#she’s got her bags of lychees

[ceruleanmusings]

One Summer's Day excerpt

a/n: i've been beating myself up for once again but who's surprise at this point? falling behind on mayblade and trying to come up with something and then finding time to write it when i got an idea when i i realized i already had something written i could add!

so here it is, the intro scene to a summer-based slice of life fic with the bladebreakers. as usual, my OC Crystal is included. prompts: lights, candles, music, affection

The Saien Ramen Shop was ready for summer. Paper lanterns in lush reds and stark whites decorated the awning of the back patio. Strings of light ran along the perimeter, little stars embedded in the sky. Beams threw glitter onto chunks of ice bobbing in drinks stuffed along the surface of the lone occupied table where small tea candles flickered. The back doors remained open, allowing heavy thuds of sharp knives on wooden cutting boards, sharp sizzles of frying meats, frothy bubbling of noodle-filled water, and smooth draining of savory broth to wash over the table and coat the patio in heady, mouth-watering waves, mixing in with the bouncing beats of a kpop song pouring out the speakers.

Being the most successful ramen shop in town, the Saiens made sure to cater to every patron, treating each with care, respect, and heaps of undivided attention. As for Kenny and his friends, that hospitality extended tenfold; while the main floor was open to all guests, the back patio tended to be reserved for them, giving them a place to hide away from the main streets and any onlookers wanting to interrupt their meals for autographs, championship retellings, pictures, or challenges to a battle.

It was a nice reprieve, sitting off in their own world, allowing them a chance for space, to breathe, and to enjoy each other’s company. Well, as much as company could be enjoyed witnessing Tyson inhaling food in the blink of an eye. They all sat squished around the table—Hilary, Kenny, Tyson, Max, Ray, and Crystal—and any space left over was taken up by various bags, a range of dishes, and various drinks. None of them were safe from Tyson’s attack.

Noodles splashed against his chin, leaving shiny streaks behind while he slurped them up into his eager mouth. Chunks of meat clung to egg yolk smeared over his lips. Bits of rice went flying like little grain bullets as he shoveled it in with his chopsticks. Hilary leaned away from him, dodging his pointed elbow while she slurped lychee boba tea, giving him a look.

“Hey, watch it, Ty!” Max leaned forward with a frown, covering his arms over his steaming bowl as a hailstorm of rice landed on his head. “Geeze, you should come with a warning: watch out for flying objects.” He brushed the grains from his hair as he released a sigh, an amused smile returning to his face.

Following a large burp, Tyson shot a large grin his best friend’s way. “I can’t help it! I’m starving!” As if to prove his point, he tipped his head back and drained the remaining brother from his bowl. He dragged his hand across the back of his mouth and surged forward, grasping a large chunk of meat off the pile on a plate with his chopsticks, throwing it atop the mound of rice left in his other dish. “And besides, we are celebrating!”

“That doesn’t excuse you having a lack of manners.” Huffing, Hilary rolled her eyes and picked up an abandoned napkin. Within seconds she scrubbed his face, ignoring his muffled protests as he squirmed away from her. Max laughed around his spoon with a twinkle in his eye while she folded the smudged cloth. “Besides, Ray should be the one celebrating, Not you. He’s the one who won the tournament after all.”

Scoffing, Tyson grabbed the napkin from Hilary, balled it up, and tossed it at her. It bounced off her nose as he crossed his arms, leaning back in his seat. “I would’ve won if I were there!”

“Yeah, but you weren’t! And you don’t know that! Ray could’ve beaten you! Don’t be so rude!”

A soft chuckle carried along the warm breeze. “Thanks for the support, Hilary. I really appreciate it.” Ray set down his mug and laced his fingers, resting his chin on the little table. His golden eyes nearly matched the golden lights filtering through the lanterns. “It was a tough battle and I’m sure even my opponent would’ve given Tyson a run for his money.” He shrugged and swept a few crumbs off the table. “It was just my lucky day, is all.”

“Lucky?” Max’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped. “Ray! You were awesome! You and Driger were completely in sync in there. That was some comeback!”

“Oh, if only Dizzi and I were there to see it!” Kenny groaned, rubbing his hands through his hair. His fingers curled against some of the strands and he pulled at them, pushing his glasses askew. “Imagine all the data I could have collected!”

A small tournament sponsored by a local grocery store had been staged to celebrate the start of summer. It happened to fall on the week of final exams which took Tyson out of the running, despite his best efforts at begging, pleading, and bribery to be allowed to skip them. Neither his teachers nor Grandpa Granger would allow it—his father even threatened to fly back from a dig to force Tyson to attend—so he begrudgingly sat for his finals. Ray and Max, who’d both flown in around the time of the tournament, decided to participate.

Max came in to, much like the others, celebrate school ending and summer break arriving. It was the few times of the year his entire family was in one place. While attended school, his mother went to work with PPB and his little sister, Charlotte, now four, ran around her daycare. His father stayed behind in Japan to mind the hobby shop. Any chance he could have to get the whole family together, he took. A beyblade tournament coming around the same time was just icing on the cake. Charlotte could watch her big brother in his element.

Max ended in third place while Ray made it all the way to the finals and won 2-1 in a desert-themed dish. Driger was a little wobbly on the sand at first, not being able to get his footing, but a few electric attacks heated it up so much the sand turned to glass. After that, Driger was able to use the smooth surface to his advantage, bouncing well-timed electric attacks into his opponent when he least expected it.

“We have been having a good run lately,” Ray conceded. Kenny groaned again, muttering something about falling behind on updating their stats for school. After consoling Kenny, he said with a wave of his hand, “But I’m sure, on any other day, he would have had a good chance to get one over on us. Anyway…” He turned a smile to Crystal and nudged her shoulder with his. “I’m not the only one who has something to celebrate today.”

Beneath the low lights, a dusting of red settled on Crystal’s cheeks. Her nose winkled and her bright blue eyes focused on the pink mochi in her hands. “I told you, it’s not that big a deal,” she mumbled. Tugging apart the pink treat, she watched it stretch until the halves broke and she popped it into her mouth.

“Hey, you deserve that 89. You studied really hard.” Ray squeezed her shoulder. “You should be proud of yourself.”

“An 89’s not that big a deal,” Tyson grumbled. He stabbed at the chunks of fruit in his drink with a straw.

“Only ‘cause you got a 61,” Crystal shot back with a smirk, almost drowning out Hilary’s exasperated comment about him not being able to be happy for anyone. She let out a soft cackle and ate the other half of the mochi. As she chewed, she flipped the tie wrapped around the starched collar of her uniform shirt over her shoulder where it had fallen again.

Tyson didn’t understand how lucky he was that something like school was always a part of his future. Ray was right, she worked hard for it. Though he didn’t have to lay it on quite so thick.

“But, I couldn’t have done it without all your help,” she added, her soft words squeezing out between a small, affectionate smile. At Ray’s look of pride, her blush deepened; she rolled her eyes and pinched a sheet of nori out his ramen, taking a large bite. That was enough of that.

“Well, if we’re going to celebrate things, then I have something to celebrate too,” Tyson said.

“What? That you managed not to throw up everywhere?” Hilary asked.

“Ha ha. Now that it’s finally summer that means I have more time for beyblading! Which means Dragoon and I have more battles to win!” As he spoke, Tyson removed his trusty beyblade from his pocket and brandished it in the air. Dragoon’s bitchip gleamed beneath the light. “Waddya say, Kai? You ready for a rematch?”

The quiet member of their table hummed, slowly opening his eyes. He sat perfectly still from the moment he showed up: arms crossed, one leg over the other. He hadn’t touched any of the food. If he saw them gathered on the back patio, he didn’t let on, almost walking by them until Tyson called out to him to join them. He didn’t protest but he didn’t seem overjoyed either. They brushed it off, just happy to have him around. Like the others, his presence had been scarce lately though they didn’t know where he was on any given day. Even though he’d been a solid member of the team for the past few years he still didn’t let them too far into his world. Though they respected him and his boundaries, they a few lighthearted jokes and comments about what he could be up to.

Unsurprisingly, it left little time for beyblading for all of them. The last good battle they had was when Tyson and Kai had a rematch in the early days of the BBA being rebuilt from the ground up. What was supposed to be a fun, quick match between rivals became a big spectacle within seconds. With all their friends, fellow bladers, and supporters cheering them on, they threw everything they could into the match only for it all to end with a tie. Despite Tyson’s challenges to rematch, Kai walked away from beyblading. He still showed up to certain events to promote the BBA during its renovation projects and his name appeared on check-in logs, but no one knew if he’d actually taken Drazner out for a spin. He dodged the security cameras in the training and battle rooms.

“C’mon Kai, don’t leave me hanging,” Tyson goaded when Kai didn’t speak. “I know Dranzer’s ready to get another battle in. What else do you have to do?”

Kai opened one eye, just enough for them to see it pointed right at Tyson. “Wouldn’t you like to know,” Kai said.

“Well, duh, Kai, that’s why I’m asking. We haven’t seen much of you lately, dude.”

“There’s a reason for that.”

“Which is…?”

“Maybe he just doesn’t like you.” Crystal’s commented. Her question was innocent though her smirk rubbed away it's its sheen.

“Hey guys, I just realized something,” Max said, gaining their attention. Leaning back in his chair, he rested his arms above his head, looking skyward. “This is the first time we’ve all had the same schedule in a long time.”

“Hey, yeah,” Ray agreed, “kinda feels like the good ol’ days.” Ray’s days had been spent back in White Tiger village taking his role as a captain and a leader very seriously. Lee was poised to take on the duties of his grandfather, the Elder, whenever he passed on.

“I, for one, don’t think we should let this serendipitous moment pass us by," Kenny said.

“I like what you’re sayin’, Chief! More battles it is!" Tyson punched his fist in the air. The table rattled from his enthusiasm.

“Actually I was thinking maybe we could do something outside of beyblading for once,” Max said. “Don’t get me wrong, I love the sport as much as you guys," he quickly amended at Tyson's aghast expression, "but I’d love to just hang out once in a while. Y’know, not have to worry about our bitbeasts being kidnapped or anything.”

“Or us getting kidnapped,” Ray agreed.

“Sounds like a dream,” Hilary said with a wistful sigh. “I almost remember what life was like before I met you guys.”

“Must’ve been one big bore,” Tyson said.

[moonlithunter-writes]

Origin & Ground - D.Va x gn!Reader

   The door swung open an hour later than you had been expecting, and a few seconds later, your girlfriend Hana entered the room and deposited a duffel bag in the doorway.     “You’re later than usual today,” you remarked, taking a sip from your glass of wine.    “I know,” Hana groaned in exhaustion. She crossed the room quickly and collapsed onto the couch, her head in your lap and her eyes shut.    “They kept you late in training, huh?” You asked, reaching onto the table to grab Hana a bottle of soju—room-temperature and lychee flavor, just the way she liked it.    “Yeah.” Hana frowned and accepted the bottle, her eyes still shut. “We had to brief for the mission tomorrow, and then extra training on top of that.”    “What’s your call time tomorrow?” You asked, your fingers beginning to drift into Hana’s soft hair. You drew them through a few times, ridding her hair of knots, and then scratched lightly at her scalp.    Hana let out a contented sigh and leaned into your hand. “Six.”     You frowned and your motions stilled. “I don’t know how they expect you to get enough rest,” you frowned.    Hana sat up and cracked open the bottle of soju. “I don’t think they do.” She shrugged and took a sip.    A flash of anger sparked in your chest. “They can’t keep treating you like this. It isn’t fair.”    Hana put her soju down and wrapped her arms around your waist, nestling herself against your chest. “I’m sorry, baby. I know we haven’t spent much time together recently, but this is what I signed up for. I made a promise to protect my country.”     She pulled back a fraction of an inch to look up into your eyes. “That includes you.”    Your hands landed on Hana’s waist and you closed the distance between your lips. Hana responded in kind, trailing her hands up your sides and looping them around your neck. Hana tugged you closer, your lips clashing in earnest. Your hands slipped under the hem of Hana’s shirt and you palmed the soft, smooth skin of her back. She sighed against your lips and pulled away reluctantly.    “Later tonight, ‘kay, babe? I didn’t have a chance to shower before I came home.”    “Gross! And you let me kiss you like that?” You complained teasingly, pretending to gag.    Hana swatted at your shoulder good-naturedly. “Excuse me for wanting to come home and see you as soon as I could!”    “Okay, okay,” you laughed, leaning forward to press a chaste kiss to your girlfriend’s lips. “You go shower and I’ll heat up dinner, and then we’ll make the most of the time before your mission.”    “Ha! You wish,” Hana winked, but she got up off the couch and headed for the bedroom that you shared, swaying her hips exaggeratedly as she went.    You watched her go, your bottom lip taken between your teeth. Hana was a little firecracker for sure, and her schedule was messy, to put it lightly. But you loved your girlfriend dearly, and no matter how many missions she went on, you would always be the first one waiting to greet her when she landed.

[bicycle4two]

short fic starring  jason and his little mouse from built to love, but broken now

find more ficlets of this couple here

Bubble Tea

The fact is, Jason isn’t a fan of trendy places. He dislikes the gimmick, the music selection, and the crowd that it draws in. He also doesn’t want to risk being caught in the background of photos that are sure going to pop up on social media. He doesn’t want the risk of people finding out where he is, who he’s with, figure out the pattern of his everyday life.

So, the new bubble tea shop—The GCBT or the Gotham City Bubble Tea shop—is the worse place for him to be in. Yet here he is, surrounded by Gotham University students, children, and pastels all because she saw one of the drinks on her Instagram page.

Because the fact is, Jason’s weak to her, can’t find it in himself to tell her no when she’s excited to try something new, something out of her comfort zone. That, and it really is his own fault. He knew he should have taken a different route back to their apartment, but he’d made a wrong turn just because he thought he saw a dog with a broken leg limping down the street.

Turns out the dog was fine, liked to play jokes on people, garner their sympathy only to trot away once he got what he wanted, and now here Jason is lining up to get…bubble tea.

He can’t imagine what Alfred would think of all this. The old butler turned his nose up at putting ice in his tea.

“Is this drink really that good?” Jason asks, shoulders hunches as a group of sorority sisters gathered to take a photo, colorful drinks held up to their faces.

“I mean, this place is packed, it must be.” She takes his hand in hers, pulling him further into the shop. Jason holds onto her tightly, knowing from experience how easy it is to lose her in a crowd. “You have to admit, it sounds pretty efficient. Chewing and drinking at the same time.”

“It sounds like a choking hazard,” Jason says when he sees the drink up close. “Do you remember that article I sent you about mochi?”

“If you find one about tapioca pearl related deaths, I promise I won’t make you come back.”

She pats his arm and smiles at him encouragingly. It’s the kind of smile that says, that reminds him that they wanted to experience being college students, being young and carefree, and this, this was part of the experience. It brings some comfort, her touch, her excitement over this drink, but the pop music blaring on the speakers is for sure going to play in his head while he’s on patrol later tonight, so, that’s great.

He heaves a sigh. “Let’s just get this over with.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be quick,” she squeezes past a couple who were in the middle of taking a selfie and Jason ducks his head in time to avoid being part of the photo. “Here’s the line. Whoa. Look at all her orders.”

A woman walks away from the receiving counter, both hands holding plastic bags filled with colorful drinks. Jason doesn’t think he’s ever had anything purple before and he’s sort of tempted to try it just so he could say that he did.

“Do you know what you’re getting?”

And, it seems like the wrong questions to ask, because she looks at him in surprise, mouth slightly open. It’s the same look she gets when she finds out that two of the items in her online shopping cart are on sale, but she can only afford to buy one of them.

“I mean, we have to get the best seller, right? But it’s just black tea, isn’t it? Is that playing it too safe? Should we get the seasonal drinks? Or the one with coffee. The coffee might be good. But it might be too early to have the caffeine…oh! There are juices, too! But would that be good with the pearls? I really want to try the pearls…but they have other toppings, too! Oh, wait, no, they’re called sinkers. Oh. I get it. Ha. So, there’s pudding and lychee and…grass jelly? What’s that? Jason, oh my god, there’s so many choices no wonder that lady ordered like twelve drinks! I—”

“Mouse,” Jason places his hand on top of her head, easily shutting her up like an alarm clock. “Breathe, would you?”

“Jason,” she gasps and the overwhelmed look in her eyes makes Jason smile. She really has no business looking that cute. “I should have done my research before we got here. Look, let’s just come back—”

“Welcome to the GCBT! What can I get for ya?”

“Noooo,” she groans out quietly, tucking her head into Jason’s chest, hiding. “I’m not ready…”

“Uhm,” the cashier begins, looking just about as uncomfortable as Jason feels. He loves his little mouse, he really does, but they’re in public.

“We’ll have two of your best seller, please,” Jason cuts in, taking out his wallet. “To go.”

…

Jason watches her stab her drink with the straw and mix the pearls around. He has his own drink in his hand, cooling his skin.

“Good call getting the milk tea,” she says, holding her drink closer like someone’s going to take it from her. “If this isn’t good, then nothing on their menu is, right? It’s what their brand should be known for.”

“Just drink it, mouse.”

“Yeah, of course, I, just, do I drink then chew or chew then drink?”

“You’re going to have to drink or else you’ll have nothing to chew.”

“Right, of course, well, here goes nothing.”

Jason watches the pearls shoot up the straw in rapid succession before she chokes on them. He already has a bottle of water ready for her, but she waves him off, hunched over, coughing. Jason should be concerned, really, feels the burn even on his end, but he sort of saw this coming. He’s just glad that she didn’t choke on any of the pearls or else he’d be completely useless to help her.

Death by secondhand tapioca choking did not seem like the way to go.

“So, chew first or…?”

“I, I hate you,” she wheezes out.

“I take it we’re not going back?”

She straightens, pushing her hair away from her face. There’re some tears in her eyes but the grin on her face tells Jason that she’s fine and that he’s not going to like her answer to his question.

“Jokes on you. I like it.” She mixes the pearls around with her straw once more before taking a sip, an actual sip because that’s what she should have done in the first place, approach it with caution.

“You literally choked.”

“You’re exaggerating,” she says, chewing on the pearls she managed to keep from going down her throat. “Try it.”

He tries to give his untouched drink to her. “I like living, thanks.”

“Oh,” she holds up her hand. “But unless you’ve tried bubble tea, you haven’t quite lived, Jason.”

“Mouse. It’s been two minutes. Don’t go preaching to me about the wonders of bubble tea.”

“It was life changing. I’m converted. I saw God.”

“Because you nearly died.”

“Just try it, Jason.”

“No thanks.”

“It’s good.”

“Alfred would never forgive me. It’s not tea.”

“Yeah, it’s bubble tea. It’s better.”

“Blasphemy!”

“Jason. Please?”

And the fact is, Jason doesn’t like trends, doesn’t particularly care if he’s on trend or not, but he’s always been weak to her, weak to her eyes, weak to her requests, so even if it kills him, at least he can say he died trying to make her happy.

…

“So? What do you think?”

“It’s…okay.”

“Shut up. You like it.”

“Fine, I do. But I’m never stepping foot in that shop again.”

“It’s alright. We can order it online.”

“Thank you.”

...

a/n: do you call it bubble tea or milk tea? pearls or boba?because where i live we call it milk tea and pearls, i don't know why i suddenly starting typing up bubble tea but here we are...

wanna see some art for this fic? check it out here

[bugs-and-grass]

Welp, analysis paralysis is kicking in. There are apparently a TON of bags and carriers for Pokemon who don't stay in a ball that I have no idea what to even get for Lychee. Anyone got any suggestions?

Also I don't have one for Chitters because she's small enough to fit in a single bag pocket. Lychee is very much bigger than her.

[ihartkimchi]

Straight outta Japan~🌸 (pt. 2)

This is just the part 2 of my original post since it got longer than I expected~

PRIMANIACS, GINZA

This picture isn’t actually mine, its from a twitter user called @/48juns !! During my time there it was heavy raining and I was just desperate to find some place dry!! I didn’t get to take pictures of the outside so this will do~ (ᗒᗩᗕ)

This place is pretty easy to locate since it’s just a 5 minute walk from the Yurakocha Station or a 2 minute walk from Ginza-itchome station which is the subway line.

Primaniacs is a lot more luxurious than I thought it would be lol, esp for an anime perfume shop but I guess its still is a perfume shop and perfume oils are expensive lol. 

The shop has 2 floors, the first floor consisted of the smaller bottles like the one’s above where you can sniff the fragrances and the cashier is also located here. The second floor is where you can test the products on your skin.

You pick the fragrance you want on the second floor and then tell the sales lady what you want, and then she’s gonna communicate with the first floor staff on her walkie talkie. By the time you reach the cashier, they have your perfume bagged and ready to go~ its really efficient!

I guess this is just for security reasons since the perfumes are pretty expensive and knowing how much anime fans they attract, this is their way to control the crowd.

My main objective in the store is to buy a Genshin perfume but I was surprised that even a relatively new anime like Blue Lock already had a perfume line! I wanted to try them out but unfortunately most of them are men’s perfume so I don’t think I’m gonna buy any of them in the future lol (ू˃̣̣̣̣̣̣︿˂̣̣̣̣̣̣ ू)

Men’s perfume just doesn’t work for me, I prefer gender-neutral/feminine scents. Although, in my honest opinion, Bachira’s smell’s the best but maybe that’s just bias talking since he’s Best Girl~ (〃 ω 〃)

Each perfume sells for about ¥6,600 for a 30ml perfume so it is pretty pricey~

Originally, my plan was to buy either Kaeya or Xiao’s perfume since those two are my favorite characters but upon smelling them, both are the type of perfumes that I’m not gonna wear. Both are men’s perfume with a bit of an ozoney smell which I am not a fan of.

These are the notes for Kaeya’s perfume!

TOP: Lime, Eucalyptus, Estragon

MIDDLE: Yuzu, Narcissus, Cedarwood, Lilas

LAST: Ozone Note, Moss, Floral Musk

While these are the one’s for Xiao!

TOP: Eucalyptus, Fennel

MIDDLE: Lilac, Cedarwood, Elemi, Anise

LAST: Sandalwood, Patchouly, Heliotrope, Amber

Like yeah, no wonder I didn’t like both of them lol! Kaeya has ozone notes while Xiao has heliotrope and anise- both scents that I hate lol. And listen, if I have to spend on expensive perfume I’d rather it’d be perfumes I can wear!

(┛◉Д◉)┛彡┻━┻

It ended up being a decision between Ganyu, Mona, or Hutao’s perfumes! I usually prefer gourmand scents but so far only Klee has gourmand notes but I ended up not liking the overall scent.

These are the notes for Ganyu’s!

TOP: Bergamot, Grapefruit, Apple, Pear Blossom

MIDDLE: Freesia, Jasmine, White Lily

LAST: Moss, Amber, White Musk

These are the notes for Hutao’s!

TOP: Cassis, Apple, Grapefruit

MIDDLE: Geranium, Freesia, Iris, Cyclamen, Ume

LAST: Raspberry, White Musk, Sandalwood, Labdanum

These are the notes for Mona’s!

TOP: Grapefruit, Lemon, Lychee, Pineapple

MIDDLE: Muguet, Jasmine, Spearmint, Marine Note

LAST: Musk, Cedarwood, Sandalwood

For those who don’t know how to read perfume notes, Top Notes means the smell it will have once you sprayed it, Middle Notes is what it’ll smell like in the first few minutes on your skin, and the Last Notes are the dried down smell on your skin which are the one’s that will last for hours.

I ended up buying Hutao’s since I have perfumes that smells similar to Ganyu’s and Mona’s! This perfume smells very much like Hutao, its playfully sweet!! If I have to describe the perfume in one word, it would be Mischievous!! 

It’s a sweet, fruity scent, perfect for a summer fragrance!

Tartaglia’s perfume also smells very nice, its gender neutral and I did consider buying it but I decided to do it next time instead. I can only afford one lol!

SHIBUYA PARCO

This is a shopping mall located in Shibuya and if you go to its 5th floor (if I remember correctly), the weeb stuff is located there!!

There’s ton of shops in there and the picture above is the shonen jump shop!! Lots of anime merch are available inside however, we arrived too late and the store was already closing!!  ˚‧º·(˚ ˃̣̣̥⌓˂̣̣̥ )‧º·˚

I was only able to get quick pictures inside before they started closing!

There’s also an area where you can measure you height and compare it to bnha characters!! This is also when I found out that Deku is taller than me  ˚‧º·(˚ ˃̣̣̥⌓˂̣̣̥ )‧º·˚

I’M SO SHORT TT.TT

There are also other weeb stores in the floor like the Capcom store and the Pokemon Center where a giant Mewtwo is located as well as an interactive Pokemon sound library!

AKIHABARA

Once you leave Akihabara station, the first things you’ll see are these Genshin ads on a post and they go on like forever!! They have like 2 characters per post and I just love how Scaramouche/Wanderer and Nahida shared the same post ☆⋆:∞.o(≧▽≦)o.∞:⋆☆

I love it when the ads are lore accurate!!

These are just some of them there are even more that I didn’t get to take pictures of cause of the rain.  ಥ_ಥ

Like this giant billboard of Baizhu! Also below it is the at home cafe which is the first maid cafe if I remember correctly. I ate there back in 2018, I’m glad the business is still going well for them! I had a great time there, I wish I could eat there again but as always the lines are sooooo long and we were too hungry to wait  ಥ_ಥ

There’s also an even bigger Nilou billboard, I tried wishing in front of it but sadly she didn’t come home lol, I’ll save my pity for Baizhu instead!

GACHAPONS~

I didn’t get to take pictures or videos inside the gachapon shop since it wasn’t allowed so imma just show you my haul!!

I spent over ¥3,000 on them, I did went a little over-budget since my original plan was to spend only ¥2,000 but I still have some spare coins left from vendo machines that I had to spend since we’re about to leave Japan anyways~ 

Money changing shops usually don’t accept coins so might as well just spend them!~ ( ´ ▽ ` )b

This is the entire haul of my gachapon adventures! I thought I got pretty lucky since I mostly got the characters that I liked!

The one I got the most is of course JJK!! Since it is my current hyperfixation!! Megumi one is more of a standard chibi figure while Gojo is a keychain! On the other hand Yuji and Suguru (or is it Mommy Kenjaku?? lol) are wire holders, that’s why they’re on all fours! 

They cost about ¥300 each, so pretty affordable!

I also got some BnHA figures! These two are a bit more expensive at ¥500 each! But they look better than the cheaper ones so I say its worth it!

I was going for Bakugo but unfortunately I didn’t get him, but I’m satisfied with Todoroki and Ochako~ ( ´ ▽ ` )b

And of course genshin! I’m so lucky I managed to get my baby girl Kaeya!!  And life imitates art with Barbruh lol, like of course I’ll get c69 Barbruh!! (≧∇≦)/

They cost about ¥300 each.

I also went ahead a grabbed some Chainsaw Man merch! They’re dual purposed since they can be a standing figure like this or they can be a key chain! I personally prefer the figure ones since I’m more likely to loose them as keychains (≧∇≦)/

They cost about ¥300 each.

I also managed to get a wire holder Genya from Demon Slayer, keychain IsaGOAT from Blue Lock, and this sleepy Chifuyu from Tokyo Revengers!~

They cost about ¥300 each.

This post is already getting too long so I’ll save the rest for the last part!

[magbld]

journaling as a tribute! #1

I don't really care who reads my entries or journalling honestly, what do you even gain? have some insight on my life. But I want to start blogging ? (hopefully that's the right term) about my life as I try to grow into a better person. This journal is a tribute to you! it'll be my outlet of how I would've talked to you about my day in our past. Today, I had an interview at the grocery store. I think it went well, I hope it went well LOL. God was it so crowded in there, I came early (about 5-10 mins before it was schedule) and my interviewer wasn't even there! What the fuck ! LOL. I was told to wait another 15 minutes for her to come and she did. It was so crowded, we had no where to sit. Do you know those stairs that lead to the botany? we literally sat behind it (sitting on boxes, she doodled my resume) as she spoke and questioned about me. I think it went well at least, I hope so! I'd like a little more money for the future at least. For my car, more specifically. I wish we were still together till I had my car, it would've been such a nice moment for me to be at that milestone with you. I would've loved that. I also thought about how much money I've spent on us in total! LOL it's so much, we burn through money like it's nothing. I don't regret it though, my memories are priceless. Otherwise, the 3 hours at Bath and Body Works a week is not cutting it (bruhhhh). The position I applied for was to be a fast-food counter attendant, you know the one who makes the banh mis(Viet sub)? I'm sure you had one at my place before, I'll become and expert at them. She asked if I wanted to work at the seafood if possible, I said NAH!!!! I'm literally allergic to crab. I think I would've died if I were to kill a crab. Otherwise, I think it went well; I'd get a call from them tomorrow around 4-5 if I got hired. I plan on doing my push workout today, calisthenics. I'll get started later on, my usual: 4x50 pushups superseded with 4x25 tricep pushups; 4x15 lateral raises superset with 4x12 shoulder press; 4x8 shoulder mobility work superset with 4x15-25 tricep extensions; then finally a superset with some other exercises I forgot to name. My older brother wants to work out with me again. although, I doubt we will, he doesn't have the interests in moving weights around. He's much more fitted for activity then a free weight regime. I saw a TikTok about a book called Heaven by Mieko Kawakami, I saw the ending part and it reminded me of you sadly. I think I want to read it no matter how heart shattering it may become for me LOL. I don't plan to code for the rest of the winter break, I can't urge the energy for it. I think I'll treat myself to a new backpack. I saw a sling bag ( I know you hated them ) but I want to get it. I think it'll look stylish with some outfits in my mind. It's called the S-ZONE Sling bag one strap on amazon. I plan to practice the guitar some more, I've learned D, A and E chords and who knows what'll learn next. I don't think I learn Brokeback mountain anytime soon. I can't bare my self too. I cried a few times last night (hard too! I haven't done that in a while. I'm glad you made me know I still have that in me) and a few times today. I told my mum we broke up and I had to walk away to tearfully pet lychee. My mum's not much of a help at all in this area bruh. She was like "okay! can't wait to see you bring an asian or white girl home" and I was like fuck no. I don't want to date anyone or see anyone anytime soon. I just wanted you. Although, it was a little funny. I know I've always told you that I was okay with ending things and I always braced/prepared myself for this. And I did. But god does it still hurt so fucking bad. I hope you're doing well, I miss you and love you still. I don't want to us to get back together (even though I selfishly really do) because I do not want you to have to decide or have issues with your self-identity. It's for the best for you and for me. I kept thinking of things we've done and places we've been to. It's crazy how much of an imprint you have on me.

[stupidblogtomessagewifey]

Alright. Just got back.

Story time:

So we went out earlier and she wanted to go to a tea place. The tea place was pretty much your average boba tea for the most part. She ordered a lychee drink and I ordered a sparkling fruit water. I was bummed because the choices weren't much different but the packaging was cute. So we drink our drinks in the shop and leave and as we're walking she says she feels sick; bloated and nauseous. I said okay and pulled over. We stood to the side for 5 minutes. Nothing. She said she was feeling better. (That was a lie. I already knew it.) So we start walking to our next destination and I stop because there's a good sale on garlic at a shop. (Yes I'm about to drag garlic all the way back home. Not the point.) And while I'm trying to order stuff she has to move to the side and throws up. She asks for a bag since we were carrying a few and I empty it out for her to tell me "I feel fine now." (Liar) And while I'm still trying to order she throws up again, into the bag. Now I've known her for years. She's older than me. And the last time she was sick she didn't make it to the bathroom and ended up puking on an elevator. (And again in the bathroom that day) :/ I told her, as soon as she started to feel sick to pull over. I don't like that she gets sick so easily. It worries me because her triggers are random asf.

-🌵

I would’ve cried. I hate throw up so if someone does it beside me.. I’m gonna cry.

[raincityruckus]

gif absolutely stolen from this set by @thewaythisis when the gif search failed me, thank you!

all dressed up with nowhere to go

triple frontier poly time - the boys x reader rated e for everyone/everyone tags for this chapter: outside the team jealousy/possessiveness, but there's no i in team, orgies as a team building exercise, if the canon conflicts with my specific desires that part of canon doesn't exist, low grade voyeurism/exhibitionism

"you" are on the team, call sign killjoy because it's my fave and i make all the rules

It's a little pathetic, really. That on a Friday night none of them have any plans. No one has anything better to do than meet up at Pope's last minute. But you're probably worse - you did have plans. You had a date.

And you still bailed for cheap beer and planning an only quasi legal job

chapter one: really get me going when you put it all on

You get the text on the way to the date.

Check it while you wait for a couple already drunk girls to meander across an intersection, arms laced and half walking half falling in their heels. You know you were like that once and you probably aren’t that much older than them but you feel older. Heels that high just aren’t an option for you anymore. Not with a fucky ankle and a hip that still aches sometimes. The lingering memory of a bad fall followed by a far too long hike to the pick up on your limp.

Got a job. We should talk.

Your thumb taps the steering wheel and you toss the phone and Pope’s message to the group chat into the passenger seat. Listen to it beep replies at you all the way to the parking lot across the street from the restaurant. It’s a nice place, supposed to be great sushi and fun cocktails. The perfect first date kind of place.

There is a lychee mojito with you name on it. All you have to do is get out of the truck, go inside.

read the rest on ao3

or

It’s been a while since you got this text. Long enough to break the pattern of getting home from a job only long enough to shower, do laundry, pay the phone bill and pack up again. Long enough that you've started to try and settle into whatever being "home" means.

To line up a date on a Friday night like a normal person. With a normal person.

I’ll bring beer is all Fish has to say about it, already a foregone conclusion that "we should talk" means now and at Pope’s place.

Ironhead and Benny are in without hesitation, the brothers deciding to drive together. 8 o’clock on a Friday night and no one has anything better to do than head to Pope’s house and start hashing out the details of whatever bad idea they’re throwing themselves at next. Your head thumps back against the seat.

Killjoy Will’s text startles you. The vibration of your phone in your hand makes her jerk, your focus a million miles away. You never bothered to turn off read receipts and they know you've seen the texts.

You should tell them you have a date, you're going to eat your weight in spicy tuna and flirt with a very cute mechanic with a neck tattoo and a pitbull rescue dog. They can do this tomorrow and you're already wearing false lashes. You're committed to this whole date thing.

OMW you say instead.

You go bag is in the back seat, a change of clothes and a couple make up wipes to take care of your face if they end up deciding this is something you're going to move on now. You pull back out of the lot the wrong direction on a one way street and give the driver of a little green Yaris the finger when he leans on his horn.

You swipe back to your dating app one handed, make a definitely illegal turn while texting.

So sorry you hesitate and delete it, try again Emergency work thing, rain check?

It’s way worse than cancelling plans, technically you're already a few minutes late and you're bailing with the weakest excuse in the world. But you did say she worked in private security, did warn that you have weird hours and get called out of town a lot. All of which is more or less true. Or is at least the truth with all the rough edges smoothed out and the blood washed off. You hope it buys you a little leeway here. But bailing on a first date 6 minutes after you should have been there doesn’t leave you very hopeful.

You peel off the fake lashes in the truck and toss them into an old Starbucks cup. Sure you could reuse them but this all feels like a sign. Fate reminding you that dating is for other people.

You're pulling in behind Will’s car when you get the alert from the dating app. You shove your phone into your bag and hurry up the stairs without checking it. Like a coward.

You're not sure you want to see it.

Curiosity gets the better of you when you get a second notification as you're letting yourself into Pope’s apartment.

You’re lucky you’re so cute.

and then

Rain check.

You huff out a sigh, tuck the phone away. It’s nice to hear but somehow you doubt it’s really sincere. Or it wont be after a few days of stewing, of talking to friends about the date that bailed at the very last minute for a “work thing”.

“Oh damn,” Benny says when you lean against the wall in the entryway to unbuckle the little strap on your sandals. The heel is relatively low, even being wedges, but they seemed like the right call for a date on a muggy August evening.

Pope gives a low whistle and you roll your eyes. In retrospect you're pretty sure the guys have never seen you dressed up.

“I’m underdressed,” Fish says, holding out a beer to you when you finally kick off the heels and join them in the kitchen.

“Literally always,” you agree, bumping your mouth high on his cheek when you take the beer from him. Your other hand plucks at the soft fabric of his shirt, this one a pattern of leaves in shades of green and black. It’s ugly for that specific value of ugly dad shirt that you actually like on him. It's been washed so many times that it’s soft to the touch.

“What’s with the dress?” Benny asks, leaning his elbows forward on the table and giving the dress a considering once over.

It’s a dark purple that looks good against your skin, a cotton that breathes well in the muggy summer heat and it falls loose around your body, long enough to hide the spray of pale scars across one thigh where shrapnel bit through your jeans and turned your leg to so much hamburger. There are a couple little pieces of metal which never came out but since they don’t seem to be causing any problems it’s not working cutting you open to fish them out.

A tan helps hide the scars but for all the time you spend in tropical locations you have precious few opportunities for sun worshiping.

“Don’t we have crime to discuss?” you ask, getting a nail under the tab of your beer. It’s still warm and the head spills up over your fingers, making you seal your mouth over the lip so it doesn’t make a mess of the floor.

You flick beer from you wet fingers at Benny.

“It’s not strictly crime,” Pope says, seesawing one hand. His grin is crooked and they all know that’s just semantics.

“You can’t do not strictly crime in a dress,” Benny points out.

“Women do crime in dresses all the time,” you roll your eyes “And heels.”

“Not our kind,” Fish has his legs sprawled out in front of him, hat tossed onto the table and he holds his beer in both hands, casually between his thighs. He looks utterly relaxed and his eyes sparkle when he teases you.

“You are like weirdly hung up on this dress thing,” you say, gesturing at all of them with your beer, “I know you’ve seen me in a dress before. I wore a dress to Benny’s last bout.”

“But this,” Will says from where he’s perched his hips against the kitchen counter, his voice low and slow in that way of his, “is a date dress. Do you have a date?”

Benny gives a low ooohh like the annoying younger sibling he is. He’s the only one to speak up. The kitchen is oddly quiet after Will’s question, his gaze steady on you in a way that makes you want to shift your weight. Fish looks over his shoulder to exchange a look you can’t decipher with Pope. You let your head fall back, squeezing your eyes shut for a second. Better to get it over with, rip the bandaid off. They��re never going to let it go without comment and the sooner they get to tease you, the sooner you can talk about the job.

And as much as you want to pretend that you can adjust to being home you want to talk about the job. You want to be on the job. Your hand itches for the weight of a gun and the idea of another month watering your plants and watching reruns is going to make you crazy.

“Yes, I had a date,” you say finally, resting your hip against the counter next to Will. Only Benny and Fish bother to sit at the table most of the time. Pope has his back leaned against the fridge, almost exactly opposite you, "past tense."

“Who are you going on dates with?” Pope asks and sometimes you wish they all cared less, that it was just a job. But after a certain amount of blood spilled and saving each other’s lives that’s just not possible. It all becomes family and they feel like they get to ask questions like that.

“A nice mechanic I met on Tinder,” you say, sounding petulant even to yourself. You cross your arms over your chest, “with sexy tattoos and a cute dog. But since I bailed on our first date for this little tete a tete I doubt there’ll be a second.”

There’s a weight in the air, something almost dangerous. But you know what danger feels like, the way it bites at the space between your shoulder blades and this isn’t quite it. This is pressure like a storm front moving in, something coming. You swallow like that might pop your ears. It doesn’t help and your next breath comes heavy. Pope isn’t looking at you, he’s looking at Ironhead and he makes that little head tilt of his. The one that’s technically agreement, that’s a “what can you do” without words.

“You got all dressed up for him,” Will says, fingers finding the hem of your skirt. You don't bother to correct his assumption, brows drawing together in a frown as you look up at him.

He seems much larger than he did a minute ago, his body closer, looming over you against the counter and he fills your field of vision. Your breath catches and everything feels different.

“Jealous?” you ask because you've never learned when to shut the fuck up.

Behind him Fish huffs out a laugh, his chair creaks when he moves and you can hear Benny say something low but you can't quite make it out. Will is like that when he wants to be, terribly distracting. His gaze drops, follows the low neck of your dress. If the skirt is modest to cover the scars on your thigh the plunging v of the neck more than makes up for it, revealing the swell of your breasts and making it hard to find a bra to wear under it. You take a shivering breath, knowing it lifts your breasts towards him but unable to help yourself when he seems to have pulled all the air from the room.

“You fuck on the first date?”

The question makes you blink, gaze searching his face. The jealousy is there, the heat that turns his pale blue eyes dark. But it doesn’t show in the lines of his face, in the soft relaxed bow of his lips. If you didn’t know him as well as you do - know him like the feel of blood on your hands and the quiet certainty that someone’s got your back - you'd think him totally unaffected.

“Ironhead,” Pope’s voice is quiet, relaxed in a way you somehow didn’t expect from this situation.

Not that anything about this situation is exactly something you expected.

“She’s fine,” he says, calm, detached, like he’s talking security rotations and egress. His other hand is propped behind you on the counter and you can feel the flex of his bicep against your back.

Pope’s still leaning against the fridge, hips rested back against it. He’s a long lean shadow in black denim and a dark henley tight enough that it hugs the curve of his shoulders, letting you see the movement of muscle as he lifts his beer to his lips. The air is charged, crackling with it. Lightning could strike right there in the kitchen and you wouldn’t be surprised. That storm front of pressure pushes down on you and makes it hard to breathe.

Will’s hand skims up the cotton over your thigh, finds a place to rest on the lower curve of your stomach. It’s oddly intimate for a not strictly sexual place to touch. The fabric bunches in his hand and he starts to gather it into his fist, pulling it up your legs.

You don't flinch when the first of the scars are revealed, don’t worry about the reaction to them. They’ve seen them. They have their own. Your hand closest to him finds the outside of Will’s arm, fists into his polo. It’s odd, having him crowded up on one side of you and making you feel so caged in and simultaneously so on display. You don't push him away.

The cotton skims against the top of your thighs and your hand falls to his elbow, the other finding his wrist. For a second he stills, leaves the skirt where it is - barely covering you. His grip isn’t particularly tight and you could push him away if you wanted to. You could pull his wrist across your body, pop his elbow with the heel of your other hand by pushing up on it with surprisingly little force. You don't do any of those things and Will tugs the fabric higher.

“Well?” Will asks, “She dressed to fuck on the first date?”

Someone makes a low hiss between his teeth and you aren't sure who it is. There’s a split second after Will tugs your skirt high enough to reveal your panties that your brain just blacks out. Like all of this is too much to process without a reboot. You know what they see, the black lace that shows a hint of skin through it. That it’s more of a tease than a barrier.

“Yeah,” the voice is Fish’s and you blink to clear your vision, find him still sprawled back in his chair watching you. His gaze drags up from between your thighs to meet yours and he cocks his head to one side. His crooked smile carves a line at one side of his mouth, “black lace is meant to be appreciated.”

“Black lace?” Will asks and gives a low whistle. Even though he’s the one touching you, the one instigating he’s also the one who can’t actually see you. His hand slides down, only the way it bunches at his wrist keeping your skirt up.

You both make a soft pant for air when his fingers find the slightly rough kiss of lace as he cups his palm over you.

“It’s a thong,” Pope bets, cutting through the private moment of that shared breathlessness. Somehow his intrusion doesn't break the moment, just expands it. Because it’s right that Pope be there, expected.

Fish’s chair creaks when he leans forward, braces his elbows on his knees. You can see down the shirt where he leaves the top few buttons undone, see gold skin and the dip of his collarbone. You hiss out a slow breath, think about putting your tongue in it.

Will raises his eyebrow in question but you just shrug. His smile is a flash of teeth. If they want to know if it's a thong, they can do their own recon. You're not going to make it easy for them.

Which is a thought that makes you feel like you're losing your grip on reality. All of this is so outside the realm of expectation it feels like maybe it's a dream. Like maybe you had an accident and you're bleeding in your brain. But Will's hand is hot and heavy against your skin, anchoring you into the moment.

“You don’t dress up for us,” Benny says, looking up from where he was dragging his finger through a ring of condensation on the table. Some weight shifts in his shoulders like he comes to a decision and you know without him having to say it that for a second there he was doing the same math you were: Is this thing happening? Does this break things? Can they weather this change?

You think you must have come to the same conclusion because you're relieved that he’s playing along, that he’s in.

“Sure I do,” you say, voice thick. Which is ridiculous because Will is barely touching you, his hand just cupping you. But you can feel the hot air Pope’s fan is trying to make a breeze of against your thighs, against the scrap of black lace Will’s revealed.

“I don’t think body armor and an M16 counts,” Pope says, his grin making his eyes dance behind the can as he finishes his beer. He sets it on the counter with a couple of other empties next to his coffee maker and jar of coconut oil they’d all teased him for, gone liquid in the heat of the apartment.

You can relate. Your legs feel liquid, like they can hardly hold you up.

“Doesn’t it though?” Will’s voice is husky and when you turn to look at him he’s so close your noses bump. He doesn’t quite kiss you but his head shifts, his nose brushing against yours until your lips bump, open mouthed.

His lips are chapped.

“I’ve always been partial to body armor,” Frankie says and when he holds his hand out to you, you take it and let him pull you towards him. Will doesn’t hold onto you, doesn’t try to cage you in against the counter.

His jealousy doesn’t extend to the rest of the team, apparently. You kind of knew it wouldn't. Frankie’s hand is warm and dry when he curls it around yours and pulls you forward until you're straddling his lap. Your arms go around his shoulders and his hands find your thighs just above the knee, your skirt bunching at his wrist. His thumbs draw circles on your skin and one hand sinks into the long hair at the base of his skull. You can see concern in eyes.

The concern isn't entirely misplaced. If what you think is happening here is happening here... Some things you can’t pretend didn’t happen. None of you are anywhere near drunk enough to brush it off as a dumb, drunk thing you did once, never to be discussed again. This is a clear eyed decision you're all making. You scrape your nails softly against his scalp and he tips his head back into the touch, hands sliding farther up your thighs.

“You don’t dress to get undressed for us,” Benny amends, leaning forward with his elbows on the table.

You and Fish are sort of sideways to the table and you have to twist your body to face Benny. One arm braces on the table as you lean across it towards him. His gaze follows the column of your throat down to the cleavage revealed by your dress, emphasized by how you're leaning towards him. He’s lucky he’s cute or that shit eating grin might be annoying.

“You don’t know that,” you say, pitching your voice to a conspiratorial stage whisper. Fish’s fingers find the edge of your panties, “I could wear lace under my kevlar.”

“Fuck,” Pope says and Benny’s hand slides into your hair, pulls you the last few inches to his mouth.

[melodyofmbaku]

Like a Cream Puff (T’Challa x OC)

Prompt: “You deserve some sex.”

Word Count: 1,072

Warnings: Domestic Fluff & Implied Sexual References

She caught sight of the box from her favourite bakery and sat right up.

“Did you get the one with the —“

“Lychee? Yes.” He replied busying himself around the room and plating the large cream puffs.

His back was turned as he shuffled around the various takeout bags on their chest of drawers.

She caught a glimpse of the Popeyes bag in his hand and bit her lip in anticipation.

“Did you get the chicken mild? Because the spicy one —“

He cut her off. “Gives you heartburn? I know that mama.” He replied in amusement, back still turned.

“And I asked for lemonade. The one from —“

“Burger King? It’s right here.” He continued lifting up the large cup and shaking it lightly.

Perspiration beaded on the exterior of the cup and Corina heard the ice meet the sides rhythmically. It soothed her.

She was probably doing the most but she couldn’t help it.

When he shot her a look over his shoulder she smiled sheepishly.

He walked over with a plate of cream puffs and chicken tenders and placed them on the nightstand, before sitting on the edge of the bed.

He grabbed her hand in his. Admiring the smooth skin

He pinched the inside of her wrist softly and her eyes shot up to meet his.

“I listen to everything you say. I may not say much but I lock it away right up here.” He pointed to his temple with one hand while rubbing circles on her hand in the other.

“I know… thank you. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” She leaned forward and placed a grateful kiss on his cheek.

“Go ahead.” He encouraged her to eat what she had asked him for.

She reached for the plate, settled it on her lap and paused.

Her eyes began to water. What had she done to deserve this man?

It was 8:30pm on a Sunday night and they had just packed in for the night. Corina was 7 months along her second pregnancy but never got less demanding when it came to her cravings.

So when she tried (and failed) to curb her wants she had sheepishly asked her husband for the snacks their baby demanded.

T’challa got up without complaint to get what she wanted even though he had a slew of meetings the next day.

Without question.

“You always take such good care of me”. Before she could stop them tears were rolling down her face, she tried to blink them away rapidly.

Her damn hormones had her crying *all* the time.

He had an almost baffled look on his face.

“Of course I do. You’re my everything. I’ll always take care of you and your needs. You’re my woman. It's my job.”

He brushed away the tears that slid down her face with his fingers.

“No more crying please.” He requested.

She laughed in a watery fashion before quickly wiping away her tears. She sniffed.

“Okay.”

“Now eat your chicken before it gets cold.”

“Yes sir.” She threw up a mock salute.

Ignoring his direct request she went for the cream puffs instead. Grabbing the large pastry with a delicate hand. She lifted it to her mouth and bit into the cream puff and couldn't contain her moan.

The cream had a slight tartness to it and the crisp of the pastry created a melody in her mouth.

She heard him laughing quietly to himself.

“That good huh?”

“Uh huh.” She nodded as she licked some cream from the center of the puff.

He watched as she did a little happy dance before taking a chicken tender in her other hand and biting into it.

She shimmied her shoulders as she chewed.

He loved seeing her like this. Happy. Fulfilled.

“T’challa you deserve some sex. After this I’m going to give you some.” she promised shoulders still moving.

He shook his head at her, adorning eyes admiring her.

“Sounds like a plan.” He said knowing that as soon as his wife finished her food she would knock right out.

When she made it to the end of her tender she did the most pregnant woman thing ever. Almost like she was fighting an urge she dipped the chicken tender in the cream and popped it in her mouth.

T’challa worked hard to school his features, but had to turn his head to the wall to prevent himself from teasing.

“It’s good.” She said defensively.

“I’m sure it is mama.” He pat her leg before standing up and heading to his closet to change back into his sleepwear.

It gave Corina enough time to polish off her snacks and wash her hands.

She had just finished settling into the bed when she saw her man approach.

He was shirtless and wore a pair of sleep shorts that hit his mid thigh. Quite frankly he was dressed like a slut. She wanted some of that.

She stared at his thighs hungrily and he was completely oblivious to her oogling.

When he settled into the bed and reached to turn his lamp off Corina's hand stopped him.

He turned his head slightly.

“What’s up?”

“It’s your turn.”

“Hm?”

She leaned over and slipped what she could of her hand around his torso. Her bump restricted her movements but she was a woman on a mission

He covered her hand with his in comfort.

“It's time for you to fill me up like a cream puff.”

T’Challa gave her a blank stare before cringing.

“That… that was so bad.” He snickered.

“C’mon baby. I want it.” She pouted, sliding her hand over her husband's package.

She rubbed him gently before trying to slip her hand down his shorts.

“Cor —“

He turned around and grabbed her hands, now he was facing her.

“What’re you doing?” He asked esparated.

She looked down. “This one may want some company in there.”

She rubbed her belly looking up at him with wide eyes. She watched him swallow. She decided to press forward.

“You never know.” She shrugged.

Now they both knew that was very impossible. But T'challa's dick liked hearing it anyways.

He groaned.

She knew how much he loved her pregnant and this was all she needed to use to get him right when she wanted him.

Inside her.

___

A/N: Hope you like this one. I have some one shots with Erik on the way :) Not much progress on In Between the Lines but working on it! Always open to requests ✨

[cablesscutie]

Inspired by @hayleynfoster’s comic and some hilarious headcannons about the littlest steambaby with Hayley and @favlie​

Read it on AO3

1.

The day Avatar Aang comes to meet his second niece, Fire Lord Zuko refuses to let his youngest child out of sight.  Katara rolls her eyes, and reminds her husband that neither of their children had ended up psychologically disturbed because of their flights.  “Not,” she adds, pointing at Aang, “that I am allowing a repeat, but I think just holding her while firmly on the ground will be fine.”

“Mmmm,” Zuko hesitates, curling Kallik closer to his chest.  Her big eyes blink up at the adults guileless from her blanket.  “No.”

“You let Azula hold her!” Aang argues.

“She doesn’t do anything with the babies!” Zuko shoots back.  It’s not strictly true, he knows, but his sister’s ritual with newborns is unsettling in a much different way.  She simply stares deep into each child’s eyes upon being handed them, until some kind of understanding passes between her and the baby.  Results have varied, but the most important part is that there was no threat to life and limb.  

Katara’s raised eyebrow says that she also doesn’t believe Zuko’s words, but she doesn’t say anything.  They are, after all, a united front - to the children, to politicians, to their friends.  In the privacy of their chambers, however, he knows he will be hearing about this.

2.

Katara and Zuko take the kids to spend Kallik’s first birthday at the South Pole.  It’s a tradition they’ve observed with all three, and Zuko always looks forward to going to visit her family.  The house is loud and chaotic, full to bursting with people, the exact opposite of his own lonely childhood.  There is no posturing, and everyone loves and squabbles openly.  On this particular visit, they have overlapped with Aang’s stay with Sokka and Suki, so Gran-Gran’s house is in even more of an uproar than usual by the time Zuko and Katara arrive.

Kya immediately dashes off to coo over her little cousins as they toddle around behind Pakku, pretending to be otter penguins.  Satoshi runs to the kitchen to be showered in kisses and cookies from Gran-Gran.  Hakoda finds them barely out of their parkas and already thoroughly abandoned.

“I could’ve sworn you had at least one other child,” he tells Katara, scratching his head as he pretends to search for his missing grandchildren.  She laughs and hugs her father tight.  Neither of them let go for long moments, and Zuko’s throat feels tight when he notices his father-in-law’s misty eyes.  He looks down at Kallik, thinks of his other two children, and wonders for the thousandth time how Hakoda could ever forgive him for keeping Katara so far away.  It’s why he hands his daughter over easily when her grandfather waggles his fingers expectantly and says, “Alright, give her here.”

Hakoda settles Kallik on his hip with practiced ease, and pulls Zuko into a brief hug with his free arm.  “Good to see you, son.”  

Zuko clears his throat.  “You too,” he says, and Katara laughs softly at his awkward shuffling, amused by how he doesn’t know what to do with his hands without a baby in his arms.  She answers his question by lacing their fingers together as she leads him deeper into the house to find her brother and their friends seated around the hearth fire watching the kids run around.

Hugs are exchanged all around, and Zuko settles into their familiar company.  Hakoda joins them after taking Kallik to say hello to Gran-Gran and Pakku, and bounces the baby on his knee to make her laugh.  Aang makes silly faces at her that have her letting out piercing giggles and reaching out to try and grab at the wooden beads of his necklace.

“Well clearly she’s bored of me,” Hakoda says, making to hand her off to her uncle.  “Here you go -”  Zuko leans over and intercepts.

“Oh no.  No baby catapult,” he says, shaking his head.

Aang gives him a pout to rival Momo.  “Come on, we’re indoors!”  Katara clears her throat, and when Zuko glances over, her eyes are narrowed at him.  With a sigh, he holds Kallik out to Aang.

“Fine.  But I’m watching you.”

3.

Extended family vacations to Ember Island always sound like a good idea to Katara.  At first.  When her husband is burnt out and aching, and the kids are climbing the walls, and she just wants to lie in the sun with a book, it seems like the cure for everything.

And then they arrive.  Somehow, much like she forgets the excruciating pain of childbirth, she never recalls the onslaught of chaos and catastrophe that comes every vacation.  Like the time Sokka got stung by a jelly-ray.  Or the time Suki and Zuko got in a fight about disciplining each other’s kids.  Or the time every single one of the kids managed to get sunburnt and couldn’t sleep.  Every year, it’s always something, and somehow, it usually ends up being at least partially her problem to solve.

This year, though, is somehow turning out alright.  They reach day three without major incident, and almost entirely without tears - a near miracle for a vacation involving five children under the age of ten.

“I’m almost done with my first book already,” she tells Zuko as they rock slowly in a hammock on the deck, whispering in hopes of keeping any listening spirits from knowing that she’s gotten her hopes up.

“Good, you deserve the break,” Zuko says.  He looks on the verge of sleep despite the fact that the sun is still climbing in the sky.  The dark circles beneath his eyes are already faded almost to nothing.  She sighs happily and grabs her book, but before she can actually crack it open, she hears Toph cackling and her Mom Senses light up.  Zuko calls after her in surprise as she leaves the hammock swaying wildly behind her, but she doesn’t look back on her way to the beach.  

When she arrives, it is just in time to see Toph pick up Kallik, a wicked smile on her face.  Sokka and Suki’s twins are further down the beach standing beside Aang, both of them jumping up and down with excitement, waiting for something.

“Go long, Twinkle Toes!”  Katara’s eyes go wide, and faster than should be possible, she reaches them, yanking Kallik out of Toph’s hands.  “Hey!”

“Absolutely not!”  Katara says, scowling.

“I was gonna catch her!”  Aang shouts.  Katara shakes her head.

“This is not happening.  No way.”  Then, silently lamenting the loss of quiet time with her husband, Katara looks at the twins and asks, “Who wants to go get some ice cream?

4.

At Zuko’s request, his birthday is not a big deal with his family.  It’s a combination of the fact that the entire Fire Nation loses its mind about the day anyway, so he is all but forced to spend a day attending a festival in his honor, and the fact that he is used to his birthday being a marker of all the disappointments he has been in the past year.  It is a long-standing compromise with his wife that she is allowed to throw him a small, family-only party, to be kept within the bounds of the garden.  He enjoys the excuse to get everyone together without a barrage of meetings involved, and the rest of their family is so boisterous in comparison to him, he can almost forget that the day has anything to do with him at all.

For his thirtieth birthday, he makes the further concession of allowing Uncle to set up his new phonograph so there could be dancing.  Zuko is manning the crank, watching Katara and Kya swing each other around while Aang sits next to him, flipping through the records looking for the right song.

“Do you have a request too?” Zuko hears him ask, and turns to see Kallik has toddled away from Uncle Iroh and approached the Avatar.  She puts her hands on his knees and starts bouncing, flashing him a smile that shows all of her new teeth.  “You want upsies?” Aang coos, and reaches to scoop her up by the armpits.  Zuko clears his throat loudly, shooting Aang his best murder eyes, and the Avatar shrinks back into the collar of his robes a little.  “What about dance party?”  He lets Kallik grab onto his fingers and starts hopping around with her to the beat, hunched over and both of them giggling.

5.

“Oh Uncle Aaaaang!” Kya sings, striding out into the garden where Appa has just landed. She has Kallik on her hip, and Satoshi follows along at her heels, excited to see Appa and Momo again.  His pockets are already full of lychee nuts for his fuzzy friends.

“Hey guys!” Uncle Aang calls, his gangly arms waving excitedly.  “Are you the welcoming committee now?”  He lands in front of them on a gentle breeze, setting down his bag and grinning broadly.

“Mom and Dad are in a meeting,” Kya informs him.  “But somebody wanted to go for a little flight.”  She hitches the toddler higher and winks conspiratorially.  “If you catch my drift.”  Uncle Aang’s eyes go wide, and he looks between the kids with unease.  Satoshi feels terror grip his throat.  He knew his big sister was crazy, but would she really…?

“Oh I dunno, your Dad was pretty...adamant...that you all are grounded until further notice.”  Satoshi lets out a sigh of relief.

“Dad’s in a meeting,” Kya reiterates, as though being in a meeting involves entering another dimension.  She should know better, her brother thinks to himself.  Mom and Dad always find out when they’re up to no good, and as the sibling who’s usually leading the charge into trouble, Kya should definitely have that figured out by now.  Uncle Aang should absolutely know that by now, but with horor, Satoshi realizes that the Avatar is looking a little bit convinced.  “And we’re not gonna tell on you,” she wheedles.  Speak for yourself, Satoshi thinks, glancing around to see if there are any guards within earshot if he calls for their parents.  Sadly, it seems nobody has realized that the Avatar requires careful supervision.

“Well…” Uncle Aang considers, then comes to his decision, smiling once again.  “Alright, I guess one can’t hurt.  Who’s going?”  

Kya moves to offer Kallik to him, her tiny hands reaching out and making grabby motions.  Satoshi’s world goes into slow-motion.  There’s a roaring in his ears, and as if from outside his body, he hears his own voice say,

“I am.”  Kya and Uncle Aang blink at him, stunned.  Their uncle is the first to recover, and asks,

“Are you sure, kiddo?  I mean, you weren’t the biggest fan when you were a baby…”

“I want to try again,” he makes himself say, despite his sweating palms.  Uncle Aang grins and ruffles his hair.

“That’s the spirit!  You get that from your dad.” 

As his uncle’s hands grab him under the armpits, Satoshi hears Kya mutter, “It’s the self-sacrificing idiot gene,” and then he is gone.  As he soars through the air, he wonders if maybe his body hasn’t even left the ground yet.  He can’t feel anything.  Maybe he just died of panic and this is just his soul taking off for the spirit world.

Then he reaches the height of his arc and starts plummeting back to Earth, and the sensation of all his internal organs rattling around asserts the fact that he is very much still alive and experiencing this.  He closes his eyes before he gets anywhere close to the ground, so it comes as a surprise when he comes to a sudden stop, cradled briefly by robes smelling of hay and bison fur, before being deposited back on his feet.

“How’s the weather up there?” Uncle Aang asks him, patting him on the back.  Satoshi doesn’t know what the weather was like.  He doesn’t know anything except that solid ground beneath his feet may have replaced his mother’s hugs as his favorite feeling in the world.  He meets Kya’s eyes, and sees from her horrified expression that he must look like as much of a husk of a child as he feels.

A quiet, affectless “Thank you,” is all that he can manage to say, and then he is wandering back into the palace, where he shoves his head into the nearest antique vase and screams.

+1

“Psst.”  A small sound behind him has Aang on alert.  The Fire Nation Royal Palace hasn’t been a place of danger for years now, but with Toph and Sokka around, the probability of sneak attacks has risen a hundred fold.  He doesn’t see anything though, and goes to turn back around, only to be caught by a surprisingly firm grip on his cape.  About two feet below where he’d expected to find his assailant, Aang comes face to face with his youngest niece, Kallik.  Her expression is the same determined furrow of the brow that Katara and Zuko have shared for so long it is impossible to tell which parent bestowed the trait on her.  It has the eerie effect of summoning the terrifying force that is their combined will.  Aang already knows that whatever she wants from him, he’s going to cave, and it will probably get him in trouble.  “I hear you’re in the business of yeeting kids.  I want in.”

Aang sighs.  Zuko has been trying to prevent this day since the moment Aang met Kallik, and Kallik has been trying to evade her father’s overprotective tendencies since the moment of her existence.  It is a battle Katara has elected not to fight, likely remembering her own impossible stubbornness and the futility of trying to stand against it.  So it is with all of that knowledge that he says, “Okay.”

“Flameo!” Kallik cheers, punching at the air.

“Well ‘flameo’ was actually more of a greeting -”

“Let’s save the fun facts.  I wanna fly.”  With a creeping sense of dread, Aang follows the child pulling him along by the cape until they reach a courtyard.  Kallik turns to face him, plants her feet, and rubs her palms together.  “Alright,” she says, spreading her arms wide.  “I’m ready.”

“Here we go...I guess,” Aang says, glancing over his shoulder as he reaches out to scoop her up by the armpits.  The coast is clear, so he swings her around in circles a couple of times to get ready.  As his niece starts to giggle, the garden blurs, and wind ruffles his robes, Aang feels the giddy anticipation of liftoff.

He hoists Kallik, up, up, up.

And then her momentum carries her out of his hands, and the wind that has built up around them propels her even higher.  Her already small body shrinks until she looks more like the shadow of a bird in the night sky, clearing the palace roofs.  A happy shriek pierces the air.  Aang smiles, feeling her wonder as if it is his own.  This is always the best part of someone’s first flight - witnessing them discover the wind anew - and while taking Air Acolytes to glide at the Northern Air Temple is fun, nothing compares to sharing this part of his culture with his nieces and nephews.

Kallik tumbles back into his arms, eyes wide with wonder, ecstatic grin plastered across her face.  “Again!” she cries, the moment breath rushes back to her.  

Aang laughs and holds her on his hip.  As he always does, he asks, “How’s the weather up there?”

“The moon is huge!  And I could see the whole city!  And the ocean!”  Kallik’s pudgy hands move in broad, sweeping gestures so similar to her mother’s bending as she speaks.  He still remembers Katara’s delighted gasp the first time she flew, Toph’s bruising grip, Zuko’s shocked laugh.  This moment, too, will be another piece of the Air Nomad legacy living on.

As Aang tosses Kallik yet again, Katara finds Zuko leaning against a pillar at the edge of the courtyard, watching.  She approaches her husband, curious to find that he isn’t having a coronary at the sight of their daughter in freefall, and takes hold of his arm.

“You gonna yell at him?” she asks, feigning nonchalance.  He doesn’t look away from them, but he is smiling, serene.

“Eh, she seems fine.”

[mediocre-writerr]

walk with you [the wilds girls]

the wilds girls x platonic reader

requested: Heyyy, can you write a part 2 for only angel? Where maybe reader doesn't understand why the girls are so protective of her and still tries to go to the woods on her own. But the girls stop her and they tell her how scared they were when she got lost and how much she means to them? Like it could be a mix between angst and fluff, idk i just love the way you write

*not my gif*

You were tired of it. The constant nagging and the constant checking up on you. You knew you were the youngest and you knew that after what happened last time they would be on edge. But this was a whole different feeling.

All of the girls were sleeping and Toni and Shelby were on the hunt for food. So you decided to sneak away. You hated feeling like you were useless! You just couldn’t handle it anymore!

You were about to sneak out into the jungle when you ran face to face with Toni and Shelby, “Where do you think you’re going?” Shelby asked with her arms crossed.

You sighed and Toni grabbed you by your forearm, pulling you towards the campsite. Shelby dropped the lychees that she was carrying and Toni’s voice awoke the girls from their sleep, “Who was on Y/N duty?!”

Nora’s eyes widened before raising her hand softly, “I’m not a task that you have to take care of! I’m a year younger than all of you! I can handle myself! Stop treating me like I’m some fragile little being!” you finally broke, frustrated at the girls treating you like some sort of chore.

Fatin stormed over to you and lifted up your shirt. It revealed the still healing wound from when you last went out and cut yourself.

“That’s the thing Y/N! You are a fragile being! This is what happened last time you went out on your own!” she yelled.

You ran your hand over your face, “And who allowed me to go out there anyway?” you looked pointedly at Fatin and Toni for being so hyprocitical.

“Do not talk to them like that.” Shelby scolded.

“Then stop talking to me like you’re my mom!” you screamed, “Why do you care so much anyway?!”

“That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.” Leah whispered, “Why do we care so much? Hmm let me think about that. Maybe it’s the way that you comfort me every time I have an episode.”

Leah started pacing back and forth, trying to figure out how Shelby keeps finding all these bags. Her nails were just non-existent at how much she chewed on them.

“What are you hiding Shelby?” she asked.

She was on the verge of a mental breakdown and you could see it.

“What?” she shot back.

“What the hell are you hiding? You keep finding all of these bags and they just magically happen to have everything we need. It’s like-it’s like you know how we got here. So what the fuck are you hiding?”

And that’s all it took for you to rush over towards her. You raised your hands up in surrender, “I need you to take a breath Rilke. Shelby isn’t some secret agent spy.”

Leah shook her head, “No, no! She knows something! She’s hiding something!” You took a step closer to her and you shook your head, mumbling ‘shh’s’ to her. Leah started mumbling to herself, over and over again, “She’s hiding something. Someone’s lying.”

You placed your hands on her face, rubbing small circles around her cheekbones, “It’s okay. Shelby’s not hiding anything. None of us are. We’re okay.” you embraced her in a hug and you could feel her take her nail out of her mouth and hug you back.

“Or maybe it’s the way you teach all of us to take a breath and have fun.” Dot suggested.

“Can we do a sandcastle building competition?” you asked, out of the blue.

All of the girls were pacing around, trying to figure out how to start this dumb fire. And of course you were stuck lying in the ground because none of them wanted your help.

“Y/N, really?” Rachel asked, gesturing to all of the firewood on the floor.

You propped your head onto your hands, looking up at the girl, “Well none of you are letting me help and I think it’ll be fun! I’m so bored and all of you look like you need a break.”

All of the girls took a pause from what they’re doing before eventually nodding. The teams were you, Toni, Leah, and Shelby. Against Martha, Dot, Rachel, and Nora. Fatin was the judge.

The sandcastle was going well until Dot decided she wanted to play dirty and “tripped” onto your sandcastle. The castle tumbled, like a building demolition blowing up.

“Dot!” you yelled.

You threw a plop of sand at Dot and her eyes widened before screaming, “SAND-BALL FIGHT!!”

Wet, soft sand went flying everywhere. They landed onto everyone with a soft, yet satisfying plop. Toni went behind you and picked you up throwing you into the shallow end of the water.

And that’s where everyone ended up at the end of the day. In the ocean, the stress of the world, long forgotten.

“Y/N we care so much because you mean so much to us.” Martha chimed in giving you a sincere look.

“I know we’re always nagging you about being careful, but you’ve really become like a baby sister to us. And we don’t want to lose you because you have this whole life ahead of you.” Nora continued.

“So do you!” you pointed out as stubborn as ever, “I don’t want to lose any of you either.”

“I know, but we just want to keep you safe.” Dot adds.

“I get that, but I also feel like I’m a baby sometimes. Useless, you’re all out here risking your lives and I’m sitting here on the sidelines. You need to let me do somethings. If something were to happen to you guys and all I did was sit here, I couldn’t live with myself for that.” you tried to convince them and they all let out a sigh.

Shelby embraced you in a tight, mother like hug. It felt like the way your mom would hold you when you were sad and she’d just cradle you in her arms until you were okay.

“How about this? The first few things you do one of us will be with you and slowly, but surely you’ll do things on your own okay?” Toni asked and you nodded.

“We love you Y/N. I hope you know that.” Rachel convinced and you nodded.

“I love you guys too.”

///

tag list: @hstoria @yourssincerelyj @shalifoestilinski @greysky22

[appleciders]

the girls + giving

okay so as usual, i was in the middle of making a set when i got interested in something! i was thinking about the times that we see the girls give each other things—physical, material things. and as i’m having a lazy sunday, i went about and documented them. let me know if you see something i missed!

the times the girls give things to each other individually:

Shelby gives Martha the shirt off her back to wrap her ankle

Nora gives Leah Jeff’s book back

Dot gives Rachel the mirror

Nora gives Rachel her lucky shammy (flashback)

Shelby gives Martha medication (at Dot’s instruction)

Fatin gives Martha her dad’s watch

Nora gives Leah her journal

Fatin tries to give Toni water (unable to take it)

Fatin gives Martha water

Shelby gives Toni medication (right pill chosen by Dot, Leah tried but was unable to give it to her)

Nora gives Toni water

Shelby gives Martha her suitcase

Dot gives Rachel the lighter

Toni tries to give Shelby water (rejected)

Fatin gives Leah medication (at Dot’s instruction)

patterns i see just on a brief look (again please feel free to add more thoughts!!):

Nora and giving Leah books that make her spiral

Dot and the indirect giving of medication, which makes sense

Shelby and giving medication, Shelby and giving to Martha

Dot and giving Rachel tools that show her respect and faith in Rachel and hold deeper symbolism (the lighter = leadership and Dot wanting to abdicate the role as “anybody’s guiding light” and you can see my post about the mirror if u search ‘mirror’ on my blog lol)

the offering of water as a recurring theme

these obviously exclude the giving of less literal things—hugs, piggyback rides, comfort, pep talks, life-saving actions. also excludes giving between the eight + others, like dot and the gifts between herself and her dad, and the agents and the giving of food/drink.

i then went on to look at the giving that the girls do to the group as a whole, as opposed to a single person:

Dot gives them her phone

Dot and Nora give the cans of diet coke

Fatin gives them her clothes (interesting to note that she first gives the clothes to Martha, which parallels her giving her the watch later on)

Dot gives them the alcohol minis

Toni gives them Marcus

Shelby gives them the pilot’s bag

Rachel Leah and Nora give them the black box

Fatin gives them water

Dot gives them boiled water

Rachel gives them the mussels

Shelby gives them Jeanette’s bag

Martha gives them the edibles

Martha gives them the goat

Shelby and Toni give them the lychees

again, obviously excludes the less concrete things each girl brings to the table. i don’t have as many thoughts about these, but would love to hear some if u guys do!

[littlelovelyspiderling]

Weaknesses

I watched Avatar: The Last Airbender and my hand slipped oops, I promise I have more spidey stuff coming soon!

Zuko is captured while pursuing the avatar gang. They want to know what he knows about the Fire Lord, but they don’t want to hurt him to get him to talk. A hungry Momo enlightens them on how to do just that. 

word count: 6,236

_________________________________

This was not the outcome Zuko had been anticipating. Bond to a chair made of earth, arms pinned behind his back, legs cemented in place, hands and feet encased in rock no amount of wrenching or fire bending could loosen. Caught and subdued by the avatar and his gang when he was certain he’d had the drop on them. Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph stood around him, arms crossed and eyes steely. No matter what he tried, he couldn’t move. 

After his uncle had fallen asleep, Zuko had spotted the avatar’s bison flying overhead, and snuck away in the night to track them. When he found their campsite, he moved in to try to capture Aang, being as silent and stealthy as possible. But, much to his surprise, hardly a step and a half into his scheme, an earth bending girl rose from one of the tents and captured him instead, trapping him in his current position. Now, instead of the avatar being in his custody, the banished prince of the Fire Nation was in the avatar’s custody. And he was not happy about it.

“Let me go!” Zuko hissed, pulling at his restraints even though he knew it was pointless. Sokka scoffed.

“We’ll pass, thanks.” He and the others stood a few paces back from Zuko so that he couldn’t reach them with any breath-related fire moves—a threat they had deduced rather quickly. 

“Good work, Toph,” Katara said, patting the smaller girl on the back. “That could’ve been really bad.”

Toph shrugged and grinned at Zuko. “You should really learn how to pick up your feet there, princess. You’ve got the gait of a pregnant sloth bear.”

Zuko fumed with frustration, hating the fact he’d been caught so easily. Now he was at the mercy of his enemies instead of the other way around. Meaning they were free to taunt him to his face with zero repercussions. For now, he thought bitterly.

Aang looked at his friends. “Now what do we do? We can’t just leave him here.”

“But we can’t just let him go, either,” Sokka added. “He’s too dangerous.”

“We could knock him out and leave him in a bush,” Katara proposed.

“Or hog-tie him to a porcupig and send it running into the woods,” Toph offered, pounding her fist into her palm.

Aang shook his head. “Come on, guys. We’re not doing any of those things.”

“Wait a minute,” Sokka said, brightening. “He’s the son of the Fire Lord, right? I bet he has insight into his weaknesses, and how Aang can defeat him!” 

Zuko clenched his teeth. Aang grimaced. 

“What are you suggesting, Sokka?” 

“I’m saying, we should interrogate him! Find out what he knows!” Sokka snagged his boomerang from his bag and approached Zuko from behind. Zuko winced in surprise when the edge of Sokka’s weapon dug into his throat, pinning his head to the back of the chair. “Tell us everything you know about the Fire Lord, Fire Nation scum!”

His tone wasn’t intimidating in the slightest, but the feeling of the blade pressed against his neck was enough to send chills down Zuko’s spine. Fortunately, Aang stepped forward, jabbing his staff against the ground. 

“Sokka, stop! This isn’t how we do things!”

Sokka griped and grumbled, but eventually stepped away, withdrawing the weapon from Zuko’s throat. “Fine,” he said, pouting. “But think of all the juicy secrets he must know about the Fire Nation—secrets that could help us win the war and put an end to their tyranny! We may never get a chance like this again!”

“I’m not telling you anything,” Zuko growled.

Katara motioned for everyone to step out of Zuko’s earshot. The group huddled together beside Appa’s slumbering form.

“Aang, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think Sokka might be right.”

Aang and Sokka gaped at her simultaneously. “Seriously?” they said in unison.

“We have to get him to tell us what he knows about the Fire Lord. Knowledge like that could help us save countless lives!”

“We didn’t even know he was in the same area as us three minutes ago!” Aang exclaimed. “Since when is wringing information out of our enemies a top priority?”

“It’s an opportunity we’ve never been presented with until now,” Toph said. “We should take advantage of it while we can.”

Aang scowled between his friends, shocked by their sweeping consensus on the matter. He peered around Sokka’s shoulder, eyeing Zuko as he struggled pitifully against Toph’s restraints, then bowed his head. 

“No. We’re not torturing someone for information. It’s not right.”

“No one ever said torture,” Sokka said cooly. “Think of it more as...highly effective persuasion.”

“Maybe we could do something really annoying,” Katara suggested. “Like blow your bison whistle in his ear, or have Sokka sing a bunch of Southern Water Tribe nursery rhymes.”

Toph shuddered. “But that would be torture for all of us. Not just him.”

“Hey! I thought everyone loved it when I sang those!” Sokka sulked. “At least, that’s what Gran-Gran always said...”

Aang swallowed and stared at his feet. “I don’t know. I don’t like this at all. Even if he’s our enemy, it feels wrong—hurting someone who can’t fight back so they’ll tell us something they don’t want to.”

Katara could see the weight of the morality at stake clouding over Aang’s eyes. She laid her hand on his shoulder. “Maybe there’s a way we can do it without hurting him. We could negotiate, or try trading something, or—”

“Hey! G-get off!”

Alarmed, the gang spun back toward Zuko. In the midst of their discussion, Momo had pounced on the fettered prince and was eagerly sniffing his midsection.

“Momo!” Aang cried. “Get away from him! He’s dangerous!”

“Get your stupid pet off me!” Zuko snapped. He moved as much as he could to try to shoo the lemur away, but it continued to snuffle around his torso, its nose prodding his stomach. The feeling took him by surprise, making his breath hitch and his muscles seize. He fought not to react, fought to keep his expression cold and his demeanor colder, but the insufferable little creature would not let up. It was after something underneath his shirt. 

Uncle’s lychee nuts! he realized. Iroh had a habit of stuffing his nephew’s pockets with the things in case the teen ever found himself lost, alone, and without another source of food. Although Zuko would never admit it, he appreciated the gesture—his uncle’s intuition had saved him from starvation in more pinches than one. 

But now was not one of those times. 

Zuko’s face began to burn as the corners of his lips twitched, threatening to turn upward if the lemur didn’t stop. He had to get it off! 

“Agh! S-scram, flea-bag, before I fry you to a—AH!”

To his horror, Momo pulled back his collar and darted down the neck-hole of his shirt. Paws scurried across his torso, a wet nose poked and nuzzled his belly, and a long, fuzzy body wriggled between his skin and the fabric of his clothes. Zuko yelped and sputtered, the heat in his face turning to fire, the laughter he’d been battling back suddenly barreling up his throat like a volcanic eruption. To his dismay, high-pitched giggles started slipping from his lips faster than he could stop them.

“Wha—ahack! Hehey! Get out! Gehet out!” He tugged harder than ever on his bonds, twisting and shifting to try to scare the varmint away, but all it did was make Momo weasel faster and wilder inside his shirt. The lemur’s long tail brushed under Zuko’s arms and wiggled against his neck and ears, sending goosebumps shooting across his skin. He squirmed and thrashed, shaking his head from side to side.

“Gehet it off me!” he squealed.

The four friends blinked as they watched the bizarre scene unfold. 

“Uh…” Sokka said, glancing between the prisoner and his team. “Should we do something?”

A few moments later, Momo crawled out of Zuko’s collar and perched on his shoulder, purring as he nibbled on a handful of nuts. The flustered prince puffed out his cheeks with a shudder, breathless and wide-eyed, his face tinted pink. He could feel his enemies staring at him, digesting what they had just witnessed, and he started to sweat.

“I—I’m gonna k-kill this thing if you don’t get it away from me,” he stammered, trying to feign some semblance of composure. But Momo’s tail continued to swish against the side of his neck as he spoke, making the task exceedingly difficult. He pursed his lips while straining to evade the feathery touch. 

The gang looked at Zuko, then each other, then back at Zuko. The realization dawned on all of them at once.

“Were you laughing just now?” Toph asked.

Zuko cringed, averting his gaze. “W-what? What are you talking about?”

“Oh man! You were!”

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard him laugh before,” Katara said with a snort. “I didn’t think it was possible. And even if it was, I expected it to sound more…I don’t know. Evil?”

“Right? It’s so cute and squeaky!” Sokka snickered.

“I was not laughing!” Zuko shouted. Then Momo’s tail brushed his ear, making him wince and crack a smile.

Aang’s face lit up with delight. “It’s Momo! He’s tickling him and making him laugh!”

In unison, the gang turned on him with wide grins. Zuko bristled.

“What?”

“No way! Prince Zu-Zu is ticklish?” Toph cupped her hands over her heart and tilted her head to the side. “Awww. That’s adorable!”

“Quit patronizing me!” he roared. He tried to knock Momo off his shoulder with his head, but only managed to lightly nudge him. Momo responded by nuzzling into Zuko’s neck, purring loudly as he tucked under his chin and whisked his tail along his collarbone. The prince squawked, hiking his shoulders to his ears.

“Ehaha! No! G-get away!”

Toph crossed her arms smugly. “That’s what you get for trying to capture our friend.”

“Zuko: ticklish,” Aang giggled, as if his brain was having trouble comprehending the idea. “It just seems so out of character for him, you know? It’s funny.”

Katara chuckled in agreement. “I think Momo likes him.”

“No—Momo likes food,” Sokka corrected her. A sly smile lifted the corners of his mouth. “Which gives me an idea.”

He marched across the opening to stand at Zuko’s side. The banished prince didn’t notice him; he was too busy biting his lip in attempt to stay quiet, but couldn’t wipe the silly smile and embarrassing blush off his face. Sokka placed his hands on his hips.

“Zuko, tell us how to sneak into your father’s evil lair, or else!”

The request hardly made sense—his father lived in a giant palace, not some secret underground wolf bat cave. Even if he wanted to offer some kind of answer, he doubted he could speak more than a sentence or two before bubbles of laughter swallowed up his words. Still, he had to try to look unfazed. 

“Or ehelse what?” he shot back. His voice came out shrill and brittle, causing his blush to deepen. The stupid lemur would not give his neck a break!

Sokka cocked a threatening eyebrow. Then he extended his arm.

“Momo, look! I think you missed some!”

He opened his hand, revealing another pile of lychee nuts. Before Momo could snatch them out of his palm, Sokka dumped them down the neck-hole of Zuko’s shirt, making him leap.

“Ah! What’re you—w-wait!”

Instantly, the lemur dove back into his shirt, writhing and scampering all over his tummy. Try as he might to fight it, the sensation tickled too much to bear.

“Nohoho!” he giggled, twisting and bucking in protest. Whatever dwindling scraps were left of his facade fell away within seconds. In his hunt for the lychee nuts, the fuzzy little beast pawed and nibbled at Zuko’s bare skin while his ears and tail tickled him like feathers, leaving the poor prince in stitches. His cheeks flushed a shade pinker as he realized how ridiculous and pathetic he must’ve looked at that moment—and in front of his enemies, no less. Zuko’s current disposition was a far cry from his usual grumpy, scowling self, and there was nothing he could do to shake it. The smile spread across his face at that moment was so uncharacteristically bright, the gang couldn’t help but mirror it. 

“That’s what, fire boy!” Sokka replied fiendishly. “Get him, Momo! Do your worst!”

“Ahaha!” Zuko cackled. “I’ll—tohorch you!”

Aang laughed along with him, turning to Katara. “I guess this way isn’t so bad.”

Katara smiled fondly. “This is probably the happiest I’ve ever seen him. But I guess that depends on how you define ‘happy.’”

After circling his torso a couple more times in his lychee nut scavenger hunt, Momo must’ve gotten sick of being inside the twitchy teenager’s shirt. With a shriek and a warble, he shot out of Zuko’s sleeve and landed on Aang’s head, gorging himself on his findings. 

“Good lemur,” Aang said, giving his ear a scratch. Momo trilled contentedly. 

“Don’t let up now! We almost had him!” Sokka dashed toward Aang and tugged on Momo’s tail. “Come on! Do your duty! Your fuzziness is the key to bringing the Fire Nation to its knees!”

Momo hissed at him and took to the skies, winding through the air before disappearing into the woods. 

“I think Momo’s had enough,” Katara declared with a grin. The group turned back to Zuko, who was panting and smiling and flushed to his core. 

“How about you?” Sokka asked wryly. “Had enough yet?”

Even though he was still blushing, Zuko’s eyes flashed with rage. “Let me go!” he demanded again. “You can’t make me talk!”

“Alright, Appa! Your turn!” Sokka pulled on the flying bison’s foot, grunting with effort. “Go! Get him! Lick him into submission!”

“You know we can do this without animals, right?” Toph said, smirking. She strode toward Zuko, her steps pointedly slow and leisurely. The group exchanged a look. 

“Careful, Toph,” Katara called after her. “He can still shoot fire from his mouth.”

“Oh, I bet he can,” Toph said. She stopped a few paces back from him with her hands on her hips, grinning smugly. Zuko glared daggers through the girl even though she couldn’t see him. In the blink of an eye, the earth bender disappeared under the ground then emerged behind him, making the prince start, her icy voice sending a shiver down his spine.

“But I bet it’s hard to control your breathing enough to do so when you’re laughing.”

Zuko’s throat tightened. He hated to admit it, but she was probably right. He could barely perform the move when he was fully concentrated and not strapped to a rock chair.

He almost wished they were hurting him to get him to talk. That would be a far more honorable defeat than succumbing to the childish threat they were making against him now. If he was broken by a bunch of kids sicing lemurs on him, he doubted he would ever live it down. But Toph seemed to have a different plan in mind.

“G-get away from me!” Zuko shouted. He didn’t know what else to do. He hated not being able to see where she was. “Whatever you’re insinuating isn’t going to work! You don’t scare me!”

Toph clicked her tongue. “Insinuating? I thought I was being obvious!” She pounded her heel against the ground, and a stool made of earth rose underneath her, giving her a place to sit right behind the restrained prince. She plopped down with a smile. “I’m going to tickle you.”

Zuko stiffened. She was talking loudly, so the whole group could hear.

“Does that not scare you? Are our assumptions wrong? Are you not ticklish?”

Zuko looked down at his torso. Toph’s hands were hovering a couple inches away from his exposed sides, her fingers spidering threateningly through the air. 

“And in case you weren’t aware, I can tell when you’re lying.”

The heat in Zuko’s neck bled into his ears. “IhI’m—” he stammered, nervous laughter already creeping into his voice. He squeezed his eyes shut. “No! I’m not!”

The other three approached, the devious delight in their eyes goading his anxiety further. 

“You sure about that, Zu-Zu?” Katara asked. “For someone who’s not ticklish, you were laughing an awful lot before.”

“And blushing like crazy!” Aang added cheerfully.

The teasing was enough to blow his top. Zuko strained against his bonds. 

“Y-you’re all insane!” he yelled. “As soon as I’m out of here, I’ll roast every last one of you like a chicken cow on a spi—AGH!”

Mid-sentence, Toph’s fingers started crawling up his sides, dancing delicately along the skin beneath his ribcage. Zuko gasped, his words cut short, an explosion of giggles already amassing behind his lips. 

“No, go ahead, Mister ‘I’m Not Ticklish.’ Finish it. You’ll roast us how? Like a chicken cow on a what?”

Zuko couldn’t even try to act poised. He’d always been exceptionally sensitive—a fact that irritated him to no end, one his mother used to take advantage of to cheer him up when he was little. Growing up, she was the only person in his immediate family who had ever been physically affectionate with him. His father barely even looked at him; the most attention he’d ever paid his son was when he’d scorched his face in front of the entire royal court. And Azula would never do anything to intentionally make her brother smile. 

After his disgraceful banishment, Iroh had been cautious about showing his headstrong nephew too much affection. He didn’t want to smother him or scare him away. Now, three years into their search for the avatar, he’d thrown almost all that caution to the wind. It didn’t take him long to discover his nephew’s sensitivity, the way he sputtered and flinched when his torso was touched in certain places. 

Iroh was kind enough not to exploit his findings in front of Zuko’s crew; the boy already had a hard enough time commanding their respect as it was, being a moody, exiled sixteen-year-old. But that didn’t stop him from tweaking his ribs or tasering him from behind whenever they were alone. The smiles and laughter these actions elicited were always worth it, despite the loud, long-winded protests that inevitably followed.

It embarrassed him how easy and often his uncle poked fun at his weakness. But he never imagined anyone using it against him as a weapon; a torture method to get him to talk. 

Yet here he sat, bound and helpless, giggling hysterically as Toph’s fingers scoured the lengths of his sides, already desperate for the tickling to stop.

“Hahaha! Quihit it!”

“But you said you weren’t ticklish,” Toph reminded him, scuttling her hands up and down the prince’s twitchy torso. “If you aren’t ticklish, then this shouldn’t bother you one bit.”

Katara, Aang, and Sokka watched in amusement as the once strong and fearsome Zuko dissolved into a squirmy, laughing mess beneath Toph’s wiggly fingers. The color of his face was beginning to resemble the dark red of his shirt.

“Yohou’re—y-you—” Zuko sputtered, grasping for something scathing to say. Toph didn’t give him a chance to find one. Her hands suddenly curled into claws, and she switched from the soft, gentle tickling to kneading mercilessly into both sides of his tummy, driving her fingers deep into his flesh with all the endurance and ferocity indicative of earth benders. Zuko jolted and shrieked, arching his spine to try to get away, his laughter jumping in both octave and volume. 

“AHAHAGH! Wahait—no—s-stohop! I cahan’t—eheeheehaha!”

“Come on, guys!” Toph called, waving them forward. “He won’t bite.”

Grinning, the three friends walked to stand directly in front of Zuko, who was floundering as much as his restraints would allow and smiling as wide as the sun. 

“Not so mean and scary when he’s laughing his butt off, is he?” Katara chuckled. Zuko’s laughter was shrill and happy—two characteristics that completely contradicted his usual demeanor. It was also outrageously contagious; she had to cover her mouth to try to contain her own flood of giggles. 

“I never knew the guy who’s been hunting me all this time could look so cute!” Aang concurred. Watching the Fire Nation prince crumble so spectacularly from such a kiddy tactic was strangely endearing. 

Sokka poked Zuko’s bouncy chest with his boomerang. “Now talk! Answer my question, or Toph will tickle you to death!”

To be honest, Zuko barely remembered what the original question was. Something about fire? And an evil lair? An evil fire lair? His head was too preoccupied with the hands pinching and squeezing his belly to think straight. He couldn’t recall another instance where he’d been tickled this intensely. Being unable to guard himself made the sensation a thousand times worse.

“Goho jump in a lahahake!” he laughed, cursing the cracks and squeaks in his voice. Toph cooed. 

“Aw! Fire Lord Zu-Zu’s trying to be tough!” She drilled into the soft spot underneath his ribs, making the poor prince thrash and squeal. No matter how much he squirmed or what way he angled his body, Toph’s hands stayed glued to his frame, exploring every ticklish inch of his defenseless midsection, targeting the spots that yielded the most frenzied reactions. She noticed the higher her tickle attack climbed up his torso, the shriller his laughter became, coupled with increasingly wilder attempts to escape. Moving maliciously slow, she began scaling Zuko’s ribcage with her hands, her fingers ascending each bone like a rung on a ladder, needling on top and around and in between.

“Ahahaha! Cut it ahahout!” Zuko cackled. She was terrifyingly good at this.

“How long you think you can stand it, tough guy? Five minutes? An hour? I could do this all night!” Her fingers were drawing closer and closer to his underarms, teasing and tickling every rib in between. His shirt did almost nothing to dull the increasingly unbearable sensation. 

Sokka yawned. “As fun as this is, I’d rather not stay up all night, waiting for him to break.”

Toph shrugged, smiling deviously. “I don’t mind. I’m having fun.” She cracked her knuckles and resumed her conquest, her hands inching higher, higher, higher. “Coochie-coochie-coo! Your laugh is so cute I could barf!”

“Stahahahap it!” Zuko giggled. His whole body sizzled with embarrassment; his face hurt from smiling so big for so long.

“Maybe we could help speed up the process,” Katara said, smirking. “If all of us worked together, I’m sure we could get him talking in no time.” 

Zuko was already splitting at the seams from just one person tickling him. If all four of them ganged up on him at once, he would most certainly die on the spot. 

“Ooh, good idea,” Sokka said, wiggling his fingers eagerly.

“Plus, it’d be a fun, benign way for each of us to get him back for all the times he’s personally slighted us.” Katara turned to Aang with a grin. “What do you think?”

At that moment, Toph’s hands reached his armpits. She dug in relentlessly, poking and scratching and prodding, her touch sending shocks through Zuko’s entire skeleton. He jerked and sputtered for a couple of seconds, reeling from how intensely it tickled, before exploding into a whole new caliber of laughter.

“AHANOHOHAHA!” he cried. “GAHA—STAHAHAP—IHI CAHAN’T—AAHAHAHAAAA!”

“Uh oh,” Toph said mockingly, kneading diabolical circles into his underarms. “Did I find your weak point? Prince Zu-Zu’s little tickle spot? You’re in for it now, your highness.”

Sharp, squeaky hiccups began punctuating Zuko’s laughing fit. Aang watched the giggly teen squirm and shriek and smiled sympathetically. 

“Let’s give him a break first. He looks like he’s about to burst.”

Sokka huffed, letting his arms fall to his sides. “You suck all the fun out of interrogating war prisoners,” he muttered. He pointed his boomerang at Toph. “Don’t let up completely, though. If he’s able to focus on his breathing, he might spew another fireball in my face. And I do not enjoy having fireballs spewed in my face.” 

“You got it,” Toph said exuberantly. She moved her hands back down to his belly and started tickling his sides with just her index fingers, changing location and technique every few seconds: wiggling one into his hip while the other poked at his ribs, then swirling one across his tummy while the other fluttered against his midriff, then tasering both into the full length of his torso, lingering in the areas that made him most jumpy, and on and on. 

It was much more tolerable than the previous torture, but still enough to keep him twitchy and giggly. He could never predict where her fingers would tickle him next, trapping him in a constant state of jittery nervousness. As soon as he got close to forcing the smile from his lips, another perfectly calculated poke would slap it right across his face again, paired with a yelp of surprise. 

As he fidgeted restlessly in place, breathless giggles bubbling in his throat, the three kids in front of him stepped closer, looking smug. 

“You ready to tell us how to defeat the Fire Lord?” Sokka asked. 

Zuko wheezed. He had to stall long enough to think of a way out of this. Or at least to catch his breath—as much as he could in his current position. 

“Whahat...does that even...mehean?” he panted. 

“Don’t play dumb!” Sokka snapped. “Your father has a weakness—in his army, his hideout, somewhere. You know what it is. Tell us.”

Toph laughed. “We should try tickling him, too,” she said, giving Zuko’s side a squeeze. “Maybe being super ticklish runs in the family.”

Zuko jolted. “Quihit it! Why would I knohow anything like that?”

“Because you’re his son!” Sokka poked him repeatedly in the ribs. “Evil, Fire Nation, devil spawn!”

“He doesn’t look evil to me,” Katara cooed. “How could someone evil have such a cute laugh?”

Zuko wasn’t sure which was worse: the constant teasing making him blush tomato-red, or the two stiff fingers endlessly probing his ticklish torso. He hung his head to hide his dumb, smiley face. “Sh-shuhut up!”

“Aww, what’s wrong?” Toph asked. “You don’t like being called cute?”

“Who doesn’t like being called cute?” Aang said, boasting a goofy grin.

“Stop wasting our time!” Sokka exclaimed. “If you don’t start talking, you’re going to regret it.”

Just then, amidst her tickling spree, Toph’s hands found the hem of Zuko’s shirt. A smirk touched her lips as she reached underneath the fabric and started scuttling her fingers against his bare sides. The moment her nails made contact with his skin, Zuko yelped.

“Waha! Hehey!” 

“You heard the man,” Toph said smugly. “Answer the question.”

She dragged her fingertips up and down his sides, letting her nails skate across his skin. Goosebumps flared along his arms and neck, spreading like wildfire. It was a gentler kind of tickling, but just as maddening in its own right. She started climbing toward his underarms again, this time with no clothing to dull the sensation. He didn’t think he’d survive if she reached her final destination.

“Ahahastahahap!” Zuko giggled. “I dohon’t know, okay? Yohour guess is as good as mihihine!”

“Liar,” Sokka hissed, looking over the prince’s shoulder. “Toph?”

The earth bender laid her palm against the back of the chair and snorted. “It’s kinda hard to tell whether or not he’s lying like this. His heart’s been hammering the entire time.” She clawed at his ribcage with her other hand, making him squirm helplessly. “But from what I can detect, it seems like he’s telling the truth.”

“No way,” Sokka spat. “He has to know something.”

“Maybe he doesn’t,” Aang ventured to say.

Toph’s hand slowed to a stop on either side of his ribcage. All ten of her fingers rested against his skin without moving. Even though she wasn’t currently tickling him, the imminent threat of her nails pressed into his defenseless torso kept him on edge. 

“I dohon’t,” Zuko whimpered. He dropped his head against the back of the chair and closed his eyes, smiling listlessly. “The only weakness he has is one you already knohow about.”

The gang looked at each other blankly. “Which is…?” Sokka began.

Zuko scoffed, nodding towards Aang. “Him, of course. The avatar. Why do you think my family has been searching for him for the past three generations? Why do you think my father has had me hunting him down since I was thirteen?”

The three kids in front of him exchanged frowns. Toph’s hands slipped out of his shirt. 

“He was definitely telling the truth that time.”

Sokka palmed his forehead. “Aw, man! So we got nothing from all this? No new information?” He stuck his finger in the prince’s chest. “What’s the point of you being the Fire Lord’s son if you don’t know anything about him that helps us?”

“At least it confirms what we already know,” Katara said, wrapping an arm around Aang’s shoulders. “Aang needs to master all the elements and defeat the Fire Lord to end the war.”

Aang smiled and shrugged. “Yeah. I guess so.”

“Fantastic,” Zuko grumbled. “Now would you let me out of this stupid chair? My feet are going numb.”

Katara hinted a grin. “I think I like you better when you’re all giggly and smiley.”

Zuko blushed and stared sideways. “I don’t.”

“If we let him go, how are we going to keep him from attacking or chasing us?” Aang asked. 

Sokka tapped his chin, then cracked into a smirk. “Maybe we should give him a taste of what we’ll do to him if he does,” he suggested. “Avatar gang style.”

The four kids turned on Zuko with a mischievous gleam in their eyes. A fresh rush of heat washed over Zuko’s body.

“W-what?” he stammered, his gaze darting between them rapidly. Dread seized his throat as they approached him from four different sides, making him squirm with anticipation. “But—but you heard Toph! I told the truth! You’re not supposed to punish me for that! You’re supposed to let me go!”

“Don’t think of it as a punishment,” Sokka said innocently, rubbing his hands together. “Think of it as...I don’t know...a warning?”

“Plus, only Toph got to tickle you,” Aang added, forming his own rock stool next to Zuko’s right side. “I want a turn!”

Katara joined Toph behind the chair, leaving over the back rest. “And this is probably our last chance to hear your adorable little laugh,” Katara said. “You know, before you go back to being a moody grouch bent on chasing us to the ends of the earth.”

Zuko burned inside and out. There were four of them and one completely restrained him. He didn’t think he could take it. “W-what if I promise to leave you alone tonight? I’ll go back to my campsite and not bother you until morning. That’ll give you a big head start!”

“I thought that was a given,” Toph said, snaking her hands back under his shirt, her fingernails grazing his tummy. Zuko bristled from her delicate touch. It was already too much to bear. What remained of his fiery resolve crumbled away. 

“Aha! A week then! I wohon’t mess with you for a weeheek!”

“Aww. He’s trying so hard to negotiate his way out of this.” Katara’s fingers brushed both sides of his neck, making him cringe. “Sorry, Zuko. But this is too much fun!”

“Here, Sokka,” Toph said, retracting the earth up his ankles so that his feet were exposed. “Maybe you should try tickling some feeling back into his feet.”

Sokka grinned and sat on the ground, pulling off the prince’s shoes. “Good idea!”

“Noho!” Zuko yelped. He pulled at his bonds and curled his toes in protest. “Thihis isn’t fair! Guhuys—wait—AHAHAGH!”

Aang started poking around his torso, testing and teasing different spots with his soft but frenetic touch. This cued Toph to jump back to his underarms, her fingers fluttering lightly against the hollows. At the same moment, Sokka began gliding two fingers up and down his arches. All of them were tickling him relatively gently, aware of the fact that if they each gave it their all, Zuko might explode. Regardless, having eight hands prod and stroke the most sensitive areas of his body all at once was absolutely maddening, launching him into a hysterical giggle fit. 

“Ahahahaheehee!” He threw his head back, twisting and bucking frantically. “Guhuhuys!”

“This is what we’ll do to you every time you try to capture Aang,” Toph told him, giggling as she tickled the undersides of his upper arms. “Think about that the next time you’re feeling kidnappy.”

“I don’t think I’ll be able take regular ‘ol grumpy-pants Zuko seriously ever again,” Sokka chuckled. “Even when he’s back to shooting fire at us, all I’ll be thinking about is his silly little laugh and goofy smile!”

Hiccups started puncturing his giggles again. So many places on his body were being tickled at once, his brain couldn’t decide which one to focus on. Zuko didn’t care about trying to feign toughness anymore; he just needed this to end. 

“Stahahap! No mohohore! Pleeheehease!”

Katara spidered her nails against the back of his neck, making him shrink into himself with a squeak. “He did say please,” she pointed out.

Just then, a twig broke in the woods, followed by a figure emerging from the tree line. The four friends ceased their attack and glanced up fearfully.

Although he was still dizzy from the onslaught of tickling, Zuko lifted his head and spotted the silhouette as well. The person’s shape was oddly familiar. He realized who it was before the telltale voice rang across the clearing.

“Prince Zuko?” Iroh called, stepping out of the shadows and into the pale moonlight. “Is that you?”

“Uncle!” Zuko cried, relief rushing through him. He thrashed in place. “Hehelp me! I’m trapped!”

“What are you kids doing to my nephew?” Iroh asked, stopping in front of the five of them, although his tone wasn’t particularly angry or concerned. It was more intrigued. 

“We haven’t hurt him,” Katara insisted. “Toph caught him sneaking into our camp and restrained him. We were going to let him go, but then we thought he might have some information on the Fire Lord. So, uh…”

She felt weird about explaining the rest. Fortunately, Aang jumped in for her. 

“So then we tickled him!” Aang said, giving Zuko’s side a couple pinches. The prince flinched and giggled. “We wanted to get him to talk without harming him.”

Iroh smiled at the sound of Zuko's laughter and the happy expression on his face, neither of which had made an appearance in a very long time. They reminded him just how young the banished son of the crown truly was. He shook his head amusedly. “Poor Prince Zuko. It would seem your friends have discovered your weakness.”

“Thehey are nohot my friends!” Zuko cackled. “Just help me, Uncle! Gehet me out of here!”

“He has a very cute laugh, does he not?” Iroh chortled. 

“Disgustingly cute,” Toph agreed, poking his armpit. Zuko squirmed and squealed.

“And an even cuter smile,” Iroh observed. “It’s a shame I don’t get to witness both more often.”

“Uhuncle!” Zuko pleaded, spiraling into giggly shambles. Iroh smiled at Toph.

“Would you please consider sparing my nephew and handing him over to me? I promise he will not cause you any more trouble this evening.”

Toph turned toward the others, waiting for any objections. When none came, she offered Iroh a nod. 

“All right. Stand back, everyone.”

The rest of the group did as they were told. Once they had moved a safe distance away, she punched her fists toward the ground, and the chair fell apart, along with the rock cuffs on Zuko’s hands and feet. He hit the earth with a grunt, flustered and panting.

Iroh approached him and helped him stand. Zuko hugged his midsection with a moan.

“Uhugh...my sides,” he whined. His skin felt tingly and his belly still bubbled with hundreds of giggly butterflies, making it difficult to keep from smiling. He wanted to snarl at the group, to swear they were going to pay for what they’d done to him, but he was too exhausted and embarrassed by the whole situation to summon the energy. Iroh wrapped an arm under his shoulders to support him.

“Thank you for not harming my nephew,” Iroh said to the four kids. “I owe you all a great debt.”

“Don’t...th-thank them,” Zuko huffed.

“But I must,” Iroh retorted. He tweaked the young prince’s side. “They reminded me how to brighten you up whenever you’re being a downer.”

Zuko flinched away, trying to look angry but betrayed by a giggly grin. “Ahagh! Ehenough already!” He whirled around. “You’re all crazy! I’m leaving!”

Zuko stomped toward the woods, smoke hissing from his fists, blush burning through his face and ears. The group laughed.

“This was fun, Prince Zu-Zu. Let’s do it again sometime.”

Sokka waved. “Visit again soon! Next time, we’ll have Appa join the fun!”

Zuko did not like the sound of that. Although part of him found some tiny flicker of release in laughing authentically for the first time in almost three years, he was perfectly fine with waiting another three years for the next instance to occur. After all, he had a reputation to uphold.

[evienyx]

You answered that one question about the Earth Kingdom kid Lee and it got me thinking... You know that one line where the kid is like 'When my dad goes... Will you stay?' What about an AU where, instead of saying no, Zuko says 'Yes.'

Gansu and Sela’s footsteps faded away as Lee tugged on his sleeve. Zuko met the boy’s eyes as he asked, “When my dad goes... Will you stay?”

Zuko blinked. Thoughts roared through his head, images of his mother, and his sister, and his father. He thought of a wanted poster he’d seen when he and Uncle had taken a risk passing through a Fire Nation outpost, the words proclaiming he was wanted dead or alive. He thought of Azula, sent by his father to being him home as a prisoner. He thought of his mother, her loving words, and the day she disappeared because his dad was going to kill him. He thought of the Avatar, looking down at him with shining eyes, asking if they could have been friends. He thought of Uncle Iroh, out there somewhere, alone and yet, surely, still wishing the best for him.

Zuko thought about about how, for the first time in a long time, he truly had no one left, and nowhere to go.

So, instead of moving on, he looked down at the young boy’s shining eyes, so much like the Avatar’s own when he asked that question all those months ago, and said, “Yes.”

- - -

“I’ll get you some food for the road,” Sela said the moment Zuko entered the house. She was wrapping food up already, for her husband, he guessed. “I assume you’ll be leaving around when Gansu does?”

“Uh, actually, I...” Zuko hesitated for a moment. Was he being presumptuous and just assuming they’d still want him around? “I was wondering if I could... stay here, a while longer? Help... Help around the farm, or something?”

Sela’s hands stopped moving and she turned to look at him, her eyes widening a bit. “What?”

“If... If that’s fine?”

She stared at him for a moment, her hands slowly beginning to move again as she said, “We don’t have any extra money to pay you with. All I could give is a place to sleep and something to eat.”

“That’s fine,” Zuko said, his heart pounding in his chest. “I don’t have anywhere else to go.”

Sela’s eyes moved to the bedroom where Gansu was packing up his things, and then out the window where Lee was out in the sunflower field, whacking at a bug flying around his head. Her gaze moved back to Zuko and she cracked a smile, her face tired as she said, “We’d love to have you.”

- - -

Gansu was gone, and Gow was coming down the path to the house. The pigs squealed at him as he and his men came toward them.

Zuko met Gow’s gaze as the men got closer and was reminded of another man who cared only for himself and his own glory, who fought for himself and himself alone until the Ocean Spirit dragged him into oblivion.

Zuko’s swords rested at his side, but he didn’t make to grab them, yet. 

“Seems we caught you on your way out, stranger,” Gow said. His smile was akin to that of Zhao when he knew he got the one-up on Zuko. 

Zuko’s lips felt dry as he shook his head. “Actually, I think I’m gonna stick around for a while.”

Gow’s smile fell into more of a sneer. “Shame. Thought you were smarter than that, stranger. Seems not.”

Zuko’s hand slowly moved up to rest on the hilt of his swords. “Why are you here?”

Gow glanced back at the door to the house, where Sela and Lee stood, watching. “The army’s in need of food. We’re going around to... collect, from all the wonderful families in town. We know how much they all support our troops and are eager to show their appreciation.” 

Sela was out of the house in a moment, carrying two bags of feed. Her eyes were even more tired than they had been when Gansu had set off. She hands the bags to Gow, who looks satisfied, though his eyes flash when they meet Zuko’s again. Zuko almost starts forward, but Sela places her hand on his shoulder and shakes her head, and instead Zuko stands there, watching, until the Gow and his men are long gone.

- - -

It’s during dinner the first night after Gansu’s left that Sela asks him his name.

“If you’re going to be staying here, that might be a bit of valuable information,” she said as she spooned more rice into his bowl/

Zuko freezes for a moment. He glances up at Sela, and then at Lee.

“My... My name’s... Well, my name is Li.” They both stare for a moment and he quickly adds, “Li with an ‘i’.”

There’s a beat of silence, and then Sela snorts and Lee throws his hands in the air and rounds on his mother, exclaiming, “Why did you have to name me the same thing that everyone else is named?!?”

Zuko doesn’t realize he’s smiling until after it’s already happening.

“So, what should we call you, then?” Sela asked.

Zuko thought of the mask sitting hidden deep in his bag and replied, “Uh, I’ve been called Blue, before.” At the questioning eyes, he shrugged and said, “It’s a long story.”

“All right, then,” Sela said, nodding. A soft smile graced her lips as she bowed her head in a formal greeting. “Nice to meet you, Li. May I call you Blue?”

Zuko returned the greeting. “Nice to meet you, too, Sela. You may.”

Her smile widened a bit more. She told him to eat, and he did.

- - -

The soldiers come every day.

Every day, Zuko does his very best to stop them from taking more.

Sometimes, it’s not enough.

And yet, sometimes, it is.

(Every time Gow approaches and sees Zuko standing there, again, he seems a bit more on edge than the time before.)

- - -

It was the eleventh night, when he’s laying in the barn, staring up at the ceiling and trying to go to sleep, when the realization hit him.

Father didn’t care about him.

Father didn’t love him,

Father didn’t even want him.

Zuko had been banished over three years ago, and the Avatar hadn’t returned until late last autumn. No one had known that the Avatar would come back. And yet that had been the only way Zuko would have been able to go home.

Agni, if he had been captured for good at Avatar Roku’s temple on the solstice, he would be dead now.

He was banished.

“He didn’t want me,” Zuko murmured to himself. “Oh, Agni, Dad doesn’t want me.”

He sat there for a moment, and then he started sobbing.

Sela found him about an hour later, pressed against the back wall, trembling, tears still streaming down his face. Agni, Dad didn’t want him. He never had. He had never loved Zuko. Burns dotting his body (and one marring his face) proved it.

“Blue. Blue, it’s all right.”

Zuko shook his head. “It’s not, it’s not.” She didn’t get it, she didn’t get it. She didn’t understand, and she couldn’t, because if she did, then that was it. Nowhere left for Zuko to go. End of story.

(He hadn’t been in one place for this long since before he was banished.)

“Could you tell me what’s wrong?”

The words escaped him before he could stop them. “He doesn’t want me. He never did. He doesn’t love me, he doesn’t care, he doesn’t want me.”

“Who?”

“My father.”

She’s quiet for a moment, and Zuko’s not looking at her. He’s simply trying to breathe and to stop crying but he can’t, he can’t, he can’t-

“Why do you think he doesn’t want you?”

Zuko let out a wet laugh and shook his head. “He knows me. He doesn’t want me.” He paused. “You wouldn’t, either, if you knew.”

“Why?” 

He didn’t respond.

Sela stepped forward and knelt in front of him. “Blue, please, talk to me. How do you know that neither your father nor I would want you?”

“I know that he doesn’t want me. He’s made that pretty clear.”

“What do you mean?”

Zuko felt a surge of emotion run through him as he looked up and met Sela’s sad, tired eyes. He yanked up the sleeve covering one of his arms. “I know he doesn’t want me, because he gave me these.” Zuko waved at the small burn scars visible across his skin, from training gone wrong, and, more, from discipline from Father. These ones were light, fading already. “And he gave me this.” He gestured at his scar, and Sela’s face scrunched up, her eyebrows furrowing as she thought deeply.

“What... What do you mean he gave you those?”

He supposed that she was going to figure it out already anyway, so he reached a hand out, folded down all fingers but one, and then, with blood rushing past his ears and his heart pounding in his chest, lit a single finger on fire.

Her reaction was instantaneous. She jumped back from him like she was the one who had been burned, her eyes wide and fiery, even after Zuko let the flame fall away. Her gaze moved from him to the house, as if she was wondering if she could get to her son faster than Zuko could burn down the farm.

“I told you,” he said. His voice must have been more exhausted than he thought, because something in her eyes softened just a bit. Still, she remained silent.

Zuko stood up, and Sela tensed, her shoulders rising just a bit. He stared at his feet for a moment before saying, “I’m going to go grab Lychee. I’ll be gone in five minutes, I promise.” There was a beat of silence, and then he added, because he felt obligated to, “I’m sorry.”

Zuko took a few steps to grab his swords. Just as he was leaning down to grab the straps, he froze as two arms suddenly wrapped around him.

When he was released, he turned around, and Sela looked up at him and cupped his good cheek and asked, “Your father did that to you?”

Zuko’s throat felt tight, and he nodded rather than speaking.

Her eyes were so tired, and sad, as she whispered brokenly, “They won’t even spare their own children...”

Zuko didn’t leave that night. Instead, Sela dragged him inside and had him sleep in the recently emptied attic.

There was a small hole in the roof, and through it he could count the stars.

- - -

The next day, Lee didn’t speak to him. Just glared.

Then, the morning after, he did.

The boy’s voice was tight as he said, “So. My mom said you’re a firebender.”

Zuko’s throat felt tight again and his mouth was dry and his heart was pounding  as he nodded.

“She also said your dad was the one who burned your face.”

Zuko paused, and then nodded again.

Lee made an odd face. Then, he said, “The Fire Nation sucks.”

Zuko slowly shook his head. “Not all of it.”

A beat. “No. Not all of it.”

Lee sounded years older than he was, and it made Zuko hurt inside to think about another child forced to grow up too soon.

- - -

It was the fourteenth morning when Sela visited him as he fed the pigs (just as Gansu had shown him, before the man had left).

“What’s your name?” She asked. 

He paused, and then said, “I told you. It’s Li, with an ‘i’.’”

“No, it’s not. I know it’s not.” She took a step forward. “Please,” she said, her voice tired. “Don’t lie.”

“...It’s Zuko.”

“...That’s the name of the prince.”

“...I know.”

She didn’t say anything else. He didn’t know if she thought he was the prince, or if she thought he was simply named the same thing.

He didn’t deign to say anything more, and she didn’t deign to ask.

- - -

It was the seventeenth day when everything went really wrong, really fast.

Zuko was in town with both Sela and Lee. The boy was slowly warming up to him again, which made Zuko happy in a way he couldn’t quite describe.

Zuko watched Lee play with two other children while Sela traded some of the farm’s grain from the last harvest for a variety of medicinal herbs. Zuko was tasked with selling the sunflowers they had picked to the merchant that came by every few weeks. The flowers would be made into dye, and Lee was excited about the extra coin they would have. Sela had promised him a nice dinner.

“Looks like a storm’s coming in,” said a woman to her husband. “We need to make sure to bring the cows in before it hits.”

The merchant handed Zuko the coin for the flowers. Zuko pocketed the money before turning and scanning the sky. Sure enough, dark clouds gathered to the west. 

“Gonna be a big one,” said an older man across the square. “Weird to see something that big outside of monsoon season. Spirits, it’s weird to see something that big during monsoon season this close to the desert.”

Zuko furrowed his eyebrows. The way the clouds rolled, the color, it all seemed... wrong. He moved toward an alley between two buildings and passed out of the square. Zuko’s eyes trailed the clouds. Why did it feel like he recognized the way the clouds looked?

It hit him like a sack of bricks.

It was because he did recognize the way the clouds looked.

Because those weren’t clouds.

That was a blanket of smog.

Zuko didn’t know why the Fire Nation was moving that many machines into the Earth Kingdom right now, but he didn’t have the time to wonder. He guessed that they were aiming to capture another large piece of land in one swoop, and, based on how close that ‘storm’ was, he guessed that this village would be in the blast zone.

Zuko ran back into the town square and, without even thinking much, yelled, “That’s not a storm! It’s smog. The Fire Nation is on its way!”

Silence. Gow and his men moved forward.

“Stirring up a panic is not a good look on you, stranger,” Gow said, even though Zuko had been here for three weeks now.

Gow took a step. Then, a fireball shot out from nowhere and struck him in the face. Another hit him in the chest. Gow flew back with a pained cry, and didn’t get back up.

Someone screamed, and then panic.

It was hot, and there was fire, and suddenly Zuko had scooped Lee into his arms and had Sela’s hand in his and was running.

Zuko’s bag was packed already when they made it back to the farm. Sela told her son to grab clothes and food and stuff it in a bag and then get to the barn and untie the one remaining family ostrich horse. Zuko grabbed up his bag, stuffed feed into the remaining space, secured his sword, and went to grab Lychee from the barn.

“Where are we going?” Lee asked five minutes later when Zuko was helping him onto the mount, Sela securing the boy in front of her.

Zuko hopped onto Lychee and the horses started moving as the pigs started squealing, as if someone was coming.

A plume of smoke rose behind them as Sela handed a map to her son to hold. She glanced down at it, then at Zuko, and then said, “We’re going to Ba Sing Se.”

The sky was dark with smoke and Zuko rode away from the town he had entered as a single traveler after three weeks of labor.

Now, his muscles ached, and his heart pounded, and he wasn’t alone anymore.

[kannra21]

Daisuzu shopping 💗

I thought about Daisuke's night at Kato's place and wondered if he'd ever consider repeating "the same mistake" again. Living a life of a commoner is strange for a millionaire, but he'll get the hang of it.

~o0o~

It was yet another busy day at the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. The crew managed to catch the criminals responsible for the robbery of the "Space Jewelry" shop in Ginza, the Tokyo's most famous upmarket shopping district. After he filled the report and got himself patched from a fight with one of the resisters, Daisuke returned to his mansion with bandages and sterile gauze wrapped around his upper arm. It wasn't that deep but the cut on his maroon dress shirt wouldn't be fixed so easily.

Suzue had enough of constantly throwing away beautiful garments of clothes and Daisuke's closet was becoming emptier by each day. Therefore, she decided to do him a favor and buy the suits by herself. She got dressed in her beige trenchcoat after their meal and before she left the residence, Daisuke stopped her and asked if he could join her in whatever she needed help with. This surprised Suzue because he was never interested in these kinds of things, she was usually in charge of the purchases. Daisuke insisted because, after he spent his time at Haru’s place, he realized just how important it was for him to get involved in the everyday life of a simple man and learn how things around him work. And Suzue was never happier to comply.

Daisuke felt a little odd that he had to blend in with the large crowd of simple commoners, the busy traffic, and the constant commotion. Does Suzue really have to deal with this every single day? He suddenly felt self-aware and didn't know where to put his hands. He saw a couple holding hands and felt a little awkward because he didn’t know how Suzue would react if he performed the same thing. Therefore he extended his elbow in a gentleman-like fashion and offered her to take it. She smiled the sweetest smile and accepted it, he didn't even know what he found so compelling in this situation but it made him content as well.

They arrived at Aoyama boutique in one of the wealthiest neighborhoods around. And although it has a great reputation in fashion industry, they offered casual designs with hight quality and inexpensive prices. The moment they walked in, Daisuke was instantly drawn to the expensive section of the shop but Suzue needed to drag him away to the part they were looking for.

"But Suzue, these suits aren't as good as the ones on display."

"That's because every store has a simple costumer tactic they're using for psychological reasons. For them, it is important that they have strong in-store visuals and display their best products in front of the complex. Our current task is to buy a bunch of suits with high quality and lower price. Remember, we're buying you work clothes which are easily expendable but made of quality materials to make them last longer. Besides, you already have suits for special occasions at home."

"I know but.." Daisuke felt discouraged.

Suzue could see his uneasiness and eyes averting in thought "What's wrong?"

"The day I bought Abura Emirate's seventh prince's car-"

"You did what?"

"It's true. We needed the car to catch two young people responsible for the robbery of the chocolate store."

Suzue laughed softly "This is silly."

"I know. And the prince was looking down on my clothes for some reason. I lost my nerve and made a quick purchase."

"You were rough again?"

"Yes I was."

Suzue approached him and put her hand on his cheek "Maybe the prince was boisterous but you are old money, Daisuke-sama, and a person like him won't survive long enough in the royal district. You're the real deal, so I advise you not to bother with such people if that's what you really want."

Daisuke looked surprised and somewhat flustered. Suzue panicked a little when she realized what she just did and nervously told them to continue looking for his clothes.

After they finished with the shopping, Suzue couldn't help it but to head towards the Aoyama Farmer's Market with fresh homemade products.

"I thought we were going home?"

"I know but these products are healthier than those from the supermarket. I'm only thinking about your health, you'll thank me later."

Daisuke just watched her walking enthusiastically towards one of the stands and he was shaking his head while smiling. He found it cute when she gets so carried away. Suzue spotted the jam of her choice stacked on a high shelf, she tried to reach it but even her high heels couldn't help her. In vain attempts to get it, she didn't notice Daisuke standing next to her and taking what she wanted. Their hands barely brushed against each other and they nervously looked at different directions. He handed it to her and she thanked him.

Noticing her tension, Daisuke wanted to relax her so they wouldn’t find themselves in similar situations and not to make her nervous anymore. He could only guess why this was happening but, being clumsy the way he was, he couldn't fully establish the reason of her behavior. However, he tried and proposed to take her to Cheery Blossoms at Aoyama Cemetery. Suzue instead, became so flustered upon hearing his suggestion that he got worried and asked her if he should take her somewhere else which she refused because she didn't want to disappoint him if he really wanted to go there.

And that's where they were, sitting on a bench and watching the peaceful sight of the beautiful cherry blossoms. Suzue was so thrilled to be there that she took pictures of the place and made selfies. She looked at them and commented how she couldn't wait to show them to Mrs. Kikuko. Now that she mentoned her, she wondered whether they should buy something for her as well and she went through all the possibilities of what they could bring her once they arrive home. Daisuke watched her with a soft smile on his face.

"Suzue is really amazing.. wait what am I thinking?"

Well, it's not true that Suzue wasn't amazing. of course she is. God she's incredible even, for the way she always took care of everything. Being surrounded by cherry trees just added to her unquestionable beauty. Her cheerful spirit and curious nature reminded him of someone close to his heart. Someone he loved dearly, a woman who left him a long time ago and not by her own fault. But looking at Suzue now, he realized that he wasn't unfortunate because he had her and that was everything he could ever ask for.

God was he in love with her? He couldn't tell. It's not that he didn't know, he was more worried about Suzue's reaction. How will she take it? Is it too risky to start off this soon? Is she still nervous being by his side? Why did she act this way? Why is she nervous when there's no reason for her to be nervous in the first place? They lived in the same mansion for so long. Why is he nervous upon thinking about her and her feelings? Oh. He thought he got his answers but he needed to check them first. He just hoped that he won't mess everything up.

While Suzue watched her photos and talked about plans for the dinner, Daisuke carefully tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and kissed her cheek. They looked at each other and what Daisuke wasn't expecting was Suzue taking his cheeks in both of her hands and locking his lips with hers. Daisuke was still somewhat hazy and Suzue smiled a little.

"Cherry flowers are really doing it for you, aren't they?"

"This doesn't minimize the fact that you’re beautiful the way you are."

Daisuke realized what he just said and he blushed. Suzue gave him a peck on the lips and stroked the back of his neck which sent shivers through his back. They looked at each other so lovingly that they didn't notice other people's presence until recently and not to attract too much attention, they decided to visit Pierre Herme's café where they shared ispahan- a delightful mélange of lychee, rose and raspberry. Daisuke insisted on feeding her with the excuse that she always spoiled him and that he needed to make up for it in a way, to which she let him. They had a great time together and they took a cake for grandma as well.

When they arrived home, Daisuke opened her the doors like a gentleman he was. Suzue took a couple of his bags to help him carrying them and grandma Kikuko saw them in the hallway.

"Hello children, how was your date?"

Suzue just blushed in embarrassment "W-what do you mean?"

"Haven't you spent half a day outside? Sounds like a date to me."

Suzue just took her things, excused herself and headed to the room to put Daisuke's suits in the closet.

Grandma smiled and Daisuke averted his eyes in amusement.

"How do you notice such this?"

"I had a hunch. So, how did it go?"

"It was fine. Without any complications or embarrassments for that matter. I.. needed some time to figure things out but in the end everything sat in its rightful place."

Grandma looked relieved and said "Sayuri was always shy about expressing her feelings but when she did, she showed it in the most genuine of ways. And every day you keep resembling her more. I'm glad you turned out the way you did, even if we have our own disagreements."

He smiled a little "Thank you, grandma."

And went upstairs to help Suzue with the stuff they bought. Maybe he couldn't see his mother again, but Suzue brought a positive change in his life. A change he'd always be grateful for and cherish.

@daisuzuship @innovativestruggles @narcopharmacist @unholysoggytea @riaymei @ieatcrumbs @cow-goes-oof @matchabucks @bluegleeful @levi-is-heicho @kakooshi @kokorokai @darknessrxse @fluffyyagiza @geniusmeemee @sungmnnnn @koalarin @alstroemerie @petiamaximoff38 @hellohellokookie @marialenikiforov

Here ya go, hope you like it! 💞 Like I mentioned before, if you don't want me to tag you in this post you can tell me and I'll remove the tag. 👍

[8sharkie-bites8]

Do you take requests, cause I want to see a fanfic of a Dodo x Remi fanfic please!

Oh, sure!☺ Been a while since I wrote something actually. I can definitely do that!

>----------------------------------<

Remi was always proud of Sayu and her legacy. Sayu... Sayu is his magnanimous. He loves his work and his team's work with all he has... Howeverrrr... In the aftermath of the Rock Revolution-courtesy of B2J- more and more genres have been on the market.

Dispite still topping the charts... There was a notable decrease in giggs... Leaving more free-time for the Sayu Crew. And... Remi wasn't sure how to feel about it... While before he would spend his days brainstorming new ideas and designs for the next concert they had. But now... Now there were just days when they didn't have to prepare every day...

Now here were days when all Remi could think of doing is sitting in his room just doodling and eating snacks until he got called out for dinner... It was quiet. Too quiet for him... And he wanted things normal again... Usually on days like that, the others were out doing their own thing... Remi was never all that sure what, but it was something.

Soooo where suddenly his bedroom door opens up and he sees someone standing in the doorway, he's kinda freaked out. Luckily though, his frightened squeak was met with a familiar chuckle. "Calm down dude. It's only me..." His tall blue friend smiled calmly and walked closer to Remi and his desk. Remi sighed lightly.

"Just you... Jeez Dodo, at least... I-I dunno, knock or something!" Remi sighed and popped a gummie snack into his mouth. Dodo just chuckled. "Heh, sorry Remi. Guess I just wasn't thinking... Say, what cha drawing?" He asked and leaned over Remi's shoulder to get a look at his art tablet. "Is it Sayu?" "Mm-" Remi's cheeks got a little tinted and he gently nudged the taller boy away.

"Yeah... It is... Just something to pass the time ya know..?" Dodo smiled and pulled up a bean bag chair. "Cool. Your art is super pretty." "Mm.... Thanks..... Hey, Dodo?" Remi set his pen down and turned to looked at him. "W... Why are you still here? You... Normally aren't around the apartment this time of day..." He asked and rubbed the back of his neck. Dodo just shrugged.

"Eh. I usually hang around in Metro district, buuut they're preparing for a big 1010 show tomorrow night soooo..." "Ah..." Remi mumbled and knodded. "So that's what you do all day..." "Yea... And you Remi?" Dodo smiled and looked up to him. "I've hardly seen you leave recently... I'm kinda... Kinda worried actually... You doing ok?" "H-huh?" Remi was... Slightly surprised.

"W-worried?.. Mm... I-I'm fine dude- Really! Just... Guess I... I really don't know what else... What else I can do..." He murmured and glanced away, rubbing the back of his neck. Dodo knodded. "Still kinda adjusting huh?.. Hey- How about this." He said and stood up. "You and I can go hang out. Go to a cafe, go shopping, whatever you want! Just to get out of the house... What do you say?" Dodo smiled and extended a hand to Remi.

Remi felt his cheeks heat up a little, but slowly... He went and took his hand. "A..... Alright... Let's... Let's go..." Dodo smiled and lead the way. "That's the spirit. C'mon, I know a bubble tea place over by Cast-Tech. I think you'll like it." He kept talking for a little, menwhile Remi looked down to their hands... It was a warm and pleasant feeling. Although... Hard to tell if it came from their hands... Or just Remi's chest. Either way... Remi smiled and gently squeezed Dodo's hand as they kept walking.

>----------------------------------<

A couple hours later, sun was setting and the duo were returning home with shopping bags in arms. It had been a pretty good day today. Went to a cafe, walked around the city, and did some light shopping for snacks and drinks. It was nice for Remi... It really had been a while since he'd gone out and done something like this... And he's honestly really glad Dodo brought him out to do so.

Once home, Dodo went and started putting stuff away in the kitchen area while Remi plopped himself on the couch. "Mm.... H-hey Dodo... You wanna watch a movie or something?" "Hm?" Dodo looked over, slightly surprised. "You... Wanna watch a movie with me?.. I kinda figured you'd just be heading right back to your room when we got back..." He mumbled and walked up to Remi. "Huh? O-oh... Well uh... I-I guess I can j-just-"

Remi attempted to stand, but Dodo put his hands on his shoulders and gently pushed him back down. "Nope." "E-eh-?!" Remi squeaked and blushed faintly. Dodo just chuckled. "We're watching a movie. No going anywhere now." Dodo smiled and gently ruffled his hair. "Pick something out. I'll get snacks." Remi looked up at him his face reddening. After a moment he looked away and adjusted his glasses. "Mm- A.. Alright then- I'll... I'll do just that."

Dodo smiled and walked back to the kitchen for snacks. Remi took a moment, kinda frazzled, took the remote and started looking through movies. While he did so, Dodo would come in and out of the room with treats ; mini kit-kats, meiji apallo, ramune candies, hello panda, just the works. Remi soon decided on Ponyo, then looked down at the coffee table. "W-wow!... Uh... L-looks like we're set..."

"Noooot yet my friend." Dodo smiled and came back with some drink bottles. Remi looked at them for a moment, taking a second before realizing what they were. When he did, his eyes lit up. "Mogu mogu!" He smiled. "Aww man! I thought Tila drank the last one!" "Oh, she did." Dodo said. "Buuut since it's a favorite of yours, I snagged a couple for you." Remi smiled and took one. "Lychee flavored too? Aw man, you're the best Dodo!"

"Eh. I try..." Dodo smiled and sat beside Remi. "Anyway... You got the movie?" "Yep yep!" Remi grinned and started movie. "It's Ponyo!" "Ah. A Ghibly movie then... You really like these hm?" "Of course!" Remi smiled brightly. "I love everything about Ghibly movies! The stories, the characters, the ART! Oh I could go on forever about how much I love the art alone~"... And go on forever he did. Or, it felt like it at least. It wasn't until the movie was half way through when he finished up talking.

"-Ponyo is just my favorite though- for... Obvious reasons- BUT Totoro is... Definitely my..." Remi looked up to Dodo, only to see him with a glazed over look in his eyes, a small smile, and... Light pink cheeks. He was watching Remi... But didn't look to be listening... "... You ok dude?" He asked, making Dodo squeak, coming back to reality. "O-oh, uh... Sorry dude..." He chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. "Mm... Is Something the matter? You..."

Dodo just looked at him, then chuckled. "Don't worry Remi. You just... Distracted me." He smiled and ruffled Remi's hair. Remi was... A tad confused. "I... Distracted y-you...?" "Well... Yeah." Dodo smiled and gently cupped his cheek. "Mm... Whenever... Whenever you start talking about art stuff... You always get a lil glint in your eyes... And it's honestly the most adoroble thing ever..." He blushed and chuckled

Remi went red and started stuttering. "Eh?.. I-I... You... Y-you... Th..." Dodo listened, then chuckled. "Mm... Why wouldn't I?" He asked and gently hugged him. "Who wouldn't find you adorable? You're so small with just the sweetest smile..." He gently cupped Remi's cheeks. The two boys were... Rather close at the moment... "U-um..." Remi squeaked out, bright red. Dodo just looked at him and smiled. "Mm... See what I told you?" He said and slowly leaned closer.

Their noses close to touching... Remi could hear his heart pound in his chest and his face was burning up. "You're... Adorable..." Dodo said, looking at the shorter boy. His cheeks a lovely color of pink... The two slowly came closer and closer... Until...

"Hey guys!" The door slammed open as Tila returned home. "GHA-" Remi squeaked, startled, and fell backwards off the couch with a thud. "O-ow..." "Ngh- R-Remi!" Dodo squeaked. "Hey guys." Tila set her bag at the doorway and walked up to the livingroom. "Hm? Woah... You ok? You guys look startled... And... Red. Hey are you both sick?" "Mm- u-uh..." Remi was still bright red and nervous. "Um... U-uhh.... I... Mm!" He squeaked and stood up, nervously running to his room and slamming his door.

"R-Remi! Wait-... Damit!" Dodo groaned and slapped a hand on his face. "Remi..." "... Well..." Tila rubbed her neck. "That was... Weird... Whaaat was-" "Tila, hush... Just hush..." He sighed and walked off. Remi menwhile sat on his bedroom floor, fanning his face with his hands. "O-oh god. Did... Did that just... Happen? We could've... Gha- damiiiiit!" He squeaked and hid his face in his hands."Mm... J-just calm down just calm down... S-stop thinking for two seconds and just... Calm... Down-" And a knock had come.

"GH-!" Remi jolted away from the door. "S-sorry-" Dodo spoke from the other side. "I'm sorry... Didn't mean to scare you..." "... Mm...." Remi sighedand leaned against the door. "I-it's ok dude... I... I just need a minuet to calm down. I... I'm feeling a little frazzled so..." Dodo sighed and knodded. "Alright alright, I get it... Well... Sofa will probably be back soon too and... Then we can order dinner... Want me to call you then?" "Mm... Y-yeah..." Remi murmured and smiled faintly. "T-thanks..."

"Heh... No worries Remi." Dodo said and started walking away, but stoppedin his tracks. "Oh! Nearly forgot!" He smiled and turned back to the door. "Tomorrow, I have somewhere I wanna take you. A cafe on the edge of Akusuka and Natura. I think you'd like it... What do you say?" "Mm? O-oh uh... S-sure! I-I'd love to..." He mumbled and smiled. Dodo chuckled and started walking off. "Great! Well then... See ya at dinner dude." "Mm... Y.. Yeah..." Remi mumbled and smiled.

Once he knew Dodo had gone, Remi went to his bed and laid down with a tired but happy sigh. He put his hands on his cheeks and felt them heat up again. "Mm... W-well... I guess that wasn't too terrible... Frigen Tila." The boy mumbled and hugged a pillow "... W-was he always so... Charming and sweet and stuff..?" Remi mumbled and giggled a bit. "Mm... We were... So so close... Maybe we could've... Mmnmnf-" Remi blushed brighter at the thought and burried his face into thr pillow. "Mm- c-calm down! Mm... I think to muuch...." He groaned and laid down, flustered.. But happy. "Mm... W-well... We still have tomorrows... D-date."

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Okie dokie! Sorry if it ain't great (especially that ending) but, it was fun! Merry Christmas and happy new-year peeps