#hoo boy that took a long time to write out

[violetyakumo]

Flags & Chuuya Writing Prompts

@bonne-chanson Here you go, some ideas for the Flags, Chuuya, and the reader :D Everyone else feel free to use them as well, enjoy!

(Sfw) As a group:

Game night - board games, billiards, arcade games, etc.

Amusement park or aquarium trip - Yokohama Cosmo World, Disney, Universal, Tokyo Sea Life Park, Sumida Aquarium, etc.

Escape rooms - Who figured it out easily? Who's going to kick down the door? Who sits back and watches the chaos unfold? Who is the one causing all the chaos?

Secret Santa or White Elephant gifts - Who gives the weirdest gift? How about the funniest? Who wears the ugly Christmas sweater?

New Year's shrine visits - Who sleeps in because they're hungover from the night before? Who wakes up to watch the sunrise? What omikuji/fortunes do they get and their reactions to them?

Ice skating at the Tokyo Skytree Town - Who is good at it? Who falls on their ass? and who just stands back smugly and watches with a cup of hot chocolate?

Valentine's/White Day - What are the boys' reactions to receiving Valentine's Day chocolates from the reader? What are their return gifts for white day?

Cherry Blossom Viewing - A rare moment of peace and quiet for the Flags, Lippmann suggests they go enjoy the ephemeral beauty of the cherry blossoms.

Surprise birthday party - Who likes the attention? Who doesn't care for their birthday? The boys surprise the reader with a party, what gifts do they give? What kind of cake do they get for reader?

Live music shows - Who drags the group to an idol concert? How about a rock concert? Chuuya canonically likes music, what was his first experience with music that awoke that interest?

Movie night - What movie genres do they watch? Lippmann just starred in a new movie and wants to show off to the group, who enjoys it, and who comments every 5 minutes?

Karaoke - What songs do they pick? Who is a good singer? Who isn't? Who gets completely trashed and screams out the lyrics to their favorite song?

Yakatabune dinner cruise - dinner date anyone? Good food and unlimited drinks on a boat, what could possibly go wrong...

Family dinner at someone's apartment - a formal sit-down dinner where they pretend to be sane people. Can't you guys just be normal FOR 5 GODDAMN MINUTES?

Enjoying a festival together - Sneaking off with one of them, first kiss during the fireworks, who wins the most prizes?

Visiting Yokohama's Chinatown - Really good food here, apparently!

Visiting the Yokohama Cup Noodles museum - making your own custom cup noodles, who gets what toppings? Who steals from someone else's cup because their chosen toppings were gross? Doc is having an aneurysm from all this sodium and processed food, someone help him.

Nerf gun war - Albatross found some Nerf guns and makes it everyone else's problem. Who is allied? Who is betrayed?

Camping trip - Chuuya's first camping trip. Who is up for it and who is spending the whole trip wanting to go home?

Stormy day - There's a record storm system heading towards Yokohama, and Piano Man makes the executive decision to have everyone crash reader's apartment until the rain or snow lightens up and the power is restored again. Lucky (or unlucky) you!

Midnight Existential Crisis - Hurt/comfort, Reader has a breakdown and needs to be comforted by the group. What are each of the boys' ways to calm the reader down. Who offers a cig or a drink? Who takes them on a car/motorcycle ride? Who talks with them? Who listens silently and lets them vent?

Late-night talks - they open up to the reader about their dreams and regrets.

Exploring an abandoned building - Whether it's for a mission or just for fun.

Teasing - They all love teasing the reader, much to their annoyance.

Stray kitten/puppy - The newest member of the Flags has 4 paws and a fluffy tail. One of them found a stray and the entire group takes care of it. Just make sure Mori doesn't find out!

Survival IF scenario - Angst, The Flags are warned ahead of time about Verlaine's plot to kill them and they manage to survive the encounter. Unfortunately, the reader didn't get the same memo and did not make it. What are each of their reactions to the news? How do they grieve their death?

Port Mafia Cemetery - Angst, has anyone lost any loved ones/family?

Chuuya:

Undercover together - Reader and Chuuya pretend to be a couple for a mission. Lippmann's acting lessons didn't prepare Chuuya for this. His heart feels like it's about to beat out of his chest, and the act starts to feel real.

Caught in the rain - Summer (June/July) is the rainy season in Japan and sudden rain can appear out of nowhere and pass just as quickly.

Sparing Partners - A training session gets intense, he admires the reader's strength.

Jealousy - Reader teases him by getting close to one of the Flags or Dazai and Chuuya acts before realizing what he's doing.

Drinking for the first time - drunk words are sober thoughts, and Chuuya's been doing a lot of thinking about the reader.

Post-Corruption - How would reader help Chuuya out after using corruption for the first time.

First kiss - Reader and Chuuya have been together since their time with the Sheep, he's always had his eye on them.

Star gazing - Chuuya takes the reader stargazing high above the clouds with his ability, hope you aren't afraid of heights.

Lap pillow - after an exhausting mission, nothing is better than using your crush as a lap pillow. It can be either reader using Chuuya's lap or Chuuya using the reader's lap.

Albatross:

All-night partying together - Loud music, clubbing, bar hopping, your head is going to be pounding tomorrow morning but it's so worth it just to see his smile and hear his rambunctious laughter.

Going out for a motorcycle ride - Hold on tight he can go pretty fast.

Going to a car show - Yokohama has a custom hot rod meetup every year and this year Albatross is taking you with him to show off his handiwork to you and to brag to his car buddies about his cute new SO.

"It's almost done!" - he builds reader a custom bike.

He makes the reader a playlist - what songs does he include?

What anime/shows/movies does he watch with the reader?

Cooking together - Reader cooks and he attempts to. Albatross is swiftly exiled from the kitchen before he burns it down, but he adores your cooking.

Going on a mission together - he's the reader's bodyguard and getaway driver

Teasing reader - He loves to mess with the reader, but when someone else tries to do it he gets protective.

Nervous hands - his hands are always moving, always tinkering with something, but when he finally gets the courage to hold the reader's hand, he hesitates.

Extrovert and Introvert - reader is introverted and gets "adopted" by the extroverted Albatross. You're invited to every single party he hosts or is invited to, your phone is blowing up with texts from him all hours of the day, yet he doesn't pressure you to keep the conversation going. You're his BFF now, no takesie backsies.

Doc:

Treating the reader's injuries - he shows a moment of vulnerability, please stay safe out there, he has nightmares about you dying.

Take your medicine - he has to come up with some pretty creative ways to get the reader to take their medicine. The Flags are losing it, and giving him ridiculous suggestions like hiding the pills in peanut butter.

"You trust me, right?" - Emergency field surgery from Doc, reader gets badly injured when both of them are ambushed.

Nurse - Reader is one of his nurses, whether they were hired by him or taken into the mafia alongside Chuuya.

Helping him out - he's pretty sickly and would really appreciate the TLC, saving 2 million people is a lot of work. Give Doc a massage, cook for him, read out loud when he's sprawled out on the couch after a long shift, change his IV bag when it's empty, etc.

His past studies in North America - He opens up about his past to the reader and why he wants to be closer to closer to God. Is the reader familiar with the university he studied at (if the reader is a foreigner)?

Medical Experiments - He has a new treatment to test out and reader is his only willing test subject.

A reputation to maintain - He's one of the best physicians in the port mafia, and he does his best to play off his growing crush on the reader but when the guys start to pry into his behavior around you, he gets flustered.

Iceman:

Silent bodyguard - he's always following in the shadows, keeping reader safe. The reader is either oblivious to their new protector, or they know and decide to play dumb to mess with him.

Tactical training - he's too serious when training reader, the rest of the Flags make it into a joke.

Troublesome - he says he finds reader to be annoying, but his lingering gaze says otherwise. At first, he wonders why you hang around him, but he tolerates it. Then he warms up to you and starts to expect your company.

"I don't get attached" - Famous last words.

Names - you call each other by your first names when nobody else is around.

Comfortable silence - Both of you don't talk much and would much rather sit together in silence (and this drives Albatross highkey insane).

Tea/Coffee - he brews reader their favorite drink after a mission.

Imo he'd be great for a slow burn fic.

Lippmann:

"My muse!" - You're Lippmann's muse, and he wants you to star in his latest movie with him.

Matching outfits - Lippmann picked out reader's outfit and even did your hair, the rest of the Flags tease him about his "mini-me", the joke's on them though you look amazing.

Watching one of his movies together - He gives reader all the tea on what drama was going on backstage and tells you details about each scene that you would have otherwise missed on your first watch-through.

Conflicted - Being a high-profile celebrity has its downside, like the crazy fans. He wants to parade reader around and make you guys official but he's worried about how his fans would react to you.

Museum date - He takes the reader to an art museum and explains the beauty behind each piece.

Missions together - even when out on a job he can't help but be dramatic, much to reader's amusement and exasperation. When reader is actually in danger though, he drops the theatrics and gets Mafia Serious™.

Lippmann with a creative reader - The reader likes to do various creative activities like drawing, painting, sculpting, playing music, writing, dancing, etc. He admires anything and everything you do.

"You're not watching" - Conversely, what about a reader who doesn't care much for the arts. He's determined to make you understand the worth of a film or a play to the reader by acting out a scene with the reader. Or: they don't pay attention during one of his films and he is trying to get their attention back on him.

Stage fright - Lippmann teaches the reader about how to overcome stage fright and helps them own their performance.

Piano Man:

Welcome gift - iirc when a new member joins the port mafia they get a piece of clothing. Pianoman just so happens to be the one to make such a gift to the reader.

Billiards - Reader plays a game of pool with him.

In Sync - Both of you are sent on a dangerous mission together and you work together perfectly, anticipating each other's moves, wordlessly communicating what to do next, a fine dance.

"You're distracting" - He's busy making new notes but every little thing the reader does pulls his attention away from his work. Be careful though, his attention flits between many things but his undivided attention is dangerous.

Smoke break - a cigarette break after a job turns unexpectedly deep as he reflects on his time in the mafia and his history with the reader.

Sense of humor - Reader and Piano Man scheme and come up with bad jokes to share with the Flags, doing 1000 points of psychic damage to everyone in the room with dad jokes and using memes incorrectly.

Piano - If he knows how to play piano, the reader loves watching his hands as they move over the keys, he catches them staring and smirks.

Piano pt 2 - He writes a piece just for the reader.

Piano pt 3 - The reader catches him playing late at night by himself when he thinks no one is listening.

Perfection takes time - He's inspecting his latest batch of supernotes and rejects any that don't meet his impossible standards. He talks to the reader about how art takes time and can't be rushed.

Hurry up - He missed another deadline, and nobody dares rush him, except the reader.

"You think you're clever" - Reader manages to outmaneuver him in an argument, and he's equal parts impressed and annoyed.

How amusing - Reader is the only one who can match his unpredictability.

Professionals have standards - He's a mafioso who insists on doing things with elegance and style, at the same time he discusses murder over afternoon tea with the reader. Duality of man...

(Nsfw) As a group:

Test of Loyalty - "You're ours", the reader learns a lesson in loyalty to the mafia.

Power struggle - Some of the guys don't like not being in control and that leads to a power imbalance. They'll have to show the others who the reader really belongs to.

Wine-induced teasing - A little too much to drink during a celebration leads to teasing that the reader can't ignore.

Outnumbered - overstimulation, the reader made a bet or a joke that they can take all of them on and had to prove it.

Training gone too far - A sparing session turns into a test of endurance. Or: You'll need to learn how to use more than just your brain if you ever hope to extract information from enemy organizations.

The aftermath - The contrast between their rough treatment and gentle aftercare.

No Chuuya because he babby

Albatross:

Workshop shenanigans - When the reader visits him in his workshop, one thing leads to another and now they're bent over his workbench. Try not to get caught.

"Haha, my bad!" - He'll tease the reader to get them close to the edge but enough to be satisfying. Then acts innocent when reader tries to get revenge.

Addiction - He didn't mean to get hooked on the reader, but now he can't stop coming back for another hit.

Doc:

Stay still - The way he handles the reader during a physical exam makes them wonder if he's always this gentle.

Heartbeat - When he's checking the reader's vitals during an exam, he notices their heart rate is elevated and it's not due to an illness.

Doctor's Orders - He's usually composed but when the reader disobeys his orders, he'll have no choice but to punish them.

Iceman:

"Testing my patience" - He's been holding back for so long, but reader keeps pushing his limits until one day he's finally had it. Or: when it comes to others he has infinite patience, but when it comes to the reader his patience is as thin as paper.

Pinned - Iceman pins the reader against a wall, and the reader realizes just how powerful he is despite not having an ability.

"Earn it" - He makes reader work for every little bit of affection he gives until he decides to give everything all at once.

Lippmann:

"Say my name" - Lippmann loves the sound of his own name, and hearing the reader say it is something else entirely.

No audience - He drops his act, and for a few priceless moments, it's just him and you.

"You look perfect in this light" - When reader is under him, completely undone, they look stunning in his eyes.

Piano Man:

Wires - He ties the reader up with his piano wires.

In control - He's always the one in command and you're going to follow his rhythm.

"Not so cocky now, are you" - reader wipes that confident smirk off his face.

There you go, have fun!

[gogobootz1]

Dog Day Afternoon

Benedict Bridgerton x Reader

Summary: New to town but oh-so sought after, a few stumbles might just lead you to love

Word Count: 3k

Dearest Gentle Reader,

Today, I write with news from the North. The reclusive Duke of Devonshire has come to London. It seems that after the death of his younger brother some time back, he is determined to find his eldest daughter, the new heir, a husband. The lady is supposedly very beautiful and will no doubt consume all of the attention of eligible young bachelors. I only bid good luck to her competition, as they will surely need it.

The fluffy tails of your two best friends could not keep still. The black Newfoundlands you had trained from puppyhood loved carriage rides, mostly because they loved meeting the horses before and after. You were sure they'd grow even more excited when you arrived at the park.

As the carriage slowed, you smiled, eager to get them some exercise. Your maid stepped out first, and you momentarily handed her both dogs' leads. Accepting a hand down from a footman, you turned to take them back when they broke free of her grasp entirely. Worse yet, they took off at a run.

You called after them, then whistled, but they were determined. Usually, they didn't give you any trouble with recall. Reaching for the dog whistle you kept on your person, you found nothing.

Without a second thought, you took off after them.

"My Lady!" Your maid called from behind you, panicked. You paid her little heed, anxious to have your babies back safe.

Park patrons stood as your dogs, followed by yourself, ran past. They gawked openly at the strange scene put on by an unknown young lady.

You were relieved when they slowed, but it didn't take long for them to sprint off again. They rounded a corner, quick as lighting. You kept after them, unable to see the obstacle around the bend.

Crashing right into someone's back, the two of you stumbled. The poor gentleman in front of you took the brunt of the impact, but you didn't have time to stay and make a formal apology. Staggering a bit, you resumed your chase.

"Sorry!" You yelled over your shoulder.

"Wait! Miss," the man called after you but gave up as you ran further away.

When your dogs ran off the path and into a clearing where people were picnicking, you grew really worried. Chasing after them on a trail was one thing, but ruining the outings of fellow nobility would be an altogether worse embarrassment.

You stopped in your tracks when you realized who the boys were scampering up to: your little sister. Abigail sat on a blanket with a girl who looked to be about her age. In her mouth was the dog whistle. You tended only to use that whistle when you took them out in the woods, and you'd trained them to run back to you at the sound of it. It gave you peace of mind knowing that you could call them back at any time if they went too far off in the forest or on one of your walks.

Abigail seemed pleased to see the two of them. A surprised grin graced her face as she patted them. They were even happier to see her, showering her in kisses. "Hoo-y? Moo? What are you doing here?" She giggled.

Her laughter stopped when she saw you stalking over. Thoroughly out of breath, you crossed your arms when you reached them. The three of them looked guiltily up at you. With a snap, your dogs came to sit on either side of you. Although your countenance was thoroughly enraged, scratching behind both dogs' ears decreased your intimidation factor.

"Why on Earth did you steal that?" You nodded toward your whistle.

"I think it makes for a chic necklace," Abigail said defensively. You stuck a hand out, and she reluctantly placed the whistle she'd put on a chain in it.

"And why on Earth were you using it?" You asked expectantly.

She held her hands up in surrender, "Miss Hyacinth was skeptical that the whistle could not be heard with human ears. I was simply showing her how it worked." Abigail was clever- you'd give her that. You could hardly scold her in front of her companion, and you wouldn't dream of scolding the other young girl for something so clearly not her fault. Using her as a human shield was a cowardly tactic by your sister, however. "And I thought you weren't arriving until later!"

"They were antsy. I figured I could abandon the harp in favor of allowing them some exercise," you explained, then glared at her, "This was not the type of exercise I had in mind."

"But Hoo-y and Moo love running free," she pouted at you.

"They are not allowed to run free in public spaces where I must chase after them!" You snapped at her. Crouching to get closer, you reached into your purse and gave both dogs a scrap of jerky. "Huginn and Muninn are both well-behaved gentlemen, and you may have tarnished their good names by causing this wild romp!"

"Huginn and Muninn? Does that make you Odin?" A deep voice called from behind you. You rose and turned to see a tall, handsome gentleman with dark hair.

His question took you by surprise. Most people did not understand their names. You blinked for a second before collecting yourself, "No." It was hardly a smart reply, but it was the most you could manage after chasing your dogs a few hundred meters. You shook your head a little, vaguely embarrassed by your answer, before turning back to the girls.

"Would you please excuse Lady Abigail, Miss Hyacinth?" The bright young lady nodded at you with a pleasant smile before you even finished speaking, "The least she can do after causing such trouble is help me walk the dogs." You directed the last part toward your sister, who reluctantly stood. Taking one of the leads from your hand, she bid goodbye to her companion before walking off. You nodded at the young lady and the handsome stranger before following after her.

Benedict watched you walk away from his sister's picnic spot, only slightly removed from the rest of the family's. He collapsed down next to Hyacinth and stole a grape from her plate, "Who was that?"

"My new friend, Abigail," she replied, smacking his wrist. He ate the grape anyway.

"And the older one?"

"Her sister," Hyacinth looked at him skeptically, "why do you ask?"

Benedict thought of how you'd practically pushed him to the ground in the middle of the walkway, then ran from the scene. "No reason," he shrugged.

——————————————

The first ball you'd be attending was later that evening, and you were incredibly nervous. Sat on the floor of the library, you brushed through Muninn's coat in an attempt to calm your nerves. Waiting for your father to finish changing was making you even more anxious, the dread just building up in your body.

"Why are you on the floor?" His voice finally came from the doorway.

"His coat needed brushing," you shrugged innocently. The Duke waved at you to come join him, and you stood, brushing some fur off yourself. Muninn stood, too, and closely followed as you joined your father.

"You're only lucky he didn't slobber on you," your father shook his head at you fondly, offering his arm.

Taking it, you made one last bid to skip the event, "Remind me why we are attending this?"

"A future Duchess needs a husband," he said simply.

"Does she really?" You asked wryly.

"No," your father answered seriously, causing you to stop. "Well, only if she should like a Duke or Duchess of her blood to follow in her footsteps," he tugged on your arm to keep you walking.

That only made you feel worse. While before you felt nervous, guilt was now in the mix. What if that didn't happen?

"If you never marry, I will not love you any less," he revealed. "I only ask that you try," your father asserted, "but if there is nary a man up to snuff, I would have you die a spinster." You laughed at that, feeling some pressure relieved. He joked with you for the duration of the carriage ride and up until you were announced at the ball.

"Now presenting; His Grace Daniel, Duke of Devonshire, and his daughter Lady-"

The entire company of the room turned to watch the two of you descend the stairs.

"What? Is there something on my face?" Your father whispered to you jokingly.

"Oh, only that awful mustache," you whispered back playfully. You caught the corner of his lip twitching as he tried not to laugh at the jab at his expense.

A few more seconds of staring had you whispering to him again, "I see now why you never leave the house." That earned a huff of a laugh from him.

"Let us thank our host, then visit the refreshments," he relayed the plan.

"Excellent idea," you replied quietly as he dragged you toward a finely dressed older woman.

"Lady Danbury," your father nodded at her in greeting.

"Lovely to see you again, Your Grace. It's been quite some time," she smiled at him knowingly.

"Indeed it has," he laughed, "may I present my daughter?" You smiled then, giving her a polite nod as well.

"My, how you've grown, my lady. The last time I saw you, you were far shorter than me," she chuckled, and you laughed politely with her. Unfortunately, you had no memory of that meeting. It must have been a long time ago, and she must have visited your home at Chatsworth House.

It was only a few more moments of small talk before your father excused the two of you, under the guise of not impeding her from talking to other guests.

He fixed you both a glass of lemonade at the refreshments table before he was pulled away. As much as he hated socializing, people loved him. He sent you an apologetic glance as he left. You only shook your head at him, smiling.

You took a brief glance around the room, noticing a few debutantes conversing near you. You sent them a smile, but they sneered in reply and closed ranks. Stunned at their response, you didn't quite know what to do.

"They can be rather mean," you turned to find a young red-headed woman beside you. "Not to mention jealous," she said helpfully.

"Jealous?" You were confused. They hadn't even met you. "Of me?"

"Oh, yes," she laughed a bit. "Haven't you read Lady Whistledown?"

You were embarrassed to have no idea of what she spoke, "I haven't met her. Is she in attendance?" That got an even greater laugh from your companion.

"Lady Whistledown is a gossip columnist and a rather popular one at that," she informed you, and you felt foolish for your last comment. "She wrote about you in her latest issue."

"Really?" You were stunned, as you'd only recently arrived in London.

"She predicted you'd steal the attentions of every available gentleman away from your fellow debutants," she nodded.

"No wonder they hate me," you sighed, sorry to have made a bad impression on the debutants before making their acquaintance. "Oh, I'm sorry, I still haven't introduced myself!" You were eager to make at least one good first impression.

"I'm Penelope Featherington," she said with a smile.

"I must admit, Miss Featherington," you shook your head, "I think Lady Whistledown's prediction will prove incorrect." She tilted her head and gestured for you to go on, "I've not been approached by a single gentleman."

Penelope took a quick look around the room, accidentally meeting a few pairs of eyes. Plenty of people had already been looking in your direction. She smiled a bit at your obliviousness, "I think perhaps they're just intimidated."

"Oh no," your eyes widened, "have I done something wrong?"

"Not at all," she assured you, "I think it's just... no one wants to take the first shot at a great stag and miss."

"I'm not sure I like being prey in this metaphor," you deadpanned, causing her to laugh once again.

It seemed one young gentleman mustered the courage to be the first to approach, and he really was young. "Good evening, ladies," he greeted you both, then offered you his hand, "would you care to dance?"

You placed your hand lightly in his but sent Penelope a look as he led you off. She giggled as you went. From there, you were off to the races. Dance after dance, gentleman after gentleman, you were exhausted.

"Please excuse me, sir, I'm feeling rather parched," you did not even recall this one's name.

"Oh no, please, my lady, I shall fetch a beverage for you," he nodded, "stay right there! Don't move!" He kept eye contact with you as he walked backward a few paces. You couldn't help but walk backward away from him, and you continued to do so even after he'd scurried off.

In fact, you retreated so far back that you retreated right into someone else's back. You both turned.

“You rather love bumping into me,” the gentleman you’d seen earlier said.

“Excuse me?” You certainly hadn’t seen him before this morning, so you had no idea what he meant by that smart comment. Your offense at his statement outweighed the sway of his good looks, unlike earlier.

“This makes twice,” he insisted, “once chasing after your ravens and once just now.”

It took you a second to catch up, “It was you I knocked over in the park earlier?!” Embarrassment rolled over you like a wave. “Oh God,” this was awful, “I am so incredibly sorry. Truly, I am mortified. And I would have apologized earlier, I-“

He only laughed a bit, “It’s quite alright. I got the sense you were in a rush.” His teasing tone brought a smile to your face.

“They’re usually so well-behaved,” you assured him, “I’m afraid my sister was behind the debacle.”

“Oh, yes, she was sitting with Hyacinth, was she not?”

“You know Miss Hyacinth?”

The gentleman grinned and bowed, “Benedict Bridgerton, her brother.”

“Very nice to meet you,” you smiled, “officially.”

“I’m not sure I caught your name,” right as he asked, you heard it being called.

“My lady?” You whipped around, and spotted the gentleman you’d abandoned searching for you. Wincing, you scuttled toward the closest pillar and ducked behind it. Benedict stayed put, but watched you run off with great amusement. After a moment, he chose to follow you.

“Are you hiding?” He teasingly asked.

You peered around the pillar, hoping the man had walked away. When you saw he hadn’t, you ducked away again, “yes!”

Benedict blinked at you, smiling, “Why?”

“My feet hurt,” you confessed, “I have danced every dance. I haven’t sat down in hours. Frankly, I’m surprised so many are interested after my jaunt through the park.”

“Perhaps they were impressed by your display of athleticism,” a crooked grin crossed his face. You leveled him with a look.

“There you are, my lady,” you jolted at the foreign voice, and Benedict had to clap a hand over his mouth to muffle his laughter. “I could not find you, so I’m afraid I drank your lemonade as well,” you could see Benedict’s shoulders shake with laughter, “Are you ready for our next dance?”

A look of pure horror must have crossed your face, because Benedict finally intervened, “I’m afraid she’s promised the next dance to me.” He pulled a pencil from a pocket in his jacket and outstretched one hand to you. You held out the arm your dance card was attached to, “In fact, I’ve very generously been granted all her remaining dances.” He winked at you as he filled in the four remaining spots. You fought off a grin.

“I see,” the man you interrupted you said sourly. He turned on his heel and marched away. Neither you nor Benedict could stop your laughter at his reaction.

“It is not my intention to further burden your feet,” he assured you after a moment, “I only hoped to dissuade him.”

“You did a fine job,” you grinned at him, “you have my gratitude.”

“I think I rather scandalized him,” Benedict chuckled, and you shook your head.

“It seems rather easy to scandalize this lot,” you said.

“Well, you’re right about that,” he nodded.

You sighed, “I think they’re all so concerned with presenting themselves as proper and important they forget to consider anyone else. Not one man I danced with asked me about myself.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Benedict shook his head, “I hope the rest of your evening is more relaxing.”

“Thank you,” you nodded at him, “at the very least, I know my dogs will listen to me when I return to them.”

Benedict laughed at that and slightly bowed towards you again, “It’s been a pleasure meeting you, my lady. I hope to bump into you again soon.”

Your eyes widened, “Maybe not bump.”

“Goodnight,” he smiled at you and nodded before leaving you free to go find somewhere to sit.

Soon enough, you father found you relaxing on a chaise lounge in a nearby study. He only shook his head, and offered you his arm to depart.

——————————————

The next morning brought with it house calls. You’d been hoping to spend a quiet morning working on a new piece for the harp, as you’d forgone practice the day before. But, much to your chagrin, you were forced to dress and be presentable within only ten minutes of your waking.

It didn’t take long for the sitting room to be bombarded with interested parties, though none were interested enough to truly speak with you. Each brought with him a new bouquet of flowers, and you soon grew worried you’d start sneezing uncontrollably. Eventually, you became so overwhelmed that you bribed poor Abigail to keep them occupied while you disappeared.

The only question she had for you was if you cared what she did to them. You’d given her free rein. With one look at her wicked grin, you fled the room.

Quickly turning the corner to another hallway, you quite nearly crashed into someone.

“That was almost three,” Benedict joked with you.

“Almost,” you highlighted, “but only a close call.”

“True,” he nodded.

"What brings you here?"

Benedict smiled, "I had hoped to call on you. Have I caught you at a bad time?"

"Not at all," you shook your head jovially.

"Excellent! I brought a gift," he produced a brown paper bag. You were slightly confused but glad for something other than flowers.

"Thank you," you reached for it, but he pulled it back.

"Not for you," he shook his head. You blinked back at him, wide-eyed. "Unless you have a proclivity for raw steak." Benedict laughed at the shock on your face, "I thought Huginn and Muninn might enjoy a treat."

A surprised smile eased onto your face. Your eyes sparkled as you looked at him, "I'm sure they'll appreciate it."

"Do you think they might also appreciate a walk in the park?" He asked, "A chance at redemption?"

"I think they'd like that," you grinned widely as Benedict smiled and offered you his arm.

---------------------------------------------------------

He didn't ask a single question! And he was wearing these- FUGLY jeans

Lol I've been toying with this idea since S3 part 1 came out, hope you liked it! I let her live in 2005 Mr. Darcy's luxurious mansion so you're welcome

(sorry for obscure norse mythology references)

[starshinewritesalot]

Steve X Reader X Garrett - [Best of Both Worlds]

SFW, GN!Reader, canon-faithful writing and fun times all around

Steve hasn’t had much action in his life, relationship wise. Always alienated in school, maybe had a few flings in adulthood, but people always sought him out for a good time rather than a real commitment… But then there was you.

Something about you, when you stumbled into the Overworld alongside your other roundling friends… You stood out, not in the way that Henry did but… Something else.

Dawn and Natalie were indifferent, Garrett was more than infuriating, but you were a surprising addition to the crew in the fact that you took a shine to him and his architecture almost instantly.

When he spoke you listened, even seemed impressed with his talent. No one else seemed to care about the time and effort that went into this world, most of it being done by his hand. It was nice to feel appreciated, to feel seen.

As a modern gamer yourself you took to the mechanics of the world almost instantly, Steve was almost flustered albeit impressed. He'd be in the middle of explaining something as simple as a crafting table with his usual gusto, and then boom! You'd just make one yourself. Tools? Easy. Armor? Easier! And mining... Hoo boy, he had to keep you from strip mining through an entire mountain, despite how much he'd love to join.

"You found iron already?! It took me forever to get out of the stone age!"

Since you weren't such a try-hard like Gar-Gar he was happy to nurture you and Henry's creative impulses, though the Garbage Man himself was rather jealous of how quickly you got a handle on things (and especially how you got ahold of Steve's attention. He couldn't tell who he was more jealous of, truthfully).

During a late night campfire session you even had it in you to ask about his life before the Overworld.

“Steve..?”

“Yeeeees?”

“What was your life like before the Overworld..? I know you said it was boring and all, but what made you choose to stay here for so long?”

If you didn’t know any better you’d think he was running from something.

He drew a deep breath in as he laid next to you under the stars, pursing his lips together. Despite being such a silly guy, you could tell there was a lot more going on underneath his braggadocios exterior.

“In my world… Well, our world, I was very lonely. I knew no one would miss me, so I stayed here where I found purpose. There was nothing I couldn’t do, nothing I couldn’t build… The sky's the limit. You know how expensive it is to build a house in the real world, kid?”

His tone was joking but he wasn’t necessarily wrong, it was a cruel world outside of the cubes.

“Yeah, I know… Sucks not having more people like you around though. The real world sure could use a Steve or two.”

He chuckled, hands clasped over his tummy, but his laughter was short lived when he heard a fake gag coming from the tent you originally shared with Garrett.

“Ugh, are you two sapheads gonna be up all night? Tryin’ to get some beauty sleep in here!”

Garrett had not been a fan of how close you and Steve had become over the course of this adventure. At all.

Leading up to the discovery of the portal, Garrett had been scheming of ways to ask you out without making it seem too obvious.

Your job had you fly out to Chuglass for a higher position in the company, but once you got there you found out the position they offered had already been taken somehow. This was after you’d already spent your savings moving and flying of course, so you were actively trying to save up so that you could get back home soon.

You swung by his store pretty often to sell some of your old junk, you knew he was lowballing you so you’d either have to heckle or concede to seeing one of your previously precious relics up on the shelf for double the price you sold it a week later.

Even so, this had become somewhat of a ritual for the two of you. As more of your boxes made the trip across the country you’d visit again, the cycle would continue. Although he was a stingy ass, there was an odd charm to him that you couldn’t quite place. Something that drew you back to the store far more than the prices.

As you leafed through some of the used CDs he kept replaying scenarios in his head, trying to figure out how he’d go about asking you on a date.

“Hey person who I argue with and resell shit from constantly, wanna go on a date? Not like you have many other guys to select from since most everyone else around here is a middle aged loon!”

“No, no, that’s terrible…” He murmured right as you had pulled out a CD you were interested in.

You shot him a glare in response, presuming he was judging your music taste.

“No, not you,” He waved his hand dismissively, shaking his head. Before the two of you could get into it, Hank walked in and the whole cube thing happened. There went his one and only shot of asking you out prior to this fiasco, and he blew it just like he does everything else.

It's not as though it got particularly better in the Overworld either, left and right he kept making a fool of himself.

While you excelled at crafting, mining, and combat, he was bumbling around like an oaf trying to talk to sheep and wielding buckchuckets. He'd never been more embarrassed, and exceedingly unwilling to admit it at that.

He wagered that he must look like a real dumbass in your eyes. A real Boo Boo the Fool. That may have been true to some degree, but unbeknownst to him it only endeared him to you more.

The lengths he'd go just to one-up you and Steve were comical, it was kind of cute seeing him act so cocky and then pout right after when it went awry.

You wanted to console him deep down, but you knew that would just make him feel justified in his petty antics so you refrained, wrestling back a bemused smile all the while.

Steve felt the same exact way, even if his macho exterior wouldn't allow such sentiments to bleed through.

I mean, when was the last time he had another man his age around? Even with Garrett's hidden indentions, Steve enjoyed their little banter and pseudo-rivalry. There was no competition really, but it was nice to see him try!

And, while the average observer may think Steve was annoyed or felt disrespected, it was truly the opposite. You may have recognized Steve from a different angle, but Garrett quintessentially met him on his level. Mano y mano, if you will. He saw him as a worthy competitor and acted accordingly, he didn't treat him like some dopey accountant who couldn't do anything for himself, no! He treated him like a man... Steve liked that.

With all of this in mind, it still didn't prevent tensions from rising. You and Garrett got into a spat that night at the campsite, since he conveniently liked to act up when you and Steve were having genuine moments together. The night ended with you switching to Steve's tent, MUCH to Gar-Gar's dismay, and the very next day a brawl broke out at the nearby village that caused you to separate from him, Steve, and Henry.

Dawn and Natalie tried to comfort you as best they could, Nat being pretty oblivious to the obvious romantic tension sizzling like hot lava chicken between you and the other two men on the team.

"I'm just worried about them, we left things off really shitty... Me and Garrett, then you and Henry... It's like we just can't stop fighting..."

"Ugh, that toolbag could start a fight with a baby if he wanted to. He'll get over it, and Henry... I just want him to be safe right now. I think... Well, I hope Steve can do at least that..." She seemed to be lost in thought as she helped you row the boat you crafted while Dawn read the map.

"There's a fork up ahead... We need to take a right..." Dawn murmured as she studied the details of the map, furrowing her brows at the big red section up ahead. Maybe the woodland mansion was past the mushroom forest..? Could be possible...

The ride was quiet for the most part, but while you and the girls were peacefully sailing the boys were fighting for their lives trying to out-fly the piglins. Sadly you had to miss out on Steve and Garrett’s midair kiss, but you never anticipated that you’d only reunite with one of them later in your journey.

Steve laid there motionless on the bed with Dennis curled up at the foot of it, the rise and fall of his chest being the only sign of life. He was healed, peaceful, and he looked so beautiful just lying there beneath the sun and getting some proper rest… His survival brought you peace, but he lack of a certain someone’s presence was still very concerning.

After a while of you sitting at his bedside Dennis got up and began to lick Steve’s beard, the old man slowly stirring and eventually giggling at the ticklish feeling. “Dennis! It’s really you!” He sat up and gave his faithful companion some good scritches, grinning at the pooch. As he turned to you his expression softened, not necessarily in a bad way just… Different.

“And you, Y/N…”

He looked like he wanted to say something more, but he knew now wasn’t the time… The battle wasn’t over, and he already knew what your first words to him were going to be.

“Where’s Garrett?”

“Gar-Gar, he’s…” He trailed off.

Nat, who was seated next to Henry on his bed, looked over at you with a grave expression.

“I don’t know,” Steve finished softly, casting his brown eyes onto the ground. “He fought bravely, but the piglins had us surrounded. He… Sacrificed himself to save Henry and I. He lived and unalived like the warrior he was.” He nodded solemnly as you covered your mouth, tears welling up in your eyes. “N-No, it can’t be…”

He put a hand on your shoulder tentatively, he half expected you to shrink away but to his surprise you threw yourself onto him, crying into the crook of his neck and holding him tight. He hated to see you this way, but he also felt honored that you’d choose him as a source of comfort. He ran his calloused hands along your back doing his best to console you. He was pretty torn up about it himself, but he didn’t want you to see that side of him yet. Garrett wouldn’t want him crying over it anyway.

Dawn and Natalie did their best to be supportive while you were grieving, hell even Henry was trying to cheer you up. There was nothing they could do though, as the only thing that could sate your sadness was bloodshed and revenge.

You crafted yourself a pair of diamond nunchucks in Garrett’s honor, making it your mission to tear through every piglin in sight. In your rage you’d adopted some of Garrett’s mannerisms and cockiness, even stealing some frags from Natalie as you fought alongside her. It was annoying but you were going through it, and it was too late to argue with too many important things on the line right now.

With the raging emotions at the forefront of your mind, you didn't think to question sending Henry to go get the orb despite being the only child on the team. He was the only one not drowning in pork right now, so you kept up the good fight while he scaled the nether portal by his lonesome. Although it seemed the war had been won, a blast from The Great Hog sent Henry flying. The thought of losing another team member so soon after the other sent a pang of shock through your chest, but that wasn't going to happen... Not on Garrett's watch.

The Garbage Man swooped in valiantly, saddled beneath a Ghast using his arms to steer the beast.

For a second you couldn't tell who it was, but upon recognizing that pink tasseled jacket and long flowing hair it dawned on you that your brave knight managed to beat the odds and survive!

After him and Hank's brief reunion and acquisition of the orb. you called for him--nay--screamed for him, shouting his name until he landed nearby.

As the piglins crumbled around you he came running, hugging you first out of everyone else. He swooped you up and swung you around, laughing like a madman.

"I thought I'd never see you again..!" Everyone aside from Steve, who was busy finishing off Malgosha, surrounded you in preparation for the epic group hug that was about to happen. They wanted you two to have your moment first though.

"Y yo tu, which is... Me too, in Spanish," He placed a rough hand on the side of your face, caressing your cheek with his thumb as he gazed down at you lovingly.

"Te amo," You murmured softly.

"... Whuh?"

"Te amo," You reiterated.

He nodded, though still maintained a confused expression.

"That means I love you in Spanish," You raised a brow at him, your wistful smile curling into a frown.

"OHHH right, right... Yeah, love you too babe," He leaned down to give you an amorous kiss, his scruffy beard tickling your face as he held the back of your head firmly.

Henry gagged jokingly, Natalie crossed her arms and shook her head, and Dawn simply smiled and nodded. "Oh, I been knew somethin' was goin' on with those two."

Just when the kiss began to last long enough to get awkward, Steve arrived in what remained of his diamond armor, a solemn look on his face. He cleared his throat when he grew near, prompting you and the Garbage Man to separate. The two of you looked at each other and then at Steve, happy and yet... Almost guilty.

He smiled, it was pained, but a smile nonetheless.

"It's about time, you two... You always bickered like an old married couple," He glanced at the two of you as he knelt down to pet and sing to Dennis, a truly heartfelt farewell ballad. You and Garrett held hands the whole way through, but you knew things didn't have to end this way.

Garrett untangled his fingers from yours to approach Steve, the two of them locking arms like they did when they first met. "I respect your decision to stay, but out there I don't have too many, uh, friends my own age."

Steve shook his head, "Nah, you'll be fine. You have Y/N now," He gestured his head towards you, wearing an expression of defeat. Garrett had beat him in the battle to win your heart, fair and square... That's what he thought at least.

"Go on home Gar-Gar, you two can keep each other warm on winter nights, take Dennis to the beach during the summer, all that fun stuff..."

To your surprise, Garrett held Steve's face just as he had held yours, swiping his thumb in the same way.

"If you say so brochacho, but if you ask me... Every good movie series is a trilogy. Think about that," He released him, gaze lingering on the turquoise bloused male for a little too long before hooking an arm around your shoulder and walking towards the portal with you.

Natalie's parting words and yours from the campsite lingered with him as he watched you and the gang walk away together, the gears slowly beginning to shift in his mind.

"We could use some of that magic in the real world."

"The real world sure could use a Steve or two."

"Every good movie series is a trilogy. Think about that."

He took one last look at the Overworld, something told him this wouldn't be his last time here but for now...

"Ah, screw it. It's about time I craft something in the real word that I can call mine."

He ran after you guys and into the portal, nearly tripping into you and Garrett on his way out.

"Steve!" Everyone shouted in unison, crowding around him and suffocating him in one big hug. While the others pulled away you and Gar-Gar looked at each other knowingly, nodded, and then each planted a big wet kiss on each side of Steve's face--much to his surprise.

His face flushed as brightly as redstone, whipping his head back and forth to look at you both in disbelief. "What the--?! Y-You two... This whole time?!"

"I thought it was kinda obvious, I just didn't say anything," Henry shrugged and walked off ahead of everyone else, having no desire to sit here and watch all three of his mentors kiss at the same time. "I second that," Dawn agreed, staying by his side to make sure he didn't wander off again. "I... Honestly had no idea," Nat sighed, rubbing the back of her neck, lingering briefly before letting you three have some proper alone time in the mines together.

"Wow... For a second there I was scared I lost the two of you as friends, but now," Steve chuckled. "It seems I have both of you in a very different way."

"It was a hard choice for a while," You admitted, rubbing his belly gently through his unisex cyan shirt. "But then I realized I didn't have to choose at all. If you're building a house and can't decide between spruce or birch, just use both."

"Yeah, what they said... I didn't win gamer of the year by only playin' one character on the roster," He gave Steve's stomach a firm pat, grabbing the flesh and giving it a little shake earning a small "oof!" from the older man.

"C'mon you guys, lets go home."

As all of you walked off into the sunset without any real idea of whose house you'd be heading to, the future seemed bright for the three of you. Normally thinking far ahead filled you with a sense of dread, but after surviving the challenges of this life and the perils of another you realize that meeting both of these men at the same time in your life truly is the best of both worlds.

[livlocus]

HoO Boys x Heavy Music Lover!Reader

Characters: Percy Jackson, Jason Grace, Leo Valdez, Frank Zhang

Summary: How the HoO boys would react to their partners liking heavy music!

Warnings: the use of y/n, my grammatical ability, MENTIONS OF WEEZER

Word Count: 2.7k

Liv Yaps: hey so this came from the depths of my brain and i put this all together at like 5 am after no sleep so idk how in character this is, tbh it's all based off of vibes... personally, i think that all of the hoo boys have gone through a weezer phase (it was never a phase for jason sorry not sorry) but yeah... also if it seems like i'm making fun of any bands i am not all of the artists mentioned in this are ones that i thouroughly enjoy! i may or may not have gone a little overboard with jason but hey what else is new i guess... and i'm also tagging @jjsblueberry for your daily does of leo haha

ALSO ALSO ALSO my requests are open so pls pls pls send some in !!

Percy Jackson

In the books, Percy is a big fan of like '80s rock because that’s what Sally plays, and those are the CDs that she has around, so I don’t think that it would be too far-fetched for him to end up liking heavier rock music

Odds are, when he starts to get like angsty in the later books, he starts listening to heavier rock music anyway 

So when you get the aux on the drive to camp half-blood and you start playing Sleeping with Sirens, he’s all “oh wait I know thi—”

Doesn’t even finish his sentence before he blows out everyone’s eardrums because he needs to be singing along off-key and with a strained voice, and he is not sorry at all

But anything heavier than bands like Sleeping with Sirens/Pierce the Veil/Bad Omens (I'm so sorry I'm writing this at 4 am, I can't think of any other bands, but you get the idea) he isn’t very familiar with

He 100% has a superiority complex when it comes to music, cause his mom introduced him to the music he likes now, so of course, 80s rock music is in fact the best music… but whatever it is that you listen to is a close second 

“Y/N, I think that Pierce the Veil is great, but Led Zeppelin is so much better, I’m putting them on after this.” “Can’t we just listen to one album all the way through?” “… no.” Cue his evil smirk as he changes the music.

Percy WILL go to concerts with you because odds are he also wants to go with you

already have a vision in my head of Percy moshing at a rock festival somewhere in the middle of nowhere, upstate New York, that you managed to find tickets for

He literally grew up in nyc, he would totally be down for basement shows or ones in dive bars 

The lock screen of his phone is a 0.5 selfie that he took of you guys in a super crowded show at a random dive bar in Brooklyn 

As long as you were there with him and enjoying yourself, he probably wouldn’t even care if he didn’t know the bands or didn’t like the music itself

He would be so fun to go to concerts with, like yeah, he would carry all your stuff too

Percy would let you have aux in the car even when he drives because he likes the music you play

My man would love Tyrants by Pierce the Veil (currently listening to this song as I write these lmao)

If you’re more into grunge, he would scoff at first (cause he’s convinced that 80s rock is superior to literally everything) but then quickly eat up Alice in Chains and Silverchair

He cried when you told him that, like almost all of the lead singers of the big grunge band from the 90s that you showed him are dead

“What do you mean that Layne Staley is dead, Y/N? Couldn’t you have told me that before I started listening to them?!"

Driving from the city all the way out to Long Island together would go so hard, it’s just you guys going back and forth from 80s/70s rock music, and then 90s grunge, and then early 2000s rock music.

By the time you two get back to CHB, you'll both have lost your voice ‘cause you were scream-singing for five hours driving from Manhattan all the way down to Long Island

Percy is literally so in love with you the entire time, trying to drive and watch you sing at the same time is not a good combo for him, he almost swerves into the divider like three times before he decides to lock in 

Jason Grace

This poor, poor man 

In my head, the only music that Jason puts on with his own free will is like smooth jazz and soft rock so when you offer to drive him somewhere he needs to go and you hook up your phone to the car and a Korn song starts playing Jason goes into fight or flight and quite literally flies out of your car

He panicked and flew right out through the sunroof like 

“What the hell was that noise?” “That was music, Jason.” “That sounded like someone was banging metal pipes together and growling, Y/N, growling.”

I am fully convinced that the heaviest song that Jason will listen to voluntarily is song 2 by Blur

He is the complete opposite of Thalia, he cannot handle the sound of a double kick drum

Like, mostly because when he isn’t actively fighting, why would he want to listen to something so aggressive?

Which is like fair, but if you showed him Linkin Park after showing him something like Knocked Loose, you could be like “wow, this is so much lighter”

The only heavier music that you can get him to willingly like is Linkin Park, but that’s because he’s hella sad and listens to the lyrics instead of just vibing

You’re all “I TRIED SO HARD AND SO FAR BUT IN THE END IT DOESN’T EVEN MATTER !!!” 🗣️🗣️🗣️ But Jason is like “I tried so hard… and got so far… but in the end… it doesn’t even matter…” 😔😔😔

Like that’s lowkey it though, I do not think that he would enjoy listening to any other sort of metal/hard rock music, but he would soldier through for you

You show him Radiohead, starting with the softer stuff and when he’s like “yes, now this is music,” you know that he’s hooked on the pathetic sadness that is Thom Yorke and you show him other Radiohead songs that are more adventurous for him and THAT is like toeing the line for him

THAT BEING SAID 

You do manage to drag him to concerts and festivals by showing him videos of what the pit looks like during the song you’re looking forward to 

“What do you mean you want to be fighting for your life while trying to enjoy the music?” “It’s fun!” “You can’t be serious—“ “Bet your bottom dollar.” “… then I’m coming with you.”

He tries so hard to have fun for you, but man is stressed the entire time (he does carry all of your stuff though, cause in my head he wears cargo shorts and he uses those pockets)

Begs you not to go into the pit because then he would have to go in with you

You go anyway, of course he follows, and then realizes that he’s taller than everyone there and can see the tops of everyone's heads, and suddenly maybe he was being a bit dramatic / over-protective

Jason has a decent time waiting in line, getting merch, etc., until the band starts actually playing music

HE WILL BE SHIELDING YOU FROM PEOPLE IN THE PIT WITH HIS BODY

Like standing behind you, arms wrapped around you, head on a swivel

He sleeps for ten hours after the concert

You have a selfie of the two of you, and it’s you having the time of your life while Jason looks like he’s trying so hard not to sweep the entire band away with a particularly strong gust of wind (he doesn’t)

You absolutely gang up with Thalia to bring Jason to as many shows and festivals as possible to get him acclimated, like people do when they get a puppy and the trainer tells you to take them to as many different places as possible so that they get used to it

You and Thalia drag Jason to a Green Day concert, and he doesn’t hate it, but that’s probably because he’s with you and his sister, and your good mood rubs off on him too (and bc Green Day is not that heavy, it’s a good introduction for him)

You show Jason Deftones, but songs like Sextape (“y/n, that’s kind of a crude name for a song, no?”), No Ordinary Love, Diamond Eyes, Passenger, Rosemary, and he actually doesn’t mind it

That’s how you get him to a Deftones concert, and you convert him just enough to where you have found a middle ground, and it’s all of the less hectic Deftones songs

You don’t get pit tickets for the show cause they’re hella expensive, and he actually has the time of his life because he isn’t trying to keep both of you from getting trampled

It’s definitely like how dads will say that they don’t want to watch a movie, but then end up standing behind the couch for twenty minutes looking at the TV until they sit down and lock in

Jason does that at the concert and is like “I mean it’s better than the other one, I like these seats much more… oh that’s kinda cool… they sound much nicer live…” and then he’s standing up with you out of the seats and bobbing his head a little bit, mouthing the words that he knows (he is having a phenomenal time)

He has a picture of him kissing you while they played Mascara, and it’s in his wallet now

I don’t mean to make him sound so boring because I love metal and all that, and Jason is literally my husband, but heavier music is just not his scene, I think

Jason seems like he’s the kind of guy to listens to music to calm down, so listening to heavier rock music isn’t something that he would have done on his own

But ultimately, if you like it and have fun listening to it, he’ll get used to it and think of it as a thing that he does when he’s with his partner 

So, of course, he would get Pavlov-ed into thinking of you whenever he was listening to the radio, and a heavier song would come on

“Hey, this song is playing, thinking of you,” texts from him when he’s walking around and hears a kid walking by with the music leaking out of their headphones

Leo Valdez

HE LOVES LIMP BIZKIT FIGHT ME

Leo absolutely has enough angst and pent up feelings to be a Limp Bizkit enjoyer and so when he finds out that you like heavier music—forget it

“Y/N, have you heard this one? It’s much more fun than listening to whatever snooze-fest Jason is listening to right now.” *Leo starts blasting Rollin’ with an insidious smirk*

He can do an amazing Fred Durst impression no one can convince me otherwise

Leo’s karaoke song is Limp Bizkit’s cover of Faith by George Michael because I can hear him singing “~well I guess it would be nice, if I could touch your body, I know not everybody, has gotta body like me~” in a voice that sounds more like Goofy than Fred Durst because he is quite literally screaming at the top of his lungs

You walk in on him singing My Way to himself in Bunker 9 to hype himself up before he has to go do something important

“Uh— oh, hey Y/N, didn’t see you there—uhm…” *starts doing an interpretive dance to the beat of My Way because he doesn’t know what to do*

You two went to a Limp Bizkit concert and he absolutely dressed up like Fred Durst, long khaki shorts, baggy white shirt, and a backwards red cap (he made you match with him)

You guys listen to the wackiest songs together when you’re with him in Bunker 9 while Leo is working on something

I feel like Leo would like them because of how funky the band is, so I don’t think that he would like other heavier bands

If you play any other kind of heavy music in front of him, he thinks it’s funny, especially if the lyrics are kind of extra.

You get aux in Bunker 9 one afternoon and play Werewolf by Motionless in White, and he laughs at the song

“What—what is this?” Leo is actively trying not to roll on the floor laughing when he hears the electronic voice say “werewolf” in the background of the song “It’s a song?” “Is it though?”

Leo, similarly to Percy, has a superiority complex when it comes to music

He truly believes that his music is simply so much better, but he will listen to what you put on… he just won’t be quiet about it

THAT BEING SAID

… Leo listens to Weezer and then has the audacity to tell you that you shouldn’t play Motionless In White or The Plot in You because it’s cringy

“Leo, you’re literally listening to a song called Pork and Beans ???” “Mhm, and you’re listening to a song called Broadcasting from Beyond the Grave: Death Inc., what’s you’re point?”

You two learn to love each other’s cringey-ness more and more, and suddenly you know the words to all of the Pinkerton album, and he knows a lot more Motionless In White than he would ever admit to anyone who isn’t you

Equal trade

Leo would so be down to go to a concert or a festival with you, even if he didn’t like the band(s), he just likes to spend time with you, and he likes that kind of atmosphere

If you do like a whole makeup look for the concert, Leo is invested

“This is so different from what you usually do… It’s really cool.” “Well, we’re going to a Motionless In White concert, I do have to look cool, Leo.”

He watches you do your makeup like he’s in a literal trance

Leo becomes your assistant too, handing you whatever you need, he’s just happy to be sitting next to you and being able to look at your face tbh

Frank Zhang

Frank doesn’t even know that there is music heavier than whatever is on the top 50 hits radio station

Whenever you’re in the car with Frank, he always lets you pick the music, even if he’s the one who’s driving

So one day, Frank is driving you somewhere, and you just have to listen to the new Spiritbox album that just came out

Frank hears the first few seconds of the song and ascends

I’m lowkey pretty sure that in like the first pjo book, it’s canon that the ares kids like hard rock/heavier music (I may or may not have just made that up, sue me, I guess), so I’d like to think that the same thing applies to the mars kids

But regardless, Frank most definitely has enough feelings to thoroughly enjoy heavy music

Anyway, back to business

He actually loves the entire song 

“Y/N, I need to hear more—who was that?” “That was Spiritbox, pretty good right?” “It-it was, that was really cool—“

Frank insists on you showing him more, and it speaks to his soul

Frank was meant to be a bit of a metalhead, sorry not sorry

Like this dude had anger issues that he had to work very hard on to get under control and is a bit pessimistic, but is overall a pretty nice dude who tries his best to be chill, yeah, he was meant to blow off some steam headbanging to some Knocked Loose

You are his guide into metal music, and it’s such a fun thing that you guys do together

You make him little playlists for each band or for a specific vibe, and this man listens and takes notes 

“So, I really liked it at 2:54 when the guy did that thing with the guitar—very cool, very cool.”

You get him into Spiritbox, Kittie, and Poppy 

He absolutely gets a shirt that says “Spiritbox is my favorite male-backed band” 

(It’s a play on how people would say, like “oh yeah, this is my favorite female-led band” instead of just calling it their favorite band)

Frank likes the women artists better than the bands who are just dudes, sorry that’s just a Frank FactTM

He will absolutely go to shows with you and will happily go into the pit because he’s a huge guy, so literally what would there be to worry about? 

Frank does enjoy the shows better if you guys are in the stands as opposed to the pit, because he can’t help but feel like he would hurt someone if he were there

He never does, but sitting in the stands just makes him feel a bit more comfortable 

You guys make a list of bands you both want to see live and assuming you both are still in New Rome, you get to see most of them pretty quickly (i swear to god all of these bands are always touring in cali)

Frank absolutely goes and finds the tickets himself and will just suprise you with them

"Hey, I found these... the show's in three weeks..."

You and Frank shop for vinyls together all the time since you two like the same music

It turns into a shared collection between the two of you !!!

But if anyone asked Frank who’s vinyls they are he says that they’re all yours cause he’s whipped sorry

[thevanillerose]

SQUID GAME 2 | YANDERE SCENARIOS

~ WRITING COMMISSIONS ~ ~ PATREON ~ ~ KO-FI ~ ~ NOVELS

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. I do not own anything except my own writing. All properties belong to their respective creators.

CONTENT WARNING: SPOILERS / Yandere / Violence / Death A/N: Probably the most popular request I've ever gotten on this blog, was to write a sequel to Squid Game | Yandere Scenarios. Now it did take me a minute to binge Season 2, with a bestie. Mainly because I felt like it was a little too depressing to watch over the holiday season...(unless it's a 'Silent Night Deadly Night' sorta Christmas??). But now that I have, hoo boy.

Strap in.

THE SALESMAN

Your teeth ached.

You should have predicted the kind of man he was. You should have seen it coming long before this investigation started. His little subway game should have been a dead giveaway.

Was it any surprise you ended up gagged and bound in the most fucked up game of Russian Roulette you could imagine? 

Watching him slide that metal barrel up taut between his teeth was enough to make your breath catch. It was strikingly perverse, but then again, so were many of the things he had turned out to be into. And you’d ended up in too deep before you could realize that. 

For a moment though, just a moment, you wondered if maybe Heaven was smiling on you. You wondered, ever so hopefully, if that chamber may be full. If a bullet may rip right up through his skull and splatter the cheap smoke-stained motel wallpaper behind him.

It didn’t. 

You flinched at the click, and that was all.

Smiling smugly, he withdrew the gun from his mouth and slid it across the table to you again. 

“Your turn, [Y/N].”

Right now you didn’t even know what your odds were. You quit calculating your chances once more than two bullets had come into play. Hopelessness swelled in you, and you couldn’t even will yourself to pick up the gun. You sank in the seat, skin pressing to the ropes, lowering your head in pitiful defeat.

“Mm? You don’t want to play anymore?”

When he received no response from you, save for a sad shake of your head, he sighed and picked up the gun, twirling it aptly, gesturing it towards you as if it were only a toy.

“That’s no fun. I thought you were feeling lucky? Isn’t that why you came after me in the first place?”

You looked aside, ashamed. Mission failed, huh?

Now, all you expected was a pull of that trigger on his part. A gamble on your behalf, one he’d probably take a few times if that was what it took to put you down. Yet instead, it was the gun he put down instead. 

“Can I be honest with you, [Y/N]?” he asked, steepling his fingers and leaning forward to look you dead in your tearful eyes.

“...I think it’s quite fortunate. That you stopped being so stubborn. That you gave up. Do you know why?”

Somehow, this already confusing man had baffled you further. And only moreso, terrifyingly moreso, when his fingers reached out to drift slowly up your cheek, coming to tug playfully on the gag and make you whimper.

“Because, alive? Like this? I can do whatever I want with you.”

That charming, disarming smile.

“Can’t I?”

THANOS

“I wanna keep playing with you. So push O, okay baby?”

His painted nails dug deep under your collarbones, like the worst kind of shoulder massage, his tall body leaning over yours and pressing against your back. His purple hair brushed your cheek, as did his breath when he spoke.

Thanos had singled you out and ‘chosen’ you from the get-go. He was arrogant enough to think he could get anyone he wanted, and you were a cute-looking challenge for him. Your initial resistance, your discomfort around him, he figured, had been nerves. 

“But it’s all good babe, stick with me and I’ll keep you safe. That’s a promise, yeah?”

Surely it didn’t have nearly nothing to do with your actual wellbeing, and more to do with keeping you in his clutches. Surely it wasn’t because he cared less about whether one of those pink limp-dicks blasted your brains out and more about making sure nothing else with a dick got near you.

Surely it wasn’t anything like that.

You were just someone who’d make a good fuck if he could bribe the guards to let you two in the bathroom alone. Just a toy for him to play around with, as he drugged himself all the way to victory.

…He tried to keep that lie strong and real in his head. But with you standing right there, back to his chest, he knew he was trying to convince himself of some serious bullshit.

There was nobody else like you. He didn’t know why, there just wasn’t.

Whatever it was, the drugs, the impending doom, the smell of money, whatever it was…one thing he simply knew for sure, was that he couldn’t let you go.

Which meant, you had to keep playing.

You had to push O.

His grip finally loosened, as your number was called. He pushed you toward the voting stand. He bit down on his chipped, painted thumb, and hoped you’d make the right choice.

Because if you didn’t? Well.

He wasn’t letting you go anyway.

HYUN-JU

It wasn’t fair.

You were so sweet. You were so innocent. You were so understanding.

Someone like you had no place in a game like this. Whatever mess it was you’d gotten yourself in, out in the real world, Hyun-ju couldn’t imagine it was bad enough to be worth staying here. Living this nightmare. She couldn’t fathom why you had voted to keep going.

There was no way you’d last. This sweet little person who called her ‘unnie’, and had told her without a shred of sarcasm that she was beautiful…you surely had too good a soul to survive in this place. You were going to die, and you were going to die horribly, she just knew it, and she couldn’t bear it.

“Unnie…would you come to the bathroom with me?”

During the night, you’d nudged and asked her almost like a child, apologetic for waking her, but clearly trusting nobody else as much. Hyun-ju obliged of course, she felt like she could do anything for you. Escorting you to the bathroom, even if it meant dealing with some difficult guards, was such a small ask.

It was the middle of the night. Everyone was resting, or trying to, at least. Trying to steel themselves with energy, a hopeful advantage in the upcoming games. So here, it was just the two of you. Alone.

“I won’t be long!” you assured her, and hurried into one of the cubicles, while Hyun-ju turned towards the sinks, leaning against one and gripping it. She gazed up at her face, brushing her cheek, remembering how you’d called her ‘beautiful’. 

You probably didn’t even realize how much that meant to her. You probably couldn’t fathom the effect you had on her.

Hyun-ju’s teeth grit and she doubled over, arms quivering as her grip on the sink’s edge steadily tightened. More and more, until her knuckles flushed in white.

I could do it.

Her head immediately shot up, staring at herself in sheer horror. How could she even consider that? 

But…what was the alternative? Let you suffer in one of these awful ‘games’? See your perfect face riddled with bullets, bloodied, ruined? Let any of those other lecherous creeps in here even have a chance of getting closer to you?

…It would be a mercy, no?

“I’m done!”

Blissfully unaware of what she was truly contemplating, you emerged again and quickly washed your hands, looking up at her with your usual, warm smile.

“Do you need to go too?” you shook your hands off, “I can wait for you, unnie.”

Hyun-ju forced a shaky smile, and shook her head.

“No…I’m fine.”

“Okay!” you gestured for her to go ahead, back to bed, back to the impossible task of trying to get any rest at all in this fucked up place.

Instead, Hyun-ju reached out and gently guided you back against the sink, standing over you. Her hand lingered near the crook of your neck, her thumb gently curling against your skin.

“...Unnie?” you looked up at her, now wide-eyed, and confused.

“...You wouldn’t blame me…right?” she whispered, softly, worriedly, like her words were pure sin. Her other hand cupped your cheek gently, and you instinctively leaned into it, confused, but happy to be held by her like this.

“...I just…I don’t want you to suffer…”

The pad of her thumb pressed harder. Her other fingers slipped lower, resting on the other side of your neck.

All she had to do was bring them together. Bring them together…and squeeze.

Squeeze until you felt nothing else. Until you could go blissfully to a happier place, with no debts, and no killing, and freedom again. Your delicate body would sink against hers, and then, somehow, she’d take herself out of here too. It could be as simple as provoking one of the guards on lavatory duty. It wouldn’t be the prettiest, but at least then, you’d be together.

Out of this place. Away from it all.

Forever-

“U-unnie?”

It was how small and suddenly so frightened your voice sounded, that startled her out of it. Her hands jerked back, hovering stiffly either side of you, as you gazed up at her with so much hurt and concern and…fear.

Fear.

You were afraid of her. The last thing she would have ever wanted.

“...W…we should get back, right? They’re going to get mad if we don’t…”

She could see the way you still tried your best to smile, and be nice, be the way you’d always been with her, but it was too late.

It was ruined. She blew it. You’d never see her the same way again.

Whether you truly knew what her intent had been or not, she could feel the awkward shift between the two of you, as she stiffly followed you out. She felt sick. Was that it? The end of this beautiful thing you had?

…Beautiful.

No. She couldn’t let it be. And as she left that bathroom, and looked at those guards, and looked at every other twisted person in that room, and looked at…you. She knew.

She was filled with a dark, delusional resolve.

Maybe killing you wasn’t the answer.

Maybe killing everyone else was.

THE FRONT MAN

Young-il had seemed like a good man.

A good man, simply in a bad place. Like the rest of you. You liked to think anyway.

It was only during this game, Mingle, that you got to see the full extent of people’s desperation. What they were willing to do, to survive, to line their pockets, or both.

It wasn’t in your nature…

“You understand, right [Y/N]!?”

It wasn’t ever…

“We’re sorry!!”

…in your nature.

You’d made a small group of companions here, but as you were the weakest link, they cut you in an instant as soon as the number needed in one of those rooms required it. Their apologies were like water, they meant nothing, as you were left standing there, lost, alone, scared.

This game…was also the first time he took action.

Messing with Gi-hun was one thing, but the Front Man wanted more than that. As soon as The Salesman had shown you to him; your red, flustered face as you had been slapped around the subway station, captured on handycam video…he had been sure of something.

It wasn’t just Gi-hun. It was you too.

Perhaps, he’d even say, you were the priority.

He liked the idea of keeping you after this was all over. Which meant, for now, assuring you stayed alive through these games.

So when he saw you abandoned, it was his time to act. He practically ripped the breath out of you with how fast he grabbed and tugged you along, throwing you into a lime green room and slamming the door shut behind the two of you.

You hit the wall with a yelp, and slumped against it. But as you shakily looked to your right, and as he turned from the door and cast his sharp eyes around the room, you both saw.

You’d wanted 2. You’d gotten 3.

“H-hey, we can work this out, r–”

The man didn’t get to finish. The tears that had welled in his eyes now poured down his face as he gagged and choked and writhed against the solid arm around his neck. You gasped with horror, staggering back as tightly into the corner as you could, covering your mouth with both hands.

You watched him kill that man. Clenched jaw, staring ahead coldly, even as a living being drifted into death in his very own arms.

And only once he was sure you were in the clear…did that kindness return. That goodness, you had been so sure about.

Young-il stood, and approached you, arm outstretched so he could brush your arm gently with his palm.

“You’re alright?”

You didn’t know how to respond. Pallid and wide-eyed, feeling like you had a cord around your throat, you looked into those worried eyes and only saw softness. But you couldn’t shake seeing that hard look from earlier. Witnessing it firsthand.

His cold will. How easily he had killed.

Swallowing thickly, you nodded, but quickly moved away, muttering something about how the game must be over now. As you stepped out, he remained for a moment, glancing up at the cameras before smirking, and curling the hand that had touched you close to the mint green jacket on his chest.

Did that shock you? Really?

Then perhaps it was better if you braced yourself.

Because if it meant keeping you as his own sort of prize……he was willing to do a lot worse than that.

Like my writing? I can write for you! Check out my WRITING COMMISSIONS!

[pascalispretty]

I Call It Walking

Javi Gutierrez x F!Reader

Rating: Teen

Word Count: 1817

Tags: pining, unrequited love, dark implications, stalking

Summary: It feels like fate that you find his letters. But sometimes, fate needs a little nudge.

A/N: Hoo boy, this one was a struggle, so please be gentle! Written for @jolapeno's Dear-Uary challenge, I'm sorry it's so late. Thank you to @misscharlielulu, @penvisions and @notjustjavierpena for looking this over for me 💙title from 'An Unhealthy Obsession' by the Blake Robinson Synthetic Orchestra. Inspired by that song and the 1993 movie 'The Crush' (ao3).

Dearest,

I have been thinking about you all day. This film shoot has been going on for so long, and I feel like I have hardly seen you. Still, you looked beautiful. You always do. It’s one of the many reasons why I sit here alone with my pen instead of telling you how I feel in person. One kind smile from you and I would hardly know what to say – the pen and paper are far less intimidating, and far more forgiving.

               Long shoots on location are more difficult than I anticipated, I suppose. It’s beautiful here – exactly what I imagined when I was writing the script – but I feel like I barely see you. It’s been hard, being stuck in my hotel room working on rewrites when I want to be out exploring the island with you.

Indeed, I should be working on the love scene right now, instead of writing about my own love life. My feelings for you give me so much to tap into; it will make it hard to watch when they get around to filming it. I’m not sure I will be able to watch Alicia telling Cary why they can never be together. It will remind me too much of reality.

I will take the coward’s way out, again. Nick tells me that I should just tell you myself, but I could never say any of this to you. I couldn’t bear no longer having you in my life. And so I will roll this paper up and throw it out to sea in a bottle, like all the others.

Mournfully,

J

You smooth the letter out again, the paper stiff and crinkled from where water had seeped into the bottle. The ink is still clear. His words are still clear. His handwriting is careful—neater than you expected, given the barely legible scrawl he leaves in the margins of the scripts.

He put time into this. Effort.

All for a letter he tossed into the sea, as if he never wanted anyone to read it.

But you had. Of all the people on the island, you had found it. That had to mean something, didn’t it? Fate was funny like that. Selective. Deliberate.

You trace the loop at the end of his J, your fingertip lingering there. It had been past midnight when you’d come home from the beach, and you don’t know how long you’ve sat here for, contemplating the letter in front of you. You should go to bed—makeup wants your ass in the chair by five-thirty sharp, and you have a long day of filming ahead.

Instead, you start from the beginning and read it again.

Dearest Javi,

I don’t quite know where to begin. God, I still remember the first day we met. You looked so handsome in your orange shirt, so happy to be on set. I was so intimidated to meet you before I saw you. I read the script and thought you must be some kind of half-mad genius, intimidating and exacting.

It was no wonder, really, not when the script came with annotations referencing films I’d never heard of from sixty years ago. It was worth the effort it took to track them down though; you have impeccable taste in film. I’m not ashamed to tell you that I wept like a child when Aunt Lucy came to the door at the end of Paddington 2.

And then I met you, and you were so kind and warm. You weren’t intimidating at all, though it was clear you were the genius I thought you were as soon as I read the first page of the script.

Even a letter you never intended to be read is like poetry.

I should apologise, I guess, for fishing the bottle out. I was in one of the hammocks, reading, when you came down to the beach. I wondered what on earth you were doing, wading into the water with your pants rolled up around your knees!

After you threw the bottle into the sea, I got curious. I know, I know, curiosity killed the cat. I swam in and got it – you really should have thrown it further if you didn’t want anyone to read it – and got your letter.

I couldn’t believe what I was reading – I never expected you to feel the same way about me as I do you. You’re brilliant, and I’m just some nobody they cast because Helena dropped out. But one of us has to make the first move, so – I really like you, Javi. I think you’re handsome and funny and the most talented writer in a generation.

I’ve written my number on the back. I really hope you’ll call.

All my love,

Your Alicia

You wait.

You wait and wait and wait. Every time your phone chirps, your pulse leaps – only to crash again. Spam call. Group chat. Pervy costar from your last TV show. Never him.

It’s only when the director snaps at you to turn the fucking thing off and leave it off set that you realise he might not call you.  

At first, you tell yourself that he’s busy. You’re busy too – there’s only a short time left before the cast and crew will be packing up to move to the other side of the island to carry on shooting, and he’s spending a lot of time working on rewrites of the final scene.

You don’t envy him that. From what you heard, the studio execs and the producers are arguing over the ending, crows picking over the bones of the script. The studio wants a happy ending, something sugary sweet for the audience to sigh dreamily over. You can’t imagine this movie having a happy ending, not when the way Javi wrote it is so perfect.

With everything that’s going on, you don’t get the chance to observe him closer, to see whether he got your letter and is simply ignoring you. You know that Javi wouldn’t do that, wouldn’t just ignore something so heartfelt without acknowledging it at all.

When you do see him, he’s usually got a notepad or laptop in hand. More often than not, he has Gabriella with him, hovering over him as he writes. You’re not entirely sure why Gabriella’s here, accompanying him like a second shadow to set and to dinners and to the beach.

With no sign that he’s received it by the time production has moved across the island and settled into the new digs, you resign yourself to it having gone missing. It could have gone astray in the post, or been lost in the move, or taken by someone else.

And so you find something else to send to him.  

Dear Javi,

You’ll have to forgive the postcard, it was all I could find on short notice. You haven’t been on set much, but I hope you’re okay. It’s been strange, moving to a new part of the island; half of my costumes seem to be missing in transit. It made me wonder if my letter had gotten lost in transit too?

Hoping to hear from you soon,

xxxx

Sweetheart,

Another location, another stunning beach I barely get to visit. It makes me miss all of our talks up by the cliffs. It was the best cure for writer’s block. I’ve started taking walks by the beach whenever I get an hour or two to myself, but it isn’t really the same. The rewrites are finished, at least. When you come back from settling affairs back home, we’ll have to celebrate.

I’m not sure I could have gotten them finished on time without your support. It was so good of you to answer my calls, even when it was the middle of the night for you back home. Remind you to give you a pay rise soon. It’s the least I can do, really.

Love, Javi

The second letter hits you like a truck. Your breath catches in your throat, and your fingers tremble where they grip the paper. It had clearly been intended for someone else, some other woman. It only takes you a few days of careful observation to realise it was likely meant for Gabriella.

It’s hard not to keep noticing her once you’ve started. She’s always clinging to Javi; laughing with him over lunch or leaning over him as he scribbles notes on the script. She’s a constant, looming presence.

She had also clearly stolen your letters.

It hurt when he’d never responded to the first, though you put that down to some postal mishap, the chaos of the entire crew moving to the new location. But when you get a chance to ask him if he’d gotten your postcard, he just looks at you blankly.

You make him smile easily enough after that little mishap, crack a joke about ‘You’ve Got Mail’ that makes him laugh and gets the two of you talking about 90s rom-coms until Gabriella, predictably, escorts him away. She looks him over with concern, as though you might have done something to him, as they walk away.

It stings. You can make him laugh so easily. You could be so good for him.

But Gabriella won’t let you. She clings to him like a second shadow, always there to stop anyone else getting too familiar with him. You don’t miss the looks of pity she shoots at you when you’re not looking, the condescension making your jaw clench.

The grand, tragic scene plays like a dream. You’re up on the cliffs, the waves crashing below you, the wind in your hair. By the time you’re done, you can hear crewmembers sniffling, see the makeup girl blink away a tear.

Most importantly of all, Javi is beaming at you from behind the monitor. You want to bask in the glow of his smiles like a cat curled up in a patch of sunlight. He starts to get up out of his chair, to come over to you.

But then Gabriella rests a hand on his shoulder, whispers something in his ear. And he turns away from you.

The island you’re filming on is quiet. Safe. The cast and crew all like going for wanders along the coast. It’s peaceful, walking along the pale golden sand and listening to the waves. The beach is hemmed in on one side by dense, green foliage, where exotic, colourful birds come to roost in the day.

Now, though, the only thing in the trees is you.

The trees rustle softly, shifting in the evening breeze. Somewhere behind you, a bird takes flight. But Gabriella doesn’t hear a thing.

She just keeps walking. Oblivious.

You curl your fingers around the branch in front of you, steadying yourself. The bark is rough beneath your palm.

You take a step forward. She still doesn’t hear you.

You take another.

[cyber-dump-171]

Chapter 1: Roadside Help

The End is Near (Gravity Falls x Reader)

← Prologue | Masterlist | Chapter 2 →

Word count: 6.9k.

WARNING: mentions of violence, nausea, blood, injuries, weapon and gun usage, a monster, and body horror.

Note: thank you for the likes and reblogs! Btw, this is the first time I write a character with a country accent, I apologize if it's horrible xdd

══════════════════

‘Good evening, folks! Or is it morning? Well, either way, fantabulous of you to tune in at The New Wave Network, where we’re grooving no matter the time of day! It’s the 2nd of October and the clock strikes at 1:15 a.m. Hoo boy! We’re just a few weeks away from Halloween, so, let’s set the mood with Shadowplay’s new wicked song “The Graveyard Shift”. Have a listen, folks!’

As you step on the accelerator, pine and cedar trees zoom past your window and the outside world becomes a blur. You've been surrounded by greenery and nature for two hours now, and while it's been a pleasant sight at first, you're quickly becoming concerned as the scenery repeats itself. Your destination seems completely unreachable, almost non-existent.

When you woke up two days ago, you didn't expect to uproot your entire life and move halfway across the country for your job. It started when you arrived at the precinct that morning; a week earlier, rumors of a possible promotion in your unit had spread like wildfire, leaving your colleagues and friends suddenly on top of their game.

For example, Craig, who always had food stains on his shirt and an unshaven face, wore immaculate button-downs and slicked-back hair. Jack, who had always flipped the bird at your boss whenever the old man wanted something, now happily made his coffee and showered him with sickly sweet compliments.

You, on the other hand, were content with your position as a forensic scientist. That's not to say that the possibility of a better salary and even having your own office away from the row of wall-to-wall cubicles wasn't tempting, but you weren't exactly desperate for a change within the precinct. You were planning on moving sometime soon.

But that thought flew out the window as your boss immediately dragged you into his office and offered you the opportunity. But what the rumors didn't tell you was that it wasn't a promotion... you were being transferred to another precinct to fill an empty position and it offered better benefits, like a new house and a higher salary... though it was in the middle of nowhere.

It was a tempting offer, and you almost gave in when you were shown a picture of the beautiful house. But something kept nagging at you: the town. Gravity Falls? Never heard of it. Sure, you don't know every single place in the United States, but something about it told you to not take that chance.

When asked why you were chosen, your boss simply replied: “You’re the perfect candidate for this.” He didn't let you probe further into his answer but fervently insisted on hearing your verdict. He almost checked the "yes" box on the form until you physically stopped him.

“I’ll think about it,” that didn’t last long, because as soon as you exited the office and made a beeline to your cubicle, you ran into Jackson Murdock, an asshole who thought he was more important than the moon and who worriedly took far too much pleasure in pestering you, leaning against your desk and sneering that he would love to take said “opportunity”. 

So, without a moment’s thought, you turned right back around and shook your boss's clammy, wrinkled hand. His smile was rather off-putting as he handed you the paperwork.

And that's how you found yourself here, your entire life packed into a myriad of cardboard boxes shoved into your car as you drive through a darkly lit, foggy forest. You were supposed to arrive five hours earlier but ended up getting stuck in traffic due to a massive accident. 

The soft rock tune from the radio fills the quiet space as you tighten your grip on the steering wheel, desperate to stretch your legs. “Fucking hell, where are you, Gravity Falls?” as if on cue to your annoyed tone, you finally drive past a massive weathered billboard with the town's name accompanied by a: ‘Nothing to see here!’. 

“Finally,” you murmur in relief as exhaustion tugs at your eyes, the coffee from earlier did nothing to keep the sluggishness at bay. You lean forward, eyes squinting as your foot deftly shifts to gently press against the brakes, slowly decreasing the car's speed. The last thing you want right now is to miss a possible exit into town and end up deeper in the woods.

Speaking of which, you knew that Oregon was famous for its breathtaking scenery and gorgeous natural landscapes, but where the hell were you driving? Outside your window, the forest looked like something straight out of those recently popular horror movies that everyone in the precinct was talking about.

Tall, monster-like trees stretched far into the sky, their dense foliage and branches so intertwined that it was almost impossible for any of the moon's rays to penetrate through and illuminate the dirt road. Past the bare nature that forms a pathway, there is nothing to see, not even other trees, rocks, or signs of wildlife. It's completely pitch dark and dead.

Your stomach is in knots, perhaps from the lack of food or the scenery outside. Whatever it is, you need to get through this as soon as possible, because you're exhausted, and the less you're near this road, the better. You crank up the heat a little more and take a sip of the now-cold coffee that sits on the cup holder, as the engine of your car hums quietly climbing over a dirt hill, its dim headlights breaking through the thick fog.

But before you get very far, you come across a peculiar sight. Down the small hill, parked on the right between some large rocks, is an old, somewhat battered red pickup truck. Exaggerated clouds of thick smoke billow from the raised hood, and through your window you notice a pair of hands clutching some tools in a desperate attempt to repair the car.

Curious, you approach the vehicle and catch a glimpse of what you assume to be its owner, blowing away the gray clouds while coughing furiously, his small round glasses barely hanging from the tip of his nose and his green patterned shirt stained with grime. Your headlights cast a shadow on the car, and when the man hears the sound of your car’s engine, he lifts his head excitedly, but accidentally smacks his forehead against the hood.

You cringe at the image and watch as the poor man stumbles away from the truck, holding his head in pain as he almost falls to his knees. You feel sorry for the guy, not only did his car break down in the most eerie place possible, but it also happened in the middle of the night. Still, you remain cautious, silently reaching for the police-issued Taser tucked in the left pocket of your coat, which is haphazardly lying on the passenger seat on top of your purse.

Even though the man looks scrawny, and you assume that if he were to throw a punch it would only leave a nasty bruise, you can't help but think that he might want to inflict some harm on you. You've read countless files, back in the archival rooms of your old precinct, of victims who kindly stop to aid others only to be robbed or even murdered in return. 

Dazed, the man looks up in the distance at your car, and his eyes light up in pure relief at the sight but are quickly replaced with desperation as he furiously wails his arms around, silently begging you to stop. Meanwhile, you maneuver the vehicle to the side of the dirt road, harshly pulling on the hand brake as you swiftly attach the taser’s holster to your belt before quickly lowering your sweater to cover it. 

Cold, harsh air bites at your warm skin as you lower your window, making sure to keep your feet near the accelerator and your left hand on the hand brake to book it as soon as this man tries to do anything remotely suspicious. Soon, two shivering hands cling to your windowsill and you’re finally able to get a better look. You noticed that he clumsily cleaned his face and glasses using his sleeve. ‘He’s rather cute.’ 

“Yer a lifesaver! I’ve been sittin’ here for what feels like a whole eternity!” he exclaims in a thick country accent, giving you a closed-eyed smile as he shivers from the freezing wind. You make a small note of his fast speech and silently wonder if it’s the temperature or an underlying anxious habit. 

“No problem, what can I do to help?” you don't mean for your voice to sound so monotonous, but you're exhausted from the long drive and the eerie atmosphere isn't helping. The man removes his hands from your car, opting to shove them into his pants pockets as a puff of condensed breath escapes from his mouth, his back hunched at an awkward angle. “Do ya happen to have a lantern or somethin’ to light up this here mess? I just wanna see how bad this damage is.”

You decide not to blurt out that his car might be beyond repair, as you swear the thing will burst into flames in a matter of minutes. Instead, you wordlessly reach for the open cardboard box on the floor of the passenger seat, silently thanking yourself for putting your work stuff in the front, as you quickly find the lantern and hand it to him. “Careful, it’s an industrial flashlight so it might be a bit heavy.”

The man beams at your actions, his cold fingers gently brushing against yours as he takes the lantern from your grasp. “Thanks a bunch! Could ya give me a hand here and hold this light for me?” he asks rather cheerfully as you mull over your answer. Well, the faster he gets his car fixed the sooner you’ll be able to get home and sleep. 

After a few seconds of silence, you wordlessly nod before rolling up the window to preserve the little heat left inside and then turning the key on its side, your car ceasing its small vibrations as the motor shuts down. You don’t waste any more time as you grab your coat and kick the door open, immediately slipping on the warm attire as your teeth slightly chatter. ‘Fucking wind, why is it so cold? It’s not even winter, yet.’

The man has already made his way back to the pickup, and your tired eyes notice that the amount of smoke coming from under the hood has, thankfully, decreased. Taking wide strides, the dry leaves crunch underneath your boots as you quickly approach the man and gingerly slide your hand out of your pocket, your index pointing to the flashlight. 

He perks up at your presence, but when his gaze lands on your face, you notice in the dim light that a small blush adorns his pale cheeks.

He stares at you for a few seconds with a dumbfounded expression, and it's only when you clear your throat and jab your finger forward that he seems to snap out of it, clumsily handing you the lantern as he focuses on the car's motor. A rather awkward silence ensues as you simply shine the light on the battered machine and he quietly tinkers with it. You should ask him his name.

“So, what are you doing out here at such an hour?” you ask, holding back a yawn. The man doesn't look up from his work, but you notice a small, rather endearing smile on his lips. “Oh! Well, my college buddy moved out here about a month ago and was lookin' for a research partner. Asked if I'd help him out and here I am!” he remembers enthusiastically as he looks at you for a moment, quietly inquiring about your reasons for being here.

“I’m the new Chief of Police in Gravity Falls,” if he was about to try something, then perhaps mentioning your work would dissuade him from that thought. Instead, however, his eyes twinkle with what you assume is excitement as he gives you a broad smile. What a bizarre man. “Well, I reckon we'll be seein' each other a whole lot!”

Suddenly, as if processing his words, he pales at the implications of his sentence and stares at you, eyes wide. “N-Not like that! I’m a law abidin’ citizen, I-I swear! We ain’t doin’ anythin’ illegal!” his panicked reaction gets you to laugh out loud, the light slightly shaking in your grasp. “It’s fine, don’t worry. I get what you were trying to say,” as the laughter dies down, the two of you fall back into silence, but this time it is more comfortable.

Unfortunately, it doesn't take long for the man to let out a frustrated sigh as he runs a dirty hand through his caramel blond hair. “Darn it… radiator’s busted,” he mutters under his breath. He won't be able to start the truck tonight; he'll have to look for a spare part. But your conscience won’t allow you to leave him here, especially when you feel as if something might jump out of the bushes and attack you.

Yes, the forest is creepy, but you doubt it is plagued by cryptids. At most, some predators are lurking around.

You lean over to take a look at what's in his truck; there aren't many boxes or luggage stuffed in the back seats, and it seems like everything fits perfectly inside your car. “Hey, how far’s your friend’s house? I’ll take you there,” he perks up, a hopeful expression washing away the worries and stress of the broken car. “Really!? Oh, bless your soul! It should be ‘bout ten minutes from here.”

The man scurries off to put his tools away and pushes the hood shut before getting his luggage out. Meanwhile, you leave the right-hand door of the back seat open as you start to take some things from his hands, wanting to hurry the process as the cold has now seeped into your bones and you can't stop shivering. You think the cold will kill you before any imaginary monster can.

Soon, the man's truck is empty and locked, but just as you're about to climb into the driver's seat, he lets out a small gasp and rubs his hands roughly against his trousers before extending one to you with a polite smile. “My mama would give me a piece of her mind for bein’ so poorly mannered. I'm Fiddleford H. McGucket, pleased to meet ya.”

You return the greeting firmly, noting that his hand is calloused and freezing, as you reply curtly with your name. Fiddleford repeats it under his breath, testing to feel how it rolls off his tongue, but a strong gust of wind causes you both to rapidly let go of each other's hands as you hurry to get into your car.

You waste no time turning on the heater, both of you breathing a sigh of relief as the warmth relaxes your muscles and soothes your frozen skin. Soon the wheels are turning and the sight of Fiddleford's truck grows smaller and smaller as you make your way along the foggy road.

══════════════════

The ride is peaceful as Fiddleford leads the conversation, telling you a few facts about himself before turning his attention to you, his dark eyes full of curiosity. You cringe a little, not meaning for your voice to be so flat and your responses to be curt, but you're still getting used to socializing and you're tired. You also don’t understand what’s so interesting about yourself. 

But Fiddleford doesn't seem to mind, enjoying the brief silences and conversations he has with you as he stares out the window. You also finally start to see some signs of civilization in the form of crude wooden signs haphazardly nailed into the trunks of trees, indicating how far the town is. After a few bumps in the road, Fiddleford pulls a crumpled piece of paper out of his pocket and unfolds it.

“Ok… so, when ya see that sign sayin’ we’re three kilometers from the entrance to Gravity Falls, turn left,” from your peripheral vision, you watch as he extends a finger and motions to the side. “Your friend lives quite far away from town,” as the words leave your mouth, you’re made painfully aware of the taser still strapped to your belt. You hope that Fiddleford didn’t trick you… you were starting to like him.

Thankfully, your comment seems to resonate with him as he turns to look at you with an excited expression. “Right!? Told’im the same thing! But he said the place was perfect ‘cause there’s a ‘large concentration of specimens’ or somethin’ like that. Gosh, what a pain s’going to be to go to the market every week,” you can help but quietly chuckle as he huffs in frustration, relief coursing through your body.

Soon the two of you return to your normal routine, and before you know it, you're turning your blinker on and maneuvering the steering wheel as the car begins to enter the man-made driveway. A few meters ahead, you see a bizarre A-shaped house with the lights on, and Fiddleford exclaims happily, "That's the house!" 

But just as you're about to step on the gas to start driving up the hill, a figure suddenly dashes out of the trees and you instantly hit the brakes, stopping the car just in time to avoid hitting the person standing a few inches from the hood. You and Fiddleford lurch forward as you gasp in shock, staring with wide eyes and fast-beating hearts at the scene ahead of you. 

You grip the steering wheel tightly, your knuckles turning white as you hold your breath from the momentary fear that quickly turns to worry. In front of you, a young boy, no more than 16 years old, stares blankly at the window like a deer caught in the headlights. His face is deathly pale, his cheeks sunken as his chest rises and falls at an increasingly rapid pace, puffs of white steam quickly condensing against the cold air. It’s almost invisible, but you notice he’s trembling either from the cold or fear.

But what makes your stomach fall is the state he’s in. Three long cuts decorate the lower part of his jaw, the blood around the wound is dried, he has a busted lip and a large bruise surrounds his left eye, you can see that he is having trouble keeping it open, perhaps it is already starting to swell. 

His blond hair is disheveled, mixed with twigs, leaves, and dirt. There are several cuts and other wounds on his neck and near his stomach, his shirt has four large gashes, although he does not appear to be bleeding in that area. But that does not explain the fact that his hands and part of his forearms are covered in dirt, moss, and a combination of fresh and dried blood.

From what you can see, he's wearing pajamas and doesn't appear to be armed or carrying any kind of weapon. Nevertheless, he appears to be in a state of hysteria and shock so any sort of rapid or sudden movement could lead to a violent reaction or you could scare him away. You must approach him with caution.

You get out of the car, taking care to open the door gently but quickly, not hearing Fiddleford's warning to wait. The sound of the door seems to wake the boy from his stupor, and as you expected, his face falls swiftly and he begins to back away, his body shaking uncontrollably. “Please… don’t hurt me,” his voice trembles, filled with panic as his eyes become crystalline, tears threatening to spill.

“It’s okay, I’m not going to hurt you. I’m just worried, are you okay?” you stay put, making sure your tone is as gentle as possible to not alarm or scare him away. You notice that the atmosphere outside is deadly quiet, you can’t hear the singing of the crickets, much less the howling of the wind. ‘What the hell is going on!?’

“I need to know you’re human,” the boy demands in a shaky tone, having put a good distance between you and him. You raise an eyebrow at his request, but he seems deadly serious as his forehead furrows and his jaw clenches, his fists balling up as if ready to fight if you don't comply. “How do you want me to prove I’m human?”

For some reason, the question seems to put him at ease, as he relaxes his posture though he remains rather hostile. “I… I don’t know but… I-I just don’t know who to trust,” through whispers, tears spill from his eyes as he holds a hand out, terrified. You stand still for a moment, completely confused as to what to do, but it seems the best way to calm him down is to tell him about yourself.

“My name is (Y/N),” you begin and gently close the car door as you take a step forward. The boy perks up, teary eyes staring at you in confusion. You continue, slightly shivering as a gust of wind passes by, yet you don’t hear anything but your voice. “I’m 27. I graduated from Backupsmore as a forensic scientist… um… I hate bees and my favorite color is-”

Before you can finish, the boy suddenly bolts from his spot, his frail arms quickly wrapping around your torso and hugging you as tightly as he can. Unfortunately, due to the force, you come tumbling down, your back harshly scratching against the dirt. You're shocked for a moment, but then you feel his tears rapidly soaking your sweater and his bloody hands tightly clutching the material as he wails loudly, the sound reverberating through the dead ambient.

Somewhat stiffly, your arms embrace the boy, one hand gently rubbing circles on his back, which is shaking as he sobs. His skin is frozen, he's been out for a long time. Fiddleford quickly gets out of the car and crouches down beside you with a worried look on his face, quietly asking you if everything is alright. You just give him a small smile in return, hoping to reassure him.

"M-Miss, please help me, I'm so scared," he mumbles between loud cries, hiding his face in your shoulder. You just nod and guide him through some breathing exercises to help him think more clearly and calm down. When the crying ceases, you take off your jacket and drape it over his shoulders hoping it will warm him up a bit, while Fiddleford gently places a hand on his head.

"Let's start at the beginning, what's your name?" your question in a soft tone. The boy lifts his face from your shoulder and two red-rimmed eyes look at you sadly. "M-My name is L-Lawrence W-Woodworth," he replies scared, the words barely leaving his mouth as he shivers. "Nice to meet you, Lawrence. This is Fiddleford, my friend," the brown-haired man gives the boy a slight smile as he nods.

"You have to tell me what happened, how did you get here?" Lawrence shudders at your words but dryly swallows, as if to gather courage, and begins "W-We were coming back from my house, Dylan, Kyle and I... we were working on a s-school project. And out of nowhere, I don't know what it was, but s-something came out of the trees and..."

His palms harshly wipe away at his eyes, though he winces as he grazes the injured one. Fiddleford silently encourages him to continue as he rubs his shoulders. “I-It ripped Kyle’s s-stomach out… D-Dylan called 911 and t-then in the woods something that looked like Kyle but wasn’t Kyle… it even talked like him… it was just standing t-there and i-it started to chase us… w-we got separated and somehow I ended up here…”

You can't believe what you're hearing. If it weren't for the fact that Lawrence looks completely paralyzed with fear, you'd think this story was taken from a horror book. Could the monster be a product of the possible trauma of seeing his friend badly hurt? Or did they mistake the killer, who was standing at a long distance from them, for a more twisted version of a friend? Those are the only explanations you can currently come up with.

You look up and notice that Fiddleford has a much more serious look on his face, he seems to believe everything the boy says. But before you can question him, a bloodcurdling scream followed by a distorted roar echoes through the forest and Lawrence looks up, what little color he had regained in his face drained away. "DYLAN! OH GOD IT'S DYLAN! I HAVE TO GO GET HIM!"

Lawrence is about to run off into the woods when you grab his wrist to stop him from moving, causing the boy to yelp in pain. "Sorry, but you're not going, you're injured and putting yourself in more danger. Fiddleford, take Lawrence to your friend’s and call the police. I'll look for the other boy," you order firmly, before getting up and going to your car, opening it forcefully and diving between all the boxes.

Behind you, you hear Fiddleford gasp in surprise, his boots breaking several branches as he quickly approaches your figure. “(Y/N), be extremely careful, please. Whatever it is, it's dangerous. Please tell me you're carrying a weapon or somethin’,” the man exclaims worriedly. You quietly nod before you notice a small, thin, black briefcase, unfamiliar to you tucked between some cardboard boxes labeled “kitchen”.

Quickly, you unlock the clasp and open the lid, revealing a Smith & Wesson Model 4506 stored in the middle. Your stomach twists, this would be your first time using this thing. But you swallow that fear, a kid is in danger. Fiddleford gasps as he watches over your shoulder as you quickly load the gun with nine rounds and strap the holster to your belt, right next to the Taser. "Don't worry, it's police-issued, I've got a license and I know how to shoot."

You quickly head over to your driver’s seat, shut the car off, and grab the lantern that you stored in the glovebox. As you turn around, you quickly shove your car keys in Fiddleford’s unexpecting hands and turn over to look at Lawrence, who’s now standing up, still trembling. “What does your friend look like?” you walk over to the car, momentarily covering one of the headlights.

“D-Dylan’s tall, has short curly black hair, dark skin, and glasses. H-He was wearing… I-I think I white T-shirt,” you nod, creating the mental picture of his friends as you begin to sprint over to the forest. “BE CAREFUL,” Fiddleford’s voice filled with concern sounds distant as you book it, the cold wind cutting at your skin.

The forest is deadly quiet, the only sounds you can hear are your rapid breathing and the crunching of dried leaves and twigs as your boots stomp over them. Your stomach curls into a knot and your mouth goes dry as the faster you run, the darker your surroundings seem to get.

"DYLAN!?" your voice echoes through the trees as you flash the light around you. There are only trees, trees, and more trees! They are all starting to look the same. And the fog makes it worse as you can barely see past a few feet in front of you. You exhale exhaustedly, pausing for a moment as you try to regain your sense of direction. Your muscles ache from the sudden movement, you were more used to a life behind a desk than running in the field.

"OVER HERE! PLEASE! HELP ME!" your head whips to the right as you hear the distant screams of a young boy. There was no time to waste, as the force you used to push yourself forward caused the soles of your feet to kick up a patch of dirt and moss. You call his name again, trying to locate him more easily, and he answers, his voice much clearer now. 

Soon you come to a clearing illuminated by the moonlight, and sitting against the trunk of one of the trees, his head tucked between his head and a hand on his left shoulder, is the boy who fits Lawrence's description.

"Dylan? My name is (Y/N), I met your friend, Lawrence, I'm here to take you to safety," you say breathlessly, watching as the boy slowly lifts his head, tears streaming down his face as he quietly holds back a sniffle. "L-Lawrence is okay? H-He's not hurt?" you nod softly and quickly walk over, kneeling in front of him and as you give him a warm smile.

"Yes, he's with my friend now, and help is on the way. Are you hurt?" now that you're closer, you notice that there's a deep cut on his left cheek and that his glasses are nowhere to be found, most likely lost while running through the woods. As you gently encourage him to roll over, Dylan hiccups, having cried the last of his tears, before carefully removing the hand that was holding his shoulder.

Underneath his bloody palm are two deep, heavily bleeding cuts that look very similar to the ones on Lawrence's shirt. Up close, the injury looks unnatural, and you can't put your finger on what could have done this; you assume it could be something like a hook, but the width of the gash is much wider than a butcher's hook or something heavier. "I-It got me when I tripped on a corner. I managed to f-fight it off though," he admits sheepishly, dropping his head back to his knees as he recalls the encounter. So that was the scream.

"You were incredibly brave, don't be ashamed, Dylan," you whisper comfortingly, focusing your attention on treating the wound. Placing the lantern on the ground, you grab the bottom of the sweater with both hands and pull in different directions with enough force that the threads begin to snap. Ripping the fabric until it reaches above your belt, you pull so that it goes around your waist, gathering enough to make a makeshift tourniquet.

Dylan watches quietly as you successfully separate the torn piece from your sweater. "Okay, this is going to hurt, but I'm going to wrap this around your wound, okay?" he nods shakily at your instructions, lowering his knees and stretching his injured arm out to the side. You quietly guide him to take deep breaths as you slip the fabric underneath the armpit and tightly twist and turn the cloth, softly apologizing when he winces or gasps for air.

After a few seconds, you tie a knot with the remaining cloth, successfully stopping the bleeding for the moment. Dylan tests his arms by stretching and moving the limb before standing up and grabbing the lantern left on the grass. "Where did the attacker go?" your eyes scan the area around you, but the overwhelming darkness and fog make it impossible for you to see what is beyond the clearing. The area is so quiet, so devoid of life, that you can hear your heartbeat, which begins to pick up as you hear the crunch of leaves and twigs.

Dylan and you have not moved an inch.

"Mooooooom," a distorted and crooked voice wails sadly from the trees, shaking you to your core. Its pitch goes up and down as it gets closer and closer to where you're standing, calling out in pain, searching for its mother. It doesn't even sound like a human, let alone an animal, it's as if something is painfully trying to imitate human speech.

Then you remember what Lawrence said: something that had the appearance of his friends yet it wasn’t him. There's no way... there's no way that things like that exist… Those are just myths, right? You feel Dylan tense up next to you and the light source emitting from the lantern begins to shake in his grip. The creature is determined to find you, it keeps calling out, and whatever it is, it is big, as the ground beneath it shakes and rumbles slightly whenever it takes a step. 

"When I tell you to run, keep going straight until you find a hut. Don't stop and don't look back," you command in a hushed whisper, feeling your heart pounding loudly against your chest as your nimble fingers quietly unlock the holster and grab the handle of your gun. “O-Ok, please be careful, ma’am,” he replies, holding the lantern tighter.

Soon the footsteps are shaking the pebbles scattered across the ground and the mushrooms growing in the trunks of the nearby trees, and you can feel the vibrations in your ears. Beside you, Dylan slowly begins to back away from the noise, inching closer to where you first entered, while you stare at the source of the sound. "Mooooom... I want my mom," it cries again, this time louder, and you shudder at the disgusting tone in which it speaks.

"I hate it... why does it sound so much like Kyle?" Dylan whispers through clenched teeth, this time further away from you. So you were right, it's trying to imitate human speech, but you wonder why it's calling to its mother. You don't have time to answer as a massive figure begins to break through the mist, and you hold your gun tightly, raising it so that the barrel points straight at what you assume is the creature's head.

But you freeze up as soon as the thing reveals itself. The monster is incredibly tall, it reaches to the middle of one of the pine trees and you estimate it to be about two meters in height. It is dragging its arms on the ground, massive hands with dirty nails pointing up towards its pale and bony palms, and its head is tilted to the side, in a childlike manner. 

Sunken and completely hollow eyes with a single silver dot are staring directly at you, the toothless mouth is open wide, creating an oval shape in which you can’t see anything other than an empty void, while distorted boyish cries are coming from the deepest parts of its throat. 

Worst of all, you finally understand what Lawrence and Dylan were saying. It has copied the appearance of a young ginger boy, but because its body is so large and deformed, it looks as if it has stretched an image of what you assume to be Kyle and plastered it onto its body. 

The skin is ghostly pale and looks pulled and torn, its hair is a mangled mess with various bald spots revealing a fleshy black interior, and its "clothes" look painted over and reveal a thin torso with paper-thin skin that closely exposes a skeleton with way too many bones for you to count. It twitches unnaturally as it just stands there, looking at you while begging for his mother without moving.

You can't begin to comprehend what the hell is in front of you. It doesn't feel real, the lack of sound around you, the intense fog, and the imagery make it feel like you're in a lucid nightmare. But you're brought back to reality when you realize that Dylan is still behind you, crying softly as he stares at the mockery of his friend's image. "Run on the count of three, okay?" you don't take your eyes off the creature.

"One," your body's facing forward, you move your dominant leg a step back, both feet planted firmly on the ground as you aim the barrel to hit right between the monster's eyes. It doesn't move, only keeps twitching and wailing in a deep tone.

"Two," you steady your body and take a deep breath as your finger hugs the trigger. Behind you, Dylan prepares to run. Once he's gone, the moonlight will be your only guide during the fight. Your heart beats faster as you take one last breath...just get this over and you’ll go home…

"THREE!" without wasting a second, you squeeze the trigger and fire, a flash of bright light shooting from the barrel and the bullet lodging deep inside the creature's head. The sound of the gun being fired echoes through the forest and you swear you can hear birds flying from the trees and some of the sound comes back. Dylan has already started to run, straight ahead as you instructed.

The shot sends the monster reeling a few steps back, but in retaliation, it lets out a distorted roar so loud it makes your eyes vibrate with pain. You don't let that deter you, though, as you load the second bullet into the chamber and prepare to fire at the creature's chest, right where you think its heart is. Unfortunately, it recovers rather quickly and stands up shakily before charging at you like a bull, swinging one of its gigantic arms in your direction.

You're able to dodge the attack, but the limb is so heavy that as soon as it hits the ground, the force knocks you to the ground and the weapon almost slips from your grasp. Luckily, you hold on tight, but the creature is relentless, one of its clawed hands grabs your right ankle, its sharp, bone-like claws digging easily into your flesh, tearing some of the skin. You grunt loudly, your teeth clenched as tears sting your eyes, but you aim the gun at the creature's shoulder and fire.

As the bullet connects with the skin, the monster screeches and painfully removes its claws from your ankle, nursing its new injury instead. You back away as fast as you can, grunting in pain and after a considerable distance, you do your best to stand up, limping slightly as you plant your feet firmly on the ground and load another bullet.

And you fire the third one.

And the fourth.

And the fifth.

“Won’t you just die already!?” you scream in frustration, fear and paranoia seeping into your mind as you watch the monster rise from the ground once more, five small holes in different parts of its body spilling a tar-like liquid onto the grass, staining it. It's almost invincible, no matter how many bullets you fire, it seems to do nothing but temporarily stun it and make it scream horribly.

You jump to the side as the monster charges forward again, but it miscalculates and runs straight through the tree instead. The impact is so powerful that it leaves a massive hole in the trunk, but it is temporarily stuck there; as it struggles to free itself, you waste no time finding its ankle and stomping down as hard as you can.

You almost fall forward...you did not expect its bones to be so fragile. But you almost rejoice in pure happiness as you've found its weak spot; it seems that physical actions are more effective. So you don't stop, kicking and punching with all your might as your limbs easily leave dents and holes in the monster's body. Your hands and boots are covered in the slimy dark substance, but you don't care, you're not going to die here.

In your angry tirade, you fail to notice that the creature is now free of the trunk. It turns, an arm swinging violently, making contact with the side of your torso, sending you flying to the other side of the clearing, where you crash hard into another tree, the air escaping your body as your lungs burn from the pain and your back cracks loudly.

Tears cloud your vision as the monster walks toward you, its actions mimicking a predator that has finally caught its meal. Your hands desperately search your surroundings for your weapon, but as you cough violently, you realize that the weapon has been crushed under the creature's weight on the other side of the clearing. “Oh fuck,” you mutter as the creature stands before you and wastes no time reaching down, its claws digging into your neck as it lifts you into the air.

You struggle to free yourself, your throat slowly crushed under the monster's grip, as something cold and plastic digs into the side of your hip. The Taser! As dark spots begin to fill your vision and your lungs burn, your hand reaches for your belt, unlatches the holster, and shakily pulls the device out.

Your scratched thumb quickly locates the switch and flips it on, and with all your might you jam the probes against the monster's skin and squeeze the trigger. As the volt of electricity coursed through the thing's insides, it let out a blood-curdling scream before dropping you to the ground. The pain is so great for the creature that it falls to the ground, rolling on its wrist.

But even though your world is spinning and you want nothing more than to throw up and fall asleep, you push through the pain and stand up shakily as you sprint to the monster and mercilessly stomp on its head, its skull cracking against your sole and the grass. You keep going, even when there's nothing left but a messy pile of mush and the tar-like substance, you don't stop.

You want this thing dead. Gone. Fuck whatever this thing is.

“(Y/N), STOP! It’s already dead!”

══════════════════

Tag list:

@rotknox @devotee-of-bill

[writerwhoreads]

Pretty pretty please I'm begging for ANYTHING involving Octavian as long as it isn't some half assed "eww I hate this guy let's torture him" kinda deal. You can rip and tear him from the inside out, just don't do it for no reason at all.

This took me a bit to write (sorry for answering this so late), but I sort of did like a summary of HoO entirely in Octavian's point of view. Because 1. I need to practice writing genuinely bad characters (bad as in "evil", not bad) and 2. He's already dead, why bring him back to life when I can just explore his life.

Tw: mentions of death.

I tried my best :)

The Augur - Written by Vine

From the moment Octavian laid eyes on Jason Grace, he did not like the boy. Sure, he was the son of Jupiter. Sure, he had climbed up the ranks admittedly quickly, and isn't that what Romans are meant to do? To have power?

But Octavian was far from stupid. To others, Jason Grace was powerful, untouchable, respected and liked. But to him?

Well, Octavian knew trouble when he sees it. The newly-ranked praetor hid it well, but it was obvious that he did not like the rules carved in stone. It was clear Octavian would have made a much better leader than that Jason Grace.

But Reyna would never listen to him. Perhaps she had liked Jason. Octavian never cared to notice such things. Relationships were trivial, and power was much more important.

When Hazel Levesque came to camp, with an escort sent by Pluto himself, he knew something was off. Levesque practically radiated lies, and the escort was nothing short of suspicious. Her brother, she claimed. Son of Pluto.

Figures. The boy reeked of death, of course he would be the son of it.

When Jason Grace disappeared, Octavian was relieved. Finally, a chance to become praetor, to win the camp over and fix all the mistakes previous leaders had made.

But no, of course not. Reyna would not let him, and she was still a higher ranking officer than he was.

The Zhang boy showed up at some point. He wasn't all that suspicious or troublesome. No, he was just a nuisance. Clumsy, weak, cowardly. Traits that should never be in a Roman. Octavian was of the mind that they would have been better off without Frank Zhang.

Then, the last straw appeared, in the form of an overly powerful demigod by the name of Percy Jackson. And by the gods, Octavian hated him. In the camp run by order and rank, Percy Jackson brought chaos everywhere he went.

He had to admit, Jackson was fascinating. The son of Neptune was surrounded by souls of the dead, the damned, and everything in between. He exuded an aura of pure power, and had knowledge he should not have known.

Child of Neptune, huh? Perhaps, but this boy was, without a doubt, very much not a Roman.

War games were held that evening. And, the First Cohort lost, for the first time since Jason Grace vanished.

Octavian was seething. He probably should not have stabbed that centurion (what even was her name?), but he did not regret it. Besides, she survived. She should not have, but she did.

That evening was mess, but it eventually turned out fine. Yes, Percy Jackson disrespected a god and was nearly smited (a shame), but he and Octavian's two biggest problems were sent on a quest that would ultimately get them killed, so that was wonderful.

Of course, then the problems returned, saved their lives, and Percy Jackson was raised as praetor instead of Octavian, so that was actually a lost cause.

Problems continued appearing, in the form of a giant warship made and piloted by accursed Greeks, which promptly opened fire on them.

Damn it, he knew Jackson was no good. He should have stopped them earlier. He should have forseen this.

Oh well. He could still stop them. After all, he had Apollo's blessing, didn't he?

Reyna leaves on a quest, mostly likely false, which would end up with her exiled from the camp. Good. A girl like her should not have been praetor at all. It should have been Octavian, and now he had full control over Camp Jupiter.

The Greeks had this war a long time coming, and Octavian would lead it. This was his fate. Apollo himself said so.

He dressed himself in purple, draped himself in gold. Octavian welcomed back the previoiusly exiled, demigods and legacies who would help shape the camp into what it should have been.

And so it started.

A direct descendant of Apollo faced him, staring defiantly and spouting words that were pure disrespect. Octavian sputtered, speechless, but ultimately turned a blind eye. The demigod may exceed him in power, but Octavian exceeded him in rank. All in good time. The Greeks would learn to respect him, if he decided to leave any of them alive at all. All in good time.

Octavian reached to reload the onager. The battle with the Earth Mother may have been in the sky with demigods who were entirely irrelevant, but Octavian would be the one who comes out the hero. He must be. It was what he saw in the sacrifices.

The son of Apollo tried to stop him, but Octavian ignored him. This upstart wanted to take his glory, to steal his spotlight? The son of Pluto pulled the other boy back. Yeah. That's what he thought.

As he rocketed into the sky, thoroughly intertwined with the flaming cannonball he himself shot, he had only one thought amongst his own screams

This could not have been his fate. Right?

[universalmofo]

okay i finished heroes of olympus a couple days ago and here are some of my thoughts :

-nico should’ve been a part of the seven. he was essential to the success of the quest in numerous capacities and one of the big three’s kids. it made NO sense to me that he wasn’t one of the seven. (on that note, i think it did make sense that thalia wasn’t one of the seven. she has been with the hunters for some time and she was presumed a tree for like a long time.)

-grover could’ve very very easily taken coach hedges part in hoo. grover was already out looking for percy, so if he was already looking for percy and if annabeth found out that a “clue” to where percy was, was at the wilderness school grover would’ve jumped at the opportunity to go and try and figure out what was going on at the school by acting as a student again. he would’ve been back at camp by the end of the lost hero and he would have, what, 6 (?) months to go spread a warning to the wilderness about gaia and get things in order before they took off on the argo ii. and he could’ve been trying to communicate with percy via empathy link the ENTIRE time he was doing other stuff.

-it was just lazy of rick to write out grover tbh. and even tyson who came all the way across the country for percy. only for them to have extremely limited amount of time spent together (which makes sense, but this would’ve been HUGE for percy).

-it has been stated over and over and over again that quests should only be taken on by three. this quest was the biggest task they had ever faced, with far too much at stake. therefore, the prophecy of the seven should’ve been a utter tragedy ( one could even say a modern greek tragedy ) where they all accepted that four of them would Not be finishing this quest alive. that they were all willing to give themselves up for the greater good.

which four should’ve lived, i think percy, nico, annabeth and leo. (this pickings are biased and based on the idea that nico should’ve been included in the seven prophecy, if nico is not included then frank or hazel could take his place, but also these choices are based on their importance to the quest and their strength/ability)

- there was no need for there to be so many couples in the group of seven. it caused a huge lack in my opinion of actual friendship development.

there was very little actual friendship development/ vibes even in the lost hero when piper and leo HAVE been friends for MONTHS??? also this continues to be an issue in the rest of the books where piper and jason literally leave leo out or there is a comment along the lines of “he knew to give them their space”.

rick constantly threw in comments about how hazel and piper had become closer, or piper and annabeth had become “best friends” while not actually showing that. same thing with the boys. the only example i can think of where there was some real development was that conversation leo and frank had when they were at the bottom of the ocean.

they never had moments of them all sitting and talking besides about strategy.

- and on THAT note piper and jason never should’ve started dating. it was forced. it just seemed like the thing they should do after hera forced these memories in pipers head. quite frankly, it was a huge missed opportunity for a storyline in which leo and piper had been dating and hera shoved jason in between those memories and leo piper and jason are all SUPER pissed about that, or a storyline about how jason and piper try to figure out if there’s something there the entirety of the lost hero but the reason it just doesn’t feel right to jason becomes more obvious to him as he slowly develops a crush on leo.

there were just a LOT more interesting ways to go about that trio and none of them happened which made that entire dynamic fall flat for me and i think a lot of people.

which makes sense why frank leo and hazel worked SO much better and were believably close and connected. (even if frank and hazel were mainly the audience being told they like one another and not shown)

-percy was slightly off throughout the books. i believe even rick admitted he had a hard time writing percy in these books since he hadn’t for a while.

-did we ever find out why leo and piper were totally fine out in the world even tho they were 15??? i don’t remember this being explained??

-i distinctly remember jason getting some memories back and remembering frank and hazel as his friends AND hazel or frank discussing jason as a friend in son but then in house of hades or maybe mark of athena or blood of olympus (i can’t remember), hazel thinks to herself that she was still not sure what to think of jason? like she couldn’t tell what was going on underneath the surface? as if they hadn’t been friends or ever met before the quest?

-nico and percy are friends at the end of the day. percy is on some level protective over nico and nico is connected to percy / cares about him even if he doesn’t have a crush on him. they have a very interesting dynamic but at the end of the day, if percy went missing for MONTHS, nico would’ve been looking for him. and he most definitely would’ve not just pretended to entirely not know him when he came to camp jupiter??? especially when percy asked if he knew nico. that was SO weird to me. i was expecting them to have a conversation, even if nico gave him very brief and vague info.

on that train of thought, percy WOULD NEVER doubt the idea of rescuing nico??? his fatal flaw is LOYALTY. no matter how pissed he was at nico he would never question if they should even save nico. even if NOT for nico, it was kinda established that percy felt like an older brother to hazel (even tho this dynamic was never again touched on or seen), which again, he is loyal to those he cares about so he would be willing to do it, if not for nico, then for sure for hazel.

-percy never says i love you or i love you back to annabeth until blood of olympus. which is CRAZY and sooo not percy in my opinion.

-why the hell were mark of athena and house of hades the hardest parts of the entire quest ??? fighting gaia should’ve taken up the the majority or better yet, the ENTIRETY of boo, similarly to the last olympian.

i think this came down to a poorly paced series. rick could’ve broken his formula in tlh and son and moved the stories along faster. have the annabeth reunion in son or make the books longer.

- leo and nico would’ve been an interesting dynamic and quite frankly, they could’ve been a very cute couple. both feel like they are always on the outskirts / like they don’t fit in, both have complicated and sad familial issues, both of their mothers died because of the gods in some regard, both have never had a stable home, both speak other languages, both don’t have any other family then their godly parents, both have constantly been running their whole lives and haven’t been able to make real connections and friends.

the fact that i could even come up with this many makes me even more mad cause my lord. what a missed opportunity.

-leo was the heart of the entire quest. he literally CARRIED for five books straight and he was paid DUST.

i hated his ending.

you’re telling me that he literally has spent a year, fighting alongside his friends, building a ship for them to be able to carry out this quest, living with them, caring about them, and then “sacrificing” himself and all that mattered to him was A GIRL??? his FIRST priority was calypso??? not even letting his friends know that he was ALIVE??

on that subject, why wouldn’t he tell them his entire plan? if he was gonna tell hazel and frank that he was going to die anyways?

-percy losing his heroes blessing or whatever it’s called?? 😐 it seems like rick just needed a reason to get rid of this? it honestly just made no sense.

- and last but very not least ( i can’t believe i almost forgot ) WHAT WAS RICK THINKING NOT HAVING PERCY OR ANNABETH’s POV’s in BOO????

i gotta be real y’all i did not know i had so many opinions/ issues with the books until i started doing this.

anyways, mark of athena and house of hades are by far the best books of this series and also the most gripping and well written. please remind me if i miss remembered something and am wrong.

[nerdieforpedro]

One small step for man…

One giant leap for Dieter Bravo

Based on this Moodboard created by the wonderful @secretelephanttattoo that she made for the Get Dieter Sober event to celebrate @bitchesuntitled ‘s milestone! 😎 ❤️

My entire masterlist and blog are for readers 18+ MDNI. I do not consent to my work being used in AI, recommended on TikTok, borrowed or plagiarized.

Summary: The only thing that can motivate Dieter Bravo better than sex or an interesting script is a grudge. Who cares if we’re talking about space? If Bravo can finally one-up Leonardo DiCaprio, he’ll take his chance, no matter the effort. Turns out it was good for him in the long run.

Warnings: Nerdie style bad humor, various celebrity mentions, no specified ages for Edna and Fred but assume they’re sixty-five and over for the plot, a goat (because when I write Dieter, 8/10 times he will have a goat), space?, DiCaprio slander and implied drug and sexual activity just not in detail, also BBQ.

Word Count: a little under 1.3k

Notes: El suggested that a crack fic should be written and leave it to a five hour plane ride for inspiration 🤣 So here we are. She did look it over and laughed so that’s really all it took for me to post it. 🥰 There’s no reader, just two OCs Edna and Fred who are living the life we want to live honestly.

Main Masterlist/ Dieter Bravo Masterlist/ AO3 Link

The only time Dieter Bravo thought of space is when he would stare up at the stars naked with only his fluffy grey robe on and yellow crocs on in his backyard. It’s normally when he needs to take five from whatever party/orgy/gathering/sex toy exchange he’s decided to have this week.

There had been a recent announcement that NASA was looking for Oscar winners to sent into space to not only find a new planet for earthlings to live but also negotiate and exchange information with any extraterrestrials they may come across. Given the deceptive skills and adaptive vibes actors have, there a buzz about who may be selected to fly out into unknown reaches with a crew of astronauts. Hallie Berry and Jamie Lee Curtis had already been selected and for men, there was one slot left as (insert some dude’s name) was announced. There were still six months left and more male Oscar winners were throwing their hat into the ring.

One name irked Dieter beyond all reason given that he actually a nice guy, but Bravo deserves it more than him: Leonardo DiCaprio. Doesn’t matter that he’s a stalwart advocate of green policies and climate change. Dieter should have been able to be in ‘The Wolf of Wall Street.’ It was basically written for him and the life he lives now. Though peering back at his home, he’s going to have to give this up for a while if he wants to be considers for the program. Leo only have to give up the liquor and twenty-five year olds. Dieter’s got to give up his wide array of drugs, though since he’s fine with men and women of all legal ages old and younger, he can just let the older women and men come at him. That one lady Edna pops her teeth out and hoo boy does she do some things with those gums. Fred is one guy who knows about those gams and if you know, you know. There’s always his trustworthy emotional support goat Cookie who’s white with black spots who gave a strong “baa!” When asked if he should give it a shot.

After the night’s festivities and clean up the next day, Dieter informs his team of his plan. They are shocked somewhat, they’re aware of his one-sided grudge and if it will motivate him off the drugs, they’re willing to lean all the way in. To ensure Bravo’s success, they do a through sweep of all his homes, cars and vacation spots. They also limit his contacts and ask Edna and Fred to stay with Dieter. They’re sure that the three of them are ducking but Dieter’s also learning some chess, shuffleboard, bingo, dominoes and some mandarin from Edna’s husband, rest his sweet soul. Cookie nibbled on everyone’s ankles and stayed looking cute as is her role.

It’s announced the next month that Dieter Bravo is going for the last Oscar space on the Galactic Noah’s Ark. Most think the choice is insane and mock in relentlessly but as time marches on, Dieter gains more supporters as he’s looking and feeling better. He also gets a lot of retirees and AARP members on his side as his two housemates interview with their magizine under the guidance of Dieter’s media team.

There’s memes, TikToks, interviews and a cribs episode showing off Dieter’s new healthy lifestyle and feature his two friends Edna and Fred. Edna is sunbathing naked and it had to be blurred out entirely but was still aired surprisingly. It was touted as support for not only all body types but representing older women who are just living life. Fred was cooking up some barbeque on a grill in his plaid shorts and orange sherbert polo shirt with dress shows on and a kiss the chef apron on. He told the interview that it’s been pretty cool getting to know Dieter over the years and that he had enough hair on his chest for the both of them. It garnered a laugh and they were asked what their families thought of them being in a throple with Doeter Bravo. Edna said it was pretty fun and she’d raised her children so it was her time. She should spend the twilight of her years, doing what she wants to do and then doing Dieter. She then called him a “nice young man who’s a cutie patootie.” Cookie let out a loud “baa!” As if to agree and went to eat some grass.

There were some that had an issue with the throple aspect saying that such a lifestyle should be sent into space, but it was argued that since Dieter was rather fluid in his sexuality it should bode well for communicating with other life forms. Debates continued while Dieter kept clean, worked with Paul Mesal and his trainer to get stronger and in better shape. The speculation was that maybe Paul was now added to the throple making it a square, and as many pundits called Edna ‘the luckiest damn woman on earth.’ Paul said that he’d love to be cool enough to be in the throple but when he’s stopped by and saw both Hallie Berry and Adria Arijona there, he said that he didn’t stand a chance. The two women were just there to visit Dieter as they’d worked with him on previous projects which their reps seconded. They did stay for a week though but mainly just to meet Edna and Fred who they thought were so amazing.

Paul visited again with Denzel Washington, his wife Pauletta who Bravo normally has tea with and it turns out Edna knows Pauletta from their old sorority. Public opinion was turning in Dieter’s favor as Leo was keeping a low profile. Well outside of breaking up with his girlfriend on her twenty-sixth birthday. That didn’t go over well.

The deadline was approaching for who would be selected out of the two men so the media decided they should have a sit down. It was to fill air time but Dieter Bravo was looking forward to it. He felt stronger, a little leaner but given the barebeque Fred cooks up and sweets Edna makes, he still has small belly. DiCaprio looks lean but has bags under his eyes from sleeping alone without his girlfriend and only his Oscar in the bed.

Both men were ask questions about what they would do if they encountered aliens, what to do to get along with fellow crew members, what they might eat in space, how they would establish and keep good vibes going and what kind of planet would they want to live on. The questions were going fine until Leonardo said that he felt sick during the sit down and had to go to the hospital. Given that he was so sick from not sleeping, it looked as though Dieter was the clear winner and was announced as such a week later.

Dieter Bravo is going into space over that pretentious prick!

A celebration party with sparkling wine, kool-aid, Edna’s sweet potatoes, Fred’s smoked pork shoulder and some Mac and cheese brought over by the Washingtons is has that evening. Did Dieter ever expect to be sober? No, but he didn’t expect it to be this full with friends either.

The Oscar winner is once again standing in his backyard while festivities occur inside, though they’re calmer and full of laughter instead of groans and sweaty bodies. He’s fully clothed, in his crocs, brown pijama pants and t-shirt holding Cookie and petting her. “I did it girl. I’m clear as a bell and going to space. I wonder of they probe or have tentacles. Who knows? But I’m going to find out. May the vibes be with us Cookie.”

May the vibes be with everyone but especially the following 😘:

@morallyinept @schnarfer @chronically-ghosted @sp00kymulderr @covetyou

@yopossum @whocaresstillthelouvre @toomanytookas @beefrobeefcal @trulybetty

@sin-djarin @megamindsecretlair @soft-persephone @604to647 @chaithetics

@inept-the-magnificent @djarinmuse @sunshinehaze1 @lotusbxtch @yorksgirl

@westside-rot @maggiemayhemnj @mysterious-moonstruck-musings @readingiskeepingmegoing

@littlemisspascal @pascalsanctuary @tinytinymenace @yorksgirl

[missidk1121]

A Cozy Bloom - Chapter 5

Pairing: Dino x Fem!Reader

Chapter tags: flirting, side character shenanigans, a flash of angst, dancing, forced proximity, a kiss (yes)

Content Warnings: Suggestive remarks, very brief argument

Word Count: 5.5K

Author's Note: Feedback, reblogs, and likes are appreciated as always, and if you're interested in being tagged when I post each chapter, feel free to comment, send a DM, or ask! ☕️ Hoo boy - this chapter was a doozy lol! In a good way! I feel especially proud of a certain scene in it, and I hope that you'll understand which one I'm talking about when you read it 🤞Felt pretty emotional writing this chapter and I think it shows!

Tags: @syluslittlecrows

🎧 Music playing at The Cozy Bloom

Series masterlist | Read on AO3 | Previous

The rest of the ride went by in silence. Thankfully you left almost as soon as the two of you walked into the party, saying you wanted to go say hi to Wonwoo and his fiancée, but it still left Chan feeling, to put it bluntly, hot and bothered.

God help him, he could’ve sworn there was even a slight sway in your hips as you were walking away. Was that intentional or was he starting to see things?

A low whistle came from behind him.

“Boy, you’re down real bad.”

Chan turned around and saw Mingyu standing there, waggling his eyebrows with a knowing grin.

“Mingyu! What— What are you doing here?” he asked, shocked to see him there and also embarrassed he was even ogling you in the first place, let alone getting caught.

“Wonwoo’s my buddy. Has been for a long time now, since college,” he replied. “Y’know, I’m the one who introduced Y/N to Wonwoo, and it was him who recommended her for the job.”

“Huh,” said Chan. “She didn’t tell me about that. I didn’t know you knew her beyond just her coming to the café or being friends with me.”

“Jealous?” he teased.

“Tch. As if.”

“Anyway, what are you doing here?” Mingyu asked. “Did you come just to be her plus one?”

“Pretty much,” replied Chan. “She said Wonwoo invited me to come with her. I didn’t want to come at first, but then I heard Soonyoung and Seokmin, her friends from work, were bringing dates, so I figured I’d hang out and keep her company.”

“Oh, I know who they are.” Mingyu laughed. “They definitely do not have dates. Unless you mean each other, because I didn’t see them walk in with anyone else.”

Chan raised an eyebrow. “Really? Seungkwan told me they did.”

“Seungkwan?” Then Mingyu’s eyes widened in realization as he said, “Oh right! I saw him hanging out at their table a few days ago. Guess they’re friends now? He didn’t seem to like them at first.” He shrugged. “Those two were probably just messing with him.”

“Yeah, probably. They seem like the type,” said Chan.

“Well, I hope you two have a good time,” Mingyu said with a wink. “There’s going to be some slow dancing later, so be prepared.”

Mingyu turned and waved goodbye, heading to go and chat with someone else, leaving Chan to turn his thoughts back to you again. “Be prepared” — he’s pretty sure he wasn’t referring to the dancing part of it.

Maybe the dress was starting to take over your body, because under normal circumstances you would never do what you just did.

The moment you and Chan got out of the car, his eyes were on you again. From the parking garage all the way to the banquet hall, you felt them, lingering on you, not missing a single step you took. The way he looked at you, like he was seeing a whole new side of you that he couldn’t look away from — it made you feel butterflies. The whims of curiosity empowered you to do something, anything, to test the waters.

It was strange, really; how eager you were to have his eyes on you. You’ve never admitted this to anyone, not even to him — a secret you’ve kept to yourself all these years. And the longer you kept it buried in the back of your mind the more you felt embarrassed by it.

That moment where you wondered, during your short-lived infatuation with Joshua, when was the last time you were so attracted to someone? That someone? Chan.

It was surreal to think back on. You liked Chan. In college, during the early days of your friendship. But it was nothing earth-shattering like the typical best-friends-to-lovers “I’ve been in love with them this whole time” sort of scenario. Your crush on him was typical. Back then, to you he was just that nice, cute barista whom you happened to meet at the café three days a week before class.

You were both in college, uncertain of the future. Would you step out of your shell and get with that cute barista who may or may not have liked you in that way — you didn’t dare ask Chan if he ever had a crush on you in college; that would be awkward — or would you rather focus on more important things like your studies? Naturally, you had gravitated toward the latter, but in a way it was a little bit of both.

Over time, that cute barista — whose kindness extended even to you, a prickly engineer whose mind had only ever been tasked with solving problems until you met him; whose charms emanated from behind the counter and reflected through the mirrors of the dance studio, drawing you in with the smokey and inviting richness of his coffee and with every beat of his infinite repertoire of emotional expressions, like a moth to a flame — over time, he had opened you up to an endless world of possibilities, all while giving you a home to return to whenever that world became too overwhelming to chart.

Maybe this was why, from the moment you realized you couldn’t go a full twenty-four hours without thinking of him, you had abandoned the idea of your friendship turning into anything more. This thing between you had grown so comfortable, so warm that you didn’t want to leave. You wanted things to stay this way forever, thinking that there could be nothing better than what the two of you have.

But everything changes, a universal truth you seem to have forgotten. Maybe things have been shifting for a while between you and Chan, evolving naturally as the two of you grow and change.

Tonight you couldn’t resist the urge to test these changes, putting a slight sway in your hips as you walked away from him, knowing he was watching. You were far from being an expert in seduction, and you did it as subtly as you could, so subtly he may not have even noticed. But nonetheless the problem-solver in you needed to determine whether or not he was feeling what you were feeling. Although, maybe your spur-of-the-moment plan wasn’t very well thought out, because you had your back turned toward him, so you couldn’t see his reaction.

Regardless, you approached Wonwoo and Jangmi, the heiress of the Hwang Group which hosted tonight’s party, patiently waiting while many other guests greeted them. Some tried to offer Wonwoo the chance for a higher-paying job under the Hwang Group, which he respectfully declined, meanwhile others genuinely congratulated them.

When it was your turn, the pair greeted you with such smiles that you couldn’t help but think they’d look better in a much less grandiose setting.

“Y/N! I’m so glad you could make it! You look beautiful,” said Jangmi, giving you a hug.

“Thank you, so do you! Congratulations, you two,” you said as you hugged her back.

“Thank you,” Wonwoo said.

“Thank you so much,” Jangmi said. Then she pulled back, wiping her brow exaggeratedly as she sighed, “This whole thing has been so exhausting to put together.” Then she quietly added, “Though to be fair, I didn’t do much. Of course, it was my parents’ idea, so I left most of it to them.”

You shook your head. “I don’t know how you two do it. I was just thinking you both would be much better off having a smaller engagement party, or maybe even no party at all,” you laughed.

“Yeah, no kidding,” Wonwoo laughed.

“Yeah, I almost feel bad for you, getting stuck with in-laws like mine,” Jangmi looked at Wonwoo. “Keyword: almost.”

Wonwoo reached down to hold her hand, smiling at her. “Well, I’ve known you for so long now, I knew what I was signing up for. And I don’t mind it a bit, with you.”

You smiled at them. Curious, you asked, “Come to think of it, how long have you known each other? Clearly it’s been since before I started working with you.”

“Oh, definitely,” Wonwoo said. “She and I first met in grade school.”

Your eyes widened. “Wow. Childhood sweethearts. Wasn’t expecting that.”

Wonwoo chuckled. “Yeah, her parents weren’t either. We started dating in high school. They hated me, and several years back they even tried to set up an arranged marriage to get us to break up. But we stood our ground, and eventually they came to accept me. It’s still difficult sometimes; we obviously come from very different backgrounds. But things were bound to change.”

Jangmi nodded. “Yes. They dreamed that I’d marry some high-ranking man from one of our competitors, so that they could consolidate power and gain more wealth. Over time they saw how Wonwoo truly loved me and treated me well, and gradually they softened up, but we had to fight hard for them to realize that they were not in control, especially if we wanted to stay together.”

She frowned. “There were times when we weren’t sure if our love was worth fighting for, if we could handle all the political baggage that came with me.”

Wonwoo saw the melancholy that clouded her usual cheerful disposition as she said this, squeezing her hand harder as he continued, looking at her, “Every moment was worth it. If I didn’t fight for us, I would have regretted it for the rest of my life.”

Your chest tightened. You couldn’t imagine what it was like to be in their position, but you knew what it was like to want change, while also being afraid of the heartbreak that could come as a result of it.

“I’m sorry,” Jangmi said quietly.

Wonwoo, still holding her hand in his, wiped a stray tear from her cheek with the other. Your mind flashed back to that night with Chan, holding your face as he softly wiped your tears with his thumb.

“You don’t have to apologize,” you told her gently. 

Then Wonwoo took over, steering the conversation in another direction as he said, “Anyway, come to think of it: did you bring— Chan, was it?”

You nodded. “Yep, I left him for a minute to come and congratulate you both. I’m surprised you thought to ask about him earlier. I’ve mentioned him to you on occasion, but I didn’t expect you to invite him.”

“Oh, yeah. Well, Soonyoung told me the other day that you would be more likely to show up if I invited him,” he explained.

You gasped, mocking offense as you said, “How dare he. I wouldn’t miss this for the world. Contrary to what he might think, I would like to clarify that Chan and I are not joined at the hip.”

He and Jangmi laughed.

“I’m not even kidding,” Wonwoo said. “He literally reminded me this morning to text you about it. Said you’d be all lonely without him because he was bringing a date tonight.”

“Wait, really?” You looked around the room to see if you could spot Soonyoung.

When you found him, he and Seokmin were each grabbing two glasses of wine from the table behind them, one for each hand. The guests around them stared as together they clinked all four glasses at the same time. But before Soonyoung could take a drink out of one, in came Jeonghan, suddenly swooping in and stealing it from his hand. You saw him mouth a simple “thanks” before he took a drink from it himself, leaving Soonyoung to gawk, glare, and pout all at once.

You looked back at Wonwoo.

“Which one is his date?”

Wonwoo sighed. “Hard to say.”

You made it to the corner where Chan was waiting. Chan blinked. You were walking normally. Great, so he was just delusional after all.

“Sorry I kept you waiting,” you said.

Chan shook his head. “No worries. Turns out Mingyu’s here; he came by and we chatted for a minute.” Then he tilted his head, curious, “Hey, by the way — do you know if Soonyoung and Seokmin brought anyone with them? Seungkwan told me they were going to, but Mingyu said he didn’t see them with anyone.”

You shrugged, throwing your arms up in exasperation as you said, “I don’t know anymore. One minute he’s living it up with Seokmin, the next Jeonghan is swooping in to steal his drink. Not to mention Seokmin claims to be best friends with Jun now. And now Seungkwan is friends with them? You should’ve seen the side-eye he was giving them a few days ago. This drama is too complex for my tastes — anything bigger than a love triangle and you’ve lost me.”

Chan laughed, but stopped as he realized, “Wait. Jun? He’s back?”

You giggled. “I’ll explain later,” you said. “But more importantly…”

Your eyes locked onto his. You began to slowly inch closer.

Immediately he felt breathless — because what are you doing to him? He instinctively took a single step back, but that was all as he felt your pinky brush against his, carefully lacing them together as you leaned in to whisper, your breath tickling his face.

“Why are you worried about someone else’s date? Shouldn’t you be focused on yours?”

You were so close. The smell of your perfume permeated his senses, short-circuiting his brain as he turned so red at the false innocence in your eyes he was sure you could see it. 

“I-I–” he stammered, but was suddenly interrupted by a voice over the speaker.

“Excuse me,” spoke an older gentleman. “I’m delighted to announce that the bride-to-be will now dance with her soon-to-be husband. And I’m also delighted to announce that all are welcome to join.”

Chan looked at you, and suddenly you were back to your usual self, looking at him all innocent and flustered. He wanted to laugh or smirk, like the tables were turned, but they weren’t.

He didn’t often dance with you, per say. He’s never taught you ballroom dancing or any other kind of partner dancing. But whenever the two of you danced the same choreography together, he would never run out of playful comments to use on you, to rile you up and tease you, all for the purpose of distracting you from your nerves.

You were an overthinker when it came to dancing, especially when you were just starting out. His education taught him ways to help beginners relax and avoid tightening up, but he learned that the best way to get you to loosen up was as simple as a lighthearted “Shall we dance?” followed up by a wink.

Tonight, though? He’s got nothing.

“Do… Do you want to dance with me?” he asked quietly.

You untangled your pinky from his and backed away slowly.

“Um, sure,” you said. “If you’re comfortable with it.”

“Are you?”

You shyly clasped your hands in front of yourself. “I mean, it’s just a simple slow dance, nothing complicated. And I really do want to, but uh, not gonna lie, I’m a little nervous to do it in front of so many people. Especially people I know.”

Chan furrowed his brow in thought. He had to find some way to help you relax. Without relying on any flirtatious remarks, of course, because he was already walking on eggshells around you.

The music started. You both watched as the main couple stepped into the center of the dance floor, holding hands as many others began to follow. As the room became less crowded along the ends of the room Chan caught sight of a door. It was all the way across the room in the opposite corner, so it was hard to tell where exactly it led to, but he immediately got an idea in his head.

He didn’t think twice before reaching down for your hand, holding it firmly as he pulled you along. Your eyes went wide, but you didn’t protest as the two of you walked briskly along the edge of the room. He kept guiding you, quickly passing by Joshua, Seokmin, probably some others you knew, until finally you reached the other side.

Chan turned the door knob and opened it — thank goodness it wasn’t locked or else that would’ve been awkward, huh? — then he pulled you in and shut the door behind you.

Deep down he had hoped to enter some kind of quiet, outdoor balcony under the stars, secluded from the rest of the world. Romantic, huh?

But then the chatter, the lights, all of it faded in an instant. The two of you were alone, in the dark. Everything was silent apart from the muffled music outside, including you. He couldn’t see your expression, but he could easily imagine the look of shock on your face, probably wondering why the hell he did that.

He began to fumble around, trying to feel for a light switch, moving around just a bit, backing up a little and—

“Ow! Fuck!”

“Oh my— Are you all right!?” he heard you call out.

He clutched the back of his head in pain, leaning forward—

“Ow!” you both blurted.

There was a ringing in his ears as he now clasped his forehead, feeling increasingly woozy and lightheaded. Then he only grew more disoriented when suddenly light flashed into his eyes, making him blink several times until finally he saw you before him, one hand on the light switch while the other gripped your forehead in the same way his did.

It was all so ridiculous. The two of you alone together, the hands on your throbbing heads separated by a paper-thin space, standing in a tiny supply closet with just a single dying light bulb flickering above.

Chan couldn’t help the series of chuckles that escaped him, each growing one after the other, his shoulders starting to shake as it flourished into a hearty laughter.

Your cheeks turned red, and you simply gaped at him. But in the end you joined him, bursting into laughter along with him.

He should have felt embarrassed, trying to whisk you away somewhere, away from prying eyes, just to dance with you, only to end up knocking you in the head, but with you he didn’t mind. It didn’t seem like you did either.

Once his laughter died down, he figured he may as well finish what he started.

Your laughter quieted, and you looked down at his outstretched hand.

“May I have this dance?” he asked, accompanying his cheesy words with a playful eyebrow wiggle.

You feigned a charmed look, giving a small chortle as you took his hand.

The music was over. He heard an eruption of applause, then a voice ringing in again to give some frivolous speech. It didn’t matter, because the instant you somehow pulled each other closer, your breaths mingling in this cramped closet that smelled like antiseptic, he knew he wasn’t going to let go of this moment.

His hands snaked around your waist, the smooth fabric of your dress under his fingertips  sparking a tender warmth between you, that warmth that was familiar to him, yet all the same had now kindled into something stronger. Through all the uncertainty and changes in his feelings, undeterred by the envy and fears that emerged from him as he felt your dynamic gradually shift, you were still just you, to him.

The two of you swayed together to the beat of nothing. The chatter outside settled in again, and the light bulb was blinking more frequently now, but Chan was pulled in by the steady, soft breaths you took as you eased into the rhythm of his body. When the lights were on, he tried to memorize the sight of you up close, the glimmer in your eyes as they gazed into his, your lips which tempted him relentlessly. And when they inevitably turned off again his focus would turn to the sensations of your touch on him, his mind overrun by a haze, feeling the heat of his body against yours, one hand gently resting on his shoulder while the other found its way to his, your fingers uniting with his like they were the only thing keeping him from getting lost in you.

The night was all at once as tranquil as your mornings together and as exciting as your afternoons and evenings with each other. He felt calm in your presence while also electrified by your touch. There was no technique in the way you two were moving, and that was okay. He was more than happy to simply hold you close, barely swinging from side to side in this tight space, in a daze as he lazily leaned his forehead against yours.

The light finally gave out.

“You’re a really good dancer, you know that?” he breathed.

“I learn from the best,” you returned.

Ladies and gentlemen, we got em ;)

Seokmin hit send.

Like two evil masterminds behind the greatest matchmaking scheme ever created, he and Soonyoung watched with a grin as you and Chan discreetly exited the supply closet, your cheeks flushed as you stood awkwardly in the corner, pretending to listen to the speech from the betrothed couple while sneakily stealing glances at each other.

In his very first message to the group chat, Jihoon replied: Why are you saying ladies and gentlemen? It’s all guys.

Seungkwan: What happened???

Soonyoung: they literall justv walked into the stoeage closet duringthe slow dance idk what happened but theyre hella sus rn

Jun: Are you drunk? XD

Seokmin: Yep

Seungkwan: So does that mean the plan worked??? :O

Seokmin: I think so?? They hurried off to the closet right when the slow dance was starting and seemed pretty sneaky as they were leaving. Wasn’t expecting them to even go there in the first place lmao

Soonyoung: fr theres literally a sign that syas storage

Soonyoung: wtf were they doin there anyway tho its just a closet

Jun: ... does someone want to explain?

Seungkwan: Don’t expect his drunk ass to understand

Seokmin: Just wanted to update you guys. I’ll let you know if anything else happens!!! :)

Jihoon: Please don’t.

Seokmin let out a hiccup. He was starting to get pretty tipsy himself.

“Heyyy, Seok,” Soonyoung slurred. “Wanna get in that closet with me? See what all the–” hiccup “– fuss is about?”

Scandalized, Seokmin raised his hand and slapped his face as hard as he could.

The slap echoed throughout the hall.

The two of you left pretty soon after that. After their speech, you both said goodbye to Wonwoo and Jangmi, who really were as kind and down-to-earth as you had told him. Then you got in the car and Chan started driving back to your place.

“The drama between Seokmin and Soonyoung must run deeper than we thought,” you speculated.

“Yeah. Jangmi was a real professional. She just kept going like nothing happened. I still haven’t met them personally, but if that happened at my engagement party, best believe I’d be side-eyeing them,” said Chan.

You sighed. “Those two. Utterly shameless, I tell you.”

Unlike your ride to the party, this one was more conversational. You told Chan about how Seokmin and Jun bought and helped pick your dress, updating him on Jun. You both talked about the whole Soonyoung and Seokmin bringing dates thing, coming to the conclusion that they were either lying or their dates straight up ditched them and they didn’t want to tell anyone. Neither of you thought any more on the matter.

You both danced around the subject of… the dance.

After the lights went out, you stayed like that for a little while longer until your dance slowed to a stop. He wished he could’ve seen your face;  he just stood there agonizing over what you were thinking until you quietly noted that the two of you should leave before someone comes in. Reluctantly, Chan then followed along in your overly cautious plan to exit as discreetly as possible.

You both placed your ears against the door for several minutes, trying to listen for when guests would be distracted, their attentions turned away from that door in the corner of the huge banquet hall. Boy, he didn’t put half as much thought into getting you in there as you did getting the both of you out.

Now that the two of you were alone again, he expected you to ask him about it. For the rest of the party, he had pictured in his head you asking him, “What was that all about?”, or more directly “That was not something best friends do.” In his worst case scenario, he even wondered if you might’ve regretted it.

You were never one to leave something unresolved. Whether it was problems the two of you have faced or something as mundane as an error in your code. He began to think that maybe to you this wasn’t a problem worth solving. It was just another quiet moment between friends.

Something settled in the pit of his stomach. He suddenly felt ashamed of himself. Why was he expecting you to resolve this? You didn’t owe him a response to his feelings, feelings he hasn’t even told you about. Instead he should be the one to explain why he suddenly pulled you into a tiny closet and initiated a deeply intimate — at least in his mind — slow dance. He couldn’t even muster the courage to simply tell you that the dance, this night, meant something to him, let alone admit that it was the most incredible thing he’s ever experienced.

He felt your hand on his shoulder.

“Chan?” you asked softly, noticing his despondency.

“Hm?”

“Is something wrong?”

“I was just thinking…,” Chan trailed off. “I was just thinking about how fun it would be to do that again.”

It wasn’t entirely a lie.

“The dance?” you clarified.

Chan nodded.

You tilted your head, but then gave him an understanding pat before pulling away.

“Is that why you look so sad?” You paused, laughing a little, “You know you can dance with me anytime, right? I think you’ll find the experience much more enjoyable outside of a cramped closet. Maybe, say, in my kitchen?”

He wanted to tell you that the closet actually kind of made the experience. Your suggestion, however, made his heart race. He couldn’t envision a more perfect dream than simply dancing with you in the kitchen, in the morning, at night, anywhere in between, whenever the two of you wanted.

“Either way, I give you permission to be my at-home, personal dance teacher and my dance partner in crime,” you said proudly.

“Dance partner in crime?” he asked with a laugh.

“Yep! We’ll dance the night away in all sorts of places where we shouldn’t.”

He grinned. “I like the sound of that.”

“In all seriousness though, you really have a way of calming my nerves,” you said earnestly. “I don’t know how you thought to drag me to some side room just to slow dance, but it worked.”

“I mean, to be honest I wasn’t really thinking,” he said. “You wanted to dance, I wanted to dance, neither of us wanted the crowd.”

A brief pause in your conversation, until you continued.

“Well, regardless, you really do have a knack for getting people into a sort of flow state with dancing,” you told him.

After you said that, he knew where you were going with this.

“I know we’ve talked about this before, but do you still think about teaching full-time?”

He hummed.

Chan was so grateful to have you as his biggest fan, whether it was his coffee or his side gig as a dance instructor. After college, while you were looking for your first software engineering job, he stayed at The Cozy Bloom, transitioning to full-time. You supported him in his decision to stay there.

You also supported him through the hardship he faced in his on-and-off attempts to make a living through dancing. He did countless auditions, some of which accepted him, but the busy and competitive world of performance didn’t suit him. He turned to something more administrative like dance production, but he didn’t like that either. He liked choreography but couldn’t commit to doing that full time either. In trying these other avenues, he was reminded that teaching was what he was truly passionate about, but it never paid well enough to leave the café.

In the end, it was easier to just stay at the café. It wasn’t the greatest paying job, of course, but he had grown so used to working there, and it was stable enough. Also, the café had become like a second home to him. He fostered his passion for coffee there, it was where his friends were, and it was where he met you.

At no point would he ever regret his time at the café, but he had his what-if moments, more than he would care to admit. He sometimes wondered what it would be like to be a dance instructor full-time, maybe even one day owning his own dance studio.

However, getting knocked down all over again, pursuing uncertainty; he wasn’t sure he could handle it, especially since he’s so comfortable right where he is.

“Yeah,” he said, “I think about it from time to time.”

“Do you think you’ll have any plans to give it a try again?” you asked, considerate as always.

He hummed again. “I mean, I’m pretty comfortable where I’m at right now.”

That was usually as far as this conversation went whenever it popped up between the two of you. This was the part where you nod, and then you both go back to your mutually understood silence.

But this time you kept going.

“Do you really want to stay there?”

He tilted his head. “What do you mean?”

“I just mean that if you really want to be a dance instructor, why not… why not give it a go again? Is it your dream to keep working at the café, or is that the thing that’s stopping you?”

What are you talking about?

“You know why.”

You were right there with him each time he failed, so why were you asking him this?

“So,” you said, “it’s the latter then?”

Chan sighed. He really wasn’t in the mood for your smart remarks.

“Look, I’m fine,” he said firmly, exasperated and tired. “I don’t need to go and try that again after it didn’t work out the first time. I’m fine where I am right now, okay? So just drop it.”

“... Fine.”

The tension in the air was thick as the car stopped. You didn’t say anything, and you didn’t need to in order for Chan to figure out that he really screwed up.

The walk up to your apartment was heavy and cumbersome, weighed down by tension and exhaustion. Even in the veil of darkness he could look over and see tears beginning to form in your eyes.

What the hell was wrong with him? You didn’t deserve to be snapped at like that, especially when you were just trying to help him. He felt ashamed that you bore the brunt of how dishonest he was being with himself.

When you reached down to unlock your door, he moved as quick as he could to stop you, gently grabbing your wrist.

“Wait—”

“I-I’m sorry!” you apologized, suddenly turning toward him as your tears finally spilled over.

He pulled his hand away.

“I’m sorry that I pushed you,” you uttered softly. “I just… I just want you to be happy.”

Chan watched as you wiped your eyes harshly, trying to make them stop. He felt awful, so sick, making you cry like this.

“No, I’m the one who should apologize. You had every right to call me out. I… I was lying. To myself and you,” he said quietly.

Hesitating, he tried to reach for your hands, wanting to hold them in his, but all of a sudden he felt your arms wrap around him, hugging him tightly. His surprise wore off quickly though, and he returned your hug, resting his head against your soft hair as he held you close once more tonight.

“I think you’re more aware than I am of what I want,” he whispered. “You were right. I do still hold onto those dreams I had years ago. I think I just got tired of chasing them.”

Then he rubbed soothing circles along your back, speaking softly into your hair even as a tear dropped down on it, “I’m sorry I’m such a coward.”

“No, you’re not. You’re the coolest person I know,” you laughed and sniffed, squeezing him tighter. “I’ll always support you, in whatever you decide to do with your life. If you get tired, it’s okay to stop and rest. And if you give up… I’ll just be grateful that you had something in your life that brought you joy.”

You both stayed like that, silently holding each other until your tears finally dried up.

You pulled away slightly to look at him, raising a finger in front of him as you added, “But one more thing: I’m sorry I was being kind of a smart ass.”

He chuckled.

You’re so adorable.

Another piece of his self-restraint chipped away, and he slowly moved his hands from your back to cup your cheeks, caressing them with his thumb before leaning in to place a soft kiss on your forehead.

“We should get some rest. Goodnight.”

[pocketmania]

Yoo-hoo! I've read a few of your ENA drabbles and can safely admit I love your writing! Do you think you can write a mini story of Sal Fisher(Sally Face) with a female s/o kinda like Uzi? Rebellious angsty teen w/ cool ass powers! Please and thank you :) 💜

Oooo, hellooo nazuna! Thank you so much for enjoying my writing, I truly truly truly appreciate it <3

Also AAAAAA YES a sally face request!✨️ I was honestly dying to write about SF, so this request was a miracle lol

Also also sorry for the bit of the wait!

Also also ALSO I know this may seem a but shirt, but I started doing another new formatting so the spacing isn't as big, so that's why

Now onto the thingy

‎# — So (Para)Normal

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

(🎮👻👩‍❤️‍💋‍👨☁️) - sally face oneshot

(reader type) - feminine / AFAB

(‼️warnings) - mentions of the dead

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

‧₊˚ ⋅ 𓐐𓎩 ‧₊˚ ⋅

- - - - - - -

"Watch out!"

Just as Sal opened the door to your room, a bolt of purple energy went zooming in his direction. He yelped and ducked as it went out the door. He quickly shut it before it could come back inside. He set his guitar down at the door.

"Sorry!" You apologized as you gave a small wave. Even if you couldn't see his mouth, you could tell he was smiling. Maybe it was the eyes. He came over and gave you a side-hug, noggin-to-noggin. "It's alright, (N/N)."

You giggled and put your hands in the pockets of your hoodie. It was always nice to have Sal around. However, you were currently trying to practice having "magical powers" or whatever and would prefer not to accidentally blow your boyfriend's head off.

Sally pulled away, gestured to your glowing hand, and asked, "What're you trying to do?" You looked up at him and shrugged. "Anything! As long as I know what I'm doing by the end of it."

Sal sat down on the edge of your bed as he nodded his head. "What have you figured out so far?" You sat down next to him and formed another ball of purple energy, concentrating on it so it didn't fly out of your hand again. It floated over to a bottle on your table and began to pick it up. He nodded and hummed in response. "Hm.. I see." You stopped concentrating and let it fizz out and drop the bottle. "Is that all?"

"Well," you began, getting ready to do it again. "There's that.. and this." Just as you finished, you held your breath while generating yet another ball of energy. This time, instead of acting like a telekinetic force, it exploded. It was almost blinding. Your room seemed to burst with white coloring everywhere. You could only see the silhouettes of the items in your room.

But something different happened, unlike the other times. As the ball busted, you saw a flash of a person in the corner of your room. You stopped and took a moment to collect yourself. You looked to Sal, who was as distraught as you.

'You saw that too, right?' You pointed to say.

'Oh, I definitely did.' He pointed and nodded back.

Still at a loss for words, you both got up to the specific corner with the Super-Gear-Boy. Unfortunately, the person you saw must've left the room because the Gear Boy wasn't picking anything up. But that was impossible; you SWORE you saw something, someone. And with how paranormal Addison Apartments was, you knew to trust your guts.

Sal looked to you, smiling with his eyes once again. "Well, little-miss-gear-boy, we should run all of that stuff over to Todd when he gets done with tutoring to see if that can help with ghost-hunting." You shoved him at the name and smiled back at him.

"Bite me!" You exclaimed. You ruffled his hair and laughed with him. You two sat back down and shared a nice, calm, moment talking about your ability. However, the nice moment was interrupted by your dad's yell, coming from the kitchen.

"What happened to the kitchen window?!"

"Shit."

- - - - - - -

‧₊˚ ⋅ 𓐐𓎩 ‧₊˚ ⋅

[littlemissgeek8]

WIP Word Game

Hoo boy, I've been pretty distant all week because I've been fighting a cold (thankfully it's pretty much just congestion at this point) so I've got a bunch of things to catch up on! First of all, thanks to all the people who tagged me (or like, sent out a "soft" tag for people who see their posts) in this fun little game! I tried to keep my choices from just the unpublished parts of The Viscount's Bride, but I think one or two sentences from the first two chapters snuck in.

The basic idea is to take a word and spell it out with sentences (or excerpts I guess) that starts with that letter. It was a lot of work going through almost 7k words looking for unique sentences, but I think I only wasn't able to answer one or two! So, here we go! Words (and who issued them) are at the start of each section!

"Grasp" @biowaredisasterbisexual

"Guard-Captain!" Bran said, standing at her entrance and leaving the support of the Viscount to Darvia.

Reading, maybe... did noblewomen read for fun?

"And rest assured, His Excellency will hear about this," Bran said, holding the knife in his free hand as if it were a dead rodent.

She'd been thinking about him, but she didn't really know him yet, and the more she stared at the page, the more inaccurate the sketch looked.

"Please, just give me something to do, or I'll go mad."

"Dreamer" @sandcastlekings

Darvia eagerly took the knife back and pushed down a triumphant smile.

Reluctantly she rolled off the bed and walked over to the wardrobe with her belongings.

Exploring the keep was off the table, obviously, but what else was there to do anyway?

After another several minutes of walking and another crossroads, she began to wonder if she was going in circles.

Most of the hallways were interior, too.

Each was slightly different, for darker or lighter lines respectively, and she knew them like they were her children.

"Rubbed all of us the wrong way."

"Poison" @thedissonantverses

Possible, but any stone sense was long gone from her lineage, and all she felt was trapped inside these stone walls.

"Or are all guests required to relinquish their belongings here?"

It felt like she was going insane, or the Keep was growing new hallways as she walked.

Somewhere, somewhere, in this building was her room.

On the fifth day since she'd arrived in Kirkwall, the intense boredom finally took its toll.

"Now, I don't recommend twine in the Keep--someone could get hurt--but as Viscount, I give you full permission to write on the walls so you can find your way around."

"Lethargy" @hyperions-light

Lunch was spent in her room, with a tray brought up from the kitchens.

"Excuse me?" she managed to gasp, too stunned for a longer statement.

The head on the page had started to form as she drew, gaining a heavy brow and broad jaw, shrewd eyes and an aquiline nose.

"How did I find out?" He grinned.

Another chuckle told her she'd fully incriminated herself.

(I am out of sentences that begin with R at this point XD)

“Good to know, I might have thought this was the Viscount of Kirkwall’s idea of a good time,” she teased, but the humor felt forced as it left her lips.

Yet every fiber of her training, brought on by years of practice, said he couldn't be trusted.

"Biscuit" @becausedragonage

But, he was also a grown man with his own money, and far more powerful than she.

"I'm telling you, she's the new girl!" the elf said, indignantly.

Something was pressing down on him, and Varric yanked himself to the side, trying to escape.

"Can't be, she's not his type," a human woman across the room spoke up, her dark eyes peering out from under her shaggy black bangs.

(And U is a letter I don't have at the start of a sentence at all! Points to you!)

It didn't take a genius to figure out exactly what kind of establishment this "Rose" was, and Darvia wasn't sure she liked the implications.

"To tell you the truth, I think his Excellency would probably have approved, he made such faces when she couldn't see. "

"Moonlight" @nyx-de-riva

Mending and darning she could handle, but her few attempts at needlepoint had been slow and left her with fingers that bled, and ached for ages after.

One young woman, an elf with ochre-colored skin and frizzy hair just a shade or two darker, beckoned Darvia over to sit beside her.

"Oh, and I'm Liris, by the way!"

No chance of his clothes strangling him with that wide neckline.

Liris chirped up from beside Darvia.

"I was ready to put a frog in the blonde-haired girl's sheets, she was just awful!"

Gently she took the hardest pencil, which made the lightest lines, and flipped to a blank page in her book.

"He's still unmarried at his age. He's visited the Rose."

The Viscount was her host, and it might not be expected for her to ask about his health, but at the same time she was also allegedly intended to marry him.

Phew! That was a lot of sentences, and I'm not sure who else I should tag! Maybe @mageofquandrix or anyone else who's been tagged in the rest of the page and wants another go? And of course, anyone reading this is welcome to join in too!

As for a new word, let's go with "Gossip!"

[shinysparklesapphires]

showtime precure!

chapter 2: I'm a what now?!

🎀: @baileypie-writes @harufallinwonderland

"C-Cure...Showt-time...."

Saying it out loud truly solidified how weird Luci- Cure Showtime's situation was. Within seconds she'd gone from a normal high schooler to some sort of magician??

With....really long hair...

"Are you ok?" She looked down at the cat, who still seemed a bit shaken.

"Y-yeah..." the cat looked just as confused as she did.

"SAWWWW!" The monster roared, charging towards Showtime.

"UWAAAA!" she did a flip over it, dodging the attack.

"Wow! That was so cool! How did I-"

"Showtime look out!"

She dodged another punch from the monster, hitting it with all her strength, sending it flying into a nearby wall.

"What are you doing Facade?! She has one of the ribbons! Get it from her now!"

"Sawwww...." the monster seemed tired out.

"Showtime! Use your hat!" The cat yelled.

"My huh?" She took off the black top hat she was wearing, and out popped a small wand.

"Quickly! Before the monster gets back up!"

"Right!"

She tapped the wand on the hats rim a few times, then shouted

"PreCure, Showtime finale!"

She pointed the wand at the monster, enveloping it in a light, that when it faded all that remained was a small coin.

"Grrrrr! Cure Showtime...whoever you are...I'll get you for this!"

The goth girl disappeared.

"Ok you've gotta explain, what happened to me? Why did I get all- sparkly??"

Lucia and the cat were sitting on her bed.

"My name is Reel," the cat answered.

"I don't know why it transformed you, all I know is that these ribbons-"

Reel looked at the ribbons tied around his collar.

"Whoever wears them, can have any wish the want granted."

"Wait really?!" Lucia beamed.

"I wish for a mountain of sweets!" She clasped her hands together and closed her eyes.

Nothing happened.

"You can't just wish for something out of the blue! It has to be something you really really want!"

"But I really really want sweets..."

"That's not what I-" he sighed. "Are you even listening?!"

Lucia was on her computer looking at something.

"Sorry I need to pick out my courses for the year!"

*poof!*

"How about the theater course?"

Lucia looked up from her desk, turned and saw the boy from before sitting on her bed!

"H-huh...?"

"Yeah my human disguise is the theater teacher, so if you join that, I'll be able to make sure you don't do anything irresponsible with that ribbon."

Theater! Of course! Why hadn't she thought of that before?? It was perfect! Plus, if she joined that course, she'd have all acting, tech, set design, and dance classes too!

"Alright then! Guess I'm a theater girl now!"

Reel smiled. He didn't know why, but somehow he knew he could trust Lucia to help him.

"Woo-hoo! First day of theater class! Yippee!"

"Lucia, can you please be quiet..." Reel was on the other side of the classroom, cleaning his glasses.

"So who else joined this course?" Lucia looked over at the attendance sheet on his desk.

"Dunno, only two other people signed up for the actual theater class itself. Most just signed up for the dancing part." Reel put his glasses back on.

"Um hello? Is this the main theater classroom?"

It was the pigtailed girl again, but with another girl this time.

Reel grabbed the attendance sheet.

"Yes this is the main one. Names?"

"Lyna Amaranthe." The new girl said.

"And you?" Reel looked at the pigtailed girl.

"Clemantis. Amber." The pigtailed girl muttered, putting on her headphones and sitting at the nearest table. Lyna followed suit, sitting next to her, and started doodling in a sketchbook.

"Alright. Since this is the first class, I didn't really have anything planned, since I wasn't really expecting such a small turnout. So just do whatever you want as long as it doesn't bother me I guess." Reel closed his eyes and took a nap at his desk.

Real professional.

[ruindunburnit]

Hello!! for the dn ask meme can I ask #29 and #30?

Oh my goodness I can't believe this took so long to answer!!!

29. This is a genuinely difficult question simply because there's only one bad one out there. The live action films (Death Note, The Last Name especially) struck me as so odd at first but really grew on me. The musical was outstanding of course (and I love musicals). The one that I love most though has to be the 2015 Drama, for the following reasons:

1. It took the best parts of previous adaptations and media and told the whole story in, like, 11 episodes. Goddamn.

2a. It reframed the classic story in such a fresh way that I truly recognised the solitary confinement as torture and actually *hated* L for torturing Light.

2b. It told the story beat of Light being confronted with being Kira (both times!) as an intervention -- a terrifying moment where you have to tell someone you love that what they are doing is hurting themselves and other people around you, and you cannot bear to watch them do it anymore. It turned this supernatural aspect of the story into something human and relatable in a way that amplified the drama.

2c. The way Light was forever changed by his experience with L, how he saw L and Ryuzaki as two different people - one he hates and one he only wanted to be his friend, and how he was reshaped by his confinement, reminded me of the Highsmith story 'The Glass Cell': the story of a man who left a traumatic existence in prison but can no longer live as a free man unless he is being constantly watched; he left the cell, but he us still inside it. It's a wonderful touch that told me the drama took itself seriously as crime fiction, while adding new discourse and dimensions to the whole story.

3. The cast. Masataka Kubota was pitch perfect in looks and delivery as soft-boy-turned-jagged Light Yagami, Kento Yamazaki brought the weirdo to life, and Goki Maeda as Matsuda was a sassy delight, and played so well with Aizawa. (Also, shout-out to Mogi! Loved him! And Soichiro may have not been played by Takeshi Kaga this time, or had a mustache, but that was OUR FATHER. SIR.)

4. Did I mention that it took the best parts if previous media -- literally?? The finale had whole frames that could have been copy-pasted from the manga panels (which I spotted immediately because I have read that manga too many times). And Shoko Himura (a role from the original live action films) had an impactful enough role that it made up for all the times Ryuk mocked Misa.

(Sorry, Ryuk was a low point for me. Hated him in this one).

5. Near and Mello. Hoo boy, they rocked!

6. The plot twists were excellent.

7. The fan service. You know what I mean - but then, Kubota has played enough queer characters (including a role in the film 'April Fools', alongside Death Note alum Erika Toda) that he brings it like it's just second nature.

Anyway, if you can't find the Drama (English subtitles) anywhere, let me know -- I know a guy.

30. If you know me, you know I write minor characters from Death Note like I'm the union leader getting them enough work to keep them paid to the end of the month. So I'm going to try and answer this succinctly:

If it's not the Yotsuba Group (they all have such rich inner scumbag lives!), it's Sachiko and Sayu. Those girls Need their own short story where they're the focus.

[s0mb0d7]

ok so i just read the one where reader comes out as a woman kisser to leo... i was thinking coming out as bi to leo while dating and him thinking we're breaking up with him for a girl and we reassure him??? dont have to if you dont want to, have a wonderfull day!

thank you for the submission and sorry it took a while!!

----------------------------

i swear i love you.

"no need to worry, as long as i'm with you."

slight angst

leo valdez x bi!reader

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

you love leo. but you love women too.

not anyone in specific, but you have been feeling this burning desire to love a girl, while feeling the same towards your boyfriend, leo.

it was probably the best idea to actually talk to him about this.. issue? disadvantage? you didnt know what to call it. so, after you got out of bed and made him breakfast, you sat him down to talk.

"sooo whats up?" he asked, this boy was the most clueless, silly dude you have ever known.

"theres something serious that i need to discuss with you." your tone hard, as you tried to hide the smile from the boys messy hair that you loved so dearly.

"oh.. so whats wrong..?" he said sounding unsure with his choice of wording.

"i think im bisexual, and since yo probably dont know what that means, i like men, woman, and non-binary people. this doesnt mean–"

"your breaking up with me? i know i might have messed up a couple times but i always apologized..!" he cut you off with tears in his eyes and his voice cracking.

this poor boy. he thinks your breaking up with him?

"no! no no no im not breaking up with you leo, and i dont plan to any time soon, leo. i swear i love you, and promise thats not whats happening."

he wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his sweater, and met your eyes. the latino boy looked like a lost puppy, with his still glossy eyes and helpless face on.

"then.. what do you mean? you like girls so you must like piper or annabeth or–"

"no. leo i love you and only you, besides they arent even my type!" you interrupted, as you cupped his cheek. his face lit up, and his signature elvish grin was back. man, this boys moods could change so quick for no reason. he put a hand on your cheek, and an arm around your waist as he leaned in for a deep, tender kiss.

"you swear that this wont change anything between us?" you asked him, pulling away from the kiss.

"hm– uh, yeah. i love you y/n, and i hope you feel the same.. you do, right?" his face was tinted with worry, and you just smiled. "yes, i love you so much, leo." you pecked his cheek affectionately, as the two of you got up, sat on the couch, and cuddled there for the remainder of the afternoon.

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

sorry that this was lowky bad, im half asleep writing this but more stuff coming soon!!

(requests are open!! submit pjo, hoo, and tpn!)