#I hope yall like this

[keketopia]

when you can only calm down his anger issues

synopsis. rumors spread about you and bakugou's marriage, ruining both of your guys' reputations. so you guys decide to put an end to it.

cw. fem!reader, ceo!reader, prohero!bakugou, aged-up, a bit of +18, fluff, bakugou treating you nicely

Sinful moans were heard from the newlyweds' room. The walls were witnessing their love and lust.

The room was filled with groans and moans.

They both were on their high.

The male sped up, making the female's leg shake.

"K-Katsuki, ah~" She tapped his shoulder, telling him to stop.

"Just one minute baby, I am almost close~" He said as he kissed the girl with full love.

Y/N kissed him back and moaned between the kiss.

Soon they both came and the male fell beside her. They were both breathing heavily.

"I've waited so long for this," said the spiky blonde as he hugged his wife.

"Well, I told you that I was ready before our marriage but you didn't agree with me"

"Well, I didn't want to have you illegally, I wanted to make love with you legally, as my wife" He kissed you again.

"It's not like it was your first time, Mr. Dynamite" You remarked in jest.

"I'm sorry that you aren't my first but I promise that you will be my last" He spoke while kissing your forehead.

"I was joking, it's not my first time either"

"You don't have to remind me," He said in an irritated manner. You laughed and whispered in his ear "But it felt like my first time, though" He gave you a naughty smile as you said with a smirk.

"Alright, you're asking for it. You better pray that your legs will work tomorrow 'cause I'm gonna break them" He spoke while attacking you.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

Some information before we continue this story. Your name is Bakugou Y/N, and you are married to Bakugou Katsuki. He's 27 and you're 25. You two got engaged after four years of dating. You lead one of Japan's most prosperous businesses as CEO. Your father appointed you CEO because you are the only kid. In a business encounter, you two met and fell in love. You two started dating, and your business grew rapidly. Despite the fact that you both received numerous benefits and were eventually married, not everyone was pleased with your engagement. Some people claim that you wed Bakugou to benefit your business. Some claim that you seduced Bakugou to raise your company's profile, but you both didn't care because the claims were just baseless. Okay, now back to the story.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

It was now morning and you were trying to make breakfast. Yeah, you were TRYING.

You've never cooked before in your life as you were your father's princess. He'd never let you do house chores, he led it to the maids. The best you could do was watch a YouTube video on how to cook spicy noodles for your husband.

"Ugh, why is this so hard?!" You complained. "I can handle a big fat company but not this! This is so frustrating"

"Come on L/N, you can do this!" You spoke and did as the YouTube video instructed. Suddenly, someone back hugged you and you immediately knew exactly who it was.

"Morning, Teddybear~" Bakugou whispered and kissed your nape, pressing his body against yours.

"Don't disturb me, honey, I'm busy" You said while mixing the sauce.

"I heard you say something"

"Hm, what is it?" You asked him while your whole attention was on the sauce.

"I heard you addressing yourself as L/N earlier, you're a Bakugou now, not L/N," He said and bit your neck, making you wiggle in his arms. "Wait, why are you crying?" He questioned, worried.

"I'm not crying, it's the sauce for the spicy noodles, it's so hot it's making my eyes water" You replied, rubbing your eyes.

"Wait, don't rub it, it'll make it worse, let me get the eye drops," He said and ran to the bathroom to get the eye drops.

"Here, babe" He handed it to you and you drop a few into your eyes. "Thanks, babe"

"No problem" He patted your head. "Wow, a girl who can make everyone cry is now crying because of the sauce" He laughed.

"Are you laughing at me?" You glared at him. "I dare not to" He smiled but soon his smile disappeared.

"You're walking..." You looked at him with a 'what' look.

"Excuse me?" You asked. "You're fucking walking!" He looked at you with a pout.

"Why are you acting like I was paralyzed my whole life and suddenly I started walking like a miracle?" You sassily asked.

He came towards you and cupped your cheeks. "What's your problem, Katsu?"

"You tell me, how can you walk after the rough fucking we had last night?" He asked, you finally understood what he was trying to say.

"Maybe you're small~" You said with a teasing smile.

"Oh, I'm small? Then why don't I work hard" he said and picked you up, bridal style.

"Wait! Katsuki I swear I am so tired and yes it hurts, I was just trying to act tough" You said in one breath.

"So you agree that I am big?"

"Well, that's a different thing"

"Okay then, why don't I show you again how big I am-" You cut him off.

"Wait! I was kidding! It's big! So big it was hitting my abdomen" You said, making him laugh at your cute behavior.

"You're scared of my monster, are you?" He chuckled while setting you down on the counter.

"A little bit" You answered, pecking his left cheek.

"Only one cheek?" You smiled and pecked his right side.

You both suddenly heard a phone ring. Bakugou ignored it and started kissing your lips. However, the phone rang once more. "Maybe it's urgent, baby," You said, breaking the kiss.

"Nothing is more urgent than this, teddybear," He said, attacking your lips. But the phone rang again, making Katsuki frustrated.

He stopped kissing you and answered the phone. "WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM?!" He expressed angrily.

You held his hand and rubbed it, gesturing for him to calm down.

"What's the problem, Mr. Yori?" He questioned as his secretary started speaking.

"ARE THOSE ASSHOLES OUT OF THEIR MIND?!!" He yelled, making you flinch.

You looked at him with a "Is everything okay?" look. Then, finally, he shook his head and ended the call.

"What happened?"

"You know the rumors about our relationship?"

"Yeah, but the rumors were going out, right?"

"Yeah, but it was not that serious at first, but now, it's gotten worse, and now the damn media is crowding in front of your company and my agency." He said as he bit his lower lip.

"Why does the media even care? It's our business, not theirs!" You clenched your jaw.

"I've got to go to the agency," He said and ran upstairs. "I'll come with you," You said and ran after him.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

You both had got dressed and were now on the way to Bakugou's agency. Bakugou was driving the car at full speed. You knew his anger issues were getting the best of him, so you held onto his one hand and placed it on your thigh.

"Babe, calm down. You're going to cause an accident. Everything is going to be fine." You caressed his hand.

"Sorry, teddybear, it's just. This whole thing is pissing me off," He admitted.

"I know. We will figure this out, I promise."

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

You both arrived at the agency. Just like Bakugou said, it was surrounded by new reporters and the paparazzi.

"Dynamite! Dynamite! What do you say about the rumors?"

"Is it true that you and Ms. L/N-"

"MRS. Bakugou and I will arrange a press conference to answer everybody's questions." So he said and took you into the agency.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

"Why did you arrange a press conference?" You asked, furrowing your eyebrows.

"I had to, or otherwise, they won't stop."

"So what? We shouldn't care about it."

"You don't understand the situation right now," He said calmly.

"I don't? You're acting like it's a big deal-" He cut you off.

"IT IS! IT IS A BIG DEAL!" He yelled at you, making you glare at him.

"IF I DON'T STOP THEM, THIS COULD GIVE US A BAD REPUTATION!."

"YOU DON'T HAVE TO YELL AT ME" You yelled at him.

This made him realize that he yelled at you.

"Babe, I'm so sorry, I jus-"

"I know you're frustrated, but did your shouting make everything right?" Then, he came to you and hugged you. "What should I do then? I'm scared. I worked so hard to get this far; I don't want to lose it all." His grip on you tighten.

"As your business partner and 20 percent shareholder, I have rights to this agency, right?" Bakugou broke the hug and nodded.

"Do you trust me?" You asked while caressing his cheek.

"More than my life"

"Then let me handle today's conference" Bakugou hesitated initially but soon agreed as he trusted you.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

At the press conference...

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

You, Bakugou, and his secretary arrived at the conference. You all took a seat as the meeting started.

"Good afternoon, Dynamite; as we all know, we came to know about the rumor. What would you like to say?"

Bakugou looked at you while you whispered. "Everything is going to be fine, okay?" He nodded, and you stood up.

"Hello, everyone. I am very honored to have everyone attend this conference. You can all ask your questio-"

"Miss L/N, don't you think it's rude to not let Dynamite talk?" A news reporter said sarcastically.

"And don't YOU think cutting me off is rude?" You said as the news reporter rolled her eyes and quickly sat down.

"Today's press conference will be run by me; if you have any objections, you may say it or forever hold your peace." Nobody said anything.

"Okay, then, anyone has any questions?"

"I have a question!"

"Yes?"

"I would like to ask this question from Dynamite," A reporter said as you nodded and sat down. Bakugou stood up.

"As the rumors said, is it true that Ms. L/N married you for her company's benefit?"

"First of all, it's Mrs. Bakugou, not Miss L/N, and second, rumor says that dispatch is a scam. Is that true?"

The reporter shut up and sat down while Bakugou smirked. Time passed by as everyone got to ask their questions.

"Mrs. Bakugou, how do you feel after seducing the number 2 hero?" She asked while you rolled your eyes.

"YOU-" Bakugou was about to yell at her, but you stopped him. "Remember what I told you? Anger makes everything worse. Let me handle it." You whispered softly and stood up.

"Well, I don't have to seduce anyone," You said calmly. "How do I feel? Maybe you should ask this question to Mr. Dynamite," You said and turned to Bakugou.

"How do you feel, babe?" You asked, raising your eyebrows.

"Oh, I love it. I'm so happy to be with you," He shouted for everyone to hear. You smiled and turned to the reporter.

"You see? He's happy I "seduced" him; now, do you have a problem with it?" She shook her head and sat down.

"Any more questions?" No one dared to stand up as they didn't want to get embarrassed by you.

"No? Okay. Before we conclude today's conference, I want to point something out. Even if I marry Dynamite, even if I married for my company's clout, why do I care? My company is already at its highest. It doesn't need any clout. And yeah, I gain many benefits after dating and marrying Dynamite, but there are other reasons for my benefit. For example, we are both 20 percent shareholders of the agency and the company/business partners. So don't say that I married Dynamite for the sake of my company because we both love each other, and it hurts us when you say things like this," You said as everybody's heads lay low.

"Thank you so much for coming, have a nice day," You said and looked at Bakugou, who was already adoring you.

"Let's go," You whispered to him. He stood up and kissed your cheek as he whispered in your ear. "I'm so proud of you."

It's not my business, I do my own business

[creep-io]

Ahhhhhhhhhhh I'm getting back into traditional art and wanna post it but I've mostly done fnaf which people won't wanna see on this acc :((((

[headlines-headlines]

𝐄𝐘𝐄 𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐘.

𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧 𝐣𝐞𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐱 𝐟!𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬! suggestive themes (no smut... in this chapter at least), language, smoking, weed, plug!eren, college au, slightly black-coded!reader

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 3k

𝐚/𝐧: this is longgg. I kinda wanna make this multiple parts... idkkk. Lmk if y'all would want that. But anyways, enjoy! (This will be posted on my Wattpad acc too! @ -headlinesheadlines).

. . .

"Did he text back yet or what, baldie?" Sasha groaned, reaching into the bowl atop your coffee table, and tossing a piece of popcorn into her mouth.

The brunette was growing impatient whilst she laid her head in your lap. The two of you were seated on the carpet of your shared living room, and your other guests, Jean Kirschtein and Connie Springer were enjoying the comfort of your couch behind you. Unfortunately, you had hoped the food would distract everyone from becoming irritated by the group's failing mission. Securing more weed for tonight's sesh.

"Shut up! You know how long it takes this motherfucker to respond," Connie barked back, his temper already rising.

"Jeez, will the both of you calm the fuck down? Like [f/n] said, you should've had everything covered before we even got here, Connie," Jean interjected, usually being the voice of reason. He continued to flicker through YouTube playlists on your TV screen, searching for music to fit the vibe while you all tried to resolve the issue at hand. "Jeager's dumbass is always late. That motherfucker would be late to his funeral if he could."

You let out a slight chuckle, finding it funny how poorly your friends viewed this dude who they've apparently grown up with. You were only aware of the fact that Eren was notorious for being the best plug on campus, and whenever you smoked with these three, it was always from his supply. You had to give it to him though, his shit was gas every time. The four of you would always end the night just a few puffs away from literally greening out, and unfortunately, Jean and Connie would have to make the treacherous journey back to their shared student apartment. In the middle of the night.

"I feel bad for [f/n], she's never even met him and he's already leaving a terrible first impression," Sasha chimed in, her voice cracking with laughter.

"As if he could ever leave a good one," Connie replied, the two of them subsequently bursting into a fit of giggles.

"Damn, y'all are always flaming ole boy, and I don't even know what he looks like!" You shook your head, disappointed with their childish antics. You did wonder from time to time about Eren's appearance, only because they brought him up so often. You've even considered cheating on your current plug, just to see what the hype was about. After all, he wasn't just known for his supply, rumor has it that he's quite an attractive plug, and would flirt with or throw in discounts for customers he found enticing.

"Oh—hold on!" You felt Sasha shuffling underneath you, probably looking for her phone. "Lemme pull up his insta real quick." You watched as she unlocked her cell, opened the app, and scrolled through her following list. She clicked the username 'jeagerbomb', and you swore all the saliva in your mouth evaporated instantly. The man they were currently clowning had to be made in the image of a Greek God.

"This is the famous Eren Jeager by the way," she said jokingly, handing you her phone. "Don't hold your breath", a hint of sarcasm was thrown in.

You held her phone for a minute or two, scrolling through his feed and being extra careful not to accidentally like any photos of him. It was almost an impossible task with the way you were flying through all of his pictures. You were in total disbelief. The constantly late, foul-mouthed, disagreeable Eren Jeager looked this good? Wisps of shoulder-length, deep brown hair fell around his face in the sexiest way. His jawline was carved to perfection. His skin was a sun-kissed tan. And his eyes... a gorgeous mixture of turquoise and sea-foam green you could lose yourself in. Your lips parted slightly, but it took everything in you to not let your jaw hit the floor with neck-breaking speed.

You mustered an "Oh, he's not too bad," realizing you've had more than enough time to hand Sasha's phone back. You hoped you weren't caught ogling at her phone like a thirsty fan.

"Yeah, he's alright-looking I guess," Sasha replied, exiting his page and resuming whatever mobile game she was playing before.

After a couple of minutes of chilling to an R&B playlist Jean put on, you heard a sudden rustle of your cushions signaling that someone stood up.

"Shit— He's here y'all!" Connie sang, hurtling himself over the back of your couch, and bounding towards the door. "Be right back!"

You all watched him hastily shuffle into his sneakers and exit your apartment, hearing the sound of his running footsteps fade into the distance.

"Finally," Jean let out a sigh, running his fingers through his hair. "Took that bastard long enough."

"Aw, poor thing", you reached back to pat his knee, laughing when he rolled his eyes at your attempt to patronize him. You turned back around to find that Sasha cleared the remainder of the popcorn, leaving none left, even after you reminded her to slow down and save some for the rest of you.

"You hungry bastard," you griped, pinching her cheeks. She continued chewing, letting out several intangible complaints with her mouth full of food, and tried her best to swat your hands away. Your short squabble was interrupted by a couple of knocks at your door, meaning Connie had returned.

"Don't worry, I'll get it," Jean piped up, allowing the two of you to continue bickering whilst he made his way to the entrance, checking to see if Connie successfully retrieved the supply.

"Huh? Why'd he hafta bring that bastard along?" You heard Jean mutter whilst peering through the peephole.

You snapped your head towards him, "wait, what do you mean?"

"It looks like Connie brought Eren with him."

Before you could reply, Jean grabbed the doorknob and pulled open the door, revealing Connie holding a sealed baggie, and none other than Eren Jeager himself following behind him into your apartment.

You were at a loss for words, and let go of Sasha's face. She took the opportunity to grab the empty bowl and beeline for the kitchen. You almost forgot how to speak until Connie interrupted your thoughts.

"Oh yeah, [f/n], you mind if Eren smokes with us tonight? He brought something new we can all split." He blurted out, bashfully scratching his head. You weren't sure if he realized in time that this would be your first time meeting Eren. In nothing but a tank top and a pair of childishly patterned PJ shorts, reserved only for the eyes of your closest friends. "He's cool though," he reassured you.

You weren't too quick to panic over your appearance, albeit, in a quite revealing choice of clothing, you were still half-decent. And so what? Your teddy bear pajamas were cute anyways.

You quickly glanced behind Connie, taking a mental screenshot of Eren's towering figure while he was focused on taking in the scenery of your living space.

'God, he looks even better in person,' You thought to yourself. You noted how his black t-shirt fit his torso snugly, slightly outlining his rippling muscles underneath. His biceps were large and defined, and his short sleeves put his thoroughly tattooed arms on full display. Not to mention the way his grey sweats hung nicely around his hips, with a sliver of his v-line being visible past the hem of his shirt. Your eyes made their way back up to find Eren staring right at you, and you could've sworn there was a hint of a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. Your eyes immediately darted elsewhere in the room, while his were still fixed on you.

'Shit! I hope he ain't see me feening just now,' you mentally cursed, praying you weren't seen basically eye-fucking him.

"Sure, I don't mind," you found your voice, quickly answering Connie, "Just leave your shoes by the door, Eren, there's carpet."

"Yeah, no problem," He replied, slipping off his slides in your doorway, while Jean and Connie returned to their previous spots on your couch.

"'Sup Sash," He greeted Sasha, who was busy in the kitchen adjacent to the doorway. His voice was smooth and deep, with a hint of raspiness that had your heartbeat picking up the pace.  

"Oh, hey Eren. Way to crash the party," Sasha joked, rinsing the leftover kernels from the bowl into the sink. You couldn't help but watch through your peripherals as Eren laughed and made his way around the couch, finding a spot on the carpet to your right, where Sasha was just sitting. He sat a little closer than you had anticipated, with hints of cologne, weed, and fresh linen trailing off of him.

'Lord..,'  You thought, literally having to steel your nerves with how close this man was. You didn't want to seem too on edge when having just met him.

"Aye, you mind if I sit here?" He asked whilst emptying the contents of his pocket: car keys, a small baggie, a lighter, and some papers, and setting them on your coffee table.

"Not really. Sasha might though, that was her spot," you answered with a smile, pointing back at the brunette finishing up in the kitchen.

"Damn, my bad." He feigned remorse, letting out a small chuckle. "You [f/n] right?" He asks, slowly turning his gaze towards you. His green eyes were low and twinged with red, most likely being the aftereffects of an earlier smoke session.

Your eyes widened, a little surprised he knew of you. You chalked it up to the trio probably talking to him about you as much as they did about him. They were good friends with him after all. You prayed they didn't spill too much. In the few years in college that you've all known each other, only heaven knows the number of embarrassing moments they've seen you in.

"Yeah, [f/n] [l/n]. They've told me a little about you too," you reply.

"Yeah? They tell you I'm the only one you should be buying from on campus too?" He sported a cheeky grin.

"Well, we'll see how good this new shit is first. Don't think I'm gonna be dropping my plug anytime soon though," you replied matter-of-factly, almost challenging him. Naively of course. You already knew Eren's shit would knock you off your ass, but you wanted to see how far you'd hold up before cracking in front of him. You've somewhat built up your tolerance a good amount anyways.

"Easy tiger, you know you'll be coming back for more," he laughed, throwing you a quick wink before opening up a pack of papers.

You felt your cheeks flush slightly from the nickname, and with an eye roll, you turned your attention back to the TV.

"Alright, alright. Can you quit trying to rizz her up and start rolling already?" Jean remarked, growing annoyed with Eren's flirtatious demeanor.

"Can't I do both?" He replied, sprinkling the ground-up bud from one of his baggies into a paper. You watched him, his eyes not-so-subtly locked onto yours as he sealed the sticky end of the paper with his tongue, and finished rolling the joint. You almost shivered at how commanding he was of your attention. No wonder women couldn't get enough of him. There was something so fiercely magnetic about his presence, and you wouldn't mind letting yourself get pulled in.

"All done," he said, placing the joint between his lips and grabbing the lighter. Before sparking it, he pulled a spare hair tie off of his wrist, reaching behind his head to gather wisps of unruly hair and tying it into a makeshift man-bun. A few hairs still tastefully framed his face, as well as giving you more access to the previously hidden tattoos around his neck. You wanted so badly to reach forward and run your fingers through his hair. It appeared to be effortlessly silky. You half made a mental note to find out the brand of shampoo he uses later.

Bringing the lighter to the end of the joint, he set it aflame, inhaling deeply as puffs of smoke drifted into the air. After two to three more pulls, Eren turned to you, the joint in between his fingers. The mouthpiece was facing you, and you caught on to his motion for you to take it. You leaned forward, placing your lips on the tip of the joint, and inhaled, without taking it from him. His eyes were trained intently on your lips as you ghosted your last puff of smoke and blew it out slowly.

"Attagirl...,"  Eren murmured, so faintly you doubted you even heard it. After flashing a small smile, you took the blunt from him and passed it to Jean behind you, who was too engrossed in his phone to be aware of the building tension between you and Eren.

The five of you continued to smoke, taking turns passing the joint around and socializing, enjoying the vibes that this peaceful Friday night provided. After a strenuous week of classes, you all needed some time to unwind. When the first blunt started to dwindle, of course, Eren added two more into the mix, substantially raising the level of intoxication in the group. Sasha being the first to tap out, was lying comfortably on the couch, a light snore coming from her direction.

"One... One down! Too bad she can't... can't hanggg," Connie laughed, slapping Jean's shoulder enthusiastically as he struggled to string his sentences together.

"Yuppp. She's out like a light," Jean chimed in, passing the remainder of the blunt to Eren, who took one last pull and put it out in a nearby ashtray. You were all definitely high, the smoke sesh being yet another success, thanks to Eren this time.

"Surprised you could keep up shawty, underestimated you a 'lil," Eren stated, playfully nudging you with his shoulder.

"Well don't, these lungs are made of steel," you chirped, a triumphant but lazy smile across your face. You became aware of how much your face had heated up, and you placed two hands on either side of your face, hoping it would cool you down and cover your goofy-looking expression.

"Wish I could stay longer to hold you to that," he replied, "but it looks like I'mma need you to help me walk them downstairs," he motioned to Jean and Connie grumbling incoherently on the couch, trying their best to gather their things to start making their way back.

Grabbing the items he left on the table, Eren stood up and placed his arms behind his head, stretching deeply. You followed the rising hem of his shirt, letting your eyes linger on his toned midriff before you finally stood up.

"Yeah, 's no problem," you mumbled, your mind generating unholy thoughts while viewing his figure. He was just so... tall. And built.

Dusting yourself off, you made your way to the kitchen island to grab your house keys. Eren followed closely behind you, watching the way your hips moved while you walked, your shorts just barely covering the curve of your ass. He wanted to do nothing more than reach forward and give you a hefty love tap but maintained his composure. He loved the smell of shea butter and florals that wafted off of you, urging him to hold you close and inhale your gorgeous scent. He needed to see you again, and next time he would have you alone for sure, free to explore everything your beautiful self had to offer.

You all safely made it down the few flights of stairs and into the lobby, Jean and Connie stumbling out the doors after waving both you and Eren goodbye. You stifled a small giggle, finding it hilarious how those two were determined to make it home blazed as hell. After watching them turn a corner, Eren pressed a button on his car key, unlocking the doors to a jet-black BMW parked out front. You followed him to the driver's door, watching as he opened the door but hesitated to enter, instead leaning on its frame with an arm on top of the roof.

"So when am I seeing you again, princess?" He asked, voice so low it was almost a purr. The two of you were alone now, and he heavily contemplated bringing you into the backseat. He leaned into you a little, watching as you lifted your head to maintain eye contact. His eyes flickered between your lips and back up to your eyes again.

"I dunno... whenever you wanna see me," you answered, feeling the tension between the two of you grow heavy, igniting a small flame in the pit of your stomach.

He paused for a moment, scanning your figure before he reached forward, snaking his hand around your waist and into your back pocket to retrieve your phone. Your mouth parted in surprise as he brought your phone up to your face.

"Unlock it," he ordered.

You did as you were told, typing in your PIN code, and unlocking your phone. He turned your phone around, tapping a couple of things on your screen you couldn't see. Your face must've expressed some confusion until you heard his phone sound off a notification chime, meaning he contacted himself from your phone. You now had his number.

"I'll be texting you, pretty girl, don't leave me hanging," he smirked, slipping your phone back into your pocket, and trailing his large hand over your ass and back onto the roof of his car.

'Smooth bastard,' you commented inwardly.

"I won't," you replied, smiling sweetly. "Get home safe Eren."

"Will do, sweetheart" he responded, flashing a quick wink before entering his car and closing the door. You walked back to the front doors of your apartment building, hearing his engine ignite and the vehicle pull off only when you stepped inside.

Must've been waiting for you to get in safely, how sweet of him. You didn't attribute it to the fact that your body was pure eye candy to Eren, and he savored the sight of your figure until it disappeared.

It was hard for you to settle into sleep that night, the thought of your next encounter with your new acquaintance filling your mind with endless possibilities.

[cosmic-darikano]

Cordelia Expressions Practice!

[poettheythem]

A Shoebox Covered with Little Pink Hearts

Do you remember being a little kid and doing Valentines day

Making a shoebox covered in little pink hearts and stickers

Buying cards with your favorite characters on them

And little candies taped to each one

Going around the classroom dropping valentines into each box

And seeing who passed out the coolest cards.

But now you aren't a little kid

You don't get to make a shoebox with a little slit for cards

Covered in little pink hearts and stickers

You have to be in love

And give roses and chocolate and go out to dinner

I miss it, the shoe boxes

My valentines for my best friends and theirs to me

The love of little kids and friendships that last years beyond

Or the love that fades after a month

All dropped into a silly little shoebox

Now the love has to shown in a different way

A way I don't have

All I have is my shoebox covered in little pink hearts

[rott0dbf]

Historically accurate backrooms (according to me) ((I also also made this))

[leronboi]

Sometimes I have to tell myself that I shouldn’t try to “perfect” my vision of a drawing because I will lose that vision. That my idea will be obscured, and I miss the point of why I wanted to draw this. All that matters is that I was able to draw what I wanted to draw. And I wanted to draw gay dudes XD

[dashadowgirl]

Another thing!!! I just saw this line and knew I HAD TO MAKE ART for it

Once again inspired by the story by @thestarlitnights and @outlying-hyppocrate

[cyncerity]

Finding Family

Chapter 3

1 2 3

notes:

ITS HERE IM SO EXCITED FOR THIS CHAPTER

Literally I’ve had this moment in the plot planned for months. I’m talking probably more than half a year. It’s been in the making for a while, which might explain why it’s so long, i’m so sorry it’s like 4k words.

with that said, tw for panic attack, angst, and general cursing, and i hope you enjoy!!

The day it all started began fairly normal. The humans in their apartments woke up and made breakfast, like any other day, and the borrowers in their walls minded their business while waiting for the humans to leave.

On this particular day, however, three of those said borrowers were preparing for what may be the riskiest thing they ever did.

“And you’re sure this is a good idea?”

“Of course, bossman! We’ll be careful, promise.” Tommy said as he finished rewrapping the line to his hook, triple checking it before passing it off to his nervous looking best friend. Tubbo looked down at the hook and Tommy sighed, placing a hand on his shoulder. “We run at the first sign of trouble, nothing bad will happen. It’s just a little detective work nothing serious.” Tubbo laughed half heartedly. “Right, just a little detective work to see what’s up. Mom and Dad won’t even notice I’m missing.”

“We ready to go?” Ranboo interjected, coming up to the two with packs of back up rope and supplies he had been packing. Tommy looked to Tubbo, waiting for approval.

“Yeah, we’re ready.”

…

Packing up for a long trek was always quite a task. For Charlie, most of the time all he needed was a backpack, knowing fully well that Schlatt’s apartment was fully accommodated to him and it would be an easy trip. But going with other borrowers? That was different.

So he dressed himself like anyone else would, with backup food, water, ropes, and weapons in case there were any “wild animals.” He looked to Mochi, who was minding her own business at the other end of the room being fed by Minx, and laughed to himself. What kind of wild animals were they concerned about, anyway?

Minus Jambo. Seriously, fuck that cat.

It didn’t take Charlie long to find his group and meet up with them. He was accompanied by his captain, of course, and two rookies. Fundy, who’d gone borrowing a few times for survival purposes only before moving there and becoming a guard member. Apparently, though, since Charlie had been to Schlatt’s apartment numerous times with no issue, they said Fundy should try picking up borrowing again, despite his fear of humans. Meanwhile, Aimsey seemed over the moon. This borrower was younger than any of them, but had been bugging the captain to go borrowing, wanting to help out their colony any way they could, and this was their first time.

And with a few reminders from the captain and a review of the rules, they were off.

…

“So we just…wait here?” “It’s called a stakeout, boob boy.” Tommy sighed, holding a poorly handmade telescope through a high vent grate. “We wait here for the other borrowers to show up and watch them for any sus behavior. I saw it in one of Tubbo’s weird movies once.” “Isn’t that just stalking?” “We are far too cool for ‘stalking,’ its a stakeout.” “Quiet! Both of you, look!!” Tubbo interjected, pointing up to the kitchen counter. The thre of them watched as Charlie pushed a roll of paper towels away, gesturing to the kitchen, though they were too far away to hear anything being said. And they watched as three more people came from behind him, all strangers. One was tall and nervous looking, white streaks through his ginger hair. And with his pointed ears and slits for pupils, he looked almost fox like. And if they were gonna use animals for comparison, the next one, wearing a patchwork of blue and stripes and long hair under a beanie of sorts, was almost reminiscent of a bunny, the way they were bouncing and barely staying still, having a shocking amount of energy for a borrower even shorter than Tubbo. And the reason for their excitement seemed to come from the last stranger, who was talking to the three. For some reason, Tubbo got a sinking feeling in his gut while looking at him. He tried to ignore it and just focus on how he looked and not why the very presence of him made him feel as awful as it did. So he just looked, especially taking note of how odd he was compared to the other three. He had short brunette hair, and a red and gold pitare-looking jacket on, which struck Tubbo as odd. What borrower would go out of their way to make an expensive looking coat? Who would even get him those supplies? Wh- “Is that their captain??” Tommy asked, staring like he’d never seen another borrower in his life. “Uhh, what?” Tubbo asked, and Tommy snapped his head in his direction, looking confused. Looking past Tommy, Ranboo had the same expression. “What??” “Borrower colonies, they have captains.” Tommy explained. “They’re in charge of everything that happens in the colony, and I mean everything. All the big decisions come down to them.” “They’re like royalty in borrower culture.” Ranboo added. “So why would one come on a random borrower trip? And since when was there even a colony in this building??”

“…You think it’s the old one?” Tubbo asked, only to get more weird looks from his friends. “There was a colony here before? What happened?” Ranboo asked. “There was a whole colony just in this apartment! Have I never told you?” Both of the others shook their heads. “What happened to them?” Tommy asked quietly, like something bad was going to happen if he spoke any louder. Tubbo subconsciously touched his scars, only noticing he did so when his friends’ expressions turned to pity and he put his hand down quickly. “I was really little, I barely remember it, but from what I can piece together from my memories and what Dad and Jack said happened, it was bad. An extermination. No one lived, or at least we thought. But what are the odds that people not only survived, but started a new colony and went to a different part of the building?”

…

It didn’t take long for Charlie to get his group to Schlatt’s apartment. He knew the way by heart, but was holding onto an impossible hope that this time it would somehow take longer, delaying the inevitable. However, when he got there, he had to hide a sigh of relief. Schlatt was nowhere to be seen, probably messing around with his friends next door. Not a single ladder, rope, or haphazard handmade staircase in sight. No proof that a borrower lived here full time.

The captain led them all through what to do, what the rules were, and where everyone should look for supplies before sending them off. Charlie was the last to be sent somewhere, and he could see the look in the captain’s eyes, the same look he had seen a hundred times before in the eyes of the others from the colony that had once been in this apartment. Survivors guilt. Even when the captain was done giving him directions, he didn’t go immediately. He didn’t want to leave him to wallow in his self pity.

“If this gets to much, we’ll understand. You can go home, I’m more than capable of getting them home. I know this must be…hard for you.” The captain didn’t even look him in the eyes, just nodded. “I’ll be fine, Charlie.” Was all he said, only turning to give him a small grin to show he was ok, even if Charlie could tell it was faked.

So, he left.

God, he was glad Tubbo wasn’t here.

…

Aimsey walked across the tops of the few supplies on the kitchen, ears trained on any subtle noise that may let him know danger was coming. Lord knows it had taken him long enough to get up the few boxes on the counter, he’d hate to have gone through all that effort jut to be seen now, though Charlie had assured him that the resident human wasn’t home today.

Although, he was more scared of the part coming next.

Looking up, he spotted the cabinet holding the food he was supposed to get. And shit, was it high. But if Charlie could get to it, so could he. He just wouldn’t focus on how high it was, or how he’d be that high up, or how a fall from that height would kill him…

no. not thinking about that.

“Oh, fuck, oh my god.” Aimsey said, nervousness making his hands shake while swinging his flimsy paper-clip hook to latch onto a nearby handle. “You got this…” he whispered faintly to himself, fingers already turning white from his death grip on the rope before jumping off the counter and preparing for a tug on his middle from the belt.

…the tug should have happened after a few seconds, right?

…oh no…

It was like time slowed as Aimsey looked up to find that the hook had fallen off the handle, and, ok, maybe they should have checked that it was secure before leaping off the counter.

He screamed, trying to alert any nearby source (maybe not the cat, but it’s not like he could afford to be picky at the moment) to save him, and as the floor got closer and closer and closer-

he finally felt the tug.

He felt himself being pulled up from the ground, and practically went boneless with relief. Someone had heard, seen, whatever, his fall and went to his rescue.

He looked up, expecting to see his captain or teammates but…who was that?

The boy at the helm of pulling him up seemed just a bit taller than him (aka short by borrower standards) with fluffy, surprisingly well kept hair and a patchy green jacket. But what shocked him most was the myriad of (dare he say) horrifying scars on the boys face when he barely looked younger than her, scars somewhat similar to the ones the survivors of an old extermination from when the colony was newer held. She found herself unable to keep her eyes of off his scars until finally her eyes landed on his, an unsettling feeling filling her gut. Maybe because the hazel-grey color was familiar, or maybe because he didn’t look all too happy with her.

“You gonna keep staring or are you gonna fucking help?” the (apparently also british, which she didn’t hear often,) boy said, and, oh, she was pretty close to the edge, maybe she could pull herself up some. Aimsey took the hint to finish climbing up the counter and was quickly helped over by the scarred boy, who was quick to catch them as they collapsed breathless. Holy fuck, they almost just died. Cause of their own stupidity, no less. If the captain finds out about that, they’ll never be allowed to leave base again-

“Hey..Uh…you ok?” the boy said, putting a hand on his shoulder and shaking him slightly. “Tubs, they almost just fell to their death, give them a minute,” another, harsher, british voice spoke out, startling Aimsey as he quickly shot his head up. This other borrower was taller than the earlier one, though not as well kept. His clothes and hair were dirty, and his arms and legs were covered in scabs and healed over scars, more like the other borrowers Aimsey knew. And behind him was another more traditional borrower, though a good bit taller than anyone they’d ever met and had weird blotches of white that they’d never seen before on anyone, either, as well as split colored hair. But these two were just as unfamiliar as the last one.

“Who are you people??” Aimsey said, only for the three to immediately look at each other with horrified expressions before the tallest one spoke up. “Uh, we’re, uh…new around here! Yeah, we, um, just moved from another colony, but we’ve never seen you around before! Who are you?” He said in an american accent, weirdly enough. “Oh, I’m, uh, Aimsey! And you are?” “I’m Tubbo!” Said the brunette, shoving his way in front of the split haired borrower. “And these two are by best friends, Ranboo and Tommy!” He said, gesturing to the taller of the two and then to the blonde. “Are you from a colony?” He said, turning his attention back to her. “We weren’t aware that there was one in this building anymore.”

“Uh, yeah! My colony used to function out of this apartment i think, actually, but that was way before i joined.” “And you’re here with…?” “Oh, another guy said that this apartment was safe to borrower from, and my captain wanted to see it first hand and i needed the borrowing experience.” “Looks like it,” the blonde, Tommy, spoke up again. “Not checking your hook is secure is a rookie move. But, you said your captain is here, any possible way we could talk to him?” “Tommy!” both other borrowers shouted at once, making Aimsey flinch back. “We’ll be, uh, one second.” Ranboo said, before waking around a tall object on the counter and dragging Tommy behind him as Tubbo followed behind fuming in anger.

Aimsey couldn’t pick up much of the fight, but from what he could tell, they were fighting about meeting the captain, or whether one was “allowed” to, if he heard that right. But before he could even question it, Tommy ran back around, grinning widely as Tubbo glared and Ranboo looked anywhere other than the group in front of him.

“Alright, my friend,” Tommy said, eagerness clear in his voice, “lead the way.”

…

Tubbo couldn’t believe he agreed to this. He didn’t want to meet this fucking captain, at this point he just wanted to lock himself in his room. Uncle Charlie was right, he shouldn’t have involved himself in this. All he wanted to know was that the other borrowers weren’t evil, and Aimsey seemed as not-evil as they come. He could just talk about all this with his family later. Just a simple ‘hey i saw the other borrowers in the apartment today and they don’t seem evil, why aren’t i allowed to meet them?’ Then maybe everything could have been explained to him and he could have been introduced or something like a normal person.

But that wasn’t what was happening. Tommy had twisted his arm (damn Tommy and his impatience and surprisingly good negotiation skills), and, ok, maybe he felt a bit bad that Ranboo and Tommy had to live alone in the walls without company other than him and his family. Maybe Tommy had made a good point that if all went well, he and Ranboo could be part of a colony again. So here Tubbo was, unable to deny his best friends of something he knew they wanted desperately.

But as Aimsey led them closer to where he said the meetup destination was, Tubbo couldn’t quite explain the feeling that something was about to happen, nor could he figure out if said thing was good or bad.

He saw the excitement on Tommy and Ranboo’s faces and decided to ignore his instincts.

…

It had all gone to shit faster than Charlie could have predicted.

Meeting back up with the captain had gone about as planned. He was greeted by a man who was just staring out at the apartment before him, seemingly not having moved since Charlie left. He knew that his captain wouldn’t want to talk about it, though, so he just tapped him lightly and tried to distract him by listing off what he’d found and how hard it was to get it, as was protocol. He seemed more pleased, finally having something to take his mind off of the massacre that had left him a widowmaker and a guilty survivor to a slaughter that he apparently still blamed himself for, even over a decade later. Charlie eventually took to making small talk, trying to keep the poor man he called his captain from reminiscing even more on what had happened in the very spot he stood.

Eventually the small talk dwindled as they both saw a couple of hooks appear on the edge on the counter they stood on. Aimsey climbed his way up first, and, while they had both been expecting Fundy, Aimsey reached down to grab a much paler, unclaimed hand, and, to Charlie’s horror, helped to pull up Ranboo, who seemed very unsure of what to do with the situation. But to be fair, the captain seemed equally weary. Charlie, from his spot diagonally behind him, could see the captain’s ear raise and tail sway in curiosity, while Charlie was trying to physically express how frustrated and he confused he was to Ranboo in a terrible game of charades without tipping off either borrowers that he came with. Ranboo stared at the captain and only glanced at Charlie before two more hooks came over the counter. Ranboo quickly turned to help the remaining two borrowers up (not before slightly shrugging and mouthing ‘it was Tommy’s idea’ to Charlie), and the two of them pulled up Tommy and, as much as he’d tried to keep him safe and warn him, Tubbo.

…

It didn’t take very long. Tubbo had just been helped up to the counter and had only just managed to stand when the captain collapsed to his knees, head down in his hands. Aimsey quickly ran over to help him and Charlie looked back over at the group, unsure of what to do other than just give them a sympathetic look. Tommy and Ranboo at least had the decency to look ashamed, but Tubbo didn’t share their expressions.

He looked scared.

The four of them turned their heads as Aimsey helped the captain stand, letting him lean down on them to keep upright as he looked up to stare at Tubbo, tear lines clear down his face. It lasted what felt like hours before either of them said something, but the captain broke the silence. His eyes became glossy with unshed tears as he said only one word.

“Toby…” he whispered, trailing off, but Tubbo had heard it well, as his brows furrowed and his tail wrapped anxiously around his ankle. The man took a few steps forward, letting go of Aimsey and Tubbo reflexively took a step back away from him, making the captain frown. “What’s wrong?” “How do you know my name? My..my real name.” Tubbo whispered harshly, unable to keep the edge out of his voice, even when he saw the man begin to cry again. “Wh…What?” He sputtered trying to take another step forward as Tubbo backed up again and put his hands out in defense. “You heard me. Who the fuck are you and why do you know my real name?”

“You don’t remember me…?” He whispered desperately, and Tubbo felt a little bit guilty for having no clue who this man was. But somehow, he knew that he knew him. He knew the second he felt the weight settle in his stomach when he looked at him. He had no reason to be that weary of a man he’d never met, but like hell was he about to explain that. For one, Charlie would be pissed that he didn’t just turn tail and run if he felt like that, and two, this man already seemed distraught enough. The last thing he needed to be told was that just looking at him made Tubbo upset.

“…No,” Tubbo half lied. “Should I?” And that was all it took. Tears poured down again, harder than before, and he desperately tried to even out his breaths in between sobs. And, despite his precautions, Tubbo started to step closer. Whether it was out of pity or empathy he didn’t know. “…oh god, what happened to you?” He asked, reaching out to try and cup a hand around the scarred side of Tubbo’s face before Tubbo jerked back and slapped him away. “What the fuck, man?! You don’t just get to..to touch people! Personal space and shit! What the fuck is your problem with my scars, anyway? Not like you aren’t sporting a few yourself!” But the man just laughed, brushing and hand over his own scars, laid over his cheeks, nose, and eye, leaving his left eye dead. “Looks like we match…” he muttered to himself, pointing from his eye back to Tubbo’s own scarred and blurry one. “I’m sorry that happened. I’m sorry I.. I couldn’t protect you. I’m so sorry, Toby.”

“Sorry for what? What couldn’t you protect me from? What the fuck are you on about??” Tubbo yelled, getting more and more frustrated with how long this stupid conversation was going on for. He could feel the stares coming from all around him. Ranboo and Tubbo rightfully confused, just like he was, Aimsey looking on in slightly more awed confusion, and Charlie looked at him pitifully, as if he could understand something that Tubbo didn’t quite yet grasp.

“…You were my responsibility, and I let you get hurt. You were so young, and..I didn’t know where she hid you. I couldn’t risk the lives of anyone else, and I couldn’t even know for sure if you were even still alive so…I had to leave you behind.” He said, voice heavy with grief, guilt, and even more unshed tears, and that’s when Tubbo put it together.

“…You were my captain, back when I was a kid, people did survive…” he said, eyes wide as he pieced together why this man was so familiar to him, “my mum hid me in the vents when she heard the exterminator come in. I was the youngest, I couldn’t defend myself, I could barely walk. She didn’t tell you where I was, and you couldn’t find me, so…you left.” He said, meeting the captain’s eyes. “Is that it, then? You had to leave behind the youngest to save everyone else? You feel guilty that you left a toddler to live alone? Cause, if it makes you feel any better, I’m fine, man. I’ve been good.” He said. But to his shock, the.. his captain just stared. “Toby…what’s your last name? Do you still know it?” He asked, seemingly afraid of the answer. Tubbo thought for a moment, but just shook his head. “Not really. I have a new one now, though, so i guess it doesn’t matter as much.”

“Sparklez.”

“…what?” Tubbo said, the dread he felt getting heavier as he processed what the man had said. “Your name is Sparklez. Toby Sparklez.” And oh god, did that sound familiar, but not it a good way. Like he had some sort of negative association with the word. And it was his name, for fucks sake, if this man was telling the truth. “…ok,” Tubbo replied wearily, “…so what? Why…why is that all of a sudden so important? I don’t have a family, they’re dead, my mum is dead, my dad is..” he trailed off. In all fairness, Tubbo had no fucking clue what ever happened to his dad. He didn’t remember that fucker at all. All he remembered was his poor mother raising him alone, sacrificing her damn life to hide her only son in a vent to save him from certain death. Where was his dad then?

And as if the universe hated him more than it had already proven to, as if the multilaton of his face, the death of his colony, and the death of his birth mother hadn’t been enough, the man held out his hand to Tubbo.

“I’m Captain Jordan Sparklez,” he said, a genuine smile on his face and tears filling his eyes as Tubbo’s world began to violently shatter around him. “And I’m so, so happy to see you again, Toby.”

…

It was like all of the air in him evaporated into nothing, like his lungs had been crushed by led and could no longer expand. Every muscle in his body began to spasm, and he was slowly losing feeling in everything, spreading from his hands and feet up to his arms and legs like a disease. He remembered seeing Karl have a panic attack once, remembered how hard it was to watch someone he love feel so much terror, remembered the pain on Sapnap and Quackitys’ as they desperately tried to help him. He felt bad that the people around him were scared for him right now, but, hell, he was scared for him, too.

He felt hands, familiar hands, thank god, begin to grab at him as he collpased, and he saw the blurry outlines of his best friends help lower him and shout concerns and questions that were getting harder and harder to hear by the second as the world darkened around him. Ranboo tried to tell him it was ok, (even if nothing was ok), and he heard Tommy yelling at his d- the captain about something that he couldn’t be bothered to listen to, and somewhere in the blurry background he could see Aimsey anxiously just standing around, unsure of what to do. He felt himself be lifted as shaggy light caramel hair and a pair of shoddily handmade glasses came into view. Right, his Uncle Charlie was there to witness all of that, too. He laughed internally to himself, remembering the night he and his actual dad had spent trying to make those, when they realized how little Charlie could actually see. It had taken half an hour to unstick the hot glue from Schlatt’s hands, Tubbo laughing at him the whole time, and lord knows there’s probably still hot glue stuck to the counters, it was a mess.

He wondered if Charlie knew. If the reason he’d been told to stay away was because Charlie knew he couldn’t handle something like this.

Well, he was right.

“Take him back,” he heard Sparklez say, as the world began to simmer away, “Ponk and Niki will fix him up, and Eret will know what to do from there. They can get him what he needs. Just..Just hang in there, Toby.” He felt an unfamiliar calloused hand on his shoulder and, suddenly, he was out cold.

[death-in-a-handbasket]

basically I well you see.

First chapter is up and will be ongoing :]

@hnnnnnnnmscorner I know you wanted to be tagged, thank you for leaving kudos, that made my day ^^

[allthefakepeople]

who else but me would make fanart for my own story? i’ve kind of just fallen in love with this universe and i couldn’t resist making a piece for it.

if you haven’t read my fic yet it started with this post HERE and you can read the first chapter HERE

if you don’t want to do either of those things, no judgment and i hope you like this little piece anyways :)))

[esa-marie]

CHAPTER 2 of Baby Blues is out!!

The portal closed.

It closed, and there Donnie was, on the ground, doing nothing. Feeling nothing.

That's not to say that something inside him didn't break at the knowledge that Leo was on the other side of that damned portal. The portal that had brought the extraterrestrial tyrants into his little, safe world and shattered it. Donnie shattered along with it - the hot tears spilling down his face were all the evidence he needed.

The softshell’s mind mimicked the eerie quiet that pooled through the streets of New York City. His brain was an overflowing variable, looping back to zero because it encountered something it couldn’t contain. Donnie was desperately grabbing at his thoughts, but they had turned to water in his hands, slipping down through his cold fingers and hitting the pavement beneath his feet.

He didn’t see Mikey raise his arms and let out a cry that would've burst his already fractured heart. He didn’t hear Raph trying to console his baby brother. He didn’t see the sparks that leapt off Mikey’s fingertips. He didn’t feel the cold stone hit his feet as he ran to his brothers, or see how Raph almost doubled over in pain when he grabbed onto Mikey’s shoulder. He didn’t even feel the spider-webbing burn creeping up his right arm as he assisted his family in tearing a hole in reality.

Through it all, Donnie felt nothing.

[deobicaratzen]

I recently got to watch season 4 of stranger things and wanted to dive back into the fanfics. I then stumbled on @yurtletheturtlehenderson and their fanfic series, Cosmic! You had no idea how happy I was to see there were separated fics for pronouns.

This fanart is for the she/hers fic and can’t wait for rest of the they/them and he/him fics to catch up! I’d love to recreate this scene for the he/him fic. Keep up the good work!

[venuslovesfrogs]

Silco fans, come get your juice :)

[haradasaya]

ASMR | Jealous Best Friend reunion at College M4A | Lasko Moore roleplay

Haha wow what a great title

Anyways here’s the fic in its entirety, in case that’s easier!

_____

__________

_____

“Oh my God, Lasko?”

Their jaw fell open at the sight of the man sitting right in front of him. This wasn’t just any counselor, this was their childhood best friend—this was the man who had seen them grow up. And now he was a grown up. Now he was here, a counselor at D.A.M.N., helping students navigate their way through classes. He was here. It was him.

“Oh, it—it’s—it’s you! Oh my God Freelancer, how—how have you been?”

Lasko stood to accept their hug, albeit a bit shyly. It was like nothing had changed between them: he was still the same shy friendly kid they had grown up with.

“I’m well, how have you been? We didn’t hear from you for like two years, we kind of thought you fell off the face of the earth.” Freelancer laughed, in a way that said its chill but also kind of serious.

He chuckled, and lifted his arm to scratch at the back of his head, looking sheepish. “I’m, uh- I’m sorry about that. I accidentally dropped my phone off my balcony during my freshman year and it shattered beyond re—repair. My stuff wasn’t saved to the cloud I guess, so I lost all my contacts, and therefore any way to get a hold of any of you guys.”

Freelancer gave him a look. “You could have looked us up in the phone book, and you know where my dad works. Or better yet, you know where we used to live for God’s sake, you goof.” They punch his shoulder playfully, letting him know that they weren’t upset.

“I know, I know, I should have called. I’m sorry. I just got busy, and with all the things I’m doing for the academy now, I really didn’t know when I would have had time to contact you all.”

He looked up at them through his glasses. “But… I’m really glad you’re here now.”

Freelancer blinked, then wrapped their arm around his shoulder and gave him another hug. “I’m glad too. I really missed you, Lasko.”

The two stood pressed together like that for some time, before Freelancer pulled away to look him in the eyes. “Well, what do you say we get that schedule together then? I still need some help with that.”

Lakso chuckled then, “Right: we, uh, we should get started with that.”

oOo

Lasko and Freelancer parted with an exchange of numbers, and a promise to meet up again soon. Seeing him again so soon after getting there was quite literally a miracle. Freelancer had been resigned to scouring the campus with a magnifying glass to find him again, but there he was, right in front of them. He was their councilor for God’s sake, someone they’d stay in contact with even if it was only for school. But he was also more than that. He was their friend too, and they had him back.

They’d talked for a good while after they finished setting up Freelancers schedule. Lasko went on and on about this really nice Earth elemental he’d met a few semesters back, and how his classes and tutoring sessions had gone so well, the Academy had asked him if he wanted to become a counselor just this last semester, and he’d wholeheartedly agreed! He wanted to be a certified professor, to be someone who humanborn students could go to and feel safe and accepted. And as far as Freelancer was concerned, he was well on his way.

Despite his constant stuttering and his ability to go on forever and ever about things he was passionate about, eventually he started asking about their life—how their parents were, how the dog was, how was graduation. And they told him. Their parents were well; as well as old fogies can be, that is; and that their dog Sausage had died. Lasko got emotional at hearing that. Sausage had been a good friend to him through those rough few years of his life. They’d shared a quiet moment of respect and reflection of that time, and of those memories.

And then they left. They had a few things they needed to do before classes started next week, and so they parted ways with that promise to meet again soon. They’d moved into the dorms without any major hiccups, but they still had to go shopping for school supplies, as well as shopping for food—and, as more of a personal errand, they wanted to walk through the campus to orient themselves before classes begin next week. If they already knew where their classrooms were going to be, that would make it a lot easier on them for when they were inevitably running behind on the first day. Maybe they could get Lasko to show them around the school if his schedule cleared up a bit before then.

oOo

The night before class started, they lied in their bed, lights off and pajamas on, waiting for sleep to take them. It didn’t. Instead they thought back to all the things they’d talked about when they saw Lasko for the first time after all those years apart, all the things they probably should have said, should have asked him. Even just the fact that he was there, at D.A.M.N.—and better yet, their councilor and tutor—was unimaginable. After he’d dropped contact, they had been convinced they’d never see him again; and yet here he was, as if he was waiting for them.

They rolled over in their bed, grabbing their spare pillow and hugging it tightly to their chest. They missed the nights they’d slip out of their bed and into his. Sometimes it was because of a nightmare, other times because they were cold—but most often it was just because they wanted him to hold them. And he did. Whether he was awake or asleep, he’d make room in his arms and hold them close. His shyness wasn’t so obvious when he was sleepy, they’d learned back then. They always felt so safe in his arms, like nothing could hurt them there. They missed that right now; holding this pillow didn’t compare to holding him.

Now that he was older, would things like that change between them? Would they even get a chance to be over at his place at night, at a time when they’d be able to sneak back into his bed and have him hold them like they used to? Would he even want them to? Lasko would have moved on from them by now, right? I mean, he was three years older than them, he’d probably found someone else to date, someone serious and smart, someone who wouldn’t tease him like they had all that time ago, and—

They buried their face into their pillow. Ugh, they had been such a dumb kid. They’d have to apologize for all the dumb stuff they did as a kid the next time they got to hang out.

When morning came, they were right in assuming they’d be running late to class. Or at least getting into the classroom right as the bell rang. Their professor stared at them for a long moment before telling them to take a seat anywhere in the room. They did, sheepishly dragging their things behind them and taking a seat next to who they could only assume was an elemental, and a fiery one at that given the heat he radiated. He looked at them incredulously, they could tell as they were watching him from the corner of their eye, but needed to focus on getting their things from their bag. It seemed he was surprised anyone would choose to sit by him. They made sure to give him his space as they got settled, the professor already going on a rant about the syllabi and introductions and all that. It seemed pretty boring so far, so they got comfortable in their seat and began arranging their things how they liked to take notes and such. They could still feel the watchful gaze of the boy beside them, but chose to ignore it at the threat of being told to move when they’d already made themselves comfortable. If he really hated them being there that bad, they’d find another seat next time.

Freelancer wasn’t an expert on reading auras yet—not that they were an expert on anything yet, really—but their desk partner was definitely a fire elemental. One look around the room had them realizing that many of the other students had chosen seats one or two, even three desks away from him. It made them wonder if they should be there either. It was the closest available desk to the front, and it would be a bonus to not awkwardly have to make friends with some rando if they had partnered assignments. This is where they’d stay for now.

Luckily for them, they did already have a partnered assignment. Well technically it was their mid term already being introduced and partners assigned. They were stuck with the fire elemental after all.

“Look, I’m not here to make friends, okay?” The boy said to them as they packed their things up at the end of class. It was the first thing he’d said to them, so surprise definitely described how Freelancer felt after hearing those words. “I’m already having to retake this stupid class because some third year asshole made me fail it my first time. I’m just here to ace this class, and get out of here, understand?”

Freelancer sputtered for words, still shocked by his declaration. “Uhm, yeah that’s fine, I guess.”

“Good,” he said as he threw his backpack over his shoulder.

“Wait,” Freelancer stopped him as he turned, looking over his shoulder at them. He hadn’t expected them to have anything more to say about that, it seemed. “You said you’re going to ace this class? As in getting a perfect grade?”

He turned back slightly more, to look them fully in the eye. “I am. Do you have a problem with that?”

Freelancer gulped. “Well I guess I’m just a bit confused about how you plan on getting a perfect grade if we don’t even know who each other is.”

He huffed. “I told you I’m not interested in making friends.”

They quirked an eyebrow. “Then don’t consider it friends. Consider us partners on this project we’re going to ace.”

The boy blinked, very obviously trying to comprehend what he’d gotten himself into, but then huffed and dropped his gaze, pulling his phone out of his pocket. “I’m Damien. Here’s my number.”

He held up his phone, his number blinking on the screen. Freelancer took a moment to remember the combination of digits, but then nodded at him. “Cool, I’ll add it to my phone in a sec.”

Damien seemed surprised. “You can memorize that number that quickly?”

Freelancer nodded, tossing their backpack over their shoulder as well. “Yeah, I’m pretty good with numbers. Memorizing things has kinda always been a strong suit of mine.”

Damien pursed his lips, and nodded. “I’m impressed. Maybe this midterm assignment won't be so bad after all.”

He turned to walk away again, assuming the conversation was over—until Freelancer caught up to him, matching his quick pace and falling into stride with him. He seemed mildly annoyed that they’d caught back up to him, but before he could say anything about it, Freelancer had already asked him a question.

“So, this isn’t your first rodeo, considering you said you failed this class once already. If you’re not a first year student, then what are you? Oh no wait, let me guess. Third year?”

Damien blew a stream of air from his lips. “Good guess. Yes, I am a third year student.”

Freelancer beamed. “You know, I know a kid from here who just finished his third year. His name is Lasko.”

Damien only slowed his pace for a moment, looking over at them. “Wait, you know Lasko? Lasko Moore? The student advisor?”

Freelancer nodded. “Yeah, is that so hard to believe?”

He turned back to his walking. “No, I just didn’t know Lasko had any friends.”

They squint their eyes, offended. “What do you mean, he doesn’t have any friends? Lasko Moore is a great person and all of you are privileged to know him—”

Damien stops and turns to you. “Listen, I get it, he’s your best fiend or whatever, but I don’t really care. He’s just my advisor, someone who will let me max out my credit hours so I can graduate with full certification by the end of next year.”

Freelancer bit their tongue to keep themselves from retorting something they’ll wish they hadn’t said. “I didn’t know you were allowed to go past max credit hours.”

Damien smirked, the closest thing he’d shown to a friendly facial expression. “Yeah, well, Lasko is willing to break the rules a bit for me when I pressure him into it.”

“Hey!” Freelancer turned to him, pointing an angry finger at his chest. “He’s not some kid you can push around, got it? You better knock that shit off before I take care of you myself, understand me blasty?”

Damien pinched his eyebrows in question, but didn’t retort. “Yeah, alright, whatever. I’ll take it easy on the tornado, I got it.”

Freelancer nodded once. “Good. Now, when are you available to meet up to practice for this final?”

Damien made a face. “You really just threatened me and now want to know when we can meet up next? You’re lucky I’m not a real bully, I’d have toasted your ass.”

Damien’s light hearted attitude made it seem like he wasn’t actually upset, just teasing. There was something about his attitude that made him seem like the kind of person to play tough but was in all actuality a softy, but to what extent they weren’t sure. This was going to be a fun semester.

“I’m probably free this weekend, or later next week. I’ve got some things I need to take care of before I’m ready to hunker down and work on this, so make sure you’re ready to go by then.”

Freelancer nodded, realizing they needed to go down a different hallway than the one Damien was headed towards. “You got it, Damien. I’ll text you later.”

He nodded, barely slowing to wave them away with his hand before walking down the hallway and out of their view. They turned to head to their next class as well, already excited to see their new friend again.

oOo

“Hi, I’m Huxley. Lasko’s told me a lot about you.”

Freelancer stared up at the massive earth elemental standing in front of them. He was so large, Lasko was immediately hidden from view, standing behind the incredibly strong-looking man. Huxley looked at their hand for just a moment, before opening his arms and wrapping them into a hug.

“Sorry bro, I’m a hugger, and you looked very huggable.”

Freelancer weezed from how tight he was holding onto them, but when he finally let them go, all they could do was laugh. “Man, you’re one to talk, you give great hugs!”

Huxley chuckled, reaching up to scratch at the back of his neck. “Awe, thanks bro.”

Lasko stepped around Huxley, smiling that his friends hit it off so quickly. He turns to Freelancer, a questioning look in his eyes. “Is Damien coming?”

They gestured to the interior of their apartment. “Oh yeah he’s already here actually; he’s just using the bathroom right now.”

At those words, a door from somewhere in their apartment opened, and footsteps could be heard walking through the room. He rounded the corner, and stopped upon seeing people standing in the doorway. “Oh, hi.”

Freelancer smiled, then quickly gestured for the two of them to come inside. Everyone sat together on the couch, a moment of awkward silence passing over them before Freelancer finally spoke. “So, this is Damien, my partner for my psychokinesis class this semester. Damien, this is Lasko, as you already know. And that is Huxley, one of Lasko’ s friends!”

Damien turned the corners of his mouth up in a small smile, quick to shift his glance at Huxley, and quick to shift it away. “Nice to meet you.”

Lasko barely made eye contact with the fire elemental too. “Good to see you again Damien.”

Freelancer turned to Damien. “You didn’t do anything last time you saw each other, did you blasty?”

Damien turned to them with a scowl. “Of course not. I don’t ever do anything, I’m just determined to get what I want, is all.”

“Yeah, nothing happened, I swear.” Lasko but in, trying to diffuse the situation. He didn’t need to worry, this was just a bit of playful banter between the supposed tsundere and a tease.

Damien huffed. “Yeah Lasko, this one here roughed me into place at just the implication, didn’t you Freelancer?”

They beamed. “Hm hmn.”

Lasko shot them a look. “Wait, what?”

They flashed him a quick smile. “Don’t worry about it.”

He opened his mouth to reply, but Freelancer just laughed and shook their head, waving him off. Huxley reclined back in his seat, tossing his arms behind his head, exposing the size of his pecs and triceps through the white shirt he was wearing. “Nice place you got here, Freelancer. How’d you bag it?”

They noticed the way Damien coughed into his hand, hiding his reaction from Huxley. They shrugged. “I don’t really know, to be honest with you. I just applied, thinking I’d be on a waiting list for months, but they got back to me pretty quick and said I’d been approved.”

Lasko shifted in his seat, but didn’t say anything. Huxley nodded in approval, smiling at them. “I dig it. It’s got good style.” He gestured to the minimal decor they’d already put on the walls. “You have good taste.”

They beamed at him. “Thank you! It’s not much, but I took what I could from home and tried to make it my own.”

Damien sat forward in his seat, sitting off to Freelancers left. “Speaking of home, didn’t you two grow up together?”

Lasko swallowed loudly, making them turn to him. Freelancer quirked their head, before turning back to Damien. “Uhm, yeah we did. Did you tell him about that?”

Lasko sputtered, offering a quick smile as if trying to play off his embarrassment. “Uh, yeah I might have mentioned it.”

Freelancer turned back to Damien. “Yeah, we did grow up together. Us humanborns gotta stick together, you know what I mean?”

Huxley also sat forward, interested in what they’d just said. “You both were humanborn?”

They turned to him, and nodded. “Yeah. My parents were okay with it, but… His parents weren’t so understanding.”

They turned to Lasko, waiting to see if he wanted to elaborate further. It was kind of a sensitive subject for him. “Freelancer’s parents took me in after I manifested my powers. They didn’t know the exact reason I’d been kicked out, just that my parents thought I was some kind of freak.”

Freelancer raised their arm to gently pat him on the back. “When I got my powers, we finally felt comfortable enough to tell my parents what had happened with his parents. Being unempowered themselves, it took some time before my parents truly came to grips on what was going on, but they really cared for us and wanted to help in whatever way they could. So when he wanted to go to a magical college, they helped him look. And… that’s all she wrote.”

“So you followed him here after you graduated?” Huxley asked, face knit in question.

They nodded in reply. Damien opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it. Everyone looked over at him, waiting to see if he’d keep going.

“I— um,” he huffed, trying to find the words. “I’m sorry that I was so harsh with you, I guess.”

Lasko looked at Freelancer, before offering Damien a small smile. “It’s alright Damien, you didn’t know, it’s not your fault.”

Damien looked back up at Huxley, then immediately down again. “Alright.”

After a moment of silence, Freelancer sat up. “Well, these drinks aren’t gonna drink themselves. You guys up for some video games?”

Glad to move on from the sensitive subject at hand, the three boys agreed, taking a drink from the table and grabbing a controller from the console.

oOo

By the time Huxley and Damien left, they’d played through all the maps at least twice on Mario Kart, drinks had been gone through, and snacks cleared out of the pantry, Lasko and Freelancer were all that remained. They’d asked if he wanted to join them on their balcony, and so they stood outside, on the tiny balcony of their apartment, watching cars go by in the distance, students leaving their evening classes and the sun just past setting over the distant mountains. It was a picturesque moment.

“Hey, Lasko?”

He turned to face them, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. “Yeah?”

“I’m really glad that I found you again. I… really missed you after you left. I didn’t know what to do. It was like I’d lost a part of myself.”

Lasko blinks, still processing the words they just said. “You—You did?”

Freelancer nods. “I did. You’re my best friend, Lasko.”

He smiles, a flustered smile that lit up his eyes and showed his usually well hidden dimples form his cheeks. “You’re my best friend too, Freelancer.”

They look over at him, the eye contact lasting for far too long before they pull him in for a hug, wrapping their arms around his waist and just letting themselves be in that space with him. It wasn’t quite the same as when they’d lied together all those years ago, but this was enough.

Lasko was still shell shocked by the time they pulled away, though he’d managed to wrap his arms around them before they broke apart. And then they stood together, on Freelancer’s balcony, just talking until the sun had long set over the mountains, and lights had finally turned off at the campus.

Lasko drove back to his place that night, so full of joy and peace and contentment that he could have screamed if he didn’t think it unbecoming. But he was happy—so happy to have his best friend back in his life. And this time, he’d do things right. He’d tell them how he felt and he’d be there for them in whatever way they needed or wanted him. If that meant only being their friend, he’d do that. And if that meant something more… well, guess he’ll just have to see where their future lies.

For now, his Freelancer was back, and he was here too. They had a new group of friends, he was doing well in his schooling and in his work, life couldn’t be better. And so he decided then, that he wasn’t going to be scared anymore. One way or another, Lasko was going to confess to Freelancer, and he’d be okay with whatever they wanted to do.

It was time to make right all that he’d let slip by him all these years.

[silverstudios]

Say hello to my au sun and moon, the hivemind au! These two are the main minds of the hivemind of the daycare/security section, and they are very tall.

I saw you guys liked them when I used them in an aggie so- here we go!