#it didn't feel right and my humor wasn't landing for myself so I took a short break instead of pushing out slop that I wasn't proud of

[nebrasska-alasska]

Hiatus for 'Party Games and Summer Evenings' Announcement

Hi guys! I have some semi-bad news for you all. Basically, I've been doing a lot of reflecting recently, and I've come to the conclusion that I need to put 'Party Games and Summer Evenings' on a short hiatus. I've updated the tags and included the reasoning in the end notes of the fic, which you can read here:

So yeah, basically, the gist is that I love this fic, I love the concept and setup, but I just need a short break (from this story specifically!). I've only ever written Shadow one way, and it feels like I'm going through the motions. This being a spiritual successor to 'Silly Hats and Party Favors' and me cranking out 'Couch Crashers, Bed Bashers' less than a month ago while also writing this fic certainly didn't help lol

It's not being abandoned or orphaned. Nothing on my account will be, I intend to finish everything I start. I'm just going to switch gears and write a vastly different Shadow to keep things feeling fresh and fun, and then once I feel ready I'll be back for this one.

The silver lining of this is that I'll be attempting to publish a new Shadow POV fic soon, potentially even this weekend if the words are flowing. At the very least 'From the Shadows of the Deep' will see it's next chapter this weekend haha, so yep! Sorry again for any disappointment, and I appreciate everyone's understanding and patience!

[faerghusfucker]

Drabble idea: Dimitri and Raphael talking about grief?

i actually had loads of fun with this one!!! this was such a wonderful prompt i love these two together. their support chain should’ve been more like this i feel like, especially since their backstories have a LOT in common.

Small Talk

cw: parental death, grief

"Hey Dimitri! Wanna get something to eat? I'm staaaarving!" The familiar sound of Raphael's voice boomed from behind, just as Dimitri was headed to the front of the cathedral. Choir practice had always been difficult for the crown prince, but it was especially hard when the Professor had him do it with Raphael. He didn't mind Raphael as a training partner, but he had a tendency to be a bit much as an… anything else partner. Still, he gave him a practiced, princely smile.

"You can go on without me, Raphael. I was planning on praying while I'm here." He said politely.

Raphael nodded, as if remembering something. "Right, I forgot how you noble types like to pray. I'll meet you at the dining hall, yeah?"

"Yes, I will catch up with you there. I wouldn't want to keep you waiting."

Raphael took that as his cue to leave, waving at Dimitri as he exited the cathedral and made his way to the dining hall. Meanwhile, Dimitri found himself a spot near the front of the cathedral and started his prayer, as was routine for him on his free days.

Merciful Seiros, please ensure that the souls of my father, my mother, my stepmother, Glenn Govan Fraldarius, and all who were lost in Duscur find peace in the heavens, and give me the strength to avenge their souls by any means necessary. Also… please give me the patience to study for my next certification exam.

When Dimitri arrived at the dining hall and took his seat, he found that Raphael was already halfway through his meal. He didn't mind though, especially since he knew that Ingrid had given Raphael more than a few lectures on his manners. He wasn't one to be a stickler for those types of things anyway, since he often needed to remind himself of them.

Raphael greeted him with a warm smile, as always. "Heya Dimitri, how was praying?"

"How… was it? It was fine, I suppose. I tend to pray for many of the same things every time, so there is not much variation." He chuckled at his attempt at humor, which didn't seem to land judging by Raphael's expression, which was more confused than anything else.

"Huh… y'know, I've never really prayed before. My folks were never devout like that. Whaddaya usually pray for?"

Dimitri wasn't used to that question; maybe asking such things was normal in Leicester? "Oh, I tend to pray for my family. It, ah… it brings me some comfort. I'd feel terrible praying for anything else."

"Riiiight, I forgot you lost your folks too!" Raphael spoke in a tone entirely too eager for what he'd just said, and Dimitri couldn't help a chuckle despite how grim it was.

"Yes, my, um, folks did pass away. You and I are alike in that way, it would seem." He thought out loud.

"Sure are! But, wait, you said you'd feel terrible if you didn't pray for them. Why's that?"

"Well, in Faerghus, they say that the dead cling to the living the more they were loved. And… the people I've lost were loved dearly. I would never forgive myself if they were to be forgotten."

"Really? I've never thought of it like that," Raphael took another bite of food. "The way I see it, my parents would've just wanted my sis and I to be as happy as we could! Doesn't do anyone any good to live in feelings like that."

Dimitri opened and closed his mouth, trying to figure out how to articulate his bafflement at this mindset. "I have found that to be easier said than done. Especially considering what happened." His voice dropped to a mumble in the last sentence.

Raphael hummed quietly. "Yeah, that makes sense. It's real hard to bounce back from stuff like that. Maya and my Grandpa keep me going most of the time. You've probably got someone like that, though."

Did he? Dimitri wasn't sure. Technically, he still had friends, but it had been so long since they'd treated each other companionably that it almost felt wrong to refer to them as such. Felix had no desire to look him in the eye, Ingrid was mad at him for discouraging her devotion to chivalry, and Sylvain was so keen to continue his skirt-chasing ways that he'd taken to avoiding him whenever possible. He wanted to call Dedue his friend more than anything, but the man was so keen on reducing himself to a retainer that it felt impossible to do so in earnest.

"That is… rather remarkable, Raphael. I'd never considered that moving on could be anything other than a solitary battle."

Raphael beamed, a smile Dimitri only wished he was capable of after everything. "Nah, it's no big deal. We've all gotta work together to keep each other afloat, yeah? Even you."

That managed to coax a smile from him. "Yes, I suppose even me."

[ask-the-abomination]

Introductory

The sun would bestow upon this land it's beloved warmth, finally beginning a full start of a new day! The local wild Pokémon would go about their merry way throughout this verdant forest, all the while the Swablus sung in complete harmonic unison. Everything appears to be in a state of perfect tranquility. … Or so one would have assumed.

An odd-colored Scatterbug had grown rather inquisitive about what she had stumbled upon. A metallic device of the sort. But of what purpose does it hold? It doesn't quite appear to hold any beneficial use, as it seems to be way beyond repair and had seem to have already fallen into the grasp's of mother nature. Because of it's fallen structure, it would likely stray the attention of others. At best, many would simply assume that it is nothing more than mere junk. But… If it were to had landed to the eyes of the right Pokémon… Or, in this particular case, a snout--

The Scatterbug shuddered in sheer terror. Her movement fallen completely paralyzed at the sight of someone's muzzle just barging ever so near within her vicinity. The insect felt endangered. Consumed into the assumption that this may be her end. However, despite her fear, the larger Pokémon express zero interest towards her. Instead, they seem to be far more intent on the damaged device on the ground. Sniff… Sniff… They would take a few whiff at the piece of metal. Allowing the fragrance of another's scent to wave around inside their nostrils. Even though nature's aroma had lingered on this object for an unknown amount of time, it hadn't taken long for the canine's thoughts to click.

"-!! HIS SCENT HAS BEEN FOUND!" The canine would growl from beneath her breath, as she spoke. Although, she can't quite hide her words in hush-hush, when the increased amplitude of her tone is heavily audible for many to hear. "NOT A DOUBT THAT THE OTHER IS WITH S-047. BROTHERS, APPROACH! A LEAD HAS BEEN FOUND!". Her call being louder than a Whismur's cry. It wasn't long until two Houndooms would reveal themselves from beyond the luxuriant, grassy path. Though, it didn't particularly seemed like they were too far off from the female Houndoom's location. Nevertheless, they were here. Marking three not-so-welcoming looking hounds in this territory.

The one leaning to the western direction would salivate, as he laughs maniacally. While the other in the eastern side would retain his silence, as the flames wisp through from side to side of his jaw. The lead Houndoom would only growl in a rather overreacted, yet unprovoked irritation. Her voice would explode in volume once more, this time her tone shifting to a sound that is of a mixture between authoritarian and belligerence. Much to the displeasure of the brothers. "CHOP, CHOP, WE HAVE TO LOCATE AT A NINJASK'S PACE! NOT AFTER BREAKFAST, NOT LATER— WE HAVE TO FIND THEM, NOW! WE CANNOT LET THEM OUT FROM THE GRIP OF OUR CLAWS AGAIN! THE MORE TIME WE WASTE, THE GREATER THE OPPORTUNITY ARISES FOR THOSE TWO LESSERS TO ESCAPE!" "DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?" Silence. Neither of the brotherly duo have chosen to answer her. "I SAID: DO… I… MAKE… MYSELF… CLEAR?!!" The female Houndoom repeated herself. Beginning to sound increasingly irritable through her voice. It had taken but a very brief moment before the two-eyed brother would widely open his jaws and spoke out. "MMMMMM I THINK NES WOULD SUFFICE! A NO, A YES, A NES! GRAHAHAHA!!" He boomed in absolute laughter at his not-so-funny joke. "… YOU ARE AN IDIOTIC DUNCE! DON'T WASTE MY TIME WITH YOUR PATHETIC ATTEMPT OF HUMOR."

Unbeknownst to the trio…

--They were being closely watched by someone from above the trees.

His tail would sway back and forth, as he was not-so-secretly showing the fact that he seemed a little too delightfully chipper at the sight. "It really took these three stooges loooooonnnnnnggggg to arrive here. I was starting to feel pretty bored of not seeing any of their flee-riddle-piss-gobblin' selves, kekeke~." As amused as this slender Sylveon sounded, it became rather short-lived as a smidge of disappointment had settled in. Already he holds full awareness that a particular someone would shrivel in sadness that they have to leave their current 'home'. Something that he doesn't particular look forward to seeing…. Again.

However, before this 'wimp' individual could be informed of such news, the Sylveon had needed to carry out a plan first. Most considering that it does hold importance to the current predicament at hand. That problem being the involvement of the Houndooms that is directly below him. The slender Sylveon would raise up a paw, nearing chin-length. A grim fog would gather around from the very central part of his paw-pad, appearing the same moment that his arm was halted in motion. Soon, the mist appearance would be more of a spherical shape. It was radiating harsh, ominous energy as its form was appearing more and more like a shadowy blob. The elemental skill that he is casting upon is known as none other than Shadow Ball.

When the Ghost-type skill had fully materialized, the Sylveon had seized this chance to thrust his paw forward. Unleashing a dark, powerful orb of ominous energy. However… It would appear that the target of his attack wasn't aimed towards the location of any of the Houndooms. Oh, no, no, no. This Sylveon is quite well aware that a Pokemon like these hounds are not vulnerable against this particular attack. After all, Ghost is ineffective against Dark types. So, he had opted into a more strategic course. One that would prove to be much more beneficial to himself. He had allowed the Shadow Ball to be launched into….

BAM!!! The tree was struck by a powerful blow from the orb! It had already became evident that his goal was to create a distraction. And, well… It became quite a success! The intent was to take advantage of the Houndoom's blindness and bare sense of hearing. Thanks to the sound of the explosion, the trio would immediately snap their head towards its location. Their focus was completely lured into the Sylveon's bait, much like how a Magikarp would immediately bite into a Caterpie strapped onto a hook! Without a moment to lose, the two Houndooms would quickly bolt their way towards the tree. While on the other hand, the one-eyed Houndoom would take a much more slower pace to follow his siblings. It was as if he was intentionally lagging behind… And yet, he spoke nothing of it. Nor did he seem to be expressing any notable, diverted attention. The Sylveon, once seeing the foolish hounds heading towards the distracting direction, would finally have himself come down from the tree. Of course, setting himself at a careful and gentler pacing. After all, he still needs to avoid creating any additional sounds to attract any sort of attention to himself. It wouldn't be ideal to get caught now!

The Sylveon would grant the world his unsettling grin. A smile so wide, it spread from ear to ear and revealed the sharpest of teeth. This creature's disproportionate body would react rather joyous to this small act of success. By, well… Swaying his butt in a rhythmic manner and moving his hips from side to side, exuding a massive amount of confidence. Even his tail was getting all jiggy with it! The eyeball bouncing around as if there were no big deal! It genuinely gave him a shine of immense pleasure to easily deceive these Houndooms once more. As simple of a plan as it was, this still doesn't dissuade the Sylveon's utter proudness.

The female Houndoom howled in anger, as she pace around the broken tree. Furiously sniffing the ground near it, trying her damnest to see if she can capture the scent of their targets. "GRRRR, REVEAL YOURSELVES YOU COWARDS! YOU HAVE ONE CHANCE TO TURN YOURSELVES IN, PEACEFULLY! FAILURE TO COMPLY WILL RESULT IN BRUTE FORCE!!"

The demanded sound would unfortunately fall into death's ears, as the Sylveon had far departed from the hound's location. Only a differing of words would be heard, moreso from the double-cheeked up Starly. The avian's piercing howls, sobbing about their home being destroyed from some uncivilized brute! How someone must pay for such unwarranted demolition!

Soon a transition to the story would shift towards a different creature. One who is located in the same forested area, but not as near to the location of the Houndooms.

"I-I… I don't understand… Why?" "I've looked and couldn't find any answers…" "..." "… I still don't know who, or what I even am…"

The tall amalgamation would clench his paws tightly. He appeared to be very troubled by the thoughts that is racing throughout his head. Uncertainty… Unresolved… Incomplete… "What if…" A moment of pause was brought into attention. His voice have befallen, becoming quieter and quieter. His inner emotion becoming a twisted knot. "… What if I'd never--".

SNAP

His focus had been snapped awake, bringing his attention back into reality. All because of the sudden sound of a cracked branch. One that sounded far too close to him… This would, however, prompt him to be grasped by the state of a feeling: Panicked. It made him felt fearful towards of what—or, more crucially, who—caused that noise. His face, paled in fright, as his fur stand on ends from the terrified sensation coursing throughout his body. In response, he would quickly turn to face towards the direction of the sound. Hindsight doesn't seem to be 20/20 for this taller creature, as he would immediately blabber nervously and loudly to whoever may have caused the sound.

"I-I, UH-- I DON'T TASTE GOOD! REALLY, I HAVE AWFUL FLAVORING! PLEASE! LET ME LIVE! IF YOU WANT, I'LL LEAVE! PLEASE, D-DON'T HURT ME! I HAVE SO MUCH TO LIVE FOR!" … It was at that moment, the mix-match abominable creature would fall deathly silent. Now taking realization of who the culprit was from behind the sound of the snapped branches. That being none other than this fabulously-slender and obviously the most handsome Sylveon!

"Yeesh. If it was this easy to get your fluff-dump to leave, I would of scared the living daylights out of you sooner, kekek~. Then again, it reeeeaaaallllllyyyyyy isn't that hard to make you scareder than a Wimpod, Vin~." Blink, blink, blink. 'Vin' had to blink several times, as his fears was washed away and perplexity had taken its place. He would open his mouth, wanting to question the Sylveon's whereabouts. "Sabor, wh--!!". And yet, he couldn't say anything further than a name. Why? well, it may be because Sabor, the Sylveon, would press both ribbons against the other's lips. Smothering his mouth, keeping him in a hush tone. "You really ought to lower those crusty kissers of yours, Vin~. I really wouldn't want to see either of those boot-licking 'dooms rushing into our place, all because of your wimpy screams. You really need to have some sense of danger~." 'Vin' would stare at the Sylveon, his eyes widen in shock. Based on what information was brought to him, he wished that he could be in disbelief. Hoping to not believe that this disheartening day has finally come. Sure, he wasn't oblivious from the fact that such a day were to come, where the Houndooms would make mark of their location. Undoubtedly, considering that the time of their encounter has exceeded its duration. But 'Vin' emotionally held onto that string of hope. The potential possibility that maybe, just maybe, that the hounds would never make an appearance. That the duo could finally be at peace and no longer could they run from what they avoid. To live a life of normalcy. 'Vin' would softly brush Sabor's ribbons away from his mouth, as he spoke in a rather discouraged tone. "No… They couldn't- shouldn't… Why… W-Why now?…". His head droop like a hanged curtain. Sabor would only wave his paw in a very dismissive manner. He would use one of his ribbon to flick itself onto 'Vin' horn. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Look, I know you love this place and all, Vincent. But it's better we get our asses out as soon as we can, before dumb, dumber, and dumbest finds us. I'm not going to stick around and get my ass captured by those rotten flee bags." In truth, Sabor had never felt appealed to take residence in this particular area. It simply just wasn't as ideal as the previous landmarks they've temporarily lived at. So if anything, this was a masked opportunity that had to be seized.

Vincent head would arose. While wishing to speak more of this topic, his eyes seem to have taken notice of something else. Something-- Or moreso SOMEONE, whom stood behind Sabor… Alarmed, Vincent would point towards Sabor. Pointing towards you. " S… Sabor… Who are they?". His tone a little shaken, as he had never expected to see another. The Sylveon's tail would in a flash face its direction towards you, to have its watchful eyes wield a piercing gaze directly AT you. Straight away, Sabor would pull his ribbons away from Vincent. The ribbons would wrap around the air, as sparks of flames begun to emit onto them. It was starting to begin to create shape. Taking form of a curved, sharp blade. A scythe of the sort, engulf into nothing but pure fire. He was manipulating his next set of skill, making it be more weapon-like. This move is known as Mystical Fire.

"T... They don't look like one of them. I think they're friendly...". His words paused for a good moment. Vincent was taking into realization that he doesn't quite have a full grasp of whether or not the being in front of them could possibly have any ill-motives. This caused him to back track a little. "O-Or at least, don't look like someone who would hunt us down like those guys. I, um, r-really don't think you should attack them."

"... Sometimes I think your 'pacifism' will be the death of you someday, dude. You really are a word-to-word textbook definition of a boner killer. Really killing the murder-this-totally-not-so-suspicious-stranger mood here~." Sabor would lower the flaming scythe, letting the flames dissipate into nothingness. However, the Sylveon will remain alerted and held his guard up towards you.

~{ The duo is now available for asks! }~

[crmsnmth]

Scene: Before The Party

(This started out as a simple short poem. It fits better this way.)

I chuckle as she adjusts how the black button-up shirt fits on my body. Outside, large snowflakes fall to a moving, yet dark city. The blanket of white won't last long before it's gray and covered in exhaust and dirt. But for a brief few moments, the city is beautifully asleep. In less than an hour, we have places to be.

She looks me in the eyes, has she fixes the cheap dark tie around my neck. I never could tie one myself, and all the one's I've ever owned were tied once and never untied again.

"What?" She asks, sliding the knot and pulling it straight.

"The last time someone took a fuss on my clothes was my mom."

She lets out a loud Ha that brightens the room. A Rancid record spins lazily on the turntable. The music turned down past the point of quiet, and sounding like ghosts dancing around the room. We new the words, and we knew the music. It didn't need to always be so loud.

"Don't compare me to your mother. That's weird." She takes a small step back and looks at her handiwork. If someone didn't know me, you could almost say I looked like an adult. Wearing the shirt and tie, and black pants made me feel weird though. I couldn't quite put it down as to why. This was no different then the way I dressed in high school. The only difference then was my tie was red and thin, and not dark blue and normal.

"You sure, I can't just wear a t-shirt?" I complain like a toddler getting his picture taken at Sears. I scratch loosely at the color, and she slaps my hand away lightly.

"Don't monkey with it. And yes. This is my work's Christmas party. We both need to look professional." And she did. She was wearing a dark blue dress, that almost matched my tie. As if this wasn't some silly little Christmas party, and more like some kind of dance lived long ago.

"Fine," I said, rolling my eyes. "It's kind of hard not to compare you to my mom when you won't let me dress normal."

"Oh shut up," she laughs. It covers the music. It covers the sounds of city streets outside the window. It covers everything, in a warmth that makes everything move so perfectly smooth. I pick up the bottle of Corona sitting on the nightstand and take a drink.

I stick my tongue out at her, and it's impossible not to smile. It wasn't possible to remain in a sour mood when she was around. She looked beautiful. Her eyeliner into little points. Her lips the type of red that just made me want it smeared onto my skin. Instead, I've been kissing her quickly and softly, as not to ruin the work she's put in.

"Any advice for getting through this?" I ask. I wasn't showing it, but underneath the cool calm exterior was a screaming and terrified little boy. I didn't do well in social situations. Never have. Never came easy, and if something not easy for me, I tend to give up on it pretty quick. We'll call it my American Male Motivation.

"Just be you. But less offensive." This time she kisses my cheeck.

"Right. So, I should just keep my mouth shut." I nodded my head. I may have been joking in my sarcastic way, but in all truth, I meant it. My mouth works faster than my brain and I've said some pretty awful things, thinking they'd land as belly laugh jokes.

She smiles in that way where her blue eyes scrunch up. That smile just before a laugh. She puts her hands behind my neck and we sway for a few moments.

"You know, that might not be such a bad idea," she says. Her humor matched my humor and to the onlooking eyes, it would seem that we just constantly insult each other. And we do, sort of. These insults are filled with nothing but love and admiration though. Lovingly making fun of each other turned out to be a love language I didn't know I wanted.

I click my tongue and wink, before giving her yet another quick peck on the lips. I'm sure my own have to be starting to dye red. It was heard to keep my mouth off of hers. Things were beautiful, but some things were perfect.

I felt it on my face before I can stop it. For just a second, my inner turmoil shined through on my face, right through the living mask I wore. And I knew her. I knew she would see it, and she would ask. And she would ask…right…now.

"Are you ok?" Right on the dot. She was always on time.

I nod and smirk that half-cocked thing I wore whenever I wanted to cool. It did not make me cool. It make me look like I was hiding something.

"Liar." She says the word softly. Is it ever comforting to be called a liar when you are?

"Just nerves. That's all. I'll be good." Her blue eyes locked onto my gray ones and stayed.

"Don't be nervous. You'll do fine. We don't have to stay all night, either. We'll go, eat dinner, mingle and have a few drinks and come home. These are just the people I work with. There's not that many of them who you'll ever see again."

"Fair, but still. You see these people all the time. More than your friends, more than me. More than anybody. It's sad, but honestly these are the people who make up most of your life. I don't want to be the one to give them a reason for them to think your weird."

"They already think I'm weird." That laugh again.

"Yeah, but you know what comes out of my mouth. They might make you wonder." And now, I was getting to the real reason this whole thing scared me a bit. I had it buried underneath that fear of social acceptance. Buried under the fear of being awkward. The fear of losing her was the greatest fear of all. It was always buried, held deep in the damp dungeon spaces of my heart. And like any prisoner, sometimes it would get out. Just a little bit. Just enough.

"Wonder?" Her eyebrow raised in the inquiry. The smile on her face was still there, just subdued and quiet now. It still lit the room.

"Make you see how weird some of us really are."

She slapped my chest and laughed.

"I already know how weird you are. Do you really think it matters to me what the people in my life think of my personal life? It doesn't. I love you. I love how your brain works. I love having conversations all night about Dahmer and necrophilia. I love you. If they don't like you, who cares? I love you." And then she smashed her lips into mine, completely ruining her makeup, and making us late for the party.

[dandylion-virtual-adventurer]

My Outer Worlds posts aren’t getting much attention, but I’m still hyper focused on it (and the Vicar) so I thought I’d get my thoughts out about the game! Lots of words under the cut lol

I was interested when it was first revealed, but didn’t play it because I generally do not want to play in first person perspective. Without a toggle for third person, I pretty much checked out and didn't pay attention to anything about the game for a long time. I had tried it (years ago) during a game pass trial but did not make it into Edgewater. If I had, I firmly believe I would have played it so much sooner.

I picked it up for less than $10 a few months ago and finally played it this month. Boom. It’s my new obsession and it’s very, very sad to be so in love with something that no one seems to talk about anymore.

But anyway, here’s my thoughts on the game, admittedly rambly and not well put together:

First of all, I think it’s important to know that I have not played Fallout: New Vegas. In fact, I’ve only played Fallout 4. I became pretty obsessed with that game when I played it as well. But even still, not to the level that I am now with the Outer Worlds. I write all that to say that I wasn’t comparing this game to New Vegas, as so many other players were. I was, however, comparing it very much to Starfield.

This blog of mine sees me post a lot of Starfield photography and a lot of Sam Coe. But to be honest, the game was overall very disappointing to me. And I don't even actually like Sam that much. In fact, there are aspects about him I actively dislike lol. But he seemed to be the only option for me to romance in the game. (Barrett was my beloved gay uncle idk what to tell you lol).

I think The Outer Worlds succeeded in a lot of ways that Starfield failed. The most obvious way being the tightly crafted world. Starfield's randomly generated areas have nothing on the hand crafted environments of smaller titles, and feel so hollow in comparison. TOW was such a delight to explore in that way. It was always so exciting to land on a new planet or explore a new city. The scale is so much smaller, and I do wish it was bigger...more. But what is there, satisfied that itch of what I wanted adventuring into new alien worlds. It also offered up a better attempt at creating a new universe, in my opinion. I appreciate that Bethesda was trying to create something slightly more serious with their title, but I prefer the dark humor of Obsidian's new lore and more whimsical art direction, even if I feel the former wasn't nearly fleshed out enough. I deeply wish we knew more about other colonies and about the Earth our Captain left behind.

Gameplay wise, I never really did get over the first person thing. Since the game is relatively short compared to other open world RPG’s, at least half a dozen times a play session, I found myself attempting to toggle to a third person view. The persistent problem of the forced first person perspective throughout the entire experience was a constant grating annoyance. I simply do not like it. Especially in a world like this. It is so important for me to be able to see my character and it hugely took away from my experience that I could not. It's incredibly baffling that they included a character creator at all. Even more irritating, is that there are multiple quests about clothing, dressing up, and disguises. Sure would be nice to actually see yourself in that context, wouldn't it?? I also found it frustrating that the developers clearly understood people would want to take pictures in the world they created, but did not, and have never included a photo mode. It's written right there on the option to turn off the HUD. But no, no photo mode.

I don't have much to say about combat. I played on the easiest difficulty, again not being overly familiar with fps, and didn't have many issues. I enjoyed the companion commands and found them way more useful in combat scenarios than many other titles with followers. And how refreshing to be able to have more than one at a time! Their banter reminded me more of Dragon Age than Bethesda titles where it can feel somewhat lonely with a single follower. The dialogue between the Unreliable crew was a delight, but it seems to be the only real time you will get to see their personalities playing off one another, as there are very few moments where the whole cast is together. Admittedly, I still sometimes go out with just the Vicar ;)

And oh boy, did that Vicar quickly became one of my favorite game characters of all time! I've never read fanfiction in my life, but here I am now. I just turned 30 last year and I'm scouring the internet for fics and fanart of this man. Lamenting the complete lack of merch. I definitely feel he's the most well explored character in the game. It's a pity I couldn't explore his body. Handsome and the source of some of the best lines in the game, but more than that, by the end of his quest I felt a deeper connection to him. I saw my own journey with deconstructing religion reflected in his story. Frankly, I felt most of the other characters' quests felt like afterthoughts in comparison, and I was hoping for a little more.

There are some other rough edges to the game for me as well. I was greatly aggravated by the level cap being sat at 36. I'm playing the og version with DLC installed. I had no idea it was coming and was frustrated I couldn't tweak the characters further. And of course, combat became a waste of time as it was no longer rewarding by mid to late game. I essentially played the entirety of Peril on Gorgon and the last few missions of the main campaign without earning a single shred of xp. I appreciate that I can take certain companions to boost my skills that I'm weak at, but preferred to take companions I liked and let my clothing do the supplemental work for us. Unfortunately this was a very tedious task without a load out system or any way to sort the armor by affect. One wonderful perk I must sing the praises of, however, is the ability to travel while over-encumbered! If only the map itself weren't so darn cumbersome! I never took on any flaws in my first playthrough, and think I'll save that for my low intelligence run, so I can't comment on that system. It did not look appealing to me while playing on easy.

One last thought before I sum up my opinions here. The DLC. Peril on Gorgon was fine. I'm disappointed I didn't get an Archibald Excelsior outfit for Max, but it's fine. I think it was a mistake to play it after Murder on Eridanos though... because I LOVED Murder on Eridanos. It felt bigger, more exciting. Different. It was such a blast to play and I think it stuck out to me more than any other part of the game. Edit: I can’t explain why but when I replayed Peril in Gorgon a second time it totally hit different and I really loved it that time. So both DLCs are excellent.

The biggest complaints one can have with The Outer Worlds somewhat slink away when you remember the limited time and budget Obsidian had. I wanted more places to explore. I wanted more fleshed out world building and companions. I wanted a longer third act. A more satisfying conclusion. I admit, I hate that the crew drifted a part. Most of these things could be addressed in the sequel, but the fact that we won't get them for the Halcyon Colony and the Unreliable Crew saddens me to my core. If they add romance in the sequel, that would be wonderful. But if I won't be romancing Vicar Max then what's the point... *sigh*

Hey, maybe we can get a game where the Unreliable crew is reunited to solve another murder mystery?

Eh, it could happen.

[staygolddindjarin]

Grief

Chapter two: Rebellion

Din Djarin x Reader x Cassian Andor

Series Summary: Raised on Mandalore, born into a bloodline of warriors, no one ever expected for the daughter of a Clan leader to go rogue. Leaving the life of security and making the journey to fight in the war against the empire meant many things... giving up the way of the Mandalore, and giving up a solid future. A future that involves an arranged marriage to a foundling from another clan.

Chapter warnings: some brief angst, this ones pretty mellow ngl

Words: 3.3k

A/n: i was not expecting such a good response from the first chapter but bruh you guys are amazing- anyway here's part two of my brain's misery

Part 2/?

The trip from Mandalore to the planet of Dantooine was long, and still ongoing. We all took turns, watching to see if we were any closer. After each jump from hyperspace, the transport would stop at a space refueling tank, before slowly going onward toward the destination. We must have been traveling several systems across the galaxy. We had a few laughs, mainly while watching Gander try and steal Shyloh's food from his knapsack while he was sleeping. Most of the other time we all just sat in silence, up until this point.

"What do you think we're all going to do once we get to the rebel base?" Merc raised his voice slightly, barely capturing our attentions as we had all been dozing off, and Shyloh was taking watch at the view point.

"What do you mean?" I had asked, not quite sure of what he was getting at. I sat up straighter against the wall, showing my interest in the newfound conversation.

"What branch do you think you'll end up in?" He was in a daze as he spoke, almost unsure of his intentions of bringing it up. His dark eyes were nearly emotionless under his furrowed brow.

"I hadn't really thought about it. I would say maybe something like mechanics," I said, thinking of the best possible use of my talents. I'm sure there's plenty of mechanical help already assisting the rebels, but with the galactic empire growing it's forces by the day, they needed all the help they could get.

"What about flying?" Shyloh perked up from his seat at the window.

"What about it?" I asked, curious as to why he suddenly thought of the new topic.

"You could do it of you wanted to. Be a pilot, I mean. You have the skills," He told me, but I scoffed. He wasn't in any way shape or form was making an ounce of sense at all.

"Speeder control races are a bit different from piloting fighters against the imperial troops don't you think?" I laughed at the idea, but he rolled his eyes, persistent with his opinion.

"It's less different than you think it is. Also mind you, I never saw you lose a race," He objected, but I wasn't having any of it.

"That's because when I raced, my own credits were on the line," I joked, seeing what he would try and come up with next, only to be met with a cold hard stare, before an answer that would shake me to my core.

"Well, now the freedom of the galaxy is on the line."

My smile dropped from my face and I turned to face the other two, who were looking back at me. They didn't expect that answer either. Shyloh was well known to be a boy of few words, and only really spoke to his friends and family. He was a founding just like the rest of them, but he had been with ths clan longer, due to having been saved from a war infested home as a baby.

He could sometimes be very wise, even if he didn't think he was being so. We weren't sure what it was, but he had this sort of presense that was so powerful. We knew when he would walk in a room, or walk out of it. It's like the air would change. Much like it changed now, with his words rendering us all speechless.

The silence was uncomfortable, and I was the one who left it unresloved, so I spoke up in favor of my crewmates to not keep quiet any longer.

"Perhaps I shall see where I am needed first."

"Perhaps you shouldn't be so afraid to explore an option you would excel in," He again rendered me speechless, and I did not have anything else to say this time. I was young, but my mind was not. I could comprehend thoughts the same way that an adult could. I could handle things just as well and if not better than some, too. He was right. I was simply afraid.

"I think we're finally here," Shyloh said, turning back to look out of the view port again.

"Its about time," Gander stood up, slinging his knapsack over his shoulder and standing at the transport door waiting for it to slide up.

We all followed suit, but Shyloh stopped us and held up a warning finger to stay still.

"There's manding droids, we gotta sneak off carefully. They don't look like bulk but they could be armed," He suggested. We were not yet at the rebel base, meaning these were probably droids of the land, and belonged to whoever oversees the exports on this planet.

When the panel opened, we were all careful to first peek out of the transport. This planet was nothing at all like Mandalore, which was dry and hot. This planet was lush with plants. And the air was slightly humid. It was a very welcome contrast from where I spent most of my life.

We all sneakily bolted out of the transport, ducking down behind one of the cargo units placed outside. We saw an opening in what looked like some sort of forrest patch.

There was a chill in the air on this planet, even in the middle of the day. Mandalore only ever got colder at night, when the sun was down and the moons were shining.

"That was close." Merc mumbled as we began to turn around and head into the grasslands, trying to find the rebel base.

We made sure no one was behind us, and were careful to check if any droids had caught sight of us.

We all went to turn around, but as soon as I did, I collided with someone's chest, rather hard might I add, sending me to the ground on my bottom. I didn't even collide that hard with the person, it was just the shock that sent me backwards.

"Need a hand?" I looked up to see a man, a sly smirk on his face as he held his hand out towards me. I took it without question, heaving myself up from the grassy, and somewhat muddy ground beneath me.

"You must be our contact," Merc smiled, and the man nodded, turning and begining to lead us to a speader that was hovering nearby behind a large set of trees.

"We must be careful not to use names outside of the base. I would be more than happy to formally introduce myself once we reach our final destination," He chuckled. It was only now that I realized he had an accent, a thick one. Probably left over from his native tongue that spilled out his mouth when he spoke galactic basic.

I know that sometimes my accent slips in when i speak. I never had to worry about using Mando'a around my fellow crewmates. They were foundlings, and hadn't been raised to speak it. Shyloh was, but he prefered to use galactic basic anyways because he had forgotten so much of it.

We all boarded the speader, Gander and I sitting on the back, our legs hanging off as we held onto the side bars.

"This might be a bumpy ride for you two," The man said, looking at both of us before giving me a wink. I scrunched my face up, not sure how else to react to it. The man was definitely on the younger side, but I wasn't sure how he could possibly see an interest in me.

Maybe he did and I just didn't want him to. Maybe I was still hinged to the idea that I would go back to Mandalore someday and marry my betrothed. I was so young, and hadn't the slightest idea of what feelings I could possibly be harboring, if any at all.

I couldn't deny I found him appealing. Anyone would, at least any human with eyes that is.

His hair was dark, and so were his eyes. He had a bit of stubble along his jaw and above his lip. He was somewhat scruffy looking, but in a good way.

As the speeder went through the forresty stretch of pathway, I kept turning around to catch a glimpse of him. Each time I did I had to look away fast because Gander would give me weird stares.

I would play it off like I was simply taking in the view of the green planet around me, and he wouldn't seem to notice.

After a while, with quite a few twists and turns, and Gander and I nearly falling off the speeder twice, we arrived to our destination.

We all hopped out of the transport, following the man into a giant cargo port. As soon as I looked to my left I could see an X-wing fighter in all it's glory. I had never seen a real one before, just heard stories and viewed holograms.

"Alright. We have about twelve other recruits arriving on this base today, so you will all be attending orientation this evening. As for right now, you look beat, and should rest. PX-74 will assign you to your bunks," He said, gesturing to the droid before beginning to walk away with a nod, but I stopped him before he could take a step.

"Wait a minute... I believe I recall something about a formal introduction," I crossed my arms over my chest and shifted my weight, trying to give off the look of having as much confidence as I could muster. I was putting on a facade, possibly to make me seem more mature. I didn't know the real reason.

He smirked, raising an eyebrow as he scanned me up and down with his dark eyes.

"Cassian Andor," He smiled, then looking right back at me with questioning eyes. "And how about you... you got a name?"

"Y/n from clan Maldrix," I said, my confidence wavering a little when he looked at me the way that he did.

"She's a Mandalorian," Shyloh perked up, and I sent him a warning glare.

"Yeah, sixth generation," Merc added, his cocky smile pasted on his face for all to see and be annoyed by.

"A mandalorian? I've heard the stories but I haven't ever met one. Are you-?"

"I'm not," I cut him off before this got twisted into one big lie. "My mother and father are."

"Doesn't that make you one too?" Cassian furrowed his brow but his tone was somewhat joking and humorous.

"No, it does not," I wasn't harsh with the way my voice came out, but I was firm. Though I wasn't one of them, the mandalorians and all they stood for were very important to me.

"Mandalorian is not a race, it's a creed. Some of the best Mandalorians I ever had the pleasure of knowing didn't even have a bloodline from Mandalore. They were foundlings, like these three," I explained, laying out the facts so that there was no longer any confusion lingering, but now there was a tension that was thicker than the trees on this planet.

"Even still, she can fight just as good as any soldier taken the creed," Merc jumped in, trying to clear the air, and thankfully, it seemed to be working.

"She flies even better," Shyloh mentioned, and I swore I could kill him. He was just so pushy sometimes, even with his massive sense of wisdom.

"You fly?" This peaked Andor's interest, and immediately he seemed more engaged towards me.

"I'm not as good as they say I am," I admitted, but he shook his head.

"No, really... if you can fly we could really use you. We're putting together a team for an air raid that's set to happen about one month's time from now," He came up closer to me and stared me in the eye.

"I'm just a kid, I might really let you down," I joked, trying not to get too caught up in his eye contact. His eyes were much darker when you could see them closely.

"I tell you what, I can arrange for you to have time in the flight simulator after orientation. If we feel you would be an asset, we can add you to the strike team," He said, nodding along to his words. I understood that they might need backup, and if push came to shove, I could maneuver faster than any pilot back on Mandalore. I never lost a race, nor did I ever lose a bet.

"Okay."

I could tell I was blushing from the extra attention I was receiving. I wasn't so sure what about me was so enticing that I deserved it.

"I have to go now to pick up the other recruits from a drop station. I leave you in the capable hands of PX-74," He said, returning to his speeder and letting us be lead off into the base.

"There are only so many open bunks left. Two of you will share one, and the other two will be placed with bunk mates." The metalized voice of the PX unit was strong in our ears, and we all followed after him as we ventured into the long hallway at the end of the cargo port.

The droid stopped at a door about midway through the hall and opened it using the side panel on the wall, revealing a young man that seemed almost younger than me even.

"One of you will be staying here. Which will it be?" The droid asked, turning towards our small group.

"I'll take this one," Shyloh said, stepping forward into the bunk to meet his new roomate.

The boy looked a bit frightened at first, but because of Shyloh's powerful yet calming energy, he seemed to relax almost immediately.

He turned and smiled back at us, waving before the IG unit closed the door and kept us going.

He walked us down passed several more doors, maybe more than twenty, before he stopped at another one and opened it up.

Inside sat a young woman, her legs crossed as she sharpened a knife with a smirk on her face. She looked up and made eye contact with me first.

"I wondered how long it would be before they got someone else in here." Her voice was somewhat low and raspy, but it was kind of soothing in a way.

"One of you-" the IG unit began again, but I stopped him, stepping into the bunk with the girl inside.

"I'll take this one." I smiled at the two boys left before the door closed on my new bunk.

I moved to set my knapsack down on the bottom bunk, but my roomate stopped me.

"Bottom one's mine." She said, looking up from her sharpened knife again to inform me of the sleeping arrangements.

I instead threw my knapsack on the top bunk, trying to climb up into it, but failing miserably.

"You need a hand?" She chuckled, watching my lame attempts to swing my leg up high enough. The fact that there was no ladder should have tipped me off.

"I'll be okay, thanks," I laughed, keeping my attitude loose and positive, though this bunk bed was already causing unnecessary problems for me.

"If you say so," She chuckled again, seeing as I finally managed to haul myself up and onto the bed.

"First try," I joked, and she laughed like it was the funniest thing in the world. I think that we would be getting along, because no one ever laughed at my lame sense of humor.

I laid back, resting my arms behind my head and staring blankly at the ceiling.

"So, where are you from?" She piped up, not taking her eyes away from her previous knife. That thing must mean a lot to her.

"Mandalore," I let out, trying to get comfortable on this lumpy pad that was under my head.

"Actually?" She seemed surprised. Everyone had heard of the planet that the mandalorian tribes had resided upon, and usually they understood what kind of people the place would breed.

"Yeah. Left just in time. Tomorrow's my birthday," I shut my eyes continuing our converastion with one less sense. It didn't matter, though. I was still fully awake.

"What would you have had to do?" She pondered curiously, finally looking up towards the bunk in interest.

"Well, to put it short... tomorrow I would have had to swear my freedom away. No living being would ever be able to see my face again till the day I died," I laid it out plain and simple, and she seemed to understand.

"How old are you?" She asked, her trail of questions getting longer and longer.

"Sixteen tomorrow," I answered, feeling a bit more tired now that my eyes had been closed, and the lights in the bunk rooms were dim.

"You're just a baby," She scoffed. "How could they possibly expect you to make that choice so young?"

"It's just the way it's always been there. This is the way," I remembered. Those words used to be said to me nearly ten times a day, and now they only rung in my mind as a memory.

"That's insane. The people on your planet must be crazy to take an oath like that," She muttered.

"You would think so... the strangest part about it is that there are kids brought back as foundlings that take the creed without hesitation. They don't even belong to a bloodline, they just feel as though they have right to the creed as much as anyone else," I silently remembered Din for a moment. He was the bravest, strongest, most loyal Mandalorian I'd ever known. A foundling.

I began to get bitter at the thought of leaving him. He could have made things better for me if I had just given him a chance. I had to let my head get in the way. I needed to think about something else.

"What about you, huh? Where you from?" I asked, changing the subject as quickly and painlessly as possible.

"Alderaan. Born and raised," She said, getting up from the floor and dropping herself on the bottom bunk.

"You been a lot of places since then?" I asked, but she first let out a heavy sigh before speaking.

"Only too many to count," She said, settling herself on the bunk like I had done.

"Must be nice..." I muttered. Finally able to relax on this pathetic excuse for a bed pad. Of course I couldn't complain. I'm the one who chose the life of the rebellion, including their miserable bedding. "I've never been anywhere outside my home planet until now. I haven't even seen the entirety of my own planet."

"Most new comers are the same. They haven't been anywhere else, then they come here and its like we're moving non stop. Base to base, on just about every planet in this galaxy," She reassured. At least now I didn't feel so out of place.

"How long have you been stationed here?" I asked, unsure of how long I would get to adjust to things.

"A few months. It's likely we'll have to leave soon. There's rumors of the imperials knowing our location," She answered, rolling her eyes, thought I couldn't see from the top bunk.

"You're kidding," I scoffed. After just getting here, I might have to up and leave again. I'll have to learn to accept this new life, it's what I wanted.

"I wish I was, kid," She added.

"I have a name," I retorted back, not a fan of the nickname 'kid'. I waited for her to ask me what it was, but when she stayed silent I sighed. "It's Y/n."

"I'll call you what you are... now get some rest, they'll come pounding on that door in a few hours for orientation," She said, as though she somehow had grown to a habit of mothering me only five minutes after we met. I dropped the conversation and drifted off to sleep, my eyes were too heavy to keep open anymore anyway.

.

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Tags open

A/n: okay so like i wrote this a while before everything with gina carano happened and i do not in any way condone her whatsoever so let's pretend she's been recast already...

[ficnation]

Daryl with short s/o

Request: hello my love, I think it is time we take one for the team and do Daryl x short!reader headcannons bc this bullying can go on no longer ✌🏻😔 u can do the honours first bc currently I cant bring myself to write a damn thing and also u r insanely talented and ily 🥺

requested by @pastanest

Word count: 2204

Pairing: Daryl Dixon x Short! Gender Neutral! Reader

A/n: GANG OF SHORTIES ASSEMBLE! I'm just basically providing some content involving our fellow tiny people 😌❤️ because I'm one of them. I feel like I went off topic in this one and I don't know how it happened. Also I was a little tipsy when I wrote it so the humor might be slightly weird, I'm sorry in advance 😂❤️

Sorry for any mistakes you caught there, but English is not my native language!

☁ 𝐅𝐔𝐋𝐋 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 ☁

☁ 𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐘𝐋 𝐃𝐈𝐗𝐎𝐍 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 ☁

➼ You and Daryl met in very strange circumstances. When he went on a hunt, he didn't expect a person to fall from a tree and land right under his feet. It was even weirder when you stood up annoyed and looked up at him, craning your neck to see his face. He almost burst out laughing at how short you were in comparison to him.

At first, he didn't feel the need to point any weapons at you, he knew he was stronger than you, and if you tried something, he'd immediately throw you on your ass. He just stood there looking at you dumbfounded, not knowing how to react.

It wasn't until something sharp prickled his stomach that he realized that you grabbed a knife from your belt and held it against him. Only then did he remember how close you were standing.

"What's wrong with ya, kid?!" He pushed you away, miscalculating his strength, and because of that, you landed on your ass with a yelp, and a crossbow pointed straight at your head.

"I didn't do anything! It's just self-defense!" you lifting your hands in the air to show him that you're not going to try anything. Your face showed no emotion, but inside your head, you were screaming terrified.

"What were ya doin' on that tree?" he snapped, taking a second to look up at the tree. "How did ya even get there?"

"Well, I didn't plan to fall from there!" you defended, but it didn't make you any less suspicious.

"God, what the hell are ya doin' here all alone? Where's yer group?"

You growled at him, shaking your head and refusing to speak. Daryl could swear you looked like an aggressive puppy at that moment.

"Look kid, ya either tell me what'cha doin' here, or I'm gonna shoot yer head off," he snapped to scare you into talking.

"Just because I'm short doesn't mean I'm a kid!"

"That's not the answer I'm waitin' for!"

"I'm alone, I swear!"

"Yeah? Why should I believe ya?" He gripped the crossbow tighter.

"Dude, if we're just gonna stand here and have a yelling match, then you can at least sit down to be on my level." You rolled your eyes.

It was silent for a moment before the man snorted and threw the crossbow over his shoulder.

"Get up," he said, looking around to be sure that no one else was hiding somewhere in the bushes or on other trees. "No army of gnomes around?" The question left his lips before he could even comprehend it, and judging by the agitated expression on your face, you weren't impressed.

"Fuck you," you said, offended before standing up and dusting yourself off. Choosing a random direction and stubbornly heading that way, hoping that the taller man won't follow you.

"We even goin' in the same direction, huh?" He jogged up to you. Well, he didn't have to jog. He just took one step and was standing beside you in a millisecond.

You internally screamed before looking at him with the scariest smile, a tiny person like you could muster up. "You make a short joke again, and I'll slit your throat, then I'll cut these long legs of yours and stick them down your throat."

It seemed like the crossbow-wielding man ignored your whole threat because, after a second, he spoke up, "What's yer name, kid?"

"Y/n," you answered, gritting your teeth.

"Daryl."

"Did I ask?"

"No, but didn't ya want to know?"

"Yeah, you got me there. So… Where are we heading to, my excellent companion?"

➼ You were a nice addition to Rick's group, and after a few days, everyone treated you like you were one of them. Whether it was because they thought you were too weak to do any harm to them, or maybe you just seemed like a good person to have around, you didn't need to know the answer.

It felt good to be around people. Especially since you spent the last few months completely alone, wandering the state without any real purpose. You made so many friends within the group. You felt like you finally belonged somewhere.

But there was one person that never left your mind. Daryl. He threw jokes about your height left and right, and after some time, it became something so casual that you started smiling at them and even sometimes bursting into laughter alongside others.

➼ Your first kiss didn't come for a long time. You waited for it and waited, but there was no sign that Daryl will overcome his fear and make the first move. When you finally decided to grow some balls, and be the first one to tell him how you feel, the prison crumbled down, and everyone you knew and loved was gone.

➼ If only you knew how much Daryl loved seeing your annoyed expression and how it changed into a soft smile after he laughed at his own puns. It didn't take long for the feelings to blossom between you two.

Daryl was always around you. No matter where you went, he followed. At first, he reasoned that you were new to the group, and he couldn't trust you yet, but after some time, it changed into following you around in case you wanted to reach something and needed help. It was sweet, and small actions like that made your heart melt. Was there a short person that didn't want a man who always helped you open jars and reach cupboards?

You returned the favor with the same enthusiasm. If he ever needed help in repairing something, you were there sitting on a bench, swinging your legs in the air, and giving him the right tools before he could even ask for them. When he couldn't sleep after Merle's death, blaming himself for everything that happened to this moment, you were there to sit by him and hold his hand in your two times smaller one.

When you were sitting outside in the cold night upset and memories of your family haunted you, Daryl was always there to hold you in his arms. With his chin propped on the top of your head, he offered you a cigarette knowing that you didn't smoke and will refuse, but he always asked, just to see that glimmer of amusement in your eyes.

➼ Daryl felt like his heart broke when he didn't see you anywhere. He came back with Beth several times to look around the prison's ruins.

Nobody, no piece of fabric from the sweater you wore that day, no walkers that looked like you. There was nothing that could tell him where you were, and if you were even alive.

He wanted to go back there day after day, no matter how many walkers he had to kill. Daryl just had to know if there was even the slightest chance that you could survive, but he couldn't stay there forever.

He wasn't alone. Daryl had Beth to look after now, and they needed water and food to get through another day. He couldn't just stay there forever looking for a ghost. And even if it was the last thing he'd ever do, he'll protect Beth from any danger because she was the last person he knew, the last piece of his family that remained.

➼ After everything you've been through, Daryl didn't leave you even for a second. He was always right beside you, protecting you from everyone and everything. When Abraham made a joke about your height, Daryl was there to end his bullshit.

➼ Daryl didn't expect to find you again, but he did, and that was the most amazing moment in his life. For a moment, he forgot about the walkers, Terminus, and Beth's disappearance. You were the only person that mattered because he found you again.

Daryl couldn't believe his eyes that you were standing right in front of him with Judith in your arms. After you passed the little girl into her longing father's arms, Daryl ran up to you and dropped to his knees to envelope you in a tight embrace.

You couldn't prevent the tears from escaping your eyes, and judging by Daryl's trembling shoulders, you weren't alone. You kissed the crown of his head and stayed in that position for a long while before Rick decided it was time to move.

"You didn't say you had three kids with you," the redheaded man said, trying to loosen up the atmosphere.

Daryl was having none of this, though.

"Ya say somethin' like that ever again and I'm gonna skin ya alive," the archer threatened Abraham, standing across the room sharpening his knife.

"Man, I was just fucking around. Loosen up," the redhead defended himself retreating to his group.

You just chuckled under your nose before walking up to Daryl to give him a kiss on the cheek. Only a few people left unharmed after constantly joking about your height and the grumpy archer was one of them.

➼ You lost Beth a few days later, and her death left the group visibly damaged. Maggie cried every night, curled up in Glenn's arms, looking for comfort. Daryl was hurting just as much as her, if not even more. He blamed himself for everything that happened, and it wasn't healthy.

"What do ya want?" he snapped, hearing your quiet footsteps.

You sat next to him without saying anything and took his hand in your smaller one.

"You can't do that to yourself, Daryl. Why do you blame yourself?" you asked quietly, leaving a kiss on his exposed shoulder.

"I promised myself that I'd protect 'er, but I didn't do shit," he responded after a few minutes of silence.

"You did what you could, and it's enough. You can't save everyone, Daryl." You took a deep breath before continuing. "Maggie doesn't blame you, and I think Beth doesn't either."

Before you could even realize it, Daryl pulled you into his arms, hiding his face in the crook of your neck. You caressed his hair softly, calming him down.

"Daryl, you can put me down. I feel a lot better," you assured him, seeing how slower his steps were than an hour before. He must've been exhausted from carrying you for so long. You didn't want to tire him like that.

➼ Your first kiss happened quite unexpectedly. Your group was walking straight ahead, led by Rick, trying to survive another day. Everyone was exhausted, hungry, and dehydrated. It was a miracle that you were still alive.

You were stubborn, giving Judith and Carl your rations of water and food. You passed out a few times on the road, and Daryl had to carry you on his back. He didn't mind it at all, sure he was tired like everyone else, but there was nothing he could do about it.

You felt bad for being a burden to them, even saying once that maybe it'd be better if they continued without you, but your idea was shut down, the moment the words left your lips.

"Nah, I'm good," he murmured, the words barely audible.

"Put me down, Daryl. I have legs too, ya know," you persisted, leaving a kiss on his shoulder before he finally agreed and with a low grumble, let you hop onto the ground.

You sent a smile his way and grabbed the chance to kiss him on the lips when he was still crouched down and on your level.

"What was that for?" he asked, dumbfounded. He didn't expect that kiss.

"Guess."

"Well, ya didn't have to use these short legs of yers. Ya saw more than jus' other people's ankles. I think that deserved a kiss."

"Daryl, stop it!" You punched him in the arm playfully, but he didn't even feel it.

"And the weather is different up there," he continued with a sly smirk.

"Stop making fun of my height!" you protested, trying not to burst out into a laugh.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know ya had such a short temper."

"Daryl, I swear if you don't shut up, I'll stab you!"

➼ "I love you with every inch of my body, Daryl. I'm so glad I have you," you said one night, curling up into his side, resting your head on his wide chest, with one leg thrown over his hips.

"Should I be offended?" he asked playfully.

"What? Why?" You looked up at him, furrowing your brows.

"I'm jus' saying, that's not a lot of inches."

"Did you just…" you sat up, looking at him in silence.

"Couldn't help it," he explained, smirking. "Remind me, why were ya on that tree when we met?"

You blinked, surprised by the sudden question. "I wanted to see more," you responded, but regretted it the moment Daryl burst out into a laugh. "Why did I think marrying you was a good idea?" You sighed, laying back down and turning away from the chuckling man.

"Nah, ya love me." He could imagine you smile, even if he couldn't see it. Daryl kissed the top of your head affectionately before taking you into his arms and closing his eyes, ready to be enveloped by sleep.

@bakedcrispss​ @spidergirla5​ @depressedfrog2​ @kpopandharry

[stray-kids-react]

Polaroid

Han x Fem. Reader Soulmate au

Warnings - Swearing, mentions of sex, and Fluff that'll make you cry.

Masterlist

...

Y/n's pov, November 27 2020

My mother once told me that I will know when I'm in love, she never specified what hints will cross my path... She just said I'll know.

As a young adult now, sharing an apartment with my close friend Yeji. I'm starting to become impatient with this whole game of love, why can't I just get told who is my perfect match. I'm so tired of having my hopes risen up and then crashed down onto my heart... Breaking it each time.

"Any plans today?" Yeji asked from the kitchen, making me cringe at the word plans.

I just was still recovering from a terrible break up, where I caught the supposedly love of my life slurping the life out of his assistants pussy. I won't forget the feeling of my heart completely stopping for a few seconds, as my mind told me to run and not look back.

"Yes actually, I have a date with Netflix and the leftovers in the fridge." I replied, slyly smirking as she stared at me like a worried mother.

"Well Netflix isn't going to have to wait for his turn. Because I have this guy who is really interested you and is a total sweetheart." She sighed, showing me a photo of the guy she was trying to set me up with.

"Yeah... No." I replied, beginning to retreat back to my room.

"Y/n! JISUNG TOLD ME!" Yeji announced, catching my attention from the front of my bedroom door.

"I-it's still a no Yeji." I whimpered, shutting the door harshly behind me as she sighed in defeat.

Yeji's pov

She needs to get out of this place, it's been two weeks now. All over a guy she barely even knew, I know the true reason she is hiding and she will never admit it.

Y/n is scared to see his face again, our best friend Han Jisung. The best friend that she happened to fall in love with, and moved away from after she got accepted into the university of her dreams.

They were never just best friends in anyone's eyes, not even there own. Yet they both tried to fill in the whole in their heart with other people, never realizing that all they had to do was just say three difficult words.

Y/n was in a hurry to find her perfect partner after I found mine, the man next door with the matching tattoo on his wrist. Your tattoo shows up when you are over the age of 19 and are near your soulmate, it shows up on your wrist, neck, or shoulder blade.

She didn't want to see Jisung in case that tattoo never came, they both wouldn't be able to handle the realization. But it is a part of life, and I'm not going to let my best friends live alone when they could have a chance to be in love and happy.

Han wanted to see us both while he was visiting the city, even though he knew the risk of utter devastation. That fake profile was just a set up so that she would finally meet up with Han, and she probably already knew about my plans.

I walked up to her door cautiously, gently brushing my knuckles against her door.

"Y/n... I know why you are actually upset."

Y/n pov

"Because of Han Jisung." I answered, brushing past the old childhood photos saved on my phone.

"I know that's what you were going to say Yeji, and you're right. I know I won't be able to take it if the guy I love isn't the one for me, and that all of those nights alone with him that are coded into my brain are worthless. I'm scared Yeji, I'm scared that I won't be able to think of most of my life without tearing up." I explained, as she plopped down on my bed next to me.

"You're fear will just get worse until you find out, you'll never know the result until you actually try." She replied, placing my head on her shoulder for comfort.

I let out a shaky breath as a couple tears streamed down my cheeks, she was right as usual. But I still needed at least one day to prepare myself.

"Fine, but let me rest today. I'm not going to fancy restraint with puffy eyes and bed head." I remarked, watching as a sly smile spread across her lips.

She slowly began to exit my bedroom, delighted that she finally got her way with me. Not even explaining who that fake date even was, probably just a random guy from Google. It was 11:30 at night, and all of my crying really wore the energy out of my body and mind.

So eventually sleep crossed paths with my mind and hooked up, completely losing consciousness as my memories flashed like a polaroid camera.

December 15th 2018

"I can't believe we're graduating this year, seems like we only started high school yesterday." Jisung sighed, carrying both of our bags while walking home together.

"Don't worry quokka, you'll still carry my bags for me even after high school." I teased, pinching the reddened skin of his cheeks.

"Oh very funny, and you'll still put crackers in your mouth and pretend to be a walrus." He remarked dodging the snowball that came his way.

He set my bags down on my front yard as he gathered his own army of cold fluff balls. I tackled him to the ground as we both drowned the silence in laughter, I traced my frosted mittens across his face. Gently crossing his lips as he brushed the snow chunks from my hair.

The close warmth of his breath against my face sent my heart into a frenzy, I secretly craved the closeness of him... But I never wanted to admit it in case I'd lose him.

His now glossed lips looked so kiss able, the way they pouted as he focused on my hair. And how they stretched into a warm smile that left a fuzzy feeling in my heart for years, made it only harder to stop myself from interlocking them with mine.

"I better get going bun bun. I'll see you tomorrow at school though." Jisung reassured, lightly booping my nose as he left his trail from my snowy front yard. Waving one last time to catch my attention as I was at the front door.

"Farewell loser!" He shouted, showing off that bright smile of his.

"Farewell to you as well, asshole!" I retorted, giggling as I walked into my empty house all alone.

November 28th 2020

Y/n pov

"Wake up! Time for bubble tea!" Yeji screamed, jumping on top of me as she consistently hit me with my own pillows.

"I thought we were meeting Jisung later." I sighed, looking at the red numbers of my alarm clock reading 7:30am.

"Yes we are, but I want bubble tea and to talk with you about some stuff I found out." Yeji replied, pulling me out of bed to soon push me into the washroom.

I complied to her excited energy, understanding it is pretty exciting for her.

The steaming water swallowed every inch of my skin, blocking out all of the noises outside. Only leaving me and the blank wall to stare at, droplets of water racing against each other. A flash of the mirror and sunlight clashing, sending the flash of a polaroid to my memories.

August 16th 2018

Yeji squealed as her boyfriend threw her into the pool, soon joining her in a large cannonball jump. All of his friends danced around with liquor drenching their breath, as their bodies clashed together in ways they didn't fully understand.

It wasn't my style of fun, it instead gave me a wave of fear and stress. Not recognizing any of these people, while they danced around half naked. Yeji's boyfriend decided that she had enough fun for one night, and took her home to rest.

I hurriedly gathered my belongings and rushed out the door, just as excited and horny shouts came from the pool. I was okay to walk home alone, it felt nice to be surrounded my silence for once. Even if my conscious tortured me about every bad possibility.

"Need a drive home party animal?" a familiar voice called from across the road, that voice of the man who has always had my back.

"I'd actually really like that." I replied, feeling a wave of comfort when I entered the car.

"I can tell your a bit freaked out." He sighed, throwing his bad into the backseat.

"That party was just... A lot. A lot more than I expected." I whimpered, still a bit overwhelmed from the experience.

"How about you stay at my place for the night. We'll even watch some American horror story..." Jisung suggested, even though he was shit terrified of anything remotely scary.

"I'm holding you to it quokka." I giggled, slapping his thigh teasingly.

We drove to his home as the car filled with a random playlist of songs, one landing on my favorite 'Turning Page'.

"I didn't know you liked this song." I commented, blushing softly at the tone of the song.

"I want this to be the song that represents me and my soulmate. It sounds cheesy, but it's true." He revealed, glancing my way as the car stopped in the from of his home.

The whole topic of soulmates use to be humorous to me, remembering when me and Han drew matching docks on our palms as 'our' symbol. Even taking a polaroid photo of the amazing art we drew, I still have it in my phone case.

Then it hit me, how much it would hurt to see him destined with someone other then me. That moment when he glanced back into my eyes with a shy smile, is when I admitted to myself for falling madly in love with my best friend.

November 28th 2020

I walked along the streets of our home town, hanging my mask off my chin when sipping my bubble tea.

"You know what's crazy." Yeji started, catching my focus immediately.

"I remember the moment you started crushing on Jisung. You didn't even have to tell me, I already knew." She admitted, gazing at me with only a soft warmth in her eyes.

"It was obvious by how many photos you had of him and you on your wall, and the way you looked at him as if he were your dream person." She continued, texting something on her phone that I couldn't quite see.

"Or how when he caught you staring he'd reply with 'take a picture it'll last longer'... And you always did to get revenge. I will never forget the day I saw you two as more then best friends, that was the same day when I bought you that polaroid camera for Christmas. " She replied, taking a short break as her hands nervously fidgeted with her skirt.

"That's why I want a 'thank you' later on." She mumbled, before running off and leaving me completely stunned on the bench.

"Y/n..."

September 14th 2018

"It's crazy that this is your last day here." I sighed, trying my best not to cry.

He nodded trying to smile the pain away like me, but soon caving in once his arms met my body. I nuzzled into the crook of his neck, hoping I could capture his scent one last time.

"I'll still visit. I can't cope without seeing your face, asshole." He chuckled lightly, sniffling quietly when he retracted his arms away.

He stared at my features for a few long seconds, as if he was contemplating on doing something. Jisung shook his head, smiling brightly once more as he pulled me into one last hug.

As he put his palm on the door knob, I shouted his name one last time. Running across the room towards him, he turned around immediately dropping his bangs on the ground.

He instantly knew what I was going to do, since his lips molded with mine without one ounce of hesitation. His hands lost in my hair, pulling me closer and closer until there was no space between us. Jisung's lips were so much sweeter and softer then any other kiss I've had.

The sweetness was sprinkled with the salty taste of our mixed tears. Only creating more as the kiss began to end, both of us realizing we should've told each other so much sooner.

"I love you." We both sighed at the same time, smiling sadly at the bittersweet sting in our hearts.

November 28th 2020

"Jisung..." I gasped, turning around quickly to make sure I wasn't hallucinating.

"W-wow... You've really. Wow." He stuttered, cautiously inching closer towards me.

"You too." I chuckled airily, swallowing back my tears. I missed him so much, but it hurt too much to see him at the same time.

"Y/n... I know it's been a while. But I honestly came here because I needed to see you. I still love you, and I don't care if we're soul mates or not. I'll sharpie our own symbol on us everyday if I have to." He revealed, grasping my hands between his own.

"I'm sorry that I was being so selfish." I sighed, caving into my own tears. Regretting my fears of seeing him again, feeling terrible for torturing him just as much as I tortured myself.

"We are both scared. It's not our fault, but I just want us to accept that things may not go our way. But that won't stop us from being together." He reassured, lightly brushing frosted his mitten across my features. Glossing over my lips gently, his eyes warm and gentle as they fluttered shut.

I molded into his kiss immediately, lacing my fingers through his silky hair. Soon pulling him closer to my so there was no space between us, making sure no one could try and ruin this moment for us.

His lips still were as sweet as the first time they molded into mine, and his fingertips could still make my legs give out by how gentle they were against my skin. Every emotion flashed through my mind, all my regrets, confidence, love, lust... It all flashed just like a...

"Polaroid." He gasped, tugging my palm next to his as the ink slowly traced the same picture into my palm. The picture of the camera that captured all the moments I treasured with my soulmate, the soulmate that was everything I could've asked for.

[boop-le-snoot]

PARTY FAVOURS I CHAPTER 25

first time reader click here

TWs/SUMMARY: Drugs and alcohol. Vague reference to Britishguy Funnyname being Smaug. Gen-Z humor. Reader throwing it back. You can pry my headcanon of Sam being a good dancer from my cold, dead hands.

I literally have a playlist titled "party in Stark tower but a Gen-Z is the DJ". It's good for house parties & dancing. Throw it back my ladies theybies and gentlemen ✌🏻😔

As soon as we heard the muted cheering coming from the spot we'd last seen our friends, my and Loki's head minutely turned in that direction, and only centuries of practice on his end prevented us from colliding with another couple dancing nearby.

Stephen Strange was a... Vision. He was something else, for sure, tight black suit with a sophisticated scale pattern shining silver in the candlelight; the same pattern decorating parts of his face and head, convoluting in a set of small, raised grey-white horns. And his eyes - his eyes glowed like the molten embers of an unholy fire, yellow and gold. He looked terrifying and dangerous and delicious.

And he was looking at us, a cocky smirk on his pale lips and a glass of scotch idly held in a black, gloved hand.

Loki cleared his throat.

I averted my gaze, briefly locking my eyes with Loki's - red and wide. So I wasn't the only one that felt an indescribable sort of animalistic magnetism when looking at the Sorcerer Supreme. "Magic?" I asked, to take my mind off the awkwardness.

"Indeed," Loki replied curtly, stepping slightly closer to me. "Simplistic, but powerful magic. It seems like you had struck a sensitive spot within the Sorcerer," With a great deal of teasing, Loki grinned his trademark 'I-am-trouble' grin.

I chewed on my lip in thought. Low confidence much, Stephen? "We can both agree he is hot as fuck, a gorgeous piece of man, and continue with our party," I spoke after a brief moment, raising an eyebrow towards Loki, hoping to cut the shit at its roots. The trickster couldn't pretend he was unaffected, I had seen his brain stutter.

"Let's shall," He smiled, for real this time, and led us back to our friends. "Strange," Loki's voice was, perhaps, a tad more breathy than usual. I wouldn't blame him for shooting his shot if Stephen actually swung that way.

"Doctor Wizard," Game face: ON, I made my biggest, most innocent eyes and fluttered my wings for the dramatic effect as I made my way back to Bruce. Tony was gone and so was his glass of whiskey - I assumed he had went to schmooze. Bruce patted his lap and I obediently sat down, placing myself nearly face-to-face with the sorcerer.

"Good evening," It took my brain a moment to register that the deep, guttural voice was coming indeed from Stephen himself. "Forgive my tardiness, I was held up at the Sanctum." He stared right at me, flashing those unbelievable eyes in what seemed like amusement. I couldn't tell.

"Smaug," My brain blurted out for some reason. I mean, the eyes, the scales, the voice...

"Touchè," He nodded, saluting me with his glass and taking a hefty swig. "I can't say I'm very trendy," The way he said the word was obviously meant to insult current fashions, "But for an old man like me, I clean up nicely." The little shit-eating grin just about killed me on the spot. Bruce chuckled behind me.

"I won't disagree," I twirled the straw of a drink Bruce had passed me, faking coyness and trying to gather my thoughts in some resemblance of an order. "The eyes are impressive."

"Thank you," Stephen chuckled. "That, and the voice, took some time and patience."

So, he noticed. I was fucked. So, so fucked. I needed more alcohol. "Where's Wanda?" I asked nobody in particular.

"She's dancing with Natasha," Bruce answered, watching me and Stephen with a knowing smirk. The green in his eyes didn't intensify and I took the brief moment to softly touch my lips to his, so quickly it might have been mistaken for a trick of the eye by any peeping stranger. Stephen's close vicinity did something to me. "Wanna go dance with the girls, Princess?" Bruce leaned away slightly, the brown of his irises flashing a glowing green. Oh, he was affected, too.

Stephen Strange, you sly, sly bastard.

"Yes, daddy," I whispered into his ear - just to watch him shudder all over and the hand on my bare thigh briefly turn green, grabbing my flesh possessively... As well as hear Stephen's sharp inhale, the brightening of his eyes. I sashayed off, satisfied with my small act of revenge.

I approached Natasha and Wanda carefully, taking care not to startle them.

"Finally," The witch sighed, moving slowly and precisely to the music with Natasha by her side. "I thought I would find you and Loki in the supply closet." She sounded... Slightly jealous, to be honest.

"Nah, we were thirsting over Strange," I rebuffed the implications firmly.

Natasha whistled. "I can see why."

"I know, right? Almost got Brucie to drag me out of here caveman style with that voodoo shit," I laughed soundly, looking around for the DJ booth. The music was... Nice, but definitely not for solo or group dancing. "You wanna go with me or stay here? I'll bribe the DJ into playing something more... Dancy," I said, reaching into my bra to pull out a fat roll of cash.

"Oh, I want to see that," Natasha proclaimed, pulling me towards our destination by the hand. Wanda followed obediently and curiously. In ten minutes I spent making puppy eyes, Natasha was giving DJ her best murder face and Wanda blankly stared at the array of electronics, I became $300 poorer but the tunes playing overhead slowly turned away from dark rock and into club bass territory.

When a particular song began playing, I pulled out my two girls behind me without a twitch, snagging and downing two shots from a tray standing on the bar. "Tuesday on mind, think about you all the time..." I sang along, body falling into the familiar rhythm of bopping to house music. Natasha joined quickly whereas Wanda was a little confused... But still, she had the spirit.

Few more songs and few more shots in, I was feeling myself. Wanda was tipsy, too, as she had followed in my footsteps upon Natasha's amused urging. Slowly but surely, we danced and drank our way back to our table.

Tony and Stephen were engaged in a staring contest - which was quite funny to me in my state. Tony didn't flinch, didn't blink, just traced his thumb along his jawline just like every time he was deep in thought.

"Loki!" Wanda happily exclaimed, disrupting the tense silence with a fit of drunken giggling. "She bribed the DJ, that was so cool!" The witch snorted as me and Natasha let out slightly embarrassed laughs. Technically, Wanda was still underage and - unsurprisingly - a total lightweight.

"Let's get some fresh air, darling," Loki approached the situation courteously, holding the girl steady and gently steering her towards the patio.

I took the empty chair immediately, plopping with little grace, throwing a leg over the other and leaning back in my chair, exposing the sparkling skin of my legs.

"You're responsible for this noise?" Stephen gestured to the people dancing, now much more closely and loosely, all over the room.

"Baby girl, if you keep dancing like that, I won't mind the terrible noise," Tony winked at me salaciously, evidently having seen me throwing it back like a pro despite my heels and fancy dress. "Where'd you learn that?"

"I just had lots of practice... " I trailed off insinuatingly, eyeing each man for a moment longer than necessary. The darkness in their eyes answered all my questions, the alcohol on my blood making me much bolder in my leering towards them both. I wasn't hiding my eyes as they lazily ran over Stephen's and then Tony's form. The latter knew what it meant, usually his pants were undone in mere minutes after I looked at him like that.

Today, I was a Fae. I was supposed to be playful and I was going to play. My eyes averted before they reached Tony's, focusing instead on Natasha and being all but thrown around by an overly excited Thor. The spy took it like a champ, I doubt I could survive the space-lambada or whatever the fuck it was that the inebriated Asgardian was doing.

A somber silence hung over us, each person eyeing the others with secretive looks. Despite the situation having the full potential to be hot, it was starting to get a little bit unsettling. If I was honest with myself I had completely no idea how to party with old people. Bruce didn't seem to be the dancing kind, Strange looked way too unapproachable and Tony was well on his way to getting shitfaced. I hid behind my drink as I scouted the dance floor for Clint or Sam figuring that they probably wouldn't refuse me a dance or three.

Bingo. Sam caught my eyes quickly and made way to our table in response to the dejected look I gave him. "Sup, baby?" The Falcon-turned-Greek-demigod asked me as he promptly downed a glass of water. The sheen of sweat covering his face indicated he wasn't the one to sit around with a phat beat in the background. "Wanna bust some moves?'

"Sure do," I replied, taking hold of his outstretched hand. "Tony and Stephen are way too busy flirting to dance with me." I pouted, ignoring Tony's indignant shrieking and Sam's laughter. We found ourselves a cozy little spot between all the grinding, writhing sweaty bodies, just barely in direct eyesight of the pouting men we'd left at the table.

"Are you making moves on me now?" Sam laughed as our bodies slid close and moved to the rhythm in perfect sync. The man met all my expectations, he had all the prerequisites for being a good dancer and he did not disappoint.

"Nah, Bird, you've been friend zoned," I snarked, alcohol loosening my lips. "I already have my hands full with my geniuses, sorry man." I was twirled and spun, my hands promptly landing back on his chest. It wasn't that much different than dancing dirty during one of the house parties I used to frequent. Just a lot less pelvic thrusting...

Sam threw his head back, baring his pearly whites in mirth. "At least spare this man a good dance?" The bass dipped lower and I found myself turned around, facing Tony, Bruce and Stephen. Their smirks were dark and nearly identical as they watched me slot and sway my hips in rhythm with the man behind me. "I know you got some moves, baby, don't be shy," Sam teased me.

Who was I to deny such a polite request?Alcohol was fueling my bravery and all but evaporating my sense of shame. Aw, yiss. In short, I was throwing ass like crazy and Sam - Sam was catching it, expertly. My dress wasn't deterring me in the slightest bit, adding an extra flair to my movements. In a moment, my worries were forgotten and replaced by a rush of endorphins coming from the pure joy brought on by dancing.

We danced until my feet hurt. At some point Sam was swished away by a tall, beautiful woman and I traded places with some other girl, landing in the arms of a bulky blonde man dressed as Aquaman. In my drunken haze, Jason Momoa had nothing on him. I threw it back like there was no tomorrow, downing a drink that was given to me with little regard.

Tony's eyes met mine. He was watching me like a hawk, taking tantalising little sips of his whiskey and licking his lips every now and then, diverting his attention only to absentmindedly nod in Strange's direction or smile at a person who wanted a piece of his spotlight. I consumed all of Tony's free attention span. It made me feel powerful, invincible.

I danced a bit more before the booze got to me, making me feel a little too woozy for comfort. Eyes on the table, I stumbled my way to Tony, noisily plopping down in his lap.

His mouth was set in a firm line. "Having fun, Princess?"

"Yeah," I moaned, hugging him around the neck. My body was heating up rapidly, my heart raced. Wait a minute... "Shit," I came to a conclusion as quickly as Stephen's eyebrows rose when he took a look at my face.

"Are you high?" The sorcerer asked me with a deal of concern.

"Prolly," I spoke, sighing. Did I pop X at some point? My memory was hazy. "I'm good tho. Give me some water and I'll be good," I knew my drugs, okay? A little bit of extasy didn't hurt anybody now and then. I had stayed mostly clean ever since my and Tony's and Bruce's relationship started.

To my surprise, Tony chuckled. "I really have no place to judge, Princess, but a warning would have been nice. I hope you had the common sense to get that shit tested, at least." He spoke, slowly stroking my damp hair and allowing me to all but rub myself on him. He smelled so good.

"Tony, please," Stephen rolled his eyes, evidently preparing for a lecture.

I stopped him in his tracks. "Don't act like you're a saint, seventy percent of college students I know do Adderall and coke just to keep up with the curriculum. I call bullshit."

Tony snorted as Stephen rolled his eyes, looking away. Predictable. For all that Strange wanted to appear high and mighty, he wasn't shit. I'd googled him and asked around about him shortly after we'd first met. The sorcerer was no stranger to the lifestyles of the rich and famous. He had more than a few invitation-only parties behind his back. I couldn't wait to tear the self-satisfied, smug smirk off the bastard's face.

THE TAG LIST IS NOW OPEN! @another-stark-sub ​ @mostly-marvel-musings  @vozit ​ @littlegasps ​ @pilloclock ​ @shereadsinquiet @downeyreads ​ @hermione-grangers-wife ​ @individualistfem ​ @sleep-i-ness @capbrie @lillsxd @agustdowney @dee-vn @justanotherblonde23 @fanngirl19 @persephonehemingway @softie-socks @schemefrenzy @letsby @cutenessloading @romeo-the-cactus @jelly-fishy-babie

[gabrieldrawsstuff]

Aight fellas, I'm doing a list of canon descriptions of dw characters for future reference, might do a second part with more minor characters

SPOILER ALERT OBV

STRANGER

-THE JOURNAL : "Somehow I'm wearing a coat, so I must've changed my clothes on my way here. I don't recognize myself anymore. I can barely hold this pencil. Has my body changed?"

-DOCTOR : "I see you haven't regained your speech. You need to find another doctor."

-SNAIL : "Your face... What happened to you?

The snail's jaw falls so low, it almost detaches itself from the rest of the body.

You scared me... You barely resemble a human... You should cover yourself..."

SNAIL : "You're so ugly, I feel like puking... You barely resemble a human being..."

THE CRIPPLE : "You, lad. You've got your hands and legs. Strong arms. I beg you!"

MAMA ELEPHANT : "Can't you speak? Did someone take away your voice?"

MAMA ELEPHANT : "Your gob looks like that because of this fiendish air, do you know? I bet you can't speak, because you didn't keep your mouth shut when walking through the woods."

MAMA ELEPHANT : "(...) I know you want something, you leper demon."

MUSHROOM GRANNY : "(...) But you're young and strong."

CHICKEN LADY : "Whaddaya need, poor soul? Hungry, eh? I'd give ya some stew, but what good will it do?"

(I think in polish version it was closer to 'how will you eat it' although I can't be sure)

MIRROR : "You are one ugly bastard. I guess you got what you deserved."

MUSICIAN : "This is our doctor, yes? He is just as brave and good as you are!"

MUSICIAN : "You're not af-fraid of anything!"

WOLFMAN : "Even from afar I can smell your putrid stench. Be glad I don't have an appetite for carcasses, Meat"

WOLFMAN : (after the church dream sequence) "Meat, what's with the big eyes? Hehe... Scared?"

WOLFMAN : (when you nod to a question if you're making a joke of him) "You're a brave piece of meat... and what's more important, one with a sense of humor. 

WOLFMAN : "Are you pretending to be human, or are you just cracking jokes?"

WOLFMAN : "You look tired, Meat. Busy night?"

WOLFMAN : "Have fun, Meat... Just remember to hide that disaster of a face or it's no dancing for you"

WOLFMAN : (when you spare the sow) "My heart sings with joy when I see such selfless kindness. Tell me the truth, Meat. It was you, wasn't it?"

vvvvv

TRADER

-A man, roughly my size, is standing before me.

I can barely make out his disturbingly familiar features through the matte visor of his helmet...

The massive helmet is covered with an old sack and seems to be an integral part of the unnaturally pale body.

-The man reaches out to me with his black hand. It's covered in charcoal... There's something written on his worn, woolen glove.

-Visibly struggling, the man drops the sack from his back and bends in half, as if out of breath. He shakes the dust off his clothes, then rolls up the sleeve of his, seemingly too small, jacket. 

-The old sack covering his body slides down, revealing his chest, covered in horrid growths. It is fused with a porous helmet, pulsating to the rhythm of his breath.

vvvvv

WOLFMAN

THE JOURNAL: "If I'm not delusional, the man whom I met... had the head of a wolf."

FIRST ENCOUNTER: The figure hides its face under the hood. It smells of wet soil and fur.

WOLFMAN: "(...)I barely believe my beautiful eyes... (...) The Wolf smiles, revealing a row of sharp teeth.

AT BARN RUINS: The Wolf makes a quick leap and, bouncing against me with his swollen belly, he puts his paws on my shoulders. He ostentatiously licks his face. (...)

-I notice fresh bloodstains on his fur and feel streaks of his saliva dripping onto my coat. 

-The Wolf takes two steps back. I can only see a row of filthy, sharp teeth underneath his hood.

-The Wolf squeezes my arms and starts licking my face. Once from the left side, once from the right side. (...) His breath stinks of rot.

WOLFMAN: "Thanks to you I feel fulfilled! I got my girl, my sweet little lady back."

-Suddenly the Wolf sends me back with a powerful push and reaches into his coat pocket.

WOLFMAN: "(...) and then nothing wil keep you from getting the fuck out of my part of the woods! Do you get me, Meat? You will pack your bags, dive into that stinking hole of yours and dissa-fucking-pear!"

-Finally he snorts, his thick, yellow spit landing on the photo.

-The Wolf grabs the box and starts sniffing it from every angle. I could swear I've heard his tail moving under his coat.

WOLFMAN: "And what am I supposed to do with it? Bite it until it opens? Your brain must be rotting if you think I will break my fangs for this shit."

WOLFMAN: "An electronic game, eh? About a wolf stealing chicken eggs... hehehe. Good one!I've a soft spot for games, how about you?"

-As I produce the key, the Wolf's pupils widen with excitement.

WOLFMAN: (about villagers) "Those selfish, deceitful wretches! They think they're superior, because they have human gobs. They treat us like lepers! But you know what? Fuck them. We're buddies, aren't we? And them? They deserve to be punished, Meat..."

-The Wolf pierces me with his look and grins. A string of saliva lands on his hole-riddled jacket.

-The Wolf puts his paw on me. I can feel his claws puncturing my skin.

WOLFMAN: (about piotrek) "Meat! Fucking hell, seen that? Hahaha! Seen that? Hahaha! Off he flew, didn't he? OFF HE FUCKED!!! Hahahaha!"

WOLFMAN: "If you wish to spend some more quality time basking in the striking, yet natural beauty of my features before you head off to the Silent Forest, you will find me in my camp in the Dry Meadow."

vvvvv

DOCTOR

THE JOURNAL: "What I do know is that the insane fucker took my key. My only chance to get out of the woods. He also tore out all the pages from my journal."

THE JOURNAL: "The doctor has escaped. So be it. He would only be a hindrance anyway."

CHICKEN LADY: "My sisters! Where did ya find it? It's all that godless quack's fault - devil brought him! All he did was prescribe this and that, scribble this no-good drivel! To hell with them papers!"

-I can feel the doctor's cold hand grab me by the jaw, (...)

-He removes his dirty glasses with a trembling hand and freezes.

DOCTOR: "First they begged for help, now I need to hide from them! I'm just an ordinary doctor! How the fuck was I supposed to help them?! How?!"

-With shaking hands, he reaches for the cigarrete butt between his yellow teeth.

DOCTOR: "I used to come here to treat people. I pulled out kids' milk teeth, delivered babies... (...) Last time I came here was three or four years ago. Then the trees blocked the path."

-The Doctor is visibly pleased with himself and his theory. His hands are no longer trembling. He produces a hand-rolled cigarette and lights it.

DOCTOR: "(...) I have no idea where it leads. I'm a shitty diver. (...)"

-The Doctor stares right into my eyes. Mud drips from his face. He hasn't blinked in over a minute.

- (...)His glasses are so dirty, I barely see the eyes hiding underneath.

-A chunk of mud falls down on his exposed tongue. He chews it slowly and swallows with satisfaction.

-The Doctor puts the muddy hand into his mouth, grimaces and pulls out a yellow tooth. He puts it into the pocket of his torn trousers. The tooth falls through a hole. He does not notice this...

-Slowly he bends down and grabs a thick branch from the ground. He starts biting the bark off of it. He swallows the bark with an effort, but also great satisfaction. He places the stick among other ones sticking out of his mud-covered head.

WOLFMAN: "Well, well. I know this quack. A nonentity, a third-rate witch doctor. Useless fucking clunker... But he still managed to screw you over with that key. Eh, comrade?"

MUSICIAN: "This is our doctor, yes? He is just as brave and good as you are! He helped me. He is helping all of us! He gave me this beautiful mask, so I could be healed of my afllictions. Maybe you could have one too..."

vvvvv

vvvvv

MUSICIAN

THE JOURNAL: "I met a boy in the village. He told me that the "Chicken Lady" keeps the "Pretty Lady" locked in her house. The boy really wants to see her, but the old woman won't allow it."

THE JOURNAL: "I decided to give the key to Chicken Lady's room to the little boy. He thanked me and asked me to bring him his mom's violin (it's hidden behind the wardrobe). He's afraid to go himself, as his parents are supposedly angry with him."

THE JOURNAL: "The boy sure was happy to see the new violin. (...)The kid also told me I should visit him in his parent's home someday."

CHICKEN LADY: (after musician's death) "Maybe it's just that me ears are getting worse, but it's been a while since I've heard that monster outside me windows..."

CHICKEN LADY: "Holy Mother, this creep again! May the devil take him and his blasted violin!"

MUSICIAN: "The Pretty Lady? S-she's... the most beautiful lady in the w-world! I w-watch her through the cracks in the window. S-she ch-changes when I watch her... g-gets more beautiful. I p-play for her... I want her to be h-happy..."

MUSICIAN: "I fished out the Pretty Lady's w-wreath from the river! (...)Oh yes, I will become the Pretty L-lady's husband! We w-will walk hand in hand, s-sir. I will play for her, mister s-sir."

-A skinny little hand emerges from beneath the tractor and grabs me by the ankle.

MUSICIAN: "They will not l-listen to me, they w-won't hear how sad I am, sir..."

-One of the strings securing his mask falls off, together with his ear. The boy reattaches it as if nothing happened.

MUSICIAN: "My m-mom has this beautiful violin! I would ask her to b-borrow it to me, but she's too angry with me... Could you p-please c-convince her to b-borrow it to me? I'll g-give you a card with drawings for her. To apologize."

-The boy turns the game in his hand for a while, but he can't find a way to reach the buttons with his overgrown fingers. The game slips out of his hand and drops to the ground. The wannabe musician freezes.

MUSICIAN: "(...) maybe you could take a wee piece of... m-meat for me? I've never eaten a pig and I've h-heard it's very tasty! W-would you take s-some for me?"

-The boy sniffles and rubs the mask with his deformed hand.

-From beneath the mask you can hear a horribly distorted, resounding voice... of a child?

-The figure tries to turn its head, but its enormous neck makes this task impossible to complete.

MUSICIAN: "P-please let me stay. P-please, don't chase me off. I've got nowhere to... go. The villagers don't a-a-allow me to live in the camp. I p-p-promise I won't p-play anymore! I'll be quiet. You can c-cover me with something, if you don't w-want to look at m-me..."

MUSICIAN: (after gifting you a rat) "(...) I mean, she jumped on my hand and s-started nibbling on my f-finger! I quickly clasped my h-hand and b-bit through its neck!"

-The corners of the boy's mouth turn up in a grotesque smile, exposing rows of overgrown teeth, which even his mask couldn't hide.

-The boy clumsily grabs the ball in his hand. He carefully hides it under his legs, so that it doesn't roll away.

MUSICIAN: "S-sorry! I didn't want to! T-this thing is coming out of m-my body. I... I tried to stop it, but I don't think I can... N-now the whole room is covered with... this. I didn't want to make a mess, I s-swear! Please, don't t-throw me a-away!"

-The boy leans over the violin lying next to his overgrown left hand. He plucks one of the strings with his right hand, clumsily trying to keep the rhythm.

MUSICIAN: "Recently, I've grown quite a bit. My mom always used to say that I need to be b-big and s-strong... to help her out in the field..."

The boy tries to hug his frail knees with the disproportionately massive torso.

"But I... I don't want to be big anymore. It's v-very hard being big. You need to be so... so strong! To even walk.Now my v-violin is... too s-small for me!"

vvvvv

vvvvv

[spicycreativity]

Soft-Shoe Shuffle - Ch 1

Chapter: 1/12 Rating: T (for language) Content Warnings: Canon-typical Remus content. This chapter only: alcohol use Characters: All Pairings: Moceit, background Prinxiety, background Intrulogical (yes I played a little game of "pair the spares") Additional Tags: Hey it's the fic I published on Anon because I was embarrassed of how utterly pretentious it is!, post-PoF, sickfic, dirty poetry, humor interspersed with philosophy and Janus-typical pontification, this is VERY speculative and will get Jossed in the future lmao Summary: After claiming his place in the Light and coming face-to-face with the consequences of his actions, Janus finds himself unwillingly re-calibrating his moral compass. For selfish reasons, of course. But one apology snowballs into several, and soon he's running around the Mindscape with a low-grade fever and a guilty conscience as he desperately tries to regain some sense of self. Oh, and he's definitely not falling in love with Patton, so don't even bring it up. One Last Note: I wrote this in an ADHD fugue state. It is HEAVILY influenced by Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment, but there are also references to poetry and various other works of literature. I also deliberately used symbols, themes, and motifs. Most of them are pretty in your face except for the recurring ouroboros, which is used as a symbol of rebirth. ...Told you it was pretentious.

When you wake up to the promise of your dream world comin' true With one less friend to call on, was it someone that I knew? Away you will go sailing in a race among the ruins If you plan to face tomorrow, do it soon

Janus appeared in the Dark side of the Mindscape, elation swelling in his chest. Even the ringing headache and bitter taste in his mouth couldn't hollow the unfamiliar triumph that warmed him to the core. Caught up in his own thoughts, it took a moment for him to register the sight before him: Remus, upside-down on the couch, his brow furrowed and face an alarming shade of purple.

For a moment, Janus stood stock-still as he tried to get his bearings. He must have been more flustered than he'd realized-- He'd been aiming for his bedroom.

But here he was, staring down at Remus, who was definitely going to burst a blood vessel (or several) if he didn't flip over soon.

"That's not horrifying at all," Janus said, thinking it would be rude to dismiss Remus, especially since he had probably been eavesdropping. He had likely heard everything. Everything. Even the ugly parts.

"Do you remember when Thomas read that post about Nutty Putty Cave?" Remus asked in a strained, strangled voice. "That spelunker who died because he got stuck upside-down?"

"No," Janus said, before realizing his mistake. "Yes." He definitely wanted Remus to remind him of the gory details.

"That's what I thought," Remus said with a wicked grin.

Janus sighed through his nose. Remus, though he thrived on attention, seemed content enough to continue his experiment by himself. On the other hand, if Janus didn't bring up a certain insult he'd levied at Roman, Remus most certainly would, and at a time where it would cause the most upset and turmoil. Better for Janus to deal with it now, even if he would have to fight the tension pulling his muscles taut. He wanted to dance. He wanted to scream.

Hesitation proved to be Janus' downfall, and by the time he'd opened his mouth to broach the subject at hand, Remus had beaten him to the blow. "You're not usually this quiet, Oralboros. Snake got your tongue?"

Janus, again, sighed. Rather than answer, he doffed his hat, set it on the coffee table, and clumsily arranged himself upside-down next to Remus. The change in position immediately made his head throb. He ignored it. "I definitely meant it when I called you 'evil'."

Remus' eyes widened in faux-shock. "You called me evil ?" he shrieked, voice ringing out high and clear. "Me? How dare you. I'm an angel!"

At least Remus was taking it well. "Sarcasm is my thing," Janus said, realizing that he might make it out of this without having to properly apologize.

For some reason, Patton's face flashed into his mind, and a subsequent twinge of guilt made his tongue go sour. Fine. If there was ever a time to start telling uncomfortable truths… "But I am sorry I said that."

"Wow!" Remus laughed. "You must be upset." A red stain began to spill across his left eye. "You don't apologize."

"It’s not like I care about your feelings or anything." Janus would have liked to have drawn himself up to his full height, but it was impossible to do while upside-down. "As much as I'm enjoying watching your blood vessels slowly burst, would you please turn over before you hurt yourself? I've suffered enough psychological trauma for today."

"Oh, fine." Remus kicked his legs and landed neatly on his toes like a gymnast.

Janus, by contrast, got his arms tangled in his capelet and nearly folded himself in half before he found his balance again. "I meant to do that," he said, turning to grab his hat so Remus wouldn't see the blush on his face.

The sudden sensation of blood draining from his head made the room whirl. He steadied himself against Remus' shoulder until it slowed somewhat, but nothing could dampen the horrible ringing in his ears.

"Well," he said, adjusting his shirt. The sudden appearance of his conscience had taken the wind out of his sails more than he cared to admit, and all thoughts of dancing bled out of him along with a good deal of energy. "I'm not going to go scream into my pillows until I tire myself out."

"Being an agent of chaos is hard work," Remus said with a sage nod, "but that doesn't sound very relaxing, Mr Self Care."

"It's a form of meditation, if you think about it," Janus said.

Remus made a face. "You know I don't do that."

"...Meditate?"

"No, think."

"Ah. Well." Janus made only a token attempt to hide his fond smile. "Good night, Remus. Please stay up late and injure yourself."

"Can do, Snakeypoo.”

Janus turned. It was close enough, he might as well walk to his bedroom, especially considering how well his last attempt at appearing in it had gone.

The reason why that had been so difficult became apparent in mere moments. Janus froze in the hall and dropped to his knees at the giddy wave of horror and delight that made him too light-headed to stand.

He knelt in front of the empty stretch of wall where his door had been previously.  Heat flooded his face.

"Jay?" The rounded toes of Remus' boots appeared in his line of sight. Janus zeroed in on them, the mud splatters and stains on the soft leather. "You have an aneurysm or what?"

Janus, unable to speak, motioned for Remus to turn around. He couldn't deal with this right now.

"Ohhh," said Remus. "Well. Good luck with that ." He hauled Janus to his feet. "So you're a boner fide good guy now, huh?"

Janus stared over Remus' shoulder at the empty stretch of wall where his door used to be. "That depends entirely on who you ask."

Remus shrugged and rose up on his toes. "You can scream into my pillows instead, if you want."

"As tempting as that is…" Janus trailed off, his eyes still fixed on the wall. It was tempting, despite the constant chaos in Remus' room. But he'd have to face the Light side sooner or later. It wasn't like he could move his room back, not without psychologically damaging Thomas and undoing all the work he'd done. "I'm really looking forward to getting insulted some more."

"Alright," Remus said with a shrug. "Try not to throw me under the bus this time, alright? Unless it's a real bus…" His gaze became dreamy, unfocused. "And it's doing 50 in a school zone and there's a whole pack of screaming kids in the crosswalk--"

"Goodbye, Remus." Janus turned and left.

--

The barrier between the "dark" and the "light" sides of Thomas' brain had been a joint venture. It would have been there in some form no matter what, but it was Janus and Roman (with Patton's tacit blessing) who had worked to put up something more physical between them.

Janus ducked under the red curtain, trepidation percolating in his stomach, but what he found on the other side was anticlimactic to say the least: It was dead silent on this side of the barrier.

Janus wasn't sure what he'd been expecting. He knew by now that the so-called "Lights" had issues working out their interpersonal issues, and this most recent conflict wasn't the kind of thing you just got over. It did follow that they would all go off to lick their wounds for a time.

Hesitantly, toe-to-heel, Janus crept down the hall. It felt for all the world like he was sneaking around a vast hotel, right down to needlessly ornate design on the plush carpeting. That was probably Roman's doing.

Janus focused, trying to call the Mindscape to work for him. He wanted to go to his room.

The Mindscape listened. Janus turned a corner and found a row of doors stretching down yet another brightly-lit corridor. His eye was immediately drawn, not to the brilliant yellow of his own door, but to the figure huddled in front of it: Patton sat with his arms wrapped around his legs, forehead resting on his knees.

"Looking for someone?" Janus asked, slightly louder than necessary.

Patton jerked his head up. "Oh! Janus!" He plastered an unconvincing smile on his face. "You sure pop star-tled me."

Scaring Patton hadn't brought Janus nearly the level of schadenfreude he'd thought it would. He crossed his arms over his chest, extending a third to help Patton up. "Take your time getting to the point.”

"Oh." Patton accepted Janus' proffered hand and got to his feet. Warmth spilled from him, permeating the fabric of Janus' glove and gently heating his palm. "Well, it's just…" He took a deep breath. "I noticed your door and I thought-- Well, I wanted to make you feel welcome!"

A high-pitched tone resonated in Janus' skull. He bit down on the inside of his cheek to keep from wincing at the mounting pressure-pain-exhaustion in his temples. "Aren't you just a saint ." Patton's face fell. Janus fought the urge to swear aloud. He usually had a better handle on himself, and he knew better than to alienate potential allies. "I mean, thank you, Patton. Truly. I appreciate it." Patton had proven himself useful. Janus should at least cultivate that relationship, even if it meant a little discomfort.

"Have you eaten?" Patton asked. "It's a little late, but I could make something if you wanted." He paused. "Maybe we could play cards or something." Another pause. "O-only if you want to, I mean."

Janus let his face remain impassive even as he internally cringed at the idea of staying awake for even another second. It would be so easy to brush Patton off with a few honeyed words and disappear beyond the barrier of his door. But Patton had stood up for him today, or at least he'd tried to. Janus sighed. Quid pro quo. "That sounds like an utter waste of time."

"Are you… I'm sorry, sometimes I can't tell when you're…"

"Yes, Patton. That sounds lovely."

Patton actually hopped in place, an adorable little jig that absolutely didn't send a confusing little shockwave of fondness through Janus' ribcage. "Really?"

"Really," Janus lied.

He followed Patton down the hall into the living room, which opened into the dining room and the kitchen. Janus studied his surroundings, trying to take in as much as his exhausted faculties would allow. Even in the absence of other Sides, the living room felt warm and welcoming. All the lights were on, and they bathed everything in gentle golden light .

"You're awfully quiet," Patton said.

Janus shook himself. "I was just getting my bearings."

"I guess you've never really been over here, huh?" Pattton opened the refrigerator. Was he actually going to cook , instead of just manifesting something? How quaint. "Do you like grilled cheese?"

It had been a long, confusing day. Doublespeak came to Janus as naturally as breathing, but he was obviously running circles around Patton even when he wasn't trying to. "Yes," he said, hoping to telegraph his sincerity by not emoting at all.

It seemed to work. Patton studied him for a moment before turning back to the fridge. "Then that's what I'll make."

Janus took advantage of this temporary distraction to clamber onto one of the barstools. The slick velvet of his capelet tended to disagree with surfaces like wood and vinyl, and he needed a moment to arrange things so he didn't look as unbalanced as he felt.

He watched Patton work in the kitchen, a detached coolness washing out the scene. Quid pro quo, he reminded himself when he felt his facade begin to slip. He owed Patton this.

He certainly didn't feel the slightest twinge of guilt, that he had been the one to orchestrate this breakdown. Yes, the Light Sides had loaded the gun, but in the end it was Janus who had pulled the trigger.

He shook his head and thought about playing cards, good Bicycle playing cards with holes punched through them like they'd come from a casino. "What should we play?" he asked, pulling the deck from his breast pocket.

Patton looked up from the stovetop, his eyes flicking to the cards in Janus' hand. "Do you know Kings in the Corners?"

"Not personally, no."

Patton laughed, but there was something cold about it. "It's really simple," he said. "I'll show you how to play and you can tell me if you like it."

--

It was nearly impossible to cheat at Kings in the Corners. Janus doubted this had been a calculated measure on Patton's part, doubted he had the capacity for that kind of foresight, but he respected it just the same.

They played in funereal silence, staring each other down across the light wood of the dining room table. Janus, ill-inclined to take off his gloves, utilized a napkin to keep from staining them with melted butter from the grilled cheese Patton had made. Neither one of them smiled. Neither one of them spoke.

Janus pulled a card from the deck to indicate the end of his turn and glanced up at Patton. His face was somber, almost sorrowful, and it clashed against the gentle domesticity of the dining room, with its floral table runner and mismatched placemats.

Janus started to laugh.

"What is it?" Patton asked, cheeks darkening. "What? Do I have something on my face?"

Janus swallowed down another peal of laughter and cleared his throat, unable to wholly restrain the smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "You look like I’m holding you here at gunpoint." It was somewhat ironic, considering Janus was the one who felt like he couldn't leave.

"What?" Patton smiled, but it was more akin to an offering than an expression of joy.

"It’s not really funny. " Janus wasn’t quite sure how to make Patton understand.

Patton sat back with a sigh, placing his cards facedown on the table. "But I guess it is pretty funny, huh? In a really sad way."

Janus almost asked what was sad about it before realizing that Patton probably missed his friends. Instead he said, "Yes" and stifled a yawn behind his free hand.

"I'll make coffee!" Patton leapt to his feet and was off to the kitchen before Janus could so much as blink.

The newfound solitude made it that much harder for Janus to ignore his headache, which had only worsened in the hour or so he'd been playing cards with Patton. Despite the nonchalant facade he'd tried so hard to project, he'd been holding himself tense.

Maybe the night (or morning, at this point) would be easier to tolerate if he had, say, a bit of gold rum.

The corner of a flask dug into Janus' hip. He smiled.

"Just how late are you planning on staying up?" he asked Patton when the latter returned holding two mismatched mugs.

"Oh, I don't know," Patton said. Lied. He set a mug down in front of Janus and then resumed his seat, the cards forgotten by his elbow. "I'm… A little scared of what tomorrow will be like."

Janus eased the flask out of his pocket. "Rum?"

"Oh, um," Patton said, staring at the flask. "I don't know…"

Janus raised an eyebrow, working something out. He landed on it a millisecond later: Patton wanted to be convinced. Easy enough. Janus opened the flask and poured what he hoped was a shot into his own mug. It was black, he noticed, except for the yellow snake that wrapped around it, its tail firmly in its own mouth. Ouroboros. "Surely you don't intend to make me drink alone?"

As Janus had expected, Patton buckled the second he was pushed. "I guess not."

It was funny, Janus mused as he carefully tipped rum into Patton's coffee, how lying was only off-limits when Janus suggested it. Hilarious.

But now wasn't the time for bitterness, now was the time to repay the debt he owed Patton. "Cheers," he said, pocketing the flask once more.

"Cheers."

Janus sipped his coffee. "You put milk in this," he observed.

Patton's smile was surprisingly sly. "I know you want me to think you take it black. Virgil did too, at first. I know you ‘Dark Sides’ have an image you like to uphold."

"And how does Virgil take his coffee now?" Janus asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"With Snickers-flavored creamer."

"Well, I do take my coffee black," Janus lied.

Patton's smile never faltered. "We'll see, kid-- Uh, Janus."

"Patton," Janus said, before he could start thinking about the implications of Patton wanting to call him 'kiddo,' "you are planning on sleeping tonight, aren't you?"

"Maybe eventually," Patton said, suddenly unable to look Janus in the eye. "At some point."

"Tomorrow will come whether or not you sleep. It's definitely better to pull an all-nighter and feel like garbage instead of facing everything with a clear head."

"I know." Patton leaned forward so he could rest his head on his hand.

For a moment, Janus was tempted to mirror him. Sitting up straight was becoming quite the chore. "I know how the others love a calm, rational discussion."

"Oh, I wish." Patton's expression turned wistful.

Janus stifled a yawn behind his hand. He had half-expected the coffee to counteract the depressant effect of the alcohol, but all he had to show for the combination was a racing heart.

"I'll be fine out here if you want to go to bed," Patton said. Without seeming to realize he was doing it, he brought his hand to his mouth and bit down on his thumbnail.

It was a tempting offer. A day ago, Janus would have taken it. After all, it wasn't like he cared about Patton outside of professional courtesy. They weren't friends. But guilt nagged at him and wouldn't let him entertain the idea of abandoning Patton for longer than a second.

"That's a remarkable impression of a window," Janus said, waiting for Patton to look confused before elaborating, "I can see right through you."

"You got me." Patton smiled sadly. "That's something I've always admired about you, Janus."

Now it was Janus' turn to be confused. "What?"

"You're so… clever."

Janus narrowed his eyes. "Please do keep trying to change the subject."

"It's just… I don't want to have to lie there and, and think about today and everything I did wrong. I hurt Thomas. I hurt my friends." Patton's eyes were shiny behind his glasses; the unshed tears sparkled in the light when he locked eyes with Janus. "Aren't you going to think about the same thing?"

Anger flared, perhaps prematurely, in Janus' chest. "About what you did wrong today?"

"About what you did wrong," Patton said timidly.

"I," Janus said icily, "didn't do anything wrong." He stared Patton down across the table, jaw set, daring him to push back. Let him lecture and nag, let him prove that he hadn't changed no matter what he said.

But Patton only nodded, his face lined with misery. "Okay," he softly. "I think you're right, Janus. We should go to bed."

Janus thought about how much faster he could get to bed if the table was cleared, and all the dishes and cards vanished in a blink.

"Um, Janus?" Patton said.

"Yes?"

"I don't regret everything that happened today."

"Oh?"

Patton only nodded and sank out.

Janus made a beeline for his own room; better to find his way there on foot rather than risk appearing in the wrong spot.

Once inside, he looked around to ensure nothing was amiss, eyes roving over the dark wood of his bookshelves and desk, his mirrored closet doors, the leather armchairs across from his bed.

Everything was exactly as Janus had left it. He nodded, satisfied, set his hat on the nightstand, and sprawled out of top of the covers without bothering to further undress.

One hazy thought crawled to the surface of his mind before he fell asleep: At least he wouldn't be one of the regrets haunting Patton tonight.

[ma-gic-gay]

Settling into any form of a routine that involves a change scares him. One that involves a change in the one stable thing in his life, him and Carly, that downright terrifies him. Forget about the fact that half the town knows they hooked up, now he's got... Feelings coming up that involve her. Feelings that he'd buried fifty feet into the ground and covered in cement.

At least, he'd thought he did.

Clearly, they've resurfaced now. He can't help but laugh to himself at that, the knowledge that of course Hurricane Carly lands without warning, yet again. Changing everything and not meaning to whatsoever. Destroying every defense he builds in between landfall and wrecking the stability he manages to get.

In an attempt to ward off these feelings that could complicate everything, he thinks of times she's hurt him. Probably not the best defensive strategy, but he gives not a damn. Whatever works.

Nothing really works until he remembers the time she broke his heart. The last time he'd loved her that way, had any feelings of romantic love towards her. She'd slept with his best friend, who'd manipulated her into thinking he was in love with Elizabeth Webber.

It destroyed him, the betrayal of not only Carly but Sonny's role in it. The fact his supposed best friend had done that to him, knowing how he felt about her and knowing it would hurt him. Half the time, Jason wasn't sure how he'd managed to stay in town so long after it happened, even for Michael's sake. The bullet wound he'd gotten the same night hadn't managed to hurt him as much as seeing her come down the stairs of Sonny's penthouse in his t-shirt, smelling of his cologne.

And the bullet had a good chance of killing him.

So he got on his motorcycle and skipped town, numbing the pain by getting adrenaline highs. And it worked, he was able to process everything and fall out of love with her as she fell in love with Sonny.

Finding out that she was pregnant with Sonny's kid stopped whatever healing he'd done for a solid few days as he allowed himself to go back to drowning the pain in whatever, or whoever, he could find. It was a terrible, self destructive thing, but he'd become like that by then, so it didn't matter anymore.

Getting back to Port Charles had been one of the most difficult things for him to ever do in his life. It took months for him to be over her enough to dare step foot within the limits of the city.

But he did, he was able to get over her. He'd attempted to build up walls around her, but as always, she tore those down. They were never in love again, or even close to it. Aside from a single "the world is ending" kiss, they'd been friends. Best friends. The type who defend each other when everyone else hated them and were, without question, always there for each other.

They trusted each other with their lives, still do, after a certain point. He'd even stopped futilely trying to build up defenses against her and it reached a point they always dropped whenever they were talking. She had a way of breaking down all his walls without any energy that no one else he'd ever known did.

Still, thinking about this as she's answering a text hasn't gotten him to lose the feelings or shove them down again. Dammit, he was very much hoping he could.

This is a bad sign.

"Whatcha thinking about?" Carly asks, noticing he's lost in thought.

"Nothing interesting," he responds. "Just business stuff."

"You're lying," she presses. "Did I miss something?"

"No, I'm just not thinking of anything important." Jason counters.

"I know when you're lying to me, Jason, so just tell me the truth."

"I'm just thinking about this whole kidnapping thing," he says, which isn't a lie; he had been thinking about it as well.

"And?"

He shakes his head at that, a small smile playing on his lips at how easily she can read him. "And I'm thinking about Sonny." That's the truth, but he's thinking more of the hurt Sonny caused than the man himself. Still, thinking about the man.

She nods before letting out a loud sigh. "I've got to get out of this room. Can we go on a walk around this boring hospital?"

"You wanna walk by yourself? Alright, let's see that," he quips.

"If I feel like I'm falling, I'll just have you catch me," she counters, smiling as she shifts under the covers to get out of the bed. "After all, you always do."

"I still think this is a terrible idea."

"Just go along with it. I've had worse," Carly orders, standing up and wincing.

"You're in pain."

"I don't care, I'm going to get out of this room."

"Do you want a wheelchair? Or a walker?" Jason offers, knowing better than to ask her to stay in the room.

"I will do this myself, with your help," she declares. "So get out of the chair and help me do a lap around this hospital floor."

Sighing, he stands up and follows her lead. "See? This isn't so bad, is it?" Carly beams at him through her pain. It's written all over her face, but as usual, she expects it to be covered with a smile.

"Not for me, but you're going to hurt yourself, Carly," he counters. "Please, let me get you a walker."

"No," she says stubbornly, "I'm doing this myself."

"Excuse me, Amy, can I please get a walker for my friend here?" Jason asks the nurse, who agrees peppily, despite Carly's protests.

"Jason, I'm fine. I don't need a walker."

"Then humor me and use one."

"I'm not doing this."

"You don't have a choice. Unless, of course, you'd like a wheelchair," he responds with a knowing smirk.

"I'm only doing this for you," she sighs, giving in as Amy hands her the walker. "This is so embarrassing, god."

"It's taking care of yourself, it's not embarrassing."

"Maybe everyone will be too caught up gossipping about us to realize I'm using one of these things," the blonde grimaces, though she's walking better with the assistance of the walker. "Little Lizzie might've done something good with her big mouth, for once."

Rolling his eyes, he says, "You know, most people would be enjoying their oppirtunity to relax."

"Have you ever considered me a regular person?" Carly asks, a glint of defiance and pride in her eyes. "Seriously. Ever since we met at Jake's, have you ever thought that I'm typical?"

"That night at Jake's, I thought you looked good. That's pretty much all I thought when it came to you that night," he answers. "But if you're asking if I consider you normal now, no. I consider you Carly."

"I can't tell if that's an insult or a compliment."

"Then you get to pick which it is."

"You know, sometimes your refusal to answer my questions is a pain in the ass," she says, wincing in pain yet again.

"And sometimes your stubbornness is a pain in mine. Like right now, when you're clearly in pain and pretending not to be," Jason tells her as they round the corner to the nurse's station.

"I'm not in pain," she protests. "I'm just sore. Really sore."

"Do you want a wheelchair?"

"I can walk, Jason."

"And it hurts when you do. Come on, you don't want to be all hopped up on painkillers when Wiley comes to visit later," he counters.

"When you put it like that-"

"Hey Willow, can I exchange her walker for a wheelchair?" Jason asks when they near the brunette at work.

"Of course," she smiles, finding one and bringing it out.

"Thank you."

"They pay me the big bucks to do this, no thanks necessary," Willow smiles again as Carly sits, defeated, in the wheelchair and allows Jason to push her.

"This is worse than the walker," she complains. "At least then I was walking on my own. Now I've got to be carted around by you. Which, don't get me wrong, I'm enjoying the VIP treatment, but I also don't want to be here, in a hospital. And I want to be at court tomorrow."

"We'll talk to the doctors and see if they say you can go tomorrow," he compromises. "But they might say you've got to be in a wheelchair when you go."

Groaning as they reach her room, she says, "I guess I could live with that. It'd probably make the judge give Cyrus a longer sentence, seeing me in the wheelchair, too. He could get life in solitary!"

"I'll pull some strings and he'll end up in solitary no matter what," Jason agrees as she gets out of the wheelchair and into the bed yet again. "But I think you need to rest before Wiley comes, or one of the doctors, or a lawyer, or someone else who needs your attention."

"If this is your way of saying I'm annoying-"

"It's not, but I want you to be healed."

"I'm healing!"

"You barely made it ten feet without wincing, Carly. That's not healed, that's in pain," he reminds her.

"Which is a part of healing."

Sighing, he says, "I want you to heal fully. Then you can go back to running the world. The best way for you to heal is to sleep and rest up while you can."

"Fine. But I'm doing this for you."

"I know."

To be continued after school probably lol I hate America

@ryleighjosephine

[jisunwithtaeandkookie]

Can You Keep A Secret? Pt.25

Summary: Your close friend Taehyung, shares a secret with you, a big secret: You have had a crush on Jimin for the past 6 years. But what he doesn't know is that you have done something bigger than that, something that could destroy many people's lives in seconds. That's a secret for you to keep. But something even bigger is floating in the air: what you have done could destroy BTS's friendship forever...but that's a secret even you don't know yourself.

Pairing: Reader × Jimin/Taehyung ft. Other Members

Genre: Drama/Humor

Words: ~2700

[Tuesday, October 30, 07:34 PM]

It was snowing.

Jimin stood outside my house, not caring about how cold it was getting. He just kept staring at the little box he held in his hands. He kept looking at it for a few seconds, then sighed before opening it. He smiled as he looked inside it, before he broke out into a grin.

“This will look even better on her,” he said, the shape of the diamond reflecting in his eyes.

“Hyung.” Jimin turned around at this unexpected sound, almost jumping up from the surprise. “Jungkook? What are you doing here?” He said, quietly tucking the box inside his jeans pocket.

Jungkook stood silent for a moment, frowning sharply at Jimin, making him feel a little uncomfortable. Whether it was because of his gaze, or because of what he was hiding, Jungkook didn't know, but Jimin looked sideways after a short moment, avoiding looking at him, and he knew that Jimin was nervous. Finally, when he spoke after a minute, he didn't answer the question he was asked.

“I don't get what you are trying to do, hyung.”

Jimin flinched for a quick second before composing his expression. “What am I trying to do?”

“You could've easily ensured that Tae hyung and Y/N-ah get to have a talk before she leaves for good.” Jungkook took a little step forward. “They could've talked if you wanted.”

“Me?” Jimin frowned, clearly annoyed by Jungkook's confrontation. “What did I do? Did I stop them from talking to each other?”

“Seems that way to me.”

“I am not coming in between them, Jungkook. They chose this. They brought this upon themselves. Tae-"

“Do you think you are fooling me with that crap? I can see what you are up to!” Jungkook's voice had gone up a notch; he was getting annoyed.

“Do you think I am up to something?”

“Seems that way to me.”

Jimin scoffed. “Jungkook, don't try to be oversmart with me.”

“I could say the same.”

“What do you want me to say?” Jimin yelled in hushed tones, careful that the voice didn't reach the people inside. “It was Tae who misheard, and it was Y/N who doesn't want to sort out the-"

“Wait a second.” Jungkook cut Jimin off, frowning deeply, while Jimin stood still, looking at Jungkook, silently regretting the words he had just uttered.

“Misheard?”

Jimin didn't answer; he couldn't.

All of a sudden, everything came into light. All the broken pieces seemed to connect to form a whole story, and Jungkook stood there with his eyes wide, finally understanding the whole truth. Everything made sense now, and he looked at Jimin again, with a whole new expression, and a whole new point of view than before.

“You are way too desperate with that ring, hyung.” He said calmly. “Do you think she will say yes to you if you do that?”

“The ri-what?” Jimin seemed to have a hard time concentrating on finding the right words to say.

“I saw the box, hyung. I know what you're trying to do.”

Jimin looked at him with an unreadable expression. “Jungkook, please don't get me wrong,” he stepped forward. “It's not what it looks like, I-"

“Stop right there, nope.” Jungkook shook his head, stopping Jimin from stepping forward as well as speaking. “I don't want to look at you right now.” He said, turning around to go in.

Jimin sighed, looking down, and looked up after a moment.

“Jungkook?” Jungkook stopped where he was, waiting for Jimin to speak further. Jimin took a long moment before speaking.

“Will it be so wrong?”

This was enough for Jungkook, and he turned around, running towards Jimin, his eyes blazing this time.

“HOW DARE YOU??”

[Tuesday, October 30, 09:34 AM]

“JIMIN HYUNG!!!”

“Jungkook, easy!” I tried to calm him down as he walked towards Jimin. “It was just a joke.”

“Shut up, you don't know anything!” He screamed at me, and I jumped out of his way as he stood right in front of Jimin. Jimin looked perplexed while looking at Jungkook.

“Hyung.” He said, and Jimin smiled nervously. “Kook, I-"

“Hobi hyung is not letting me get in his selfie, do something!!”

“Huh?” I and Jimin blurted out at the same time, and looked at each other for a moment before looking at Jungkook, who was making an angry face. A laugh escaped Jimin's mouth and I joined him, more relieved than laughing. “Let's just see what this is about.” Jimin said, stepping towards the kitchen door, and I looked at Jungkook, before following him outside.

Jungkook stood where he was for a moment, after we had left. He had a serious expression on his face as he looked outside the kitchen window.

“I don't know what you are trying to do, but I intend to find out.” He mumbled slowly, before exiting the kitchen.

☆☆☆

“Come on, give me a smile!!” I said, grinning widely, holding the phone in my hands, ready to click a picture. Yoongi just scoffed.

“Oh come on, Yoongi. Don't be so grumpy.” I said, jumping up and down, and he rolled his eyes. “You are way too enthusiastic.” He said in a low voice.

“Ugh, Yoongi, all I want is a selfie with you to take with me back home!!” I scowled, and pointed at Hoseok. “He was so much better than you, he didn't cause such ruckus.” Hoseok looked at me and gave me an enthusiastic thumbs up.

“First of all, it's my phone you are taking the selfie with, so you are not taking it anywhere anyway. And besides, you don't need to take selfies to take with yourself, you can take my memories with you.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Geez grandpa, grow up.”

“How much more do you want a grandpa to grow up?” He shrugged.

“Ugh, you're impossible.” I said, rolling my eyes, and suddenly his phone dinged from a text he had gotten. We both looked up at the screen, and a surprised look came on both our faces.

“Who is Stalker Gi-"

“Give me that!!” He snatched the phone from my hands, and ran away.

“Geez, what's up with him?” I said after a moment after composing myself from the momentary shock he had given me. No sooner than the words had left my mouth, I heard someone laughing behind me. I turned around to see Hoseok laughing. “What are you laughing at?” I frowned.

“Nothing, it's just…funny.” He said, and laughed again.

I kept frowning at him, not saying anything. He stopped laughing after a moment, and leaned towards me from where he was sitting. “Do you see Jimin?”

“Uhm..” I was dumbfounded for a moment at his complete ignorance of my question, then I looked at Jimin, hard at work on the spray paint on the door, wiping it clean. “Yeah….it's so unnecessary, I am leaving tomorrow anyway.”

“He is doing it because he cares for you.” Hoseok looked at me with a serious look in his eyes. I was confused at his sudden behavior change. “Okay...I appreciate it, and you didn't answer my question.

He smiled, looking away from me, and I could see it was rueful. “Love is crazy.”

“Huh?” I frowned, trying to understand his words. I hadn't seen him like this before. “What are you talking about, Hobi?”

He frowned for a second, looking at Jimin, then at Yoongi in the corner, and then at Jin who was cleaning out the living room table. Jin looked back at Hoseok when he found him staring at him. “Uhm, get up and do a little work, maybe?” He raised his eyebrows.

Hoseok kept looking at Jin for a moment, and then he looked down. “Yes, hyung.” He said, and suddenly looked around. “Hey!! It's 3 in the afternoon, isn't anyone hungry??”

His voice was met with a few groans and a few 'yes'es all across the room. I wondered what kind of a host I was, internally facepalming myself. “I can cook something.” I said, and stopped, looking at Jin who had just said the same words alongside me. He looked back at me sheepishly.

Hoseok looked at both of us. “I was thinking, maybe order something?”

“Oh yeah, sounds better.” Jimin shouted from across the room.

“Hey what do you mean by that?” Jin stood up abruptly, making Jimin jump a step back in fear. “Nothing special, hyung, ha ha.” He laughed nervously.

“Yeah, what do you mean by that, tiny hyung?” Jungkook poked his head out of a box of books which he was closing. Jimin made a frustrated face.

“Look at your face, oh my God!!” Jungkook burst out into a fit of laughter. Jimin scowled, looking at Jungkook who was giggling uncontrollably, and I guess he finally snapped.

It all happened in slow motion. A wet rag landed on Jungkook's laughing face, shutting him up. Everyone went silent for a moment, as we watched Jungkook. Jungkook grabbed the rag and held it away from his face. And then he screamed.

“Eww, it had paint on it!!”

The snickering was started by Jimin, and then we all joined in it. The whole room burst into laughter. Even Yoongi joined in it. Jungkook looked at every one of us with an angry expression, but what made it funny was the black paint on his face, which wasn't making his expression seem angry at all.

“Stop laughing!!” He yelled, and we started laughing more loudly.

“I said, STOP LAUGHING!!”

“Let's get you cleaned up, Kookie.” I walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. “We’ll fix this up, don't worry.”

“You better,” he looked at me, pouting. I bit my lip to keep myself from laughing; he looked really funny.

“She is laughing at you, Jungkook.” Namjoon pointed out from behind. Jungkook scowled at me, while I scowled at Namjoon. Namjoon just shrugged. “Eh, just doing my job.”

“I am going to kill you, Jimin hy-" Jungkook turned towards Jimin, and stopped. “Hyung?”

Curious from Jungkook's confused voice, I turned towards Jimin, and I was confused as well. Jimin stood still, looking outside the door, not paying attention to us. I frowned: what had happened to him all of a sudden?

“Jimin? Are you listening?” I said, walking towards him, and standing behind him. “What are you looking so closely at?” I said, trying to get a look outside the door and having a hard time doing it because he covered the whole doorframe, blocking my view completely. “Jimin?” I said, and suddenly he turned around, finally coming to his senses.

“Yeah, nothing!” He jumped, and slammed the door shut in a snap.

“Wha-" I stood shocked for a second by his reflex reaction. “What's up with you?” I said after a moment, trying to compose myself, and I saw him smile nervously. “Nothing, just…the door is done.”

I frowned, looking at him. “Okay…thanks, and you didn't need to do that.”

“Uhm…you are welcome, and I needed to.” He smiled sweetly.

I was confused by his smile. A moment ago, he seemed really serious, and now he seemed completely normal. It was freaking me out: a part of me wondered if he was hiding something from me, or from everyone, and another part wondered about what he had said to me back in the kitchen.

Had he changed in these 8 months we had been apart?

Had he adapted himself to a different persona to get over what had happened?

He met my gaze, and he pouted. “Come on, Y/N, I am hungry after all that cleaning.”

“Yeah..” I nodded absently. “I will order something.”

“Help me first!!” Jungkook whined from behind, and I turned around to see him still pouting. Jin laughed. “Come on Kook, I'll help you.”

Jungkook looked back and forth at me and Jimin, and then nodded towards Jin. “Okay hyung, lead the way!”

I kept looking at Jungkook from behind as he walked towards the bathroom with Jin, thinking whether this was really him or if he was just pretending to be happy right now. His words rang in my ears in a different tune: he was not happy, or even if he was, he was not sounding like usual. My intuition was not allowing me to believe that my childhood best friend was normal right now.

Had he changed in these 8 months we had been apart?

Had he adapted himself to a different persona to get over what had happened?

Tearing myself apart from these thoughts, I looked around. Everyone was still standing where they were, waiting for someone to say something, because of the absence of topic of discussion. I realised with a start that I was hungry too.

“Let me order something for you all.” I said, taking out my phone and dialling the local shop's number. I turned backwards while doing it. “Chim, at least go sit.”

He nodded, typing on his phone.

“Okay the food should be here shortly.” I said, putting my phone back in my pocket after having ordered the food. “What should we do until then?”

“Well we are done here,” Namjoon said, looking around the living room with a sigh of relief.

“True that.” Yoongi said, snapping his fingers towards Namjoon, a smile on his face. “I like your way of thinking.”

“Yeah,” Namjoon nodded, smiling towards Yoongi. “So I was thinking, maybe we should move towards your bedroom and help you with the clothes?"

Yoongi narrowed his eyes, the smile fading off of his face. “Rest, Namjoon. The word is rest.”

He shrugged. “I mean, better get it done quick if we are at it. Who knows when the mood will change, it doesn't take much time to start procrastinating.”

“Speak for yourself.” Jin said, coming out of the bathroom. “I am not a procrastinator.”

Jungkook, who was behind Jin, snickered. “Yeah, hyung, speak for yourself.”

Namjoon looked sharply towards Jungkook. “You wanna say something?”

Jungkook put both of his hands on his freshly washed face. “No, I'm good, thanks.”

“Okay, you heard the leader, back to work!!” Hoseok yelled it like a command. “Move towards the bedroom!”

“Yay, raid Y/N's bedroom!!” Jungkook jumped up, and made a beeline towards my bedroom. Jin followed him, and then Namjoon and a reluctant Yoongi followed, along with Hoseok.

“I really wish you were a hermit, Y/N. You wouldn't have to worry about packing clothes.” He muttered as he walked towards my bedroom.

A voice came from inside the room. “Not everyone is like you, hyung!”

“Aii, shut up maknae!!”

At least something hadn't changed.

I rolled my eyes, sighing. Dorks.

“Dork.” I heard from a distance, and looked towards Jimin, who was seated on the couch, looking towards the door behind me, the phone still in his hand.

I looked behind, and then again at Jimin. “Who are you talking to?”

He looked at me. “No one.” He got up from his seat, and turned to walk towards my bedroom. “Let's go, yeah?” He said, giving me a smile.

There it was again, that smile. It was starting to bother me. He was smiling, sure, but it didn't seem like he was smiling from inside. Something seems wrong, my mind said to me, and I wanted to dismiss it, but I knew better. I had known him for a really long time.

Then there was another thing. It was okay when I did this with Jungkook, he had been my friend since we were in elementary school and I knew him better than anyone else, so I was pretty confident that I could sense a change in him correctly. But this was Jimin, and I couldn't really say anything when it came to him, could I?

I was in a dilemma, one half of me was sceptical about this, and the other half wanted me to let it all go and trust Jimin. Because even though I had known him for a relatively shorter amount of time, my mind was telling me to trust him.

And right now, I saw no reason to go against my mind.

Can You Keep A Secret? Pt.25

Part 24//Part 25//Part 26

For other parts and the MASTERLIST, please refer to the link in my bio. Thank you so much for reading!!

Any theories about the update? Tell me in the ask box. Any queries about the update? Ask me, I'll be waiting. And also, if you want to talk, DM me, and let's chat!!! Stay updated, and happy reading!!

Tag(s): @slut-for-fandoms

[awclintno]

fvlcxns

“It’s kinda easier to tell one of my clients that rather than take the advice myself.” Sam glanced up and as soon as she caught Clint’s gaze, she knew he knew what happened. It wasn’t hard to piece it together. Not if you knew her. “Involved,” she repeated, her body immediately turning towards his when he sat down beside her, not maintaining the space he’d mindfully put there if he wanted it. Sam bit down on her bottom lip as Clint spoke, so hard she was surprised she hadn’t drawn blood. But by the time he got to the end of what he was saying, there was no point in trying to stop the tears from forming in her eyes. “He told me to run. Before we followed Cap out, Bucky told me to run if it got bad and I promised I would.” Sam reached up to wipe the tears from her cheek with the back of her hand. “I knew it was bad when I saw that one guy. He kept looking at him weird. And my head kept telling me not to land and go back to Steve, but I did anyway like I could stop it.” Sam closed her eyes after that, regretting it almost immediately since she could picture the exact look that had been in his. “It wasn’t him.” Her voice broke at that and she opened her eyes to look at Clint. “His eyes. It wasn’t him. It was like Bucky died and someone took over his body. And I don’t -- “ Sam trailed off for a second and shook her head. “I know what he’s doing to himself right now and I don’t want to talk to him if it’s going to hurt him worse.”

"Shocker," Clint said, because humor was what he used. Well, on the better days. The worse days, the darker ones, humor didn't touch those. It wouldn't really touch this incident for a while, but he offered it anyway. Like a lifeline she might not be ready for yet. But when he sat down, she moved towards him, and he took that as a good sign. Would've been easy, for her to pull away, to isolate herself like Barnes was, and no one would've blamed her. Least of all Clint, who could famously pull a disappearing act too. He took her free hand, held it in his own. "You know what I'm hearing in all this, Sammy? Love. A whole lot of it. You got a big heart, and big hearts, they don't always listen to reason so good. And maybe I'm wrong, but I just... I don't think that's something you need to be ashamed of." He squeezed her hand, reached up with his other to wipe any remnants of tears that remained. Mostly he just wanted to feel her, remind himself she was there, and okay. As okay as she could be. "It wasn't," he agreed solidly. "It wasn't him, wasn't his eyes, but it was his hands. He's gonna remember how it felt, and he's gonna be kicking himself about that for a long, long time." Clint sighed, knew that was an understatement. "You got a lot of love, Sam. And that's how people get through stuff like this. It might hurt him at first, might hurt you too, but sometimes you gotta hurt before you can heal."

[boop-le-snoot]

PARTY FAVOURS I CHAPTER 28

First time reader click here

TWs/SUMMARY: Hulk interaction Hulk interaction Hulk interaction. Plot is thickening. Feelings. Operation Baby Thief! A wild Coulson appears. Lokireader besties <3 There's just a lot going on.

Bruce hulked out within minutes of my confession.

As I stood in the middle of the common room, partially hidden behind Loki and scrunching the fabric of my hoodie, I had no choice but to observe the reactions of various Avengers to the fact someone might have... Predictably, Sam, Tony and Stephen looked like kicked puppies. I trusted Loki to handle that part. Steve, Bucky and Natasha had murder on their mind and Thor, Pietro just stared at me, aghast.

I noticed the tinge of green before anybody else, perhaps, because I'd been used to automatically seek comfort from Bruce. My interactions with Hulk, however brief and few and in-between, were positive. As much as they could be with a someone's alter-ego that possessed the emotional intelligence of a twelve year old. So I could safely say that what startled me was the noise of Bruce transforming and not the Hulk himself.

The Hulk growled, zeroing in on me - I remembered of Loki, who stood frozen, and their mutual disregard. The decision was prompt - I stepped out from behind the Asgardian, waving shyly at the large green creature. He was LARGE. Like, I could comfortably sit on one of his shoulders.

"Hey, Hulk. I'm alright, don't worry big guy," I took unhurried steps towards the agitated creature. He seemed to be satisfied with my statement, giving me another once over and growling quietly in the back of his throat. An idea struck me: "Wanna get out of here? The gym has more space, we can sit and talk there."

The stares I was getting were downright incredulous. Here I was, an average human being, fearlessly making my way over to the destruction machine that was the Hulk. I knew he wouldn't hurt me - on purpose.

"No," He growled. "We find bad man. Then Hulk smash." The green creature raised, I had to admit, valid points.

"It's going to be pretty boring though. We have to sort through the security footage, then probably traffic cams, then hold Steve back from going in there in Terminator mode..." I listed off all the logical steps of the investigation until I reached the Hulk. My neck was going to get a crick in it from tilting it so I could see his face. "I'd rather..." I didn't get to finish my sentence as I was suddenly picked up. One large hand gently cradled me to Hulk's chest, akin to a kitten, the other hand landing right under my butt.

I heard a collective exhale from the team, acutely aware of the way they were eyeing me and Hulk.

"Boring," The green creature agreed. His face briefly contorted in what I perceived to be an intense thought process. "Necessary." The word had to come from Bruce; it slipped out with difficulty off the Hulk's tongue, stiff.

"Not you too, big guy," I giggled-slash-groaned, giving a playful slap to the hand wrapped around me. "Fine. Let's get this over with." I looked around in search of a spot for Hulk to park his butt somewhere. The ceiling was barely tall enough for him to comfortably stand.

I needn't have worried as he simply sat down cross-legged right where he stood, still holding me to his chest. "Now," He announced, looking expectantly at Tony.

The engineer chuckled, shaking his head in disbelief. "Yeah, you're right, big guy. Let's find this sonuvabitch." Tense snorts and sounds of agreement filled the room, drowning out the noise of Tony tapping on his keyboard and communicating with Friday.

I poked Hulk in one green, large finger. "Maybe I could sit on your shoulder?"

He nodded, letting me crawl all over his green, hard chest and arms to sit on the large expanse of his left shoulder. It was comfortable as far as shoulders go; inwardly, I squeed like a mad woman. I was friends with the Hulk and I was sitting on his shoulder! Lost in my fangirling, I absentmindedly began messing with his dark hair, only noticing it when satisfied rumbling started coming from his chest. The Hulk was... Purring?

"Puny Banner upset," Hulk declared shortly after the team found the man who drugged me and started tracking his movements. It wasn't someone who'd been invited to the party, which meant there was a serious security breach - it was all hands on deck kind of situation.

"Yeah, I can understand that. I'm pretty upset too, the hangover I got was terrible, I threw up in Loki's apartment," I said, frowning. "And my boys are going to mope now," I rolled my eyes.

"Banner says he will talk with them," Hulk replied, placing hand over my legs. "Hulk will help Banner."

I couldn't help it, I snorted. "Gonna smash some common sense into them?" He grinned at me, too mischievous for someone who was described to be a mindless destruction machine. "I think they're beyond that."

"I can hear you two talking shit about me and I do not appreciate it," Tony piped up suddenly, shooting us a hurt look. To be fair, his shoulders looked considerably less tense and the cloud over his face had dissipated by a little bit. Me and Hulk managed to erase at least some of the guilt away. I think. Stephen, however, still remained frowning and closed-off.

"You're stupid, Tony." Hulk answered, sounding a little bit smug. I gaped at the exchange together with Natasha and Steve. It seemed like Hulk's sense of... Humor was a novelty.

"Hey, don't pick on my dumbass white boys," I chastised the green... Man, side-eyeing him. "Only I can pick on them. If someone else does it, I'mma throw hands if I have to."

"Puny," Hulk replied petulantly, poking me with a finger, making me sway in my spot. I rolled my eyes fondly, settling in to mess with his hair again for the sake of having something to do with my hands. The brief exchange helped to get my overactive brain off the case but the tranquility didn't last very long.

Natasha and Bucky left to interrogate the guards responsible for the security breach, Loki shooting me an apologetic look and following the two. I smiled back, knowing the Asgardian wasn't fully comfortable being around the Hulk due to his previous experiences with the big guy.

"Wait, hold on. That guy. I know that guy." As an array of faces appeared on the large screen, a familiar pair of mismatched eyes stared at me from it. Hulk tensed under me and the team turned towards me expectantly as I shrunk slightly under their combined gaze. "The one with anisocoria - with the weird eyes. He works at a coffee shop near my school, actually he only started working recently, few months ago. He tried to flirt with me but Peter said he felt weird about the guy so I stopped going to that café." I explained the situation as eloquently as I could, seeing Clint's eyes widen at my story.

"Are you sure?" Stephen Strange raised an eyebrow. "Because that man is a mercenary that we have been looking for months."

I felt my heart skip a beat. "A what now?" My ears were ringing. Hulk growled quietly under me, evidently sensing my distress.

"A hired man," Clint typed on his phone rapidly. "Mostly sells not-so-harmless trinkets on the black market. Hydra, AIM, you name it. Anything for the highest bidder." Clint muttered. "I'm calling Peter, maybe he can tell us something more. This is an Avengers level threat." The Hawk's jaw was firm and his face was hard.

"Already on it," Tony looked shaken. I understood him - someone like that had invaded his tower, his home. Hell, I myself felt like someone had spit right in my soul. It was my home, too, to some extent.

"Let me down please, Tony needs a hug," I whispered to the Hulk, who begrudgingly did as I requested. I padded over to Tony, wrapping myself around him, burying my face in the crook of his neck. He always was my comfort; expensive cologne and motor oil filled my senses as my arms clutched at his chest from behind. I didn't expect reprocitation - Tony wasn't the one for emotional vulnerability.

"He could have gotten you," He whispered, almost inaudibly, fingers shaking where they typed rapid-fire commands.

"Bold of you to assume I would have gone down without a fight," I answered as calmly as I could. "He is either dumb, or reckless or has nothing to lose. Planning a coup in the middle of your tower..."

"Or he's showing us that he can just do that," Clint supplied unhelpfully. "The guard who let him in just has been found dead and his family is missing. Natasha texted, she's calling in SHIELD. This is now Operation Baby Thief."

I couldn't help the snort that escaped my lips. "Baby Thief, really?"

"Nobody's stealing Princess," Tony barked, finally turning his head and pressing a sloppy kiss to my cheek. "Not if I have to do anything with it."

"I will make sure the pathetic mortal scum never walks," Thor finally piped up, voice low. In the distance, the harsh noise of thunder and pouring rain echoed through the city.

I frowned but withdrew from Tony, finally feeling well enough to do something. My hands itched to help and as appealing as snuggling with Hulk appeared, my brain had gone straight into overdrive. "Should we take a blood sample to find out what he dosed me with? It's not Roofies, and the hangover is too shitty for it to be anything like Ecstasy." I mused out loud, pacing in the small space between the Hulk and the nearest wall.

"That is a sensible idea," Doctor Strange piped up, giving me an appreciative look. "We'll wait for Romanoff," One angry look at his own scarred, shaking hands, Stephen went back to the book he was reading. He needed a hug, too, I decided.

"Puny Banner will do it," Hulk suddenly announced, reaching out for me.

I obliged, giving the green giant a hug. "Maybe we can go play in Central Park once it's warmer, whatcha think?" I looked up at him, brain just so full of different things. Ideas bounced off one another like ping pong balls.

The Hulk grinned and... Well, I didn't see the transformation, my eyes shut themselves as soon as I felt the flesh under my palms begin to shrink and expand. It wasn't that I was afraid, rather, the feeling was so bizarre that my racing brain had to automatically shut down in fears of being overstimulated.

"Hi," Bruce supplied meekly, an adorable blush staining his cheeks. I didn't resist the urge to kiss and hold him close, and we stood there with him holding up his pants with one hand and clutching my hoodie with the other until Tony cleared his throat.

"You good, Brucie-bear?" The engineer gave a distracted smile towards us, not taking his eyes off the keyboard.

"Yes, Tones," The scientist replied easily, adding with a frown: "I'm glad me and Hulk finally agree on something." With that, he departed in the search of normal pants and the tools needed to acquire my blood sample.

I gave it without much fuss, waving to Bucky, Natasha and Loki that had returned with a middle-aged, balding man in tow. The shared look of amusement between Steve and Bucky and the man's starry-eyed look towards the Captain let me deduce it was one Agent Coulson, the very same man Tony couldn't stop telling stories about, the one with the Captain America trading cards.

So, mayhaps, me taking place in Stephen's lap while Bruce filled up three whole vials full of my blood wasn't exactly the smartest way to go about it. Tony found it amusing, Steve was shaking his head in fond annoyance and Stephen himself struggled to maintain his indifference, yet, the blush betrayed him.

"Agent, what brings you to our humble abode?" Tony snorted, seeing the man raise an eyebrow at the display of affection.

"Operation Baby Thief," Coulson replied with a sigh. "I see the Baby is secure. Keep it that way." Oh, the man was cheeky. I liked him already.

"The Baby has a Tony, a Sorcerer Supreme and a Hulk," I retorted haughtily. "And a functional brain. Fuck that guy."

"Indeed," Coulson snorted. "Tell me, what do you know about the Hamptons incident?"

I blanched, immediately tensing. Bruce withdrew the needle and pressed a bandage over the wound, running gentle fingers over my arm. Everybody must've noticed my surprise, turning to me with their faces full of expectation. Stephen's touch was calming, slightly trembling at the nape of my neck.

"Not much, to be honest. I was about thirteen when it happened and my mother tried to hide it from me," I chewed on my lip, looking away. "What I managed to find out is that there was a robbery that resulted in two deaths, my father being one of the suspects because he was high as hell on coke and he was found sleeping in the same room as the open gun safe," I recalled the memories of mother angrily screaming at dad, calling her law firm colleagues late at night. "I don't need a law degree to know the evidence was flimsy. Dad got a drug charge, his buddies got the same and both the killer and the gun were never found." I exhaled loudly, tapping my foot on the floor, supressing the need to pace.

Coulson nodded, opening a thin manila folder and producing an image of a small, wooden box with carvings that looked like runes on it. "Have you seen this object?"

I felt my blood run cold, my vision swam. "Yes," I swallowed dryly. "That's my end-of-the-world box. I buried it in my grandparents' backyard two years ago."

"End of the world?" Coulson asked, alarmed. "Did you open it?"

"No," I shook my head negative. "I found it in my room at one point and every time I looked at it, it felt... Wrong. Like it was a glitch in a computer game. I couldn't sleep, so I stuck it in my closet and that gave me terrible nightmares and sleep paralysis. I took it with me when I went to visit Gramps and buried it three feet deep under the cherry tree." My hands were shaking once again; I had forgotten about the box but my body remembered the primal, untameable terror that I experienced in it's proximity. At fourteen years old, I just thought I had an overactive imagination or something, too many horror movies, hormonal storms.

"That is a magical artifact," Stephen's voice was quiet and concerned. "A very dangerous, destructive at that. How long were you in it's presence?"

"About nine months, give or take."

"And you didn't open it once, not even a little bit?" Tony had caught on the trend, almost a hysterical edge to his voice.

"No, and I think I know why," I looked to the side. "I saw Wanda on the TV, and, like, magic was confirmed to be real, so I guess I was sure whatever is in there, it wasn't good. During that time, my parents told me I was sleepwalking but I can't remember any of it. I might have wanted to get that box to someone of your... Specialty," I briefly messed with the sleeve of Stephen's shirt, exhaling loudly when his hand grasped mine and held it with care. "I think that box messed with my head... Because I swear that I had no recollection of it until you brought it up," I realized suddenly, my eyes shooting up in blind panic. What else have I forgotten?!

"That is astonishing," Loki's baritone exclaimed. "Nine months is a long time to resist the pull of such a strong artifact." My best friend stated with a great deal of respect.

People in the room started talking all at once. Stephen and Tony declared I needed to get checked out by a professional - Tony meaning s doctor and Stephen meaning a healer of the magical kind; Bruce scooted over and pulled my frozen body in a solid hug; Steve and Bucky planned out to get the box from my grandparents' house, debating whether to take Loki or Thor with them; the SHIELD part of the team discussing the intel and further plans to catch the rogue mercenary.

The door opened quietly.

"Hi everybody, hello Mr. Stark," Peter was disheveled, his ratty backpack in one hand and an enormous sandwich in another. "Got here as fast as I could. What's up?"

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