#And yet the dude himself despite the problematic shit he’s done I’m like fine with

[makeste]

I just took that Bakugou introspection as Horikoshi's way of telling the audience that yes Bakugou can keep up with OP Deku because there has been so much muttering across the fanbase that Bakugou won't be able to. I don't see the melodrama of Bakugou only seeing his strength as a means to keep up with Deku or that his pride is problematic. I think him having an idea for his hero names means he knows what his strength is for. He's always been strong as a person (when Deku was not) (pt1)

Losing his quirk doesn't need to be the gateway to force him to develop the kindness and consideration he's already been showing, nor would it be karmatic balance between him and Deku- especially when any scenario that takes his quirk benches him from the story or cheapens the stakes by him getting it back relatively fast. Deku's 15 years of quirklessness can't be balanced. Additionally, Bakugou only lost in the story when he was too close minded to learn, once open minded he started to (pt2)

grow. It doesn't send out a good message, if after all that growth he still gets punished. His declaration of spirit to not lose, be it to Shigaraki or Deku is not a bad thing, he is the underdog with an indominable will and he is declaring his spirit as the symbol of victory. Bakugou may lose his quirk, I don't know, but your reasons I disagree with because we interpret those panels differently. They give the audience a point of reference to guage Bakugou's ability.

you make some excellent points, anon! and you see, it’s strange, because up until this chapter and his monologue, I was in full agreement with most of what you’re saying -- that he’s already figured out all of that hero biz, that he’s already in the process of sorting his shit out on his own, and that Horikoshi is simply waiting for the right moment to finally show it.

but after reading his internal dialogue in this chapter, I’m just not so sure anymore.

in the past I’ve done a lot of guesswork on Kacchan’s thought processes based on his subtle little actions and microexpressions, and on what we’ve already been told about his character thus far. I call it “guesswork”, though, because it very much is that, because we so rarely get an actual glimpse into his head to see what he is really thinking. so when Horikoshi actually does give us one of those rare glimpses, I’m inclined to pay very close attention, and prepared to make any necessary adjustments to my current understanding of his character if need be. he is very, very complicated, and despite my spending an absurd percentage of my free time analyzing him up and down and front to back, that absolutely doesn’t mean that any of those analyses are actually right, lols. I’m constantly updating my internal databank of Kacchan knowledge both from interactions with the rest of the fandom, and -- when Horikoshi actually deigns to give us some new information -- from the canon itself.

anyway! so when I read this chapter and saw Kacchan yet again comparing his progress to Deku’s in his head, and thinking -- even now, even in the moments right before an intense battle!! -- only about his rivalry and about keeping up, that immediately set me to updating my mental bakuwiki in regards to his current character growth status. so he definitely has his hero name picked out already, we know that much. and so presumably has thus already figured out what kind of hero he wants to be. right? right.

and yet he still apparently has not revealed the new name to anyone. even after three months. like yeah, we get it, you made a promise to tell Jeanist first, etc. fair enough, but still! it’s an interesting bit of hesitation to take note of. and then there’s also the matter of Horikoshi’s interview from back in December (which I’ll link in a comment once this is posted), where he talked a lot about Bakugou and made a point of saying that his character growth wasn’t done yet, and that he still needs to apologize to Deku. which is as good a confirmation as any that such an apology is indeed forthcoming.

so why, then, does it seem like we’re still no closer to that moment, even after Kacchan seemingly had a mysterious epiphany at the end of the internship arc, and even after we subsequently went through a three month time jump? Kacchan isn’t one to be slow about it when he decides to make progress. his growth in all other aspects has come by leaps and bounds. and yet when it comes to his relationship with Deku -- his friendship with Deku, except that he still can’t bring himself to acknowledge that’s what it is, and insists on thinking of it as only a rivalry -- it seems like he reached a certain point, and then just... stalled. like he’s not willing to go any further past this. and there are many reasons for why that may be the case. but at the root of all of them is pride.

and I’m not saying he needs to give up that pride, because that’s a huge and very important part of who he is. you said his declaration of spirit not to lose isn’t a bad thing, and I agree. but that doesn’t always make it a good thing either, and I don’t want to get so swept up in my love of the character that I start refusing to acknowledge the downsides of that trademark pride as well. pride, like anything else, is nuanced. it can be both good and bad. it’s good when it motivates you and pushes you to do your best and to achieve your goals. but it’s bad when it makes you inflexible, and when it prevents you from taking actions which would benefit you and others, just because doing so would mean humbling yourself in a way that is scary and which feels like it runs counter to your ultimate goals. because you want to be someone who always wins. and so any time you do experience a loss, you go through an entire mini-crisis, because it feels like your very purpose in life is being threatened.

I don’t know if “problematic” is the word I would use for this aspect of him. I feel like that word is fairly overused, especially in fandom, and now has certain connotations of “this is objectively bad behavior which should be called out and shunned.” and I don’t think that’s the case at all when it comes to Kacchan’s pride. he’s already learned how to put it aside in order to work with others and save others. and that’s great! he already is a great hero by this point, imo. if Horikoshi decided to just end his character arc here and not take it any further, I would actually be just fine with that.

but I think that there is still the potential for more. I think that we are still not done here yet. because this manga consistently surprises and amazes me with the way it goes the extra mile when it comes to character development. Kacchan and Deku didn’t have to reconcile their differences and learn to respect one another after only 120 chapters (I say “only” in a very sincere and not sarcastic sense here, because that really is an insanely short timeframe compared to most other manga). but they did. Endeavor didn’t have to see the error of his ways and decide that he wanted to become a better person, and he definitely didn’t have to be shown apologizing and admitting his wrongdoings and even going so far as to back out of his family’s lives for their sakes and even build them a house so they could move on apart from him. but he did! and that’s insane, you guys. name me another series that goes that hard in trying to redeem a guy whom virtually every single member of this fandom would have once described as ultimately devoid of any redeeming qualities. I can’t think of any.

but BnHA is just like that. it goes hard. it doesn’t back off. nothing about its character arcs is remotely half-assed. and so if a character is showing signs that they are still angling for more growth? that there are still things they need to learn? then I’m inclined to think we are going to roll up our sleeves and get that growth, one way or another.

this story consistently amazes me because whenever I look at a certain aspect of a character’s development and say to myself, “oh hey, that’s pretty awesome, even if it’s still not ideal,” Horikoshi goes and nudges it down another notch towards being ideal. like, the dude just doesn’t settle. and so that’s one of the reasons why I’m convinced this is a very real and even likely possibility. because this kind of development, to me, would be very, very, very close to my ideal. is it strictly necessary? absolutely not. would it fucking blow my mind as a development, however? I kinda think it would, ngl.

-- that is, with the one addendum that since I do love my son very dearly, I wouldn’t want it to actually be permanent. so in order to be truly ideal, such an arc would also have to include a way for him to climb back up again after experiencing that fall. which some might find contrived or “cheap”, as you put it. but that’s a risk I’m very selfishly and biasedly game for all the same, lol. I am more than willing to occasionally suspend my sense of disbelief in the name of character development, and honestly, I don’t actually think it would cheapen the stakes in any way, because just because Kacchan’s main character status gives him cool perks like a one-time get-out-of-losing-your-quirk-for-free card doesn’t mean the same would apply towards anybody else. and for that matter, it wouldn’t detract from whatever soul searching Kacchan does during that period while he fully believes that he will be quirkless for the rest of his life, either. it doesn’t have to be permanent in order to have a permanent impact.

lastly, in regards to it balancing things out between him and Deku, I don’t mean that Kacchan becoming quirkless would (a) be some sort of necessary and deserved punishment for him, or (b) be even remotely equivalent in any kind of way to what Deku experienced while growing up. that is very obviously not the case, and I can’t stand that kind of thinking, that redemption is only about punishment. maybe “karmic” isn’t the word I should have used then; I meant it as a way of signifying something spiritual in the push-pull balance between the two of them, not in the “what goes around comes around you were a jerk and now you’ll finally understand what it feels like” sense of the word. that’s a big yikes, lol. so yeah, just to clarify that part of it!

what I mean by balance is that it would serve as a catalyst to Kacchan finally being able to understand Deku’s side of it. finally being able to see things from the point of view of his rival-friend who’s had the exact opposite arc as him in terms of what he had to do and go through and learn and unlearn to get this far. it would serve as a means of finally bridging that one last gap of understanding between them. it would bring things back into balance because it would bring them back into balance, by giving them the push to finally mend that one last broken part of their former friendship. the part that’s still untouched by both of them, because they’re both afraid of disrupting the current semi-stable truce that they have now in their relationship. even if it’s not perfect. not, if you’ll pardon my use of the word yet again, ideal.

tl;dr I see Bakugou’s introspection as being a lead-in to something potentially game-changing both because I want it to be, and because, as strange as it may seem, the manga has conditioned me to think this way now. to have expectations. to anticipate more depth, more growth. so it may be the case that in this instance I’ve taken those expectations too far and I need to temper them back down and swing them in a less angsty, more traditionally shounen direction. and like I said, if that does wind up being the case, I won’t be upset.

but maybe, just maybe though, this manga will in fact go there once again. if for no other reason than that it can. “Horikoshi really went and did that” is a sentence I’ve gotten very used to typing since I started reading this manga. and so, well, let’s just wait and see.

#bnha 275 #bakugou katsuki #midoriya izuku #bakudeku #bnha meta #bnha #boku no hero academia #bnha spoilers #mha spoilers #bnha manga spoilers #makeste reads bnha #asks #anon asks #long post #because tumblr is being a giant @&$^)! and I'm not sure that the 'read more' function is working in the way it's supposed to be working #so if not I apologize! #my bad #quirkless!bakugou #bakugou meta

[ramheavenandhell]

Last Christmas…

AN: Decided to write a cliché angsty/romancey Christmas fanfiction for you guys. I hope you like it :) Warnings: Rick/Morty, heartbreak and angst, but Happy Ending Summary: "Last Christmas, I gave you my heart…" Maybe this year, Morty gets a nice present in return. (And no, this isn't a song fic.)

Last Christmas… Christmas was different this year somehow. Jerry had been decorating the house on the outside and inside and was more excited about the season than the rest of the family combined. However, that was completely normal. No, it had nothing to do with the childish and spirited family father. The problematic rather rested with the oldest and the youngest of the household: Rick and Morty. Though, if Summer was honest, this all had started last year already. She had no idea what exactly had went down between the two and at first, she had assumed that they had been in a fight. After last year's Christmas Eve, the two had been avoiding each other for a while. However, even after starting to act normal again a few weeks later, it was undeniable that whatever had happened had changed something permanently in their relationship. So, it must have been something more than just a petty argument. Summer was the only one who had even noticed this though and she tried to question her brother about it without any success. Getting her grandfather to share any information about it would be an impossible task – especially since this seemed to be some emotional stuff – and so she didn't even try to make the futile attempt. As such, she could only watch Morty constantly spacing out. It was obvious that while he had been holding it together the entire year that whatever had happened last Christmas was starting to resurface in his thoughts again. While the change was less subtle in Rick, he also acted slightly different and probably also couldn't help but be reminded of it again. If she would just know what had happened, she might have been able to help them, but as things were, the two would just have to deal with their problems themselves. Summer just hoped that they would get this resolved soon because it seriously bothered her to see them like this…

Again, Morty stared into nothingness as he sat on the couch, only being ripped out of his thoughts as his sister elbowed him gently in the side. He could read worry in her face and gave her a reassuring smile to show that he was fine…even if he didn't feel fine at all. He couldn't really help but think about last Christmas again, now that the festive days were returning. Last year he had wanted to give Rick a special present…but it was a mistake. Morty had given his heart to the man and was rejected rather harshly. "What the fuck, Morty! I'm you grandfather for fuck's sake! What's wrong with you?!" It had taken him such a long time to muster up the courage to confess his love to Rick and he had honestly thought that his feelings might be returned or he wouldn't even have attempted to do that. For a long time he had been searching for hints that his grandfather maybe loved him, too, and after some more disastrous adventures that they had been through, he had been convinced that his feelings hadn't been entirely one-sided. However, he had been wrong. And he had ruined their relationship because things weren't the same between them anymore after that. He wished that he had some sort of invention with which he could just erase last year's Christmas. Not only erasing Rick's memory of it but also his own. Surely, his grandfather had a gadget like that somewhere in the garage, but Morty hadn't really dared to look for it. He sighed once more as he wallowed in regret and self-hatred for having done something stupid like that and wondered how many years it would take before he would finally not feel like shit on Christmas anymore. Maybe that would never happen… For now, he would have to worry getting through this season while trying to act normal in front of the rest of the family. He wasn't doing a very good job though since Summer seemed to notice that something was off with him. Thankfully, she stopped questioning him about it. There was no way that he could tell his sister that he had confessed his undying love to their grandfather and sulked now because he was shot down. He couldn't ever tell that to anyone!

Rick was the last one to join the family at the table for Christmas dinner. He threw a quick greeting to their guests – namely Jerry's parents and that one dude that was also there over the last years, though he never got why nor did he care – before taking a seat. His eyes fell on Morty who sat right next to him and avoided eye contact at all costs, looking like he wanted be anywhere but here right now. Of course, Rick knew that it was solely because of his presence that the boy felt so uncomfortable. His daughter and the idiot were blissfully unaware of their son's squeamish behavior. It was probably for the better though. Last year, his grandson had told him that he loved him. And not in the cute way that grandkids love their grandparents. No, he meant in a far more intimate and romantic way. And Rick had…reacted rather harshly. Which was the reason why Morty was acting the way that he was now. The thing was that he hadn't really meant to hurt the boy and he really regretted that he had yelled at him like that. He was sure that it was for the best though, that Morty didn't really know what he asked for and that he needed to see that they couldn't do this. That it is wrong! However, seeing his grandson suffering through the entire year as he did, even if they still went back to their adventures together, made him think that maybe he was the one in the wrong this time. They hadn't talked about this since, but Rick thought that they really needed to. He wanted to clear this up properly and he'd do it this Christmas.

Morty wearily followed Rick into the garage. His grandfather had told him that he had a special present for him and needed to show it to him here. It eerily reminded him of last year, when he was the one who told Rick the same thing and gave him his heart right here only for it to be broken. Yet it was obvious that this was just an excuse to have a talk under four eyes with him. "Morty, we need to talk." Rick started. "About last year." Oh no! Morty didn't want to talk about that. He just wanted to forget that it had ever happened. Why did Rick have to rip open that old wound? "Please, Rick. Just don't…" "No, Morty. We are gonna talk about this and we're gonna talk about it now." Rick interrupted him. He quickly took a gulp from his flask before he began. "Listen, Morty. Grandpa doesn't give much of a crap about morals. Heck, I keep preaching to you how those are only stupid social constructs. But that doesn't change that there's laws on this planet and you're my grandson so this—" he was gesturing between them "—is not accepted. And—" "Yeah, I get it, Rick!" Now it was Morty's turn to break through his grandfather's monologue. "It's wrong and I'm gross. I know that! You're not telling me anything new here, Rick. And I'm sorry, okay? But I just can't help how I feel!!" The boy turned away and was angry with himself for feeling tears welling up in his eyes. Great time to get emotional like this and then right in front of Rick on top of it! Even if Morty tried to suppress it, Rick could hear a sob. Seeing his grandson cry was always something that he felt bad about, but this was just heartbreaking. It wasn't his intention to hurt Morty, he just wanted what was best for him and felt like he needed to get this clear. He needed to bring his point across that this wasn't just okay, that it wasn't accepted on this version of earth and that being together wasn't simple and wouldn't be all rainbows and sunshine like he thought Morty was probably expecting. However, it was a dumb assumption that the teen wasn't grasping the full impact that this sort of relationship between them would have. Rick knew that Morty valued morals and was always intent on acting "righteous" or behaving in accordance to the social norms that he grew up with, but he was aware of the consequences that being together with his grandfather would have. And despite knowing and even despite being given the cold shoulder by Rick one year ago, Morty still loved him. And that knowledge moved something inside Rick. Even if he had always kept telling himself that he didn't care about the boy, tried to drink himself into oblivion every time when his thoughts about his grandson wandered south, even if he lived in denial about his emotions towards him, he couldn't deny anymore that he liked having Morty around. He wanted the boy to be around him. He needed Morty. Fuck it, he loved him!! And he was done with pretending that he wasn't and holding back any longer! "Morty, look at me." The boy only shook his head and refused the request, his shoulders trembling slightly as he still tried to hold back anymore sobs from escaping. Growing slightly frustrated, Rick grabbed his arm and made him turn around to face him. However, Morty still didn't look at him, head held low and his eyes clenched shut tight as tears were streaming down his cheeks. Rick's fingers covered the wet tracks as he grabbed the soft round cheeks and angled Morty's face upwards. Whatever the brunet had expected would happen, this wasn't on his list. His eyes snapped open in shock as he felt something touch his lips and saw Rick's face right in front of him. After they parted again seconds later, Morty's brain was still short-circuiting. "Wha-wha…?" "W-well, M-Mo-Morty…" A slight flush appeared on Rick's cheeks as he became flustered over the emotional "crap" that he was about to say. "L-last year you gave me a-a very special present and I'm sorry that I reacted rather-that I was being an ass about it. So anyways, th-this year it's my turn make up for it and to-uh to give you a special present in return…i-if you still want me that is." Morty looked at him stunned and it took a while until what Rick had said was fully processed by his brain and finally reached home. When it did, a bright smile broke out on his face that made Rick's heart skip a beat and he flung his arms around his grandfather's neck, pulling him down in another kiss. Without hesitation, it was returned. Their lips slid together, moving in massaging motions, pressing so tightly together as if they never wanted to part again, as if they wanted to fuse together and become one. The teen was sure that he had never been as happy as this in his life. This was the best Christmas gift that he could have ever wished for. Everything that had happened last year was forgotten and he was sure that every Christmas to come he would remember this wonderful moment – he was going to cherish this precious memory for all eternity. After few minutes of making out, they pulled apart again, but Morty still held onto Rick. "I love you." He whispered dreamily, despite having to catch his breath again. He was so glad that he could finally say these words without feeling ashamed. However, what came next was an even better present. "I love you, too, Morty." Rick replied without stutter, hesitation or making an awkward face while saying it. It was honest. He really meant what he said and Morty could clearly see that in Rick's eyes. This year's Christmas was truly the best!

AN: This was a byproduct of being tortured by my coworkers with having to listen to 20 different versions of WAM's "Last Christmas" for several hours over the course of several days. And please don't feel offended if you like that song, but I have to say that I was so overexposed to it the last years that I started to develop feelings of aggression for it -_- Also sorry, that the story is so short. I still hope that you liked this little gift. Wish you all a Merry Rickmas!!

#rick and morty #ram #rnm #rick #morty #morty smith #rickmorty #rickorty #rorty #rick/morty #sfw #romatic #angst #happy ending #christmas

[wordsablaze]

Glitter Rush

A simple teenage game of Truth of Dare leads to an interesting evening... A pretty long teen AU Phan oneshot (ft. Anthony and Louise) based on their recent trip to Spain. Enjoy!

A game of truth or dare.

Who knew such a trivial thing could lead so many new opportunities?

Dan and Phil didn't, and when they do figure it out, they find they don't really mind.

"I dare you to…" Louise trails off as she pretends to deeply contemplate their dare.

Dan groans, rolling his eyes yet again – an action that he's in the process of perfecting throughout his teenage years.

"What are we talking about?" Maria asks as they flop down in the empty seat next to Louise, dumping their schoolbag under the table.

"She can't think of a dare," Phil explains without looking up from his English homework.

"You were playing truth or dare without me?" Maria exclaims, folding their arms with a semi-serious pout on their face.

"Shut up, you... globule." Dan seems to regret the nickname as soon as it leaves his mouth, shaking his head and having to blink a stray lock of hair away from his eyes, causing Phil to chuckle under his breath and Dan to elbow him in return , which sends Phil's pencil flying at Louise.

"Cut it out! You're meant to be mature!" Louise grumbles.

"Sorry Mum," Dan grumbles, sitting back with a smug huff.

"Oh, come on, I'd have to be from the sixties or something to be your mum," Louise retorts.

Maria's face lights up as they suddenly remember something, and they turn to the boys with a suspicious grin on their face before looking at Louise. "I have an idea for your dare."

"No way, that's not a trustworthy look." Now it's Phil's turn to shake his head as he retrieves his pencil from Louise.

"You trust Dan and he looks like a-"

"Watch how you finish that sentence," Dan warns Maria, but they know he's not too serious.

"What's your dare idea?" Louise asks, curious.

"You know how you said you've gotta be from, like, the sixties…?" Maria starts.

"Ever heard of being concise and to the point?" Phil interrupts.

"We're not all doing English, you word nerd!" Maria throws back, "Anyway, I know of this great themed party…"

"Themed party?" Dan echoes, looking the exact opposite of enthusiastic.

"Uh huh. Now, shut up a sec. Right so, basically, it's this dude's birthday today and his friends planned a party for him. You have to dress up all nice and appropriate, and then go chill there. It's starting later tonight and anyone willing to go is invited."

"That's all? No catches?" Dan asks, ever the sceptical when it comes to parties.

"Nope."

Louise claps her hands gleefully. "Okay. I dare you to go with Maria to the themed birthday party."

"Oh, I'm not going," Maria corrects her, "I have some games to game."

Dan and Phil simultaneously stare at them in disbelief, their matching looks of regret sending Louise into a land of hysteria, with Maria joining soon after. It takes them a good few minutes to recover, by which time Phil has finished his essay and Dan has stolen Phil's pencil again.

"So, what do we wear?"

Louise tuts at them, "I'm picking your outfits."

"I'd be disappointed if you didn't!" Maria says, probably as their approval.

Which is why the three of them end up at some random tall guy's house, Louise using both arms to drag a stroller behind her and using her threats to drag Dan and Phil into the admittedly very aesthetic abode.

"This is definitely not the sixties," Phil declares as soon as they step inside, noticing the alarming lack of tie dye, bandanas, and peace signs.

"We'll just have to adapt." Louise shrugs, beckoning for the two disheartened boys to follow her, grinning to herself when they do, despite their evident reluctance.

"Why do you have a stroller though?" Phil asks as a girl nudges them into a spare room, clearly bored of people trailing in before they're ready; apparently the theme was a sudden change that nobody had quite prepared for – except Louise, of course.

"Because I was being hella precautious," Louise replies, already opening the zip and pulling a few shirts out.

Dan immediately grabs a metallic cream-coloured one, slipping it over his black top and leaving it unbuttoned 'for the authentic aesthetic and shit'. Phil, on the other hand, lets Louise pick one for him, laughing when she picks a strange piece of fabric that would probably be better suited as an elderly cat lady's living room curtain.

"You look like trash!" Dan laughs.

"Your mum looks like trash," Phil mutters under his breath, sticking his tongue out.

"You're teenagers!" Louise chides, pushing them both onto a stool in front of the vanity mirror.

"What are you doing?" Dan asks, frowning at the silver box Louise pulls up on to the dresser.

Louise just rolls her eyes. "What, you thought you could get away without a sprinkle of glitter to fit the seventies' theme?"

"Glitter?"

"Oh look, the room has an echo now." If dry sarcasm could have an award, Louise would get it.

Albeit grudgingly, Dan lets Louise gently brush over his face with some powder, and then use what looks like a paintbrush to dab some glitter onto the corner of his eye. She's finished the first layer of multi-coloured glitter when Phil accidentally nudges her and a strange streak of shine runs up to Dan's eyebrow.

"Phil!" Dan whines, sighing.

"Sorry!"

"You will be!" Dan starts to get up but Louie pushes him back with a firm clearing of her throat and a dramatic make-up brush flourish.

"I will fix this, don't you worry."

"You put pink glitter on my face and I will literally murder you," Dan mutters quietly, only half serious.

With a laugh, Louise gets to work, painting the silver glitter in the shape of a crescent moon as if she's done this type of thing a million times before. Once she's done, she goes over it with something that smells like a chemistry experiment gone wrong, and steps back with a satisfied "Voila!"

"That's just dan-tastic!" Phil winks.

Dan tries to simply glare, internally laughing, but his dimple gives him away and Phil smirks in satisfaction as Louise picks up her brush again. This time, she does it with a little more care. That is, until Dan purposely nudges her and causes Phil's meant-to-be-matching moon to turn into a deformed fish.

"Daaan!" Louise groans, "Why am I friends with you idiots?"

"How many other guys would let you dress them up for a themed party?" Phil asks.

Louise pretends the question is rhetorical as she sets on fixing the newest smudge. In the end, Phil ends up with what can be classed as a fish, but could be accepted as a moon, or just taken to be an example of abstract art. Either way, it's colourful and shiny and perfect to Phil.

"Thanks!" Phil beams, gently poking the hardened glitter, then frowning. "How are we meant to get this off?"

"Well, would you look at the time? You're going to be late! Bye now!" Louise manages to shove the both of them through the door before they can realise she has no idea exactly how to remove the glitter from their faces.

Phil links his arms with Dan's as they walk into the conservatory, where the loud music is radiating from. The two of them awkwardly merge into the crowd, sliding towards the food table so they can grab some edible encouragement in case of spontaneous dance break-outs.

"You guys came late! You've missed most of the dancing!" someone tells Phil.

"Sorry, we dressed for the wrong era to start with!" Phil laughs.

Dan can't help low-key admire the way Phil's social skills can seem genuine when he's talked to, as opposed to Dan, who literally refuses to utter even a single word unless his moral compass calls for it.

"That's alright, and at least you won't miss the main activity!" the guy laughs as he twirls into someone's duet, and Phil turns to Dan with a puzzled look.

"Main activity?"

"Like I know," Dan reminds him, "We're just going off what Maria said."

"They said we just had to chill!"

"They better not have been lying…"

"Yeah, because lying makes you go to hell." Phil says randomly, and Dan files that under 'things Phil has said that should be used later in life but forgotten right now'

"ALRIGHT, LISTEN THE- I MEAN, LISTEN UP!" someone, assumingly the host, bellows.

Dan and Phil both jump and crash into each other, their heads thudding and similar groans escaping them. Rubbing their throbbing heads, they turn to the guy who'd yelled and both groan again as he announces they're going to be heading out soon.

"Where exactly are we going?" Dan mutters, not expecting anyone to hear.

Someone does hear; a girl with short, curly hair turns to them with a puzzled look. "What did you do, not read the invite? We're going rollerblading…" she trails off as she walks to her friend, leaving Dan and Phil to share a look.

"Rollerblading? You must be joking…" Phil's voice is quiet, so only Dan hears, and has to fight the urge to laugh aloud. Instead, he snorts and pretends to cough in attempt to hide it.

Before either of them can find Louise to protest, they're moved along by the swarm of glittered teenagers and end up stumbling along with everyone else. Luckily, the half drunk, equally clumsy, and even more clueless students stumble just as much as them so they don't particularly stick out as idiots amongst a hive mind.

"I will never get my feet out of those," Phil comments as soon as he sees the potentially problematic devices he has to stick his feet into.

"What are you, a chicken?" Dan jokes, nudging Phil.

"Fine. Let's see who can get the least bruises."

"Get ready to lose, sucker!" Dan winks, going to grab a pair of rollerblades.

"Sucker? What are we, nine?" Phil asks himself as he follows, trying to find a pair that seem reasonable and ending up with ones that seem like they won't fuse to his limbs.

Between taunting each other, trying to slip the rollerblades on, and waiting for the mass of giggling students to diminish, it takes them a good seven minutes to actually get going, both of them immediately overbalancing and going to lean on each other, then landing with solid thuds.

Dan swears as Phil laughs and pulls himself up with the help of a passing stranger, then reaches to help. With a sigh, Dan takes Phil's hand and uses the taller boy as a ballast until they're both upright once again. He goes to unlink their hands but Phil has other ideas, firmly lacing their fingers together and smiling slyly.

"Phil…?"

"No-one's going to see us past the neon lights and purple shadows." Phil shrugs.

Dan goes to argue but gives in after he sees the bright sparkle in his favourite blue eyes and simply lets Phil pull him along, starting to move his feet forwards in alternating patterns so he can speed up and avoid pulling Phil to the floor with him. It's not long before they have a decent rhythm.

They would have been fine too, if it hadn't been for the random student that crashes into them with absolutely no warning. Accidental kicks are definitely exchanged as the three boys try to regain their balance and fail, eventually landing in an unceremonious heap.

"Sorry guys!" the boy says sheepishly, pulling himself up with an elegance that pales in comparison to the average person but shines in contrast to Dan and Phil.

"No worries. We'd probably have fallen sooner or later," Phil replies as Dan finishes inwardly cursing.

"You here with the party?"

"Why else would we be wearing these clothes?" Dan asks, still grumpy from having fallen over.

To their shock, the boy just laughs. "Fair point, mate."

"Are we in the same classes?" Phil asks, struggling to work out if they know the boy or not.

"Shouldn't think so. I'm not even in the same school as you."

Dan can't help but visibly relax, feeling a lot less guilty already. Naturally, they don't get to make much small talk because wheels aren't the best for stability and all three of them would prefer to make it home as unbruised as possible.

"Catch you guys later! If you want me, yell 'Anthony' and I'll find you!" apparently-Anthony calls over his shoulder, subtly saluting as he glides away from them.

"I'm not yelling anything," Phil says as soon as he's out of earshot.

Dan elbows Phil with a small smile, a strange emotion flowing through his stomach as he realises that their hands are still linked and Anthony hadn't made a comment about it. Of course, it's more than possible that he'd assumed they were helping each other up, or that he hadn't seen it in the first place, but a part of Dan wants to believe he didn't care at all.

Because that would mean he could carry on.

So, because they can, they do. The two of them keep their clutch on each other's hands tight as they attempt to glide around, eventually mastering the movement and giggling to each other as they whoosh past others who are trying to do the same thing.

"See? It's not so bad."

Just as Phil says that, Dan slips and emits a croaky shriek, stumbling into Phil and sending them crashing into the pillar at the side. They do stay on their feet – or rather, wheels – but it counts as a minor calamity of clumsiness anyway.

"You were saying?" Dan raises an eyebrow as they check for bruises, thankfully coming up with no obvious ones.

"Oh, shut up," Phil mutters.

"That's not what your mum said last night," Dan retorts.

Phil manages a strange combination of rolling his eyes and opening his mouth in mock surprise, resulting in an expression that quickly renders Dan incapable of standing upright, and he has to double over as he tries to breathe through his laughter.

"Don't laugh at my face, Howell."

Of course, Dan just carries on laughing.

Even though Phil tries his hardest to stay composed, he's soon smirking, then grinning, then chuckling, and pretty soon, he's also doubled over with a case of acute hysteria. He ends up slipping and sliding until he finds himself on the floor, his legs stretched out in front of him and his arm wrapped around his stomach as if physically trying to hold his laugher inside.

Dan, who'd been forced to sit down next to him because of their clasped hands, recovers first, and pulls out his miraculously undamaged phone, snapping a picture of Phil mid-laugh. He's never seen someone look so radiant.

"Oh, hey, no fair!" Phil exclaims, quickly lifting his phone close to Dan's face and taking a picture without even looking.

Dan scrunches his nose up but doesn't complain, knowing that revenge is justified. He grins at Phil. "Want to try taking a selfie?"

"Try?"

"Sorry, Mr Vocabulary. Wanna take a selfie?"

Phil chuckles, then nods, lifting his phone up and pressing his head to Dan's to get them both in the frame. For a minute, Dan worries that they'd ruined their glitter but, thanks to Louise, they both have it on opposite sides of their face and it's not really a problem.

Still giddy, Dan presses his face to Phil's, laughing when he feels the warmth from the older boy's blush, and smiles for the camera. Before he can even blink, Phil's turned round and taken a close up of Dan's glitter moon.

"What? It's a good moon."

"And yours is a great… fish," Dan decides, clicking a photo oh Phil's facial fish.

"Fish?" Phil echoes questioningly.

"Yeah… A fish… So it can go swimming in your eye…" Dan improvises, biting his lip.

Phil's loving smile of amusement is hands down the cutest thing Dan's seen in his whole life, and one hundred percent makes the surprise exercise worth it.

"It's a good thing these lights are purple, or else I would look sunburnt," Phil murmurs.

It's so peaceful sitting behind the pillar with a soft neon light shining down on them like a purple sun that they decide not to move at all.

Of course, they have to get up when someone announces that they're about to be kicked out if they don't all vanish in the next five minutes, and so they awkwardly make their way to the benches where they can pull their shoes off.

Dan manages to pull his rollerblades off with surprising ease, but Phil has to curse his previous neglect of intuition when his stay firmly jammed on his feet. Dan grins, and grabs one of the wheeled menaces, yanking with all his might as Phil pulls in the other direction. Both of them go flying, but Phil's foot emerges, unscathed aside from a dull ache.

The fact that Phil has two jammed feet means that they're the last to childishly return their rollerblades and slip on their trainers, ignoring the looks of both bemused and exasperated staff as they follow the trail of people returning to the original party address.

Of course, neither of them know that they'll pay the place a visit when they're much older, and much less immature – or rather, much better at hiding their immaturity. And, because they don't know, they assume that they've simply satiated a dare and regard the whole thing as a standalone event in their lives.

This thought naturally leads to Dan laughing as he asks, "Why on earth did we agree to do that?"

Phil shrugs, a wide smile still painted on his face. "Must have been the glitter…"

"Right. The glitter. It was definitely the glitter. The glitter on our faces. The glitter is the cause of this," Dan rambles, giggling.

"Shut up! You don't even sound this bad when you're on a sugar rush!" Phil isn't really one to say anything though, because he's laughing just as hard, fondly smiling at Dan's unnecessary commentary.

"Maybe I am on a sugar rush?" Dan looks as bewildered as a toddler being lectured on trigonometry.

"Glitter rush, more like." Phil nods solemnly, and Dan can't help but mentally compare him to a trainee teacher who's assuring themselves that they're teaching their class the right thing.

"Mhmmm…" Dan hums as their fingers interlock once again, and their shoulders brush as they swerve to avoid crashing into a lamppost.

"We're still wearing the shirts!" Phil realises suddenly, his eyes widening.

"It's not like Louise will need them," Dan says, "She probably doesn't care."

"Sure?" Phil asks, but he already knows the answer because he's smiling again.

"Sure!" Dan answers anyway, still giggling loudly.

Phil turns to Dan, grinning at his dimples and carefree smile, the way his eyes reflect the streetlights, and the glitter that's escaped his moon and landed on the rest of his skin, making him literally sparkle.

"Dan?"

"Yeah?"

"Kiss me?"

Dan smile freezes only for a moment, but his emotions must have been steadily climbing the belt before the drop on the rollercoaster because he doesn't hesitate any longer before he leans in to do exactly that, and make the bubble of joy in Phil's stomach drop faster than a theme park ride.

Phil barely remembers his initial intention and just manages to take the picture he thinks will turn out good before the two of them pull away for breath, grinning harder than Cheshire Cats.

"You took a photo? You sly little-"

"Shut up for a second and look at it?" Phil grins confidently, showing Dan the photo.

The two of them having glitter on opposite sides has worked out perfectly, and Phil's photography skills had not failed him. They're kissing, obviously, but you can see the glitter shapes on their faces shining in the foreground, with their closed eyes shadowed but distinguishable, and the glow of overhead streetlights illuminating them like angels in the candlelight.

"We look…" Dan can't even finish his sentence, his smile too wide.

"…Like we're both drunk on vintage clothing and neon spotlights?" Phil offers.

Dan laughs, and nods his agreement, gently elbowing Phil before linking their hands together and softly starting to hum nothing in particular.

As the two of them walk back together in the beautiful autumn evening, they don't think about anything else except each other, occasionally muttering something and cracking up, having to stop walking as they catch their breath.

It's already way past fashionably late when they get back to the party, but they don't care. Their fingers stay entwined and they must appear to be glued together, but they don't care. Despite being at a birthday party, they never do figure out who exactly is celebrating and wish them, or at least thank them, but they don't care.

Of course, they do afterwards blame it on their glitter rush.

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