#no one is stopping your drawings. they're amazing. please continue honestly
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It's fanfic writer appreciation day!!
I'm about to appreciate the fuck out of you all. Here are some of my favorite writers on this platform. I'm also tagging you in a little writer tag thing below! (I probably forgot some people but I tried my best ahh)
@thehoundwrites (I know you're on hiatus, I hope you read this later!) Your fics are always so good, your werewolf Sevika fic has got me HOOKED
@angelltheninth I'm honestly so impressed with the amount of fics you write and the quality of them. And how many fandoms/characters you will write for!! You should be so proud of your work
@pixievi your Vi fics/headcanons? My god, they're so good. Please never stop writing.
@beanlot I envy how good you are with words, your vocabulary is 👌👌 Please keep giving us such good fics/headcanons!
@honey-tongued-devil I really like how you write for so many different arcane characters and how well you write them all! Your blog aesthetic is excellent as well
@sevikasupremacy your Sevika fics are always amazing. Can't get enough of them!!
@itryhardtomakethishouseahome you say you're new to writing, but I honestly can't tell by the way you write, it's really good!
@sevikasmainwhore you write all the arcane women so well!! It takes skill to write them all in a way that makes sense for their characters
@espritmuse your Ellie fics are making me want to revisit the game, love them!!
@sevikasleftpussyflap your your imagines/headcanons are so good and you write so many of them!! Also your username never fails to make me laugh, as do the unhinghed anons you always seem to get lmao
Here's the writer tag! Answer the questions and tag as many people as you like 💕 No pressure to actually do this by the way, I just thought it would be fun so I answered everything too! Easy to copy version below the cut 🔽
Most recent work: Infuriating - Sevika x fem reader. nsfw fic in which they are exes. I'm working on a continuation..
Favorite of your own work: My 15 chapter Sevika x fem reader fic Guarded was so fun to write, I really enjoyed the whole journey of writing it and I've yet to write the final few chapters. And Just one night, one of my latest fics was especially fun to write.
A line or paragraph you wrote you're proud of:
"This was more like a VIP-ticket. Including a meet-and-greet. Meet-and-eat."
Noone makes me laugh as much as me.
Favorite type of comment to recieve: every time someone tells me a fic of mine is one of their new favorites! I always feel so honored lol
A song you draw inspiration from: Currently, Pink Panther by Scene Queen. The whole EP (Bimbocore) is amazing. I love sapphic music but a lot of it is a little too soft for me. Also, Daisy by Ashnikko is one of those songs that never gets old.
Song/playlist to write to: I can't write to music with lyrics, my brain just can't process that much language at once. I really like this live radio for writing.
Fic recommendation: Intoxicating by @thehoundwrites (nfsw)
Tagging: everyone featured in this post!
Most recent work:
Favorite of your own work:
A line or paragraph you wrote you're proud of:
Favorite type of comment to recieve:
A song you draw inspiration from:
Song/playlist to write to:
Fic recommendation:
Tagging:
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SDV's 1.5 update contains content that plays into racist, colonialist, and imperialist myths and beliefs.
Disclaimer: I loved SDV (which is a given, considering I have an SDV sideblog lol?), and I'm not writing this post to get people to boycott the game or stop liking it or whatever. I just want people to understand why this content is harmful, how it might be affecting your biases and beliefs, and think of how they can engage with this media without exacerbating the harm that it does. I'm Filipino, and I don't speak for all POC or all brown people, but I felt deeply hurt and betrayed by the content update. Please keep that in mind before you interact with this post. Explanation under the cut because of 1.5 spoilers (obviously) and because this got long.
(I will block people who clown on this post. Keep your opinions to yourself unless you also have firsthand experience with the issues I describe.)
Background
I was already wary of the 1.5 content update because of how the previews featured ~tropical~ and ~exotic~ stuff, but I decided to give it a shot because maybe I was being too hasty with my judgment.
I wasn't. I made a new save to play with the 1.5 content update, and at first, I was having a great time! The new special orders made gameplay more exciting and varied! I could finally get rid of the nursery from my house without mods! The remixed junimo bundles made me change my usual game strategy. And then, I finally unlocked Ginger Island.
It seemed cool at first, but I had a sinking feeling growing in the pit of my stomach as I kept playing. It got to the point that I started nursing a stomach ache and lots of anger that took me days to shake off. I know SDV has never been a shining example of racial/ethnic diversity and sensitivity (I mean... there's a reason why mods like Diverse Stardew Valley and a bunch of other diversity mods exist lol). But while the lack of diversity in the pre-1.5 content is more of a missed opportunity, the 1.5 content is just... actively harmful and hurtful, imo. Here's a breakdown of the issues with the setting and the characters:
The Setting
Ginger Island, along with the Fern Islands in general, is a tropical island that is clearly based on islands in the Pacific. Its features include fertile soil and an abundance of natural, foragable resources. And for some unknown reason, it has no native human population.
Many islands in the world are uninhabited by humans, and there's always a good reason why. The island's environment may be too hostile, it could be too small to sustain human life, it could be sacred or otherwise culturally unacceptable to live there, or some disaster may have occurred to wipe out the local population or cause them to flee. Some uninhabited islands are nature reserves or privately owned. The point is that if an island is habitable, people are bound to call it home.
Writing Ginger Island as an uninhabited "tropical paradise" feels like a copout. It's as if the game is saying, "don't worry, you're not colonizing this land because no one really lives here! You're not stealing this land or anything because it's up for grabs and is just waiting for the right person to come along to develop it and turn it into a resort for other people who don't live here!" But that claim rings hollow when there are so many signs of civilization there, such as literal computers and ancient structures. And the canon reason for the existence of these things is that dwarves, non-human creatures, lived there once. I just think it's ridiculous and harmful that the game completely ignores and erases the existence of the people who lived and still live in the places that Ginger Island is based on and goes even further to use non-human creatures as stand-ins. I don’t think I have to explain why this isn’t good, considering that people of color have been compared to animals and treated like animals to dehumanize us and justify our oppression for ages.
To really hammer in my point about whitewashing and erasure, all the human labor on the island is done by a flock of parrots that you pay with golden walnuts (i. e., resources that you get for free from the island they live on). There's even an anthropomorphized bird who's a shopkeep! I get that creating a whole cast of human NPCs to fill a town would have been way too much work for a content update, but CA didn't need to use a bunch of animals as stand-ins for non-white human characters. There’s a troubling trend of creators prioritizing animal characters over characters of color, and CA plays right into it. He seriously chose to create more anthro characters instead of adding characters of color to the game in a setting that in real life has populations that are primarily made up of brown people. The game includes brown people's land and cultures, but it draws the line at brown people themselves.
The erasure of brown people and the portrayal of our lands as wild and untamed have been used to sanitize the narrative of colonialism for centuries. Pretending that our lands were wild tropical paradises that were ripe for the taking is pretending that colonizing forces didn't use violent, dehumanizing means to subjugate or wipe out countless peoples and cultures in order to make these lands available. Ginger Island's erasure of brown people just perpetuates this colonialist myth, and the context in which it does so disgusts me: the farmer, who already runs a successful farm that was inherited from their grandfather, goes off to a tropical island they have no personal connection to and uses its natural resources to expand their business further. They also open up a resort on the island for the enjoyment of other privileged people from their homeland, and going there is treated as a luxury. This is a classic colonizer narrative, and I cannot believe the game forces players to colonize an island in order to win.
The Characters
I'm honestly amazed that the amount of feedback about the lack of diversity in SDV didn't prompt CA to create characters of color. I'm amazed that he chose the setting he did and still didn't bother to create any characters of color. The fact that all three of the new human characters who live on this tropical island are white makes me go a little apeshit, to be honest! I hate all three of them for a variety of reasons, so I'll go over them one by one:
Birdie
My reasons for not liking Birdie are primarily related to misogyny (lady spent literal decades in isolation on this island moping over her dead husband?) and ageism (if you tell her to live her own life, she tells you that she's too old to???). Sooo they're not really related to the rest of my discussion here, and I won't get into them further. Moving on!
Professor Snail
White historians, archaeologists, and paleontologists have been stealing and plundering artifacts, relics, and fossils from colonized lands for centuries. These white scientists would send their “discoveries” back to their homelands with little regard for the people they stole from. I’ll acknowledge that Professor Snail doesn’t bring the bones and fossils off the island, so his character isn’t as awful as it could be, but he still canonically has this line:
I really just don’t understand why it was necessary to make this character white when making him a character of color could have easily prevented the uncomfortable real-world implications of a white man coming to a foreign land to plunder fossils without asking anybody for permission. If he he’d been created as someone who traced his ancestry to Ginger Island and wanted to study the island’s biological history, his character could have been so sympathetic and even admirable to me! But his character as it is just makes me think of this meme:
Here are some links for further reading about colonialism in paleontology and other social sciences: 1, 2, 3, 4.
Leo
I had a hard time figuring out how to write about this character because the way CA wrote him is arguably one of the most racist parts of SDV. So many aspects of his character left me speechless and appalled because I cannot believe people are still writing shit like this in the 2020s.
I’ll start off with his storyline: this white child gets stranded on an island and is raised by animals. When the farmer meets him, he speaks in broken English to show how “wild” he is:
As the farmer continues to interact with him, he begins to speak more “proper” English:
Wow... he’s becoming more “civilized” because of the farmer’s influence!
As his story progresses, he reveals that he’s lonely because he doesn’t fit in among the other birds. Eventually, he leaves behind his non-human family and assimilates into a primarily white, Western-coded society because that’s supposedly where he belongs.
This whole storyline is made possible by the problems with the setting that I mentioned earlier. Leo wouldn’t feel so lonely and out of place if there were people on the island. He wouldn’t be depicted as wild and animal-like if he had an adoptive family made up of humans instead of parrots. But because CA chose not to have native human characters on this island, Leo can only be around other people if he leaves his home and family behind. As a result, Leo’s story has very uncomfortable parallels with how colonizers have historically separated indigenous children from their families and cultures and forced them to assimilate into the dominant colonizer culture because they considered indigenous cultures to be savage and barbaric (1) (2).
Leo’s whole narrative unintentionally implies that a good life in a good community can only be had in civilized white Western societies. I’m honestly having trouble with further explaining why Leo’s whole character makes me feel so gross, so just read up on the White Man’s Burden, The Jungle Book and other works by Rudyard Kipling (1) (2) (3) (4) (5, PDF download link), and even Tarzan (1) (2).
Leo’s character is also used to further whitewash non-white cultures:
Poi is a Polynesian dish. Mango sticky rice, which is also a recipe that Leo teaches you in-game, is a Thai dish. In the letter, Leo says that the dish is from his home and enjoyed by his non-human family. Considering that he probably learned these recipes on Ginger Island, and that the only “people” who could have taught him this recipe are literal animals, including these recipes in the game in this way just reinforces the equation of brown people to animals. I’m not Polynesian or Thai, but I know that if CA had included a Filipino recipe in the game and not only had it taught to players by a white character, but also passed off as something from the white character’s culture, I’d be angry. I’ll repeat myself: The game features brown people's food and cultures, but it draws the line at brown people themselves.
I don’t think there’s any way to tweak or edit Leo’s character to fix the issues I described. No matter how we change things, he’s still an orphan raised by animals coded as indigenous people, and he assimilates into the dominant white Western culture. The only way to address these issues is to completely redo his character and even the setting of Ginger Island. Here are some options that I’ve thought of:
Leo is related to someone in the Valley and stays with them for part of the year.
Leo lives with his human family and community on Ginger Island.
Leo’s parents are specifically from Stardew Valley/Pelican Town and he wants to visit in order to reconnect with his heritage.
This list isn’t comprehensive, but it does show that there are so many alternatives to having yet another Mowgli story in Stardew Valley.
Conclusion
I don’t think that CA had bad intentions when he made this content, but the fact is that he did create this content. I’m not calling him a bad person. However, he does have a lot of racist, imperialist, and colonialist biases that he has yet to unlearn. Considering the setting and subject matter of the new 1.5 content, he really should have hired some sensitivity readers to avoid creating harmful content. The man’s sold over ten million copies of his game, and he certainly has the resources to put together a sensitivity team.
I can’t look at Stardew Valley the same way I did before 1.5, but I’m not going to condemn the game as a whole. I might play the game again someday, but I absolutely won’t be going back to Ginger Island. If you’ve enjoyed the Ginger Island content, then good for you! Please just keep all that I’ve written here in mind and accept that that content hurts some people like me.
If you’re a content creator, I urge you to get sensitivity readers if you’re featuring cultures that you’re not a part of to avoid making the same mistakes that I’ve discussed here. Creating from a place of understanding and respect can only make your work better and more accessible to a wider audience, especially to the people whose culture you’re borrowing.
#stardew valley#sdv#sdv leo#sdv birdie#sdv professor snail#racism cw#imperialism#colonialism#blabbering#ids for images are in alt text btw!
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heyy do you think you can do a steve rogers x reader where the rest of the avengers try to matchmake them because everyone ships them (& everyone knows that they're both in love with each other besides themselves LMAO)? it would be EXTRA amazing if you could make it such that the reader is smaller/shorter than steve? personally really love the height difference in a relationship but if not it's fine too! thank you so much, have a great day ahead xoxo
Set Us Up
Warnings: 2455
Word Count: crude language, but mostly fluff
a/n: This took me a hot minute because I couldn't think of ways for everyone to try and set them up lol, but I think this is super cute! I hope you have a great day too!!
Masterlist
"He totally has a thing for you! Nat, back me up." Wanda turned to the redhead.
You, Wanda, and Nat were supposed to be training. Instead, the two of them have been trying to convince you to make a move on Steve. As if that would ever happen.
"She's right." Nat replied calmly.
"Would you two stop gossiping and just train with me! Please!" You have never confirmed your crush on Steve, but that didn't mean your two best friends didn't know about it.
"Y/N, I'm serious. That man is crazy about you." Wanda tried again while Nat easily defended your attack.
"Wanda, he's my friend. That it." You refused to make eye contact, knowing she would she the longing in your eyes. Instead you kept advancing on Nat.
"Friends don't look at each other like that." Wanda smirked, knowing you'd fall into her trap.
"Like what?" You continued sparring with Nat.
"Like he wants to fuck you against any flat surface available." She stated matter-of-factly.
"Wanda!" You finally turned to her. Unfortunately, that was the point where Nat went on the offensive.
She easily tackled you to the ground, unable to stop her own momentum. She folded you like a pretzel, resulting in a very pitiful whine from you.
"Ow." You complained from the ground, not bothering with trying to get up.
"I know exactly what you need." Nat smirked devilishly. "Steve!" She called across the gym, only making you wince further.
"Steve! Can you do me a favor?" Nat asked the super soldier, knowing he was never one to turn down a friend in need.
"'Course, what do you need?" He made his way across the gym to where you were still sprawled out on the mats.
"Y/N just took a pretty bad beating. Can you help her stretch?" Her and Wanda wore matching smirks despite trying to hide them. "I'd do it, but I promised Wanda I'd help her with something, and we have to go now."
Steve barely had time to respond before the two women were making their way out of the gym.
"Hey, Y/N." He greeted you kindly, looming over your body which was still on the ground. "Are you okay?"
You huffed, glared at the door where your friends just abandoned you, and then smiled at Steve. "Yeah, Wanda just distracted me and you know what that means when you're sparring with Nat."
He grimaced slightly, imaging the beating you just experienced.
"I've definitely been there." He gestured for you to put your foot in his hand. "Here, give me your ankle."
You followed his instructions, lifting your left leg until he grabbed onto your ankle. He slowly pushed your leg forward, helping to stretch your hamstring.
You couldn't help but laugh at the way he had to bend over slightly to fully push on your leg.
"What's so funny?" He tickled your leg before gesturing for you to switch.
"Nothing. You're just really tall." You snickered again at his hunched over frame. Your foot didn't even reach his hips, meaning his back was arched at an odd angle to give him the correct leverage to help you stretch.
"Maybe you're just short. Ever think of that?" He raised a brow, dropping your right leg back to the floor. "C'mon, give me your hands."
You raised your arms up like a petulant child, knowing he would have to bend down to reach your hands.
He rolled his eyes at your childish behavior, but ultimately bent down to grasp your hands. He pulled you to your feet a bit too harshly causing your body to stumble into his.
Your head landed squarely against his chest, really showing off the height difference.
"See," he put a hand on top of your head. "You're just short."
You shoved him slightly, backing away from his warm body. "That may be true, but that doesn't mean you can go around saying it." You playfully glared at the much taller man.
"I'm sorry. Come with me, I'll make you a smoothie to make up for it."
Despite your best efforts, you couldn't keep the grin off your face.
"Deal."
You just knew Nat and Wanda would be all smirks when you inevitably filled them in on this whole encounter.
-
"Who moved all the mugs?" You muttered to yourself. You spent the last five minutes standing on the tips of your toes trying to reach the mugs that, for some reason, had been move to the very top shelf.
Then you spent another five minutes looking for the step stool you kept in the kitchen.
You were about to resort to climbing on top of the counter when Steve walked into the kitchen.
You didn't even have to ask for his help before he was walking up behind you and reaching for a mug. His body briefly brushed against yours as he pulled the mug from the shelf, plopping it down on the counter in front of you.
"Thank you." You smiled at him, unsure if you could form any additional words.
"Anytime, short stuff." He smirked.
"Hey! It's not my fault someone felt the need to reorganize the cabinets." You whined. "Who does that?"
"I think it was Tony." He chuckled. "He said something about helping two idiots realized they're in love." He shrugged.
"That man is so weird." The two of you laughed, completely oblivious to Tony's plan.
-
"You ready to go, punk?" Steve could tell just by the look on Bucky's face that something was up.
"What did you do, jerk?" He eyed him suspiciously.
"Nothing!" He quickly looked down the hall, knowing you and Sam were supposed to emerge any second.
"Sam! You promised you would take me to Coney Island today!" You followed him down the hall, not realizing Bucky and Steve were already in the living room.
"I know, but I can't! I have to fix my wings." He glanced at Bucky conspiratorially. "Tin man, Tony said he needs you in the lab. Something about updating the tech in your arm."
Bucky looked back at Steve.
"Sorry, man. Gotta go." Bucky went to leave, but turned back before he made it out of the doorway. "Why don't you and Y/N go?"
"That's a great idea!" Sam added on. "You two go have fun."
The two of them ran from the room together before you could protest.
"Looks like it's just you and me." You smiled at Steve, grabbing your purse and heading for the door. "You coming?"
"Definitely." He smiled right back at you before leading you to the car.
The car ride took a while, but it felt like no time at all while talking to Steve.
"What's your favorite part?" He gestured to the park map as the two of you walked in.
"I've actually never been before. That's why I was so bummed when Sam said he was busy." You looked around the park entrance, taking in all the bright colors and happy people.
"I'll just have to show you all of my favorite parts then." He smiled at the look of wonder on your face, slowly reaching for your hand.
"I'd like that." You bit your lip nervously, butterflies swarming in your stomach when he took your hand.
He showed you around the entire park, starting with the rides. You went on every ride you could, only stopping when a fan asked for an autograph or a picture from one or both of you.
"Those are all the best rides." He smiled confidently.
"Really? No ferris wheel?" You pouted a bit. "I've always wanted to ride a ferris wheel."
"Don't worry, we will." He grabbed your hand again. "It's better to save that for the end of the night. Right now, it's time for games."
You couldn't help but smile at his antics. He genuinely looked to be having the best time in the world, and you honestly felt the same way.
"Lead the way."
The two of you made your way to the arcade, where Steve let every kid beat him.
His face lit up with joy watching them celebrate beating Captain America at various carnival games. When the game seemed unbeatable, he would win and let the kid choose a prize.
At the last game, he whispered with one kid as you looked on suspiciously. The little boy grinned, nodding his head in complete seriousness before turning back to the game.
When Steve won, the little kid smiled bigger than anyone else had all day. Steve walked back over to you with an enormous gray teddy bear.
"Your losing streak ends." You gestured to the bear.
"Yeah, well little Michael over there said I needed to win a prize for my pretty friend. He said he'd throw the game for me." He spoke with complete seriousness, causing you to giggle.
"That might be the cutest thing I've ever heard." Your face was the epitome of heart eyes as you looked between Steve and the bear. You pulled him into a massive hug before finally stepping back and trying to calm down.
"What's next?" You grabbed the bear, holding it tightly in one arm.
"Food!" Again, he held your hand as he lead you around the park.
He walked with you along the boardwalk, pointing out various spots to get different foods. Some had been there since he was a kid, others were clearly newer.
"This used to be my favorite." He smiled fondly looking at the Nathan's Famous sign.
"Well then, what are we waiting for?" You walked confidently up to the window only to realize you had no idea what to order. "Steve! What should I get?"
He laughed at the panic on your face. Without even realizing, he put his arm around your shoulder, drawing you closer to him. You went easily, leaning into his touch.
"Can we get two Coney dogs and a large order of fries?" He asked the attendant taking orders. "Do you want anything to drink?" He looked down at you as though this were an everyday occurance.
"A slushie!" Your eyes went wide, a giddy kind of excitement growing in you.
"And two cherry slushies, please." He fished out his wallet with his free hand, still holding you close.
You moved to get money as well, but Steve shook his head. "This one's on me, sweetheart."
You all but melted at the pet name, hiding your smile by burying your head between your bear and his chest.
You signed a few more autographs and posed for more pictures while you waited for your food. A little kid came up to the two of you just as your order was called.
"I'll get it." You gestured for him to talk to the child.
"Captain America!" The little girl smiled widely when Steve crouched down to talk to her. "Are you on a date?"
Steve's face reddened at the question, but it made him think. "You know what, I think I am." He shook his head when he finally realized that Bucky and Sam set the two of you up without either of you realizing it.
"My mommy's gonna be sad. She said you're really handsome." The little girl laughed.
"Well, she's right. He is really handsome." You whispered conspiratorially as you returned with the food.
The little girl laughed before running back to her mom.
"C'mon, we can go sit on that bench." Steve gestured to an empty bench overlooking the beach. The two of you joked and laughed while you ate, but Steve couldn't stop thinking about the little girl's question.
"It's beautiful." You looked out over the sand. The sun was low in the sky, reflecting off the water.
"Breathtaking." Steve agreed, his eyes focused on you rather than the view.
"It's later in the day. Does that mean it's time for the ferris wheel?" You smiled widely, a common occurrence for the day.
"Yep. The ferris wheel is the very last thing to do before leaving." He threw away the trash from your meal before taking your hand in his.
"Why's that?" You looked up at him curiously.
"It's slow enough for you to enjoy the ride, even after eating. Plus, you get the best view from the top when the sun is setting." The two of you stood in line as he explained his reasoning.
"I guess you really know all the best tricks." You smiled at him, hugging the bear to avoid any embarrassing actions.
"Not really. Just the old ones." He joked.
"Steve Rogers! Did you just joke about your age?" You gaped at him playfully.
"Hey! If I can't joke about your height, you can't joke about my age." He pressed a hand to his chest in mock offense.
"I guess that's fair." You nudged him with your shoulder, but he remained solid as a rock.
The two of you sat next to each other in the cart, placing the stuffed bear across from you.
"You were right. This is an incredible end to a marvelous day." You looked out over the park, taking in the pink and orange hues from the sunset.
"Y/N... I think Sam and Bucky set us up." He looked at you nervously.
"Yeah, they did a great job of it too." You replied easily, having realized much earlier than Steve what was going on.
"You're not upset?" He questioned, a confused look on his face. You decided to respond with an unfamiliar amount of bravery.
"Steve, I had an incredible day. The only way I'd be upset is if you didn't kiss me at the end of it." You smiled shyly.
"What if I kissed you now, even though it's not technically the end?" His smile matched your own.
"That'd be okay too."
"You both leaned in, meeting in the middle for a soft and romantic first kiss. His lips moved against yours as if they were made for each other.
"Steve?" You pulled back for air.
"Yes?" He smiled blissfully, forehead still pressed against yours.
"I think we're the idiots in love with each other." You whispered softly, thinking back to what Tony had said.
"I think you might be right."
He smiled, pulling you to kiss you again.
"Steve?" You pulled back again, a bright smile on your face.
"Yes?" His eyes remained closed, just breathing in the moment.
"The ride is over..."
His eyes snapped open, a blush painting his cheeks when the ride attendant awkwardly cleared his throat.
"Sorry!" He jumped from the ride, grabbing the bear in one hand and you in the other.
"Where to now?" You questioned, laughing as he pulled you through the park.
"Home, so I can end this date right."
Permanent tag list:
@averyhotchner
@jesuswasnotawhiteman
@strawberryspence
@sebastnstn
#steve rogers x reader#steve rogers x you#steve rogers x y/n#steve rogers fluff#steve rogers one shot#steve rogers fic#captain america x reader#captain america x you#captain america x y/n#captain america fic
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Rosebud
🌹 Summary: You come home from a long and exhausting day of work to spend time with your family: your 6 year old daughter and your husband, Kim Geonhak.
🌹 Word Count: 2,115 words
🌹 Pairing: Reader x Kim Geonhak (Leedo) / Characters: GenderNeutral!Reader, Parent!Reader; Kim Geonhak (Leedo); Kim Hwayoung (OC) {Age: 6};
🌹 Rated: E / Warnings: Food (Ice cream) / Genre: Fluff; Parent!Reader!; Dad!Geonhak;
🌹 A/N: 'Neny', the term used in the fic to refer to the Reader, is mom in Malagasy, but it's gender neutral here ok? I couldn’t find a good Gender Neutral title, but if I find something better I might change it. Also, in this, Geonhak is still an idol and a member of ONEUS, but they're a bit older? Idk, he's still Leedo of ONEUS but also a dad. Who needs timelines anyways? Might make this into a series, who knows?
You sigh, your back sore from a long, tiring day of work. You've been standing all day for work, talking to people you wish you didn't have to talk to. You wish you were home, lying in bed with your family, but you still have a few minutes until your bus reaches the stop near home.
When the bus finally comes to a stop, you dismount and make your way into your apartment. You unlock the door, and hear laughter inside. You smile to yourself and open the door, and are met with the beautiful sight of your husband, Geonhak, dressed in a nice, casual outfit--jeans, a T-shirt and glasses--with your 6 year old daughter laughing, sitting on his shoulders, holding his hands tight. He must have changed after work, before he went to pick up Hwayoung.
You smile brightly. Work is hard as heck, and your day was exhausting as hell. Coming home to your husband and your daughter is always the highlight of your day, and today is no different.
"Hello, my love," Geonhak says, grinning widely. "How was work?"
"Hi honey," you say, walking over to kiss him on the cheek. "It was tiring, as usual." You then stand on your tip-toes while Geonhak bends down a bit so you can kiss your daughter on the cheek. "Hi Hwayoung. How was school?"
"Hi Neny! It was gooooood," Hwayoung says. "We did reading and drawing! I wanna show you my drawing that I drawed! And then when Dada picked me up from achool, he said when you got home, we could all go out for ice cream together and to the park!"
"Oh really?" You can't stop yourself from smiling so widely that your cheeks hurt, and honestly you don't want to not smile. You haven't smiled a lot today, so this is a nice breath of fresh air.
"Alright, Hwayoung, down time," Geonhak says, looking up and reaching up to put his hands on her in preparation to lift her off of his shoulders. "Don't you wanna show Neny your drawing?"
"Yeah, but don't wanna get down. Pleeease?" Hwayoung whines, pouting down at him, and you can see Geonhak give up, cracking a smile. He's never a match for you or Hwayoung's pouts. Or yours.
"Alright, rosebud, you can stay up there. Let's have you show Neny what you made, okay?"
"Okaaaaaay!!!” Hwayoung sings. “Neny, it’s in my room! Let’s go!!!" She points forward, and Geonhak starts walking quickly, while you follow. You can see, from his smile and the joy in your husband’s eyes, just how happy he is. As you follow him to Hwayoung's bedroom, which is right next to yours, Geonhak ducks down so Hwayoung doesn't hit her head at the top of the doorframe. She giggles as he does, and looks back at you to make sure you're following them into her room.
"Look, Neny!" Hwayoung points at her tiny table from her seat on Geonhak's shoulders. You look down at the drawing, a cute scribble of a happy family of three--you, Geonhak, and Hwayoung herself, her dark hair tied up in two pigtails.
"Hwayoung, my rosebud, this is so good!" you say. "Amazing job, rosebud, well done!" You raise your hand up and ruffle her hair, smiling first at her, then Geonhak.
"Thank you, Neny!!!" She giggles, beaming. "I knew you'd like it! Dada said you would."
"Well Dada was right! I love it, rosebud!" You stand on your tip-toes and Geonhak bends his knees so that you can then press a kiss to Hwayoung's temple. "Alright, let's go get ice cream and go to the park, okay?"
"Yayyy!!!"
You raise your eyebrow at Geonhak, and see that he's grinning so widely, eyes up toward Hwayoung. Your little rosebud.
"Strawberry ice cream, please!" Hwayoung says to the worker of the ice cream parlor. "One scoop please!" she says, holding up one finger. They nod and scoop the ice cream into a cone, and hand it to Hwayoung as Geonhak pays.
"Ready to eat your ice cream, Hwayoung?" you ask. She nods excitedly, licking her lips in anticipation as she stares at the ice cream cone in her hand.
"Alright, done," Geonhak says, a cone of rainbow sherbet ice cream in his hand. "Ready to get walking to the park?"
"Yeah!!!"
"Hwayoung, ice cream's dripping," you say, pointing at the cone. She quickly licks around the top of the cone, catching the ice cream drips. "There you go, rosebud. Can I have a lick?"
"Mmhmm!" Hwayoung raises up her ice cream for you to lick a bit of her ice cream from her cone. "D'you like it?"
"Mmm, yummy. Good choice, rosebud," you hum, reaching up and ruffling her hair.
"Thank you, Neny!"
"Do you want some of mine?" Geonhak asks you, offering you his ice cream cone.
"No thank you, baby." You shake your head and he scrunches his eyebrows and pouts at you.
Hwayoung tugs at Geonhak's hand, and he looks down at her. "Dada, can I ride while we walk?" she asks.
"Alright, rosebud. Y/N, my love, can you hold this for me?" Geonhak asks, and you take his ice cream from his hand.
"Yayyyyyy!!!!!!" Hwayoung hands you her ice cream as well, and Geonhak squats down and lets Hwayoung clamber up his back and onto her seat on his shoulders. You then hand her her ice cream, and she starts licking it wwith her free hand, using the other to stay up on her dad's shoulders.
"Don't drip any of the ice cream onto me, okay Hwayoung?" Geonhak says, laughing. "My love, can I have my ice cream back?"
You quickly lick some of his rainbow sherbet ice cream and his eyes widen.
"Ya! Earlier when I offered, you said no!" he scolds, and you giggle. You and him tease and mess with each other like this all the time
"I changed my mind," you hum, winking and grinning as you hand him his ice cream back. Before he can say anything, you plant a kiss on his cheek. "Love you, baby."
He can't hide his smile, or the way his cheeks get a bit rosy from the kiss.
"Dada, say I love you back!" Hwayoung says, kicking her feet a little bit on his shoulders.
"I love you, my love," Geonhak says to you, his smile soft. "I love you too, Hwayoung."
"Love you too, Dada!!!"
You smile, so content and happy at the sight. Your daughter perched up on her dad, your husband, Geonhak's shoulders. The two of them grinning happily, both with an ice cream cone in hand. Geonhak scrunches his nose and raises his free hand to adjust his glasses. You're so happy with your little family.
The three of you head to the park, Hwayoung giggling from her spot. She finished her ice cream cone within ten minutes. Geonhak, however, only managed to get halfway through his ice cream cone before letting you finish it off.
"You finished your ice cream?" Geonhak asks Hwayoung, holding her legs to keep her steady on his shoulders.
"Yeah," Hwayoung says. "Sticky fingers!"
"Alright, down time for a second," Geonhak says, reaching up to grab her. You see Hwayoung is about to pout when he continues. "Don't worry, rosebud, you'll get to be tall again. I just need to wash your face and hands."
"Mmkayyy!!!"
Geonhak squats down so that Hwayoung can hop off of his back. He brings her off to the side of the sidewalk and pulls out a pack of wipes to clean off the ice cream at the corners of her mouth.
"Sti-cky hands," she sings to herself, and Geonhak laughs gently. "I got sti-cky hands!"
"You do, rosebud," Geonhak says, wiping at her cheeks. "Done with your cute cheeks, Hwayoung. Now I'm gonna un-sticky your fingers. Hand." Geonhak holds out his hand, and Hwayoung gives him her hands to wipe them clean.
"Thank you Dada," she says loudly, grinning widely as Geonhak throws away the wipes in a nearby bin.
"Of course, rosebud. Up?" he asks, bending down.
"Up!" Hwayoung climbs up Geonhak's back and back onto her spot on Geonhak's shoulders. "I'm so tall!" Hwayoung yells, throwing her arms up, and you smile up at her. Geonhak holds her feet to keep her steady.
"Yes, my little rosebud, you are," Geonhak says fondly, and you can feel your heart melt. He looks so content and happy and satisfied.
When you arrive home, you start winding down for the day. Today is your turn to cook dinner, and though Geonhak offered to cook instead--"You had a tiring day at work today, my Love, I don't mind," he had said--you declined and insisted on cooking.
As you cook the rice, you're able to listen to and watch Geonhak as he helps Hwayoung with reading a book to practice reading. He has her sitting on her lap, and she tries to read aloud, and he gently corrects her pronunciation of the hard words.
You smile to yourself. They're so cute together. Geonhak has always loved to coddle Hwayoung since she was first born. He loves her--and you, the whole little family--with his whole heart, and you can see it in every smile he gives you or her.
Geonhak always wanted to have a kid or two, and when Hwayoung was first born, when he first laid eyes on her, he cried even more than you did. He was so happy to first meet his daughter. As Hwayoung grew older throughout the years, Geonhak only grew happier.
After you finish making dinner, you call Hwayoung and Geonhak over to eat. Hwayoung excitedly jumps out of Geonhak's arms and runs over to help you set the table, while Geonhak comes over to stand next to you. He presses a gentle kiss to your cheek.
"What are you thinking about, my love?"
You sigh. "How much I love you and Hwayoung. Our happy little family," you murmur.
He grins and wraps his arm around you. "I love our happy little family, too." He leans forward to press a kiss when he's interrupted by Hwayoung saying--
"Ewwwwww!!! Neny and Dada, no kissing before dinner!!!" she says, sticking out her tongue and scrunching her eyes closed. You grin at Geonhak and he wrinkles his nose at you.
"Go help Hwayoung set up the table, I'll serve up portions on plates," you say, pushing Geonhak away. He blows a quick kiss to you before going to Hwayoung to help her set the table.
"Goodnight, Hwayoung," you say, tucking your daughter beneath her covers. Geonhak stand behind you, waiting for his turn to say goodnight to Hwayoung. He usually goes last because he always takes the longest to say goodnight to her. You press a kiss to her forehead and her nose.
"Goodnight, Neny," Hwayoung says.
"Sweet dreams, mmkay?" you say, poking her nose. She giggles and grins as you stand up and steps away so that Geonhak can kneel down next to the bed in your place.
"Hwayoung, my little rosebud," he says. He picks up her stuffed fox toy, Tamarack, which lays next to her, and touches its nose to hers, before handing it to her. "Tamarack will protect you from the bed bugs and the monster under your bed tonight."
"Mmhmm!!!"
"Goodnight, my rosebud," Geonhak says. "Sweet dreams, dream of . . ." He pauses to consider. "Ice cream. Strawberry ice cream with chocolate drizzle. And Tamarack. And dance parties! Dance parties with your uncles."
"Yes, Dada," Hwayoung says. He presses a kiss to her forehead, and walks with you to the door. "Goodnight Neny! Goodnight Dada!"
You close her door and smile to yourself.
"It's bedtime for us, too," Geonhak says, taking your hand. "I have a schedule tomorrow, and you have work early in the morning."
You nod and cringe. "Yeah . . . work. As Hwayoung would say, 'Ewwwwww!'" You make a disgusted face at the word and Geonhak laughs, leading you by the hand to your shared bedroom.
"I love you, Y/Nie."
"And I love you, Geonhak."
You and Geonhak get ready for bed and climb beneath the covers to get to sleep. You notice Geonhak is staring at you, smiling, and you raise your eyebrows at him.
"What're you smiling at, Hak?" you ask. He closes his eyes and wrinkles his nose a bit, smiling contently.
"You two are my whole world, Y/Nie," Geonhak says. "You and Hwayoung. You're my whole world, and nothing can replace you two. I love you, Y/N."
You lean forward and kiss the tip of his nose. "I love you too, Geonhak. Sleep. Work tomorrow."
He hums and wraps his arms around you. "Goodnight, my love," he says, pressing a kiss to your forehead.
#kdiarynet#oneuswewriters#oneus#leedo#kim geonhak#kim gunhak#oneus fanfic#oneus fanfiction#leedo fanfic#leedo fanfiction#kim geonhak fanfiction#kim geonhak fanfic#kim gunhak fanfic#kim gunhak fanfiction#fanfic#fanfiction#myfic#oneus fluff#leedo fluff
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𝐿𝑖𝑎𝑚'𝑠 16𝑡ℎ 𝑏𝑖𝑟𝑡ℎ𝑑𝑎𝑦 𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑎 𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑙𝑒 𝑢𝑛𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑑
Mrs. Payne cut a slice of cake and gave it to Liam. "Liam, darling, just eat a little." She looks at her watch and tries to give a smile. "Your friends are only two hours late--I think that's what most kids do; they always come late to parties and--" Liam's eyes start tearing up. "They're not my friends and they don't like me mum." He gets up and runs to his room, more tears filling his eyes.
Liam slammed his door shut and jumped on his bed, landing on his stomach. Bursting in tears in his pillow, fully sobbing. He had been lonely for years, constantly getting bullied, yet he gave all his classmates an invitation to his party, hoping someone, anyone would come along. He felt like a fool, giving himself hope that someone would give him a chance, even though no one liked him.
"Liam?" His mother softly asks from outside his door. "Someone's here to see you." Liam wipes his eyes. "Go away." He shouts half heartedly. "It's someone from your school. He's here for your party." Liam's eyes widen and immediately sits up. His heart steadily beats faster. He gets up and quickly wipes his eyes. He doesn't care who showed up, he was just happy that someone came.
He quietly walks downstairs and peaks around the corner to try and see who came. He sees a raven haired boy, wearing a white shirt and khakis. His beautiful big Brown eyes and long eyelashes fluttering, as he talks with his mom. He turns his head back around before the boy can see him. 'Who is he?' He thinks. He's never seen the boy from his school, but he's not against someone coming to his party.
He slowly walks around the corner and goes into the kitchen. Mrs.Payne sees Liam and smiles. "Liam, Zayn has come to join your party." 'Zayn. What a beautiful name' He thinks as his heart beats faster. "Hi." He says shyly. Zayn smiles. "I didn't know what to get you, so I got you a teddy bear." He says, giving him a small Brown bear. Liam hesitantly takes the bear and blushes. Mrs.Payne smiles and walks over to Liam. "I'll leave you two to the party. I have to go help at work. I'll be home either later tonight or tomorrow morning." She kisses Liam's forehead and heads out the door.
Liam, still blushing, says a quiet thank you and sits down. "I'm sorry I don't remember you from any of my classes." Zayn shakes his head. "I'm not. I actually saw a lot of invitations to this party. I decided to come since it looked like it would be a crowded party but I guess not." Sadness washes over Liam. "But that's okay. I like small parties like this, too. It's more intimate." He gives a smile.
"So what did you have planned for this party?" Liam looks up. "I'm not sure honestly. I just wanted a simple party where we ate cake and opened presents." Zayn nods. "Sounds good to me, especially that cake." He raises his eyebrows. He grabs the cake and cuts a slice for himself. "So Liam. Since I technically barged in, I will introduce myself. My name is Zayn Malik. I'm from Bradford and I love art. I love drawing and spray painting, honestly anything." He takes a bite out of his cake. Liam smiles and introduces himselfhimself.
"Wolverhampton. Nice" He says. "You know, it's kind of hard to believe no one wouldn't come to a party to celebrate someone so beautiful." Liam chokes on his cake. He's never been complimented before. He clears his throat and takes a drink of his tea. "Th-Thank you. But, I'm not popular. I don't really have... any friends." He says quietly. Zayn gets up and kneels in front of Liam. "Hey, don't worry about it." He lifts Liam's chin. "They're horrible if they can't see a great friend." He wipes Liam's tears away. "And it's the birthday. Let's go celebrate it." He takes Liam's hand and takes him outside. "Where are we going?" He asks. "It's a surprise." Zayn says, opening the passenger door for Liam. He then gets in and starts driving.
They go around the town, drinking lightly at a bar, before heading to a fancy restaurant that's dimly lit. They talk about their interests, likes and dislikes, future, before heading back on the road. Zayn drives for a while, until they get to seemingly nowhere, a sandy place far from the city with no lights.
Zayn parks and looks at Liam. "I go here when I want to get away for a while." He lifts the rooftop of the car. "You can perfectly see all the wonderful stars." Liam looks up in awe. The night sky was beautifully lit, the stars seemingly twinkles extra bright tonight. He looks over to Zayn and smiles. "Thank you. This was the best birthday ever." Zayn looks back at him and takes his hand. "I'm glad you liked it. Everyone deserves a great birthday. Although I'm sad no one came to your party, I'm also glad that they didn't. Otherwise I wouldn't have shared a great night with you." Liam blushes, his heart beating fast.
They slowly lean in, until their lips touch. A small peck was given, until Liam pushes forward, giving a bigger kiss. Zayn puts his hand on Liam's cheek and gives him another kiss. They hold on for a while, until Zayn slides his tongue across Liam's lips, asking for entrance. Liam parts his lips, now fully making out with Zayn. He climbs onto Zayn's lap, wrapping his legs around Zayn's hips and arms wrapped around his neck. Zayn wrapping his arms around Liam's waist. They continue making out until their lips get tired.
Liam puts his forehead against Zayn's, breathing heavily. They sit like that for a while, not talking or moving, just taking each other in.
After a couple of hours, Zayn drives them back to Liam's house. The air feeling a little crisper than usual, as they both come down from their high, realizing how much they want to stay together. The ride coming to a close, as Zayn stops at Liam's house. "Don't leave. Please." He begs with his eyes. Zayn smiles. "Of course not."
When they get inside the house, Liam takes Zayn hand and runs upstairs to his bedroom. He turns on the light and puts his house keys on his dresser, before taking his shoes off and changing into a t shirt and sweats. Zayn looks around. He sees Liam's toy story toys and some Batman posters. "Batman. Nice." Liam looks at his poster and blushes. He sits on his bed and twiddles his thumbs. "Do you mind laying with me? I don't want to be alone tonight." He asks softly with his head down.
Zayn takes his shoes off and goes to the other side of the bed and lays down on his side, behind Liam. He softly grabs Liam's waist, pulling him closer. Liam lays down and faces Zayn, as Zayn holds onto his waist. "You'll never be alone with me." He whispers before kissing Liam's forehead. Liam smiles and buries his head into Zayn's neck, taking in his scent, as he slowly drifts asleep.
Wow, what a lovely surprise! I don't know why you decided to send me this amazing story, but thank you so much 🤧 Keep going:)
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Since Cyrus loves TJ's name, TJ lets Cyrus call him Thelonious sometimes, but one day, he accidently calls him that when they're with the gang at the spoon (but please let it end happy lol I don't want an angry TJ)
this got way long lol! hope you enjoy :)
What’s in a Name:
It’s the weekend, and Cyrus stands outside of TJ’s house. They have a informal date at his house planned for the day. Most likely, it would involve lots of binge watching tv shows and cuddling.
When the doorbell rings, TJ races down the stairs, almost falling. He yanks open the door in excitement, heat rising on his face when he sees Cyrus outside all bundled up in comfy clothes. He ushers the other boy indoors, stopping him in the doorway to greet him properly.
“Good morning, Cy,” TJ greets, automatically tilting his head down to peck his boyfriend’s lips.
“Good morning, Thelonious.”
TJ frowns at Cyrus, who plays innocent.
“I should take back my kiss just for that!” TJ exclaims, crossing his arms with a huff.
Cyrus breaks out into a grin, tugging on the sleeve of TJ’s shirt. He reaches up on his toes to try and press a kiss to TJ’s lips, but TJ dodges causing Cyrus to miss. Instead, he ends up kissing TJ’s chin which causes them both to chuckle.
“TJ!” Cyrus whines. “Please let me call you by your full name!”
Honestly, TJ loves the way his name sounds on Cyrus’s lips. He’s never been fond of his name (obviously), but every time Cyrus speaks it endearingly, with no hint of teasing in his voice, it makes TJ’s heart pound. With Cyrus, everything has always been easier. Cyrus has allowed him to become truer to himself, as well as less insecure about numerous things, from his dyscalculia to his identity. In retrospect, it makes sense that TJ would feel comfortable with Cyrus calling him by his real name.
“Okay, fine,” TJ relents, “Just please don’t use it in front of anyone else!”
Cyrus squeals, bouncing on his toes. “It’s a deal, Thelonious!”
Unable to resist the adorable boy beside him, TJ pulls him into another kiss that leaves both of them dizzy.
For the few months, Cyrus continues to call TJ Thelonious in private. Sometimes, he’ll even call him Jagger if he wants to mess with him. Not used to hearing his name so often, TJ can’t help but get butterflies every time Cyrus says it. He doesn’t say it very often, though. He mostly uses it for special reasons, such as to make a point. In fact, Cyrus using TJ’s real name helps calm TJ down because he knows he’s with someone who knows him better than anyone.
One of his favorite moments with Cyrus so far happens a few weeks into their relationship. They lie on Cyrus’s bed, half-asleep from the lull of music in the background. The oranges and pinks of the sunset stream through the blinds, scattering light across the carpet. It’s been a rough day for both of them. TJ had failed yet another math test, making him feel discouraged. Cyrus, on the other hand, didn’t get into the advanced creative writing class he wanted to participate in the next year.
“Are you asleep?” Cyrus whispers, squinting over at the boy in his arms.
“No,” TJ admits with a yawn. “I wish I was, though. I wish I could just forget about this day.”
“Me too.”
TJ adjusts his position so he’s facing Cyrus, noses nearly touching from their close proximity. He reaches a hand up to Cyrus’s cheek, brushing it with a delicate touch. Cyrus blinks slowly, gazing into his eyes.
“I’m sorry about your class,” TJ whispers.
Cyrus shrugs. “Happens, I guess. I’m just not good enough for it.”
“Don’t say that! You’re amazing, Cyrus. I love your writing. You just need to keep practicing. You’ll get there.”
“You need to take your own advice,” Cyrus says, not in a harsh tone but rather a sensitive nudge.
TJ’s expression darkens. “That’s different. I’m different. I’ll never be able to do math as well as everyone else because I’m stupid.”
“Hey,” Cyrus frowns, scooting impossibly closer to him.
He reaches for TJ’s hand, intertwining their fingers. He squeezes their hands together before tugging them up and kissing TJ’s fingers.
“You are not stupid, Thelonious,” Cyrus promises. “And just because you’re different doesn’t make you any less of a person. I’m different, too by a lot of people’s dumb standards. But we can be different together. And you know I’ll always be here to support you and help you out with math or anything else you need.”
TJ feels tears welling up in his eyes at Cyrus’s words. He opens his mouth to speak, but only a croak comes out. Understanding how he’s feeling, Cyrus wraps an arm around his side. Their legs tangle together, and TJ also slings an arm around Cyrus. They stay like that for a while, just breathing deeply and listening to soft melodies echoing from the speaker.
Despite that day being one of TJ and Cyrus’s worst, for both it ended up being one of their fondest memories of each other. Never have they had such a tender moment since the time they confessed their feelings for each other on the bench.
Just like he promised, Cyrus only uses TJ’s name when they’re by themselves. Still, noticing how much TJ loves it when he says it, Cyrus ends up sneaking it in more and more, sometimes even in public when they’re apart from the crowd. TJ never gets upset, as Cyrus is typically careful about saying it.
“Thelonious,” Cyrus giggles, “Stop it!”
“Don’t think using my name can always get you out of things!” TJ responds, not letting up on his brutal tickling.
Cyrus bursts out in laughter, head tipped back and arms squirming. TJ’s fingers dance along his belly while Cyrus curls in on himself. When he hears Cyrus’s beautiful laughter, TJ can’t help but smile.
“Thelonious. Thelonious. Thelonious,” Cyrus says between his laughs.
Finally, TJ relents. “Okay, okay, I give for now.”
“Finally! I thought I’d have to break out Jagger,” Cyrus teases.
Today is just over three months into their relationship. As usual, they are connected at the hip. Honestly, neither of them has been happier. TJ finally has accepted himself and gotten more comfortable in his relationship, while Cyrus feels fully loved.
“What’s on the agenda for today?” TJ asks, knowing that Cyrus has an elaborate schedule even during weekends.
“Well, we have to meet everybody for lunch at The Spoon in like an hour,” Cyrus replies.
TJ groans in mock annoyance, causing Cyrus to reach over and smack his arm playfully.
“I don’t wanna socialize,” TJ complains.
“I know, trust me, but we have to. Besides, weren’t you just saying you missed talking to Andi? She’ll be there, too.”
In the past few months, TJ has grown even closer to all of Cyrus’s (and now his) friends. He’s made his own place in their little group besides the kid who used to be mean. Now, he’s Buffy’s sports buddy, Jonah’s music buddy, and Andi’s drawing buddy. Not to mention, even though they already knew about his and Cyrus’s relationship, after coming out to all of them officially a few weeks ago as gay, TJ has felt a lot more comfortable in the friend group.
“Okay, I’ll go, but only for Andi,” TJ decides with a smirk.
“You’re the worst.”
TJ smacks a sloppy kiss on Cyrus’s cheek. Cyrus wipes it away, rolling his eyes.
“Did you have to slobber on me?”
“You say that as if you don’t drool all over my pillows as well as myself when you sleep over,” TJ comments cheekily.
The boys spend the rest of the morning before meeting their friends bantering and getting ready. Having slept over the previous night, Cyrus borrows one of TJ’s hoodies and shorts, both of which are way too large for him.
After not seeing each other for a while with TJ traveling for high school basketball and Cyrus deep in studying, they’re grateful to be together again for a bit. High school has been a difficult adjustment, but they manage to find time for dates and friends between everything. Today is the first time in a while all of them will be together in once place.
“We’re going to be late!” Cyrus shouts as he pulls on his shoes an hour later. “Hurry up!”
TJ fumbles downstairs. “I’m coming! I just had to find my converse.”
Luckily, The Spoon is only a short walk away from TJ’s house. Despite the short distance, though, they still manage to be a bit late much to Cyrus’s chagrin. Everyone else is already there by the time they arrive, chatting amongst each other. Even Amber has gotten off her shift to join them.
“Cyrus! TJ!” Andi waves. “Finally!”
“We’re only five minutes late,” TJ comments.
“I’m a very punctual person, TJ!” Cyrus retorts, jabbing his side.
“Trust me, I know.”
From her spot beside Marty, Buffy sighs. “As great as it is to see Cyrus not moping, I definitely did not miss your constant flirting.”
TJ and Cyrus scoot in beside everyone. It’s crazy how big their group as grown in the past bit to include Marty, Amber, and TJ himself. They can no longer use a regular booth at The Spoon unless Cyrus sits on TJ’s lap (which TJ would not oppose, but Buffy for sure would).
“We do not constantly flirt!” TJ says. “We’re just talking.”
“Exactly,” Cyrus agrees. “TJ isn’t smooth enough to flirt, anyway.”
“Oh, please, I could flirt circles around you—”
“You two are literally flirting right now,” Amber comments, sharing an amused glance with her girlfriend.
“You’re flirting with me, Thelonious?!” Cyrus gasps in mock surprise.
It seems so natural to them. The name just slides off Cyrus’s tongue without a second thought. At first, TJ doesn’t even realize Cyrus did anything wrong. He simply ruffles Cyrus’s hair with a grin. It’s only when they notice that no one else is speaking or moving that Cyrus realizes his mistake.
“Wait, what?! Thelonious? Is that seriously your name?” Buffy chuckles.
“Why else would Cyrus call him that?” Andi responds.
“You told Cyrus before us?”
TJ immediately scoots out of the booth roughly, ignoring Cyrus’s outstretched hand. He glares at them all, but his gaze lands mostly on Cyrus, who shrinks in on himself. TJ never wanted any of them to find out, at least not yet, but now one of his most embarrassing secrets is out to all of them. Everyone will for sure make fun of him for the remainder of his life.
“Yeah, but I guess that was a mistake,” TJ mutters.
“Wait!” Cyrus calls out, but TJ ignores his calls.
He stalks away down the sidewalk, fuming. He should’ve known that it would get out at some point. For more than once in his life, he wishes his parents never named him something so ridiculous. Even though Cyrus claims he likes it, it’s extremely unlikely that everyone else will. He can’t believe Cyrus just blurted out his name like that. After all, his family has been able to keep it a secret from his friends for years. But Cyrus just said it in front of all of them. Was it on purpose?
No. Even though TJ is angry with Cyrus, he knows Cyrus would never do something like that on purpose. It was just an accident. An accident. TJ shouldn’t be so furious with him, but he can’t help it.
How did it slip out so easily? How could Cyrus just say something so abnormal like it’s normal?
“That’s a great name!”
“You are not stupid, Thelonious.”
“Thelonious! You need get back to studying.”
“You’re beautiful, Theo.”
“You’ve got them moves like Jagger!”
“I love you, Thelonious.”
TJ blinks. He’s at the swings, where everything began. Where everything fell apart. Now, where he comes to a startling realization. It’s not abnormal for Cyrus. His name is a way to express his adoration and love, to show his support, to be there for him. For Cyrus, his name has never been weird or unusual, it’s just been his name. No matter how much TJ despises his name, Cyrus loves it. TJ loves that Cyrus loves it. TJ likes his name when Cyrus says it.
“TJ!” A voice in the distance calls.
It’s Cyrus of course. At first, the sight of him makes TJ feel anger rushing through him again, but it dissipates as fast as it comes. As Cyrus comes closer, TJ notices that his face is red, tears on his cheeks and in his eyes. All TJ can feel now is guilt.
“Oh my god, TJ,” Cyrus gasps, trying to catch his breath. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to say your name in front of them, I promise! I-I don’t know what happened! I was just so caught up in the moment and it just slipped out, and I feel so bad about it! I’m sorr—”
“Woah, take a breath,” TJ instructs, bracing his hand on Cyrus’s shoulder.
Once Cyrus can catch his breath again, TJ sits them down on adjacent swings. Cyrus still appears to be feeling awful about the whole situation, sniffling occasionally.
“I’m not upset, not anymore at least,” TJ tells him. “I know it was an accident. It’s okay.”
“But it’s not!” Cyrus disagrees. “If I can’t even keep your name a secret, how can you trust me with anything ever?”
“It’s not your fault, Cy. You call me it all the time, and I let you because I like hearing you say my name. We’re comfortable with it now, so using it is almost automatic. I get it.”
“I still feel bad,” Cyrus sighs. “I made sure to tell everyone at The Spoon to never tell anyone and to never use it!”
TJ smiles, reaching over to clear Cyrus’s face of tears. “Thank you, but I actually think I’m going to tell them my full name now that they know half of it.”
“Are you sure? I feel like I pressured you into this.”
“You didn’t. You made me more comfortable with my name and myself, Cyrus. I should be thanking you endlessly for that.”
They stand up so they can hug.
“You don’t have to thank me, Theo,” Cyrus whispers into his ear. “I love you.”
“I love you, too, Cyrus.”
Only after a few more moments of blissful comforting do they head back to The Spoon. Their friends seem surprised to see them walk back through the doors happy and holding hands like nothing happened.
True to his word, TJ tells them all his full name. Although he’s ready now, he still feels insecure about them judging him. Buffy is the first one to comment.
“We can make a club now,” Buffy decides. “Only people named in reference to someone famous can join.”
TJ laughs in relief. “That sounds good to me.”
“Dude, being named after two musicians? That’s cool,” Jonah says.
Marty adds, “And that guy from Shrek!”
At this, they all join in on the laughter. Cyrus brings TJ into yet another hug, but this time everyone else joins in. First, Andi and Buffy wrap themselves around TJ, followed by Jonah, Marty, and finally Amber. TJ feels thoroughly smushed in the middle, but he wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Maybe Thelonious Jagger is a better name than he thought.
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