#took a break from workin only to do the exact same thing but to the left

[nottspocket]

Finished up an old draft to try to revive my mojo 🤌

[sharksfrommars]

part 4 of Dad Stan! Now with 50% less Stan.

part 1 | last part | next part

Sorry for the surprise portal stan. I’m not actually. Introducing Fiddleford! Ford hasn’t talked to a child in 10 years, he needs the help

hope u enjoy!

Ford freaks tf out trying to find a little girl.

It was a cold, dark night. Ford had no idea where to look. He was running on no sleep and was bleeding through his bandages. All he wanted to do was to stew in his own self loathing, wrap himself in blankets and feel sorry for himself. But he couldn’t do that, not whilst a little girl’s wellbeing was on the line.

The thing is, Ford was sure that Lola wouldn’t want to see him. If she saw him, she’d probably run. He needed help. Not just with finding Lola, but with dealing will Bill as well.  Ford had nothing left, except to grovel to whoever’s left that will hear him out. Right now, there was only one person who could help.

“I don’t wanna speak with you, Stanferd.”

“Look, Fidds please just hear me out”

Fiddleford McGucket didn’t answer until the 4th call, and even then he ended it as soon as he heard Ford speak. Ford kept calling and calling, he supposed his friend must be getting tired of the constant ringing.

“Hear you out about WHAT, Stanferd.” Fiddleford sounded tired. “what could ya POSSIBLY have to say to me?”

“I’m… I’m sorry. I’m sorry Fidds, you were right.”

A beat passed before Fiddleford responded. 

“Who are ya and what have you done with Stanford?”

Ford sighed. “I know, Fidds. I should have listened to you a long time ago. I was… look I was stupid and it took me making the biggest mistake of my life to realise it. But right now, I need your help because there’s a little girl out there lost in the woods-“

“-ya brought a CHILD in’ta this? FORD?”

“I know I know, I’ll explain everything. I just need your help finding her.”

“I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

Ford explained the situation as they trekked through the snow. Thankfully, the blizzard had slowed, and the night seemed almost peaceful. Ford dug up every lump in the snow, hoping Lola was there. Fiddleford didn’t speak until Ford had finished his story.

“Ya done fucked up, Stanferd”

“I know. Lola likely won’t speak to me. I’m hoping she’ll speak to you, though.”

Fiddleford nodded sombrely, and then carried on silently for about 2  hour, only breaking it to occasionally call out for Lola. There was never a response. Ford got more antsy the longer they searched. He’d already killed his brother tonight. He couldn’t bear it if he killed his daughter the same night.

After a while, Fiddleford groaned loudly in frustration.

“this aint Workin’ Ford. She could be miles away. We don’t even know which direction she went. The storm covered up her footprints.”

“We can’t just leave her out here! She could DIE, Fidds!”

“I ain’t saying we leave ‘er. We just gotta think smarter. Imagine yer a little girl-“

“How am I supposed to imagine That?”

“-quiet, Ford. Imagine yer a little girl whose daddy just fell through a hell portal. What’s the thing that ya want the most?”

Ford thought for a moment.

“Instructions on how to get him from the portal?”

Fiddleford smacked Ford over the head.

“No, ya idjit! Ya wanna feel safe. Ya wanna go home and hide in ya blankets and pretend ya just made it up.”

Ford looked beside himself. “She’s going to go home? But Stan said they came from Washington! We’ve gotta get to the bus st-“

Fiddleford smacked Ford again. “Ya said Stanley drove? My guess is she went there.”

Ford bounced on the balls of his feet. It was a decent hypothesis, but Ford couldn’t be certain. And he didn’t know where Stan parked his car. Or if he locked it. Or what it looked like. It seemed unlikely that Stan had the same exact car as they did when they were young.

He explained all this to Fiddleford, who shook his head. 

“We don’t need ta know where she wanted to go, we need the direction she’d wanna go. She can’t go that far. And ya said she’s ‘somewhere between 3 and 8’, which is an insane range by the way.”

“The road!” Ford exclaimed. He grabbed Fiddleford and kissed him, before running off towards the road. Fiddleford took a moment to rub his temples in frustration before following.

The road that lead to Ford’s house was long, quiet and empty. It must have been midnight my now, which Ford could feel. He was incredibly sleep deprived and had numerous major injuries. Ford didn’t know what happened next. He’d nearly killed Lola when Bill took over. All he could do was hope and pray she hadn’t been left out in the snow, all alone. It was his fault, he let a demon into his head. Why, because he was nice to him? Because he told Ford that he was smart? Is that really what his livelihood was worth.

Ford went through plans on getting rid of Bill’s influence on him. Hopefully Fiddleford would have ideas, if he was willing to stick around that long. That’s when he saw a red car in the distance. Stationary, but without snow. The interior lights were on and Ford could hear the gentle grumble of its engine. It was a car he recognised. A car he spent a lot of time in, driving down the beachfront laughing and singing along to the radio. A picture from a time so long ago, when the world was still simple. Ford understood why Lola would feel safe there.

Ford turned to tell Fiddleford, who had also seen the car. He looked at Ford with a mix between shock and joy.

“Reckon that’s it?” Fiddleford said.

“I- he- that’s his car from high school. He never got a new one.”

Fiddleford nodded. “Come on”, he said, “let’s go meet yer niece”

Lola was curled up in the back seat, clutching her stuffed axolotl. She had cried her self to sleep, her cheeks stained with tears. She had wrapped herself in a large jacket that Ford could only assume was Stanley’s. Ford immediately checked her pulse, despite seeing her breathing. He had to be sure.

“She’s… ok. She’s ok” he whispered to himself. He turned to Fiddleford and gave him a hug.

“She’s ok, Fidds.”

Fiddleford patted Ford’s head.

“Yeah she is, Ford. Let’s get her inside.”

Ford drove the Stanley-Mobile, with Fiddleford in the passenger seat. Lola didn’t stir at all, just clutched tighter to Lizard. It was strange, driving Stan’s car. It smelt like him, like the ocean, like summer afternoons spent getting splinters on a rickety old boat. It smelt like cigarettes, like loneliness and regret. He pulled down the sun visor, more out of habit than anything else. He saw the picture that Stan still had taped there. The two of them, back in 1960-something, after a boxing match. They were smiling.

“Is that the two of ya?” Asked Fiddleford. Ford just nodded, not trusting his voice not to crack. He was crying now.

“Ya look alike.”

“We’re twins.” Ford said quietly. “He came out 15 minutes after me. He always said he’d go out the same way”

Fiddleford laid a comforting hand on Ford’s shoulder as he drove into his house.

Fiddleford carried Lola into the house, as Ford rushed to clear his sofa. He got a blanket for her, tucking her in gently, before he sat at the dining table with Fiddleford to have his 12th cup of coffee.

“Ya really gotta drink that much coffee?” Fiddleford said, “Ya gonna piss yerself.” 

“I’ll have you know, I have excellent control of my bladder.” Ford huffed in response. “Besides. I can’t go to sleep. Not until we figure out a way to get bill out of my head.”

So Ford and Fiddleford sat there, brainstorming for an hour. They were both wearing tinfoil hats, after Fiddleford put it out there as a joke. What they needed was unicorn hair. They wouldn’t give it to anyone who wasn’t pure of heart, which already ruled out the both of them. Fiddleford insisted neither of them would work, pointing out each of their flaws. They brainstormed to the early hours, running only on jellybeans and a lot of coffee. 

The rising sun glared through the boarded up windows, and Lola woke up. She looked around, not recognising the space she was in. At least she had Lizard, who she clutched tightly in her arms.

“Uh, Stan?” She called out. “Staaaan! Where are you?”

Lola felt tears well up in her eyes. She only remembered a little of what happened yesterday, most of it being consumed by overwhelming grief and sadness. She got up, and rubbed her eyes, before looking at Lizard.

“I guess it just you and me, lizard” she said, picking up her toy and squeezing it. She decided it was a good time to explore. For that, she’d need a weapon, in case there were bad guys. She wandered about, until she found a long pointy stick. 

“This’ll do. Now let’s go fight bad guys”

Lola wandered about the house, with Lizard in one hand and the stick tightly clenched in the other. She waved it around in front of her like a sword, and walked as quietly as she could.

“Lizard. This is Stan’s Evil Twin’s house. I forgot his name.” She whispered. “He hurt Stan so I hate him. I think we should kill him”

Lizard said nothing, as to be expected from

A stuffed animal. Lola took the silence as agreement.

“We have to be careful though. And brave like Stan said.”

Lizard continues his silence, as Lola stared deeply into his derpy face. A grave expression crossed her.

“It’s ok if you’re scared, Lizard. I can be brave for both of us.”

Lola’s stomach grumbled. She was hungry. Usually Stan would make her Stancakes for breakfast when she was sad. But Stan was-

Lola started to cry. She wanted Stan to give her a big warm hug. To kiss her forehead and tell her everything’s going to be alright. But Stan wasn’t here. He was taken by the portal in the basement. And now Lola was all alone, no one else in the world there to look after her. 

The image of Stan falling through the portal was burned in her mind. It was like a nightmare. She remembered the terrifying look of Stan’s Brother’s face, the horrible laugh. She stopped walking and bawled, curling up with Lizard. She heard footsteps approaching, and looked up to see a man she had never seen before. He was tall, blond and skinny, with dorky glasses on. He looked friendly, but Lola was on edge. She got her stick and pointed it at the man.

“Well, that’s a lovely stick ya got there, little miss!” The man said, wearing a gentle smile. “Are ya ok? You look like you could do with a hug.”

“My dad said not to hug strangers.” Lola said. The man laughed.

“Ya dad’s probably right. How’s about I introduce myself. Is that ok?” 

Lola considered this. She didn’t know him, and didn’t have a reason to trust him. But Stan wasn’t there, and she really did want a hug. The man kept his distance. Clearly he didn’t want to make Lola uncomfortable. She hugged lizard tighter, as she nodded.

“My name’s Fiddleford Hadron McGucket. I’m a researcher, and I got a little boy at home, about your age.”

“That’s a stupid name.” Lola said. “Are you friends with the Evil Twin?”

Fiddleford laughed. “I guess you could say that. But Ford ain’t evil.” Lola glared.

“He built a portal to hell, and then he pushed Stan there. He’s evil.”

Fiddleford’s face softened. “He didn’t do that cus he’s evil. He got tricked. What’s your name, little miss?”

Lola looked at Lizard. “My name is Lola Pines, I’m 5 years old. Stan said that means I’m a big girl now, so don’t mess with me”

Fiddleford nodded. “Yeah I can tell! You’re mighty threatening’ with that sword of yours.”

“It’s a stick.” Lola said matter of factly.

“Oh. Of course. What’s your axolotl friend’s name?”

Lola held lizard closer. “His name is lizard. He scared of strangers, so don’t touch him. Only me and Stan is allowed.”

Fiddleford didn’t dare go closer to her. He asked Lola questions, and listened to her rambling answers. It was clear that she was no fan of Ford, who she consistently insisted was “possessed by a hell demon”. Fiddleford didn’t quite know how to change her mind on that one, seeing as it was completely true. 

They’d spent the entire night fixing up Project Mentem, and reprogramming it to encrypt Ford’s mind so Bill couldn’t access it. They weren’t sure how effective it would be, but the plan was to encrypt Ford’s mind so he could sleep so they could make a better plan. One that included unicorn hair, which they both reasoned would require Lola. If a 5 year old child wasn’t pure of heart enough, then they had no chance. 

“Mr gucket?” Lola asked, breaking Fiddleford from his thoughts. She had crawled onto his lap without him noticing. That was a good sign.

“Yes, miss Lola?” He replied.

“Can you help me to rescue Stan?”

Fiddleford’s heart sank. He didn’t want to re open the portal, he knew what was waiting for them on the other side. He wasn’t sure anyone could survive it. He knew he should explain that to her, but deep down, Fiddleford had always been a coward.

“Lola…” he started, stuttering for what to say.

“Lizard has a plan. But we need a grown up’s help.”

“…you should ask Ford.”

Lola looked at Fiddleford like he was stupid.

“Ford is EVIL. He’s working with the demon! Weren’t you listening?”

Lola had mentioned this ‘demon’ at least 5 times now. Fiddleford brushed it off as a little kid’s fears at first, but the more she mentioned it, the more it felt…off somehow. 

“This demon” Fiddleford started, “what’s he like?”

Lola looked up at Fiddleford, as if she had something to say. Then her tummy grumbled.

“I’m hungry.” She said.

[sapphicmsmarvel]

Woman Like Me

hahahaha i love little mix and the avengers so any time I can mix the two im gonna do it. 

(you should go listen to them, especially their newest album LM5)

song: woman like me by little mix

Carol: I can tell you're shy and I think it's so sweet. The thing about Carol that got you, was the fact that she was shy around you. With everyone else you noticed how she is always boisterous with the others, then with you she's quiet and doesn't talk much and she gets red.

At first you thought she didn't like you, but she'd always bring you gifts, your favorite flowers and candy. Or a couple times, she'll bring you a cupcake from your favorite bakery.

When you brought this up with Thor, Thor rolled his eyes and smiled, "Lady Y/N, she has feelings for you. That's why she's shy and keeps bringing you gifts."

You blushed at the idea, this goddess, this intelligent stunning woman had feelings for you? "No she doesn't." You shook your head, your cheeks flaming.

Thor nodded his head, "yes she does, she specifically asks me what you like so she can surprise you with it."

"Nope, nope, nope." You shook your head and Carol came in.

She laughed, "why does Y/N keep saying 'nope'?"

Thor looked at you, "I'll let her explain." He said and left the room, you scoffed and shook your head, that little shit.

Carol raised her eyebrow at you and you groaned. This was gonna be embarrassing.

"What is it? I promise I won't laugh." She said smiling, something in you blossomed, seeing Carol not get timid on you.

You stood up, "well, Thor thinks you have a crush on me," you didn't miss how her eyes widened and cheeks blushed immediately, "and I was saying nope because well...you're you. There's no way I'd have a shot." You shrugged sheepishly.

She walked forward, "well, that's what I thought when I first got to know you, about me not having a shot."

Your eyes widened as she stopped in front of you, you were at her chin. "Well, you're the only person shooting." You smiled.

She rolled her eyes. "I'm sure that's not true." And smiled, you were weak in the knees, you'd do anything to keep her smiling like that.

You laughed, either full of nerves or on some euphoric high of all the feelings you have for this girl. "Nah it's true, my vagina is probably full of cobwebs from not being used." Your eyes widened at what just flew out of your mouth.

Oh my god did I actually just say that? I said that, fucking shit she's gonna think I'm weird.

She let out a full laugh that you wanted to hear more, "I guess we're gonna have to change that."

You hummed, ignoring the blush that probably reached your toes. "Sounds pretty bold for a girl who hasn't kissed me yet."

She rolled her eyes, smiling, "May I kiss you?" "You certainly may."

Wanda: I always say what I'm feeling, I was born without a zip on my mouth.

You were arrogant, flirty, outgoing and didn't have a filter. Whereas Wanda was the exact opposite.

There was a meeting with government officials, everyone wore their best dress, you on the other hand; wore your signature all black, black jeans, with your dog tags and leather jacket. (Of course to Wanda, you always looked killer). There was certain politician/government leader that was in the room that you were famous for hating. Not a week went by without you mentioning him being a coward.

Everyone was on edge because it had to go well, it had to, but you could only keep your mouth shut for so long.

Wanda counted the minutes before you exploded; it was ten.

He mentioned something about the LGBTQ+ community, even went so far as to say a slur.

"Excuse me?" Your voice rang out. Deadly as the sharpest knives. Everyone froze, there was not a single soul in the room who was breathing, besides the prick. "You heard me," he said, in that man voice, the 'i do whatever i want, how dare you challenge me' voice.

Wanda could tell you were gonna knock him so hard his spray tan will evaporate off. "LGBTQ+ people are not awful people. And do not deserve to be electrocuted, if you think we're gonna accept that, you need to be impeached on the grounds of oncoming dementia." You snapped. "You got anything to say?" He shouted at Cap in fury. "We all agree with Y/N. I think she's handling our points pretty well actually." At that, Tony took his hand and Steve was smart enough not to look surprised.

You knew, they all knew for that matter, they weren't dating but it was quite the middle finger to give to the politician.

"This meetings over, we'll continue when you stop being a  homophobic asshole."

She tried not to shiver at your tone, you've never, and will never, speak to her like that. But hearing that tone, the 'I'm above you' tone made her flustered.

You walked around to Wanda's shoulders and gently squeezed them reassuringly. Wanda hated being in the spotlight but she also wanted the asshole to know that he was in a room with LGBTQ+ members.

He looked at Wanda (which made you want to punch him in throat) and scoffed, he walked out without another word.

Maria: And baby just be mine for the weekend, We can get a takeaway and sit on the couch.

Keeping Maria to yourself for a weekend was difficult, she was always needed but you were selfish at times. This was one of those times.

You specifically told Fury that you claim her certain weekends, he admired the fact that you didn't even ask, you told him. Because of that (and he knew you made Hill happy) he allowed it. Unless you know, the end of the world was happening.

You guys always got take out, either chinese, italian or just plain pizza. You always tried to cook but most of the time she'd insist cooking. She got a thrill over seeing you happy over a dish she made.

The weekend is spent in pajamas, barely if any makeup, movies and tv. It's the few times Maria can completely let her guard down. She puts her weapons away in the gun safe that's in your shared closet, pets your guys' cat and cuddles with you on the sofa.

Your saturdays with her consist of a horror movie marathon, either super cheesy or regularly cheesy. Even some non cheesy ones. She loves your commentary on them and you love seeing her laugh at the stupid characters.

Sundays are the days where you guys wake up at 7 to watch the sunrise on your balcony with cups of coffee, blankets and the early morning dew or fog. It's a peaceful time, you have a whole playlist for it. Then you two would head in and have a big sunday breakfast which you would invite Fury too if he felt like it (which was often because he couldn't refuse your homemade waffles).

After Fury leaves you two spend the day in bed, soaking in the time you have. Most of the time you're doing naughty activities but after when the suns setting you just lay in each others arms with the tv playing some trashy show.

You two cherished these weekends and Fury would always remark how relaxed Maria looked after one of them.

Natasha: I like my coffee with two sugars in it, high heels and my jewelry drippin'.

You brought a lot of the "girly" back to Nat, because of her childhood being robbed completely she didn't have the same experimentation as other girls who were brought up. As in no dying hair, colorful clothes and playing with makeup (when it wasn't for a mission)

You introduced her to the "self care" days, where you broke out the face masks, bath salts and you two went radio silent (with a warning to the Avengers of course). You two spent the day watching disney movies and taking care of yourselves.

You took her shopping and she ended up liking a lot of luxury brands like Gucci, Chanel and many others. She bought you a Rolex which freaked you out because wow, expensive and you don't wanna break it.

She spoils you endlessly, buying you books when you have a hard day or even brand new fuzzy socks. You spoil her back of course (she's also a sucker for fuzzy socks).

You've created a monster, she is a bad and boujie girl and makes sure people know it.

Shuri: Insecure but I'm workin with it, many things I could get rid of. Ain't about to give it up.

Of course, you were confident in yourself and who you were. But when it came to being smart, that was when you faltered in your self confidence. Your girlfriend was the princess of Wakanda and designed nearly all the technology in the country.

You always pointed it out but Shuri always rolled her eyes, "your smart in your owns way, sweetheart."

"Oh what ways?" You asked, laughing, "I can't do this formula and building stuff."

"You know how to be safe."

"Oh, common sense." She threw a paper ball at you because of your response.

"No, you know war strategy, you know how to train someone who's never been trained in their life. You know weaponry and how to prevent war disasters." She came over to you and wrapped her arms around your waist. "We would be lost without you." She kissed your cheek and swayed with you for a minute.

You knew that wasn't true, because they had generals for all the stuff you do. But T'challa and Shuri have said that you're the favorite because you're compassionate yet stern with people. Talking with Shuri made you feel better as it usually did.

Eventually your insecurities faded, of course they were still there but not as prominent. You worked hard to learn some new things relating to building things. For example, knowing how to fix some stuff if Shuri was busy or out of the country.

But you would never give up your insecurities, because they made you who you were.

[kibanafuji]

he arrived in turffield yesterday.

his nan had been worried.

she hid it, but she was.

and this morning, he offered not a word spoken to anyone.

his nan said good morning and all he did was nod; she asked him if he wanted breakfast, a nod, she asked if bacon and eggs was fine, a nod, if he was going to go to the special place today, a nod. his grandpa got up and left the house after that, and returned by the time breakfast was ready.

he ate in silence. responsive to questions, but silent.

neither of them seemed surprised by it. light conversation was made, directing towards raihan only yes or no questions. when he finishes eating, he stands, and he returns to the spare room he sleeps in every year.

he prepares the things he prepares every year, puts them in the backpack he always brings, gets dressed, and returns back downstairs.

the vase of flowers that he and nan had prepared yesterday waits for him by the door. he picks it up and holds it carefully, and he carries it with him out the door.

into the forest surrounding the house he goes, trudging along a path he memorized many, many, many years ago.

he stops only once for the guardian, zoroark, to appear, give him its yearly greeting, before it drops the illusion that veils the special place.

her favourite place.

the clusters of branches and trees before him suddenly disappear into a familiar clearing.

her secret place.

in its center is a little stone, engraved with her name, and the all-too-short span of time during which she lived; 04/04/1999 - 23/01/2008.

her resting place.

he stands before it and unloads his backpack.

the vase goes right in front of the tombstone. her jacket gets draped over the stone, and her hat placed on top. the plush goomy rests to the right of the vase, her bat and her mitt to the left.

it's ready.

he lets goodra and flygon out of their pokeballs.

he sits down, crosslegged, a couple of feet away from the gravestone.

he closes his eyes.

he breathes in slowly.

and with his exhale, a smile, genuine, pulls at the corners of his lips.

his eyes flutter open, fondness in his gaze, and he stares at the spot he imagines she sits in when he comes here every year.

it's time.

"hi, gracie!"

he holds up his hands.

"now--- i know what you're thinkin'! raihan, it's two days too early! what are you doing here? did you forget the date, dummy? well to THAT, i say you're well RUDE, an' of COURSE i didn't forget!"

he points accusatorily at the empty spot.

(it isn't empty. it never has been.)

"see, a lot 'appened this year, an' i didn't think i would be able to get through it all in one day! so i'm 'ere two days earlier this time."

he lowers his arms again, resting them on his legs.

"first off, didja see the flowers? i finally got some gracideas for you!" he points at the vase excitedly. "still workin' on findin' a shaymin for you. i swear i'm lookin', they're just right 'ard to find, innit!"

he heaves a sigh, but the smile is soon back on his face.

"so, you remember 'op, right? 'e finally did the gym challenge this year!" he pulls out his phone, scrolling to a selfie he took with hop at the motostoke stadium, and flips the phone around to show it to the empty space in front of him.

(to gracie, who sits there. who always sits there, and can't say a word, but she listens. she always listens.)

"'e even made it all the way to me, and 'e completely blew me away in battle! just as i thought, 'e battles a lot like you do."

he grins. it's warm and loving.

"met some other really great kids, too---" he flips it back around, showing a selfie taken with each of the gym challengers.

first, one with bede.

"'ere's bede. bede reminds me of you, too! clever, little bit mischievous, smug little bugger, but gets all pouty in defeat. 'ell, you two even pout nearly the exact same way! it's uncanny."

then one with marnie.

"this is marnie! she reminds me a' you, too. name's the same length an' ends with the same two letters an' that, but in 'er personality, too. real driven, passionate--- lot quieter than you, but just as focused. she's a little shy, but i think you two'd get along great, yeah?"

the day continues as he recounts stories and shows off photos, enthusiastically informing that not-so-empty empty space of the year's events.

he takes a break at midday to eat.

by sunset, he's gotten through about 75% of it.

"... yeah. that's about all i got time for today. i'll tell you more on the 24th, an' then we'll 'ave extra time to sit an' chat together!"

... normally, when he leaves the gravestone, he won't see it again for another full year.

this year, however, he's returning in two days.

"... tell you what."

he tilts his head to the side.

"i'm gonna take your things back to nan's with me, but..."

he fidgets a little, then stares at his hands; they're palm-up, his fingers laced together.

"... since... since i'll be comin' back soon. this time... 'ow about i say 'see you later' instead of sendin' you off proper?"

he glances up.

"... i don't... i guess i still don't know if you're... if you're even really there, listenin' to me. or if... me sayin' hi brings you down from 'eaven for a tick, or if sayin' bye sends you back. but... i 'ope... i 'ope you are there. an' i 'ope you don't mind me keepin' you 'ere a little longer."

he breathes in and out slowly, then leans forward, temporarily setting the vase of hydrangeas and gracideas aside to wrap his arms around the gravestone, hugging it as if it were gracie herself.

"... so...” 

“see you later, gracie."

[izzy-b-hands]

Happy At Home-Part Two

Part Two, road trip stuff! 

Forgive that this probably isn’t one hundred percent historically accurate in terms of driving time-I’m literally plugging it into Google maps and just kinda going with it because I’m so bad at time estimates, and what I have been able to research about cars in the 40s and early 50s didn’t give me an exact way to estimate how long each leg would take. I’m tryin’ here, lol. This is what I get for being determined to finish a multipart fic at one in the morning. 

“Please get in the carrier?” Eugene asked hopefully. 

Queen stared at him, and he could swear it was really a glare. Gunner and Little Sid had gone into their carriers with some prompting, but she was being a damn diva about it. 

“Young lady, you listen to your father and get in there,” Snafu scolded as he passed them on his way to the front door, on his seemingly hundredth trip to put another box in the car. They were leaving a lot behind-the furniture, even the stuff they’d bought themselves, plus some little knick-knacks that it was just easier to leave behind. Yet they still had far too many boxes to cram into the car. As it was, there would be just enough room for the cat’s carriers and the litter box-the cats would be getting a bathroom break every two hours of driving, they’d decided. 

Queen licked a paw, and Eugene sighed. “Please, do it for me.” 

She looked back up at him. 

“I’d feel a lot less nervous about this move if you were my best girl and just went right into your carrier. I promise it’ll be worth it, if you’re good,” Eugene said, trying not to think about how he was essentially begging a maybe ten pound creature to listen to him. 

But it worked. She let out a dainty sigh, then trotted into the carrier and settled as he shut the door of it. 

“There’s my girl,” Eugene praised as he poked a finger through the wire door for her to sniff and lick. 

“I think that’s it,” Snafu said as he came back in, dragging snow in after him. “You and the kids ready?” 

Eugene nodded and grabbed his coat. “Ready as we’ll ever be.” 

“We’re gonna be okay,” Snafu said, moving to help him pull the wool coat on. “No matter what.” 

Eugene turned to him and kissed him as he took hold of his hands. His fingers were cold, but his lips were still warm. “I know. Just gonna take getting there and a while for me to shake this.” 

“You take all the time you need. I got you,” Snafu replied. “C’mon. Let’s get the babies in the car.” 

“They’re gonna hate this,” Eugene said as he picked up Queen’s carrier. “You ready to listen to that much yellin’ and hollerin’?” 

“They might surprise us,” Snafu said, grabbing Gunner and Little Sid’s carriers as he walked out the front door. “Give ‘em a chance.” 

Eugene turned off the lights, then stopped to look at the not quite empty, yet not as full as it had been apartment. It was strange, seeing it like that. Knowing they wouldn’t have another night on the couch together, falling asleep with books in their hands or staying up too late talking. Not having the same open window in their bedroom for Gunner to go in and out of as he prowled the neighborhood, only to return before the end of the night to curl up by their feet. No more finding little Sid and Queen asleep in the linen closet, always left open for them. 

“You can get the door, right? I already gave that asshole my key,” Snafu said, breaking the spell. 

“Yeah, I got it,” Eugene replied, and stepped out of the doorway to close and lock it while Queen meowed at the cold air. “You okay running the key down, or should I?” 

“Naw, I told him I’d be back down with yours,” Snafu said as he set Gunner’s carrier down to grab the key and shove it in his trouser pocket. He picked Gunner back up and started down to the landlord and the car, leaving Eugene with Queen and his thoughts. 

“Just another sort of adventure, right Queenie?” Eugene sighed. 

She meowed angrily as the wind picked up. 

“Fair enough. Rude of me to be askin’ you questions while you freeze. Let’s get you in the car,” he replied and went down to the car. 

Snafu was settling the other two in the car, fussing with the placement of the carriers while they yowled at him. “Your daddy just had to be right about you hating this, didn’t he? Just hush, we’ll be there before you know it, you’ll nap…fuck’s sake, I hope you’ll nap.” 

“The kids aren’t happy?” Eugene said as he passed Queen’s carrier to him. 

“Oh no, they’re thrilled. Singing a song about how much they love the car, can’t you hear it?” 

Eugene winced at a particularly piercing shriek from Little Sid. “I can. Lovely.” 

“Isn’t it just?” Snafu laughed as he got Queen settled in and shut the car door. “We’re gonna be serenaded until they fall asleep. If they fall asleep.” 

Eugene got in the passenger side-Snafu had agreed to drive for the first leg of the drive, ideally all the way from Annapolis to Richmond in Virginia. “They’ll sleep. That’s one of their favorite things. Just give them time to get used to the sound of the car, the bouncing. I mean, they’ll still hate this, but they’ll sleep at least.” 

Snafu shook his head as he got in, and started the car. “How about you? Gonna try and sleep?” 

“We’ve barely been awake,” Eugene replied. Granted, it had been a very busy morning of quick packing and buying what they didn’t have but needed, namely the cat carriers. “Besides, who’s gonna keep you awake?” 

Queen let out what could only be described as an angry scream, and Snafu pointed to the back seat. “That might do it.” 

They laughed as Snafu got them onto the road, but the pit from before was back in Eugene’s stomach. It was one thing to say they were doing this, but actually being in the car, driving away from what had been their home? That was a whole other game, and he wasn’t sure he knew the rules of it well enough to play it right. 

They stayed quiet as they drove-the cats were making enough noise for two cars, let alone just theirs. It was comforting, just watching Snafu as he drove. The little twitch of his jaw every now and again, and how he’d instantly toss his arm across Eugene if they had to make a sudden stop. The way he’d occasionally crack and roll his neck, yet never complaining that it was stiff. 

There was the rest of the state, plus entirely new ones to watch as they drove too. Different flora and fauna, neighborhoods and main streets with little shops unique to them, all passing them by. 

The two hours passed faster than he’d expected. They’d left a little after noon, then suddenly it was about 2:30, and they were pulling up to a gas station in Richmond. 

“Ugh,” Snafu grimaced as he got out of the car. “Gotta walk about for a bit before we keep goin’, or my legs are gonna waste away.” 

“Same,” Eugene admitted. It hadn’t been that horribly far, but his legs and back didn’t care about that. “Least the kids are finally quiet.” 

The cats had finally calmed. They didn’t look pleased, but they were quiet. 

“Yeah. I’ll let them out, probably one by one to see if they need their box. Don’t want them trying to run off,” Snafu said, opening the back door to lean in and take the cover off of the litter box. 

Eugene wandered while Snafu fussed with the cats, looking around at the surrounding buildings. He always wondered how things might have been different, if the train had stopped anywhere else. If they’d gotten off of it sooner, or tried to go back to Mobile or New Orleans together. He wouldn’t change any of what had happened for anything, but at the same time he couldn’t help but be curious. 

“We’re all cleaned up and fueled up. Ready to go when you are,” Snafu called from the car. 

“Really? No extra walking, or a bathroom break?” Eugene asked as he jogged back over. 

Snafu shrugged. “I’m okay. But if you need a minute-” 

Eugene shook his head. “Nah. Just-I don’t know.” 

“All up in that smart head of yours, overthinkin’ things?” 

He smiled. “Yeah. I guess so. Just thinkin’ how weird it is, driving through all these places. All these people living and going about their day. Wondering what it’d be like if we’d ended up here, or anywhere else.” 

Snafu nodded. “I think about that too, sometimes. Would we have found a decent place to live? Decent jobs? As it is, I still can’t get over them bein’ okay with us just up and going, never to return.” 

“Told them both it was a family thing. They understood,” Eugene replied. He’d taken over calling their jobs that morning, as soon as he knew their supervisors would be in. The library he’d been working at raised no issue and asked no extra questions about it once he’d mentioned family, and the mechanic that Snafu had worked for only asked kindly if everyone was going to be okay before wishing them the best and saying he’d miss Snafu around the shop. 

“Good idea. I mean, it technically is. Any idea what you might do once we get down there?” Snafu asked. “I’m thinkin’ I’ll just see if there isn’t another mechanic in need of help. Like workin’ with my hands like that, think I’d miss it if I did anything else.” 

“Not exactly. But since we don’t have to pay for the house or anything, kinda thought about school,” Eugene replied as he went to the driver’s side and got in. 

Snafu nodded and went to the passenger side. “Well, whatever you wanna do, I’ll help you get it however I can. I’m not much for studying, but I promise I’ll do my best to help, if that’s what you end up doin’.” 

“You could go back too, if you wanted,” Eugene said as he started the car and pulled them back onto the road. This next leg was a bit longer, three hours rather than two, taking them to Fayetteville, North Carolina. He just hoped the cats would be okay with the extra hour of driving. 

“Aw jeez,” Snafu sighed. “I mean…someone has to be bringing in some cash for food. I’ll let you go back and get your degree first, then we can worry about me.” 

“If you say so,” Eugene smiled. He suddenly had an image of Snafu in a pair of thick glasses, poring over a textbook. It was both incredibly goofy and wonderfully adorable, and if anything horribly inaccurate. The actual image of Snafu studying, he figured, was similar to watching him read. Usually with a look of slight concentration that just wrinkled his brow, with his shirt off if it was summer or a blanket over him in the winter, slouching on the couch or laying with his legs across Eugene’s lap. The sight always made Eugene lose his spot in whatever book he was reading. 

They settled into their comfortable silence as Eugene drove, and eventually he heard the sound of Snafu snoring. He’d been waiting for it-he knew he was more tired than he’d let on. They’d both taken their coats off midway on the way to Richmond, as it got warmer the further South they went, and now Snafu was using them both as a blanket. 

The trip felt longer when he was driving, and he couldn’t help but yawn as he pulled up to a gas station in Fayetteville a little after six o’clock. 

Snafu woke with a start as he turned the car off. “Sorry, sorry. I passed out on ya. Didn’t mean to.” 

Eugene shrugged. “Not a big deal. Not much to do if you aren’t driving, might as well sleep. I know I will. Speaking of-you really wanna keep going? We can probably find a motel room easy enough.” 

Snafu chewed at his bottom lip, then shook his head. “Bet they won’t want us to bring the cats in. And if they ask questions-” 

“Friends can go on road trips together,” Eugene said, but he couldn’t convince himself that Snafu was wrong. It was an added factor, wondering if they’d be questioned in any way or unable to find a spot to rest based on what people might figure out about them. They were being careful-no kisses, no hand-holding, even though it killed him not to do any of it. But you could never be too careful. 

“I’ll be okay,” Snafu said. “Tell you what, how about we go hour by hour for the night? Just pull over on the shoulder or wherever we can for a few minutes, then switch. We can both get a bit of sleep, but neither one of us has to drive too exhausted.” 

“I like that,” Eugene said as he got out of the car. “What say we hit the bathroom, then she’s all yours?” 

They made their break quick, then switched sides as they got back to the car. For a second at the front of the car, Eugene paused to grab Snafu’s hand and give a squeeze. He couldn’t bear not touching him in all the little ways they usually did. 

Back in the car, Snafu grabbed his hand and pressed a quick kiss to it before starting the car. “Ready for Augusta?” 

“Sure!” Eugene laughed. “Just another three and some hours away, right? Oh god-we aren’t driving anywhere for a week after this.” 

“Agreed,” Snafu smiled as he started the car and they headed out yet again. “Now get some sleep-you only got an hour, after all.” 

He didn’t need to be told twice, leaning back in the seat and using Snafu’s coat as a blanket. He had a feeling it would be a quick hour.

[outofthisgxlaxy]

☯ + Bismuth showing the Breaking Point to Steven and their fight

Send me ‘☯ + a scene from my characters canon’ and I will drabble it from my character’s POV.

(ooc: I’ve done their fight before, so… I’ll just go through Bismuth showing him the Breaking Point and just before their fight.)

Coming to the Forge in the dead of night was something nostalgic to Bismuth. She’d done this plenty of times during the war, especially when she was excited to show Rose something brand new. Rose was gone, though, and now she was going to give Steven an even better weapon. He wasn’t Rose, and as she’d said, he deserved something better than the sword she’d crafted for his mother. So, she took him into the entrance and began to examine the sword. It glistened in the reddish light of the Forge.

“I designed this sword for a fair fight,” she explained as she lifted the sword in the air and eyed it with one eye shut. “It can cut through a Gem’s physical form in an instant!” Enthusiastically, she began to slash the sword through the air. It gave her a certain rush that no other thing seemed to. However, her face grew more serious as she continued to describe the blade.

“Destroying the body,” she said, “but never the gem.” Those had been Rose’s specifications. All because of someone accidentally shattering an enemy on the battlefield, she recalled. Well, Bismuth had done exactly what Rose had asked of her. She had done more, though. Steven was about to find that out.

“Cool,” he said. His face fell when Bismuth started to speak again.

“But,” she said, recalling the countless times Homeworld soldiers had shattered her allies, “Homeworld doesn’t fight fair. That’s why we need a different strategy.” She winked and clicked her tongue. Steven was standing right by where the keyhole was, and Bismuth was quick to shapeshift her hand into the exact cross-shaped key they needed. She stuck it into the ground, turned it, and activated the mechanism that would lower the two of them into the heart of the Forge.

“I was workin’ on a weapon that would’ve been a game changer,” Bismuth explained as they were lowered to their destination. The intense heat of the lava surrounding them didn’t lessen any, and Bismuth liked the feel. She’d missed this part of the Forge. However, there were bitter memories attached to it now. Memories she hoped not to have to divulge to Steven, she realized. The ground she tread on was the stomping grounds of anguish. However, Bismuth needed to be there. It was where the Breaking Point was still stowed away. She’d checked on that much some time after she’d given the Crystal Gems their upgrades.

“Homeworld knows how to hit us where it counts,” Bismuth said, resting her fists against her hips for a moment, “but we can do everything they can do and better.” Bismuth had her back turned to Steven now. Knelt down on one knee, she reached into the box she suspected Rose had put the Breaking Point in after their… disagreement.

“Here it is,” she said. “The weapon that would’ve won the war.” Not one to skimp on dramatics, Bismuth jerked the Breaking Point back and forth as she nestled it snuggly on her arm. A satisfied smile danced upon her lips.

“Whoa. What is it?” Steven was glad he asked.

“I call it a Breakin’ Point,” she answered. When asked what it did, Bismuth had only one answer for him. “Just watch.” She stepped down on a mechanism that would bring lava down into the stone moulds she’d made, and after it was heated and solidified the dummies were pushed toward them. Again, she failed to notice how Steven was reacting.

“Listen up, you Homeworld uppercrusts!” Bismuth exclaimed. “We…” She readied the trigger of the Breaking Point. The two flaps on top and bottom of it folded open, and the rounded bit toward the back was pushed in the ready to fire position.

“Are. The Crystal Gems!” With that exclamation given, Bismuth fired the Breaking Point. The trigger was pressed, the pointed end of it slammed right in to the ‘gem’ of the dummy before her, and she watched with pleasure as the rock blew to pieces. Steam billowed upward from the tip of the Breaking Point. As casually as could be, Bismuth blew the steam away and turned toward Steven.

“So what do ya think?”

Steven was quiet a moment. Bismuth assumed he was just drinking in how powerful the Breaking Point really was.

“You shattered it,” Steven said at last. Bismuth stepped toward him once more. Her right arm, the arm holding the Breaking Point, was poised upward with the point focused away from Steven.

“That’s right!” Bismuth exclaimed. “One shot from this baby will shatter any Gem in the galaxy in the blink of an eye.”

“Shattering a Gem,” Steven said, clutching his shirt, “would destroy them forever…”

“Exactly,” Bismuth told him. That was just what she’d been trying to tell Rose years ago. Maybe Steven understood and was still just trying to take it all in. “The Homeworld Gems won’t be able to retake this planet when they’re reduced to shards.” She took the Breaking Point from her arm, adjusted the straps, and slipped it on to Steven’s arm. Once she was done, Bismuth put her hands on her hips once more and looked at him with pride.

“There,” she said. “Now you look like you really mean bismuth.” She stepped back, leaned against the nearest stone dummy, and carried on with pride. Never once did she suspect that maybe Steven had a problem with this. She assumed that, since he wasn’t Rose, he’d have a different stance on the weapon than his mother had had years ago.

“Now that’s a real weapon. Why don’t you give it a test run? This one’s got your name on it! …Wait. Lemme get out of your way.” Bismuth hopped over the lava and to the side so she could watch. Obsidian eyes glistened with anticipation as Steven stood before the dummy, but as the minutes ticked by nothing seemed to happen. What was he doing? Why wasn’t he firing the Breaking Point up?

“Bismuth? I can’t use this.” Bismuth stared in stunned silence. Steven was rejecting the Breaking Point?

“What?” Bismuth’s gaze narrowed for a moment. “Why not?”

“Shattering Gems… wouldn’t that make us the same as Homeworld?” No… no, this was not happening. Bismuth threw up her arms so she could start reasoning. Maybe he just didn’t understand.

“Of course not! We’d be shattering them for the sake of our cause! To protect our allies, our friends… to free all Gems from Homeworld’s tyranny!” Her fists clenched as the passion bubbled up in her voice. Steven had to understand. Where his mother had failed her, he would surely step up and take on the mantle of someone who knew when it was right to shatter a Gem. If it was to protect their friends and family, then surely it had to be done.

“It’s just… it’s not what a Crystal Gem would do,” Steven said. Bismuth hopped back over the lava and walked toward Steven. Her fists remained clenched. How could he say that?

“Don’t tell me what a Crystal Gem would do,” Bismuth said. “Nobody’s more Crystal Gem than I am. If you won’t take it, I’ll just use it myself.” Bismuth reached her hand out to take the Breaking Point from Steven. It made sense. Why let him keep it if he didn’t even want to use it? Much to her surprise, though, Steven jerked the Breaking Point away from her. 

“No!” Steven’s cry echoed through the Forge. “No one is using it!” Then, he yanked the Breaking Point off of his arm and threw it down to the floor. Bismuth stared in stunned silence once more.

“I’m sorry, Bismuth, but it’s not right.”

[koboldburrow]

Aurix update

There won’t be one of these for a while, since our schedules ain’t workin’ out until next month, buuuut:

Last time: Ronin wanted to get some Thieves’ Tools, and Aurix brought him to some shady-ass Drow gang to hook him up. He didn’t really wanna pay 50g for a set of tools, so instead offered to do A Favour. They asked him to get rid of an elf who was a High Priest of Savras; he agreed. Aurix asked him if 50g was a price he was okay with paying for blood on his hands, and promised to back him up in however he approached this job.

THIS TIME: Aurix made some very excellent use of her new spell, Flock of Familiars, in scouting out the Temple of Savras. We not only found out the high priests would be meeting tonight (one of which was our assassination target) so everyone could see them vote on a change in tenets, but we spotted a young girl that may be the child who was taken away by the temple. (I’m a little fuzzy on what THAT’S about, since it’s a plotline that was going on before I joined the campaign.) 

Von (the bard) polymorphed Ronin (the samurai) into a spider, Aurix tucked him into her hood, and one Mask of Many Faces disguise later, we sneak into the temple for that big meeting. We see the girl is being kept behind a High Priest by the name of Shadowstone, who’s got a fancy tattoo on his arm marking him as a member of the dwarven shady-ass mafia. Ronin also picks up that our assassination target glances at Shadowstone with utter fear before voting the same way that he does. It’s pretty clear that Shadowstone is the dude behind the sketchy business, and it’s equally clear that the drow gang who Ronin promised to Do An Assassinate for probably picked this dude because he’s obviously in Shadowstone’s pocket. 

The Polymorph is getting close to running out, so disguised-as-a-random-Savras-cleric Aurix tries to scootch out of the meeting all “bathroom break s’cuse me.” She manages to deceive all the high priests except one, ducks out, and hides away in an empty room so Ronin can be a half-orc again and not a spider. Knowing their cover may be blown, Ronin tries to suggest pulling out and coming back with the rest of the party. Aurix is wary, knowing that much of the party won’t be super on board with “murder a church guy” or really cut out for Stealth, and fearing that the suspicions they raised may lead to tighter security. She suggests instead that they do a “to hide a tree, use a forest” approach and try to slip in with all the leaving clerics when the meeting ends, and maybe try to follow their mark that way. 

No luck seeing him among the people who go by, though, so Ronin figures that we should just cut our losses and leave. He gets caught on the way out, though, and we get taken to talk to the High Priestess who wasn’t fooled by Aurix’s “lol brb bathroom” bit. She talks about Shadowstone’s shadiness, a bit about our mark’s past, and how he’s one of Shadowstone’s many puppets. Aurix suggests that they, as ardent adherents to the tenets of Savras and not this skewed version Shadowstone is trying to push, try talking to the mark in private. Somehow, this works, and the priestess arranges for them to talk. 

At this point, Aurix is READY THE FUCK TO HIT. Hexblade’s Curse, poised to strike, waiting for Ronin to give the signal. He talks to this drow High Priest a bit. The guy doesn’t really know anything useful at all about Shadowstone, but he quickly realizes that we were sent by the drow gang to kill him, and starts sobbing and weeping. At this point, Ronin does a 180, and completely changes his mind about killing the dude. He kinda does a “well now you know that this gang wants to kill you, so we’ll just see what fate decides” kind of thing and asks how he can help and stuff. Aurix is like shooting him Looks and trying to mouth stuff like “DUDE WE NEED TO GET INTO THE UNDERDARK ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO DOUBLE CROSS THE DROW MAFIA,” but she takes her oaths pretty seriously, so she doesn’t really want to run this clown through in front of Ronin after she promised “I’ll have your back, however you wanna get the job done.” 

She knows that the High Priestess of Savras has seen his face and heard his voice, and she also knows that he openly admitted where he’s from, so she’s just thinking, like, “well shit, I gotta protect this poor naive idiot or he’ll absolutely get arrested and/or silenced.” She tells him “okay, go leave back to the inn, don’t hide it, just let people witness you exiting the temple.” Once Ronin clears off, she talks with the mark, convinces him “look, these people will just send someone who’s actually willing to assassinate you once they realize this failed, you have to flee, I can help you disappear so well neither Shadowstone nor drow can find you.” With some very lucky smooth-talking, she convinces him to tell some of the Savras clerics he’s heading out for a walk to clear his head (thereby proving he was still alive after Ronin left), and she takes him out to one of the city gates. 

Now, at this point, her full intention was “get somewhere with no witnesses, run him through, dump him in a ditch.” She did NOT want to backstab the drow criminal syndicate for a lot of reasons. 

They also knew Ronin’s face and voice, meaning they could easily come for him and/or the party he was with.

Aurix had been prepared all along for “I can do an assassination for you” to result in actually doing the assassination, so she was pretty braced for “this is a priest, he probably won’t go HELL YEAH KILL ME I’M EVIL AS SHIT,” so she wasn’t all that moved by tears at all

also Aurix is a True Neutral lizardfolk only really concerned with keeping her oaths and surviving, so risking the necks of herself and her friends for no better reason than “this total stranger did a real sad cry” is just not really something she’s wired to understand 

Aurix is a fuckign criminal with an evil sword that thirsts for blood. She’s been in shadyville so long that she’s probably pretty numb to shedding the blood of sapient beings, especially ones that are cronies in some Real Fucky Business

they definitely did still need to get to the Underdark, and the only really accessible entrance is in this exact city, so thumbing your nose at the drow seems REALLY unwise

It didn’t actually work out that way though. The mark passed out a little outside the gates, an elf standing guard there was all “HEY WHAT ARE YOU DOING.” Aurix tries the “hhha ha ha he’s just drunk I’m taking him home,” but the dude just automatically knows that’s horseshit. I’m thinking “jesus christ this unexpected morality moment is going to get my character arrested and/or killed,” so I try to cast Hold Person. Automatic fail (I guess elves resist paralysis or WIS saving throws?). I’m like. [SCREAMS INTERNALLY] and just..... try to bribe the guy to forget he saw anything 

I think the DM feels sorry for me and my utterly screwed character lmao, because the elf kinda just goes “actually for this much gold I’ll just handle making sure this guy gets to the next town over lol” at which point I go “COOL THANKS IF ANYONE ASKS YOU SAW NOTHING” and just fuckign. peace out. So I ended up losing a chunk of change on this, but like.... at least Aurix didn’t Perish

So the whole party reconvenes at the inn, and Ronin has already spilled most of what they were up to. The group moves up to one of their rooms for Privacy and Aurix is... not entirely happy.... about the way things went. She’s pissed that he sprung a last-second backdown on her with no warning and put her into a situation where she had to break an oath to these dudes, that they’ve made enemies of both sides of a gang war, that she had to go through a bunch of money and trouble to clean this up, and that there’s now a loose end running wild on his way to the next town over. The vanishing of a high priest is very quickly noticed, despite the “just going for a walk” thing, and the alarm is raised across the city. We decide “hey this would be a REALLY GOOD TIME to skip town.” We wait until the next day, when Corrin (half-dragon ranger/sorc) can pick up her new +2 spell focus, Aurix picks up the Entire Live Cow she ordered, and we skip town to go back to the ancient dragon’s lair and see how much of the hoard the kobolds have dug up. 

Aurix comes barreling in all “MY SWEET LITTLE LIZARDY BABIES I BROUGHT YOU A BEEF.” Kobolds are very pleased to get an entire delicious cow, and present us with A SHITLOAD OF STUFF. 11K gold tossed into our portable hole, along with 36 more magic items (most of them are scrolls). We explain that we’re gonna be away for a while and that the kobolds really should stay away from hassling the nearby city because AURIX NEEDS HER BABIES TO BE OKAY LMAO. 

With our ducks all in a row, Von (bardy boi) does a Teleportation Circle, and we all blip back to Breedonne to hand in our dragonscales to (and get our magic items Identified by) the wizardy dude who we’re doing this Main Quest stuff for. We retire to an inn to discuss our next move. We’ll still need more dragonscales probably, but it took us a lot to find this white dragon, so we’re not all that sure how easily we’ll even be able to locate another dragon to hunt. Sticking to getting mindflayer helmets from the Underdark seems like the better move, but considering the only really accessible entrance is the one in the city we just messed with the drow in, we’re kinda unsure how well that will go. We figure that we’ll maybe just, like... spend a bit here in Breedonne preparing and researching and getting materials for our Underdark adventure, and hopefully by the time we’re ready to come back, the heat will have died down a little bit. On that decision, we end for the night, and we’ll pick back up sometime in March!

[whydontwe-fanfics]

In Person (D.S)

Previously Called: Guess Who’s Back

Description: Both you and Daniel’s family and friends help you both reunite, surprising Daniel with a break from the long distance between you two.

Request: Can you do one where the reader is from Australia and she's dating Daniel and she goes over to LA or Portland to surprise him and the boys love her and their families love her and it's just full of fluff

Request: So I’m not sure if requests are open but could you do something about being in a long distance with Daniel and surprising him on tour or in LA? I absolutely love your writing, just had to add that xx

Word Count: 1.6k

---

The giddy smile on your face wouldn't budge as you sat on the plane, your leg bouncing and heart thumping.

Only a few more hours and you'll be in his arms, something you've been craving for a while now.

You haven't seen Daniel Seavey in person for five months. Between his busy tour schedule and your busy school schedule, neither of you could manage time to see one another and you both hated it.

A month ago, you had gotten a call from Anna, Daniel's younger sister. Apparently, Daniel had been behaving weird and she assumed that it was because you couldn't visit for Christmas break.

So since then, you've been planning.

Daniel's parents had decided to pay for your plane ticket back to Australia and your parents paid for your ticket to California, and you couldn't be more grateful.

So for the next week, you'll be residing in L.A with your boyfriend. But he didn't know that, yet.

Before you knew it, you were in LAX and wheeling your suitcase out of the airport with a bag on your back and your phone in your hands.

A small squeal left your throat when you saw Jonah and Corbyn standing outside of their car, waiting for you.

"Y/N!" they called excitingly. You were immediately embraced the second you were in front of them and you couldn't help the laughs that escaped your throat as their arms wrapped around you.

"I've missed you guys," you sigh, pulling away from them.

"Y/N!" You didn't even have the chance to turn around before arms wrapped around you from behind and picked you up.

A small yelp left your throat as your feet touched the ground again. You turned around and another laugh left your mouth when you saw Jack and Zach.

You reeled them both in for hugs, the happiness contagious within the group.

"Daniel is gonna cry when he sees you," Jack grins as he places your bags in the trunk.

"He's been the moodiest person ever," Jonah mentions.

"Really?" you sigh.

"Yeah. But that frown will wipe right off of his face when his eyes land on you," Corbyn reassures you as you all climb into the car. Jonah got into the driver's seat, Corbyn in the front passenger's, and you, Jack and Zach all in the back.

"What's it been? Five months since we've seen you?" Zach asked.

"Yep. I've been so busy," you shake your head.

"Yeah, we get it. With all the tour dates, we haven't got to see our families a lot, either," Jonah tapped his fingers against the wheel.

"We're lucky we got to go home for Christmas," Jack nodded.

"Well, at least you're on a break now," you rested your head against the window.

"Amen."

---

It didn't take long before you guys arrived at the Seavey household. Your excitement had peaked when you saw the front door open.

Anna and Tyler walked out before quietly closing the door behind them.

"Y/N," they tried to whisper, running up to you. You were pulled into yet another hug and you tried to keep in your giggles but they found their way out.

"I've missed you so much," Anna genuinely said.

"It's because of your call that I'm here," you remind her before hugging for the second time.

"Daniel's gonna lose his shit," Tyler chuckled.

"Someone record this," Jonah said as he took your suitcase into his hands and Zach held your bag.

"On it," Jack called, whipping out his phone.

"Where is he?" you ask, brushing your hand against your pants.

"His room," Anna took hold of your hand and began leading you into the house. You couldn't help but let your eyes wander around the new Seavey home that you had yet to see since their move.

Jack began recording as you reached the second floor, everyone following after you.

You already knew which room belonged to Daniel when you heard his keyboard being played from down the hall. His door was opened and you felt yourself itching to burst in excitement.

When you subtly took a step into the doorway of his room, you saw his back turned to you as his head nodded to the rhythm of the music.

You and the rest of the clan's smiles were beaming as you stealthily walked into his room, stopping at not even three steps in.

Crossing your arms and slightly cracking your head to the side, a small hum leaves your throat.

"What ya workin' on?" Your smile stays strong at the sight of Daniel's back tensing, the sound of his fingers playing against the keyboard cutting off instantly.

You could imagine his face scrunching up into the confused expression you know and love.

He didn't waste another second before whipping his head around, his eyes widening when they catch sight of you.

He almost immediately stood up, his face frozen with shock.

"Y/N!" He nearly shouted, looking at you as if you weren't real before he quickly made his way towards you, wrapping his arms around your waist and pulling you tightly against his chest.

A small laugh left your lips as you wrapped your own arms around his neck as he spots everyone in his doorway but ignores them as he savors the feeling of you in his arms.

"Hi, babe," you mumble and his arms tighten around you.

"Wha-what are you doing here?" He slightly pulled away only to take view of your face. He looked genuinely confused but didn't let that cover his enthusiasm.

"I missed you and heard that you weren't being the usual hyper Daniel," you rose a single eyebrow at him and he shook his head before kissing you longingly.

"Aww," you heard Anna coo as the guys groaned and cringed.

"I've missed you so much," Daniel sighed, eyes boring in yours and vice versa. "It's like I've been going through withdrawal." Another small laugh left your throat when you heard this before he pulled you in and placed another kiss on your lips.

It was then that Jack stopped recording and everyone huddled around the couple.

"You guys are amazing," Daniel hummed against the side of your head as he placed a kiss there.

"We know," Jonah pat him on the back before taking a seat where Daniel previously sat at the keyboard.

"We should really go thank your parents," you suggest. "They're paying for my ticket back home."

"Really?"

"Mhm," Anna nodded.

"Anyway, we should leave these two lovebirds to schmuggle," Corbyn wiggled his eyebrows.

"What the hell does schmuggle mean?" Tyler bewilderingly asked as everybody stalked out of the room.

"Cuddling, duh." Zach's voice is the last thing clearly heard before Jonah sent you both a wink and Jack closed the door after him.

"How long are you staying?"

"A whole week," you grin, rocking on your heels just before Daniel pulled you to sit on the edge of his bed with him. "I'll be staying here since you live at the compound with the guys."

"I'm staying here if you're staying here."

"I was hoping you'd say that," you pick one of your hands up and run it through his hair. "You look so different yet the exact same since the last time I've seen you."

"I could say the same thing," Daniel shook his head with a smile as his eyes roamed your face. "I'm just still taking in that you're actually here. This is all I've been wanting for so long."

"I know," you give him a sad smile, bringing your hand down from his hair. Daniel then took your hands into his and began fiddling with your fingers. "I wish I could just live down the street from you."

Daniel doesn't talk for a few seconds, but then a small grin breaks out on his face. "Your accent sounds better in person."

"So does yours," you roll your eyes amusingly at his mention of your Australian accent, something he never forgets to adore aloud. "Your face looks better in person, too."

"You're telling me. I'd much rather see you face to face instead of through an Instagram live or Skype box," Daniel sighed before pausing. "When did you decide you were coming?"

"A month," you reply. "Between classes and everything else, now seemed like the best time."

"I'm just happy you're here," he murmured, leaning back onto one of his elbows and using his other arm to pull you into him. "I just don't know how you're even awake right now."

Every other time you took a place to America, your body would tire out and you and Daniel would have your traditional nap after you arrived.

"I think it's the adrenaline," you shrug. "But it's slowly wearing off."

"C'mon," Daniel then sat up and you went along with him. You slid your shoes off as Daniel unfolded his bed, climbing in and waiting for you to join. After you turned off the light, you slid into the sheets beside him, his arms taking your body into his embrace.

By the time the guys quietly tip-toed back to Daniel's room, you both had been sleeping and the guys all took a picture and posted it to some sort of social media while Anne smiled from the doorway, happy that her brother was happy.

---

Masterlist | Request Here

---

Tag List: @maddie-leighhh @my-otpkilledme @larrystylionsonisbae24-1 @duh-dang @seavveywdw @thefangirlingmaster @lyssaholic @prettylittlesheerio​

[domitxnate]

No Such Thing as Too Much Fun | Nick, Nate, Silas

Who: Nick Duval @submissivelynick, Silas Karofsky @subsilask and Nate Lynn

Notes: Three way, orgasm denial, some impact.

Nate was excited to have Silas and Nick for the night and couldn't get home fast enough from swim. He and Silas had been doing well with their trial and Nate was finding them stepping into a normalcy much quicker than he'd thought. Seeing Nick kneeling and waiting was a beautiful sight and he came along side the boy and ran his hands through Nick's hair. "Good boy. Ya excited? Are ya nice and needy for me?"

Nick had been throwing himself into new situations since the Halloween ball, trying to spend all of his time productively. He was excited to get to spend some time with both Nate and Silas, even if neither of them was much for cuddles. He smiled up at Nate when he felt the Dom's hand in his hair. "Hi, Sir, thank you," he said before nodding. "I've been looking forward to tonight. Just thinking about it has made me needy, Sir."

Nate smiled down at him softly. "Good, that's just how I like ya. C'mon," he said, opening the door and allowing them both inside. "Silas?" he called, shutting the door once they were both inside. When Silas appeared, Nate smirked, putting his swim bag to the side. "Nick, strip down and ya both can meet me in my bedroom. I expect ya both edgin' by the time I get in there."

Nick followed Nate inside on his hands and knees, sitting back once he was inside. His heart was beating a little faster than normal, and he was eager to find out what they'd be getting up to this evening. "Yes, Sir," he said, quickly moving to undress. His clothes ended up in a slightly messy pile on the floor with how eager he was to really get started. He headed into the bedroom and started to stroke himself right away--luckily, he was already partway hard. "This, um--this all okay with you?" he asked quietly to the other sub.

Silas: Silas had been in a pile of laundry in Nate's room, trying to sort through it all when he heard voices and then his name. "Master?" He was confused by the other voice and walked out to investigate. "Oh hey, man," he said giving Nick a smile. "Yes, master," he said, fairly blinding following the orders even though he hadn't expected to do anything tonight. He followed Nick back to a Nate's room and quickly piled all the laundry in the corner out of the way. Already naked as awkward he knelt next to the bed and started to stroke himself slowly. "Yea? I mean, I don't know what we're doing but I don't like care, no," he said a little confused why Nick still thought this kind of thing made him uncomfortable or jealous.

Nate spent some time putzing around a bit, making sure both boys had enough time to do what he asked of them. He walked into the room to two cute boys stroking themselves just for him. He walked up behind them, placing his hand on the back of each of their heads. "Mmm, so pretty. Ready to play boys?" he asked, pulling down his athletic shorts and exposing his length to them. "Don't stop strokin', but get your mouths on me."

Nick offered Silas a smile when he heard his answer. "Good," he said. "Just wanted to make sure." He bit his lip against a soft moan as he continued to stroke himself fast and hard, wanting to make sure he was right at the edge when Nate finally arrived. He only let his lip go when Nate's hand pressed against his head, and his mouth dropped open a little. "So ready, Sir," he said before leaning forward and licking alongside the Dom's cock, making sure to leave room for Silas, too.

Silas: Silas smiled as Nate walked in. He was a little thrown off by this whole thing but he could roll. His hand sped up as Nate got closer his body quivering slightly. It didn't take much for him to edge, he was always on edge these days. "Yes m- Sir," he said, not wanting to say Master and make Nick feel awkward. He let Nick get situated before sliding in beside him, lapping at Nate's balls and around the base of his cock, leaving the tip and shaft for Nick if he wanted it. A pretty generous offer in his opinion.

Nate could have kicked himself for not coming up with this sooner. Having two real pretty boys whorshipping and slurping at his cock was the moan unbelievable feeling and at this rate he'd be hard and ready in a matter of moments. His fingers worked through the locks of both boys as they found themselves a steady rhythm with the Dom. "Mmm there we go. really get in there and show me how much ya wanna please me."

Nick could tell exactly what Silas was doing, and he happily took care of the tip and upper part of Nate's cock. It was an awkward angle with both of their heads in there, but he managed to get his mouth around the Dom's cock anyhow, sinking down just a couple of inches. He focused all of his attention there, laving his tongue around the tip a few times and then into the slit. He moaned at the taste of Nate's precome, and his hand faltered on his own cock, slowing down a bit to keep himself from tumbling over the edge without permission.

Silas: Silas did his best to be enthusiastic and let Nick fit in the tight space as well. He’d already stopped stroking himself when he started blowing Nate and didn't realize he might be in the wrong until he felt Nick's hand moving. He looked up toward's Nate's face not sure what he was supposed to do but he couldn't see his Dom's eyes. He tried to remember what Nate's exact orders were but he couldn't think clearly with his mouth busy. He decided if nick was still stroking he should too and groaned as his hand touched his cock again. He doubled his efforts out of possible guilt filing his mouth with Nate's balls and the dipping his tongue back to lap at his Dom's hole, a move he wasn't sure if Nate actually liked or not

Nate enjoyed the two sub heating up on his cock, feeling it stiffen and grow the more the mouths worked him over. He couldn't see much underneath the boys, but feeling their lips vibrate against him as the moaned was enough to drive him wild. "There we go, that's enough," he moaned pulling them of him by tugging their hair. "Stop strokin'. Nick, lay down on the bed on your back, Silas straddle his face," he ordered simply, waiting for the boys to comply. Once Silas' member was on all fours with his member dangling at Nick's face, Nate climbed up on the bed behind the sub. He knew Silas didn't need much stretching, but he used some lube for good measure and opened the boy up. "Nick, get your mouth workin' over his balls only while I fuck him nice and hard," he moaned, pushing himself deep inside Silas, moaning loudly as he felt the walls crush against his thick member.

Nick did his best to work Nate's cock over while still giving Silas room to do the same. He whined a little as he was pulled away, though he didn't mind the pain at all. He just wanted to keep going, on Nate's cock as well as his own. He didn't hesitate to follow the order, though, climbing up onto the bed and lying on his back in the middle. It was exciting to be involved with two gorgeous guys like this, and it was even more thrilling to not really know what was coming next. He bit his lip lightly as Silas climbed on top of him, and his hand ached to reach down to take care of his own throbbing arousal. "Y-yes, Sir," he said at the next order, lifting his head just a little so that he could lap at the other sub's balls. He did it teasingly at first before gently wrapping his lips all the way around one of them, especially careful of his teeth with how the other two were moving above him.

Silas: Silas sat back on his haunches as Nate yanked him away. He was still a little confused as to what they were doing, even though if he stopped and thought about it, it was all very clear. He moved without thinking much, straddling Nick. His mouth fell open as Nate finished his orders and suddenly Nick's mouth was on him and cold lube touched his hole. His cock got rock hard and his mind went spiraling so fast it just went blank. He gasped and shivered as Nate pushed inside him, his fingers curling into the sheets. "Oh-oh god," he gasped, toes curling as well. He told himself to just stay still. He could make it through this without cumming, couldn't he? He just had to focus on not cumming, not enjoying this. But in a matter of seconds that thought was gone and he was groaning in pleasure. "Oh god, please Master may I cum? Your mouth feels so..mmgh amazing."

Nate moaned as he felt himself fill Silas over and over again, the moans from the boy coming both from Nate's work in his ass and Nick's work on his balls. "Such a dirty little slut," Nate moaned, giving Silas a few good, hard thrusts. "Already? Nah nah, we're not there yet," he said, pulling himself out of Silas, rubbing the boy's ass with his hand. "Enough, Nick," he ordered the boy, "get up on all fours. Silas, sit against the headboard and give yourself a little break." Nate lubed up his fingers as Nick got ready, then slowly worked a finger into the boy's ass.

Nick moaned around Silas's balls. This whole scenario was so surprisingly hot, even despite the lack of attention that was being paid to his own hard cock. He loved how turned on he could tell the other sub was, how he knew he was responsible for some of that pleasure. "Yes, Sir," he said as he reluctantly pulled away from Silas and shifted around so that he was up on his hands and knees. Feeling the Dom's finger pressing against his hole, he let his head fall forward, moaning softly as he worked to allow the digit to enter him.

Silas: "MMm yes, Master, you're dirty Slut," he hummed in agreement, a little surprised he was saying such things in front of Nick, but he was too deep to care. He was convinced Nate was trying to make him cum as his whole body jolted forward with Nate's thrusts. He whimpered and groaned in frustration was Nate denied him release. " Nooo," he whined without thinking as Nick's warm mouth left his skin and he suddenly felt so empty. He pouted and squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to bite his tongue. "Yes, Sir," he sighed, begrudgingly sliding back against the headboard and watching as Nate moved in on Nick.

Nate have Silas’ ass a smack when he heard him whine, though it did brig a smirk to Nate’s lips, “no whinin’, do as your told.” Nate hummed as he worked to open Nick, then slipped a second lubed finger into his opening, becoming just slightly rougher with his thrusts. “Such a tight hole, pet,” he moaned, his own body getting excited again at the boy moaning in front of him. He licks his lips as his eyes went up to Silas sitting at the head of the bed. “Mmm, he looks good doesn’t he, my little slut? Looks so good loving my fingers in his ass?”

Nick felt himself blushing at all of the dirty talk that was going on between the other two. It kind of felt like he was intruding a bit on something more intimate between the two of them, but he liked hearing it. He groaned as Nate worked him further open, and he pressed back against Nate's fingers. "Feels so good, Sir," he moaned. "Love having your fingers inside me... I feel so full." He bit down on his lip to stop himself from saying what came to mind then, that he didn't want him to stop with just his fingers... except he did. He needed to not make that decision in the heat of the moment like this.

Si: Silas forced his fingers into the covers, his face contorting with the effort it took not to touch himself or beg to get back in on the action. But Nate had already chastised him and he knew better than to push the Dom too far. He stared at Nick, whimpering because the other sub looked so lost in bliss. “Yes Master...he looks amazing. But your fingers make everyone look like that.” He looked Nick in the face, “Full? You should feel his cock,” he said with a little laugh. “You feel like it’s going to come out your mouth when he fucks your ass.” His own words turned him on further and his cock started to drip on his stomach.

Nate looked up at Silas as he heard the boy speak. His face was soft and understanding though he shook his head behind Nick, knowing that his cock was not something Nick had expressed he was ready for. Instead, he added a third finger, thrusting them in and out nice and hard. “Well aren’t ya sweet to say my little slut,” he smiled at Silas, “is he right Nick? Do ya think my fingers would make anyone look hot and sexy?” After a few minutes he slowly pulled his fingers out, rubbing his clean hand over Nick’s ass. “Sit over here nick,” he ordered, “slut, get on all fours in front of him and start sucking his cock.” Once they were set, nate places himself behind Silas again, givin his ass a few hard slaps before inserting his length inside the needy boy.

Nick whimpered a little and nodded. "Yes, Sir," he said. "He's right. Your fingers are so good... Make everyone look amazing. And-- and your cock is even better." He blushed and enjoyed the stretch inside him, but it was over all too soon. He knew how Silas had felt a few minutes ago. He moved to sit where he was told, and he was eager to get some more attention on his cock. He moaned when he felt Silas's mouth on him. "Oh, thank you, Sir," he breathed. "Silas, you're-- you're so good at that."

Silas: Silas watched, gnawing on his lip to distract himself from how badly he wanted to jump in or cum. His hand kept migrating toward his cock and he had to sit on it to keep it from actually touching himself. When Nate spoke his ears perked up and he quickly jumped up, letting Nick get into position before diving on his cock. He groaned in bliss as his lips slid down Nick's hard cock and he tasted the drip of precum on his tip. There was no need to go slow, they were both so worked up, so he started bobbing and gagging himself on Nick. He barely noticed Nate moving around and was surprised when the Dom's hand struck his ass. He gasped around Nick, his cock slipping down his throat as the next few slaps fell on his skin. He swallowed around the other sub as Nate slid inside him. He couldn't think of anything better than this moment right here. His cock dripped a puddle on the bed as his hips rocked hard back into Nate's cock, needing more.

Nate moaned as he pushed his body into Silas, watching Nick's face in reaction as Silas' mouth worked over the other sub's needy, throbbing cock. Nate gripped hard against the skin of Silas' hips as he slammed in to him, hard and steady. "Mmm, he is real good at that, isn't he Nick?" he moaned in aggreement with the other submissive.

Nick really, really loved when he got to spend time with Nate and Silas like this. They were both gorgeous, and, well, the more cocks the better sometimes. He moaned loudly as Silas blew him, even taking him down into his throat, and he couldn't seem to help the hand that slipped its way into the other sub's hair, holding on but not controlling him. After having kept himself on the edge earlier, he knew he wouldn't be able to last long like this. "Y-yes, Sir," he said, biting back another moan. "May I come, Sir? Please? I-- Silas, his mouth is just-- Please, Sir?"

Silas: Silas couldn't smirk with his mouth full, but he smiled on the inside. He might not be good a lot of things, but his mouth was very skilled and he knew it. The problem, however, was blowing anyone or anything really, turned him on even more than being blown and he was quickly starting to lose his cool. He groaned encouraging noises at Nick's request, hoping that maybe if Nick got to cum he'd be able to as well. Of course, the idea of being so turned on, and being denied turned him on even more. His mind was a tortured mess as he continued to work Nick as best he could without pushing him over. His thighs quivered as he strained to keep control and not cum. He moaned again, this time because Nate's cock was working him far too good and he was starting to get concerned. "Please Sir, please let us cum for you," he said desperately as he panted.

Nate looked up at Nick with a wicked grin as he heard the boy begging for him. When it was echoed with Silas' beg too, it was the most beautiful symphony he'd ever heard. "Nah, not yet," he told Nick, pulling Silas' head off him and pulling himself out of Silas to give them both a moment to relax. "Breathe, my boys," he moaned softly, running a hand over Silas' ass absently. After a few minutes, he pushed Silas' head down into nick's cock, "Again, Slut," he said, pushing himself back inside Silas, thrusting hard and fast in the warm hole, his own orgasm stirring and boiling inside him.

Nick didn't know how he was going to be able to stop himself if Nate said no, not with how intensely Silas was working him over. He seemed to know exactly what to do to drive him absolutely crazy, and he whined when Nate pulled his sub's talented mouth away from him. "Sir," he moaned, giving the Dom a fake little glare in his frustration. It was good to have a little breather, though, and he thought he might be ready to take more when Nate encouraged Silas forward again. He blushed at the way Nate called the other a slut, as if that was just his name, and he couldn't help but lift his hands to Silas's shoulders to help ground himself.

Silas: Silas gasped for air as Nate pulled him off. He was quickly starting to lose any control he had left and was both thankful and frustrated by the break. He smirked up at Nick, amused he could torture him, but his eyes showed sympathy for him. “You wanted to know what our life is like,” he chuckled as he fought to catch his breath, his face slick with saliva. All too soon Nate was pushing him back down and he moved effortlessly as if Nate controlling where he went and what he did was the most natural thing in the world. He engulfed Nicks member again, taking him in deep then backing off to just Work his tip as Nate sunk back inside him. He groaned loudly and grasped as Nick’s hips to try and keep control. Tensing aroudn Nate he tried to milk his Dom to orgasm before both subs lost control.

Nate shook his head softly, "No arguin' darlin," he reminded Nick, watching the two of them got into it again. He watched as Silas sucked Nick's cock into his mouth again, moaning and swallowing him down into his throat. Nate pushed into Silas, strong and with purpose and enjoyed the feeling of the submissive's walls crush around him with each deep thrust, causing Nate to moan and growl out louder.

Nick: "Yes, Sir," Nick said in response to Nate, blushing a little at having to be corrected like that. He dug his fingers into Silas's shoulders as he quickly began to feel his pleasure build again. The little break had helped, but it wasn't enough, not when Silas's mouth was so talented and the other two were making such amazing sounds from their part of the sex, too. His own moans melted into the mix. "Your life together is amazing," he said in reply to Silas, "and frustrating. Sir, please, I-- I'm so close."

Silas: Silas couldn't help but chuckle around Nick's member. "It's perfect," he agreed, pulling back and leaving just his tongue on Nick's tip, making small teasing circles, hoping it would help him calm down, and help himself too. "Please, Master, we're desperate. Please use us to cum, Master! We're desperate to see you cum, Sir," he said, winking at Nick to show him that he knew just what to say. "Your two boys would love to taste your cum, Master, if you'd allow us such an hon-honor," he added, breathing though the pleasure, trying not to over do the sucking up, or get too wrapped up in how good Nate felt pounding him, rocking his whole body.

Nate was beside himself with how amazing it was to hear both boys beg and moan for him. How desperate they were and just one word could change everythin. He didn’t slow down with his thrusts, feeling Silas’ walls press against him as his body clenched to avoid the pending orgasm.”nah, I don’t think so,” Nate said pulling out of Silas and pulling the boy’s head off Nick’s cock. He gave them another couple of minutes to calm and stood up off the bed. “Both of you on all fours on the bed, side by side. I want chests on the mattress and asses in the air,” he said and waited for them to comply. Once they were there, asses in the hair, throbbing, dripping cocks dangling beneath them, Nate brought out his flogger and twirled it so the leather straps gently hit across Nick’s ass, the against Silas’. “Mmm such needy little sluts for me,” he cooed, continuing the alternating pattern of Nick’s ass, then Silas’. “But if I let ya cum ya won’t be needy for me anymore. Can’t have that,” he smirked, hitting with a little more force against them. 

Nick gave a soft little whine at Nate's response. He'd thought Silas was being so clever, turning it around to focus on how much they wanted Nate to come, but it hadn't worked. He'd still have to remember it for the future. He panted heavily as he struggled to bring his body back from the edge, and he was only mildly successful by the time he shifted into position, pressing his chest and cheek into the bed and lifting his ass nice and high. He blushed deeply as he thought about what he must look like, but at least Silas was right there with him... and that image in his head just made his cock throb harder, for some reason. His heart started beating faster when he realized that Nate was moving them into impact play, and he stiffened a little until he felt the first, gentle strikes. "I'll a-always be needy for you, Sir," he said, stuttering a little when he heard the flogger land on Silas's skin. He cried out a little when the strikes started landing harder on his ass, but he was so turned on that he felt more arousal than pain.

Silas: Silas thought for sure his plan would work. And surely with Nick here, Nate would be generous. So when Nate denied them once again, Silas’ eyes all but bugged out of his head. He growled in frustration and whined, but he moved as Nate said. His body quivered as he shoved his ass high in the air and pushed his face into the sheets. The position, the fact that nick was there to witness his frustration, the whole scene was hotter than it had any right to be. He couldn’t speak, he just tried to breathe in and out and not lose control. The flogger came down on his ass and he had no idea it was coming, lost in his own world. He yelped and nearly collapsed into the bed. “Fuckfuckfuckfuck,” He panted, knowing that he wasn’t going to last. Fear set in. He couldn’t disappoint Nate, he couldn’t cum. But he was tipping. He grasped the sheets and tried to hold it together.

Nate kept a steady rhythm between the boys so that the flogger was giving each of them a small break. Hearing the boys moan with subtle pink asses was amazing for him and his cock throbbed with each moan. “Mmm such needy boys for me,” he moaned, putting the flogger down. “So my needy boys wanna cum hmm?” He asked, running his fingers up both of their backs lightly. “Both of ya on your knees on he bed facin each other. We’re gonna play a game,” he said as he waiting, stoking himself slowly. “You’re Both gonna stroke yourselves and you’ll be allowed to cum. However, the boy who holds off cummin longer than the other, gets my cum on his face. The other gets to clean up the cum that ends up on my bed with his tongue. Understood?” Once everything was determined, nate stroked himself faster, “ready...go.”

Nick only felt himself grow harder at the sounds Silas was making. The flogger hurt when it landed on him, but there was enough else going on that it was actually kinda hot. He wondered if that was what impact play was supposed to be like all the time. He was panting softly when Nate was finally done with the flogger, and he nodded quickly. "Wanna come so badly, Sir," he said as he pushed himself up onto his knees. His cock jutted out from his body, hard and heavy and so, so close to the edge already. "U-understood, Sir. I like a challenge." He swallowed and looked over at Silas, glad to see he looked as debauched as he felt himself. He waited until Nate gave the go ahead before wrapping his hand around himself, and he couldn't help but look down between their bodies, watching in fascination as they both began to stroke themselves. His own movements were slow and steady, trying his best to win Nate's come on his face.

Silas: Silas still couldn’t speak. He’d never been so close to falling over the edge. He moved as he was told, his hot skin a small distraction from his neediness. “I-yes Master,” He got to his knees and shook his head at Nick. “I’ll never make it,” he said, but he was okay with it. He needed to cum worse than ever before. He didn’t want to. He just knew he wouldn’t be able to stop himself. He glanced at Nate and saw him touching himself, and that itself almost sent him over. He hesitated as Nick started but he forced his hand to his member. Only a few strokes and he was shaking his head. “Please Master May i cum” he spit out fast.

Nate watched his needy boys as he stroked himself as well, wanting his own orgasm ready to spray the winner. “Yea slut,” he agreed, knowing he’d already given blanket permission but also knowing Silas liked to hear it, “cum for me, my needy little whore,” he growled, watching the boy bringing Nate closer to the edge himself.

Nick was grateful to see just how close to the edge Silas was, and he was pretty certain that he would be able to outlast the other sub. He was struggling to hold back his own pleasure as he worked his cock over, and the sight of Silas and Nate both stroking themselves definitely brought him closer to losing, but hearing Silas beg to come and hearing Nate give him permission--even with the added dirty talk--made him focus that much more on holding back to let Silas come first.

Silas: Silas barely made it through Nate’s permission before he shuttered and came, spilling his seed onto the bed. He slumped, disappointed, unable to enjoy the rush as much as he wanted to. “t-thank you, Master,” He panted, and then looked up to see Nick. His own cock barely seemed aware it had just released, still hard and ready for more. Knowing he’d have to watch as Nick got Nate’s cum was frustrating, but such a turn on as well. “Please Master...” he whined, though he was sure Nate wouldn’t bend the rules for him

Nate watched as Silas came all over the sheets beneath him and took a step closer to run his hand through Nate's hair. "Such a needy little slut for me," he cooed, just in time to watch Nick follow suit, adding to the white sticky mess on the bed. "Looks delicious doesn't it?" he smiled as Silas. Hearing the boy beg Nate shook his head, "uh-uh, ya know the rules. Clean it up," Nate said with a firm pull of the boy's hair before letting go. He took a step away from the bed and began stroking himself a little faster. "On your knees on the floor Nick. Get over here before ya miss it," he growled, feeling his orgasm right at it's peak as Nick got in front of him. "Open your mouth," he ordered through a strained groan, moaning loudly as his seed shot onto Nick's lips and cheeks. "Damn that's a good look," he breathed heavily, watching his climax paint Nick's face.

Nick only had to wait until he saw Silas start to come over his hand and the sheets beneath them before he allowed himself to let go, too. A couple more strokes and he came, crying out with his pleasure. He panted heavily as he dropped his hand back down to his side after he'd worked the last bit of come from his cock, and it took him a moment to realize that Nate was talking to him. "Yes, Sir," he said, hurrying to get down on his knees in front of the Dom. He tilted his head back a little and opened his mouth wide, moaning as Nate's come shot out and landed on his face and in his mouth. He wanted to swallow down the bit that got in his mouth, but he kept his mouth wide, waiting for further instruction, his arousal back in full force despite having come so recently himself.

Silas: Silas licked his lips and nodded, “yours is better though, Master,” he said, dropping hints, only to be denied as expected. “Yes Master, thank you Master,” he said softly as his face was pushed down into the sheet. His exhausted body fell flat and he watched from his stomach as his tongue lapped at the cum in the sheets. Jealous raged in him as he watched Nate stroke himself into Nicks mouth, but he kept quiet and kept licking up both subs mess. His cock however, turned the jealousy into lust and throbbed beneath him. As Nate came down, Silas’ hips bucked into the mucked up bedding as his licked and rooted out every drop, his eyes fixed on Nate and Nick.

Nate grunted and groaned as his seed splashed against Nick's face and into his mouth, looking amazing as Nate looked down at the boy. "Swallow it, sexy," he moaned, running his fingers through Nick's hair. Once he could move his legs again he walked over to the bed as Silas finished cleaning off the bed spread iwth his tongue. "Good boy," he moaned, running his fingers through Silas' hair before crashing onto the bed in a delightful and satisfied groan.

Nick was so focused on Nate and his orgasm that Silas seemed to be a secondary thought to him. He happily swallowed down the come that had landed in his mouth, humming happily as it slid down his throat. "Thank you, Sir," he said, crawling over to the side of the bed. He stayed on his knees as he looked up at the other two on the bed, his cock jutting out from his body. "May I come up with you, Sir?" he asked, hands forming into fists to stop himself from touching his cock, no matter how much he wanted to. "Please?"

Silas: Silas finished up for the most part and moved aside to let Nate collapse on to the covers. He scooted to his knees and waited for more orders, though all he wanted to do was lay down next to his Dom and worship his body. “May I clean the two of you, Master?”

Nate looked up once he caught his breath as Nick spoke, "Yeah, cmon up here, darlin'," he told Nick. "Lay on your back," he ordered before looking up at Silas, "Yeah, slut. clean us up and then ya can lay down here too."

Nick grinned when Nate gave him permission to get back up on the bed, and he climbed up eagerly. "Thank you, Sir." It took a little effort for him to just lie down on his back, but he managed, and he bit his lip while he watched Silas curiously.

Silas: Silas crawled first up to Nate, carefully taking his cock in his mouth and gently cleaning it off. When he felt like it was all clean, he kissed the tip and then moved over to do the same to Nick. It hardly did anything for his aching cock but he wouldn't push his luck tonight. He kissed Nick's tip as well when he was finished and collapsed next to Nate, writhing a bit, finding it hard to lay still.

Nate opened his arm to allow Nick to snuggle into it if he wanted to, moaning quietly as he felt Silas’ warm mouth over his spent cock. Once silas was done with both him and Nick he opened the other arm to offer it to Silas if he wanted it, or just rubbed the boy’s hair. “Ok, we lay like this until we get feeling back in our legs. Then bed time.”

Nick cuddled into Nate's side, careful to keep his slightly messy face away from the Dom's skin. He was still able to rest the back of his head on the Dom's shoulder and upper arm. He moaned softly as Silas lapped at his cock, which did absolutely nothing to help his body calm down. He shook his head and gave a little whine. "Bedtime, Sir?" he asked, pouting a little. "No round two?"

Silas: Silas' eyes perked up as Nick suggested round two, though he doubted Nate would indulge them. Plus, he'd been allowed to cum once, anything more than happened tonight would just be tease and denial. Silas snuggled into Nate's side, enjoying the moment of relaxation while he could. There was nothing that was more relaxing and comforting than Nate's scene and his warm spent body.

Nate gave both the boys a soft grin before looking at his watch, “It’s gettin’ kinda late pet. But, I wouldn’t be against another round tomorrow,” he smiled, playing with both of their hair. “Ya both can come wake me tomorrow with your mouths and we’ll get another quick one in, hmm?” he said, settling himself into the bed, just enjoying the afterglow for a bit.

[themusicenthusiast]

Friday, June 9th, 2017 – Bri Bagwell and The Banned Captivate the Crowd at Levitt Pavilion with Classic Country Covers and Outstanding Originals

All photos by Jordan Buford Photography Bri Bagwell had better luck this time around at Arlington’s Levitt Pavilion, apparently her last scheduled show there being rained out, a fact one of the volunteers at the Levitt pointed out. While it had rained on this Friday, it was confined to the morning and early afternoon; and surprisingly, the lawn at the Levitt was quite dry. Far from the muddy mess that some concert goers surely feared, the several hundred people that turned out had no trouble setting up their chairs and blankets. The turnout was impressive even in the early evening hours; and warming everyone up for the headliner, Reckless Kelly, was Bri Bagwell and The Banned, who took the stage a few minutes after seven. They had a great mix of originals and covers planned for everyone this evening, opening with the lead track from Bagwell’s self-titled EP, “Hound Dog” being the epitome of a country music song and boasting an authentic country quality as Bagwell sang about a cheating lover. At the same time, it wasn’t without its rocking moments, lead guitarist Nathan Sebesta having the opportunity to wail on his axe; the quartet’s commanding persona ensuring all eyes were on them.

The mood got more tender with “Anything But You”, and upon finishing the love song Bagwell mentioned how much she and her band mates liked ‘90s country music, adding she hoped everyone in attendance did as well. That led them to bust out a cover of Terri Clark’s “Better Things to Do”, the song, both sonically and in terms of the story sounding right in Bagwell and The Banned ‘s wheelhouse. While keeping it true to form, they also seemed to give it a little more kick, the extra flare making it sound all the better as they left their mark on the ‘90s classic. One of the most appealing things about the show was the conversations Bagwell had with the spectators, working to build a rapport, sometimes feeling more like a chat and others offering some insight to the songs (or even both). Such was the case as she set up their next number, mentioning she wrote it about a city in her home state of New Mexico, though shared an amusing anecdote about a radio interview she did with a radio DJ in Texas, who told her how clever she was for naming it after a city in both New Mexico and Texas. A fact she confessed to the crowd she wasn’t aware of when she wrote it.

“Banned From Santa Fe” was their lone offering of the night off the album of the same night, and it was one of the standouts of the show. The smoother sound of the song highlighted Bagwell’s rich voice and how pristine it was, her subtle drawl at times making the track all the more compelling. Before moving on, she mentioned she had auditioned for The Voice a couple of years back, making it as far as the blind auditions, touching on how that was performing for the judges when they weren’t even looking at her. “…Thank you for facing me!” she jokingly told the audience, soon informing them she had auditioned with a Kris Kristofferson song and wanted to play one of his now. In a way, “Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down” felt like an apt follow-up to the tale of a breakup that had preceded it, the mood becoming more melancholy as they did their version of that song. And they weren’t done with stuff from country legends, either. They next treated everyone to a take on Merle Haggard’s “Workin' Man Blues”, much to the delight of the old school country music fans in attendance.

Mixed in amongst the tried and true from her catalog as well as other artists’, there was a new song, Bagwell stating that she has been working on new music for a future release, asking everyone if it’d be alright if she played one of the pieces. No one minded that one bit, even cheering the prospect of hearing something fresh; “Cheat On Me” being a highly emotional one, quite poignant at times, leading one to believe that Bagwell’s next batch of music will be her best yet.

The story behind her next number earned some laughs from the crowd, saying it was about your family (and friends) always trying to get you to drink, asking if anyone there could relate. “Beer Pressure” just cultivated a fun and carefree vibe -- as was noticeable by the smile Bagwell often wore – being impossible for the crowd to resist as it made everyone feel a little more chipper. A hallmark of country music, every act needs a good drinking song, and that one is an instant classic. (In fact, after having heard it more than a few times on the radio, it was nice to finally learn who performed it.)

At this point, they reached what Bagwell declared was her “favorite part of show” and one of the most interesting things I’ve seen a band do. She turned the reins over to The Banned, each of the three instrumentalists having selected one of their favorite covers to perform, which included taking up the role as lead vocalist. They were wide-ranging and began with drummer Marshall Black showing off his voice as he led them through Shenandoah’s “Two Dozen Roses”, putting a great spin on the song. They were woven together seamlessly, Sebesta stepping up next with a pretty spot on take of “Lost And Found" by Brooks & Dunn. A bit of a twangy sound present in his voice, they nailed that one, after which Seth Foster brought it home, I believe covering Jason Eady’s “Lonesome, Down and Out”. It was interesting for various reasons, including the fact that I doubt there are many singers out there who have the confidence to be comfortable in letting their band mates do some singing. That in itself speaks volumes about the chemistry the four of them have. On top of that, they all had great voices in their own right, Black, Foster and Sebesta each bringing something different to the table. It’s not often you see a band where everyone is a capable singer, the audience discovering they were much more than just the harmony vocalists they had shown themselves to be up to that point, and in that capacity they further highlighted Bagwell’s excellent set of pipes.

Their 54-minute long set was nearing the end; Bagwell encouraging everyone to blame it on their boots if they ever got in to any trouble, which is the exact sentiment behind what she noted was her first number one single in Texas, “My Boots”. Capturing a rebellious spirit, the high-energy number allowed them to cut loose even more than they had thus far this evening, ensuring they would bring things to a strong finish. That would include the impassioned “Crazy”, which seemed to become another crowd favorite of the show; and during it Bagwell took a moment to formally introduce her bandmates, pointing out that, purely by coincidence, they were all “gingers”. With time enough for one more, they injected some rock ‘n’ roll into the show, Bagwell setting down the acoustic guitar she had been using and fully took on the role of frontwoman. That made “Summer of ‘69” all the more compelling as she roamed about the stage and further engaged the audience, still working tirelessly to create a connection with everyone. Her singing had been extremely passionate all evening long, though she went into overdrive on that one, digging as deep as possible while belting out some of the lines of that classic from Bryan Adams, ultimately leaving Sebesta, Foster and Black on stage to close it down, the spectators breaking into roaring applause once it was all said and done.

During the show, Bagwell had said something to the effect that as the opening band it was their job to get everyone warmed up for the headliner, something they were going to strive to do. She and The Banned went above and beyond that, though, thoroughly entertaining the crowd and putting on a high caliber performance that was pretty comparable to what Reckless Kelly would wind up doing. They finessed the crowd perfectly, gaining the attention of everyone practically right out of the gate and then doing everything in their power to maintain it, and indeed, no one’s interest ever seemed to wane. Along with that, their selection of songs was great. Some people may prefer more originals to covers, but in this setting, it worked. Since this served as Bagwell’s introduction to many of the people out this night, it at least made certain that they were familiar with a good chunk of the music and subsequently more receptive to the originals as they proved themselves as purveyors of legitimate country music. Not only that, but Bri Bagwell and The Banned are arguably one of the best acts currently in the Texas country music scene. They have a busy schedule over the next few months with shows all around the region and beyond. They’ll be back in D-FW on June 23rd performing at The Bomb Factory in Dallas. (Which is a free show.) Other North Texas events include a stop at Love & War in TX in Plano on August 12th and Hank’s Texas Grill in McKinney on September 1st. For a complete listing of tour dates, go HERE; and check out her albums in iTUNES or GOOGLE PLAY.