her know that it was time to come and visit.

That was eight days ago. Lillian had held her hand at the end, singing in her tear choked voice the torch songs that her Grandmother had once made her living crooning in the night clubs of the city. It had not taken long. Less than a day and Lilly was alone, the owner of a house in the East Village and more money than she had ever imagined possessing, but much the poorer regardless.

The ensuing week was spent puttering around the brownstone, listlessly going through desks and dressers, boxes and cupboards. The memorabilia of a lifetime squirreled away into any available space. She had no need to work at the moment, which was good since she had no employment. Slowly but surely her own night owl tendencies had taken over and she was staying up until the sun streaked the horizon in the morning, only to bed down for the majority of the day. Her parents had always fretted and said it was a sign of depression. Gran had shrugged and agreed that the most exciting things happened at night.

The only excitement Lillian had experienced thus far had been the discovery that a new owner was in residence next door. For as long as she could remember there had been a constant stream of college and conservatory students renting out rooms in the building, turning over each year to the newest crop. Now though, there was one lodger only and he owned the building.

She had caught sight of him out the front window as he was leaving her second night there. Long, wild black hair that looked in want of brushing, black leather jacket, and black jeans that might have been painted on. He was tall, lean, and somehow dangerous looking. It was the way he walked, she decided. There was something almost feral in the swagger as he took off down the street. The next night she had heard him playing music.

At first she thought there were multiple musicians, but after hours spent guiltlessly eavesdropping she became convinced that it was only him. Interspersed with guitars, drums, bass, and other instruments that she couldn't name had come his voice, a distinctive low growl that cut through her sorrow to go straight to her core. She could feel the vibrations of his voice as surely as she heard the bass thumping through the walls.

She began haunting the window overlooking their stoops, hoping for sight of him. She caught glimpses a time or two, always late at night, well after dark. Rather he was coming in or going out, he seemed to eschew the daylight even more than she did. Lilly felt drawn to him, and by more than just his untamed beauty. She supposed she could write it off as one of her hyper-fixations, but intuitively she sensed it was more. She longed for an excuse to meet him.

And then she had. At night, on a roof, under a bright moon.

It would have been perfectly romantic, were she not dressed in a ratty sweatshirt and yoga pants, her hair flopped up any old way on her head. If her first words to him were not gasped out in a shriek, followed by thoughtless prattle. And the, the coup de gras, her sobbing breakdown. The look of unmixed horror on his face as he made his feeble attempt to calm her was burned into Lilly's brain.

She had to get rid of it. There might only be one chance to make a first impression, but maybe, just maybe, a second impression could in time supersede it. Never one to sit on a thought, Lilly squared her shoulders. It was six o'clock, he was bound to still be in. She would pay him a visit and apologize for her horrid behavior.

Yes, that was the plan. After all, what was the worst that could happen? It was bound to go better than last time.

[brandyllyn]

In our own image... (02)

Chapter 2

(Poe Dameron x OFC)

Other chapters...  My Masterlist

Word count: 2200. Read it on AO3.

Rating: Teen & Up (PG) No warnings?

Kina brushed her hair away from her face with the back of one hand, holding the tool in it well away from her face. She’d burnt herself one too many times with a soldering iron to not be careful of the thing now. She wouldn’t even have risked it except that her other hand was occupied holding part of the droid’s circuitry together and if her hair continued to fall as it was she was going to set it on fire.

She waited a moment, then added another bit of solder. "There," she whistled and sat back, dropping the tool back into its cradle. "How do you feel?"

The little round droid flashed through a series of colors before spinning in place. "Much better thank you."

Kina smiled and patted the droid. When they had first arrived they had been full of long, pitiful stories about being shot at by tie-fighters and then covered in sand and tar and something that sounded like saliva. Amid the telling, BB-8 kept mournfully beeping that they were not functioning optimally, as though they were revealing some great secret.

It had been cute. In fact, it had been really cute. Enough so that she had actually missed the arrival of the droid’s companion. It didn’t matter, as he had only wanted to talk to K-0 - which was odd but also fine by her. There was something about being unable to to speak Basic that made people assume she lacked intelligence. Anytime she could avoid talking to people entirely was better off all around. It didn’t really matter that he was easy on the eyes.

As soon as the man was gone the BB unit had proceeded to tell her story after story of Friend Poe. Even when she had half the droid’s panels off and was doing a deep clean, BB-8 kept up an endless chatter about how Friend Poe always made sure that they were clean and functioning well. And how sad Friend Poe had been that he couldn’t take good care of the BB unit on Ajan Kloss.

The information had made Kina feel marginally more gracious towards the pilot. BB-8 was in bad shape, and not all pilots were known for taking good care of their droids. Most seemed to see the units as expendable.

"BB-8," she whistled, ending in a series of clicks, "why do you call him Friend Poe and not Master?"

"Friend Poe asked me to," BB-8 whistled back. "Friend Poe does not like being called Master."

Kina tilted her head, studying the BB unit. That was�� interesting information to have. Basic droid programming defaulted to the use of the honorific 'Master' for their owners. The only people she knew of who made an effort to change it were other droidsmiths, like herself. You could often follow the trail of a droid’s repairs based on the terms they used. Some went for gentler monikers, like Friend. Others went ever further past Master. Hells, Hukkin, on Tattooine, taught his droids to call him 'Oh Great One,' which was a bit of an ego stretch but he was also a damned good droidsmith and he had a gentle touch with them. He also had as great of a hatred for restraining bolts as Kina herself so she only barely faulted him for it.

She was so lost in thought she nearly missed the droid’s sudden movement. She barely had time to throw an arm across the table to stop the droid from leaving. "Whoa there little one," she whistled and clicked, "I’m not done with you yet. Let me get you put back together and then you can go back to Friend Poe. Okay?"

The droid settled back, turning their upper unit to her. "Okay."

Snorting, Kina glanced behind her, then up into the rafters. Once she’d gotten the BB unit cleaned out there was a maze of wiring and 'improvements' that she’d needed to sort through. Friend Poe had apparently been doing his own repairs which was… well she knew why people did it but Chasī above - she didn’t try to fly X-Wings, why did people think that just anyone could repair a droid?

She clicked her tongue, "K-0?"

The droid darted out from a small gap between the crates. They were always doing that, finding weird little bolt holes to go exploring. "Where are the converters? The 600 series."

K-0 immediately crossed the floor, bumping into a crate to Kina’s left. She squatted to read the lowest crate before moving to the next. The one she wanted was about three up, with two more stacked on top of it. Two heavy ones. Sighing, she gave herself the mental 'lift with you knees' reminder and started to shift the upper crates away.

"Hello?"

She dropped the crate, jumping back and letting out a sharp whistle. Behind her, she could hear BB-8 trilling happily. "Hello friend! I am much improved since you last saw me."

"Hey BB," the voice said and Kina turned to it. A young woman was cautiously standing near the entrance to the workshop. "May I come in?"

As was their usual wont, K-0 happily translated the woman’s words directly into binary. It was a programming flaw, one that Kina hadn’t been able to fix without wiping the droid’s entire core memory. And she wasn’t going to do that. No harm in letting the droid chatter to themself.

Kina nodded at the woman, gesturing to the BB unit to let her know she could approach them if she wanted to. The woman did, running a hand along the droid in a familiar greeting. "Hey there big guy."

"Friend Rey, I am enthusiastic to see you. Have you met new friend?" BB-8 beeped at her, flashing their recently cleaned lights.

"I haven’t met your friend yet," the woman turned with a smile and held out her hand. "I’m Rey."

Kina stopped thumbing through the crate’s contents to hold out a hand, palm turned open and upwards to show she had no weapon.  She whistled at K-0, who translated for her. "This Kina."

Rey’s gaze swung between her and K-0 and Kina waited for her question. It was the same every time. "It’s nice to meet you Kina."

Okay, so maybe not the same. Rey smiled at her and Kina couldn’t help but return it. Then she turned to BB-8. Clicking to get their attention she told them, "I have a new memory convertor for you, but you’re going to need to power down completely so I can be sure this gets transferred correctly. May I do that?"

"I will not lose memories will I friend?"

Kina smiled, patting the droid reassuringly. "I promise you won’t lose a thing. I am very good at this."

BB-8 nodded it’s top unit before beginning a full power down. Kina waited, aware of the presence of the woman at her side. The slight furrowing of her brow.

"You speak Binary?" Rey asked.

Yep, there it was. Kina nodded, tilting her chin at K-0 before replying in a series of whistles and tongue clicks. "I understand Basic, but I don’t speak it." The droid translated for her almost simultaneously, which was immensely helpful, but their language processor left a little to be desired. It was necessary - otherwise K-0 was prone to add their own… color to the conversation. But her sentence ended up becoming "Know Basic. Can’t speak."

"That’s… I’ve never met any life form that spoke Binary. I thought only droids could." Rey sounded a little awe-struck which was the only reason that Kina didn’t start into her usual speech about the ill-defined lines between those who were considered alive and those who weren’t.

"It’s not perfect," she said instead, listening to K-0 translate about half of what she was saying, "it can take some units a little getting used to, especially the older ones, but I get by."

BB-8 was done powering down, slumped on the table, and Kina pulled a stool up to the workstation, swinging a looking glass down and turning on one of the brighter lights. She felt, more than saw, Rey pull up a stool next to her.

"Do you mind if I watch?" Rey asked, hesitation in her voice.

Kina gave her a sideways look and then shrugged. "Doesn’t bother me."

As she worked, Kina could feel Rey leaning in closer, trying to peer through the magnifying lens. After a minute Kina reached up and swung it slightly towards the other woman. Then she began to speak, listening to K-0 mangle the full meaning but getting the gist of it.

"The thing about a memory converter is that it’s all about the order. Most people don’t realize that. They think if you backup the unit then you can be sloppy about the part replacement," Kina pointed with a set of pliers at the bundle of wires she was poking into. "Each of these has a specific function. They’re like nerves of a body. I can replace one from one part of your body to another, but it will be different. It won’t feel the same." Kina gently nudged the bundle, pulling one free, and then another. "But if you do that too much or too often the whole system won’t work."

Next to her Rey nodded, eyes focused on Kina’s work. She’d never had an audience before, and she appreciated the other woman’s quiet presence beside her. There was something about Rey that was comforting - something she hadn’t felt since she’d left home.

"There," Kina clicked, setting the unit back into its place inside the droid, tightening the braces that held it. Over an hour had gone by and she stretched, feeling bones crack and rumble as she did so. "That should do it."

Tapping the droid’s power panel in a staccato series she felt the low vibration begin and then the top unit slid so that it was completely upright. "Friend!" BB-8 trilled, turning its photoreceptor to look at both Rey and Kina. "Friends!"

"Welcome back small one," Kina whistled. "How do you feel?"

"All systems functioning optimally!" BB-8 replied, spinning in place before wobbling slightly back and forth.

Kina raised an eyebrow, giving the droid a dubious look. "Are you sure your orbiculate motor is functioning correctly?"

"It’s odd," Rey said from beside her, "It’s as though I’m listening to someone speak in a dream. I feel like I should know what you’re saying, like the meaning is right on the tip of my tongue. But I just can’t get there."

Kina jerked her head to Rey, looking down and realizing that K-0 had disappeared at some point. She turned back to the droid on the table, "BB-8 can you repeat what I say in Binary please?"

"BB-8 can you repeat what I say in Binary please?" The droid parroted before titling to look at her. "Friend, for what purpose is this? You are speaking in Binary."

"Yes, but Friend Rey does not understand me," Kina told them. "BB-8 I’d like to check your orbiculate motor. I don’t like the look of that wobble."

"Oh, he does that when he’s happy," Rey interjected, looking between the two of them.

Kina looked at her, then back at BB-8. "Is this true? Do you move like this when you are happy?"

BB-8 flashed their lights, repeating what Kina said before adding, "I am functioning optimally and I am enthusiastic to be doing so."

Kina raised an eyebrow before gesturing at the table, "Can you get down on your own?"

Rather than replying, the orange droid rolled towards the ramp, hitting the floor at a steady clip and circling between the two women a few times before settling to a stop. "All systems are functioning optimally!"

Rey laughed and Kina felt her own shoulders shaking. It was hard not to be amused. BB-8 rolled over, bumping into Kina’s shins and she squatted down to eye level to the droid’s photoreceptor.

"I may return to Friend Poe?" The droid asked.

"If something happens to you between here and there Friend Poe will be very upset with me," Kina started but felt a hand on her shoulder.

"I’ll make sure BB gets back to him, I’m going that way." The woman smiled at her and Kina smiled back standing and leaning against the table.

"Well as long as it’s on your head…"

As she trailed off Kina heard a thump, and then K-0 was back, translating her whistles into Basic even as BB-8 repeated it in Binary. The two droids looked at each other and then K-0 knocked roughly into the larger droid.

"No. Go. No. Bad." K-0 said quickly, continuing to ram into the other droid. BB-8 tilted his upper unit at them quizzically but was barely shifted by the smaller droid’s efforts.

"You two should go," Kina grinned, "before K-0 decides to bite someone."

Thankfully, BB-8 continued to repeat her words because K-0 just kept thumping into the droid, repeating "Go. Bad. Go. No. Bad."

Rey smothered a laugh, ducking around the crates to the front of the workshop, BB-8 close behind her. A few seconds later her head popped back around. "May I visit again?"

Kina nodded and watched K-0 chase them off. When the droid returned, mumbling to themself, Kina blushed. Then she began scolding them, but her heart wasn’t really in it. After a minute she dropped to one knee, stroking a finger along the side of her friend.

"No one will replace you K-0. I promise."

=

Chpt 3

[ooops-i-arted]

Okay real excited for this week's "What do you think of the newest episode of the Mandalorian from a child-development perspective" for S2E4

Once again Baby is babysat for a chunk of the episode, but when we do have him around it’s so much fun!

Omg the Baby’s First Electrical Engineering scene was so cute (even though the whole time I was yelling DIN DUMBASS DJARIN WHY ARE YOU LETTING A TODDLER PLAY WITH ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS at the tv screen, Dad Points LOST for that).  It was really pretty revealing though:

Din is so so patient with the kid.  He doesn’t harp on or criticize the baby or is anything but gently encouraging.  The poor man is on his own; Baby has probably been getting in his way the whole time, trying to “help” so Din decides to actually let him help.  Electrical engineering is not an age-appropriate task, but at least Din is trying to get him engaged and direct Baby’s interest in a positive way.  (Maybe next time just let him hand you tools, though?)  And Din is clearly more comfortable directing the baby.

Din talking about colors and Baby carefully considering the wires’ colors implies to me that this is something they have been talking about, not just something that just happened.  Even if Din hasn’t been actively trying to teach colors, this is probably something they’ve been talking about.  “We’re having red soup for dinner tonight.”  “Look at that blue planet.”  This is excellent for Baby learning about the world around him, and things like colors are a basic, age-appropriate topic for Din to talk to him about.

Baby is so excited to be a helper!  He wants to do good and help his dad!  Another really strong sign of affection and trust.  He’s not even that bugged when he gets shocked - Dad is there, it’s all right.

THE SOUP SCENE WAS ALSO THE CUTEST.  Baby trying to peek under Dad’s helmet - he knows something is under there and he’s naturally curious, since he’s not old enough to understand the Creed yet (and presumably Din hasn’t sat him down and explained “this is why you can’t see my face”).  But Baby copying exactly how he drinks the soup was so precious I almost died, from face value cuteness but also from the fact it’s yet another sign that he loves, trusts, and values Din.  Baby sees Din as someone worth copying and someone he should model himself after.  It speaks volumes to how highly Baby thinks of him.  Kids usually imitate people they like and want to be like.  Baby wants to be just like his daddy.

Baby seems to be perfectly comfortable with Greef and Cara, suggesting he remembers them and generally has good recall.  Although in general I’m surprised he doesn’t have more attachment issues/separation anxiety.  (Din seems to be the one with separation anxiety these days lol.)  Ofc this just suggests that Baby is confident that Din will always come back for him no matter what, so he has no issue leaving him, and a classroom would be a new and exciting place to explore for him.  Especially if there are cookies.

The cookie sequence was another cute one but the fact that Baby asks first again suggests that this is something he has learned.  Before he either grabbed food himself (frog in The Child, eggs and spiders in The Passenger) or was handed food (by Kuiil in The Reckoning and implied by Din in The Passenger).  So perhaps Din is teaching him in between the scenes to signal for food.  A useful skill both for manners and to communicate with Din that he’s hungry!  (Just think of sweet little Yodito walking up to his dad and holding out a hand for food!  "Please Dad can I have some more?”)  Maybe Din is teaching him other ways to communicate as well, which is fantastic because if Baby can communicate he will be less likely to engage in Shenanigans (like pressing buttons) to get Din’s attention.  Of course Din hasn’t yet taught him to accept that no means no... but it’s still an improvement.

(Do you think that kid tried to get his cookies back, saw that the kid’s dad is a fully armed and armored Mandalorian, and just noped out and accepted he got bullied into losing his cookies by a toddler?)

Oh and Greef loses Cool Grandpa Points for dropping Baby into a COMPLETELY AGE-INAPPROPRIATE SETTING.  That’s clearly an elementary school class.  What, was there no preschool program??  BRING HIM TO MY CLASS PLEASE I AM BEGGING YOU

I am kind of sad we didn’t see what Baby did at school or how pickup went....did he make Din a cute little handprint craft?  Did he have trouble leaving school or was he eager to be picked up by his dad?  Did anyone take a Baby’s First Day of School holo?  Questions for ACCPOV, I guess, since this episode is definitely added to the list.

Dad Points gained because despite the time crunch, Din still took the time to buckle his little one in to the seat before taking off.  Maybe next episode he’ll pick up an actual car seat?  Baby is clearly perfectly content with the situation, happy to do a barrel roll even when it upsets his tummy, but he really needs a proper car seat.  It’s only a matter of time before he goes flying and it concerns me every time I watch an episode.

[cassierobinsons]

I posted 4,455 times in 2021

338 posts created (8%)

4117 posts reblogged (92%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 12.2 posts.

I added 2,768 tags in 2021

#destiel - 489 posts

#dean - 432 posts

#castiel - 421 posts

#fanart - 382 posts

#sam and dean - 306 posts

#spn blogging - 249 posts

#sam - 197 posts

#+ - 157 posts

#4x01 - 69 posts

#winchesters - 66 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#you can't call castiel problematic because he's a queer femme coded gay. don't speak on his character unless you're gay yourself. yes he br

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

okay was anyone gonna tell me that the s6 blooper reel features the bit in 6x01 where lisa asks dean to come to bed but this time when he says he'll be there soon lisa pulls out a riding crop causing dean to gleefully leap out of his seat and follow her out of the room or was i just supposed to find that out from an anonymous commenter online

812 notes • Posted 2021-10-02 00:22:41 GMT

#4

Would you mind giving some examples of sera gamble's antiblackness? It doesn't surprise me at all bc *gestures at the show* but it all runs together in my memory and I can't place any eras besides kripke s1-4

yeah sure! the show in general is racist ofc, but i think her writing consistently depicts black men as menacing and villainous.

gordon walker's introductory episode is perhaps the first ep in the series that attempts to address the issues with hunting and how it's populated by predominantly white vigilantes with guns but it also uses a black man as dean's evil foil! again, predominantly white vigilantes but it just has to be a black man we see menace & hurt innocent white vampire amber benson while the winchesters look on in horror.

if bloodlust is bad, fresh blood in s3 makes things so much worse because at least with the aforementioned you can rationalise it as sterling k brown being the best actor who auditioned but fresh blood is. it's. well you get sam & dean decapitate harmony kendall in the first 5 minutes alone but then vamp!gordon decapitating a bunch of white blonde lady vamps is proof of how scary & evil he is. very obvious white woman who crosses the street to avoid black men vibes from that ep. oh, and vamp!gordon avoids drinking blood until he suddenly decides to pin dean against the wall and feed off of dean's neck (suggestively!) before sam & gordon fight and then sam fucking decapitates him with razor wire. i swear before i saw HOtG this was hands down my least fave ep.

if we're talking gamble era in general i'm thinking of raphael as the big bad of s6 but i also watched s6 more than a month ago and have forgotten so much i can't fully get into it. OH YEAH just remembered how the alpha vampire is played by *drum roll* a black actor! what's more is he's the ONLY alpha depicted as a child predator - he's not a sexual abuser, sure, but he canonically abducts children to feed off of as a ~delicacy.

the other examples i'm thinking of that aren't as bad but cannot take in good faith are:

sam & dean torturing a demon in a black vessel in 3x15/time is on my side

ruby temporarily possessing a black maid in 4x09/IKWYDLS and it being played for laughs

lisa's black boyfriend getting his neck snapped by demons in 6x21/let it bleed after 10 seconds of screentime

tl;dr idc how much people hate gamble for the magicians BYG, in the context of spn her anti-blackness is way way worse than her homophobia.

849 notes • Posted 2021-08-26 22:00:26 GMT

#3

tombstone emojis!

1525 notes • Posted 2021-06-28 23:54:09 GMT

#2

one day I'll write a poast about how kripke accidentally wrote deancas as a romance because he doesn't get that gay people exist

2190 notes • Posted 2021-04-07 23:59:24 GMT

#1

i think people tend to forget that dean is a gen Xer (a baby gen Xer, but a gen Xer nonetheless) whose home state had sodomy laws until uh, *checks* 2003 so there's this tendency to read any reluctance dean may have surrounding being out as him being cartoonishly repressed (or even cowardly!) instead of it being like, a normal reaction to have in response to the hideous homophobia of the 80s & 90s. it doesn't matter how safe a situation he's in now, you don't shake that kind of thing off easily. and while the above obviously lends itself well to repressed!dean readings, i think it's important to emphasise that it can absolutely coexist with if not perfectly complement aware-but-closeted!dean. you can know exactly who you are but still find it incredibly difficult to express due to the poisonous environment you grew up in.

2341 notes • Posted 2021-08-28 23:56:26 GMT

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[marveloussupernerd]

Could I pretty please request Zen and MC ~platonically~ getting hammered together and just getting into shenanigans? I’m a ✨lesbian✨ and still reslly would love to have these characters as best friends, especially zen because he seems like such a ride or die. If I could have one wish it would be getting plastered with Zen and him making sure I don’t die. Thank you in advance and feel free to reject this one lol

Yes !!! Ofc I can do that :) also I have literally never rejected a request LMAO I’m here for your enjoyment. I’m rlly excited to write this bc everyone is SLEEPING on zen and also ?? The Zen friendship content in Jumin’s route? I’ll never shut up about how much I love it. Also I threw Yoosung in here too pls don’t hate me

Clubbing - Platonic! Zen

Warnings: alcohol (duh lmao)

Summary: you’ve had a rough day at work. Zen’s been meaning to show you around to some of his favorite bars. Zen’s responsible but also wouldn’t hesitate to punch a bitch if need be. Yoosung has to clean up after your messes

Oh! Also. PSA, I’m 19. So have I ever gone out and gotten drunk... no LMAO. I do drink (it’s legal where I’m at as long as you’re with your parents, still wouldn’t be able to drink in a bar though) but only enough to get buzzed usually. Anyway if this is inaccurate that’s why I am so sorry LMAO

You honestly had had the worst day today. It was a pretty bad week, truth be told, and you were so grateful it was the weekend. You texted Zen a lot throughout this week; the two of you had become close friends since the RFA party and hung out almost every weekend. Hearing all about your bad days, he suggested taking you to a bar to let off some steam and give you something to look forward to. You’d never turn down a drink.

You took an Uber to the bar, as did Zen. You expressed your desire to get plastered and Zen agreed wholeheartedly. You had never been to this bar before, but Zen swore by it, so you trusted him.

“Hey!” Zen exclaimed as he saw you get out of the car. He was leaning against the wall of the bar coolly, dressed in the leather jacket he must have pulled out of his closet from the time he was in a motorcycle gang.

“This better be worth the commute,” you teased, not letting him live down the fact that it took almost an hour to get here (primarily due to traffic honestly).

“Oh it will,” he had a giant grin on his face. “I’ve been so busy I haven’t been here in a while, but i doubt it’s changed.” He pushed himself off the wall and made his way inside alongside you. “It’s right outside of a college so you get all the fun college students here.”

“Sounds messy,” you commented, glancing at some girls in skimpy crop tops and high-waisted shorts getting drunk already.

“Much better than bars for real adults. You’ve always got some guy moping over a glass of whiskey in those. Here, it’s all singing and dancing and getting drunk. Of course, I only come when I want to get completely hammered, but it’s always fun. The kids are nice too.”

It was at this point that you reminded yourself that Zen was only 23. He seemed so much older because he’s been on his own for so long, but nope, he was 23. The same age as a lot of the grad students here. So partying with them was not weird or creepy in any sort of way. In fact, the students probably were over the moon to party with someone so famous and, if they weren’t aware of who he was, handsome.

“So what do you typically start with here?” You asked, wanting to get the full experience.

“Shots. Classic move, especially for the med school students. You’ll see them soon enough. They start off with fireball but then make their way down to the cheapest vodka they have as they get more drunk and can’t actually taste it.”

“Let’s follow their influence,” you suggested. Zen went up to the bar and ordered some shots, bringing four glasses back with him. “Do they normally do two at once?” You asked.

“Nah, they’re way too broke for that. But I thought it’d be fun.” He handed you your shot glass and clinked his against it. You gulped down the shot, feeling the familiar fire burn in your throat. (I love fireball LMAO) You shook your head vigorously to counteract the burn, as though that would help, then looked back at Zen. “Good?” He asked.

“Perfect. Round 2?”

“Already?”

You laughed. “Well, it’s here isn’t it? The faster we can get drunk the better.”

You got drunk pretty fast. Zen was constantly handing you drinks, which of course you didn’t turn down. Maybe it was because the two of you hadn’t gotten drunk in a while, but this one hit you hard.

“Will you sing karaoke with me?” Zen chuckled, his cheeks flushed from all the alcohol in his system.

You laughed out loud. “Sure. I’ll even let you pick the song.”

You did not expect him to pick “Before He Cheats” but honestly? A banger of a song. Who doesn’t know all the words to this song?? “Hey, I’m Zen, and this is my best friend,” he slurred out, introducing you before the song started.

You sang in unison, the first instrumental break coming out. “This is for my asshole ex!” You cheered. The college students cheered with you.

“And all my old managers who told me I’d never make it!” Zen added. Everyone cheered again. You walked over to him, tripping on the microphone cord. He caught you a few inches off the ground.

“That would’ve hurt like a bitch,” you commented, bursting into laughter again. He helped you up and held your hand as you crossed over the wires this time, ensuring you wouldn’t get caught again.

Was your performance good? Probably not. Even Zen, who usually sang pretty well, was some sort of hot mess since he was so drunk. But the drunk students seemed to enjoy it, so you padded off the ‘stage’, proud of yourself.

Some dude called your name. Ew. Maybe Zen shouldn’t have introduced you.

Zen whipped around to face him. “If you so much as look at her right now I swear to God I’ll knock you into- Yoosung?”

“Hi!” You turned around to see the origin of the voice; it was indeed Yoosung. “You guys are kinda drunk.”

The two of you simply laughed, brushing him off. “What are you doing here?” Zen asked.

“Oh, well I live right down the street.”

“Oh my goodness you are a college student!” You observed keenly. You were connecting so many dots.

“Yup. Uh, I had an LOLOL event tonight but was super tired, so I thought I’d come and take a shot and it’d help wake me up. Never expected to see you two belting out Carrie Underwood.” He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

“Oh! I have a great idea,” Zen exclaimed, focusing his attention on you.

“I’d love to hear it.”

“Why don’t we just crash at Yoosung’s place tonight? We won’t have to pay for an Uber at high time and get stuck in traffic!”

Yoosung’s eyes widened. “But-“

“That’s pretty smart,” you agreed, nodding. “What do you think Yoosung?”

“I-“ he sighed. “I guess it’s okay. As long as I can play LOLOL.”

“Yay!” You cheered. “We can go now. Lead the way.”

Yoosung hesitantly led you out to the street, walking ahead of the two of you, glancing back every few seconds to ensure you hadn’t died. Zen wrapped an arm around you and you one around him, and you stumbled down the street together, only slightly more stable than you would have been if it were just you on your own.

Luckily Yoosung lived on the first floor. You weren’t sure you’d be able to do steps right now. He unlocked the door to his apartment. “I only have like... a bed and a couch,” he muttered awkwardly. “But we can figure something out.”

You stepped into his apartment, looking around. “Wow Yoosung! This is cute as hell.”

“Uh, thanks, I think.”

You made your way to his couch and collapsed down on it. Zen did so on the other end of the couch at the same time, your legs bumping into each other. You both shifted so that your legs were on top of his so that it was more comfortable.

“Is that really comfortable? You can take my bed,” Yoosung offered.

“Nah, this is great. Will you get us a blankie though?” You asked. Yoosung left to go find something. Zen shrugged off his leather jacket. You were very happy you wore something comfy enough to crash in.

Yoosung draped a blanket over the two of you, his face bright red. “Is this okay?”

“Perfect! Thanks Dad,” Zen joked. Yoosung’s face got even more red, his ears heating up now too.

“Night Yoosungie. Don’t stay up all night,” you commented, shutting your eyes.

You heard something set down on the coffee table. Cups of water and Advil. He was too sweet. “I have class in the morning, so feel free to see yourself out whenever you’re up and ready tomorrow,” Yoosung said. “Goodnight you two.” He chuckled to himself. You and Zen probably looked like absolute idiots, but not that you cared. You had a great night out. Good thing Dad Yoosung was there too.