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jaehunnyy · 11 months

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A touch of Heaven

Genre: strangers-to-lovers!au, right person, wrong time trope, a bit of angst, fluff, crack maybe?

Word count: 2k

Pairing: Yunho x reader (feat. the rest of Ateez, San x Y/n's best friend)

Warnings: parties, drinking, getting married in Vegas for fun (and as a joke), time-skip, a kiss, one pet name, possible grammar mistakes

Taglist: @shakalakaboomboo, @ssaboala, @bluisheye93

Networks: @cromernet 🤍

Beginning of college, 2019

Having all of your friends chant the same name every time you met to decide where to celebrate the beginning of another chapter of your lives was starting to give you a bit of a headache. Vegas here, Vegas there. It wasn't that the city didn't appeal to you; heck, you were as excited as them, but you were also scared—so many things could happen in one week, and you weren't usually the luckiest one when it came to stuff like this. You could even imagine yourself drunkenly marrying someone you hopefully won't ever see again, and though what happens in Vegas is supposed to stay in Vegas, that would remain tattooed on your heart as well. And despite your friends acknowledging your hesitation and saying that you should decide where to go, for the first time in a while, you agreed to go with the flow and see what was waiting for you there.

Said and done. Your little vacation in Vegas has started better than you would have expected; the first days were pretty chill, the rainy weather making you stay indoors more than not, which you enjoyed; you weren't quite a big fan of parties, so that was more than perfect for you, despite wanting to visit and see more of what the city had to offer.

The next few days though, were going to be the interesting ones. The beach was full of decorations for the upcoming party, the shy shadow of a moon settling itself on the sky. The sand was hugged by the blue waves of the sea, while your friends started to make conversations with the other late teenagers, wanting to have some fun. The atmosphere seemed to have a different effect on you, though—you find it quite suitable for you to reflect over your future, the comforting noise of the beach cleaning your mind; or at least intending to do so, unless you heard your name from your friend's loud voice.

"C'mon, Y/n, you can't stay here all night and do nothing. We came here to have fun…" Wooyoung said, a bit of anxiety in his voice as he feared you didn't feel good with their choice of coming here. "Is there something off?"

You smiled at him, making him relax a bit, though he wasn't entirely convinced that you were feeling it. "I'm fine, Woo. I was just thinking…"

You heard another voice coming from behind you, your other friend's arms patting your back softly.

"Y/n, the future is something you can worry about after this trip. You worked hard to get where you are now, so consider this your reward. Furthermore, I'm getting married tonight!"

Despite laughing at how determined she was to make her dream come true, her advice might have actually helped you a bit—so, on an impulse, you grabbed Wooyoung's hand and got up, grabbing a can of beer for yourself and going to the big crowd of people.

Later on, you forgot about whatever happened before you joined them. Everyone's jokes were getting the loudest laughter out of you, your tipsy nature showing already. More chaos was summoned the moment your friend chose to fake a marriage with a dimpled-smile boy for fun, getting you responsible for the rings, which you gladly accepted. And that's when plans changed for you—when, guided by your excitement, you ran into a tall man, his eyes shooting you a worried look immediately.

"Are you okay?" he asked, hand on your back to give you some support so you wouldn't fall.

The stars in his eyes made something sparkle inside of you as well, and knowing yourself and how you attach to people, this was what you feared the most before coming here.

"I'm fine…" you whispered, looking away from him as soon as you noticed him looking back.

"May I ask why you were in such a hurry?" he chuckled, moving his hand away from your back since he was scared that it would make you uncomfortable.

"My friends are getting married and I need to buy the ringssss!" you squealed, pointing your finger to the happy couple.

"San is marrying your friend?"

"The dimple guy is your friend?"

You two laughed together, an echo of innocent chuckles around you as you discovered a thing you two had in common.

"Let's go together, then." he smiled and offered you his hand to hold, which you gladly accepted.

On your way to finding whatever would serve as two rings, you found out that his name was Yunho and he was the chill type as well, resembling you. They were there to celebrate San's birthday, so he was all around the place, hoping time would pass just a little faster. His other friend, Mingi, was a party lover since they knew him, and something about his attitude made Yeosang love them too after a few glasses of alcohol. Jongho was usually chill, but he let go of his personality for the sake of the birthday boy. You told him that your friends were similar as well, Wooyoung being the type to go clubbing and convince Seonghwa and Hongjoong to follow him (mostly because he was a menace), while your common friend loved getting herself some new friends.

"Do you want to go take a walk after they are done?" he smiled, convincing you almost immediately.

"I would love to." you said, returning his gesture.

Two hours later, the wedding was "officiated" by his friend, Mingi, who seemed to have a lot of fun while playing that role, with some of the drinks packaging serving as the papers the married couple had signed. You and Yunho went for the walk he promised, admiring the stars cladded sky while finding new stuff about each other.

"Do you think they will regret anything in the morning?" you asked, gaining a soft grin from him.

"Even if they do, it's nothing official anyway. We would probably make fun of Mingi for the rest of our lives though." he said, before entering another mantra of silent thoughts: "When are you leaving?"

"In two days, what about you?"

"Three. I still have a bit of a long ride, but at least I have someone similar now."

You honestly thought that time flew faster than it should have with Yunho by your side. You were supposed to have fun with your 5 friends, yet, you found yourself screaming old songs' lyrics while Yunho was driving around the city, turning the chilly ride into a Carpool Karaoke wannabe. You even got yourselves matchy bracelets, something about your bond making you feel like you have known each other for years. You took pictures together, tested the diners around the hotel you stayed in, swam together, all under the nosy looks of your friends (who bonded immediately as well, especially because Wooyoung and San seemed to become best friends and your friend didn't stop calling San her husband).

And as much as you wished for these two days to last forever, these beautiful moments end faster than we expect. For the last time, you were out with Yunho, the cold water touching your legs as you shared your impressions on this holiday, in the last 5 minutes you had together. His head was on your lap while you played with his blonde hair, listening to him saying he was gonna miss this, miss you.

"You know… I've had an idea…"

You looked at him with doe eyes, showing him that he had all of your attention.

"Do you think we are meant to be? I mean, we still have to pursue our careers, we live in different states…"

It was way too early to think about what future was planned for you and Yunho, if there was even a future for the two of you. You did feel like you two were completing each other, but the time you spent together wasn't helping you, nor the conditions you'd be in as soon as you return to your usual life.

"You might be the right person, but our time was too short to even figure it out, Yunho." you looked away from him, avoiding his saddened gaze.

"What if we meet again in 4 years?" he innocently asked, getting up from your lap so he could properly face you. "Same place, same date, but in 4 years. That would be enough for us to figure out what we want to do with our lives, to see what would happen."

You frowned a bit at his offer, there was no way he was serious, was he?

"That's insane, Yunho. What if we will find someone else in those years?"

"Well then, this would mean the inevitable—we weren't meant to be."

You didn't have the nerve, nor the time to think about this too much. You were sure that things would settle differently until then, but you chose to go with the flow once again.

"Let's do that, Yunho. May we meet again." you smiled and kissed his cheek, going to your friends who were already waiting for you.

"May we meet again…" he said, touching his cheek in the spot you kissed it before.

End of college, 2023

"I still cannot believe you two did it like the oldies. What are you? Millennials? You had all the possibilities to talk, yet you chose to not even get his number!"

"Woo, stop—"

"Even when San offered to give me Yunho's number, you refused it!"

A laugh took over your face as you looked at Wooyoung, not believing he was really scolding you right then for what you and Yunho decided. Yet, there you were, the taxi almost passing the speed limit as you were pleading him to take you faster to the beach where it all started.

Yunho was nervously walking back and forth on the sand, with San following his every move.

"Can you stop already…? You're making me dizzy." the younger said, watching as his friend was walking further from him.

"Yunho, listen to me! I know it's past the time, but… give it another shot, it doesn't have to be perfect to turn into something beautiful!"

Yunho looked at him, a soft smile creeping on his face.

"I guess I should trust you… you seem to have your way with words."

San smirked at that, a little dimple appearing on his cheek as he went and hugged his friend. And right when he opened his eyes, he saw two pretty familiar figures running towards them, his face lightning immediately in joy.

"WOOYOUNG!" he screamed, pushing Yunho and going to the other boy, hugging him tight.

Yunho turned to his direction, noticing the joyful reunion of the best friends, and lastly, but who he expected the most, you.

You took in his features, his dark hair making him look even better than when you last saw him.

"You came."

You both said at the same time, giggling shortly after you noticed that your chemistry was still there.

"Would have been here earlier, but the traffic was insane."

His hands grabbed your waist softly, his deep gaze scanning your beautiful features.

"I guess we were… meant to be, or whatever?" you asked, hands around his neck.

"Someone got a bit bold." he smirked, getting closer to your face.

"Well, I seem to be stuck with you, so I gotta charm you somehow."

In a blink of an eye, your lips pressed together, melting into a sweet kiss, full of longing, but also relief—the relief that things worked for you.

"Love birdies, we're still on a beach, public space, you know?" San said cockily, giving Wooyoung a high-five.

"Said the one who almost crushed his long lost friend."

"That's a story for another day!" Wooyoung defended himself.

"That's right, because the main story is about me and my future lover today." Yunho smiled, hugging you close to his chest once again.

"Come, love, we have a lot to catch up on." you dragged him after you, leaving Woo and San flabbergasted behind.

Maybe destiny has its way of working, and those ways are different for every couple. For you and Yunho, it proved that the distance couldn't extinguish the flame between the two of you, the touch of heaven making you grow more found of each other, waiting for the next plans the future had with you.

#ateez fanfic #ateez ff #ateez yunho #kpop oneshots #kpop ff #ateez oneshot #ateez x reader #yunho x reader #yunho x y/n #ateez fluff #ateez angst #yunho fluff #yunho angst #yunho fanfic #kpop fluff #kpop angst #jeong yunho ateez #chip writes ✨️

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zeldahime · 3 months

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Highway to Pail Day 8

[Day 1] [Prev] [Next] @do-it-with-style-events

February 8: I need a cup of coffee before I can espresso my feelings.

One of the upsides to being a demon was that, sin all you like, you couldn't get addicted. Didn't have the neuro-whatsits and thingies for it. It was kind of unfair to stick the humans with that, in Crowley's opinion, but nobody had ever asked him. Aziraphale would probably say something something overcoming the body through strength of will showed the triumph of the Almighty or whatever, but Crowley knew he didn't really believe that either, not after whatever happened while he was Downstairs in the 1800s. Last it came up, Aziraphale had said something about China, got a haunted look in his eyes, and changed the subject.

Anyway. Addiction. Just because a demon couldn't get physiologically addicted to substances and/or sins, apparently didn't mean he couldn't experience something like it.

When humans don't get their morning coffee, they're irritable and feel like shit and really long for something nice and hot to drink to help them focus. When Crowley skipped a morning coffee, he was irritable and felt like shit and wanted something hot to drink that'd help him focus. It's a good thing Crowley didn't know about the headaches or fatigue, or he'd probably get those too.

He'd been in Las Vegas for four and a half hours, all of them had sucked, and all the coffee shops in a mile radius were either Starbucks brand or used Starbucks products. The infernal inspiration job he'd done on Howard Schultz had gotten him a good thumbs-up from the line supervisor in charge of the Americas, but Crowley seriously regretted it now. Maybe if he'd at least handed it off to Aziraphale, the quality of the mass-produced omnipresent too-burnt coffee would be halfway decent. Then again, probably not; you couldn't teach taste, and Schultz didn't have any.

He was desperate enough to try his luck anyway. Maybe if they dumped enough sugar and milk on it, it'd be almost drinkable.

He stood in the interminable, echoey line at the MGM behind a pair of blonde teenage girls with the words "AMERICAN EAGLE" written across their faux-vintage t-shirts in bold—jingoism extended to even trendy rich kids, apparently, weird fucking country—scrolling through the contacts in his Sony Ericsson (custom matte black with red lettering on the keypad) to decide who it would be most annoying to be on the phone with while ordering.

"—and Sammy was like, what are you gonna get, and I was like, to be honest I don't really know because, like, I never tried it before? And he said the best thing for me would be a frappy-whatever, since they're sweet."

"Sammy's a freak, dude, they've got so many calories, oh my god. I could never."

"No, what? But he said it was like, mostly milk? I thought milk was good for you."

"Maybe like with cereal but my mom said the frappés here have like two thousand calories or whatever."

"No, oh my god!"

"Right? Oh my god. So I'm getting a 'PSL,' that's what Lauren, you know, Jessica's sister that goes to UNR, that's what she gets." Crowley could nearly hear her saying the quotation marks around "PSL." He perked up, just a bit. Almost anything teenagers thought uni students did was either sinful itself or could be twisted that way for work, and he did not have a great feeling about this temptation job.

"What the heck is a PSL? I don't see it on the menu?"

"Pumpkin spice latte, it's on the big sign in the middle."

"Oooohhh, that looks good, maybe I'll get that too."

Well, now Crowley had a new coffee order. Wouldn't freak the barista out as much as "six espressos in a big cup, nothing else" and then filling the rest of the cup with sugar and half-and-half to absolutely drown the shitty coffee, but a little recon was still work. Besides, how bad could it be?

The girls ordered their coffees without incident, he ordered his coffee while obnoxiously on the phone with nobody since Aziraphale was in New Delhi for a book thing and refused to buy a cell phone, and it took a hellishly long time for the shortstaffed baristas to make the coffee, but that was all alright. It would be fine. Crowley would get his caffeine fix and everything would be alright.

The coffee was bad. He'd expected it, but still managed to be disappointed. Burnt Arabica made lukewarm by the addition of cold milk was just a bad job, which meant he had done a good job on the Schultz thing, but was currently bad news for him.

But the coffee wasn't as bad as it could be.

Pumpkin spice, it turned out, was mixed pudding spice, cinnamon and nutmeg and allspice and cloves, no vegetables involved. It made the coffee smell wonderful, and putting it on actually good coffee was something he'd have to suggest to Aziraphale when he got home.

He'd have to put some a little creativity into twisting this into a sin, but his bosses would like it, always liked a bad job paying dividends in the future. Lying to people about vegetables to sell coffee was probably something. Greed, maybe, if you squinted? Could probably twist it into a virtue, too, Heaven liked it when Aziraphale could "thwart" one of his schemes. Maybe humility. Have some burnt coffee with nice spices to remind you that God made spices and humans made bad coffee, or something.

He'd figure it out after he found the guy he needed to convince to card-count and the lady he was supposed to convince to go into politics. He wasn't sure he remembered which was who's job, honestly, but the "PSL" thing was going to be a hit both Up and Down.

Author's note: This is a period piece. It's set in 2005ish.

I don't remember if there actually was a Starbucks inside the MGM in 2005 but there was one by 2007 so I'm going with it.

American Eagle is a clothing brand that was extremely trendy at the time; I desperately wanted to have one of those shirts, but I have never ever fit into skinny-mini model clothes, and so alas, I never did.

The Sony Ericsson was a high-end phone in Europe at the time and boy does this take me back. That's what my knock-off not-Nokia looked like! I used to be able to type so quickly on that thing under my desk, you have no idea.

UNR stands for University of Nevada, Reno. I don't know why Crowley knows what that is. Maybe one of the targets is a student there.

#my writing #do it with style events #highway to pail #crowley good omens

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lazypanartist · 2 years

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Hello hello this is your Kindness Surprise so enjoy!! A Homie Continuation. - 📝nonnie

"So!!" You chirped, thumbing the rim of your canned coffee. Leonardo sat across from you at your coffee table. The two of you were quiet for a while, before your turtle friend took a slow sip from his own coffee.

"So!" he echoed, strained smile on his face.

The two of you stared expectantly at one another before you finally got fed up and groaned, your head thudding against the table.

It was now hour 3 after the concert. 4 a.m. And ever since you let slip your feeling on your bike, everything has been...weird.

Well, okay, correction. The behavior during the concert was entirely normal for you two. You both got into a mosh pit, and had a blast rushing people and being tossed around like a plastic bottle in a typhoon. It was leagues better than the first time the two of you went to a concert, where during the mosh he tried showing off and ended up almost trampled before he was noticed by you and helped up.

that was actually how you two met.

Heck, during this concert, you held Leo up on your shoulders at one point so he could get the best view of the stage. The two of you had a blast, AND you got to witness Leonardo have his Icarus moment when he felt like he was king of the world while perched on your shoulders, only to get pegged in the face by the t-shirt gun.

(He had yet to take it off. The neon paint splatter pattern went well with his stripes.)

However, the ride to the venue was steeped in awkward silence and clipped chatter. And the drive back, one you both came down from the adrenaline high, left a lot to be desired. It felt as if every single light managed to be red, making the ride as miserable as possible.

"I hate this!" you hissed, burying your face into your folded arms. "Why are we acting like this?! Nothing's changed! Right??"

"No! Nothing at all!"

"Right! So we can just...Move on!" you looked up from your arms, glaring at the table. "We can laugh it off, I said something stupid, and it was just that! Stupid! It was dumb, foot in mouth, we can push past this and forget it happened."

The red eared slider's head whipped up as you said this, eyes narrowing some.

"So what, we just don't address it? Like it's not something that's been eating you up obviously?" You winced and looked away. "Alright, I'm calling Armchair."

You shot up at that. "No."

"Yes. This is important and we need to talk."

"Come on, man!" you whined, but began to lay out on the couch. Once Armchair protocol was announced, it was too late.

"Oh come on, you've done this to me so many times." Leo groaned, sitting in the little armchair adjacent to your beat up couch. "Alright, session start, what are we feeling emotionally?"

"...Embarrassment, stress, fear...anxiety...hurt."

Leo nodded. "Okay, good. Good start. Thank you for being honest."

"Mhm."

"So. Please expunge on the statement you made about giving up on liking me like that."

"...Expunge?"

"Yeah. Tell me more."

You sat up and gave Leon a Look. "That means to like, delete or erase. Did you mean Expound?"

"...Maybe. Anyways, less judgey more talky. I know you're trying to sidetrack."

Dammit.

"Fine." You took a breath. "I...have had feeling for you. Um, romantic ones. And I hid it from you."

Leonardo held his tongue from throwing a quip out. "Okay. Good. Thank you for telling me now. Can you tell me why you never told me?"

...You needed a drink. Your tongue felt like a dry sponge. You nervously swallowed.

There was the sound of light scraping, and you looked over to find your canned coffee had been moved over closer. You gave a nervous, appreciative smile and knocked the rest of your drink back.

"I...felt like it...I wasn't..." You gave a frustrated huff. "This is hard."

"Yeah tell me about it. I'm normally the one laying down."

That got a smile out of you, though there was no real humour. "I was afraid of...How you would react. Because I didn't want to mess up our friendship. I love you a lot, and you are important to me, so I didn't want to make you feel awkward or want to no longer be friends. Plus, you could do better than me, so."

Your scaled friend's nose scrunched. "What do you mean 'Better'?"

"Homie I dont know how many times I have to tell you that you're an 11 out of 10, but I hope one day it sticks in your brain, pretty boy."

You didn't notice when he blushed at that last bit and turned to look away for a bit. After a moment, Leo felt his heart sink when he registered something.

"...You keep saying past tense stuff, was, were, did...What's up with that? Do you no longer have a crush on me...?"

You closed your eyes, frustrated tears brimming forth. "...I dont know."

"..Can you...Expound?" Leo wasn't scratching his arm anxiously or picking the threads of the armchair bare or feeling his gut swirl with nerves.

"I can't, really. I don't know. I um...The crush, and the friendship kinda...Blended? Over time. I cant say I dont have a crush because I dont know if its a crush or not anymore."

Leonardo frowned at that, but took a deep breath. You barreled on.

"It doesnt matter, to me. I just want to be close with you. Cant we just...stay friends, doing the same- well, thats not fair to you."

"It's okay, its okay. Listen, I'll decide what's fair to me or not. Don't you dare start villainizing yourself for kissing me either."

You covered your face with your arm. "Where do we go from here? I don't even know if I love you like...Like that, anymore. Its all...Messy."

Leo shrugged and got closer, patting your head. "Why dont, we now continue on as we always have, yeah? We'll just try being more conscious of these kinds of things and how you're feeling, and if you ever come to the realization that you are in love with me or not, we can circle back and talk about it."

You nodded, leaning into his three fingered hand as your friend helped soothe you and get you out of Armchair Mode, at one point pressing a kiss to the back of your hand. He'd help you work through your feelings, no matter how long it took. He already decided nothing would change even if you were to be friends only.

...He really hoped you'd end up liking him back when he worked up the corage to ask you out, though.

Armchair Protocol!! Leo's been learning quite a bit from Doctor Feelings lately!

But to be real? This is how healthy relationships, friendship or otherwise, should be. Healthy communication, even if one side doesn't know *for sure* what they want.

Sorry to get Serious on Main but I have Feelings, most of which are Gay and Stupid

#kana's chats #📝 anon #rottmnt #rottmnt x reader #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #rise of the tmnt #rise leo x reader

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chifuyurain · 1 year

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༺Till We Meet Again, Friend༻

[Yugo Asuma x GN VTuber OC]

Yoshikazu Utano is a twitch VTuber like Shoto and they would sometimes collaborate with other VTuber, despite them being under a company or not. On the day Noctyx debuted, Utano became really close with the members. Especially one of them as they treat him like their younger brother.

✦; Genre : Angst all the way cuz I'm sad asf rn (⁠༎ຶ⁠ ⁠෴⁠ ⁠༎ຶ⁠), fluff in the end

✦; Requested by : Yours truly ;-;

✦; Notes : As you know, it has been announced that Yugo has 'graduated'. I still can't believe that Yugo 'graduated' so fast. He's just the sweetest person I've ever seen. It's really a shock to everyone, especially his gen mates and fans (Yuguys).

. ⋅ ˚̣- : ✧ : -˚̣⋅ . . ⋅ ˚̣- : ✧ : -˚̣⋅ . . ⋅ ˚̣- : ✧ : -˚̣⋅ .

"Everyone! Thank you for coming to the stream! Please, don't forget to drink enough water and eat a lot. Got it?"

Utano smiles as their model mimics their movement.

The chat went wild as they promised and bid their farewell to their VTuber.

FloofyPoofPoof: "Don't worry! We'll remember!"

ImdedImalive: "Sir, you better do that as well or we'll hunt you down"

Utasimp: "Rest well, Utata! See you in the next stream!"

Utano couldn't help and laugh, promising on their side to calm down their chat.

"Aight aight! Till we meet again! Bye bye!!"

With that said, the Liver ends their stream. Leaning against their chair as they stretch their body until a satisfying pop was heard. "Man, that took longer than I thought." They look at the time that showed that it's past 12 in the morning.

"Time for bed. Maybe, a small call with Yugo. It's been a while, I hope he's doing fine." They went on ahead, getting themselves ready for bed.

Doing the same old routine they do.

Brush their teeth.

Drink a good amount of water.

Change their cloths.

Then hit the hay.

The bed was so comfy, they started to feel drowsy already. They just got in a few seconds ago, was it really that comfy?

Maybe.

"Time to call."

They grinned, going through their Discord to search for their one and only close friend, Yugo Asuma. "Oh~ He's online~" Utano cooed, going over to start a private call between them.

Utano waited for a while, having to yawn once until the call was connected.

"Tata! You're still up!"

The sound of Yugo's voice was angelic, Utano thought they might have gone to sleep. "Yeah but not for long. I just finished streaming and now I'm in bed. How are you doing, Yuyu?" "Pretty good."

There was a small silence between them, causing Utano to mistaken if they fell asleep.

Thankfully Yugo spoke, grabbing their attention.

"Hey Tata, can we promise each other?"

"Hm...oh yeah- But why....though?"

Utano questioned, having to yawn in between their response. Yugo couldn't help and chuckled to hear it from his side of the line.

"Nothing too serious." "Sure....what are we- gonna.....promise?" They ask, their eyes were getting heavier by each minute. Utano tried the best they can to stay awake while they're still in call with Yugo.

"Promise that when the time comes for us to graduate, let's not forget each other."

"Why would I...forget you? You're one-...of my...closed friends. Heck.... you're actually my best friend..."

Yugo couldn't respond to that statement, yet a huge smile appeared on his face. His heart warmed up to hear that from Utano. "Yeah, you're right" He huffs out, going silent again for a good minute.

However, by the time he was about to ask again, Yugo could hear small snores from the other line.

"Rest well, Tata."

As Yugo was about to end their call, Utano jolted up in time to call his name. "Yuyu, can you sing a song?" "Of course! Anything for my senpai."

"I'm not even part of the company, Yuyu" Utano joked tiredly, yet the other just scoff at it. "Either way, you've been streaming way longer than me. So that makes you my senpai." Yugo grinned as he grabbed his guitar, strumming a light and slow tune.

"Okay okay...you win, kouhai..."

Yugo chuckled and started to sing a soft song to them. The way he strummed the guitar was just elegant and his voice was... angelic.

"When we meet...let's play the....guitar and make songs....together."

"Sure. Sleep well, Tata"

"Luv ya...."

Yugo paused in shock, looking at his phone and waited for another response from Utano. Yet all he could hear after that were small snores. The DJ took his phone, holding it close as he held back his cry.

His form shook as he didn't say the 'thing' to Utano.

"I'm sorry."

"No...no...no, nO, NO!!"

Utano cried as they rushed out of their house. Running straight to one of Yugo's gen mates home.

They couldn't believe it.

How could they?

Utano woke up late today, causing them to miss some news which he was supposed to know. By the time they woke up, their phone was ringing with Sonny's name on the ID.

And when Sonny told them the news...

They bolted their way to the police's house without thinking twice.

"SONNY!!!"

Utano knocked on the door quite hard. Their form was shaking as they wanted to confirm the news they were given not too long ago. "Utano-" Sonny started after opening the door, yet he was greeted by his collar pulled by the shorter person.

"T-tell me this i-isn't true...He d-didnt graduated...r-right?"

Utano asked shakily, hands gripping Sonny's collar as it slowly loses its strength. The police just frowned and shook his head. Confirming that Yugo Asuma has 'graduated'.

"I'm sorry, Uta. I'm also still trying to process everything."

Sonny frowns, watching as Utano breaks down to the floor. Their appearance was messy until he noticed that he ran all the way here without shoes. The police frowns more as he helps Utano up to get inside.

The duo sat together in the living room in total silence. Utano's eyes lost their shine as they gazed at the table in front of them. Sonny was worried as he knew that Yugo and Utano were really close to each others.

There's no doubt that Utano is feeling this way right now.

"We just talked last night...but it didn't last long cuz I passed out to sleep"

Utano started, their head hung low to the thought that if they weren't that sleepy. They could have had a longer conversation with Yugo. Yet fate did not take their side at all.

"I don't even remember most of our talk too."

"Uh- Uta?"

"He did ask for a promise but I don't remember what it was-"

"Uta--"

"Why can't I remember a single thing?!"

"UTANO!!"

Sonny yelled, snapping the other back to reality. Utano turns their gaze to the blond, making him see that they're in tears again.

Yet the look on Sonny's face was....

Unexpected

"Uta, what are you talking about?"

H-...huh?

"Sonny, what do you mean?"

"Why are you crying? And why are we here in the first place?"

Sonny frowned in confusion, causing Utano to look at him in disbelief. "Sonny, you can't be serious- We were both just grieving about Yugo! What do you mean by 'why we are here'?!"

"Uta, who's Yugo?"

Crack

"W-what-"

"I don't remember anyone named Yugo. Are they your friends?"

No no no- this isn't right-

What's even happening?!

Utano stood up from the couch, backing away from Sonny in disbelief. The police too stood up, looking worried as he tried to approach Utano. His mouth was moving as if he was saying something yet they couldn't hear a single thing besides ringing.

Out of nowhere, Utano suddenly tumbles back and falls into a void. They scream in fear as they try reaching for the surface that ceases to be reachable.

"AAH!!"

Utano jolted up awake, their form coated with cold sweat as they looked around to see that they are still in their room. They let out a huff, leaning against the bed frame to let their mind calm down for the nightmare.

Or was it even a nightmare?

Rushing to look at the clock, Utano noticed that it was 3 AM. They had only slept for 3 hours and it seems like they won't be going back to sleep any time sooner.

Utano didn't waste their time to try calling Yugo, noting that they're still awake from his visible status in Discord.

It didn't take long for their line to connect and just as Yugo was about to greet, Utano cut-in in panic.

"Y-yugo your're....graduating soon...r-right"

There was a long silence until sniffles can be heard from the other line.

"I'm sorry, senpai. I wanted to tell you earlier but you were so tired. I didn't want to disturb you anymore after your long stream."

"Yugo..."

"I-i'm really sorry, s-senpai..."

Yugo's voice began to crack as he tried his best to hold back his cry. However, Utano joined in as they wailed loudly. The nightmare gave them a fright, now adding the confirmation of Yugo's graduation made it worse.

"I'm not ready! I'm not ready for your leave! You haven't been there that long and now you're graduating!"

Utano cried, tears couldn't stop flowing down their cheeks. Yugo too cries on the other line, feeling the sadness coming from his senior trigger his sadness too.

No one spoked as they both cry their hearts out.

It was so sudden that both sides couldn't handle such a thing.

As time passes by, Utano and Yugo have finally calmed down. They both stayed up until morning as they did some small talk to each others. Retelling the memories they did together in and outside of stream.

They never met each other in real life and they have been planning to do so for content to both of their channels. Yet fate did not place itself in their hands.

"Yuyu, can we still play together even though you're not in the company anymore?"

"Yeah. Of course we can."

"I didn't think that your time would come to an end."

"Me too. I have so much I'd like to show everyone but I guess... now's not the time."

Utano hums in slight tiredness. "Tata, I suggest you rest. You only had 3 hours of sleep." "I'm alright. I want to stay with you until the announcement is made." Yugo couldn't help but smile as warmness fills his chest, yet he's still worried for the others well being.

"Have my number. Bet we won't be able to talk anymore through my current acc."

"Oh yeah. Everything will be private and all of your effort will be archived."

Utano's voice becomes quieter and quieter, sadness starts to pour on him again but then the sound of the guitar can be heard from the other side. "Hey! We can still make more memories! Even though I'm out soon, though that doesn't mean the end, right?"

Yugo smiles, trying his best to cheer his senpai up and it did. Utano couldn't help but chuckles to how lively Yugo sounds. Though they did take a hint of the slight sadness in his tone.

"You're right. That's a promise then."

"Yeah. A promise between us!"

Utano smiles and nods.

"Until we meet again, I'll always remember you as Yugo Asuma. Whoever you are in your next journey, you'll always be Yugo Asuma at heart."

"Thank you, Tata."

Utano and Yugo felt better now that things are well.

Yugo Asuma will be missed

His leave caused a big scar in his team, leaving Noctyx to 4 members left

However, even though they are left with 4 members, everyone will always remember that they came together as 5

5 members

5 brothers

A great big family of Noctyx.

We love you Yugo Asuma

May whatever path you chose next, whoever you are in your next journey, we'll always love you for being the best DJ in the world.

Thank you for the journey

Your hard work and effort will not be wasted.

Thank you, Yugo Asuma

Nijisanji EN Noctyx's DJ

. ⋅ ˚̣- : ✧ : -˚̣⋅ . . ⋅ ˚̣- : ✧ : -˚̣⋅ . . ⋅ ˚̣- : ✧ : -˚̣⋅ .

#nijisanji #nijisanji en #nijisanji x oc #nijisanji yugo asuma #yugo asuma #yugo x oc #oc insert #gender neutral oc #gn oc #nijisanji angst #thank you yugo #nijisanji fluff #im sad let me be ;-;

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birindale · 3 months

Text

She-Ra: Progressive of Power

Episode 3: "The Sea Hawk" & "Return of the Sea Hawk" - Gender Roles

This week, we’re taking on the episodes routinely referred to as the “romance” shows. Adora gets a boyfriend — or does She-Ra? What do we think of Sea Hawk’s portrayal and, more importantly, Adora’s reaction to him? Why does Loo-Kee think you should just tell everyone you have a crush on, and what precisely is wrong with Saraha?

[The 80s theme song plays, upbeat music with an occasional chorus of ‘She-Ra!’]

ERIC: I'm Eric.

LAUREN: And I'm Lauren.

ERIC: We've both volunteered for progressive political causes.

LAUREN: And we're both nerds.

ERIC: Growing up, She-Ra is one of my favorite shows.

LAUREN: I've never seen it before.

ERIC: Catching it on Netflix again recently, it struck me how modern the show still feels.

LAUREN: Even though it's definitely a product of its time.

[continued audio clip of the 80s theme song]

LAUREN: We're interested in the ways She-Ra presents a modern progressive message.

ERIC: And the ways in which it fails.

LAUREN: Join us each week as we dive deep into a different She-Ra story.

ERIC: Always with an eye on how it relates to the present.

LAUREN: We're only doing episodes from the first season, so you can follow along on Netflix.

ERIC: But we'll also recap the episodes so you don't have to.

LAUREN: We'd love to hear your feedback on everything we're discussing.

ERIC: So please enjoy this political, nerdy dive into a heck of a cartoon.

ERIC AND LAUREN IN UNISON: This is She-Ra, Progressive of Power.

[audio clip of the 80s theme song ends]

ERIC: Welcome to Progressive of Power. I'm Eric.

LAUREN: And I'm Lauren.

ERIC: How are you today Lauren? I know—I know it's been kind of a—a trying day.

LAUREN: I have. I've had a trying day, uh… in kind of Chicago style. I left my car unlocked and got some change stolen out of it. But nothing else was taken so that's fine. I guess, I guess, you know, I can learn a valuable lesson and be grateful that it wasn't worse. [laughs]

ERIC: I bet there's a Loo-Kee moral somewhere about locking your car at night.

LAUREN: [laughs and affects a silly voice] 'Don't forget…!'

ERIC: I—I hope uh, talking about a silly cartoon show from 22 years ago will make you feel better.

LAUREN: So much it will. No doubt.

ERIC: So today we are covering two episodes that are basically one episode. Uh the Sea Hawk, and Return of the Sea Hawk. So, some background. You know, it's really funny, all of the creative team on She-Ra: Princess of Power, refer to these episodes as 'the relationship episodes'. And just because of all of He-Man and She-Ra, there's only really ever been one romance that has even been so in the forefront, like for our main character, that it—it deserves being called a romance. And that is the romance between Adora and Sea Hawk.

So we're going to talk about that. But Sea Hawk essentially is, uh, a pirate. And he's a pirate who uh, starts out working for the Horde, kind of. He thinks that he's free. But basically, he like steals from poor little elves and gives stuff to Hordak. The first mate, who is like named Swen, who is not at all a fan of the Horde, is like, 'oh, maybe you can convince our captain that he should start helping the rebels.'

And—this is pretty cool. Adora just flat out is like, 'Hey, you suck. Why are you helping the bad guys?' And Sea Hawk's like, 'Well, 'cause we're free," which I think is… is interesting. He kind of makes the argument, 'Hey, the Horde pays me. And so I get to do what I want. I don't have to live in shackles like the rest of Etheria.' Uh. But things kind of change. He starts to think like, 'Hey, maybe Adora is right. Maybe I don't have that much freedom.' So he comes to his senses and saves Adora, which then allows Adora to turn into She-Ra and save him, which… I'm sure we'll talk about that as well. And that's the first part of the episode, and the second part, the Return of Sea Hawk isn't… it's not that interesting, except that it really focuses on the relationship, but essentially Catra and Grizzlor want revenge, so they capture all these poor elves, put them on a prison ship, and then they say Adora and Sea Hawk have to come rescue them. But of course She-Ra and Sea Hawk do and… Kind of the big play of that episode is, it's an inversion of the Superman-Clark Kent thing where—Adora—a gender inversion, right, where Adora is really worried that Sea Hawk loves She-Ra, but not her. But Adora is the one who likes Sea Hawk. So that's kind of the world that we're getting into. Uh. These are the relationship episodes. And so I thought it would be cool to talk about this in relation to gender roles, because there are some inversions in this episode, I think, and also some [laughs] very stereotypical moments. So with that all said, uh Lauren, what's your take on—on the Sea Hawk saga?

LAUREN: So I—I think the… vulnerability part of that? Was really special. And I enjoyed watching that scene, because it does address, sort of the struggle of being a superhero and the sacrifices you have to make and the inner conflict that it can cause, I think. Growing up you see so many comic book characters and action heroes, and you're like 'man, superpowers are awesome', and I really love as just a, you know, science fiction and comic book fan—Seeing when those characters are allowed to face the issues that can come along with being a hero. And even though it's kind of the girly-girl like, 'what if I can't have a boyfriend?' stereotypical issue, I like it in this just from that general place. Sometimes being a hero comes with struggle that you wouldn't have experienced if you hadn't taken on this duty.

ERIC: And I think that She-Ra also, you know, there is that pitfall of the 'a woman defining herself through her romantic relationships' but I think She-Ra the series pretty deftly avoids that, because the token male that we love talking about, Bow is never ever presented as like, some romantic partner, like most of the time Adora is just like a leader of these warriors and that's what she is and that's awesome. And it's only this one guy who kind of makes her feel that way. Which I think is kind of cool, that like, it would have been easy to be like 'Okay, so Bow's the man, and so Adora loves Bow. That's just how it is', but that's not ever a thing in this—in the show.

LAUREN: Yeah, I appreciate that they show a female lead that can have friendships with male characters. We so often, uh, as women are portrayed in the media as Girlfriends, or Potential Girlfriends, or Former Girlfriends, and you know to—to—to this day there's this kind of cultural question all around us, like 'Can a man and a woman ever be friends?' and… Yeah, thank you, show from 1986 for at least in a—in a little way saying that they can.

ERIC: Yeah, I do regret a little that Bow was not in these episodes. I—I don't know that he ever meets Sea Hawk. I could be wrong. I'm sure fans out there will send me angry tweets if I'm wrong, but uh maybe partially that's because his voice and Sea Hawk's voice are so close [laughs].

LAUREN: They also, I mean, there's a—more than a slight resemblance between them, too. We got the kind of redhead mustache thing going on.

ERIC: Yes, absolutely. Although I think we're supposed to see, you know, you used the term in our first episode that Bow was very extra? And I think Sea Hawk is supposed to be more like the Han Solo. Like he's, he's, is like the shit, but he knows it, but he doesn't have to like put it in your face.

[clip from Return of the Sea Hawk, 3:05]

ADORA: Madam Razz, can we talk?

RAZZ: Of course, dearie. Now, what is it you wanted to talk about?

ADORA: Um, Sea Hawk.

RAZZ, SCANDALIZED: Sea Hawk?! That pirate rascal?

ADORA: Well, pirate or not, he risked his life to save me.

[scene change trill as we flashback to The Sea Hawk]

SHE-RA: I suspect in your heart that you'd rather fight for freedom than for profit.

SEA HAWK: Well, I never cared much for those Horde swabs anyway. All right, She-Ra. From now on, Sea Hawk is with the Rebellion.

[scene change trill as flashback ends]

RAZZ: Oh, yes. [titters] What a story. So romantic.

ADORA: Romantic.. for She-Ra?

RAZZ: [loud gasp] Aha! You think that Sea Hawk likes She-Ra more than he likes Adora.

ADORA: And I can't tell him they're both me!

RAZZ: Well… Perhaps Adora should tell him how Adora feels.

[clip ends]

LAUREN: I don't love why she feels so strongly about Sea Hawk. So when we did Sea Hawk and then Return of Sea Hawk, I was expecting there to be maybe a big time jump between the two episodes, or maybe we were supposed to get that somethings happened between them off-screen, which I really would have liked, if we opened up Return of Sea Hawk and said, 'Oh, we see, we work with Sea Hawk now, we go on many adventures with him, and now our relationship's more established and we're tuning back in'. But when Adora is in the woods with Madame Razz kind of pouring her heart out, we literally see the flashback to the moment where Sea Hawk rescued Adora.

And Adora's basing her feelings, it seems just kind of primarily on that, which is a very… 80s kids' cartoon mishandling of women, I think, like, 'Oh, he saved me. Therefore, a relationship has to happen now'. And I just wish there were more. I remember being a little girl, playing on the playground or at other girls' houses, some of the TV shows we used to love to watch. And I can remember specifically emulating the episode of Power Rangers where the Pink Ranger was trapped in a genie bottle. So some girl on the playground had to be trapped the whole time. Or we would play Aladdin and we'd say, Jasmine is captured, you have to be captured in the closet for a while. And that seemed so [voice pitches higher in distaste] normal? to me as a kid, because 'kidnapping and rescue by a man' plots were just so common in the late 80s and early 90s. I had such high hopes for there to be more substance here. And in terms of why she falls for Sea Hawk, I wasn't, frankly, seeing it.

ERIC: The fact that then, after Sea Hawk swoops in and saves Adora, then She-Ra saves Sea Hawk, that doesn't really redeem anything for you?

LAUREN: It's not that it does or doesn't redeem it, um… I don't think it redeems the fact that she kind of fell for him over this minimal exchange of… of moments, like rescue should never result in this level of, of adoration. However, I do think She-Ra was owed that. So it's not that it redeems it or does this great massive gender role flip for me. It's that this is She-Ra's show. This is a show that's supposed to empower girls. And they damn well better have given her an opportunity to rescue him. And so it's not that I'm… impressed. It's that I'm like, 'Well… You did meet the bar where I setit at least, so good—good job, -ish.'

[clip from The Sea Hawk, 17:16]

SEA HAWK: Broil me in butter and call me a flounder, that was a close one. I don't know who you are lass, but I owe you for that one.

SHE-RA: The name's She-Ra. I'm a friend of Adora, and of the Rebellion.

SEA HAWK, CONCERNED: Adora… did she get away?

SHE-RA: Yes, thanks to you. Now, about what you owe me…

SEA HAWK: Name it, my lovely. Jewels? Gowns? Gold?

SHE-RA: I want you to stop helping the Horde and start helping the Rebellion.

SEA HAWK: Me? But I'm a pirate.

SHE-RA: You are also clever, and not afraid of the Horde. And I suspect that in your heart, you'd rather fight for freedom than profit.

SEA HAWK: You seem to know me pretty well. All right, She-Ra. From now on, Sea Hawk is with the Rebellion.

SHE-RA: Glad to have you.

SEA HAWK: Not half as glad as I am. Now, what say we wrap up these Horde squids and send them back to old Bony?

[end clip]

ERIC: I think… You could make an argument, maybe not a great one that… uh… And it's certainly not expressed in the text, but that part of Adora's attraction to Sea Hawk, is because maybe she views him as kind of an equal? Um. And there's no, like, weird chain of command issues, like they're—they're separate... You know, they fight for the same cause, but in separate ways, and they're both kind of leaders, and they both have a lot of the same values, uh, and they can have adventures together. I think all of that is probably true and also not really expressed in the show. [chuckles]

LAUREN: Yeah, I think, um… if I were more than… what I am now, like if I were a big fan of this show and really wrapped up in watching it each week and getting into the lore, uh, especially back when it was first coming out, I think I'd write a lot of those stories in while watching it, because that—that stuff is there to be found. They're both sort of the leaders of their respective Merry Men, you know, they're both sort of doing this Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves thing. Uh. And I think they could be compatible, and it probably is a good match in the end, which is why I was a little bit disappointed that they didn't give them more of those moments to bring those truths up to the front. I don't like having to write it in for myself.

ERIC: Yeah, I think even though these are touted as 'the relationship episodes', there's just not a lot here. And I think that fans have remembered these more kindly than they're actually presented, because at their heart, like, especially Return of Sea Hawk, it's just an adventure story with like a little little bit of emotion. And the Sea Hawk is more about, I think, about convincing someone who's war profiteering that, 'hey, maybe you're exploiting people' than it is about forming a relationship, to the point where it even comes a little bit out of nowhere that She-Ra has this attraction for Sea Hawk. It seems like it's not seated at all. So that is weird.

[clip from The Sea Hawk, 5:06]

ADORA: What do you think about all this Spirit?

SEA HAWK: So, our mysterious lady talks to horses, does she?

ADORA: You startled me, Captain.

SEA HAWK: Hawk. Sea Hawk. My men call me Captain, but uh, you can just call me Hawk.

ADORA: I'd rather just call you Traitor.

SEA HAWK: Traitor? Woman, I should have you thrown overboard.

ADORA: Go ahead. I don't want to be on the same ship with a man who works for the Horde.

SEA HAWK, DEFENSIVELY: I work for no one but myself.

ADROA: Hordak pays you, doesn't he?

SEA HAWK: My men and I are free. While the rest of this planet bows to the Horde, we roam the seas.

ADORA: And prey on your own people.

SEA HAWK: But we are free. As free as... as free as this seaferry. Free to roam wherever we will.

ADORA: Until the Horde decides to stop you. No one on this planet will truly be free, including you, until the day that Hordak and his evil empire leave this planet forever.

SEA HAWK: You speak bold words, woman. I will think on what you say.

[end clip]

LAUREN: To your point about the relationship only being a portion of this episode, and a big part of it is also actually encouraging another hero to rise up against the Horde. One of my favorite shows when I was very little, also an 80s cartoon, was Johnny Quest. And I did love the Real Adventures of Johnny Quest as well when that came out, but like original, standard grade Johnny Quest. There weren't a lot of action shows made for me, made for girls. And so I kind of just let myself watch that one, even though it was clearly quote-unquote 'for boys'. And the moment when Catra's ship is seen for the first time and they're like, 'hmm, I don't see any weapons. That's unusual.' And then there's this amazing like, long sequence where just a ton of guns flip out of the ship and just every surface of this—of this vessel turns into guns to the point where the last couple, especially the like railgun that the robot is sitting behind, like—there was no more room for more guns on this ship, and yet, more guns. I thought it was awesome. [laughs delightedly] And uh, I love seeing that in a cartoon that is, you know, 'for girls.' Girls can have those really over the top action sequences, too.

I think in episode one, you said… seeing Wonder Woman brought you to discussing this show, and thinking about this show again. And I thought of you when we literally throw She-Ra at a ship like she's just an explosive cannonball or something. Because that's what Wonder Woman does in that belltower in the—in the modern, the most recent film that came out. Just using this woman as a projectile weapon. And I—when I saw Wonder Woman, because I hadn't seen She-Ra yet, I was like, 'What a powerhouse. I've never seen anything like that before.' And I was just in awe that… it had been done before. A long time ago.

I like that you mentioned Han Solo earlier in this episode as well, uh, my husband Clayton is a big Han Solo fan and loves to talk about Han's hero's journey in A New Hope. In that the thing that sets Han Solo apart, and that turns him into a hero instead of just a profiteering scoundrel and puts him decidedly on the side of the Rebellion instead of neutral is when he turns the Millennium Falcon around. He leaves with his money and there's the question out in the air, 'is he not gonna come back?' and he does. During that run on the Death Star, Han turns the ship around, and there he is at just a pivotal moment and pretty much exactly just so, Sea Hawk also leaves with his money and then turns the ship around. It's not a coincidence, I—I think that's pretty derivative.

ERIC: I—I think so. And he has a laser sword.

LAUREN: Yeah, he does.

ERIC: Yeah.

LAUREN: Thank you for pointing that out. Yeah he does. There's a lot to love in this episode. Um—As I mentioned in a previous episode what I'm trying to do, is, um, have a kind of constant dialogue with myself about femininity, and there were things in this episode like Adora had an empathy-related superpower that was very like Deanna Troi [[1]] and so, one note that I wrote down about her—when she's Adora, more than once, in quick sequence, she is very forgiving. As she's being arrested and hauled off, she—she says something like 'perhaps he had no choice' and then a couple seconds later 'I'm sure you did what you thought best, Sea Hawk' and there's something very touching and admirable about that part of her? That she's a karate-kicking superhero but also has such a deep capacity to forgive—because I don't think she's being sarcastic in those moments.

ERIC: No, I don't think so either.

LAUREN: And forgiveness is not a trait that I think I share. I think I'm a pretty judgy, uh grudge-holding person, and as I try to imagine myself as a young girl… who would be presented with She-Ra as a role model, I think that would have been a great thing, for me, growing up, to have more instances in which forgiveness is not just like a feminine obligation to be ladylike, but it's something that like badasses also do.

[clip from The Sea Hawk, 9:55]

SWEN: I—I don't believe it! He's turned you in! I—I'm so sorry, I never really thought he'd do it!

ADORA: Oh it's not your fault, Swen. Perhaps he had no choice.

[music change]

SEA HAWK, RELUCTANTLY: I, uh.. I'm sorry, Adora.

ADORA: No apologies, Captain. I'm sure you did as you thought best.

[clip ends]

ERIC: So there's some neat real-world background on uh, on the Sea Hawk character. So Sea Hawk, as you may have deduced, was based on an Errol Flynn character. In fact named after a 1940 Errol Flynn movie called The Sea Hawk. Now I didn't know anything about this movie and I'm sure fucking glad that I googled it before we recorded this, because here's some fun trivia about that movie. The Sea Hawk is about Sir Francis Drake, the Elizabethan English explorer although in the movie his name is changed to like Jeffrey something[[Transcriber's note: Geoffrey Thorpe]]—for no reason. But he's playing Sir Francis Drake and there's a really great review in The Guardian from 2012 which lets us know that The Sea Hawk is a thinly veiled anti-Nazi propaganda movie, where the Spanish stand in as the bad guys and the Elizabethans only plunder the Spaniards in the name of freedom. In other words, Sir Francis Drake takes treasure from the King of Spain because the King of Spain is a despot and doesn't believe that all men should be free. That doesn't strictly relate to the themes of this episode of She-Ra, but boy I thought that was really interesting how—you know, just talking about how, you know, the victor writes history and white people with cultural capital tend to dictate narratives. Because boy I don't really think that's true of the Elizabethan era of exploration. Pretty sure Queen Elizabeth wasn't sending ships out there because she was an egalitarian.

LAUREN: Clearly it's not a complete parallel to this episode, but someone in creating this episode read or knew that history. There's enough there that I believe that. Before we wrap that up I do want to note, that this show is still very funny. Uh, we didn't talk a lot about the comedy in this sort of recap, but… [laughing] they cut to Catra drinking just like from a saucer of milk at one point? And no one mentions it. It's just like part of the set dressing of the moment. It's just—

ERIC: That was commitment.

LAUREN: It's just the literal cat things. She's just getting down on a [laughs again] saucer of milk in a very otherwise serious, like, series of events. I love that. I love that this show still chooses to do that.

ERIC: Regarding comedy I definitely want to talk about this before we move to the moral. The end of Return of the Sea Hawk. [laughs] 'If you take a walk with me I could explain it to you'. Like where 'take a walk' becomes this euphemism for like, I mean I know it's innocent but it just sounds so dirty to me especially when then Swen asked Madam Razz if she would like to take a walk?

LAUREN: That whole thing was not only filthy, but then it even escalated to… the broom?

ERIC, LAUGHING: Yeah, where Broom was like 'hey what am I supposed to do?' And Madam Razz says 'find a mop'.

LAUREN: And Broom like, goes, [adopts a suave voice] 'maybe I will.'

[they both laugh]

ERIC: That—that was so absurd and that—that definitely made me laugh out loud.

[clip from the end of Return of the Sea Hawk plays]

SEA HAWK: Adora! Hello. What are you doing here? I thought She-Ra would meet us.

ADORA: Sorry to disappoint you.

SEA HAWK: Disappoint me? I'm not disappointed, I'm glad.

ADORA: Oh?

SEA HAWK: She-Ra was fun to fight beside but I'd much rather spend time with you.

ADORA: You—you would?

SEA HAWK: If you'll take a walk with me we can talk about it.

ADORA: I'd like that.

RAZZ: [coos]

SWEN: Madam Razz.

RAZZ: Oh, Swen.

SWEN: I thought you might like to have a little stroll with me. I could tell you all about my adventures with the Sea Hawk.

RAZZ: Oh [laughs] dearie my, well well, you bet I would. Oh that is, I think I can spare a few moments. I mean minutes.

BROOM: Hey, what about me?

RAZZ: Well why don't you just find yourself a nice friendly mop.

BROOM, INDIGNANTLY: A mop? [he pauses to consider it] Hmm… Wonder if I could find one.

[end of clip]

ERIC: I don't think the moral in this episode is as egregiously bad as it was in Duel of Devlin. I only want to talk about the second one, uh because I think… I think that's where the comedy gold lies. For our purposes. Uh. In Return of the Sea Hawk, the moral is, "In today's story, Adora and Sea Hawk liked each other, but they were afraid to admit it. Once they did, they became good friends. Everyone wants to be liked. If you like someone, tell them. And who knows? They may even say, 'I like you,' right back."

LAUREN: And then you can go on a walk.

ERIC, LAUGHING: Right. It's like, I'm not sure if, like, again, it's supposed to be innocent, but 'good friends' sound so dirty.

LAUREN: Well, sure. And given that the last moral we discussed was like, 'if you're being bullied… get on the horn and tell somebody!' And this time it's, 'if you like someone… get on the horn and tell somebody!'

ERIC: Right. Which, again, not great advice.

LAUREN: Right. Every time I watch this show, like poor childhood-bullied Lauren is like, 'no, because then that boy would just make fun of me forever. You're, you know, first through eighth grade. I had a kid I liked in kindergarten. I heard about it for years!' Don't do this to me, She-Ra. You're throwing me into the bus over and over.

ERIC: I also want to point out that, like, sometimes confessions of, well, Loo-Kee is clearly using 'like' to mean something more, he means—

LAUREN: Like-like.

ERIC: He wants to take a watch—take a walk with these people.

LAUREN: [laughs]

ERIC: So I think, I think… Yeah, there's points where like confessions of your feelings can be used as like a weapon? And that's really not cool. And I think you need to be very cognizant of that. Like as a, as a nerdy dude, like, let me tell all the other nerdy dudes, you can't just go around like, telling people, 'Hey, I like you' and then expect them to respond. That's not how it works. And that's not cool. I do want to say this though, in the week that we're recording this, this app called Saraha has become all the rage.

LAUREN: I hate it.

ERIC: I hate it too. And in trying to articulate my hatred, I find myself seeing exactly what Loo-Kee says in this moral. If you like someone, tell them.

LAUREN: But not anonymously.

ERIC: Not anonymously. That's right. In, in a non-romantic setting, I want to come out fully on the side of like, if you have something nice to say to somebody, don't hold back. Just tell them you don't need an app. Just tell them how you feel. It's going to mean a hundred times more.

LAUREN: Yeah. Well, yes, obviously I agree with that. It's why I don't have a Saraha and never will because I try to cultivate open and honest relationships. And I'm a very forward person. You may have noticed. And I just feel like if someone has something to say, particularly positive, the stakes are so low on that. If I've cultivated a good friendship with you, I want you to be able to say those things… with your name on them, to my face. And if you can't, what are we even doing here?

ERIC: Yeah. So in that respect, I want to come out on Loo-Kee's side. If you like somebody, tell them. If you're trying to take a walk with them, maybe consider your approach a little more.

LAUREN: [laughs]

[EPISODE OUTRO]

ERIC: Thanks for listening to She-Ra: Progressive of Power. If you like our show, you can write and review us on Apple podcasts. We'd super appreciate it. You can also send us any feedback you have, either to our email address, [email protected], or as a comment on our website at progressiveapower.wordpress.com.

LAUREN: An organization making great strides for gender equality is the Transgender Law Center. Their mission is to change law, policy, and attitudes so that all people can live safely, authentically, and free from discrimination regardless of their gender identity or expression. Their 2017 Plan for Resistance is an easy-to-understand list of ways TLC is adapting to succeed under our current administration. Visit transgenderlawcenter.org to get more information or donate.

[outro to “I have the Power”]

ERIKA SCHEIMER AND NOAM KANIEL: [As She-Ra and He-Man] For the honor of love, we have the power so can you.

ANNOTATIONS:

[[1]] Deanna Troi is a character from Star Trek: The Next Generation. Betazoids are telepathic aliens, but as she's half-human her psychic powers are somewhat diminished, so instead of reading minds she can read emotions (at least, at first). I've never watched TNG feel free to correct me here.

#progressive of power #podcasts

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suicidal-bitch-countdown · 2 years

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Fucking bitch is still alive. Unfortunately.

And the fallout from the failed suicide has really been awful and made me deeply wish I didn't fuck it up.

More people making fun of and bullying me, accusations of staging my suicide (really?), my property vandalised, I now experience gag reflex in response to any pill that I see because I've taken about 100 according to doctors, which later made me throw up for hours, and most likely losing my job on attendance grounds (subject to appeal).

I haven't had the strength to do anything to myself because I'm too weak physically. And it's so easy to fuck it all up turns out.

Petrol burns your skin and nether regions in ways that I didn't expect, and instead of setting myself on fire I ran around frantically and tore off my dress in panic.

Tying up rope takes a while and you've really got to account for the height, because first tie was far too low (so my feet would touch the ground), and the second was too high, meaning I had to faff about with pulling a big tree root to be able to prop myself up, but everything turned out to be so time consuming, a pair of dog walkers ran into me and I then knew everything was over.

Seeing your Mum cry is horrible. Even when She's hurt you in the past, it was still sad. Although having to live with Her now, I've remembered why we're not compatible and get on each other's nerves. Nothing has changed and She's too stuck in Her ways. I know I won't be able to function for too long having been lured to live under the same roof again.

Reading this blog again though, ensured I realise that there's no way out of this. You must keep your word and promise. No ifs or buts, bitch. Even if my Love has let me down in some ways, I've let Her down more. I've now learned some crucial things that I didn't know before, of course when it's too late. And they make me feel so fucking guilty. My friend who gets annoyed whenever I defend Her needs to stop his jealousy-fuelled moaning. You're another person who tried to turn me against Her. You're the one who tried to convince me She wanted me dead (!), and this is one of the things that really hurt Her when I said it in anger. He insists what a bully She is, but have you ever considered the second side of the story? Lol no cause you're biased as heck, so just give it a rest.

Apparently if I was really suicidal I'd have neglected my job, so now I have and I'm sacked. Appeal was sort of on autopilot and peer pressure, but really that should be the final straw as to why I go and die. Why are you so fucking weak? What are you waiting for? When your money runs out?

Ironically I'm going on a booked non-refundable holiday on an island in days. Hopefully I find a lighthouse accessible to public or another good hazard to throw myself off from. I haven't tried jumping from heights as a method of harm before. Since tablets and hanging failed, maybe this won't…… Just need to make sure it doesn't close early like it was the case that turbulent Sunday…… And when I disappeared people thought I went home! Haha, now it goes to show nobody knows a damn thing about me. Absolutely nothing.

Remember what I've said before, if I fail, I will try it again. Better fucking do it right though to spare everyone more suffering, including me, and so I don't ultimately get locked up in an asylum, as that'd be fate worse than death. So the race against time is on. Remember it bitch. Remember of the relief you leaving will bring. Monster abusers like you deserve to burn in hell, and I'll make sure of it. The correct punishment for hurting my Love is death. So you ought to pay.

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theofficersacademy · 1 year

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Sirius Randal Kurthnaga Lyon Leo Forsyth Cecilia Deirdre Sylvain Valter Maria Chrom Ares Micaiah

TEAM TAG: #KEruins2023 BASE CAMP PROGRESS: 60%

WEEK TWO: The calm before

Your skirmish with the Aukes leads to a tentative victory, though it is not won without loss. Fallen comrades are carried ‘home’ in your arms, but they are mourned preemptively - for as soon as they are lain to rest, their eyes blink awake, and they look right as rain, as though nothing had happened to them at all.

Hm.

Well... Can’t complain, right? They could be dead dead after all.

Anyroad, following your fight at the abandoned warehouse, the ruins have fallen oddly quiet, aside from the odd hum and click of passing sentries. Perhaps you’ve driven away the other scavengers, or maybe they were simply passing phantoms in the ever shifting landscape comprising the dreams you’ve so willfully invaded. One way or another, you’re alone now...

Well, with the exception of one brazen can thief and your chipper friend the Mechanic who’s seen fit to show his face again, that is.

Food consumed: 35 cans.

Places & Things of Interest

your apartments - your camp is starting to come together! No longer do you have to stare through a gaping hole in your second floor room at the dreary view outside. Instead, you can hang out with your dormmates in the privacy of your refurbished lodgings. Blankets and cots, analog early alert systems, yummy cans upon cans of beans and other delights... What’s not to love? Oh, and the Mechanic has offered to show you how to work the odd round panels in your rooms that heat up food on command. If that ain’t the height of luxury...

the crater - all remains quiet. As the new week progresses, however, it’s hard not to note the increasing number of machinery taking up residence within. They mill about aimlessly. There’s an odd hum in the air...

the crane - the Mechanic is surprised, no, shocked that no one’s really used it for much yet. He wants to show you a fun game you can play with it...

abandoned storage - the Aukes have promptly vacated in the wake of your attack. Perhaps it will be worth revisiting soon?

the blank journal - is not completely blank, it turns out. Thumbing through the pages reveals a lone, cryptic journal entry near the middle of the book. Hm...

▊▊▊▊▊ ▊ :

We begin moving. There is nothing left for us here. We head east towards ▊▊▊▊▊▊▊▊ . I hoped I would never have a reason to return there. But past the fog is an abundant land filled with generous people. Them sheltering us is our best chance of building our lives back. The others go along with it, thankfully. ▊▊▊▊▊▊▊▊▊and I share leadership of the group—neither of us know what to expect, but so long as we have each other, I know we will get through this.

the Teleporter - It seems this can be used to send objects somewhere, and also to receive them... but where are they going? Who is it on the receiving end? ... Of note, every time the strange machine is used, its light appears to dim just a little bit more...

NPCs of Note

the Aukes - Where have they gone...? Perhaps it is for the better that they’ve disappeared, but one has to wonder at their sudden change in attitude when they’d been so hostile not long ago.

the Mechanic - He’s turned up out of the blue, looking frazzled but none the worse for wear. Where the heck has he been, you ask? Oh, that’s right, he never showed up for your scheduled meeting, did he... Um, well, about that... First, it started with the nasty lil bugger what stole his tool belt. Can’t well fiddle without a fiddle, right? So he had to go and get it back. And then it turned out that his venture took him a little further out than anticipated, and so, like, he got a bit lost, you see. And then-- (His tale continues on for some time.)

Aphie, the Can Thief - a sassy child who cares not for your lame jokes. She would like to take your measure, see if you are actually worth sticking around with. She’s got high standards, you see. She knows all the best vantage points in town, and all the nooks and crannies.

Tasks

Setting up base camp (continued) - every 1 post = up to 7% of progress, capping at 100% - requires an equivalent 7 planks of wood, plates of metal, dormant/live cores, or a mix of the above per post - Rumour has it reaching 100% may yield something beneficial... But as things are, you’ve adequate enough lodgings to survive the remainder of your time in this dream. (Presumably.)

The Mechanic promised you something Real Cool and he still plans to deliver! That’ll be seven live cores please.

Scavenging / Dismantling / Hunting / Foraging - see week one tasks - not necessarily a priority - up to you if you think you’ve enough!

Crafting: - Aphie and the Mechanic peer over your randomly stockpiled materials with an appraising eye. “You could make stink bombs with these,” Aphie points to the small game and the bundles of herbs. “Or maybe a potion or two...” The Mechanic doesn’t seem particularly inclined toward plants, but does light up at your assorted metal and dormant cores. “They may be dormant but that doesn’t mean they’re devoid of life. And even the dead cores have their use... Wanna see?” - 3x bundles of herbs + 1x questionable small game = 1 vulnerary (?) - 2x bundles of herbs + 2x questionable small game = 1 stink bomb - 5x assorted metal + 2x dead cores = 1 shrapnel trap (chance of injury = 1d10, 1-3 = -2HP) - 5x assorted metal + 2x dormant cores = 1 battery, after a fashion - who knows, perhaps there’s more to come!

#KEruins2023 #toakeraselephas2023

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geniequestria · 7 months

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Starlight opens up the DisChaos program from within her lamp. She had just invited some pony to contact other than Fluttershy. None other than the first pony she personally genified…

<Starlight> Good afternoon, Trixie~ I pray that you can see this message? <Trixie> I see it, Starlight! This is amazing! Trixie isn’t sure what to think of that mismatched oaf that is Discord, but I’ll say one thing. He knows how to make a service when he puts his mind to it! <Starlight> Mmhmm, this will certainly be useful for our plans. I still have to wait for said mismatched oaf to add the public servers that Fluttershy told me about. But once they do… it’ll be even easier to spread our message~ <Trixie> Hehehe, the Great and Powerful Trixie can’t wait! Though that reminds me… if you’ve talked with Fluttershy, and in an amicable enough way… is she a genie too now? Are all the elements genies? I admit I did have this worry that maybe they’d be… resourceful enough to find a way to reverse everything. They almost always do… <Starlight> Not to worry, Trixie. Fluttershy herself is indeed a genie. The rest still aren’t, but that’s the whole idea. It’ll be more fun to genify them one-by-one over time as they give in to us. With Fluttershy already genified, the elements are useless. Victory has been assured. We’re just taking our sweet time with every pony who doesn’t realize that yet. <Trixie> That’s great news! Trixie can’t wait for your plans to be fulfilled so we can enjoy our wish-filled eternal life together <3 <Starlight> Neither can I, Trixie~. Though pardon the slight subject change, but how did you and the others from Our Town do in Manehattan? <Trixie> Ehehehe! We started our genification spree with a bang! We genified none other than Countess Coloratura live on stage! And then we genified her entire audience! <Starlight> Oh ho! That must have been one heck of a sight~ <Trixie> It sure was! Although… it was nothing compared to what we did together back up in the Crystal Empire~ <Starlight> Yes, it’ll indeed be hard to top that moment for sure… though is that all you’ve done over in Manehattan by chance? <Trixie> Well… besides genify a cop that tried to block our entrance. Not really? I apologize, was Trixie supposed to do more? <Starlight> No no no, don’t worry. I promise what you’ve done is respectable enough. Who knows if you want to give anyone in the audience their special moment of genifying their friends and family. It’d also be hypocritical of me to be mad at you for taking it slow when I’m doing the same for Twilight and her friends. Also, Celestia, Luna, and Cadence have told me they plan to wait for the next gala before genifying most of the capital. <Trixie> Oh... thanks for being so understanding. Frankly, Trixie can’t see why there’s still some resistance to Geniequestria. I ought to see Twilight soon, and tell her my perspective. She hasn’t met the genified me yet after all. <Starlight> Hmmmph, don’t expect to convince Twilight very easily. She still insists there must be some terrible catch that has yet to manifest… <Trixie> Maybe not… but she needs to at least see how happy I am now. I could have never dreamed of anything like this prior to being genified. You make Trixie feel so special… can you really be as bad as they say you are with that in mind? <Starlight> Yeah, they believe just because I don’t conform to their ideals of friendship that I must be doing something wrong. Even the currently genified Fluttershy still thinks I must change my tactics soon… I’m slowly making Equestria greater than it’s ever been and yet they resist simply because I’m not “friendly” enough for them.

<Trixie> Ha! Trixie knows how that feels. I gave crowds a good show, but some heckled me because my boasting was over-the-top and I looked full of myself… including three of Twilight’s own friends! But Trixie is supposed to play it up for the audience! They may be known as the elements of friendship, but apparently understanding what a performance is isn’t part of friendship… …I guess to be fair it is true that I can be a little too proud of myself, but c’mon just look at me, especially NOW!

(Vector by ShutterFlyEQD)

<Starlight> Ohhh, yes~ You were a very pretty magician before, and you make for an absolutely stunning genie~ <Trixie> Oh you flatter Trixie too much~ But do go on anyway! <Starlight> We ought to have another ‘duel’ when you get here, too~ <Trixie> Hehehehe, Trixie is so tempted to just use my genie power to teleport myself there right away just so we can get it on right this second~. But I’m feeling a stronger urge to genify some more ponies in this big city first. But I promise I’ll tell you when I’m heading over! <Starlight> That’s ok, Trixie. I’m feeling the same urge to grow Geniequestria further… In fact, why don’t you gave a good look of how much is already Geniequestria territory~

<Trixie> Wow! We’ve spread that fast?! That’s great! What do the striped portions mean though? <Starlight> That just means the places currently in process of being genified. Naturally, that’s Ponyville, Canterlot, Manehattan, and Fillydelphia since that’s where most of the Cloudsdale refugees went. There could still be some ponies we still haven’t gotten in the more space I've labeled as our territory, but non-genies are more populous in the striped areas. We’re likely going to be tied up for a long while since these places are the most important places in Equestria. Maybe for the exception of Las Pegasus. But I was going to ask if you’d like to head over there once Manehattan is completely genified. <Trixie> Oh YES! PLEASE let me have Las Pegasus! I’ll share the reason why at some point, but let’s just say… it’s quite personal. I’d much rather tell you about it when we’re together rather than from a long distance like this. <Starlight> If that’s what you wish, Trixie. You should get whatever personally satisfies you most. I’ll make sure to tell the other genies that Las Pegasus is your mission. Though while we’re talking… you’ve been to Ponyville a few times, right? Is there a commerce that you think would be smart to target? <Trixie> Hmmm… did you and/or the Crystal Ponies already get Ponyville’s mayor? <Starlight> Wha…? Why does Ponyville have a mayor when they have a Princess in the vicinity? What’s the point? <Trixie> Well to be fair, Mayor Mare’s been the mayor there for long before Twilight became a Princess. And I imagine it’d be seen as quite rude to push out an elected leader for an unelected (Albeit still popular) ruler. Even if yeah… Twilight clearly has a lot more sway over her <Starlight> I see… that does give me an… idea for some fun temptation before transforming her into one of us. We’ve already gotten a few parts of Ponyville’s society genified like the Day Spa and the hospital. I imagine genifying town hall will do some wonders as well. Ponyville’s government would be under our control! <Trixie> Sounds like a plan! I’ll head off to let you go then. Ta ta! Can’t wait for our next ‘duel’~ <Starlight> Same to you, Trixie~. Enjoy yourself in Manehattan. For Geniequestria! <Trixie> For Geniequestria!

#geniequestria #my little pony #my little pony friendship is magic #genie #starlight glimmer #trixie lulamoon #DisChaos #map #equestria #startrix #shipping #DisChaos Logs #side stories

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genshin-impact-writings · 3 years

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hi there! may i request small frappé with pumpkin spice and whipped cream? childe x reader ty! this is my first time requesting so i hope i didnt do this wrong!!

Heya, dear anon! Thank you so much for your request, it was perfect and i had a lot of fun writing this. So, here's your drink: A small frappé with pumpkin spice and whipped cream on top. Hope you enjoy! <3 (Reblogs are very much appreciated.)

Prompts: fluff, fake dating, “You’re not wearing that, are you?” + “I don’t think I can do this anymore.” (400 followers event: JJ's coffee shop)

Be mine – Tartaglia x gn!reader (fake dating!AU, fluff)

“You’re not wearing that, are you?”

With furrowed brows, you looked at Tartaglia. He was standing behind you, watching you as you turned in front of the mirror to get a better look at your outfit. “Why?” you asked, a hint of confusion echoing in your voice. “Is there something wrong? Is it too much?”

“No,” he replied, and a smile flashed over his face as he stepped closer and wrapped his arms around your waist from behind. Resting his chin on your shoulder, he added, “It makes you look even prettier than you already are, to be honest. Everyone’s going to stare at you.” He nuzzled your cheek. “And I’m not sure if I like that thought.”

You felt your face growing hot at his words and tried to wriggle out of his hug. “Stop that,” you said with a sheepish grin. “No one’s here, there’s no need to act like we’re a couple.”

Tartaglia hummed in response and took a step back after releasing you from his hug, although he couldn’t deny that your words hurt him more than he liked to admit. He knew that you were right – the two of you weren’t really dating, after all. It was just a show you put on to stop your friends from constantly pestering you to finally find yourself a boyfriend. When you had asked him to pretend to be in a relationship with you for a while, Tartaglia hadn’t hesitated to help you. Up to this day, he hadn’t regretted it – well, a bit, maybe.

At first, it had been nothing more than a game and a secret the two of you shared – something that never failed to make you laugh when your friends weren’t around. But as the weeks passed, things had… changed. At least for him.

He had no idea how you felt about the whole situation, though. If you still thought about him as a friend or if his constant flirting did have some kind of effect on you… if you maybe had developed real, genuine feelings for him too. It was foolish, he knew that, but he couldn’t help but hold on to that thought whenever he saw you.

You watched him in the mirror, the way he stared into the distance absent-mindedly, his pretty blue eyes filled with something you couldn’t quite put your finger on. He often had that look on his face when he thought you weren’t noticing it but whenever you brought the topic up, he always told you that you were imagining things before he quickly changed the subject.

That didn’t stop you from asking, though. You turned around to face him, your left arm slightly outstretched, almost as if your body couldn’t decide if you wanted to reach out for him or not. “Hey,” you said, your voice a lot softer than you initially intended. “What’s wrong?”

It was fascinating to see how his facial expression changed almost immediately, how he put on a smile that could have fooled anyone but you. “I was just thinking that you’re right,” he replied and shrugged. “About us, I mean. We’re not a couple when your friends aren’t around, and I’m sorry if my actions made you feel uncomfortable.”

You let out a surprised laugh. “What made you think I was uncomfortable? I just – I don’t know, I guess I wanted to say that there’s no need to pretend anything when we’re alone. It’s not necessary and I don’t want to bother you. Um…” You shook your head, annoyed by your own stammering. “You’re not making me uncomfortable. That’s what I was trying to say.”

You watched as his smile slowly transformed into a more honest one, and suddenly, there was this warm feeling welling up inside you again. It had happened a few times already, mostly when he looked at you like you were the most precious thing he had ever seen or when he hugged you like he had done earlier but you had never bothered yourself with thinking about it. After all, he only acted like that because you had an agreement with each other, not because he actually cared about you… at least not in that way.

And it was fine, although you couldn’t deny that a part of you had always wondered what it would be like to be in a real relationship with him. He could be reckless and even kind of belligerent sometimes, yes, but when he was with you, he seemed to be a completely different man – caring and considerate, always trying his best to make you smile when you were upset or sad. He was your best friend, the one you could always rely on, no matter what happened.

And sometimes, just like in this moment, he was the one who made your heart skip a beat without even knowing it.

“We should go,” you said, shaking your head once again to get rid of the confusing thoughts that had come to your mind. “The others are probably already waiting for us.”

On your way back home, you couldn’t stop thinking about something your best friend had said to you. Sometimes, you couldn’t help but wonder if they secretly knew that your relationship with Tartaglia wasn’t real but since you didn’t want to risk anything, you had decided to let sleeping dogs lie a while ago. Maybe they didn’t know it, anyway but something about the way they looked at you when they told you how happy you could be to have someone like him in your life, had suggested that they were well aware of your fake dating. “If you weren’t so cute together, I would be so jealous, really,” they had added with a grin, darting a glance at Tartaglia who had been joking around with one of your other friends at this point. “He’s awesome, (Y/N). Don’t mess this up, okay?”

The words were still echoing in your mind. How could you mess it up if everything wasn’t even real? Of course you knew what they were trying to say but at some point, you would have no other choice than messing everything up because you either had to tell your friends toe truth or act like you and Tartaglia had broken up. You couldn’t force him to play along forever, after all.

Sooner or later, he would find someone and fall in love for real, and then you would have to let him go, no matter how awful it felt to imagine him being with someone else. The thought hurt – and at the same time, it made you absolutely furious.

You stopped in your tracks, confused by the sudden anger that welled up inside of you when you thought about Tartaglia’s hypothetical future partner. Just because he would start to date someone, you definitely weren’t going to lose him; he would still be your friend. The only thing that would change was the fact that he would no longer act like he was head over heels in love with you.

And that was the moment it finally hit you.

The problem wasn’t that you were afraid of losing your friend. The problem was that you didn’t want him to fall in love with someone else – you wanted him to love you, actually love you, not just pretending like he had done for the past couple of weeks.

It was absolutely crazy, you knew that. He had agreed to fool your friends with you for a while because he thought it sounded like fun but actually developing feelings for each other hadn’t been a part of the deal. It had been completely out of the question, even.

Heck, why did everything have to become so complicated all of a sudden? Why did you have to fall for him? Everything he did, every hug, every kiss… all of that was part of your charade. He didn’t do it because he had romantic feelings for you.

Right?

You couldn’t help but remember the scene from earlier when he had hugged you in front of the mirror, implying that he’d be jealous if someone else would start to admire you. There had been no one around to see; he didn’t have to talk to you like that – and still, he had done it. And he had hugged you in a way that still made your heart beat faster.

Damn it. You needed to talk to him.

You needed to talk to him right now.

You turned around and rushed back to the restaurant where you had parted ways maybe fifteen minutes ago. He wasn’t there anymore but you knew that he sometimes went for a walk near the docks because he liked to listen to the sound of the waves, so you decided to look for him there.

It wasn’t too hard to find him – and as he spotted you approaching him through the crowd, a soft smile flashed over his face. “Did you miss me already?” he asked in a teasing tone that usually would have caused you to roll your eyes. But right now, it just made you feel more insecure.

“I need to talk to you,” you said. Admittedly, it wasn’t the smoothest conversation starter but you were way too nervous to bother yourself with being particularly eloquent in that moment. “About us.”

He raised his eyebrows. “About us?”

“About the whole situation,” you explained. “The relationship thing we have going on. I – I don’t think I can do this anymore. It just… it just feels wrong to pretend like we are dating when we’re not. I don’t know why I came up with that idea in the first place, it’s so stupid and I’m sorry for dragging you into this and-“

“Whoa, slow down, (Y/N),” Tartaglia interrupted you and furrowed his brows. “What are you talking about? I told you many times that I don’t mind helping you. I know your friends, I realize that they can be quite annoying when it comes to… well, your love life. You’re not taking advantage of me if that’s what you’re concerned about.”

You buried your face in your hands for a few seconds and let out a frustrated groan. “That’s not the reason I want to end this, Tartaglia,” you said. “I want to end it because it just feels wrong. We don’t love each other – we shouldn’t pretend that we do. It’s… it’s just not right.”

“Who says I don’t love you?”

You had expected every answer from him but not something like this. With wide eyes, you stared at him, searching his face for a sign that he was joking, that he was trying to fluster you like he already did a million times but his expression was unusually serious. “What?”

“Who says I don’t love you?” he repeated patiently. “You said it’s not right to pretend that we love each other. But the truth is that I’m not pretending anymore. So, it’s not wrong, is it?”

You couldn’t reply. Your thoughts were racing as your brain tried to comprehend what he had just told you but you felt like you weren’t able to think straight at all. Not when all you could think about was that he loved you.

Tartaglia stepped closer, gently cupping your face with his hands. “I love you,” he said, the tone of his voice so earnest that it send a shiver down your spine. “And I think that you may love me too, so if that’s the case could you please say something? Or – I don’t know, blink twice, maybe?”

“Shut up,” you said, finally snapping out of your state of shock. “Shut up and kiss me.”

Taglist: @blissmal, @aimicoos

#tartaglia x reader #childe x reader #tartaglia genshin x reader #childe genshin x reader #tartagalia genshin impact #childe x you #genshin impact x reader #genshin imagines #genshin impact fluff #genshin impact imagines #gn!reader #gender neutral reader #reader insert #fluff #fake dating!AU #genshin impact

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h2bakugou · 3 years

Note

hitoshi x reader where denki and reader have been friends their whole lives, and after introducing the two, both hitoshi and y/n start going to denki about their feelings for each other and how much they struggle

denki eventually gets sick of it and starts finding different ways to get them together (eventually ending with them being like "oh i didn't think you liked me" and finally dating

maybe a bonus scene of denki's reaction to seeing them together and being like "hecking finally"

- 🪶

a/n: hii love!! this is a really cute idea omg i love this sm <3 i hope you enjoy it!!

summary: denki's been your childhood friend since, well childhood. when he introduces you to a certain lavendar-haired boy, you find yourself opening up to denki about your crush, and so does someone else.

key: (y/n) - your name / (f/n) - first name / (l/n) - last name / (e/c) - eye color / (h/c) - hair color / (y/q) - your quirk

warnings: swearing, fluff

word count: 2.1k

;cut for length;

»»————-　★　————-««

The electric blonde has been your childhood friend for years. You grew up together, you told each other pretty much everything. There was the occasional talk about crushes, boys, girls, and whatever else you could talk about while growing up.

You'd always been there for each other, and now you were both attending U.A., and being in the same class had been proven to be a bit of a task for Mr. Aizawa.

The day had pretty much just started, and Denki had asked you to come with him on your first break. You were almost always hanging out with him anyway, so you were a bit confused as to why he'd wanted you to come with him.

"Hitoshi!" Denki called out, alerting both you and the lavender-haired boy of your presence.

"Oh, hi Kami-" Hitoshi falls silent as he stares at the person beside Denki. You.

Shinso feels the world stop for a few seconds as he stares at you. He's honestly speechless.

Much like you are. You'd heard about this boy now that you've heard his name, and staring at him, you can feel your heart swell in your chest. He's so handsome.

"I thought I would introduce you two! Maybe we could all go hang out together this weekend since we won't have classes." Denki's sudden plans that would include this cute boy makes your face heat up. You begin to feel self-conscious, flattening your uniform, or tucking a strand of hair behind your ear as you glance at Denki.

"We're off for once?" You question.

"Yeah! We could go do laser tag, or watch a movie in my dorm?" Denki offers, grinning. His intentions had been pure, just wanting to introduce two friends.

"Oh, I totally forgot! Hitoshi, this is (Y/n), (Y/n) this is-"

"Hitoshi, Shinso." Hitoshi speaks up, and your heart throbs in your chest at the sound of his voice. It's oddly charming. And so is the soft scent of sage and teakwood that surrounds him. It had to be his cologne, whatever it was though, you enjoyed it.

"It's nice to meet you." You speak up, extending a hand to shake. Shinso glanced own before placing his palm in yours, giving you a gentle handshake. His touch is electrifying and sends sparks coursing through your veins as you pull away.

"Yeah." Shinso looks back at Kaminari, who's beaming at him, a shit-eating grin on his lips. Kaminari was reading Shinso like a book.

"Well, we've got to get back to classes! We'll talk our plans over later!"

And with that, Kaminari is yanking you back down the hall, running to make it back to class on time.

During lunch, your phone pings, signaling you've been added to a group chat. You immediately recognize Kaminari's number, his contact labeled 'kami :D' popping up followed an unknown number.

who's that?

The number asks. You see Kaminari typing a response.

It's (y/n) dummy, add them into your contacts🙄🙄

You realize this number must be Shinso, so you decide to type a reply.

it's shinso right? i'll add u too ^^

You quickly add Shinso's contact into your phone and put a purple heart beside his name. Kaminari glances over at your phone and giggles.

"A heart already? You just met!" Kaminari teases and you're plastering your hand over his mouth to keep him from speaking too loud.

"Shut up! I just think he's sweet! Besides do we need to talk about your contact info for-"

"Okay! Okay!" Kaminari quickly shushes you, not wanting his current crush to find out about whatever their contact info is.

A few days go by, and after your hangout session with Kaminari and Shinso, you find yourself falling for him more and more.

But Shinso is the one that drops the first hint to Kaminari.

"So is (Y/n) seeing anyone?" Shinso asks, helping Kaminari clean his cartilage piercing.

"What like romantically?" Kaminari asks, sitting up with his ear turned to face Shinso while his cold fingers brushed against his ear.

"Yes, you idiot. Do they have like a boyfriend or girlfriend?" Shinso asks. He's nervous.

"Nope! (Y/n) hasn't talked to me about a crush or anything. They're always showing me these fictional people though. Why? You know someone that likes them~" Kaminari wiggles his brows at the purple-haired boy.

"Shut up. 'm just askin'." Shinso is finally done with the cotton swab and tosses it before letting Kaminari go, his fresh piercing all clean.

Suddenly a knock on the door pulls them away from the conversation and Kaminari is on his toes opening it to reveal you in some goofy pajamas.

"I'm ready for pizza and mario-" Your face contorts in horror as you stare at Shinso on his bed, out of uniform in something dark and mysterious, a loose dark plaid button-up and dark jeans.

"Nevermind! Sorry for bugging you!" You yell and run back to your dorm, hiding your face in embarrassment.

"Wait! I wanted pizza!" Kaminari calls out to you in the hallway but you don't turn around.

Shinso's face is red when Kaminari turns back to look at him.

You looked so cute, and so effortlessly- You weren't trying to impress anyone, yet you looked stunning. In nothing but some silly matching pajamas that Denki most likely had a pair to match, you looked so cute.

"You didn't tell me you ate pizza and played Mario Kart..." Shinso says, faking hurt in his sentence.

"Oh shut up! Go to their dorm and see if they wanna come back up, I'll get it set up." Denki sighs.

Shinso's on the move, making his way to your dorm thanks to Kaminari's excellent directions. Knocking on your door, he feels nervous, anxious even. His heart's pounding in his chest and then cool air washes over him as you open your door.

"Kami I'm sorry I-" You freeze as you stared at the boy in front of you.

"Ohmygod." You say quietly, quickly hiding yourself behind your door.

"Hi!!" You speak up, glancing at him from behind your door.

"Why are you hiding behind your door?" Shinso asks, a small smile on his lips.

"Your pj's are cute."

It echoes in your head, over. and over. and over again.

Your pj's are cute.

You slowly reveal yourself and look away.

"So, did Kami send you down here?" You ask quietly.

"He did, he wants you to come back up, and if it's alright with you, I'd like to hang out too, though I don't have any cool pj's to wear."

Shinso's voice calms you down, though your heart still seems to beat faster and faster.

"I actually, um, hang on. You can come in!" You allow him into your dorm, and he doesn't decline.

He glances around, admiring the pictures of you and Kami. He giggles about how silly young Denki looks with his hair all crazy and spiked up.

"You guys have been friends for a while it looks."

"Since kindergarten! He shocked me on accident, and when he apologized, we just sorta clicked. Been besties ever since." You search through your drawers and eventually find a kitty onesie that was a bit too big for you.

"I think this should fit you."

"It's kitty onesie, though you don't have to wear it!"

"Did you say kitty?" Shinso's ears perk up and you nod. He graciously takes it and the two of you leave to return to Denki. Shinso changes in his bathroom.

It smells like you, and Shinso has to stop himself from smelling the hood every five seconds as he leaves. You just smell so sweet, it's kind of alarming how soothing it is.

You all play and it's a great night, until Denki decides to play a scary movie after. You're sandwiched between the boys but begin to doze off about halfway through the movie.

Your head leans on Shinso's shoulder while you doze off, and he notices right away. He glances at Kaminari who only gives him a reassuring wink.

"You're stupid." Shinso whispers.

"They like to cuddle~" Kaminari suggests.

Shinso graciously lays an arm over you, hugging you to his chest as you readjust in your sleep. You're so warm, and Shinso begins to doze off too.

When you wake up in the morning, you've been covered up by a fuzzy blanket, but the warmth radiating under you is the most alarming.

Your sleepy eyes open to see the purple-haired boy you have a crush on, under you. Your eyes widen but you don't move away. Instead, you lay back down, not wanting to wake him.

His arm rests around you, and his breathing is so calming. It lulls you back to sleep.

You don't talk about that night much afterward, until you're knocking on Kami's door at one in the morning after a bad dream.

"Is Shinso single?" You ask quietly.

"Yeah, why ya askin' me though?" Kaminari hugs you, your head resting on his shoulder.

"I'm too nervous to ask him." You giggle.

"So you like him?"

"Yeah. He's really sweet, and super cute too." You admit, pulling away to stare at your best friend.

"I'm totally not his type though."

"I'm going to beat you up." Kaminari jokes. You shake your head and laugh.

"He's gotta be into like super hardcore goth punk rock-"

"You're so oblivious." Kaminari interrupts you. You roll your eyes and get comfortable on the edge of his bed, snuggling with one of his plushies.

"Just go to sleep, you idiot." You throw another plushy at him.

"You're in my dorm! I can and will kick you out." Denki huffs.

"As if. You need my snoring as your white noise." You tease him.

"You're so mean to me." Denki pouts.

By the same time next week, Denki's heard Shinso's confession about his crush on you, and every little detail about what both of you had to say about the other.

And Denki was honestly tired of it, endearingly of course. So he was setting you two up.

"I need you to meet me here at two. Wear something cute." Is what the text had said. You repeated it as you put together a cute outfit.

Shinso had received the same text and was just wearing something casual like he usually did.

However, when you both spotted each other and not Denki, you began to realize what was happening.

"He's not coming, is he?" You spoke softly, staring at the attractive boy in front of you.

"I guess not." Shinso looks over at the cafe you're standing outside. It's a cat cafe.

"Well, if you're not busy, wanna grab a bite to eat?" Shinso offers, nodding toward the cafe.

"I'd really like that, actually. Thank you." You smile. He offers his hand and you take it gracefully, smiling at how warm it is.

Shinso's phone pings halfway through your piece of cake with a message from Kaminari.

nows ur chance dude, ask them out

Shinso swallows his fear and looks up at you. You're so beautiful, even all dressed up, you look adorable.

You're petting an all-white kitty that's laying in your lap.

"Hey, (Y/n)?" Shinso gets your attention.

"Mhm?" You hum, smiling at him.

"Do you wanna, maybe do this again sometime?" He asks, a blush on his cheeks.

"Like, as a date?" You ask, your own face heating up.

"Yeah. As a date, and as a couple." He glances over at a pretty black cat that begins to nudge your arm for a few pets as well.

"I'd like that." You smile, your heart swelling.

"Then it's settled."

Afterward, neither of you can contain your excitement. Walking back to the dorm with your hand in his, Kaminari is elated.

"Finally." He sighs.

"Finally?!" You both say in unison.

"You should've confessed the day you met. I had to listen to you two being sappy about one another for two weeks straight."

Both you and Shinso feel flustered at Kaminari's comment.

"But it's okay. I love you two so I'll tolerate it. But you two better get along or no more pizza and Mario Kart. You'll have to deal with Bakugou, and I don't think you'll enjoy buying a new controller every time you want to play."

Kaminari was genuinely happy to see you both together, and both be happy.

"Thanks, for you know." You nudge him while sitting on his bed, Shinso was gone, using the bathroom.

"What are you talking about. I didn't help. You two just finally confessed. You did that on your own."

"Yeah but, you made me feel confident about it." You smile.

"That's what I'm here for!" Kaminari smiles.

You couldn't ask for a better friend, or a better boyfriend.

»»————-　★　————-««

masterlist

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itsbuckytm · 3 years

Text

Home. Chishiya x Reader

Summary : Chishiya is having a fascination over the reader he thought he could get away from. Only to finding out she was the light to his darkness.

Warning : None (also english isn’t my first language, however I tried my best with grammar error and plot wise)

Enjoy 💗💗

Living in the Borderland has yet to become a nightmare you wished to have never happened. The slight feeling of blood dripping on your cheek, right after pulling the trigger at the right time. Enough for the body in front of you to fall face down, now to be only described as a dead corpse.

Every minutes, turned into an hour before completely turning into emptiness. An emptiness you felt corrupted by sadness, anger and solitude. Such emotions you had never once thought to experience in your life. And yet here you were, gun gripped tightly to your fingers, trembling as your enemies fresh blood dripped lifelessly on your clothes. Leaving you not only in complete shock and pain, but in a such petty way enough for someone to catch your attention.

There he was, standing just a few doors away from yours. Examining every movement you did. Something about you being « new » felt rather to interested for him. For him you were just another toy to play with.

Chishiya was his name, you learned it through Arisu (but never had the chance to get a clear look of his apparence) and who by being protective of you had rather decided to take you with him in order to keep you safe. Sadly, being just as stubborn you were, it didn’t last you enough for you to be lost once you decided to wonder around the Borderland, once escorted.

It didn’t took long enough before you were lost. Of course you did managed to remember about a few places such as the pool and the Hatter’s office but other than that the rest came more vague almost as if every time you passed a new room you were certain something was about to happened.

Thus, taking you by surprise the moment you heard a voice. A voice to cold yet not so friendly to be even thinking of offering whoever’s owner of this room or voice an apology to their privacy and yet out of habit, you did. “I’m sorry, I really didn’t-“

“Bare me your excuses. I am surprised you even got the guts to enter into The Hatter’s bedroom. Let alone Niragi’s, better watch your step next time.”

The voice faded just as the sound of their footsteps did along. However, the moment you were about the discover the stranger, nothing but a dim light flickering and silence corrupted the room before in your turn left the room out of sight.

Having a new face in the Bordeland has become quickly the top’s news. Even the Hatter himself being as frantic as he was, managed to invite Arisu, Usagi and you at one of the first meetings for the new comers.

Feeling rather uncomfortable at Niragi’s constant confrontation and small remarks, you noticed a pair of eyes watching you. It was him. Chishiya and just as he spoke, you were back into reality. The voice back at the Hatter’s place it was his all along. The pair of brown eyes watching you from a distance, all his.

Surprisingly, it didn’t took the both of you however, to start a conversation. His soft yet cold voice of his, intrigued you too much for you to become just as interested as he was with you. He just didn’t liked showing too much emotions.

The militants who worked with him noticed a slight change into his behavior. They noticed the sudden tone on the man’s voice whenever you shared the same room and as subtle as he tried to be. Heck even Chishiya noticed something in him changed.

Either you were to blinded, or just another prey of his.

Niragi of course, being the not so subtle out of everyone, grew annoyed that his very own team mate couldn’t face the fact that maybe. Chishiya’s new distraction became a little more than that.

“You know, if you stand there like a creep. I’m not surprised she would kill you like that bastard who tried to take her beauty away.” He murmured almost sounding like a threat, making a Chishiya rather annoyed.

Days has passed and you were getting familiar with the game’s tactics. How the world was build and how fascinated you become once Chishiya told you more about it.

The both of you grew closer, not wanting to express anymore feelings to make it talked about, you both knew it was for the best. And yet something deep inside felt as if you belong in each other’s arms but such coldness separated this act.

That is when one night, you and Chishiya were assigned for a game. A game you were both against another team, a game of where the heart was trust.

Things were going as told, however you were one tonight’s target. You felt the blade quickly brushing ahead of you just as you could, get away from but it was only a lost cost. Chishiya yelled out your name but it was to late. Your vision felt blurry just enough before for you felt into his arms.

Right before your eyes you knew it was your last days, and yet your mind by faith decided otherwise. You were found in a bed, rather comfortable, your eyes meeting the harsh light from the lamps enough for the people who sat next to you notice your awakening.

The first you noticed was Arisu with a poorly made bouquet of flowers held it to you. You smiled and thanked him. “Don’t forget it was me who chosen the flowers”. Niragi said, mocking Arisu in which you roll your eyes thanking them once again before they reunited in another argument on whom was going to put the flowers in the bowl.

“I will.” A voice too familiar interrupted the little fiasco. Your eyes meeting him once again, thinking that last night was going to be your last. “Chishiya...” You spoken softly received, by a smile you never once thought from such a man as his could.

Niragi taking Arisu knowing a little too much for your liking, left for you both’s privacy and quickly corrupted by a moment of silence before Chishiya walked towards you and said. “Feeling alright?”

To be frank you couldn’t tell. Something inside you was glad to be alive but on the other, felt such emptiness that you couldn’t even comprehend it’s own cause. “I had my better days.”

You both chuckled and as he sat down next to your bed, he gently took your hand onto his, delicately pressing his soft lips on it. Frowning at his quite unusual actions, you questioned him on his behavior.

“What’s wrong?” You decided to ask, feeling such worries in his eyes but also satisfaction to the fact that you were all alive and well.

He chuckles softly as he was sinking into deep madness, thinking how he could live such weird emotions in such quick paste. “Do you ever believed in love?” He asked you and by the tone of his voice, thought to yourself that he also was just thinking how rubbish it sounded. But he insist by repeating : “Have you?”

You looked at him for a few moments, feeling the slight heat coming trough your cheeks, trying to look away before he even catches your blush. Which he on his end showed a soft smile and continued. “It’s crazy how ever since you showed up, I’ve tried to ignore you. I couldn’t technically say why you made such an effect on me and yet for some reasons I do.”

Listening to every words, you held his hand a little tighter as a source of comfort. “You know... I’ve been feeling strange emotions as well, hell even those I never knew I could experience in a life time. I guess by meeting you I could finally say you were like home..”

Home? He wondered through his mind, admiring you as if he knew that maybe loving you weren’t his lost cost into living a little longer into the Borderland and to once you both left... live a life together. For once.

“I love you, Chishiya. As much as I know you want it to push it away, the distraction I’ve caused-“

His lips brushed yours in an instant. Not letting you finish your phrase, you knew what he felt to. Maybe you both needed each other and no matter the cause, the sacrifice you’ll have each other’s side.

“See told you, now give me five bucks.” Niragi’s was heard silently watching the scene with an Arisu whom seemed rather uncomfortable and a Aguni, annoyed by his loss. Thus, making the Chishiya and you turning heads to the scene, with such glare all three new it was time to leave.

#alice in borderland imagines #chishiya imagine #imagines #chishiya x reader #niragi imagines #niragi x reader #arisu x chishiya #arisu x reader #alice in borderland x reader #the last boss #arisu imagines #jealous niragi #kuina alice in borderland #alice in borderland boss #chishiya #chishiya alice in borderland #niragi alice in borderland

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jaskiersvalley · 2 years

Text

Give

Heads up folks, this one is bitter as heck.

Throughout his life Jaskier had always given everything he could. From his toys as a child to his sweet treat to his allowance. Anything he could spare, he gave freely and without hesitation. And the world took with nary a thanks. It wasn't that Jaskier expected anything in return, not really. He trusted that his kindness made enough of a difference in the world that others would respond in kind. Even if not to him, then to others. Life had dealt him a good hand, he could try to share it.

That wasn't to say it wasn't nice when someone remembered him. It was few and far between but it meant the world to Jaskier when someone returned his gesture. He became quite adept at picking up on them, not everyone could make as grand a gesture as him. Sometimes a smile or a compliment or a squeeze to the shoulder was enough. Those small things meant he had been seen and accepted.

Then Geralt happened. Finally Jaskier thought he'd found someone who gave just as much as he did. There was no thanks to being a witcher but Geralt still doggedly kept at it with an admirable determination. He gave to humanity and Jaskier fell a little in love. It was no hardship to travel with Geralt, to learn about his life through witnessing fights. Jaskier fancied he could hear fondness whenver Geralt addressed him as "bard", the term changing from standoffish disdain to something much more familiar. So Jaskier did what he did best and gave. His heart, his soul, his music, his life. It was all for Geralt who gave without second thought to strangers who would cheat him of everything if they could.

Years passed and Jaskier gave all he could. Sometimes it was exhausting, uncomfortable, terrifying but he still gave Geralt everything because that's what he deserved. Plus, Jaskier had plenty to share. It took a while to build up his level of comfort but Jaskier thought he could finally risk it. He could ask Geralt for something. Nothing much, nothing that he thought Geralt couldn't give. All Jaskier wanted was a sliver of time together. So he gathered his courage, approached Geralt and, in his own odd way, asked for something for himself for the first time in decades.

The rejection hurt worse than Jaskier could have ever imagined. He suddenly remembered why hoping for something in return was a bad idea. Needing a bit of time, he walked away to lick his wounds. And maybe a tiny part of him still hoped that Geralt would come after him. Even if he couldn't give Jaskier the time he'd asked for, maybe Geralt could show him that he did actually care. An hour went by then another. Slowly, the sun set and Jaskier took a shuddering breath. Nobody was coming to check on him. Not Geralt, not any of the people he had offered his everything to. For all his hopes and dreams, and everything Jaskier had given, there was only one thing Geralt, like the rest of the world, had seemed to be capable of. All they could do was take.

#geraskier #geralt/jaskier #geralt x jaskier #geralt of rivia #jaskier #the witcher #bitter #tldr: jaskier only ever gives with nothing given in return

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zuluc · 3 years

Text

it’s 4 am and i have class later 😔

he doesn’t work at the library but likes to sit there and bask in the peace from time to time. the rowdiness of the group he found himself accepted into was a nice change from his previous social life but even he needed a break. but you don’t know this. he’s just a mysterious fellow who peaks your interest.

sometimes you can catch him sitting near certain aisles nearby looking at books that were either, on purpose or not, on the top shelf or in a tall pile next to him. he jumps to get a few of them until the librarian came by to offer him a small ladder because, despite him being pretty quiet on his feet, she couldn’t ignore the rustle of clothes or view him moving about.

sometimes this woman comes in to ask him about something, her tall stature making him look smaller than he actually is but her presence is more inviting than intimidating with the proud look on her face. he smiles sometimes when they talk but she leaves him to his devices in the quiet sanctum.

one day he sits at the very edge of your table. you look around to see other empty ones to which he could have more space but he doesn’t seem to have made a mistake of choosing this spot. he makes quick work of laying out his books for the day, poetry and history this time though you don’t know exactly from who or when, and looks up to meet your gaze. you feel embarrassed to have been caught staring at him but he only gives you a kind smile in return.

the days go on like that.

—

but you don’t know him. not yet at least.

he doesn’t know you, but he’s seen you before. in between classes amidst the passionate faces of your friends as they engage in a seemingly heated debate about miniscule things, your own is clear cut. more mellow than those about but equally interested all the same. but you come to this place on your own most times to study or simply relax.

sometimes he finds you in some aisles going through extra textbooks or practice books for your subjects with a permanent look of annoyance on your features. your eyes scan for minutes on end for that one cover because who wants to pay for things only to be used once that you’ll forget about after exams? you certainly don’t. but then again, it would be too good to be true to find it in the library.

sometimes a friend comes in excitedly to talk to you. you indulge his, he knew the name of this certain twin-braid student, poorly whispered words before he’s dragged out by the quiet one you are also friendly with and they disappear to leave you at peace. he sees the fond look you gives after them and a shake of your head at his antics before continuing your quiet time.

one day he finds you sitting alone and a sudden urge to take the corner seat of your table calls to him. call it a sign or whatever his books tell him and he takes the opportunity. he can’t necessarily look at you right away so he hides his eagerness and sets out his books. when he gives and looks up he’s seeing your surprised face all he can do is smile.

—

you think he’s charming as he studies. he doesn’t wear any sort of glasses or anything but he does keep a pencil either rested on top of his ear or in his hand tapping against his lip as he concentrates.

but you try to stop yourself from staring. it’s rude and downright creepy and you don’t want to be dubbed as that type of person to a cute guy.

cute? yes, he was cute.

—

he thought the same about you. cute. that’s why he takes the leap and flicks a paper over to your side of the table, folded up as neatly as he could with words written inside.

Now a peaceful time

Quiet and stagnant are we

Finally to rest

you raise an eyebrow in response and mouth back, “a haiku?” he nods at your quick discerning and asks: “how is it?” with your given location and how neither of you are even going above a light whisper, you mirror his nod.

“fitting.”

and your interactions stay just like that for a while. you show up at the library at the same time and take a seat at the same table. sometimes he passes little papers to you with more haikus, usually capturing the feeling you both are kept in while in quiet. sometimes they’re for jokes to untense your shoulders after hours of reading.

this is how you get to know him but you want to return the favor. so you make some of your own and the look of surprise on his face when he receives a flicked paper is priceless. he’s happy about it, too.

now, you could say that you talk outside of the library and get to know each other there. but the mystery and comfort in doing as you do now is what you both stick with. and there isn’t a problem about it.

days turn into weeks and weeks into months until the bright sun and heat from the outside morphs into falling snow and chilly wind. you know each other enough to be just past acquaintances but not enough to be really called, friends? you weren’t sure.

but he still flicks a paper towards you and instinctively you open it.

This moment is safe

Peering eyes do so wander

There maybe a chance

it may be that you’re so used to his writing but the message in this one feels a little different than the others.

—

he can see your confusion and he stiffens. was it too obvious? this was supposed to be the build-up upon the countless messages he’s shown you and now he’s doubting himself.

getting to know you this way was fun and frankly very relaxing. quiet, limited talking, and basking in each other’s presence really solidified what he was feeling. truly. but he’s about to say “jk” until you smile. it’s a nice view.

so he basks in it.

—

was it something you did? or said? sorry, wrote?

he doesn’t flick anymore papers to you and it could be because finals are slowly approaching and the books on his side are less about shakespeare and more about the fundamentals of calculus. he hates math, you know this from the papers he.

you realize now that you’ve never sent him one first and now might be a good time to do so but how? sure you’ve sent him haikus but they were, per say, not very good. well, it did take you ten minutes to realize what exactly syllables were until you knew what it was the whole time but couldn’t remember what it was called.

so you just stay still and write nothing. for now, you think back on his last message.

—

two days. was two days enough to let you process that?

kazuha looks to the side from time to time to see what you’re doing as he fiddles with a paper he’s been meaning to send to you. you look up in feelings someone’s gaze on you, don’t know it’s really just a feeling, and catch him staring. an endearing flush comes about your face and he flicks the paper.

—

you open it and your heart drops. a feeling in your chest you weren’t aware of is crumbling apart.

“there’s this person i like and i was wondering if you think they’d like this”

underneath is another haiku.

Soft lights from outside

Gathering in your presence

A beautiful view

your response is you desperately hiding your feelings. and you nod with a soft smile. he untenses and closes his eyes, grinning.

damn it. you really like him.

—

the next day you leave at the same time which is weird. mostly because despite knowing each other for months on the exchange of paper, you never leave the library together. usually one of your friends comes to sweep you away and he stays an extra hour or two or vice versa. heck, you don’t even show up at the same hour. you just kind of find each other not knowing when the other arrived or if they had always been there.

now it’s awkward because you’re standing close to one another and can talk without the scolding of being loud, not that you ever were inside.

he heaves a sigh and digs into his pocket to pull out a pen and small paper. you give a look of confusion but allow him to finish. you really wanted to say something.

but the final note is here and with no table to slide it over to you he comes up with a last minute plan. reach over to you, he lightly flicks your forehead.

you jump and stare at him with wide eyes as he presents you with a neatly folded note in his hand for you to take.

unfolding it gingerly, you read:

Seeing you outside

A better view than before

Now it is all clear

it takes a while to put two and two together but he does it for you.

“so you never answered my question a few days ago,” his voice is calm and smooth, “did you like that haiku?”

#late night thoughts #genshin impact #genshin impact scenarios #genshin impact headcannons #genshin impact imagines #genshin impact fluff #genshin impact angst #genshin impact x reader #genshin impact kazuha #genshin impact kazuha x reader #kazuha #kazuha x reader #kaedehara kazuha #kaedehara kazuha x reader #idk how to write poems #idk how to write

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iam93percentstardust · 3 years

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Hi, happy Shared Birthday Month, cause it's my birthday month as well!! Can I please prompt you a WinterIron, where Bucky and/or winter soldier is a science nerd and a massive Tony Stark stan? Happy with setting in any era, any rating 😄 Thank you! You are amazing and I love your stuff!

Happy late birthday! Sorry it took me a bit to get to this prompt but here is a cute no-powers au, featuring some minor Natasha/Steve and some science from a paper my lab group read in group meeting yesterday (check the ao3 story for the paper citation). Sorry I didn't come up with something more original for the science but this was on my mind.

As always, everything I write is also on ao3.

“Okay, Steve, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me—for us,” Bucky quickly corrects when Steve shoots him an amused look. “So what are we going to do?”

“We’re going to sit quietly in the audience,” Steve says.

“And what are we not going to do?”

“Shout that our best friend would like to bang Tony Stark like a screen door in a hurricane,” Steve dutifully repeats what Bucky has been telling him for the whole drive to the studio. He gives Bucky a sly smile. “Even if it’s true.”

Bucky swats his skinny arm lightly, enough to sting but not so hard that it’ll bruise Steve’s arm, which bruises like a peach. He still can’t believe he managed to win the tickets to watch the live taping of the one hundredth episode of Tony Stark’s show, It’s Only Science If You Write It Down. He’s been following the show since its first episode five years ago. Growing up, Tony Stark was to him what Britney Spears was to other kids. Stark was always in the news for his innovative inventions for his father’s company. Everyone had thought he would take over SI after his parents’ deaths, but instead he’d handed the company over to Pepper Potts, a then-unknown young woman working in SI’s financial department. Stark still held the majority of shares in the company but he’d turned his focus to becoming the next Bill Nye, along with his best friend. Bucky had stumbled across one of the articles about him when he was young and immediately developed one heck of a crush on him that hadn’t at all disappeared with age.

And now he’s here, attending the first ever live taping of Stark’s show.

It’d be a dream come true if only Steve wasn’t the one attending with him. Don’t get him wrong, Stevie’s great, but he’s also convinced Bucky needs to date more often and he’s very… enthusiastic about making sure that everyone they meet that Bucky thinks is even the slightest bit cute knows that.

Stark is the crush to end all crushes. He knows that Steve knows it. He also knows what Steve is like, and he thinks he’ll die of shame if Steve feels the need to let Stark know it too.

“You have your inhaler, right?” he asks as the line creeps forward.

“Yes, mother,” Steve sighs, patting his pocket. “And an EpiPen in the other pocket and my meds in my wallet.”

They’re reminded to keep their phones firmly in their pockets by the surly security guard—incongruously named Happy, according to the badge he’s wearing—at the front door and then ushered inside the studio, only to be stopped by a young woman with a clipboard as they’re climbing the risers.

“Hi,” she says with a sphinxlike smile that makes Bucky want to check that his wallet is still in his pocket. “Which one of you is Bucky Barnes?”

“Uh, that would be me,” he says, raising his hand slightly.

Her eyes catch on the silver sheen of his prosthetic. They don’t register anything other than idle curiosity, but Bucky still awkwardly tucks the arm away. It’s been almost ten years since the accident, but he’s still not used to the looks he gets when people see it.

“I’m Natasha,” she says. “Mr. Stark’s personal assistant. JARVIS noticed you when you entered the studio. Mr. Stark wanted me to inform you both that there’s been a change to the contest winnings.”

Dread starts to pool in Bucky’s stomach but it doesn’t have long to settle before her smile gentles and she adds, “Don’t worry, it’s nothing bad. He just wanted to invite the two of you backstage after the show is over.”

Bucky’s mouth drops open. Steve reaches over to close it and asks, “Why?”

To Bucky’s surprise, Natasha gives Steve a clear onceover, seemingly pleased by what she sees. “Mr. Stark wouldn’t like me to give away his secrets, but I’d imagine it has something to do with the way he spilled his coffee all over his front when he saw your friend’s picture.”

“Really?” Steve asks skeptically. “A notorious playboy tripping all over himself for this yahoo here?”

Natasha laughs, hard enough that Bucky mutters, “It wasn’t that funny.”

Once she’s calmed down, Natasha says, “He’s not as bad as you think. A lot of it is just reputation. And yes, as soon as he got a look at him, he was demanding I figure out a way to get him backstage.”

“What am I, chopped liver?” Steve demands, taking an indignant stance.

Natasha hums, eyes going dark. “Oh no, you got invited backstage because I wanted to meet you,” she purrs. “I’ll come find you boys later. Enjoy the show.”

She saunters off, putting just enough of a sway to her step that Bucky suspects if he were attracted to women, he’d be mesmerized. As it is, he’s the one who has to reach over to close Steve’s jaw this time.

They take their seats and a few minutes later, Tony Stark and James Rhodes walk on set. They’re quietly talking to each other as the crew bustles around them, makeup artists darting up to make sure their faces look perfect. Stark is dressed in a t-shirt that says Engineers do it on the test bench—which is a terrible joke really and shouldn’t make Bucky want to laugh as much as he does—and well-worn jeans that perfectly mold to the shape of his bubble butt. Rhodes could be dressed in a paper sack for all that Bucky notices him.

Steve leans over and whispers, “You sure that I can’t yell that you want to bang Tony Stark like a screen door in a hurricane? Natasha made it sound like he’d be open to it.”

“You do,” Bucky hisses back, “and I’ll tell Natasha you were looking at her rear when she walked away.”

Steve makes an indignant noise and sits back in his chair, sulkily crossing his arms.

“Quiet on set!” the director yells. “And… action!”

“Hi!” Tony Stark says, smiling right at the camera. “I’m Tony and this is Rhodey and you’re watching Disney Channe!”

“He’s kidding,” Rhodes says long-sufferingly. “You’re watching It’s Only Science If You Write It Down.”

Later, Bucky wouldn’t be able to tell anyone what the show had been about. He’d spent the entire show too entranced by Tony’s voice and charisma to pay any attention to the actual science, which is a bit of a shame. He really does like science—he wouldn’t be getting his PhD in physical chemistry if he didn’t—but he can’t tear his eyes away from Tony long enough to actually watch the experiment. It’s fine; he can always watch the show later when it’s released (and maybe, if he’s lucky, he’ll have Tony to watch it with).

It seems like both an eternity and only a moment before the show wraps. Tony and Rhodes leave to thunderous applause, only coming back out for quick bows before disappearing backstage again. Bucky and Steve stay seated while the rest of the audience filters out slowly until Natasha comes to get them. She and Steve chat quietly as she leads them backstage but Bucky can only listen with half an ear; he’s too nervous about meeting his personal hero.

Rhodes is leaving the room Natasha leads them to. He breathes a sigh of relief when he spots the three of them. “Good, you’re here,” he says, specifically looking at Bucky. “Maybe you can calm him down. He’s been bouncing off the walls since he saw your picture.”

“Really?” Bucky squeaks. He clears his throat and tries again. “Really?”

“Really. He read all your papers last night—twice.”

“He has?”

Rhodes nods. “He really likes your piece on inelastic electron wave packet scattering.”

“Yeah? What did he—”

“You’ll have to ask him,” Rhodes interrupts. “I might be a rocket scientist but chemistry isn’t my preferred field of science. If you don’t mind, I’ve got a date to get to.”

He pushes the door open, letting them in, and leaves. Natasha slips through the door, followed immediately by Tony saying, “Where are—oh god, they left, didn’t they? I knew this was too much. Nat—”

“They’re right outside,” Natasha says smoothly. She opens the door further, revealing the two of them awkwardly standing there. Bucky’s gaze darts around a fairly nice dressing room before finally landing on Tony, who is blinking back at him with a wide-eyed, slightly stunned look.

“Hi,” he breathes out.

The corner of Tony’s mouth twitches up in the tiniest of smiles. “Hi.”

“Great, now that that’s out of the way, get out,” Natasha says, giving Tony a shove so that he stumbles out of the room, right into Bucky’s arms. She reaches out and grabs Steve, pulling him inside. “Don’t disturb me for the next hour.”

“Uh,” Steve begins, but he doesn’t actually look upset by this turn of events, so Bucky doesn’t worry—too much, anyway.

He does, however, turn to Tony and ask, “Is he going to be okay?”

“Oh yeah, he’s fine,” Tony says breezily. “Natasha’s just very direct.”

“Right.”

Now that it’s just the two of them alone in the hallway, it’s a little more awkward. Bucky opens his mouth twice to say something, only to shut it again as soon as he realizes his question is stupid. For his part, Tony shoves his hands deep into his pockets and rocks back and forth on his feet.

Then the sound of what is obviously Steve moaning floats through the door. Bucky cringes and jerks his thumb in the direction of the door. “We should—”

“Yep,” Tony agrees.

They get all the way back to the set before they stop. They look at each other for a beat before dissolving into giggles. “Oh my god,” Tony says, clutching his sides. “I knew she moved fast but—”

“Well, Steve doesn’t move fast at all,” Bucky says, “so you can see where I’m a bit lost.”

That sets Tony off into another round of laughter. Bucky is calming down a bit so he takes the moment to admire the way Tony laughs with his entire body. It takes Tony a moment to realizes he’s being stared at. When he does, his laugh tapers off as he gives Bucky a lingering look.

“I’m Tony,” he says eventually.

“Bucky.”

“Wow, that’s really unfortunate.”

“You’re not wrong,” Bucky agrees. “Blame Stevie for that one.”

“Childhood friends, huh?”

“Literally played naked together in the kiddie pool.”

Tony grins. “That sounds familiar.”

“You and Rhodes—”

“Oh no, but if you ever get the chance to meet Janet Van Dyne, remember to ask her about the time she thought she could make a living selling mud pies.”

Bucky takes a moment to marvel that this is his life now, that Tony thinks nothing of giving him dirt on the most prolific fashion designer of their generation. “So, uh, Rhodes told me you read my papers?”

Tony’s eyes light up, and, wow, he looks really pretty when he’s excited. “Yes!” he exclaims. “I want to hear your thoughts on the—uh—the time-dependent density functional theory model.”

“I’d love to,” Bucky says honestly. He bites his lip. “Maybe over coffee?”

A delighted smile spreads across Tony’s face. “I’d really like that.”

He holds out his hand for Bucky to take, which he does. Tony’s hand is small and warm, fitting perfectly against his. They stand there, smiling at each other like idiots, until the surly security guard pokes his head around the corner and asks, “Boss, do you need me to drive you?”

Tony jumps. He shoots Bucky a sheepish grin and then calls over his shoulder, “No, I think we can walk, Happy.”

“Are you sure? There’s—”

“It’s only two blocks.”

“Yeah, but—”

“You know what, Happy. You should go see if Natasha needs you to drive her somewhere. I think she’s got a date too.” While Happy is distracted, Tony tugs Bucky towards a side door he hadn’t noticed earlier. “Come on,” he mutters. “Before Natasha decides to kill me for sending Happy to interrupt her.”

“You could not antagonize her,” Bucky points out.

Tony shoots him a mischievous grin. “Where’s the fun in that?”

#alle writes #alle answers #winteriron #if you like please consider reblogging

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chudleycanonficfest · 3 years

Text

Hide and Seek

Day 6, Story #1 is by @adenei

Title: Hide and Seek

Author: adenei

Pairing: Teddy Lupin/Victoire Weasley

Prompt: Babysitting

Rating: PG

TW: Mild Language

**********

“Don’t let them stay up too late,” Ginny reminds him as she opens the front door.

“And send us a Patronus if anything goes wrong. We’ll be here in an instant,” Hermione adds fretfully.

“Oi, ‘Mione, really? They’re not babies anymore!”

“Let’s go, or we’re going to miss our Portkey.”

Teddy laughs at the interaction. Of all the adults, it’s Harry who’s pressing them about tardiness. The foursome are headed on a weekend getaway, staying at the Delacours’ beachside cottage for three nights. James was shipped off to George and Angelina’s, while Rose opted to go to Percy and Audrey’s, so Teddy’s charges only include Albus, Hugo, and Lily.

“Everything’s going to be fine. I’ve got this! And if I don’t, I can think of at least five other Weasleys to call. Maybe even a Malfoy if I’m desperate.”

“That’s not funny, Lupin,” Ron warns as Ginny swats him upside the head.

“But if Scorpius does ask for Albus to go over for an afternoon, it’s fine!”

“Noted. Go enjoy your weekend!”

Teddy half shoves them out the door this time as he shuts and locks it behind them. The kids are out back playing in the garden, so Teddy goes out to join them. He’s chuffed that Harry and Ginny trust him enough to watch Al and Lily for the weekend. Plus, Ron and Hermione added Hugo to the mix. Normally, they’d be shipped off to the Burrow to stay with Molly and Arthur, but since it’s only a long weekend, and the kids are ten and twelve now, Teddy Lupin, a recent Hogwarts graduate, has been bestowed the responsibility.

He’s always been the mature older ‘sibling’—well, he counts himself as a sibling or cousin to all the Weasleys, but he’s not blood-related. Harry and Ginny half raised him, though, so he’s just as much a part of the family as any of the kids. Heck, maybe someday he’d officially be part of the family.

No, it’s too early to be having those thoughts.

But there’s one person who makes him happier than anything to know he’s not related to the Weasleys by blood. Victoire, his best friend and girlfriend. As Teddy sits back and gets comfortable on a patio chair, he lets his mind wander to spring afternoons spent by the lake as he observes the kids playing on the muggle swingset Harry insisted on putting together years ago.

“Who knew a giant Muggle toy would get so much use?”

Teddy jumps at the sound of a voice he’s not expecting.

“Vic! What are you doing here? I mean, not that I’m complaining, but…”

She laughs as Teddy backtracks. The sound is music to his ears, soft and lyrical, and something he’ll never tire of. Making her laugh is something he’s striven to do ever since they were young. When she fell off her toy broom, he made his hair change colors at a rapid pace in an attempt to make her giggle, and then there was the time she broke up with her first boyfriend during her fourth year, when he’d used the Jelly Legs Jinx on the bloke’s legs while he walked over a patch of ice. Victoire’s laugh has always been the fuel that set his heart on fire.

“Well, you said you had to babysit this weekend, and I thought I might come over and help entertain my cousins,” she explains as she pulls up a chair next to him.

“Yeah, but the adults have only just left! You don’t think I can keep the kids alive on my own for more than an hour?”

“Of course, I do!” She slides her hand in his while waiting for a beat, “especially since James isn’t here.”

“Oh, I see how it is! James isn’t that bad.”

“No, he’s not. He just likes mischief. It’s a common Weasley trait.”

“And a Potter one, too, if I’m not mistaken. Harry and Ginny never stood a chance, especially after naming him after Harry’s dad and godfather.”

“True. When I have kids, they won’t be named after anyone. They deserve to have their own unique names.”

Teddy offers a sad smile at Victoire’s words. He’s named after his dad and granddad and doesn’t mind all that much, but he sees where Victoire is coming from, what with being named after a bloody war for Merlin’s sake.

“Maybe you shouldn’t have insisted on entering this world on the second of May, then. I mean, come on, Vic, of all the days!”

“Oh, sod off, Lupin,” she feigns seriousness while her eyes shine with mirth.

“I do agree with you, though. There’s enough people in this family who’re named after somebody else. I don’t mind it, but I do like the concept of original names. Though, I do think we’re a ways off from baby name talk, don’t you?”

He can’t help but lighten the mood. Teddy’s sure she means nothing by the comment and is just thinking out loud, but something still possesses him to weave it into their future. Perhaps it’s to gauge her thoughts in a casual manner?

“Probably, but it’s fun to talk about, isn’t it? I mean, it’s not like we’re actually picking names or anything.”

“Or determining how many kids we’re going to have…”

“Which would absolutely be—”

“Two!” they both say at the same time.

It’s really more of an inside joke, with Teddy witnessing firsthand the chaos that is the Potter household with three kids, and Victoire being the oldest of three. And yet, there’s some truth laced into their lighthearted conversation.

“See?” Victoire says as she leans in close, “This is why we’re good together.”

She plants a kiss on his cheek at the exact wrong moment because that’s when Hugo shouts,

“Victoire! Look, guys! Vic’s here!”

“Oops,” she whispers bashfully in his ears.

So far, they’ve managed to keep their relationship a secret from the family, but it looks like that’s about to end sooner rather than later. Of course, Harry and Ginny know, and Vic told Bill and Fleur when she came home at the end of term, but the cousins were still blissfully unaware… until now.

The three kids run over to Vic and Teddy, and Lily eyes them with curiosity. “Teddy, why did Vic just kiss you on the cheek?”

There are a multitude of different answers Teddy could choose from. ‘No reason’, ‘don’t worry about it’, ‘it’s nothing’, but instead he opts for, “Why do you think, Lils?”

Her eyes grow wider than her small face allows, and a wide O forms on her lips. “Are you two… together?” she whispers.

Teddy and Vic share a look. They both know the secret’s out now.

“Yeah, Lils, we are,” Teddy admits as he holds up the hand that’s still intertwined with Vic’s.

If there weren’t wards in place, Teddy’s sure that Lily’s shriek of delight could have been heard for miles. Albus and Hugo, on the other hand, seemed disinterested in the whole ordeal.

“Can we play hide and seek or something?” Albus asked once Lily was done reacting to the news.

Point in case.

“Wait, who else knows?” Hugo interrupts Albus’s question and bringing the focus back on Teddy and Vic.

“Of all the cousins? Only you three,” Vic answers.

“Only us?” Lily gasps.

“Not even James?” Albus eyes Teddy curiously.

“Not even James,” Teddy confirms. “Tell you what, we can go play hide and seek now, but what about an even better game?”

All three look on expectantly, waiting for Teddy’s proposition.

“What if we play, ‘let’s see how long it takes James to figure out Vic and I are dating’? We can all place bets, and I’ll take whoever guesses the closest date out for ice cream.”

Vic flashes him a knowing smile as the kids contemplate his offer.

“I’m in,” Lily says without thinking it through.

“Me too,” Hugo agrees.

“But that means we’ll have to keep it a secret,” Albus realizes.

He’s much more intuitive at eleven than Teddy ever dreamed of being.

“Yeah. Everyone else has to find out on their own, which means you can’t tell anyone.”

Lily and Hugo both nod in agreement, and after a bit more pondering, Albus agrees.

“Okay, but can we pick dates later? I want to play!”

Ted and Vic both laugh as Teddy offers to count to twenty. He closes his eyes and makes a big show of counting while Vic remains at his side.

“Nice one.”

“Thanks,” he responds in between shouting numbers. “I figure James is thick enough that we’ll get at least a couple more weeks out of him. He is Harry’s son, after all...”

Not only did they get a couple of weeks out of the deal, but the rest of the summer. It wasn’t until September first when James caught them snogging behind a pillar on Platform Nine and Three-Quarters and ran to announce it to the world that the couple knew the jig was up.

“Looks like I owe Al a trip to Fortescue’s next time I see him.”

#chudleycanonficfest2021 #HP fest #hp canon pairings #canon fest romantic #submission #teddy x victoire #tedoire

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