han: stay hideout - recolor

[CN] Flower Language (Victor)

yall that have been waiting for this date may not find this as funny as I do but 😭 I went to finish what I thought was this translation and the video i had been using somehow closed, but when i found what i assumed was the same one again, i was confused because the content was different 😀 i translated most of a completely random date and i have no idea which it was LMAO

It would be great if Victor were here. I was standing in the garden where the warm wind was lingering, and I suddenly thought so.

A week ago, I came to this small European city in order to get material for a show, and participate in their traditional festival, a “carnival”. Although the celebration is coming to an end, the enthusiasm of the people and the festive atmosphere are not diminished.

I looked at the people gathered under the tree and heard their laughter. Somehow, I suddenly wanted to share everything in front of me with Victor. So, I took out my phone and subconsciously dialed his number.

MC: Hello, Victor, are you busy?

Victor: No. Is something happening?

MC: Nothing. I just wanted to tell you that I’m standing in a very beautiful garden right now. Probably because of the festival, the surroundings are crowded with people, and there are others singing -- can you hear it?

I took the phone and circled it in the air, and when i put it back to my ear, there was not a sound in the receiver.

Victor: I can hear.

MC: Did you know that there is a very special wooden sign hanging on the tree in this garden? It has something to do with “flower language”.

I looked up at the wooden signs swaying on the branches, they made a clear and pleasant sound in the wind.

MC: People can choose the wooden sign painted with the flower language they want, remove it from the branch, and write their name to save it. There are many kinds of flower languages, from wealth, love, to health, career, and so on.

I was babbling, listening to the even breathing in my ears. Victor didn’t speak until I finished speaking, and there was a slight smile peeking out of his lazy voice.

Victor: You hung one up?

MC: Not yet.

Even though I knew he couldn’t see me on the other side of the phone, I shook my head.

MC: There are many things I want, and I haven’t been able to make up my mind for a while.

Victor: Such as?

MC: Such as…

If only you could stand here with me now. I said this silently in my heart.

There was silence in the earpiece for a few seconds, and we seem to have not spoken tacitly, just quietly listening to each other’s breathing. After a long while, I wanted to relax the atmosphere, so I just smiled.

MC: I can’t remember it right now, but my party has to-- actually, rather than using this method, it might be better to tell the omnipotent “Victor Li” directly what I want.

Victor: I will be there on saturday.

MC: Eh?

Victor: Recently, LFG accepted a multinational cooperation project, and I will be coming to Europe tomorrow.

I was stunned. I reacted slowly, my heartbeat speeding up a few beats rapidly.

MC: And so…?

On the other end of the phone, Victor seems to smile slowly.

Victor: And so, what you want, you can think about it before saturday.

On saturday, I arrived at the place scheduled by Victor on time. As soon as I walked up to the street, I saw a familiar figure. I took out the funny mask that I had prepared, and crept close to him from behind, intending to give him a “surprise” after having not seen him for so long.

Victor: I haven’t seen you in a while, but your way of greeting hasn’t improved.

MC: !

The mask on my face was taken off without hesitation or fear. I was stunned and met Victor’s teasing gaze.

MC: ...How can you tell so easily every time?!

Victor: Someone who tries to be sneaky every time is too eye-catching.

Victor walked to my side and took my hand naturally. After sweeping around his eyes, his brows furrowed slightly.

Victor: Are there any events here?

I followed his sight and found that the streets were full of ribbons and balloons, and many people in strange costumes walked slowly through the streets with the parades of floats. The carnival atmosphere permeates the whole city, and my vision is full of bright and gorgeous colours.

MC: Well, today is the last day of the carnival, so it is extremely lively. Many locals and tourists will dress up specially to participate in the celebrations to be held next.

Victor: It turned out to be so.

He nodded thoughtfully.

MC: what’s wrong?

Victor: It’s nothing. It’s just that I passed by a store where there are many clothes to buy and more… it was strange.

MC: What, are you talking about props such as an inflatable dinosaur costume and retro tricycle?

Seeing a stunned look flash across Victor’s face, I couldn’t help but laugh.

MC: Haha, don’t you think this event is particularly creative?~

He let go of my hand, bending his finger and tapped my forehead.

Victor: I just think that this kind of activity will indeed be a subject of interest to dummies.

The familiar and long-lost action made my heart jump. I looked at Victor’s face close at hand and suddenly broke.

MC: Victor, do you remember that on the phone before, you asked me to tell you what I wanted?

He stood in a daze, but seemed to remember it.

Victor: What do you think?

I shook my head and gave him a quick smile.

MC: I have nothing I want, except… do you remember the garden I mentioned to you on the phone? I would love to take a look at the scenery with you.

After getting Victor’s consent, I looked at him and walked to the main road of the small town. As the crowd gradually increased, I saw wide streets slowly appearing in front of me, but before we passed by, I stopped at the stagnant crowd.

MC: What happened?

Victor: Let me ask.

After exchanging a few words with a staff member, Victor walked back.

Victor: They said that it’s for traffic safety, and only people participating in the event can pass through here.

MC: Only people in the event…

The original joyful mood was instantly wiped out like being doused by cold water. Probably because I was too obvious, Victor raised his eyebrows slightly.

Victor: Disappointed?

I nodded honestly, but after half a second, I shook my head again.

MC: Although the place i want to go is on the main road, since we can’t get there, let’s forget it.

Seeing my forced smile, Victor’s face tensed.

Victor: Your frown is almost drooping to the ground.

He looked at me for a moment and just sighed helplessly.

Victor: Wait for me here. Don’t run around.

After speaking, before I could react, he walked away and passed through the crowds. The number of people stuck in the street gradually increased, and many people who had chosen to participate in the celebrations flocked to the main street.

Although I wanted to stay where I was, I was squeezed to the edge of the road and drowned in the endless sea of people. I looked at the surging crowd, and I was a little worried that when Victor came back, he wouldn’t be able to find me so easily.

Just at that moment, a sound of horseshoes suddenly came from the side, so I turned my head to look-- The first thing that catches my eye is a gorgeously dressed dark horse, sporting an arrogant posture and dark eyes.

Gradually looking upward, the man on horseback was dressed equally as gorgeously, with an extraordinary presence, most of which was bathed in golden light.

The man’s eyes drooped slightly and his gaze was casted towards me. I tried to slightly bloc the dazzling light with my hand, and gradually, the face in front of my eyes also became clearer.

MC: …! Victor?

There was also a hit of surprise in Victor’s eyes when he looked at me. The daylight broke free of the dense leaves and fell on the tips of his hair, giving off a faint flowery scent and softening the look of his visage. Against the backdrop of the surrounding background, he looks like a gentleman and aristocrat from a television drama.

Just when I was about to pass by, Victor pulled the reins abruptly and stopped. I stared at him in a daze, and for a while I couldn’t tell if this was reality or an illusion.

Victor: Why are you here?

With a “click” i accidentally pressed my phone to take a photo.

MC: Me... I was pushed over here by the crowd. There are more and more people, I was worried you wouldn’t find me, so I planned to take a photo to get your attention.

I put the phone back into my pocket as I said this, worried that he would make me hand over the photo I just captured. However, Victor just looked at me for a long while, showing a helpless expression.

Victor: Dummy.

The horse took a few steps to my spot, and he leaned down slightly to reach out his hand towards me.

Victor: Come up.

I looked at Victor, and being beyond my usual cognition, I didn’t react for a while.

MC: Victor… why are you dressed like this?

Seeing my stunned gaze, Victor turned his face away unnaturally.

Victor: I borrowed it from the shop I just passed by. If it seems like i’m attending the celebration, we can easily follow the main street.

MC: I thought you would feel naive doing this…

Victor: well...

He replied very quickly, subsequently, he slighted slightly.

Victor: But since I have promised you that we’ll go out o the garden, I will not feel naive. Besides, are the naive things I’ve done with you far and few?

The horseshoe stepped on the stone road with a clattering sound. The calm wood scent wrapped me and I leaned my back against a generous and warm chest. Although I rarely ride horses, I feel very at ease at this moment.

A beautiful garden appeared in front of us, and I happily said to Victor,

MC: We’ve arrived!

Victor: Slow down.

With the help of Victor, I got off the horse. Maybe it’s because most people have gone to the celebration, but there are not many people here. Sunlight sprinkled from gaps between branches and fell onto a sea of flowers. The wooden sign hanging on the branch made a pleasant sound in the breeze.

Victor walked behind me with a hint of surprise in his eyes.

MC: Isn’t it beautiful?

I put my hands behind my back and looked at him with a smile.

MC: When I came here for the first time, I don’t know why, but I thought of the “sky garden”. So i have this inexplicable sense of intimacy with this place, and I wanted you to see the scenery here.

Victor quietly looked at the scenery in front of him, and after a short while, a faint smile appeared in his eyes.

Victor: Well, it is beautiful. In contrast, there’s a bit more natural beauty.

He looked up again at the wooden sign dancing in the wind on the branch.

Victor: This is the “flower language” you mentioned to me on the phone that day?

MC: Yes, there are some unique types of flower language here, which is quite interesting.

As I said this, I reached out and touched the pattern on the board.

MC: For example, the flower language of Paphiopedilum is “thrifty and frugal” and the flower language of asparagus flowers is “I want to win”...

Victor listened with good interest and teased me as if in a good mood.

Victor: So, you can’t make up your mind between these two things?

MC: Certainly not! Although I really want these things… But this is my final decision!

As soon as I finished speaking, I handed a wooden sign without a name and a pen to Victor.

Victor: What kind of flower is this?

MC: This is a red geranium. Just write your name on it!

Victor: ...It seems that you arranged this for me a long time ago.

He took the wooden sign and asked faintly,

Victor: What is its meaning in the flower language?

MC: This one, haha… I’ll wait for you to find out by yourself.

Victor glanced at me.

Victor: Dummy.

Even so, he still picked up the pen and wrote his name on the wooden sign stroke by stroke. Seeing Victor’s serious expression, a trace of warmth ran across my heart.

I suddenly thought of the meaning behind red geraniums that I found with my mobile phone in this same place a few days ago. At this moment, I seem to understand the meaning better --

“My happiness exists because of you”.

The sunset quietly dyed the sky red. When we were about to walk out of the garden, I suddenly saw a staff member not far away waving colorful flags at us, and I couldn’t help but look towards them.

MC: Are we so lucky that we won big prizes?

Victor: In terms of probability, it is unlikely.

MC: People should always be optimistic!

Victor: Let’s go and have a look.

Victor chuckled lightly, took my hand, and walked forward with me. When we talked to the staff member, we found that we didn’t win any prizes, he just wanted to help us take a photo together. Although it was not the expected outcome, when taking a photo with Victor, my face burst into a smile involuntarily.

Victor: Why are you smiling? It’s not like it’s a grand prize. Are you happy about the reward?

MC: For me, it’s like winning the jackpot!

I looked at us closely in the photo -- Although Victor’s expression is the same as usual, only a slight smile can be seen at the corner of his mouth, but his hand that hangs beside him is firmly gripping mine.

Behind us is the same beautiful sea of flowers.

Victor: You said that your wish is to let me come here with you. Why?

Victor looked at the photo and suddenly after he said this, he pondered for a moment.

MC: Well... It’s because it’s very beautiful here, and I wanted you to see it too.

Victor: Is it just that?

When I met Victor’s deep eyes, I suddenly felt as if all my careful thoughts had nowhere t hide in front of him. Seeing that I didn’t have a way to get around this, I had to decide to confess.

MC: I was standing here, thinking about you for a little bit.

I lifted my eyes secretly and peeked at Victor, wanting to look carefully at his expression. There was no emotion on his face, only those dark eyes watching me seriously.

MC: Although I only miss you a little bit, this kind of little thought often comes up.

It seems that the more this lively and joyous atmosphere grew, the more people can’t help but miss a certain someone. For a moment, I even wanted to go home and return to the place where I knew he was.

MC: Even though I’d already seen the scenery, with you, it somehow seems to be different. It becomes--

Victor: It becomes special.

Victor whispers. He puts a hand on my waist, and soft emotion flows from his dark eyes.

Victor: Isn’t that right?

Looking at my slightly widened eyes, a faint smile crossed the corner of his mouth.

Victor: When did you get such a bad habit of saying half of what you mean and keeping the rest to yourself? If you want to see me, you can speak directly.

I realised that he was talking about when I called him the other day, and I bit my lip.

MC: These words, you know even if I don’t voice them.

Victor: I know, but this is not enough.

I looked at his defatigable eyes and couldn’t help but sigh lightly.

MC: I’m (not) worried that this will interfere with you. Moreover, I also want to establish the image of a “strong and independent woman” in front of you.

I was speaking from the heart, but Victor was amused by my serious expression.

Victor: You actually set such a goal?

The breath that was close at hand intertwined with mine, and I quietly looked at his hanging gaze.

Victor: In contrast, I have no such ambitions.

He stretched his hands over my shoulders, and as he approached slowly, the familiar scent surrounded me. Just when the atmosphere was right, a “pop” sounded untimely something falling from my pocket and onto the ground.

I reacted immediately.

MC: It’s my flower sign!

I was about to pick it up, but Victor was one step ahead of me and picked it up. He looked at the red geranium pattern on the sign and there was a slight curve to his lips.

MC: Uh, this is a flower card I took before, because I thought it looked good…

With some guilty conscience, I wanted to avoid Victor’s gaze. He spread out my hand and placed the wooden sign in my palm.

Victor: It seems that you already have what you want.

He covered my hand with his palm and slowly closed it so I could feel the weight of the wooden sign in my palm.

MC: …!

I looked at Victor’s face in surprise, reminding me of the scene when he was asked to write on the wooden sign just now. A faint colour couldn't help but climb up on my cheeks -- this person really knows everything!

Victor looked at me with interest, and there was a faint smile on his face.

Victor: Why is your face red?

MC:...It’s just the setting sun!

Victor smiled, but didn’t break contact with me, just holding my hand tighter.

Victor: Well, today’s sunset is very nice.

The sun dyed his eyes, but reflected in the depths was me alone. Someone not far away happily sang a local ballad. Although I don’t understand the meaning, I no longer feel the loneliness of being in a foreign land.

Because the person I cherish the most is by my side right now.

Some Character Thoughts

[in regards to Belphegor]

Happy Valentine's Day, I don't. Have ROMANTIC content per say, but this should contain discussion of Familial Love .. and we've evolved enough as a collective society to have today be about all sorts of love, right? Right,

My.. notes?

These might be an unpopular opinion. Fair enough, I just wanted to address that.

This will, unfortunately, look a bit like a written variation of the Pepe Silvia meme. Apologies in advance.

I might ...? Do more of these? Or even more parts to this one? We'll see. Would like to know if anyone cares for this sort of thing. (Though that won't exactly affect whether I do more or not.)

There are spoilers for chapter 16, in case thats a concern. Also mentions of death.

I find that while quite a few will tap into other aspects, one aspect I don't really see is Belphie's love for his family and the lengths he will go for them.

(Interestingly enough, this is a similar thing I've noticed when looking for content about Lucifer.)

Yes, Belphie killed MC because he hates humans. Yes, he only really started warming upto them after learning about their connection to his sister.

But I haven't really seen the connecting of dots between "Belphie went to the point of killing MC, and after all the obstacles put in front of him" and "Belphie hates humans because he believes his sister is dead because of one".

Or rather, those two points have been made but . Not the points in between? Or the points after? (?)

Belphie hates the humans he once loved so much because of his sister's death... and feels a big enough type of way about a human being in close proximity to his brothers to the point of plotting their death.

(Anger? Fear? A mix of both?)

(Is this making sense...? In other words..) Belphie, the Avatar of Sloth, the lazy demon that sleeps through most everything and is smart without really trying, went through the effort of plotting MC's death after being locked away. Not for himself, but because he felt some Big type of way about his brothers interacting with humans, a feeling(or feelings) probably influenced by his belief that the root of his sister's death was a human.

...What I'm trying to say is that he cares about his family to the point of expending this sort of effort to keep them safe and with him. (Time and again with Belphie actual effort put in = care.)

('Why are you saying it in this weird roundabout way?' I'm trying to be open about subjective details haha. 'Isn't this whole post subjective?' ... I SUPPOSE!)

Backtracking a bit, I also don't see alot of mileage out of "Belphie loved and was fascinated by humans"? Though, to be fair game canon kind of threw that in and then didn't do much of anything with it.

(Very odd.. my first thought when considering it was .. "Belphie loved and was fascinated by humans.. surely he would have been the perfect person to put in charge of looking after MC for their student exchange program if he hadn't been locked away? As long as they were both watched carefully.. or even if they weren't wouldn't it be interesting if-")

(Maybe this should have been a post about my contemplations on that divergence of the timeline. Haha.)

(.. did you really stick around to the end here? Ok. A Note. Do I think Belphie is completely redeemed in killing MC? Not really. However, I do think there's more nuance on the hows and whys and whats that I hope others can consider as well!)

(I'm kinda open to discussion.. however I also acknowledge that again, I don't think I'm in the majority 😅 so quite a few things I've found I just don't agree with when reading them.. this to say that don't let me discourage you from differing HCs!)

It’s Because I Love you

Summary: Soobin dug himself into a hole and needed his bestfriend to help him out

Genre: Fluff, Friends-to-lovers, Slow-burn(ish)

Word count: ~10k (oops sry)

💕 Requested 

A/n: to the anon that requested this. I’m so sorry this took me forever... haha~ I hope you liked it! And writing this actually reminded how much i like writing these. Do you guys prefer these kind of longer fics or the shorter reaction type fics?

Warnings: Some swearing

======================================

      “Y/n i fucked up.”

      Was first line that came out of soobin’s mouth when you opened the door. It wasn’t unusual for soobin to randomly show up at your place. But you really weren’t expecting his presence today, since you knew he would be busy packing to head home for the week break. You were about to greet him but before you could say anything, he beat you to it, his sentence laced with regret and panic.        “What did you do this time?” You answered, “aren’t you supposed to be packing?”        “I- excuse you what do you mean ‘this time’?” He mocked. “Okay, whatever, we’ll get back to that and yeah, i am, but I fucked up real bad,” he repeated.        “Huh?” You took a step back so soobin could enter. “Are you alright? What happened?”       “So you know how all my cousins and sibling are in a relationship right?” Soobin continued, making his way to your couch to sit down. Resting his head back against the cushions as he groaned.       “Yeah, what about it?” Tilting your head as the conversation got more confusing by the second. You closed the door behind you before joining him.        “Well... my brother just called me and may have been bothering me about being the only one that isn’t in a relationship...” he trailed off, “and erm, i may have said i... had a girlfriend. And now my family wants met her.”        You couldn’t help but burst out laughing at his confession, “you did what? You really dug yourself into a hole this time.”        Soobin was the youngest of his family. He was always the one that chose to focus more on his grades than actually making friends. Sure, he went to parties and drank every now and then, but other than that, he rarely did anything short of the ‘perfect son’. But despite all his efforts, there was always one thing his sibling could tease him about, and that was the fact that he was 21 and has never been in a relationship. Soobin always tried to not let this bother him, but i guess today, he just snapped.        “I really did,” he sighed. “That’s why i need your help.”        “How can i possibly help you out of this, soobin?” you ridiculed, glaring at him. “You do know that you’re one of my only friends, right? Meaning, I won’t be able to find anyone to play girlfriend with you.”         “Um, actually about that... i kind of told my family that my girlfriend goes to the same school as me and studies the same major as me. I also kind of told them that she has y/e/c eyes and y/h/c hair.” He sat up, looking for a reaction from you. Instead, all he saw was your blank expression, staring back at him. “Yeah so, if you hadn’t caught on yet, i might have, sort of, just described you to my family.”         Your eyes widened at his statement, you weren’t sure what to reply. You met soobin all the way back in high school, and you’ve stayed friends ever since — 5 years, 11 months, 23 days, to be exact. Not that you were keeping count or anything. You remember the first day you approached the shy boy, the new transfer student sitting at the back alone. He was the first friend you made there. And to makes things worse, you’ve had a crush on him, but you knew better than to confess and possibly ruin the friendship.         You’ve suppressed all your feeling since then. Maybe. Probably. Okay, no. But you’ve tried. And all this talk of ‘pretend girlfriend’ did nothing but make your heart start racing again.        “Why on earth would you do that!”        “I dont know! You were the first person that came to mind! So are you okay with doing me the favour of playing the role of my girlfriend?” Soobin said with a slight pout and puppy dog eyes. A move he knew you could never refuse, “You’re free this break, right?”        His sudden confession was like a blow to your heart. The first person that came to his mind... but it’s probably just because he didnt have many female friends, right?        “Erm...” you paused. The more you thought about his proposition, the more you found yourself weighing the consequences.        “Come on y/n. Please? We already get engaged every other week at clubs for free drinks. This won’t be that much different.”        “Would your family believe it? I mean, it’s me.”        “Sure they will. And it’ll be easy to fake it since you already know me.”        You paused for another second before replying. “Hm, right. Fine. But you owe me. Do i have to bring anything?” You were helping out a friend.         A friend. Nothing more, nothing less.        “Nope, just bring enough clothes. You don’t need anything too fancy,” he stood up, leaning down to give you a quick hug. As he walked towards the door, he looked over his shoulder before leaving your apartment. “Thanks for doing this, i really owe you. I’ll pick you up at 7 tomorrow after our classes, alright? See you then.”

————-————-————-————-

        After an hour, three outfit changes and completely unpacking and repacking your luggage twice, you were finally satisfied and ready to go. It was only a weeks worth of clothes in a small luggage, yet, you still found a way to overthink it. In the end, you had settled for a simple tee with jeans and a coat to keep you warm for the ride.         Already, you were beginning to regret your decision of going along with this whole ‘fake girlfriend’ act. It had nothing to do with soobin or his family. They were absolutely wonderful, his parents were kind, his siblings were fun and sweet and his baby nephew was, well, a baby. The only problem was what if your heart liked the idea of being his ‘girlfriend’ just a little bit too much?         You had met his siblings and parents a handful of times when they visited him at his apartment. They’ve always been nothing but nice to you, and now, you were going to have to lie to them. The more you thought about it, the more your mind was playing angel and devil with you. On one hand, you didn’t want to spend the weekend being dishonest and possibly screwing up the image soobin’s family had of you. But on the other, you wanted to be selfish and be able to call soobin yours, even if it were just for a few days.         You sighed quietly, sitting in your living room waiting for soobin to pick you up like he said he would. The entire day you had been unable to focus in your classes, whatever your lectures said just going right through your head. At this time on fridays, you would normally have found soobin dressed in any lounge wear he had, crashing at your place to watch whatever movie he found that week. But now, you were going to find him dressed up, ready to bring you to meet his parents. The relationship sure escalated quickly. Just as your mind started drifting further, your doorbell rang.        “U ready?” Soobin’s signature eye smile greeted you, his front bunny teeth exposed. You’ve always noticed how soobin’s appearance resembled that of a bunny, but no matter how many times you tried to tell him, he didn’t want to believe it.        “As ready as ill ever be,” you returned the smile, grabbing your luggage and locking your front door.        Well, this was it, no turning back now. Helping you with your things, soobin lead you to his car and started the journey. It was only about a 3 hour drive and a car ride proved to be a great distraction. You hadn’t been to soobins hometown before, so being able to look out the window and see the scenery was no doubt better than sneaking glances at soobin in the drivers seat. You just knew that if you saw soobin, with one hand on the steering wheel, and the other propped on the arm rest, you might have gone into cardiac arrest.        The ride was quiet for the most part, that was until soobin pulled up at a red light. “I made a playlist,” soobin flipped his phone around to show you and connect it to his car. “It’s like, if you were my real girlfriend, this would be the playlist i would share with you.”        You couldn’t help but smile when you realised how sweet soobin would be in an actual relationship. His future girlfriend is really lucky. But you had to control yourself, reminding yourself that it’s all just pretend for the week.        “I’m sure its great. You have great taste in music,” you faked a laugh. “Um... so... soobin? How exactly are we supposed to fake this? I mean, what we supposed to do? What will your family do?”        “Oh...” he started, his eyes focusing back on the road, the lights turning green again. “To be honest, i haven’t actually thought about that part yet.” Drumming his fingers on the steering wheel as he thought. “Mmm, when my brother first brought his girlfriend home, my family teased him a lot, just to make fun of him and get her reaction. But they already did that with you whenever they visited me so... I’m not sure what they’ll do, honestly.”        “Oh...” That was completely unhelpful. Pulling your knees to your chest, you continued staring blankly out the window.        “Hey, don’t worry too much okay? We’ll just wing it like we do everything else. And that’s worked out for us so far, right?” Soobin chuckled, trying to comfort you. “As for what we need to do. I guess it’ll just be all that couple stuff like holding hands and hugging. And you’re already such a cuddly person, that shouldn’t be a problem for you. We got this, alright? And I’ll be with you the entire time.”        You nod a response, “yeah, we got this.”        On the outside, you tried to seem cool and composed. On the inside however, you were a mess. Sure, you and soobin already had your fair share of cuddles when he showed up for a movie night at your place. And on the days he was too lazy to go back to his dorm, you would find him whining and groaning for you to make him breakfast the next day. But now you were expected to act that way in front of his family? That was a whole new level of stress you didn’t think about when you agreed to this.         After a while more of driving, it was a little over 10pm when soobin finally pulled up alongside the curd in front of his house. The remainder of the car ride had been relatively silent, except for the playlist that soobin had made for you, and the occasional mindless singing you would start that turned into a carpool karaoke. Getting off, soobin unloaded his and your luggage and lead you to the front door.        Probably noticing your nervous state, soobin grabbed your shaking hands. “I’m right here alright?” He smiled, “it’s show time.”        With that, he rang the doorbell. And not 15 seconds later, soobin’s sister answered the door.        “Soobin!” She greeted, pulling him into a hug, “we’ve been waiting for you and- oh! Y/n! I knew it. Same major, y/e/c eyes, y/h/c hair. If it wasn’t you, i was about to kick his ass.”        “Hah, yeah, surprise?” You said, the last part sounding more like a question than a sentence.        “Aish, this boy. The previous night on the call, he just told us he’ll be bringing his girlfriend home, gave us a description but never told us who. Left us all to wonder who she was and well,” she chuckled, putting an arm around soobin’s shoulders, “if she even existed. I’m glad it’s you, the first time we met you, i already knew you two would end up together.”        “Wait, so you all took guesses on who it was?” Soobin chimed in, shooting a glare at his sister.        “Well, yea! All of us pretty much guessed y/n. Except for mom though, she’s kept quiet about it. But i guess it was just because she didn’t want to get her hopes up.”        Looking at soobins annoyed expression, you laughed. Shrugging of his sisters arm, soobin grabbed both your luggage, pushing past his sister and pulled them into the house. “Alright, alright, just let us in already, its freezing out here.”        “It’s nice to see you again y/n,” his sister said as she held the door open for you.        “Likewise.” You smiled before stepping in.        You’d never been to soobin’s house before. Sure, you’ve seen bits and pieces of it when the two of your FaceTimed over the holidays, but never in person. In the hallway where you stood, were the stairs that you presumed lead to the bedrooms. Sporadically placed were a few house plants that looked as if they had been watered quite recently.  The walls were littered with family photos, and most noticeably, soobin’s baby pictures. You smiled looking at them, taking a mental image of the cute, little baby this giant once was.        Closing the door behind you, soobins sister spoke, “you guys wait here. I think mom and dad are in the living room. I’ll go get them.”        As you saw her silhouette disappear towards one of the entries, you felt the nerves building up again, “soobin...” you tilted you head up to look at him, your face portraying nothing but worry.        “Don’t worry okay?” Taking your hand in his, gently squeezing for reassurance.“ Just follow my lead and pretend you’re in love with me. Which should be easy since I’m your favourite person,” he joked, in attempts to lighten your mood.        ‘Pretend to be in love with him’. Okay, shouldn’t be too hard, considering the fact that you actually were in love with him and spent years pretending not to be. “Yea, alright.”        Letting go of your hand, soobin walked forward to hug his parents when he saw them approaching.        “Soobin, we were starting to wonder how long more you would take,” his mom said. “How are you? How’s everything at school?”         “Everything’s fine,” he replied. Turning to you, he held out his hand for you to take. “Mom, dad, you know y/n.”        Accepting his hand, you stepped forward to greet his parents. Just hoping that your nervous trembling wasn’t too obvious to the naked eye.        “Ah of course! How could we ever forget,” his mom smiled.        “We always knew the two of you would end up together eventually. He’s always been so obvious about you,” his dad added, causing blood to rush to your cheeks, and soobin to immediately retaliate.        “Dad! Stop it. No i have not!” You looked around at him just in time to see him cross his arms and roll his eyes, cheeks pink and eyes shining. He met your eyes and looked away, but the grin on his face never faltered.        Hitting her husbands arm, soobins mom scolded, “aish, stop teasing them, they just got here. Speaking of which, have you two eaten?”        “No we havent, actually. We came right after school,” soobin answered.        “In that case, you can take yours and y/n stuff up to your room and get settled in. I’ll order some food for you. Pizza sound okay?” his mom spun soobin around, pushing him back to where your luggage laid.        “His room?” You thought out loud. Of course they were expecting you to share a room with soobin. What else could you have possibly thought.        “Of course his room,” his mom answered, “you have known each other for such a long time. And i have no doubts there are days that soobin stayed over at your apartment instead of his dorm anyway. There’s no way I’m letting you sleep on the couch.”        With that, you and soobin grabbed your things and headed up to his room. Sure, the nights soobin stayed over you have shared a bed before. But this time, it just felt different. Even though everything was still purely platonic, the element of you being in his home, pretending to be his girlfriend, was still no doubt intimidating.        “See? That wasn’t so hard, was it?” Soobin asked rhetorically, snapping you out of your thoughts. He laughed, clearly taking the whole situation a lot lighter than you were.        Opening the door to his room, it was exactly how you pictured it when he called you. You stood at the doorway, it seemed so familiar, yet unknown at the same time. His bed in the corner of the room with a few pillows and plushies, at the other end, his desk and wardrobe filled with clothes he left behind. His walls were mainly bare, except for one that had a few old polaroids hanging loosing from the ceiling. It felt weird being there.        “Well, don’t just stand there,” soobin grabbed your luggage from you, pulling you in to the room so he could close the door behind you and crashing down on his bed. “First, let me give you the official welcome to mi casa. My family is a lot, but you already knew that. Make yourself at home.”        “Honestly, i cant believe they bought it so easily,” you let out, taking a seat next to him.        “Told you they would. My family probably loves you more than they love me.”        You laughed halfheartedly, still feeling a bit awkward about the whole thing.        “We should clean up before we head back to the wolves den for dinner. The bathroom is right down the hall to the right. You can go first, ill clear a drawer for you,” he offered.          You nod, gathering your things for the night.        This is all just pretend.

————-————-————-————-

       The shower definitely helped calm you down a bit. You loved the warmth of the water against your skin.        “It’s just for a week. Dont get used to it,” you muttered to yourself.        Getting out, you quickly dressed yourself in a tshirt and some shorts. The normal attire you wore to sleep, anything else was always just uncomfortable for you.          “You’re turn,” you announced when you entered soobins room again.        “That was quick. Here, take one of my sweaters.”        “What for?” You shot him a look, raising brow. It wasn’t as if you hadn’t stole his hoodies before, it was just the fact that he was offering it this time.       “You’re supposed to be my girlfriend, aren’t you? Girlfriends always take their boyfriend’s clothes.”        Fishing a plain, red sweater out from his wardrobe, he threw it in your direction, hitting you directly in the face and causing you to yelp a little. “Besides, you already take all my hoodies. This is no different,” he continued, eyeing you as you pulled it over your head.        As usual, soobin’s clothes were huge on you. And this sweater was no doubt oversized, even for him. “How do i look?”        You looked to him when you didn’t get a reply. But this only caused him to turn away from you quickly, mumbling something to himself before answering, “it’s my clothes, it’ll look great on everyone.”        Scrambling to gather his things, he left for his shower. You could have swore you saw him blushing when he was looking at you. But you brushed it off as your overactive imagination. You decided to swiftly blow dry your hair before laying on his bed, scrolling through your phone while waiting for him. You were hungry, practically starving, but there was no way in hell you were going to face his family again on your own. With your new status, god knows what they would do or say.        A mere 15 minutes go by before you hear the door open again. Revealing a damp haired soobin, dressed in a white tee and sweatpants. A simple look you have seen many times over the years, but one that still made your head and thoughts hazy.        “Ready to go down?” He spoke, smirking at you, almost knowingly, “I’m starving.”        “Ye- yeah,” gathering your thoughts, bringing yourself back to reality.

————-————-————-————-

       Dinner with the family wasnt all that bad. Sure, there was the occasional teasing and questions. But that was to be expected. Any parent would have been curious, right?        You let soobin take the lead on most of those. You didn’t want your cover to get blown by having any clashing answers. Once in a while you would feel soobin grab your hand under the table when he needed your help, but for the most part, they were the basic questions like “since when?” Or “who confessed first?”. The usual relationship stuff, nothing too hard. And it was a lot easier with the fact that it was you and soobin, the two friends that have mastered the art of bullshitting your way out of situations.         At the end of the day, the awkwardness ended soon after it started. With it being past midnight, Soobin’s family had long gone to bed, leaving you two alone in the dimly lit kitchen to finish up your dinner, which had quickly became supper.        “So, how was day one of being my girlfriend?” He looked over to you, munching on another piece of pizza. Even in that horrible lighting, he still managed to take your breath away. No one could possibly look good with dull, ugly, yellow kitchen lighting, but somehow, he did. The way the soft light bounced off his skin, partnered with the reflection in his eye that gave that perfect shine to them. You were sure you looked horrid next to him.        “Mmm, it’s alright i guess,” you teased, earning a pout from soobin. “You big baby. I’m just kidding,” nudging him on the shoulder, causing you both the laugh.        You didn’t know why this question surprised you as much as it did. Maybe you wanted to flip the tables, or maybe you just weren’t expecting the answer he gave. “So how was day one of having me as your pretend girlfriend?”        He thought about it for a second before facing you and speaking. “Honestly, it’s been fun. Even though we haven’t done much. But then again, i always knew you would be great girlfriend to someone one day.”        ‘Someone’. If only you could tell him how much you wanted that someone to be him. If only you had the guts to say what’s was on your mind.        “Want to play some music?” Breaking the silence, soobin picked up his phone, quickly scrolling through his playlists before stopping on one he named ‘midnight’. “It’s just some chill songs i found that i thought would be nice to listen to at night.”        The playlist started and the first song to play was ‘what falling in love feels like’.        “Oh, i love this song,” you mindlessly stated between bites.        “Really?” Soobin replied. “I never heard you listen to classical music.”        Your eyes widened slightly when you realised what you said. You didn’t just listen to classical music. You’ve also imagined what it would be like to slow dance to it.        “I never really told anyone... but i always wanted to dance with someone to this song. It’s kind of embarrassing to admit,” you trailed off, the surface of the counter suddenly becoming more interesting. The dead of night had you confessing unspoken words.        There was another second of silence. You could feel soobin’s stare on your face. He was judging you. You were sure of it. Now you were just mentally preparing yourself for a laugh-        “Let’s dance.”        “What?” You weren’t expecting that. You shot your head up, seeing his outstretched hand.        “Let’s dance,” he repeated.        You reached for his hand, but didn’t grab it. You were hesitant. Never would you have thought you’d be slow dancing with your crush — of over 3 years, in the kitchen of his childhood home — at midnight.         He held you hand, helping you to stand before twirling you into his arms. He lead your hands around his neck and his around your waist. You fell in step, letting the rhythm control your movements. Your eyes gazing into his brown, glistening ones, a soft smile on his face. It felt like a dream. Your surroundings and any other disturbances dissolved. It was just you and him. Right here, right now. You stayed like that, dancing. Everything felt just... perfect.        “You know i’d never judge you right?” He said, his eyes watching your expressions closely. “I know that’s what you were thinking earlier.”        You looked away, unable to find the right words. Soobin always had a way to read you so easily. Every once in a while he would remind you how expressive your face was. And you were certain a blush had crept to your cheeks when you heard soobin chuckle.        “You silly girl. You can tell me anything. You know that. After all, you are my best friend.”        “Right... best friend,” you offered a small smile to mask the resignation in your words.         And just like that, the song ended. Soobin let go your waist. Leaving nothing the ghostly feeling of where his hands once were and the sensation of having his body so close to yours.        “It’s nearly 1am. We should go to bed soon,” he nodded towards the clock on the stove. “You can head up first. I’ll clean up here and join you in a bit.”        You nodded. Once you were back in his room, you crashed on his bed. Regret and agony the only things left for you to feel.        Why did you agree to this. You knew it would be hard. But not this hard.        You rolled over to your side of the bed. And true to his word, soobin entered shortly after. Climbing under the covers with you, poking your side when you paid no attention to him.        You jumped, immediately facing him. “What was that for!?”        “Nothing,” he laughed. “It’s just fun to do that to you. I have a fun day planned tomorrow, so get up early. Good night y/n.”        “Good night, asshole.” You scoffed.

.

.

.

       The next morning you woke up to a post-it on your head. You tore it off and looked around the room but soobin was nowhere to be seen. You groaned, sitting up to stretch and read the note.        ‘Wake up sleepyhead. Come to the kitchen for breakfast.’        Oh, how you wished the entire night before had been a dream. But alas, it wasn’t. Pulling yourself out of bed, you cleaned yourself up and descend the stairs. The smell of fresh pancakes engulfing the entire house.        “Good morning y/n,” soobin’s dad greeted you when you entered the kitchen. “Grab a seat. Breakfast is almost done.”        “Your dad cooks?” You whispered as you pulled out the stool next to soobin.        “Mainly breakfast. But yes,” he whispered back.        Soobin’s dad placed a plate in front of each of you. 3 pancakes a piece, and more to come. “Butter or maple syrup?”        “Both,” soobin smugly answered.        “And you y/n?”        “Ill have both as well, thanks,” you smiled before facing soobin. “Where’s your mom and sister?”        “My mom went to the store. And my sister doesn’t get up till later.” Soobin grabbed the syrup his father had just put on the table and poured a generous amount. His attention was fully on his food.        You couldn’t help but grin at his childlike manner. He always loved breakfast. Or any dish that can be both sweet and savoury actually. You both enjoyed your breakfast, watching soobin’s father flip pancakes, cheering when it landed, and messing around while cooking as your morning source of entertainment.        “The pancakes are really good, mr choi,” you complimented.        “Why, thank you y/n. You always have been such well mannered,” he said. “Hopefully some of that will rub off on my son soon.”        “Hey! I am well mannered,” soobin retorted.        “Oh, really now,” you taunted, giving him a look of disbelief.        Soobin tsked, lightly pushing you over. “Okay, whatever. Anyways, hurry up. I’m going to show you around town today.”        “You two don’t come back too late now,” his father added. “And bring a coat, it’s supposed to get colder today.”        Stuffing down the remainder of his food, soobin linked your arms and dragged you out of the kitchen the moment he saw your plate empty.        “Hey! I’m not done yet, i wanted one mo-!”        “Bye dad!” Soobin interrupted, ignoring your plea.

————-————-————-————-

       “So much being well mannered.” You mocked.        “Not my fault you wanted to eat so much,” he shrugged.        Both of you strolled along the road. You weren’t sure where soobin was bringing you, other than his aforementioned ‘town’. Despite it just being the two of you, soobin still dressed nicely, in a turtleneck and scarf with a black coat to go over it.        “Wait...” you started, noticing a passing sign. “Why does that say the town is the other way?”        “Cause i changed my mind. I’m bringing you somewhere else,” he replied, shooting you one of his, oh so charming, eye smiles. “I’ll bring you to town another day.”        “This way’s to the forest,” you raised an eyebrow. “Are you planning to kill me or something? After 6 years of friendship. This is how you want to end it?” You dramatically gripped your chest and joked. “I’m sorry for whatever i did. I can change, I swear.”        Soobin rolled his eyes and guffawed. “Of course. This has been my plan all along. To befriend you then brutally murder you among the trees where no one can find your body,” he played along. “Relax, I’m no murderer. An avid liar? Maybe. But not a murderer. I just want to show you something.”         You hummed a response and continued on your way. Not long after, soobin was leading you down a path in the deserted forest. As the path reached deeper into the woods, the trees got denser.        “Erm, soobin, where are we going?” You called from behind him. “I’m really starting to question the whole murder thing.”        You’re not going to lie when you say the woods kind of crept you out. You could have sworn you felt someone behind you. But when you turned around, there wasn’t a soul. The twigs and dead leaves making a deafening crunch under your feet as the — seemingly never-ending — journey continued.        “Just trust me,” he provided a simple answer that proved to be of no help in ensuring you.       As you continued, the sound of snapping twigs got louder. You turned the corner and the sudden sound of birds fleeing their nest startled you, causing you to jump and grab soobin’s coat from the back.         “Are you really that scared?” He laughed. “Don’t worry,” he continued, turning around and reaching for your hand. Gently running his thumb over yours the rest of the way. “We’re almost there. It’s worth it, i promise.”        Having his hand in yours definitely provided some comfort. But it was also making you feel things that you shouldn’t be feeling. After another minute of walking, you finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel. The horrid crunching sound had been washed out by the sound of, well, rushing water.        A waterfall.        You gasped in astonishment at the clarity of the Caribbean-blue waterfall. It was spurting over the basalt rock, spilling eel-like over the ledges. Its clamorous passage at the foot of the mountain threw up bubbles of spray. They sparkled uneasily in the beams of light that shined through the leaves of surrounding trees.        When it toppled into the ecstasy-pool, it foamed it at the bottom. The rest of the pool was as clear as cellophane, allowing you to see down into the rocky bottom. Fronds of forest-green plants waved gently in the depths. The waterfall looked like a sheet of blue velour as it swished down. Its edges were hemmed with whipped-white lines.        “Wow,” was all you managed to utter out.        “I told you it was worth it,” soobin grinned. “Come on.” He lead you closer, collapsing on the bank and letting the nougat sweet smell of flowers wash over him.        You followed suit. “How did you find this place?”        “A friend of mine showed it to me when we were kids.” He said, leaning back against his palms. “We used to hang out all the time here. The five of us. That is, until i moved away for high school.        “I wonder what they’re up to now.” He added after a slight pause.        “You don’t see them when you come back for the holidays?” You asked.        Soobin shook his head. “I don’t get to see them much anymore. I barely leave my house, y/n, you know that. Besides, they’re all busy with their own lives.”        You listened to soobin reminisce about his childhood. You would listen to soobin talk for hours if you could. His words are were like gold to you, or perhaps some elixir you’ve been waiting all your days to hear. He had nothing but good things to say. It sounded like he had a lot of fun here, in the small town he grew up in. You both sat there for a while, gawking at the waterfall when the suddenly rustling of the bushes behind you caught your attention.        “Y/n,” soobin stood up, holding you behind him as the rustling got louder. And then a figure walked through, a boy. He was wearing a brown furry jacket. His hair was a strange shade a pink, but it complimented his skin tone nicely.        “Soobin?” The boy said, folding his arms. “No way. Is that actually you? Mr choi soobin. After all these years.”          “Yeonjun?” Soobin replied, letting go of you and walking up to yeonjun. “What are you doing here?”        “I was on my way out and thought i saw you earlier entering the forest so i decided to follow you. Who else knows this place anyway?” Yeonjun laughed, swinging an arm around soobin’s shoulder.        “So you practically followed, what could have been, a complete stranger into the forest?” Soobin shot him a look. To that, yeonjun just smiled and nodded. “You never change, do you?”        “Nope,” yeonjun answered confidently. “Anyways, are you going to introduce me to the pretty lady or do i have to do that myself?” He gestured a smile towards you.        Beside him, soobin stiffened, his jaw slightly tensing before he answered. “Right... Yeonjun, y/n. We met in high school, she’s my best friend.  Y/n, yeonjun. He was one of my friends i was telling you about-”        “Yeah, until this bastard moved, changed his number and practically became a hermit that never left his house much.” Yeonjun jibed.        “Hmm, that sounds about right. The only place I’ve seen him, other than class or the library, is at my apartment binge watching shows,” you added, causing yeonjun to burst out a laugh.        “You guys are mean.” Soobin grumbled, pushing yeonjun’s arm off him.        “I have a feeling she and i are going to be great friends.” Yeonjun said matter-of-factly.        The three of you sat there, talking for what seemed like hours. Soobin and yeonjun continued to tell you about the different adventures they had together as kids with their friends, beomgyu, kai and taehyun. They recounted all the accidents that happened, all the fun moments they had together. Yeonjun eventually proceeded to tell you about all the embarrassing soobin stories he could think of, sharing jokes and making you laugh. The entire time though, soobin barely directed any conversation at you. Let alone laugh at Yeonjun’s ‘jokes’.        As your laughter died down, yeonjun spoke again. “I have to ask though, what’s she doing doing here? Not that there’s anything wrong with it. I’m just curious. Does she live around here too?”        You looked to soobin, unsure of how or what to answer.        “It’s okay, yeonjun won’t snitch,” he said. “Y/n’s pretending to be my girlfriend for the holiday.”         It hurt you every time he said it. In your head you wished so badly for it to be real. To think, by now you would have learnt that wishing only wounds the heart. And each time soobin said it out loud, it was like a punch to the gut.        “Pretending to be your-“ yeonjun cut himself off by scoffing. “What for?”        “Well....” soobin started explaining the whole situation to yeonjun. To which the only response he got out of the other boy was mockery and disbelief.        “Are you serious?!” Yeonjun exclaimed. “So you two aren’t together?”        You shook your head.        “Oh... good....” he mumbled, grinning in the process. “You have got to be kidding me. But you guys do you, i guess. My lips are sealed.        “I hate to ruin the moment but i have to go. It was nice meeting you y/n.” He tipped an imaginary hat. “It was nice to see you again too, soobin. But let know, the next time you’re back.”        “Right, ill keep that in mind.” Soobin replied.        Just as yeonjun started to walk away, he stopped and turned around once more. “Oh! Right. How long are you guys staying? I’m meeting beomgyu, tae and kai on monday at the diner. You should come,” his eyes travelled to you, “both of you.”        “We cant-“        “We would love to!” You cut soobin off, “come on soobin, you haven’t seen your friends in ages. I would be nice to say ‘hi’ again.”         Soobin stared at you for a second. Maybe it was the excitement in your face or maybe he truly did want to see his friends again. But in the end he agreed.          “Great! Ill see you two monday at 5.” Yeonjun ended, giving a small salute before leaving, for real this time.        Soobin went back to the bay, laying down on the grass, letting out a long held sigh. He stared up at the sky that was quickly becoming darker. The stars and moon announcing their arrival.        “You alright?” You asked, sitting down next to him.        “Yeah, why wouldn’t i be?” He answered, his eyes still closed.        “I don’t know. You just seemed... off just now. Like my or yeonjun’s presence bothered you.”        “It’s nothing. Im just tired.” He sighed again, sitting up. “While on the subject, we should head back. It’s getting dark.”        He stood up and started walking without another word.        Was he mad at you? No... he had no reason to be, right? Was he mad about the joke you made with yeonjun?        You quickly caught up to him and followed him out of the forest. Other than your footsteps against the concrete road and the cicadas that came out to say their daily greetings, the awkward silence followed the rest of the way.        “I’m not annoyed at you, if that’s what you’re thinking,” soobin broke the silence. The entire walk you had your focus on the ground, not noticing the stolen glances soobin took. “Stop sulking. People are going to think i kicked your puppy or something.” He chuckled, bending his waist slight to look at your face.        His face was mere inches away from yours. Memories from the previous night came flooding back. You didn’t offer a response, not trusting the words that would escape your lips in that moment. Instead just turning your face to the other side to avoid his stare. Soobin let out a light hearted laugh and continued walking.          You recalled how soobin always said you had an expressive face. He must have seen something you didn’t realise.        The sky got darker as you continued down the road. The cool winter breeze greeting the concrete and skin just the same, causing you to shiver and wrap your arms around yourself. Mentally cursing the fact that, other than your khaki coat, you didn’t think to wear more layers that morning.        Of course, this didn’t go unnoticed. “Are you cold?” Soobin asked, already shedding off his cherry red, wool scarf.        “No, it’s alright, you’ll get cold,” grabbing his hands to stop his actions.        “I’ll be fine. And we’re only about 5 minutes away,” he argued, wrapping his scarf around your neck. He took your hand, pulling you behind him the rest of the way quickly before you ‘caught a cold’.        The scarf sat snug to your skin, soft and gentle, the ends becoming a colourful flag in the wintry winds. It was still warm from where it sat before. You could smell of his cologne on it. Faint, from the day’s activities. But still prominent enough to know it’s existence.        Your hands trembled in his and you thanked the cold for that excuse. Burying your face deeper into his scarf before he could make out the slight blush that painted your cheeks.        When you reached soobin’s home again, there was a faint chattering echoing through house.        “Oh, i think my older sister’s came for a visit.”        Soobin’s older sister. The one that’s the account, married, with the baby — soobin’s nephew — and the lovely husband. You’ve only ever met them once, well that, and the occasional pictures soobin would send you of him and his nephew. Seeing soobin with babies did things to your heart thats you didn’t like. You’ve already imagined the unlikely scenario of what it would be like to have soobin as your boyfriend. You can’t go fantasising an entire family as well. But you had to admit, he would make a great dad one day.        “Soobin!” His older sister ran and hugged him. He’s always had such a close bond with his siblings. “Mom and dad told me you brought your girlfriend home this time.” She wiggled her eyebrows.        “Hey sis. And yeah, y/n. You know her,” soobin turned to you.        “Of course. The last time i saw you two I knew you’d end up together.” She cheered as if she had just won the lottery.        So, from what you’ve gathered, soobin’s entire family had always had some hopes on the two of two. You wanted to smile at that fact. But at same time, you were lying to them right now. It was a bittersweet feeling.        The remainder of the night went on rather unproductive. You had dinner with his family, chatted with them, played with the baby and that was about it. The worst part came when the family decided to watch a movie together. The movie was great, dont get me wrong. You all sat together and watched kingsman again. Even though it was the tenth time you’ve seen it, it was still yours and Soobin’s favourite.        The bad part came when you had to find a seat. The family couch say four, soobin’s mom, dad and sisters. The older’s husband took one of the arm chairs, leaving you and soobin to share the other. In other words, you ended up having to sit on his lap.        “I can just sit on the floor, its no problem,” you suggested.        “Nonsense. I won’t let you sit on the floor,” soobin rebutted, holding your waist, pulling you back onto his lap.        You swear, if it wasn’t for the dimness of the room, the redness of your face would have matched that of the fire place. Throughout the movie you found it extremely hard to pay attention. Soobin had left one of his hands to rest on your knee and the other around your back. Sure, he was probably just putting on a show for his family. But he didn’t have to do the thumb thing as well. Or gently whisper in your ear, so close that you could feel his breath against your neck.          The rest of the time you couldn’t help but fidget in your seat — which just so happened to be soobin’s lap. As interesting as the fight scene on screen was or the dramatic music playing, the only thing you could focus on was the fact that soobin’s hand had now traveled to your thigh.        And underneath you, soobin’s breathing was becoming short and uneven. He was starting to stir as well before getting up, forcing you to stand and murmuring, “I’m going to head to bed early. You guys enjoy the rest of the movie.”        Within the next beat of the soundtrack, he was dashing out of the living room and running up the stairs.        What...?        You weren’t the only one wondering that. Soobin’s family were now staring at you, his mothers brows furrowed, his sister’s head tilted quizzically. “He said he’s tired,” you blurted, face-palming in your head.        Great. You already felt out of place and this certainly wasn’t helping. You sat down on the, now vacant, chair and continued the rest of the movie with his family.        I’m sure he’s fine. You can always ask him tomorrow.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

       You woke up to an empty bed again. But this time there was no post it note or anything from soobin. So you assumed he’d be in the kitchen like before.        “Morning y/n,” it was his older sister this time.        “Morning.” You looked around. No sight of soobin. “Where’s soobin?”        “Oh he didn’t tell you? He went out for a walk around 20 minutes ago.”        Why didn’t he wait for you?        “Yeah, he didn’t. Did he say where he was going or when he’ll be back?” You asked.        To that, she just shook her head.        Oh...

       “I almost forgot,” she continued. “There was a note for you. I left it on the counter for you.”

       You picked it up, hoping to see Soobin’s name as the regards, telling you his whereabouts. Instead, the note was fairly short.

Hey y/n!

Once again i just wanted to welcome you to town. It was really nice meeting you yesterday! Maybe we could hang out some time?

(Hopefully) Your friend,

Yeonjun

       Did Soobin see it? Either way, why does it matter.        After breakfast, you decided to wait for soobin to come home. If he didn’t tell where he was going, it means he cant be gone long, right? You sat in his room, figuring it would be the only place you didnt have to face his family members.        It was only about an hour and a half of waiting and a lunch break, that you got bored. You could only scroll your phone so much before it started to get more redundant than it already was. So, checking the weather report, you got dressed and left for a walk around. You hadn’t seen much of the area yet, it wouldn’t be harmful to do some exploring. Learning your lesson from yesterday, you put on a wool sweater underneath your coat. A pair of dr marten to match.         It was a rather fine day out. You walked under the sun that warmed your skin, but the cool winds keeping the temperature cool enough. The only thing that would make this better would be if soobin were with you...        “Y/n!” You heard a familiar voice call from behind you.        You turned around and saw a familiar lock of pink hair running towards you, frantically waving his arms. He was wearing a leather jacket today. Behind him was someone else that chased after him. He had nicely styled, bleached blonde hair and was slightly short than yeonjun was.        “Oh, hi.” You greeted the two of them. “Fancy running into you again.”        “I know, right!” He agreed, a bit more enthusiastically than what you would imagine. “Why are you alone? Where’s soobin?”        “No clue. He just took off this morning. Didn’t tell me anything and i got bored of sitting around alone.”        “Maybe the pressure of a relationship getting to him,” yeonjun suggested.        “It’s fake though,” you mocked.        He just shrugged. “Doesn’t make it any less of a commitment.”        You hummed a reply. “Fair enough.”        “Anyway. If you have nothing better to do... taehyun and i,” he said, gesturing towards to boy beside him, “were just headed to the arcade in town. Care to join us?”        “Sure, I don’t see why not.”        You followed as yeonjun and taehyun lead you through the town soobin said he would bring you to. Every corner they turned, they greeted someone new. From little kids to elderly ladies and gentlemen. Small town, i guess everyone knew everyone.        Eventually, they stopped in front of a building, the arcade. The pings from the pinball machines, the bullets from the shooting games, and the ‘jackpot’ announcements, all a dead give away. From the outside, the building looked old and rundown. The paint was old and cracking as if it hadn’t been repainted in years. Even the neon signs provided to the retro aesthetic, casting a purple-red hue over everything.        You stood there, taking in the atmosphere for a second. It sure was different from any arcade you had back in the city. You glanced around, when a figure at one of the pinball machines caught your eye.        “Soobin?” You spoke out loud.        Confused, yeonjun and taehyun followed your gaze to said figure.        “What in the?” You walked up to him. the further into the arcade you went, the louder everything got. Tapping him on the shoulder, you just about had to yell to have any sort of conversation.        “Y/n?” He asked, looking at you with the same expression as culprit that had just been caught red-handed.        You scoffed playfully, crossing your arms. “So you ditched me to come play games alone?”        “Um, kind of? Not really though,” he said. His eyes darting towards the two boys that to came up behind you. “You came with taehyun and... Yeonjun?”        “Hey soob, long time no see,” taehyun added.        “I went out for a walk and ran into them,” a quick and easy reason. “You could have just told me if you wanted to come to town alone, you know? You don’t have to sneak off at the crack of dawn.”        “Nice to see you too tae. And I do want to show you around the town. It’s just,” his eyes travelled between you and yeonjun, back to you in a blink. “I just needed a break from things for a while.”        “Hm, alright,” you accepted his explanation, but something still felt weird.        “Since we’re already here, there’s no use standing around.” Yeonjun spoke. “Y/n, come play the shooting game with me!”        Before you could reply, yeonjun was already dragging you towards one of the machines. Leaving taehyun and soobin to do whatever it was they did. He handed you one of the guns available and scanned his arcade card. The entire time you could feel eyes watching you, but shook it off.        Yeonjun was pretty good at the game, you had to admit. He spent a lot of time here, you assumed. Time seemed to disappear the longer you were in the arcade. The atmosphere around you never changed. It was still as lively and colourful as when you first walked in. The bright lights and loud music blasting, disrupting your senses. But outside, the sun was quickly setting.        “Good game, y/n,” taehyun offered a handshake after you beat him at yet another game of air hockey.        You took it. “Not too shabby yourself.”        Beside you, yeonjun and soobin clapped for your victory.        “We should probably go back soon,” Soobin said, showing the clock on his phone. It was nearly 8pm. Time sure flies when you’re having fun.        You all travelled back together. Turns out yeonjun and taehyun only lived a street away from soobin.        “See you tomorrow,” taehyun and yeonjun waved goodbye as you parted ways, leaving you and soobin to go your way.        Neither of you said a thing to each other. And for reason you were having trouble thinking of a conversation starter, this hasn’t happened before. Usually you and soobin had endless things to talk about. It didn’t matter how stupid or unimaginable it was, the two of you never ran out of things to say.        “When you were a kid, did you ever pretend you were smoking in winter?” You said the first thing that came to mind, the cold air making your breath visible, helping to elaborate your question. You laughed at yourself, holding your fingers up in a peace sign, imagining a cigarette between them.        “Yeah, when i was like 7.”        Okay, ouch.        Soobin’s answer was short, providing no further conversation. You pressed your lips together, stuffing your hands in your pockets as embarrassment crept up on you. So much for never feeling judged.        The rest of the night you didn’t speak much. Every attempt you made just being shot down with one liners. Every time you showed soobin a funny video or meme, he gave little to no response. And eventually you gave up.        This continued to the following day. Sure, soobin was an introvert. You knew that. But he’s never ignored you to this extent. Was he getting sick of having you around everyday? If that was the case, he should just tell you, you’d give him all the space he needs.        You can’t lie and say you weren’t hurt by that thought. Your crush was ignoring you. That would have hurt anyone. And right now, you felt nothing more than a parasite in his home.        “Come on, we have to go meet the others,” the first words he’s said to you in hours.

      You followed quietly as soobin brought you to the diner. When you arrived, the others were already there. Yeonjun and taehyun, along with two new faces. Beomgyu and Huening Kai, you figured from previous conversations.        They sat at a semi-circle booth meant for four with two extra chairs at the end. One of which occupied by taehyun as the other three shared the banquette bench.         “Soobin! Y/n!” They waved.         Yeonjun sat at one of the ends and shifted when he spotted you enter. “Y/n, i saved you a seat next to me,” he said smugly, smirking and cocking his head to the space beside him.        You rolled your eyes at his antics, lips curling upwards. Soobin’s expression remained hard, unbothered and unimpressed even. But you didn’t question it, he’s been like that since yesterday. And frankly, you’ve gotten sick of it. Might as well spend time with someone that actually wants your attention.        You got along well with the boys. You learnt that Kai and taehyun went to the same school and beomgyu had just graduated recently. Most of the time though, was spent whispering jokes between yeonjun and yourself. And at some point of the night, he had managed to sneak an around the back of the booth. On the other side, Beomgyu and Kai snickered to each other and eventually shook hands, some bet or deal you presumed.        All of a sudden you heard one of the chairs beside you shift. The feet scratching against the tiled floor. And the next thing you knew, soobin was walking out the door, the bell ringing behind him.        “Where’s he going?” Kai asked.        “No clue,” Beomgyu answered. Taehyun just shrugged. All your attentions still on the door that had already been shut.        “Um, ill go check on him,” you announced, running out of the diner after him. Sure, you and him weren’t on good terms at the moment, but nontheless he was still your best friend, and a huge part of you still cared for him.         “Soobin, wait!” You called, but he kept walking.        “Soobin!” You tried again, chasing after him.        “Stop right there choi soobin!” You yelled, your voice echoing through the empty street. The boys silhouette stood still. But never did he turn to look at you. “Dont you dare take another step!”        Never once in five years have you ever felt intimidated by him. But with his large figure being illuminated by nothing but the dull, yellow street lights, you couldn’t say that anymore. There was silence as you gathered your thoughts, making your way towards him. You had him right in front of you. Now what? You wanted soobin back. Your soobin.        “What’s going on with you?” Your feet stopped on their own accord, right behind the tall boy. “You’ve been acting strange.”        No answer.        “Soobin, don’t ignore me!” You said again, desperation and annoyance laced in your tone.        “I don’t know what you want me to say y/n,” he sighed, trying to keep his temper from exploding.        “I want a damn explanation, soobin,” anger from the previous day slowly consuming you. “Do you know how much of an asshole you’re being? God! I try to talk to you, but it’s just like i’m talking to a god damn wall! So, you can either tell me what’s going on or I’m on the next bus home tomorrow.”        No answer. But you could tell the last part hit him hard. He couldn’t look at you. If he did, he was sure you would see the remorse and anger in his eyes. He hated that you were mad. He hated that you were yelling. But most of all he hated that he was the cause of it.       “You asked me to come play girlfriend with you and i did,” you sighed, continuing when he started walking again. “I only did because,” swallowed the lump in your throat, “you’re... you’re my best friend.”        Best friend.        “I’m your best friend... you can me anything, you know that.” You quoted his words.        “There’s some things better left unsaid,” he offered before walking away again. “I’m sorry y/n.”        “No!” You cried, stopping his tracks. “Apology not accepted.”        You could see frustration building in soobin. His hand pinching his temple, his shoulders tensed as you spoke. “You said you’d be by my side the whole time! But since the waterfall you’ve barely talked to me! You leave me in situations on my own, you’re ignoring me and you randomly take off without a word. You’re doing it right now! So, again, you can either tell me what’s going on or-“        “It’s because i love you, okay!?”        Now it was your turn to stay silent.        Soobin let out a sigh, turning to face you. “Is that what you want to hear?! I love you, y/n!” His tone got softer, “I love you so much. For as long as i can remember knowing you. It hurts when I see you with other people. Especially people that so blatantly flirt with you in front of me. You’re stunning, beautiful. Even a fool could see it. But you’re also so much more than that.        “You were the only person that bothered to come talk to me the first day of school. Others probably viewed me as the weird, loser kid that sat alone during lunch. But you didn’t. You were my first and only friend for years. Before i knew it, i had a crush on you. At first, i thought it was just a phase. But it wasn’t, y/n. And now, im so hopelessly head over heels for you.        “I know, I haven’t earned your heart. I never will. I could spend a million years worshiping you and still not earn it. You’re my best friend, i know I shouldn’t be feeling this way. I know you’re mad at me. And i know I don’t deserve your forgiveness. But please... please, don’t leave me.”        He sounded raw, real in a way you’ve never heard before. When he was done, he was closely inspecting the road, afraid to look up. Chewing on his bottom lip nervously, waiting for your rejection.        “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” You asked, keeping emotion from your voice.        He shrugged and laughed. “You’re my best friend, I didn’t want to lose you.”        You let one hand slide against his cheek, resting your palm there. “You wouldn’t have.”        “Wha-“        “I love you too, you doofus.”        You felt the pull of a muscle as his lips twitched. “Really?”        “Yes. Really. For as long as i can remember.”        Soobin, your best friend — now, boyfriend — pulled you into his arms. “I love you, y/f/n. And I’m so sorry for the way I’ve been. What can i say to make you forgive me?”        “Words only mean so much. Actions speak louder, don’t you agree?”        “I do.”        He lowered his head and brushed his lips against yours.        “Am i forgiven?” He asked rhetorically.        You laugh. “Only because i love you.”        “Yes! I told you so!” You turned and saw Kai yelling and celebrating, pointing fingers at beomgyu. Taehyun and yeonjun shaking their heads in disappointment.        What a crazy group of friends they were.

.

.

.

Once Upon A Summer (Ch. 5)

"Well...I did say it would wear off over time." Stephen says as he looks Peter over.

Once Tony got Peter's clean bill of health and assurance that there was nothing to be concerned about, he asked Friday to put in an order for things a two year old would need. Such as bigger clothes, possibly bigger diapers, and oh god...potty training. Was it really worth doing? At the rate Peter was growing back to his teenage body, it was likely Tony would pull his hair out over nothing. He'd much rather change diapers than try the pointless endeavor of getting Peter to use the toilet when he would know what to do when he got bigger. So both he and Stephen decided they wouldn't bother.

"I really hope Pete doesn't live up to the terrible twos I've heard about." Tony sighs.

"I'm surprised you've heard of it." Stephen jests and gets an eye roll from Tony.

"Haha. Very funny. Just for that you get to change his next diaper."

"Daddy up!" Peter says as he holds up his arms.

That was another thing Tony was still trying to wrap his head around. Daddy. It threw him for a loop, but he would be lying if he said he hated it. He actually kind of liked it. Peter was his kid and it made Tony wonder if Toddler Peter was just voicing how Teenage Peter had felt all this time. Did Peter actually see him as a father figure and was too worried Tony might shut him down if he said anything? Knowing him, it was a possibility. Peter was a people pleaser. Almost to a fault. But he was a good kid who always tried to do the right thing, even if sometimes he went about it the wrong way.

That train of thought brought Tony back to his earlier conversation with Stephen. He brushed the sorcerer off when he pointed out the similarities between them, but now he was just as curious. He did say he would take the paternity test to see if there was a match, and maybe now was the best time to do it. Before Peter grew even more and was more aware of what was going on.

"Hey...about that test…" Tony starts and Stephen raises an eyebrow.

"What about it?"

"We should do it now, I think. Get it over with you know? Bruce can do it and I can trust him to keep it to himself." Tony rambles.

"If you'd like. Should we pack up?" Stephen asks.

"No. We'll pop over then come back. I'm sure Peter would enjoy the beach now." Tony says.

Stephen merely nods and leaves the master bedroom after muttering something about a sling ring. Tony then finally gave in to Peter's request to be picked up, made sure his diaper was clean, and waited for the sorcerer to return so they could make a quick trip back to the tower. Tony knew he was always dressed to the nines wherever he went, but at the moment, he didn't feel the need to uphold his image. He was comfortable in his t-shirt and sleep pants and he was on vacation. Sort of.

He was taking a few much needed days off at least. Most people wouldn't even consider that a vacation.

"Are you going like that?" Stephen asks when he returns to the room.

"Are you?" Tony counters, eyeing the similar getup Stephen was wearing.

It was nice to see Stephen could relax in some clothes that didn't require twenty belts. Nineteen of which Tony was positive were just for show...and to keep unwanted hands away. That was a hell of a way to stay abstinent.

"Touché." Stephen chuckles and makes a gateway to the Med-bay in the tower. "I'm too lazy to change. Especially if we're coming back."

"Me too." Tony steps through the gateway, and actually finds himself already face to face with Bruce who looked very confused.

"How did you…?" Bruce starts and then looks past Tony as Stephen follows through the gateway before it closes. "Oh."

Then Bruce's attention was drawn to Peter and the confusion that had gone away just milliseconds ago was back in full force. Tony was pretty sure he could actually hear the cogs turning in his head.

"Who's the kid?"

"Long story short, Pete was hit by a spell that turned him into a baby while he was out on patrol. Strange and I are vacationing until he's back to normal." Tony says.

"I think I prefer this over an actual visit because of an injury." Bruce says. "Especially since you're not coming to me with questions."

"No...just…" Tony hesitates. "Can you do a paternity test?" He finally asks with a mumble.

Bruce's eyebrows shoot up. "What brought this on?"

"A nosey sorcerer."

There was a scoff behind him.

"Sure."

Bruce had Tony sit down and go first in the hopes that when it came to Peter's turn, the toddler wouldn't fuss and make a two second finger prick turn into a five minute ordeal. Peter watched with curious eyes as Bruce drew some blood from the billionaire, and once he got that put away, he turned to the boy standing next to Tony's chair. He waited until Tony got up and helped Peter into the chair, and then held his hand out.

"Can I see your hand Peter?" Bruce asks softly.

Peter looks down at his hands and then offers one of them to Bruce with eyes still filled with curiosity, and watches as the man disinfects it. Everything after that was so quick, Peter didn't even realize Bruce had pricked his finger until he was collecting the blood. To his credit, he didn't scream, but there were certainly tears welling up in his eyes. Tony felt a little bad for putting the kid through this just for the sake of curiosity, but he would make it up to him. Ice cream always makes things better right?

"Sorry Peter. It's already over." Bruce tells him as he wraps a band-aid around his finger.

"Come on kiddo." Tony says as he reaches out for the boy, only to be given a look of utter betrayal.

"No!" Tony blinks in surprise as Peter hops off the chair, pushes by him, and runs over to hug Stephen's leg. "Want Mama! You mean!"

Two things immediately crossed Tony's mind at that moment. One, he felt awful when Peter gave him that look of betrayal. But then the second thought trumped the first and he tried to hold back the laughter that was bubbling in his chest. It wasn't easy when he saw the expression on Stephen's face. A mixture between mortified, exasperated, and maybe some pity for the toddler. What the sorcerer said next broke the dam of Tony's laughter though.

"Why am I Mom?"

"Well you do coo to him in the mornings." Tony says through his cackling and earns a miffed huff.

"I do not!"

"I have video evidence." Tony laughs some more when Stephen sputters. "Come on Doc. We'll head back so you can bury yourself in the sand."

That was all Stephen needed to turn and reopen the gateway back to the Malibu mansion, and he even picked up Peter before walking through. Tony in the meantime took a few moments to calm down and turn back to Bruce.

"You'll call me?"

"Yeah. I should have the results by tonight. Only because I don't have much I'm working on right now." Bruce says.

"I'm assuming I don't need to tell you to keep this between us?" Tony asks and the other man shakes his head. "Thank you."

Tony turns and steps through the gateway that he was a little surprised Stephen left open for him, and once he was through and it closed behind him, he looked around when he didn't see the two right away. It didn't take much looking to find them in the kitchen and discovering that Stephen had the same idea he had. The man was currently scooping out some chocolate ice cream into a small bowl for Peter, who was looking up at him in excitement. Almost like Stephen hung the sun just for him.

"Hey, I was going to give him ice cream!" Tony complains.

"Well I'm clearly the nice parent so I need to live up to my role." Stephen says. "You're the bad parent that has to get his own ice cream."

Tony sighs. "Ouch. I'm supposed to be the favorite."

He walks over to scoop out his own ice cream as Stephen leads Peter over to the table and helps him into a chair. Even the sorcerer had his own bowl of ice cream and managed to eat it while keeping an eye on Peter so the toddler didn't make too much of a mess. After Tony put away the carton of ice cream, he sat across from Stephen with his own bowl and immediately stuck a spoonful of ice cream into his mouth. Even he had to admit it was a nice treat after being poked at.

"You know I don't remember ordering ice cream." Tony says eventually.

"That's because I did." Stephen tells him. "You did say I could get whatever I wanted or needed."

The tone in Stephen's voice made Tony nod immediately. It was like he wasn't sure what Tony had said was genuine or something and Tony didn't want him to think that. He wanted Stephen to be comfortable. Get what he wanted without having to worry about money. To enjoy himself.

That's what part of this getaway was about after all.

"I did...and that's still true. I honestly expected you to ask me if it was okay first. You usually do that."

"I figured you wouldn't notice ice cream on your bill." Stephen says dryly.

"I didn't. If Mom needs his chocolate--hey! Ow!" Tony winces when Stephen kicks his shin under the table. "Come on! It's cute!"

"Only when Peter does it." Stephen huffs. "He calls me that out of care. You call me that to tease me."

"Oh believe me. If I wanted to tease you, I could think of much more adult ways to do it that we would both enjoy."

That got him another kick to his shins but Tony decided it was worth it. Stephen blushed so prettily and it made him wonder if he was actually getting to the doctor. All of Stephen's attention was turned to his own ice cream or at Peter after that, but Tony was content to stare at the blush on the younger's face and had to smile when it took it's time to go away. It probably didn't help that he was staring in the first place. Tony was being obviously blatant about it and, him being him, unashamed.

"All done!" Peter exclaims a few minutes later and holds up his hands as if to prove his point.

Stephen chuckles and grabs a napkin to help him clean his hands. "You sure are. Would you like to go to the beach?"

"Beach?" Peter questions and Tony was thankful the boy didn't mispronounce it. "Yeah."

"Maybe I'll make lunch for us to have while we're there." Stephen says and Peter nods. "What kind of sandwich would you like?"

"Mmm…"

Peter seemed to struggle with deciding so Stephen helped him down from his chair and led him back into the kitchen to look in the fridge. While he listed off the options to the toddler, Tony watched and listened as he absently ate the rest of his ice cream. It was a surprise to see Stephen doing so well with Peter and it was attractive if he was honest. The other Avengers liked Peter well enough, even cared about him, but Stephen took it to a parenting level like Tony did. Peter certainly viewed the younger man in that light.

"Daddy gets tuna." Peter says and Tony chuckles. Teenage Peter was definitely in there somewhere and remembered Tony's favorite kind of sandwich.

Tony gets up with his empty bowl and spoon and takes it to the kitchen to rinse off in the sink so he can put it in the dishwasher. Once that's finished, he turns to look at Peter and Stephen and then crouches in front of the toddler.

"Hey Pete. How about we go get you ready for the beach and leave Mom to make lunch?" He suggests.

Stephen didn't protest "Mom" being used this time. Maybe because Tony was only using it because that was how Peter saw the sorcerer.

"How?" Peter asks.

"Well, for one thing, we gotta get you in some swim trunks. Bet Friday ordered some for you." Tony says.

"I also took the liberty of ordering some sunblock." The AI says and Tony raises an eyebrow at Peter.

"See? Even Friday knows what you need better than I do."

Peter seemed to study Tony and what he did next took the older man by surprise. He wrapped his little arms around Tony's neck and squeezed as hard as he could. Peter was giving him a hug.

Wait. That shouldn't have been surprising at all. Peter was a touchy-feely kind of person and Tony...wasn't. He already denied Peter that hug after coming back from Germany, but he would be damned if he did it again. Maybe it was what Peter said that was surprising to Tony.

"You good daddy." Peter says into his shoulder.

Tony swallows back the lump in his throat. "I thought I was mean."

Peter moves away and pouts at him after holding up his finger. "No more boo-boos."

"No more boo-boos." Tony confirms with a chuckle and even kisses the bandaged finger. "Not because of me."

Stephen snorts. "Now it's just a matter of if he can keep himself from getting boo-boos."

Tony huffs and gets up with Peter in his arms. He really didn't need the reminder that his kid was, in fact, a web slinging vigilante. So he pinched Stephen's ass when he wasn't paying attention as his rebuttal. The sorcerer's jolt and deep blush just before his confused sputtering sent Tony into a laughing fit as he took Peter to the front door where the packages were waiting.

"Stark, I swear on the Vishanti--"

"Don't try to deny that you liked it. Your blush speaks for you. Nice ass by the way." Tony states nonchalantly and gets another fit of sputtering from Stephen.

Peter, having been looking over Tony's shoulder as the engineer walked away, giggles. "Mama red."

Interview with a Fic Writer

Tagged by @novantinuum, thank you!

__

How many works do you have on AO3?

242 works. The actual fuck??? Wow, me. Of course, this does span about 9 years, so I guess that's not that insane?

What’s your total word count on AO3

549,737! But that averages out to only 2271 words per story, haha. You got me! I think I have less than 10 fics that have more than 1 chapter. I love one-shots, what can I say?

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

Oh, you want to get into this? All right. We'll get into this:

The X-Files, proto-fandom, ur-fandom, first OTP ever... yeah, 15-year-old me went. WILD. Many horrible Mulder/Scully stories, and some Doggett/Scully and character study stories as well. Mostly not very good, but with occasional flashes of decent writing. Really had a difficult time writing romantic feelings between 30+ year-olds given a) I did not date in high school and b) was 17 and not an emotionally stunted FBI agent.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer - not a huge volume of stories, but definitely some very angsty Spuffy and Spike tales.

Harry Potter - just one published fic (Lupin grieving Sirius), and one with Snape and Harry having a heart to heart I could never quite get right.

Then came the dark times (vet school) where I was exhausted and hard at work for a few years and I thought, horribly, I might have outgrown fandom. Thank god for...

X-Men First Class and the undying love of Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr! I'd never fallen for a slash ship before but my god I fell hard for this one and wrote my first fandom smut and my first real AU (mutants with zombies) that I never finished.

Then.... let's see...

Quantum Leap drabbles!

Two Avatar the Last Airbender fics!

Agents of SHIELD fics, mostly focused on Coulson and FitzSimmons, and super angsty.

Bioshock Infinite sads (god I love writing the sad bad dad)!

And then the juggernauts of Mass Effect (my longest fic to date with 30 chapters!) and Dragon Age, which were endlessly productive and are still productive given the variety of different protagonists you can create, different choices, and different relationships to canon characters. I'm still working on a Hawke/Varric fic in the back of my mind here.

There's one random Gravity Falls fic (wish I could have got a little more obsessed with it, or gotten into it while it aired) of Stan sads, and one tiny Avengers ficlet of a sad Tony and Peter.

There's one Wheel of Time fic! Dammit I wanted Rand and Tam to reunite so much sooner than they did.

40-odd Steven Universe fics! So many SU fics!

One random Schitt's Creek fic of David and Patrick!

And finally, The Mandalorian, with 47 fics. Phew!!!

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1. The Invitation, The Mandalorian. Din Djarin finds himself in dreams that seem realer than real, reminding him of his loss, but he begins to find a sense of hope again. A promise is kept.

2. The Outstretched Hand, The Mandalorian. Din Djarin is a man of action, but sometimes, the quiet finds its way in. Din reckons with the aftermath of the events of Chapter 14, the Tragedy. (My very first Mando fic!)

3. Not the Sentimental Type, Steven Universe. Priyanka Maheswaran has long prided herself on keeping her emotions in check. But a mother's love can only grow, and sometimes it expands to people she never anticipated. Like the Universe boy.

4. Translation, The Mandalorian. Din Djarin was a man of few words, but many languages. Some might have thought the Child had no language at all. Din Djarin and the Child grow to understand each other.

5. Full Disclosure, Steven Universe. Just as the world begins to recover from Spinel's attack, Steven starts having nightmares. The more he ignores his fears, the worse they become, until he's left with no other choice but to ask for help. (My thoughts on what would drive Steven Universe Future, and I wasn't far off.)

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I really try to! Even sometimes years later if I realize I've missed some. I appreciate each and every one, and have definitely made friendships through comments <3

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Oh, hell... I'm too lazy to link these but if anyone wants to read them let me know or find them on my AO3!

A Stopped Clock from Bioshock Infinite has Booker DeWitt ravaged by Korsakoff's amnesia from his long-standing alcoholism. Is Columbia real or imagined? Hard to say.

The Viscount's Way shows Varric Tethras having become his parent, and a cruel, hard viscount of Kirkwall.

Songs in the Key of Red shows how Cullen fared under the dark future in Redcliffe in DAI, and they write happy endings, don't they? shows what happened to Varric. Both horribly depressing in different ways!

Two by Two, Hands of Blue shows a not unexpected end to lyrium addiction :( Poor Cullen, he got a lot of angsty developments, didn't he?

Do you write crossovers? If so, what’s the craziest thing you’ve ever written?

Never really got into crossovers or AUs. Just... meh for me!

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

No, I don't think so.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Charles/Erik, Shepard/Garrus, Shepard/Liara, Shepard/Tali, a mess of different f/f femShep drabbles, and most of my Dragon Age pairings have gotten sexytimes. On the other hand I helped start the NoRomo Mando tag for the Mandalorian to help find non-pairing Mandalorian content. Depends on the pairing and the fandom, for sure.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Nope, thank goodness!

Have you ever had a fic translated?

I think so! There used to be a Spanish-language wiki linking to some of my old X-Files stories XD

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No, but friends and I definitely will beta each others' things to help with sticky points.

What’s your all-time favorite ship?

ALL-TIME? Just, why? So many ships I loved in years past turned out to have pretty damn problematic elements I didn't see at the time, so it's hard to say... Mulder/Scully actually has a ton of issues, Buffy/Spike obviously has issues... so maybe Hawke/Varric (except not canon!) or Garrus/Shepard or Brosca/Alistair.

What’s a WIP you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Still need to finish my Hawke/Varric fic for after Adamant! I have 3 chapters written that I haven't posted. Maybe posting them will help inspire me....

What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue and POV writing from different characters; I feel fantastic writing Steven and Greg, though totally at sea trying to write from Connie's POV, randomly. But I think my dialogue and emotional beats are what people tend to tune in for. When I do write romance, it's usually very sweet and silly and pulled from life. I also love writing nature scenes and settings to help establish mood. Mood and emotion and catharsis are my bread and butter, and I like my poetic prose.

What are your writing weaknesses?

What the hell is a long, well-thought-out plot? Like what even is that???? My longest fic with 30 chapters is basically "Shepard has PTSD and hangs out with her crew. They have some funerals." THAT'S IT. How the heck people actually come up with plot that ties into the lore of a fandom I genuinely have no idea and it's the biggest thing that's held me back from finishing original work. I can come up with a setting and characters and then trying to make them do stuff that's more than just talking to other characters and deepening their relationships with them... how the fuck???

I also definitely have 10-20 words that I am in constant danger of reusing like every other paragraph, LOL!

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I don't speak any other languages so I always avoid it as much as possible. I've seen people describe sign differently in fics and picked one way to depict it that made sense to me for Grogu, but that's about it.

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

The X-Files, of course!

What’s your favorite fic you’ve ever written?

Towards Another Day, the tale of how Cullen went from being a templar in Kirkwall to commander of the Inquisition, is definitely up there.

Reverberations is one of my rare multi-chaptered fics and one of my favorite for the catharsis at the end. It makes me tear up every time. 5 times Din and Grogu encounter the Dark Side, and one time they find the Light.

Either a world for the birds (Steven develops a closer relationship with his Uncle Andy, learning birdwatching along the way) or on the subject of rocks (Steven and Jasper finally reach a peace) might take the prize for favorite SU fic.

__

Tagging (if you’re super bored and would like a fun thing to do) fellow writers:

@lastwordbeforetheend, @runrundoyourstuff, @honestlyhufflepuff, @art3mys, and @fake-starwars-fan if you would like to play!

Yugioh Ep 36 S4: Seto Joins Dragon Wife in Hell

So I dunno about you guys, but 2020 aged me like a lot in just these 8 months, so I figured it was time to embrace the feeling of being on death’s door and I decided to learn Mahjong. So I could truly embrace the ancients and vibe in their natural habitat.

Anyway, once I learned some Mahjong lore, some parts of Yugioh just open up. Namely--Seto’s dragons. Like a whole lot of stuff about early Seto Kaiba that confused me at the time just makes so much more sense now.

But unfortunately, he dies this episode, and he never pulled out his Blue Eyes White Dragons, and it’s just like...

...but my Mahjong deep cuts...

Like every episode I’m just rubbing my palms together in anticipation that someone will die, but like...I never get to talk about how in Mahjong, there’s only 4 white dragon tiles, but if you have 3, you can steal the fourth white dragon from another player’s discards, and that when you that, other stuff happens...I don’t get to talk about that because Seto’s hella dead.

So lets just get to the death. Dartz decides to make all of our soldier frenemies attack Pharaoh--because that’s all he needs to raise the Leviathan. Like Dartz doesn’t even really need to finish this game. He just needs Yami.

Seto picks up that these friend (and Pegasus) soldiers that Yami refuses to kill are probably going to end the world very quickly so he decides to do something about it. If this were a blog where I talked about cards instead of Mahjong, then I’d dive into the intricacies of what that even was.

But, we’re not, so lets just talk about Pegasus.

(read more under the cut)

This guy harnesses some psychic energy he’s got leftover from S1 and communicates directly to Pharaoh’s mind.

So, hey, what was that about Pegasus not having powers anymore? Like? He’s still doing this? He’s still psychic and he very clearly can still make blank cards so like...I guess you can take out the eyeball and make him nicer, but you can’t take out some of the effed up magic side-effects. (like there was a comment I didn’t respond to (which, sorry about that, been a little nuts over here in California), but apparently there was a movie in between seasons where Pegasus saved their lives--so he’s legit good now...there was a DLC where character arcs happened.)

Which kind makes you wonder about Marik, but we’ll probably never see him again so o well, save it for the fanfiction.

PS Yami is totally fixating on that eye we can’t see, right? Like...it never outright tells us, but does this spiritual Orichalcos manifestation of Pegasus still have the golden eye? A human eye? Or no eye at all? Just skin?

Not like it matters because Seto does some sort of card shenanigans that undo the whole friends that are soldiers thing like it never happened.

MMMMM I don’t like these weird legs on Yugi. Don’t like the thighs it gave to Joey. No! I’m seeing like this skin-tight silhouette of half an ass right now and I really don’t like it.

Along with other card things I won’t go into that consumed most of this episode, Seto finally got hit by a...well, I mean you can clearly see it in the next cap.

So, in Mahjong, there are 3 types of dragons: a white dragon, a red dragon, and a green dragon. I used to think it was really lazy that we’re just calling monsters straight up “white dragon” or “red dragon” in this show, but now it makes more sense because this whole time it was probably baby’s first Mahjong reference but I’m too Western to know that.

Anyway, the white dragon is funny looking because it’s a white tile--just a completely blank white tile. I thought it was a wild card at first but nah--it’s a white dragon in a snowfield--which is a very funny Dad joke from 200 years ago we’re still doing today. But, often, instead of a Dad joke, they’ll just make the white dragon tile a drawing of a blank card, like this:

Kind of funny that the guy who’s shtick is white dragons, ended up with his soul in a blank card. Was that a mahjong reference? Probably not, but I noticed it.

And mahjong aside, the show paid it’s respects to Seto dying and so he took his sweet time passing on. It’s still not that much respect. We aren’t gonna get that amazing Joey death sequence from S3 that took like half an episode of scene-shredding for our mains to recover from, but like...Seto was very determined to keep going, despite not having a soul.

He even finished his turn of cards, as if to just spite Joey Wheeler for that one time Joey hella died before killing Marik.

Shippers rejoice, it’s a Yami and Seto Kaiba death sequence. If you squint really hard, it might even be an embrace. I mean they both have very sharp duel disks on, and if Yugi’s closes for whatever reason, it’ll snap Seto’s head clear off, but what other “hugs” do we really get on this show?

And as for Mokuba, he was quite tragic this episode. I mean it’s Yugioh, so it’s not like you’re gonna cry or anything, but Mokuba just doesn’t really have anything else going for him without his brother so it is legit like...man Mokuba gets a lot of crap thrown his way and even when he’s happy, he still has to live with Seto so just...Mokuba...

Again we get this bubble effect of other people trying to enter the Orichalcos which happens just a Hell of a lot this season. Like Dartz probably has never had a single person WANT to go in the green zone in 10,000 years and then these bizarre children happened and they just want to bounce off that thing like a jello pudding.

I think it took over 5 minutes for Seto to die, and he was very, very, VERY angry the entire time. Just fueled by literally nothing but rage. Could probably go a couple more episodes if he had taken a nap in the KaibaCopter, but alas, even Seto Kaiba eventually runs out of fumes.

Anyway, another Mahjong fun fact. The dragon tiles are considered an “honor tile” and how many times have we heard Seto--who is such a scumball--go off about his honor? It can be hard to use honors tiles because their rate of success is lower, so when Seto’s like “I have to live up to my dragon’s honor or I can’t keep these in my deck” could he be like...making a Mahjong pun as well as a literal reference to whatever he defines as honor?

...Again, just a Mahjong reference I noticed, but probably not what they intended at all. Which is Good Enough for this blog.

After he tragically passed on, and Yami delicately put his body on the ground, -- Dartz decided to make this moment very funny for me, instead.

Bless.

Not as good as Yami the both times his body was chucked casually across the screen this season--but a very good toss, nonetheless.

I have made so MANY clips of this season!

Tristan and Tea kinda just stood there this entire episode while this was all going down and like...I know they can’t really do anything else at this point but like...can someone give Mokuba a hug???

I can’t believe Valon was the only guy in this entire show about friendship who knew how to hug people. He was in prison since he was 9, and then was raised by freakin Dartz, why is he the only hugger?

PS, apparently Seto’s yummy soul was enough to make the Leviathan open a single eye-ball in curiosity.

Mokuba out there flinging so many insults that he got everyone else banned from watching devil cards. It’s like sports competitions in Middle school with that one kid who won’t stop cussing. That one kid who is the reason everyone else has to sit through a boring ass assembly about sportsmanship? That’s Mokuba.

Now that everyone is ‘passed out’, we can get to the juicy stuff only the olds talk about--which sounds a lot like I’m about to do another segway into talking about Mahjong again, but I’m actually all out of the Mahjong juice. Again, I’m ass at Mahjong.

(and like...the peanut gallery died in the original version, right? I know to never trust a “they’re just sleeping” line in Yugioh.)

Dartz telling me he dragged that ass length blue hair across Egypt?

Man.

I would say that it must’ve really thrown people, but then again, their Pharaoh looked like...that.

So Dartz ended up wandering the earth for 5000 years, cursed to live immortally, unable to revive the great Leviathan, wallowing in his failure. Sentenced to suffer the entire existence of humanity that he never wanted to see survive anyway, unable to die himself.

That’s an interesting plotline that I wish I saw more of. I really like the idea of a supervillian who is already past his prime, who’s already burnt out, who’s so far removed from what happened that he’s fully accepted his demise and is just wandering around out of habit. But, most importantly--that changes my math. That’s like...5000 years he wasn’t slurping no souls because he was too damn depressed. So I’ll append the Deathcount. One second.

OK so we can just subtract 7.3 million from what we had, leaving us with: 7,805,844,047. Barely even made a dent but...eh...when you got the current population of the Earth in there it’s really hard to make a dent in that thing.

PS I still have that google doc where I keep track of the deaths, we have 55 lines of entries, haha.

Yugioh is interesting because you do have some racial stuff going on here where Yami is SO OLD that he doesn’t remember not only his own name--he doesn’t remember what he looks like. He’s even seen it a few times in hallucinations but like...Yami legit doesn’t know what it is to be an ancient Egyptian anymore. It’s been a hot minute, and he still sees himself as a pale skinned Yugi clone when he spiritually manifests in the show. Because the modern day, set in Japan, through Yugi’s eyes--that’s all he knows about life.

Dartz was so impressed by Pharaoh’s magic powers that he knew--he just KNEW that this Pharaoh with the worst hair would be the yummy soul for the Leviathan tummy. But unfortunately...

This is a show that has had so MANY overlapping apocalypses that I did have to sit back and kind of count off on my fingers which crazy person this would be about.

Honestly? Either Seto or Bakura...guessing Bakura because we haven’t finished his storyline yet and I know that he’s the big bad of S5. But man...Dartz was just like “oh...no thanks to that guy. I’ll just take a nap for 5000 years, BIG no thanks.” and it does make you wonder...

...oh...so that’s why you didn’t bother Bakura in this timeline.

It also helps make Bakura even more of a threat. Again, Bakura is great because he’s just constantly leaving nuggets of what a threat he is and then just...disappears for seasons on end. The Bakura we’ve made in our head is probably way more awful than what he may end up being.

But for now, it’s fun to just fill in the gaps instead.

anyway that was it for this episode, I’m off to pretend it’s Thanksgiving week and will look forward to drowning my anxiety in a 16 lb turkey shared between four people.

Anyway, I brought up the cat that falls asleep on metal rods so I have to do this:

And for those that are new, this is a link to read these in chrono order: https://steve0discusses.tumblr.com/tagged/yugioh/chrono

The Princess and the Street Dog

Hello everyone!! So today I am posting a birthday gift for my dear amazing friend @kikithefox231​. She had an idea for a Lady and the Tramp AU and I fell in love with it! Of all her incredible AU’s this one might be my favorite, haha. She also offered to make a cover for it and gosh it just turned out adorable!! Thanks for that Kiki and Happy Birthday, dude! You deserve it!

 Star's life had always been perfect. Ever since she could remember she had been living the life of luxury. She had been adopted by a lovely family of humans known as Eclipsa and Globgor. They treated her with so much warmth and kindness that she never felt unloved. She could do basically whatever she wanted: sleep on the bed at their feet, eat half of Globgor’s morning donut, and she was even free to bark and chase around as many birds or squirrels as she wanted. 

Yep, life for Star was pretty good.

Loving with a silver spoon would do that to you. Sure there was a problem or two from time to time but nothing that ever threatened her lifestyle. The biggest hiccup had been when Globgore and Eclipsa had a 'baby' as they called it and suddenly the attention was shifted away from her. She was pretty upset and even a little jealous until she had actually seen little Meteora and her heart had melted. She fell in love with the baby and her tail was wagging so much the first time she saw her, it was a wonder it didn't break off. 

So yeah life for Star was good.

Except....

It wasn't. Lately Star has been craving more. She wanted to see more than the small fenced-in enclosure she called home. Sure she loved her home and owners and couldn't ask for better but at the same time... she wanted more! She knew there was stuff out there that she had never seen before and she would love a chance to see it someday. 

Of course it wasn't her fault she had started having these thoughts, they had been implanted into her brain by the wild street dog known as Marco. Ever since he started showing up, Star has begun desiring more from her life than the pampered existence she knew. He would come around to bother her and tell her stories about life outside of fences, about railroad tracks and garbage cans and fire hydrants. Star pretended not to care but inwardly, her curiosity was beyond peaked and she secretly loved whenever Marco appeared, something about him just drew her in and she couldn't quite explain it.

Not that she would ever let it show.

Star was thinking about him as she laid out of the grass, letting the bright sunlight soak into her warm fur. She had had a very busy morning, fetching the newspaper, burying the bone Eclipsa had given her, barking at a group of stray birds that wandered into her yard, the usual stuff and she was enjoying some well deserved rest. Of course she was also trying to show off the new pink bow her owners had tied around her ears, it looked great on her and she was happy to gain attention over it.

But then her peaceful morning was interrupted as she heard a distinct set of pawprints heading her way. She let out a groan, while her heartbeat began to pick up its pace again. There was only one animal in the world those pawsteps could belong to, Marco's brash, confident stride too distinct to be anyone else. 

Star felt her heartbeat racing against her chest and her tail began to wag against her will. She did her best to hide her joy though, pretending to be asleep. She didn't want to let him know the effect he had on her, even though she was practically shivering with anticipation.

She felt the tiniest of smiles form on her face as she heard the gate to her yard creak open. She didn't know why but she loved the fact that Marco was there to see her. That he came all this way specifically for her. Something about that caused goosebumps to appear under her fur. 

She listened as his paws padded on the soft grass getting closer and closer but she didn't dare risk looking. Maybe if he thought she was sleeping he would leave and honestly even though she wanted to see him, she didn't want the temptation that came with him. His wild, chaotic nature was hard to resist.

But her charade proved ineffective when a cocky voice said, "Hello princess."

Star let out a fake sigh, pretending to be annoyed by the nickname he had given her, instead of the intense feeling of joy that rushed through her. "Why do you always have the worst timing? Can't you see I'm in the middle of something."

Marco lay down in front of her, their faces so close their noses were nearly touching. "Funny, to my eye it looks like you're doing a whole lot of nothing," he said with an intoxicating smirk.

Star huffed, sticking her nose up in the air like her friend Ponyhead had taught her, saying in a superior tone, "For your information it's called a nap."

Marco wasn't at all affected by her power, rolling around some on the grass as he commented, "Wow, I knew you were pampered but I didn't realize the pet life made you so lazy."

Star couldn't stop the growl at the teasing insult, her cheeks puffing up in the cutest way. "I'm not lazy!" She argued, shooting the street dog an annoyed scowl. "For your information I had a very busy morning!"

"Doing what? Getting a pedicure?" Marco asked with a sly grin, clearly enjoying getting under the cocker spaniel's skin. 

"No that was the day before," Star replied without thinking. But upon realizing her mistake she flushed, knowing how the argument was just made invalid. The collie broke out into laughter and Star resisted every urge in her body that told her to hide her blushing face from his gaze. Instead she simply settled for looking away and pouting. 

"Whatever, it's not that bad," she muttered under her breath. In a louder voice though she asked in an annoyed huff, "Did you come all the way here just to insult me?"

"Nope," Marco said, finally recovering from his laughing fit, stretched out his limbs and back as he spoke. "Actually I was on my way to have some real fun and figured I'd invite you along." The dog crossed his paws in front of him before laying his head on top, giving the pampered pooch a knowing smirk. "But clearly you're too busy to come."

Star saw through the dog’s attempt to manipulate her, his hidden smug and wagging tail giving him away in a heartbeat. But Star was not so easily manipulated and so she kept a straight face as she replied, "That's right. So why don't you run along and let me nap in peace." She turned her back to him and laid down closing her eyes while listening closely to see if he would actually leave or not. 

But even this was not enough to shake Marco as he trotted around her, now facing her again. "Oh come on," he pressed bending down so that his face hovered a few inches from her own. "Don’t tell me you aren't curious? Where's your sense of adventure? Don't you want more out of life than being a pet! Don't you wanna see what a dog's life can really be?"

Star didn't know how to reply to that, because she was curious. She did want to see what life off of a leash was like. She knew she shouldn't but she did and that burning desire made her hesitate. Marco's offer was so intriguing, could she really pass up this chance?

Marco could see her will breaking and added in a hinting tone, "Come on, princess. You know you want to."

"But-But Eclipsa and Globgor," she quickly stammered, but the excuse was halfhearted and she knew it. 

“I’ll have you back before they even know you’re gone,” Marco promised, giving her a trusting smile, one that Star found impossible to resist, her curiosity and the street dog’s pressure pushing her over the edge. 

She let out a long, drawn-out sigh, before finally saying, “Okay, fine.” But she added quickly, “But only because it’ll get you to leave me alone.” 

It was clear Marco saw through her obvious lie due to his wide smirk but thankfully he kept whatever comment he had to himself as he simply replied, “Cool. Glad to hear I finally convinced you.” 

“Not like I had much choice,” Star muttered sourly, stretching out her limbs as she finally stood. She made sure to not let her smile show, her excitement at finally getting to see the outside world making her inwardly giddy. But she did not want Marco to see that. 

Marco chuckled to himself at Star’s pouting and told her smoothly, “Hey, I promise you’re gonna love it and a street dog’s ode is his life.”

“Really?” Star questioned, raising a teasing eyebrow. She allowed the dog to lead her over to the opened gate. 

“Oh yeah, just because we aren’t pampered head to toe doesn’t mean we don’t have standards, princess.”

“Well, I suppose we’ll just have to see how true your ode is then, won’t we?” 

Marco gave her a confident grin over his shoulder, that caused Star’s cheeks to heat up. “Challenge accepted.” The two reached the gate and Marco waved a paw towards the exit, bowing his head low. “After you,” he said in what could almost pass for a sophisticated tone if Star didn’t notice the sarcasm dripping from his every inflection.

“Such a gentlemen,” she returned, playing along with his act as she trotted past him, keeping her head held high in a dignified manner. But she paused just a second as she reached the crosswalk, feeling anxious to take that final step into a world she didn’t know or understand. She didn’t pause for too long though, feeling Marco’s stare on her back, no doubt judging her hesitation and wanting to prove herself to the street dog she forced her paw onto the hard cement sidewalk. For some reason, Star’s body tensed up, her hair standing slightly on end as if she expected some disaster to happen the moment she left the safety of her yard. But nothing happened, the pair remained untouched and Star felt slightly embarrassed for the irrational panic. 

Marco grinned brightly at seeing the fussy dog finally stepping outside her comfort zone and his tail wagged happily as he watched her reluctantly standing on the sidewalk. He had been waiting for this moment for so long and he finally had convinced his crush to go on an adventure with him. He could see her start to rethink her decision though, indecision flashing in her eyes and he quickly said, “Come on, it’s this way.” And with that he headed off towards town, already coming up with the quickest route out of the fancy neighborhood. He held his breath slightly as he listened closely for Star’s pawsteps and after a couple seconds he heard her following along behind him and felt his heart leap in his chest. 

Star made sure to stick close to Marco as she stumbled along blindly behind him, the burning curiosity in her chest pressing her forward as her beloved home slowly faded in the distance as she journeyed into the unknown. 

...

Star was enchanted by the world outside her fence. She could only gap and wag her tail at every new sight that came her way, following along behind Marco. There were so many things to see, automobiles and fire hydrants and so, so many humans! Thousands of new smells invaded Star's nostrils and she couldn't help but sniff back eagerly. She wanted to know what all of it was and meant. 

She tried to keep her composure, especially when she caught a few smirking glances from Marco. She was a lady, after all. Still, it was hard to act sophisticated when you were left gawking awkwardly at something as simple as a window shop. Star jumped when a Jack-in-the-box popped up from behind the glass and Marco laughed. She tried to ignore the annoying tramp as well as her warm cheeks.

Marco led her over to some railroad tracks and they followed them for a short ways. Again, Star couldn't hold in her excitement as she asked, "Do you think we'll see a train?" 

"Probably not, the trains don't usually run at this time," Marco nonchalantly replied, boldly walking on the tracks themselves, while Star trotted next to them. 

"Oh," Star replied sadly, unable to hide her disappointment.

"Maybe next time, princess," Marco reassured her, giving her a tiny glance. 

Star didn't reply but her tail wagged just a little bit harder at the thought of there being a 'next time'. She hadn't been too sure about an outing with the street dog at first but she had to admit she was enjoying herself. Maybe she wouldn't mind having a 'next time' with Marco. 

Then the two reached their destination.

Of all the places Star had been imagining (since Marco had insisted on it being a surprise) an old rundown farm was not one of them. If farm was even the right word. The grass had been picked clean, only dirt and mud left. The house was falling apart loose boards and peeling paint making the place look hazardous. The only thing of even remote interest was a worn down chicken coop. Star gave Marco a skeptical look silently asking 'Is this the place?'

The mutt ignored his critical companion, breathing in the rustic air before sighing contintly, "This place never changes."

"Are you sure that's a good thing?" Star commented, wrinkling her snout.

Marco finally picked up on the pet's contempt and said confidently, "Trust me, Star. You are gonna love this."

"If you say so," Star replied, shifting uncomfortably on her paws, suddenly not sure about her decision to tag along. The dirt especially making her hesitant. Eclipsa hated having to give her baths and would usually ask Globgor do it. Star didn't want to cause trouble for her owners. 

But she was already here and she didn't want to turn back now, she would never hear the end about it from Marco. She had to prove to him once and for all that a pet could be just as wild and reckless as a stray. 

So, Star just took in a breath, gazing up at the wire fence that sealed off their entrance and asked, "So how do we get in?"

"This way," Marco replied, padding over to the fence and gesturing with his paw to a small hole just under where the fence was. He quickly widened the hole, using his front paws to scoop out dirt so both he and Star could fit easily under.

Star watched as the collie easily slipped through the hole, not a single patch of fur even grazing the fence line. He then turned, waiting for Star to do the same.

But she hesitated. 

Marco watched her stand there awkwardly for a second, before asking, "What is it now, princess?" A smirk grew as he added teasingly, "Afraid of getting a little dirty?"

Star's gaze narrowed slightly but she shook her head, causing her ears to flop back and forth. "No, it's just... my bow."

"Your bow," Marco repeated, an eyebrow beginning to raise. 

Star felt her cheeks flush in embarrassment, suddenly feeling stupid for bringing it up, but she lowered her head so Marco could clearly see the pretty pink ribbon tied around her ears, resting comfortably at the back of her head. "Uh yeah, Eclipsa and Globgor just bought it for me, I'm afraid it'll get ruined." Her voice grew softer and softer with each word, shame making her voice slowly break off, lost to the wind.

She waited for Marco to laugh or taunt her but surprisingly the dog didn't say anything, instead just gazing around thoughtfully at the fence. Star watched in surprise as his bright brown eyes searched for any openings, before they landed on a small gate. 

"Hang on I got an idea," Marco said. The hound then began the grueling task of trying to open the small lock with nothing but his nose. It took several attempts, trying to tease the small clasp up and Star held her breath at every try, sighing in disappointment each time it slipped right back into place. 

Finally after several endless minutes, Marco managed to get the gate open, a small push from his paw allowing Star to easily enter inside. 

Star happily trotted inside, touched by Marco's kindness. "Thanks," she whispered shyly. "I really appreciate you doing that for me." She scratched a paw in the dirt absentmindedly. 

Marco shrugged. "Well I couldn't let you ruin something important to you because of me, what kind of friend would I be, then?"

Star was too stunned to respond to that, just staring at him, wide-eyed. The slight sparkle in her eye seemed to make Marco uncomfortable, coughing into his paw before turning away and adding quickly, "B-Besides, then I'd never get you to come out of your fancy cage again, soooo-"

Star smiled softly back at him, easily picking up on his attempts to cover up his compassionate act and simply replied, "Well thanks all the same."

"S-Sure, it's no big deal, really," Marco nervously stuttered, for the first time losing his cocky demeanor that Star had so heavily associated with him. Looks like there was more to Marco than she had thought. And Star couldn't help her curiosity as she wondered what other sides to him waited beneath his rough exterior. 

"Anyways," Marco continued in a desperate attempt to change the subject. "Let me show you what we came here for." 

"Oh please," Star said teasingly, trotting along beside him as he led her to the chicken coop. "The anticipation is killing me."

Marco gestured with a paw at the coop. "Here we are!" He said in a showy tone. 

Stars eyes narrowed in confusion. "I'm confused is it behind the dirty chicken coop orrr-"

Marco gave a fake laugh at the comment. "Haha, very funny. No, it is the chicken coop, Star."

"And why do we care about chickens, exactly?" Star asked, still not following Marco's train of thought.

"Easy. We're gonna scare them and then chase them around a bunch."

Star was startled by this answer, blurting out, "Why would we do that?"

"Because it's fun," Marco replied simply. 

"But we won't hurt them right?" Star asked nervously. 

"Naaahh," Marco dismissively answered, already walking up the wooden plank that led inside. "They love it. This is what they live for."

"Well, alright then," Star said wincing but still followed after her friend. She still had a point to prove, after all. 

Once inside, the smell of must and feathers filled Star's nose and she blinked a few times waiting for her eyes to adjust. The chickens all lay on small piles of straw that acted as their nest, each snoring peacefully, oblivious to the intruders in their home. The pampered pup looked over at her friend, unsure of what to do now.

But it seemed Marco was easily in control of the situation, shooting her a wink before sucking in a deep breath. Before Star could question what he was doing the mutt let out a loud series of barks that caused Star to flinch and startled the birds from their slumber, squawking and flapping around the coop wildly. Then they all rushed towards the only exit and Star barely had time to jump out of the way of the fluttering of a thousand feathers.

Star watched stunned as the birds scattered out across the yard, still clucking loudly and making a huge fuss as they scrambled around blindly. The pet felt a twinge of regret for scaring the birds until her eyes landed on Marco. The street dog crouched forward on his front paws, so his tail was sticking up in the air. It was wagging so quickly it was a wonder it hadn't lifted him off the ground. There was a playfulness in his eyes and his tongue stuck out just slightly and Star couldn’t help but giggle at the sight of the grown dog acting like a mere pup. 

Marco heard her chuckle and flashed her a winning grin that caused Star’s whole body to warm with affection and she smiled back at the mutt without even thinking. Then, without warning, the street dog launched himself towards one of the chickens causing it to squawk and scamper away as fast as it’s claws would allow. But Marco was on it’s tail in a second, following closely along behind it and letting out a few yips here and there to keep it motivated on escaping him. Star now outright laughed at her companion’s ridiculous display, his tongue now hanging fully out of his mouth as he chased after the bird, which zigzagged around the yard in some form of evasive maneuver. 

Star laughed harder and harder until her stomach hurt and there were tears in her eyes and still the mutt continued his hilarious display. Marco paused for only a second, panting wildly but clearly enjoying himself and he gave a slight incline of his head towards the lady dog, beaconing her over. Star shook her head, still thinking of her privileged upbringing, it simply wouldn’t be dignified of her. Marco’s eyes flashed with some kind of determination but quickly raced after the chicken again. 

This time though, he seemed to be guiding it in a specific path, cutting it off at several points and forcing it to turn and run and Star realized too late that he was leading it over to her. She shrieked and quickly moved out of the way as the chicken ran past, a few feathers flying up into the air and landing in her soft fur. Marco flew by her in a blur and she shot him an annoyed glare which he returned with a shrug over his shoulders. 

Star let out a huff, but a smile spread across her face a second later as she chased not after the chicken, but Marco himself, all thoughts of preserving dignity and respect lost as she gave into the tramp’s game. “Get back here, you scoundrel!” she barked playfully.

“You’ll have to catch me, Princess,” Marco shouted over his shoulder, delighted his companion was finally joining in on the fun. 

The two giggled as they raced around the yard, sending chickens fluttering into the air at every turn, the chickens themselves now forgotten as a game of chase broke out instead. Star, not used to running this much, found herself struggling to catch up to Marco but she refused to give up. Thinking quickly, she broke off course, running around the chicken coop and able to outmaneuver the hound. She let out a laugh of victory shouting, “Gotcha!” she lept towards him but he quickly jumped out of the way, causing her to land hard in the dirt. 

Star sat up quickly, spitting rocks and dirt from her mouth before growling as she heard Marco’s laughter. She rose to her paws, shaking the loose dirt off her shiny fur, before shooting her friend another glare. “Oh, that’s it, you’re on now!” she yelled, barely able to suppress her own laugh. Marco fake gasped before taking off running again and Star raced after him.

The two ran around the small backyard together and Star smiled brightly, enjoying the feeling of the wind on her face, the pounding in her heart, her ears flapping behind her. All of it. And all those days, living safe and secluded in her small home melted away as the feeling of true freedom overtook her. Marco hadn’t lied to her when he said she would have fun, Star was having the time of her life and she never wanted it to end! 

Star seeing several chickens pecking at the ground in front of her and Marco, smiled mischievously before letting out a loud bark, causing the birds to panic and scatter, several of them flapping their wings right in the poor dog’s face causing him to stumble back in surprise. Star used this opportunity to pounce on her companion, knocking him to the ground and pinning him under her weight. “Gotcha!” she shouted in victory, her front paws perched on his back and her head held high. “How’s that for a house pet?”

Marco chuckled, before rolling over on his back, causing her to slide off of him. The two lay on the ground for a minute, panting, staring into each other’s eyes as they smiled blissfully. 

“Alright, I admit that was pretty good,” Marco finally said, his tone full of some emotion Star couldn’t quite place, but there was a tenderness in her eyes that made her tail wag in joy. “I knew there was more to you than meets the eye.”

“Hmm, turns out there’s more to you, too,” Star commented shyly, suddenly looking away to hide her burning cheeks. 

“Like what?” he asked, leaning a little closer to her so their noses were almost touching. 

“Like… maybe you aren’t as annoying as I thought you were,” Star answered softly. The cocker spaniel found herself scooting closer to her companion. She didn’t know what she was about to do but she knew she wanted whatever it was to happen. 

“You might even be really… nice,” she finished.

There was now almost no space between them, their faces so close Star could smell Marco’s scent. It was musty and gritty but full of so much life and she wanted to know more. She wanted to know everything about Marco, wanted to be a part of his life in the same way he had become a part of hers. She wanted-

“Hey!” A loud voice interrupted the moment and Star looked over to see a human, an angry scowl on his face and a gleaming gray tool perched tightly in his hands. Star shivered at the hatred on the man’s face and she thought she saw Marco put a protective paw in front of her but it could have been her imagination. “Stop scaring my chickens, you mutts!” The man raised the shiny barrel so it was now facing right towards the pair of dogs and Star felt her heart drop. 

Marco let out a loud bark, which caused the man to jump and a loud bang rang through the air, hurting Star’s sensitive ears. The ground right beside her paw was stuck by something hard and fast, kicking dirt up into the air and terror shot through Star as she instinctively pulled her paw away from the sudden impact. “Run!” Marco shouted and Star didn’t have to be told twice. The two raced out the open gate, several chickens flapping out of their way and scattering into the street. Another loud bang sounded behind Star, who flinched but didn’t dare turn to see what it was, her heart racing quickly in her chest. 

She just focused on following Marco and not on the loud, angry shouts of the cruel man that grew further and further away. The street dog led them onto the street and Star didn’t hesitate to follow him, hoping he knew best. But at that exact moment, a car pulled out right in front of them and Star froze in terror. Thankfully, the car swerved to avoid hitting her, honking loudly in annoyance but sparing her life, thankfully. Star shook her head to free herself from her paralzed state and quickly chased after Marco, who was now quite a bit ahead of her. 

The street dog seemed to not notice his companion lagging behind as he swerved around several humans who now crowded the sidewalks. Star saw Marco disappear around a corner and quickly followed after him.

Star found herself in an abandoned alleyway and she sighed in relief to be out of the street and away from danger. But this was short-lived as she realized she didn’t see Marco anywhere. “Marco?” she called, trying to keep the quiver out of her voice. After the scare earlier the silence of the alley was unnerving to Star and she felt her body shaking some against her will. She tried to hide her fear but her body didn’t seem to want to obey as she shuddered and shook, taking hesitant steps farther into the dark, abandoned alley. Her voice grew quiet as she softly called out for her companion, getting weaker and weaker as she received no answer. Where was he? 

Star was starting to question if she had gone the wrong way, when she heard something behind her and her heart leapt in joy. “Marco!” she called hopefully. 

But her hopes were dashed as a pair of rough looking street dogs emerged from the shadows. Their fur was matted and dirty, their faces set in permanent snears, while their eyes burned with both hunger and anger in equal intensity, everything about them gave Star the creeps and she found herself backing away from them as they approached. They blocked Star’s only exit out of the alley, living her trapped with these vile creatures... alone. 

“Well look what we have here,” one of the dog’s said, the disgust in his tone clear and Star noticed there was a piece missing from his left ear. “A prissy pet has wandered into our territory.” 

Star shrank under the intense gaze, keeping herself as low to the ground as she could, trying to look as non-threatening as possible in the hopes they would leave her alone. But that seemed to be wishful thinking. 

“What’s the matter, little lady, wander away from your humans or did they throw you out on the streets like the rest of us?” the dog said again, clearly the leader. 

Star felt a sudden burst of anger at the comment and held her head high as she responded critically, “Perhaps if you weren’t so ugly or rude you would have a chance to live outside of the gutter. But it seems you two are exactly where you belong.” 

The two dogs just stared at her stunned for a second, not sure how to respond to the harsh criticism and Star felt a small burst of pride for standing up for herself. However, this quickly turned to regret as the dogs let out deep guttural growls, their faces filled with fury and Star instantly wished she hadn’t provoked them. 

“Well it seems the princess has quite a bark on her,” the lead dog said, his voice dripping with sarcasm and envy. He slowly stalked closer and Star backed away nervously, only to run into a large wooden fence, trapping her and leaving her at the mercy of these vicious creatures. Both hounds sneared at their prey’s helpless predicament, clearly enjoying Star’s looks of panic and quivering body, her fur practically standing on end. They moved torturously slowly, playing with their victim as they savored her terror. “Let’s see if your bite is just as sharp,” the lead dog growled. 

With that he sprang towards her, jaw opened wide, his fangs ready to sink into flesh and fur and Star screamed, turning her head away and squeezing her eyes shut so she didn’t have to see her own death. But at the last second, something flew over the fence, a flash of brown descending quickly and landing between Star and the street dogs, slamming into the attacking leader and knocking him to the ground. 

Star hesitantly peaked open an eye only for them to widen in surprise as she saw the determined, brash form of Marco now standing protectively in front of her. He was lowered to the ground in a defensive stance, the nails of his claws digging slightly into the smooth tile, looking ready to attack at any second. His ears were lowered in a threatening manner and his face had contorted into a chilling snarl, baring his fangs at the rival dogs, a deep growl echoing from his throat. Star’s mouth hung open as she stared longingly at Marco, in that moment she couldn’t think of anything more beautiful than the sight of her friend coming to her rescue. Her heart was beating violently in her chest but if it was out of fear or love Star couldn’t determine, ultimately deciding it was a strange mixture of both somehow. 

“Stay away from her!” Marco barked out in warning and Star felt a chill run through her. This dog before her was nothing like the annoying mutt she had grown to care for. The Marco she knew was all smooth smiles and playful looks, but this dog in front of her… he was a predator at its purest form. His every move, every inflection, every action was focused on one task only- to defend. Star realized she was seeing yet another side of Marco today. The true primitive animal that lay beneath the levels of charm and charisma. And yet, instead of fear, Star only felt herself falling all the harder for her companion. 

Because he was protecting her and that was all that mattered. 

The two dogs were not deterred by Marco’s death-filled glares, instead this only seemed to anger them more as the lead dog scoffed and snapped, “Oh what? Are you seriously going to try and tell me you are protecting this pet?” 

Marco only growled in response, his eyes narrowing and seeming to scream ‘Just try something I dare you’. 

The lead dog seemed amused by this as his and his partner started to circle around Marco, looking for an opening and Marco watched them wearily. “Didn’t realize you were so soft,” the lead dog taunted. “Can’t believe you would actually risk your life for an outsider. You’re one of us, remember?” 

“I am nothing like you!” Marco barked and that seemed to bring the tension to its boiling point as all at once a fight broke out. 

Star could barely track the flurry of claws and teeth and fur as the hounds mangled one another in any way they could. Marco fought valiantly against his two opponents, sinking his teeth into any patch of fur that drifted too close, while easily dodging out of the way of the others' attacks on him. 

The smaller dog managed to sneak up behind Marco and jumped onto his back, Marco letting out a howl of pain as its sharp fangs bit into flesh. But with a simple kick of his backpaws the other dog went flying, slamming hard into a trashcan and letting out its own yelp of agony.

The lead dog then caught Marco by surprise, as it snapped its jaw around Marco’s left paw, pressing down and drawing blood, staining Marco’s fur red. Marco again let out a cry of pain but was quick to retaliate, using his good paw to slam into the dog’s face, catching him right in the eye and the lead dog yelped and pulled away. 

But the lead dog shrugged off its injury, snarling and going in for the kill, its dripping fangs opened wide as it headed straight for Marco’s throat, ready to tear it out in one motion. But Marco saw the attack coming from a mile away, stepping out of the way and burying his own fangs in the back of the hound’s neck as he passed. He used the momentum to throw the dog across the alley, the vile dog slamming into the same trashcan as his partner, the two now laying in a heap on the ground. 

They recovered slowly, raising their heads as they looked over to their opponent with bleary, pain-filled eyes. Marco towered over them, his eyes flashing with murder as he growled sharply, “Had enough.”

The other dogs lost their nerve, shrinking in fear before the menacing Marco, whimpering nervously as the lead dog muttered, “Okay, okay, fine. You win. You and the pet get off easy, this time. But if I see you in my territory again-”

Marco stepped closer so they were now face to face, his eyes flashing dangerously as he growled, “Oh yeah and what are you gonna do?”

The lead dog struggled to keep a straight face as he backed away from the superior hound, him and his lackey now the ones shaking in fear. Marco let out a sharp sniff before declaring, “Now get out of here before I change my mind and finish what you started!” 

The two dogs didn’t have to be told twice as they ran speedily away, their tails tucked between their legs as they fearfully escaped Marco’s wrath. Star breathed a sigh of relief when the two dogs vanished from view but stared at her friend in concern as his body remained tense and alert. She approached him slowly, reluctantly, afraid he might lash out at her if she made any loud noises but he didn’t. He simply glared off into the distance, his posture threatening and calloused. 

“Marco?” Star whispered anxiously. She didn’t like seeing her friend this way. Now that the danger had passed she wished the annoying but lovable Marco would return to her, seeing him go from a carefree puppy into this wild animal was too much for her mind to comprehend. 

But slowly, cautiously Marco began to relax. His tight muscles loosened and his fur flattened back into place. His posture grew less rigid and more easygoing. His twisted expression melted into a vacant, far-off look and his hardened gaze slowly softened as he turned to address her. Star nearly fainted with relief, Marco still far from his playful self, but it was still much better. 

Marco blinked once as his eyes seemed to focus in on her face and he muttered softly, “Star.” He regarded her for another second, his brown orbs scanning her up and down before he finally added, “You okay?” 

Star nodded dumbly, not sure she could produce words right now, her throat tight from the terrifying ordeal. Marco gave her a worried look but sighed in relief saying, “Thank goodness. I was worried those jerks might have hurt you.”

“Do you…” Star began, before reconsidering, wanting to word this correctly to avoid upsetting her friend. “Does that happen… often?”

“What, the fights?” Marco asked, an eyebrow slowly raising. 

Star nodded, before explaining, “You seemed like it wasn’t your first.”

Marco scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Well to be fair, that was hardly what I would call a fight. Those two idiots had no idea what they were doing. I’ve been in way tougher scrapes then-” Marco cut himself off when he noticed Star’s eyes widening. He quickly corrected himself, plastering on a forced smile, “Uhh, I mean, it’s nothing I can’t handle. I’m as tough as they come, Star.”

“I-I see,” Star muttered, not sure what else to say. Life on the streets must be hard if this experience was anything to go by and she wanted to cry as she imagined all the times Marco must have been hurt or scared. While she was busy living it up in a house where her every need was cared for, he was busy trying to stay alive. 

Marco, almost as if reading her thoughts, suddenly told her in a calm, even tone, “Hey, don’t worry about me, I love living on the streets even if things are a little rough sometimes. Life out here isn’t all bad, I swear. That just.. wasn’t the best example.” Marco rolled his eyes before adding, “I just can’t believe those mutts would attack you like that! If I ever see them again I’ll-” His gaze hardened and a low growl echoed in his throat as he thought of the two attack dogs.

Star quickly cut in before her friend could lose himself to his anger, blurting out, “No, no, I’m fine, really! They didn’t do anything to me! Although that’s mostly thanks to you.” She blushed slightly at this but gave him a bright smile. “Thank you, by the way, for saving me.”

“No problem, princess,” Marco replied, a cheery grin lighting up his face. “What kind of friend would I be if I let you get killed on your first trip into town?”

Star giggled slightly as she added playfully, “Oh yeah, is that more of a third trip kind of thing orrrr-”

Marco laughed and Star felt her heart thump against her chest at the sweet sound. “I see this experience hasn’t hurt your witty comebacks at all,” he said, giving her a knowing look.

“You wish,” Star replied with a teasing grin.

Marco opened his mouth to say something else, moving towards her in emphasis, but instead hissed in pain, cringing as his left paw touched the ground. Star’s eyes widened in concern and she asked worriedly, “What’s wrong?” 

The street dog lifted his hurt paw up, cringing in pain, and that’s when she saw the damage the two dogs had done to him. Blood was dripping from the wound, staining his fur red, and it hurt Star just looking at it. “Oh my gosh, are you okay?!” she shouted, moving closer to properly inspect the wound.

“But Marco quickly brushed off Star’s concern, telling her in a slightly strained tone, “I’m fine. It’s just a scratch is all.”

Star gave him a doubting look. “Are you sure? It looks pretty bad.”

“Nah, just gotta walk it off is all,” he said, before flashing a wide, goofy grin in her direction. Star felt her heart go out to her friend, her stomach churning slightly with guilt over him getting hurt protecting her. He was clearly more hurt than he was letting on and Star wanted desperately to help him in some way. She wanted to repay him for what he had done for her, some small token of her gratitude. And this seemed like the simplest way of doing that. 

She scanned her brain, thinking hard for an idea, when suddenly a thought popped into her head. She smiled softly to herself before turning her head as far around as it could. Marco watched her curiously as she shook her head back and forth a few times, finally managing to grab a loose end with her teeth, before she slowly pulled it loose. The bow came undone, the ribbon now hanging loosely in her mouth and she carried it over to her friend’s paw. She carefully began wrapping the stretch of cloth over Marco’s injured paw as the street dog stood there in stunned silence.

It took a bit of time, having to use her nose, paw, and teeth to tie the make-shift bandage into place, but slowly, meticulously she managed to wrap up the wound. And with a final tug on the ribbon, Star let go, moving back to admire her work.

Marco stared down at the ribbon in confusion, before looking back up at her, a tenderness in his eyes that did all kinds of crazy things to Star’s heart. “Why did you do that?” he asked, looking so baffled that Star almost laughed out loud at the strange expression.

“Well, I had to stop the blood somehow,” she replied instead. “It was dripping all over the pavement.”

“No, I mean, your pretty bow, you kinda just ruined it,” Marco said, his voice hushed. “Wasn’t this important to you?”

Star shook her head. “You needed it more than I did,” she replied simply. “Besides Eclipsa and Globgor can always get me a new one.”

Marco’s eyes flooded with deep affection, a fondness that went so much deeper than he seemed to be able to comprehend, and Star knew without a doubt she was finally seeing the whole Marco. There was a longing there, a need for companionship that he had been starved of for so long, but also slight fear, like he was afraid to give himself away to her, his guarded heart opening up just a little wider to let her in. And from the way his eyes roamed over her face, it was like he was seeing her for the first time. 

And honestly, Star understood all of this, because she was feeling it herself. 

But instead of trying to run from this feeling, she embraced it, welcoming it openly. Because she liked this feeling and she didn’t want it to stop. She wanted it to be a part of her and she hoped that Marco wanted that, too.

After a few awkward minutes of gawking at each other in silence, the spell was broken not by one of the dogs but by a car horn from the street outside the alley, the loud noise causing both of them to jump and bringing them crashing back to reality. Star shook her head, before staring up at the darkening sky, declaring nervously, “Oh no, it’s getting late. I should probably get back to the house.”

Marco nodded in agreement, although he seemed disappointed at this news. “Yeah, that would be best, I guess.” He turned to lead her out of the alley, his tail hanging limply between his legs and his ears lowered in sadness. “Come on, princess. I’ll walk you back.” 

Star stared back at him in sympathy before rushing to catch up, not wanting to risk being separated from him… again. She walked with him side by side, staring at his depressed face for a few seconds before saying softly, “Uh, hey. Thanks for bringing me along. Sorry for the trouble I caused you.”

Marco shook his head. “No, no, you aren’t any trouble. I’m just sorry things got so… tense back there. Looks like my efforts to show you the wonders of life off the leash didn’t work out so well, huh? You’ll probably never want to step foot outside your fence after all that.”

“Actually, I had a good time,” Star told him and he turned to her with shock.

“Seriously?” he asked, giving her a disbelieving look.

“Well, okay it got a little crazy and traumatizing there at the end,” she admitted before letting out an involuntary shudder. She gave him a bright grin as she added, “But I’m glad I decided to come with you. I never realized how boring and predictable my life was before. Or just how much I was missing out on. So thank you, for showing me.”

Marco was still giving her an incredulous look, still too dumbfounded for words. And Star found his awkward gawking adorable, adding sweetly, “But maybe next time we can do something a little more relaxing.”

This finally seemed to get Marco’s attention as he asked excitedly, “Next time.” His eyes shimmered with anticipation, his tail starting to wag, once again.

Star nodded. “Mmhmm ‘next time’,” she repeated, giving him a shamelessly flirty grin.

Marco’s eyes flashed mischievously as he declared in a hinting tone, “Well, y’know I do happen to know a little place here in town, if you’re interested.”

“Oh. What did you have in mind?” she asked, giving him a small nudge with her shoulder.

“It’s a nice Italian restaurant. The owners and I go way back and they are also generous with the hand-outs. Their pizzas are okay but their spaghetti is to die for.”

Star giggled, her heart thumping eagerly against her chest. “Sounds perfect.”

“So, pick you up at your place, late tonight? After the owners are asleep.” His eyes were full of hope and joy and so many emotions at once that it almost made Star ache. He was opening himself up to her again, letting his true self show and Star knew she had to grab on tight. Grab on and never let go. 

Because if she was being honest with herself, life with Marco was what living was really all about. 

“It’s a date.”

[CN] Kiro’s Dessert Date (Eng Translation)

🍒 Warning: This post contains detailed spoilers for a date which has not been released in English servers! 🍒

Acquaintance Collection: Gavin // Lucien // Victor

Kiro once told me that when Savin shuts the door while holding a weighing scale, a great tragedy is about to occur.

Savin: Kiro, it’s time to measure your weight.

Savin takes out a small book and flips to the page featuring a record of Kiro’s weight.

With a firm look in his eyes, Kiro steps onto the electronic scale. After the numbers stop blinking, he has an expression of relief.

Savin: Mm. Not bad.

Kiro turns to look at me, making a small triumphant pose.

Savin: However… even if you maintain your current weight, there will be a dessert-themed photoshoot soon. To achieve best results, your body fat percentage still needs to go down a little. Maintain your exercise regimen and watch your diet.

Kiro casts a glance at the tidbit shelf and releases a small sigh, his shoulders slumping.

Kiro: Mm, I understand.

Savin pats his shoulder, opens the door and leaves.

MC: So strict…

Kiro: It can’t be helped. Celebrities need to manage their bodies strictly. You can’t blindly lose weight nor let yourself go. This isn’t just to maintain our image, but also to set a good example to the fans.

Kiro explains seriously. Suddenly thinking of something, he shoots me a cheeky grin.

Kiro: Miss Chips, why don’t we… train together?

MC: Eh?

Kiro: We enjoy eating tidbits together. Isn’t it time to suffer together as well?

MC: …

Kiro: Whether it’s exercising or eating, having two people supervising each other will make it more effective. Am I right?

MC: It does make sense if you put it that way…

Kiro: Didn’t Miss Chips say that she wanted to get fit? Isn’t this the best opportunity?

As he speaks, he blinks his eyes towards me. I can’t find a reason to reject him.

MC: Since you’re so persuasive, I shall “lay down my life”!

I exaggeratedly raise a fist and swing it in the air. Kiro smiles as he lifts his hand gently meeting my knuckles.

Kiro: Deal! Let’s take care of each other over the next duration, Miss Chips.

~

MC: This… this is almost the end right? I can’t do it anymore…

I ask while panting, struggling to remain on the treadmill.

On this weekend evening, I am with Kiro in the fitness room to train instead of staying at home.

Kiro: Keep going for a while more. After this run, we can rest.

Kiro’s breathing is much steadier than mine. He even turns his head to smile at me, cheering me on.

MC: How is your… stamina… this good… huff…

I do my best to control my breathing in order to say these words.

Kiro: Stamina is something necessary on stage. During concerts, you still need to maintain the quality of the singing while dancing, right? In order to have consistent breathing and to ensure that I wouldn’t get fatigued during the concert, I have to train for a very long time. Even though I’m not that muscular, don’t underestimate my stamina!

He smiles and points to himself. I can sense that those easy words hide a lot of sweat and effort behind them.

Kiro: Keep going, Miss Chips. It’s the final thirty seconds. I’ll do a countdown for you!

I clench my fists, getting through the final few seconds. Each second feels like a year.

MC: Huff… huff… I can’t continue…

Kiro ends his countdown, and I slide off the treadmill.

MC: I feel like… my legs no longer belong to me… huff…

Kiro: This is for you - it’s salt water. It’s important to restore water and salt content in the body after exercising. Miss Chips is amazing! You’ve successfully ran with me for an hour.

I take the water bottle and follow Kiro’s instructions, drinking the water in sips.

MC: Do you always exercise like this?

Kiro: Yeah, this regimen is nothing to me!

Even though I’m supposedly exercising with Kiro, I know that my regimen is much more relaxed than his.

Thinking of my hard work and fatigue over the past few days which can’t be compared to his daily work, I feel a sense of respect for him.

MC: Kiro, do you ever feel very tired, or feel like you can’t go on?

Kiro: Of course.

Kiro answers in an instant.

Kiro: Mm, but these emotions will only stay for a while. When I think of all my fans and how I decided to take this path, I will keep persevering no matter what. And I have to do it. Being able to see my fans enjoy the concert, or any other performance, is worth much more than anything else.

They finish chatting, and continue with training.

~

Kiro invites her to the actual photoshoot.

In front of me, there are several big plush bears. There are also soft pink cushions. It looks like a scene from a fairytale.

A few cakes and desserts have been prepared, probably due to “sweets” being the theme of the photoshoot. Even the air has a whiff of sweet cream.

MC: Is this photoshoot going down the sweet and cute route?

Right after hearing my question, I see Kiro looking at me a little slyly, followed by a “shh” posture.

Kiro: Just wait and see.

Photographer: Kiro, can we start the photoshoot?

Kiro: Anytime. I’m all prepared.

Kiro’s voice changes to a serious and confident one.

Photographer: Let’s try a few shots first. We’ll follow the style and feel as mentioned before.

Kiro nods, walks next to the plush bear and sits down, leaning onto it.

In the blink of an eye and a few simple movements, the expression in his eyes changes. That sunshine boy gives off a lazy aura, and even carries with him an aggressive charm.

It’s technically still Kiro, but he has changed completely.

Photographer: The aura is just right!

Kiro lifts a knee, holding up a slice of cake.

Photographer: Very good! Could you be… slightly sexier?

Kiro nods, lying down a little more. The originally loose shirt follows his movements and gets pulled up even more, revealing his sculpted abdominal muscles.

Photographer: Perfect!

Kiro looks at the cake in his hands and lifts the corner of his lips slightly.

He maintains his earlier pose, bringing the cake to his lips. He opens his mouth, sticks out his tongue slightly, and bites into the cake.

For the sake of the cameras, his action of eating the cake is deliberately slow.

Every movement and every bob of his Adam’s apple is captured by the camera.

The pink decorations in the background and furry plush toys surprisingly enhance his look of aggressiveness.

Those blue eyes look straight into the camera - shimmering, as though encompassing the sky and the sea.

Kiro: How does it look? Are there any adjustments to be made?

Kiro enters a serious discussion with the photographer, checking every aspect. He seeks perfection in everything - from the lighting, to the actions, to the composition and to the aperture.

Sensing my eyes on him, Kiro shoots me a grin, then continues communicating with the staff. They begin the next round of photoshoots.

~

Kiro: Thanks for all of your hard work today!

After the photoshoot, Kiro stretches and moves his body. Noticing that he has some cream at the side of his lips, I point to my own lips to signal to him.

He reacts quickly, wiping off the cream on his mouth.

Kiro: Is it still there?

MC: There’s still a little bit, let me get you a tissue…

Kiro: No need to trouble yourself.

Before I open my bag, Kiro has already stuck out his tongue, licking the cream off.

MC: [blushes]…

Kiro: Why is Miss Chips’ face a little red?

MC: N-nothing… since today’s shoot is over, are you allowed to relax and eat your favourite foods now?

Kiro: Mm, I’ve already prepared a list in my head. The first thing I want to eat is…

Interviewer: Hello Mr Kiro, I’m a reporter from TV. I’ve spoken to your agency… sorry, am I interrupting something?

Kiro: Hello, I’ve heard about it from the agency. I’ll go through with the interview.

Kiro signals MC to wait for him.

Interviewer: In the shoot, you were able to merge both an atmosphere of maturity and sweetness. May I ask what was going through your mind during the shoot which enabled you to exude such a look of addiction in your eyes?

Kiro: Mm, well… I was actually doing my best to express my love for desserts and tidbits!

Kiro smiles, and for a moment, no one is able to tell how serious his words are, or whether he is just kidding.

Reporter: Could I get you to elaborate further?

The reporter pauses before laughing, and then probes further.

Kiro: In order to do this photoshoot, I had live without tidbits for a long duration. I had a strict diet to comply to, and also went through a tougher training regimen to ensure the photoshoot would have best results. When I think about all these things that I love but cannot eat, I’d naturally have a look of desire.

Photographer: So that’s what happened. That’s truly unique.

The interview goes on, so MC offers to help out with tidying the place.

Kiro: So you’re here.

I turn around at the sound of Kiro’s voice behind me.

Kiro: Where did you run off to just now? You were gone in a blink of an eye.

MC: I saw how busy the staff members were. Since I’m here, I might as well lend a hand. Are you done with your interview?

Kiro: Mm, the interview went very smoothly. The article should be published in a few days. You have to look at it when it comes out!

Seeing me pulling on the plush toy prop, Kiro naturally lends a hand to lift it up, and carries it with me.

Kiro: What does Miss Chips think of this photoshoot?

MC: It’s very cool, as expected of Kiro.

Kiro: [laughing] Haha, what kind of an answer is that! I even thought you’d give me some feedback.

MC: In short, it’s very cool! Every single fan of yours will be captivated for sure.

Kiro: Every single fan?

He asks me seriously, his eyes bright.

MC: Of course…

After I speak, I realise that I once said that I was his fan as well. I suddenly feel slightly embarrassed.

MC: Anyway… you asked me to wait for you. Is there something you want to tell me?

Kiro: Mm, it’s a very important thing…

Kiro walks to the side, takes the prop cake, and puts it on a small table in front of me.

Kiro: Want to have this cake with me? I tried it just now – it’s not just visually appealing, but it tastes really good. It’s appropriate as a prize!

Looking at my inaction, he takes my hand, and hands me a big slice of cake.

Kiro: Try it? You’ve been following the strict training regimen as well.

Looking into his clear eyes, I can’t help but take a bite.

MC: Delicious!

Kiro: Right!

My tastebuds are very sensitive, probably because it’s been a long time since I’ve eaten something sweet. As such, I’m able to differentiate the creamy mellow and dense taste.

MC: Mm! Extremely delicious!

Kiro: Let’s split the remaining cake between the two of us.

I watch as Kiro takes up a slice of cake, and I can’t help but smile.

Thinking back to the past few days of interaction, I feel like I’m understanding him a little better.

Mha Scenarios

I recently found your blog and i'm in love with your writing! ❤ So, since we are in May... could i request individuals scenarios for Deku and Mirio with the theme mermaid reader x pirate? You can invert roles if you prefer ^^

Haha I got bored and mixed in some yandere vibes and magic!! Hope you don’t mind!

Deku

Deku was the co-captain of the UA or Unified Anchor, one of the most respected and yet also most feared pirate ships in the world. They were known for putting a gun to everyone’s head, taking the treasure, and then leaving without a single casualty. That’s why Deku liked it, he didn’t have to get his hands dirty to have the sweet reward. Some called it lazy, but honestly they were jealous that they hadn’t thought of it first.

The captain was All Might, the strangest pirate captain on Earth. He was a kind simple man, but with the protection he felt over his crew, and his too-large-to-be-possibly-real-right? muscles, he was deadly to all but his crew. The ship crew was like a family, and he was going to pass it on to Izuku Midoryia once he grew too old.

“Deku! Get rid of the sail!” Ochako called out from the deck of the boat as Deku pulled on the rope, pulling the sails up and out as the boat began to surface on the island. “Look, it’s land ya hoes!” Denki grabbed Deku by his foot and swung him around playfully, helping the guy get down from the tall ledge where he stood.

The kids and All Might walked onto the powdered sand of the beach, shining like a crystal. “I know there’s something around here that’s gotta be worth taking. Refill the water buckets and harvest all the food we can get from this place. Bakugo! Midoryia! Search the island! It’s not that big, and surely you can see it all by midnight.” All Might pulled the boat onto the shore to resist the drag of the waves and then pulled it entirely onto the beach. 

“Set camp for us Shoto! Denki, I need you to load whatever we don’t need off the boat and get rid of it. This island looks as if it has plenty to offer.” All Might explained while Deku and an angry blonde boy began to walk into the forested area of the island. Izuku ruffled his dirty green hair and fixed his red shoe with a hole in it. All Might had offered to get him new ones, but these shoes were like his trademark in life. He needed them, and they needed him to feel as one together.

Izuku, using his sword, slashed through the palm trees and bushes in his way, before hearing a scream from nearby, as well as yelling. It was a girl’s scream. Deku ran as fast as he could through the forest, until he saw Bakugo pulling the hair of a girl on the ground. “Kacchan, what the hell do you think you’re-” Deku stopped cold, looking down to see that from the girl’s waist and below was a fishes tail.

“She’s a fucking mermaid! Stop moving bitch, I’ve got to find a net or something!” Bakugo was about to run off before Deku pulled him back angrily. Katsuki stared at Izuku, confused by his sudden change in personality 

“She can’t breathe asshole! Come on, it’s okay.” Deku took out his canteen filled with water and began pouring it on the girl’s neck where she was gasping from, as he saw the fish gills under her chin. “You’re not going anywhere. You’re going to help me get her back home.” She began coughing through her mouth, finally able to breathe once more.

Bakugo groaned, but accepted as he walked back to her, receiving a devil’s glare from the mermaid. “Where do you need us to take you?” Izuku asked as she gestured with a nod of her head towards the forest. Izuku smiled lustfully at her pretty face as he picked her up bridal style and began to walk that direction, Bakugo following slowly. 

With a few glances and nods of her head, she was able to show them back to a lagoon that came off the ocean bay. “Here.” Izuku set her in the water, not caring that his shoes were getting wet. As soon as he buried her into the calm water, he saw her mouth open and vibrancy return back to her body as she popped up, staring at his with stars in her eyes. “You saved me. How can I thank you?”

Izuku froze, blushing at how beautiful her voice was. So enchanting, so luring even. “Um...” Izuku paused, thinking of it would be selfish to ask for gold or something. “Our crew would love some of your mermaid treasure! Whatever you can spare, we’ll take it!” Bakugo exclaimed, receiving an annoyed side eye from the fish. “I would never do anything for you, but for you.” The mermaid looked back at Izuku with hearts in her eyes.

“I’d do anything for you!” She smiled, making the green-haired blush. “Then yes, if you have any treasure it would make our job a lot easier.” Deku smiled back as she nodded, before she grabbed Bakugo’s shirt. “Follow me boys. It’s just in the cave.” Before either of them could react, she pulled Bakugo into the crystal-clear water, and deep into the water beyond Deku’s sight. “Kacchan!” Deku screamed, before diving into the clear sea and swimming after her into the cave. 

Just as he was about to run out of air, he felt a hand grab him by the shirt and speed him inside a cave, bringing him up for air. “Izuku!” The mermaid brought him to the land inside the cave, pressing up and down on his chest. As Deku began to wake up, she wrapped her arms around him. Goodness, you should have waited for me to come back for you! Humans can’t swim fast enough to get here before running out of air.” She explained as Izuku nodded, looking up to see Bakugo wringing the water out of his shirt. “Bitch... getting me all wet...”

The mermaid got off of Deku, allowing him to get back on his feet. “Are you alright? You swallowed a lot of water.” As the mermaid hugged Izuku, he felt her heart beating fast. The two slowly began to come together, their lips pressing slowly as Izuku was enchanted by her beauty and the seduction of her fantasizing voice. Just as their lips pressed, the two were startled by Bakugo’s loud screams.

“Lord, you weren’t joking! Come on Deku, stop thinking about your dick and look at all this!” He yelled as Deku got off his knees, blushing as he looked over at what Bakugo was talking about. In front of Bakugo’s feet was a pile of gold coins, tiaras, swords, and clumps of jewels and gems. “Oh my god! Now this is a treasure! Come on Deku, let’s grab what we can and scram!” Bakugo began grabbing the treasure by the handfuls and stuffing his pant pockets.

“Don’t hesitate Izuku, this is the dumpster where we put the treasure we don’t want. My sisters use it for luring pirates like yourself to their death, or trading with the other mermaid colonies who can’t find good treasure like we do.” The mermaid explained as Izuku’s eyes widened at her words. “You... kill pirates?” Deku asked, ignoring his crewmate stuffing his pockets and mouth to the brim with coins and jewels.

“Not me, but my sisters. It’s one of the main jobs of our kind to lure pirates who have treasure that we want to their death.” She confessed as he nodded, his eyes still wide. “Not you, though. My sisters have left on a trading mission to the North, so you won’t have to worry about mermaids around these areas for months.” The mermaid smiled sweetly, cupping Izuku’s face with her soft palms. “Now go, get as much as you can carry Izuku.” She blushed as he slowly left her side, walking to the treasure.

You watched him slowly walk, loving the look of his legs walking. You wanted to see how he would look swimming... “Wow Kacchan, this is too good to be true!” Deku exclaimed as he finally had filled his pockets as much as possible. “Alright fish girl, take us back to the surface! Maybe we can come back once I empty out, we can bring back our crewmates!” Bakugo yelled, walking back over to the mermaid. “What? There are more of you? Tell me about them Izuku.” The mermaid smiled as he joined Kacchan, grinning at her. 

“Oh, you’d love them! Ururaka would love how soft your hair is, and Mina loves swimming so she’d love you!” He exclaimed as the mermaid’s eye twitched creepily, but only Bakugo noticed. “Oh, there are girls? Do you like any of them?” She asked as Izuku blushed, shaking his head. “Oh no, they’re just friends! Although I did kiss Ururaka once when we were young, but we liked each other just because we were dumb kids.” As Izuku and the mermaid continued to talk, Bakugo began to feel uneasy.

“Ahem, Izuku. Stop talking and just get us out of here. I don’t like this place.” Bakugo whispered as the mermaid began to get angry at him. “Oh Kacchan, I’ll take you back up right now. Wait here Izuku, I’ll come back for you.” The mermaid grabbed the blonde’s hand and began to pull him back into the water, being careful to not spill any of the gold coins out of his pockets. Izuku sat on the sand, playing with it’s soft texture as she soon returned. “Did Katsuki make it back safe?” Deku asked, standing and preparing to leave.

“Oh yes, he promised to get every single one of your crewmates to come to the shore in a few minutes. I can’t wait to meet all the girls.” She smiled as Deku lowered his hand, ready to leave. “Oh no, you’re not leaving Izuku~baby.” She smiled as his eyes widened, confused and now worried. “What do you mean?” He asked as she smiled wider, her eyes filling with evil and lust. “Why would I let you go when you’re going to go back to the girls? I need to keep you here, so no other girl will ever look at you again! You’ll be all mine!”

Izuku began backing up, shaking his head upsettingly. “N-no! When you bring them down here, they’ll bring me back!” He shouted as she began laughing, rolling around happily in the water. “Oh silly, don’t be such a dummy! I’m not bringing them down here!” She exclaimed as Deku’s eyes widened at what she meant. “I’ll drown each and everyone of your crewmates! My sisters will be so proud of me! My first mission was your crew, and I’ll get every single one of them!” She smiled as Izuku began crying, fearful and upset.

“Oh, and then once they’re gone you’ll be all mine! God, you’re going to stay here until death! I’m so excited!” She smiled, reaching for his shirt to grab him by and hug him. “I’ll bring you food three times a day, and never leave your side! I’m so in love with you! It’s thanks to you that my kill count will meet the requirements to become queen! Once I kill 20 people, I’ll be allowed to take the crown! You’ll be my king Izuku~Baby!” Deku crumbled to his knees, unable to believe the fact that it was his fault that his entire crew would die.

Mirio

Togata was a pirate, but one of the lowest class. He always did the night shifts with his witch friend Nejire, and his friend Tamaki who was training to become the captain. Mirio didn’t have much to do at the time, and could only wait until Tamaki became the captain so he would be promoted like Tamaki had promised. Until then, Mirio was living life day-by-day, bored out of his mind and looking for more.

“Ahh, we’re here Mirio! Look!” Nejire pointed to the island approaching, a cove, waterfall, lagoon, and a lush forest all appearing to his eyes. “Wow, look at that. I call the lagoon, I missed swimming without having to worry about sharks.” Mirio smiled as Nejire smacked him playfully in the back of the head. “Fine, Tamaki said that All Might needed more coconuts, I’ll get some of those.” Nejire smiled back, finally being able to climb onto the sandy beach.

Mirio grabbed his bag and got off the boat himself, walking along the shore towards the water. Looking back, he saw everyone pile off and look around, unknowing of what to do next. All Might had always been one to let the crew do their own thing. As Mirio entered the area of the water, he began to strip himself of his clothes. That was, until he heard a noise from a far. A sort of... gasping?

He turned and began swimming quickly to the shore where he heard the noise, getting out of the water and running to where the noise came from. Shocked, he gasped as his eyes laid upon a girl struggling, a rope wrapped around your neck tightly. As you grasped and pulled at it, Mirio ran to your side, scaring you As he pulled out the knife and put it to your neck, you began hyperventilating in fear of him trying to kill you. When he cut the rope and threw it from your body though, you realized what he meant to do.

You rolled into the water, splashing as you began to get away from Mirio. “W-who are you?!” You demanded to know, swimming slowly away from him as he put his hands up. “I’m not trying to hurt you! I saw you were stuck and wanted to help!” He explained as you stopped, looking down at the knife in his pocket. Noticing that he still had it out, he quickly tucked it away into his pocket. “T-thank you. What’s your name? I didn’t know humans were on this island.” You asked as his eyes widened. Had you just called him a human? Weird.

“U-um, human? What do you-” As his eyes peered down her body, he was left to not look upon legs beyond your waist but a fish tail. No, a mermaid tail was more precise. Looking at you again, he noticed the shell necklace, voluminous yet wet hair, and the starfish on your head. He realized now that all that wasn’t just a coincidence, but a design choice. “Y-you’re a mermaid.” He muttered as you giggled happily, doing a flip in the water, showing off your light teal tail. 

“Yes? Now what’s your name human pirate?” You asked as he smiled, unable to remove his eyes from your happy emotion. “W-well, I’m Mirio Togata, but you can call me Miri.” Togata turned on his charm, allowing you to smile at him. “I’m Y/n, like to meet you Miri.” You grinned as he could help but blush at your cuteness. Y/n was such a beautiful name... “So, where’d you come from human boy? If you were on this island, I would have heard about it.”

He grinned, sitting down on a rock on the shore close to you, and began to explain. “Well, my crew and I just got here. They’re unpacking, but I have nothing to do so I thought I’d come here and swim.” You nodded, your eyes sparkling at the idea of others. “Well then you should swim with me! It’d be so much fun!” You began to tug at his arm playfully, laughing happily with him. “How long can you hold your breath? How fast can you swim?!”

Mirio felt his heart smile at your enthusiasm as he stripped himself of his shirt and pants embarrassingly. “Come on slow fish! Come on in!” As Mirio was about to protest, you smacked her tail against the water, spraying him with the sea water. “You’re on!” He yelled before diving in, coming up to face you. You two began splashing each other happily, and Mirio couldn’t help but feel weird about how fast he had connected with this random girl- eerrrrrr, mermaid? 

“Mirio! Where are you dummy?” Mirio and you turned surprised, hearing Nejire’s voice near them but hidden away. “Dang it, I don’t want to go back already.” He mumbled, beginning to swim to the shore before you grabbed his arm. “Do you trust me?” You asked, holding his arm tightly as he looked at you with a questioning stare. “Answer me Miri.” As he looked into your innocent e/c eyes, he nodded hesitantly.

In that moment he was swept under the water, and quickly pulled under the waves. As he went deeper and deeper, the amount of light began to quickly decrease until he was in pitch darkness. He held his breath though, and in a few moments later he was brought to the surface, your grip still holding his arm firmly in her grasp. “Good, you weren’t moving for a minute and I got scared. Here we are!” You exclaimed, motioning to the small amount of land you were on.

Looking behind you, Mirio saw a waterfall hiding you two from the rest of the world, allowing him plenty of room to lay on the beach. “You can stay here for as long as you want, I come here to hide too.” You smiled sadly as he slid onto the sand, leaving his legs in the water. “What do you have to hide from?” Mirio asked curiously as you glanced at him, sadness in your eyes. “D-don’t make a big deal about it, but I’m becoming queen of my territory next week. My dad is insisting that I need to get married, but I just can’t seem to find someone who I like who also likes me.”

You sighed, resting your head in his lap as you continued your stressed rant. “I come here to hide, where nobody is pestering me about royal duties or my dad isn’t setting me up with every other guy in the ocean. Here, the water is so loud that you can just scream, and nobody will hear you.” You smiled before feeling his arms wrap around you tightly. “It’s okay, I promise you’ll find someone.” You turned to him, hearts in your eyes as you stared at him.

“You think? That means a lot coming from a stranger, but you just don’t know me. I’m childish and I play pranks on the butlers when my dad isn’t in town to lecture me. Sometimes, I feel like I have no purpose, and I’m just waiting for my dad to give me a reason to stick around. Ya know?” You explained as Mirio’s eyes lit up. You were just like him, like he was waiting for Tamaki to hand him a position to give him a reason.

“Actually, I’m just like you. My pal is going to become captain in a few months and then give me a job, but until then I’m just waiting for something to happen and make my time worth-while.” He explained as you smiled, suddenly wrapping your arms around his neck. “Oh Miri, you’re the greatest. If you were a merman I’d have no issue finding someone to marry.” You smiled at him, before your face went all red as you backed away, realizing what you had just said.

“I... uh- what I meant to say was that I wish you were a merman. Then I could give you a purpose like marrying me and then helping run the kingdom... until I were to find someone, which would probably never happen.” You tried to save yourself, but the damage had been done. As Mirio was about to comment, he heard his friend once more, except now Tamaki was with her. “Mirio! Buddy?” Mirio rolled his eyes, beginning to stand. “Y-you’re leaving?” You asked as he shook his head, putting a finger to his lips to tell you to be quiet.

“I’ll be right back, I just need to tell them I’m okay.” He smiled, walking out into the water past the waterfall and out of your sight. You smiled sadly, resting your head on the shore as you thought about the blond and his dreamy blue eyes. Mirio walked up to his two friends, smiling and waving. “Ahh, there you are! I saw your clothes by the rocky side of the bay and got nervous.” Nejire explained as Tamaki chuckled. “You okay there bud? Your face is really red.” Tamaki obliviously commented as Mirio sighed, knowing there was no point in hiding it from his friends.

“Actually I-” His sentence was cut short by yelling coming from the cave inside the waterfall, your voice to be certain. “Mirio! No, please! Wait a second! Miri!” All three of the pirates began running to the waterfall only to find scratch marks on the sand and rocks, showing signs of struggled that lead to someone being dragged into the water. Immediately, Mirio’s mind went into immediate panic mode as he turned to Tamaki and Nejire. 

“Nejire, do you know how to turn someone into a mermaid?!” He asked as she looked at him with the most bizarre expression before nodding. “You mean just a tail and the ability to breathe underwater? Of course.” She nodded as he smiled, gripping her hands. “Listen, I can’t explain now but I need you to turn me into one. Please, I’m begging you!” He exclaimed as she began waving her hand, muttering a spell.

“I’d hurry if I were you, I’m making the temporary one that lasts 20 minutes. The permanent one involves a potion and all that.” She explained before continuing to mutter the spell, Mirio feeling his legs go to Jello as he fell into the water. Looking down, his long legs had been changed into a red merman tail like Y/n’s. “Alright, I’ll be back soon.” He gave them a thumbs up before disappearing into the water, leaving his friends alone and very confused. Dipping into the water, Mirio had one mission. Save you from whatever had taken you.

Left and right, he followed the pebble path on the ocean floor while learning the mechanics of the tail before gasping. In front of him was a village, houses surrounding one large castle. You must have been taken there. In the distance, he could hear your voice as he began to race towards you, going faster than he ever thought possible. Once he was inside the village, he kept his head down, not wanting to draw any unwanted attention. He continued to follow your voice, until finally seeing you.

At the gate of the castle was you, two guards grasping each of your arms, and who he thought of as the King and Queen. “Y/n!” He yelled out, receiving you to look his way and watch his eye, your face lighting up. Without even having to try, you pulled your way out of the guard’s grip and raced towards him, enveloping him in a tight hug. “Y-you’re a merman? No, this is a spell! You would probably have a blue tail if it was a potion...” 

You murmured, continuing to look him up and down as the guards, King, and Queen began slowly swimming your way. “I came after you once I heard you screaming. I thought you could possibly be in danger, I got worried.” Mirio explained as you smiled, tears coming to your eyes. “I... I didn’t want to lose you.” He confessed, his cheeks highly tainted red as you smiled, kissing his cheek. “Y/n... who is this?” You father asked as you turned to him, smiling like an idiot.

“This is the guy I want to be my King.”

any tips when an appointment goes like shit? ive been having chronic pain for years, worst in my hips, with joint popping and hypermobility, bad enough that i was having trouble walking and used a cane and could barely get out of bed... but just saw a rheumatologist and all labs were fine, all xrays were normal, she doesn't think anything is wrong and i just need to exercise more, joints popping is probably nothing. im just so lost as to what to do now. i hate living like this

i always feel like the worst person to answer questions like these just because my usual ‘coping’ method for this shit is just like.. fucking. suffer through it lmao; but it really do want to give you like a Good Answer because BRO this shit sucks so fucking much it’s unreal. even tho i’ve actually got like a tentative dx now i Still have the same chucklefuck experiences at the doctors’ offices (and only Partly due to the fact that my dx exp was basically ‘hm you’ve been looking for an answer for the past 8 years and haven’t had any luck? could just be These Things; let’s not bother doing any more tests to try and confirm, try these meds [that don’t work] and we’ll see you in a few months! don’t call me, we’ll call you haha!!”)

So, like, first off I’m gonna say that you should absolutely let yourself be angry and frustrated. IDK how much of a ‘universal’ experience this is, but for me, appointments like this usually send me into a doubt spiral; like “What if this IS just normal body stuff everyone deals with and i’m just a pussy who can’t handle it? after all, they’re A Doctor, right? so they’d know???” but they Don’t always know. Yeah they’re a doctor with a theoretically good education, but they’re still people with biases and also a sometimes lazy inclination. YOU know your body and your experiences Are real and do matter. Let yourself be angry at your doctors, and tell anyone who tries to give you the whole like “doctors are Incredible people you can’t ever talk shit about” spiel to fuck off lol

Next i think it can be important to remember that you don’t like, Need a doctor’s permission to do certain things? Again, might just be a Me Thing, but I put off using mobility aids for years just because doctor’s told me my bones were fine and whatever, and the few times I asked about them specifically, got told to not use them because they’re just [insert any number of allusions to laziness]. Finally went ahead and just bought myself a cane last december and dude, Great purchase. I’ve even recently got smart crutches; because the cane was kind of hell on my whole hand and arm joints (again, this was something i asked a doctor about and was refused an actual answer for lmao), which i don’t quite regret even tho the ‘rest’ working from home during quarantine has granted me means my joints are feeling better than they have in literal years. You’ve already mentioned that you use a cane, so maybe this won’t necessarily apply to you, but like, for me i spent a really long time focused on the idea of getting a DX because in my head, that basically just meant getting permission to have a body; in the sense that like, yeah a dx can maybe get you treatment/more specific coping methods, but for me it also gave me Permission to feel bad (especially where other people could see/know about) which we Don’t Need! you are allowed to validate your own pain and experiences, basically, no one else needs to do that to make it ‘real’

This might be the only semi-helpful point in this post lmfao, but also think about like, why you’re going to doctor’s and whether it’s worth continuing. I started like, back in my sophomore year of HS, and then went On and Off trying new doctors for a while; this shit is exhausting; even once i was on my own and didn’t need my parent’s approval/help in getting to doctors, i still put a lot of stuff off because i didn’t have the energy for it. and that’s okay! but if you do really want to keep pushing, then make sure you keep pushing (which, admittedly, is something i still have trouble putting into practice lol). it’s always been like, dummy easy for me to feel somehow guilty for ‘inconveniencing’ doctors by showing up with problems and shit, but you really have to remember that you are Paying Them to provide you with a service. as long as you’re not unreasonably treating someone like shit, you have every right to push and argue and disagree with them. And if things with your current doctor aren’t working out, find a new one. you don’t need to stick with someone who isn’t working to help you or who you don’t feel comfortable with!

also wrt the whole ‘exercise’ schlock dude, fuck taking that at face value. i’m sure that more exercise really Does help some people, but if you’re in so much pain that getting out of bed and walking around is nearly impossible then tell them so, and then tell them to fuck off. i’ve had doctor’s giving me that spiel for nearly a decade, every one of them lovingly disregarding the fact that i Was exercising at the times (be it through swim teams, gym classes, the fact that most of my commutes are entirely walking, etc), and even my most recent one hearing me say that I was pretty sure the quarantines meaning that i was walking less to get to classes and shit was literally Decimating my pain levels and then still telling me to make sure I try walking around/exercising more. i can’t help but feel that like 9/10 that advice is complete horse shit lmao. same with diet recommendations

i hope literally ANY of this is helpful, lol. if it isn’t, then at the Very least i can offer you an open invitation to come vent in my inbox lmao, because i Get how shitty this is and the fact that like ‘healthy’ people tend to have the “no answer is a good answer! :)“ mentality can wear on u just as much as the actual appointments, so feel free to complain as much as your heart desires dude!

finally we are here. EVERGRACE CHAPTER 10 PART 3 LET’S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO but this time it’s actually serious

i even  made an animated visual this time!

but this kinda spoils the later part of the chapter so please enjoy it once you reach the part in my tumblr post. thank you. also warning this is pretty fucked up and violent and has slight implications of asphyxiation maybe

“So, Morpheus is up there, right?”

“Yes. We’ll be taking a gondola from near here, and then climb a stairway to get to him.”

“Guess it would be tiring to walk the whole way.”

“[something someting] it’s a normal stairway, but it goes up this hollowed out tower, and many parts of this tower are still untouched [think this was mentioned over in the second part in fact]”

“And Morpheus is at the very top?”

“Yes.”

“Man, he must really enjoy that God complex.”

“I’m not sure about that... The Tower’s peak is the closest to the outside world, after all. The Cycle...”

As soon as the word “Cycle” left her mouth, she gasped and looked at Darius.

[...or did Darius gasp, leading to Medina to stare at him?]

“If he were to free this world, captured by the Cycle... That’s certainly a fitting place to do it, wouldn’t it?”

“Are you saying my country’s been caught up by this Cycle?” of course orlaidnfids is saying this bit

“That’s what I remember hearing, but... I’m not sure of myself.”

wellll once they got down the stairs they saw the funny looking pillars of the soaring tower. you know the ones you brute force the fuck out of lol i sure did

As they descended to the end of the stairway, they came across some strange pillars. The four evenly spaced round pillars were of white, red, green, and blue. And at the wall nearby was a door that certainly wouldn’t be opened by hand.

“if it hasn’t changed, then this should work...”

Medina stood near the colourless pillar, and like she had hit the leaf relief, fired palmira actions at the coloured pillars from her arm. [must be her alcrest powers]

Red fire Palmira. Green leaf palmira. Blue Ice Palmira. 

Then all the lights turned off, including the colourless pillar. And once more, Medina launched leaf palmira at the green pillar, turning it on again. And the colourless pillar turned green toooooooooo........ AND THE DOOR OPENED WOW EVERGRACE WIKI GET YOUR WALKTRHOUGHS HERE LOL

“alright everyone get in and ride this bad boy”

medina ushered the two guys into the small room that opened up. there was a lever near the wall and she activated it, closing the door. with a small bump, the lights in the room dimmed, and started to move or something

“So this is... A gondola, huh?”

Darius asked without a shred of ill will, as he looked around the room. Medina couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.

“First time?”

“Not like that, but I mean... Rieubane is pretty amazing. We haven’t reached this kind of technology in the time period where I come from.”

“Time period?” orlainde and Medina both ask.

“Right, in the place where I come from... Rieubane’s already been destroyed for 100 years now. How I’m here, how this can all still be here... I don’t really understand it.”

“Ah, Sharline did talk about the Darius who was a young boy... Perhaps time’s been shifted between the outside and in here.”

Medina continued on.

“In this closed country, perhaps we’ve been left behind by the passage of time.”

“It’s been a year since that incident that our country was blocked off, right? And you said that it’s been a hundred years out here... So perhaps, a day here equals 100 days outside.”

oralindade did the math. I did the math. This is his math. could it be? 100 days outside means 1 day inside?

if sharline and darius are separated by 13 years, then... that is 4745 days outside, but converted into rieubane days that’s like, almost 50 days! but didn’t the others say sharline was only there a few days ago?! not over a month...?!

“What did you say?! Wait, my friends... No, the starving villages and cities...!”

“Hey, hey, it’s just something I thought up! It’s just a guess.... Gah!”

The gondola stopped with a sudden, loud noise. The three were probably knocked to the ground, and Medina looked at the gondola with a worrying glance.

“This is the first time this has happened...”

Medina pulled the lever and opened the door to a dark room.

“looks like the plans have changed. it seems to have stopped lower than usual.”

“So, we can’t go up?”

“No, this is the highest point. We’ll walk from here.”

[i wonder what she meant by that? is this the appropriate destination? probably the “first time” bit was how it stopped suddenly perhaps.]

Darius stepped out and looked carefully around the room. No sign of monsters, but the sound of the wind outside the tower could be heard from far away. There was a door-like opening with an arch, with rubble strewn about.

“If we continue in from here, we’ll reach the beginning of the staircase.”

As Medina continued onward, she was stopped suddenly by Darius.

“Thanks, but... I have a bad feeling about this. You should walk behind us.”

this WHOLE bit about describing a room is so hard. i’m just gonna machine translate this and pray to god. it’s like a room.. it’s dusty... fanshaped with weird things everywhere..... experimentation tools like the room of the legendary mercenary... two doors split off, and there’s a tower with an iron grate near the centre of the room... idk there’s a light near the back, and an open door near there too. this is alot and i can’t even figure out where this is in the game. SORRY LOOK OKAY LOOK GUYS HERE’S

Going through the strange doorway, Darius follows a narrow dark path. He motions for orsdfjsdfds and Medina to stop as he peers through the iron grate. I can kinda understand the layout of the room now hahaha

A glowing bluewhite pillar stands in the middle of the room. There are female soldiers with blonde hair and purple skin standing side by side or something.

you know. them

beyond the female soliders was a transparent like wall, like the one they saw in the human laboratory. and beyond that wall was a girl sitting on her knees - a girl with red hair.

with a gasp, darius pulled back from the grate.

“darius, what’s wrong?”

orladin rushed to him, with quiet footsteps. darius replied back in an equally hushed tone.

“it’s sharline.”

“huh? just by herself?”

“It seems like it. she’s in a... strange tube while the soldiers stand around it.”

SHARLINE IN THE TUBE WEDNESDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

now you may watch the video at the top of the page.

“that’s an experimental cell and transfer device that my grandfather made, and those are ‘ferugu’ patrolling around it - also made by my grandpappy”

orlsjfid looked around the room the three were in. 

“hey, there’s a lever on this wall. will this open the grate?”

“i haven’t been here often, so i’m not sure...”

“how about this one..?”

darius notices another lever on the wall opposite.

“i really don’t know, but... perhaps if we both activate the levers, the grate might open up, then.”

“We’ll try it. I’ll be counting on you two.” Darius says, warhammer in hand, already facing the grates.

orladidifns stands near one of the levers, waiting. and asks:

“so.... how did morpheus activate this grate, when it takes two people?”

“i don’t think he’d really have a reason to come here. and if he did have something here, the transfer device would’ve taken sharline up to his experimental lab, anyhow.”

“i see...”

“i wonder if sienna is nearby?” “we’ll probably figure it out as we go up.”

oljskfjksf stands silently near the lever now.

“the first plan of action will be to rescue sharline, right?”

“right, otherwise she might be transferred away.”

[koitsu wa ugokan darou was hard to understand but i think that’s it. the alternative is that he’s referring to darius just moving on from this debacle if they didn’t wanna save sharline lol]

cranking the levers to a steady rhythm, the grate slowly rose up from its position, and darius followed the path briskly (worried that the grate might unexpectedly fall on him haha). and in no time at all, the female soldiers took notice of him and readied their swords.

darius kinda like. deflected some of their attacks because they’re pretty slow? might’ve dodged a few by ducking. ignoring their sluggish moves, darius turns and runs to where sharline is.

『Darius!』

i thought it was an interesting choice to have double quotes like that so i’m keeping it in and i’m lazy to figure out how to localize that emphasis for an english audience. bbut the following line makes sense as to why.

across the shimmering wall, a muffled voice could be heard. sharline hit the wall with her fists, trying to break free. darius shouted.

“Get back!”

seeing the warhammer in his hand, sharline backed up against the wall. with a tight grip, darius swung at the light wall, shattering it into pieces. 

it was for a moment, but the shattered pieces seemed to glitter as they danced in the air. 

At the moment, a heavy thud reverberated. A sound much like the dropping of a grate. 

Followed by Medina’s cries.

“Darius, behind you!” Sharline shouted.

darius swung around and could notice the panicked faces of medina and olksjfsjf beyond the grates. olskfjlsfjlsf seemed to be shouting something that he couldn’t make out. and furthermore, the female soliders were getting up, ready to face him again.

But at that moment, darius felt a familiar warmth against his back.

“I just knew you’d come to save me, Darius.”

Sharline smiled, with a smile wide enough to reach her ears. 

A cold smile, as her arms dug into Darius’s neck.

“Under my master’s command, I stayed here all nice and put. Y’see, my master really wants to see the Crest up close... So why don’t you come with me?”

It was Sharline’s voice, yet what came out of her mouth wasn’t anything like Sharline at all.

[use of omae below]

“You... You’re.... What monster are you...?”

“I’m Sharline.”

It was like some kind of inhuman strength fought against Darius as he struggled to break free. A strange pattern emerged from the sparkling debris of the cage, marking the ground with its shape...

Darius hesitated for a moment before he closed his eyes shut, and struck Sharline’s torso with his elbow.

It was like hitting rock. She continued to press on.

>be me >at the soaring tower >bringing my comrade and a nice lady who lives here to the top floor >sees my sis in a tube >she’s super weird >asked her specifically to get back so i wouldn’t accidentally hit her >she’s free of the tube >we get out, things are looking better >she busts out the stranglehold >mfw

just wanted to the lighten the mood with a funny thing based off a tweet liv made once. back to work

He scrambled to find his knife, but his fingers only touched an empty sheath - a thought arose in Darius’s frantic mind, that the knife must’ve fallen out during his battle with the Legendary Mercenary.

“You know, if you thrash around like that, it’s only gonna be pain for you. Y’see, there’s only one thought in this head of mine - and that’s to kill any naysayers. Sooo, if you don’t come along with me, I’m just gonna tear you to bits like that!”

[lots of wa and yo and no and ne suffixes here. like much more than usual, and sharline’s speech pattern is really cheerful and interjected with bits of things. in short, Energetic Elder Sister Of Kill]

The female soldiers approached them, with sword in hand. Darius tried to swing them away with his warhammer, but a thin hand pulled his arm back with the strength of iron shackles.

“I just wanted to get you there quickly safe and intact, you know... If you’re not going to listen to me, I guess I can’t expect you to act like a grownup either, huh?”

With a giggle and a smile, the monster that took on Sharline’s shape tightened her grasp around Darius’s neck.

Darius tried to use the momentum to lunge to the side, hoping to knock Sharline to the ground, but her feet would simply not leave the floor - as if planted to the ground.

“Oh yes, your friends are over there, aren’t they? But you probably won’t make it in time.” 

Using his one free hand, he tried to grab the sword of the nearby soldiers, but it was no use... Palmira actions wouldn’t work either, at such a close range... 

Darius readied his warhammer as the female warrior swung down her sword. But, at that moment, something behind the warrior swung and struck it, sending the warrior flying.

Behind that warrior, in front of where the grates were, was a strange figure cloaked in black armor with a large knife.

All Sharline could let out was an “Eh?”

Darius, shaking free of her momentarily slack arms, plunges the sword into her, channeling Palmira power into the blade. Though the attack landed, he feels a dull impact at the tip of the sword, and the recoil sends him back. His armor makes sparks against the ground, and his back is er.... the skin peels off his back, it probably really hurts that’s kinda a lot of detail novel

But with the power of luck, Darius pushes the sword in deeper, and finishes the monster off. Sharline staggers backwards, shrieking some noise that could never come from a human... 

you know i don’t actually get the intricacies of this bit here and i’m here to write about darius and sharline being best friends not to see them beat each other to death so i’m freeballing it. contact me if this pisses you off somehow

darius lands a hit with the warhammer to her collarbones, her red hair seems to fly, and sharline crashes into a white pillar and falls. it was as if the red hair fell out in bundles, skin like porcelain and i’m not digging how she’s described as white skin and thin arms at all but this bit at least it implies it’s porcelain BECAUSE SHARLINE’S SKIN IS CRACKING AND PEELING OFF 

it was like reddish-brown sand scattered and spilled to the ground, like a leather pouch deflated on the ground. and as if a dust of white fog, sharline’s clothes  and the mountain of sand it rested on...   all disappeared.... 

My God. Fucked Up Bit. this is going out because it’s already plenty long. DAMN

THANKS SNAZZ FOR HELPING WITH THE “DARIUS TRIES TO THROW SHARLINE TO THE GROUND” BIT THOUGH

Watch the 2024 American Climate Leadership Awards for High School Students now: https://youtu.be/5C-bb9PoRLc

The recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by student climate leaders! Join Aishah-Nyeta Brown & Jerome Foster II and be inspired by student climate leaders as we recognize the High School Student finalists. Watch now to find out which student received the $25,000 grand prize and top recognition!

october ‘20 writing progress

total words written: 14.9k

most words written in a day: 1,371

least words written in a day: 78

current yearly total: 183,411

projects worked on:

- sylvix dreamscape fic - finished first draft of long live zine piece - started sylvix christmas fic for the sylvix advent calendar event! - worked on kl hotel au - did some original story planning - worked on altea rising recap summary

october goals: - continue working on sylvix dreamscape fic - *sweats* edit/post chapter 15 of altea rising?? and if time maybe start editing the remaining chapters and/or work on writing the last few scenes…? - open fic commissions before the end of the month… - finish first draft of piece for long live zine - perhaps plan the sylvix pacific rim au some more november goals: - win nanowrimo?? lol - finish/submit final draft of my piece for long live zine - finish a draft of the sylvix xmas fic  - work on the sylvix dreamscape fic - finish (or at least work on) the kl hotel au??  - uhh at least finish the recap summary thing that i’m writing for altea rising? maybe if i feel extra spicy i’ll actually work on the actual fic lmfao - perhaps do some more planning on my original story idk

notes:

*steeples my hands together* well...i didn’t do super hot during october in terms of meeting my goals although at least i did some of it, i.e. i got a lot of work done on the sylvix dreamscape fic and submitted the first draft of my long live zine piece so that’s something.

also!! i was invited to write a fic for the sylvix advent calendar event (linked above) so i ended up putting a lot of time/effort into that as well! it’s gonna be a really fun event where there will be one art piece & one sylvix fic posted a day for every day in december leading up to christmas, and everything will be winter/holiday themed (and have happy endings) so yAAY it’s gonna be really cool and i recommend following the event twitter account if you like sylvix and want to see a lot of quality content next month! 

so yeah on that note, i’ll probably be putting a lot of effort into my fic for that event for most of november since obviously i have a deadline haha. i’m hyped for the whole event and for the fic i’m writing so i’ll be really excited to post that in december! 

my other big priority will be submitting my final piece for long live zine, although at this point it’s very close to being done––it’s just waiting on feedback from the mods and doing a bit of editing based on that. but yeah that’s also a project i’m very excited about! and i will definitely post updates about when the zine itself will be released!!  

other than that, a lot of my energy this month will go towards the sylvix dreamscape au. i’m almost done writing the third chapter and i’m hoping to write like five chapters or so before i start posting it....so i’m estimating i’ll post the first chapter in maybe december or january but we shall see.

my klance wips....as always are kind of a toss-up where i’m working on them when i feel like it dkfldsj BUT i’m really almost done with the hotel au and i’m hoping i can maybe get a draft of it done by the end of this month since i really only have a few scenes of it left i’ve just been too lazy to finish it. i also have been working on writing up this recap summary of altea rising so i can post that before i start putting the new chapters out. however it’s....really time consuming so i have no idea when that will be happening and then idk if people will even care enough to read it but lol i would ideally like to (finally) get another chapter of it posted before the end of this year....that’d be great.

i’m also trying to do nanowrimo this month aka “working on a million fic wips plus brainstorming an original story and hoping the numbers miraculously add up” so we’ll see how that goes!! 

oh yeah i know last month i was like “i’m gonna open up commissions” but that was...a lie..... i started a new job and what with that plus all the other wips i have, i think i have way too much on my plate rn. but i think i will shoot for opening up commissions in january maybe unless some other big project comes out of left field. 

....and oh yeah the sylvix pacific rim au i like totally forgot about during october, and again since i have so many other things to work on i’m not sure if/when that will be happening, but if so it probably won’t be for a few months buuut i might continue brainstorming some stuff for it at least. 

anyway holy fuck apparently i cannot shut up so i will stop rambling now and yeah peace out 

#1 - Balcony Love

Characters needed:

Y/N – your name                  

C/N – crush name

BF/N – best friend’s name

F/N2 – friend name 2

F/N3 – friend name 3

F/N4 – friend name 4

E/C – eye color

You also need a lake name ;)

AN:

So I kind of planned for F/n3 and 4 to be the opposite genders of Y/N, but um yeah, if you don’t want to, you don’t have to. ;) Also I feel like this is kinda cliché and cringe worthy but it might different for you guys, so ya.  Anyways, enjoy my first crush imagine I guess? :)

also sorry in advance for whatever grammar mistakes are in there, i was kind of rushing to write this for you guys ;)

P.S. there are quite a few time skips because I was too lazy to fill in the time between each scene :/

word count: 2336 words

warnings: none

A few weeks ago

“My mom said I could only invite a few people with me to our holiday lodge for my birthday party so you can’t tell the others I invited you, okay?” BF/N whispered to me as we walked down the road towards the bus stop after school. So far, today had been a pretty good day for a school day. It was Friday; your crush C/N had smiled at you in class, and now your best friend was inviting you along to a trip for her birthday.

“Who’s going?” I ask, grinning excitedly at her.

“Oh, just you and a few guys.” At this, she winks conspiratorially at me.

“Who, Who?? Tell meeeee please BF/N!” I beg, trying to make puppy dog eyes at her.

“Hmm let’s see.” Tapping her finger against her chin, she looks upwards. “F/N2, you, course, F/N3, F/N4 and… C/N.”

“OH MY GOODNESS BF/N YOU DIDN’T!!” I squeal at her and grab both of her shoulders towards me in a hug. “I can’t believe you! Thank you, thank you, thank you sooo much!”

She grins. “Haha, no problem. After all, you are my best friend, aren’t you?”

 Today

“Arghh I’m going to be so late,” I screeched, frantically rifling through my drawers looking for a spare hair tie. Finally finding one, I ran out of my room and grabbed my bags, stuffing my feet into my sandals. Outside of my house, BF/N and everyone else were waiting for me to get in.

“Honey, are you sure you’ll be ok?” My mom asked, taking a bag from my hand.

“Yeah, of course mom! Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine. It’s only the weekend, anyway.” Finally having accomplished my task of slipping on my shoes, I raced outside, opened the boot to the minivan and stacked my bags inside.

“Bye mom, I’ll see you in two days!” I shouted behind me as I slammed the boot door shut.

“Bye honey. Keep safe okay? I love you.”

“Love you too!” At that, I jumped into the car, strapped on my seat belt, and then we were gone.

Inside the car, it turned out that I was sitting next to C/N at the back, which was also where all the snacks were. “Hey Y/N.” He smiled his heart stopping smile at me, putting one arm behind my chair.

“Oh um, hi C/N,” I grin back at him, flustered as hair falls in front of my face.

 BF/N’s voice fills the small interior of the minivan. “So guys in case you didn’t know or forgot, we are going to my family’s private lodge at lake lake/name. Since it’s about 3 hours away, we’ll swap drivers and rotate every hour.”

“Yes Ma’am!” We all chorus, laughing at each other.

“Also, feel free to pass around the snacks we brought. Don’t just hog it for yourselves!” At this, she mock glares at C/N and me.

“Why would I, BF/N?” I joke. I put up my hands defensively. ”I’m an angel!”

F/N3 snickers. “Yeah right you are.”

F/N4 pipes in. “More like the devil.”

“Hey not funny guys!” I pretend to get shot in the chest and collapse onto the ground as we all laugh.

At the lodge

“Guys!” BF/N yells. “Come on in!” Lugging our bags behind us, we all follow after BF/N into her family’s huge lodge. “So I’ve decided that after we’ve settled in, we should go down to the lake for a swim.” We all cheer. “But before that, first things first. For rooms, all the girls will be sleeping together, the same as the boys. Both rooms are upstairs and have ensuites connected to them.” After you’ve unpacked your stuff, don’t forget to change into swimsuits so that we can swim!”

“Yes, sergeant,” I shout, bringing my hand up to my head in attention. Everyone else just laughs.

As I lug my heavy bag up the stairs to my room, something grabs onto the handle of the suitcase and stops me in my tracks, startling me. “Huh?”

“Just me.” C/N smiles, his straight, ebony white teeth almost glowing. “Can I help with this?”

Fighting off an oncoming blush, I quickly look away from his searching eyes and hand over my bag. “Sure… thanks.” My brain going into overdrive, I scan the walls beside me, hoping that they will give me some pointer tips on how to talk to a crush. Unfortunately to my dismay, they don’t. “So… How did BF/N convince you to come us this trip?” I ask him, my face glowing like hot coals. I have to at least try to make a conversation if I want him. It’s too awkward otherwise. I tell myself, trying to cool down the furnace in the body.

C/N laughs an embarrassed laugh. “You don’t want to know.”

“Come on, tell me please! You’ve got me interested so now you can’t leave me hanging!”

“Ah, well…” He rubs the back of his head, showing off his muscular arm. I’m practically drooling at the sight of him. “BF/N told me you were coming on this trip.” At this, two bright spots appear on his cheeks.

Wait what??? Did he just say he only came because of me? No way. Not possible. No one likes me. He’s probably just trying to be friendly so he can get Isabel or someone.

“Wait what?” confused I turn to face him. “Are you serious?”

“Yeah, I’m definitely serious.” Now he’s grinning

“You better not be joking with me, C/N.”

“I never would. Not about this at least.” I gasp in surprise.

“You suck up!” I say playfully. Inside my head, cogs are spinning and wheels are turning, trying to figure what he means and if he’s actually for real. Could he possibly like me as much as I like him? We stop in front of my door and he puts down my bag. “Well here’s your stop. See you lake.” Smiling softly I say thanks and then close the door and find the sexiest, most revealing swimwear I packed. Just to show off to C/N, of course.

Time skip to the lake

“Okay, kids!” BF/N shouts. “And love birds.” At this, she winks at me and I look away, pretending not to notice. “Today,” she continues, “We’ll be playing hide and seek!” At this, we all groan.  F/N4 whisper yells to BF/N.

“Can’t we play something else? Pretty please?”

“Nope!” She grins her devil’s grin. “We’re going to stick with this. And for this game, someone’s gotta be in, and as the person who’s house you guys are staying in, I think that I should be the one to pick who’s going to be in, so… F/N3! You’re it!” giggling at F/N3′s sigh of dismay and halfhearted protesting, we all swim away, and everyone goes off in two’s except for me. Lucky me. Always the odd one out. Scanning the area, I try to find a good hiding place. In a lake there aren’t that many places to hide except around the edges. Aha! There’s one! I spot a rock jutting out of the water’s edge, and quickly swim over to hide behind it. Not daring to peek out for fear of being found, I stay hidden, unaware of time. How long are they gonna take to find me? They must have forgotten about me. Spinning around, I gasp as I feel soft, warm hands slide around my waist and I find myself pressed up against a hard, muscular wall of some sort. “You’re beautiful, you know that right?” A low, purring voice interrupts my thinking and liquid heat rises up inside my core. C/N.

“What are you doing?” I hiss, embarrassed. “We’re supposed to be playing hide and seek with the others!”

Abruptly, he lets go of me, leaving my skin cold and wet. I shiver and hug my arms to myself as goose bumps rise up on my skin.

“Well they asked me to come find you, since the game finished 3 minutes ago.”

“Oh… right. Thanks” I mumble, unsure of how to actually talk to my crush.

“You look cold. Shall we head back in?” His blue eyes search mine as I avoid his gaze.

“Yeah, let’s. The others are probably getting bored waiting for us anyway.”

We wade through the water around rock. My teeth begin to chatter as we come out into the open. C/N gently touches my shoulders and the molten lava inside me flares up again. We grab our towels off the sand, and with surprising grace, he wraps my towel snugly around my body and then smiles down at me. I smile back, trying to fight off the redness flooding my face.

 Time skip to later that night after dinner

As I’m walking down the hallway to the bathroom to take a shower, C/N comes bounding towards me. “Hey, Y/N!” he looks uncharacteristically nervous, and I smile to myself. “Umm… I was just wondering, do you want to go onto the balcony later tonight with me?” Whattt. That was definitely not what I was expecting.

“S-s-sure.” I stutter out. “I’d love to.” I smile up at him, looking into his E/C colored eyes.

“Great… okay, thanks. See you on the balcony at 11pm?” he blushes, and two tiny red patches appear beneath his eyes.

“Sounds good. See you then.” I curse myself under my breath as I prepare to shower. Did I really have to sound like a recorded phone answering machine? I face palm myself, and my back cringes as I replay that scene in my head. Why couldn’t I just be a little more flirtatious like BF/N or good at speaking with boys like F/N2? Honestly, the only good thing that came out it was that I got asked to go on a date! Oh… wait. It hits me. C/N JUST ASKED ME OUT ON A DATE!!!!!! ahhhhhh!! I scream internally and my brain starts imagining a ton of scenarios.

But first things first, Y/N. I tell myself sternly. You need to actually shower and smell good before you go and meet him.

Time skip to the balcony

I cautiously step onto the balcony, half expecting to not see C/N there. “C/N?” I step out further, and look to the corner of the balcony, breathing the smoky flavor of the night sky into my lungs. There he is! Aww that’s so cute. Before me is a sight to behold. There, I see C/N setting up fluffy blankets on the hard wood of the balcony.

“Y/N! You came!” he stands up and beams at me, gesturing for me to come and sit down. Gingerly, I bend down to my knees and admire his handiwork.

“Wow. This is beautiful, C/N.” I whisper. No one’s ever done this for me before. In front of me is a little wooden table with glowing candles sitting on it. Purple and pink flowers line the edges of the table, their velvet soft petals illuminated by the gentle flickering of the candles. Beside me is what seems like the fluffiest blankets in the world, and I giggle as C/N sits down beside me and tucks the fuzzy blankets around my body, wrapping me up like a burrito.

C/N begins to speak. “So, in case it’s not obvious enough to you, although I doubt it is, Y/N… I like you.” At that, C/N exhales and runs his hand through his hair and my mouth falls open.

“C/N… are you serious?”

“Y/N, I am completely dead serious. I like you… hell, I think I even love you. I’ve liked you for what seems like years, except I’ve been too scared to do anything about. Until now, that is.” C/N looks at me in the eyes.

“C/N…” I whisper, “I’ve liked you ever since I first laid my eyes on you. I’m pretty sure I love you.”

“Y/N, are you sure?”

“Hell yes, I’m sure.” I reply confidently.

In a heartbeat, he grabs my body and gently lays me on the ground, the cool of the hard wooden deck soaking up my warmth, and that combined with his heated kisses on my neck and jaw makes me shudder in delight. I breathe his scent in, swallowing up all his kisses like a fish desperate for water as I groan in ecstasy. I grip his head and thread my fingers through his hair, reveling in the softness. We kiss until we’re drunk on it, filling up the never ending well of passion. Slowly, we shorten our kisses until we’re finished, gulping down deep breaths of air and I stare into his eyes. He traces his rough finger pad around the swell of my kiss swollen lips then whispers, “You are so, so beautiful.”

I blush, ducking out of his touch. “So are you,” I retort. At that, he laughs, a low sexy growling sound that makes my insides quiver. He reaches out for a blanket beside him and wraps it around the two of us, making a little cocoon of safety and warmth just for us. “So Y/N, yes or no? Will you go out with me and be my girlfriend?” C/N asks.

I lie down and burrow my head into the hollow of his neck and smile into his soft skin. “A complete and utter yes.” I whisper.

 AN:

Hope you guys enjoyed my first imagine!! Feel free to submit ideas and stuff you want me to write about.

Ciao ;)

honeylemoncrushimagines

Two Way Street

Request:  Hi sweetheart, can I request a #10 & #13 from Jason Todd prompt challenge? Sorry to bother u. I love ur blog (The prompts were Jason being Jealous of the reader and Dick and the reader being jealous of Jason and Kori)

Warnings: Language 

Part One/ Part Two

Jason Todd had been a friend of yours before you had even become a superhero. You met him after he had become Red Hood while he was doing an undercover mission at the bar you worked at. The two of you became quick friends and it didn’t take long for you to figure out who he really was. Though you thought what he did was cool and noble, you never really saw yourself doing it. Some people were cut out for staying up all night exchanging bullets with the criminal underworld and some weren’t. You didn’t think you were cut out for that kind of life. Of course, there were all types of ways to be a superhero and you ended up finding that out the hard way. Being a vigilante didn’t fit well for you, but apparently being a Green Lantern did. At least that’s what everyone told you after the ring had dragged you halfway across the galaxy. From then on, you found yourself doing a lot of things you wouldn’t have even dreamed of; one such thing being assisting Jason’s brother Dick on a mission.

Getting the call from Nightwing was surprising, but it wasn’t the first time you had been asked to assist another hero. Jason had done it plenty of times under the guise of “extra training” when he needed back up or wanted you to use your ring to help with something. If you hadn’t known him as well you might have gotten angry that he was using your powers for his own gain. Unfortunately, you’d known him long enough to have asked for the Red Hood’s help enough times to allow him the freedom of using you in the same way. Karma really could be a bitch sometimes.

Despite not having any experience working with Dick or in Bludhaven, you knew him well enough had been bored with life between your own missions so you suited up, charged your ring and went out. Dick was working on a case where alien technology was involved, so he wanted help from someone who was more familiar with it. Of course, being a close friend of Jason and a nosey person in general, you knew Kori and you knew they had a thing going on. Why he'd asked for your help instead of hers was intriguing to say the least and the question burned in the back of your mind  for most of the mission until he finally decided to bring it up.

“So um. Besides this mission, I kind of need your help with something,” he said while you were travelling to your next destination. Your ring allowed you to fly on your own, but you didn’t feel like dealing with Dick travelling across rooftops so you made a small plane construct for Dick to ride in. It was a lot quicker and made it easier to talk to each other.

“And what would that be?” You slowed your own speed, trailing parallel to the construct to better hear him over the sound of wind in your ears. Dick leaned onto the front of the plane, his hair flying away from his mask and exposing the entirety of his face. His eyes were covered by his mask, but you could still read most of his expression. He seemed nervous, biting his lip as he figured out what he wanted to say.

“It’s kind of dumb, but I needed help with something with Starfire.”

“Okay? You’re starting to freak me out with this cryptic shit,” you responded.

“Well I've been trying to figure out what we are for the longest time but she really doesn't seem like she wants to be in a relationship. So I asked her about it and we got into a huge fight because I said I wanted to have an actual relationship and she wanted to keep things the way they are. So I said, fine but if you don’t want to take this seriously, then neither will I.” You paused, eyes wandering away from his face as you though then returning with a confused look.

“...so, because you wanted a more serious relationship…you broke up?”

“I don’t know, there isn’t anything to really break up since we apparently aren’t that serious. I want to be with her and all, I just wish she would...you know, think me as more than a dick appointment.” He paused, seeing you quirk a smile at his choice of words, and sighed. “No pun intended.”

“Okay, so what do you want me to do about it?”

“I want you to help me make her jealous.”

“Me? She will kick. My. Ass. I've only been a Green Lantern for like half a year, I couldn't take her in a fight.” You turned suddenly so that you were facing him, slowing to an almost complete stop. “Not only that, but trying to make her jealous? That’s kind of fucked up.”

“I won’t let it go that far, I just want to do something to find out if she cares about me as much as I care about her. I know it’s a shitty thing to do, but I don’t think she realizes how it feels to not know where we stand.” You were quiet, turning around again and guiding you to the location you needed to go for your mission and deconstructing the plane once Dick had stepped out of it. “I just really need someone to help with this and you’re the best candidate.”

“Why?”

“You just got into this whole hero circle so it wouldn't be completely insane for us to be flirting. We’re kind of in similar circles and you’re obviously not bad looking.”

“Oh haha, you're so funny,” you retorted. Even though you were still teasing each other, you were actually thinking about his proposal. He was right that Kori would likely not get angry enough to fight you, but it was kind of odd. His intentions were good but you had a bad feeling about the whole thing.

“I know we’re not that close and all, but I feel like I’m running out of options. If you’re not comfortable with it, it’s fine though. I can ask someone else or find another way.”

“You know what? Fine, if this blows up it'll be in your face so I don't have that much to lose.” Dick broke into a grin at your agreement to help him and you rolled your eyes.

“Absolutely, if Kori really does get mad, I’ll tell her it was all me. And if it doesn’t work and whatever sliver of a relationship I had is ruined, at least I can say I made a new friend.”

“I’m glad you’re making jokes to cope with this, because that’s more than likely what’s going to happen.”

“Let’s hope it doesn’t,” Dick responded. He turned to walk away, but suddenly faced you again. “Oh, and don’t mention this to Jason. I know you guys are close but he’s also close with Kori and I don’t want him to ruin the plan.”

“You do realize we started sharing an apartment like a month ago, right?” You narrowed your eyes at him, crossing your arms over your chest. Maybe you should have just told him to find someone else. Jason was now your closest friend and lying to him didn’t feel right; even if it was to help his brother out.

“Yes, but it’ll be fine. We’ll let him believe it with Star for a while until the plan is done. Then, you can tell him and laugh about how dumb this is.”

After a moment of heavy thought, you finally sighed in defeat. “...Alright, I guess that's fair.”

“So you’re in?”

“Yeah, I’m in.

Dick had apparently thought everything through before he even asked for your help. He wanted to start off small with random video chats while he was at the Titan’s Tower and inviting you over to hang out with him when he knew Kori would be there. You didn’t put much thought into it because the plan wasn’t really yours, so you weren’t even sure it was working. He wasn’t doing much outside of hanging out and talking to you more. When he asked you to help make Kori jealous, you thought he would be acting overly flirtatious, but that didn’t seem to be the case. Whatever it was, you were at least glad you didn’t have to do much either. The only real indication that anything was different came a few days in when Jason brought it up.  

It was a lazy day where both of you were relaxing after going through hell doing Red Hood and Green Lantern work respectively. Jason was sitting in an armchair opposite to you in sweat pants and a plain t-shirt while you reclined on the couch in your own pajamas. Dick had been texting you back and forth for a while since you had gotten home and you were laughing at the dumb things he’d been talking about. Despite the whole situation, Dick was actually pretty fun to talk to. If he didn’t end up dead in a ditch, you’d be glad to keep up a friendship with him. It was while the thought had crossed your mind that Jason suddenly spoke up.

“I heard that you and Nightwing have been working together a lot…” You looked up, seeing Jason glancing at you over his book. His eyes remained on the page, but he was waiting on a response from you as he read.  The fact that he even knew about it surprised you, so when he spoke you had to take a moment to find a response.

“Yeah, I guess we have.” Jason didn’t react much besides nodding at first, so you thought he was done with it. He seemed to not care much about the whole thing other than being curious as he continued to stare down at the pages in his book. Then, he surprised you again by pressing a bit further into his inquiry.

“I didn’t know you two were that close.”

“Well we weren’t, but he asked me to help him on a case and we’ve been talking a lot since then.” You watched Jason carefully. He seemed like he wanted to say something more, but he was biting his tongue. You wondered just how much Kori had told him and what Dick had been doing on his end. Having the effects of his plan ripple into your house was a bit unnerving, but you kept your promise to Dick not to say anything to Jason. He seemed fairly nonchalant about it, so you didn’t think too much about him asking you. The only thing that worried you was that Dick’s plan might interfere with your own relationships, but that seemed to not be the case. At least that was what you thought.

He may have looked cool as a cucumber to you, but he was internally fuming. Kori had only told him about your relationship with Dick the night before and he was even angrier a day later than he had been when he first learned of it. It took so much willpower to come off as nonchalant mentioning it to you that he could have been a lantern himself. His anger was pretty much boiling inside him, but he refused to let it show. Instead, he stuck to playing it cool, using the book as a way to keep from losing it. In all honesty, he had been planning to read from it to calm himself down a bit, but he ended up reading the same page over and over again because he was distracted. Distracted by you smiling and laughing at text messages that were likely coming from his brother.  

Denial was his first thought when he found out, thinking there must have been some kind of misunderstanding. Maybe that’s why it didn’t piss him off as much. It wasn’t until he noticed the shift in your behavior that it really sunk in as real. It wasn’t a lot, but he knew you well enough to know that something was different. Especially the way that you spent much more time on your phone. He didn’t have to see your phone to know who you were texting and the thought alone made him want to throw his book out the window.

What did he think he was doing?

First, he has a huge fight with Kori and now he decides to reach out and start flirting with you? He knew Dick had a bit of a reputation, but this was just ridiculous. And of all people, he had to start talking to Y/N. One of his best friends and his roommate. It was so out of the blue that Jason had no idea what to do with all this sudden anger. He didn’t want to talk to you about it because that might end up in an argument. It really wasn’t his business to be telling you who to talk to and Jason knew that. Still, he couldn’t just turn off his feelings. He was angry and whether or not it was warranted, he had to do something about it or at least get more information before he started freaking out.

Not long after Jason had asked you about Dick, you found yourself being dragged further into the mess again. Just as you were heading into the kitchen to prepare lunch for yourself, your phone rang and drew your attention away from the refrigerator. The caller ID read “BIG Richard” and was followed by a slew of eggplant emojis. Initially you had it set to Little Richard to be funny, but Dick had seen it and changed it himself immediately. Cracking a small smile, you answered his call and pressed the phone to your ear.

“Y/N, is Jason at home right now?” You hummed in thought at his question, doing a quick walkthrough of your apartment to check and see if he was out. After you’d looked around you responded to Dick, telling him that Jason wasn’t at home.

“I thought so. Kori’s gone too and I heard her talking about the outlaws with Beast Boy on her way out. They must be out on a mission together.”

“Wow, you really are a detective.”

Dick ignored your sarcastic comment and questioned you again. “You said they come by your apartment after missions sometimes, right?”

“Yeah, sometimes. Jason didn’t take much from his room when I checked so it’s probably not a long one.”

“Okay then, I’m coming over.”

“Seriously? They probably won’t even come here.”

“Maybe not, but at least you’ll be in my incredible company.”

“Do we really have to do this at my house? Jason’s been acting weird about it already.” It wasn’t noticeable at first, but he was certainly acting differently. He seemed less apt to talk to you and was in a bad mood fairly often. You didn’t want to think it had been because of everything going on with Dick but it couldn’t have been a coincidence.

“Oh trust me, I know. He told me off about it the other day.” You paused what you were doing, at this.  

“Wait, he did? What did he say?”

“He asked me to meet up with him and he was asking if we were dating. I brushed it off and just said we were talking, but he actually got mad about it.”

“Did you tell him it’s not real?”

“Of course not, that would ruin everything. I just told him we’re both adults and can make our own choices.”

“Well that explains his shitty attitude.” You hesitated, chewing your lip as you leaned against the kitchen counter. “Did he say why he was so pissed off?”

“No, but I can probably guess why. I just hope this is working as well on Kori as it is on him.” You chose not to ask him to elaborate more, instead opting to focus on him instead. This wasn’t about you and the thoughts that were starting to form in your mind were just going to be trouble in the long run. It was better to just let it go and worry about what was going on in the present.

“Let’s hope not for your sake,” you replied. Dick laughed at your response and ended the call, letting you know he was on his way. You agreed and said you’d set up something for you both to do, but you couldn’t ignore the sinking feeling in your chest.

Dick was at your apartment for hours before anyone came back. To pass time, you’d been watching random tv and relaxing on your couch together with pretty much all of the snacks you’d been hiding in your room. You were sitting on either side of the couch with your legs crossed over the middle and tossing popcorn back and forth, trying to catch it in your mouths when the front door opened. Dick shot you a sudden look and you almost choked laughing at his expression.  

There was chatter coming from the entrance so you knew Jason wasn’t alone. You were already shaking your head, knowing that Dick’s plan had worked and you weren’t going to hear the end of his “genius” for at least a full 24 hours. Unfortunately, you were going to be seeing the results up close and personal instead of through dramatic retellings via phone.

Roy was the first one to notice the two of you in the living room. Well, he saw the snacks more precisely and wasted no time in leaping over the couch and stealing some. It was then that Jason and Kori noticed that Dick was there with you. They had already changed out of their costumes and Roy smelled like alcohol and cigarettes so they likely had gone out somewhere after they were done with their mission. You could already sense the tension in the room, so you busied yourself with saving your snacks from Roy’s greedy hands.

“Oh come on, you can share some of this with your guests!” He protested, trying to keep you from taking the bag of candy he’d taken.

“Yeah, some. Not the whole bag. Give it back, Harper!” Roy laughed when you lunged at him and Dick balanced the popcorn on his arm away from the couch so that it wouldn't spill everywhere while you were fighting for your snacks. Roy was another hero you were well acquainted with as he often came by and stayed with Jason when he was in town. He hadn’t crashed overnight at your new apartment yet, but he came by often enough.

“Would you two fight away from the food so you don’t ruin it all!” Dick kicked at Roy, who fell to the floor in front of the couch with a dull thump. He laughed, adjusting into a sitting position between the couch and coffee table where he stole candy from another bag.

“Oh I’m sorry, am I disturbing date night?”

“No, but you are disturbing the peace and I’ll send your ass flying to Metropolis if you don’t cut it out!” You heard shuffling behind you and turned to see what the others had been doing while Roy was stealing food. Kori was walking around into your kitchen while Jason had paused near the entrance and was staring at Dick with narrowed eyes. Before you could say anything, he was talking.

“Dick, can I talk to you for a minute?” You looked back at him with raised eyebrows, and he gave you a quick smile before agreeing and hopping over the couch. Roy was quick to take his spot and the bowl of popcorn he’d left in his wake while they disappeared down the hallway to your rooms.

“Want any snacks, Kori? There’s a bunch here,” you called out, trying to relieve some of the awkwardness from the situation.

“Oh so you offer her snacks but when it’s me you snatch them away like a little gremlin?”

“Yes, because she didn’t run over here like a wild animal to steal them,” you said, returning Roy’s glare with one of your own. Kori came around with a smile, laughing at Roy’s face and looking over the selection of foods on your table. She sat down between the two of you, picking out something she liked and crossing her legs onto the couch.

“How was the mission?”

“Way easier than we thought it would be,” Roy responded simply.

“Which means boring,” Kori added. The three of you sat together and talked for a while, falling into an easy conversation. You were glad that even though Dick had you wrapped up in his little scheme that you were still cool with Kori and your friendship was fine. At this point, you kind of wished the whole thing was over so you didn’t have to worry about it anymore. Of course, things were never that easy.

Out of seemingly nowhere, Jason returned to the living room, his entire stance changed. It was easy to tell he was pissed off by the way he walked and Dick followed behind him, not looking much better. You hadn’t heard anything but they’d clearly gotten into an argument while the rest of you were chatting.  Jason had thrown his jacket back on while Dick was watching him with a furious gaze.

“Come on, Kori,” he said. You raised your eyebrows, glancing at her as she looked over the back of the seat with as much confusion as you held.

“Why?”

“Because,” Jason said, glancing at Dick, who was still fuming. “We have a date.”

Tag List

@jason-todd-rh @chidroichan-blog @queen-fighter @hyp-oh-critical @roseangel013bf

Now that I’m thinking about Fable 4 and it wasn’t shown at E3 (maybe next year?) I wanna go into a more in-depth talk about my feelings regarding the leaks. This will be tagged with Long Post so y’all can skip it, unfortunately I’m on mobile so I can’t slap this under a read-more.

First/Third Person- Gonna be honest I wish they’d just stick with Third person and not bother with first. Will go into detail a few points below.

In Depth Character Creator- I see no issue with this whatsoever. God Speed.

Completely Open- Ok so, I’m not directly opposed to this, but I kinda wish they wouldn’t? I preferred Fable 1&2’s style of doing things. Have open areas that are interconnected. Again, I’ll reiterate why in a few points

No Guns- Eh, I have no real preference on this. Tbh if it fixes the combat then yeah I’m down for it.

Can Ignore Main quest and never become a hero- And here we reach the crux of my issues with a potential open world and first/third person camera. It’s because NOT EVERY FUCKING GAME HAS TO BE SKYRIM. THE FABLE SERIES ISNT JUST A DAMN KNOCK-OFF ELDER SCROLLS. DONT TURN IT INTO ONE. That’s it. That’s my issue with this one

Players can build towns, ties into main quest heavily if you get the bad ending and fail- I uh, gonna be honest I don’t know how to feel about this one? I mean I guess Fable 3 had a somewhat similar thing going on but it wasn’t implemented the best so I’m apprehensive on this one but willing to see what it might be like.

Multiplayer- Ok what kind of multiplayer we talking? Something like Fable 3 where you can play with friends using your own hero’s to help each other out or some always online mmo bullshit? Because I’m definitely okay with the former, the latter can fuck off.

Unreal Engine- No opinion

Albion and Aurora are gone, “Lands Reduced to Fables”- Oh haha I bet y’all thought y’all were clever with that slogan. But uh, no I’m not down with this, what’s even the point of making a direct Fable sequel if your not gonna use the damn world? But I might be willing to be ok with this, will reiterate later.

The Spire was rebuilt and used by a Mad King to wish that an asteroid would strike the planet. He also wished it would happen again in the far future- What sort of contrived ass bullshit...? Look I’m just gonna be blunt, that sounds lazy as hell. It sounds like “we couldn’t be bothered to come up with a legitimate reason everything went to shit so uhh...here have a fucking asteroid. Also it’s your main damn plot because fuck you.”

Eons later and everything is new (medieval themed, new continents) and you have to stop the destruction of the planet again- I’m conflicted, on the one hand I’m ok with a medieval setting, not a fan of how we got to this medieval setting, because again, a fucking asteroid? REALLY?

Theresa and a Heroes Guild are preserved on another planet via a demon door- so I’m not gonna ask where this supposed new heroes guild came from because that would most likely be brought up in-game. But...didn’t Theresa die in Fable Journey...? Unless this is talking about her body and now she’s a ghost in which case: Coolio. Otherwise, I don’t mind them bringing Theresa back because she’s practically the one staple character the series has and I love her so yeah. Also demon doors have connected to weird places in the past so another planet isn’t out of the question.

Time Travel heavily involved in play- ok so I’m not actually against this in theory. Now this is where I’ll reiterate my point about Albion and Aurora, I’m not okay with them just being destroyed and forgotten about, HOWEVER! If they use this supposed time travel mechanic to let us go back to the time when Albion was still around then I can be okay with that! I think in this case it would be interesting to see.

Jack of Blades returns- 👀👀👀👀👀👀👀 YES PLEASE BRING MY BOY HOME.....okay gushing out of the way this is actually the point I’m SUPER CONFLICTED ABOUT. Because on the one hand I am a starving traveler in a desert thirsty for any sort of content about Jack, on the other hand. ON THE OTHER HAND. I’m nervous to see what they do with him. I can deal with them bringing back the stupid sounding deep voice. But I don’t want a whole redesign of him. His current design is FINE. It’s GOOD. There’s literally no flaws to it. Leave it alone. And his personality is fun and charismatic and wonderfully evil, leave it alone. Just bring him back with Minimal redesign of his character design and personality and we’ll be good.

Now with that out of the way: I’m remaining cautiously optimistic about Fable 4 based on these leaks, I will be the first to admit I am heavily biased against games that are no longer in the hands of the original developers, but I understand that LionHead isn’t around anymore to take up the mantle, so I’m trying not to let it color my view of this game too much. Just...don’t turn it into Skyrim please.

Watch the American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 now: https://youtu.be/bWiW4Rp8vF0?feature=shared

The American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 broadcast recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by active climate leaders. Watch to find out which finalist received the $50,000 grand prize! Hosted by Vanessa Hauc and featuring Bill McKibben and Katharine Hayhoe!