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#this has been in my draft for like a year now or more aha
iamawolfstarsimp · 9 months
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Lighten Up Moony
Sup bitches im back
This has been sitting in my drafts, fully finished for like a week and I totally forgot to post it soooo here ya go lmao
So yeah enjoy
Remus didn't laugh that much. When he was a little boy he didn't laugh alot, he started laughing more when he met the other marauders. When he was 17 was probably when he laughed the most. After the war his want or need to laugh died down so much it was almost dead. The most anyone could ever get out of him was a scoff or a small chuckle at best.
Now-a-days, even while living with basically two re-encarnations of Sirius and James and Sirius himself, he didn't laugh alot. And when he did it was very quiet, timid. He didn't even notice that he didn't laugh alot until one of the twins (he couldn't recognize which one it was) mentioned it.
"Hey, Lupin?" Fred (he assumed) asked. Remus glanced at him. "Why don't you ever laugh?"
"What are you talking about, I laugh." Remus hid his surprise.
"Yeah but not alot, even at jokes and stuff you never laugh." They answered. Remus contemplated what he had just said.
"Well, maybe you guys aren't as funny as you think you are." Remus teased to help mask his confusion. Honestly he didn't know why he didn't laugh alot. It might be because playful banter always reminded him of staying up late with his friends back at school. Or that Fred sometines made him think of James. Or maybe being alone for all that time made him unable to just laugh at something.
After that no one mentioned it again but it always stuck with Remus, and apparently Sirius too.
Sirius found Remus in one of the many rooms of this house, reading a book off of one of the shelves, it looked to be about poetry. How boring. Remus looked up when he heard Sirius enter and gave him a brisk nod, closing his book.
"Hey," was all Remus said.
"Hey Moons, can I ask you something?" Sirius walked over to him.
"Sure, what is it?" Remus tilted his head slightly, something he did when he was listening.
"The others were talking about a while ago how you never laugh and I want to know why."
Out of habit, Remus tried to think of a good lie to come up with before realizing he shouldn't lie to Sirius. He didn't have to. He sighed and thought.
"I don't know." He finally answered. "Really I don't! I'm being completely honest." Remus said to Sirius' skeptical look.
"Maybe all the years of trauma finally got to me." He shrugged with a small smile.
"I could get you to laugh." That startled Remus. He didn't expect Sirius to say that. Though, Sirius said alot of out of pocket things so he shouldn't be surprised.
"Alright.." he said warily. He decided to humor Sirius. "How?"
Sirius immediately grinned and grabbed his hand, tugging him twords a dusty looking armchair. He sat Remus down and the leaned over in front of him.
Without warning Sirius scribbled his fingers on Remus' sides. Remus yelped quietly, his elbows shooting down to clamp to his sides.
"What are you doing?!" Remus said in a higher pitched voice than his regular voice.
"Just trying something out," Sirius said nonchalantly. "You wouldn't happen to still be ticklish, would you Remus?"
"N-no, of course not." Remus mentally kicked himself for stuttering. He didn't even know if he was still ticklish or not. It had been years since someone had actually tickled him.
He watched and let Sirius' hands contiune their scribbling on his abdomen, moving over to his stomach where he had to tense his muscles and bite his lip not to let out a giggle.
Sirius watched his face to see any changes in his expression. He narrowed his eyes and poke his sides and belly again, still getting no response. But when he moved up to scratch at Remus' lower ribs-
"Okay, okay!" Remus' hands came down and grabbed onto Sirius' pulling them away from his ribs.
"Aha!" Sirius shouted excitedly. He broke free of Remus' grip quickly and rapidly squeezed his ribs causing Remus to break into a fit of giggles.
Sirius grinned devilishly down at Remus. He looked ten times younger while laughing like this, head throw back onto the back of the armchair, eyes squeezed shut, his nose scrunching up in that cute way he used to do when they were younger.
Even after all this time Remus noted that he still didn't mind when Sirius would mess with him.
Sirius allowed Remus to grab his wrists and hold them away from his body while he caught his breath. Sirius leaned closer and kissed Remus in the cheek, just to watch his face turn red.
"I can't believe I'm still ticklish." Remus grumbled as he covered his face with his hands.
"I can." Sirius grinned when Remus glared.
"Oh, come on." He smirked. "You're like, the king of being ticklish."
"Shut up." Remus punctuated his works with a sharp poke to Sirius' stomach.
"I can't wait to use this against you," Remus groaned at that, rolling his eyes. Sirius gasped. "I need to tell Harry!" He jumped up and ran out of the room.
"I'm gonna tickle you back!!" Remus shouted after him but to no avail. He sighed shook his head fondly. Never a dull moment with Sirius Black.
Hope you liked
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odinsblog · 2 years
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After President Vladimir Putin announced this week that Russia was conscripting some 300,000 reservists and military veterans to reinforce its war effort in Ukraine, international flights out of Russian cities quickly sold out. This latest wave of Russia’s exodus included Anton Shalaev, a 38-year-old senior manager at an IT company, and 15 colleagues.
On less than a day’s notice, these men of military age all left their relatively comfortable lives in downtown Moscow to fly to Yerevan, the capital of Armenia. Because of Putin’s war, Shalaev tossed a book, an iPad, and a laptop in a backpack and got out of Dodge.
Shalaev and his co-workers are true tech geeks, producers of high-value computer games. They represent their country’s brightest and best, members of a tech elite that was the economic foundation of Russia’s new middle class. In a last selfie from Moscow, Shalaev brandished a coffee mug that bore the slogan, not today, satan.
Anna Nemtsova: Why didn’t you want to be drafted to fight in Ukraine?
Anton Shalaev: On the day Putin declared the war, I knew I would never fight on behalf of this new Nazi Reich. They are my personal enemies: mercenaries who steal my country from me, occupy foreign territories, and kill innocent people. Putin’s army commanders have had plenty of time to turn down their contracts; instead, they are recruiting more cannon fodder now.
So I chose to help Ukrainians suffering from this horror—pay for shelters in Kyiv with cryptocurrency and write antiwar posts on social media. To encourage Russians at home, I said: “Guys, look, I am writing this from Moscow.”
Nemtsova: What was your escape like?
Shalaev: Unlike state-owned companies such as Yandex or the Mail.ru Group, which are making their employees stay, we were independent of government funding, so we made an immediate decision to relocate.
The atmosphere at passport control in the airport was quiet but tense; men waiting for the flight around me were exchanging alerted glances. I had bought my ticket right before the announcement—we were already hearing rumors of the mobilization—so it cost me only about $300. But my colleagues got their tickets the next day, and they cost more than $1,000.
The departure was super stressful. The border guards took each of my friends aside into a small room, interrogated them, asked if they had ever served in the military, and if not, why not. And you know that type of sly border official making their little jokes: “Aha, you are leaving on the day of conscription.” Of course, they checked whether our names were in the database for the mobilization.
Nemtsova: Did you do military service, in fact, when you turned 18?
Shalaev: No, I entered the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, which had a military department, so that released me from the service obligation. I studied political science, and dreamed of becoming a Russian diplomat—Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was a graduate there. For a long time, I considered myself a Russian patriot, ready to serve.
When I enrolled in college, in 2001, there was some ideological diversity: We had a neo-Stalinist who taught us about how “Josef” ruled with an iron fist, but the next class would be with a professor telling us about liberal values. Today, the school recruits students for the secret services. And lately, I heard that the dean has urged students to call for Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, to surrender.
Nemtsova: What do you think of the Kremlin’s decision making?
Shalaev: A few old men and an army of zombies are leading us to hell. I say that because people around me in Russia behaved as if they had been bitten by a zombie, dragging my entire country into a dreadful war. All I saw was Russian loser husbands beating their wives, while the entire rotting house of the state system has turned my people into an army of the dead.
They are my enemies.
Nemtsova: What do you know of the situation in Ukraine?
Shalaev: I constantly follow the war news in Ukraine—and I seek out the best, most objective analysts. My main sources on the atrocities are Ukrainian refugees from cities bombed by Russian forces.
I realize that I would rather go to prison than go to fight against the Ukrainian army. I openly embrace my antiwar position. I urge my social-media followers to donate to Ukrainians. This entire war is a crime against humanity.
(continue reading)
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hideyseek · 5 months
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3, 29, and 30 for ao3 wrapped please!
craaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaab hiiii hi hi hiiii hi hiiii hi hi hi hiii !! :3 hehe of course i love to fucking TALK about writing myself.
putting this under a cut bc it is the longest fucking thing in existence ahahaha. and also um, its moderately pretentious sorry! i sure am a guy who can talk about writing for like, seven bajillion years
ao3 wrapped
3. What work are you most proud of (regardless of kudos/hits)?
oooough hmm, kind of a tough one for me since i feel like there's a couple. but i'll go with this arthur/cobb drabble i wrote for wicked inception week 4. i hadn't known prior to this that i could write smut without writing it specifically to like ... be hot in some way. but in the end this was so much more like, emotions / character stuff happening and the sex was just a way to get to that information. that was cool. and secondarily, the process of writing this was one draft of like, technically a fic but genuinely incoherent, and a second draft of, oh, okay, this is different but its way more clear. which is also just like, a really nice reassurance that all the craft book reading and trudging through rough drafts of other projects really has strengthened my ability (for short fics at least) to get to the understanding of what i'm really trying to do in a fic. (it's here on the gdoc w/ everyone else's submissions if ur curious! warnings: semi-explicit sexual content, unequal power dynamics)
29. Favorite line/passage you wrote this year?
hmm aha, well. this year i wrote a LOT of not-quite-there rough draft material for a bunch of different projects which mm, if i comb through it all i will explode out of poorly timed insecurity. so, maybe a bit of a cop-out but here's a bit i wrote yesterday night that made me go: ohh okay, this is going to be fujioka's relationship with violence in this fic. so, favorite recent thing, i suppose:
Fujioka reaches over to take the last section of Haiji’s tangerine. Clean hands, trimmed nails. “We got one,” he says, chewing. “One— what?” There’s a bandage on Fujioka’s cheek, bloody at the edge. Haiji looks at it, and something chokes its way up his throat.  “One of their guys, of course.” Fujioka’s face shifts into a grin, boyishly pleased with himself. A stitch breaks under the bandage and the gauze bloodies. “He tried to make a run for it, and you know we couldn’t have that.”  Kakeru, Haiji thinks, and he can’t say a word.
favorite line in ^ is probably "A stitch breaks under the bandage and the gauze bloodies." i just. love VERBS!!!
30. Biggest surprise while writing this year?
ok truly SO MANY FUCKING SURPRISES while writing this year!!! but here i'll talk about all the smut writing, hehe. like!! the fact that i sat down and went "ok i guess i'll learn to write smut" is still SO surprising to me (crab this is like. 88% your influence i must tell you!!! like i guess the spark was in me all along or whatever but if u didn't run bcsdp this would never have happened to me, or would have taken much longer, etc). which then led to like ... some really wonderful conversations with irl and fandom friends, and then led to me doing wicked inception (smut drabble fest) and developing OPINIONS on how i like my smut written which i had NEVER HAD BEFORE IN MY LIFE (which. idk maybe i will go into later haha, probably i'll end up blogging about it as i write this arthurcobb fic). SPEAKING OF! wicked then got me to unlock a crucial emotional component to this arthurcobb fic that i've been trying to write since like, 2021!!! (this is long to me) and now -- that whole fic is ... WRITABLE. like i still know next to nothing about it except the premise and that there needs to be fucked up sex in there haha, but like. I HAVE ENOUGH SKILLS TO START IT NOW. like bwaaaaa truly it was just this INCREDIBLE domino effect from like, august (???) through to now that i would never have expected in my life whatsoever!!! ah so i guess really, thank you very much, i'm really glad you did that!!!! (<- bit of an understatement)
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prsk-krow · 11 months
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hello!! could i request ena and mizuki (seperate) with a reader that easily gets flustered, romantic hcs if that's alright with you ^^! ty and have a good day/night!!
{Ena/Mizuki with an easily flustered reader!} [R]
Omg this has been on my drafts since the start of the year... If you, dear anon, even read this, I profusely apologize!! On the other hand, my muse has finally been peaking once again! Although I am actually going slower than I used to be bcuz most of these were half finished aha-
.‿︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵‿.
Ena Shinonome
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•————•°•✿•°•————•
Ena? On the other side of the teasing?? She'll try to enjoy this feeling as much as she can, but she isn't as good as teasing as others. She won't make you blush too brightly, but the small pink tints she can cause are all she needs!
She definitely starts small, testing the waters and looking out for any comebacks that you may have! However, as she sees your adorable reactions, she can't help but want more!
Her teasing isn't too tough thanks to her being in love with you, but it is constant and you always need to watch out for her comments! They always come in different forms and places!
"Hehe, why are you so surprised? I told you to watch out when we came out, didn't I~? I can't blame you too much though, since it took a long while for my attack. You're ok, right? Didn't touch a sensitive nerve? Ok, good!"
She does watch out and tends to you afterwards though, since she isn't sure what may be too much! After all, being so sensitive to them herself, she doesn't want you to pass through the same feeling!
You eventually have to talk with her upfront and tell her everything that may get you uncomfortable, so that she doesn't worry all the time! This confused her at first, since she expected you to try and convince her to stop her teasing!
Even though she definitely starts to tease you more after the revelation, you can tell how much she's enjoying herself thanks to her laughter and the glimmer in her eyes every time she thinks of something new to tell you!
"Hehehe, I can't believe such shades of red exist! I wonder how much I'm gonna have to tease you until you get the tone I desire from you as my perfect model~? Heheh, it does suit you nicely though. Now, should I paint your current expression, or take a photo...?"
She learns some tricks and resistance from her experience with you, so that means that the pink head will have a harder time with her, which makes Ena even happier and smug... At least you can get her comfort in the aftercare?
Mizuki Akiyama
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>—-—-—{*~.୨୧.~*}—-—-—<
Oh man, I'm so sorry, but this is the member that takes advantage of this trait of yours the most, and with the least mercy of them all. It's not even close, like, at all...
Mizuki is the master of teasing. Soft teasing, romantic teasing, playful, dramatic, they can do it all! And they will do it all, depending on how they're feeling the day that you come across them!
"Oh? Hey hey hey! Why are you trying to avoid me? Aren't we a couple~? What, you thought that I wouldn't come to school today? Heheh, you should know betterment than anyone that you can't predict my actions! Now, you shall pay the price~... Come back here!!"
Remember, the seamstress is already quite moody, so it's almost impossible to predict what type of teasing they'll try on you next. But does that really matter, when they can use any to make you a flustered mess?
However, they do sometimes feel bad for you. You're so vulnerable, so soft! How can they see that and only take advantage of it? So as much as they love to see you weak and flustered, they decide to maybe slow down a bit...
That's when you realize, part of their teasing comes from a slight sense of insecurity about holding a romantic relationship, so there are many times when they're not teasing you that you can spot them off guard and emotionally weak! Definitely one of her stranger mood swings.
If you approach and comfort them in this state, you'll probably figure out that they don't really know how to express their deep feelings in another way than lighthearted fun. It's a bit of an issue, but one that you can fix!
"You'll... Help me out with that? But, you don't mind that I have a secret...? I... I'm sorry... It's taking a lot of me to believe that... But, when you say it with that look in your eyes, I feel like it would be wrong of me to not give it a try."
Mizuki's teasing will go down as you teach them how to properly show signs of love! Sure, they'll tease you a lot, but once they learn about physical affection, gifts, quality time, and all that good stuff, they'll realize how to properly express the feelings that kept them afraid!
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maccas-strawbi-sundae · 5 months
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✨💗 Late November! 💗✨
Hey everyone! I hope that you all had a wonderful October especially to those who celebrate Halloween! Hopefully everyone's November has been good too. This post is massively scatterbrained as I have kept going in and out of this post in my drafts also, photos at the bottom of this post! :)
♥ I am in my food prep era! I've always struggled with eating the same foods (unless I really love them) multiple nights a week but, my partner and I are now committed to spending a day a week to cook up an assortment of meals to freeze so we can go from A to Z whenever we feel like eating something different which is a nice thought.
♥ Last month was difficult, my pop passed away and his funeral was the first I've ever attended, it was very difficult but beautiful and moving.
♥ Christmas is on the horizon and I have spent a wee bit of money trying to get to everyone presents wise! I've also committed myself to attending the family Christmas which I haven't done for a few years now.
♥ I went out for the first time since my stay in the APU and it was difficult. I froze up in public as the place was very crowded and my partner kind of had to pull me along. I was okay after a while but it felt like a panic attack was imminent.
♥ I have my last two tattoo appointments for the year coming up! More spots on my legs and above my knees on both thighs.
(My partner got COVID after a shift and I then got it from him so I unfortunately missed those two appointments but, they've been rescheduled for January!)
♥ My partner has suggested we do a membership with the local leisureplex as that way we can both use the gym and the pools. My partner really enjoys swimming and it's a good way to get some work done on our health.
♥ I have been practicing on false nails as I applied for two courses for study (nail tech and pathology) so I included those below! I would like to do nail tech as it can allow me to work from home as well and I like 'junk nails' (with all the charms) but I think I'd specialise in natural nails. I have been wanting to go back to work despite being burnt out so I have been trying to find jobs that are more one on one in environments that aren't as busy so if I finish the course I'll be in work before I get married in October. I hear back next week so I'll post an update on whether I've been accepted or not into my choice courses!!
♥ I have to now buy my wedding dress (bridal shopping on Monday) as my partners Oma has declined a little and is no longer able to do so. So, I've had to rearrange my budget but also I am also a bit worried over losing some weight and then needing to get it altered. Never the less, I called the bridal store to confirm everything and they got me to upload photos of what I was looking for so that they can narrow it down for the appointment. I am hoping it goes well!
♥ It is essentially summer in Australia now so, the days are hot and I am struggling to do a great deal honestly just to get motivated and get things done but I am trying! I have a doctors appointment to sort out trialing a new antidepressant and to get a blood test done. I have so much to sort out but the year is coming to a close so I am trying to wrap it all up neatly.
♥ An update photo! I look horrendous and I fried some of the lower half of my hair (hence the change in tone) as I wanted to go partially green so now I have to get it fixed up aha. Beyond that I have included some of my favourite products! Vetta is a brand of pasta that can be found at Woolworths (if you're in Australia) that do high fibre, high protein and also low-gi pasta! Muscle Nation is also an Australian supplement and gym wear brand (I already had their protein custard and some other products but, with the black Friday sales I have purchased some new products which I will review on here when they arrive!) that I quite like. I may like variation in food but I do tend to like the same flavours so for me the choc mint reminds me of the choc mint Sipahh straws from way back when. They offer a lot of flavours including banana which my partner loves (he said it tastes similar to banana Nesquik which was discontinued here years and years ago) so if you wanted to give them a look they offer a fair few things. Protein pancake mix, protein jelly sachets, protein waters, casein protein custards, protein powders, pre-workouts, daily greens, energy drinks, aminos and protein bars! They also offer vegan friendly plant protein and they even have recipes online (mostly for their casein protein custard).
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roninreverie · 11 months
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Raph's Paper Powers:
I had this idea like a year ago and am never going to get around to drawing it out properly; plus, seeing yet another review channel doing the Frankenfoot episode has reminded me this has been sitting in my drafts for a lot of months. So ENJOY in the only way I can muster right now!
...
[The boys are standing around, Raph patching up Frankenfoot with the last of the tape. Leo and Mikey are praising his skills. Donnie is in the background, hardly paying attention and texting--probably April.]
Mikey: Wow Raph! You sure have a way with Frankenfoot!
Leo: Yeah. Any other paper ninja would be toast and a half by now, but he still looks great, even after all the sparring and wear n tear he goes through.
Raph: What can I say?  Raph just had the magic touch!
Frankenfoot: Buddy!
*RIP!!!*
Raph: Speaking of… don't worry buddy,  Raph’s got ya covered. 
Leo: Oh, hey, I think there's a spare roll of duct tape in the--
(Magically repairs the tear.) 
Leo (cont.): Whaaaaaa?
Mikey: What the heck was that? 
Donnie: Hold the proverbial phone! Did Raph get a new power? I wasn’t paying attention. I’m taking notes this time. Do it again! Do you need me to cause an accident to do it again?
(Buzzsaw comes out, goggles go down, and notepad is opened.) 
Raph: No! What? This? Nah. Buddy just gets tape-heavy after a while and needs a paper-refresh.
Leo: He said as if that’s just something NORMAL to do with his BARE hands!
Mikey: Ohmigosh! Raph! You totally have Origami ninja powers just like the Foot Clan! What’s next? A flaming head?
Leo: Never really saw our Raphy as the hotheaded sort, but-- 
Raph: Huh? Nah… listen guys! This is just buddy's own paper-magic mojo and the healing powers of friendship at work! Nothing Foot Clan about it! 
Leo: What? No way! 
Donnie: Emotional nonsense aside, this ability explains everything and yet nothing! But why manifest now? How? Hmmm?
Mikey: Admit it! You’ve been holding out on us and getting super secret ex-foot recruit training from Cassandra! No fair!
Raph: Wha---no!!?
Donnie: Aha! Of course! The only logical explanation is that Raph must have absorbed a fraction of the unique mystical ability from ingesting that temporarily sentient salami paper that we confronted on that cargo ship the night we first met the Foot.
Mikey: Raph got a new superpower from eating salami-origami!? Lucky…
Leo: Huh… he “ate” himself a new superpower! GASP! Like Kirby!! 
[Cass walking in overhearing everything, she is here for a sparring session of her own, a gym bag over her shoulder.]
Cass: Raph got a new superpower from eating something!? Well don’t hold out! I want some too! Fork it over!
Raph: Oh, hey Cass. Nah, my brother’s are sayin’ I got Foot Clan paper powers just cause I ate some briefly “ninja-fied” salami a long time ago-- but I’m trying to tell them that ain't it and that they’re jumping to conclusions.
Donnie: HOW DARE YOU SIR! I never jump to conclusions! My theories and hypotheses are always based on facts and science thank you very---oof!
(Cass enters, throwing her heavy bag into Donnie and toppling him over.)
Cass: Yeah, no… All of you have it wrong. Dude… origami manipulation is a sacred ability passed down through generations of worthy Foot Clan warriors. It’s even more rare than the flaming skull and footprint ceremony held with Hatsu the boiling tomato soup cauldron of eternal power. 
Leo: Wait, can we go back to that last par---
Cass (Ignoring Leo): Anyway, after learning that Shredder was your ancestor during the whole "stealing your dad's essence and betraying my clan" situation… I realized that must be why that rogue paper ninja--
Frankenfoot: BUDDIES!
Cass (cont.): --was so drawn to you to begin with.  Based on lineage, you all should have the latent abilities for paper no jutsu. Kind of like how you all have your Ninpo thing. Shredder lost his connection to all that after he became Shredder, cutting off his opportunities at gaining full power but he still could pass along the origami technique used by his clan, which managed to continue to this day like with my old sensei. Raph here is obviously just better at harnessing it than the rest of you. I thought everyone here knew this already? It’s kind of obvious.
Mikey: Uhhhh…. It is?
Raph: Aww, thanks Cass!
Frankenfoot: Buddy! 
Leo: Wait! So does that mean we might also be related to the Foot Brute and/ or Lieutenant?  Man Family get-togethers just keep getting more and more awkward in this house.
Donnie: Not everybody in a clan is related, Nardo--- (under his breath with sinister intent) But yes, we can’t rule out the possibility just yet. We’ll need a blood sample to be sure.
Mikey: Daaaaad! Quick! It’s an emergency! I need all the paper we’ve got in the lair!
Splinter (panicked, off-screen): What!?! Wait! Why?!? 
Donnie (taking notes): This is all incredibly useful information… and coming from Cassandra of all sources. 
Cass: Hey!? (Instant Headlock)
Raph: Huh? An ancient clan power that isn't the same as ninpo. Guess I gotta learn more about origami, huh?
Leo: With those digits?  Pffft! Good luck! 
Raph: *Grumbles*
Frankenfoot: Buddy!
[End on Leo making fun of Raph’s huge hands. Splinter trying to make sure whatever Mikey’s doing doesn’t destroy the lair. Donnie getting beat up by Cassandra. Frankenfoot is just happy to be there. April walking in with pizza like that meme from Community where everything is on fire and chaotic.]
____________________________________________________________
Bonus: Comic draft that never made it out of doodles:
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mjjune · 1 year
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Happy STS! What character is most likeyour? What character is least like you? Were either of these intentional?
Aha great questions!!
I would say that Lara and Danny are equally like me, but for different reasons, and one was intentional and one wasn't. Lara has more of my sexuality journey, which was intentional, and also her physical appearance (minus the hair) is fairly consistent with me. Danny on the other hand I intended to not be like me, and on a surface level he's not at all. But deep down his general views on life, his genderqueer-ness, his disuse of labels, and the sarcastic yet hopeful outlook on the world and humanity, is 1000% me and was completely unplanned.
(In fact, I didn't actually realize I was genderqueer until after I'd written the first draft, which was 2 years ago now. I think between writing him and getting more involved in the trans/nonbinary community online, I was able to put into words what I'd been experiencing my whole life.)
For the character who's least like me, well... lol I mean I'd like to think I'm nothing like Brad, who's a homophobic bigot who betrays long-lasting friendships RIP
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hankwizard · 1 year
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upd8!
gonna try to start posting here more! i wanna transition away from having twitter be my main social media platform.
(general Author Update below!)
So! I've been sort of... quiet. And that's for a couple of reasons, a lot of them being kind of personal so I don't plan on, like, going too in depth aha! Basically, I got busy! Started working full-time for the first time and had to adjust, plus i had college (college), meaning I had to start adjusting to only having small windows of writing time. Because of that, I actually did not finish anything writing related for the whole year of 2022.
Yeah. It's weird to say. Any creative reading that probably winced- nothing's suckier than long bouts of being unable to finish anything, especially since I'm counting finalized drafts among that. Not only does it just blow to not be able to connect to a major hobby of mine (writing's my life!), but writing is like a muscle. You have to work it out regularly to be able to use it for its full potential. I had to spend several months slowly easing my way into writing regularly again, and even still it's a challenge! However, I'm happy to say I've finished drafts behind the scenes in the past month (for personal projects) and I have some exciting releases lined up.
As for the quietness on social media, I got to the point where I was making stuff so infrequently I didn't have much to post? I don't like sharing personal things online, so without content, I kinda just had funny twitter quips and that's basically it. But now I'm writing and drawing regularly again.
I plan to transition to Tumblr being my primary social media (as well as some experiments with other platforms...) because honestly? Twitter was never a great place for creators, but it's gotten... Bad. Getting traction is a nightmare, and a lot of the twitter communities that used to exist have seemingly fallen apart. Harassment has also gotten bad on there as... Everyone knows. I'm planning on switching to Tumblr being my main and making twitter essentially a mirror that I queue up art and content announcements for and basically making that it.
TL;DR - Work made creating hard, I've gotten back in the swing of things, twitter sucks so I'm gonna be on tumblr more
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imaginetho · 4 years
Note
hello !! could you please do headcanons for akutagawa, odasaku, kiyoshi teppei & takao kazunari about what sort of kisses they like to receive and give ?? also, congratulations and good luck in the future !!
thank you so much !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i hope you like this
(so sorry i’m late hehe)
(EDIT: IM SO FCKN DUMB I FORGOT KIYOSHI I NEVER EVEN SAW HIS NAME IM SO SORRY)
Akutagawa:
For someone who does not look so soft, his kisses are the softest you’ll ever receive.
Your cheeks are his pleasure and comfort, the feeling of your skin on his lips is more than enough to let him feel the entire world’s peace within him.
Akutagawa’s favorite kiss is when your lips meet his earlobes.
No matter how close you two have always been, how long you’ve been together, eye contact with you still makes him a little shy.
Plus he enjoys the view far better with you under him.
Odasaku:
Forehead kisses are his virtue. The way it feels when his lips are on your forehead and his hands wrap around your face, gently cupping it like it’s life’s most precious gem that he would never wanna imagine a world without.
Endless pecks all the way from your forehead down to your neck, each with more love and warmth until you’re an absolute mess under his spell.
Wanna bring out a sound you never knew existed inside Odasaku? Kiss his collarbones.
Loving you in every way he knows and is capable of is his favorite part of the day.
Takao:
It’s a kiss he cannot do in public or else you’ll beat his ass so Takao settles on doing it whenever the two of you are alone. 
Itadakimasu! as he dives in and kisses your inner thighs.
The feel of your soft skin with every peck he plants on you, it makes him feel some type of way, and it’s a feeling he never wants to let go of.
Every time he’s a teeny tiny upset with you, there is always a way to make him feel better, and that’s when his neck becomes yours to devour. 
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hideyseek · 4 months
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5, 9, 12!
crab!! hi hi hi hi hi hiiiii~! ty for quastions :3
from fanfic asks for the new year
5. Which WIP is first on your list to complete this year? Will you post a snippet?
aha, well. technically the first is mini heist!au but none of it is written that is in the shape of the final thing that i haven't already posted on here so i'm gonna cheat and say uh. wow huh okay then i kind of have no idea. ah! maybe my arthurcobb fic then! cos it sure won't be narrative!fic, lol!
here is a snippet from the current draft which is uhh three and a half years old (by which i mostly mean to say, there are a couple things in here i would write differently now.):
Arthur brings his coffee up to the counter where Dom has already deposited his onion rings and says, “Excuse me, can I purchase a — a temporary phone?” If he doesn't call it a burner maybe he will come off as more the kind of person he actually is. The cashier puts up a finger in question and Arthur nods but behind him Dom says firmly, “Two.”  Arthur turns, surprised. “Why — we don’t need two?” They’re traveling together, after all. Arthur’s not about to leave Dom alone, so it’s not like Dom will need his own phone. It’s not like Dom’s super functional, anyway. The three days he’d spent on Arthur’s couch before they read the news and had to leave town extremely suspiciously, he’d really just spent on the couch. “We don’t need two phones, Dom,” Arthur repeats.  “What if we get separated,” Dom points out. “How would we get in contact with each other again? You should have your own phone, too.” Arthur would rather not think about circumstances that would separate them. Dom says, “Arthur,” and it feels pointed. Something like panic hollows Arthur’s chest. Things are already out of control, apparently. Two days into being on the run and apparently Dom can call these shots but he can’t be on the run by himself.
9. Short term goals… what do you hope to complete this week or in January?
ahaha actually, getting this ask made me decide that i'm going to try my absolute best to finish the project i've been calling "mini heist!au" (which ... at this point ... is just an au of heist!au without any heists in it, lmao) this month! i used answering this ask as my bribe for reading through all the existing material and drawing up a revision plan / new fic story structure actually. i'm not sure i'll be able to, i suspect there are 2-4 drafts and i simply do not write that fast (at least one from scratch based on a new outline, possibly a second from scratch, and then a second/third that's just like. content/theme/cadence/character arcs etc revisions. though that might get complex enough to be two drafts). but we'll see! there are still 24 days so at this current moment i am optimistic :3
12. Will you change anything about the way you edit or rewrite this year?
YES I SURE FUCKING WILL. I HAVE BEGUN IT ACTUALLY, mostly i'm continuing to test a thing i tried in december 2023 to see if it still works for projects that aren't the specific situation of the beginning of devotion (so far, yes!) anyway the way that process goes is like this (recipe below):
first, write a terrible draft. some scenes can just be a note of what needs to happen. ideally: expend as little fucking effort on this as possible bc like. almost none of this will stay. just write enough to get the vibes of what you're going for.
second, read through that draft taking notes of what you like or don't like (or, the way i phrase it for myself to make the goal clearer "what feels like it is aligned with my vision for the fic vs what isn't") but most importantly. WHY.
for me doing this second step has 2/2 turned into "here is a rough outline of the story, completely restructured" but also, with no ending (which is fine, i just have to trust that the ending will appear when more of the draft is written).
third, compile those notes on a new draft into a narrative-order outline (linear for me).
fourth, write the new draft.
fifth, try to do step 2 again. but what i found for the beginning of devotion and therefore what i'm to a certain extent expecting, is that i will just have a bunch of Ns/dislikes and then go. ah. because the things i dislike are too granular to require big-picture story structure changes now.
sixth, copy the most recent draft into a new doc. and read through and revise directly on the page. maybe title at some point so that revision stuff is aligned with the mood/tone/content/vibes/whatever of the title. and maybe come up with initial tags and a summary here also to make sure the vibes are all aligned. hopefully the content of the ending will become clear at this point and you'll draft that for the first or second time.
seventh, idk i like to do an out-loud readthrough bc reading cadence is important to me personally. and also i am scared to lose the skill of reading aloud considering i do it about zero times a year other than this.
that's it basically.
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merakiui · 3 years
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Okay okay okay I’ve been thinking about this for a few days now here’s my list of genshin boys most likely to least likely to become a yandere and why:
-xiao. Millennia of suffering and he meets somebody who makes the pain dissipate? Hell never let go.
-diluc. People have died in his arms, he can’t risk losing another loved one... it’s not like he doesn’t have the wealth and resources to keep his beloved by his side.
-Childe. I think he’d be the most dehumanizing yandere - he treats you almost like a child (haha) as be manipulates his way into your heart. And god knows that he gets what he wants.
-albedo is obviously in the top half of this list. We’ve talked about his yandere tendacies before so I won’t relist them but jeez get this boy some therapy.
-razor. Now this sounds surprising but after years of protecting his Lupical, do you really think he’d let somebody he loves and sees as helpless wander alone? I feel hes less captor and manipulative and more of a stalker if he becomes a yandere
-venti. Freedom is his entire world, but can he let his beloved have freedom if it endangers them? One of the most manipulative ones on this list, except he has no clue that he’s doing it.
-kaeya. Maybe you’d gotten to close to one of his secrets. Maybe you’d figured out something he wanted to die. It doesn’t matter much now, all you know is that you were tried and declared guilty by the knights of favonius and were sent into a dungeon protected by the Calvery captain himself.
-zhongli. Has the yandere desires, but refuses to give in. He’s loved and lost so many times over the years and he figures he doesn’t want to take that away from his beloved.
-chongyun. I’ve gone back and forth between him and xingqiu for this one, but I feel like these last 3 are all pretty much tied for not being a yandere. However, if he met someone who could somehow null his congenital positivity than he might move up on this list...
-Xingqiu. He has a strong sense of justice and honor, the idea of manipulating, stalking or god forbid kidnapping his S/O is appalling to him.
-Bennett. Literally just tryna vibe. Devotes as much time as he can to make sure any relationship he has is healthy.
So basically:
Everybody on this list: *frothing at the mouth, thinking of ways to keep their S/Os with them*
Bennett, Chongyun, Xingqiu and to some extent Zhongli: what the fuck
Your list... Simply amazing. Now that I’m thinking about it, I’m beginning to wonder where other characters would sit on the list. Mainly Scaramouche though aha oops Anyways, please never stop sharing your thoughts!! They are so GOOD!
Xiao’s backstory and past is just perfect material to fuel his yandere desires. He’s suffered for so long and has never really experienced positive emotions, let alone love itself. The poor adeptus is always brooding on his own and here comes his darling, bright and happy and just...perfect. They’re like a glimmering star in his murky darkness and he wants to treasure them. There’s no way he’s going to let go of the feeling he gets when he’s with them, nor is he going to let them leave his side.
It makes sense that Diluc would also be at the top of that list. He’s got the making of a yandere, especially considering all of the people he’s lost in his life. Now that he’s found someone so important to him, he can’t risk losing them. It would destroy him if he found out that his darling got hurt or was even killed because he wasn’t taking enough precautions to keep them safe. He’d definitely blame himself if something like that happened.
Childe, pspspspsp!!! The power this man holds... Omg he makes for such a terrifying yandere. On the outside, he seems warm and disarming—just your normal, happy-go-lucky kind of guy. He’s not dangerous at all! No way. But under all of that falsified charm is someone who knows how to pull strings. He’s a Fatui Harbinger, so of course he has the means of getting you wrapped around his finger. It’s not all that hard when he’s got money, power, and strength. Plus, when he wants something he’s not going to stop until he acquires it; Childe lives for the thrill of chasing after you and it’ll be even more fun once he catches you. Someone should send me more thoughts about yan!Childe!!! orz orz
Albedo also qualifies as a neat yandere! Something about yanderes who are into science is just...fascinating to me. It’s also cool because Albedo’s rumored to be a homunculus, so that adds to the intrigue! Albedo has the resources to get what he wants as well. It won’t be all that difficult, and if it proves to be challenging he can just think of other solutions to pacify his darling. He is a researcher, after all, and a good researcher seeks to find the best solution to a problem.
Razor would be a feral yandere. He’s more action than words. He doesn’t put much thought into what he does because it feels more like an instinct to him. He’s just protecting his Lupical. There’s nothing wrong with that! So why are you acting so difficult? D: 
Like you said, Venti’s not aware of his manipulation and he just does it because it works. His belief that everyone deserves freedom is probably what really holds him back. He doesn’t want you to feel caged, but that feeling is practically inevitable since he’s always hounding you. Venti is a very suffocating yandere and he doesn’t even realize it.
KAEYA! KAEYA! I love the idea of Kaeya having some sort of blackmail on you—something so bad that you absolutely can’t let the world see. And so he uses that to keep you quiet. If you did stumble upon one of his secrets, he can’t possibly have you running that pretty mouth of yours. But if you do end up spilling his secret, it’s only fair that he shares yours, right? An eye for an eye, as some would say. Kaeya’s very smooth and calculative when it comes to handling blackmail. Whenever it feels like you’re trying to one-up him and possibly escape, he’ll flirtatiously remind you of the power he holds over you. Blackmail is rather compelling, is it not?
Zhongli does have the motive to be a yandere, as you pointed out, but he’s a strange case. On one hand, it makes sense that he’d want to protect his beloved at all costs, but on the other he’d probably be aware of these unhealthy tendencies. Although he probably uses the idea of a contract to keep your relationship going, even if it’s clear you don’t want anything to do with him. But if you do, that just makes it easier on him! 
NO BECAUSE I THOUGHT THE SAME FOR CHONGYUN!!! Not the yan!Chongyun piece rotting in my drafts for a month or two now ehehee I had some thoughts about Chongyun but never bothered posting it for some reason. Anyways, I do think Chongyun has potential to be a yandere! As you mentioned, his congenital positivity can become an issue and he doesn’t want that to seriously affect his daily life. So he’s probably very pleased to find someone who can nullify that positivity. It’d be similar to Xiao’s case; Xiao likes someone who can be the light in his dark world. Chongyun falls for the person who can null his congenital positivity and is someone who he gets along with. 
The only way I can see Xingqiu being a yandere is if he wants a noble, storybook romance. Okay, that sounds strange, but consider it! He’s a huge bookworm who probably doesn’t exactly experience romance aside from what he reads in his novels. Although he doesn’t dabble in the romance genre all that often, he does like the idea of being a hero and sweeping someone off of their feet. So when he meets you—another fellow bookworm or maybe the two of you are thrown into an arranged marriage—he just feels an undeniable connection. This must be some form of fate or a sixth sense. Maybe he can be the main character of his own story! You’ll just have to cooperate and you can be the valiant knight’s love interest!
Bennett’s vibes are so nice. How could he be a yandere? He’s just too sweet and pure. He’s really just here to chill and gather an adventuring team full of great friends! But if anyone has any thoughts...please share them! 
That’s it. I’m writing about Scaramouche even though he’s not on the list. Please, why do I simp so much for him? Anyways, we don’t know nearly enough about Scaramouche to determine his backstory or past. But he just oozes yandere! Most of the Harbingers are probably the same, to some extent. He’s like Childe with all of the power and resources, but whereas Childe relishes in the chase Scaramouche refuses to put up with it. It’s just way too inconvenient for him. He’d rather catch you when you least expect it and then keep you for himself.
Gosh, he’s a very determined and possessive yandere with a strict agenda; this man probably cheats in order to get you. He’ll send his underlings to do the work in his place. They’ll stalk you and report back to him and it isn’t long before he learns of your friends, certain family members you’re close to, and even where you live. It’s terrifying, but this is Scaramouche we’re talking about. For someone so short, he sure knows how to intimidate and beat fear into those below him. Good luck to the poor soul who catches his eye. 
I must thank you for making that list! It was lots of fun to consider their mindsets and behaviors as yandere. :D
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bkdkology · 3 years
Text
A Katsuki Meta
Howdy, I am back on my shit again after Atsushi’s twitter post of Horikoshi’s drafts made me cry for two hours and sleep for three.
Let’s get to it!
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While there is obvious symbolism in this draft of Katsuki letting go of his past self, you have to appreciate just how much planning has been dedicated to this series, and how Horikoshi has managed to take a character that could’ve strictly followed a checklist of stereotypes for a hot headed, short tempered deuteragonist and build him to become just as complex and important as the protagonist.
He kept true to the promise he made when the chapter releases were still in the single digits:
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Katsuki’s character is one of the easiest to mishandle. He was introduced as a bully, and maintained an explosively vile personality throughout a good chunk of the series. His most obvious traits are the marks of a FOIL to Deku, and he could have well stayed that way and still ended up becoming a good pro, with the usual AHA moment that a deuteragonist like him experiences: a moment where he learns that power isn’t everything.
Except he didn’t have a moment, he had several. He was kidnapped, tossed around, ripped to shreds, challenged, loved, trusted, admired, understood and practically reborn. The fact that he’s managed to stay true to himself after everything means he always had the makings of a great hero in him.
I wouldn’t say I’m a person who’s particularly capable of insane and correct deep level thinking, and on top of that I’m INCREDIBLY EASY to impress. For me it’s like:
You know how Earth needed to be at the exact distance it is from the sun and have the perfect atmosphere to create life? Katsuki’s story is much like that.
If anyone else but Deku had been telling the story, if Deku hadn’t been as persistent, strong willed, and caring as he is, and if everything that happened to Katsuki didn’t happen in the exact order and manner it did, he wouldn’t have been as great as he is now. And while that’s simple enough to say, it’s truly such a beautiful thing to bear witness to.
We’re 300 chapters and nearly 6 years into MHA and we’ve seen.
Katsuki go from refusing to work with others to becoming a great team leader.
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His focus has always been on one thing: victory. In almost every situation, he’s had his eye on the win. It wasn’t always the case when Deku was involved, because Deku was so different from him in a way that made him feel threatened. And it’s something that has most likely been on his mind for a long time.
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He’s become more comfortable with his vision since his fight with Deku, and it was probably liberating in an emotional sense too. His fight with Deku didn’t just realign and solidify his own views on life, but made him more accepting of himself and absolved him of some of his heaviest insecurities.
Katsuki letting go of his superiority complex to better himself.
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In the days leading up to his fight with Deku, he was also fighting an internal battle for “being the reason behind All Might’s end.”
I wouldn’t argue that he was feeling guilty. While it was surely part of it, it shouldn’t be minimized to only guilt. The expressions on his face throughout the fight were incredible, he was angry, frustrated, confused, scared, quite clearly as he claimed, he just didn’t know what the hell he should do, so he fought.
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By the time he interned at Endeavor’s agency, he was already well aware that he had faults, which is a huge step for him, and he was beginning the process of pinpointing those faults.
His unwillingness to work with Deku dissolves
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After reaching a certain point in the manga, it’s become hard for me to imagine a time when Katsuki full on rejected Deku. In the first few volumes Katsuki got worse before he got better. He was in a comfortable position bullying Deku in middle school, but when he started to experience failure, when he witnessed Deku becoming stronger at a faster rate than him, he couldn’t even enjoy the fact that he was going to school where his favorite role model was teaching.
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Now, after everything, Katsuki was opening up to Deku. They started training together to help Deku gain control of OFA. And not just that, Katsuki was invested in the long term. While he shared the secret of OFA with Deku long before anyone else found out about it, he later started to shoulder some of the weight too, and he was good at it.
He called small might out for keeping secrets from Deku, claiming Deku trusted him with his life, but he wasn’t as easily convinced, pointing out a detail in the descriptions of the past users that might’ve gone over Deku’s head. He’s always been brilliant, but now he’s using that brilliance to actively try to become involved with Deku’s burden.
He’s changed in obvious ways, but in subtle ones too.
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After so much time, this panel is still really hard to look at. If you’ve ever suffered at the hands of bullies, you probably feel like there’s little satisfaction in their story even though so much has changed between them, there’s still a long way to go, there’s still a huge piece missing. Deku is way too forgiving, I don’t think he ever held anything against Katsuki for the way he treated him in the past. Katsuki is still hard with words, since the last time he bullied Deku, he has never said anything he doesn’t mean.
Katsuki has never been the type to lie. He doesn’t beat around the bush, he doesn’t pretend to be somebody he’s not, and while that part of him hasn’t changed, the way in which he delivers has. His heart has changed, and while I don’t recall a moment where he hasn’t been able to live up to his big claims, his confidence has changed from being used to mask his insecurity, to a healthier confidence that can lead, support, protect, and save.
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To think that this moment is the moment that solidified Katsuki’s path to greatness, the fact that his capabilities and brilliance have always made his future bright, he’s gone above and beyond his own expectations of the world and how it works. In the world of scientific journals, there is always a gap in the knowledge of the scientific community, a gap in the understanding of how the world works. When you find that gap, something incredible happens.
He let go of the past. Katsuki, who envisioned a life where he made it big because he knew he could. Katsuki, who was always self driven. Katsuki, who loves the taste of victory. Katsuki, who categorized the world and people around him in terms of power. Katsuki, who believed only the powerful could become strong.
Deku was the one thing in his life that didn’t fit in his picture of the world. To him, his understanding of how the world worked was defined by the strong, the weak, the good and the bad. He couldn’t understand how empathy and vulnerability could make someone strong.
I’m really excited to see where Katsuki goes from here. There’s still so much for him to discover, and he’s so, so close to the end stage of his metamorphosis.
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t-lostinworlds · 3 years
Text
Truth or Drink (Tom Holland)
[YouTube AU: Video 2]
a/n: this took a while asdfghjkl this was in my drafts since oct. at 7k already (but got distracted with other WIPs as always) and was suggested by this anon back in aug. so i’m sorry this took a so long hun. also, the gif took a fucking while too ‘cause we are extra in this house haha (i mean, i wanted the time in the vid to match the wc so ha). anyway, enough babbling and let’s get into the video! lol, i hope you guys enjoy this one!
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summary: You and Tom do a couples Q&A where you spilled steamy secrets with the help from alcohol. pairing: tom holland x fem!reader warnings: dialogue bonanza (lots of laughing and asking), alcohol consumption, secret spilling (from both parties), teasing from everyone (will include dirty jokes from the lads), mentions of smut & risque aka sex-themed questions. word count: 14.2k+ (aha enjoy!)
☰ youtube channel | previous video << ǁ >> next video ☰ masterlist on bio & pinned post
⚠ DISCLAIMER: this is a multi-part (not a series) which is basically one-shots happening in the same universe meaning you don’t need to read the previous one to understand this one since they are not heavily connected plot wise. although each fic does happen chronologically, you don’t need to read them in order much like how you don’t need to watch youtube videos in order.
-:-:-:-:-
You knew something was about to happen the moment you walked into the dining area, the way Tom immediately went to latch onto you like a koala bear—as if he hasn't seen you just minutes before—tells all.
"What are you up to now?" you asked with a playful scrunch of your nose.
You rested your hands on his shoulders, the fabric of his pink hoodie—while you wore his other pink hoodie, outfits not at all planned since you just took the first thing you saw in his closet—soft to the touch as you took a glance at the camera that was set up at the head of the dining table. The greenery of the outside world behind the glass doors served as a backdrop to the shot.
The crease between your brows deepened at the sight, gaze landing back on the boy attached to your hip who was hugging you sideways with a certain glow in his eyes.
"I'm not up to anything," Tom denied, nuzzling his face on the crook of your neck to litter the skin with sweet and soft kisses. Although the gesture made your heart melt, it also made your suspicion grow. You just know there was more to this than meets the eye.
Strong arms staying around your torso, Tom pulled away slightly so he could meet your gaze again, a certain smile growing on his lips, one you know too well. It was the usual smile he wears whenever he wants something from you, a favor perhaps. An all too powerful grin that had you made him get away with things—mostly stupid ones—easily that you aren't exactly proud to admit.
"Tom," you warned with a raise of a brow, enough seriousness and command in your tone that he was quick to give in.
"Okay, okay, we're shooting the next video," he chuckled, tracing your jaw with the tip of his nose before giving it a soft peck. "Which I am hoping you'll do with me still," he murmured, placing another kiss on your cheek before pulling away to look at you fully as he flashed you a not-so-innocent smile.
Bingo.
Tom just doesn't suddenly become so clingy—well, he normally is but more than usual anyway—especially out of nowhere without it having an underlying reason.
You narrowed your eyes at him skeptically. You stayed silent as you weighed your odds, if the enjoyment of making the video was worth it for you to endure the obvious embarrassment that would come with it. You do love this YouTube thing he's got going on, you truly do enjoy being a part of it. But with the things he's spilled in the last video, you just want to make sure that this time won't be too much, though you highly doubt it.
It was hilarious how his bottom lip started to go at your reaction, eyes turning rounder, cuter that would give Puss in Boots a run for his money. And just as you counted in your head, three, two, one—
"Please, darling? Do it with me?" Tom cooed, placing his head on your shoulder as he gave your waist a loving squeeze, fluttering his eyelashes at you in the most adorable of ways with that cute pout to match. It was his signature look whenever he wanted something, the look of handsome and adorable persuasion. "I'll keep the secret-spilling at a minimum, love. And besides, we can always edit it out."
You let out a soft sigh, shaking your head at the fact that you're saying yes either way. You can never say no whenever he puts on that very persuasive face of his, can never resist him even if you tried. And of course, Tom knows this power he has over you, and he's mastered a way on how and when to use it to his advantage.
You aren't exactly proud to say that he has never failed once, his tactic very effective and that's putting it lightly. It's sneaky and annoying sometimes but it's still cute nonetheless.
Though, never did he once abuse this weakness of yours, only using it with the little things—like letting him sneak in some snacks on set when he was instructed not to or when he wants to do certain stuff—because when it's something serious and you say 'no,' then he's quick to listen and settle when you've made your final decision. He knows you only have the best intentions when it comes to his safety and just him in general, so there's really no doubt on Tom's behalf when it comes to following you on that.
"Why me? Why not give the other boys a chance to be in the spotlight?" you proposed, not giving him the satisfaction of winning just yet.
Tom shrugged with a wide smile. "The fans love you," he hummed.
The reception of the last video was mostly positive. Maybe it was the fact that you've been with Tom for a couple years already.
Your relationship was private of course, but it wasn't a secret. It was relatively the both of you showing glimpses of it every now and then online. So, compared to when the news first broke out, this time was a bit calmer. There are still trolls and haters—they're always going to be there unfortunately—but you've learned to shut them out, turning your focus more on the ones who are very positive and supportive. They should be the only ones who should be given attention to, no point wasting your energy on random keyboard warriors.
"You mean they love it when I make fun of you?" you said, laughter escaping your lips soon after when Tom buried his face back on the crook of your neck as he groaned in dismay.
Let's just say his fans quite enjoyed how you handled him in the last video, the teasing, the banter, the whole lot. Tom hasn't been able to escape the countless clips that are circulating the good old internet. No matter which platform he uses, a clip or meme is always there to haunt him. Most of them vary from him screaming and wriggling in pain; laughing like a hyena while also wriggling in pain; the random facial expressions he's made; and even sometimes, a snapshot of you looking at him in great disappointment and/or embarrassment. That's just some among the plethora of other memes.
Tom had seen it coming of course, but it doesn't mean it's any less embarrassing, especially with how clueless he seemed when it came to women.
"Unfortunately, that too," he grumbled.
"Okay then, might as well give them more content," you teased, Tom pulling away again to gawk at you with a look of feign betrayal crossing his features. You could only laugh at that, giving his jutted out lip a kiss to replace it with one of his many sweet smiles. Despite you saying it in a joking manner, he can't really deny that that would happen either way. After all, no matter what he does, he will always be a walking meme.
Tom finally lets you go after one more peck on the cheek, guiding you towards the seat by the other end of the table soon after. He helped you in like the gentleman that he is, a kiss landing on top of your head once you were seated before he made his way towards his place.
"What are we doing this time?" you asked when Tom sat down on the chair across from you.
And as if on cue, Harry walked into the dining area with two bottles of gin on hand, Harrison following suit with a bowl of half-sliced limes along with Tuwaine with a bucket of ice and two Collins glasses.
"Truth or drink," Harry said with a wide grin, lifting the bottles of Aviation gin to further prove his point.
"You guys chose me to do this with him because I'm a lightweight, which means I'm more likely to talk, didn't you?" you said, narrowing your eyes at each of them as they placed their respective items right in front of you in the middle of the table.
All three boys gasped exaggeratedly at your accusation, shaking their heads as they made their way behind the camera, chorusing a bunched of:
"Oh no, of course not."
"That was not the plan."
"We would never."
You could only roll your eyes at them, playfully of course, turning back to Tom who was quick to throw his hands up in surrender once he took in your expression of pure suspicion.
"I swear, I just want to do this with you, plain and simple," he confessed, though his follow up sentence made you think that it wasn't as plain and simple. "But you are very funny when you have alcohol in your system."
"Does that mean I'm not when sober?" You raised your brow at the man across you, sitting straight up as you clasp your hands together, resting it on the table to seem serious.
Tom shook his head frantically. "No! You're still very funny sober!" he rushed. "Love, you know what I meant," he added with a whine, head dropping low once you let out a laugh, only lifting it back up to shoot you another pout. He can be quite gullible sometimes and you honestly love it, love teasing him about.
"Besides, it's a couples Q&A and the only couple here are you two so there aren't really any options. The only difference is that it has alcohol to spice things up a little," Harry said, now in his place behind the camera just like before.
"With equally spicy questions," Harrison added with a wriggle of his brows, coming back up on the head of the table to place a stack of white cards to which you assumed was where the questions were written.
"You guys wrote the questions didn't you? Okay, this is a set up," you joked.
"They're harmless questions I swear!" Harrison defended with a laugh before returning back to his place by the camera. Though knowing them for as long as you have, you've learned to never trust those words fully. It was highly expected that the questions aren't going to be simple, let alone safe for work.
"But if you're not comfortable doing it, it's totally fine, darling," Tom said, smiling sweetly as he grabbed your hands across the table and gave it a gentle, reassuring squeeze. He knows you have never been an avid drinker. As you've said, you are lightweight. So, if ever you wanted to back out, he's just making sure you know that you have the option to.
"No, I'm fine with it. This will be fun," you said, flashing him a true, reassuring smile of your own, squeezing his hand in return for good measure. "But can I at least have some juice or something? I'm not drinking gin straight," you added.
"Figured you'd say that," Tom said with a wide grin, rushing up from his seat and disappearing into the kitchen. He came back not long after with a bottle of orange juice on one hand all while holding a spoon and paring knife on the other. "Rollin' down the street, smokin' indo, sippin' on gin and juice," he sang the good old Snoop Dogg classic no matter how corny, placing the bottle juice right beside the gin on the head of the table.
You narrowed your eyes at your man. "You seem prepared Tom."
"Nope, I just know you too well," he hummed, giving you a sweet peck on the forehead before he was back on his seat across you.
"Right, let's give the people what they want," you said, rubbing your hands together with a wide smile.
It was Tom's turn to look at you skeptically. "Why do I have a feeling that we'll just take turns in exposing each other?"
You tilted your head at him with a grin, shrugging your shoulders and said,
"How bad can it be?"
***
"And we are rolling."
"What's up guys! Tom Holland here," he introduced with a loud clap. "I'm back with another video joined by none other than the gorgeous Y/N." You waved at the camera with a sweet smile at the mention of your name. "The rest of the gang are behind the camera as per usual," Tom added, the lads cheering at their cue unenthusiastically and totally not in sync, chuckles and giggles following soon after.
"You can feel the excitement in the room," Tom said sarcastically with a roll of his eyes. "Anyhow, since lovely Ryan Reynolds sent me a case of gin just recently, I thought; why not put it to good use?" Tom shot the camera a knowing look. "Hashtag not sponsored but should be!" he yelled, making you jump slightly at the sudden loud sound.
"Do you have to be so loud?" you grumbled, playfully covering your ears in the process.
"Oh, sorry love," Tom chuckled, shooting you a sweet smile before turning back to the camera, finger pointed at it as he said, "But Ryan, my DMs are always open."
"Always looking for someone to replace me," you sighed, shaking your head dejectedly as you turned to the camera with a deep frown.
"Ah, here we go," Tom groaned, shooting you a playful glare because he knows that the teasing would only get more and more prominent from here on out.
"What? You and I both know I've got a lot of competition," you said as a matter of fact, leaning back on your seat with arms crossed over your chest. "Mainly Jake G. and Harrison, with a couple of variations here and there but you get what I mean."
Tom shook his head at you with a teasing roll of his eyes. "Once again, my girlfriend everyone," he said to the lens with a tight lip smile before turning back to you with a deadpan expression. You only shrugged in response, flashing him an innocent smile.
"Anyway, a fan suggested this in the comments of the last video so today, we're going to be doing Truth or Drink," he continued, turning back to face the camera. "Rules are simple, we take turns on reading out the questions that are written on these cards right here"—Tom lifted the stack of white, rectangular cards before placing them back on the table—"and we either answer them truthfully or we take a drink."
"Oh and a little disclaimer," you paused as you looked at the camera. "The lads wrote the questions so we have no idea what's in the cards nor did we have any involvement in the choosing of certain topics which are possibly going to be discussed in this video," you added, feeling like it was a fact that needed to be said.
"Parental guidance is advised," Tom chuckled.
"They're not that bad you divs," Harrison grumbled.
Now you're certain on who wrote most of the questions, he's been keen on taking offense whenever anyone gets suspicious over them. "We'll be the judge of that," you stated, raising a brow at Harrison before turning back to Tom.
"Let's get right into it shall we?" Tom proposed. You gave him a nod in response, jutting out two thumbs up for good measure. "Ladies first," he said, flashing you a charming grin as he gestured towards the pile of cards.
You reached over to the pile, making sure to pick the card in the middle just to make sure that it was completely random. You adore the lads, but knowing how mischievous they can get, you've learned to always keep one eye open with regard to everything that they do. Plus, it was so easy to set it up for you to pick a certain question given that it was only you and Tom taking turns on picking a card.
"We are starting off with something a tad bit dark huh." You gave the lads a swift glance before turning to the card you had on hand. "If I killed someone would you help me cover it up?" you read out loud, placing the card on the discarded pile before your gaze landed on Tom who gave you a small, secretive nod 'yes' which only made you giggle.
Tom leaned forward as he rested his elbow on the marble surface, hand playing with his chin with his eyes on the ceiling to seem that he was deep in thought. He turned back to you and said, "Do we not get any context? Was it an accident or was it on purpose? Was it due to hate or fear? Was it justified?"
"It's a yes or no answer Tom," you laughed.
"Well then, you already know the answer but for legal purposes," Tom paused, reaching for the bucket of ice and putting some in his glass. He poured the gin on top of that and then added a dash of lime, swirling around the glass to mix them all together. "My lips are sealed," he chuckled, lifting the glass up to his lips and taking a drink. "Oh, that's good stuff," he commented, taking another sip before putting the glass back down.
"Hypothetically, if you were going to help, you'll probably be the one who'll get us caught if I'm being honest," you giggled to which Tom threw his head back with a laugh.
"Yeah, you'll tell me what you did, I'll get shocked and as we're getting stuff to you know, hypothetically hide the body, I'll go 'I can't believe you killed someone' in public and then someone will hear and call the police and we're done."
You burst out in a hearty laugh at that, nodding your head in agreement. "That's exactly how it's going to happen."
It was Tom's turn to pick a question, his grin growing wider as his eyes scanned the card in his fingers. "What's the most embarrassing thing you've done in front of me?" he asked, his features brightening in excitement because he already knows the answer. There wasn't really much to begin with other than that one incident that will always haunt you for the rest of your life.
"Do you want me to tell them the story?" you sighed, leaning back on your chair with palms flat on the table. It wasn't one of your finest moments that's for sure and Tom hasn't been letting you hear the end of it. In fact, it was one of his favourite stories involving you both.
"It's up to you, love. You don't have to if you don't want to." Tom shrugged with a smirk, reaching for your glass to get your drink made. "But that moment was so adorable for me though, embarrassing for you but very adorable for me," he added with a wink.
"Adorable or ego boosting?" you pointed out with a raise of your brow.
"Both," Tom laughed, adding some ice in your glass and pouring just the right amount of gin soon after.
You watched with an adoring smile as he poured in the orange juice, the sound of silverware and glass clinking together filling the air as he mixed up the liquids. He then squeezed a bit of lime in your drink, taking the paring knife soon after to slice up another lime in a thin circle, making a small slit in the middle so he can put it on the rim of your glass easily. Tom can be extra at times, of course he felt the need to decorate your drink, even when it wasn't exactly necessary but you wouldn't want it any other way.
"Look at you being a bartender," you teased, Tom looking up from his task to shoot you playful wink with a smug smirk to match.
"You love to see it."
You shrugged, not at all denying his claim because well, you do love seeing it.
"Here you go, mi lady," he hummed, handing you your beautifully decorated drink with a proud grin on his lips.
"Thank you, kind sir."
As much as how refreshing the cocktail looked in its cold glass and bright, orange colored glory, you know you had to be strategic with drinking. Because alcohol boosts your confidence, it makes you brave, it makes you say things you wish you hadn't when sober. And with you being lightweight, it isn't exactly ideal to be happy-go-lucky with it, especially knowing how these questions can go from one thing to another real quick.
You thought it's best to share embarrassing things that you can live with to keep the drinking at a minimum, rather than take too much alcohol too fast and say worse things down the line because you got somewhat tipsy or downright drunk. There's really no way of knowing how hard it hits given that different types of alcohol affect you in different ways.
"Okay, it was when we first met, which obviously doesn't make it any less embarrassing, first impressions and all that," you started, sitting straight up as your fingers drummed around the cool surface of your glass. "Me and a friend of mine were at this park and decided it would be fun to rent out these bikes to get around quicker, so we did. Lo and behold, Tom and Harrison were also at said park—"
"Oh yeah, I remember this," Harrison laughed. "This is going to be good."
You shot the blonde lad a quick glare before continuing. "Luck wasn't on my side that day—well, depends on how you look at things because I did meet Tom and seem to have gotten far," you laughed towards the camera, giving Tom a swift glance who was quick to lock eyes with you as he nodded agreeably with a chuckle. "But add that to me being very clumsy and simply put, I fell off the bike right in front of him," you sighed dejectedly, heat coating your cheeks as the lads chuckled in their seats, purely in amusement and not at all in a demeaning way.
"Go on love, let's hear the full thing," Tom encouraged, sitting back on his chair with his arms crossed over his chest to relax, attention fully on you as if he hasn't heard this story many times before. He genuinely does love hearing it. As you've said, it was one of his favourites.
"I'm getting there," you grumbled, narrowing your eyes at Tom who only flashed you an adorable, bright smile, knowing that if he does that, you can't stay mad at him. With a another sigh, you continued, "As we were riding our bikes, we saw him and Harrison sitting on this random bench from afar doing, I don't know, maybe they were on a date or something—"
"Darling, don't try and steer the topic here," Tom laughed. You stuck out your tongue at him—yes, very mature—his laughter only growing louder at your reaction.
"I'm a big fan of the Marvel movies, so obviously, I knew who he was. I was trying to keep my cool, you know, I didn't want to embarrass myself in front of him and thought I'll just ride pass, don't want to disturb whatever they had going on. But as soon as we got near to where they were sat, he looked towards my direction and we made eye contact—"
"The power I have," Tom crooned with a smug smile, earning a pointed eye-roll from you.
"Oh shut up. You know that wasn't the sole reason why I fell," you scoffed. "The chains on my bike went loose so I had no full control over it. We weren't going slowly as well because this friend of mine thought it was a good idea to one up each other so we kept going faster and faster, racing towards who knows what.
"So, my next option was to just plant my foot on the ground to stop it right? But as I've said, luck wasn't on my side that day. Before I could even do it, a rock went under the front wheel—which I didn't see given that I was distracted, you lot know why—and completely took me off balance and the bike went sideways real quick that I didn't have any time to react at all. And...did I roll a few times?" You turned to your boyfriend.
"Twice," he confirmed, a sympathetic smile on his lips as he tilted his head at you sweetly.
"Now, I don't see why you find this story adorable." You narrowed your eyes at your man.
"Not the actual accident, darling. It's what happened after that I found adorable. You were so cute being all shy and embarrassed," Tom defended with a pout. "And you know for a fact that whenever I see you with the smallest scrape or cut I panic and fuss over you immediately."
"You do. A bit too overdramatically," you giggled. It was a bit much sometimes how he worries but that's just Tom being the caring and overprotective boyfriend that he is. "Anyway, so yes, I rolled on the ground twice but all I remember was that I was already lying on my back, watching the sky while my knees, forearms up to my elbows and palms were burning. Then I saw Tom approaching and I swear I was just wishing that the ground would swallow me up right then and there," you finished.
"I quickly rushed to her aid, because you know, I'm Spider-Man," Tom added with a cocky shrugged, arms open wide as if to showcase himself.
There was a loud, collective groan from the lads which earned a laugh from you and a sound of pure protest from Tom.
"It's true!" he exclaimed. "Anyway, she then went, 'oh, my knight and shining armour, my handsome Prince Charming'," Tom gushed, voice at a higher pitch with the utmost exaggeration as he placed the back of his hand over his forehead. "And I went, 'don't worry princess, I'm here to save you,' and then we kissed and lived happily ever after," he concluded with the cheekiest smile.
"We remember this story very differently." You shook your head at him with a hearty laugh. This boy is always something else. "But fine, I'll give you the Prince Charming part because you did look like it.
"What you said was, 'miss, are you alright?' which was very formal of you, especially with the accent." You turned to the camera with a suggestive wiggle of your brows, making Tom drop his head shyly with a chuckle as his cheeks turned slightly pink. "And no, we didn't kiss. You don't kiss people you just met Thomas, get a hold of yourself. He helped me up and was kind enough to offer to take me to the hospital which wasn't needed since it was just a few cuts and scrapes but still insisted that I get checked. Who knew you'd be overprotective since day one," you laughed.
Tom shrugged with a chuckle. "We got to know each other while in the hospital and after she got cleaned up, I thought, I liked talking to her and I really don't want to say goodbye just yet. So, I invited her to lunch which she surprisingly said yes," he teased, sarcasm laced in his tone at his last sentence as he shot the camera a knowing and smug look. You kicked him lightly under the table, the action catching him off guard making him let out a yelp.
"It was more of me being polite because you helped and that. Didn't want to seem rude by saying no," you said, Tom gasping in full offense at your words. You let out a laugh as you rushed, "I'm kidding! Of course I wanted to go to lunch with you. It was impossible to say no because you've been really sweet and a real gentleman that day. And well, it was fun hanging out with you."
Tom smiled widely at that, nothing but pure love coating his features as he held your gaze, hand sneaking over to yours that was on the table and giving it a quick but loving squeeze.
"Where did Harrison go?" Harry wondered, the blonde boy suddenly turning silent and surely enough when you gave him a swift glance, he was already blushing.
"I had my friend with me, Tom had Harrison, you do the math," you said plainly, laughter laced in your tone.
"Oh, so you got some that day," Tuwaine chuckled, nudging the boy beside him with his elbow.
"Shut up, Tuwaine," Harrison grumbled, swatting away his friend lightly.
"But in conclusion, I am a superhero in real life," Tom stated proudly, swiping away the imaginary dust that was lying on his shoulder. He turned to the camera with a bright and wide smile. "But I do thank that bike every day."
"A bit sadistic but okay," you added, looking at Tom skeptically with a scrunch of your nose.
"No! I meant we wouldn't have gotten to know each other if that didn't happen," Tom rushed, lips turning into a pout when you only did nothing but laugh. "You're mean."
"You're just too adorable not to pick on," you giggled, his pout turning more prominent at your words.
You so badly wanted to get up off your seat and give him a proper kiss, but those things are always reserved privately. You two had never been big with public displays of affection, just the casual holding hands and occasional hugs. There are a few instances where you'll sneak a quick kiss while hanging out with friends but that's different compared to it being on tape for the whole world to see later on.
"Anyhow, what's the most embarrassing thing that you have done in front of me?" You asked back, your turn to grin wide because you know which story it was going to be, the way Tom's cheeks were quick to be dusted red was a clear indication that you were right.
"I'm smooth as hell, would never embarrass myself in front of a lady," he said casually, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned back on his chair, all cool and suave.
"Oh shut up and tell the story," you said with a playful roll of your eyes, Tom letting out a shy chuckle before he leaned on the table.
"Right, it was our second date and I split my trousers open," he said, short and sweet, though his blush was already deepening because Tom knows the sharing won't stop there.
"Wait, how open?" Tuwaine asked.
"Like full on, centre to back, underwear and inner thighs with a bit of butt showing open. It would have been a bit better if I wore black pants—boxers to the American people—and black trousers right? But me being unlucky, I went for light-coloured denim jeans and black pants that day so it's fully obvious that I did ripped my trousers open," he chuckled shyly, hand going to rub at his shoulder, body slightly crouched as he refused to look away from his glass of gin.
"Go on Thomas, let's hear the full thing," you prodded, throwing his previous words right back at him.
He lifted his head up to shoot you a playful glare, though sat straighter anyway, elbows now on the table with his hands clasped together as he got ready to tell his story. "We were well underway our second date, a simpler one which was a walk in a somewhat less crowded park—"
"What's with you two and parks?" Harrison pointed out with a chuckle.
"Disaster just waiting to happen as you can tell," Tom laughed.
"We've steered clear from parks after all these incidents," you joked with a giggle.
"I did a flip and didn't land the right way was basically what happened," Tom continued, turning to the camera with a look of dismay. "We were walking by a couple of street dancers who were practicing a routine and they were doing all sorts of flips and tricks. She stopped walking completely and watched—wait, correction, stared at this certain bloke who was doing backflips—"
"I was not staring," you butted in. "I was just watching him do his thing and said how cool it was. And why are you making it seem like it's my fault?" you gasped, placing a hand over your heart, feign offence crossing your features.
"I'm not!" Tom laughed, hands up in surrender before he crossed his arms over his chest. "All I'm saying was that I was trying to impress you, which is why I offered to show you a flip. And as everyone in this room knows, I do the stupidest things when trying to impress a girl, especially when I like her that much."
"I was already impressed by you as is Tom, you didn't need to do a flip," you said as a matter of fact, small giggles escaping your lips as you looked at him with nothing but pure adoration. Tom felt his heart melt at the sight and more by your words. "And besides, I already knew you could do it. But somehow you felt the need to prove yourself after you saw me complimenting that dancer," you added.
"It's what you call ego, Tom," Harry laughed.
"Shut up, Harry." Tom shot his brother a glare though chuckled right after because it was in fact a bit true.
It was the silliest thing thinking back on it now, how he just said 'you want to see me do a flip?' out of the blue. You furrowed your brows at him in response, though your smile was laced with amusement. He just wanted to impress you as he'd said. And fine, maybe his ego got struck at teeny bit, and maybe he felt a little jealous that your attention got torn off of him because he truly did like you that much.
But at the end of the day, even though he had a little mishap, it all worked out so he wasn't at all complaining. "Anyway, so I did the flip, completely disregarding the fact that my shoes were slippy and my trousers were tight. I did land upright and not on my face this time so that's something," Tom chuckled. "But my right foot slipped so I was full on going on a wide split which I normally can't do since I am not flexible enough and proceeded to fall on my bum.
"The moment I heard the sound I instantly knew and just went, 'oh no' and remained on the ground because I didn't know what to do then. I was already embarrassed because I slipped, do I really want to tell her I tore open my trousers too?" Tom laughed timidly, the blush on his cheeks turning redder as he rubbed the back of his neck in utter embarrassment.
"I kind of knew right away though because I did hear something rip," you giggled. "He then just slowly stood up, hands behind, flat on his bum and said, 'I split my trousers open' in the smallest voice like a kid who's scared to tell their mum they fell or they'll get scolded. Plus his face was beet red, just like now." You pointed towards your boyfriend, who in turn stuck his tongue out at you as his blush turned into an even deeper shade of crimson.
"Thank God I wore a jacket that day and I was able to at least hide it until we got back to the car or else someone would've clocked it, took a picture, posted it on the internet and it would've made things much worse," Tom pointed out with a chuckle, glad that there was no paparazzi or it would've been a nightmare. "And the fact that you tried so hard not to laugh but still failed made me feel so embarrassed that I was quick to think that that was it. I ruined my chances, no more third date," he added as he turned to you with a small pout.
"I couldn't help laughing because it was the most adorable thing how you went from being all confident and cocksure on doing a flip to this shy boy who refused to look me in the eyes without turning even redder," you said, pure amusement laced in your tone. "But no, that incident made me like you more, it was just too endearing. Third date never left the table after that," you concluded with a sweet smile which only made Tom's grin grow wider.
"Even though she laughed, she was so sweet and kind about it. We had to cut our date shor—actually no, we didn't. We went back to your place and decided to do a movie marathon instead," Tom said fondly, face glowing with joy as the memory brought nothing but warmth across his chest.
"Yeah, with you wearing a pair of my sweatpants," you giggled, mirroring his expression as your mind recalled the sweet moment of you and him, simply cuddled up on the couch.
"And that's on getting the girl by splitting your trousers open," Tom said with a smug smile, pointing at the camera as he shot it a knowing look with a wriggle of his brows.
"And getting the boy by falling off a bike," you added, doing exactly what he did as you turned to face the lens.
"Look at us," Tom gushed, looking back at you with a smile, reaching across the table to take your hand in his. "Hey, look at us."
"Look at us. Who would've thought?" you giggled, giving his hand a squeeze in return.
You were always quick to catch on what he was trying to do that Tom couldn't help but smile widely, heart melting ten times over at the thought of you knowing him so well. "Not me," Tom chuckled, letting go of your hand and holding up his palm for a high-five to which you gladly obliged with laughs of your own.
"You two are made for each other," Harry chuckled with a shake of his head, now just getting that you two were recreating the famous Paul Rudd meme.
"My turn right?" Tom asked. You nodded with a hum as you pushed the pile of cards towards him. He let out a loud scoff once he read the question, his reaction making you raise a brow in both curiosity and slight dread. "Be honest," he said as he looked up from the paper, gaze landing on you. "Who do you love more, me," he paused for dramatic effect, narrowing his eyes at you before continuing, "Or Tessa?"
You let out a small groan as you hang your head low, fingers tracing the side of your cold glass. You let out a sigh of defeat before you met Tom's expectant gaze. "I can't possibly answer that question," you grumbled, bringing the glass up to your lips as you took a swift drink before placing it back down.
"That was such a tiny sip," Harrison pointed out.
"Alright, alright, I guess we can tell who the bad influence here is," you said with a teasing roll of your eyes, but still took another drink anyway, taking in more of it this time around. You just want to play the game fair and square. "You actually made that really well. It's really good," you hummed at Tom as you placed your drink back down, the lad grinning widely in response.
"Why thank you, darling," Tom crooned, voice smooth with a pride-filled smile, pushing over the pile of cards back in the middle of the table to get you to ask the next question.
"Okay, who wrote this?" You turned to the boys behind the camera with a raise of your brow. "If the alcohol wasn't going to do it, then this will definitely get the video restricted, unless you're going to bleep some words out?" You turned to Harry.
"I've got that covered," Harry laughed.
Glancing back at the card you had on hand, you asked, "If our sex life was porn, what genre would it be?" You looked up at Tom to see him try his best to hold back a smirk.
"Nope, not answering that," he laughed with a shake of his head as he lifted his glass off the table. "Mainly because there are too many genres that it would fit for me to only pick one," Tom muttered softly against his drink as he looked at you through his lashes. His words were muffled but you still heard it, you were closer to him after all. You felt your cheeks heat up at that, even more so when your man shot you a teasing wink before downing the shot of gin not long after.
Tom set his glass down and reached over to take another card. "What does your family think of me?" he asked with a clear of his throat.
"Well..." You slowly dragged your drink closer to you, Tom's mouth falling agape that you couldn't help but burst into a hearty laugh. "I'm kidding! You already know how much they love you," you said. "I mean, my parents call him 'son' so." You shrugged as you turned to the camera. Tom puffed out his chest all proud with a very smug smile on his lips. You rolled your eyes, sighing as you added, "They probably even love you more than they love me."
Tom chuckled, "My family loves you more than they love me, too—"
"I can vouch for that," Harry intervened.
"Thanks, Harry," Tom said sarcastically, flashing his brother a forced smile. Turning back to you, he finished, "So, I guess we're even."
You could only nod with a soft giggle, reaching over to the stack of cards to keep the pace going. "Lads! What's with these kinds of questio—you know what, I don't even expect any less from you guys," you sighed, pursing your lips as you re-read the question again before sitting straight up and looked into Tom's eyes. "What would you do if you caught me watching porn?" you asked.
"Watch it with you and help get it done, duh?" he answered without hesitation, leaning back on his chair as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Have done a couple times actually," Tom murmured, somewhat to himself, though not really since everyone in the room—and pretty sure the camera—heard it.
"Tom!" you hissed.
You felt your body tingle, legs instinctively closing together as the countless moments it happened replayed itself inside your brain. Although what he said wasn't false, it wasn't the full truth either. He didn't exactly catch you red handed, never did since you don't watch porn often.
All you did was asked him—merely out of curiosity—what type he mostly watches. Your question sparked an idea in his head which led to you sitting in between his legs, bare back against his naked chest as the laptop sat right in front of you both with the video of his choice.
Tom then made his way with you while you watched, making sure you never take your eyes off the couple on screen or else. He was always fully in control over you every time you do it, his fingers sometimes delicate, mostly rough, touch hot and heavy all over your skin, lips warm on your neck, teeth sharp against your bare shoulder as he brings you to the edge over and over and over with nothing but his hands. And once the video ends, Tom will take it upon himself to re-enact the whole of it with you—if you could still take it of course—bringing what was on screen to real life, full recreation from start to finish.
Best believed you're properly blissed out at the stop of every play.
Your boyfriend's eyes widened once he realized the actual volume of his voice, face turning a deep shade of red, sitting straight abruptly as he rushed, "No! Wait—dammit." Tom casted his eyes down shyly when the boys let out exaggerated gasps and sounds of disapproval, a telltale sign that they already heard it. "I'm sorry, darling." He met your gaze again as he shot you a sheepish smile, his head tilted to the side guiltily to which you only responded with a shake of your head.
Typical Thomas.
"Bleurgh, too much info," Harrison gagged, the other boys following suit with their own sounds of repulsion.
"Oh fuck off you divs. You guys wrote the questions so obviously, you wanted to find out," Tom countered, shooting the lads a glare each.
"We didn't expect you to actually answer it!" Harry defended.
"We're cutting that whole part out, no way that's going up online," you grumbled, eyes staring at nothing but your drink as you tried to hide the obvious embarrassment that's coated your features.
Tom reached across the table to give your hand a squeeze, you meeting his gaze to see him mouth a gentle 'I'm sorry.' You flashed him a sweet smile, squeezing his hand in return to tell him that it was alright. It wasn't live so there wasn't any real harm done, aside from future jokes from the boys. That you can deal with than having that confidential information on the internet which will then follow you around for the rest of eternity.
Letting go of your hand, Tom sat straighter and turned to the camera. "If you guys are wondering why there's a jump cut and my face is suddenly so red, it's because I spilled something I shouldn't have that we had to cut it out. And no, it's something you'll never find out," he chuckled shyly, knowing that once the video goes out, fans are going to be so annoyed and will pester him—and everyone in the room—nonstop to try and find out what was cut.
Better that, than embarrassing you in front of millions though, so he'll deal with them no problem. Because as promised, if you weren't comfortable with it staying in the video, then it gets cut out, no questions asked. You and what you're comfortable with always come first in Tom's book.
"Yet again, thank God we didn't do this live," you muttered with a playful roll of your eyes.
Tom shot you one last apologetic smile before he cleared his throat, "Right, moving on." He shifted in his seat and took another card from the pile. "What's the one thing you'd change about me?" he asked.
"Your height," you answered without missing a beat. You chewed on your lip to suppress a grin but still failed miserably, especially when Tom looked at you with his jaw hanging and his eyes wide open.
A chorus of 'ooh's erupted from the boys which only prompted a laugh from you, the joyous sound growing louder when they started to rub it to Tom even more.
"Pfft, apply ice on the burnt area," Harry said as he blew out his cheeks.
"Mate, she's just bodied you with that," Tuwaine tutted at Tom, rising up from his seat soon after to offer you a high-five. You gladly obliged with a laugh, Tom gawking at you with utmost betrayal on his face.
"You're lucky you're very cute, especially when you laugh," Tom grumbled as he shot you a playful glare. The crinkles on the corner of your eyes deepened as you only smiled brightly at him with a tilt of your head, which honestly made you look even more endearing. He could never be mad at you, too whipped to hold a grudge no matter how much you tease him. And besides, that's all there is to it, nothing but teasing jokes and banter.
"If I were you, Tom, I'd start taking those growth pills before she starts to question why she's even with you," Harrison proposed jokingly which earned boisterous laughter from the rest of the gang.
"You lot are so fucking overdramatic. I'm not that short," Tom quipped with a roll of his eyes, gaze landing back on you with his famous pout now in play yet again. "And babe, it's a truth or drink video, not a roast me video," he stated, palms flat on cool marble as he looked at you with puppy-dog eyes.
"I'm joking! I'm joking," you rushed with a giggle. "I wouldn't change a single thing. You know I love you, just the way you are," you sang the last line, though your voice held nothing but sincerity as you reached over to give his hand a loving squeeze. Tom nodded with a sigh, though never did he doubt your words, knowing it deep in his bones that physical traits would never outweigh how much you love him, no matter what.
"Right, let's keep this going," you said as you took another card. "Who is smarter, me or you?" you asked.
"Me," Tom said proudly.
"Well, that's a lie," you objected.
Tom couldn't help but laugh at that, nodding at you as he chuckled, "It's you, obviously. Have you seen the last video?"
"Hmm, I don't know, I think Tom's smarter. I mean, you decided to date him, Y/N, which isn't exactly the brightest decision," Harry inferred, earning a loud gasp from his older brother.
"Excellent point," you agreed, your boyfriend's head whipping towards your direction with nothing but absolute offense written on his face.
"Babe! You're supposed to be on my side!" Tom exclaimed. "Why are we roasting me all of a sudden?" he complained.
"You're just too fun to pick on," you laughed, Tom's bottom lip jutting out at your words. "Especially when you do that, too cute," you pointed out, the apples of Tom's cheek turning pink as a smile grew on his lips at the compliment. "But I am smarter," you concluded, shooting the camera a wink.
"Will not refute," Tom chuckled, keeping the flow of the game as he took another card. "If you weren't with me, who of my brothers would you consider dating?" he said, voice pitching higher at the last few words. A look of downright disgust covered Tom's face immediately as he looked at the boys behind the camera who were snickering like the mischievous little shits that they are. "You lot are grim."
You matched Tom's expression, scrunching your nose as you shook your head quickly. Having been with Tom long enough, you now see the three of the Holland boys as your own brothers, so the mere thought of dating any of them is just—
"I'm not even going to think about it," you grumbled as you took a sip of your cocktail and then picked a card right away. "Who's the celebrity who you were the most disappointed with when you met them?" you continued swiftly, a smile on your lips as you looked at Tom who let out a sigh.
"You know I can't answer that," he stated in a matter-of-fact tone, your smile growing wider as you picked up the bottle of gin and refilled his glass. "Thank you, darling," he chuckled with a shake of his head, taking a drink right after.
"Is there anyone in my friend group, famous or not, that you do not like?" Tom continued with a raise of his brow, gaze steady on you.
You emptied your glass—that was still half full—without a single word and placed it back down with a small burp. "Oh, excuse me," you cleared your throat with a laugh.
Tom's brows furrowed at you in mere curiosity, gesturing for your glass so he can remake you another drink. You slid it over to him with a soft 'thank you' and a sweet smile. He started opening up the bottle of juice though his eyes were still on you, narrowed in pure skepticism.
"Who?"
"Not part of the question, Tom," you said, flashing him an innocent smile
"I know who it is," Harry coughed fakely.
"Me too," Tuwaine added with a fake cough of his own.
"It's Harrison because he's trying to take you away from me," you commented, laughing at how the blonde lad gasped in utter protest.
"That's a lie because I know who it is too," Harrison defended.
"So, everyone knows except me?" Tom mused, rolling his eyes in the process.
"What else is new?" you giggled with a shrugged, Tom only sighing as he shot you yet another pout. This boy never ceases to use it since he knows you always swoon whenever he does. 'I'll tell you later,' you mouthed, making him nod with a proud smile.
You gently leaned back on your seat, closing your eyes when you felt a little woozy. You took in slow, deep breaths, the marble cold against your palms as your body started to grow warmer from head to toe.
Maybe downing that drink wasn't the best idea.
"You okay, darling?" Tom asked sweetly, tilting his head at you in worry as he went to take your hand in his. His brows knitted together when your skin felt unusually warm in his palms.
"Yeah," you giggled, opening your eyes to meet his concern-filled brown ones, flashing him a reassuring smile and a nod to match as you gave his hand a squeeze. "Just the alcohol slowly kicking in."
"Want to take a minute, sweetheart?"
"No, I'm good. Go on and ask the question bubba," you prompted as you beamed at him, Tom's heart melting at the beautiful curve on your features and more by the sound of that sweet nickname. Although, he knew that you'd reached your calm before the storm.
You're always smiley and extra sweet when you start to get a little tipsy. But from here on out, especially if you decide to take even more alcohol, you start switching from calm to giddily energetic. That's when the words would start flowing out your lips before your brain could even register what you've just said.
Tom replaced your hand with a white card once he was sure you were fine. A cheeky grin erupted on his face as he asked, "What's your favourite sex position?"
You pursed your lips, eyes landing on the ceiling, fingers drumming on the marble surface of the table as you pondered on it for a second. Tom watched you intently, a soft chuckle escaping him when you met his gaze again with a sweet yet shy smile.
"I've got three though," you said, mostly to him but in a not-so-hush tone. Your mind and your mouth don't cooperate sometimes when there's alcohol in the mix.
"Different one for a different mood," Tom hummed with a smirk, finishing up your drink with a squeeze of lime, mixing it up before sliding it back towards you. "Just say one or take a drink, darling."
"I need to slow down with drinking or else I'll be saying much worse things. I can already feel my filter shutting down," you breathed out, tilting your head to the side as you gazed at Tom for a bit of help. "But do I really want this out in the world?"
"Oh, go on Y/N, live a little," Harrison prodded with nothing but utter mischief in his eyes.
You don't know why but somehow, Harrison words were the last straw for that burst of confidence to suddenly overflow. Boldness coated your every nerve as you squeezed your eyes shut and straight up blurted,
"Doggy."
Tom's eyes grew wide, both of his brows rising as he looked at you surprised. Yes, doggy was one of your—and his—favourites, he already knew that, what surprised him was you actually saying it out loud. Although he was swift to turn cocky as he leaned back on his seat, arms crossed over his chest while he kept his gaze steady on you.
As you peaked one eye, you saw that certain smirk of his now playing on his pink lips, one you only ever see privately. You felt your face heat up at that, added from the alcohol and embarrassment. The warmth was quick to spread to the rest of your body though, with the way he was looking at you, it was so hard for it not too. And as your eyes fully soaked him in, gaze traveling from his handsome face sporting that teasing smirk to his bulging biceps, the temperature could only rise. Your senses was now somewhat heightened that you were able to notice every single thing that made your man so fucking attractive and downright hot.
Since when did his hoodie grow even tighter? And damn, why is it so hot all of a sudden? It's probably the alcohol, or mainly just Tom, or simply both.
"Favourite type of porn!" you hear someone from the gang call out—probably Harrison since he's been causing trouble from the very start—interrupting your thoughts. With the alcohol in your system, just as expected, your brain genuinely forgot to take control of your tongue before you could even tell yourself: 'don't!'
"Sometimes hardcore," you let out, slapping your hand over your mouth immediately as your eyes grew wide. You quickly met Tom's eyes, his brown orbs glowing with shock, amusement and a sprinkle of lust. He gave you a soft nod with a soft smile in response, confirming that yes, you said it out loud, and yes it was already too late. "Oh no, this was what I meant when I needed to slow down on alcohol," you groaned, rubbing your hand over your warm face before looking back across your man with a pout.
"Aye! Hardcore doggy yeah?" Harrison cheered teasingly, moving towards Tom and giving his best friend a pat on the shoulder. Tom threw his head back with a laugh, face red but the look of utmost pride was also there. Harrison swiftly offered his fist to Tom, to which the brunette gladly indulged, their knuckles colliding as chuckles escaped the two mates.
You let out a choked laugh as your eyes widened in surprise, jaw going slack with your face heating up even more. "Did you guys just fist bump to that?"
"I mean." Tom shrugged, throwing his hands up with the smuggest grin, causing you to shake your head dejectedly with a groan. You shot Harrison a pointed glare when he went back to his seat, still snickering to his heart's content as if his master plan was in the works.
What a little shit.
"I'm definitely not going to let my parents watch this video," you mumbled with a roll of your eyes.
"I've got a question for Tom though," Tuwaine started, though the glimmer in his eyes told you it wasn't a clean one. "Do you grab it or do you smack it?"
Tom wheezed before erupting into a very rowdy laugh, hands slapping on his thigh as his body shook in nothing but pure enjoyment, his face red from a mixture of embarrassment, glee and the alcohol.
"Oh my—right! Next question!" you squeaked, not giving your boyfriend any time to answer as you attempted to swiftly move on.
"Wait, wait," Tom breathed out as he slowly calmed down, getting up from his seat as he went over to your side. "Harry stop recording for a sec," he called out to his younger brother before he gestured for you to turn until your back was facing the camera.
Tom crouched down in front of you, hands on your knees with a sweet, reassuring smile on his lips. "We'll edit out the parts you're not comfortable with to stay in the vid, alright?" he stated softly.
You nodded with a smile of your own, taking his hand in yours as you played with his fingers. "I'm not opposed to keeping the last two questions since everyone has their favourite position and type of porn. It's normal," you hummed, tilting your head at him as you added, "You saying you've helped me with, you know, that was much more private though, 'cause it's our thing."
"I know, I'm sorry, love," Tom apologized, voice soft but coated with sincerity as his hand went up to cup your face lovingly, brown eyes gazing up into yours with just the same emotions. "We're cutting that part out, I promise."
"But you think your fans would take these questions well?" you queried, leaning into his touch in a way that made Tom's heart do flips inside his chest.
He nodded. "Yeah, I think it's fine. The video is going to be age restricted anyway. And besides, we're both adults, so there's nothing wrong with it," he explained. You hummed in agreement, leaning your head on his hand as you closed your eyes with a soft sigh, your skin very warm against his palm. Tom moved closer to give your lips a sweet peck. "Want some water angel?"
"No, I'm good." You smiled, Tom nodding as he mirrored your grin, giving your lips another kiss before he stood back to his full height and then sat back on his seat.
Shooting Harry the go signal to start recording again, Tom chuckled, "Sorry, needed to cool down for a sec after that." He turned towards the camera, tugging at the collar of his hoodie as he blew out his cheeks to get a point across.
You could only roll your eyes at your man, his laugh growing louder at your reaction. Swiftly taking a card from the pile, you continued with the game. "Is this going to be the theme from here on out, lads?" you asked, eyeing the boys behind the camera suspiciously before you turned back to Tom. "Is there something in the bedroom you'd like to try that you haven't told me?"
Tom's cheeks turned even redder at the question, completely shying away now as his hand went to rub at his shoulder. "I can't think of one right now," he muttered as he looked at you sheepishly. "But no, I'm not answering that since we talk about that off camera anyway," Tom settled with a timid chuckle, refilling his glass and taking a drink of the gin soon after.
"Your turn," you giggled, pushing the pile towards him.
"Oh, okay. What a way to shift the topic," Tom breathed out, scanning the card one more time as he sat up straighter. "If I was in a coma how long would you wait for me?" he asked, meeting your gaze with a tender smile.
"I'll keep waiting for you until you wake up, no matter how long," you answered, without even a single inch of doubt, despite the slight shake in your voice as your eyes started to well up. "Never giving up on you."
"Darling," Tom cooed softly with a pout, the screeching sound of his chair echoing around the space as he pushed his seat back. He went back over to your side quickly, remaining on his feet as he leaned down to engulf you in a tight and warm embrace, swaying you side to side in the most comforting way as he whispered sweet nothings against your hair.
You buried your face in his chest with a shaky breath, the material of his hoodie soft against your cheek. You willed your brain not to think much of it, to not dwell on that thought and focus more on the Tom's warmth that's coated you right now. Or else you'll end up a bawling mess, and with the alcohol in your system, it's not a good idea to start crying now.
Your man pulled away gently with a charming smile, cupping your face with both hands as he towered over your seated form. "I'd do the exact same, just so you know," he hummed, brown eyes locked with yours, his thumbs caressing your cheeks fondly before he dipped his head to capture your lips in a loving kiss. You let out a sweet sigh as you melt at the feeling of his soft lips on yours, mind and heart at ease at familiar warmth. The gesture wasn't fully caught on camera though given that you were turned at the opposite direction.
"I love you," you hummed against his lips.
Tom chuckled sweetly, giving you a few more pecks on the lips before pulling away completely, staring right into your eyes as he whispered, "And I love you."
With that he went back to his seat again, flashing you one of his many charming grins before he turned to the group behind the camera.
"You lot are onto something I can tell," Tom said as he raised a brow at the lads who suspiciously grew quiet, looking everywhere in the room but at you two.
Not thinking much of it, you swiftly took another card and read the question. "What would you do if you suddenly get a call that I was gone?" you trailed off at the end of your sentence, brows knitting together as you turned to the group behind the camera. "Guys, this is a cruel question."
"Oh," Tom faltered, smile slowly slipping away from his face as he casted his eyes at his drink.
"Tom, you don't have to answer it," you called out softly, frown deep on your lips as you reached over to take both his hands in yours. But it was already too late when he squeezed your hand tightly, lifting his head back up to meet your gaze and you felt your heart ache. That's when you saw that his mind was already there, brown orbs glossed up as he let out a shaky breath.
"I'd literally shut down," he croaked. "I-I don't know what'd I do if that happens. I just can't imagine my life without you. I—" he stopped, head dropping as his voice broke.
"Oh Tom, come here," you cooed as you immediately got out of your seat and rounded the table, turning him around and away from shot for a bit of privacy. You squatted in between his legs that were spread apart to be much closer to him, gently cupping his face with both your hands so that you were now within eye level. "Hey, look at me," you whispered when you were met by eyes that were screwed shut.
With a deep intake of breath, Tom willed his eyes to open. He looked at you with a small smile playing on his lips, heart steadying at the sight of your beautiful orbs boring into his own. He leaned forward to close the distance between you two, just so he could feel your lips on his. Tom badly needed to. A soft satisfied sigh erupted out your chest as your hand took home on his warm cheek.
"I'm still here bubba. I'm not going anywhere," you hummed against his lips before giving him warm kisses all over his face that made him stifle out a small laugh. You pulled away a little with a loving smile, wiping away the few tears that sat on his skin with your thumb, your touch gentle and warm.
"I love you so much, you know that?" Tom whispered as he looked at you fondly, nudging the tip of his nose with yours in a wholesome manner.
"I love you too, you sweet, soft boy," you giggled, placing a sweet peck on his lips before pulling him in for a hug. You lifted your head up to shoot each of the boys a sharp glare, the three cowering away in their seats as they each said their soft apologies.
Pulling away with a smile, you cupped Tom's face with a hum, "Better?"
"Loads," Tom sighed with a sweet smile, leaning in for one last peck before he lets you go back to your seat. "You purposely put that in there to make me cry didn't you?" Tom spoke, narrowing his eyes at boys who only shrugged in feign innocence. "You lot are evil I tell you."
"Now let's get back on a lighter note!" you exclaimed, pushing the cards towards Tom since it was his turn to ask.
Tom pursed his lips as his brows furrowed at the question. "If you could sleep with any person in the world, who would it be?" he wondered, eyes locking with yours in warning. "Now, careful with your answer, love," he hummed.
"Is that a threat Holland?" you challenged with a raise of your brow.
"I'm just saying, I may already know or will meet this person in the futur—"
"Chris Hemsworth," you blurted, Tom's mouth falling open as he gawked at you in shock. "I'm kidding," you rushed with a hearty laugh.
"Are you though?" Tom doubted, squinting at you suspiciously.
You bit your bottom lip as you held his gaze, Tom letting out a loud gasp when you suddenly took a drink all while maintaining eye contact with him.
"I'm going to have a word with you later missy," he grumbled, voice suddenly an octave deeper, somewhat a soft growl, one that you felt down to your core.
You shifted in your seat with a clear of your throat, shooting him an innocent smile as you said, "To be fair, you did say—publicly may I add—that you'd sleep with Hemsworth too when you did fuck, marry and kill with the three Chrises so, roll the clip!"
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Tom shook his head at you with a playful roll of his eyes. "Touché," he sighed, brows furrowed in confusion when you suddenly covered your mouth.
"Oops, I just realized I said the F-word, sorry Harry," you said meekly, a certain smile on your lips which guaranteed that you were now dancing onto drunken territory. Tom knows you like the back of his hand, if the way you were smiling wasn't enough then, the simple look in your eyes would let him know that the alcohol has fully hit you this time.
"It's alright. One bleep word is nothing compared to last week's video. And it's not like this video has been clean anyway," the young twin chuckled.
"So, Fuck Hemsworth, who are you marrying and who are you killing?" Tuwaine asked.
"Marry Evans, Kill Pratt," you answered promptly.
Tom leaned back on his seat as he crossed his arms over his chest, running his tongue over his teeth slowly all while staring you down. "That's a quick answer Y/N," he hummed, shooting you a teasing glare.
"Oh please, yours was quick too, Thomas," you retorted, crossing your arms over your chest as you mirrored him, never backing down from his stare even though it was making you feel certain things.
"Wait, if you're marrying Evans and killing Pratt, and I'm marrying Pratt and killing Evans, does that mean we're set out to kill each other's husband?" Tom started as he leaned forward and towards the table.
"So, if you were successful in killing Evans, and I was successful in killing Pratt, that means we're both widowed," you continued, laying your hands now flat on the marble surface.
"Meaning there's still a chance that we will still end up together. Meant to be if you ask me," Tom concluded, lifting up a hand.
You moved forward to give him a high-five, missing his hand by a lot which made you let out a loud, hearty laugh, Tom following suit with laughs of his own.
"What are you two on?" Harrison said with a crinkle of his nose.
"Alcohol," you and Tom answered at the same time. Both of your mouths turned into the shape of O's as you looked at each other properly delighted.
"Jinx!" both of you exclaimed in unison. "Jinx again!"
"Our mental synchronization; can have but one explanation," you and Tom sang in harmony, never breaking your gaze as you both smiled proudly.
"You—"
"And I—"
"Were—"
"Just—"
"Meant to be!" You two ended with fits of laughter, raising your hands to go for another high five. You missed Tom's hand again which only made you wheeze, tears of joy brimming in yours and his eyes as you tried for the second time, both of you cheering loudly when it finally landed.
"Cringe, really made for each other," Harry gagged teasingly with a grimace to match.
And then Harrison intervened. "How about fuck, marry, kill, Tom Hiddleston, Tom Felton and," he paused, grin turning wider like a Cheshire cat as he wiggled his eyebrows at you. "Tom Holland?"
"That's not part of the game," you protested with a pout.
"Answer the question, darling," Tom encouraged, looking at you expectantly.
"I'm taking a shot," you muttered, going for your drink but before you could even do so, Tom had already taken it far away from your reach. "Hey!" you whined.
Tom chuckled softly as he shook his head no. "You said it's not part of the game so no, you have to answer," he said. "And that's enough alcohol for you, my love," he cooed, tilting his head at you knowingly with a sweet smile. If Tom will let you continue with the drinking then you'll surely be complaining nonstop about the throbbing headache you'll get and the constant nausea after all this.
You sat back on your chair with your bottom lip jutted out, arms crossed over your chest to match, much like a child as you started to think about your answer. Although the process took way longer than you'd expect it to be and the boys were quick to notice.
"Uh oh, she's having a hard time," Harry teased when a few long seconds has gone by and you still haven't given an answer.
"I don't know how I feel about the hesitation here," Tom admitted as he looked at you curiously, brows furrowing with a chuckle when you were still deep in thought after a few seconds more.
"She genuinely is having a hard time," Tuwaine laughed.
"This is so unfair," you grumbled dejectedly as you looked at your man with a sweet, adorable pout, silently asking for help.
"What'd you do with me first to make things easier," Tom offered with a chuckle.
As if there was a hidden message to his words—there wasn't—your face suddenly lit up, slapping your palms on the table excitedly as you sat straighter. "You know what, kill the other two and I'll fuck and marry you," you declared heartily, eyes locked securely with Tom's with the proudest grin playing on your lips.
Tom's heart did somersaults at the mere fact of you wanting to marry him, grin wide and bright as he stared into your orbs, utmost love glowing in yours that was wholesomely mirrored by his brown ones.
It wasn't long until Tom felt his blood rush down though, heat dancing on his skin as his brain got occupied with the thought of you fucking him too. Certain memories flooded his mind, one after the other that it was getting harder for him to stay calm in his seat.
You are honestly giving him a whiplash with how you make him feel one emotion to another in a span of seconds, though Tom wasn't at all complaining.
"That's not how the game works!" Harrison exclaimed.
"I'm pretty happy with that answer," Tom shrugged with a wide, cocky grin, eyes never leaving yours as he raised a brow at you suggestively. You held his gaze with a tilt of your head, bottom lip caught between your teeth to try and stop your smile from growing.
The interaction didn't go unnoticed by Harry though. "Okay, stop eye-fucking each other you horny teenagers," the younger brother complained.
Tom laughed at that, shifting in his seat as he turned towards the camera. "On that note, we're ending the video there. This has been Tom Holland," he paused, giving you a nod as a cue.
"And Mrs. Holland," you blurted at the camera with a smile, eyes widening once you realised the choice of words you've just used. "Oh wait! No! Fuc—I don't mean no as in 'no,' I meant not yet," you fumbled. "We're not even engaged yet! Don't start with the headlines you." You pointed at the camera in warning.
He shook his head with a chuckle, red tinting his cheeks but pure admiration glowed in his eyes. "You own my fucking heart, you know that? You make me melt all the damn time," Tom gushed through gritted teeth, and it was taking a whole lot of his self-control to not jump over the table and just kiss you senseless. You felt your heart grow at his words but you could only bury your face in your hands with a groan of pure embarrassment. "She's drunk, my apologies," Tom added with a laugh as he turned towards the camera.
"Tipsy, there's a difference," you corrected as you shot him a glare.
Tom chuckled, smiling at you widely before turning back to the lens. "Anyway, see you on the next one and peace!" he finished with the sign and then a salute, Harry throwing out an upturned thumb to signal cut.
Once he saw that the camera was off, Tom was out of his seat in record speed, moving over to your now standing form as he swiftly wrapped both his arms around your waist and crashed his lips onto yours with a low groan. His arms tightened around you as he relished the feeling of finally having you so close.
You giggled against the kiss, resting your arms over his shoulders as you leaned back on the table to keep your balance, your bum half-rested on the marble while your foot stayed steady on the floor, legs apart so that Tom can situate himself between them easily.
"So, fuck and marry me huh?" Tom hummed deeply against your mouth, playfully nibbling at your bottom lip before pulling away so he can see your gorgeous face fully.
"Out of all the things I've said, that's what stuck with you?" you giggled with a shake of your head.
"I mean, you fucking me will never fail to sound very hot, reminds me of the few times you did." Tom wriggled his brows at you suggestively, hands giving your waist as teasing squeeze. "Though I don't know which one's hotter, that or you marrying me," he said with the proudest smirk.
"Will you two take this somewhere else?" Harry complained, always the last one to be left in the room given that he's mostly in-charge with taking care of the camera. Harrison and Tuwaine were already gone, continuing whatever they had to do that day.
"Don't think that would make a difference though," Tom chuckled smugly, looking back at you with a knowing grin.
"Which reminds me how we need to sound proof the fucking walls you nasty rabbits."
"I was kidding. We're not that loud fuck off," Tom remarked, rolling his eyes at his brother.
And to prove how wrong Tom's point was, Harrison suddenly started moaning so piercingly right in the next room, his voice a bit muffled but you can still hear him, loud and obnoxious.
"Fuck! Love! Fuck yes! Just like that, darling! Shit baby I'm gonna—"
"Fuck off Harrison you fucking twat!" Tom yelled at the top of his lungs, the blonde lad's boisterous and annoying laugh echoing soon after.
Tom turned crimson red as the embarrassment coated him from head to toe, head dropping for him to hide his face on the crook of your neck with a groan. You let out a soft giggle, hand landing on the back of his head as you ran your fingers through his hair comfortingly. Your face was warm as you were embarrassed just the same, although there was more of a sense of pride on your behalf because yes, Tom does get a bit loud sometimes, all courtesy to you.
It wasn't always of course, both of you aren't evil enough to torture the lads that much. Aside from the fact that Tom is rarely even home—meaning you don't do the deed that much in this house—the two of you had made a pact to make sure that you're completely alone before properly going at it. Admittedly, it does get a bit hard to keep the noise down sometimes, so the boys have to endure it every now and then. They do get back at you guys soon after as they are quick to be little shits with the teasing and dirty jokes, much like now.
"Maybe we do need to soundproof our walls," you teased once your man pulled away to look at you with a soft sigh, hands running up and down your waist sweetly.
"Or we could finally look for our own place to move in?" Tom proposed with a charming smile, your heart melting at the sight and skipping a beat at his words.
Granted, you've been with Tom for a fair three and a half years already, but neither of you had gone to take that step of actually living fully on your own where it's just no one but him and you in your own home. You've been living in this house for roughly the same time—maybe a year or two less—and you've got no problem living with the lads, you consider them as your brothers now. But you won't deny that having a place exclusively for you and Tom only would be pure bliss.
Of course you've talked about getting your own place and neither of you were opposed to it. It all just came down to Tom being constantly busy and barely even home. You'd rather live with the boys for the mean time than sulk all alone in a house while slowly being buried in the emotions of missing your boyfriend.
Tom also wanted to be there for the most of it—choosing and buying furniture, decorating a thing or two, moving, the likes—but with his schedule, it was hard to find the perfect time.
But now he's promised you that he'd slow down for a bit.
He genuinely hasn't done anything but work nonstop. It was just projects upon projects with only so little breaks in between, a month if he's lucky. Tom is one hardworking man, that's one of the many things you love about him, but he sometimes doesn't realize when he's pushing himself too far.
That's when you step in.
You'd encouraged him to take a breather, even if it's just for half a year or so but you never did pester him about it constantly as you weren't one to take him away from doing what he loves. Unless it gets way out of hand, then that's when you'll be putting your foot down. You know he'll do it whenever he's ready to slow down and now with most of his projects wrapped, he's finally decided that it was the right time to take that much needed break.
"I love the sound of that," you giggled, treading your fingers through his hair before tracing it down his chiseled jaw. "Not as much as I love the sound of you moaning though," you hummed teasingly.
"Well then, let's find our own place so you can hear me moan all for you and as loud as you want, darling," Tom purred lowly, his bottom lip caught between his teeth as his darkened orbs bored into yours, his hands sliding down to rest on the swell of your bum. He fondled the flesh hotly as he started to lean closer to capture your lips. But before Tom could even do so a loud voice made you both jump away from each other.
"For fuck's sake guys! I'm still fucking here!" Harry yelled, throwing both his hands in the air in downright annoyance and disgust as he screwed his eyes shut. "Go to your fucking room for the love of my sanity!"
You didn't even get a chance to apologise to the young lad as Tom swiftly grabbed your hand and rushed to your shared bedroom.
Nothing happened though apart from a couple minutes of making out, Tom deciding not to take it further given that you were all tipsy and intoxicated. Him deciding since you were persistent on saying you were fine even though you were giggling nonstop, easily tickled no matter how feather-like his kisses were. Not to mention how you could barely even keep your eyes open. So, both of you ended up taking a warm bath and then a nap right after that, instead.
Although the minute you sobered up, Tom made sure you weren't at all quiet this time around. It was due to the pent up tension that's been building since that somewhat steamy Q&A. And maybe, just maybe to get back at the boys a teeny bit for being little shits with both the teasing jokes and the dirty questions.
The two of you went out of your bedroom only at dinner time, stepping foot in the dining area where Harry, Tuwaine and Harrison were all situated. You felt the embarrassment coat every inch of your body when you took sight of the boys, more specifically, their expressions. Tom, on the other hand, had the cockiest smirk playing on his lips as he held his head high, tauntingly chuckling at his mates.
The three lads were sitting around the table with nothing but grimaces and downright disgust on their faces as they all grumbled in unison,
"Rabbits."
-:-:-:-:-
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bubble-tea-bunny · 3 years
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sweet talk
[tamaki suoh x reader]
author’s note: been rewatching ouran and found the time to write smth small. basically a really late valentine’s fic lol. i’m drafting an idea for takashi as well atm. maybe kyoya after? ;)
word count: 1,844
At this time of year, the weather is chilly, the air cold even without the presence of wind and warranting the need for a scarf to avoid a red-tipped nose and numb cheeks. Most days are gloomy, the overcast sky glaringly bright and difficult to look at. But today, it would seem the divine hand in charge of the course of the seasons has granted a reprieve, the clouds parting so the sun might wash over the grass that you and Tamaki sit upon currently, in the garden of the Suoh estate.  
The gardeners had finished their tasks this morning, as instructed by Tamaki the night before. It gave you two the opportunity to be out there alone in the afternoon. The hedges are trimmed and tidy, and the smell of freshly cut grass is strong. You inhale deeply, chest puffed, and sigh in satisfaction as the scent reaches your nose. It had been so long since you sat out in a garden, owed to the fact it had been too cold for that lately.
Tamaki chuckles at your enthusiasm and rifles through the picnic basket he’d brought with him. He pushes aside the array of deserts—cake slices, chocolate bars, fruit tarts, and more—their colorful wrappings crinkling loud enough to grab your attention.
“Where is it…” he mutters.
You tilt your head. "Where is what?”
The tip of Tamaki’s tongue sticks out the corner of his mouth, evidence of his concentration, and when he finally finds what he’s searching for, he holds it up like a first place prize, complemented by an exclamation: “Aha!”
It’s a small plastic pouch, clear with red stripes and tied near the top with a matching, shiny red poly ribbon to keep it closed. There’s what you assume to be candy inside, in various colors, but you don’t recognize it. You’re still just as clueless, but you don’t need to voice your question because Tamaki can see the confusion written across your face.
“It’s commoner candy!” he explains. “Well, commoner Valentine’s candy, more specifically.”
You continue to watch, intrigued by what he’s brought, as he pulls at the ribbon to loosen it and opens the pouch, reaching inside for one of the pieces of candy. He holds up the heart-shaped treat, gripped carefully between index finger and thumb, and angles it so you can see what’s written on it: Sweetheart.
Upon realizing there’s wording on it, and that the same must go for every heart in the bag, your eyes light up. “Cute!”
“It is, isn’t it?” Tamaki agrees, voice quiet as he observes the candy. The nickname is printed red though the lettering isn’t too sharp, which gives away that it was done by a machine. “Haruhi got one for all the host club members, and I wanted to share mine with you.”
When he turns to you, amethyst eyes warm like a summer night, you smile. And when he offers the bag of heart candies to you, you eagerly reach in for one. “How thoughtful!” You turn over the piece you picked out: Only You.
“Well, shall we try them together?” Tamaki inquires, and you nod. The two of you pop the candy into your mouths in unison, then sit silently for a moment in contemplation.
It’s… unique, is the best description you can come up with. The powdery, pressed substance is basically a sugar bomb that melts once it comes in contact with your tongue. But it isn’t the quality of sugar you’re accustomed to—it’s far and away from the refined sweetness of the handmade confections stashed away in the picnic basket Tamaki brought along. Still, this mass-produced goody is delightful in its own way, in taste and novelty, for you have never seen such small candies with words on them, and you say as much to your boyfriend, the last traces of the heart candy lingering on your lips which you lick away.
“They’re charming,” you remark, reaching for another piece. “For when you can’t find the words or get them out yourself.” You read what’s written on the yellow heart you grabbed, then turn it to show Tamaki: Be Mine.
Tamaki’s attention briefly diverts down to read it as well, and the corner of his lips lifts in a lopsided grin as he meets your eyes again. “Sure, they can be useful for some people, but I can get by just fine without candy telling me what to say. How could I call myself the king of the host club if I weren’t able to string together pretty words?” Always conducting himself with some semblance of dramatic flare, he puts a hand to his chest, and the sunlight reflects off his eyes in a way that makes it seem like there’s a tear or two forming in the corners.
As usual, his acting is impeccable, and you can’t contain your smile; he’s such a natural. You have no objections to his claim as king of the school’s host club, and if you’re being honest, you wish you had even half the charisma he does, that some of the skill he possesses at waxing lyrical would rub off onto you via proximity alone.
“They would’ve come in handy for me that day I confessed to you,” you admit shyly, and it’s Tamaki’s turn to tilt his head, confused but waiting for you to expound. “These candies say all the things I wanted to say to you then.”
The day you came to terms with your feelings about Tamaki and the day you actually revealed them to him were different, and the time in between had been spent in a state of conflict over whether it was worth mustering up the courage to approach him about it. There was little doubt in your mind that the president of the host club received declarations of love left and right, a routine part of his week, a clockwork consistency like that of waking in the morning and laying down to sleep in the evening. You’re a drop of water in the ocean; what could possibly make you stand out?
For all that, you figured you should confess anyway. Rejection was still an answer and it was better than nothing. At least after the gentle let down (because truly, Tamaki is, without fail, graceful in matters of love, both the reciprocal and the unrequited) your turmoil over what he may say would finally be put at ease.
Though you rehearsed over and over what you would say and how you would say it, the practice ends up being useless, and you weren’t sure why you even bothered. Once you met his kind gaze—expectant and patient, giving you the opportunity to gather the words in the stretching silence that would be oddly too long in any other context—the resolve you had slowly been building on your walk to the meeting point by the fountain crumbled. You tripped over your words at the sight of his tender smile. Tamaki just had that effect on people, and you wished he’d look at you that way always. To be on the receiving end of his affection was to bask in the warmth of a sun that never sets.
It’s a feeling you’re distinctly reminded of now, sitting in the garden on an uncharacteristically sunny day for winter and the center of Tamaki’s attention, and you think you might be set alight from the sheer intensity (due mostly to Tamaki; the sun is poor competition in contrast). He wears that beautifully soft expression, mind clearly having thought back to your confession as yours just had. But it seems his recollection differs slightly, for he presents a counterpoint.
“I thought you handled it perfectly.” He sets the bag of heart candies on the grass and braces himself with his now freed hand, which allows him to lean closer to you. He enters your bubble but you never mind it, and his touch is feather-light as he brushes your hair behind your ear.
You’re unpersuaded, however, and raise a brow. “Really?”
Tamaki chuckles and nods, blonde hair bouncing with the singular motion. “Your eyes spoke for the words you had trouble finding. I might be the one stringing together pretty poetry like diamonds around your neck”—his fingers slide lower to trace the curve of your collarbone left exposed by the cut of your blouse, and you shiver—“but you have no need for words at all, much less the turns of phrases on pieces of candy.”
“Is that why you liked me too?” you ask, remembering his own confession that had followed closely on the heel of yours. You keep your voice hushed because given how close to each other you are, there’s no need for any higher of a volume.
Tamaki hums in confirmation. His index finger delicately taps once, twice, thrice, on the hollow at the base of your throat, a sort of absentminded movement while absorbed in his thoughts, before he once more brings his hand up, cradling your cheek. “You say you’re a drop in the ocean but you’re the drops of morning dew on the roses just outside my bedroom window. My heart flutters to breathe you in.”  
You smile, bashful, and set your hand over his, interlacing your fingers. Your cheeks have darkened in a blush Tamaki would like to kiss. “Okay, I’m convinced,” you concede with a murmur. He’s so close to you now. “When I admitted how I felt, maybe it didn’t go as badly as I thought.”
This elicits another laugh from Tamaki. Instead of acting on his desire to run his lips along your silken skin (there would be time for that later), he settles for a quick peck on your nose, then reaches into the pouch of heart candies, temporarily abandoned but not forgotten. His fingers curl around two pieces and he pulls them both out rather than dropping one, but he sees the words on them before you do since his hand obscures them from your view.
“The powers governing destiny have destined our souls for each other,” he declares. “Because you and me, it’s love.”
He uncurls his fingers to reveal the candy in his palm, and you look down at them. The green one reads You & Me, and the blue one It’s Love. This prompts you to giggle. It’s music to his ears.
“What happened to not needing candy to tell you what to say?” Your tone is playful.
Tamaki shrugs, unable to hide his amused grin. “I pulled them out at random. If this is the universe speaking to me, who would I be to argue?”
You have no counter to this, not that you think there even is one. Destiny is destiny and as Tamaki feeds you one of the hearts and you bite into it, the sugar once more dissolving on your tongue, you can only thank those powers which make the world turn for conferring their blessing upon the two of you in such a deliciously sweet way.
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elvish-sky · 3 years
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How Gandalf and Pippin Put Aside Their Differences for the Greater Good {Faramir x Reader}
A.N: OK GUYS- i literally tied my hand to my sister’s to figure out some of the logistics of movement for this. She thinks I’m crazy now. But I loved this request! I’m currently catching up on requests and also dealing with some personal issues, and I haven’t been happy with anything I’ve written in a really long time, but I’m really happy with this! It would mean so much to me if you guys liked it too, I put so much work into this and I’m so proud of it!
also- a thousand thank you’s to @gossip-girl-of-middle-earth for giving me an idea for this fic. i appreciate you letting me use it so so much. thank you.
Requested by @raineeace on Tumblr: Your recent request you wrote was beyond cute! You’re an amazing writer, so catch me reading the rest of your LOTR content !! I also wanted to request something as well! Can you do a Faramir x Fem!Reader and Gandalf and/or Pippin try to get them together? I loved the how you wrote Aragorn as cupid, and I wanted to ask if you could make these two matchmakers as well? Lots of fluff please and I can’t wait to see what you come up with! :)
Word Count: 2,334
Pairing: Faramir x Reader
Summary: You and Faramir have been mooning over each other for months, but nothing has come of Pippin’s efforts to get you together. What happens when Pippin enlists the help of a certain wizard?
Warnings: Fluff, Humor
****
How Gandalf and Pippin Put Aside Their Differences for the Greater Good {Faramir x Reader}
Pippin leaned over the banister, watching you and Faramir walk together below. You smiled at something the man said, then nodding your head goodbye and walking away. The hobbit watched as Faramir stood there, watching you go, looking oddly lonely.
Pippin had been watching/trying to get you and Faramir together for a while now. He had first noticed the chemistry and romantic tension between you when everyone was gathered waiting for Frodo to heal, and decided to do something about it. Now, months later, nothing had happened. Pippin thought that at this point neither of you was ever going to confess your very obvious feelings for the other.
At least, not without some extra help.
“Come on, Gandalf, please?”
The wizard shook his head, “I cannot believe you are still going on about this.”
“They need the help,” Pippin told him, “Plus, getting them to admit their feelings to each other would help them, and ease your exasperation with the two of them for walking in circles around each other!”
The wizard shook his head. “I’m not going to help you with this!”
“It’s for the greater good! Can you really stand to see the two of them mooning over each other all the time?”
“That’s true. It’s getting ridiculous,” Gandalf sighed, “Fine. I’ll help. Where do we start?”
Back in your room, you lifted your head from your desk as a loud, hobbitish whoop rand through the air. You chalked it up to Pippin hitting another elf, probably Legolas, with an apple, and returned to your work. You hoped that it wasn’t Legolas that Pippin had hit, because the last time that happened Legolas had promptly eaten the apple, and Pippin had bemoaned the loss of his snack for weeks.
That night, you left your room, closing the door behind you and setting off down the hallway. You’d barely made it fifteen feet when another door opened right in front of you and Faramir came rushing out, crashing into you.
“Y/N!” he exclaimed. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you there, I feel terrible!”
“It’s okay!”
You shuffled your feet, nervous to be so close to the person you’d been in love with for months.
It was also weird how close your rooms were- Aragorn had given everyone from the Fellowship and friends special quarters after his coronation. You could understand why the hobbits’ rooms were so close together, but wondered why Aragorn had placed you and Faramir almost directly across from each other. Probably because the two of you worked together the closest on negotiations with the other kingdoms.
Eventually, Faramir broke the silence with an awkward laugh.
“So, late to dinner?”
You smiled, glad he’d spoken first.
“Yeah. I got so focused on drafting that new trade agreement with the Iron Hills that I didn’t realize how low the sun was.”
He nodded. “I completely understand, I’ve done that far too many times, working on something like that or staying outside the city for far too long.”
Laughing, you looped your arm through his. “We should get to dinner before Aragorn yells at us.”
You entered the hall together, pushing open the doors to see your friends all seated around the high table. Dinners with the group had started when everyone was waiting for Frodo to heal and wake up and had just continued on, everyone reluctant to give up the time spent together.
Letting go of Faramir’s arm, you took your usual seat between him and his brother.
“What prompted you two to arrive together?” Boromir winked at you as he whispered.
“Huh? Oh, we just bumped into each other in the hall.”
“Sure, sure,” he smirked as he spoke.
“Pass the potatoes, please, Boromir.” You were determined to change the subject, and, happily, it seemed to have worked.
What you didn’t notice was Gandalf staring intently at you and Faramir, muttering something under his breath as Pippin watched gleefully.
You yawned, pushing your empty plate away with a groan.
“I’m stuffed. And tired. I think I’ll head to my rooms.”
Everyone said goodbye, and you pushed back your chair and went to stand.
But you couldn’t.
There were handcuffs on, one on your wrist, and the other on Faramir’s. And they hadn’t been there a moment ago.
“Who handcuffed us?” You were bewildered.
“Gandalf…” Faramir glared at the wizard.
Gandalf glanced behind himself, and, seeing no one, turned back around with an innocent expression.
“What could I have done to make this happen?” He gestured to your hands, still handcuffed together.
Faramir said, “I don’t know, but it had to have been you!”
“Ask yourself this, Faramir. What motivation could I have possibly had? I think one you probably just ran astray of something else?”
You sucked in a deep breath.
“Okay, then, how do we make it stop?”
“Only time will tell,” the wizard nodded sagely.
“What are we supposed to do until then?” You exclaimed.
“Just stay together? Do everything together?” Pippin looked all too pleased by this.
“Fine. C’mon Faramir.”
The man rose, and together you marched out of the hall, handcuffs clanking, never moving further than five inches apart.
Once in the hallway, you turned to Faramir, panicked.
“What do we do? We’re stuck five inches, or less, apart from each other for Eru knows how long, we both have important duties.”
“And there’s going to the bathroom, and sleeping, and eating..” he was just as freaked out as you.
You turned to each other.
“What are we going to do?!”
“Y/N, Faramir, chill.”
You tried to turn, but the clanking and tug on your wrist stopped you as you spun the wrong way, twisting yourself with Faramir.
“Ok, no wait,” he backed up, accidentally taking you with him.
“Here, go this way, move your hand left.”
“No, no, my left, my left.”
“Spin this way?”
“You go under, I go over?”
“Aha! Yes, that worked!” You high-fived each other clunkily, and turned, making sure to bring your arms over your heads so that your hands fell back again.
“Oh, Pippin! What were you saying?”
Pippin smiled at Faramir. “I can help.”
“Would you mind telling us how?”
“You just have to accept it!”
“WHAT?” You screamed in unison.
Back in the hall, Aragorn winced at the echo of the yell.
“Are you sure this was a good idea?” He questioned the wizard.
“Of course not,” Gandalf replied, “but it was not mine. It was all Pippin, and if anything goes wrong that’s who we’ll blame.”
Legolas chuckled. “Alright then. We’ll leave it all on Pippin.”
Boromir raised a mug of ale. “TO-”
He was cut off by a resounding shush, and, chastened, began again.
“To Y/N and Faramir”
Everyone echoed the sentiment, quietly, and clinked their mugs.
Back in the hallway, you and Faramir were glaring at Pippin.
“You want us to just live like this?”
“Yes! You’ll be fine, maybe it’ll wear off soon, and maybe you’ll learn something.”
“Ughhhhhh,” you stormed away, dragging Faramir behind you.
Approaching your door, you were suddenly stopped when Faramir halted behind you.
“What?”
He shuffled his feet. “Whose room are we staying in?”
You considered. “Which one is bigger? We’ll need all the maneuvering space we can get.”
You walked together over to your doorway, poking your heads inside before moving back to his.
“Yours.”
“Mine?” He asked.
“Yeah. You have more space and a bigger bed. Let’s just go back to my room so that I can grab a few things if I’ll be staying with you indefinitely.”
“How are we going to do this?”
You stared at Faramir’s bed.
“I have absolutely no idea.”
You hadn’t thought this situation could get any more awkward, but there it was. The crown jewel of awkwardness, coming out to torment you. It had been bad enough attempting to change into your nightclothes, which you’d managed by turning your backs to each other to put them on, and only wearing one sleeve. But this was worse.
You decided to just go for it, and climbed into the bed, sliding under the sheets. Your movement pulled the handcuffs so that Faramir went with you, and you ended up on one side of the bed, him on the other, hands cuffed together in the center.
“This is not very comfortable,” Faramir observed.
That was true. You were lying flat on your back when you always slept on your side, and you were literally handcuffed to another person. Unable to stand the absurdity of it all, you broke out into laughter.
Faramir joined in, and you laughed together until you had tears in your eyes. His smile was so bright in the dimly lit room, and you could listen to his laugh for a thousand years without getting sick of it.
When the laughter subsided, you decided nothing could be more uncomfortable than the position your body was currently stuck in.
“Do you usually sleep on your side?”
Faramir nodded, looking a little confused.
“Ok. I’m going to try something, it’s going to be really awkward, but we might actually be able to sleep.”
“I trust you, Y/N. Whatever you’re going to do will be fine.”
You smiled at him, internally still freaking out that you were sharing a bed with Faramir. But there was no time to panic, your shoulder was killing you.
Taking a deep breath, you flipped so that the handcuffed arm was now underneath you, chain stretching up to where Faramir’s arm hovered.
“Would you be alright with putting your arm over my waist?” You wanted to make sure he was comfortable with all this.
Craning your neck, you saw a faint blush creeping up his face in the dusky light.
“Only if it’s ok with you,” he seemed nervous.
You were too, but you nodded and felt him slowly settle his arm around your waist.
Once it was there, his hand gently hanging near your stomach, you both relaxed, letting out sighs as the tension left your bodies simultaneously.
And then you giggled. Again, because this was just too ridiculous.
He laughed too. “You alright?”
You nodded, the movement of your head bumping into his chest as he sucked in a breath.
“I’m good.”
It took a while for each of you to fall asleep, brains spinning with thoughts of the person next to you. But eventually, you did.
It was the best you had slept in years.
The next day, the two of you began to figure out how to go around with your hands stuck together. You ate by spooning the food into each other’s mouths one at a time, which you were pretty sure Boromir was sketching to memorialize forever.
You blinked your eyes open the next day to sunlight streaming through the windows, and soft breathing behind you. Carefully, you turned around so that your hands now rested between your bodies.
Faramir’s face was glowing with the light of the morning sun, hair spread on the pillow. You’d never seen him so peaceful, and he looked gorgeous like some Vala come across the world to Gondor.
Unable to resist the impulse, you leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek.
You quickly moved back, only to notice that the weight on your hand was gone.
You looked down.
The handcuffs were gone.
“Faramir! Faramir!” You shook him awake.
“What, Y/N?” He asked groggily.
His morning voice was perfection itself, and you had to bring yourself back to reality.
“The handcuffs are gone. Look!”
He shot up at this, looking down at his now-free hand.
“Wow! We should probably go let Gandalf know.”
You nodded. “Meet you in the hall in ten minutes?”
He gave you a thumbs up, and the last thing you saw as you closed the door was Faramir marveling at his now-free wrist.
Later, in the room that Gandalf had claimed as his office right next to the large hall where you usually ate, you sat together.
The wizard inquired, “What exactly happened?”
“The handcuffs were gone when I woke up,” Faramir told him.
“That shouldn’t have just happened. They were supposed to disappear when a physical manifestation of your affection for each other happened.”
“You did this?” You were outraged.
“Yes, Y/N, I did.”
Sensing that you were about to interrupt in outrage again, he added on.
“It should have been a physical manifestation of affection that was not circumstantial because of the handcuffs.”
You sighed, knowing what it was.
Faramir turned to you. “Do you know what it could have been?”
You stared straight at the floor.
“I… kissed your cheek when I woke up this morning.”
He blinked at you, shocked. Gandalf discreetly slipped out the door.
“You just looked so handsome in the sunlight with your hair glowing and I couldn’t resist and I’m so sorry and I’ll leave Gondor right now and never come back and what you must think of me no-”
“Y/N.”
You stopped rambling, looking at Faramir. He leaned closer to you, and in the depths of his eyes, you saw nothing but love. He paused for a moment, head tilted as if asking for your permission.
You nodded your head.
Faramir moved closer, tilting your chin up so that his lips met yours, kissing you oh-so-gently. Then somehow you were standing, lips still touching his as he surged closer and kissed you harder, like all the passion and feeling in the world was just pouring out of him and into you.
Finally, you broke apart, smiles on both your faces.
“I think I love you.,” you said, then clapped a hand over your mouth.
Faramir smirked. “It’s okay, Y/N.”
He pressed his forehead to yours. “I love you too.”
You gazed at each other for a few moments, before you grabbed his hand.
“Now, let’s go kill a wizard.”
Opening the doors to the hallway, you saw said wizard suddenly disappear.
You corrected yourself.
“Let’s go kill that wizard once he returns from wherever he’s hidden himself.”
Faramir laughed. “Let’s kill Gandalf later. For now, would you like to go for a walk?”
You smiled at him, looping your arm through his and pressing a kiss to his lips.
“Lead on, my love.”
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smallfrenchstudyblr · 3 years
Text
On PhD research questions and the agony of, you know, finding one.
So recently I got two pretty similar questions, and realized I had this way-too-long post in my drafts on the topic, that I had never published because I didn’t feel particuarly qualified to give any definitive answer on anything PhD-related. I still absolutely do not feel qualified, tbf, so this is more me sharing the lessons learnt from my experience, and the experience of friends who went through the same process of finding the right research question. 
TL;DR : If I sum up all the (good) advice I have been given as a PhD student regarding what a good research question for a PhD project is, I end with this checklist :
It is new : we do not have the answer yet, although nearby questions may have been adressed.
It is important : or in the sweet, sweet words of a Professor of mine : “your research being interesting does not give it a point” (ouch). In kinder words : it must matter to you, but also to others ! (maybe less if you are self-funding...? Unsure)
It is doable : consider the logistics, the time frame, the money required. All questions matter, not all can be answered by you, right now.
It advances your field : even as a small increment. Maybe it’s a new idea, maybe it’s a new approach, maybe it’s a new case, maybe it’s a new factor, maybe it’s a new voice. But it is new.
It captured your attention won’t. let. it. go. you can see yourself working on it for a fairly long time. IT must matter to you, not necessarily one a personal level (a thesis is not your whole life!), but at least on an intellectual one.
(Way longer explanation and reflections under the cut!)
I really encourage anyone who would like to add their own points, their own perspective, their own experience, if you see that something has not been covered (which is definitely the case, since I draw from a limited experience here). 
1. First, how long will be your PhD ? Depending on the field and University/program, they can range from 3 to 7 years. You want to do something which will be tractable in the time you are alloted. 
2. Second, a PhD is... surprisingly underwhelming regarding the size of the contribution we are likely to make ?? Most of the time, we do not revolutionize the field or present a groundbreaking theory which will change the entire understanding of the discipline (disappointing, I know...). I think as undergrad and grad/master’s students, we are often misguided in what we consider “good/important research”, because what we have read so far, academically, has been the Important Stuff. The big names, the paradygme-shifting publications, the stuff that That One Researcher in your discipline worked on, that Changed Things. But that is the work of a whole life. That One Researcher probably published this work at 40 yo, with research assistants, after a life of letting it mature through successive works. But that is not what academic research is, in general. If there is one thing that both Kuhn and Popper agree on, it is that science moves in slow, slow increments, one stone after the other. Your PhD will be a few bricks, not a whole house, and that is FINE. That is what is expected.
3. More than being big and large, our research question and the answer we plan on providing must matter. It brings something new. Something small can suffice, if it is clearly new and necessary. Now, what is “new and necessary” depends on the field. Different field focus on different things at different times. Have a look at the titles of the thesis of current PhD students at Unviersities which would be of interest to you, they can give you some insight on what is likely to be funded and considered doable as a PhD student in your field right now. 
3. A research question is generally one to which... we can provide an answer. Which sounds obvious, but often, one starts or wants to do a PhD with a research topic, more than a research question (heaven knows I did). And often, for the aforementioned reasons, the actual question covers only a portion of the topic. From my experience, a good way to see if you have a research question rather than a research topic is to ask yourself : what would satiate my curiosity ? What sort of answer, of data, of finding, of theory, of arguments, would make me go “Aha, there is the answer! ALRIGHT, NEXT”. If there is none, if you cannot envision what an answer would look like (Without getting into whether this is the right answer or not!) then you do not have a research question, you have a research topic, and you need to narrow it down, focus on one of the many questions (itself can be made up of a few different sub questions!) and envision what an answer would look like. 
4. It bugs you. That is the only way I can describe the “right” question for a PhD  research, and I think the ultimate test to see if your research question is right for you, and not just right for Academia. This is the “unofficial part”, that is not in the ~serious Research Method books~, but it’s my take on it. It makes you go : “No but seriously, why is that???”, “Ok, but really, there is no answer yet and we are fine with that ?”, “I know it is not THE issue, but still, we should look into it no???”. Not like it keeps you awake and makes you loose appetite, it’s not your obsession, but it just makes you frown when you read article that get close to, but does not, actually give and answer. Like, come ooon. It bugs you. It is the right level of slightly stubborn, persisting intellectual curiosity that will get you through the rough patches, without making you loose your mind when it, inevitably, does not go as expected.  
To conclude, your research question is liekly to change and shift during your PhD. What you are looking for, in a PhD proposal, is more something that can show a selection Committe “I know what I want to research, and I know how to come up with a pertinent research question”. It does not have to be a beacon of perfection substance-wise, it needs to show that you know what you are getting in. 
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