#oh yeah for transitioning younger and being more sure of himself and being able to pass

[deeism]

transmasc chardee epic scissoring ok wait yes

[duuhrayliegh]

Fuck Misogyny

request: Bucky uses his newly gained knowledge of feminism to squash misogynistic interview questions. @ptrs-prkrs

warnings: language, creepy men, feminist!bucky

a/n: hey babes!! i hope this lived up to what you wanted! i couldn’t find the exact video you were referencing but i know what you’re talking about, so i drew inspiration from a few others.

p.s.: my requests and tag lists are open!!

xoxo ray

full m.list

The set up was simple. A long row of fold out tables covered in black fabric, microphones in front of each seat. Black papers were taped to the backs of the microphones with each team member's name. Bucky had told Evie that he wasn’t going to be able to work out with her today because of this so it better be worth it. The PR manager for the team, Amanda, had set everything up. Hired the mediator, notified the press, everything. Ever since they announced that they were going to be hosting an Avenger’s Q&A Panel, the internet quite literally broke.

Of course Bucky had been doing lives on TikTok with the group of five for the past couple of weeks now, so he was becoming quite comfortable in this format. He’s become increasingly active on his social media accounts, gaining more and more followers everyday. Granted, there were still haters, as Freddie called them, but Bucky ignored them for the most part.

Bucky was actually excited for this press meeting. He was finally gaining traction in the media and he knew how to correctly answer their questions. As Amanda had explained, there was going to be several questions from the mediator, tons from the press that they had invited, and then some fan questions as well. They apparently were going to be live streaming the conference on YouTube allowing them to read the comments and questions as it went on.

“Okay, everyone. You have two minutes until we start.” The team was in an empty board room in the Hilton hotel. Tony didn’t want everyone on the compound’s grass because he just had it fixed. Bucky scanned his fellow teammates. It was impossible for everyone to dress for the same event. Steve was wearing a shirt that was almost bursting at the seams with a pair of jeans and sneakers.

Tony was wearing a lovely Tom Ford, three piece, two-button, of course. Natasha and Wanda were wearing ripped jeans and casual tops. Vision was wearing a sweater vest and slacks, Bruce was clad in slacks as well a jacket covering his shoulders. Sam was wearing a button-up shirt and pressed jeans and he couldn’t find Clint anywhere, probably hiding in the rafters again.

Bucky had his iconic leather jacket donning his shoulders, a pair of slightly ripped jeans. His outfit was picked out by Cassie and Penny. “You need to look like you care but like you don’t at the same time.” Is what they said, the phrase made Bucky shake his head. His hair had finally started growing back and he wasn’t quite sure how he felt about it.

He had gotten help from Evie before he left Cassie’s apartment. She had pulled back the top half, braiding back two sections into the bun at the back of his head. There were pieces dangling in front of his eyes, “to accentuate the facial features, trust me they’ll love it.” Was Evie’s explanation as they pushed him out of the apartment, so he wouldn’t be late.

“Alright guys! They’re calling your names!” The team filed out of the board room and into a large ballroom. Bottles of water were placed beside each placemat. Tony went out first, followed by Steve, then Bruce, Natasha, Clint, Wanda, Vision, Sam and ending with Bucky. They all settled into their seats, Bucky peeled his jacket off himself, placing it on the back of his chair. His black short sleeved shirt highlighted the gold inlays of his vibranium arm.

“Oh, I see we’re showing some muscle today huh, Buck?” Sam teased as Bucky took his seat next to him. Bucky groaned in realization, covering his microphone so it didn’t pick up what he planned to say.

“Good God, is this what it’s going to be like the entire panel? You just bugging the shit outta me?” They shared a laugh making the rest of the members look at the pair. The audience clapped as they were introduced and continued clapping as they assembled before them.

“Thank you. We would like to welcome everyone to the first, of hopefully many, Avenger’s Q&A Panel.” The female mediator, Stacey, read the assigned lines off the sheet on her podium. “We are going to start with questions we curated for the team and then open it up to the members of the press. After that we will turn to our live stream and answer some viewer questions.” The press rustled in their seats, pulling out pens and journals as well as their phones to record. “Okay, starting off with a question directed at the Avengers in general. How are you feeling about coming before the media in this type of format?” Glances were exchanged between the members, not sure on who was going to start.

“I feel that this is a great way for the general public to learn a little bit more about each individual team member.” Vision was the first to respond and Steve added on.

“Yeah, I definitely think that there’s a common misconception that we don’t want to engage with the media or the general public. We do, unfortunately due to the amount of research and training that we are doing behind the scenes, it just goes to the back of our minds.”

“Right. So Tony and Bruce, we all know that you two are geniuses. What are your feelings on expanding the teachings of STEM courses to not only high school, but as far back as elementary school or even kindergarten?” The pair thought about the question before answering.

“Well, I definitely think that offering STEM-based classes at a younger age would be beneficial, especially if we were to allow the kids to continue to switch what they want to focus on.” Bruce started. “It’s incredibly anxiety-inducing for teenagers to have to decide what they’re going to do with their life right before they are thrust into an unforgiving world.”

“Yeah, I’ll never understand why we do that to our future leaders, it’s honestly baffling. Why do American schools wait until high school to require our children to learn foriegn languages, they aren’t going to retain that information. The same applies for such comprehensive courses like STEM-based ones. If you wait until their brains are already developed so far, then they’ve already decided what they think is interesting and if they don’t find those courses interesting then they aren’t going to pay attention.” Tony finished Bruce's thought before nodding to each other smugly, obviously proud of themselves for answering the question so well.

“Interesting that you see it that way. This last one goes out to everyone and then we’ll open it up to the reporters. How do you deal with the stress and anxiety that comes with being an Avenger? Do you feel a certain amount of pressure to always do the right thing?” Stacey shuffled her papers, tapping them twice on the podium.

“We all have our own routines and ways that we decompress after missions so that really just depends on the person. Like I think that Bruce listens to opera music, and Wanda mediatates, Tony tinkers. It depends on the person.” Natasha answered concisely, making Bucky nod his head. He could recall all of those things to be true.

“Oh definitely, and it doesn’t hurt that we have a former VA Trauma Counselor on board to help us work through the harder stuff.” Steve added a gesture of his head to Sam.

“Speaking of that Sam, just a quick question before we open it up. How difficult was it for you to transition from regular Air Force missions to Avenger level missions?” Sam made a face at Stacey before answering.

“Um, I mean, it’s not that different. You’re always fighting one of the Big Three-- aliens, androids, or wizards, no matter what department you’re working with. The only transition I had to deal with was the Tony Stark-erized suits. Now that I think of it, Tony, can we make it tighter?” Sam quipped making the room laugh with ease.

“Alright, well now we’re going to open it up to the reporters. Starting with this gentleman in the front and then if we could also give a microphone to someone on that side of the room. Okay, thank you.” The first reporter stood up, holding the microphone in one hand and his phone in the other.

“Hello. John from Huffington Post. The Avengers inspire almost everyone around the world, so we would like to know who inspires you? Who do you look up to in terms of your idols?” He sat back down as the team contemplated their answers.

“Gandhi.” Bruce said, Tony snapped his fingers and pointed at him then added. “Pepper, she’s so amazing.” Steve looked down to Bucky, who shrugged.

“I would probably have to say that my sister, Sarah, inspires me. She raised her two sons, Cas and AJ, by herself after the Blip and was able to keep the family business going.” Sam’s answer made Bucky smile. Sam had brought him to their house in Delacroix, he remembered waking up to Cas and AJ playing in the kitchen, happy giggles filtering through reminding him of his time in Wakanda. By the time that Bucky had refocused on the conversation they had moved on without his answer. Several different questions went by, all directed to the team at large, until Chad.

“Hi, I’m Chad for the Daily Mail. My question is for Wanda and Natasha.” The pair of women perked up, excited to have a specific question. “Do you find that your equipment hinders you in doing your job as well as your male counterparts?” Stunned expressions settled over the womens faces, then annoyance. Bucky’s brows shot up to his hairline, appalled that someone had the balls to ask that. Wanda and Natasha handled the question with grace and much more restraint than Bucky would have.

“Well for me, I am able to move things with my mind so I can throw things randomly at people even if I’m not in the room. I’ve been very fortunate to work with Natasha who has Widow training, so my hand to hand combat is improving immensely. And being able to work with Princess Shuri in Wakanda to learn how to fully control my powers. It’s an ever evolving process that I’m always excited to take on.” Bucky nodded and turned his attention to Natasha.

“My favorite thing is training with either Steve or Bucky because they push me to do my best. We all have our specialties here and it’s nice to learn new skills or improve old ones with people who support you.” Natasha sat back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest, throwing daggers with her eyes at Chad in the audience, waiting for him to say something else. Chad stood again, yelling so he could be heard over the crowd’s commotion.

“That’s great, ladies, but forgive me, you didn’t answer the question I asked.” Bucky pushed forward in his seat, leaning into his microphone.

“I’m sorry, I think I misunderstood what you asked them then. I would like for you to clarify what you mean by equipment.” Chad balked, not expecting a male’s voice to respond.

“You know what’s implied by equipment, sir.” Bucky’s jaw clenched at the man.

“Did you just ask two of the most capable women that I’ve ever known, if their equipment, which I’m assuming you’re referring their breasts, made it to where they couldn’t do their job as good as the rest of their male counterparts. Just to be clear, that’s what you’re asking?” Chad stuttered as he answered yes.

“Right, well first off that’s disgusting. Just a bit of background for you, Wanda is the strongest Avenger here, plain and simple. As for Natasha, she’s the smartest woman I’ve ever met and she can take down every single male here.” Bucky took a breath before continuing. “So, what I think you really want to know is how they encourage their teammates to keep up with them.” He dropped his head to look at the two women down the line.

“Don’t worry Chad, I’ll ask them the right question, since you can’t quite seem to understand how to respect women.” The team was holding back snickers at Chad’s reaction. “Wanda, Natasha. Chad wants to know how the hell you push your male teammates to be just as good as you are. What are your strategies to keep us on our toes while training?” Claps sounded from the women press members and Bucky awaited the pair's response. The next press member stood and asked a question.

“Hi, I’m Chloe from Vanity Fair. This question goes to everyone on the panel.” Bucky settled in for another question that didn’t matter. “How do you continue to be aware of things happening in our society today? Do you keep up-to-date through new channels, or social media?” The answers were rather generic from the team, all of them rather uncomfortable from the tension that Bucky and Chad had created. Stacey interrupted after Chloe’s question.

“Okay, we’re going to open it up to viewer questions from our live stream.” An iPad was placed on the podium in front of Stacey and her eyebrows rose. “Okay, there’s quite a variety here. Here’s one for Steve and Bucky.” Bucky perked up, nervous to answer because his adrenaline had worn off.

“One viewer asks, ‘Steve and Bucky, being from the 40’s, women were treated like second thoughts and were talked about like objects. Now, you’re in the 21st century, not much has changed. What have you been doing to support feminist causes?’”

“I just want to say that everyone should be answering this. It’s true that during the 40’s women were not treated the right way, and they still aren’t today. An 18 year old can’t walk down the street at nine o’clock at night without being catcalled. I am a proud feminist, as everyone should be. I think that as a team we are doing pretty well in that department. As far as what I’m doing to support feminist causes, I’m doing as much as I can. I actually recently enrolled in online classes to expand my knowledge on many subjects, seeing as how I am from the 40’s and all.” The crowd laughed along with Bucky.

“Almost all of my classes have to do with either psychology or gender studies, it’s a fascinatingly haunting subject. One book that I’m reading right now was suggested to me by my friend Cassie, it’s called Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women that a Movement Forgot. The author doesn’t let up and I’m only halfway through it. Look, I’m still educating myself, but I’m a strong believer in doing what is right for everyone, so I’m trying. Thankfully I have a few people keeping me in check as far as my actions.” Bucky thought his response was well thought out for being an on the fly question. He was new to the concept of feminism but that didn’t change the fact that it made total sense.

“I’m with Bucky on this. The 40’s were a rough time. I remember the first time I met Peggy Carter, I was astonished that a woman could be in such a powerful position. One of the first things she did after I met her was punch out someone who made a sexual comment to her. I’ve been supporting feminist causes ever since working with Peggy.” Steve added, a sad smile spreading on his face reminiscing Peggy.

“This one says, ‘As a total fan of all of you, I love seeing what you post on your social media accounts. When are the rest of the Avengers going to follow Bucky’s lead and download TikTok?’” Bucky’s head flew back into a full body laugh. Tony shifted forward in his seat, pointing his finger at the laughing man down the table.

“I would just like to say he didn’t get that approved before doing it. However, it did go over really well, so we’ll consider it.” Wanda’s mouth rolled inwards, stifling her laughter.

“We’ll consider it, you’re such an old man. Most of us have TikTok already, we just don’t make content on it like Barnes over here.” Sam said, tossing his head in Bucky’s direction.

“I’ve got like three videos on there!” Bucky and Sam began bantering back and forth.

“Yeah and one of them is dancing to a Cardi B song! Who even showed you that? I thought you only like 40’s music?” Bucky made a face at the man.

“Uh, just because I didn’t like your suggestions for music doesn’t mean I don’t have taste. My Spotify playlist is filling out quite nicely, Wilson.” Bucky and Sam didn’t quit fighting from then on, just little jabs at each other under the table.

“Here’s a good one,” Stacey had a smile on her face, “Are you allies of the LGBTQ+ community?” Bucky responded quickly with no hesitation.

“Yes, many of my friends are members of the Alphabet Mafia. Why wouldn’t we be?” Wanda nodded at his question, laughing at his use of the phrase Alphabet Mafia.

“Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I’m dating a fucking android, I’d be pretty hypocrictal if I wasn’t an ally. Nat, Clint what about you?” Clint bobbed his head in response.

“Oh yeah. We all are, even the Star Spangled Man with a Plan.” Steve’s shoulders shook with laughter at Clint’s nickname for him. The team broke out into laughter, joining Steve. Stacey cleared her throat, commanding the attention of the room again.

“Alright, everybody! That’s it for today.” She glanced down at her papers. “We would like to thank everyone for coming out today and joining the Avengers Q&A Panel. At this time we are unaware, if we will be conducting another one of these, but the odds look good based on the response.” The team filed out of the ballroom and into the empty boardroom. Bucky was the last to get into the room and he was approached by Natasha and Wanda immediately. Wanda wrapped her arms around him in a bear hug.

“That was so sick, Bucky!” She stepped back and Natasha offered him a side hug as well. “Where’d you learn all that? And since when are you taking online classes?”

“That guy was being an asshole, he needed to be put in his place. I hope you guys didn’t feel like I overstepped or anything.” Bucky hung his arm over Wanda’s shoulder, leaning his weight on her. “And I started about two months ago. They’re going really well, I’m learning a lot and enjoying it surprisingly. It’s a good thing to do in my free time since I’m not always on missions.”

“I’m proud of you James, that was impressive.” Natasha complimented him, she wasn’t usually a woman of many words so that was a lot. Bucky smiled at her, nodding his head. His phone began buzzing in his back pocket, so he excused himself from their conversation. His screen displayed one of Evie’s senior pictures, signalling that she was calling him. He pushed the green button and brought the phone to his ear to answer her call.

“Hello?” She ignored his greeting with a squeal.

“Check your Twitter! Bucky, you’re trending! Here I’m putting you on speaker, we’re all here Buck!” Shuffling noises were heard through the speaker as Evie began reading the tweets to Bucky. Laughs from Cassie, Freddie and Penny could be heard behind Evie’s voice.

“Oh my gosh Eve! Just let the man get back to what he was doing!” Freddie yelled at an excited Evie, who retaliated with a scoff.

“Okay, okay! Just remember we have a movie night tomorrow! It’s Penny’s turn to pick so we don’t know what to expect.” Evie mumbled the last part into her phone speaker. Bucky heard the impact of a pillow hit Evie, causing her to grunt in pain. “Okay! We’ll talk to you later, Buck! See you soon!” She hung up the phone before he could get a word in edgewise. Bucky shook his head as he shoved his phone back into his pocket. Amanda approached Bucky asking to speak with him privately.

“So we’re getting a flood of interview requests from networks and papers. We would like to start running with this. We’ll have to go over everything with our PR guy, Ryan, but it should work out. As long as you’re comfortable with all of this.” Bucky smiled and nodded, following after Amanda as she continued explaining what would happen going forward.

He was nervous, of course, but he could tell these nerves were coming from a place of excitement instead of fear, which was a new sensation for the man. It wasn’t unwelcome, it was the same as when he first started hanging out with Cassie, Penny, Freddie and Evie. It was the same when he went on his first mission with the team. Bucky was ready to tackle this next adventure, whatever it would entail.

[rogueonestan]

shereshoy

shereshoy - wanting to live everyday to its fullest and more

word count: 2.3k

pairing: the mandalorian (din djarin) x reader

summary: din reveals his true feelings for you through an anecdote from his childhood.

masterlist

Faint laughter and the sound of the soft splashes of the nearby lake are what calls Din’s name.

So when he returns back to the Crest after a quick supply run to find you and the kid enjoying yourselves, he can’t help but smile underneath his helmet. 

The sight isn’t much to see. You’re laying down on the grassy floor as the green little baby is currently running around as he’s trying to catch something. The baby will leap towards his prey, only for the prey to run away, resulting in the baby giggling as you follow suit. To others, it may not be much, but to Din, it’s everything. It’s been such a long time since he’s experienced this kind of feeling before. He can’t exactly put his feelings into words, but it’s a feeling that he never wants to go away. It’s a feeling that he used to feel all the time with his family back on Aq Vetina before he was taken in by the Mandalorians. It’s a feeling he's associated with the life that was stripped from him. A life that he always dreamt that he would be able to get back someday. 

The closer he gets to where you and the baby are, the more his heart soars. The baby continually is running around, enjoying himself, as your eyes remain close as you take everything in. You don’t even notice his return until he makes himself known. 

“Enjoying ourselves?” 

You didn’t realize that you were in such a trance until you’re greeted with the familiar ‘T’ visor that you’ve familiarized yourself with over the past few months. The tranquility of your surroundings are what made you first lose yourself in the moment. From the baby’s giggles to hearing the birds sing to the soft waves hitting against the rocks in the nearby lake, it was easy to lose track of time. 

“You’re back.” A soft hum comes from Din in response as you continue, “how was your trip?”

“Good. There’s a local town that’s a few miles up north and I was able to stock up on a few things that we were running low on.” Now it’s your return to mimic your partner and hum in response, “it’s a nice little town, you would enjoy it. Maybe all three of us could go there tomorrow.”

“I would like that. Were you looking for anything in particular while you were there?”

“No.” Yes, but it’s not like he would tell you that- not yet, anyways. 

“Do you want lunch? I was just thinking of making some.”

“You stay- I’ll go make it.” 

A few rebuttals leave your lips, saying that you can do it and pointing out that he just returned, but Din ignores your pleas, insisting that you continue resting and watch over the kid.

As Din leaves to go back inside the Crest to put his purchases away, what makes him walk a little bit faster is the laughter that comes from both you and the baby. How in the galaxy he was able to be blessed with a life as good as his, Din will never know. After all of the ugly decisions he’s made in the past, he’s one of the last people who deserves a life as great as his. To be able to wake up every single day and know that he has a new family that will support him through anything. To have someone as devoted and generous, traits that his own mother had, is something that he thinks about as he makes the three of you lunch.

The lunch that Din ends up making is something that you’ve had on multiple occasions before, just a stew made out of the items that he picked up from market earlier, but it’s the company of Din and the soft breeze brushing against your cheek that makes it so much better. When Din comes out with the two bowls of food, a smile immediately appears on your face as the spices from food linger in the air. The feeling of fresh air that you got used to now is mixed with the scent of Din’s cooking. It’s not often that you get to eat home cooked meals, let alone meals made by Din, but it’s a welcome rarity. Din’s cooking isn’t the best that you’ve ever had, but his skills improve each time he prepares food for you.

The spices in the stew are a bit intense at first. You nearly choked on the pure flavor of peppers that surprised you at first, but the more you eat, more like devour, your food, the more you enjoy it.

“How is it?” He asks. 

When you look over at him, you notice that he doesn’t have a bowl of food in front of him, giving the baby the other bowl, as he studies your actions. Nearly half of the food is already gone. 

“It’s really good, Din.” With a smile on your face, you cover one of your hands as you take another bite.

“Yeah?”

You nod your head at him. The food that’s in your mouth is a little bit more difficult to chew as you try to fight the smile that’s threatening to appear on your face. The idea of not only him making lunch for you, but also wanting to know your thoughts on it as well is what makes you smile.

The hand that covered your mouth a moment ago covers your partner’s hand. 

The warmth that radiates from the palm of your hand is the same warmth that fills Din’s body. The transition of your relationship going from friendly to romantic is a recent change, so the feeling of your skin touching his is a new one. Foreign but welcomed. 

“It’s much better than the last meal you made for us.” A chuckle leaves his modulator.

The last time Din cooked a meal for the three of you was only a few weeks ago, but it was so disastrous. After seeing how tired you were by watching the baby for a few days, Din offered to keep an eye on him as you used the refresher. Once you finished, the sight you returned to was not what you expected. Din wanted to surprise you with a warm meal, but instead of spices from the food lingering in the air, the smell of smoke welcomed you once you finished what you were doing in the refresher. As you rushed out, you saw that Din was struggling to look over the baby and cook simultaneously. In summary, you ended up eating dinner from the local town that night. 

“That wasn’t my fault.”

“I never said it was. I’m just saying that you’re getting better. Who knows, maybe next time you’ll be able to cook a meal that doesn’t have anything to do with burning.”

“I didn’t burn this one.”

“Tell that to my mouth.”

“Oh.”

“It’s still good though!” You reassure him, interlacing your fingers with him as you give his hand a soft squeeze, “just, don’t go as heavy with the pepper next time, my love.” 

“Hmm.”

The baby feels the same way of Din’s cooking as you do because half of his meal is on his face as he takes gigantic mouthfuls. How he hasn’t choked on his food yet is a miracle. 

“Aren’t you going to eat?”

“Later.”

“Din-“

“I promise, ner cyare, I’ll eat later.”

As much as you hate to scold him, you drop the subject. Din isn’t the best when it comes to looking after himself, but he’s getting better at it thanks to you. You know that he would never break a promise he’s made to you. 

“Well, then I guess we should start heading back inside.” You say as you lay your free hand behind you to support yourself, but before you’re able to, Din’s hand squeezes yours.

“Cyar’ika, if it’s alright with you, I would like to stay out here for a little bit longer.”

You nod your head as your body goes back into its relaxed position. You’re not one to say no to spend a little more time with him, but you really want to make sure that he, too, is able to enjoy the food that he worked so hard on.

“Whatever you want, Din.”

Giving your hand one final squeeze, he tries to force out the words that have been stuck in his throat ever since he returned, but he still doesn’t have enough courage to say them.

“I lied earlier, well, kind of.” 

“What do you mean?”

“When I left earlier, I wasn’t looking for anything in particular when I was in town, but supplies weren't the only thing that I got.”

There’s more that he wants to say, but he doesn’t know how to say it. He knows exactly what he wants to say, but he doesn’t know how to say it.

“When I was younger, my mother, she-“ Din cuts himself off. The right words just can't seem to leave his mouth. But that’s okay because you’re more than patient as you wait for him to continue on. Being so open and vulnerable about his feelings and thoughts is very new for Din, but you would wait for an eternity just to hear what he has to say. 

The soft yet reassuring squeeze of your hand is what makes him continue, “Something that my father used to do to show his love for my mother was to surprise her with gifts when he got home from work. We didn’t have much money to live off of so he didn’t do it that often, but it always brought a smile to my mother’s face whenever he did. 

And my mother did the same. I remember helping her pick out a gift for my dad. It was something that we would always look forward to and it was a tradition between the two of them. Once a month they would surprise each other with a gift, the other not knowing when it would happen, and it’s something that I would like to do as well, with you.” 

The last of his words barely managed to come through his modulator. Just thinking about his parents brings tears to his eyes, let alone telling a story about them. It’s been such a long time since he’s revealed something as special as a memory of his parents that he reflects on a lot. Every time he’s thought of them lately, it’s always been of the last day that he got to spend with them. But maybe now, he’ll be able commemorate them by carrying on one of their traditions with you. 

Like Din, tears brim your eyes. Not only is this the first time Din revealed his true feelings to you by saying the word ‘love’, but he also revealed something to you that no one else in the entire galaxy knows. You knew that he harbored the same feelings as you do (he never spoke them outright), but revealing such an intimate thing from his childhood just shows how much he loves you.

Not only did he share a story from his childhood, but he wants to entwine it with your lives.

“I would love that.”

“You would?”

“More than anything.”

Suddenly, Din reaches in one of his many pockets to fish something out. Within a matter of seconds, a small mesh bag is in his free hand. The white color of the bag stands out by the contrast of Din’s dark glove.

When you take the small bag from his hand, you can feel your heartbeat in your throat. In all of the time you’ve spent with him, you don’t think you’ve ever been this nervous around Din.

Gently pulling on the strings that have secured the gift inside, you let go of Din’s hand to take a peek of what’s inside.

A small gasp leaves your lips as you look inside. With one of your hands out, his gift to you lays in the middle of your palm. 

“I know it’s not much, but it reminded me of you.” Your focus is entirely on what he has given you. What lays in your palm is a simple gold ring. Not much can be said about it: it has a simple band, no jewels or anything, but it has a textured feeling to it by the years it’s lived. 

“It’s perfect.”

“So you like it?”

“I love it, thank you.” You say as you admire the way the ring reflects off of sunlight. When it’s on your finger, it may not look like much, but you’ll be able to remember this afternoon because of the ring. You’ll be able to remember the way you’re feeling, how much you love your partner, and how he shared such a big part of himself with a simple ring.

“If I had known, I would’ve gotten you something as well.”

“Getting to wake up by your side and call you mine is the best gift I could ever want.”

His name leaves your lips as you groan at his cheesiness. 

Din’s hand tugs on yours to pull you closer to him, but before you’re able to, the baby that’s been almost radio silent this entire time finally decides to make his appearance as his hand pulls at Din’s sleeve. 

“We’ll continue this later.” He says as he scoops up the little baby and makes his way back to the ship.

You can’t hear what he’s saying to the baby, but your heart soars at the sight of your partner shifting from his romantic confession to his role as a father-like figure to the little one. Just thinking about what your partner meant is what makes you quickly pick up the bowls you used for lunch and follow your partner inside.

taglist (i don’t have one yet but let me know if you want to be added):

[nct-lian]

people who have a crush on lian (outside of the group)

ERIC SOHN, THE BOYZ

duration: april 2020 — present

he actually developed a crush on her after he had watched the music video to her pre-release single, “stay tonight.” he thought she looked SO good and went on to talk about how much he loved that kind of concept on her for weeks on end.

eric obviously knew about her prior to his discovery of the song, having a member that’s been great friends with her for about a year.

he thinks that if kevin would stop hogging lian and actually let her interact with more of the members, he’d be able to “win her over” but according to kevin, she’s his best friend and his best friend only.

do fans know?: yes

fans of both the boyz and nct figured out that eric had a little bit of a crush on her after watching the english line’s episode of the k-pop daebak show with eric nam.

it was the section of which eric nam was reading out all the questions jacob, kevin and eric had sent in for each other, and one of kevin’s questions for eric was, “do you have a crush on my best friend?”

eric nam widened his eyes, “you have a best friend that he has a crush on?” he asked kevin, who was trying not to laugh hysterically at the question that had resurfaced. “he might,” kevin nodded.

“jacob, do you know who he’s talking about?” jacob nodded and suppressed his giggle by lifting the pillow he was hugging tightly to his chest and covering his face with it.

eric held a look on his face that screamed, “i’ve been personally victimized” as he shot his head back and forth between kevin and the other two older men in the room.

“i don’t have a crush on your best friend.. well- you know- like- maybe a celebrity crush.”

kevin cackled, “she’s not a celebrity-” eric nam laughed at that and shrugged his shoulders when eric turned to him for some help. “i don’t even know who’s he’s talking about, don’t look at me!”

“to you!” eric shot back at kevin, implying that he obviously wasn’t going to see her as a celebrity, given their best friend status.

jacob let him himself laugh, “eric, it’s okay, you make it so obvious sometimes.” he reassured his younger member.

eric stuttered over his words and kept shaking his head. “it’s a celebrity crush. no real feelings.” he stated.

the man across from him, again, shrugged his shoulders in confusion. “i still don’t know who we’re talking about?”

kevin apologized and clapped his hands together, “she’s actually schedules to come on this show.” he smiled and threw him a thumbs up. “is she really? oh, i think i know who it is, then.” eric nam made a face and looked at kevin and jacob, who both matched his expression.

then they all looked at eric, “why are you guys looking at me like that? okay, next question.” he smiled in attempt to change the topic. eric obeyed, feeling bad that they were sort of teasing him, while the two others just laughed.

current status: acquaintances (they met through kevin moon)

( FIRST MEETING ) lian had been waiting at the door of kevin’s dormitory for a minute too long, and no matter how many times she knocked, nobody would answer. they were supposed to be going on a walk in order to catch up before their weekly schedules. 

lian pulled out her phone and called kevin through facetime, him answering almost immediately. “kevin, why aren’t you answering? i’ve been knocking nonstop.” 

he rolled his eyes and told her to just come in and that he’ll be a minute because he can’t find any shoes that look good with his outfit. 

she hung up on him and walked inside, greeted with the sight of the boyz’s maknae on the couch. she stopped in her tracks and watched as he scrambled to his feet in panic. “s-sunbaenim, what are you doing here?” eric scratched the back of his neck.

“huh? oh! i’m just waiting for kevin to finish getting ready.” she smiled politely and looked at everything but him, finding the interior of their dorm rather interesting at that moment.

getting uncomfortable with the awkward atmosphere her and eric had created, she yelled out for kevin to hurry up. “moon hyungseo!” she called him by his korean name, knowing that he didn’t like it.

“don’t you dare call me that, bae haneul!” he shot back at her, stumbling out of his room while trying to put on his left shoe.

she chuckled, “hah, jokes on you, i actually like my korean name.” he stuck his tongue out at her, “okay idiot, let’s just go.”

he opened the door for her so she could walk out first, “uhh, bye eric.” lian waved at him with a tight smile before exiting the dorm, kevin following after her.

eric waited for the door to close before he returned her goodbye, giggling like a little schoolboy who’d just received a lolipop.

“she knows my name.” a bright smile replaced the awkward frown on his face.

crush percentage out of 100: 60%

BANG CHAN, STRAY KIDS

duration: unknown — present

chan can remember keeping up with smrookies while he was still a trainee, and he developed some sort of jealousy towards lian. he saw her grow as a person, not just an artist. 

he watched her debut first, he watched her transition from red velvet into nct, he watched her achieve his dreams before he could.

this jealousy overtime somehow turned into feelings, and he had no idea what kind of feelings they exactly were.

he hadn’t ever really experienced feelings like this before, and he was terrified to admit what he thought they were. eventually, chan opened up to someone and it was clear that he had a bit of a crush on her — and a big one.

chan began to update himself on smrookies daily, constantly wanting to know what she was up to and what her debut plans were, especially because of the sudden group change.

even now that they’re great friends, he’s always calling her to see what’s going on and if she needs help with anything.

do fans know?: definitely

no doubt do stays know about his feelings — he was bound to slip up once or twice while live streaming to them.

and that slip up just so happened to be while he was reacting to lian’s “play” music video. everything was going fine — bopping his head to the beat and humming calmly, but he couldn’t stop the blush from spreading onto his cheeks while watching her dance with another guy.

yeah, he was jealous, but that doesn’t mean stays had to know. he hysterically fanned his face, somewhat over exaggerating to play it off. “oh- woah- is the ac not working in here suddenly?” he playfully laughed at the camera facing him.

the song soon ended, and chan was back to reading all of the comments. he read some aloud, some in his head, but he accidentally let one slip through his lips.

“do you have a crush on neullie?” he nearly cursed when he realized the question he had just read to the entire live stream said what it said, allowing himself to sit back in his chair as he watched all the comments flood in.

“well, do you?” “CHAN OMFG-” “christopher bang..”

“guys, come on, of course i don’t.” the viewers definitely wanted to believe him; like, a lot, but they couldn’t.

the way he smiles whenever she was brought up in a conversation, how he looks so incredibly proud when talking about her — it would be a complete lie to believe otherwise.

current status: good friends

( FIRST MEETING ) changed out of the sparkly, sequinned dress she’d been wearing for the last couple of hours and now sitting in a pair of sweats and a zip up, lian couldn’t be happier.

finally out of the uncomfortably tall heels and being able to sit down on a cushy sofa while waiting to leave the venue, lian pulled out her phone to check notifications.

five minutes probably passed before her manager gave her the “okay” to start walking to the exit, the car already waiting for her outside.

leaving the dressing room, she saw taeyong, who decided to tag along with the driver (and taeil) so he could see her. “hey, oppa.” she greeted, grabbing onto his arm and leaning on his shoulder for support.

“did you have fun? were you able to see sunmi-sunbaenim today?” he patted her hand slowly. she nodded and made a noise in confirmation, way too tired to give an audible response.

taeyong chuckled as he made sure to keep her upright while getting closer to the exit.

meanwhile, bang chan was talking with felix a couple feet away. he felt bad watching as taeyong struggled to help lian balance herself on her, for sure, wobbly legs.

he saw how terrific she danced that night, completely dominating the stage with her powerful choreography and her clear vocals.

subtly walking in their direction, he put his hand out the minute taeyong’s arm wasn’t able to hold her up anymore. lian looked like she was sleeping at that point.

chan gracefully caught her in his arms, taeyong apologizing and taking her back into his own. “i’m so sorry-” he bowed.

“no, no, it’s okay. she must be tired- uh- would you like some help?” chan offered a helping hand, but taeyong was sure he had other duties to attend to, being the leader of his group and all.

“no! please, i got it from here. thank you for catching her, though, you have no idea what yuta would have done to me if something happened- uh, i’m getting ahead of myself. have a good night.” he noticed how he began rambling on, but chan paid no mind to it.

laughing and keeping the air light, chan nodded his head and bowed, about to walk away after wishing him a safe trip back to the dorms; but that was when lian decided to wake up from her slumber.

“huh?” she looked at taeyong cluelessly, but chan caught her eye. it was then that she noticed johnny’s grey zip up was halfway down her arms, spaghetti strapped tank top (pretty revealing) on full display.

she hastily pulled the sleeves up and looked at chan awkwardly, bowing to him and proceeding to ask taeyong if they were going home.

taeyong nodded his head and put a hand on her shoulder, “yeah, the car is waiting outside. taeil’s in the backseat with your pillow.” he smiled.

lian’s smiled back with a toothy grin, clapping her hands excitedly as she now knew she would be able to sleep on the way home. again realizing chan was watching, she looked back to him.

“it was nice meeting you!” lian waved her hand at him, grabbing onto taeyong’s arm and gently dragging him towards the door leading outside. he complied, but not without shouting yet another “thank you!” to chan, who was still standing in the same spot.

crush percentage out of 100: 90%

CHOI SOOBIN, TOMORROW X TOGETHER

duration: october 2018 — present

soobin was really able to learn more about the different variety of idols in the industry when he first joined bighit, and that surely included lian. he admired her so much; she became one of the people he looked up to most.

she was the only female member in a group that included eighteen other men, how could he not immediately think the highest of her after finding that out?

he would keep up with her scheduling and make sure to listen in on her radio show appearances so he could stay updated. he even bought all of her solo albums so he could put her photocard in the back of his phone case!

do fans know?: yes

moas aren’t even able to count on their fingers the amount of times soobin has said lian was his ideal type or his #1 crush. like, the first couple appearances he had on camera post debut, her photocard was literally still in his phone case.

“moas are asking if you still have a crush on lian-sunbaenim.” yeonjun nodded his head towards soobin, the members of txt all sitting comfortably on the floor of a practice room.

soobin lightly brushed his hair out of his face as he nodded his head, “yeah, she’s gotten even prettier lately. have you see her new music video?” beomgyu nodded excitedly.

“it’s super good! the album is amazing, as well.” he beamed at the phone that was filming them and clapped his hands.

“yah, don’t get too excited; soobinnie will get jealous~” yeonjun teased. soobin playfully hit his hyung on the shoulder and told him to be less embarrassing, a small blush now resting on his dimpled cheeks.

hueningkai and taehyun both laughed at their leader, agreeing that lian has certainly gotten prettier, if that was even possible. the topic was soon over as they began talking about something else, but moas definitely added that into their list of “soobin fanboying over lian” moments.

look forward to the fifteen million new youtube videos about it!

current status: acquaintances, idol x fan

( FIRST MEETING ) soobin almost jumped straight out of his seat when he noticed the goddess herself, lian, walk into the section him and his group were currently in. he watched her bow to the members of itzy before sitting next to them and placing a fluffy blanket onto her lap.

she had just finished performing, and he was still shaking at how perfect it was played out; the sparkly outfits, the amazing choreography, her powerful vocals yet again never disappointed.

the curfew for underage idols now being hit, soobin and yeonjun both bid goodbye to their younger members as lian, yeji and lia did the same for ryujin, chaeryeong and yuna.

the three girls sitting in front of their section soon ran out of things to talk about while waiting for bts to perform their stage, a comforting silence falling upon them. lian allowed her eyes to wonder around her surroundings and ended up unconsciously turning around and staring right at the two members of txt that were left.

yeonjun seemed to have paid no mind to her lingering gaze, but soobin on the other hand could have sworn his heart dropped out of his ass at that very moment. lian, now shaken out of her thoughts, noticed how creepy she probably looked.

bowing in apology, she quickly turned around to talk with lia once again in order to distract herself from the embarrassment that was currently enveloping her whole.

once he knew lian was too invested in her conversation to notice his quiet squeal, he excitedly began bouncing his legs up and down on the cold floor and repeatedly hit yeonjun’s arm.

“huh, what? what’s wrong?” confusion took over his face, wondering why soobin was practically having a heart attack next to him.

“hyung- she looked at me! right at my face! lianna bae looked at me!” yeonjun couldn’t help but scoff at how incredibly excited soobin seemed to be at such a little thing, but it was cute.

crush percentage out of 100: 78%

KIM TAEHYUNG, BANGTAN SONYEONDAN

duration: somewhere in 2019 — present

taehyung has seen lian here and there whenever he browsed twitter on his secret account, and he’s definitely noticed the constant shipping and dating rumours that went on between their fandoms.

the fanwars, the manips — they’ve all been seen by him at some point in time; but he has to admit that from the manips he’s been able to get a good look at, him and lian would actually make a pretty nice looking couple.

but you didn’t hear that from him tf :)

do fans know?: kind of

the calming beat of lian’s “my friend” played in the background of taehyung’s vlive, the viewers all watching him eat peacefully and answer some of their questions.

“are you a fan of lian?” taehyung slowly read out the question as he tried to slurp some of his soup up at the same time. “yes, i like her music a lot..” he trailed off, once again focusing on finishing his soup.

he ate his last spoonful shortly after, continuing his sentence, “i noticed she likes to experiment a lot.. it’s admirable.” he smiled fondly and switched to another song on his playlist after “my friend” ended.

“uh, she’s also really pretty; she fits my ideal type well.” he allowed himself to giggle, somewhat playing it off so the atmosphere on the stream stayed comfortable.

the topic of lian never reappeared that night, fortunately for him, but when he was chaotically woken up the next morning by jungkook, he saw at least five headlines about how he admitted to having a crush on lian.

current status: friends (?)

( FIRST MEETING ) venturing off and losing his members during isac was never taehyung’s intention, but he was able to see some of his friends, so it wasn’t exactly a bad thing. he met a few idols and befriended them, trading phone numbers with a couple new people before heading off to regroup with his six roommates.

on his way there, however, a girl with green sweatpants and a white long sleeved t-shirt caught his eye. he recognized her as nct’s only female member, who was currently running around with seulgi of red velvet.

if he was being completely honest with himself, he’d love to join in on the fun they looked like they were having, but he instead continued on with his journey towards bts. even after a couple minutes of searching around the large stadium he was still unable to find his members.

eventually giving up on his mission, he just decided to back to wherever he last saw some entertainment. he found himself now engaged in a conversation with johnny suh, looking back at lian every now and then to see if she’s gone anywhere.

after a little while, johnny seemed to have caught on, “why are you staring at lian?” taehyung jumped at the question, shrugging his shoulders awkwardly and turning to fully look at the older male beside him.

“uh, i can ask her to come over here if you want. i’ll be a wingman,” johnny winked playfully at the fellow idol, and went over to grab lian before taehyung was able to give a solid answer.

“hey, lian, taeyong wants to talk to you.” he grabbed her hand, and began to drag her towards the bts member, who was literally shitting his pants. seulgi on the other hand, was following the two to wherever lian needed to be, not quite ready to leave.

“noona, go away.” johnny lightly pushed seulgi away from lian, being a shot an “i’m incredibly offended, you’re dead to me” look as as she stomped away from them and over to joy and wendy.

lian silently followed johnny to where “taeyong” was but instead she was met with the face of kim taehyung. she looked back up at johnny with confusion written all over her features, but he shrugged his shoulders and walked away as well.

now, they were just standing there awkwardly looking at each other with nothing to say. “uh, hi, you’re not taeyong.” lian laughed to break the ice, taehyung following shortly after. “yeah, i don’t know what he was trying to do here.” lian nodded in agreement.

lian suddenly became aware of all the fans in the audience and the numerous amounts of fansites that probably had their cameras facing directly at her.

she was able to wrap up her conversation with taehyung pretty quickly, making a mental note in her head of the phone number he’d given her so they could talk later.

once taehyung walked away as he’d finally caught sight of yoongi, lian stomped over to the member of nct 127 and roughly pushed johnny into jungwoo, but he was far too strong to be toppled over like she wanted.

“you idiot, why would you do that? that was so awkward, i hate you and i’m not cooking for you ever again.” johnny simply laughed and ruffled her hair, turning back to hyuck, who was also laughing at her.

she huffed as she was engulfed into a hug by yuta, who almost immediately asked what the hell they were talking about over there.

crush percentage out of 100: 40%

[prouvaireafterdark]

Appetite

Here’s my Malex Secret Santa gift for @djchika, who asked for some domestic Malex with one of them teaching the other how to cook! I hope you like it, Deej!

Also on AO3!

***

“Hey, Alex?”

“Yeah?” Alex asks without looking up. He’d moved his laptop to the kitchen table at Michael’s request, but he still has a little work to finish before he’s free for the evening.

“Can you grab me the cumin from the spice cabinet?” Michael asks, and when Alex tears his gaze away from the screen, he sees Michael staring back, head turned over his shoulder to look at him as he stirs a pot of something on the stove that smells absolutely delicious.

“Sure, one sec,” he says, typing the last few lines of code as quick as he can.

When he’s done, he shuts his laptop and sets it to the side before straightening up and heading to the spice cabinet. He digs around a little, shifting bottles here and there to try to find what Michael needs, but he comes up empty.

“Bottom left, behind the paprika,” Michael supplies helpfully after a minute of Alex’s fruitless shuffling.

Alex looks over and sure enough, there, behind the paprika, right where Michael said it would be, is the cumin. He isn’t sure when exactly it was that Michael made the transition from feeling like he wasn’t welcome to stay the night to being intimately familiar with the inside of his spice cabinet, but the fact that he feels so at home in Alex’s space makes affection bloom warm in Alex’s chest as he plucks the bottle off the shelf.

“Thanks,” Michael smiles when he hands him the bottle, and Alex is helpless against the impulse to lean in and kiss him.

Michael welcomes the kiss without hesitation, humming softly against his mouth as he turns to face him more directly, the bottle of cumin still gripped between his fingers. Alex smiles, a little smug that he’s able to steal Michael’s attention so easily even when he’s in the middle of something.

It’s not until he feels the tip of Michael’s tongue flick against his bottom lip that Alex pulls back, not so eager to be the reason Michael burns whatever he’s cooking when they inevitably drive each other to distraction.

“Any time,” Alex says when he’s managed to put a few inches of space between them.

Michael blinks at him, his brain taking a moment to come back online, before he huffs a laugh, shaking his head.

“Tease,” Michael accuses lightly, and Alex rolls his eyes affectionately even as he steps behind him and wraps his arms around his waist.

“I don’t think I’ve earned that title,” Alex tells him in a low voice, lips barely an inch from the shell of Michael’s ear. “Not yet, anyway.”

Michael groans softly at the thought and Alex can’t help but chuckle and press a fleeting kiss to his cheek.

“Are you done with work?” Michael asks, leaning back against his chest a little in a way that makes Alex feel warm and protective. He knows it’s impractical, but he could hold Michael like this all day.

“Mhmm,” Alex hums. When Michael doesn’t say anything else, Alex hooks his chin over his shoulder and watches as he adds some cumin to the ground beef browning in the pot, not bothering to measure it. “What are you making?”

“Chili,” Michael answers, stirring the meat to incorporate all the spices. “You want to try some?”

Alex’s stomach growls audibly at the question, making them both laugh.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Michael says, and after a moment of more stirring to make sure the beef is all browned, Michael reaches into the cutlery drawer to his left and takes out a clean spoon without looking. He dips it into the pot, scoops out some seasoned ground beef, and feeds it to Alex over his shoulder.

Alex can’t suppress the pleased sound he makes when he tastes it. The beef is delicious—savory and a little salty with a strong kick of spice that lingers on his tongue.

“What do you think?” Michael asks, twisting in his arms to try to see his reaction.

“It’s really good,” Alex tells him, and he doesn’t need to see Michael’s face to know he’s warming under his praise, but it’s always nice to watch it happen anyway. If Michael isn’t careful, Alex will need to kiss him again.

“How’s the spice?” Michael asks. “I could add some more jalapeños before I add the rest of the ingredients if you want.”

“No, the spice is perfect,” Alex insists.

Michael beams at him before he turns back to the pot. With one parting peck to the back of Michael’s head, Alex steps away and gives him some space to work, leaning casually against the side of the fridge while he watches Michael push the spices toward the back of the counter and start assembling the remaining ingredients.

“How’d you get so good at this anyway?” Alex wonders as Michael squeezes in some tomato paste, once again without needing to measure it.

“What?” Michael asks, eyes on the pot while he mixes it in.

“Cooking,” Alex explains. “You’re so confident you’re not even following a recipe.”

“Yeah, I am,” Michael says, and Alex hasn’t seen a piece of paper or anything lying around with instructions on it, so Michael must have just memorized it, which is… not surprising for Michael as much as it is crazy for Alex to imagine doing himself. “I’m just… being creative in my interpretation of it.”

“So…” Alex starts, cocking his head, “you looked at the ingredients and now you’re winging it?”

“A bit, yeah,” Michael admits.

“Damn,” Alex says with the gravity that deserves.

“It’s really not that impressive,” Michael insists.

“Improvising a dish you read the ingredients for one time isn’t impressive?” Alex asks incredulously.

Michael is silent a moment while he thinks about it.

“I don’t know, I guess I’m just used to it,” Michael says at last. “I didn’t exactly have a recipe book growing up, so I’d just do the best I could with what I could get my hands on, which didn’t always turn out so good.”

“Yeah?” Alex asks, curious to hear more.

“Mhmm. Learned the hard way not to use ketchup as a replacement for tomato sauce.”

“Oh my god,” Alex says, pulling a face at the thought of pouring a squirt of Heinz over some pasta.

“Yeah,” Michael laughs. “Not my finest moment.”

“Did you cook a lot when you were younger?” Alex asks, surprised he’s never heard about any of this before. In high school and that summer that followed it, he and Michael would usually meet up either in the afternoon when Alex had to be home by dinner, or far later when Alex could sneak out in the middle of the night, so food wasn’t really something they’d shared or talked about a lot.

“Depends where I was,” Michael answers. “The addicts never had any food to cook and the Fundamentalists were big on ‘family dinners,’ but cooking was ‘women’s work’ so I wasn’t allowed in the kitchen. When I was on my own though, I bought what was on sale or, well—” Michael cuts himself off, shifting his eyes in Alex’s direction before he sighs and says, “Let’s just say I had to get creative with my ingredients for a while in more ways than one.”

“You don’t have to talk in euphemisms, Michael,” Alex tells him kindly, reaching out for his hand. “I know you did what you had to do to survive. I’m glad you did,” he says, and he means it. He might have been judgmental about Michael’s criminal history at first, but they’re a long way from that disastrous evening at the Drive-In.

Michael tangles their fingers together and squeezes once, his smile a little brittle.

“Anyway, yeah,” Michael continues, “once I got access to a fire pit I was actually able to teach myself how to cook.”

“Wait, seriously?” Alex asks, eyebrows lifting in sudden surprise. “The fire pit?”

Now it’s Michael’s turn to look confused.

“Alex, I’ve made you dinner on the fire pit like a hundred times,” Michael says.

“No, I know, it’s just—“ Alex pauses, searching for the words. “I guess I never thought that that was how you learned how to cook.”

“Well, Sanders let me use his kitchen sometimes too,” Michael says.

“Right,” Alex nods. Michael’s mentioned before that Sanders is the reason why his omelets are nearly as good as Arturo’s. “So after cooking like that for so long, winging it is easy?”

“I guess, yeah,” Michael shrugs. “And, really, at the end of the day, cooking’s just chemistry—except things don’t generally explode as much when you mess up.”

“Mm, I don’t know about that,” Alex disagrees. “You should’ve seen me try to make brownies when I was a kid.”

“That bad?” Michael cringes.

“Oh yeah,” Alex answers. He’ll never forget that icy chill that ran down his spine when he’d seen what he’d done to the inside of the oven. If it wasn’t for Greg’s help cleaning everything up before their father got home, Alex probably would have been torn to pieces.

“Well, if you were making brownies, that’s baking. Cooking’s much more forgiving than baking,” Michael says. He gives Alex an assessing look before he says, “Come here, I’ll show you.”

Alex hesitantly closes the short distance between them, helped along by Michael tugging him by the hem of his shirt.

Michael must catch the reticence on his face because a second later he says, “Oh come on, you got this. I’ll talk you through it.”

“If you say so,” Alex sighs. “What do you want me to do?”

“Well, you can start by opening the cans of crushed tomatoes and kidney beans,” Michael says.

Alex laughs. “Okay, I think I can manage that.”

In the time it takes Michael to run to the fridge to grab a bottle of beer and an opened container of beef broth leftover from the stroganoff he’d made the other day, Alex is already done.

“Do I add all of it?” Alex asks, holding the can of beans over the pot.

“Not those yet,” Michael says. “They need to be drained and rinsed. Do you know where the colander is?”

That Alex does know—he may be culinarily challenged, but he’s got his shit together enough to know how to boil water and follow the directions on a box of Kraft like every other red-blooded American.

He fishes it out from the cabinet under the counter in front of him and takes it to the sink along with the can of beans.

“So I just toss them in the colander and rinse them?” Alex double-checks.

“Yup!” Michael answers, upending the bottle of beer over the pot for a few counts before taking a long drink. “Bring ‘em over when you’re done.”

Alex rinses the beans thoroughly and shakes them over the sink to get rid of the excess water before carrying the colander back over to where Michael is standing by the stove. There’s a cutting board set up with a knife and two green bell peppers when he gets there. The can of crushed tomatoes he opened is already empty, so Michael must have tossed that in too while he was waiting.

“Do you want to dice the peppers?” Michael asks.

“Um,” Alex says, looking at them suspiciously. “Sure?”

“Here, I’ll do one and you can do the other,” Michael says, stepping in front of Alex to get at the cutting board. “Just watch what I do.”

Alex stands at his side and watches intently.

“You’ll want to start by cutting the stems and the bottoms off,” Michael tells him as he slices them off one of the peppers. “Then you should slice it down the middle and remove the seeds and this white stuff inside.” Michael runs his knife along the inner flesh of the pepper, cutting away the white until there’s nothing but green. “And now we can dice it.”

Michael cuts the pepper into strips and then pushes them together horizontally so he can dice them with another swift pass of his knife, leaving the pepper in uniform squares.

“Okay, now it’s your turn,” Michael says, moving aside so Alex can take his place.

Alex picks up the knife and follows Michael’s instructions. He thinks he’ll be able to manage it okay, as long as he doesn’t let Michael’s gentle encouragement in his ear distract him too much—He knows his way around a knife after all, albeit in very different circumstances.

He’s doing fine until he gets to the actual dicing part. His fingers can’t seem to keep a steady enough grip on the pepper strips to make the kind of uniform cuts that Michael had been able to execute.

“Hang on,” Michael murmurs, and a moment later Alex feels him warm and solid against his back.

Alex swallows as Michael’s palms travel down the length of his forearms, not stopping until he covers Alex’s hands with his own. He feels caged in like this, pressed up against the counter a little, Michael’s breath fanning over the back of his neck, and suddenly Alex’s thoughts are very far away from the chili he’s supposed to be helping Michael make.

“You want to let the knife do the work here,” Michael tells him, grabbing Alex’s attention once again. “It’s sharp, it’ll slice through it much easier if you don’t add so much pressure.” He guides Alex’s hand as he slices through a row of peppers, the motion much smoother now. “See? Much easier that way. Now try it on your own.”

Michael drops his hands to rest on Alex’s hips as he watches over his shoulder. Alex tries not to be distracted by the way his fingers are edging up under the hem of his shirt, the way Michael’s low hum of approval when he passes the knife over the peppers again makes his heart beat faster.

He thinks he has it handled until Michael drawls in his ear, “Perfect. Just like that, Alex. Nice, even strokes,” and Alex nearly chops his own finger off.

“Michael,” he says sharply, head spinning a little.

“Hm?” the bastard hums lazily, like he doesn’t know what he’s doing.

“Are you fucking with me?” Alex asks, and he can feel Michael’s chest rumble with laughter against his back.

“Not yet,” Michael says, nuzzling into the side of his head a little to press a kiss over his pounding pulse, and Alex has to let go of the knife before he really does hurt himself.

He can feel Michael smile against his neck when he takes a deep, calming breath, bracing his hands on the counter.

“Go wash your hands,” Alex tells him, needing a minute to clear his head, “and then tell me how to finish this.”

“Yes, sir,” Michael says, and then the hands on his hips and the warmth at his back are gone.

Once he hears the sink running, Alex makes short work of the peppers and adds them to the pot.

Michael comes back a short moment later and stirs the diced peppers into the pot with one hand as he fiddles with the burner knob with the other. Alex leaves him to it while he washes his own hands.

“Perfect,” Michael comments when he’s satisfied. “Now it just needs to simmer for an hour.”

Alex doesn’t waste any time stepping back into Michael’s space, not even bothering to dry his hands on the dish towel Michael left by the sink. If Michael is upset about the water soaking into the thin fabric of his t-shirt where Alex grips his waist, he doesn’t say so. Instead, his hands slide up Alex’s shoulders, one of them finding a home in the short hair at the back of his neck.

“A whole hour, huh?” Alex asks, eyes drifting down toward Michael’s mouth.

“Mhmm,” Michael hums slowly, a coy smile spreading over his lips.

“That’s a lot of time,” Alex muses. “What do you think we should do with it?”

Michael’s grip on Alex’s hair tightens just a little. “I’ve got a few ideas.”

Michael manages to set the timer on the stove before Alex drags him back to his bedroom.

It’s a good thing, too. By the time the alarm goes off, they’ve worked up quite the appetite.

[et-lesailes]

title: the inside scoop

pairing: chris evans x reader

word count: 2461

summary: you are a reporter with a certain favorite celebrity to interview, and you’re more than excited to talk to him about his latest movie, knives out. little do you know that your massive crush on him is actually requited.

themes: fluff

taglist: @evanstush, @tanyam93, @bval-1, @wonderwinchester, @patzammit, @rohaintahquil, @deidrashouseofpain, @sammyslonglostshoe, @jadedhillon, @bohemian-barbie, @whysparker, @sebastian-i-stan, @sebabestianstan101, @lille-kattunge, @teller258316, @peach-acid, @allsortsofinterests, @xoxabs88xox, @heyiamthatbitch, @cptn-sgrogers, @heyyouwiththeassbutt, @bangtan-serendipity, @troublermalik, @beardburnsupersoldiers, @bookish-shristi, @kind-sober-fullydressed,  @gingerninjaprincess16​, @straightforwardly​,  @denisemarieangelina​,  @frencchfries​, @xlanawriter​, @littlemoistcarrot​, @pottxrwolff​, @arianatheangelworld​, @ifuseekamyevans​, @southerngracela​, @nsfwsebbie​, @rororo06​, @savemesteeb​, @raveviolet​, @inactivewhore​, @hurricanerinwrites​

notes: this was a commissioned piece requested by @straightforwardly​​ ! thank you so much for supporting me and i hope this is everything you wanted :) ** if you are interested in my commissions, check out this post right here !

You’re quickly wrapping up with hair and makeup, looking at your reflection in the mirror trying not to smile so much. You were particularly happy to wake up for work that day, all because of who you’re interviewing today.

You’ve had the pleasure of working with Chris Evans a few times before, and while at first it was his looks that drew you in, it didn’t take long for you to simply fall in love with his entire being. The first time was a little nerve wracking. You had seen other interviews where he seemed a little grumpy, tired, and annoyed with the questions he was being asked, and so you had put as much thought into your own questions as possible. You refused to be like the other journalists and reporters, the ones who simply asked Marvel related questions or how he worked out. It was easy to see that this man had personality much deeper than that, and you were always eager to explore it. You remember how your heart had been pounding right before that first interview, but the second the two of you started talking, it was simply… amazing. Despite only having known him for minutes, you had already felt perfectly comfortable and secure with him, as if you had known him for years. You had heard from others that he had that effect on people, but you never imagined it was to that extent.

Now here you are, getting ready for your fifth interview with him. Another thing you love about Chris is that he actually remembers who you are, each and every time. It always makes you feel special, though you have to remind yourself to calm down- he’s simply considerate and personable, he probably remembers other reporters he’s seen multiple times too.

“Alright, you’re all set. Chris finished up a few minutes ago, he’s probably out there getting seated.” The stylist tells you, and you smile up at him with a nod. “Thank you!” Standing up, you take a deep breath as you inspect yourself in the mirror. You’ve become used to seeing celebrities as a part of your job, but Chris is the only one who has your heart racing and butterflies fluttering. Even interviewing Jason Momoa for Aquaman couldn’t get you as simultaneously excited and nervous as appearing before Chris; you have the biggest crush on him, but at the same time, what can you do about it? Honestly, you’re convinced he probably has a secret girlfriend- it simply makes no sense to you that a man like him is single.

‘Thank God for hair and makeup,’ you think to yourself, pleased with your appearance- it’s not too overdone, but just the right amount, mainly just so the lighting doesn’t wash you out on camera. You gather your cards and take another breath, forcing yourself to calm down before going out to where the chairs are- you were hoping to play it cool, but the second you see him, a wide smile emerges on your face. How a man can look so handsome simply sitting there wearing a long sleeve maroon sweater and fitted jeans while playing around with a water bottle in his hands, you have no idea. “Hi there! Sorry to keep you waiting.” You greet him, and he looks up, immediately grinning. “Oh, hey, Y/N!” To your surprise, he stands up and extends his arms out for a hug, pulling you in for a warm embrace as if you’re a longtime friend he hasn’t seen in a while. You’re shocked but you quickly take the opportunity to hug him back, resisting the urge to inhale how damn good he smells. His broad chest feels so warm and perfect against you, and you swear you could be in this position forever.

“How have you been?” you ask as normally as you can, finally pulling back with a smile and gesturing for him to sit as you do as well. “Oh, same old, same old. I have to say though, I’ve been looking forward to this. I love interviewing with you, you always ask such awesome questions!” he compliments you, and you’re squealing on the inside. “Ahh, now I feel so much pressure!” you joke, though give him an appreciative smile as you cross your legs. “Thank you, though. That means a lot, I really do try to avoid the questions actors seem to hear all the time.”

“I’ve noticed, and I appreciate it.” Chris replies with a smile, his blue eyes sparkling more beautifully than the goddamn ocean. It’s truly overwhelming how handsome he is; you feel as though looking at him is like staring right into the sun sometimes. “I’m glad to hear that,” you say somewhat shyly, but clear your throat, glancing towards the cameraman. “We ready to start?” 

“All good,” he replies with a thumbs up, and you wait for the signal before beginning with a smile. “Hello, everyone! I’m Y/N, and I’m here with Chris Evans today to talk a little about his latest movie, Knives Out!” Chris waves to the camera with a little smile, but almost immediately looks back towards you. “Glad to be here, Y/N.” God, you love when he says your name. ‘Hold it together, Y/N.’ You think to yourself; thankfully, your job basically consists of looking composed on the outside, and so you’ve at least had plenty of practice.

You give a brief summary of the movie to begin, then go into speaking about his character, Ransom. Looking towards him, you tilt your head slightly. “Now I know you played the ultimate golden boy when it came to Captain America, but a lot of your roles in the past have actually had a more twisted and angsty side. Curtis Everett in Snowpiercer, Syd in London, Mike Weiss in Puncture, and especially Bryce Langley in Fierce People. Was it a difficult adjustment going back to playing a more villainous character, or did you have a good time with it?”

“Wow. Even bringing out Fierce People, huh? You really did your research,” he teases, making you laugh softly before he continues to answer, looking thoughtful. “Honestly, it was pretty fun. Don’t get me wrong, I loved playing Captain America and the other lighter, comedic roles are fun too. But being a little wicked and vile is pretty entertaining as an actor. I missed it a lot, and I think I clicked with it again pretty easily.” He pauses before laughing, looking at the camera. “I make that seem like I’m just naturally an evil person. Like, ‘Yeah, it’s so easy for me to be an asshole on camera- because I am one in real life!’” he makes fun of himself, and you can’t help but laugh again as you reply playfully, “Well, you are from Boston, aren’t you? What are they called over there? Massholes?” He blinks and laughs loudly, grabbing his left pec which only makes you giggle to yourself and feel oddly triumphant at the same time. You love making him laugh. “Oh God, you’ve heard that term? Yeah, I’d say that definitely describes me pretty well.”

“Oh, c’mon, you’re not that bad.” You remark playfully, then realize you should probably stop transitioning this interview into flirtatious banter, and so you decide to move on to the next question. “Now for this particular movie, you have a variety of actors and actresses around you- some who are insanely experienced and have been in the industry for decades, and some who, while experienced, are young and only continue to climb upwards in their career. How did you feel, being a part of that? Does it bring back memories, does it influence you, do you influence or guide them?” you ask curiously, continuing, “You’re such an accomplished actor, and this cast was pretty remarkable as well- I imagine there were all sorts of different feelings working with them.” 

Chris nods as he listens carefully, smiling and even looking somewhat intrigued. “That’s a great question. Yeah, I was definitely pretty nervous actually. I really wanted this role, and I was kind of intimidated going into it all. These people are amazing, honestly. I feel like I’ve learned so much from them, from Daniel to Jaeden, and I can only hope that I’m able to be a good influence on other actors as the ones I look up to are to me. It’s interesting that you mention memories, though. Seeing younger actors and actresses always reminds me of myself when I was younger- and then proceeds to make me feel very old.” He laughs, shaking his head to himself. “But watching Jaeden and Katherine, God, they’re great. They have such drive, ambition, and they’ve already made it so far. They’re so fun and I’m pretty sure I was nowhere near as talented as them at that age, but I definitely remember having that energy.” 

You can’t help but smile as you listen to him. You’ve seen in other interviews that he wants to start a family one day, and that he’s excited to be a father. It’s adorable to you that he appreciates younger castmates so much, and even shows respect to them as actors. “You don’t think you still have that energy?” you tease, and he laughs, making an “eh” gesture with his hand. “Sometimes, but I’m telling you, I’ve gotten old. Years of action movies and stunts will do that to you,” he jokes, and you remember that he actually did a lot of his own stunts for the Captain America movies- no wonder he has such nice muscles. “Well, if it’s any consolation, you certainly don’t look old.” You can’t help but reply, but glance back down at your cards, forcing yourself to stay on track. The cameraman, one of your friends, is probably snickering to himself, and you bet you’re going to get quite interesting comments once this video is uploaded. How can you not go back and forth with him though, just a little? He makes it so easy, what with his perfect sense of humor, contagious laugh, and mere eye contact. He makes you feel like a person, a friend, not just some nosy reporter.

After a few more questions (and a teensy bit of flirting), the interview finally comes to an end. “I hope you guys are excited to watch this movie, because I’m telling you, it’s a good one- and I think everyone will be very entertained by Ransom Drysdale.” You remark with a raised brow, looking to him with a soft laugh. “Thank you for coming, Chris!” He smiles charmingly, waving at the camera. “Thanks for having me, Y/N. I had a great time.”

The cameraman signals that he’s stopped recording, but flashes you a little smirk before turning to the crew to discuss the work that needs to happen next. You blush slightly but clear your throat, looking up at him- you hate this part because he’ll have to leave soon, but you’re hoping you can squeeze in just a little conversation before that happens. “Seriously, thanks again. Honestly, you’re one of my favorite celebrities to interview,” you admit with a slight laugh, biting your lip. “You actually answer with… depth.” He laughs too, barely leaning forward. “Oh, yeah? Are you accusing celebrities of being airheads?” 

“Some of them!” you can’t help but answer bluntly, and both of you are laughing again. Now he bites his lip, suddenly looking at you a little more intensely than before- you hope your cheeks aren’t becoming as red as they feel. “Hey, Y/N. Can I ask you something?” You nod a little too fast, your curiosity piqued. “Of course. What’s up?”

“Do you, uh…” he pauses for a few moments before chuckling slightly, waving his hand. “Ah, fuggit, I’m just gonna come out with it.” His Boston accent comes out even stronger than usual as he swears, and you love and hate how attractive it sounds. “Are you dating anyone?” 

Your heart is pounding at this point, and you have to force yourself to respond in a way in which your voice doesn’t shake. “No, I’m not.” You cock your head, holding back a smile. “Why do you ask…?” He seems to look pleased about this, even visibly perking up before suddenly looking uncertain again, laughing awkwardly. “Okay. Okay, um, please tell me if this is crossing any lines. Like, please. Don’t be scared to slap me, even.” He jokes, and now you’re feeling the excitement bubbling up inside, though at the same time your brain is screaming at you not to raise your hopes up. “I have permission to slap you. Noted.” You tease in return, proud of yourself that you still somehow seem to have your wits intact. He laughs, eyes twinkling as he continues, “I know we’ve only had a professional relationship but… I was… kinda hoping I could take you out sometime. Dinner, walking the dog, a movie, ice cream, roller skating- anything. I just… man, I really want to get to know you.” He confesses, and it takes you everything to not practically jump up and down and squeal right there. You’re shocked. You truly never thought that someone as famous and attractive as him would be interested in a mere reporter.

“Chris.” You smile widely, nothing but eagerness in your sparkling eyes. “I would love that.” You blush slightly, adding, “If we’re being honest, I’ve had a crush on you for like, years now.” Chris widens his eyes, scoffing in playful frustration as he buries his head in his hands. “You’re serious? God dammit, I knew I should have asked you earlier!” He looks up at you again, sighing deeply. “I really just assumed you were dating someone. Hell, even married. I mean, look at you, you’re gorgeous, funny, smart…. And you have depth.” He refers to your previous comment, and you laugh, though blush madly as you do so. “Thanks,” you reply softly- you swear you’ve never felt this much happiness in your life. 

His manager comes up behind him, gently tapping his shoulder. “Chris, we should get going. We have another interview to get to.” He blinks, looking somewhat disappointed but nods, looking back to you. “Mind if I get your number, then? We can talk later?” 

You nod, biting your lip delightedly as he hands you his phone as if you’re a child receiving a king sized candy bar. After putting your number in, you give it back- only to be wrapped up in another hug from him. “I’ll see ya real soon,” he whispers in your ear, and you’re blushing even deeper than before, though you nod with a little giggle.

“I can’t wait.”

[jamiedc-they-them]

Sibling Duty Part VII

Requested Imagine: Daisy does all she can to help you through the latest twist in your story.

“So, she’s healed?”

“Yes, everything seems fine.” Jemma answered her best friend. She didn’t mind the questions, if anything, she found them a bit comforting, she wasn’t the only one shit scared of what the newest twist to your tale would be.

“Seems?” Daisy pressed.

“Well, May was fine, but now she feels others’ emotions. I just….I can’t say what will happen with Y/N.” The brit explained.

Daisy took a moment, ideas running through her head in an attempt to make preparations.

“On three?” She asked, looking back to her friend. Said friend nodded.

“On three.” She confirmed.

They silently counted up to that magical number, before Jemma pushed the button. It took another second before they heard a gasp.

Your gasp.

Your hand shot up, slamming against the glass. You sounded panicked, you just didn’t look it.

“Hey, hey! Y/NN, you’re ok. You’re ok….Look – Look at me, Y/NN. Look at me. You’re ok.” Daisy, though keeping her voice soft, rushed through the words. She put her own hand on the pod, where yours laid.

At least, it did, until you let it slide off as you observed your surroundings. Your breaths started to calm. However, Daisy couldn’t help the small stab of hurt that hit her when you just let it fall.

It was like you didn’t care.

“Where am I?” You asked, voice almost monotone; it was devoid of any of that joy or underlying humour that they had known and loved you for.

It was devoid of emotion all together.

“On the Zephyr. We got you and May out. Jemma – well, Jemma’s a different Jemma timeline wise, but – the…same….Jemma.” Daisy looked to her friend, finding it hard to fully explain this to you.

Jemma took the reigns, stepping up and hovering over your pod, “I –” She stopped, not fully being able to remember, “—I can’t tell you. But, I’m still me at heart, Y/N. Just like you are.” She explained, or rather decided on. She then opened the pod, a SHHHH hissing from it as it opened.

Then, you helped yourself up, holding up a hand as they went to assist you, “I’m not broken. I’m fine.” You meant it in a firm, but loving way, it did not sound that way though.

You sat up fully, opening your eyes and seeing the rest of the team looking at you with a happy look that you were back.

Your eyes then settled on someone you thought to be dead, “….Coulson?”

He nodded, “Hey, Y/N. Resurrection does it’s thing once again. Well, kind of, I’m an LMD now. Still working out the kinks, but I’m here.” He shrugged, still having that same smooth smile.

You nodded, attempting a smile but failing to do so. You did, however, manage to raise your eyebrows.

However, you knew that you looked unimpressed.

“That was meant to be happy.” You confessed, voice still dull.

The sisters shared a smile before looking back at you, “You’re not….hiding them again, are you?” Daisy asked, feeling a bit bad for having to ask it.

Hurt hit you, but it didn’t – couldn’t show, “No, I promise.” You raised your voice, but it sounded like there should’ve been a crack in it there.

“Ok, ok,” Daisy’s voice was calm and soothing, “That’s ok, Y/NN. We’ll work on it. But, I’m sure Coulson knew, right?” She looked back at him, he nodded, “See? You’re ok, Y/N. That was ok. However you show it, it’s ok.”

“It’s not,” You argued dispassionately on the outside, but filled with annoyance on the inside, “I – I should….I should be able to not fucking talk about it.” You did not sound like the annoyed person you were in this moment.

“I know. May had a similar experience, Y/N, only…well, maybe it’s the same thing.” Jemma guessed, putting a hand on your arm. As she did, she gasped; she felt all the anger, frustration, rage, concern.

“Bloody hell.” She gasped, immediately removing her arm and taking a breath to calm herself after the wave that had hit her.

“I’m sorry.” You meant it, everyone could tell that.

“It – it’s ok, Y/NN, it’s not your fault.” She assured. Daisy put a hand on her friend’s shoulder, rubbing it in an attempt to help.

“What is it?” Elena asked, arms folded, but she did look concerned.

“Y/N does feel, she just can’t externalize it.” Simmons was blunt, but she had to be here.

The team all shared a look. It just made you look down.

“Great, so I’m fucking that up, too.” Daisy had never spun around so fast to face you when you spoke.

“You are not fucking it up.” She was firm, and she sounded livid.

“Daisy, face it, I was never the best at emotions; Coulson can attest to that when he first grabbed me to come on the team. He had to coach me about caring. I was always the shut off type, you know that from when we first met. Maybe this was just it’s natural conclusion. Reach an end point with my emotions where I only feel them and never show them like a normal person would.” You didn’t mean to have a speech, but here you were.

Daisy looked crestfallen, but the Quinjet shuddered as it came to a holt.

As the others ran up, Daisy grabbed your hand. You heard her groan a little at the weight of everything hitting her, but she kept a hold on your hand.

“Daisy, you can –” You started to say, but she cut you off.

“I’m not letting go, Y/NN,” She kept walking, but you heard the frustration, “I just got you back, I’m not losing you again,” – The desperation and concern – “I’m just not.”

 You had landed in the 1970s; 1973, to be exact. You had all been ordered out to find….something. You weren’t entirely sure.

Daisy put her hands on your arms, “I’ll be with you, ok? Every step of the way,” She felt the sisterly love; actually feeling it this time: the warmth, the care, the love, “There’s my sister.” She said, bopping you on the nose affectionately.

“Now, come on, we ‘ve go the 70s to conquer.” She quipped, leading the way out.

You sighed, a small one. You might’ve been broken emotionally, but the world wasn’t broken. You could stop that.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You walked out with your younger sister. You had just brought clothes from the shop you were exiting: You, a cream top and dark blue trousers; your sister: white type with a checkered jacket, same coloured trousers and black heels.

She observe herself in the window reflection, as you looked around the area. It was almost completely like how the stories sold it to you.

You felt a sense of nostalgia despite having never been in this time.

“Hey, looking sharp.” Coulson said to you both as himself and May approached you.

You both turned to him, sharing a nod with May; seemed you both were in the same boat, just on different sides of it.

“Thanks.” Daisy said for you both.

“Where’s Agent Sousa?” Coulson asked. Ah yes, agent Sousa, the man who was also out of time. A man that they had saved, a legend of SHIELD. Now, he was on your team. If you could, you would’ve shown a pretty excited side to yourself; a fanboy that would’ve rivalled Coulson’s.

Even though you couldn’t show it, Daisy’s intuition told her that you had something you wanted to express. She held your hand, being hit with the feeling of excitement, “Oh, wow. Y/N is very excited about having Mr Sousa on our team.” She announced.

You could talk, obviously. You just….didn’t want to seem like a dick.

The two parental figures looked at you, “I’ve read about him. Always been a fan.” You explained.

“Yeah, that’s fair, he is pretty cool.” Coulson agreed.

“Don’t you both start, now.” May groaned. Daisy laughed, she felt you wanting to as well. She gave your hand a loving squeeze as a sign: I got this for the both of us.

You hated putting this amount of pressure on your sister.

“Anyway, he’s still inside, picking out his threads.” Daisy answered Coulson’s question with.

“How’s he handling the transition?” May questioned.

“Honestly, the fact that he’s not projectile vomiting from the shock is a miracle.” Right as she said that, the man of the hour left the shop.

He was in a suit, the same suit he was in before.

“What happened to blending in?” Your sister asked, looking at his lack of choice.

“I just don’t understand the functional appeal of those…elephant, pants.” Sousa confessed. Maybe the vomit was coming.

“It’s the clothes of the decade. All full of over the top and extravagant things,” You gained a look from the others, “I like it.” You stated, bluntly.

God you hated this turn in your life.

“You mean bell-bottoms?” Daisy asked, slight teasing bite to her words.

“Sure. How do people in your time function with all the extra fabric around their feet?” Sousa continued to ask questions. You found it funny, a bit. The main feeling you felt was pity.

“We have a gym. We keep in shape to fit in the things.” You answered.

“I got news for you. This isn’t actually our time period.” Sousa looked panicked at Coulson’s words.

“Well, fortunately, there’s unfashionable squares in every decade. So, you’re set.” Daisy said trying to help his worry a bit, or her worry.

“And nobody seems to look you in the eye now.” Sousa seemed very annoyed at this.

“We do, just not as much anymore. That and –” May finished it for you.

“Wait ‘til they all get cell phones.” She did so as you all started to work down the street.

“So, I was thinking, how do you guys know I was supposed to die in 1955?” Sousa asked as you crossed a road.

“It’s in the history books.” Coulson wasn’t wrong. It was.

“Yeah, but…But what if you always plucked me out of time? Does that mean I always survive? And if we end up in your present, will we even be in the same timeline?” The agent out of time’s questions were starting to hurt your head now.

“I’d stop thinking about it. Your brains will spill out.” Daisy said, trying to apparently stop her’s from hurting too.

“Mine already are.” Daisy gave you a smile as you continued walking.

“Simmons can explain, sort of, but maybe you’d feel more comfortable staying back on Zephyr One.” Coulson suggested.

“No. No, no, no. I’m here, no going back. Might as well dive in and embrace the 1970s.” Sousa was addiment.

“There wasn’t any going back anyway.” Your sister grabbed your hand again to see what stance you were taking: it was a firm one by the feeling you had.

Still holding your hand, she pulled you back as a man on roller blades went past with a boombox resting on his shoulder.

“Starting now….” Sousa concluded as he turned around, “I can’t believe this old hideout is still running.” What he was talking about, was an old SHIELD hideout used in time in the 40s. Apparently, the team had already been inside of it.

“Did you ever stop by back in your day?” Coulson asked.

“Once or twice. Only the top brass knew about it. Good place to lie low.” The man answered.

“Oh, yeah? I wish I could’ve seen it back then. I heard Dooley had a reserved booth with one of those plaque things next to it –” Coulson was starting to fanboy.

“Ok, dad, let’s not keep Enoch waiting any longer. He’s been chilling for like four decades.” Oh yeah, Enoch was still around. That was nice to hear, even if you guys had apparently been forced to leave him in the forties.

Daisy led you down the stairs, but Coulson was the one who typed in the code on a panel that was horizontal instead of vertical.

“See? Flashy.” You said to Sousa, pointing to the way the keypad had been laid out.

“See you haven’t lost your wit.” Daisy complimented. You looked to her and she gathered that you meant to smile, grabbing your hand confirmed the playful emotion inside of you.

It was in full Seventies swing, the bar. From the looks to the soundtrack. To be honest, you should’ve been expecting it, but here you were.

“So much for laying low.” Sousa seemed to have a wit to him. Ok, he wasn’t as straight and narrow as you had pegged him for.

“Wonder what all this is about?” Coulson wondered.

“Maybe it’s a party.” You supplied.

“Happy birthday Richard.” Your sister joked. She felt the humour you held inside at it.

“Maybe Enoch will know what’s going on.” So, the search for your friend began.

May was walking back to you both with drinks, seemingly drunk already off the joy from everyone else, “Oh. Ok.” Daisy said, getting up and helping the older woman sit down, “Glad you’re enjoying yourself. Any word on Enoch?”

May seemed to be coming down from the high, “Oh, uh, negative.” She answered. The two women then looked at you as you surveyed the room, “How about you?”

You stopped and looked at them, “Nothing yet.” You said, before going back to it.

“I’m worried that it’s more serious than we think. Also, I might be drunk.” Ah, so it was an actual drunkenness, not just the emotions off of everyone else.

“Yeah, I think you might’ve discovered a new form of Contact High. Hmm. Because they’re all three sheets to the wind.” Daisy quipped as she took a sip from her drink.

“I’m at least one sheet to the wind. Give me a moment.” May said as she took a moment. She then explained that, after talking to the staff, they hadn’t seen Enoch in over a year.

However, a bigger problem came your way, a Malick was in play: Wilfred Malick. Some kid named Freddy, whoever the fuck he was, was still alive apparently.

Daisy moved tables, leaving you on your own for a bit. You wondered, kind of wishing you still had your drink to help calm the nerves.

“Hey,” You turned and saw Sousa approaching you, “You alright?” He asked, seeming genuine.

You knew you could lie, but you didn’t, “No, not really. Not like you or anyone else can tell.”

“Ok, let’s get a range on it,” He held out his free arm, “Can I?”

“So gentleman like….Sure, go right ahead.” You answered, holding out your arm.

He touched it, steeling himself as they all flooded him at once, “That’s a lot.” He admitted.

“Complex creature like myself does. Broken people tend to not be so straight and narrow.”

“Here,” He held out what was left of his drink, “Think you’ll need this more than I do.” He shook it, as if it would make it more appetising.

“How will we know if it works?” You asked as you took it.

“I’ll know. I’m not as straight and narrow as you’d think. Sometimes I need that to help get me through some nerves before a mission.” He confessed.

“So, you’re a bit drunk when you go on an op?” You drank some of it. It was sweet, but had a kick to it.

“A bit. See? It helps, don’t it?” He held his hand out for it, you gave it back.

“Sure,” You coughed a bit. You couldn’t lie, it had helped a bit.

“It’s not creepy, you know?” You looked at him to continue, “This. The whole, emotions thing. People express ‘em how they express ‘em. Course, some ways are wrong, but I think we both know we know what those are. But, you and yours, nothing wrong with it. Can almost be like a superpower, make people feel how you feel, turn the tables on ‘em.” He told you.

You went to speak, before he felt the emotions change, going into a protective fire. He followed your eyeline, seeing Daisy speaking to someone, and he wasn’t taking no as an answer.

“Come on, let’s go.”

You went to your sister, Daniel was forced to let go of your arm as he played the boyfriend card to get the man away. The man’s name was Gideon Malick. Oh no.

Actually, no, Sousa played the fiancé card rather than the boyfriend one.

Either way, it worked and it got you away, “What was that about?” Sousa asked as the three of you kept your voices hush.

“Long story, but apparently, Freddy’s son Nathaniel is still alive, and he was supposed to die in 1970.” Daisy quickly summed up for the two of you.

“Another change in the timeline. Get any intel?”

“No. But I did get a clue on where we could find some.” That led you three to the back room.

“Seems like there’s a story with you two.” Sousa said, hoping that only you would hear it.

“With me and Dais?” You asked, wanting clarification. He nodded, confirming it, “Yeah. We didn’t know each other for a large part of our lives, almost feels like we’re playing catchup now, really.”

“How’d you reunite?”

“By happenstance. Coulson pulled me out of the academy. Kind of wasting my time there: closed off and not making any friends. I was decent, though, at fighting and all that.”

“You were more then decent, Y/NN.” Daisy cut in with.

“Fine, good –”

“More.”

“Pretty good –”

“More.”

“Amazing at it.”

“There you go.” You rolled your eyes. Sousa didn’t have to fully feel the emotion you felt to know it was an affectionate one for your sister at her boost of your confidence.

“Anyway, nice play back there with the whole fiancé thing.” You told him, seeing him lose eye contact with you for a second.

“Quick thinking.” He defended it as.

“Sure.” You sounded dull, but he knew it was teasing.

Daisy managed to find a lamp, pushing it up. Upon being questioned by Sousa, she explained that she had been here a few days ago…in 1931.

Ah, so it wasn’t the 40s, but the 30s instead.

It was a back office, with computer equipment scattered around and only one on.

Now, you all had a mole, giving HYDRA names that were on a list that was shown on the computer. The list had names of people to wipe out.

As you went to leave, you saw Coulson and May cornered by Malick and Chronicoms. Daisy and you shared a look, “What are you thinking?” Sousa asked, not wanting to be out the loop.

“Trade.” You answered in sync.

It got you out, but now the Chronicoms knew you were in play as well. Now it was bigger than before, now they were hunting others. You couldn’t get anywhere at once.

Some of the Chronicoms followed you up. Your sister quaked one back, while you used the shadows to make a rope, pulling the Chronicom back and snapped his neck.

“W—What the –” Sousa started to say, astounded at what had just happened.

“We’ll explain later. Let’s go!” Daisy said, pushing you all onward.

She felt your anger for just a second. But she felt it.

She felt it’s power.

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Enoch had returned, drifting a car around the corner and stopping right where you were, “Enoch, you’re here!” Daisy said, breathless, as you all entered his car.

“Yes. As I have been for the last forty years,” He met your eyes in the mirror, “And it is good to have you back, agent Johnson.”

“Thanks.” You replied.

“Now, buckle up.”

 You all made it back to the Zephyr, all standing together and planning on where to go next, “So, HYDRA’s attempting Insight in 1973?” Mack questioned as you all walked to the main part of the ship.

“With no Heli carriers?” Elena finished the question.

“According to Malick, SHIELD has a system of satellites and lasers, which as I say it, sounds really cool, but it’s definitely not cool.” Coulson got through the sentence rather quickly, trying to not make himself sound made at the end.

“Coulson,” He looked to you when you spoke, “Now’s not the time to fanboy.” He nodded, but you saw how he seemed to fight a smile.

“And it explains the launch pad at the Lighthouse. Must be where they’re planning to send up the satellite.” Mack guessed.

“Any idea who the targets are?” Elena asked.

“We found a dossier of mostly SHIELD assets. Bruce Banner, Nick Fury –” Daisy started when Sousa took over.

“Peggy Carter –” And you added a name.

“Alan Connelly.” You got looks of confusion from everyone but Coulson at that moment, “…What?”

“Whose that?” Daisy asked.

“Dad of the kid I helped out when Coulson picked me out for the team,” You looked to your friend, who smiled at the fact you remembered the boy, “Kind of want to keep the kid alive. Timeline’s sake and all that.”

Coulson knew it was far more than that, however.

Now, this happy-ish moment was broken up by the Zephyr beeping at you. The clock was going haywire (the click would tick down to your next jump). Now, though? You were going to jump again, and even Simmons couldn’t override it.

It was Simmons who had realised what was going on: The Chronicoms had changed their plans and were jumping early, instead.

With that, there was a shuffle, before you had landed in your new time period: 1976.

“Three years? How the hell did we just jump three more years?” Sousa asked as you both followed Daisy.

“I told you, I don’t know. We can’t control it.” Daisy was growing frustrated.

“Well, who does?” That answer was simple: The Chronicoms did.

To stop insight, you had to flood the area. You had a job, get into the security feed. That was to make sure there was no one left behind.

“I’m going with them. I’d rather be out there working the problem than in here where we disappear at any moment.”  No one seemed to argue, so off you went.

It was an alleyway, a dirty one. However, the walk down did go with now issues. So, that was new; and nice.

“You do your thing, we got your back.” Sousa assured Daisy as she started to get the items she needed from the bag. He then looked to you, “You…do whatever it is she does?”

“Hack? Nah, not my thing. I was all about –“ You pulled out your pistol, “She was the flip side of that.”

“Now I’m a hybrid between the two.” Daisy spoke up as she pulled her laptop out.

“And I’m….less of that.”

“Still play a role,” He comforted, before looking back to your sister, “I’m guessing you don’t really carry a piece, do you, seeing as how you got that super serum power. I mean, Y/N does, which doesn’t make too much sense with her own power.”

Daisy opened the control box, “Yeah, it’s not really a super serum thing.” She said as she plugged wires in.

“Didn’t expect a straight answer out of you.” Sousa quipped as you both kept watch for Daisy.

You heard a groan from Daisy, “How is there a firewall already?” You both walked over to her, to try and help. So much for keeping watch.

“Seems things just get just get worse the later in time you go. I think this is my last stop.” The man was honest.

“It’s ok. This is just a setback. My software will crack it. It just needs a minute to load.” As she said that, the computer beeped, with the words: EXPLOIT SUCCESSFUL appearing on the screen.

“Maybe you need a bigger computer. That thing’s too small.” At his words, Daisy chuckled.

“What?”

She pulled out his phone and took a picture, “What’s that?” He asked, slightly fearful of the thing.

“This is a phone.” Daisy found humour in this moment, dragging on each word, “But only old people use it for calls.” She showed him the photo.

He looked amazed, “How did you do that?” He asked, amazement in his tone.

“Check it out.” She zoomed it in. She let him continue to play with the phone as she looked at you. Her smile dimmed a bit as she realised that you couldn’t emote.

You looked away from her vision, gulping a bit.

“Yeah, you look ok for a guy who just aged 20 years.” She pulled the phone away, putting it back in her pocket. However, those words seem to hit him, hard.

“Looks like I missed a lot.” It was meant to be just to himself, instead the two of you heard it.

“I’m sorry. This is just so weird and messed up, but the Chronicoms jumped, and we had to dive in after them. Without us, it’s….it’s way worse.” Daisy explained. You didn’t even think, you just put your hand on his arm. However, as soon as you did that, he jumped at the pity you felt.

“Sorry.” You apologised, moving the hand away right away.

“It’s ok, I get it. Just…wish I could’ve said some goodbyes.” He said. You both then went back to watching Daisy’s back.

May radioed to tell you that herself and Coulson were in, “Copy that. I’m working on unlocking the next checkpoint. Just give me a sec,” She turned to Sousa, “Hey, can you open that panel?” He moved over to do just that.

“How are you holding up?” Daisy asked, quickly looking at you before going back to the computer.

“Holding up as best I can, really…” You weren’t quite sure how to answer.

“Well, how are you feeling?” Daisy asked.

“Paranoid, scared.”

She looked, again, “Why?”

“Well, they could jump at any moment. We could be stuck here and –” As you rambled, Daisy approached you, putting a – what was meant to be – calming hand on your arm.

As soon as she made contact, she felt the fear. She tried to keep it out of her voice as she spoke, “It’s ok. We will be ok. We – Look out! —” She tried to warn you all, but you were shot before she could fully move you out of the way.

 “Good to see you move.” Sousa said as Daisy made some movement. She was conscious. Alive. So, that was something.

“Y/N….where is she?” Daisy was still barely conscious, yet she asked for you. It was definitely something Sousa had noted.

“Psycho? That’s unfair, and very well timed. Wow. Right as I’m walking in. Hi. Nathaniel. Uh, the three of you took me hostage and changed my life?” Nathaniel recapped for the pair, feigning hurt at Daisy’s choice of words as she ranted about him just moments before.

“Yeah. How about you unchain us, give me back my sister, and we hug it out? And HYDRA and SHIELD can be together at last.” She was sarcastic, but she meant the part to get you back. Or…at least know where you were.

“HYDRA? I look like HYDRA to you? Take a look at Ron’s suit. Guy’s here because he’s got mouths to feed, not because he worships a space octopus. No. Religion’s not really my thing.” Daniel explained what he actually wanted. He didn’t care about religion, just about them. About how they got here, and how you and Daisy got your abilities.

“Where. Is. My sister?” Daisy asked, running out of patience.

Nathaniel laughed as he lowered himself down, “We’re digging into her first. Now, I’ve never heard a scream with no passion behind it. No..raw emotion there. But, now I have. Guess I’ve heard everything. By the way, whatever she’s got going on beside her dark manipulation, that’s some series shit. I mean…damn. Somethings gone wrong with her brain waves.” Daisy lunged for him at that.

However, it had been what he was waiting for.

“There she is! There’s the fiery sister. You know, however Y/N feels on the inside, doesn’t matter. She yelled, kicked some of my guys, who were more angry than usual, has to be said. I mean, Christ, they beat her to a pulp. And that was before we even got her on the table.” Then, she was dragged away.

Entering the room, she saw you bloodied and bruised, “No!” She cried out, trying to fend them off to get to you. She was weakened, and tired. And shit scared, “NO!”

She was thrown against the table, “Hey, easy, easy! Neither of them die. Not yet, anyway.” Nathaniel stepped in before it escalated further. The man looked at Daisy, who was only looking at you, “Now, she’s alive. Stupid bitch can’t get a handle on whatever’s cooking up in there. She’s one angry person. She’s not very expressive, though. Seems to do that through action more than facial expressions. Don’t matter, though, I got what I wanted from her power. Now, I’ll get what I want from yours.”

Sousa had no choice but to watch. Watch through a tiny hole in the wall. Daisy was dragged out the room, but you were kept on your table, “Now, onto Y/N’s brain. Wanna find out how she infects you guys with what she’s feeling.”

“It’ll kill her.” One of his henchmen said. Seemed they weren’t all bad. Seemed that they were just genuinely in this to make money for their family, and hadn’t fully lost their moral code…yet.

“I’ll be careful. I just need a bit to get it into me.” Seemed Nathaniel wasn’t a remorseless killer either.

Daisy was dumped on the floor, and he was gone again.

Daniel tried to keep Daisy awake by telling her a story about his army days. However, he then turned the tables on her, “Tell me about Y/N?” He knew she was fighting with all she had to stay awake. And, in his time in the army, he saw how strong bonds between siblings or found siblings was.

“Y/N….wasn’t the most emotive when we first met. She was cold. Took – took a while, but we broke through. Now….now she’s back to square one in her mind –” Daisy managed to get through the sentence, stopping every now and then to let out a noise of discomfort or to catch her breath.

“And she thinks she’s broken?” Daisy managed a small nod.

You were barely awake, your breathing shallow. But, you were alive. Your brain trying to find something to comfort you with. The main thing was flashes of your time. If this was it, might as well have a recap, right?

It took you to Sousa, how you had started out a bit weary, but he had won you over. He was a good man. Good for your sister, if she followed through with the emotion her eyes communicated: a small bit of romantic attraction.

Then, it went to a particular phrase he had given you: “Can almost be like a superpower, make people feel how you feel, turn the tables on ‘em”.

“What’s she feeling?” Nathaniel asked. One of his men touched your hand.

“Fear, peaceful feeling…something else too.” He reported.

“How can she be both fearful and peaceful? What’s the other thing?” Nathaniel asked.

“It’s all building to something…” The man said.

“…What’s that?”

“….Rage.” At that, you shot up, biting into the man’s ear. You ripped it clean off, spitting it away, you pulled out his pistol and shot the guard. Nathaniel hid behind one, the man taking a bullet for Nathaniel as he ran away.

You ran after him, before you remembered that you weren’t alone here. You had a sister and a new, genuine, friend to help. To save.

The love you felt for them was greater than your desire to hurt Malick.

So, you turned back, going to save your family.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Is she ok?” Was the first think you asked when you entered the room. Your face was blank and voice monotone, but your concern was still heard by Sousa as he picked your sister up and held her.

“She will be, when we get out of here. How about you, though?” He asked, his concern being heard both in his voice in expression, seeing the state you were in.

“I’ll be fine. We need to get out of here, though.”  He knew he didn’t have time to argue, so he just nodded and led the way.

The building started to shake, shadows started to almost ripple: he was trying to get to grips with your abilities.

You just kept your focus on getting the pair out.

“How are you able to even stand?” He was still on it, but still sounded concerned.

“Lots and lots of adrenaline. That, and fear, guilt, rage, love. All the cliché shit.”

“It’s not cliché, it’s emotion.” He argued.

“Granted. And I get that there’s probably people like me both inhuman and not. But, still, having to shout them out is –” You pushed, pushing him back as guards ran past you and to the rooms you were just in.

You continued on your way, “Is annoying.”

A gunshot hit the wall, you used your ability to pull Sousa back, “Protect her!” You exclaimed.

A bullet hit you in the shoulder, but your grabbed that guard with your ability and pulled him into the dark. The others dropped their weapons, running away.

They were hired to do a job, but if they couldn’t get home to their families, there was no point to it in the first place.

However, one remained, he was shaken, “Go,” He looked as if he didn’t believe you, “I’m serious, go.”

He didn’t move. So, you did the one thing you could think of, you approached him and grabbed him. He was instantly hit with your genuinely feeling of tiredness and the want for this to be over, “Go.”

He ran.

“Good job.” Sousa meant it, having a not-too-much bloody confrontation.

“Let’s go home.” You blinked, almost happy that it didn’t get any worse.

You felt relieved.

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“So…back in the pod?” You asked as Jemma prepared it for it.

She looked back to you with a small smile, “Yes, I’m afraid. There is no other way. I’m sorry.”

You nodded, “Ok.” You went to get up to join in your sister (who was in her own pod) in a sleep as you healed.

Jemma and Sousa were instantly up to help you, but paused, “It’ll hurt.” You warned them.

“Y/N, you’re one of my best friends, seeing you in pain hurts me. But, if being in a bit more gets you to that pod that will heal you, then it’s worth it.” She was firm, but in her own loving way.

“…Ok.” You held out your arms, Jemma grabbed one, Sousa the other. They did cringe at the emotional pain, but they soldiered on. It seemed that two people holding you separated it between the pair.

They got you to the pod, resting you against it’s open shell. You looked to Sousa, “You gonna stay?”

He nodded, “I’m right where I need to be.” He assured you.

“You’ll be ok, Y/N. You both will.” Was Jemma’s reassurance.

“Ok. See you on the other side.” The two smiled.

You went back in, the pod door closing. Jemma put her hand to it as you felt your eyelids drop, you put yours where her hand was.

Then, once again, you were asleep.

[stray-tori]

TPN S02E09 - Initial Thoughts (anime-only)

[ Reaction video w/ captions/subs ] we collectively have a breakdown about the pen, please enjoy it pff-

.

... hmmm... yeah I... ain’t feeling it. I think my tpn feelings overall are carrying this more than anything pff. I didn’t hate it, it was just...... mediocre... like if this wasn’t tpn, I probably would have dropped it at this point.

BUT IT IS TPN SO LET’S GIVE SOME THOUGHTS.

.

. Random thoughts I don’t want to re-arrange

when Emma was like “share your pain with us!!”, I liked how Norman turned to Ray like “Ray. help. tell her I’m right” kind of like Ray did in s1 pfff-

Norman cried the words he didn’t allow himself to say in s1 :( I’M EMOTIONAL. it might not be the icing on the cake execution wise but GOD MY HEART. And knowing he’s going to die to it’s just- (well not if the pen has something to say about it but more about that later)

where- wheres my trio hug :((( RAY HUG THE CHILD NOW

it’s interesting that while Emma got the entire emotional speech spotlight, only Ray got a reaction shot to “I won’t live long”?? equivalent.... exchange...?

I thought Norman had a seizure when he broke down in front of Emma and Ray and I kinda wish he had because while it’s good to have him say it outright (a win for communicationnn), imagine THE ANGST. “I want to live with yo- *coughs up fountains of blood*”.

So. yknow that hideout Cislo or Vincent referenced when talking to Emma and Ray. Yknow where Norman hid the children they stole from farms, making it look like demons did it? ... w-what about them? will we see them? Are they getting left behind? it would have worked for Norman’s plan, since all they had to do was stay put and wait for demons to be yeeted. But now... he’d have to take them all too. But... I doubt we’re gonna introduce a bunch of new designs and characters? Or are we? Who knows. I don’t. I have unreasonably amount of protecc feelings for those children I’ve never even seen haha- WHERE ARE THEY. I mean... the plan rn is to immediately use the gate right? or is the plan to eradicte the GF farm staff and higher ups? I guess if thats the plan it might work. Or I guess the plan is to save Phil for now???

the idea of Sonju just... slicing his arm and throwing it at demons in a loop sounds so funny to me please someone make that.

I liked that Mujika turned to the lambda kids after giving a cup to the demon children but then we didn’t see their reaction or anything and then it cuts to the temple??? that was weird. was there sth missing there? confusion.

I also like Isabella remarking "[a radio] was supposed to be there" regarding the shelter, because it further heavily implies they know of the shelters and just let them be. Which further confirms that they should have just reframed the shelter and had the kids escape from it quickly but oH WELL.

I really liked demon Emma apologizing and Norman's reaction to that. it was a sweet little moment and like, the realization of apologizing for something that she didn't do but is aware of and all that. Cycle of hatred and all that shiz hell ye. Ik the anime won't rly delve into that but I kind of relish in the angst potential of the village - sure it was undone but some were still eaten and died and transforming people back won't bring those back. So, that’s some hella terrifying implications for families; and I'm assuming Norman is aware of those so. guilt time! not that he wasn't aware it was bad but yeah- I teared up at that moment :<<

I feel like this season really does its best when it’s doing the whole two worlds/species angle. Mujika and Sonju, the village, demon and human Emma... all that stuff.

I wish we had gotten more time (god this is really the season’s downfall) thought to see Vylk talk to the GF kids more often. it’s implied he told them not to hang out there before but I would have liked to have him show up a few more times before that but yeah. Runtime very RIP.

I also feel like CW is bending over backwards to put cliffhangers at the end of episodes. that was already a problem in s1 when they had Phil come in when Don and Gilda were in Isabella's room. it was obvious it'd be a copout but they still did it. I'm just wondering why we had to have Vincent disagree with the group to this extend (and if the shock value might play a part in that). we have 2 more episodes, why are they introducing more plot threads? Just streamline it you dofuses. I just don't know what good can come of it unless it's like an ultra big brain move to help them?? (and then we're back with the forcing cliffhangers thing) - if it's actual conflict, this'll just make things more confusing and clustered, and we don't have time for that right now imo. But who knows maybe it plays into something I just don't understand yet and it'll work out somehow

.

. Animation flow kinda dead.

I felt like this episode was kind of... awkwardly executed whenever something that was a slightly dynamic movement happened?

The whole bit while Emma is walking up to Norman could have been better, but it’s passable, except that a lot is spelled out for us.

But then she takes his hand really weirdly in a far away shot with bad inbetween timing?? what is that haha-

Or him collapsing is cut really weirdly. you barely really see it, you just kinda piece it together from Emma’s reaction and her catching him.

Most facial expressions are good though, which is arguably the more important part in this scene. I feel like a better execution just would have elevated it even more.

The only one I felt was really awkward in its entirety is Barbara’s scene with the children demons. I felt like that was in particular kind of stiff and the cut between the child and her was too sudden and felt jarring. TPN anime doesn’t really do that sort of stuff a lot, so imo it’s kind of “??” when they do it. With Norman it was too, but that at least had a good transition over to it (with bg and fg panning) and nice animation. Barbara’s just kind of switched. Tbh don’t switch it out, and as the child screams, switch over to her facial expression as her own voice fades into the scream? I think that would have done it too and also be low effort.

I think it’s moreso the flow of the shots than the actual shots though? it’s a bit too fast paced and sometimes missing inbetweens (like the wild demon eating sonju’s hand is literally just 2 frames) - it’s very weird. It’s jarring, but I can’t really explain why.

I’m sorry for the staff, I’m sure the production hasn’t been easy. maybe with the bluray release we’ll get some updated animations/inbetweens.

Some appreciation though:

as mentioned, most of the facial expressions, even if the body language was a bit stiff.

the cut from the trio talking to the eye-transition of the demon and the following breath animation looked nice. Also his arm regenerating!

Sonju smirking as he cuts his arm off, what a bastard

they didn’t have to show Vylk’s arm regenerating casually while they’re talking but they did.

.

. the lambda crew

If only I cared about you guys. Hahhh it’s just... introducing characters so close to the end is just. A mess. A recipe for disaster.

Where has the anime’s “show off the younger kids” angle gone? I thought they were always pretty good at that. but they haven’t really contributed anything since the whole tidbit about the older children always eating less for them. And even then it was just Lani and Thoma.

Potentially, what segments we saw in the shelter will come back for the GF raid thematically but I’m just... EH?

.

. the cure pen

at this point, just stick a syringe part at the end of the stick and just inject it and it’s gonna solve everything probably.

I just don’t understand why that needed to happen. Assuming they go to the human world, it’d be perfectly acceptable for me for medicine to be so advanced that it’d be able to like, lessen their symptoms and significantly improve their lifespan.

Don’t just... REMOVE their struggles. It’s okay to not be normal and cured. it’s okay for their lives to be impacted by it going forward. In fact, I’d much prefer that.

(added in later) OH wait they literally spell out why the cure being in the pen is meaningful - because it opens up a path where they can live through not having annihilated all the demons - it's essentially the moral "reward" for not killing them. Since they probably wouldn't have gotten it if they did that. I still think it wasn't needed and the blueprint on its own would suffice for another pen-convinience moment but I kind of get what they're going for, I just don't think it's worth it . In their case, going to the human world (while they don't know it) means having more medical expertise at their disposal which they can then use to survive. UNLESS they're actually not welcome over there and have to hide or something, in that case... that might be hard, true. I guess I'll come back to think about this once it's over. For now, it feels kind of unearned and it wouldn’t even have to be this way in my eyes which makes it somewhat worse.

But good, let’s say in-universe you need it NOW, then at least don’t put??? the medicine??? recipe??? INTO the hologram.

What if they just checked the GF blueprint and Norman goes “hey, Vincent... do you think this [database/archive room] could have some data on our experiments?” - Norman said he tried to develop a drug to help them but the supporters who had that data were purged. but... they had Smee to help them too. But SOMEHOW, a dude from 15 years ago just HAS the cure??? (at least let Norman develop it himself and have the data be just THE DATA and not the recipe).

It might still check out somewhat??

15+ years ago, James Ratri was assumingly still the gatekeeper since the switch to Peter seems somewhat recent considering his big "era of James has ended" speech.

I guess the implication is that just like Smee => Krone => Norman, a supporter all that time ago gave random person the pen when they escaped.

When Vylk found him, he also had just the data medium of the pen (not the entire pen), so maybe the farm thought they eliminated it and that’s why they didn’t change their methods to not work with those drugs anymore? It's still a bit curious that their experimentation hasn't changed at all in 15 years but maybe that's because they keep killing the smart people instead of making them scientists to research for them :D

Somewhere since those 15 years, Smee gave Krone the pen (probably a few years before she got to GF?), which means that at that point the gate the keyword "future" sent them to, was still in tact when Smee gave Krone the pen. Maybe WM wasn't discovered yet at that point?

then WM got discovered, James was chased. He made that phonecall update and was probably eventually killed, along with the human location (and likely bunkers since they knew a radio was supposed to be there, begs the question why they didn't remove it) being discovered (the one with the future keyword) and the gate there being destroyed.

The problem is just that it can make sense when you think about it for way too long and assume things in good-faith, but it still feels unearned.

Maybe I would care more or this would feel a little more earned if we knew ANYTHING about that person? They seemed fairly young, so it’s probably not Minerva/James Ratri. The “hope” talk reminded me of the book in the shelter, but I’m not sure if that checks out either? The cookies were rotten but not completely. I know cookies hold out relatively long, but would they rly not be completely rotten after 15 years? I MEAN. Maybe not. Who knows. I tried to google it but didn’t find anything. 

But anyway. That tidbit is going into my “shelter kids OC project” I guess.

But even if the worldbuilding makes sense, I think the data set in itself makes little sense?? How did they find that pen part? Did a supporter give it to them? Why do they have the cure? Clearly their group of escapees wasn’t doing too hot (#help) and they seemed relatively young too so they probably couldn’t have worked in the farm.

Were the shelter escapees lambda escapees? but if that was the case, wouldn’t the WM group have secured the cure information more properly than in just one pen (maybe it was and those were just destroyed, to be fair) - it’s just WEIRD to put the cure for Lambda experiments on the same blueprint as the GF layout??? that makes so little sense.

Plus, why would you send them to GF, when it’s so secured and all that, and not just send them to the human support place our GF kids were sent with the “future” keyword, which had a gate. Maybe it didn’t exist 15 years ago (that the humans had control over it, that is), but even then it seems weird to me to imply to send them to GF instead of one of the other gates that existed. I mean. The “future” location’s gate wasn’t destroyed when Krone got the pen right?

I’m guessing maybe it was meant as help for escaping? But then again, why the cure? I guess if they met lambda experiments? I’m just confused.

Also: do we just accept that the layout of GUARDS and SECURITY MEASURES has not changed in 15 years???

.

*sigh* welp. Still looking forward to seeing some stuff with Isabella hopefully. Time... is not on their side and it shows. Neither run-time wise nor production wise.

[skzsauce01]

42nd Moon Pt 1

Description: By some stroke of luck, you get off the waitlist of your biology class. You’d never have guessed you’d find your soulmate there, let alone that he already has a girlfriend... Or that he comes from a fraternity of werewolves.

Warning: none

Word count: 1.5k

Pairing: werewolf!Jisung x fem!reader,  werewolf!Hyunjin x fem!reader

A/N: Please stay healthy during this pandemic! Wash thy handz.

Chapter List

“Is anyone sitting here?”

Jisung raises his head from the homework that he has totally done to see you gesturing to a seat in front of him.

Something about you enthralls him. He swallows down a lump in his throat before being able to answer. “Yeah, but there isn’t anyone there.” He points to the seat left of where you indicated towards.

“Thanks,” you say with a smile.

“I’m Jisung,” he introduces himself. “Just got off the waitlist?” 

“Y/N,” you return. “And yeah. I hope I‘m not too far behind.”

“Not at all,” Jisung shakes his head. “I’d show you my notes, but it’s probably better if you looked at Hyunjin’s.” He gestures to the chair you asked about earlier. “He should be here any moment.”

As if on cue, a male walks through the door and greets Jisung with a wave.

The second you lay your eyes on him, you can feel your heart stop and all the heat rush to your face. This phenomenon you have no explanation for. Sure, he is tall and very attractive, but physical traits aren’t enough for you to have this kind of reaction. As if the two of you share the same mind, he too freeze in shock upon laying eyes upon you, eyes wide and jaw dropped. 

The only thing that brings the both of you back to reality is a voice from the hall.

“Hyunjin? Are you here already?”

The one you assume is Hyunjin turns around with open arms and greets the girl who bounces through the door. She jumps into them and he wraps them around her.

“Hey, Jiyoung, what are you doing here? Don’t you have another class right now too?”

A pit gouges its way into your stomach when you see another girl latching onto your seat neighbor like that. You furrow your brows, wondering why you are feeling like this, so you shake your head and concentrate on your hands. This is ridiculous, you tell yourself. He has a girlfriend, and you don’t even know him. Still, you begin to gnaw at your cheeks, impatiently awaiting Jiyoung’s departure.

“I just wanted to see you. Here I got you this.” She reaches into her bag and takes out boba.

Hyunjin’s eyes sparkle upon seeing the drink. “Thanks, Sweetie. You’re the best.”

“Of course I am,” she grins. “Alright, I gotta go now.” She tiptoes to give Hyunjin a peck on the lips and then waves to Jisung. “Bye guys!”

Jisung waves back and waits for her to leave before teasing his friend. “Aren’t you two sweet.”

“You’re just jealous,” Hyunjin sighs with a roll of his eyes.

“Anyway,” Jisung transitions, “this is Y/N; she just got off the waitlist. Could you show her your notes?”

Hyunjin turns his head towards you with narrowed eyes. His heartbeat increases along with yours as the two of you make eye contact. 

“No,” he mutters.

Jisung blinks in surprise. “What the heck dude? It’s just your notes.” He turns to you. “Sorry, Y/N, he’s not usually like this, I swear.” And back to Hyunjin, “Come on bro. You’re the one who always says no one can read my notes; that’s why we’re asking you.”

Hyunjin grunts but digresses. He leans his head on one hand while handing you his notebook with the other while avoiding eye contact. 

“Thank you,” you say uncertainly. Your heart leaps when your fingers come into contact during the transaction.

Jisung apologizes for his friend once more and soon you are busy copying his notes. 

Jisung leans forward and whispers to his friend. “Yo, what’s wrong with you? You were totally fine when Jiyoung was here.”

“It’s nothing,” Hyunjin growls.

“Don’t turn wolf on me,” Jisung jokes. “We’re in pu--”

Jisung’s eyes widen once the gears in his brain fit together. With a gasp, he grabs Hyunjin’s wrist and pulls his sleeve up.

“What the heck?” snaps the taller of the two.

“Oh my moon,” Jisung breathes as he stares at the glowing bracelet of a tattoo on Hyunjin’s wrist. The ring of pattern is complete everywhere but a spot on the inside of the wrist, a spot he knows you have the complimenting part. “She’s your soulmate!”

“Could you say that louder?” Hyunjin hisses, pulling his sleeve back down to hide the golden glow.

“Sorry,” Jisung apologizes. “But what about Jiyoung?”

“That’s exactly why I’m being so rude!”

“But she’s your soulmate! You can’t just ignore her!”

“And Jiyoung’s my girlfriend, so what’s your point?” Hyunjin challenges.

“I’m done. Thanks, Hyunjin,” you , unaware of the conversation between the two, interrupt.

Jisung narrows his eyes at his friend while burying his nose in his forearms on the table, thinking about you and Hyunjin’s decision for the rest of the lecture.

“You’ve got to tell Chan.”

“No I don’t! We just have to get through this semester without any incident and everything will go back to normal.”

“You can’t do that; you aren’t physically capable of that!”

“Why not? You should know better than anyone that we’re just fine without our soulmates.”

Jisung bites his lip and twiddles his thumbs.

Hyunjin realizes what he said and quickly rubs his friend on the back. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”

“It’s okay. I mean, I see your point and Jiyoung’s really great, but I think we should still tell Chan.”

“I--”

“Tell me what?”

Jisung looks at Hyunjin. He sighs and rolls up his sleeve.

“This,” he begins. “It was glowing earlier today.”

Chan gasps. “Really? For whom?”

“A new girl in biology discussion today,” Jisung answers this time.

“Oh, I see what the problem is,” Chan frowns. “Jiyoung.”

Hyunjin nods with his head down.

“And I don’t suppose you are planning to break up with her.”

A head shake.

Chan folds his arms and looks to the sky with a soft hum. 

“We don’t have to be with our soulmates, right?” Hyunjin asks softly.

“No,” agrees Chan. “It’s just that you two are more compatible than anyone else in this universe, and she can increase your powers.”

“So what do you suggest I do?”

“Truth be told, I don’t know either,” Chan admits. “Just carry on as you were, I guess. If the universe has a plan, then it’ll be what it’ll be. Just remember--”

“I can’t mate with Jiyoung, I know,” Hyunjin finishes.

Chan gives the younger male an approving pat on the shoulder. “Don’t forget.”

“-- and he just went “uwwwaagg” and left!”

“Seriously?” you laugh.

Jisung cannot help but smile with you. “Cross my heart! Whoever designed the frat house was not thinking when they installed glass shower doors.”

“Hey guys.” 

You both turn towards the grumble to see Hyunjin trudging up the mountain. Behind him is another male who chirps a greeting. Your biology instructor has assigned you to find an owl pellet with the person sitting next to you. Jisung, with all his brilliant ideas, decides not only do his project at ungodly hours when the pellets “are the most fresh,” but also decides to drag his friend, and consequently, you, along.

Your blood rushes to your face just like it does every time you see Hyunjin, but it’s worse this time upon seeing his fluffy bed-head poking out of his oversized hoodie.

“Why didn’t you wait for me?” Hyunjin scowls while smacking his housemate behind the head. “I used to be the one who has to drag you out of bed, but now you’re early to bio stuff all the time.”

Jisung returns the gesture. “New school year, new me, you know? I just thought I should stop being late and skipping classes all the time.”

“Whatever,” Hyunjin sighs groggily. “So what’s the plan?”

“Try to find pellets, right?”

“Yep,” Jisung agrees while flicking his flashlight on and off. “It’s simple, but let’s stay with our partners, okay? It’s pretty dark right right now.”

The rest of you agree, and Jisung and his partner go west while you and Hyunjin take east.

“How are you?” you try with small talk.

“Been better, no thanks to Jisung,” Hyunjin replies curtly.

You wrack your brain for something else to say, but end up walking with him in silence until you spot a cottonwood tree.

“There!” you point. “Some owls nest in cottonwood, so we can try looking for pellets here.”

You run to the tree and slide to your knees, scrapping the leaves aside until you find what you are looking for. You hold it up to Hyunjin with a proud smile.

“Found one!”

Hyunjin’s eyes widen a tad in surprise at your intelligence and efficiency, not to mention how brightly your smile shines even in this dark forest. He shakes his head to clear such thoughts.

It’s just the soul thing, he reminds himself and tugs on his sleeve to securely hide his glowing mark.

“R-right. Good job,” he stutters and opens a bag for you to drop your find into. “Why don’t you look over there for more, and I’ll keep checking this tree for other pellets?”

You nod and turn your back away from him. The next cottonwood is a bit further away, but at least now you won’t have to keep working in awkward silence with your crush. Once you arrive at your destination, you get on your knees and begin working. After a while, you hear a foot crunch on some leaves behind you.

“Hyunjin, I don’t think this tree has anything.”

“I’m not Hyunjin. Try again!

~ ad.gold

[morningfears]

Broken Ties

Rating: PG-13

Summary: Part of the Morning Fears universe | Charlotte and Luke go tell her parents that she’s pregnant. This is their reaction to the news. (You don’t have to have read MF to follow the plot. Although, it may help and if you’d like to read MF, please do!) | Mentions of disownment, implied past abuse, age gap (I don’t know if that’s a warning I need to add but, yeah.)

Word Count: 1.9k (.....this was supposed to be less than 1k)

As Luke focused on the road ahead, one hand on the steering wheel and the other on Charlotte’s knee, he became all too aware of his heart pounding wildly in his chest. He was doing the best that he could to mask the outward signs of his anxiety, keeping his breathing regular and his face void of emotion, but he knew that Charlotte could read him and breathed a sigh of relief as she removed his hand from her knee and held it with her own. He could feel every pinprick of emotion shooting down his spine as they traveled closer and closer to Charlotte’s hometown and with every mile they drove, his nerves only grew stronger. 

He couldn’t pinpoint exactly why he was so anxious. He had been on a high of joy and elation for weeks after he’d gotten over the initial nerves that nearly paralyzed him when Charlotte first told him that she was pregnant. She was more afraid than him, petrified to become a first time mother, and they’d been walking through the nerves together. They sat down and talked about their fears and anxieties and worked hard to assure one another that they were either unfounded or being addressed to the best of their ability. However, the anxiety that encompassed him now was unlike any other he’d faced.

The only time he could recall feeling something similar was nearly twenty-five years earlier.

When Luke and Anna had told their parents that they were expecting a child, they were both terrified twenty-somethings. They weren’t married, they weren’t living together, they weren’t sure where they’d be after graduation. Luke didn’t have a job, neither did Anna, and they weren’t prepared in the slightest. Things couldn’t have been more different with him and Charlotte.

Luke and Charlotte had been married for nearly six months, had lived together for two years, and were both settled into good careers. They had a home of their own, one with plenty of room for a child, and more than enough money to adequately care for a child. They were in love, completely and wholly, and were both happy to be welcoming a child into the world.

So, why did he suddenly feel like a scared college student headed to face his doom?

Luke imagined that it was because of Charlotte’s family. They had a way of making everyone feel inferior, of making them feel like they’d made a mistake even if they hadn’t, and he knew that the conversation was not going to go well. Charlotte herself was terrified, shaking like a leaf in the passenger seat with her free hand absentmindedly brushing the barely there bump, and Luke knew that his nerves weren’t for himself, they were for her.

Charlotte’s parents hadn’t attended the wedding. They’d been told almost immediately after Luke proposed, one of the first sets of people to know, and had received an in-person invitation as well as one in the mail. However, they hadn’t showed and Charlotte had her mentor walk her down the aisle. Since they’d made their relationship known to her family, they hadn’t spoken to her much (though, both were willing to admit that wasn’t entirely out of the ordinary for Charlotte’s parents) and had essentially cut her out of their lives. Charlotte was worried that this would be the final straw, that telling them about their new grandchild would be the thing that finally made them disown her, and it scared the hell out of her.

Charlotte hated how much she wanted her parents’ approval. She hated how much she wanted their love and affection. She hated how much it hurt to know that they could so easily shut the door on her. She just wanted to be part of her own family, to be loved and love them in return, but she didn’t see that happening any time soon.

She was happy that she and Luke were starting their own family. It wasn’t planned but it was a happy accident, nonetheless. She’d initially sworn off having children, too afraid to end up like her parents, but as she got older, she yearned for a family of her own. She swore that she would be a good mother, one who loved her child wholeheartedly and would do anything to make them happy, and Luke could already tell that she was going to be brilliant. She already cared for their son more than words could express and he was overjoyed to share the experience with her, however, he knew that them having a family of their own would never replace the love that she was denied.

Luke hoped, desperately, that Charlotte’s parents would be thrilled with the news. Even if they hated him, even if they hated their relationship and never wanted to see him again, as long as they were willing to see Charlotte and their son, Luke would happily make himself scarce. He just wanted his girl happy, she deserved that.

Her parents hadn’t sounded thrilled when she called to ask if they could come for a visit but they’d given their blessing, anyway. Charlotte used the excuse that she had gifts for her nieces and nephews, she’d been too sick to travel around Christmas, and she didn’t want to ship them. She hadn’t told them Luke was coming with her and he wondered if he should just wait in the car.

However, when they pulled into the driveway of Charlotte’s childhood home, Luke carried the gifts and  followed her dutifully up the steps to the front door.

Charlotte needed his support and he wanted to give it. He just hoped that he’d have the patience not to snap at them, regardless of how much they deserved it.

Luke was willing to admit that the dynamic was somewhat awkward. He was only a few years younger than Charlotte’s parents and, in another life, might’ve even been friends with them. They went to the same university and had been cordial when Charlotte and Dylan brought them together. But the longer he stayed with Charlotte, the more he learned about her childhood, the more he hated them. How anyone could make someone so kind and selfless feel so worthless was beyond him. How anyone could do that to their own child, that was the part that pissed him off.

He tried his best to keep his calm as Charlotte’s mother answered the door. She didn’t look pleased to see him, not that he’d imagined she would, but said nothing to him as she moved aside to let them in. “You didn’t have to drive these up,” she told Charlotte, pointedly looking only at her as she placed the bag in the corner of the living room, “shipping would’ve been fine.”

“There’s a snow globe in there,” Charlotte explained as she took a seat on the couch after her mother had sat, “I didn’t want it to get broken in transit. Anyway, I had some news and thought it was the kind I should tell you in person.”

“Well, we’re meeting some friends for lunch soon so…” her mother said, glancing from Charlotte to Charlotte’s step-father.

Charlotte seemed frozen, unsure of how to broach the subject, and Luke didn’t want to overstep but when she glanced up at him, her eyes pleading, he breathed a sigh and said, “Charlotte’s pregnant. We’re having a baby.”

Charlotte’s parents were silent for a moment, both blinking in surprise, before her mother said, “Oh, I thought you were just getting fat.”

“Shut up,” Charlotte’s step-father snapped, glaring in her mother’s direction for a moment before he turned his attention to Luke and Charlotte. “Are you serious? What the hell were you thinking? Look, we played along when you wanted to date him and we made our feelings very clear about the wedding but you just don’t get it. You’ve got, what, five years, max, before he trades you in for a younger model. You’re going to be left alone with some little brat or, worse, he’ll take the kid and you’ll never see it again. But, then again, maybe that’d be for the best. You can barely take care of yourself. How are you going to raise a child?”

“Hey, Charlotte’s incredibly responsible and did quite well for herself without the two of you. She’s been taking care of herself for most of her life. She’s more than capable of raising a child. And, honestly, I think she’s going to be a fantastic mother, despite your best efforts at destroying her ability to be compassionate. She thought you should know, that’s the only reason we’re here,” Luke interjected, his jaw clenched as he stared at Charlotte’s parents.

“I wasn’t talking to you,” her step-father retorted, his voice low and his eyes narrowed, “look at this, can’t even answer for yourself.” When he glanced at Charlotte, her eyes glistening with tears and her bottom lip trembling, he rolled his eyes. “Go ahead, cry. We can’t even ask you simple questions without you turning into a mess. Look, we don’t want anything to do with the kid. Have it, don’t, whatever; it’s your life. If you’re as independent as you say he says you are, the kid doesn’t need grandparents.”

“What are you saying?” Charlotte asked, finally able to speak as she took in the gravity of his words.

“He’s saying that this child is not our grandchild. You are not our child. If you can’t see how stupid this little fantasy world of yours is, we clearly didn’t raise you well enough. I think you should go and I don’t think you should come back,” her mother clarified, her tone sharp and her eyes locked on Charlotte the entire time she spoke.

Charlotte sat frozen for a moment, unable to process her parents’ words, and only moved when Luke gently pulled her from the couch. “Come on, pretty girl,” he sighed, his hand on the small of her back as he began to lead her out of the living room, “let’s get back home. It’s gonna be okay, I promise.”

Charlotte kept her tears at bay until they’d pulled out of her parents’ driveway. She didn’t start crying until they made it to the highway and she brushed off Luke’s touch until he stopped at a gas station and reached out to cup her cheek. “I know it hurts, pretty girl,” he sighed as he brushed the tears from her cheek, “but there are so many people in our lives who already love this kid more than anything. And you’re going to be a fantastic mother, I know that. We’ll get through this, I promise.”

Charlotte shook her head. Although she knew rationally that Luke was right, her heart hurt. She felt sick and only wanted the day to be over. “I just want to go home,” Charlotte choked out, her voice thick with tears.

“Sure,” Luke nodded, visibly disappointed and upset for her, before he pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Let’s get you home and into bed.”

Luke was angry. He hated her parents, he hated how they treated her and how they made her feel. He hated that they were so against the child he and Charlotte were bringing into the world. All he wanted was to make her feel better and he knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that this would take a toll on her. He only hoped that he’d be able to pick up the pieces and help her put it all together again.

______________________________________________

Author’s Note: I write way too much for them, I know, but what can I say? I love Luke and Lottie.

[omnifalls-10]

Omni Falls Chapter 4: The Lil Psycho

It's a peaceful weekend at the Mystery Shack. As Grunkle Stan swindles tips from the tourists outside, Dipper, Mabel, and Soos sit at the table, discussing Dipper's mysterious watch and how he found it as the young Pine drinks a soda while his sister knits a sweater.

"So you found that watch in a mysterious ball?", Soos summarizes. "And after that you fought a giant gnome monster by turning a rock alien?"

"Diamond alien.", Dipper corrects.

"So does this mean you morph into aliens now?", Soos questions.

"It seems so.", Dipper replies.

"Cool dude. So what aliens can you turn into?". Soos probes, curious on what aliens he can morph as.

"So far he's morphed into the diamond alien, the red one that can shoot water, the speedy one, and the plant that can shoot fire but smells like a dumpster.", Mabel tallies off as she continues to knit herself a new sweater.

Dipper rubs his chin in thought. "Hm. But there could be potentially more than that."

Soos looks amazed by this. "Dude, that sounds awesome! Did you ever name any of them?"

"I only named Diamondhead, the crystal alien, Water Hazard, the water alien, and Swampfire, the plant one,", Dipper answers as he heads to the trash bin to throw away the soda can.

"Why Swampfire?", Soos asks.

"'Cause he smells like a flaming dumpster, when he transforms.", Mabel answers to which Dipper nods in agreement.

"Hm. Did you come up with a name for the speed alien?", Soos inquiers.

"Why, yes, Soos.", Dipper puffs his chest, priding himself on a cool name. "Blitz." Such a cool name, he thinks. Unfortunately, Mabel and Soos don't agree with this.

"Boooooooo!", Mabel and Soos jeers.

"What? You guys got anything better?", Dipper scoffs as he sits at the table, reading the Journal.

"Oh, I got one.", Mabel answers, dropping her sweater she's knitting to flail her arms dramatically. "Speedy!".

"That sounds like a cartoon character.", Dipper clarifies.

"Speedster?", Soos tries a name.

"That sounds even more bland than Blitz."

"Quicksilver!"

"The name's taken. Plus the alien is more blue and black than silver."

"Flash?"

"Taken."

"Zoom Zoom?"

"That sounds like a jingle for a commercial."

Mabel stops and thinks for a moment before she gets an idea, smiling. "How about XLR8?!"

"Awesome name, little dude.", Soos is impressed as he holds his hand out for Mabel to high five. Dipper just shrugs, he honestly doesn't mind because it would be nice to make names for the aliens that he would turn into. It would help for him to have an alias to turn towards in case someone would know about the aliens he would have.

But the chances of that happening are slim to none. As they start conversing on other random topics, the TV transitions into a commercial Soos recognizes.

"Hey, look. It's that commercial I was telling you guys about.", Soos points to the screen showing an actor crying.

"Are you completely miserable?", the announcer asks, to which the actor says "YES!". The announcer continues, "Then you need to meet..." before a lady's voice comes in with a silhouette in the background. "Gideon."

"Gideon?", Dipper asks, looking at the screen, curiously.

"What makes him so special?", Mabel inquires, wanting to know more about this mysterious figure.

"He's a psychic.", the announcer answers, intriguing the Pine Twins even more. "So don't waste your time with another so-called 'man of mystery'." The screen shows a clip of Stan coming out of an outhouse and is stamped with the word "FRAUD". "Learn about tomorrow tonight at Gideon's Tent of Telepathy."

"Wow, I'm getting all curiousy inside...", Mabel admits.

"Well, don't get too curiousy.", Stan answers with an annoyed expression on his face as he enters the room and flips up his eyepatch and hangs his suit jacket on his racket. "Ever since that monster Gideon rolled into town, I've had nothin' but trouble."

"But, is he really psychic?", Dipper asks his grunkle.

"I think we should go and find out.", Mabel suggests, wanting to see this psychic for herself.

"Never! You're forbidden from patronizing the competition!", Grunkle Stan exclaims in anger. "No one that lives under my roof is allowed under that Gideon's roof!" That said, the conman walks away to count his earnings, grumbling.

"Do tents have roofs?", Dipper wonders out loud since Stan left the room.

"I think we just found our loophole... literally!", Mabel proudly declares as she holds a string with a loophole, making her, Dipper, and Soos laugh at the cheesy joke, causing them to miss the announcer's words in the end.

"So come down soon, folks. Gideon is expecting you."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o

As the evening air is crisp as Dipper, Mabel, and Soos arrive at the Tent of Telepathy. At first glance, it looks like the Mystery Shack but in reverse, even down to Bud Gleeful standing at the entrance with a sack for customers to put money in.

"Whoa, this is like a bizarro version of the Mystery Shack.", Dipper admits as he looks around. "They even have their own Soos." He points to a maintenance worker who looks very similar to Soos, named Deuce, to which he glares at him.

"Sshh!", Mabel shushes her brother. "It's starting!"

"Let's see what this monster looks like.", Dipper murmurs skeptically. The crowd is holding their breath as a large silhouette comes forward on the stage, but starts to shrink with each step until it is in the center. The curtains pull back to reveal a short child younger than the Pines donning a large pompadour and wearing a baby blue business suit, complete with large shoulder pads, a jade bolo tie, and a flashy cape.

"Hello America!", the Gideon greets the audience, his smile being warm. "My name is Li'l Gideon." He claps and doves fly out of his hair, causing the crowd to cheer.

"That's Stan's mortal enemy?", Dipper asks, confused by how this child could be the rival to their grunkle.

"But he's so wittle.", Mabel adds, smiling at how cute the little guy is.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it is such a gift to have you here tonight!", Gideon announces to the crowd. "Such a gift. I have a vision. I predict that you will soon all say, 'aww.'" Gideon makes a cute pose and the crowd immediately gushes.

"It came true.", Mabel speaks in awe, holding her cheeks in admiration.

"What?", Dipper rolls his eyes. "I'm not impressed."

"You're impressed!", Mabel teases.

"Hit it, Dad!" Gideon calls his father, Bud Gleeful. He starts playing the piano and the young psychic starts dancing as he sings."Oh, I can see what others can't see. It ain't some sideshow trick, it's innate ability. Where others are blind, I am futurely inclined. And you too could see, if you was widdle ol' me!"

"Come on, everybody, rise up! I want y'all to keep it going!" Gideon calls out to the crowd. They, including Soos and the twins, rise, seemingly unintentionally, and they start to clap along with the beat. This confuses Dipper as this happens.

"Wha—? How did he—?", Dipper stammers in bewilderment as he looks at the young psychic.

"Keep it going!", Gideon calls to the audience before pointing to an elderly woman in the crowd. "You wish your son would call you more."

"I'm leaving everything to my cats!", the old woman yells, with her cat on her lap affirming her.

"I sense that you've been here before.", Gideon predicts as he points at Sheriff Blubs, who is wearing a shirt with Gideon's face on it and holding various other Li'l Gideon merchandise.

"Oh, what gave it away?", he gushes.

"Come on.", Dipper scoffs at this psychic's pitiful predictions. In an instant, Gideon appears beside the Pine Twins, continuing his song. "I'll read your mind if I'm able."

"Something tells me you're named Mabel", Gideon predicts before heading back to the stage.

"How'd he do that?", Mabel asks herself in amazement, she isn't even wearing her name on her sweater.

"So welcome all ye... to the Tent of Telepathy. And thanks for visiting... widdle ol' me!", Gideon finishes his dance as the song ends. The crowd cheers wildly as the young psychic catches his breath.

"Thank you! You people are the real miracles!", Gideon thanks the crowd as he drinks a bottle of water. The crowd leaves, very pleased with the performance that occurred in the Tent of Telepathy. Except for the cynical Dipper.

"Woo! Yeah!", Mabel cheers in excitement. "That was amazing!"

"No wonder our uncle's jealous." Dipper smirks, knowing that despite being fraudulent about being a psychic, Gideon is at least more entertaining than Stan. "That kid's an even bigger fraud than Stan!"

"Oh, come on.", Mabel encourages. "His dance moves were adorable! And did you see his hair? It was like, whoosh!"

"You're too easily impressed.", Dipper remarks, knowing that it doesn't take much to make his sister go starry-eyed.

"Yeah, yeah!", Mabel laughs, giving Dipper a playful shove as he starts laughing with her. What they don't know is that they are a pair of eyes watching them leave in intrigue and obsession.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o

In the quiet morning, Dipper browses through the journal psychic related. He remembers what Gideon did to the audience by raising up unanimously like they were under his command, even Dipper himself, who never intended to get up. He wants to know if there is something that could do what the young psychic did to the audience because Dipper doesn't believe that Gideon is inherently psychic, mind you, but he's aware that he's able to control individuals somehow. So far he's found nothing.

His focus is deterred by his bubbly sister. "Check it out, Dipper! I successfully bedazzled my face!", Mabel exclaims as she blinks some of the sequins from her eyelids. "Ow."

"Um...Is that permanent?", Dipper asks, not sure how he's supposed to react to something like this.

"I'm unappreciated in my time…", She laments, disappointed that her brother can't appreciate her artistic ability. The doorbell rings.

"Somebody answer that door!", Grunkle Stan yells from upstairs.

"I'll get it!", Mabel answers as she wipes the sequins off her face as she heads to the door. She opens it up and finds a bashful Gideon on the other side.

"Howdy.", the young psychic warmly greets her.

"It's 'wittle ol' you!", Mabel gasps in surprise.

"Yeah, my song's quite catchy.", He laughs nervously before he gets to the point, rubbing his arm. "Now, I know we haven't formally met, but after yesterday's performance, I just couldn't get your laugh out of my head."

"You mean this one?", the bubbly Pine asks before doing her signature laugh, much to Gideon's delight.

"Oh, what a delight!", Gideon smiles brightly. "Now, when I saw you in the audience, I said to myself, 'Now there's a kindred spirit! Someone who appreciates the sparkly things in life.'"

"That's totally me!", Mabel laughs before coughing up some sequins that land on Gideon's suit, bedazzling it. This amazes the young psychic.

"Enchanting.", Gideon whsipers. "Utterly enchanting."

"Who's at the door?!", Grunkle yells from inside.

"No one, Grunkle Stan!", Mabel yells back in response.

"I appreciate your discretion." Gideon thanks. "Stan's no fan of mine. I don't know how a lemon so sour could be related to a peach so sweet."

"Aww, you're just saying that.", Mabel giggles at the compliment.

"Oh, I mean it with all sincerity.", Gideon ensures her. "Now, what do you say we step away from here, and chat a bit more. Perhaps in my dressing room?"

"Oh! Makeovers!" Mabel exclaims in delight. "Yahoo!" She pokes Gideon in his stomach a little too hard.

Gideon laughs before holding his gut in pain, mumbling "...Ow."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Mabel returns to the Mystery Shack with her makeover: her hair is curled and held in place an absurd amount of hairspray, overmanucured nails, and excessive amount of makeup. She sees her brother at the same chair from earlier, deeply engrossed into his journal. "Hey Dipper. What's goin' oooon?", she asks as she dangles manicured fingernails over Dipper's head.

He looks up from the journal to see her fingernails and slaps them away in surprise. "Whoa, where have you been? And what's going on with those fingernails, you look like a wolverine." He really doesn't like this much makeup on his sister. It's making her look even more bizarre than the sequins she had on her face.

"I know, right?", she answers, playfully growling and scratching the air. "I was hanging out with my new pal, Gideon. He is one dapper little man."

Dipper sighs. "Mabel, I wouldn't trust anyone whose hair is bigger than their head."

"Oh, leave him alone!", Mabel defends her new pal. "You never want to do girly stuff with me! You and Soos get to do boy stuff all the time." Anything girly she wanted to do, Dipper would opt out and do boy stuff with Soos. Gideon's a breath of fresh air to share the same interests she has.

"What do you mean?", Dipper asks, only for Soos to come in the room, excited.

"Hey dude, you ready to blow up these hot dogs in the microwave one by one?!", the handyman asks, holding the hot dog pack in his face.

"Am I!", Dipper answers, equally excited as they run into the kitchen to pop the dogs in the microwave, laughing. Mabel sighs, rolling her eyes as Dipper proves her point.

The next day arrives and Gideon takes Mabel to the roof of his factory. They are able to see the whole town of Gravity Falls.

"Whoa, the view from your family's factory is nuts!", Mabel exclaims at the view from up top. "Good thing we both bought our….."

"Opera glasses!", she and Gideon cheer, bringing them before pointing them at each other, laughing.

"Mabel, when I'm up here lookin' down on all those little ol' people, I feel like I'm king of all I survey." Gideon explains, whispering the last part ominously. He turns to her, smiling. "I guess that makes you my queen!"

"You are being so nice to me right now, quit it!" Mabel laughs, smacks him in the stomach, playfully.

"I can't quit it. I am speaking from the heart." Gideon admits, holding his heart.

"From the where-now?". Mabel is confused by where the young psychic is going.

"Mabel, I've never felt this close with anyone. So, so close." Gideon explains, stroking his crush's hair, giggling.

"Look Gideon, um…", Mabel tries to explain as she pushes his hand away, uncomfortable. "I like you a lot, but let's just be friends."

"At least just give me a chance." Gideon insists. "Mabel, will you do me the honor of going on a date with me?"

"A play date?", Mabel helplessly asks.

"Uh-uh."

"A shopping date?"

"Nope. It'll just be one li'l ol' date, I swear on my lucky bolo tie." Gideon swears, holding his bolo tie. Mabel looks at the smitten psychic’s green eye, uncertain. She knows that Gideon means well and it would be cruel of her to leave him up on his offer. After all, he promises for one date and he seems to be a man of his word.

"Ummm. Okay, then... I guess…", Mabel answers, still feeling weary about it internally.

"Mabel Pines, you have made me the happiest boy in the world!", Gideon laughs, giving her a big hug. She doesn't feel fully comfortable with it until she realizes something.

"Are you sniffing my hair?"

o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"It's not a date-date, it's just, you know, I didn't want to hurt his feelings and so I figured I'd throw him a bone.", she explains her dating situation as she and her brother play some video games in the living room.

"Mabel, guys don't work that way.", Dipper refutes, his focus never faltering from the game. "You give them an inch, they'll take a mile. At some point, he's gonna fall in love with you."

"Yeah right. I'm not that lovable.", she scoffs, before executing Dipper in the game, cheering in victory. "Yes!"

"Okay, we agree on something here." he grouses and drops the controller. The doorbell rings outside, causing Mabel to stand up and get it.

"I'll go get it", Mabel goes to answer the door, only for a white stallion horse to burst through, neighing. This causes her to scream in surprise and take a few steps back. She looks up from the horse to see Gideon donning cowboy attire, extending her hand out towards her.

"A night of enchantment awaits, m'lady!", he says.

"Oh boy.", she mumbles, to herself. After the horse ride towards their destination, an aquatic themed restaurant which is one of the expensive and finest restaurants in Gravity Falls, they're able to get their own private booth. Even Gideon's stallion is allowed in as it drinks from the fountain.

"I can't believe they let us bring a horse in here.", Mabel says awkwardly. Honestly, the extravagance of this place is not something she's used to being in. Even the menu options when she first checked looked very expensive, even though Gideon said he would pay for it.

"Well, people have a hard time saying no to me.", Gideon winks at her, putting his feet up on the table. As he does this, a waiter arrives to refill their glasses with crystal water, smiling.

"Ah, Monsieur Gideon! Ze feet on ze table! An excellent choice!", the waiter compliments.

"Jean Luc, what did we discuss about eye contact?", Gideon asks, not even glancing at the garcon, frowning.

"Yes, yes, very good.", the waiter adheres, walking back and keeping his eyes away from the young psychic.

Mabel actually looks down at her plate to see various forks, "I've never seen so many forks.", she mentions in amazement. "And water with bubbles in it? Ooh lala, oui, oui."

"Oh! Parlez vous francais?", Gideon asks her.

"...I have no idea what you're saying.", She admits. This makes the young psychic chuckle as their orders arrive, a live lobster for Mabel and a steak with mash potatoes for Gideon.

"I gotta say Mabel", Gideon speaks. "I've been to this restaurant many times but tonight, it feels very special."

"Yeah…", she says as spokes at the lobster on her plate which it pinches her fork in return.

"And tomorrow's date promises to top this one in every way!", Gideon promises.

This causes her to jolt up in realization at what he just said. "Whoa whoa, you said just one date, and this was it."

"Hark! What a surprise!", Gideon says, seemingly ignoring what Mabel is saying. "A red crested South American rainbow macaw!" As he said that, a giant macaw lands on Gideon's forearm. He silently counts to three before the macaw talks.

"MABEL! WILL YOU- ACCOMPANY- GIDEON- TO- THE BALLROOM DANCE- THIS THURBDAY-", Gideon shakes the bird briefly. "THURSDAY?!" The macaw coughs up a letter and flies away. After that declaration, many of the patrons started gushing at Gideon's display of affection to the point crowd near the booth in excitement on Mabel's decision.

"They're expectin' us. Please say you'll go.", Gideon asks her, holding up the letter and unaware of the pressure he's putting on her.

"Oh, Gideon, I'm sorry, but I'm gonna have to say-", Mabel starts before looking back at the patrons and to Gideon, who are waiting for her to say yes. She's been promised only one date and that's all she wanted, but the pressure from saying no to someone who went out their way to do this seems too steep. She doesn't want to disappoint anyone, especially Gideon. After a deep breath, she makes her decision.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o

At the Mystery Shack, Stan arrives in front, looking miffed as he holds a newspaper article showing a picture of Gideon and Mabel together with Dipper, Wendy, and Soos. "Hey, hey! What the jackal is Mabel doing in the paper next to that crazy pickpocket Gideon?!" Stan specifically told to not hang around the little gremlin. Why don't they listen?

"Oh, yeah, it's like a big deal.", Wendy explains, looking up from her magazine. "Everybody's talking about Gideon and Mabel's big date tonight."

"WHAT?! That little shyster is dating my great niece!?", Stan yells.

"I wonder what the new name will be for the power couple. Mabideon? Gideabel?", Soos brainstorms before gasping."Magidbeleon!" Stan turns towards a nervous Dipper.

"You knew anything about this, kid?", he interrogates him.

"I didn't!', Dipper answers. "I didn't hear about it and plus, I told her not to do it anyway." After hearing this, Stan grumbles before re-entering, wearing his suit.

"Yeah, well it ends tonight.", Stan declares, heading towards the door. "I'm going right down to that little skunk's house; this is gonna stop RIGHT now!" He slams the door and heads to the car, driving to the Gleeful residence. Stan's car skids to a halt in front of Gideon's house. He gets out of the car and marches towards the front lawn and starts knocking on the door, loudly.

"Gideon, you little punk! Open up!", Stan yells before reading a sign on the door that says 'Please Pardon This Garden', before slamming the sign towards the ground. "I will pardon NOTHING!" Gideon doesn't answer the door, rather, his father, Bud Gleeful answers it with a balmy smile.

"Why, Stanford Pines! What a delight!", Bud greets the conman.

"Out of the way Bud, I'm looking for Gideon!", Stan answers, pushing past the patriarch to find the little twerp.

"Well, I haven't seen the boy around.", Bud informs, his smile never leaving. "But since you're here, you simply must come in for coffee!" He gently pulls Stan inside.

"But-but I came-", Stan stutters, trying to get back to his task.

"Ah, ah, ah. It's imported.", Bud explains. "All the way from Colombia." They walk as the tea starts to get made.

"Wow... I went to jail there once." Stan remembers fondly. He allows himself to enjoy the interior design of the house, whistling. "Some digs you got here.", he compliments before eyes focus on a clown painting. "Oh, this. This is beautiful." Bud and Stan sit down and enjoy some freshly brewed coffee.

"Now, I hear that your niece and my Gideon are, well, they're singin' in harmony lately so to speak.", Bud recalls, seemingly happy for son's blooming romance with his beau.

"Uh, yeah, and I'm against it!", Stan declares, pushing a couch cushion to prove a point.

"No no no. I see it as a fantastic business opportunity.", Bud explains to Stan as they pass across the family photo in which there was Bud, Mrs. Gleeful, and their two children: a younger Gideon and a blonde haired teen with a bored expression. "We've been at each other's throats for far too long, yes we have. This is our big chance to set aside our rivalry and pool our collective profit, you see."

Stan closes the register. "I'm listening."

While Stan and Bud are talking about financial profiting, Mabel returns to the Shack after an emotionally draining date with the lobster still on her. She walks in to see Dipper relaxing at the table as he's reading his from the Journal.

He looks up to see his sister come in. "Hey. How'd it go?"

"I don't know.", Mabel answers, putting the crustacean in the fish tank. "...I have a lobster now."

"Well, at least it's over and you'll never have to go out with him again.", Dipper proclaims before going back to reading. He realizes his sister hasn't said anything, onliy tapping on the glass of the fish tank. "Mabel? It's over, right? Right?"

She turns around and exclaims frustratingly, flailing her arms. "He asked me out again and I didn't know how to say no!"

"Mabel, it's not that hard. All you have to do is say no."

"It's not that simple, Dipper.", Mabel says. "I do like Gideon, as a friend slash little sister, so I didn't want to hurt his feelings! I just need to get things back to where they used to be. You know, friends."

Easier said than done. Dipper thinks to himself, shaking his head. Mabel has always been the one that tried to make everyone else feel joyous. Disappointing them is something she hates doing.

True to Dipper's thought process, Mabel tried to say how she really felt about dating Gideon, only for her to backtrack and just go dancing with him on the ballroom floor. She tried again when they were getting some food, but she got nervous as people were gushing at the "couple". Even now, as they're boat riding down the stream with Old Man McGucket paddling, she's mentally trying to push herself into telling Gideon the truth.

"Hah, you know I thought dancing was gonna be the end of the evening, right?", Mabel recalls, nervously as Gideon said that they were just going dancing. Gideon holds her hands, lovingly.

"Don't you want this evenin' to last, my sweet?", the young psychic asks.

She instinctively jolts away. "NO!", she answers quickly before backtracking and trying to be more passive towards the clingy Gleeful. "I mean yes. I mean I'm always happy to hang out with a friend, buddy, pal, chum, other word for friend…"

"Pal?", McGucket chimes in.

"I already said pal.", Mabel answers before coming up with another word. "Mate?"

"How about soulmate?", Gideon asks, lovingly. As he said, fireworks appear with a heart and Mabel's name inside of it. She looks distraught, she wanted to just to let Gideon off easy but he's basically put her in a situation that she can't say no to.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Dipper walks downstairs, humming. Once gets closer down the stairs, he hears his sister talking towards herself.

"...I mean, he's so nice, but.. I can't keep doing this. But I can't break his heart. I have no way out!", Mabel rants towards, walking around in a circle, trying to find a way out of this.

Dipper walks in. "What in the heck happened on that date?", he asks her.

"I don't know!", Mabel admits, holding her head in frustration. "I was in the friend zone, and then before I knew what was happening, he pulled me into the romance zone. It was like quick sand! Chubby quicksand!"

Dipper shakes his head and puts a consoling hand on shoulder. "Mabel, come on. It's not like you're gonna have to marry Gideon.", he comforts her. Unfortunately, Stan doesn't get the memo as he walks in with a Team Gideon T-Shirt.

"Great news, Mabel. You have to marry Gideon!", Stan informs, much to her distress.

Mabel is distraught. "Wh-what?!"

"Yep. It's all part of my long term deal with Buddy Gleeful. There's a lot of cash tied up in this thing.", the conman explains, pointing to his T-Shirt. "Plus I got this shirt. Ugh, I am fat." Mabel runs out of the living room, screaming.

"Bodies change, kid!", Stan yells to her, missing the point as to why she ran. "Bodies change…." Dipper just sighs and walks into the attic to see Mabel hiding in her sweater. It's getting that bad.

"Oh no. Mabel?", Dipper asks.

She's cradling her head in her sweater and rocking back and forth. ,"Mabel's not here. She's in sweater town."

He crouches near her with a sympathetic look on her face. "Are you gonna come out of sweater town?", he asks her, only for a whimper to be her response. "Alright, enough is enough. If you can't break up with Gideon, I'll do it for you."

She pops her head out with a hopeful expression. "You will?" He nods his head in response and she gives him the biggest hug that she can. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

True to his word, Dipper took a long trip across Gravity Falls flying as a new alien he found in the watch until he reached his destination: The Club, another restaurant known for its extravagance. He reverts back to his human form and takes a big breath before reaching inside to see Gideon sitting in a booth awaiting Mabel. Dipper heads to the booth and clears his throat.

"Oh. Dipper Pines, how are you?", Gideon greets the young Pine with simulated delight. "You look good, you look good."

"Thanks, you uh…", Dipper laughs nervously. "Look, Gideon. We've got to talk. Mabel isn't joining you tonight, she uh, she doesn't want to see you anymore. She's uh….. kinda weirded out by you, no offense." After he says those words, Gideon sitz there with the same expression on his face processing those words. He stays like that for three minutes, creeping Dipper out.

"So what you're sayin' is...you've come between us.", Gideon says very slowly, his eye twitching ever so slightly.

Dipper starts to get a little nervous. "You're not gonna like, freak out or anything, are ya?"

"Of course not.", Gideon laughs, faking a smile on his face. "These things happen. Bygones, you know."

Dipper sighs, relaxing. "Oh, well that's a relief." Just as he says that, the watch twitched from red to green, beeping to signify that it's charged up. This action causes him to jolt a bit in surprise and Gideon to look at it in intrigue.

"That's an interesting watch you got there.", Gideon inquires as looks at the watch. There's something engaging about it. "Where'd you get it?", Dipper instinctively hides his hand with the watch behind his back for a moment before coming with an answer.

"Uh...", Dipper stumbles before finding an answer. "I-I bought it from…..Japan. It took alot of money to get and it was a...rare item to search for, you know."

Gideon continues to stare at the young Pine, with a smile that starts to become erie. "Fascinatin'."

Dipper looks left and right, chuckling nervously. "So. Okay. Cool. Sorry man, again but uh, hey, thumbs up, right?" He turns around to leave, unaware that Gideon still had that malicious smile on his face.

"Thumbs up indeed, my friend.", he whispers to himself.

As he reaches outside, Dipper lets out a breath that he didn't know held. "Huh, that went better than expected." He honestly expected for Gideon to flip out if anything, he sighs and heads back to Shack, ready to tell her that her Gideon situation is taken care of…..or so he thinks.

In the Gleeful Residence, Gideon is staring into his mirror, seething with rage. He usually doesn't get this angry most of the time, but there are a few things that make reach this peak. The first cause for this could be that he couldn't get what he wants and the second being siblings. Everytime, he hears anything about siblings, it always goes back to his older brother. How his father or mother would look at the pictures of him fondly, how they wouldn't have so much finance without some of his help, how he would always be respectful towards his parents, how successful he is. Him, him, him. No matter what he tries, he'll never have the power, attention, and success to the magnitude of what his older brother has.

With Dipper, he did two things wrong: him being the brother of Mabel and him taking his love away from him. "Dipper Pines, you have no idea what you've done!" He growls, grabbing his amulet tightly and a candle starts to levitate and the light bulbs on his boudoir explode. His other furniture starts levitating. "You've just made the biggest mistake of your life!" And like that, he throws the levitated objects on the ground hard enough to shake the room.

Bud Gleeful arrives into the room, shocked to see mostly everything destroyed. "Gideon Charles Gleeful, clean up your room this instant!", he scolds his son, firmly.

"I CAN BUY AND SELL YOU, OLD MAN!", the young psychic yells furiously, scowling at his father, who looks taken aback before shrugging.

"Fair enough.", Bud sighs before closing the door. Gideon turns his attention away from the door and looks down to see a picture of his love, Mabel and the wretch who angers him, Dipper. He holds his amulet and concentrates on incinerating the side with Dipper, leaving Mabel on it. He laughs with malicious intent.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o

After the breakup, Mabel has been feeling a whole lot better. To celebrate, Soos and the twins decide to have a simple game Soos tucks a pillow under his shirt and they try to tackle him.

"Hit me, dudes.", Soos holds his arms out, waiting for them to charge at him. They come at him in full force, laughing as they fall down. "Feels good."

"I'm so glad everything's back to normal!", Mabel sighs in content, feeling relieved that the Gideon ordeal is over.

"You said it.", Dipper agrees, chuckling. As he speaks, the phone rings from inside the Shack, causing the twins to look at each other.

"Your turn.", they both say, only for Dipper to say it later. He gets up and heads inside to answer it. "Hello?"

"Toby Determined, Gravity Falls Gossiper."

"Oh hey man. Sorry for accusing you of murder last week."

"Water under the bridge! Say, we want to interview you about whether you've seen anything unUSUAL about this here TOWN since you've arrived."

"Oh, finally! I thought nobody would ever ask! I have notes and theories! Uh huh, uh huh." He pulls out a notepad and writes the address Toby tells him. "412 Gopher Road. Tonight? Got it." He heads back out, telling Mabel and Soos where he's going and when he'll be back. After a long walk to his destination, he arrives at a factory. Dipper looks at the notepad to check and see if he has the right address, to which he realizes that he does. He opens the door to the factory.

"Hello?", Dipper calls out, hearing nothing. He looks inside to see that nobody's here and turns around to leave, only for the door to slam shut. He pushes on the door to try to open it to no avail. Suddenly, lights turn on and he turns around to see Gideon in a swivel chair, petting a doll of himself.

"Hello, friend.", the young psychic greets him, coldly.

"Ugh, Gideon.", Dipper groans, exasperatedly. Why is he bothering him?

"Dipper Pines, how long have you been living in this town?", Gideon asks the Pine, playing with his toy. "A week or two? You like it here? Enjoy the scenery?" His voice changes from veiled child-like curiosity to quiet fury at the second half of his question.

Dipper starts getting uneasy but calms himself. "What do you want from me, man?", he demands, wanting the young psychic to get to the point.

"Listen carefully, boy.", Gideon's tone becomes deathly serious. "This town has secrets you couldn't begin to understand!"

"Is this about Mabel?", Dipper asks, getting to the point. "I told you, she's not into you!"

This makes Gideon slam his arms on the swivel chair. "LIAR! YOU turned her against me!", he yells as he jumps from his chair, grabbing his amulet and marches toward Dipper. "She was my peach dumplin'!"

"Uh, you okay, man?", Dipper asks, walking back. Gideon lifts his hand up and Dipper's body is covered in an ethereal blue aura and lifted into the air. With a swipe of his hand, Dipper is thrown onto boxes hard. He pulls himself up only to see Gideon grinning at him with malice.

"Readin' minds isn't all I can do.", Gideon laughs ominously, enjoying the dread etched on Dipper's face.

"But-but you're a fake.", Dipper tries to explain.

"Oh? Then tell me, Dipper….", the sadistic child inquires, levitating various merchandise and objects. "Is this fake?" After that question, he starts throwing plates, spoons, and forks at Dipper, who dodges a good portion but gets nicked in the face, vest, and knee, much to the vengeful child's pleasure. Gideon decides to up the ante by throwing cups at constantly moving Pine.

Dipper does everything he can to avoid the merchandise Gideon telekinetically throws at him. The ruthless psychic grabs a cabinet and launches it at the Pine, who jumps out the way to avoid it but ends up hitting the back of his head in the process. He rubs it to ease the pain before he sees the malicious Gideon levitating above him, sneering.

"Grunkle Stan was right!", Dipper yells at the young psychic. "You are a monster!"

"Your sister will be mine!", Gideon declares madly, laughing as he lifts up another cabinet to launch at the young Pine, who hides behind a stack of heavy boxes. The cabinet crashes into the boxes to the wall. Dipper grunts as he realizes that his right arm is bruised, but thanks to the boxes taking most of the damage from the cabinet, he's mostly fine.

Dipper pushes himself up as much as he can to activate the watch. It beeps on and tries to find the right alien that can help. Diamondhead?, Dipper thinks. Swampfire?! Water Hazard?! XLR8?! Come on, there has to be an alien that I'm familiar with! He tries to find the aliens that he knows but to no avail. He almost stops seeing a fire alien. But could this help? He doesn't know what it can-

"Come on out, boy!", Gideon demands , levitating cutlery that are poised to skewer the shapeshifter. "I ain't finished punishing you yet!" Dipper hears this and tries to move, accidentally pressing it via moving across the boxes. As this happens, a massive green light illuminates under the boxes, temporarily blinding the vengeful psychic.

"What in tarnation?!", Gideon asks, puzzled. That green light just came from under there. How did this scoundrel create a light that bright? This might be a distraction of sorts. Gideon thinks as he starts getting impatient and levitates the boxes away. But before he can finish, a massive torrent of flames breaks out of the clutter in an explosive fashion.

Standing opposed to the malicious child is a confused charcoal man. He's composed of a brownish-red rocky texture with intense heat radiating from underneath, specifically ending out of his flaming head, hands, and feet. This shocks the young psychopath before he gets enraged.

"How?!", Gideon demands. "How did you manage to turn yourself into a Pyronite?!" His outrage causes the fiery man to jolt out of his stupor and gives a determined scowl towards the delusional psychic. So this is another flame alien like Swampfire. Maybe I should call him Hetablast, Dipper thinks before mentally sighing. Really wished I had something on this alien that….Gideon somehow knows? He shakes his head and focuses on the present.

"Stop this, Gideon.", the Pyronite demands before getting into a battle stance. "This is your first and final warning." His ultimatum provokes the sociopathic psychic more than he's already feeling at the moment. He lifts up his patented cutlery and launches them at the morphed Pine, who only raises his hand and gives a precise fireball that melts them and charges towards Gideon, pelting more fireballs at him. The crazy psychic sets up a shield as the fireballs explode and disperses on impact. The embers land on some of the boxes, to which causes them to ignite.

"You think you have the right to threaten me, boy?!", Gideon scowls, telekinetically grabbing the flaming boxes and tosses them at the flaming alien, who blasts them into nothing but ash. This gives the young psychic enough time to grab the Pyronite and throw him out through the wall.

Heatblast rubs his head, groaning in pain. "Ow...that hurt." Dipper gets up to see a levitating and apoplectic Gideon, holding up cabinets and heavy boxes. The insane psychic glares at the familiar emblem on the center of the Pyronite's chest. That design looks familiar, Gideon thinks before he realizes it. That watch! That watch is what is allowed that wretch to morph into that Pyronite. First, Dipper turns the love of his life against him and now, he has a piece of technology that can morph him into any alien he sees fit? The insane psychic doesn't know which one makes even more angrier. He decides to channel his anger into throwing his crates at his pyrokinetic opponent.

The transformed Pine dodges most of the crates and blasts the rest of them away. He looks at his fiery hands before looking at his fiery hands before looking at Gideon, who is pulling out more items from the factory as potential weaponry. The Pyro-Pine looks down, quickly trying to form a plan. He probably can't attack and defend at the same time. I can exploit that. He points both flaming hands on the ground. Let's hope Soos was right about copying that comic book character. The flames escape from Heatblast's hands and he finds himself being able to rocket up into the air via propulsion. Once he finds his balance, he flies towards Gideon at high speeds, reaching ascension and delivers a two handed fireball attack.

The vengeful Gleeful puts up his shield as Dipper delivers a massive fireball. Just at the right moment, Gideon grabs the fireball, the flames going from a raging orange to ethereal turquoise, and throws it back to the descending Pyronite. Reaching high velocities, Heatblast crashes into the grassy ground to leave a crater and upheaval of dirt, he propels him out of the crater after a moment's pass. Gideon levitates a massive assortment of lamb shears and in tow, the morphed Pine delivers an intense stream of fire that melts them onto the ground in a hot mesh.

While Dipper's attention was on melting the scissors, Gideon sneakily grabs two of his branded water gallons. After he deals with the scissors, he sets himself up and tosses them into Heatblast, the water causes the Pyronite's fire to be extinguished.

"Uh oh", Heatblast is surprised that his flames are out. What do I do?, Dipper thinks. Before coming up with an idea. If my flames are high enough to melt metal, maybe I can reignite- Heatblast is slammed by a barrage of heavy boxes courtesy of the vengeful Gideon. He finishes up his attack by grabbing one of his cabinets and lifts it up under the Dipper before slamming it down hard on top of the morphed Pine.

"What can you do now, boy?!", Gideon yells, grabbing every item in the factory, ready to finish off the transforming Pine. "That Pyronite form takes time to reignite! Now that you're weakened…." Heatblast gets up slowly, his heat coming back. Gideon tosses everything at him with devastating force. "DIE!"

The Pyronite gets himself up to deliver an equally powerful attack. "HAAA!", Heatblast screams intensely as he delivers a massive flow of flames, greater than before.

The barrage of items being thrown at high velocity and the great stream of fire causes a massive collusion. The massive collusion causes an explosion to erupt instantly, making Gideon to skid across the ground and Heatblast rolls across the grass, burning it, slamming into a tree before falling to the ground. After a few moments pass, Gideon and Heatblast get up, both looking heavily damaged. For Gideon, his blue suit is mostly covered in dirt and ripped on the sleeves and face is scrapped, there's some cuts on his arm. Despite this, he still looks very angry, panting for his breath. Heatblast's movement is slower than usual and, like Gideon, is panting, feeling exhausted.

Heatblast decides to ignite another fireball, while Gideon gets ready to counterattack. Just when he's about to launch at the Gleeful, he hears a dreadful sound. Beep-Beep-Beep. Heatblast's eyes widened. "Oh, no.", he rasps before being enveloped in a crimson light. What replaces the Pyronite is a beaten up Dipper, who's levitated by an apoplectic Gideon and slams him into the wall of the factory, knocking the wind out of him. He tries to break free but to no avail.

"Will you just give up?!", Dipper yells, glaring at the crazy child. "She's never gonna date you, man!"

"THAT'S A LIE!" Gideon screams in anger before his attention is turned towards a flaming box of lamb shears. He turns back at the restrained Pine, smiling sadistically. "And I'm gonna make sure you never lie to me again, friend." He levitates the flaming lamb shears slowly towards Dipper, who tries to move out the way but can't. The deranged psychic just keeps laughing in twisted delight as the shears get closer and closer towards cutting the Pine's face.

"Gideon! We have to talk!" Those words make Gideon freeze in surprise. He turns to see a livid Mabel with her fists clenched.

"M-Mabel. My marshmalla.", Gideon drops the shears on the ground before fixing his hair, nervous as he's caught redhanded. "What are you doin' here?"

Mabel closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. "I'm sorry Gideon, but I can't be your marshmallow. I needed to be honest and tell you that myself."

Gideon is taken aback by what she says. She doesn't want to be his marshmallow? "I-I don't understand." he responds, squeezing the amulet that represents his broken heart, which in return, squeezes Dipper.

Dipper feels his body tightening up, uncomfortably. "Uh, Mabel!? This probably isn't the best time to be brutally honest with him!", he calls out to her. Mabel gets a brief look of concern on her face when she glances at Dipper before giving a "sincere" smile towards the distraught Gideon.

"Hey, but we can still be makeover buddies.", she offers, holding his hands gently. "Wouldn't you like that?"

"Really?", Gideon asks, hopeful as he loosens his grip on the amulet. Mabel's eyes never left the amulet and at the right moment, she takes the chance.

She snatches Gideon's amulet off and Dipper falls down."No, not really! You were attacking my brother, what the heck?!"she exclaims. Gideon is shocked by what Mabel just did and tries to get his tie.

"My tie! Give it back!", Gideon demands, only for Mabel throws the amulet to Dipper who gets up and runs after the amulet's trajectory and catches it.

"Not so powerful without this, are you?" Dipper taunts but Gideon screams and charges at Dipper with sudden speed, making him drop the amulet and knocking them both off the cliff.

"Dipper!"

Dipper and Gideon scream. Gideon punches Dipper and the two start hitting each other before they realize that they're getting closer to the ground, making them scream again. But before they splat on the ground, they're both covered in the ethereal blue aura. They look up to see Mabel, holding the mystic amulet, levitating along with them and then floats down.

"Listen Gideon, it's over. I will never, ever, date you.", she declares. With that, she drops them down and throws the amulet to the ground, breaking it. The ethereal glow howling away in the wind.

"MY POWERS! Oh this isn't over. This isn't the last you'll see of wittle... ol' me.", the crazed psychic declares, walking into the dark forest.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Stan finishes signing papers in the Gleeful's living room area. "Ah, this is livin', brother.", Stan sighs in content, leaning back on the couch.

"From now on it's all name brand foods and clown paintings.", Bud Gleeful agrees, taking a swig of his coffee. Just as he says that, a livid and beaten up Gideon bursts through the door. "Gideon? Are you—?"

Ignoring his father, Gideon stands on the coffee table, scowling at Stan, pointing his fist at him. "Stanford Pines, I rebuke thee! I rebuke thee!"

Stan is confused. "Rebuke? Is that a word."

"The entire Pines' family have invoked my wrath! You will all pay recompense for your transgressions!", Gideon declares as he points his nemesis.

"What, you got like a word-a-day calendar or something?", Stan asks, still not taking the young psychic's rage seriously.

"But-but sunshine?", Bud intervenes, laughing nervously. "What about our arrangement with Mabel and—?"

"SILENCE!", Gideon yells at his father, "The deal is off!"

Bud just sighs, before looking at the conman. "Well, I see that he's takin' to one of his rages again. Sorry Stan, but I have to side with Gideon on this one." He rips up the contract, terminating any plans for Mystery Shack and Tent of Telepathy merger.

"Okay, okay. I can see when I'm not wanted.", Stan realizes before grabbing the clown painting and starts to run.

"Stan, I'm-I'm sorry but I'm gonna need that painting back! Stan? STAN!", Bud tries to call out to the conman, only for his words to go on deaf ears.

"TRY AND CATCH ME, SUCKERS!", Stan declares, running to his car, putting the clown painting in the back, driving away. After a long ride, he arrives at the Mystery Shack, where he hangs up the clown painting. "I coulda had it all.", Stan contemplates. He turns and looks at the twins, who look exhausted physically and emotionally exhausted. "What the heck happened to you two?"

"Gideon.", The Pine Twins answer, equally tired after dealing with the crazy psychic.

"Gideon. Yeah, the little mutant 'swore vengeance' on the whole family.", Stan scoffs sitting in the recliner, mockingly raising his fist in the air imitating the angry psychic. "Ha, I guess he's gonna try to nibble my ankles or somethin'."

Dipper gets up a bit. He realizes that Gideon's powerless without his amulet. "Oh, yeah. How's he gonna destroy us now, huh? Try to guess what number we're thinking of?"

Mabel gets up, smiling at the young psychic's misfortune. "He'll never guess what number I'm thinking of.", Mabel says before laughing. "NEGATIVE EIGHT! No one would guess a negative number."

"Uh oh.", Stan gasps jokingly at the Twins. "He's plannin' on destruction right now!" He lays on top of the twins, to which they all laugh, enjoying Gideon's loss.

Meanwhile, at the Gleeful Household, in Gideon's room. He's making dolls of the Pines family, grumbling and growling to himself. He plays with the Mabel doll, looking at it lovingly as he imitates her voice. "Oh, Gideon, I still love you. If only my family weren't in the way." He picks up the Stan doll, disgusts etched on his face as he impersonates him. "Look at me. I'm old, and I'm smelly." He grabs the Dipper doll with a scowl on his face, mocking the Pine. "Hey, what are you gonna do without your precious amulet now that I got a watch that allows me to morph into aliens?"

He laughs, ominously. "Oh you'll see boy…", he closes Journal 2.

"You'll see."

[7team7]

I like-like you

AU: Zuko becomes the Fire Lord at an even younger age and when he finally meets Chief Hakoda’s daughter, he is struck by her beauty, power, and poise.

Or, Zuko has his first crush and he doesn’t know how to deal with it. 4.8k words

A/N: hi HAHA I’m still very dedicated to the sasusaku fandom, but I wanted to post zutara fics too now that I’ve been rewatching avatar hope no one minds T-T so obviously this is my first zutara fic hope it turned out ok!

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Zuko sighed as he dropped to sit on the foot of his bed, taking down his hair and removing some of his outer layers of clothing. He was in trouble.

Fire Lord Zuko, the young and pure Zuko who had been thrust into power after his father and sister met their mutual demise in an explosive Agni Kai. Zuko had sustained injury, resulting in his prominent scar, when he tried to put a stop to their duel. But the battle raged on, both family members too incensed by uncut ambition to listen to reason. Uncle had to drag him away from the scene to protect him further. It made sense that two of the strongest fire benders would be the ones to extinguish the other’s light.

Fire Lord Zuko, who wasn’t ready to take power and still heavily leaned on his uncle’s wisdom and support. Fire Lord Zuko, who was hardly an adult and still had plenty of growing up to do. Fire Lord Zuko, who was panicking at the strange feelings bubbling up inside of him — his first crush.

He had been notified that Chief Hakoda of the Southern Water Tribe was a formidable, but modest man and would be traveling with his two children as his main companions. The two leaders had yet to have the pleasure of meeting, so Zuko could not have predicted this, could not have prepared himself to be faced with the most beautiful girl in all the nations.

If someone had just told him, “By the way, Katara is stunning and will rip your insides apart both literally and figuratively, so watch out,” then maybe Zuko could have practiced his introductions more carefully and avoided stuttering like a bumbling fool.

But he was born unlucky, cursed to be...like this.

“Chief Hakoda,” he had greeted easily upon the family’s arrival, “I’m pleased to meet you and welcome you to the Fire Nation. I hope your travels were smooth.” But as the party drew closer, close enough where Zuko noticed the particular shade of blue in the girl’s eyes, he stumbled. “I see you’ve brought your...your, um...your family. They are also most, uh, honored. Honored guests. Your two children. Both of them.”  

Hakoda must have chalked his bumbling speech up to nerves — Zuko was so very young — and he chose to greet him warmly.

Oh spirits, he knew how to greet other leaders, but how was he supposed to greet...a girl?

Luckily, her brother gave a rather informal introduction and promptly asked where he could locate a snack or, if Zuko was feeling generous, a seven course meal. “Oh yeah, and this is my sister, Katara.”

“You’ll have to excuse my brother. If you’re wondering, yes, he’s always like this.”

Zuko was wary of sisters, he had been royally screwed over by his own. He was even wary of girls in general after seeing how crazy his sister and her friends were.

But he could tell immediately that Sokka and Katara were dramatically different from Azula and himself. His heart squeezed a bit at the thought of what could have been, but he pushed it aside and transitioned into the welcoming host that he had been training to be. He really was glad to have them there — it was a true benchmark of the peace and cooperation spreading across all four nations.

Thankfully Uncle, always there to save the day, came around the corner and offered tea like it was the most natural thing in the world. (And to him, it probably was.)

“How was your trip?” he asked warmly while guiding them in the right direction. “Not too bad, I hope. It must be nice not getting seasickness!”

Hakoda chuckled, “Yes, it wasn’t anything that we’re not used to. The Fire Nation is a bit far, but the journey was worth it.” Crossing the open ocean with his two children was really only missing one thing.

Pulling a piece of jerky from seemingly out of nowhere, Sokka joked, “Yeah, sometimes the water got a little jerky,” and then remembering where he was he became serious, “but nothing the Water Tribe can’t handle.” He took a bite of his snack and Katara rolled her eyes.

“Even when the sea isn’t feeling kind, Sokka and I are able to steer easily thanks to Katara’s help.”

Zuko spoke up, “Oh, are you a ship captain?”

Katara smiled at him, “No, I’m a waterbender.”

Duh. Of course she was a waterbender. But also, why didn’t anyone tell him that not only was she pretty but she was a waterbender too? Those lengthy council meetings couldn’t have included just a little debrief on this girl?

“Oh. That’s cool. I’m a firebender.”

“Makes sense.”

He needed to get it together before someone would be able to waterbend the sweat off his palms.

Thankfully the conversation was cut short by their arrival to the tea room. Surrounded by red, black, gold, and the smell of herbs, Zuko felt instantly comforted. As they settled around a low table, he found himself wondering what Katara would look like in Fire Nation red. Probably cute.

He was shaken from his daydream by his uncle asking the room if they preferred jasmine or chamomile. “Even though this is supposed to be an official trip, I hope you can still enjoy some more leisurely activities during your stay. All work without play makes your day become gray,” he said wisely.

“Tonight, we have a banquet planned in your honor,” Zuko chimed in, “but the meetings tomorrow should only take up part of the day.”

“I’d hope so,” said Hakoda good-naturedly, “this tea is fantastic and I’ll need some more in the coming days.”

“It’s Uncle’s specialty, I’m glad you enjoy it. We’ll have to give you a tour of the grounds.”

“Speaking of a tour, wouldn’t you say the garden is very nice? Rather romantic don’t you think? Why don’t you take Katara there, she’d certainly enjoy the, uh, water in the pond!” Iroh wore many hats: loving uncle, wise advisor, fierce warrior, and now, insightful matchmaker.

But Katara didn’t sense the awkwardness, her face lit up at the mention of water, as if they hadn’t spent ages at sea. “A pond! I’d love to see it! Oh, and I’m sure the garden is lovely.”

“Excellent! Zuko, why don’t you guide her there? I can show our other guests the weaponry.” This time, it was Sokka’s turn to light up like a firecracker.

While normally Zuko would find it very sensible of his uncle to delegate tasks like this, he was feeling a little resentful that he was forced into a situation that made him so unbelievably nervous.

Alas, he had a duty to perform. He stood up and gestured, “Let’s go.”

Katara made small talk the whole way, asking questions about the palace and its history and the weather. Zuko was relieved that he knew all the answers. He should show her the library too.

“Do you come to this pond often?” She cringed, feeling like she was dropping a pick up line, but she really did want to know why Iroh suggested it out of all places.

“Not so much lately, but I used to sit in the gardens all the time with my mother.”

She didn’t respond except to smile at him with a genuine, meaningful warmth in her eyes.

The garden was even more breathtaking than she expected it to be, and the glittering pond was just begging her to come closer. It was so lush and just different from what she was used to (snow, snow, and more snow) that she couldn’t help but let her mouth hang open in awe.

Zuko led her to the usual spot without thinking much of it. She gasped in delight when she saw the little creatures gliding through the pond, “And just what do we have here?”

“They’re turtleducks. They’re cute, but don’t mess with them too much. The mother turtleduck can be feisty.”

But Katara was only half listening, having fun making little waves to gently lift the babies. They kept swimming up to the edge of the pond, quacking as if they were saying, more, more, more! Their mother watched safely from the other side of the pond, but she never swam over to intervene. “They are really cute!”

“Oh,” he said, sounding clearly surprised, “they like you.”

.

The dinner that night was festive and bright, but left Katara feeling pretty tired. While foreign, the Fire Nation palace was rather comfortable. After such a long trip to get there, the riot of new sights, sounds, and smells, and perhaps a little too much food all at once, gave Katara the sense that she’d sleep easily that night.

She had a certain amount of trepidation visiting the Fire Nation, but it really was nothing but pleasant so far. It didn’t hurt that the Fire Lord, rather than being old and stuffy and weird, was very cute. He was probably also, uh, really good at his job and at firebending. Or something.

As she settled into the fluffy pillows and drew the deep red comforter closer, she thought that if she saw him in her dreams, she certainly would not mind. She counted turtleducks in her head before drifting off.

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While Uncle’s company was normally more than enough (and on a bad day, too much), but the morning after meeting the lively Water Tribe family felt distinctly empty when they had yet to arrive at the table.

Zuko sipped his tea, not yet cold, but it felt like so much time had passed since he sat down that it might as well have been. “Where are they? It’s been...many minutes! Do you think they just decided to jump ship and head back to the Southern Water Tribe?”

“Patience, patience. I’m sure once the scent of breakfast and the greatest tea in all four nations wafts over to their rooms, they will come running.”

“Maybe we should wake them up.”

“Why the rush?”

“Shouldn’t we at least check? What if they died?”

“I would hope not.”

“What if a faction is conspiring against us and killed all of them — and will frame us for the murder?! This will launch another war that we are responsible for.”

“That would be very bad!” He could see the gears turning in his nephew’s mind, so he decided to play along to help placate him.

Zuko stood up abruptly, shaking the table, “We can’t just sit around and wait. I’ll check on Katara. You go look for the others.” He stormed out of the room before Iroh could even object.

Not that he would, though. Seeing his nephew take action was very pleasing.

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He marched all the way across the palace to the guest bedrooms, but before he knocked on Katara’s door, he stopped in his tracks like an invisible wall was in his way. Initially so confident in his decision, he was now filled with uncertainty. What would he do if he really found Katara’s limp, poisoned body laying on the bed?

Or worse: what if he barged in and she was naked because she was in the middle of changing?

He took a deep breath to center himself. There was no use in panicking. He could do this. He had faced more intimidating enemies, more foreign situations.

But the longer he thought about it, he realized he had never had to deal with a girl.

Best case scenario, she was in there with a great explanation as to why her family was late to breakfast and his nerves would be soothed like putting aloe on a sunburn. Yeah, he would go with the most ideal situation for now.

Maybe he should still practice, just in case.

“Hello, Zuko here!”

The looming wooden door didn’t respond.

“Good morning! Um, no, that’s not right. What if she’s having a bad morning? Uh, how do you do there? How is the Fire Nation treating you? Too formal, she’s not a dusty old diplomat.” His shoulders drooped. He needed to get this done before Uncle (or her own family members) came and interrupted him. This was his chance. His chance at what exactly, he wasn’t sure, but he was just going to go for it.

He knocked sharply, loud enough to wake any long-slumbering air bison. Just for good measure, he called out, “It’s Zuko!” And all his hemming and hawing and practicing was really for nothing because not long after, Katara flung the door open.

Without her hair tied back, it ran wild and curled around her face. Her eyes, normally so wide and crystal clear, were half shut and bleary with sleep. “Yes?”

“Yes! Hello. Uh, good morning. I just wanted to see if you would be joining us for breakfast this morning.” He added a little more quietly, but also a little more like himself, “I was getting worried.”

“Good morning,” she nodded. “What time is it?”

Zuko glanced around, “I’m not exactly sure, but the sun is up.”

Katara gave him a small smile, “I see. Well, have you ever considered that not everyone rises with the sun?” Or code for, firebender, can’t you see I’m tired?

He immediately started apologizing, feeling a blush creep up his neck. He had interrupted her hopefully peaceful sleep because he was missing her at breakfast. Nice one.

Katara held up a hand to stop him, then scrubbed it over her face to wake herself up more, “It’s really fine. We’re guests here and should be running on your schedule. I can be ready in a minute.”

“We’re hosts and should be more accommodating. I’ll leave you to it, breakfast won’t go anywhere without you.” He turned away, feeling a little silly for freaking out, but Katara’s voice stopped him.

“Actually, Zuko?”

“Yes?”

“Can you maybe wait here for me? I don’t want to get lost on my way to breakfast. You know, that would just waste more time,” she laughed awkwardly, tucking her hair behind her ear.

“I’ll be here.” He was still smiling widely when she shut the door in his face.

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“Your first full day here, is there anything else you’d like to do?” Iroh asked when everyone was finally gathered for breakfast. The meetings were purposely scheduled for after lunch when the sun was high in the sky and all the grumpy old advisors were in their best moods.

Sokka attempted to be casual, “Well I don’t know about everyone else but I’m feeling like I could stretch my legs some more. Like, sure, we got to see the armory and it was super cool. But! It would be infinitely cooler if we could actually, you know, play.”

Zuko lit up like a match, “We should spar!”

Sokka backpedaled, waving his arms around, “Woah, woah, woah! Nonbender versus Fire Lord? Do you see the problem here?”

Iroh spoke with pride, “My nephew here is not only a talented firebender, but he is also trained in the art of the sword, the dao sword.”

“So he can make fire and he has two swords? Kind of unfair, but not scary enough for me to decline. But no bending!” A true warrior never backed down from a challenge.

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While a club and a boomerang might not seem like much, Zuko quickly realized he’d have to keep his guard up if he wanted to put up a decent fight. And it had absolutely nothing to do with looking cool in front of one out of the three members in the audience. Wouldn’t any sister want to see her brother get it handed to him anyway?

By the time they threw the towel in, Zuko could feel the sweat dripping down his back. So much for being invigorated by the sun. It was reassuring to see Sokka crawl back to sit next to his father.

As he put away his swords and took a refreshing drink of water, Katara stood up, “Don’t think we’re done here.”

He raised his eyebrow, “Your waterbending versus my firebending? You’re on.” He was tired but definitely still had some fight in him. It would be dishonorable to refuse.

As soon as they started, Zuko’s eyes widened. Okay, so by now he knew she was a waterbender, but seriously, why didn’t anyone tell him that she’s a master waterbender? Honestly, you’d think this girl would have built up a reputation across the nations. Based on the wide-eyed palace staff watching from the corners, she was definitely going to earn one in the Fire Nation.

Giving as much as he got, they danced around in circles for what felt like ages. Katara was a resilient, dynamic fighter and Zuko hadn’t felt so challenged in ages. He didn’t want to end the match because he wanted to keep studying her. It was rare for him to be able to battle a waterbender, let alone one so capable.

But Zuko’s fire had caused most of Katara’s water supply to evaporate and she was running out of places to draw from. In a last ditch effort to come out on top, she quickly made a razor thin water whip and managed to land a hit on the side of his face. His fire faded away into shimmering heat almost immediately.

He didn’t see it coming — really, the whip was so thin and came on his scarred side, so he was mostly stunned when it cut into his cheek. Katara gasped as she saw rich red blood start to drip out of the wound.

Gathering what was left of her water, she rushed up to him and immediately got to work healing, “I am so, so sorry. I wasn’t seriously trying to hurt you, I thought you’d block it like you blocked everything else. I’m really sorry, Zuko, I feel terrible.”

But he harbored no resentment. It was an exciting match and he was still too shocked to feel real pain besides the soreness in his muscles.

And the cut had landed just beneath his scar, so Katara’s hand covered the bottom part of it too. No one had bothered to touch him there in a long, long time, let alone heal him.

“Katara,” he said softly. She was so focused on apologizing that she hadn’t realized the cut was long gone. Healing water was useless on his scar at this point. But he didn’t mind anymore. The burnt skin was less sensitive than the rest of his face, but he could still feel the cool relief seeping into him.

She jumped back, letting the water splash to the ground between them. “Right, sorry. Again.”

He chuckled, “It’s okay. I didn’t know you could heal. What can’t you do?”

“Uh, firebend. I’m no avatar! So that means I can’t earthbend or airbend either. Would be awfully convenient if I could.”

“Right, me neither. I mean, I can’t waterbend, that is. I can firebend. But you already knew that.”

“Yes! I did, I did. You can also fight with swords, though, and that’s another thing I can’t do. So I think a better question would be what can I do, you know?”  

Sokka, growing tired of their lame jokes, interrupted from the side, “So who’s hungry?”

Zuko, though worn out, wasn’t feeling particularly hungry because it seemed that a colony of butterflies had decided to occupy his stomach.

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After cleaning up and taking a quick lunch, they sat through a series of meetings that left Zuko a bit weary, but hopeful. The nations working together peacefully was truly a dream come true. He had watched wistfully as Hakoda encouraged and listened intently to the suggestions of his two children. At least Uncle always valued his opinion.  

Before dinner, the young man was finally allowed to have a moment alone with his thoughts, and they turned to Katara. He wandered aimlessly through the palace halls. Maybe he should seek her out? But for what reason, didn’t they just spend hours together?

The decision was made for him, though, when he nearly bumped into her as he rounded a corner. He reached out to grab her arm to steady her. For a waterbender, her skin was awfully warm.

“Oh, Zuko! I was actually just looking for you.”

“You were?” He couldn’t keep the surprise out of his voice even though he was too, kind of.

“I had a question for you. The Southern Water Tribe is expanding at a pretty fast rate, but I still feel like we’re missing something. And I think it would help if we had some sort of library, you know, for future generations to look at and learn from. I’ve been gathering things, but most of our history has been told through oral histories. Would the Fire Nation happen to have…?”

It was a valid question, given the way the Fire Nation had plundered the other nations. Zuko nodded in understanding, “I can show you the library. If you see something you think would be helpful, it’s yours.” It was the least he could do to start making up for years of mistreatment. Ozai had done so much damage.

The royal library was truly worthy of marvel and Katara probably could have spent ages inside, but she had a mission. Without her needing to ask, Zuko led her to the relevant section. The fact that the library had a section at all was pretty hard to wrap her mind around.

“Wow, if I were you I’d just spend all day in here.”

“Yeah, I wish. But I’ve got a job to do and I don’t know how much a book can teach me about it,” he said with a hint of bitterness. He knew there were plenty who opposed his rule, criticized his every move, but he couldn’t hide from them.

“Well I think you’re doing a great job,” she said with an easy smile before pulling out a title. She gave out compliments like water, but it still felt nice to be on the receiving end of one. Despite it being a passing comment, Zuko couldn’t help but dwell on it as she scanned the pages. The sincerity of it struck him most acutely.

As they went up and down the rows, Zuko toyed with the idea of offering to carry her growing stack of books. Would that come across as polite or suggest that she wasn’t strong enough? Is it hot in here? Would his hands singe the pages? Do they have to be quiet since it was a library? Should he say something?

Luckily, Katara swung around to look at him sheepishly, “If you don’t mind, can I take these home with me?”

“It would be my honor if you took them back to their rightful place.” It was a good thing his father never decided to burn down the library.

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Zuko’s eye sockets hurt. He had experienced a lot of kinds of pain during his young life, but this was a new one. He kept trying to look at Katara during dinner without actually looking. He couldn’t put his finger on why he was so interested in looking at her rather than something like his plate of food, but it was hard to balance normal conversation with the desires of his eyes, traitorous things.

It had been a long time since so many people he actually liked were at the dinner table. Of course Hakoda, Sokka, and Katara would have to go back eventually, but he would miss them. If anything, he definitely made some friends.

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Uncle tried to get everyone to play pai sho that night, but it only stuck with Hakoda and Sokka. While their strategizing was admittedly impressive, Zuko just didn’t have the patience to keep watching. He noticed that Katara had stepped outside for some air, so he decided to join her.

She sat on the ground looking up at the sky — brilliantly clear with bright stars and an even brighter moon.

“Can I join you?”

“Of course.”

Zuko nodded and settled himself in a similar position to Katara: cross legged, face turned towards the inky night sky. While not the familiar warmth of the sun, the moon really was beautiful. He turned to look at Katara and was struck by the way her profile looked illuminated by moonlight. He noticed that her hand was up by her neck, playing with the necklace she never seemed to be without. She wore a thoughtful expression and Zuko had to take a deep breath before speaking again. Despite the success and geniality of the trip, he could imagine that her family had mixed feelings about coming to visit.

“Katara?”

“Yeah?” She turned to look at him. Another breath.

“How are you?”

She smiled faintly. “I’m alright.” She let her hand drop to her side.

.

Zuko shuffled into his room, feeling very ready for a nice night of sleep after such a long day.

He removed his crown, his hair falling loosely around his face like a waterfall. When he took off his headpiece, he was really just a teenager, not even an adult yet. He changed into pajamas and laid back on his bed, allowing himself to think teenage thoughts, ponder teenage problems. What was he to do about Katara? Or, how would he confront his feelings for Katara?

Zuko was, in a word, confused. He wasn’t sure what these feelings even were, let alone how to deal with them.

There was no one he could turn to; his options were severely limited. Ask Uncle? Yuck, never. Besides, he’d say something that Zuko wouldn’t be able to puzzle out until after Katara had left, like reading the tea leaves. Sokka was near his age, but he was Katara’s brother. When he asked Zuko for tips on landing “the Fire Nation’s hottest babes,” it was cemented that Zuko could not ask him for anything, really.

And then there was his greatest challenge, Katara herself. He couldn’t force her to return his feelings, and she very well could want nothing to do with him beyond a friendly political alliance. Even if his mother, father, or sister were here, he wouldn’t be able to consult them. No, this was something he had to figure out on his own. This time there was no war to be won, no battle to be planned. This situation was like a fire lily: if it wanted to bloom, he would be pleased. But he couldn’t do much besides water it and hope for it to respond.

But the more he thought about it, the more he was certain that he liked Katara. Like more than a friend. He had a crush on her. He had feelings for her. He like-liked her. Whatever you wanted to call it.

Oh boy.

.

He woke up from a restful night’s sleep thinking about her. He groaned.

Oh yeah, he was in trouble.

He stretched and got dressed. Might as well go to breakfast with a smile on his face, even if he probably looked like an idiot. While still pleasant, the morning meal was quieter than their other ones. It felt strange to have to say goodbye already. And, oh-so-conveniently, right when Zuko had a better grip on these feelings of his…

But just like that, the visitors’ time in the Fire Nation had come to an end. For now.

Zuko was confident that their visit created a strong foundation to build a better relationship on. They would probably be seeing each other some time soon. And they could send letters, friendly ones that lacked the normal formality of political correspondence. This was far from the last they’d be seeing of each other, something he found great comfort in.

“Thank you, Lord Zuko, it’s truly been a pleasure. It brings me peace of mind to know the Fire Nation is in good hands. We’ll see you again.” Hakoda’s words were brief but Zuko couldn’t deny the wave of validation he felt after hearing them. Maybe he was doing a half decent job after all.

“Now that we’ve been here, don’t be surprised if we pop in every so often. Oops, lost control of the ship and ended up on Zuko’s door step! Don’t blame me, blame the ocean spirit! Thanks, buddy.” That morning’s breakfast spread alone was enough to keep him coming back. And Katara didn’t seem to mind, so all was well, right?  

“I’ll keep the rooms ready for you,” Zuko promised while shaking Sokka’s hand. The boy followed his father onto their ship, leaving Zuko to face Katara. As much as she looked forward to returning home, she was glad she was the last one to get on board.

“So…”

“You got everything?”

“Seems like it.”

“That’s good. Even the books?”

“Yup, even the books.”

“Good, good. Well...I’ll see you...later?”

“Definitely. You’ll have to come visit the Southern Water Tribe soon,” Katara said sweetly, playfully.

The promise dancing in her eyes made Zuko feel something undeniable: hope.  

.

.

A/N: Yes I conveniently had Ozai and Azula take each other out HAHA now I don’t have to deal with them. I don’t know if I’ll post another chapter because I /could/ write about them visiting each other but idk. I’ll mark this complete for now, thanks for reading!! Idk if it’s too long but at this point I’m just like :] Also, if you have a zutara twitter pls lmk/give me account recs!! I want to see more on my tl but it’s hard to find people esp when the zutara search is mostly people arguing lol and hopefully you either have a neutral or positive opinion of sasusaku <3

[sparrowwritings]

Final Fantasy 14 Writing Challenge Day Two: Income

Day One -- Masterpost -- Day Three

Lara had been very impressed when she first visited the Waking Sands. On the outside, the headquarters of the Scions of the Seventh Dawn appeared to be an ordinary building by the docks of Vesper Bay. She’d assumed, like many do, that it was a place used for storage for the various ships that frequented the harbor. Being led down the stairs into its basement, however, led to a series of corridors and rooms where the Scions conducted their work in helping the city-states of Eorzea fight the primal menace. A clever bit of architectural subterfuge, for all that the location was something of an open secret for the Grand Companies of Eorzea. 

While she had many a question for all of the more senior members for her first visit, there was one that stuck around in her mind even after having gotten familiarized with the other Scions. After wrestling with her curiosity for days, she finally couldn’t take it any longer. Lara *had* to find out the answer:

How *did* the Scions of the Seventh Dawn pay for all of this?

----

Thancred was the first person Lara asked. The decision was made more because he was the first person she encountered on her next visit then any planning on her part. When given the question he froze for a moment before letting out a hearty laugh. “That’s not something I took you to be concerned about. You’re a bit young to be thinking about finances.” 

She huffed and ticked off her points on her fingers. “We’re in a secret underground base, next to a somewhat busy port, where trade happens all the time. Oh, and we’re an organization that’s actively fighting primals. Excuse me for wanting to know how we keep a roof over our heads.”

Still chuckling, he held up his hands in mock surrender. “Point well taken. I’m not exactly sure how the others contribute, but I have my *own* methods for acquiring what the Scions need.” Thancred casually ran a hand through his white locks, ending the gesture with a side look and a smirk. Lara groaned and put a hand over her face. She didn’t need the Echo to know what he was implying. 

“Right. Okay. That’s one method.” She muttered as she turned and deliberately walked away from him. 

Thancred blinked a couple of times at the stark rejection, but he smoothly transitioned into a shrug. “I suppose not everyone’s a fan of more subtle means,” He said to himself.

----

The next person Lara asked was actually two people at the same time. After all, where Papalymo was, Yda wasn’t far behind. The lalafell pondered the question aloud, tapping at his chin. Instead of waiting for his answer, his hyur companion burst in with her own. “Oh! I do a lot of heavy lifting and such when Papalymo is busy with his research!”

“Yda, the entirety of the Waking Sands doesn’t need to hear your answer,” Papalymo chided with a frown. 

“O-oops.” Yda poked her fingers together, abashed. 

“No, it makes sense,” Lara didn’t know the two nearly as well as Roger did (though he did mention that Papalymo was the more grumpy of the two), but she still tried to smooth things over so that no one’s feelings would be hurt. “You might as well make use of your time while he’s distracted, right?”

“Yeah, exactly!” It was as if Yda hadn’t been told off at all, so quickly did she go back to her usual excitement.

Shaking his head, the lalafell caught Lara’s eye before he spoke. “While yes I’m often inundated with research for the Scions, the two of us also make a decent amount of coin by ridding the Twelveswood of infestations of pests when there isn’t an adventurer handy.” 

“Though we haven’t had to do that recently, what with Roger being around,” Yda added.

“Indeed, many have sought him for help instead of us.” Papalymo nodded. 

Lara did a bit of mental math. Something still didn’t add up. “But even what you two do can’t fully pay for us to use the Waking Sands as a headquarters…”

The two companions exchanged a look (how one is able to do so when one is much taller and also wearing a mask, Lara didn’t know). Evidently something was said in that look because the two of them shrugged at the same time. 

“There are more important things to focus on. Where we set up is less important than our work,” Papalymo said matter-of-factly.

“Maybe someone else will know?” Yda suggested.

Not having anything else to ask, Lara nodded and moved on.

-----

Y’shtola had just entered the underground part of the Waking Sands when Lara bounded up to her to ask the question next. The miqo’te woman closed her eyes as she thought on it, letting her tail swish from side to side. Eventually, she nodded and opened her eyes again. “I cannot speak for the others, but I’ve found myself offering my services as a healer when the need arises. Although for the most part I offer healing regardless of reward.”

Lara nodded at her enthusiastically. “Right! Of course! But how does the Waking Sands get paid for?”

Before the older woman could respond, another voice suddenly came from behind the young Warrior of Light. “Dost thou not wish to ask myself thine question?” Lara jumped and turned, only to sigh in relief at the sight of Urianger. The hooded and goggle-clad elezen nodded with a head turn, which took the younger woman a moment to realize meant that he wanted to be answered first.

“Uh, no not really?” Lara shrugged with an awkward smile.

It was hard to tell if he was disappointed with the answer or just his usual serious self. Having a face that rarely showed emotions and goggles covering his eyes really clouded any insight Lara could have gotten into his inner self. “May I ask why that beeth thine answer?” Even his tone of voice gave away nothing.

“Well…” She glanced back at Y’shtola, who had folded her arms but also didn’t give any hints to what she was thinking. Her gaze went back to the red-tinted glass covering Urianger’s own. “I don’t see you outside of the Waking Sands. At all. I figure that you do research or other stuff that needs to be here to get done. Nothing to do with money at all.”

“I see.” Urianger answered flatly.

“Not that that’s bad!” Lara flailed her arms in front of her. Her face was starting to turn pink. “I’m sure you do a whole lot of important stuff! Just! Not in the field!” Y’shtola had by then put a hand over her mouth and Lara felt herself grow even warmer as the pink deepened into red. “Okay thanks I’ll see you later bye!” She turned on a heel and ran towards the solar before she could put her foot in her mouth any further.

What she didn’t end up witnessing was Y’shtola poking Urianger in the ribs and him flinching back from her touch. She also didn’t hear her mentor tell him, “That was mean-spirited. You didn’t need to sneak up on the poor girl, and you didn’t need to give the impression that you were at all upset when you clearly weren’t.”

His reply of, “I knoweth not of what thou speaketh.” Was also unheard.

-----

Minfilia was confused by Lara’s unannounced presence but she welcomed the girl to chat. After some much needed small talk (in order to calm herself down), the young Warrior of Light asked her the same question she’d asked the others. Minfilia gave a small smile before she answered. “Alas, I’m so often waylaid by the responsibilities of running the Scions, I’ve hardly the time to worry about finances. I had to delegate the task early on.”

“So who does take care of them?”

“Tataru, of course.”

The realization dawned in Lara’s head and she smacked her hand to her face with a groan. “Why didn’t I think about that…” She grumbled under her breath. Minfilia laughed, but it was polite enough that Lara didn’t feel offended by it. She kind of deserved it for doing such a run around when the real answer would have been given in moments. But honestly who would have thought the klutzy lalafell would even have it?

As if reading her mind, the older woman replied, “I know Tataru doesn’t seem the type, but she’s quite shrewd with numbers. She’s entirely why I don’t need to worry about them myself.”

“Thanks anyway, Minfilia.” 

“‘Twas my pleasure.”

There was only one last person to talk to.

-----

“You reaaaaally wanna know?” Tataru rocked back and forth on her feet, giving the girl a sly smirk.

Lara huffed. “I’ve been running around asking everyone else the same question all day. Of course I do.”

Giving a casual shrug, the lalafell woman said, “Okay, but you’re not going to like it.” After a dramatic pause, she revealed, “Member fees.” 

“What?”

“Yeah, we charge member fees. Everything else that people bring in from odd jobs helps, sure, but this way we can keep ourselves afloat in the lean times.” Tataru snapped her fingers and rummaged through the books she kept on the table in the “lobby” of the Waking Sands. “That reminds me, you’re a full member now so you have to start paying your fees.”

“It shouldn’t be that bad, I only just got started.”

After flipping through a few pages, Tataru made a sound of discovery and pointed at the unreadable entry there. “Actually, you owe 100,000 gil.”

“WHAT?!”

“We can take instalment payments, but the interest’s gonna add up.”

She was kidding, of course, but she didn’t reveal it until Lara had fretted about the overinflated fees for a moment or two.

[hermajestykaje]

Prologue

Julie Ann Sarif sat in the chilly examination room, one bare foot dangled above the freezing tiles, the other sat flat on the pullout stand. She wore one of the ugly paper dresses but she felt naked. Dr. Morgan had excused himself to take a call, but before she left, she had told Julie Ann that her blood pressure was high and had kindly asked why. This was why Julie Ann felt naked; always a private person, sixty seconds with a cuff around her upper arm had revealed that Julie Ann had had one hell of a year!

As she watched her dangling foot bounce, she realized she did not have to say anything at all. Dr. Morgan was her doctor, not her therapist or her friend, but Julie Ann was so desperate to unload everything on somebody anybody. Maybe that was why when the doctor returned a simple, “Now where were we?” Turned into an hour in that room that stank of disinfectants, with tears running down her face and the other woman hugging her awkwardly.

When Julie Ann left, she felt a lot better, but that did not stop Dr. Morgan from giving her a prescription for a half-dose of blood pressure medicine. Julie Ann was fifty-one years old and had never had blood pressure issues; then again, she had had one hell of a year!

Christmas was the prologue to the Hell Year.

“Nah, this doesn’t feel right.” Julie Ann had said to her husband Ahsan that morning.

“What?” He asked, she covered his mouth with her hand when she saw his lips begin to form the words you worry too much. He was right, Julie Ann always worried, but there was always a reason to worry. Ahsan was in the military, as soon as she got comfortable they would have to move, Julie Ann felt like they had dragged their poor children all over the damn world and back again. They had been in Florida for a long while, Julie Ann had started to get comfortable, she had started working at a bank again and could feel the promotion to manager coming when Ahsan walked into the kitchen and announced that he would be moving back to West Virginia. For a brief second Julie Ann had considered beating her husband to death with a skillet. He had promised that this would be his last assignment.

“I want to retire at home, Ma and Pops are old, I want to be near them.”

Once again her eyes fell on the skillet, maybe she wouldn’t kill him but bringing the pan upside his head would make her feel a hell of a lot better. “You want to move me from sunny Florida, to Wasteland Virginia int the middle of Winter? On top of all that you want me to be with crazy Miya?”

“Come on JuJu.”

“Don’t you JuJu me you son of a bitch!” She snapped and stormed past him, skillet still in hand. Ahsan was six feet, six inches and nearly three hundred pounds of pure muscle, she would have to jump to reach his bald ass head and he would easily avoid the blow.

“JuJu…”

“No Ahsan, you said this would be your last assignment. You said once the kids were grown you’d retire and we could finally start taking those vacations. You said Florida was cool, especially after Daddy died, you know how I feel about Momma being by herself. You always promise me things.” She gasped, “You’re selfish!”

“I am not selfish.”

“Yes, yes you are.” She rounded on him, “Stop following me.”

Ahsan took two steps back, hands up, eyes on the skillet. He had tried her once or twice before.

“It’s not the middle of Winter.” He muttered weakly.

Julie Ann flung the skillet at him, and he had the nerve to catch it! She spun on her heels and stomped upstairs, “Mind your damn business.” She shouted at their eldest, Nia on her way to their bedroom.

Her children and their alliance with their father was another source of irritation. Ahsan could do no wrong in their eyes.

Julie Ann sat on the bed and pouted. It would be nearly a week before she would speak to Ahsan again, and another week before he was allowed back inside their bedroom. He had spent time in the living room and in the nursery with their grandson. Julie Ann had told him to go to West Virginia by his damn self, yet when the time finally came for him to leave, she followed.

Looking back, Julie Ann had to admit that things were not as bad as she thought they would be, in fact, they were not even close to the way she imagined it. Ahsan did not have to live on base, and they got the gorgeous three-bedroom home in Magnolia Park, with the stuck-up neighbors and the pool in the back.

“Oh, your boyfriend’s here.” Julie Ann had said when they were moving in and Silas Johnson swung into their driveway. “Is he why we moved back here?”

“Stop.” Ahsan grumped and kissed the top of her head. The pair had been childhood best friends and Julie Ann hated Silas since the day she met him. There was something about him, he was cocky and every time Ahsan got into serious trouble, Silas was right there by his side. Not to mention Silas was a whore!

“Goddamnit, Ahsan.” She huffed when the passenger door opened and Silas’ new wife Grace. climbed out.

“Please be nice.” He begged.

Julie Ann was nice, and to her surprise she found that she actually liked Grace. The woman was the same age as they were but looked so much younger, she was tall and shapely; a dancer’s body! Grace was quick to smile and was an all-around pleasant person. Pity. Julie Ann had hated this woman for years without actually knowing her. When Julie Ann met Ahsan, Silas was already married to his first wife Esther. The two were close friends and most of their children were the same age. Silas’ daughter Sonja was two years older than Nia; his second daughter Amore was two months older than their second daughter Rayne, and their son Amir was two hours older than Silas and Esther’s daughter Zion.

Poor Esther had struggled during her last pregnancy, she had finally found out about Silas’s whoring ways and the stress had drained her. Silas had a daughter who was a few months older than Zion, but by the time the girl was born Silas had already moved on to Grace.

It was through Grace that Julie Ann joined Mamas & Mimosas, a small women’s club for mothers. She made new friends who helped with her transition. Julie Ann also started her home-based craft business and with the help of the Mamas, the business took off online and grew to something lucrative very quickly.

Julie Ann also stressed often about Rayne because of her crazy boyfriend…also named Rayne. She lost sleep over that relationship. “He’s going to kill her,” was what Julie Ann lamented a lot. She knew she was driving Nia crazy always calling and asking if she heard from her sister. On the other hand, “Amir is going to kill him.” He son was as big and buff as his father, it took a lot to make Amir mad, the boy was some kind of saint—but at the same time Amir had a temper and once triggered he became a beast.

“Rayne is grown.” Ahsan would remind her, but she had heard him threaten to kill boy-Rayne on more than one occasion.

That situation resolved itself when one morning, Ahsan opened the door on his way out to work only to find Rayne standing there with a suitcase. “Yeah, I nearly killed Rayne.” She announced and strutted into the house like she owned the place. “What’s for breakfast Ma?”

Ahsan was on her heels, “What happened? Did he hurt you?”

“That nigga cheated on me—again, and had the nerve to swing on me when I confronted him about it. I defended myself with a rolling pin. Anyways, I’ve got court in January.”

“Your sister and brother already know about this don’t they?” Julie Ann questioned.

“Amir posted my bail and Nia drove me to the airport.”

Julie Ann and Ahsan exchanged a look, their children always screamed that they wished each other was not born but would protect each other feverishly.

Rayne had always been the most daring of their children, so she often found herself in sticky situations. She was also the most hot-headed and provoking so she usually started fights with her siblings. She was closer to Amir than she was to Nia, although the pair were always at each other’s throats. Nia was the most stable of the children, she married her high school sweetheart Timothy and the pair had a son, TJ, together. Amir was a chaotic neutral, he was the most affectionate and shared a close relationship the entire family. He was the one who convinced Julie Ann to move with Ahsan. “I’m in this weird traditional phase with work, so I still have to go up to Louisiana all the time. I’ll keep an eye on Gran’Mere for you Honey.” Amir never called Julie Ann Mommy, or Ma, or Momma because Ahsan always called her honey, so somehow, he thought that is what he was supposed to call her.

Nia, Tim and TJ came up the week before Christmas, Amir was not sure if he would be able to make it since the Coast Guard had finally transferred him fully to Florida and people tended to be idiots during the holidays. When the front door flew open and Rayne strode in from her shift at the bar Christmas morning with her brother behind her, rather than feeling excitement, Julie Ann’s feeling of dread grew worse.

“Something’s going to happen to my baby.” Julie Ann told Ahsan when she caught him away from the children.

“Is this about the psychic thing?”

“You know my feelings are never wrong.” Ahsan did not believe in—as he puts it—mumbo-jumbo, but he had to admit that these strange inklings Julie Ann got were never wrong. She knew something was going to happen to his older brother, and not long after he ODed. She knew Nia was going to have a baby and a year to the day she told her, TJ was born.

“Let’s not focus on that. Let’s just try to enjoy the day with our family and friends, okay?”

“Yeah…”

All in all, it was a good day. Two year old TJ was his usual, dramatic self being the center of attention. He wanted to go swim in the pool since he did not understand that water froze in the Winter. He was usually attached to Tim or Amir’s legs and would rather play dominos with his Papa and the men than with the mountain of toy he received as gifts. There was an awkward moment when Esther passed by for some food and met Grace and the Mamas at the house. “We’ll get brunch on the weekend, okay?” Julie Ann said as a way of apology.

Silas disappeared for about an hour and the girls grilled Grace on where their father could have gone but she just smiled.

“Oh shit, that boy done brought his girl here?” Ahsan’s father Armand said.

Amir laughed, “Come on Pops, you remember Zion.”

Armand’s eyes bugged out of his head, “That’s Lil ZiZi? Got damn!”

“Stop.” Ahsan slapped his father on the arm and tried to swallow his laugh. The other girls swarmed their sister, there was a lot of giggling and squealing.

“Look at that fool.” Amir grumbled when Rayne pushed her way through the Johnson girls. When they were little and Rayne was mad at Amir, she always told him that she wished Zion was her sister instead of Amir being her brother and he would cry every single time.

Ahsan chuckled, “It’s so good to have my family all together in one place.”

Julie Ann felt his eyes on her.

Two days after Valentine’s Day, Ahsan came home early from work looking terrible and Julie Ann wondered if he was sick. He made her sit on the couch and took a seat beside her. “We’re going to Florida. Tim called. Something happened…with Amir…”

[fanguuuhhhrl]

Im kinda obsessed with I-Land right now. I love 23 boys and if possible i would like them all to debut but the elimination is in 30 minutes so im going to post my top 12 picks before it airs (kind of in order, kind of not, im biased, this is based on an unsure mixture of skill and personality, could change but most likely not):

1. Sunoo- BITCH!!! WTH!!! I JUST LOOK AT HIM AND MY SEROTONIN LEVELS BURST THROUGH THE ROOF!! He is a puppy!! He is amazing. If you didnt know anyone yet and you put all 23 boys in a line up. He will draw your attention with his sunshine smile :)))) he is so heartwarming. Most people be like "i have no filter" but they just be mean, but this guy is different, he literally has no ability to hide what he thinks but it never comes off as anything negative. He says "Me! I can do it!" but it's just endearing and never comes across as trying to show off. He says "there was a little bit of friction" and when the members look at himshocked, he looks at them shocked too.... theres no dull moment when he's in frame. It's so amazing how pure a person can be. But know that i am not just rooting for personality but for talent. his voice... His Voice!!! Vocally geonu and heeseung really slayed the butterfly performance but if you ask me, "save me" had a more emotional attack. His facial expression is just brimming of feelings. His voice is so raw. Also You know that part in save me where he transitions from head voice into chest voice really smooth??? You'll know what im saying if you see it. thats so fucking satisfying that i had to replay it so much. I definitely replayed the save me performance more times honeslty. And the way he dances!!! It might not be That refined yet but that's the charm... it's so raw and full of emotions... so like him. I can see myself stanning this group long term if he debuts with them.

2. Jungwon- tf i love this boy so much. his visuals already stood out to me when they were entering i-land, then his voice stood out to me in the first challenge... he did that hard ass choreography without any audible changes to his voice that i had to rewind that multiple times (more than the editor already did) then the moment i saw him dance the center in episode 4??? BOY???? BOY!!!! that was my breaking point... i can't believe im saying this about men but i already knew i would die for him... plus he is so sweet :((( his eyes are just so naturally cute but i was so shocked in the last challenge when he was able to pull off that fierce ass look.... i am devastated... im about the same age but my parental instincts are at work here. plus SPOILER ALERT to those who plan to watch he won first place in both the first and last challenge can everybody say jungwon ace

3. Geonu- my feelings for him are much like jungwon :((( except theres more parental instincts... and i say this despite being younger than him but whatever age is just a vibe... HE IS SO LIDDOL :((( i want to be his mom :(( at first, personality wise, it's hard to notice him bc he's a little calm and laidback... but its the little things that draw you to him :((( his glasses and hoodies just seem a little bit big on him and that just makes me smile for some reason... he cries silently when people are sent to the ground and he gets along well with the people... i noticed him first together with jungwon in the first i land challenge because they had the most stable performance. but i've never been more attached to him than when he sang butterfly (favorite bts song anyone??)... i honestly thought they could debut then and there and i wouldnt bat an eye... also it's so funny that the one thing i identified him with during the early episodes was the fact that whenever the camera pans to him, he just has the dead eye stare and parted lips (think: pokerface but confused) especially with the huge ass glasses but in the end the poker face thing that stuck to me became the thing that worked against him i cri

4. Jay- hold on folks this is going to be a long one. Jay has such a powerful personality that at first made me hesitant about liking him... idk he just seemed like the guy i would not vibe with in real life, but the longer time passed, the more he became one of my favorites and i root for him now like crazy. at first it was funny when they kept rejecting him for the vocal parts, but the more it went on, i was so sure that if it was me, i would have cried and dropped then and there, but it was so amazing watching him push through that and he didnt even lie about how he felt. his unique determination is such a breath of fresh air, a little heartwarming and oh so inspiring. i honestly learned a lot from just watching him. the time he went to the ground was so crucial to his development as a person, leader and performer. it was so mindblowing when he became the leader at the ground and even adapted heeseung's teaching methods. you know that meme "improvise, adapt, overcome?" he is the exact personification of that. what i loved about him the most is that even with his steely determination, he didnt enforce or project that on the other grounders, he just shared it with them. he understands when they need rest, encouragement or massages. he was such a caring leader. Skill wise- i can't say anything. He already proved himself so many times. Great dancer and potential vocalist. The mnet specials also show how much sweeter he is than the show shows him to be. He takes care of everyone, and has more of mother duck than street gang vibes (and he knows how to cook!!). And at the end, while he seems to be mostly self- oriented about debuting, he ends up spending most of his time teaching others and helping them improve. I just love him. Debut Jay 2k20!!!

5. Sunghoon- tf this guy is so cool and laidback that i didnt even pay much attention to him during the early parts but he just keeps crawling into my heart because so many members love him so damn much??? and he just goes along with them?? they want me to do triple axel while average people can't even do a single axel on a trampoline?? ok imma give them a double axel tho. jake is challenging me to arm flexing? yeah why not? k wants me to dance?? yeah lemme just spin 50 times. jay wants to shower together?? weird but im not strongly against the idea. ej wants to scare people? count me in. someone needs a hand to hold?? ok here's my warm hand to the rescue... everyone just wants to be his friend that he birthed my favorite sunoo scene "im cuter than him [jake]" and he was just like "yeah ok i guess so" sksjsk sunoo is that how you ask someone to be your friend jshdk??? and can i just say? as a figure skating fan, he has automatic +52536 points... and when the judges said he's the most natural performer out of them??? i vibed with that hard.. he dances well so naturally and he takes your attention without even seeming like he's trying to. that dance performance with k and jungwon?? i thought at first that his energy wouldnt catch up but damn boy my eyes were just trackingnhim the entire time unintentionallu that i had to rewind and he was just as great as all of them... with the additional benefit of being a stunt boy!! and though it might seem effortless, we saw that he practiced so hard for it. overall a 100/100 boy with a naturally charismatic personality that bleeds into his performance... as a fellow 02 liner i would also like to apply as his bestfriend thank you

6. Heesung- what can i say except he's a perfect boy ok thats it why are you still reading... jk... ok lets talk about him... skill wise?? I cried during the butterfly performance. i marvel at his vocal stability. his voice is so crystal clear. his dancing is so clean. his skills are superb but most of all, theyre already so refined. there's nothing more i could ask for. personaloty wise... i also have a lot to say... despite his celebrity status, it's awesome how he can make the other trainees comfortable with him. he's kind and soft and lovely.

but because i am me, i have to overanalyze people so idk skip this if you dont like that. for someone who's experienced being an academic achiever... i sure do vibe with his personality a lot... you know when there's a group activity and you're so sure you can lead it well but you don't want to? half because you dont want to come off as a show off and half bc you genuinely still have self-doubts, and you're scared of falling short of expectations. Also, you feel that if it all fails, you'll be responsible so you have to feel that everyone approves you before you can take leadership and show your entire thing. And the moment you feel validated and take the reins, you start unconsciously projecting your perfectionist attitude on people??? yeah... i love that despite being an almost perfect person he still has issues most people can find relatable and that, in addition to the talent makes me want to root from him. (im also going to take a stab and guess that his mbti is probs ixxp) i'll be honest tho, because its like 100 percent sure now that he'll debut, im not super attached to him??? i love him tho but he's just not in any danger so i can just let my support for him chill. i think amidst this, bc most of the trainees depend a lot on him, i mostly hope for him to take care of his mental health

7. Daniel- awww danielll... i went into i-land not knowing anyone's ages so i had a brief whiplash feeling when someone said daniel is 15... it's because he's so emotionally mature?? like he's such a supportive and caring person that it barely struck me the that he might be the youngest?? he already caught my attention when they performed "any song" bc they just seemed like they were having fun and doing their best without the pressure of whether they would win ir not, and for me that attitude is something you'd see from more experienced performers. and during the second ep when he just felt the need to comfort everyone bc he's got such a high score?? i loved that an i was so bummed out when they eliminated him. the save me performance was definitely a cherry on top that i just had to love him more than i already do... he may be young but he's as ready to debut as everyone else.

8. Jake- jake is just one of the people who showcased so much growth between ep 1 and ep 2. he already had the right attitude when they performed crown and he just had to improve skills and stage presence, and improved he did. despite being one of the trainees with the shortest training time, he was the one teaching the others by the end it just supports my theory that he might have been an ace as well if he just had the same amount of training as everyone else. im also truly in love with his mischievous antics. he seemed like an introvert to me at first but he came out of his shell and i love that. also i just crave more moments of him and sunghoon's friendship (they both seemed like introverts who found someone they could be extroverts with in each other) i am 👌this close to storming i land and demand that they let me join their merry little band of 2002 children

9. Niki- dance skills= 100 he's just so good it's unreal... it's insane... everytime he's on screen i hear boss musicand i cant even imagine him being younger than anyone, let alone taki. i get why some people dislike him but honestly i think it's just because they don't see him as a child... but he is. i was honestly a bit mad for him when they kept guilt tripping him into leading all of them, and i understood his tjought process when he thought he just kept failing everyone and when he thought things just kept backfiring on him. he is held on such a high pedestal and i dont think he deserves that kind of burden. as for me, it would just be a waste of talent to let him go. his attitude could still improve, as we'd seen when he eventually volunteered to help everyone. i also felt bad when he said that he's scared he might not be voted bc some people dont base on skills and i love him and i just want him to kmow that he's loved

10. Taki- what the hell can i even say?? he's the kindest softest boy ever. he tries to see the good in people and is very hardworking... he listens to people well and actually follow them, so he improves a lot... he knows people think he's cute and he tries and tries and tries to look fierce if the song calls for it... he is amazing

11. K- i really can't say anything, he really stands out during performances. also very pro at dancing. his choreography??? *chef's kiss* and i think the younger trainees depend a lot on him, besides heesung and so he's good at keeping the team together.

12. EJ- im really hesitant about the last person to be the twelfth i lander because it could almost be anyone and i wouldnt be too bummed out bc theyre almost all equally talented... the thing with ej tho is he already gets along well with the i landers and has harmony with other members. (plus see above: im a sucker for the 2002 line) i think its a tiny bit unfair to base it on this bc the others didnt even get a chance to show what they can bring to the group so im torn.

bonus: i wouldnt feel too bad if it were jaebeom (he has great voice, the producers think he's not too stand out bc he's weak at dance, but the i land is already so full of people whose expertise is dancing, so i think there should be someone who's specialty is singing), kyungmin (i really appreciated how hard he worked during the last test and it actually paid off, i honestly noticed him there even if he was always at the back. i also loved his determination and i was so touched when he and jaebeom were talking and he said "there's really nothing to do but believe in the impossible right?" it's just that the i landers were already ahead of him in terms of skills so he failed the votings) and hanbin (i've watched his cover videos and he's really good at dancing and stage projection. like i was honestly wondering why it wasnt showing in the performances :((( and he hadnt even had too much screentime to actually See what he's capable of.

[murdereddaydreams]

Jasahi Confession

A/N: this was late night writing and like always, I did not proofread which I probably should learn to do 🤷🏽‍♀️

Word Count: 1,059

It was a normal day after practice. The team and myself walking home and stopping at our usual spot, Coach Ukai's shop. Everything was normal, Asahi and I walking next to each other with our hands connected as we walked. The others had gotten used to this little habit we formed, never saying anything though they would occasionally give what seemed like knowing looks in our direction. We only parted ways when Asahi and Nishinoya walked into the shop as the rest of us chatted and waited. Hinata seemed to appear at my side in the blink of an eye and when I turned to him, he had a curious expression on his face.

"What?"

"Well… I was just wondering, are you ever going to tell Asahi how you feel about him?" His question seemed to come out of left field and I could feel the heat rise to my cheeks. We talked about how I felt about the ace once since we've been friends and now was when he wanted to bring it up again?

"Shoyo, right now is definitely not the time to bring this up."

"Why not? Asahi is inside right now. You seem to like him a lot so are you gonna tell him?"

"Because Shoyo… what if Asahi and Nishi come out while we talk about this? How do you think Asahi would react to me just going up to him and being like "hey Asahi, I think you're handsome and I like you, wanna go out"?" My arms failed around a bit to show my distaste with the subject, mainly due to the fear of being rejected. Little did I know that Asahi and Nishinoya had walked out at that moment and heard my statement. Hinata turning to look behind me with a grin is what caused me to turn around and look. There I caught eyes with a very red Asahi. "Hijo de su puta madre…" I cursed under my breath as my face grew hotter than before.

"I told you that she liked Asahi, Noya! Our plan worked!"

"I believed you man! Asahi just wouldn't believe me when I told him!" This made my attention fall on the two short members that seemed to be cheering together. The moment they caught my expression, they were quick to say goodbye and leave. This prompted the others in the group to excuse themselves too after having witnessed the whole event.

"Is...is it true?" His voice was soft, gaze fixed on me as I turned to him once again. I gave him a soft smile before nodding, walking over to him cautiously. There was about a foot of space between us, my shorter height causing me to look up at him as he looked down at me.

"Yeah, it is… I totally understand if you don't feel the same. I know it could be weird to you since I'm younger than you and I have to leave Japan once I finish high school so-" I would have probably kept rambling if I hadn't felt his arms wrap around me and pull me close to him. I was shocked for a second before I quickly returned the hug, face burying into his chest per usual when we would hug.

"Sorry I couldn't think of something else to do. I, uhm, I really like you too." I peeked up to look at him, seeing him looking away nervously. His words made me smile and I quickly wiggled free from his grasp just enough to be able to lean up and place a soft kiss to his cheek. His eyes quickly found mine and smile spread across his face. "So… would you like to be my girlfriend?"

"Of course, Asahi, I would like that a lot." With that all settled, his arm found a home around my shoulders as we continued our walk home. Pretty sure he was only comfortable doing that action due to the fact we showed physical affection before. I didn't think it would have been that easy to overcome how it went down but I had to remind myself to thank Nishinoya and Hinata for pulling that little stunt that they had pulled. Sure, it was unconventional how we got together but the part that mattered the most to us was the fact that we were now finally together. Most people go on dates before becoming a couple but we both seemed more than okay with just becoming a couple right away considering we had already been close friends beforehand. 

"I'm not gonna lie, I really thought you wouldn't see me in that way because I'm younger than you." I couldn't help but think out loud, breaking through the comfortable silence that had settled around us as we walked.

"Wait… really? I thought you wouldn't like me because I was older and look older than I am." That caused me to laugh and look up at him, his own gaze falling on me with an eyebrow raised.

"Asahi, you do know a lot of people think I'm at least a third year, right?" That comment made his eyes widen before he chuckled himself. He had witnessed some of those reactions himself.

"Guess you're right. Well, at least we definitely have looking older in common."

"We have other things in common too, jerk." He knew better than to take me seriously when I called him that, my tone playful as I decided to lean my head against his arm. Everything was falling into place so easily, it was a bit surprising. The transition was going smoother than ever expected. "Are you still going to spend the night? I know that was planned before everything happened."

"Oh! Y-yeah, if you're still okay with it that is!"

"Relax, of course I'm okay with it. We were going to spend the weekend together anyway, why would I suddenly not be okay with it?"

"Okay… true. Sorry." He left out a breath and before I knew it, we had arrived at my apartment. I unlocked the door and we both walked in. That weekend was spent like all the others before it. Just cuddling and taking advantage of being together without the others around to interrupt. Only difference this time was that there were kisses randomly involved amongst all of it, not that either of us minded.