#But he's also quieter and shyer than I am

[bleeding-hart]

all this stuff about black cat/orange cat, black cat/golden retriever. What about orange cat/golden retriever.

[andiwriteordie]

HIIII i have a prompt for u,

have mike get a vecna vision where will dies in his arms. 🤭🤭🤭

this is not a want its a NEED.

im in the mood for angst rn and i love ur art style so...... 😊😊

oh this was a cruel cruel prompt 😈

here's a ficlet that turned into a fic because i combined it with another prompt lol 🫡

—

holding hands, while the walls come tumbling down 

It starts like this.

The steady yet nervous thump, thump, thump of a heartbeat that Mike can hear as loud as his own. A body nestled right beside him; an artist’s hands, smooth and soft and ever gentle, intertwined with Mike’s; a boy he has known for nearly his entire life and loved in some way for just as long who is here, here, here lying next to him—all Mike’s for the taking, just like Mike is all his. 

It’s quiet in the room, save for the soft sound of their breathing. That, too, moves in time with each other—the gentle rise and fall of their chests as they breathe in and out, in and out, in and out.

Mike would stay here forever if he could. And he thinks—no, no, no; he knows, without a shadow of a doubt in his mind and in his heart—that Will feels the same.

Mike has always prided himself on being the type of person to give everything to what he does. Sometimes (oftentimes), everything isn’t enough, but that doesn’t stop him from giving it his all anyways. He’s never been the type of person to do something halfway; no, for Mike, it’s always been a deep dive into whatever it is he’s set his mind out to. An all or nothing kind of deal.

Will’s different from him. That’s something Mike’s known since their very first conversation, when his excitable, overeager “Hi! Do you want to be my friend?” was met with a quieter, shyer, but no less enthusiastic, “Yes; I – I do!” from Will. He’s not the type of first to run headfirst into something, which is probably good for Mike. It probably keeps them both out of trouble. But when Will does commit to something, when he chooses what he wants, when he decides that Yes, yes, yes, this is something I’m willing to fight for, then he’s every bit as passionate as Mike is.

All or nothing. 

There’s no turning back for the two of them, and Mike couldn’t care less. This path they’ve stumbled down on is one they’ve been walking down for quite some time now—together, even though they were both a little too blind and far too stubborn to see it. Now that they can finally see each other, now that everything is out in the light, now that Will knows Mike loves him and Mike knows that Will loves him too, there’s no going back from here. They’ve passed the point of no return, and Mike will be damned if they ever go back to what they used to be.

It’s been a longtime coming for the two of them, and as Will nestles closer to Mike’s side, resting his head on Mike’s chest and letting out another soft, content sigh, Mike can’t help but smile. 

The world around them might literally be on the brink of ending—constantly shrouded in darkness, plagued by monsters from the Upside Down, cold and always on the brink of another terrifying, disastrous storm that will threaten to rip Hawkins apart—but Mike has never been happier than he is in this moment, here with Will.

“What’re you thinking about?” comes Will’s quiet, sleepy voice, and Mike glances down at his boyfriend (Boyfriend? Right? Is that what we are now?) and meets Will’s gaze. There’s a softness in his eyes, mixed in with the sleepiness that’s not surprising for how late it must be now, as well as a familiar curiosity. 

What’s wrong? Will’s expression also seems to say. Are you okay? Was… was this okay?

Mike just smiles, leaning forward and kissing Will, soft and slow. Immediately, the butterflies in his stomach come back to life, more excited and awake than they’ve ever been before today. “Just about how happy I am,” Mike admits, once he’s pulled away. “I… I never really thought this would happen to me… To us.”

The curiosity melts away from Will’s face, morphing into something softer and something a bit hesitant and shy. He pulls away, ever so slightly, and lies on his side, and Mike does the same, so the two of them are looking directly at one another now. The dim glow of the old lamp that’d made it with Mike all these years—somehow surviving the move from his childhood home to Hawkins Lab and making it through the literal apocalypse—shines down on them, illuminating Will’s face just enough for Mike to see him clearly.

Beautiful is the only word that comes to Mike’s mind.

“I never thought this would happen either,” Will whispers back. There’s a smile tugging at his lips, small and a bit shy, and he reaches forward, tucking some of Mike’s hair back behind his ears. “Part of me thinks I’m just… gonna wake up, and this is all going to have been a dream. Or worse. A trance.”

“Pretty sure it’s not a dream,” Mike says with a laugh, and just for good measure, he kisses Will again, relishing in the way Will’s face immediately brightens. “Or a trance. Unless we’re… both dreaming. Or stuck in a trance.”

“Stranger things have happened to us,” Will points out, just to be difficult. 

Mike rolls his eyes, before pulling Will close to him and kissing him again, slower this time and with more intention. Will moves easily in his embrace, following where Mike leads the two of them until their bodies are flush against each other again, filling Mike with that familiar sense of warmth and giddiness. And because it’s Will and because he wants this as much as Mike does, and because they’re both the type of people to go all in—all or nothing—Will kisses him back without any hesitation, his tongue exploring Mike’s mouth like this is the first and last time they’ll ever get to do this and his hands carding through Mike’s hair to pull him close, close, close but not close enough. 

“I love you,” Mike breathes. The words come naturally, and though they’ve gone unspoken all night, Mike knows they haven’t gone unsaid. Every single kiss and every single glance and every single touch shared between the two of them has been a whisper of those three words over and over and over again: I love you, I love you, I love you.

And there’s not a single doubt in Mike’s mind that he means it. 

A smile forms on Will’s face as he leans away, resting his forehead against Mike’s own. He looks absolutely radiant like this, face illuminated by the soft glow of that old lamp, smile stretching from ear to ear, eyes sparkling with a warmth that screams back to Mike, I love you, I love you, I love you, with just as much enthusiasm and excitement that Mike feels in his own heart.

“I love you too,” Will whispers back, and he reaches forward, cupping Mike’s face gently. “I love you so much.”

Then, without another word, Will closes the space between the two of them once more.

**

Mike wakes the next morning to the sound of screaming.

The sound startles him right out of whatever dream he’d been having, and Mike flinches sharply, sitting up and looking around the room. His heart pounds inside his chest, and an unsettled, terrified feeling grows inside his stomach as everything inside him switches from a sleepy, even idyllic state to DANGER, DANGER, DANGER mode in a matter of seconds. 

Save for the dim light of his desk lamp, the room is relatively dark, and there’s no one else in the room except for Mike and—

And Will.

There’s a terrified look on Will’s face, and much like Mike, he’s looking around the room, eyes darting back and forth nervously like he has no idea where he is or what’s real or whether or not they’re safe. He’s trembling too, hands clenched tightly around Mike’s old blanket, and he seems like he’s just another few moments away from a complete breakdown.

And instantly, Mike’s mind switches from the DANGER, DANGER, DANGER mode to his Will needs me mode.

“Hey,” Mike whispers, scooting close to Will and wrapping an arm around his shoulder. Will immediately flinches, startled by the touch, and Mike winces, running his hand up and down Will’s army gently. “Hey, it’s just me, Will. You’re okay. You’re okay. It was just a dream. Whatever you saw… it’s not real.”

That promise – it’s not a new one. After all, the last two-and-a-half years have been full of sleepless nights brought on by otherworldly nightmares. Nobody has been spared from them, but of everyone in the Party, Will has probably suffered the most, thanks to his deeper connection to One. These nightmares are nothing new, and yet, every single time Will suffers from one of them, it feels like a knife in Mike’s heart.

He can’t make the nightmares go away, but he can be there for Will. He can sit with Will until the darkness fades away, back into a vague memory, and he can hold Will and make promises that It’ll be okay; you’ll be okay; I’m not going anywhere; we’ll get through this. That’s really all Mike can do, and so God damn it, that’s exactly what he’s going to do.

Usually, it helps. It takes time, but usually, Will is receptive to the comfort, always leaning in close and allowing Mike to hold him until the terror subsides. 

But for some reason, this time, Will isn’t so receptive. 

It takes a moment, but out of nowhere, Will pushes Mike away, that terrified look still remaining on his face. He’s even paler than he was just a second ago, causing confusion to grow in Mike’s heart and mind. Before Mike can say anything though, Will whispers, “Mike… we have to go. Now.”

There’s an urgency in his voice unlike anything Mike has ever heard before, and that, coupled with the look of pure fear in Will’s eyes, is enough for Mike to understand exactly what’s going on, even before Will says anything about it. After all, there’s only one thing that would scare Will this much, and really, it’s just their shared, awful luck that this would happen today of all days. 

They just got together—finally, after years and years of dancing around each other and hiding from themselves and one another and never fully knowing if their feelings would be reciprocated. They just crossed that line from just friends into something more, and now…

Now, the world is actually, quite literally about to end. Now, the two of them stand on the precipice of something that could change everything and could ultimately decide the fate of the rest of the world. Now, the past five years of having their lives uprooted by the Upside Down will come to an end, one way or another.

Mike swallows the lump in the back of his throat, and he turns, meeting Will’s eyes. “It’s him, isn’t it?” he asks quietly, though he already knows the answer. 

A grim expression forms on Will’s face, and he takes another slow, shuddered breath, before nodding. “Yeah,” Will whispers back. “It’s him. One’s back, and we… we have to go. Now.”

The words before it’s too late hang on the end of Will’s sentence—unspoken, but not unsaid. He doesn’t have to say anything else or give any other details. Not yet at least. Those will come in time, as soon as they wake up the others and fill them in on what’s happening. But for right now, just between the two of them, all that Will has said is enough. 

And Mike gets the awful feeling that… that one way or another, today is going to be the end.

“Okay,” Mike whispers. He takes a deep breath. In and out. In and out. In and out. Then, a bit more confident, “We’ll go wake the others up, and we’ll put an end to this. It’s going to be okay. I promise.”

Those words aren’t ones that he has any business promising, and both of them know it. Still, Will’s shoulders do relax just a little bit, and he scoots close to Mike once more, taking Mike’s hand in his own. “It’s going to be okay,” Will echoes faintly. “We’ll make it through this.”

There’s a slight tremble in his voice, like he doesn’t know if he believes those words, and truthfully, Mike doesn’t know if he does either. But he forces himself to smile anyways and leans forward, kissing Will’s forehead. “Whatever happens today,” Mike says, his voice quiet, “I want you to know I love you.”

For a moment, it’s quiet in the room—the only sound the faint inhale and exhale from Will and from Mike himself. Then, in a voice that’s impossibly soft but still full of so much certainty, Will replies, “I know… and I love you too. Always.”

He glances back up at Mike with a bittersweet look in his eyes. The words are true, and Mike has no doubt about that in his mind… But both of them know that the words are a bit of a goodbye too—the last chance they might get to say things like this to one another, in case today doesn’t go the way any of them plan for it to.

Best case scenario? 

El manages to defeat One. None of their friends or family die. Hawkins and the rest of the world are saved. Somehow, some way, they figure out how to go back to being normal, stupid teenagers, and they put all of this behind them.

Worst case scenario? 

Well… Mike doesn’t really want to think about that. Best not to deal in what ifs and best not to let himself become too terrified of the outcome. What matters most is right now and finding the others, so they can actually stand a fighting chance. 

What comes later will come later.

“Always,” Mike echoes, just as soft as Will, and because he can—he can now—he leans forward and steals a quick kiss. “Come on. We should go wake the others.”

**

Downtown Hawkins is a complete wreck.

There’s no other way to describe it. This place has been a ghost town for over two years now, run down and battered and destroyed by the monsters that come up out of the rifts from the Upside Down. That’s no surprise at all, but what is a surprise is just how quickly a ghost town can become a battlefield. 

There are monsters everywhere, and large, black vines sprout up from the middle of the town—what used to be the library but has been a massive gate leading to the Upside Down since March 1986. The monsters just keep on coming, hundreds of them crawling, flying, stumbling out of the gate with roars and snarls so loud it’s a miracle Mike’s eardrums don’t burst.

The Party—which now unfortunately includes more than just the close friends Mike’s known since his childhood—has been training for this the entire time. Over three years of preparation have led them to this moment, but even all that time spent training and learning how to fight and how not to immediately die in battle can only get them so far. There’s only a small handful of them, and there are hundreds of monsters. 

If El can’t beat One, then there’s no way this doesn’t end with every single last one of them dead at the hands of some twisted, demo-creature. 

Still, Mike keeps fighting, operating on nothing but pure adrenaline now. There’s definitely a nasty cut and a bump on his head from a tussle with some mutated demodog of sorts, but Mike barely pays any attention to that. All he can do is keep fighting, shooting down demo-creature after creature and praying to whatever fucking deity may or may not be listening that he doesn’t run out of bullets before this is all said and done.

He’s long since lost track of nearly all the other Party members. El’s off somewhere fighting One. Lucas and Dustin are nowhere to be found but hopefully still alive and hopefully with someone else in their little group. The only person Mike’s managed to keep an eye on this whole time has been Will—and only because he and Will refuse to leave one another’s side. They’ve spent the better part of this battle fighting back-to-back with one another, barrages of well-aimed bullets flying out from their rifles and into the bodies of the monsters threatening to rip them into shreds. 

If this is how it ends, then all Mike knows is that he wants to be close to Will. 

The battle feels like it goes on forever—or at least long enough that the adrenaline begins to wear off, and the rifle in Mike’s hands begins to feel too heavy, and his limbs start to feel like they’re made out of jello. The exhaustion settles in, but there’s no time for that. Not when monster after monster keeps coming through the massive gate by the old library. So, despite the fact that everything begins to become a blur around him and it feels a bit like Mike is swimming underwater, trying his damnedest just to stay afloat, Mike keeps going and going and going in this hazy state until—

Until a scream pulls him right out of the haze. 

That scream is the gravity that takes Mike’s hand and pulls, pulls, pulls until Mike is crashing back down to earth in a crumpled heap. Suddenly, Mike feels more awake and more attuned to his surroundings and filled with a newfound strength that wasn’t there before.

It comes too little, too late though.

Because as Mike turns around, looking in the direction that the scream had just come from, he feels his heart drop all the way to the bottom of his stomach. Pure panic and terror settle into his heart and mind, replacing the exhaustion from before, and in an instant, it’s like everything within Mike has been reoriented, only able to focus on one thing.

On one person.

“Will!”

The scream tears itself from Mike’s throat, and before he can even process it, Mike is sprinting to where his boyfriend now lies on the ground, bright red blood pooling around him. The two of them must’ve gotten separated only moments ago, because Will’s a few feet away from him, and there’s a whimpering, half-dead demo-creature lying halfway between the two of them. The blood from the creature flows down the street, joining the pool of Will’s blood, and Mike fights the urge to gag as he throws himself down onto the pavement beside him.

The battle rages on all around the two of them, monstrous roars still echoing in the streets of their hometown—the horrific soundtrack to what is easily the worst moment of Mike’s life.

Because up close, it becomes even more clear just how bad Will’s injuries are. What’s left of his shirt is soaked in blood, and the tattered remains of the shirt barely cover the open wounds in Will’s chest and stomach. Every single breath he takes is labored and trembling, and already, his eyes have become glassy and distant.

He’s dying. 

Will is dying, and if Mike doesn’t do anything about it, he’s going to lose him, he’s going to lose Will, oh God, he’s going to lose Will, oh God, oh God, oh God—

“M-Mike?”

It’s Will’s wheezy, strained voice that snaps Mike out of the panic, and Mike flinches sharply, looking down at his boyfriend. Will’s eyes flutter open and closed, open and closed, and he struggles to keep them open as he looks up at Mike. He’s even paler than he was just mere moments again.

He’s fading. Quickly. Faster than Mike can even keep up with, let alone do something about.

Will is dying.

And Mike is going to lose him.

“J-just hold on, Will,” Mike manages to say, except that it comes out as more of a hoarse croak. His own chest feels tight, like someone is squeezing all the air right out from his lungs, and Mike chokes back a sob, weakly reaching for Will and pulling him into his arms. “Just hold on, okay? Okay, just hold on; you’re going to be okay; just hold on—HELP! Someone please! HELP! HELP US!”

Somehow, there’s no one around. Nobody can hear the strangled, desperate screams that are coming out of Mike’s mouth; nobody is around to see him sobbing and hugging Will tighter, as if somehow holding on to him will keep him here and keep him alive. Not even the demo-creatures, who were just surrounding them and threatening their lives, are around. 

It’s just Mike and Will here.

Nobody is coming to help them.

Will is dying.

And Mike is going to lose him.

“I’m sorry,” Mike gasps, looking back down at Will through the blurry tears in his eyes. “Will, I… I don’t think… I don’t know if—”

“Shh,” Will whispers, and he reaches up weakly, placing a trembling hand on Mike’s cheek. Somehow, he manages a smile, though his lips and teeth are stained red with blood. “Shh… Mike… ‘s okay… ‘s okay.”

Every single word out of his mouth sounds strained, as if it hurts to say anything, and Mike bites back a sob, holding Will closer. “It’s not okay,” he whispers back, shaking his head. “I – I don’t… I don’t want to lose you, Will. You can’t go; please, you can’t—”

Again, Will offers him a smile, and he runs his thumb carefully, gently across Mike’s cheek. “You… you’ll be okay,” he murmurs and takes another quiet, labored breath. Then: “I… I’m glad you’re… here with me.”

The words feel like a knife in Mike’s already wounded heart, twisting deeper and deeper and delivering the final blow. That familiar feeling of desperation crawls back up to the surface as Mike tries to think of something—anything—he can do to save Will. There has to be something that can be done, some way to save Will, some solution that will keep them from the ending they’re quickly approaching.

But without anyone nearby, there’s nothing that can be done. There’s no solution, no way to save Will at this point, nothing that Mike can do.

Nothing except for sit here and stay with Will until the very end.

So, that’s exactly what Mike does.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Mike promises softly, and he tilts his head, pressing a kiss against Will’s palm. The tears won’t stop now; they just keep coming and coming, dripping down Mike’s cheeks and onto the bloody ground. “I’ll stay here with you, Will… until… until…”

His voice trails off, dissolving into another sob, but Will gets exactly what Mike is trying to say. He always does, and though he looks exhausted and barely able to hold on any longer, Will smiles up at Mike and takes his other hand, interlacing their fingers. 

Time, the strange thing that it is, seems to slow down around them. It’s as if Mike is having an out-of-body experience, watching all this happen in slow motion around them—a mere observer to the worst moment of his life and the end of Will’s.

“I love you,” Will murmurs, breathless and barely audible now. 

“I love you too,” Mike whispers back, and he squeezes Will’s hand tightly, afraid to let go. The world shrinks and shrinks and shrinks until it’s just the two of them, frozen in this slow motion reality, and he watches as Will’s eyes flutter open and closed, open and closed, open… and closed.

He doesn’t open his eyes again.

And Mike’s world comes crashing down.

All at once, it’s as if the dam has burst, and another desperate, broken sob rips itself from Mike’s throat: “Will!” 

Whatever sense of peace or at least acceptance that he might have found lulled into during Will’s last moments has all but disappeared now—replaced by a gut-wrenching, all-consuming, grief that washes over him like a flood. The rest of the world still feels far away, as if nothing else in the world matters but Will, Will, Will.

Will is gone.

Will is gone. 

He’s gone, he’s gone, he’s gone, he’s lying here and is dead in Mike’s arms, he isn’t breathing anymore, and his blood is all over the ground and all over Mike, and he’s gone, he’s gone, he’s gone, he’s gone—

“I’m sorry,” Mike whispers brokenly, and he holds onto Will’s lifeless body, rocking back and forth in some desperate attempt to wake him up or to do something, anything, to fix this. “P-please come back, Will; please, please, please don’t go, please come back, don’t leave me, please don’t go, please, Will, please come back, please, Will—”

Time passes in its ever strange, inconsistent movement. It’s hard something that Mike can’t keep track of—not when his focus is solely on Will. 

But then, out of nowhere, something pulls Mike’s focus away from Will.

The air grows colder around the two of them; a pervasive, terrifying feeling of evil and darkness settles over downtown Hawkins. It’s familiar but jarring all at once, and Mike can’t help but shudder, holding Will’s body closer to his own. Slowly but surely, reality begins to settle back in, trickling in little by little through the cracks of Mike’s broken heart and mind.

The world around him is eerily quiet and terrifyingly still. Unlike the battlefield from before, downtown Hawkins has once again been reduced to nothing but a near silent ghost town. Gone are the vicious snarls and growls of monsters. Gone is the sound of bullets ricocheting through the air. Gone are the screams and furious cries of his friends and family.

In place of all of that is the simple sound of footsteps approaching him.

The footsteps are quickly approaching. Each step taken is one made with intention, and the movement brings that pervasive feeling of darkness closer and closer to Mike until the air around him feels near suffocating. All the while, Mike’s heart pounds in a nervous thumpthumpthump as the realization settles back in.

The battle is over.

There is no one left—no one but Mike.

All of his family, his friends, Will… they’re all gone.

And One has done it. He’s finally succeeded.

This is it.

This is the end.

As the footsteps approach, Mike takes a deep breath, and he leans down, pressing one last kiss to Will’s forehead. If this is it, if this is the end, if somehow Mike is the last person left of the Party, then he won’t go down without a fight. It doesn’t matter how futile it is. Mike has to at least try.

So, he gathers up all the courage left inside of him, and Mike lifts his head, daring to look One in the eye. 

Icy blue eyes meet Mike’s own for the first time as something akin to a smile forms on One’s face. He looks pleased—amused even—and stops, just a few feet away from Mike and Will. “Michael Wheeler,” One says, voice low and gravelly, “we meet at last.”

Mike swallows the lump in his throat, doing the best to ignore the way his stomach is twisted into knots. It feels impossible—that he would be the last person standing here after all this fighting and bloodshed. Mike’s never been much of a hero, and God knows that he barely stands a fighting chance against One. 

Still, his friends died trying to fight One and the monsters of the Upside Down. Will died trying to fight One and the monsters of the Upside Down. And if Mike is going to die too, then… so be it. 

“Rot in hell,” Mike spits, his own voice full of venom. His rifle’s long since gone, tossed aside somewhere in the desperation to save Will, so all he’s got left to fight with now are his words. Those will just have to do. 

One just chuckles and takes another step towards Mike, gesturing to the ruins of downtown Hawkins. “Look around you, Michael,” he says coldly, and against his own better judgment, Mike does so, his breath hitching as he takes in the carnage from the battle. “Do you see what I have done? Do you see what I am capable of? Do you see how futile fighting back is?” 

Suddenly, it feels as though some invisible force is wrapped around Mike, and it pulls him all the way to his feet with a terrified yelp. The force squeezes him so tightly Mike feels like he can barely breathe, and it brings him forward until Mike finds himself barely inches away from One. 

Another twisted smile forms on One’s face. He reaches forward, running his large, clawed hand down Mike’s cheek, and whispers, “You’re going to send a message for me, Michael Wheeler.” 

Barely a moment after the words have left his mouth, the visions begin.

The visions are familiar—some moments that Mike has lived through and seen with his own two eyes and others that he’s only heard about from his friends and family. They flash across his eyes at dizzying, overwhelming speeds, one right after another after another. 

At first, the visions are moments from today. Glimpses of the battle they all have just fought and lost, the screams of his friends and family, the snarls and growls of hundreds of demo-creatures coming out from the gates. But then, the visions work their way backwards, moving through moments in time from patrols over these past two years, Upside Down storms that began to cover Hawkins, and sporadic monster attacks that they almost didn’t survive.

The day at the meadow flashes through Mike’s line of sight too, before it quickly melts away into memories not belonging to himself. A jarring CRACK resonates through his mind as he watches Max’s bones snap and sees the gates ripping across all of Hawkins during that spring. Then, even before that, he sees Eddie’s death, sees his friends fighting for their lives against demobats and against vines, sees El and Max struggling against One’s power over them.

Suddenly, it’s the summer before, with the Mind Flayer and the Flayed and Billy. Starcourt Mall, going up in flames as the Mind Flayer’s fleshy form towered over and chased all of them. Black tendrils tracing up and down Billy’s face as an otherworldly horror controlled his actions. Will’s haunted whisper that the Mind Flayer was back, that this wasn’t over, that they still hadn’t escaped this.

Then, it’s the fall before that. The tunnels and the massive gate to the Upside Down. The night at the lab, with demodogs tearing through flesh and bone and with people screaming and crying for help. The Mind Flayer’s shadowy form, descending on Will, choking him, filling him up, and taking over his mind and body.

Finally, the visions end with that very first fall. The demogorgon, feasting on Brenner’s men at Hawkins Middle School. Hopper and Joyce finding Will in Upside Down. Will hiding and running for his life in the Upside Down, all alone with no one to help him. Barb screaming for help as the demogorgon rips her to shreds, and then—

Will.

Riding his bike through Hawkins, that very first night when this all began.

“Tell Will,” One’s voice whispers into the silence of Will’s bike ride through Hawkins, “that I am coming. The end is near, Michael. And there is nothing any of you can do to stop what I have been planning all along.”

One last vision flickers across Mike’s line of sight.

A memory that he still remembers, clear as day.

“It was a seven,” Will’s twelve year-old self says to Mike’s own younger self.

“Huh?” 

“The roll,” Will explains. “It was a seven. The demogorgon – it got me. Well, see you tomorrow!”

And just like that, Will’s younger self rides away, leaving Mike’s younger self standing just outside his garage.

Mike watches as the garage light flickers above his younger self.

Then, in the next instant, he finds himself falling into the darkness.

**

The darkness seems to last for an eternity. 

There’s an inky black void surrounding him as Mike falls, and he can’t help but scream, reaching out for something, anything to pull himself back up. But there’s absolutely nothing there to hold onto, so Mike just continues to fall and fall and fall, further and further into the darkness.

Then, suddenly, the darkness dissipates. The fog clears just a little bit, enough for Mike to hear someone call out his name: “MIKE!” 

Will? 

“MIKE!” the person—that’s Will, it has to be Will—calls again, more desperate this time, and Mike reaches back up, trying to grasp onto anything that will pull him out of the darkness. The way out seems just a little bit closer now, getting easier to reach out to as Will calls his name again, “MIKE! MIKE! MI—”

And with a gasp, Mike opens his eyes.

Light floods his line of sight, replacing the never-ending darkness at an overwhelmingly fast pace. Mike’s mind feels like it’s racing at a million miles an hour, and his heart is pounding inside his chest, so hard that it almost hurts to breathe. All the while, the room spins around and around and around and around and—

Suddenly, Mike’s knees buckle, nearly sending him crashing to the ground. Fortunately, someone—Will—is there to catch him, and though the two of them both stumble, Will manages to break his fall. “Mike?” he asks, voice full of concern. “Mike, hey, are you okay?” 

There are tears in Will’s eyes, and his face looks blotchy, like he’s been crying. Still, even with the worry written all over his expression, there’s relief there too, and Mike takes a shuddered breath, choosing to focus on Will. 

Will’s here. Will’s here, and he – he’s alive. He’s alive. Mike didn’t lose him. He’s not dead. Will isn’t dead.

Which means…

That entire battle must have been a vision from One. An opportunity for One to pass along a message that he’d been waiting to send. And… a warning for what’s still to come.

“Shit,” Mike whispers. “Shit. Will, we have to – he… One… I—”

“Hey, just take a deep breath,” Will says worriedly, and he hesitates, before reaching for Mike’s hand. “Just breathe, okay? Mike, you – you were in that trance for a while. We couldn’t snap you out of it, and I… I thought I was going to lose you.”

Will’s voice breaks on those last few words, breaking Mike’s heart with it. “I’m still here,” Mike reassures, reaching up and cupping Will’s cheek as gently as he can. “I’m still here, Will.”

A bright rosy blush spreads across Will’s face as his eyes widen and glance at Mike’s hand. “I know you are,” he replies quietly, “but I… I still could’ve lost you. I – I mean… we all could have.” 

The memories of seeing Will’s mangled body on the ground, surrounded by a pool of blood, come back to the forefront of Mike’s mind, and he can’t help but shudder. Without giving it another thought, he wraps his arms around Will, hugging him as tight as he possibly can. 

Mike… he still has no idea how much of the past two days have actually been part of his vision from One versus how much was real. There’s no doubt in his mind that the battle itself and his encounter with One were all a result of being held in a trance, but as for… as for everything that came before that—confessing his love for Will and learning about Will’s feelings in return—Mike isn’t honestly sure. 

There’s a part of him that thinks… maybe that stuff was just too good to be true. Maybe Mike did make that all up in his mind, or maybe it was just a trick from One, designed to taunt him before delivering the final blow. Maybe what happened with Will the night before that battle was nothing more than just a dream. 

Mike swallows the lump in his throat, and he tries not to think about that as Will hugs him tighter and buries his head in Mike’s shoulder. “I’m still here,” Mike repeats, softer now than before. “We’re both still here… We’re not going to lose each other, Will.” 

“The end is near, Michael,” One’s voice echoes through his mind—the cruel threat solidified in his mind now as a promise. This isn’t over. What Mike saw in his vision… it may very well come to pass. 

And just like Will once said to him, One isn’t going to stop until he takes everything and everyone. 

“And there is nothing any of you can do to stop what I have been planning all along,” One had told him, as the visions of Will leaving Mike’s house on that fateful night had played out for him like a twisted home video. 

More importantly, One isn’t going to stop until takes Will.

Mike can’t let that happen. He can’t lose Will.

Will takes a shaky breath of his own, and he pulls away, just enough for the two of them to look at each other, and offers Mike a tiny smile. “We won’t,” he agrees softly. He hesitates, then carefully lifts his hand, resting it against Mike’s cheek. “Are you… are you okay?” 

Will’s hand is warm against Mike’s face, and his touch feels like electricity. There’s something so genuine and so tender about the way that he’s looking at Mike and the way he gently runs his thumb across Mike’s cheek, over and over again. He’s here—warm and firm and solid, close enough that Mike is able to take his hand and hold on and never let go. 

Will’s here. He’s okay. He’s safe. 

And for now, that’s all that matters. 

So, even in spite of One’s haunting message and the visions from their past and the warnings of the future, Mike finds the ability to smile. He reaches up, putting his hand over Will’s, and he nods. “I’m okay. You’re here, so… I’m okay.”

Those words cause Will’s face to turn an even brighter shade of red, but he smiles regardless, leaning forward and pressing his forehead against Mike’s own. He takes Mike’s other free hand in his own and doesn’t say anything else—not that Mike needs him to. They’ve always been able to communicate without words, and this time is no different. 

Sure, the future might be bleak, and there’s no telling whether One’s visions will come to pass, even in spite of their best efforts to fight back. But right here, right now, he and Will are together. They’re both safe, and they’re both here.

All they can do is take this moment for what it's worth and hold onto each other while they still can. 

And for now, it ends in very much the same way that Mike thinks it began.

The steady yet nervous thump, thump, thump of a heartbeat that Mike can hear as loud as his own. A body nestled close beside him; an artist’s hands, smooth and soft and ever gentle, intertwined with Mike’s; a boy he has known for nearly his entire life and loved in some way for just as long who is here, here, here right in front—all Mike’s for the taking, just like Mike is all his. 

[a-manicured-lawn]

So I know you like Spirit…what do you think his role would be if he is added to Jojo’s Lay boys? Any headcanons for his personality?

I DO LOVE SPIRIT HOWD YOU KNOW is it cause I won’t shut up about him?

Well! If he was added to Jojo’s cast, I’m honestly not sure. There was an old post mentioning a link with rivets in his tunic in the profile banner back when she was answering asks on tumblr, but she refused to say who exactly it was. There’s been a few suspicions that this rivet hero is in fact the riveting Hero of Spirits himself!

Much as I hate to say it, if spirit were to officially find himself on the LU roster, that is probably what he’d look like. An aged-up version of himself, probably with a few more years of service under his belt, although as a knight or as an engineer is the real question.

Ingame, there’s a dialogue option with Spirit’s Zelda (Phantom? Spooky?) where she’ll ask you what you want to do after the adventure. You’re given three options: be a knight, an engineer, or undecided. If you choose a knight you’ll get an endgame cutscene of Spirit fighting in the courtyard as a knight trainee, and if you choose an engineer you’ll get a cutscene of him driving past the castle and I don’t know what happens if you pick undecided someone please let me know I always pick engineer.

If Jojo goes the knight route I worry he may become a carbon copy of the other knights and knight adjacents in the Chain as a rough blend of Wars, Sky, pre-Calamity Wild and Legend.

Should he be an engineer, however, I believe he may find his place alongside Four servicing more magical items as Four handles swords and shields. He may also serve as an inventor, finding novel and more modern solutions to issues the Chain faces.

However, this speaks mostly to his physical place in the chain, rather than his personality. Unfortunately, with no manga and just his ingame personality, a glass of water has more life than him. The only time he shows any kind of interest outside the player is in response to his Zelda, and that’s to blush when he first sees her and to be delighted when she threatens violence. Thus, any personality has to be built ground up.

Now, I’m not Jojo (obviously), but with such a blank slate I can’t help but add my own ideas and model for an LU spirit (which has a WIP! It’s HUGE!) to add onto the Chain.

Ingame, Spirit and Wind actually have the exact same character models, only changing Wind’s clothes into engineer duds. Thus, I’d headcanon them as identical twins. Slightly different, just because they are still separate heroes, such as giving one or the other freckles or paler skin or different eye colors (blue vs green vs black?) to help tell them apart, but otherwise basing it off of clothes.

For personality, I’d honestly make a foil to Wind. He’s a bright, exuberant young kid, which would be paired beautifully to a shyer, more reserved twin. I’ve noticed that in canon all of the Links tend to have forceful personalities (yes, even Hyrule, shy Hyrule is fanon but if I’m wrong PLEASE tell me I love shy hyrule) which can lead to personality clashes. However, with a quieter personality in the mix, it can lead to Wind “stepping up”, so to speak. Making sure Spirit is heard over all the hubbub, sharing stories to keep Spirit out of the spotlight, etc etc.

However, if spirit were to become canon I doubt that’s how it would go. It’s a bit out there, especially considering the other Links’ personalities like I mentioned before. The fandom represents, though! There’s SO many Spirits out there by now and I am DELIGHTED each time I come across a new one!

[simplyreveries]

Hi I really like your writing and I would like a matchup (I never asked that kind of thing I am a bit nervous )

I am she / her and an introvert , people really tired me but I get tired less easily if I like them

I play a lot of video game , I watch vid and stream , read and i crochet many thing. I like baking too.i love my pets and just animals in general (i like to learn random stuff about them)

I get uneasy on loud ou crowded place. I have trouble with eye contact but I try my best. I basically get two personality : one with the people I know and an « outside one »which is just polite and « please don’t hate me ». With people I know I just talk a lot about my interest and random stuff, i make a lot of joke (sarcastic one too). I am caring and loyal to my friend and family. But when I get mad i can get really snappy or just full blow out.

I am 5,7 , chubby with short curly hair and glasses

Thank for your time reading me , your work and your time

Have a good day !

I match you with jack howl!!!

he is one to be attracted to more of the quieter and shyer types of people, so he found himself around you a lot. sometimes to avoid embarrassment or shyness knowing how much he had grown to like you, he’d just mumble that you’re “less chaotic” than the rest that you commonly hang out with like ace or grim.

though he loves your more reserved self, he can’t help but worry what that nature of yours might lead to with people at nrc. he does have a habit of being a bit protective over you, especially in crowded areas like when they’re events going on and such.

loyalty is something he is as well and appreciates that trait in anyone. not to mention, he also values family above many things— it is very important to him and to his kind anyway. so he loves that about you, for sure.

Jack is still relatively nervous around you, as much as he wouldn’t like to admit it. but he does like o listen to you ramble around him, he wants to hear it all. something you baked recently (pls offer it to him haha), something you recently crocheted, animals— anything!

[farfromsugafanfic]

SKZ As Your Plus One At A Wedding

Genre: fluff

Warnings: References to drinking

Author’s Note: I feel like this idea just shows how I old I am lmao. Do you have any ideas? They can be ~spicy~, fluffy, or angsty. Send me an ask! 

Chan:

The best plus one ngl

Would come as a friend or significant other

He’s polite and extroverted so he has no problem fitting in, even if he knows no one at the wedding

Definitely the type to come as support for you if you’re anxious

Probably overdresses because he wants to make a good impression on your friends/family

May accidentally lose track of you because he’s so into another conversation

Excited about the food

Keeps his hand on you the whole time; whether it be a hand on your knee, holding your hand, or gently touching your back as you make your way through the crowd

Will look like he’s drunk on the dance floor even though he didn’t drink a drop

Encourages you to be part of the bouquet toss

Congratulates the newlyweds politely whether or not he knows them personally

If there’s karaoke, get ready for this man to perform the hell out of a love ballad

Minho:

On the quieter side unless he knows the couple, but even then he will probably stick to your side

WILL turn heads no matter what he is wearing and he is completely oblivious to it

You know in Pride & Prejudice how Mr. Darcy is standoffish and kinda rubs some people the wrong way initially? Yeah, that’s Lee Know. But, don’t worry, any bad impression will be short lived

Probably will only come with you if you’re extremely close or dating

Keeps close watch on you, especially if you’re more outgoing than him. As you flit around from table to table, he’ll admire your natural people skills and charisma. Otherwise, he’s there to make sure you’re comfortable and happy at ALL times

Happy to spend the reception drinking and dancing

Will somehow charm the grandma at the wedding. Probably by being polite when getting food or something

Outside wedding? He will find a cat

Even if there is dancing at the wedding, he will want to leave early

Speaking of dancing though, he will show off his skills before leaving ofc and will probably try to pull you in with him

Will slow dance with you and gently hold you as this is the one type of dance he’s not confident in, especially when its with you

Decent plus one, but will be more comfortable at a wedding where he knows more people than just you

Changbin:

He will pretend not to be upset that you might be taller than him in heels, BUT he also finds it insanely attractive

Ears go red when he sees you all dressed up

His shyer side comes out in a crowd, but if you’re also shy, he will be more than happy to take on a more social role

Polite and probably buys a gift even though you offered to put his name on yours

His surprising romantic side comes out, but does not tamper down his chaotic side as he pulls a flower out of one of the centerpieces for you towards the end of the night

Makes a good impression on everyone despite being a bit nervous about it

Insists on driving you to and from the wedding so you can have a good time without worry

You will probably have to force him to dance with you

Grabs your hand halfway through the ceremony cause he’s romantic like that

Stays to help clean up and definitely offers to take any leftovers

Goes to get you cake and comes back with the biggest possible slice and a wide grin

Pretty good overall and he will be a lot of fun

Hyunjin:

Shyyyyy

Unless he knows the couple, you might have to beg and/or act cute to get him to go with you

Might have a drink to help loosen up

Polite, but not overly talkative and does not let you leave him alone

Will dress to impress and likely will want to match you in some way; whether it be matching his tie to your dress or wearing complimentary pieces designed to go together this will be one facet of the wedding Hyunjin will take very seriously

You encourage him to talk more and be more social which he eventually does do as he gets comfortable

When the dance floor opens up is when he truly becomes comfortable and will definitely turn heads with his dancing

Will likely start being his goofy self more at this point

Becomes a bit cuddly and clingy towards the end of the night

Even though he didn’t want to come, the boy is a romantic and will be touched by the couple’s vows and the romantic atmosphere. It will make him feel even more in love with you as the night goes on

He’s a tad shy, but a good plus one

Jisung:

Poor Hannie is soooo anxious and shy cause of his social anxiety :( (it will be better if he’s familiar with the couple or several others at the wedding)

Still, he will go as long as it’s with/for you

Before you leave he will jokingly cover you with his jacket, but it’s his way of saying he thinks you look beautiful

Overly polite at times and may snack a lot to prevent himself from either embarrassing himself or you even though most people seem to find him friendly and charming

Will be relieved when the ceremony starts so that everyone goes quiet and he can just focus on you

Will probably focus on you more than the wedding tbh, he thinks you look so pretty and he’ll have to constantly stop himself from reaching up and fixing a loose curl or adjusting your bracelet

Excited about the cake and he uses that to get through the more social parts of the reception

Will probably dance with you, but might make you act cute for it

Secretly will love the slow dance and it may or may not inspire a new song

By the end, he is starting to enjoy himself more and has probably been accepted into your friend group and is making everyone laugh so hard that other tables begin looking your way

Idk why but I feel like he’s gonna want to stop at McDonald’s on the way home

Lets you fall asleep on him on the way home/to the hotel

Felix:

Very excited when you asked him to be your plus one

Will spend weeks fretting over what to wear and what to bring with you may have to help him calm down his anxious enthusiasm

Making a good impression on your friends/family is very important to him so he will be extremely polite and friendly. Basically, the king of small talk who keeps the conversation going through the lulls

Might cry during the ceremony, but it depends on the vows and if he knows the couple or not

But, he will bring tissues in case either of you end up tearing up

Will thoroughly enjoy the wedding and will have so much fun dancing and taking part in any and all reception activities

If there’s a photo booth, he’s going to pull you in and the two of you will take cute and funny photos together

As the night goes on and he becomes a little more worn out, he’ll become a little more romantic towards you. He might want to constantly hold your hand or may sneak a kiss on your cheek

Feeds you cake because he’s adorable like that and doesn’t care if others around him think it’s corny

Holds you close during a slow dance and may even softly sing in your ear

Leaves the wedding with more friends

Will make a photo of the two of you from the wedding his phone background for the next few months

Seungmin:

Agrees to go with you without hesitation even though he probably doesn’t want to go

Literally breathless when he sees you, but tries to hide it. Though, at some point, he will let it slip that he thinks you look gorgeous

Constantly looking out for you, especially because he notices others noticing you

Casual, friendly, and polite, but mostly keeps to himself

Offers to hold your purse outside the bathroom so that he doesn’t have to talk to strangers

A complete gentleman. He holds doors for you, gets your food and cake, carries your heels to the car after you got blisters from dancing.

May gently place his hand on your knee/thigh under the table both as a comfort to himself and as a way to show his affection as he worried others thought he didn’t care for you (literally no one thought that lol)

If an opportunity arises (or if you force him), he may get up and sing a love song

Will dance with you if you ask, but prefers to sit through the reception or do other things

Weirdly prepared, he has bandaids when a kid fell and scraped their knee and he somehow remembered to grab your lipstick so you could refresh it

Likely won’t drink beyond perhaps a class of champagne during the toast

Just happy to see you happy

Jeongin:

Happy to go with you, but worried about what others will think of him

Spends a lot of time getting ready and may even help you get ready too

Will actually give good advice when you’re stuck choosing between two dresses

Everyone is charmed by how sweet and cute he is, especially when he’s around you

Others will notice how he seems so smitten with you regardless of if you two are dating yet or not

Goes bright red when you ask him to dance and kicks himself for not being the one to ask

Probably arrives early enough to help set up and may stay late to help clean up

Will do his best to make you laugh during dinner which only endears him to the rest of the guests at your table

Watches over you if you drink and makes sure you don’t drink too much

Eagerly listens as you point out old friends and family and give him all the tea. Honestly, he couldn’t care less, but loves hearing you talk and seeing you laugh at old memories

As he grows more comfortable in the environment, his trademark brand of sarcastic humor will work its way out

Somehow, by the end of the night, the two of you will end up holding hands

[musicallisto]

CLARA BELOVED!!! I am so happy you’re back, and this event is amazing!! Could I pretty please ask for a 🐚 with the zoom zoom boys in Formula One??

Some stuff about me:

So, my name is Dolly (you knew that), and I’m a panromantic asexual person. My gender is… weird (😂), because really I think gender is an odd social construct and I don’t really care what people refer to me as. I’m also autistic, and some of my special interests include musical theatre, books, true crime, superheroes, and mythology of all different kinds and cultures. I don’t get the opportunity to talk about my special interests a lot, but once I do, you’ll have a hard time getting me to stop talking.

As for hobbies, I spend most of my time either reading or writing fanfiction (and sometimes original short stories), listening to music, and watching movies or TV shows. I mostly like all kinds of music, but I’m not really the biggest fan of rap. I’m also really into true crime podcasts, and I have a love for older TV shows, such as M*A*S*H and The A-Team, as well as all the Marvel and DC movies and TV shows. I’m also a pretty decent singer, at least depending on who you ask. I really love books, and my ultimate career goal is to be a librarian (although if you asked me my absolute dream job, the answer would be a voice actor). I’m also a half-decent singer, at least depending on who you ask.

Personality-wise, I kind of cycle between being bubbly and cheerful and quieter and shyer (a textbook ambivert, me), but no matter what, I always do my best to be a good listener and to make my friends (which includes you!!) happy, because I am very loyal and I love them a lot.

Alright, hopefully that wasn’t too much (😅), or even if you need more, just let me know! Thanks in advance, I’m excited to see your answer, and I hope you’re doing well, love!! 🩷🩷🩷

okay, so I know that you are partial to the one and only danny ric (because who isn't?? literally who dislikes this dude. you are not seeing the pearly gates.) but let me introduce you to this underrated but very interesting association: you and charles leclerc ✨️

we all know charles is musically inclined in his spare time, so he'd love to listen to you sing around the house when you're absorbed in whatever you're doing and forget he's even there. he just can't get enough of your voice and begs you to send him voice notes so he can listen to you when he's away

he'd even ask you to duet him on his piano compositions!! fans go absolutely feral

he's more of a chill homebody than a party rager himself so expect a lot of movie night dates with snacks and warm blankets

i can see him being into true crime documentaries and other fucked up stuff as well, it's the morbid curiosity <3 and also the violent urge to murder his engineers and get away with it <3

which by the way it's a great thing you're a good listener because BOY is he gonna vent to you about ferrari's piss poor tactics asjfksjfdjdj

we love our pathetic wet cat of a man so much

also gaming nights with the boys (: you're reading in the background even though he told you he's probably gonna be loud and overexcited and that might disturb you, but you're just glad to sit quietly in his presence especially since he isn't around that often because of his work

all his friends make it a point to say hi to you as obnoxiously as they can and to embarrass charles in front of you :)) idiotic gamer boys. we love them

[newtstesco]

SMG4 FRIENDSHIPS THAT I FEEL LIKE WOULD BE VERY REAL AND ALSO IF YOU DISAGREE WITH ME I KILL YOU

FightingMario54321 and Meggy- they were both cops and have penchant for fighting, what more do i have to say? they set up play dates between Loaf and Cube

Luigi and SMG0- they both are so chill, and they’d probably discuss gardening and their favorite teas and have little tea parties and talk abt how chaotic Mario and Fred are

Niles and Kaizo- both have felt betrayed by someone they care about, and they’re both the bad boy trope fr fr, would listen to rob zombie together

Mario, Fred, and Spudnick- they are all super chaotic and love running around and causing problems on purpose, they’re not allowed to hang out a lot since they destroy so much when they’re together, but once a year the guardians allow a play date

Tari and EpicYoshiFan- i’ve always thought EYF was bit quieter and shyer than the other recolors, so i think he and Tari would get long great, talking about music and video games and staying up way too late doing things

XboxGamer997 and Melony- they both have this sort of main character energy with X’s omen sense and Melony’s fierce deity side, i also think X gets pretty tired frequently so they’ll just have lil sleepovers :3

Ruffman8890 and Boopkins- they’re both very high energy, and RM would love to watch anime with Boopkins because i said so fuck you

Karen, Toad, and Peach- tired of Mario’s shit and definitely need a break, they go drinking together sometimes

Jeeves and Toadsworth- weird old men gang! i am specifically thinking abt the 2018 video where Jeeves and Toadsworth were hanging out, they definitely would discuss like the weather and what the princess has been up to and how the milk is selling fr fr

Shroomy and Swag- once again, i am referencing a Christmas special, the 2021 one to be exact, they love going demon hunting on the weekends and blowing things up

Whimpu and Tari- they both like doing quieter activities and nerdy shit, so they’d definitely play pokémon together, Whimpu is a nuzlock GOD

Enzo and The Villager- they both recovered after the christmas crazies episode (a lot of christmas episodes, you can tell they’re some of my favorites) and now The Villager directs a children’s TV show (seen in the 10 year anniversary movie) and Enzo runs a birthday supplies store in bloopersville (source: my brain) and they have the same parole officer, and no one really understands what they’ve been through so they’re pretty tight

SMG3, Xboxfan996, and OiramOiram12345- evil dopple gang! they’ve mostly mellowed out tho, and 96 and OO live in bloopersville but come by the internet graveyard sometimes to get a coffee and talk about what’s new with them

SMG4, SLG4, and Minion- THEY ARE A FAMILY YOUR HONOR AND YOU CAN RIP THIS FROM MY COLD DEAD HANDS! Minion and SLG4 live in bloopersville, and since they’re all sorta related to SMG4, they’re like “yeah we’re family lol” so SMG4 sometimes shows up at bloopersville for their birthdays

Desti and Saiko- they would have been BESTIES you can’t change my mind, Desti would totally go to Saiko for help with asking out Meggy

MCGustavo and Bob- i can’t explain this but just trust me they’d be best friends they’d smoke together lol

Chris and Belle- they both want to smack the shit out of their former bosses (Sergeant Mark and SMG3, respectively), they both get a little tired of the chaos and just wanna talk to someone who’s also tired of it for once

Jub Jub, Frankie, and the Weegee doll- they play roblox together :D

Mario and Ruffman8890- they are both so chaotic and love running around and pissing off Toad lmaooo

Waluigi and Tari- after the whole T-pose virus thing, they both see each other at a rubber duck store and hit it off immediately, they love hanging out and playing with their ducks

those are all the ones i can think of rn but this is so real and you will agree with me now

[himbos-hotline]

You right about Hangman. Like, who wouldn’t be a little unhinged after all that! Also, I hope you’re having a good night, friend. 🖤

I'm okay, its been a day tbh. But eh thats neither here nor there. I think so many people right now seem to forget that anxiety isnt something that just, disappers. Its a continous thing and even with meds it isnt magically fixed. You cant removed the anxious out of hangman. Which tbh is one of my main "arguments" for lack of a better word why 95% of this fued with swerve isnt romantic, its literally swerve being controlling over hangman [which he has had before during the tag fued with kenny and FTR- the whole reason hanger betrayed the bucks was FTR got into his head and manipulated him, manipulation isnt always "youre friends hate you, *we're* your true friends" one of the main like manipulation techniques is "if you leave/stop paying attention to me/ect I will hurt someone you love] which is exactly what swerve did and is still doing to Hangman and instead of falling back into the habit of nervousness and control, hes recognising the signs and becoming the very thing he swore to kill, the very person who he loved more than anything and then imo never stopped. Hangman is becoming Kenny Omega, the same way we saw Kenny taking Hangmans place in th elite during the Jericho Bucks fued. The only ones who have stayed stedfast and settled are the young bucks, theyre still lashing out. All of them are anxious and hurting and theyre all showing it in different ways! the elite stories will always be interlinked and tangled together even if theyre not directly telling a story together and people seem to forgot how important they all are in each others lives?? But anway! The cowboy is still anxious and is lashing out and reacting in an "ugly" way and I need something to snap him out of it like, when kenny is **rightfully** healed and healthy enough too, another match. Because think about how the two of them have morphed into one another? Hangman is the angry, jealous, "dont forget I exist" loudmouth with black leather and dark wild eyes. Kenny is the shyer, quieter, "I need this. I need you", one whose kinda accepted that hes no longer living in someone elses shadow, but is now, merging together with another.

Kenny is the ghost that haunts hangman page, Kota ibushi is the ghost of haunts the corners of Kennys mind, the bucks haunt them both. From them throwing hangman out the elite to matty looking in the mirror, that same look of "who am I now?" thing.

I have a lotta thoughts can you see, considering its 1am rn

[httpiastri]

congrats on the milestone!! could i pretty please ask for a “let it snow” ship with an f1 boy?

so, i’m a panromantic asexual person, and my gender is… weird (😅), because really I think gender is an odd social construct and I don’t really care what people refer to me as. I’m also autistic, and some of my special interests include musical theatre, books, true crime, superheroes, and mythology of all different kinds and cultures. I don’t get the opportunity to talk about my special interests a lot, but once I do, you’ll have a hard time getting me to stop talking.

as for hobbies, I spend most of my time either reading or writing fanfiction (and sometimes original short stories), listening to music, and watching movies or tv shows. I mostly like all kinds of music, but I’m not really the biggest fan of rap. I’m also really into true crime podcasts, and I have a love for older tv shows, such as m*a*s*h and the a-team, as well as all the marvel and dc movies and tv shows. I’m also a pretty decent singer, at least depending on who you ask. i really love books, and my ultimate career goal is to be a librarian (although if you asked me my absolute dream job, the answer would be a voice actor). i’m also a half-decent singer, at least depending on who you ask.

personality-wise, i kind of cycle between being bubbly and cheerful and quieter and shyer (a textbook ambivert, me), but no matter what, i always do my best to be a good listener and to make my friends happy, because I am very loyal and I love them a lot.

can’t wait to see who you ship me with, and congrats again! 💕

thank you sweets!! 💓 i ship you with daniel ricciardo!! why do i feel like he would get really into your interests and excited with you too? he would love to hear you talk about mythology, books, theatre, and so on. i also see him as someone who too would enjoy true crime, he'd be so amazed when you tell him about your favorite cases (that sounds bad but i think u get what i mean) and he would love to listen to like true crime pods in the car or while cuddling together in bed.

your bubbly and cheerful side would fit perfectly with his, and you'll always find happiness and excitement in each other, plus you'd be great at helping the other up again when either of you feel down. as the extrovert he is, you'll have to help him out to chill out and take things a bit calmer than he's used to. reading to him, singing to him, just taking care of him and letting him know it's perfectly fine to relax and just feel at ease.<3

[lovings4turn]

back !! could i pretty please ask for a [ 🪩 ] who's your money on? for f1, no gender preference ( although i guess maybe i don’t need to say that when they’re all gents 😅 ) ?

so, my name is dolly — you knew that — and i’m a panromantic asexual person. my gender is… weird 😅 because really I think gender is an odd social construct and I don’t really care what people refer to me as. I’m also autistic, and some of my special interests include musical theatre, books, true crime, superheroes, and mythology of all different kinds and cultures. i don’t get the opportunity to talk about my special interests a lot, but once I do, you’ll have a hard time getting me to stop talking.

as for hobbies, i spend most of my time either reading or writing fanfiction ( and sometimes original short stories ), listening to music, and watching movies or tv shows. i mostly like all kinds of music, but i’m not really the biggest fan of rap. i’m also really into true crime podcasts, and I have a love for older tv shows, such as m*a*s*h and the a-team, as well as all the marvel and dc movies and tv shows. i’m also a pretty decent singer, at least depending on who you ask. i really love books, and my ultimate career goal is to be a librarian ( although if you asked me my absolute dream job, the answer would be a voice actor ). i’m also a half-decent singer, at least depending on who you ask.

personality-wise, i kind of cycle between being bubbly and cheerful and quieter and shyer ( a textbook ambivert, me ), but no matter what, i always do my best to be a good listener and to make my friends happy, because I am very loyal and I love them a lot.

looking forward to seeing what you come up with for this !! hope you’re doing well, love <3 <3

thank you again for sending something in dolly lovely !!! now i promise at all i'm not biased with this but-

❤︎ . . . i'd have to ship you with daniel ricciardo !

look look look , i know he's your favourite but this all just screamed danny to me. he absolutely adores your personality, and thinks it works perfectly with his own ! you're both bubbly, cheerful people, but daniel is more than happy to step up and be the more extroverted one when you're feeling shy. (he also thinks you're the cutest thing in the world when you get quiet)

daniel always mentions one of your interests in a throwaway comment, just to see the sparkle in your eyes when you get a chance to talk about it. he loves to sit and listen to you talk - especially about mythology - and even asks questions, properly engaging in the conversation instead of just letting you talk at him and zoning out!

he also loves to sing with you ! if you guys are driving anywhere, he's putting you on aux and singing loudly along to every and any songs he recognises. he states it's unfair, because you can actually sing, but it doesn't stop him from belting out every last lyric.

danny is so invested in your writing, too. he's always asking what you're working on and if you have anything he can read a little bit of, then proceeds to sing your praises for the next few days because how can his partner be so talented ??

sometimes you'll be so absorbed in your writing that you don't even notice him reading over your shoulder. it's only when he lets out a "holy shit, that's good!" that you realise he's standing there, and has been for the past five minutes or so.

[theelvenhaven]

Dating Maedhros

Part 2 - Shy S/O

Request 1: I am well aware that i am probably asking too much 👉🏻👈🏻 but since you are taking requests i would like to request some headcanons for Maedhros/Caranthir with a shy S/O..? Thank you for your efforts and all your hard work 🖤 - @miriel-estelwen​

Request 2:  I want to request Headcanons for Maedhros with a S/O that is shy, thanks 😊  - @unipork22​

* * * 

Valinor

- When it comes to dating Maedhros as a shy significant other, you will find that you two mesh considerably best in Valinor.

- He is a happy and fun person here, and has endless time to devote working you out of your shell to see you bloom wonderfully in private with him.

- Maedhros has excellent patience thanks to growing up with so many siblings so your shyer nature isn’t off putting in that sense.

- I think he would just find it fascinating to a degree that someone could be so bashful and gentle compared to his wild and rambunctious family.

- He is far from mischievous, so you won’t have to worry about any of his fun involving you doing anything embarrassing.

- Maedhros is instead more likely to find fun things for just the two of you to do, like horseback riding, reading together, or bantering back and forth.

- He appreciates your timid nature, and just how kind you are, but he also loves to banter and pull some fire and sass out of you.

- It brings a warm and wide smile from him to hear you retort back so confidently and then watch you grow flustered and shocked at your own behavior.

- Maedhros will spend a lot of time fostering your confidence in speaking your mind with him, he has 6 brothers so there is nothing you can say that would shock him.

- He simply answers along with a smile, or frown if appropriate, and always carries the conversation on further.

- Maedhros will also indulge you in simple affections if you can handle it.

- Though it is admittedly cute to see your face when he leans down to press a kiss to the top of your head and see how red your face is.

- He loves to make you a little flustered, and feel butterflies swirling in your stomach.

- Maedhros also loves still to hold your hand, keeping it there firmly while brushing his thumb lovingly across the back of your hand.

- For the most part you won’t have to worry about him taking things too far especially in public to purposefully embarrass you.

- He is one for propriety and rules, though not rigid over it, but he will never push your boundaries past what you can handle.

- Maedhros, compared to you, is a more social butterfly and likes to attend many social gatherings and parties, and usually spending copious amount of times with his cousins as well as his siblings.

- While dating Maedhros he will do what he can to slowly introduce you to his family so he doesn’t overload you with his overwhelmingly large family.

- Preferably starting with introducing you to Maglor and Fingon so you aren’t so jarred the first time.

- He would then warn you about any of his other siblings and their rowdiness, trying to introduce you to them all individually before finally bringing you to meet the whole family.

- As for social gatherings, he will usually leave it up to you on whether or not you want to attend with him. Stating that if you choose too, that if you get overwhelmed you can always leave early with him.

- He doesn’t want to do anything or force you into anything that might make you uncomfortable and curl back into your shell.

- He especially doesn’t want you to view him negatively because he pushed out of your comfort zone carelessly.

- He loves you and wants you to always be comfortable in his presence at all times.

Post Angband

- Things with Maedhros Post Angband will be considerably different than if you both were in Valinor.

- Where in Valinor Maedhros would have helped you thrived to be comfortable with him and in your environment, here he perhaps negatively fosters your reclusiveness.

- That or it will force you to be a little more assertive in how you treat Maedhros and what you would wish to receive out of him.

- Or you will find yourself without and Maedhros left wondering if you have a relationship with him at all.

- Considering he is quite the recluse too when he can be, he most definitely prefers to do it in your company.

- You, outside of Maglor and Fingon, are probably the only other person he can trust and be relatively vulnerable around.

- He will savor those quieter moments he gets to have with you, or listen to you softly speak with him.

- Because he can relate to your reclusive shyness, there is no added pressure of asking you to tag along if you do not want too when he is off to a council meeting or meet with his brothers if it is duty driven.

- He will on occasion ask if you would like to join him on a trip or two with his brothers, but there is never any pressure. Though he may be a little wounded if you say no, he certainly doesn’t show it.

- He simply parts from you with a kiss to your head or hand.

- At first anticipate for any and all affections to be considerably minimal, to the point there might not be much if at all.

- But when he finally grows comfortable enough to do so, it is always in the comfort of privacy and delicately. Almost like he is afraid he will scare you away or hurt you unintentionally.

- Instead you might find yourself needing to initiate any affections when you are in private, even if it is just to hold hands.

- Though he stiffens every time before relaxing a little and holding your hand in return, almost bashful in return too.

- Anticipate to be met with silence often with him, even if he has much he would want to discuss.

- Often, though, if you ask him- no matter how timid it might be- about his day and work and what all has gone on in the world he will answer you.

- It may not be the most enthusiastic reply or tone wise very monotone, but it is enough to prompt a discussion with him.

- As he is also thinking of you too and will ask you about yours.

- While Maedhros is more reclusive and pent up, this doesn’t mean he doesn’t love you, but struggling with his own demons will certainly take a toll on both of you. Especially with your shyer nature.

* * *

Tags: @saviorsong , @lilmelily , @dicksoutformtl , @fandomhoe101 , @icarus-fell-in-spring , @iwenttomordor , @red-riding , @miriel-estelwen​, @ta-ka-shi-ma​

[oliviayamaoka]

The Roseville Murders

Danny “Jed Olsen” Johnson x Female Reader 

After getting yourself into a rather tragic incident, you are reassigned to work elsewhere to protect your young career as a detective.

Your life would sure but slowly change when you meet a bright journalist named Jed Olsen, always looking to get inside information from you regarding the murders in Roseville. Seeking Jed Olsen’s help in finding the Ghostface, a spark ignited between the two of you.

Chapter One: Roseville

Y/N rubbed her eyes, tired from the long car ride you just endured. It was a long car ride from your old home but at least the day was nice. It wouldn’t be long until dusk came. In a way, you were glad. You often thrived in the nighttime and took it as an opportunity to wind down and finally rest. It was a large rental truck that you had taken on your journey to your new home, Roseville. You didn’t necessarily choose the location; you were assigned to go there. After the incident, you were assigned to help in the investigation regarding some gnarly murders. This piqued your interest since you had an interest in crime and journalism, more so crime.

It was quite the strange time, being a junior detective, or that’s what they called you anyways. Your time in the police academy was short-lived, it didn’t take long to become a detective in the nineties. Even so, you managed to impress some detectives and officers. You also had an eye for stuff that would normally slip other people’s mind, the small details were more or less important to you. Admittedly, your interest in detective work stemmed from the fact you loved horror movies and shows. Even books. It would be a silly idea in the eyes of others but you figured you could do some good. You were also extremely annoyed at how incompetent other officers could be, not writing reports in detail or straight up refusing to do a full investigation. It was ridiculous and you figured you’d try and change this.

Johnathan Stevens was the name of your supervisor, an older gentleman. He formerly investigated murders and unsolved crimes in the fifties and sixties, his prime. Some would even consider his work to dabble in the supernatural. You weren’t sure if you believed such things, not that you were a skeptic since there were small things you couldn’t explain growing up. His work was great nonetheless and he saw the potential in you. You admired him and he gave a good word to others on your behalf. He was the reason you got a job in helping the investigation in Roseville. Ah yes, Roseville.

You were excited in a way. Johnathan was able to get you a role in the investigation of the Roseville Murders. The prime suspect was a man in a costume who went by the name Ghost Face. They ultimately branded the series of murders as the Ghost Face Murders. Y/N read the files and you began to think of your own theories on who this mysterious murderer could be. The murders were premeditated and were always executed in a similar fashion. Y/N saw some photos left behind by the Ghost Face, he enjoyed posing and took pride in his work. Your train of thought suddenly ended when you saw the town’s sign.

“Welcome to Roseville.” You subconsciously mumbled. There was a slight feeling of regret and worry that itched at you from the inside but you brushed it off. No going back now, you wanted to be a good detective and help those in need.

Your hands brushed towards your turn signals. The apartment you rented wasn’t too far and you didn’t have too many things you brought with you. Roseville seemed like a quiet little city, very peaceful and tidy. A part of you had trouble even imagining that such grizzly murders could take place in what people would consider a perfect town or city. This seemed like a place where somebody would want to raise a family or live a quiet life, it pretty much had everything you needed. You didn’t blame them, the big city life was horrendous, as were the crimes there committed. Y/N sighed deeply as you pulled into the parking lot of the apartment building. It was red and looked somewhat old. Not that it mattered, you were happy with anything at this point. You rubbed your eyes again before resting your forehead on your steering wheel, putting your car into park.

It was about 6:00 PM, you didn’t have to be at the station until 7:30 PM. Much to your dismay, it was enough time to talk to your landlord. You had met prior on a phone call and you got the apartment rather easily. You saw pictures and were instantly keen on getting a lease for it. You checked your mirror to quickly fix your hair up and refresh yourself. After a moment or two, you got out and walked towards the door. Y/N pushed it open and caught a glimpse of the lobby. It was well-furnished and tidy. It was a lot better than your old apartment building in the city. Your mood lightened up, looking forward to a somewhat quieter life. You figured you had your share of the city bars and nightclubs, other shenanigans you encountered when you were slightly younger. You took a few steps in and walked towards the main office. Your shyer tendencies made you hesitate but you knocked lightly on the door, pushing it open.

“Hello?” You called out as you made eye-contact with a blonde woman.

“How can I help you?” The woman asked you, putting away some papers into a filing cabinet.

Her hair was actually kind of long and seemed natural. Her skin was fair and her eyes were a darker shade of blue. The woman’s dark eyebrows helped in bringing out her beautiful features. She was a thin but tall woman. Her attire consisted of a white turtleneck with a cardigan, dress, and black dress shoes with long, white stockings. It was a healthy mix of coziness and business. Y/N smiled kindly and extended her hand out.

“I’m Y/N L/N. I assume that you’re Deborah?” You asked as she quickly returned the smile, a more charming one. She shook your hand, her touch felt welcoming, something that was needed in Roseville.

“Yes, I am. Lovely to finally meet you! How was the trip?” She asked as you shrugged slightly.

“A bit boring but I made it.” You replied as she giggled a bit.

“Take it from me, Roseville is happy you decided to come. The rumors and murders have driven a few people away. We’re happy to have another officer to help.” Deborah said to you.

“Yeah, well, if anybody ever gives you trouble then you’ll know where to find me.” You said as she perked up. Deborah quickly walked towards her desk and grabbed a set of old, somewhat rusty keys. With a sweet smile, the woman planted the metal in your palm.

“Thank you, Y/N. I appreciate you choosing here to live. If you need help unloading your stuff, my brothers are one call away.” She said. With that voice and attitude, the woman would have made an excellent commercial woman.

“I should be fine.” You assured the woman before exiting the office space.

You swiftly walked out towards the parking lot. It was a rather nice evening so far. The sky was a mixture of pink and red with a nice breeze. You held your forehead for a second, having small flashbacks of a man grunting and swearing. You shut your eyes tightly for a moment before sighing stubbornly. Y/N didn’t want to waste anymore time remembering what happened, it was pointless. A part of you felt gross and weird. Your eyes narrowed in an annoyed manner, looking at the stuff you had to bring in. 

Maybe you didn’t want to bring in that stuff anymore. You looked around, there was a bakery and a coffee shop nearby on the beautifully constructed sidewalks. Each shop had a small garden or some sort of plant in the front. Roseville was old in an industrial sort of way but the shops, houses, and plant life made it have a rather beautiful aesthetic. Not only that but you enjoyed the weather. You sighed softly, deciding that you should just walk to the police station. Ignoring the lazy and depressing feeling you had, you decided to just walk to clear your head of the memories. And so, you locked the doors to the rental truck and began your little adventure.

“You realize what you’ve done, right?” Jonathan questioned you, his nostrils flaring slightly. In his eyes were a deep stare of concentration. You felt numb but remorseless, you kept your head down. 

“He was going to hurt me, Jon.” You mumbled to him, your eyebrows tightly knitted as you looked for any sort of agreement within his eyes. The man sighed deeply, rubbing his eyes with his fingers. Jonathan seemed tired.

“I know he was, kid... but you shot a man. You took a mans life. I understand you did it to defend yourself but the court might not see it that way.” He said.

“Well, I’m glad I did. He would’ve hurt more women. Innocent women.” You replied with bitterness in your voice. He sighed before sitting down, taking a moment to collect his thoughts. His eyes met yours as you looked away.

You thought about the incident a lot. You replayed your own screams in your head before the distinct sound of a gun fired in your ears. Before you even realized it, you were staring dead ahead, reliving it with intense focus. It’s not like you wanted to, it was automatic and you still didn’t process most of it. In fact, it felt like a dream. Y/N shut her eyes, exhaling sharply before looking at the man in front of her. Your eyelids rested, the numbness overcoming the raw feeling of the flashback you had just endured.

“There’s... a case in a city. A smaller city. If I talked to the others and reassigned you somewhere far, would you do it? We’ve known you for years and we care. I know that man could’ve hurt my wife, my daughter, my sister... we understand. Not many people know about this. We could help you.” He said.

“What do you mean? Won’t I be charged for it?” You asked him.

“Np, not if we... sweep this under the rug. But, if we do this then you have to do something in return. Do you want this?” He asked you. Your eyebrows lifted in surprise as you pondered his offer for a moment, you looked around the room.

“I-I do, but... will they actually do this? For me?” Y/N asked as he nodded. He seemed a bit gruff, just tired from the paperwork.

“We’ve discussed it but listen to me. You can’t tell anybody about this. We’re doing you a big favor, a huge one. The director said that more officers and detectives are needed in Roseville, he said they’d be glad to accept you. This will be a lot better than telling the court what happened.” He said.

“I, yeah, yeah.” You said, nodding in slight anticipation. Nonetheless, you were very grateful for this opportunity. 

“Whenever you’re ready then but it might have to be in the next week or two.” Jonathan said to you as he looked around, somewhat nervously.

“Thank you...” You replied a bit awkwardly, not sure how to display your gratitude for him. He only nodded with a small smile, patting your head. 

“Go home, kid. I’ll handle the guy.” He said as you nodded.

You sighed as you looked upwards, the sky was a mixture of purple and blue. This was your favorite type of weather. It brought peace and calmness. A small smile curled onto your lips when you thought of the old times, when you first experienced freedom and happiness. Your hands slid into your pockets as you continued to walk down the sidewalk, your gaze averting to the large building ahead. The Roseville Police Department, your future workplace. 

The building looked rather strange for a police department. It had gates and vines around it, it almost looked like a school. Then again, school was indeed prison. You didn’t think about school much, in fact, you hated it. You never could relate to the other teens. Aside from writing and art, you really enjoyed watching horror movies. Anything horror intrigued you, books and movies alike. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that you were a horror fanatic. Strangely, it sort of inspired you to pursue this career. You were always pretty tough, blood and gore never bothered you. Even when you went to a morgue, it brought a small feeling of peace knowing the deceased were at rest.

You got closer and closer to the station, quickly since you were so lost within your own thoughts. The doors to the station were wooden yet grey, very large. Y/N looked around, there were very few police cars. Maybe being understaffed wasn’t the problem, it’s the fact that they seemed to be very poorly funded. You pushed the large door open, looking around the inside of the station. It was very eerie and quiet but seemed very cozy. A perfect image of the nineties. With your arms crossed, you walked up to the front desk. There was a cup of coffee, you assumed it was cold and took another look around. There were medical beds and tons of chairs stacked together. Not only that but there were statues and paintings. The paintings seemed old but the faces were creepy. Upon staring at them, you soon found inspiration in their haunting gazes.

This was going to be an interesting job, you thought.

Jed Olsen sighed deeply as he looked through different piles of papers that were piled together. It was rather stressful to have to proof-read his coworker’s work. Some of the work he looked over was really badly written. No wonder somebody of his talents got that job really easily. Ever since he arrived at Roseville, he thought he made a good impact on the city. Roseville lived in fear and that’s how he liked it. 

As the young man’s thoughts turned towards his other line of profession, he smiled widely and rested his eyebrows. His name wasn’t actually Jed, it was Danny Johnson. Jed Olsen was the alter ego that Danny created when he came to this place. Aside from killing, writing was one of his professions. Danny was good at it and he even got to write about his own murders. It was exhilarating, to say the least. It brought excitement to this city, it brought excitement into his own life. The journalist façade was a great gig, he needed a job anyways. It was very convenient nobody questioned him or invited him to the bar. Then again, he was a bit younger so his coworkers didn’t bother to hang out with him much.

Danny looked around cautiously before pulling his bag towards him. He only carried around his camera. In his office, there weren’t any cameras and his door actually had a lock. There wasn’t anybody around since it was the evening and he decided to stay late to proof-read papers. His camera was black yet worn out and scratched up. Still, he chose to ignore it since that thing was his prized possession. Danny pretty much checked on it everyday to make sure it wasn’t broken and to just simply admire his work he did on it. 

“Hmm...” He hummed to himself as he clicked through the photos on it. He smirked looking through his work. 

His next murder was going to be perfect. Danny planned on getting more photos of Ghostface doing his heinous crimes. Jed Olsen managed to get photos of the serial killer taking pictures of his murders in rather cocky ways. And of course, the police had no idea that it was him who did it. The police here were amateurs that didn’t do their job right. It was incredibly easy getting away with the murders and surprisingly, the FBI didn’t get involved.  Oh well, the law enforcement probably had other things to deal with right now.

As he clicked through the photos, thinking about his next murders, his thoughts were interrupted when he heard the familiar chime of the front door open. Maybe it was his boss? Danny quickly put his camera away in his desk drawer and rushed to unlock his door. The Roseville Gazette was usually a quiet place. He looked up as he noticed a young woman at the front desk of the gazette. 

“Hey, how can I help you?” He asked, immediately switching to his Jed persona. 

“Hi, I’m Y/N. I was wondering if there was a Jed Olsen around here? I didn’t realize it was quiet here.” She said with a smile.

For a moment, Danny focused on her smile. It was a beautiful and genuine smile. Strange but not everybody was as shallow as his victims or the people he met. His gaze averted to her eyes and then her face. She was indeed a very beautiful person. A pleasant surprise, not that Danny ever indulged in romance. 

“You’re speaking to him.” He replied with a playful shrug.

Y/N stared at him for a second before raising her eyebrows in surprise. 

“Oh. well nice to meet you, Mr. Olsen.” You said as you extended your hand.

“The pleasure is mine.” Danny replied as he shook your hand.

The touch of your hand was rather soft. He didn’t know it yet but he felt slightly flustered. Danny never really met anybody that he considered attractive. Maybe he did but he never paid attention to that sort of thing. 

“Do you have time right now? Or wanna schedule a date to quickly go over your work?” You asked him.

“A date?” He asked blankly. Danny didn’t know what you meant but his brain took it in a romantic way since he thought you were pretty. Your eyebrows furrowed awkwardly in confusion as you nodded slightly with a small smile.

“Um, yeah... I can come back sometime or we can meet at a coffee shop. I’m a detective so... yeah.” You say, automatically getting awkward around people your age. Danny nearly facepalmed himself but his mind quickly went to darker places.

A new detective? A detective who wanted to talk to him one-on-one? None of the detectives decided they wanted to question him. Did this woman find something? Did she suspect him? She looked like she could be a psychologist or something so maybe she wanted to see how he’d react when explaining the Ghostface articles he wrote? He’d have to get her last name and see where she lived. Y/N looked like she’d be easy to kill.

“Jed?” She asked in concern.

“Oh, yeah. Definitely... I have time right now. Sorry, I just get zoned out when I think of the murders and the sick photos he took.” He apologized.

“Don’t be sorry, that type of stuff is something nobody can get used to.” You reassured him. Jed was actually quite handsome.

“Yeah, you’re right. Come into my office.” He said, signaling with his head where his office was. You followed him in.

The office was old. It seemed rather boring at first but that’s what office jobs are for, anyways. His desk was quite clean. Jed seemed to be a very organized person. It would make sense considering his work on the Ghostface murders. You took a seat across from his desk and smiled a bit as he sat down. You were a pretty diligent worker so got straight to the point.

“So, Jed... as you know, there’s an ongoing investigation on the Ghostface Murders that I was assigned to.” You began. Danny nodded, leaning back in his office chair comfortably. He stared at you intently, watching your expression as he worried.

“I took on the liberty of reading your work on the murders. You write about him in a very peculiar way... admirably, almost.” You said to him. Danny tried to hide his worry but he was trying to figure out a way to kill you quickly. Maybe you were FBI? You were already sharper compared to the other officers/

“Anyways, I really love your work, Jed. I’ve taken a personal interest in the Ghostface. And as a detective, I’d like to get to try and get to know him as best I can.” You said with a hint of excitement in your eyes.

“Get to know him…?” He replied, slowly reaching for the knife taped under his desk.

“With your work and your input, I could put together a psychological report on him. If we want to catch him, we should figure out what type of person he is first.” Y/N said.

Danny’s fingers stopped right above the knife. His hand slowly backed away from the bottom of the desk. So, she didn’t suspect him? Danny almost laughed out of relief and at her. He was stupid for thinking she could’ve found out he was Ghostface. Y/N only seemed to be interested in his work.

“Oh, I see… yeah, that would make sense.” He said to you as you crossed one leg.

“I’m glad you agree. I’m determined to catch him and maybe even see his motivation.” You replied to him. Danny’s eyes sparked for a moment as he stared at you.

“His motivation?” He asked as you thought for a moment.

“Probably sounds strange, I know but… he must have a reason, right? And I find it so interesting how he goes about his murders. I actually have a theory about him.” You explained.

You seemed to trust Jed Olsen. The other officers and detectives said he liked to bug and probe them all the time for more information regarding the murders and what their progress was like. And truth be told? There was very little they could go off of. Ghostface was too methodical and careful, left absolutely no trace of himself besides the pictures Jed retrieved. He was a hard-working journalist and you had a good feeling about him, anywyas.

He was also pretty cute.

“I don’t think it’s strange, at all. I’ve never seen any of the detectives so passionate about the case. They always brush me off… so, what’s this theory?” Danny asked you, watching your expressions.

“Well, I only just saw your work today but I thought about it when I walked here. Ghostface seems to be rather cocky, a common trait in younger men. But, since we never caught him or anything, I know he’s really careful with what he does. The murders are also premeditated. They’re too… clean and carefully executed even if it is a bloodbath.” You sort of rambled on.

A weird feeling tingled inside of Danny as you continued to explain your theory.

“He’s really cunning and methodical. And based on my other observations, I think he uses the murders as a way of expressing himself. I’ve read about other serial killers caught… they usually leave marks, take trophies, and know the victim in some ways. Or they’re just cold-blooded but not in his case. I think he sees the murders as a form of art or something along those lines.” You said to him.

His eyebrows raised in surprise. Who the hell was she? Danny thought for a moment. She was right, he did see his murders as art and something beautiful. Did she see it that way too? This woman was strange, indeed. As as young detective, he admired her naive nature.

“That would actually make sense… he does seem to make an unnecessarily big mess when killing and yet, the police can’t find anything on him? It makes total sense.” Jed replied.

“Right? Anyways, I was going to ask if you can type of a report or something along those lines. Give me every single detail you know about him and your analogy. Your input could be vital to solving this case.” You said, standing up.

“If you don’t mind me asking, detective, why are you so interested in him? You’re really passionate about this.” He said to you.

“I wanna understand him and see more of his artwork… it’s pretty fascinating. Also, you can just call me Y/N. Have that report ready in a week?” She asked him.

“Yeah, definitely.” Danny replied to you.

“See you then, Jed.” Y/N said as she nodded with a confident smile.

Y/N was indeed young and naive. Although, she didn’t share anything confidential, she placed a lot of trust into the journalist. Then again, why should she be untrusting of him? The young woman was so passionate, intelligent, and seemed to have a very strong sense of independence. Danny assumed she came here without any authority, taking matters into her own hands. A by-the-book cop? Maybe, maybe not. Danny found that strangely attractive. However, she might even hinder his efforts and catch him. He couldn’t let that happen, yet…

There was something so intoxicating about her. Danny never met anybody that was so compassionate and understanding to his cause. Maybe, he saw her motivation in his own twisted way. This woman wanted to understand him, to see things as he does. Nobody has ever went to that length for him. Not only that but, she had no problem talking about such grimey things in a way that she didn’t get disgusted. The man had a bit of a crazed stare in his eyes as he began to recall her features.

Detective Y/N, just who were you?

And so, the obsession begins.

[comradelup]

Kravitz doesn’t remember much of the fight. His captain ordered them to stop this pirate ship from stealing tax money and when they boarded all he saw was a flash of red before he fell unconscious.

He always knew this day would come.

When he comes to he’s below deck. It’s clearly not his ship, what with the dusty corners and the bags of stolen loot. He’s tied up, his arms bound behind him, cuffs shackled to the wall. His crewmates and captain are in the same state, except they have burlap sacks over their head and are presumably still out cold.

He should be scared. He is scared, but he’s also… nervous. The sweaty anticipation of a fated meeting he hoped would never happen.

Clear as day, Taako sits across from him. Kravitz’s burlap sack is in his lap and his arms are crossed. He watches Kravitz with an unsure expression.

“Hey,” he says, quieter and shyer than Kravitz ever knew him to be. But Kravitz supposes he doesn’t know him anymore.

“Hi Taako,” he says, “Fancy seeing you here.”

Taako rolls his eyes, annoyance flashing across his features. “Don’t joke, not anymore. Besides, that’s my thing.”

Kravitz sighs. Yeah, guess he can’t act like no time has passed and no close calls were made. They’ve run so close to meeting each other, like ships and sirens. It was truly inevitable for this moment to happen in one way or another. “Always has been.”

Taako gets more annoyed, with a dash of frustration in there too. He snaps, “Stop it. Stop bringing up the past.”

“You’re the one who’s down here. You woke me up.”

“Because I can’t just let them kill you!” Taako hisses, leaning forward. For the first time in years, Kravitz gets to see raw emotion in those eyes. He’s sad; Kravitz’s heart aches to know that.

“So now what? I can’t expect you to let me go. You aren’t like that.”

Taako sighs, leaning back again. He pulls the edges of his robe around himself. That part’s new. A bright crimson, matching his tricorn hat. Flashy and bright, screaming pirate through and through. He scans Kravitz, dressed in the uniform issued to all of King Sterling’s soldiers. Kravitz can confidently say neither of them expected Fate to pull them so far apart.

“I’ll give you one chance,” Taako says, “Join us, and you’ll be free. I can maybe even convince them to let the rest of them go alive.”

Kravitz feels a crease forming between his brows as he sags against the wall he’s chained to. “I have a duty to Neverwinter. It’s my kingdom, I can’t just abandon it.”

“Kingdoms mean nothing. There’s no borders on this planet except for land and sea. Kings are just men trying to play God and rule part of the world,” Taako says. He surely regurgitated the wording from someone else, but his passion behind the message is clear. More himself, he asks, “How can you be okay living under that?”

Fuck. This is a lot for a guy who was just attacked and knocked out. Kravitz sighs, screwing his eyes shut and lowering his head. “I just am. I have to be, what other choice is there?”

“Come with me!” Taako all but begs. Kravitz hears him moving and his voice is closer as he says, “You don’t have to follow stupid rules, you don’t have to serve kings. …We can be together.”

That last part is quieter and it makes Kravitz open his eyes. Taako is on his hands and knees and his face is inches from Kravitz’s own. His face is stripped of any anger, only a desperate, pleading sadness Kravitz is pretty sure he’s never seen on Taako’s face.

“Just… stay,” Taako says, “Please.”

And that breaks the dam. Taako never uses his manners. He’s a goddamn pirate! This has to be serious. Without thinking, Kravitz leans forward and closes the distance between them as he captures Taako’s lips in a kiss.

Taako reciprocates immediately, not caring that his hat falls off in the process. His hands come up to cradle Kravitz’s face as he slides closer on his knees. They spend a few moments down there, in the underbelly of a dark dirty ship while surrounded by unconscious soldiers, kissing each other’s brains out. It’s a broken sort of perfect. A forlorn sort of hope.

When they pull away, Kravitz has tears streaming down his face and Taako’s eyes are wet. Taako swipes the pad of his thumbs over Kravitz’s cheek and wordlessly presses their foreheads together, sighing deeply. Kravitz wishes on every star in the sky for something to miraculously break his shackles just so he can pull Taako into a hug.

Then there’s a whistle, coming from somewhere above the deck. Both of them flinch and jolt away, looking in the direction of the closed trapdoor out of here.

Taako slowly retreats, his warm hands leaving Kravitz cold as he reaches for his hat and puts it back on. He stands and starts to make his way to the ladder out. Before he starts climbing, he turns back and says, “We’ll talk later.”

And then he’s gone.

[electronictimetravelmoose]

Ginny Weasley Twin HCs

Warnings: mentions of death

Word Count: ~2,4k

Request: Okay can I get some Headcanons about the reader being Ginny's twin sister and while (at least book) Ginny is brave and courageous and really badass, she's just really shy and small and silent and loves flowers and all that and (just because the gist of it) she's still in Gryffindor (she is extremely Loyal (which is kinda more hufflepuff), but because she'd immediately jump in to save everyone she's in the house. And long story short how the fam and the trio (who all see her as a smol sister) 'deal' with her and maybe what would happen if she'd fall in love with someone you choose (idk, malfoy, neville, Luna, you decide)

Requested by my sweetheart honeybee queen

A/N: I got tired towards the end but here you guys go

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

Before Hogwarts:

when Arthur and Molly got you two they were over the moon

they told each other they would stop getting children when they had a daughter and now they got two beautiful baby girls at once

but also they lowkey hope you don’t turn out like your rambunctious older twin brothers

So first of all you two get absolutely adored by your older brothers, especially Bill and Charlie

those two will carry you around the whole day long and talk to you and play with you, adorable

when Percy starts learning how to read he will read to you two every evening and he won’t take a no from his parents

getting older Fred and George saw new victims for their pranks and Ron being the closest to your age got annoyed by always having to play girl stuff with you two

from a young age on you were quieter than your siblings and often shied away from the activities they did, you wouldn’t even interact with other children that lived close by

Molly and Arthur were concerned about this but let you be, they thought that you would eventually get around to it and boy were they wrong

you were always more interested in nature, the flowers and plants and what different traits and effects they had

besides that you also started learning how to read fairly early on thanks to our favourite family nerd Percy and stuffed your nose in every book that your tiny hands could grab

cooking and baking with your mother was also high on the list of things you enjoyed

honestly your more laid back and quieter demeanor was a blessing for Arthur and Molly

but whatever you did you could never run away from your sister

Ginny was still able to drag you into her stuff

stealing your brothers brooms and going for a ride, putting spiders in Ron’s bed, making tea out of plants that give weird side effects… you did it all and never got blamed for it. i mean, Fred and George usually did those things after all

Hogwarts 1st + 2nd year:

when Ginny and you went to Hogwarts it was quite a surprise for you and your family that you were sorted into Gryffindor

okay hear me out for a second, everyone in your family got sorted there so why would it be a surprise? well you were always far more loyal and hardworking than brave or courageous and your family knew that. besides that the sorting hat took literally five minutes to sort you in because he was in a Hufflepuff/Gryffindor dilemma but non the less here you were standing as a Gryffindor

your first year was far too eventful for your liking and it all started with Ron and Harry driving your fathers car to school on the first damn day, then there was the whole heir of Slytherin thing, students being paralyzed, Ginny being dragged into the chamber of secrets and almost dying, and Harry and your older brother Ron getting down there to save her

what kind of shitshow was this?

after everything that happened in this school year and your siblings getting in danger you promised yourself you would become strong enough to protect them and with that in mind you went into your second year

second year went… better than the first

i mean if you ignored the fact that a mass murderer broke out of Azkaban and the school being guarded by dementors

but at least you now had a competent Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher, I see this as a win

you spend most of your time learning and hanging out with your sister and friends you made, one of them being Neville Longbottom, a gryffindor boy one year above you

you two became quick friends during your first year at Hogwarts over your shared love for herbology and you bonded over being shyer individuals

with him you had the most fun and talked was by far the easiest no matter the subject

another friend of you made was Luna Lovegood, a ravenclaw girl in your year which was a more weirder individual but still a lot of fun to be around

and because of Ron your circle of friends expanded to Harry and Hermine

Harry thought you were a really nice contrast to your siblings and Hermine immediately adopted you as her little sister, no questions asked

shortly said, they loved you as well

the year went by mostly uneventful which was nice, then the third year came

Hogwarts 3rd and 4th year:

it started absolutely fantastic even before the school year started because your father and siblings went to the Quidditch World Cup which got run over by Death Eaters at the end of the day while you were at home with your mother

that already warned you about the year to come

at Hogwarts Dumbledore announced the Triwizard Tournament which your school would host that year, which also brought students of two different schools with it, great

also, hahaha, your new DADA teacher was absolutely terrifying in your eyes, good luck

but thankfully stuff went as normal as it can be

then… “Come on Y/N why don’t you help as for once!” “Yeah nobody will know anyways!”

“I am not going to brew you two a bloody aging potion so you can put your names in the goblet of fire and enter that stupid tournament! People have died in it! Besides that if you don’t stop pestering me I will tell this professor McGonagall.”

“You would rat your own brothers out?” “Nobody likes someone like that,”

you blankly stared at them for 20 seconds before they got scared by your expressionless face and left

they left you alone after that, idiots

two months later, the champions got announced, the first task was over, which made you able to see your brother Charlie for a few days, and then the yule ball got announced which meant you got dancing lessons by non other than your head of house professor McGonagall

after the lessons you and Neville would go hang out in one of the green houses and take care of some of the plants, just like now

“It’s so unfair, you are allowed to go to the yule ball but I don’t and I still have to take the dancing lessons.”

“But what if a fourth year asks you to go with him?”

“Oh please Neville nobody would want to go with me!” 

“I would like to go with you.”

cue silence and intense blushing

well if he says it like that…

the evening of the yule ball became yours and Neville's first date and many came after that and so also the start of your relationship

your dates mostly consisted of trips to Hogsmead, picnics and walks along the Hogwarts grounds and study dates

it was amazing

and your first kiss happened in March during one of your many walks

none of you knew how exactly it happened and who made the first step but it was very sweet and innocent

also cuddling while the two of you are on your own is a must, nobody can stop it

you and Neville decided to keep your relationship a secret for the time being and it worked, nobody knew, not even Ginny

then the school year ended and you had to say goodbye for two long months

it was also the time when the order of the phoenix came back and your parents and two oldest brothers became a part of it

you moved into the headquarters at Grimmauld Place and everything got turned upside down

you weren’t supposed to tell anyone about this, which you didn’t, but you couldn’t resist writing letters to Neville

and then someone found out, a little shit by the name of Sirius Black

i mean sooner or later it would have happened but it was a surprise that it was nobody from your family

did he tease you? yes, but he promised not to tell anyone and gave you really good advice on relationships and how to handle problems and fears you might have

Sirius quickly became someone you could confide into about almost anything you could talk about with your family and for you he became part of the family

you even called him ‘uncle Sirius’ the day you left for Hogwarts again and boy was this man in tears

with that one of the worst years in your life started and all thanks to one person

Dolores Jane Umbridge, not one word was bad enough to describe her because the word was still better than her

if someone was the bane of your existence it was her

you finally wanted to stand up for yourself and you did but then detention came and threw you back down

your siblings, Neville, Harry and Hermine quickly noticed the shift in your demeanor and how you became closed off which you never were before

shy and held back but not closed off

they soon found out what happened and “The Y/N Protection Squad” was founded, be ready to get bothered by them at all times, you never going to be alone

then the DA came around and you of course joined alongside your siblings, friends and boyfriend Neville

it was one of the best things that happened to you in months

finally you could show what you got in you

you and Ginny became a power duo, your brothers were shocked to say the least

and you and Neville finally decide to make your relationship official 

your siblings, shocked that their pure innocent sister has had a boyfriend for over a year, but not surprised it’s Neville

protective annoying older sibling squad activated

but you nor Neville cared, you were happy and as long as you two stayed that way everything would be okay

then you went to the Ministry of Magic with Harry, Ron, Hermine, Ginny, Neville and Luna

everything turned upside down when you got attacked by the death eaters and when they got a hold of you all

you were afraid, but you were more afraid of your siblings and friends than yourself

especially when you saw that Bellatrix LeStrange had her grip on Neville

he told you about his parents and he even wanted you to meet them but now you were afraid that it might never come to it

insert Sirius and the rest of the order of the phoenix, they saved you but a price was paid in the form of him dying

it changed you in so many ways that you had to question yourself and the things you knew

Hogwarts 5th and 6th year + Battle of Hogwarts:

your fifth year went pretty much as normal as your third for most of the time

school was finally quieting down and you had more time to process what happened at the ministry and all the years before

you concentrated more on school and your still building relationship with Neville, being able to walk through Hogwarts while holding hands and hugging and kissing him whenever you wanted

it was nice, you also found more time you could spend with Ginny and Luna which was much needed

but all good things had to end

the death eaters made their way into the castle and wreaked havoc

they destroyed everything they saw, they made Hagrid's hut go up in flames, they killed Dumbledore and after that put the dark mark up in the sky

changes happened quickly after that

thankfully the summer break came and with that the wedding of Bill and Fleur

even after everything that happened towards the end of the school year and when the order brought Harry to the burrow it was relieving to have something as exciting and somewhat normal as a wedding in these dark times

you helped where you could and you were allowed to invite Neville

it went amazing for most of the day but bad things just seem to come your way

Harry, Ron and Hermine left to find the horcruxes Voldemort made and you had to get back to school

it was different than before, everything was and you should have been used to it but you weren’t

this was the most tiring school year of all and it took a toll on every single student

then the day came and the moment you saw your brother and friends again you knew you would be doomed but it didn’t hinder you to sprint towards them and give them the longest and strongest hugs you could muster up

the battle started only a while after that and you gave all that you got to fight them off with the others

it was long and tiring but in the end the dark lord got defeated once and for all but there was nothing to celebrate

many people died and under them your brother Fred, you broke after that

Neville held you in his arms the whole time until you fell asleep

After Hogwarts:

you continued and finished school with good grades and started training to become a potions master

it just fitted with your love for herbology and your interested in the different effects they could have when put together and made into something entirely else

Neville upgraded from boyfriend to husband only a few months after you graduated

you two knew the other was the one for you and nothing would change that so why don’t put a label on it to say that one is mine for forever

Neville became the new herbology teacher after professor Sprout and you became new potions teacher after professor Slughorn

you just couldn’t be separated from each other

the future brought also two beautiful twin boys your way and a lot of chaos but with the family you already had you were used to it

Neville was not

you still manage it just as you do with everything

and with your other siblings getting kids as well family meetings were getting much more crowded to say the least

you stared at your nieces, nephews and sons while they were running around playing games and screaming at each other

“honestly love, I am regretting being pregnant again.”

“you aRE WHAT?!”

oh what a sweet life

Taglist: @satans-bae-and-queen

[sir-subpar]

His Translator Part 13

Burt woke up with a yawn, rubbing his eyes. He attempted to get up but realized that there was something weighing him down a bit. Burt opened his eyes, blinking the sleep away. Now it all made sense. Henry was sleeping right next to him. His arm was wrapped around Burt, and their legs were tangled together. How could Burt forget that he had fallen asleep on his boss's shoulder the previous night? 

Burt wasn't sure what to do. So he just… didn't do anything. It was easier to just stay. Wrapped up in Henry's warmth. Even in his sleep Henry was cuddly. Burt rested his head on his pillow. He probably wasn't gonna get back to sleep anytime soon, so he just decided to enjoy this moment as much as he could. It wasn't like Henry was bothered by this, if he was he would've left while Burt was sleeping. Besides, this wasn't the first time they had fallen asleep together, but it was the first they slept so… close together. Burt felt so comfortable like this, yet so nervous. He knew why. He was confident that he had feelings for Henry. He knew he did. He just… wasn't sure what to do with them. Would it be better to just remain friends? Or should he take a chance with a relationship? Would Henry want a relationship? Burt let out a quiet sigh. He could worry about that later, right now he just wanted to enjoy this.

Burt buried his face into Henry’s chest, listening to the sounds of his breathing and his heartbeat. His breathing was steady, and deep. Just a simple in and out pattern, but it was so relaxed. This wasn’t like last time when Henry was tense and fearful. He was still, sleeping in tranquility. Burt listened to Henry's heartbeat. It was rhythmic. Burt smiled a bit and let out a content sigh. Suddenly, Henry shifted.

"Mmmmngh." Henry hummed. Slowly waking up.

Well, the cuddling was nice while it lasted, but Burt knew he and Henry had things to do. They had jobs and needed to get up anyway. Henry's eyes fluttered open, immediately locking on Burt's own eyes. "Hey Henry." Burt greeted gently, doing his best to not be nervous or get embarrassed. This was just a nice moment between the two of them. No need to be embarrassed. 

Henry smiled, then his eyes wandered. He realized the unintentional cuddling that had happened. Honestly, he thought it was nice. Holding Burt in his arms felt… nice. Henry dismissed his desire to cuddle Burt more. They had to go to work. Henry gently unwrapped himself from Burt, figuring that he would like to not be unconsciously held down anymore. When the two separated from the embrace, Henry signed a "good morning" to Burt, then got up to get ready for the day in his own room. Henry waved at Burt and flashed a smile before leaving.

Burt too, got ready for the day. Doing all those mundane morning routine things. He held the little topaz tophat Henry had given him the previous day. He would treasure it. Burt set the beautiful little gem on his drawing desk, then, he left. It was time for work.

…

Burt sat with Sven at lunch that day. Henry was busy and Sven was on break for once (Henry and Reginald had banned him from doing any work until he ate lunch). Sven was grumbling about how he didn’t have time for breaks while eating his lunch. “It is inefficient for me to do this,” Sven murmured. “Pretty sure it’s less efficient to have you face plant at your desk from lack of energy than it is to just take a break once in a while” Burt replied in his usual blunt tone. Sven stayed quiet for a moment. “I don’t like how right you are.” Sven said, avoiding eye contact. “Just try not to keel over from stress, Sven.” Burt half joked, teasing his workaholic friend. It was nice to hang out with Sven again, they hadn’t done so in a while. “Other than being a grump, how are you?” Burt asked, taking a bite of his sandwich. “Fine I guess. The paperwork is tedious, but it is my job to get it done.” Sven sighed. “Would you rather go on a heist or something? I’m sure Henry would let you if you asked him about it.” Burt suggested. He knew Henry loved teaming up with people on missions, it could be good for Sven to get out more. “Not everyone is all buddy-buddy with the boss like you are Burt” “So?” Burt asked. "He doesn't bite, just talk to him." 

Sven seemed hesitant, not sure what to say. "Trust me Sven, it'll be fine." Sven smiled a little at Burt's reassurance, he kind of needed to hear it that day.  "I'll think about it… Speaking of the boss, I've been hearing some… rumors about you and him lately." Burt rolled his eyes at the blonde. "Since when were you so interested in random rumors and gossip?" Burt asked with a slight hint of annoyance in his tone, it just seemed silly to listen to random gossip. "I wasn't until they were about you" Sven replied curly. Burt only hummed dismissively in response. "Will you just listen!?" Sven asked impatiently.

Burt sighed. "Alright fine. What are these rumors you're so obsessed about?" he asked, deciding to humor his friend. “There is this rumor that you and the boss are… together?” Sven got a little quieter towards the end of his sentence, seemingly growing more awkward. Burt’s cheeks turned a little pink. He wasn’t ashamed of the fact that he was attracted to his boss, but it was weird to know that people were talking about the possibility of him being in a relationship with Henry. “Are.. these rumors true?” Sven asked, he didn’t want to make Burt uncomfortable, but he was curious. He had never seen Burt really be attracted to anyone. However, he had noticed changes in Burt’s behavior; he saw how Burt seemed to work harder whenever Henry asked him to do something in contrast to how he usually would half-ass whatever was asked of him. He noticed how Burt spent a lot of time practically following the boss when he wasn’t working. He noticed that Burt stopped referring to Henry as “boss” and instead referred to him by name. And he noticed the change of color on Burt’s face…

Burt avoided making eye contact with Sven, but still answered the question. “No.. Henry and I aren’t dating. We just hang out sometimes.” Burt replied shyly. Sven tilted his head in curiosity. Did Burt sound disappointed? He seemed a bit sad all of the sudden. “Burt. Are you alright?” Sven asked, feeling a little concerned. “Yeah? Why?” Burt replied, a little unsure.

 “You look sad,” “I’m not sad. I’m just… I don’t really know what to do right now" Burt gave up on the excuses. There was no point. “Don’t know what to do? About what?” Sven asked. "The boss and I… we aren't together, but I… guess I want us to be?" There it was. He finally said it out loud… and it wasn't even to Henry. "Oh… wait, really?" Sven asked, surprised. Since when had Burt started feeling romantic towards anything?? He really missed out on a lot when they didn't talk. "Yeah. I like him." Burt admitted, in his slightly embarrassed but mostly blunt tone. "Does the chief know about this? Like, at all??" Sven questioned, how did he miss this? He really missed a lot when he was working. "I mean, probably not? I've never said anything about it but.. there are moments where I wonder if he feels the same way or if he's just being friendly. I'm honestly not sure." Burt shrugged. Henry's behavior was a mystery sometimes. "I've thought about asking him, but I guess I'm just not sure how I want to." Burt avoided eye contact with Sven. He felt so silly talking about this. It wasn't the worst situation to be in, but it was a bit tricky. 

"Huh." Was all Sven could manage. He didn't necessarily have a problem with this. He was more surprised by the fact that Burt liked someone at all. Not to mention Henry of all people. It's not that Sven disliked Henry or anything, but it seemed odd that he was the object of Burt's affection. What was the draw there? Sure, Henry's nice and all, but that couldn't just be it. Regardless of the reason though, he couldn't argue the fact that Henry made Burt happy, and Sven wanted him to be happy. But how could he help? He wasn't some sort of matchmaker. The two had sat there in silence for a minute when Sven got an idea. 

"What do you like about the chief?" Sven asked. Maybe if he could help Burt put how he felt into words, he could tell the boss the same thing. "I uh… I dunno..er.." Burt seemed to grow shyer by the minute. He was never really that open of a person when it came to feelings except when he was around Henry. Wait.

 "I uh.. I like how he makes me feel...safe? Like I can just be who I am and he'll just be who he is and it's comfortable between us." Sven smiled a bit. That was a good start! "What else?" 

Burt fidgeted with the microphone on his headset, a small nervous habit of his. "I like.. How he visits me when I work, and how he'll bring me snacks or meals. And he'll just hang out for a bit." Burt started smiling as he continued to think about Henry. "I like it when he comforts me, and I like being there to comfort him. I like how he trusts me enough to be vulnerable around me." Burt felt a bittersweet sensation when he recalled Henry's nightmare after spending so much time in recovery. How broken Henry looked, and how much better he felt when Burt was there for him. He remembered how Henry was there to celebrate his birthday when no one else did. "I like his dedication." Henry was always so determined to help the clan even when he could barely stand. "I like how affectionate he is. Even if it took some getting used to." Henry's hugs were always so warm and welcoming. "I like how when a situation gets awkward, he'll do whatever he can to make people feel comfortable again." Burt almost cringed at the memory of when Henry showed him his scars and put his hand on his scarred chest, but he also felt a little amused at how Henry did the same thing to him so that they would be even. "I like a lot about him." Burt smiled, his cheeks were definitely pink but he didn't care this time. "He just makes me happy to be around him." 

"That's what you should tell him!" Sven nearly yelled in excitement. "Huh?" Burt jumped a bit then tilted his head to the side, it wasn't often that Sven yelled like that. "You should tell the chief everything you just told me. There's no better confession than an earnest one like that." Sven reached across the table and held Burt's hand supportively. "If that would make you happy, why not do it?" Sven gave his friend an encouraging smile. Burt stared at Sven for a moment before nodding.

 "Thanks Sven…." Burt smiled, gripping Sven's hand gently, before pulling away. Burt stood up, the two of them nodded to each other in acknowledgment. Burt took a deep breath. He felt nervous, but encouraged at the same time. He could do this. 

"I will."

[spongebob-connoisseur]

So far what drew me in to the Spongebob spin-offs were characters and concepts not used in regular Spongebob show. Narleen has charmed me to my surprise. Baby Pearl is simply adorable. Patrick’s relationship to his adopted sister Squidina is just so precious. I think Kamp Koral is a separate timeline that adult Sandy Cheeks created through the power of science. The Patrick Show was made possible by the properties of Randomland. If you think like that you are able to enjoy the spin-offs. I’m able to enjoy them. Way more then Planet Sheen.

Yeah I fully agree. I've said before that the KK's strength was focusing on side characters and stories that couldn't be done in the main series like Narlene and bby Pearl. My favorite episode currently is Gimme A News Break with young Perch Perkins. I thought it was cute and I never considered Perch much of an interesting character before. He was just the news reporter but after seeing this episode, I really wish there was more Perch episodes. There was so much story potential right in front of us and we never saw it???

I didn't care much for Kamp Koral's spongebob much. He's pretty much the same as his adult counterpart and there isn't much to add to his relationships with other characters. But for Squidward and Patrick, it's a different story. I really didn't expect to have such a good episode between them. I really enjoyed it. There was only one episode I can think of from the main series that was only Patrick and Squidward and that's Pat Hearts Squid. But Squisery is an infinitely better episode. It's just Patrick and Squidward but it has younger Patrick who isn't used to having friends quite yet. He just made friends with Spongebob at camp and Sandy is a friend of spongebob so she'd be a friend of Patrick's but everyone knows a friend of a friend isn't much like a friend.

Anyways getting off topic but Patrick really really wants to be close to Squidward and them being stuck together in the wilderness was a good opportunity. He gets too attached to Squidward and Squidward really grows to like Pat. So much so that he even has a little romantic daydream- I thought it was too adorable. I actually wish that would happen more in the main series. While Squidward thinks Pat is dumb, he does secretly enjoy his company.

Now as for The Patrick Star Show! I really thought it was cute. I really liked the addition of Squidina. Gives Patrick some responsibility and an extra person to interact with. They've got an adorable sibling relationship. I really like Patrick's grandpa. Even if he tried to near murder his grandson in the Pat-a-thon episode. I also really like Spongey more here! He's a bit quieter and a little more calmer and shyer? Its possible it was because when he displayed more of these traits was because he was on tv. I think it's a little too cute and wish they kept it as part of his character. A little bit more self conscious when he was younger. Honestly the only thing I really was looking forward to about the Patrick Show was young sponge! Everytime he's on screen, he steals the show.

I do like the side characters a lot too. we knew him as Slappy from Spongebob's big birthday blowout episode but his actual name is Laszlo in the Patrick Show! I really adore him. Little unhinged gremlin man :> I actually am surprised he made a comeback. I didn't expect him to be anything more than just a weirdo Peter Lorre caricature side character for the birthday episode. Anyways I'm glad he's back I really enjoy him

LOOK AT HIM LOOK AT HIM✨💖💕🌷🌸💗🌸✨💕💖🌷🌷✨💕✨🌸🌷💖💕💖🌸💗✨🌷💗

I've gushed about him too much. My friend is actually making stickers of him for me :>

Anyways yeah I agree Kamp Koral is definitely a different timeline due to Sandy's meddling with time. I think she started this timeline issue by interfering with the events of the episode Friend or Foe. I think she thought she was doing good by trying to fix their broken friendship in the past (or prevent their fighting) but accidentally caused the Krabby Patty formula to no longer exist because of this.

Luckily the formula has too much impact on the timeline to be so easily erased and inevitably gets created in the future. Only problem is Eugene is less prepared for Plankton trying to steal it (because he has a new born bby to take care of) and we all know what would happen if Plankton got his hands on the formula. So Sandy decides to fix it by sending her younger self to stop the krabby patty formula from being created during kamp koral so it can be later created in the future.

Sandy shows up in the Patrick Star Show which takes place before the main series which means this show takes place in the Kamp Koral timeline as well.

The 3rd movie, Kamp Koral, and The Patrick Show all take place in the same timeline which is different from the main series timeline.

Honestly something I'm curious about with The Patrick Show is I agree it probably takes place in or around Random Land but we see the goofy goober ice cream parlor in it. Is that place a franchise with multiple stores or is there only 1 and that's the one SB and Patrick go to in the 1st movie because if so did the randomn properties from randomland eventually wore off on the environment overtime? I think it's probably just another store tho :/

Anyways I really like the spinoffs! Its funny, I haven't ever seen Planet Sheen. I like the patrick show more because it reminds me of other shows I liked as a kid also some characters feel too good of a treat. Also more character interactions we don't get in the main series! It's worthwhile and doesn't deserve as much hate as they get!