i can't get over how cute javier is when he introduces himself to ppodong. he's so serious about it that lloyd thinks he's about to question his cover story for how ppodong was summoned but no. he was just thinking really hard about how he should call him or if he had a name. and then when lloyd gives him the go ahead to call ppodong however he wants he just. calls him sir ppodong and fucking shakes hands with him. he introduces himself and shakes hands with the hamster like c'mon that's so fucking cute i cannot stop thinking about it just look at him
it's adorable.
and it's also one of the first times in the novel that you get the sense that 'oh. that's a kid.' it's subtle and lowkey but you can kinda feel that javier is actually excited about ppodong, he's curious about him and really gentle when he meets him. like. he's just a kid. a kid that probably never had a pet before and is now in close proximity with a cute and fluffy little hamster and just. wants to know his name.
Before I get into Bleach, I think it might amuse some of you to know that I made a patient laugh at work today with the story of how I responded to my spouse's proposal by calling him a motherfucker. I hope all of y'all's days are just as good so far, if not better!
Middle school Ichigo and Tatsuki!
It just occurred to me--was he trying to find his mom's ghost?? That makes this so much more heartbreaking!
Actually, yeah, Isshin. This is shockingly normal clothing for you.
Energy started to ratchet through Raven's body, her fingertips tingling, power rushing through her veins.
She tried to force it down, to remain calm, but it slipped through her grip. Shadows leaked out around her, darkening the floor as they twisted and stretched.
Gar watched her warily beside him as her breathing started to speed up, his hazel eyes flicking to the dancing shadows around her feet and back up. Her heart pounded in her chest, audible to his sensitive ears, sweat beading up on her skin.
Fear rolled off of her in waves, seeping out of her like a poison and leeching out into the air. His skin prickled, the hair on the back of his neck standing on end, his heartbeat picking up tempo as it spilled into him, his own emotions amping up to match.
His mouth opened before he had fully thought through what he was about to do.
“Sooo…” he drawled casually, eyeing her, “…does this count as a first date?”
It took a moment for his words to register.
Raven spun around to face him, her face a mask of shock. The shadows darkening around her stilled, her attention completely redirected, her fear momentarily forgotten.
“What?” she asked incredulously.
“You know, two people, doing an activity together.” Gar gestured innocently between the two of them, one dark green eyebrow arching, and grinned at his success as the horrible feeling building inside of him lessened. “A date!”
“This is not a date!” she hissed.
Victor’s head popped up over the edge of one of the command stations behind them. His mouth dropped open as his eyes landed on the two of them, and he jerked quickly back out of sight before Raven could see him.
“Oh shit, yeah, I probably should have asked first, huh?”
Raven gaped at him.
Gar leaned in towards her, golden eyes twinkling, that insufferably innocent, saccharine smile spreading across his face. Elongated canines flashed against his green skin. “Hey Rae, wanna go out sometime?”
“You—I—No,” she growled, struggling to find words adequate, and to her supreme horror, she felt her cheeks flush.
She turned back to face the doors as he chuckled, the enemies on the other side barely even registering to her, muttering something under her breath, then suddenly stiffened.
She spun back around, her violet eyes practically glowing with indignation. “What did you call me?”
“What, Rae?” Gar's eyes danced with silent laughter. “Well, everyone else was getting cool team nicknames, and I figured you wouldn’t want to be left out.”
“What are you, five? My name is Raven, not Rae, or whatever other stupid—”
“Yeah, I know,” Gar rolled his eyes playfully. “But come on, cool team nicknames! And I like Rae, it sounds…” he scrunched his face as if in serious thought, then grinned. “Fun!”
He beamed at her.
A flicker of something warm danced on her skin, radiating out of him like light.
“So, about that date…”
She stared at him with a mixture of horror and shock, the feeling coming off of him making her entire body feel strange. She snapped her mouth closed, forcefully blocking whatever the emotion was out.
“You’re an idiot,” she said darkly.
“Oh, come on, I'm hilarious.”
Her eyebrows shot down, eyes narrowing, energy prickling at her fingertips as she glared at him. “Don’t make me send you to another dimension.”
Gar laughed, a low, ringing sound that sent another rush of light zinging along her skin. Then he blinked, the grin disappearing, looking at her with sudden apprehension. “Wait—can you do that?”
“Try me.”
~~~
thanks @relentlesslyoptimisticsblog for being the awesomest cheerleader and playing editor with me!
