#I’m done for when Brad comes along

[lovelytsunoda]

the puppy bowl. | lance stroll

summary: one simply does not wear a joe burrow jersey to the puppy bowl. or, an important fact gets left out of the super bowl party invitation

pairing; lance stroll x girlfriend!reader

warnings: miscommunication, the relationship is still fairly new , kinda gets a bit frisky in like the middle-ish, lance gets wherever the dog version of baby fever is, i talk about lance's tattoo again because its one of my favorite lance related topics.

“brad said the guys are on their way, they’re just stopping to get some beer. you guys want anything?”

yn shook her head, placing a large bowl of doritos on the coffee table, next to a tray lined with soft drinks. “I’m good, you guys know I don’t drink anyways. but if you guys want something go ahead.”

“you sure? not even a coffee or anything?” ella asked, leaning against the kitchen counter. “I can send brad to tim’s. he won’t mind.”

“go on then, grab me a medium white hot chocolate. has he picked up lance? I haven’t heard from him all morning.”

by the tv, her other roommate, faith laughed. “he’s fine. james took his phone when he got in the truck. last I heard they were singing wonderwall in a liquor store parking lot.”

the girls had lived together for going on five years, an arrangement that had started back in college when they were randomly selected as roommates by the colleges matching system. they survived the three years of hell spent in student accommodations before faiths parents (who owned a property rental company) helped them pool their resources together and get the house together. somewhere along the line, this vaguely sports related party had become a tradition, with their boyfriends joining one by one, starting with brad.

“be nice to him, guys. we’ve only been going out for a few months, and I’d like him to stick around.”

elle giggled. “what, do you think we’re going to haze him?”

she paused, thinking about what had happened to james during his first puppy bowl. “something like that.”

“he’ll be fine! I’m sure he can handle james and brad. they’re harmless.” faith insisted, pulling y/n in for a hug. “I can’t wait to meet him properly.”

there was a knock at the front door that was clearly intended only as a courtesy as they could hear a key turning in the lock shortly after. brad pushed the door open, marching inside with his ball cal on backwards and a six pack of budweiser in his hand.

“who’s ready for some sports, bitches!”

“language!” elle scolded, walking around the couch to give her boyfriend a kiss. it was only a matter of time before they moved in together, but the housing market was harsh and it was more likely brad would be moving in to the rental house than elle moving out of it. “hi sexy.”

slinking in the back and helping james carry some boxes was lance. yn’s heart warmed at the sight of him. his goofy smile, fluffy hair contained in a backwards baseball cap. and was that a cincinnati bengals jersey?

“oh, sweetie, did they tell you this was a super bowl party?” she tried not to laugh as she kissed him gently. “this is a puppy bowl party. we aren’t sports people.”

a slow, horrified look spread across lances face as brad and james burst out laughing. faith rolled her eyes and smacked her boyfriend playfully in the chest, and yn did the same, reaching for a pillow on the couch.

“hey, it was brads idea!” he insisted “hurt him, not me!”

faith smiled apologetically. “I apologize for my boyfriend. hes a bit of a wanker.”

“come on,” yn insisted, tugging lance gently in the direction of the small staircase leading to the backsplit addition. “I’ve still got a few of your shirts in a drawer somewhere that if forgot to give back.”

she was acutely aware of the wolf whistling behind them, followed by a muffled apology from brad. she was also very aware that this was the first time that lance would be seeing her room.

she opened the door slowly, shyly ducking in and closing the door behind them. lance walked towards the bed, taking in the pale blue walls, the collection of postcards tacked above her desk, all the places she had been on the travels. the bookshelves lining one wall, filled with colourful spines. the double bed in the middle of the room, with it’s simple duvet and mountain of stuffed animals.

"don't mind brad and james. they can be a little overzealous when they've been drinking."

lance snickered. "i think james had already had a few by the time we got to costco. try and keep him away from the bud light if you can. get some water in him."

"so that's how you ended up singing wonderwall in the liquor store parking lot?"

she crouched in front of her dresser, opening the bottom drawer and extracting the shirt on top, a linen button down of lance's that hse had borrowed and never given back.

"you listen to frankie goes to hollywood?" lance asked, nodding towards the crates of vinyl records sitting by her desk. "i thought only people my dad's age liked them."

"funnily enough, that crate is all ones my dad didn't want any more." she laughed, tossing him the shirt. "what can i say, i'm an old soul. you've been in the car with me, you know what i listen to."

"i love your old soul." lance encouraged, tugging her closer by the belt loops. she rested her hands on his shoulders, leaning down to kiss his forehead.

"need help getting that jersey off?"

lance laughed, stretching up to kiss her. "you know i can never say no to you."

"so if i asked for oasis tickets you could make it happen?'

"do you even have to ask? i will carry you on my shoulders for the whole concert if it means i get to see your face light up when 'don't look back in anger' starts playing."

she smiled softly, kissing him again. "i love you. and it's okay if you can't say it back yet, i just want you to know how i feel."

lance kissed her again, smooth hands traveling over her thighs. "no need. i'm in love with you too. all of you. your old soul, your bright smile."

laughing, she kissed him again, harder this time, her fingers gripping and tugging at his bengals jersey. giggles got caught in clambering kisses as lance picked her up, flipping their bodies over so that he was caging her against the bed. somewhere in the movement, his baseball cap flew off, landing on the hardwood somewhere. he tugged the jersey over his head, mussing his hair and exposing his gorgeous, toned chest.

she ran her hands over his chest, and then over the tattoo on his ribcage, the delicate hebrew under her fingers.

"what does it mean? the tattoo?"

"fortune favours the bold." he said it again in hebrew, his voice soft as he caressed her face.

he leaned in to kiss her again when they were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"the pre show is starting!" faith shouted "you'd better not be getting naked in there! and if you are, use a condom! i'm too young and fabulous to be an auntie!"

they paused for a moment, staring at each other before they burst out laughing.

"come on, let's head back down. you won't want to miss this, especially if you've never seen a puppy bowl before." yn beamed, slipping out from underneath lance and passing him his shirt. "stay here tonight?"

she could have sworn she saw a blush take over his pale features. "you really want me to?"

"yeah. yeah, i do."

still smiling, the went back to the living room with rosy cheeks and intertwined hands. elle and faith were sitting next to each other on the l-shaped couch, their boyfriends on their other sides. the "L" of the couch was still available, and lance was all to eager to cuddle up with his sweet girl.

"hey, man. sorry about the super bowl thing." brad said apologetically. "we did it to james too, but we meant nothing by it. you're a great guy, welcome to the group."

"thanks man." lance grinned, reaching over to give brad a fist bump.

"guys, guys!" elle shouted. "it's starting!"

"that's him, the cocker spaniel is my guy!" james yelled, jabbing his finger at a cocker spaniel named sparkles that was trotting onto the green.

yn's heart melted as she saw the puppies take their places at the start. if she had the space (or the money) she'd adopt one of the puppies herself.

"we should get a dog." lance whispered behind her.

"babe, where is the dog going to stay? we don't even live together."

"we can coparent." he insisted. "come on, look at that dachshund with the tiny legs and big eyes. is she not the cutest thing you've ever seen?"

well, lance had a point there. the doxie, named peanut, was adorable, the way she trotted across the green, trying to tug the squishy football from the mouth of a labrador three times her size.

"one day. i promise you that. but let's get through the housing crisis first." she insisted, kissing lance softly. "let's be dog parents."

her phone buzzed by her thigh where she left it on the couch, the screen lighting up with messages to the roommate group chat.

ellie: he's a keeper! such a sweetie!

faith: keep him!!! you guys are so good together <3

she smiled to herself, resting her head against lance's chest. he curled an arm around her, pressing his lips to the side of her head.

"i love you." he whispered, running a hand up and down her arm.

"love you too." she smiled, sinking into him.

"james!" faith shouted in the background. "no more beers for you! get a goddamn glass of water!"

[nfr-girly]

Little Hope - Bradley Bradshaw x reader (Part 1)

Bradley’s priority’s have always been the navy and his daughter, hope, but what happens when his daughter’s teacher comes into the mix?

a/n: literally never wrote a fic before let me know if it’s good

Ever since Bradley and his ex had split up, he had been his daughter’s main guardian. He doesn’t really speak to his ex, and he doesn’t want to. Balancing being a dad and the navy wasn’t easy, so when the time came for Hope to go to pre-school, he couldn’t complain.

“Hey have you got your bag?” Brad asked

“Yes!!”

“And did you brush your teeth?”

“Of course I’m not like you” she rolled her eyes jokingly, to which he smiled at

He strapped her in her seat and pulled out of the drive. Brad was feeling all types of emotions, relief that he could spend some more time in the navy while she learns, sad that she’s growing up, also happy for her to make friends. He didn’t like feeling emotions. He never thought it ended well, and in his case it never had.

Pulling into the car park of the school, he stops for a minute. The school is a good size; he sees kids running around, parents talking to each other. He feels a sense of hope that she’ll be okay, but the other half is telling him to take her back home.

“Daddy are we going in??” Hope asks, the gap where her tooth was showing clear, she sits cuddling her bear.

“Oh yeah honey sorry” he gets out and unstraps her out her seat; they walk hand in hand towards the school.

Walking along he feels some eyes on him, at first he thinks maybe they’re judging him, or worst, hope. But as he glances he realises some of the mums are checking him out. He looks away quickly, he had decided to wear a very tight shirt today.

He walked into classroom 2b, which was what classroom hope was apparently in. He looks around and sees the back of who he guesses is the teacher. He waits till she’s done talking to a student.

But as soon as she turned around, Bradley had completely zoned out everything around him but you. As you notice him, you give him a smile and start walking towards him. If he didn’t feel nervous already, he absolutely did now.

“Hi!! Im Miss L/N!! I assume you are hope?” You kneel down to match hopes height, while Bradley’s eyes are still on you. He would’ve thought he had landed in heaven seeing you.

“Yes!! This is my daddy!!!” Hope says, tugging at Bradley’s shirt. He snaps out of his trance as you get up again, trying to understand what just happened

your POV

Being in the presence of Hopes father could be classed as its own national holiday, because being able to meet a man that gorgeous should be celebrated.

“Hi! My names Miss L/N, but you can just call me Y/N” I whisper the last part

“Hi.. Im uh- im hopes dad, but my names Bradley” he says as he shakes my hand. I don’t even know if I can think the things I’m thinking about a students dad, but who gives a shit.

“Nice to meet you Bradley, I just know hope will have a great time here!” I smile at him, which he grins back at.

“Yeah I hope. She’s feeling excited so it should be alright. so uh I gotta get going now, but pick ups at 3:15 right?”

“Yeah!” I reply; feeling sudden disappointment from him having to leave

“Hey honey I’ll be back soon okay?” He has a little conversation with his daughter, I notice a lot of features they share, same nose, same eyes. It makes my heart fill with warmth even more

He gives her a peck on the cheek before getting up.

“Well I’ll uh, pick her up at 3:15 then” he says

“Yeah um see you then” I smile

He smiles back before turning around and heading out the door.

“So hope let’s get you to your desk and meet your classmates okay!” I say

“Okay!” She smiles as we walk towards the classroom. She talks about her teddy bear, and how she named him Rooster, I assume maybe she likes roosters? Half of the conversation I may have been thinking back to her dad. God, why is 3:15 so far away?

————————————————————————

[ladylooch]

Could you do something about doing tiktok pranks on Nico? Maybe like the flashing him when arguing, the “i got waxed by a guy”, and wiping off his kisses?

A/N: hahahahaha I love these TikTok’s. Let’s make our significant others hate us by making them question our entire relationship. Alright Nico, you’re up 😈 I'm picking one for now to do a shorter blurb, but can expand in the future!

Word Count: 615

Warnings: Swearing

The 2023 All-Star break is right around the corner. I couldn’t be more excited to leave the cold East Coast behind for the warmth of Tulum. I’ve been bustling around all day running errands. But, during my nail and hair appointments, I had an opportunity to scroll TikTok and there was a funny new prank I want to try on Nico. Although he isn’t an avid TikToker, he’s been a good sport about some of the dances and filters I’ve asked him to participate in. But I think it’s time for him to participate in something a little more interesting than coordinated couples dances.

I’m all set up when I hear him outside our apartment door. My phone is hiding between the flour and sugar jars on the counter to catch his reaction.

“I’m ready to go for our trip!” I exclaim to him when he comes into the kitchen.

“Yeah?” He smiles at my excitement. His hands come to my hips, anchoring there as he drops me a kiss. He goes to walk out of the frame but I hold him there.

“Let me tell you about my day!”

“Okay.” He looks down expectantly.

“I got my nails done.” I show off the hot pink dip. “And then I went to grab a few new pairs or shorts from the mall. Then, crisis was averted, when my wax girl was out of town. But luckily they had this new guy, Brad, and he was able to fit me in for an appointment.” Nico’s eyebrows immediately furrow at the male name. “And he was so gentle. Like soooooo gentle.” His hands drop from my hips so he can cross his arms over his chest.

“Babe.”

“Like I might stop seeing Brittany all together and just switch to Brad.” Nico’s eyes about bulge out of his head. 

“Um.. I don’t think I’m cool with that.”

“Why?”

“Isn’t that.. weird… for a guy to do that?”

“I don’t think so.” I shrug. Nico pauses, staring at me like he isn’t sure what to say next. He’s never been one to tell me what I can and can’t do. 

“Babe, are you serious?” My shoulders give a non-committal shrug. “Is he like married?”

“I don’t know, he didn’t say. But he definitely thought you were lucky to have me.”

Nico throws his hands in the air and begins to stalk out of the kitchen. He begins to mutter in Swiss German which makes me realize he is legitimately angry.

“Neeks! It’s a joke!” I call after him. He pauses in the hallway, turning back to look at me. I grabbed my phone, showing him the video already playing back.

“Do not post that.” He scoffs at me, rolling his eyes and walking away. I purse my lips and follow him into our bedroom. “Fucking Brad.” He mumbles as he plops onto our bed. “The thing is, I couldn’t even blame the guy for admiring you.” His gaze trails along my body, stopping at the V of my legs. 

“You’re so sweet. Complimenting me even when you’re mad at me.”

“I’m not mad, but I’m annoyed.” He shakes his head.

“Do I need to make it up to you?”

“Yeah, come rub my head.”

“Okay. I won’t post it if you don’t want me to.” I say as I climb into bed with him.

“Well, roll it back. Let me see how stupid you made me look.” He leans towards my phone as I drag my fingers against his scalp. We watch it and he ends up giving me approval to post it. “You’re lucky I love you.”

“Yeah… I am.” I confirm with a kiss on his head.

[hockeyboysimagines]

So far from the stars

Chapter 4

Warnings: implied sex, some language, angst.

Hello all! I hope you enjoy this chapter. As always let me know what you think.

Thanks🤍

Courtney didn’t see or hear from Jeremy for almost a week. The weather was beautiful and warm but she felt so cold.

She was sure that her friendship with him, which had been hanging by a thread seemingly before they had sex, was over now. Even when he was in Boston he was still a part of her life and she still heard from him regularly.

But now it was like he never existed at all. No texts, no calls, no contact through friends. Nothing.

And it was entirely her fault.

She felt terrible, so much in fact that she couldn’t even look at herself in the mirror. She was ashamed, embarrassed and disgusted with what she had done and she’d never wanted to be someone else more in her life. She thought Brad had broken her heart, but that was nothing compared to how hard she’d broken it.

Her friends had been texting, calling, and Kasey and Veronica had even knocked on her door on Wednesday but she’d hidden in her bedroom until they left.

She couldn’t face anyone, unsure of what they knew. Kasey and Veronica would probably understand and forgive her but the rest of them were Jeremy’s friends first, not hers, and they would likely never speak to her again. She’d completely dismantled her friend group single-handedly in one fucking day.

She really sucked.

She sighed and tucked a leg under her settling deeper into her spot on her sofa, wondering how things had gotten so bad so fast when she heard a knock that started out soft before it got louder.

“We know your home bitch open the door!” Veronica called loudly from the other side.

Courtney remained seated holding her breath as if they could hear her, but they weren’t going away.

“We’re not leaving till you come out. Don’t make me start harassing your neighbors cuz I will….COURTNEY. Open! the! door!” Veronica was now banging on the door so loud it was shaking the picture frames on the wall.

With a huff, she pushed off the sofa and made her way slowly across the room taking a deep breath before she opened the door. They looked both annoyed and surprised to see her before Kasey spoke.

“WOW. You look terrible.”

Courtney made a face “Gee thanks. Great to see you too, after all this time that’s the first thing you have to say.”

“It wouldn’t have been so long if you’d answered when we’d been here on Wednesday.” Veronica said quirking an eyebrow.

“I must not have been-“

“No. You were home. Do you think we’re dumb?”

“Don’t really want me to answer that question?”

“Whatever. Come on we’re going fishing.”

Courtney leaned against her framed and crossed her arms “You can go. I’m not in the mood and I don’t like fishing.”

“I wasn’t asking. Get dressed I’ll wait. And we’re not leaving till you do it, so you can either sit and sulk all day while we’re here, or you can get dressed and come along. Your choice.”

Courtney huffed again and stomped up the steps to get dressed and then stomped back down, arms folded the whole way to the car and the whole ride to the lake. Once on the canoe and out into the open, they spoke for the first time.

“What’s your problem? You’ve been kinda bitchy all week.” Kasey said handing her an oar and settling herself on the opposite side of the boat.

“I have not.”

“Kinda bitchy?” Veronica chuckled “That’s a nice way to put it. Ignoring us was extremely bitchy. Does this have anything to do with breaking up with your boyfriend?”

Courtney froze, oar in mid air “My what?”

Veronica smiled mischievously and shrugged, glancing at Kasey “Justin told me that you and Jeremy haven’t talked all week. Said he’s real broken up about it.”

Courtney avoided her eyes and made a face “Well Justin should mind his own business.”

“So that’s exactly what it is then.” Kasey said as they began to paddle out “If you and Jeremy are arguing about something I’m sure it can be solved if you just talk to him. I mean it’s Jeremy.”

“You have no idea what you’re talking about, everything is fine.”

“Yeah it sounds like it. What is the problem if you just tell us maybe we can-“

“Stop. Can you guys leave-“

But she was silenced when the biggest fish she’d ever seen jumped out of the water and into the boat startling all of them. They stood at the same time upsetting the balance of the canoe, as it flopped around on the floor of the boat. They let out a shriek as they fell into a heap as the fish before it bounced back out, and the boat rocked back and forth, nearly tipping. It was the first time Courtney laughed in a week as they untangled from each other, and attempted to settle the boat. Kasey had lost a shoe and was putting it back on wiping the tears from under her eyes, as Courtney pulled her foot out of the bucket they had on the boat, when Veronica spoke.

“Uhm guys…what happened to our oars?” She questioned.

They glanced around to see the oars had fallen off the side of the boat in the chaos and were now floating several feet away on either side.

“Oh what the fuck. Now what are we gonna do?” Kasey said. She leaned out of the boat as far as sh e could without tipping it to try and reach it but it was no good. It had floated nearly ten feet away by now.

“Well someone’s gonna have to go in and get it.” Veronica said looking at them.

“Oh hell no, that water is freezing I’m not going in.”

“Don’t be so selfish.”

“It’s not about being selfish Veronica it’s about hypothermia-“

“Oh stop it’s not that cold.”

“Oh yeah. Well then why don’t YOU jump in and get it.” Kasey said jabbing her with a finger in the arm. Veronica swatted her hand away and crossed her arms.

“Well I can’t. I don’t know how to swim. Courtney. You’re a great swimmer.”

“Me?? I didn’t even want to come on this trip. It was your idea and you do know how to swim, Queen of skinny dipping, so you get the oar.”

“Bitch I-“

“Alright alright enough enough. Let’s just call someone-“ she was patting her coat pockets and frowned “Not me though. My phones in the car.”

“I have mine but no service.” Veronica held the phone out and waved it around trying to catch a bar but she shook her head “Nothing.”

“I have service. Let me call Justin.”

But he didn’t answer. And neither did Corey, or Mike, or anyone until there was really only one option.

“Well no one answered so I don’t know anyone else.” She put the phone back in her pocket and looked up to find Veronica staring at her with a frown.

“We all know someone who is not busy and a 40 minute drive from here, and who you didn’t even attempt to call.” Veronica leaned around Kelsey and stared at Courtney waiting for an answer.

She made a face and shrugged “Don’t look at me, I don’t know what your talking about.”

“Courtney.” Veronica said leaning forward.

“I don’t want to.”

“Courtney.” She said more firmly.

“What?” Kasey asked looking between them “What are-“

“Courtney is going to call Jeremy to come and get us.”

She shook her head “I’m not calling him.”

“We are STUCK in a boat in the middle of this lake. Now if you have a killer backstroke that can get us out of here then let’s do it. Otherwise call him to get us out.”

Courtney let her head fall back “Fucking fine. But if this backfires I’m pushing both of you overboard.”

Jessica waved her off and Courtney pulled out her phone glancing at them “What-what do I say?”

“Oh give it to me.” Veronica snatched the phone and held it to her ear. It rang a few times before he answered.

Veronica perked up “Jeremy. What? Nevermind why I have her phone I need your help. What? She’s fine listen. We’re stuck in the middle of a lake and no one is answering their phone. Can you come get us? I don’t know how you’re gonna do it but you’ll figure it out. Don’t be an idiot alright just come get us. And hurry it’s fucking freezing out here. Great. Bye.”

She handed the phone back “The guys are all together that’s why they didn’t answer. He’s coming.”

“Fantastic.” Courtney mumbled putting the phone back in her pocket and stuffed her hands in with it.

The wind had picked up a little bit and grey clouds had stared to roll in over the mountain surely signaling rain. It was about 10 minutes until Kasey broke the silence.

“So what happened between you guys anyway?” Kasey asked as she pulled her hood up and stuck her hands in her pockets “Must have been pretty bad if you won’t even call him.”

She looked at her feet “If I tell you guys, can you keep it to yourselves please? I’m already on thin ice with him, the last thing I need is him hearing I’m telling people business that isn’t theirs.”

“Come on. Who are we going to tell?” Veronica asked waving a hand around at the empty lake and outer lying areas.

“I mean like keep it to yourself. Don’t repeat it to anyone.”

“You know we wouldn’t do that.”

Courtney sighed and cleared her throat “We went out for drinks one night, and I guess-I don’t know I guess I kissed him and then passed out.” Veronica’s hand flew over her mouth as she continued “And then he finally told me last week after we saw Brad at the bar and I followed him out and we…you know, and then I just left while he was asleep, and now here we are.”

“You had sex with Jeremy?!” Veronica screeched causing a flock of birds nesting in a tree nearby to take flight, squawking loudly at her from overhead. Kasey didn’t say anything just stared at her open mouthed, letting out a breath “Woooooow.” She breathed out “I didn’t see that coming.”

“Yeah.” She said looking at her feet. It felt good to tell someone about it, but reliving it felt worse than the first time.

“Jesus….so it was great right?”

Kasey coughed to cover her laughing and Courtney rolled her eyes “Really? I tell you all that’s and you ask me how good it was.”

“I mean.” Veronica shrugged and grinned “It’s a fair question no? Plus the guys been in love with you for years so I’m really not that surprised I guess.”

“Well I am. I don’t think he had it in him to make a move like that.” Kasey said giggling.

“Shutup.” Courtney said and kicked at her foot “Did everyone know this except me?”

“I think so but I’m not sure how you didn’t know this. I’ll give you a grace period after the whole Brad thing, but I mean really it never occurred to you that maybe he liked you a little bit more than friends?”

“No. And I mean that really.”

Kasey pursed her lips and closed one eye in thought “I kind of get it. I mean it’s easy to friend zone a guy. Especially one you wanna try and keep in your life as much as possible, but I think you read the signs wrong. He made it pretty obvious, and maybe you don’t see it that way but we all did.”

“I just feel…really bad. And I don’t know how to fix it.”

“Well. I’d start with an apology and then maybe explain why you did it.”

“But I don’t know why I did it.”

“Yes you do. You did it because you like him and you freaked out.”

“Maybe.” Courtney shrugged and closed her eyes as a light breeze swept across the water and she shivered “But what if he hates me.”

“Nah.” Veronica waved her hand “He could hate us, but he could never hate you. No matter how upset he was.”

The minutes ticked by while Kasey and Veronica talked her through how she should handle seeing him for the first time and she felt mostly prepared. That was until she saw Justin’s truck pull up next to Veronica’s car parked by the dock part of the lake. Even from their spot in the boat they could see him laughing as he and the other guys, Jeremy included, hopped out.

Justin gave them a large wave and held his hands around his mouth “Hey! Fancy seeing you guys here!”

Veronica gave him the finger and yelled back “Don’t be an ass! Just come get us we’re stuck.”

“That’s no way to talk to a guy who came to save you, and your the ass who got stuck in the middle of a lake!” He yelled back.

Courtney could see Jeremy hang back as the others got in the boat and rowed out to them, retrieving the oars as they neared the boat.

“So what did we learn?” Justin asked as he handed them to Kasey chuckling.

“Don’t look at me, it wasn’t our fault. It was the fish.”

“The fish?”

“It attacked us and that’s how we lost our oars. It’s true!” She said as they began to paddle back. Courtney felt like she was going to throw up as they neared the shore. Jeremy was leaning on the front fender of Justin’s truck, hands in his pockets, looking at his feet. He didn’t even glance up as the boat beached and she got out. In fact he turned away from her and made his way back to the passenger door as they approached.

“Glad we could have this little gathering because we’re having a party at Mike’s house. You guys in?”

“N-“ Courtney started to say but Veronica slapped her arm and cut her off “We’re in.”

Jeremy paused and half turned looking at her for the first time since he’d gotten there. She looked at him apprehensively and they’d stared at each other for a second before he opened the door and got in the truck wordlessly.

Justin pursed his lips and looked at her apologetically, as they shuffled into their respective vehicles and made the trip to Miles. Kasey and Veronica didn’t bug her in the ride over and she was glad. She’d had so much to say until she saw him and then suddenly she couldn’t find the words. She was not mentally or emotionally prepared to see him after all this time and having to acknowledge what she’d done.

When they reached Mike’s house she stepped out and found herself face to face with him. It was now or never.

She cleared her throat and looked up at him “Thanks.” She said looking down at her feet “You didn’t have to come out and get us.”

He sighed “I wasn’t going to leave you in the middle of a lake Courtney. No matter how upset I am.”

She nodded and blinked a few times tears stinging her eyes “Well I appreciate that.”

He looked so good. Tired, indifferent to her, but good. She wanted to reach out and hug him, but she wasn’t sure he wanted her to do that so she stayed where she was.

“It’s good to see you Courtney. Even if it is a bit weird.” He gave her a half smile and walked ahead of her.

She let out a long breath and followed the group in. He stayed away from her in the house leaving her with Kasey and Veronica. It had hurt her to not see him for a week, really bad. But to see him now and how he wanted nothing to do with her was even worse. She didn’t blame him but it was upsetting none the less.

The rain they’d watched come over the mountain earlier, was now coming down in buckets, and everyone was scattered through the house drinking and having a good time except Courtney, who was pouting in the living room, and Jeremy who was nowhere to be found.

She wondered idly if he left because she was there, until Justin kicked her foot and sat down across from her “What’s wrong? I can see the smoke coming out of your ears from the kitchen.”

She shrugged “Nothing really.”

“He’s still here somewhere. Do you wanna tell me what happened with you guys? He’s been off all week.”

Courtney shook her head and looked at her lap before she looked back up at him. Understanding spread across his face like a lightbulb turning on and he leaned back “Ah. I see.”

“He hates me doesn’t he?”

“I don’t think he could hate you. I think he’s just confused is all. You gotta talk to him.”

“I don’t think he wants to talk to me Justin. If he did he would have.”

“No.” Justin shook his head “I just think he thinks that you don’t wanna talk to him. Just find him and have a conversation with him. Seriously. I promise you’ll feel better.”

He left her to think over a while until she couldn’t think anymore. She needed some air. The inside was too suffocating, too loud, too many people and coupled with the thoughts in her brain it was making her sick to her stomach to be inside. She slipped out of the living room without being noticed, or so she thought and made her way outside rubbing her arms through her sleeves. Fog had covered most of Mikes back and side yard as she made her way to the beach on the back part of the porch, and turned the corner to find Jeremy already seated on it.

Her heart lept into her throat and she stopped mid-step just as he looked up “Oh sorry I didn’t-“

He shook his head and looked back out across the landscape “It’s okay.” He looked at her and then the empty spot next to him on the bench “You can sit. If you want.”

She did want. So bad, and the invite made it seem like he did too. She bit her lip and took a few small steps forward, and sat down next to him, careful not to touch him in case he didn’t want her to. She watched quietly as the excess runoff of rain from the roof overflowed the gutter, making a waterfall that was pooling on the grass and front walk.

It was silent for a few minutes before he finally spoke “I never thought we’d be like this.”

“Like what?”

“Like not even friends anymore.” He sounded a little sad, and sighed, glancing down before he looked forward again.

She felt her chest tighten “Are we not friends anymore?”

“I don’t know. You tell me.”

“Just because we haven’t spoken-“

“It’s not because we haven’t spoken and you know it.”

She nodded and blinked tears away, sniffling “I know. You deserve better Jeremy.”

“Don’t.” He shook his head “Don’t tell me what I deserve Courtney.”

“I just mean you deserve someone better than me is all. I’m not anyone you want or need in your life.”

“Come on don’t-“ he let out a huff “I don’t know what else to say Courtney. I mean, I’ve been over this in my head 100 times. Maybe I should have kept it to myself, and maybe we shouldn’t have had sex but it happened and instead of talking to me about it, you shut me out.”

She nodded and tucked her hair behind her ear “Your right. That was wrong of me. I should have just talked to you about it, and I didn’t. And I’m really sorry.” She blinked tears away “I never thought in a million years that this is a conversation we’d ever be having.”

“Why did you do it though?” He shrugged and turned to look at her for the first time “I thought we could talk about anything. And then, you just shut me out like that.”

“I just got scared is all.”

“Why?” He looked at her sadly “Courtney. I would never do anything to hurt you or jeopardize things between us. You know that right?”

She nodded “I-I do.”

“No I don’t think so.” He was shaking his head “If you did you wouldn’t have walked out on me like that.” He shoved off the bench and stood “I can’t-I can’t do this. I can’t go back to being ‘just your friend Jeremy’ anymore. Maybe that’s selfish, and if it is I’m sorry but it’s just not enough for me and I can’t pretend any longer. And the worst part is I’m pretty sure you feel the same way, but for whatever reason you won’t admit it.” She felt hot tears prick at her eyelids as he continued “I don’t understand why, and I hate that things are the way they are. And I hate that I’m making you cry but I just can’t pretend like I don’t feel about you the way that I do.”

“Wait-“ she said jumping off the bench and grabbing his wrist “Please don’t walk away.” She wrapped her arms around his midsection to keep him in place, cheek resting against his chest. She could feel his heart beating as another tear ran down her cheek and she took a ragged breath.

His stood there frozen for a second before he let out a long breath and reached a hand up to pat her on the back as he said softly “Please don’t-don’t cry.” He put a hand on either side of her face to pull it back from his chest and wiped the tears from under her eyes. His entire body was screaming at him to stop because it would end just like the last time but he just couldn’t do it.

“Jeremy.” She said softly, gaze moving between his mouth and his eyes.

With a big giant Fuck you to his brain, as his heart cheered he leaned in a little, nose brushing hers before he kissed her. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she stood on tiptoe, as a hand came to rest on either side of her waist.

Inside Justin was peering out the window chuckling “What’s happening?” Kasey asked looking over at Justin who chuckled.

“Nothing. Just Jeremy and Courtney making out on the back porch.”

The rest of the group let out a cheer and few cat calls from the kitchen as Kasey and Veronica high fived “No way! Finally. Took them long enough. Jesus what’s it been like 10 years?”

Justin giggled and closed the curtain “Let’s give them some privacy.”

[tennessoui]

MR AND MR SITH I LOVE IT!!!😭😭😭

I’m just picturing them doing the Angelina and Brad pose and it’s sending me

ok i was thinking about this au this morning so here is 1.1k of a writing warm up set in the mr and mr sith au where the jedi have captured master skywalker to take him home (they think he's been held hostage this entire time), but they accidentally pick up sith obi-wan instead and no one is prepared........

(1.1k)

Ena frowns down at Jedi Master Anakin Skywalker, a bad feeling sprouting in her chest. This all feels wrong, but it isn’t. She knows it isn’t.

“He really fought back?” she asks Mal as soon as he enters the room. “But you told him we were Jedi, right? That we came to rescue him? That he was safe?”

Mal puts his hand on her shoulder. The touch is supposed to be comforting, but Ena isn’t sure how much she wants comfort right now. “I did,” he swears. “But he’s been held captive by the Sith for so long, Ena, who knows what they’ve done to his mind?” “He doesn’t…he doesn’t look tortured,” Ena says, looking over Master Skywalker’s bound figure. They’d had to physically tie him down with rope and chain once they’d subdued him, apparently. Apart from the livid bruise along his cheekbone, he appears uninjured. His hair—auburn and rather short—falls messily over his face.

“You and I both know that sometimes the deepest scars are ones we cannot see,” Mal tells her, squeezing her shoulder once.

“And the child?” Ena asks. “Has the med droid finished looking him over?” “Healthy,” Senaka reports as she comes into the room, montrals twitching at the change of Force, a heaviness in the air that they know comes from their captive even though they’re not sure why. “Five standard years of age, I believe, with a ridiculously high midichlorian count. He’ll be waking up within the hour, I’m sure.”

“Master Skywalker has clearly bonded with the boy,” Mal reports, hand rising to tug at a padawan braid that’s no longer there. “It was only when we separated them that he stopped fighting us. He didn’t even notice Senaka had a force collar until it was already on his neck.”

Ena feels a headache brewing behind her eyes. She knows what they’ve done is the right thing.

It doesn’t feel right though.

To tie a venerated, traumatized man to a chair, to win a fight against him by subduing a child…but they had had no other option. 

After six years of no information, the Jedi Council had finally caught a whisper about Jedi Master Anakin Skywalker’s location. Four Jedi Knights had been dispatched to follow this rumor to its bitter end, to track down Master Skywalker, rescue him from the clutches of the Sith who stole him away so long ago, and bring him home.

Their informant had confirmed that a man with yellow eyes was often seen on the same planet, in the same city. So they’d had to move fast.

And when Master Skywalker had not been receptive…when he’d killed Knight Avas…Ena knows they’d been forced into making a decision that felt wrong but must be right.

Mal squeezes her shoulder once, opening his mouth to say something. Before he can, Master Skywalker shifts slightly in his chair before he freezes completely. Awake.

His eyes flash open a second later, pale blue glowering right into Ena’s soul. “Where is he?” he spits, words spoken in an unexpectedly Coruscanti accent. “What have you done with him?”

“Master Skywalker,” Ena says, holding out a hand to try and soothe the fury thrashing in the man’s eyes. He snarls the moment she comes too close. “The boy is fine. I swear it, you know the Jedi would never hurt a child. We won’t hurt you either. It’s over. You’re safe.”

Master Skywalker rears back as much as he can in his current position. “I want to see him,” he commands. “Bring him to me.”

“We can’t do that,” Senaka shakes her head slowly. “You’re…volatile, Master. You could hurt him.”

“You will let me see my child,” Master Skywalker snaps, voice seeping with danger. “I—”

It is the patter of little feet that interrupts him now, and the three Jedi turn around immediately. Not before there’s a blur of movement from the door and the boy careens between their legs, running to throw himself onto Master Skywalker’s lap.

Though the man’s arms are bound tightly behind him, Ena can see the way he automatically tries to hold the boy, shoulders jerking forward before he sinks back with a snarl of frustration.

“Papa!” the boy is saying over and over again, rubbing over the Jedi Master like an affectionate tooka cat. “I can’t feel you! Papa, why are you gone?”

“I’m here, Luke, it’s alright. We’re alright,” Master Skywalker murmurs, voice becoming impossibly softer as he leans far enough down so that he can tap their foreheads together.

“Master Skywalker, we mean you no harm,” Ena tries to say, taking another step forward. Senaka is right. Master Skywalker killed a Jedi only a few hours ago. He’s unstable. He’s dangerous. 

“I don’t know who that is,” the man snaps as the child—his child?—hides his face in his neck. “Release me at once. I have no ties to the Jedi Order.”

“What?” Mal looks shocked then shaken. Ena understands. None of them ever knew Master Skywalker, but everyone in the Temple had heard of him. He was legendary. A perfect Jedi. To hear that he doesn’t even recognize his name…it shakes Ena to her core. “No—you—you are Master Skywalker. Do you—Anakin. That’s your name. Anakin Skywalker. You’ve been missing for six years. You were kidnapped by the Sith on an undercover mission to Nyrel. We never stopped looking for you.”

The man in front of them freezes again, face expressionless as the seconds tick on. Slowly, a red eyebrow arches its way up his forehead. “Oh,” he says like he’s suddenly realized a great mystery of the universe. “Oh, I see.”

The child on his lap tugs at the front of his robes before deciding to tug at the bristles of his beard instead. “Papa,” Luke says in that way children do when they are demanding attention. “I can feel Daddy though. He’s not feeling good.”

Skywalker’s nostrils flare at this, and he cuts his eyes from the far wall down to the boy and then up to Ena. “Did you hurt him?” he demands, voice like ice. “When you captured me. Did you hurt him?”

“The boy? No—you can see, he’s fine—”

“A man,” Skywalker shakes his head. “Golden hair. Blue eyes. Tall.”

“No, papa,” Luke tugs at Skywalker’s beard again. “No. He’s okay. But he’s not feeling good things.”

Skywalker’s attention is fully on his child. “What do you mean, Luke?” he asks, voice gentle and coaxing.

“Angry,” Luke says. “Daddy is angry and close.”

For some reason this makes Master Skywalker smile, lines around his eyes crinkling with the force of his joy. “That’s very good then, Luke Love. Do you know why?”

Ena feels Mal shift next to her, unease growing in the air around them as Master Skywalker turns his face up to them. “Why?” Luke asks.

“Because our friends here really want to meet your daddy,” he says. “And I think your daddy’s going to be absolutely charmed.”

[rhondafromhr]

Nerds corruption au chapter 4!!

Took me awhile before I was happy with this one but it’s finally done!

Previous chapters:

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

“We’re Gonna Become the Bullies” - Chapter 4: I’m The One To Wrong What’s Right

Grace starts her day the same way she always does: waking up to the shrill buzzing sound of her alarm far too early in the morning. She hates to admit it (sloth is a sin, after all), but every once in a while it would be nice to hit snooze a couple times. There’s no time for that, though. She has to do her sweep of the school bathrooms to check for graffiti. She has to make sure the side exit to the gym is safely locked so nobody can sneak out to “smoke up” during class. As hall monitor, it’s her sworn duty to keep Hatchetfield High safe from all the troublemakers trying to normalize sin and drag everyone down to hell with them. She figures it’s the least she can do to atone for the perverse thoughts she was having about Max Jägerman up until the Waylon place incident. Among other, more recent developments.

Then there’s the whole thing where she’s kind of friends with Maxwell now, along with everyone else who was involved in that prank. She brought that hatchet and the other supplies that night expecting a very different outcome (the specifics of which are between her and God now, since it never came to be. Only He can judge her), but this is intriguing, too. Being the “school snitch” only gives her so much power. Sure, she can issue a detention slip or run and tell a teacher, but she knows in the end all it does is get people to be sneakier about whatever they were doing wrong next time. Being in Max’s inner circle opens up a world of possibilities. People are scared of him and there’s not a lot they won’t do to avoid his wrath. It’s been a week and by now, everyone knows Max will absolutely fly off the handle at anyone who dares mess with the rest of the group. They’re also starting to realize that said group can be pretty intimidating in their own right and becoming more scared of them. Grace would be lying if she said the thought didn’t excite her.

She thinks back to that first Monday after the Waylon place, when Max first heard about Brad calling Peter that crass nickname. The righteous anger he exuded briefly brought that tickle back again. The next day at lunch, Max proudly recounted to the rest of the group the awesome punch Pete landed and how Brad ran away like a little bitch after and how Steph gave Brad the hardest slap with one hand while holding Pete’s in the other and wasn’t that the sweetest, most romantic thing ever. By the time he got to their stint in the principal’s office, she stopped listening, just imagining Peter and the crushing impact of his fist on Brad’s face. She thought about the slap over and over again, too: Steph raising her hand, staring down at Brad with rage burning in her eyes and bringing it down hard, leaving a red mark on his cheek. Her face, she realized with horror, was red, too, but for an entirely different reason. Oh, heck. Oh, no. Not again. But this was even more shameful than even the worst thoughts she ever had about Max. This was about two people at once, one of whom was another girl.

She tries to push away those thoughts for now and joins her parents at the breakfast table, where her usual cup of hot water is waiting for her. If they had any idea what’s really been going on with her, they’d probably send her away to live at Camp Idontwannabang with the Jerries permanently and the first time in her life, that doesn’t sound too appealing. So she’ll just have to continue acting like nothing’s wrong - essentially lying to them. Another sin to pile on top of all her others. As they say in that video game Richie likes: “gotta catch ‘em all.” Her whole life, all she’s ever wanted is to be a good, chaste, godly girl. It’s what her parents and her church friends have all come to expect from her. Not to mention God Himself. There must be something deeply wrong with her if she tries so, so hard to live up to this standard and still falls short. The feeling of being a failure is so crushing she can almost physically feel it bearing down on her.

“Gracie?” Her mother says gently, “Gracie, are you alright?” Grace realizes tears are stinging at her eyes. She strains to hold them back.

“Oh, yes, Mommy, I’m okay! It’s just allergies. I, um, stopped taking Benadryl. Even if it’s over-the-counter antihistamines, drugs are drugs! Might as well be smoking the devil’s lettuce. Oh, I should get going or I won’t be early for school!” She leaves hastily, not stopping for her usual kiss not the cheek.

“Wait!” her Mother calls after her “it’s raining cats and dogs today, you’ll catch a cold, let us drive you!” All she gets in response is the sound of the door closing.

As Grace rides her beloved pink Schwinn bike to school, she can’t hold back the tears any longer. It’s early enough that not too many people are out and about, so hopefully nobody sees. She supposes she could always use that Benadryl excuse again, it’s believable enough for her. When she pulls up in front of the school, she notices two familiar figures standing in front of the main entryway. Shoot, it’s Max and Richie! She hastily wipes her eyes and stops to park and lock up her bike before approaching them. She composes herself and goes into hall monitor mode, even if her heart isn’t in it. They’d better not be hanging out here waiting to buy reefer off of the smoke club.

“Hi, Max! Hi, Richie! What are you two doing here so early?” She says, trying to keep her tone as chipper as possible.

“Oh, we have an appointment we couldn’t possibly miss,” Max tells her. Great, so they are here to buy drugs! She can’t even save her own friends from the dark, dangerous path that starts with weed and eventually leads to them smoking much worse substances under a bridge somewhere. Maybe even in Clivesdale!

“Uh, yeah,” Richie says nervously. He rubs his fingertips together. “Chad Thompson called me a cringe-ass weeb back in seventh grade, so I guess we’re going to catch him on his way in and issue an ‘outdoor swirly’, whatever that is.”

“Oh, you’re gonna love it, Richie, it’s the best! Really subverts expectations. No one would ever think they’re about to get a swirly outside.”

“Yeah, I see your vision, but I feel like I’m really not grasping the logistics. Like, there are no toilets out here, how is it even possible?”

Grace is vaguely familiar with the term (“weeb”, that is. She’s just as confused as Richie about the outdoor swirly thing). She’s pretty sure it refers to people who are into those Japanese cartoons that Richie likes so much. She’s actually heard him refer to himself that way a few times and sometimes Ruth calls him that, too. It never feels mean when she does it - it’s obvious she loves that Richie’s a “cringe-ass weeb” and she wouldn’t have him any other way. They might be two of the most lewd, crass people she’s ever met, but she has to admit their friendship is something special.

“I don’t get it,” she says “you call yourself a ‘cringe weeb’ all the time.”

“Well, he said it like it’s a bad thing! It’s not just the words we say, but the way we say them that can have a long-lasting impact. I learned that at the anti-bullying assembly!” Oh, Max and his anti-bullying quotes. Grace would never tell him this, but she thinks flipping them to be pro-bullying is quite creative of him. Entertaining, too. Sometimes, she just has to giggle at the absurdity of it. Her mood finally starts to lift. She’s glad she ran into her friends. Her friends. She can call them that now.

“Well,” she says “I’d better go do my morning perimeter sweep. See you later, boys!”

“Later, Grace!”

“Bye, Grace, see you at lunch!” Poor Richie still looks a little terrified.

The downpour lets up and becomes a light drizzle as she starts towards the gym, fully intending to go take care of that pesky side entrance so the smoke club can’t ruin class today. Then, on an impulse, she makes a u-turn. What can she say? She’s a little curious about the logistics of Max’s new trick, too. She watches as they accost Chad. Oh, an outdoor swirly just means shoving his face into the huge rain puddle that’s formed on the ground. Max does it first. He moves slowly and intentionally, giving Richie instructions to accompany the demonstration. Appropriating the very forces of nature to enforce his rule over Hatchetfield High. It’s actually kind of poetic. She wonders what his backup plan was if it didn’t rain.

Max hands Chad off to Richie. Chad struggles, but can’t seem to get free. Richie must be stronger than he looks. His hesitation disappears and he moves with more confidence, seeming to delight in the torment just a little. He pushes Chad’s face down into the puddle, holds it there for a second, then yanks him out so they’re face to face, leaning over him menacingly.

“Who’s the cringe-ass weeb now, bitch? Trick question, it’s still me! But I bet you’ll think twice before talking shit about it next time,” he says as he shoves Chad to the ground.

“You guys are un-fuckin’-hinged! I don’t care what anyone says, I’m reporting this. You basically just tried to drown me!”

Maybe Grace can be of some assistance. “I’m the hall monitor and that’s not what I saw,” she says.

“Oh, hi Grace! I thought you left to go do your rounds,” says Max, as upbeat as ever.

“What did you see, Grace?” There’s a mischievous glint in Richie’s eyes.

“Well, Richie, I saw him shove you into that puddle. Completely unprovoked, no less. You were just standing here minding your own business. He held you down for a solid thirty seconds. I was scared he was going to drown you! I was about to go get a teacher, but then you finally broke free.”

“Fuck off, chastity belt! Who would believe that? He’s not even wet.” If Ruth were here, she’d have something to say about that phrasing.

“Well, for one, the principal would, because I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this, but I’m the hall monitor and I’ve never given him a reason not to trust me. Who’s he going to believe between the two of us?” As childish as she knows it is, she can’t help but stick her tongue out at him. “How could you attack poor Richie like that? What’s he ever done to you?”

“Yeah! Oh my god, Richie, are you okay? That must have been traumatic for you,” Max says dramatically. It seems like he’s having fun with this.

“I’ll- I’ll live,” replies Richie, trying to sound meek and pathetic. It’s not too much of a reach for him.

“Your life is so hard and yet you’re so brave,” Max says with feigned solemnity. Richie pauses for a second, as if he’s debating what he should do next, then theatrically throws his arms around Max and buries his face in his chest. He adds a couple fake sobs for good measure.

“It’s okay, bro. It’s okay. We’ve got you.” Max smirks as he pats his back. Richie stays in position, but raises one of his arms in order to flip Chad off.

“God, fine, whatever!” Chad storms off.

“Grace,” Max says excitedly “that was awesome! You know, I always forget you’re the hall monitor.”

“Yeah,” Richie adds “We’ve really been sleeping on the potential for abuse of power!”

There’s a thought. She’s had real power this whole time, she wasn’t leveraging it to its full potential. It’s a shame - if she’d realized this sooner, she would’ve been much more effective at keeping the hallways free of debauchery. She’ll just have to make up for lost time.

“Just doing my job,” she says, now sporting her own mischievous grin.

And if she actually had fun hamming it up with Max and Richie and she’s a little proud that she was able to help them pull off their stunt, then that’s her business.

Before Grace knows it, it’s the end of the school day and she doesn’t feel like going home and being interrogated about this morning just yet. She sends her parents a quick text claiming that there’s an “emergency abstinence club meeting” and begins to wander the hallways aimlessly until she reaches the auditorium. She knows they’re currently doing rehearsals for The Barbecue Monologues. Ruth is always complaining about the actors flubbing their lines and messing up her lighting cues. Up until now, she hasn’t had much of an interest in the show. Apparently, it contains some foul language and references to sex (in a high school production! What is this world coming to?), but she has to pick her battles and her effort to get homecoming canceled has been time-consuming enough. Curiosity gets the better of her and she slips into the auditorium. She’s not sure what she expects to see, but it certainly isn’t Ruth standing center stage absolutely belting her heart out. Her voice is angelic and she puts so much passion and raw emotion into her performance. Beholding it is an almost religious experience. Grace would know.

The number draws to a close and Grace can’t help but applaud.

“Oh, no, my anxiety! Who’s there?” Ruth cries.

“Ruth, that was beautiful! If you’re that good, why aren’t you in the show? You should be the lead!”

“What, no! I’m way too nervous to do that! Plus it’s too late, rehearsals have already started and Trevor’s the lead.”

“Well, what if he wasn’t?” Grace says with a conspiratorial grin.

“But he is,” Ruth replies, not quite sure what she’s getting at.

“Have a little faith, Ruth! Things can change.”

Oh, no, she’s snapping again.

[landosgirl97]

Crying My Eyes Out - Jake “Hangman” Seresin

A/N: This came to me while listening to the song Crying My Eyes Out by Frawley. It’s short but angst with a happy ending!

I stood outside in my bridesmaids dress, taking several deep breaths and deciding whether to go back to my car or tough it out. I was about to turn around when I felt a hand land on my shoulder. I turned to see my now- Uncle Maverick behind me, looking at me with a smile of sympathy. “It’s gonna be okay kid, worse comes to worse Penny or I will hide you in the back room.” I nodded as he wrapped his arm around my shoulder, leading us inside. He led us forward to the bar the Penny was standing behind and he pulled her forward. “You’re not supposed to work your own wedding reception, Pen”, he scolded her lightly, kissing her on the lips and smiling. “Well, someone has to make drinks for your aviators! Y/N, what are you feeling tonight”, she asked, turning to me. I pulled out my card for her and replied, “A tequila sunrise, more tequila than sunrise please”. She raised her brow at me while she grabbed the things to make my drink. “You know he will probably be here tonight, right?” I nodded, scanning the room for my ex- as of a few weeks ago- boyfriend of two years. “I know, I’m just hoping to be super drunk by the time he gets here so I don’t know the difference.” She nodded, handing me my drink, and a tequila shot to get me started. “The shot is on the house, hopefully it makes it easier for you tonight.”

I was about halfway done with my drink and a conversation with Rooster when I saw him look toward the door that swung open and straightened up. I turned to see what he was looking at and choked on my drink. There was Jake, walking in hand-in-hand with another woman. It felt like the floor would cave in under me when I saw Phoenix wave them over and the smile that flashed across his face. Rooster must have seen the pain flash across my face because he moved into my line of sight. “Y/N, hey, so what was it you were telling me about this new apartment you got?” He did a good job of keeping me distracted, engaged in conversation with him and others would come and go, feeding me drinks and keeping Jake off my mind. “Hey, I’m gonna go get Phoenix to come talk to you while I run to use the restroom. Then, I’m driving you home.” I nodded, turning toward the bar to close my tab with Penny. But when. I turned, my heart sank.

There was Jake and his new girl, swaying along to “We Danced” by Brad Paisley. It was the song playing in the bar from the jukebox the first day I met Jake. We had coined it as our song not long after, playing it any time we were hanging out at the bar. They swayed back and forth, laughing and talking to each other. I hadn’t felt the tears rolling down my cheeks until Uncle Mav came and grabbed my shoulder, turning me toward him and Phoenix. “Hey, it’s gonna be okay.” I turned back around, just in time to see their lips meet as a pained gasp, half scream left my lips. My hands lifted to my mouth in an attempt to keep my sobs silent, but I was turned back around by Rooster, who pulled me into his chest. I sobbed into him, pained from watching two years of my life end right before my eyes. I pulled back to pay my tab and saw the streaks of mascara on his shirt. Before I could even apologize, he waved me off, leading me out the door to get some air before we hop into the Bronco.

When we made our way outside, Uncle Mav made his way to JAke, who was now alone at the bar. “Hey, Hangman, got a minute?” He nods, walking to Mav. “Listen Jake, my niece is outside crying her eyes out because she thinks you don’t love her anymore, but I know that’s not true, so any chance of making this right? Do it now.” He watched as Jake looked over his shoulder, seeing his date talking to someone else at the bar and nodded at Maverick.

Jake made his way to the parking lot, seeing me about to get in the Bronco. “Y/N!” I turned my head toward him and he walked toward me, helping me down from the Bronco. “Can we talk?” I hesitated, but nodded my head, following him down to the beach. “Y/N, I’m so sorry I hurt you so badly. That wasn’t my intention. I didn’t bring her here tonight to hurt you. I’m trying so hard to get over you but.. it’s impossible. I love you too much.” I let out a shaky breath, finally looking him in the eye. “So.. what are you saying?” He took a step closer to me, grabbing both of my hands and kissing one of them. “Will you come home? To mea.. and the dogs? And stay? For good this time?” This time I felt the sting of tears running down my face as I took a step closer, kissing him on the lips. “Yes Jake, always.”

[blindbatalex]

a little marcheron treat for your Tuesday morning c:

The sun no longer warmed.

It had been a gorgeous fall day, with clear blue skies and sunshine that made the air feel a good few degrees warmer than it was.  But now the sun sat low among the trees, its light as pale and golden as the dying leafs they held, and the chill made itself known.

“Remember the first time we were here,” Brad asked, “just the two of us?”

Somewhere around Arlington Street Patrice had linked their arms together and now they walked through the Common, sharing one breath.

Patrice let out a chuckle.

“You mean the time I had to come fetch your drunk ass and haul it home?  I’m surprised you remember it.”

“I wasn’t that drunk,” Brad protested.

“You were passed out under a tree.”

“I was resting my eyes!”

“Uh-huh.  You know it took me half an hour just to find you because when I asked where you were, you said–”

The memory was well-worn in Brad’s mind, a stalwart feature of his ‘isn’t Patrice Bergeron the most amazing human being to walk the earth?’ reel he revisited every time he was drunk, high on painkillers or otherwise unable to sleep, but they rarely brought it up, out of consideration for what shreds remained of Brad’s dignity.  And still they finished the sentence in tandem, bursting into giggles as they did–

“I’m by a tree!”

He had really said that.  He looked down as they laughed.  The soles of his feet knew this path, having walked it more times than he could count.  His skin knew this air, its biting cold, and his eyes every inch, every plane and valley of Patrice’s beautiful face – the exact way the evening light caught in his brown eyes, his stubble, his royal brow, his eyelashes.  These trees around them, the grass and the hot dog stands.  The three of them – he and Boston and Patrice – were so intertwined, his bones said one could not exist without the others.  

There was, of course, no use in dwelling on any of that.  That was not how the world worked.

He smiled.

“I was so sure you were going to snitch on me.”

Patrice shook his head, like the thought was abhorrent to him even now.

Had he done so – and arguably he should have done so – they would have sent Brad down immediately and thought long and hard before calling him up again the next season.  But instead, Patrice had taken him back to his own place, tucked him into bed, and the next morning delivered the speech on professionalism and making the right decisions himself.  And when they did send Brad down a couple of games later for unrelated reasons, he’d given Brad the firmest hug.  Looked him in the eye and said– ‘you will be back’ half a statement of absolute faith and half order.

You will be back.

Come back.

“I never did ask.”  Patrice’s lovely voice broke Brad out of his reverie.  “Why did you get so drunk that night?”

Brad laughed, not expecting the question.  He quickly tried to think of a lie but he had given himself away; Patrice’s inquisitive gaze was now boring into him.  Unfortunately at this point Patrice also knew every expression that flitted through his face.

So, out with it, then.  The truth.

“Because you were too gorgeous.”

“Oh, come off it,” Patrice huffed and Brad filed his fond indignation away for safekeeping, too.  

“No man, I’m dead serious.”

“You got smashed out of your mind, potentially risked a whole NHL career, because I was too gorgeous?”

“Yep.”

“Dude, even for you– God, Marchy.”

He was laughing though, in these little halting bursts, and Brad liked that so he laughed along with him.

To their left a couple were packing away their picnic.  They chattered away as they folded the blanket and placed the last of the plastic plates back into the picnic basket.  They were in their early twenties.  They were clearly in love.  This was probably going to be the last picnic of the year; the air would grow colder and colder, scarves would come out, then snow boots, and the ground they now sat on would be blanketed in a thick layer of ice and snow, before it all melted again and spring touched the blades of grass, the tips of tree branches, with its gentle breeze, bringing them back to life.

Patrice stopped them both and turned to Brad, a terrible, helpless look in his eyes. 

Perhaps he had figured out the part of the explanation Brad didn’t give – the gay panic and the certainty he felt in his gut that all of the effort he put in to get to where he was would go down the drain in a single breath because surely any one person would see the way he looked at Patrice and clock him – or perhaps he too was thinking of the spring or of the time they wasted.

Brad put his hand on Patrice’s cheek.  None of them would do.

“Let’s just enjoy this moment,” he said quietly.

Patrice nodded, forcing a smile onto his face, brave and determined as always.  Then he leaned in to kiss Brad and Brad went gladly, meeting him halfway. 

The way his lips felt against Brad’s lips, his breath against Brad’s skin, his warmth, his hands as they pressed against his back– 

They were so new and they were already a part of him, rooting him in place, whispering–

[irondadidontfeelsogood]

67 Percent Sure

cw: vomit

—————

Mj turns around in her seat again and bites at the inside of her cheek, frowning a little. It didn’t take Betty this long to get opera glasses, so where is Peter? The curiosity that’s stirred inside her since Washington arises again.

She turns back around when she hears her name. Brad is smirking at her like he knows something she doesn’t. She’s not sure about a lot of things, but she’s definitely sure he knows severely less than she does.

“Hey Michelle, I was thinking maybe we could ditch this whole bullshit and leave once the lights go down. You with me?”

She hums. That would give her an excuse to go look for Peter, but she’s really not wanting Brad to try and tag along for that.

“Eh, actually the opera sounds pretty cool to me,” she lies. “Feel free to ditch if you want though.”

Hopefully he’ll leave. That’ll make it even easier for her to slip out unnoticed. He’s been freakishly clingy this whole trip. The relief she feels when he decides to go is so nice.

She turns to see Ned shuffling into the aisle next to Betty and gets his attention. He turns to look at her just as the lights dim.

“What’s up?”

“Have you seen Peter?”

Ned hesitates a little before he answers. “Oh, yeah, I forgot. He, uh, told me to tell you he’s going back to the hotel because he feels sick.”

“Huh. Okay.” Funny. He looked just fine a few minutes ago. Well, maybe he was a little awkward, but that’s not too out of the ordinary for him.

Still, the curiosity burns brighter than ever. She’s done with him running away and disappearing every five seconds. If she leaves now, she might finally catch him in the whole spider act.

There’s nothing stopping her. She stands and starts making her way down the aisle, slipping away easily now that Brad has taken her advice and left. Mr. Harrington doesn’t so much as lower his opera glasses.

She heads out into the crowded street outside the opera house and starts trying to spot Peter. When she has no luck, she heads back to the hotel to see if maybe he did actually stop there. It’s a long, impatient ride up the elevator, and it only increases her will to just ask him directly on the spot if she finds him.

Still, standing in front of his door is making her palms sweat. She shakes them out a little, breathing out sharply in determination. Finally, she bites the bullet and knocks on the door.

Her heart is racing when he actually opens up and his face fills with an unreadable expression. It looks like he’s about to say something, but she has to beat him to it before he tries to slither his way out of this one, too.

“I’m gonna be real honest here, Peter, and I need you to be, too. Don’t try to lie to me, because I already know. So just say you’re Spider-Man.”

Peter’s mouth opens and closes a couple times, and she sees that he’s really pale. He blinks at her with what seems to be straight-up confusion. He’s looks like he’s in his pajamas, which she wasn’t exactly expecting, but she can’t back down now.

“Mj, what are you—“

“Don’t play around with me, I’m not entirely stupid, okay? I just need to hear it from you.”

“What makes you—I don’t. I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m not Spider-Man,” he rushes out, but Mj doesn’t miss the way his voice goes quiet with the last part.

“Explain to me, then. Explain all the times you’ve disappeared.”

“I’m—I told Ned to tell you I don’t feel good, that’s why I left the opera.”

“I’m not just talking about tonight,” she clarifies. Peter’s throat clenches, and he looks stunned to say the least. “Peter, Washington? Homecoming? Not to mention the fact that you’ve quit nearly every club you were ever a part of.”

Peter shuts his eyes tight, leaning his weight against the doorframe. A wash of discomfort colors his face, and then he steps back a little.

“Just…come inside for a minute, okay? I need to sit down.”

She wasn’t really expecting that, either, but it’s a good sign, she supposes. Especially when she was half-convinced he would shut the door in her face. Now her heart is hammering in her chest as she follows him into the room, shutting the door behind her. It feels oddly private to be in his room even though it looks just like hers.

He sags down against the couch in the corner, and she slowly joins him there. A blanket of silence falls over them, and Mj watches as Peter lets his head fall into his hands. They stay there for a moment and then run through his hair. He breathes out shakily. She’s suddenly not ready to hear everything, but she’s too frozen to stop him when he starts to speak.

“Look…it’s hard to explain, but the thing with me and Liz was…,” he starts, voice unsteady. He wraps his arms around his stomach. “I didn’t like having to do that to her at all, but I figured out her dad is, like…really mixed up with the wrong crowd, and when he talked to me in the car it really freaked me out. I went home.”

Mj feels the disappointment sinking in her chest. What he’s saying makes sense, but she knows in her heart that there’s something else he’s not telling her. The bruises and cuts on his face the next day tell her a different story. Unless Liz’s dad beat him up. She really doesn’t want to think about that.

“And Washington, I went…”

He trails off, swallowing audibly. His eyes fall shut again, and Mj prepares for another lie. It’s really frustrating, and to be honest, it hurts. She thought she was making friends that she could trust and that trusted her for the first time, but now it feels all wrong. She was wrong.

She’s about to just tell him never mind, and that she’s heading back to the opera, but suddenly Peter is shoving himself off the couch. He stumbles past her and nearly trips over himself as he flees. Mj feels totally caught off guard as he disappears into the bathroom.

He leaves the door open, but she can hear him knock something over, and then there’s a thud. She’s up in an instant. What if she pushed him so hard he passed out?

She quickly follows him and freezes at the door. He’s knocked over all the mini soap bottles into the sink, and she finds him on his knees in front of the toilet. Not even another second goes by before he gags, and she hears vomit splash into the water.

“Shit,” she curses, moving closer so she can sit on the edge of the tub beside him. He throws up again, and it’s pretty violent. Mj is sure now that she’s never felt like more of an asshole. He coughs a few times and almost chokes on the next wave that comes up. “Oh God, are you alright?”

He shakes his head, because of course he’s not fucking okay, he’s puking his guts out. Mj feels her cheeks heat up with embarrassment. It feels awkward and intimate, but she starts rubbing his back so he hopefully doesn’t nearly choke again.

“Sorry, I know. That was a stupid question. Do you want some water?”

He shakes his head again, and she realizes his whole body is trembling a little. He probably has a fever and she was just sitting there grilling him like a criminal. She thinks hauntingly that she’ll probably never get over it.

He lets out a sick burp and heaves out the biggest stream yet. She’s starting to get seriously concerned. Maybe she should go back and get Mr. Harrington, although she doubts he’d be able to do much to help either. Peter retches out a couple small streams in a row. Maybe she should just call May.

“I’m really sorry,” Peter finally says once he has a moment to catch his breath.

“You don’t owe me an apology.” It’s the exact opposite, really.

“S’just…,” he starts, swallowing back a half-gag. He dry heaves and spits. “M’gross.”

“Doesn’t bother me. I just wasn’t expecting you to actually be sick when Ned told me…I don’t know, I just had that whole idea, and I thought I’d find you, like…yeah. I’m really sorry you’re feeling like this.”

Peter takes some toilet paper and wipes his mouth, throwing it into the toilet and closing the lid. He flushes and lays his head down on the toilet with a sigh. He hiccups quietly.

“It’s okay…I feel a lot better now. I really needed to throw up. Think I’m done.”

“That’s good.”

“Yeah…do you think I could maybe have that water now?” His voice is weak, and Mj is suddenly so much more upset with herself. All Peter has ever been is sweet, and here she is acting like he owes her something.

“Of course. Um, just give me a second.”

“M’kay,” he replies, letting his eyes fall shut where he rests. “Thank you.”

She stands up and goes back into the room to find the stash of lable-less water bottles and empty coffee cups. She grabs a couple waters and heads back to the bathroom, sitting back on the tub and opening one for him.

“Here,” she says, and he opens his eyes. He thanks her again. “Don’t thank me, Peter. I’m doing the bare minimum as a friend now that I’ve grilled you about a lie in the middle of you trying not to get sick.”

Peter takes a few sips and swallows an extra time for good measure. He shakes his head slowly, and she knows he’s about to try to make her feel better. She thinks that might really just make her feel worse.

“Mj…I’m telling you this because you deserve to know, and I feel really guilty right now.” She frowns, confused, but he looks like he’s going to continue. “Mj…I am Spider-Man.”

The room goes dead silent. Mj doesn’t so much as breathe. It’s not like she could, anyway. Several seconds pass before she can even manage words.

“Are you being serious right now? Because if you’re joking this really isn’t funny,” she breathes out. He looks at her and nods slowly, smiling in a wincing sort of way. “I mean—I was only like 67 percent sure, I—“

“M’not lying. Not anymore, I promise.”

She can’t even begin to process the way she feels in that moment. Everything she’s been thinking and obsessing over for months is true. She’s not crazy, but she sure feels like it.

“Prove it,” she blurts, then wishes she could take it back. Then again, it would be nice to know for sure now that she’s probably losing her mind entirely. What if she’s just asleep at the opera house?

Peter breathes out a shallow laugh, resting his forehead on the toilet seat again. He sets the water bottle down on the floor and sighs.

“I would, but I sort of feel like human garbage right now, and I think swinging across the city would definitely make me hurl again.”

“Right, sorry, I didn’t really mean it to come out like that.”

“S’okay,” he says softly, hiccuping again. “What if I just show you the suit?”

Suddenly, Mj flashes hot. Something about seeing the suit up close makes her feel like she’s meeting a celebrity. I mean, she is, but it’s also Peter. Her Peter.

“Oh,” she says. “I don’t want to force you or anything.”

“You’re not. I’ve sort of been dying not telling you, but…I also know that the people who know are in more danger. I never wanted that for you, so I have to be completely clear that this could be a huge mistake. I really care about you.”

Her face grows hot, and words seem lost again. She nods. Here she is, finally getting the satisfaction that she’s wanted, if you can call it that. She didn’t exactly imagine finding out in a hotel bathroom after watching Peter throw up his lunch, but she figures it is what it is.

“C’mon, I’ll show you,” he says as she’s trying to collect her thoughts.

She helps him off the floor and back into the bedroom, where he slides his suitcase closer to the bed where they’re sitting. Her heart is nearly in her throat. This is all so strange.

“Ready?” he asks, voice a little raw. Mj nods slowly.

He flicks open the closures and hesitates a bit before he lifts it up, revealing the red and blue suit she watched scale the Washington monument. She freezes completely, in awe of the reality she’s now faced with. He bends over with a groan and holds it up, starting to quietly explain some of the features.


Mj’s mind is humming, and it’s like she’s hearing him from several rooms over. She just keeps blinking at the thing, flashing back to all the times she saw it on the news. All the fire and destruction. He was there, and here it is. Here he is.

She tears her eyes away from the suit after a moment or two, staring at Peter as he continues to explain things she couldn’t begin to understand. Suddenly it all makes sense, and she is so, so screwed. This boy with a heart of gold is responsible for helping and saving so many people, and she can’t take her eyes off of him for even a second. She never wants to.

Suddenly, he’s staring back, but something is wrong. He doesn’t look excited, he doesn’t look happy, he doesn’t look like he’s feeling the same thing at all.

“Mj…were you…,” he starts, gaze falling to his lap where he laid the suit. “Were you only watching me…because you thought I was Spider-Man?”

She wasn’t expecting that in the slightest. The answer is complicated, but ultimately no. At the same time, she’s already made herself look like a massive stalker. The last thing she needs is to scare him away by getting emotional all of a sudden. Especially when the love that she feels for him will be interpreted as love for Spider-Man and not Peter, which couldn’t be farther from the truth. Suddenly, the suit seems to hold no value.

“Yeah…why?” She settles on lying, hoping that she can bring the other stuff up right when the time comes. But then, heartbreakingly, he looks disappointed. She wishes there were an easier way to do this.

“Oh.”

She changes her mind, never wanting to see that kind of sadness in him ever again. Maybe she can redirect this.

“Why did you think I was?”

“No, never mind, it’s…it’s stupid,” he breathes out, suddenly looking ill all over again.

“Try me.”

Instead, Peter starts to stand up, swaying. The suit falls to the floor. Mj is up in a second, ready to keep him from hitting the ground if he passes out. He looks nearly grey.

“I don’t feel good,” he murmurs. As soon as the words are out of his mouth, he throws up a gush of water between his fingers. It splatters down onto his shirt, his suitcase, and the floor.

“Oh—okay, alright,” Mj panics, looking around for something to save them from more damage. She spots a small ice bucket on the top of the dresser and rushes to get it, but from the sound of it, Peter’s just been sick again.

She moves as fast as she can and returns to him, positioning it under his mouth. His hands are covered in watery stomach acid and bile, so she holds it for him when the next wave comes up, keeping a steady hand between his shoulders. His breathing starts to pick up.

“You’re okay, Peter, I’ve got you,” she says, wishing there were some way she could just make it all stop. He doesn’t deserve this.

This round is considerably shorter, but he looks twice as spent when it seems like it’s over. His eyes are brimming with tears, and her heart feels like it’s dropped clean through the floor.

“Feel like you’re done?” she asks, rubbing once over his back. She doesn’t care that it might embarrass her later to be so attentive, but Peter is clearly really sick, and her insecurities can’t get in the way of making sure he’s taken care of.

He nods slowly, swallowing with effort. She lowers the bucket. He stands there sort of in shock and looking half-conscious, so Mj takes it upon herself to guide him to the bathroom.

While he washes his hands and rinses out his mouth, she dumps contents of the bucket into the toilet and flushes. When that’s done, she finds him braced against the sink with his eyes closed.

“I’m gonna grab you a fresh shirt, okay? You wanna hop in the shower?”

He shakes his head, and she can hardly blame him. It looks like it’s killing him just to stay upright.

“Okay, come here.”

He follows her into the bedroom and she pulls out the first t-shirt she sees in his suitcase. She turns away while he gets changed, but her face burns crimson all the same. He softly lets her know she can turn back around now.

She finds him eyeing the splattered carpet with what she can only describe as sorrow and disappointment. She can’t have that.

“Hey, it’s okay. It’s totally fine,” she insists. He doesn’t look convinced in the slightest, so she moves toward him regardless of whether she’s going to regret this or not.

She wraps her arms around him, and he wilts, slowly bringing his arms up around her back. It’s the first time they’ve hugged like this, serious and gentle. Mj hopes it makes up for at least some of her stupidity tonight.

“It was an accident, Peter. I know you feel really shitty, but things are gonna get better, okay? I can take care of that, you don’t have to worry.”

Finally, she pulls back to get a better look at him. He’s worse off than she’s ever seen—even the times when he came to school probably freshly thrown around in the street.

“Why are you being so sweet to me?” he asks suddenly, voice paper thin.

“Because you deserve it. And I really do care about you,” she says. This is her chance to try and clarify this whole mess. “I mean it, with or without Spider-Man. You’re closer to me than anyone has ever been.”

Peter’s face all but crumbles, and that’s not what she intended at all. She doesn’t know what to do. The apology is on her lips when Peter cuts her off.

“Mj, I…I had this whole plan with the Eiffel Tower and…now that I’ll probably be too sick to go, I think I should just do it now.”

She’s listening so carefully that she’s not sure time is passing for them anymore. Nothing exists outside this room as Peter walks past her to the desk in the corner, opening the drawer and pulling out a small bag. She recognizes it from a couple days ago and gets unexpectedly nervous.

He sits on the foot of the bed and quietly urges her to come over. He looks really sick. She almost feels like she should go get the bucket from the bathroom, but suddenly whatever this is seems more important, and she finds herself crossing the room to join him.

He reaches in and fishes something out, which she quickly realizes is a chain. He pulls at it, and hanging at the center is what looks like a couple of dark glass petals.

“Oh no, no, shit,” Peter curses suddenly, sighing and sounding like he actually might cry now. “It’s broken.”

Suddenly Mj can tell what it used to be, and something so big swells inside of her that she’s on fire all over. Peter starts rambling about his plan and how the elementals ruined everything, but she cuts him off.

“Hey, Peter, stop it, it’s okay. It’s perfect.”

“It’s supposed to be—“

“Black dahlia. Like the murder, right?”

Peter freezes. “Yeah, like the murder,” he breathes out, a laugh barely audible, then the sadness overtakes him again. “I really wanted this to go differently.”

“I love it, Peter. Giving it to me whole on the top of the Eiffel Tower wouldn’t make it mean any more to me than it does right now,” she says, watching him look at her with something unreadable filling his eyes. She opens the small latch and places it around her neck. “I love it. Thank you.”

Before he can try to regret what happened anymore, she wraps her arms around him again, holding there for a moment before she pulls back and places a gentle kiss at the corner of his mouth.

“Mj, m’gonna get you sick,” he murmurs, turning away.

“I don’t care,” is her reply, and she reaches up to align his face with hers. She kisses him fully now, her heart threatening to escape wherever it can.

When she pulls back, she hopes she hasn’t gone too far, but then he’s looking at her, and suddenly no decision she’s ever made has made more sense. She trails the hand that made its way to the back of his neck slowly down to the bed, and she rests her forehead against the heat of his.

“Thank you for trusting me,” she whispers, her hand finding his and placing her pinky on top of his. “I wasn’t just watching you because I thought you were Spider-Man.”

He pulls back a little, his eyebrows half-raised in a softly pained expression. He looks at her in mute suspension.

“Mj…I don’t want you to get dragged into this…,” he says, so quietly she can hardly hear him from inches away.

“Whatever happens, we can figure it out together. I’m not scared.”

He reaches a hand up to scrub at his face in frustration. Wilting, he covers his eyes and drops his chin to his chest.

“You don’t understand. Everywhere I go…people get hurt. Ben, Tony, May. Everything I touch gets ruined,” he says, voice heavy. “It’s like I can feel death breathing down my neck all the time, Mj…all the time.”

Mj immediately takes her hand to the back of his neck, fingertips just barely brushing through his hair where she rests it. “Peter, that is not true. Life hasn’t been fair to you, but you hold absolutely no blame for that. You shouldn’t have to carry that around.”

He slowly lays back against the mattress, and she can see where tears begin to trail down his temples. She lies beside him.

“You know what actually happens when you’re around?” She asks, turning on her side to face him. “People feel safe. You buy them food. You save them from burning buildings. You give them back what the bad people in the world take from them.”

He closes his eyes tightly, and more tears escape. He wipes them away, breathing out shakily. In the dim light shining from the bedside lamp, she sees just how worn he looks. Suddenly, she realizes he’s been letting thoughts like those consume him for a long time.

He’s sick, he’s tired, and there’s no doubt he’s still injured from fighting the elementals just a day earlier. The ugly feeling in her chest spreads deep, and she reaches over to rest her hand on his heart. She can almost feel how run down he is.

“I really like you, okay? But I don’t want you to have to worry about me. You already have more than enough on your plate. I’ll be a friend if you need me to be, and if you ever feel comfortable with more than that, I’ll still be right here,” she promises, knowing now that there’s nothing she won’t do to help him, even if that means waiting. Even if that means they’re never more.

Peter turns his head and slowly opens his eyes. She wipes away a tear that pools at the bridge of his nose.

“I really like you,” he finally says. “I…I need to think about things for a little, but…I don’t think I can go on and act like everything that’s happened tonight doesn’t mean as much to me as it does.”

“Me either,” she replies honestly. “I really just want you to be happy. Whatever that means for you.”

He’s silent for a second, eyes flickering between hers. “This makes me happy. Even though I feel like someone ran me over, I’m happy. It’s always been you.”

“Then that’s enough.”

Mj can’t imagine feeling any more content than she does in that exact moment. No one else exists outside this hotel room. There’s enough life in the two of them to sustain the rest of the universe. She leans closer and softly brushes her lips against his shoulder.

“You need to get some rest, Peter. Come here,” she urges, sitting up and scooting back to the headboard.

He manages to get himself up and under the duvet, resting his head on one of the pillows. Exhaustion covers his face. Mj stands up.

“I’m gonna grab your water and put it on the nightstand. Do you feel like you might get sick again?”

He hums, shutting his eyes. “I don’t know…maybe.”

“Okay. I’ll bring the bucket and set it on the floor next to you just in case.”

“Thank you.”

She does just that, urging him to take at least a couple sips before he actually falls asleep. He doesn’t put up too much of a fight, but that’s probably due to being absolutely drained.

His breaths even out quickly after that, so Mj tries to be as quiet as she can while she does her best to clean up everything from earlier. It’s mostly just water, so it’s not too bad. Oddly enough, because it’s Peter, it doesn’t bother her one bit.

When she’s done, she gently climbs back onto the bed next to him and takes a minute to try and comprehend everything that’s gone down in the past hour or so. She reaches up to grasp at the remnants of the black dahlia, feeling a wave of warmth draw over her whole body. She wouldn’t change a thing.

————-

A/N: Thank you guys for reblogging my posts and reading! It means a lot :)

[finnpeach]

Home - Vash

hm are any of us surprised i churned this out at 1 am because i binged this show and couldn’t sleep? no? me neither

Anyway, *SPOILERS* ahead for Trigun Stampede (I’d say if you’ve seen episode 8 you’re safe), but nothing too crazy. This takes place in one of the random 150 years of Vash’s adventures. Enjoy Vash finding out he’s allergic to lavender and being the best boy ☺️

Also, sorry if some of these characters don’t act very canon. I’ve only seen Trigun Stampede and not the original or the manga and thus am kinda guesstimating how these characters would act in this scenario

Vash hasn’t visited Home in nearly twenty years. Even though time doesn't really have any meaning to him, it does to the people he cares about, so he can’t help but feel a little guilty as he approaches the ship. He knows he should come by more often to visit, and that Brad and Luida and the rest of the Home team would love to see him, but he can’t help but feel like a burden every time he does.

His cybernetic arm is hanging by little more than a thread, torn apart in a recent brawl over yet another plant that he’d only narrowly managed save. He’s exhausted. His arm hangs uselessly at his side, only jolting with the occasional shocking twitch.

To his luck, Brad and Luida are out of cryosleep and both wrap him up in a warm embrace as he walks through the ship’s doors, nearly sweeping him off his feet.

“Vash!” They both cry. Warmth spreads through Vash’s chest as Brad ruffles his hair and Luida buries her face in his shoulder. He remembers the days when he used to look up at them as a child, but now he towers over them.

“How have you been? Are you all right? We were hoping to see you this time when we woke up,” Luida says. She looks older, maybe in her late 40s now, and Brad looks about the same. Their hair is beginning to become streaked with white, and deep wrinkles have already set across their faces. It’s part of the reason he hates coming back here, to see them getting older while he stays eternally young.

“I’m okay, I missed you both. Have you been well?” Even though his arm is killing him, he doesn’t want to bring it up yet. He’s too wrapped up in the feeling of being welcomed home and seeing friendly faces, seeing the pride and affection and love in their eyes. If only he could bottle up this feeling and take it with him.

“Yes, we’ve been— Christ, Vash, what’ve you done to your arm this time?” Brad finally takes notice when a spark of electricity spikes off his arm. He gently picks up the appendage, turning it over in his hands with a practised grace.

“Ah-ha, well, about that…” He grins sheepishly, cheeks burning red as he scratches the back of his head. “I saved the hand this time, though!”

Brad rolls his eyes and starts walking towards his room, waving him along. “C’mon, I’ve got my tools in your room, as usual. Luida, we’ll be done in time for dinner.”

“Don’t take too long! I want to catch up with Vash too!” Luida calls after them. Vash turns to give her a beaming smile and a wave goodbye before following Brad down the hall.

It feels so good to be Home.

A couple of hours later and lots of admonishing from Brad, Vash’s arm is beginning to regain feeling again.

“You should go out into the garden and see the new flora that Luida has been working on,” Brad tells him as he’s bent over his forearm. He’s just putting on the last of the stabilising touches to make it “Vash-proof”, as he calls it.

“There’s this new one called lavender. It’s got a long, thin stem and purple bunches of petals at the top. The humans on Earth used to use it for its calming effects. Smells great too. Go check it out, but make sure you’re back in time for dinner.”

One more flourish with welding tool, and he’s done. Brad pushes himself out of the chair, swiping his palms together. “And take better care of that arm!”

Vash chuckles, flexing his left hand. The joints feel better already. “Thank you, Brad. I’ll go take a look.”

He slides into his coat and follows Brad out of the room before making his own way down to the garden. The path is so familiar to him, he could do it with his eyes closed.

The garden looks gorgeous as it always has. It’s sunset now, creating a golden, rose-tinted shadow across the flora. He walks down the stone path, taking note of the new blue flora popping up, a new tree that's grown, before he finds the lavender that Brad had been speaking about.

Huh, Vash hadn’t expected it to look like that. It looks more like a bush or a tumbleweed than an actual flower. He bends down to get a closer look.

The purple petals are so stunning that he almost doesn’t notice the itch blossoming in his nose. He reaches his hand out to touch the stem, then feels the soft petals with the pad of his finger. Ah, that’s the scent that Brad mentioned. He loves it. It smells light and clean.

He rubs at his nose as he bends closer to the plant. He doesn’t dare break off a stem to get it closer to his face, so instead he crouches into a squat to lean forward and smell it.

It does feel calming. Vash can see why the humans on Earth liked it so much. Craving more, he inhales deeply through his nose just as the itch becomes too much to bear—

“Hih’iTSHhh! Hh.. H’TSCHhh!” The two sneezes catch him by surprise. He has to catch himself on the ground to avoid losing his balance.

Shaking his head, he sniffles and paws at his nose, which is beginning to take on a pink flush. How strange, he thinks. Must be something in the air. Usually only dust and the desert sand makes him sneeze, but there’s none of that in here.

He wants to sniff the lavender again and reaches out to feel the petals, but the itch has buried itself deeper in his nose. His breath catches in his chest, his aquamarine eyes slipping shut as his lips draw back over his teeth—

“H’TSH’itsch! Hh.. hihh— h’ITSCHhh’ue! Hh’eHTSSHhh’iu!” The last sneeze is so forceful that it makes him lose his balance. He falls back on his ass and tumbles flat on his back. His glasses are askew on his pink, irritated nose. Allergic tears fill his eyes as he stares up at the rose sunset sky.

Can he be allergic to flora? Or perhaps it’s this one in particular? He’s never had such a reaction to flora before, even in Rem’s garden.

Vash sniffles and rubs at his nose, which has now started to run. Instead of abating the itch, it only serves to set him off again— “H’ITSHhhiew! Haah.. heh-hh! H’ihdTSShh!”

It must be the lavender that's causing this. He can’t help but feel a bit sad, because he had really liked the scent of the lavender. Maybe Luida will have some medicine to offset the symptoms.

He lays there on the ground for a while, staring up at the sky, feeling a swirl of melancholy and happiness in his chest. Those two emotions seem to be the familiar, funny feeling that he always carries with him, even when he's back on the ship.

He stays there, sneezing occasionally and sniffling, until Luida calls for him for dinner. She chides at him for laying on the ground and says he’ll catch a cold like that, which makes him grin. He lets her shoo him inside and down the corridor towards the dining hall. Vash can’t help but revel in the tenderness he feels at her gentle reprimands, the way she fixes his hair or dusts off his coat or gives him one last hug before they enter the dining hall, because it all feels like Home.

[fancoloredglasses]

The Rocky Horror Picture Show (Making it fun to yell at the movie since 1975), Conclusion

[All images are owned by 20th Century Fox Disney....wait, really?! Anyway, please don't sue, kill, eat, or...whatever they did to everyone at the end...me]

WARNING: This review is NSFW, as it deals with sexual themes. You’ve been warned.

Are you OK with this? Good, then let’s continue.

This review is going to be done slightly different than most, even the one that was essentially a musical in that I will be going over the songs after the clips (as most of the plot is driven through them) and will be including audience partici…

SAY IT!

…pation lines (at least the ones I do) on occasion. These will be done in chat font (as shown above).

(Word of warning, despite whatever I may say at the movie, it’s not intended to be mean-spirited. I’m just going along with the show)

PREVIOUSLY ON...

Brad Majors...

ASSHOLE!

...and his fiancee Janet Weiss, ...

SLUT!

...following their car breaking down, find themselves in the castle of Dr. Frank-N-Furter. Frank, along with his servants Riff Raff and Magenta and his groupie Columbia, have created life! (to wit, Frank's newest plaything Rocky) Frank was also visited by Brad and Janet's friend Dr. Everett Scott.

Over the course of the film, Frank has seduced Brad and Janet. Janet later seduced Rocky. In a fit of revenge, Frank turned Brad, Janet, Dr. Scott, and Rocky into statues (as well as Columbia when she started getting mouthy) Frank then ordered Riff and Magenta to set up a floor show for some reason.

Now, on with the show!

(One has to wonder what happened to their clothes after they were Medusa’d. They certainly don’t reappear when it’s reversed!)

(Thanks to St0neykins)

Then the back curtain raises to show…

What the fuck is a “radio picture”?

…and the Big Number continues.

(Thanks to kaszalotta)

…and it degenerates into an underwater orgy.

Dr. Scott somehow breaks free from the Medusa Effect…

…but he’s not much help. This continues until…

Hey Frank, in 15 words or less, whose castle is this?

The show does a big finale (including everyone doing a chorus line)

…but unfortunately I can’t find a video clip, so you’ll have to imagine it. Ultimately, the production is shut down by Riff Raff.

(Thanks to Blues mama)

Frank then breaks into song about returning to Transylvania.

(Thanks to We do NOT deserve Keanu Reeves!)

Unfortunately, it turns out that the only way Frank is returning is in a body bag.

First one to scream gets it in the tits!

With Columbia now dead, Riff takes aim and fires on Frank, killing him. Rocky then runs to Frank’s body and attempts to carry it away.

CHEST! OF! STEEL!

Riff’s beam has little effect on Rocky as he shuffles away.

TRANSVESTITE! OF! STEEL!

Unfortunately, Rocky’s escape plan involved climbing the set, which collapses, killing him on impact.

TOWER! OF! PLASTIC!

With Frank and his closest companions dead, Riff announces that the castle is being transported to their homeworld, so unless Brad, Janet, and Dr. Scott want to come along…

Does this mean we can’t use the phone? Castles don’t have phones, asshole!

With that, the production blows the rest of its budget turning the castle into a rocket.

Now, depending on where/how you watch the film, you may or may not see the closing number. US video releases do not have it, but some US theatrical releases do. I include it for completeness.

(Thanks to fl00wy)

Hope you enjoyed this sexually deviant journey. I encourage all of you to find which of your local theaters is showing the film this Halloween and experience it for yourself.

DON’T DREAM IT! BE IT!

[over-fen-and-field]

End of year reading round-up! Woo-hoo!

My reading goal for 2023 was to read a book a week – while using very broad definitions of “book” (includes things like plays, novellas, and graphic novels), “read” (audiobooks and radio recordings count, not just written texts), and “week” (sometimes I read multiple short things in a week, sometimes it took me two or three weeks to get through a longer book).  I’m also defining “finished” as when I’m done with the book, but not necessarily when I’ve read every word on every page – I picked and chose chapters a bit from the essay collections, for example, and bounced off a few books halfway through if they just weren't for me or weren't for me at that time. Anything with an asterisk is a reread.  I have these roughly in chronological order of when I finished them, but I tended to be in the middle of several books at once and didn’t keep a good spreadsheet to keep track, so it’s a bit cobbled together from my memory and library records.  Also, please note that just because I read a book, doesn’t mean I agree with or endorse all or even most of the ideas in it.

The Ministry of the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson

Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler

New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson

The Lifecycle of Software Objects by Ted Chiang

Flight Behavior* by Barbara Kingsolver

The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making* by Catherine M Valente

Deerskin* by Robin McKinley

Holy Silence by J Brent Bill

You Don’t Have to be Wrong for Me to be Right by Brad Hirschfield

A Letter in the Scroll by Jonathan Sacks

Parable of the Talents by Octavia Butler

One Nation, Indivisible by Celene Ibrahim and Jennifer Howe Peace

Chalice* by Robin McKinley

Braiding Sweetgrass* by Robin Kimmerer

Dracula* by Bram Stoker

Hamlet* by Shakespeare

Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Here All Along by Sarah Hurwitz

This is Real and You Are Completely Unprepared by Alan Lew

The Scientist’s Guide to Writing by Stephen B Heard

Everything is God by Jay Michaelson

The Cooking Gene by Michael W. Twitty

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

The Poisonwood Bible* by Barbara Kingsolver

The Power of Ritual by Casper ter Kuile

Unsheltered* by Barbara Kingsolver

Pride and Prejudice* by Jane Austen

Cadillac Desert by Marc Reisner

No Cure for Being Human by Kate Bowler

Everything Happens for a Reason and Other Lies I’ve Loved by Kate Bowler

Jane Eyre* by Charlotte Bronte

Praying with Jane Eyre by Vanessa Zoltan

Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys

Barrel Fever by David Sedaris

When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris

Proverbs of Ashes by Rita Nakashima Brooks and Rebecca Ann Parker

The Splinter in the Sky by Kemi Ashing-Giwa

Staying with the Trouble* by Donna Haraway

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

The Incarnations by Susan Baker

Saving Paradise: How Christianity Traded Love of This World for Crucifixion and Empire by Rebecca Ann Parker and Rita Nakashima Brock

The Anthropocene Reviewed* by John Green

The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine by Rashid Khalidi

My Promised Land by Ari Shavit

This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

Enemies and Neighbours: Arabs and Jews in Palestine and Israel by Ian Black

Dragonflight* by Anne McCaffrey

The Masterharper of Pern* by Anne McCaffrey

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

A Peace to End All Peace by David Fromkin

Dragonsdawn* by Anne McCaffrey

Overall, I’m feeling pretty good about the list!  There are definitely some themes that pop up again and again, but there’s a nice mix of genres, fiction/nonfiction, length, tone, first-time reads and rereads, etc.  I haven’t set a formal goal for this coming year yet, but I’m hoping to get some off-the-beaten-path recommendations from friends for things that I wouldn’t otherwise have heard about – so, if you have any favorites, I’d love to hear about them!

[pterawaters]

Ptera's WIP List (6/2023)

Recently Posted

The Pelt (Complete) - Stranger Things, Steve/Chrissy, Werewolf AU, E rated, 1529 words

In Progress

Stranger Things

Hold on to Your Heart (WIP, 11/15 chapters posted, 12 written) - The older teen polycule, Jonathan/Argyle, Eddie/Chrissy, Steve/Nancy, Robin/Nancy, Steve/Eddie, Argyle/Eden, E rated, 59k

Post S4 Stoncy (editing, will post for @julybreakbingo), Stoncy, T rated, 8k

Demogorgon Steve (WIP, 7 of 9-ish chapters written) - Steve/Demogorgon, horror/body modification, some noncon, E rated, 30k so far, might finish up for julybreakbingo

Wrong Bed Coffee Shop AU (WIP, my main julybreakbingo fic) - Chrissy/Steve, Steve/Nancy, Jonathan/Nancy, Jonathan/Chrissy/Steve/Nancy, aged up, pregnancy, E rated, 21k so far, maybe 40k when it's done?

King Steve - Steve takes on a greater protector role starting in S1, 6k, not sure where it’s going exactly, but I'm not ready to abandon it

Wednesday

The Beast in my Bones (#3 of When is a monster not a monster?) - Tyler/Xavier, Xavier & Wednesday, eventual Wednesday/Tyler/Xavier, season 1 rewrite with Xavier as the Hyde's master, 13k and 3/~6 chapters? I need an outline for the rest

Original Works

"The Cave" - a 7.5k fic that will be included in a future anthology put out by Duck Prints Press, more info to come

Overnight - Magnolia Way book #3 (polyam/bisexual MCs), 25k, Coming Soon! (beta readers needed!)

A call from his dad ruins Brad Shepard’s plans for a relaxing weekend off work. He has to pick up his high school memorabilia collection from his dad’s place before Monday if he wants to save it from the dump. Time for an eight-hour road trip! Brad’s boyfriend, Sean, tags along for moral support. Along the way, a flat tire leads to an argument that threatens their relationship.

With the boys gone for the night, April and Jaime decide to throw a sleepover with April’s friend Nisha, the cute college girl from across the hall. Despite a rocky start, Nisha and Jaime get along better than April could’ve hoped. A night of movies, snacks, Truth or Dare, and karaoke ensues, though they’ve got to keep it down to avoid a visit from their cranky, homophobic landlord.

Moving day rewrite - Magnolia Way book #1, 14k of about 20, I felt like I could make some vast improvements with a rewrite, so I’m working on it!

Phase shift - Nyctophobia book #1, 99k, Sci-fi novel about a small-town family fighting interdimensional aliens and the government trying to cover up the invasion. In revisions.

Inertia - Nyctophbia book #2, 80k, I have about 15-18k left I think. I focused on this one a lot during Nov 2022 Nanowrimo and April 2023 Camp Nano, but I haven't worked on it much since. I could use some cheer readers, if anyone wants to read it and help me wrangle the ending.

"Many Hands" - I submitted a pitch for a polyam erotica anthology and I'm waiting to hear back if I got in!

GYWO Progress

My pledge for Get Your Words Out this year was 350k. Currently I'm at 165k, right about where I should be to reach my goal by the end of the year.

[sshbpodcast]

Top 3 Star Trek Voyager characters

By Ames

We’re inching ever closer to the end of Voyager on our watchthrough over on the A Star to Steer Her By podcast, so we’re starting to wrap up the show here on the blog as well. You saw us do it earlier with The Original Series, The Next Generation, and Deep Space Nine, so we won’t disappoint. Here are our favorite minor and one-off characters from Star Trek: Voyager.

And you know what? There are so many good ones that we barely had any overlap! The show really does a good job in creating new characters from the Delta Quadrant who are original, relatable, and intriguing. Some of these will seem familiar because they probably came up in some of our season wrap posts or other blogtivities, but we’ve got more to say about them here! Grab a seat in the mess hall, check out our faves below, and listen to our banter on this week’s podcast episode. The real voyage was the friendships we made along the way.

[Images © CBS/Paramount]

Caitlin – I’ve grown accustomed to your face

Barclay

Icheb

Q2

Caitlin’s kicking us off this week with some characters that really grow on you over the course of their stay on the show. While we may not have always been onboard with him in TNG, Barclay comes into his own in Voyager when he gives himself a purpose that is commendable, watchable, and perpetually successful. We’re also big fans of the understated, nerdy, and traumatized Icheb and the more he showed up, the better he got. And Q2 came so far in his eponymous episode that we couldn’t help coming around for him and his journey!

—

Chris – Stick around, why don’t ya?

Quinn

Danara Pel

Mezoti

Boy do we wish we could have kept these characters around, and their episodes teased us all over the place with whether they would continue existing or not. We have opposite conclusions between Quinn and Danara Pel, the former opting heartbreakingly to end his existence despite the crew’s well-made arguments otherwise, and the latter being convinced by the doctor to keep going even after a taste of life without the Phage. And finally Mezoti, our favorite child character hands down, we’ve discussed at length already.

—

Jake – A few good dead men

Tuvix

Telek R’Mor

Gotana-Retz

Jake has a habit of picking characters who just want to do the ethical thing and get martyred for it, like Jarok in TNG and Marritza in DS9. And he’s done it again! Tuvix, for instance, becomes a beloved crewmember who just wants the opportunity to live in the extremely thought-provoking episode of the same name. Our Romulan friend from the past chooses to trust the Voyager, but his fate has already been sealed. And Gotana-Retz saves the ship from his fast-moving people after learning more about what’s really going on in his sped-up life.

—

Ames – Resistance is not futile?

Lon Suder

Mezoti

One

My three characters all learn to overcome their programming (sorta; you try coming up with themes) to become better, more lovable people. I’m probably entirely biased because I’m so easily swayed by Brad Dourif’s amazing performance, but Lon Suder is also just plain fascinating! And by his second appearance, he’s put in so much work into changing that it’s even more fascinating! Again, I’ll laud our amazing droneling Mezoti, and raise you one One to boot because I just can’t help but love it when Borg characters find their humanity.

— You probably picked up the pattern by now, but this means we’ve got Voyager villains on the docket for next week, so definitely make sure you’re following along so you don’t miss that. Also don’t miss the couple more episodes of Voyager watchthrough coverage over on SoundCloud or wherever you listen to podcasts, tell us who your faves are over on Facebook and Twitter, and don’t provoke the Borg.

[guyawks]

Try Taking the Fall

To normal citizens, it’s just a plain high-rise construction site. 

But to us parkourists, the towering network of beams and cement before us is a high-stakes, high-thrill obstacle course.

“Chase, are you sure this is a good parkour spot?” asks Tess, staring up at it with the others in our group. “That’s gotta be at least…”

“...50 stories? Damn right!” I interject energetically. “I’m the leader of the best parkour crew in the city. If you wusses can’t handle the big league then go home.”

“But Chase, what about…you know?” chimes in Skye. “She’s just a beginner.”

I look back at the group’s newest member and cackle. Chubby and uncoordinated, Bonnie certainly doesn’t belong in our elite crew. But when she asked me to join back at campus, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see a fatty embarrass herself.

“Serves Miss Piggy right for tagging along” I snicker.

With that, the nine of us cross the construction yard and begin scaling the ladder to the metallic tower, ascending it floor by floor. Finally, we reach the start-zone near the top. As the group branches out across the crossbeams, preparing to make our descent, Bonnie pipes up. 

“I-I’m really sorry but I d-don’t know if I can do this, Ch-chase” she stammers, her eyes flitting down at the drop below. “I-’ve d-done parkour before but…this l-looks really advanced…what if I f-fall?”

I smirk dismissively.

“I dunno, try taking the fall? You’ve got plenty of padding, you’ll bounce back.”

Bonnie’s face turns bright red as the rest of the crew shoots me daggers.

“Aww come on, I’m kidding! She’ll be fine. Now everyone, let’s go!”

Our group sets off, leaping across the floor gaps in a synchronized procession, bounding around obstacles like panthers. It feels so good to be in our element, just a crew of athletic acrobats moving-

“Aaaaaaaagh!”

Suddenly, a petrified scream shatters my zen. I look back in time to see Bonnie slipping from a beam, plummeting all the way down to the hard ground hundreds of meters below.

An expression of utmost horror appears on the face of everyone there. The stunned silence continues as we make our way down to the ground and approach her body. And that’s when the rest of the group finally speak.

“Chase, you murderer…you pushed her!” shrieks Tess.

“We all saw you push her, Chase!” shouts Skye.

“I’m calling 911 about Chase pushing Bonnie!” yells Brad.

I feel my heart drop in panic as, one by one, my friends falsely accuse me of pushing Bonnie to her death.

“Why are you all lying?” I sob, confused. “You know it was an accident. What do you want from me?!”

As the group faces me, I finally see years of resentment flash in their eyes for the way I treated people. Then they answer.

“Try taking the fall.”  

[murder-drones-sidelines-official]

Murder Drones: Sidelines

Meet the misfits #1

Living underground never really bothered me. It was safe, there was plenty of room, and I had my own room to myself. Everything was pretty alright…well, until something happened with the Doorman colony.

Oh! I should introduce myself, sorry, my name is Lui.

[Lui POV]

I am a worker drone, and while I don’t remember anything about the humans of copper-09, I do know somewhat about earth and its history. Humans can write so well for a species that likes to blow itself up, their books are fun to read through. Wait- I’m getting off track, here’s why I’m writing this. Recently, after something involving the purple haired girl from the other colony, Uzi I think, and her murder drone friends had that ended with the planet falling apart only to pull back together, we all began searching topside again. Some moved out to live up there, for some reason, while others simply wanted to explore. And I was one of the explorer types. If only I knew where it would have led me. I was exploring this frozen lake, the ice somehow not being shattered by the global incident that had occurred not too long ago, when I came across something that made me nearly blue screen out of pure fear. There, climbing out of a hole in the ground, was a new disassembly drone! The first thing I noticed was the green scribbles badly covering his yellow accents, but the X over his visor as he spotted me told me he wasn’t planning anything friendly. I turned and attempted to run, completely forgetting that I was on ice, and I ended up visor first on the ground. I groaned as the crack across my screen let out a small sparking sound as I rolled to my back and faced my impending doom. I closed my eyes to brace for the claws that he read revealed and…nothing happened. After a moment I heard him…speak?

“Psst…hey. Are you dead?” The murder drone spoke.

“...uh...n-no...? I uh ...” I barely replied, unsure how to feel about the situation I found myself in.

“Oh. Well good, I would’ve been so disappointed if the first drone I ran into just dropped dead on sight. I mean, even if I were planning to tear you apart, that would’ve just taken the fun out of it.” He replied, his words making me worry for my safety while simultaneously questioning his sanity.

“…o-oh…well…I’m happy to…not d-disappoint you..?” I hesitantly replied, slowly getting to my feet.

The murder drone just laughed at my words and put an arm around me, causing me to flinch and let out a yelp. “You’re different. I like that about you, you would be fun prey.” he said, as I was suddenly feeling very uncomfortable having his arm around me.

“H-heh…yeah…” I reply hesitantly, wriggling out of his grasp and taking step back, getting a weird look from the murder drone.

“…ohhh you’re scared, ain’t ya? ha! Don’t worry buddy, I’m not gonna kill ya. I would’ve done so already if I wanted to. Naaah I’m just happy to be out of that hole in the ground, and to be in a body again! Y’know, glass jars are super uncomfortable.” The murder drone rambled on, I simply nodded my head along to everything he said.

“I uh…I see. W-well I should probably get going…back home. It was nice meeting you, mr…murder drone..?” I said as I slowly stepped away from him. but alas, I was not so lucky, as he was suddenly next to me with his arm around me once again. I feel like he doesn’t know what personal space is.

“The Name’s Serial Designation B, but I prefer Brad. Say, how about I come back with you n’ hang around your people? I promise to only kill those you don’t care about losing. Honest!” The mur...I mean Brad, said as he put a clawed hand on his chest to show he was swearing on it.

“I...g-guess you could come with..? If you d-don’t mind getting stared at…and seeing other murder drones..” I replied reluctantly, trying my best to inch away from Brad.

Brad’s claws changed back to regular hands as he clapped them together, suddenly lifting me off my feet. “Great! Here, let’s take a shortcut!” He said as we were suddenly flying through the air back to the bunker. The whole time, I was screaming in absolute fear. I am not familiar nor am I comfortable with being so high up or moving so fast! I think I’m gonna throw up!

[Brad POV]

Alright, guess it’s my turn to continue the story! How fun, where do I start! Firstly I’m serial designation B(rad), my colors were always green and anyone who says otherwise is a liar, aaaand I’m the funniest out of all the disassembly drones. Buuut anyways, on with the story!

So now we’re flyin’ through the sky towards this dork’s home, and man he will NOT stop screaming! I don’t get it, if we’re gonna be an iconic Duo then he’s gotta get used to flying pretty quick. Eventually this guy calms down as I take us above the clouds, luckily it wasn’t day otherwise we woulda had an Icarus situation on our hands (whoever the hell Icarus is, sounds like a real loser). I guess the sight of the night sky above us, along with the rushing clouds below us, calmed him down enough to at least stop screaming. From the glances I took, he looked absolutely starstruck from the sight and honestly…It was one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen, this dork looks like a puppy getting his first chew toy! So of course, I try spicing up the moment with a couple barrel rolls! He…didn’t appreciate it much, but I did hear a chuckle escape his lips (despite how nervous it sounded, still a win!). Anyways, after that achievement I decide to dive straight down, y’know just for the thrill, to which the dork also didn’t appreciate. When we landed, he was shaking like a leaf and gripping on my back like a baby sloth. Seriously, this guy’s adorable. If all worker drones are like this, I may need to find a new diet. But yeah, we landed right outside what I was guessing was his bunker. So the Little guy climbs off my back and stumbles over to the door on those shaky noodle legs like a baby giraffe, I was kinda tempted to nudge him n’ see if he’d fall over…but I didn’t! But yeah while we’re walkin’ up to the bunker door, lil’ dude decides to turn to me and say something I wasn’t expecting.

“…h-hey. thanks for…n-not killing me and all..” lil’ dude says, and I’m just completely caught off guard ‘cause this guy has seemed like any sudden move on my part would make him explode.

“Oh? yeah no problem, dork. And quit with the shiverin’ like a wet dog, I already told ya I ain’t gonna hurt you or anybody you like.” I tell ‘em, which...doesn’t fully stop his fearful shaking but it did seem to help him chill out some more.

“Y-yeah, I know…I just c-can’t help but be a little scared, you know..?” He replies, and I’ll be honest…that kinda made me realize just how bad we messed up these guys. Like, I’m out here bein’ as nice as possible and he’s STILL terrified of me. Damn...we really are the worst, eh?

“…yeaah I can understand why. I mean, we didn’t exactly drop outta the sky with hugs n’ rainbows at the ready.” I tell the little man, which gets a genuine laugh out of him. They never told us disassembly drones this, but Damn it feels good to be…good.

“T-that’s true...listen, I s-still may be scared of you...but I think I actually...trust you somewhat? I m-mean, you haven’t killed me...yet..” he tells me, and I’ll admit that hit me in the feels. I felt a big smile come across my face and I placed a hand on his head, givin’ his dorky hard hat head a couple pats.

Man I’m so good at this friendship thing, and they said I would never make any friends. Suck It, JCJenson!

So yeah, we enter the bunker finally and the door opens. I see the little guy avoid eye contact and avoid the drones at the door, so I’m guessin’ he I doesn’t care much for these ones. I think about gettin’ a quick snack from these suckers, but nah. I only just got here, no need to start trouble already. I follow behind Lui and…I already lost track of him. Huh, he’s surprisingly good at disappearing. Welp, I guess I’ll just have to get comfy around all these new faces and that other disassembly drone…wait what???

[TO BE CONTINUED...]

Master post | Next [coming soon]