#midnightdrops

I KNOW ISN'T IT RIDICULOUS

Jack measures; Bitty pours. They work quietly sometimes, and sometimes they're raucous, trading laughs and chirps as they go. Jack's kitchen is pleasantly worn in by now, with flour scattered across the countertops and canisters and spices arrayed behind the mixing bowls. There's sugar on the floor. They'll have to mop later.

Bitty hands Jack a bowl and a wooden spoon -- you mix this while I mix that -- and then they're silent, but for the grunts. Bitty insists on hand-mixing most things; it tastes better, he says, and Jack never argues. He likes hand-mixing, too. It's putting effort into creating something, and that feels right. Later, when the wet mix and the dry mix come together, a little at a time, it feels like fitting puzzle pieces into one another. Bitty beams or even cheers as Jack works on that thickening batter. It's smooth now, free of lumps, and Bitty feeds chocolate chips to Jack before pouring them in. Something sweet and small, a promise of something more later.

Bitty places it in the oven, careful with the pans, making sure the rack's in just the right place. He straightens up, sets the timer, steps back, and Jack is there, catching him with floured hands. His breath is just the tiniest bit quicker, a difference no one else could notice, but Bitty knows every cadence of his breathing. Jack at rest, Jack on the ice, Jack cooling down from the arm workout baking provides. Bitty breathes along with him. They're in sync.

It's time to make the icing now, and Bitty puts a small saucepan on, melts butter, mixes with sugar, humming as he goes. Jack stands back and watches. Sometimes that's nice, to just watch Bitty in his element, be aware of this nucleus of light and warmth that flits to and fro in his kitchen, like a small sun. He watches just another minute before moving toward the sink to do the dishes.

The Destiel fic is post-canon. Whether it’s in the bunker or in Heaven or wherever Dean and Sam and Cas end up, they have free time and for the first time, no more supernatural horrors to worry about. The story is about them trying to live normal lives, sometimes loving it, sometimes going crazy with it. Along the way Dean and Cas find that without a mission always on the table, they have time and room to just be who they are, and they’re drawn together over and over. Sam sees what’s happening and tells Dean not to fight it. Dean fights it anyway, but it’s futile. His frustrations over both boredom and fighting his feelings boil over, and he and Cas end up in bed. It’s the morning after that Dean resigns himself to the fact that these feelings aren’t going away, so he tries in his awkward way to court Cas; in the end, though, Dean being Dean is all he needs.

The Usamamo fic is about the two of them sitting down before their wedding and talking about some serious things. From kids (”how can you ask me if I want them, I already have one”) to where they’ll live (”I just figured I’d move in with you,” Usagi says, and Mamoru has to tentatively raise the subject of helping to pay the rent), they work out the details one by one. The most important question they ask of each other is: “What will you need from me?” Mamoru’s answer: An occasional quiet night, freedom to associate with others without her performative jealousy. Usagi’s answer: Freedom to be who she is, an assurance that they’ll talk out any problems. Marriage is imperfect, but they both feel a lot better now that they’ve had the conversation.

A note: The shit with Usagi/Moon Kingdom/Time Travel, I cannot. Which is honestly the main reason you rarely see Hotaru/Chibs here–I’m actually quite fond of the coupling itself. So, in my world, Chibs is just a girl, and Hotaru is in love with her. Fair warning! 

Hotaru was never sure what it was she was supposed to be doing. Not in school or in line at the grocery store or anything, that was simple enough, and not something that she was ever too concerned about. No, the problem lay entirely in the span of what she needed to do with both her wider life, and how she was meant to interact with people. 

She wanted to blame the moon and all the assholes of questionable morality who worked with it, including the people who’d raised her, and then tried to kill her, and than had the audacity to be surprised when she went backs to her father. But that wasn’t fair. Hating them was fair, of course, but the awkwardness Hotaru felt with her own life and ability to connect with people was mostly her own doing, if she was being honest. 

Which had bothered her little until she’d met Chibiusa. It had been what Michiru called a coup de foudre, which, as far as she could tell, was just a pretentious way of saying love at first sight. Hotaru, wondering to herself why in the hell she was telling Michiru anything at all, even two years after the split, had told her about the girl with the pink hair, who smelled like a sweet shop.  Yes, it is that, Michiru had said, love at first sight, but it is more than that, it is, she had turned a small spoon thoughtfully in her hand, a strike. Like lightning through a tree, and one is changed forever. I felt that the moment I saw Haruka. 

Hotaru balked at the idea of experiencing anything in the same way Michiru did, but she had to admit that the wording was right. It was like being hit with a baseball bat, only pleasant. Maybe. She wasn’t even sure yet. 

What she did know, was that she was walking to school with an extremely stupid valentine, that she had picked out carefully from the drugstore, and a small box of chocolates that she thought were nice but not too much. She hoped. After all, there were only four of them, even if her father had picked them up for her from the ridiculously expensive French place her mother used to like. 

She stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. No, it was too much, this was so ridiculous, she couldn’t believe that she thought that little brown box wouldn’t seem so–

“Hotaru!” There was a voice behind her that sparkled like light on the water. 

She turned around, her face even paler than normal with the shock of it all. There she was, her hair with little red heart barrettes for the occasion of the day–Chibiusa never cared if something was a bit childish for a high schooler–with her bright smile and pink backpack. 

“Are you okay?” Chibiusa came to her side, and there it was again, the gummy bear and cotton candy scent that would have seemed cloying on anyone else, but made Hotaru feel like she had an opportunity to be as happy as a child again. 

“Yes! Yah, I, uh,” she shuffled with her bag, trying to put the box away, “How are…” 

One thing Hotaru would always love about Chibiusa was her belief and confidence in love. She refused to hide it, or to wave it away, but for all the time they were together, celebrated its existence. 

And this legacy began this very moment, as Chibiusa pressed a card into Hotaru’s hand. It was a pink envelope, festooned with washi tape and glitter stickers, Hotaru’s name written in careful script. Even then, Hotaru was unsure. Friends gave each other Valentines, right? Maybe that was all this was. 

But, in any case, it gave her the courage to nod and hand her the card. Chibiusa practically jumped as she took it from Hotaru. 

“Hotaru would you come over for dinner? I was going to make something, my parents are–” Even in her excitement, Chibiusa slowed and grinned, her nose wrinkling with a hint of seldom-seen bashfulness, “my parents are going to be gone, so, I’m on my own for dinner.” 

Hotaru felt a rock in her throat, even as her brain exploded with the thousand fireworks of excitement and joy and nervousness. How long had she been standing there? You have to say something, Hotaru! Why was everyone in my life so awkward? How did I never learn human interaction? 

“I’d love to,” she cut herself off, “that would be, wonderful.” 

She shuffled the box out of her bag. 

“These are for you.” 

Chibiusa took them gratefully, chest puffed out in happiness. “I love them!” 

She kissed Hotaru on the cheek. 

idc what anyone says I thought that finale was perfect

i typically stay away from fandom for su bc i’ve seen that toxicity but i can IMAGINE people not liking this and like they are entitled to that opinion.......but sorry can’t RELATE IT WAS GREAT

i really love that future was pretty much focused on steven learning to help himself. it’s a hard lesson to learn and if aNYONE needed to learn it, it was steven fucking universe. i’m glad we got to see everyone one last time, but this was about Steven above all, and i think the finale did a good job with setting him on a new path and letting him FINALLY FINALLY heal

also

it’s a scene from the movie finding fanny and not deepveer wedding video

~Jannat