#hoping to get motivated to do the matching logan faces from these scenes

[gods-perfect-idiots]

Just a study of Wolverine's Emotional Support Degenerate 💛❤️

[novelnerdqueers]

Tell Me To Stay - Chapter 5

Summary :  Logan's birthday comes around and he's shocked to find out that this year someone actually not only remembered but also got him a gift.

CW: Brief mentions of nightmares, unhealthy habits

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Chapter 5:  Dinner?... Just The Two Of Us?

They drove in silence for most of the way. Now and again they would exchange glances. They drove up to the building where Logan's condo was. "This is my stop."

"Right, of course. Would you like me to walk you up to your apartment, or are you okay from here?" Roman offered.

"Um well I mean it's not like I really need help finding my place," Logan started. Obviously, he could get back home fine from here. He thought he felt Roman shrink back a little at this. It then hit him that that question probably had subtext. Of course Roman would know he was fine on his own, yet here he was wanting to spend as much time as possible with him. "But," he continued, "I'm not against the company."

Roman smiled and then climbed out of the car, walking over to where Logan was. They started walking, their footsteps matching each other. "Hey, Logan?" Roman asked quietly as he looked around the small area they were walking in absent-mindedly. "Why did you move to our department from your last one?"

"Oh well um... let's just say that not all jobs at the CSI are esteemed in the same fashion. I was the head supervisor of the archives, but no one cares about you here unless you do something on the field or closely related to the field. No matter what I did, or what I accomplished, all I was to everyone was just a pencil pusher. Which hurt because I really truly felt like I could contribute more, but no one ever took me seriously." Logan was starting to get worked up as he continued speaking. "I've been told many times to stop playing Sherlock Holmes and leave the work to the real detectives." Logan stopped walking at this point, they were standing in front of his door now.

Roman watched Logan carefully, listening to him with a thoughtful expression. "Hey," he said gently once Logan had finished speaking. His voice was low and calming as he took Logan's hand and squeezed it, gently soothing him with the grounding touch. "Look... I don't say these things to people often, but actually, you’re a pretty good investigator... A real detective would encourage others to follow in their footsteps, they clearly weren't that great if all they could do was make fun of you. You are a great person to work with and be around... it hasn't been as bad as I thought..." He was very close as he held Logan's cool hands in his own. Logan could smell his musky, sweet-smelling cologne and his comforting expression was at least doing something to ease his mind.

"Why are you telling me this... why do you care so much?" Logan couldn't help but ask. His mind was reeling from Roman's words, his heart was pounding. He'd never felt so... so... valued before, it was jarring to him. His hands felt clammy and yet Roman was still holding them.

"I care about you, Logan," Roman said. "You're a good friend. Though I do believe we got off on the wrong foot. You are a good partner; I feel like I'm not doing all the work for once. It's nice to know there's someone I can work with who I can trust with a job and know it will be done well and with a good amount of effort put into it. You'll try to get it as good as it can be, I appreciate that. You also seem to...balance me out quite well. I suppose this is my way of saying thank you." He smiled, hoping he correctly put his thoughts into words.

Logan managed to offer a small smile back, he was truly touched by Roman’s words. “Thank you, Roman… it means a lot to me to hear you say that.” Finally, he pulled his hands away, the ongoing touch was starting to feel a little too awkward. He looked down for a moment before returning his gaze to Roman’s. “I also really have grown to appreciate having you as a partner. It’s nice to feel like what I do actually matters, without having to change who I am or how I do things for all that.” An understanding seemed to pass between the two of them. “Well, goodnight I guess,” Logan spoke as he took out his keys to unlock the door, “See you tomorrow.”

Roman nodded, "Have a nice evening, Logan." He smiled, waving to him as he headed back to his car.

……………

Over the next couple of weeks, Roman found himself becoming more and more fond of Logan's presence and appreciated his sense of logic in certain situations where his enthusiasm did admittedly become a little too much. It was nice to have a friend who understood and got him the way Logan did. He tried to push away the more troubling thoughts of when he seemed to stare at Logan when he wasn't looking or some of their eye contact that lingered a little bit too long. He didn't want or need to think about that.

Never before had Logan looked forward to going to work each morning. Not that he hadn’t enjoyed the other jobs he’d had before, but he finally felt like he’d found his place within the team. He also had to admit that he really truly enjoyed working with Roman, they made a great team and that was something he’d never really experienced before.

Roman found that every day he was talking to Logan that much more and wasn't even slightly objecting to it, it was great. He felt himself smiling more, being generally happier and found his days a little brighter. The usually long days didn't feel as tedious and he found himself wanting to stay at work with Logan because home for him had a lonely feel to it that he didn't want to think about for fear that he already knew its origin. The loneliness ate away at him, attacking him during the nights. By morning, he was able to brush it off and he had the motivation to take care of himself a little better, it was a very welcome change of pace.

Logan had begun to notice a gradual change in his overall mood. He didn’t feel nearly so anxious all the time when at work and with the others, especially with Roman. Where before he would have happily rushed home the moment his day was done, he found himself hanging back to chat with Roman at the end of work. While not entirely becoming all that much more sociable, he didn’t mind the interactions nearly so much as he used to. He felt more relaxed, more upbeat, Roman’s optimistic energy was contagious and strangely attractive to him. There were even times where he found himself alone at home almost missing that feeling.

…..............

Roman walked into the office. It was a normal Friday morning for anyone else, but Roman couldn't say the same. He wore a barely noticeable frown on his face. The night before, he'd spoken to an old friend and they'd asked him about some sensitive topics. He hadn't realised at the moment, but talking about it as if everything was okay had dug up some things he'd long since buried. It didn't help that when he'd said he'd rather not talk about it, they got offended and asked if Roman still trusted them which made Roman feel bad so he'd given in and told him. As a result, he'd gotten a few hours of sleep, broken up in small intervals of the night because of the nightmares and general uneasiness that loomed over him. He was exhausted.

Logan was already busy on something when Roman arrived that day. As he heard him arrive he instinctively felt his head lift to look up at him. “Hey,” he started cheerily, Roman giving him a smile and a nod. Logan immediately felt that something was off. He’d unwittingly learned Roman’s usual mannerisms and this wasn’t one of them. It wasn’t anything huge, but still, enough that it left him with an odd suspicious feeling, he tried to brush it off. They got to work and the feeling stayed with Logan throughout the morning. Once it got around to early afternoon he just couldn’t take it anymore. He looked over at Roman to see that he seemed lost in thought, his gaze fixed on the wall. “Hey, Roman… I hope I’m not overstepping here but… are you okay?” His words seemed to startle Roman out of his stupor.

"Hmm?" he hummed, looking up at Logan. "Oh, right, uh... I'm okay, I guess, just tired. I had a rather sleepless night." He frowned, his unfocused gaze shifting from his work to look at Logan completely. "I had to have a...difficult conversation with an old friend that I didn't really want to be a part of. I suppose I didn't think it would affect me this way," he shrugged, running a hand across his face and sighing in defeat.

“Oh..” Logan wasn’t quite sure how to respond. He wasn’t exactly very good at being the comforting type. “I’m sorry to hear that. I get it though,” he mused thoughtfully. Tough conversations were a thing he’d, unfortunately, had a lot of experience with. He knew that often they were necessary, but they also left him feeling rather out of it. “I’m guessing the outcome of the conversation wasn’t exactly what you hoped for?”

"I guess you could say that," Roman hummed, taking a sip of water and skimming through his paperwork. It was a summary of the most recent crime scene they'd been to and he was struggling so much more than he usually would be. As Logan made quick work of several piles of papers, he was still stuck on the first few pages and it was almost painful.

Logan could see that Roman’s mind was just not in it today. “Do you want some help with that?” he offered, genuinely concerned at this point.

"Actually, yeah, I'd appreciate that," he smiled gratefully, letting out a yawn as Logan made his way over to his desk and stood behind him.

Logan began looking over the neglected and poor quality work, or at least poor compared to Roman's usual standard of work. Roman knew Logan didn't think lowly of his work because of his mistakes like he did, but Roman always found difficulty in actually giving himself credit when it was due.

While not being terrible, Logan could definitely tell this wasn’t Roman’s best work. “Your ideas are a little all over the place,” he spoke as he cocked his head, trying to see how the elements could be organised. “Do you mind if I take a go at rearranging a few things?”

“Yeah, of course, go for it,” Roman said, letting out a tired sigh and shifting so Logan could stand over his work. Logan then inspected the sheet in front of him, his eyes scanned over the notes. He picked up a pen and grabbed a loose sheet of paper, writing down some numbers, drawing arrows and several small notes for organizing his ideas.

Roman hadn’t quite realised, but in his tired frame of mind, he’d lost focus and was staring at Logan rather than the papers, watching the way his lips moved as he spoke, but not quite computing what he was saying. Noticing the way he held the pen, elegantly moving his hand to jot down a general summary of what he was explaining, but not quite picking up on the words that he actually wrote, being unable to focus on them.

“So yeah it’s up to you in the end, but this might help you give a better sense of direction to your notes,” Logan finished saying as he raised his head. It was at that moment that he noticed Roman staring at him. He couldn’t tell whether he was just spaced out or if he had been intently staring at him. “Hello, earth to Roman,” he spoke, hoping to break his trance. “You okay there?” At these words, Roman seemed to realize what he was doing and his cheeks flushed a light shade of pink.

Roman shook his head, trying to pull himself out of the daze he’d somehow fallen into. “Gosh, I’m sorry, Logan, I’m really not able to concentrate at all today.” he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. “I really appreciate the help. I’m usually better with my notes, but the reorganisation will really help me to find what I'm looking for faster.”

“Alright then, always happy to help.” Logan strode back to his chair to continue his work. Before doing so he glanced back up towards Roman one last time. “You know, if ever you need some more help, don’t hesitate to ask okay.” He offered him a warm smile then turned back to the papers on his desk.

Roman smiled over at him. “Okay, I won't, thank you, Logan,” he said, looking back at his work. A gentle smile stuck on his face every time he looked over at Logan or thought about his notes or the way he smiled at him. It was nice to know that there was someone like Logan that he could truly rely on.

...............................

Logan’s first few months at the precinct had flown by without him noticing. Before he knew it autumn was rolling around. It was mid-October when he walked into the office one day to a package on his desk. He strode over to his chair, utterly confused as to what it was doing there. Roman was at his desk already working. “Uh Roman, what’s this on my desk for?”

“Oh, you don’t know?” Roman smiled, standing up and walking over to Logan’s desk, a certain spring in his step which was easily recognizable. “It’s your birthday, Lo,” he beamed. “I looked into the files because I remembered seeing your birthday was at some point in October and I wanted to get you something,” he explained, leaning against Logan’s desk.

For a moment Logan was dumbstruck, somehow he’d managed to forget his own birthday. In his defense, he never really did anything for his birthday so it generally didn’t feel different from any other day. He never told anyone about it because he didn’t care for that kind of attention and was never really close to any of his coworkers for it to actually matter. “Oh um, thank you…” Logan could feel himself blushing, he was oddly touched by this attention of Roman’s.

Roman grinned, “You’re very welcome, Logan.” It was obvious now that Roman was waiting for Logan to open his present as he made his way back over to his own desk.

Roman hovered just behind him excitedly, as he slowly took back the wrapping paper which was a simple navy blue. Behind that, neatly placed wrapping paper was a book with drawings, photographs, illustrations and theories about space. Quotes from different astronomers and astrophysicists lined almost every page and it was just a very beautiful gift. He was looking for one online but couldn’t find anything he knew Logan would like. He wanted to be accurate with something Logan would actually appreciate so he’d put one together himself. He’d gotten the idea because his coworker seemed to be obsessed with space, so this gift idea was too perfect to pass up.

Logan was stunned by the present, for something that was clearly handmade it was remarkably well done. He was taken aback at how thoughtful the gift was, he was flattered but wasn’t entirely sure what to think of it. “Wow Roman, I-... thank you.” Logan looked up at him and smiled, “This must have taken you quite some time and it’s pretty good too.” He flipped through the pages, carefully running his fingers over the different images and quotes. The attention to detail was pretty spot on and he could appreciate that. “How did you know that I was such a space nerd?” Logan was slightly confused as to how Roman had known this in the first place.

Roman fought the urge to be slightly disappointed at Logan's reaction. By now, Roman was aware that his partner just expressed feelings differently than he did and Logan did say he liked it...in his own way, which was a plus. He just didn't react the way Roman imagined or was used to when he made something for one of his friends. "Oh, um, there are a few things on your desk that are space-related and you've mentioned something along those lines a few times. Since you seem like the type of person to talk about things you find interesting very rarely I figured it must be important to you."

“Oh, right, yes.” Logan looked towards his desk and had to acknowledge that he did indeed have incriminating evidence of his special interest in space. “I guess I don’t usually notice that kind of stuff.” He had a small moment of guilt at realizing that he wouldn’t have really been able to say what Roman was interested in, despite their being coworkers for a while now. He put the book down and turned to his work.

Roman nodded, with the type of person that Logan was he didn’t expect that kind of thing to be extremely noticeable to him. Roman himself, had always been the type of person to pick up on small things about a person, even very soon after meeting them. However, he could understand that not everyone did that and it was more difficult for some, which he assumed was the case with Logan. As he sat in his chair, finishing the rest of his work, he tried not to feel disappointed at the lack of reaction and instead focused on the fact that he’d still done it. It had actually been fun to learn and teach himself about the topic to get accurate facts.

As they continued on their work for the day, Logan would now and again glance at his bag where he’d placed the book Roman had gifted him. As much as he wasn’t surprised that this was the sort of thing Roman did for people, he hadn’t thought they were close enough to warrant such a personalised gift. The day went on and when the end of the day rolled around Logan gathered his things to go home. “So see you tomorrow Roman.”

Roman smiled, he'd been thinking and throughout the day he decided that a birthday dinner might be more Logan's speed. They could talk and get to know each other a little better, which was something Roman wanted to do since Logan was such an interesting and mysterious person to him. "Uh wait up, Logan," he called, picking up his bag and slinging it onto his shoulder, a slight spring in his step as he hurried to catch up to him. "Would you like to go out for dinner, maybe? You know, because it's your birthday and all?" he beamed, doing up the clasp on the side of his bag and looking back up at Logan, a goofy smile on his face.

Logan stopped abruptly, a blank look on his face. This was a first and he wasn’t exactly sure how to respond. “Um, yeah I, uh, sure ok,” he stuttered out, feeling rather flustered by the prospect. He’d never gone out for dinner with a colleague, much less for his birthday. His mind was in social panic mode but he tried his best not to seem rude, he really did appreciate Roman after all.

At this, Roman's smile softened, his hand going to the cuff of his sleeve to arrange it as he turned to Logan. "Hey, don't worry. There's a small low-tone café nearby, it's nice and I just thought you might like to go out for your birthday rather than staying in. Not that I'm assuming you don't already have plans. You don't have to though, it's just an offer," he smiled warmly. "You're my friend, or at least I like to think we're relatively close, and I'd hate for you to have to spend your birthday alone." he finished, pulling his phone out and checking through it, noticing a text from Patton and a few emails.

Logan would have wanted to be able to protest, but the truth was that he indeed had no plans. He still wasn’t entirely sure why Roman was being so chummy, he really wasn’t the most interesting person to be around. In the end, he really didn’t have anything better to do, so he might as well go along. It would give him something to tell his therapist to get him off his back for not being social enough. “Well thank you, I don’t usually do stuff like this, but I guess it could be fun.”

"It's no pressure, honestly, everyone needs to have fun once in a while," Roman grinned, reaching up and pushing the hair from his own face before continuing to speak. "It isn't like this is a date, Logan," he smiled, lifting his head from his phone and looking over at him.

An immediate flush came across Logan’s cheeks at this remark, he looked away from Roman nervously. Why did he have to say that? Logan had struggled with his sexuality for a long time and he still was rather uncomfortable talking about it. At this point, it was pretty clear where Roman stood on the matter, but he had yet to say anything in that respect. “Um.. yeah.. sure ok,” Logan attempted to chuckle but it was rather half-hearted. Nonetheless, he followed Roman to his car.

**This story is part of the LLF Comment Project, (https://longlivefeedback.tumblr.com/llfcommentproject) which was created to improve communication between readers and authors. This author invites and appreciates feedback, including: short comments, long comments, questions/theories, constructive criticism, reader-reader interaction.

*** Tag list (let us know if you would like to be added or removed): @crossiantgay

[wickedbarnes]

Romeo and Juliet | Ted Logan x Reader

A prompt by the lovely @ringa-starr. Thank you for sending this one in! Hopefully I gave it the justice it deserved.

NOTE: I'm very sorry if my portrayal of Ted isn't accurate to the one in the movies. I promise I'll try and do better.

WARNING: Fluff. Slight Angst.

--

Ted took a deep breath as he bounced his leg nervously as he awaited the result regarding his audition for Romeo. But he wasn't alone. You and Bill were also waiting with him. You had auditioned for the part of Juliet while Bill had also auditioned for the part of Romeo. For Juliet, it was down to you and another student while Bill and Ted were the ones competing for the role of Romeo.

In all honesty, Ted wouldn't mind if Bill got the role. He was his best friend after all. But somehow, he hoped he'd be the one getting it considering he wants to do the play with you, if ever you'd be the one getting the role of Juliet but that's already a question he knew the answer of.

Ted was never a fan of theatrical plays nor did he master the art of acting. But he pushed himself through and did his best to rehearse for this play. He couldn't afford making mistakes, he was determined to get this part. However, his thoughts have abruptly stopped the moment Mrs. Atkins, the play director, called you and the other girl back inside the audition room.

It didn't take that long before you bursted out of the audition room, yelling in victory while having the biggest smile on your face. You didn't even give a second thought on hugging both your best friends excitedly before pulling away and taking a deep breath.

"I got the part!" You beamed, causing Ted to smile widely at you before both him and Bill did their infamous air guitar gesture.

"That's most excellent, Y/N! You deserve it!" Bill ruffled your hair while Ted reached over to pinch your cheek affectionately. But the celebration was cut short when the Director called for his and Bill's name.

Upon taking another deep breath, the duo made their way inside and closed the door behind them before sitting down on the chair infront of the Director and the two others that were also going to manage the play.

"Both of you are surprisingly good at acting. I think the both of you excerted more effort than the ones who have auditioned earlier but of course, we only have to pick one for the role of Romeo." Mrs. Atkins began as she looked down at the list that she had in her hands before averting her eyes back to the two boys in front of her.

Ted looked down at his hands as he bit his bottom lip nervously and let out a breath before he began to chant silently in his head.

Please be me, please be me, please be me, please be me, please be-

"Congratulations, Mr. Preston Esq. You'll be starring as Romeo for the play." Ted immediately looked up at Mrs. Atkins who had reached over to shake Bill's hand. Bill gasped in surprised and quickly jumped up from his seat, shaking Mrs. Atkins' hand along with the others and thanking them profusely.

"I'm sorry, Ted. You were really good, I have to be honest with that. But we just found something in Bill that we didn't quite find in you when you were portraying Romeo. You would've been a great Romeo. You would've matched well with Y/N!" Mrs. Atkins gave Ted an apologetic look but Ted immediately smiled at him and shook his head.

"Nonsense, Mrs. Atkins. My buddy Bill here deserves to get the part. The experience I got from audition has been most triumphant." Ted did a fancy bow that made the people in front of him chuckle.

As they got out of the audition room, Bill immediately made his way towards you and hugged you excitedly while Ted chose to fall behind, a small smile tugging on his lips as he watched how excited you were that Bill got the part.

"Congratulations, dude. I'm sure you're gonna be excellent out there. And of course, you too, Y/N." Ted smiled as Bill threw his arm over his shoulder.

There was no doubt Bill deserved to get the part. But deep down, he was hoping it'd be him. He had this plan, you see. That he'd finally confess his feelings to you after the whole ordeal. And the fact that there was a kissing scene in the play only motivated him to push for the role. After that, he'd ask you out to the upcoming prom.

But it seems that fate had other plans.

--

It had been a few weeks since you and Bill had been casted for the role of Romeo and Juliet. And that meant you two spent more time together doing rehearsals. And that also meant less time with Ted. Ted had tried his best to understand your side but he couldn't help the fact that he felt as if he was being pushed away.

He also tried to ignore the pain in his chest whenever Bill would rehearse his lines to you, acting as Romeo and looking at you with these eyes while saying such affectionate words. But it was hard. It resulted to him being easily irritated and quite distant. But it only angered him more when it seemed as if you and Bill were too busy to even notice how he's doing.

It was the night before the much awaited play. And despite how upset Ted got over the whole situation, he promised he'd be there somewhere in the auditorium watching the play. He wouldn't miss it for the world. He knew how hard you and Bill worked for it. But the feeling of jealousy still hasn't left his body. Ted somehow felt selfish.

"I'm so nervous, Ted. What if I mess up? What if people aren't satisfied with my performance?" You sighed deeply and looked up at Ted with your bright doe eyes, "I worked so hard for this, I can't afford to make a mistake."

Ted's heart softened at the sight of you. You were wearing the most beautiful dress he had ever seen. Your hair and makeup done to perfection and it only made him fall for you even more. You looked like an angel.

"Y/N, that's bogus. Stop being so hard on yourself. I know you'll do great, I just do. Don't stress yourself out too much and enjoy your time out there. As long as you're happy with what you're doing, people will enjoy your performance." Ted smiled and tucked a loose piece of hair behind your ear.

"How would you know that?" You asked and Ted would stare at you with this look on his face. Seriousness etched on his features as he replied.

"Because I believe in you. I always have." His words definitely caught you off guard. Ted wasn't one to be so serious but there were times that he was. And his words of encouragement made your stomach do a back flip.

"I don't know what I'd do without you, Ted Logan." A smile made its way to your face and Ted did too. But deep down, he knew you had only meant those words platonically.

"Now go be excellent out there."

--

After bidding both you and Bill good luck, Ted had situated himself in a seat that wasn't too far nor too near the stage. He was excited yet nervous to watch the play. But once it started, Ted found himself completely enamoured with the story and with you. Your beauty was unlike no other and the fact that the light was hitting your features so perfectly was only adding up to the fact that you were indeed the prettiest of the bunch.

But then, the kissing scene began.

Ted found himself gripping his seat tightly as he watched Bill cup your face as he slowly leaned in. His jaw clenched the moment your lips touched and letting it move in sync. Ted shouldn't be jealous. He shouldn't but he couldn't help it. The scene in front of him was becoming a blur and he now realized that tears were forming in his eyes and almost immediately, he stood up and made his way outside of the auditorium in a hasty pace.

You had seen the whole thing. But didn't see the how heartbroken Ted looked before he walked away. You had willed yourself to push through because the last thing you wanted was to mess up just because you got distracted. Somehow, along the way up until the play had finished, you hoped for Ted to come back. But his seat remained empty.

After all of the cast had bowed down, you looked at Bill but it seemed as if he didn't even notice Ted's untimely departure. Once you all got backstage, you immediately your way to your corner and quietly shed a tear until you heard Bill approaching you with the happiest look on his face.

"That was the most triumphant play I've ever done! Congrats to us, dudette!" He beamed and his energy caused you to smile a bit.

"Congrats to us." You replied, engulfing Bill in a hug before he let go of you and looked around.

"Where's Ted?" He asked confusingly and upon the mention of his name, anger and sadness bubbled inside you.

"He walked out." You said, your hands clenching into fists.

"What?"

"He walked out. I saw him earlier after we did the kissing scene." You sighed and felt your tears welling up in your eyes, "I thought he wanted to watch us, I thought he said I was good. I thought he was only going for a bathroom break but he never returned."

You were so proud with the work you've done with Ted that you just couldn't wait to show him. All the times you've spent apart from him, you had silently promised it'd be worth it. You wanted to make him proud, to impress him even. You had silently hoped that maybe after this play he'd be able to see you as something more... something more than a friend.

But maybe you were wrong.

"Let me find him, Y/N. He's not like this at all, it's so heinous and very bogus. Stay here and I'll-"

"Bill!" Bill looked back and saw his parents waving excitedly at him. Sighing, he put a comforting hand on your shoulder before he walked over to them.

The unsettling feeling in your stomach irritated you and you found yourself making your way past everyone, trying your best to acknowledge the ones who congratulated you. Once you made your way outside the auditorium, the wind gently hit you causing your white dress to flow freely with the wind.

Your eyes scanned the area until you had eventually found Ted's familiar figure sitting on a nearby bench, his back turned towards you. Taking a deep breath, you angrily marched your way to him until you were standing by his side, seeing that he was slouched forward, arms resting on his thighs while he absentmindedly fumbled with a piece of grass.

"How could you? I thought you said you were going to watch the play, Ted. I thought you said I was good. I thought you were going to support Bill and I tonight!" You exclaimed, "I worked so hard on that play and I was so excited for you to see it and what did you do? You walk out! That's such an asshole move, Ted. So... so heinous of you!"

Your outburst only caused Ted to chuckle, seeming as that was the first time he had heard you talk like him and Bill. But this angered you more.

"Are you even listening to me, Theodore?! God, you're not even looking at me!"

"Because if I do, I don't know if I can stop myself, Y/N, and I don't want to do something that might ruin our friendship!" Ted backfired causing you to snap your mouth shut as he turned his head up to look at you.

The sight of you in a flowy white dress caused Ted's mouth to go dry. You looked so fucking beautiful and he had no idea how to deal with it. And with the way the moonlight was delicately hitting your face made everything so complicated.

"What do you mean, Ted?"

Ted let out a scoff at your question as he stood up and frustratedly ran his fingers through his long, thick mop of hair.

"Y/N, I couldn't watch the play for any longer, not because I'm not proud of you, not because I don't think you're any good. But because I couldn't stand you kissing Bill."

"Ted, it's just acting-"

"I know it's just acting, Y/N, that's the thing! But for the life of me, I can't seem to fathom the image of you kissing someone that isn't me." Ted had let the words out before he could even think them through, "The moment you kissed Bill on that stage, I felt like my heart's gonna burst with jealousy. It was very heinous of me, I know. But what I'd give anything to be in Bill's place."

You stood frozen on your spot, trying to decipher whether you were hearing Ted's words right. You had discreetly pinched your thighs to try and wake yourself up from his dream but realized this was all reality.

"Why do you think I wanted to play Romeo so bad? Why do you think I did my best to get that role? I wanted so badly to do that play with you but I know I shouldn't be selfish so when Bill got it, I had no choice but to be happy for him. God, Y/N, you have no idea how deep I am in this because of you. I was even going to ask you to go to prom with me!"

A gasp escaped your lips but Ted took your reaction in a negative way. In his mind, he already knew you were going to reject him. Why would someone like you go out with someone like him? He was lucky he got the chance to be friends with you. In his mind, he was nothing special, he was too weird and he felt as if he wasn't even that smart. You deserved someone much better than he is.

"Ted..."

"No, Y/N, I get it. I know what you're going to say. But before this friendships ends, I just want to let this out of my chest." He took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again, his warm chocolate eyes looking back into yours.

"Ted..." You said once again, trying to get his attention when he began to take a step closer to you.

"Y/N. I, Theodore Logan, am incredibly, deeply, excellently in love with you. I have been ever since you bought me my favorite snacks when I got upset even when it was raining. I have been ever since I found out how adorable you look when you snort whenever you laugh. Or how you silently sing to yourself whenever you do your homework or that one time you saved a dog from getting hit by a car. No part of you is worth calling bogus. And with all the babes I've seen here in San Dimas, you're the only one that matters."

You hadn't known what came over you but one moment you were standing in front of your dorky best friend and the next your lips were suddenly on his. You could tell how shocked Ted was by the sudden action but he soon relaxed and reciprocated your kiss, moving his lips in sync with yours. His kiss was gentle yet firm and passionate. It was as he was desperate to kiss you more but was afraid to scare you away.

Soon enough, you pulled away and tried to catch your breath, resting your forehead against his as a smile made its way to both your faces.

"Bogus, Ted. What took you so long?" You giggled, a soft blush making its way to your face as Ted laughed giddily in response.

"Lack of courage. But it's all worth since this is the most triumphant night of my life, my Juliet." His words made a melodius laugh escape your lips as you threw your head back in laughter.

"Such a dork you are, my Romeo." You smiled just as Ted leaned in to press another kiss on your lips, his arms wrapping around your waist.

However, you soon broke away when you heard someone yell in surprise.

"Woah!" Bill looked back and forth at the both of you, his face contorted into a look of shock while you and Ted had the same look on your faces. Neither of you said anything until the duo did their infamous air guitar gesture.

"Excellent!" They said in unison as you stood there laughing and shaking your head at your best friend and hopefully new boyfriend, Ted.

[sign-from-god-complex]

cloud nine

Summary: It was the closeness Virgil liked about it—a kind of passive affection that soothed over the cracks in your soul if just for a moment, long enough for you to relax and breathe. Maybe it didn’t solve everything, maybe it didn’t solve anything, but Virgil thought it was a good place to start.

Or, in the words of my qpp, “Virgil deals with everything by taking a nap. His boyfriends use this to calm him down. He’s gay.”

Pairing: LAMP

Warnings: Description of a panic attack, anxious thoughts (and in that, a very brief mention of drugging and kidnapping) and food mention.

A/N: Logan is the little spoon and yes, I will die on that hill. Also the irony of the premise of this fic being naps and cuddling—two things I do not enjoy—is not lost on me.

AO3 Link

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

"Nap with me?"

Virgil watched Patton's head snap up from where he'd been glaring down at the kitchen counter, the remnants of his baking now mostly cleared away and cupcakes cooling by the oven. Virgil wasn't even sure he'd realised he’d been doing it—some sort of absent-minded projection of his emotions onto the cold marble, as if it were to blame for all that he was feeling—but the glare was gone now. 

"What was that, honey?" Patton asked, his grin big and completely fake. Virgil could see the lines of exhaustion in every inch of his body—the physical manifestation of weeks of overworking and denial.

Virgil wandered further into the kitchen from the doorway he'd been standing in, tucking himself into Patton's chest. It barely took a moment for Patton to wrap his arms around his boyfriend, soft and close and safe, and Virgil could feel the warm glow in his chest increase. He hoped Patton's was doing the same—anything to replace the sadness he knew resided there.

Virgil pressed a kiss to whatever part of his boyfriend he could reach, already feeling almost drunk off of the contact. "Nap with me."

It was Virgil's way of saying, "I want to be near you," and they both knew that, except this time maybe it was for Patton more than himself. Virgil despised seeing any of his partners upset—there was almost nothing worse—and he couldn't do much to try and cheer them up, but he could do this.

There was a moment where Virgil worried Patton was going to protest, claim that he was fine or that he wasn’t very tired—both things Virgil knew to be a lie. Patton just sighed though, heavy and low, and Virgil knew from that that the fake grin was gone—probably had been since the moment he curled up in his arms.

"Yeah, alright, sweetie. I can do that."

Virgil pulled back enough to grab Patton's wrists, barely leaving a moment without some sort of contact, and dragged him over to the couch. Patton followed him patiently with his mask half-cracked, bits of weariness and fatigue shining in through his soft expression.

Throwing himself down, Virgil pulled Patton on top of him and after a moment of trying to get situated he was able to exhale. He could feel Patton's warmth all around him, the soft, chaste kisses he placed against his skin and the exhale of his breath as he relaxed for the first time that afternoon.

"I love you," Patton mumbled, nuzzling the back of Virgil's neck. The gesture was gentle and kind of silly and Virgil smiled softly, melting even further into Patton's embrace.

"I love you too."

Patton hummed in contentment, lazy and full of adoration, and it was barely any time at all before the two of them had fallen asleep.

—————————————-

"Nap with me?"

It was the first thing Virgil had said upon Logan answering the door and although he wished that maybe he had built up to it, he couldn't feel particularly remorseful. It was what he had come here to ask.

Logan blinked at him for a moment, seeming mildly caught out, before finally pulling open the door further and granting Virgil entry to the room.

Logan's bedroom was a mess. There were markers scattered all over the desk as well as shoved into the rubbish bin, scrunched up bits of paper littered all around the floor and a giant poster board shoved onto the bed, half filled up with numbers and graphs Virgil didn't understand the significance of. He could physically feel the stress in the room, filling up the air and pressing down on the two of them as they stood there.

Virgil watched his boyfriend sigh, running his hand through his hair before speaking. "Virgil, I'm very sorry, but I cannot. I simply have too much work to do. Why not go t-"

"No one's seen you in days, L." 

Virgil's interruption was met by a look of shock and guilt—something that only flitted across Logan's face for a moment before he composed himself. Virgil could see the tension in his shoulders though, the restlessness of his hands wanting for something, anything, to do. So, he wasn't fooled.

"Please, nap with me?" Virgil let his voice break slightly, let some of the worry shine through in his words and watched Logan's expression soften.

He stepped forward, wrapping his arms around Logan's waist but keeping his face in sight—noting his dry, bitten lips, the bags under deep, brown eyes and the way that they shone with unshed tears. He didn't say anything. Instead, he cupped his boyfriend's cheek in his hand, pressing their foreheads together.

"I- yes. Okay," Logan whispered, words exhaled into the small space between them and Virgil closed that gap, if only for a moment.

The kiss was soft—so delicate and light that you could almost question whether it had happened at all—but the love it exuded was more than enough compensation. There were definitely tears now, Logan's shoulders drooping and his cheeks wet and Virgil moved to wipe them away, touch as light and delicate as the kiss itself.

"My room?"

Logan nodded, expression almost dazed—drifting somewhere in a space beyond deadlines and scripts, filled instead with the softness of Virgil's touch and the warmth of his body.

Virgil's almost certain Logan didn't register the movement to his room until they'd already arrived, Logan curled up against his chest and Virgil's hand running through his hair as he let his boyfriend cry. He muttered quiet reassurances, love confessions spoken in words you might not expect and barely registered the slow, steady breathing of his boyfriend as he too fell asleep.

——————————-

"Nap with me?"

"Virgil, what in the world are you doing?!" Roman yelled, shoving him out of the way just in time for the arrow that was speeding past to spear into the tree behind them. Virgil took a moment to enjoy the warmth of Roman's hands against him but a moment was all he was afforded as Roman pulled back to resume the battle.

Virgil ran up towards him, ignoring the way the clashing of swords edged into his brain and made him wince. Everything was so loud—the yelling and fighting permeating every inch of the forest clearing—and Virgil's head was throbbing, but he had a mission here and he couldn't let his panic get in the way.

"Roman, stop the scene!"

Roman threw Virgil a glance over his shoulder, sparing only a moment to try and figure out his motives before bringing his attention frontwards again. "What are you talking about?! It doesn't work like that!"

"Yes, it does, I know it does!" His words were tight now, tense and desperate.

He shut his eyes in an attempt to gain some sort of balance in his surroundings but it only seemed to make everything louder—the distant sounds now touching up against his skin, prickling and hot and impossible to ignore. He fell to the ground but it barely even registered, sounds piercing his gut and every inch of his body tense and shaky.

"ROMAN, STOP!"

His voice echoed throughout the clearing and in an instant, everyone was gone.

Virgil wasn't even sure if it was him or Roman who had done it but it didn't feel like it mattered now as Roman knelt beside him, hands tightly holding his own and whispering apologies into the now quiet clearing. Virgil wanted to reassure him that he didn't need to apologise, he just needed to listen, but all he could get out were gasps as he tried to bring himself back to a state of calm.

After a moment Virgil could feel tapping against his skin—one, two, three, four, pause; one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, pause; one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, pause—and he held his breath, trying to follow along despite his body screaming for more air. He could hear Roman letting out bits of praise amidst Virgil's heaving breaths, reassuring him how well he was doing and how perfect he was and how much he loved him and Virgil gripped his hands tighter, trying not to cry.

By the time Virgil could breathe again his entire body was sore, his muscles weak and his head still pulsating with every movement. He released the grip he had on Roman's hands, letting them fall away and wincing slightly as he drew back entirely, sapping away the warmth Virgil had been soaking up.

"I'm sorry, darling, I should have listened to you." His head was hung, shame and self-directed anger radiating from his posture. Virgil maybe would have smacked him if he'd had any energy left in his body. 

"It's not your fault, princey."

Roman's head snapped up as he began to protest, "But, I-"

"It's not." Virgil sighed, pushing Roman back until he was laying on the grass beneath them. "I'm the one who decided to come into your realm in the first place; I knew this might happen."

He curled up beside him, head resting on Roman's chest as it rose and fell with his breaths, slowly matching the rhythm with his own as a hand found its way into his hair. It wasn't the most comfortable place to take a nap but Virgil could already feel himself getting drowsy, the panic attack having drained away all of his regular nervous energy and leaving him with nothing but drooping eyelids and heavy limbs.

"You don't have to come out here and fight a dragon witch or whatever to be important, you know?" Virgil murmured, words slurred and filled with much more meaning than expected, "You're important to us. You help us every day just by being around, you don't need to do anything more than that."

Virgil could feel the way Roman froze underneath him, taking a slow, deliberate breath and letting it out almost silently. "I'll try to remember that."

There was clear affection in his words, gratitude and a sense of peace he hadn't had moments before. Virgil let himself smile. 

"Good," he hummed, snuggling in even closer to his boyfriend before shutting his eyes and letting sleep overtake him.

————————————-

"Look, all I'm saying is that this is a terrible idea."

Virgil spun around on his heel, pacing back the other way towards the kitchen, before spinning around again. 

He could hear Logan sigh and Virgil ignored the uncomfortable feeling that shot through his chest at the prospect of having annoyed his boyfriends. He knew they'd get sick of his constant worrying someday, but that didn't mean he was at all prepared for it to happen.

"It's far too late to back out now, Virgil," Logan commented, flipping through Thomas' vacation itinerary for the third time that evening, "and I can promise you, everything is going to be perfectly fine."

"You can't promise me that, though. You don't know what could happen; you can't see the future! What if Thomas gets drugged? Or kidnapped?!" Virgil's eyes were wide as he spun to face his boyfriends. "Does anyone remember what to do if you get locked in the boot of a car?!"

Patton laughed nervously as Virgil went back to his pacing, fidgeting with the edges of his cat hoodie and offering his boyfriend a smile—wobbly, unsure, he wants to break up, they all hate you. "Now, kiddo, I'm sure none of those things will happen, it's just a trip!"

"But you can't be sure!" Virgil yelled, throwing his hands up to tug at his hair.

He wished his thoughts would shut up for once in his life but, of course, he could never be granted such mercy. He was Anxiety—a plague, a terror, a dark side—and that was all he was ever going to be. He was never going to get any better and they were going to realise and hate him just as much as they had before and he was going to be all alone the way he deserved to be. They were too good for him, he should just break up with them right now so they didn't have to-

"Come nap with us."

Virgil froze mid-step, eyes filling with tears almost involuntarily as he glanced over at Roman. He was curled up on the couch next to the others, his expression kind and soft and Virgil wanted to cry but he felt like he wasn't allowed to.

"What?"

Roman rose up from the couch, making his way around the coffee table to stand in front of him. "Come nap with us, sweetheart. We want you here, exactly as you are."

Suddenly, Virgil didn't seem to have much of a choice on whether he was going to cry or not.

He felt his legs give out beneath him as he fell to the ground, Roman barely managing to surge forward and catch him before he crumpled into a sobbing heap on the floor. He gripped tightly at his boyfriend, tugging him in as close as he could possibly get, face pressed into Roman's shoulder and wetting his shirt with his tears.

There was heat against his back and sides—Logan and Patton having stumbled their way off the couch to comfort him—a hand in his hair, one rubbing against his back, kisses against his skin. It was overwhelming but it was so perfect. Every action was filled with so much warmth and affection and Virgil never wanted it to end, wanted to stay pressed between his boyfriends' bodies and drowning in their love for as long as he continued to live.

It simultaneously felt like eons and only a few seconds before they all drew back, prompting an embarrassing whine to leave Virgil's mouth without his permission. Patton shushed him, giving quick kisses to the now near-dried tear tracks on his face.

"It's alright, we're just going to move, love," Virgil heard Logan whisper from behind him, pressing a soft kiss to the back of his neck that made Virgil shiver.

Patton grasped his hands, pulling him up and over to a mountain of pillows and blankets Virgil was almost certain hadn't been there before, as the other two trailed after them. Virgil smiled as Patton pulled the two of them down into the pile, wrapping him up tightly in his arms and giving a sort of satisfied hum.

"No fair! I wanted to cuddle the emo nightmare!"

Virgil glanced up to see Roman standing above the two of them, hands on his hips and pouting. Logan was standing beside him, wearing an expression not too dissimilar from his, "I-can't-believe-I'm-in-love-with-this-idiot" look, if only a bit softer.

Patton's arms tightened around Virgil as he pressed a kiss to his cheek, making Virgil blush. "Nope! You had your turn, Ro, he's mine now."

"I believe I haven't had a proper chance to cuddle with Virgil either, Patton," Logan interjected, a ghost of a smile on his face, "What determined that you should be the one to go first?"

Virgil laughed—the happiness bubbling up inside him begging to be heard and interrupting whatever Patton had been about to reply. "How about you both just come down here and I'll cuddle all of you, sound good?"

There were certainly no complaints from his boyfriends, Roman throwing himself down onto the pillows on Virgil's other side, bouncing slightly as he landed and wrapping his arms as much around him as he could with Patton still holding on.

Logan, rather than simply flinging himself onto the others the way Roman had, crawled his way over. He wormed himself into Patton and Virgil's embrace until he had successfully managed to get Virgil to pull him against his chest, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. Patton looked mildly put out by this intrusion, but was quickly pacified by Logan's lips against his, firm but loving as he pulled Patton closer towards the two of them.

"Go to sleep now, my dear," Roman whispered, tangling his fingers into Virgil's hair. He could feel the arm Roman lay on top of him moving slightly, his fingertips swirling patterns into the skin on Logan's hip.

The warmth was intense—Virgil could feel contact from his boyfriends on almost every part of his body—but rather than feeling crushing, it felt caring. Each brush of hands against his skin and every word exhaled into the air around them adding to the sensation of love that Virgil just couldn't shake. 

One by one the movements slowed to a stop, breathing steadying out as each of them lost their grip on consciousness. Virgil was the last to go, relaxing with a sigh as he let his eyes flutter closed. After all, he was safe here, safer than he had ever felt before.

Snuggled between each of his boyfriends, Virgil had never slept so well.

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

tag list: @mutechild @super-magical-wizard @shadowsfromthesun @teadays @sandersships @mctaetae613 @autism-goblin @deadlyhuggles6 @romanthestarstruckqueer @whispers-stuff-in-your-ear @rainboots-are-for-snobs @sanders-and-sides @spirits-in-my-thoughts @hhhhhhhhhhfjaskfsagfhasfgdsakfsa @autistic-virgil @happysingingturtles @figurative-falsehood @jadedfantasies231 @idosanderssidespromptssometimes @poisonedapples (plus, @dr-gloom you wanted to be tagged!)

[crazyfreckledginger]

Donald Pierce x Reader - “Tainted Heart” [Part 2]

When you confront your boyfriend about how secretive he is being, he finally tells you what his actual job is. Understanding that the side of him you fell in love with was only a lie, you ban him from your house but find it more complicated to let him go when you discover something that would change your future completely. Donald reappears a few days later, trying to make amends, will you be able to forgive him?

Requested by 3 anons: “Can I request a Donnie fic where the reader has been dating him for a while and they live together and everything but he doesn’t tell her exactly what he does and she starts to think that he’s cheating on her when he has to go out for meeting and shit, you can the ending angsts or fluffy”

“Hey can I request a really angsts Donald pierce bit, where basically the reader and Donnie get in an argument and it’s a proper screaming match and they don’t talk to each other for s bit, you can end it how you want but I thought it would be a fun idea because I’m really in the mood for some angst”

“Can u write sth with donald pierce and reader where donald comes into their house out of nowhere with logan laura and professor x to help them hide just like the scene from avengers age of ultron? (Reader is pregnant)”

A/N: I COMBINED THREE REQUESTED INTO A TWO PART SERIES, I’M A GENIUS!! Not really

Warning: violence, language, fighting, angst.

Hugging the pillow on her lap, the girl’s eyes stayed on the TV screen. She didn’t know what to do with herself and thankfully, her boss was kind enough to give her a few days off. 

Her mind had wandered, far from the movie, and towards her boyfriend -- well, ex-boyfriend.

A frustrated sigh escaped her lips, this sucks, big time!

Her crying only picked up at how everything was a lie, she couldn’t believe everything their relationship was built on was only fake, the work he did made him a lot of money, she just thought he strived at his job, not that it was so illegal it paid so well.

(Y/N) was dating a monster, a heartless beast that entertained himself with guarding abused children that were to be turned into weapons. 

She didn’t know if it was the crying or watching TV so early in the morning and eating something she wasn’t supposed to but she felt her stomach churn and before she could realise what she was doing, her feet were instinctively racing her towards the bathroom. 

Her hands gripped the toilet seat and she threw up bitterly. After emptying her stomach, she slumped against the wall and sat there for a few moments. 

It started a few days before she confronted her boyfriend, so two days after he left for that horrible job of his. 

Her time of the month was in a while, so she had no way of knowing if it was delayed or not.

The only thought that itched her, the constant vomiting that felt too foreign to be any type of food poisoning, the very active sexual life she had with Pierce. 

It wouldn’t hurt her if she got herself tested right? Only two tests to reduce any errors and boom, all her worries are at bay.

But what if she was pregnant?

****

Her feet trudged to the closest pharmacy, opening the door and scanning the isles. (Y/N) didn’t want to meet anyone she knew at the moment, no body she knew, and especially, not her ex. 

Her hand grasped one that she had seen advertised countless times on media, however, also decided to reach for another brand, just to be sure. 

The woman couldn’t bear to make eye contact with the cashier, fearing that all the raw emotions she was feeling could were worn in her colourful irises. Placing both boxes on the counter and, she waited as he gave her the price. 

It was a quick exchange before her nose buried itself in her coat and her shoes scurried back home. 

****

She paced nervously along the table and stared at the time. 

Only a minute or so now. 

It felt like an entire century before the result started appearing and the only thing she could hear and feel was her too rapid heartbeat.

 She was tested positive, on both.

“Shit!” she slammed it against the counter in anger, why did she have to be pregnant, a week or so earlier she would be more than happy, but knowing the monster he actually was tore her to shreds. 

A knock on her door stopped her from even considering what she would do with the baby. 

Hiding the tests and washing her hands, she announced her arrival before opening the door and freezing in her steps.

Her breath caught in her throat as her eyes landed on the person in front of her. They just stared at each other for a moment before she gulped and murmured.

“What have I told you?” it was a rhetorical question and she wasn’t expecting what he was going to say after -- only expecting him to try and defend himself.

“I know you hate me, but I need you to shelter three people for me,” he whispered, nodding to his car.

The backseat window was very barely open and her eyes could distinguish dark brown eyes awkwardly looking at the both of them. 

Searching, she also vaguely distinguished another silhouette in the front seat behind the tinted windows.

“Everyone is out to kill them, us,” Donald trailed off. 

Her fingertips tapped against the doorframe in thought before she sighed in defeat.

“Not everyone,” her hand push the door to open it wider and her ex nodded to the people in the car and they quickly scurried out.

The woman’s heart leapt out of her chest at the sight of a gruff, tired-looking bearded man, an old man in a wheelchair that looked easily in his late seventies, and finally, a thick-skinned girl. 

Despite how ill the man appeared, his grave voice offered her a disgruntled thank you. The intimidating aura he radiated was soon washed over with the grateful thanks the older man gave her.

When they made dinner and prepared rooms for the guests, only (Y/N) and Donald stood facing each other against the kitchen counter and the kitchen island.

“Talk,” was the only word she said. The girl conveyed it with such cold and venom, but Pierce knew how much he wounded her, and he entirely admitted to his mistake.

“Before we broke up, I was rarely at home because the firm ordered me to search for them. The time we broke up was when we tracked them and we were keeping an eye on them to know when to strike, but after our fight, I found it more difficult to keep at it, the chase, the battles, everything.” He took a deep breath after he realised how low his voice had gotten. 

“The only reason I didn’t quit earlier was because I knew they would hunt for every single person I knew and cherished, to kill everyone.” 

“You were indispensable?” 

“Not necessarily, they would do it to clean up every trace of illegal activity that might have been rumored because of us. I didn’t want to put you in danger,” 

“And now?” 

“Now,” he took in a much needed breath, “I realised that it would have been better to be in love and on the run than breaking your heart and keeping you safe,” the man turned around, slowly, preparing to walk to the couch and expecting her to stay quiet.

(Y/N) gripped his bomber jacket. Pierce stopped in his tracks but didn’t dare turn back.

“I never said I didn’t love you, I’m mad and heartbroken because of you, yes, but I never stopped loving you,” she admitted. 

He turned around, a gleam of hope in his eyes. 

“Don’t give me that look Donnie, I feel like shit, b-but I can’t let you go easily,” she nearly let a sob escape, it was so unfair, everything was happening so quickly and she could barely keep up as things were being thrown at her and new obstacles were being added to her load. 

“Why not?” he whispered. Behind her teary eyes, she managed to meet his gaze without breaking down.

“I’m-” a difficult gulp went down her throat as she placed her palm on her stomach, “I’m pregnant,” silent tears streamed down her cheeks and she let herself engulf in a protective hug from Pierce. His lips kissed her forehead, breathing in her scent that he had missed so much.

“We’ll get through this, together,” he held her hand tightly, but she pulled back, still a little fragile about what his job is.

“N-no, give me time, p-please,” she cried. Donnie frowned, feeling somehow worse about himself as he saw first hand how wounded he left her in.

“As much time as you need,” 

Through rough times, I won’t stop following you for doing the right thing. 

Comments, votes and feedback improve motivation, writing and publishing, so it is in your best interest to leave some! :)  

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[incessantwritersblock]

Temporary Loss (Part 1)

Pairing: Logan x Reader (Westworld)

Warnings: cursing

Word Count: 1,761

Summary: Set after 01x10, this takes place after William abandons Logan in the park. It’s been years since you’d last seen the familiar face you came across while working in the vast deserts of Westworld.

A/N: So, I’ve never posted two things at once before, let alone two things in the same day... but I just really wanted to get this story out because I’m way too excited about season 2.

Parts: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Working at Westworld was always difficult. You didn’t have cycles like the employees behind the scenes, and it made everything harder. There was no escaping your work truly, but the money made it worthwhile. Well, the money as well as little moments like this one.

Far away from the rest of civilization, all the stars in the sky were visible inside the park. Laying on your back on the dirt with the moonlight shining across your face, you traced countless constellations, getting lost in the beauty you had the privilege of experiencing firsthand. The stars were the only thing in the park that wasn’t manmade, so they always brought you some form of solace every night before you’d climb in your tent to fall asleep.

The fire beside you had diminished into a few last embers glowing orange in the dark night, and your horse stood nearby, not doing anything in particular except what it was programmed to do, stay near you.

That’s why, when you heard horse hooves clopping nearby, it took you by surprise. No hosts were supposed to be in this area, so you quickly stood and unholstered your gun. Sure enough, a figure riding a horse slowly came into view. You aimed and fired one shot into the person’s shoulder, but nothing came of it. The figure was a guest. As the figure approached, the broad shoulders hinted it was a man, so you simply yelled at him, “You aren’t supposed to be out here.”

“Sorry,” a familiar voice apologized as the man was only ten feet away from your camp. He was naked and tied to the horse. You could’ve sworn it was the man you knew all those years ago, but you knew it was wishful thinking. You didn’t even expect the possibility to enter your mind, but you quickly shook the thought from your head.

“What happened to you?” you wondered aloud. He was five feet away now. You could’ve sworn he had the same face.

The man sighed, “My future brother in law went fucking crazy, tied me to a horse and left me to rot. I saw your fire earlier, so I set out here for help.”

The horse brought him in front of you now, and you saw the light casting a glow on the face you remembered. You could barely breathe out his name. “Logan?”

“Y/N.”

Your entire body froze. Every single emotion your brain could imagine flooded through your veins, consuming your entire being, but all you could do was blink back at him. He was just as handsome as the last day you saw him. Only, now he was covered in dirt and grime, and he looked like he hadn’t eaten or drunk anything in at least a day.

Logan finally broke eye contact with you after what felt like an eternity to glance down at his bound wrists. You quickly took the hint and moved to untie the rope, trying not to glance at his body while you loosened the knots.

Once he was free, Logan dismounted the horse on the same side you stood on, and he took you in his arms for a bone crushing hug. You held onto him just as tightly, not caring how dirty he was. You hadn’t seen the man since you’d moved, and you missed him like crazy. He was one of your closest friends before, and now, you couldn’t believe he stood before you again.

“Holy shit, I’ve missed you,” his shaky, almost broken voice mumbled into your hair. The hug lasted for what felt like hours. Your muscles started shaking from how tight you held each other, but you didn’t care. It wasn’t awkward. There was just so much unprocessed emotion between the two of you, and neither one cared. You even had tears pooling in your eyes. Finally, you were the one to let Logan go, but he continued holding you, barely begging, “Please.”

You didn’t speak, only wrapped your arms around him again, gently stroking the warm skin across his back in comfort while resting your chin on his shoulder. It only took him a few minutes more to release you, and you pulled away just enough to look into his deep eyes, glimmering with happiness in the cool moonlight.

He gently raised a hand to brush away a forming tear from your eye before he leaned to press a kiss to your forehead. You whispered, “I can’t believe it’s really you.”

“Me either,” he agreed, “and I’d love to ask you about everything, but I actually really need some water.”

“Of course!” You immediately snapped out of your daze, rushing as fast as you could to your supplies inside your tent where you retrieved your canteen and some food for Logan along with your baggy nightshirt you had yet to change into. When you returned, you kept your gaze anywhere but him for his own modesty until he finished off your water and slipped into the large cotton fabric.

“We’ll get you some real clothes tomorrow. Town’s not too far that way, and I’m heading there anyway.” you pointed out the direction of the closest town. If you left early in the morning, you’d make it there in time for lunch. “If you need medical attention, though. I can call in someone to come get you.”

“No, no,” Logan quickly protested, “I’ll be fine. What do you mean call someone in, though? Do you, like, work here or something?”

“Yeah. What’d you think I was a guest or something? Logan, you know me. You know my pockets aren’t nearly as deep as yours.”

Logan timidly played with the buttons on the sleeve of your nightshirt when he realized what a stupid question it was. “I don’t know,” he simply shrugged, “I guess I’d just hoped you’d been a big success and made a lot of money ever since you’d left.”

You couldn’t help smiling at him. “Well,” you countered, “I guess I did make a decent amount of money. Why else would I be working here?”

“They pay you well?”

“Very well.”

“So, what exactly do you do?” he finally asked.

Taking that shift in conversation as an opportunity to move, you moved around to the pit where the fire was in order to grab some spare wood and a match from your pocket. Once you lit it on one of the rocks to contain the pit, you threw it on the wood to start the fire. Logan followed your lead and sat beside you by the developing fire while you began to explain, “Well, a few hosts have been a little bit off lately. They hired me to investigate claims of glitching hosts before they cleared the area completely and sent in a team. I’m basically here, so they don’t have to disrupt as many narratives. I’m kind of like undercover security in a way.”

“And you’re going to investigate one in town tomorrow?” Logan figured.

“Yup.”

“I’ve really missed you.” His voice rung sincere over the crackling flames, and since you’d been watching them this entire time, you turned to see Logan beaming at you so softly.

You couldn’t help the butterflies that erupted in your stomach while you watch the flames flicker across his skin, bringing him an ethereal glow. “Me too, Lo,” you whispered so softly only he could hear, “What even happened between us? After I moved, it was like we never even knew each other.”

Logan turned to look at the dark landscape, avoiding your gaze. He was embarrassed about the motivation behind his decisions, but he knew he couldn’t lie to you about what happened. “You were one of the best friends I’d ever had my entire lifetime. You never asked me to be more than who I really was. I didn’t want to ask that of you. You’d been working towards that job for years. When you moved, I missed you every goddamn day, but I knew, if I kept in touch, like we’d promised, I’d make you come back because I’m a selfish asshole. And I wasn’t about to throw my shit on you just because I’m a prick who ruins everything.

“That’s why, even though we promised to keep in touch, I always called when I knew you were busy, and I always made excuses when you called me. Eventually, we stopped trying. Not a day went by where I didn’t want you back.”

“I thought you forgot about me,” you confessed ashamedly.

Logan simply laughed softly at the thought. “How the fuck could I forget the girl who singlehandedly covered my ENTIRE apartment in wrapping paper when you found out I didn’t decorate for Christmas.” The memory made you burst out laughing along with your friend. “That was the start of the infamous prank war that my father was especially fond of.”

“Oh, I still wish I could’ve seen the look on his face when I suspended all your office supplies in jello!”

Logan swore, “I’m telling you, there was steam coming out of his ears. He was like ‘tell that girlfriend of yours to stay out of the office!’”

“Then he learned I wasn’t your girlfriend and met me.”

“Now, the man loves you like his own daughter!”

You rolled your eyes at Logan. “Bullshit, he probably hasn’t even noticed I’m gone.”

“Are you kidding?” Logan scoffed in disbelief, “He always complains you aren’t at family gatherings. Anytime I try dating a girl, he says that I should’ve dated you instead. Then there’s my mom. She always asks if I’ve heard from you every time I see her. She’s still got pictures of you, me, and Jules in the house. Oh, god, and Jules! She never shuts up about how she liked me better when I hung out with you. Always going on about how you’re a good influence on me and all.”

“You’re a dick, you know that?” You raised a leg to gently kick him, and he wobbled a bit before regaining his balance.

With a hand over his heart and an overexaggerated frown, Logan complained, “I can’t believe you’d say such a thing! You’re a monster!”

“I should’ve left you tied to that fucking horse,” you mumbled at him before your exhaustion hit you again unexpectedly. Eyes burning, muscles weak, and brain fuzzy, you hauled your body up while telling Logan. “I’m going to sleep. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” Logan mumbled contently while he watched you retreat into your small tent where you fell asleep to the sound of the fire outside.

Tagging: Nobody. Let me know here if you wanna be tagged. 

[percivaltheknight]

Catalyst: Chapter 1

Summary: All is peaceful in the mindscape until Virgil goes missing. When Logan helps look for him, he finds himself in more danger than he would have ever predicted.

Genre: Angst, Suspense, Hurt/Comfort

Warnings: tense scenes, some violence, a panic attack, and unconsciousness.

No pairings, no cursing, and I promise a heaping of fluff spread sporadically throughout the story. I may be a villain, but I’m a villain with a heart. 😉

—————————

For a brief moment, relief had flooded the mindscape.

Deceit had been unmasked, Patton was back, and the world was right-side up again. Lying is, and always had been, bad. Immoral. Wrong. And things were back to the way they were.

Except, they weren’t.

Logan knew this. Everyone knew this; it was clearer than day. Deceit had lost the advantage of Thomas being ignorant to him. Yes, he’d had to be subtle to ensure it stayed that way, but he couldn’t go back now. There was no undoing knowledge.

So, even though there was a heaping of relief and happiness at having their beloved friend (Dad, in Patton’s mind) back, the underlying tone of unease was still there.

Because now, Logan mused as he scanned his computer distractedly, Deceit doesn’t have to be subtle anymore.

It worried him, of course. He knew there would almost definitely be future conflict with the snake-faced antagonist, but the presence of the other sides was reassuring. They were a group, after all, and they outnumbered Deceit in both numbers and ability. Quantity and quality. It was a fact he had told his three fellow sides, to help reassure their worries. He told it to himself now, to quell the faulty logic that would sometimes trickle into his mind at the most inopportune times. Like now.

Logan frowned at his computer screen, only remembering what he had been doing when he glanced through the dates and schedules for the next month. He sighed. It seemed that concentration wouldn’t be with him, today.

He quickly saved his work and stood, stretching his arms above his head and letting out a yawn. A glance at his watch told him that it wasn’t too late; maybe an hour before dinner. He smiled; perhaps he could join Roman and Virgil in the video game they were playing earlier. It hadn’t looked entirely ridiculous, he thought as he grabbed for the door handle, and he could use something stimulating to get his concentration levels back-

His hand grasped nothing.

His eyes glanced down at his hand, intending to guide it more accurately towards the handle, but he paused, his eyes widening in surprise. The door handle was gone, it wasn’t there-

He blinked. No, yes it was. It was right in front of him. He deliberately took hold of it, feeling the metallic solidity under his palm.

Logan frowned and opened his door quickly, marching down the hall and away from his room. Perhaps the work had affected him a bit too much. The logical aspect decided to not give it any more thought and shoved the incident aside.

The next day was much better, in the logical side’s opinion. The embarrassing slump had been quelled, and he’d been at the peak of productivity throughout the entire morning. A quick glance at his vocabulary cards told him that the slang term would be that he was, “on fire”. Or was it, “on a roll”? The two definitions were ridiculously similar; he couldn’t tell the difference.

Oh well, he supposed, it doesn’t really matter.

At the moment, he was completely emerged in the book that was laid open on the table in front of him. His lunch had been shoved to the side, forgotten, in favor of the thick, hardback novel. He was vaguely aware of Roman talking next to him, and he assumed that the blur that was rushing around above the surface of his book was not Virgil.

‘The rain broiled his skin as much as the air burned his lungs. He slowed, and slowed, until the ground was unmoving under his feet. Each drop and torrent washed away the hope of his only lead. As well as the evidence.

For once, the thought of running blood made him cringe-

“Hey, Earth to Specs!” Logan jumped, the movement almost yanking the book from his hands. He glanced up at Roman, an unimpressed frown adorning his face.

“Is there a reason for interrupting me, Roman?” He questioned. The addressed prince raised an eyebrow.

“Patton and I have been trying to get your attention.” Logan glanced up, and sure enough, Patton was staring at him expectantly. His expression looked slightly worried, and the sight made his lips quirk downwards. He looked back at Roman. There was a similar expression on his face, though he was masking it well.

“Is… there something wrong?” He asked warily, placing his bookmark in the folds of paper and setting it down.

“It’s just, have you seen Virgil at all today?” It almost sounded like Patton was begging him to say, ‘yes’. Unfortunately, it wasn’t an answer he could give.

“No, I haven’t.” the logical aspect admitted. “Did you check his room?”

“Yes! His door was cracked open when I went to check on him, and I didn’t see him inside, so I assumed that he was with one of you.” Patton bit his lip, twiddling his thumbs restlessly. “I think we should split up and look for him.”

“Of course!” Roman immediately jumped to his feet, a hand on the hilt of his sheathed sword and his face set into one of determination. “We’ll find that Virgilante in no time!”

“I additionally agree,” Logan stated, also getting to his feet. “We can’t risk not having the knowledge of each other’s whereabouts with Deceit growing more bold in his actions.”

The atmosphere immediately grew more dreadful, and a foreboding pit settled into their stomachs. They all set off in different directions, Patton taking the mind palace, Roman checking the common area and the kitchen, and Logan traversing upstairs to check his room again, as well as the other rooms.

All of their faces were set in grim determination. They would find their friend.

Logan quickly made his way up the stairs and down the hall, eyebrows creased. He was absentmindedly sorting through different scenarios as to what could be happening, and how to deal with it. Was it another bout of panic, was he in his room, but hadn’t been seen? What if he was looking for us, and we kept missing each other? What situation would he be presented with if he encountered him?

As Logan neared Virgil’s door, he noticed that it was, in fact, open. But, as he got closer, he heard the faint sounds of muffled sobs. His eyes widened, and he quickened his steps. As soon as he came within range of sight, sure enough, Virgil was in his room, but it was obvious that he was not okay. He sat on the ground against the side of his bed, with his knees pulled tightly up against his chest and his face buried in his arms. He was shaking, and Logan could hear his frantic breathing and sobbing.

He immediately made his way into the room, keeping the door open.

“Virgil?” There was no response. Logan moved forward, kneeling next to the anxious side and placing a hand carefully on his shoulder to let him know that he was there.

“Come on, Virgil. Deep breaths.” He instructed calmly, rubbing his back in calming circles. It wasn’t the first time he’d helped him through a panic attack, and though the others have done so before, it was usually Logan who would notice first, being in the room closest to his.

Thankfully, Virgil’s breathing gradually started to slow and become more steady, and his shaking was lessening as well. Logan let out a small breath, relieved that his friend would be okay.

His suspicions were unfounded, it seemed. The snake-faced trickster hadn’t been behind Virgil’s absence. He briefly wondered if Virgil’s paranoia was rubbing off on him, but he shook his head of the thought. He wasn’t one to let emotions rule his crucial reasoning.

He was Logic, after all. He had to be the level head in the group.

Click!

His head swiveled towards the sound. The door had swung shut.

“Is that a common occurrence for your door, Virgil?” He squinted through the dark room. Something seemed off with it.

And then a sound that chilled his spine made its way to his ears. A low chuckle. Someone was laughing.

And he knew with every fiber of his being that it was not Virgil.

He whipped his head around, yanking his hands away from the Not-Virgil. Gone was the shaking, and gone was the ragged breathing. He was calm, and he was smirking.

“Who knew?” The being who looked like Virgil mused. Logan shot to his feet and backed away from him, towards the door, his eyes narrowed and his body tense. The one who wore Virgil’s face just looked amused. It was an unnatural expression that didn’t match. “I thought this would be much harder, but as soon as one of your friends was in trouble, you didn’t even think for a second. That was very illogical of you, Logan.”

“Where is Virgil?” Logan questioned carefully, keeping his voice and face stoic, impenetrable. The fraud got to his feet, slowly, deliberately, and Logan took another step back, a hard edge making its way into his glare.

“I don’t know,” Not-Virgil drawled. “Is he missing? Goodness, what an unfortunate thing!” He places his hand on his chest in fake sympathy, but his face was that of criminal glee.

“Why are you posing as Virgil?” Logan demanded. He didn’t answer. There was only tense silence, where they stared at each other and Logan wondered why this imposter was here, why he was posing as Virgil, and why he wasn’t doing anything.

Surely, he would have done something pertaining to his motive now? He was just found out-

No, he did that on purpose, Logan thought. He wanted me to know that it wasn’t Virgil, but then why didn’t he reveal it sooner? He only played his part until…

With wide eyes, he quickly spun on his heel and grabbed for the door handle.

His hand grasped air.

There was no door handle. Only smooth wood.

He had planned this. Every event; he had practiced beforehand.

“What’s wrong, Logan?” He jumped at the sounds of the words being closer, and he spun around to the sight of the fake being but a few feet away from him, his face contorting wickedly. “You look a little anxious.”

Logan’s eyes widened. That’s what he was planning, the cruel snake.

Suddenly, the imposter’s hand shot out and grabbed his wrist, drawing it towards him. The logical trait hadn’t noticed that his fist was clenched. “Virgil” placed two fingers on his vein to check his pulse, but Logan yanked his hand away, backing up as far as he could before his back hit the door.

“Let me out.” It wasn’t a request, demand, or plead. It was a statement. A very tense statement that held no effect to the fraud in eyeshadow.

He frowned, pretending to contemplate. “Hmmm,” he shook his head. “Yes, I think I will. You won’t be kept here forever, because I have absolutely no use for you. At. All.” He smirked, creeping forward, and for a second, he swore that he saw the glint of a yellow eye.

The sight spurred him into action, and he immediately spun around and started to bang and kick the door.

“Help!!” He yelled. “Deceit is here, Roman, Virgil, Pat-mmfph!” A yellow gloved hand clamped onto his mouth and another latched around his waist, dragging him away from the door. Logan struggled, trying to yank himself away, but Deceit had an iron grip when he wanted to.

“Now, Logan,” The Snake hissed in his ear, “You’re not allowed to leave yet. I still need something from you.” The hand removed itself from his face, and he was about to inhale to let out a loud yell, but before he could, the same hand lightly touched his temple. He gasped when the world immediately tilted, the edges of his vision growing fuzzy. His limbs were suddenly weak, and he was vaguely aware of Deceit dragging him off somewhere, his feet trailing behind. He felt himself unceremoniously dropped, and he couldn’t tell if the surface he was on was soft or not. Two fingers pressed into his wrist, he heard Deceit tutting about how he wasn’t even close.

Close? Close to what? He couldn’t think straight; everything was too blurry and spinny. Is spinny even a word?

“Goodnight, Logic.” Deceit mused. Then, Logan’s eyes rolled back into his head, and everything finally stopped spinning as it was replaced with black.

———————

To be continued...

[televinita]

Zoo 3.10

I was a terrible person who accidentally ruined the shock ending for myself while tearing the ep apart in search of Mitch/Jamie after someone (YouTube) made an irresponsibly irresistible thumbnail for a certain sneak peek and someone else (me) didn't have the sense to stay off YouTube while signed in. Hopefully this is the last chance I have to ruin things for myself, though!

FIRST OF ALL: this is my new favorite kiss scene of the season, between his shaky "Are we alive?" and her sweet reassurances and the perfect length of the second one with both of his hands on her face, again. How many times have I watched it? 87? That feels like a conservative estimate.

Second of all, I am having a lot of feelings about this:

"It's happened before. We fight, we put our lives on the line, and then we show mercy. And it bites us in the ass every single time. Jackson's a great guy. He has a huge heart. But it's putting us all at risk."

On the one hand, I love this speech being juxtaposed with an illustration of Jackson doing exactly that even as she speaks.

But also, Zoo, why you gotta constantly pit my babies against each other this way. I hate it. I can't believe I am siding with Darkside Jamie over Jackson "Big Ass Heart" Oz, because I so love his refusal to stop believing in the good, but I just cannot justify it any longer, and I wish it did not have to be an all or nothing situation between them. WORK TOGETHER GDI. I am two steps away from signing off on Mitch's death warrant if it would somehow push them together;please do not test my insane claims

.Team Terminator, Continued

-"Was it part of your plan to make this not look like blatant murder?"

That is some Mitch-quality snark you've got there, Mr. Duncan. Didn't know you had it in you. ...oh god, Self, now why would you take it to a kinkmeme place off the faintest idea that Duncan is not entirely like robot AI + Jamie carrying an all-controlling clicker. You stop that right now. Go feel shame.

-Round 2 of my OTP beating each other up, still oddly satisfying. (and I really cannot even imagine what Max thinks he is looking at re: Mitch and Jamie rolling around on the floor, although their identical expressions when they freeze in place at being interrupted are hysterical)

I feel like I should have more feelings/opinions on this plot, but I'm tired, so suffice to say it was exciting to watch and I especially liked Duncan's Absolutely Not Playing Around threat to kill Mitch to get Jamie in line, exploiting the flaws of a too-human heart.

Bits & Bobs

The doggy has a starring role looking extra adorable while being petted by Isaac in this episode. I think some plot stuff was happening with Dariela during this time, but that is sure not the part I focused on.

Spoiler alert: Dariela does not make the IADG any more interesting. But the egg nests do make Logan's plot more gross.

I love everyone's "STOP BEING FASCINATED BY STUFF, MAX" exasperation.

Basically, Max is the best all the time and always. 4th favorite living character right now.

"10 seconds ago you told me that you left me a treat, do you remember what you were talking about?" / "...does that sound like something I would ever say?" I'm glad the little personality clicker is destroyed (I sure HOPE that means Duncan is gone for good), but I will kind of miss the Mitch-snapping-back-to-consciousness moments.

Poor baby ghost snake getting cut in half just because it's too young to know what food is. :(

Ah yes, the magically accelerated pregnancy. Another fine hallmark of sci-fi, especially the limited episode run kind.

AU Doomsday, or: An Ending

You believe what you see All the things that you know But oh, you don't know The depth of my soul

Beyond its immediate WTFPOLARBEAR!! effect on people like me and my mom, who have been in the dark world without either promotional stills or "next time on Zoo" previews, this final montage is such an amazing piece of filmwork. I love her dreamy, unfocused stare into the distance as she stumbles her way out of the plane, leaving a trail of carnage in her wake.

The music reminds me so much of something they'd play over the unsettling teaser of a crime show I did at least three minutes of actual research to determine it is Depth of my Soul by Theivery Corporation ft. Shana Halligan. All of its lyrics are so eerie I had trouble choosing my fave; the entire song could describe Abigail's character motivations. High fifty, show!

I'm also pretty sure we just saw how Zoo ends in The Darkest Timeline (secretly, I love when shows give me footage like that -- grimdark stuff I love to explore in fanfic where it’s safe, but if you can have your cake and eat it too by actually seeing and then undoing it, so much the better).

Reality Filter: I'm unclear why Abigail shoots them all in the stomach instead of the head, or even the heart, if she wants them properly dispatched. Does she just relish the thought of them all dying slowly, or is she specifically not trying to kill them, or is she so focused on getting where she's going that she's merely trying to clear obstacles in her path? I'd pick the latter except that she seemed pretty specific about looking for Mitch/Duncan.

It makes for a really cool dramatic effect to watch them all collapse in the same way, one after another like falling geese in an Oregon Trail hunting game*, but I'm having such a hard time matching the placement of the wounds to their immediate effect that for a while I had a theory that she'd shot them not with bullets, but some kind of pellets incubating hybrid seed/eggs/spores that would later burst forth from their bodies. At least match a crime drama's level of realism.

* I absolutely dared myself to write that in and keep going with a perfectly straight face, just to see if I could get anyone else to read it the same way or if you would all crack up at its ludicrous visuals.

Up next: I FINALLY GET WITH THE TIMES???

But alas, not for 24 hours at the earliest.

[muggle-writes]

10 Questions Tag Game

tagged by @julesruleswrites 

before I answer your questions, may I just comment that “hissed” is totally valid for describing phrases without enough sibilants. It’s the cross between wanting to yell and trying to whisper where it comes out all breathy and forced. Absolutely a worthwhile descriptor, even for regular sentences, imo.

1. Who would you dedicate your wip to, if you ever wrote a book dedication for it? (Or if you’ve published, who have you dedicated things to before?)

Ooh. I’ve published fic, which doesn’t really get a dedication section, but I’d probably dedicate my book to whichever friends/partners/metamours were most helpful in the editing process, and the ones who let me inevitably ramble at them nonstop about the book while it was in progress.

2. What car does/would your OC drive? Can be as specific or vague as you want; I know Finley drives an old Civic, but who knows what the heck Logan drives.

boring answer, but Mason is 12 and shouldn’t be driving. In an emergency he might attempt to drive the vehicle of whichever adult he is spending time with, which at the moment would be an aging pickup truck. Better hope it’s automatic because he’s not going to figure out how to drive a manual transmission car without guidance, and especially not while panicking.

Erin is a Hogwarts student and also doesn’t exactly have access to cars. She’s happy to fly the school Cleansweep broom, but she isn’t all that enthusiastic about Quidditch or racing brooms, so she’ll take what’s available for transportation.

3. Do you prefer to do your writing in the morning, afternoon, evening, etc?

I do my best work between approximately 10:30 am and 3pm, but unfortunately I’m usually at work during that time, so evenings are a tolerable substitute. If I succeed at getting up on weekends and I’m not drowning in other commitments I’ll take that midday block for writing and that generally feels rewarding.

4. If your wip got a movie, what would that be like? Animated? Or nah?

animation is very underrated, and I wouldn’t mind an animation of anything I made, but given most of my actual WIPs are fanfiction, a true movie of them would likely match the original canon adaptation where relevant. Some animated, some live action.

5. What’s the most recent change you’ve made in your writing process/style?

Idk if this counts, but my resolution this year is to not let previous failures prevent me from following up on things I want to do. I haven’t actually pulled out Duolingo or my other language learning apps that I previously lost motivation for when I broke a streak, but this applies to my writing too. for example there’s a #jewishjanuary event that has daily prompts, and I’ve been letting myself write for whichever ones inspire me without getting stuck on “oh but I haven’t written for _____ yet.” In theory, hopefully, this will encourage me to write more consistently, at least this month, and if I’m really good about it, that habit will stick when I go back to my “usual” WIPs in the absence of daily prompts.

6. Please tell me about your most beloved side/minor character, even if they don’t have a name or have had a different name every time they appear.

Again, writing mainly fic complicates my answer to this question, but looking at what I’ve created recently, I really like my OC Erin Fawley (from my #jewishjanuary prompt fills, since in many of them, I’m depicting Hermione being unapologetically Jewish at Hogwarts and in the magical world in general) Erin is a Gryffindor prefect, in the same year as Percy Weasley. She’s also a half-blood, which she will claim proudly. Erin most often shows up early in the golden trio’s first year, before Hermione is friends with Harry and Ron, and not only checks on Hermione for being the outcast of her social group (there’s always one, usually for no good reason), but when she realizes they’re both Jewish, she helps Hermione feel a little more welcome by not having to fumble through rituals alone at boarding school. Erin is a good balance to Percy, because she has the mentors’ instinct of who needs her help, and in fact she occasionally lets her homework slide in order to help younger years with theirs or with other settling-in needs. Most teachers are understanding, and when she turns in her work on time, it averages EE grades. When she turns it in late, it could otherwise earn an A-EE but, depending on the teacher, gets marked down for lateness. Anyway, all of Gryffindor house besides Harry’s yearmates and the Weasleys and the Quidditch team are a blank slate and I enjoy slowly filling that in.

7. What scene are you most excited about writing right now?

When I get all the in-between written, I’m looking forward to, in my fic Eavesdropping, writing Kaito and Akako interacting, with him putting aside his mistrust in magic to ask for advice, and her being slightly less cryptic than usual, in sympathy.

Also, I’ve half-finished yesterday’s prompt fill for Sukkot (for #jewishjanuary) and I’m looking forward to finishing that, and showing the origin of Erin and Hermione’s friendship, and also depicting the struggle of making do when the people running your school have never heard of your traditions, let alone know what to provide. (etrog? You think they have an etrog in scotland? they probably substitute a lemon unless Erin got one in August and had a family member put a stasis spell on it and brought it with her. Willow branches are definitely from the whomping willow - Erin asked McGonagall, who asked Hagrid, who collected them)

8. What font do you like to write your wip in?

I don’t go out of my way to set a font, so I’ll tend to use whatever’s the default in whichever program I’m using at the time, but I have something of a preference for serif fonts. 

9. What and when is your next self-imposed deadline? Ex: mine is to finish this draft by May. How’s progress on that?

I would like to finish my Sukkot prompt fill before the other High Holy Days prompts roll around in the #jewishjanuary list, since I didn’t succeed in writing it day-of. (I’ve been aiming for finishing each prompt day-of, but again, this year I’m not letting lack of progress towards daily goals prevent me from continuing. That’s my goal) I uh... didn’t make any progress on it today and I haven’t checked the prompt list to remember how long I have until I miss this deadline...

10. Coffee, tea, or hot chocolate?

Hot chocolate! Sometimes tea if I’m in the right mood (or if it’s a good spiced chai from the Indian restaurant across the road from my office. I will never turn that chai down). But in general, I haven’t acquired a taste for coffee or alcohol or black tea (without enough milk and sugar) or anything else in the category of “vaguely bitter adult drinks”

My Questions and tags under the cut (also, feel free to answer and tag me back even if I didn’t tag you)

In your WIP, how many other people face equivalent struggles to the protagonist? How many others are on equivalent journeys that the audience may or may not hear about?

What is a worldbuilding detail you are proud of but that you haven’t been able to include in your WIP?

What is your method for coming up with names for OCs? How often do your characters’ names reflect the journey they will take?

Music, white noise, or silence while writing?

What’s your routine for writing (if you have one)? Which part of it is the hardest to stick to?

What is your OC’s biggest weakness? Do they realize it?

Do you hoard notebooks? When you write in them, do you prefer pen or pencil? (classic vs mechanical pencil? ball point vs fountain vs gel pen?) Or is everything just digital for you?

Tell me something good about an OC you dislike (or about an antagonist, if you love them all)

Which sense (touch, taste, smell, balance, ...) do you most like writing descriptions for? Are there any you leave out, intentionally or not? (I’ve sent out this question for STS before but it’s one of my favorites to ask)

What accomplishment are you proud of right now?

And my very short tag list (lmk if you’d like to be added to or removed from my general tag games list, or for any particular WIP or fandom) @writebusofdoom​ @bexminx​ participate if you’d like, and you have the time and energy to.