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#though to be fair if i saw someone who could potentially be cool and i found out that what they like was stuff im not into id also
firestorm09890 · 1 month
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Penny stardewvalley makes me so sad because she's SO sensitive to, like, basically everything you tell her (telling her that you can't stand children while two children are nearby is a pretty lousy move but -1500 friendship?? being a jerk to other characters' faces typically loses you about 50 points, and if you choose the option labeled "creepy" and ask Leah for a kiss in her 2 heart event she physically hits you and kicks you out of her house but that's only -100 friendship…) and so if you want to befriend her it's a whole lot of lying and tiptoeing around her feelings (2 hearts: George was right but saying that makes her feel bad. 6 hearts: her food sucks but even if you try to be polite about it she feels like a failure; only a bald-faced lie pleases her. 8 hearts: saying you don't want to be tied down with a family loses you a little bit of friendship and she's only happy if you say you want kids) and I can't help but think she's a product of her environment. She lives in a trailer with only her mother, who gets drunk every night and has something of a temper. Penny's like a skittish rescue animal who won’t even come out from hiding under something unless you leave her lots of treats
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genericpuff · 23 days
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saw a post criticizing lore rekindled a while back, and one of the points made was "it's unfair to rachel that someone else can profit off and make money off her work"
do you profit off lore rekindled??? i don't remember if you ever said that you were monetizing lore rekindled, so i'm unsure where this piece of information came from
I literally do NOT profit off Rekindled in any way shape or form, it's a Tumblr comic that's free to read, zero subscriptions, paywalls, or ads.
I did just recently open a Patreon and apply my Twitch channel to become affiliate, but 1. my Patreon doesn't have any paid members yet , 2. my Patreon won't be offering rewards that limit the reading experience of Rekindled (it's gonna be like random doodles n junk), and 3. I haven't even streamed since I applied for Affiliate and people are watching the streams for art and lo-fi, not for any sort of exclusive reading experiences that wouldn't also be accessible on Tumblr (you just get to watch me slowly work on Rekindled while playing FF XIV LMAOO) All of these restrictions I have in place is to prevent exactly what folks assume or accuse me - profiting off Rachel's IP. At the end of the day I just wanna create an AU fanfic project, even if it's created out of disappointment for what could have been.
I *do* spend a few hundred a month though for my assistant. So I'm working on Rekindled completely at a loss, out of my own pocket. So in that regard, even if I were to monetize any part of Rekindled... it wouldn't be for my own profitable gain, I'd maybe be able to cover some of my assistant fees 🤣 (but that's just hypothetical food for thought, because as I said above, I don't want to monetize Rekindled because of the potentially legal and ethical issues in doing so. Making money is also just not why I'm making Rekindled because it's something I wanna just do for fun! Money complicates things, turns shit into a job :'0) And let's be real, in that hypothetical scenario, I don't think any money I could generate on my free to read Tumblr project would come anywhere close to threatening Rachel's bottom line 🤣
And this isn't to throw anyone under the bus but when people get suspicious of Rekindled profiting off LO, I can't help but think of the actual fans of LO selling handmade LO merch on Etsy and LO-style adoptables and other arts and crafts dedicated to their favorite comic. And I'm not gonna judge them for that, more power to 'em if people wanna buy their cool stuff (and some of it is really REALLY cool, like I wanna buy their stuff too LOL), I just think it's ironic that people separate the two because... I'm not a diehard fan? Or because Rekindled has gotten popular here. Beats me. All that "popularity" is still just a niche remake of a niche comic in a niche medium. It's not Spiderman Lotus levels of big 🤣 but I know it probably feels that big to people who are engaged with this fandom and spend a lot of time in it.
There's an opposite side of being a yes man that perpetuates similar behavior on the other side - when you come up with reasons to rag on someone just for the sake of it because you can't rationalize them NOT being the all 100% pulp of evil LMAO (and I see people do this even to Rachel and it's not fair imo, like people who use the Lolita thing as a way to accuse Rachel of being a legitimate pedophile? Like no, I don't think we should be normalizing serious accusations like that. I think she's just misinformed in a lot of ways at worst and suffering from dark romantasy porn brainrot at best LOL).
Like, as an example, I've also seen people claim stuff like I'm in the fan spaces telling people not to read LO and to read LR instead? Which like... why would I do that, LR isn't for the fans anyways and I don't gain anything by being a dick in their space 🤣 If my own readers are doing that, that's out of my hands (but respectfully don't do this please!!! there's a reason I don't use the standard LO hashtags and only stick to the anti ones!!!!) but again (and this is a big assumption so take with grains of salt) I think people just like to claim these things because they feel it's just naturally the right thing to do when someone who has opinions they don't like actually puts them into action. Because now they can't say shit like "well if you think you're so much smarter than Rachel why don't YOU write the story!" and "you don't know what it's like to manage a comic!" so they grapple onto whatever other argument they can even if it's misconstrued or entirely pulled out of thin air and not backed up with any legitimate evidence.
Their perspectives make sense to them. My perspective makes sense to me. I don't blame people for being suspicious when they see someone like me pour this much time and effort and money into a project like Rekindled, they assume it HAS to do with something they can rationalize from their own point of view, like wanting to "steal" Rachel's work or profit off it or take it for myself out of "jealousy".
Sorry to disappoint y'all with a boring answer, but I'm just someone who was once a huge fan of LO and couldn't let it go. I'm just someone who's way too hyperfixated, with a lot of passion for making comics and experience to match. I'd still be making it even if I didn't have an assistant. I'd still be making it even if I was stuck working with nothing but paper and pencil. Because I love making it and I love what it means to me, and I love that it makes other people feel the same way I do about it.
And that's really all I have to say on that.
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Many birds, including owls and crows, have better vision than humans. Very useful when you're out looking for spare parts, or when you want to find a cool trinket to gift to your love friend.
Love the idea of Powder flying about looking for a perfect gift, afterall gift giving it is one of her love languages.
Summary Powder sets out to find a perfect thank-you gift with her newly enhanced sight. She finds it, and she and Ekko have their first date outing after her birthday.
I spy with my little eye
She sees things just a little differently as a crow. It's all just a bit brighter, a bit more colourful (which she loves), and a bit sharper. actually much sharper. And she thinks finally now she has an up in finding all the good things.
Perched in the Entresol. A mix of Zaunites and those few ‘brave’ and ‘adventurous’ pilties who would come down to see the sights or do ‘business’ walk by. The first came in two sorts, generally the ‘oh how novel’ and ‘look at what I dare’ in the sunken city of birds, and the second usually greed driven, their fancy coats did not make up for that.
How the Pilties never realised many of the birds of Zaun were actually its people continued to amaze her. She cackled, spooking someone passing by. Oh yeah, being a crow meant she could mimic sounds. Thus far, it had been a right hoot. Speaking of hoot, she was on a mission.
Gift. Ekko. Now what? Would he like it? She thanked the stars that the birds couldn't blush. She was still feeling all fuzzy. His words from her birthday happily bounced in her mind, leaving her wondering just how she could share how that had made her feel. How it made her feel like a swarm of sparrows wanted to escape her, how it had left her warm. How thankful she was, how she lo…liked him. He gave her the most wonderful things both in objects and words, and she really wanted to return the gesture, so that was what she would do.
Looking down at the streets again, she thought there was one thing those obtuse pilties were good for, namely dropping things. The value of the object really didn't seem to matter to them. Or it mattered way too much. With that, she scans her potential victims.
There! Something glints, not on a person or one of the stalls but on one of the piles of discarded mechanical pieces. It's piled high, and most wouldn't be able to pick anything useful out. But there in the pile is something blue, really, really blue. Blue, which she saw so much better these days.
Buried under all sorts of scrap metal was a little container holding something that was sparkling blue.
With her beak and small talons, she carefully removed pieces of scrap until a small metal and glass container, holding a shard of blue crystal, appeared. It buzzed with energy. Could it be something to power their projects? A battery? It was pretty, probably useful. It was perfect.
“Hey there, nice birdy, hold still birdy.” She hears from behind her. There's a rather tall and boring looking pilty creeping up to her.
Who did this jock think he was? And was he reaching for her hard sought gift? With an angry cawing and pecking at this dullard's too large hands, she quickly picks up the little vessel in her talons and flies away.
In the distance, she thought she heard a dismayed “Shit! My test shard” Well, tough, it was on the discard pile. It was fair game.
Up in the air, she wondered what to do. She has her gift. Should she go wrap it? She's close to Benzo's shop, though, and she's way too excited by the potential of what she found. Lost for a moment, she gets caught off guard by a gust of wind and tumbles down. Luckily, not far enough to do damage, she shifts as she hits the roof of Benzo's shop.
“Hi Pow!” Ekko's suddenly in front of her, and of course, she looks like she'd been through a turbine. To distract from her mortification, she shoves the little bright container to him.
“Here!"
“Wow, what is it?”
“No idea, but it has some sort of energy in it, a battery maybe and it's pretty and you like blue and I thought um, it's for you.” Could she get any more awkward, rushing out her reply like that? She peaks up at him.
Why does he look bashful now? “Thanks Pow” His voice is soft and pleased. He's quiet for a moment before a grin splits his face.
“Want to get a bite at Jericho's and brainstorm?” He asks.
She scraped enough of her senses together to enthusiastically nod.
Jericho greets them and sets them in a corner with a small plate of snacks. Powder thinks they must have been sitting there for hours, their heads close together throwing ideas about what the pretty crystal could be, about how to use the energy it clearly could make. “You should see it with your owl eyes. It'll be spectacularly glowly then.” she tells him.
Too soon, it's dark and getting cooler, and their ideas start to slow. A breeze passed, and she rubbed her arms as a shiver ran through her. She's not ready for today to end. It's too much fun, and she will not give in to being a little chilled. “Here.” is all she hears as warmth enveloped her. She realises Ekko had slipped his hoodie over her. Before she realised it, she nuzzled into it. He holds his hand out to her. "Come on, I'll walk you home."
He walks her back to the Last Drop. Ekko pocketed his gift in his pouch and wrapped in a scrap of fabric, and took her hand. That was nice. Almost home, he squeezed his hand around hers and told her thanks for the gift. She really feels fluttery now and really doesn't want to let go, but suddenly she's home and her hand is instantly cold when he lets go.
Powder kicks her toes a few times and bites her lip. It feels wrong to just say bye and go inside. When she looks up at him, an impulse takes her. She leans up and kisses him on the cheek. “Bye” she rushes out and runs inside past a bemused Vander at the bar and down the stairs to her bed before she can burst into flames.
It was late but not late enough for the others to be sleeping. Luckily, the bedroom seemed to be empty. Alas, it was not.
“Soooooo, how was your date?” Eying her little sister's red face cuddling up in what had to be Ekko's hoodie.
“It wasn't a date!” How she wished it was.
“I just wanted to say thank you…” her voice sounded bashful even to her own ears.
“Sure looked like a date from where I was perched.”
“Wait! Were you spying on me!?”
“What can I say, Powpow you need to start looking a bit further.”
With that, Powder launched herself at her sister with a pillow.
Outside with burning ears and a delighted grin, Ekko stands for a moment, fingers running over his cheek. It seemed he would need to up his game if this was the result.
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irrelevantwriter · 2 years
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Shotgun
Pairing: Eddie Munson (Stranger Things) x Female Reader/You
Rating: SFW (later chapters will contain smut and will be tagged accordingly)
Warnings: Language, mentions of drug use, Eddie being a pro at shotgunning (it is law)
Word Count: 977
Summary: Part 4. Flirting by the lake leads to a potential date.
A/N: Now back to our regularly scheduled programming. Part four of my Flattery Will Get You Everywhere series is here. Check out the links below for previous chapters. Also, Eddie is alive and well. k, bye. 
Disclaimer: As always, reader inserts are true reader inserts. If you find any specifics in regards to reader’s appearance, kindly let me know and I will fix that.
*Find previous and future chapters here
*Check out my other Eddie fics here
***********************
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You laughed as Melanie and Brenda began to shed their clothing, the girls giggling as they made their way to the water’s edge. You rolled your eyes as the guys followed, their clothes coming off just as quickly. You chose to stay near the bonfire and watch, not one for ruining a perfectly good face of makeup.
“Did I just see Randy’s dick?”
The voice made you jump, but you settled as soon as you realized who it was.
Eddie Munson came around the rock you sat on and joined you, laughing as he took in the scene of naked bodies frolicking in the lake. Since Reefer Rick was still in jail, most of you gathered near Skull Rock along Lover’s Lake.
The heat of the day had been replaced with a cool breeze as the sun went down, blanketing the water and trees around you in darkness. It would’ve been peaceful if not for the loud rock music, rambunctious laughter, and scent of weed.
“Yeah, probably so,” you confirmed with a laugh, making room for him beside you.
You hadn’t seen Eddie in two weeks. Not since that night in his trailer. He was a constant in your thoughts though. And you found it harder and harder to sit idly by and wait for him. It wasn’t usually in your nature to let things happen for you. You were the one who made things happen. But your mother always said you needed to practice patience.
“You’re not gonna join?” he asked, nodding towards your friends as he dug in the pocket of his jeans.
“You trying to see me naked, Munson?”
“Most definitely,” he said with a serious nod, making you giggle.
You caught his eye and batted your lashes at him, biting your lip. His gaze caught the action and he surprised you by holding your stare, something akin to heat swirling in the dark brown pools. It made you shiver.
A loud howl came from the water and broke through the moment. As was often the case with you and Eddie.
“Care to join me then?” he asked, finally producing a perfectly rolled joint from his pocket.
You nodded, eager to smoke with him. You were surprised you hadn’t already.
He handed you the joint and held up his lighter, letting you have the first hit. You leaned in close as the flame made contact with the paper. You sucked in and closed your eyes, letting your lungs fill with that delicious burn.
You could feel his eyes on you as you took another hit and playfully blew the smoke in his face. He reached for the joint and took his own hit, showboating by blowing smoke rings.
“Show off,” you said flatly, trying hard not to seem impressed.
He wiggled his brows at you in response. “I’m a man of many talents.”
“Really? Like what?”
“Well you just saw one,” he joked, his arm bumping against yours. “But I’m a hell of a shot-gunner too.”
Your eyes widened slightly, caught off guard by his forwardness. “The thing where you blow smoke into someone’s mouth?”
He nodded, smiling proudly. “Yep.”
“Get plenty of practice?” you teased, nudging his shoulder as he looked down in embarrassment.
“Yeah, I get my fair share.”
“We still talking about shot-gunning?” you brazenly asked, taking a sip from your beer.
Eddie took a long pull from the joint and smirked at you, not giving you a verbal answer, but an answer nonetheless.
“I’ll show you, if you want.”
You played with the frayed ends of your denim shorts, making him sweat a bit while you took your time answering.
“What makes you think I don’t already know how?” you threw back, giving him a salacious smile.
“You haven't learned from the master, sweetheart,” he boasted, taking another hit off the joint.
He wordlessly motioned for you to move closer and you did so. You watched his lips as he drew in a breath and then cupped your cheek, his lips millimeters away from yours. It was the closest you’d been to each other.
His face was soft, but you noticed that up close he had stubble. And laugh lines around his eyes. He smelled like old cologne and weed mixed with sweat. It appealed to you.
A lot.
You willingly inched closer as he finally blew the smoke into your mouth, his eyes watching closely as you inhaled. Heat, both from the weed and your close proximity, consumed you. You wanted to kiss him. Could tell that he was thinking about it too.
“Good?” he drawled, voice low and tinged with something heavy. You’d never heard him sound that way before.
“Almost as good as the real thing.”
He gave another longing look at your lips before he sat back, laughing at your joke.“Nothing beats the real thing.”
Again you wondered if it was shot-gunning he was still talking about. Your instincts told you no. Eddie Munson was definitely flirting and he was definitely speaking in innuendos.
He silently passed the joint back to you as you both watched the couples play chicken in the lake. The girls were laughing and screaming, the guys beneath them trying hard to stay upright. Somewhere behind you someone was surely having sex. Or would be soon.
“Rick gets out next month.” Eddie offered up, declining the joint you attempted to pass back.
“Oh yeah? How’d he manage that?”
“Not sure. But they wanna have a party. For when he gets out.”
You rolled your eyes. “Figures.”
“You gonna go?”
“You asking me to go or…,” you trailed off, eyebrow raised as you waited.
He seemed to hesitate for just a moment before he came to a decision and met your eyes.
“Yeah, I’m asking you to go.”
“Then I’ll go,” you replied, returning the smile he sent your way.
Baby steps.
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platinumgigi · 1 year
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hey since in my last post i vaguely mentioned that i like Lunter, why don't i ramble about it a little bit because i really like Lunter
i've honestly really liked them as a pairing ever since Hunting Palismen, and my descent into absolute brain-rotting madness for them was very much assisted by the actual personal attack on me that was Hollow Mind because, wow, okay, just put some of my most favorite character dynamic/relationship tropes into an episode while simultaneously ripping my heart out and then kicking me while i'm down with the knowledge that Luz is in a relationship with someone else during almost the entire time of even knowing Hunter. yeah okay cool cool, i have totally chill and normal thoughts and feelings about them like a regular person. i'm good.
but one thing i absolutely adore about them, especially, is the parallels they have to Caleb & Evelyn. and while i would absolutely go on a 72-paragraph thesis of a tangent on why i'm so in love with ships that reference or directly parallel being like a previous romantic relationship and subtly or explicitly stating that they were fated or destined to be together, i will hold back on that for now to instead write a thesis of a tangent on another reason why i love that they parallel Caleb and Evelyn: they parallel them better than any other relationship in the show.
i have seen a fair bit of people try to argue for the potential parallels and symbolisms between other characters' relationships and Caleb & Evelyn's, such as with Luz and Amity or with Hunter and Willow (hell i think i saw one post somewhere trying to connect Caleb & Evelyn to Eda & Raine and honestly? i respect that tenacity) and i don't think that drawing some similarities between Caleb & Evelyn's relationship to the different ones Luz and Hunter have in their lives is bad or wrong in any way; i do think that the good ol' Owl House crew were deliberately trying to make some connections there, especially since they seem pretty adamant about Luz & Amity and Hunter & Willow being endgame. but the thing about it for me, though, is that none of those other ships parallel Caleb & Evelyn as thoroughly and believably as Luz and Hunter do.
like, let's take a step back and just look at the structures of both Caleb & Evelyn's lives and incentives and Luz and Hunter's:
For Caleb and Evelyn, they obviously were from two completely different walks of life, both figuratively and literally: Evelyn was a witch, likely born and bred from the Boiling Isles itself and possibly found herself stuck in the human realm (potentially on accident too), and was most definitely hated, feared, and utterly rebuked from human society for just being who and what she was. And then there was Caleb, a human who had assimilated to a lifestyle of murdering/supporting the murder of people like Evelyn in order to fit in with good ol' 1613 society, likely just to find a life where he and his younger brother could be safe, happy, healthy, and accepted.
When Caleb and Evelyn met, there was obviously some kind of spark or bond between them, regardless of however it may have initially presented itself, that was strong enough for Caleb to end up retreating with Evelyn into the demon realm and learning more about the world and its magic, over staying with and protecting his younger brother Philip, as he seemed to have done all his life up until meeting Evelyn.
For Hunter and Luz, they also come from very different walks of life: Hunter is a magically bio-engineered clone of Caleb made by Belos/Philip for the purpose of "rebirthing" his older brother as his loyal right hand man that would never leave or betray him ever again. Hunter was never able to truly be his own person even before he found out that he was a Grimwalker, and never got to gain any of the life experiences that a normal person could (i.e. biologically being able to perform magic, learning about the worlds and realms, uncovering and studying true history that Belos had banned or covered up). He knew nothing of socializing with people his age and rarely ever got to leave the Emperor's castle as it was, and his only reason for being alive was secretly just a sick and twisted way for Philip Wittebane to live out the fantasy life he'd always wanted; one without witches, and one where his brother would finally stay with him.
And then there's Luz, a human girl who, while having the full opportunity of learning new things and making friends, never got to do so, as she was a social outcast for all her life because her own interests and quirks didn't align with that of her peers, or most of anyone who knew her. Thus she was drawn to the many mediums of art, and the genres of fantasy and fiction, where she could immerse herself in a story and imagine herself as the hero who goes on epic quests and makes a bunch of friends along the way. And when she found herself in a world where all of that could become true, she discovered that despite being physically and biologically different from everyone around her, she was so much more at home with the people who were once, in human history, considered to be vile, evil monsters.
When Luz and Hunter met, there was obviously some kind of spark or bond between them, regardless of their initial tension and hostility towards each other, that was strong enough for Hunter to go against the orders of Emperor Belos for Luz, and then eventually betray and flee from Belos altogether with her, over staying with and defending the man who had (quite literally) given him life and a home, as he had done all his life up until meeting Luz.
Like, on this pretty basic story level, you can obviously see that these two pairings mirror each other almost perfectly. Of course there are some differences between them, and some places where one character might parallel the opposite one in the relationship (i.e. Luz and Caleb both being humans, Evelyn being a witch and Hunter technically being one too). But overall, just from this level, you can just see how well they all reflect and complement each other, how aspects of their characters beautifully contrast one another as well as the antagonists of the story, and how both their relationships, despite the adversity they face for being who and what they are and the type of lives they'd lived growing up, manage to find each other, and be the catalyst for one of them to finally take the plunge and go after what they truly wants rather than staying in their normal lives and continue doing what they were demanded of.
For a relationship that the fandom (and possibly even the show itself too) really try to push as only being that of siblings or familial love, Luz and Hunter sure do have a fuck ton of natural romantic coding, down to the parallels with Caleb & Evelyn (aka the true power couple of The Owl House as they're pretty much the entire reason for present-day story happening) to their witty yet childish banter and arguments, to their literal enemies-to-friends-to-something-more set up, and their overall organic chemistry and fun and intriguing ways they play off of each other and ALSO their relationship's narrative relevance that actively moves the plot forward and heavily impacts it—
Yeah, suffice it to say, while I definitely understand and respect those who just see Hunter and Luz as siblings or just good friends or just overall prefer them in different relationships, I just can't get over the gold mine of romantic potential these two have, regardless of what the Owl House crew were planning their relationship to be like from the very beginning.
And honestly, if they truly did always intend for Hunter and Luz to have something more akin to a sibling relationship than anything remotely romantic, all I can say to that is: LMAO. Cause like, bro, if you really wanted that to be the case, you kinda accidentally fucked up and gave them way too many parallels and similarities to the most romantic relationship in all of the show. Just sayin'. 🤣🤣
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not-alien-girl-v · 2 years
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Evans Height HCs
ok so i usually don’t do this but i’ve seen posts about this before and they only really rank the evans in height from tallest to shortest so today i’m giving actual heights that i headcanon let’s get started
Tate: ok he is cocky but not like an over 6 foot type cocky, but also not like a 5’5 kind of cocky, so i’m giving him a fair 5’10, only an inch shorter than evan actually is so it seems alright, because like he’s confident, but not in a super tall guy kind of way
Kit: i’m feeling like a solid 6’0 maybe even 6’1 if i’m being generous and i think he somewhat enjoys his height like he doesn’t try to make it his whole personality or anything but he’s comfortable in the fact that in some cases he can tower over people and in some cases he’s only just a little bit taller than others, but in general he’s a really confident guy so i feel like it’s just not something he’s ever concerned himself too much with
Frat Kyle: something about being a frat boy just screams 5’9 to me but in a negative way. like i mean this as an insult to frat boys, even though i love kyle with my whole heart, he is definitely not over 6’0 and i think he’d lie about his height just a little bit like he’d say 5’10 maybe 5’11 just to impress people a little bit. just don’t break out the tape measurer or else words will be had
Franken Kyle: now hear me out on this. he was given a new body. like completely new shit. madison and zoe did not know who the fuck they were putting together, they just saw a handsome face and ran with it. 6’1. i think something in the reconstruction gave him a few extra inches and it would really help sell the whole murderous monster thing to be taller than 5’9. i don’t know i just think it could happen
Jimmy: i think he’s 5’11. because i feel like we were sold the whole ‘other than his hands he is the most attractive man’ and i think that includes him not being super short or super tall. he’s a little on the taller side but just like. not all the way up there with it
James: bless his soul but this man is just a little guy. not like SUPER small. but he is probably 5’8 or 5’7. and let’s be real does it even matter id still smash no questions asked. but he just isn’t very large. hope you all feel these vibes. once again he has that confidence and he puts together his look very nicely and that’s what pulls all his bitches so it does not matter what his height is but let’s be real. 5’8 at the most
Rory: never seen this season. someone on tiktok assigned this season to my zodiac sign (aries) and that pissed me off so i’m giving him 5’6. deal with it. fuck gingers
Kai: i know a lot of people say this and that’s because it’s correct but kai is the tallest. like he is giving TALL energy. like 6’4 at least maybe even 6’5. and hear me out on this so precult he was just this weird nerd incel thing and he had the potential to be hot he just wasn’t doing that yet. have you guys met nerds in real life. some of them get pretty big i can speak from personal experience also it totally works out with his intimidation tough guy thing, just being an absolute mountain of a man, i’d be scared but id still smash
Mr. Gallant: twink. 5’7. let’s move on
Jeff: 5’6. shortest evan and it’s so obvious. he gives off little man vibes. i know i said some nerds can get kinda huge but he is not one of them. little man. let’s move on
*moment of silence for the lack of evan peters in 1984*
Austin: 5’8. he’s comfy with it. he’s cool. it’s no big deal and it’s just not his biggest concern in any way. unrelated but does anyone remember when he said ‘i’m hungies 🥺’ that ruined me. i can never forgive austin for that.
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dzpenumbra · 1 year
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11/6/22
I'm not as high as I've been getting tonight. Not that that's a problem... just an observation. Today has been... non-traditional. I made a new friend, which is pretty awesome. Got to talk life and common hobbies and learn about astrology and reconnect with poetry. It was just a really nice day all around.
It's really hard to convey to others the massive change in energy flow throughout my day when there are other humans involved. That sounds so fucking hippy-like to say, but like... even if you're not into spiritualism, I'm talking about like... ATP. Like potential energy, like you drink coffee to give you energy, you run out of energy you feel tired, you sleep and eat to recharge energy, that energy. We all talk about it, every day, so maybe we can be a little less eye-rolly when people say "you're throwing off my energy, man." Because we can all relate. There are some people that charge you up, there are some that get charged up by you, there are some that drain you, there are some that get drained by you. It's just kinda how things work, and it's insanely complicated and I don't wanna pretend I know the first thing about it, but we all know you can really feel it when you're around someone who charges you up. Who inspires you. Who gets excited with you, and gets you excited. It's something that I gravitate towards and I cherish the moments they are present, even if they can sometimes be fleeting.
But having been in isolation so long, I've had a few false starts with things like this. My grumpy self-doubt side comes along and goes... yeah... give it a few months, they'll get pissed off about something about you. And he can just fuck off for a while. I think we all have that side, and yeah, he might have some evidence from experiences with other people. But I try really hard to give everyone a fair chance based on their merits, based on their choices and their intentions. So if I really want the world to try not to judge me, I need to make sure my judgement is a reaction as well, not preemptive.
So my day was kind of a whirlwind. Kinda... just swept by. I wandered all over the house today. While exchanging messages, I sanded some new stones. I worked on a piece of petrified wood, some blue mineral that needs to be shaped a bit and a softer black stone that smells like a bit like it has sulfur in it - I just tried looking it up and couldn't find out what it is. The black one is pretty much cleaned up and done.
I made some food and moved into the studio, I brought my hoodie but I didn't keep the attention span enough to work on it tonight. I read a bunch of cool excerpts from books that were sent to me, I looked up the hours of the Michael's closest to me - like a 30 minute drive one-way. I saw they have Instacart, I was very tempted to say fuck it and get shit delivered. Art/craft stores are like... my fucking shit. I loaded a cart with a bunch of different types of hemp twine, I found a bunch of mineral beads like Tiger's Eye and Amazonite and black Banded Agate. But all it took was one crack in the dam. I saw that some of the beads advertised as minerals were actually glass. A lot were dyed. Some were advertised as stuff like Moonstone, but were actually lab-grown minerals that look similar. I got really bummed. I started removing all the minerals from my cart, didn't know if I could trust them. If I'm going to make something special for someone, I'm not going to cut corners on materials for them. I want real leather. I want good quality, well-processed hemp twine. I want real minerals, guaranteed. I don't have to hand-process every piece of the jewelry I make. I don't have to smelt the copper and form it into wires and then shape it, unless I want to. I don't have to carve the wooden beads by hand (though I actually could...) okay... bad example... um... I don't have to shape mineral beads by hand, because making perfect spheres and drilling through them is... well it helps a LOT to have the right tools. So I'm going to try to source minerals from a more reputable dealer, one that doesn't go for the cheapest option available. And I remember the thought running through my head, "it's kinda a little weird that I'm gonna get way higher quality shit on Etsy than from an actual arts and crafts store, let alone a franchise." But c'est la vie.
Then I looked at the suggested delivery tip for like $30 of hemp twine - like 7 bucks. I was just like... yo, I would NOT do a 30 minute delivery trip for some dude for 7 bucks. That's kinda fucked. And I felt really weird tipping the driver like... the price of the twine... But... My car still isn't inspected... So if I drive up tomorrow, I risk a ticket. If I get delivery, I pay twice the cost, or I screw over a delivery driver. Or... I order from Etsy and just wait a few days. I think I'll look into that tomorrow.
I really need to figure the car out though, might just set up a backup appointment with the dealership and see if I can reach the vintage car restorer dude with all the minerals and everything like... whenever I can get my social anxiety to fuck the hell off. That way I'm covered either way, I can always cancel.
I did some stretches and shit with my foam roller. I swear to god, I cannot recommend foam rollers high enough. Once you really start to understand what it is and what it does, they're great. I did a bunch of rolls and stretches and massages on my hips and sacrum, my hamstrings and eventually stretched a bit of my shoulders and neck too. I felt so much better, I had no idea how bad my back and hips had been getting.
I want to fix my posture. It's really bad. And keep doing like regular stretches and stuff. Being sedentary and having PTSD really fucked with my body, it really took a huge toll on my joints, tendons, muscles, nerves, all of it. I'm lucky I'm still young enough to pretty easily bounce back, but dude, it starts getting a lot tougher once you get past... I don't know... 30? Especially if you're not active. And I don't mean like... go to the gym for an hour every day but spend the rest of the day sitting on your ass at a desk. Like... "up and moving throughout the day" active. If you're not, something's gonna start locking up and carrying stress, and once you find those spots and start unlocking them... holy shit is it like... a giant breath of relief.
Like I've had these knots in my shoulders since... as far back as I can remember. Massages are literally my favorite thing in the world. They are really hard for me because I am extremely tactilely sensitive - natural sensitivity plus trauma plus being in a family that does not show physical affection at all, not much affection of any kind to be honest. It makes physical touch very overwhelming for me, but something unfathomably sacred to me. Beautifully powerful, reverent. Therein lies some pretty deep trauma when that sanctity is... misused. Maybe let's say... undervalued? Underappreciated? I digress...
I remember getting massages when I fucked up my shoulder from lifting heavy boxes of frozen shit when I was a full-time baker at a bagel shop. The doctors (you know, my neighbors in the 4000 person town I had been living in since I was 10...) refused to give me muscle relaxers or anything because I was a male in my mid-20's wearing a black hoodie with a beard who smoked cigarettes. Like the doctor literally told me to my face that I was drug seeking and asked me to leave. When I could barely lift the boxes I needed to lift to do my job. This was like 10 fucking years ago too, man. Good lord. Like... just get to know your fucking neighbors and you'll know real fucking quick which ones actually have drug problems and which ones are actually just trauma kids who are trying really hard to stay on the Good path. The Jedi path.
So because I couldn't get any kind of med at all to help, and not even a diagnosis... I went to a masseuse, one that my mom had seen before. I had like never done that before. And she was kinda cute, not really my type but, it didn't hurt. The poor woman, in hindsight I probably reeked of cigarettes every time I went in there, I would 100% smoke on the drive over. Whatever. XD Gotta get some insecurity in there, right?
I'm getting to the knots, I promise. So this woman gives me a massage and comes across my shoulder knots. See, my shoulders have always popped. Sometimes several times. Now, they pop like 3 distinct times on my right shoulder alone. All knots. She explained where they were, she said she had never felt anything like that before. I blushed. XD Aw shucks, ma'am. I'm... naked under a towel and you're telling me you've never felt something that big before. Oh my... This ain't that kind of story, trust me. She said my knot in my shoulder (I think I had one at the time) was like the size of a raspberry or a small grape. She tried to work on them a bit, but obviously when they get that bad it can take a bit more work than just... one massage.
So... that whole story was a round-about way of giving the history that my shoulders have always been like... a focal point for my stress. And my jaw and neck. And my posture has been shit, so my neck is pretty well fucked from that too. So I started doing a little neck stretching and shoulder opening and it made me feel things I haven't felt in a long-ass time. I've spent so much time fixating on my hips and lower back that I basically just skipped over my neck and especially my shoulders. I rarely stretch them. Skating is all leg and hip stretches for me.
So... note to self: do regular posture adjustment using a DIY posture board (a piece of wood angled up with a book), and do regular neck/shoulder opening stretches. Here's the kicker - do them in the place of smoking a cigarette. So if the "I want a cigarette break" urge ever crops up, allow it, and redirect it into "I want to stretch a bit". And take some damn deep breaths too. Smoking was good for forcing me to pay attention to my breathing and regulate it. So that can be a nice addition, a nice substitute.
I was trying to find a good yoga app, but they all seemed expensive and targeted towards people that aren't like me. So... I don't know, I was discouraged. To install and sign up for an app, then have them just prompt me for a credit card before I even know what the app offers. Like I get it, but idk man. I just stepped away. The dude whose videos I watched today was from some chiropractic and rehabilitation place it seemed, somewhere in Michigan I think. He seemed very focused on doing stretches and stuff safely and cautiously, which appealed to my inner self-helicopter parent. And the stretches made an immediate difference. So if you're having neck and back pain, I think it's worth getting ahead of it and adding in some basic stretches. It takes 60 days to build a habit, they say. 2 months. So if I can get a good routine together, and a good schedule, I can ring in the new year with some much healthier coping mechanisms and rituals.
Max played a lot today. I mean, now that I'm talking about it, she was a bit of a nut today. In all good ways. She went exploring in a rotating cabinet and got sorta stuck for a minute while I was cooking, and luckily I heard her and let her out and she purred. She played 3 damn times today with these new toys that are like toys on a fishing rod and fishing line. And I used to fish topwater for largemouth bass back before I became a bleeding heart, so I know all about how to maneuver bait for an apex predator. In fact, in the future, I might just put a toy on an actual fishing rod instead of just having it statically attached, so I can cast and reel it. Pure predators are so fun to play with, so interesting, it's a rush. I love playing with Max again. I feel bad I didn't for a really long time, but again... regrets... we all have them... and all we can do is do our best right now.
This time change kinda threw me off, I had no idea what day it was... I saw a message at like 1:30 AM, then my response later was at 1:00 AM... and I was like... um... what the fuck? So... that's a trip. So I guess it should be 7 right now? But it's 6? I don't know. I'm really lost in time today.
And to really amplify that theme, I watched a few videos on Frank Zappa's The Black Page, and David Bruce's The Blacker Page, and really complex rhythmic patterns and stuff. Talk about lost in time... Try nested tuplets. That shit... I swear unless you've been studying music theory for a decade, you might as well just try your best to imitate the sound of it. I can't even conceptualize a triplet nested in a septuplet. It just makes my brain fizzle. But listening to really cool organic polyrhythms and stuff puts me in a really cool mood. Rhythm affects me very strongly.
So I reeeeally want to figure out how to map my fucking drum kit to Cubase so I can record these drum beats. I've been tapping on my damn thighs for days now, all I want is to just... record some MIDI loops. Really wanna break through that wall, it's going to be so relieving. And then... then I can start really entertaining the real possibility of a new album.
It's late, I'm going to sleep. This is me sending an inspired smile out to the world. I hope we all can find a little relief from our burdens tomorrow, if only for a little bit. It is supposed to be the day of rest, after all, so... even if you're not religious - I'm really not - try to break through the cynicism and explore why rest/recovery, spending time with community and family, recuperating for an entire day of the week, would be something so deeply valued by so many cultures that it is considered part of one's responsibility in service of a higher power. I'd say it's kinda important.
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rubywithin · 1 year
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World of Whim 4
I tried throwing my boomerang.....it was easily deflected I guess there is no way I stand a chance against these people! (Nyao) “You are just going to give up, what a waste”, (Ruby) “Okay Double-Rang” I tried my best to break through but not much was happening, (Mystel) “I respect the effort but this is game over!” This is bad, all of the people around are staring at us....I will keep trying but I’m just not strong enough. (Kazuya) “I just wanted people to know me.....I wanted the things I do to be appreciated. I just wanted some attention AAAAAHH”. Huh something was different with Kazuya this time, (Naoh) “I think its time for you to GOOOO LIIVE!” So this is what happened with me....its kind of weird seeing how it affects someone else. (Kazuya) “A hammer, this is gonna get me some attention, HYAH TAKE THIS”. Wow he was able to send a bunch of enemies flying! I was a bit worried but Naoh just told us to run!
(Mystel) “What a pain....someone else can take care of this, sooner or later they will enter a Musician’s domain!”. We ran as far away from Mystel as we could (Ruby) “That was crazy Kazuya....I can’t believe how strong you are!” we made it back to my place. (Kazuya) “Okay Naoh what exactly is your plan...the two of us are kind of high school students. There is no way we stand a chance against that Mystel guy....there is no way he isn’t more experienced than us!”. He had a point but it was kind of weird seeing Kazuya act more serious, (Ruby) “Surely there is more people like us....if we team up maybe we can over power him”. Both of them agreed but finding another person who has experienced the same issues as us is going to be rough. (Naoh) “Maybe go back to your normal life for a few days and see if anyone sticks out as a potential ally”.
I tried getting back into my usual school schedule, I was paranoid about train rides but luckily no music starting blaring! Also I shouldn’t need to check in with the nurse....I’m worried she outed me to Mystel because of my headache. I did not feel like talking to anyone....I can’t believe my life here was a lie, (Kei) “Oh hey Ruby we have not talked for a bit!” (Ruby) “Yeah sorry been a bit distracted lately”. I talked to him....it did not feel the same though all I can think is who is he really if no one here is their true self. (Kei) “Oh I heard this crazy bit of gossip by the way, Maria Zyuni is dating Percival that guy who wrote that Swords of Round song you are into!” (Ruby) “NO WAY that’s crazy I can’t believe someone here is able to date such a popular singer!” Haha I guess even in a fake world I can get caught off guard by something so trivial.
After school I was waiting at the train stop...I still felt a bit nervous, then I saw Maria. (Maria) “What are you looking at?” (Ruby) “Oh sorry I was just told about you and Percival today, that’s so cool I love his Swords of Rounds song so much”. (Maria) “Fair enough but personally I love h....AAAHHH” (Ruby) “Oh no are you okay, need me to take you back to the nurse?” I was worried about meeting the nurse again but Maria was in pain! (Maria) “Don’t worry my head just hurts a little, I just hate the bit of blurry vision after”. We spent the rest of the time talking about music, (Ruby) “Oh this is my train later” (Maria) “Before you go take this, just return it tomorrow”. She handed me a CD (Ruby) “Oh thanks see you tomorrow” it was kind of fun to talk to her, I was a bit worried about the headache but she recovered quickly....while me and Kazuya were out of it a bit longer! I got home and decided to play the CD!
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writer-in-theory · 2 years
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angel in a denim jacket (spencer reid x reader)
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summary: what if, on the worst day of young spencer reid’s life, you had been there? prompt: “What about a high school Spencer and reader fic? Reader sees what is going on with that incident with the goal post and shoos everyone off and helps Spencer. She sees him at school the next day and they become great friends and Spencer instantly develops a crush. The age thing would have to be fixed though. I’ve always loved the idea of someone actually helping him when he went through that” (requested by @katymarie) request?: yes pairing: spencer reid x fem!reader (eventually nurse!reader) category: hurt/comfort, more comfort content warnings: language, discussions of bullying, the goal post incident, discussions of amplification ep word count: 4.1k a/n: this was such a great request, i really enjoyed getting to cover this 'what if' scenario, so thank you for allowing me to try writing it. and, this is my entry for @imagining-in-the-margins reunion fic challenge!! and as always, thank you to the lovely wonderful athena ( @safespacespence ) for beta-ing this fic. seriously, it helped so much and it would not have gotten done without you.
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Your high school years will be the best days of your life. At least, that’s what everyone always says.
Spencer never quite understood the sentiment. Why would the best years of someone’s life be right at the beginning? People live on average for 85 years, why would sixty-seven of those be spent in a steep decline from the supposed golden years of adolescence?
And when he finally got to high school—albeit four years before he was ever meant to—the phrase made even less sense. This was it? After so many nights dreaming of a bright future, all he had to look forward to was the isolating darkness of the inside of a locker and violent words tossed like rocks at his chest? It didn’t seem fair that his supposed ‘best’ years were filled with hate when so many of his classmates played sports, had friends, and became prom king or queen because of their overabundance of them.
It was almost over. CalTech had accepted him only a month after Spencer had submitted his application, and his mom on a good day had told him it was “a testament to his potential”—whatever that was supposed to mean. She’d sat Spencer down and told him it was a good thing, that he was meant to be a part of great things one day.
Standing behind the field house that day, with a blindfold on to wait for Alexa Lisben, Spencer began to wonder if maybe he was only meant to be a part of terrible things.
Blindfolded and half their size, it was far too easy for the other guys to wrangle Spencer to the goal post. He screamed the whole way, lashing out with each limb and at one point feeling eight larger hands roughly gripping him into submission—leaving behind painful scars long after the bruises faded. Amongst the panic he’d heard other voices, those of people he recognized. He heard Josh and Arthur, who sat with him at lunch when the football team was out traveling for a game. There was Hannah, who ran the student government anti-bullying committee. ‘Please, stop this, don’t let them do this to me,’ Spencer had begged—he’d tilted his head in the direction he’d heard her and wailed, waiting for the help that he knew deep down was never coming.
It was easy to say hate was bad, but it was another to risk everything to defend the moral stance. If it came down to saving another person or preserving your carefully collected reputation, livelihood, Spencer knew what people would pick every single time. He knew because he’d seen it time and time again—he saw it in his father leaving without so much as a goodbye because he could no longer take care of his wife, and he saw it in the terrified looks kids gave him when he tried to speak to them, the careful glance over their shoulder and lame apology as they ran from this, from being strung up and left out in the rapidly cooling night alongside him.
Spencer didn’t know how long he was left there. He’d kept a careful account of everything, a meticulous run-through of every piece of himself like a diagnostic test. His fingers had begun to go numb behind his back hours ago, the ties being far too tight (not that any of them truly cared). His entire body was exposed to the elements and had long since stopped shivering—a surefire sign of more dangerous things to come. Spencer wondered how long he could make it like this, wondered if no one would find him until the morning. Was he close to lasting until then?
“Oh my God.” A voice! Spencer’s head whipped around to look in the direction of the horrified voice despite the blindfold concealing the person from him.
“Please help me,” he spoke, voice shaky and barely there.
“Who did this to you? What the fuck,” the voice hissed and suddenly hands were brushing his, shaking as they tried to free him.
“The entire football team, and about half of the cheer squad,” Spencer admitted, wondering if maybe this person would give up and walk away when they heard that.
“Well fuck them, they’re all fucking idiots.”
Huh, that was new. This person wasn’t afraid of the consequences that came with helping him. Instead, they continued to dutifully work at the knots until Spencer could move his arms again. His limbs burned as he tried to pull them back to his sides, enough to make him cry out against the painful stiffness.
“I’m gonna take the blindfold off of you, okay?” The voice warned before cool hands were on him again, this time unknotting the fabric from around his head. Spencer squinted against the dim light from the distant streetlights. It was completely dark now, indicating that he’d been stuck there for hours. “Uh, here. You can wrap my jacket around your waist.”
Spencer grabbed the jacket from the person quickly, wasting no time in concealing his lower half from view. He’d been exposed like that for several hours, how many people had seen?
“We’ve got two options here. I can take you home, or you can come back to my place and warm up first.” Spencer finally looked up to see who had saved him, and immediately his cheeks flushed red. There you were, the girl everyone knew not to mess with. You kept to yourself mostly, didn’t really have the protection that came with having a large group of friends. Unlike Spencer, though, you never seemed to need it. Your own fiery personality kept people from picking fights with you. Everyone knew you could—and would—fight back.
“I, uh, I don’t want to bother you anymore,” Spencer spoke, wrapping his arms around his still-exposed upper body.
“That’s bullshit,” you said simply, taking his hand in yours and beginning to walk away from the field goal post he’d been stuck to for so long. “C’mon, my parents are out of town for the week, no one else will see you. You can get warmed up and we can find you some clothes before you go back home. I’m sure your parents don’t want to see you coming home like this.”
There was only one logical reason why his mom hadn’t noticed he was gone this long. It must’ve been a bad day for her, she might have even been experiencing an episode. She probably wouldn’t even notice when he did get back, as long as he remembered to re-do each lock on the door.
Still, Spencer couldn’t imagine walking into his house like this.
“Thank you,” he answered softly as you led him to your car. The two of you were in the same grade, you actually being the proper age of seventeen for a senior. He’d seen you around, of course, but he’d never had a reason to talk to you until now. Why would he, when he was five years younger than you and absolutely not cool enough to try?
“Spencer, right?” you clarified, nodding when he confirmed as such. “Okay, Spencer, first things first. Never thank anyone for basic human decency. That shit should be expected.”
“But it’s not expected,” he countered, sliding into the passenger seat.
“Are you...old enough to be sitting up there?” you asked, pulling a laugh out of Spencer.
“I’m twelve, not four.”
“I’m just checking,” you laughed along with him before starting up the car. Immediately a loud song burst through the radio, to which you winced and dropped the volume down to almost nothing. “I’m sorry no one helped you.”
“It’s okay. I wasn’t expecting anyone to.”
“Spencer, I hope you know that makes it so much worse.”
The car ride was a quick one, barely making it past the school before you were pulling into a driveway of a standard suburban house. You ushered him up the walk and into the house, straight through to your room. Every square inch of the house was spotless until you pushed the door to your room open further. There, it looked like someone actually lived there. Clothes were strewn about on the backs of chairs, textbooks piled up beside your desk. Your bed was unmade and on it laid a black cat, curled up as tightly as possible.
You seemed to catch Spencer staring at it, because your entire expression softened and you said, “He doesn’t bite, you know. It’ll take me a minute to find some clothes that’ll fit you, Simon can keep you company.”
“Why’s his name Simon?”
“For Simon Le Bon, of course,” you laughed, soon clarifying when he still looked confused, “The band, Duran Duran.”
“Oh, right.”
“I’ll be right back. Seriously, get comfortable, do whatever you have to do.”
You slipped out of your bedroom again, leaving Spencer standing in the middle of it feeling a little lost. His head was swimming as it fought to catch up with everything that had happened that day. Not only had he had to deal with the normal horror of high school, but his bullies had taken everything three steps too far. Not only that, but now he was standing in the most badass girl’s bedroom half-naked because you’d chosen to rescue him.
It almost felt like a dream.
Spencer padded over to the bed, reaching over to gently scratch Simon behind the ear. The cat purred happily, standing up and stretching before making his way closer to Spencer. The little thing stretched upward, front paws reaching up to rest against Spencer’s middle.
“Do you want to be picked up?” Spencer asked, reaching down to lift the cat up to his shoulder. He stood there like that for a few minutes, holding the cat in one arm and petting him with the other. It was more relaxing than he’d expected, focusing on the back and forth of his own hand against the soft fur of this happily purring animal.
Spencer hardly noticed when you’d returned.
“Oh, Simon never lets anyone pick him up like that. He must really like you.” Spencer smiled, feeling a bubbliness in his chest at the thought that someone wanted him around, even if it was a cat. “I found some old sweatpants and a shirt from my older brother, they might be a little big on you but it’ll work.”
“Thank you,” Spencer said again as you handed him the clothes then turned around to afford him some privacy (even when you’d already seen him).
“So who were the ringleaders? I want names,” you asked as Spencer hurried to get dressed. The sweatpants were a little big in the waist so he had to tie them off well, but overall the clothes were soft and comfy enough.
“You really don’t have to do anything tomorrow, I’ll be fine,” Spencer hurried to say, not wanting to drag someone else into his problems. You were almost done with school—you’d nearly survived without anyone really targeting you, the last thing Spencer wanted to do was ruin that.
“Yes, I do. Those jackhats were reckless and stupid. You could’ve gotten really hurt out there, and for what? So their egos could be rubbed off? I don’t think so,” you exclaimed, turning around once Spencer was through changing. “They don’t get to use their power just to hurt other people, that’s not cool.”
“I don’t want you to get hurt because of me.”
“Trust me, I won’t,” you reassured him, and though you sounded sincere, Spencer couldn’t help but worry. There was always a trick with people—no one ever spoke to him simply because they wanted to, no one was kind unless there was a trap waiting for him to walk into. Sure you’d helped him so far, but what was to say nothing would change when you both got back to school the next day? “If I’m in a position to help someone else, I’m going to, and that’s that.”
You sure sounded real, though. You sounded unlike anyone else he’d ever met. It made Spencer wonder where you’d been through high school, why he couldn’t have met you before. Things would have been so much easier, if only.
“Could I—” Immediately Spencer cut himself off, knowing that was a line he wasn’t going to cross. You’d been nice to him thus far, but he didn’t want to push his luck. He didn’t want to push you.
“What? You can tell me,” you urged, kind expression never wavering.
“I don’t want to go home yet,” Spencer whispered, fingers gently curling into Simon’s fur from where the cat stood on the bed. “I don’t want to be alone tonight.”
“Then stay,” you answered simply, never once considering any other option. “I can make a pillow wall if you don’t mind sleeping in the same bed, or our couch is pretty comfy too if you’d rather that.”
“Can we do the pillow wall?”
“Yeah, can you grab the spare blankets from my closet? They should be on the middle shelf.”
Sure enough, the fuzzy blankets were easy enough to find in your cluttered, albeit organized, closet. By the time he turned around again, you’d already gathered up as many pillows as you could find to build up a barrier between each half of the bed.
You easily took the blankets from him, splitting them up between each half so both of you would have plenty of warmth through the night. Both of you climbed into your respective sides of the bed, Spencer curling up with all of his blankets. He knew he’d likely wake up too warm, but for now, the pressure was comforting after he’d spent so long being so cold.
“Thank you, Y/N. For everything.”
“Hey, that’s what friends are for, right? I’ll be there whenever you need me, from now on.”
Spencer didn’t say anything else. How could he when you’d said that so simply? While you fell asleep easily, Spencer lay wide awake for hours wondering if having a friend was truly meant to feel this safe and more importantly, how long this would last.
It lasted for the rest of the school year. The next day, you drove Spencer to school and stared down anyone who dared try to make fun of him for the previous night. You were there to confront his bullies, shouting at them until one of the teachers had to step in. When lunchtime came, you found him in the library and the two of you were so loud Spencer was able to eat in the cafeteria for the first time in four years. He came to your house on days when his was too chaotic, when the burn of watching his mother suffer was too great.
For everything, you were there.
And when graduation came, Spencer cried. He cried because you were going to a university on the east coast, he cried because for the first time in months he’d have to figure out how to live without his best friend. He cried, because for so many years, Spencer never thought he’d miss anything about this town.
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A nurse’s job was never quite over until the end of the shift, but with how stressful the past several days had been, everyone was prepared to give a little more slack to each other.
That was how you ended up away from your usual pediatrics floor, slipping out of the room where your past patient was now recovering from something that just hours ago had been considered a death sentence.
“Hey, Nevada, get over here!”
“What, are we four?” you laughed, shaking your head but dutifully making your way over to the nurse’s station where your friend was sitting. “I have a name, you know.”
“Of course you do,” Daniel returned easily as you leaned over the counter, resting your forearms against the surface. “But I’d rather call you Nevada.”
“You know I haven’t been there in years, right? It hardly counts.” Though you sometimes missed the warmth and familiarity of the desert, you couldn’t say you’d ever regret not making it your permanent home. The east coast was where you belonged—it was the first place you got to be yourself without any worries about how anyone from your hometown would view you, it was where you found a large group of friends and it was where you found a place to truly call home.
“Why’re you up here anyway? You stick out like a sore thumb in those teddy bear scrubs,” Daniel teased, leaning back in his chair as far as he could without tipping it.
“You’re so funny, man, seriously.” You rolled your eyes without any real venom to it, “you’ve really gotta work on your material. And for the record, I wanted to check on my patient. I heard they found a cure.”
“You had one of the anthrax patients?”
“Yeah, until Dr. Kimura centralized all the cases here,” you explained, eyes drifting down the hallway to stare at the room you knew your patient to be resting in. “I heard there were survivors, I needed to see if...”
“Was she?”
“Yeah, kid’s making a full recovery,” you answered, a bright smile unable to wash off your face at the thought. Working in pediatrics could be the most heartwarming job sometimes, but it could also be absolutely devastating when you lost a patient. There were often days when you went home and wondered how you could continue doing this for the rest of your life, days when nothing seemed worth it.
‘If I’m in a position to help someone else, I’m going to.’
“You know, I heard some of the FBI agents over there talking,” Daniel began, leaning over the counter so he could relay the details to you in a hushed tone. “The guy that found the cure? He risked his own ass for it. Nearly died and everything.”
“No kidding?” you asked, your gaze following your friend’s over to the hospital room where an FBI agent was keeping guard outside. “He knew there wasn’t a cure?”
“Of course he did,” Daniel added, speaking just loud enough that the agent’s head turned to look at you two. “As far as I’m concerned, Agent Reid’s a hero.”
And that, well.
“What? Go back a second?” Surely it was a coincidence. There had to be tons of Reids with a heart of gold in the country, this couldn’t be your Reid. After all, the last time you saw your Reid he’d been stick-thin and graduating with his second Ph.D. in California—there was no way.
“What? You don’t think he is?”
“No, no, of course, he is. What’s his name?” you asked, reaching over the counter when Daniel didn’t answer quick enough. There was the man’s chart, labeled with the right room number sticky and
everything.
And God, there could be a lot of Reids but there was only one Dr. Spencer Walter Reid as far as you were concerned.
As soon as you saw the name on the chart, you were practically sprinting away from the nurse’s station. Daniel and the woman sitting outside the room yelled after you, but the sound hardly reached your ears. Because there, laying on that hospital bed, was a man you’d never expected to see again.
And damn, he looked good. Spencer had filled into his features, now sporting a jawline that could cut glass if he wanted to. His hair was a little messy but you could tell he’d long since learned how to tame his curls. But beneath it all, you still saw the golden eyes filled with so much kindness that your hometown never deserved to see, and you saw his hands which gave the most perfect hugs. You still saw Spencer Reid—the guy who’d never once stuttered at your high school reputation, the guy who’d been your friend through everything including the late-night calls screaming about wanting to drop out when the stress was too much.
“If you’re not assigned to his medical team, you can’t be in here,” the woman from outside the door told you, looking to Daniel as if to say ‘control your coworker?’
“It’s okay,” Spencer spoke up finally, and it honestly sounded like a dream.
You weren’t sure what had happened so many years ago, but the two of you had fallen out of touch as so many long-distance friends did. You went on to have a job and establish a life for yourself, while Spencer continued to excel in school. By then, the two of you had been in different phases of your lives, and he’d still resembled that little kid who’d experienced kindness from his peers for the first time from you.
That little kid was long gone now, replaced by a federal agent who’d risked his own life to save dozens more, simply because he’d had the power to.
“Hi, Spencer,” you finally managed to get out, waving a little awkwardly with your fingers. What could you possibly say to your old best friend, to the man you hardly recognized but still felt so comfortable and safe around?
“Hi,” Spencer said back, readjusting on the bed so he was sitting up a little more. He carried the same awestruck expression you were sure was plastered to your face—eyes wide and lips parted, looking at you like you were something to be marveled at.
“I thought you said you’d stay out of trouble?” you sighed, moving over to sit down beside his hospital bed. “This doesn’t look like that to me.”
“It was for a good reason,” Spencer laughed, and you tried not to wince at how breathless he still sounded. It was clear in his chart that he was cured, that every ounce of those spores was out of his body, but still, your heart couldn’t help but race at the obvious signs of his past infection. Because you could have lost him today, and you wouldn’t have known until Dr. Kimura made a passing statement about the federal agent who gave his life to save so many, your patient included. “Isn’t that what you always used to tell me?”
“Yeah, but you weren’t supposed to follow that advice,” you shot back, crossing your arms over your chest. “When I imagined seeing you again, it definitely wasn’t with you laying in a hospital bed.”
“You imagined seeing me again?”
He never grew out of his lack of confidence, did he?
“Of course I did,” you answered simply, braving reaching out for his hand. Despite the coolness of the hospital, his hand was still warm, his fingers lacing between yours like they were meant to fit together. “I missed you.”
“I missed you too,” Spencer admitted, voice going soft. “You know, comparatively, Quantico isn’t far from Annapolis.”
“It’s not,” you returned, already liking the way this was going. Now that you knew he was here, that he’d been living so close to you for who-knows-how-many years, you never wanted to let him go. You wanted to get to know the new him, the Spencer who became a federal agent and kicked ass despite everyone from home telling him he couldn’t.
You wanted to finally talk in the same room again. You wanted to stay the night with him, building a pillow fort and talking through the night about anything and everything. You wanted to cuddle into his side and watch the stars. You wanted to feel at home with him again.
“When you’re out of here, my apartment is always open,” you told him, hoping you weren’t the only one who wanted to rekindle what never quite had a chance to develop.
“Can we make a pillow fort?” Spencer asked, a growing smile taking over his face.
Everything was somehow falling into place. When you'd gone to work that morning, you never expected to run into your childhood best friend. It didn't seem possible, that the man you always wondered if you could fall for was in front of you right now. All you knew was that you wouldn't waste this chance, you'd allow yourself to get to know the new Spencer Reid. You'd allow yourself to fall if the universe was ready for it.
And you couldn’t help but think, sometimes it really was that easy.
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chasingpj · 3 years
Text
𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐤
pairing: percy jackson x child of aphrodite! gn reader
requested?: yup!
warnings: mentions of underage drinking, one curse word, and mentions of sexual tension
category: fluff, shy boy x obviously interested girl trope
a/n: don't mind me I'm just projecting and I got carried away
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you’re not sure what gravitated you to percy more
the crystal green eyes, the freckles over his nose, the disheveled dark curls, or his clumsiness
the first time you laid eyes on him, he was walking back to his cabin after sword-fighting practice
his tan skin gleamed in the sunlight as a hand came up to swipe away the damp hair sticking on his forehead
for an action so mundane, it made your stomach flutter like crazy
and then the beauty of the moment was ruined right when he trips over the steps of his cabin
you heard stories of the kid killing the minotaur, blowing up a volcano, and rumors of being the suspected child of a huge prophecy
yet, he was not immune from tripping over his feet
and you’re sure the dorky charm of that moment made you think, he’s mine
for the next few days, you were determined to approach him
but you didn’t just want to come up to him and introduce yourself; that would be too plain and forgettable
you ended up finding your opportunity during a capture the flag game
silena gave you instructions to distract percy, and you headed over strong, ready to make your first impression while also taking him down for your team
sure, he had water powers and done a bunch of cool things, but your father made sure you were well trained in sword fighting and martial arts even before you knew about the camp
you planned to take him by surprise, and luckily it worked
with ruthless attacks, it didn’t take long for you to sweep him off his feet and knock his sword out of his hand
by pressing the flat of your sword under his chin, you forced him to look up at you, and you peered into those clear green eyes
gods, he’s cute, you thought
“hey,” you said
percy was stunned, not sure if it was because you effortlessly took him down or if it was because you were one of the prettiest girls he’s ever seen
“... hi,” he sputtered, gawking for a moment as you offered your hand
you swore you felt sparks when his fingers brush across your palm... even though the contact was a little sweaty
in the distance, you heard the satyrs blow the horn and the roars of celebration from your team
“i should go back to the others. catch you later, ocean eyes,” you flirted
percy’s shoulders tensed up when you blew him a kiss; awkwardly frozen in his place as you waited
“well, are you going to catch it? you can’t just let my kiss fly away.”
percy shifted on his feet, not sure if you were serious or not, but when you held your ground with arms folded over your chest, it was clear that’s what you were waiting for
and so with a flushed face, percy awkwardly grabbed the air in the front of him, and you couldn’t help but giggle
“good, i wouldn’t want it flying to a stranger,” you commented playfully. “you know, i don’t really like this whole outdoor camp life thing, but seeing your pretty face around here makes it a lot better”
“uh… oh, thanks?” he stammered, not having the words to respond
you winked at him before walking off, more than satisfied with your first impression
after that, you were contemplating your next move
children of aphrodite can see all the possibilities in a potential relationship
you were able to see you and percy eating ice cream in central park, holding hands at camp, a shy kiss on your first date
you wanted all of it, and you going to make sure you get it
of course, silena and your siblings were your wing women
if percy was in the strawberry fields, you were picking strawberries beside him
in the fields, you got to know him and his sarcastic humor, which made your crush flourish
you even took sword fighting classes at the same time as him and made sure he was your partner most of the time
whenever you had a chance, you’d affectionately fix his hair or his armor just to hear his shy thank you’s
he’s never had a girl show this much interest in him, so you definitely made him a little nervous, but despite that, he opened up to you pretty quick
sometimes he’d help you out in the stables, and you noticed how he’d fumble with the harnesses or knock things over when you would flirt with him
you loved his reactions so much that you always took it up a notch just to see how he’d react
you suppose the pegasi didn’t make percy’s shyness any better
there were times where he’d shush them, or the tips of his ears would grow even more flushed at a neigh or huff from one of the pegasuses
as the summer came to an end, you gave percy your email and made sure you stayed in touch
you didn’t live very far from one another, but you didn’t dare ask to hangout
you wanted to be asked first!
and you were disappointed when the invitation never came despite the two of you being consistent with sending emails
the year flew by fast, though, and you were excited to return to camp for an array of reasons; percy being one of those reasons, of course
when you saw him for the first time that summer, you were in awe at how different he looked after a year
he was taller, broader, and just more handsome overall
your stomach went into a frenzy when he greeted you with a boyish smile while his hand rubbed the back of his neck nervously because he didn’t fail to notice how, somehow, you were even prettier than he remembered
unfortunately, having the prepare for the war meant you guys were too busy to hang out as often as you did the previous summer
but when you did have time to see each other, it was still fun
there was an unspoken rule between you and percy that any talk about the war wasn’t allowed
it allowed you guys to just bask in the nights where you would watch the sunset while joking around and sharing funny stories
those nights were calm and still; they brought a sense of normalcy amongst the chaos and growing tensions
because of this, percy had sought out your company whenever he could get it
being with you made him feel like time slowed down
inevitably, the battle of manhattan occurred and passed, causing the summer to end with the grief of losing your siblings
while campers arranged the ceremonies to honor their siblings, percy hopped around to help
losing silena as a counselor meant it was time to pick a new one, and to your surprise, your siblings nominated you
you were silena’s right-hand person, the oldest in the group after her, and the strongest fighter, so your siblings felt it was fair that you took the role
but it didn’t feel right to you; the pressure of being a newly elected councilor while still grieving silena weighed hard on your shoulders
after the nomination, you needed time to get away and sit with your thoughts, and you were only there for a moment alone until percy had found you
his eyes studied your somber expression, and he was quick to ask what was wrong
as you poured out all your worries, percy was quiet and attentive
you cuddled up to his side for comfort, and even in your sorrow, you didn’t fail to notice the way he tensed up
finally, when you let everything out, he chimed in to soothe your worries
your expression was a little lovestruck as he said everything you needed to hear, and well, his strong arm around your shoulders definitely helped too
you were so elated that you couldn't help but press a kiss on his cheek to thank him
his flushed face was enough to lift your spirits for good that day
by the time the summer officially came to an end, you could feel that percy’s feelings for you were becoming stronger
the romantic possibilities you envisioned became more apparent, but percy hadn’t asked you out yet
and like, you guessed you could have asked him out, but that wasn't fair in your book
you were already making the first moves; it was his turn to do something about it
then you were sure your mother pitied you because finally, after a few more months of emailing, percy asked if you to go ice skating with him, and of course, you agreed
but then, you concluded that it was more like a cruel joke from your mom because percy never showed up
you waited hours for him before you trudged home in defeat
heartbroken wasn’t even enough to describe how you were feeling
being stood up with no follow up from him made you conclude that he just wasn’t interested and you just needed to move on
it wasn’t until you went to CHB for christmas break did you find out percy was missing
you were crazy worried about him and helped as much as you could to try and find him
when it was confirmed that he was still alive, you were more than relieved
from that day on, you were itching to see him again, and finally, after the giant war, you were able to speak to him
you only said a hello before you got sucked into a game of truth or dare with your friends
the game was self-explanatory; spin the bottle and the person who’s chosen is submissive to the person who spun it
you made up some lousy dares for the first few people until you spun the bottle in percy’s direction
“truth or dare?” your voice was challenging, and a little flirty
percy shifts in his place, “truth.”
“do you want to kiss me?”
“dare.”
“kiss me.”
the instigating coos of your friends made you smile, which contrasted percy’s stunned expression
“never have i ever-”
“that’s not even the game, percy!”
your friends laughed at your interaction, but you were honestly a little annoyed
he liked you; you could feel it, so what was he even waiting for?
“it’s fine. you don’t have to kiss me if you don’t want to,” you say with a playful smile in an attempt to hide your disappointment
“shit, i’d kiss you,” leo joked, and you suddenly perked up at the request
a new idea came to your mind
“so kiss me,” you snapped your gaze to leo, a smirk on your face
leo gasped so hard; he choked on his own saliva
while he coughed erratically, showcasing all his shock on his face, you announced, “new rule! you can only give up a dare if someone else in the group offers to take it for you.”
your gaze fixed on leo, “so, are you going to kiss me or what?”
“uh, only if you want to,” he stammered, and you smiled, moving to lean over in his direction
suddenly, percy cut in, “i didn’t give up the dare.”
your attention shifted to him, and you didn’t fail to pick up the jealousy radiating off of him
your stomach flipped with anticipation at the success of your idea
if percy needed a push, you were going to push him
“you’ve given leo false hope then,” you joked, and playfully leo sighed.
“man, so close,” he mumbled.
you bit your lip as you leaned in percy’s direction
you felt his attraction to you; his eyes told you everything you needed to know and more
and before you knew it, your lips were against his
the kiss was short, but for a moment, the world around you was drowned out; you barely heard the coos and cheers of your friends around you
with a satisfied smirk, you pulled away, settling back in your spot as percy’s eyes averted elsewhere, too shy to look at you
you and your friends played the game until you grew bored and found something else to do
because the festivities kept pulling you in one direction to another, the only interaction you had with percy was the occasional longing glance and nothing else
as you escorted a few of your sisters who drank a little too much back to your cabin, you were sure you’d have to wait another day to talk to him
lost in your dismay, you automatically denied piper’s offer to finish the task
it wasn’t until she scoffed did you pull out of your thoughts
“are you kidding? go. i’ll get them back. you find percy.”
“oh yeah. you guys need to do something about that sexual tension. are you gonna date him or what?” another one of your sisters slurred
before you could even protest, you were shooed away by not only piper but by the rest of your siblings too
you stayed in your spot, making sure they had at least made it to the steps of the cabin before you pranced up to percy’s cabin
you figured it wouldn’t hurt to ask if he wanted to go on a walk with you
your knock is followed by a few moments of shuffling before he opened the door
and, whew, you were pleasantly surprised to be greeted by a shirtless percy
“hey." you leaned on the door frame, your eyes trailing down to admire his toned torso
“eyes up here," percy playfully demanded
you were almost hesitant to avert your eyes, but you obliged.
"i wanted to ask if you wanted to take a walk. you know, i just haven’t been sleeping well."
percy leaned against the door frame, amused at the dramatic pout on your face.
“sure, let me put on a shirt firs-”
“oh, you don’t have to. i don’t mind,” you cut him off, and his head tilts back just a little as he laughs
“i’m putting on a shirt,” he declares playfully, and you whine in fake disappointment
on your walk, he told you all the crazy things that happened while he was missing, and even though his stories were a lot more interesting than what you had to say, he was eager to hear about what you've been up to
your conversation persisted as you walked around the camp and as you arrived at the docks, another idea came to mind
suddenly, you cut yourself off mid-sentence, your gaze fixed on the water
“perce, you know, i can’t swim,” you mention, stepping on the wooden dock
“really?”
“really.”
it was quiet for a moment, and percy's expression was laced with confusion as you kicked off your shoes
you didn’t even care that you were wearing designer clothes, running straight off the dock and into the deep lake water
you heard percy yell your name right as your body completely submerges in the water
and it wasn't even more than 3 seconds before percy jumped in, one arm immediately wrapping around your waist to swim up to the surface with you
his baffled expression sent you into a fit of laughter
“what? why did you do that?!”
“cause i knew you’d come and get me.”
percy’s lips curved up into a smile, and you took the time to admire his features in the moonlight
you swore you saw his eyes flicker to your lips for a second, and the action made you hyper-aware of how close your noses were
"kiss me!" you thought in your head as you circled your arms around his neck, pulling him even closer
you could feel his admiration, the accelerated thump of his heart, the fluttering in his stomach that mimicked yours
the kiss you shared earlier was far too short for your liking, and you were already looking forward to the next opportunity to kiss him again
“i haven’t forgotten that i owe you a date.”
you smiled at his words, half-distracted at the proximity of his lips
“so it was a date all along?” you asked, and percy nods, amused
“you know, i was thinking now that there isn’t another big prophecy and the chances of me disappearing again aren’t likely, that, maybe, you and i could-”
“yes! gods, yes.” you cut him off, and percy laughs at your eagerness
you waited too long for the question that you couldn’t even let him finish asking
he isn’t able to say anything else as you pull him into a passionate kiss
it was as if the years of anticipation were being poured into the movement of your mouths
the kiss was long, growing in eagerness until the harpies had ruined your fun and the two of you had to run back to your cabins
a part of you had wished that all of this would have happened sooner
you had plenty of nights where you were stared at the ceiling with conflicted thoughts, wondering if you guys just weren't meant to be, if you somehow made up his attraction to you in your head, or if you should ask him out first and save yourself the potential regret
but when you returned to your cabin full of enthusiastic siblings asking why you were soaking wet and why your lipstick was smudged, you realized you wouldn’t have changed a single thing
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rotshop · 3 years
Note
to be fair fucked up regenerative reader is such a cool and interesting concept that could lead to so much potential so i look forward to seeing you write more abt them some day :DD
goddd yeah . idk i especially love characters who are like comically durable. characters who fail saw traps and live or something idk. adore them so ,,,, i want their gender i wish that were me ,,,
anyway .
main 4 + regenerative s/o who is a little bit fucked up .
[ tw violence, injuries, gore?, read note please !! ]
note ; while i wasn't sure how to properly tw it, please be warned there is talk of not caring about health / well-being of self. s/o KINDA has personality but it's just mostly like. being stubborn.
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-You scare the 4 of them. Like on one hand oh cool they don't have to worry about you dropping dead as much but on the other hand. are you ok??? bestie?? even though they know logically you'll be fine they still flinch whenever a lucky agent manages to lodge a knife in your gut or gets a well-placed shot. it especially doesn't help if you're nonchalant about it.
-hank is probably the most outwardly calm about it since he's kinda the same way, he's got his ass handed to him on more than one occasion and yet he's still alive and kicking. they still refuse to let you knowingly do anything that would put you in too much danger, even if you come out fine it's still. bad. they don't know how to explain it (so, most times they simply don't. it's hard to not listen to them with their height and general intimidation no matter what little explanation or reason they give) very well, they just can't help this weird writhing and aching sort of feeling they get at the thought of you being seriously hurt, it's even worse if the thought of you not caring about it all is present. he still instinctively reaches for you and yanks you out of the way before any agents can fire at you. honestly chances are you two kissed for the first time or something after getting into an argument about the topic (will say this applies to most of them lmao)
-chances are you mistake 2b's concern for plain irritation (or some sort of mal-intent if ur a more paranoid type like urs truly <333). which. to be fair.is understandable. where hank shows their concern by eliminating certain scenarios and keeping an eye out for you, 2b scolds you. it's never too scathing (unless you went seriously too far and don't have any real remorse for it, then he will get a little desperate to try and stress his point to you, even if it means being a little bit harsher than he intends to be) but it's still clear he doesn't like you putting yourself in harms way. he tends to be the one to deal with your worse injuries since smaller ones heal pretty quickly on their own (though, he still prefers to look at those and try and disinfect them), so it's safe to say he gets plenty of time to speak his mind. (Not entirely sure of how / where to put this so im putting it here in parenthesis lol ,, but . he does need a good bit of reassurance you're fine, he's seen a lot of the experiments the aahw has had but he's never seen someone quite like you. lot of late night hugs that go on for long periods of time because A) if you're taller then he can bury his face in the crook of your neck and feel / hear your heartbeat a little B) if you're shorter then he just . likes holding you. he knows you can handle yourself but he likes feeling like he at least some kind of ability to help / protect you.)
-dei does his best to not outwardly show exactly how concerned he is- he doesn't wanna put more pressure on you than you probably already have by your own standards n shit. you can still see it pretty clearly since you get stuck w/ him on missions quite a bit, and in some cases you both have to sit somewhere for a little while so you can try and heal a little after pushing too much. always offers for you to lean / lay on him, it feels like the least he can do since he doesn't have very much medical experience and you don't seem keen on teaching him when you're half conscious. admittedly he does freak out if you fall asleep / are especially cold, it makes his paranoid little brain go 'ohhh shit what if this did them in what if they don't get up fuckkk oh god oh god' . he does his best to power through it and just let you sleep or just put his jacket around you but he still clutches onto you a little too tightly (not to mention he's shaken you awake a few times before, he does his best to be gentle but again, grips a little too tightly and he's a little too frantic w/ it). he's had a few breakdowns where you've had to hold him because he's just that scared for you.
-sanford is kinda the same way as dei except he DOES scold you like doc does. not as much but he still gets on your case a little every now and then whenever you come back from a mission where you started to test some limits. also yanks you out of the way in the same way hank does, tends to keep you pretty close to him so he can keep an eye on you if you're especially bad at recognizing / following those limits. also has had to stick with you while you healed on missions sometimes, tends to just pull you into his side and keep you close. unlike dei though !! he does try and encourage you to rest a little (this might just be a me thing but if it helps you sleep too then he will kinda . pet you ? if that makes sense?? he runs warm and he's pretty gentle so it's just nice and tends to calm you down from any adrenaline rush you've got going on.) he however will not . he's too busy keeping both an eye on you and for any other agents / bandits / etc to be able to properly shut his eyes.
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Text
IOTA Reviews: Wishmaker
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Goddamn it... 
It's bad enough Astruc tastelessly axed Lukanette, but now he just had to show up to give a sarcastic eulogy at the funeral.
Let's get into the fourteenth (chronologically the eighteenth) episode of Miraculous Ladybug's fourth season: Wishmaker
Right out of the gate, we get a “Chloe bad” joke with her insulting Marinette for being poor or whatever as she hands out flyers for an upcoming career fair. Chloe doesn't have much of a role in the episode, but she will be important towards the end, trust me. We also get a funny “Marinette stares lovingly at Adrien” joke while she sees him, so it's good the writers are at least trying to get their strange habits out of their systems now instead of later.
While reading over the flyer in his room, Adrien ponders a possible career as he doesn't want to keep being a model.
(The episode came out in English first, so I'm just going to be using quotes instead of screenshots of subbed scenes for this review)
Plagg: Don't you wanna continue to model?
Adrien: I don't think so, Plagg. I'm doing it now because my father asked me to. But now I realize I don't know what I'd want to do. I've never asked myself that question.
This is a really interesting dilemma for Adrien. Unlike other episodes that just have him feel sad for entirely superfluous reasons like Ladybug turning him down or generally moping about his mom, it feels like something you can really understand. He genuinely isn't sure what he wants to do with his life because he's had everything chosen for him before. I also like the use of the English dub saying Adrien modeled because his father asked him to, as if he couldn't actually say no. I also like how Adrien is still starting to lose faith in Ladybug for giving out Miraculous to everyone, which makes even more sense after his view of her was shaken in the previous episode chronologically, “Rocketear”. I also like how Plagg suggests ideas for a career for Adrien, like the two of them opening up a cheese shop together, which shows how Plagg cares for Adrien and wants what's best for him, ultimately highlighting how healthy their relationship is. He's almost like a big brother who gives advice to Adrien, even if it isn't the most sound advice at times.
On the other hand, Marinette already knows what she wants to do with her life, but the Kwamis start to argue over what she actually means by it by saying they know what she wants to do, a painfully accurate metaphor for the writers dictating Marinette's actions no matter how inconsistent they are.
Pollen: What's a career, dear Guardian?
Marinette: Oh. Well, it's... your job! Something really important that you do and gives meaning to your life!
Roaar: Oh! So, your job is being the Guardian of the Miraculous!
Mullo: Of course not! It's being a student!
Xuppu: Not at all! It's making presents for Adrien!
Marinette:Well...
Longg: She said “something important”, like when she crafted the big doll house to hide the Miracle Box!
Wayzz: Or when she designed the alarm for this room! What a masterpiece!
Marinette: Sure, I love crafting but—
Ziggy: You guys don't get it! What gives meaning to her life is to be in love with Adrien, or Luka, that's her job!
Fluff: Luka's the one with the guitar, right?
Kaalki: Her real career is being Ladybug and carve her name in history by her glorious deeds, of course!
Of course, their bickering somehow makes Marinette realize she isn't sure what she wants to do in the future after all.
We then cut to a reality show hosted by TV personality, Alec Cataldi. He's generally an asshole to the people on the shows he hosts and takes pleasure in humiliating or just being a dick to them, making you wonder how he still gets work with that attitude. Basically, he's the Alec Baldwin of the Miraculous Ladybug universe. The current show he's hosting is one where he roasts people for their jobs, making Andre a target by pointing how counterproductive his “business” is.
Alec: Here's a perfect example: Andre, the Ice Cream Maker, the ice cream man that is never around! Let me remind you how this goes: Andre doesn't have a shop, no one knows where he is, it takes forever to find him, and he gets to pick a flavor of your ice cream! You've gotta be kidding, Andre! Give me one reason why I should bother to chase after you when I could get my choice of ice cream in any corner supermarket!
Andre: Well, people don't just come for ice cream when they find me. They come to share their love and experience of magical moments! A supermarket cannot do what I do! I am a creator of magical moments!
Alec: “Creator of magical moments?” You've gotta be kidding!
I'm pretty sure that's what a lot of people thought of Andre when they first saw “Glaciator”. The idea behind Andre is that he chooses ice cream for you representing something about yourself, so he gives Alec a scoop of lime to represent his sour exterior and chocolate cinnamon to represent the dreams he still has within. Alec flinches a little at the ice cream, presumably because of how terrible of a combination that is, and decides to go to commercial to think.
Marinette talks to Andre about what he does, and he explains he used to be an office worker, with the only highlight of his days being making ice cream for himself after work. It eventually inspired him to quit his job and start making ice cream for everyone. It's a nice backstory, and I think a lot of people watching who are struggling to think about their future can relate to this like with the earlier scene with Adrien. It's also a nice touch for the flashbacks to reveal Andre has served ice cream to some of France's most famous couples.
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(Jean Coutau and Jean Marais)
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(Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin)
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(Marion Cotillard and Guillaume Canet)
Granted, I'm wondering how old Andre is to have even met some of these people given Jean Cocteau died in 1963, but seeing how Master Fu is 186, I'm guessing the Miraculous Ladybug universe just has really good healthcare. Either that, or the people in this universe take Jay Kordich's diet very seriously.
Andre gives some ice cream to Marinette, who is soon joined by her ex-boyfriend who she never loved according to the writers. Actually, judging from her face when Luka talks about the very first guitar he made, the writers made another 180 regarding Marinette's feelings for Luka.
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Of course, because the show wants to remind the audience Alec still exists, he makes fun of Luka for taking two years to perfect the delicate craftsmanship it takes to sculpt any instrument when you can just download an app on your phone. Your inner boomer is showing, writers, even if you were born after the time period for that generation. Luka retorts with some vague philosophical line he's known for that's one of the reasons why people are so mixed on him as a character
Luka: Musical instruments fill the space and space fills the instruments. No phone in the world will ever be able to do that.
Despite it being incredibly confusing, it gets to Alec, causing him to run off in tears. Luka and Marinette continue to talk, but it turns out that's Adrien decided to sit down nearby because of course he did. Though, like the last scene, it's a pretty interesting one as the three discuss what they want to do with their lives. There's also a really nice visual of a blimp with an ad Adrien was in passing by while Adrien talks about his father dictating his life, a really nice symbol. Of course, the scene is somewhat ruined by Luka suddenly deciding to be an Adrienette shipper.
Luka: You two will eventually find what's already in front of you, but you can't hear it clearly. Just let the melody flow.
He's referring to their uncertainty of their futures, but earlier on, Luka wanted to help Marinette be honest with her feelings about Adrien, and even before that, Andre was saying that Marinette and Luka didn't have to be in love to enjoy his magic ice cream. It's here when I realized this episode is subtly trying to end any chances of Lukanette still happening with so many little details. Right when the two spend time together, that's when they decided to help Adrien who showed up for no reason, preventing them from potentially coming to terms with their feelings for each other or at the very least discuss how hard it is to be friends with their history. And things only get more frustrating towards the end, where you'd swear someone decided to smother Lukanette with a pillow in its sleep.
Back to Alec, he's roasting a wig salesman (does he even have permission to film any of these people?) for his job, but as soon as the salesman puts a wig on him, Alec immediately gives us his life story.
Alec: When I was a kid, I used to have long hair, but everyone made fun of me. That's why I shaved it all off. I've been making the wrong choices my whole life. My TV shows are nothing personal. I make fun of people when they make fun of me when I was a kid. (Starts to tear up) I should've been the person I always wanted to be, trying to change the world instead of mocking it! (Falls on his knees) I've wasted my life!
I didn't paraphrase this at all. This is seriously what happened. He goes from mocking everyone he meets, to slightly doubting himself after seeing an ice cream vendor and a young musician, and then he starts having an existential crisis about his tragic backstory. It's not a bad idea, but if there was some more buildup in previous episodes, I'd understand. But this goes from confusing to straight out insulting towards the end. I'll get to that later on.
Shadowmoth notices Alec's emotions and akumatizes him into Wishmaker through his microphone.
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Wishmaker has a pretty cool design. The grey skin color coupled with the mostly black outfit really highlights Alec's broken heart, and he looks pretty sinister. His powers... leave a lot to be desired.  Like the name states, Wishmaker has the power to make everyone's childhood dreams come true, like this one guy's dream is to be Santa Claus, so he transforms into Saint Nick without any hitch. Wouldn't it make more sense if Wishmaker twisted the dreams of his victims like a genie and made them miserable while they ironically lived out their fantasies by twisting around their words? Instead, all of his “victims” seem pretty happy, which doesn't really do much to make him a threat in my opinion.
So the aforementioned Santa starts dropping presents like bombs near Marinette, Adrien, and Luka, and they're separated by a giant robot. Marinette quickly transforms into Ladybug, and gets Luka to safety, though as soon as she leaves, Luka goes to check on where he told Marinette to stay for safety, and doesn't see her there. Instead, he sees his deadbeat father (transformed into a crocodile) drowning and goes to save him.
Ladybug meets up with Cat Noir (who transformed off-screen) and the two easily incapacitate the robot before engaging Wishmaker, avoiding his blasts. Apparently, they'll get their secret identities revealed if they get hit, so Ladybug goes to get Luka to help out as Viperion while Cat Noir holds off Wishmaker. Ladybug goes to get Luka, leading to the funniest joke in the episode.
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She gives Luka the Snake Miraculous and he transforms into Viperion, immediately activating his Second Chance. For newcomers, Second Chance allows the user to set a point in time when activating it and if something goes wrong, they can go back to that checkpoint in up to five minutes. Ladybug also summons her Lucky Charm, a stuffed dinosaur toy.
Back with Cat Noir, as he engages Wishmaker, the Akuma starts to tempt him with the idea of living out his childhood dream, because he genuinely doesn't remember his. As Shadowmoth orders Wishmaker to use his powers on Cat Noir, Ladybug and Viperion show up, but in the chaos of the fight, Ladybug gets hit by Wishmaker, revealing her childhood dream as the “Knitting Fairy”, and exposes her identity to Viperion, who uses Second Chance to undo the timeline.
In the new timeline, Cat Noir's vulnerability gets to him, so he willingly lets himself get his by Wishmaker, not only exposing his identity as Adrien, but tragically reveals his childhood dream, to be whatever his parents wanted him to be. I feel like this works a lot better than some of the other moments where Cat Noir defied orders or screwed around on the battlefield because it's clearly framed as a moment of weakness on his part, and it was naturally built up over the course of the episode. The reveal of Adrien's childhood dream is a real gut punch too, as it shows just how much Adrien's life has been controlled by his family.
In the third timeline, Viperon deflects Wishmaker's blast meant for Cat Noir and redirects it toward a man whose childhood dream was to become a giant stuffed dinosaur. The stuffed dinosaur in question goes to give Wishmaker a hug, restraining him long enough for Ladybug to steal for Cat Noir to cataclysm (It's a microphone, how hard is it to break???) before she de-evilizes the Akuma. Ladybug uses Miraculous Ladybug to force everyone to stop living out their childhood dreams, she gives Alec a Magical Charm, and Luka decides not to tell Ladybug he knows both her and Cat Noir's secret identities. Why did Ladybug expect Luka not to know her identity when the whole reason she recruited him was to make sure nobody else found out her identity?
Now, while it isn't outright said, it's hinted at that now that Luka knows Marinette is Ladybug and Adrien is Cat Noir, judging from his dejected look after finding out the latter, he may be giving up on all attempts at the idea of getting back together with Marinette, and may or may not start shipping the Love Square now, just like how Kagami decided to ship Adrienette in “Mr. Pigeon 72”. I'm not saying the idea of Luka knowing someone's identity is bad, but it feels like this only happened specifically to stop him from having feelings for Marinette because now he knows Adrien loves her alter ego, and vice versa. Maybe it'll be touched upon in a later episode, but this was just a dick move by the writers in terms of ending all chances of Lukanette like this in order to ensure the Love Square has absolutely no competition.
So the episode ends with Marinette and Adrien deciding to focus on their futures while Alec starts a new show where he helps people live out their childhood dreams, albeit dressed like Style Queen for some reason.
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Eh, he still picked a pretty cool Akuma to dress up as in my opinion. A lot of people have viewed this ending as evidence Alec is a drag queen with how he dressed up, coupled with the fact that he said something that was very similar to famous drag queen RuPaul.
Alec: And now, we're gonna love one another, starting with everyone loving themselves! Because how are you gonna love other people if you don't love yourself?
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Though Astruc, being Astruc, once again decided to be vague when asked about the subject on Twitter, though at least the subtext is better than when he said he didn't make Juleka and Rose girlfriends because of censors while making it seem like a noble act.
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Overall, this was a really good episode, though there were some underlying issues that really kept me from actually liking it. For the most part, it had some good drama with the main character, a rare scene where Marinette didn't stammer around Adrien, a creative (albeit flawed) Akuma with some good action, and an interesting idea with Luka knowing everything about the Love Square now.
There are just two big problems that really got to me about this episode. Let's get the obvious one out of the way, Luka. Honestly, he really didn't need to be in the episode. Sure, he gave some sound advice to Marinette and Adrien about their careers, but it felt kind of strange to see someone their age talking to them about their future when Andre, someone who actually had experience struggling to figure out what he wanted to do with his life, was pushed to the side. And like I said earlier, I think the only reason Luka found out about Marinette and Adrien's identities was to discourage him from thinking about getting back together with Marinette. After all, now that he realizes how “made for each other” they are, he can't stand in the way of the Love Square.
The problem is that in the context of the episode, we don't really see what made him see things that way. At least in “Mr. Pigeon 72”, Kagami consistently viewed Marinette's attempts to get her and Adrien back together as a subconscious desire to be with Adrien. It was dumb with how she decided to go to Team Adrienette at the end of the episode, but it was something. I'm glad the episode didn't force in too many Love Square shenanigans, but I think more should have been done to contextualize Luka's feelings towards the reveal. I get the writers wanted to make sure Lukanette had no chance of coming back, but this just feels rushed.
And then there's Alec's redemption arc. While it's not a bad idea in concept, the problem is that it flies in the fact of a recurring theme this season, that being redemption. Because, here's the funny thing: Alec blatantly said he became an asshole TV personality because of his history of bullying, and decided to retaliate as a result, but he eventually saw the error of his ways and turned over a new leaf. For long time readers of this blog, I apologize for bringing this up yet again, but what exactly makes this different from everything Astruc said about Chloe? You know, when he said that you make your formative choices when you're fourteen? Just like how Alec decided to become a reality TV host making fun of people after a troubling experience from when he was a kid?
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Let's say that I agree with Astruc's views about Chloe. How is Alec different from what Astruc's said about Chloe for almost two years at this point? What makes Chloe, someone who was the victim of a troubled childhood who never got help, an irredeemable monster while Alec, someone who also had a troubled childhood and had even more time to get help while never getting any, capable of change? I thought he Alec made a formative choice when he was young and stuck with it, just like how Chloe started to fully develop at the age of fourteen. I mean, Astruc, you yourself said that Chloe's troubled childhood “was no excuse to treat people like shit”, according to you.
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I'm just saying, dude, if Chloe can't be redeemed because of the stuff you yourself said, then that shouldn't apply to Alec either. When you really think about it, it's almost like Astruc either made up a bunch of excuses to not redeem Chloe, or he's a massive hypocrite for going back on his word. You can't really justify this kind of hypocrisy relating to Alec's redemption when you remember just how much of a hardass Astruc was when explaining why redemption was impossible for Chloe.
This coupled with the treatment of Luka really drags this episode from really good to blatantly insulting to certain viewers. Then again, these two choices just got to me personally. I feel like if those two things weren't there, things could have made this episode a lot better for me personally. I can see why a lot of people in the fandom still like this episode, but I'm honestly not a fan of it.
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taeyongdoyoung · 3 years
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summary: as someone who’s been tormented for being a nerd, you’ve never viewed your friendly teasing towards your best friend seonghwa as bullying. but that is until he completely changes his style and image in school, confronting you about your past behaviour, so you have no choice but to admit the real reason why you’ve been making fun of him...
pairing: popular boy!seonghwa x nerd!reader
genre: high school!AU (the characters are 18 for the spicy parts huehehe), best friends to fake dating to lovers, angst, romance, smut, fluff
warnings: friendly teasing, clichéd/unrealistic portrayal of high school dynamics, hwa does kabedon on yn like once, seonghwa’s a bit of a tsundere, fake dating, hints of possessiveness, slightly problematic remarks, yn is briefly hwa’s slave?! (no, i will not elaborate), bullying, mean girls, insults, hair-pulling, kicking, death threats, some swearing, self-blame, power play, overuse of pet names (princess, baby, little girl, etc.), sir kink (i won’t apologize lol), begging, yunho being nosy (yes, that’s a warning), mention of hypothetical collars, insecurities, making out, loss of virginities, lots of kissing, soft dom!hwa, eating out, fingering, blowjob, consensual protected sex, dirty talk, praising, aftercare, crying, hurt&comfort, a lot of dorky references (cuz that’s me, after all), jumping off a balcony (don’t try this at home!), happy ending
author’s note: will i ever stop bullying poor hwa’s kermit hoodie? no. jk, i lov him so much, he’s so talented & gorgeous no matter what he wears ;-;
disclaimer: all jokes aside, i do not in any way condone bullying and this work is entirely fictional for entertainment purposes! i’ve been physically and emotionally tormented in school and though i have not talked much about it, i do not wish such an experience to anyone! treating people with kindness is cool and i hope everyone spreads more love! ❤️
word count: 9.4k
Having been best friends with Seonghwa for four years now (ever since your first year in high school), you couldn’t help but making fun of every little adorable thing he did. And honestly, you admired his patience when it came to putting up with your incessant teasing. Diligently cleaning up everything after him? You’d call him a neat freak. Not being able to drink coffee? You’d call him a teacup loser. 
So, when he started wearing that green hoodie of his to school, you couldn’t resist the temptation to call him Kermit the frog. And at first, it all started as a joke. But then the nickname kinda stuck and you just kept addressing him as Kermit, even if he wasn’t wearing the delectable green hoodie. And at one point, you could tell that poor Seonghwa was not a huge fan of the whole thing. But he never called you out on it or told you to stop. He never teased you back for being a hopeless nerd who studied 24/7 and read books for fun. So, you kept going.
Until the summer before your last year in high school arrived. Sadly, Seonghwa was going to be out of the country for the whole vacation. You were going to miss him terribly, you realized. You had become so used to seeing him everyday that you couldn’t imagine how you’d last three months without being able to see his pretty face all the time. You’d occasionally text him memes and ask him what he was up to. But as the summer was coming to an end, his replies became less and less frequent, more and more concise. You kept wondering if you’d done something wrong. It couldn’t be the Kermit thing, you began telling yourself. After all, it was normal to tease your best friend every once in a while. Right?
When the first day of your last year in high school came, you were nervously anticipating the moment when you’d see Seonghwa again. Summer without him had been so boring and you couldn’t wait to hug him again and find a new thing to joke about.
The second you saw him, you instinctively knew there would be no more joking around. Seonghwa practically walked into the school hallway like he owned the place. He’d completely changed his style and overall image. Gone were the dorky hoodies you secretly loved so much. Instead, they were replaced by a black leather jacket. Gone were the casual sweatpants he looked so good in. In their place were dark jeans that made him look kinda dangerous. And the whole confidence with which he carried himself was just totally different. 
If you had known that a summer abroad could change a person so much, you would have tried harder at convincing him to stay in the country. On top of it all, he was now hanging out with a bunch of popular a-holes that you had never talked to before. Honestly, you couldn’t even gather the courage to approach your best friend. He looked so distant and unfamiliar that you couldn’t help but feel a little hurt. Especially when you heard him laughing at the cool kids’ jokes. That should have been you...
You remembered when you were the one making him giggle, as if it was a century ago, when in reality it was just a couple of months. You kept sighing during the whole day, not daring to even talk to him. If he wanted to still hang out with you after his sudden “change in status”, he would, you kept convincing yourself. But he didn’t. In fact, he ignored you the whole day, making you feel like shit.
Just as you were leaving the school building in a hurry, mentally prepared for an evening of crying your eyes out and eating ice cream, you felt a hand grabbing you tightly. Turning around, you were surprised to find Seonghwa’s eyes staring back at you.
“Hi, princess,” he greeted you calmly.
“H-hi, S-seonghwa,” you responded dumbly.
“What? No witty comeback?” Seonghwa scoffed, smirking.
“What are you talking about?”
“Aren’t you gonna bully me and call me names again? Kermit? Teacup loser? Neat freak? What’s it gonna be this time?” he spat out, pushing you against the school wall and extending his arms to touch the cold bricks so that you would feel trapped.
“Bully you?” you whispered in disbelief. “H-hwa, I wasn’t...I didn’t m-mean...”
“Oh, yeah?” he mocked your stuttering self. “Then, why did you say all these things, huh?”
“You know why,” you replied.
“No, I don’t. So, tell me right now or I swear, I can make your existence a living hell,” Seonghwa threatened.
“Because I like you, you idiot!” you cried out. “I like you so that’s why I’ve been teasing you. Because if I didn’t, I would have to admit how attractive I find all your habits. How adorable it is when you used to tidy your desk and how sexy you looked in that damned green hoodie. There, I said it. Are you happy now?”
You were so frustrated with the way he ignored you all day only to accuse you of bullying him that you ducked your head swiftly beneath his arm, simultaneously bending your knees, and, thus, successfully escaping from Seonghwa’s ambush.
“Y/N, wait!” he called after you, but you were running too fast and luck was on your side, as the bus arrived at that exact same moment, allowing you to get on it, before he could.
You couldn’t sleep much that night, tormented by the fact Seonghwa had confused your friendly jokes with bullying and how foolishly you’d confessed your feelings for him. You were certain that your affections were unrequited and now that he had this whole new position in the school hierarchy, he would undoubtedly make fun of you for them. You were even considering transferring to another school to avoid the potential embarrassment.
In the morning, no sooner had you finished breakfast in the comfort of your room than you heard loud honks. They were unlike the ones in your dad’s car so you couldn’t help but wonder what jerk had decided to park in front of your house and make your day even worse.
“Sweetie,” your mom informed you a bit after. “Your friend Seonghwa is here. He said he’ll drive you to school today. As promised.”
“He did?” you mumbled in confusion. But maybe because you weren’t ready to talk to your mom yet about what happened yesterday, you lied. “Ah, that’s right, I almost forgot.”
Hurriedly, you grabbed your bag and practically sprinted downstairs. You were curious to see what he wanted. And that’s exactly what you asked the minute you entered his car.
“What the fuck are you doing here?”
“Aw, no good morning for me, princess?” Seonghwa pouted and God, you hated how cute you found him after the way he’d treated you the previous day. “What does it look like I’m doing?” he rolled his eyes, starting the engine. “I’m driving you to school.”
“I can see that. But why?” you hissed.
“Well, someone got up on the wrong side of the bed,” he groaned. “If you’re so insistent on finding out, I’ll tell you. Ever since you told me how you felt yesterday, I’ve been thinking...And I’ve come to the conclusion that you have two options. Option number one is to enjoy your hellish last year of high school. You’ve had your fair share of teasing me so I’m definitely going to enjoy telling everyone about your little crush on me. It’s going to be so much fun to embarrass you in front of the whole school.”
What the fuck was wrong with him? Seonghwa was supposed to be your best friend! Why was he suddenly acting like you were worth less than a dirty rug? Was it possible that he had changed so much in the span of three months? Or was he always like that? Had you been blinded by his good looks? No, that definitely wasn’t the case. Seonghwa was the sweetest guy you’d ever known. How did he get so...cold? Cold enough to chill your bones.
“And what’s option number two?” you grunted, already anticipating the worst.
“So, there’s this annoying girl in our class I want to avoid at all costs. Just because her parents are doing business with mine does not mean I’m into her. Option number two is for us to pretend we’re dating in school. Considering how much you like me, I’m assuming it won’t be very difficult for you to pretend. If you agree, that is.”
What a jerk...You shared your sincere feelings with your best friend and that’s the first thing that crossed his mind? To use you in order to avoid some random girl? If it was any other guy, you would have said no. If you weren’t desperate for even a fraction of Seonghwa’s time and attention, you would have said no. If you weren’t so pathetically whipped for him, you would have said no.
“I’ll do it,” you said. “For how long do you need me to be your fake girlfriend?”
“Just until graduation. Then, we’ll fake break up and each go our separate ways. How does that sound?”
It sounded terrible! You wanted Seonghwa to be a part of your life forever. But with the way he was treating you, you weren’t confident he felt the same way anymore.
“Sounds great,” you lied, because you couldn’t give him the satisfaction of hearing your thoughts. You’d never be perceived as weak again.
The second you walked into school, Seonghwa’s arm wrapped possessively around your shoulder, everyone’s eyes were on you. It was like high-schoolers had no better thing to occupy their time with but to gossip around the latest dating news. If you weren’t enjoying his company so much, you would have found their reactions pathetic. And somewhat unnerving.
“When did you two lovebirds start seeing each other?” one of Seonghwa’s popular friends Yunho asked.
“Oh, you know what they say. A girl and a guy can’t stay just friends for long,” Seonghwa responded.
You internally rolled your eyes. Your best friend before the summer would have never said such a thing. Whatever the reason for his current behaviour was, you would get to the bottom of it. And right now, you felt like going along with this whole fake dating thing was your best chance at unraveling the mystery.
For the first day of your little arrangement, everything seemed to be going fine. Everyone was staring at you two but you didn’t mind. All you cared about was him. However, soon enough Seonghwa started asking you for weird things.
“Carry my bag for me.” / “Get me a drink from the vending machine, will you?” / “Bring me a snack from the supermarket across the street.” / “Oh, and for my friends, too, doll.”
Seriously, it was getting infuriating. You no longer felt like you were his bestie. You didn’t even feel like you were his fake girlfriend. At this point, you had practically become his slave! Running any errand and carrying his stuff for him. But what was the alternative? If you refused to play your part in this pretend dating scheme, he could easily turn against you and make fun of you in front of the whole school. So, you kept your mouth shut and swallowed your pride.
One evening, around a month after the fake dating agreement had started, you had stayed in the library a bit longer to prepare for an upcoming assignment. By the time you were out of the school building, you supposed that Seonghwa had already gone home. Frankly, the only nice thing he was intent on doing for you was driving you to school and back to your place most of the days.
As you were making your way towards the bus stop, you had the strangest suspicion you were being followed. Not daring to turn around, you started walking faster. But unfortunately, your attackers also sped up and soon enough, you were surrounded by a group of angry faces. Their leader was obviously Eunhee, the most popular girl in the whole school. And coincidentally, this was also the girl whose parents were doing business with Seonghwa’s parents. The very reason you were fake dating your best friend in the first place.
“Well, if it isn’t the little bookshrimp,” she mocked you, sticking a sharp nail into your chest. You didn’t bother correcting her that the right term was bookworm. You were already in enough trouble as it was. For some reason, teasing Seonghwa had been easy because you meant well and you were sure he wouldn’t hurt you. Not really. Because he knew how badly you’d been bullied in middle school. But now that you were met with so many threatening figures, you froze rightaway, unable to defend yourself.
“Just l-leave me alone,” you stammered.
“Aw, aren’t you a little pathetic shrimpie?” Eunhee cooed and started pulling your hair harshly and kicking you onto the ground. The other girls were holding you down so that you wouldn’t fight back. “Did you seriously believe you can steal Seonghwa from me? We’re meant to be together and if you stand in our way, I will fucking kill you!”
“S-stop, you’re hurting me!” you exclaimed sorrowfully. You tried your best to shield yourself and push her away but her loyal minions were preventing you from doing so. Just as Eunhee was about to slap you across the face, you witnessed as her threatening hand was stopped mid-air by the interloper whose features you couldn’t quite discern in the dark. But whose voice you would recognize anywhere.
“You think you’re so brave?” Seonghwa yelled at Eunhee and her friends. “Ganging up on her like that? Six against one? You’re the pathetic ones.”
“Hwa, we were just trying to teach her a lesson. She should learn her place, after all,” Eunhee tried to explain.
“A lesson?” he scoffed. “You dumbasses can’t even pass Calculus and you want to teach the smartest girl in our school a lesson?” your heart melted with warmth at how highly he thought of you. “Oh, that’s rich.”
“You won’t tell my dad, right?” Eunhee was suddenly on the defensive. She’d probably be in big trouble if he found out how his precious daughter was behaving in school.
“Get out of my sight right now or I’ll tell the whole country,” Seonghwa threatened through gritted teeth. (Later on, he actually did tell her dad about the incident and Eunhee, along with her followers, were suspended from school for two weeks. Oh, and their rich parents cut off their money, which was pretty impressive an accomplishment). And so, the vicious girls scattered like roaches in daylight. Pulling you onto your feet, Seonghwa grabbed your hand and started walking towards his car which you somehow hadn’t noticed parked nearby. Getting inside, he started the engine immediately but his hands were clutching the steering wheel so hard you were feeling a bit scared. You had never seen your best friend so angry. Well, maybe the only other time that came close was when you were telling him about your past experiences with bullying...
“Are you mad at me?” you asked sheepishly.
“At you?” he chuckled harshly. “Why would I be mad at you? You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I don’t know...”
“Why didn’t you fight them back?” Seonghwa inquired.
“I tried, but I was reminded of middle school and just...froze. I’m sorry.”
“It’s alright, I’m not blaming you,” he replied calmly. “I was just wondering. Cause I know you’ve been going to self-defense classes. And I thought you were making progress. I mean, the last time I came to watch, you were pretty good.”
That was before the summer. Of course it was. Still, you were touched by the fact that he remembered. Despite acting like he didn’t care, you instinctively knew he did.
“I mean, I was,” you said. “But I panicked.”
Seonghwa let go of the wheel with one hand and placed it on your bare knee, rubbing calming circles around it. You two were alone so you were certain this was no longer the fake dating thing. This was just your best friend being there for you when you needed him the most.
“If anyone tries that shit again, just tell them you’re my girlfriend, alright? They have to be idiots to mess with you,” he spoke angrily.
“Fake girlfriend,” you reminded him sadly.
“That’s none of their business,” he replied, but didn’t correct you. Oh, how badly you wished to be his real girlfriend. To show him how much you cared for him.
“Why did you change so much over the summer?” you suddenly asked, while Seonghwa was driving you home.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Seonghwa responded harshly. “You don’t like my green hoodie and you also don’t like my leather jacket? There’s really no satisfying you, is there?”
“I didn’t mean your clothes,” you mumbled. “Just...your overall attitude towards me. Before the summer you used to let me squeeze your cheeks and sit in your lap and now you seem so...unapproachable. I’m just saying, we were closer when I was your best friend than we are now that I’m your fake girlfriend.”
Seonghwa stopped the car abruptly, making you blink in shock.
“I changed because I was sick of you treating me like a little boy and I wanted you to start seeing me as a man,” he admitted but without looking into your eyes.
“W-what are you saying?” you swallowed nervously.
“Nevermind.”
“No, you have to talk to me, Hwa!” you insisted desperately. “If you still consider me your best friend, be honest with me. Please.”
“This,” he gestured vaguely at you as he finally met your gaze. “This is exactly why I changed so much, Y/N. I don’t want to be your best friend anymore.”
His cruel words hurt you more than anything you’d ever experienced in your life. More than all the bullying, the slapping and getting pushed against a wall. Losing your best friend was your worst fear. But you had promised yourself to never be weak again. So the second he said that, you pulled the handle of the side door, attempting to get out of his car. Before you could do that, Seonghwa grabbed your hand, effectively keeping you in place.
“I want to be your boyfriend. For real this time,” he elaborated.
You stared at him in utter confusion.
“But...when I confessed, you acted like you didn’t care. Like I meant nothing to you.”
“Forget how I acted. I only offered the fake dating shit because I wanted to get closer to you again. Make up for the lost time during the summer. Do you honestly think I give a fuck about what Eunhee thinks or says about me? I just used that as an excuse. I’ve told her I’m not into her hundreds of times. And yes, maybe I have changed. Not because I don’t care about you. But because I do. You used to gush about Count Dracula and Darth Vader so much that I thought if I became the bad guy, you’d finally notice me. I wanted so terribly to impress you and make you stop seeing me as your adorable best friend that I got too lost in the feeling of holding power over you...Too lost to notice you liked me all along, didn’t you?”
“I did,” you whispered teary-eyed. “I do,” correcting yourself. “H-hwa, I’m so sorry to break it to you but-”
“If you reject me, I won’t be responsible for attempted murder,” Seonghwa interrupted you jokingly.
“I’m so sorry to break it to you,” you repeated with a sly smirk. “But no matter how hard you try to change, I will always see you as my adorable best friend. And though I have to admit I did stop teasing you temporarily, that was only because you suddenly started behaving like the dangerously sexy king of the high school. Can you blame me for feeling a little intimidated? I know I’ve said this before but I didn’t think me teasingly calling you Kermit would go this far. I never meant to hurt you, Hwa.”
“I know you didn’t, princess,” Seonghwa whispered, gently stroking your cheeks.
“And yes,” you smiled shyly, leaning into his touch.
“Yes, what?”
“Yes, I want to be your real girlfriend. It would be a dream come true.”
“Yeah?” he chuckled, as if the very idea seemed amusing to him. “How badly do you want it?”
“So badly, I would do anything for you, sir,” you uttered the last word without thinking much, your brain somehow recalling a time when you two had discussed how you’d enjoy being called by a potential significant other. In retrospect, that wasn’t really a thing best friends generally talked about.
“Sir?” Seonghwa grinned, leaning his head against your forehead. “Keep that up and your real girlfriend status will be confirmed.”
“I want to kiss you so much,” you were on the verge of begging. Oh, screw it. “Please, please, let me kiss you.”
He didn’t respond, just connected your lips with his own softly, taking his time with you. It was pure magic. You had thought about kissing your best friend thousands of times. But nothing compared to the reality. Parting your lips further to let his tongue in, you physically couldn’t prevent yourself from moaning into his mouth, overwhelmed by how good it felt. How insanely intoxicating he tasted. How you were burning alive and it would be the sweetest death imaginable.
“Not if I kiss you first,” Seonghwa said once he broke the kiss apart. “Oh, wait, I just did.”
What the hell...had just happened? Sneaking a peak at the time, you were suddenly panicking by how late it was.
“Holy shit, my parents are going to kill me!” you exclaimed. “Can you please drive me home?”
“Sure thing, princess,” he laughed, increasingly amused by your flustered self. “That’s exactly what I was intending to do anyways. I’m not in the habit of keeping little girls past their bed time.”
“Shut up, I’m not a little girl!” you complained. “I’m just a few months younger than you. Asshole.”
“Hey! Is that any way to speak to your devoted boyfriend?” Seonghwa scolded you teasingly.
Oh, God. You loved the sound of that. Your best friend was now your boyfriend. It still felt unreal.
“I’m sorry, sir,” you mewled apologetically, already knowing how to make him weak for you with just one tiny word. “And thank you for taking me home.”
“Anytime,” Seonghwa smiled. “See you tomorrow, baby.”
You could get used to it. Reaching forward to open the door for you, he whispered in your ear:
“I’m taking you out on our first date. Doll yourself up for me, will you?”
You nodded, your heart beating too fast to actually manage a verbal response. After you got inside and suffered a brief interrogation from your parents (using the library+extra assignments excuse), you hurried up the stairs, took a quick shower and then went to bed. No sooner had you closed your eyes than your phone buzzed with notifications.
Kermit the Frog: You still up?
Kermit the Frog: For fear of sounding lame, I moss you already
Kermit the Frog: *Miss...damn autocorrect
You chuckled upon seeing his messages. Whatever demon possessed you to still keep that nickname in your chat, you knew you had to change it immediately. If he saw it on your first date tomorrow, you would never hear the end of it.
You: I’m awake, yes
You: And I moss you too 😉
You purposefully misspelled the word to tease him. After all, it was only in order.
Boyfie 🐸: That obnoxious Kermit nickname better be gone by tomorrow
He texted as if he’d read your mind and you gasped in surprise.
Boyfie 🐸: Or we’re having our first couple fight!!
You: How did you know?!?
Boyfie 🐸: Not my fault you keep your phone unlocked sometimes
Boyfie 🐸: I’m not kidding, change it right now 😡
You: Changed it already
You texted him back quickly, sending him a screenshot.
You: Can I at least keep the frog emoji? 🥺
Boyfie 🐸: NO!!! REMOVE IT OR WE BREAK UP 😡😡😡
You: Damnit, Hwa, your angery Aries is showing...okay, fineee
You sent another screenshot of the now changed emoji.
You: Happy now?
Boyfie ❤️🖤💙: Much better, princess 🤗🤗🤗
Boyfie ❤️🖤💙: Now go to sleep, we have early classes tomorrow
You: Wow, so bossy. Okay, sir, I’m going
Boyfie ❤️🖤💙: Good night, my baby 😘
You: Staaahp, ohmygosh. And good night, Hwa 🥺
The next morning you ran outside faster than The Flash as soon as you heard the oh-so-familiar honks. When you saw Seonghwa waiting there to pick you up, your heart did a backflip as you excitedly took the passenger seat.
“Good morning, boyfriend,” you greeted him and kissed his cheek. “This still feels so strange.”
“Well, you better get used to it, doll. Wow, you really cleaned up nicely today,” he complimented your pastel pink dress. “Not that you usually don’t! You’re always gorgeous, I just meant that you’re especially gorgeous and...nope, that also sounds wrong. Okay, I shut up now.”
“Relax,” you giggled. “It’s fine. I appreciate the effort. You don’t look so bad yourself. Oh, who am I kidding? You’re practically sex on legs 24/7. I think it’s time for me to shut up now.”
“You’re so cute when you get flustered. Anyone ever tell you that?”
“Just you,” you admitted.
Once you walked into the school, it was like everyone noticed the subtle change in your dynamic. Because Seonghwa did something he never did before. He carried your bag and gave you his leather jacket! And Hwa’s friends were immediately onto you like bees to honey.
“I mean, I knew you guys were dating,” Seonghwa’s friend Yunho observed. “But I never saw the chemistry before, to be honest. Until now. I mean, come on, Y/N was like a loyal puppy, always following Hwa around.”
“Hey, don’t give him any ideas!” you joked.
“Too late. Already ordered the collar,” Seonghwa winked.
“Kinky. Can’t tell if I’m into it or want to cut off my ears,” Yunho grinned. “Probably both.”
“Nice chat, but we gotta head to class, Yu,” Seonghwa said because his friend was in a different class.
“See you for lunch?” Yunho suggested.
“Can’t. Already made plans with this little girl,” Hwa tilted his head towards you.
“Whoo, enjoy, then!”
“It’s not what it sounds like!” you groaned, feeling uncharacteristically embarassed.
“Isn’t it?” Seonghwa smirked mysteriously and pulled you towards the room you had class in.
“Nothing involving collars and puppies, I assure you!” you yelled (perhaps a little too loudly), twisting your head, not wanting to give Yunho and the rest of Seonghwa’s friends the wrong idea.
When your classes for the day were over, Seonghwa led you towards his car once again. You were a bit nervous to make a good impression on your first date. Even though it was silly. Your best friend of four years had surely made a first impression a long time ago.
“Where are we going?” you asked to break the awkward silence.
“It’s a surprise, princess. Can you be patient for me?”
“I can,” you promised dutifully and placed your tiny hand on top of his. “Anything for you, sir.”
Seonghwa lost focus on the road for the briefest of moments in order to give you a warning look. One look and that was all you needed to keep you quiet and obedient. Eventually, you realized where he was taking you. Though you hadn’t been to his place for a couple of months now, you couldn’t forget how the drive to Seonghwa’s home looked.
“I dressed myself up and we’re just going to your place?” you hmphed in playful annoyance. “So much for our glamorous first date.”
“Don’t underestimate the power of my cooking skills. Shit, I sorta ruined the surprise, didn’t I?”
“Aww, you were planning to cook for me on our first date? Hwaaa, I’ve only had you as a boyfriend for less than 24 hours and you’re already pulling out the big guns! I don’t mean to push my luck but if you’re cooking now, I’m trembling to witness our one month anniversary.”
Seonghwa rolled his eyes.
“You’re very ambitious to think you can put up with me for an entire month.”
”Hwa, sweetie, I’ve put up with you for four years.”
“Not as your boyfriend, you haven’t.”
“We’ll talk again in 30 days,” you vowed enigmatically.
“Here we are,” Seonghwa announced once he parked in front of his home. “My parents are currently at work so you don’t need to worry about...well, anything, really.”
“What’s the supposed to mean?” for some reason his words made you even more worried.
“Nothing, I just meant you can...like, be yourself. There’s no one to impress.”
“There’s you,” you pointed out. “Don’t forget your parents already know me. And besides, you’re the only person I care about impressing.” 
“Not to stroke your ego, but you’ve already impressed me. After all, you’re the only one who’s had the audacity to compare me to a freaking muppet and survived.”
“Point taken,” you chuckled.
“Come on, let’s get inside,” Seonghwa suggested and the two of you entered his house. No matter how much you begged him to let you help with the cooking, he was insistent that he would do all the work. Said something about making up to you for the times you had to carry his bag or buy snacks to him and his friends. When you argued that you also had some making up to do for all the times you teased him a little too insensitively, he said that you agreeing to be his real girlfriend was enough to satisfy his wounded heart. Seeing that there was no point in arguing, you gave up and occupied yourself by mindlessly scrolling through social media. About an hour later, Seonghwa finally deemed his culinary masterpieces ready to be eaten. He allowed you to at least help set the table which you considered a small victory. The second you tried the first meal, you were so overwhelmed by the exquisite tastes that you spoke without thinking much.
“God, I wanna marry you.”
Seonghwa simply chuckled, amused by your unexpected reaction.
“Did I say that out loud?” you whispered, completely mortified, covering your mouth in embarassment.
“I’m afraid so.”
“Shit, I’m such a mess,” you mumbled.
“No, it’s fine. I take it as a compliment. Now, eat up before it gets cold. If my wicked plan works, you’ll have bought me a wedding ring by the time dessert arrives.”
“Truly wicked. I’m in danger,” you laughed and kept enjoying the various meals Seonghwa had prepared. 
Once the plates were empty, you felt so full and warm you couldn’t possibly move. And no, that wasn’t an exaggeration. Seonghwa had to physically carry you to the couch so that you two would re-watch Star Wars: Return of the Jedi together, warmly cuddled up under a blanket.
Suddenly, you were possessed by the urge to speak your mind and be as honest with him as possible. After hiding your true feelings for four years, now that you were finally given the chance to be yourself, you were feeling uncharacteristically brave.
“You know, even though I was messing around earlier, I had indeed daydreamed about marrying you back in our first year of high school. You were the first boy who ever treated me like I wasn’t the walking joke of the universe. The first who ever hung out with me not as a prank but because you actually saw me as a friend. When I started teasing you about your cute habits, I hope you know I never wished to hurt you. I just wanted to show you that I notice and appreciate every single detail about you. So, yeah, I really like you, Hwa. Have liked you for a long time.”
Seonghwa had paused the movie the second you started talking. And now that you were done sharing your thoughts, he seemed unable to say anything. The silence was a bit awkward so you interrupted it once again.
“I’m sorry, that was silly. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable so early in our re-”
This time, he interrupted you with a kiss, pulling you into his lap, just like the good old days. You smiled into his mouth, wrapping your arms around him.
“It wasn’t silly. I appreciate you saying all that,” Seonghwa reassured you. “And for the record, I know you meant well with all the teasing. In a sense, a part of me even suspected that you liked me back. But I was also feeling a bit insecure. I kept thinking that you could do so much better than go out with dorky Kermit guy who has an obsession with tidying up, you know? That you deserved someone else. But I couldn’t allow anyone else to be that someone. So, I changed myself.”
“Maybe you did change a little. But in my heart, you’re always going to be my Frog Prince Hwa.”
“I hate you so much,” he rolled his eyes.
“Naw, you don’t.”
“Fine. I hate that you’re right.”
Things between you and Seonghwa were going great. It had been three months since you two started dating for real. He was super attentive and caring towards you. However, you were a bit bummed out since not much changed compared to his behaviour as your best friend and as your boyfriend. Sure, you did start kissing each other and occasionally making out (which wasn’t exactly a best friend activity). But there was one thing that still had not happened. And the more time passed, the more anxious you felt to bring it up.
One evening, you had miraculously convinced your parents to let you have a sleepover at Seonghwa’s place. After insisting that nothing out of the ordinary was going on between you two and even if something unusual did happen (which you highly doubted but secretly hoped for), you were going to use protection (and no, you were certainly not referring to Seonghwa’s collection of action figures who carried weapons).
As you and your boyfriend were enjoying your snacks while watching TV from the comfort of his bed, you couldn’t help but finally raise the question that had been tormenting your mind for a while now.
“S-seonghwa...do you not find me attractive?”
“What the hell are you asking me that for? Would you be my girlfriend if I didn’t find you attractive?”
“Well, I don’t know. I’ve never dated anyone before so...I was just wondering if there’s a particular reason why we still haven’t...taken things to the next level?”
“The next level?” he chuckled. “Relationships aren’t video games. And to answer your question, the reason’s actually the exact opposite of your concerns. We haven’t done anything more than making out because I find you ridiculously attractive. And it’s taking every last inch of my self-restraint to not pressure you into something you’re not comfortable with. I just wanted to wait until you’re ready.”
“Ready? So you knew that I haven’t...with anyone...yet?” you purposefully left out some words because you were feeling incredibly shy discussing this with Seonghwa.
“Of course I knew, princess. You’re my best friend. And my girlfriend.”
“Well, that’s a relief, at least. That you’re not repulsed by my...inexperience.”
“Why would I be when we’re in the same boat?”
“We are?” you whispered in shock.
“Why do you look so surprised?” Seonghwa laughed. “I’ve had the biggest crush on you since forever. Did you honestly think I would just screw anyone else?”
“Well, it’s not like you didn’t have options,” you pointed out, referring to all the potential love interests swarming around him like bees. “Unlike me.”
“Are you regretful, little girl?” he inquired, running a lazy finger across your cheek. “Jealous?”
“No, I just...want to be the best for you, sir,” you confessed nervously.
“You’re already the best I could hope for,” Seonghwa responded and kissed you hungrily, burying his hands into your hair.
“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” you curiously needed to know. “That you haven’t either...”
“It’s not something that comes up in everyday conversation?” he pointed out. “What was I supposed to say? Hi, bestie, let’s have lunch together. Oh and by the way, I’m a hopeless virgin pining over you?”
“You’re right,” you laughed. “It would have made things awkward.”
“Now, unless you have any other pressing issues, I suggest we go back to kissing.”
And without giving you the time to argue, Seonghwa devoured your lips rightaway, gently pushing you down so that your back hit the sheets. Then, he started slowly taking off your jeans. Anxiously trembling under his vigorous touch, you placed a hand against his chest. He immediately noticed and put a temporary halt to his ministrations.
“We don’t have to do this right now,” he comforted you with all the seriousness in his voice.
“No, I want to, I swear,” you nodded eagerly.
“Princess, you’re literally shaking,” Seonghwa remarked.
“What’s wrong with me?” you sighed.
“There’s nothing wrong with you. You’re perfect. Tell me to stop if you feel even the slightest hint of hesitation or discomfort and I will, I promise.”
“I know you would, Hwa. I trust you. But even if I’m a bit nervous, I want to do this with you. Please?”
“Well, I can’t deny you since you’re asking so nicely,” he grinned and continued where he left off. “Can I get rid of these?” Seonghwa inquired, carefully pushing your panties to the side.
“Yes, you can do anything to me.”
“Oh, sweetheart, you really shouldn’t have said that,” he chuckled darkly and tore your underwear savagely. You couldn’t even gather the energy to complain about the ruination of your new pair, you were far too turned on by Seonghwa’s aggressive nature to care. He didn’t waste any more time, grabbing your thighs to hold them in place, he began licking your pussy with his tongue and stimulating it with his long fingers. It didn’t take long for you to start squirming beneath his touch, helplessly moaning his name. He didn’t cease his merciless movements until you reached your orgasm. When your breathing finally eased, you gathered the energy to speak again:
“I thought you said you’ve never done this before? How were you so...so...”
“So good?” Seonghwa smirked confidently and bit his lower lip. “I mean...I’ve seen videos. Read some things here and there.”
“Honestly? I think you’re a god.”
“You’ll have to stop complimenting me so much or I’ll develop a god complex,” he joked. “What do you want to do next, baby?”
“I want to suck you off,” you mumbled.
“Who taught you such dirty language?”
“Hey! I read, too,” you pouted and assuredly made your way towards the carpet next to his bed.
“Where do you think you’re going?��� Seonghwa asked.
“Aren’t I supposed to kneel in order to pleasure you, sir?”
“Princesses never kneel,” he instructed and got up from the bed, urging you to lie down with your head hanging from the very edge of the bed and make yourself comfortable. “Open up that pretty little mouth for me, will you?”
You did as he asked obediently and even went the extra mile to stick your tongue out. Unbuckling his belt and throwing it to the side, Seonghwa was quick to follow your wishes and let his cock spring free from his jeans. Your mouth went dry at the sight of his monstrous size. Seeing your worries if it will fit reflected in your eyes, he expressed his concern for you:
“Are you sure about this?”
“Please, please, I need you,” you whimpered without thinking, eager to have a taste. Without making you wait any longer, Seonghwa pushed the tip of his cock inside, gently letting your cheeks get used to the unfamiliar feeling. Slowly, he went deeper, allowing you to acquaint yourself with the stretch. When you kept blinking at him in anticipation, he realized you were ready for more and began moving faster, fucking into your mouth at a steady pace. As he neared his high, his motions became less controlled you were sucking more intently, impatient to swallow every last drop of him.
“Shit, I’m going to-” he attempted to break away, but you managed to wrap your hands at the back of his legs in order to keep his cock inside your mouth. 
Seconds later, he released his cum and you began drinking it thirstily. When you had made certain that no drop was wasted, you finally let go of his legs, allowing your boyfriend’s dick to dangle freely outside of your mouth.
“You’re fucking incredible,” Seonghwa praised you and placed a soft kiss on the top of your head. “My incredible girl.”
“I’m only yours, sir,” you mumbled, way too affected by him.
“You like this, don’t you?” he mocked you teasingly.
“Yes, sir, I want to belong to you,” you whimpered and turned around to pull him back into bed.
“Your wish is my command, princess,” Seonghwa smiled fondly and took a mysterious package out of the back pocket of his jeans. Soon enough, you realized what it was, as he started lining up the condom on his cock.
“Oooh, I brought one of those, as well!” you exclaimed in surprise.
“You came here on a mission, didn’t you? Wicked little thing,” he tsked in fake disapproval.
“It’s not my fault you’re walking around like an Adonis,” you defended yourself boldly.
“You’re one to speak. Freaking goddess,” Seonghwa complimented you and slowly began unbuttoning your shirt you had somehow forgotten you were still wearing. “Is this okay?” he asked softly, always making sure you were feeling safe.
“More than okay,” you consented. Left in nothing but your baby pink bra, you unintentionally shivered at the sudden cold air surrounding you. Soon after that, Seonghwa undid the clasps and you were now only wearing your birthday suit. Feeling a bit timid, you self-consciously covered your breasts and broke eye contact with your boyfriend.
“Hey, hey, look at me,” he pressed the palm of his hand against your cheek. “Do you want to stop?”
You weakly shook your head and somehow managed to gather the strength to look into his beautifully dark eyes once again.
“Then, let me see you, yeah?” Seonghwa nudged your hands away gently. “You’re so beautiful, baby.”
You blushed at his sudden praise and allowed him to have a look. But seconds later, you were getting a bit impatient.
“Please, Hwa, I want you so much.”
“Anything for my princess,” he chuckled and coaxed his tip at your entrance slowly. When you gave him a sign he could go deeper, his movements became bolder. “Fuck, you’re taking me so well.”
“M-more, sir, I swear I can do this,” you begged as you were beginning to unravel beneath him. As he fucked you faster into oblivion, you were no longer thinking straight and his name was the only word you were capable of uttering. Over and over again. Until you both came, blissfully lost in each other’s arms.
“Here, let me clean you up,” Seonghwa offered sweetly, picking you up with little effort and carrying you to the bathtub. 
When he started shampooing your hair, rubbing body lotion into your sensitive skin and covering your neck with soft kisses, you couldn’t stop your tears from falling, touched by his infinite tenderness and by the sheer intimacy of the gesture.
“Darling, are you crying?” he questioned you upon hearing your hiccups.
“N-no,” you lied but it was useless, because it was quite obvious you were, in fact, bawling your eyes out.
“Did I hurt you, my sweet princess?” Seonghwa asked in concern.
“How...how could you think that?” you whimpered. “You’ve been nothing but kind and caring towards me. It’s just that...this is the first time I’ve felt so...special, so worthy, so...”
“Loved?” he offered the word you had been seeking for but had been too scared to utter out loud.
“Y-yeah,” you confirmed shyly. “Is it too early to say this? I’m sorry if it is but...I love you, Seonghwa.”
He simply stared at you in disbelief for a couple of seconds. This time, you were once again the one to break the deafening silence.
“You don’t have to say it back. I just...I wanted you to know. It’s okay if you don’t feel the same way but-”
“I love you too, baby. Of course I do,” Seonghwa reassured you. “And I’m not just saying it, I don’t feel obliged to say it. As my best friend, you know me better than anyone else. And you know I don’t do things unless I want to. So, believe me when I say this.”
“Fuck,” you uttered and only started crying harder in his arms.
“Shhh, you’re safe with me, sweetheart. I would never harm you,” he comforted you and stroked your hair lovingly, putting all your worries and self-doubts at the very back of your head.
After you were all dried up from the bath and had put on your boyfriend’s shirt while he was still in the shower, you were feeling uncharacteristically confident. Confident enough to look for something you hadn’t seen for a while. You had been wondering if he had it hanging around somewhere in his wardrobe. And after a short period of rummaging you found your treasure. The green hoodie. The Kermit hoodie. You smiled mischievously as you changed into it. It still smelled like him, you beamed. Back when he was simply your best friend, the amount of times you had fantasized about him lending it to you should have been illegal. So now that you had been promoted to his girlfriend, you simply couldn’t let such an opportunity pass you by.
Once Seonghwa got out of the shower, water droplets running down the divine skin on his bare chest, you were too busy staring at him in all his beauty and glory to notice the angry look on his face.
“How did you even find this? It was hidden so well in my wardrobe,” he scowled.
“Don’t be mad,” you pouted adorably. “I look so cute in it, right?”
“Cuter than me, that’s for sure,” Seonghwa rolled his eyes and tickled your belly.
“That’s impossible, you make the cutest Kermit,” you giggled, enjoying how easy it was to get on his nerves.
“You’ll never let me live this down, will you?” he groaned.
“Never ever, my stunning Frog Prince,” you vowed and kissed him quickly, taking him by surprise. His eyes widened in shock and he seemed too flustered to continue scolding you.
“You’re in luck today. Nothing can ruin my good mood,” Seonghwa was determined.
“Great,” you grinned gleefully. “Cause from now on, I intend on making all your days filled with joy.”
“From now on?” he chuckled sarcastically. “Oh, princess, my days have been filled with nothing but joy ever since I met you.”
And indeed, both Seonghwa’s days and yours were nothing but pure happiness ever since you decided to make your relationship real. And despite his foolish statement that he no longer wanted to be your best friend, you had somehow managed to convince him that he was both your boyfriend and bestie and that was perfectly okay. As if in the blink of an eye, spring came which meant that the whole school was in nervous excitement about the upcoming prom. Generally, you weren’t the type to get overwhelmed about such a trivial topic. But now that you were dating Seonghwa, the most popular guy in the school, you couldn’t help but worry a little. What if he wanted to go with someone else? Someone equal in “status”? Your worries and insecurities further intensified when he started asking questions in a weird way.
“I need your help,” Seonghwa blurted out over lunch.
“Shoot.”
“Okay, so, I have this friend. And he really likes this girl and wants to ask her to prom. What do you think would make her happy?”
You blinked in surprise. You knew that when people pulled the “I’m just asking for a friend” card, they were most likely talking about themselves. Was he seriously thinking of inviting another girl to prom? You tensed a little but tried really hard to remain neutral in your answer and actually make an attempt to help your bestie.
“I mean, all girls are different,” you reasoned. “If you describe her to me, maybe I’ll be able to give a more appropriate suggestion.”
“She’s a bit like you. You know, kinda bookish and-”
“It’s alright, Seonghwa, you can say it. I’m a nerd.”
“Well, yes, but...”
“It’s not exactly a slur,” you chuckled coldly.
“I know, but that’s what your bullies in middle school called you. I didn’t mean to sound insensitive,” Hwa put his hand on top of yours in a gentle, comforting manner.
“It’s fine when if you say it,” you smiled. “I won’t get offended.”
“I was going to say my friend’s crush is intelligent like you but, oh well.”
“That does sound better, I admit,” you giggled.
“She’s also a bit shy and introverted so maybe she wouldn’t enjoy a public promposal. Crowds tend to make her nervous,” Seonghwa observed.
“Seems like you didn’t need my help after all,” you scoffed playfully.
“No, I do! I still haven’t come up with an actual way to propose. I mean, for my friend.”
“Right. Your friend. Well, he can’t go wrong with some poetry under her balcony. If she has one, that is.”
“I’m pretty sure she does.” Seonghwa smirked. “Alright, thanks.”
He jumped from his seat, not even having finished his lunch.
“Wait, where are you going?”
“I gotta prepare my friend’s promposal,” he shrugged and disappeared from your sight, leaving you a bit crest-fallen. If he was intending on asking you, he wouldn’t have turned to you for help, right? That would sorta ruin the element of surprise, wouldn’t it? And yet, you knew that Seonghwa wasn’t the type to care about people’s opinions and randomly ask a more popular girl out because of public demand. And he definitely wasn’t the kind of person to just date you for kicks and then ditch you at prom. Despite those very logical reasons, you couldn’t help but feel a little anxious.
A week later, you realized all your worries had been for nothing. It was a Sunday morning and you had just finished having breakfast with your family. You were leisurely reading on your bed when you heard some suspicious noises coming from your window. You looked up from your book and you could swear you saw tiny rocks hitting the glass! You jumped up angrily, half-expecting to find a bunch of neighbour kids pulling a prank. But you were surprised when you spotted your boyfriend standing under your balcony. Wearing his iconic green hoodie.
“What are you doing here?” you whispered, though a hopeful part of you already knew the answer.
“But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun. Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,” he recited diligently in a song-like manner.
You couldn’t help but chuckle at his overdramatic acting but it was the effort that touched you immensely.
“And none but fools do wear it; cast it off. It is my lady, O, it is my love! O, that she knew she were!” he continued sweetly.
You were so in love with this man it was insane.
“Two of the fairest stars in all the heaven, Having some business, do entreat her eyes To twinkle in their spheres till they return,” Seonghwa kept going.
You couldn’t resist the urge to leap off the balcony. It was just the second floor so what could possibly go wrong? Other than a scraped knee and a bit of a limp. God, you were such an idiot.
“Shit, are you okay?” Seonghwa asked in terror and wrapped his arms around you.
“The excruciating pain is worth it if I get to hug you like this,” you grinned, leaning against him for support.
“Why couldn’t you just walk down the stairs like a normal person?”
“And what’s romantic about that?” you joked. “Jumping off a balcony makes for a much better story.”
“You’re impossible.”
“Only for you, my sweet Frogmeo!” you teased and kissed his cheek.
“Wait, I wasn’t finished!” Seonghwa exclaimed excitedly, not bothering to act offended about your obsession with him and that Kermit hoodie. “There was something about cheeks, I swear.”
“See, how she leans her cheek upon her hand!” you helped him out dutifully.
“O, that I were a glove upon that hand, That I might touch that cheek!” he finished proudly and placed his palm against your cheek.
“Only you could possibly mix Romeo and Juliet with The Frog Prince and somehow make it work,” you praised him.
“Does that mean you’ll go to prom with me?” Seonghwa tilted his head to the side adorably.
“Of course I will, baby,” you responded happily.
“Thank God, ‘cause learning that monologue drained my soul and brain,” he whistled playfully.
“You know, you had me worried there for a second,” you confessed reluctantly, because you didn’t want to keep any secrets from your doting boyfriend.
“When?” Seonghwa asked in confusion.
“Lunchtime. A week ago. When you asked me for advice. I thought that...”
“That I would ask someone else?” he correctly guessed your suspicions. And you nodded. “Have I ever given you a reason to doubt me?”
“No, you’re perfect. In fact, too perfect. It makes me feel like I don’t deserve you.”
Seonghwa smiled sadly and kissed the top of your head. But he wasn’t angry with you. Just wanted to erase those silly thoughts from your mind.
“You deserve so much more, princess. But I’ll try my best to give you all I can.”
“As will I,” you promised and mischievously pulled the drawstrings on his hoodie, making his face squished adorably.
“If this is the best you’re capable of, I dread to see your worst,” he shook his head in amusement.
“Prince Frogmeo and the Nerdy Princess,” you sighed wistfully. “That would make a hell of a fairy tale, wouldn’t it?”
“How about Kermit the Frog whoops the Princess’s ass for being a brat?” Seonghwa threatened jokingly.
“You know what? I wouldn’t say no to that,” you giggled and started running away from him. “If you catch me first!”
Prom night arrived and despite all the preparations and excitements around it, it was nothing special in itself. What made it special, however, were the moments you spent with Seonghwa. Just dancing and talking seemed to be enough to make your heart leap with joy. And the smile never left your face the entire night.
“School’s really ending, huh?” you spoke aloud without thinking, while you were swaying slightly to the music in your boyfriend’s arms.
“This isn’t the end of us. We’ll go to college, we’ll grow up. The best is yet to come, darling.”
“You know what I meant,” you replied, a hint of sadness tinging your tone. “In college, I’ll study Literature, you’ll study Music. We’ll no longer be able to sit next to each other in class or exchange notes or hold hands under the desk.”
“We’ll do all sorts of other things,” Seonghwa responded cheerfully, trying to think positive. “We’ll have study dates in college, we’ll visit new restaurants and make more memories together. Just because high school is over, doesn’t mean we are. I’m not giving up on my best friend ever.”
“Your girlfriend,” you corrected him playfully.
“My best friend,” he repeated. “You were right. Being in love with each other doesn’t nullify our friendship. Both are equally important to me. You are the most important to me.”
“God, Hwa, how can you say such things so easily?”
“Is your heart fluttering?” your boyfriend and best friend teased you, swirling you around while dancing. You were met with his beautiful dark gaze again as he murmured: “Hi, princess.”
“H-hi, S-seonghwa,” you chuckled in response.
And you were finally home.
The End
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tommybaholland · 3 years
Note
hi !! i was wondering if i can request deku, bakugo, shoto, kiri, and shinso with an s/o that has a quirk that’s like toge inumaki’s cursed speech ??? thank you !! ♡
s/o with a cursed speech quirk
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featuring: midoriya, bakugo, todoroki, kirishima, and shinso
salmon. enjoy :)
midoriya didn’t want to be rude and ask why you wore a face mask like shoji, but chose not to speak. he thought it was odd given that most voice-related quirks still allowed the user to speak; it was an activation power. however, it seemed like you were more guarded about it than present mic would be. nevertheless, he wasn’t about to judge someone about how they look. being the friendly and bubbly boy that he was, he took it upon himself to talk to you, which is how he found out everything about your cursed speech. it was different from any other quirk that he had observed but you didn’t feel different from anyone else with an uncanny ability. he finds your surprising tenacity attractive and believes that a quirk like yours shouldn’t go unnoticed. you’re beautiful and wonderful to him and you deserve to hear it as much as anyone else.
bakugo thought you were just ignoring him when you wouldn’t respond to his incessant yelling. it wasn’t until you said, “don’t move” and effectively immobilized him in midair that he made the connection. he found himself becoming more and more curious about your ability and its potential. he’s definitely thought about how you could end a battle real quickly by simply telling someone to die. its the fact that you stood tall and fought to a fair end with it is what made him think differently about you. he had learned all your safe words and helped create more with you so he could communicate with you. even though you don’t talk that much, still like to tease him about how kind he can be in his own way. you may be a mute but you’re a cute mute who’s still a dumbass to him. 
todoroki had underestimated your power, just like everyone else. he thought that you were pretentious for not talking and therefore made you better than others. little did he know that it was quite the opposite. he had eventually confronted you about it and when you showed him your tattoos, he finally understood. this is not an ability that someone would actively want because you could easily put them in danger. it’s a burden that you’ve had to carry your whole life but he doesn’t like you for your share of trauma. you’re very kind and lovely and funny at times. it was difficult for you to communicate at first because he hasn’t been known as the most talkative person but texting helps a lot. besides that, he’s comfortable laying with you in silence and you don’t even have to say ‘i love you’ to make him fall for you. 
kirishima genuinely thought you were shy and somewhat aloof at first because you didn’t talk at all. once he saw you in combat and using your quirk, he thought that you were really amazing. that was when he started talking to you and even though you couldn’t speak in full sentences, he still found you interesting and worth listening to. when you started dating, you liked to write him little notes and leave them in places where he would find them at some point. he really loved that you did that and has secretly kept every one he’s found, reading them every night before he goes to bed. he thinks the tattoos by your mouth are really cool and he loves leaving sneaky kisses on them. even though you can’t speak, he still thinks you’re beautiful and amazing. he’s well assured of your feelings for him but strives to let his show more everyday. 
shinso flat out didn’t trust you due to your muteness but was oddly allured by it at the same time. he observed you from afar for some time until he realized that you were not much of a threat at all. he felt stupid for thinking that you could have ulterior motives with not talking and wanted to apologize. but every time he tried to converse with you, you wouldn’t engage very much. he thought he was the issue until he saw what your quirk could do. it was similar to his in some regard and he quickly understood your wariness to others. you were never given much chance to explain yourself so he did it for you. that sparked a bond between you that was seemingly indestructible. you primarily used sign language to talk so he had tried to learn it. he learned enough to tell you how he really felt with an ‘i love you’ signed at the end. 
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back to bnha night! request info here..
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sageinacage · 3 years
Note
Hellooo I saw you were taking requests again!! :D Would you be alright doing a bit of a hurt/comfort ish playful fic like Tommy asking techno to help train him. Techno notices that tommy starts to completely overwork himself and comforts him about like not feeling good enough to be techno's brother and techno playfully tickling him to force him to take a break? I'm sorry if this was a long prompt, it's 4am lol... Thank you so much!! :D
summary: tommy wants to be as strong as his brother techno, but doesn’t think he’ll ever be able to a/n: sorry i haven’t been active this weekend :[ im on the last 3 weeks of school and they’re piling so much stuff WAAAH warnings: swearing, self consciousness, self doubt (this is a hurt/comfort fic!) w/c: 1.6k
DSMP
~
“Techno, how did you get to be so… strong?”
“Hard work, Tommy. A lotta’ hard work.”
Tommy huffed, crossing his arms. That was definitely not the answer he wanted, because the boy wanted to be a force to be reckoned with now. “Well… what kind of hard work?” He egged on, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.
“Well, experience is a big one- I’ve done a lot of fighting and gained a lot of perspective from that… uhhhh… I study books with ancient techniques? I uhhh, let me put some thought into this, kid,”
Techno continued to think, putting a hand to his chin in thought. None of these Tommy liked, as they both took much time, perseverance, and he was just too young to have had as much experience as his brother. “Oh, I’ve trained a lot-”
“Aha! Training! How do I train?” Tommy cheered, almost leaping with how excited he got. The boy assumed he would be able to be unstoppable after one training session, but his older brother didn’t know how to convey that it wasn’t possible- but also didn’t want to crush his spirits at the same time.
“Tommy,” Techno started, then let out a long sigh, “..it’s not that easy. I’d be willing to help but-”
“Let’s go now then, big man!” The blonde exclaimed triumphantly, marching towards the entrance to their house’s backyard. Techno watched him stomp out the room towards the back exit, shaking his head and following the boy.
When he arrived outside, Tommy was already in a set of armor with his sword out, grinning madly at Techno. With an amused huff, the piglin picked up his sword and stood a good distance from in front of him.
“Alright, the first thing is stance. Make sure you’re standing so you’ll be able to block on any side of you.” Techno placed his sword down, heading to Tommy. He gently moved his arms and shoulders to be in a preferred position. The boy stood there, completely stiff like a statue.
“Y’know you gotta loosen up, you need to be able to block and dodge attacks and can’t do that when you’re stone.”
“I gotta be like stone, so I can’t be knocked down!”
Techno shook his head, pushing his hand into Tommy’s side, making him fall on the grass. “That wasn’t fair!” Tommy whined, getting up and brushing the dirt off of his light armor. “All is fair in fights, kid. You never know what your opponent will do.” The piglin explained, pushing up his glasses.
Tommy muttered something under his breath, getting into the fighting stance his brother showed him. “I’m ready!” He announced, Tech sighing. “Tommy, you need to know the basics before going into battle.” He frowned, crossing his arms. “There are no basics in war!” Tommy rebuttals, using the phrase Techno used earlier against him.
“Actually there is-”
“I didn’t ask!” Tommy ran at Techno, falling onto the dirt as the man stepped to the side. “You don’t just run at someone and expect to get a hit on them, smartass.” He playfully flicked his brother’s head, who grumbled and got up, trying to get more hits on Techno.
The piglin continued to step out of the way, eventually sighing and easily disarming him from his blunt training sword.
“Tommy-”
“I can’t do it! How can I even be your brother?! I can barely even hold the sword, it's so heavy! I’m done with this, I’ll never be as strong as you!” Tommy fumed, throwing his armor off and stomping inside the house to go up to his room. Techno put his training sword away, sighing softly. ‘The kid has potential, he just gets ahead of himself.’ Techno thought, then heading inside to go upstairs to check up on his little brother.
“Can I come in?” He knocked on the door, hearing a small ‘no’ from inside. Techno huffed. “Please? I want to talk to you, Toms.” He asked again, then hearing nothing. “Fine.” Tommy gave him permission to come in, which Techno gladly took.
“Hey,” His brother sat at the foot of his bed, looking at him. “You’re just so cool. You’re Technoblade, everyone knows you as strong and scary. And… and I’m just Tommy. The little brother, the obnoxious one.” He ranted, sniffling softly as he curled his knees in and hiding his face.
“I wouldn’t say that, Tommy. I’ve heard people talk about how brave you are, which I’m gonna have to agree with. Also, you’re not obnoxious, I wouldn’t want to hang out with you if you were.” Techno showed him a small smile, opening his arms. Tommy leaped into them, wrapping his arms around his brother and holding his cape with an iron grip.
“Really? People think that?”
“I wouldn’t lie to you about that, kid.”
“I am pretty brave and cool, I gotta say,” Tommy chuckled softly at himself, his giggles slowly growing as Techno sighed at him. “Oh, I’ll give you something to laugh about!” He exclaimed playfully, his dull claws shifting around his waist.
“TEHehehechno!” Tommy made the poor mistake of shifting onto his back, so now he was just sprawled across his brother’s lap, stuck in his tickly grasp. “Tommy!” Techno playfully mocked, snickering at Tommy’s small growl in defiance.
“You’re really brave to try to rebuttal my attack, ain'tcha?” He spoke lowly, slipping one of his hands under Tommy’s loose shirt to lightly scratch at the sensitive skin around his belly. “Yohou suhUHUCK!” He complained, kicking his legs out in front of him. “What did you just say to me? You really are fearless.”
The boy was about to smile triumphantly until a blunt claw gently scritched over the bundle of nerves over his hip bone. “SHIHIHIT- Nohot thahahat!” Tommy complained. “Sohomewhehere else!”
“Y’know Tommy, when I tickle Ranboo right here he’d dip out right away. You must be tough if you can withstand this!” Techno praised, a fond smile washing over his face. Tommy continued to shake his head, the ticklish sensations making him tingle all over.
“Hmmm, let’s see if I could make you break. Highly doubt it for how well you’re taking it though, kid.” He chortled before laying Tommy down and skittering both his fingers up his sides. “IT’S SOHO BAHAHAD!” He arched his back, a wheeze escaping him. The claws continued to explore up his sides, dragging back down before stopping at his upper ribs to scribble over the ticklish skin there.
“WHIHIHIYYY?!” Tommy whined, slamming his arms down. “Because!” Techno smirked, drilling his fingers as they were trapped and he couldn’t wiggle them anymore. “THAHAHAT’S WOHOHORSE!” He screeched, the piglin just laughing. “Then free me, smarty!” His fingers continued to drill and prod as much as they could, shifting up to reach his underarms.
“NOHOHO! IT’LL BEHE EVEN WOHOHORSE!” Tommy grumbled, kicking his legs. “Good observation, Tommy! Never let your enemy get an advantage!” His brother praised again, smiling down at him. The grumpiness in the boy’s tone turned more gleeful, the pinkette grunting in success.
“But what if the enemy planned a surprise attack?!” Techno exclaimed, leaning his head down to blow a raspberry over the upper part of his tummy, repeating the action but on his navel next time. “I WIHILL SUHUHURVIVE!” Tommy retorted, trying to push at his head. “I’d like to see you try.” He challenged, lifting his shirt a small bit before leaning down to place nibbles along his lower belly and around his hips.
“FUHUHUCK! TEHEHECHNOHO!” He threw his head back, still holding onto Techno’s hair but not really pushing him away. Techno was genuinely surprised- usually, his nibbles can kill anyone and make them plead for mercy. “Wow Tommy, you can withstand my nibbles? You must really be a champ, huh kid?” He complimented, smiling at Tommy’s giddy squeal.
Techno knew how much Tommy needed this, he needed to hear how actually brave and tough he was, because the truth was the kid was strong, just needed to hear it to believe it. “You were able to survive that, but can you survive this?” He devilishly smiled, moving his claws over to scritch at his lower tummy as he nibbled up his sides.
“YOHOHOU’RE HOHORRIBLE!” Tommy shrieked, kicking his legs and arching his back, but still wasn’t begging for mercy like Techno thought he would. “Able to survive again? This is like the hardest time I’ve had tiring someone out, Toms.” Techno admitted, Tommy giggling and happily chortling in response. He was genuinely proud of himself, feeling stronger than ever.
“Alright. I give up.” Techno chuckled, pulling his brother in for a hug while he calmed down. “I wohohon!” Tommy announced excitedly, hugging him back. “Yeah yeah, whatever.” The piglin sighed contently, pulling away.
“You know Tommy, being strong is more than just physical strength. You gotta have the right mindset, and you’ve definitely got it. I’ve never met someone as strong-willed, enthusiastic, and brave as you.” Techno explained, rubbing his stomach and side area, trying to help with the after-tickles.
“Reheally?”
“Yeah, really.” Techno chuckled, getting up. “How about I teach you a lesson in some historic techniques in fighting, I think you’ll find it interesting.”
“Books are so boring- ugh, fine.” Tommy crossed his arms, standing up and stretching, before following his brother out of the room. “What were you boys doing?! I thought Tommy was being attacked for a hot minute.” Phil laughed from the kitchen, seeing them walk by. “I beat Techno in a tickle fight, that’s what happened!” Tommy laughed, nudging his brother.
“Yep. He beat me. Strong kid, I tell ‘ya.”
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bilgisticallykosher · 3 years
Text
Don't Jump To Conclusions
TS g/t one-shots
I'm in a Sanders Sides g/t server, and sometimes we take scenarios and write on them. I've written a fair amount of stuff on there, myself, and I decided to collect my stuff, and clean it up. This was partially written by @borrowedblue and @andtheyreonfire
Happy birthday, Vel!
Masterpost | AO3
My Discord, not to be confused with the above g/t Sanders Sides one.
Word count: 3,300
Warnings: Spiders! Spider, anyway. Sentient beings sold as pets, attempting restriction of said beings, mentions of bites, implied past abuse/bad treatment.
-----
Virgil was out shopping. Not for groceries or clothing; he was at a pet store, shopping for supplies for his, let's say, pets. Okay, technically they weren't pets. They were research at the lab he worked at, but he still liked them, even when they did try to bite and attack and hiss at him. His descriptions of such had led people to believe that he worked with cats, but he didn't. 
He worked with spiders. 
Well, a lot of bugs, but he liked the spiders the best. His lab observed their behaviors both individually and in groups to catalog a variety of information. As part of their observations, they needed to keep the spiders in their ideal environment, which included as close to the exact blend of earth as they could get. Unfortunately, they'd run out of their supply today. Fortunately, that sort of stuff was widely available. Unfortunately, they used a very specific brand. Fortunately, they found some in a pet store pretty locally. Unfortunately, Virgil was the one who lived nearest to it, so he was stuck going in and getting it on his way home. What a drag, he had to actually interact with people. 
When he got there, he could see why this was the store that had it. It was certainly… well-stocked. Which, really, was just another way to say "huge." It was like the Home Depot of pet stores; no employees in sight, and aisles in need of some serious maps. But whatever. He at least knew which sections to go past. When he finally got to the specialty mix of dirt, near the back of the store, he grabbed it with an 'Ah-hah!' Then, after his elation had faded, he took in his surroundings a bit more. He looked to his left, and noticed the rescue. 
It wasn't odd for a pet store to have a rescue in it. And despite his surly exterior, well, Virgil wasn't immune to cute fluffy animals. Maybe he just so happened to need to walk back to the registers while passing it by. And maybe while he was walking that way, he'd take a little look. You know. While he was there. 
So, path decided, nodding to himself, he strolled over, bag of soil in hand, and prepared to look at the puppies and kittens. Then he stopped and blinked. There were certainly puppies and kittens, and even a bird there, but there were also some different manner of pets. 
He saw fairies, tiny mers, and all manner of little magical creatures. He walked through the display of cages and terrariums, when one in particular caught his eye. He stared at the sign plastered on the seemingly empty glass case.
CAUTION: I BITE! 
"What the-" he squinted, leaning closer to see if there was anything actually in there. He thought he saw something moving underneath the front of the fake log, and then all of a sudden-
-there it was right in front of him. 
He flinched and took a half step back on instinct, despite the fact that it's in a freaking terrarium, genius, and he took in the creature. It was partly human, but had multiple eyes, and its back half was an abdomen, black with dark blue bands, and had multiple legs. 
A drider. 
It was reared up on its back legs, and it was bearing its (he squinted closer to be certain, and sure enough its human half had freaking fangs), and was generally acting very aggressive.
He thought it- they were trying to puff themself up, emphasizing their eight (eight!!!) limbs, six on the bottom, plus their arms. Their multiple eyes were narrowed, directly at him. They were snarling. 
And Virgil couldn't possibly help but to walk towards the terrarium, warning sign be damned. He sees the spider-person pause, some of the aggression draining out, before they rear back again, seemingly trying to be more intimidating than before. Virgil smirked, fascinated, and sank down into a crouch. He really took in the shape and look of their eyes, and his own eyes widened in response. 
Jumping spider, he realizes, and then, Well, duh, they jumped at you, moron, of course they're a jumpy. He tilted his head a few times, trying to really see the details of the drider, while he had the chance. 
"Woah," Virgil whispered. "You're so cool looking." He watched as they frowned and clicked their mouthparts (didn't look completely like typical chelicara) idly, running their pedipalps over them. They seemed to hesitate, lowering down, and stared at him in a more placated manner. 
Honestly, they were pretty cute. "How far can you jump?" Virgil asked, taking in the size of the enclosure. The creature was watching his gaze like, well, someone who had plenty of eyes, then finally, they spoke up. 
"Far beneath my limit in this facsimile of a proper environment," they crossed a pair of human arms and one set of spider legs. They seemed distrustful, gaze still not fully on him. As though they were apprehensive about his reaction, like it was going to be negative? 
"I'll bet," Virgil responded instead, and he nodded a little as his smile fell into a grimace. "This thing has gotta really suck, huh?" He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, eyes still flitting over the spider creature's form every so often. They raised an eyebrow. 
"Indeed." Yeah, there was no way they were used to having a normal conversation. They seemed less wary now, but they didn't seem to be holding back their speech at all. Virgil really admired that. He liked that attitude, and that he was the one getting it out of them, and, well, he liked a lot about them. He had...a dangerous thought. 
"What if," Virgil bit his lip, "what if you got out?" The spider huffed, rolling their (well, some of their) eyes. 
"Then I would be able to jump further," they replied, voice clearly dry despite their size difference. 
"No, no," his smile pulled at the corner of his mouth. "I mean. What if you," Virgil hesitated meaningfully, being sure to emphasize the words. "Got, out." The creature's limbs uncrossed. Virgil saw as comprehension dawned. 
"I am," their words were chosen carefully, he noticed. They had been throughout this entire interaction. "Not allowed to leave my enclosure." Their eyes raked over the human's form. 
"What if I got you out?" The spider person chittered, nervousness written on their face. 
"Theft is not an encouraged activity," they eventually settled on. Virgil snorted and muttered 'be gay, do crime' under his breath. "No, I meant like. Maybe, I could, sort of." He paused, breathed in, breathed out, and tried to look as serious as possible. "Take you home? With an adoption fee and everything?"
"I," the drider swallowed visibly, and of course they didn't trust him, they just met him and he doesn't even know their name, or anything, and he didn't introduce himself- "I am unable to survive in the wild on my own," they finished succinctly. 
Virgil hadn't meant that. They might be a drider, but they were clearly still human, especially after the conversation they'd been having, so, was it wrong that he wanted to take them home? He knew that everyone here was raised to live in a home, with a human taking care of them, just like the pets they adopted out beside them. So, maybe they wouldn't mind if he took them home? But, he guessed that their non-answer gave him his answer, then. That kinda sucked. 
"My name's Virgil," he blurted out before he forgot again. "He/him." They stared at each other for a moment. "Uh, what's your name?" He saw them startle, "I mean, y'know, only if you don't mind."
"My name is Logan." They said, voice even, still, but maybe a little less cautious, he thinks? "I… am also male?" And Virgil couldn't help but smirk again at his confused tone. It was sort of adorably endearing. His eyes drifted towards the sign again. 
"So," he smirked a little more. "You actually ever bite anyone before?" Logan rolled (all of) his eyes. 
"Of course," he pointed to the sign. "Otherwise, it would not be stated on my tank." He sounded almost a little proud. He went on, clarifying despite not being asked to. Virgil was not complaining. "Two separate humans, not to mention the time a child opened my tank after wandering away from his parents." His pedipalps whisked over his face, "I jumped just under my potential that day, unfortunately." He didn't sound sorry at all. Virgil's mouth twitched dangerously. "I landed right on his head."
Virgil burst out laughing. Several people in the store turned around to see what the commotion was about. A volunteer in particular hesitated, before starting to come over to the pair. Logan looked smug, Virgil wiped a tear from his eye. 
"Hello, sir, may I help you with anything?" The voice came suddenly from over his shoulder. He just barely suppressed a flinch. 
"Ah!" Couldn't suppress the scream, though.
"You two seem to be getting along!" The volunteer said. "Do you have any questions about him?" The tone of the question was clearly an underlying 'Would you please take him?'
Virgil gave a look towards Logan's direction. He looked back at Virgil. Maybe, Virgil thought, not as hesitant as before.
"Well," Virgil pulled his gaze away, "maybe just a few."
~~~~~
Logan watched the human- Virgil- as the volunteer led him away, and he found himself repressing a pout. He'd been… nice. Pleasant. Tolerable. 
Okay, so Logan had enjoyed his company, and his conversation. It had been quite some time since that had happened with a human. In fact, it had been quite some time since any conversation at all had happened with a human. They never spoke to him directly. Every human he'd ever known had spoken over him, both literally and figuratively. Especially here, where they spoke instead to the volunteers and his general caretakers. 
He exhaled. Perhaps his standards for 'good conversation' had just slipped considerably. As well as his standards for 'acceptable human.' After all, there he was, discussing taking Logan into his home, with someone all-too-anxious to never see him again. Nice or not, he had to be cautious. He seemed like he cared about his opinion, but that was the thing about humans; they were good at seeming. 
He gave up on trying to listen into their conversation. They were far away, and it only seemed to pertain to what supplies he would need if he took him. At the very least, the volunteer was doing their job of explaining his needs. He skittered into the fake log that was in his environment as he considered his future. 
This was not the first time he'd met someone excited to see him, eager to adopt him. It had happened, once before. He'd been much younger then, much more innocent, much happier, much more eager to go into a home with a human family. 
That eagerness and happiness had lasted about a week. 
And, well, that's why he was with a rescue now. 
He considered Virgil. He spoke to him, yes, was interested, but he was still larger; Logan surmised he could easily fit in his hands, probably even only one. He had more legs, and more eyes, and could jump, and had venomous fangs (barely, to a human), but he was still the one with the disadvantage. A severe one. He shuddered from memories he'd considered long in the past. Apparently, they were still with him in the present. 
Likely, he would not get an opinion on who he went home with, anyway. It was why he made it a point to be so aggressive with everyone who came over to him. But Virgil… Well, he supposed he would see, and soon. The two humans were walking towards his enclosure again, this time Virgil had a large bag of items relevant to Logan’s care. 
He poked his head back out, eyes roving over his figure. Virgil smiled at him, one corner of his mouth tugged further up than the other. He turned to the volunteer. 
"Could you, I mean, if there's maybe…" he made a gesture with his empty hand, seemingly unable to finish his thought. "I kinda wanna," he lost his momentum again. He inhaled and exhaled a few times. "Could I just have a minute with him," he rushed out. The volunteer made some sort of face, but nodded, and left. Virgil took a step forward, and Logan met him (as much as he could from within his glass case) halfway, stepping out from his log. He was certainly more willing to be out in the open with only Virgil there. He returned a tiny, if uneasy smile of his own. 
Virgil crouched down again. "Have you really been here for most of your life? Around humans?" Logan blinked. That took some time. 
"Yes," he admitted. "I was abducted too young to learn any survival instincts." He couldn't say why he so willingly told him his past, but Virgil wanted to know, and Logan knew what that thirst for knowledge was like. "How did you know?" He wasn't accusatory, merely curious, undoubtedly as Virgil had been. 
"Volunteer told me," Virgil made a slight face, and Logan wondered what else he'd been told about his past. He was about to ask, but Virgil continued. "Said you'd been waiting here for way too long." There was a look on his face that Logan had only seen on childrens' face moments before a tantrum. 
He believed that Virgil was sad, but he couldn't figure out why. "That you'd been rescued from a bad situation." Ah. "Uh, listen." Virgil brought a hand up, and Logan flinched, but it was only to awkwardly scratch at his cheek. 
He looked at Logan intensely. "I know we've only known each other for a bit, and I totally understand if your answer's no, but." He looked pained. "Um." Virgil coughed into his hand, likely a gesture to fill the silence rather than a violent expulsion of the contents in his throat. "Would you? Like me? To uh? Take you home? Er- fuck." Virgil groaned, clearly frustrated by his own ineloquence. "Would you like to live with me? I could offer you a bigger space than what you've got here, take care of you- that water looks too old to be healthy- and you can decline if you want. I just- yeah," he finished, slumping over with hunched shoulders from the effort. 
Logan considered it. He considered it for a while. He considered the short time that he'd spent with the human, and made his decision. At the very least, Virgil wouldn’t be that cruel compared to his...other options. Logan nodded. The smallest of smiles flitted up onto his mouth, and that was apparently what Virgil was waiting for. He offered him a 'be right back', and went to grab an employee. Logan took in his cage one last time, hope was rapidly raising in him.
Meanwhile, Virgil was paying for his purchases as well as Logan's adoption fee. When he came back, it was with the volunteer, who was carrying a smaller containment box meant for transportation, and something else in the other hand. 
Logan's habitat was opened, and suddenly, the volunteer's hand plunged into his tank, startling Logan out of his thoughts and immediately put him on the opposition, fangs bared and ready. It didn't matter, though. The volunteer was wearing thick rubber gloves, preventing any form of retaliation on the part of the drider, and he was grabbed roughly around the middle. He hated being held, nobody knew how to properly hold him; he wasn't a human infant, why did they insist on holding him that way? Unable to resist, Logan squirmed in the grip of the human, receiving a light squeeze and a pained look from Virgil for his efforts. 
“Now, just to get him all ready for you,” the volunteer chirped, bringing a bundle of rope into view. Logan’s eyes widened, and he started struggling anew.
As if he hadn’t moved a muscle, Logan felt his arms being pinned and bound behind his back, knotted tightly. Logan couldn't move his upper arms. The volunteer had just grabbed a few of his legs between two fingers, Logan was kicking and still trying to bite, when-
“The hell are you doing?” Virgil asked in a tone that was, quite frankly, utterly terrifying. It made Logan shudder, before almost instinctively he stopped his efforts to escape. Was this Virgil's true nature, then? 
"Oh, this is just standard procedure for all dangerous creatures," the volunteer responded. And Logan's head snapped up to the two. His internal organs seemed to quiver, as much as he knew that wasn't possible. Virgil had been upset at the volunteer? "Just for everybody's safety." 
"Well then," his unending glare at purely the volunteer seemed to confirm who his ire was directed at. "I guess you'll have to untie him, because I don't think he's a danger to me at all." The volunteer stared back, and understandably backed down. 
"Well, you're his new owner, so!" And Logan remained untied, minus his upper arms, and placed in the transportation  carrier. Virgil paid the adoption fee, and took Logan by the handle, and he felt a thrill of freedom, combined with an atypical bout of anxiety. 
"Hey," Virgil started, as they were walking out of the store. "There's some more stuff on the shelves that I could get you,"  Virgil rolled his shoulder. "It's not, like, required equipment or anything, but some of it looked like it could be kind of cool?" Logan squinted. 
"Why would cold items be preferable to own?" Virgil smirked and then bit his lip. 
"No, I mean, like." He mulled it over, tilting his head. "Nea- no." He exhaled some air out his nose. "Fun? Awesome?" Ah. 
"I suppose, if you wanted to look, I would not be opposed." Virgil smiled, and for the next half hour, Logan was treated to a trip around some of the aisles. Virgil held up his cage, letting him look at some of the items made for a drider's physical and mental engagement. He let Logan decide entirely what he did and did not want to buy, even though he was sure it was difficult for him to keep lifting the transport box, in addition to being a tedious way to shop. His favorites were a little him-sized version of a 'Rubick's Cube,' as well as a better version of the log cave that he'd grown accustomed to in the store. 
He paid when he got up front, and they made their way to his car, placing his other purchases in the back. He put Logan on the seat next to him, 'passenger seat,' Logan vaguely recalled. He was about to buckle him in. 
"Alright, sit tight," Logan was about to ask what that meant when Virgil gasped. "Holy shit, I forgot about the rope." He dropped to the ground, crouched again, and opened the top of his carrier. He carefully took his fingers and untied the ropes, immediately freeing his arms. Logan rubbed around his wrists on instinct, "I'm sorry! Does it hurt? Are you okay?" Logan looked up at Virgil's earnest, open face, full of concern for Logan, and thought of how he'd treated him this entire time, how hopeful and excited he'd been. 
"Yes," Logan smiled. "I think I will be."
-----
In my mind he kinda looks like this, and check out that cool size comparison chart at the bottom!
My favorite line from the original: I guess there's like normal things there like cats and dogs and birds and like maybe magical-y things like, winged cats and winged dogs and winged birds.
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