#like i wouldn’t even consider it a hip hop track why we acting like that

[orangespottedgiraffe]

#I’ll do it myself anyway #good song #kvi baba #luv myself kvi baba #j-pop? j- rnb? #idk I’m leaning more toward jpop #the beat more quick #Spotify #Google says hip hop / rap but like does the bit of rap overpower the more uplifting beat #idk #anyway good music ✌🏻 #wait I’ve never seen the music video why this fool got a LA hat stop #unless u wanna get mad plz don’t qatch the mv #like i wouldn’t even consider it a hip hop track why we acting like that #first off why the song in Japanese yet they in an area where majority of writing Korean 🤨 #you know it does run that deep. why also that fool got a angels cap 🤨 I ain’t gonna speak for the people in ny but the puffer too #also the button up with one button what I heard was I hate Mexicans #it does run that deep #dont watch the mv

[bluebellhairpin]

Little Helper

Sam Wilson X Tech!Reader

A/N: I’m back on the Marvel bandwagon. They can’t keep me away apparently. - Nemo

Warnings: Spoilers (TFATWS). Violence. Reader got blipped. 

Summary: Many know The Falcon. Less know his drone, Redwing. And even fewer know about Redwing’s other pilot, You. 

Listening to: ‘Trouble Man’ by Marvin Gaye - ‘I come up hard, but that's ok cause trouble man don't get in my way.’

Masterlist

You’d been working with Sam Wilson for a long time. 

A very long time. 

However most people would never have guessed it, considering you worked out of the spare room in your apartment, and Sam himself didn’t speak of you to anyone else. But the role you played was important. 

After all, Sam couldn’t always fight and control Redwing at the same time. 

More often than not, he had bigger fish to fry, and with his hands tied it was more out of convenience that you took over the reins of his little drone friend until he could take them back again. 

Even if no one else would know, it still felt nice to help out the Avengers every so often. 

So when you thought you fell asleep in the chair in your ‘work’ room - sleep was almost a foreign word to you anyway - and then woke up again, you were confused. 

You thought you were in the middle of helping in Wakanda, why would you have fallen asleep? 

But not only did the clock say 11 am - when last you checked it was 2 in the afternoon - but five years had passed too. You scrambled to fish your phone off your desk, and called Sam faster than you could say ‘Stark Industries’. You started speaking as soon as he picked up. 

“Sam! What’s happened -” you stopped yourself, “- What’s that noise?” 

“Could you,” he grunted, kicking something maybe? “Hop on Redwing please?” 

“Copy that.” You said, booting up your computer, frowning at the dust on it. You took a look around the room. There was dust on everything. 

You opened up the little application for Redwing, and pulled the joystick over, making sure it was plugged in, before grabbing your headset and putting it on too. 

“All set and ready to go. Waiting for your call Falcon.” 

“Give ‘em hell Redwing.” 

You pressed the release button on your keyboard, and Redwing’s camera immediately booted up, giving you a perfect view of a seeming ground zero. The land was leveled, and people were fighting everywhere. You recognized some faces - more like flashes of uniforms - Iron Man’s blasters, lightning off in the distance, a giant red and blue frisbee. 

“I’m guessing I go for -” you maneuvered Redwing out of a clawed hand’s grasp “- the alien-looking ones again.” 

“Yes, the alien-looking ones!” 

“Okay okay, sheesh.” you tutted, choosing the drone’s laser over it’s machine guns. “What’d you say about talking during fights anyways? That poor kid we fought in Germany will think you’re a hypocrite.”

It turned out to be a big fight. Not everyone won, not even those on your side. 

Six months later, Sam and yourself were still as strong of a team as ever, and still no one was any wiser about your involvement in working with him.

Just as well too, you had more than enough struggles of your own. 

Your apartment was one of the lucky ones, since apparently your landlord didn’t want to sort through your boxes of ‘kindling’ - files - and your ‘gizmos’ - machine parts - to get rid of it so he could rent the place to someone else. Not many wanted to rent in your building anyway, and he said he thought he ‘needed a memorial for those who disappeared’. 

So even if no one had emptied the fridge for five years, you still had your place. Unlike many other people. 

Your employers, however, no longer had a job for you. They were focusing on helping relocate the displaced, and apparently you couldn’t help with it. So even if you had your apartment now, you might not for much longer.  

At least you still had Sam. And his weird ‘not-friend’ friend Bucky. 

You’d heard about him, for sure, but only met once. That was the same time Sam told you to steal his phone number so you could keep in touch. Something about not knowing when an ex-assassin cyborg in your contact list would come in handy. 

There was something happening between those two, you couldn’t pick what, but it was akin to tension. And you picked up on that from just one meeting.

Sam had mentioned nothing about you and Redwing, only that you worked together. Apparently it was open for Bucky to interpret however he liked, but you were thankful that he made no connection to the drone. 

After his comment about Redwing’s lateness at the airport - with you at the helm - you weren’t too keen on him knowing anyway.

They’d broken Redwing. 

You were a little livid about it, all things considered. Your track-record thus-far had been great, but you’d just been bested by who? Some people stealing medicine? That looks a lot worse than if it happened while fighting Thanos. 

Just your luck. 

So when your intercom buzzed and Sam’s fuzzy voice came through into your kitchen you almost wanted to leave him downstairs. Then he started apologizing - on the sidewalk like it was some romcom - and said he had an old man with him that needed to start walking up the stairs as soon as possible so that he’d be able to make it back down by the time you kicked him out. So you buzzed him and his ��old man’ in and waited for them in the hallway. 

Soon thereafter, voices started drifting up the stairwell. 

“I still don’t know what you’re apologizing for, it’s not like you cheated on them.”

“I told you, they’re not my -” Sam looked up at you as he turned into your hallway. Meeting your furrowed brow and crossed arms with a sheepish smile. “- Hey, (y/n). How’re you going?” 

You just pointed for him to go inside your apartment. When both him and Bucky were inside - what was Bucky doing here anyway? - you told him how you were going. 

“I’m really angry right now Sam. You can’t tell, but I am.” 

“I completely understand that.” he said, “I’m annoyed too, considering.” 

“Considering what Sam? That you got Redwing split in two?” 

“How do you know about Redwing?” Bucky frowned.

“How did I do that when you were the one piloting her huh?” 

“Me? This is not my fault!” you said, “You were supposed to be watching my six, just like I do for you!”

“That girl came at you head-on, I couldn’t have told you more about it if I painted her bright yellow and covered her in Christmas lights.” 

“You turned my coms off.” you hissed, tapping a pointed finger on his chest, “You said it’d be better since then Bucky wouldn’t know it wasn’t you piloting, and that even though I couldn’t hear anything I could still see plenty. Well I can’t exactly see that these people were super soldiers now, could I!”

“Oh. Right.” 

“You were piloting Redwing?” You looked over a Bucky, seeing him shake his head with his hands on his hips. “Makes sense, by all means, but now I have to not like you as much as before.”

“Nonsense, everyone loves me.” you smiled at him, and he quirked his lips up in an almost smile back at you. Then you turned back to Sam. “So is this all you came for?”

“Partially.”

“Partially?”

“Yeah,” he said, acting a little too coy for your liking, “We might need your help in the not-too-distant future.” 

“You always do that thing, you stay something to get me interested, and then you think if I’m interested I want to do it.”

You stared over at him, daring him to speak again. 

“You don’t wanna do things you're interested in?” 

“Depends what you’re trying to get me interested in.”

#sam wilson x reader #sam wilson one shot #the falcon x reader #the falcon one shot #sam wilson x you #the falcon x you #the falcon and the winter soldier x reader #marvel x reader #marvel one shot

[machinegunbun]

2

The house you eventually park in front of is much like yours, just a bit bigger, since Colson didn't live alone. The sound of sirens outside is carried almost melodically in the freezing wind. You soak it all in, wondering about who else in this city felt so far from home and yet right in the thick of it.

"She's a beaut, huh?" Colson quips, motioning to the steps, "but at least we got it to ourselves tonight," his grin could stretch a city mile.

Once inside, Colson immediately turns on a nearby heater and clears the couch, grabbing his RAW tray off the busted up coffee table, almost muscle memory, it seems, for both of you. You lay a fat sack down on the rolling tray as he sweeps the papers out of the way.

"Damn, do you really got glaucoma?" He snorts, untwisting the top. "No wonder I can smell it thru your backpack." He is all smiles while he breaks it down. "Have a seat, make yourself at home," he offers, pointing to the couch cushion free next to him.

You sit down on the very edge, causing Colson to stop in his tracks.

"Aw, come on, don't do me like that," he pouts, pulling a folded blanket from the chair to his left. "I got blankies," he teased, knowing how drafty all these houses are the heater won't cut it. "I said, make yourself at home," he playfully insists, and unexpectedly, he grabs your thigh to pull you so close, you can feel the heat emitting from his jeans.

He continues as if nothing had even happened, luxurious tongue peeking out to seal the blunt. So you wrap the blanket across your laps, and act nonchalant, too, trying to force the lump in your throat all the way down.

"A backwoods, that's classic," you offer as a change of subject, watching mesmerized as the ambient lighting and warm tones of the fake flames of the heater danced across his chiseled face. Godddd, why couldn't you control yourself?

Colson smirked before running a lighter across it. "Only the best for my guest."

The two of you sit cozy under the blanket for a short period of time, passively hitting the blunt and savoring before passing, while Colson rigged up a speaker. As the hip hop played softly, you felt your muscles relax a bit, most they had in 6 years.

Colson began probing you with his eyes again, like he was about to start 20 questions back up.

"So, you're not really from around here, are you?" He digs, pressing a thigh against yours to turn to face you better.

"Ah, no," you say, nodding

"From....?" He prompts, rolling his hand before passing the blunt.

"Down South," you're ashamed the more you divulge.

Colson pulls a face. "You don't have an accent, though," he contests.

"Got rid of it," you shrug. "People think you're stupid," you smile back.

Colson takes a hand and begins rubbing your thigh softly, as if to comfort you, although he can feel the tension increasing doing just the opposite. "I wouldn't think you're stupid, at all," he husks quietly, serious.

You don't want to make a sound for fear it will come out as a squeak.

"Look, I would ask what brings you all the way out here, but..." He trails off before hitting the blunt hard. "I'm a blunt motherfucker, so I'll just say it. I know about the..." He is swallowing the wrong words, struggling despite his frankness. "Well, the whole crew knows about the... The statutory situation," he whispers, like someone is listening. "You don't really talk to nobody, so.. They got curious. There's... There's lots of articles."

You almost disassociate, so he takes it as a sign to continue.

"I couldn't imagine. So, if I'm making you uncomfortable..." He begins to look worried, the desire to backpedal immediately written across his face.

You physically snap back, and force him to stop leaning away from you.

"You're blunt, huh?" You ask, now trying to comfort him.

"Yeah. I'm sorry," he relaxes into your touch, though.

"You don't have any chains or ropes here, so I'm not here by force," you smile, darkly, almost transported back to 15 again.

Colson winces, sympathetically, before shaking his head (to no doubt clear images) the articles he had read that paint an all too vivid picture out of his mind like an etch a sketch.

"Look, I ... I really wanted to get to know you, and... Everybody told me it was a bad idea, you know? Like I would fuck up your life. But I just really can't resist, you seem so cool, so sweet," Colson trails off, realizing in your vulnerable state he had began being too vulnerable as well.

"Thanks. I know that sounds stupid, but, most people... Well, most guys, avoid me like the plague."

Colson melts back into the couch, into your warmth surrounding you, before beginning to pull a cigarette out for each of you. He passes it to you, so intuitive to how on edge you're feeling. He knows you too well already.

"You don't have to be scared, you know," you remind him, "you can keep playing 20 questions." You're joking but serious. "I've possibly purposefully not made any friends here yet. I salute you breaking the ice AND addressing the elephant in the room," you admit. "I like cutting thru the bullshit."

Colson takes a thoughtful drag from his cigarette while formulating his next question.

" okay," he sounds more at ease, "do you have a boyfriend?" He risks, wincing at how insensitive it sounds, but he correctly got the impression it was forgiven and you wanted to move forward exactly as he intended originally.

"Oooh, no, actually," you giggle at the spicy question. "Other than, the, ya know... Situation, shall I say, never been with a man before." You're shocked at how honest you're being.

Colson can't help his jaw dropping. "How... How old are--you're still a virgin??" He is stumbling over his words.

"21, and, yeah," you choke out, sudden shyness taking over.

It was so refreshing he considered you a virgin still that you could die on the spot.

"Whoa. Just.... Damn," Colson stuttered, as the etch a sketch cleaned his slate once again. Hopefully be was clearing thoughts of how tight you must be still, not how damaged you are.

"Do, um," he clears his throat while putting out his cigarette, "what kind of tattoos and piercings do you have?"

"None, of either, actually," you admit, eyes hungrily scanning Colson's inked up neck.

It seems he can't believe his ears.

"Are you.. Holy shit, no way? Prove it," he challenges.

You shrug the blanket and flannel off to expose your belly, shoulders, and lift your crop top to show nothing on collar bones. Colson looks like he would spit if he had water he was drinking. He wasn't expecting you to show him anything for real.

He lifts a tentative hand to your cheek to brush your hair behind the ear, "wow, no ear piercings, either. You're magical," he says heavily. "You're younger than me, by, like, a lot, but anyone... like you, I never would have guessed..."

You realize now that his knuckles still lay resting on your cheek, stroking it softly, and he'll be able to feel them burning red hot with embarrassment and desire The shame, because you've never done this before, never been so close and intimate with someone, and the desire as well for the same reason.

"You're better than I ever even imagined," he admits before falling silent, soaking up your reaction fully,

Colson breaks the silence first. "I want to kiss you," he states, voice dripping with lust, and cracking slightly.

As you place a hand over his much larger on your cheek, he takes this as a sign to keep going. Leaning forward, foreheads almost touching, Colson licks his lips and scans your face hungrily.

"Can I?" He prompts, impatient, pupils blown, and jaw tight with anticipation.

You feel like you barely nod, hand dropping off of his, before he grabs it tightly to put it around his neck.

"Like this, let me show you," he whispers, lips ghosting yours.

In one Swift motion he slides a hand under your lower back in order to lay you down gently on the couch, hovering above you, on the edge of deranged with desire, like a wolf standing over a downed deer. You figure Colson has never had to exhibit this much self control before.

"I wanna defile you, take your innocence," he rasps, thumb finding its way to your bottom lip, stroking gently, opening your mouth ever so slightly. "I want it to be mine, I've wanted this for so long," he smiles, his rock hard cock pressing with a ungodly heat against your pubic bone. He's not even hiding anything anymore, using your exposed tummy and clothed pussy to hump and grind softly in order take the edge off.

"Can I touch you?" He asks desperately, biting his lip so hard you thought it might bleed. "I want to help you relax a little," Colson whispers, though you imagine it's just as much for him as it is you.

"Anything you want, Cols." You're almost choking.

He lets out a dark laugh at this, and in an instant his hands feel like they're all over you, exploring, finally coming to rest at your jugular, feeling the intense pounding underneath his fingertips.

"You're scared?" It's a question as much as it is a statement. "Or turned on?" Colson raises a brow, other hand massaging your thigh, slowly curling it around his waist, positioning and posing you like a ragdoll, your body defeated and limp to his touches. You are in a state of bliss and fear. "Maybe both," he concludes, smirking.

At this you close your eyes, expecting any second to wake up from this all too familiar dream, as you've pined for your coworker possibly even longer than he has.

Suddenly, Colson is at your ear, breath hot and desperate. "Don't be scared babydoll, you're in good hands," he reassures, nipping at your earlobe in such a way it sends a shiver all throughout your body. "I... Will go... Slowww," he teases out painstakingly, "slow as you need me to," he adds gently.

It was then you were startled into the reality of the situation by the sound of his belt coming undone, soft noises as it is expertly slipped out of his belt loops in one, fluid motion. Colson feels you panic underneath him, and he is quick to respond to this.

—-

Havent had a chance to read it yet but i wanted yall to have fhis lmfaoo. A gift from bigblakdix to me to you

#mgbrecommends #mgk #mgk smut #mgk fic #mgk blurb #colson baker concept #colson baker blurb #colson baker smut #submission

[julyarchives]

Halloween Party || (M)

At a halloween party, you had let your insecurities take the best of you, but Yuto showed you that there was nothing to be ashamed of.

→ Pairing: Yuto x Reader

→ Genre: smut

→ Words:  1.6K

→ Contains: chubby reader; Halloween themes; costumes; slightly angst.

→ A/n: So, this is one of the stories we prepared for you this Halloween! We hope you enjoy it!

It was close to the end of October and you and your friends decided to throw a Halloween party at their house. Somehow you got convinced to use a very revealing tight fit devil costume that consisted only of a skirt and crop top with a knee high boot, not to mention the classical red fork and horns. You felt insecure at first, given that your body is far away from korean’s petit beauty standard, but as you got there and everyone was in their own costumes just having fun, you shrugged off your insecurities. The weather was nice and you just wanted to have fun and enjoy yourself freely.

No one seemed to mind, besides Yuto. He got really weird with you, avoiding looking at you all night. It first upsetted you because he was the one you considered your best friend. Your crush on him made things harder to ignore how he was treating you tonight. He was usually very sweet but today he was ignoring your presence almost completely.

After hours of partying you managed to find Yuto alone, sulking into his drink. You tried to approach him but you could barely mutter "hi" before he put his cup down and took his cape off of his vampire costume and handed it to you.

“You should cover up” he said coldly, barely looking at you.

Your heart sank. You never felt more ashamed of your body, it hurted more that it came from someone you have been struggling to admit you had feelings for. But now you knew that he wouldn’t want anything with someone like you. You put on his cape and it fitted you shortly, barely covering your bottom. Yuto looked at you up and down before turning his back and walking away from you.

You tried to follow the party as nothing had happened, but you couldn’t avoid feeling bad all night long, and honestly the mood was kind of ruined for you. You went to hide in the kitchen, the costume prop long forgotten on a couch, just wanting to be alone, but you encountered him again. When he saw you he tried to leave again, but this time you were convinced that you had to confront him.

“Yuto!” You called him and he stopped on his track, turning around to face you.

You two just stared at each other as you gathered up courage to speak up.

“I know my body is not what you are used to seeing, but not everyone is skinny, you know? You don’t have to act so grossed out.” you were on the verge of tears, voice cracking as you spoke. “I’m not ashamed of being fat, and you just have to…”

“You look sexy” he murmured quietly, and you almost missed out on it.

“What?” You were caught off guard.

“I’m not grossed out” he looked down, biting his lip “I think you look very sexy.”

“I don’t get it, why did you tell me to cover up then?” you were not sure if you believed him or not.

You sat up on the kitchen counter, waiting for his answer, and he leaned against it by your side, shoulders almost touching yours.

“Everyone was staring at you, and I just felt jealous. I didn’t want them to look at you that way” he answered, still looking down.

“But then even after I put on the cape, you were still avoiding me.”

“That made you look sexier.” he murmured again. “I just can’t look at you without wanting to…”

He stopped himself, leaving you waiting for it with anticipation.

“Wanting to...?” You asked, touching his shoulder.

He looked straight into your eyes before speaking,

“To grab you and kiss you”

Your eyes widened in surprise for a second, but you knew how to respond quickly. You just couldn't let this slide.

“I don’t see anyone stopping you.” You shrugged, biting your lip in a smirk.

His eyes darkened as he stood up and positioned himself in between your legs. He cautiously placed his hands on your thighs as you snaked your arms around his neck. 

He moved his face closer and his hands up your body, holding on your curvy waist and lightly squeezing it. You look in his eyes then at his lips one more time before ending the distance between you two.

He kissed you urgently, showing that he wanted to do this for a long time. It started shy at first, just testing his boundaries, but it quickly turned urgent as you two just couldn’t keep your hands off of each other. You hooked your legs around his waist, pulling him against your body while his hand explored your exposed skin. His kiss was firm and intense and it was so pleasant how well it matched his entire personality.

He had to pull away for air, but you didn’t feel like stopping right there so you just trailed hot wet kissed down his neck, grinning victoriously when he grunted in your ear after you moved your hips to just slightly rub against his.

“Bedroom?” was all he managed to say, his voice sounding even deeper, sending shivers down your spine.

You nodded, hopping off the counter and growing confident enough to grab his hand and guide him. As soon as you closed the door behind you, he backed you up against it, strong hands grabbing your waist and pulling you close as he engaged another hungry kiss and  didn’t waste time pulling your crop top off. He pulled you against him, stepping back until finding the bed and sitting down with you straddling him.

He started trailing kisses down your neck and chest, and you were pretty sure he was leaving purple spots along your skin, and you took the chance to explore his toned back. He swiftly unhooked your bra and eagerly caught your nipple in between his lips, toying with the other one with his fingers.

You inevitably let small moans escape from you, and it encouraged him to grip you harder. You tugged the hair on the back of his head, pulling him into a kiss again as you worked your hips against his crotch.

Slipping your hand down his body, you palmed his hard member through his pants, earning low groans out of him.His satin long sleeve was a nuisance as you tried to reach his muscular chest and he noticed. Yuto took no time in taking off his costume, you got up with him to take off your skirt and boots.

He sat down in only his boxers and reached out for you. He nuzzled your chest as he grabbed your thighs and ass. You moaned at the feeling and pulled his hair to drag him to a kiss again.

"It was a shame to see that outfit go but you look way better like this", he said. That turned into a groan when you sat on him again, grinding rather fast. 

You always imagined him being a slow and intense lover but the reality was way better. The way he was so into it, laying you down under him and taking your last piece of clothing fast, admiring you before teasing you with fast movements of his fingers at your entrance, made you whine loudly with want. 

It was your turn to sit up and tug at his underwear, Yuto not even minding your despair, his feelings matching yours. So as he swiftly entered you, your moans sounding loud even with the party music still going, it didn't take long before you two found a rhythm. 

His usual quiet demeanor gave space to so much praise that you felt your heart swelling with affection. His words were a fuel to the fire he was setting on your body with his sharp hard thrusts. His body felt heavenly on you and you almost laughed at the thought of dressing like a devil to feel this way. 

Yuto kept grunting and praising you, saying how your body drove him insane with want, how he watched every curve on you as you danced. His hands were everywhere too, holding yours, pinching your nipples, grabbing your thighs. 

His passion was matched by yours and you could only feel sorry for his back later when you scratched it over and over with how good he was moving inside of you, your hips moving up to meet his thrusts halfway. 

It didn't take long before you were moaning even louder, legs shaking around him as you came, his name falling off your lips like a prayer. Yuto groaned into your neck, biting lightly as he followed you to his own orgasm, hips moving erratically. 

As you both came down from your high, he laid down besides you and quickly hugged you to him, your face in the crook of his neck. Your hands found his arm and back, holding onto him as you took a moment to understand what just happened.

"I'm sorry you got me wrong earlier", he said, voice muffled by your hair, "I didn't mean to hurt you". 

"It's okay. Now that I understand, it's fine. Just don't scare me like that anymore", you answered, pulling back to watch him. 

"I mean, it is Halloween…", he said seriously, making you smile.

"Damn, I should have kept on the horns then". You two laughed.

Just then, the door busted open followed by your closest friends from his group shouting,

"Happy Halloween!" 

And the way Yuto ran to cover you both with his cape and all the gasps you heard, you knew it was a spooky moment indeed. 

#Yuto #Pentagon #Smut #Halloween #Kpop #Pentagon Smut #Adachi Yuto #Kpop smut #Kpop scenario #Pentagon Scenario #Pentagon Imagine #yuto x reader #chubby reader

[fyeah-bangtan7]

The Boundless Optimism of BTS

IT IS THE MORNING OF CHUSEOK, A KOREAN HARVEST FESTIVAL akin to Thanksgiving, and the members of BTS would normally be spending it with their families, eating tteokguk, a traditional rice-cake soup. Instead, Jin, 28; Suga, 27; J-Hope, 26; RM, 26; Jimin, 25; V, 24; and Jung Kook, 23, are working. Practicing. Honing their choreography. In a few days, the biggest musical act in the world will perform in the live-stream concert that, for now, will have to stand in for the massive tour they spent the first part of this year rehearsing. At this moment, they’re seated inside Big Hit Entertainment headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, the house they built, dressed mostly in black and white, ready to answer my questions. They’re gracious about it. And groggy.

Before I’m done speaking with them for this story, BTS will have the number-one and number-two songs on the BillboardHot 100, a feat that’s been achieved only a handful of times in the sixty-odd years the chart has existed. Their next album, Be, is weeks away from being released, and speculation about the record, the tracklist, the statement, is rampant across the Internet. BTS are, to put it mildly, huge.

There is something about complete world domination that can really cement a friendship. What jumps out at me as I connect with the members of BTS is their level of comfort with one another. Tension has a way of making itself evident—even over Zoom, even through a translator. There’s none to be found here. They are relaxed in the manner of family. Lounging with their arms around each other’s shoulders, tugging on each other’s sleeves, fixing each other’s collars. When they speak about one another, it is with kindness.

“Jimin has a particular passion for the stage and really thinks about performance, and in that sense, there are many things to learn from him,” J-Hope says. “Despite all the things he has accomplished, he still tries his best and brings something new to the table, and I really want to applaud him for that.”

“Thank you for saying all these things about me,” Jimin responds.

Jimin turns his attention to V, explaining that he is “loved by so many” and describing him as one of his best friends. Suga jumps in, sharing that Jimin and V fight the most among the group. V replies, “We haven’t fought in three years!” They tell me this distinction now belongs to Jin and Jung Kook, the oldest and youngest members. “It all starts as a joke, but then it gets serious,” Jimin says.

Jin agrees and recounts what their arguments sound like. “Why did you hit me so hard?” he says, before mimicking Jung Kook’s response: “I didn’t hit you that hard.” And then they start hitting each other. But not that hard.

Since the start of their careers, BTS have shown a certain confidence in their aesthetic, their performances, and their music videos. It’s right there in the name: BTS stands for “Bangtan Sonyeondan,” which translates to “Bulletproof Boy Scouts,” but as their popularity grew in English-speaking markets, the acronym was retrofitted to mean “Beyond the Scene,” which Big Hit has described as “symbolizing youth who don’t settle for their current reality and instead open the door and go forward to achieve growth.” And their affection with one another, their vulnerability and emotional openness in their lives and in their lyrics, strikes me as more grown-up and masculine than all the frantic and perpetual box-checking and tone-policing that American boys force themselves and their peers to do. It looks like the future.

“There is this culture where masculinity is defined by certain emotions, characteristics. I’m not fond of these expressions,” Suga tells me. “What does being masculine mean? People’s conditions vary day by day. Sometimes you’re in a good condition; sometimes you aren’t. Based on that, you get an idea of your physical health. And that same thing applies mentally. Some days you’re in a good state; sometimes you’re not. Many pretend to be okay, saying that they’re not ‘weak,’ as if that would make you a weak person. I don’t think that’s right. People won’t say you’re a weak person if your physical condition is not that good. It should be the same for the mental condition as well. Society should be more understanding.”

When I hear these words in October 2020, from my house in a country whose leader is actively trying to make the case that only the weak die of COVID-19, well, it sounds like the future, too.

IF YOU ARE JUST NOW CONSIDERING GETTING INTO BTS, IT IS natural to feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of stuff. It’s a bit like saying, right this second, “Let’s see what Marvel Comics is all about.” In the streaming age, BTS have sold more than twenty million physical units across fourteen albums. Their multi-album concept cycles, The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Love Yourself, and Map of the Soul, have unfolded over multiple records and EPs. There are collaborations with brands, including a BTS smartphone with Samsung. There is a series of short films and music videos, called BU, or BTS Universe, and an animated universe called BT21, in which they’re all represented by gender-neutral avatars. Their fan base, known as ARMY, is a global cultural movement unto itself.

“Dynamite,” their first English-language single and their first American number one, is pure, ecstatic pop. Shiny and joyful. What sets them apart from many of their peers, and many of the pop acts who achieved worldwide fame before them, is what came earlier. Beneath the sheen and the beats has always been an unflinching examination of human emotion. Their lyrics seek to challenge the conventions of society—to question and even denounce them. BTS’s first single, “No More Dream,” unveiled at their debut showcase in June 2013, concerns the intense pressure South Korean schoolchildren face to conform and to succeed. According to Suga, lyrics about the mental health of young people were mostly absent in Korean pop music. “The reason I started making music is because I grew up listening for lyrics that speak about dreams, hopes, and social issues,” he tells me. “It just came naturally to me when making music.”

Suga’s early ambition of making music didn’t involve him being in a group at all. About a decade ago, in his hometown of Daegu, the fourth-largest city in South Korea, he started recording underground rap tracks under the name Gloss, listening to and learning from the early works of songwriter and producer Bang Si-hyuk, known as Hitman Bang. Bang is the founder and CEO of Big Hit Entertainment. In 2010, Suga, a junior in high school, moved to Seoul to join Big Hit as a producer and rapper. Then Bang asked him to become part of a group, envisioning a hip-hop act with fellow new Big Hit recruits RM and J-Hope. The guys call this “season one” of their development.

“At that time, I don’t think our label exactly knew what to do with us,” RM says. “They just basically let us be and we had some lessons, but we also just chilled and made music sometimes.”

It got more intense. The family grew, occasionally by accident.

V accompanied a friend to a Big Hit casting call in Daegu for moral support and ended up being the person chosen from those sessions.

Jung Kook was signed in a feeding frenzy after being dropped from the talent show Superstar K, fielding offers from numerous entertainment companies before settling on Big Hit because he was impressed by RM’s rapping.

Jimin was a dance student and class president for nine years running at his school in Busan; he auditioned at the behest of his teacher.

And then, to hear him tell it, Jin got picked up off the street. “I was just going to school,” he says. “Someone from the company approached me, like, ‘Oh, this is my first time seeing anyone that looked like this.’ He suggested having a meeting with me.”

“Season two is when we officially underwent hard training,” J-Hope says. “We started dancing, and that’s how I would say our team building started.”

School in the daytime, training at night. “We slept during classes,” V says.

“I slept in the practice studio,” J-Hope counters.

Hitman Bang kept the pressure comparatively low. And he encouraged the guys to write and produce their own music, to be honest about their emotions in their lyrics. Suga is on record saying that no BTS album would be complete without a track that scrutinizes society.

And yet for their new album, Be, they’re putting that aside. Even this has a greater purpose that relates to mental wellness: RM, the group’s main rapper, says, “I don’t think this album will have any songs that criticize social issues. Everybody is going through very trying times right now. So I don’t think there will be any songs that will be that aggressive.”

Though the new rules of COVID-19 mean they can’t come here and promote Be, its first single might not have happened in the first place but for the pandemic. “ ‘Dynamite’ wouldn’t be here if there was no COVID-19,” says RM. “For this song, we wanted to go easy and simple and positive. Not some, like, deep vibes or shadows. We just wanted to go easy.”

Jin agrees. “We were trying to convey the message of healing and comfort to our fans.” He pauses. “World domination wasn’t actually our plan when we were releasing ‘Dynamite.’ ” World domination just happens sometimes. You get it.

MAP OF THE SOUL ONE AIRED VIA THEIR ONLINE FAN PLATFORM and attracted almost a million viewers across 191 countries. The guys say they tried not to think about the enormousness. J-Hope adds, “I felt a little bit more nervous knowing that this was being broadcast live. I actually feel less nervous performing live at a stadium.” Jin replies with a smile, “J-Hope, born to perform at a stadium.”

The graphic layout of the title throws a colon between the final N and E, which makes it look like Map of the Soul On: E, and as I watch it live, as I do in my office at 3:00 a.m. with noise-canceling headphones and a steaming pot of coffee, it feels a lot like I’m watching Map of the Soul on E. It is an explosion of color and fashion and passion, over four gigantic stages, from the boozy swagger of “Dionysus” to the emo-trap introspection of “Black Swan.” Not a step, not a gesture, not a hair is out of place. If there were nerves, they didn’t come through.

There is also, at the end of Map of the Soul One, an intimate version of their 2017 track “Spring Day,” which encapsulates what’s really made BTS stand out. On the surface, it’s about nonspecific love and loss, about yearning for the past. “I think that song really represents me,” says Jin. “I like to look to the past and be lost in it.”

Fair enough, but there is an undeniable allusion, in both the song’s video and its cover concept, to a specific incident in recent South Korean history. “Spring Day” was released just a few years after the sinking of the Sewol ferry, one of the country’s biggest maritime disasters, in which a poorly inspected, overloaded ferry toppled in a sharp right turn. Hundreds of high school students drowned, having obeyed orders to stay in their cabins as the boat was going down. According to some reports, the South Korean government actively tried to silence entertainers who spoke out against it, with the Korean Ministry of Education fully banning the tragedy’s commemorative yellow ribbons in schools. I ask whether it was about a specific sad event, and Jin tells me, “It is about a sad event, as you said, but it is also about longing.” The song kept the disaster front of mind for young Koreans and for the media, indirectly leading to the impeachment and removal of then president Park Geun-hye.

If an overburdened, undermaintained, slow-moving vessel capsizing because of a reckless rightward turn strikes you as somehow symbolic of the country in which BTS are about to explode even further, you won’t hear it from them. “We’re outsiders—we can’t really express what we feel about the United States,” says V. But their actions speak volumes; in the wake of the George Floyd murder and subsequent protests in America, the group made a $1 million donation with Big Hit Entertainment to Black Lives Matter, one that was matched by BTS ARMY.

The fans offer a fascinating inversion of stan culture: Rather than bullying rivals like many other ardent online fan bases do, ARMY have put the positive message of the music into action. Their activism goes deep. Through micro-donations, they’ve regrown rain forests, adopted whales, funded hundreds of hours of dance classes for Rwandan youth, and raised money to feed LGBTQ refugees around the world. Where pop fans a generation ago might have sent teddy bears or cards to their idols for their birthdays, where five years ago they might have promoted a hashtag to get a video’s YouTube viewer count up, for RM’s twenty-sixth birthday in September, international fan collective One in an Army raised more than $20,000 for digital night schools to improve rural children’s access to education during the COVID-19 crisis. ARMY may have even entered the conversation around the 2020 presidential election when hundreds of thousands of Tulsa Trump rally tickets got snapped up online in June. The event’s actual attendance was pathetically low. No particular person or entity claimed credit for this top-notch trolling, but a video urging BTS fans to RSVP to that rally did get hundreds of thousands of views. We have no choice but to stan this fan base.

The relationship is intense. “We and our ARMY are always charging each other’s batteries,” RM says. “When we feel exhausted, when we hear the news all over the world, the tutoring programs, and donations, and every good thing, we feel responsible for all of this.” The music may have inspired the good works, but the good works inspire the music. “We’ve got to be greater; we’ve got to be better,” RM continues. “All those behaviors always influence us to be better people, before all this music and artist stuff.”

Yet for every devoted member of BTS ARMY, there is someone who’s looked right past BTS. Jimmy Fallon, whose Tonight Show hosted the group for a full week this past fall, was one of those people. “Usually if an artist is on the rise, I hear about them ahead of time. With BTS, I knew they had crazy momentum, and I’d never heard of them.”

Here’s a thought that used to be funny to me: There were members of the live audience of The Ed Sullivan Showon February 9, 1964, who weren’t there to see the Beatles. Elvis was in the Army, Buddy Holly was gone, and the three number-one albums in the months before Meet the Beatles! were an Allan Sherman comedy record, the West Side Story original cast recording, and Soeur Sourire: The Singing Nun. America had left rock ’n’ roll behind for the moment, and with the culture aimless and fragmented, it wasn’t quite sure what to pick up in its place. It is possible to imagine that a youngish, reasonably hip, and culturally aware human being might cop a ticket to that week’s show, settle into his seat, and say, “Bring on a medley of numbers from the Broadway musical Oliver! and banjo sensation Tessie O’Shea.”

The instinct is to laugh at that guy, and it’s a good instinct, because what a dope.

And then you become that guy.

Sometimes there is a whole universe alongside your own, bursting with color you’re too stubborn to see, bouncing with joy you think is for someone else, with a beat you thought you were finished dancing to. BTS are the biggest thing on the planet right now, yet the job of introducing them to someone new, particularly in America, seems like it’s never done. Maybe it’s because they are adored by screaming teenagers and we live in a society patriarchal enough to forget that screaming teenagers are nearly always right. Maybe it’s the cultural divide, in a moment when our country is unashamed enough of its own xenophobia to get openly bent out of shape when it has to press 1 for English. Maybe it’s the language barrier, as though we understood a single word Michael Stipe sang before 1989.

Whatever the reason, the result is that you might be missing out on a paradigm shift and a historic moment of pop greatness.

IF BTS SEEM A BIT CAUTIOUS WITH THEIR WORDS PUBLICLY, IT’S because—perhaps more than any other massive pop act in history—they have to be. Shortly after our second meeting, BTS were given the General James A. Van Fleet Award by the U. S.–based Korea Society for their outstanding contributions to advancing relations between the United States and Korea. In his acceptance speech, RM said, “We will always remember the history of pain that our two nations shared together, and the sacrifices of countless men and women,” as seemingly diplomatic and innocuous a statement as he could have made. But because he didn’t mention the Chinese soldiers who died in the Korean War, it didn’t go over well. The Samsung BTS smartphone disappeared from Chinese e-commerce platforms, Fila and Hyundai pulled ads in China that featured the group, the nationalistic newspaper Global Times accused them of hurting Chinese citizens’ feelings and negating history, and the hashtags “BTS humiliated China” and “there are no idols that come before my country” began trending on the social-media site Weibo. The pressure is not small.

Even as the number-one pop group in the world, even with their hard work day in and day out, even with tens of millions of adoring fans redefining the concept of “adoring fans” by literally healing the planet in their name, these guys still suffer from impostor syndrome. RM explains, “I’ve heard that there’s this mask complex. Seventy percent of so-called successful people have this, mentally. It’s basically this: There’s this mask on my face. And these people are afraid that someone is going to take off this mask. We have those fears as well. But I said 70 percent, so I think it’s very natural. Sometimes it’s a condition to be successful. Humans are imperfect, and we have these flaws and defects. And one way to deal with all this pressure and weight is to admit the shadows.”

The music helps. “When we write the songs and lyrics, we study these emotions, we are aware of that situation, and we relate to that emotionally,” J-Hope says. “And that’s why when the song is released, we listen to it and get consolation from those songs as well. I think our fans also feel those emotions, maybe even more than us. And I think we are a positive influence on each other.”

If there’s one thing they’re sacrificing, besides free time and the ability to speak freely without the Chinese foreign ministry releasing an official statement, it’s a love life. I ask about dating, broad questions like “Are you?” and “Is there time?” and “Can you?” and the answer to all of them is pretty clear: “No.” “The most important thing for us now is to sleep,” Jung Kook insists. Suga follows right up with “Can you see my dark circles?” I cannot, because there are none, because flawless skin translates even over Zoom when there’s an ocean between us.

So they’re not, at least publicly, having romantic relationships with anyone. If there is a strong relationship that’s guided their journey into adulthood, it’s with Big Hit. “Our company started with twenty to thirty people, but now we have a company with so many employees,” RM says. “We have our fans, and we have our music. So we have a lot of things that we have to be responsible for, to safeguard.” He considers it for a moment. “I think that’s what an adult is.”

“Our love life—twenty-four hours, seven days a week—is with all the ARMYs all over the world,” RM adds.

In a world that is determined to sand down anything that isn’t immediately recognizable to the average pop-music fan, when it comes to acquainting you with Korean culture, BTS very much do not wanna hold your hand. While the first song on night one of their Tonight Show week was a joyous but expected take on “Dynamite” with Fallon and the Roots, they took some chances during their second performance.

As a friend of mine, a thirty-three-year-old BTS fan in Los Angeles, told me, “The second song they performed was ‘IDOL,’ ” from 2018’s Love Yourself: Answer, “and it celebrated their Korean identity. They performed it in Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul. They wore clothes inspired by traditional dresses called hanboks;it was almost entirely in Korean, so it felt super subversive. As a fan, I read it as: ‘Dynamite’ was an invitation, and this is who we are and this is our home.”

“I was a little concerned that people might not understand,” Fallon says. “I was like, ‘There’s nothing in English here.’ But what you see is just pure star power. Pure talent. Immediately, I thought, Oh, this is everything. If you’re that powerful, it transcends language.”

American popular music in the twenty-first century is more fragmented than it has been since . . . well, since Allan Sherman, Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim, and the Singing Nun battled for that number-one spot. The monoculture that the Beatles helped bring on has breathed its last breath. Each of us is the program director for our own private radio station, letting our own past habits and streaming-service algorithms serve up something close to what we want. Which is great, except that huge moments can whiz right past our ears. Each of us, even if we’re more clued in than our parents were when they were our age, can miss some era-defining, excellent shit. Particularly if the radio is our Spotify Discover Weekly, or the Pandora channel based on the band whose T-shirts we wore in college. We can let a moment pass us by if prime time is a Netflix binge, and the Tonight Show hour is spent on one more episode before bed. But we shouldn’t. “Honestly, I think it’s history that we’re living through with BTS,” Fallon says. “It’s the biggest band I’ve seen since I’ve started late night, definitely.”

THERE IS ALSO THE SMALL DETAIL THAT, UNLIKE THE BEATLES AND literally every other worldwide sensation to break in America, BTS don’t particularly need to go to the trouble. They are massive all over the world. Thanks to the recent IPO of Big Hit Entertainment, of which each member is a partner, they are all now incredibly wealthy. (Hitman Bang is the first South Korean entertainment mogul to become a billionaire.) What good is a culture in decline to a pop act this much on the ascent? “When I dreamed of becoming an artist, I listened to pop and watched all the awards shows in the United States. Being successful and being a hit in the U. S. is, of course, such an honor as an artist,” says Suga. “I feel very proud of that.”

They’re breaking out in a country that either worships them or fails to notice them. So do they feel like they’re getting enough respect in America? “How can we win everyone’s respect?” Jin asks. “I think it’s enough to get respect from people who support us. It’s similar everywhere else in the world. You can’t like everyone, and I think it’s enough to be respected by people who really love you.”

Suga agrees. “You can’t always be comfortable, and I think it’s all part of life. Honestly, we are not used to getting a ton of respect from when we first started out. But I think that gradually changes, whether it be in the States or other parts of the world, as we do more and more.”

There is, without a doubt, one colossal, unmistakable sign of respect for a musician: a Grammy. They’ve been nominated only once, and even then it was for best recording package. But their sights are set on a big one next year. RM puts it out there: “We would like to be nominated and possibly get an award.” Dragging the hoary, backward-looking, and Western-focused Grammys into the gorgeous, global world of the present through sheer force of will, talent, and hard work? Stranger things have happened. “I think the Grammys are the last part, like the final part of the whole American journey,” he says with a smile. “So yeah, we’ll see.”

The Recording Academy’s seal of approval is one thing. But BTS have already conquered the world, clowned tyrants, inspired individual fans to perform the small and achievable acts of activism that have collectively begun to save the planet, challenged toxic masculinity by leading with vulnerability, and, along the way, become bajillionaires and international idols. Whether the Grammys are paying attention matters about as much as what an Ed Sullivan audience member expected to see that night in 1964. BTS have already won.

© source

#bangtan #jungkook #jimin #v #suga #jhope #jin #rm #o:esquire #o:interview #201123

[heyheydidjaknow]

For anyone who is wondering why I deleted the chapters, I was very tired and forgot what tenses were, so I had to go back and change it all, and that is a pain on Tumbr. Tumblr also, apparently, either has a character or word limit, so this is our first 2 parter. I know I could just separate them into chapters, but I feel weird about making a whole chapter devoted to a date, so.

Edit: Who was gonna tell me I misspelled Casey?

Chapter 6 Pt 1

Leo sighs. “Okay, the fact that this will be the second creepiest stunt you’ve pulled this week says a lot.”

“Relax.” Donatello draws another line. “If she has a map of the foreseeable future and showed it to me, it obviously makes sense that I should answer in kind.”

“But,” Raphael points out, “this is the most desperate thing he’s done this week.”

“Zip it.” He caps his pen, holding his diagram up and walking off to his newly obtained whiteboard. “Besides, it’s not a comprehensive flow chart—attempting to list every possible conversation thread would be futile. It's simply a visual aid to remember the general actions I should take in any given situation.” Although you have been promising to “teach him a thing or two” about plot structure one on one, a part of him thinks it appropriate to make the first move. It appears to be the gallant thing to do, anyhow.

Mikey hops over the table, following one of the paths with his finger. “How come you have a shark on this one?”

“Oh,” he nods, “that’s in case she decides to go to the beach and gets attacked by a shark.”

“And why are there these Xs on this one?”

“That signifies the end of one of our lives.”

“And the hearts?”

He blushes. “I’m not answering that.”

Raph shudders. “Man, this just feels gross. I can already feel the secondhand disgust.”

“Raphael,” Donatello sighs, “love is a complex enigma that, if not thoroughly considered and tailored, will crumble before your very eyes. I cannot and will not destroy what little relationship we have by being reckless. Besides,” he scoffs, “in what other possible manner could I ask her out?”

“Hey, Y/N,” Leo offers, “let’s hang out.”

“See, that’s too pedestrian.” He gestures to the poster. “Trust in the—”

You slam through the door. Donnie, apparently panicked, flips the board over with fumbling hands. “H-hey, Y/N. Hey.” He stands up properly, clearing his throat. “Hey.”

You point at him. “How do you feel about busting a corrupt disgrace to the title of scientist?”

“Good!” He peaks at his board, trying to steal himself. “Where are we headed?”

“A neuroscientist by the name of Rockwell got mutated.” You start heading out. “Asshole in question is Victor Falco, AKA Feral Falco, AKA The Rat King if we don’t haul ass. He’s at Rockwell’s lab.”

“Awesome. Let’s go.” He runs after you, shooting a thumbs-up back at his brothers.

You are going to murder a man tonight. Probably. Hopefully not. Depends on how hard it is to wreck his shit. You have been stalking the Channel 6 news for about a week now, waiting for the jackass to show up, and now that he has? You are not about to let him become the monster you knew he could and would become.

“So,” Donnie startles you, lost in thought, “how was your first day of class?”

“It was fine. Met Casey, avoided Irma like the plague, all that jazz.” You turn a right.

“Casey?”

“Casey Jones. Hockey player, real bad at math.”

“A guy?” He seems interested in this subject for some reason.

“Yup.” You reach into your bag, wrapping your fingers around your kitchen knife, hands already shaking. If you must kill him, you will make it quick. “My age.”

“Oh.” He sighs. “That’s… nice.”

‘Can I just take him to the police? I don't have any evidence. This is breaking and entering.’

He clears his throat. “Y/N?”

“Hm?”

“We’re here.”

You look up at the building, sigh. “So we are.”

He moves in front of you, moving to meet you at eye-level. “Is there anything I need to know before we go in?”

You take a deep breath. “The man in the lab coat is the perp. We need to take him down, first and foremost. He may act a fool, but he’s accountable for the mutation of his partner. We either have to incapacitate, convict or, if necessary, kill him.”

He swallows. “This guy is that bad?”

“Not yet.” You start pulling the knife out properly as you push the door open with your clothed arm. “But it’s best to pull a weed out from the root.”

He follows you closely.

You look down at your phone to double-check that this is the offending room. “Here.” You back up, gesturing to the door eccentrically, heart pounding in your chest. “This is the room.”

He approaches you, brow furrowed. “Y/N,” he asks cautiously, “don’t take this the wrong way, but you look sick. Are you alright?”

You nod. “Nervous is all. Haven’t done this sort of thing before.”

He offers a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry.” He gives you a thumbs up. “I’ll be with you every step of the way, alright?”

Your knuckles go white around the grip as you try to release some tension. ‘Don’t choke. That’s his job.’ “Yeah.” You return it. “Oh, are you free tomorrow night? I still have to give you that lesson.”

His face lights up. “Y-yeah! Totally!” He grins eagerly. “Should I go to your place? At what time?”

“We’ll hash out the details on the way back.” You look prominently to the lock. “Now, I take it you have some gadget or gizmo to help us open this bad boy?”

He kneels, pulling a device from the utility belt on his hip and sliding it into the card reader. “Of course.”

The door lets out a harsh buzz, the light turning green. You pull your sleeve forward onto your hand, pushing the door open.

The room smells like metal and mold and decay, a certain lethality hanging in the air when you enter. You stay close to the wall, pulling down a lever to illuminate the harsh laboratory in an even harsher light. And there, caught frozen as he pockets a vial, is Victor Falco.

His eyes flicker towards the door.

You tackle him to the ground, shifting your weight back onto his legs, and pin his arms above his head. “Donnie,” you call, stopping his struggling with a knife pressed against his neck, “would you be so kind as to find a few things for me? I can tell you where they are in the room, but I’m a bit preoccupied.”

“Uh, sure.” His voice sounds strange to you. Tight. Nervous? Confused? You ignore it for now.

“What is the meaning of this,” the scientist bellows from underneath you. “I demand you give me an explanation!”

“Oh be quiet, traitor.” You press the blade against his skin. “We both know the crime you’ve committed against your partner.”

His eyes widen.

You keep your eyes locked on him at all times. “The first thing you’re looking for is a container of mutagen. When you get to the desk, you should see 2 stacks of drawers.”

You do not hear his footsteps. “Mhm.”

“The bottom left drawer has a false bottom. If you pull it up, you’ll find a canister of mutagen.”

You hear the drawer slide open, the shuffling of papers. “Got it.”

“Fantastic. Now, on the desk should be a flash drive belonging to Rockwell. Grab that.”

“How could you possibly know?” You feel his wrist tense as he clenched his fist. “I was so thorough.”

“I’m psychic,” you lie, smiling coldly. “Be happy I met you here and not in your home.”

“Anything else?”

“Whatever is in his pockets, besides car keys and a wallet. You’re getting new chemicals.”

The doctor does not seem to like that idea. He starts writhing underneath you.

“If you don’t stop moving,” you sigh, bringing the knife up and down quickly, hovering over his left eye, “you, a neuroscientist, will have the pleasure of discovering firsthand if what people say about losing your depth perception is true. See, I’ve always heard that it settles, but I’m more than happy to see it happen firsthand if you’ll indulge me.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“You aren’t sure.” You chuckle darkly, fingers wrapping tighter still around his wrists. “I don’t need to be a psychic to feel your shaking.”

Out of the corner of your eye, you see a green blob crouch down, pulling vials from his pockets.

“You’re a child.”

“And yet I’m the one holding a knife to you.” ‘Why am I so calm?’ “You’re selfish. You’re prideful. You won’t try anything because I know you to be cowardly, and you won’t say anything,” you nod, “because, if you did, you would have to admit to breaking into your missing partner’s lab, and deal with the backlash regarding me and my associate bringing that hard drive to the police and letting them connect the dots.” You smile sweetly. “Donnie, would you be so kind as to get some distance between you and Mr. Falco?” You do not look over at him, focused on the current task. “If he pulls anything, you need to be able to bring that to the police.”

“Got it.” A few seconds pass. “I’m by the door.”

You slide the carving knife in that general direction. “Goodnight, Falco.” You grab his hair, slamming his head against the ground once as you leap to your feet. You grab the knife, sprinting towards the door. “And that is our cue to leave.”

Donatello, who is having interesting feelings about the whole thing, appears to have been snapped out of some sort of trance. He nods, and the both of you exit the scene.

--

You wipe your mouth on your sleeve, shaking as you rest your chin on the edge of the dumpster. “T-thanks,” you smile shakily. “I appreciate it, really.”

“Not at all.” He let your locks fall from his hand. “I imagine it’s hard, what with having hair and all.” He helps you down from your perch on a stack of crates. “Are you feeling alright now?”

“Besides my mouth tasting like stomach acid? Never better.” You sigh, rubbing your face with your hands. “Sorry. The nerves just kinda…” you trail off, cheeks dusted pink. “Well, you get the idea.”

“It’s alright, really.” He smiles fondly. “You were really bold in there. It was really cool.”

“I don’t feel cool. I feel the opposite of cool.” You start down the alleyway. “But at least we stopped a ton of problems in its tracks.”

You hear a primal cry as a large primate lands in front of you.

You look him in the eyes, already tired of this episode. “Good evening, Dr. Rockwell.”

His eyes snap to Donatello, who was already unsheathing his bo staff. You look over your shoulder at him. “Chill out. He’s cool.”

“He’s a giant monkey!”

“Dude, he’s a well-esteemed scientist.” You turn to face him properly, holding his arms out to get some proper separation. “Put the effin stick down.”

“But—” He stops, takes a deep breath, and sheathes the staff. “Alright. I’ll trust you.” He seems almost disturbed by your apparent ease.

You turn back to face him properly, smiling. “Doctor,” you nod, “your partner will be of no concern to you from this point onward. Rest assured; his research has been halted.” Your tone is politely respectful.

The wild eyes of the primate calm. He seems to at least sense the general sentiment. He nods once, leaping up onto the nearest rooftop and disappearing into the night.

You nod in satisfaction, looking back at the stunned Donatello.

“He calmed down so easily.”

“He has a human mind, for the most part.” You shrug, continuing down the alley. “Let’s head back. Man, if you dad knew the kind of trouble I just got him out of.” You giggle at his dumbstruck expression, walking backward to keep facing him. “Well, are you just gonna stand there lookin pretty or are you going to come with?”

His face goes red. He nods once, hurrying after you.

You two walk quietly for a little over a minute. “Hey, uh, can I ask you something?”

“Totally.” You decide to bite the bullet and pull of the manhole cover. “What’s up?”

“Why do you call him that?”

“Call who what?” You start climbing down.

“You know, not call him Master Splinter.” He pulls the cover back on, landing beside you. “You always call him my dad or Yoshi or Mr. Hamato.”

“Well,” you shrug, “he’s your dad, right?”

“I’m not saying it’s a problem,” he clarified, “or that’s it’s incorrect, but most people—myself included—refer to him as Master Splinter.”

You start walking with him. “Don’t take this the wrong way, Donnie,” you sigh, “but, if I can help it, I honestly hope I never have to call him that.”

“Why?” He walks beside you, eyes tracing your figure subtlety.

“Didn’t I already say?” You nod back in the direction you guys came from. “You saw how I acted back there. This is only episode six or seven. The trauma I’d have to go through as a ninja here would kill me,”

“But you have the guts for it.” His voice is certain. “You’re strong enough, mentally, to be a ninja.”

You pause, your throat catching. You wonder if he would still think so if he had seen how you had spent your nights.

He clears his throat, blushing again. “I think you are, anyway.”

You wrap your arms around his neck, burying your face in the crook of his neck silently. You feel him seize up under you. “Thank you,” you mumble.

He slowly relaxes, snaking his arms around your waist and pulling you closer. He rests his head on top of yours gently. Slowly, he buries his hand in your hair. He is always so warm— he makes you feel oddly safe. This is only the second time you have been this physically close to him, but you don’t think for a moment that he would try anything.

You back off, clearing your throat as your cheeks catch fire. “Sorry,” you smile timidly. “I’ve just been… I’m not usually this clingy.”

He blinks out of his stupor, looking down at you. “Huh? Oh, don’t worry about it.” He grinned giddily, almost drunk. “Y-You are all good.”

You swallow. “I’ve gotta do an introduction type project for school, so I gotta get back home.” You walk back in the direction you two came. “Come to my place at about seven tomorrow. I’ll order food.”

He nods, body relaxed. “Seven. Got it.” He does.

You wave, walking back to the ladder. “Then I’ll see you then.”

He stands there, watching you leave. As soon as he hears the sliding of the manhole cover back into place, he takes a moment to celebrate the victory before starting to walk back to the lair.

‘I got a date!’

Table of Contents

Chapter 5

Chapter 6, Part 2

#tmnt donnie #donnie x reader #2012 donnie #donnie #donatello x reader #tmnt donatello #donatello #tmnt #tmnt fanfiction #tmnt 2012 #tmnt 2k12 #tmnt x reader #teenage mutant ninja turtles 2012 #teenage mutant ninja turtles #nyc #x reader #self insert

[thegoodgayshit]

Luz’s mother really doesn’t want to send Luz to camp. She knows once she leaves, there is no going back. But Luz has a knack for getting into trouble, and one day she stumbles into the same type of people her mother would have preferred she avoided. After helping Luz dissolve her high school bully into dust, Eda and Lilith know right away that this kid is just like them - a child of the gods. So Luz hops on a Pegasus and heads to Camp Half-blood, where she embarks on a dangerous quest that makes her both friends and enemies... and she might even save Olympus along the way.

Chapter Eighteen: We Crash Hexside High’s Junior Prom

Amity left the café in a more than sour mood. She practically stomped the whole way back to the hideout. Luz watched her warily, not really knowing what to say. She had thought Aphrodite had been really nice, all things considered. She had no idea why Amity was so upset.

Eventually, she tried to talk to her. “Your mom was pretty cool, Amity.”

Amity spun around, her anger now directed onto Luz, and she flinched. Her eyes were murderous.

“Uh…” Luz held up her hands, terrified. “Or not?”

Something changed in Amity’s face, and she deflated. “Sorry, Luz. I’m not angry at you. I just… I didn’t realize how much my siblings were like my mom. That whole conversation was a little overwhelming.”

“It’s alright, Amity,” Luz said with a smile. “You haven’t seen your mom in like seven years. It makes sense that you didn’t know what to expect.”

Amity scoffed. “That’s an understatement.”

Luz nudged her with her shoulder, unable to keep the grin off her face. “But hey, on the bright side, this could be a pretty fun side quest.”

Amity looked at Luz with something that read somewhere between disbelieving and amused. “A side quest?”

Luz nodded eagerly. “Yeah! Like Azura and Hecate. They go on side quests all the time. It’s what makes an adventure an adventure!” She leaned lower to the ground, waggling her eyebrows playfully.

“Luz and Amity, joined by their fearless demigod friends tackle another impossible mission: The Heist of the High School Prom! Will they succeed, and continue on their great quest to save Olympus? Or will they be unable to recover the artifact and be forced to continue their quest empty-handed?”

Amity rolled her eyes, but she was unable to keep the smile off her face. “You’re ridiculous.”

“But am I wrong?” Luz teased, and Amity laughed. Luz felt her stomach swell as she watched Amity chuckle to herself. But then she was reminded right away of how similar Aphrodite’s laugh had been to Amity’s.

Luz swallowed nervously. She had a feeling she had missed something really obvious during the chat with Aphrodite, and she was starting to think she knew what, but every time she started to consider them she was painfully reminded about what happened last time. Clearing her throat nervously, she felt relief wash over her when she realized they were back at the workshop.

“Guys!” Gus greeted them gleefully as they entered. He was holding up a suit bag, his face split into a wide grin. “My mom sent us formal wear!”

“Not your mom,” Luz said, unable to mask her own excitement. “Aphrodite. We’re going on a heist!”

“What?” Willow asked, frowning. She had opened the fridge and had been working on fixing up some dinner for the four demigods, (it looked pretty good: she wondered if being the goddess of the harvest boosted the quality of her cooking, those sweet potatoes looked fantastic) and waved for them to sit down at the table. Luz popped the top of a lime soda, sitting down next to Amity and Willow while Gus practically threw the suit bag on the worktable to sit down.

Luz launched into the story about meeting Aphrodite while they ate, skipping over a few details, like how she wasn’t able to focus, or the weird things Aphrodite said about Amity and Luz. She wouldn’t even know how to start that conversation normally, and since she was still trying to piece it together herself, she just cut to the mission.

“Awesome!” Gus said when she finished, “Peleus’ shield is supposed to be magical as well. So if that’s what we’re going after, then Luz’s sword is probably the other magical item that Aphrodite said goes with it.”

Luz blinked. She hadn’t thought of that. Her hand reached over to hover over Aletheia. While she loved her sword, she had never been good at using a shield at camp. Maybe it would be different when they found the sword.

“We’re going to need a plan, and Aphrodite gave us a good cover story,” Amity said, her face pinched in annoyance at the mention of her mother. “But that’s not going to be enough to get to the shield.”

Gus hummed. “I’ll work something out when we get there. Until then, everybody should just pretend this is a normal prom.”

“Gus is right,” Willow added, reaching into the wardrobe to pull out a dress bag. It had a sticky note that was labeled with her name. “Blend in, mingle, act like the other kids. It’s our best shot at keeping our real mission discreet.”

“Alright!” Luz cheered, pumping her fist in the air. “We’re going to prom!”

The four of them broke off on their own to get ready. Willow and Amity called first dibs on the bathroom, which suited Luz and Gus just fine. Luz walked toward the wardrobe and picked up the garnment bag that was labeled “LUZ” and tentatively brought her hand to the zipper.

It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Aphrodite to pick out something good for Luz, after all, she was the goddess of beauty. And she had seen what Luz always wanted to wear to a dance. Luz had just always struggled to pick something to wear that she liked. Her style was pretty hard to shop for.

When she peeked inside the garment bag, she practically squealed in delight. It was perfect. She couldn’t wait for her turn to use the bathroom to change. Like, well, magic, a changing curtain appeared immediately around her, with a full-length mirror and end table to her right.

Gods bless Athena.

Luz didn’t think she had ever changed so fast in her life. Once she buttoned up her clothes, Luz used the conveniently placed workshop mirror to get ready, her back to Gus, who got ready on the other side of the room. She used her brush and some gel to slick her hair back and she rummaged around the drawers until she found an unopened mascara and blush. She didn’t love makeup, but she figured this was just the right amount for her to wear to a prom.

Taking a deep breath, she looked in the mirror. Once she caught sight of her reflection, she couldn’t look away, a huge smile spreading across her face.

At first glance, she had thought her suit was black, but now that she looked at it she realized it was actually a midnight blue, that had been altered to fit her like a glove. Her dress shirt was silvery-white, and she had a dark maroon suit vest button up and paired with a matching bowtie. Aphrodite had even given her an additional matching set of black leather oxfords (with a bit of a heel to add about an inch of height) and a belt. She did a spin, her heart hammering in excitement. She looked so regal and mature… she easily could have passed for sixteen or seventeen.

It was so, so, perfect. Aphrodite was right: she hadn’t needed the tutu after all. She could get used to this.

She looked over to the garment bag to make sure she didn’t miss anything when she saw something at the bottom and frowned. She reached in and pulled out two little boxes, and gently opened them. She gasped, her eyes widening.

A matching corsage and boutonniere, in the same dark maroon as her vest and bowtie. The flower She opened the boutonniere and carefully pinned it to her jacket. Aphrodite must have made a mistake, there was no reason she needed both. She stuck it into the pocket of her suit pants, deciding she would worry about it later.

Once she had decided she was done, the makeshift changing room melted away around her, disappearing. She turned around to see Gus dressed and ready as well. He was wearing a perfectly fitted deep green suit with a silver dress shirt, and he had tucked his camp necklace under his shirt collar and was fiddling with a bow tie around his neck. His tongue was sticking out of his mouth in focus, but when he saw Luz he stopped in his tracks and whistled.

“Woah, look at you.”

“Look at you!” Luz replied, but her face was pinking in delight. She fiddled with the cuffs of her jacket, and Gus chuckled.

“Aphrodite must have known our sizes because these are practically tailored to us.”

Luz couldn’t help but agree. She wondered if Aphrodite could size a person’s… well, size… just by looking at them.

“Guys! You can use the bathroom now… oh, never mind,” Willow popped her head out of the bathroom, and her face split into an ecstatic grin when she saw them, and she made her way towards them. “You two look fantastic!”

Aphrodite had given Willow an off the shoulder green mid-length dress that puffed out at the hips, the waistband wrapped in a color that was an elegant gold. She had never seen Willow wear makeup, but she was wearing dark green eye makeup and pink lipstick that Luz thought suited her well. She had kept her camp necklace on, and had been given a pair of small gold hoops that matched the gold band. She was also wearing gold flats, with a supportive band at the bottom. Perfect footwear for a heist.

Luz’s grin returned, “Thanks! I love your dress. Green really is your color.”

Willow blushed, waving her hand embarrassingly. “Aw, shucks.”

“She’s right, Willow,” Gus said with a grin. “Look, we’re even matching.” He snapped his fingers like he had just figured out a puzzle, and reached into his garment bag. “Here, I have a corsage that matches our outfits. We must be each other’s prom dates as a cover story.”

Willow awed and took the corsage from him. It was a green and white flower that matched both their outfits perfectly. Willow put hers around her wrist, and Gus pinned his right where Luz had pinned hers. When they finished, they beamed, giving each other a thumbs up.

“Looking good!” Gus cheered, and Willow laughed.

Luz, however, had been frowning and watching the whole interaction, one hand reaching up to touch her own boutonniere, the other touching the corsage in her pocket.

“Wait, I don’t understand… why did I get both-”

“Luz? Gus? Are you guys not going to use the bathroom?” Amity’s voice called from the door, and when Luz looked up her heart just about leaped out of her chest.

She had changed into a deep maroon off the shoulder dress that came to just around her knees. It had lace sleeves that came to just above her elbows, and Luz saw her amethyst pendant hanging around her neck, sitting right between her collarbones. She had leather heeled shoes to go with her outfit, giving her at least two inches of height. Her mint hair was pulled up in its usual style, with a couple of loose pieces framing her face.  She had even done her makeup, like Luz and Willow, but it was a lot more neutral. Though she did have eyeliner wings so sharp it could cut glass and dark lipstick that was a perfect match for her dress.

For a couple of moments Luz couldn’t do anything but stare, and she was painfully aware of the awkward tension growing around the as Willow and Gus exchanged a confused look. Amity was blinking at Luz as well, her cheeks pinking as she took in Luz, and she realized she was probably making a scene and should definitely look away. Or at least answer her question.

But when she tried, all that came out was “Uh… your dress… wow.”

Amity’s cheeks reddened, somehow making her look even prettier than she already did, and Luz swallowed hard.

Willow started laughing hysterically.

“What?” Gus said, turning to her in annoyance. “What’s the problem? Did I miss a joke?”

Luz pinched the inside of her arm hard. Tearing her eyes away from Amity, she forced herself to look at Willow and Gus instead. “Right, so I think we’re all good here. Everyone looks… prom-ey. Should we start making our way to the university?”

Willow, who was still chuckling to herself, nodded. “Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Gus and I were checking the map earlier, it should be a thirty-minute bus ride.”

Amity scoffed, “my mom would come down from Olympus and murder us if we voluntarily took the bus in these clothes. She gave us money earlier for a cab there.”  

“We should bring our stuff,” Gus said seriously, finally managing to tie his bowtie (even if it was a little crooked). “We don’t know if we’ll be able to come back here after we take the shield.”

“That’s true,” Amity added. “The local authorities will probably be looking for us.”

Something moved next to them, and when Luz looked over, she saw their backpacks, fully restocked and sitting ready to go. One had even been added for Amity, a maroon one that when she saw, she winced.

“I guess I know for sure now my backpack got destroyed by Achilles,” she said with a grumble, slinging it over her shoulder. “I’m going to kill that guy.”  

“What about our weapons?” Willow asked, holding her kopis in her hand. With her dress, she didn’t really have anywhere to put it.

“My spear is here,” Gus said, opening his jacket to reveal the retracted spear strapped to his side.

“I have my ring…” Luz said unhelpfully, her hand hovering over it.

“Mine’s under my skirt,” Amity said causally, and Luz’s mouth dropped.

“It is?” She asked, shocked.

The demigod blushed, and she crossed her arms. “Yeah, it is. Your sword is shorter than mine Willow, it’s not totally comfortable, but it’ll fit.”

Once that issue was sorted out, they were ready to go. They left Athena’s workshop, and Luz pulled out her phone and called a cab. Willow and Gus walked down the street to patrol the area for monsters and make sure they weren’t going to be followed.

While she got the chance, Luz checked her phone for texts from her Mami, finding one from the day before.

How is your field trip, mija?

Luz typed back a response.

It’s great, Mami. I’m going to a dance tonight with my camp friends.

“Who are you texting?”

Luz jumped, turning to Amity who was watching her with interest.

“My Mami,” Luz admitted, feeling terrible for using her phone. She stuck it in her pocket and felt it brush against something. The corsage.

“You don’t need to feel guilty,” Amity said slowly, running her hand up her arm nervously. “I’m glad she wants to make sure you're ok. It’s sweet how much you care about her.”

Luz felt that thumping in her heart again while she listened to Amity talk. She found herself starting again, and Amity’s cheeks pinked at the intensity of it. Luz mentally hit herself. She had to stop freaking her out like that.

“Luz, there’s something I wanted to ask you…” Amity said, her blush deepening. “I… I know this isn’t a real Prom… but since we’re using it as a cover story and we want it to be realistic… would you want to maybe… I don’t know…”

She had no idea what compelled her to interrupt Amity, but she reached into her pocket and pulled out the corsage, extending it to Amity slowly.

“I found this in my garment bag. Would you want it?”

Amity blinked, taken aback. “What?”

“It’s a corsage, and it matches your dress,” Luz said stupidly. What was she doing? Why did she need to interrupt Amity like that to say something so dumb?

Amity reached out slowly and took it. “Oh, thanks.”

She opened it and put it around her wrist, and Luz realized with a jolt that Amity was disappointed. Why was she disappointed? Had Luz done something wrong?

There was that jolt in her stomach again. It was getting stronger and stronger every time it happened around Amity. She didn’t want to disappoint her. She racked her brain, trying to think of why she would have hurt Amity’s feelings just now.

Then, she remembered what Aphrodite had said to Luz, and the fluttering got so strong she was amazed she didn’t pass out.

“You'rere affected by my charms. This is good news for you, daughter.”

“I’m sorry, my lady. I don’t understand.”

“You will, daughter of Hermes.”

Oh. Oh. Oh.

Luz understood, and the weight of it almost flattened her. GODS, how was she so dense? Amity hadn’t been uncomfortable around her. Well, maybe she had, but it wasn’t because Luz was scaring her off. It was the exact opposite. And she… well. She hadn’t gotten off on the best foot with Amity when they’d met, but they’d come such a long way and Luz was so confused. Her tongue tied in knots, and she was starting to sweat. But she couldn’t mess this up. She wasn’t going to give herself the opportunity to. So, she hesitantly smiled at Amity who wasn’t looking at her.

“It… it matches my suit too,” she added awkwardly sticking her hands in her pockets nervously. Amity looked up quickly in surprise, her gold eyes widening. That was a better response than disappointment. Luz figured she should just go from there.

“Maybe we could be each other’s like… dates? To help with the cover story and everything.”

Amity blinked for a couple more seconds in shock, and Luz felt herself begin to panic.

“I mean… we don’t have to if you would rather just stick to the original story-”

“No!” Amity said quickly, and Luz jumped at the volume of it.

“Sorry,” she added, lowering her voice. Despite the awkwardness of the whole conversation, she was beaming. “I mean, yes. That sounds perfect.”

Luz laughed nervously, but she was also smiling. “Alright, great. You’re my date then.”

“Yeah,” Amity said, her cheeks pinking. “I’m your date.”

Luz wasn’t quite sure what she was going to say next, but it didn’t seem to matter because the cab was suddenly pulling up, and Willow and Gus were back at their sides.

“Ready to go?” Gus asked them, and Luz nodded, letting gesturing for him to get in the cab. Willow turned to look at Amity and Luz suspiciously.

“Why do you two look like that? Did you get into a fight or something?”

“No!” Luz said quickly, and Amity also shook her head. “No, of course not.”

Willow hummed, unconvinced, but shrugged, getting into the cab next. “Okay.”

After she got in, Luz gestured for Amity to go next. “After you.”

Amity pinked, but slid in after her, and Luz got in last, shutting the door with a bang. The cab driver looked at them in his mirror.

“Where are you kids headed dressed so nice?”

“The University of Denver,” Luz said, “for our Prom.”

The cabbie raised his brows. “What, you can’t afford a Limo?”

The four of them looked at each other, and Luz wasn’t really sure what she was going to say next.

“We had one,” Amity replied, feigning a look of hurt. “We paid our deposit but the driver never showed. We won’t let that stop us from enjoying our prom though.”

“That’s terrible customer service,” the driver said with a gasp, tisking. “What kind of company scams kids? Tell you what, I’ll take you there for free.”

“You don’t need to do that, sir,” Amity said quickly, “we appreciate it, but it’s a long drive.”

The driver shook his head. “No, I insist. You’re only teenagers once. Here, I have an aux cord for customers. Play whatever you’d like.”

So Luz plugged in her phone (he’d already offered, and why not?) and the driver blasted her guilty pleasures playlist all the way there. When they were about ten minutes away, Luz heard her phone buzz, and it was a reply from her Mami.

A dance? How fun! I’m so happy you’re making friends, mija. Do you have a date for this dance???

Luz usually would have gotten upset at this question, especially since her Mami knew what had happened at the last dance she went to. But instead, she smiled. Because she did have a date, even if it wasn’t exactly a real one.

“Guys, could we take a picture to send to my Mami?” Luz asked, and everyone around her nodded, and Gus even whooped in excitement at the idea of a group picture. Making sure she didn’t get too much of the cab in the background (her Mami would ask way too many questions) Luz and her friends huddled around and smiled. Luz snapped a couple, before humming and shaking her head.

“Cute, but it’s not really us. Let’s do a group hug!”

Willow and Gus laughed and reached around to hug everybody’s shoulders. Luz extended her left arm around Amity, pulling her close. Amity’s cheeks pinked furiously, but she was laughing too when Luz grinned and took the picture. When she looked at it, she couldn’t help but let herself enjoy the moment. It was perfect.

She showed her friends the picture, and then she sent it to her Mami, along with a follow-up text.

I do :) This is Amity, and my two friends Willow and Gus.

When the cab pulled up, and the driver let them out, Amity discreetly slipped the cash Aphrodite had given them into the passenger seat. The driver wished them goodnight, and then they were there, outside the hall at the university that was hosting the event. It seemed to be one of the main buildings, and it was decorated outside with flowing magenta and silver balloons. Above the door was a huge banner with the words “Hexside Highschool Junior Prom”. All around them, teenagers just a little older than them were making their way inside, but nobody seemed to pass them any kind of look.

Perfect, they were blending right in.

Gus lead them to around the side of the building, away from the prying eyes of the prom guests.

“Right,” Gus said, and the four of them got into a huddle. “I used the workbench earlier to plan our heist and I have a plan. Right now, we’re two buildings over from the classics department where they keep the shield. We should stay here for a little bit, keep up the face, and then as pairs leave inconspicuously out the back exit and head across the yard to the building. We break inside, take the shield, and regroup at the prom entrance.”

He took off his backpack, pulling out a black cloth from inside.

“There are masks to hide our identity. The place has cameras everywhere except the back exit. The second you leave, put them on. We don’t want to get followed by mortal police.”

They each took their masks out, and Luz and Gus stuffed them into their pockets. Amity and Willow frowned, holding onto them.

“I can take that,” Luz said, extending her hand out to Amity. “I’ll give it to you later.”

“But we haven’t decided how we’re splitting up yet!” Gus said, and Luz frowned.

“What do you mean? It’s obvious to split ourselves up by our prom dates. It’ll look less suspicious. You and Willow go together, and I’ll go with Amity.”

Next to her, Amity flushed and handed Luz her mask, and Willow’s eyes lit up in excitement. Gus just shrugged.

“Alright, that works. Let’s ditch the rest of our stuff here in this bush until we come back for it later.”

Once they’d concealed their backpacks, the four of them walked up the steps and tried not to draw any attention to themselves. When they walked inside, Luz’s heart sank. It lead to the main room, clearly where the party was, but there was a security guard outside checking tickets. Luz’s heart sank.

“What are we going to do?” Luz hissed to Willow and Gus, who shrugged their shoulders helplessly. Next to her, Amity sighed, and Luz turned to look at her. Her eyes were narrowed in determination.

“Don’t worry. I’ve got this.”

The three of them shared a confused glance, but they didn’t have much time to question it before the couple in front of them walked in, and they were next.

“Tickets?” The security guard, a buff dude with blond hair, asked.

Amity’s shoulders slouched, and she ducked her head. “I’m so sorry sir, but we left them in the limo and don’t have them anymore! I swear we bought them though. Can you please just let us in?”

Luz bit the inside of her lip. There was no way that was going to work! Security guards had to deal with kids like them all the time, there was no chance-

The guard’s shoulders slouched to Amity’s level, and his eyes grew watery. “Oh, how terrible is that! On the night of your junior prom and everything… that’s no problem, miss. You and your friends head right inside.”

“Thank you so much, sir. You really are too kind.” Amity said quickly, grabbing Luz by the arm and dragging her inside with Willow and Gus trailing them. “Have a fantastic night.”

Luz struggled to pick up her jaw. “How did you just do that?”

“I didn’t know you could use charmspeak,” Willow added, looking quite surprised herself.

Amity sighed rubbing the back of her neck. “I can’t. It’s not charmspeak.”

“It’s Aphrodite’s Passion!” Gus said gleefully from behind them. Once they had walked inside the dark room lit up by flashing lights, they headed to a corner where they could talk privately.

“Aphrodite’s what?” Luz exclaimed, shocked.

“It’s a skill some of my mom’s kids have. It’s not as overpowering as charmspeak.” Amity explained quietly.

“Aphrodite’s Passion is when a person is inclined to listen and sympathize with the user. It doesn’t force anybody to do anything they wouldn’t otherwise do, but it does incentivize the target into acting out of empathy,” Gus added.

“How is that different from charmspeak?” Willow asked, confused.

“Charmspeak is foolproof and often results in loss of memory or confusion. It comes from the more manipulative side of Aphrodite, and is superficial at heart” Gus added, and then grimaced, turning back to Amity with an awkward smile. “No offense.”

“None taken,” Amity said with a shrug. “I can’t use it all the time anyway, I have to be in a certain mental state to get it right… I just had a feeling it would work today and well, I guess I got lucky.”

“What mental state do you have to be in,” Luz asked curiously, and Amity cleared her throat.

“I… It’s hard to explain…”

“It doesn’t matter right now,” Willow said quickly, regaining everybody’s focus. “What matters is the mission.”

The four of them nodded.

“Right,” Luz said seriously. “Let’s split up and enjoy the party.”

“I’m going to the free food,” Gus said excitedly, and Amity laughed.

“I wouldn’t mind some free stuff. I’ll go with you.” She turned to Luz with a smile. “Do you want me to get you a drink?”

Luz grinned. “Yeah, sure!”

The two demigods walked away, leaving Luz and Willow to themselves. Willow turned to Luz with a wide grin.

“So you finally asked Amity out then? Good for you, Luz!”

Luz’s stomach clenched hard. “What do you mean asked her out?”

Willow’s brow furrowed, and she frowned. “Well, she’s your prom date isn’t she?”

Luz felt her cheeks heating up. “I… I mean yeah…”

“And you gave her the corsage that matched the boutonniere?”

“Yes…”

“And I’ve seen the way you two look at each other. You like her, right?”

What a question. She wasn’t sure she wanted to answer that just yet. Not when something else big had pushed itself to the surface.

“Willow, what is Aphrodite supposed to look like?”

Willow blinked in surprise. A small smile started to pull on her lips. “Well, there are lots of rumors about what gods and goddesses look like by those who’ve seen them. They’re supposed to encompass the things they are known for and reveal secrets to demigods about things they may not have previously understood. So Aphrodite, who stands for beauty, passion, and love… well, you would see those qualities in yourself reflected in her.

Luz swallowed hard. Aphrodite’s smile… her laugh… gods, she’d even smelled like Amity.

Luz knew she thought Amity was beautiful, she’d accidentally told her enough times. But did Luz… love her? Luz certainly felt a lot of things about Amity. With everything between them going on, and the way this prophecy had intertwined them, was there something more to them than Luz had even realized yet?

As much as she refused to acknowledge it, the prophecy did call for something tragic. Could this be what Aphrodite had been talking about? The passionate story fueled by love in Luz’s heart? Was this love more than just her new love for camp, and for her friends? Luz's face was getting so hot, she was sure she was sweating right through her new dress shirt.

Who was Luz kidding? She had never been this important, or this special. She had certainly never warranted any kind of attention from somebody as incredible as Amity. In fact, people like Amity had been the reason she was hurt in the past. Was this worth trying? Worth pushing just to see what happened? Every fiber in Luz wanted to run, to protect herself.

But this… this wasn’t about Maya. This was about Amity. And they had already been through so much together, she had to at least try. She had to at least take the leap of faith.

Willow smiled, nudging Luz with her shoulder. “Luz, if you ever want to talk, I’m always ready to listen.”

Luz turned to Willow gratefully. “I know, Willow. And I’m probably going to take you up on that soon.”

“I figured,” Willow said her eyes training onto something behind Luz. “But how about for right now, you just focus on making the magic happen?”

Luz turned her head and saw Amity coming back towards her, with two cups in her hand and a big smile on her face. Luz’s breath caught in her throat. Gods, Amity was just so pretty when she smiled. She felt that surge of panic come back, and the realization that this was happening hit her like a truck.

For whatever reason, in the middle of her panic, she remembered Eda, right before she accepted the prophecy.

“ You do have a choice. You’re allowed to look out for yourself if you need to. If this seems too much, you can take a moment to breathe.”

“Here you go,” Amity said, handing the cup to Luz. “They had lime soda. I saw you drinking it at the workshop so I figured it was a safe bet.”

Luz felt her heart jolt with affection, and the combination of that and Eda’s words in her head filled her with the same rush she had felt back when she’d accepted the prophecy.

Luz knew what she needed to do, and she was going to make sure she made the right choice. The sound of upbeat music filled the room, and with that so did her courage.

She reached over and took Amity’s cup from her, and handed them both to Willow. She turned back to a surprised Amity and extended her hand, smiling as confidently as she could.

“Amity, would you like to dance with me?”

#the owl house #Percy Jackson AU #lumity #luz x amity #shelby speaks

[danganronpa-21]

KKB Drabble - Starlight

‘Tis late in the night, but you know what? It is @capnii ’s birthday today! As such is the case, I wanted to make a little present for them. This time around, I decided to do a little drabble focused on their fankids! So here it is :0 Hopefully I did the characters justice!

No warnings to issue this time around. It’s a total fluff piece. Only thing that I ask is that you go wish Morg a happy birthday. Thank you!

________________________________________________________________

“Are you guys coming or what?” 

For words not meant tauntingly, it was difficult for Natsumi to not feel just a little mocked. Sure, Mei didn’t truly mean anything by it, but considering she was a bit more spry than the rest of them, she couldn’t help but purse her lips together. It wasn’t often that the four of them had to hike together anywhere, much less in the dark. Given that Mei was the most athletic of them, and additionally perhaps the one with the best night eyes apart from Kazuki, she didn’t think it was fair that she got the opportunity to tease them about being slow. How could that possibly be fair, Natsumi thought with a pout.  

“No worries, Asahina-san! We’re on our way!” Jun’ichi chirped happily, his voice distinctly not out of breath. Quietly, she couldn’t help but wonder if all of his years as a pop idol had made his lungs super powerful or something. She’d most certainly be lying if she said that she didn’t secretly hope she would someday have that level of strength. To have lungs so powerful that she would barely get winded when hiking up a blustery hill, even when flakes of snow were blowing into her face… that would be the dream. Right now, though, it was one that was rather far out of her grasp. The heaving of her chest proved as much as she glanced helplessly over at Kazuki, who seemed to be faring only a little better than she was. At least that much could sneak a grin across her face. 

Well, that, and the promise of a beautiful sight at the end of this long hike. Mei claimed it was among the most beautiful she’d ever seen, bar none. She’d been going on and on about having to bring them there with her for months, and it was only now that they’d managed to coordinate their schedules to make it happen. There had been a few hurdles for them to jump over to get there — convincing their parents to let them go out during the late hours of the night being one of them — but in the end, they managed to come out of it alright in the end… even if they did have to lie to her father about having a “study slumber party”. Pff. Like that was a thing. In a way though, she supposed that this little hint of teenage rebellion made the night feel all the more fun. Even if she would have to try and keep up the lie with her father, these sorts of memories were the kind she knew she would hold onto for the rest of her life. She couldn’t help wanting to drink it all in. 

Any other time, one might have been at least a little resentful of being made to trudge through a huge forest in the middle of February, but tonight she fully intended to relish it. It was true that the harsh wind and heavy hike were sucking much of the air from her lungs, but that was a struggle more easily overcome than one might think. She couldn’t deny herself the pleasure of watching all of the tall, naked trees, their branches swaying ever so slightly in the gusts that came and went. The air seemed to whistle softly as it swooped between them, reminding the world that even among its invisibility, it was still there. Every once in a while she could catch a furry creature scuttling up the trunks of those trees, the twitching noses of little squirrels poking out from the hiding spots that they were finding off of the snowy forest floor. Their tiny feet would certainly sense the cold much more than hers would, given that she had the advantage of warm winter boots crunching the winter’s dust beneath her feet. Thankfully though, the snow was pretty soft, falling gently from the sky until it eventually met its end on the ground — unless, of course, it didn’t. Glancing over at Kazuki and Jun’ichi, the two of them seemed to be getting a formidable amount of snow on their heads and shoulders. With Kazuki’s mess of brown hair and Jun’ichi’s striking blue, it came as no surprise that the flakes stood out on the two of them as well as they did. She wondered if they even noticed how impossibly perfect they looked, laughing and joking as the snow fell around them. 

“Alright, alright. I have another joke for you,” Jun’ichi said, still trying to recover from laughing at the last one he’d told, “What did the blanket say as it fell off the bed?”

Kazuki’s violet eyes made a full and exaggerated rotation, but a careless grin rested on his face to remind the other how much fun he was secretly having. The sight of it made Natsumi herself snicker; of course he wouldn’t try to play into Jun’ichi and his terrible jokes too much. Then he’d tell them all night, and who knows if they would get to enjoy Mei’s magnificent view? 

“We don’t know, Maizono-san. What did the blanket say as it fell off the bed?” Mei asked, glancing over her shoulder to look at him. “Did it say that you’re taking up our valuable hiking time to tell corny jokes?” 

Jun’ichi shot a pair of finger guns her way, sending both Mei and Kazuki into a spiral of amused eye rolls that time around. Natsumi wondered if she should perhaps start keeping track of how many times he got that out of them. She was almost certain that Jun’ichi would get quite the kick out of it. “That it did not, but I appreciate your participation!” 

Kazuki folded his arms across his chest, quirking a brow as he prepared himself for the answer he was pretending he didn’t want. “Then enlighten us, Maizono-san. What did it say?”

“What did the blanket say when it fell off the bed?” He began again, throwing in the cheesiest arm swing possible. ““Oh sheet!””

A cacophony of groans and sharp exhaling through the nose filled the night the moment the words left the ex-idol’s mouth, sending him into a fit of excessively pleased giggles. Why and how he developed such a talent for cheesy jokes, they didn’t know, but as much as they groaned now… she knew they would never want it to stop. 

Jun’ichi and the others, they would be what made this night so special to Natsumi. The view would be one thing, but the time she spent with the others would be so much more. She didn’t like to think about it too much lest she make herself sad, but one day, they might not have the time to do stuff like that anymore. The older they all grew, the closer they got to going their separate ways. While she did have other people she liked, none of them could be as special to her as these three. If she had it her way, she’d have liked to spend her whole life with them, watching them grow into the beautiful people she thought they could be. Singing alongside Jun’ichi on stage, watching Mei become the best veterinarian anyone had ever seen, and cheering Kazuki on as he became the world class detective everyone knew she was meant to be… Even if they were apart, she knew in her heart she could do all of that stuff in spirit, but being together in person was something more valuable than she could convey. If one day she had to let them go, then she wanted to have the happiest memories of them that she could possibly get. Tonight was something she wanted to be a part of that collection. 

“You think we have time for one more joke before we get there, Asahina-san?” 

Still trying to act as if he wasn’t grinning, Kazuki shook his head. “For everyone’s sake, Mei, please say no.” 

“Say yes!” Jun’ichi practically bounced up and down as they walked, like a cross between a skip and a full on hop. “C’mon, say yes! I’ve got a really good one!”

“I say we give him this last one and then no more,” Natsumi suggested, looking back and forth between her friends in hopes that they wouldn’t chide her for egging him on, “I think we’ll all go insane if it’s any more than this last one.”

Putting her hands on her hips, Mei let out a semi-amused, semi-exasperated sigh. “Fine. Just this one last joke. But then we should be there, so get it out while you can.”

Jun’ichi let out a whoop so loud that Natsumi cringed. The cry made her think about all of the people who lived near the forest, trying to sleep in their houses... and being woken up these rowdy teenagers plodding through the forest. For their sake, she prayed that they were heavy sleepers. Nobody needed to be woken up by shouting if at all possible.

“Alright, alright, okay…” He had to pause to get his bearings between his little fits of giggles. Potentially her favourite part of his jokes were the fact that he killed himself with them. This was definitely how she wanted to remember Jun’ichi in the future: laughing himself to tears over his own terrible humour. “Asahina-san, you have cats. You should know the answer to this one. How does your feline shop?”

Mei sighed yet again, her gaze focused on the road ahead as she led them forward. If they truly were as close as she said, then most of her focus would need to go towards navigating for them. She wouldn’t be surprised if the redhead was only half-listening. “I don’t know, Maizono-san. How do cats shop?”

Jun’ichi bit his lip in excitement for but a second, his fists curled tight as he fought to avoid bursting into hysterics. Out of the corner of her eye Natsumi could see Kazuki turning to exchange a glance with her, which she happily returned with raised eyebrows. They were both somehow dreading and anxiously awaiting the inevitable end of the jest.

“By reading a catalogue!” He finally burst out, sure to perform jazz hands as he burst into yet another fit of sniggering. 

“Oh that is just… awful,” Mei laughed, still not daring to look back at him, “How do you come with these things?”

“Just a natural talent, I guess,” He shrugged, offering a wink in spite of the fact that her back was turned to him, “Girls love guys with great senses of humour!” 

Though she knew it wasn’t for her, Natsumi took the opportunity to wink back at him anyway. “That we do! Someday, I hope I meet a guy like that… The kind who can make me laugh until I cry tears of joy!” She said dreamily, thinking about how romantic it would be to have someone like that. Her mind drifted almost instantly to Kazuki. Though the boy was not much of a jokester, he had other ways of making her laugh. He was super fun to tease, and god did he love to make memories. Just thinking about all of those times together flooded her with smiles, and she wished that he would keep at it as they journeyed farther. Into life? Into the forest? Either was fine with her. Being with him would be nice no matter where or how it was. Being with all of them, really, was the best.

“Whether or not your sense of humour can be called great is arguable, but I digress.” Mei looked back at them once again, a cheeky sparkle shining in her eyes. “Your supposedly superior humour paved our path to our destination. Take a look around, guys.”

Arms outstretched, Mei led them into the clearing, waiting patiently for each of them to consume the sight with hungry eyes. They followed excitedly behind, each of them moving their heads in different directions to get an eyeful of what she’d promised. The clearing they’d stepped into was small; small enough to be comfortable and intimate. Perfect for a soothing night of bonding among friends. It was its own gap in a smattering of strong trees that Natsumi thought must have been there for ages. They were so big, seemingly bigger than most of the others in the forest, boasting large trunks and elegant branches. She could only imagine what they would look like in the springtime, all bathed in rich green leaves. For now though, those branches held tightly to the same fallen snow that dusted the shoulders and hair of her and her friends. To the clearing’s edge there was a creek, with chilly waters trickling against well-placed rocks, creating the most gentle forest sound. It wasn’t quite cold enough for the water to freeze, but even if it had been, Natsumi felt sure it would be just as beautiful. Somehow, somehow… it wasn’t even the most breathtaking part. That award would go to the sky. The expanse of inky blackness stretched as far as the eye could see between the trees, and the whole blanket flecked with the brightest white stars. The only interruption to this was the full, creamy moon, shining down on them and illuminating them… like a spotlight on them in the midst of it all. They, too, got to be a part of the beauty.

“Oh wow, Mei…” It was Kazuki’s voice that snapped her out of her trance, his own awe bringing her back to the world, even if only partially. “It’s everything you said.”

“It really is,” Jun’ichi replied, his head tilted towards the stars just as Natsumi’s own was, “Unlike anything I’ve ever seen.” 

“Me, too.”

Though she is not looking at her, the joy in Mei’s voice was unmistakable. In the simplest way of wording it, she could hear her smile. “As soon as I saw it, I knew I had to share it with you guys.” 

Makes sense, Natsumi thought fondly. When I saw it, I thought of all of you, too.

[skullrock]

the partners | Steve x Reader

chapter one: please, please, please, let me get what I want 

series summary: you and Steve are police apprentices at Hawkins Police Station in the fall of 1986. you get along famously, but there’s something Steve is hiding, and there is an unknown evil lurking in Hawkins. [friends to lovers, angst, hurt/comfort, fluff]

chapter summary: Steve finally agrees to hang out outside of work. 

warnings: swearing, 80s music 

word count: 2.4k

a/n: this chapter is mainly a ton of exposition, but it’s gonna get better I PROMISE. huge thank ya to @wolfish-willow​ who gave me some beautiful ideas (milky coffee + danish loving Steve) that helped this fic come to fruition <3 enjoy!

--

You pull into Hawkin’s Police Department at 7:30, a half hour before your shift. There are two coffees in the cup holders of your car, and a paper bag filled with two pastries on the passenger seat. You pull in beside your partner’s car and he hops out, a smile plastered on his face. He crawls into your passenger side and grabs the bag.

“This one’s yours,” you say, pointing to the coffee cup marked milk w/ dash of coffee. He laughs, pulling out his blueberry danish and handing you your strawberry donut. He bites into his pastry and lets out a sinful moan, making you smack his arm.

“It’s too early for you to be gross,” you say, but he looks victorious.

“I’m sorry you don’t like my happiness,” he quips, and you roll your eyes.

It was tradition that every Monday that you both worked, you’d get coffee and pastries from the local bakery and shoot the shit in your car until your shift started.

“So, I had a dream last night where I was dating Mia Sara,” he says.

“Wish that were me,” you reply, taking a sip of coffee. “Did it work out for you guys?”

“Nah, she left me for Harrison Ford.”

“Tragic.”

He pauses, listening to the music softly coming from your radio. He scoffs upon realizing what was playing.

“Stop listening to this sad shit,” he says, turning the dial, making you shout.

“It’s the Smiths!” You try to bat his hand away, but he manages to change the channel to a Queen song. Typical.

You and Steve had become good friends after securing your positions, despite your perception of him in high school. After the fire at Starcourt and the death of Jim Hopper, the federal government had given the Hawkins Police a grant to let aspiring cops train directly in the field. It would fast-track getting certified, eliminating the need for expensive schooling. It was like a paid internship. A paid internship where you basically get paid to bullshit with your best friend all day.

A third car pulls in. It’s Veronica, the secretary. She takes over on days that Flo wants off – she’s worked hard enough for it. Veronica was a bit obsessed with Steve, so he groaned when he saw her get out and wave.

“What do you think she’s going to say to you today?” you giggle, and Steve rolls his eyes.

“Probably, like… that she had a dream about us last night, or something.” He squeezes his eyes shut. “God, please don’t let her talk to me.”

Women were throwing themselves at Steve the minute he put the uniform on, but he claimed he wasn’t interested in dating. You weren’t really sure why, given his history, but he never answered any questions. He just said he wanted to focus on work and having fun, so you let him.

Steve was kind of a mystery to you. You were incredibly close at the station, but you’d been working with him for a few months and you never saw each other outside of work. There were talks of maybe going to a movie, but they never went anywhere. It was bizarre, considering how fond you both were of each other. But you didn’t want to push it, unsure if you were making him uncomfortable.

In reality, Steve was just nervous of letting people in. Not just because of his history with girls and friends, but because he also had Russians and demons to worry about. He felt that if he let anyone new into his life, he would be putting them in mortal danger. This viewpoint is also the reason why he applied for the apprenticeship in the first place.

When the position popped up, Steve had no second thoughts. He had looked up to Hopper greatly since the time Will was possessed. He knew without a doubt that he wanted to follow in Hop’s footsteps. But he also felt an obligation now that Hopper was dead. Joyce had left, taking Will and Eleven with her. The three people who had the best grip on the strange events that had occurred the past three years were gone, and the man who devised most of the plans (and executed them) was gone, too. Steve couldn’t sleep at night for months. He needed to constantly call the kids and Robin to make sure they were safe. Being part of the Hawkins Police seemed like a no-brainer; it was a way to ensure everyone was safe and be on the frontlines to protect them.

Not that he ever let this on; usually he would just say that he’s always wanted to be a cop, and he kept it at that.

You’d decided to do the apprenticeship after college didn’t work out. You went to one in Indianapolis after high school, but you weren’t really into it. Your parents decided to retire and travel for a few years, offering to let you have the house while they’re gone. You gratefully took them up on it, and you’d been living there since the spring. You’d enjoyed a few months off, but decided it was time to find something new to do. You’d always had a fantasy of being a hero. Maybe not a hero cop, but a hero. You wanted to save lives, make an impact. Being a police officer seemed like a good start. You knew it wouldn’t be like the movies, but the strange events that happened the last few years excited you. Maybe you’d get the chance to be someone you’ve always wanted to be.

“Why don’t you just give Veronica a chance?” you ask. “She’s pretty and she’s nice and she’s smart.”

“She literally told me she wanted a lock of my hair,” he says.

You choke on your coffee. “I forgot about that.”

“Yeah? I didn’t.”

Steve’s watch beeps, signaling that it’s 5 minutes until 8.

“Please keep talking to me when we go in,” he begs as you both climb out of the car.

“What’s in it for me?” you inquire.

“I will give you all of the lunches my mom brings me for two weeks.”

You pause. “Even the Fruit Roll-Ups?”

He sighs. “I’ll throw them in if you do a good job.”

You successfully make it past the reception desk without incident, waving hi to Callahan and Powell. You knock on the Chief’s door to signify your arrival, and you and Steve make your way back to the annex you worked in. Your desks faced each other, making it easier to talk through your 8-hour shifts. They were usually pretty boring. You and Steve were only cleared to respond to calls about petty things, like noise disturbances. But it’s not like much ever happened anymore in Hawkins, and the town had almost made it a full year without any weird occurrences.

A few hours go by, and boredom runs rampant. You hated Mondays: things hardly ever happened. Steve gets up around 10:30 and puts a mixtape into the boombox in the annex. Don’t You (Forget About Me) comes on, and Steve mutters, “aw, hell yeah,” under his breath. You know he’s going to start dancing, but it doesn’t stop the surprised smile on your face as he starts to swing and spin and sing. It’s magic, watching Steve dance. It makes no sense, it’s clumsy, it’s so white that it hurts; but it’s also hilarious and never fails to pick you up. Sometimes you’d join him. Other times, you’d call him an idiot. And sometimes you’d just watch as the magic unfolds.

This was one of those times.

--

The door to the annex opens around 1, approximately 5 hours into your shift. You and Steve are begging for something to do, because throwing M&Ms at each other isn’t fun by the second hour. You’d just thrown one at Steve when the door swings open, and you and Steve look at the intruder with wide eyes. It’s the Chief.

The new Chief was okay, you guessed. He was also brought in by the feds. He was a kind older man, with deep set blue eyes and wispy white hair. He could have come straight out of a storybook. You thought the Chief delegated nicely, and you’d shared a few good laughs. Something always felt off, though – but you and Steve chalked that up to the fact that you both were extremely biased against anyone who wasn’t Hop.

“Noise disturbance call,” Chief Edwards says. “Some kids out on Maple Street are causing mayhem.”

Steve groans and throws his head back. “Please tell me it’s not 30 Maple Street.”

The Chief blinks. “It is.”

“God dammit,” Steve says under his breath. It’s Mike’s house.

You and Steve get into a patrol car and set off.

“Do you know these kids?” you ask.

“Yeah, they’re kind of… my kids?”  He scrunches his nose. “I keep them out of trouble.”

You pause, confused. “So, you babysit them?”

“No, no,” Steve says. His face grows slightly red. “They’re my friends.”

Steve pulls into the driveway of the house, blaring the siren once to scare the kids that were on the lawn. Their faces quickly went from scared to excited as they saw it was Steve in the car.

You both get out of the car, and Steve takes the lead. He puts his hands on his hips and faces the kids. There were 4 boys and 2 girls, no older than 16, if you could guess. One of them with dark hair is holding a hose, and the others are wet.

“What are you shitheads doing?” Steve asks sternly. A couple of the kids giggle.

“What seems to be the problem, officer?” the red headed girl asks.

“I told you we were being too loud,” a kid you recognize as Will Byers says. He is smart, sitting on the porch and just watching, amused.

“Right,” says Steve, pointing at Will in recognition. “Way too loud. Mike, where’s your parents?”

There’s a beat, and then the girl standing next to the red head quietly says, “Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler aren’t home.”

Steve sighs. “Alright, well, you could always act like idiots inside the house, you know.” He looks at the dark-haired boy holding the hose. “Mike, what are you doing with that?”

The boy’s face breaks out into a devilish grin, and you can predict what’s about to happen. He points the hose at Steve and a curly haired boy turns the handle to let the water spray out, missing Steve by a hair. He jumps back.

“HEY!” he shouts. “Not cool dude, not in my uniform!”

“Wimp,” you laugh, and push him forward, allowing him to get splashed. The kids cheer, and then Steve’s hands are on your arms, and he swings you around to get hit, too. You gasp at the freezing feeling on the back of your legs, but burst into laughter, trying to wrestle Steve back into the flow. This goes on for entirely too long before you suddenly realize that it probably isn’t a good look to be out here responding to a call and then partaking in the offense.

“Steve,” you say, and that’s all it takes for him to snap back into reality.

“This is fun and all,” he says, letting you go. “But we came to bust you, not join in.”

The curly haired boy turns the water off and Mike sets the hose down. Steve has a way with kids. He’s able to level with them and call them out at the same time. It’s pretty great to watch and it’s certainly something you admired him for.

“Who’s this?” the curly haired kid asks, grinning widely.

“Oh,” Steve says. “This is my partner, Y/N.”

“Do you get to carry a gun?”

“Lucas!”

“Sorry!”

“You hang out with Steve? That must suck,” the dark-haired boy, Mike, says.

“Every single day,” you say solemnly. “It’s the worst.”

“Hey,” Steve says quietly.

“I’m kidding, bud.” You punch his arm lightly. “You’re the best.”

You look back at the kids and they’re all staring at you with wide eyes. It makes you uncomfortable, so you clear your throat and say, “Well, uh – shift is almost over. We should be going.”

After an awkward farewell and another “please be quiet or I’ll kick your ass” from Steve, you both get in the patrol car. Steve sees Dustin gesture to call him, and he rolls his eyes, pulling out of the driveway.

“Why did they look at me like that?” you ask. “Because I said you’re the best?” You pause. “Do they hate you?”

He’s quiet for a while. Finally, he says, “I think it’s because we are really buddy-buddy but… I don’t really… I haven’t ever really… talked about you.”

You turn in your seat to face him. “Do you hate me?”

“Of course I don’t hate you.” His cheeks are red – he’s flustered. “You’re one of my best friends –“

“Then why don’t you ever talk about me? Or hang out with me?”

“It’s complicated,” he sighs. “It’s really complicated. I just – I don’t like … I get nervous about having new friends.”

You nod slowly. “Tommy H. and Carol.”

“Yeah.” It’s not really why he’s nervous, but it’s a good excuse. “I don’t want to get dicked over again.”

“Man,” you say, turning back to face the road. “I buy you a blueberry danish every single Monday. And a coffee. And I let you sing Queen at the top of your lungs, and I let you dance, and sometimes I even let you do it at 5 in the morning. I think if I didn’t want to be your friend, you would know by now.”

He’s quiet, thinking. You look at him, trying to read him.

“I guess I owe you the pleasure of hanging out with me,” he says after a while, a smile forming. “So maybe we can hang out Friday night.”

You gasp and throw your arm out, hitting him on the shoulder, making the car swerve slightly.

“Jesus –”

“Do you mean it?” you shout, smiling widely. “We can hang out?”

“I said maybe,” he teases. “It’s board game night with the kids – maybe you can come?”

You start chanting his name – “Steve Steve Steve Steve Steve! Really? Are you for real?”

“Yes!” He laughs and rolls his eyes again. “I’ll pick you up. It starts at 7.”

You smile so hard that your cheeks hurt.

Steve silently hopes he doesn’t regret this.

----

taglist (message if you want to join!): @harrington-ofhawkins​ @wolfish-willow​ @gothackedalready​

#steve harrington #steve harrington x you #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington fic #steve harrington fanfic #stranger things x reader #stranger things fic #lets hope the tags WORK #also this is literally my 3rd draft for the start of this story lmao ugh #couldn't choose a direction/it wasn't funny enough the first 2 times #so hopefully this one works #my fics #do u guys like the warning for 80s music #me? comedy gold? absolutely not but I make myself laugh n that's what matters

[cbspams]

iKON - Love Scenario + Killing Me

I'll specifically be referring to each member by the name they're using in Kingdom subtitles, so like Jinhwan instead of Jay, Donghyuk instead of DK etc.

Damn these are long lol, thank god for read more cuts

Sarangeul haetdaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa 🎶🎶🎶

I'm honestly so happy they did Love Scenario. I mean it's one of their most famous songs for sure but like, I would've been really sad if it wasn't performed at least once on Kingdom I think, just because I was so curious how they would spin it.

I will say that I would not consider this performance as a "mash up". Now in Round 2 the only groups who do mashups are iKON and SKZ as far as I'm aware, so I'm also taking some of the mash ups used in RTK (Pentagon - Shine/Spring Snow, ONF - We Must Love/Moscow Moscow, It's Raining) as reference to why I would personally call this a "set" rather than a "mash up".

So Love Scenario is a pretty classic mellow song, one which is beloved for obvious reasons of being fun and cheerful but in a quieter, soft vibes way. I loved that they took the melody and made it even more cheerful, adding in those trumpet/saxophone tones and bumping it up to a musical tone song. I especially appreciate that they made it so bright because the other performances are so dark (ATEEZ included, though theirs was more forceful and powerful than dark). It's just really refreshing to hear.

Going back to mash ups though, I'm not sure if I could consider this a mash up in my mind? Here's the thing, I don't actually consider Shine/Spring Snow (Pentagon) or We Must Love/Moscow Moscow (ONF) as mash ups wither. To me, those are more like "sets", in which the songs have similar vibes or transition really well into each other. Shine/Spring Snow being a special stage to send of Jinho, the transition wasn't just a musical flow through but a small "cut". I can't really judge this one as a mash up because it's not a performance for the stage but for the heart but if you watch it, you can clearly see where Shine ends and where Spring Snow begins right? Even if the songs bled into each other though, the way they arranged Shine and Spring Snow, I think it would've been a flawless transition in.

Separately, consider ONF's spliced set in which they do nearly all of We Must Love and then tag Moscow Moscow in towards the end lyrically. Because both songs carry different vibes originally, the arrangement became really important in order to splice the songs together and make the transition seamless. And that arrangement did a wonderful job! If I didn't watch those songs beforehand, I wouldn't even have been able to tell that there were two songs in the performance.

So then what's a mash up? A mash up in my mind is more similar to SKZ's Jasin or ONF's It's Raining. It's where the songs and melodies are arranged together, splicing together lyrics and melodies to become one song completely. There's no telling where one song ends and another begins because they're integrated together. ONF's It's Raining is actually a really cool example of this, where they mashed up It's Raining (Rain) with their own song Complete. They keep all the lyrics of It's Raining but add in their own jaunty vibe with the fun saxophone, changing the song entirely. Similarly, SKZ's Jasin (which I will also analyze later), has God's Menu and Side Effects spliced together to become a new song. Obviously SKZ's is different from ONF as SKZ produce and arrange their own songs already, but the end result is the same: a completely new song despite carrying lyrics and melodies from the components.

In this way, I would define iKON's performance as a "set" over a "mash up". The songs align together to tell a story and have a relatively seamless transition, but they do not incorporate each other to become a new song. I think that as far as arrangements go, this is decent and like in Shine/Spring Snow or We Must Love/Moscow Moscow, it's not a bad idea but it feels "weaker" because it's more like just lining the songs up together instead of actually "mashing" the songs together.

Wow that's a lot of talk on something that's not even actually the performance kdjfhk

BACK TO IT.

Because their theme is a breakup and dealing with what comes after, I think their intro is incredibly strong. Like the others said in the episode itself, Bobby's opening shot captures attention immediately. I love that they used a sort of, older black and white movie set with and actual The End card. I think the kind of jazzy vibes go right with that opening shot, the set designer and costumer definitely knew what kind of image they were going for. The movie end card as well as the girl disappearing clearly defines the performance as a breakup illustration, and the mellow vibes perfectly fit the kind of nostalgia that Love Scenario talks about. For anyone who doesn't know, Love Scenario is actually a post-breakup song that reminisces on the good times they had in the relationship. Bobby's verse in particular mentions that it's good they cut it off when they did, even though it hurts.

I also want to mention that I love how individual Bobby is. It's clear in every performance that he's a quirky one and I'm really impressed how he carries it in each performance, because this performance requires more cohesion as a story and yet he still adds little flairs of his own to make the performance more engaging and also more representative of iKON's hip hop style.

Donghyuk's acting and dance sequence flows so well! It's smooth, tells a small story of how they were close but drifting apart and I think his flair with the trench coat works wonderfully as far as visual effects go. There's just something so satisfying about watching the coat go whoosh hehe

THE CHORUS!!! Yo this totally reminds me of like, old broadway in the 1920's. The gold lights, jazzy tone, even the trench coats which I believe are iconic of old movie detectives and gentlemen-esque figures. Kinda reminds me of like black and white detective movies? The thing is, even if you don't know exactly what the outfits and such remind you of, the fact that they invoke that memory is awesome. I love costume design specifically because you don't always have to be detail for detail. It's enough if you can invoke a specific image in the mind of the audience. Junhoe really rocks the look in particular.

The choreography is also very reminiscent of musical theater! Obviously all of kpop is coordinated to be group based and there's always been formations that are similar to what iKON did, however the slide and arms out movement is very much so a musical theater thing. The flashing hands thing is as well! They really nailed down the idea of musical theater, and I love that so much! It's a sort of genre bend you might not expect from kpop but iKON's out here showing you that it is possible.

I love the lighting sequence. The blue and purple are so good, and once again it just invokes that older musical theater style because even as there's color, there's also a lot of clear white/yellow light. Choosing just two colors can be really impactful as the fewer colors there are, the more concentrated the stage looks. Consider for example, Pentagon's Follow stage in RTK. Choosing to only go with gold light and then using other lights as accents really enhanced the theme as well as made the stage easier to follow. Humans are designed to track movement and flashing, so having fewer things to distract us means we focus more on iKON's performance and less on the entire set.

I'll skip to the transition here just because the rest of the muscial theater sequence is very similar to what I've already said.

The transition is a bit jarring if I'm being honest. I think the fact that everyone else reacted like ?! as well means that the transition isn't as smooth as it could have been, especially considering the next song is Killing me. I mean it's pretty straight forward story wise: you fall in love, you undergo the break up and you're hurt but you're happy that you loved. But then still you feel regret and pain because you broke up. I think what would've made this smoother was if DK had one more dance sequence with the female dancer from the beginning. If she walks away from him and then he falls to the floor and has that heartbeat moment, I think that would've helped ease into the next song much easier.

The fact that they end on the line You’re too precious to just leave in the past though is a good transition point. It then bleeds into how in Killing Me, the lingering memories stick deeply. So lyrically it makes a lot of sense. I just don't like how the arrangement just switches off so suddenly, from cheerful jazz to then a rain fall heart beat thing. There's just something missing in between, visually or auditorily.

Something I've noticed about iKON is that they really like using their arms. In Rhythm Ta (intro stage), this stage and later in Inception (Round 2), iKON always has a dance sequence that involves moving arms, kind of like snakes? But as trees? Tree branches as snakes? Yeah. But I literally adore this kind of consistency. It's really cool to watch especially because as the rounds go on, they do it with more people so like obv the 100 sec intro was just the members of iKON but then round 1 had more and then round 2 was literally so many people!! It creates such a cool visual effect! For this performance, I do wish the lighting wasn't as dark as it was. I think some flashing black light would've made this awesome but it's still cool as it is.

PLEASE THE DANCE BREAK IS SO CLEAN. The move where Yunhyeong moves his arms in a circle and the members mirror that (screen left goes from low to high while screen right goes from high to low) is really pleasing to see. I could already tell from the 100 sec intro performance but iKON is has really good bounce to their movement. They pull off the isolation and popping that everyone else does but they do it so smoothly.

I think part of what gives iKON their bounce and flow is that when they stop for a second, it's very clean. There's no extra wobbling that happens with others. And again I really do think their dedicating to using their arms in wide gestures helps contribute to that contrast, because when you go wide movement to stop to wide movement again, your eyes get tricked into thinking the stop is a lot smoother than it could actually be.

I already could tell from before but Donghyuk and Jinhwan really are amazing dancers. Donghyuk is a master of more technical aspects but Jinhwan is really elegant in his moves? That little body roll he does just before Chanwoo's part is so good.

Chanwoo's acting!! Specifically his lines go "Why did I meet her? / Why did I choose this break up?" And then the next part that they all sing in is "I loved her to death / The extinguished fire is burning up again" which makes the fire lighting up so much more obvious. I also think that the fire stand area kind of looks like a coffin so lighting it on fire is a way of mourning the relationship? It visually looks awesome and connects really well to the story line itself, especially since it's a very intense moment to a soft drop in the song. Contrast creates focus!!

And then we have the literally name brand stuff iKON is made out of: bouncing hip hop. It fits them so well, it really does!

Gosh okay I know iKON hasn't been ranking very high and on initial impact, they honestly rank about mid to low for me as well but the more I watch their performances, the more I recognize bits and pieces of artistry they put into their performances. I really start to think like, no wonder they have so many award winning songs. I'm not really sure if they're suited to the way that this competition show works? Because I think first impressions are everything, and although obviously the kingdom judges will understand the lyricism and view the set designs and such more clearly, iKON's performances are still better suited to being watched repeatedly. Their first impression is always good but curiously not enough as far as initial impact goes. It's kind of like it just sticks to you so you want to see it over and over again. Which is really not great for competition shows like this where first impression and impact are everything, which I get but also it lowkey sucks because you miss a lot of details and it sort of forces everyone into the highly impactful performances rather than nuanced ones.

I've mentioned this before but because Kingdom has so much more for set design, costumes, lighting, it can be really distracting from the groups themselves. I think iKON actually does really well with having "still" sets, in which they're the focus, but I feel like that leads to more people picking out their flaws? I dunno, I really like iKON's performances so much and yet I can't find it in my heart to rank them higher than 3rd at any given point. I do just think it's the style of competition.

STILL, it means so much that they stick to their own identity rather than conform to Kingdom's standards. And clearly as they rise through the ranks, more people are recognizing that. So iKON! Fighting!!

#admin talk #kingdom commentary #kingdom performance comments

[a-bugz-life]

Fuckin’ Amphibians || Anita & Nicodemus

TIMING: A few days ago. PARTIES: @professoranieves and @bountybossier SUMMARY: Anita and Nic are both out in the forest when they run across some Ballogbogs. Things get a bit psychedelic. 

Anita had lived in White Crest for almost five years now. When she first arrived, she knew of a handful of supernatural beings, but her worldview expanded exponentially even within the first few months of living here. It didn’t hurt that she spent a lot of her time in the woods, mostly for the bugs partially for the isolation. But even in her years of experience, she apparently still had more to learn. In her exploring, she found herself near a small pond out in the forest. Perfect place for some interesting breeds of bugs. But then she saw them, very large and very gross looking toads. She didn’t think much of it, toads love bugs too. But as she drew closer to the pond she noticed one of the toads puff up, and then shoot something at her. “Shit, shit…” She groaned, as she tried to run before it hit her. But she wasn’t so successful. Initially she didn’t feel much of anything, and thought for a second maybe she was immune to whatever this was. But then the leaves on the trees began turning pink? And the ground began to slowly melt under her feet? No, something wasn’t quite right.

The place farthest away from the lake was the woods on damn near the other side of town. In between trying to figure out any thing that might help deal with the fucking squid, Nicodemus went about business as usual. Took up a job and saw it to completion. Traditionally, he wasn’t picky about jobs that demanded a bounty dead or alive. He took whichever. But lately, he wasn’t in the mind for killing. Just a catch and release to the shadow paying him. The task of catching a handful of fatflitters was just mundane enough that he didn’t expect to be bothered too much. The hunter tapped his fingers against his thumb as he walked, a small perforated cage in his other hand. The things were quick and liked their fatty tissue, so it was just a matter of finding the right tracks of a larger creature and hoping the quick shits were on it. The croak of toads sounded loudly to his left and he briefly looked over in that direction. Over the sound of toads, a voice. A voice that sounded a hell of a lot more bothered than he did. The hunter considered just keeping on the way he was and even as he did, he was already heading over to the noise. As he drew closer and his night vision made out the shape of a person, he looked over at the pond. Oh hell. Fucking ballybogs. They didn’t like when anyone got too close to their little domains. And it looked like the stranger had found that out. He cleared his throat to try and get her attention. “You, uh, you good?”

For a split second Anita thought she saw a person approaching, but it quickly became clear to her that this was no person, but rather a very tall and mobile ice cream cone. Interesting. It was rocky road, which wasn’t her favorite flavor. No pun intended but she really wasn’t a fan of nuts. But then the strangest thing happened, the ice cream spoke to her? No that couldn’t be. She slowly got closer to it, trying to figure out if maybe someone was just standing behind it? But no, just one singular cone of ice. “You can talk?” She asked, the disbelief thick in her voice. She sat down on the ground in front of the ice cream and dropped her head into her hands. “This ice cream cannot talk to me. This ice cream cannot talk to me.” She whispered, then rubbed her eyes and looked back up. “Fuck.” It was still an ice cream cone.

She was looking at him like she wasn’t really seeing him. Nicodemus squinted. Ballybogs made homes out of the swamps he grew up in and he had seen people when they got hit by their shit. Woodstock had nothing on what ballybog crap could do to a person. Once, a few years ago, not even he had escaped it and he was stuck trying to hop into the Mystery Machine that had just been a hollow log. The shame of that still haunted him sometimes. Fucking Scrappy Doo. “Yeah, I can talk,” he answered with a sigh. Damn it. He just wanted to find some damn fatflitters. Not this mess. When she sat down, he stepped back and put a hand on his hip. Oh hell. “This, uh, ice cream is fuckin’ talking to you. That’s me, one big damn waffle cone.” Alright, so she was seeing him as an ice cream cone. Maybe she wouldn’t feel like attacking him. He glanced down at her. “And I might be able to waffle us the fuck outta here.”

Anita was shocked when the guy? Yeah, sounded like a guy, seemed to respond to her delusions … and knew that he was a waffle cone? Anita stood up, eyeing the frosty treat with delicate suspicion. But it was almost as though the moment that he acknowledged that he was in fact a waffle cone, things began to shift. Anita began to hear odd voices coming from all around her in the forest. They weren’t speaking any language she understood, but something told her they were not nice voices. Suddenly, the nice ice cream cone began to melt, causing large puddles of melted chocolate ice cream. “Oh no.. oh my god… here let me help.” Anita tried to scoop up the puddles of ice cream and put it all back into the cone. “We can’t get out of here until I fix you… I can’t just leave you here for them to get you.”

Her eyes, large and confused, were directly on him and Nicodemus couldn’t help but feel a little scrutinized. Waffle cone or not. Jesus, he was starting to refer to himself as a waffle cone. Maybe he had been hit too. When she started to try and put dead leaves, plus bits of grass on him, he decidedly was not feeling like a waffle cone. “Alright, no need to go and do that,” he asserted as he took a step back. “Think you’re the one needin’ help here.” Surely someone else would come along and help. People in town had a habit of running headlong into shit every day. As he waited for a beat, a ballybog croak answered him. Fuck. He was the person that had run headlong into shit. And she had too. “Let’s get the hell on outta here, huh? I think somethin’ nearby is causin’ me to--fuckin’ Christ--melt my ice creamy bits all over the place.” He winced and shook his head. He was a hunter, for fucks sake. With a reserved expression, he offered a weathered hand. “Name’s Nic, alright? Let’s get on away from the fuckin’ acid trip frogs.”

Anita had been ignoring his claim that he didn’t need help getting all of the ice cream back into his cone, largely because that was just insane? Why wouldn’t a giant cone of ice cream want all of it’s contents securely inside of itself before running off? But then he finally offered a real reason. He was melting because of something nearby! Of course! Quickly, she stood up and stopped scooping up the ice cream melted in giant sticky puddles on the ground around them. Anita reached out to take the cone’s hand, finding it a bit odd that he had hands to begin with. “Nic the Ice Cream Man.” She repeated, clearly making up those last three words herself. His comment about frogs threw her for a loop. She had heard stories about supernatural frogs. As she was just about to open her mouth and say something, she saw all of the ice cream quickly melt away from Nic and the cone break off into a million tiny pieces. That’s when she realized that he really wasn’t an ice cream man… he had been a giant toad in disguise all along. She let out a soft scream, then quickly pulled her hand away from him. “You! You’re the acid trip frog!” Without paying much attention to where she was going, she began to slowly back away from him.

Nicodemus breathed in sharply through his nose, thankful as hell that she had stopped trying to help get his ice cream back together. Jesus, he was already in too deep with the ice cream bit. It was too much and he can feel a nerve pulsing somewhere near his temple. He shook her hand a bit stiffly. “Just, uh, Nic works,” he said. “The...Ice Cream Man is my father?” Whoever the hell that was. He had never met the poor bastard. And just when it had all been going so well, she looked at him like he was coming apart at the seams. Hell, he just might have been. Ballybogs spat serious shit and she had been hit with it. His hand clenched by his side before it came up to pinch the bridge of his nose. She was backpedaling towards the ballybogs again and he could see the damn things puffing up. He moved toward her and attempted to act as a buffer between. Like a dumbass would. “No. Nope, I’m not the acid trip fr--Oh fuck.” The ballybogs spat and Nicodemus blocked his hand with his face. He blinked twice, squeezed them shut, then opened his eyes to see his hands melting. His ice creamy hands with weirdly frog-like fingers but hey, he had been born with those. He stared at them for what felt like a century. “I...I think I am the ice cream frog,” he said as he looked at her. “And we gotta get out of my fuckin’ swamp.”

As the giant ice cream began to move towards Anita, she began to panic. How was she going to get out of here? She didn’t even know where here was anymore. Had she hiked here? Was her car nearby? Could she even drive like this? Unlikely. She heard a faint noise from beside her and while it took her a moment to place it, she eventually recognized it. Amphibians. And this ice cream frog was likely their king. Of course the dumb fucking amphibians still had a monarcy system. Reptiles had evolved beyond that need of hierarchy. “If you’re the ice cream frog… can’t you just make them stop! They’ll listen to you. Amphibians are really dumb.”

“Reckon they want us to move away from the party we weren’t invited to,” Nicodemus said as if it were obvious and it was. He could understand them. He splayed his hands out to his side, ice cream and all, in a sign of submission. They could respect that. “Partners. Fellas. We’re just gonna hit the, uh, old dusty trail now as it were. Didn’t mean to bother you fine folks this evenin’.” He made a sound as close to a frog as he could before he turned on his heel and took to walking away. He turned his head toward the stranger and spoke in a stage whisper. “They might not be bright but they like bein’ respected. Let’s just go on elsewhere.”

Anita watched the frog’s leader try to talk them down, finding the level of kindness he was showing them to be more than a bit annoying. In fact she might have rolled her eyes at his big performance, or maybe she just thought about rolling her eyes and actually didn’t move at all? It was really hard to tell. So she tried again, feeling pretty confident that she did this time roll her eyes and not just roll her head around in a circular motion. “Of course they’re not bright,” Anita quickly replied, not bothering to follow suit and speak in a whisper. “Why would I want to go anywhere with you? You’re like their leader or something stupid.” Despite her resistance, Anita followed this strange somewhat suave smooth-speaking ice cream man. At least wherever he was going was away from here, and away from those fucking frogs.

#wickedswriting #fuckin amphibans #chatzy #nic #chatzy:nic #//did we start this 6 months ago???? yes #//did we finish it today????? yes #pls enjoy

[onegayastronaut]

Taste Of Your Lips (Hope Mikaelson x Reader)

Requested by anon: Hope topping the shit out of us while she’s either slug drunk OR when she is pissed at Landon (like death spell mad) and she takes her frustration out on you OR josie told you she had a crush on you when she was younger and hope gets super jealous bcz you smiled and stuff at josie so she reminds you that your hers not Josie’s. 

AND Hope using The Strap would include? Please I need her to top me and this is the closet I will ever get

Words: 2584

Ever since you had enrolled at the Salvatore School, everyone knew that Hope wanted you to be her girlfriend. No one was dumb enough to get in the tribrid’s way, so it came to no surprise that the two of you had started dating. However, dating Hope came with the fact that she was beyond protective of you and seemed to always want you as far away from danger as possible. You, on the other hand, knew that you were capable of handling threats on your own and wanted to help whenever you could. These differences in opinion caused some tension between you two, but you both knew it was from love and concern on Hope’s part.

All that being said, you’ve noticed that Hope has been acting differently for the past few days. She seemed happier, more bubbly, and you didn’t even have to drag her out to talk to the other students at school. You were beyond happy that your girlfriend seemed to be stepping out to meet other supernatural students, and you were certainly glad to see Hope stepping out of her shell. Today you saw Hope sipping her favorite milkshake talking to a few girls on the bleachers and you skipped over.

“Hey Hope, how’s it going?”

“Babe! Everyone, as you all know, this is my beautiful girlfriend. These are my new friends.” Hope pulled you onto her lap as she sat down again and gave you a deep kiss. You were shocked enough that you didn’t return her kiss for several seconds, and it was only after you were able to react that you managed to kiss her back.

“What was that for?”

“For being such a good girlfriend.” Something was definitely up with the way Hope was already leaning in for another kiss, but you would be damned if you complained about seeing Hope this way. She has never been so open about kissing you in public, so it seemed strange to have her be like this with you, especially with people around. Something was definitely up, and you were going to find out what was going on as soon as you caught up with your favorite twins Josie and Lizzie. When you tried moving off of Hope’s lap, she immediately moved her hands to your hips and held you in place. Her mouth immediately latched onto your skin, and when you continued to move, she let out a little whine. “No baby, don’t go, stay here with me.”

“Hope, I have to get to class. We can make out later in your room when there are fewer people watching.” Hope’s pout nearly made you stop in your tracks, but you definitely did not want to go any further with your girlfriend when your classmates were right there in the same room. Going off to class, you looked back and saw Hope staring at your butt as you walked away. Maybe this new side of Hope wasn’t so bad after all.

-----

“Josie, I need your help with something.”

“Yeah sure (Y/N), what’s going on?” Josie turned to you and frowned. “What’s wrong?”

“Well, nothing’s ‘wrong’ exactly. It’s just...did you notice anything strange going on with Hope? It just seems like she’s been acting differently for the past day or so.”

“What do you mean by different?” Josie sat closer to you and started running her hands through your hair. Normally you wouldn’t have minded, but this was a serious matter so you drew back a little.

“She’s been...more openly affectionate in public. It’s strange because she’s usually very shy about our relationship. It’s not that I mind necessarily, it’s just strang you know?”

“Who wouldn’t want to be more affectionate with you, (Y/N)? You’re so pretty, and nice, and not to mention you’re friends with pretty much everyone here at school. If I didn’t know any better I would want you for myself.”

“Don’t be silly, Josie. We’ve been friends ever since we could walk, and I’m sure you’ve never seen me as more than a really close friend.”

“That’s not true and pretty much everyone around here knows it except you. You know, for someone so smart you can be really dense when it comes to how you make people feel.”

“Are you saying that you like me as more than a friend?”

“I’ve had a crush on you since kindergarten but I’ve never said anything because I’ve wanted to keep you out of whatever mess my family always manages to get involved in. But yes, my crush for you has only gotten stronger and stronger over the last few years.”

“Really?” You couldn’t help but smile at her as Josie went on about her crush on you.

“Who wouldn’t have a crush on you? You’re one of the most beautiful people I’ve ever seen.” For some reason, it seemed as if Josie just couldn’t stop herself from gushing about how much she liked you, and it didn’t seem as if you would be sticking around to find out why because Hope seemed to materialize out of nowhere to hug you from behind.

“There you are, I’ve been trying to look for you everywhere.” Hope leaned in to kiss your neck, and Josie seemed to not be able to tear her eyes away from the sight of Hope being dominant with you. You were pretty sure that if this continued your face would set itself on fire, so you decided to try and stop your girlfriend.

“Hey Hope, let’s continue this later tonight?”

“No, I want you now.” Something in the way that Hope was clenching her jaw when she looked at you let you know that Hope wanted you, and she wanted you now.

“Okay, let’s go.”

Without giving you time to say goodbye to Josie, Hope practically dragged you out the library. Luckily your room was fairly close and Hope waited until you were inside before shutting the door and slamming you into the wall. She wasted no time leaving hickeys all over your neck and hurriedly started unbuttoning your shirt. Finding that going button by button was taking too long to meet her needs, she finally resorted to just ripping your shirt off. The sound of the loose buttons clattering to the floor only encouraged her, and your bra seemed to disintegrate under her touch as she greedily sucked at your skin.

“Aww, that was my favorite shirt.”

“Really, (Y/N)? You’re worried about your shirt when I’m about to make sure you won’t be able to walk properly tomorrow?”

“Well, it would be nice to learn what’s come over you. First, it’s hauling me onto your lap on the bleachers, then you’re pretty much undressing me when Josie is right there. Not that I mind the fact that you’re horny at all, but what’s going on?”

“I just wanted to make sure that everyone at school, including Josie, knows that you’re mine and no one else’s. Especially considering the fact that Josie told you that she has a crush on you.”

“I’m pretty sure that everyone at school already knows that I’m your girlfriend. You know you don’t have to prove anything to anyone.”

“Hmm...doesn’t mean that I can’t remind everyone.”

“Oh my gosh! You’re jealous.” Even though you said it in a teasing tone, you couldn’t help a blush from spreading across your cheeks all the way to your ears.

“Maybe.” Hope’s voice was low as her jaw clenched. “Who wouldn’t be jealous? Josie was all over you, and that’s why I had to get you out of there. To remind everyone that you’re my girlfriend.” Hope stopped talking and returned to leaving a trail of hickeys from your neck to your boobs, and you couldn’t help but try and pull her closer to you. Instead of pulling you closer as she usually does, Hope grabbed your hips and held you in place. It was exceptionally hot to have Hope on top of you like this, and you were beyond ready to have Hope rough with you for the rest of the evening. She seemed to sense this and moved her hands to force yours up and over your head.

“Hold on, babe.”

You wrapped your hands on the metal bars of your bed and tried to keep your hips still as Hope slowly made her way down your body. She seemed to know exactly how to tease you and make you want her as much as possible before actually giving you what you want. Right when you thought she was about to go further down your body, Hope stopped and you couldn’t stop yourself from letting out a small whine.

“Hold on, let me get my strap.” Hope hopped off the bed and opened up the side cabinet. “How do I look?” She had put on the strap faster than you could see, and judging from the look on your face she immediately jumped back on the bed on top of you. Both of you knew how much you liked it when she used the strap with you, and Hope has always been ready and willing to please you however you want, especially when she is jealous. Hope loved how wet you are for her, and she started making out with you again. She quickly slid inside of you, and you gasped which made Hope pause a little bit, but she quickly went back to moving inside of you as she saw that you liked having her inside of you. Hope slid into you, matching the movement of your hips with her strap on as she couldn’t stop her hands from moving all over you as she continued being rough with you. It didn't take long for you to come all over her, and Hope couldn't help but smile at you as she kissed you and slowly drew out of you. You heard a slight creak come from the bed, and when you looked up, part of the headboard was bent under the force of your grip as you tried to be as still as possible for Hope. Both of your bodies were warm from what just happened, and Hope seemed to be more physically needy for you than before. You were pretty sure that your neck and hips were going to bruise the next day, but you couldn't care less because you felt so good about how Hope just made you feel.

"You know that there's no reason for you to be jealous, right?"

"I know you're not going to leave me for anyone else, but that doesn't make it easier to see other people flirting with you." Hope's usually gentle hands felt possessive, and you knew from the small grinding motions of her hips that she was ready to go again.

"Would you like another go at reminding me who my girlfriend is again?" Your tone was initially teasing, but Hope was dead set on making sure the hallway outside could hear what you've been up to. She didn't give you much time to react before flipping you over on your stomach and entering you from behind. Her hands wrapped tightly around your waist as she slowly entered into you and quickly found her rhythm. She had barely started and you could already feel yourself close to coming over her again. Hope seemed to sense this and slowed down so that both of you can enjoy the experience of having her be in complete control of making you feel good. After a while, she started to speed up again, and your moans only seemed to encourage Hope to be rougher with you than normal. You were sure that half your body was going to be covered in bruises tomorrow, but you really couldn't bring yourself to care if it meant having her on top of you like this.

After Hope was finished with you (you were pretty sure you blacked out after coming twice in short succession), she thought it would be best to give you a little break before both of you got in trouble for being too loud. Just as she pulled you on top of her, you heard a low growl coming from none other than Hope's stomach. You tried to suppress a giggle as Hope let out an exasperated sigh. "Time to get some food. You want something from the kitchen?” Hope got up, but her lips didn’t seem to be able to detach themselves from yours.

“No, I think I’m fine. Go before your stomach wakes up the rest of the school.” You gave Hope a playful push and she pretended to roll her eyes at you as she walked out of your room for snacks.

Just as Hope stepped out of her room, she noticed that both Lizzie and Josie were waiting outside for her. They seemed surprised to see the tribrid in such high spirits, and Josie seemed hesitant to move along with the plan that they had discussed together.

“Maybe we shouldn’t zap her.”

“She’s infected like the rest of the student body, Josie. We have to zap her.” Lizzie refused to elaborate any more and used her bracelet to deliver a small electrical charge to Hope’s arm.

“Ow, what the hell was that for?” Before anyone could give her an answer, a fried slug dripped out of her nose and fell on the floor. “What in the world was that?”

“That was what is responsible for making you and (Y/N) sound like pornstars for the last few hours.”

“Lizzie!”

“What? It’s true. I’m just surprised half the school isn’t here to tell them to shut up.”

Hope’s face was turning to a rare shade of pink, and the twins finally found some mercy in their hearts and left Hope to get some snacks in peace. She resolved to apologize for being such a possessive girlfriend the moment she got back into your room. After raiding half the fridge, Hope came back to your room with ice cream, chips, and some soda that she knew you liked. She walked into your room with a sheepish smile on her face.

"Hey."

"Someone's shy after a short trip to the kitchen."

"I...um, I just found out there was a slug in me this whole time. It's been in me for the last couple of days now, which explains why I was so...you know."

"Why were you so jealous about Josie telling me she liked me?"

Hope nodded in understanding as she clambered onto the bed. She rested her head on your chest and wrapped her arms around your waist. "I'm usually not jealous when people tell you how much they like you because it doesn't surprise me. You're sunshine personified, and I'm so lucky to have you in my life. I never want to lose you because you make me look forward to waking up every day.

“You know you’re never losing me to anyone else, right?”

“I know.”

“But I think the jealous version of you that we saw earlier today was very hot. Not that you’re not hot on an everyday basis, but I love it when you’re rough with me.”

“You do?”

“You know I do. Now hand me that ice cream, it’s not going to eat itself.”

“I could eat you afterward when we’re finished with the snacks.”

“Don’t get too ahead of yourself now, Ms. Mikaelson. I don’t think Lizzie can stand it if we make any more noises tonight.”

#hope mikaelson #hope mikaelson x reader #hope mikaelson imagine #legacies #legacies x reader #legacies imagine #18up

[bi-outta-cordonia]

Sky and Moon, Part I

Note: Had to repost this because it wasn’t showing in the tags. I’m back on my bullshit once again and this time I come bearing a third fic, thus officially making this part of that miniseries I mentioned once. I got an idea for the second part of this but let’s see how the rest of this quarantine plays out first.

Blades of Light and Shadow. Tyril Starfury x f!elf MC (Ashala Venralei). sfw, T with a slight warning for some light mention of mature situations. Tags include: once again slight mention of mature situations from Tyril’s past, a fair amount of angst because of course, some jealousy brewing, bit of a look into the kind of friendship Tyril has with Imtura, and some heavy pining coming from one broody elf man.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It starts innocently enough.

The road to Undermount is long and arduous—a trek through cities and villages overrun with ever suspicious humes, bounty hunters likely tracking them from Port Parnassus, opportunistic bandits, and deceitful merchants—ending only once they reach the edge between the vibrant world and the ominous Deadwood. It’ll take them weeks to pass through to Undermount at most, days if they stay the course with minimal distractions.

“With all due respect, Nia—your words are clear and pure in their intent, but not a lick of this matters to me.”

“The foremost scholars—”

Ashala stretches her hands high, the white cords of her hair fall over her shoulder as her chest pushes forward, and she rises to her feet.

“I believe in nothing concerning the Light, but its influence was not ignored throughout my tutelage,” she says. Nia pouts and opens her mouth. “You have your teachings and I have mine. How I pull my power matters little—how effective I am in wielding it will always be my first concern.”

“Pulling from the Light grants a strength that cannot be found in other forms,” Nia counters. “There is Light within all of us—reaching down through the depths exposes this and grants us abilities beyond what we are capable of without it.”

Ashala stares, golden eyes sweeping over Nia and flitting towards Tyril. He averts his gaze, instead focusing on the blade lying across his lap. He runs a whetstone over the metal rhythmically, silently timing every swipe of the stone to an old jingle from his youth.

Everything is unbearable these days, aggravating even. Travel on meager rations and little sleep does nothing to temper the rising tensions between all of them, but he knows better than to blame such minor issues on that alone. For a brief moment, he allows himself a glance in Ashala’s direction and her warm gaze shifts upon someone else. A tilt of his head would tell him exactly where it goes.

Mal stretches across a fallen log—his temporary perch until morning comes. His dark eyes lock with Ashala’s and a familiar look swims about them. If she feels anything about the interaction, her face betrays little. Instead she moves towards her pack, black cloak trailing through the dirt and mud, and kneels down so she can rummage through her things.

“Regardless of the philosophy, the answer remains the same,” Ashala says, plucking a few instruments from her bag and rising to her feet. “I am not training with you, Nia. Your medicinal skills are most valuable and I’ll not risk impairing you.”

Nia huffs. “Well, it still isn’t a good idea to go off by yourself! At the very least, take someone along with you!”

Ashala lets out a long sigh. Her eyes scan the length of the camp—Imtura sits further off looking on with a bemused expression on her face and Mal sits up, tilting his head ever so slightly. Tyril raises his head and finds her staring back. An unsettling quiet fills the space between them. They are stock still for a moment, the complete opposite of predator and prey. His gaze will not be moved and neither will hers. If they were standing they might circle one another. If given the room, their bodies might coil and their magic would spark and clash.

Her mouth opens and, despite everything, he can hear his name clearly on the tip of her tongue. He can hear the sultry whisper of it, the way her voice hovers over the first syllable and how her tongue rolls right into the next.

“Mal,” she says instead, turning towards the smirking rogue, “come.”

An uncomfortable silence follows as the two of them push through the bramble and brush. Mal’s arm snakes around her waist and pulls her in.

The whetstone hits the ground and Tyril walks in the other direction. Footsteps follow behind him—lumbering and heavy—and he ignores them for as long as his feet carry him.

He move down past the brush and into the paths still dotted with lush patches of green. Elves are used to hard things. Rock and earth blend in a daunting mix, their combined use birthing the grand doorways and golden arcs that house what remains of the last living elves in all Morella. Hard is nothing he hasn’t dealt with before. It almost outweighs the softness all around him but then he starts thinking of home all over again and dashes those thoughts in an instant. Small critters scatter out of his way and his brow furrows.

“Seem to have a habit of running things off, elf.”

Tyril tosses an annoyed look back at Imtura, who follows behind him with both hands on her hips and not a single ounce of concern in her body.

“You’ll not fool me with this act, orc,” he counters, whipping back around. “There’s nothing of interest going on. You may return back to camp…Or at the least, spare me from having to pretend you weren’t just trying to pry into my life when I told you all to leave it unexplored.”

She huffs a laugh and he hates that sound. It’s a mix of haughty and arrogant that reminds him a little too much of home, senseless as it sounds.

“You’re having a spat, elf. The two of you will get over it soon enough,” she says, her words somewhat muffled like she’s picking at her tusks.

He seethes for a little while, refusing to dignify the statement with a response. How many times would the governess smack his fingers for this? How many times did his mother pull him in front of the oldest painting hanging on the library wall? How many times did she tell him the story of Aether and the silk sap tree, the picture perfect story of how stoicism brings honor and showing a hand so quickly is a sign of weakness?

How many times will he think of home and think of Ashala? How many times will he let his arrogance bludgeon him?

“This is stupid,” he mutters, knowing full well Imtura can hear him regardless.

“Love—”

“Don’t!” He snaps towards her, low growl rumbling in his throat and teeth bared. Her body braces as if ready to strike and they stare each other down for a long, silent minute. Heat bubbles in him, crackling with an energy all too familiar to him and coursing to his fingertips. Tyril steps back and takes a breath—two—three—before he remembers himself and where he stands. With whom he stands. A small moment of quiet settles between the two of them before he speaks. “Don’t go throwing around words like that. Nothing of the sort exists between Ashala and I.”

Imtura raises a brow at him and he turns away.

“You elves like to make things complex when they don’t need to be,” she says, approaching a stump and taking a seat. “All the weird titles—kelvali and den-something—”

“Kilvali and Dinvali,” he corrects. “Spiritual connection and physical attraction. It makes perfect sense to anyone with a working mind.”

“If you think along those lines, sure. But you ain’t dealing with an average situation back home.”

Back home is different, that much he has long since come to terms with. There was a time where he knew his place was determined and he did everything he could to attain the goals already set for him. His house’s pride became his pride, his desires became everything the house needed in order to thrive. Working towards a singular goal meant the entire house—from the main family to the sub family, even down to the lowliest servant—did whatever needed doing so that Ascendant would eventually fall into their laps.

Whatever needed doing.

Tyril crosses his arms and watches two rabbits dart into the clearing, their little bodies hopping over to the stream and their heads bowing as they sip from the clear water.

Imtura leans back and sighs heavily.

“Have you ever slept with someone for the sake of it?” she asks and he bites his lip. “You ever see a man so fine, you just had to stop him in his tracks and have at him for a bit? How did that work where you came from?”

He chuckles but there’s no humor in his tone.

“You’ll think me pathetic for admitting the truth,” he says. Even still, the memories are no less fond. The moments in between are no less important to him even as he recalls every face, every name he whispered in the dark. “We form bonds the same as everyone else—friendships, romances, liaisons built on sex and nothing else. There was propriety to consider—ah, reputation, when it came to who you spoke to and who you built a connection with. Most of the relationships I knew of other houses were borne out of political social climbing. I rarely met couples that shared the bond of both kilvali and dinvali. That’s taboo where I come from.”

“Hmph,” Imtura snorts. “Complicated. Unnecessarily so.”

“Not everyone gets so easily riled with feats of strength,” he says.

Imtura flexes an arm, fully displaying the pure power laced within every muscle. “We have our own traditions and whatnot—things that get us hot and bothered. But,” she waves her hand as she drops her arm, “this ain’t about me. It’s about why you can’t seem to figure out how to talk to Ashala.”

He frowns deeply. “We speak just fine.”

Imtura hits him with an incredulous look. “You’ve had lovers before, right?”

“Three,” he answers. “But the person I would’ve married was not one of them. She was everything to me but I would never lay with her.”

A small silence settles between them as Imtura ponders his words.

“She would’ve been your wife but you didn’t lo—er…you weren’t into her like…”

“I wouldn’t have slept with her at any point, no,” he finally says. Tyril moves and sits on a log not far from Imtura. The conversation tires him to the point that his legs cannot keep him upright. It’ll be another crisp night if the small but bitter chill of the wind is any indication. “I cared for her,” he says, rubbing his hands together, “but it would’ve been obvious that our marriage was a political one.”

“And the ones you did care about?” Imtura asks. “The ones you…felt strongly about?”

His mouth opens and then closes it. His eyes glaze over and he stares off into the distance.

There were moments in between, most of them fleeting and most of them hidden from the prying eyes of Undermount’s court. The grand game is constant and ever evolving. If there was a point he ever felt he could relax, his instincts would refuse him that respite. House heads were not afraid to use whatever means necessary to secure an advantage, a match, or even a small chance at fueling a rumor.

He can count on both hands and feet the number of times he found himself the target of some lesser house’s pursuits. His tastes were widely known—they had to be if the lesser houses wanted a chance to ascend using him. Conversation was his strong suit, yet another way to engage in battle using wit and wiles, and he reveled in the challenge of those that knew his status. He loved knowing he was sought after because he knew very few would succeed in using him to their full advantage. He was too smart, too condescending at times. Most of the lesser houses have long since been out of practice in traversing the upper echelons of society, but there were those that pressed forward regardless.

Tyril closes his eyes and breathes slowly.

Arrindale—who was the most beautiful man he’d ever known. Witty beyond reason, more daring than he had the right to be. He was absolutely splendid, his family sigil branded in gold all across his body and his eyes were the most brilliant shade of green. The first person Tyril had ever laid with—the very first that walked away from him when his family realized no match would ever come between the two of them so long as House Starfury sought the title of Ascendant.

“Arrindale was my first,” he starts. “The first time I ever slept with anyone was with him. We were young and he was my friend for a long time before we shared that first night together. His family found him a match with someone that could provide a more immediate boost to their social status than mine. I attended his wedding.”

Pythia—the woman that tried to kill him. She was small for an elf but much more resourceful than she had any right to be. Her face never knew a smile for her role in her house was relegated to “fixer.” Every family has one—the one belonging to his house was almost always out and about, trying to put a stop to a situation or prevent it from becoming a scandal before it even starts. Pythia Nightcrest was one of the best duelists in all Undermount and they deeply despised each other because he knew. He knew it was her that snuck into his family’s home one night and nearly ended his life, but his house could never prove it. Every dinner they spent in each other’s presence was wrought with tension. Every encounter could turn bloody at any moment. But even still—

“My second was a woman that tried to assassinate me.” A small smile tugs at the corner of his lips as Imtura lets out a raucous howl of laughter. “Our families allied some time afterward and every minute I spent around her was tense. Despite that, I was a brasher man once upon a time—and perhaps a bit more invested in the physical aspects of what that relationship could provide. We were supposed to be training the night we first slept together. She had a hold on me I couldn’t l ever shake.”

“Where’s that one at? I’d kill to meet her,” Imtura says, wiping tears from her eyes.

His smile falters.

“Dead,” he answers, sitting upright and clasping his hands together. “Another house attempted to assassinate the head of hers and she died protecting him.”

Imtura balks and grows quiet. “Ah, I…”

“It’s alright. I’ve long since come to terms with it.”

And the last of them—Lusehene. He was the most arrogant and proud man he had ever come to know. Only son of House Starfire, one of the few true rivals to ever hold equal ground to the Starfury name. They were alike in too many ways, a bad match personality-wise but it mattered little. It was Lusehene’s sister that his parents were more concerned with but they never knew of the truth behind the extensive library trips and the long days out he’d spend with Kaya as a cover. Their bond was the closest Tyril had to encroaching taboo—their likeness was comforting and their interactions were far too easy to indulge. Lusehene was umber too, much like Ashala. His hair was white and his eyes were golden. His words were always careful but his haughty demeanor always changed with Tyril.

“The last was Lusehene,” Tyril says, running a hand down his face. “He loved me. I know he did.”

Imtura stares at him for a moment. “He dead too?”

“Scholar.” Tyril lets out a weary breath. “Our bond was discovered and it thrust him in an uncomfortable position—court me for the sake of growing his family’s political power, or step back so they could pursue a match between his sister and I as they originally intended.” He remembers that day vividly—the tears and the stiffness in every move they made. He remembers holding Lusehene tighter to him, pressing his body closer than they had ever been as they shared that last night together. “He rebelled. The fool gave up everything for his love and…and I didn’t return it. I couldn’t, I…I was a different person then. I knew he loved me…and I truly did care for him but I wasn’t…I wasn’t the same person then.”

He looks down and his heart sinks to the pit of his stomach.

“Your love life isn’t exactly all kitten and sparkles, that’s for sure,” Imtura remarks. “One married, one dead, one person you rejected outright… But we all know what’s going on around here—we’ve got eyes, ya know?”

How could they not know?

It’s the worst kept secret between all of them. The fleeting looks tell all the story needed—her quiet is almost always certain but even in the moments where the silence hangs heavy, there’s a hidden layer he can always find his way into with ease. She told him she hated him in the beginning and she was right to. Ashala Venralei was a lowlander, a Lost Child, and he was a fool for seeing only what he wanted.

He ignored the glowing white marks, dotted and dusted all over umber skin—familiar star patterns crisscrossing all over her body, the remnants of what stories her parents carried away from the homeland and supplanted in her young mind. He ignored the wisdom set within eyes that burned brighter than the sun, years upon years of generational pain marring her understanding of a world that refused to teach her but still could not stem the raw hunger for said knowledge stewing in her. He ignored the careful constructs of her magic and the frightening restraint in all her movements. He ignored the building storm that lay dormant within her.

It was easy to push down all that she was at first—there was no need for her to be anything else aside from the haughty, unapproachable mageling. But what he mistook for haughtiness was what pride she still held despite the histories evading her most of her life. What he mistook for unapproachable was the wall she built over time to prevent others from seeing her as weak and easy to exploit. The same way he used the stones and dirt to forge protection against the cutthroat nature of Undermount’s political landscape, Ashala built what she could with the materials she had and it worked.

It worked until they came along.

A priestess of the Light—

And an orcish pirate—

A rogue adventurer—

Tyril frowns.

He’s been a fool many times in his life and he’d be remiss to believe he’d ever stop being foolish in situations where the solution should be simple.

She’s changed him. Maybe he’s changed her in some way too.

“I wish it could be that simple,” he mutters.

“It can be,” Imtura counters. She leans forward, placing a large hand on her knee and snorts. “You’re not used to how people do things out here and that’s fine. If we all knew the answers to everything, it wouldn’t make life as fun to explore. But this whole thing with you and Ash? It’s not good for any of us.”

He sighs heavily. How pathetic to have the one person in the group who cares little for such antics stating the obvious? “I know.”

What else is there to say? What more could he possibly say?

Imtura stares at him for a moment, likely trying to gauge if violence might’ve been the best form of recourse after all but she remains rooted in her spot. He’d almost prefer the violence if it meant not having to pour more thought into the next course of action.

“I’m not saying ‘make a miracle happen.’” She rises to her feet and stretches. “But the Deadwood is right on the horizon. We need everyone to be on their game if we want to survive the trip through and that means we need none of these complications.” She tosses one more look at him before she turns on her heel and marches back towards the camp. “Figure it out, elf.”

Alone once more with only his thoughts to mock him and his pride to remind him that he never stopped being the arrogant man he thought he left back in Undermount. Lusehene, Arrindale, Pythia—perhaps the closest he’s ever come to sharing similar sentiments with this strange woman who burrowed her way into his terrible heart. But even so, what his past taught him is that everyone holds their own desires when it comes to intimacy.

What Arrindale desired of him was power at first. Something to secure title and wealth for his struggling family until he forgot the most important rule—remain stoic until death. Never give in to anything because love means nothing compared to survival.

What Pythia desired of him was an escape. Her fate was sealed the moment she was born to a house that saw her only worth in the blood she could shed. Theirs was a romance woven by flesh, through heated touches and seared into skin that burned away all that plagued them, haunted them, and threatened to consume them.

Tyril briefly shuts his eyes and steadies his breath. What Lusehene desired most was a chance to be whole and true with the man he had come to love. Titles be damned and status be damned—there were more important things than ascendance between them and Tyril knew that then. He knew it but he wasn’t deserving of such intimacy, such devotion.

Young and stupid is an excuse, perhaps. But even then it has nothing to do with age and everything to do with benefit. Nobility means more than just being, it’s the process of assurance that matters just as much. He must be this, he must hold himself above the underserving and court power from those that can push his house to the next step on the ladder to Ascendant. Friendships had to be tailored to benefit him and romance—

His eyes snap open and his hands curl into fists.

Tyril stands and takes one more breath—one more whiff of the crisp air, thick forest, and wet earth beneath his feet.

The path back to camp is long and he thinks there is resolve within his heart. He will wait until the sun sets beyond the trees and submerges the group in darkness. The full moon will hang over their heads tonight and he whispers a prayer to Gallius.

#playchoices #choices #tyril x mc #tyril starfury #tyril #tyril the mage #bolas #blades of light and shadow

[haveyouseenthis]

GO生, Stray Kids | Review PART II

Pt. II

“...’God’s Menu’ was born”

Every second of the song captivated me. Every scene in the M/V was intriguing and sucked me in. I never rewatch M/Vs - ever. I’ve never been one to stream it a million times for the view count to go up. No way. My attention span is waay too short for that

“God’s Menu”, though. 

Wow.

I’ve had to have watched it 40 times since it came out, at least. And the thing is, it’s not my STAY self trying to accumulate views for the boys (although they do deserve it). It’s myself watching it just to watch it. It’s so good. I know exactly what scene is coming, the exact part. I know how the music is about to change and who is going to be center in the next shot, but despite this, it still gives me chills every time.

I think there are a couple reasons for that. One obviously being the song itself, but the other being the phenomenal camerawork. The cameramen and editors have always been the unsung heroes of k-pop and M/Vs in general, but they really outdid themselves this go-around. All the transitions were heavenly. You can tell they didn’t just throw them in there for shock value, but truly thought about where they would have the most impact.

The sets are also amazing. Somehow a transition from kitchen to construction site not only works, but is seamless. All the racetrack scenes also fit in perfectly. 

I started to ask myself why these sets worked so well together. What did a master chef’s kitchen, a construction site, and a racetrack have in common? Anything?

Well, maybe more than you think.

All around the world master chefs retreat into their kitchen to experiment with new recipes and cook up ones never seen before. At construction sites blueprints drawn up by architects are used to build amazing towers are intricate buildings. At the racetracks, old stars and rookies are holding onto their fame or making a name for themselves, fighting for the lead on every lap.

Stray Kids are cooking up their hits in the kitchen, laying the foundation for their success with their hardhats on, and then accelerating past all the competition.

As previously stated, “God’s Menu” is their best song, hands down. But every song on the album brings something to the table. Because of this, GO生 might just be their best release yet… 

My Top Five:

神메뉴 (God’s Menu)

Easy

비행기 (Airplane)

청사진 (Blueprint)

일상 (Another Day/Daily Life)

“God’s Menu” was hard-hitting hip hop in a way I haven’t heard or seen before from SKZ. As I’ve already said, it’s easily the best song they’ve released, including B-sides. Every verse is well crafted, the pre-chorus is catchy and serves as the nice mellow tone the song needed for the vocalists to really shine, and the chorus is a masterpiece of simple onamonapia and tangy flavor (see what I did there~) with strong choreography. The song is shockingly short, especially considering it’s a title track. However, it still feels solid. It’s a full course meal in less than three minutes. That’s so impressive, to me at least. I can’t be the only one who feels like the song is much longer than it is because it’s so immersive.

My favorite parts include Changbin’s “Yes, sir and ma’am / welcome” intro,  the first verse, and the second verse. Changbin’s intro sets the tone immediately. The “sir and ma’am” is almost sassy in context. It’s like he’s truly welcoming us into a restaurant, but there is that eerie undertone of “you don’t know what you’re in for”. I love that Han gets to rap the entire first verse. Not only does it make sense because he is a main rapper, but it sounds better than if it has been split between several people as verse 2 had. There is a clear split about halfway through the first verse where they could have switched to another member, but they stayed with Han, and I think that makes the song so much more powerful, especially since it comes at the beginning. Unlike verse one, verse two splits its lines between five different members. And it works perfectly. I wouldn’t have changed anything at all. Felix’s low voice oozes charisma and is the perfect way to pull listeners deeper into the song after the chorus, and Seungmin and I.N.’s cocky, drawing sound pairs perfectly with that. Chan’s voice and attitude fits wonderfully for his “자물쇠 따 싹 다 unlock / Idea bank 머릿속을 털어 털어” (“All the locks unlock / Idea bank, empty your head, empty it”) part. It’s also a fitting part for him as the main producer of the group. Hyunjin is the perfect person to wrap up the verse. His demanding attitude paired with his visuals as he says “비밀재료가 궁금하다면 / 사실 우린 그딴 거 안 써” (“Wonder what’s our secret ingredient / We don’t use such a thing”) deliver the line in a way no one else in the group could.

And, can we talk about that line for a minute, T? What a statement. It’s on the same flex level as “Daechwita”. “Oh, how are we so good? What’s our secret? How are we cutting corners to get here? We aren’t.”

I also really like that “Go Live,” “God’s Menu,” and “Easy,” feel like a trilogy. It’s a nice way to start the album because it gets the listener immersed immediately.

To have“Easy” follow “God’s Menu” is maybe the best decision made on this tracklist. Still just as proud and cocky as its predecessor, “Easy” talks about how Stray Kid’s don’t just turn the tables or meet expectations, they flip the table over and exceed the expectations - all with ease. 

My favorite part in “Easy” is the bridge, and I’ve found a few different translations of it:

Zaty Farhani’s “Easy” lyric video translates the bridge as “Showing off is all for show, what are you doing getting all scared? / The brave ugly-duckling turns the table / Let’s raise the stakes as you’ve wished / or do it my way”

Color Coded Lyrics’s (CCL) blog translates it as: “What’s the point of being braggy / When you’re just eating up your fear / A loser with courage will turn the tables around / Let’s make it to the next round, as you want / Or I’ll mess around with my own way”

Genius Lyrics translates the part as: “Your words are just bragging / What are you doing while being all coward? / A brave loser has overtook everything / Let's make this game even more big as you wanted / Or just screw it and do it my way”

All of them amount to about the same thing: “You have to show off and brag to prove your worth and rise to the top but we don’t. We know where we came from, and we know what we are, but we will go farther because of this. We’ll take over the world our way,”.

“비행기 (Airplane)” ends the “Go-God’s-Easy” trilogy with it’s lighter hip-hop sound. It’s a love song. The narrator speaks of taking an airplane to a vacation spot with his girlfriend as a metaphor for the two of them traveling to their own world where they can be happy together. What really draws me to this song is its style and sound. The track reminds me a little of “Mixtape : Gone Days”,  with it’s lighter feel. It’s a nice example of a lighthearted love song. I don’t have as much to say about this one, I just really like it. There isn’t any deep meaning in the lyrics for me to dive into (unless you’re into speculating the composer's relationship status. Bang Chan and Changbin wrote “Airplane” in collaboration with others so it’s possible the lyrics came from them or one of the other three composers. Maybe all of them are just good enough at imagining situations to write things like this. We’ll never know.)

“청사진 (Blueprint)” comes in 4th for me, but really 3rd-5th place may as well be equal. The three songs have the same energy to me, especially “Blueprint” and “Airplane”. I like “Blueprint” for its folk-inspired pop sound. It reminds me of AKMU, which I’m sure T digs. It’s not SKZ’s usual sound, but they sing it well and have made it their own. I smile every time it comes on. The lyrics have a wonderful message about overcoming and accomplishing your dreams despite the odds and the people out to get you. Very sweet, and the message reminds me of that of many of their old songs.

“일상 (Another Day/Daily Life)” is the closest thing to a ballad we’ve gotten from the boys.

The beginning count reminds me of NCT 127’s “Boom” and the overall sound reminds me of NCT Dream’s “Puzzle Piece”.

While the first time I listened to it I could easily tell it was a sad and mournful song about something, I wasn’t expecting to tear up while reading the lyrics on my 3rd listen.

It hurts so much. It’s so beautiful. The song tells the story of the narrator (Han wrote it, it’s absolutely about him and his anxiety) as he reflects on himself and his situation, wondering if he’s the only one feeling the way he is, wondering if he is the only one putting on an act every day, and wondering if it’s evening convincing.

But I guess that painfully beautiful tune fits with the message. The notes are so sweet they make you want to cry. And that’s how it feels to go through what the narrator is dealing with. Everything you’re doing looks beautiful. You seem perfect, but if anyone really takes time to listen, they will hear your hurt.

He was a young teenager and was forced to deal with so many pressures (“I’m still so young, but I have so many worries”/”So much worries for such a young child”) during training, and then debut.

After that line, we get to the hard truth of the industry. Of course companies care about their idols, but only to a point. After that, it’s “Just do what you're supposed to be doing well” and “Just do your job properly”. In other words, “Okay, great, you’re going through something. Get over it.”.

CCL translation: “When I pushed my way into this dark room / Did anybody bother to look back at me? / I barely managed to make it through this hard day / How many times did I smile, and were they genuine smiles? // I find the way I’m trapped in my thoughts funny / I’m still so young, but I have so many worries / Just do what you’re supposed to be doing well / Nobody knows anything about how empty my heart feels / And I hate how / All they know how to do is laugh it off”

Genius translation: “The day I forced my way into the dark room / Would at least one person have turned to look at me / Me, who barely lived through another day / How many times have I laughed, but were those sincere? // Myself deep in thought looks funny / So much worries for such a young child / Just do your job properly / Without knowing about my empty heart / Just laughing over it, I don't like that”

I think it’s fitting that the only parts Han gets opens and close the song. It just draws more attention to the fact that it’s his story. He’s opening the door for him and others to talk about their feelings, and once they’ve covered it all, he closes it back up. 

I don’t have too many complaints about this album. A couple, maybe.

One would be that  “TOP”, “SLUMP”, “Mixtape : Gone Days”, and “Mixtape : On Track/바보라도 알아” were released separate from this album, so they stick out from the other 10 tracks. I’m glad they were all grouped together at the end and not sporadically placed between songs like “Easy” and “Pacemaker”. 

“Gone Days” sticks out the most because of its playful hip-hoppy sound that is reminiscent of previous tracks such as “Awkward Silence” and “Get Cool”. I’m not particularly fond of the fact that it is the only one that sounds as it does, but I suppose it is just the same thing they did with “Get Cool” and “Awkward Silence”’s respective mini albums. Both songs were the only ones of their kind on their albums and feel a little out of place. I think I was able to get accustomed to it quicker as being on mini albums there was a smaller tracklist, therefore drastic tone changes between songs weren’t as novel. 

Go Live’s sound alternates (mainly) between two different styles. There are louder, harder hip-hop songs like “God’s Menu” “TA” and “Pacemaker”, and then we have what I’ve dubbed “The Quiet Trilogy” with “Airplane”, “Another Day”, and “Blueprint”. Songs like “Phobia” and “Haven” seen to sit solidly in between the two styles.

But “Gone Days” and “On Track” don’t sound like anything else on this tracklist. “Gone Days” has an over-saturated upbeat take on hip-hop, and “On Track” has a ballad inspired sound (honestly it vaguely reminds me of OSTs for dramas…) to it. This makes the transition from beginning of album to end shocking, and I’m not overly fond of that.

My other issue is that the rest of the track-list simply pales in comparison to its title track. “God’s Menu” was so powerful, so overwhelming for me that it made the rest of the album underwhelming.

Maybe that’s a compliment, actually? At least as far as “God’s” is concerned. I don’t know…

I think I’ll get used to it after a few more listens. (Future Kasin: I did and I love it <3)

One thing is for sure: if they master making every song deliver the same punch as “God’s Menu”, I’ll be done for.

I can’t wait to see what they do next.

Go Live on Spotify

Links PT II:

神메뉴 (God’s Menu) Lyrics (Han/Rom/Eng)

“Easy” lyric video

Color Coded Lyrics Stray Kids Discography

Color Coded Lyrics Stray Kids “Easy”

Genius Lyrics Stray Kids “Easy” English translation

Color Coded Lyrics Stray Kids “비행기 (Airplane)”

Genius Lyrics Stray Kids “비행기 (Airplane)”

Color Coded Lyrics “청사진 (Blueprint)” 

Genius Lyrics “청사진 (Blueprint)”

NCT 127 Boom

NCT Dream Puzzle Piece

Color Coded Lyrics “일상 (Another Day/Daily Life)”

Part I

#stray kids #go生 #神메뉴 #god's menu #jyp entertainment #kpop #music #kasin #review

[piccolina-mina]

Something Unexpected

Fandom: Roswell, New Mexico

Teaser: He stepped into her space slowly and deliberate. His voice husky as he tucked strands of her blond hair behind her ear and whispered, “You flirting with me, Evans?”

His lips brushed against the shell of her ear, and Kyle chuckled when her breath caught in her throat.

She wet her lips, and his eyes tracked the motion before meeting hers.

“When I really flirt with you, Kyle,” she breathed, making the hairs of his neck stand on end. “You won’t need to ask.”

A/N: For @craashdowns and @queenrikki because … apparently, this is something I do. Like a freaking squish. Shut up! Anyway, here goes. I only skimmed over it, so excuse any and all errors. 

———

She recognized that stride anywhere.

It was all easy confidence and swinging arms, and nothing but swagger. He moved like a panther, slick and quiet down the hallway masterfully shifting his body to accommodate gurneys rushing past and aides pushing wheelchairs.

The coffee cup in her hand burned her palms as she pushed through a break in the hallway and power walked down the hall hoping to catch him before he disappeared.

Fortunately, he stopped at the nurse’s station. He leaned against the counter smiling and signing paperwork.

He must have gotten off of shift. His bag was slung over his shoulder. Scrubs and a lab coat were replaced with fitted jeans and a worn leather jacket draped over a henley.

He smelled divine, as usual. Scent was always a weakness of hers, and Kyle Valenti smelled downright edible.

“I need a favor,” she blurted out without decorum. “No worries, I came bearing gifts.”

She slid the coffee across the counter and flashed a knowing smile. “So, about that favor…”

He released a surprised puff of air, but his eyes crinkled in the corners. His lips curved slightly upward in amusement.

“You need a favor,” he stated rather than asked. “Again.”

It had become a dance of theirs in the months since they spoke at the hospital. Shockingly, they had built up something of a rapport. It was unexpected.

They didn’t exactly run the same circles, but Kyle was kind to her. He was comforting and genuine.

It wasn’t something she forgot. When the latest project or person led her to the hospital halls, something she didn’t want to consider nor name led her to him.

To his credit, he surprised her by never turning her away or appearing the slightest bit put off by her either. It seemed to be just his nature; a Valenti one, she presumed.

“You know, you could always say no,” she teased him. She leaned in and raised a brow mockingly. “You don’t, though.”

He scoffed in surprise or annoyance, she couldn’t figure out which and grabbed the coffee. He studied her quietly while he took a long sip, nodded and headed to the exit knowing she would follow.

Naturally, she did.

“You got my coffee order right,” he observed.

“Maybe I’m psychic,” she deadpanned. “Call it intuition.”

He snorted and shook his head. “How can I be at your service this time?”

“I need the name of the anonymous donor who contributed to the pediatric wing last year.”

He tossed his bag in the backseat and turned to face her, leaning against his car. His jaw was clenched, and she could see faint signs of his exhaustion from coming off of a long shift.

“Funny thing that anonymous part. It means they don’t want their name known,” he crossed his arms and stared at her.

“Is that what that means?” She purred. “I had no idea.”

“Listen, I-”

“Sick kids, Kyle. The committee is putting together a fundraiser, and it would help if someone with deeper pockets could provide some more funding.”

“I understand that, but-”

“Dying children, Kyle. Think about the children!” She blinked unapologetic in her methods of persuasion and inwardly smiled when she saw his resolve falter right before her eyes.

“Fine,” he sighed. He rubbed at the crease in his forehead, and she too wanted very much to smooth it out. “I’ll see what I can do, but I can’t promise anything.”

“See? I always get my way somehow,” she joked.

“Yeah, I bet.” He flashed her a small smile that turned into an embarrassed chuckle when his stomach growled.

She smiled fondly at him as he joked about the long shift and poor quality of cafeteria food.

She wouldn’t know; she avoided cafeteria food like the plague. Was she a food snob? Absolutely, and she didn’t bother hiding it.

But there was something about Kyle that made her soften. Maybe she wanted to extend him an ounce of the kindness he extended her.

It seemed natural for him, too. Genuine. He was a good guy – a decent man, and she marveled at how he didn’t need to try, he just was.

It’s a quality she somewhat envied – something she sought out too. It was part of what attracted her to her husband, or at least she thought it was, now? Now she wasn’t sure about anything anymore.

“Are you alright?” He leaned in and studied her face, his warm hand burning her arm, and she almost flushed at the gentle contact.

His eyes darted back and forth, scanning her eyes and face with that concerned frown of his etched on his countenance.

He was tired and hungry, but there he was worried about her.

“How about we grab something to eat?” She stepped back, walked around his car, and unlatched the passenger door.

She met his eyes over the top of the car and watched the perplexed expression disappear as quickly as it came.

“You can pick, but I’ll buy.” She slid into the leather seat and shut the door.

His car smelled like him. By the time she was clicking her seatbelt on, he was sliding into his seat too.

“Um,” his throat worked hard with each swallow, and she could tell she caught him off-guard.

“Don’t make this weird, Kyle.” She cleared her throat, and it was like all of her confidence was stripped away in the confinements of his car.

She clutched her purse, held it on her lap, set it down, then moved it back to her lap again. She wanted to adjust the seat that felt like it was leaned too far back for her taste, but there was no sense in embarrassing herself.

She could sense her rigid posture, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t convince her body to loosen up.

She felt his eyes burning on the side of her face and heard his soft snort as he started up the car. Loud hip-hop blasted through the speakers.

He turned down the volume and turned the dial to change the station.

“You don’t have to change it on my account,” she responded only slightly affronted.“I like Izzo.”

“Lizzo,” he corrected his eyes darting back and forth from the rearview and the road.

“It was a joke,” she supplied.

She couldn’t tell if he believed her, and suddenly she regretted jumping into his car instead of taking her own. It was as though he could read her mind.

“Hey,” he stole a glance her way. His eyes darted back and forth between the road and her face until she looked back at him.

Don’t mind me, it’s not you …“ his voice trailed off for a moment, and his eyes softened.

She couldn’t make sense of his expression, but then he shook his head as if shaking off some deep thoughts and continued.

“It’s not you. I’m just tired, and I didn’t anticipate this or you for that matter.”

She did her best to control her expression. They weren’t close, or even friends and they were so very different.

Maybe she had overstepped some boundary. She didn’t think, she just acted, and if she was being honest with herself, that’s something about him she found alluring.

He was easy to talk to and be around, even briefly. She didn’t think about who she was or wasn’t. She didn’t think about what impression she was giving off or if her carefully curated image was perfectly intact.

He saw through that, and it had been a long time since anyone saw through her perfectly put together exterior.

“I’m sorry, maybe we shouldn’t–”

“Hey,” he grabbed her hand and squeezed it. He cleared his throat and pulled his hand away just as quick.

“That’s not what I meant. Besides,” he flashed a smile as they pulled into a dirt lot in front of a BBQ shack. “ We’re here.”

She raised a perfectly arched brow at what she could only describe as a dump in front of her. Chipped paint and rust-covered the old building.

Half of the lights had blown out in the sign, and all she could make out was a few letters etched on a pink pig.

“Charming.”

“I thought so,” Kyle replied, biting back a smile. “Best BBQ in town.”

“Doubt it’s as good as mine, but whatever you say.” She was not impressed with the outer appearance, but she was still learning the exterior didn’t mean very much anymore.

“You make BBQ?” He was annoyingly shocked by this, and it irked her.

“You don’t have to act so surprised.” She was indignant, and she knew it, but she couldn’t help herself.

“I figured you went for cucumber crest sandwiches and salads or something,” he admitted only slightly ashamed.

His judgment surprised her and yet didn’t.

“That’s your impression of me, and yet you brought me here,” she gestured at the shack and stifled her disdain.

She was well aware that the worst looking places were usually hidden gems, but she never understood why people couldn’t put in more effort.

Never let anyone see you slip and all of that. It was just sensible.

“I’m hungry. I don’t eat cucumber sandwiches, and you said you were buying, so …” he laughed getting out of the car and startled her by opening the passenger door for her.

“Jackass,” she muttered as she climbed out and adjusted her clothes.

“You wound me,” Kyle grimaced gesturing in an “after you” manner as they walked down the gravel path to the restaurant.

“Not yet, but the night is still young,” she feigned a smile that seemed to amuse him more than anything else.

“And so am I,” he added pulling the door open for her.

“Cute,” she muttered.

“I think so,” he quipped back. His eyes sparkled with humor, and she chuckled.

The shack was bigger than it looked on the outside, and they stopped at the bar to order a drink before settling in at a table.

Kyle flagged down the bartender and gestured at her to order. She leaned against the counter and cringed at how sticky and grimy it was.

Some unfamiliar residue coated her hands, and she recoiled, wiping her hands down her things and trying not to gag.

“Lady?” The bartender was not amused, but Kyle certainly was.

His eyes grew wide as he bit his lip stifling laughter.

“Skinny Cosmo, please,” she demanded, only looking up when she sensed both men were staring at her.

The bartender look scandalized, and Kyle, the bastard, could barely contain himself.

His amusement was irksome, but his eyes were soft and kind, and she exhaled and let herself go.

“Corona with a lime,” she flashed a bright smile that caught both men off guard. “And a tequila shot.”

If she surprised Kyle with her order, she damn near caused him to spontaneously combust when she consumed her shot.

She grabbed his hand without warning, but he didn’t resist when she licked the skin between his thumb and index finger and salted it.

She sucked it lightning quick, downed her shot, and bit into the lime wedge with the barest hint of a frown.

His eyes were dark – pupils were blown as he stood there speechless while she grabbed her beer and sauntered over to a small table on shaky legs.

If he wanted to make her uneasy, even in jest, then she could do the same.

Moments later, he slid across from her with his own bottle in his hand.

He opened his mouth to say something, but an older woman with a weathered face from too much sun came to take their order.

“I’ll have the rib special. Extra sauce, please,” she slid the menu across the table, and both women turned to look at Kyle pointedly.

“Uh, same, please. Thank you.”

She took a long pull of her beer and made eye contact over the bottle. “What?”

She leaned back into the crackly booth and willed herself to relax. The tequila helped.

She hadn’t drunk tequila in some time. She usually opted for whatever specialty drink was served at whatever gathering she was attending or a glass of wine.

“Nothing,” Kyle responded. He studied her intently while he sipped at his drink. “You surprise me.”

“You keep saying that.” She rested her elbow on the table and ran her hand through her hair before resting her head on her palm.

“I’m sorry,–” he started.

“You keep saying that too,” she interrupted. She loved the way she threw him off and made him uncomfortable. It made her feel like the power was back in her hands. These days, all she could remember was being powerless around men.

“People are rarely how they seem. Even then, there’s more to them than what you see. Sometimes …” her voice trailed off as she swallowed back tears she didn’t know she conjured up.

“Sometimes you think you know them, and you find out you don’t know them at all,” her voice cracked, and she attempted a watery smile as she took another gulp of her beer.

“I’m …” Kyle’s voice was as sincere as his eyes, but he shook his head not wanting to extend another apology. “I know. I heard.”

“Small town and all,” she joked weakly.

“And that sucks.” He paused as their food was placed in front of them. “How has that been? Do you–”

“Miss him?” She offered. She tore off a bone from her slab of ribs and dove right in. “Mmmmm.”

Her moans bordered on obscene if Kyle nearly choking was any indication.

“I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with him.” She grew quiet – pensive.

“And everything I thought was true was a lie. That’s what it feels like, like maybe he never loved me at all. Years of being together, and he probably never loved me. But I still miss him and what we had. Like a fucking idiot, I still miss that lie.”

She blinked rapidly, forgetting her surroundings and embarrassed at displaying open vulnerability.

She felt exposed and uncomfortable. He must have noticed because his hand shot out again and grabbed hers.

Even when she tried to pull it away, he wouldn’t let go. He squeezed her hand firmly and with reassurance.

Her eyes followed the gesture and then slowly rose to meet his.

He ducked his head down refusing to break eye contact with her.

“You have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. Nothing to be embarrassed about, and you’re not an idiot for daring to love,” his voice was soothing.

She pulled her hand out of his after one final squeeze and dabbed at her eyes with a napkin. She ducked her head down and buried herself into her meal unable to take Kyle’s sympathy.

Somehow it felt infinitely worse than if it was pity.

“So,” she cleaned another bone with a moan. “How’d you find the second-best BBQ place in town?”

“Your moans are confirming it’s the first,” he teased, giving her the change of subject she desperately needed.

“Watch yourself, doc. You still haven’t tried mine,” she tossed another bone on the platter and sucked her fingers. “And I promise it’s the best you’ve ever tasted.”

To her amusement, his face heated up, and he cleared his throat.

“Um, my, uh,” he stuttered. “It used to be my father’s favorite place. We would come at least once every couple of weeks.”

He had a faraway smile as he recalled the fond memories, and seeing him so wistful made her smile too.

“We had some of our best conversations over a meal here,” he laughed softly recalling a memory. “Some over that pool table too,” he nodded at a table in the corner of the room.

It was old but durable and had some good years still left in it.

His eyes were sad for the first time all night, and it pierced her heart.

“You want to go a few rounds?” She canted her head toward the pool table. “Or are you afraid I’m going to kick your ass?”

The last part got him, and he again snorted in surprise.

“You play?”

“I dabble,” she shrugged. She tossed her napkin down and slid out of the booth looking down at him and waiting for him to acquiesce.

“OK,” he climbed out of the booth and stood toe-to-toe with her. “I’ll bite.”

“Promise?” She narrowed her eyes at him, ignoring the double entendre even though a blush crept up his neck around the collar. “I like a challenge.”

“Apparently, so do I,” he huffed. “But first,” he leaned in close to her, their noses inches apart, before he looked down and grabbed her napkin.

He brushed it across her lips and face wiping away smears of BBQ sauce with that confident smirk of his. “You got a little something.”

He took some joy in how mortified she was and left her at the table to gather her thoughts while he grabbed another drink for her and got the pool sticks ready.

She welcomed the new beer and used it to cool herself down.

He called his play as he leaned over the pool table. He had the dexterity of a surgeon, for sure. He had the precision too.

“What happened to ladies first?” She asked as she grabbed the stick.

“Lady?” He scoffed. “I know a hustler when I see one.”

She leaned over the table to line up her shot, the stick gliding smoothly between her manicured fingers. When she glanced up, she caught him eyeing her cleavage. She fought off a smirk of her own.“Who says I can’t be both?”

She took her shot, and even though she was rusty, she couldn’t have executed it better.

“Shit!” Kyle scratched the back of his neck and whistled impressed.

She sidled up to him brushing past, heat and electricity thrumming between them. “I’m really handy with a stick.”

He stepped into her space slowly and deliberate. His voice husky as he tucked strands of her blond hair behind her ear and whispered, “You flirting with me, Evans?”

His lips brushed against the shell of her ear, and Kyle chuckled when her breath caught in her throat.

She wet her lips, and his eyes tracked the motion before meeting hers.

“When I really flirt with you, Kyle,” she breathed, making the hairs of his neck stand on end. “You won’t need to ask.”

He swallowed hard, and she laughed loud and carefree in a way she hadn’t done in a long time.

She knew she flustered him when he missed his shot. He could hardly make eye contact as he took another timid sip of the same warm beer he got when they arrived.

“Not much of a drinker?” She asked as she walked around the table and took another shot with success.

“Not really,” he shrugged. “With my father and all … ” he trailed off.

She nodded in understanding, but the mention of Jim’s addiction must have thrown him off. He scratched the table.

“Dammit,” he swore under his breath. She patted his shoulder.

“You’re not bad, just easily distracted,” her voice took on a playful tone that made his lips turn up slightly. “You need to work on your form,” she gestured at him.

She adjusted his stance, her hands resting firmly on his hips before she even thought about it.

For a split second, she thought of what the other patrons would think. How they would react to her and him and how intimate they looked together?

She wondered what people would say when word spread that she was getting cozy with the sheriff’s son. She thought of the rumors that would spread. The whispers and the judgment.

Then she decided she was too tired to care. She slid her hands down his arms and adjusted his grip on the pool stick until they were holding it just right together.

She was pressed firmly against his back. Her face was nearly touching his.

“Inhale,” she ordered gently pulling their hands back, “and release on the exhale.”

The sounds of balls clinking together and sinking into pockets were those of triumph.

“Good boy,” she whispered in his ear as she smacked his ass.

“OK, now you’re definitely flirting with me, Evans.”

“Maybe,” she laughed, polishing off the rest of his beer.

She lost track of time playing pool, joking, and flirting with Kyle, and it was the lightest she felt in months.

She felt like she was walking on air while strolling down that gravel road with Kyle’s jacket draped over her shoulders and his arm entwined with hers.

Their conversation on the drive back was lighthearted and easy. The awkwardness long abandoned.

She was so wrapped up in their flirty banter that she failed to realize he bypassed the hospital and took her home.

Her buzz gradually wore off at the sight of her dark home, and the loneliness washed over her as if she had been doused with cold water.

“You brought me home,” she sighed pulling his jacket tighter around her as if it served as an embrace.

“I brought you home,” he echoed. “Sheriff’s son, remember?” He cut off the car. “I would rather be safe than sorry.”

“Careful, Valenti. I might think you cared about me.”

“Careful, Evans. I might think you wanted me to.”

Fortunately for her, he jumped out of the car and missed the effect his words had on her. She hoped it had dissipated by the time he opened the passenger door and enveloped her hand in his.

“Walking me to my door, too?” She shouldn’t be surprised his mother raised him right.

“You get the Valenti special,” he teased as they stopped outside of her door. “Thanks for dinner, and … ” he leaned in and whispered conspiratorially. “I’ll get that name for you tomorrow.”

“Thank you for …” she laughed to herself as she realized she wanted to thank him for everything.

For being kind to her and being good company. For not judging her. For seeing her in a way she hadn’t felt seen in awhile.

For making her feel comfortable and safe, and for never making her feel self-conscious or different.

“Thank you for everything,” she breathed.

She slipped out of his jacket and handed it to him already missing its warmth and the way his scent clung to it.

Their fingers met with the exchange, and a spark between them nearly caused them to pull away. Except she didn’t want to pull away. No, she wanted to be closer.

She did what she had done all night; she stopped thinking and just felt.

She crashed her lips to his, pulling him closer. She ran her hand through his hair and gripped his shirt with the other kissing him hungrily.

There was still the faint taste of beer on his tongue and the mint he ate after dinner.

She feared he was only indulging her at first, but he kissed her with purpose. His hands slid up to cup her face, and his lips chased after hers between stolen breaths.

She pressed him against the doorframe, her lips sliding across those sharp cheekbones and along his jawline before finding his mouth again.

She slid her leg between his with purpose, and she ran her hand beneath the hem of his shirt dragging her fingertips along his ridiculously hard abs.

His hand enclosed hers, their fingers tangling as he spun her around so she was pressed against the door instead.

He caged her in, pressing their entwined hands above her head as he kissed her slow and sensuous.

She wrapped a leg around him, pulling him forward until they were damn near joined at the hip.

He slowed their kiss down, then ended with a soft peck and ran his nose along her neck.

“We have to,” he was out of breath as he pulled away and rested his forehead against hers. “We have to stop.”

Rejection hung heavy in the air, but she tried to tamp it down.

“I’m sorry.” She kept her voice as neutral as possible considering the circumstances. “It’s weird, right? It’s … with me, it’s weird.”

“What?” His voice rose an octave as he tried to catch his breath. “No! Hell no. It’s decidedly not weird. It’s so far from weird.”

He pecked her lips again in reassurance.

“Uh,” his hips inadvertently jerked forward as he dug into her hips to steady her while extricating himself from her leg lock.

She felt him hard against her and bit her lip trying not to laugh. He stepped back and yanked his jacket off the floor before his eyes met hers.

They were dark and stormy as if a war was brewing behind them. His lips were swollen as he darted his tongue out to wet them or maybe savor the taste of her on them.

“I have an early shift,” he said almost regretfully. “And I don’t make it a habit of spending the evening with women who have been drinking.”

He ducked his head and gave her a shy smile.

“Right,” she said. “No operating heavy machinery.”

“Did you-” he let out a startled laugh that matched the deer in headlights look.

She laughed too, and it released the tension between them. He reached out and tucked her hair behind her ear.

“Get some rest.“He pressed his lips to her forehead tender and sweet and exhaled. “Goodnight, Ann.”

She smiled. All these months later, and he finally took to using her first name.

He stepped off the porch backward, not taking his eyes off of her until he climbed into his car.

“Goodnight, Kyle,” she whispered while pressing her back to the door and watching him pull off. She sighed contently to herself. “Until we meet again.”

—– Fin —–

#roswell new mexico #roswell new mexico fic #Kyle Valenti #dios mio #sneaks fic in and scurries away #like a little sh*t #byyyee

[cutegirlmayra]

Surprised no one asked you for an amnesia prompt yet! Since Rememory had Amy without her memories of Sonic, how about Sonic's turn to lose his memories? Whether it's like Rememory where he'd only forget about Amy or just a full-blown amnesia is up to you.

(x) Special thank you to @thatange for allowing her art to be featured with this prompt! If you or a friend would like their art featured on this blog’s prompts, please message me! I would be very grateful for your permission :)b

Rememory Fanfiction: FF.Net (x) AO3 (x) DA (x) Wattpad (x)

Prompt:

“It’s just… This feels familiar, this situation… somehow.” Sonic talked to himself out loud, holding the Iblis flame lightly flapping in a floating lamp of sorts.

He placed his finger to his lips in thought, remembering Blaze crying and the flame suddenly appearing as an entity wanting to destroy the fabric of space and time. Blaze claimed to not have known about it but felt she was responsible for it in some way.

…But then…

“Amy…” Sonic turned around, seeing her standing behind him.

“What’s wrong?” She tilted her head, waiting.

He felt a bit guilty and finally told her the truth. His eyes arched back, “I just can’t… help but feel like this is gonna end badly somehow. Like… If I blow this flame out, I won’t remember certain things.” he wondered how such a tiny flame could cause so much mass havoc.

“You mean…” she cutely walked up by his side, leaning to see the flame floating on its lamp above his hand. “You’re familiar with this flame?”

“…I’m not sure.” He closed his eyes and shook his head, turning away from her. “But I gotta blow it out. It’s the only way to reverse time back. How far back.. I’m not sure.”

“…But…” Amy stepped forward, “You won’t forget us, will you, Sonic?” She hopped a little more in front as he scratched the side of his head, showing he wasn’t sure if he could answer that honestly. “You… You can’t risk losing us!” She bundled her fists together, an odd step forward on her pigeon-toed feet.

“If you do… if you do… how could you even consider it!” her sorrow dragged in her voice, before picking up to betrayal and anger. “I won’t let you! I’ll blow it out!” She stumbled as she reached for the flame, Sonic lifting it high above her and catching her before she tumbled.

“Amy..!” Sonic held her by the waist, making sure if she squirmed–which she did struggle–that regardless, she wouldn’t be able to get the flame. “This is…. this is the only way to set everything back! The world’s covered in magma and ashes, Amy! You can’t choose us over them.”

“Yes I can!” Amy tried to get out of his hold, but his lock on her body was secure. She was able to get her feet under her and pull at his arm, “No,..! No, no, no!” she finally gave up and reached for the flame, wobbling on her tippy-toes. “Why do you have to do it!? Why can’t I…” her tears began as she watched the flicker of the flame, the slow dance it made as Sonic held it up high out of her reach, a torch that could possibly extinguish the memory of her only true love.

“If I had to choose between the world… and you…” she slowly dropped her arm, turning to a new desperate attempt at stopping him.

She hesitated, turning around and looking into his eyes, highlighted by the deadly flames glow.

“I would choose-!” she jumped at him, kissing him off-guard as the flame… slipped…

As Sonic stabilized himself, leaning back and eyes widened at her gesture– which she hadn’t stepped back from, even now, by the way…– he saw the flame began to slowly fade away as it fell through the empty space between time.

He quickly acted, moving more into Amy’s kiss and grabbed the flame falling behind her, it singed his glove as he spun to keep her away from it.

the spin… had the flame extinguish… and the world go dark… as their lips never parted.

——-

Amy cheerfully was enjoying the sunny, spring day. Picking flowers was a necessity in May, no exceptions!

She bobbed her head as she dipped down to pluck some flowers before a gust of wind threw her off her usual cheeriness.

“…Sonic!” her eyes grew wide.

She remembered instantly, it didn’t even take a half-second for her body to instinctually start racing after the wind.

She remembered, everything up until Blaze crying.

“H-” She was at a loss, “How could I forget Sonic?!” she felt afraid for a moment then, stunned and worried how she sent days not thinking about him, not wondering what crazy adventure he had gotten himself into lately.

She bolted. The drive in her heart like a gas tank that revved up her breathing and kept her legs full of fuel. A fine-tuned car that started for none other than the one she loved.

“Sonic!” she called out, desperate for his attention and absolutely frantic at having forgotten about him.

‘It’s impossible, I couldn’t have forgotten him!’ she told herself as she continued to run. ‘Sonic would have slowed by now, why isn’t he stopping?’

She came to a halt when her body finally couldn’t take in enough oxygen and keep pursuing. Though the heart was willing, her body was starting to lose its adrenaline rush.

She clutched her knees as her shoulders moved up and down in rhythm to her rushed breaths.

‘Why didn’t he… why didn’t he stop for me?’ she questioned.

Her ears flicked around, showing not only confusion but also trying to hear which direction he may have taken.

His blue blur was far out of sight now. There was no way to tell by sight alone where he could have gone.

It would take another 3 weeks to track him down, all torturous, all longingly hopeless as she bared the harsh nature of her world to find him.

At last… she found a figure lying on a roof, blue and perfect as her memory seemed to fail her again. ‘Was he always this laid back? I feel like he was… why… why is it so hard to remember?’ she was growing frustrated with herself, but that emotion came out strong in her voice, causing a bad reception on the other end…

She threw her arms down by her sides, “Sonic The Hedgehog!” she cried out, “Why didn’t you stop and say hello to me when I kept calling you?!”

A face turned to look at her, his eyes half-way closed and his expression mostly indifferent. “Hmm?”

“Ah! How rude!” she puffed up her cheek, seeing he didn’t seem to care. “I’ve been trying to find you for weeks!”

“…Yo, you found me.” He raised a hand, acknowledging her accomplishment. He then yawned and used the same hand to stick his pinkie finger into his ear in boredom. “Such a loud voice…” he mumbled to himself quietly.

“Is there somethin’ you need?” He finally asked, after a moment of silence while Amy’s heart broke inside her.

“…I… Sonic… It’s me. It’s Amy. Amy Rose! You’re Amy…” She defeatedly withdrew a little bit. Her head came down, her hands met down in front of her, but her eyes remained to the back of his head.

“Oh?” He looked behind him, shrugging with the same arm. “Never heard of ya.”

The nonchalant reply shattered the windows of her eyes.

Even Sonic’s eyebrows lifted at the sight of her absolute destruction.

“You… You… That’s not funny! Sonic, you’re a jerk! Idiot!” she cried, launching her hands up to the sides of her eyes as tears sprayed out and she raced off, sobbing.

“…Was it something I said?” Sonic looked confused at the camera.

Amy continued to race away, crying loudly. ‘How… After all these years… how could he forget me?’ It was her worse nightmare, she couldn’t handle it, her heart was failing her as the engine she once trusted so much began to falter and wane.

As though an old and rusted furnace, the lining of her heart began to peel off and she slowly sunk to the ground, tucking her legs up to herself as rain began to fall.

A figure in the rain stood over her, his hands on his hips.

She heard a rustle of muddy grass approach her like footsteps, and tried to peer up through the thin but heavily pouring rain to see the man.

“…It’s never wise to be out in rain.” The voice stated, offering her his hand as he bent down to her. “Come on, you’re crying is upsetting the sky.”

It was a tender remark, but it was still a direct piece of pain to her heart.

She nodded and took his hand.

“Where are you from, anyway?” he asked.

She couldn’t even bear to look at him.

When she didn’t respond or even turn her head to him, he sighed, remaining still a moment before looking up at the storm clouds.

She sneezed then, and he smiled.

“Well, we won’t get anywhere by just standing around.” He scooped her up bridal style and was amazed at how well she adjusted in his arms. Though, he didn’t say anything regarding the strange sensation that he had done this sort of thing before, but he hadn’t really saved a damsel in distress. Did this mean he was officially her hero now?

“For a fan, you really put everything you have into seeing me.” He meant it as a compliment, “A few weeks, huh?”

He looked to her, but she just clutched her hands around his neck tighter, gritting her teeth.

‘How could this have happened? There must be an explanation. Was it Eggman?’

When she didn’t respond again, he sighed once more. “You don’t seem thrilled about any of this…”

“How can I be happy knowing you’ve forgotten me?” her voice cracked mid-sentence, too ashamed and worthless to stick up for herself. “If this is a joke, it’s not funny. It’s.. too cruel. Even for you.”

The statement just left Sonic staring at her.

In silence, he decided it best not to push anymore conversation. He wasn’t good at it anyway.

Deciding, very consciously, not to be confused- Sonic trekked on through the blowing rainstorm. It was a warm rain though, so he didn’t mind.

He tried to be a gentleman and shield her most of the time, but her head was ducked under his anyway, she would get wet everywhere else regardless.

He found a batch of matted foliage and ducked under there to see if any water leaked through.

It was a batch of greenery, but small for a den.

‘Eh, it’ll have to do.’ Sonic looked to Amy, watching water drip off her quills and slide down her cheeks.

Were those rain or tears..?

His eyes softened to her and he looked away.

Taking a breath, he turned back with a heroic smile on his face. “Miss? We’re here.”

She sniffled, “Where?” her three bangs had fallen over her sad, little pitiful face and Sonic couldn’t help but find that rather cute.

“Heh.” he felt bad for the girl, wanting to turn her mood around. “A type of briar patch I would imagine.” he pointed to the tightly knit thorns above the entrance, “But our quills should keep us safe.”

“You knew I was a hedgehog?”

“Uhh… I may not have heard you calling from all the wind rushing past me, but my vision hasn’t failed me. Yet, anyway.” he winked, trying to be charming.

She turned away again.

“…Ohh.” He groaned, upset that for the first time, he couldn’t seem to cheer a girl up. “Here.” he tried to be polite now, just stick to good manners and set her down in the sheltered cover first. “Watch your head and dress.”

Her dress got caught on a twig and before it could tug her, he swiftly loosed it and she continued to crawl inside the den.

She turned around and sneezed again as Sonic sat beside her, ‘whoo’ing a gesturing of relief at getting them out of the rain.

He grinned even more now, knowing how contagious a smile can be. “Good thing you’re loud, lady. Or I’d have been looking for ya for a while.” he rubbed under his nose, finding it a bit embarrassing to say that.

“…You were looking for me?” She turned back to him, before puffing up her cheek in anger again. “Quit acting like we’re strangers! Hmph!” she rejected his kind gesture to make her laugh.

He flinched at how cold she was being, “Now, now…” he sweatdropped, “Give a guy a break…”

After a moment, Amy turned to him again, “You… You really, honestly don’t remember me?”

Sonic shrugged, “Not a clue!” he beamed.

Amy’s heartfelt Eggman’s robots surround her and fire directly to her core in an execution.

She silently fell back but was pricked by a thorn.

“Ow!”

“Woah! Hang on there…” Sonic reached his hands back for her, helping her stay upright. “You alright?”

“Yeah, I… Ohhh!!! How can I be alright when you seriously don’t remember me!” she reverted back to herself a moment before remembering to be mad again.

“Heh, okay, but I’m not entirely at fault here.” He kindly tried to look at her with some sympathy. “It’s not like you told me where we met before…”

“Ohhh! We’ve been friends for years!” she kicked her legs up and down like a mini-tantrum, not wanting to be spiked by the prickly twigs again.

“For years, huh?”

“I know Tails, Knuckles… everyone will be missing you!”

“…Who?”

“W-what?” her mouth dropped a moment, losing all her anger than to replace it with fear. “Tails… Knuckles… You don’t remember them either?”

“Not a clue.” Sonic shrugged, “But it sounds like a wonderful life.” He grinned.

“…No,… don’t be carefree about this… this is awful! We have to help you meet your friends!”

“Friends?” Sonic scoffed slightly, turning away from her and putting a hand up by his mouth. ‘She’s a little nuts…’ he told himself, ‘But at least she’s cute when she worries about me.’

He turned back to her, deciding to play along. “And what were you and ‘my friends’ and I doing together? Partying? Up to no good?” he reclined a little, wanting to see how far she’d take this.

“We’d fight Eggman…” she looked to the ground, heartbroken that this was all real.

Sonic’s eyes widened a little, “Eggman?”

“You… probably don’t remember him either.” she brought her legs up to her, holding them close when Sonic smirked.

“How could I forget Eggman?” He laughed, “How could anyone forget him?”

“Waahhh!? You remember Eggman but not me!?” Amy looked hurt, spreading out as she fully turned to him now.

“Haha! You’re so dramatic.” he pointed at her and continued to chuckle. “No need for the theatrics, lady. But it is kinda funny.”

She puffed up her cheek again, “Ohhh… you may have lost your memory, but you sure haven’t changed!”

“Heheh. So… what was Tails to me, in the past?” he closed one eye, turning playful.

“He.. he’s your best friend.”

“Tails is a boy?” he looked a little surprised to hear that. “His name sounds a little funny.”

“He’s got two tails, but his real name is Miles. We just call him Tails cause he prefers his friends to call him that.” she wiggled her finger along the dirt, still crushed by this discovery.

“Ohh…” Sonic wondered if such a girl would be able to find her way home after the storm. She looked like she needed some ‘special’ kind fo help…

“And Knuckles?”

“He… Well, he was kinda like your rival.”

“That sounds fun!” Sonic laughed, “What was he like? A real brawler?”

Amy suddenly realized his tone of voice, “You…” She turned to look at him, “You don’t believe me… Do you?”

He kept his smile.

“And what were you… to me?”

He lowered his head, “Back then? In this, other world?”

She was about to open her mouth and say, ‘girlfriend’ but he’d never believe her then.

She closed it and looked away.

“Oh? Suddenly turned shy now?” he tried to turn his head to see her. “Why all of a sudden? Were you something important to me?”

He was mocking her… wasn’t he?

She ducked her head even more now.

“My name’s Amy.” she muttered.

“Huh? What was that?” He bent his ear toward her.

“My name…” she twitched violently.

She lifted her head in rage, “IS AMY ROSE!”

A large ‘BONK!’ was heard along with a ‘PIKO’ as she raced out of the thicket.

“Ow! Where’d that come from!?” Sonic was totally taken aback by the random hammer and her fist coming directly down on his head. “My fault for getting to close to a nut job.” he grumbled, rubbing his head and sticking it out fo the ticket.

The rain was just a drizzle now.

“Hey, Wait-!” he sped off after her, catching her easily.

“You shouldn’t run off on your own like that. I thought we were having a pleasant conversation?” he continued this teasing, but Amy wouldn’t have any of it.

“If you met Tails and Knuckles, you’d know who they were!” she tried to find a way around his mocking, but he just kept speeding in front of her and waving his arms about to taunt her.

“Hehehe, Okay. I believe you.” he suddenly turned serious, and stood straight, dropping his hands.

“Y-you do?”

“Sure! Besides, I can’t let you run off without someone watching out for you. You may have a cold.” ‘I can’t let her leave like this, someone’s bound to be looking for her. Maybe these -Tails and Knuckles- guys are people who know her.’

She suddenly looked relieved and excited, “You mean it?”

Her change in attitude made him smile, “Yeah, I got nothing else to do.” He sweatdropped. ‘I couldn’t let you get into trouble because of me…’ “I’ll take you home too.”

She smiled, “Yay! We’re gonna restore your memory! You’ll remember us! Ya-ha!” she jumped around and cheerfully returned to her old self, eyes sparkling and her body full of life.

Her energy made him stop and stare a moment, ‘Wow, like 0 to 80.’ He whistled, “That sure changed your mood.” He was glad she wouldn’t be upset while they traveled.

He met Tails first, though Tails also didn’t seem to recognize him. Sonic side-commented that he was pretty sure Amy was crazy, and to go along with her till he could find someone who knew her. Tails was kind enough to agree, saying he admired Sonic too, but not to make up crazy stories like this…

However, Tails was surprised how much Amy knew him, and the spookiness of it all made him and Sonic a little more sheepish around her.

They met Knuckles next, who seemed more like a villain than a rival to Sonic and Tails.

They defeated him and bonded, high-fiving as Knuckles explained that he knew they stole his emeralds, but Sonic admitted he had no idea what he was talking about.

Amy suggested Eggman which turned out to be true, which continued to spook the three, but Knuckles believed Amy to be a witch of some kind.

Finally, Eggman didn’t recognize the whole lot of them but Sonic. “Making friends are we, Sonic?”

“Actually,” he looked around at Knuckles and Tails. “Yes.” He seemed surprised to admit that, but Eggman looked flabbergasted that his long-time enemy was quitting the solo career.

“No matter!” he got ready his ‘ingenius’ plan to thwart them. “More the merrier!”

The newly formed team defeated him, and Sonic finally gained the trust of Knuckles.

“I’ve never had friends before!” Tails exclaimed, excited to be a part of something like this. Especially S-so-social…

“I’ve never been out before!” Knuckles placed his gloved-hand over his forehead to block the sun, looking at the beauty of Angel Island from here, then all the world.

“No, no, no! You’re all friends! We’re all friends! this… you were supposed to remember! Augh! Now what do I do?” She held her head, shaking it in frustration and misery.

The boys looked at each other, then smiled to Amy.

“But we are friends.” Tails stated.

“And it’s all thanks to you, Amy.” Sonic gestured to her, also looking pleased by the day’s events.

“Heh, maybe you’re not so crazy after all.” Knuckles smiled, “But still weird, mind you.”

Amy looked at the three boys, still broken hearted but nodded in defeat. “You’re right… If I can’t bring back the time that once was… then…”

She raised her head and nodded, smiling prettily. “Then I can at least restore what was once lost.”

The three smiled and cheered. “That’s the spirit!”

Later, Sonic pulled her aside, moving his head close to just about touch his forehead to hers, but not really.

His arms folded, night steadily approaching, he asked again, “So… what were you to me? In this other world?”

“I… I wanted to marry you.” she finally said, nervously pushing her pointer fingers in on each other.

His face cracked.

He laughed, gripping his belly. “Definitely a good idea not to go with that at the first meeting!”

She blushed, “You really think I’m still crazy?”

“Maybe…” he quieted down and then looked more affectionately towards her, “But a little crazy never hurt anyone.” He winked, putting his hands on his hips. “Though, if you are a fortune-teller, I don’t know what to think of that one prediction… Still, I owe you a lot.” He looked up at the sky and scratched his nose, then smiled and closed his eyes, thinking…

“Thanks, Amy. I appreciate it.”

Amy would live in this new future for a few years before kissing Sonic and restoring the old world’s memory back to everyone.

But for a few years? She got to fall in love with him all over again~

#sonamy #sonicxamy #sonamy prompt #cutegirlmayra #sonic prompt #sonic the hedgehog #amy rose #sonic 06 au #sonic au #sonic #rememory #me fanfic