#sorry there may not be an update this weekend whoops

[intotheelliwoods]

Just some sleepy fellas...

[xanadontit]

I want to preface this story with the disclaimer that MIL is fine. She is home and fine!

Now that we got that out of the way!

SIL called E around 2pm yesterday to let him know MIL’s left arm was hurting and out of an abundance of caution she went to the hospital to get checked out. Longtime readers may remember that she had two massive back-to-back heart attacks (like within an hour of each other) back in 2018. She has a pacemaker and defibrillator and has been generally OK but ya know... she remembers that early sensation and wanted to be careful. We fully support this! SIL was with her and told E she’d update him as she learned more. Her last update was at 3pm: no sign of another heart attack, labs were fine, MIL was alert and feeling better, etc. Great. Waiting on a few labs but so far nothing concerning.

E texted SIL around 7pm to see if there was any news. Oh yeah, she was discharged with a clean bill of health at 3fucking30. Whoops. Sorry! When E asked how things were going - meaning with their mother - all SIL could talk about is how she’s busy at work and has her grandson’s birthday party this weekend and there’s “lots to do.” 

[darkmindsotome]

Wrapped For Dinner

Fandom: Love 365 Irresistible Mistakes

Pairing: Shunichiro Tachibana x MC

Word count: 3,796

Warning: NSFW Smut

Written by: darkmindsotome

Tagging @voltage-vixen as requested. Prompt #13: Sex under the sun dress

Darkmindsotome Masterlist

---

Wrapped For Dinner

My latest big project at Addison & Rhodes had me working as lead creative. It was long hours and a lot of hard work but in the end, we were able to pull off a pretty fantastic ad campaign that was currently trending and going viral. 

To say I was relieved at the response was putting it modestly. Toma had already teased me about the stupid grin on my face creeping him out at work and Natsume had commented on it as well when he dropped off the updated sales figures. I managed to laugh them both off, nothing was going to put a dampener on my good mood. Well, almost nothing…

The phone rang at my desk the caller ID clearly displaying it was from the creative director’s office. I picked up the receiver as I pressed the button to answer. I had palpitations in my chest knowing my boyfriend was calling me during work hours. I wonder if I’ll ever get used to this?

“Creative department, MC speaking.”

“Always so professional.” I could hear Shinichiro’s deep voice as he chuckled. It managed to send tingles rippling through me. “Good work on that last project I just saw the updates. The projections look set to knock the client’s preferred targets out of the park.”

“Thank you, Sir. It means a lot hearing you say that.” My mood and happiness seemed to increase ten-fold being praised by him.

“… Listen about later, I’m going to have to take a rain check. One of the larger clients for the company had a scheduling issue and I was asked by the higher-ups to cover for someone who is still off-site.” Shunichiro’s words were like a bucket of ice water bringing me firmly back to Earth.

“Oh, that’s fine.” I didn’t know what else to say in response, it felt like the wind had been knocked out of me and I rolled my chair a little closer to my desk hoping the computer monitor would hide me from the rest of the department.

“I knew you’d say that. I’ll make arrangements for something soon and make it up to you.” He sounded genuinely sorry but what worried me more than the cancelled date was how tired he sounded.

“You don’t have to worry, work is work. I’ve bailed on you a few times recently too.” I tried to mask my disappointment with a little enthusiasm. I really didn’t want to add to his problems by making him worry about me.

“Well alright if that’s how you really feel. You seriously did a great job this time I’m going to have to work harder to stay ahead.” It was reassuring to hear him accept my response and hear the motivation return to him. I could feel the smile returning to my face just listening to him.

“I’m still nowhere near –”

“I’m going to have to go another call is coming in.” Shunichiro cut me off after an electronic beeping on the line.

“Alright.” I nodded. He was busy and while I had really wanted to see him it couldn’t be helped.

“Mc? I can’t wait to see you.”

The line went dead as I held the receiver to my ear for a few seconds letting his parting words linger.

“Oh, Shun… you really don’t play fair.”

*

With no new projects that required my immediate attention, I was actually able to leave the office on time for the first time in ages. It was the weekend and the original plan had been to go to Shunichiro’s last night and spend the weekend together.

I looked over at the weekend bag I dragged back from a locker at the train station last night. Takuro had given me a quizzical look when I came back with it, but he was now curled up on top of the bag fast asleep.

Reaching for my phone I shot a quick message to Shunichiro wishing him good luck at work then hopped into the shower. With my hair dry but a towel still wrapped around me, I rifled through my wardrobe looking for clothes. I picked up the summer dress Yuiko had helped me find on our last shopping trip together.

The delicate gradient of pastel shades made the dress look like a dawn sky and the petals spread out around the baseline hem looked like I had kicked up waves of Sakura flowers. It made me feel happy and a change in mood was certainly what I wanted right now.

I hadn’t been very sure about it, after all, it was a wrap-around dress that caused a deep plunge to my neckline. My reaction had made Yuiko laugh as she kept encouraging me to try it on insisting that if it was to go on a date that it was perfect. In the end, I bought it, I wanted to see his reaction but that was not happening today.

Tying the fabric around my waist I checked myself in the mirror and slipped on a pair of kitten heels. Today may not be the day I get to see him but it was still a day off. Plus, I had been working so hard at the office recently I had no groceries in the apartment to make breakfast. Grabbing my purse, I exited my place in search of sustenance.

*

My parents had always warned me about food shopping on an empty stomach. I really didn’t want to end up carrying a ton of things back with me just because I was thinking with my belly and not my brain. After cutting through the park I came out onto the main road and spotted a familiar sign for McDonald's and went in.

Quickly grabbing a McMuffin and a coffee to go I was just on my way out again when I walked smack into someone. A familiar scent of a particular brand of cigarette, cologne and citrus shampoo filled my senses.

“Whoops! Careful, are you alright?” My eyes followed the arms supporting me. Navy blue suit with grey pinstriped vest and a custom shirt. Finally reaching his face and those deep brown eyes. My mind went blank as I stood there, face to face with Shunichiro. “Wait… MC?”

Clearly, I was not the only one surprised to see my partner. Shunichiro’s eyes looked me over from head to toe as if to check it was really me. I was suddenly very aware of his arms around me and felt a little self-conscious with how he was looking at me. I haven’t done anything different with my usual makeup, maybe its the dress. Does he not like it?

“Morning, late night?” I took half a step back putting a little space between us and the awkward situation.

“Yeah, fast food always tastes better after a late night. If you’re free right now we could eat together.” He shrugged, composed as always. This kind of situation really doesn’t rattle him, I guess that’s something that comes from age and experience.

“Really?”

“Well, it’s up to you. What do you want?” He was clearly holding back laughter I probably sounded or looked childish right now. His playful tone was not lost on me if anything it triggered more of my childish side.

“You have to ask?” I gave him a small glare that made him smile wider.

“Ok, I’ll be right back.”

I found a booth and sat down feeling completely unsure as to what I was now supposed to do. I wasn’t supposed to see him today at all and the fact I now was had thrown me. The look on his face when he recognised me also bugged me a little. While I was lost in thought a second bag was placed next to mine and the cushioned seating at my side pressed lower as Shunichiro sat down.

“I was going to phone you later.” He began talking as he cracked open his bag and began pulling out two McMuffins and a pastry.

“You were?” I looked at his face in profile, he was always handsome but something about this slightly tired look had me thinking back to our time spent together in bed. I reached out for my own bag of food to distract myself from my own lude imagination.

“Mhm,” He filled his mouth with a bite of his breakfast and then sucked hard of the straw for his iced fruit juice. I could have laughed at myself for how I suddenly felt very jealous of a straw, watching his moist lips wrap around it. “After pulling an all-nighter, preparing copies and things for the meeting. The client phoned saying they would have to reschedule again.”

He sighed and leaned back against the booth seating. He was frustrated and tired, you didn’t have to be his girlfriend to see something so plain.

“After you put in all that work!? That’s just too much…” I raised my voice a little allowing the annoyance I felt to at least show even if he wouldn’t.

“It’s a big account and the board members all want to keep it, but when I left the office earlier they were all apologising to me for the extra work.” He gave a wry smile and sucked a bit more on his drink. This was one of the many things I actually loved about this man. His dedication to his craft made him glow in a way that always had me dazzled, it motivated me to keep pushing forward.

“Must be nice to be in demand like that.” I smiled feeling some of my anger subside. He was so talented and respected by everyone in the company. Remembering that a warmth spread through my chest as a wave of affection hit me for the man at my side.

“You are as well you know? I am always getting requests for you to handle accounts personally.” There is a look on his face that even in profile seems to reflect everything I was just feeling about him back at me.

“You’re joking!” I nearly choked on my coffee as my embarrassment caught in my throat. Great work there MC remember to breathe air, not coffee.

“I’m really not.” Shunichiro chuckled at my little outburst making me feel even more childish sitting next to such a well put together man. He had already devoured his pastry and moved on to the rest of his food without me even noticing. “It actually makes me feel very...” He turned his head to look at me the expression painted on his face was not one I saw when working. It was softer but there was an intensity swimming in his eyes that automatically had my core tightening under that gaze. He smiled and then gave my food a nudge closer to me. “Your food is getting cold.”

“Oh!” The spell holding me seemed to break at his prompting. I really wanted to know what he didn’t finish saying, but the timing was now all wrong.

I don’t know if he knew what I was thinking or how he was affecting me. Knowing him he probably had already laid the groundwork for the perfect game plan. He always found a way to get me dancing in the palm of his hand.

“So what do you want to do now?” His question had me confused. It also came right after I had stuffed a big mouthful of McMuffin into my mouth.

“I thought you’d just pulled an all-nighter. Shouldn’t you be heading home to rest?” My words were muffled as I tried to swallow my food and talk at the same time. I probably looked like a hamster, my lack of manners and decorum didn’t faze him at all he simply listened to my garbled gibberish with a soft smile on his face. Ok, that look should be illegal.

“I was but seeing you made me feel much more energised. I’m not so old that one late night is going to stop me from seeing the woman I love. It’s up to you though, I know what I’d prefer.” He was so calm and easy-going. It reminded me that this mature sexy guy was like the smooth jazz music at our favourite bar.

He always did this. No matter what he always said something that was intrinsically tempting in a way you couldn’t possibly refuse then asks what you want to do. It still catches me off guard at times but I honestly wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Then will you come shopping with me?” I hadn’t planned on seeing him today so the fact I was right now made me unbelievably happy. It didn’t, however, change the reason behind my leaving my apartment.

“Shopping?” My rather boring request had him look at me in slight wonder. I don’t know if he thought I had offered up something mundane because I was concerned for his exhaustion or what.

“Sorry is that weird?” I cast my eyes down looking at the last bite of my breakfast in my hands shyly.

“No, not at all. What are we shopping for?”

“I…” I fidgeted in my seat. At work, I was organised and usually even at home I was as well. However, being as busy as I had recently meant I had let so many things slide in my personal life that I was getting embarrassed thinking about it all. “I haven’t been home much so I didn’t have any groceries.”

“Well, we can’t have that. If we’re buying food can I make some requests?” Shunichiro didn’t laugh at me or look like he was harshly judging me. I finally look up at him, his face looking a little boyish. I loved that look of innocence on him too.

“Of course!”

*

After finishing our food, we headed over to one of the larger stores because it had a slightly bigger variety of items.

“So, what do you want to request?” I ask as I pick up a shopping basket from the stack.

“Well lately I’ve been really craving your cooking I would say anything you make is fine but…” Shunichiro trails off looking at the displays. It made me smile thinking this is the first time in a while either of us had been food shopping.

“You want me to make chicken nuggets don’t you?” I end up giggling which earns me a raised eyebrow from him.

“You know me so well.”

“Naturally I am your girlfriend after all.” The words came naturally but with an instant hit of embarrassment. To hide my fluster, I looked away from him as I marched towards the shelves. “I’ll just go find the seasonings you go get the chicken.”

“Anything else?” He was hot on my heels making me little thankful for being able to stay ahead of him.

“Whatever you see you might want to eat.” I stopped in front of the seasoning looking over the array of choices and as I raised my hand to pick one up, I found myself covered from behind. “Shun?”

“In that case do I really have to go over there? I can’t think of anything but how great you would taste right now.” Shunichiro’s low voice and hot breath brushed against my ear as he pressed himself against my back. His hand was on top of my outstretched one, nimble fingers tracing my own while he used his thumb to rub the sensitive skin on the inside of my wrist.

“Shun… we’re in the middle of a store.” I closed my eyes wanting so badly for time to stop or for our location to just magically change. He placed his other hand on my hip sliding towards the wrapped fabric of my waist. His fingers delved into the gap they found and traced over the naked flesh beneath.

“Mmm, pity.” He hummed before removing himself and gracefully swiped the basket from my hand as if nothing had happened at all. “I’ll go get the chicken then.”

“You’re a damn tease, Shunichiro.” I muttered as I finished finding the seasonings and made a move for some frozen items next. With any luck, the freezers might help me cool down.

*

It was almost a mad dash to get home. I wanted to say it was because of the risk of food spoiling but to be honest that was the last thing on either of our minds.

Our little flirtations had persisted around the entire store, and when I say our flirtations, I mean Shunichiro’s. By the time we were at the checkout, I was trembling so much from his persistent teases that I couldn’t locate my card in my purse easily.

Not wishing to waste valuable time, Shunichiro produced his card and paid for the whole lot. He even picked up all the bags and began walking before I could protest. As we left, I caught one person saying “…such a gentleman.” Oh if only you knew.

Once inside he walked right into my small kitchen and opened the door to the fridge, not caring one bit about unpacking. I watched in shock as the entire bags, including their contents, were unceremoniously wedged inside.

“You know that isn’t good for the food right?”

“And you know right now I couldn’t care less.” His voice was lower than I expected. It was ruff and gravelly instantly reigniting all the tingling hot spots he had kindled during our impromptu shopping date.

He closed the gap between us in the blink of an eye. The strength with which he took me in his arms knocked the air from my lungs and my ability to think right out of my body. He dipped low plying my lips open with his tongue and pushing it deep into my mouth as if he were trying to steal my ability to speak as well.

Experienced hands roamed over the top of my dress pulling on the fabric in all the right places to provide some friction of fabric on flesh, raising the temperature between us.

“Mhm!.... Ah… Shun.” I was panting as he pulled back finally allowing me a few seconds to gain some air.

“I’ve never been so bothered by work. It’s so frustrating our schedules just never match up at the minute.” Even as he spoke he was removing his own clothes. Tossing his jacket and vest behind himself in a flurry of action that had me rubbing my legs together seeing him so desperate.

“I know I felt the same.” I brought my hand up to the buttons on his shirt, slowly tracing them before popping them one by one between my fingers like I was snapping them. My eyes never left his as he unbuckled his leather belt and trousers. “Every time I felt a break in the workload You vanished under a pile of assignments.”

“Seeing you every day at work. So close…” He shuddered at my touch the fire in his eyes lit scorching hot paths through my body.

He gave an almost silent groan as he lunged at me. My back hit the kitchen table as he pinned me down on either side with his strong arms. Hovering over me I could feel the pulsating heat from his body and the weight of his raw animal magnetism that always had me coming back for more.

My legs were forced wide as he brought his leg and hip between them. Alternating rhythms resounded in my body as my heart hammered hard enough to burst and his fingers danced up my inner thigh under my dress before slipping past the fabric barrier covering me.

“Mmm, A-ah—” The pressure filling me was exquisite. I watched his arm and shoulder pump in action with his fingers buried deep inside me as he worked away at my sanity.

“I was so glad to see you today I thought the torture was over but then you had to go and do this to me.”

“Do what? I didn’t do anything?” I was seriously confused. I was focusing on him but I felt like there was something I was missing. He didn’t answer me with words instead he brought his face to my chest burying it between my breasts and pulled on the fabric of my dress with his teeth.

“Are you being coy on purpose? Where did you learn to charm a man like that?” He pulled his fingers free with a smirk watching as I writhed missing his touch while he licked them clean. The next feeling my increasingly befuddled mind registered was the complete fulfilment as we became one.

“Oh, God!” My back arched against the unforgiving table and he placed one hand on my chest pushing me back down while he moved his hips against me.

“Ngh… dammit, you are just so perfect.”

“Shu…ni…chiro…” The pop and grind that was a familiar dance to us had me seeing stars.

“I know baby, I know.” He picked up the pace our bodies becoming slick with sweat as we relentlessly hammered home our mutual desires for each other.

*

“You awake?”

I slowly opened my eyes finding that I was not exactly where I thought I was. Shunichiro had been sitting on my sofa having a drink. Noticing how I was now conscious he returned to my side in my small little bed.

“Mmm, yeah. Did you carry me to bed?” Clutching the covers over my chest I wriggled closer to him. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders placing my head on his chest in the process.

“Well I did consider leaving you on the kitchen table but I thought you might get cold.” He laughed as he teased me. I was too happily exhausted to care and gave him a pathetically weak slap on his arm. My eyes started to adjust more to being fully awake, finding my alarm clock next to the bed.

“Jeez is that the time I should start making the food.” I freed myself from his hold and had placed one foot outside of the covers only to be pulled back in. “Ah!”

“You could or we could enjoy ourselves a little more. There’s no rush, after all, we have the rest of the weekend together.” He was whispering in my ear and trailing fingers over my now naked form. The tip of his tongue drew a line down my neck to my nape where he suckled on it. “What do you think?”

“I think you’re a sneaky scoundrel.” I smiled knowing this was him. He was sneaky, tricky, devilish, conniving and god help me if I didn’t find every aspect of the man appealing.

“Correction.” He chuckled and I found myself flipped under him. “I’m your sneaky scoundrel, and you’re mine.”

---

[fromsolowithlove]

Rey is tired AF.

So is my brain from all the tangents it keeps running off on.

AKA whoops I wrote a fluffy one shot instead of updating my WIP.

In Need of Convincing ~3000 words. Rating: Teen & up? I mean...it’s fluff.

Rey loves her job as a kindergarten teacher but also loves being able to be an adult. Her nights and weekends are hers and Ben's, and she wants to keep it that way. After visiting her classroom, Ben has to disagree. He's got a case of baby fever and will do anything it takes to convince Rey to change her mind.

Read on AO3 or just expand here 👇🏽

Monday

     Rey stumbled into her classroom and threw her bags onto the floor. She picked up a stray crayon that she had nearly tripped over.  Suddenly, her phone buzzed.

     Grrr. Who’s bothering me right now? She looked down to see a new text message.

     Sweetheart...did you need this bag full of beads, clay, and kindling that says “IMPORTANT! DO NOT FORGET”?

     “SHIT,” she exclaimed. She knew she had forgotten something.

     Sorry. Yes… she responds.

     Rey sighed with relief when she read her husband’s response.

     When do you need it by? I have a meeting this morning but can be there right after lunch. Is that alright?

     Thank you so much! LOVE YOU. DON’T FORGET IT.

     The morning went by in a blur as it always did. Rey never got used to the feeling of being hit by the natural disaster that was five-year-olds. Now that they were back in from lunch, she could start her internal countdown for the day. She slumped herself into the corner of the room. It was the safest place to watch as the students argued over whose blue crayon was bluer.

     Suddenly, the door squeaked open. A tall man with hair like onyx walked in. In comparison with the kiddy-sized tables and chairs, he looked even more out of place than usual.

     “Mrs. Solo? Who’s that?” a student shouted.

     “My helper!” she said as her face lit up.

     Ben stood there awkwardly as a crowd began to form around him.

     "He’s really tall,” said a small girl with black pigtails. She turned to Ben. “Are you a tree? Or like...a basketball player?”

     “Definitely not,” Ben snorted.

     “What do we call you Mr. tall guy?”

     “Uhh...Mr. Ben will be fine,” Rey answered.

     “Mr. Ben! MR. BEN! MR. BEN!” The students started chanting his name and Ben blushed. He hadn’t even done anything. He could get used to this.

     “Mr. Ben. Why are you here?” asked Grayson.

     “Uhh...to make a special delivery to Mrs. Solo.”

     “Oooooh. What kind of stuff did you bring her?”

     “Is it a puppy?!” another student added.

     “It’s a puppy!” someone else copied.

     “No! It’s the guinea pig we asked for!” cried the one with pigtails.

     “Noooooo,” Rey dragged out. “You’ll see in just a bit. But we ARE very happy that Mr. Ben was able to stop by, aren’t we class?”

     “Yeah!”

     “Can you stay with us?” Dax asked.

     “Umm. I don’t think so. Mr. Ben actually has another job, which is VERY important. So he can’t -”

     Ben cut her off. “Yeah, I can stay,” he said.

     She raised her eyebrows. “Are you sure Mr. Ben? We’ve still got TWO hours of school left,” she warned.

     “I’m sure. That is if you don’t mind the help, Mrs. Solo?”

     “Oh. Trust me. We never turn down help in kindergarten.”

     The next two hours went by, and Ben had been relegated to helping distribute the beads and clay. By the end of the day, his fingers were tacky and half his head was braided, thanks to all the girls. Rey quickly snapped a photo to ensure she’d never forget how ridiculous he looked.

     Ben began cleaning the floor of stray materials. He watched his wife lovingly as she dismissed the students to their families.

     “Well. That was certainly quite the day,” she said.

     “It was. I don’t know how you do it.”

     “I don’t know. The same way you do your job. It’s teaching. I mean, it wipes me out and they’re  absolutely  crazy, but it’s what I love to do.”

     Ben smiled and walked over to kiss her forehead. “Let me cook dinner for you tonight. You deserve it.”

      They enjoyed a night together over their favorite combo of dill carrots & salmon. Most nights, Rey was home earlier and prepared their dinners by default. Ben,  however, was definitely the better cook between the two. They sat on the couch as Rey kept scrolling through the TV menu for something to watch.

     “Please don’t hate me, but can we watch The Real Housewives of Galactic City? I can’t do anything cerebral right now. I need something mindless, something  terribly  overacted.”

     “Anything you want,” Ben said.

     They sat on the couch, with Rey amused by the mess of a show she had chosen, and Ben amused by his happy-go-lucky wife. Rey reached for her wine glass and frowned when she was met by emptiness.

     She moved to get up, but Ben took it from her hands. He got up from the couch and headed to the kitchen. Upon returning, he dropped the biggest bomb in the most nonchalant manner. “ I think  we should start trying for kids.”

     “WHAT?” Rey whipped her head toward her husband, shock frozen on her face. “What made you think about THAT?”

     “Being in your classroom today.  I think it’s time.” he shrugged.

     “Are you kidding?! Were we even in the same classroom?! They’re monsters, Ben!”

     “You once called me that, too” he smirked.

     “It’s different! I don’t have to remind you not to put everything in your mouth!”

     “No, you don’t.  I think  you quite like it when I put everything in my mouth.”

     “Ben. This isn’t funny. I’m serious! I spend time with kids all day. I don’t think I could spend all night with a kid, too.”

     “It would be different.”

     “How, Ben?”

     “It would be ours.”

     “It would be a living, breathing child. Not an ‘it’. SEE! We’re definitely not ready.”

     “Will you at least think about it?”

     “Sure”, she resigned. “But, I”m not budging.”

  Tuesday

     The next day, Rey woke up and stumbled over to the kitchen island. Ben was there poring over his emails. He had already gone on his run, showered, and eaten. She hated him.

     He pushed a coffee and note in her direction without lifting his eyes from his laptop. She eyed it suspiciously.

Reason #1 why Rey & Ben should have a baby:

Because they love each other.

     “Wow, Ben. As sweet as this is - I haven't even had my coffee yet. Slow it down, big guy. Also, this is doing absolutely nothing to convince me. I know that you’ll love me no matter what.”

     “That’s true.”

     “Even if we don’t have a child.”

     “Also true.”

     “Case closed.”

 Wednesday

     The following morning, Ben left for his office early. Rey walked into the empty kitchen and yawned. A coffee tumbler with a bright orange sticky-note caught her eye.

Reason #2 why Rey & Ben should have a baby:

You have really good genes. And the world deserves to have them preserved.

     She pulled out her phone to text her husband. Flattery will get you nowhere, Ben.

      Reason #3 came later that night in the form of an email.

 Hello sweetheart,

     I’m stuck waiting for this conference call to end, but  just  thought you should know:

Reason #3 why Rey & Ben should have a baby:

Because you wouldn’t let us get a puppy.

      Rey pulled up their chat and considered whether he would get in trouble for being on his laptop while on a call. She figured he had emailed her first and took the risk.

R: We do have a puppy, his name is Chewie.

B: He’s a dog. Not a puppy.

R: And why would you want two of them?

B: I don’t. I want Chewie and a baby.

R: Your logic is lacking. Should I keep a plate warm for you?

B: Yes, please.

R: See you when you get home.

Friday Morning

     Thursday had gone by without Ben trying to convince Rey of their need to start a family. This was why Rey was shocked when he dropped an employee handbook on the bed before heading into the shower. It was flipped open to a highlighted section,  clearly meant for her attention. In the margins, he had scrawled a note. Reason #4 why Rey & Ben should have a baby: Ben would have to take paternity leave, which would mean more time at home together. Which Rey always complains about.

     She opened their bathroom door and peeked her head in. “Alright, Solo. You’re getting warmer. But I’m still a LONG way from saying yes.”

Friday Night

     That night, Rey put down her book and turned out her bedside light. She felt Ben snake his arms around her middle. He rubbed small circles against her stomach with his thumbs as she let out a soft moan. He leaned over and whispered into her ear.

     “Reason #5 why Rey and Ben should have a baby. The process of trying would be really fun.”

     She turned to face him,  barely able to make out his features in the dark. She slid her hands past his neck and into his dark locks. She pulled on his hair lightly, happy when he groaned in response. “What a cheap shot, Ben. You know my physical attraction to you is my weakness. But I do like where this is going. May I get a preview?”

     He didn’t need to be asked twice.

  Sunday Night

     Much of Saturday had gone by as an extended preview of just how fun trying to make a baby could be.  Ironically, that had left little time for Ben to convince Rey with more ideas. But after getting off the phone with Leia following their weekly call, he had a great idea.

     “Rey. Mom says hi. Also, I have one more reason to add to our list of why you should have a baby with me.”

     “Do your worst.”

     “My parents aren’t getting any younger. Don’t you want them to meet their grandchildren?”

     Rey punched him in his bicep. “OW!” he cried.

     “You  really  think guilt is  really  the best way to convince me?”

     “Well, the other ways weren’t working. And nothing I said was a lie…”

     “No. But now I’m just sad, Ben! And sad isn’t the proper emotional state for conceiving a child. TRY HARDER.”

Monday

     Rey sat in her classroom during lunch gnawing on a baby carrot. She had left her lunch at home and was forced to eat the cafeteria meal offered to the students. Still, food was food. Choosing to avoid the laughs, she brought the meal back to her classroom instead of eating in the lounge.

     Her phone buzzed. A photo loaded and she nearly dropped her phone from laughing so obnoxiously.

     There was her husband with a goofy smile across his face. She loved Ben's smile - she really did. But seeing it here when he tried so hard to hide it from others made the photo seem doctored. His expression simply didn’t match his crisp business wear or stark office. Also, a selfie was so not his style. Did he even know the term “selfie”? She read the text below the suspect photo.

Reason #7 why Rey & Ben should have a baby:

Because it would make Ben very very happy.

     She shoved another baby carrot in her mouth and began to type a response furiously.

     I told you to try harder, but instead, you’ve gone back to square one. The photo is lovely, but come on. Put that sharp Chief of Operations Officer mind to use. Make me a proposal I can’t refuse.

Tuesday

     Rey sprayed whipped cream into a mug for her nightly dessert. She raised a spoonful into her mouth as she watched Ben empty his pockets onto his nightstand. He pulled out a note and studied it until recognition washed over his face.

     The note was soon placed in front of Rey. Mouth still full of whipped cream, she opened it up. This wasn’t Ben’s handwriting, but it reeked of his intentions.

Reason #8 why Rey & Ben should have a baby:

Ben is dying.

     “WHAT IS THIS? BEN. YOU CAN’T BE SERIOUS.”

     “If I were...would you want to have a baby with me?”

     “BEN.” She growled at him. If she weren’t so angry, he might’ve dared to laugh.

     “Ok, fine. You’re right. I’m not dying. I mean...in a way, we all are...but, not in the foreseeable future. But Poe and Hux said it was a good idea!”

     “AHA! THAT explains the handwriting. I’M GONNA KILL THEM BOTH! And then, I’m gonna come back and kill YOU.”

     He raised his hands in surrender and approached her like he would a rabid animal.

     “Truce?” he offered.

     “Pfft. You better sleep with one eye open, you snake.”

     She turned on her heel and placed her mug in the dishwasher before heading into their bedroom. When he didn’t follow her, she sent him a stare over her shoulder. “What are you doing?”

     “Getting ready to take the couch?”

     She rolled her eyes. “I didn’t give you permission to do that. I’m angry and I don’t like you right now, but I still love you. Now, come cuddle with me before I change my mind."

 Wednesday

     By the time Rey returned home from school, Ben was already on the couch curled up with a book.

     “You’re home early…” she started.

     “I had an afternoon meeting close to home so I  just didn’t go back to the office," he offered with a shrug.

     “Oh. That’s nice.”

     “It was.”

     Suspicious as it was, she had no energy left to try and further interrogate him. She walked over to the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea and noticed a gift box on the table.

     “Is this for me?” she hesitated. It wasn’t her birthday, Valentine’s, or their anniversary. She began to panic that she had forgotten to get him something.

     “Yes and no.”

     “Should I open it?”

     “Your choice.”

     “Obviously  I’m going to, then.” After a childhood like hers, Rey had a primal reaction when it came to opening gifts. Truth be told, there could be nothing inside of the gift and she would still enjoy the act of opening it up.

     This box wasn't empty, though. She softly touched the leather of a baby-sized pilot jacket.

     “Oh,” she let out. Her voice was barely more than a whisper.

     “See. Not a gift for you, per se. But I do remember how much you wanted to be a pilot as a child. I was walking back to my car when I saw it and just couldn’t seem to walk away. I’m not saying we need it now. I learned my lesson last night. But  maybe  we can  just  stuff it in the back of the closet for someday?”

     Rey’s eyes welled up and she bit down on her lip to avoid saying something she’d regret.

  Thursday

     The next day, Rey sat at home groaning at her laptop.

     “What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

     “I'm fine. It’s just that Maverick's dad emailed to pull out of chaperoning. Mav has a ‘doctor’s appointment’,” she emphasized with air quotes. “So, now I’ve got no male chaperones for our field trip tomorrow. It’s doable with the moms and grandmas coming. But now I’m down one adult and there’s no one to supervise the boys on bathroom trips.”

     “I can go.”

     “No. You have work.”

     “I’ll call out sick.”

     “Don’t do that. I’ll be fine.”

     “I never take sick days, Rey. I can afford to miss tomorrow.”

     “Why would you even want to come?”

     “Can’t a man  just  want to spend time with his wife?”

     “Sure, Ben. But I'm warning you, field-trip-Mrs.-Solo is NOT a pretty sight,” she grumbled.

 Friday Afternoon

     After counting off the students for the fifth time, Rey was certain they hadn't left anyone behind. She led the students and chaperones out from the aquarium and towards the park for lunch. The field trip went surprisingly well, so she made a deal with the class. They could play on the playground afterward if they ate their lunch quietly and kept the area clean.

     “Five more minutes til we start packing up!” she called out. When no one responded, she repeated herself in a shout. “FIVE MORE MINUTES UNTIL WE PACK UP! ANYONE WHO DOESN’T STOP PLAYING IN FIVE MINUTES WILL HAVE TO MISS THE NEXT FIELD TRIP!”

     “OKAY MRS. SOLO!” the kids cried in unison.

     Pleased with herself, Rey turned to watch Ben play with the kids on the playground. It was quite a sight. She hadn’t known Ben in his youth, but she knew he had spent a lot of it alone. And of course, the Kylo Ren she first met would’ve never been caught traipsing through a park. Cries of laughter fill the air as he spun a group of students on the merry-go-round disk. He was stronger than they were, which sent them round at a speed that was probably unsafe. The students giggled and held on for dear life.

     Rey noticed that Dax hadn't gotten off for the past several turns. She warned Ben to let him have a break. “Mr. Ben. You need to let Dax off. You’re gonna make him sick!”

     He looked back at her and shook his head. “Nah. He’s strong! Aren’t you, buddy?”

     “Yeah! Mr. Ben, you’re the best!” The boy began jumping up and down in excitement when his face suddenly paled.

     Dax lurched forward and covered Ben with the remains of his lunch.

     The playground went silent in horror. Rey ran over, ready to do damage control when she considered her husband’s former reputation as a hothead. To her surprise, Ben laughed. “Aren’t we a pair of messes?” she heard him say. Hand in hand, Ben took Dax to wash off at the water fountain. Rey stood there frozen.

     Once they got back to school, Rey handed her favorite chaperone a small hoodie. He looked down and saw, “Coruscant Cougars”.

     “Sorry, it’s all I’ve got. Might be a tight squeeze, but it has to be better than smelling like vomit?”

     He had to agree and said goodbye to the class as he left for the bathroom to change.

     Rey sighed as she waved goodbye to the last student. She let out a small shriek when she saw Ben on the floor, slightly hidden beneath a desk in her tiny hoodie.

     “What are you doing? And how did you get in here?”

     “I walked? You were talking with the after-school program teacher. Must have missed me.” He was distracted and she noticed he had something in his hand.

     “Again. What are you doing down there?”

     “I noticed that the kids kept knocking their knees on the desks so I’m going to raise these up real quick.”

     Her heart began to race and she felt her cheeks twitch as a small smile threatened to sneak out.

     “I’m ready, Ben.”

     “Yeah, okay. We can go home as soon as I tighten this last screw. I can’t have any of them getting crushed by my bad handiwork.”

     “No, Ben." Rey walked over and lowered herself to meet him on the floor. She leaned in to kiss him softly. "I’m. Ready. Let's have a baby.” 

[avaantares]

Whoops! My routine got thrown off by the long holiday weekend, and I completely forgot to post my regularly-scheduled update yesterday. Sorry! But the latest chapter of What Dreams May Come is up now.

This was chapter 17 of 39, so it’s almost to the halfway point! Though that still leaves about 50,000 more words to go, haha. (It did take me two years to write, so I suppose taking a few months to post is reasonable...)

[nikatyler]

You might have seen me complain about this “graduation thing” that I had to write. (my English teacher actually called it a thesis, but that sounds too fancy in my opinion lol. I just...can’t see myself writing a thesis...yet. Language is funny.) Well, IT IS DONE. I CAN BREATHE NOW. I have some more things to finish before my graduation exams, and then I have to learn all the topics for the exams but for now, everything is fine. I’ll worry about this later. Speaking of exams and everything, I have one last month of high school left. When did that happen? There are the exams in May, uni entrance exams in June...and then I’m off to the so called adulthood. Help??

Let’s talk about sims for a bit...well, I’d love to but I’m almost never playing anymore. There’s no time. I’ll probably play BPR this weekend, as per usual. I guess I’ll start posting it in like June or July, so that will be almost a year since I started playing it. It’s going to be great, I promise. Well, the beginning already makes me cringe, but the things I’m doing now are fun. Kinda cringey too, but I feel like I can justify that since that’s cringey on purpose haha.

Replies now. There’s a lot of them because I don’t do these regularly anymore oops. It’s probably not everything because my activity feed hides stuff from me. I just know it. Smh tumblr

alfalfalegacy replied to your photoset “Sammy: … Lydia: “Come on.” Sammy: “These…these two guys. They laughed...”

Can't believe I'm about to throw hands with some teenagers I haven't even met lol

Same lol. They won’t even ever show up but I hate them so much

myopiccc replied to your photoset “Lydia: “They should mind their own business! Sammy, listen to me now....”

I'm on your side Lydia!

She has a good valid point but if I could talk about this to her I would probably try to stop her too. She doesn’t think about the consequences haha

create-a-sim replied to your photoset “Sim Request: Michelle Emmons for @alfalfalegacy I do this thing that...”

she's soooo cute!!

Thank youuu! I really like how she turned out too!

melien replied to your post “post nsb”

Anon told you to post nsb so you should immediately go play and post nsb because your blog exists exclusively for their personal pleasure and entertainment! No excuses!!

Wait until they find out I want to post BPR next. Another sims 3 save. SCANDALOUS. HOW DARE I PLAY ANYTHING THAT ISN’T OUR LORD AND SAVIOR THE SIMS 4™. Sorry I read a post comparing ts3 and ts4 a few days ago and I’m still salty.

Anon pls don’t start a riot

melien replied to your photoset “Annabeth: “Uh…I think your face is stuck.” Regan: “Didn’t you know...”

I second this! It's kinda creepy when it happens

It’s too much. If they smiled a little less, I probably wouldn’t mind but this is just creepy. It kinda reminds me of that Momo thing that was everywhere on the internet a few months ago. My sister showed me a picture and uhh...I didn’t need to see that.

melien replied to your photoset “Adam: “Why can’t you be more like your siblings?” Lydia: “Umm, dad,...”

She's a modern day Tyler I guess

Sort of, yeah. Tyler kinda fakes it I’d say, he’s not as dumb as he’s trying to seem. It’s a role he chose to play for reasons. Which...probably makes him dumb in a way but oh well. Lydia...I don’t want to say she’s dumb because she’s not really, but there’s a slight difference between her and Tyler haha. I could talk about this a lot.

melien replied to your post “I`d looove to make ships with other people however I`m not completely...”

It's fine! Showing them in the legacy is more than enough. With people who I have the most ships with, we do discuss them, but it's not like 24/7 headcanon exchange, it just happens naturally whenever either of us has an idea. There's no right way to act when you have a ship with someone, so you're good! It's still much better than one-sided ship when the other person just isn't interested.

I’m the kind of person who would like to have everything clear, possibly broken down to a step-by-step tutorial haha. Even though I know some things don’t work like that. So naturally, stuff like talking to people confuses me a lot. Also, teamwork! I don’t know how to do it. Depending on who I’m working with, I’ll either be the one who does all the decisions or the one who nods and agrees with everything the partner says. Communication is hard, basically.

I think that here, another big problem with me is that I hate spoilers and I don’t want to spoil anything to anyone ever. Even if they probably have the right to know first. But hey, all the current ships I have with other people have been shown, maybe I’ll feel more comfortable doing it now?

melien replied to your photoset “Didn’t I tell you to go inside? “Omg muuuuum leave me alone.”

Caleb: okay

Caleb: *rises from his grave* “Don’t disrespect me, son-in-law.”

melien replied to your photoset “Hey hi hello I know everyone is busy downloading Strangerville right...”

Super late here but Myra and everyone else look great! ��

Thank! I’ve been thinking about updating the entire tree again though, giving everyone new pictures, so who knows how long this will stay whoops.

melien replied to your post “Why do y'all open sim requests when I have no use for more sims. �� I...”

Same :/ I want sims from everyone but I just know I won't use them anywhere in the nearest future and I don't want to put pressure on myself

Looking back, I’m actually glad I requested all these sims for gen 6 because it kept me going. I knew I had to get through the hard too-many-sims-in-the-household part because I wanted to show them in the end. 

I hate when people request sims and then never ever use them anywhere. Don’t get me started on “hey I want to start a new legacy, please give me spouses for all ten generations”, followed a few days/weeks later by “hey guys sorry, I’m not that interested in this legacy, I’ll be starting a new one” - and the cycle starts over again. Why would anyone do that? Just ask for a gen 10 sim when you get there, it’s not that hard to wait.

I mean, here’s what I’m doing right now - I’ve created a peach spouse for my bpr sim months ago, they haven’t even met in the legacy yet, but I’d already love to have the orange sim for the next generation because I’m so excited about this all at the moment. Am I going to ask someone now? Hell no. I didn’t play this legacy for like six months and even though I love it so much lately, there’s a chance I’ll lose interest in it again. I’ll ask for an orange sim when I’ll know I can do gen 3...it’s gen 3 right. Oh well.

melien replied to your photoset “I forgot this interaction existed. I don’t do weddings too often. My...”

Is this a wedding-specific interaction? I feel like I haven't seen it in my game yet but idk for sure

Yes! I think they can only do it with that moodlet they get as soon as they get married.

melien replied to your photoset “Lydia the…wait, I need a really good superhero name. Ah, I’ll think...”

Lydibug

Uhhhh, the other day I thought about how Eielyd (switched i/y because of her name, I know it’s eyelid) would be a really stupid nickname for her but Lydibug actually sounds cool aaaand it’s now canon she loves Miraculous Ladybug.

melien replied to your photoset “Lydia: “I’m gonna make fun of every asshole in this town. Starting...”

Ooooooooo good luck getting out of this one

Whoopsie

Something similar actually happened to me in elementary school, my friend and I were talking about which colour we want our house be when we’re adults and then I said something like: “I don’t know but I definitely don’t want it to be yellow! Yellow houses are ugly.” And she goes: “My house is yellow.” My face turned red and I started shaking because I thought I had offended her sooo badly. I remember I got out of it saying something like: “Your house is okay, I just don’t like the bright yellow ones.” I don’t know what I had against yellow houses, to be fair. But I didn’t like them.

alfalfalegacy replied to your photoset “Sammy: “How was your day, Will?” Will: “Good. Very good. You need to...”

Oh my god Will ����

Don't jump ahead in the plot lol

Since he plays so much with magic, maybe he’s seen the future haha

autistichatkid replied to your post “Hi guys, I have a question �� I know some of you have been here...”

rose!!! idk exactly when but i believe miracle was a child and tyler had long hair

alfalfalegacy replied to your post “Hi guys, I have a question �� I know some of you have been here...”

Came in just before Miracle's gen started and have stayed ever since!!

lalunebleue replied to your post “Hi guys, I have a question �� I know some of you have been here...”

I first started following when you were doing the ts3/ts4 crossover story with Zoe. That was a really cool idea.

kyveria replied to your post “Hi guys, I have a question �� I know some of you have been here...”

right at the beginning of your nsb legacy, and I thought it was the best one! ��

harmoniouspixels replied to your post “Hi guys, I have a question �� I know some of you have been here...”

I found your blog around the time Caleb was pregnant with Miracle and the mommy jokes from Tyler began (I could’ve been following earlier, but I distinctly remember that)

simlovinggirl replied to your post “Hi guys, I have a question �� I know some of you have been here...”

I found you on Gen 5 of your Rose Legacy. Miracle's story still pulls at my heart ♥

autumndiesirae replied to your post “Hi guys, I have a question �� I know some of you have been here...”

I think I got your blog on my recommended feed during Ross' transformation in NSB

whysimstho replied to your post “Hi guys, I have a question �� I know some of you have been here...”

I was looking up nsb stories to read, and I found the breeze legacy which was around when Ross was still a child. Then I noticed your sims 3 posts and was like "oo that looks cool" so I started reading them from the beginning too lol

desira-sims replied to your post “Hi guys, I have a question �� I know some of you have been here...”

I came across a Caleb and Ross post. I then proceeded to binge read your nsb until I had caught up.

This post lowkey backfired. I asked just because I was curious and suddenly there I was, reading the comments and sobbing because this is so cool and basically, I love and appreciate you all so much guys, you have no idea.

I guess it’s one thing knowing you see someone in your activity feed all the time, and the other thing is actually remembering when you’ve started seeing them and how much they’ve seen. It’s insane.

It’s also interesting to see how I feel about many of these things now (Zoey and Miracle’s storylines are the greatest example) and then here you are still saying it was good...makes me wonder if I’m too hard on myself. I’m never satisfied with everything!

kymmaisims replied to your post “Plans for this week and other rambling”

Take your time! We understand ��

It’s going to be a few hard months now...but hopefully I’ll be able to do it!

alfalfalegacy replied to your photoset “Annabeth: “Consider yourself invited, Micah.”

!!!

Here we finally gooooo

alfalfalegacy replied to your photoset “Cassandra: “That was the dumbest romcom I’ve seen in a while.” Sammy:...”

The way Sammy looks at her in this post is really cute :')))

PROTECT

pxelblobs replied to your post “Nope! Not at all. I did not just read all 377 pages of your Rose...”

I did! It took a few days but it inspired me to play a non berry save.

Yay, I’m happy to hear that!

kymmaisims replied to your post “In case you were wondering why there were no timezone reblogs today: I...”

*cough* poses *cough* ������ Congrats on almost reaching a milestone! You deserve it!

Thank you! Three more followers left. That’s insane. I still feel the same way I did when I only had like 100 followers.

tiny-tany-thaanos replied to your photoset

No, Miracle don't return to the aliens right now! You still have teens to raise! And a husband.

That would have been kinda cool if it happened, wouldn’t it? You’re not ready for what actually happened. Haha...haha...hahaha...just you wait, it starts today.

tiny-tany-thaanos replied to your photoset “Calypso Heather for @sinfulwunders’s Melanie BC A long time ago,...”

Oh. My. God is she cool!

Thank you! I knooow, I love her so much *-* I tried doing some things differently this time and it was so worth it.

justkeeponsimming replied to your photoset “Look, she deserves a break. She freaking raised six children.”

She looks so adorable OMG

She does! My opinion on her has changed a lot through the years (I mean, she’s not my most favourite sim anymore, I don’t think her storyline was the best thing I’ve ever done etc), but nothing will change the fact that she’s the cutest sim I have.

harmoniouspixels replied to your post “˜ºï¸ Caleb Vatore”

Re Number 2: Yes, you're right! He's shown being romantic with women and then a guy in the vampire pack's trailer. We stan a canon bisexual icon

Ahh I knew I didn’t make it up! We stan a canon bisexual icon indeed

alfalfalegacy replied to your photoset “Will: “A real fairy!” ??: “Huh?” Will: “I mean…oh my god. I’m sorry....”

Will's a big mood though. Cause I too would see a fairy and then immediately blurt something out like that ��

I wouldn’t blurt it out, probably (I don’t talk irl lmao), but I’d do something equally embarrassing and my reaction would be probably the same. I’d run away and feel bad about it.

tiny-tany-thaanos replied to your photoset “One Year of Breeze NSB Legacy! On this day one year ago, as soon as I...”

Happy birthday, the Breezes! ❤️��❤️

fataleromeo replied to your photoset “One Year of Breeze NSB Legacy! On this day one year ago, as soon as I...”

I love these edits! ����

froggypixel replied to your photoset “One Year of Breeze NSB Legacy! On this day one year ago, as soon as I...”

This is so freakin cool��❤️❤️

justkeeponsimming replied to your photoset “One Year of Breeze NSB Legacy! On this day one year ago, as soon as I...”

ronnie these edits are SO cute! I love love love what you did with the screenshots in the background!

Thank you guys! ♥ ♥ I didn’t know what to do, so I just took some simple couple pictures and then I thought wait a minute...I could put screenshots from the two finished generations in the background!

I kinda wanna do the same thing for Rose Legacy which turns three years old this April, but I hate editing ts3 pictures - mainly because the alpha hair is a bitch to edit, at least for me. I’m pretty good at faking it, but I actually don’t know much about Photoshop :D Once again, thank you guys.

[i-am-a-closet-fanfic-fiend]

Missed Connections ~ Steve Rogers x Reader College!AU (Part 4/7)

A/N: Hello lovelies. I hope you don’t mind another update this weekend.. I just couldn’t wait to share. I’m hoping to post the next part of Primary Colors this week. So fingers crossed everything goes to plan. Thank you for all the love! You’re all so wonderful! <3 

Enjoy! 

Summary: Party time! (I’m not saying anything more) 

Characters/Pairings: Eventual Steve x Reader, Bucky, Thor, Sam, Scott, Natasha, Clint 

Rating: T for language 

Warnings: Underaged drinking, I think that’s it 

Word count: 2232 

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 

You spent much of the overly warm shuttle ride breathing deeply, trying to calm your stomach. It was a relief when you finally reached the opposite end of campus and you hopped off the bus into the cool air. Thor’s apartment was a five minute walk from the end of campus and you gave yourself a mental pep talk the whole way there.

There was a sign on the door saying just come in, so you did. There was upbeat music playing and people were dancing but it was hardly the rager you had been expecting. You scanned the room, looking for anyone you knew, but to no avail. Before you could panic and run away there was a tap on your shoulder.

“Hey, stranger.”

You were relieved when you turned and saw Bucky standing there.

“Hey, Bucky. How’s it going?”

“Can’t complain. It’s Friday. Here let me take your coat.”

You smiled and handed it to him and he hung it in the front closet.

“The guys are in here. We were just about to play beer pong. Do you want to be on my team?”

“I’ve never played,” you admitted. “So not sure you want me to be on your team.”

He chuckled and tossed his arm around your shoulder as he pulled you into the room where the pong table was set up.

“If you’ve never played you deserve to have the best player as your partner, doll. “

“Then I guess that means she’s on my team,” Sam argued. “Hey, y/n. Lookin’ good.”

“Thanks,” you grinned, although it dimmed when you realized Steve was absent.

“Y/n, I’m so glad you made it,” Thor stopped midshot and beamed as he gave you a hug.  

“Thanks for inviting me.”

“Of course.”

“Can we please get on with this?” A dark-haired guy groaned from the other end of the table.

“Excuse me, y/n. I have to kick my rude brother’s ass in beer pong.”

You laughed and settled in on the couch next to Bucky and Sam who acted as commentators for the match, explaining the rules to you in the process. People were constantly moving through the room and each time you automatically looked to see if it was Steve. You hoped Sam or Bucky would bring him up but they didn’t, so you stayed silent, giggling at their commentary instead.

When Thor did in fact beat his brother, Bucky immediately pulled you to your feet.

“We’ve got next,” he announced.

“Challengers shoot first,” Thor’s partner, Fandral, grinned cockily as he handed you the balls.

You could feel your competitive side coming out and you smirked right back at him.

“Do you want me to go first, doll?” Bucky offered.

“Sure.”

You handed Bucky one ball and stepped back so he could take the shot. He sunk the ball in the back corner cup with ease and grinned as Thor chugged the cup. He and Fandral were clearly not worried about you as competition as they leaned back against the wall. You switched places with Bucky and took a deep breath before sinking your shot in the opposite back corner.

“Beginner’s luck,” Fandral assured Thor as he chugged the cup and they rolled the balls back towards you.

Thor seemed skeptical. Which proved to be the right sentiment when you and Bucky won without missing a shot. Five matches later, you and Bucky had collectively only had to drink 3 cups. After beating Sam and Scott for a second time, Bucky whooped.

“Suck on that, Wilson.”

“Psh, you didn’t do anything. That was all Ace over there.”

You snorted at the nickname and shot him a reasonable facsimile of his own cocky grin.

“Are you sure you haven’t played beer pong before?” Sam asked as you walked into the kitchen and grabbed a water bottle from the metal tub on the island.

“I’m positive.”

“I call bullshit,” Fandral commented, overhearing your conversation.

You grinned guiltily.

“Tell the truth, y/n,” Thor prompted.

“Okay, so I really haven’t ever played beer pong. Technically. But every summer at the carnival I blew my allowance on that game where you try to sink the ping pong balls in the fish bowls. I got pretty good. I may have a few oversized stuffed animals at home from it.”

Sif high-fived you with an impressed smile. “Sneaky.”

“I like her,” Loki grinned to his brother who scoffed.

“You’re devious. I did not see that coming,” Sam commented with a shake of his head.

You shrugged and smiled coyly.

“So what happened with your friend and that girl last night?” Scott asked as he swigged his beer.

“Well he’s out on a date with her right now,” you told him a bit smugly.

“Do you always get such good results? Maybe I should have you wingwoman for me,” Sam chuckled nudging his shoulder against yours.  

“I don’t know how much of a wingwoman I am. I mean they’ve both been flirting since last semester. All I really did was make him take the final step.”

“You should meet our friend and give him the same advice,” Bucky remarked.

“He’s been pining for a while now and he just won’t step up.”

Your eyebrows raised; you hoped they were talking about Steve and you. You didn’t think they would be mean enough to tease you about him. You were hesitant to ask and the group’s conversation quickly moved on.

You got along really well with Thor’s friends, and although you had come to the party in hopes of seeing Steve and despite the odd clenching in your stomach, you were having a blast. You even accepted Fandral’s offer to dance.  

After a few songs you were overheating and you excused yourself and retreated to the back porch with a fresh bottle of water and finally checked your phone. As promised you had texted Nat and Clint when you got to the party. You had texted once more during Thor’s beer pong match to express your disappointment that Steve wasn’t there, but you hadn’t checked since then.

Natasha (8:30 PM): Maybe he’s on his way. Try to have fun honey.

Natasha (9:27 PM): Sorry this meeting is taking so long. We’ll be there soon.

Natasha (9:52 PM): We just finished up. Are you still there?”

Natasha (9:59 PM): I really hope you’re not answering because you’re having a good time. We’re on our way. Be there in twenty.

You checked the time on your phone and realized that they should be arriving soon. You chugged some water and immediately regretted that decision. You immediately coughed it all up and started to dry heave. When those finally subsided you were woozy and your stomach was in knots. Slowly you made your way back inside, accidentally bumping into someone.

“Sorry,” you mumbled, focusing on staying upright.  

“Y/n?”

You looked up at the sound of your name and found Pietro and Sif looking at you with concern.

“Pietro? What are you doing here?”

“Sif and I are on the track team together. What are you doing here?”

“Thor and I hang out from time to time. So he invited me.”

“You two know each other?” Sif asked in surprise.

“She’s my kid sister’s best friend. We all went to high school together.”

You scoffed at the term kid sister.

“By kid sister he means twin sister who he’s like ten minutes older than,” you informed Sif who rolled her eyes.

“Twelve minutes,” Pietro corrected.

They both took notice as you swayed on your feet.

“Are you alright?” Sif asked reaching out to steady you.

“Did you drink too much?”

You shook your head, which was a bad idea as you tried to control a wave of nausea.

“No. I think I’m coming down with something. I’m going to head home. See you later. It was nice meeting you, Sif.”

“Likewise.”

You got two steps away before he told you to wait up.

“I’ll take you home.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“I’d really feel better if I did. You look like you might pass out on your way there,” he told you honestly. “I was about to head out anyway. We’ve got a meet in the morning.”

You were feeling crappier by the minute and having someone make sure you got up to your room wasn’t the worst idea.

“Thanks, Piet.”

“Of course. I’ll see you at five, Sif.”

“You had better. I’m not calling you a thousand times to wake your lazy ass up again,” she mock glared, before smiling caringly at you. “I hope you feel better.”

“Thank you.”  

He flashed her a grin and put his hand on your lower back to guide you.

“Did you have a coat?” he asked as you made it into the front room.

“In the front closet. Black peacoat.”

“Okay, wait here. I’ll get it.”

You took your phone out to text Nat and let her know you were heading out but she should still have fun at the party when she walked through the front door with Clint, zeroing in on you immediately.

“Y/n, you are still here! I was worried when you didn’t text me back.”

“I was just on my way out. I’m not feeling well.”

“What’s wrong?”

“My stomach has been screwy all night. I thought it was nerves but it didn’t go away. And now I feel dizzy and a bit feverish.”

“You do look a little pale. We’ll take you home,” she offered immediately.

“No. You guys just got here. Stay have fun,” you insisted. “Piet’s gonna take me home.”

On cue, he appeared at your side with your coat.

“Hey guys. What are you doing here? Do you know Thor too?”

“No, he just extended the invitation to y/n’s friends because he thought she was too chicken to come on her own,” Clint grinned.

“Shut up,” you laughed half-heartedly.

“Alright, you look dead on your feet. Let’s go,” Nat ordered as you pulled on your coat.  

“Seriously, Nat. Please stay. You guys will have fun. It’s a great party.”

“Are you sure?” Clint asked.

“Yes. I’m just going to go curl up in bed anyways. I’ll see you later.”

“Ready, munchkin?” Pietro teased and you rolled your eyes at the old nickname.

“Ready, speedy.”

“I’ll come check on you tomorrow,” Nat promised.

“We’ll bring you breakfast,” Clint added.

“Thank you. Have fun.”

You woke up in the pitch black and glanced at the alarm clock. It read just after 3 in the morning. You were still nauseated and you only had one water bottle left in your mini fridge so you decided to make a run to the vending machines downstairs.

You pulled on a pair of fuzzy socks and an oversized sweatshirt, leaving the hood up. The vending machines were just around the corner for the elevators and as you loaded up on ginger ale and water you heard two familiar voices walking down the hallway.

“I can’t believe I missed her,” Steve groaned. “By ten minutes.”

“Hey, I told you to come like two hours earlier,” Buck snarked.

“I know but my shift ran long. We had six medical transports.”

Confused by the comment you risked peeking around the corner and you were greeted with the sight of Steve in an EMT uniform, which was undeniably hot. Biting your lip you quickly ducked out of view before they could spot you.

“Well you need to step up and ask her out or someone else is going to. She turned a lot of heads tonight.”

You blushed at Bucky’s report.

“Like who?” There was an edge of concern in his voice.

“Loki and Fandral were definitely checking her out. I’m sure there were others. She looked hot. Maybe it’s best you weren’t there after all.”

You were surprised by the comment. Steve was too.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means you turn into a bumbling dork at the sight of her on a normal day. And tonight she was dressed to kill. You probably would have fainted.”

You heard a thwap and Bucky grunted; you guessed Steve punched Bucky in the arm.

“She’s so gorgeous. And I can’t even get my name out when I talk to her let alone ask her out. What if she just thinks I’m this loser she sees around all the time?”

Your eyes nearly bugged out of your head. How could anyone think he was a loser?

“She doesn’t. Trust me she was looking for you tonight. I could tell.”

“Shut up, Bucky,” you grumbled under your breath.

“Anyways, dude. She knows your name. We’ve talked about you. You know her name we’ve talked about her. You even talked to her friends about her. Just skip the introductions. Focus on the asking her out thing.”

“I feel like that’s weird. Besides after all this time I want to introduce myself. It feels like cheating if I skip that part.”

“Then introduce yourself. Next time you see her say hi, I’m Steve Rogers. Will you go out with me?”

“Nah, Buck. It’s got to be smoother than that. I’ll think of something.”

The elevator dinged at last.

“You are the antithesis of smooth. Embrace your awkwardness. Please.”

“Jerk.”

“Punk.”

That was the last thing you heard before the elevator slid shut. Stunned, you made your way back to your room trying to process what you had just overheard.

A/N: Okay, so real talk. I actually love this chapter so I really hope that you enjoyed it! I love the guys so much. Stay tuned for more fluff! Thank you for reading. Feedback is lovely! <3 

Tag Lists (cuz I’m awake this time) 

All lists are OPEN! 

Missed Connections Tag List @lovethroughthemiles @lamia-maizat @trashcanfullofdork @angry-chipmunk @sukeraa @toastmaster94

Steve/Chris Tag List @isaxhorror @peachykeen3502

Marvel Tag List @hdthdthdt​   @sophiatomlinson23 @misty-panther @supermusicallee

Permanent Tag List @iamwarrenspeace @jayzayy @bexboo616 @neoqueen306 @santheweird @rowenaravencalw @buckitybarnes @prxttybirdz @the-marvel-dc-peasant @samwinchxtr @broitsmydick @ailynalonso15 @nyxveracity @queenoftrash97 @walkingtravesty97

[excellynt]

MVSans Update v1.3.37dev + yes flowey is still a shit

Now that I got last week’s garbage out of my system I’ve been productive again! Hurray!! 

((pretend this was posted 2 weeks ago, around May 3rd, much of it was written then but I’ve been too exhausted to finish writing detailed update posts)) 

I put up another patch to download (like a week ago), though most of the changes are not visible to regular users yet. I had to fix some bugs that were interfering with beta testing the phone calls. I mis-named some variables and so the functions just weren’t working right. Whoops! I also implemented a panel for the beta testers to test aspects of the phone calls effectively, but like I said, not visible to regular users. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

Some changes you can see: 

Tickling 

Tickling messages have been partially updated to use the new surfaces, so that his flusteredness scales as he reaches his tickle-limit. He’ll be thoroughly red/blue in the face and sweaty as you approach his maximum tickle capacity.  

Geno Sans

Geno Sans shell has backwards-compatibility support! He won’t vanish when the new blushing surfaces are called anymore. As a bonus, he has new poses from the sweatdrop overlays, they just won’t be as varied (or colorful) as the other shells. 

Well since I’d been complaining so much about garbage lately I figure I might as well take this opportunity to announce something else I’ve been sitting on a while. Here’s a little PSA.

Attention undertale fandom trash, 

If you click Functions from MVSans’ main screen you’ll pull up this menu: 

This is the trash can. Feel free to visit it any time. 

That’s*wink* all I have to say*nudge* on the matter. 

Your Best Friend Flowey 

People are curious about the Flowey ghost and since I took so long to get this update post published, let me show you a bit of what Your Best Friend Flowey is gonna be all about. Most of his content will be him snarking about and interacting with other ghosts. Since I’m the developer of both, MVSans will have a lot of detailed interactivity with YBFFlowey. 

Flowey’s escaped from your game and is excited to play with all the ghosts living on your desktop. However, smiley trashbag is up here too and is still telling those awful jokes. 

Bonus: Flowey Expert level trolling me 

Flowey was actually broken a while due to experimenting with stuff, and I was too tired to fix it until Friday when I decided I had enough of Sans and my little flower shit boi needed some LOVE and attention. 

I’ve had some other posts showcasing how much of a lil shit Flowey is, popping up all over my screen and making faces at me. He shows up in all kinds of hilariously coincidental places frequently, to the point I expect it of him now. 

so I post this on the UDT server in disappointment right 

I was checking other discords a few minutes then flipped back to this and the second it loads, THIS.

You absolute little shit.

Bonus bonus: Flowey Plays Doki Doki Literature Club 

I played DDLC last weekend and had Flowey out to play with me. He had a good time. He just ran around the screen and made faces as he pleased while I played. I may post a screenshot dump if people wanna see more of this nonsense, though there’s a channel dedicated to it on the UDT Discord server already.

I’m spoilering due to post size, there are no DDLC spoilers in here. There is however, a little teaser/spoiler for MVSans phone call at the very end! 

“Let’s see what you’ve written for today.”  * Just more of the same. Nothing. As usual.

Lastly, I’ll share another tiny teaser of the phone calls. An example of why I needed the new surfaces to properly express how dunked Sans gets.

sorry if that’s kinda underwhelming haha but here’s some good news:

Development may be about to go full-throttle weekly updates again. I’ll have a post about it later once everything’s confirmed so I don’t announce a false alarm. But it’s looking good~

[ittybittypbandj]

The Internship - Chapter 3

We’re 3 chapters in, team! Halfway there and things are about to get real!

So buckle up, let’s keep going with this multi-chapter Bittyparse fluff-fest, now featuring special guest Angst.  5 chapters, weekly updates.  Also on ao3. <3

Fic Summary:

Eric Bittle arrived in New York two weeks ago, newly single and ready for a fresh start. This internship was just what he needed to jumpstart his life.

Kent Parson loved his life in New York. He was at the peak of his NHL career. He had friends, the world’s greatest cat, and everything he thought he needed.

He never expected a small Southern blonde to burst into his life and turn everything on its head.

“Okay, brah, so what happened after that?”

Bitty rolled his eyes and adjusted the laptop resting on his knees. “C’mon, Shitty, I told you this part already. He grabbed my arm so I wouldn’t fall and then stared at me for a minute.”

Shitty cupped his chin in his hand and sighed longingly at the screen. “Fucking love at first sight, my man. Like a scene out of a queer-positive, alternate universe John Hughes movie.”

“You sap,” Lardo snorted, and shoved Shitty’s shoulder. “So what will you do?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you obviously want to bone him and have his hypothetical babies, so what’s the plan?”

Bitty sputtered. He could feel his cheeks blushing and he covered his face with his hands to hide the evidence. This was embarrassing enough as it was.

“I don’t know, guys…I don’t even know if I like him like that.”

Lardo arched one eyebrow.

Shitty leaned offscreen briefly, then reappeared with a joint between his fingers. He waved it at Bitty decisively. “You can’t fool us, little brah. You look super glowy for a dude who just spent two hours with another dude he didn’t like.”

Bitty sighed. He knew it was fibbing to say that he didn’t like Kent. But what was he supposed to do? He didn’t want to lie, but the situation was a mess. Kent was his client. And Jack’s ex. And a hockey player. Apparently Bitty had a type, and his type was Closeted Top Scorers in the Eastern Conference.

He was pretty sure Kent felt something for him, too. He may not have a lot of relationship experience, and goodness knows it took him and Jack long enough to sort out their feelings, but he also wasn’t born yesterday, and Kent’s winks and smiles and lingering stares…well, he could read between those lines.

“Earth to Bitty…hellloooo?”

Bitty looked back at the screen, where Shitty was waving his arms at the camera.

“Look, I like him. Okay? I want to have his – lordy – his hypothetical babies. But he’s Fancy Feline’s client. Isn’t that illegal or somethin’?”

Shitty stroked his mustache. “It could be problematic, I’ll give you that. But it’s only a conflict of interest if it affects the business relationship. As long as you keep it on the DL and don’t, like, grab his ass in meetings – although, the guy does have a handful of handsome ass…maybe a couple handfuls…”

“Shitty!” Bitty cried. His cheeks were seriously going to catch fire.

“Sorry bro. What was I sayin’? Oh, as long as you keep it professional and don’t let it affect your business decisions, I wouldn’t sweat it. Besides, if they transfer you to another department when your internship ends, you’re golden. You can grab all the hot hockey ass you want.”

Bitty leaned his head back against the headboard. What did he even want? He didn’t want to jeopardize this job, goodness knows he needed it for his resumé. But he also wanted Kent. Lord, how he wanted.

Bitty tried to remember the last time he was this infatuated with another person. It was obviously Jack – he and Jack had circled each other for two years before making a move. They’d wasted so much time that they could have spent together. Bitty didn’t want to make that mistake again.

He didn’t have the luxury of time with Kent. At the end of September, his three-month internship would be over. That was only a month away. What if the company didn’t extend his contract? The Rangers’ season would start in October, and it’s not like Kent would have loads of free time. If Bitty didn’t give him a reason to make time, they might never see each other again.

Lardo leaned in and eyed the screen as she said, “You’re thinking awfully hard, Bits. Care to share?”

Bitty nodded to himself, decision made.

“I’m gonna go for it.”

Shitty whooped and Lardo smirked.

“Shitty, you’re right. I reckon we can keep it professional, and I don’t wanna lose my chance by waiting. If he’s interested – and that’s a big if.” Bitty pointed at the camera for emphasis. “If he’s interested, I want to give it a shot.”

_/_/_/ \_\_\_

Kent’s phone buzzed for the fifth time in an hour. It was from Eric, another chirp about the episode of Chopped they were both watching. Kent grinned and tucked his toes under Kit’s couch cushion as he typed a reply.

Somehow, ever since their meeting in the café, Kent and Eric had gone from business acquaintances who occasionally texted, to text acquaintances who occasionally talked business. Kent was totally down for the shift. He hadn’t seen Eric in person since then – his schedule had gotten crazy and he knew Eric was swamped with his job – but he was already imagining the things they would do the next time they saw each other.

It was super lame to be crushing this hard on someone he hardly knew. He was almost thirty, for god’s sake, and he probably should have wised up a decade ago. But you know what, fuck it. He’d wasted most of his twenties pining after a teenage heartbreak. He was a grown-ass dude now and he could do what he wanted.

Kent: i found where we should go to our next meeting thingy

Eric: Our monthly touchbase? That’s great! Where?

Kent: i’m not telling. it’s a surprise

Eric: Ok lol, how am I supposed to get there?

Kent: i’ll pick u up

Kent: lambo or r8?

Eric: Bless you

Kent: cool, r8 it is

Eric: [puzzled emoji]

Kent: [sportscar emoji] [thumbs-up emoji] [sunglasses emoji]

Kent set his phone on the table when it became clear Eric wasn’t replying right away. He snuggled further down the couch, and Kit stretched out on her cushion like she was trying to protect her space from his feet. Kent’s legs were sore from a grueling practice today, and it felt good to relax at home.

Kent’s phone buzzed and he grabbed for it. That would be Eric, chirping him about his flashy cars.

Jack: Hi Kent. Ready for pre-season?

Definitely not Eric. That was cool, he could roll with the punches.

Kent: hey zimms

Jack: When is your first game?

Kent: next saturday at home, then leave for a 2-game roadie in cali

Kent: u?

Jack: We play the Isles next Friday

Kent: cool

Eric: how on earth you justify TWO sports cars in NYC, I’ll never know. smh.

Kent’s stomach did a little flip at seeing Eric’s name on the screen.

Kent: three

Kent: sports cars, that is. if u count the beamer

Eric: Lord, where do you even park them?

Eric: Also what day is good to meet? How 'bout Saturday?

Jack: Would you want to meet up this weekend? We’ll be in New York until Saturday afternoon.

Jack: It would be nice to see you.

Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit.

Kent muted the television. He needed to think right now, and he couldn’t do it with Ted Allen describing kumquat soup in the background. Fucking hell. Of course Eric and Jack wanted to meet on the same goddamn weekend. Kent’s life was basically a Lifetime movie. He scrubbed his face with his hands and weighed his options.

He really wanted to see Eric. That was a given. Eric made him feel weirdly happy. It was the first time in forever that he’d felt this optimistic about someone.

And Zimms…Kent hadn’t hung out with Jack since the doomed frat party of 2014, not unless you counted the small talk at galas and awards ceremonies. He didn’t even know what they had in common anymore other than hockey. It might be totally weird, but meeting up was part of his Being-Friends-With-Jack Master Plan, and he still wanted to be friends, even if it required super awkward hangout time.

A niggling part of Kent’s brain was worried that seeing Jack would dredge up old feelings. Kent was doing fine now, doing great actually, but when Jack had called him ‘Kenny’ last month, his brain had gone totally haywire. What if seeing him was like that, but a million times worse? What if he fell hopelessly in love again?

Kent flopped across the couch and onto Kit, trapping her with his arms and nuzzling his face into her side.

“Tell me what to do, baby girl.”

Kit twisted like a goalie blocking a wraparound and jumped free of Kent’s arms. He watched her disappear into the bedroom.

“I see how it is!” Kent called after her.

His phone buzzed. Crap, he probably should have texted Eric and Zimms back like five minutes ago.

Eric: I'm also free Thursday or Friday

Kent’s stomach swooped. Before he could answer, his phone dinged again.

Jack: I’m sorry if that was overstepping.

Jack: I understand if you don’t want to meet up.

Kent noticed that his stomach didn’t do any swoopy-feelings at seeing Jack’s name on his phone. Huh. That was a good sign, right?

Eric: Basically I have no life yet in this city........ :/

Kent felt the swoopy feeling again. Yep, he definitely only felt it for Eric. Taking it as a sign from the Lifetime movie gods, he replied,

Kent: how's thursday? gotta get my beauty sleep friday and saturdays the game

Eric: Thursday's great! 6pm?

Eric: Y'know, can we make it 7pm instead?

Kent: 7 is perf. text me ur address

And to Jack,

Kent: sure zimms, let’s meet sat morning

Kent unmuted the television and stretched his legs along the full length of the couch. The upholstery was warm where Kit had been sleeping.

Now would probably be a good time to tell Jack and Eric about each other. He was pretty sure adults were supposed to tell each other about being friends with exes, although he’d never been in that situation. It seemed like an upstanding thing that a real adult would do.

But what would he say to Jack that wouldn’t scare him away? And more importantly, what would he say to Eric that wouldn’t be a total buzzkill for whatever feelings Eric potentially had for him?

He stared vacantly at the TV. If he told Eric about Jack, and then Jack decided to ghost him again, he’d ruin his chances with Eric for nothing. His and Jack’s track record of being friends wasn’t exactly stellar. Hanging out with Jack might be awkward and he'd bail after an hour. Surely that wouldn’t warrant telling Eric about. And if it went well, Kent would have plenty of time to tell him later. Right?

Kent nodded at his own logic. He would wait to tell them. It would be fine.

Everything would be fine.

_/_/_/ \_\_\_

“…I’ve been here all night….I’ve been here all daaaay…and boy you got me walkin’ side to side…”

Bitty swayed his hips and sang along over the hairdryer.

He’d been looking forward to this meeting all week. If he was being honest, it was a work meeting only in name. He’d transferred his work files to his phone so he wouldn’t need a laptop. He’d pushed the start time to 7pm so they wouldn’t hit happy hour. He wanted to have the luxury to take things slowly, to suggest dinner or more drinks without the pressure of happy hour ending at seven.

He stepped back from the mirror and gave himself a come-hither look. Should he add eyeliner?

He grabbed his phone off the toilet back.

Bitty: eyeliner??

Lardo: yasss

Bitty: [blowing kiss emoji]

He closed one eye, stuck out his tongue in concentration, and started to apply.

At 7:05, Bitty’s front door buzzed. Kent was downstairs, leaning against a royal blue Audi. He flashed Bitty a smile as he opened the passenger door, then walked to the other side and slid into the driver’s seat. When he pressed the ignition, the powerful engine settled into a deep purr.

“You ready to start your New York education?”

As they crossed the Manhattan Bridge and drove into lower Manhattan, Bitty’s leg bounced restlessly. He forced himself to sit still and squeezed his fingers together in his lap. Kent was right here, and he was so much hotter than Bitty remembered. It was hard to be around him without staring; everything about him felt electric. Eric willed his dick to ignore the observation. His skinny khakis wouldn’t exactly hide an erection.

They pulled up to a swanky hotel and a uniformed man opened Bitty’s door. Kent gave instructions to the valet and handed her a folded bill.

“Is this where we’re going?”

“Nah, we’re just parking. The Dominick does good valet service.” Kent grinned and motioned for Bitty to follow him down the block. “You’ll see. We’re going to a real New York institution.”

The location Kent had picked for their date (meeting, Bitty scolded himself) turned out to be a 1960’s tiki bar that had been in business for fifty years. Kent peppered Bitty with details about local history as they made their way to the bar.

The interior of the bar was dark and hazy. The ceiling was completely covered with autographed dollar bills pushed into the ceiling with drink umbrellas; Kent pointed out his own name, and Bitty politely pretended he could see it in the mass of bills. Surfing movies played on a TV in the corner, vintage posters covered the walls, and everything was covered in a fine film of dust.

Kent ordered drinks – two variations of something fruity and blended, garnished with pineapple – and he let Bitty try both and pick his favorite. They slid into a mostly-hidden back booth. Bitty noticed the bill Kent slipped the bartender, and the ‘Reserved’ sign the bartender removed from the tabletop before they took their seats.

Bitty couldn’t help feeling a little bit awed at the way Kent spent money. Jack and Kent both made a lot of money playing hockey (Kent made two million more, not that Bitty’d checked, that wouldn’t be polite). But they spent it so differently. Jack was reserved and cautious, investing in real estate and vehicles with good mileage and safety records. Kent spent money like it was water. He seemed to view money as a means to solve problems and enjoy himself. After years of coexisting with Jack, Bitty found Kent’s largesse exciting.

As they sipped their drinks, the conversation was light and easy. Bitty leaned into Kent’s space and listened to him describe his favorite New York restaurants. They traded stories and chirps until their glasses were empty and Kent hailed a waiter.

“Another?”

Bitty grinned and nodded. His limbs felt loose and warm. Lordy, he couldn’t even taste the rum in these drinks.

When their refills arrived, Bitty leaned forward to taste Kent’s drink and used the movement as an excuse to shift his knee so that it pressed against Kent’s under the table. Kent glanced up sharply. He didn’t move away. Bitty’s stomach did somersaults.

The thing Bitty loved about conversations with Kent, is how he felt like an equal in them. He didn’t feel young or inexperienced or like an object of adoration – although watching the way Kent’s eyes tracked him as he talked, maybe there was a little of that, too. But he felt like an adult and an equal. Bitty had as many stories to share as Kent did, and Kent seemed genuinely interested in them. He asked follow-up questions about Bitty’s job. He whistled at Bitty’s recounting of the Jam Fiasco of 2015. Bitty thrived on the attention.

By the time they finished their second drinks, Bitty had his hand on Kent’s forearm as Kent regaled him with an embarrassing story of him and his old teammate, Jeff Troy, at a state fair. Bitty gasped as Kent concluded the story by miming a bin of stuffed animals falling on top of them.

“Oh my!” Bitty exclaimed. “Thank goodness y’all were alright.”

Kent looked down at Bitty’s arm, opened his mouth to say something else, closed it again. Bitty was suddenly very aware of the places their bodies were touching.

Feeling brave, he traced his finger down Kent’s arm to his wrist, following a vein just below the skin. Kent inhaled. He watched Kent’s lips, parted slightly with his breath. Bitty wanted to kiss him so badly. He felt invincible from the alcohol and Kent’s attention.

Before he could lose his nerve, he leaned forward and pressed his mouth to Kent’s.

The kiss was gentle and lasted only a few seconds. Kent moved his lips against Bitty’s, hesitantly, chastely. To an outsider it probably looked innocent enough, and before Bitty could lose himself in the moment, Kent pulled away.

“Not here,” he breathed.

Bitty leaned back. Oh lord, how had he forgotten? Kent was famous in this city and he wasn’t out. There could be cameras anywhere. Kent could be outed on Deadspin tomorrow and it would be so awful for his career. Bitty pressed his hands to his face. Goodness, he’d been so selfish.

Kent looked at Bitty with concern. Bitty could feel the flush of embarrassment rising in his cheeks.

“It’s okay,” Kent whispered, “I…I want to, just…later?” He cocked his head to one side and asked in a normal volume, “How about we get some food?”

Bitty nodded, still feeling horrified. Things had been going so well, and he totally messed it up with his stupid recklessness.

They closed their tab and walked outside into the warm September night.

_/_/_/ \_\_\_

“So, uh, is pizza okay? I had a place picked out, but we could find somewhere else if pizza after Mai Tais is a no-go.”

Kent looked at Eric hopefully, wishing he could turn the dial back ten minutes and put the wide, happy grin back on Eric’s face.

“Pizza’s fine.”

Kent tried a new conversation topic. “Got any plans after your internship ends? It must be soon, right?”

Eric nodded. “I think they might give me an offer in a different department, outside the Pet division. I’ve had a couple interviews.” Kent nodded as Eric got into the rhythm of the conversation and started to sound more like himself. “Of course, I want to move to the magazine – Home Cooking, they sell it in supermarket checkouts?” Eric glanced over and Kent made a noise like he’d heard of it, “but it’s so darn competitive. I don’t know where I’ll end up.”

Kent half-smiled. He was happy for Eric, even if it blew that he wouldn’t work with Kent and Kit anymore. He’d known from the beginning that Eric’s internship was temporary. He wondered if it would be appropriate to send a letter of recommendation to someone about the food magazine. He’d seen firsthand how good Eric was at his job. The company would be crazy to let him get away. He filed the thought away for later.

“Will you stay in New York?”

Eric nodded and looked around him in a way that made Kent imagine he was assessing the worthiness of all New York City.

“Yeah, the city’s growin’ on me. The company’s based here. And I’ve made some friends,” he turned and met Kent’s eyes, “I’d feel like I missed out if I left now.”

They lingered over pizza at the little restaurant Kent picked out. Eric perked up after a slice of margherita pizza and a coke. He asked Kent all about this year’s team and how Kent felt about their chances in the preseason.

Kent couldn’t stop looking at Eric’s eyes. They looked fucking beautiful, warm honey brown ringed with dark lashes, and it was all Kent could do to keep his hands to himself. He wished they were somewhere private so he could kiss him again. He wanted to feel Eric’s fingertips on his arm again, to lean into his kiss instead of having to pull away. Would Eric be down for it if Kent asked him to come back to his place? What if he was hella offended? He was Southern, did that make a difference? He should have googled this shit beforehand.

Kent waited until they were back on the sidewalk, strolling away from the restaurant with no particular destination, to ask the question.

“Uh, so, I only live a few blocks from here. It’s a nice night…do you, um, maybe want to walk back to my place and leave the car? I can hire you a ride back to Brooklyn whenever you want.”

He could see Eric blush in the yellow light of the streetlamp. It hadn't been his smoothest line, and he hoped he’d read the situation right.

“I wouldn’t be a bother? Don’t you have early practice?”

“You could never be a bother.”

Kent cringed. Welcome to Cheesy McCheesetown, population him.

Eric smiled tenderly, apparently not noticing Kent’s total lack of cool.

“Well, then. I’d love that.”

Kent grinned. His chest felt lighter than it had in months. Eric liked him. Eric wanted to spend time with him and kiss him and come back to his place and hopefully do other things with him. He felt like he’d won the fucking lottery.

They started walking. Kent looked quickly behind them to see that the street was deserted, then reached out and traced his index finger down the outside of Eric's hand. Eric moved his hand closer and pressed their fingertips together. Kent's face felt warm. He felt like a giddy teenager walking home after the homecoming dance, not that he'd ever had a homecoming. He briefly squeezed their fingers together.

When they reached his building, Eric casually put his hands in his pockets as he followed him inside. He stood off to the side, typing on his phone, as Kent asked the concierge to retrieve his car from SoHo; and Kent remembered that Eric had done this before.

Eric knew how to date a famous athlete in the closet. This wasn’t his first time looking unobtrusive in the lobby of a condo building. It was a very specific skill set, and Kent wanted to fight every homophobe who'd made it so Eric needed to learn those skills in the first place. He deserved so much better. Although he had to admit, not many people knew how exhausting it was for guys like Kent and Jack to keep up the bro-ey pretense of heterosexuality, and it felt really fucking good that Eric understood.

Kent nearly vibrated out of his skin as they rode the elevator up to Kent’s apartment. He kept his hands shoved in his jeans pockets, trying not to look nervous.

As soon as the apartment door closed, he turned to Eric and gingerly took his face in both hands. Eric stared up at him, eyes dark.

“Can I kiss you?” he asked.

Eric grinned without answering, then leaned forward and pressed his lips against Kent’s. Kent tried not to moan at finally getting the contact he’d wanted all night. He brushed his tongue inside Eric’s mouth, relishing the hot wetness. He ran his fingers up through Eric’s hair and smelled his coconut shampoo.

Kent hummed in encouragement as Eric wound his hands around Kent’s back and down over his ass. He squeezed playfully, smiling against Kent’s lips, then pulled away just enough that Kent stopped and looked at him questioningly. When Eric seemed satisfied that he had Kent’s attention, he pushed Kent backward with more strength than Kent would have expected, pressing him against the wall of the entryway and bracing him in place with a hand on each of his hips.

“This okay, hon?” Eric asked through his lashes.

Jesus fucking Christ. “More than okay.”

Eric kissed him again, deep and filthy. A shiver ran down the whole length of Kent’s body, and he instantly felt himself go from mildly aroused to hard as a fucking rock.

A small chirp sounded from behind them. Kent groaned.

He turned his face away from Eric’s lips and grumbled, “Go away, Kit. I’ll feed you later.”

Another chirp. This time Kit came right up to them and butted her head against Kent’s shinbone, annoyed. Kent wondered if locking her in the guest bath would be considered animal cruelty. He sighed and relented.

“Sorry, Eric, I forgot. I usually feed her right when I get home.”

Eric gave him an amused little smirk. “You’d better get on that, Mister Parson. She looks mighty displeased.”

“I’ll be back in two minutes.” He leaned forward and kissed the smirk off Eric’s face with quick, silly, closed-mouth kisses. Eric laughed and squirmed away.

Kent ran to the kitchen and proceeded to set a land speed record for preparing cat food. When he finished, he found Eric in the living room with all the lights turned off, watching the city from the wall-to-wall windows. The night skyline of Manhattan lit up his face in a warm yellow glow. Kent stood behind him and circled his arms around his waist, resting his chin on Eric’s shoulder.

“Amazing, isn’t it?”

Eric half-laughed, half-sighed. “If you’d told sixteen-year-old me that in a handful of years I would be living in New York City, making it on my own, enjoying dinner and drinks and this,” he gestured pointedly between Kent and himself, “with a hot NHL star...I would’ve said you were downright crazy.”

Kent smiled and trailed little kisses down the back of Eric’s neck, feeling pleased with himself when he felt Eric shiver. “C’mon,” he whispered into Eric’s ear.

“Hmm?”

Kent slid his hands over Eric’s torso, brushing the exposed skin at the waistband of his khakis. “Come with me. I know a few things we could do that would make sixteen-year-old Eric blush.”

Eric snorted. “Oh my god, Kent, that line was awful.”

Kent grinned. “Did it work?”

Eric just laughed, full and throaty, and pulled Kent in the direction of the bedroom.

“Uuuugggghhhh.”

Kent groped around on the bedside table for his phone. Why the fuck was his alarm going off? It was so goddamn early. How was anyone awake at this ungodly hour?

He turned off the offending alarm and reached out for Eric, but the bed next to him was empty.

Kent was immediately awake. He sat up.

When had Eric left? Oh god, had he done something to offend him? He tried to recall what would have upset Eric enough for him to leave, but nothing stood out. The last thing he remembered from the night before was both of them crawling under the sheets, post-orgasm, and Eric laying his hand on Kent's chest as they passed out.

He scrubbed his hands over his face and looked around. A little yellow sticky note sat next to his phone.

Kent,

I had so much fun last night.

I left early, needed a shower & clothes before work.

Kick ass in your game.

<3 EB

_/_/_/ \_\_\_

Bitty scrambled for his phone when it buzzed, praying it would be Kent. He’d had two false alarms already this morning – a good-morning note from his mama and a string of eggplant emojis from Shitty.

Kent: my pillow smells like you

Bitty: [blushing emoji] you got my note?

Kent: i did

Bitty: Sorry I had to run, I forgot we had a team meeting at 8 and I kinda needed a shower

Kent: heh yeah

Kent: i mean, if you’d let me swallow like i was planning to

Bitty: Oh lordy

Kent: but nooo, u wanted it on my abs

Bitty: Kent Parson

Kent: and then it got everywhere

Bitty: We are not having this conversation while I’m sittin’ in a SHARED cubicle

Kent: [smiling devil emoji] [winking kiss emoji]

Bitty swiveled his chair so he faced away from his cubicle-mate. He hunched over the screen and reread Kent’s texts, beaming like an idiot.

Bitty: Will I see you before your roadie?

Kent: probably not

Kent: we have practice & team photos today, game tmrw, then hit the road right after

Bitty: :( :( :(

Kent: I’d love to meet up next weekend after i’m back

Bitty: I’d like that :D

Bitty: Btw you earned serious baked goods last night

Kent: i live to please [cherub emoji]

Kent: and my favorite flavor is blueberry

Blueberry. Hmm. Bitty had all sorts of blueberry recipes he could bake for Kent. If he stopped by Whole Foods on his way home from work, he could whip up a batch of blueberry mini crumbles easy-peasy. Or maybe the blueberry brie tartlets the boys had been so fond of at the Haus? He opened his browser to research recipes.

It was a bummer that Kent couldn’t hang out until next week. Bitty had no plans tonight and baking would take his mind off the excitement of the last couple days.

That’s alright, he could wait until next week.

He could wait.

If he stopped on his way home and picked up some blueberries, surely that was alright.

If he washed the blueberries and set the butter out to room temperature, that was just smart preparation.

Well, as long as everything was out, he might as well make a little somethin'.

Two batches of mini crumbles, two batches of tartlets, and one batch of sweet potato cat treats later, Bitty finally felt calm enough to crawl into bed. He knew Kent would be busy tomorrow, but he could drop by quickly and give Kent the baked goods and a good-luck kiss. He wouldn’t even have to go inside. It would be sweet and perfect.

The next morning, Bitty tied two bakery boxes with twine and a little note; presentation was important. Kent had said their practice was over at 10, so at 10:30 he skipped up the front steps of Kent’s building and set down his boxes in the lobby.

Bitty: Hi hon, are you home?

Kent: hi what’s up?

Bitty: I have a surprise for you [winking kissy face]

Kent: ??

Bitty: Let me up and I can show you [winking emoji]

Kent: how about I come downstairs to u?

Bitty: Oh don’t you worry, this won’t take but a minute

Bitty: I don’t mind makin’ the trip

Kent: that’s ok you don’t have to

Kent: i can come down

Kent: i don’t mind

Kent: eric?

Bitty hopped into the elevator with a woman holding a Pomeranian, pushing the button for Kent’s floor after she’d swiped her keycard. He smiled in what he hoped looked like a friendly-not-intruder way. Kent was so silly. He didn’t mind coming up at all. No reason Kent should have to interrupt his routine for Bitty.

Bitty knocked on Kent’s door and Kent opened it right away, like he’d been waiting for him. He had on basketball shorts and a Rangers t-shirt. His hair was sweaty. He didn’t invite Bitty in.

“Hey Eric, I didn’t expect you today.”

“Oh honey, I was just in the area and thought I’d drop off a little somethin’ for the boys on your roadie.”

Bitty handed Kent the packages and Kent smiled as he sniffed appreciatively. He turned briefly to listen to something in the other room, and his smile faded. He turned back to Bitty.

“That’s really cool, man. Thanks.”

Bitty started to wish him good luck, but he stopped when he thought he heard…was that footsteps?

Kent jumped in, “Sorry I couldn’t hang out today, I just–”

“Parse, where are the bowls?”

A tall, dark-haired man in running shorts and yellow sneakers walked into the entryway holding a box of cereal. He froze when he saw Bitty.

Bitty’s heart stopped. “Jack?”

“Bittle.”

Bitty backed away, clutching his phone to his chest. What was happening? He couldn’t breathe. Why was Jack here? From somewhere far away, he heard Kent saying his name.

He turned and ran.

[celaena-abbot]

Challenge Two: Are You Fluent  in Fish?

  ((Thanks @benjaminschreave for rp-ing with me! Hope you enjoy my first fic (ik sorry)!

There’s nothing good on right now. I keep switching back and forth through channels but nothing seems intriguing. Who am I kidding, I’m not going to be actually watching the television. Scanning my sister’s letter is much more interesting.

     Dear Celaena,

            How are you? I feel like I haven’t been talking to you as much as I used to. I owe you an apology. I’m sorry for what I said. I understand why you are upset, and you definitely have the right to be. However, I know you Celaena. You aren’t one to back away from a fight, so I know you won’t let it go. At some point though you’ll have to at least acknowledge that I am trying to fix this. We can’t keep doing this. Aren’t you getting tired of fighting? I sure am. Mother hasn’t been talking to me much lately, and I don’t mean for this to sound like I’m blaming you for it, but if you hadn’t of gotten her into this it wouldn’t have gotten this far. I mean please think about what you’re saying now that you’re in the palace. Please consider my apology.

                                                                        Your’s truly,

                                                                                 Annalyn Abbot

       I scoff at my sister’s insincere apology. It’s like she suspects me to believe I’ll let her in again after what she did to our family. She tore us all apart. We are better without her.

     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

       The knock on my door must be him. I smooth out my shirt and run to answer the door. I immediately smile when seeing him. He’s dressed more casually in a t-shirt and shorts and I let out a breath of relief knowing I wasn’t dressing up or down at all. 

       “Hello Prince Ben!” I say but then realize I probably don’t have to call him that anymore, “Wait, I don’t have to like address you like that anymore, right?”

       He chuckles, “Definitely. Ben is just fine.”

      “Oh good, I felt like I sounded stupid every time I said it.” I laugh back.

    “Not stupid at all,” he offers his arm with another laugh, “ you’re not the only Selected who called me at first.”

     I smile up at him and take his arm, “Good. So what are we doing?”

       “Surprise or no surprise? Everyone gets to choose in the beginning,” he asks as we start walking down the hallway.

       “Well then I choose surprise, I have no idea what to do otherwise,” I answered back with a laugh.

        “Be enlightened with the knowledge of our date maybe?” he quips back and I roll my eyes jokingly.

        I laugh a little,“You know what I meant.” 

         “You’ll learn I like to tease,” he remarks with a chuckle and I laugh.

         We make it to the stables and he ask me what my experience with horseback riding. I laugh and explain to him that I’ve only ever been to county fairs. We walk up to a couple of horses already saddled for us, and a stable hand holding the reins. 

           Ben pats the side of his horse and looks back at me, “ We’ll be taking a ride along the beach.”

          “You know the way to a girl’s heart my friends,” I say as I run up to the other horse excitedly and start to pet it and Ben explains her name is Piper.

         I look back at him with a laugh,”I’m really happy I picked surprise.”

        “ I can tell,” He smiles then points with one hand,”Need help getting on?”

        I look up at the horse and down at my feet realizing how short I am,”Please?”

        He walks over to me explaining what to do. Then he helps me up by putting his hands on my waist and kinda lifting me. He looks up at me and asks if I’m settled but all I’m thinking about is how his hands are still on my waist. It’s like my brains on alert screaming,”Cute boy is touching you ! I repeat cute boy is touching you!” 

        Ben hops on his horse and flicks the reins so we start walking together. He explains to me how there’s a really beautiful one not too far from here, and he thinks I’ll like it.

      “Then let’s go!” I whoop, almost giggling.

      He chuckles, “Luckily that was the plan.”

       “Good, I thought you were just teasing me again” I joke back with a laugh.

        He grins at me,”The day is still young Celaena.”

        I smile back at him then turn to the ocean. It’s so beautiful and calming. I used to go to the beach with my family a lot as a kid for weekend getaways. It as always the best part of the year.

       “I’ve always loved the water,” I say still looking at the water.

       “The ocean? Or general bodies of water?” he smiles back a bit jokingly.

        I roll my eyes playfully at his teasing,”There you go again with the teasing. You really can’t stop can you?”

     “It’s in my genes. My parents had a top notch son,” He says and I try to hold back a laugh which results in a snort.

      He says how he loves the ocean too ever since he was little. It’s hard for him to go all the time now with everything that’s going on. I realized just how hard it really must be. Now that this has started he kinda has a full schedule. He could always find someone to go to the beach with.

      He laughs a little,“Dream woman right there.”

         I laugh back, “If that’s all anyone needs to do to become your dream woman your standards may be just a little low,”

         “Touche. I should probably work on that,” he admits and I agree,”What would you suggest?”

          I give him basic suggestions like kindness, intelligence, and courage. Then I add humor, compassion, and reliability when he asks if I have more. We laugh and both agree it’s a perfect balance. He tells me he’ll update me with how far they get him.

        Once we finally reach the cove he ties our horses up and asks if I want to explore. Of course I say yes. We walk over to a few tide pools. He points to one with a bunch of little tiny fish. I point to the fish excitedly, showing them to Ben.

       He smiles leaning closer,”I’ve seen this group before, they’re some chill fish.”

     “Oh ya, have you talked to them,”I laugh back.

       He smirks over at me,”Maybe I have. Unique talents and all.”

         I raise my eyebrows,”Then tell me oh so talented one, what are they saying?”

         He leans down really close to the pool like he’s pretending to listen,”I think...they’re saying......they love me,” He comes back up with a grin,” Frequent visitor. They can’t get enough of me.”

        I laugh and playfully punch him in the arm while calling him a weirdo. Of course even the fish love him.

        He feigns offense,”You don’t believe me? It’s true!”

      “Please, if you could really speak fish you’d know they are yelling at you for blocking they’re sunlight. And they are thanking me for giving them such a wonderful view,” I flip my hair and then start laughing.

      He rolls his eyes with a smile,”So suddenly you’re fluent in fish now too?”

       “Well ya, I did tell you I love animals didn’t I?” I answer back, and then he asks me to prove it.

        “How do you suppose I do that? Do you want me to go get a professional fish translator?” I ask trying to hold back another laugh.

        He points at the fish,”Why get a translator when you can just listen to them right now?”

    ” Well, those two fish,” I point to the two fish closest to us,”I think they’re married. This one’s name is Nancy, and that one’s name is Kody. Nancy keeps telling Kody that he needs to go to the store but Kody says he just went yesterday. However neither of them know their oldest daughter Cailey, went to the store just that morning.” 

      Ben raises a brow, “And why did Cailey go to the store?Secret purchases?”

       “She went to go get a dress for the party she’s sneaking out of the house for, duh! She just bought groceries for a cover up,” I answer back sounding like it should have been obvious.

         “A party, naturally. Meeting a special someone?” he asks, clearly interested in the fishes lives.

         “Her secret boyfriend of course! He’s that one over there, “ I point to a fish that’s kinda away from the group,” his name is Parker.”

         He looks over at the fish,”He’s a good looking one. Has that rebellious look about him though, see how he’s attacking that rock. No wonder why she has to sneak out to see him.”

    “He also has a pretty bad reputation. He’s always starting fights with other kids. and talking back to teachers. Rumor has it that they’re going to run off and elope. Isn’t that crazy?” I say looking up at him with wide eyes.

      He just laughs, “I can hardly believe it. I support the elopement though, I mean look how happy they are together.”

        I agree with him and then we start to search for shells. I find a pink one a few feet ahead of us and Ben starts to look. He finds a pretty white one and hands it to me, saying even Cailey would be proud of my new collection. We head our way back to the stables, my shells in my hand. 

[aporeticelenchus]

Send these to your favorite Authors and let them blab! What is your total word count on AO3? How often do you write? Do you have a routine for writing? What’s your favorite kinks/tropes/pairing? Do you have a favorite fic of yours? Your fic with the most kudos? Anything you don’t like about your writing? Now something you do like! Send it to some of your favorite Authors to spread some love

Aw, thank you! I’m glad somebody out there still thinks ofme as a Writing Person despite my recent tumblr absence…

My word count on my main Ao3 is 19576 words. Huh, that’smore than I would have thought given how rarely I add stuff over there. I neverknow what I should upload on Ao3. My Super Secret account has ~8600 words (Ishould really finish my two WIPs for that account…it’s been ages since I’veposted to it.)

My writing schedule is quite sporadic, especially right now.I have a lot on my professional plate, and almost all my writing effort energyis being fed to the dissertation monster. I do like routines though – writing groupswork really well for me, particularly having people I can check in with. I’mtrying to make some writing time one or two mornings a week, because it’s anice break from everything else. I plan to do some fic writing this weekend if I can knock out enough work over the week.

I love pretty much any cheesy fanfic trope, but my favoriteis fake dating. Fake dating is the best. Give me every permutation with ridiculouspining and misadventures and unnecessarily intricate backstories. I reallyappreciate fanfic that isn’t afraid of clichés and playing tropes straight forall they’re worth

…oh geez I just saw that 87 people are subscribed to myshamefic WIP WHOOPS MY BAD SORRY EVERYBODY. I plan to update someday, Ipromise! I know what happens next and I’ve tried to write it a few times, I’mjust a bit stalled out on the details…

Anyway! My favorite fic of mine is the fakest fake datingAU, i.e. Les Amours de Marius. Itincludes several of my favorite things: fake dating, making fun of Marius’melodrama, Theodule hitting on everyone, Bahorel being aggressively delightedby the absurdities of life, Grantaire being a big pill and also a big sap atthe same time, etc. This is by far my fic with the most comments, although notthe most kudos. It has several repeat commenters giving me chapterly updates, whichis amazing!

I’m not sure if I ever discussed the title of that fic – I mean,it’s sort of obvious in context why it’s appropriate – but I specifically was referencingGrantaire’s mini ramble about Marius’ love life in Preliminary Gaieties:

—Les amours de Marius! s'écria Grantaire. Je vois ça d'ici. Marius est unbrouillard, et il aura trouvé une vapeur. Marius est de la race poète. Qui ditpoète dit fou. Tymbrœus Apollo. Marius et sa Marie, ou sa Maria, ou saMariette, ou sa Marion, cela doit faire de drôles d'amants. Je me rends comptede ce que cela est. Des extases où l'on oublie le baiser. Chastes sur la terre,mais s'accouplant dans l'infini. Ce sont des âmes qui ont des sens. Ilscouchent ensemble dans les étoiles.

I love this little speech so much. It’s so quintessentiallyGrantaire, and it captured the feel I wanted for the fic. (I could ramble about this for another paragraph, but this post is long enough already.)

My fic with the most kudos is still, weirdly, the Spider-Manfic I wrote for Kate a few years back when she was sick. It’s pure TASM 2 fluffwith Harry and Peter and Gwen, and I have no idea why or how people keepfinding it and leaving kudos. But they do. I still get kudos on that fic.How???? (My second most kudosed fic are all on the Super Secret account.)

There are a LOT of things I don’t like about my writing. Idon’t…ok, I don’t think I’m a very good fiction writer. And that’s fine! I don’tneed to be! I can still write things I enjoy and other people seem to as well, and that’s all I want.There are things I’ve gotten better at and that’s cool too. But I really don’tlike describing physical objects or settings. I don’t even like reading thoseparts of books generally. So I basically just don’t do it. I don’t movecharacters around much or do a lot of action. I try to push myself on that abit, but wow it is hard, and I am short on spare time and not getting paid for this.

 I like a lot of my dialogue! And I like my jokes  – my sense of humor is somewhat predictable, Ithink, but it still makes me smile rereading my own fic. Even in the fic I don’tthink of as particularly funny still get comments about comic timing and dry humor, andthat makes me happy.

[yoonminist]

💕 crush stories p4 💕

My relationship with my crush is a little complicated lol she's the softes bean ever and has a lot of problems she doesn't wants to talk about and I'm the only one who's there for her but last year everything just went down because i needed a friend to be there for me but she treated me like shit so i turned to another friend and we started dating. While i was in this relationship my crush got a boyfriend (who treats her like shit) After 6 month of dating my gf me and my crush became best friends again and i spent a lot of time with her. I broke up with my gf last week because i had to realise we only dated because we were both lonely. Now I'm back at pining over the smallest cutest girl in the whole world while i have to take care of her or she would probably die dnkdks i actually got her to watch httyd with me as her bf was being an ass and she loved it even tho she usuall hates animation movies lol 

you’re right this is complicated lmao so she’s still with her bf ??? even though she’s cute and has her own problems you don’t deserve to be treated like shit so i hope you cleared up whatever that was,,, i suggest you take a little time to enjoy being single before you start thinking about dating this crush now because i’ve seen people date for the sake of not being lonely and it usually isn’t good in the long term but good luck!! and i don’t know how bad her bf is but she should dump him

He's not texting since 3 days ago (our first date)... I think i don't like him any more 💔😭 we've been friends for 5 years...

:’( either he treats you better or you drop him bc you deserve better than that ♡

I think im a little strange, there's a guy that i like(a lot) he is really cool, funny and smart, but i think he is gay. Rather than i'm being sad or something alike, i ship him with his friend, but i still liking him. I'm getting crazy :')

ohhhh does he actually like his friend though or do you just ship them because you think he’s gay ?

aaa, so i've liked this guy for almost 3 months and i did the Thing where i told him (which never happens, because i'm usually way too shy and i tend to want to tamp my feelings back to nothing). that night, we spent hrs walking blocks and blocks and he told me he doesn't like anyone atm, which i understood 100%. after that, it really wasn't bad and we actually hung out at a lookout point for a few more hrs into the morning before he took me home. he's the first person in a while that made me feel so nervous, excited, fluttery, good about myself in a long time. i think (i hope) that i'll be over him soon - at the end of it all, he's still a good friend. the butterflies haven't left yet though - my lil heart won't stop hoping and he's not gonna stop being cute and gosh darn attractive and lovely anytime soon 😫 (ty for letting me rant through this! you're one of my favorite blogs 💝) 

THIS IS SO CUTE ahh im glad you went for it!! even though he told you he didn’t like anybody it’s better that you know and don’t spend all this time being hung up on him and wondering about What Ifs so i’m happy for you ♡ he sounds like such a nice friend though so i’m glad you have a person like him in your life and hope that you get over him asap (and thank you !! you’re so sweet 💖)

My crush is an asshole who played push and pull with me for 3 years and recently decided to declare that he likes me, but he's still not sure about us. He said, i quote: 'what if i ask you out and then change my mind' . So we're at square one again😂 he is such an attractive guy, i can't give up on him😭

NO no matter how cute he is you should get rid of him omg what an asshole-ish thing to say,,, trust me even if it’s hard at first you’ll be way happier when you’re over him !! he doesn’t deserve you!!!! ♡

My crush is actually in Korea for the summer (no lie, he's an exchange student at my school). He's so adorable and sweet, but we almost never talk or hang out, and whenever we do I'm always the one to initiate :c Just trying to be optimistic and open about everything rn :s

optimism is good!! hopefully it isn’t because he isn’t interested or already has someone but i guess the best way to find out is always to hint at it or outright ask about his love life ??

Does it count if my crush and I recently married? lol because even though he is my husband not a day goes by that my heart does not flutter with something he does. Wether it be hugging, hand holding or even a smile directed my way, I still get butterflies like crazy. He is the most kind caring and thoughtful person I have had the pleasure of meeting. He is silly and loves laughing. He has the most beautiful eyes and smile I have ever seen. But maybe I'm just being biased lol I love my crush 💜

AWWW CONGRATS ON YOUR MARRIAGE this is so nice ✨✨✨ i love this n hope you’re happy together for As Long As You Both Shall Live

The last time I had an actual full blown crush on someone it was in seventh grade and Jesus Christ let me tell you I was so dramatic over it?? The dude's initials are M.J and I once burst into tears cause I saw the letters on my tv once and we had these letter stickers back then so I put M and J together next to the Pc and whenever someone asked about it I was like it's Michael scofield bc that was back when prison break was ongoing. God I cringe so much now when I look back at it lmaoooo

you burst into tears when you saw his initials fjngjnfjgfn   

Okay so my crush is a girl and omfg, she's so pretty?? Her hair falls just above her shoulders and she has brown hair & brown eyes and I take most of my classes with her, but we have the most fun in German, Economics & Managment and Organisation. So she has a lot of... character (idk lol). She is hella stubborn and takes shit from no one but so do I so we banter and insult each other A LOT, but it's always playful so we never feel insulted. But the thing is that i'm a girl too And I didn't even know I liked girls too until I met her lol (so now i'm a closet bi girl). But the thing that gives me hope is that we low key flirt? We send each other snaps stating how much we love each other and always call each other bae/babe etc. I know girl friends do this but it's different I don't even act that way with my best friend and neither is she? And she once confessed to me that she kissed a girl when she was really drunk, but didn't feel anything with it And once we were hanging out with friends, she was drunk and this guy was lying on top of her (a friend who gets real touchy when drunk, but it was all good no harassment of some sorts) she like kept calling me to help, nothing real big. But she also got jealous once when I send a snapchat to her best friend (she was with her @ the time) & she was like why didn't you snap me? So i'm really confused and idk if she likes me too? Sorry for the ramble :(

i relate to this so much lmao i found out i was bi through my first gf too so this all sounds AWFULLY familiar,, i’ll just say if you joke about being in a r/s all the time it’s a sign that you should level it up to a real one but from what you’re telling me i have a good feeling about this!! i hope she really is into you and that you end up dating ❤ (and that you keep me updated whoops)

so im in marching band and there's this one guy in color guard who's really good and the way he can move his body is just like impossible to look away from? and he's really attractive like the other day he was wearing a shirt that had kind of a low neckline and his collarbone was really prominent and i just ahhh??? im not sure if he knows i exist but he's just really attractive help

I LOVE IT I HOPE HE NOTICES YOU AND IT’S LOVE @ FIRST SIGHT

im crushing on this guy for over 3 years. he is a meanie but i like him a lot :') this past week he confessed and said he liked me. but he is not sure if he wants a relationship. we even went out on something like a date :D im very confused rn ahahaha

you need to be clear with this kind of stuff in a r/s so just ask him!! trust your gut though, no matter how much you like him i think that if you don’t think you’ll be happy dating him then just don’t do it :’( ♡

Hey it's the anon that may or may not be gay who has a crush on the girl named Ramona. So.... I think I fucked up. A few friends of mine threw this huge party this weekend and I made sure to tell Ramona so she'd go (I mean goody2shoes at a party come on how cute is that?) So about an hour or 2 into the party she shows up with some friends and I hang around her most of the night, and when I'm not WITH her I made sure I knew where she was. See the part where I messed up is that Im not the best with alcohol... And I drank a bit much. Now I remember kissing Ramona. And that's it. However according to some friends I kissed her she slapped me I pushed her... into the pool and she left crying. Now its Monday and she wont look me in the eye (it's lunch rn and English is next) what do I do?!? I'm an obvious drunk asshole, BUT THATS THE THING! I was DRUNK! I mean I wanna apologize but I can't even get close to her with her friends there

NOOOOO oh my god you really did fuck up ;; can’t you text her asking if you guys can talk ?? tell a friend what happened and hope she’ll understand and let you explain?? honestly i have no idea but i hope you sort it out and let her know how sorry you are but also don’t beat yourself up too much!! accidents happen even if they are bad, it’s ok in the end as long as you apologise,,,,, good luck ♡ and don’t drink around her again ;;

[mrevaunit42]

Marculous Gentlebug and Chat noistar part 2

Hello everyone, Mr.E here remembering i haven’t put part 2 of my Ladybug au for star vs up so here it is! In case you don’t know what i’m talking about, I wrote a star au in the ladybug au and it was so big, it had to be done in two parts haha i write way too much. Let me know what you think and i hope you enjoy it. have an amazing weekend and i’ll see you soon with another story update.

 part 1 riiiiight here    VVVVVVVV  http://mrevaunit42.tumblr.com/post/156110728637/marulous-gentlebug-and-chat-noistar-part-1

“WOOO!” Star let out a cry of excitement, closing her eyes and basking in the rush she felt as the wind blew through her two braided ponytails, her body resisting the pull of gravity for a moment before freefalling to the street below, grabbing onto a nearby streetlamp at the last second and launching herself skyward with a mighty kick.

“God I love this!” She shouted at the top of her lungs, effortlessly landing on top of a nearby building, stopping for a moment to take in the breathtaking view of a nearly peaceful Paris.

Star let out a comforted sigh. She loved being Chat Noir despite the danger. Aside from the modeling gigs her mother set up for her, her newly acquired classes at the local school and pretty much the millions of things she's been enrolled in which included fencing, Spanish, study of animals, assistant librarian, lady in waiting, Star really didn't have much time to herself.

Or freedom.

Star knew after the loss of her father, her mother became more distant and protective of her, overcompensating her failure to protect him by smothering Star and while it was done with the best of intentions, it made Star crave the outside world even more and caused the young girl to find new and creative ways to undermine her mother's attempts at keeping her safe.

Star felt guilty about that, even more so about hiding the duality of her life for so long but she couldn't help it. Paris was beautiful, each day brought a new experience, she was making a difference and saving lives, she had friends! And she even felt cupid's arrow pierce her heart not once, but twice.

Her alter ego of Chat Noir may have came with a heavy burden but it also came with a precious gift too, one that she would not squander though her attempts at flirting have been met with...interesting results.

Whether by pure instinct or habit, Star couldn't help the reserve nature she possessed when her mask came off. While her true personality managed to loosen itself from the chokehold that was her upbringing, it only occurred in bursts and in the form of smaller gestures such as a hug, a pat or the rarest action to date, holding Marco's hand.

And boy did she love to hold Marco's hand.

But as Chat Noir, mask firmly in place, her suppressed, cheerful nature could not be contain any longer. It was just...liberating though Star should really learn to keep herself in check. Every time Gentlebug was nearby, she couldn't help but shamelessly hit on him, trying her hardest to get him to understand her feelings for him were true (and not at all in conflict with her feelings for Marco). She dreamt of nothing more than discovering what wonderful person lay beneath that mask, the face of her biggest hero.

There was a loud scream that cut through Star's thoughts. Star's exposed arms crawled with goosebumps as she could feel the peaceful, tranquil air shift into a tense, panicked state.

Star narrowed her eyes, focusing them on any small details that could help her find Jackie and her akuma. True that she couldn't actually capture and purify the akuma (while still questioning Gentlebug's whole 'devilize' wordplay), she could slow and weaken her. They were a team and they depended heavily on one another.

Star's false green eyes widened as a powerful gust came from out of nowhere, nearly knocking the superheroine off her feet and the rooftop.

Star crouched low, digging her razor sharp claws into the tiling to steady herself as the violent winds died down.

Star leapt high into the air, easily clearing several buildings and streets in a single bound.

Star landed with a soft thud on a small balcony overlooking the street square. The area appeared to be deserted with the only signs that remained of human life were some over turned snack carts, randomly discarded phones and high end designer bags.

Star shook her head at the rampaging Jackie, the superpowered girl pouting and angrily stomping back and forth, randomly throwing seashells here and there, her body and her skateboard chasing after the tiny objects within a moment She sailed through the air, protected by the swirling, fierce air current and she always smashed into where the shells lay with the full force of the airy barrier.

Star bit her lip, wondering if she should try to weaken her on her own or wait for Gentlebug to show up so they could take her together.

Slipstream felt the light touch of Papillon's mask, their connection reestablished for a brief moment.

“Forget that stupid brat” Papillon spat, voice filled with disgust “I sense a miraculous nearby! Chair Noir's. Bring it to me now!”

Jackie scoffed, rolling her eyes in disapproval “Fine, I'll find Brittney later but for now.”

Star barely managed inch her body out of the way of the approaching seashell that embedded itself where her boot had just been.

“Well, that's not good.” Star muttered to herself as Jackie rocketed her way, leaning forward on her skateboard like she was riding the very wind itself, the air current twisting around her entire being so quickly that the streams made her look like an oversized bullet.

Star leapt sideways, straining to find her balance as Jackie crashed into the roof above the balcony, completely smashing the building into itself as the air current popped, a powerful burst of wind scattering in every direction with hurricane-like force.

Star extended her claws, driving them as deep into the woodwork of the building before the aerial assault overtook her, her arms nearly popping out of her sockets from the strength of Jackie's attack.

“Whoa, hot air much?” Star teased, pulling free in time to narrowly avoid taking Jackie's  skateboard to the skull.

“That doesn't even make sense! I'm not even talking!” Jackie cried, lunging forward to tackle Star but failing to take into account the cat based superheroine's agility.

Star leapt over the akumaized Jackie's head effortlessly, extending her bo staff into fighting position, twirling it expertly and perfectly landing onto the battered rooftop, prepped for combat.

“Sure it does!” Star countered, holding her staff with two hands and striking at Jackie “I mean because there's lots of air? And you caused it?”

Jackie ducked under Star's swipe, countering with one of her own, the three pronged claws narrowly missing Star's cat tail “I thought it mean when a person talked too much! You know because breathing out of the lungs makes it warm?”

Star let out a frustrated growl, sweeping at Jackie's leg in hopes of tripping her foe “Metaphors are so confusing!”

“I think it's an idiom” Jackie shot back, leaping over Star's attack and tossing a seashell over the shoulder of the distracted heroine.

Star scoffed in disbelief “That's a rude thing to say!”

“I said idiom, not idiot you idiot!” Jackie grinned, the air current shield reappearing in a flash.

“Oh boy” Star muttered to herself as Jackie placed her board under herself, feet firmly planted before she rushed at Star at full speed, riding across the roof like it was her birthright.

Star held up her staff to absorbed the blow but Jackie had accelerated far too quickly in too short of a time. The staff held off the skater for a moment before the winds furiously knocked it out of Star's hands, sending it spiraling into the streets below.

Jackie hit Star with an incredible power, causing her to let out a pained grunt before she was shot off the building, tumbling and free falling onto the concrete below.  

Star closed her eyes in hopes somehow the act would lessen the pain from the fall even though she knew it to be childish reasoning.

Marco pulled his weight forward, using the momentum he was gathering to build up enough speed to clear several city blocks within seconds. He disentangle his yo-yo at the apex of his swing, pushing his body as far as he could, soaring across the Paris skyline gracefully before arcing his hand backwards, mustering all the strength he could into his next throw.

He prayed he didn't miss or Chat Noir would be a splat on the ground and as conflicted as he was about her flirting, he did not want to lose his partner.

Marco used his best baseball pitching throw he could mange, letting out a silent cheer while his magical weaponized yo-yo caught the cat by its tail, slowing her down while speeding Marco up.

That was phase one of the plan but Chat Noir was still in danger and now Marco had tossed himself into the fire with her. But luckily Marco wasn't Marco but rather Gentlebug.

Marco twisted his body mid-air, diving straight for a nearby overhead streetlamp. He wanted to run some calculations about speed, velocity but he did not do so for two reason. The first: He forgot the equation for the pull of gravity. Second, it was better if he didn't calculate his odds for survival. Made being a hero easier if you didn't know the odds that were stacked against you.

Star let out a surprised yelp when she found her body slowing as it fell to the earth, letting out a whoop when she began reversing course and hoisted backwards. she nearly burst into tears when she slowed to a stop, hanging upside from a lamppost, the world Topsy turvy as Gentlebug descend upwards from the sky.

“Well hello good sir” Star purred flirtatiously, trying to calm her racing heart and burning cheeks “Would you like to reenact the scene from Spiderman? I'll even let you be Peter Parker.”

Marco shook his head as his feet touched the ground, holding his grip on the wire firmly while covering his eyes “Sorry Mary Jane but we're going to have to put that idea on hold.”

Star pouted, crossing her arms in disappointment but still sending him a smirk “I'm not hearing a no. Wait why are you covering your eyes? Too pretty for you?”

“No, your skirt. It's....umm...well...”

“Pervert!”

“I...I'm not!” Marco squeaked, shaking his head defensively, hoping there was no one nearby who heard Chat Noir's claim.

“I'm joking. Look.”

Marco shook his head “no, it's a trap.”

“I swear it's not. Look.”

Marco slowly removed his hand from obstructing his view only to find Chat Noir's skirt being pulled down towards the floor but it was okay due to the fact she was wearing bike shorts underneath.

Marco simply stared at her as he let loose his grasp on the yo-yo, Chat Noir gently falling onto and laying across the cobbled road.

“I thought cats always landed on their feet?” Marco teased, trying to stifle a laugh and blush at Chat Noir's intense focus on his face.

“Well I try but we all can't be purfect like you Gentlebug.” Star teased, winking towards her heroing partner.

Externally, Marco's face was impassive but within his tiny chest, his heart beat like a wild drum.

“Nah nah Chat, you used that one before. No repeats.” Marco wagged his finger towards the downed kitty.

“Fiiiiine” Star whined, lifting both arms up and making grabbing motions with her hands “Come on Gentlebug, time to be a gentleman.”

Marco rolled his eyes as he leaned over Chat Noir, allowing the girl to wrap her arms around his neck tightly as he held her waist, lifting her to her feet without a hint of trouble.

Marco let go at once but Chat Noir held a death grip on him, holding him close in a very intimate manner

“Ooooh, you always pick up girls or am I just the lucky one?” Star cooed softly, enjoying the sight of Gentlebug squirming uncomfortably under her embrace.

“Work, remember?” Marco said flatly, ducking under the girl's embrace and taking a step back.

“Psst, you need to relax a little” Star scoffed “But I get it, we're on the clock.”

“Actually more like on duty” Marco replied, offering the staff back to Chat.

“Save my life and a present? you spoil me, you know?” Star chuckled, taking back her weapon and giving it a good twirl “I missed my baton.”

“Actually it's a staff.” Marco corrected, pulling his yo-yo back into his waiting hand “A baton would be much shorter and it has a handle. Usually a grip too.”

Star looked impressed at Gentlebug “Impressive, can you tell me why skater gurl is called Slipstream??”

A seashell sunk into the pavement beneath their feet, the telltale roar of Jackie's approach warning them of the incoming danger.

As one, the duo leapt backwards, narrowly dodging being crushed by the momentum of Jackie but still struggling to steady themselves from the violent winds she created.

Marco scrunched his face in thought as he tried to recall the definition of the word “an assisting force regarded as drawing something along behind something else. So she's following the path of her seashell throwing stars causing her to speed up and attack with powerful air currents.”

“Handsome and smart. I'm struggling in school, can we set up a study date? Heavy emphasis on the date part.”

“Seriously” Jackie's voice was indignant “This is not the time to flirt.”

Star shrugged as the two fell into their standard combat forms “This is the only time we hang out. No other time to flirt.”

Jackie grabbed the skateboard by a truck, holding in front of her forearm like a shield as she charged forward, wildly slashing with her claws.

“Whoa, I'm getting wolverine vibes here!” Marco shouted, aiming his yo-yo straight for Jackie's seashell necklace only for Jackie to deflect the attack with her board.

“What are you doing?!” Papillon screamed inside Jackie's head “Do not let them destroy your skateboard or you will lose your powers!”

“Do you always micromanage? That would explain why your minions lose. Too busy being distracted by your shrilly voice!” Jackie snarled, spinning rapidly like a top and lunging towards the heroes in a whirl of spiky board and razor sharp claws.

“It's her seashell necklace!” Star cried out, rolling out of the way the Jackie twister, the sound of the very air being sliced in to filling both heroes ears “It's got to be! She's really making sure we don't get too close to it!”

Marco frowned, not wanting to insult Chat Noir but his instincts were telling him it was her skateboard, that this was some sort of bluff.

Papillon's rage cooled, the brilliance of Jackie's plan began to make sense “I see, I suppose you are not as dimwitted as the others.”

“Thanks!” Jackie shouted, her foot connecting with Gentlebug's stomach and sending him skidding across the ground.

Jackie smirked towards the fallen hero, tossing another seashell directly towards him.

Marco twirled his yo-yo at full speed, deflecting the projectile and rushing forward to prevent Jackie from trailing after it.

Jackie smiled manically towards Marco, the skateboard sliding under her feet as she flew full speed towards the hero.

Marco leapt back, throwing his yo-yo to the closest building and swinging away to avoid Jackie.

Marco let out a sigh of relief when he landed on the roof, taking a moment to catch his breath when he caught sight of a seashell deeply embedded next to him.

“Shi...” Marco muttered as the wall of air slammed him upward, knocking him unconscious as he fell towards the waiting claws of Jackie.

“Yes, YES!” Papillon screamed joyfully “Take his miraculous! It's his badge on his vest. Take it! TAKE IT! NOW!”  

Jackie jumped, startled by the reappearance of Papillon and catching her off guard for a brief moment.

“Damnit Papillon, I'm working!” Jackie yelled angrily at her boss.

“You should quit!” Star cried out, swinging her staff towards the distracted Jackie's side “Find a different line of work. One less jerky.”

Jackie dodged Chat Noir's sudden attack though the staff found its target, separating the seashell necklace from the girl.

“Good bye akuma!” Star said cheerfully, destroying the accessory underfoot.

Star removed her foot only to find no akuma, only bits and shattered pieces of the shell.

“Gentlebug was right!” Star exclaimed, eying Jackie's skateboard carefully “It's your board.”

Jackie grinned evilly “yeah but too bad he won't be around much long.”

Jackie pointed up and Star couldn't help but let out a horrified gasp as Gentlebug fell towards the street.

Star dove after him, digging her claws into the roof tile while she grabbed at his ankle, grunting with effort.

“ugh, you need to lose some weight good sir” Star grimaced through her clenched teeth

Marco moaned, eyes fluttering open and finding himself in a familiar position.

“So....how bad is it?”

“Pretty bad” Star answered, the soft clack, clack, clack of Jackie's footsteps thundering in her ears.

“Right. Lucky charm!” Marco shouted, tossing his yo-yo high into the air, a bright light filling the sky as something fell into his waiting hand. Marco could practically see the spreading hearts and red background that would've came with the power if this was a kids show.

“What is it?” Star asked, straining to keep her grip on the only thing keeping the both of them alive.

“it's a mirror....” Marco answered passively, frowning at the ladybug pattern compact in his hand.

“Seriously?! You don't wear make up, do you? I'm all for progressive gender roles but that's a deal breaker for me.”

“I'll keep that in mind” Marco told her as he glanced around, trying to piece together a battle plan.

The world faded into black and white to help Marco focus. Marco glanced upwards towards the sun, its bright glare blinding him for a moment. Marco turned around and caught sight of Chat Noir's claws and staff. Marco looked upwards and noticed the pouch behind Jackie's waist, no doubt where she kept the seashells that dictated her movement.

Marco nodded to himself “Chat, toss me!”

“What?! Have you lost your mind?!”

“Yes but that's not important! I'm going to borrow your staff, toss me and get ready”

“Yes sir!” Star nodded as Gentlebug took her staff, pressing it against the side of the building and willing it to extend.

Star let go of the roof as the staff pushed the pair of them away from Jackie, building speed before the staff began slipping loose from the wall.

“Time to fly buggy!” Star smiled, throwing Gentlebug as hard as she could.

Marco held the compact close as Chat Noir fell below, holding onto her staff for dear life.

Marco opened the little compact mirror, angling the reflective surface carefully to catch the glint of the sun and sending it in Jackie's direction.

Jackie's visor did nothing to block the glare of the sun, blinding her completely and forcing her to raise her hands to protect herself.

Marco pulled his arm back and threw his yo-yo at Jackie's pouch, wrapping itself tightly around it and with a mighty tug, the pouch ripped loose from her waist and scattering the seashells all over ground.

“Wait...” Jackie cried, panic inching into her voice. “Wait, wait!”

but she couldn't wait, her body automatically responding, placing her feet ontop of her skateboard against her will.

“Oh no” she muttered as the board propelled itself towards the shells, smashing an unprepared Jackie into various obstacles such as carts, trees and the ground repeatedly, causing the girl some discomfort as her stomach began trying to heave itself out of her throat.

“Chat Noir!” Marco shouted, using his yo-yo to safely land on the ground.

“Gotcha handsome!” Star replied cheerfully, raising her claws before calling out “Cataclysm!” dramatically turning this way and that to fully charge the special attack. Star liked to imagine a green splash background behind her when she did this.

Star's right claw became infuse with a blackish, oily hue that covered her entire hand.

Jackie tried to stop herself but she kept wildly being tossed every direction, the board failing to heed her desire to stop.

Star lunged forward as Jackie crossed her path, Star's magically infused claw bypassing the air current shield easily and allowing the heroine to hold onto Jackie's board, the power of destruction flowing into the item and causing it to dissolve into nothing.

“AAAAAAHHHHHHH” Jackie skidded across the road, tiredly groaning in pain as the black butterfly akuma floated from the sludge that remained.

“Time to devilize!” Marco swung his yo-yo, the center of the object sliding opening to reveal a bright white circular container for the akuma “Even though I think purify is a much better word!”

“I know right?” Star agreed, smiling softly at the sign of the akuma disappearing into the white void only to emerge a pure, beautiful white butterfly, Gentlebug waving goodbye and calling out to the disappearing animal “Bye bye little butterfly.”  

“Miraculous Gentlebug!” Marco shouted, tossing the compact high only for it to come sailing back onto his head, causing him to frown, annoyed.

“Sorry handsome” Star told him with a wink “You know the words.”

Marco let out a sigh before retossing the magical item once more “Miraculous Ladybug.”

The compact dissolved into a flurry of red and black magic, quickly spreading over and fixing everything that was damaged from the battle, even Jackie's skateboard.

The magic swirled around the fallen Jackie, disappearing as she sat up, completely back to normal, clutching her head dizzily “Wha? Wait, Where am I?”

Papillon stared out the window, righteous fury bubbling and coursing through their veins.

“You have won this round Chat Noir and Gentlebug but hear me, the winds of victory will not always remain in your favor and when the breeze shifts, I will be the one that shall bring the end of your halcyon summer.”

Papillon paused as the window began to close, silhouetting the villain in darkness “That was cool sounding right? Related to the akuma that was just defeated? Poetic? This is really hard to do day to day.”

Chat Noir and Gentlebug stared contently at the normalized Jackie.

“Pound it!” The duo called to one another, sharing a congratulatory fist bump.

Marco was reveling in the glory of victory when there was a loud beep that caught his attention, his ladybug patterned badge loosing one of its spots.

“Oh no, our miraculouses. We're going to turn back to normal soon” Marco told Chat Noir, waving goodbye before turning to leave.

“Wait.”

Marco felt his heart stop as he felt Chat Noir's hand wrap around his, despite the gloves, he could feel a familiarity in her touch.

Marco faced Chat, unsure what she was trying to do.

“Would it be so bad?” Star asked, her voice soft “Would it really so bad to know who the other is?”

Marco said nothing as Chat stared him, her green eyes bright and wide but feeling off to Marco. Like that wasn't her proper eye color.

“Chat...”

“I care about you.” Star told him, holding onto his hand like her life depended on it “A lot. You are so incredible. So amazing. A real hero, inspiring. I....”

Another beep, the badge lost another dot and the ring lost another claw, slowly counting down the time before the point of no return was crossed.

“Gentlebug” Star whispered

Marco shook his head “No...I'm not who you think I am. I am not cool. I'm not awesome. I'm not anything special. I'm just a guy who happened to get the ladybug miraculous. I do what I can because only we can. I'm sure there's a better person for this than me.”

The silence overtook the duo, conflict of interest pulling at their resolve.

Star let out a sigh, deciding this wasn't the time to take her chances, they both had some growing to do.

Marco said nothing as Chat Noir came closer, planting a soft kiss on his cheek before throwing him a wink “Stay handsome. Till next time sir.”

And like that, she was gone, leaping far away from him into the distance.

Marco retreated, ducking into a nearby alley just before the power of the miraculous ran out, transforming him into nothing special Diaz once more.

Marco lightly touched the cheek that Chat kissed, unsure what to do about the girl's apparent feelings.

He held the weaken Tikki, slipping the kwami into his pocket before disappearing into the crowded streets of Paris, just another face in the crowd.

Star sat against her bed after the school took an 'akuma attack' day, sighing as Plagg viciously ate a piece of cheese.

“What's wrong?” Plagg asked curiously, tossing the last bit of Camembert and chomping down on it eagerly “Ymou sume dowmh”

Star sighed once more “I think I came on too strong today.”

“Yes you did. Kissing his cheek? Pretty bold of you.”

“What else am I supposed to do?!” Star cried “I just.....I just want him to know how I feel! Is that so wrong of me?”

“Yes, you're too emotional.”

Star glared at Plagg “No more Camembert for you.”

Plagg let out an anguished shriek, openly sobbing at the loss of his beloved cheese.

“and you say I'm too emotional. Why does a cat eat cheese anyway?”

“I'm French.”

Star wasn't buying it “You're French?”

“Le Meow” Plagg replied with a sly grin.

Star couldn't help but burst out in giggles, the sheer ridiculousness of Plagg just too funny to ignore.

Star's phone beeped, catching Star's attention

Star hurriedly unlocked the phone only to find a new message waiting for her.

“Who is it Star?” Plagg asked, secretly reaching for an unguarded piece of cheese the model forgot to hide.

“It's Pony Head, she's said there's going to be a play in the park and...EEP! Marco's going to be there!”

Star pumped her fist in victory, rushing over to her closet in order to pick out an especially cute dress.

“Well at least you know Marco likes you” Plagg called to Star, scarfing down the cheesy treat with no restraint.

“Marco doesn't like me” Star called back “he just really clumsy....and cute...and adorable...and so sweet.”

Plagg shook his head, unable to believe how dense Star could be.

Marco stared at the window of his two story home, lost and confused.

“Marco?” Tikki asked shyly “are you okay?”

Marco let out a tired yawn, fatigue slipping into every inch of his body “Yeah....I just....”

“Chat?”

“How could she like me?” Marco went on “I...I'm nothing special. I'm just a kid who can't even handle life. I'm not much of a hero.”

“You are a hero!” Tikki stamped her cute little foot on his desk “You wouldn't have been chosen if you weren't! And you did great today and with every fight, you just get better and better.”

Marco was still unsure “....Tikki”

“Mind your strengths Marco and beware of your weakness. But to do that, you must be honest with yourself.”

Marco opened his mouth to response when his phone buzzed quietly.

Marco flipped it open to find a text from Jackie waiting for him.

“You saved Jackie's life. You are a hero.”

Marco gave the cute little kwami a gentle grin as he read Jackie's message.

“What's it say?” Tikki asked curiously.

“She's telling there's a play in the park. Awesome, I hope it's some good William Shakespeare.....she says....”

Marco let out a gasp, racing for his closet and began violently shoving out various clothes and jackets from within.

“Marco?” Tikki questioned.

“She said Star's going to be there! I get to hang out with Star!” Marco cheered, quickly picking his best hoodie, gray shirt and black slacks at once.

Tikki shook her head, wondering if Star or Marco would ever figure out that their love square was just a two way street.

“I'd give it 2 or 3 more seasons” Tikki told herself softly.