#so uh. if anyone wants to chat about it in my inbox.......that would be fun c:

[thelastspeecher]

McGucket (Alien) Abduction II

Uhhhhhh. This takes place following my previous post for the McGucket Abduction AU, which you can find here.

Enjoy.

———————————————————————————————————–

              Shermie carefully cleaned the red and angry wound on his brother’s shoulder.

              “This is going to scar,” he said.  “New fur won’t grow over it.”  Stan snorted.

              “It’s a brand, Shermie.  That’s the whole point.”

              “The poacher had a buyer ready for you, huh?”

              “I’m pretty sure he had one before he even caught me,” Stan muttered.  “The second I got pulled on the ship, I got branded.”  He nodded at Angie, who was also sitting at the kitchen table, her own brand being looked at by her older brother.  “Angie said that she didn’t get hers right away.”

              “No,” Angie said, her voice shaking.  She let out a soft yelp as Fiddleford gently wiped her wound with a cleansing cloth.  Fiddleford lowered his head to whisper something in her ear.  She nodded jerkily.  “I think we were there fer a day or- or two ‘fore they…”  She trailed off.

              “From what Fiddleford told me, the branding messed her up,” Stan said, quiet enough that only Shermie could hear.  “She didn’t know that’s what poachers do, so she wasn’t prepared for it.”

              “I just don’t know why they didn’t brand me,” Fiddleford said.  He placed a bandage over Angie’s brand and gently pressed the edges down, adhering it to her skin.

              “You didn’t have a buyer,” Stan said.  The humans stared at him in shock.  “Poachers brand their prey after they’ve got a buyer lined up.”

              “There- there was someone what had agreed to buy Angie?!” Fiddleford squeaked.  Stan and Shermie nodded.  The blood drained from Fiddleford’s face, leaving him deathly white.  Angie began to shake.

              “She’s female,” Shermie pointed out, trying to keep his voice as sympathetic as possible.  “Females tend to get sold faster.  Though with how valuable humans are, you likely would have been sold quickly as well, Fiddleford.”  Angie’s shaking got worse.  Fiddleford put his hands on her shoulders.

              “Why’d they brand her in a dif’rent spot from Stan?” he asked.  Unlike Stan, Angie’s brand was on the side of her neck.

              “Most poachers brand their prey differently based upon sex,” Stan said with a shrug.  “Sometimes it’s different brand patterns, sometimes it’s different brand locations.  Since our brands are the same pattern, the different location is probably because she’s female.”  Angie suddenly broke.

              “I’m just a lousy heifer,” she sobbed, her head dropping to the kitchen table.  Shermie and Stan looked at each other, then back at the humans.  Fiddleford whispered something to her again.  She continued to cry.  “I shouldn’t- I should’ve been smarter or- or faster or-”

              “What, you think you would’ve escaped getting branded?” Stan scoffed.  “Look, lady, it doesn’t matter how smart or fast or strong you are.  If there’s one thing poachers know how to do, it’s brand their prey.  You can’t get away from them before they do it.  Some poachers don’t even bother with security after they brand someone.  Even if the prey escapes, they can use the brand to track them down.”

              “Will they- will they track down Angie?” Fiddleford asked.

              “Not on this planet,” Shermie said firmly.  “There is a global defense force to prevent poachers from even getting closer than the moon.  Not a single poacher can find you here.”

              “You hear that, Angie?” Fiddleford said to his still crying sister.  “We’re safe.”

              “I just- I just want to go home,” Angie wailed.  Fiddleford pursed his lips, worried.  Amelia walked into the kitchen.

              “I got the kits down for the night.  It sounds like there might be a problem in here?” she said.

              “Sorry, I hope that we ain’t disturbin’ ya too much,” Fiddleford said.  He was now patting Angie’s back as she shook with the force of her sobs.  Amelia immediately made a beeline for the crying human.

              “Angie, what’s wrong?” she said gently.

              “I- I- the poacher, he- he had a buyer fer me and- and-”  Angie broke into wordless crying again.  Fiddleford sighed softly.

              “Do ya have a room she could lay down in?  Somewhere comfortable but private?” he asked.  Amelia nodded.

              “I think the sunbathing room would be perfect for this.”

              “All right.”  Fiddleford smiled at Angie.  “Angie, we’re goin’ to go to the sunbathin’ room.”

              “Don’t- don’t-” Angie stammered.  She took a deep, shaking breath.  “You need to talk to Stan ‘n Shermie ‘bout how- how we’ll pay our- our way.”

              “It can wait until tomorrow!  You need support,” Fiddleford said firmly.  Angie covered her eyes and shook her head.  “I ain’t lettin’ yer stubbornness win this time.”

              “If she’s fine with it, I could keep her company,” Amelia suggested.  “I’m a social worker for an anti-poaching organization.  I have a lot of experience calming those who have been trafficked.”

              “Would you be all right with that?” Fiddleford asked his sister.  Angie sniffled loudly, roughly rubbed tears away from her eyes, and nodded.  “Good!”

              “Let’s go relax a bit,” Amelia soothed.  She pulled Angie up and helped her out of the kitchen.  Angie slumped against her body as they walked away, her sobs slowly fading.  Fiddleford watched them leave, his face creased with worry.

              “Amelia knows what she’s doing,” Shermie said.  “Your sister will be fine.”

              “I know,” Fiddleford sighed.  He sat in the seat Angie had vacated.  “I just- I ain’t been really apart from her since we were taken from Earth.”  He shook his head.  “But Lord above, does she need some space right now.  All of my fam’ly, we’re prone to nervousness ‘n gettin’ worked up.  Angie has a tendency to hide anything buildin’, but then snap out of nowhere.  Which is what she just did.”

              “It’s an understandable reaction,” Shermie said.  Fiddleford nodded.  “So…the conditions of your stay.”

              “Yes.”  Fiddleford clasped his hands on the table.  “Let’s talk ‘bout that.  What would ya like us to do?”

              “Well, what can you do?” Shermie asked.  Fiddleford perked up.

              “Quite a lot, I reckon!  We both grew up on a farm and our folks believe in the power of hard work.  So’s we’ve been doin’ chores of all sorts our entire lives.”

              “Cooking, cleaning?” Shermie asked.  Fiddleford nodded.

              “Yard work of all sorts, too.”  He grinned toothily.  “We’re stronger ‘n we look.  Much stronger.”  Shermie nodded thoughtfully.  Stan looked at him.

              “Did you ever get your hydrator back up and running?” he asked.

              “We got a quote for it, but couldn’t afford it.”

              “It’s been years!”

              “Hydrator repairs cost more credits than you’d expect,” Shermie said firmly.  Stan’s eyes flicked over to Fiddleford, then back to Shermie.  “What?”

              “This guy’s a wiz with a sonic toolbox.  When we escaped, he went around my ship and fixed everything that was broken.  Everything!  And he did a better job than a contractor would.”  Fiddleford’s cheeks turned a faint pink.

              “That’s true, I am quite good with m’ hands.”

              “Do you have experience with technology like ours?” Shermie asked.  Fiddleford shook his head.  “Then how…”

              “I spent a lot of time on that poacher’s ship examinin’ our surroundin’s, tryin’ to find a way out.  Poked ‘round, found stuff out.  Then on Stan’s ship, well, usin’ what I’d seen on the other ship and my experience with this sort of thing back on Earth, it didn’t take long to figure out what went where.”

              “You think he should be our handyman,” Shermie said to Stan.  Stan shrugged.

              “With three kits around, it’s good to have one.  And he can fix your hydrator.  I’m sure of it.”  Stan looked at Fiddleford.  “At the very least, he can’t break it more.”  Shermie rubbed his forehead.

              “I’ll trust your judgement, Stan, but if this doesn’t work out-”

              “It will,” Stan said firmly.

              “Then that just leaves the matter of Angie.”  Shermie drummed his claws on the table.  “Honestly, if she needs to just spend her time here recuperating from your ordeal, that’s perfectly fine.  If you fix the hydrator, that will pay for both your stays and more.”  Fiddleford, however, had begun shaking his head halfway through Shermie’s offer.

              “She won’t accept that.  I think givin’ her somethin’ to do would be better, anyways.  Keep her mind off things.”

              “Then what do you recommend?”

              “Cookin’, cleanin’, gardenin’, yard work, runnin’ errands,” Fiddleford said, marking each suggestion off on his fingers.  “Chores in general.”

              “All right.  We’ll consider this matter settled, then.”  Shermie stood up.  “I don’t know human sleep schedules, but if now is an appropriate time for you to go to bed, we’ll show you where everything you need is.”

              “Thank you, but I need to work off some nerves.  Stan, mind lettin’ me on yer ship?  That turn signal of yours was fussy.  I reckon it could use a tune-up.”

              “Sure thing,” Stan said.  Shermie followed them to the garage.  After Stan unlocked the ship, Fiddleford grabbed a sonic toolbox and climbed in.  The sounds of mechanical repair soon filled the room.  Shermie turned to Stan, who had come back to stand by him.

              “Look.  These humans seem perfectly nice.  But…”

              “You’re already looking forward to them being gone?” Stan asked.  Shermie nodded.  Stan chuckled.  “Don’t worry.  I’ll get ‘em outta your fur as soon as I can.  It’ll be like they were never here.”

-----

              Stan and the humans had been on Stan’s home planet for about a month.  Soon, they would be able to leave.  Stan knew that Shermie was looking forward to having fewer people in his home; their species wasn’t exactly known for its gregariousness.  But Stan had decidedly more mixed feelings about it.  Despite himself, he was growing fond of the humans.

              Fiddleford had been going above and beyond fixing and even upgrading everything he could get his eerily furless hands on, including Stan’s ship.  While Angie had thrown herself into exploring the hazardous natural environment and tending to Shermie and Amelia’s garden.  If nothing else, she got Stan out of the house, given that she needed an escort to keep her from dying any time she left.

              And the two were even beginning to pick up some of the language.  Though they had been perplexed to learn that their hosts’ species name roughly translated to “Heater”.  Apparently, on Earth, a heater produced warmth, which contrasted with the Heater species, whose name derived from living in warm territories.

              Stan watched Angie frown as she scanned the menu at the food stand.  Fiddleford had needed some sort of tool, so Stan, eager to get away from the kits for a bit, offered to take him to the shopping center.  Angie immediately invited herself along.

              “If you don’t make up your mind, you’re gonna get heat exhaustion again,” Stan teased her.  Most of the shopping center, including the food stand, was outside, baking underneath the twin midday suns.  Angie rolled her eyes.

              “I’m tryin’ to translate this, but the alphabet fer yer language ain’t stuck in my head yet,” she said in her musical drawl.  She sighed.  “What do they have?”

              “Nothing you’d be interested in,” Stan replied.

              “What’s that mean?”

              “None of it’s vegetarian.”

              “Really?” Angie asked.  Stan nodded.  Angie threw her hands up in the air.  “Well, why didn’t ya tell me that ‘fore I wasted all that time tryin’ to read the menu?”

              “It’s more fun this way.”

              “Oh!” Angie huffed.  She punched his arm playfully.  Stan snickered.  It only took a few days of Heater cuisine before Angie decided to forgo any meat at all and become vegetarian.  The diet was exceedingly rare on the planet and something Stan liked teasing her about.  “Go ahead and order fer yourself, then.”  She walked away.  Stan stepped up.

              “I’ll take the number five combo,” he told the Heater running the food stand.  The man began to wrap up his order.

              “Think you’ll share it with that little human girl?”

              “I might be able to get her to try one bite, but that’s it,” Stan said.  The man chuckled.

              “Humans,” he said, shaking his head.  He handed the order to Stan.  Stan passed over the money.  “Always great doing business with you.”

              “Yep.”  Stan looked around and, upon spotting Angie by a decorative fountain, walked over to her.  She eyed the food in his hands suspiciously.  “What?”

              “What…is that?” Angie asked.

              “My favorite.”

              “It looks like a burger with a giant bug fer the patty and two lizards fer the buns.”

              “I don’t know what a burger is, but sure.”  Stan took a bite.  He held out the food.  “Wanna try it?”  Angie’s face paled.  “Come on!  It’s my favorite!”

              “I- I don’t think it’s mine,” Angie choked out.  Stan pouted at her, determined to get her to take a bite.  He enjoyed Angie’s reactions to trying Heater food more than he disliked sharing his meals.

              “You know, you’re insulting me every time you don’t try even a bite.”

              “I…”  Angie swallowed.  “F-fine.”  Grinning, Stan handed the food over.  He watched in amusement as the human took a hesitant bite, chewed, and swallowed.  She shoved the food in his direction, her face twisted in a disgusted grimace.  Stan took the food back.  Angie immediately bent over and retched loudly.  Stan snickered.  “That- that- that tastes like the burnt stuff in the bottom of a grill, but if ya turned it into day-old clam chowder!”

              “Eh, you’re just saying that ‘cause your palate isn’t refined enough to pick up on the other notes,” Stan said.  Angie frowned at him.  Stan snorted.  “Your eyes are watering.”

              “Sh-shut up.”  Angie wiped her eyes.  “Ugh.”

              “I bet your brother would like it.”

              “Oh, yeah.  Fidds would love it,” Angie muttered.

              “What would I love?” Fiddleford’s voice asked.  Stan turned his head.  Fiddleford walked up to them, holding a bag from the handiness store.

              “My favorite food,” Stan answered.  Fiddleford shrugged.  He opened his mouth to answer, but before he could say anything, Angie let out a loud wheeze.  Stan and Fiddleford immediately whipped their heads around.  Tears were streaming down Angie’s face as she wheezed again, her cheeks flushed.  “Uh.  You all right?”  Angie shook her head.  She grabbed her throat, gasping frantically for air.  Fiddleford dropped the bag.

              “No, no, no, no!” he said urgently.  Angie fell to her knees.  Fiddleford rushed to her side.

              “What’s going on?” Stan demanded.  Fiddleford put his arm around Angie’s shoulders.

              “I’ve seen this ‘fore.  She’s havin’ an allergic reaction.”

              “A…what?”

              “You don’t know what- there ain’t time fer this!  It’s a medical emergency!” Fiddleford snapped.  “She needs a doctor!”  Stan felt ice spread through his veins.

               “The hospital’s down the street.  I’ll carry her.”  Fiddleford quickly moved out of the way so Stan could pick Angie up.  Angie stared at him with wide eyes, still desperately trying to catch a single breath.  “Let’s go.”

[verstappen-cult]

F1 ASKS !

i should be sleeping but this was more fun, and couldn’t wait to answer it. thank you @arieslost for the tag! i’m not tagging anyone but if you see this and want to answer it you definitely should do it! <333

who is your favourite driver?

max verstappen, if you couldn’t tell. from the moment i knew of his existence until the day that i die. everything about him is just so interesting and amazing. he’s such a talented and nice and just awesome person! you may not like him and that it’s totally okay, everyone has their own preferences, but no one can’t deny how talented and dedicated he is.

do you have other favourite drivers?

oh yes, definitely! charles leclerc is at the top of my list along with max, obviously. and i also like lando, probably not gonna call him one of my fav drivers but i like him a lot.

who is your least favourite driver?

uh, carlos sainz. there’s just something about him that i don’t like and feel uncomfortable with. i’ve tried so! hard! to like him but i just can’t & it is very annoying for me. i won’t deny that he has done a pretty good job. but i’m gonna leave it at that.

do you pull for drivers or do you like teams as well?

mostly for drivers. for me it’s basically where max and charles wanna go, i’m going with them. but i’ve come to love ferrari because really who doesn’t love ferrari?

if you like teams, what team do you pull for?

just ferrari. because i’ve come to realize that i was cheering for red bull just because max is there, so that doesn’t count bc i would not care about them if it weren’t for him lol.

how long have you been into F1?

since sept/oct 2023. i watched the japan gp with a friend and then i slowly began getting into f1. but i think it was qatar that made me a fan. and when i start liking something i become obsessed, so, here i am!

what got you into F1?

it was thanks to my only and only @18ls because she literally texted me to watch the japan gp and i said yes and the boom! the rest is history. it was pretty cool because we’re basically glued together and we both became obsessed with f1. ari te amo eris la mejor de toda la vida. TE AMOOOOO.

do you enjoy fanfic/RPF?

oh yes, absolutely. girl, i’m here writing fanfiction and feeding into my delusions because it’s the only way i can be happy.

how do you view new fans?

i love new fans. i’m still pretty new to the world of formula one too and i love that more and more people are getting into this amazing sport. i also love that most of them are females! it is such a nice and awesome thing to see.

if you could take over as team principal for any team, who would it be and why?

i think if fred vasseur and i joined our brains we could make a good pair and bring ferrari back to life. or red bull because we don’t want that man there, we actually don’t want him on this planet but we can’t do much about it.

are your friends and family into F1 as well?

i have friends that are into f1 but not my family. my nephews like to ask me things about it but that’s as far as they go. but i’m pretty happy with my friends because we can be happy and upset together, & i don’t have to suffer alone.

are you open to talking to other fans/making friends?

yes, i love making new friends! even more so if we get to talk about our fav things and don’t feel judged at all because we are basically as unhinged as the other. so please feel free to pop in my inbox or ask box if you want to chat! <333

[bubblyhoney]

sarah i have thought of another fic request or like a cute idea i guess! i didn’t have anyone in mind when i thought of it so you can write it for whoever you want honestly :)

okay so the reader is a streamer but streams games like animal crossing, standew valley, etc. then (insert who you’re writing for) says they don’t like that game, but later ends up buying it and the reader is like “i thought you said you didn’t like this game” and they’re like “well i like you” and they confuses their feelings and they end up playing the game together and reader gives them a tour of their island or farm

i feel like this request isn’t good, but the scenario seemed cute and i wanted to share it. sorry if this is confusing or just too specific cuz i know it can be hard to write requests like that! but yeah i hope it gives you inspiration and you like the request <3

new horizons

warnings: language, a Marvel reference (hint: natasha said it about tony), stupid idiots who don’t realize they like each other, use of pet names, Uno rage, Hasan Piker's presence

words: 1473

tags: sapnap x gn!reader

A/N: i’ve been trying to catch up a little on my requests (i’ve only got a couple so i’m not super overwhelmed) but school and outside life has been taking up most of my time so this one took me a while to make! tbh— ive never played animal crossing so i did google some of the game mechanics and i apologize if anything is inaccurate about the game…. but i liked relaxing and writing this cute one so thank you for requesting hails :3

requests/inbox status: open

-

“This game is trash.”

Your head quirks, fingers stopped on the screen. You’re in the process of giving your character a cute new nickname; it’s kind of hard to decide between “awkward dude” and “elderly skater”.

“Excuse me?” Your chat comes alive with emotes and ‘KEKW’s, obviously entertained by you and your almost-more-than-friends-friend.

There’s a story for that later.

Sapnap’s rough laugh comes through your headset and he audibly swallows, the sound of a water bottle dropping onto his desk echoing.

“I’m just saying—it’s boring. It’s like Minecraft but you don’t like… do anything.” The grainy image of his bearded face shifts and you see him pull out his phone.

“It’s— you can’t even compare it to Minecraft! It’s a completely different game system—you actually interact with other people live in the game.” You huff out a dramatic sigh, slumping in your chair with a pout. “Just because you go into this lucid state where all you know is ‘touch block, hit George’ doesn’t mean this game isn’t fun.” (He scoffs at your awful impression of his voice. Your viewers love it.)

“Jeez,” he mumbles, fumbling with the cap of his water bottle. “Touched a nerve there, bud.”

You roll your eyes, getting back to the village in the game.

“Don't ‘bud’ me.”

The call falls comfortably quiet, the sounds of him tapping obsessively on his phone and you clicking away filling the silence. A gentle bedroom-pop YouTube playlist remains in the background, prompting you to hum along and glance at the chat to see a flood of “check twitter” and “Y/N TWITTER!!”.

“What happened on Twitter?” You mumble, confused, and pull the website up on another monitor. Sapnap just makes a curious noise, swinging back and forth in a circle. “Oh my God,” you say to yourself, fingertips brushing your parted lips.

“What?”

“Hasan Piker just followed me and retweeted one of my not even remotely political old tweets. Like from a year ago.”

“That’s— wow. Congrats?” Sapnap’s voice cracks, and his ears flush pink the tiniest bit when you glance at his face on Discord.

“I’m gonna go on record and say that he could get it.” You shake your head in disbelief.

Sapnap falls uncharacteristically non-hyper-verbal, so you look past the frenzied chat and to his screen— wait. He muted and turned his camera off.

“Um,” you start, furiously typing question marks in your private chat. “Where’d you go?” You mute and turn screen share off for your stream, concerned that he might’ve fallen off his chair and broken his neck and needs you to call the ambulance.

The characteristic ding of a twitter notification sounds through your bedroom, and you look at your phone quickly.

“That’s where I went.”

Sapnap Tweeted: “all Y/U stans can choke on my dick”.

“Jesus, Sapnap,” you say, and rapidly refresh to read the replies. This tweet was deleted. “That’s so— that barely makes sense, bro. Why— literally what?”

His snicker floods your ears and you relax in your chair. Crisis: averted. “Don’t fucking— what’s wrong with you?”

“I thought it would be funny,” he offers, shrugging, and fiddles with the straw in his water bottle, smile fading. “And also Hasan pisses me off.”

“Why, ‘cause he wants a piece of this? Jealous?” You think back to your viewers, knowing they’re probably spamming question marks and coming to ludacris conclusions about both of your absences. No offense to them. You remember your stan days very vividly.

“I mean, kinda.” He rubs once at his nose, glancing at the camera (and what feels like you) before taking a sip from his water bottle.

“Wow.” You watch one strand of his hair fall from beneath his hat and brush against his full eyebrows. “I’m uh—I’ll get back to my stream. You coming? Or is it time for a Sapnap-snack?”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” He snorts and leans his chin onto the balance of his arm.

“That means you like to take a little snack break mid-stream and come back approximately nine hours later and you didn’t even eat.”

“You know what— fuck you.” He flicks the camera as you laugh at the look on his face.

The teasing mood is easily kept as you switch games from Animal Crossing to Uno, all the while slamming Sapnap with +4’s and skipping the newly-arrived BadBoyHalo at any chance you can get. It unironically pisses him off and he has to take a Sapnap-snack break midway through (only a fifteen minute break this time, during which you and Bad take a “What Kind of Bread Are You?” quiz). The rest of the night is filled with devious cackles (you), loud and sudden bangs that sound suspiciously like someone hitting their desk in anger (Sap) and the stupid barking of Rat, AKA Lucy (Bad). She’s cute but a menace to the sound quality of Bad’s microphone. You sign off stream around 2 a.m. with various forms of thanks and kisses blown to the camera. It’s been a refreshing night, actually; you’ve been busy organizing a partnership stream all week and all your friends have been busy filming or editing or what-not. Quackity had time for a little Roblox every couple of days, though. He’s got your back.

The next time you see Sapnap is after a two hour stream of him try-harding in Valorant and you finishing responding to an email from your partnership in the VC.

“Okay, I’m back.” You hear him shift in his chair and click a couple more times on his keyboard. You perk up in your chair, closing the email browser you’d been looking at.

“Do you want to play anything else? I’m down for anything.”

“Absolutely not Uno. You can go to hell for giving me 6 cards that one time,” he jabs. You scoff, crossing your arms and leaning back in your chair.

“Okay, the +4 was on me but it’s Bad who gave you the last two. That’s not my fault, sweetie.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he mumbles, trailing off as the clicking of his keyboard stops. “Hey, um—Guess what?”

Your heart beats loud in your ears at the tone of his voice. He sounds nervous; that’s never good.

“I’m scared to guess,” you try, playing with a little Minecraft dog figurine you have on your desk with fidgety fingers. “What?”

“I bought Animal Crossing.”

Silence. You stare at his discord icon blankly, trying to reroute the wires of your brain.

“Tell me you love it.”

“Well… I haven’t actually played it— but you said you liked it, so.”

“So,” you repeat him, ears warming but continuing on. “Is that what you tell all your friends when you buy something they like? That it's because of them?”

He seems to choose his next words carefully, pausing a beat to consider your questions.

“Well, I don’t have a crush on all of my friends.”

“You—what?” You stutter, caught off guard and stumbling. What did he just say? “Don’t tell me you mean you have a crush on me.”

“I’m almost positive I just did.” His discord icon stares right back at you, taunting.

“You know, you’re very casual for someone who just admitted they like-like me.” Your cheeks flush pink and you have to press a hand to your chest to keep your breathing sounding stable.

“Yeah, I’m kind of cool like that,” he offers, a huff of a laugh punctuating his statement. The conversation moves into a lull that you can’t help but know is because of you. He must expect you to say something about it, right?

“You are very cool, Sapnap.” You tilt back in your chair, sucking in a breath to prepare yourself for your next words. “And—Isortakindofhaveacrushonyoutoo.”

He must understand you, for you can hear the grin in his voice when he asks “Really?”

“Y-yeah.” You feel like a preteen again, all shaky and giddy in front of the boy you just asked to a middle school dance.

“Um, alright. What do we do now?”

“I don’t know,” you answer genuinely and swing in a happy little circle in your chair. “We could play Animal Crossing.”

“I’m down.”

You swear you’ve never heard more beautiful words.

He keeps his camera off for most of the time you two play, too focused on creating his island and asking you questions about how to fish to turn it on. He silently flips it on when you help him decorate his lawn, needing to show you in real-time the decorations he has bought and where you think he should put them. He looks cute. I mean, of course he does. He always does.

You tell him goodbye late in the night, eyes saying a little more than just “see you tomorrow”.

You like him. He likes you.

It’s even better when you two have matching gardens.

-

A/N: anybody and everybody (especially my precious hailey) let me know what you think!! :]

[drabbles-mc]

Courtesy Call

Angel Reyes x F!Reader

Request by Anon: A "meet cute" with either EZ or angel where u are walking out of the gas station where the swole boys confrontation is taking place

Warnings: language, smoking, guns, Angel being a smartass

Word Count: 1.6k

A/N: It’s been a hot minute since I wrote for this lovely, lanky man. This request has been sitting in my inbox for a while but I was really feeling it tonight. I tweaked it a little bit but I think it still flows really well. I hope you enjoy!! xo

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There were very few good or fun things about your job at the gas station. It was nice that your boss wasn’t around much—the last thing you wanted to deal with on top of shitty customers was a supervisor breathing down your neck. And sometimes, in the midst of all the lulls and in between the rude people who rolled in and out throughout the day, you got to see some interesting things. For better or worse, travelers were never boring.

You heard the rumble of motorcycles pulling into the lot. The noise was deeper, had a little more muscle to it than the bikes that commonly rolled through your spot. You peeked out the window to look at the gas pumps, and you couldn’t help but to raise your eyebrows in surprise when you saw the two men that were getting off their bikes and unclipping their helmets. If only the bikers in your area looked like that.

One of them started walking towards the door and you immediately set your phone down on the counter, trying to look at the man who had entered without making it too obvious. He perused the aisles for a couple minutes, although he didn’t really seem like he was going to pick anything out to purchase.

He approached the counter and you flashed him a smile, your customer service voice immediately kicking in, “What can I get for you?”

“Just a couple packs of smokes, please,” he pointed to the ones he wanted.

You nodded, “You got it,” you grabbed two packs and set them on the counter, but as he reached for them you didn’t remove your hand. He looked at you, confusion apparent on his face. You chuckled, “ID?”

He laughed, shaking his head, “Really?”

You nodded, “Really.”

“Pfft,” he scoffed but there was still a smile on his face as he took his ID out of his wallet and handed it over to you.

You looked over it, nodded, and smiled as you handed it back, “Thank you, Angel.”

His smile shifted into a smirk of sorts, “You’re welcome, querida.” He didn’t take his eyes off of you as you finished ringing him out. He flashed you a wink as he swiped the packs of cigarettes off the counter, “Have a nice day.”

You leaned forward onto the counter, watching him as he walked out, “You too.”

Once he was back outside you sat back down onto your chair, and even though you knew that you shouldn’t, that it was none of your business, you looked out the window to watch him talk with the other man that he had pulled in with. You watched as Angel placed a cigarette between his lips and you knew that you shouldn’t have found it as attractive as you did, but oh well.

Your quickly spiraling train of thought was derailed as you heard another set of motorcycles pull into the lot. You couldn’t stop yourself from sighing and rolling your eyes. The Swole Boys might’ve been local but it didn’t make you like or respect them. And it certainly never made them treat you any better, either.

You looked out the window and watched as they walked up to Angel and the other man, and you instantly became interested in how it was going to play out. You couldn’t hear all of what was being said at first, but you were certain that the men who had just rolled in weren’t being courteous, or smart.

The man that Angel had shown up with got off of his bike, and you found yourself walking out from behind the counter and going towards the door. You weren’t planning on going out there and putting yourself in the middle of it, but you wanted a better idea of what was going on. It was hard to hear from behind the counter.

You heard Angel’s voice, “Next time we’ll call the Slow Boys.”

Having the protection of the glass door was a godsend, because you weren’t able to stop the laugh that escaped you. No one ever talked to them that way, and you were thrilled that someone was stepping up to the plate and finally saying something.

The man next to Angel spoke up with a smirk tugging at his lips, “Sorry, he’s just picking up on the lack of cognitive energy comin’ our way.”

You found yourself covering your mouth with your hands as you laughed. Angel and his counterpart were clearly very pleased with themselves, both of them standing with a lot of confidence despite the mounting annoyance of the other bikers in front of them.

The Swole Boys started stepping closer and you saw Angel lean and grab something from his bag. Your eyes grew wide when you saw that he had a gun in his hand. It wasn’t raised, but you still didn’t know where this was going, if you were supposed to step in and say something. You didn’t get paid nearly enough to get shot on the job trying to protect a few douchebag gym-bros, but you didn’t want to say that you didn’t do anything. You saw that the gun was still at his side, so you stayed put and listened to the commentary he was providing. You had to admit it was amusing.

“Shut the fuck up!” Angel snapped and raised the gun, going back and forth pointing it at each of them.

Now the tension was a little too much for you to be completely comfortable with. You ahd no idea what you were going to do, but you couldn’t stand inside anymore. Silently, you slipped out the front door and stood on the sidewalk right in front of it, letting the situation play out a little more. Both Angel and the man with him spotted you, their eyes flicking over to you for a moment even though they didn’t say anything to you.

“You guys are an embarrassment,” Angel shook his head, gun still aimed at the men in front of him, “Now go climb on your homocycles and get the fuck out of here.”

You pressed your lips together, trying not to let your shock be too present. You knew that it was still written all over your face, though. And the surprise only intensified when they actually backed off and went back to their bikes. They obviously wouldn’t have been able to go toe-to-toe with Angel and his friend, but on a different day they probably would have been stupid enough to try.

It wasn’t until the guys pulled away that Angel tucked his gun back into his bag and turned to look at you. the tough demeanor he’d just had completely fell away as he stepped a little closer to you.

“Sorry ‘bout all that,” he shook his head slightly.

You chuckled, “It’s fine. Just came out to make sure I wasn’t going to have to add hose blood out of parking lot to my to-do list.”

He laughed, “I would’ve at least stuck around to help with that.”

“No he wouldn’t have,” his friend said with a smile that would make anyone’s knees buckle.

“Man, shut up,” Angel shook his head with a laugh, “Don’t mind my brother—he was dropped on his head a couple times as a child.”

“By you?” you asked with a smile.

He held a finger up to his lips, “We don’t talk about it.”

You looked back and forth between them, crossing your arms over your chest, “You guys just roll into town to stir up trouble, or what?”

Angel shook his head, “Just passing through.”

“Sorry for the scene,” his brother said.

You shrugged, “All good. Not like we’ve got any customers to scare away.”

Angel laughed, “Right, right.”

“You guys should ride through more often,” you nodded towards the road, “Those guys don’t get told to shut the fuck up often enough.”

“We’ll keep that in mind,” Angel smiled as he hooked his thumbs into the belt loops of his jeans, “try to swing by and keep ‘em in line.”

You didn’t comment on it, but you could see Angel’s brother smiling and shaking his head as he watched the two of you interact. Clearly Angel was no stranger to chatting up girls that they came across in their travels. Still, this was the most interesting thing that’d happened to you since you started working at the shitty little gas station so long ago. Plus there was something about the look in Angel’s eyes that made you believe that he was an adventure that you’d be up for.

“And they say chivalry is dead,” you smiled.

Angel chuckled as he took his phone out of his kutte and handed it over to you, “If you give me your number, I can give you a, uh, a little courtesy call next time I’m around.”

You laughed, shaking your head as you took his phone. For a moment you contemplated putting in a fake number, but going against whatever little alarm bells were going off in the back of your mind, you gave him your real one before handing the phone back over to him.

“Looking forward to it.”

“Let’s go, Angel,” his brother called from his bike with a laugh.

“Looks like you gotta go,” you nodded in the direction of their bikes.

“I’ll see you ‘round, querida,” he shot you a wink before turning to walk away.

“Try not to shoot anyone, boys,” you called after them with a laugh.

Angel smiled over at you as he clipped on his helmet, “No promises.”

[meltingheartsandcores]

This is just something that came from a different story I’m writing, so, it’s just a one shot. And it’s not really editted (sorry). 

 This is A/B/O, with Omega wwx and Alpha lwj, but honestly it doesn’t really show up much, like it’s not a focal point of the story for the most part, it’s just kind of, there. There’s minor NieLan, and past wangxian with hopeful future wangxian (hopeful future IMO), and it’s modern non cultivation!

 Other than that, enjoy? And if you have questions feel free to hop into my inbox.

It had been years.

Five, to be exact.

Wei Wuxian wouldn't lie and say Lan Wangji never entered his mind, he did almost constantly. But he had long accepted he would never see the Alpha again. Lan Qiren had made it rather clear he was to never contact Lan Wangji again.

That hadn't been a pleasant conversation. Well. Argument.

For once Wei Wuxian was glad he was no longer in contact with the Jiangs, even if it wasn’t for long, he'd hate for them to have been involved. He's not entirely sure who's side Madam Yu would've been on, but he hoped she would've been on his. Although, if she was, he's not entirely confident Lan Qiren would still be walking around. Lan Qiren might be a hard ass, but he had nothing on Madam Yu.

He should write Nie Huaisang. See how the Jiang's are doing.

"Are you alright?"

Wei Wuxian blinks, brought back to the present, silently filing the idea to write Nie Huaisang for later, and looks up at Lan Xichen. Who he had just run into. Literally.

Wei Wuxian ignores the hand and stands on his own, "Perfectly. Just distracted. Sorry to bother you." Wei Wuxian says, nodding and turning, deciding he could get A-Yuan's candy later, after the milk. He had made it a few steps before Lan Xichen grabbed his arm. Wei Wuxian tenses, snapping around with a glare on his face before he registers that Lan Xichen isn't going to attack him. Not physically at least. So he lets the glare fall. "Sorry."

Lan Xichen drops his hand, "No, I should not have grabbed you. I apologize." An apology from a Lan. Maybe he died.

A-Yuan would be heartbroken. A-Yu probably doesn't know what Death is and probably wouldn't understand for a few years.

Lan Xichen was talking. Wei Wuxian should be listening, not thinking of his death. Lan Xichen smiles, as he normally does, "You were not listening."

"Sorry. My brain drifts, it pissed your uncle off to end, remember?" Wei Wuxian says, shrugging.

Lan Xichen nods, "Uncle seemed to anger easily around you, yes. I was wondering if you had the time, we could talk. Perhaps over tea?"

He can't ask for alcohol instead. For one, Lans don't drink. For two, he has to pick A-Yu and A-Yuan up in half an hour.

"I have a half hour, I guess we could finish up shopping and go to the Starbucks down the block." Lan Xichen's eyes tighten at the mention of Starbucks, which makes Wei Wuxian remember the heavily disturbed and deer-in-headlight look Lan Wangji had when Wei Wuxian dragged him there. Repeatedly.

Lan Wangji never seemed to get used to Starbucks.

None of the Lans seem to like it either.

Lan Xichen nods though, so Wei Wuxian does a U-turn to grab the candy he promised A-Yuan and then made a bee-line for the two other things he was missing. He loses Lan Xichen at some point, but when he gets to the check out, Lan Xichen is waiting by the door with a bag.

Wei Wuxian smiles at the Cashier, Mingyu, who seemed slightly concerned for him. But Wei Wuxian waves off the concern, even when Mingyu decides to ask, "Is he a friend or should I call security?"

Wei Wuxian considers this, Lan Xichen isn't a friend, but security isn't necessary. Wei Wuxian grins when he comes to a response, that's both honest and fun, "He's Daiyu's uncle." Wei Wuxian informs, finishing with his payment and taking his items. "See you in a week Mingyu!" Wei Wuxian calls as the other man is clearly trying to figure out how he hasn't met this uncle until now.

"A friend?" Lan Xichen asks as they walk down the road.

"Eh, more I'm a regular." Wei Wuxian shrugs. He only talks to Mingyu when he buys groceries. Not much other reason to talk to the teenager.

Especially since he tends to remind Wei Wuxian that, uh, he is only twenty-two.

That's not something he particularly likes to remember. Especially when he's on his way to pick up his kids. He looks older enough that none of the other parents comment on him being A-Yu and A-Yuan's brother, and none of them comment on the utter shame of having a child at seventeen. And presumably fourteen if A-Yuan was actually birthed from him. As he so often jokes, especially after A-Yuan learnt where babies came from.

A-Yuan thinks it's funny.

Wen Qing thinks it's stupid.

But it's meant to entertain the eight year old so it's not a problem.

"So you live around here." Lan Xichen comments, more to himself than to Wei Wuxian, and Wei Wuxian has to mentally curse himself. For five years, no Lan has known where he lived. No one from that life knew where he was except Nie Huaisang. And for all he can be a coward, Wei Wuxian knows he wouldn't have given away his location to anyone.

But he just confirmed to Lan Xichen that he lived in this town.

Fuck.

"What're you doing here?" Wei Wuxian asks, opening the door for Lan Xichen and gesturing for the man to enter the Starbucks. Lan Xichen gives him a tight smile and enters, clearly not liking being inside the store.

Tough. Wei Wuxian doesn't want to be having this conversation, neither of them get to be comfortable. Wei Wuxian follows Lan Xichen in, walking up to the register and ordering a drink with a smile before turning to Lan Xichen for his order. Which he gives with a tense smile. The barista nods, repeats the order back and then Lan Xichen pays, because this was his idea and Wei Wuxian would much rather be at home right now.

They amble over to a table to wait for their drinks to be made. Well. Lan Xichen got his at the till since it was just a Green Tea, but they have to wait for Wei Wuxian's. Might as well get this chat over with.

"The Nie have a lakehouse a mile out of town." Oh right. Oh fuck. "Mingjue and I are having a little vacation." Lan Xichen says in response to his earlier question.

"And you came to get some groceries."

"Just a little. Mingjue will be back for the rest." Lan Xichen winces when he sips at his tea, clearly not liking it. He sets his cup aside, "You know, Huaisang seemed very against us going to this partical vacation house."

Oh for fucks sake. "Huaisang's specialty isn't subtly." Wei Wuxian says with a shrug, then stands and gets his drink when the barista calls out his name.

Lan Xichen waits for him to sit back down. "No, it isn't. Might I ask, why Huaisang knows where you are when no one else does?"

"I don't like the Jin. I don't want to burden the Jiang. The Lan want nothing to do with me." Wei Wuxian shrugs, "Nie Huaisang is the only friend I have left." Outside of the friends he now lives with. Wei Wuxian sips at his flat white.

Lan Xichen's brows twitch in a furrow before smoothing out, "What do you mean we want nothing to do with you.

Wei Wuxian raises an eyebrow, "Was there a part of Lan Qiren's order that was unclear?"

Wei Wuxian's response only seems to confuse him further. "I believe, there has been some miscommunication." Lan Xichen suggests politely.

"Not really." Wei Wuxian refutes. "Lan Qiren told me to get the fuck out and never contact any of you again. Not much room for miscommunication."

"He said what?" Lan Xichen asks, sounding light and a little confused. But Wei Wuxian had spent enough time around Lan Wangji, and hence Lan Xichen since Lan Xichen was Lan Wangji's favoured company, to know he was getting very pissed off.

Huh.

Wei Wuxian shrugs, too little too late, in his opinion. It's been five years. "It was shortly after I left the Jiang, I went to stay with Lan- Wangji." Wei Wuxian catches himself before using the familiar address. Lan Xichen seemed to catch the slip up too. "Just for the night. The departure went a little more explosively than I meant for it to, I came to spend the night. Lan Qiren told me to leave and never return, that Lan Wangji wanted nothing more to do with me. Not to contact anyone in the family. Obviously I argued, but I had already argued with Madam Yu and Uncle Jiang that night, so, he won. I left. And then a week later he sent me two hundred thousand Yuan." That wasn't a pleasant night to remember. It wasn't a pleasant week. He found out he was pregnant, then the Wen shit happened, and he was moving across the country with Wen Ning and his family. Wei Wuxian shrugs again, drinking his flat white.

Lan Xichen's brow furrows slowly, and he shakes his head, "I'm sorry, Uncle told us nothing about this. All Wangji and I have known is that you left the Jiang and disappeared. Wangji certainly didn't say anything about not wanting your company anymore." Lan Xichen seemed offended at the very idea.

Oh.

Huh.

Lan Wangji doesn't hate him.

Oh fuck.

Lan Wangji doesn't hate him.

But he probably will. When he tells him about A-Yu.

Fuck.

"Is everything okay?" Lan Xichen asks, making clear that Wei Wuxian's panic is clear on his face.

"Um." Wei Wuxian swallows, twisting the paper cup in his hands, "In theory. If, uh, when I left, I had been uh," No. Nope. He can't think of a good way to say this. He checks the time. "Uh, do you have twenty minutes?"

"I'm supposed to meet with Mingjue in ten."

"Great. Uh. Meet me at the park with the giant octopus sculpture in fifteen, bring Da ge, I need to drop my groceries off at my house." Wei Wuxian doesn't wait for Lan Xichen to agree, picking up his groceries and hurrying out.

When he gets home, he dumps the groceries on the counter, giving Wen Qing a quick, "Lan Xichen's in town and he's metting A-Yu and A-Yuan, see you in fiften minutes. Thanks bye!" before running back out, not responding to her shout of 'what' that followed.

When he gets to the octopus sculpture, he doesn't have to wait long fo Lan Xichen and Nie Mingjue to show up, thankfully. He bounces over to them, the nervous energy coursing through him a little too much to keep still. "Hi Dage."

"Wuxian." Nie Mingjue greets, as if Wei Wuxian hasn't been off the grid for five years and was still popping into his house every other weekend to do weird shit with Nie Huaisang.

Nice to know somethings don't change.

"What is it you wanted to show us?" Lan Xichen asks politely.

"Um, this way." Wei Wuxian takes them to the school, which was only a few minutes away.

"A school." Nie Mingjue deadpans.

Wei Wuxian looks at the other parents waiting, a few of them looking back at the group with furrowed brows. One of the mothers makes a very harsh 'come here' gesture, so Wei Wuxian turns to Nie Mingjue and Lan Xichen, "Uh, I'll be right back. Don't move." He was clearly confusing the pair, but they nod so he rushes off to Mrs. Yang.

"Is that Daiyu's father? Other father?" Mrs. Yang demands, almost glaring at Lan Xichen.

"It's his older brother." Wei Wuxian corrects with a tight smile. "Please don't go yell at him."

"Oh, his family decides it's okay for you to raise a child for five years on your own, and I shouldn't yell?" Mrs. Yang demands, already gearing up to go.

"Uh, I'm, about to tell him Daiyu exists."

Mrs. Yang blinks, clearly taken aback. "Wei Wuxian." Wei Wuxian flinches at her tone, oh no. He's in trouble. "Did you not tell the Alpha family you were pregnant?"

"In my defence," because he needed one if he wanted to survive, "their uncle had already told me their family wanted nothing to do with me before he found out I had gotten pregnant. I don't think that opinion would've been changed in my favour. Given we were seventeen, and unmated."

Mrs. Yang hmphs, but nods. "Fine. But if he seems anything less than overjoyed, I'll be having words."

"Yes Mrs. Yang. Thank you." Wei Wuxian says, nodding. He meant it. Mrs. Yang was one of the more supportive parents. Like Granny Wen she had more or less started treating him like family.

It probably helped that her eldest was only two years younger than Wei Wuxian.

Wei Wuxian smiles and then hurries back to Lan Xichen and Nie Mingjue as the elder grades started to be let out.

"I'm sorry, do you babysit?" Lan Xichen asks, clearly very confused. Nie Mingjue doesn't seem to be much better.

"Uh. Sometimes." Wei Wuxian shrugs, "Not today." His answer only served further confusion, but he wasn't paying much attention to the pair. Instead to his incoming missile.

"Xian-gege!" Wen Yuan yells, and Wei Wuxian picks up the eight-year old as the boy had launched himself at Wei Wuxian.

"A-Yuan! My, I think you've grown!"

Wen Yuan pouts, "You saw me this morning gege! I haven't grown at all!"

Wei Wuxian shakes his head, "Hmm, nope! You've grown a full inch! I know it."

"No! A-Yuan hasn't grown at all!" Wen Yuan counters, pouting more deeply. Ah, not in the mood to be teased today. Okay.

"Ah, ah yes. A-Yuan is correct." Wei Wuxian agrees, and puts A-Yuan down. "A-Yuan, this is Lan Xichen and Nie Mingjue. They're old friends." Wei Wuxian introduces.

Wen Yuan was half through a bored wave when he actually looked at Nie Mingjue and his eyes utterly lit up. "You're so tall!"

Nie Mingjue barely blinked, very used to this reaction, but he seemed delighted at A-Yuan's very prescence. "Yes." Seeing as A-Yuan was practically vibrating, Wei Wuxian gently encourages him, and really that was all that was necessary before A-Yuan was attached to Nie Mingjue's leg and asking a million questions a minute.

Nie Mingjue seemed amused, and politely answered every question he caught.

With A-Yuan distracted, Wei Wuxian looks around the schoolyard for his other charge. Normally Daiyu would be attached to his leg by now. He finally spots her hiding by a tree, or, behind a tree. Her eyes widen when they meet his, and he waves her over. She hesitates, but eventually decides to come over. She walks, and then runs the last little bit, entirely hiding behind Wei Wuxian's legs, peeking a little to look at Lan Xichen and Nie Mingjue.

Lan Xichen had frozen.

As expected, given Daiyu's golden eyes.

"Daiyu, this is Nie Mingjue and Lan Xichen. Lan Xichen is your Bobo." Daiyu seemed very doubtful of that, making almost the exact same expression Lan Wangji did when Wei Wuxian had tried to convince him necromancy was a perfectly viable career path. Wei Wuxian would like to be offended. "I'm telling the truth."

"I thought Baba's family didn't want anything to do with us." Daiyu counters, doubt clear.

Ai. Who told her that? They didn't but still. "Who told you that?"

"Qing-jie."

...Ok. Wei Wuxian wasn't going to yell at Wen Qing for telling Daiyu that. Even if he wanted to. He was going to call her a liar.

"Well, she's wrong." Wei Wuxian crouches, turning to pick Daiyu up before standing straight. "It's complicated, and something I'll talk to you about in private. But Lan Xichen hasn't been able to be around until now."

Daiyu narrows her eyes but shrugs, "Fine." She didn't sound fine. But Wei Wuxian was not about to argue with a five year old. Not in public.

"Ok. Lan Xichen, Nie Mingjue, this is Wei Daiyu."

"Hi."

"Hello."

Daiyu looks at Wei Wuxian before responding, "Hello."

Well. This was awkward. And Lan Xichen looked like he was about to faint. "Why don't we go to the park?" A-Yuan seemed all for that idea. A-Yu looked like she'd rather not but when Wei Wuxian put her down she ran with A-Yuan toward the park. Wei Wuxian lead the adults in following after them.

While the kids played at the Octopus park, Wei Wuxian and Lan Xichen sat down at a bench, as Wen Yuan had dragged Nie Mingjue into their game.

"You were pregnant."

Wei Wuxian nods. "Lan Qiren didn't know. I, didn't know, until a week after that argument." Wei Wuxian shrugs, "I took Lan Qiren's words to heart, and didn't contact Lan Zhan about her."

"But you told Huaisang." Lan Xichen states.

Wei Wuxian blinks, "Huaisang doesn't know. I only talk to Huaisang for updates on the Jiang." And other things, but, mostly the Jiang. Once or twice Lan Wangji, but not all that often. He probably wouldn't take it well if Nie Huaisang sent back that Lan Wangji had gotten married.

"You, didn't tell anyone?"

"Nope. You're the first person outside of this town that knows." Wei Wuxian shrugs, and Lan Xichen just, stops. Wei Wuxian worries he's broken him, but soon enough Lan Xichen shakes his head.

"I can't- Apologies, this is a lot to process."

"How do you think Lan Zhan will react?" He's expecting anger. That's what some of the other omegan parents tell him to expect, whenever he considers sending Lan Wangji a message about Daiyu. No Alpha ever takes a pup being kept from them well. That's what they always say.

Lan Xichen's eyes widen, then he winces slightly, "I imagine, you are the not the one to worry about Wangji's reaction." Eh? "I'm sure he'll be happy. Saddened to have missed her first few years, but happy none the less."

Wei Wuxian opens and closes his mouth, trying to figure how to phrase his question before giving up and just asking, "Is he with anyone?"

Lan Xichen blinks and turns to look at Wei Wuxian, confused for a moment before understand dawns and he shakes his head slightly, "No. Uncle has tried for arrangements, but Wangji refuses them all. but I'm certain if you contact him, he'll be happy to see you." (Lan Xichen does not mention that he's rather confident Lan Wangji will immediately run to Wei Wuxian's side and help in raising Daiyu if Wei Wuxian even hints that that is what he wants. That seems a little much for right now.)

Wei Wuxian nods, not entirely believing that, but not willing to argue. "Now I just have to get Daiyu to come around." He did not expect his daughter to be the stickler here. Then again, Wen Qing had made her opinion on Lan Qiren years ago and wasn't quiet about it.

"She's aware of what Uncle said?" Lan Xichen asks.

Wei Wuxian shakes his head, "Uh, my friend, Wen Qing, yeah, that Wen Qing, I'm living with her family, long story, anyways, Wen Qing knows, and she holds very unfavourable opinions about it and she's not quiet about them. So, even if Daiyu doesn't know the full story, Wen Qing has given her enough to go on that she's formed her own, unfavourable opinion." Wei Wuxian shrugs, he couldn't really argue against it. Up until half an hour ago, he was rather confident the Lan's hated him and wanted nothing to do with him.

Now he has to explain a five year misunderstanding to his daughter.

Fun.

“I have to tell Wangji what you just told me.” Lan Xichen states, clearly not looking forward to that conversation.

Wei Wuxian shrugs, “It’s Lan Zhan, he’ll make a displeased face and not talk for a week.” It wasn’t that big of deal. Lan Wangji doesn’t do grudges, not really. At least, he didn’t five years ago.

Lan Xichen’s face was pure pity, which Wei Wuxian didn’t understand but it was gone before Wei Wuxian could formulate a question. “Do you want us around or shall we leave you alone?”

Oh. Wei Wuxian hadn’t considered that. “Um, maybe leave us alone for tomorrow? I guess I can give you my number and, if A-Yu is agreeable you guys can hang around. If it won’t mess up your vacation.” Because, who wants to spend their vacation with their little brother’s ex and daughter?

“That would be wonderful.” Lan Xichen says, pulling out his own phone and letting Wei Wuxian type in his number. Wei Wuxian then texts himself so he’d have the number on his phone too. “We should be getting back, I believe Mingjue wanted to stop by the butcher and they close at five.”

“Yes, they do. Because he needs to eat supper and spend time with his kids.” He kne Changpu, he was nice. Stodgy, but nice.

Lan Xichen nods and stands up, walking over to the playing trio and speaking quietly to Mingjue, he bids goodbye to the children, before the pair start walking away, they wave goodbye to Wei Wuxian, which he returns, and then they disappear.

Then, Daiyu runs up to him, “A-Niang, does that mean A-Die doesn’t hate us? Will he come live with us? Will we see Xi-bo a lot? Are they going to live with us? Like Granny and Uncle Four?”

Fuck.

Upon returning to the cabin, Lan Xichen’s day wasn’t going any better. Nie Mingjue was cooking supper, so Lan Xichen was alone with the decision to call Lan Wangji about Wei Wuxian. Obviously, he would. How much to say though?

Wangji, as it turns out, would make that decision for him.

After exchanging greetings, Lan Xichen barely got out, “So I ran into Wei Wuxian today in the city near where Mingjue and I are vacationing.” Before the call was dropped. Lan Xichen blinked, staring at his phone where it said ‘Call Ended’, meaning Wangji hung up on him. Lan Wangji hung up without a word. Without letting Lan Xichen finish. He was never so rude. He normally at least made a sound to indicate a goodbye. Nie Mingjue laughed at him when Lan Xichen explained why he was so flabbergasted.

Lan Wangji showed up the next morning.

[gryffindorcls]

The Purr-fect Gift

Summary: Years after the reveal and the start of their relationship, Marinette and Adrien move in together. To her dismay, Adrien has become distant and quiet after the move. Marinette just wants things to return to normal, but Adrien has a surprise for her that will change their lives forever.

Length: 2,894 words This is my Secret Santa present for @luminousinthedark from the APS server! You asked for fluff and romance so cheesy that it would make Plagg question his life choices, so I tried to think of the most romantic thing that could possibly happen between these two dorks. Don't let the beginning fool you....the end is **very fluffy**. I hope you enjoy it!  Happy Holidays! :D (A shout-out to my super awesome beta @misscongenialityofmlb for taking a look at this!) — AO3

Fanfiction

Marinette checked the time on her phone for the thousandth time that day, cringed at the numbers on the screen, and repocketed the device. She stood on her tiptoes in an attempt to see over the throngs of people blocking her view of the register. Crossing her arms, she began tapping her foot on the hard tiled floor.

“Girl, chill.” Alya rested her hand on her shoulder. “We’re almost to the front. I pre-ordered the new iPhone for Nino, so once we get there, we should be done pretty quickly.”

“Sorry,” Marinette mumbled, taking a peek at her phone screen again.

“You can go if you need to. I really don’t mind waiting by myself.”

“What! No! I promised that I would wait with you. I’m fine.”

Crossing her arms, Alya shot her a disbelieving look. “Uh-huh, and I’m the Queen of England. What’s going on with you today?”

“What do you mean?” Marinette straightened her posture and did her best to smile.

Alya shook her head “I haven’t seen you this jittery in years.”

“Jittery? Me? Pshh, no!” Giving up the ruse, she slumped and groaned. “Is it really that noticeable?”

“Yes, it is. Now spill! What’s going on?”

“I don’t even know where to start.”

“Maybe you can start with why your eyes have been glued to your phone all morning.”

She shoved her phone into her pocket, feeling a rush of heat to her cheeks. “I’m just a little anxious about getting to lunch with Adrien and Nino on time.”

“Since when are you concerned about being on time? I think the boys know by now that Miss High-Fashion has a tendency to be fashionably late.” Alya put a hand on her arm. “What’s really going on?”

“I don’t even know how to put this. I...I’m worried about my relationship with Adrien.” Marinette buried her face in her hands. “And I don’t know what to do.”

A fire ignited behind Alya’s eyes. “Did he do something to you? Because if he did-”

Marinette waved her hands in front of her. “No! No, it’s nothing like that! It’s just that he’s been a little, what’s the word, distant?”

“How so?”

“Ever since we moved in together he’s barely been home, and right before he left two weeks ago he canceled our plans to decorate our Christmas tree. He was gone all day, and he got home an hour before he had to leave for the airport.”

“Ahh, I see.”

“Yeah, and even though he got back yesterday, I haven’t seen him yet. When he suggested that we all meet up for lunch today, I was kind of hoping that it meant that maybe things would go back to normal.” She threw her hands into the air. “I don’t know. Alya, help me!”

Alya tapped her chin. “Have you tried talking to him about it?”

“I would, but he’s never around! I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. Maybe we’re moving too fast, and it’s scaring him. Or maybe he’s still overwhelmed about the whole...well, you know...reason why we don’t have to transform every day and fight Akumas anymore.”

“I doubt that. He loves you so much. You’d have to be blind to miss it.”

“He’s changed.”

“Marinette, listen to me.” Alya grabbed her shoulders. “If he’s acting weird, it probably has nothing to do with how he feels about you. That boy has been in love with you for years. Are you forgetting that this is the same human you gave a constipation prescription to when we were fourteen? And then he filled it without questioning why you needed it. You weren’t even dating yet, and he was willing to do anything to make you happy.”

“But-”

“No, buts! He loves you. He’s your ‘kitty’ and you’re ‘his lady’. You two are made for each other.”

“I guess you’re right.”

“Girl, the sheer number of pictures that I have on the Ladyblog of Chat Noir looking at Ladybug while she’s not looking should be proof enough.” Alya leaned in and dropped her voice to a whisper. “And if that doesn’t help, I have a whole folder on my phone of pictures where he’s looking at you outside of the mask.”

“He did once tell me that it was always going to be us against the world.” Marinette shrugged. “Maybe I’m overthinking it.”

Before Alya could answer, Marinette’s phone went off several times in her pocket. She pulled it out, tapped on the notification, and read the text in her inbox.

Adrien: [11:16] Hey there, beautiful.

Adrien: [11:16] Something came up, I can’t make lunch today.

Adrien: [11:16] Sorry

Adrien: [11:17] :(

Her heart dropped. She sighed before typing out a short response.

Marinette: [11:17] no worries

Marinette: [11:17] see you later! <3

“What’s up?” Alya asked, “Are the boys already at the restaurant? Tell them we’ll be there in like thirty minutes. There are only ten people in front of us now.”

Shaking her head, she tried not to cry. “No, Adrien can’t make lunch. He’s just going to meet us back at the apartment later tonight.”

“Hold on." Alya whipped out her phone. "Let me text Nino.”

Marinette hugged herself. The air around her was cold, and she felt so small and alone. How could this be happening to her? Before they moved in together, everything had been fine with her relationship? What changed? Why now? What was she doing wrong?

“So, I texted Nino, and he’s with Adrien. Neither of them will be joining us for lunch.” Alya pulled her into a hug. “But everything is going to be okay. Trust me.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Have I ever steered you wrong?”

“No.” Marinette shook her head. “At least not on purpose.”

“Look, you’re my best friend, and I propose that we have a girls’ day before we meet up with the boys later.” A smile lit up her face. “How would you feel about getting our nails done after the two of us grab a quick lunch?”

Marinette’s sadness was quickly replaced with confusion. “Our nails? At a salon? Since when do we pay for manicures?”

“Since today! So, what do you say?”

She didn’t want to spend another day sulking in her apartment. Perhaps a day out would do her some good.

“I guess that could be fun?” Marinette shrugged. “Just as long as we can grab some cookies for Tikki before we go. She’s been asleep in my bag all morning.”

“Yes!” Alya threw a celebratory fist into the air. “Works for me! Trixx needs some food, too. I’m sure he’d appreciate having something to eat while we get pampered.”

“A little pampering sounds nice.” Marinette looked down at her nails. “Maybe something festive? A bright red? Or sparkles?”

“Yes! That’s the spirit.” Alya slung her arm over her shoulder. “And maybe while we’re at it, we could get our hair and make-up done, too!”

“Wow, nails, hair, and make-up? This is starting to sound like we’re getting ready for a photoshoot, not a night in.”

“Why should model boy have all the fun? Besides, I’m sure he’d love to see you all ‘dolled-up’.”

Marinette laughed and did her best to imagine the smile on Adrien’s face when he finally saw her later that evening.

***

To her delight, Adrien did smile when she walked into their apartment, but it was quickly overshadowed by the hasty hello and peck to the cheek that he gave her before rushing off to the living room. Feeling her heart sink, she hung her coat on a hook and made her way to the couch.

The plan was to decorate their tree with Alya and Nino, but everything that could go wrong went wrong. The lights shorted out when they plugged them in, and at least twelve ornaments shattered when she attempted to hang them.

Adrien didn’t say a word as he cleaned up each little mess she made. He merely smiled and grabbed another ornament for her to put onto the tree. As the night wore on, he moved further and further away and made little to no eye contact with her. He even disappeared into their bedroom several different times.

Just when she thought the universe couldn’t possibly make her day any worse, Marinette managed to burn a batch of Christmas cookies that she’d put in the oven for them to enjoy when they were done decorating.

When the smoke alarm finally stopped beeping and the panic in the kitchen had subsided, Marinette reached her breaking point. How was she supposed to convince Adrien to keep living with her if she kept messing everything up?

Sure the broken ornaments were on par with her usual clumsiness, but burnt cookies? She was a baker’s daughter! Burning cookies was something that just didn’t happen to her anymore.

Unable to hold back her tears any longer, Marinette bolted from the kitchen, ran into the bedroom, and slammed the door behind her. After unceremoniously flopping facefirst onto the bed, she sobbed into a pillow, not caring about ruining her professionally-done make-up.

She’d tried so hard to make tonight perfect, but of course, she wasn’t even capable of making it okay. Even after she’d calmed down a little, Marinette cringed at the idea of rejoining the group. She wasn’t ready to see the look of disappointment on her boyfriend’s face.

If he didn't before, he definitely regretted asking her to move in with him now.

A knock at the door sent her flying towards the tissue box on her nightstand. There was no way she was letting anyone see her like this. Especially not…

“Hey, Marinette?” Adrien...of course, it was Adrien. “Can I come in?”

His voice sounded so unsure, and it immediately broke down her resolve. “Sure.”

She hastily wiped her hands at her face as the knob turned and the door slowly creaked open. Adrien poked his head in, locked eyes with her, rushed to her side, and pulled her into a tight embrace.

“Oh, love.” His hand rubbed soothing circles on her back. “Please tell me what’s wrong. What can I do to make it better? Is it the cookies? Because we can just make a new batch. It’s okay.”

“Everything.” The floodgates opened, and Marinette buried her face into his chest, sobs racking her body once again. “I messed everything up! I know that you probably regret moving in together, and I was hoping that I could change your mind tonight, but I failed.”

Adrien pulled away, his eyes filled with concern. “Marinette, what are you talking about?”

“Y-you’ve been avoiding me, and I get that this was a big step and that you might not have been ready…”

He cut her off. “What? Marinette, no! Moving in with you was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. What made you think something like that?”

“Well, I barely saw you before you left, and you keep making excuses to not hang out or be in the apartment. Please don’t hide how you feel from me.” She sniffled. “It’ll hurt, but I’ll be okay.”

“Marinette…” He grabbed her shoulders and shook his head. “I love living with you.”

“Please.” Her voice was barely a whisper. “I just need to hear the truth.”

“But I am telling you the truth. I don’t regret any part of our relationship. If anything, you’re the reason I’ve made it through all of this insanity the past few years. I’m so sorry that I ever made you feel like I didn’t want to live with you anymore.” He scratched the back of his neck and chuckled nervously. “I actually feel quite the opposite.”

The feeling of hopelessness began to ebb away under his unwavering gaze. “Really?”

“Yes, really.”

“Then why do you keep disappearing all the time? We’ve barely seen each other in weeks.”

“Oh, uhhh, right.” He cleared his throat. “There’s a really good reason for that.”

He pushed himself off of the bed and made his way over to the dresser. After fumbling around one of the drawers, he pulled out a small, neatly wrapped box topped with a sparkling golden bow.

“I had this custom made for you, and there was a problem with my order. I was trying to take care of the issue the day I left. That’s why I canceled all of our plans.” He held out the box for her to take.

Marinette took the box and examined it.

He sat back down on the bed and clasped his hands in his lap. “I was going to give it to you while we were decorating the tree, but I got kind of nervous.”

“Is that why you kept avoiding me tonight?” She cocked her head to the side.

“Yeah, sorry about that.”

“Why? I love everything you give me.”

“This is just...really special, and I wanted the moment to be purr-fect.”

She giggled. “A cat pun...really? I thought we were having a serious moment, Chaton.”

“Well, it made you smile, didn’t it?” He reached up and brushed a stray hair away from her face. “I want to look back and say that you were smiling when I gave this to you.”

“This must really be some gift.”

“It is.”

“What is it?”

“How about you open it and find out.” She turned the box a few times until she found the tape holding it together. She carefully removed the outer wrapping and pulled out a small, plain cardboard box with a lid. Marinette took off the lid to reveal an elegant black velvet box with a small silver clasp. It fit in the palm of her hand, and the more she stared at it, the more things began to make sense.

“Adrien, is this…” The words died on her lips when she looked up to find her boyfriend on one knee.

He took the box out of her hands, opened it, and turned it around, putting its contents on display. In all her years of dreaming about this moment, the ring he’d chosen was more beautiful than anything she’d ever imagined. She was left breathless as she watched the ring’s three stones sparkle under the glow of the ceiling lamp.

Knowing what was coming, her heart pounded against her chest. Her head was swimming amongst the clouds, and the colors around her suddenly seemed brighter and more vibrant. Her nightmare had turned into a dream–a beautiful, wonderful, and surreal dream.

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng, you are the light and love of my life.” The happiness radiating off of him was palpable. “When you dropped into my life, you filled a void I didn’t even know was there. You stayed by my side through every bump and struggle with nothing less than unwavering encouragement and love. Without even trying, you helped me grow into the person I am today. You accept me for all that I am, and I can’t even begin to thank you for that. I love you more than anything, and I want to build a life with you. I want to grow old with you, get a hamster, have children...I want it all.”

“Adrien…” Her hands were covering her mouth.

He took a deep breath. “Will you marry me?”

Marinette launched herself off of the bed and tackled Adrien to the ground in a crushing hug. “YES! YES! OH MY GOD, I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS IS HAPPENING! YES!”

Now it was his turn to cry. “Wait, really?”

“I have been dreaming about marrying you for thirteen years!”

“But...that’s when we met.”

“And when I fell in love with you.”

“Oh, yeah…”

“My amazing, Chaton...Adrien, I love you so much.” She held his face in her hands. “I would love nothing more than to marry you.”

Before she had time to react, his lips were on hers. She slid off the bed, sunk to the floor, and erased the remaining space between them. Her hands were in his hair, desperate to feel him even closer. All too soon, they pulled away, gasping for air.

He leaned his forehead against hers. “I love you, my lady. You’ve made me the happiest cat in the world.”

She leaned in and kissed him again. This time, it was a chaste peck on his lips that she knew left him wanting more.

“Marinette, no,” he whined, “come back.”

“I will," she said with a teasing lilt, “as soon as you finish what you started.”

“What?”

“Or do I have to put the ring on myself?”

“Of course not. Your hand, my lady?” He picked the box up off of the ground, plucked the ring out of the cushion, and slipped it onto her finger.

And just like that, all was right with the world. She always knew that she and Adrien were a forever kind of thing, but before today, it always felt abstract. Now, it was more than a daydream. It was their future, and it was real.

They kissed again and again until their lips were chapped and their cheeks hurt from smiling. Sooner than they would have liked, they decided to rejoin their friends; however, before she shut out the light and walked out of the room, she stopped to admire the ring once more.

It was a perfect fit...just like them.

[1ddotdhq]

🍷Thurs 29 Oct ‘20🚙

Cam’s song Changes (written by Harry along with country singer-songwriter Lori McKenna and producers Kid Harpoon and Tyler Johnson) dropped in some parts of the world this morning, and it is LOVELY! It is a twangy country song about growing up and getting out of your hometown and seeing the world change and you with it. I really think Cam buried the lead when advertising this song, as the best lyric is clearly, “I was falling in love in a back seat, giving it away like my heart won’t ever break. Had such a young heart drinking cheap wine…”. Hmmm...does this sound familiar to anyone? Of course it does! Fans had a great time comparing this song to Fearless and We Made It (and, honestly, yes. I agree). But that is not enough music news for Harry: SiriusXM started releasing videos of Harry’s New York performance in February (whoa a lifetime ago), including Kiwi, Golden, and Lights Up. The performances are, as always, ELECTRIC, and I can’t wait to be able to see them live, eventually.  

Zayn is back and he’s posting Better promotion on instagram (the song, not like...he’s doing a better job...oh, you know what I mean). He hasn’t blessed us with any more covers since yesterday, but he’s active, so I think we’ll be hearing more from him very soon….Maybe some of those songs he registered last month? Please???

All I want for Christmas is...for Liam to branch out and add Tech Expert to his resume alongside ‘YouTuber’ and ‘Tik Tok sensation’? Well, maybe that’s a hyperspecific demand, but it seems like I’m in luck! Liam will be joining the speaker line up of Web Summit 2020, which is a program which “brings together the people and companies redefining the global tech industry”. Liam *is* a recording tech expert, but that’s probably not what they tapped him - this is likely to do with the way he is putting on consistent and quality virtual concerts in a way that has massively transformed the potential for fan engagement in socially distant times. Congrats, Liam, because you’ve worked really hard! And he’s not done working! Liam took to instagram to call fans “detectives” for figuring out that his Christmas collaboration was Dixie D’Amelio, and promising “fun” leading up to the Holidays with “Dixie and her family” (uh, do you think that her parents are gonna be involved or just her super successful 16 year old Tik Tokker sister Charlie?). Anyways, as much as I would LOVE to say that we are indeed detectives (because we are!) , the credit for letting the cat out of the bag this time goes to Dixie herself, who posted a Tik Tok of her singing the song. This, on top of the speculation that already existed, was all the confirmation we needed to know what was happening. Liam also filmed a few episodes of a podcast Happy Hour with veteran YouTuber JaackMaate on his show, where he and his friends chat with people about their jobs and their lives in a relaxed way. And! If you bought tickets to LP Act 3, check your inbox - Liam has sent information on how to access the concert, and also some pre-emptive tech support links. I don’t know if that’s a good sign or a bad one.

Niall was, again, very busy with promo, appearing on Live with Ryan Secrest and hitting all of the Royal Albert Hall talking points we’ve been hearing, but he also took the time to interact with fans on Twitter! He tells us that he’s not going to be doing anything for Halloween (“can’t go anywhere in big groups”), that he loves Bruce Springsteen, and that he’ll do a live striptease if “Slow Hands” passes a billion streams by next week. Look, I know I keep saying this, but, uh #PLEASEdontstripitdownNiall. BUT! Do show us more of your skincare routine, which is what he did on insta: he posted a pic of himself in a facemask saying, “You’ll all be saying after RAH, ‘Niall you were glowing!’ and I’ll say… ‘I know’”. 

And, Louis showed us how quickly he works when he has a goal in mind: after the unfortunate matter of merch shipping only to certain regions of the world yesterday, Backstreet Merch (the company in charge of his stuff) quickly took to twitter to say that, “We will be expanding our shipping zones to all of South America and India...within the next 48 hours.” And that’s exactly what happened! Not only that, Central America and Singapore are also on the list (catch ALL OF MY FAMILY rocking their Walls merch), although Mexico is not, and Backstreet Merch has said they have no current plans to ship to Mexico, which, hmmm. But look, I just gotta say that in 48 hours, Louis listened to his fans who have supported him (he sold out TWO stadiums in Argentina!) and quickly made his merch more accessible. Honestly, I love this man. And those countries certainly deserve it – can your country say Walls was its best selling album last week? Argentina can! Both Harry albums and Heartbreak Weather were also in the top ten.

However, I may have said good riddance to Celebtm too soon ( :{( ). TMZ has picked up their second mess of an article and is now distributing that. On top of this, Michael Straus has contacted both Judge Judy and the People’s Court to see if they can get some cable airtime and settle the small claim on TV - which, to be clear, Briana has to agree to, but it seems likely. Celebtm (despite saying yesterday they weren’t going to report on this until January when the court case happened, okaaaay) made a statement telling Briana to take the TV offers seriously so that Louis’ “child support” (quotes theirs, not mine) wouldn’t go to her legal fees. They went on to say, “We only see #onedirection here. To #EndIt on television and win your freedom to love ❤️ again with the next victim. Thank you #1DFamily for supporting #louistomlinson during these chaotic #1D times”. We DO support Louis, which is more than I can say for celebtm. It might bring a little thrill to see a media outlet proclaiming End It, but is it a good thing for Louis? No. This is happening because of the response they're getting and unless someone makes them (mark this down cause you won't see me saying this usually but omg LTHQ will you please get in here and shut this talk down?) they won't stop with this nonsense (see: yesterday's Larry Stylinson article) until the fans stop cheering them on. Speaking of nonsense on Instagram, Lou the golden retriever, the influencer dog fans headcanon-ed was the one HSHQ posted, decided he wanted a piece of the pie and has joined the swollen ranks of accounts falsely claiming a connection to Harry. There are many, including deuxmoi who post an endless stream of made up stories, but also the occasional credible sounding fan report such as yesterday's of Harry at a gym in the UK, and, um, WOW! It’s one of those fitness classes where you alternate your running pace to accelerate your heart rate, and the fan account claimed that Harry’s base pace (that is, comfortable running pace) is 10 mph, which is a 6 minute mile, or a 5k in 18 minutes. Uh, WHAT?? Guys, that’s it: I’m officially a stan, I love this man, and I want to go on a run with him.

[theroguequeenaniki]

Questions 2009 -> 2021

This is from my Facebook. It popped up on my memories page thing. I originally answered this in 2009 when I was 15, it’s now 2021 & and I am 27, so I’m gonna do it again. Leaving the original answers. Original answers will be italicized. Commentary on the original answers in parentheses & crossed out? Lol. (I’m not gonna tag anyone, but, like, I guess if you want to answer these random questions from Facebook 12 years ago, go ahead lol) 

Questions

Can you fill this out without lying? You've been tagged, so now you need to answer all the questions HONESTLY. At the end, choose people to tag. Don't forget to tag me so I can see your answers! To do this, copy this entire message, then go to “notes” under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, delete my answers, and type yours. Easy! Next, tag people that you think may enjoy this (in the right hand corner of the app). Click publish (at the bottom). Have fun! :) 1.What was the last thing you put in your mouth? My cup with my Big Red in it The straw to my Kate Spade tumbler to drink my HEB Cola Lol.

2.Where was your profile picture taken? I got it off the internet. it's a random anime girl. My bedroom. 3.Can you play Guitar Hero? Never played it. Probably wouldn't be good at it. Not to good at video games. But I am good at Mario Cart, both 64 and the Wii. plus I'm good at some Sonic games. Still never played it. Idk if I’m any good at Mario Cart or the Sonic games anymore, I haven’t played either in years lol

4.Name someone who made you laugh today? Doctor Who TikTok. My cats.

5.How late did you stay up last night and why? Umm, probably about 10:00 cause it took me forevor to get into bed. Uh..Past 4am. Lol. B/c my sleep schedule is fucked. I was in bed by 3am though, but I was playing games & watching TikToks on my phone. Lol.

6.If you could move somewhere else, would you? Yes. I'd move to either New York or Sweden. I don’t know. Part of me says yes. But part of me says no..b/c even though Texas has it’s faults (a LOT of them), I cannot imagine living anywhere else long-term..

7. Ever been kissed under fireworks? HAHA. Yeah right. I've never even been kissed! Still nope. I have been kissed though. He just didn’t kiss me under the fireworks the one NYE we spent together...

8. Which of your friends lives closest to you? Um, I think R, but D might also. D is accross Stasney from me and R is a couple blocks down (I don’t talk to these people much anymore & I’m not going to share their names on Tumblr) Uh. I think Maybe Raven? B/c they’re the only one who lives in the same city still. But, Sarah might technically be closer distance wise? Hold on. Ok, yeah, Sarah’s closer, even though she doesn’t live in this city anymore.

9. Do you believe exes can be friends? It all depends on the situation.(I totally stold M's answer but it's true) (I don’t talk to this person anymore & I’m not gonna share their name on Tumblr) I mean, yeah. Two of my best friends are each others exes and they’re still friends. I haven’t stayed friend with my ex, but, uh, he ghosted me so? Lol.

10. How do you feel about Dr. Pepper? I love it. I still love it. Lol.

11. When was the last time you cried really hard? I can't remember. I don't think it was that long ago, I had a light cry on Saturday, but I don't remember the last time I cried really hard. When we got back from our trip in July. Had a full on breakdown that night. Overheated all weekend. Overwhelmed. Anxiety. It was not a very good vacation..I cry a lot though.

12. Who took your profile picture? I got it off of google. I did. 

13. Who was the last person you took a picture of? Umm, either myself, or one of my family members. Aside from myself. I think my dad, on his phone, b/c there was a cicada on his shoulder and he wanted to ask the family group chat if he could keep it. Lol. I take a LOT of pictures of cats though. Lol.

14. Was yesterday better than today? Hail yes! To much drama today! And I couldn't avoid it cause I was in the middle of it! (Oof, what drama was 15 yo Linda dealing with that she couldn’t avoid? Lol. I mean, I guess, Sophomore year was a bit full of drama lol) Anyway, I mean, they were pretty much the same. One wasn’t better than the other. One wasn’t worse than the other.

15. Can you live a day without TV? yeah. Now Music there is something I can't live without! Yep, Do it almost everyday. Sentiments about music remain the same. Lol.

16. Are you upset about anything? Yes. I'm annoyed about something and it's making me upset. (I assume this has something to do with the the drama mentioned earlier lol) Always. Anxiety & depression are a bitch. My rooms a mess & I can’t get myself to clean it. My shelves are still a mess.

17. Do you think relationships are ever really worth it? yeah. though i havent really had one yet. I mean, yeah. Even though I haven’t had one last, aside from friendships, but they’re worth it. 

18. Are you a bad influence? I hope not. If so, let me know.(again I took M's answer but it's true) Probably. Idk. Lol.

19. Night out or night in? Depends on what's going on and how I feel about it. Night in usually. I do like going out sometimes, but, like, to dinner. Maybe a movie or a show. But, you know, we’ve been in a panini press, the only thing I’ve been comfortable doing is going to dinner (fully vaxxed & masked). But I also prefer staying home anyway. (Like I usually just go to dinner with my family lol)

20. What items could you not go without during the day? my computer. my book. my journal and a pen. My phone. My journal (b/c I write in it every night, as a diary, 14yo Linda wrote stories). Uh. I didn’t take food or drinks into account in the og, so I won’t in those. But, yeah. My phone & journal. I can go a day without my laptop if I need to. (Went the whole trip in July without pulling it out, though maybe that’s not a good example since my anxiety on that trip was so high..) I want to say a book, but I’ve been in a massive reading slump so...I wish I read as much as 15yo Linda did..

21. Who was the last person you visited in the hospital? I don't remember. I think it was myself.(if you want to know, ask me in person) I honestly don’t know. I don’t remember the last time I was in a hospital. 

22. What does the last text message in your inbox say? "Mrbobbybones:  wish ted would finally meet their mother already. geez. get to it. However, I see myself in that character more and more each episode." yeah. That's what it says. It's from Twitter. (Huh? and I can’t even go check b/c my inbox doesn’t go back to 2009 on Twitter?? (I haven’t had my account that long) Wait wait wait just remembered I used to get tweets to my phone as text messages lol)

Facebook messenger: “ Cool” From our group chat. Lol.

From actual text messages on my phone: “ heeey! Just put up the Tuesday PDS just for you  it’s a big one.” From Phillip Defranco’s text line Lol.

23. How do you feel about your life right now? I'm loving and hating it. but hey nobody gets out alive right? Uh..I mean. I’m alive. I have WiFi. Food. Family. I haven’t seen my friends in 2 years. (Minus Alex, b/c they were here in July to cat/house sit, but I saw them for like, one night..) There’s a lot that could be better. A lot that could be worse. 

24. Do you hate anyone? yes!!! Oof. I mean, kinda.

25. If we were to look in your Facebook Inbox, what would we find? some random conversations. most of my convos on her though have been in chat or through comments. Facebook Inbox is now Facebook Messenger. So you’ll find all my Facebook Messenger convos. Mostly our group chat. And side group chats for secret planning (birthdays & stuff). Plus other chats? Lol.

26. Say you were given a drug test right now, would you pass? I better! (excuse me miss 15yo Linda you absolutely could have passed a drug test you ALSO didn’t drink or smoke or take any drugs lol) Yeah. Absolutely. I don’t drink or smoke or take any drugs so, yeah? Lol.

27. Has anyone ever called you perfect before? 

Yes. But I can't remember when... Yeah. Pretty sure. 

28. What song is stuck in your head? Gee by SNSD(Girls Generation) They're Korean. A few My Chemical Romance songs

29. Someone knocks on your window at 2:00 a.m., who do you want it to be? EDWARD CULLEN! Joke! lol. No I don't know. If it was Edward, I'd call the cops. whoever it is though better have an explaination or they are gonna get hit in the head with my Book of Shadows. (Maybe I wouldn’t mind Edward at my window though? Lol.) Uh. My friends? Lol. Idk if I want anyone knocking on my window at 2am.

30.Wanna have grandkids before you’re 50? I don't know....... Uh. No? Idk. Most likely not gonna happen. 

31. Name something you have to do tomorrow? I can't think of anything right now... Eat. Should probably clean my room.

32. Do you think too much or too little? Way to much! lol. Way way way too much

33. Do you smile a lot? i try to. I think I do. I get told that alot in Theater...

I think so

[wordsfromthesol]

Character Model

Author: @wordsfromthesol Pairing: Jason Todd x Reader Summary: You may or may not have been following Jason Todd around a bookstore so you could model one of your story characters after him. He may or may not have noticed. Warnings: Language? Word Count: 2k A/N: Just a story from my drafts folder. Sorry I haven’t been able to write any of the wonderful requests I have sitting in my inbox...work has been running me ragged. But they are coming! Love you all 💛

You had no idea where this man came from, but he was perfect. Exactly what you envisioned the assassin prince in your newest story to look like, and he just waltzed into the bookstore. First, you tried to ignore him…after all it would be kind of creepy to stare at this man while sketching him and jotting down little details about the way he walks, talks, runs his fingers through his hair. The more you thought about it, the more you couldn’t get him out of your mind. As you watched his mannerisms, he just became more perfect. Fuck it. You got up from your seat and moved closer to him, pretending to look at the books on the shelf. It wasn’t a very good cover story, as it was quite obvious you were drawing him. I will never see this man again, who cares.

You were never the best artist, but the image got the message across. Once it was complete, you continued following him awkwardly around the store jotting down notes. His interest in certain books, the way he seemed to survey the bookstore…Maybe he is an assassin prince? Those didn’t actually exist right? You ignored those thoughts as you commented on his gait. Wrapped up in your descriptions, you didn’t realize he was now watching you. That is until you looked up again and saw his steel blue eyes staring into yours.

“What are you profiling me for, doll?”

You spun around, hoping he wasn’t talking to you. No such luck. “Oh, uhm, I wasn’t?”

“Hmm, sure does look like it. Can I see that sketch?”

“Heh, you saw that?” He raised his eyebrows. Of course he saw it, Y/N, you are being creepy. “Okay, I swear I’m not stalking you! I just…gosh this is going to sound so stupid…you look exactly like how I envisioned this character in my head…for a story.”

“You’re a writer?”

“Some people would beg to differ, but I guess technically.”

“So what’s the character then?”

Okay now he’s going to be offended. “Uhm…an assassin? But he’s also like prince to the guild thing. It’s kind of complicated.”

“So I look like an assassin?”

“Kind of…?” To your surprise the man chuckled.

“Not gunna lie, I’ve been called so much worse.”

Why are you so awkward? “Well sorry for being creepy…” You turned to leave and didn’t notice the man following you until you nearly slammed the front door in his face.

“I think I deserve to see that sketch after you followed me around for an hour AND tried to knock me out with a door.”

“Oh my go – I’m so sorry, I figured I’d thoroughly…embarrassed myself, so I left…why are you following me?”

“Thought I’d return the favor?” You gave him a nervous smile, the thought of this very large strange man walking you home, at night, in Gotham, did not provide you with much peace. “Relax, you look just like a character I imagined…” He quipped, trying to ease your obvious discomfort.

“Not funny.”

“Really though, it’s dark and getting late and this is Gotham.” You eyed him suspiciously, this still probably wasn’t the smartest move on your part, but you relented and motioned for him to follow.

“Don’t make fun of it, I’m a writer not an artist. This is purely for research.” You commented as you passed him the sheet of notebook paper.

“It looks good, I especially like all the little notes about me. Ruggedly handsome? Piercing steel blue eyes?”

Shit. I forgot about those. “Uhm, yeah.” You tried to snatch the paper back, but he could easily keep it from you. “It was research!” Huffing, you remember some of the descriptions were not very complimentary. Watching his eyes scan the page, you tried to explain. “Some of them are just for the character, don’t take it…”

“No, they are all…pretty spot on I’d say.” His voice turned solemn, almost sad, as he passed the paper back to you.

“I’m sorry.”

“Nah,” he waved it off, picking back up his nonchalant timbre.

The two of you mindless chatted about your favorite books until you arrived at your apartment building.

“Well, this is me. Thanks again…” You had just realized the two of you never exchanged names. “My name’s Y/N, by the way.”

“Jason. I’ll see you around. Try not to stalk anyone else.”

“No promises!” You called out as you entered the apartment.

**

It had been nearly a week, and honestly you didn’t expect to see the stranger again. After all, how would you? No numbers or last names were exchanged. Yet there he was, sitting across from you at the coffee shop, face buried in a book. This man is actually reading in a coffee shop. He looked so out of place compared to all the usual suspects. It would be creepy if I remembered him, right? I’m just going to ignore him. Your plan didn’t last long, as Jason soon came up and sat beside you.

“Stalking anyone new today?”

“Oh, I uhm…no. Writing about you actually…the character! The character not you.” God, you’re so smooth. You thought as you brought your hand up to cover your face.

“So how is assassin me doing today?”

“Honestly? You’re kind of being a bitch. Like how am I supposed to know how you will react if you are refusing to tell me?”

“Uhm…isn’t that the part you’re supposed to make up?”

“No, I made up you…the assassin…now you’re…they’re supposed to tell me what they want to do.”

“Uh huh. Right. You know they aren’t real right? Like I’m not actually a killer prince.”

“Heh, yeah I know. Wouldn’t that be cool though?”

“I just think you’d be assassinated.”

“Ohh, harsh. Though, sadly, I would just be murdered.”

“No, I had it right.” Jason gave you a smirk as he got up from the table and walked out the door.

Did that actually just happen? You quickly gathered your things and threw them into your computer bag, racing after him. “WAIT!” You noticed he had stopped just outside the door and well before you called after him.

“Walking home?”

“Uhm, yeah. Can I ask you some questions first?”

“How about you can ask me questions until we get to your apartment building?”

“Deal.”

It was a short ten-minute walk, but you picked his brain. Giving him situations to see how he would react. This was way easier than you rewriting the scene, or going back and forth for hours before giving up and not writing anything at all. In fact, his reactions were eerily similar to that of your murderous character. You weren’t accidentally copying his life, right?

**

The next time you saw him, you were out with friends at some random bar. He sat there stoically on the bar stool, staring into space. This was so…like if your character had just murdered someone. No, he couldn’t have. Probably just a bad day. You excused yourself from the group of friends and slide in to the stool besides Jason.

“So, Jason, bad day?”

“Oh, Y/N. I didn’t…you’re here.”

“Yeah, I try to have a life sometimes. Albeit very rarely.”

“Hm, well, don’t let me keep you.”

“That’s alright, they are content without me.” You pointed towards a group of people. “And plus, you look like you need some company.”

“…”

“Man, riveting stuff. So, what are you drinking?”

“Whiskey.”

“Just…straight? Alright, spill. Remember I know you.”

“I…just had a bad day at work. I’ll get over it.”

“I’m sure whatever happened wasn’t your fault. Some situations are inevitable.”

“I guess.”

“So what do you do, exactly?”

A sad, solemn smile laced his lips as he got up from the bar. “Another time. Get home safe, Y/N.”

“That wasn’t an answer…” you mumbled as you made your way back to your friends.

**

Just the next day, you were mindless going aisle by aisle in the grocery store, when you feel someone slightly bump into you. You whipped your head around to see the culprit, when what you saw was Jason with a big grin on his face.

“I’m starting to think you never stopped stalking me.”

“If anything, you’re stalking me. This is the closest grocery to my apartment…which you know the address of. I have no clue where you live.”

“Fair enough.” He looked down at the assorted items in your cart, “got a plan for those?”

“Honestly, my version of cooking is throwing some things in a pan and hoping for the best.”

“Hm, well, I could come over and show you some things?”

“Jason, I don’t know your middle or last name, are you offering to cook for me?”

“Peter Todd, and yes, Y/N  Y/M/N  Y/L/N, I am.”

You looked at him with surprise, “See, now who’s stalking who.”

He started to trail off with a smirk, “I’ll be at yours at 6!”

Did that seriously just happen? How did he know my name? Once you were done you raced home to clean. You were so not prepared for guests, with your scratch paper and sticky notes strewn about the apartment. As soon as the clock struck 6, you heard a knock at the door.

**

Jason tried to show you what he’s doing in the kitchen, but you couldn’t care less. You sat on the counter, pretending to listen to the instructions, while sipping on the wine in your hand.

“You’re not retaining any of this, are you?”

“Hmm, not really. But I’m quite enjoying watching you do it.” You motioned for him to continue preparing the meal.

“Are you just trying to get a free meal?”

“Well, technically I paid for the food, I’m just after the free chef…that was…I meant like after the preparation of the food…not after you…” Shut up Y/N, you are making it worse.

“That’s alright, I’m just after the free writer.” He looked over his shoulder and winked at you before returning to the stove.

“Does cooking always take this long? It’s nearly 7!” You were trying to quickly change the subject and forget the embarrassment you had just endured.

“Calm down, doll, it’s nearly ready. Grab some plates.” You hopped off the counter and took two plates down from the cabinet, placing them next to the stove before sitting at your kitchen island patiently waiting to be served food.

**

“Okay, this is amazing. MAYBE worth the hour wait.”

“Oh well MAYBE I’ll take it back then.”

“Don’t you dare.”

Though both of your plates had been empty for hours, and the mess in the kitchen was staring you in the face, neither of you could seem to move. You found anything and everything to talk about, well almost everything. For some reason he still wouldn’t tell you what he did for a living. Which annoyed you because whatever it was clearly took its toll.

“Okay, fine! Don’t tell me, some big ole secret. I’m beginning to think you actually are an assassin prince and your consciousness just went into mine…so now you’re a character in my book.”

“I guess I’ll just have to read it and let you know.”

You side-eyed him, “You can read it when I find out what you do?” You knew at this point there was no hope in getting an answer.

“Tempting. Perhaps you can tempt me further Wednesday night.” Jason rose from the stool and traipsed over to the door. You quickly followed him, mainly out of sheer confusion.

“What’s Wednesday night?”

“Well, I figure those leftovers will last about two days. Can’t leave you without your free chef.” At this point his face was inches from yours. “I’ll be here at 6.” He whispered as he quickly spun on his heel and left.

[captainsassmanes]

Fic prompt, road trip with Kyle, Alex, Michael and Max. Also Isobel, Liz and Maria. Just fun times.

So this has been in my inbox FOREVER! I’m so sorry. I removed Maria from the trip due to recent events and, because it’s me, it’s more angst than anything. I hope you remember you sent this in and enjoy it! LOL

“You’ve got more shit than Iz,” Michael groaned as he tossed another one of Valenti’s bags into the backseat.

“I’ve learned over the years to be prepared with all of you. It’s ninety percent medical equipment and acetone.” Kyle threw yet another bag into the back with a grunt. Isobel dropped a quick kiss to his cheek. “Very thoughtful of you, babe.”

“Uh, God, are we there yet?” Michael was already feeling anxious, his first trip with Alex was making him more nervous than he thought he’d be. They hadn’t had the boyfriends conversation yet but they’d declared their undying love for one another so he figured that was more important. But being together, officially each other’s, it was so new and surprisingly terrifying. Michael obsessively worried about messing it all up.

“Who’s going in who’s car?” Liz asked, Max sneaking up behind her to wrap his arms around her middle. Michael just rolled his eyes and looked up to the clear blue sky. Liz and Max all loved up in one car. Kyle and Isobel communicating almost exclusively through sexual innuendos in the other.

“Kyle’s back seat is already full, so I guess we’re with Liz and Max.” Michael felt his shoulders relax with Alex’s soft voice in his ear and strong hand resting against the small of his back.

He watched as Isobel leaned into Kyle, the man’s cheeks flushing a bright red as his eyes practically popped, they were so wide. Grimacing, Michael made a retching noise. “Jesus, can we go? I’m calling it right now. If this cabin has a bedroom away from all you people, it’s ours, okay?” He shook his head and took Alex’s hand with a huff, Alex chuckling as he happily followed Michael to Max’s car.

They climbed in and clicked their seatbelts into place. Before Liz and Max got in, Alex leaned over into Michael’s space and whispered, “thanks for calling dibs on some privacy. We’re gonna need it.”

Michael’s lips parted as he felt a blush creep up his neck, setting his ears on fire. The smirk Alex gave him before turning his attention to the couple in the front had Michael struggling to get comfortable.

This was definitely a good idea.

*****

The drive hadn’t been as bad as Michael made it out to be in his head. Aside from some seriously sappy love declarations and questionable hand placement in the front seat, Liz and Max had been quiet, occasionally checking in and chatting about random stuff.

After they’d stopped and grabbed lunch at a small diner, Michael felt his eyelids get heavy and rested his head against the cool glass of the window. Before sleep took him, he felt callused fingers slide into his and squeeze tight. Glancing at Alex, Michael was gifted a gentle smile and a small nudge to close his eyes again.

He smiled and happily obliged. When he opened them again, they were in the middle of nowhere, an isolated cabin on a private lake. Stepping out of the car and stretching his back, Michael felt the final pulls of tension leave him. The trees were dense, the cabin more like a log mansion than anything else and he could already see a small beach through the branches.

Alex’s arm brushed against his own as they stood together taking in the view. They were both aware of the other couples gathering their bags and making their way into the house but Alex and Michael, as always, stood together in their own little world.

“We needed this,” Alex sighed, fingers skimming the thin skin of Michael’s wrist, shooting a chill up his arm and down his spine. “Thank you for bringing me.”

Michael chuckled, “like there’s anyone else I’d want here.” The smile he got in return was faded at the corners, like a light had slightly dimmed, making his stomach roll with a new wave of anxiety. But Alex just silently squeezed his hand and walked to Kyle’s car, starting the arduous process of unloading all their shit.

Michael knew it would come up again. But ignoring it, for now, worked, too.

******

That night, the six friends sat around the fire pit, sipping beers, and listening to Michael joke about taking vacations at the airstream if this was what they wanted to do.

The group reminisced about different times throughout their lives. Elementary school when Kyle and Alex were inseparable. The time Michael got suspended for proving his physics teacher wrong in high school. Isobel tried sharing her first sexual experience but everyone, with the noted exception of Kyle, shut that shit down.

Every story Liz shared had to do with Alex and Maria, the memories from senior year that seemed to mean the world to her. Everyone laughed and smiled with each new hijink, but Michael watched Alex’s face closely, how each anecdote brought a sadness to his eyes that he started worrying might not go away.

“Well,” Michael awkwardly interrupted, “I’m exhausted.” He glanced down at Alex and offered his hand. “You ready for bed?”

Alex gratefully smiled back and nodded, taking the offered hand, and walking into the cabin with Michael, the other’s following along in agreement.

Just as he’d said, Michael snagged the room furthest away from the other bedrooms. It wasn’t fancy by any means, a queen bed taking up most of the room with a bedside table on either side and one small dresser. They had their own bathroom, though, right outside the door.

Purposely taking his time getting ready, Michael felt that now familiar pang of worry bouncing in his chest. Alex had seemed upset at the fire. Was it Maria? Was he just feeling nostalgic? Was it something Michael did? Or didn’t do? Or didn’t say?

With his toothbrush hanging out of his mouth, he gripped the scalloped edges of the sink and looked at himself in the mirror. You wouldn’t be so fucking worried if you hadn’t messed this all up in the first place. He sighed and shook his head, spitting into the sink and wiping his mouth with a towel. He took a deep breath and steadied himself for whatever came next. Maybe an uncomfortable conversation or the silent treatment, or classic Alex’s Manes denial. Was it too naïve to hope for everything to simply be okay?

He walked out of the bathroom and into the bedroom to discover it was empty. Where he’d left Alex sitting on the edge of the bed taking off his prosthetic, was now a messy dip in the blanket. Michael looked around the room, stupidly hoping Alex would just be hiding in a corner before his heart began to pound. He moved quickly down the hall, covering his ears as he was assaulted with surround sound sex, and was flooded with concern when he found the living room and kitchen empty, too.

Tossing on a shirt and sliding his feet into someone else’s shoes, he went outside, the cabin door’s slam echoing in the dark.

“Alex?” he called, waiting with bated breath for an answer. He tried a few more times, walking around the house and checking to make sure all the cars were there. Nothing was out of place.

With his hands tugging at his hair, an odd movement caught his eye on the beach. Shaking his head, Michael headed down, preparing once again for whatever he was walking straight into.

“Can you not do that, please?”

Alex jumped and put his hand over his racing heart. “Jesus Christ, Michael. You scared the shit out of me!”

“Yeah, well, serves you right,” he mumbled as he sat in the beach chair next to Alex. “With our history you can’t just disappear. I thought someone stole you already. We’ve been here four hours.”

Alex gave a half-hearted smile before looking back over the silent water, moonlight reflecting off it, a nighttime mirror.

“What’s bothering you?”

Alex shook his head and swallowed. “Nothing. I’m fine.”

“I snuck up on you.”

“Yes, you did.”

“No one sneaks up on you.”

Alex lifted an eyebrow at Michael who waited patiently for Alex to try arguing. With a sigh, Alex shrugged. “I don’t want to ruin anything, Michael.”

He took Alex’s hand in his own, moving his thumb across the smooth skin but keeping his eyes focused on the still lake. “Nothing’ll be ruined. Just talk to me.”

Michael curled his toes into the sand, focusing on the feeling to keep his mouth shut, desperately trying to give Alex the time he needed.

“I keep waiting for you to go back to Maria.”

Michael’s free hand curled into a fist, his nails digging into his palm. He didn’t know why it didn’t occur to him that Alex may still be uncomfortable around Maria, hearing about Maria. It seemed so fucking obvious now.

“I don’t want Maria.”

“But you did.”

“You wanted Forrest.”

“Not the same, Michael.” He sighed and shook his head. “You had a choice, between me and Maria. You chose Maria. That ended, then you chose me.”

Michael’s heart fell to his feet at Alex’s words and the debilitating sadness behind them. He picked up his chair and planted it directly in front of Alex. Michael leaned in close and took both of Alex’s hands in his.

“I made a mistake. You wanted me to be someone I wasn’t ready to be.” Michael gripped Alex’s hands tighter, aching for him to understand. “It was like my brain was filled with tangled wires, knotted and twisted together, and you wanted to untangle them, one at a time. It-it was too overwhelming, it seemed way too hard. But Maria,” he grimaced as he watched Alex physically flinch, “she was happy to just leave the pile of wires just like they were.”

Alex looked toward the trees on his right, steadying his breathing. Michael gave him a moment before lifting his fingers to Alex’s chin to face him once again.

“Alex, the wires couldn’t work in that fucking mess and you knew it. I took the easy way, but it didn’t work. Maria was kind and I did care about her but, god, she wasn’t you. And I needed you. I still do.”

They sat in silence; Michael gripping Alex’s hands so tight the pads of his fingers lost color.

“I don’t know how to get over it, Michael. She was my best friend.”

Michael nodded, the weight of not only hurting Alex but destroying one of his most precious friendships sitting heavy in his core. “I don’t know what to say. I’ll apologize forever if you’ll let me.”

Leaning forward to rest his forehead against Michael’s, Alex whispered, “no. I don’t want that.” Michael slid his fingers up Alex’s neck and into his hair, afraid Alex may slip away like sand once again.

“I think I’m gonna go back to therapy.”

“Really?”

“You keep telling me that you want to be with me and, a part of me believes you, knows that you wouldn’t lie about that. But another part of me doesn’t think it’s possible. You could have anyone, all the Maria’s of the world, and you actually want me.” He wiped his nose and sniffed, pulling back just enough to look Michael in the eye. “That’s a me problem, not a you problem.”

“That’s an us problem, Alex. I’m not going anywhere but I want you to believe that you’re it for me. That I don’t want anyone else. I never really did, I just- “

Alex nodded, saying, “I know.”

“We’re supposed to be together, Alex. I’ve known since we were kids. We’ve just been surrounded by so much shit, it’s like we didn’t get a fair chance. And then we both believed we didn’t deserve it.”

“Cosmic, right?”

Michael smiled and brushed his thumb along Alex’s cheek, wiping away a stray tear. “Cosmic, baby.”

“I love you.”

Warmth blossomed in Michael’s chest and spread through his body instantly at Alex’s words. Maria had said she loved him, waited with large, hopeful eyes as he stared back, confused as to why he felt nothing but panic and couldn’t force his mouth to repeat the sentiment. It felt nothing like this.

He refused to hide his beaming smile.

“I love you, too.”

For the second time that night, Michael stood and offered his hand to Alex, who bashfully took it and accepted the help to stand. With their arms wrapped tightly around one another, they strolled back to the cabin, a light breeze cooling their too hot skin.

As soon as they were through the door, Michael cringed at the moans and yeses ricocheting off the walls. He shook his head as he slid his feet out of what he realized now were Max’s shoes. “It’s like they’re having a competition. Who can fuck the loudest?”

A shiver ran from the crown of Michael’s head to his toes at the warm breath dancing in his ear. “I bet we’ll win.”

Alex sauntered down the hall, walking backwards as he slowly unbuttoned his top, sexy smirk painted on his lips with a wink in his eye.

Michael was more than willing to play along. And Alex was nothing if not a fucking winner.

[pradaxstyles]

Silhouette // hs

In which Harry and Y/N relive their favorite memories before they part. 

Word count: 3.7k

Song inspo: Silhouette by Aquilo 

okay lovies. buckle up, this one is a bit rough. this is how it works bc it may seem a bit confusing. you have to listen to the song, otherwise it won’t make sense. listen before, during, whichever. there are lyrics throughout which are bold and italicized, these indicate memories. the memory portion is italicized. it is also stated when the memory ends. also!! please pay attention to the small details bc they come back in the end! i hope that helps. if anyone has any questions my inbox is open!!! 

i apologize for any typos.

as always, feedback is greatly appreciated!

enjoy!!!!! xoxoxo

----

The bustling city of New York seemed silent, almost abandoned. It was 2 am and Harry was wandering the bright streets. He pressed his back against the cool stone of a building and closed his eyes. The recurring thoughts came into his mind like waves. 

He had gotten into a fight with his long term girlfriend, Y/N. He couldn’t even remember what the fight was about. It was them against the world, at least that’s what he thought. 

She was a wild soul, always needing to do something. For a while, Harry was that something. He provided the adventure and love she desired. Wherever he went, Harry took her with him, it was their thing. Y/N traveled the world before meeting Harry in Paris. Things escalated quickly and she moved in with him. She would talk about the things she saw and experienced while in Europe. Although she felt like she was on top of the world with Harry, she had an itch to go back. She needed to go back. 

Y/N tried explaining to Harry that he didn’t understand and that he never would. He was thrown off by that statement. He spent the last two and a half years with her. He had traveled before meeting her, too. How could she say something like that? It was beyond him. 

So here he is, her words echoing in his mind. He pulled himself off the wall and began walking to a nearby club. He needed the endless thoughts of Y/N gone from his mind for the night, he couldn’t handle it. 

He pushed the heavy doors open and immediately went to the bar. 

“Can I get a whiskey neat?” He yelled over the blasting music. The bartender nodded and placed a glass on the table. Harry brought it to his lips and let the golden liquid burn his throat. 

He sighed and swiveled his chair so he was facing the large group of people sitting at small booths and on the dance floor. People were chatting away, laughing, dancing and having fun. Harry was damned if he wasn’t going to let loose tonight. He slammed the drink on the counter and moved toward the crowd. 

Bright neon lights illuminated the room in different hues. Blues and purples lit up his face as he wandered through the pack of bodies. He was looking for someone to dance with, someone he could get lost in. 

As he continued to make his way to the middle of the group, someone turned around and he was met with the one person he didn’t want to see, Y/N, his Y/N. 

He stood there wide eyed, not knowing how to react. Y/N’s face fell at the sight of Harry and a wave of guilt washed over her. 

In an instant, everything came back to him. 

“Let’s go out in flames so everyone knows who we are”

Harry and Y/N had the love others only dreamed of having. They were the perfect fit, the match made in heaven. Harry remembers the moment he first laid eyes on Y/N.

He was in Paris for some music business with Mitch. On their last night, Harry suggested that they have dinner by the Eiffel Tower, so they did. They packed a small picnic and found a spot on the lawn to enjoy the time they had left in the beautiful city. 

Harry was reaching for his drink when he glanced up and noticed a girl already looking at him. He choked on his sandwich and Mitch giggled. 

“You good, H?” He followed Harry's gaze and realized not what but who he was looking at. “Go get her number. Don't miss your chance, Harry.” 

Mitch was right. Harry wasn't sure if he was ever going to see her again, they met in Paris of all places. He got up from his position on the blanket and walked toward the girl. When she realized he was walking towards her, she quickly looked away and began talking to her friend. 

Harry was nervous to say the least. He swore he had never seen someone so beautiful. 

He cleared his throat, “H-hey. My name’s Harry.” She glanced up and smiled, “I’m Y/N.” 

His heart fluttered, she was perfect. 

“So uh, it’s my last day here and I was wondering if I could get your number?” 

Mitch snorted at his friend's nervousness, Harry was usually the calm and collected one. 

Y/N’s eyes widened and her cheeks flushed red. “Y-yeah of course. Here, let me-” She pulled out a piece of paper from her bag and scribbled her number down. Handing it to Harry she smiled and said, “Call me.”

Harry was beaming, “I will.”

He turned around quickly and thanked God he got her number. Mitch looked at Harry with the goofiest smile on his face knowing he got the girls number.

“What’s her name?” Mitch asked him. “Y/N. She’s literally perfect.” Harry couldn’t wipe the smile from his face, he felt like he was on cloud nine. “I’m glad you went for it, H. You need someone, bro. I hope she’s the one.” Mitch was being genuine. He felt like his best friend needed someone in his life to break him from his shell, someone he could get lost in. 

Harry sat down and finished his sandwich. “We should get going. We still have to pack and our flight is early tomorrow.” Mitch nodded in agreement and put their things back into the picnic basket. 

The sun had set by now, leaving the city beautifully lit. The Eiffel Tower was shining and sparkling in the warm summer air. There was something about being in different parts of the world that made Harry feel at ease. “I don’t want to leave.” 

Mitch glanced over at Harry and noticed the look of calmness that his features held. “I don’t want to leave either, it’s so peaceful being away and not having to worry about anything.” Harry quietly nodded. He tried to permanently etch the view into his mind, he didn’t want to forget a single thing. 

They began the walk back to the hotel and a feeling of sadness rushed over him. “Mitch, we have to come back soon, okay? I absolutely love it here.” “We will H, don’t worry.” 

He looked back and took one last look at the Eiffel Tower. His eyes wandered over to where Y/N was and he smiled. She was still sitting on the grass laughing with her friend, sipping wine. It was like she felt his gaze. She glanced over her shoulder and met his stare. She shot him a small smile and waved. He waved back and swore he felt butterflies erupt in his stomach. 

They got back to the hotel and packed their belongings.

Mitch walked into Harry’s room and mumbled tiredly, “I’m going to sleep. Please don’t be late getting up, we have an early flight.” With that, he walked out of the room and left Harry to his thoughts. 

He glanced at his phone and the time read 12:45 am. He sighed and reached into his pocket for Y/N’s number. He typed it into his phone and debated texting her. 

Fuck it. 

“Hey Y/N, it’s Harry.” His thumb hovered over the send button until he decided that he had nothing to lose. He was going back to LA and was probably never going to see her again. 

While lost in his thoughts, the phone buzzed in his hand. He immediately brought it to his face and saw her name pop up on the screen. 

They talked for hours, the early flight slipped Harry’s mind completely. They talked about everything under the sun. She felt the same spark Harry did. She questioned if they would ever be anything. But what if they don’t work out? She had no clue where he was from. 

His response ignited a fire she had never felt before, for anyone. 

“Let’s just try and see what happens. If it doesn’t work, let’s go out in flames so everyone knows who we are.” 

--end of memory-- 

“Harry? What are you doing here?” Y/N questioned. In all the time they’ve spent together, Harry had never touched a drop of alcohol. He stood there staring at her. The girl he fell in love with was no longer there. 

“I came to forget about you tonight, Y/N. Your voice is all I can hear in my head and I need it to stop.” He said coldly. She had a blank look on her face, she was at a loss for words.

“You came to forget about me? After we had a small fight? So that’s it, we’re done?” Y/N reached for his arm but he took a step back. 

“You don’t get to touch me, not anymore.” He tried to control his tone but he couldn’t, all the emotions he was feeling poured out. “I don’t know if we’re done, I just need a breather right now.” 

Y/N kept her gaze on Harry trying to read his expression. The one person she used to see right through has put up so many walls, she doesn’t even recognize him anymore. 

“’Cause these city walls never knew that we’d make it this far”

Harry and Y/N were on their usual late night dates in the heart of New York. They would park the car somewhere they’d forget and explore the city, even though they did that almost everyday. Y/N claimed there was something new to be found, something they hadn’t seen yet, so they went. They went and explored every nook and cranny the city had to offer. 

“Harry! Look how cute this coffee shop is! Or there’s a book store down the street!” 

They were on 5th Avenue, the most popular street in the city. The sun was just starting to set as warm colors of orange and yellow painted the sky. The intricate windows of the tall buildings around them reflected the sun almost perfectly.

"Do you wanna grab dinner at Claudette? You know it’s your favorite French restaurant, it’ll be like when we first met in front of the Eiffel Tower.” Y/N glanced up lovingly at Harry, “I would love to. Do you remember how nervous you were when you first came over? It was the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.” Harry’s cheeks burned a bright shade of pink and he mumbled, “It wasn’t cute, Y/N. I was so nervous and I never get nervous. That’s how you know I wanted things to work, and thank goodness they did.” 

Harry laced his fingers with Y/N’s and led her through the glass doors of the restaurant. “Order whatever you want, my love. My treat.” Y/N’s eyes widened, “H, let me pay for at least some of it.” He narrowed his eyes at her and spoke, “It’s my treat, angel. Plus you can repay me at home.” He threw a wink her way and they ordered their meals. 

A glass too many of some expensive champagne later and the two lovers were roaming the lit streets. The big clock posted at the corner read 3:27 am. Harry had a meeting and Y/N had an early shift but neither of them cared. They lived for the nights like these. Late night adventures in their favorite city, at least one of their favorites. Nothing could top Paris in Harry’s eyes. 

People had their doubts when these two first got together. Everyone would say they were moving too fast, you can’t love someone you met 8 months ago. They said there was no way they were going to last. 

Harry felt like he had known Y/N his entire life. It was almost like she was his other half, he felt complete with her by his side. Everyone’s opinions mattered nothing to him. The only thing that mattered was the girl with the brightest smile and the kindest eyes, his Y/N. 

They stumbled upon a small band playing a random tune. Why they were playing at this time of night? The answer was unknown, but they didn’t care. Harry grabbed Y/N’s hand and began spinning her around. Her giggles filled the summer air and Harry smiled.

“May I have this dance, madame?” She looked at him with those sparkly eyes he absolutely adored. “Of course you may.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and his went to the small of her back. Even though the song was more upbeat, they slow danced like they were the only ones there. 

He tugged her toward Central Park and she ran in front of him. Warm wind whipped through their hair as they raced to nowhere in particular. Y/N sat down at a park bench in front of a fountain trying to catch her breath. She waited for Harry to sit next to her before whispering, “I love you, Harry.” Y/N admired the way his tan skin shined in the moonlight. The way his eyelashes laid against his skin when he closed his eyes, or the way his nose scrunched when he laughed a little too hard. She loved everything about him. 

“I love you more. I adore you, baby.” Harry wrapped his arms around her and she leaned her head against his shoulder. 

“You know how everyone always doubted us? Even these city walls never knew that we’d make it this far.” She thought out loud. Harry craned his neck to look at her, a confused expression painted his features. “Yeah people doubted us but who cares. I mean look at us now. It’s us against the world, we’re unstoppable. The world is at our finger tips.” His fingers were combing through her hair now. 

“Us against the world, I like the sound of that. Will it always be us?” She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. 

“I promise, angel. Us against the world.” 

--end of memory-- 

Harry and Y/N were stood in the middle of the pulsing club looking at each other. Neither of them knew what to do. Harry’s mind was screaming at him to turn around and walk away, but another part yelled to stay. Y/N knew she had to do something in order to save her relationship with the one boy she’s ever loved. She didn’t mean what she said during their argument but it slipped through her lips. 

“Harry, you have to let me explain. I didn’t mean wha-” He cut her off quickly, “You have 5 minutes to explain. Either I accept your apology or I leave. I can’t promise anything.” 

She held his hard gaze before reaching for his hand. Harry thought of pulling away, but he let her wrap her small fingers around his. The feeling of her hand in his felt foreign, almost wrong. But he ignored it and let her lead the way to a secluded booth away from the madness. They sat across from each other and Y/N hesitated to speak, unsure of her words. 

“Harry, you have to believe me when I say that I didn’t mean what I said. You know me. I blew up and said some things I didn’t mean, and I can admit that. How many people can admit it when they’re wrong? In my experience, it hasn’t been very many.” She sat quietly waiting for his answer. 

The faint sounds of music could be heard now that they both sat in silence. 

A thousand things were running through Harry’s mind. He tried to decipher and organize his feelings but he couldn’t think straight. He wasn’t sure if what she was saying was true. Part of him was always torn when it came to deciding on situations like this. 

“If you said it, there must’ve been a reason as to why. Can you think of any reason at all?” He asked her harshly. Y/N was taken aback by his tone. Harry never spoke to her like that. She bit her lip to stop the tears that were threatening to spill, desperately trying to think of something to say to bring her lover home. 

“We’ve become echoes, but echoes are fading away”

Harry and Y/N were on their annual trip to the Grand Canyon. They started this trip during their first year of dating when Harry suggested it. Of course Y/N was down for it, she was always up for an adventure. Before they knew it, they were hiking across the canyon. 

Y/N brought her disposable camera to capture every moment. Ever since they went on their late night adventure in New York, she took the camera every where they went. 

“Wait Harry,” He stopped and turned to her. He was all sweaty and his cheeks were flushed, but he still looked stunning to her. “What’s up babe? We’re almost to the top.” He was worried she wasn’t feeling well or that something was wrong. “Can you stand right there,” She said pointing to a spot with a gorgeous view of the canyon. “I wanna take a picture.” Harry couldn’t resist when Y/N shot him her brightest smile. He obliged and stood there, smiling like a goof ball just to hear his girl laugh. “Okay I got it” She announced. 

They continued up the trail and along the way they took pictures of each other, together, and of nature’s beautiful creation. 

When they reached the top of the canyon, they were speechless. Y/N had never seen anything like it. She wandered ahead of Harry and sat down to admire her surroundings. While she sat, he stayed in his spot and felt his insides get tingly. It was one of those cliche moments of ‘she thought the view was pretty but she was prettier’ moments, but it was true. 

Y/N drove Harry absolutely mad in a way that he loved. His girl had so much to offer the world and it blew his mind. He felt undeserving of her, but he knew that she was the one for him. She kept his mind at ease and his world at peace. 

He moved to sit next to her and she giggled. “Are you okay?” She glanced at him with a look of curiosity in her eyes. “I’m more than okay. Do you wanna try something?” He looked at her expectantly and she nodded. “Come here.” 

He lifted her from the spot on the rock and he led her more towards the edge so they could see the canyon in its entirety. “On the count of three, I want you to scream.” 

She looked at him weirdly, “You want me to what?”

“One” 

“Harry, I’m not screaming.”

He giggled, “Two” 

“Harry what eve-” 

“Three!” 

Harry screamed like he never had before. Y/N could not believe she was dating someone like him, someone so pure. 

His voice echoed all throughout the canyon and he was amazed. “Babe come on, that was so cool.” He looked at her pleadingly. “Fine fine, I’ll do it.” 

Her scream turned into a fit of giggles as it echoed. “Wait, let’s get a picture right here.” He grinned and pulled her into his side. Y/N handed Harry the camera and he snapped the picture. 

She moved to sit on the edge with her legs dangling off and she sighed. “I feel like I’m on top of the world when I’m with you.” 

He could have melted on the spot, he was so in love with this girl. He joined her and laid his head on her shoulder. 

She took a deep breath, “You know how echoes are made by the sound waves reflecting back?” He hummed quietly and waited for her to continue. “It’s almost like we’ve become echoes. I feel like we reflect one another and I love that. But you know echoes fade away. Do you think we’ll fade like echoes?” 

Harry sat there silently, he didn’t know what to think. “I don’t think so. We’ve got that love that others wish they had.” Y/N giggled at his reassurance. 

“I hope you’re right, bub. There’s still so many places I wanna go with you, Paris included.” She said. “Of course we’re going to go back, I need to take you on a date where we first met.” 

“I love you, Harry” 

“I love you more, angel. More than you’ll ever know.” 

--end of memory-- 

Harry was waiting for Y/N to say something, anything. He wanted to believe her but he was torn. “Y/N, I don’t know what to say.” 

She didn’t know what to say either, they were both at a loss for words. 

Y/N’s mind was riddled with the thought that Harry didn’t love her anymore, but what she didn’t know was that it was a build up of things that got them to where they are now. 

She had no clue Harry loved her so much, it hurt him to the point that he couldn’t live without her. 

“So let's dance like two shadows, burning out a glory day” (this last part is not italicized, therefore it is in present time) 

Harry sighed and took her smaller hand in his and led her back into the mosh of sweaty bodies. A random upbeat song was blasting through the speakers as the flashing lights painted the room different colors. Harry looked back at Y/N and hues of yellow and orange flashed on her cheeks, just like during their adventures in New York. The loud music had a slight echo, like their antics at the top of the Grand Canyon.

Everything they experienced had brought them to this exact moment. 

Harry wrapped his arms around her waist and Y/N’s went to his neck. They slow danced like they were the only ones left in the world. It almost felt right, almost. 

The match made in heaven had become silhouettes, echoes if you will. All their late night adventures and the beautiful memories that were made came back to the pair as they danced together.

Y/N’s eyes welled with salty tears as she realized this was the last time she would see Harry, this was their end, they had gone out in flames. 

Harry’s grip on her waist tightened as he fought back tears. He meant every goddamn word he ever said to her. He was so in love with Y/N, but had to let her go. 

They spent their last few moments together in each other’s embrace, swaying to the music, dancing like two shadows burning out a glory day. 

[bytheangell]

Happy (very late) Friday, friends! Time is fake and I forgot what day it was until it was too late to write my weekly update post before work, OOPS. 

This past week was actually pretty nice! There were a few really gorgeous days, and last Saturday I got to go hiking along my favorite trail with a rock chasm to climb, and I picked some nice spots to sit and write and listen to my audiobook just out and about in nature, which was all sorts of refreshing. Honestly, the best day I had in ages. I also got a lot of writing done on my Tues/Wed off this week, and continue to play far too much Among Us. 

Writing-wise, I finally updated Dreaming Wide Awake after saying I would for, uh, literal months. I have a good chunk of the next chapter done and will hopefully update again next week, and will definitely get this fic wrapped up by the end of the year at the very latest but likely much before that. I’m also finishing up a few bingo squares I’ll start to post soon (I’m trying to space out my writing so I’m not posting every day for a week then nothing for the next two weeks), and I have a few prompts in my inbox to get to (which are super fun and I can’t wait to try my hand at, thanks to the lovely anons who sent them in!). I’m behind on NaNo but I can definitely catch up, and if nothing else I’m writing something every day, which is a good habit to keep up with. 

Reading-wise, I finished up the last of the Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy stories I had in my re-read of that book, and the two Ghosts of the Shadow Market stories that fit in timeline-wise before TDA, and have now, finally, after a million and a half years, actually started Lady Midnight! I am not very far into it and I only just met Cristina but I would die for her already. I’m very excited to see where this series goes and get to know all the characters I got little glimpses of during CoHF. 

Aaaaaaaand that’s about it right now. I hope if you’re lucky enough to be in those warmer-than-normal areas that you got to enjoy the lovely weather before winter properly creeps in! And I hope you had a great week and a fun/relaxing weekend ahead <3 As always, my ask box and messages are always open if anyone wants to chat about SH/TSC, or life, or music, or literally anything at all! <3 

[yumeisha]

Love In Print [Masaru] - Episode 1

“But Mari, I don’t WANT to go read this on Wattpad, I want to stay here on Tumblr!” Listen, my friend. Let me help you. Here’s all of Episode 1! (But the rest is over here if you decide you want to read it!)

— SATURDAY NIGHT —

 She’s started to think of it as the summer of weddings. Like purgatory, but with more flowers.

Reiko sighs. Another Saturday, another charming garden venue. Soft, flickering tea lights float in shallow porcelain bowls. It looks like something lifted straight out of Pinterest, and it’s pretty in all the right ways, hitting every obligatory aesthetic beat. The music is loud and many of the guests are amiably drunk, swaying in slow circles on the dance floor or queuing up for one more lap around the buffet.

Alone at her table, Reiko hides behind the towering lily centerpiece, nursing a headache. She fishes her phone out of the tiny, mostly useless evening bag she’s bought to go with this dress and takes refuge in her work inbox.

She’d love to go home, but it’s too early to make her retreat. Another two hours, she coaches herself. You can make it for two more.

“Come on,” says Ren, prodding her in the shoulder. Reiko jumps half a mile and nearly drops her phone, not that her cousin notices. “We’re missing a cake opportunity,” he whines.

As usual, Ren resembles a figure pulled directly off some runway in Milan. Impeccably attired, hair artfully tousled, a Rolex gleaming from his left wrist. Reiko plucks at a tuft of fur caught on the cuff of his tuxedo.

“You know, there is such a thing as a lint roller. You have one somewhere in your apartment.”

Ren peers down at the wad of cat hair slowly drifting down to the grass beneath their table. “Lint roller? What lint roller?” And then his face lights up. “Oh! You mean that tape-on-a-stick thing from the last time you came over?”

“Yes,” Reiko answers patiently. “That tape-on-a-stick thing. You use it to make sure you aren’t leaving the house dressed in cat fluff.”

Suzu pops up behind Ren. “He likes for everyone to know that he’s more complex than he appears. An insufferable playboy and a sophisticated cat bachelor.” She loops her arm through his and makes a show of sniffing at his clothes. “Ah,” she breathes. “The smell of too much money, layered over eau de too many cats.”

“I have three. How is that too many? And why aren’t either of you interested in getting some cake? This is a wedding. You go to weddings for cake.”

“That’s definitely the primary reason for attending weddings.”

“It’s from Fujiwara’s, you know. They never do weddings anymore. You’re missing the dessert event of your lives.”

Suzu straightens his boutonniere. “You accosted the Fujiwara grannies for these people?” A low whistle. “Wow. Dad must really like them.”

Reiko follows her twin’s gaze. Their father, Ryuuki, is busy holding court at a neighboring table. He laughs raucously at someone’s cheesy anecdote and is having the most fun out of all of them. “It’s all business, I suppose,” she says, unable to keep from smiling despite how little she’s enjoying herself.

Suzu snorts. “Of course it’s all business. Isn’t it always?” To Ren, she says, “Hey, how long before we’ve done our duty for the family market stall? I still have ten pages left to write on a research paper and it’s…” She grabs his arm in order to check the time on his fancy watch. “… 9:34. With half an hour’s drive back to my apartment.”

“You can spare ten minutes to have a slice of legendary cake, Tachibana Suzuna.”

“God, okay. But it better not be weird like that sheet cake you ordered for the charity auction last month.”

“Not weird. Avant-garde.”

“Uh-huh. Also, it tasted like beets and had radioactive magenta icing. So gross.”

“You and Reiko just really have no appreciation for the finer things in life. Let’s go, the line’s only getting longer.”

“Don’t want any,” Reiko pipes up. “I’ll have a slice vicariously, through Suzu.”

“Twin powers,” Suzu concurs, initiating the special handshake they invented when they were six. Almost twenty years later, they’re still augmenting the sequence with new moves. “Anything I ate, Reiko also ate. And vice versa. Page 2, Line 21 in the Twin Manual.”

“The worst plus-ones anybody ever brought to a wedding,” complains Ren. He pours Reiko a fresh glass of water from the pitcher on the table and gives her a pat on the head, a gesture of silent sympathy.

She watches Ren and Suzu as they stop to tease Ryuuki along the way. And then she blinks back the onslaught of unwanted tears, reaches for her phone again, and taps the newest e-mail notification. Three unread messages beckon through Reiko’s blurred vision. She scans the subject lines, head bowed over the glowing screen. Slipping into the steps of a familiar dance, she starts at the bottom with the oldest message first, because that’s easier than confronting her emotions.

PRE-ORDER CAMPAIGN - SPS OMNIBUS EDITION. A reply from the manufacturer about a shipment of Star Princess Sanna enamel pins she asked about on Friday afternoon. Delayed for another two weeks. Not ideal, but better than never getting them in at all. Reiko marks it for a response later.

TENJOU DELIVERY WEDNESDAY. Timestamped a mere ten minutes ago. She isn’t the only one working on a day off. Reiko notices right away that the message has been flagged as important, which is odd. This e-mail appears, without fail, every Monday of her life. Throughout the long history of this exchange, the message has never been flagged as important. At least, not that Reiko can remember.

She almost opens it, curiosity triggered, but then she sees the subject of the next e-mail and momentarily forgets everything else.

ALL DEPTS: QUARTERLY MEETING — MON @ 10AM

A thrill dances through her, momentarily displacing the throbbing ache in her skull. The sounds of the reception fade away. She taps the message and it unfurls into a calendar invite. Representatives from every department at her publishing house will be expected to attend, including Reiko and the other senior marketing staff.

Most meetings are a dreary prospect, especially when scheduled for first thing on a Monday. At these quarterly gatherings, it takes hours to discuss things like sales figures and future business plans. But this one is special, because they’ll finally present the twentieth anniversary plans for DUCHESS Magazine’s most iconic franchise to date: Red Thread. The first manga she ever read all the way through, start to finish. The reason why she applied at Yumeisha in the first place, as soon as she’d graduated.

Reiko accepts the invite and adds it to her burgeoning, meticulously color-coded calendar. She can’t keep from breaking into a smile. She’s still beaming at her phone when she hears the grass crunching softly under someone’s feet and looks up to find that she is no longer alone.

The someone is tall, just about as impeccably turned out as Ren, and wearing a pair of dress shoes so highly polished that Reiko can see her reflection in them. He’s shed the jacket and rolled up the sleeves of the crisp white shirt underneath.

There is only a bowl of tealights to see him by, so it takes a moment for Reiko to recognize the man now seating himself across from her. But if the head of blond hair hadn’t given it away, the green eyes and trademark smirk would have made it very clear within the next two seconds, anyway.

She blinks at him. “Oshiro?”

“Hi.”

“Um, hi. What are you doing here?”

He leans back into the chair and stretches his long legs under the table, instantly making himself at home. “Attending a wedding,” he replies. “Chatting with the bride’s aunties. Waiting for you to pay attention to me.”

“And sending e-mails?”

“No rest for the wicked, as they say.”

Reiko puts her phone down. “It’s weird seeing you outside of work. This is the last place I’d expect to run into you.”

“Why? Because you figured that I live at the office and camp out under my desk on days off?”

She laughs. “I mean, yeah.”

“To be fair, I’d expect the same of you.”

Well, that really is fair. Sometimes Reiko looks up from the endless loop between work and her apartment, her apartment and then work, and realizes that her entire existence can be summed up in three boring sentences or less. And then she’ll go back to her computer screen, her half empty coffee mug, the pathetic little granola bar that will have to serve as her lunch. But that’s just the way of things, isn’t it? At least she genuinely loves her job. It would be much harder to bear, otherwise.

“I’ve considered just packing myself a bag and living in my cubicle,” Reiko admits, without any real shame. In the background, the band segues into their much livelier cover of a depressing breakup anthem. Over the noise, she adds, “At least it would save me a commute.”

“So dedicated.”

She shrugs. “So lazy.”

“Anyone truly lazy wouldn’t be checking her inbox at a wedding reception,” Oshiro points out.

“Guilty as charged. Have you come to scold me for not participating in wedding activities?”

“No, I’ve come to ask you why you haven’t opened my e-mail.” He waves his own phone at her. “I checked three seconds ago. It definitely still says unread.”

“It’s flagged important and with a read receipt? Seriously?”

“Seriously. It’s high priority. Read it right now.” He angles a covert glance over her shoulder, in the direction he came from earlier. “Oh, and if you don’t mind, don’t reply until I’m back over there.”

“Wait, you want a reply, too? What am I supposed to say? You send me the same four lines every week. I have the thing memorized by now.” To prove this point, she clasps her hands behind her back and recites, “Heading to Tenjou on Wednesday. They need endcaps, window decals, sticker packs, blah blah blah, for insert-manga-title-here. I’ll stop by and grab them on my way out. Thanks. Oshiro Masaru, DUCHESS Sales, 81-4-8914-1111, extension 822.”

His demeanor shifts, now part bemusement and part blatant self-satisfaction. “Look, Tachibana, I’m beyond flattered that you hang onto my every word like this. Not surprising. I’m extremely eloquent in my digital correspondence.”

She rolls her eyes. “There it is. I knew it was coming.”

“You even know my extension by heart,” Oshiro continues blithely. “It’s like my wildest dreams coming true. But what I really need right now is for you to open that e-mail and write me a timely reply. By timely, I mean don’t hit send until I’m at my table again. And then I’ll read your response and write you back. So on, so forth, rinse and repeat, until this torture is over and we can both leave.”

“Ah.” Reiko crosses her arms. “You want a prolonged reason to be on your phone.”

“Correct.”

“Because you don’t want to be here.”

“Also correct, but needs clarification. I don’t want to be at this wedding. I do want to be at this table with you.”

He tips his head towards his original seating arrangements. Reiko risks a covert glance and notes that Oshiro’s vacated chair is surrounded by chattering ladies ranging from middle-aged to elderly. Somehow, without ever speaking to a single one of them, Reiko can tell that they’re the problematic aunties who don’t get along with any of the other aunties. Consequently, they’ve been placed where they can ostensibly do the least damage. From the looks of it, they’re having a fabulous time.

Reiko bites her lip, smothering a surge of laughter. “Wow. How did you end up with the best seat in the house? Like, who did you offend?”

“Ha ha. I owed the groom a favor and he cashed in, majorly.” Oshiro leans forward. “They’re a nice bunch, don’t get me wrong, but if they set me up with another of their nieces, I’ll be double booked from today until Christmas.”

“You’re welcome to sit here instead,” she offers. “We have an extra chair. My dad prefers to migrate between friend groups.”

“Thanks, but I can’t just abandon my post. I wouldn’t put it past them to follow me over here, or else I’d take you up on that suggestion. I figure random texts to my brothers will seem rude, unlike important work e-mails. So play along, won’t you? And keep in mind at least one of them will be reading over my shoulder the whole time.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? What on earth do you think I’d be putting in that e-mail?”

“I’m just saying, don’t use this as an opportunity to confess your undying love or anything. Maintain professionalism and all that.”

“Gosh, what a tall order. How will I ever comply?”

“Dig deep, Tachibana. Find that inner strength.”

Reiko pulls a face. “You came all the way here just to make me do this?”

“Yes,” says Oshiro. “You’re welcome. I’ll look for your thank you note in the mail. I also like gift baskets. The ones with baked goods are okay, but no edible fruit bouquets or artisan cheeses. Nobody wants those.”

“But why me?” she persists. “Don’t you have anyone else you can trade fake work e-mails with? What about Ueda? Or your boss?”

“Hey, take it easy. I’m not used to outright rejection.”

“I’m not rejecting you, I’m just confused.”

“What’s there to be confused about? I don’t want to be here. Neither do you. Let’s help each other out.”

Neither do you. Reiko feels very, very obvious, now.

He watches her expectantly. She can tell that he’s fighting hard not to break into one of his insouciant grins. Reiko can’t decide if she wants to smack him or bask in the infectious warmth of his attention, like a deprived houseplant straining to soak up every drop of sunshine it can get.

This conflicted reaction is more embarrassing than being caught on her phone. For God’s sake, it’s just Oshiro.

Their departments — Sales for him, Marketing for her — are often flung together, which means running into him at Yumeisha is pretty normal. They take the same elevator from the lobby and frequent the same break room on the tenth floor. He stops at her desk most Wednesday afternoons, as promised in his e-mails. Once in a while, if she stays even later than usual, Reiko might see him striding ahead of her through the lobby’s sliding glass doors, crossing the street to catch the same train. They never talk much, though, unless it’s about work.

Still true, she concludes, as Oshiro stands up and pushes the chair into place, preparing to return to the Island of Matchmaking Aunties. He walks backwards away from her, hands in his pockets. “Talk soon,” he tells Reiko, smiling as if he’s guessed all her secrets. And then he’s gone, threading his way through the crowd while she stares after him, utterly bewildered.

Read more episodes on Wattpad!

[writerbyaccident]

Manipulation Tactics (Yandere DabixReader)

Request: Could I please request yandere overhaul and Dabi (separately). With a reader who was tortured and brainwashed to be a villian

So I’m not entirely sure if I’ll be doing this request for overhaul, at least anytime soon, cause I have a lot of requests in my inbox right now and I’ve got finals coming up, but I hope you enjoy this one!

           Dabi wasn’t doing much of anything when he heard the commotion, he had just been on the way back to his room. But when he heard something shatter loudly and the sound of voices yelling, he rushed into the bar, hands already ablaze. Spinner soon followed him, and the two of them glanced around wildly to find the source of all of the noise. But rather than seeing a hero having broken into their hideout, they simply saw Kurogiri and Shigaraki. Shigaraki was tense, even tenser than usual, and he was glowering at Kurogiri, who had his hands raised in a placating gesture. Glass glimmered on the floor, and a damp stain was growing on the wall from where Shigaraki had thrown his glass.

           “What the hell is going on?” Dabi asked, more exasperated than anything. At this point he was fairly used to his leader’s tantrums, but they certainly weren’t good for his nerves, especially when working in this business.

           “Shigaraki is just upset—”

           “Because you betrayed me! You told master that I was failing!”

           “I simply said that we could use more hands to help us with our work.”

           “We’re doing just fine! You made it sound like I’m incompetent, that I can’t do anything myself!” As the two of them continued to fight, Dabi processed what they were saying.

           “Wait—are we getting a new member?” Shigaraki huffed at Dabi’s question, taking it as a signal to storm out of the room, leaving Kurogiri to answer the others’ questions.

           “Yes,” Kurogiri sighed, turning towards Dabi. “A new member is being sent over soon to assist us.”

           “Who are they?” Spinner asked curiously.

           “They have worked for All For One for a few years now. They are extremely capable…” he trailed off, seemingly lost in thought.

           “But?” Dabi prompted.

           “But there are a few things you should know about them. They—they did not join All For One willingly, for one thing.”

           “Oh?” Dabi was finally starting to get genuinely interested in this mystery person now.

           “All For One found them and thought that they would be useful. So he took them, and trained them to take their place at his side.”

           “You mean he brainwashed them,” Spinner said with narrowed eyes, clearly unsure how he felt about that. Kurogiri ignored his discomfort though and nodded.

           “It was a long, difficult process, but ultimately a successful one. They will be most helpful to us, but for things to go smoothly there are certain rules that you all must follow. You cannot ask them about their family, their childhood, or how they met All For One or how they started working for him. Do you understand?”

           “Sir, yes, sir,” Dabi answered sarcastically. “I’m not gonna be the one to try and explain that to Toga though.”

           A few days had passed since that conversation, and some of the league was getting anxious to meet their newest member. Toga in particular was excited to “make a new friend,” even though, much like Dabi predicted, it took awhile to make her understand that certain topics would be off-limits with the new recruit. Although Dabi had initially been interested when he learned of the newcomer’s past, he was quickly getting bored with the whole thing. After all, what was the fun of having a brainwashed teammate if you couldn’t even poke around in their head? But they were coming whether he liked it or not, so he would just have to work hard to avoid the temptation.

           When you finally arrived though, Dabi found himself hanging around in the bar, an idle curiosity keeping him in the room while Kurogiri waited for his cue. Shigaraki was nowhere to be found, still sulking no doubt, but the rest of the league was there. After a few minutes, Kurogiri got the text he had been waiting for and promptly opened up a portal. Glancing up to see who exactly he would have to deal with, Dabi watched as you walked into the league’s headquarters.

           For perhaps the first time in his sordid life, Dabi was left speechless. As you stepped out of the dark mist and the light illuminated your face, Dabi grew more and more entranced. He wasn’t sure what it was exactly, but he knew that you were unlike anyone he had ever seen before. Perhaps it was your eyes, he thought to himself, with their uniquely twisted mix of pain, anger, and naivety. Or maybe it was the way you carried yourself, with the stiff, straight posture of a trained fighter, but with some not-quite hidden suffering stretched all throughout you. It may have been your voice that revealed itself as you spoke to Kurogiri; it had an outer layer of coldness with an inner sense of compliance to it. It could have even be the scars that decorated your arms like so many sketches and reminders of what you had been through. Dabi guessed that you had more all over your body, but unfortunately, they were tucked underneath your temptingly tight tank top. Whatever it was, Dabi knew that he wanted it, wanted you.

           He made this desire of his fairly apparent over the next few days, always lurking about wherever you happened to be at any particular moment. However, he refused to actually approach you, only ever saying a few words to you when prompted. The rest of the league, on the other hand, had no problem getting to know you. Spinner, for instance, was currently chatting it up with you while Dabi sipped a drink morosely at the bar. You were trying to explain some of your favorite fighting moves to him, and Dabi did not like the sight of that at all. For someone who had seemed so quiet, Dabi complained to himself, you certainly seemed to enjoy talking to that lizard. The light prattle continued to annoy him, so when Spinner left the room, Dabi decided to take his chance.

           “So were you just sent here to fucking flirt with us?” he asked you, moving from his barstool to join you on the couch.

           “Excuse me?”

           “Your boss,” Dabi continued, scooching ever closer to you, “All For One. Did he just send you over here to flirt with us and fuck us? Cause that seems to be where you’re going with the lizard.”

           “You’re an asshat,” you deadpanned, rolling your eyes.

           “Hey, I don’t have a problem with that. I’m just saying, if that’s why you’re here, I’d like to go next.”

           “Cause you can’t find anyone actually willing to sleep with you?” you shot back, moving to stand up from the couch and, in all probability, leave the room. Dabi couldn’t have that though, not when he finally had your attention all to himself.

           “I’m surprised,” he purred, “surprised that your boss left any room for that kind of defiance.” You froze at his words, stuck on the couch as you tried to sort out the meaning of what Dabi had just said and why burned-away memories were suddenly tugging at the edges of your mind.

           “What the hell are you talking about?” you managed to spit out hoarsely, some of your scars seeming to twinge at the situation.

           “Just that, if he went to all the trouble to uh—train you—you’d think you’d be a bit more complaisant, that’s all.” Shaking your head harshly, you tried to push away the words that Dabi was worming into your mind, instinctually feeling that they would bring nothing but trouble and pain. The sight of you like that, with your brow furrowed in desperate confusion and your eyes clouded over with past pain, was far too tempting a picture to Dabi. True, he hadn’t exactly known you long, but he couldn’t imagine you possibly being more beautiful than you were in that moment. Before you could realize what he was doing, Dabi leaned over towards you and stole a kiss from your lips. They were soft, just as soft as he had hoped, and they left him burning with a heat that could rival his own flames. Unable to move away just yet, he pressed his mouth to yours with greater force, enjoying how you froze beneath him. Now this, this was just too fun.

[skelezbian]

I saw your thing on AO3 about requests and I was wondering if for any skeleton, any AU, if you could do a 'I came to a dance class because of my brother and now we have to awkwardly slow dance/tango/waltz together'. Thank you for your wonderful writing!

UGH this one is so good it’s haunted me since i saw it in my inbox. (i chose underswap papyrus btw)

ao3 link

Papyrus, if pressed, would’ve said that his second least favorite thing to do was move. His ideal day had him lazing about, sketching out some complex Rube Goldberg machine to move even less but with more complex hijinks involved. He certainly hadn’t been so low when he was younger, but growing up seemed to take the wind out of his sails, and the fact that his friend group extended to one person and his brother certainly hadn’t helped. He’d had big dreams- becoming a part of the Royal Guard and all of the romance that entailed. The suit of armor, the fancy outings, the prestige of it all, the hope for a future on the Surface… It had painted a very shiny and ideal future to a kid whose earliest memory was of his older brother panicking about finding them somewhere to live.

That future had dulled as he got older. Some dreams, he had supposed, were best left as dreams. He was slow and achy at only twenty years and those weren’t the kind of goals an achy skeleton got to have.

Unfortunately, Sans disagreed. He’d been the president of the Papyrus Fan Club the day that he’d become an older brother, and his optimism and hope for him never ceased to amaze Papyrus. He’d long since given up trying to get him to physically prepare for being a knight in the Royal Guard (giving Papyrus all of his sentry shifts so he wouldn’t have to move as much), but Papyrus had been naive to believe that his brother had forgotten about his childhood ramblings.

On the Surface, now, everything seemed limitless and possible, and Sans has fucking signed him up for a ballroom dancing class.

“i’m not going. you can’t make me.” Papyrus says, petulantly, childishly, sitting at their living room table. His fingers find a carved indention where he had tried to write his name in the wood when he was younger- ‘papiris’. “you remember what happened when you signed me up for a yoga class. what do you think is going to happen?”

“OH, DON’T GIVE ME THAT.” Sans turns around only briefly from where he’s scrambling eggs to roll his eyelights at him. “YOU DIDN’T DO THE WARM-UPS, IT’S NOT THE ENTIRE PRACTICE OF YOGA’S FAULT. BESIDES, BALLROOM DANCING IS THE LOWEST EFFORT DANCE LESSON I COULD FIND.” The spatula gently scrapes the bottom of the pan. “BESIDES. YOU USED TO LOVE THOSE CHEESY HUMAN ROMANCE SOAPS.”

“well, i’m about a decade and a half older than i was when i first watched ‘beauty and the beast’, so i don’t think that counts, sans.” He grumbles, slumping onto the table. Yoga had been a horrific incident- the humans were nice, the atmosphere was fine, but they’d done a simple move and his thigh bone had popped out of his pelvic cradle and the woman next to him had screamed and fainted. And then the instructor had called a human ambulance despite Papyrus’ protests, all while he tried to calm down enough to get his magic to reattach his leg. It was single handedly the most embarrassing moment of his life, even over the time Undyne invited her girlfriend over and had completely forgotten that he hadn’t left her house yet.

If he knows Sans, though, there’s no way around this because, “I ALREADY PAID FOR IT.” Then, to soften the blow, “IT’S ONLY ONE LESSON. WHAT’S THE WORST THAT COULD HAPPEN?”

“my leg could fall off again?”

“WELL, KEEP AN EYE ON THEM SO THEY DON’T RUN AWAY, THEN!” He starts building his plate- a slice of toast, several strips of turkey bacon, and his eggs (lightly salted). “I EVEN SPOKE WITH THE INSTRUCTOR ABOUT THIS- SHE SAID SHE’D PAIR YOU WITH SOMEONE EXPERIENCED SO YOU DON’T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THEM STEPPING ON YOUR TOES. JUST…” Sans hands him his plate, a small smile on his face, “JUST TRY TO HAVE FUN!”

Papyrus stuffs his face with eggs and tries to ignore how hard his brother is trying to make him happy.

-

Even though the idea of being over-dressed for this occasion was horrifying, Papyrus could only imagine how embarrassing it would be if he had ended up underdressed. When he was younger, he used to love fashion and his idea of what was ‘cool’ (usually, clothes that looked like they were covered in car decals), but he had been hard-pressed to find one dress shirt in his closet. Ultimately, he’d ended up borrowing one of Sans’ and tucking it into khakis he hadn’t worn in four years, which exposed his growth spurt and, incidentally, his thin tibias.

He walked into that auditorium room feeling like a class-a clown in the worst of ways. He couldn’t tell if it was a good or a bad thing that no one turned to look at him when he’d walked in, and the indecision had sweat beading on his skull. Was it too late to just bail? Could Sans afford for him to just leave and lose the money on this lesson? It was ballroom dancing, so it couldn’t have been cheap- what if he’d spent that extra money he was going to use for his vacation days on this? What if-

“Hi! Are you Papyrus?” He lurches, feeling someone’s hand touch his shoulder, disrupting his running thoughts. “Oh! Sorry to startle you!”

“oh, uh, um, uh.” He can’t physically return his eye sockets to how they were normally. He’s suddenly very glad that Sans had pressed his shirt for him, because you’re wearing a sleek black outfit that compliments you so well that he has to tell himself not to stare. “yes. papyrus. that’s me. and, um, you are…?”

“I’m your dancing partner for today.” You say with a smile, and introduce yourself. “You’re a bit behind with the lessons, so everyone’s a bit more advanced. Your brother, um, mentioned that you’d be a bit uncomfortable with having more attention on you than necessary, so we’re going to be practicing separately from the group to get you caught up. Is that alright?”

“yup. that’s alright, yeah.” Stars, why can’t he make his mouth say something, anything, cooler than that? The light sweat on his face still hasn’t faded.

You chuckle, just a little, and reach out your hand. It takes him a moment to realize you wanted him to hold your hand. For the dancing. Duh. He hesitates, fitting his hand into your’s slowly, a wobbly smile reaching his face when you flex your fingers on his. “Wow! You’re real solid.” Staring down at your joined hands, it takes Papyrus a moment to realize why his soul is racing in his rib cage- this is the first time in months that anyone other than Undyne or Sans has touched him. Stars, he’s a mess. Taking his pause for more hesitation, you try to amend, “We won’t be doing too much dancing today- it’s mostly about helping you find some rhythm and sync up with me. Just, um, let me know if anything makes you uncomfortable?”

You’re really nice and he feels super bad about this entire situation- he can only imagine how frail his brother must’ve made him sound. “don’t worry- i know you’re just doing your job. if anything’s sour, i’ll let you know.” He hadn’t noticed that you were tense until he’d finished speaking and saw your shoulders relax.

“Phew, okay. I mean, it’d get really hard to get you into rhythm if you’re not comfortable, so that’s our first obstacle.” You sway forward and, automatically, Papyrus leans forward to make sure you don’t fall. He then realizes it was on purpose, to test if he could take your weight. “Okay, Papyrus, talk to me. What kind of music do you like?”

“for this kind of stuff? i’d say blues.” You rest your other hand on his shoulder, and indicate for him to do the same. He feels your shoulders raise with a small laugh.

“That was a joke, right? ‘Rhythm and blues’? That’s cute.” You say it so genuinely that it pulls a chuckle from him. You begin to sway side-to-side- initially, the both of you are mismatched, but he falls into step easily soon, matching your pace.

“hey, i got a few more up my button-down’s sleeve. you ever heard the one about the old duck comedian?”

You got a silly smile on your face, as if you could guess the punchline. “Nope, never have. Is it going to… quack me up?” Your fingers slide more securely towards his neck, and he finds that holding you under your arm and around your shoulder blade is far more comfortable than locking his elbow straight to hold onto you.

“nah, but he’ll bill you for it later.” The punchline gets a small laugh from you, shaking your head. “hey, how long have you been dancing?” The two of you had fallen into an almost-natural sway, gently rocking to-and-from. You take one step to your right, and he immediately follows with you. Papyrus can suddenly see the importance of being familiar with your partner’s body language.

“Oh, not too long. About two years- I did a competition a little while back. Not much came of it.” He misreads you and steps forward, stepping on your foot. You simply take a step back, pulling your foot out. “The instructor’s a friend of mine- I help the newbies out. And don’t worry about my shoes- I always wear a scuffed pair for the first-timers.” You wink, and it sends his soul fluttering.

“that so? you know, i’ve never really looked, but i’m pretty sure i have two left feet, so i might wear a hole down on those shoes.”

“Now, that’d be a feat!” You look so proud of your little joke, your smile crinkling the edges of your eyes. He laughs and, for some reason, that little joke makes the rest of the evening go so much faster. It’s mostly swaying to the beat and chatting idly, you moving him and him being moved until he finally gets it and he can almost predict your next steps. You shoot him a wicked grin, “So, did you notice?”

“notice what?” To make sure, he looks down at his feet to make sure they aren’t scuffing your shoes again. You giggle at that, so he tries to crack a joke, “now, are you saying that my two left feet are making a right?”

You snort. “Actually! I just taught you the box step, so I’d consider that a right! Here, watch your feet.” You pulled him back, stepped to your left, then forward, then back into resting position. It wasn’t anything impressive, but Papyrus was somewhat amazed that he hadn’t noticed the both of you moving in a perfect square. “So? Not as bad as you were expecting, huh?”

“no, not bad at all…” He responds, almost surprised himself. Forward, right, back, return. All with your hand resting on the slope of his shoulder, all with you smiling up at him. “huh.”

“Yeah, ‘huh’.” You laugh and wink at him again, as if all of this was some elaborate plan on your part, to lull him into a sense of security and trick him into dancing. “So, you want to refine it a bit?”

“yeah, i think that’d make us square.”

When Sans comes to pick him up, he can’t conceal the smile on his face. You wave to him from amongst teenagers reuniting with their parents, partners sharing water bottles and dabbing sweat from their foreheads, and your grin is so wide it forces your eyes shut. Papyrus watches you from the passenger seat of Sans’ economic Nissan, fingers drumming on his pressed pants’ leg. “SO. HOW WAS IT? DID YOU… SHAKE A LEG?”

The joke startles a laugh out of him, “you know what? i shook two of them, and they stayed attached this time.” Sans lets out a mock gasp of surprise. “it was a lot of fun, sans. honestly, i didn’t think i’d enjoy it, but… well, i guess part of it is the partner.”

As hard as he tries to ignore it, Sans is giving him an ‘I TOLD YOU SO’ grin in his peripheral. “WELL, I GUESS THAT OLD DANCING SKELETON JOKE ISN’T TRUE ANY MORE.” He turns to wink at his younger brother, “I’M GLAD YOU HAVE SOME BODY TO DANCE WITH.”

[legxllyblxndc]

spelling bee cast & crew party ( @foreverwednesday )

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Hettie had been planning this party from the very moment that she knew that she was going to be putting on a musical. Her parents and brother were out of town, on some family trip that she had managed to wrangle her way out of, and so she had the house to herself. She had an abundance of alcohol and she was definitely looking forward to seeing how everyone got on. "Thank god you're the first one here!" Hettie laughed as she opened the door to Lucy, "Tequila?"

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Caleb hadn't been expecting much when he had auditioned for the musical. But he was pleasantly surprised with the part that he got. He had always thought he could be pretty funny so he couldn't wait to start. He had taken a slow walk to Hetties house, pretty sure that he did not belong in a neighborhood like this.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Alyssa was definitely excited about getting to work on the musical. She had always been a fan of them and so when she realized that a fellow student needed a crew, she jumped at the chance. She knew she couldn't be on the cast, being tone deaf, so when she found out that the marketing was up for grabs, she knew she would excel at that. She knocked on the door. She was completely unsure as to what might happen tonight but she was almost looking forward to it.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Isaac had debated not going to the party. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy parties, he just didn't know anyone who was there. He was still debating as he walked there but now he was walking up the front path and he knew that he couldn't go away now. He was nervous but he smiled slightly as he looked at the person who was next to him, "Are you doing Spelling Bee too?" He asked them.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: River was excited. She loved performing and she was excited to get to know even more people because of that. She had always found musical people to be the best kind of people. She was running a little late though and she cursed under her breath as she finally set off to Hetties place.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Ashton whistled slightly as he looked up at the house. He wasn't from a poor background at all... but this was something else entirely. "I didn't know there were houses like this in England" Ashton laughed as he looked at the person beside him. It appeared they were both going to the same place.

SC AM JM LO SD BA joined the chat

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Lucy was still partially questioning why she had agreed to direct the musical; mostly, it was because she liked a challenge and she'd never directed anything before. Plus, she knew how good it was going to look on a uni application - and Hettie was her friend. "Thought I'd come a little bit early, make a good impression." She laughed, shrugging her shoulders. "And saving you from making awkward conversation with everybody coming through the door." She grinned, nodding her head. "Absolutely!"

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Seth was always a little bit awkward at parties nowadays; he didn't like how people seemed to look at him, but he had smoked a little bit of weed before he'd come and grabbed a beer for the walk, so he was feeling alright. Plus, he was excited for Spelling Bee and he wanted to meet the other people who were doing it. He was sure he'd know most people from college, though. "Alyssa -." He called out, seeing one of the girls he knew from college at the door. "Wait up, I don't want to walk in on my own." He laughed.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Audrey loved a party and as soon as she'd found out that Hettie was having one to celebrate the musical, she couldn't have been more excited. It was the perfect opportunity for everybody to let loose and get to know each other. She came prepared, bottle of vodka in hand. As she walked up the path, her bag slipped from her hands, the contents all over the floor. She was just picking up the last couple of bits when she heard a voice, looking up with a smile. "Me?" She asked. "Oh - yeah. I'm playing Olive - exciting stuff!" She grinned.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Scott didn't live too far around the corner from Hettie - but he'd set off in plenty of time, mostly just to get out of his house and had pretty much taken the slowest walk ever to the party so that he wasn't the first one there. He smiled slightly as he saw that there were people heading that way, but still kept at the same pace. He didn't want to appear too eager, although he was definitely excited to get started on the musical.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Betsy had been pleasantly surprised by her part in the musical; she wasn't the type of person to doubt herself, but everybody had seemed so good and she wouldn't have been that upset if she didn't get a part, either. It was why she was happy to go and celebrate - and hopefully the people there would be fun. She raised an eyebrow, nodding her head as she heard Ashton speaking. "Yeah, tell me about it. I think my house could fit inside this house like three times." She snorted. This neighborhood was a far cry from the one she lived in.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Johnny had seen the advertisement for the musical in his university spam inbox - it had been sent out asking for boys and he'd only been happy to go along; he loved musicals and had always done them when he was at college and it wasn't like he was massively stuck for time. He knew he'd probably be one of the oldest, but he didn't really care - he knew a lot of the college kids because of where he worked. He had finished at work a little late and that was why he was heading to the party late, but he was excited.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Hettie had known from the start that she had to have someone she trusted be in the directors chair. It was why she was glad that Lucy had wanted to do it. Though Hettie was already itching to tell her friend exactly how she wanted things to be. "Oh? Is that so? On who? The cast? Babe, they're absolutely going to be the ones kissing up to you, tonight." She laughed and nudged her friend. "You look fucking fantastic, by the way." She laughed and moved over to the drinks table to pour them a shot each. "It's open!" She called as she heard the knocking on the door.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Alyssa looked over her shoulder as she heard Seths voice, a small tight smile on her lips. "Oh thank god." She laughed, "Because I didn't either." Alyssa definitely felt sorry for Seth. He had, had a hard time of it but she tried her hardest not to show him that. She didn't think it was fair for people to constantly remind him of everything that he had lost. "It's definitely nice to have a familiar face." She muttered as she reached to open the door. "After you."

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Isaac quickly reached down to grab a couple things that Audrey had dropped. He held them out for her as he stood up. "Here you go." He muttered. He felt bad that he hadn't realized before he had struck up a conversation. "Olive? Right - that's - she's the lead, right?" Isaac didn't know much about the musical... yet, but he was definitely excited to find out more about it. He couldn't wait to start working on something new.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Caleb shook his head slightly as he looked up at the house in front of him. He had checked the address he had been given a couple of times and it still seemed insane to him that someone lived in a place like this. "Fucking hell." He laughed. He was just glad that there was plenty of people around him who were heading the same way. He smiled slightly as he recognized a few of them. This was definitely going to be an interesting group.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Ashton smiled as Betsy responded to him and he nodded his head, "Something like that.." He shook his head. Ashton didn't live all that far from here. It was only about a fifteen minutes walk but it was still so different to what he had come from. He couldn't believe it. "Recon we're gonna have to take our shoes off?" He asked with a raise of an eyebrow. He knew that was kind of specific but he thought that it was definitely something that rich people did at parties.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: River was half walking, half jogging to the party. She knew that it probably wouldn't matter if she was a little bit late but she was trying her hardest to make a good impression. She wasn't even sure of where she was going. She had never been to this part of town before. It seemed pretty intense to her. Though as she saw a couple of people who were heading the same way, and she kind of recognized, she slowed down a little.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Lucy knew Hettie well enough to know that she would have a way she wanted things to be - and while she would take a certain level of inspiration, she was definitely taking the role of director seriously and she would let her friend know that... when the time came. "Oh, they'd better be." She laughed, rolling her eyes. She was actually a little bit worried about the group of people they'd cast - they were all so different. "Oh, stop flirting with me." She laughed, obviously joking. "You look great, Hettie - and even great with two shots of tequila in your hand." She laughed, necking the shot before she turned to see who had arrived.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Seth laughed, raising an eyebrow. "Glad I'm not the only awkward one, then." He smiled. He liked Alyssa, she was one of the only people that didn't treat him like he was made of glass and he appreciated it. "Yeah, for sure... Bit of a random cast isn't it?" He chuckled. "Thanks." He muttered, stepping into the house with a nod of greeting over at Hettie and Lucy. "Hey - and congratulations. Or, uh - thanks, I guess." He smiled.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "Oh god, it's fi --..." Audrey started to say as Isaac started to pick up her things, but trailed off with a smile when he handed them to her. "Thanks - honestly, this bag is so crazy... It's my fault for never emptying it. Look at this - a cinema ticket from January." She laughed, rolling her eyes as she shoved it all haphazardly back into the bag. "Uh, I guess? Feels kinda big headed saying it, though." She laughed. "From what I can gather, there is no real lead, though." She hadn't read the full script yet, but she loved what she'd seen.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Scott didn't waste much time in walking up the path when he arrived at the house, contrasting to his walk there. He went straight past Isaac and Audrey without acknowledging them, raising an eyebrow as he heard Caleb. "Never seen a house before?" He asked, almost sarcastically before he walked into the party. His house didn't look all that different to Hettie's, so he didn't really think about the fact that others might not live like this.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Betsy felt like she lived in an entirely different world to the one this house was on, but she wasn't going to show that she felt even a little bit out of place. She carried on walking, laughing at what Ashton was saying. "Ew, I hope not. There's always some weirdo that doesn't wear socks and nobody wants to party with that guy." She laughed.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Johnny was walking pretty past, but River overtook him in a matter of seconds and he couldn't help but chuckle. He recognised her from the auditions and he was pretty sure they were going to the same party. He smiled as she slowed down a little. "Hey - are you heading to the Spelling Bee party by any chance?" He asked, his voice friendly.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Hettie laughed as she listened to her friend and she shrugged her shoulders slightly. "What? Even if they get tequila too? Well, more for me." She beamed at Lucy. Once she saw who walked in, she looked at Lucy. "Big fan, I see." Hettie laughed as she saw the look on her friends face. She was definitely interested to see what would happen with that. If she didn't like him now and they had a show to put on ... Hettie almost couldn't wait.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Alyssa shrugged, "It's a big thing, right? I don't know about you, but I barely even recognised the rest of them so... walking into a room of strangers is always gonna be daunting." She smiled up at him. "I can't wait. They're an interesting bunch for sure." She looked around the room. A few, their reputations proceeded them, like Scott and Hettie, but Alyssa was unsure of most. "Alright - then I won't use any photos of you for marketing, if you're gonna be like that." She rolled her eyes... but a few seconds later, a smile slipped onto her lips to show she was joking.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Isaac laughed gently as he listened to Audrey, "Well - when it gets to be a lot, then you can just blame me. And hey - at least you've got some stuff to remember what you've done by, right? I mean, I used to keep all of my cinema tickets and stuff." He shook his head with a nervous laugh. "Yeah, loads of time." He was definitely glad that he had struck up a conversation. "Oh really?"

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Caleb smiled as he spotted Lucy and Hettie. "The women of the hour!" He called with a laugh. "My mum gave me this for the two of your for tonight." He rolled his eyes and held out the bottle of wine she'd given him, "She says that I couldn't turn up without a thank you." He shrugged his shoulders. He knew that his mother meant well. "I think she's just glad you're getting me off the streets for a bit."

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "I'm definitely not taking my shoes off, even if she asks now." Ashton laughed as he shook his head slightly. He liked Betsy already. "Yeah, I'm playing Mitch." He smiled. Ashton loved performing, though he was never going to pursue it, he was always looking out for something to do. Hence why he had found the advert for this. Though he knew most of them were younger than him, he was looking forward to it, "You?"

HD CK AM IS RW AK: River laughed as she listened to Johnny. "Okay - well, guilty." She shook her head ever so slightly. "I swear, I always have good intentions but I am never on time. Like ever. So I'm sure that, that's gonna be fun. Might have to just set my clock like five minutes earlier, huh?" She was babbling...something she did when she was nervous and unsure of who she was talking to.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Lucy laughed, nodding her head. "Sounds like the perfect plan, then?" She raised an eyebrow. She rolled her eyes at Hettie's mention of Scott. "I just think he's too big for his boots. But his audition was good, so." She shrugged. She had been nothing but fair with the auditions and she took pride in saying that. She turned as she heard Caleb's voice, a smile on her face. "Oh, what? That's so kind of them!" She laughed - and definitely something her parents would make her do. She would let Hettie have the wine. "But tell her she's very welcome - on Hettie's behalf, anyway. Not my house." She laughed.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Seth nodded his head. It was that, coupled with the fact that he had really only just gotten back into the swing of going to parties and being around so many people. It felt like a big deal to him. He pretended to gasp at what Alyssa was saying, chuckling softly. "Oh come on, you need my pretty face to sell the show." He pulled an ugly face, laughing with the other girl. "Nah, you'll be great at it. You're organised and all that, yeah?" The opposite of him, really.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "And who is it I'm blaming? I just want a name to put on the front of the hate mail." Audrey teased, laughing along with the other. He was sweet and she could tell he was nervous, so she wanted to keep the conversation going. She knew she would hate walking into a party feeling like she didn't know if she wanted to be there. "That's actually a really good idea - what did you do with them all? Like a scrapbook or a pinboard or...?" She raised an eyebrow. She laughed at his question, nodding her head. "Oh yeah - it was a miracle I even made it on time to the audition, I dropped my phone in the toilet a few months ago and now the alarm just kind of chooses whenever it wants to go off." She laughed.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: After he'd fixed himself a drink, Scott knew he should probably go over and at least thank the host. "Hettie!" He called, a smile on his face. "I think your house has literally left some of these people speechless." He snorted, raising an eyebrow. "Hey, nice cast though - even if it is a bit weird." He laughed.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "Hm... That sounds like something somebody not wearing socks would say." Betsy laughed with a raise of an eyebrow, but it was obvious she was joking. She liked getting to know new people and it was nice that she got along with at least someone in the cast now. "Oh nice, that's such a fun part - if I was a boy, I'd have been fighting you for it." She laughed. "Marcy." She smiled.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Johnny laughed, nodding his head. "Well, if you are then I am too." He smiled, shrugging his shoulders. "But hey - if there's any place where it's appropriate to be late, it's a party right? Maybe we're the cool kids now." He laughed, shrugging his shoulders. "Would that work? Or would you just end up thinking you're even later and panicking?" He chuckled.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "I agree." Hettie smiled. The blonde nodded her head slightly as she listened to Lucy talk about Scott... and she turned her attention to him as he came over. "Speak of the devil." She muttered, letting her friend deal with Caleb while she turned to face Scott. There was a smile on her lips as she looked up at him. "Does that even surprise you?" She rolled her eyes, "That's part of the fun though. We're gonna make sure it all clicks."

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Caleb smiled before he shrugged his shoulders, "I know. But you put me in the cast so.." He looked up at Lucy with a laugh. "It's basically nothing though. She just wanted to make sure I made 'the right kind of impression'. Whatever that means." He laughed.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Alyssa knew that it must be strange for Seth ... but she wasn't about to comment. She didn't like when other people did that to him and she wanted him to feel at ease, not having to think about anything that had happened outside that. Alyssa laughed as she saw the look on Seths face, "Okay, never make that face ever again otherwise I actually mean it. You're going on none of them!" She laughed. Alyssa shrugged, "That's basically the jist of it. I already have a notebook specifically for this picked out."

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "Oh yeah" Isaac chuckled. "I'm Isaac." He smiled slightly as he turned his attention to the rest of the house. He thought that Audrey was incredibly nice to keep talking to him. He had been really nervous and while that was definitely still there, it had subsided a little bit. "Scrapbook. I probably still have it somewhere. Be cool to look back on and see all the crap I saw." He shook his head with a laugh. He raised an eyebrow as she spoke again, "I mean, yeah. That would definitely do it."

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "I can assure you, I am definitely wearing socks." Ashton laughed as he looked at her for a quick second. He was definitely intrigued by Betsy and he couldn't wait to get to know her more through all of this. "And I'd be fighting you if I was a girl." He laughed.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "We can be guilty together." The girl nodded her head. River smiled before she shook her head with a laugh, "I don't think anyone has ever described me as a cool kid. So I think you're definitely talking to the wrong girl." She laughed ever so slightly as she looked at him. "Maybe I should test it out and see?"

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "The devil?" Scott laughed, catching what Hettie said with a raise of an eyebrow. "I'm hurt." He rolled his eyes. "Not at all, it just amuses me everytime I see people pausing before they come in because they think they've arrived at the Queens holiday home or something." He laughed. "And how will you make sure of that?" He smiled, genuinely curious.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "Well, nobody else brought us a present yet - so you're definitely on top of the pyramid." Lucy laughed, nodding her head. She kind of liked that they had cast a bunch of people that didn't know one another, because there weren't too many pre-conceived judgements. As far as she knew, nobody had a history. "The right kind of impression? Oh, your mum sounds like mine." She chuckled.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Seth laughed along with Alyssa as she caught the face he pulled, shaking his head. "No! I swear, I'll keep that face behind closed doors - not that I'll be pulling it on my own, because that would be weird." He laughed softly. "A specific notebook picked out? Like, you have different notebooks for everything?" He raised an eyebrow. "Wow. I feel like I'm looking at the future prime minister." He laughed.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "Nice to meet you, Isaac! Unless of course I do end up sending the hate mail, in which case - terrible to meet you, Isaac." Audrey laughed, nodding her head. "I'm Audrey." She placed her bottle down on the table and looked around the party, smiling at the people she knew. "Yeah, that does sound nice - maybe I'll have to see what I still have and follow your lead." She laughed. "Absolutely. I've been relying on my little brother to get me up on time but you know, it's just not as much of a priority as Minecraft for him right now." She laughed.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "Oh, that's what they all say." Betsy laughed, pulling a worried face. "I'll believe you, though - for now. But I'll absolutely stand with you in refusing to take my shoes off, I'd rather look through the window from outside and join the party that way." Betsy laughed, shrugging her shoulders. "Good job there was no fighting then, right? I feel like you'd have an unfair advantage in the height department." She laughed.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "Perfect. We stand tall when we walk in there, don't let anybody know we feel bad." Johnny chuckled. "Oh god, nobody has ever described me as a cool kid before either - I was just trying to make a good impression because not a lot of people know me yet." He grinned. "Oh definitely, like a social experiment?" He smiled.

- joined the chat

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "That's what I said." Hettie nodded. "It's all good though, just means you already made an impression." She shrugged her shoulders slightly with a laugh. "It's just a fucking house." Hettie shook her head with a laugh. She knew that her house was nice but she didn't think that it was much to stop and stair at. She was so unaware of the places some of these people lived. "Because I will." She shrugged. "It makes it all more interesting and everyone has fun doing a musical, don't they?"

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "Ah see - my mum never steered me wrong before." Caleb smiled. He had always been so close to his mum and he would do basically anything for her. Even bringing a bottle of wine for the hosts when he felt like a bit of an idiot doing so. "Really? She made you do something like this before then?" He asked with a raise of an eyebrow and a laugh.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Alyssa couldn't wipe the smile off of her face as she looked up at Seth, "That definitely sounds like you deserve to be locked up somewhere, if you're pulling that face for just yourself." She nudged him again before she shrugged her shoulders, "Of course. Keeps it all organised then." Though she hadn't realised that it might sound a little strange to people. "Absolutely not." Alyssa laughed with a shake of her head.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "That would really, really be terrible. So I take back any advice I gave you today." Isaac shook his head before he smiled as she introduced herself. "That's a lovely name." He smiled slightly. As predicted, Isaac knew basically no-one in that room. He was definitely glad that he had already started a conversation with Audrey know. "I mean, yeah! But lets not let me give you any more advice." He laughed. "Oh man, I remember those days. Minecraft is definitely more important."

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Ashton shook his head, though a small smile still stayed on his lips as he looked away from her. "We'll start our own party outside, yeah?" He asked with a raise of an eyebrow. "Be better than this anyway." He grabbed himself one of the beers he had brought in his bag, "You want one?" He had no idea what she drank but figured that he'd be better off asking. "Dunno. You look like you'd be good in a scrap."

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "Exactly!" River nodded. They were getting close to the party now, she could hear the music, but she was definitely enjoying her conversation with Johnny. "Oh? So you don't know many of this lot either? That's really interesting." She hadn't thought that she would be the only one that didn't know anyone. "Exactly like a social experiment!"

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "Better than not making one at all, isn't it?" Scott chuckled. He was sure that most of these people already knew who he was and whether it was a good thing or a bad thing, he preferred it to being unknown. "I know - what the fuck do they live in, cardboard boxes?" He laughed. It was only a joke and he genuinely had no idea how he sounded. "I suppose they do - I'm excited to see how it all turns out."

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "They're usually right - annoyingly." Lucy smiled. As much as she and her mum could argue, they loved each other a lot and frustratingly, her advice was usually good advice. "Oh absolutely, she was the mum that got the most extravagant presents for my teachers in primary school and seven year old me had to carry them in feeling like the biggest suck up in the world." She laughed.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Seth was more grateful than he thought Alyssa could even imagine that they were having a conversation like this; one he actually enjoyed, he felt so normal. "Yeah well, thanks to you and your refusal to photograph it- nobody will ever know. I'll be free to enjoy my lunacy alone." He laughed. "Sounds about right. I've just got one big notebook for everything and I actually think it'd be your worst nightmare. Bits of paper falling out left right and center." He grinned.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "Uh-uh, no can do, my friend. Any and all advice is non-take-back-able." Audrey laughed, pulling a jokey face. "Thanks! It's my grandmas. Feels a bit weird carrying around someone else's name, but I like to think I've made it my own." She laughed, joking around. She loved having her grandmas name. "Right, of course - no more advice so you can save yourself before it's too late." She laughed. "You guys would get along well, he's of the same opinion. I've never played it, much more of a Sims gal myself."

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "Absolutely. Shoes-on only." Betsy smirked, nodding her head. "Although hopefully it doesn't come to that, I don't want to make a bad impression just yet." She laughed. She looked up as he offered her a beer, nodding her head. "Yeah, go on then - I'll give you one back later, my bag is over there." She nodded over to the table. She raised an eyebrow at his last comment, not sure whether it was a compliment or not. "Let's hope you don't find out." She grinned - that one was obviously a joke.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Johnny shook his head. "Nope - I mean, I know some. But not many. I'm not even a college student, I'm in my first year of uni. But I did used to go there so I'm not completely random." He chuckled. He could hear that they were getting closer to the party and he was really glad he'd got chatting to River. "You're at college though, right?" He asked. "You should definitely do it! I love social experiments, I watch YouTube videos of them all the time." He laughed.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "I'd say so." Hettie shrugged. She had never been bothered about her reputation but she knew that she had one. She was definitely intrigued to find out what other people thought of her though. She wondered what people thought of everyone, really. "Literally. Like, it's just a fucking house." She shook her head. She had no clue, really, what other people were like. She just thought this was normal. "Me too. It's definitely going to be interesting."

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "Annoyingly." Caleb repeated as he nodded his head. He knew that his mum was usually right but he would never admit that to her. He thought that she already knew it anyway. "Like what?" He laughed, "What was the most extravagant thing that your mum made you take in?" He asked with a raise of an eyebrow. Caleb had never really bothered with teachers gifts.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Alyssa had no idea how much Seth appreciated this but she was definitely enjoying herself, more than she thought she would. She was eighteen, of course she went to parties. But that didn't mean that she enjoyed them all that much. It was different now that she was talking to Seth, though. "Maybe, as a christmas gift, I'll allow you to share it with everyone." She laughed. "That genuinely makes me feel ill." Alyssa giggled. "Please let me sort that for you."

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "Non-take-back-able?" Isaac repeated before he laughed and nodded his head. "Alright that." He chuckled. As she spoke about her grandma, Isaac nodded, "It definitely suits you so I think that you've done a great job." He smiled slightly as he looked at her. "Exactly. I don't want to give you a reason to send me even more hate mail, do I?" He raised an eyebrow. "See - they're not a million miles different, you know? You should give it a shot."

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "Gotta tell you, though, this was not the conversation I thought I'd be having today." Ashton laughed and shook his head slightly. Though he was finding it thoroughly entertaining. "Just yet? Like you've got plans for it in the future?" He asked, with a raise of an eyebrow. He definitely found Betsy intriguing, he just couldn't put his finger on it. Ashton smiled as he handed her a beer. "Let's hope not." He laughed.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "Of course! That makes a lot more sense now." River laughed. She had been almost certain that she had never seen him before and she was pretty sure she would've if she was at college. "What are you studying?" She asked, genuinely curious. She found all of that so intriguing. "I am. Why? Do I look super young or something?" She asked before she shook her head slightly. "Well, since you love them, I'll have to give my own a shot, won't I?"

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Like Hettie, Scott would be very interested in finding out what everybody actually thought of him - although something told him he wouldn't be all too happy if he actually found out. "Do your parents know you're throwing the party?" He asked with a smirk. He nodded his head, looking around the room. "Interesting for sure. We should play games later, you know? Really get to know each other."

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Lucy laughed at the question, thinking for a second as she tried to remember all the things her mum had made her take in. "At the end of year six, she made me take in these huge flower arrangements for all three of my teachers. And when I say huge, I don't even mean just flowers - there were like feathers, beads, ribbons. Bigger than my head. And I had to carry them all into the classroom and hand them out when the other kids had brought normal presents like post-its or a new mug." She laughed, shaking her head.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Seth instantly felt more at ease now he'd spoken to Alyssa; not just about the party, but about the whole musical experience. It felt nice to have somebody at least a little bit on his side; whether she knew what she was doing or not. Plus, he actually enjoyed talking to her - she was making him laugh. "Oh, perfect - you could do like a series of pictures, capture the face at all different angles? What a Christmas treat." He grinned. He couldn't help but laugh, then. "You want to sort my notebook?" He chuckled.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "Yup. New word, just made it up - but them's the rules." Audrey laughed, shrugging her shoulders. She often went off on a random spiel when she was enjoying a conversation with someone and it was nice that Isaac hadn't actually walked away yet. "Well, thanks - I'll let Audrey number one know that I wear it better than her. I'm the original now." She grinned. "God, absolutely not. I could go to jail for that - not ideal. We've got a musical to put on." She laughed. "Really? Maybe I'll ask him to teach me - and then take revenge on all the times he's woken me up late by destroying his villages." She chuckled.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "Oh really? This is exactly what I thought I'd be talking about. I'm passionate." Betsy laughed, but she was quite obviously joking - she was having a lot of fun talking to Ashton. She laughed as she realised how what she'd said has come across. "If I can help it, I don't want to make one ever - but you never know, do you?" She laughed. She had a way of not really managing to get along with other girls that well and she still didn't know why that was. "Thanks." She smiled, opening the beer and taking a sip before she shook her head. "Fingers crossed." She smiled.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "Why? Do I look like the typical layabout student?" Johnny teased, a smile on his face as he spoke. "Sociology. Studied it at A-Level too and always found it fascinating. I was between that and primary education, though." He nodded his head. "No, no - you don't, I just remembered seeing you at the auditions and I thought I saw you speaking to some people there." He smiled. "Yes, please do! And keep me updated. I'll be awaiting the results." He chuckled.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: The blonde laughed as she heard Scott mention her parents, "Of course not. They don't even know I'm doing the musical. Hettie rolled her eyes. She knew it would just be an earache if she told them, so she found the best thing to do was not tell the,. "Do you really think I haven't already thought of that? We're gonna play never have I ever in a little while." Hettie laughed. "We're still waiting on a couple of people though.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Caleb couldn't help but laugh as Lucy explained what it was that she had to take in. "Oh my god. See - I'm definitely glad that my mum never made me do that." He chuckled as he shook his head slightly. "Though I still stand by the fact that she flirted with ever single one of my teachers. And all the kids knew it too." His mum was so friendly and, as children, they had all got the wrong end of the stick.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Alyssa never thought of herself as a particularly funny person... but she was definitely glad that she was managing to make Seth laugh. She thought that he was pretty funny too. Though she had no reason to be on edge, Seth had definitely made her feel a little more at ease around these people, people she probably wouldn't be around usually. "Well - if it'll make you happy then how could I say no?" SHe asked with a raise of an eyebrow and a laugh. "I do."

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "I like it. I'll definitely have to keep that one in mind." Isaac smiled. He liked that it seemed effortless for Audrey to keep the conversation going. It took the edge of him a little bit, when he was already nervous. "Hey - I never said that!" Isaac laughed. "You're gonna make her hate me and we've never even met." He chuckled before he shook his head. "I wouldn't tell. You've put up with me for this long, I owe you one." He nodded ever so slightly. "That is actually the workings of an evil genius right there."

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Ashton burst out laughing as Betsy spoke... and he shook his head as he looked at her, "Wow - okay. Didn't know you had some kind of foot fetish ... or is it the opposite?" He asked with a raise of an eyebrow. "You absolutely never know." He shook his head. Ashton was glad that he had no kind of reputation with any of these people. It was nice to have a clean slate with them all.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "No! I just meant that I haven't seen you around, that's all." River shrugged her shoulders with a laugh. "Oh, that's cool. I bet that's actually really interesting? Honestly, if I could've taken a fifth, it would've been that." She shook her head ever so slightly. She had, had a really hard time, picking between them all. "Oh right. Okay. THat makes a lot of sense." River shook her head, her cheeks flushing slightly. "I'll film like, a video diary. Just for you." She nodded at the front door of the house. "I think it's this one."

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "Wait, they don't know you're doing the musical?! It's your musical!" Scott laughed loudly, shaking his head. He knew his parents would have a way of finding out, whether he'd told them or not. "Never have I ever? Risky. But a lot of fun. I'm excited." He grinned. It was always the best way to get to know people, he thought. "Latecomers? Oooh, the true personalities are coming out now."

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "Yeah, consider yourself lucky. It's one of those moments that I still look back on and cringe now. And she still won't apologise." Lucy laughed, shaking her head. She felt lucky to be an only child. "Oh god, she was one of those mums, huh?" She laughed. "I bet they all teased you for that?"

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "Exactly! And it's Christmas, right? A time for giving." Seth laughed, nodding his head. He didn't even particularly know why they had even gone off on this tangent, but he liked it. Pointless conversation was what made parties for him. "And you would enjoy sorting it?" He grinned. He couldn't help but find that cute. "Well, if you're going to take my ugly picture then how can I really refuse?"

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "Feel free to use it - spread the joy with the world." Audrey laughed, reaching over to grab herself a cup and pour a drink. "Do you want one?" She asked, distractedly as she poured. "I'll give you a secret alias so she doesn't seek you out, don't worry - or I'll just keep it on the down-low until she next tries to force me to tidy the house. Then I'll hit her with the facts." She laughed. "Aw, you wouldn't? That's sweet - but don't give me permission to send you hate mail." She chuckled. "What can I say? I think I've found my calling."

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Betsy's laugh matched Ashton's and she shook her head as she laughed. "Oh my god, no! Whatever the opposite of a foot fetish is, that's where the passion lays. Ew." She continued to laugh. "It's weird, all of these people not knowing each other. Not many impressions at all, is there? Good or bad."

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "That makes sense. Yeah, I'm pretty much either at uni or at work - or at rehearsals now, I guess." Johnny smiled. He was so excited to get started. "It's so interesting, it's one of those subjects you can really talk about and I love talking. If you haven't already realised that." He laughed, shrugging his shoulders. "What is it you study, then?" He asked. "Please do - I would love that." He smiled. "I think you're right!" He opened the door for her.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "No. Are you joking? They'd lock me in a fricking tower or something!" Hettie had already thought of her excuses as to why she would be busy on rehearsal nights and she knew that her parents would never question her. "We have to get to know each other somehow, right?" She asked with a raise of an eyebrow. She laughed as Scott spoke again, "Indeed they are. It better not be a bloody habit."

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "That's insane. But hey - least you're over most of that now, right?" Caleb asked with a raise of an eyebrow "Every school had one of those mums. I was just the unlucky bastard that was the kid who had to deal with it." He laughed. "Of course they did. They had to pick on me for something, didn't they?"

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "A time for giving, indeed." Alyssa couldn't remember the last time that she had just talked to someone, for the sake of talking. That she had talked to someone and just gone on some massive detour of the point and it was really, really nice. "I would. I am that much of a nerd." Alyssa laughed as she nodded her head. "That sounds like music to my ears, honestly."

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "I will. I'll make sure that you get the credit, though." Isaac smile. He looked down at the cup before he nodded his head, "Just a little one, please." He smiled slightly. He wasn't used to drinking too much but he wouldn't say no at a party. "Oh now that will be an interesting turn of events. She wouldn't even know what was about to hit her!" He laughed. Isaac shrugged then, "Well - I guess that was kind of weird of me, wasn't it? Sorry." He muttered before he laughed nervously. "I think you have too."

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Ashton nodded his head as he listened to the other. He was definitely enjoying himself. He hadn't expected to laugh this much. "Good to know. Good to know." He smirked slightly as he took a sip of his beer, "So you don't know many of these either?"

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "Oh! That's where I recognise you from!" River called, "You're at the coffee shop, right? The one where all the Saracens work?" She usually went in every morning, before college. "I definitely need to look more into it. I'm almost certain I'd regret not taking it though." She laughed. "I ended up settling on politics, law, photography and drama." She had thought it was a pretty balanced mix. "I will." She laughed. "Thanks." River spoke before she stepped into the house.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "What, are you Rapunzel now?" Scott laughed, raising an eyebrow. He understood having strict parents and he also understood why Hettie would want to lie to them. "Absolutely and there's no better way to learn everything about someone." He grinned. "I guess we'll see."

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "Oh yeah, far behind me - except in my nightmares." Lucy smiled, rolling her eyes. "I do feel bad for you, I couldn't imagine being that kid - he got tortured at our school." She laughed softly. "Of course. It's primary school, after all." She raised an eyebrow.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "So it's perfect! I'll even let you keep a copy." Seth smiled. A lot of the time, he felt like he was going through the motions at things like this - laughing or smiling because he felt like he had to, but not now. "Then we'll arrange it! A day for notebook organisation." He laughed, a smile on his face.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "Well, that sounds very fair." Audrey laughed, nodding her head. She poured him a drink, the measure smaller than what she put in her hand and handed it over. She liked a drink herself, but she was never going to force anybody else to do the same. "It's perfect! I'll play nice until and I don't want to anymore and then boom - she'll be gobsmacked, the crowds will cheer my name and I'll never have to do the pots again." She laughed. "Hey, you only have yourself to apologise to - you'll be the one receiving it." She teased. "Awesome. I wonder if any universities offer an Evil Genius degree."

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "Good to know that the random girl you just met at a party doesn't have a foot fetish? Yeah, I bet it is." Betsy laughed, shaking her head. It wasn't exactly rare for her to get along with people, but they had gotten along so quickly and she liked that. She shrugged her shoulders at his question. "I mean, I go to college with most of them so I've seen them around, a couple are in my classes but I don't know anybody that well."

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "Yeah! I knew I'd seen you before!" Johnny laughed; he had definitely served the girl before and it made sense, because he worked a lot of shifts nowadays. "Ooh, nice - that's a really good mix, you'll never get bored with all of that." He smiled. "Sorry we're late!" He called over in Hettie's direction as they stepped into the party.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "Yes. That is exactly what I am!" Hettie laughed as she nodded her head. She loved her parents but she absolutely hated how strict they were sometimes. She wanted to be her own person but she knew that they wouldn't have that. "Exactly my point." The blonde nodded her head. "Oh look, they're finally here!" She rolled her eyes before she poured herself a drink. "Time for the fun to begin!"

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "Wow - that really did a number on you. I'll make sure to never get you an extravagant give. Don't want those flashback memories." Caleb laughed. "It's a good job I found it pretty funny too, though, isn't it?" He asked with a raise of an eyebrow.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "Oh wow - I am so honoured." Alyssa smiled as she looked up at him. She really hoped that he was enjoying this as much as she was. It felt easy, natural, to talk to him and she was definitely glad that he had called her earlier. "Okay - but that's kind of dirty talk to me." Alyssa laughed before she nodded.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "Thank you." Isaac smiled as he took the drink from Audrey. Isaac didn't mind a drink, he just wasn't someone who was particularly fond of it. He liked to be more in control of himself. Isaac couldn't help but laugh as he listened to everything that Audrey was saying. He really liked her and found her so entertaining. "I definitely need to be there when that happens. I'll be your crowds." He smiled up at her. "That is a very good way of looking at it." He chuckled as he nodded slightly. "I don't think you need a course. I think you're already set.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "Good to know because I don't want to associate with any people like that." Ashton laughed, shaking him head. He was teasing though, and almost certain that he was joking around with her. "Ah, right - that's actually kind of interesting. I wonder how many of them actually know one another or are the same as you."

HD CK AM IS RW AK: River laughed, glad that he seemed to recognise her too. "I can't believe that I didn't realise it before now." She laughed. It seemed so obvious now that she knew. "I thought so too. So I'm hoping that that will be the case." She smiled at him for a moment. She gave Hettie a sheepish smile, "She does not seem happy."

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Scott raised an eyebrow as the final two walked in, laughing at Hettie's eye roll. "That sounds good to me." He smirked, taking another look around the room. He was so interested to find out the secrets of these people.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "Well, thank you very much for the consideration. It'll help me a lot." Lucy laughed, shaking her head. She turned as she heard what Hettie was saying. "Are we playing a game?" She asked.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "You really should be. I wouldn't do that for just anybody." Seth grinned, shrugging his shoulders. When he had called out to her, it had genuinely been because he hadn't wanted to walk in alone... But now, he was so glad he had. Because he really enjoyed talking to her. "Alyssa Michaelson! Don't be trying to lead me astray." He chuckled.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "I'll let you know right before it all goes down so you can come and support me." Audrey laughed, taking a swig of her drink. Isaac might think she was putting up with him, but she was having fun - she loved getting to know different people. "Wow, do you really think so? What high praise. Maybe I should be the one teaching the course?" She laughed.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "But apart from the foot fetish thing, I'm doing alright?" Betsy laughed, obvious having a joke. It seemed obvious that Ashton could take a joke, to her. "Yeah, I actually have no idea - I know Hettie and Lucy are friends, that's why she's directing. And Hettie knows Scott because they're both rich." She raised an eyebrow. "And everybody knows those two, but apart from that... Not a clue."

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "Me either - guess it shows how much I'm not with it sometimes at work." Johnny laughed; if he was on an early morning shift, it took him a good hour to actually be properly awake and not just going through the motions. "Oh well - we're here now, aren't we?" He smiled.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Hettie smiled slightly as Scott laughed. The blonde nodded when she heard Lucys question, "Yep. Alright - everyone, in a circle!" She called. She definitely thought that this was going to be an interesting way to get to know everyone, "We're all playing ever have I ever!"

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "No worries. Just give me a shout if you need more help with any of it." Scott laughed as he nodded his head, though he thought it was pretty clear that he was joking with her. He turned his attention to Hettie. "This ought to be fun."

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "Well, then I am definitely honoured. How could I not be?" Alyssa asked with a raise of an eyebrow. Alyssa wondered what might have happened if he hadn't called out to her ... would they even still be having this conversation. Alyssa laughed loudly as Seth spoke to her again, "I don't think anyone has ever thought I'd lead them astray before."

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "I think that sounds like as good a plan as any, if you ask me." Isaac smiled as he nodded his head. He was really enjoying himself with Audrey. He hadn't expected to but it was nice. He was definitely interested to find out more. He raised an eyebrow as he heard Hettie, "Guess we're all playing a game."

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "Yeah. I guess. Could do better though." Ashton laughed. He liked that it seemed like Betsy could take a joke. He couldn't stand when people took themselves too seriously. He nodded as she spoke about Hettie and Scott. "That sounds about right" He scoffed before he shook his head ever so slightly. He sighed as he heard what they were playing. "That's definitely one way to break the ice, isn't it?"

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "You kind of go into auto pilot, right?" She asked with a raise of an eyebrow. It seemed pretty obvious to River. She had never had a proper job before but she was definitely curious about it, regardless. "We are. And I guess we're not playing a game. Straight into the deep end!"

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Scott smirked as Hettie practically commanded everybody into a circle, refilling his drink before he took a seat, stretching his legs out in front of him. "You starting, Hettie?" He smiled.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "I will." Lucy laughed, before she raised an eyebrow at the title of the game. She always hated this one - but she wasn't going to say that when it was Hettie's party. She didn't really think they needed to know each other this well just yet. She took a seat anyway.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "I'm glad to hear it!" Seth laughed, nodding his head happily. "Well, there's a first for everything isn't there?" He grinned. He felt a little downhearted when Hettie told them they were playing a game - he'd been enjoying talking to Alyssa and he hoped they could continue afterwards. He grabbed himself a drink and sat down, leaving a space for her.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "I guess we are!" Audrey laughed. "So this is where we get to know things about people that we never wanted to know, right?" She laughed, shaking her head as she got into the circle and turning her head to Hettie for the first question.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "Brutal. After that, so could you." Betsy laughed. She smiled slightly as she heard they were playing never have I ever; it was one way of getting to know each other, that was for sure. "Oh yeah. Probably the most effective as well." She laughed, sitting cross legged in the circle.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "On a morning, for sure. By midday I actually start enjoying it - that's when I actually notice who I'm serving." Johnny chuckled, shrugging his shoulders. "Straight in! Come on, we don't want to piss her off even more." He laughed, getting into the circle.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Hettie smiled as Scott said that she got to go first. She definitely liked that she would be the one to kick things off, "Alright. Never have I ever been unfaithful." Hettie had, had a lot of boyfriends and she had broken up with all of them but she never cheated. She couldn't think of anything worse, really.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Caleb smiled slightly as he listened to Lucy but he didn't comment anymore. He sat down next to her and turned his attention to Hettie. He knew that, that probably wouldnt' be the harshest that she would go... but he thought it was pretty harsh for the first question. He didn't drink.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "Absolutely a first time for everything. I'm a big believer in that." Alyssa laughed. She raised an eyebrow as she heard what Hetties first question was. She didn't want to, but she knew that she would judge anyone that drank to that one. She found herself almost hoping that Seth wouldn't. Her opinion of him would definitely lower.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Isaac laughed, "That's the aim of the game though, isn't it?" He asked with a raise of an eyebrow. He didn't know if he liked this game or not but he wasn't about to say anything about that. He shook his head, he didn't think he would be drinking a lot with this game.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Ashton smirked as Betsy spoke. "Should've seen that one coming, really." He laughed. He sat down in the circle then, curious as to how they were gonna go. He sighed as he heard the first question and took a sip of his beer. "It definitely is." He muttered back to Betsy.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "Ah - that's why you didn't notice me then. I only ever come in before college. It's the only time I have free." River laughed. She nodded and moved to sit down in the circle. SHe looked around, curiously, as she waited to see who would drink to that one ... and quickly set about sorting herself out a drink

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Lucy raised an eyebrow at the question and although she didn't drink, she looked around the group to see who had. She didn't think it was her place to judge, but she definitely would a little bit if anybody did.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Seth smiled as Alyssa didn't drink for that one; and he didn't drink either. He had only ever been in one long term relationship and that was with Ella; and he had never cheated on her. He wasn't sure how much he would even be able to drink in this game.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "Oh, absolutely." Audrey laughed, nodding her head. She didn't drink for the question - she had had a few boyfriends, but she had never cheated on them. She didn't think she'd be able to, she'd feel too guilty and besides - it was easier to break up than cheat.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Betsy choked back a laugh at the question; it was an intense first question, but she liked that. She didn't drink and she raised an eyebrow as Ashton did - she didn't like cheaters and never had, but she didn't say anything. It was only the first question, after all.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "That makes a lot of sense. I'll try to be more on it in the future - then I might actually be able to say hello." Johnny chuckled. He opened up his drink as they started playing, although he didn't drink for the first question. He had never cheated.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Scott rolled his eyes at the question and took a sip of his drink; he was pretty sure everybody would know that he had cheated on his ex-girlfriend by now. "Right. Never have I ever had a one night stand." He raised an eyebrow.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Hettie laughed slightly as she saw the two boys who drank. She knew that Scott had cheated but she, obviously didn't know about Ashton. The blonde laughed before she took a sip of her drink. "Whoever doesn't drink, is obviously lying." She shrugged her shoulders slightly. She thought that everyone had at this point.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Alyssa had only had two boyfriends in her life and she hadn't cheated on either of them. One had cheated on her though. It was a touchy subject for her and she was glad that Seth hadn't cheated ether. She shook her head as she heard both Hettie and Scott. "I haven't.." She muttered as she shook her head and looked up at Seth.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: It was only the second question, and Isaac knew that he would absolutely not be drinking. He put his drink down with a sigh. He wasn't going to spoil anyone elses fun but he knew that he just wasnt what these people thought.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Ashton shrugged his shoulders slightly as he saw Betsy looking at him. He definitely regretted cheating on his girlfriends but he didn't think that he had to explain himself to her. He drank again at the next question, "I think I'm gonna be on the bloody floor by the end of this." He chuckled.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "Sounds like a plan." River smiled up at him. She drank for the next question as well. It had only been once, very, very recently... and although she didn't feel ashamed, she couldn't help but feel a little judged by some of the people there.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Scott laughed as Hettie spoke, nodding his head and taking a drink himself. He couldn't imagine anybody getting to their age and not having had a one night stand, but he was surprised that some people literally didn't drink.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "Not necessarily." Lucy rolled her eyes at what Hettie said; she didn't think that was fair at all. They were only young and people moved at their own paces. She drank, though - she had only ever had a couple and she wasn't ashamed or proud of them. They had just happened.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "Me either." Seth chuckled softly, shrugging his shoulders. He wasn't ashamed of it and he thought what Hettie said was just weird - some of them were only just old enough to get into clubs or bars or anything of the sort. Some of them just weren't into stuff like that.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Audrey drank for this question and she looked around to see who else did, too. "Does nobody else think one night stands are really awkward?" She asked with a laugh, raising an eyebrow. "Like, leaving the next morning? Awkward as hell." She giggled.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Betsy laughed and took a sip of her drink for this one - she had never brought anybody she wasn't in a relationship with back to her house, because her brothers would be asking questions within seconds, but she had gone back with people before. "So you just leave before the morning." She laughed in response to Audrey's question. "I think that's the point." She smiled at Ashton with a laugh.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Johnny drank for this question too, shrugging his shoulders. He was nineteen and at university, he didn't think it was massively out of the ordinary - most people he knew had had at least one, but he didn't judge anybody that hadn't.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Caleb drank at Scotts question. He didn't think that, that one was that big of a deal. But nor did he think people who didn't was a big deal wither. He laughed as he listened to Audrey and Betsy. "You ever had someone who made themselves a little too comfortable?" That's awkward. He looked around the others before he shrugged, "Never have I ever been walked in on by my parents." He laughed as he looked around at the others

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Hettie tilted her head slightly as she heard Lucy. She didn't mean anything by it. She just thought that most people that she knew had, had a one night stand and was actually pretty surprised by the people who hadn't. She laughed at Calebs question, but didn't drink. She had always made sure that they were elsewhere when she had slept with someone.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Alyssa smiled slightly as he agreed with her. She was pretty sure that there were people younger than her there, so why would they have had a one night stand? It didn't make sense that Hettie would've assumed otherwise. She cringed but drank at the next question, "I don't think I've ever been as mortified in my entire life!" She laughed, her whole face turning red.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Isaac smiled slightly as he looked at Audrey. He felt incredibly uncomfortable and out of place there but he knew that he couldn't leave now. He needed to at least try and see this through.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Ashton laughed as he heard what Betsy replied to Audrey. "She has a point." He muttered with a nod of his head. He had never really found it all that awkward. He wondered if the girls he had been with did. "Yeah. probably." He muttered. Though he didn't drink at the next one.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: River laughed as she heard Calebs question but didn't laugh. "Oh god - I couldn't imagine anything worse." She laughed as she shook her head ever so slightly. She was sure that she would want the ground to swallow her up if that happened to her.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Scott laughed at the question, but he didn't drink. His door had a lock and he was pretty sure his parents didn't care enough to come and check, anyway - if he'd ever had a girl over, they had completely stayed out of his way.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Seth burst out laughing at Alyssa's answer, raising an eyebrow. "I think I'd die there and then." He laughed, nodding his head. He was so grateful that he had an attic room that was completely out of the way - nobody needed to come up there, really and so his parents had never walked in on him.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Audrey smiled back at Isaac, trying to make it a comforting one - she could tell he was feeling awkward. "I once had a guy over and when I came back from the bathroom he was asleep with the telly on." She laughed in response to Caleb's question. "Yeah, but what if it's your house?" She laughed over to Betsy, but she didn't drink for this question. She thought she would actually shrivel up and die if her grandparents walked in on her.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "I wouldn't be alive if I could drink to this question." Betsy raised an eyebrow, but her laugh showed that she was only joking - mostly. She always made sure she locked her door if she had anybody over at all, even friends.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Johnny let out a snort of laughter and took a sip at the question. "I don't actually think they knew what was happening, but it was the worst moment of my entire life." He laughed, shaking his head at the memory.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Lucy laughed, but she didn't drink to the question - although she found it funny seeing who did. "Okay... Let me think..." She was never very good at this kind of game, but she wanted to think of a good question. "Never have I ever slept with more than ten people?"

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Hettie laughed as she heard Lucys. She definitely thought that, that was an interesting one to ask and she drank at it. She had slept with thirteen people and she didn't think that was a lot. "And so, as an addition, I want numbers, please." She smirked, "Thirteen for me."

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "Don't. I've never been so embarrassed in my entire life. He basically ran for his life after that." Alyssa shook her head. She had been so careful from then on. There was no way that she was ever going to have a repeat of that. She sighed as Hettie mentioned numbers. "Er - two" The girl muttered. She was aware that it was her turn and she was trying to think of a good one to answer next.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Caleb laughed as he listened to Audrey, "Okay - maybe you have. But how about this - I once had a girl get in the shower with me the next morning. No invite. I was getting a shower and she just got in. I could barely even remember her bloody name." Caleb laughed. He didn't drink at Lucys question. "Mine is nine." He shrugged.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Isaac ignored Hettie as he heard the mention of numbers. He wasn't embarrassed, he just didn't want to have to listen to anyones comments about it. "THat sounds like a nightmare.." Isaac muttered with a shake of his head and a laugh.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Ashton raised an eyebrow, "Protective parents?" He asked. He didn't know what his parents would do if they did walk in on him. He smirked slightly at Lucys question and took a sip. "Why do numbers even matter?" He asked as he looked at Hettie for a moment. He didn't see the big deal.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "They didn't know what was happening, what?" River asked as she looked at him before she laughed. She didn't drink at the next one but she definitely thought that it was an interesting question to ask.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Scott thought that was a pretty good question and he took a drink, raising an eyebrow. "Dead on ten." He laughed, shrugging his shoulders. He thought that was quite average for their age.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "The guy or your dad?" Seth asked, still laughing at what Alyssa had said. He didn't get what the big deal was with peoples numbers and he thought it was pretty personal, but since Alyssa answered he decided to, as well. "Same for me - two." He nodded.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "What?! Oh my god, I think my first thought would've been ax-murderer, not overly friendly one night stand." Audrey laughed, her eyes wide at the story. "Doesn't it?" She laughed as she heard Isaac, shaking her head. "I wouldn't even know what to do." She didn't drink for the question, but she wasn't too bothered about people knowing her number. "Mine's six." She smiled.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Betsy shook her head, laughing. "Dad and four brothers." She told him with a raise of an eyebrow. "If they didn't kill me, I'd definitely off myself just to save the embarrassment." She didn't drink, but she almost could've. "Nine - so close." She laughed as she looked at Hettie. "I guess they don't, but it's a game, isn't it?"

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "I mean, it wasn't like - in full swing or anything. So I'm not sure if they actually knew what we were doing." Johnny laughed, shrugging his shoulders. It was why he was so glad he lived alone now. He didn't drink for the next one and he didn't answer Hettie's question, mostly because he didn't see the reason. He had slept with five people and he wasn't really bothered by the number.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "Those of you who didn't answer, it says more about you then it does about anyone else." Hettie laughed. She really wasn't trying to be mean. She didn't even see how it could come across as that. She looked at Alyssa with a small tight smile, waiting for her question.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "The guy. I swear - I'd never seen my dad so angry." It was just before everything had gotten bad so it was almost a treasured memory for her. Even if it was a weird one. She sighed as Hettie turned her attention to her, not sure what to say. "Never have I ever taken a nude." The girl spoke before she shrugged her shoulders slightly.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "Yeah, well, I fucking hoped it was an axe murderer, let me tell you!" Caleb laughed as he shook his head. He took a sip of his drink at Alyssas question. That was one that he had thought that everyone had done and it was so interesting to him that, that wasn't the case. He looked around the room, definitely curious.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Isaac sighed as he heard Hettie but tried to brush it off as he looked up at Audrey. "No, me neither" He chuckled. Isaac drank at the next question though .He had never slept with someone ... but there was a girlfriend who he had come pretty close to with.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "That would definitely explain that, then." Ashton laughed and nodded his head. He didn't have a sister, but Sylvie was the closest it would come and he would probably go crazy if he walked in on her, even if it was with Barney. Ashton shrugged his shoulders. "Just seems a bit personal to tell a room full of strangers. Thats' all."

HD CK AM IS RW AK: River laughed as she listened to Johnny, "Okay, that makes more sense but I 100% guarantee that they definitely knew what was going on. They were just too embarrassed to say that they did." She laughed and drank at Alyssas question.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "Definitely." Scott agreed with Hettie, before he drank at Alyssa's question. For that one, he was absolutely sure everybody would be drinking - and he was surprised to see that it wasn't the case.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Lucy shrugged her shoulders before she drank for the question - she didn't think it was a massive deal. A lot of the time, she took pictures of herself just because she thought she looked good, not necessarily for anybody else.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Seth laughed, nodding his head. "I can imagine." He smiled, drinking at the question. He was curious to see who had and hadn't done that one.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "What did you even do? Just have the shower? Did she wash your hair?" Audrey laughed, covering her mouth with her hand as she chuckled at the very image. She took a sip of her drink at the question. Somebody had actually sent a picture of her around once and she didn't really like sending them anymore.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Betsy nodded her head - she didn't think her family were particularly scary, but that was because they were her family. She shrugged her shoulders at what Ashton was saying - she didn't see how the amount of people you'd slept with was anymore personal than telling everybody you'd cheated, but she also didn't care that much. "Fair enough." She nodded, drinking at the question.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "You probably have a very, very good point there." Johnny laughed, raising an eyebrow. "I'm just glad they never mentioned it again, honestly." He grinned, drinking at the question. It wasn't a big deal to him.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Seth thought for a second before he came up with a question. "Never have I ever liked the boyfriend or girlfriend of my best friend?" He asked

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Hettie was so surprised about the amount of people that weren't drinking ... but she quickly took a sip of her drink ... but only at Alyssas. She shook her head at Seths. Much like cheating, she thought that, that was the lowest you could go.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Alyssa laughed as she listened to Seth ... she was definitely curious as to who might drink on this one. She wondered if it was a common one or not, really. Though she didn't drink. She had too much respect for her friends to ever let herself have feelings for their partner.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "Did she wash my hair? Did you just ask that?" Isaac laughed before he shook his head. "I had the shower and she left. Fucking weird, though." Caleb shook his head and didn't drink. He had never even thought about one of his friends girl in that way.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Isaac laughed as he listened to Audrey. He definitely wanted to get to know her a little more than he did right now. He chewed on his lip as he realised it would be his turn..unsure of where to even start.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Ashton was curious as to what Betsy was thinking but he wasn't about to say anything to her. He didn't think that he was there with any of this lot right now. He was curiosu about all of them though. He shook his head at the next question.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: River took a sip of her drink then .She had never done anything about it, but she had definitely had a crush on one of her friends partners before. SHe hadn't even told anyone about her crush, either.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Scott drank for the question - it had never gone anywhere, but he didn't think you could help who you were attracted to him and it made sense that he and his friends would like the same kind of person.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Seth didn't drink for that one - it wasn't that he thought it was particularly bad, he just hadn't ever done it. He hadn't really even thought much about dating again until recently... He wondered if he was ready or not.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "Somebody's got to ask the hard questions, haven't they?" Audrey laughed in response to Caleb, but she nodded her head as he spoke. She didn't drink, shrugging her shoulders at Seth's question.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Betsy didn't drink at the question; she would feel pretty betrayed if any of her friends did that to her, so she even if that did happen she was sure she would keep it entirely to herself.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Johnny drank at the next question, too - he developed feelings for people easily and spending a lot of time around people tend to do it. He had never acted on them, of course, but they had been there.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Isaac smiled sheepishly as people turned their attention to him. "Never have I ever called them the wrong name... during." He figured that was a pretty easy one for him but he was curious about the rest of them. He, obviously, didn't drink.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Hettie laughed laughed as she heard Isaacs question and quickly took a sip of her drink. It was during a one night stand, after she had ended things with one of her boyfriends. She had thought that, that was pretty natural. She was definitely starting to feel the effects of her drink now. She looked at the others and raised an eyebrow at them, expectantly.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Alyssa shook her head, "I'd be a little worried if I couldn't remember two names, don't you think?" She whispered to Seth with a laugh. She could definitely see why Hettie had picked this game. They barely knew one another and it was one way to break the ice. She wondered what everyone else was thinking about it all though.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "And I'm glad that you took it upon yourself." Caleb laughed. He liked Audrey already, that was for sure. He took a swig of his drink and quickly moved to fill up another. He knew that he should be embarrassed but it didn't really bother him. It was a while ago anyway.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Ashton shook his head at the next question. He had been with quite a few people but never forgot the persons name. He wasn't sure he would ever live it off if he had done that, in all honesty.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: River was definitely curious about what Johnny and some of the others thought about what was being said. SHe wanted to know the stories behind everything but she knew that this wasn't that kind of game. She didn't drink at the next one.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Scott laughed loudly at the question - he had never done it, but he definitely thought it was funny that Hettie had. He was already a little bit drunk and he hoped they would play other games too, because he was having a lot of fun.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Seth laughed, nodding his head. "I'd definitely say you needed another notebook to keep the names in." He teased, laughing softly. He didn't drink, either - two people weren't exactly hard to remember.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Lucy didn't drink for the question - she didn't think she would ever sleep with someone she absolutely didn't know, the thought of it made her feel weird.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "You're very welcome." Audrey laughed, shrugging her shoulders. She thought Caleb was funny and she liked that he didn't seem embarrassed by anything he was saying - she was the same way. She laughed and took a sip of her drink, her cheeks flushing. "Talk about awkward." She laughed.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Betsy laughed, but she didn't drink. "I'd be mortified." She laughed at even the thought - she was pretty sure she'd just get up and leave if that happened.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Johnny thought it was a pretty smart idea, playing this game - they were all loosening up and getting to know each other already and it was good. He didn't drink at the question, but it did make him laugh.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "Okay, my turn!" Audrey laughed, chewing on her bottom lip while she thought about a question. "Never have I ever had sex with somebody and regretted it during."

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "Shut up." Hettie laughed as she realised that Scott was laughing at her. She nudged him before she turned her attention to Audrey. She didn't drink to that one. Though she liked having a boyfriend and sleeping with people, she never regretted doing any of it.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Alyssa spluttered and laughed as Seth teased her and she nodded her head, "You tease but I could have a whole new notebook. That's like christmas come early!" Lys looked up at Seth with a laugh. She didn't drink at the question, though she was curious what Seth would do.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Caleb laughed as he watched Audrey drink, "What is it with you and these awkward situations?" He asked with a raise of an eyebrow and a laugh. He put his drink down at Audreys question. He didn't really think about it when he slept with people but he definitely didn't regret anything.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Isaac could see people around him getting pretty drunk ... but not him. He had barely touched anything. And he didn't drink at the next one. He was so curious why all of them were so sexual but he assumed that, that was the fun of the game.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: River sighed as she drank at Audreys question. THere had been a couple she had regretted but that was definitely a story for another day. She looked over at Ashton with a small smile, waiting for what he had to say next.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "You and me both." Ashton laughed as he looked at Betsy for a second. He shrugged his shoulders before he spoke next, "Alright, Never have I ever slept with more than one person at once."

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Scott chuckled as Hettie nudged him and drank for Audrey's question, but not for Ashton's. He had never done that - not that he would be against it, he just hadn't got there yet.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "Then I think it's time to go shopping!" Seth laughed. He didn't drink for either question - he hadn't slept with enough people to regret it, not really and he definitely hadn't slept with more than one person at once.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "You know what? I want the answer as badly as you do. Maybe then I would stop getting myself into them." Audrey laughed, shaking her head. She didn't drink at Ashton's question, though - that was something she hadn't done.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Lucy never really enjoyed this game usually, but she was liking getting to know so many different things about people - even if she wasn't drinking for a few of them.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Betsy laughed at the question, looking around to see who was going to drink - it was something she'd never done, but she also wouldn't completely write it off. She was curious to see who had.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Johnny bit back a laugh at the question and rolled his eyes before he took a sip of his drink. "University gets weird." He laughed, shaking his head. That was all he would say on the matter. He looked around to see who else would drink.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "I swear to god, if you even comment on this one..." Hettie muttered as she took a drink. It had only been once and really, she wouldn't be against it again. She just didn't want anyone to comment on the matter.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "Oh my god. I'll be there for hours." Alyssa laughed. It was easy to talk to Seth and she liked that. She shook her head slightly at the next question. She had never even be interested in something like that. She didn't know how it would even go. "Seems like too many limbs to me." Alyssa laughed.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "I think you need to work on it then, don't you?" Caleb laughed slightly as he looked across at Audrey. He definitely liked her a lot and was looking forward to seeing what she was all about through the musical. He didn't drink at the next question though.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Isaac chewed on his lip. He already couldn't wait for this game to be done. He hoped that it wouldn't be long. He was never going to get much fun out of this game though it was very curious for him.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Ashton chuckled as he realised it was only a couple of people and he looked at the girl next to him, "Your turn." He smiled. He was sure that she would have a good one and he couldn't wait to hear it.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Rivers eyes went wide as she saw Johnny drink but she couldn't help but laugh slightly. "Apparently so." She muttered as she nudged him. She wanted to ask him more and more but she knew that she didn't know him well enough to do that.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Scott snorted with laughter, rolling his eyes. "I wasn't going to, but now that you've piped up..." He trailed off, obviously joking. He did find it all funny, but he wasn't going to out Hettie like that in front of everybody.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "Choosing one notebook?! You astound me. You really do." Seth laughed, shaking his head. He was so interested in Alyssa and he just wanted to be able to talk to her - it almost felt like the game was getting in the way. "I don't think the limbs would be the problem." He laughed, raising his eyebrows.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "Hey, I'm trying!" Audrey argued jokingly, laughing along with Caleb. She was excited to get to know him more, especially from what she'd seen tonight. "You okay?" She whispered, turning to Isaac. He hadn't spoken in a while and she knew he'd been nervous when they'd arrived.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Johnny laughed at River's reaction, shrugging his shoulders. "I'll tell you the story after a few more drinks." He chuckled. He wasn't embarrassed, it was just something he didn't necessarily want to say in front of the whole group.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Betsy nodded, laughing as she thought of a question. "Never have I ever done anything sexual with a member of the same sex?" She asked, raising an eyebrow before she took a drink herself.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Hettie laughed as she listened to Scott but she shook her head slightly. She didn't understand Lucys problem with him. She had always gotten along with him really well. The blonde didn't take a drink at that one. She was definitely curious though.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "Thank you!" Alyssa beamed before she laughed. "Honestly, it's important business, this choosing a notebook. You'll see." Honestly, if she was a little braver, she would probably ask if he wanted to go and have a chat somewhere... but she didn't want to make anyone else annoyed. Alyssa shook her head, though she wasn't against it, she just had never.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Caleb shook his head slightly as he listened to Audrey. "Let me know how that goes." He chuckled. He could definitely see himself and Audrey get along. So he was looking forward to seeing her more. He drank at the next one.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Isaac nodded his head slightly as Audrey spoke to him, "Yeah ... just not exactly my kind of game, is it?" He asked with a laugh. Though he knew that Audrey wasn't to know that, it was clear that he wasn't drinking all that much.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Ashton smiled slightly at the next question but didn't say much more than, that. He wasn't interested in anything with anyone of the opposite sex... but he was definitely curious about the others.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: River nodded her head slightly as Johnny spoke, "You should definitely do that because I am so curious." She smiled. She would never judge someone for any of that. She was just curious about all of it. She drink at the next one. She didn't think it was a big deal at all.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Scott didn't drink for the question, but he was curious about who had. He'd never really questioned his sexuality, he knew he was straight - but he didn't care what anybody else was or wasn't.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "I'll see?" Seth asked with a smile. He liked that... He wanted to be able to see Alyssa more after this, not just in rehearsal - but he didn't know if that was too forward. He didn't drink for the question.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Lucy shrugged her shoulders and took a sip of her drink, raising an eyebrow. She was into guys and girls, so it wasn't a massive deal for her - it certainly wasn't something she kept a secret.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "I will. You try and keep your friends out of the shower, yeah?" Audrey laughed, raising an eyebrow, obviously teasing. She nodded her head at what Isaac was saying. "I could kinda tell... I don't think it'll go on for too much longer." She smiled at him. She didn't drink for the question.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Betsy was surprised at the lack of people drinking - she had thought it would be pretty common, but it wasn't. "Who's next?" She raised an eyebrow, looking around.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Johnny drank at Betsy's question, nodding his head. It wasn't that big of a deal to him at all. He turned to River with a smile. "You next, right?" He smiled.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "Oh yeah!" River laughed as she looked at the others. "Never have I ever ... flashed someone." She thought for a moment though, before she laughed and drank herself. She giggled, the alcohol definitely going to her head now.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Hettie was definitely intrigued that more girls drank than the boys. It was certainly very interesting to her. She laughed at Rivers question and drank. "Oh, come on." She rolled her eyes then.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "Well ... if we're gonna sort out your notebook?" Alyssa asked as she looked up at him. She wondered if she had gotten the wrong end of the stick but she didn't think so. She shook her head at the next question and sighed as she heard Hettie, "Am I just really boring?" She whispered to Seth. It seemed like everyone else had done a lot more than her.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Caleb raised an eyebrow quickly at Audrey, "Depends on how I'm feeling, don't you think?" He laughed then. He didn't drink at Rivers question, though chuckled as he watched her drink. He never would've expected it from her.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Isaac nodded slightly as Audrey spoke, "Is it really that obvious." He muttered before he sighed. He was really trying with all of this. He really wanted to get into this. He wanted to have some fun with the rest of them but he just couldn't into it.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Ashton shook his head. He had never flashed anyone but he definitely found it kind of funny at the people who had. He didn't think that it was a big deal though.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Scott laughed, but he didn't drink. He found it funny that River had though - he absolutely wouldn't have expected it from her and it made him want to know more. He liked people who could surprise him.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Lucy narrowed her eyes slightly, laughing and keeping her drink firmly in her hand. It was one thing she couldn't imagine doing. "Plenty of people offer to flash us at the bar for free shots, though." She laughed, shrugging her shoulders.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Seth smiled, nodding his head. "Of course - I'd better get myself prepared for hours of shopping then." He chuckled. Spending hours with her didn't sound bad at all. He shook his head at her question. "I don't even know what she means... like - I always imagine flashing as in.. creepy guy in a long coat." He laughed.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "Oh - very fair point." Audrey laughed, nodding her head as she drank for River's question. It had been a game of truth or dare, but she didn't really care - she wasn't shy. "Nah, it's not - you're fine." She smiled.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Betsy laughed as she watched River drinking, raising an eyebrow. There was still a lot to learn about all of these people, even though they had learned a lot just in this game.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "What?!" Johnny laughed as River drank, but it was obvious he was only joking. "Alright... Never have I ever... had sex in a room that isn't a bedroom." He shrugged.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Hettie laughed as she heard Lucy, "Oh, I bet they do." She chuckled. She was pretty sure that she had drank to all but two of the questions... so wasn't surprised that she was feeling it quite badly....and in true her fashion, she drank at the next question as well.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Alyssa smiled widely as Seth agreed... though she quickly wiped it off of her face when she realised she was doing it. She nodded her head, "Exactly. You know? I always thought it was pretty weird." She shook her head before she heard Johnnys question and took a sip of her drink, not meeting anyones eye.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Caleb smirked as Audrey said it was a fair point and burst out laughing as he heard Johnny, "Well, I think it;s already pretty clear that I'm gonna drink to that one." Don't you think?" He asked with a raise of an eyebrow. And obviously took a sip of his drink.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Isaac nodded his head slightly. He was really unsure about if he would stay there or go home ... but he was trying to be better. He wanted to be better about it all. He sighed as he waited for the next question or whatever else was happening.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Ashton was definitely curious about the majority of the people around them. None of them were making much sense and he was so curious about it all. They were going completely against type.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: River laughed, "What? Protests can get a little crazy." She shrugged her shoulders with another laugh. She felt like a different person when she was at a protest or rally or something. She loved it.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Scott had drank at enough of the questions to be pretty drunk by now and he definitely wasn't ready for the fun to be over. "Hettie, another game!" He laughed, nudging the girl gently as he poured himself another drink.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Lucy drank at the question, but she actually kind of agreed with Scott - she didn't want the games to end after this round. It was a lot of fun, even though she didn't usually like them.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Seth drank at the question, smiling as he noticed Alyssa avoiding everybody's eye contact. She was so sweet, he wasn't sure how he'd never noticed it before. "So weird - oh well." He chuckled.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Audrey laughed, refilling her drink so that she could take another sip for the question. She thought that was a pretty common one for anybody that had had sex.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Betsy finished the last little bit of her drink in response to the question, laughing as she put the can down. "Well we definitely got to know people better, didn't we?" She laughed.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "So I can see." Johnny laughed. He was so interested in the protests and rallies that River apparently went to, he definitely wanted to ask her more on that later.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Hettie beamed as Scott said that they needed to play another game, "Alright, truth or dare?" She asked with a raise of an eyebrow, like that hadn't been her plan in the first place anyway. She figured that, that and never have I ever were the best to get to know each other.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Alyssa raised an eyebrow as she saw Seth drink. It seemed like the to of them were on par and she definitely liked that. She sighed as Hettie mentioned truth or dare. She couldn't help but wonder how far some of them were going to push things.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Isaac chewed on his lip and quickly got himself another drink as they spoke about another drink. He was fighting everything within him to not go home right then and there. He needed to get over it.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Caleb chuckled as he heard the next game. That always led to some interesting things and he was definitely intrigued as to what might happen, or what people might be thinking with it all.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Ashton nodded, "Indeed. A little more than we'd want. Like you said." He chuckled. He shook his head as he heard the next game "And it looks like they'll get us knowing even more, doesn't it?"

HD CK AM IS RW AK: River wiggled an eyebrow at him before she laughed. "Oh, this is gonna be fun." She chuckled. She actually couldn't wait to see what might happen now. Especially after a few glasses of alcohol down her.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "Alright! I'll go first - and I pick dare." Scott smiled, raising an eyebrow. He had had enough of truth with that game and he could feel his energy building up, helped by the amount of alcohol in his blood. "Dare me!" He laughed.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "This is the game I'm always scared of." Seth muttered to Alyssa with a laugh, shaking his head. He wasn't really joking though, this game always seemed to cause trouble.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Lucy grabbed herself another drink and waited to hear what Scott's dare was going to be - she would leave it to somebody else to give it to him, not feeling all that enthusiastic about him as a person still.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "Here we go!" Audrey laughed as Hettie said they were playing truth or dare, a slow smirk on her face. She was tipsy by now at least and she was excited to find out what they were all going to have to do. She didn't think about it going too far; she liked the people here.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "See, I knew what was going to happen - maybe I'm psychic." Betsy laughed, wiggling her eyebrows jokingly before she went over to her bag to get another drink, giving one to Ashton too. "I owe you one." She laughed - she had taken one from him before, after all. "Oh yeah, shit always goes down in this game." She laughed.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "I love this game!" Johnny laughed, looking around excitedly. He liked being silly and enjoying himself and he liked seeing other people do that, too. Especially when they were all drunk.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Hettie laughed as she looked at Scott. She stood up and went to the kitchen. She poured out a table spoon of hot sauce, "Eat it." She laughed, holding out the spoon to him. "I dare you to eat it." She chuckled. It was tame but she was pretty sure they could build up from there.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "Really?" Alyssa asked with a raise of an eyebrow, "Don't worry, I'll protect you." She muttered with a nod of her head and a laugh. She nudged her friend before she spoke again, "Do you want another drink?"

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Caleb raised an eyebrow as he watched Hettie. He was definitely excited for this game. It was definitely something which he found the most fun. Doing crazy stuff was kind of his forte, really.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Isaac chuckled as he saw the hot sauce. If the dares were going to be like that, then he was sure that he would be okay. "This is looking fun." He chuckled, a small smile on his lips.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "I think that, that's the only explanation, you know?" Ashton asked with a raise of an eyebrow. He was having a really good time and he was definitely glad that he was having fun. He was sure that the musical was going to be just as good. "That's what it's for, right?" He asked, smiling as he took the drink from her.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "Me too." River laughed. It was fun to watch everyone and, when she was in the mood for it, she didn't really mind making a fool out of herself. She looked at Scott as Hettie held out the spoon.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Hettie laughed as she looked at Scott. She stood up and went to the kitchen. She poured out a table spoon of hot sauce, "Eat it." She laughed, holding out the spoon to him. "I dare you to eat it." She chuckled. It was tame but she was pretty sure they could build up from there.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "Really?" Alyssa asked with a raise of an eyebrow, "Don't worry, I'll protect you." She muttered with a nod of her head and a laugh. She nudged her friend before she spoke again, "Do you want another drink?"

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Caleb raised an eyebrow as he watched Hettie. He was definitely excited for this game. It was definitely something which he found the most fun. Doing crazy stuff was kind of his forte, really.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Isaac chuckled as he saw the hot sauce. If the dares were going to be like that, then he was sure that he would be okay. "This is looking fun." He chuckled, a small smile on his lips.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "I think that, that's the only explanation, you know?" Ashton asked with a raise of an eyebrow. He was having a really good time and he was definitely glad that he was having fun. He was sure that the musical was going to be just as good. "That's what it's for, right?" He asked, smiling as he took the drink from her.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "Me too." River laughed. It was fun to watch everyone and, when she was in the mood for it, she didn't really mind making a fool out of herself. She looked at Scott as Hettie held out the spoon.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "That's such a fucking baby dare." Scott laughed, rolling his eyes - but he took the spoon and put it into his mouth, wincing as he swallowed the hot sauce. "Fucking hell...." He whispered, obviously in pain as his his mouth practically burst into flames.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "I'll hold you to that." Seth laughed softly, nodding his head. He knew that he didn't have to do anything he wasn't comfortable doing and wouldn't - but he didn't like seeing other people forced into stuff either. "Yeah, I'd love one - thanks." He smiled.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Lucy couldn't stop herself from bursting out laughing as she watched Scott's reaction to the hot sauce, shaking her head. It was definitely a sight to behold. "Alright, H - you next. Truth or dare?" She smiled.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Audrey loved games like this - seeing somebody dying from eating a spoonful of hot sauce or somebody streaking around the garden just because they were dared to... She lived for it all, it was just pure fun. "Right?! I love this game!" She laughed.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "Definitely. I've been trying to prove it to everybody for years, so I'm glad I finally have someone on board." Betsy laughed, but she was joking - she was just really enjoying herself at the party. "Yeah, exactly." She smiled, spluttering with laughter as she watched Scott.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Johnny laughed, shaking his head. "Rookie mistake - I thought it was an easy dare once too and I swear I felt my tonsils burning away." He laughed loudly, shaking his head.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Hettie raised an eyebrow as she watched Scott eat the hot sauce, "Is it a baby dare, huh?" She asked before she laughed and turned to Lucy. She shrugged her shoulders, "Definitely a dare." She smiled. She, like Scott, was bored of truth for right now.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "Please do." Alyssa nodded her head. She was definitely going to be careful with all of this. She didn't want anyone to feel like they were having to do something that they didn't want to do. She wouldn't let anyone to feel uncomfortable. She nodded and got both herself and Seth another drink. "Here you go." She whispered, handing him the cup.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Caleb laughed as he watched Scott. This was probably his favourite game. They got to see peoples boundaries while also having a bit of fun. He couldn't wait to see them all. "I can't wait to see who surprises us." He laughed.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Isaac smiled as he looked up at Audrey. She really was lovely and he definitely wanted to get to know her after this too. "We'll see what you're saying when it's your turn." Isaac chuckled. Though he was pretty sure that she would do basically anything.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "I'll be your witness when they try and tell you that you're wrong from now on, yeah?" Ashton asked with a raise of an eyebrow and a laugh. He hadn't expected to enjoy himself as much as he was.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: River laughed as she listened to Johnny and nodded her head, "I am such a baby with anything spicy so...that might actually kill me off. I do not envy him." She giggled. This was definitely starting to be a lot of fun.

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SC AM JM LO SD BA: "You're fucking horrible," Scott practically choked out, grabbing his drink to try and wash the taste away - but his laughter showed that he obviously didn't mean it. "I'll do this one -- alright, I dare you to pour a little bit of what everybody is drinking into a pint glass and down it." He laughed, shrugging his shoulders.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Lucy raised an eyebrow as Scott pretty much took the dare, but shrugged her shoulders. She wasn't going to say anything - she did find him annoying, though.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "Thanks." Seth smiled, taking the drink and setting it down next to him. "Eugh, I always hate being the one to get this dare - spirits and beer and whatever else altogether makes me want to cry at the thought." He chuckled.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Audrey laughed, nodding her head. "I know - karma is definitely going to get me back for laughing at everybody else, isn't it?" She smiled, raising an eyebrow. She would be hard pressed to turn down a dare, though - whatever it was.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "Oh, perfect. I'll need video proof of you saying it, just so you know. So I can have it on hand whenever needed." Betsy joked, laughing at the next dare and handing her drink over to the cause.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "Oh yeah? You would absolutely die with the hot sauce, then. I thought I could handle spice and I cried like a baby." Johnny laughed, shaking his head at the memory.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Hettie shrugged her shoulders with a laugh. She glanced at Lucy as Scott told her what to do but she wasn't about to comment. She pouted slightly as he spoke. "You want me to be on the fucking floor, don't you?" She asked with a raise of an eyebrow. But she grabbed one of the spare glasses and held it out to everyone. When everyone had poured some in, she took a big gulp. "That's the most disgusting thing I've ever tried..." She whined, before drinking the rest.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Alyssa cringed as she watched Hettie have a drink. "I honestly could not think of anything worse." She muttered with a shake of her head. "Nor do I think my body could handle that much alcohol in one go."

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Caleb laughed as he watched Hettie. "Think it's your turn, Lucy." Caleb smiled at her as he shrugged his shoulders. She was another one that definitely intrigued him. He definitely wanted to know what it was that made her tick.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Isaac nodded, "I think it might do, yeah. But I guess we'll see." He shrugged his shoulders slightly. Because of her, he definitely felt more at ease and more with it, with the game. And he didn't think he could ever be more appreciative of that.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "Consider it done." Ashton chuckled and nodded his head. He watched Hettie and couldn't help but laugh. "That looks like the worst thing in the world. I had to do it in Ring of Fire, once. Had the worst hangover the next day."

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "Then yeah - that's definitely not a dare for me. I'll keep it in mind." River chuckled. She was enjoying tonight. They were all so different, from different places both physically and mentally, but they already seemed to be getting on well. It was really nice.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "I just want to get you back for making me drink the fucking hot sauce." Scott laughed, shaking his head. He knew his next dare wouldn't be such an easy one; he wanted to get people's secrets out pretty soon. He laughed as she drank, shaking his head. "Payback." He grinned.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Lucy smiled as Caleb said it was her turn, raising an eyebrow. "I'll go dare, then - couldn't be much worse than those two." She laughed, waiting to hear what she was going to have to do. She would just say no if it was something she didn't want to do, anyway.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "It's called like a dirty pint or something, right?" Seth raised an eyebrow, cringing slightly as he watched Hettie drinking the concoction. "It's not pleasant, I can't lie to you... I think the first time I threw up as a teenager was because of one of those." He laughed.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Audrey was so happy that Isaac seemed to be more into the party now; at least that's what she thought, anyway. "Well - I, for one, am I excited to see what they throw at me." She chuckled. She was drunk, but she could definitely be a lot drunker and she liked being at this level for now.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "I'm not surprised, I swear whatever's in that glass is gonna rot her guts away or something." Betsy laughed, scrunching her nose up. "It looks like a fucking witches potion." She laughed.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Johnny was so happy he'd come tonight; and that he was in the cast in general, because he was having such a good time and these people all seemed really cool. "I need to come up with some dares so I can actually contribute." He laughed.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "I hate you so much." Hettie laughed as she nudged him, when she finally finished the pint. She could already feel her stomach churning. She rested her head against Scotts shoulder with a sigh as she looked up at Lucy.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Caleb smiled as Lucy said dare. He thought for a moment before he spoke again. "Alright - since it's a party and all - I dare you to kiss the person you're most attracted to in the circle." He didn't think it was all that big a deal, really, but he thought it would be a pretty interesting one.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "Something like that, yeah." Alyssa muttered in response to Seth. She shook her head slightly. She honestly couldn't have thought of anything worse if she tried. She smiled slightly as she heard Lucys, very glad that it wasn't her though.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "You seem pretty fearless though?" Isaac asked her. He was far from it. There were so many things that Isaac was afraid off and let control him. He was really trying to get better with it all though.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "It's gotta, right? It looks fucking awful." Ashton didn't even really want to think about it too much. He looked curiously at Lucy then, when he heard Calebs dare. He had assumed it would go there eventually and he was definitely intrigued.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "You do! Get thinking." River laughed. She never really contributed to the dare side of things, she wasn't creative enough, she thought. But she loved being the one to do them and watching others do them. She thought that, that was a lot of fun.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "Bullshit." Scott laughed, putting an arm fondly around Hettie's shoulders as she rested her head against him. "Alright, here's where it gets good." He smirked as he heard Caleb's dare, raising an eyebrow as he waited to see what happened.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Lucy laughed at the dare - she had absolutely expected something like that and she raised an eyebrow as she looked around the room. It wasn't exactly slim pickings - everybody in there seemed to be genetically blessed in some way or another. "There's literally nobody unattractive in this room." She laughed. She chewed on her lip as she thought, downing what was left of her drink before she crossed the circle and kissed Ashton quickly.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Seth had a smirk on his face as he heard the question; he felt like he was back in secondary school all over again and he didn't even hate it. Everybody seemed like they were having fun and because of that - and Alyssa, so was he.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "I don't know if it's fearless or stupid." Audrey laughed, shaking her head. "And there are definitely some things I'm scared of - can't watch a horror film without screaming my head off." She smiled. She still loved them, though. "Oh god, we've moved onto the next level." She laughed as she heard the question.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Betsy smiled as she watched Lucy go to kiss Ashton, nudging him jokingly as the girl moved away. "Out of all of this lot? Must be the beer goggles." She teased - she was obviously joking, he was quite obviously very attractive and even she could admit that.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Johnny grinned at the question, shaking his head - this was where things got interesting: always. "Alright, Caleb! Truth or dare?" He laughed. He hadn't thought of anything yet, so he hoped someone else had or he'd be doing some quick thinking.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Usually, Hettie wouldn't be so overly tactile but she was definitely on the right side of drunk and she was feeling it. She giggled as she looked at Lucy and cheered as her friend kissed Ashton. "Good choice." The blonde muttered, though it definitely wouldn't be her choice. She agreed with Lucy, none of them were exactly ugly.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Caleb nodded his head in agreement with what Lucy said and beamed as she picked someone. "That wasn't so hard, was it?" He asked with a raise of an eyebrow and a laugh. He looked over at Johnny before he smirked, "Dare. Obviously." He chuckled.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Alyssas face flushed slightly as she thought for a moment about who she would kiss, if it was reversed and she knew that it would be the person sat next to her. She shook her head and turned her attention to Caleb, "Do you think anyone will actually pick truth?" She would, if she wasn't the first, she thought.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "Aren't they basically one in the same, anyway?" Isaac whispered back to her. He had always thought that, anyway. He didn't understand how someone could be fearless without being a little stupid. "We were always going to get there, weren't we?" He muttered.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Ashton raised an eyebrow as Lucy came over to him but he happily kissed her back. He knew he was good looking but he had thought it would be someone else. "Alright - calm it down." He laughed as he nudged Betsy back and shook his head.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: River smiled as Johnny spoke to Caleb, "What have you got, Johnny?" She asked with a raise of an eyebrow and a laugh. She was definitely intrigued with this one.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Scott was very drunk by this point - and sometimes, the drink could turn him into a not very nice person, so he was glad that he was in a good mood now. "Pft, I'm offended." He laughed, raising an eyebrow. He was just joking around, though.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "Harder than I thought it would be." Lucy laughed, shrugging her shoulders - she didn't think she had ever had so much choice before, but she definitely stood by hers. "Who would you have picked?" She whispered to Hettie with a laugh.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Seth knew what he would answer immediately, if that was his question - but he was trying no to let himself think about it, because he wasn't sure if her answer would be the same. "I might." He answered. He would be after Caleb, after all. The dares were only getting to get bigger and bigger from here and he wasn't sure if he wanted a part of that.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "You might be onto something there." Audrey laughed, raising an eyebrow. She knew she could be stupid sometimes - or at least, she could do stupid things... But everything had turned out alright in the end. "What do you think you'll go for when it's your turn, truth or dare?" She asked with a smile.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Betsy laughed, shrugging her shoulders. She wasn't sure who she would have chosen, if it came to her - she thought there were a couple of potential choices in there. "Who would you have chosen, if it was reversed?" She laughed, raising an eyebrow as she looked around the room, trying to guess.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "Nice!" Johnny laughed approvingly, nodding his head - he loved that everyone was choosing dares. "Okay.. I dare you to... play snog, marry, avoid with any three people in this room." He laughed.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Hettie laughed as she heard Scott and rolled her eyes. As the question was returned to Hettie, she shrugged her shoulders, "Probably --- Johnny." She wasn't going to say Scott when he was sat right there, and she didn't know who she would pick between the two, realyl.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Caleb nodded his head and looked around the circle as he heard his dare. "Alright..." He muttered. "I'd snog Audrey." He winked at her with a laugh. It was so clear how gorgeous she was. "Marry Lucy. She gets the pressure of my mother." He said dramatically before he laughed. "And I'm sorry but I don't think I'd ever be able to put up with Alyssa and her organisation. Just let me be messy! So I'd avoid her." He chuckled, hoping the other wouldn't be offended but also trying to make a little joke out of it.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Alyssa raised an eyebrow as she looked up at Seth. She wondered what he would pick but before she could say anything else... her attention was taken by Caleb. She laughed as she looked at him "I wouldn't be able to put up with your mess... so fairs fair."

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Isaac shrugged. It struck him then, that, that might sound a little mean and he absolutely did not mean for it to. He hoped that she didn't take any kind of offense to it. He sighed. "I don't really know. It's kind of a chicken move to go for Truth, isn't it?"

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Ashton looked around the room, at the others faces, as he heard what Betsy had to say and he shrugged. "Probably Audrey." He chuckled, nodding over to the girl. It was clear how gorgeous she was. "Who would you?"

HD CK AM IS RW AK: River chuckled as she listened to the dare. She was definitely getting past tipsy now and she was having a lot of fun. She wondered if this would be how it was with the group all throughout the rehearsals and show. She hoped so.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Scott rolled his eyes as Hettie said Johnny's name, but there was a smirk on his face. He knew he was good looking and he didn't need anybody to tell him; if anything, he probably needed knocking down a peg or two.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Lucy laughed as Caleb said he'd marry her, shrugging her shoulders. "Pressurizing mothers can bond people, what can I say?" She chuckled. She nodded at Hettie's choice - she didn't really get it, but she didn't think Johnny was necessarily bad looking.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Seth smiled, looking over at Alyssa. "He would not be able to handle the notebooks." He grinned. He liked Caleb, he thought he seemed like a nice guy - he thought it could've been easy to be mean with that question and he wasn't.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: *continued* Realising it was his turn, he looked around at the group. "I choose truth, I guess. I'll be the first." He chuckled.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Audrey laughed as Caleb picked her for the first one, winking back at him with a smile. He was definitely an attractive guy - but then again, they all were. "Chicken? I think I'd probably be more scared to go for truth than I would for dare." She laughed, turning to Seth with interest.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "Ooh, nice choice." Betsy nodded her head approvingly. "I think Caleb. Or maybe Hettie." She mused, unable to make up her mind just yet. She laughed with a shrug of her shoulders, this game was fun.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "A truth! Brave guy." Johnny laughed, teasing. Truth was always a little tamer, he thought - but he had no idea what would happen with this particularly group of people.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Hettie noticed Scott rolling his eyes but she wasn't about to comment, she didn't see the point. She sat up a little then. "I need another drink, you coming?" She asked, as she stood up, wobbling a little as she did so. She knew it wouldn't be too long till everyone had to leave but she was going to enjoy everyone being there for a little while longer.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Caleb nodded, "See - that's what I mean!" He laughed. He was glad that no-one seemed to get upset about any of his answers. And the two girls he had said first seemed pretty happy with it all.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Alyssa smiled slightly as Seth picked truth. She wasn't about to say anything, but she couldn't wait to see what the others had to say, what they would ask him. She thought that this would be a lot of fun.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Isaac chuckled slightly as Audrey spoke. "Really? Why?" He asked with a raise of an eyebrow. He didn't want to embarrass himself by having to do something stupid for a dare.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Ashton nodded his head. It didn't even phase him that she didn't pick him. "You picked two .That's cheating." He laughed before he shook his head. "Okay...I've got one" Ashton spoke, "If you're saving everyone here from a burning building, and have to leave one behind, who would it be ?"

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "I'd say so." THere would be no way that River would put herself in that kind of position. She would much rather look a little bit silly than have to spill some of her darkest secrets to everyone."

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Scott nodded his head, getting up and laughing at Hettie's wobble. He had no idea what time it was, but he wished the party wouldn't have to end at some point - he was enjoying himself too much. "Want some of this?" He asked Hettie, holding up the bottle he found.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "Ooh, ouch." Lucy laughed as she heard the dare, raising her eyebrows. She wondered what Seth was going to say, what his answer would be.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "Wow!" Seth laughed, shaking his head as he heard the question. "You know, honestly... Probably Scott. Sorry man, but I think you'd want to get yourself out." He chuckled, shrugging his shoulders apologetically.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "Because everybody knows dares are silly, everybody just laughs. The truths can get you in trouble." Audrey laughed, but she was only joking. "Alyssa, your turn! Truth or dare?" She smiled at the other girl.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "No it's not! Not if I can't choose." Betsy laughed, shrugging her shoulders. It seemed obvious to her that at some point, something would happen between people in the cast and she wondered who it would be.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Johnny would also much rather do a dare than a truth - he just had more fun that way, but he knew the truths could provide a lot of gossip and he was intrigued.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "Of course I do." The blonde laughed. She nodded her head and held out her cup. Hettie pouted as she heard Seths answer and looked up at Scott, "I'd save you." She liked Scott, she didn't see why everyone else seemed to have such a problem. "You wanna stay tonight?" She asked him and shrugged her shoulders.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Caleb liked this game for exactly this reason. It got down to the nitty gritty of it all and he loved it. "That's a sound point." He nodded slightly. He'd have probably said the same but for a less diplomatic reason.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Alyssa chewed on her lip for a moment before she looked at Audrey, "Truth. Please." She gave her a small smile. She was definitely nervous about what the other might pick for her but was trying not to let on.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Isaac definitely hadn't thought of it that way but now that he did, he knew that Audrey had a point and he nodded his head slightly. "Very fair." He looked at Alyssa, curiously. He was sure it would be interesting.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Ashton didn't think he had been in a single musical where some people didn't get it on. So he had no doubt that it would happen with this one too. He nodded as he heard Seths answer. "Very democratic." He wasn't sure if that was the right word but he didn't much care, either.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: River titled her head curiously as she heard Alyssas choice. She couldn't wait to see what someone picked for this one, that was for sure.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Scott laughed, pouring quite a lot of the whiskey into Hettie's cup with a smirk. He raised an eyebrow at her offer. "Yeah, why not?" He smirked. He always had a lot of fun with Hettie and he definitely wanted to stay over.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Lucy laughed at Seth's answer; she would've answered the same, she thought, but she wouldn't have been as kind as he was. She really liked this group of people and she was feeling optimistic about the musical.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "Why thank you. I try to make at least one, every once in a while." Seth laughed, nodding his head. He turned to Alyssa with a smile as she picked truth, wondering what she was going to get asked.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Audrey smiled back at the brunette; she had been quite quiet through the game and Audrey thought she might be a little bit nervous, so she would try to go a bit easier on her. "Okay! Everybody knows that people get together all the time in musicals. Who do you think will be the first two people?" She chuckled.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Betsy laughed, nodding her head. "I was just thinking that exact same thing." She chuckled. "And you can't say Hettie and Scott because I'm pretty sure they don't count." She rolled her eyes. She actually got on quite well with Scott and she definitely knew some stuff.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Johnny laughed - he hadn't even thought about that really, but it was definitely true that in any show he'd ever done there'd been at least one hook up or couple.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Hettie had the house to herself tonight, something that she had always hated. It was too big for just one person, she thought. She didn't even think much of offering Scott to say over. "Good." She laughed as she nodded her head. She glared over at Betsy the, "Why don't we count?" She asked with a raise of an eyebrow.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "Ooooh that's a good one!" Caleb laughed. He stood, to get himself another drink but was back before Alyssa even answered. He was definitely curious, that was for sure.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Alyssa chewed on her lip as she heard her truth. She didn't think that it was an especially hard one... but she didn't want to piss anyone off either. She shrugged, "I dunno? Maybe Ashton and Betsy? They seem pretty close tonight I guess." She didn't think that she knew any of them well enough to know though.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Isaac smiled slightly as he listened to Alyssa and then turned to Audrey, "Do we even have to ask you what you're choosing?" He asked with a raise of an eyebrow. And though he didn't have a dare for her, he was sure that someone else could jump in.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Ashton laughed as Alyssa picked him and Betsy and he looked to the other for a moment. He hadn't thought of her like that. Not that he hadn't thought she was gorgeous ... it just hadn't crossed his mind. "What do you think, Bets?"

HD CK AM IS RW AK: River laughed. She knew that, that was bound to happen sooner or later and she couldn't wait to find out. She wasn't a gossip by any means, she just found it incredibly interesting.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Scott didn't think it was a big deal that he was staying over, but he had to laugh at what Betsy said, rolling his eyes at her. He knew she didn't mean anything by it.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Lucy looked up at Hettie as she spoke to the other girl; she didn't think she would've been all that happy about what Betsy said.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Seth thought the question was pretty interesting and he didn't actually know what he would've answered, if it had come to him. He liked that everybody seemed in good spirits about all of the questions, though.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Audrey laughed, shaking her head. "I would hope not, by now." She smiled. "Dare, please - obviously." She chuckled. She had had enough of truth in never have I ever and she was definitely more than tipsy by now and ready for her dare.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Betsy laughed as Alyssa glared at her, raising an eyebrow. "Sorry, is it not public knowledge?" She chuckled softly. She laughed even louder at Alyssa's answer; she hadn't really thought like that, she just got on well with Ashton. "I think the wedding is next week and you're all invited." She laughed, teasing.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Johnny grabbed another drink and checked the time on his phone; it was so late now... or early, depending on how you looked at it and he wondered when Hettie was actually going to kick them all out.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "Is what not public knowledge? What the fuck are you talking about?" Hettie didn't care what people knew about her ... but she was slow at the best of times and the alcohol was definitely not helping her with the uptake on what Betsy or the others were talking about.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Alyssa chewed on her lip as she watched Hettie and Betsy. She didn't think that, that would end well if they got into it but Betsy, at least, seemed in good spirits. She hated that her question had caused even a little tension though... and she laughed as she heard Betsy, "Oh, I bloody love a wedding!"

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Caleb smirked slightly as he heard Audrey pick dare and he looked at River, who seemed to have something brewing for her. He was definitely looking forward to hearing what that one was.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Isaac was unsure as to what to say when it came to dares. He wasn't the best at thinking outside of the box, never had been. So he really hoped that someone else said something soon.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Ashton nodded, "Yeah, we're totally flipping everything too. Groom walks down the aisle." He shrugged before he looked at Betsy and laughed. He was glad that she was in on it all with him too. He already felt like the two had a solid friendship.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: River knew that she should head home soon but she was having a lot of fun. "I dare you to stand outside in your underwear for thirty seconds!" River laughed as she took another sip of her drink. She didn't think that Audrey would think it was a big deal which was half of the fun.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Scott wasn't even sure what was going on, if he was honest - and he didn't care. He would let the girls have their spat. He laughed loudly at the door, looking over at Audrey and wondering if she would do it.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "I don't think she means anything, H. Right?" Lucy looked over to Betsy with a raise of an eyebrow, pretty much asking her to just leave it. She didn't want an argument at the last minute.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Seth laughed loudly at the dare, looking at Alyssa with a smile. "It's freezing outside - poor girl." He chuckled, shaking his head. He knew she would do it and that was what made it all the more funny.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Audrey burst out laughing, looking over at River - it was the funniest dare they'd had yet, she thought. "Can I keep my shoes on?" She laughed, joking around with the other. She laughed again before she downed her drink and stood up, walking over to the door and pulling her dress over her head, throwing it on the floor. "Can't believe I actually wore matching underwear today!" She laughed, before stepping outside.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Betsy rolled her eyes. "Absolutely nothing, Hettie. Must be mistaken." She couldn't be bothered arguing with her tonight, not when she hadn't even meant anything by the remark. She laughed loudly as Audrey stripped off, walking over to the window to look out and wave at her.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Johnny laughed, looking at River with a grin. "You're the master of dares! You've been keeping all the good ones locked up inside your head all this time!" He laughed loudly.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Hettie rolled her eyes before she took a big gulp of her drink. She didn't think that she was starting anything, she was just genuinely confused about the whole situation. Though she quickly perked up as she heard the next dare and ran to stand beside Betsy. "God - she is gorgeous." The girl laughed as she shook her head slightly.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Caleb followed after the two girls and peered out of the window with a laugh. He waved out to Audrey before he shook his head. "I fucking love her." He muttered. He was pretty sure that the majority of them wouldn't do something like that.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Alyssas eyes went wide as she heard the dare ... and even wider as she realised that Audrey was actually going to do it. "She's definitely going to get a cold.." She muttered with a shake of her head. She stayed in her seat. SHe didn't think that Audrey needed an audience.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Isaac laughed as he heard Audreys retort. He was definitely impressed by her, that was for sure. Isaac stayed where he was as Audrey went outside. He knew that she would do it and he didn't think it was fair to watch her. It wasn't like she had asked for the dare.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Ashton chuckled at Betsys response. He definitely liked how she handled herself, that was for sure. He followed after the others and looked over the girls heads to see Audrey outside. "It's fucking freezing out there.."

HD CK AM IS RW AK: River burst out laughing as she heard Johnny and she shrugged her shoulders, "What can I say? I was waiting for the right moment!" She giggled. She definitely liked that he seemed to be enjoying it thouhg.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Scott had followed the others to look out of the window, unable to stop himself laughing as he watched the girl outside. He found it funny how easily she had agreed to doing it.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Lucy was happy when the two girls just seemed to leave the little spat; it wasn't worth it all for the sake of a misunderstanding, she thought. She didn't go to the window either, not thinking it was massively fair even though she knew Audrey wouldn't care.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "I know - I feel like I should put the kettle on for her or something." Seth chuckled. It was absolutely freezing to the point where he was cold inside, with clothes on so he had no idea how Audrey was actually staying out there.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Audrey was giggling uncontrollably as she watched the others come to the window, waving back at them. "I'm fucking freezing!" She shouted through the window, waiting until her time was up before she ran back in and pulled her dress back on, wrapping her arms around herself - still laughing.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "I know - it's not fair, is it?" Betsy replied to Hettie with a laugh, shaking her head as the blonde came running back inside. "It is really, really cold." She responded to Ashton, unable to not laugh as she said it.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Johnny nodded his head. "I can see that!" He laughed. "Alright, Isaac! Truth or dare, mate?" He smiled. "Dunno how we're gonna top that one, though." He chuckled.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Hettie was laughing along with everyone else. "That was hilarious!" She cried, quickly going over to grab a blanket for Audrey through. She threw it at the other before looking around at the rest of them. "Make it the last one." Hettie spoke, as she yawned "I need my bed soon."

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Caleb laughed as he looked at Audrey, "Well fucking done though. I'd have told River to stick it." He smiled at the girl, to show that he didn't mean any kind of offence. He raised an eyebrow as he heard Hettie, though he knew that it was pretty late. "Well - if we can't top it..?"

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Alyssa looked up at Audrey, "Do you want us to make you a cup of tea or anything?" She asked, she couldn't seem to help herself, really. She just wanted to make sure that the other girl was okay.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Ashton laughed loudly as he heard Audrey and clapped the girl on the back gently, "Well played." He chuckled before he turned to look over at Isaac. He was pretty sure he knew what the other would say.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Isaac shrugged his shoulders slightly, "Er - I dunno. Truth?" He muttered, though he didn't know if anyone was even listening after what Hettie had said to them.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "i'm gonna go and call my taxi, I think. Anyone want in?" River asked as she looked around the group. When she said taxi, she meant her dad and she knew tht he would drop everyone off.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Johnny laughed as he heard Hettie, nodding his head. "Well, shall we just say Isaac has to go first next time, then?" He grinned, raising an eyebrow. If the host wanted them gone, it wasn't like there was much point in continuing the game. "Oh, definitely." He smiled over at River - he was drunk and tired and couldn't be bothered walking.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Scott was pretty happy when Hettie told people to make it the last one; he was definitely ready for it to be just the two of them, even though he had enjoyed the night a lot more than he'd originally thought he would've.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Seth got up as he realised the game was pretty much ending, wondering whether or not he should offer to walk Alyssa home... He wanted to, but he didn't know if it was too forward. "I.. uh... Do you want me to walk you home?" He asked her with a smile.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Audrey laughed as the boys spoke to her, nodding her head. "Thank you, thank you! Dare's a dare, isn't it?" She grinned - she had thought it was fun. "You're so sweet - I'm honestly fine, though. Just dramatic." She smiled at Alyssa. She shook her head at River's offer; she was in the mood for the walk, she still had a lot of energy. "I'm gonna walk! But thank you." She smiled.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Lucy lived quite far away, so her parents had given her money for a taxi - she knew it would be too far out of the way for anybody else. She was already ordering an Uber on her phone as everybody spoke.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "Where are you going to?" Betsy asked River, not wanting her to go too far out of the way. She would walk if it was, she didn't mind - she never really felt scared on her own and if she did, she'd just call one of her brothers.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Hettie nodded as she listened to Johnny. She was a little disappointed that she hadn't been able to properly talk to everyone tonight but she knew that there was plenty of time for all of that. Right now, she knew she was getting to the end of her tether with this amount of people. She smiled as she looked at Scott. "Luce, you can just stay in one of the spare rooms, if you want?"

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Alyssa got up herself. She was going to call her sister on the way home so she didn't mind the walk ... but smiled as she heard Seth and his offer. "Y- yeah. Sure." Her smile widened, "I mean - if it's not too much out of your way?"

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Caleb shook his head slightly as he looked at Audrey. He definitely liked her, "I'll walk with you?" He said to her. He didn't like the idea of someone, anyone, walking home on their own this early in the morning. He knew that his mother would never forgive him if he just let it happen.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Isaac smiled, "Next time." He muttered. He had planned to walk home and the late night didn't deter him. He would definitely appreciate the walk and to think over the night. He was interested in what he would end up figuring out.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: River shrugged as Betsy spoke to her, "Well, wherever Johnny lives and then I'm over in the west end. My dad really won't care about taking you home though, honestly." She chuckled. She didn't want anyone to worry about how they'd get home.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Ashton stood up and started to gather together his things. He had gotten a lift from a friend there so he supposed it was time for him to set off. "I guess I'll see you all in the first rehearsal, huh?"

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Lucy smiled at Hettie's offer, but she shook her head. She liked her own space too much, especially when she knew she was going to wake up hungover. "You're a sweetheart, but I've already got an Uber on the way." She chuckled, shaking her head.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: Scott was happy he was staying over, not just because of Hettie but because he also really couldn't be bothered going back to his parents - even though his house was five minutes walk away, maximum.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "No, not at all..." Seth smiled, although he had absolutely no idea where Alyssa lived. She had walked to the party though, so he thought she couldn't be that far away - and he wanted to spend a little bit more time with her.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "Yeah, perfect. I'm in Mayfair, is that near you?" Audrey asked with a smile; she wouldn't complain about company, especially Caleb, but she didn't want anybody going really far out. "How are you getting home?" She turned to Isaac with a smile. They had gone into the party together after all and she wanted to make sure he would get home safe.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "He's an angel. If you're sure he won't mind, I'll jump in." Betsy laughed, nodding her head. She pulled out her phone. "Fucking hell, when did it get to 3am?" She laughed, raising an eyebrow. She was definitely ready for her bed now.

SC AM JM LO SD BA: "See you at the first rehearsal, mate!" Johnny smiled, grabbing his jacket and finishing his drink. He was grateful to be getting a lift home, that was for sure.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: The blonde nodded as Lucy turned down her offer, "Text me when you get home though, yeah?" She didn't know if she would even still be awake then but she still wanted to have the reassurance when she woke up.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "If you just walk me to the tube station, that would be great." Alyssa muttered with a nod of her head. She wasn't ashamed of where she lived, though it was nowhere near as grand as this, she just didn't want Seth to go too far out of his way.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Caleb shrugged, "I'm in Camden but I'll just hop on the tube when I've dropped you off. It's all good." He chuckled. Sometimes it still amazed him, how big London was. And he guessed that it made sense that so many people from such different placed would come together for this.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "I'm gonna walk home." Isaac nodded. "But I'm - I'm fine on my own. Helps me clear my head a little." He chuckled. He didn't want to offend her. He just liked the fresh air and his own thoughts every once in a while.

HD CK AM IS RW AK: "Of course he won't!" River smiled. They didn't live too far from Chelsea, only in Notting Hill, but she knew that her dad wouldn't mind dropping people off wherever they needed to be. "Come on. He'll be here in a minute .

HD CK AM IS RW AK: Ashton smiled before he headed out the door. He had a bit of a treck ahead of him but he didn't mind. He knew that when he had decided to come .