#sol's is so aggressive... boy that's your crush

[zhouxiangs]

MY STAND-IN (2024) | Episode 2

[freshlyrage]

Running Like Water

Chapter 13

pairing: Javier Peña x OFC (written as xReader)

fic warnings: NSFW Explicit Smut (18+ MDNI) language, strained family relationships, mentions of drug abuse, discussions of insecurities and body image issues, daddy and mommy issues

fic tags: Best friends younger sister, Life-long crush, Friends to lovers, Unrequited love, slow burn, Push and Pull, Small Town Dynamics, Secret Relationships, latina MC, Fluff and Angst, OFC!Jessica Alba face claim, sorry Lorraine I'm bringing you into this, Time jumps, 2 year age gap, pre-canon

word count: 4.5k

A/N: Long time coming! I've been so busy getting ready for uni, I recently transferred colleges so my life is a MESS rn. I hope you guys like this one, new chapter hopefully next week. Enjoy my lovies

You were going to be an aunt. That was very true, very insane, but very true. Your best friend, sister in law (to be), and childhood bully had a tiny little thing in her belly. A little friend in there, Tía Andrea.

You weren't having kids for a long time, you think, so this little blessing was going to be spoiled to a T.

 Juan, you named the baby, if he was a boy, Julia, if she was a girl. An affinity for J names you've noticed, god help you.

After sulking at the thought of Javier dropping you the second he sees Lorraine, you do see your brother and congratulate him. You cry, because he's going to be a dad, you want to tell him to be the dad you two never got to have, but that was far too heavy for a guy like Frankie. You leave him be, because you were quite the cry baby and that he hated about you.  

You groan in your bed, it had been 2 whole nights since Javi left you without a word. His face so full of nothing when he looked back at you for a chin raising nod as a goodbye.

You had the privilege of working at the summer school program from 9-2, the rest of your nights were alone. Spreading jam on toast, sitting criss-crossed dipping your finger in the purple goop and finger feeding your teething sister, who almost always gripped your finger and gnaw. It sort of hurt but tickled, the feeling of no teeth, hungry teething angry baby. Those were your moments of laughter. 

You ranted to poor Marisol often, “Do you think Lorraine and Javi will just rekindle that flame? I'm so stressed Sol,” she had a permanent grin on her face so you felt like she never took your problems seriously. She was 11 months old, still you felt judged. 

“I didn't want it to end”

Pause, a fucking pause. 

“I didn't want it to end that way either. “

Your chest expanded and tightened at the thought. And you did what you have always done best.

Overthink it.

What if it was Houston that tore them, too grown too soon. What if them both standing in a wedding in their hometown, a town where they fell in love in, what if that becomes just too much for them and they realize that they can try the damn thing again. You narrow your eyes at your sister as she slobbers on her fist. Lorraine has always been prettier than you. You couldn't see why Javi wouldn't just crumble at her feet when she comes home.

And she's a Christian, like a good one.

You recall in your sophomore year being teased by a junior named Terrance. He had heard about the rumor (the half true rumor), that Javier hooked up with his best friends sister atop a car. Close, you thought.

Hook up though? Depended on your definition, and it was against the car, not on top. Anyway, he crowded you at your lunch table while your friends stood to get their meals. He claimed you made it up for attention, why would anyone cheat on Lorraine with you? You held it together, brows pulling tight and leaving without a word. Finding the bathroom and breaking down, an experience unique to teenage girls. 

Biting back sobs in a bathroom stall. 

You stare at your baby sister longer, “Don't ever let a boy talk you down, okay mama?” She babbles and you take an aggressive bite of your toast. Face screwing up realizing you never really liked this snack. And don't let a boy shut you out after he's been intimate with you. You shake your head no, I’ll tell you that one when you're older. 

Like a light bulb hovering over your head, you grab your sister and walk out your room. Storming into the living room where your mother and her husband cuddled while watching some movie. The baby babbled at the sight of her daddy, “Going to bed.” You lie and plop your sister in their laps and hurry up the stairs before your mother could question you. 

You lock your bedroom door and shed your clothes with thoughts of Javier and his stupid sexy mustache and smile. How pleased he seemed to be getting you off, bastard. You stare at the mirror while you're bare, the hickeys on your soft skin mellowing in the slightest. And despite wanting to go over to Javier's just to talk, you slip on pretty panties. Just in case. 

You dig for something less appealing to stick on your body. If you don't tempt he wont have to see what's waiting for him under it all.

Jackpot.

Frankies track pants from high school, Laredo’s awful navy and black colors. Haven't they heard, navy and black is fashion suicide. You slip the loud material on, and then a gray tank top. You don't even bother with sneakers, slippers will do. 

You don't even call, you exit through your window and hop off the small shed Mr. Warden recently built for his storage. Passing your own car and walking to Javier's house at 11 pm. 

You're huffing 2 minutes in, despite Texas being famously flat, you still had the beastly hill to get to the two paths that led to Javier's home. The short cut that involved walking 3 minutes in the woods and ending at his house in less than ten, or the main road with long haul truckers and an additional 15 minutes to the walk. 

“God, please don't let me get mauled by a wolf.” You mutter to yourself before making a left into the barely lit trail, one warm light at the beginning and one off in the distance at the end. 

Well you don't die. You do get bit by some sort of bug on your elbow and startled by a squirrel. You just repeat to yourself that this is a good idea, the two of you need to communicate.

You end up at the Peña ranch, completely dark. You start to realize how silly it was for you to show up unannounced in the dead of night but the light from Javier's room has your stomach doing a strange flip. His window closed but the view of him sat at his desk was clear. 

Javier heard your call and didn't even startle. He was confused for a moment, looking at his door to his room but ultimately he threw that idea away, you strolling in his house near midnight, no way.

Hearing a crunching of leaves and a shriek, Javier is at his feet and opening his window, his eyes meeting your flushed cheeks and a leaf in your hair. 

Javier desperately tries to bite back a laugh at the sight, shirt strap off your shoulders, in track pants and slippers. Eyes wide in embarrassment, he’s just glad you aren’t hurt from whatever caused a piece of greenery to be stuck in your hair, a hand swiping to whack the thing away. Your hair disheveled from the midnight breeze, you were so damn beautiful. Always. 

“Will you stop staring and let me in before your dad comes out here with a shotgun?” 

Javier blinks, realizing he had just been ogling you for a bit too long, “Right, sorry.” 

He grips your hands and lifts you in. You huff with the sketchy landing, effectively kicking your slippers off and dusting off those loud pants, your cheeks are still red, maybe it’s from the fall or the weather or something else. You sit on his bed, wiping your brow free of sweat. “This thing makes me sound like a fucking wind tunnel.” You tug at the oversized pants. 

A strange primal heat spread across Javier’s chest seeing you wear pants that obviously weren’t yours but instead some boys.

The heat died when he realized they’re just your brothers. He remembers Frankie wearing them back in high school. 

“Wait-how did you get here?” A worry flashing him, you bring your knees to your chest on his bed. He stood against his desk, his arms crossed, leaned forward a bit to be face level with your own. He was just a huge broad man, you had to pounce on him.

About that, you think. 

“Walked, what were you reading?” You deflect, Javier shakes his head knowing what you're trying to do, he’s known you for a decade. He knows your often poor decision making skills and inability to lie, so he presses again, ignoring your question.

“I would have picked you up if you called.”

He would have, in a heartbeat. He’d drop anything and you knew that. Through all your insecurity and self depreciation you always understood that. That pissed you off, no wonder you had fallen so hard. He was always there, fixing up whatever mess you made.

He never did really mind, but you going M.I.A on him and then putting yourself in harm's way just to see him. That pissed him off pretty bad. Then again he could also never really be angry with you, not when you're finally here with him after so many years of no contact wondering if you were okay, happy, fed, healthy or whatever he killed himself over worrying about you. 

You, and your fucking tiny tank top and big eyes like you've never done wrong in your life. To him you hadn't and if you did, those eyes tell him otherwise. You just shrug with a pretty pout and a pulled brow. That stupid thought of pressing his thumbs to your forehead smoothing out any worry you’ve ever had. “I wanted to go on a walk and ended up here.” Lie.

“It just isn’t safe.” Javi’s crossed arms flex when you narrow your eyes in annoyance.

“Believe it or not Agente, I used to take walks by myself back when you lived with Lorraine 5 months ago.” You bite and ah, thats why you’re here.

He saw the look on your face change when he spewed that awkward phrasing to Genie’s news.

Truthfully Javier didn’t mean for it to come out like that. He gripped the wheel to his truck when he dropped Genie off at her house. His pounding head leaning against the wheel, feeling so dumb. Ashamed. 

He didn’t call you because he didn’t know how.  Didn’t know if your mom would pick up or if you were actually upset with him. Maybe you felt different after he ate you out, after he bent you over and came on your back. Maybe he was a fucking idiot and moving too fast. 

But the name drop gave him confirmation. Javier dropped his eyes to the floor and let out a sigh. “Yeah, about Monday…” His eyes stay trained to the ground, bracing himself for your attitude that he strangely adored. For you to rip him a new one for making you feel bad, for making you feel unsure in whatever this was. Waiting for a justified fuck off, or a firm talk like you gave him when he saw you again for the first time last week. 

But instead he hears you sniffle. 

Well fuck, you were crying and Javier looked like you had just stabbed him. Striding to you to get on his knees and hold your knees as you sat perched up on his bed crying over something so stupid. But the whole situation gave you deja vu.

A flash of trying to look pretty for him after the two of you kissed and fading at the hollow pit in your belly when you saw him arm in arm with Lorraine just two days after. 

Communicate, it’s what you told yourself to do on your way to his house. You lost too many years by being too damn shy to tell him how you felt. 

But now that the moment was here you couldn’t help but sob. But to feel like the insecure girl trying to compete with someone in a different ball park. But this time around Javi is repeating your name and attempting to soothe you, his hands moving from your knees to your wrists. Andrea, he presses so tenderly and so concerned. 

Andrea, querida, what’s wrong, hey. 

And all other soft calls to you. “I-I’m sorry- I don’t know why i’m crying, sometimes when I’m around you—i still feel like i’m sixteen and—" He drops his head, his hands loosening at the thought of all the mistakes he made with you. Your own hands flex and move from the hold completely as he’s at your mercy, head bowed. “I understand if Lorraine coming home changes things—you two were together for a long time and I know she’s probably less complicated or-or emotional—and not someone you need to hide— I know she’s easier to have and keep. I won’t be upset, I know in comparison i’m i don’t know, homely? And never really made for a good-“

“Andrea.” His voice strained but demanding you to stop your tearful rambling. It wasn’t like you to act that way, not anymore. You’ve grown too much to let all your insecurities wash you out, but it seems that maybe you never got over 1980, maybe you couldn’t just have casual sex with Javier Peña. 

“What?” Your voice breaks, god. And there’s Javier with that same look of disappointment, in you, in himself or in your doomed situation, you weren’t sure but he looks absolutely torn in half. 

His wet lips part like he was prepared to say something but they shut as his eyes search yours.

There’s silence again and his eyes drop and you begin to fear that maybe he agreed with all that you said. Maybe he knew that when his ex came home he’d be ready to fix that, maybe he knew Lorraine was a simpler, prettier girl. So your heart breaks further every second that passes. Every second he doesn’t look at you. 

 “Be with me.” 

Your mouth parts at the softness in his voice, and what was left of your heart swelling in your chest. Tears fell harder in confusion and praying this wasn’t just another spec of false hope, hoping it wasn’t another kiss by his car or another if you tell me to stay. 

You whisper, “What?”

His own eyes, glossy. “I don’t want anyone else, I don’t want you with anyone else. Nothing will change that. I don’t care if this is difficult, I don’t care if you think you’re hard to be with. I’m just asking you to be with me Andrea.”

You frown and shut your eyes tightly. You want him to repeat it again, over and over until you two wither away together.

Maybe he also knew that you two could never just be casual. 

Javier and Andrea casually hooking up, who were you kidding?

“Okay-"

He doesn’t let you finish whatever came next, you don’t even know what else you were going to say because his lips were crushing your own. His hand holding the back of your head as he presses you close. Tying your souls in his own way, kissing and holding you. 

Finally. Oh my god…

You arch your back into him, he groans against you when he realizes his uncomfortable position. His body hunched over in order to make out with you while you sat on the edge of his bed. 

“Fuck it.” He mumbles before grabbing your ass and lifting you up. Your legs wrap against him, holding to him like a koala. His hands generously squeezing at your behind in the track pants. Your nails raking in his pretty brown hair, his mustache scraping your lips raw and you love it. 

Laying you on his bed and kissing you there would be easy, but Javier obviously could care less about easy, I mean he just asked his best friends sister to be his for good. So he held you up, licking into your mouth with your legs wrapped around his stomach. Moaning when your core rubbed against his stomach. 

“Am I too heavy?”

Javi scoffed against your lips, “shut the fuck up.”

He takes a few steps back and bumps into his desk. The image of you bent over it, taking him makes his pants tighten. He turns to sit you on it, shoving the mail from work on the floor, the thing you had been so interested in just 10 minutes ago. 

He steps back slightly, your hands still attached to him with your swollen lips and desperation for more. You looking so pretty perched up on his desk. He had to have you every day, what was he going to do when he leaves, what was he going to do?

No time for that, he grabs your face again and continues kissing you, making up for all those years you spent wanting him. All the years he spent hiding how bad he wanted you. 

Without warning Javier hooks his left hand in the front of your thin top and pulls it down. Your breasts spilling out, and he looks like he’s ready to devour you. His mouth immediately attaching to your left breast eliciting a high pitched moan from you. His wet lips suctioning on such a sensitive and untouched part of your body. His right hand moving to your unattended one. Kneading and gripping while his tongue flicked and swirled. 

Your hair falls in your face as your heavy head falls at the pleasure. Still so wet, you move your hips to hopefully get some release, “Javi, please-“

His lips part from your breast, his mouth wet and open as he looks up to you, waiting for your request. But you’re so turned on by the circumstance, by him asking you to be his, by the way his hair is falling above his brow and by your breasts spilling out of your tank top “What do you need baby?”

“I want to come.” 

His lips quirk at your bluntness. He wastes no time and begins pulling off your pants—or your brother pants. Your chest heaves when he stands straight to remove you from the desk and you get a glimpse of his hardness. Heavy in the oh so causal sleep pants that made your head spin

“I want you to come.” You add, he pauses his brows raising a bit. “We don’t have to take off our clothes, i’m not ready yet but we can-“ You cut yourself off feeling awfully shy and juvenile for the suggestion but his eyes darken at your bashfulness. You were ready to fuck him on Monday when you were clouded by horniness and the uncertainty of if it was your last time but now he wants to you to be his. You never need to rush. 

He tilts his head slightly and grabs the bottom of your tank, freeing you from it. Leaving you bare breast and in your small little underwear, placed on his desk. His pretty girl, his, finally his. 

“What baby? You wanna dry hump me? Like a couple of fucking teenagers?”

Your cheeks heat quickly, embarrassed about your stupid horny ask, feeling frozen in shame until Javi smiles again. Picking you up for what feels like a millionth time and sitting you in his lap at his desk chair. Straddling him, you feel the weight of him, so close to him.

You love kissing him, you never want to stop and you don’t, your lips working on his. Dragging to his cheek leaving wet kisses from jaw to neck. The perfect position to hear his own pretty breaths. 

In between pants he gets a hold on your waist lifting you slightly. He gives himself space to move his erection, move it to help you feel him better. Lowering you, your lips suck and nip at his neck leaving a careless mark. A whine leaves your parted lips at the contact and his lips quirk in a sweet smile. 

But the smile fades into an eyebrow screwing groan when you move on him. He repeats your name in worship. His forehead dropping to your shoulder while you use his body. So little clothing for you and so much for him. Yet he’s mumbling in your ear like he’s already on the verge of finishing.

Feeling the underside of him rub against the thin cotton throws you for a loop and you can’t seem to care how feral you have to look getting yourself off on Javi like this. His head turns to place his lips on the space below your ear.

“Don’t leave, let me keep you here forever.” He urges and your core is pulsing just from his words. “When you let me fuck you—fuck—i’ll make sure you’ll never need anyone else querida.” 

“Oh god-“ You moan, your head dropping feeling closer, his own hips bucking up to meet you. The spaced out thrusts causing you to release a high pitched squeak. 

Javier’s hand moving to the back of your head, forcing it to his neck to keep you muffled. 

“Hijo?”

Your eyes widen and you squeeze Javi tighter. You stay frozen at the sound of Don Chucho calling outside of Javier’s room. 

Javi doesn't let up, you hold a muffled whine in his neck as he continues to buck his hips into you. “Si papi-uh dad yeah?”

“Todo bien?”

Javier, still moving below you, slips his hand between you, his fingers dragging along your clothed cunt, helping speed up your process. You're so close but if you come now, there's no doubt his father will hear. 

“I’m good, uh-working on some DEA stuff.” 

You would laugh if the pad of his thumb wasn't circling your most sensitive part of your body. 

“Alright hijo, try to sleep we have to be at Mrs. Glorias home tomorrow at 12. You're coming right?”

“Uh-yeah-I’m coming” His eyes grow large and he finally stills from under you, “I mean–yes I am coming…tomorrow.”

You stifle a laugh in his shoulder and he pinches your ass.

“Um, alright, goodnight.” His dad calls, the sound of footsteps and a door slamming ends that.

And you laugh into him forreal, but his fingers returning to your panties shut you up. “You're coming Javi?” you tease.

“Shut up-” He bucks harder and you’re close, your eyes going blank. 

You move your lips to his neck again, “Papi huh?”

And then he breaks, “Fuck-Andrea”. Coming in his pants in deep grunts and grips at your ass. Coming down from his own high he gets frustrated, his fingers dipping into your panties without warning. His deft fingers collect all the moisture he created and drag to your clit.

You come in a white flash, falling off the edge. You repeat his name in whiny cries. His hands hurrying to hold you up against his while you collapse into him. Heart racing, the orgasm comes in rippling. Javier holds you, sweat and all. Kissing the top of your head, whispering sweet words of You’re so good, feel so good baby. He keeps you like this for what feels like an eternity, feeling boneless and light when he stands.

He lays you on his bed like a doll. You lay still coming down, chest rising and falling. Still pulsing at the thought of how dirty and depraved the whole thing was. So wrapped in the high and replaying all the shit you’ve always wanted to hear, you flinch when he climbs in bed with a new pair of pants. 

“You’re bad.” He groans when he settles into the bed with a creak. 

You screw your brows together and turn to him, “Yea says the guy still trying to jump my bones while his dad was outside the room you psycho!” You whisper yell and he laughs that same deep sweet laugh you love. 

Javi brings you in closer to him, kissing you a quick chaste one. Blushing at the simpleness of it all. Cuddling in bed with Javier Peña and kissing him for fun, what is my life? “Mmm, take off your panties.”

You scoff.

“Not like that–I’m tapped out, unless you want to.”

“As much as I would love to have you between my legs, I am also tired.” You reach down and slip the soaked thing off, leaning over placing them on his nightstand. He pulls up the comforter over you. 

Javier slips his arm over your stomach, thumbing your hip in light circles. “You can put them in my drawer, they're mine now.” 

“You're a pervert.” You laugh, pinching his wrist.

“Mmm, when it comes to you? Yeah a bit.”

Red as a cherry you bury your face in his chest, hiding yourself. 

Silence passes for a few minutes, just the two of you together. The reality sets in, the hiding begins. But so does being with him, so does working this out so does communicating. “I should probably leave, don't want your dad to catch me.” You whisper and he grumbles an annoyed sound from his chest.

“Dont care, stay here. I’ll sneak you out early in the morning.” He grips you tighter and you smile feeling satisfied. “Tell me about Miami.”

You frown, “What do you want to know?”

“Anything. Tell me about your roommates, classes. I never got to go to college, tell me.”

Kissing his chest again, “You say it like you’re some dropout, you’re like a secret fucking agent.” He groans again, hatong when you talk him up, he gets shy like you. You spare him. “My roommate is cool, party girl. Her name is Delilah, from Arkansas. She was like a real southern-belle, big curly hair and blue eyes. She’s been begging for me to visit since I graduated early. We got along really well but she was annoyed with me often. I never partied.”

Javier’s chest rises, “Why? You used to party a lot in high school, remember when I had to get you from Juniors house at like 2-”

“Oh god don’t remind me I was a mess, case and point. Didn’t have a hot strong brother's best friend to pick up said pieces.”

“Oh shut the fuck up.”

The two of you laugh into each other, it's simple and perfect. 

“Besides that, it was an unfulfilling experience but I teach in the fall so it worked out I guess.”

“Ms. Diaz, sexiest teacher to ever step foot in Laredo for sure. If you were my teacher, whew.”

“You need to relax.” You mumble, feeling sleepier in his arms. “What were you reading by the way?”

Javier stirs and lets out another annoyed groan, gripping you tighter. “Some stupid fucking retreat for my office. In New Orleans in June, it's for all the people who are going to Columbia in fall. Stupid shit but its all expenses paid at the Roosevelt.”

Your brows raise, “Fancy, you gonna be flirting up the staff. Chest hair out with Getting your game back on before Columbia.” He scoffs and brings his hand down hard on your behind, eliciting a screech from you. “You’re gonna leave a mark pendejo.”

“Well you have a smart mouth, would rather see you half naked by the pool. I’ll sock anyone who looks at you though,” You shove him, the out of reach thought, fantasy, of maybe going away with him flashes in your eyes. Before you could dwell, he reached down to kiss you again. He mumbles against your lips. “You gave me a hickey so we’re even.”

Your eyes flutter shut, dosing off in the warmth of Javi. In the warmth of someone who’s yours. 

Half asleep you mumble, “Why’d you come the second I said the word papi?”

He scoffs tiredly and kisses your head again.

 “Shut up.”

[madeofitzits]

In honor of the impending return of Brooklyn 99, here are 99 reasons that...

1. He was precocious enough to know, at 5 years old, that he wanted to change his name (x)

 2. He has a bunch of nicknames: Sandy Amberg, Young Sandwich, etc. but the most endearing one is 'Droidy', his family's name for him (x) 

3. He is still super close friends with people he's known since: Elementary School (Chelsea Peretti) (x)...

4. Junior High/High School (Kiv and Jorm) (x) 

5. … Summer Camp (Irene Neuwirth) (x)

7.  ...and Film School (Chester Tam) (x)

8. Before he met Joanna, he dated other famous ladies but - out of respect - he never discussed it/them (x) 

9. He loves turtles and tortoises. When he was a kid, he had a pet turtle that he named 'Squirt' because the first time he held it, it peed on him. His Mom, Margie, accidentally killed Squirt when Andy was at Summer camp... (x)

10. … Maybe this is why, when shooting 'Popstar', Andy fell hard for Maximus (Conner 4 Real's turtle). He says they "had a good thing going" and that he wanted to adopt him. In the end, he decided against it because there are a bunch of coyotes in his neighborhood and he was worried the little guy wouldn't be safe. (Popstar: DVD Commentary)

11. Speaking of his Mom, despite being a super private person, he appeared on 'Finding your Roots' so that he could help her track down her birth family (x)

12. When he succeeded he cried (although we never got to see it on camera) (x)

13. That's because, like all good boys, he loves his Mama which is why - as part of the same episode - he said "My mom is basically the kindest person I know… and many people would corroborate that" (x)

14. Andy's Sisters, Hannie (Johanna) and Darrow, used to make him wear diapers and put his hair in pigtails until he was 5 years old. He says he didn't mind because he just liked that they were paying attention to him (x)

15. That's why he sees his identity in comedy as being 'America's kid brother'. When he was young, he would annoy his sisters until they laughed and he claims to have been replicating that approach to entertainment ever since

16. Although a bunch of his characters have 'Daddy Issues', Andy definitely doesn't. He's super close with his Papa (Joe) and has said "he's a good man" and "the best Dad in the world" (x) 

17. Joe was Andy's youth soccer coach and in one scene in 'Hot Rod', Joe's favorite photograph can be seen in the background. It shows a very young Andy posing with a soccer ball, after "scoring the winning goal against Mersey" (x)

18. He's been a loyal Golden State Warriors fan since he was a little kid, living in Oakland (then Berkeley) and, in 2010, he correctly predicted that they would "win a Championship in my lifetime" (x) 

19. The proceeds from his Umami Burger ('The Samburger') went to a deafness early detection program in Berkeley. This cause is close to his heart because Margie uses hearing aids and used to work in the special needs program, teaching deaf kids (x)

20. He, Kiv, and Jorm have made multiple donations to their old school district, including $250 000 to its theater program (x)

21. On the subject of The Lonely Island; Andy always goes out of his way to make sure that everyone knows how much he owes to his buddies. For instance, he told Marc Maron, during his WTF appearance, that "I get a lot of credit for what Kiv and Jorm have done" (x)

22. He makes this face when he knows he’s said something naughty…

(Gif credit: @andrewsambags)

23. During his 'Wild Horses' appearance, he said that he can't watch scary movies because they freak him out too much. He told 'Complex' that he's still scared of 'The Shining' (x)...

24. … Similarly, when he was at UC Santa Cruz he worked at the Del Mar movie theater and he had a hard time coping with screenings of 'Species 2' (x)

25. He fell in love with Joanna, the moment he met her, when she greeted him by addressing him as 'Steve the C**t' (x)

 26. He listened to 'Ys', everyday for a year, before he and Joanna started dating (x)

27. He bought the original portrait that was used as the basis of the cover art for 'Ys' and gave it to Joanna as a Christmas present, so that she could hang it in her music room (x)

 28. He loves birds and goes hiking and birding with Joanna (x)

 29. Every new comment he makes about Joanna becomes an instant contender for 'most beautiful thing a person has ever said about their spouse' (x)

30. For example, he readily admits that Jake's iconic heart eyes are the result of him thinking about his amazing wife (x)

31. There are many stories about how incredibly romantic Andy and Joanna's wedding was and Jorm has said that it featured "the most magical vows I've ever heard" (x)

32. The Newsombergs now live in Charlie Chaplin's old house (x)

33. On the Emmys Red Carpet (2015), the year he hosted, they took a momentary break from posing for the world's press to whisper 'I love you' to each other (x)

34. At last year's Vanity Fair party, Andy carried Joanna's purse for her so she could grab a snack (x)

35. He was a semi-permanent fixture in the audience for her recent run of shows for the 'Strings/Keys Incident' tour, even officially confirming his status as the 'President of her Fan Club' (x)

36. He used his Golden Globes monologue to call out the government for framing and murdering the Black Panthers (x)

37. On the Carpet for the Guy's Choice Awards, he called the event "a ridiculous farce", adding that "men already have it so easy - it's insane that there's a show that celebrates them". That makes sense when you consider that he, Kiv and Jorm have made an entire career out of parodying toxic masculinity (x)

38. He once said that only "idiot-ass men" think that women aren't funny (x)

39. He’s been wearing glasses since 7th Grade and he has the most heartbreakingly cute habit of nudging them up his nose, (especially when he wears his Sol Moscot frames) (x)...

40. ... and of rubbing his eyes under them (x)

41. He barely ever wears glasses for roles but he also avoids contacts (because he doesn't like touching his eyeballs) which means he's almost always 'acting blind' (x)

42. He has worn his glasses in character a few times - as 'himself' ('Lady Dynamite'), as 'Paul' ('I Think You Should Leave') and during a very small number of SNL sketches (e.g. during his one appearance in a 'Gilly' with Kristen Wiig) (x) 

43. He can't tolerate glare and when that makes him squint it's a sight that's too cute for words (x)

44. He owns about six outfits and has been rotating them for well over a decade (x) 

45. He barely ever breaks during shooting/while performing, so when he does it's aggressively adorable. (x), (x)

46. He's a grown ass man who persuades people to come with him to the bathroom because if he goes by himself he'll get lonely (x)

47. He didn't announce he was leaving SNL, until after his last appearance, selflessly choosing not to detract from Kirsten Wiig's huge and emotional send-off (x) 

48. He undertook a quest to smell like Lorne Michaels (x) 

49. He's ageing like a fine wine (x)

50. To protect their daughter's privacy, Andy and Joanna never announced that they were expecting. They've never released their little girl's name or date of birth and most news outlets still report that they became parents in August 2017 (even though that's inaccurate) (x)

51. Although he's careful not to talk about his daughter often, sometimes he can't keep from gushing about her. For example, when asked about his first year of fatherhood he said: "It’s been the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Just like a beautiful, incredible dream. It has surpassed every expectation I ever had. It’s definitely been very blissful" (x)

52. After their daughter was born, Andy and Joanna spent the first 40 days at home with her (in a practice known as 'confinement'). He's described it as being "a really special time". (x) 

53. Andy is famously mild-mannered but, when asked about what triggers his 'Dad claws', he admitted that if anyone attempted to touch his daughter, without permission, he'd "probably sock them hard in the face"…

54. ...Characteristically, he went on to add that he hopes that never happens, since he hasn't been in a fight since 6th Grade (x)

55. Cyndi Lauper was his first celebrity crush and he plays her record ('She's so unusual') for his daughter all the time. (x)

56. His is the very definition of a precious laugh (x)...

57. It's made even more wonderful by the way it makes his voice go high-pitched (x)

58.  … and the way it causes his eyebrow to rise involuntarily  

59. It's impossible not to smile at his impression of his Mom (x)

60. And laugh at his impression of John Mulaney (x)

61. He was so convinced he wouldn't win the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical, that he didn't prepare a speech. Instead, as he explained to David Letterman, he "just went… and started drinking". The resulting list of improvised 'thank yous' was perfect in every way (x)

62. As producers, Andy, Kiv and Jorm have given life to some amazing projects ('Alone Together', 'Brigsby Bear', 'I Think You Should Leave')...

63. … and gone out of their way to support women in comedy ('Party Over Here', 'PEN15') (x)

64. As well as being a comedy legend, he's a super-talented dramatic actor, who gave the performance of a lifetime in 'Celeste and Jesse Forever' but, after the movie wrapped, and it was time to do press for it, he was straight back to goofing around (x) 

65. His lip bite should be illegal (x)

66. Even though he wears the same vanishingly small number of outfits, over and over, he has a vast collection of the most excellent socks (x)

67. He always gives 'editing notes' during his own interviews (x)

68. He has a super sweet and sincere way of thanking interviewers when they compliment him (x)

69. He adjusts his hoodie constantly (x)

70. The two most perfect Jake laughs in b99 are actually real Andy laughs 'https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=W38A_xuXaeg https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sVm9nYrTWRQ

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71. Virtually everyone who has ever worked with Andy has talked about what a wonderful person he is. This explains why so many of them have been involved with more than one of his projects (x)

72. It's not only his colleagues who talk about what a delight he is (x), (x)

73. This lovestruck fool wore his own wife's merch when he went out to dinner (x)

74. No one else uses the word 'dinky' quite like Andy (x). The same goes for 'snacky' (see point 70)

75. He does this with his tongue (x)

76. He still likes to play soccer but his eyesight is so bad that he has to keep his glasses on for it

77. When he lets his gorgeous floofy hair grow a little it sits perfectly over the arms of his glasses (x)

78. He gifted the world with Jakey's little curl (x)

79. At the James Franco Roast, he couldn't bring himself to be mean to anyone except himself (and Jeff Ross, a little!) (x)

80. In fact, he's always been willing to laugh at himself (x) and he still is (x)

81. He changes b99 scripts to make them more feminist (x)

82. Despite their humble insistence that they just benefited from 'good timing', the reality is that Andy, Kiv and Jorm (along with Chris Parnell) revolutionized digital media, when 'Lazy Sunday' popularized YouTube, increasing its traffic by 85% overnight (x)

83. He once attended the Vanity Fair party because his Mom told him to (x)

84. He has an amazing way of subtly but firmly shutting down inappropriate questions, like when this interviewer suggested that Holt being gay was something that could have been played for laughs https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=idQsYQfkR5o

85. He auditioned for SNL at the same time as Bill Hader. Hader thought he'd blown it because Andy had a bunch of props and Bill had none. In the meantime, Andy thought he'd blown it when he saw Hader and realized 'this guy doesn't need any props' (x) 

86. His bromance with Seth Meyers is one for the ages (x)

87. Every single second of this video is proof of why Andy, Kiv and Jorm deserve the world (x)

88. He once dragged Mulaney up on stage for SNL Goodnights, even though writers weren't allowed to join in (x)

89. He has a hilarious phobia of pooping anywhere except his own bathroom (x) 

90. His beautiful, beautiful, face: His smile (radiant), his eyes (caramel - hella disarming), his ears (adorably asymmetrical), his nose (perfect), His chin (the dimple… *swoon*), his jaw (could cut glass), The 'Sambeard' (another amazing layer of pretty) (x)

91. His body: His butt (x), his thighs, (x) his soft lil tummy (The ‘Sambelly’) (x), his hands. (x), his arms (x), his hips…

(Gif credit: @amystiago /@badpostandy on Twitter)

92. All signs point to the fact that, like Jake, Andy uses his glasses case as a wallet (x) 

93. Jake's "cool-cool-cool-cool-cool-cool" is an irl Andy-ism that the writers worked into b99 scripts. What's even better is that Joanna does it, too (x)

94. He has a really good arm and is low key competitive, which is super hot https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=e32K_nBDy3Q

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95. He's one half of the cutest Red Carpet pose of all time (x)

96. He barely ever seems to get mad but if angry Jake is anything to go by, maybe he should... (x)

97. He's a huge nerd, who geeks out over GOT, LOTR, 'Star Wars', 'Alien(s)' and anything relating to time travel (x), (x)

98. He has a gorgeous speaking voice, especially when he’s tired or a little sick. (Bonus points for any time he uses the word ‘correct’. See point 30) (x) 

99. He’s still so committed to his b99 fans and fam, even after all this time and is as excited as the rest of us that...

[classicdaisycalico]

🔥 for the Sonic series as well ;)

Send me a “ 🔥 “ for an unpopular opinion.

Hoo boy you just opened another entire can of worms here

So uhhh let’s get started shall we?

First of all, people need to stop bitching about whether or not the classic games are the best or the Adventure-era games or the modern games. All Sonic games have their ups and downs. To say that their greatness stopped after [insert Sonic game here] is really rude and puts down a lot of other people who genuinely like the series and all it has to offer.

With this in mind, I genuinely like Sonic ‘06…at least, in theory. If Sega hadn’t rushed it the way they did (and I feel awful about all the pressure that was put on them in order to put something out there), then I’m sure we would have had a genuinely excellent game and we definitely wouldn’t have as much of a divide in the fandom. Of course, I am not without my fair share of opinions on it, though.

Let’s just get right down to it, shall we? We didn’t need Elise and that awkward “romantic” subplot. It felt kinda…forced in some ways? Furthermore I don’t even think that the princess in the story should have been Elise. It should have been Blaze. She could still be the same character implemented in the exact same way and everything, but carrying all of Elise’s role in the story would have made SO much more sense. It would give her a larger reason to be a part of the storyline, too. Also…SOL Dimension? SOLeanna? SOL Emeralds? SOLaris? Sega missed out on a golden opportunity here. I think they should hire me for a remake of this game.

Speaking of Blaze, WHERE WAS SHE IN FORCES?! I know she’s gonna show up in IDW at some point, I think, but if the Phantom Ruby can mess with other dimensions, then Blaze popping up in the in-game story could have made sense. Also, where was Big in all this? Where was Cream? And her mom? And most importantly, where were all the Chao and the animal buddies? Sonic games aren’t the same without Chao :(

Now let’s change the subject here and get to the voice actors. I genuinely like this voice cast a lot. Roger’s voice still sits a little too deep for a 15 year old, I think, but he delivers the snark so well it’s grown on me.

I like that Cindy Robinson doesn’t sound too Minnie Mouse with her take on Amy, but I still like Liza Ortiz’s slightly better since her 12 year old voice is a little more believable.

Quinton Flynn makes a good Silver. His voice doesn’t bite as much as Pete Capella’s voice used to. Quinton sounds much…calmer? But he still manages to capture both the vulnerability in his voice and the strong sense of justice he maintains.

Kirk Thornton is doing an amazing job with Shadow. I know he had a little bit of trouble adjusting in earlier games but he has improved so much. I don’t like his take on Boom!Shadow, though. He didn’t have to make him sound so gruff.

Kathleen Delaney’s voice for Rouge was absolutely atrocious. Bringing Karen Strassman in was such an enormous relief. I like how she implement’s Rouge’s coy and witty nature, but Lani Minella still holds out as my #1 Rouge VA.

Speaking of Rouge, people need to understand that Rouge is not just your stereotypical “sexy female character”. Being flirty and confident is party of her personality, yes, but it’s both of those things that contribute to what is undoubtedly the biggest part of her character: her wits. Rouge can use what her mama gave to manipulate any enemy ever and later physically kick their ass in a matter of seconds. That’s pretty badass, in my book.

Speaking of female characters, Amy is more than her crush on Sonic, and the writers need to figure this out. Amy is a dedicated girl who throws her heart and soul into all that she does, and if she’s ever fighting alongside her friends, she’ll fight to the death for everyone there that she loves. Yeah, she just so happens to be more vocal and physically aggressive than most, particularly when it comes to Sonic, but she is only 12, after all. And even then, her crush has been significantly toned down, which I appreciate, since it means the writers are finally getting it.

Speaking of the writers, I notice that a lot of people complain about Pontac and Graff’s way about writing storylines for a lot of the games recently. And yes, that is true; while I do like the way they write humor, the things I don’t like are the plotholes that seem to stay empty at times, and some minor characterization things. While they do get the big picture about certain characters’ thoughts and actions, it’s the small stuff they seem to overlook, and missing all the small things can add up and make the characters overall attitude in a game seem off.

Speaking of characterization, I’m still bitter about the way they handled Infinite’s backstory. SO MUCH MORE could have been done with him, and yet his motivation for becoming what he became was chalked all up to simply being bored with the current state of the world. I’m not bitter lol

Lastly, let’s get to ships. There are a few that I’m not completely on board with, and shipping Knuckles with Rouge basically tops the list. I always feel like I’m one of the only people on this hellsite that doesn’t ship the two together (anyone who knows me knows that Shadouge is my OTP for the Sonic series). I just feel like there’s a stronger bond and overall sense of closeness that Shadow and Rouge has that Knuckles and Rouge doesn’t. Most of the time, their interactions are generally negative and sometimes even played up for comic relief. I don’t see those kinds of interactions culminating into a relationship, I just don’t.

I’m not on board with Sonaze, either. Sorry guys! I feel like Blaze wouldn’t want to ruin one of her first real friendships with someone who she used to hate. Friendship has become something really special to Blaze, and trying to move beyond it, especially with someone who is not on board with romantic relationships most of the time, would probably not be the best move to make, anyway. I think it’s for the best if she left her friendship as it was.

Shadamy is a little unsettling. Shadow saw a comparison in Amy to Maria in Sonic Adventure 2, right? So at best, I think he sees her as something akin to a little sister figure, just like how Shadow saw with Maria. Also, I haven’t seen much interaction between the two of them since then (with a few minor exceptions, of course). So…how would that make any sense? (It’s through this reasoning that I can’t ship Shadow with Maria, either. Aside from the fact that she’s a literal human. Who is also currently dead.)

With all the times Sonic and Shadow have faced off against each other, I don’t see Sonadow happening. While they do harbor a mutual respect for one other, their personalities clash immensely, and pointing out their shit to each other every time that happens can turn ugly very quickly. The fact that it’s been going on for so long only justifies that reasoning further. (Sorry, guys!)

Phew. Okay. I’m done. Hopefully I don’t get crucified or burned at the stake or anything for this. (Especially that last bit. I swear I’m not homophobic, at least…I try not to be. Anyone who follows me would know that I try to educate myself on any LGBT+ issues as much as I can.)

Uhhh so that’s that. Hope you enjoy reading through all of this!

[promptis-imagines]

In Hope and Festivities (Happy Birthday, Bococho!)

Look at you, you made it!! First off, I want to wish you a super happy birthday (again) and I hope you have a wonderful time doing whatever it is you’re doing before you read this. I’m still marveling at the fact that we became friends over Klance and it escalated into...this lol. You’ve been a cool as hell friend to me and I hope it stays that way for a while. Anyway, here’s your birthday present in the form of my suffering. I wanted to put so much more in there, but I ultimately had to choose a few scenes and roll with it. Have fun!

The festive spirit was almost palpable in the air when the crew stepped off of the boat and onto the welcoming grounds of Altissia. Children giggled and ran with their balloons past restless chocobos while adults chatted and wandered aimlessly through the streets. The boys were in the spirit, too; Noctis and Prompto had decided to go all out in their carnival shirts and hats, while Ignis and Gladiolus were taking a more relaxed approach in their casual clothes. All together, they looked like parents and their over-excited teenage children on vacation.

"Oh. Em. Gee. We're actually here!" Prompto clapped his hands together and bounced in excitement. "Look at all the chocobos, and the lights, and the food!" Noctis could practically feel the energy buzzing around Prompto as his smile only grew wider. "What do you guys wanna do first?" he asked.

Gladio laughed, not quite matching Prompto's enthusiasm but looking happy nonetheless. "How about we look around to see what they got?"

"Yes, this looks like a lot to take in all at once," Ignis noted. "Perhaps we should view our surroundings and decide on a schedule of what we'd like to do after we've seen all the options." He paused while Prompto gawked at him. "What?"

"Ugh, loosen up, Iggy!" Prompto visibly drooped in exasperation. "This one time. Just…go with it," he pleaded. "You have to."

Noctis nodded in agreement. "Yeah, just have fun, Ignis," he joined in. He knew Ignis needed this break as much as everyone else.

He still looked slightly taken aback. "I was only trying to make the experience more fulfilling for all of us," he said, "but if you would prefer running around with reckless abandon, be my guest."

Noctis had to hold back a laugh when Gladio slapped him on the back, causing him to stumble forward. "It's gonna be okay, Specs," he said. "If you wanna plan it out, I'll go with you."

Ignis straightened his shirt and cleared his throat, a light blush dusting his cheeks. "We'll see." Noctis thought he almost looked embarrassed.

As they moved to head towards the row of chocobos along the sidewalk, Noctis felt someone tap his shoulder. He turned his head to see Prompto, who made a small gesture to the other two walking in front of them. "They're totally gonna be a thing by the end of this. Guarantee it," he whispered. "Just look at them."

He had a point. Ignis and Gladio were keeping suspiciously closer to each other than normal, and Noctis didn't think it was a result of less walking space. In fact, he was fairly certain he'd noticed Gladio staring dreamy-eyed at Ignis on multiple occasions in the recent days.

"If he doesn't make his move soon, he's an idiot," Noctis responded.

Prompto covered his mouth with a hand as Ignis cast a raised-eyebrow look over his shoulder at them. The goofy grin on Prompto's face stayed even when Ignis looked away. Somehow it was contagious enough to put a smile on Noctis as well.

Noctis' attention changed directions when he almost stumbled right into a chocobo. The bird jumped back out of the way, leaving Noctis teetering over the edge of the sidewalk. He let out a startled yelp as he fell, preparing to warp to safety, but stopped short when he felt his shirt pull taut.

"Woah, I gotcha!"

The ground was soon back underfoot after he was pulled back up, and Noctis breathed a sigh of relief at his rescuer. "Thanks, Prom."

"No prob, buddy," Prompto said with a pat on his shoulder.

"Y'know, you could've just said you wanted to go swimming," Gladio remarked.

Noctis frowned, rubbing his neck under his shirt. "My bad, should've voiced that sooner."

The chocobo Noctis nearly bulldozed let out a soft kweh. Noctis turned with the intention to pet it and apologize, only to see Prompto with his arms already wrapped around the large bird's neck.

His friend had always done an extraordinary job of catching Noctis off guard, bringing heat to his cheeks and rendering him useless. So seeing Prompto giggling and hugging one of his favorite animals effectively knocked the breath out of Noctis.

To think he'd almost forgotten about his crush.

He was pulled out of his trance when Prompto called him over. "Noctis, I think she wants you to apologize," he said under a laughed, taking a step back to allow Noctis some room.

"Yeah, I-I was about to do that." With slower steps, Noctis approached the chocobo and pet her neck where Prompto had just been. "Hey there, girl. Sorry about that, I was a little distracted and wasn't watching where I was going." The chocobo pressed her head against the side of Noctis', and he laughed. "Guess I'm forgiven," he said.

"Group hug!"

Before he could react, Prompto had once again wrapped his arms around the chocobo—and Noctis. They just barely locked eyes through its feathers, but it was enough to make Noctis' heart speed up.

The smile faltered from Prompto's face. "Noct, you good there?" he asked.

"Huh?"

"You look a little shocked. The hat messing with your head or something?" he teased.

Noctis shook his head, desperately wanting to deter Prompto's thoughts away from him. "All good."

They left the chocobo in peace and returned to Ignis and Gladio, who had gone down the street to admire some of the docked gondolas.

Ignis barely spared them a glance when they approached. "What say we look around a bit? Give you all some time to prepare for losing the chocobo races," he said, the faintest smirk on his lips.

"In your dreams, Iggy," Prompto retorted. "I'm definitely winning this time."

"Oh no, I'm beating both of you in this," Noctis interjected.

"Ladies, ladies, calm down," Gladio said. "No need to argue, it's obvious I'm gonna be the winner." He crossed his arms over his chest, watching with that smug smile he'd mastered as the other three shouted arguments and accusations at him.

Eventually the overdone aggressiveness of the conversation silenced when they noticed that the other carnival-goers were beginning to stare.

Prompto was the first to speak up again. "Uh, maybe we should see about those other activities now."

"Yeah."

"Let's do that."

"Sounds good."

The group made their way down the sidewalk once more, their excited energy restored. Gladio and Prompto both practically forced Noctis to dance along with the person in the moogle costume, which was not the most proud moment of his life. Out of embarrassment and spite, he made Gladio do it as well. Much to his annoyance, he actually looked like he was having fun doing it. So much for revenge.

Prompto led the way up the nearby stairs, stopping short when he passed a poster situated on a small board. "No way," he said incredulously. "There's a photo challenge!"

While Prompto excitedly scanned his finger over the list of subjects, Noctis glanced over his shoulder to see Gladio tapping his foot in rapid succession, staring intently at the back of Ignis' head. He was most definitely thinking about confessing to Ignis, no doubt about it.

"Hey, Prompto, you and I should go see about those pictures," Noctis said, his lips quirking up in a smile as Gladio snapped back to reality.

"Seriously? Hell yeah!" Prompto exclaimed. He was fiddling with his camera before he even finished his sentence.

Turning back to Gladio and Ignis, Noctis crossed his arms. "You guys go find something to do. We'll meet up at some point later."

Ignis gave a curt nod. "If that's what you want, then alright. Don't go getting into too much trouble," he warned, though it was a lighthearted remark.

"You heard that, Gladio? Don't get into trouble," Prompto joked, earning an indignant frown from the larger man.

"Yeah, whatever."

They agreed to try and find each other around the arena in roughly two hours, and the pairs went their separate ways. It was only when Prompto flashed him his sunshine smile that Noctis realized he'd accidentally sealed his fate—he was alone with the person he was in love with for the next two hours.

Much to Noctis' relief, nothing drastic happened in the first half an hour of searching for photo spots. He did his best to help find the things on the list, but Prompto always spotted what he needed and bolted to it without warning. If anything, Noctis was trailing him as his support system. At least he helped with finding scattered Choco-Mog medallions on the ground.

"Hey, Noct, there was something about a guy in a chocobo outfit, but-" Prompto did a quick turn, "-that's most of the people here."

Noctis glanced around. He was right; most of the workers were wearing yellow, and it had been a while since the two of them had seen the face on the poster. "Well, next time we pass up the pictures, we can check again," he replied.

Prompto let the camera dangle from his neck. "Sounds good to me. Where to now?"

Noctis shrugged. "Up the stairs?" he suggested.

"Then up we go!"

They made small talk as they meandered their way up whichever staircases they came upon, dodging the couples and groups of people that dotted the area. It made Noctis happy to see Prompto so casual and excited. Stress had been visibly getting to him lately, and they'd all noticed. Now, at least, they could enjoy their time and have fun. Even if it was secretly driving Noctis insane not to kiss him.

"Oh, Noct, there's some musicians up there!"

He was right; there was a small group around the center fountain, playing out an upbeat jazz number. Noctis found himself almost swaying to the rhythm, but stopped short.

While Prompto was admiring the saxophone solo, a slightly disheveled man in yellow caught Noctis' attention. He was tapping his foot rapidly and rubbing his temples under the chocobo hat he donned, overall looking extremely troubled.

"You think that guy needs any help?" Noctis muttered to Prompto, having watched him for several more moments.

Prompto diverted his attention from the musicians to follow Noctis' gaze. He pursed his lips in thought. "Probably. Let's go see," he decided.

The man's head snapped up when they approached. He was speaking before Prompto even got the chance to open his mouth. "Excuse me, sirs, have you seen any chocobo chicks trotting around?" he asked. He sounded frantic, and didn’t do well hiding his embarrassment.

"Baby chocobos?!" Prompto exclaimed, attempting to regain his composure immediately after. "Well, uh, I wish we had. They're tiny and adorable and-"

"What he's trying to say is we haven't seen any," Noctis interjected, giving Prompto a pat on the shoulder. "Why?"

The chocobo hat man continued glancing around, as if he could spot them nearby at any second. "Well, I brought my prized chicks to the carnival, but, y'know, they flew the coop."

Had he honestly not realized that the birds can jump?

"How did you manage that?" Prompto changed his wording after a flick to his arm. "I-I mean, you want us to go find your chocobo chicks?" Noctis almost laughed at the way Prompto's lips were pulled taught in a straight line; he was desperately trying to hide a grin.

The man nodded. "If it wouldn't bother you too much."

Seeing as Prompto was ready to explode, Noctis quickly stepped in front of him. "I think we can manage that," he said smoothly. "How many are we looking for?"

With a sigh, the man shook his head. "Fifteen."

"Fifteen?!" the boys said in unison.

"Of course if it's a hassle, I could try to-"

"On it!"

Prompto was already heading for the nearest stairwell, of course.

Noctis said a quick word of affirmation to the man and hurried back to Prompto. "So, you ready to catch some chocobos?" he asked, knowing full well the answer.

"You know it!" he replied. "I've never been more ready for anything in my entire life."

"Sure about that?"

"Positive."

Descending down the stairs, it didn't take long to spot their first target. The small yellow bird stood unsuspecting near the far wall. It was surrounded, and there was no way the both of them could miss it.

Noctis held up his hand to wait as they inched their way towards it, two hunters closing in and waiting for Noctis' command.

"Now!"

They sprang forward together, reaching for the runaway baby. They had managed to underestimate how fast it would react, and both came up empty. It continued sprinting in a zigzag line away from them, dodging legs and heading for the bend in the sidewalk.

Prompto, already giving chase, yelled, "After it!" It didn't take long for them to corner it again.

This time, Noctis jumped in its path first, causing the bird to circle around and run straight into Prompto's open arms. He scooped it up with a triumphant holler.

"Second time's the charm," Noctis remarked.

Prompto beamed as he held it snugly to his chest. "Isn't this the cutest thing ever?" he asked excitedly.

"Yeah, it is." Prompto and a baby chocobo was a pretty damn cute mix in Noctis' opinion. "One down, fourteen to go."

It took a moment for Prompto to calm the chocochick down, but with Noctis' help they managed to bring it back to the man who had, understandably now, lost them all.

Only after chasing down eleven more of them did Noctis and Prompto take an actual break. They found a bench and collapsed onto it, panting from the heat.

"I know I've always said that I want to grow old and own seven chocobos," Prompto gasped, "but I take it all back."

Despite the exhaustion he was feeling, Noctis laughed. "I dunno, I think I'd have a pretty hard time getting you to go home without one."

Prompto playfully hooked an arm around Noctis, laughing with him. "What, you're gonna live with me just to monitor my chocobo obsession?"

"Yup. Better start making room." Noctis swallowed the realization that he'd just said he would willingly move in with him. Almost too close.

They continued laughing together, talking about whatever came to mind and eventually getting to how they thought Ignis and Gladio were holding up.

"That big guy has to have said something by now," Prompto pointed out. "He's not the kind of person to wait that out, right?"

"Doesn't seem like it. But Ignis can be pretty intimidating to talk to, especially if it's something that big," Noctis said. But Prompto was right; Gladio shouldn't have a problem with it. "You think Ignis likes him back?"

Prompto snorted. "Duh. I can't picture what the guy would act like if he didn't."

"Me neither."

For a few minutes they just sat and soaked in the sounds of the festivities going on around them. Out of the corner of his eye, Noctis watched Prompto flip through the pictures he'd taken so far. Was that a picture of him? When had he taken that?

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a little girl crying. Noctis stood up, looking around until he saw her. Prompto followed suit when he began walking over to her, looking just as concerned as he was.

Noctis approached her tentatively, getting down on one knee to see eye-level with her. "Hey there, you doing okay?" he asked.

The little girl sniffled and pointed at a set of balloons that were heading towards the roof of a nearby building. "My balloons got away," she mumbled.

Not wasting a moment, Noctis whipped around and warped in a flash, landing soundly on the ground soon after, string of balloons in hand.

"There you go," he said with a smile.

She clapped excitedly. "Thank you!" she said, taking off in down the steps.

"Aw, Noct," Prompto said. "Always such a hero." He pretend-swooned, and Noctis shrugged, his smile growing a little wider.

"What can I say, I'm trying to impress."

As they continued wandering nowhere in particular, nabbing two more of the chocochicks on the way, they two found themselves at the gondola port that led to the Galviano Arena.

"Hey, wanna go check out the games over there?" Noctis suggested. "I think they have one where you have to shoot targets.."

Prompto lit up. "Oh, what? Heck yeah, I'm up for that."

Once they reached the arena, Prompto made a beeline for the Tiromatto game. He read through the objectives, which basically stated that he needed to hit enough targets without overheating the gun in order to gain enough points. Not to Noctis' surprise, he chose the hardest level.

"I can make 35,000 points, easy," he assured. Noctis believed he could, but he wasn't entirely sure he should be comparing the carnival game to his real gunmanship skills.

Noctis crossed his arms and leaned forward against the railing as he watched Prompto ready himself for the challenge. The moment the buzzer went off, Prompto was wiping out a line of targets almost too fast for Noctis to see.

"Damn," he whispered to himself. He really was good.

In no time, Prompto had taken down a hefty number of targets, including a few small daemon-shaped ones. When the final one dropped, Noctis was over the rail on his toes in anticipation.

Even though he couldn't see it from where he was, Noctis could picture the smug look on Prompto's face from the thought of besting the game. He was probably too into it, which is why he ignored the warning plume of smoke emitting from the gun.

Noctis was about to shout out to him when the smoke overtook the weapon and it exploded in a small poof. He winced seeing Prompto cough and air the excess smoke away with a hand.

The game officially ended, and Prompto stepped out of the little arena, smiling sheepishly. "Guess I got a little carried away, there," he said with a cough. His face was a layer darker now, smudged where he'd rubbed it. When he took off his hat to jostle his hair back into it, his hair stuck up in way more directions than it was supposed to. Gods, he was adorable.

"You alright, Prom?" Noctis asked.

Prompto gave a thumbs up. "Yup. Still got enough points to pass!"

"Seems you did," he agreed. "Nice going."

"Aw, thanks." Prompto made a move that seemed like he was going in for a hug, but quickly switched to lay a hand on Noctis' shoulder. "You should start my cheerleading squad."

They headed back to the gondola, Noctis wondering about that aversion. Prompto had never really shied away from him before; was he acting too unfriendly? He needed to clear that up, which only added to the burden of confessing to him in the first place.

On their way, Noctis overheard two women saying something about a voucher for seeing the fireworks. He knew he had to tell Prompto today, and he thought he had a way to do it.

The ride back to Port West Station was calm. The small passageway was still a wonder to Noctis, how it was meant to fit the gondola's size.

"Man, the confetti doesn't stop falling, does it?" Prompto was staring up to the sky, tracing the falling patterns of a few individual strands of confetti with a finger. "It's kinda cool."

"Yeah," Noctis replied. "I didn't know they even had this much confetti."

"Heh, it's almost like the Astrals are pouring buckets of it down on us."

Noctis found himself again staring wistfully at his best friend. "Uh-huh," he said absently. He was bracing himself for a rejection, but still holding on to a shred of hope that his feelings were reciprocated. All he could wish for was to not embarrass himself too badly.

Both of them had forgotten to check the time on how long they had before they were to meet up with Ignis and Gladio. However, it seemed they other party had paid no mind to that, either.

"No way." Prompto gawked across the way. Noctis followed his gaze to where their friends were walking through the crowd of people. Holding hands.

"We called it," Noctis pointed out.

Prompto laughed. "Oh, man, I can't wait 'til we see them later. Not letting them hear the end of it."

Noctis nodded. "How do you think he did it?"

"Gladio? He probably thought of doing some grand thing for, like, five seconds," Prompto said. "I think he just gave a short speech and messed up half of it. Just ended up saying ‘we should go out’."

The two disappeared from sight, not to be seen for who knows how long. "How would you have done it?" Noctis asked. The curious side of him had to know.

"Me?" Prompto leaned against the wall, averting his gaze as a look of melancholy crept its way onto his face. "Don't tell anyone, but I'm not sure I could ever confess first to the person I like. Too embarrassed to find out it's one-sided."

Noctis frowned. "Is it Cindy?"

"What-" Prompto stopped, breaking out into a laughing fit. "No, no, it's not Cindy.” He sighed. “I think I had a crush on her at first, but she's more like a weird sister to me, now." He grinned once more. "You're a riot, Noct."

He rolled his eyes. "Fine. But what if this mystery person told you first?" The small glimmer of hope still took control, wanting to make Prompto's fantasy a reality in any way he could. "How would you want that to happen?"

"Nah, you don't wanna hear about-"

"Too bad. It's a 'what if', so you have to answer it." Noctis gave him a playful punch to the arm, and Prompto shook his head with a chuckle.

His friend’s expression grew thoughtful. He looked down at the ground, tapping his foot slowly while Noctis waited. "Honestly, I don't really care how. I'd just love hearing that they, uh...." He finally looked up, staring straight into Noctis' eyes and catching him off guard. "Y'know...love me back."

In that moment, Noctis felt his heart stop. He didn't care if it was wishful thinking or the truth, because Prompto was speaking to him just then. And he needed to say something back.

"Hey, Prompto, I-"

"Hold that thought, Noct. The last one's right there!"

Noctis was left trailing off, rooted to the spot as Prompto dashed towards the last of the chocobo babies.

With a sigh, he shook his head clear of the words he was about to speak and chased after him.

Noctis was the eventual capturer. The chick let out a soft kweh, burying itself into his arms. "Woah, there, buddy," he laughed out.

"Aw, so cute. Hey, lemme take a picture of you two," Prompto said enthusiastically.

"Sure thing."

The bird safely in his grasp, Noctis offered a smile to Prompto and the camera. When he heard the shutter snap, he started to turn towards the staircase to bring the chick back, but Prompto jumped to the side of him and held up the camera once more, holding up a peace sign and snapping another shot.

"Two for the album, I think." Prompto boasted. "Okay, now let's go."

For the second time, Noctis headed for the stairs. Once they returned the last chocochick to the man, Prompto said a final goodbye while Noctis accepted a few medallions from him.

"How many of these things do we have?" Noctis asked as they made their way back to the Palsino Station.

Prompto fished around in his pocket—he was in charge of holding the medallions—and produced a handful of coins. After searching all his pockets and adding them to the ones Noctis just received, they came up with thirty-eight.

"You up for hunting down a few more?" Prompto challenged.

"Dunno about you, but I'm getting those by fishing."

They started towards the nearest fishing spot while Prompto laughed. "Of course you are," he teased. "You'd get a hundred if you could."

"Hey, don't tempt me."

It was beginning to get dark out when Noctis first cast his line. Prompto contributed most of the commentary while Noctis fished. He'd tease him about the size of the fish, Noctis replying that he couldn't control what was in Altissia. After his sixth fish, Noctis recast the line once more. "This one's gonna be the best, promise."

"Alright, if you're moving in with me to keep my obsessions in check, I get to do the same to you. You'll have a fishing limit," Prompto announced.

Noctis frowned, glancing at him over his shoulder. "What? Unfair."

Something tugged on the end of the line, and Noctis flicked the pole upward to catch the hook in its mouth.

"Plenty fair. You like fishing too much," Prompto pointed out.

"Nope, not possible," Noctis said with a soft grunt as he reeled in the fish. This one was stronger than the other ones.

Prompto moved closer to the edge of the water, watching as Noctis fought to bring the fish in. "Definitely possible," he replied.

The fish leapt into the air, nearly taking Noctis' pole with it. He took a step back and continued reeling it in while Prompto shouted.

"Dude, what the hell was that?" he questioned. "Get it!"

When Noctis finally wore it out enough to bring it up, he smiled triumphantly. It took both hands to haul it out of the water, but Noctis held up the Tide Grouper with pride above the dock. "Told ya," he said to Prompto, who was staring at it with wide eyes.

"Fine, I take it back. Not saying you're not obsessed, but you can have your fishing freedoms."

"Thanks. Means a lot."

Noctis turned in his fishing pole and searched the ground for the last few medallions they needed. Once Noctis counted out fifty, he led Prompto to the shop counter.

"What’s this for, anyway?" Prompto asked. "You could get a pretty good amount of potions for that."

Handing over the medallions to the lady at the counter, Noctis shook his head. "Not potions. These are for the fireworks."

Prompto looked surprised. "I thought anyone could see the fireworks."

Noctis folded the lodging voucher and shoved it in his pocket. "Yup, but now we get to see it on the water and we get to stay at the Leville," he said, hoping the fact that it sounded like a date wouldn't scare away Prompto or weird him out.

To his relief, Prompto still looked as excited as ever. "Woah, sweet! Isn't the show starting soon?"

"Yeah. C'mon, let's get going."

The water reflected the night sky brilliantly, its dark surface dotted with countless lights from the city. Prompto had long since readied his camera, now staring out across the water with a look of excited wonder. "Ignis wasn't lying when he said this place was gorgeous," he said, half-turning to face Noctis. "Super cool at night, don't you think?"

"Yeah, it is." He had to admit, it was definitely a wonder to look at.

But now, he could only see Prompto. Beautiful, handsome, fun-loving Prompto. His best friend for years, the guy who loved all things chocobo and wanted to be a photographer, who stood by his side in every situation. Noctis had never been the most poetic in his choice of words, and he couldn't recite everything he loved about him  in a way that would move a crowd. Still, he couldn't go on without saying something.

If you don't make your move soon, you're an idiot, he told himself, using the same words he'd said about Gladio earlier. It worked out well enough for him.

"Hey, Prompto," he started. He swallowed the nerves rising up in his throat. Damn, he hadn't felt this scared in a while.

Prompto put his camera down. "Yeah?"

It was now or never. Noctis took a deep breath. "You've, uh, probably noticed that I've been kind of a mess today."

"A little. You've been on and off looking like you're on the verge of passing out," he said. "You tired again?" Prompto moved to sit next to him on the bench in the back of the gondola.

Noctis shook his head. "No, it's not that. I was just really...nervous, I guess. I've been meaning to tell you something lately, but I couldn't find the time, or the place, and then you kept doing things that made it worse-"

"Shit, did I do something wrong?" Prompto asked, at once looking frantic and concerned.

"No, no, not like that!" Noctis assured. "Crap, I'm really bad at this," he muttered to himself.

Noctis forced himself to look into Prompto's confused eyes. This was the hardest part. "Prompto, we've been best friends for years. I think I started to notice some time ago that you mean more to me than an old friend." He held his breath, watching Prompto's expression go unreadable. "So, yeah, I like you. A lot."

He braced himself for Prompto's words, but was only met with sniffling. It hadn't been that bad, had it?

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"Noct, you idiot, don't apologize," Prompto said, wiping his eyes as a smile broke out onto his face. "That was really good."

Not exactly sure how to respond, Noctis only tilted his head. "Huh?"

Next thing he knew, he was being pulled into a kiss. His arms wavered by his sides in shock for several moments before his mind caught up. With a sense of relief and happiness washing over him, Noctis allowed his arms to wrap around Prompto as he returned the kiss.

The brim of Prompto's hat hit his own, knocking it off and causing both of them to laugh into the embrace.

"Sorry," Prompto said behind a laugh.

"Whatever, it's a really stupid had," Noctis replied.

They met in another kiss as the fireworks show began. The bright flashes of light illuminated the two of them in each other's arms in an array of colors. By the time of the finale, they were staring up at the sky together, hand in hand.

"Oh, man, we completely forgot about the chocobo races," Prompto said near the end.

Noctis shrugged. "We still have time tomorrow."

"I guess so. Ready to give Iggy and Gladio a run for their money?"

"I'm still gonna beat all of you."

Prompto gasped, feigning shock. "My own boyfriend won't even let me win? How disappointing."

Noctis tried to suppress a smile at being referred to as his boyfriend, but ultimately failed. "Maybe I'll go a little easy on you. Maybe."

"Good enough," Prompto complied.

`The fireworks finished off with a huge bang. Every inch of the sky was parted for the show, shrouded in plumes of smoke when the colors dissipated.

The gondola began its way back to the docked ones. Prompto yawned, a contented smile on his face. Noctis was really looking forward to the rest of the carnival, but first, he was ready to sleep.