#yea that was a pretty good scene but the butter made me laugh

[cactuskhee]

“why are you alive, naegi kun?”

[wayvphobic]

MILA- regular era

mila was pretty quiet debut era because she got SO MUCH HATE

way more than lily (@nc7dr3am, who most czennies loved by then)

it was especially because the guys so obviously loved her

and the shaming she got was RIDICULOUS .. everyone called her ugly and said she was trying too hard .. just cuz they couldn’t handle her talent and visuals

she got more center time than she thought she would and it was quite touching to her

her bars made jaws drop because she’s such a strong rapper?? especially among these amazing male rappers??

and she got a few vocal parts (not many, mainly just the adlibs)

her scenes in the mv were dope

during her rap verse she was on that one set (i think kun called it a stock exchange? idk)

she was staring all intense at the camera going off

she was crouched on top of a table

and the scene cut to her on another set running a hand down her face and doing The Model Face

near the end of her verse she’s back in the stock room and throws a bunch of papers

whenever she was on screen (like lil snippets of her during the chorus and whatnot) she had this lil cocky smirk or, again, was doing The Model Face

when she danced with the guys she was obviously shorter than them but she was wearing hella shoe inserts and heeled boots (closest she ever gets to heels) to make it better

when they did her research note video she was with ten and she was SUPER shy but ten is good at drawing her out of her shell

all the members were behind the cameras and clapped loudly when she introduced herself and she hid her head in her hands

ten: you are from america and are chinese-korean

mila: yes, i’m from maryland... i moved to korea a few years ago with my dad

ten: i chose this notebook because you love orange

mila: it’s so pretty. and i found out orange represents good health

ten: *in english* you sound like such a grandma saying that!!

mila: *in english* how?! i just want everyone to have good health!

you hear everyone laughing behind the camera

ten: mila acts so shy, but she’s really fun when you know her

mila: ah yea, i’m very funny *she says it all serious though*

lucas, off camera: CACKLING

ten: *english* and she’s, like, super short too

then they stand up and compare heights and she gets pouty because she’s REAL short

ten: mila likes video games a lot. she’s in her room so much, and she sleeps the most out of us... she’s basically an old woman

mila: HEY you’re making me sound boring!!

ten: here, let me find something not boring... *flips through the pages* i can’t really find anything...

mila: *english, laughing* oh my god why are you like this to me

ten: when i met her, she bowed so much and seemed so scared... and she called me hyung because she grew up with three older brothers

mila: when i met ten-ge he scared me... he already debuted and i was really in awe of his dancing and talent. but now, he’s honestly just kind of annoying

ten: *hits her arm* this kid, really... she eats like a child, she hates vegetables and is super picky. i saw her eating *english* peanut butter and jelly sandwich and i thought that she was weird

mila: i don’t like healthy foods very much, but i love FRUIT

ten: *wrinkles his nose* anyway, she is an amazing rapper and has strange habits

mila: *scared* what about you about to say? i’m scared?

ten: she acts cute on accident when she’s embarrassed or shy. she hates to act cute but-

yangyang, off camera: OH, remember yesterday? when we caught her singing when she thought no one was there and then she got so shy? she was like

hendery: *imitating mila* stop, i was just playing *he said playing very cutely and put on a cute expression*

mila: i dont even try to do that! i just get shy when people hear me sing, i’m a rapper for a reason

ten: you literally sing in the song!

mila: *serious* *english, but with the accemt* auto tune.

everyone’s laughing because obviously not but she’s super funny

ten: she loves writing songs, she’s really good at it. her raps that she writes are really great- i’d be scared if she was doing a rap battle with someone

mila: i should write a diss track about you

ten: and lastly, she loves mukbangs so much

mila: ah, i love mukbangs... i watch them so much, i think i’d like to try making one myself

mila: honestly, i thought you’d embarrass me. you picked weird facts

ten: well i know you’d get picky if i said too much because you’re so shy in front of cameras

mila: i’m so awkward, i don’t know what to do! *she does the accidental cuteness and makes everyone laugh at her so she goes red*

then they do their goodbyes

that’s pretty much the extent weishennies know about mila, whereas the others showed more personality

some “fans” were mad because she was actually pretty cute and they all thought she was trying to get with the guys .. sigh

but the members hyped her up and offered lots of support

her lines:

“xiang yun duan di jin tou chu fa, bei yang wang bi cheng wei star, so fly, so hot ju jiao wei dian we touch the sky, zhu ding wei da”

“multi colored diamonds like a rainbow”

chorus parts

some adlibs

[ultraclops]

Semi-Live Blogging: Finale Time!

With reaction images this time!

Adoradad

TRAINING EXERCIIISE

Adorabat's practicing her screaming! Bet that's gonna come in handy later.

"Fneh!" Wow what an introduction Eugene

His design is like? Really cool?? He looks practically nothing like Adorabat tho. And why does he have a spade on his stomach instead of a heart??

Badgerclops drew him with a giant ass mustache lol.

Adorabat takes banjo lessons? More importantly, Eugene thought she was at a banjo lesson FOR 8 MONTHS?!

"She scares me" lol

Adorabat ran away from home? Why?

"I thought you were a ward of the state!" Remember when everyone thought Adorabat was an orphan? Yea.

"I thought you were my conscience!" Badgerclops...you've lived with Adorabat for a year...went to her school...AND YOU THOUGHT SHE WAS A PIECE OF YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS?!

...why did Badgerclops use Adorabat as monster bait...

I expected to hate Eugene but he's actually really cute and interesting?? Aside from the fact he thinks Mao Mao & Badgerclops are criminals. Love to see him again sometime!

Wow her dad has a whole badass mansion!! Why doesn't she just stay there...

Oh...her mom died...that's why he's so protective of her and was so upset when she left. Also her mom looks amazing & I wanna see a flashback episode with her. For some reason I can imagine her sounding like a deeper version of Scoops?

Aww Adorabat's room is super cool! Also Eugene cracking the door for her asfgjkl

"Do you think that monsters attacking the city are gonna - wait, does that have peanut butter in it? " (Cuts to MM & BC eating ice cream while crying) That's a perfectly rational reaction to losing your adoptive daughter

"I can keep it together!" (Cut to Mao Mao trying and failing to shovel ice cream in his mouth with his helmet on) NSADGEDHAMADH

Wait a second. Mao's eating mint chocolate chip ice cream. ISN'T CHOCOLATE TOXIC TO CATS?!

"But you said I was part of the team!!" "Then you're...off the team."

Adorabat crying while showing Eugene the picture OUCH MY HEART...

"I used to go exploring in those caves with Mom all the time..." I'm guessing those are the caves from the promo?

"She wasn't afraid of anything!" " Well Adorabat definitely takes after her mother...

"And then one day, Sonara didn't come back with you." Ooh her name's Sonara!! Pretty!! I can't tell if they chose it cuz it sounds like Sonar or because it means "pleasant sounding"

Glad to see Adorabat's still a die-hard metal fan, even with Eugene

Oof Mao isn't taking this well at ALL if he's pretending Adorabat's molt is her...

OOH SHIT ADORABAT RAN OFF TO THE CAVES - wait a minute no she didn't. OH NO EUGENE WENT TO THE CAVES

Ooh there's Sonara's looking glass, bet that's gonna be important

Yay Adorabat saved her dad!

Damn Adorabat must be super traumatized after basically watching her mother die. No wonder she tried to murder Boba-Chan!

Oh the only way to stop the monster is by screaming!

(Mao Mao hears Adorabat scream) "ADORABAT?!" ADOPTIVE DAD POWERS ACTIVATE

Ooh her mother's figure appears over her when she says she's not afraid of anyone...maybe her spirit's inside of her or something?

REVENGE TIME BAYBEY

HOLY SHIT ADORABAT FUCKING MURDERED THAT THING

Eugene & Adorabat both apologized to each other I...

"You can't just leave without the most fearless member of the group!" YAAY ADORABAT'S BACK (Also how are we gonna explain to Eugene Adorabat's scared of the dark?)

"I'll mess 'em up real good! So good, their mommies and daddies won't be able to recognize them when I'm done..." Daaammmnnn...

"She scares me :)"

I wonder...is Sonara really dead? Or are they gonna pull a Kipo & have her still be alive but in a different form?

Badge-A-Fire explosion

Uhh...where is Badgerclops? And why is Mao Mao on the top bunk?!

Of course Badgerclops is petty enough to install a fake monster alarm on his laptop to wake Mao Mao and Adorabat up.

"This is a super-serious work meeting, as you can see by the fact that I haven't provided any snacks!" No snacks?! This must be a serious issue!! /s

"As you know, I am a creative genius. Sometimes there's so much natural creative genius that my brain overloads, and I enter a heightened state that I call 'Ultra Focus'..." Oh so basically like hyperfixation?

"...where I break into a creative sprint, inventing super-advanced technology at supernatural speeds, unparalleled by anyone in the entire field of science." Okay maybe only a LITTLE bit like hyperfixation...wait a second, IS THAT WHY BADGERCLOPS IS SO TIRED ALL THE TIME?!

Uhh did he get his arm stuck in the front door? HE TOOK THE AEROCYCLE?!

"...I forget everything the next morning." Remember my headcanon that Badgerclops represses his memories? Yea...

"Which is why it's not my fault and I don't think I should be criticized :D" TBH I screamed with laughter at this scene solely because of the expression he made

...HE GAVE THE SKY PIRATES THE GEM CELL?! I mean he clearly wasn't thinking right when he did it BUT STILL?!

"Oh hey, I told you I'd use that weird elevator thing!" Dude you LITERALLY used it in Ultraclops. What are you talking about.

"If the Sky Pirates had the Gem Cell, they would've used it already!" That is a fair point ngl.

Umm...did Badgerclops give Adorabat a BOMB?!

Tbh if my friend woke me up in the middle of the night with weird-looking eyes and handed me a timer while saying something about an explosion I would DEFINITELY not go back to sleep afterwards...

I'm sorry, IS THE WHOLE VALLEY GONNA BLOW UP?! WHAT THE HELL DID HE MAKE?!

Mao wiping Badgerclops' tears I'm

A paper towel dispenser? Well that's not that bad - IS THAT A GIANT PAIR OF PANTS?!

Ooh it's not a shock collar it's a translator!! That makes a bit more sense... "I HAVE NO REMORSE OR CONCEPT OF EMPATHY!" ...if the monster doesn't have remorse or empathy how does it know what those words mean...

Badgerclops keeps telling Mao Mao & Adorabat not to criticize him...hmm...I wonder who criticized his inventions that made him that way...*cough* HIS MOM *cough*

"Are all your inventions this weird?!" "YOU'RE WEIRD!!"

IM SORRY DID BADGERCLOPS BUILD A DANCING MACHINE INTO MAO MAO'S BONES?! HIS BONES?! AND HE MADE ADORABAT A SECOND MEGAPEG?!

What in the absolute hell is going on dgaadhdagdadga

Okay but when Badgerclops clutched his head and started shaking when Mao Mao asked why he made those things...I FELT THAT IN MY HEART I FELT THAT IN MY SOUL

Ngl this scene really hit home for me cuz that's how I act when I have a breakdown...

The timer went off but nothing blew up - WAIT, IS THAT A REPLICA OF MECHA HOSSORAFFASNAKEARANG?!

"Initializing Totally Humane Knockout Procedure." (Proceeds to slam the Sheriff's Dept. into the ground) ajdajdgdad

Ooh...ohh they're on some sort of water park...ride...thing??

"And if I didn't want us to get out, then I made sure we couldn't...with super-strong shoe things." But there isn't any on Adorabat, can't she just squeeze herself out?

Ooh I'm getting Pirates of the Caribbean vibes

There's the Gem Cell, it must be powering the ride! Also the robotic arm slaps Mao's hand the same way Mao slaps Badgerclops' hand in Flyaway skkkk

"My amazing creativity is finally gonna destroy us all..." "Hey, at least we'll be destroyed together!" Fair point, fair point

The shoosh returneth

"I always loved inventing." So he was an inventor ever since he was little? Daww.

YOUNG BC IS SO ADORABLE!! He has a lil medical patch instead of an eyepatch which is def more accurate to real life...but what's the vest for? Protection in case he falls? A pressure stim?

That figure's def his mom since they rejected his ideas & he mentions she was mean to him. Also the theory that his mom's a villain seems a bit stronger since they straight-up hand him a tool kid + a set of blueprints with no regard to his safety...

"Also there was a bunch of other kids at school and some other people throughout my life who mocked me relentlessly." THEN WHY'D YOU TELL ADORABAT YOU COULDN'T RELATE TO HER WHEN SHE SAID NO ONE WANTED TO BE HER FRIEND?! (Also I noticed literally all the kids are other badgers, so I'm assuming Badgerclops grew up sheltered like Mao Mao did.)

So the Ultra Focus is basically a really weird coping mechanism to deal with all the abuse and bullying he went through? Holy fuckkk

"They only made fun of you because they were jealous. Happened to me my whole life!" Umm...

"Even the dance chip I surgically implanted in your brain?" Excuse me the dance chip that you WHAT

"I love you-" HE SAID IT 💗💓💗💓

"I'm finally around people who love and understand me..."

Wait did the cannon misfire? DID IT BLOW A HOLE IN THE GROUND?!

OH HE ACTUALLY DID CREATE AN ANIMATRONIC BAND?! I THOUGHT IT WAS A JOKE!!

"Take it away, Boss Hosstritch!" (Distorted garbling)

Oof Mao caught all the water

"We hope you all enjoyed being Badgerclops' friend." 💞💕💞💕

Not that anyone cares but I noticed there's a picture of some of the Sweetypies on the monitors, meaning 1. Badgerclops tested it out using them first, or 2. Badgerclops just likes those Sweetypies for whatever reason. Tho that makes me wonder why he'd choose Pinky of all people...

THE SKY PIRATES WERE INSIDE THE ANIMATRONICS THE WHOLE TIME?! THE MAN BEHIND THE SLAUGHTE

Zing Your Heart Out

Why are they giving out rotten sushi??

"HOW DARE YOU LAUGH AT ME EATING SOMETHING GROSSLY?!"

Ooh god Chester's gonna be super freaking annoying in this episode, I can feel it.

"What's blue and smells like red paint? Blue paint!" BAYBEY

Jesus what a prick. GET HIM MAO MAO

Ngl that background's really pretty...

Oooh no the Ruby Pure Heart's being weird again. Ooh no.

FUCK YEA ROAST HIM BABY - Did Adorabat's eyes turn purple because the Ruby Pure Heart gave her powers?

Oh so the siren in Badgerclops' robo-arm is a backup monster alarm?

More Sky Pirates - and the Pure Heart's being weird again...

"I'd tell you but despite your height it'd go right over your HEAD!" Asdfgghjjk

"For someone with two brains, you're not very BRIGHT!" EVEN BETTER

Kevin said he was raising money for a school trip, then for a trip to the hospital...which one is he raising money for?!

"SILENCE PANCAKE, LEST YE BE BUTTERED"

OOH NO SHE ATTACKED MAO AND BC

"IT FEELS LIKE THE WEIGHT OF ONE THOUSAND PLANETS!!"

"One second, I'm getting mad, and the next thing you know-" Is she freaking possessed??

Wait, is the Pure Heart TALKING to Adorabat?! How?!

Cluckins you don't ask people what's wrong with their eyeballs...even if there is something wrong with their eyeballs

"I CAN'T FEEL MY SELF-RESPECT!!"

The pure 'oh shit' on Marion's face when Adorabat turns to her

Half of the people she insulted showed up to her party! Didn't that mean she loved them?!

Oh god not this bitch again - nvm, thanks Adorabat

"Taking over the castle and ruling Pure Heart Valley forever does sound nice..." This is starting to remind me of that one AU where Adorabat turns evil, becomes the ruler of the Sky Pirates, then convinces them to kill Snugglemagne and becomes the queen of Pure Heart...she isn't gonna kill Snugglemagne, is she?

What did Adorabat tell Snugglemagne?! I WANNA KNO

Why is Pinky stealing teeth...reminds me of this

NO BC DON'T EAT THE TEETH

"I...hate myself! Therefore, I'm invincible!" So the trick to not getting your ego destroyed...is to not have an ego. Sounds reasonable.

"Your bug platter, my king?" Genderfluid Adorabat rights

"Mao Mao, your head looks like a CROW!" (Mao Mao caws) IT WAS A LIE HE ISN'T A CAT HE WAS A CROW THIS WHOLE TIME-

"It looks like a half-melted ice cream cone!!" That is...a strange way to describe your own neck...

"Well, I'm...bad (◡‿◡)" Kinda weird that the canonically depressed character can't even cleverly insult himself

...why does Adorabat's skin smell like old cantaloupe

OH SHE IS POSSESSED!!

HOLY SHIT MAO WAS GONNA FUCKING MURDER ADORABAT TO SAVE THE KINGDOM?! THANK GOD HE SAW HER JOKE BOOK, HOLY SHIT

Positivity outweighs negativity!

"WHERE DOES A 800 POUND GORILLA SIT?!" "Where ever it wants!◝(⁰▿⁰)◜" Curse you for making me laugh...

OOH NO THE JOKEBOOK! - Wait nvm Mao remembers Adorabat's jokes!

I think the reason they used that joke is because it represents Mao Mao and Adorabat - Adorabat is blue, and she wants to be like Mao Mao, who wears red. What is BLUE, and smells like (is similar to) RED paint?

YAAAY HE BROKE HER FREE FROM MIND CONTROL!! And did BC get Thanos snapped in the background?

"Thank goodness you're alright! We almost..." Fucking murdered you? Yea

"Might we have our crown and kingdom back, yes?"

"Sorry for being such a monster today." "You're a monster everyday." Is that a joke because she was today's villain, a reference to Sleeper Sofa or foreshadowing?

I hope Mao Mao and Badgerclops decide to investigate what's up with the Heart in Season Two, cause I highly doubt they'll let Adorabat getting fucking possessed go under the radar.

The visual gag of Mao trying to stomp out his ice cream cone like a cigarette is perfect. This is peak comedy everyone else go home

WHOOP CHESTER'S ASS GUYS

Strange Bedfellows

"So, your name is Boss Hosstrich, but you're not actually the boss?" How long did it take him to realize that

JFC Mao & Orangusnake are REALLY hellbent on killing each other huh...at least the deputies and the other Sky Pirates have common sense.

Hahaha nice Dragon Ball Z reference - and they both got crushed by the monster! Lovely.

...did Mao seriously think he died and went to heaven?

So does Orangusnake breathe through Tanner or do they both breathe independently & Coby can feel when Tanner can't?

Dang those skeletons remind me of the Steven Universe Future episode Growing Pains. And why is Lucky inside of Orangusnake? "THAT WAS MY LUNCH, JERK!" Ooh that's why.

"They're full of these tiny, little cracks or, as they're known in the medical field, 'whoopsie-boo-boos'." AGSADGASGADGDASG

Damn their skeletons are just gonna freaking evaporate huh...

"The doctor said I was very brave :D"

Ooh shit the Deputies and the other Sky Pirates met at the same elevator, are they gonna fight - nevermind, they're still calling time.

JESUS CHRIST ARE MAO & ORANGUSNAKE EVER GONNA STOP?!

"You don't have the guts!" "I have a million guts." That is...mildly concerning

"Yeah, I wanted to be a baker, before I realized I liked hurting people so much." Then why doesn't she just like, help Muffins or something?

Tbh I thought Ratarang was holding a gun and I'm glad it was just a weirdly wrapped banana

CONE OF SHAME. CONE OF SHAME. CONE OF SHAME.

"Aww, y'all shouldn't have - this is empty." "Just like my heart when you injure yourself!!" He loves him sm...💓💓

"Why didn't you bring me weapons?!" "Because this is a hospital, and I'm a good boy (◡‿◡ )"

"I really feel like this could be a turning point in their relationship." (Mao and Orangusnake proceed to try and kill each other again) *sigh*

Ngl Mao & Orangusnake constantly repeating themselves is getting super annoying.

That hospital bed beeping is giving me flashbacks to all the times I went to the hospital for seizures...

"You know y'all could live like this, like, all the time if you didn't go around hurting people, right?" "Pssh! Tsk-tsk, boy. You know I gots to hurt people." Uhh you guys should really listen to Badgerclops he knows what tf he's talking about

UUhh, whose egg is that? "MAMA" ASGagddahDh

Of course they had to land in freaking CEMENT to realize that maybe they shouldn't kill each other

Did Mao just deflate like a ballo- oh nvm there he go.

Boneless Mao. Boneless Mao.

And Mao saved Orangusnake!! By...breaking every bone in his body somehow.

"I'm the kind of hero who wants to save you so I can fight you later...at the right time and place." Just gonna file this along with the credit score scene from Perfect Couple in the 'Orangumao' folder.

Is Badgerclops duct taping Mao to the stretcher? I mean, at least he won't move & hurt himself again but geez

Tbh Zing would’ve made a better finale than this ep. At least it had a sequel hook

[melo-yello]

Baking with the Wakandan Royals would include:

A/n: I've been watching a ton of baking shows lately so I've been mad inspired to write some domestic headcanons.

*I added Shuri

T'Challa

If you mention to this man you're thinking about baking he's already checking for necessary ingredients quantities and locating the measuring cups

T'Challa's need for order and a systematic approach to life can either be really helpful when you're baking or really annoying

This man takes pride in prepping the pan

I mean oiled, floured, and lined with parchment

T'Challa didn't come to play. He got a cake stuck one time and he's never been the same

I'm tellin you he's a complete ace when it comes to measurements

This man will measure, level, sift, and whisk together the dry ingredients in less than 90 seconds

"Here you go, Love." handing you the bowl and kissing your temple

He even will have the separate little glass bowls in various sizes like he stepped out of his very own cooking show

T'Challa is definitely the clean as you go type

Boi is washing dishes almost as fast you can make them

I've got that, Sweetheart." snatching up dirty bowls and taking them to the sink like clockwork

You already kno he's a stick to the recipe type of guy

You kno better than to tell him "We can just eyeball it" or end any measurement/cook time with "or so"

He will absolutely lecture you on the acute chemistry of baking

After so many times of 'sneaking' in extra pinches of 'this' and 'that' and him catching you'll be forced to put him out to stop his constant meddling

"Challa, I swear to Bast if you say one more thing about the 'balance of baking' and don't get yo ass outta this damn kitchen, Shuri will be an only child!"

He occasionally peeks back in offering his two cents before you glare at him and he slinks back to whatever he's preoccupying himself with

Once everything out of the oven and cooled you can't help but smile and bring T'Challa a goodie for all his efforts and help even if he's kinda a pain

Erik

He will 100% be minding his own business until he peeps you in the kitchen baking something

He immediately steps in to take over whether he knows what you're making or not

Deadass has slid across a counter, swiped the bowl, stuck the landing and been like "Ok Ma, what am I makin?"

Boi will even take your apron and do it smooth as hell too

The first time you thought he was trying to be freaky by grabbing ya ass and kissin all down ya neck in the kitchen but before you knew it the apron was untied and around his neck and he was stirring the bowl that was just in front of you

Growing up basically raising himself and being bounced around from relative to relative made learning to cook essential and he's a pretty damn good at it

And he knows it

Erik deadass cooks like somebody's Auntie

"Baby, lemme go ahead and do that." Is something you'll hear every step of the way

He'll just stare at the recipe for .5 seconds then be like "Do that shit, That shit right there and it'll be bland as hell!"

Erik starts off measuring but gradually shifts into eyeballing everything

He's prone to add pinches of different spices that are no where to be found in the recipe

Erik refuses to cook in silence and will always throw on one of his playlists

Y'all bop all the way from TLC to Daniel Caesar to Anderson. Paak

When all the baking is done Erik loves to humble brag about his baked treats

"Yea me and Bae, kilt that shit." Or "Oh you know, Babygirl can throw down"

That is until his cousin says something

T'Challa: "These are great."

Erik: "Damn Straight it is, T'Chump! Didn't kno my baby could FUCK it all da way up! Who you think taught her that! Who!"

M'Baku

*nervous laughter*

M'Baku has an enormous sweet tooth but can't bake to save his life

Not that hasn't tried but most of those trails ended in flames

Since then the great gorrilla has been banned from most of the palace kitchens

Naturally when you ask "Baku, help me bake some cookies."

He's a little hesitant

M'Baku tries to explain to you that his strong suit is really savory and much rather do anything

He really hates that he's not naturally good at it like most things he does (fighting, leading, flirting, etc.)

This gets him out of helping the first few times before you drag him in kitchen promising "Trust me, I can teach you. It can't be that bad."

With M'Baku's help be prepared to remake batters at least twice

He's either heavy handed or extremely light handed there's absolutely no inbetween with him

He's gonna apologize each time he messes up no matter how many times you tell him it's fine

You put him on mixing duty but he gets bored so he starts distracting you

"Oh that look absolutely scrumptious, My Love." grabbing your ass as measure out brown sugar

"That tastes amazing, My Queen." giving you bedroom eyes as he sucks your finger clean of the batter you were about to taste

"You smell like heaven, Dear Heart." nipping at your neck as you place a pan in the oven

This is also the kinda man that eats as you bake

As soon as they hit the cooling racks he's bodying half of them

Putting up high doesn't work either when your mans is 6'5" and can reach all your hiding places

Only on rare occasions do you actually have sweets to show for you efforts if you only make one batch

3 seems to be the sweet spot since M'Baku eats half of 2

He actually does pay attention when you show him how to do things correctly and each time he makes fewer mistakes and he's so proud of himself

Shuri

Shuri is allergic to anything remotely domestic. Not that its difficult she just isn't interested

Mysteriously she always has all the software updates to do when you ask "Wouldn't it be fun to help me bake something?"

"Yes, My King?!?!" Shuri yells running down the hall after a very confused T'Challa that tells back "Stop calling me that!" as the two run in the opposite direction as you

She's definitely not above making up tech tasks to get out of being forced into baking

"Oh I'd love to but I need to check... Erik's torso to make sure he's healing ok. Too bad he's shy so you can't come." She shrugs pulling Erik into lab before he can get in a word

Or "Oh yes Sergent Barnes, I do have time to look at the mechanics of each synapses of every nerve ending in your arm. This could take a while." practically tackling Bucky as he enters the lab

The only way to get her there is by treachery

"Shuri, come quick! The stan mixer is smoking you have to fix it. Or I'll never bake again." is enough to get her to bolt out of the door and into the kitchen

There's no way she can let your Double Fudge Sea Salt Pecan brownies vanish from her life

"This mixer is absolutely fine, Y/n. Don't scare me like that ev..." trailing off as she turns to see you locking the door to the kitchen

"Noooooooooooooooooooo!"

Once she finds that all exits are blocked off

Vents, windows, and personal secret passages she has installed for times like these

She starts offering 'helpful' advice to really 'expand' your baking horizions

"I'm telling you, Y/n, 1 and 1/4 teaspoons of white vinegar would really help these sweets raise to the ocassion." as she presses record and steps back

You soon learn after several batter explosions and looped videos and gifs sent across the Insta, Twitter, and Snap she can't be trusted

"Oh come on,now! How was I supposed to know it was going to do that?" Laughing as you glare at her wiping yet another batter blow up off your face

Before you accept her advice now it is questioned with "And if I add that it won't end up in my face?"

Shuri will pause then offer something else because she's no evil just mischievous

She pretends to be bored out of her mind the whole time even though she's mentally pocketing all the little steps so she can later try by herself

Every once in a while she'll hit you with an absolutely old school but completely clutch trick you've never heard of before (most likely something she picked up from cooking with Queen Mother) and you pause to look at her

Like "Where the hell did that come from?"

She just shrugs and offers some off the wall flavor combo to throw you off her trail

"Chocolate and peanut butter? Boring. How about anasis and chardonnay." genuinely curious about the combination

Shuri loves to experiment and play with structures and variables esspecially in the kitchen

So tell her your trying to make a souffle or flan and she's there automatically no plots involved or locked doors

Afters all the sweets and practical jokes are out of the oven and cooling and the doors are unlocked

Shuri takes a treat or two and hums looking satisfied with your team work "This was actually fun." mouth half full and gives you a quick hug before leaving

Ever so often she'll come of her own prompting to you wanting to be shown how to make a cookie or some other baked good

And you do but as soon as they're done

She steals like 75% of the goodies as you check some of the few left in the oven and splits them with M'Baku who was already waiting at the door and they run down the hall like small children

Always leaving a note "XOXO, Princess Shuri" and scribbled in the biggest calligraphy that is usually saved for royal documents "Thx from Great Gorrilla,M'Baku" at the scene of the crime

[rose-gold-romantic]

Whatever It Takes: Chapter Five

A Loki x Reader based in the Tesseract fic universe! Avengers: Infinity War follow-up fic. Next in the Tesseract fic series. Links to Tesseract, Lokasenna, What Heroes Do, and Fidelity. Also to my AU Feel You.

I WOULD LOVE FEEDBACK! Want to be tagged in updates? Let me know!

@malignentmac @fandomsfanman @i-am-supermerwholoked221b @markusstrayya @sincereleygmg @pandaqua​ @person-born-winchester

Just a forewarning, this one has a major POV shift from the past entries, since Reader was Dusted at the end of Fidelity! Keeping with my recent trend in fic titles, it’s named after a track on the official soundtrack. I also constantly watch this Video, and recommend it to hype you up!

In the years that followed, the rest of our people returned to us. Thor was still inconsolable, and I took up the brief responsibility of choosing a place to begin New Asgard. It took little time to decide on the area in Norway where we had last seen Odin before he died. After five years had passed, Earth had settled into its new normal. Entire areas sat abandoned, but people continued to live on.

Thor refused all of my offerings of help. I couldn’t even imagine the pain he felt, believing that he was the only reason that Thanos had not been stopped. I had hoped that living in New Asgard for a time would help him recover, and in the meantime Thor opted to live in a smaller building, settling in with Korg and Meik as his companions. Leaving Val in charge of things for Thor, I spent much of my time surveying the areas of the Cosmos I could for the remaining Avengers.

While I was given the option of calling in via hologram, I often preferred to just come in person. I remained close to earth so Thor could call me should he have any need, so it was no great effort on my end to come in person.

One of these meetings was particularly tense. Natasha had made herself a sandwich after hearing my debrief, and Rocket began his.

“Yea, we boarded that highly suspect warship that Danvers pinged.” Rocket said, gesturing over to Danver’s hologram.

“It was an infectious garbage scowl.” Nebula continued.

“So, thanks for the hot tip.” Rocket said, irritated.

“Well,” Danvers sighed, “You were closer.”

“Yea.” Rocket agreed. “And we smell like garbage.”

Turning to Okoye, Natasha feigned a smile. “You get a reading on those tremors?”

“It was a mild subduction under the African plate.” Okoye stated plainly.

“Do we have a visual?” Natasha asked, “How are we handling it?”

“Nat, it’s an earthquake under the ocean.” Okoye said, “We handle it, by not handling it.”

“Carol,” Natasha said, trying to change the subject. “Are we seeing you here next month?”

“Not likely.” Danvers answered.

“What, are you gonna get a new haircut?” Rocket snarked, gesturing to her now close-cropped hair.

“Listen, fur-face. I’m covering a lot of territory.” Danvers snapped. “The things that are happening on Earth, are happening everywhere, on thousands of planets. Loki and I can’t do everything ourselves, but we’re making do with what we have.”

“You got a point.” Rocket mumbled, “You’ve got a point.”

“So, you might not see me for a long time.” Danvers continued to Natasha.

“Alright. Uh, well. This channel is always active.” Natasha said, “So, if anything goes sideways… anyone’s making trouble where they shouldn’t… it comes through me.”

“Okay.” Rocket said.

“Alright.” Natasha finished, as the other Avengers cut their calls off one by one.

“Good luck.” Danvers said, offering a half-smile before cutting off her own call.

Rhodey alone remained, watching as Natasha sat down with a heavy sigh.

“Where are you?” She asked him.

“Mexico.” He answered. “The federales found a room filled with bodies. Looks like a bunch of cartel guys. Never even had the chance to get their guns off.”

“It’s probably a rival gang.” Natasha defended, the topic setting her on edge.

“Except it isn’t.” Rhodey countered, causing Natasha’s face to fall. “It’s definitely Barton. What he’s done here, what he’s been doing for the last few years… I mean, the scene that he left… I gotta tell you, there’s a part of me that doesn’t even want to find him.”

Natasha took a small bite of her sandwich, tears welling in her eyes, and emotion choking her voice. “Will you find out where he’s going next?”

“Nat.”

“Please.” she insisted, holding back her tears as best she could.

“Okay.” Rhodey resigned reluctantly. His hologram call cut off, and Natasha let her tears fall more freely.

“I’m sorry.” I said, unsure of what else to say.

“We’ve all got a little bit of red in our ledgers.” She whispered, looking up to me with a wry smile. “Some of us have more than others, and just want to help others blot theirs out.”

“I’d offer to cook you dinner, but you seem pretty miserable already.” Steve tried to joke, coming in the room.

“Here to do your laundry?” Natasha smiled, picking at her sandwich.

“To see friends.” Steve replied warmly.

“Clearly, this friend is fine.” She said, trying to swallow her emotion.

“You know, I saw a pod of whales when I was coming up the bridge.” Steve said, hoping to change the subject.

“In the Hudson?” she replied, seemingly surprised.

“There’s fewer ships.” Steve explained, “Cleaner water.”

“You know, if you’re about to tell me to look on the bright side.” she said, trying to laugh. “I’m about to hit you in the head with a peanut butter sandwich.”

“Sorry.” Steve smiled, “Force of habit.” he threw his jacket down, and pulled up a chair to join Natasha and I.

“You know, I keep telling everyone they should move on and… grow.” he continued. “Some do. But not us.”

“If I move on, who does this?” She asked, gesturing to the empty holo-call panels.

“Maybe it doesn't need to be done.” Steve suggested gently.

“I used to have nothing.” She said shakily, “Then I got this. This job… this family. And I was… I was better because of it. And even though… they’re gone… I’m still trying to be better.”

“We all need to get a life.” Steve sighed.

“You first.” She countered, smiling.

The desk in front of us beeped, throwing up camera footage of a man with an old van behind him.

“Uh… Oh! Hi. Hi! Is anyone home? This is Scott Lang.” The man said, flustered. “We met a few years ago, at the airport? In Germany? I got really big, and I had my mask on. You wouldn’t recognize me.”

As Lang continued, my mind connected the fact that the man on the screen was one of the Avengers that had been listed as missing after the snap. Steve and I stood up at the same time, Natasha following suit.

“Is this an old message?” Steve asked, hope swelling up in his voice.

“It’s the front gate.” Natasha said, taken aback.

“I’ll be right back.” I said, teleporting to the front gate. I grabbed Lang by the shoulder, and then teleported back into the room where Steve and Natasha stood.

“Whoa, dude, warn me next time.” Lang said, stumbling once we arrived.

“Sorry.” I said, “I forget that people cannot always adjust to transportation so quickly.”

“Scott.” Steve said, walking up to Lang, who was now pacing. “Are you okay?”

“Yea, I’m fine.” Scott said, still pacing. “Have any of you ever studied Quantum Physics?”

“Only to make conversation.” Natasha joked, confused.

“Alright. So... five years ago, right before Thanos, I was in a place called the Quantum Realm. The Quantum Realm is like its own microscopic universe.” Scott explained, walking from one end of the room to the other.  “To get in there, you have to be incredibly small. Hope, she's my... She was my…” he seemed to struggle to find the words, but settled on beginning a new sentence. “She was supposed to pull me out. And then Thanos happened, and I got stuck in there.”

“I’m sorry.” Natasha said, “That must have been a very long five years.”

“Yeah, but that’s just it.” Scott said, “For me, it was five hours.”

“How does that even work?” I asked, taken aback.

“See, the rules of the Quantum Realm aren’t like they are up here.” Scott continued, “Everything is unpredictable. Is that anybody’s sandwich? I’m starving!” He finished, taking a bite of the sandwich.

“Scott, what are you talking about?” Steve asked.

“What I’m saying is, time works differently in the Quantum Realm. The only problem is right now, we don’t have a way to navigate it. But what if we did? I can’t stop thinking about it.” Scott said, continuing to finish the sandwich. “What if there was a way to enter the Quantum Realm at a certain point in time, but then exit at another point in time? Like… Like before Thanos.”

“Wait, are you talking about a time machine?” Steve asked, disbelieving.

“No. No, of course not.” Scott clarified. “No, not a time machine. It’s more like a… Yeah, a time machine. I know it’s crazy. But I can’t stop thinking about it, there’s gotta be some way…. No it’s crazy.”

“I get e-mails from a raccoon, so nothing sounds crazy anymore.” Natasha said.

“So who do we talk to about this?” Scott asked.

Nat and Steve shared a look, and I sighed.

“Stark.” I said.

[thealphabetmurders]

Soon To Be

(Previous) (Next) 

Chapter 2: Nothing Breaks Like a Heart

Pairings: Analogical and Royality 

Word Count: 1623 (chapter), 4625 (full)

Summary: Everyone had their vices nowadays. Information and ideas are conveyed too fast and quickly for anyone to stay sane without a little outside help. There are healthier coping mechanisms than others, some more effective than not, and Virgil has tried pretty much them all, and he has more shit to deal with than most. So whilst many found solace in sex, Smirnoff, and santa marta, Virgil was still smoking in 2019.

Triggers: Talk of self doubt, smoking, crying

Authors Note: I am suffering right now so I am going to make my characters suffer as well. If you comment then maybe I will post another chapter later this week, thank you. 

(Read on AO3)

Virgil woke up to sunlight creeping in from his window, peaking out at him through his blinds. Virgil looked at his clock and groaned: 6:04. He slept over 12 hours, and didn’t even get started on his project, which he wanted to have done.

The pain and noises from his stomach were too loud to ignore as he made his way to the kitchen and put come chocolate chip waffles in the toaster. He put in two more in the other burner as well, knowing Patton would be awake in just a couple minutes as well.

He went to brush his teeth and when he came back he saw his roommate putting on a pot of coffee and pulling out two mugs and creamer.

“Well, good morning, sleepy head,” Patton chirped and Virgil smiled back softly, “Everything alright, kiddo? You seemed awfully exhausted last night and I didn’t want to wake you,”

Virgil watched him adjust his glasses while tapping on their kitchen counter for their morning susitiance. He sighed and smoothen out his slightly wrinkled clothes. Patton was a florist for a wedding company, so he consistently dress like a gardener. His bosses did not mind, seeing as he always worked behind the scenes.

Virgil shrugged, pulling out the butter and syrup, “I am fine, just a long day at work yesterday,”

Patton hummed, but didn’t say anything more on the subject.

“Though,” Virgil started, making Patton perk up, “Something interesting did happen with a customer yesterday,”

“Interesting how?”

“Well,” Virgil began to move to the other side of the table, his voice trailing upwards, “He tripped and fell and we had kind of a moment. Apparently he is a night regular, and this was the first time we had met. He is really cute, and I thought we had something going on, maybe because he said he left something for me on the table-”

“Was it his number?” Patton smiled, he couldn’t help but chime in.

“No,” He sighed, discontentedly, “It was just a fact about the risks of smoking and lung health,” Virgil muttered.

There was a beat, and then he heard giggling from the older man across the table. Giggling which turned into squealing, which is not something you would expect from a 27 year old man. Virgil rolled his eyes as Patton began to dance a little (for unknown reasons to Virgil) while he was pouring coffee and plating the waffles.

“That is honestly so cute, Virge!” Patton clapped, sitting down, and Virgil just raised an eyebrow at him.

“Cute how?”  

“Okay, look, how many people do you know that smoke at Hume’s, cigarettes or otherwise?”

Virgil scoffed, “Almost all the kids that work weekends do, and I know our owner does. Also the night manager who relieves Roman is a bigger cigarette smoker than me,”

Patton’s smile grew wider, “This guy is a regular and I am sure he doesn’t put down facts for every server at your workplace. He wrote that just for you. He wants your attention but doesn’t know how!”

Virgil snorted, “Not everything is that convoluted, Pat, I hate to tell ya. People don’t just do dumb stuff like that for someone’s attention?”

“Really?” Patton asked, sass laced in his voice.

“Yea,”

“Well, let me ask you this,” He took a sip of his coffee and set it down on the counter, “You know I know how to use Photoshop, hm?”

“Of course,” Virgil said, “You minored in graphic design in college, that’s how we met,”

“But Roman doesn’t know that,” Patton smirked back at his counterpart, “Any time I have a “problem” or “question”, Roman is always just too happy to offer me pointers and give me advice,”

“And that works?”

Patton giggled, “I learned Photoshop inside and out in 6 weeks, I have been getting Roman to help me for 4 months,”

Virgil rolled his eyes, “Roman is obviously into you, you don’t have to make excuses to be around him,”

Patton slammed his hands on the table, “But why won’t he say that to me!” He whined.

“Not the point, the point is: what do I do?”

Patton shrugged, “Well, I suppose there are two ways you could go about this,” Patton got up with his coffee mug to open the blinds and windows, letting their house plant infested living room to receive light, “For one, you could just have a slow burn romance like Roman and I and just let these napkins pile up until he makes a bold move when he knows your interested,”

Patton set down his coffee and grabbed the watering can and began to water their jungle. Virgil frowned, following Patton around with his head, “That sounds awful,”

“Oh, uh, it is,” Patton sighed, gently caressing the spores on their Aloe Vera plant, “But it is also fun in a way. I feel like my life is a fanfiction,”

“What is the second way?”

Patton giggled, accidentally hitting himself in the face with the leaves off the Kentia palm while watering their cactus, “Just be upfront and honest about your intentions and make this guy feel special. If he isn’t interested, at least you know, right? You don’t deserve to be pining after a guy who may just be really passionate about lung health.” Patton stopped water for a moment and looked at Virgil, gesturing at him with the water can, “Virgil, your lungs may not be right as rain, but your heart's too big and wonderful to be broken. You deserve all the love in the world, you are a smart, and intelligent, and funny guy. Just be totally truthfully and if Mr. Doctor doesn’t want you, you don’t need him.”

“Patton…” Virgil said softly, “That is really astute. But it would never work for me, I cannot just be honest,”

Patton chuckled, moving onto the pink Cordyline, “That is what Emile told me to do about Roman, and I told him it would never work. When has being honest with your feelings ever been beneficial?” Patton spoke with a tone too cheery for the topic of the situation being discussed.

“Pat…” Virgil said slowly, “Remember, you have to tell me things…”

He sighed, putting down the water can. Patton moved over to the windows and looked out the tall glass, their small 2 bedroom apartment looked over their town quiet nicely. At first, Patton looked as happy and as youthful as ever, the sunlight dancing over his honey colored curls and freckles dotting his face like seeing stars in the morning sky. However, his expression then turned more solemn, more grim. Not quite melancholy yet, but the bittersweetness was sure to taste like lemon juice on your tongue. He fiddled with the front pocket of his baby blue overalls and pushed up his round glasses.

“I dunno Virgey,” He started, still looking out the window, “Does Roman not like me like I like him? It is fun; the flirting and the blushing and all that but,” He looked down at his shoes, “I dunno. Maybe… I am just something to keep Roman entertained for a while until he finds someone… Better,”

If it weren’t for the fan whirring in the living room and the traffic noises from outside, one may have been able to hear Virgil’s heart quietly fall to the floor and shatter. “Patton… You can’t really think that, can you?”

He laughed bitterly, finally being able to look at Virgil, tears welling up in Patton’s eyes, “Can’t I?”

“Look, Patton,” Virgil started, “I gotta tell you, Roman is absolutely smitten with you. I cannot tell you what he says about you half the time. I actually can’t, because he says them in Spanish!” This made Patton giggle and Virgil moved off his stool and held his hands in the other’s, “Look, I know Roman a bit better than you. He likes to be all Mr. Confident, but I am sure he is just as nervous as you are, waiting for when you’re going to make a move. I know you love him, but he is an idiot,”

Patton sniffled a bit, not making Virgil gaze. Virgil frowned and tilted Patton chin to meet his eyes level, “Hey, c’mon now. Whatever you are feeling right now is valid, I get it, you know I do, but tears are not worth it over baseless speculation,” He rubbed slightly at the circles under Patton’s eyes where the tears started to fall, “Call him, text him, invite him to dinner, whatever. I can guarantee you he will say yes,”

“What if he doesn’t?”

Virgil sighed, “Well, if that happens, I’ll just have to kill him over it,” Virgil said, matter-of-factly, dropping his hands to his side.

Patton frowned, a ghost of a smile present on his face, “Roman looks like he has 3% body fat and also has 6 inches on you. He would beat you up in a fight,”

“Not if I brought a knife,” Virgil cracking a smile, eyes widened at the last emphasis. Whatever weird face he pulled, it must’ve worked, because Patton started laughing and smiling once again, “Nice, there’s that smile,”

Patton giggled once more and Virgil held out his arms slightly, which Patton gladly took into (Virgil not normally one of doling out hugs). The shorter man melted into Virgil chest a bit. Patton was 6 inches shorter than Virgil, which made him a foot shorter than Roman. He couldn’t help but roll his eyes at that, it was almost too adorable.

Virgil pulled away from the other, gripping him by the shoulders, “C’mon Pop-Star, you got this,” He smiled. Patton nodded back at him and Virgil pulled in for another hug, hoping to mend Patton’s broken heart.

[megwritesfanfiction]

Let Go, Chapter 4/?? (Raven/??)

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans. This is a work of fiction that I am not making a profit off of.

A/N: Yay regular updates! Here is the next installment…

Do you need to catch up? I got you! ->

Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three

WARNING: THE FLASHBACK CONTAINS MENTIONS OF SELF MUTILATION AND SUICIDE. THERE ARE ALSO SMALLER MENTIONS OF SELF HARM IN THE CHAPTER PORTION AS WELL! 

Flashback

“Raven?” Robin murmured, sleepily looking at the empath standing in front of him. “It’s,” He paused, turning to look at the clock on his nightstand behind him. His naked hazel eyes squinted, adjusting to the bright digital lights. “It’s four thirty in the morning. What is going on?”

Raven’s smile was hazy as she stumbled against the doorway, damp hair curling around her face. “I-“ She started, chuckling a little bit. With her shoulder pressed against the frame for support, she raised her bloodied wrists to him. “I’m gonna pass out. I need-“

“Oh god!” Robin panicked, grabbing her arms as he tried to stop the bleeding. “What happened?”

That question really didn’t require an explanation.

He could see the long slices wrists to elbow, clearly self inflicted. “Why would you do this?” He whispered pulling a shirt from the floor, circling it around her arms. “We need to get you do a hospital.”

“No.” Raven protested, shaking her head. “Doesn’t matter. I just need you to help me bandage m-”

“You don’t get to kill yourself because you’re afraid.” He snarled. Eyes stinging with tears, Robin pulled her into his room. “Eyes open, Raven!” How was he supposed to get help? If he released her wrists, she was going to be bleed out.

Raven slid down to the floor, eyes fluttering shut as her head fell between her shoulders. “I took,” Her breathing was heavy as she laughed lightly. “Took a bottle of morphine from the Med Lab. Calm down.  It doesn’t hurt.”

Christ. “How many pills did you take?”

“Couple hand fulls.” She murmured, head dropping.

“I need you to hold your arms up.”

She laughed. “No point.” Her eyes were glazed and dull.

“I need to get help.” He was trying to stay calm. “You need to keep your arms up, so we can make sure blood is going to your heart. I’m going to get Cyborg, he-“

“Doesn’t matter.” Raven looked at him sadly. Her head slumped back as tears slid down her cheeks. “He won’t let me go. I tried.” She lowered her arms, looking at her handy work.

She hadn’t expected death to come quickly.

Raven understood the mechanics of the method of suicide she’d chosen. There was nothing romantic about bleeding out in her bathtub alone, but she figured it would be the most practical thing for her to do. The bathtub would make it easier for her friends to clean up her mess and give her enough privacy for the act.

Jumping off the tower meant confronting her fear of falling.

Hanging left too many things to chance, and she wasn’t thrilled about choking to death if her neck didn’t snap.

She didn’t like guns, so she wasn’t even gonna bother with this.

And to ensure her success and ease her nerves, Raven had taken a fist of pills before sinking into the warm water to cut.

The second cut had come easier than the first, and it only took seconds for her to be surrounded by crimson.

Raven closed her eyes, her forehead resting against the tile as she waited for death. Her heart and breathing slowed, and the world seemed to swirl around her.

Darkness never came though.

She sat in the tub watching her blood drip from her gashes under her fingers were wrinkled and soft. Soft evil laughter from her father bubbled in her head when she realized death wasn’t coming.

Frustrated and scared, she stumbled out of the tub to Robin.

“Trigon?” Robin asked slowly.

Raven nodded, her teeth clenched as felt her face bloom with embarrassment and bitterness. “I thought if I wasn’t here, I couldn’t complete the prophecy. What was I supposed to do?” The tears were flowing freely now.

“Not this! This isn’t the answer.” He never thought he’d be thankful for Trigon, but Robin couldn’t deny that Trigon’s will was keeping Raven alive.

The stab of failure burned in her chest as she cried drowsily. “I think I left blood in the hallway.”

Robin placed a hand on top of her head affectionately as he sighed. There were so many things he wanted to talk to her about. “I’ll take care of it.” They could talk when the bleeding stopped. “Are you gonna be okay?”

Her laugh was bitter as she started sobbing, “It’s not like I’m going to die.”

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Flash Forward

They drove until candy wrappers covered the dashboard, empty soda bottles littered the footwell of the passenger seat, and their bodies and eyes ached.

When Roy’s jaw stretched with a yawn fierce enough to crinkle his eyes and slow his acceleration, Raven decided it was time for them to find a place to rest. About twelve hours into their trip, they’d made through Nevada and were somewhere in central Utah.

“Ya know,” Roy started, rubbing his hands together deviously as he paced around their room. They’d checked into a modest inn that neighbored a restaurant. The area around them was quiet enough to hear the soft spring chirp of awakening insects, but close enough to see the lights and energy from a city near by.

Raven sat on her bed, pulling her knees to her chest. Her head tilted against her thighs with interest.

“I think I’m going to see if the restaurant has grilled cheese,” He grinned. His eyebrows wiggling playfully as he sleepy stretched his arms above over his head.

“How are you hungry?” She murmured looking at him with disbelief.

“I am a growing boy.”

“You ate a grilled cheese sandwich that had to have five pounds of cheese on it,” Raven yawned, shaking her head at him.

He rolled his eyes, waving a playfully dismissive hand. “Exaggeration.”

“You also ate the other half of my sandwich, and your fries.”

“Yes,” he confirmed, leaning against their door unimpressed.

“You have a tapeworm.”

Roy howled with laughter. “Driving makes me hungry.”

“I’m afraid to see what you eat after a good workout,” she commented seriously.

“Hey, it’s vacation,” he told her opening the door. “I’ll worry about the calories and consequences when we get to Steel. You want anything?”

Raven wrinkled her nose, moving to her backpack. “I don’t think I’m hungry enough to eat-”

“Said no one ever.”

“I think I’m just gonna take a shower,” she commented. Taking out a pair of pajamas, Raven reached for her bag of toiletries as she yawned. “If they have unsweetened iced tea, could you get me some?”

“Unsweetened?” Roy questioned his eyes narrowing to judge her jokingly.

“Yes.” She stuck her tongue out at him impishly. “Could you please get me a small order of fries, too?”

“Unsweetened tea and small fries?” He slowly backed out of the room, shaking his head in disappointment. “Who are you, woman?” Roy shut the door with a wink before Raven had the chance to roll her eyes at him.

She released a heavy sigh, allowing her shoulders to curl over toes as she stepped into the small bathroom. Quickly pulling her clothes off and kicking them to the corner, Raven didn’t give herself time to analyze the sea foam tile and pale bubble gum pink porcelain. She turned the shower to the highest temperature the dial allowed, clenching her fists as the water burned her skin.

Her day had been as close to perfect as it had ever been.

She and Roy drove in comfortable silence, stopped for peanut butter cups, chips, and soda, listened to bad pop music, ate a gut busting amount of grilled cheese, and had pleasantly silly serious conversations.

Raven learned about his ability to easily memorize song lyrics and his love of for the cooking channel. She was able to share her unapologetic secret love for ‘Pretty Pretty Pegasus’ without him making a comment or grimace of surprise.

She’d had a good day.

With a good friend.

Her transition to Steel City was feeling like the right decision.

So, why did she feel so upset?

The sleeping arrangement had made her uneasy at first. Granted, they were sleeping separate beds, but they were feet apart. Raven made it a habit not to share her a bed with any men in the past.

Extracurricular activities were fine, but sleeping was a solitary act.

This was business. She’d shared a sleeping space with male teammates in the past. Raven recalled sharing a tent with Cyborg, Nightwing…

Changeling.

Roy wasn’t any different.

Raven placed her hands against the tile as her fingers twitched with pain. Her eyes fluttered dizzily as her teeth sunk into her bottom lip, steam clouding the bathroom as she whimpered.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

“Leave it alone.”

Changeling growled, pulling his phone away from his ear to look at the screen. “Leave it alone? She walked out on us without saying goodbye!” He sighed, placing his hand against the counter as he patiently waited for her answering machine. “And now she’s ignoring us!” He screamed into the phone.

Starfire lowered her head as she carefully stirred the simmering tomato sauce. Her eyes shifted to the irritated changeling and back to her cookbook as she listened to the scene behind her.

“Or she’s being a responsible driver by ignoring her phone when she’s at the wheel,” Nightwing told him, carefully molding meatballs at the island counter. His transition from Robin to Nightwing wasn’t just a professional transformation. Nightwing was a reminder that he hadn’t turned into his reclusive mentor, and he intended to see that didn’t happen.

“Yea, or-“ Changeling stopped, ears twitching at the sound of Raven’s voicemail. “Raven! You don’t get to blow us off like this! We’re supposed to be your friends, you don’t sneak out on your friends in the middle of the night like a fucking thief!” He knew he sounded mean. After ten unreturned calls and an unmentionable amount of text messages, he didn’t really care.

Starfire‘s eyebrows raised as she listened to the rant.

Nightwing shook his head, “Yelling at her isn’t going to help.” He couldn’t deny his pleasure in his friend’s distress.

Anger was certainly more favorable than apathy.

Changeling sighed deeply. “Call me back please,” he added softly, throwing his phone to the table. “How are you so calm about this?”

Nightwing shrugged, happy his mask hid his eyes. “It makes sense. Titans East is down two members since Mas y Menos left. We have six people on the team, and Raven expressed interest in the East Coast.” And escaping the harsh truth and pile of bad memories that lived with her on the West Coast.

“When the hell did she express in the East Coast?”

“It doesn’t matter.” Nightwing could have probably made up a random occasion Raven mentioned it and the changeling would have been none the wiser.

“She emptied her room-“

Starfire stopped stirring her sauce, placing the lid slowly on the pot. “Why did you enter Raven’s room?”

“It’s not her room anymore!” Changeling shouted, slamming his palms to the counter. “Her stuff is gone! No posters, no creepy statues, furniture covered in sheets- I don’t understand why no one else thinks this is suspicious. Raven just ups and decides to move across country, and we’re just sitting here like nothing’s happened?”

“Well,” Nightwing sighed. “I think we need to respect Raven’s decision.”

“Yea, well,” Changeling grumbled cruelly, picking up his phone. “I think Raven needs to answer her damn phone.” He angrily dialed her once more, holding the phone to his ear.

She owed him, them, an explanation.

Changeling didn’t have a word to describe his relationship with Raven. In the beginning, he didn’t consider them to be friends; but somewhere between the Beast and the end of the world, they evolved into something beyond teammates and friends.

He didn’t have a for name it, but his emotions were clearer as he listened to the droning ring of the phone for what seemed to be the hundredth time.

Anger.

Frustration.

And, some uneasy feeling that twisted his stomach and made his chest tighten.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Her skin was still pink after she dried and dressed herself in a pair shorts and an oversized sleep shirt. The scalding shower helped to empty her mind and reset her senses.

Raven turned off the bathroom light, shaking out her wet hair as she walked back to her bed. She reached for her backpack. Digging in the front pouch, she pulled out a plastic bag filled with small plastic orange bottles and gave it a small jiggle.

An SSRI or two.

Something for panic attacks.

A sedative to be used as needed for insomnia.

A collective array of random vitamins and supplements.

With a heavy sigh, she plopped to her bed. She skipped her dose yesterday. Raven pulled out one of the SSRIs, reading the label carefully.

May cause drowsiness. Be careful when driving or operating heavy machinery.

Can cause blurry vision.

Take with food.

Read the medication guide that comes with this medicine.

Or not. The intermittent shame and unpleasant side effects on the bottle were enough. The long list of warnings and scary side effects were enough.

“So…” Roy’s voice echoed through the room as he entered with a big brown bag of food and large styrofoam cup. His eyes went right to pill bottle in her hand and the long scar on her wrist. “I,” He cleared his throat, casting his eyes to the side wall. “I, uh-“

Raven tucked her medication into the well of her lap. Her cheeks burned as she buried her hands in her lap turning her arms inward to hide her scars.

“I got you some chicken tenders to go with your fries.” He commented, setting the bag on the small table. Roy slowly walked over to her.

“Thanks.” She nodded, stiffly accepting the unsweetened tea. Her fingers curled around the styrofoam cup uncomfortably as she avoided his gaze.

Roy nodded. “No problem.” Shuffling out of jacket, he walked over to the bathroom. “I’m gonna take a shower.”

“Okay.” Her body hunched over the pills in her lap.

He stood in the doorway, hands pressed to either side of the doorframe as he waited for her to move.

Why wouldn’t he go away?

“Raven?” Roy called hesitantly.

She sighed slowly, still avoiding his eyes. “Yea.”

“It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

She slowly, turned to face his soft jasper eyes. Her body relaxed, back moving to rest against the headboard of her bed. Raven picked up the bottle in her lap, eyes falling to the long light pink scar trailing down her forearm. “I-“

“You don’t owe me an explanation.”

Her chest clenched, feeling helpless. “I’m fine,” she told him with a sure nod.

“I know,” he assured. “No judgement.”

“I-“ She started, words failing her. Nightwing was the only person who knew about her suicide attempt. She never had to say the words to anyone outside of the monochromatic walls of Iris’s office.

“You don’t owe me an explanation, and you don’t have to ashamed,” Roy told her softly. “We all have a cross to bear.”

She smirked, “I didn’t know you’re religious.” It was easier to joke with him.

“I’m not.” His smirk was light and comforting as he disappeared into the bathroom. “I just have scars too.”

Raven’s teeth sunk into her bottom lip, swallowing the urge to talk to him.