do you think james cameron knows thereâs a group of absolutely degenerate people who want to fuck his blue aliens? do you think when heâs designing characters heâs like âyeah, theyâll eat this one right upâ
a LOT of people who havenât watched the show dunk on big mouth and i would say it baffles me but it really doesnât. but, iâm not here to tell you to go watch it. iâm going to tell you why i like it.
iâve watched all seasons including the spin off and yes, art style isnât pretty. but itâs about kids going through puberty and learning about themselves and their sexuality and that process isnât pretty. itâs weird, and itâs gross and itâs OKAY that itâs weird and gross because thatâs what puberty is! in that same regard, it doesnât sexualise kids.
it has a lot of sincere moments and stories, with people talking womenâs issues, menâs issues, gender issues in general. it touches on dealing with broken homes, figuring out sexuality, depression, anxiety, the inherent shame that comes with being a woman among a plethora of others. and those moments are done in such a sincere way that they really stand out among the weirdness that is the rest of the show.
yes, it has its absolute gross and weird moments. yes, there are a lot of times that i thought they took things too far, but honestly the rest of the narrative more than makes up for it because i see a lot of myself when i grew up within the show. it shines a light on the weirdness that was our childhoods and says âyeah, it was a weird fucking time but not just for you. for a hell of a lot of peopleâ and i find comfort in that.
is it a perfect show? absolutely not. but itâs not a bad show either. itâs great and itâs spin off, human resources, is phenomenal. itâs not a show thatâs made for everyone and thatâs okay. there are shows that can exist that arenât made for everyone. but it shouldnât be crucified for just existing especially since it has moments that make it a complete gem.
i just i need to understand if iâm misinterpreting tonowari because iâve only seen way of water once and from what i gathered from his characterization heâs a chief who cares deeply about his people and his family and always listens to ronal before making a decision. so like i always thought heâs the Ultimate Dad who is very protective of his people and is charge in public but really soft and sweet and attentive in private. but iâm seeing a lot of fics where heâs very domineering so iâm just wondering did i remember something differently? like was he actually very mean and it just didnât register for me? iâm so confused istg
Is really domestic? Like heâll be making your favourite food in a fluffy pink apron
He knows that he can seem intimidating so heâs super gentle with you
Actual living tickle monster. Tickles you whenever he can. And just know that if youâre a snorter, heâs hooked for life
Does everything in his power to make you happy. Make an offhand comment about liking some weird space jewellery? Heâll do everything in his power to get it for you
Hates to argue with you, but if you do just know itâs gonna end in tears and hugs and kisses
Two words. Nose kisses
He loves it when you ride his back so sometimes the others just see you piggy backing him in the mornings
He loves Disney movies. Get ready to sing the duets with him
His favourite song is I See the Light from Tangled. He cries. Every. Single. Time. But youâre usually there to comfort him.
Knows you can take care of yourself, but if you get hurt, hoo boy, get ready for some serious rage. Not on your part, though.
Sometimes picks you up and spins you around when you least expect it.
Doesnât let his dominant side show, again because he hates being seen as intimidating
You guys go for late night snacks all the time, but giggle so much when youâre doing it.
His lion is the gentlest creature in the world and immediately wants you to be her friend.
She loves getting hugs from you.
First time he said âI love youâ was when you were laughing so hard after you tried tackling him to the ground
Hates leaving you behind on missions because you mean SO MUCH to him.
Description:Â Rochelle struggles with her thoughts
Word Count: 1153
A/N: I was going through some stuff, and this was the result
Rochelle sat in her messy room one day feeling tired as all hell and practically defeated. Her eyes looked down in sadness and exasperation, her hair out of its usual goggles that were strewn on the table next to her. Her fingers clenched and unclenched every so often as she bit her lip. Her heart was racing â but not in a good way, and her eyebrows knitted in a frown.
Outwardly she made no sound but her thoughts swirled in her head like a tornado. They tormented her. They plagued her.
âNot good enough. Never good enough. Why do I even try? Stop trying.â
Tears pricked her eyes as she moved into foetal position on her bed.
âStop thinking these things. GodâŚjust stop.â
But she couldnât. The best she could do was just let this pass. It happened every so often. Most of the time she managed to quell them but lately she found that she just couldnât.
âShut up,â she murmured softly, curling in on herself more, diving her head into her pillow.
Her eyes looked up and noticed the knocked over glass next to her goggles. God, when was the last time sheâd eaten? The day before maybe? She didnât really know; she didnât really care. She just wanted to go to sleep.
Except she couldnât. Not with those thoughts plaguing her mind.
âI donât deserve my friends. Do they even consider me their friend? Do they just tolerate me?â
She inhaled sharply as the next thought burst through her mind. âDoes Tadashi even like me? Does he feel forced to be around me?â
She wiped her tears on her face and let out a shuddering breath.
What did she think she was doing? Honestly, who did she think she was? There had to be some kind of catch to how good things were being around her. There always was. It was probably all someâŚelaborate illusion.
It was stupid, really, to think that the universe was conspiring against her. And she knew that. She wasnât dumb. But it was so hard to think otherwise.
Who knew how much time went by with her in that state. It couldâve been minutes, hours. She had no clue. She didnât know. She didnât care.
âI just want to sleep. Please let me sleep.â
Sleep meant an escape, a brief reprieve from everything. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldnât do it. She couldnât relax enough.
She shut her eyes tightly and tightened her grip around herself.
Knock, knock, knock.
The sound was light, so much so she thought sheâd imagined it.
Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock.
She looked up. That definitely wasnât her imagination. Not that it made a difference.
Rochelle placed her blanket over her head. If she pretended she couldnât hear the knocking, theyâd go away.
KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK.
They were louder, more incessant.
âGo away,â she muttered softly, knowing the person on the other side probably couldnât hear it.
There was a moment of silence and Rochelle thought the person had left.
But then there was a soft click and the familiar sound of the door creaking open.
âRo! Rochelle!?â
Her heart leapt ever so slightly. She knew that voice anywhere, but she couldnât bring herself to answer.
There was some shuffling outside with punctuated by footsteps.
âRo! Are you here?â
She burrowed herself into her blankets even more.
That was when she heard her door open. The frantic footsteps stopped abruptly, noticing the blankets on her form. Then softly and steadily they approached her and then there was a moment before they were gently taken off her and she was directly staring in the eyes of Tadashi Hamada.
His face washed over in relief at the sight of her. âThere you are, Beautiful. You had us worried sick.â
ThatâŚcouldnât be right. They wouldnât be worried about her.
âI tried calling and texting you, but you never answered. Everyone was panicking. What happened? WhatâsâŚwhatâs going on? Talk to me.â
She wasnât sure what exactly heâd said that triggered it, but suddenly Rochelle broke out into more tears. Her eyes screwed shut and her grip around herself tightened as she let out strangled sobs.
Rochelle couldnât see Tadashi, but she felt the edge of the bed dip and when he raked his hands through her unkempt hair soothingly.
He said nothing, like he knew that words were irrelevant at that moment. Like he knew his touch was enough. And when Rochelle shifted herself to get closer to him, he managed to sit her up and wrap his arms around her, rocking her to and fro.
The motion was comforting, she had to admit, and Rochelle pressed herself closer to him.
âI love you, you know that?â he said after a few minutes. âSo much.â
It was exactly what she needed to hear, and yet, exactly what she didnât want to hear as well.
âHow could you? IâmâŚâ Her voice broke at the end and she couldnât find the strength to go on.
âPerfect?â
âA mess. Totally mediocre. Iâm notâŚgreat. Youâre extraordinary and Iâm justâŚHow could you love someone like me?â
He didnât respond immediately, humming for a moment. She closed her eyes again in defeat, figuring he knew.
Then warm lips touched her forehead in a soft, lingering kiss.
âHow could I love someone like you?â he asked. âLooking at you makes my heart flutter every time. Your smile lights up the room. Your laugh, God, I could listen to it for hours. And youâre so smart, a lot smarter than you give yourself credit for. And you have this way of just knowing the little things, like when Iâm feeling down just from a few texts. Youâre the light of my life, Ro. How could I not love someone like you?â
His grip on her tightened as he said his words. âWhat brought this on? What happened?â
She sighed. âI donâtâŚI donât know. Iâve always had doubts in my mind; these weird thoughts that come through my head. I can mostly ignore them but recently they justâŚthey became too much.â
âAnd you didnât come to me?â
âItâs stupid. I didnât want to bug you since youâre always so busy and I thought I could just fight it alone.â
Tadashi cupped her cheek and guided her to look at him. There was concern in his eyes and they seemedâŚwetter than usual. Was heâŚfighting back tears?
âDonât do that again, okay? Youâre not alone Ro. You have me, okay? Promise me youâll come to me next time. Iâve neverâŚâ He paused. âYou disappeared for three days. When I knocked on your door and you didnât answerâŚIâd never been so scared in my life. Please promise me?â
She nodded meekly and curled in on him even more.
âI love you so much.â He said again.
âIâŚI love you too, Dashi,â Rochelle replied softly.
And for the first time in three days, she fell asleep.
Hey guys! I know Iâve been away for a while, but just wait a little while longer. University has completely swamped me but weâre on holiday for the whole of April (starting April 1st, can you imagine? :0) so Iâll be able to find time to write headcanons and oneshots then.
I just started watching voltron bc of u!!! It's soooo good and I love the characters!
Asdfghjkl, what??? Thatâs so great ahhh!
Iâm so glad youâre enjoying it! And Iâm so glad Iâve made some kind of influence on at least one person, it really is a quality show!
Thank you for sending me this, honestly this put the brightest smile on my face today! You should get, like, a billion hugs from all the characters (especially from Hunk. Hunk gives the best hugs, my beautiful ray of sunshnie).
NOBODY ASKED FOR THESE BUT SCREW THAT SHIRO IS MY SPACE DADDY
Cuddles. All the cuddles. After a year with minimal contact with humans, Shiro would be a sucker for them
Touching, but really innocent. If heâs close to you heâll always have a hand somewhere; on your shoulder, around your waist. The reason is similar to the cuddles.
The two of you practically inseparable just before missions. You canât help it though, what if itâs the last time youâll see each other?
âShiro, come on!â âOkay, just five more minutes!â âShiro.â
Youâre like the parents of the paladins, and whenever youâre affectionate with each other the others make grossed out noises like kids.
âEw, get a room!â âCan you not do that here?â
Some nights are spent just holding each other. No talking, just holding, because for Shiro sometimes the contact speaks volumes.
Shiro once went out of his way to make the Altean equivalent of your favourite food.
It sucked though. He canât cook for shit, so he had to ask Hunk for help. You found him in an apron with Hunk in the kitchen. It was cute.
He just loves it when you laugh. Like, god, he could die.
Shiro doesnât like holding your hand with his bionic one but you always reassure him that itâs gonna be okay.
He takes you out for flights in his black lion, but not very often
The black lion loves you. You call her Blackie and sometimes like to just rest on her paw.
Blackie sees how important you are to Shiro so youâre like priority number 2 for her, after the black paladin of course.
When youâre spooning he doesnât mind either position but he loves being the little spoon.
He often talks about what he knows about his Japanese heritage, and teaches you some phrases he knows. Theyâre kind of useless though like âHow much for this packet of soy beans.â
Dealing with his PTSD is so hard for him because he sees that heâs hurting you by making you worry but he canât do anything about it and it makes him feel even worse.
Heâs very reluctant to talk about his time with the Galra, so it usually happens just before the two of you fall asleep âI remember this one time in the prisonâŚâ
It took him forever to say âI love youâ for the first time because he knows how much meaning there is behind the phrase and heâs so scared to put his heart out there.
Description: Hiro notices a change in his best friend
Word Count: 4457
A/N:Â All aboard the angst train! TOOT TOOT
It was a year later that he noticed a change in Gratuity.
Honestly, he admitted that he wouldâve noticed sooner if he hadnât been so busy. Finally he was in higher spirits, working on his robotics project with renewed vim and vigour. The anniversary of Tadashiâs death came, and with it some sadness, but after a week heâd come out of it with some help from everyone involved. The world around him was finally piecing itself together. He honestly felt as though nothing could go wrong.
The Herd had noticed his upbeat attitude, too. Wasabi had thrown in a âlooking good Hiroâ when he walked into the lab once, and Go Go sent a smile his way when she thought he wasnât looking. Not to mention that the group was gaining so much more attention and popularity as superheroes as the days went by. Sure, Tipâs confession of liking his superhero alter ego had jarred him slightly, but once he told Honey Lemon of his fears sheâd dashed them away by telling him that it was nothing more than a stupid crush and it would pass.
Yes, everything was going right for him.
Until he noticed the change.
If he thought back he supposed it had started when her visits to the Lucky Cat CafĂŠ became less and less frequent. He had thought it had to do with her being in eighth grade and having more homework and responsibilities now. After all, when she did visit him she was the same old Tip with their long conversations about his new ideas. So he just didnât notice.
Sheâd gotten quieter too over time. He didnât know when it started, but she was contributing less and less to their conversations. He just thought she was tired. Baymax suggested that it was puberty, after all she was fourteen now. Whatever it was, she was no less enthusiastic to see him so he didnât think it was anything to worry about.
The major red flag, however, was a month ago.
He decided to go visit Tip at her place as a surprise with all the bad movies Fred owned (one of the titles was Aliens from Space! No kidding). Heâd already organised it with Lucy beforehand, and the woman seemed almost relieved that he was doing this. It really didnât make any sense.
Anyway, when Tip answered the door it was clear she wasnât happy to see him. At all. Which was weird because she was always happy to see him. In fact, she was glaring at him.
He had wanted to leave her, but before he could her mother came up behind Tip and invited him in. It was awkward being in her room, too. Hiro knew more than anyone when he wasnât wanted.
When he had asked Lucy about Tip when they were alone, the womanâs expression fell slightly and she told him that she having a hard time at school.
Of course, bad grades would make anyone grumpy. So Hiro had the ingenious idea of becoming her tutor. He had some extra time during the weekends, plus he wanted to see Tip more. When he told Lucy about his idea, she brightened immediately and said that it would be âgood for herâ.
When he told Tip, she threw packet of chips at his head and used some choice words before kindly asking him to leave and promptly slamming the door behind him.
âItâs probably hormones,â Go Go had said simply when heâd asked her at the labs. She was tightening a bolt on her bike at the time. âGod knows whatâs going with that body of hers. I say give her some space to sort herself out. Let her come to you.â
The second red flag was more obvious in retrospect, but he still didnât really catch on. He had followed Go Goâs advice and gave Tip some space for about a month. It was agonising, though, not being able to help out his best friend.
He was walking back to the cafĂŠ after a hard day at SFIT when he noticed Tipâs school bus pull up at the bus stop. Wanting to catch her before he went inside to do some more work, he went to her as soon as she walked off the bus. Her head was down and her gait was sullen which told him that her mood hadnât changed, maybe even gotten worse.
âHey!â
Tip jolted at the sound of his loud voice and he couldâve sworn she flinched but then an annoyed expression was on her face so quickly that it was easy to think he had imagined everything.
âHey.â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
He stopped at the tone of her voice and his smile fell. âIâŚhavenât seen you around the cafĂŠ. And you havenât been calling me either. Been busy with school?â
She frowned and crossed her arms. âYeah. You could say that.â
âWell, I just came to say that my offer still stands. You know, to tutor you.â
âMy answer is still no.â
Ouch.
Speaking of ouch, he noticed that her eye had a dark spot around it. It was hard to make out since it was so faint, but the more he saw it, the more he realised that it was actually there.
âWhat happened to your eye?â
Immediately Tip froze and it seemed like she was horrified, but then the expression was wiped away so quickly he thought he just imagined it. âI tripped and faceplanted into a pole at school. Not one of my best moments, either.â She said this almost too quickly. âNow can I go? Iâve got tons of homework to do.â
He let her go and watched as she left with a despondent expression on his face. But he tried not to let that bring down his good mood. After all, there was a doughnut waiting for him at the cafĂŠ not to mention that he was planning on watching that new show on the Discovery Channel that talked about crop circles. He couldnât wait to discuss it withâ
Oh, wait. Thatâs right. He discussed the whole alien conspiracy thing with Tip. Not even Fred was interested (he was more into mutants). That was fine. It w+as fine, really. He managed without Tip before. Granted, he had his brother back then, but he had the herd now. Not to mention that this wasnât supposed to happen forever. After she figured things out, sheâd come back to him and it would be like nothing weird ever happened. Theyâd be having meme wars and eating sâmores until they couldnât anymore in time. He even missed her weird âIâm in love with your alter egoâ moments. But heâd get those back. He had to get those back, because without themâŚwellâŚhe knew heâd go insane.
-0O0-
It was another fortnight before Hiro was desperate enough to talk to his aunt. She was in the middle of watching one of her cheesy old horror movies. She was in her pyjamas and Mochi was on her lap watching with her and also basking in the warmth that she offered. Hiro walked tentatively down the stairs as he regarded her, trying to figure out the best way to ask her about the situation. Then, finally realising that he just needed to get it over with, he took in a deep breath.
âAunt Cass? Do youâŚhave a moment?â
She turned to look at him before smiling. âSure. Come sit.â
The movie was still playing in the background so she must not have thought that whatever was on his mind was major. But she still gave him his undivided attention when he sat down.
âUmm, I need some advice.â
The movie paused and suddenly her entire face lit up in excitement. âReally? This is happening? Okay, okay. Hold on. Let me just,â she composed herself like actors usually did before setting out onto a stage and suddenly her expression turned grave. âTell me what ails you, dear nephew of mine.â
Considerably freaked out, but not enough to want to walk away, Hiro began. âYouâve noticed that Tip hasnât been visiting as much lately, right?â
âCompared to when she visited three times a week during school and five times a week during the holidays along with calling you every day? I might have.â
Hiro wasnât fazed by this. His aunt loved Tip. âYeah. So anyway, sheâs been kind of distant these last few months. I thought it had to do with school at first, but then she kind of started shutting me out. Go Go said it probably had to do with, well, girl stuff and to give her some space which Iâve done butâŚâ
âIt doesnât seem to be working?â
He shook his head.
âOkay, Hiro. This is the first time youâve ever come to me for advice and youâll be happy to learn that Iâve read a parenting book about this exact topic.â
âYou read a book on parenting?â
âWould you believe a chapter? A page? Okay, it was an article in a magazine. Anyway, the solution to your problem isnât as complex as you think. But I guess being a genius, you wouldnât even consider the solution to anything as being simple.â
He raised his eyebrow disbelievingly and she chuckled. âYouâre a guy, so I understand if emotional things donât really register for you at first. But have you considered, I donât know, talking to Gratuity?â
âYouâre kidding, right? Tip wants nothing to do with me.â
âA little tip about women, Hiro, we donât really mean what we say. This is obviously a cry for help. The poor thing probably needs you now more than ever and she doesnât even know it.â Aunt Cass paused. âLook, I donât know for sure whatâs going on with your friend but I know that itâs probably bigger than you initially thought it was. I was going to ask about her, but I didnât want to get in the middle of anything.â
âThe last time I went to her house she kicked me out.â
Aunt Cass scratched her chin. âThe way to any womanâs heart is chocolate. I suggest you take some of her favourite desserts from the cafĂŠ, my treat. Itâll level the playing field.â
-0O0-
So off he went to her house once more with a huge chocolate muffin as a peace offering. He knocked on the door and this time, to his relief, it was Lucy that opened it. She seemed relieved that he was there once more and quickly ushered him to Tipâs room while saying âIâm so glad youâre hereâ and âIâve tried everything, maybe sheâll talk to you.â
And suddenly he was in her room again with a muffin in his hand.
âWhat do you want?â
Tip looked a mess. She looked like she hadnât slept in days with the bags forming under her eyes and she was currently giving him her most severe glare.
âAh, before you kick me out, I brought a chocolate muffin.â
She glanced at the packet in his hand, only just noticing it. After a momentâs hesitation, she took it from him and took a bite. Immediately she relaxed.
Aunt Cass was right.
She ate in silence, but didnât even finish a quarter of it before she put it down. Hiro sat next to her when he realised she wasnât going to kick him out and bit his lip. Well, here goes nothing.
âTip, are you okay? Like really okay?â
When she didnât answer him, he pushed on. âItâs just that you havenât been visiting lately and me and Aunt Cass are getting kind of worried. Your mother too. And I canât help but feel like youâve been acting slightly different and Iââ
He stopped when he noticed her shoulders were shaking and it took him a moment to realise that she was crying. Actually crying. And before he knew it she threw herself at him and just broke down. It was almost surreal. Tip had always been a bubble of energy and optimism and sass and Hiro had convinced himself that she just didnât cry. That she was incapable of it. But there she was in his arms letting out all the pain and hurt she was dealing with and it hurt him. For her to be this way without him knowing made him feel like he had failed as a friend.
After a whole hour and about half a box of Kleenex, she finally calmed down enough to speak. Hiro hadnât said anything the entire time but tried to offer as much comfort as he could.
âI wasâŚamâŚbeing bullied.â She said this softly. âIt started about a year ago, remember when I told you about those high school kids that cornered me? Well, their ring leader is the brother of one of the girls that bully me. She wanted scare me into leaving the school, but I could handle it. I thought it would blow over eventually, but it just got worse. Soon the whole class was involved. Nobody wanted to sit next to me in the cafeteria, or partner up with me in projects. Theyâd laugh at me and stuff but nothing was physical until a few weeks ago. I got into a few fights, my mom had to be called in. It was a whole thing. I was just trying to defend myself at first but then I kind ofâŚgave up you know?â
âSo that day when I saw you in the street?â
âSomeone punched me, yeah.â
Hiro was shocked. Sure he was bullied when he was in school, but not to this extent. And he also had his brother. âWhy didnât you tell me?â
She paused. âItâs gonna sound lame.â
âTry me.â
âIâŚI didnât want to ruin your good mood. You were so much happier than before and I didnât want to be a burden or do anything to make you upset. I thought I could handle it. Iâm only going to be with those losers for a few more months.â
He frowned at her. âYouâre kidding right? Tip, the fact that I couldnât be there for you as a friend is what makes me upset. Just look at yourself. You always call me a boy genius, but I couldnât even see the signsââ
âHey, this isnât your fault Robot Boy. Itâs all on me.â
Robot Boy. She hadnât called him that in ages and it filled him with a strange warmth.
âNo. I kept going to Honey Lemon and Go Go for adviceââ
âWho?â
ââbut I didnât even stop to talk to you. We never talk about you.â
âThatâs because neither one of us are good with feelings.â Tip curled her legs to herself and placed her head on her knees contemplatively. âIâm really sorry.â
âI should be the one apologising.â
âAre we really doing this? The whole back and forth apology thing? Because then weâll be here for ages.â
He chuckled. âFine, weâre both sorry. How about we agree to learn from this experience so a disaster like this doesnât happen again. Deal?â
Hiro held out his pinkie expectantly and Tip glanced at it before hooking her own pinkie with it. âDeal.â
Their pinkies stayed suspended in the air for a moment as they gazed each other. Time passed, but Hiro had no way of knowing how long it was. Seconds? Minutes? It felt so long but so short at the same time, not to mention that with each passing moment he felt like he was falling deeper and deeperâŚ
Where? He didnât exactly know, but he had a feeling he didnât mind finding out.
It was Tip who broke the spell by breaking eye contact.
âSo what now?â
Tip glanced at him just as she was about to take a bight. âI guessâŚIâll justââ
âDonât say youâre gonna wait it out.â
She rolled her eyes. âFine. Iâll tell the school counsellor about this. And my teacher. With any luck theyâre gonna get a warning, but I doubt my bullies will get the message.â
As much as Hiro hated to admit it, she had a point. There was no guarantee a stern talking to from a teacher would do anything.
He looked over at one of the many posters hanging on Tipâs wall. It wasnât a poster actually, not really. It was a newspaper clipping with a photo of his team after stopping a bank robbery. The article was from about half a year ago.
And just like that he had an idea.
The teachers wouldnât be able to give the message, but what about a superhero?
-0O0-
Tip was waiting for her dance lesson to start. The group was practising for a huge showcase at the end of the year and she was planning on auditioning for the solo. She wasnât really big on participating in school events, but she felt like she had something to prove to everyone here before she left. The solo auditions were at the beginning of the lesson so she couldnât afford to be late.
Anyway, she was waiting for her lesson to start in the janitorâs closet. This would seem unusual to any other person to wait in there of all places, but for her it soon became natural. There, she was guaranteed not to be harassed by bullies especially since telling her teachers about it only seemed to make the problem worse.
She quickly glanced at the time on her cell phone. Only five minutes were left before she had to leave.
In her mind, she prepared herself for the route she would take. The janitorâs closet was right next to the locker rooms, but with any luck nobody would be walking in and out of them. Then she had to slink past the gym where volleyball practise would be in full swing, past the auditorium where the drama kids were rehearsing and dodge the band practice which would just be finishing (luckily the band kids took pity and mostly left her alone). The route never failed her before and sheâd done it so many times it was practically like breathing.
When it was finally time for her to leave, she took a deep breath and slowly opened the janitorâs closet. Then she crept out with what she ensured was minimal sneaker squeaking on the linoleum floor. She then moved quickly, but tried not to look like she was in a hurry, past the locker rooms.
All seemed well until she reached the gym. The doors burst open and suddenly girls spilled out chatting animatedly about something or another. Tip blanched and quickly tried to look for a place to hide, but it was already too late.
âWell if it isnât tattle-tale herself,â one said with a mocking smile.
Tip smiled back in an act of false bravado. âAlways nice to see you, Maxine. I thought you had volleyball to practice?â
Biting her lip, Tip tried to think of a way out of the situation. There was a door that led outside just down the hall. Maybe sheâd be able to get to it before things got out of hand, and then run to the dance studio the long way. It would really bight into her schedule, but she would just make it in time. âWell, Iâd love to stay. But you know, places to be and all that.â
âYou should stick around.â
She inched closer to the gap between the girls. âNah, Iâm good.â
Then she ran for it.
They didnât see it coming, which was great since all they did was stand in shock. Tip had seen the tactical advantage and grasped by the horns for all its worth. She just had to spring along the corridor outside and go back inside through the back door.
Suddenly she heard footsteps behind her. Chancing a glance backwards, she gasped. There were five of them on her tail and closing the gap fast. Tip tried to go faster, but she had never been as fast as she wouldâve liked. It didnât take long at all for them to catch up to her and knock her down.
âHey! Quit it!â she yelled as she tried to kick them off.
That was when two of the girls grabbed her legs, forcing her to stay. Tip struggled against them but it wasnât any use.
âIn case you didnât notice, when I said stick around, I wasnât asking.â
Tipâs green eyes glared at her, but Maxine didnât even bat an eyelid. âLook, Gratuity, you sold us out.â
Tip said nothing, but her eyes spoke volumes at the absolute hatred she had for the girl in front of her. It figured that sheâd be a hypocrite. When Tip punched a guy in the noise as an act of self-defence, Maxine made sure the whole staff knew about it. It was a wonder that she didnât get suspended for it, either.
âSo I reckon fair is fair.â
By now a whole group of students had come to see what the commotion was about (apparently the conference affected more than just the volleyball team). A couple of choice swear words swirled around her head, but Tip kept them to herself. She also felt the urge to spit right into the girlâs face, but knew that it would only make things worse for her.
âLook, can we do this later? I promise you can terrorise me as much as you want in thirty minutes.â
Maxine raised her eyebrow, trying to figure out what could possibly be so important within the next thirty minutes, but then she caught sight of a poster advertising auditions for the showcase and her face twisted into a sinister smile. âWell, well, well. I didnât take you for a performer, Gratuity.â
Immediately Tip realised her mistake and she tried to make the situation better. âMe? Pfft. Iâm no performer. I justââ
âDonât lie. I know that you like to dance. But guess what, Gratuity? Weird girls donât get to do showcases. They get locked in bathrooms where they belong.â
Tip gritted her teeth, biting back the need to argue. If she struggled, it would only make her situation worse. She just needed to fight through it. Maybe at the end, the dance instructor would take pity on her and give her a second chance.
Fat chance. Gratuity knew more than anyone how strict the teacher was. She had a pole up her butt the size of one of the street lamps.
She bit her lip, but complied as the group of girls lifted her up to drag her to be locked in one of the bathrooms. Again. Who knew how long they would leave her there this time? Did they care? Probably not.
Well, if her afternoon was ruined, she might as well make the most of what she had left. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves before she steeled herself and bit down on Maxineâs arm as hard as she could.
The girl screamed bloody murder and tried to get her to release, but she didnât. No matter how hard she tried, Tip made sure that she didnât let go. All her pent up anger and frustration was put into that one bight and sheâd be damned if she didnât get her revenge.
Suddenly she was on the floor again. Tip didnât exactly know what happened, but her face was suddenly excruciatingly painful.
âWhy donât you go back to Barbados you littleâŚbitch!â Max yelled.
âHey! Take that back!â
Those words didnât come from her mouth. Tip turned to seeâŚan angel? No, it was a robot with wings but she was certainly close. And riding atop that very familiar robot was her hero friend who was glaring at her attackers with such a vengeance that she could feel his anger from where she was.
âLeave her alone!â
âItâs that hero dude! I thought you said your brother was kidding about him!â
âYou bet Iâm real. And this girl is under my protection. If I hear that youâve laid another finger on her, I wonât hold my robot back.â
His robot did look intimidating. The girls all seemed to cower in fear of it.
Maxine finally caved. âFine! Okay. I promise not to hurt Gratuity again.â
âI want you to apologise.â
âNo! Donât,â Tip said. âWhile I appreciate you helping me, I donât want an apology. Not when itâs insincere. Itâs no better than lying.â
Maxine harrumphed and turned her snooty nose up, but Tip didnât let that bother her.
âI have a dance class to get to,â she mumbled. âThanks for the help, Hero Guy.â
-0O0-
In the end, Tip didnât make it to the audition in time. Rules were rules and Ms Pole Up Her Butt didnât make any exceptions for her. Not that she minded, as she explained to Hiro now over the phone. Sheâd gained something else from this experience.
âReally? Whatâs that?â Hiro asked.
âSelf-respect.â Tip twirled the chord in her fingers. âI wonât please everyone, and thatâs fine with me. I mean, the people that count are the ones that matter to me and youâre one of them. I got my priorities all screwed up, and I shouldâve gone to you a lot earlier but Iâm okay now. Nobody will bug me anymore and I gotta admitâŚitâs kinda nice.â
âAnd the way you stood up to your bullies mustâve felt great.â
Tip grinned. âYeah. I bet thatâs how being a hero feels like, huh? Fighting off bullies and making a stand? The feeling must be incredible.â
She heard Hiro chuckle. âYeah, I bet.â There was a slight pause. âBut youâre okay now, right?â
âYeah. Better than okay.â
âAnd if anything else happensââ
âI promise Iâll come to you. Itâs what best friends are for, right?â
âRight.â
âLook, I gotta go now. But Iâll come over to the cafĂŠ tomorrow, okay? We can talk then?â
âDefinitely. Aunt Cass is gonna be so happy. Sheâs missed you. IâŚIâve missed you, Tip.â
There was a pause as Tip took in his words. It took a moment to realise a stray tear was falling down her face. Quickly, she rubbed it away.
âDonât get sentimental Robot Boy,â she said.
âIâm not, I just, I meant,â he sighed, not knowing what he meant. âYou mean a lot to me okay?â
âYou mean a lot to me too.â
They hung up after saying their goodbyes and Hiro took a moment to just stare at the phone in his hand.
You mean a lot to me.
That sentence rang within his mind as he placed his head on the wall. It sounded so innocent.
Hey can you do Keith relationship headcans! *whisper under breath* "Keith is my husband".
Iâve got you covered dude heâs my husband too and Shiro and Lance and Hunk. Iâve been sitting on these for the longest time let me tell you
Okay thisguy can be such a cold little shit but whenever youâre around he just melts
Is superawkward about hugs and kissing but you can see he tries
Holdinghands is like the one thing he does without thinking about it. Like sometimesheâll just grab your hand and give it a squeeze, mainly as reassurance
Blushes alot when talking about you, and he sometimes gushes without realising
Isprotective af
âLike jesusKeith calm down okay I just have a slight graze from falling on the groundââThe ground is now my sworn enemy.â âKEITH NOâ
Doesnât sayI love you, but he implies it through actions
Tried towrite you poetry once, it wasâŚinteresting
âRoses are red, my lion isred too, also your eyes are greatâ
âWait, itdoesnât rhyme.â âIs it supposed to?â ââŚNo, this is fine.â
Doesnâtcuddle a lot, but when he does heâs so comfy
Canât flirt to save his life but he wants tomake you feel special so he goes to Lance for advice. The results are HILARIOUS
âYou have a great assâ
You never laughed so hard in your entire life,someone please save this pure soul
Gets jealous easily someone please stop him
But whenever you get unwanted attention heâsquick to send them off with just one glare
Was a bit apprehensive about being in arelationship at first, but then he was all in
He can take things a bit too far. One time on Earth youmentioned liking ladybugs and he spent a whole week collecting a box of them
It was sweet though, and you kept them in theirown little habitat. One of them was Keith junior. He is your son
Freaking DIES when you wear red. Phew, hot damn
And when you were his jacket? Just gone. Completely
So cluelessabout some things like intimacy somebody please protect this innocent desert baby
Canât dance for shit, but heâll do it for your sake
Like seriously, he was invisible for three hundred years, Iâm certain he went flying around learning as much as he could to alleviate the boredom
He and Bunny have so much history, like you think he only ruined that one Easter? Noooooo
Is always around Northâs workshop because he sees him as a father figure and itâs such a fun place to be around
Jamie never stops believing in him and makes it so that his children believe in him too
Bunny acts like he doesnât like Jack around much but he actually enjoys the banter and one-upmanship. Painting Easter eggs all year does get dull after all.
Jack secretly admires Bunnyâs artistry and tries his hardest to learn how to have such fine motor skills.
Heâs incredibly nimble because he learnt some martial arts from his visits to East Asia
You know those random chills you get? Jackâs gently tapping you on the back with his shepherdâs crook. He finds it hilarious
He and Sandy have sand/snowball fights. Sandy always wins
GUARDIAN PRANK WARS
Like, think about it? Like Jack and Bunny are bad enough
But do you know whoâs the worst?
North
He is the prank master
Jack never crosses him. Last time he did that North replaced his shepardâs crook with an exact replica
Jack lost his mind
âOh my god, North my powers arenât workingâ âMaybe they are being on vacation?â âNORTHâ
It wasnât for long though, only like an hour
Most horrifying experience of Jackâs guardian life hands down
Jack likes eating, though he doesnât necessarily need to
Especially spicy foods
All the spicy foods
The spicier the better
Just because heâs the winter sprite doesnât mean heâs gonna sit around eating ice-cream all day. No sirree
He once ate a ghost chilli pepper whole just to know what it felt like
Not good. Not good at all.
North may seem like he has his life together but itâs hard being Santa Claus and the head of the guardians
He takes the âfatherâ in Father Christmas very seriously
Snow Dad
Toothâs second favourite animal is the peacock. Her first is sharks
âAt least FIVE rows of teeth, North! And they grow back!â
She gets along with Sandy pretty well since they both work around the clock so they understand each other
Though sheâs all about dental hygiene sheâs petrified of dentists. Itâs the equipment
The tooth fairies and the tooth mice have an ongoing friendly rivalry
Sandy has incredibly abstract weird dreams
Think sandy Jackson Pollock
There are definitely other spirits
Jack and the spirit of Halloween are good friends since theyâre both such little shits
Thereâs a nature spirit but nobody ever sees her since sheâs more of an entity than a physical spirit
Despite being the spirit of Easter, Bunny hates chocolate
You would too if you were surrounded by it for five hundred years
Bunny is prone to panic attacks
Tooth has ADHD I will fight you on this
DONâT GIVE HER CAFFEINE YOU WILL REGRET IT
The whole âSanta comes down the chimney thingâ happened by complete accident. Way back in the day, North was on a roof and tripped, falling into the chimney. The noise he made woke the child up and she saw him covered in soot in her chimney. She told everyone and it spread like wildfire
Jack is so self-conscious someone protect this cinnamon roll
In his previous life, Sandy was a mute artist
Jack was so protective of Emma you donât even know
âNo dating until you get married.â âJack.â
The guardians are rarely ever together all at once, but they make a point to have a gathering once every few years at the workshop
You know when you get socks for Christmas? The elves put them in there. They think itâs hilarious
One of the yetis is supposed to babysit the elves but could only take about an hour before he was fed up
Tooth gets antsy around Easter and Halloween because âYAY MORE TEETHâ and âOH GOD NO MORE TEETH PLEASE TAKE BETTER CARE OF THEMâ
There is no Valentineâs Day spirit
This holiday baffles all the spirits to this day. Humans just came up with it.
They asked Manny about it once but he gave the moon equivalent of ¯\_(ă)_/ÂŻ
Father time is actually a girl
She just lost a bet to Bunny and had to cross dress for half a millennia
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