Tonight is. Not a good night

The story isn’t done yet I was a fool to post it so early!!

Please do not read the story

‘First day…’

‘Can’t do this…won’t do this…!’

‘My injury…they’ll take advantage of my injury…’

‘Mother knows I hate new places…’

‘I can’t go to that place…’

August tightly held onto their pillow, wrapping their arms around it and refusing to release it. August didn’t want to get up…never, never, never!

‘...So I won’t. I would need to walk to school anyways…’

August sighed and snuggled into bed more, their sharp tail tucked and wrapped around the blankets. “...August?” Mother Finiona’s voice was easily heard in the quiet house. August was pretty sure their house was the quietest house ever. Not much talking happened in the house, mainly just the sound of droning shows. “...Mhhh…?” August lifted their head. Their tiny, seahorse mother stood in the doorway. “...mother…” August pulled out their frill and carefully whispered to Mother Finiona.

“I’m scared. I look strange. Melty…" August pointed to her frill.

Mother Finiona nodded, cupping August’s cheek, not at all caring about the ink that dripped onto her hand from August’s accident. “August Mylioba, it wouldn’t matter if you were a tuna, it wouldn’t matter if you were a penguin, it wouldn’t even matter to me if you worked for that crazy bear or that…telephone I think it was, you’re my daughter and I will love you no matter what,” Mother Finiona wrapped her arms around August, tangling her tail around theirs.

Mother Finiona always knew how to settle August’s nerves…

Thank the Great Zapfish.

“Now come along, August, let’s get you ready for your first day at a new school.”

The school ground’s courtyard, didn’t matter what Finiona said, this place was still dangerous.

Eels hanging out with eels…

There’s a few rays over there…

‘I see a few jellyfish.’

Were those Deepseaers? That’s definitely an angler fish and a dragonfish. Deadly…

Can’t trust anyone here…

August’s stinger slowly slipped out as August glanced around, watching everyone carefully. Maybe if they kept their flap down…no one would notice their injuries…

“HIII!!!” an energetic voice shouted at them suddenly, apparently from out of nowhere. “Who are you- oh my gosh yoiu’re a stingnray!! I neverever met one before and- you’re so PRETTYYY!!” They seemed to stumble over their words, talking fast, and swapped between sentences, leaving some of them unfinished.

August’s frill sprung out, revealing the ink under it. Upon seeing a strange, pink figure run at them, they nearly stung her! August swung their tail forward before stopping it inches away from piercing them. “You….” August’s frill went back down, pressing tightly against their neck. They squeezed their hands tightly before angrily signing, taking a deep breath, You scared me!! August didn’t typically like talking to new faces. Especially not loud new faces. Next time, please don’t shout. You almost made me sting you…I don’t know any other stingrays but I’m pretty sure we’re deadly… A thought then, quickly came to mind, ‘Aren’t axolotls poisonous to the touch? …I don’t think I’m thinking of a different creature but…maybe.’

“Ack, sorry for startling you!!” they squeaked.

…I’ll live. August took a sigh before forcing their stinger away. What is your name? August pointed at the axolotl as they asked this.

“Ooo, are you asking me a question?! What is it, what is it!! Something about me… my name?”

August quickly nodded and asked the question again before then adding using their voice, “Sign…language…?”

“Oh, oh, oh! Before I tell you my name, hows abouts you tell me yours?” the axolotl said in a more gentle voice than before. “...August…” August soon said, rather quiet. In fact, so quiet that they were almost silent compared to how loud the rest of the courtyard was.

“August… huuh, pretty cool name! I’m May, and this-” she pointed to a tall, pale blue axolotl that had bandages over her eyes, who seemingly materialized- “is April, my best friend; we’ve known each other since we hatched! She uses echolocation to see- pretty cool, huh?”

April waved shyly before talking in a way less loud voice than May’s. “Hello.”

Echolocation? I…didn’t think any species here used Echolocation anymore.

May’s frills puffed up and out, presumably in excitement.

August silently stared at their own frill, the ink was running down their body slightly. Ack…no, no, stop. August raised their hands rather quickly and pressed against their frill to stop the ink. ‘Cod. No idea why I thought that would stop it. It’s stupid ink…!’ August grumbled to themself a little before turning their focus back to April and May.

“Anyways, want to be friends? We can sit at lunch today and tomorrow and EVERY DAY, like oh my cod, you have no idea how pretty you are!! Have you seen yourself recently?” May was bouncing and shaking with excitement.

‘Mother never taught me to hold my tongue…or- er…my hands I guess.’ August tapped and petted their frill before admitting, You’re a little overwhelming. Maybe when we get to know each other, better…?

May groaned as the bell rang. ‘...Maybe I should go with them, I don’t know this school whatsoever!’ August’s voice caught in their throat before, rather suddenly, “W-Wait…!”

May turned, and April paused midstep. “Yeah, August?”

Could you help me around? I don’t know this place. I’ve gone to Covelin School all my life. …ReefWell High School is rather intimidating. August signed to May, mouthing their words as well.

“...I guess we could… What class do you have first?”

Need to grab my schedule first, August explained, messing with their frill some more. They hated how slimy it felt but…they also liked the chill it brought. It was disgustingly pleasant…I guess.

“Ah, to the office it is, then!” May said, racing away.

April sighed. “I’ll walk you there.”

August joined April's side quickly. “...Thaaank..you,” August nodded.

“Yeah, no problem.” April smiled a bit.

“...What’s…it like being blind…?” August asked softly.

“Well… for one, you can’t see what anyone or anything looks like, and you have to memorize the layout of places…” she didn’t seem comfortable trying to explain what it felt like. “You’re just… surrounded by inky black all the time…”

August, rather quickly, picked up on her discomfort. “...sorry,” August murmured and stood at the front desk as they got there. At the desk was a shark. They looked battle scarred! ..Intimidating…

“Oh hi! Youuu..” The shark squinted a little before adjusting their glasses. “Heh…sorry, I have terrible eyesight, are you a stingray?” The shark asked, “If so…you must be August, correct? I’m Mr. Selach.”

August only nodded. “Here’s your schedule, Melioba,” Mr. Selach handed them a schedule carefully to which they took it quickly.

History with Mrs. Uid (1045)

Math with Mr. Lemon (2055)

Art…

Lunch

ELA…

PE…

And then Biology…

August stared at their schedule before rejoining April’s side, gently poking their tail with their own to signal they were there.

“So, what classes do you have, August?” she asked.

“History, Math, Art, ELA, PE and Biology…”

“Oh, me and May also have those classes, in that order…” April said, and she seemed nervous. August folded the paper up, swaying slightly now. “S-..Same…exact…order??? …Oh no…”

“That’s only a fraction of May’s personality, don’t worry.” April coiled her tail around August’s own. “Trust me. I know that crazy axolotl,” April smiled. “Did you know that she’s my sister?” she asked.

“Sh-..She is? Wow…I’ve never had a sibling…”

“Well, you’re luckier than most. Not me, of course. Others have very annoying siblings.” April pointed out.

“...Do you think I’m in PE because stingrays are…typically fast…??” August gently set down their schedule, pushing it into one of their pockets. August slowly stepped out into the hallway.

The hallways were…really loud…

August couldn’t help but slowly cover their ears. Didn’t stop the vibrations from traveling up through their body. August wished this was evolved out, I mean- stingrays didn’t eat other fishkind anymore, right? What was the point in detecting vibrations nowadays?

“It’s a bit busy today… and every day, but… normally there are… less… people in the halls than this…” April said, her frills vibrating in sync with the footsteps. August shuddered, pushing themself closer to April. “Uhm…there was a place known…as the commons in…” August just stopped talking, too many people…too many sounds–! August’s legs started shaking, their hands weak.

April seemed to sense this, as she said, “C’mon, let’s go to class.”

August made sure to stay close to April as they slowly made their way to the history class. There was a bellringer on the board, ‘What would you do if you were the last one of Inkopolis alive?’

“What’s the board say?” April asked. “I don’t have a braille copy…”

“‘What would you do if you were the last one in Inkopolis alive?’ Sorry I forgot to give you a braille copy, April,” a new voice said, approaching April and August.

An…Inkling! Wow- uh…August had never ever seen an inkling before…

August froze up, wanting to use sign language to ask but-...they couldn’t talk nor sign. They were just stunned.

“And you must be the new student, August I believe?” Mrs. Uid with a smile, gently shaking August’s quivering hand. August only nodded, “m…mhm…”

“I-it’s ok.” April smiled back. “My sister would’ve told me anyway.”

‘A-An inkling???! B-But they’re–...aren’t they always…i-involved in…i-in the sports–?? And…and the uh…turf wars!?’ August’s mind raced, resulting in her just, slowly, walking to the back of the room, in the corner. “Ah, not very talkative, hm? Your mother mentioned you would be rather quiet,” Mrs. Uid began to talk to April, handing her a braille copy of the worksheet for the day.

The bell would quickly ring, almost the very second the entire class was there actually.

Other inklings, a few other deepsea fishkind, a manta ray, some eels. All sorts of fish kind were here…!

April walked to the seat next to May’s, and sat in it, pulling out a little box contraption.

“I’m going to have to apologize to May, I was…a little rude…” Over the sound of the other kids talking, she was barely heard.

May whispered something to April, and the two giggled, but April was focusing on doing something with the box, having opened it, and grabbing several stamps with dots on them from it.

“Uhm…” August turned to April, whispering their apology to her and asking her to give it to May. April nodded and whispered it to May, who looked shocked. “She was rude to me? When?” she yelped. August glanced around April, clearly a little shocked. “I…I was…” August wanted to say more but couldn’t, just staying quiet and only nodding slightly. “...sorry…” August whispered, pressing their frill in more.

May looked shocked still, but accepted the apology with a confused expression.

Mrs. Uid cleared her throat and the class started. “First thing’s first, we have a new student, could someone or maybe everyone tell August what we’re learning in this class?” August pressed themself into their seat quickly. Eyes– too many eyes! August moved their frill quickly over their eyes to try to hide themself.

No one spoke, just watched. Finally, a voice said, “I don’t think the school should’ve let someone with ink running down them into the school. If that Tartar guy we’re learning about shows anything, strange ink running down someone’s face is very evil…” The voice was snide. Had to be the Lionfish.

“Shut up!” April shouted. The room went completely silent, as she never got loud like that, as far as August knew. “She is a good friend, unlike most of you. You should be ashamed of yourself! Judging someone based on their looks! Honestly! If you say stuff like that to her, you say it to me, too!” August couldn’t stop their cheeks from fuzzing into pink. A good pink luckily.

“Yeah! And me!” May joined in. “If you want to get to her, you get through us first!”

Mrs. Uid just sighed and moved onto the slides, “Correct, Leo, we’re learning about Commander Denewiah Tartarus (Or just Commander Tartar) this semester. Now then…”

August slowly dropped their frill back down. Their face was still fuzzy red. Thank you they signed to May.

“If anyone knows, can someone tell me how recent this was?” Mrs. Uid asked before pointing towards August, “August? Perhaps you would like to tell us?” August froze. Di-Did Mrs. Uid have something against her???

August opened her mouth before croaking out, “wh…w-whoo…???” Her old school hadn’t even gotten around to teaching about…whoever Tartarus was. Mrs. Uid looked disappointed, saying, “You weren’t listening, were you?” August just patted her hands on her lap, thinking, ‘I was, you jerk. Pardon me for being brand new to this school…!’ They thought, lowering their head and hiding their face slightly behind their frill.

“Anyways, what this AI did happened just 2-3 years ago. Scary, isn’t it? This is practically new information!” Mrs. Uid explained, flipping through the slides on the board. There weren’t many photos of him up close, but from what August could see, Tartarus was a monster. It looked slimy…and terrifying.

Then the talk of what it did to his victims came up!!!

“Does anyone remember what common household appliance he used to attempt to create what it thought was order?”

Leo raised her hand rather quickly. “...Yes, Leo?” The teacher looked a little annoyed.

“A coffee pot!” Leo said confidently.

Immediately, August’s mind filled with horrific ideas of burns. Coffee was burning hot after all. Reminded her of something from Hook (Genuinely, why did Clawlin think that was a good movie to show August!?). August slowly sat back in her seat, just quietly taking notes.

Actually, the classroom got…really, really, really quiet…

August dropped her frill a little to take a look around. Everyone was staring hard at Leo. August watched her spines slowly go down, making her mane much tinier and harder to see. “...D-Did I get it wrong…?” Leo asked, in a slightly offended tone.

“You did, Leo. I’m shocked. Regardless, it’s actually worse,” Mrs. Uid changed to the next slide.

A blender.

…A…blender…

August almost immediately felt sick to her stomach.

“Commander Tartar was smart and he, essentially, took on the form of a telephone as it looked almost exactly like an octoling. And, you already know, Octolings are not the smartest. The diligent Octotarians recognize as friends those who look and act like them. That’s why it took the form of an old telephone, whose face was similar to that of an octopus.”

“...” That’s not where her injury came from, right? RIGHT!? …Couldn’t. That stuff’s green (blue?), theirs was orange. Bright orange actually.

August looked over at May before they slowly wrote something down and passed the note to May. Mrs. Uid didn’t notice. Good.

‘Are we sure it’s dead? I don’t like the idea of an AI blending people up…’ The note read.

‘Don’t really know.’

I’m scared… August signed to May. What if he got… August shook her head silently as the lesson continued to drone on. August made sure to keep notes on everything.

He made a test based hell in an abandoned metro. Deep…sea??

His kill count was 10,007.

Something about sanitizing...

Kamabo…Zzz…

Gosh, August was tired. What time was it? She remembered moving to each of the classrooms and- It was already the final period!? M-My mind was turned off for the whole day- is it really almost time to go home?? August asked May quickly, stumbling a little closer to her.

“Yeah, it is.” May answered absentmindedly.

“I…hadn’t even noticed…” August murmured.

“Hey,” April said, “Since we’re friends now, we probably need a hangout spot.”

“Oh, yeah, we do!” May said.

“Not many places…” August murmured, trying to move away from the crowds. “What kind of hangout would even be nice? For me, I would love some damn peace and quiet right now…”

“Well, for one, abandoned places can have nice views, plus hardly anyone visits them!” May pointed out.

“Abandoned sounds weirdly pleasant…” August mumbled and started to look around as they came to the city square, oddly quieter than usual.

“Hmm, quiet around here today… not many people…”

…Hmm…

“What about there?” August asked, pointing at the entrance to an old metro. “That place hasn’t been used in years…” August approached and carefully climbed over the rails. Her tail got a little tangled before she untied it. “...I feel my sins crawling on my back already.”

“The vibrations here are those of mice.” April observed. “This place is perfect. Untouched.”

“Mice still exist? I thought Judd and Jino and Mr. Grizz were the only mammals left since the humans. …I’ve never seen a mouse. They’re adorable, right?” August started to pick the lock on the gate and open it for April and May.

“Yeah, I have a pet mouse! His name is Jinkles!! He’s soo adorable!!” May said.

“Aw…i-is it soft?” August opened the gate slightly using her tail, already walking into the Metro. “...Oof, I can already feel that this maaay be a mistake…”

“SUPER. SOFT.”

The inside of the metro was damp and rather dark. A dampness that caused August to fully spread her frill for once. By now, they had all traveled quite far into the metro. “Hm! I feel sorry for the Inklings and Octolings, they can’t enjoy water and dampness anymore. I wonder what they do when it starts raining…” August hummed. “I normally would have preferred to stay closer to the surface but this is nice…”

April shuddered. “Do you guys feel that? It feels like footsteps, but not mice’s… more… heavy… bigger…” Her frills were vibrating. Wobble. Wobble. Wobble. Wobble.

“Hm? What do you mean?” August asked, looking back at April. She froze suddenly. “...Did-..did anyone else see that?” August asked, pointing lightly at something. “...I swear I saw something move into the ceiling far behind us–...”

“..Maybe it was a mouse, though…” August’s frill fell as she instantly became more reserved. “Or a salmon…I heard from my last school that the octolings and salmon have..a deal of sorts. I would imagine they’re common underground…right?”

August hummed as she approached the train waiting in the main hall. “There’s a train here, it looks like it hasn’t gone anywhere for centuries.” August entered the doors and glanced around at the graffiti covered walls. “Hm…I’ve always liked looking at street art, so many ideas…” August smiled and sat down on the ground, just behind the doors. “This old train can be our new hangout spot!!”

“Ooo, yes!! April, you coming?” May called to April, who was just standing still where they entered. “I feel it more now… above us…” she muttered, hardly audible.

“Hm? Oh hi little Sea Cucumber,” August smiled, petting her tail over the tiny, blue, slightly spiky slug. “...He’s not very talkative,” August chuckled and instead picked them up. “Hiya!” Not a word from the slug but it looked nervous somehow.

May giggled. “He’s so cuuuute!! I can’t stand his little- everything, really!” She patted the sea cucumber on the head.

“...Please put me down,” The sea cucumber suddenly spoke in an annoyed tone. “I am very poisonous to the touch…” August squeaked and gently set them down. “I’m actually the conductor of this train, just a moment, there’s still 1 more person that needs to board before we pull out of the station…”

August glanced at May with confusion as the sea cucumber crawled away.

April just stood there, looking at the ceiling. “There’s something here…” she said ominously.

August quickly got up and followed the sea cucumber. “Come on, April! They were probably just leaving the metro. Guess this place is not as abandoned as expected,” May said, murmuring at the end. “Or…at least the conductor is here. Weirdly…”

August, meanwhile, quickly followed the conductor. She gently tapped the conductor on the shoulder. “Uhm…” The conductor turned back to look at her. “Yes?” August’s frill tucked in more before she raised her hands. Me and my friends were under the impression that this place was… “Empty? Or…abandoned?” The conductor chuckled at the thought.

August only nodded. Exactly. I do wonder now, where does this train lead? …If you’re not just a kid pretending. “I feel rather insulted that you would doubt me!” The conductor grabbed one of the levers, “And we’re heading for the DeepSea Metro!” He reached up, grabbing a higher lever.

*WOOT WOOOOOOOOOT!!!!*

The Conductor fell quickly back onto the controls after that, “And the name’s CQ, hope you’re ready for the ride of your lives! Go! Go! Grab your friend, we’re not waiting any longer now!” CQ shoved August out of the room, using horrifically long tendrils to do so.

August stood there for a moment before grabbing April’s arm and pulling her into the train as the door closed behind them. “...Well, guess this place isn’t as quiet as we…had expected,” August murmured softly, scooting closer to April.

“Where are we even heading??” May asked.

“...Somewhere called the Deepsea Metro. …Ring any bells for you guys?”

April was silent, and May shook her head. “Nope.”

It didn’t take long before they arrived at the Deepsea Metro.

All 4 of them hopped off. Wait…4? …No, no, August was going nuts, there were only 3 of them.

There were only 3, right?

“April…do you feel anyone else? I-I can’t tell…” August’s frill tucked in further as her tail swung to her side, ready to strike anything at any second.

April was still, unmoving, as her frills vibrated, probably picking up movement. “Yes… two…” was all she said.

“T-Two!?” August gasped. “U-Uh…” August’s tail quivered behind them, shuddering.

“You guys skkound so scardd, why ccctkome into the metccro if you guys are buncha scaredy-catsssskttt?” A staticky voice suddenly asked from the end of the platform like it was coming from an old device or a radio or a walkie-talkie of some kind. Point was, it wasn’t very clear.

April’s frills went still and slightly pointed towards the sound. “Who’s there?” she said in a loud, stern-and-determined-but-slightly-scared voice. “Who’s talking?”

“Dude, fix your voice..” A second voice responded. “Mmyyyy…?? Orrthg, I-I aww-wee hearr sskkit..” The voice trailed off as the sound of a crank was heard. August stood in front of her friends quickly as the figures began to reveal themselves.

It was a large android with a deep blue button up with long coat tails and a white shirt underneath. Roped around his neck was a black bowtie. He wore gloves on his hands that seemed to be holding/hiding something. He had deeper blue pants that tucked into tall black shoes. …And his face was that of an old telephone…

August froze.

May gasped loudly. “Hey, didn’t we just learn about you in History? What was the name… Tar? Something… Tartar…?” Tartar clapped his hand before turning back to his companion, “I’m being taught in history! That’s definitely something!” He chuckled at the thought.

“...Y-Y-You’re su..supposed to be dead…” August whispered, stepping back more into her friends.

“I’m supposed to be dead, hm? Well! Ain’t that something. I guess Captin, Marina, 8, and Pearl are still petty liars!” Tartar laughed a little louder before taking another step forward. August swung her tail out more, shaking it as a threat.

April gasped quietly, her frills quivering. “...Tartar…? Doesn’t he have a… rather high kill count…?” she said in a low, shaky voice.

“Heh, it’s only gotten higher too…” The 2nd voice said, following Tartar out of the shadows and glaring at all 3 of them.

‘No-, nononono- 1 bombshell is enough!’ August covered her eyes. ‘They’re all dead! It’s impossible that there's still–!’ August ducked behind April quickly, shutting herself away mentally behind large walls.

“10,045 in case you’re wondering. Might be 10,048 by the end of the day! Then again, Axolotls and Stingrays don’t produce ink, do they…?” Tartar asked the person besides him, giving them a chance to answer.

“Why would we tell you?” April scowled. “You killed a lot of people.”

“All of them Octarians in case you forgot. You seafood from up above hate them last I checked so why does it matter, hm?”

“I-It matters i-if you try t-to do…!” August trailed off, staring into the cold eyes of the person next to Tartar.

“Hm?” Tartar noticed that August was staring hard at the person before realizing he had forgotten to introduce them. “Oh! Right, may I introduce my little friend!” Tartar patted them on the head roughly. “This is Everest. One of the first humans in the past 100 years.” Everest grinned and stepped forward.

“You bits of blobs thought you could flood us out like rodents, hm? Well, guess what? I’m back…”

“A-a human-! I’ve never seen one before- only in drawings-!” May said, observing Everest from a safe distance. “You’re pretty!”

August poked May with her tail, making sure not to sting her, ‘We shouldn’t be worrying about looks, May! That’s a dangerous AI and an extinct species!!’ August thought, still staring at the two of them.

Everest seemed to be growing bored with the chat, “Are we…going to do anything to them, Tartar? They can’t leave now that they know about you still being alive, CQ doesn’t have any tests prepared, we can’t blend them without the tests and I doubt we’ll be able to sanitize them!!” Tartar…wasn’t moving, just softly making weird noises. “...Oh for the love of Leviathan..” Everest growled.

April hadn’t moved, only twitching her frills and making soft noises, almost like humming. She was also slightly rocking back and forth, but still seemed fully alert. “Could…” she said, but then stopped herself.

Everest tapped Tartar’s shoulder before shaking her head and revealing a golf club. “Guess I need to keep you idiots in check, hm? Well, won’t be too hard..” She tapped the club on the ground, creating a grating noise. “Then again, I doubt any of you would risk the tracks? Trains come in and out of here often so..” Everest shrugged with a smug smirk on her face.

April looked as if she desperately wanted to ask something, but didn’t dare, probably in case they attacked her for asking.

“..Go on,” Everest tilted the club at April, “I can tell you're itching to ask me questions. I answered all of Tartar’s and Mr. Grizz’s questions, I don’t give a single f*ck to anyone.”

“M-Mr. Grizz knows…?” August gestured to Tartar. “Of course! They’re business partners. Grizzco and Kamabo, Grizzmabo…Kamaco, Kamagriz, both have a bit of a nice ring together…” Everest chuckled at the thought.

“W-well… I just wanted to, if we’re never leaving… uh, just memorize the layout of the place… I do this with every new place I visit…” she stammered, her frills wavering.

“Ha! I know a trick when I hear one, Olm, no. I guess you could explore the labs with Tartar’s permission though,” Everest’s voice still had that brushing off tone from before. “You’ll have to wait until 1867 over here comes back online though.”

“How did you survive the rising tides…?” August asked suddenly, revealing her face a little.

“Simple, what’s rule number 1 about surviving floods? 1. Get up high, 2. Pray, 3. Stay away from water. Years ago, my ancestors moved as many people and close friends they had into the mountains. And we survived! We survived everything…”

“Everything…” April repeated, awestruck. “I always wanted your kind to come back, and May can vouch for that… I’m so glad to hear that you’re still around…!”

“April! Are you crazy????” August hissed softly.

“Yeah, I guess I kind of am.” April shrugged. “But crazy in a good way.”

“Crazy in a bad way!!”

Everest faked a yawn as Tartar FINALLY came back online, “Oh my Leviathan! Finally!” “Sorry that took so long, Everest. Are they all still alive? Good, perfect!” Tartar claps his hands. “Now, you asked what we should do with them? Hm..I say we could attempt to sanitize them…I’ve improved the primordial goop since last time! I found this little strange, human looking thing with green blood. It was very weird, his blood healed all injuries in seconds. If my science is correct, that means fast healing for everyone sanitized!!”

“Oh no, that-that doesn’t sound great… or comfortable…” April’s frills puffed up and out. She fiddled with her bandages.

“My test subjects all say the process is completely painless! …So let’s see..” Tartar pulled off one of his gloves to reveal the eerie, blue green, sanitized ink underneath. August quickly swung her tail forward, ready to defend April and May- and her tail bounced off of Tartar’s leg. “...Did you forget I’m a robot…?”

By now, April was across the room, somehow, and she was pressing herself on the wall.

“...RUN! SCATTER!” August shouted and attempted to run. Tartar didn’t wait a second, stomping down on August’s tail, causing a sickening CRACK to echo through the metro followed by August’s shrill scream. “Tails. Such an easy weak point~!” Tartar yanked August close.

“Leave! Her! Alone!” May shouted, tackling Tartar from behind, clinging onto his neck with what looked like a strong grip.

Everest suddenly charged forward, striking May on the head with her club. “GET OFF OF HIM!”

Despite that, May still held on. “Not that easy to knock me out!” she panted. Tartar swung his hand back, grabbing May with the uncovered, slimy hand. “GOTCHA!” He yanked her off, making sure to grab her gills. “I was hoping to get that stingray first but you work just fine…” Tartar chuckled, “All it takes is a touch really…”

Suddenly, a pale blue blur smashed into him, and May wriggled out of his grasp. Tartar hissed and a tentacle shot from his back to throw the blur off of him. August rushed forward to grab May. “Th-This ain’t good–!” She whimpered, already spotting May’s colors starting to pale and change dark blue in some areas. Everest rushed forward to grab August, only for her to stab her broken stinger up into Everest’s chin.

Tartar’s eyes widened and he threw the golf club at August. “Everest!” Tartar yanked Everest away from August and May, “Don’t you dare die! You’re not allowed to die!” Tartar glared at them before rushing past them and entering a bunker in the ground.

April groaned from the tracks. “Oww…” she got up and paused, her frills vibrating wildly. “Train!” she shouted, ducking into a space beside the tracks. “APRIL!” August nearly reached her hand down before pulling herself back. “Oh no- no- no- no! TH-THis is awful–!” August began to shake. ‘M-..My fault- a-all my fault! Useless! Broken- sanitized- DEAD!’ August’s vision began to warp, filling with static and bright, kaleidoscope like colors. …August collapsed rather quickly afterwards.

My mcu favs w/ crush and relationship hcs (pt 2) (not proof read)

- gonna be honest she’s not familiar with romantic feelings, takes her awhile to even realize what she feels for you

- you make her heart all melty and soft, you make her face heat up, you make her question everything she does

- you make her feel even giddy and overly happy and it kinda annoys her tbh

- she thinks you’re out to get her or something and have casted some spell but when she asks thor he has no idea what she’s talking about until she describes what she’s feeling and he just laughs and thinks she’s joking

- she’s like no. I’m serious ?

- to which thor would tell her what it is, he has a bit of an idea because of Jane

- tbh loving somebody romantically, caring about somebody to this extent scares her

- she’s lost so many people and because of it became a raging alcoholic

- if she lost you she doesn’t know what could happen

- she tries to push you away but quickly realizes she doesn’t like doing that to herself or you

- asks you to go out drinking with her often if you’re up for that

- she’d find it funny how easily you get drunk but has no problem taking care of you, in fact she would probably drink with you more often so she can take care of you because it’s the closest to intimacy she feels she can have with you (no she is not taking advantage of you or anything, it’s more just the thought of taking care of you feels intimate to her)

- also you’re cute while you’re drunk

- trans with you so you can be tougher if you’re not that tough already

- tbh asks thor to do the same with you, whether it be cuz she’s not around or because you need the extra training

- eventually Thor’s at the point where he’s like you gotta tell em and she’s like no 🖕

- but she does eventually

- she’s kinda awkward about it but she tries to sound confident with it ^^

- dating you is very different than just being her friend tbh

- like you might’ve been surprised at her asking you out, even if it’s kinda obvious to anybody that knows her well

- to any stranger you just seemed like friends with a strange rivalry relationship but that’s really not the case

- she’s much more flirty in a relationship, since she’s confident you’re with her for a reason.. she’s not the type to doubt your relationship, you’re with her for a reason

- much more protective in battle though

- she doesn’t say she loves you enough, but she shows it through her actions

- asks thor about the romantic stuff but he has no idea really so she goes to Bruce who kinda has more of a grasp on it

- tries to take you to like normal restaurant dates... kinda awkward since she had no midgardian clothes at that point

- lotsa quick kisses on the cheek or forehead

- likes cuddling as she finds it just.. kinda intimate ?

- still likes to take care of a drunk you

- quick pecks on your lips are very often

- doesn’t like the idea of going on a lot of Thor’s saving the world shits unless you’re on board with it

- thor jokes about how she’s all badass and “I don’t give a fuck about saving the world or anyone else” until it comes to you

- she kicks his ass

- but he’s not wrong

- when she likes you she’s a bit like wtf

- like she doesn’t realize it for a moment until jane explains it

- before she was her usual talkative self but there was a lot of nervousness and stuttering at times, just unusual awkwardness that made Jane raise a brow

- it makes more sense now

- since she’s aware she likes you now she often asks you to hang out, to help her out, whatever it is

- the gal is clingy af what can she say

- lotsa hugs she loves giving you hugs often does them for a greeting

- just an excuse to hold you though tbh

- at times will get tongue tied

- she tries to flirt but it just makes you confused she’s not good at it you’re not even gonna know she’s flirting

- eventually grows impatient about it and is just like “I LIKE U DUMMY! DATE ME!”

- and now you date

- she gets into things a bit quickly so if it’s too fast tell her, hopefully not a dealbreaker

- dates are often because she’s got a lot of creative ideas for dates ^^

- still hugs you as a greeting but a lot longer and intimate and a kiss follows after

- speaking of kisses she LOVES to kiss you and she does so very often

- very needy

- big cuddler

- just like “CUDDLE ME”

- so demanding

- often talks about you and how much she loves you she can’t help it

- but if anybody did the same she like “shut up nobody cares”

- even with you though she’s blunt, but much nicer about it

- likes going on just good dates, restaurants , picnic, whatever

- she eats all the food

- tries to impress you so she might say she was best friends with thor at a point

- and that she’s helped him out before and .. yeah etc

- she likes buying you clothes tbh

- especially if you don’t dress good let her dress you up pls

- would be sad if you didn’t get along with Jane

- it would be a dealbreaker actually

- she knows she’s a bit much so she feels happy you love her anyways

- vision of course will not understand his feelings

- he understands you definitely make him feel something, that something being good

- for a moment he might think he feels like this is how best friends feel towards another, or even thinking he sees you in a familial light

- tony quickly tells him that is not the case

- once vision understands what he really feels he’s not sure how to go about it, he can be quite oblivious

- he’s aware of this but still .. what does he do?

- asks tony for advice, he tells him to flirt and see how it goes

- but tbh that doesn’t work, you don’t even realize he’s flirting gonna be honest

- he’s just bad at it

- so he tries to just simply state his affection, that doesn’t work because he doesn’t know how to word it without it sounding platonic, or getting too nervous about going too far

- he doesn’t wanna overstep boundaries

- tony is in pain watching this btw

- tony eventually is just like “he wants to know if you would like to go on a date” “w- I.. yes?”

- in a relationship he is very sweet

- kinda cliche though, since he doesn’t have a concept of romance at all

- looks up a lot of the things he should know about romance he doesn’t want to ask you that

- while he has no problem protecting you, he doesn’t feel the need to be overly protective unless needed

- he’s logical, reasonable, he only gets protective if he has to, even with how he feels towards you

- but do you distract him? Yes absolutely

- he’s okay with living comfortably and normally for once with you, unless it’s something you don’t want or are not ready for

- once you’re conditioned to a certain lifestyle, even if it isn’t a good one it can be uncomfortable to get out of and he understands that

- he loves to kiss you, often initiates kisses or forms of affection

- you were the first to kiss him, it made him so flustered but so happy and now he’s addicted to kissing you

- loves kissing your hands

- if you have any insecurity he will do anything in his power to prove you wrong and that he doesn’t see you in that light

- he understands he has responsibilities but other than that, loves spending his time with you

- he understands you’re a distraction so he tries not to fight with you, he wants to prioritize the people when it comes to this kinda thing

- which you of course understand

- once you teach him what dancing is, his love language is dancing with you

- you two just stay up talking about nothing and everything

- having kids with him isn’t an option, but he isn’t opposed to adopting children

- after all, all he’s ever wanted was to be a normal significant other to you

- do not have a huge concept on her character so forgive me 🙏

- she can be a bit flirty, not that you mind though right ?

- she just loves spending all her time with you

- probably met you before wandavision

- so you’re probably already together

- even then in wandavision you two were “roommates”

- doesn’t explain all the flirting girl .

- agathas fall would be letting Wanda find out she had a soft spot for you my god

- while she’s all confidence and flirty in general, she’s a bit softer with you

- like she genuinely means the things she says when it comes to you

- eventually asks you to date her, you don’t have much room for dates outside of wandavision

- you two are always together btw

- loves dancing with you

- she has a good grasp on romance so she has no issue with it

- she is full of confidence when it comes down to it tbh

- holds your hand often

- your relationship ain’t official till like the 70s probably

- might joke after wanda has kids that you both should have kids too

- while she’s causing her mischief you back her up to make her look less suspicious

- seriously in the mist of all this she’s grateful for you

- especially when you get her out of the hell that Wanda puts her in once again

- to which she will actually confess she loves you, and cares for you

- you aren’t just like.. some person to date

- she’s not the most vulnerable obviously

- so the fact she finally is.. it’s just a lot

- “idk I just love u a lot hun . Cant I show I love u 😊”

- she’s just so overly sweet with you

- she’s so awful to everyone else at times that she just likes being .. with you and being a softie

- likes you playing with her hair

- she loves a good cuddle

- cute nicknames like hon, or hun, or just teddy bear

- with a crush quill might try to act overly friendly

- and probably flirts a lot

- he’s very like obvious with the flirting so you’d have to be oblivious not to notice it

- he can be quite protective as well

- like not just in fighting but even with just others like even before dating he’s very jealous

- if he makes a joke you’re always in on it somehow

- he tries for form a close bond with you just cuz he likes you so much

- it’s likely he likes somebody that can easily protect themselves doe

- probably has some dumb handshake with you

- honestly he acts like a close friend to you

- people might mistake you for a sibling like relationship if it weren’t for his flirting and him staring at you like you’re his entire universe

- seriously Sam says Bucky has a staring problem, quill is fucking awful

- it’s constant and rocket is always like “you’re staring”

- and he’s like “nO” and then continues to stare

- has you listen to his favorite music of course

- especially the love songs ;D

- will just dance with you to the music he puts on

- one time you guys are dancing to the music he put on like normal but it’s a slow love song, so hes like let’s so dance bae

- and then he tells you how he feels for u

- now u date <3

- lots of forehead kisses

- cuddle bug absolutely

- still a jealous boyfriend though tbh he will try to seem all tough in front of any man he thinks might be better or something he will do anything to show off

- your relationship doesn’t change just lots of kisses and hugs now and I love yous

- you’re totally the relationship that’s like “I love you more” “nooo I love you more” and the guardians hate y’all so much

- he uses nicknames like hun, honey, love, sweetheart

- let’s just say you slow dance more often, and kiss while doing so ^^

- he flirts with you still but it’s a lot more sweet rather than before where he might’ve just flirted with you in terms of like it being kinda like calling you sexy and shit like that, now it’s more like wow u look beautiful I luv u 😊🙏

- would do anything for you, even if he wouldn’t like it

- doesn’t mean he wouldn’t hesitate tho

- going on separate dates isn’t really an option since you guys fight left and right and are always with the guardians, but he decided every once a couple months you guys go on a date together and have some fun

- Loki doesn’t get crushes, so this is a new thing for him

- and tbh he doesn’t know how to take it either, especially when he realizes how strong those feelings actually are

- he hates the idea of being vulnerable in general, especially when it comes to you

- over time it just... happens

- but if there’s any indication he likes spending time with you he will try to lie his way through it, he’s a good liar of course so it probably works

- however he shows he at the very least cares about you, he shows a sign of protectiveness when it comes to potential enemies.. enemies that happen to be dangerous for you

- plus he’s around you like constantly and claims he has nobody else to harass

- he claims he doesn’t care about you at all, but even thor can tell through this lie

- the way he looks at you makes it obvious

- the way he doesn’t try to get you involved in his more dangerous schemes

- and if you do, and you get hurt he feels guilty and tries to help you feel better

- he claims he just owes you one for getting you hurt though

- eventually thor bothers him enough to get him to confess feelings, which takes a lot for Loki to even go through with

- he acts confident, even moreso after you say yes, but deep down was extremely nervous

- the male is good at making you feel important, after trying so hard to hide his feelings he is tired of it and just wants to be more honest about how he feels about you

- no issue being vulnerable, he trusts you but sometimes it can be hard

- he goes to you for a lot of his problems, even if you cannot help, just venting and you listening helps

- he was already with you a lot but now there’s no excuses and it’s even moreso

- “what? I just wanted to visit my beautiful s/o” “we literally just saw eachother 5 minutes ago can I please go to bed”

- likes pressing your foreheads together, he finds it sweet

- jealous of thor? Absolutely. Pls comfort him and tell him you’d never leave him for thor

- he’s so used to just not being as good as him, he wants to be good enough for you

- deep down there’s just so many insecurities he has

- so it causes him to worry like all the time

- having a reassuring and patient s/o is so good for him ^^

- flirting becomes a thing in your relationship

- it makes him feel more confident pls give him this

- protective, he feels like he has to be tbh because he never gets anything good in his life and if he does he loses it, he’s scared to lose you too

- if for some reason he can’t see you he makes an illusion of you to talk to

- when he fake dies you’re the first he goes to see so you don’t think he’s dead, he loves you he wouldn’t want to do that to you =(

- finally

- gonna be honest bucky with a crush is cute

- first of all he smiles at you a lot, Steve is the first to notice how much he smiles around you, it’s the most he smiles like ever

- just has a lot of nice conversations with you about anything and everything

- also whenever you’re around even if other people are around you he’s just like “hey y/n :)”

- heart eyes for you, just can’t help but stare all the time

- he has a staring problem but with you? Yeah 10x over

- Sam always has something to say abt it also

- his idea of flirting with you is really just saying hi to you, just being overly friendly which is noticeable for a guy like Bucky

- eventually would ask you out, he tries to ease into it but he gets a bit impatient

- he was also nervous asking you out but yk

- when dating him he becomes very protective

- one of the most protective bitches on the list tbh

- he gets nightmares about you dying like all the time it breaks him everytime though

- lots of cuddles, whether it be from a rough day, he’s just tired, or had a nightmare

- he likes his hair being brushed by you and played with, even when he cuts it

- he’s scared of killing you and turning into the winter soldier again

- has dreams about when he’s hurt and fought you as the winter soldier, he keeps thinking about if Steve wasn’t there to help, he really could’ve killed you and that terrifies him

- even when you tell him it wasn’t him, he appreciates it but still feels horrible about it

- touch that metal arm, but like gently Yknow . Nobody’s ever touched that arm with such kindness and it makes him soft and feel lucky

- speaking of soft Bucky is very soft, there’s many soft moments with Bucky and vulnerability

- it’s easy to be vulnerable with you but not others

- lots of handholding

- he loves hugging you for long periods of time

- still has a staring problem but now Sam openly makes fun of him

- just big dumb smile on his face as he looks at you

- especially when you’re dealing with kids, seeing you be around them makes his heart warm

- maybe he does wanna be normal, settle down and have kids

- though the thought scares him it is something he desires

- we all know he calls you doll

shines so sincere; an ace!Lily fic

available on ao3 under the same name, warning for internalized acephobia. 3k.

---

Lily sat sideways on the bench, poised to stand, biting her lip. Her eyes were on James, who sat just down the table from her, his eternally messy hair made even worse from having just rolled out of bed, so late he nearly missed breakfast. He was getting better about being responsible in all walks of his life—she’d caught him studying, Merlin forbid, and knew from their work together as Head Boy and Girl that he took his job seriously—but apparently getting up on time was just too difficult.

Not that she could blame him. She hadn’t wanted to get out of bed this morning either. At least she had a reason, which was the same one she had for being nervous now.

She’d always known that James fancied her, couldn’t avoid the truth of it after all of his pathetic attempts back in fifth year to win her over. And while she no longer felt the embarrassed anger she did then, it was the same: there was no avoiding that James had feelings for her. She didn’t want to avoid it, really, not anymore. In fact, recently she’d started to reciprocate a tiny bit, her heartbeat fluttering when he smiled at her, her palms sweating when he asked her to accompany him places (as a friend, he always specified, a self-conscious little smile on his face). The conversations they had were too often aimless, bouncing from topic to topic, eliciting spirited debates that left her heart and mind in a tizzy.

It wasn’t an issue, fancying James. She found herself enjoying it more and more, the way he made her feel, the way he looked at her. At night, she found herself imagining dates with him, real ones, and sometimes there were torturous ideas of a future they could have together as adults, as partners. Her feelings for him were different from how they used to be, no longer annoyed or reluctantly amused, but uplifting and fulfilling, they were fun and bright and silly, they were—

Nerve-wracking. Because there was something Lily hadn’t told James—hadn’t told almost anyone—that, she knew, would throw a spanner in any possible relationship they might have.

She stood, then, knowing she needed to get it over with, to rip the plaster off and—and hope for the best. Last night, it wasn’t dreams of a future with him that kept her up, but the fear of his reaction. He wasn’t a bigot. He supported his friends, he never hurled slurs. Everyone knew his mother’s sister was married to another witch. Whatever happened, she knew—took comfort in the fact—that he would be kind about it, that she would probably (hopefully) not lose his friendship. But it was still terrifying, the unknown effect all of this could have.

He looked up as she approached, his smile widening, the lines around his eyes crinkling behind his glasses. He raised his glass as if in a toast, and asked, “To what do I owe the pleasure, Evans?”

Ignoring the curious looks of his friends, she said, “Actually, there’s something I need to talk to you about. In private.”

That didn’t sound too bad, did it? Not necessarily personal. It could’ve been about Head Student responsibilities. It could’ve been about anything.

But of course, he could tell it wasn’t. Taking one last bite, he studied her face. She didn’t dare look away, knowing he’d see the tell for what it was, but meeting his gaze wasn’t any better. James Potter could read people like books. He could read her like a book. Especially lately, as they became closer, he’d been able to tell all too easily when she was upset. Standing, he asked lowly, no joking in his voice, “You alright?”

Just peachy. Her stomach was twisting anxiously, heat lurking in the back of her eyes, and she was certain that he was going to end up saying, Thanks but no thanks. She said, “Yes, fine. Can we go?”

She hardly waited for him to reply, unable to stand the probing looks from all four of them anymore. Escaping the Great Hall, Lily found the nearest empty classroom she knew of, not speaking. Her breath shivered out of her lungs as she tried, once again, to tell herself everything would be fine.

The sound of James’s breathing and his shoes on the stone flooring was all she needed to know he was with her. Once they were both inside, she shut and locked the door, then cast a muffliato. It wouldn’t be enough to keep his sneaky friends out, but she immediately felt better with a barrier between her and James, and the rest of the school.

Turning, she found James leaning against a table, looking right at her. He had his concerned face on—his mouth was pulled down, his eyes sharp—and his shoulders were deceptively relaxed, his hands resting on the edge like he might launch himself off it at any moment. 

She wasn’t sure if he was trying to seem harmless or not, but if he was, he was failing. Under his attentions, she felt utterly see-through. Clutching her arms against her stomach, she found there was nothing she could do to protect this vulnerable spot of herself. 

He won’t hurt you, she reminded herself. His friends, his aunt, never saying any slurs. He wouldn’t hurt her.

Not on purpose, another part whispered. But he still could.

“Okay, I can tell something’s wrong,” he said, cutting through her thoughts. “Did something happen? Are you alright? Who do I need to go curse?”

All night long, she’d thought about what she would say. Nothing had felt right. She’d thought, stupidly, that the words would come to her in the moment, that looking at him and his soft melty gaze would be enough. There were no words magically popping into her head, no ideas of how to broach this with him. And of course he was getting all protective and jumping to conclusions.

Lily approached him, though she didn’t lean on any of the tables herself. She needed to move, she needed to have some space while she did this. “Nothing’s wrong,” she said finally, hoping it was the truth. “Nobody did anything, and I already said I’m fine. I just wanted to tell you something important. It’s, uh—I’m just a bit nervous, that’s all,” she said under her breath.

James didn’t look convinced. But still, faced with someone he cared about who was panicking, he softened. He didn’t reach out to her—he knew she should be the one to initiate right now—but leaned his head forward a little, trying to catch her eye. “Hey, that’s alright,” he said soothingly. “Whatever it is, it’ll be okay. I promise you.”

For some reason, she said, “You shouldn’t make promises you can’t keep.”

“Trust me, unless you’re about to say you’re secretly a Death Eater right now, I’m sure it’ll be okay.”

Lily scoffed, revolting against the very idea. But she didn’t linger on the indignation she felt—it was distracting, and too… passionate, she supposed. Too far in the opposite direction. She needed to focus, didn’t want to think about something else, not when this was so delicate. “I would never. It’s not that. It’s…” She didn’t know a better way to do this, and time was starting to run out. He wouldn’t sit there all day waiting for her to find the perfect way to— “I think I’m falling in love with you.”

His mouth dropped open, but otherwise, he was frozen, staring at her with wide eyes. 

Not giving him a moment to let that settle in—no matter how much she wanted to—she plowed on ahead. “Except that there’s something… not wrong with me, it’s not a bad thing, it’s just—well. I don’t want to have sex with you. I don’t want to have sex with anyone. I don’t have… I’m not….”

She had no words for it. There was no easy way to explain that she liked to get herself off just fine, but when she and her ex-girlfriend had tried to have sex, she’d felt… bored and uncomfortable. There’d been cerebral sparks between them, and kissing had been great, but sex was a different story—there was nothing there. Every time they tried, she just felt lost and confused, unsure why anyone would want to experience it. And the more in her head she got about it, the worse it felt, her skin beginning to itch in an altogether unpleasant way. She’d wondered if she was the only person in the world who felt like that, if maybe she was trying with the wrong person, if she was even into girls at all.

The only answer she had was for that last one, and it was a resounding yes. But doubts still creeped in the back of her mind about all of it, anxious thoughts about what it meant that she didn’t like sex, questions about—was it just that she didn’t like sex, or that she didn’t want it, or something else? Was there even any difference there? What did it mean for her future—would she end up alone like Petunia always teased her about?

And what did it mean that she could enjoy her time alone, but once someone else touched her, the warmth in her stomach shriveled and disappeared?

She kept telling herself she wasn’t broken, but she wasn’t sure if she believed it or not. The old adage “fake it until you make it” wasn’t working as well as it usually did.

Stupid tears filled her eyes as he sat, still frozen, probably trying to figure out what the bloody hell she was even talking about enough to reject her. She was so good at hiding her emotions with everything but this. There was no one to talk to, no place to vent, and the few times she’d ever talked about it with anyone, she’d cried. She didn’t want to cry in front of him, but he wasn’t saying anything, he was just staring at her, and she didn’t know what it meant!

“I understand,” she said, voice thick with held back emotion, “if you don’t want to have to deal with that. For what it’s worth, I’m sorry, and I hope we can still be friends.”

He blinked at her, and it was then she realized that—no, he probably didn’t want to be friends. He was probably still in love with her, and now she’d just gone and ruined it, maybe even broke his heart. She wouldn’t want to be friends with him either if the situation were reversed—wouldn’t be able to handle seeing him after a rejection like this. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to anyway. Their prefect patrols and Head Student meetings were going to be miserable, weren’t they? Both of them pretending their hearts weren’t shattered because she just couldn’t make herself— 

Still, she tried to retain some dignity. Holding her head up, she nodded solemnly and didn’t say a word as she turned to the door.

She was going to leave, and she wasn’t going to cry until she was safely tucked in her bed in Gryffindor Tower, where James and his stupid brilliant everything couldn’t find her.

“Wha—Lily,” James suddenly said, startling out of his stupor and reaching for her arm. He turned her back around gently, his eyes searching her face. “Wait. Wait, please. You just dropped two bombardas on me, I need a second to—you’re falling in love with me? Really?”

His eyes shone happily, his smile reappearing. She nodded, unable to speak around the frog in her throat. Yes, she was falling for him. It felt inevitable, right down to the marrow of her bones, like sinking into a warm hug. But the issue about sex was holding her—them—back. She wished, not for the first time, that she could be more normal.

It wasn’t often she let herself entertain the idea, knowing it did nothing but hurt in the end. Maybe she would be different in the future, but what was important was now, and right now? There was no changing who she was. If that meant not being normal, then… well, it was just another way in which she was a freak.

Looking up into his smile, she hoped he realized that. If he was about to say he could fix her or change her, it would break her heart. But he wasn’t like that, or at least she really hoped not.  

“Lily,” he said, a simple word carrying the weight of several years of emotion. “That’s—I’m so happy to—I love y—wait, I should talk about the other thing first, I think.”

Lily closed her eyes. This was awful. Maybe she should’ve just pretended, should’ve told him she’s falling for him and left out not-interested-in-sex part. How could she go on after hearing that cut off declaration? How could she go on hearing him say it to Sirius every day, or Merlin forbid, another girl?

“Hey,” he said, coaxing and soft. “Hey, listen. You don’t need to be sorry for that. Okay? You don’t ever need to be sorry for who you are.”

“Unless you’re a Death Eater,” she said, daring to peek at him. His nose was twitching slightly, the way it always did when he something shocked him. She’d seen it a lot, after several revenge pranks over the years. But more importantly, he didn’t look upset, or disgusted. That sappy, melty, sweet gleam shone in his eyes, and his smile was lopsided but gentle, no sharpness to it at all. 

“Yeah,” he agreed solemnly. “Or a bigoted arsehole. But this? No. Not at all, not ever. I—“

Suddenly, a strong need to make it all clear to him gripped her, and though it was the last thing she wanted, to be rejected by him, she urged, “You understand, don’t you? If we date, if we become boyfriend and girlfriend, you won’t… I won’t… there will be no sex. I can’t promise you anything like that.”

Maybe it would have been easier to pretend, to lie. But she knew he would want to know. Flashes of what could’ve happened if she did hit her then—having sex with him, struggling to hide how it made her feel, and James eventually finding out, hurt and angry that she’d kept something so—so important from him. 

It was best she laid all the cards down now, before they could get any more tangled together. So that he could extricate himself before it was too late.

He hummed thoughtfully. Though he was looking at her, he seemed lost in thought, and she hoped he couldn’t tell what she was thinking.  “Would—wait, can I ask questions? You can say no, it’s okay.”

Questions. The word made her stomach cramp with nerves, but still, she nodded. 

“Thank you,” he smiled, coming back to her and shifting on his heels. “I’m mostly wondering what your limits are. Would you want to snog at all?”

“Snogging’s okay. I like that part. It’s just once it starts, uh… going beyond that,” she fumbled, “that’s uncomfortable for me.”

His hand twitched like he wanted to reach out, and she could picture the way he would comfort his friends, a soothing hand, a lifeline she sorely wanted in that moment. “Okay. Listen, Lily, I… I’m just gonna be honest, okay? I’m in love with you. And up until like, fifteen minutes ago, I thought you’d never return those feelings. I want to be with you, in any shape or form that might take. Friends, dating, whatever. As long as we’re together, I’m happy. I want you to be happy too. 

“If we date, and we don’t shag, not even once, then that’s okay. I’m never going to pressure you, or expect anything from you that you don’t want to give, not like that. I am glad you want to kiss,” he said, giving an exaggeratedly relieved sigh, and she giggled despite herself. “But, really. I love you. I love all of you, Lily. I’m probably going to have to like, study this stuff so I don’t say anything stupid or do the wrong thing, but I can handle that just fi— “

“James,” she said, interrupting him finally. Her heart was racing. This all felt like a dream, some fantasy where he was perfect and she got everything she ever wanted. All of his words, the feelings and meaning behind them, were hitting her at once. She opened her mouth but nothing came out. 

All she could think, over and over again, was How is he real?

“Can I hug you?” He asked after a few moments. His hands were twitching again.

“Please,” Lily replied, opening her arms for him. They fell against each other within seconds, and he was warm and stable and still there, right there with her. He knew about her and he loved her—not despite it, not anyway, he just loved her. He loved every part of her. Heart beat in her throat now, tears pricking her eyes, she asked against his chest, “Will you be my boyfriend?”

His hand caressed her back, up and down, up and down over the fabric of her sweater. The touch soothed something inside of her, the terrified and vulnerable shivers clenching in her head and chest finally easing, and she melted into it. “Don’t be silly,” he said. She could hear the beam in his voice, his own racing heart under her ear. “Of course I will. Girlfriend.”

A little hesitantly, he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “That okay?” He murmured.

She pulled away enough to meet his eyes. Merlin. Somehow, in all her panic, she hadn’t let herself dream of this becoming a reality. He was beautiful and amazing and she knew it wouldn’t be long before there was no turning back. Not long at all. “Don’t be silly,” she repeated him, standing on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. “Of course it is. Boyfriend.”

---

Reblogs are much appreciated! <333

Iori Izumi [Valentine] RabbitChat

“Next month, I will make you feel happy and sweet.”

Part 2-5

Read translations for Part 1 here [external link, not by me].

Part 2: Taste of a Kiss

Tsumugi: Good work on the collaboration chocolate sampling meeting with asuco!

Each chocolate was unique and delicious…!

Tsumugi: Since it is chocolate with the image of your kiss, I think the fans will get excited when they eat it…!

Iori: I agree. Since romance and femininity are essential to Valentine’s Day.

It’s good that the president of asuco appointed young male talent.

Iori: IDOLiSH7 has the concept of “youthful sweet chocolate” and TRIGGER has “sexy bitter chocolate.” It’s an appealing concept, I think.

Tsumugi: I think IDOLiSH7’s 7 chocolates will surely become a big hit!

I look forward to the launch!

Iori: However, Nanase-san got drunk again like that time he had Chanmery.

Iori: The chocolates in Nikaidou-san’s image used liqueur that was so fragrant that he got kind of unsteady….

Even though Yotsuba-san and I were all right.

Tsumugi: The person in question looked like he was in the middle of a pleasant dream….

Tamaki-san thoughtfully took care of him.

Iori: I’ll loudly say it 5 more times until he gets used to it.

Does Ousaka-san know the president? He looked troubled.

Tsumugi: It looks like it. By the way, I want to ask you something so I can write an activity report on the blog….

Option 1

Tsumugi: What are your thoughts on your chocolate?

Iori: It was quite delicious with a fine quality of bitterness. I didn’t think it was overly bitter.

My image is that of bitter chocolate.

Option 2

Tsumugi: Whose chocolate was the most delicious?

Iori: Nii-san and Nanase-san’s chocolates were fruity, so won’t they be popular with women?

Option 3

Tsumugi: What food would you compare yourself to?

Iori: You’re always so abrupt….

What is it? Sea urchin? I don’t really like it though.

Iori: Whose chocolate is your favorite, manager?

Tsumugi: I love chocolate, so all of them were delicious!

Still, aren’t you glad when people say your chocolate is tasty?

Iori: It’s complicated.

The product’s concept is the image of a kiss, so I’m kind of embarrassed when people praise it.

Tsumugi: Nagi-san was really straightforward when he talked about his impressions of everyone’s kiss, and everyone got embarrassed! lol

Iori: Don’t say impressions of our kisses, please.

Tsumugi: Sorry! Yamato-san and Nagi-san talked so much about their impressions of our kisses, I unconsciously picked it up…

It’s the taste of chocolate with the image of everyone’s kiss!

Iori: It’s troublesome when you abbreviate it, so even you should be aware of it please.

Saying things like, “Iori’s is bitter” or “Iorin’s kiss is bitter,”

I also got confused at the sampling meeting….

Tsumugi: Sougo-san liked it!

He liked the taste of Iori-kun’s kiss the most!

Iori: I told you, don’t say the taste of a kiss!

Iori:

Part 3: Crafty Iori

Tsumugi: Iori-san, good work!

It’s Valentine’s Day at last.

Tsumugi: I’ll bake a chocolate cake for everyone on Valentine’s Day, so enjoy it with everyone if you like!

Iori: Thank you.

Even though you’re busy, it’s not too troublesome?

Tsumugi: It’s only because I’m making it for Valentine’s that it’s fun.

Mitsuki-san gave me advice, so I think it’ll suit your taste, Iori-san!

Iori: That’s because nii-san’s cakes are top class.

This year’s Valentine’s Day is a day off, so Yotsuba-san already received gifts.

Tsumugi: Is that so?!

Adults can spend Valentine’s Day more easily on their days off, but it’s tough for students.

Iori: I heard Yotsuba-san is going to go to the school’s front desk so he can get chocolates on the actual day.

It looked like he was about to tell the dorm’s address to those who wanted to give him chocolate, so I stopped him with all my might.

Tsumugi: T-Tamaki-san does like sweets….

Iori: That person’s gluttony will ruin him someday.

Tsumugi: It’s too bad for the girls who like you, Iori-san.

I think they’d definitely want to meet with you for Valentine’s.

Iori: The fans too.

Since I can only meet the 1000 fans chosen in the lottery for Valentine’s.

Option 1

Tsumugi: I look forward to the Valentine Live!

Iori: Me too.

The final act was yet again taken by TRIGGER, but next year let’s be the final act.

Option 2

Tsumugi: Do you have any Valentine memories?

Iori: It might be a bit strange, but my brother exchanged chocolates with his female friends for Valentine’s Day every year.

Probably because they were reputedly delicious.

Of course, he also made some for me.  

Option 3

Tsumugi: Who do you think will get the most chocolate?

Iori: Isn’t it Yotsuba-san?

A lot of schoolgirls want to give him something, which he himself also wants.

If the theory of supply and demand is true, productivity will also increase.

Iori: Well, even if it’s Valentine’s it’s not like I’ll cut loose.

~A Melty Night for You! Valentine’s Live~ seems like an event that will broaden IDOLiSH7’s scope of activities from here on out.

Tsumugi: That’s right. Even though I have little influence on the staging, I’ll do what I can to help out…!

Tsumugi: There’s one more thing we can’t forget,, Yamato-san’s long-awaited birthday!

Iori: Finally this day has come….

Ever since my birthday surprise, I’ve only been thinking about Nikaidou-san.

Tsumugi: Aren’t you excited?!

Tsumugi:

Iori: Of course.

Let’s surprise that cautious onii-san.

Iori: At the live venue, by all means, please turn the camera on him.

Iori:

Part 4: Thinking of Riku

Tsumugi: Iori-san, good work on the rehearsal earlier.

I still have work off stage, but please rest easily until the performance.

Iori: I can’t rest. The surprise is also during the performance.

It seems Nikaidou-san thinks the birthday party we had at midnight is all we’re doing.

Tsumugi: Mitsuki-san baked a full-fledged birthday cake!

Tsumugi: By the way, it looks like you fought with Riku-san earlier. Is everything alright…?

Iori: I kept the surprise a secret from Nanase-san until today.

That’s why he complained about why I didn’t tell him why.

Iori: I couldn’t tell him!

If I tell the plan to someone with such a readable face, it’s like leaving an answer sheet out in front of Nikaidou-san!

Tsumugi: I-Iori-san, aren’t you exaggerating….

Iori: Besides, I wanted Nanase-san to concentrate on the live.

Many artists’ fans are gathering today.

Iori: The final act is TRIGGER, but what will be etched into everyone’s memory is Nanase-san’s voice.

Tsumugi: Unlike the surprise plan, you have immense faith in Riku-san’s singing voice!

Iori: Of course.

Iori: Is what I want to say, but lately, I’m a bit worried.

Ever since the beginning of the year, Nanase-san’s health seems bad and he seems fatigued.

Tsumugi: I’ve also been thinking so….

Is his condition also bad at the dorm?

Iori: It also looks like he has days he can’t sleep.

When I check on him, Nanase-san smiles, but honestly, it’s difficult to see.

Iori: I heard his condition was worse when he was a child.

Iori: It’s frustrating, so I can’t say much, but Kujou-san’s been supporting Nanase-san when he had much worse symptoms since he was small….

Tsumugi: Yeah….

Iori: Nanase-san’s been looking forward to the live, so let’s make it a success without incident.

There’s also Nikaidou-san’s surprise.

Tsumugi: Yes!

Option 1

Tsumugi: Did you meet TRIGGER?

Iori: I greeted them backstage earlier.

Yaotome-san pressed me on why only my costume had a crown. Saying that to me bothered me, so I flatly refused to answer him.

Option 2

Tsumugi: Your live costume is also wonderful!

Iori: Thank you.

Since we have the same theme as TRIGGER this time, it looks like we were mixed into the same group.

Option 3

Tsumugi: The preparation of the example song was also perfect!

Iori: Thank you.

Heehee. When “GOOD NIGHT AWESOME” played, that onii-san’s day of death….

Iori: Well then, we’ll be ready any time now.

I’m keeping an eye on Nanase-san, so don’t worry.

Tsumugi: Understood!

I’m also headed there!

Part 5: Happy Valentine’s

Tsumugi: Iori-san, good work on the live and the surprise!!

Tsumugi: It was a big success!!

Iori: It was a big success. I feel relieved.

Iori: Nikaidou-san was also happier than anything.

Tsumugi: The reenactment of the iconic scene from Nemesis livened up the whole venue!

When Yamato-san realized Nagi-san was playing the main character and Mitsuki-san was playing the heroine, the venue broke out with cheer…!

Iori: We did it, we did it! I thought.

It’s also because of the permission of the sponsor, asuco.

Iori: Even though it was a corporate event, they let us hold a member’s birthday surprise.

Tsumugi: He told me thanks for letting him make a wonderful Valentine memory.

Isn’t the president a good person? It was also thanks to Riku-san and Sougo-san.

Iori: Nanase-san’s ojisan killer act was going strong.

But I’m getting a little more worried.

Iori: That person, won’t he someday be lured with candy and kidnapped?

Tsumugi: The president also said, “I’m only a president of a chocolate company, but it’s the first time I’ve been shown such favor until now. It’s like having sons!”

I heard I’m going on an industrial review with the president next time.

Iori: You’ll accompany anyone like a balloon….

There’s a school holiday, so I will follow along just in case.

Tsumugi: Yes, please do! lol

Iori: Also thank you for the chocolate cake.

Yotsuba-san and Nanase-san enjoyed eating it.

Option 1

Tsumugi: It’s great that you enjoyed it!

Iori: Everyone scrambled together and ate excitedly.

Nanase-san wanted to savor it, and he was angry at Yotsuba-san who ate too quickly.

Before taking a picture, it looks like he got mad and poked him with a fork.

Option 2

Tsumugi: You’re normally thankful!

Iori: We are grateful. As always, thank you.

Option 3

Tsumugi: Did you enjoy it, Iori-san?

Iori: It was delicious. Thank you for making it while you were busy.

Too bad for to asuco, but your homemade cake felt more like it had the taste of IDOLiSH7, Tsumugi-san.

Iori: The return gift is next month.

Tsumugi: For White Day?

Don’t worry about it, because I feel your gratitude every day.

Iori: Don’t hold back.

Look forward to a present, Tsumugi-manager.

An adult-like one.

Tsumugi: An adult-like one! lol

Understood, I look forward to it.

Iori: Yes.

Next month, I will make your mood happy and sweet.

Thank you always, Tsumugi-san.

Iori: It was delicious.

Rising of the Shield Hero

More like downfall of the shield zero, amirite

I have a documented history of watching absolute trash garbage. Don’t weep for me, I do it to myself. Sometimes I enjoy holding a show’s impurities up to the light. It can be especially enjoyable when a show is especially bad. At least Rising of the Shield Hero is especially bad in some interesting ways. There were times when it felt like it was based on a particularly bad experience in an MMO. If that’s the case, I hope the author had all their purple items ganked or whatever. I don’t like Rising of the Shield Hero.

And you know, sometimes I get worried that the abyss might feel lonely without anyone to gaze back at every once in a while. So come, gaze with me. Content warning for slavery and misogyny. There will be spoilers below.

I’ve heard Shield Hero described as ‘incelcore,’ which is disturbingly accurate. This show has problems with women. I think I’ll just go from the beginning.

To start off, our boy, who I will only call Shield Jerk because I don’t care about his name or him in general, reads a book and judges the princess in the book for no very good reason. This foreshadows both how the actual princess in the show is bad and also the show’s problems with women as a whole.

OUR HERO

I just want to point out that the first episode is double-length, both to appease the wretched creatures who would want a double-shot of shield hero and to make me, personally, suffer. Anyway, we roll into our basic isekai premise: guy gets summoned to another world because he’s a chosen hero, one of four. His special weapon is the shield, and the others are sword, spear, and bow. 

We occasionally get POV shots from Shield Jerk that have this UI and let me just say the way this show gives everyone stats as if they were in an MMO, and makes everyone in the world aware of the concept of stats, annoys me greatly. It just raises so many questions that are never addressed. To be fair, this isn’t a problem specific to Shield Hero but it still manages to stick out on top of all this show’s other problems.

Anyway, we’re hit with the first major grossness when Shield Jerk is falsely accused of rape. I shouldn’t have to explain why that’s a terrible thing to have as a plot element. If you’re here I hope you understand why this is a problem. If you don’t… look I don’t have time to explain, there’s so much other horrible ground to cover. The princess (who Shield Jerk had already pre-judged as ‘slutty’, remember) accuses him of raping her and this is when the show starts leaning hard into its persecution complex. Because in this highly fictional world everyone immediately believes the princess when she accuses Shield Jerk of raping her and he’s completely ostracized. Not actually thrown in jail of course, because they need him to help fight the demon waves he was originally summoned to deal with and because the plot just fucking loves him.

This line will be ignored for a full half of the show. I’ll point out when it actually becomes relevant to the plot again. 

I don’t know why the princess does this. I mean, I know the story wants our poor Shield Jerk to be the underdog in the hopes that we will like him, but I don’t know what in-story reason the princess has for this. We will find out later that humans are prejudiced against the shield hero as a concept for no adequately explained reason (like I said, persecution complex) and maybe that has something to do with it, but otherwise it’s just there to be an example of ‘women be lying.’ Like I said, incelcore.

We then run head-on into the next truly awful thing about this show when Shield Jerk buys a child slave. See, no one will join his party for grinding with that rape accusation hanging over him, so he follows a shady guy who turns out to be a slave trader. And he buys the only slave he can afford, a waifish demi-human who he then proceeds to recklessly endanger in the pursuit of personal power. And she gets a tattoo that acts as a magical shock collar. The girl is, of course, enslaved because of fantasy racism. We’ll get back to that.

OUR HERO

Understandably, the other heroes don’t look too kindly on this. Except that slavery is apparently legal in this kingdom but also the king (you know, the king who rules in this matriarchy) looks down on it so I don’t even know. The spear hero, who has the princess in his party, challenges Shield Jerk to a duel to get him to free his slave and removes her magical tattoo. Except that by this point the girl (Raphtalia) has decided she likes being Shield Jerk’s slave. Because the plot fucking loves him. Shield Jerk wins the duel because the princess interferes, even though Shield Jerk got some outside help from some monsters he brought to the duel but that’s apparently not the same thing. And then Raphtalia levels up which means she magically turns into an adult.

 WHAT

THE FUCK

In the next episode the newly-adult Raphtalia decides to get a new slave tattoo because she loves being a slave. Shield Jerk also buys an egg from the slave trader that hatches into a not-chocobo. The not-chocobo (Filo) reveals that she can turn into a little girl and she loves helping the Shield Jerk. She can turn between human and not-chocobo forms because she’s a queen not-chocobo, which is a stroke of luck I’d excuse in a different (better) anime, but this is on top of so much other stuff I can only boggle at how many breaks the shows gives Shield Jerk. Because the plot fucking loves him. Filo loves Shield Jerk so much that she also chooses to get a slave tattoo.

The show goes out of its way to point out how much she loves being useful.

The next few episodes have Shield Jerk and Friends dealing with fallout from some stuff the other heroes have done while trying to do hero things. This is where it really feels like Shield Hero is based on a bad MMO experience, with how much it keeps pointing out how dumb the other heroes are. It almost feels personal. During this, Shield Jerk’s magic shield absorbs some power from an undead dragon, which is the only explanation we’ll get for why he’s so overpowered later.

Yes actually this show does actually make me hate everything.

This is also when the show introduces the third major character in Shield Jerk’s party, the other princess of the kingdom, Melty. She’s also a fan of Shield Jerk (who is accused of raping her sister) because the plot fucking loves him. Also the kingdom (which is supposed to be a matriarchy) does have a living queen but she’s under house arrest and the king’s in charge because of reasons. Also during this time Shield Jerk points out to the other heroes everything he’s had to clean up because they’ve fucked up. Which might be something I’d appreciate, if the show wasn’t so relentlessly focused on how perfect Shield Jerk is and how he can do no wrong. Like I said, it feels personal.

This is a weird show to include a Spider-Man reference.

Then there’s a weird plotline about doctored scrying footage being shown around to make Shield Jerk seem like more of a bad guy for killing guards who were trying to take Melty back. It’s politically relevant in a way that’s disturbing when put together with everything else.

We run into more fantasy racism where we learn about Raphtalia’s backstory and they go deal with a racist noble who’s selling demi-humans into slavery. You may remember that Shield Jerk bought Raphtalia as a slave, and she’s technically still his slave. So it’s kind of hard for him to maintain the moral high ground here. It’s even more difficult when he never goes back to put the slave trader he originally bought her from out of business. But you can tell the show wants him to have the moral high ground, with how he stops Raphtalia from killing the noble. And this kind of betrays the promise of the first episode. It wanted to show off how edgy it was with the false rape accusation and the slavery, but a show that really wanted to live up to that would have actually had the heroes flat-out killing someone in the name of justice.

YOU BOUGHT A CHILD AS A SLAVE

Skipping ahead, the pope is revealed to be a bad guy who betrays all the heroes because, I don’t know, he wants the church to have all the power to stop the demon waves or something. The pope gets defeated, the queen is placed back on the throne, and the king and princess who accused Shield Jerk of raping her are both sentenced to death for their part in the pope’s attempted coup. This involves the princess getting a slave tattoo and the show makes sure to show off her getting zapped for lying. However, in his generosity, Shield Jerk spares the king and princess from being executed and instead just has their names legally changed to ‘Trash’ and ‘Bitch’. And everyone loves him for it.

This is just so unbelievably petty.

 It’s astounding how far this show bends over backwards to give this fucker everything he wants. Sure, he starts at the bottom (due to gross reasons) but that lasts for all of five minutes before we’re gleefully shown how he can do no wrong.

Now the show should be over there, but it finds time to cram in an arc about the heroes all going to an island to grind where all the heroes except Shield Jerk get seasick because the plot fucking loves him. They end up fighting another demon wave, and I haven’t even gone into the waves of demons the heroes were originally summoned to fight and how they somehow tie in to other worlds that summon heroes and the heroes have to fight each other or their worlds will be destroyed in a way that’s never actually explained. There’s too much other horribleness that’s going on.

And then, to wrap it all up, we get this:

The slave trader Shield Jerk bought Raphtalia from is still fine! No one gave him so much as a stern talking-to even after that whole arc about how terrible demi-human slavery is.

There are some positive parts about Shield Hero, some things it does that I can respect. But after spending all that wordcount on its major, MAJOR, problems going over the silver lining wouldn’t accomplish much. 

And most of its problems revolve around women. The female characters in the show are either obstacles who must be humiliated or are constantly fawning over Shield Jerk. There are no actual friendships between Shield Jerk and any women, or even any friendships between Shield Jerk and the male characters. The other three heroes are only shown as rivals, and incompetent ones at that. Just their to point out how much better Shield Jerk is.

Shield Hero might actually be the worst anime I’ve watched. Goblin Slayer at least had a specific problem that you could imagine removed and have a decent, if generic, fantasy series (plus I do really dig Goblin Slayer’s design). Magical Spec Ops Asuka at least tried to do something neat. It went about it in about the worst way possible, but the idea’s there. Hell, I’ve even heard that Tanya the Evil’s creator intended it to be a critique or parody of Tanya’s mindset and if that were true I’d at least place it a peg higher than this. This terrible, hateful show with the terribleness so deeply embedded in it any effort to salvage it would be wasted.

I will leave you with this image of three girls, all technically children, fawning over Shield Jerk. It nicely sums up some (SOME) of the show’s problems.

13 March 1992

“I spy with my little eye something beginning with N” “Nose?” “How could I see my nose, it’s pitch black” I didn’t answer. “…” “I don’t know.” “The answer’s nothing. I can see nothing, you idiot.” We had been held up in the back seat on what felt like the thousandth hour of a cross country road trip to hell. It was the start of Spring Break and dad had thought that instead of spending the long holiday at home, it would be better for us to go and visit our gramma in New Jersey. I’ve never been much of a fan, especially as the other option was us going to Epcot like everyone else had. “Get a couple of hotdogs in you and you’ll forget all about Florida.” Dad promised on multiple occasions. I wouldn’t. As previously stated, my best friend Duncan had already gloated about his family having already gotten their tickets and how they would be staying for the entire week, kicking around Horizons and World of Motion. “I’ll take pictures for you.” He said as we waited for the bus. “Why?” I asked, “you know I’ll be there.” I replied. And that was the beginning of having to keep up with a lie. “Where are you staying?” He asked “The Yacht Club.” I said coolly. “We should meet up then.” He said “Actually, we’re going to go drive to see my aunt Carol first. She lives out in Port Charlotte” He didn’t believe me, which was understandable as I was lying. Not about aunt Carol, but about going to see her. When I attempted to convince my parents that going to Epcot would be educational, I was met with all of the ways that it would not only not be educational, but exactly how it would be far too expensive. I sulked up to the point that we started packing the car and then that sulking became pure anger for the situation. Outside, the sky had gone from burnt orange to inky black. The only thing visible for miles was whatever was in the range of the headlights. 10:32 glared back at me in dull green light from the dashboard. Was it only ten? No longer on a road, we were on a tunnel of pure, inescapable darkness. We hadn’t even seen any other cars in what felt like ages. The miles and miles of road went from the familiar stand-alone stores like Kmart to the altogether alien of an Al’s Grocers or Mica’s Pizzas. London Calling warbled meekly through the speakers as we sped through the wind whipped darkness. Dad considered himself a rebel, but I’ve never seen a punk who couldn’t make it through Cujo without flinching. “Where are we?” I asked, peering through the window. It had only gotten darker out and the once visible outline of the trees began to blend into the background, making it seem more and more like something from a storybook. “We’re nearly there.” Dad answered, a cigarette hanging from his mouth. “Just…sit back.” Part of me felt on edge, the endless hours of being cooped up in the backseat had finally started eating into me. “I need batteries” I replied, only to have it come out as more of a whine than anything else. “Why do you need batteries?” Dad asked, his voice rising slightly. “These are dead” I replied, flicking the switch from on to off and back again. Mom sighed. “I thought we told you to pack extra” Mom shot “Where’s your bag?” She turned her head to look at me or the void space where a dark green JanSport might be, had I bothered to place it into the car. Racking my brain, I was only able to come to one conclusion. “I…forgot it.” I muttered. I knew where it was, clear as day. It was still on the living room couch, stuffed with batteries, comics, and a flashlight for reading. I had snuck a roll of Oreo’s in one of the side pockets, stuffing them neatly in a roll of socks. I knew what was coming next “You have to be more careful, bud.” Dad said, “you’re nearly a teenager.” Technically, I had packed it. I had just forgotten to bring it. I wouldn’t say that though. She answered with her usual, emphatic “hmpf” and that was that. She turned around to face the abyss in front of her. The car fell silent again as some song about a stalker hit its peak. We drove, no longer playing the kinds of games that were meant to pass time, but actually just wasted it, the shadowy outline of everything slowly becoming hypnotically metronomic. “That was Rockwell’s ‘Somebody’s Watching Me’, and if you’re hearing this, you are officially up past your bedtime.” The voice on the radio spoke. It was another hour or so before I was jostled awake by the car coming to an abrupt stop. Outside, large plastic letters advertised “Gas and Sip” on which the G-I-P seemed to have long gone out, so the place was literally called the asS diner. The parking lot was dotted with 18-wheelers and cargo trucks, all of whose decals had faded away, so all that was really distinguishable about them were the bottom portion of what could’ve been a diamond or a triangle or…maybe it was an M. “Go get you and your brother something to eat.” Dad said. He handed Maya a handful of wadded up ones “And put ten on pump three.” “Can I keep the change?” Maya asked Dad gave her a wary look before turning back to the car and starting to take the gas cap off. “Come on, loser.” Maya grabbed me by the sleeve of my shirt and we walked quietly towards the diner. Inside, the halogen lights flickered and dimmed at every turn. The tic-tac linoleum floors held the same stickiness as every movie theatre floor I had ever seen, pulling at my shoes with every step. Wh-uick Wh-uick Wh-uick We made it to the counter, where a lady in a grease splattered apron stood watching the matchbox tv that hung in the corner. David Letterman was talking to Bruce Willis and Demi Moore about their dogs and the lady at the counter found it to be the most hilarious thing “What’ll it be?” She asked, not turning to look at us. “Do you have chicken nuggets?” I asked “We are not getting chicken nuggets.” Maya said, her voice firm. “I want chicken nuggets.” I replied Annoyed, the waitress, who’s name tag read “Ann” tapped the counter with the edge of her pen where a scrap of paper had been tapped down at its edges. Ass only served three things. Hamburgers, cheeseburgers, and fries. “We’ll have four cheese burgers…with four Cokes” Maya said, “and can you put ten on pump three?” She slid the money across the counter. The waitress, who’s name tag read “Ann,” looked harshly at us both as if we were being interrogated before taking the money and giving Maya her change. “Four burgers with cheese.” She shouted through a pass-through in the wall. The face of a man wedged itself into view before letting out what I assume was a grunt of understanding before it disappeared again. “Find a table.” Maya said before tossing the placard to me. “Where’re you going?” I questioned “The restroom.” She replied, “just go and wait for the food.” With that, she turned and disappeared down the hall. I found a space near one of the oversized windows and pulled my Gameboy out of my jacket pocket in the hopes that it might have magically recharged itself in the time I left it to sit. It hadn’t. A clock hung on the wall, its occasional tick drowning out Letterman. 12:03 shown in eerily slanted letters that looked like they had been painted on. The line-up of the Late-Night show in the diner consisted of an elderly couple eating pie, a younger couple, also eating pie, two truckers who looked comically like what you might expect a trucker to look like, and a guy who looked like he’d been pulled out of an episode of COPS; large, bulging eyes, weird hair, covered in dirt. He kept fidgeting for no reason, his feet tapping against the bottom of the stool like a rabbit’s foot. He wore the puffiest, heaviest coat I’ve ever seen, even though it was crazy hot outside, even for summer. I tried to not think about it, focusing solely on the space where someone had carved their initials on the diner wall, above a jukebox that looked like it hadn’t been used in decades. ZK Wuz Here The waitress, whose name tag read “Ann” slid a tray of burgers onto the table before setting the drinks out. I hadn’t realised how hungry I was until right up to this point. The burgers at asS tasted like burgers. Nothing made them one way or another the best thing that I have ever eaten. The bread was great, but the ketchup was watery. The cheese was melty, but the meat was dry. At 12:03 in the morning, food is food. Hastily, before Maya had come back, I started to devour the burger I claimed, tearing clean through the wrapper and scarfing greedily at it. I didn’t look up until I heard someone slide into the booth across from me. Half expecting Maya to be looking at me, disappointment clear on her face, I was surprised to find the guy who looked like he was from an episode of COPS sitting across from me. It wasn’t until he was this close that I could fully appreciate just how uncomical and awkward his appearance was. His eyes didn’t just bulge out of his head, they hung from it. They looked like those googly eyes you’d be forced to put on something like a clothes pin or a cotton ball to give it human-like features so that someone might say in passing, “this isn’t a cotton ball, this is a goddamn snowman. You get an A in art class, Kandinsky.” His hair was a mop of blond that had been streaked with blues and greens and barrettes and clips of every colour. His face was covered in literal, not figurative, sharpie drawings. “How’re you?” He asked, his voice a snake-like whisper. I didn’t answer, choosing to stare at him, mouth open, food half chewed. “What you playin’?” He asked “Listen,” I said with a start, “I don’t know you, but please leave me alone.” He stared at me for a moment, his creepy eyes looking as if they’d tilt out of his head and smash on the table, sending bits of creepy eye goo everywhere. It’d probably smell like bubble-gum and ass and for good measure, it’d be acidic enough to burn straight through the table, straight down to the basement. “I’m just asking a simple question.” He said, “no need to freak out.” “I’m playing Batman” I said. “Sweet,” He hissed, “can I play?” “Batteries are dead.” I answered resignedly He extended his hand as if to say, “let me see,” before sliding it away from me. “What I always find,” he said, removing the battery cover, “is that patience is a virtue.” He fiddled around with the batteries, moving them into different places. He took a paperclip from his pocket and wedge it in for good measure, before turning the entire thing over and staring at it like a proud father might look at their kid riding a bike and flipped the switch to ON. With that, the game sprung to life. “Good as new.” He said, smiling as if he’d just pulled off the greatest magic trick before returning the game, “So, where are you from?” “I’m not supposed to talk to strangers.” I said “But, I’m not a stranger,” he said, “we were just talking. I fixed your game.” “That was more of a nicety.” “A nicety?” He asked another chuckle finding its way out of his mouth, “how old are you.” I looked around, hoping that Maya might be walking out of the restroom, her usual surly big sister face on. She’d see the creeper, cross the room, and stab him in the side of the head with one of her bony ass fingers, say something bad ass and then he’d leave. What I did find was that on the outside of what I’m assuming is the only restroom’s door, a notice to “wash your damn hands” had been taped. I could feel a little piece of me die. “Listen, I just want to be left alone, yeah?” “I just wanted to tal-” He started. My armpits started to tingle, and I could tell that on some level I was close to vomiting or crying or both and then I felt the part of me that wanted nothing more than to walk back to the car, climb into the backseat, and go back home. And so, I started to cry. He stared at me for a moment before laughing to himself. He raised his hands in defeat and slowly stood before walking out of the diner. Even though I couldn’t see him, part of me could feel him staring in through the windows, his eerily large eyes boring into me. “Why are you crying?” A voice asked I looked up to see Maya standing next to me, her glasses in her hands. “Just tired.” I said She whispered something that sounded exactly like, “you a fucking bitch” “Where are mom and dad?” She asked without taking her eyes off the space directly behind me. “They haven’t come in yet.” I said, my mouth still full of burger. “Ellie, where’s the car?” She asked I turned to find the space by the gas pumps void of anyone, especially not a station wagon with a bunch of luggage strapped to the roof. “Shit.” I muttered as I pushed past Maya. We ran through the double doors and into the night. The air was sharp and musty, the taste of dirt and the moments just before rain caked itself thick on everything. “What the hell.” Maya asked as she too looked around, confused. I could feel my heart in my throat, goosebumps crept across my arm and neck and I immediately felt as if I was going to be sick. We stood outside, looking up and down the road for any sign of anything, but there was nothing. No cars. No lights. No sound of something far off in the distance. Nothing.

colors

written because i was thinking a lot about confused bb willow, and how she almost definitely had high school crushes on jenny and buffy

(ao3)

Willow has a crush on Giles.

Obviously.

Buffy looks a little knowing and giggly every time Willow starts gushing about Giles, the same way Willow feels when Buffy’s twirling her hair in the corner of the Bronze and determinedly not looking over her shoulder at Angel. There’s a picture of Willow and Giles in Willow’s locker, both of them smiling at the camera. Giles’s smile has that note of polite obligation to it; Willow gets the sense that he only took that picture with her because he cares about her, which makes it all the more nice to have.

It’s not weird to have a crush on a teacher. Not unless you do something about it, and Willow has no intention to do anything about it. She can have nice, fluttery, uncomplicated feelings for Giles and still go into the Sunnydale Library and help out with researching. Most of the time, she’s so preoccupied with helping everyone that she forgets about her crush on Giles completely. It’s pretty lucky that she’s got Buffy and Xander to teasingly remind her.

Giles is a good choice to have a crush on, anyway. He’s smart, and kind, and he’s never once teased anyone about anything. Sure, he’s a little terse with them all sometimes, but he’s got a lot of pressure on his shoulders.

The funny thing is, though, when Willow thinks stuff like that (he’s got a lot of pressure, he could use the opportunity to loosen up) she doesn’t really feel that need to be the one to help him. Like—when she’s thinking about helping Buffy, she feels a little twist in her chest at the thought of anyone who isn’t her helping Buffy, but the thought of her helping Giles in a romantic sense makes her feel more than a little nervous. Because—he’s so experienced. It must be that. Giles is the perfect choice to have a crush on, so Willow must have a crush on him. That’s the way it works.

Oh—when she’s thinking about helping Buffy—it’s not romantic. Not—she doesn’t think of Buffy that way. Obviously not.

Somehow Willow’s lapsed into stammering even in her own train of thought.

Ms. Calendar (I’d go by Jenny, she says at the beginning of her first class, but the principal’s a real stick-in-the-mud about that kind of thing) has soft, dark hair, the color of melty chocolate, and the first thing Willow wonders when she sees that hair is what it smells like. Which is kind of a weird thing to think about, but hello—Willow’s kind of weird. She likes school more than almost anyone she knows, and if that doesn’t qualify to put her at the top of the weird list, what would?

Probably the next thing Willow wonders might do the trick, which is when she looks at the cherry-red lipstick Ms. Calendar wears and tries to figure out what it would taste like. Her brain catches up with what she’s just thought. She knocks all her books off her desk.

At the teacher’s computer, Ms. Calendar looks up, dark eyes quizzical. Willow blushes almost as red as her hair and gets out of her chair, kneeling down on the floor to reorganize her books.

Willow thinks about Ms. Calendar all week. She gets the sense that Giles is thinking about Ms. Calendar too, because when Ms. Calendar walks by the library Giles gets all flushed and angry-looking and starts talking very loudly to no one about how glad he is that so many students appreciated the library as it is, no computers necessary. Ms. Calendar rolls her eyes and keeps walking, but she throws a look back over her shoulder at Willow as if to say yikes, I’m sorry you have to deal with that.

Willow blinks, then tries to give Ms. Calendar a cool, knowing, it’s okay, he’s not too bad smile, but it just comes out as her grinning like a dork. Ms. Calendar smiles back and actually winks at Willow, kind of an our little secret wink, or maybe Willow’s reading too much into this. Maybe Ms. Calendar just likes Willow because Willow made that comment about algorithms. It was a pretty witty comment, actually, so it would make sense with—

“What is wrong with the people in this library?” Buffy’s voice is a mixture of amused and irritated. “Giles, if I didn’t know better, I’d think you had a thing for that teacher who just walked by.”

To Willow’s surprise, Giles turns a mortified shade of pink and stammers something along the lines of “completely absurd” before hurrying off to file something that doesn’t look like it really needs filing. Buffy gives Willow an amused little grin before heading over to start on her sparring drills.

Wait. This is when Willow’s supposed to be jealous, right? When your crush might have feelings for someone else, shouldn’t you be jealous? But all Willow’s got is amusement at Giles’s blush and a small voice in her head saying it’s not like Ms. Calendar likes him back, so it’s not really a problem for me just yet.

Not that Willow’s got a crush on Ms. Calendar. That would be silly. That would be like having a crush on Buffy. Or Cordelia. Or, okay, maybe not Cordelia, because Ms. Calendar’s way nicer and friendlier than Cordelia, and Buffy’s got the prettiest hair Willow’s ever seen, and yeah, Cordelia’s kind of okay looks-wise, but Buffy and Ms. Calendar are super pretty.

You know. Objectively speaking.

“You’ve been so spacey.” Buffy knocks her arm gently against Willow’s, the way friends do, and it makes Willow feel tingly and warm. She hasn’t had a girlfriend in a while. Not, you know, a girlfriend, but just—a girl. Who’s a friend. That kind of girlfriend. “Anything you can share with me?”

Willow shrugs and tries to smile. “I’m not sure,” she says truthfully.

Buffy’s smile flickers. “You’re not sure if you can share with me?”

“O-oh, no, it’s not like that!” says Willow hastily. “It’s just—I’ve been feeling weird, you know, about my crush on Giles.” As soon as she says the words, she knows that they’re true. “I don’t know if it’s the way a crush is supposed to feel.”

Buffy considers this. Then she says, “Putting aside the fact that I totally cannot see the appeal in Giles, what do you think a crush is supposed to feel like?”

Willow thinks of Ms. Calendar’s cherry-red lips curving up into a smile. She looks at the buttercup-yellow of Buffy’s hair. “Colorful,” she says.

“Colorful,” Buffy repeats. There’s a thoughtful frown on her face. “You know, I kinda get that. I could tell you fifty different colors in Angel’s eyes alone.” She turns a little pink. “But, uh, we’re not talking about Angel, are we?”

Willow giggles a little nervously. “No,” she says.

Buffy continues to speak, but Willow’s attention is suddenly drawn to the color of Buffy’s eyes. She can see gray, but it’s not the kind of boring Crayola gray you think of when you hear the word gray. It’s soft and smooth, like one of those stones you pick up on the beach, and there are little flecks of blue and green. Buffy’s eyes are like if you tried to bottle up the ocean, which makes a lot of sense for a powerful Vampire Slayer like her. Sometimes Willow forgets how strong Buffy has to be. She’s like a force of nature all on her own.

If Buffy’s the ocean, Ms. Calendar’s—Willow falters. But then she thinks of the chocolaty brown of Ms. Calendar’s hair, and the cherry-red of Ms. Calendar’s smile, and realizes that Ms. Calendar’s one of those gorgeous desserts you see in a store window. Wonderful and delicious.

She draws in a sharp breath at the next logical leap, which is I think I want to kiss Ms. Calendar. Which—doesn’t sound quite as scary or stomach-twisting as the concept of kissing a boy always has been. It’s normal, right? Hormonal teenage girl trying to explore her sexuality? Her mom’s talked about stuff like that.

“Earth to Willow?” Buffy pokes Willow’s shoulder. “God, you’ve got that face Xander gets whenever the cheerleaders walk by.”

Willow laughs nervously. “I need to do some reading,” she says. “If—that’s okay?”

“Well, I did know coming into this friendship that you’re Book Girl,” Buffy replies playfully. “I’ll go hang with Xander while you read.”

“Sure,” Willow agrees, managing a smile.

Buffy smiles back—the usual Bubbly Buffy Grin—and bounces across the library to say something to Xander. Willow glances furtively over at Giles, who’s filing books, and tries to find colors in his eyes. But he’s looking down, and there’s nothing in his expression that makes Willow’s heart really speed up.

♔♗♚♛♜♝♤ ♧♡♣♥

o ♔ : Finding your muse wearing their clothes

when jung so walked in on tae ho wearing their long, pleated skirt, he really had no explanation. they weren’t supposed to be home. so when they opened the door to the bedroom and spotted him looking at himself in the mirror in their pale grey pleated skirt, all he could think to say was “it’s not what it looks like.” because that’s what everyone said when they got caught doing something they weren’t supposed to be doing.

“it looks like you’re stretching out my skirt.” they said, only slightly amused, leaning against the doorframe. 

tae ho looked down and lifted his shirt. “no, no, see? it’s on my waist? not stretched!”

they cocked an eyebrow at him, still unimpressed. “let me guess… you thought it would look like a kilt.”

“uh…” he glanced around. “so you’re saying it doesn’t look like a kilt?”

“you’re so fucking stupid.”

♗: Your muse falling asleep with their head in my muse’s lap.

tae ho loved touring. they all did. what wasn’t to love about nearly-all-expense paid roadtrips with your best friends, stopping only to eat crappy fast food and to play music for adoring crowds? nothing. one of the best parts for tae ho was how exhausting it was. even his insomnia didn’t stand a chance. of course, he still didn’t really sleep when he was supposed to, but tae ho almost never did what he was supposed to, anyway.

he stretched across the bench seat in the back of the tour bus, his legs across fang’s lap, his head in jung so’s. he gazed dreamily up at them, a goofy smile on his face. 

“you had one of those brownies cassandra told us not to eat, didn’t you?” they asked, bemused, gently running their fingers through his thick, curls.

tae ho giggled and held up his hand, thumb and forefinger nearly touching. “maybe a little.”

“i think more than a little,” jung so giggled. “idiot.”

tae ho’s eyes fluttered and closed. he sighed, smiling. “no, you.”

♥: Your muse crying about something

the soft tinkling of tin striking tin in a music box filled the tiny room. the soft melody was joined by the plip plip of tears falling onto its small wooden panels. the melody wasn’t finished. they’d never finished it. so this music box wasn’t finished either. still, he wound it up and let it play over, and over, and over again. he lay back on the mattress with no sheets, in a room that was only his, in an apartment that wasn’t theirs.

unfinished was another way of saying not whole. he wasn’t whole. the band was back together, sort of, or at least on the way to being whole. the cracks were still there, and they were deep, but the glue holding them together was starting to set. soon, you might not even tell it was ever broken. the melody ended. he reached for it to wind it up once more. he didn’t hear the door open.

“i... i didn’t make that for you to make you sad.”

tae ho gave a start, nearly dropping the delicate little box. he held it to his chest and looked around. jung so stood in the doorway, looking very small, very fragile, and very broken. he set the singing box on the empty nightstand. “it doesn’t make me sad. i really, really love it. it’s beautiful,” he wiped his face with the seat of his palms.

“you’re crying.”

“no i’m not.”

jung so gave him a withering look. it made him smile for a moment. it was the most normal looking he’d seen them since before they’d left. it didn’t last long. “i’m sorry.”

“i’m... i’m sorry, too.”

tentatively, they approached. tae ho pulled his legs up onto the bed and crossed them. “you... you don’t have anything to be sorry about,” muttered jung so, taking a seat on the mattress beside him. they were careful not to sit too close.

“yes i do. but... let’s. let’s not, okay?” he swallowed, thickly. the music box stopped. the room was silent.

jung so nodded. they reached for the music box. it clicked as they wound it, then it sung. “if you don’t like it, you can tell me.”

“i do like it,” he said, his voice unsteady as tears threatened him again. “i love it, honestly, i promise.” reflexively, he crossed his arms. his hand covered the pinky wear tattoo that peaked out from under his sleeve. “i just... i want to finish this melody.” tae ho never used to be so careful with his words. “think we can finish it?”

but jung so was no fool. they knew that when he asked if they could finish it with tears glittering in his eyes like so many stars in the sky, he was really saying i wish we’d finished it. i wish you’d never left. i wish you hadn’t broken my heart. “i was going to add a note to that,” they lied, “it was gonna say “to be continued.” so, uh, yes, of course we can finish it.”

tae ho wasn’t looking at them, but he was smiling. a couple tears trickled from the corners of his eyes.

jung so raised their hand, then hesitated. they put their hand on his shoulder. he covered it with his own. the music stopped.

♚: Head scratches

“my head hurts,” jung so whined. “pass the joint.” 

tae ho passed them the joint, then took the seat behind them on the couch. they sat on the floor, so he spread his long legs so they could sit between them. 

“what’re you doing?”

“shhh.” tae ho bent and kissed the top of their head. gently, he pulled the elastic out of their hair, freeing their honeyed locks from their ponytail prison. jung so sighed. he saw smoke rising from in front of them. tae ho slipped his rings off and put them on the ash tray on the coffee table before them. unadorned fingers spread over their scalp. they shuddered.

“oh.”

tae ho grinned, massaging their head with long, practiced finger. “dad used to do this for mom. it really helps, dunnit?”

they nodded, relaxing back into the couch. more smoke curled up from their lips. tae ho chuckled. he kissed them again.

♛: Sharing a dessert

tae ho hummed in deep appreciation of the molten chocolate cake placed in front of him. “where’s the ice cream?” he asked, looking around the table for it.

“oops, my bad,” fang pushed it towards him, licking the last bits of vanilla cream from his lips.

snickering, tae ho tipped the small bowl of ice cream into the dish. it mingled with the chocolate fudge sauce that oozed . tae ho reached for his spoon to find it wasn’t there. he looked around in time to catch jung so casually putting a spoonful of cake into their mouth. 

“oy, you said you didn’t want one.” tae ho accused, his face no where near as stern as his voice.

“yeah. cuz i want yours.” 

tae ho laughed, shaking his head. “you’re the worst.”

♜: Shoulder rubs

“oow!” tae ho yelped. 

“sorry not sorry,” jung so said in clipped tones. “you asked for this. you don’t me not to go easy on you.”

“it’s a figure of speech!” he gasped.

“well, you need this, so shut up. jesus, how do end up with knots this big? it’s like you’ve got rocks under your skin.” jung so dug their knuckles painfully into his trapezius muscles. “with all the weed you smoke, i thought you’d be all loose and relaxed.”

“well― ouch― me too, i guess.” he hissed, his fists clenched on his knees.

“my fingers are getting tired. you really need to chill out.” 

through gritted teeth, tae ho replied, “i thought i was!”

“nope. i don’t think you’ll ever find your chill.” they dug their thumbs in circular motion into a particularly nasty knot. tae ho groaned, his face scrunched up in pain. finally, they stopped. he slumped forward. “better?” jung so asked.

he turned, his smile tired and melty. “better.”

♝: Reading a book together

“wait, wait, i wasn’t done with that page,” tae ho said, sticking his finger on the page before jung so can turn it.

they huffed and pouted. “how are you so slow? you’ve already read it!”

“yeah, like, eight years ago, c’mon.” a few seconds passed, his eyes scanning the page. jung so noticed his eyes kept darting away from the book, this way and that, before coming back to it. “why don’t we just get you your own copy.”

“cuz i don’t need my own copy,” he replied, turning the page and resting his cheek on their shoulder.

“at this rate we’re not gonna get to where sirius black shows up until they reboot the movies.”

“har, har. don’t be ridiculous. it’ll only take us until the next fantastic beasts movie comes out.” 

jung so laughed. “what if i just read it to you?”

“oh! would you do the voices?”

“no.”

tae ho pursed his lips. “fine. read it to me anyway.”

♤: Taking a bath together

“y’know, when you said we should shower together, this is not what i had in mind,” said tae ho, giving jung so’s back a dubious look as they washed their hair.

“i said we need to conserve water. we’re in a drought, tae, keep up. and pass me the conditioner.”

he passed them the bottle, the two changing places so he could stand under the water. “okay, but... i say that all the time and it never actually mean it.” tae ho pushed water and hair back from his eyes, working a thick lather into his curls.

“yeah, i know, it’s problematic as shit. when you say we should shower together, we end up in here for ages and conserve exactly zero water.” their eyes were closed so they wouldn’t get conditioner in their eyes, but the eyeroll was evident in their voice.

“well. my “let’s shower togethers” are way more fun.”

jung so slapped his wet chest with the back of their hand. “you better watch yourself, or i’ll show you the true meaning of “dry spell.””

♧: Your muse playing with their hair

“god, your hair is so versatile.”

“shut up.”

“you can pull off any look.”

“stop.”

“right, sora? i think these one, two, three, four... five! pig tails look really great on them.”

sora giggled, lightly patting each one of the five pigtails she and tae ho had put in their hair.

jung so’s sour expression brightened with a light hearted roll of their eyes. “i don’t know what you expected. i look good in everything.”

“it’s true,” sora put in, nodding her head solemnly. 

“c’mere,” jung so scooped sora into their arms and hugged her tight. she squeaked and laughed, squirming a little before relenting and hugging them back. tae ho wrapped his long arms around them both, kissing jung so’s temple as he did.

♡: Accidentally falling asleep together

gabe opened the front door as quietly as he could. it creaked and he remembered he’d been meaning to grease it for ages now and hadn’t gotten around to it. it was nearly four am and he expected everyone to be asleep. at least, everyone except tae ho, who might’ve been smoking on the couch writing songs, or in bed trying to sleep, or at least pretending to sleep. the room was illuminated by the pale glow of netflix on the tv.

he approached it, slipping his shoes off to avoid making too much noise. the room smelled like weed, but that was no surprise. “Are you still watching?” netflix asked him mutely. he glanced down at the couch. there slept jung so and tae ho, tipped into one another, resting awkwardly on each other’s shoulders, snoozing fitfully. gabe smiled. he picked up the playstation remote, which had fallen into jung so’s lap from their relaxed hand. then, he slipped off his well-worn and well-loved misfits jacket and placed it gingerly over tae ho’s body. jung so had a blanket slipping half off their body. gabe picked it up and laid it over their chest.

the two would wake up with awful cricks in their necks, but gabe thought better than to wake them up and trot them off to bed. instead, he turned off the system and the TV, and left them both there to dream.

♣: Back scratches

tae ho really sucked at back scratching. well, that wasn’t true, when his nails were long he was quite good at it. but, when the black polish he wore chipped off enough, he sometimes fell back into the bad habit of biting his nails, making them short and useless for back scratching. 

“c’mere, we’ll paint them now. geez, you’d think by now you’d dropped this habit,” jung so said, shaking their head and preparing to stand to get the polish.

“no, no! don’t go anywhere, i’ll make this work, i’m sorry. you can paint my nails later, it’s fine. here.” he pulled them back down by the shoulders, taking a moment to kiss their shoulder.

“ooh,” they shuddered, arching into his touch. “what is that? it feels great. a little to the left, oh, yeah, thanks.” 

tae ho moved to scratch where they asked, grinning. “y’know my skull ring and the spiky one? i turned them around. like it?”

“you clever bastard,” jung so chuckled. “you still have to stop biting your nails.”

“i know, i know. in the meantime though―”