#-you are the big dipper chilled in the sky that the lights of the city eats

[lilyrizzy]

for jacknico: jack is used to being called “pretty” as an insult- to emasculate him, minimize his accomplishments and talent, etc etc so he always bristles at someone calling him pretty… until nico does it in a tender/intimate moment and oh. the whole meaning of the word changes. augh

okay anon this isn't reallyyyy what you wanted but...it felt right. I hope you like it anyway! also on ao3

Tilting his head back, Jack tries to make the patterns of stars above him into constellations. They shine bright despite the distant glow of city lights around him, the hotel rooftop dark enough not to dull them. If this were his apartment building in Newark, Jack isn’t sure he’d get to see this many.

Not that it matters. Jersey is home now, stars or no stars. He’s only sat here on this roof because of Trevor, because he wouldn’t stop banging on about the calming abilities of his fucking sunsets.

California sky, man. Nothing like it.

And after watching the Ducks hand Jack's team their asses while he sat on his own in the fucking media box, he needs all the calm he can get.

He still can’t quite understand how Trevor can live in a place like this, with no seasons. Just hot and then hotter, no chilled winter air to close the windows of your apartment against. No need for extra blankets on the bed, just the constant blast of aircon against the thickness of the air. Even now, an hour past curfew it’s warm in a way that lets Jack sit here with no jacket.

He shouldn’t have come on this roadie. He wasn’t going to, was prepared to mope alone in his apartment until it was time for his surgery, but then-

Are you coming, Nico had asked him after turning up at Jack’s apartment with fucking chicken soup, like he had a cold and not a potentially season ending injury. I- I think the guys would like it best, if you came.

So Jack is in fucking Anaheim. By the time the team made it back to the hotel, the sun had long set, but he’s nothing if not someone who fucking tries.

It’s why he’s searching so hard now for Orion’s belt, for the big and little dipper’s that Quinn pointed out to him three summers ago. Anything to slow his pounding heart, to unfurl his clenched fists and help him forget the image of puck after puck sinking in their goal, to shake the maybe arrogant belief that, I could have given that game a different outcome.

The back of his neck prickles, and behind him he hears the fire escape door open and close.

“Jack?”

He doesn’t need to turn around to know it’s Nico behind him. Hell, he didn’t even really need Nico to speak. It seems like lately, no matter where Jack has turned, there he is, both off ice and on it. If Jack was able to think badly of Nico he’d think he was taunting him with it, seeing how far he could push before Jack snapped and begged him for something they’d both regret, but- Nico isn’t mean.

Nico is good.

“Hischier,” Jack says, though he knows putting up walls is pointless when one look will have them crumbling as easily as a kicked sandcastle. “Shouldn’t you be in bed?”

Nico snorts, and by the time Jack is brave enough to turn around, he’s there. Stood beside Jack’s stretched out legs, lowering himself to sit besides him.

“I could say the same thing to you,” he says, and with the simple exchange, Jack knows this isn’t his captain speaking, just his- Whatever Nico is.

It’s never felt simple enough to be friends.

“Did Ty rat me out?” Jack asks anyway, just to be sure. “Send you looking for me?”

Nico stretches his arms out behind him, falls back onto his hands and tilts his head back to look at the same stars Jack was just minutes ago.

“No,” he says easily. “Maybe I just wanted to see the stars as well.”

It’s easy to believe. Nico probably grew up under a sky full of them, in the Swiss mountains. Gorgeous, Jack has heard him describe his home multiple times, with a passion Jack can find for few things, hockey one of them. Maybe Nico knows these stars well enough to have used them more than once to impress someone, to get them into his bed.

Still, like always, Jack is unable to help offering something to Nico, even if it’s maybe not quite what he wants-

“That’s Orion’s belt,” Jack tells him.

His finger traces the pattern of it in the sky, and it feels headier than it should, to watch Nico’s eyes follow it. To see the arch of his neck as he tilts his head back to look at where Jack is pointing. He shifts closer to Jack, their ankles brushing. Nico is wearing sliders with no socks, and the bones of his ankles look weirdly smooth. Hairless.

What would they feel like, against-

“Oh yes,” Nico says, happily, “I can see it. You know all the constellations?”

Jack lets the thought go. It’s safer that way.

He distracts himself by showing Nico all the stars he knows. He can’t see them all, so when they’re lost to their eyes, he traces what they should look like against the inky black. Then, when he runs out, he starts to make them up. The big stick, the puck. The giant dick.

“There’s a special one, in Jersey,” he adds with a grin. “It’s called the bad-ass devil. You can only see it from the roof of our building though, so um. I’ll have to show you when we’re home.”

When he turns to look at Nico, to check he’s made him laugh, he sees that Nico is looking at him with surprisingly serious eyes despite his smile. Close like this, Jack notices the way the tips of his hair are damp like he showered again when he got back to the hotel. Except, no. Jack doesn’t have to have been in the locker room to know Nico didn’t shower there, too eager to get out, to get away the way Jack had been.

The same way Nico had known to look for Jack on the roof.

The longer Jack looks at Nico, the sweeter his smile gets. His dimple appears, high on his cheek, and Jack-

“What?” He dares to ask into the silence, but-

Kiss me, he thinks, and the clarity of it should startle him but who is he kidding. Every moment since he met Nico has been building to this one, stark desire. I’ll do anything you want if you just kiss me.

“You’re so pretty.”

The moment snaps, a string pulled too tight. Jack can’t help the way the word makes him recoil, jerking backwards to put more empty space between them.

“What?” He asks again, this time with an angry sounding laugh. “What- Fucking, okay Hischier.”

Pretty. Fucking pretty. Jack isn’t-

He scrambles to his feet, as quick as the twinge in the shoulder will let him. Nico stays frozen on the ground at his feet, his face crumpled into something dangerously close to hurt. It’s almost enough to have Jack smash his own head against the concrete wall behind them because he’s fucking this up. He’s fucking it up, but he has to say this. If anyone has to know, Nico has to know.

“I’m not some fucking- I'm going to be back,” he says, the words like venom sucked from a wound. “I’m going to be back, and then I’m going to score enough to carry this shit show of a team, and- And I’m going to do it all with my pretty fucking face.”

“Jack-“ Nico tries, finally pushing himself to his feet too, “Jack, I didn’t-“

But Jack doesn’t want to hear it. All he listens to is the crash of metal on metal as he slams the fire escape door shut behind him.

[rosanna-writer]

rare as the glimmer of a comet in the sky

Summary: Five times Rhys and Feyre stared at the stars (and one time they painted their own). Warnings: None Rating: General Audiences Word Count: ~2.2k

This is for @star-captain, my bonus giftee for @acotargiftexchange! I had a lot of fun writing some Feysand stargazing fluff for the fandom's resident astrobiologist <3

And again, a HUGE thank you to the event organizers for all their work putting this together!

You can find it Here on AO3 or under the cut!

Taking girls stargazing worked every time. Rhysand had made countless exes melt over how romantic it was to sit out under the stars, especially when there was just enough of a chill in the night air that they'd cuddle closer as he pointed out constellations one by one.

He should have known it wouldn't work on Feyre.

Really, it had seemed like a miracle that she'd even agreed to go out with him in the first place—Rhys had never met anyone so dead-set on calling him a prick. For a long time, the blush that stained her freckled cheeks every time he'd purred Feyre darling seemed like the most he'd ever get.

But on the drive out to a park far enough from the city to see the stars properly, the conversation had flowed easily between them. Rhys had itched to put his hand on her thigh as she she'd adjusted the radio and jokingly criticized his taste in music the whole way.

Now she'd settled in a camping chair, a light blanket around her shoulders and a thermos of coffee in hand, her head tilted back to look at the sky. Feyre was the most beautiful woman Rhys had ever seen, but somehow, she looked even better in the moonlight, and he was tempted to spend the whole night staring at her and not the stars they'd come to see.

And Rhys suspected if he spent hours just gawking at her, there wouldn't be a second date.

He settled into the chair next to her and started with the same routine he always used when he took someone stargazing. "We're facing north. That bright star directly in front of us is Polaris—"

"I know. And the Big Dipper is right there," Feyre said pointing.

So she'd done this before, then. Rhys relaxed, glad that he wouldn't spend half the night mapping out the basics of the night sky. He would have done it gladly for Feyre, but there were better ways to spend a rare perfectly clear night providing a tutorial.

"Which is your favorite?"

As she started telling him about Orion's belt Feyre's smile was bright enough to light up the entire night. Rhys hung on her every word, memorizing exactly why she'd always loved the hunter, because there was nothing that seemed more important than knowing her inside and out.

By the end of the night, Rhys was sure he was going to marry her some day.

***

Feyre woke to the feather-light brush of Rhys's fingers in her hair. Making a low noise in the back of her throat, she buried her face deeper into the pillow. He chuckled, sweeping his thumb along her cheek.

"I know the bed is comfortable, but I promise the surprise is worth waking up for," he said softly.

Feyre cracked open one blue-grey eye. "There's a surprise?"

"When it's your birthday and the longest night of the year? Of course."

Feyre sat up slowly, pulling the quilt with her. She blinked at Rhys owlishly, taking in the layers he was dressed in. Only an hour before, he'd been in bed with her, wearing nothing at all. "Are we…going somewhere?"

"Yes, stargazing. So bundle up."

Feyre shot out of bed like a cannonball and dug out one of Rhys's sweatshirts from the closet. "I didn't think you'd want to go," she said, shrugging it on over her t-shirt.

"Last year, you said no one would go on your birthday because December was too cold."

"You remembered that?"

Rhys wasn't sure he could have forgotten—she'd looked so heartbroken over something easily remedied by a good coat, thick socks, and hand warmers. The temperature might have plunged, but they'd been lucky enough to have another clear night, as if the stars wanted to shine their brightest on Feyre's birthday.

And beyond that, he'd been panicking for months over what to do for her first birthday since they'd started dating. She'd struggled to accept gifts gracefully for as long as he'd known her, and he hated seeing her stammer and insist whatever she'd been given was too much.

But Feyre didn't need to know how long he'd been agonizing for. He picked at an invisible piece of lint on his sweater as she rooted around in a drawer for a hat. "There isn't much about you that's easy to forget."

An hour later, they'd managed to get the telescope set up, even with their hands wrapped up in thick gloves. Their breath made clouds in the air as they took turns adjusting it and peering up at the stars.

By the time they tumbled back into bed, the sun had nearly risen. It had taken the last of Feyre's energy to peel off her coat and all the layers under it, and she'd nearly fallen back to sleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Rhys's arms banded around her, pulling her close as she whispered, "This was the best birthday I can remember."

***

After nearly a year of dating, they'd planned their summer travel around the Perseids. The late-August heat cooled off enough to make nights perfectly comfortable for watching the annual meteor shower. For months, Feyre had been looking forward to getting out of the city and watching it with Rhys.

But of course, a summer thunderstorm had gotten in the way of their plans.

In the days leading up to the trip, Rhys had been watching the weather obsessively, fretting over every last change in the predicted cloud cover. More than once, Feyre had nudged him to stop refreshing the page and just come to bed.

In the end, they'd decided not to cancel. Partial cloud cover, chance of rain low. It seemed worth risking it for the chance to watch shooting stars streak across the sky all night.

But the cloud cover turned out to be quite a lot worse than just partial. They'd only just gotten settled when a storm rolled in, and the rain began to pour.

Rhys and Feyre packed up their things in record time and made a mad dash back to the car. Feyre sighed with relief once they were out of the rain—only to shriek in surprise at the droplets that hit her as Rhys shook his head like a dog.

"Sorry," he said, pushing a wet lock of hair out of his eyes.

Feyre shrugged. "It's not as if I was dry anyway."

Now that she'd caught her breath, she let her gaze roam over him. Rhys's t-shirt had been stark white against his warm brown skin, and now it clung to his chest, the swirling tattoos that covered it showing through the material.

He was beautiful, and sometimes Feyre couldn't believe her luck that he was hers.

Even if he was smirking at her as if he could read her thoughts.

In the end, they'd attempted to salvage the evening by finding a place to eat. Not that there were many options this late. It took a while to find a place that stayed open all night, a diner called Rita's that seemed to be the only one for miles.

They were still waterlogged when the waitress showed them to their table. Feyre caught the hungry stares at Rhys and had nearly growled a warning to back off. Something in his eyes glittered.

When they were alone in their booth, he'd leaned in close and whispered, "You know I'm yours and yours alone, Feyre darling."

She'd shivered, not just because of the cold air on her wet skin.

***

Feyre hadn't thought much about how entwined their lives had felt until the solar eclipse was approaching. Hotels in the path of totality filled up well in advance—years in advance, even. But somehow, it didn't feel like wishful thinking to assume she'd be going with Rhys.

And she'd been right, of course. They shared a townhouse now, and Rhys was the person she came home to every day. I f Feyre had her way, that would be true for the rest of her life.

So a few weeks before the trip, Feyre found herself buying a ring.

By some miracle, she'd kept it hidden for weeks, tucked away in the back of a closet and the pocket of her coat. Throughout the drive, checking into their hotel, and dinner, Rhys hadn't seemed to suspect a thing.

But still, as darkness fell the next day and the moon moved in front of the sun, Feyre's heart leapt into her throat. She couldn't imagine he'd say no, but….a small part of her still worried Rhys might.

Her fingers curled around the box in her pocket, clutching it as if to steady herself. She took a deep breath and watched the sky through the tinted glasses they'd bought for the occasion.

Rhys's fingers brushed her other hand. The moon was nearly directly in front of the sun. It was now or never. Feyre dropped to one knee, pulling the box from her pocket, and tugged on Rhys's hand for his attention.

Only to find that he'd just done the same thing.

For a moment, they just stared at each other in shock, both kneeling with a ring in hand, then burst into laughter. Feyre launched herself into Rhys's arms.

"Should I take that to mean the answer is yes?" he said, kissing her.

"Of course it is."

"So is mine, if that wasn't obvious."

***

Eloping in the middle of the night was tempting. And with every frustration over finding a caterer and a photographer and a baker and every other task that seemed to be piling up as the wedding approached, it seemed even more tempting.

But they'd both been far too set on the idea of a ceremony in a planetarium to let all the planning to go waste.

Feyre tilted her head back and looked up at the stars as she waited to walk down the aisle. The planetarium had arranged them to replicate the sky on the first night they'd gone stargazing together. Just as she had then, she found Polaris with ease, right above the altar where Rhys was waiting for her.

Her worries about tripping on her dress or stumbling over the words in her vows melted away. Like so many had before her, Feyre looked up at the stars and knew with certainty exactly where to find home.

The rest of the day felt like a dream—when the music started, Feyre felt as if she'd floated down the aisle, pulled to Rhys by a string nestled next to both their hearts. In some ways, they'd always belonged to each other, but declaring it in front of their loved ones had her nearly glowing with happiness.

***

Long before the pregnancy test had come back positive, they'd both known the nursery would be covered in stars. And once they'd heard the name Nyx, Rhys and Feyre had agreed that nothing else sounded quite right.

Feyre had resolved to paint the nursery ceiling well before she started showing and standing too long on swollen feet became impossible. As early as possible, she'd bought several cans of glow-in-the-dark paint and printed out a map of the stars.

Rhys leaned against the doorframe and watched her—the meticulous way she painted each star, her tongue peeking out from between her lips as she focused, and the delicate curve of her fingers around the paintbrush. Given the opportunity, he could watch Feyre paint for hours.

When her concentration finally broke, he said, "Is there anything you need my help with?"

"Do you mind opening the can of paint near my feet?"

He did as she asked, stepping closer to pick up the can of paint that was sitting next to the ladder. As Rhys pried the lid open, flecks of paint splattered across his face. He blinked in surprise, and Feyre giggled.

Rhys went to wipe the paint from his face, but Feyre said, "Wait, no! Not yet."

She climbed down the ladder and crossed the room to turn off the lights. The paint began to glow, making Rhys look like he was covered in stardust.

He tipped his head back to admire the half-finished mural on the ceiling. "It's already beautiful."

"You think so?" Feyre came closer, wrapping an arm around his waist as she surveyed her work. Mapping the sky had been a meticulous, painstaking process, but she could see the final result beginning to come together. It would be worth it, if only just to have the soft glow illuminating midnight feedings when Nyx arrived.

"Everything you make is beautiful." Rhys pressed a kiss to her temple, which distracted Feyre enough that she didn't notice his fingers dipping back into the can of paint. He flicked some onto her, so she looked like she was covered in stardust, too.

"Rhysand," she squeaked, moving to wipe the paint away.

He caught her wrist before she could. "Don't. It looks like your freckles are glowing."

Feyre started to say that if he wasted any more of the paint, she'd be sending him back to the craft store, but the way he was looking at her stole her breath. Rhys leaned in to kiss her, under the stars as always.

[starshine-wagner]

Nothing

Pairing: Josh Kiszka x Reader

Summary: Keeping warm on a fall night under the stars, in more ways than one. 

Words: 2k

Warnings: none

A/N: This is a re-upload to move it from my old blog to my current blog.

I’d just washed the smell of smoke out of my hair. After a day of strolls in the woods and conversations by the creek, we’d built a small fire behind the rental cabin. After all, what was a fall day without a little fire? Stepping out of the shower, I pulled on my sweats and grabbed my high school cross country tee. It was getting ratty and thin, but it would be good enough for sleep.

Wrapping my arms around myself, I stepped out the back door in search of Josh. The still-hanging Christmas lights on the porch provided just enough light to see that he was out on the grass, crawling around like a lunatic.

“Josh, come in! I’m cold and I’m clean and I’m ready for bed.” His head whipped around, clearly not expecting to see me there.

“Close your eyes! Just one second, here…” I obeyed, a little wary of whatever he was up to. I could hear him scrambling around, the crunch of leaves around him, some little grumbles and mumbles… “Shit…,” some more hurried shuffles.

“Okay,” he spoke into my ear. I shivered a little bit, not expecting him to be so close. His hands immediately came up to my bare shoulders. When I opened my eyes, he was right in front of me. His eyes sparkled differently in the dim light. They were softer. When he moved aside and let me out, it took a minute for my eyes to adjust.

“Ta-daaaaa!” He sang, opening his arms wide with pride. The guest room mattress was covered with every mismatched blanket from the living room splayed onto the grass. The cushions from the porch chairs were balanced between the bed and the oak tree.

October was the perfect time for it. The fall chill had just settled in the Michigan air, but the blankets would be enough to keep the warmth of each other wrapped around. He’d just decided to spend a long weekend at home and figured that now was as good a time as any to show me where he grew up. So, here we were, in the woods outside of central Michigan, spending a weekend away from the world.

“What is all this about?” I questioned, smiling at the realization that he’d been clambering around out here for a while just to get this ready. Josh was no stranger to romantic gestures, but this was something different. There was nobody around to see. No cameras to capture the moment, no brothers around to crash the party…

“What? Can’t a guy want to live his granola dream with a beautiful woman?”

“I mean, he certainly could. But after she’s already gotten set for bed? It’s damn cold out here…”

“Ah m’lady, this is where you are wrong! Join me.” He motioned to the makeshift couch, grabbed my hands, and pulled me down on top of him. My wet hair dangled in his face as he pretended to spit it out and blow it away from him. I raised my eyebrows at him and he only smirked back at me.

“Scoot your ass up and let me get us properly settled, yeah?” I leaned back against the cushions by the tree and let him arrange the blankets until we were properly cocooned.

“Ah, fuck. Hold on. I’ll be right back.” He got up, leaving me momentarily alone in the yard. I hadn’t noticed the previous night, but the view of the stars out there was incredible. Away from the city lights, you could nearly see the Milky Way on a clear night. I silently pointed out Jupiter and Saturn shining above, and searched the sky for the Big Dipper which was soon to be out of sight. The sky was incredible to me. The idea that every person who’s ever lived has looked at the same moon and traced the same constellations is comforting. I was getting lost in my own wonder when Josh came scurrying back carrying a stack of books, his speaker, a flashlight, and two bottles of water.

“Okay. Now we’re ready!”

“Ready for what?”

“Ready for the interstellar show, baby!” He smiled like an idiot. “The meteor shower that’s supposed to be coming through tonight…? I know how much you love the planetarium and the stars so I figured we could enjoy it out here.”

I let out a small gasp of realization. He was right. I’d told him 3 weeks ago that we should make it a point to catch the shower, but I’d completely forgotten. He’d remembered. It was just a passing conversation, but he remembered.

He resettled in the blankets and pulled a sweatshirt out from under his butt. Handing it to me, I hesitated. It smelled smoky and I had just washed the scent off of me. I decided to throw it on anyway.

“Okay, so it isn’t supposed to start for another hour or so. I brought us some books and I also have my speaker so we could-“

“Josh…” I shut him up by pressing my lips to his. Once the surprise wore off, he reached his hand out from under the blanket to cup my cheek. His nose was cold and my hair was still drying, but I was so overwhelmed that I didn’t care. He was the most thoughtful person I’d ever met. He pulled back, just for a moment, to meet my eyes. Again, I caught the porch lights igniting a sparkle in his. He put his head back down and kissed the base of my neck, working his way up to my ear, over my eyes, and onto my nose. All gentle, all soft. He let our noses touch before looking back up to the universe above. I followed his gaze. The moon was barely there, but the hazy nighttime clouds were starting to roll in. I scooted further down onto the mattress and, once I nudged his necklace out of the way, I let my head rest on his chest. Pulling the covers up to my chin, I was content to stay in this spot forever. Josh let out a wistful sigh and moved his hand up to my hair. Grabbing strands, he started to twirl it around his fingers, the feeling lulling me nearly asleep.

I was brought back, though, when his chest started to rumble ever so slightly. Under his breath, I heard it.

“You fill up my senses like a night in a forest, like the mountains in springtime, like a walk in the rain…”

My heart sank. It sank so deeply in love that I feared I might never recover. He was whispering Annie’s Song. I didn’t want him to stop, so I stayed as still as possible. His hand moved from my hair to the spot just behind my ear. Little circles, he drew, as he let his mind wander to wherever it was in this moment.

“Like a storm in the desert, like a sleepy blue ocean, you fill up my senses…” he drifted off. I finished, ever so quietly, “Come fill me again.” He looked down and I could barely see him through his eyelashes. He flashed the softest smile I’ve ever seen as I sat up to be eye-to-eye with him again. But, my insecurities surfaced as I thought about what could’ve just happened. The next verse. “Come let me love you, let me give my life to you…”

Love. Josh and I hadn’t used that word in reference to each other before. Everything had been happening so quickly, so fittingly, that we didn’t ever really stop to question what it was we were doing. Did I love him? Yes. Yes, absolutely. I was in love. How could I not be? But was he in love… with me?

I’d never been anyone’s first pick. I was a good distraction, the funny girl that guys hung out with to get with my friends. I was pretty, but I certainly never felt like the most beautiful person in the room. When Josh and I began seeing each other, I figured that this is what that was. Another distraction. But he was so sweet, so funny, so complex and intriguing and insightful and strange and beautiful that I didn’t care. I was happy to be his temporary fix. I’d let him settle for me if it meant I could be near him for however long he’d let me.

These thoughts must have flashed across my face. Josh’s smile faltered just a bit, noticeable only because I’d studied his face so carefully these few months. He turned his body so that he was fully facing me and placed his thumb on my cheek. We stared at each other and he began tapping each freckle under my eyes.

“You know…” he spoke, hesitating just a second, “the stars. They’re nothing.”

Hm. Not what I was expecting. I stayed silent, though, figuring he would explain.

His lips caught mine again and I wasn’t about to complain. His hand left my cheek and wandered down my side, landing on my hand. As our mouths said what words couldn’t, he lifted my hand to his chest and held it there. He was warm. He was always warm. I tried to move my hand up to his neck. I wanted to grab his curls and bring him closer. I wanted to be closer. But he stopped me. He kept my hand right there on his chest when suddenly he pulled back once more.

“I’m in love with you. I-“ he searched the night sky for answers before returning to my eyes, “I love you.” And then, for once, he didn’t have any other words.

I was sure I’d misheard. He loved me? He loved me. My eyebrows furrowed as my mouth hung open, still wet with his kisses. “Josh, I-“

“No, don’t say anything. Not yet..” He shifted and gathered confidence as he closed his eyes and sang, just barely audible…

“Come let me love you. Let me give my life to you. Let me drown in your laughter, let me die in your arms. Let me lay down beside you. Let me always be with you. Come let me love you. Come love me again.”

When his eyes opened, I felt mine prickling with tears. He really meant it. The damn fool loved me. He wiped a stray tear off my face.

“I couldn’t keep it to myself anymore. I love you. I, everything… I didn’t know how to say it myself. So I figured I could call on old Johnny to help me out here.” I laughed and was rewarded with a hopeful smirk.

“I love you, Josh. I was afraid that you…” This time, it was him cutting me off. Our lips collided and my hands were instantly in his hair, needing to pull him closer. He grabbed my back and laid me down on the mattress, crunching some leaves that had made their way onto our little island in the woods. Hovering above me, he peppered my face with kisses and grabbed both of my hands, locked in his grip above my head. If he was being soft before, this was a whole new game. He was urgent, no, insistent on solidifying this new declaration with his body. I started to sweat in his smoky sweatshirt, but he was one step ahead, already grabbing the hem and pulling it over my head. Just as he came back down…

“No- fuck!” A mosquito had flown straight into his left eye. I burst out laughing and practically rolled off the mattress.

“Shut up and get back over here,” he sighed, clearly embarrassed that such a tiny disturbance had ruined our confession of love for one another. He rubbed his eye and swatted around to clear the air of any more flying bastards.

“Actually, Mr. Kiszka, I believe we have a show to watch!” I gestured to the sky and decided we could save the heat for an indoor activity. The meteor shower was set to begin any minute. We fell back into the most comfortable spot on the mattress with our heads side by side, hands clasped into one. Just as we settled, an enormous shooting star flew by. I’d truly never seen any that big before.

“Did you see that one!? Holy shit!” I yelled. Any other day, Josh would’ve met my exclamation with equal, if not more, excitement. But tonight, he just turned to me.

“The stars… they’re nothing. That’s what I meant to say.

They’re nothing next to you.”

[blackfeatherdragon]

Day 2 of @ygorarepairweek!

Title: Dreams of the Future

Pairing: Aztecshipping

Wordcount: 726

Rating: G

Prompt: Dreams

Ao3

(Full fic also below the cut!)

III Michael, he can be Michael again and not III, sits on the Tsukumo rooftop alongside Yuma, the pair looking up at the few stars visible in the light pollution choked skies of Heartland City. A cold night breeze blows, and Michael cuddles closer to Yuma for warmth, all the while wishing he'd brought a warmer outfit with him for their sleepover.

(His usual outfit, the one he wears now due to not having switched over to pyjamas yet, was made more for pure appearance than any practical purpose. Despite the layers, it certainly doesn't help keep Michael warm.)

"You cold? We can go back in-" Michael emphatically shakes his head 'no' at Yuma's offer before he can finish speaking, despite the chill in the air.

"No, I'm fine. Besides, you're really warm." Michael doesn't have to look at Yuma to know he's probably blushing at the comment. Instead, he continues looking up at the stars, green eyes fixating on the Big Dipper constellation while he quietly thinks.

"...Are you sure, Michael? You're playing with your bracelet..." Yuma points, and Michael looks down to see that yes, he's absentmindedly twisting his crest bracelet around his wrist, the green central screen catching the light from the stars hanging overhead. With a sigh, Michael slowly forces himself to stop, remaining quiet for a moment longer before finally speaking what's on his mind.

"...Yuma, what are you going to do now that everything's settled down? What's your dream?" Michael's question gets an immediate snort of laughter out of Yuma, who smiles in that easy, carefree way only he can.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm gonna be an explorer like my parents. That way I can do what they did, and be able to still help Astral if he needs it." Yuma looks up at the sky, and Michael knows he's thinking about Astral, who left for his own world after the conflict with the Barians was settled. For a moment or two, Michael and Yuma sit in silence again, before Yuma takes his turn to break that silence.

"What about you? Do you have a dream?" Michael hesitates to answer Yuma's question, cuddling closer to his side, then finally admits his what's been on his mind this whole time.

"...I don't know. I spent so much time trying to just hold it together in that orphanage, and then save my family..." He never got the chance to stop and think about what his personal dream was. He hasn't thought about it since he was ten, and he's now fifteen.

(Honestly, Michael didn't think he'd make it this far, between the threat of having his soul ripped out by his crest and then the threat of dying to the Barians. It's a literal miracle he and everyone he knows is still alive at all.)

Next to him, Yuma cocks his head and makes a confused little noise, and Michael automatically starts toying with his crest bracelet again while he waits for his friend (maybe more, he's been thinking about asking) to actually respond.

"You have to have a dream, Michael!" Ah, there it is, the kattobingu spirit Michael loves so much. "You- you love getting to talk about all the stuff in my attic! You could get into...what job is that..."

"An archaeologist?" Michael interjects, and Yuma just lights up like a Christmas tree.

"Yes, that! You could get into that!" Yuma pulls Michael close, prompting a soft squeak (and perhaps a faint pink tinge to his face that matches his hair) out of Michael in response. "You'd be great at it!"

"You think?" Michael thinks on it, thinks back to when he was eight and begging his father to record old 'Time Team' reruns for him, when he was nine and fantasizing about making some great discovery to a very patient Thomas, and well.

It's been way too long since he viewed his deep fascination with history as anything more than a deep rooted fascination, hasn't it?

"...That'd be nice. We could work together too, if you're going to be an explorer." Yuma absolutely beams at that, more than delighted at the suggestion, and Michael, for the first time since he was ten, realizes that maybe he does have some sort of dream.

But for now, he's just content to let Yuma ramble while they look at the stars.

[sinswithpleasure]

Tonight (ft. TWICE’s Tzuyu) [Birthday Fluff]

In reference to this ask!

So umm would you mind if I requested a full on fluff with Tzuyu for Tzuyu's birthday?

I wrote in a lot of the songs I listened to while writing, just for fun! I’ll link them below: The 1975 - Robbers The 1975 - Chocolate The Weeknd - Blinding Lights

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

It goes without saying that you adored your girlfriend. While both of you hadn’t dated for long, you really wanted to do something amazing for her on her birthday.

You had racked your brain for a good month. This was the first birthday of her’s you were spending with her, and you really wanted to make the effort to give her a birthday to remember. How were you going to do that? You grabbed at any source of information you could find - the Internet, books, magazines, articles, whatever.

The thought of your girlfriend was always enough for you to break out in all smiles. You’d met her at a concert, after months of being friends online. Both of you were in a clique made up of fans of the band whose concert you were attending. That was your first time meeting up, and through the few days you spent together for the concert, both of you hit it off. The cherry on top was that both of you ended up finding out that your residences were only ten minutes away from the other, which meant that both of you could regularly met up every weekend for coffee, a movie, or just to hang out. Soon enough, these friendly meetups blossomed into dates, and your friendship blossomed into a relationship. The whole friends-to-lovers trope seemed less unrealistic now that you’d fallen under that category.

Back to her birthday though.  As you sat down to plan, you thought about a conversation you had with your girlfriend from a month back.

-----

“Yah, babe, babe, babe, look!”

Chou Tzuyu excitedly tapped your arm, shoving her phone in your face with an amazed smile on her face. A picture of the night sky was displayed on a photography account on Instagram, and you held her hand steady to grab a good look. Tzuyu seemed to vibrate with excitement, rushing to like and save the post. “I love shots like these! I really wanna see the night sky like that someday... Oh, how I want to lie under the stars, and be free of stress. Nothing but me and the stars, the wind, the peace and quiet...” She clasped her hands together, holding them close to her chest. She closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath, then exhaling with a smile. You just stared, moving to face her on the sofa both of you were sitting on. Tzuyu returned to viewing more photography on her phone, and you lay there thinking about how cute she was gushing about the night sky.

-----

You had your answer.

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

“Babe! What’re you doing here?” You gave her a wave, leaning against your truck parked outside her bakery.

Chou Tzuyu ran a bakery in the city center. Her bread was one of the best you’d ever tasted. Each bun was fluffier than the clouds overhead, the taste fresher than any other bread in the world. To you, when it came to bread, it was either hers, or nothing. She put her heart and soul into every single creation of hers. If you left her alone, there was no doubt she’d eat bread for all three meals of the day, and if you left her alone for even longer, she’d turn your kitchen into her laboratory to experiment with more pastries and how to make them.

Tzuyu ran to you, almost barreling you over with how hard she hugged you. She had the brightest grin on her face, nothing hiding her happiness at seeing you outside of her workplace. She looked just like the puppies she held so dearly in her heart, so pure, so unfiltered in her happiness. If she had a tail and puppy ears, you knew her ears would be soft and relaxed, and her tail would be wagging frantically.

“Hi baby.” Tzuyu smelled like bread and butter. Whenever you met her after work, she would smell just like that. You learnt to love the smell, as where she went, the fragrance would follow. Your arms wrapped around her tightly, as both of you swayed left and right in front of your truck, uncaring of whoever saw you on the street. “How was work?” You opened the door to your truck, letting her in, before shutting it and going over to the driver’s seat. 

“Good, I earned about 1.5K today, and tomorrow’s my off day!” Tzuyu closed her bakery one day a week to rest, and you loved how it fell nicely after her birthday today. You smiled, grabbing her hand, rubbing your thumb on the back of her hand. “Happy birthday, baby.” You leaned towards her, planting a kiss on her cheek. Tzuyu squealed in surprise. “Thank you, babe!”

“Come, let’s go for dinner. I have somewhere I want to take you.”

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

Dinner was relatively uneventful, though you went all out and took her to one of the best Chinese restaurants. You knew she missed home - there were days she would seem out of it, and would look at photographs of her family. Tzuyu had moved here for her studies years ago and stayed to start up her bakery. You wanted her to at least be able to taste home on her birthday. She was clearly enjoying the spread on the table, her hands moving quicker than you could imagine, grabbing tons of food off the plates. She really missed the food from Taiwan. You didn’t each much, just enough to fill you, and you let her have the rest of it. It wasn’t often she had the chance to enjoy herself like this, and you loved seeing her cut loose.

After a bit of bickering about the bill (”It’s your birthday, I’m paying!” “No, I ate so much, I should be paying!”), you led Tzuyu out, pulling her to your truck. “Let’s go, we have a lot to do tonight.” You could see Tzuyu’s curiosity, but you refused to sate it, instead pulling out of the parking lot towards your next destination. “It’ll be a long ride, let’s listen to some music.” As your speakers began to play a familiar guitar riff, Tzuyu gasped, before exclaiming, “Robbers!” Yes, both you and Tzuyu were fans of The 1975, and it was at their concert that you’d met each other. As you drove through the roads of the city at night, you could hear Tzuyu singing the song softly. You decided to join in, grabbing her hand once more, squeezing it, before beginning to sing with her.

‘She had a face straight out a magazine God only knows but you'll never leave her’

As both of you sang, you could feel Tzuyu rub your knuckles, her smile somehow audible. You knew how much she enjoyed drives at night, and cruising with her significant other was something she loved.

‘You've got a pretty kind of dirty face And when she's leaving your home she's begging you to stay, stay, stay, stay, stay’

You thought about how much you cherished her presence in your life. Since the concert, she had quickly grown from friend, to crush, to girlfriend relatively quickly, and it all stemmed from how much both of you enjoyed this song. As you let go of her hand to turn the steering wheel with both hands, you could hear Tzuyu whine at the loss of contact. Laughing, you let your hand return to hers after your truck moved towards the exit of the city. You were lucky that traffic was relatively light tonight. The truck neared the exit as the song built to the outro. Both of you fell to the emotion of the song, duetting it together as you left the city.

As you exited the city, another familiar guitar riff plays. This time, neither announced the title of the song; Tzuyu just begins singing again, and you spare a few glances at her as she vibed with the music. Under the illumination of the streetlights, she looks just as gorgeous as compared to when she was bathed in natural light. Every glance you spared her led to you gaining an epiphany - you wanted to spend more moments like this with her. While your relationship was still relatively new, you began to suspect that she might be “The One”.

“Join me!” Tzuyu taps your arm incessantly, and you snap out of your thoughts as you navigate the road. You are mostly the only vehicle on the road, with the occasional oncoming truck, or car on the other side. Discarding your train of thought, you let yourself fall to the chorus of the song.

‘Oh we go where nobody knows With guns hidden under our petticoats No we're never gonna quit it No we're never gonna quit it, no Yeah we're dressed in black from head to toe We've got guns hidden under our petticoats No we're never gonna quit it No we're never gonna quit it, no’

Both you and her cruise in the night, enjoying the songs playing from your phone connected to the speakers in your truck. The night was yours, and there were hours to burn.

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

“We’re here!”

The radio is turned down to silence, and you stop the engine of the truck. Tzuyu gets out and surveys the surroundings. You grab a mat, cushions, and some blankets from the backseat, laying them out on the back of the truck. Beside you, you hear Tzuyu’s scream of happiness as she looks up at the sky. Above you, the stars shine brighter than they ever had, the full glory of the night sky displayed in the expanse above the both of you. The wind blew around you, the night breeze chilly against your skin.

“Come, baby.” You helped Tzuyu onto the truck, passing her a small bottle of cider for her to warm herself up in the night chill. Both of you sat at the back of the truck in comfortable silence, her sipping from her bottle, while you stuck to juice, since you needed to drive. Both of you carried on gazing at the sky.

“Look, do you see the Big Dipper? That’s also called the Great Bear...”

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

‘Ring!’ A mobile phone ringtone broke the peace and quiet after your impromptu lesson. Tzuyu fished for her mobile phone, and from the screen, you could make out vague Chinese characters. Your questions were answered instantly when Tzuyu’s face lit up, and she answered with “Hello, Mama!”

You turned to your side, getting up to greet Tzuyu’s mother. After exchanging pleasantries, Tzuyu began to converse with her mother in Mandarin, which left you out of the conversation. However, you did not mind trading that for the view of your girlfriend with unbridled joy stemming from spending time with her family members. You lay back down on your side, looking up at the smile of pure happiness on Tzuyu’s face. You let your love for her show through your expressions. She was your world, your pearl, your home. She was your everything, and the flame of love in your heart was shocking, considering how strong it burnt for her. 

Somewhere along the line, Tzuyu began to laugh, covering her face in shyness, before turning to you, then giggling. Her mother began to laugh, saying something in rapid Mandarin. Moments later, Tzuyu hung up, turning to you and planting a kiss onto your lips. 

“What did your mother say?”

“She told me to marry you.”

“What?”

“She told me to get married to you. Her reasoning was that you looked at me like the sun shone out of my ass, and this time wasn’t the first. Every video call she’s seen it happen.”

“It’s true. I love you. Every part of you. Through your flaws, insecurities, everything. They make you who you are, and I love you.”

Tzuyu’s eyes glistened with tears. You drew her into a hug, holding on tightly to her. “Don’t cry, oh no, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I’m so happy. I love you so much. I really do.”

“I love you too. So much.” You broke the hug, wiping at her tears with a handkerchief you brought. “Let’s finish up before we go back.”

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

The drive back was just as fun as it was on the way there. Both Tzuyu and you were somewhat dancing while singing along to the song playing on the speakers.

‘And I said, ooh, I'm blinded by the lights No, I can't sleep until I feel your touch I said, ooh, I'm drowning in the night Oh, when I'm like this, you're the one I trust‘

You wanted tonight to last forever. Driving back and viewing the skyline of the city with this song as accompaniment was magical, and the experience was brought to the next level with your girlfriend- no, your world next to you.

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

“Thank you for today, babe. I loved it so much. I love you so much. Thank you.”

“No problem, baby. I love you too. Happy birthday.”

Tzuyu rose to kiss you deeply on your lips, staring deeply into your eyes after the kiss ended. “This has been the best birthday ever.” You smiled, pushing her towards her house. “Go on, I’ll see you tomorrow. Goodnight, Tzuyu.”

“Goodnight, babe.”

As you drove off, you thought about that ring you saw back in that jeweler’s before you left to pick her up. Maybe...

[beck-a-leck]

For your prompt thingy: O, the stars or space, and Georgia from Tale of Two Towns, if that's okay. Thanks in advance!

To be perfectly honest, I haven't played TToTT in a very long time, and when I played I didn't play much, so I got a little creative with my interpretation of Georgia's character. So let's have a little Georgia and some stargazing and some introspection.

I hope you enjoy! And thank you for the prompt!

Send me a Character and a Letter and I'll write a minific

💜💜💜

Georgia flicked off her flashlight as she reached the summit of the mountain. Her father wouldn’t like it if he knew she had climbed all the way up the mountain all by herself in the middle of the night, but he was sound asleep and unlikely to wake any time before his alarm went off in the morning. And if he did notice her absence there wasn’t anything he could do about it now. Georgia was already at the summit and this night was too perfect to miss on the off chance she might get scolded.

The night sky was crystal clear, no moon hung in the sky to obscure any faint starlight, and the night air was just cool enough to invigorate her without being chilly. An absolutely perfect night for stargazing.

Georgia flopped down on the grass, folding her arms beneath her head as she laid back to stare up into the jeweled night sky. She drew in a deep breath and released it slowly, tracing out the constellations she knew with her eyes. Admittedly, she didn’t know many, but there was the Big Dipper, and… there was Orion. Her eyes swept over the stars, feeling a slight twinge of irritation that she couldn’t remember what other constellations were out tonight – Laney knew these things better than she did.

Georgia sighed once again, giving herself a moment to wallow in her loneliness. She missed her friend. Laney had only been gone for a little over a month, but it might as well have been a lifetime for Georgia. Laney was off at university, majoring in business and hospitality management with a side order of culinary school to keep her really busy. Laney was off living her life, learning new things, meeting new people, building bridges to get away from this small town. Georgia was stuck in Bluebell.

She found the Milky Way and ran her eyes along its length. She had dreams too! She had plans for her future! But her goals might as well be as unreachable as the stars overhead. She lifted her hand up and motioned as if to pluck one of the stars from the sky before letting it fall heavily to her side.

On second thought, the stars were probably easier to get to.

Georgia wanted to be a veterinarian; it was all she had wanted ever since she was a little girl. But becoming a vet required a bachelor’s degree and then vet school – very expensive, very competitive, and very far away from home.

Georgia couldn’t leave her father alone like Laney could. Grady was… in a delicate place. He’d never quite recovered from his wife’s death a few years back. He always made up some excuse when Georgia brought up college plans. Not this year, dear, money’s too tight for application fees and tuition. I was thinking of expanding our livestock selection, but I’ll need an extra hand if I’m to manage all the animals by myself. Maybe next semester. Maybe next year.

Maybe never, if Grady could have his way.

It wasn’t that Georgia was exactly eager to leave her father and her home; going off alone to college in a big city was scary in its own right. And the thought of abandoning him made her feel sick, but if she ever wanted to follow her own dreams, she would have to get past that eventually. She wouldn’t even be able to have Laney as a friend for support, Georgia needed to attend a university with a strong science program if she had any hope of enticing herself to veterinary schools, and Laney’s business school wouldn’t cut it. And then there was a whole matter of if she could even get into vet school. She wasn’t so naïve as to think she could become a vet just by wanting it really badly. They were all extremely competitive programs, she would need top grades and an impressive resume and just be plain lucky to even be considered… Georgia wasn’t sure she could handle the rejection, if she worked so hard for her first degree to only be rejected on the threshold of her dream. Would the effort, time, and money even be worth it if it ended up wasted in the end?

Georgia’s hand curled into a fist, and she looked away from the night sky. Maybe Grady wasn’t the only thing keeping Georgia from attaining her goals. Maybe she was… no, she didn’t want to think about that. Not right now.

She’d come up to the summit to look at the stars and enjoy herself, not tear herself down with her own self-doubts. She sighed one last time, sharply to push away all of the doubt and pity.

This night sky was too beautiful to be shrouded by tears. She looked in earnest again for constellations, she had to remember more than Orion and the Big Dipper. She stared along enough and shaped began to emerge, a bunny, a chicken, a horse. She didn’t care if she was making them up. That’s what the original astronomers did anyways, connected the random dots until they made a picture.

Something caught Georgia’s eye, a small streak of motion and light across the velvety blackness. She tracked it until it disappeared – a meteorite burning up in atmosphere, a piece of random space junk. No – a smile curled her lips upward – it wasn’t a meteorite; it was a shooting star. A message from the heavens, the ferry of a wish.

Georgia sent off her wish and settled back into the chill grass, still smiling as she looked deeply into the night sky and the stars hanging above her.

[q-gorgeous]

Danny Phanturd?

fanfiction

Prompt by @phandom-phriend​ false hope

Words: 1591

this is a more light hearted false hope but i hope its still fun sdvfygah

Dash was walking home from school. No football practice today, no Nasty Burger hangout. So he had to walk all the way home and start working on his dreaded homework right away. He wished that everyone wasn’t so busy. 

Just as he was about to cross the street, Dash saw a figure gliding through the sky. Looking up, Phantom was flying through the air, looking this way and that. Probably looking for some ghosts to take care of. What a guy, protecting the city like he does.

Suddenly an idea crossed his mind and a grin spread across Dash’s face as he started waving Phantom down from where he stood on the sidewalk.

“Phantom! Phantom! Hey!”

Phantom looked down at Dash, an indescribable expression on his face, and flew down to meet him.

“Uh, hello! Citizen… What can I do for you today?” Dash squinted at him. “Did you forget my name?”

“Huh, what? No, of course not.”

“When we got chased by that hunter robot you knew my name. Why would you not be using it if you didn't forget it, hmm?”

Phantom scratched the back of his neck. “Uh… Professionalism?”

Dash nodded vigorously, his mouth the shape of an O. “Ohhh okay, that makes sense. Anyways, I was wondering if you wanted to hang out later? At the park or something?”

Phantom looked away. “I don’t know… I’m sort of busy, and I have a lot of stuff I have to do…”

Dash clasps his hands together. “Please, Phantom! All my friends are busy and there’s no football practice right now. Please? Can’t we hang out for just a little bit?”

“I guess…” Phantom sighed. “Did you have anything in mind that we’d be doing or would we be chilling?”

“You like stars, right?” Dash asked. “I thought we could meet at the picnic table near the big tree around nine and stargaze or something.”

Phantom smiled and his freckles lit up a soft green. “Yeah. Stargazing does sound kinda nice, actually. See you later?”

“Yeah! See you later!”

Phantom waved goodbye and shot back into the sky. 

Dash turned back to face the crosswalk again, smiling. Finally, something to look forward to today. He just had to get his homework done first. 

QQQQQQQQQQQ

On his way to the park, Dash was smiling big and bright. He got all his homework done for once, he had a nice dinner, and now he was on his way to hang out with Phantom! Danny Phantom! He couldn’t believe he got the ghost boy to agree! When he got to the park he was prepared to point out the big dipper to Phantom in display of his constellation skills. 

As he walked up to their meeting spot though, Phantom was nowhere in sight. He wasn’t sitting on the bench or floating in the air nearby. 

Ok, ok. Maybe he's just running late. Phantom’s a busy guy, always disappearing to who knows where all the time. He probably just got caught up in something. 

Dash sat down on the bench and started picking at splitters in the table. And waited. 

After he had gathered a hefty pile of splinters, Dash checked his phone to see the time. 

10 pm.

Where was Phantom? Did he have to go fight a ghost or something? He hoped he’d be alright. 

Dash moved to lay on top of the picnic table and looked up at the sky. His eyes traced the constellations that dotted the black abyss until he finally found the big dipper. He looked around more, taking in the other stars. Perhaps he should have looked up more than one constellation. 

Another half hour later, Dash lay on his stomach, reaching down towards the grass and plucking it up and whistling with it. Phantom still wasn’t here. What if he forgot? Yeah that could be it. Maybe he’d remember soon and they could finally hang out. 

11 pm.

Dash sat on top of the picnic table, feet resting on the bench below him looking somberly at his phone. Shoulders hunched, his grip tightened on his phone before he sighed and tucked it in his pocket. 

Maybe Phantom really didn’t want to hang out.

Slowly, Dash stood up and started his trek home. What a waste of a good couple of hours. He could have been at home playing video games but instead he was here chasing some false hope he had. Why would the town hero wanna hang out with him? There’s nothing special about Dash Baxter. He’s just a normal civilian. 

He trudged the rest of the way home, where he promptly flopped directly on top of his bed. 

QQQQQQQQQQQ

The next morning Dash woke up, blearily blinking until he could see. He didn’t get much sleep last night and his face hurt in tired. 

He throws back his blankets and stomps his way downstairs. Once in the kitchen, he pours himself a hefty bowl of cereal and grumpily chomps it down. 

Why’d he have to get his hopes up? This is the problem with that whole “dream big” phrase. This dream wasn’t even that big of one! What’s the point of dreaming big if it goes nowhere?

Maybe today would be better once he got to school, if you could imagine that. Today’ll be some prime nerd wailing. He could get a few rounds in with Fenton, that’d be nice. 

Finishing his cereal, he plops the bowl down in the sink and gets ready for school. After gelling his hair back and brushing his teeth, Dash smiles in the mirror at himself before running down the stairs and out the door, pulling it closed behind him. 

QQQQQQQQQQQ

Slamming the door shut, Dash fumed and threw his backpack on the ground before falling onto the couch in front of the tv. Fenton wasn’t even at school today! His favorite nerd to wail on! It wasn’t the same as beating up the other kids, they didn’t make it interesting. Now he’s been building up steam all day, with nowhere to let it go to. Angrily, he hits the power button on the remote and watches as the news flickers on. 

Dash leaned his head back onto the couch. Did life just hate him? Why was it making him suffer?

He glanced back at the tv and furrows his brows when he saw the tree he had been waiting by in the park last night. Did somebody get mugged? That’d be tragic. He turned the volume up. 

“-Fenton boy was found passed out in this tree all the way at the top. A passing couple found him this morning and called the fire department when the boy did not wake up to their calls. When helped down and asked what he was doing up there, he simply replied ‘tired’ and went on his way home.”

Huh. What a coincidence. When did Fenton get into the tree last night? The exact tree that he was supposed to meet Phantom at. Fenton surely couldn’t have known Phantom was going to be there. So why was he… 

Slowly, the cogs in Dash’s brain began to turn and he held his chin in his hand. 

“Phantom… Danny Phantom. Danny… Fenton?”

His eyes blew wide open. 

“Danny Fenturd is Danny Phanturd?!”

How the hell would that even be possible?! It would explain how Fenton got to the top of the tree, coincidentally in that exact spot. Ghosts are supposed to be dead! Not still alive and going to school and getting the breath knocked out of them when they got punched in the stomach. 

“How the FUCK!” Dash yelled, ignoring the call of his name from his mom upstairs. How’s the dude even still alive…? He’s fighting ghosts all the time and getting knocked into the pavement and through walls! 

Hurriedly, Dash pulls his phone out of his pocket and brings up a contact with a picture of a black haired boy giving him the bird and pressed the call button. 

It rang a few times until a voice spoke.

“Hello?”

“What the fuck, Fenton!” Dash yelled. “You, Phantom. Tree! The park!”

“Dash?” Danny sounded confused. “What are you talking about?”

“You were supposed to meet me in the park yesterday! Well, Phantom was. But then they found you in that tree this morning! How the fuck did that happen?”

Dash heard an intake of breath over the line and a nervous chuckle followed. “What do you mean, Phantom? I’m not Phantom.”

“No, you can’t deny it now! You guys have the same name and everything! Why else would you have been in that tree?”

“Didn’t you hear? The fire department had to get me down. Phantom wouldn’t have needed that help, no siree! Haven’t you seen how brave he is? I’m sure not brave!”

Dash groaned. “Why can’t you just admit it? It’s not like I don’t already know now. Heh, maybe I’ll go easier on you when I’m… When I’m-” Dash’s face falls and he stops talking. 

He’s been wailing on his hero. All this time. All this time! Dash has been beating up the guy he’s looked up to since freshman year!

“Uh, Dash?” Danny’s voice called. Dash didn’t respond. “Well, uh, I’m gonna go. I, Danny Fenton, not Phantom, have lots of homework to get done. I’m a very busy man, so I gotta go.”

Just before Danny hung up, he could hear a yell and the cackle of that… techno ghost? Over the line and then the call was over. 

Dash gaped at the phone and just sat there.

[milky-mochi]

constellations | cbg

genre: angst/fluff, childhood friend! beomgyu

pairing: choi beomgyu x reader

word count: 2k

summary: in a sea of constellations, beomgyu is the only star burning in your heart. but sometimes the love of your life is pried from your hands, then what do you do but be an astronaut and explore the galaxies for him? 

song: 🎶 nap of a star - txt 🎶

the night you left, you and beomgyu went stargazing.

he had rented a pickup truck and driven it to the top of a secluded hill, away from the light pollution of the city. you brought sheets and blankets to pile up in the back to make it comfy for the both of you to sit for hours, gazing up at the star-embroidered sky.

as both your legs dangled off the edge of the pickup truck, you rested your head in the crook of his neck. his arm snaked over your shoulder and pulled you closer to the warmth of his body. his oversized jacket hung like a ghost around your shoulders, keeping you warm from the chill of the air but not from the worries of your heart.

beomgyu chirped as he saw a shooting star, jolting you and urging you to see it. you smiled earnestly back at him and his genuine excitement. sighing deeply, you wished you had seen that shooting star so you could wish to stay like this forever, gripping beomgyu’s hand as if it could stop the sun from rising and ending this night. separation waited for you as soon as the sun’s rays revealed themselves. you had never wanted darkness to last forever this badly before, but you did now. you wanted the light to never come, so that you could have the light you needed beside you.

“say the word,” you whispered into beomgyu’s neck, “say the word and i won’t leave. i’ll tell my parents i wont leave.”

you felt beomgyu chuckle, sadly and softly, through the vibrations and the movement of his body. his hand reached up to stroke your hair, and you swore you felt a tear drop roll off his cheek, landing on the top of your hairline. “you know you can’t do that, y/n.”

you swiveled your head, turning to him with tears brimming your eyes. “screw it. i don’t want to leave you behind. they’re forcing me to go when i don’t want to. and i’ll be gone for a long time.”

beomgyu’s sad smile reappeared as he gently stroked your hair, before pulling you closer. “i’ll wait for you, no matter how long, y/n.”

all you could do in response was let out a cry and bury your head further into him to suppress your tears. beomgyu’s other hand came forward to embrace you in a full hug. the silence fell over the two of you like a blanket, both of you so unsure of what to do, what the future held, what even to say in these last moments together. you were so scared of wasting the minutes ticking by that you just sat in beomgyu’s presence, not wanting to let go, but waiting for time to pull you from him with its cruel hands.

and eventually it did, with the rising of the sun and the sky burning yellow. beomgyu drove you to the airport in the rented pick up with your luggage lying resignedly in the back.

and still, silence. words would prick the shaky wall you had built. tears would roll out in armies. silence, even until beomgyu put his arms around you in a tight embrace for the last time. until time’s bony fingers pried you apart with boarding times and the glass wall between customs and the departure hall. it pushed you along until the rift was so big, all beomgyu could see was your back fading into the checkpoint, and all you could see was beomgyu’s black hair disappearing into the crowd. the afternoon sun blazed through the airport’s glass ceiling mockingly, blinding you from your last view of beomgyu, before your parents dragged you to the waiting lounge.

the day you left beomgyu, the sun was the cruelest star indeed.

***

the night you were on your way home, the stars shone sadly.

seven years without the boy you loved had gone by painfully. there was not a day nor a second you didn’t wish you could go home to him, or be in his arms. it had been seven whole years since your parents had forced you to move overseas so that your father could further his career. maybe you could have been more supportive of them if they had been considerate of you and your feelings, but they weren’t. and therefore you resented this entire arrangement, and booked your plane back home as soon as you were able to.

there was a person waiting for you halfway across the world, anyway.

adjusting the earbud currently falling off, you glanced out the plane window. it was covered in the dark of night. your plane cruised above the greyish clouds and underneath the glittering stars. the altitude of the plane made it possible to see all these constellations so clearly, something you never would have been able to do on ground. zero light pollution, just the big dipper, orion’s belt, the cold plane window, your music, and you.

and yet, it all felt so very empty. bright, burning balls of light from millions of years away still felt so empty now that you were looking at them alone from an uncomfortable plane seat, and not with a smiling boy. you missed him so much your heart ached, and still you hadn’t been able to get a hold of him a week before you were on your way home.

a tear drop landed on your phone. you swiped at your eye before any more of them could follow, turning your back to the person sitting next to you. the stars outside your window gleamed mockingly at you. all these damn stars mocking you.

you had no idea if beomgyu had moved out of the small town, or if he was back from college. had he chosen to live somewhere else? had he changed his phone number? it had been seven years. what if his heart didn’t ache for you like yours did? had he changed more than his phone number?

if beomgyu didn’t even wish to see you, it would invalidate the only thought that made you happy on a sad day for almost a decade. desperation filled you as you grappled with reality. you needed to see him the moment you set foot on your destination, but you didn’t know where he was or where to get him. helplessness had taken your heart hostage. in an attempty to block it out, you increased the volume of your music and glanced at the tiny television. 16 hours till landing.

the night you were on your way home to beomgyu, you felt emptier than the vacant stars in the abyss of the night sky.

***

each step you took through the arrival gates was intense manual labour. your muscles screamed with each movement and gravity pulling you down. when you entered, you had scanned the waiting area for the sight of that familiar head of black hair or row of grinning teeth, but there was not a face in that crowd that you recognised. feeling too guilty to even feel angry or sad, you just felt empty. as empty as you did when you saw those stars. as empty as your side with no one there.

your body was running on autopilot, unsure of what to feel or do. your mind was separate from your body, it was just a vessel for its inhibitence. the black luggage you were towing was weighing you down more than it should have, and so was the bag hurting your shoulders. ultimately, from all this unexplainable gravity, you dropped the scarf you were holding.

you bent down to pick it up, but there was a hand reaching to get it for you. and there was a voice that came with it. a voice you would have died to hear every day of your life. one that only appeared in dreams of longing and ended with you waking up in tears. but it was here, it was real, it was really flowing through your ears and registering in your mind, all familiar and honey-like.

“i’ve waited a long time for you, y/n.”

and suddenly, a hole was broken into the wall separating your emotions from you. they came spilling all at once as tears rolling down your cheeks. sobbing, you snapped your head to look up at the person you had longed for insufferably.

beomgyu smiled as he stroked your cheek. you realised now why you couldn’t find him initially. what was his dark hair was now blonde, and his face no longer bore the boyish look it did all those years ago. his old self was fading into the young man he was today. and yet, his smile still held all the sincerity of the boy you loved. it was beomgyu. he was here.

he pulled you in a standing position so he could hug you. there were tears streaming down both your faces as you were enveloped in each other’s scents. beomgyu held on to you so tight, as if he couldn’t believe you were actually in front of him for the first time in seven years. seven years. he had gone that long without seeing you and, little did you know, it had drove him insane.

“god, why weren’t you answering your phone?” you sniffled, reaching to wipe your tears with one hand while the other was clasping beomgyu’s hand.

beomgyu reached to swipe a tear away from your cheek. “i’m sorry, it fell into water while i was out and i was getting it fixed.”

“email? instagram?”

“i got locked out of my email, and my mom made me deactivate my instagram.”

“god, you idiot,” you laughed, “whatever. you’re here now.”

you wrapped your arms around beomgyu and he laughed. rubbing a hand up and down your back reassuringly, he whispered, “i’m here now.”

***

the night you came home, the night sky was sparkling with stars.

right from the airport, beomgyu had taken your luggage in his left hand and your hand in his other, and taken you straight to his car. without ever letting go of your hand in his, he drove for a long, long time. out from town, and up the familiar hill from all those years ago.

and throughout the entire drive, you just talked like no time had passed at all. about how much you missed each other, how many nights you were up alone, wishing he was with you. how many nights he wished he could have kissed the top of your head to make everything better. how many nights you resented your parents for dragging you across the world from him. how many nights beomgyu resented the universe for keeping you away from him. how you missed each other too much to even see anyone else, to feel anything but the overwhelming emptiness in your heart.

once you reached the top of the hill, he led you to sit on the car’s hood. as your legs dangled off his car, beomgyu draped his jacket over your shoulders before reaching to put his arm around you. you held his hand on your shoulder and placed your head in the crook of his neck, as the both of you admired the shimmering night sky, your breaths filling the air with contented silence.

beomgyu gently took your chin with his fingers and turned you to face him. his tongue darted out to swipe over his bottom lip before looking at you for assurance. instead of a nod, you held his face in the palm of your hands and connected your lips to his. it was warm and comforting in the cool night breeze, like the stars in the coldness of the universe. familiar, like all works of fate were. and like the constellations, the connection between your lips and souls were meant to be. an inscription of the universe’s plan, a love that fate had sheepishly admitted was meant for the both of you, that not even the stars could pry apart.

the night you came home to beomgyu, the only dazzling star was him.

***

[skyflicker]

polaris (amasai week day four)

hello :DDD i want to say that i succeeded in writing fluff, but, uh, it’s kinda a little more hurt/comfort than i intended it to be so.... anyways, here’s day four of @amasaiweek2020 hosted by @storyflight and @toxicisnotapineapple and the prompt was stars/late and i chose stars! 

-

Starlight slants down the poles of the small yacht, sliding off the tall billowing ivory sails and almost seems to fall into the sea. The small sparkly lamps adorn the sky, splashes of iridescent silver among miles and miles of open canvas of velvety sapphire, and they shimmer, ever so lightly, ethereal and ghost-like, on the calm surface of the mirror-like ocean that occasionally lets ripples swirl over it, seemingly reflecting the serenity in Shuichi’s heart. 

There isn’t a single sight of land for miles, only sea and sky for as long as one could see. There’s a thin layer of mist coating the water surface, constantly attempting to touch and let its frost spread over the sea, hovering and spinning and twirling in its graceful dance as it blurs the line between object and reflection, never stopping once in its euphoric pirouettes. Shuichi feels his heart leap and twirl along with the mist, the butterflies in his stomach joining in on this erratic gyration, as he watches the performance the mist gives. It’s as if a gossamer veil of snow hangs over the sea, letting the starlight trickle through to create small shimmery sparks fading in and out of the fog shrouding the waters. He can’t help but sigh in astonishment at the scene before him, the scene that seems so unreal, so otherworldly, that it might as well be a hyperrealistic painting, an artist’s portrayal of their wonderland.

Shuichi’s never seen this many stars at once before this trip. It isn’t all that surprising, considering he lives in Tokyo- Tokyo with its roaring speakers and chatter all day long, its countless neon signs and streetlamps that light up the night, loud, bright, exuberant Tokyo- but there’s something about the night sky that even though he’s seen it every night for three weeks, it still manages to render him speechless, to leave him in complete awe every time. In Japan, back at home, the most he can see from his balcony through the thick charcoal fog that coats the city permanently is a star or two spluttering weakly as it coughs and chokes on the immense light pollution. But here, standing at the stern of the boat, everything is laid out, in the widest canvas he’s ever seen. It’s all so clear, so bright, and so perfect.

Perfect, because he isn’t alone on this trip. Perfect, because he has his best friend along with him to guide his way. He spins around to look back at the ship, where, up on the balcony of the small second floor, where Rantaro is pulling at the ropes of the sails (the yacht has an engine, but they prefer not to use it, and they don’t need to anyway with the strong winds here) which almost seem to fly in his hands. He handles them with ease and familiarity, as if he knows every single inch of the bonds pulling at the fluttering triangular fabric, knows every knot and all the spaces he should control with.

The green-haired boy notices him staring up, and smiles at him. Shuichi’s heart melts at the sight of his smile- it’s so warm and soothing, reminding him of sweet sunshine that engulfed him in a tight embrace on summer afternoons, sipping warm coffee in their local cozy coffee shop with the soft sunlight gently streaming from the window and shining over him and his best friend. It’s such a contrast to the wind, the harsh, cold, unforgiving wind that pierced at Shuichi’s back with a thousand deadly cold ice-rimmed daggers, that chilled him to the bone and sent shivers down his spine.

Shuichi takes one last look at the stern of the yacht, and makes his way to the staircase that leads to the second floor. The yacht isn’t exactly big, but it’s obviously well loved, and expensive (not that that was surprising in the least- Rantaro’s family is extremely rich, after all). It’s an off-white, and designed in a minimalistic way, with a room below deck containing exactly thirteen beds in total (Rantaro doesn’t go down there, never even shows Shuichi around that floor or opens the trapdoor that leads downstairs, which is completely understandable), soft alabaster coloured cushioned chairs littered all around the starboard (Shuichi counts exactly fifteen; he doesn’t ask about it, though. He has enough tact to know that Rantaro doesn’t like to think about it), a lavish master bedroom which they sleep in, and a second floor above the master bedroom that holds a sofa and a coffee table, and a balcony on either side to control the sails. 

He’s greeted with the smell of vodka when he enters the second floor. Rantaro’s sitting on the wooden floorboards on the other side of the balcony (that is, the side without the sails and ropes), gazing out at the scenery around them, a couple of small bottles of said alcohol lying around him, two or three emptied and rolling around the ground. Shuichi calls his name, and he turns, smiling at Shuichi.

Rantaro leans on him once he sits down beside the boy, and Shuichi immediately reddens and prays that Rantaro can’t hear his heart racing at a million miles an hour. He can smell the vodka on the other’s breath, and he says “You know you’re not supposed to drink, right? You’re way underage.”

The boy pouts. “I’m fifteen!” he protests, his words slurring together ever so slightly. Shuichi laughs, trying to ignore how lightheaded and nervous he feels, as his best friend grabs onto his arm, and there’s barely any space between the two. He can feel his cheeks turning a rosy colour, his heart racing wildly, threatening to pump out of his body. Rantaro’s just so adorable when he’s drunk. 

“The legal drinking age where we are is twenty,” Shuichi reminds the younger boy, who pouts again and nuzzles against Shuichi. He freezes in shock and anxiety takes over him completely for a second, what is happening why is he doing this ohmygoshwhatisgoingon- then he tries his best to soothe his nervousness, prevent his face from blushing even more (if that was even possible, that is- Shuichi can’t see himself, but he’s pretty certain he’s as red as a tomato right now), and shyly wraps his arm around the other boy.

They sit in the silence for a while, just enjoying each other’s company, and Shuichi feels so relaxed as he leans against Rantaro’s head (which is still on his shoulder) and they gaze up at the sky, at the countless stars spread over. Shuichi feels so small, so insignificant, as he looks at the Milky Way, at the wide galaxy that he is but a tiny part of. Expendable, to most of the world. The thought makes him slightly sad, but he can’t find it in himself to feel actually sad, not with his crush right there beside him, not with the tranquility the world is offering him right now.

He likes the quiet, cherishes every bit of it. His friends, lovely as they all are, are a loud and rambunctious bunch when they’re together, and he enjoys himself immensely when he’s with them- it takes his worries off his mind when their energy and cheerfulness surround him and cheer him up so effortlessly, helps him relax when he’s tense and tired- but he also enjoys the solitude, enjoys the calm and relishes the silence, the silence that helps him think and lets him live in a world inside his mind where everything is perfect and peaceful and right. It’s also why he likes being alone, it’s not as overwhelming as being around a lot of loud spirited people, and he can have his own space and his own thoughts, have a place where he can slow down a little in the hectic daily life of living in Tokyo, but he also loves having company and a shoulder to lean on when he’s thinking. 

Rantaro’s often the person he shares such precious moments of serenity with, being someone who also loves the quiet, and he feels comfortable with his best friend- there’s just something special about sharing these pockets of breathing space with him, there’s just, this connection between the when they do, one that allows a small insight into the other’s brain, allows Shuichi to know what Rantaro is thinking and vice versa. It’s comfortable, and relieving, having someone to share in his joy and pain.

“The stars are really pretty,” he says softly.

Rantaro smiles. “Do you know any of the constellations?”

Shuichi shakes his head, “I was raised in the city, remember?” he lets a vague shadow of a smile slip on his face.

His best friend leans back, until he’s lying on the floor, and Shuichi follows. The sky, from this perspective, seems endless, surrounding him in a half dome shape. “That one is the little dipper,” Rantaro points at a group of stars. “The one there? At the end? That’s Polaris, the north star. I’m no Kaito and no astronomy expert, but to me, if you can find the little dipper, if you can find Polaris, you can find your way anywhere.” Rantaro smiles as his gaze softens. “It’s like the star that guides me.”

“You’re my Polaris,” Shuichi whispers faintly, and Rantaro turns in surprise to look at him, and his cheeks are red, and Shuichi smiles shyly. “I’d follow you anywhere willingly. You light my path.”

Rantaro goes even redder, and seems to be rendered speechless, and they return to that comfortable silence, but Shuichi is smiling as he looks up at the night,

“It should happen any minute now,” Rantaro suddenly speaks up, and Shuichi is, for a second, thrown completely off guard. He wasn’t aware that Rantaro had plans.

“What should happen-” Shuichi starts in complete confusion, but is cut off as Rantaro smiles cheekily and the sky, to his surprise, begins to change.

Shuichi stares in utter wonder as soft shades of coral and amethyst start to move across the sky, shifting in folds of smooth silk, as if someone brushed a stroke of watercolour across the canvas that is the night sky. Faint folds of emerald gradually glow brighter and brighter, as viridescent colours appear, overlapping over one another.

And all of a sudden, the sky explodes into colour. The lights on the sky seem to dance and they skirt around and over one another, glowing so brightly and yet they meld ever so softly into one another, and it’s absolutely magical. It coats the boat and the sails and everything in sheens of ever-changing pinks and violets and blues and greens, and it looks so surreal, like a scene out of a fairytale, a picture out of a dream. The lights twirl and spin in their elegant dance of happiness as they flit in and out of the mist and reflect everywhere. Shuichi can’t help but stare, jaw on the floor as he watches the sky, entirely mesmerized by the beauty of the aurora borealis.

“Did you plan this?” he asks Rantaro, but is unable to remove his eyes from the folds of fluttering silk almost flying across the sky. Rantaro laughs, a sweet tintinnabulation in the cool night air, but Shuichi notices a slight tinge in it, as if there’s something bothering him. He chooses not to comment on it, though- Rantaro will tell him when he’s ready, there’s no need to rush his troubled best friend. Nevertheless, his heart swells with delight as he receives the confirmation.

Shuichi turns to Rantaro, and the stars and sky are reflected in the younger boy’s eyes as Shuichi gazes into them in absolute delight. “Thank you… how can I ever thank you enough? This is wonderful- it’s- it’s so beautiful....” Not quite as beautiful as you are, but it comes quite close, he privately adds silently.

Rantaro smiles back at him, blinking, and Shuichi remembers (and feels ashamed to have forgotten at all, but the aurora captured his whole mind) that his best friend is drunk, and he’s a lightweight. But Rantaro’s always been quite law-abiding… Why would he suddenly get himself drunk?

Rantaro’s staring out at the horizon, and Shuichi follows his gaze. Above him, the stars shine and the aurora swirls around them, and Shuichi fervently hopes that it’ll bring Rantaro some peace of mind, that it’ll soothe him just a little bit.

They continue in silence for a while more, until Rantaro speaks again, his voice barely louder than a whisper. 

“She reacted just like you did,” he mumbles almost incoherently, and Shuichi almost doesn’t catch his words.

“One of your sisters?” Shuichi speaks as softly as possible.

Rantaro sighs, letting a bitter smile grace his lips, and Shuichi can see the grief, still fresh in his lemongrass eyes. “Shu, do you know what Inori means?”

Shuichi shakes his head. Inori, he recalls, is Rantaro’s second youngest sister, the girl they’re on this journey to look for. She was lost in Finland when she was only five, four years ago. (They’re currently skirting around the seas near Iceland, but they’ll be there in two days, so he’s not surprised Rantaro’s thinking about her.)

Rantaro continues, “It means ‘prayer’.” He laughs bitterly. “Inori loved her name. She was so small, but she knew how to comfort people well, and she cared so much for everyone. She had me pray with her every night that peace would run in the family, that we’d all be happy, every day. Not once did she pray for herself at all. It was always ‘Minori this’ or ‘Shiori that’, or Yuki, or Ena, or Rina and Riku and Amaka and-” he breaks off, and awkwardly, Shuichi puts both his arms around his best friend as the green-haired boy buries his face in him. Rantaro’s not crying, at least he doesn’t seem to be, but Shuichi can tell how distraught he is.

He hates it, the helplessness he feels, his inability to help, and it’s almost as if he’s cursed as he watches his friend suffer from his own wrath, and he wishes to the stars above that they could comfort Rantaro, or let them switch places, because, gosh, he doesn’t want to see Rantaro suffer at all. He wants nothing more to help, to be able to do more than hug him tightly and hold him, but this is all he can do, and he hates it.

The younger boy inhales. “It’s her birthday today,” he whispers. “Four years ago, today, we saw the northern lights here too. She was so surprised and awestruck and you just, I’m sorry-” reminded me of her, Shuichi finishes for him in his mind. He feels so guilty, but he knows apologizing would just make Rantaro feel worse, so he doesn’t. 

Rantaro pulls away, rubbing at his eyes, and gives Shuichi a smile- a smile that doesn’t quite reach his gorgeous lemongrass eyes. He stands up, and Shuichi follows, as they walk over to the handrail and  Rantaro leans on it, smiling faintly as he looks at the sea.

Shuichi watches him as he swipes away the tears brimming at his eyes, and Rantaro notices him staring. His best friend smiles at him again, and starts to turn back to the sea and sky and horizon in front of them, but he spins back to face Shuichi and all of a sudden, before Shuichi can react, the boy’s lips are on his.

Shuichi is too shocked to react at first, but soon he comes to his senses and kisses back as Rantaro wraps his hands around him tightly. His lips taste vaguely of vodka, but Shuichi is no stranger to alcohol, and doesn’t really mind. He feels so surreal, like what he’s experiencing right now is a dream and he could wake up any second, and he feels his heart pumping out of his chest and his stomach doing somersaults. The world seems to stop spinning and to Shuichi, everything feels completely right. This is where he was meant to be from the beginning.

After a while, though, Shuichi breaks away reluctantly. He can’t take advantage of Rantaro, his best friend, like this, not when he’s drunk and upset over his sister, not when he knows Rantaro did that out of desperation, out of his need for an anchor. He’d never like me. Not like how I love him.

“You’re drunk,” he says, as gently as he can, “we can’t do something you’ll regret later on.”

In the starlight, Rantaro looks beautiful, and yet so far away. “I won’t regret it,” he says weakly.

Shuichi is forced to look away as he murmurs, “You will.” No one in their right mind wouldn’t. “Come on, we can discuss it in the morning, alright? It’s late, you should sleep. It makes you feel better.”

Rantaro nods, and soon he disappears down the stairs, leaving Shuichi alone, alone with the stars and the lights, and he touches his lips where they met Rantaro’s, and smiles in giddiness.

He’s not so naive as to think that Rantaro would like him back at all, not when he’s so irrational and anxious and annoying all the time. He knows, with dread pounding in his stomach, that it won’t ever happen again. 

But maybe, just maybe, just for tonight, he can let this fantasy become reality. 

Maybe, just for tonight, he can smile, and believe that one day, his best friend will like him back.

[jaeden-illustrations]

Star Fallen

A tale of two witches

 paring : diakko/dianakko (Akko + Diana)

anime : little witch academy

estimated reading time: 10min

estimated word count : ~ 2040

A fanfiction for @dianakko-week .  Day 1 : starcrossed/soul mates

Chapter 1 - Stranger

Diana was standing at her desk, like always. It was peaceful and quiet in the country side. That’s what she loved most about it. Life there was calm and soothing, unlike the city.  

Her room was a little smaller than that of Luna Nova, but the old wooden floor and stone walls, made her feel strangely more comfortable. Her large oak desk, was pressed against a corner of the room, right below the window.

From there, she could see the early sun, setting below the valley. The fields were green, and the air, warm and refreshing, as the sky slowly darkened to night. The brightest stars, were already to be seen, and the scenery had something, a little magical about it.

She watched with a simple smile on her face. She then took a sip of the warm cup of tea seated next to her books, before going back to her studies.

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

 Akko was staring out of the window, melancholic. The night fell quickly in this part of the country. She blankly followed the moon with her eyes, while the car jittered and bobbled across the country road. She had been travelling all day with her parents, throughout the English countryside. They had made some good friends here, who had moved closer to the seaside in the passing year. It was finally spring break, and they ought to see them again. It was the first time Mr and Mrs Kagari would be going to the seaside.

Akko wasn’t merely as excited as they were. To avoid any conversation with her parents, she had pretended to sleep. But she was well awake. She had heard them throughout the drive. They grew more concerned as time passed by. She could tell. It was true that their daughter hadn’t been feeling quite herself lately, perhaps, for even the past few years.  Ever since she got kicked out of Luna Nova, her life-long dream had become mashed and trampled, only to be left in a sad pile. Akko shifted uneasily at the thought. It gave her heart a light sting.

She drew her gaze off the window to curl up in a ball. It was dark now. Akko tried to pull herself to sleep as she listened to the chatter of the wheels against the road.

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

 It was around 10:15 pm when the prestigious witch, put down her alchemy homework, to go to bed. As she stood up and pushed back her chair, she stared again at window. If she concentrated, she could recognise the big dipper. The sky was particularly cloudless tonight.

She turned off her desk lamp and reached for her night gown, strapped to the back of the door. As she took off her school blouse, she heard a terrifying CRASH!

Frightened by the sound, she rushed to her window to peer, but a powerful shockwave knocked her to the ground, bursting the rustic window into a billion shatters noisily falling to the ground.

Diana struggled to her feet. She then flung her door open before rushing down the stairs and to the entrance.

A maid came out of the salon on the left, dressed in her nightgown.

“Lady Diana, are you alright?” she asked startled.

“I’m fine. You heard it too…” she told the lady, with now a firm mask on her face.

“I have to see what it is.” She continued

“M-lady, wait-“

“Tia Freye!” it was too late. The gorgeous witch had already grabbed the broom standing next to the door, and flew off in the night.

The maid stood there worried, starring out in the dark, powerless. A light breeze was tugging on her dress.

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

 “Eh? Nani sore-” but as Akko finished her sentence, the car drifted like it had been hit by a truck. It turned and rolled over multiple times, before stopping in a field of wheat.

The trunk was completely bumped inwards, and the sides of the car seemed a little crushed, but luckily, the passengers opened the doors and got out of the fuming car.

Mrs Kagari immediately rushed to her daughter

“Daijobudesuka, Akko?” she asked frantic

“Hei… I’m… I’m alright mom, and you?” Akko managed to reply, but was still shaken up.

“Hei.” the mother nodded.

“Dad?” Akko called out for her father, worried because she couldn’t see him.

“Dad!” but when she turned around, he was right there, hugging her tight.

“I’m here baby” he replied protectively, with a heavy Japanese accent. They were lucky none of them were gravely hurt, although Atsuko’s parents seemed to have a few cuts on their arms and face, most likely from the shattered windshield.

When the father let go to turn back around, he kicked the car, pronouncing a few Japanese slurs, shaking his fists in the air.

Weird.

No drivers were to be seen, even in the distance.

The night was chill, and a little humid. Akko shivered. It was awfully quiet too.

Mrs Kagari tried to calm her husband, finally deciding to take out their luggage and to call for help, although Akko didn’t pay much attention.

The crescent moon failed to lighten the evening dark, yet something was driving the girl’s attention. Something seemed to glow brightly in a distant field. She could just distinguish the flicker of a frail blue light.

Akko climbed out of the ditch, and up the road again, to have a better view. She stayed still, her eyes fixed.

She took a step forward.

“Akko dear, could you help us get the bags out?”

She took another.

“Akko.”

“Akko? Sweety…”

Another

“Akko, come ‘on dear”

She was gone.

The father grunted and went on the road as well.

“Akko… AKKO!!!” he now yelled her name “AKKO!!!”

The weeds rustled. They were tall, wiping past her face. She heard the voice get further away, but she did not stop.  

“ATSUKO!!!” the mother joined the man.

The brunette wouldn’t stop. If anyone could have seen her face, they would have been shocked by the determination it held.

Her cheeks burn. Her arms and legs too. The crops beat her skin violently, cutting it’s frail surface. Her lungs burned, and the muscles of her legs were tense, but she did not stop.

The air was hard to breath, and the ground, harder to step on, but she had to reach.

“Just…a little…further” she thought.

Then her foot hit something.

She flew off the ground, just high enough to see above the fields. It seemed slow. Then BANG! She crashed hard into the floor, face first.

She pulled her hand from her side, and pressed hard on the ground to get up. Her knees trembled, wobbling underneath her. The side of her face was wet, and her hands dirtied. She clenched her fists at the pain, but continued going.

“So close”

She continued running. Her body burning and aching, made her tear.

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

 The wind was fast.

Her silky blonde hair with it’s red reflexions, clapped violently in her back.

Her fists were tight around the stick and her body tense, not to fall.

The air dried her eyes and throat, making it hard to breath properly. The broom was fast, and made tree’s leave shake, even after it’s passing.

Diana kept her eyes peeled. She had made a lamp, specifically designed to fit at the end of the broom. It gave out a strong beam of light, like lighthouse guiding boats to their ports.

She looked around her, though not exactly sure what to look for. She flew closer to the road, to take a better look at the houses. She was now much closer to the ground. She gradually slowed down, enough to make out the details.

She took a few turns, and picked up a trail. Lots of the houses had broken windows, much like hers. She quickened her pace once more, eager to find the source of this mystery.

When there were no more houses, she looked to her left. Fields of wheat spread endlessly across the country. Without hesitation, she drew her broom, right above them.

She sensed a strange pull, tugging her closer and closer. Her eyes squinted in the dark. Then she saw it. A source of light.  

It was no human light, not in the middle of the fields. It flickered blue, intensifying as she drew nearer.

Her eyes then turned to the ground, when she heard loud rustling through the whistle of the wind. She squinted once more, confused to what she was looking at. It seemed something was running through the grass. Yet it was much too big to be a bunny. When Diana looked back, she saw it had led a long trail behind it. She quickly shook off the confusion and focused on her mission ahead.

 Within a minute, she had reached the light’s origin. The adrenalin rushing through her body had her heart beating fast. Her lips were pursed, her gaze tight.  Without a word, she hovered above the enormous crater, standing beneath her.

Her eyes scanned the circumference, enable to believe her sight. Earth was missing a chunk of it’s ground, roughly the size of a football field.

 Her heart was racing. She swallowed a gulp of saliva, suddenly very frightened. She took a deep breath and started ascending down the pit. The impact had such a strange shape. In only kept deepening and deepening, so far down, until only a flat little circle, stood around…

A Star.

 The object was so small. It wouldn’t have been bigger than a tennis ball. And there it stood. Still. Undisturbed. A thin hallow surround it, with an intense and bright light. It was hard for the eyes to bare, in such a dark and quite night.

Diana now only a few inches from the earth, unmounted her broom, to put her feet to the ground. It seemed immensely warm beneath her shoes. Fumes were still evaporating. Then Diana flinched. She span around at the sound of rustling from above, her broom held tight in front of her with both hands, ready to fight.

Then, down running came a person. They were free gliding on the steep slope, unable to stop. They turned and rustled down, and stopped hard on the flat ground. A cloud of dust and rambling of a few pebbles, followed the fall.

The witch scared, and utterly perplexed, put the broom threateningly in front of the stranger’s face.

With a shaky breath, and leap of courage, she dared:

“Who are you? What business holds you here stranger?”

No response.

The girl groaned heavily, but quickly turned into a scream.

“mmmaaaaAAAAAAA!! HOT! HOT! HOT”

The girl made startled noises. She held the side of her body, and hopped on her feet. Her face was pulled into a painful grimace, and tears were teasing the edge of her eyes.

The shimmering light reflected on her face. She had long chestnut hair.

As she gathered her thoughts and noticed the company keeping her, she stopped complaining.

She starred directly into the pool of the blonde’s eyes. Her blue intense eyes, melting into her own.

“Who are you.” She asked, though knowing very well the answer.

The witch, caught off guard, shuffled her words in her mouth. Her face seemed to get a peachy colour because of the action.

“Well,” she managed “I believed I’m the one who asked you first.”

A thought came across Akko’s mind. “Of course she doesn’t remember…”

“Well, as a matter of fact, I don’t know.” she replied, playing dumb. Though her tone was light, she felt bitter. Her heart squeezed a little tighter.

“I… well, neither- do I”

“Great”

“Good”

Diana was troubled. The girl’s presence disturbed her greatly. Her heart was still fast. The two of them stood in front of each other, stiff, awkward.

 But Akko was the first one to pull away. Her eyes now fell on the celestial object, lying on the floor. Diana then followed, standing next to the commoner.

Both were mesmerised by the entity. The longer they stared, the greater it’s pull got. They looked at each other, and pulled away again, like in a secret agreement.

 They each reached a hand to touch the surface of the icy rock.

Then, a blinding flash of light…

[doublerumnukacola]

Second Last Dance

They emerged from the State House the sound of the crowds around them a little overwhelming. She’d never seen Good Neighbor this packed. It was suffocating for her to be surrounded by the drunken masses.

Then they caught sight of Hancock and the crowd surged towards them. Sole stepped backwards to the State House as Hancock stepped forward, passing out what remained of his chem stash like he was giving out candy.

It felt exactly like pre-war Halloween, complete with kids in costumes. Some were hobos, gangsters, clowns, zombies… And to think the latter was the most friendly of the bunch. She leant against the disintegrating white paint of the ancient building as the last of the Mentats were distributed, the final tin having to be yanked from Hancocks leathery fingers. He gave a sigh as the crowd dispersed. Maybe in relief, or regret. She came up behind him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

“You look like you need a drink.” She noted, he turned to look back at her with a thin, tired, smile. “Maybe a few drinks, actually.”

“You don’t know the half of it, sister.” He admitted. “Haven’t had a straight drink in awhile. Usually spritze it up with a few Daytripper. For taste, of course.”

“Ohno, not tonight.” She chuckled, spinning him around to face her. “Doctors orders, you’re already pushing it with drink.” He shrugged, old habits die hard. She could tell she would have her work cut out for her. She was going to have to keep him away from temptation...

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

The sky above GoodNeighbor was dotted with faint stars against a deep, dark blue. The Sun said its last goodbyes at the Horizon, lingering like an unwanted house guest. The lamp lights glowed, waiting to be spotlights for the party. Magnolia had moved outside the Rexford, music playing from an old prewar speaker Daisy’d had in her attic. The usual upbeat jazz set was playing with Mags lending her sultry voice.

Sole and Hancock were drinking on the balcony of the State House, in an attempt to keep him distracted from the slurry of chems making their way through the crowd. The rum tasted like medical disinfectant mixed with cinnamon, but it kept them happy enough.

“I gotta ask somethin’.” Hancock started, taking a swig from the clear glass bottle, the dark liquid rushing to meet him. “What was it like, before… All this?” She shrugged and glanced away. It was question she got a lot. She’d had a lot of time to think of a good answer.

“Honestly, not great.” She answered bluntly. He nearly choked on his next swig of drink, spluttering it on the party goers below them. She smirked as a few held up their hands, checking for rain with confused faces. Hancock turned to look at her, and she continued. “We had prisoner camps in our own country, secret police, not to mention Vault-Tech.” She mused, remembering what life had really been like. “At the time, I kept my head down. I told myself it would all change after the war… I guess I was right...” Her hands gripped the railing, the ancient wood was feeble beneath her fingers.

“Looking back though, how could I have done so little? I had friends taken in the night; my colleagues who had tried to defend innocent people accused of treason… And I did nothing.” She took a breath. “And here, in the wasteland, I make a difference.” She smiled over at Hancock. “And everything is different, people here, in Good Neighbor, they’re free. Really free. You would never have had that before the war. Not for long anyway...”

“It’s funny…” He smiled back at her, “Daisy always makes it sound like Heaven on Earth...”

“Daisy’s had a long time to romanticise it.” Sole sighed. “For me, it’s just been a couple months...” Something about those words stuck in her throat. Months, centuries… What’s the difference?

Hancock could have kicked himself. He finally had a moment to himself with Sole, and he has to bring the mood down with a question like that. His stomach was turning, not quite agreeing with the rum and snack cakes. Or maybe it was something else. Something that hadn’t twisted his insides in awhile. Sole was looking forlorn at the street below, was it too late?

Then a commotion on the street caught his attention. The music stopped, the speakers softening to a silence. Kent was talking to Magnolia excitedly, holding some tapes in his hand.

“What’s going on there?” Sole asked, eyes brightening a little with curiosity.

“Not sure,” Hancock admitted, “Some scavver sold him some old broken Silver Shroud tapes. Guess he got them working.” She looked over at him in surprise. “Yeah, Kent’s actually pretty good with fixing Holotapes. It’s how he’s gotten all those old radio plays.” Her fingers flitted over her Pipboy for a moment, before returning to the railing. Hancock pretended not to notice.

“You think we’re about to hear another tale of the Shroud?” She asked with a small smile. “I should have dressed for the occasion.” His eyes dipped over the rose pink dress.

“Oh, I think you’re dressed just fine...” He muttered. Suddenly the street burst into music, and instead of Magnolia, sweet little Kent was stood at the mic. The tune sounded familiar, a tinny trumpet playing. The nostalgia made her smile.

Heaven, I'm in heaven, And my heart beats so that I can hardly speak And I seem to find the happiness I seek When we're out together dancing, cheek to cheek

There was a tap at her shoulder, she looked back at Hancock holding a hand out to her. Her smile faltered. He kept his hand out, but there was a slight tremble to his fingers.

“Can’t help staring, huh?” He chuckled, a nervous edge to his voice.

Heaven, I'm in heaven, And the cares that hang around me through the week Seem to vanish like a gambler's lucky streak When we're out together dancing, cheek to cheek

His hand started to fall, it was a stupid gesture. Why would a dame like that- Her fingers wrapped around his and he was pulled close. His heart nearly shot through his chest.

“We can’t waste a song like this, can we?” She smiled, one hand on his shoulder, the other holding his hand. He swallowed, but threw on a cocky grin.

“Whatever you say, sister.”

Oh! I love to climb a mountain, And to reach the highest peak, But it doesn't thrill me half as much As dancing cheek to cheek Oh! I love to go out fishing In a river or a creek, But I don't enjoy it half as much As dancing cheek to cheek

It was awkward, on that small balcony, two people used to a bigger dance floor. It could have been a waltz, or a tango. But all onlookers saw was two people tripping over each other’s feet, hands clinging loosely to the other as they held each other, laughing uncontrollably.

Dance with me I want my arm about you The charm about you Will carry me through to heaven I'm in heaven And my heart beats so that I can hardly speak And I seem to find the happiness I seek When we're out together dancing cheek to cheek

They could barely breathe, tumbling to the balcony floor. Holding their sides now as the laughter subsided. The music played on, but Kent was stepping off the small platform, handing the mic back to Magnolia. They’d just about missed his whole performance. They’d have to ask for an encore later.

“I think, we had better get down.” Hancock noted breathlessly. “Don’t think this old place was built to handle that kind of movement.” She smiled and nodded, rubbing out the soreness of her face from the laughter.

“Hey, thanks for that.” She said gratefully, pulling herself to her feet.

“Sure thing, Sister.” He said with a dismissive wave, “What are friends for?” Friends? He kicked himself as he followed her back into the State house. I mean, yeah, she’s his best friend. But he had the chance to make a move and he… He said they were just friends? What the hell was wrong with him?

“Hey, Hancock?” Sole called from his office. He looked over, and she was holding two cone shaped party hats. “I fished these from behind your sofa, want one?” He chuckled, shaking his head. “Not sure that would fit over the ‘ol tricorn…”

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

The party was intense. As the night drew on, the top shelf liquor started to flow. The world seemed to spin for everyone. Magnolia sung on, and when her voice was at its limits, they put on Kents broadcast of the Silver Shroud, prompting some waggling eyebrows from Hancock to Sole. As the party waned, the drifters passing out one by one, the broadcast turned to Classical Radio. No one dared put on Diamond City around Sole, she tended to get a little shooty with the radios as soon as she heard Travis’s voice. By then, the liquor had all but run out, and the few left awake in Good Neighbor sat in the square, drinking nuka cola of all things.

Sole and Hancock were some of the few party goers left awake. They lay on the cobblestones of the square, looking up at the night sky. Hancock even had Fahrenheit shut off all the lamps so the stars would seem brighter, but left the Christmas lights on at Sole’s request. The air was cold, Sole’s jacket came in useful to keep off the chill as they lay still under the night sky. Sole couldn't help but glance from the sky to the ghoul beside her, who was animatedly telling her about the patterns in the stars, in his own way.

“... And that one is the bent frying pan.” Hancock continued, pointing up at a constellation. “My old man used to say it was part of a yao-gui in the sky, but I can't see it myself.”

“Funny, before the war it was the big dipper.” Sole added softly, returning her gaze to the stars in question.

“What the hell is a dipper?” Hancock demanded, genuinely perplexed. Sole shrugged her shoulders.

“I think it’s like a ladle.” She answered unsuredly.

“Oh yeah, I can see that.” Hancock said, squinting a bit.

“Nah, I liked yours better. People know what a bent frying pan is.” Sole admitted. She looked again at the stars. She raised her hand and pointed to a constellation with three bright stars and cornered with four more. “So what’s that one?”

“Well that’s easy.” Hancock answered smugly. “It's the Vault boy with his dick out.” Sole turned to look at Hancock incredulously. “What? You can see it right there! Just below those three stars is a flaccid cock! What did you used to call it?”

“Orion, and those three stars are his belt… And the one below are meant to be his… Knife.” Sole replied awkwardly. Hancock laughed. Yeah, ‘knife’ wasn't believable.

“So who’s Orion?” Hancock asked, stretching an arm out and putting it behind his head.

“Oh, I actually know this.” Sole gushed excitedly, sitting up and turning to him. “Orion was this hunter in ancient Greece, and he used to hunt with this goddess Artemis. But her brother got jealous and made a huge scorpion to kill him.” Sole leant forward, Hancock could tell she was getting to her favorite part, she always did that when telling stories. “In her grief, Artemis placed Orion in the sky so he could live forever in the stars. But her brother put the scorpion up there to chase him through the heavens for eternity, you know, like an asshole.”

“Fuck, so there are Rad-scorpions in the sky too?” Hancock asked incredulously. She smiled at the joke. He liked to think he could do better than that. “Ancient Greece, huh?” He continued. “Sounds familiar, is that like the lard Daisy uses in her mirelurk cakes?” Sole laughed and shook her head. “Yeah then I'm sticking to the naked Vault boy.” Sole shook her head, still grinning, and laid down again. Looking at the constellation again, she could completely see it. And now she could never UN-see it!

“Give me another one!” Hancock urged, giddy more from being over-tired than drunk. Sole shook her head.

“Those were the only ones I knew.” Sole sighed, yawning. She rested her eyes.

“Come on, you can't sleep here, you'll wake up feeling the way I look.” Hancock advised. He shakily got up, brushing the dust off his coat. “Here, let me help you.” He extended his hand once again, but he was in no shape to help anyone. Luckily she waved it away.

“Leave me alone…” She murmured. “It's comfy here…” He sighed. He couldn't carry her to save his life. He looked around for someone to help him, but everyone was either too tired, too stoned, or too Kleo.

Then he heard soft snores come from his feet. He looked down and she was out cold on the cobblestones. He knew from experience what waking up with a hangover felt like on these rocks, and it wasn't pleasant, but he wasn’t exactly Mr. Muscles…

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

Macready was a coward and he knew it. He sat on Daisy’s back porch, smoking his last cigarette. The music had long since died down, and the revelers had passed out.

“You better be using an ashtray.” Daisy muttered beside him. She had a bottle of beer in her hand, leaning against the screen door behind her. The old lady may have been a serial complainer since he arrived, but she enjoyed the company.

“Sure thing,grandma.” He joked, tipping the end of the ash into a dingy ceramic ashtray. She was too tired to smack him for that comment, she could only grumble. There was a quiet as he took one last drag and ground out the cigarette, glowing embers dying in the blackened ash.

“You’re running out of time, Mac.” Daisy said softly. He crossed his arms. He knew she was right. Didn’t make it any easier.

“Yeah, yeah…”

“I mean it. If you want any future with her, you had better fix things soon.”

“And what if she’s over it?”

“Then you can at least apologise for being an ass.”

He was quiet, he did owe her that. He stood up, dusting off his pants. There were voices still in the square, he knew who they were, as much as he’d tried to ignore them. It was time he stopped running away.

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

Then footsteps on the cobblestones caught his attention. He turned around to see Macready emerging from the alley. He nodded to Hancock as he approached, and scooped up Sole quietly. She barely stirred as he held her.

“Hiding in the dark? Trying to take sunglasse’s M.O.?” Hancock asked in annoyance. Macready didn't say a word, ignoring him as he shifted Sole’s weight so he could carry her more comfortably. There wasn't a damn thing Hancock could do. At least the bastard could get her to her room safe. Hancock leaned close, narrowing his coal black eyes.

“So much as a hair out of place when she wakes up, and I’ll make a wind chime out of your dick.” He hissed quietly. Macready furrowed his brow.

“How would you even do that?” Macready asked, more curious than threatened.

“I'm a creative guy.” Hancock answered darkly. Macready just shrugged and started towards the Rex. Hancock watched him go, silently seething. Had he lost his touch? I mean it all sounded pretty threatening. Maybe it was the party hat he had strapped to his head. Yeah that was probably it.

[junkpoetic]

Five

    To my surprise my computer was still in the booth where I was sitting. I grabbed my bag from beneath the table and packed everything up. I contemplated going back to the hotel, but it was still early and in truth I did not feel like feeling much of anything more, the day was heavy enough. So naturally, I ordered a tequila soda. The three I had earlier in the day had long since worn off. This one tasted different than the prior three, maybe because it was a different bartender, or maybe it just tasted better with Juno. Halfway through my drink, she reappeared. She said that she didn’t think I would return and that she contemplated leaving but she didn’t want to abandon my things. She hadn’t had another drink since I left, she was smoking cigarettes on the rooftop of the bar because you could see the marathon runners from there.

    “Taste this.” I handed her my glass.

    “Why?” She laughed.

    “It tastes weird.” I replied.

    “Not the greatest sales pitch.” She sipped it anyway.

    I looked at her awaiting a response.

    “What is it?” She asked?

    “Tequila soda…”

    “No, you did it wrong.” She laughed.

    “How?”

    “Whatever tequila they used is trash, you have to get the good stuff, or something at least one hundred percent agave.” She explained.

    In my forty-five years I had never learned to order a tequila. Needless to say; the next five drinks tasted much better. By the end of the evening my head was spinning like a top.

     I returned to the hotel and passed Madeline in the hallways on the way back to my room. I smiled at the fact that Elliot probably just inherited an orgasm. In all honesty if I knew I was dying, it would be preferred to live out my days with bottomless orgasms, but I don’t want to get to far ahead of myself. I know nothing when it comes to facing mortality. I am just a guy who is a bit lost and trying to write my way found. For me the world has become a wasteland and my sneakers are completely saturated. Learning that Elliot’s duration is dwindling was a staggering blow. I used to believe in things, but I don’t really believe in things anymore.

    Right then and there, right when I was in the middle of drowning in my own fuckery, there was a knock on my door. I assumed it was Elliot, but it wasn’t. It was the Goddess of Light herself, the Queen of youth, or whatever you want to call her. She was there in the flesh standing in the hotel hallway in blue jeans and a white t-shirt clad in a leather jacket smiling. If her teeth could talk, they’d be screaming my name right then and there. I could hear music in my head, symphonies, simply by looking at her. I kept asking myself the same question over and over in my head. How the fuck did she find me?

    She took me by the hand, and I followed her. We walked down several flights of stairs to the basement. I felt like I was in a dream, she knew exactly where she was going. I felt secure with how sure she was of herself. My head was still spinning, and time felt like someone had pressed fast forward on the VCR until suddenly everything stopped, and I was fucking her against the dryer in the hotel laundry room. Her fingernails dug into the back of my skull as I thrusted into her. She clung to me so as not to lose total control… as if she was saving something for later. I lost my mind. The animal in me took over as she let me devour her. Who knew the Goddess of Light could be so damn dark? To be honest, I think I blacked out. All I remember is her tight grip like she was holding on for dear life and how warm she was and all I could smell was Downy. She closed her eyes as she climaxed, she was in another world, my world. In that moment. She was my prey. I had never felt so unhinged in my life.

    The October air felt frigid when it hit our sweaty bodies. It was still early so we went back to the bar around the corner. She ordered us shots of tequila and we took them before going up to the rooftop. The lights of the city gleamed. It was such a different feel than the day before it. I had so many questions I wanted to ask her, but I preferred to keep them that way. Answers ruin every God damn thing. This morning when I woke, Elliot was still immortal, and now… God the sweet October breeze…    

The faint sound of the music buzzing from the bar below was the only sound we could really hear other than one another exhaling cigarette smoke into the black brisk air. She sat on the edge of the building and dangled her feet off the ledge as she peered down at the street below. I went down and bought a bottle of French Malbec from the bar and returned with two glasses before she even noticed I was gone. I filled two rocks glasses with red and joined her on the ledge. There is such a feeling of freedom to dangling. The feeling that there is nothing holding you is much too exhilarating to be terrifying.

We finished the entire bottle of wine over such conversations that if our cups could hear, they’d either cringe or die laughing. She opened up about her life and how she felt lost at times. I told her about my struggles too. The night in its entirety was a flicker. A meteor creating friction against particles of dust only visible for one God damn beautiful moment. I felt like dust igniting that night.

We lost track of time. Eventually the lights that lit the night dimmed and faded to black. By the time we decided to exit the roof top someone had locked the door. Juno made a joke about jumping, I contemplated it for a moment before laughing about it. Then she kissed me again. I could feel her nipples erect through her white cotton t-shirt as she pressed her body into mine. I peeled her blue jeans down her cold thighs and kneeled down to taste her. I could still hear the faded sound of music along with her breathing heavily. We climaxed again before we laid down in a bed of our own fabric on the rooftop. The sky was so clear we traced constellations with our fingertips against it. She traced Aquarius and Pegasus and laughed at the fact that I could only find the Big Dipper and Orion’s Belt.

The clarity that evening was intense. I felt more alive than ever after such an intense and exhausting day. The runner who won the marathon ran it in just over two hours. The Red Sox blew out the Blue Jays, so Elliot won his bet. I found it peculiar, gambling knowing you’re not going to be alive much longer but at the same time I could die before him. We’re all running our own God damn marathons and we’re all going to die trying to cross some sort of finish line.

We fell asleep slowly that night to the quiet hum of Boston. The autumn chill was a bit intense but at some point in the evening we either became numb to it or immune to it… if there’s a difference. I had a dream that night, there on the roof, I can’t remember it entirely which is weird because the dream was so vivid from what I remember. The things I could see were so damn clear and there was so much color and absolutely zero hurt. I like to think of it as a sign of things to come. A sign of purity and all things swimming into view.

The next morning, we woke to the sound pigeons make. What an awful drone. Thankfully the cleaning crew for the bar was there so all we had to do was knock loud enough and the came to our rescue. I would be lying if I said it didn’t feel good to be stuck. For one night, I could be lost and feel complete in the wild and in one night Juno Rafferty changed my God damn life.

When I got to the hotel, Elliot was eating breakfast in the lobby. In front of him was a bagel, a bowl of corn flakes, two glasses of water, a glass of orange juice, and a cup of coffee. He joked made a joke about his illness which oddly made me feel better about the fact that he was dying and then I joined him for coffee. I had so many questions I wanted to ask him, but again I preferred the questions to the answers. He looked much better than he did the day before for obvious reason, but there was something else different that I could not pinpoint. Maybe there was freedom in the relief of someone else knowing of his illness. Either way, it was a new and shiny morning and the day held promise. He made a point in telling me he still had a marathon to finish, although I thought he was joking. He wasn’t.

His mentality was refreshing. It made me feel more alive. So much so that I came clean about my life. He wasn’t the only one holding back a secret. My whole life, I was always afraid of appearing weak but in the last twenty-four hours I discovered that everyone is weak in their own way. We are dying slowly but if there is anything I learned from Elliot, it’s that that’s no reason not to live. I explained that Carol had left me for someone else and that I wasn’t as good as I appeared. He gave me a hug and told that he was proud of me. He was proud to call me friend, no matter what. The world needs more Elliot’s.

Later that day, he demanded we go to the spot where the ambulance took him away. He demanded that we walk the rest of the marathon. He demanded that I walk it with him. So that’s what we did. We walked fifteen miles to the finish line. It took us a little over seven hours. We made sure to hydrate and stopped bars along the way. I think we went to three bars and hit them for all they were worth. By the time we reached the finish line, we couldn’t feel much, and we couldn’t stop laughing. It was a good God damn day.

In truth seeing Elliot’s outlook on dying made me feel better about living. I don’t know why I was so afraid to share with him the fact that Carol left. It’s not really flaw that I fear, it’s appearing week and needing help I have always had a problem with for no reason at all. In truth, I prefer questions because answers scare me to death. Answers can be so terminal. I asked Elliot how long the doctors gave him to live, and he said he’d rather not know. I completely understand that now. I don’t want to know either. The funny thing is, looking at him… he is so alive.