#I've never been so thrown for a loop in a conversation before

[hero-is-back]

My mom: so are you a lesbian now?

Me, aroace transmasc dating another very queer very not cis person:

[hard-core-super-star]

frequency of all we know... [H.Steinfeld]

pairing: hailee steinfeld x reader

summary: you and your girlfriend share an intimate moment during the Vanity Fair afterparty.

wordcount: 1.7k

warnings: completely over the place writing, suggestive themes [aka one (1) bathroom makeout session], boyfriend!hailee, the term clingy [but not meant in a bad way], me desperately trying to manifest an oliva rodrigo x hailee steinfeld collab.

a/n: i can't believe i've had this account for a year and the thing that made me finally post was this damn gif of hailee and eiza. this entire fic was inspired by this tweet and it's also been playing on loop in my brain since i first saw it. [shoutout to this post as well] might mess around and post more fics soon but idk, we'll see. enjoy!

* * * * * * *

You always knew your girlfriend had some borderline clingy tendencies.

Whether it was holding your hand wherever you went, or wrapping her arms around your waist whenever she got the chance, she always had to be touching you in some way. You never minded the contact, you actually found it really endearing, but it was getting harder and harder to hide your relationship with how touchy you two always are with each other.

Whenever you two were spotted at the same event together, her fandom would collectively lose their mind, posting picture after picture and talking about how cute you two are. But of course, the fan reaction wasn't all positive, and as much as you hated to admit it, the hate you received for your close relationship with Hailee weighed heavy on your mind.

It didn't matter how many times your girlfriend told you she didn't care about anyone's opinion or how close she held you to her, the hate followed you around like a rabid dog.

You knew her fans were right, she could do so much better than you. She deserves so much more than you could ever give her. Hailee is a goddess sent from the heavens and you're just…you. Plain old you.

Your girlfriend clearly doesn't care about any of those thoughts and opinions though, judging by the way her hands have been gripping your waist all night.

You originally didn't want to go to the Vanity Fair post-Oscar party. As much as you love going to events with Hailee, you really weren't in the mood to spend the entire night looking over your shoulder, making sure your relationship stayed a secret.

That all changed, however, when she asked you to go with her, giving you the most adorable puppy-dog eyes in the process and making it impossible to say no. (Not that you've ever been good at saying no to her.)

So you agreed, albeit reluctantly, to accompany her which led to you spending most of the night pretending like you don’t notice all the looks and the questions thrown your way as Hailee keeps you close to her.

She was subtle at first.

Only casually brushing your hands together while you stood next to each other or subtly wrapping an arm around your waist while you were talking with someone who was standing a little too close to you but as the night dragged on, her borderline possessive clinginess started showing more and more.

You had been glued at the hip the entire night until Eiza convinced her to go ask Billie to introduce them to Olivia Rodrigo. She had asked if you wanted to go with them but you declined the offer, wanting her to spend time with her friends without you hovering. (You did make her promise to bring up the idea for a potential collab to Olivia before she left though.)

And now you’re here, keeping Zoey company and trying not to freak out about the fact that Cate Blanchett and Sarah Paulson are in the same room as you.

Zoey's in the middle of a story, something about a recent audition she went to, her eyes are trained on you. At some point in the conversation, her hand had landed on your arm and it still hadn't left.

You didn't pay much attention to that detail as you struggled to keep up with her story.

You lean in closer in an attempt to hear her better and that's when Hailee walks back toward you.

“Do you mind if I steal y/n from you real quick?”

Your shoulders immediately relax the moment your eyes meet hers. She doesn’t wait for a response from Zoey, her hand reaching out for you. You take it without hesitation, muttering a half-assed apology to the other girl.

If she notices the possessiveness in Hailee’s movements she doesn’t react, she just gives you a little wave as Hailee drags you away. You swear you see the ghost of a smirk on her face but it's probably just a trick of the lights.

You let your girlfriend lead the way and she pulls you into a private bathroom. You barely have enough time to blink before she's closing the door behind you and pushing you against it.

“Have I told you how gorgeous you look today, baby?” She asks, her voice soft as she looks down into your y/e/c eyes.

“You have,” you reply as you wrap your arms around her neck. “But I wouldn’t mind hearing it again.”

She smiles and you swear your knees buckle a little at the sight. "You are the most stunning sight I've ever seen…especially when you're in my clothes."

Her eyes trail down from your eyes to the rest of your body, her smile growing the slightest bit as her hands land on your waist. Her thumbs draw small circles there as she messes with the fabric of her oversized coat.

You had made a small comment about how you were cold earlier in the night and Hailee had wasted no time in throwing her coat over your shoulders. You assured her it wasn't necessary but she insisted and well…you can't deny how much you love wearing her clothes.

Especially when she looks at you like that while you’re in them.

"Always the charmer, aren't you, Lee?"

A small chuckle escapes her mouth at the sound of the nickname. "Only with you, my love."

"Are you sure about that? Because your fans are convinced you have heart-eyes for someone else."

"They're a little slow," she says while she leans in a little closer. "But I have faith in them."

Whatever witty reply you were about to say dies in your throat the second she connects her lips to yours. You pull her closer, letting the taste of her overwhelm your senses.

You could spend an eternity kissing her and it still wouldn't be enough. No matter how much time you spend with her, you’re always craving more of her.

You would feel weird about that if it weren’t for the fact that Hailee clearly feels the same way about you.

“Hailee…” Your hands grip tightly onto her shoulders as she trails a path of kisses down your jaw. “They’re gonna start looking for us if we don’t go right now.”

She ignores your words, her lips moving onto your neck and you gasp as you feel her teeth against your skin. Every other thought leaves your mind as your back arches into her touch.

"You're mine." Her words are mumbled against your neck and the low tone in which she says them sets your body ablaze.

Despite your body's reaction to her words, you can't help but give in to the urge to tease her. "If this is because of Zoey…I’m pretty sure she has a boyfriend.”

“Yeah? Well, so do you.”

“Oh my God.” Your head hits the door with a soft ‘thud'.

She pulls away from your neck, her eyes searching for yours. “Was that too much?”

Your heart flutters a little at the soft traces of worry on her face. You shake your head while one of your hands moves to cup her cheek, your thumb moving back and forth on her warm skin. “That was perfect…you’re perfect.”

The corners of her mouth lift up into the most breathtaking smile you’ve ever seen. "You read my mind, baby."

She leans in and you meet her halfway. You all but melt against her and you quickly decide that kissing her is much more important than whatever people have to say about the two of you.

"Let's go home," you mumble against her lips. "Fuck the party."

She pulls away slightly. "Oh, I'm definitely thinking of fucking something right now."

Her words send a small shiver down your spine. As much as you would love for her to have her way with you right now, you'd much rather it be in the comfort of your own home.

"We're leaving." You try to sound assertive but your voice comes out a little too breathless for that. "Now."

She raises an eyebrow at you, clearly amused by your attempted dominance. You expect her to make a teasing remark but she doesn't. Instead, she gives you one last kiss before taking one of your hands in hers and dragging you out of the bathroom.

If your friends notice the hickey on your neck, they make no comments about it. Probably more than used to Hailee's (not so subtle) possessive antics.

Her arm remains wrapped tightly around your waist as the two of you wait outside of the venue for your driver to show up, making small talk with Eiza and Billie to pass the time.

You're too busy playfully arguing with Billie about convincing Olivia to collab with Hailee to notice your girlfriend's movement.

It's not until you feel her chin on your shoulder that you realize she's fully wrapped you up in her arms. You smile as you place your hands on top of hers, your fingers messing with one of her rings.

"Y'all are too cute, what the hell?" Billie turns to Eiza. "You seeing this bullshit?"

"Don't sound so jealous, sweetheart," you tease her.

"Oh, fuck off."

You spend the next few minutes joking around with your friends, your girlfriend's arms wrapped securely around you. You're blissfully unaware of the paparazzi across the street capturing the moment.

It's not until you see Hailee's name trending on Twitter the next morning that you realize the two of you caused quite the splash online.

You show your phone to your girlfriend as the two of you lay on her bed, your head resting on her chest. "Your manager is going to kill you."

All she does is laugh while her fingers draw small circles on your bare waist. "Totally worth it."

[sneverussape]

ripple effect

i have evans!severus on the brain so am clearing out some of the old drafts i've had. :)

@greens-your-color prompt # 81 - FOUND

summary: In which Harry and Kathleen Evans are thrown for a loop when their eldest daughter was supposed to have gone out to buy things for supper but instead comes back with a child which she may or may not have kidnapped.

wc: 2123+ cw: child abandonment and neglect and its possible effects (mainly food insecurity)

--

Harry Evans was rarely out of his depth.

He was an engineer by trade, and so most of the hours of his day involved maths, and he liked that because maths was absolute. There was no problem at work that running the numbers couldn’t resolve. He was a fixer at his core; he provided solutions, and the people he had to tell them to generally always agreed with his recommendations. His life from 8AM to 5PM was routine and predictable, he got paid reasonably well for it, and best of all, he always knew what he was supposed to be doing.

But parenting? Parenting was another matter altogether.

-

Harry Evans tried not to stare at the boy Petunia had dragged through the front door half an hour before supper. Instead, he trained his eyes at the muddy footprints they’d tracked on the runner in the hall and made a mental note to clean it before Kit saw.

“Hello, Pet. Will your friend stay for supper?” he asked. Gentle tones always worked for his eldest daughter; it wouldn’t do to work her into the defensive early in the conversation.

Petunia, to her credit, looked remorseless but furious. At what exactly, he couldn’t tell.

“He’s not my friend,” she said vehemently. “But Dad, I caught him stealing from the grocer and Mr. Hannigan was angry and grabbed him and made me lose the money and…and he’s got no place to go right now, I think.”

Harry took the opportunity to study the boy in front of him. He was small and grubby and looked more like a stray puppy than a child. He had never seen him before in his life and sincerely hoped Petunia had not snatched away the poor little blighter without their parents knowing.

“You think?” Harry echoed carefully. There was a slow-growing terror pooling in his gut at the possibility of Petunia having taken away somebody’s child in a fit of social justice. His guardians could be out of their minds with worry. He had just sent her out for butter and eggs not even an hour past, for God’s sake. He had mincemeat ready and waiting on the counter for that night’s supper. The possibility of her not coming back with the ingredients he needed and instead being presented with a strange boy with an even stranger backstory had not been on his list of expected rational outcomes.

“Darling…” He fought to keep his voice calm. “Darling, where are his parents?”

Who is he? was the question he really wanted to ask but he had already glimpsed back at the boy several times, and had seen fear in the wide eyes that had seemed too big for his small face before they shifted to glare downwards at the carpet. He couldn’t have been more than…four years old? He was smaller than Lily, but had a nervous air about him, and Harry didn’t want to frighten him further. Instead, he trained his eyes on his daughter, who was seemingly intent on giving him a full report.

“They weren’t there.” Petunia frowned in blatant disapproval. “He’s always alone. I see him sometimes, when I take Lily to the playground. He wears the same clothes over and over.”

Interesting.

Harry turned his attention now on the boy, who still had his chin practically tucked into his chest. Petunia had a firm grip on his hand, but hadn’t pulled away at any point in the strange conversation they’d been having. There was a little bit of trust there, then. Or perhaps he was really only just scared?

“Hello there,” Harry peered at him, taking the chance to look at the boy in earnest. He was wearing at least three layers of t-shirts over torn jeans, which wouldn’t have been enough to keep him warm. His thin arms were covered in goosebumps and there was dirt underneath his fingernails. The boy was simply too young to be fending for himself but the longer Harry looked the more it seemed that that was the actuality of the situation. Concern for the boy’s well-being suddenly made his gut churn. “What’s your name?”

The boy didn’t answer and remained standing stock-still.

“His name’s Severus….”

That seemed to get the boy’s attention, and he glared up at Petunia when he heard his name, as though annoyed that she had even known, or had dared to tell an adult. She gave him a glare of equal proportions.

“Oh, don’t look at me like that. I saved you! I saw you stealing from right under Mr. Hannigan’s nose and he nearly throttled you. I had to lie to him!” she said, sounding affronted not at the near-throttling but at the lying. She turned back to her father. “I had to pay for it with the money you gave me, Dad, I’m sorry, but it was the only way we could go. I didn’t want him to call the police!”

“All right, calm down. I’m sure whatever the issue is with Mr. Hannigan, we can resolve it…” Harry said. He made a mental note to expect a call from Mr. Hannigan, possibly tomorrow. The old grocer was cantankerous on his best days and Harry doubted that he would let that sort of incident go easily. The last thing he needed was to be reported to the council…

“…And then Severus all made the lights in the store explode.”

Harry blinked, wondering if he’d heard wrong. At her words, Severus’ head shot up once more, this time betrayal evident on his face.

“I din’t mean it!” he cried. His dark eyes shone with unshed tears as he looked frantically between Petunia and Harry. “He grabbed me an’ it hurt, then I felt kinda hot and then all the lights went boom!”

Ah. He’d heard right then. Petunia nodded as though to confirm the story and Harry rubbed at his temple to ward off the headache that had built up within the past minute.

“It’s like Lily, Dad.” Petunia sounded more unsure now, and Harry all at once knew why she had thought it was best to just grab the boy and go. “When she does…things. He did it too, and I was scared. I didn’t want him to run away and get into even more trouble, and he doesn’t even have a coat! So, I brought him here.”

Bugger his headache, it had come on fast. He didn’t know where to how to process the information Petunia had just given him. He needed an aspirin. He needed to start dinner. He needed to find out who and where the boy’s parents were and to call them. He needed…

“Harry?” Kit’s voice sounded from the stairs. “Is Petunia back? I heard a commotion…whatever is this mess on the carpet?!”

Harry smiled in spite of himself. Kit always did have impeccable timing.

-

Supper that night was takeaway fish and chips from the corner store which he volunteered to get just so he could take a moment to let the buzzing in his head settle. He left the children with Kit, trusting her to be able to wheedle some more information out of Severus that he wouldn’t have been able to say in front of Harry.

By the time he’d come back, Kit had not only managed to find out a few more things about their young guest but also had been able to convince him to wear one of Lily’s old dressing gowns. Severus looked slightly warmer, if not a smidge uncomfortable. Lily sat beside him at the dining room table and attempted conversation. He didn’t respond but did manage to finish the portion of fish, chips, and mushy peas they had served him. Harry pretended not to notice when he saw Severus cramming a handful of Lily’s own chips into the pockets of his dressing gown when she wasn’t looking.

“Ok, Severus,” Kit’s tone was low and gentle, almost as though she was talking to a skittish colt. After supper they had sent Petunia and Lily to the sitting room to watch TV. It was really so that they could have a modicum of privacy, but Harry didn’t put it past either of his daughters to be listening in on the conversation from the other side of the door. “Could you tell Harry what you told me a little while ago?”

Severus frowned. “Abou’ what?”

“Well, your Da for instance. Is he at work?”

At this, Severus seemed to wilt. “I…dunno. I haven’t seen him.”

“How long?”

“Couple o’ weeks now. He went out one day and never came back.”

The statement triggered alarm bells within Harry. Was he hearing correctly? He threw a concerned look at Kit who raised her eyebrows at him. It gets worse, her expression said.

“Where did he go, Severus? Did he tell you anything before he left?” Harry asked. “Where are you staying?”

“Spinner’s End.”

That was the community across the river, where a lot of the factory laborers lived in. It was a hodgepodge area that had a less-than-rosy reputation and was always in danger of being eradicated completely.

The slums, Harry’s brain had stated for him, unhelpfully. He fought to keep his expression neutral to not distress Severus any further.

“If it’s all right with you, you can stay here for the night, or as long as you need, really,” Harry forced out a smile that he hoped wouldn’t frighten the boy. He resisted touching him, although he wanted very badly to gather the poor mite for a hug. He couldn’t imagine how terrified the poor child was, being in a strange house with people he didn’t know. If he had been in the boy’s shoes, as young and vulnerable as he was, he likely would have already wet himself.

Severus, to his credit, only gave him a solemn nod.

“Will…will ye help me find my Da?” he asked, his voice small as his fingers fidgeted in what seemed to be an unconscious manner. The sound of brittle hope in his tone coupled by the air of ready defeat should he be rejected tore Harry’s heart to pieces.

This was a child. How could anyone abandon their own child? And how long had Severus been wandering about, fending for himself by stealing from stores, and asking other adults to help him, only to be rejected? What world was he living in where people could readily abandon their own flesh and blood when they had only barely learned to put their own clothes on? He doubted Severus could even already tie his own shoes.

Harry wondered if the boy’s father was still even alive and he hoped, rather bitterly, that he wasn’t if only because that was the only explanation that he was willing to accept why he had left his son vulnerable to the fates. Anything other than that ruled him out as a cold-hearted bastard and no, Harry was not going to apologise for it.

“We will look for him,” Harry said. He was careful not to make any promises they couldn’t keep. He could, at the very least, look for Severus’ errant father. He vowed to himself that the man would not know a day of peace if he ever found him. “What was your last name?”

“Snape.” Severus said curtly. “Me Da’s Tobias.”

Tobias Snape. That was a start. Harry Evans slowly uncurled the fist he hadn’t realized he’d clenched on his lap.

“And you can stay here while we do, all right? You’re very welcome in our home, Severus. You can stay for as long as you want to.” He repeated his previous offer for good measure, but changing his words slightly so as to ease him into the notion that he had a choice in the matter. The boy nodded again, but was no less fidgety than before.

“Are you still hungry, Severus?” Kit asked, leaning forward so that they were speaking in near-whispers. Bless his wife’s heart. He could already see that Severus was far more comfortable with her than he realized. “It’s all right, you can eat more if you want, we have plenty of food.”

“No, miss, thank ye,” Severus said softly, although his eyes were on Petunia’s half-eaten cod. Harry felt his heart twinge at the sight.

“Why don’t you help us clear up then?” he said, standing up and tugging on Kit’s sleeve as he went. Thankfully, Kit was always sharp as a tack. “Mrs. Evans and I will go to the kitchen for a moment and then we can all gather the plates and things. You can stay here if you like.”

Severus nodded more eagerly this time, and Harry led Kit out to the kitchen, away from the boy’s line of sight. He reached out and squeezed her hand as they stood under the fluorescent lighting in silence. She squeezed back and Harry counted to thirty in his head.

When they returned to the dining room, Severus was still in his seat, but all the plates had been picked clean. He looked immensely proud of himself and smiled when they approached.

“I’ll help now,” he said, the dressing gown’s pockets overfull as he stood, and Harry smiled at him back.

end.

--

related fic: this much i know is true, when tobias meets severus again

all evans!severus content are tagged. click the link to see the tag. :)

[sorrelchestnut]

working title: jailbird cont'd

Previously on: “Hello, old friend,” said Enver Gortash hoarsely, after a moment. “Come to gloat?”

Flynn took a long time to answer him - long enough that Astarion, lurking some feet away in an awkward dance between his desire to give them privacy and his own bright-burning curiosity, went from awkwardness, to intense discomfort, and looped back around to amusement.  He certainly wouldn't want to be on the other end of that eerie white-flame gaze, but if the former archduke found the experience discomfiting, he was hiding it well.  He only studied Flynn in return with surprising equanimity, as if he were still standing triumphant in his coronation hall instead of chained to a rock in a pestilent prison cell.

"I'm not much of one for gloating, actually," Flynn said eventually, as if nearly three full minutes hadn't passed between question and answer.  "Was I before?"

"Not particularly," Gortash assured him, with no trace of smugness for his victorious staring contest.  "But you are, after all, a changed man.  I'd hate to make assumptions."

Flynn's lips drew back slightly, baring the tips of his fangs.  To an unobservant eye, it might have passed for a smile.  "Quick enough to make assumptions the first time."

"And look how well that turned out for me."  The twist of Gortash's manacled hand indicating his surroundings was lightly sardonic; his voice, even more so.  "I do try not to make the same mistake twice."

"It could have been worse," Flynn offered, leaning against the wall.  Astarion despaired of the streaks of filth that immediately transferred themselves to once-shining plate.  "You could be dead."

"Near enough, my friend," Gortash said, and his gaze didn't stray beyond Flynn to where Astarion was doing his best to pretend he wasn't listening, but Astarion could feel the brief shift of his attention, anyway.  "So what does bring you to my humble abode, if I might venture to ask?  I am, as you can see, quite at your leisure."

It would be a bad idea to laugh at that, not least because he was so clearly angling for one.  Astarion almost did it anyway.

Flynn didn't seem likewise inclined; his momentary good humor had fled at Gortash's question, leaving only the edging tension that had been riding him all day.  "The Lost City of Or'dol," he said flatly.  "You know it?"

"Ye-es?"  Clearly this particular conversational feint came as a surprise: Gortash drew the syllable out expectantly, brow creased in puzzlement.  "I've had that dubious pleasure.  Or more accurately I should say we, as we went there together."

"I don't remember."

"Believe me, I am exquisitely aware."  Gortash frowned up at him; for a moment it was as if he forgot his chains, his bars, his situation entirely, so lost was he in whatever curious clockwork workings passed for his mind.  "What interest could you possibly have in that moldering ruin?  We already retrieved the only treasure of note, I can assure you.  And if you fancy a stroll down memory lane, I have much more stimulating ventures to recount."

"Do you know how to get there or not."

"I do, though I confess you were ever the more skilled navigator between us.  But no, this isn't your interest, is it?  My poor human eyes aren't so frail as to miss your new decoration."

Flynn's gauntleted hand came up to cover the sigil emblazoned on his chest, reflexively protective. "That's none of your business."

"Of course not, dear boy, but that's never stopped me before," Gortash said, almost absently.  His dark eyes seemed nearly alight with something like avarice.  "How does your lord father feel about your new allegiance, I wonder?  Thrown over for the god he deposed, now that's got to sting."

"No less than a tyrant's fall."  Flynn's hoarse voice, never particularly mellifluous, went flat as a still lake.  "Perhaps if either of our former masters ever reckoned with the fact that their apotheosis was nothing more than an accident of a god's boredom, they might stop making quite so many arrogant mistakes."

"An interesting heresy," Gortash said lightly, but Astarion could hear a hint of strain in his beautiful voice.  "I shall have to ponder it further, as with all your trenchant wisdom.  But we were speaking of a favor, were we not?  Information you no longer have, in exchange for…"

A muscle flexed in Flynn's jaw, a brief ripple of spines.  "I didn't come here to negotiate."

"No?  Then more fool you, because I don't make a habit of giving anything for free."

"You seemed eager enough to share in your power before."

"I spoke of an alliance, dear fellow, which is another matter entirely.  And one you somewhat unambiguously rejected, I feel obliged to note, so we are left with lesser bargains.  In which vein I must therefore ask: what, precisely, are you prepared to offer?"

And Flynn… hesitated, for the first time since he'd walked into this building, and in his hesitation he looked to Astarion.  For what, Astarion wasn't entirely sure: he'd thought he'd gotten so good at reading the thoughts that crossed that scaled and sinuous face, until they'd lost their tadpoles and he'd had to start all over again.  But there was something he needed now, Astarion could tell that much.  Support, maybe.  Validation.

Permission.

"Well don't look at me, darling," Astarion said, in the most limpid, nasally drawl he could muster.  "My function here is purely decorative.  But please do try and wrap this up before I get bored."

Dragonborn didn't smile as most mammalian sentients did; some crucial facial muscle lacking in the reptilian array, perhaps.  Flynn's quiet joy showed itself instead at the flex of his jaw, the angle of his head, the crinkle of scales at the corners of his eyes.  He nodded, and turned back to the chained tyrant, and said, "What do you want?"

[alpinelogy]

10 & 19!

Lourdes do you have the slightest idea what have you just asked me? Thank you so much for asking :DD

10. Is there a fic that got a different response than you were expecting?

maybe we got lost (in translation) a thousand times over. Beyond the fact that it is my second fic that has broken the 100 kudos barrier which is already insane to me cause I did not expect anyone to read it since its a niche ship imo, the way people see the fic is so different from the way I saw it as I wrote it. For me it is a fic mainly about language and communication and how it changes based on who we talk with. Also specifically Esteban's relationship with English is very much based on my own experience with it, from being thrown into an English-speaking group and told to swim to English slipping in even when he is speaking in a different language ('the language spoken is a mess of French and English') Meanwhile at least from comments people see the relationship between Esteban and Lance way more strongly than I do. Which fair, it was partially written as a love letter to my bilingual friends who try to understand me even when my brain does not comprehend language and in hindsight I sometimes ignored the language part in favor of developing their friendship so I can see where they are coming from. And the fic is tagged as estelance so... lol Essentially what I am trying to say here is that people focused on way more on a part I considered secondary than I did while writing it, but I can see why. Also I've gotten so many nice comments on it and even tho I forgot to respond to them I do reread them on the regular because they spark so much joy (also first time someone whose writing I enjoy commented on my fic and it sent me for a loop lol)

19. Give us a small teaser from one of your WIPs.

I actually dont have that many wips rn, I know, shocking, its mostly just scribbled ideas and disconnected scenes. And kinkmeme claims cause I currently have uh... 50 of those

Anyway i do have this. A race engineer!Oscar AU Loscar in which Logan has never been normal about anything related to Oscar. Ever. Starring Logan as a pining mess, Oscar as the calm and collected love interest and Fred, Alex, and Liam as the victims of Logan's pining

“Good morning Logan.” Oscar says as a first thing on the first day of testing over the radio and Logan returns back to his thoughts of screaming, almost vibrating out of his seat in excitement. Goes back to his year old promise of not doing anything stupid ten seconds into the season. Hopes that when the cameras catch his inevitable joy after he gets back to the garage it will be brushed off to just being glad to be back in the car, rather than anything else. As a worst case scenario, he will just put up the Alex Albon patented peace signs because those always somehow make pictures so much more grounded and Alex is really onto something there, Logan needs to study it. He will need it for this year. Probably. Maybe. Most likely. It's fine. It's, whatever. It's definitely not that Logan also spends so much time looking at Oscar in meetings that Fred has noticed. It's definitely not that Fred, with all the subtlety he has, cornered Logan in his drivers room and unceremoniously asked what gives two days into the season. Logan deserved that one probably. When Logan tries to brush him off, it seemingly works because Fred lets himself be brushed off, does not mind Logan redirecting the conversation onto another topic instead. Logan does not know what actually awaits him days later. It's Liam this time, who corners him a few days later, after testing, after the first race weekend of the year properly starts, right after the last free practice before qualifying. Being Formula Two teammates must have done something to their understanding of personal space between each other because Liam waltzes into his driver's room like he owns the place without even knocking. Logan has a half mind to kick him out just for that, force him to knock before entering.

(this got long but look, this is 300 words out of 7.8k that i am fighting to stay under 10k it's small okay?)

fic writer ask game

[mareenavee]

Criminal asks! *grabby hands*

8, 15, and 22 please :)

Maple!! I was half wondering if you'd made this ask game before I saw the actual post this morning LOL. They seem like your kind of discussions, and I'm here for it.

Thank you for these!

From this caustic ask game right here.

8. common fandom opinion that everyone is wrong about

We're all entitled to our opinions, but I refuse to believe Ondolemar actually wants to be a Thalmor. He does some real RIEKLING BEHAVIOR SHIT in the Embassy for you if you get some bard or whatever arrested for their Talos-flavored nonsense. (Please, I hate this quest as much as the next person. I'm definitely live and let live ambivalent about Talos nonsense.) Granted, to get him to help here, you yourself have to not be a [redacted] idiot with the vocabulary of a Riekling yourself. :>

If he agrees to help you, then you get this gem of a conversation five feet from Elenwen, who is, presumably his superior:

Ondolemar: "How dare you speak of the Thalmor in such a disgusting manner!" Razelan: "What? I didn't... hmm? No listen, you must have misunderstood... I would never openly insult your... that is to say..." Ondolemar: "Your insults and provocations have gone far enough! I'd kill you where you stand if I wasn't bound by my oath as an officer of the Aldmeri Dominion."

This is Riekling Behavior. It is Causing Problems On Purpose for some [redacted] just because they helped with a simple quest he could have definitely thrown his power around to accomplish without thievery and tomfoolery.

To my eye he wanted to see if you, the player, were willing to throw away all reason to help him, and do so without getting your ass caught and thrown in jail. He needs people who can manage simple tasks without getting the entire government involved so he can trust you in the future. For what? Very out of character to LET IN RANDOM PEOPLE to secret Thalmor business in a secret Thalmor unjoinable faction.

He does not want to be part of this and/or is trying to do something about them. Bet. (Anyway thanks for coming to my TES talk.)

15. That one thing you see in fanart all the time

Hmm. I am usually in awe of fanart to be perfectly honest. But I suppose, and this is likely my very Aro/Ace brain, if I see a lot of fanart of pairings of OC/NPC, and I can't tell what the OC's deal is outside of who they are paired with -- ie, set aside, they have no personality at all on their own, then I'm going to be a little less likely to give the art attention. I want to know who the characters are, not just who they're [redacted.] Ya know what I mean? Sorry that's pretty blunt but it's true. I think this is why my favorite fanart is from or for people whose characters are part of a larger work -- ie a comic or a fanfiction. So I can understand the character.

This is specifically about fanart of pairings with no story other than x OC is with x NPC, that's it, that's their story. I am usually still in awe of just OC artwork, or just NPCs. And yeah there's always going to be exceptions but the question brought to mind maybe three artists I find myself bored of seeing work from LOL out of the hundreds I do love to follow.

22. your favorite part of canon that everyone else ignores

...Am I allowed to say Athis here?

Okay so. I don't think I have to defend him to you, Maple lol (: But for others who may be out of the loop -- we stan a good Athis and we just want him to make something of his life. Yes, yes.

Anyway he exists. He's that one elf dude in the Companions? That one, yes. He was a shell of a character, yes, in Vanilla. He also looks a bit... We'll just keep our opinions on the vanilla art direction to ourselves in this case. Anyway it's little wonder he's been ignored...

But yes, please, you're ignoring a favorite bean, friends. Write more Athis. I don't even care how you write him, but please. Join me in the tag. LOL he deserves attention.

I picked him for World because he was a shell character and due to the project I've become enamored of all the iterations that could be. So ... join me in the brain rot. Yes, thank you.

[ragnarlothcat]

For the wip title game!! Nothing compares to you or if someone has beaten me to that, knows best !! I love hearing you talk about your fics 🥺🥺🥺

My neglected groundhog day fic!!! Can you believe that when I started it I thought I'd be done in a couple months? You won't believe how much I've thrown out since I started it. Fun fact: I wrote 40k words of it in the past tense before I realized present sounded way and better for a time loop fic and rewrote the whole thing and now I'm stuck in it forever (Anakin and I have a lot in common that way!)

Anyway, thank you! I wrote a few thousand words in August that I don't hate, I just need to finish all the scenes. I've got an Anakin and Padmé conversation that I'm struggling with 🤔 I think I fundamentally struggle to imagine an Anakin recovering from a breakup in a non-deranged fashion. So instead, here's Anakin badgering poor Rex for the millionth time. The poor guy really gets the worst of Anakin's unhinged ranting in this fic.

groundhog day 8

Anakin awakens to bright sunlight streaming through his window and a bitter taste in his mouth. He knows nothing has changed, that he’s still in the same day as always. He knew it the minute they cleared that warehouse and the Force remained frustratingly silent around him.

The Force is the reason he’s here, is the reason the world stays the same while Anakin struggles and rages against it, and yet it refuses to explain itself. It wants something from him, doesn’t it? Then why won’t it come out and say it? The Force grants him visions of his mother’s murder, but can’t spare a second to tell its son why he’s being punished?

It seems Obi-Wan isn’t the only one keeping secrets.

Are you saying you’ve never lied to me? Anakin hears, Obi-Wan’s voice a nagging, lecturing echo in his mind.

It’s not the same thing, Anakin says to himself, to the room, to the very Force that binds the universe together.

Obi-Wan, or the version of him that he hears whenever he’s doing something he knows Obi-Wan would disapprove of, is creating an equivalency that isn’t there.

He and Obi-Wan lived together for ten years. Anakin survived puberty alongside Obi-Wan. He should be thankful Anakin spent as much time lying as he did, because he can guarantee Obi-Wan wouldn’t have wanted to hear the truths of a teenage Anakin.

It’s just that he and Obi-Wan are supposed to be friends. Equals, now that Anakin’s been knighted, now that Anakin has a Padawan of his own. Anakin hasn’t had so many friends since joining the Jedi, but he had friends on Tatooine. He knows what friendship entails.

(Kitster never would have faked his own death in an elaborate attempt to save the Supreme Chancellor’s life.)

But Obi-Wan hadn’t trusted him with the details of his little deception. He had, in fact, deliberately misled Anakin for the sake of the mission. Anakin would never do that. He’d never keep anything that important from someone he cared for.

Anakin pads into the main room, something niggling uncomfortably in the back of his throat. There are different levels of secrecy, Anakin knows this. He’s had to keep missions quiet from Ahsoka, because Ahsoka is a child and cannot possibly be exposed to the depths of the galaxy’s sleaze.

Sometimes Anakin keeps things to himself, everyone does. But nothing like what Obi-Wan has.

Anakin would never betray him.

The Force feels tight around him, or maybe that’s just his own frustration, swirling around him like smoke. Anakin said that time would help him heal, and he meant it. He’s suffered so much loss during the war. So many men have died under his command. He feels each one like vibroblade to the chest. But he can’t linger on every death, on every tragedy, on every mistake that costs him—

He finds his bantha mug upside down again on the counter. He flips it over and strokes its ceramic fur and stares into its beady little eyes.

The other two are gone. Anakin’s bantha is all alone.

He puts it back on the shelf and frowns into the empty room.

The door chimes and Anakin hurries over to retrieve Rex. Obi-Wan got into his head last night, that’s all. Anakin knows he’s in the right, because what Obi-Wan did is inexcusable. His lie destroyed the foundation of their friendship, and for what?

Anakin opens the door and steps back to admit Rex, who takes in Anakin’s state of undress and destroyed rooms with his usual expression of vague concern.

“Rough night, General?”

Anakin sighs. “Is there another kind, anymore?”

“Sir?”

“Never mind.” Anakin grabs his shirt off the back of the sofa without looking and shrugs it on. “I have a question for you, Rex.”

“If it’s about why I’m here, you asked me—”

“No, I know you’re here to remind me about the council meeting. And I do appreciate that you keep coming out of your way.”

“Keep?”

“My question is this—come sit, Rex,” Anakin says, dropping to the sofa and gesturing at the chair across from him.

Rex sits, his armor creaking and his eyebrows drawn together.

“I want to talk to you about honesty, Rex. About keeping secrets.”

“Is this about General Kenobi?”

“No. Or, well.” It is and isn’t about Obi-Wan, like most things these days (this day?) “I do understand the need for secrecy sometimes. After all, at least 10% of our missions haven’t been sanctioned by the council.”

“Sir.”

“And I know sometimes you keep things from me.” At Rex’s baffled silence, Anakin presses on. “For example: you’ve been keeping the shameless and crude behavior of the 212th from me.”

The crease between Rex’s eyebrows grows more pronounced. “Which shameless behavior in particular?”

Is there more? Is he going to find sabacc cards printed with dirty pictures of his master?

No, he reasons, Cody would have burned those. “Their…affection for Obi-Wan,” Anakin says, avoiding any mention of Obi-Wan’s ass, lest Rex also become distracted. “And I don’t blame you. You knew I’d be upset, and you didn’t want me to strangle everyone in the 212th. I understand.”

Rex blinks. “I wasn’t deliberately keeping it a secret, sir, I just didn’t think it necessary to discuss.” He coughs and shifts. “Are you going to strangle everyone in the 212th?”

Anakin considers this for a moment, then shakes his head. He has a busy day ahead of him. “Maybe later. The point is, that’s the kind of secret that I understand. You’re loyal to your brothers, even when they’re being sleemos.”

“I don’t know about sleemos—”

“But you’d never betray them. You’re like me that way, Rex. You’d never, say, fake your own death and let Fives mourn you.”

Anakin knows Rex. Anakin trusts Rex. He’s seen the way he is with the other men, with Ahsoka, with Cody, even.

“I—” Rex takes in Anakin’s expression and sighs. “No, but if I were ordered—”

“Exactly.” Anakin folds his legs under him. “You understand the difference. You understand the value of honesty. Of friendship.”

Rex isn’t squirming, because soldiers don’t squirm. Even Anakin has mostly had that trained out of him by now.

But the way his eyes dart across Anakin’s face conveys the same idea. “I can’t comment on the nature of your friendship with General Kenobi,” Rex says, “but yes, I do agree that people should be honest with each other. Within reason.”

“Have I kept things from Obi-Wan?” Anakin asks, rhetorically, because Rex does not look eager to participate in this thought exercise. “Of course! But these were things he was better off not knowing, or that were none of his business. But he had the audacity to suggest that they were comparable, or even relevant.”

“Um,” Rex says.

“But if Obi-Wan, my perfect Jedi master” —with his perfect robes and his perfect hair— “is claiming we’re both equally dishonest, maybe I need to show him how wrong he is. I need him to see that I would never treat him the way he’s treated me.”

“I hesitate to bring this up, but you do have a meeting very soon.” Rex glances at the floor and then back up. “You aren’t even wearing shoes.”

Anakin grabs his boots and shoves them on, and then curses and puts them on the correct feet. Why is this bothering him so much? Who cares if Obi-Wan thinks Anakin’s keeping secrets? Even if he is, it’s not like that cancels out Obi-Wan’s betrayal.

And besides, Obi-Wan won’t even remember the conversation they had last night. He won’t remember their trip to the lower levels. His conversation with Ahsoka. The mugs.

Anakin straightens his tabards furiously and stands up. It doesn’t matter in the slightest.

“I’ll show him,” Anakin bites out. “I’ll show them.”

“Them?” Rex asks, standing too.

Them. Obi-Wan. The Council. The Force. Anyone who would even suggest that Anakin’s offenses are anywhere near what Obi-Wan has done.

If honesty is what Obi-Wan wants, what the universe wants, then honesty is what they’re going to get.

[behindtheireyes]

First off since this is my first time back on the desktop site in ages I feel the need to say how much I hate the changes that were made. If I wanted to see a website that's like Twitter, it will always be Twitter for me not this fucking X bullshit, I'd log onto my Twitter! Which I never do because I hate the fucking layout!

Also since I'm going to be on here a bit more often, in theory at least, I will not take sides in anything or be involved with drama. I will interact with anyone I connect with or can deal with my slow as fuck ass :P

I also want to thank the two people who have been there for me to talk to about this but I will not tag them because, again, not taking sides. You both know who you are and I appreciate you both more than you'll ever realize <3

Now it's time for an explanation as to why I've been in a shit head space since the end of July which I will put under a read more for those that aren't interested.

On July 30th I was at work and got pulled into the office to talk with my Store Manager, she had a few papers in hand and asked me to sit down. The day before she'd received an email about corporate restructuring and I was being told my full time position with the company was eliminated. I was completely thrown for a loop since I had been working at another store for a few days a week as of the week of July 9th and had only spoken to my district manager a few days prior about what needed to be fixed at the store I was helping. Everything had seemed good when we spoke so I was pretty shaken up by this news.

I was told I could continue on doing my job as part time making $9.75 an hour or take a severance deal and collect unemployment. I of course said I needed to think about it since it was a big decision going from 36-40 hours a week at $16.85/hr down to god knows how many hours at a shit wage. My SM, who was bawling like a baby along with me at this news btw, said she understood but FUCKING CORPORATE wanted an answer by Friday July 28th. The date this conversation was happening? Wednesday July 26th.

Yes, you read that right, Two whole days to make a huge decision and if I didn't give them one in time I was forfeiting my severance and it would be considered voluntary job abandonment so no unemployment for me! Also if I chose the deal I couldn't take any time off, use any of my PTO or sick time, or even call off because it would be considered voluntary job abandonment and I wouldn't get unemployment or my severance.

This happened company wide with even some assistant managers losing their jobs and being offered a similar deal. I will gladly send links to the Reddit subs talking about this if anyone wants to see exactly the fuckery this company is putting its loyal people through. I had almost three weeks of paid vacation and about two days of sick time built up that I lost.

I would have also been with the company for ten years in November and I worked through the worst of Covid being treated like shit by the customers for trying to enforce the company's and CDC's rules. I was also a manager for 7 or so of those almost ten years.

Then on August 1st I had a surgery consultation for a health issue only to be told it's worse that they thought and I would need a procedure that would land me in the hospital for a week with a TWO month recovery time. Thankfully my health insurance, as crappy as it is, is independent from my job so I'm not losing it but whose going to hire someone whose going to have to go out on medical leave in a couple of months? This wouldn't have been a problem before, you know sick time and PTO for the win, but now it is. I know my boss would gladly hire me back after I recovered but it's going to be at a shitty wage with shitty hours.

So do I put my health aside and risk my issue getting worse and try to find another job right away or hope my former company doesn't screw me over anymore and lets me collect until I'm fully recovered?

Thankfully, I won't be homeless but that's another issue for another day.

I'm not looking for sympathy, monetary help, or anything like that. I just felt like I owed the wonderful people I interact with here a proper explanation of to why I've been more out of it than normal.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

Love,

Barb

[personalramblingsofmine]

Alright, a lot needs to be said and updated about this girl, and so I lie here giving myself too little sleep again for the sole reason of updating my zero readers... the choices I make huh? This post deserves a tldr but I'm not giving it one.

We shall begin at her going-away-party. The place she made her feelings exceptionally clear, at least it appeared that way. She greeted me with a huge hug once we actually got to talk there, saying she'd missed me. And from then ok she was exceptionally clingy, diving under my arm multiple times and holding it at other times as well. At one point when beer-pong was to be played she randomly decided to hold my hand, in the way couples do, which I put an end to rather quickly. Two of her friends were also heavily wing-womanning her to the point it was unmistakable. She also at one point pointed at me while singing along to a song with lyrics meaning basically "and you know you're the one I want". Altogether I think my conclusion was very reasonable. She was however really drunk which is the actual explanation, though that part is yet to come.

Eventually I get to talk to her, I get in my car dor some privacy and this time she does actually call me. So after some pleasantries I start with an "I think we both know what we're gonna talk about" to which she responds with yes. I ask if she wants to say it or if I shall and she tells me to. I say I cought some more than friendly vibes at the party, she agrees. At this point, in hindsight I should've simply asked what the vibes were about but I took her yes as an admission of liking me. So I continued that the feelings were mutual, at this point she got very confused. I clarified that I interpreted her actions to mean that she liked me and that I like her back.

She did in fact not like me, she asked me if she'd said anything and I answered that it was what she'd done that had thrown me for a loop. The rest of that conversation went along the lines of her asking forgiveness for making me thing that and me saying it was fine. Lastly she asked where our friendship would be going, I said it might be awkward but that I value it far higher than any other alternative and she agreed. I thanked her for letting me know where she was at with the whole thing and we hung up.

Enter; confusion, I wasn't really sad. And I've stayed not sad since. Afraid that I've messed up our friendship yes, but never sad she didn't like me. Which is weird. So at this point I spiral into trying to figure out what I actually feel and felt towards her. The closest I've come to a conclusion thus far is that I simply feel more comfortable around female friends, for trans-fem reasons, and my mind does not know what to do with that feeling and attributes it to romance. Which explains why I never felt any want to be sexual with her at all.

A few days later we were planned to meet along with some friends for a night on the town, with a pre-party at her place. I'd said previously that I wanted to keep things the way they were before this whole debacle so that is the aim we both went into the night with. The night was fun, I was a bit on edge trying not to send her any romantic signals, the end result was a partial avoidance which was much different to how we usually act. This was obviously not the plan and I think I'll have to explain myself to her at some point. Altogether not perfect but also not bad, we still talked and that was entirely fine.

Altogether the theme of this whole experience (to quote my only friend who I've told about this) har been emotional confusion. Now I've got to try to smooth things over somewhat before she leaves the country, however this will likely have to happen without meeting her in person simply due to the short time and mutual busyness.

Thus ends this tale for now, I pray I haven't messed up one of my two closest female friendships.

[sugxrslushy]

hii, could i maybe request some fluffy + humorous hcs of nami & gn!reader where they have a late night conversation together? maybe they both wake up in the middle of the night having trouble sleeping & reader teases nami about her snoring? not sure if that would be ooc for her or not, but i thought it would be super cute xD i actually got the idea from this korrasami fic i read. & maybe after they have a cuddle session together? :3

➪ a/n: oh my gosh this was the cutest idea ahhh!! been on my mind for a bit and I've been dying to write it, the idea better fit me writing it as a fic so I hope you don't mind! but ty ty for such an adorable idea, personally I wouldn't put it past Nami snoring. I just think it's cute bc she presents herself as someone who wouldn't but would you look at that she does lol

➪ includes: Nami (w/ a gn!reader)

➪ warnings: none!

You could only stare blearily at the bright red numbers spelling out 2 am on the clock, it felt too bright against your face and even when you covered it there was the awareness of the light that kept you from falling asleep. It was late and you were exhausted, but sleep was far from being found

Nami is snoring softly, no matter how much she tried to put up the front of being a perfectly pretty girl around others, you knew too much to fall from it. You knew everything about her, scars hidden under dotted freckles, dark circles disguised with makeup and her pretty red hair that took hours of brushing out in the morning to turn a birds nest to something more presentable

And the fact that she snored, it wasn’t awful compared to most other people but it definitely kept you up if you were unlucky enough not to fall asleep before her. Now you were stuck praying she’d roll over and the snoring would stop, something that could take forever because she never seemed to move much unless you wanted space.

Finally fed up, you decide to roll over and shake her awake, another hard task. As much as you would believe that she was a light sleeper, once she was asleep she was gone for good. Enough time around Luffy and friends and you understood why she needed this skill, too much noise for even you to handle yet she was out like a light in seconds.

“Namiii-” You whisper, shaking her shoulder. She snorts in her sleep and jerks away from you. Once again you try, and once again she snorts loud enough to make you laugh, trying desperately to keep your voice a whisper as you wake her up. “Nami you’re snoring, get up before I push you out of the bed.”

“Push me out of the bed and I’m charging you for that.” She answers sleepily, just merely stirring awake.

“Like you would remember.” You tease and roll onto your stomach to face the ceiling. She shuffles beside you, digging at the side of the bed before a stuffed animal is thrown into your face. “What was that for?!”

“For saying I snore.” Her voice is muffled from her face buried into her pillow, blocking out any light and sound as she tries to resume her slumber. You huff and throw the stuffed animal back at her, missing her completely. It was way too dark for you to be doing anything and could barely tell the difference between her and the mass of blankets she’d piled up on her side. “I’m also charging you for that.”

“Nami!” You whisper aggressively. The apartment is empty but you can’t dare to bother your neighbors, keeping all of you bickering at a level below a whisper. “You’re so mean to me, all I’m doing is pointing out the truth.”

Nami finally rolls onto her side to face you, the bottom half of her face covered with blankets and eyes narrowed facing you. Or at least you think, it’s too dark and even the street light is barely helping, the heavy curtains blocking out streams of light. “You’re tired and hallucinating things at this point, go to bed.”

“Maybe if you weren’t snoring I could get some rest.” You giggle and Nami groans covering her face with her hands. She then reaches out, looping her arms around your waist and pulling you in close to her. Her hair tickles your face and you can feel the softness of her own skin against yours. She finishes tucking the two of you in then relaxes, her free arm strewn over your stomach and the other cushioning her face.

“When you fall asleep I’ll go to sleep afterwards then,” She yawns quietly and nuzzles close to you, cradling you in her arms. Smiling softly, you nod and make yourself comfortable beside her. As if feeling her beside you, her arms wrapped comfortably around you and chest pressed close to your own was the cure to your sleepless night, you can feel your eyelids turn heavy and flutter closed. Nami runs her hand over your hair, a soothing motion that only makes you slip closer to falling asleep.

“Y/n?” She whispers, her lips pressing a sleepy kiss against your forehead as you stir back to being awake for a second. Eyes too tired to open, you hum quietly in response to her. “If you start snoring I’m making you sleep on the couch.”

You snort and roll your eyes, burying your face closer in the crook of her neck. Her heartbeat is a pleasant sound to listen to, the rhythmic beat coaxing you into a deep slumber. And when you awoke you were still surrounded by pillows and blankets, the sun seeping into the room through cracks in the curtains. And Nami was still snoring, albeit much quieter.

tag list: @foodismylife @portgaes

[the-badger-mole]

No Sound but Silence: Ice Storm

Hakoda came to the school the next day to let the principal know what was going on. From there, it was only a matter of days before Katara's surprise pregnancy was the talk of the school. Despite Katara's fears, her teachers largely took the news in stride, after a few saddened looks and unsubtle sighs about the tragic loss of potential so common among students these days. There was plenty of gossip, but Katara found more support among her friends than she could have ever dreamed. Toph and Song ended up being the firmest friends in her corner. Jin had never quite forgiven Katara for being the girl Zuko chose in the end. The recent developments made it necessary for Jin to support Katara from afar. Song, on the other hand, offered to organize a baby shower for Katara.

"My mom knits the sweetest little blankets," she said. "I'm sure she'd be happy to make one for you. When are you due?"

"Midsummer," Katara told her. "But, honestly, you don't have to do a baby shower."

"Please!" Toph snorted. "Of course, you're having a baby shower. What kind of godmother would I be-"

"What makes you think you'll be the godmother?" Song demanded.

"I've known her for way longer!" Toph insisted. "She used to walk me home from school."

"Well, we are on student government together."

Katara let the bickering continue with a good-natured smile. She didn't tell her friends that she hadn't planned on a godmother at all. Sokka would be named godfather, and that was pretty much it.

Aang had been scarce. It was unusual, but Katara knew that the fact that she had considered aborting her baby had thrown her young friend for a loop. She had hoped, though, that he would get over it faster than he seemed to be. Zuko had offered to talk to him, but Katara thought it would be best to let him approach her.

Katara was approached before the end of the week, but she would have just as soon avoided this particular confrontation. Azula cornered her in the bathroom between classes.

"You're ruining his life, you know," Azula said coldly, emerging from one of the stalls. "Dad was so close to reaching out to him and telling him he could come home. There's no way he's going to take Zuko back now."

"What makes you think Zuko wants to come back?" Katara asked. She got some soap from the dispenser and scrubbed her hands under the faucet to hide their shaking. In the mirror, she saw Azula scowl at her.

"Zuko is a Kaji," Azula told her. "Eventually, he'll remember that and want his share of his birthright.

"Well, Zuko and I were actually discussing him taking my last name," Katara quipped. She didn't realize the implications of what she said until she glanced up again and this time found Azula staring at her in disbelief.

"Are you...did Zuko..." she stammered. "Did he propose?" Katara had managed to catch Azula off guard. That had never happened before. Katara would have found the stunned look on her face amusing under any other circumstances, but right then, her heart thudded in her chest. She wasn't supposed to mention that to Azula. She wasn't supposed to be talking to Azula at all. She'd promised Zuko that his sister wouldn't get any information from her, and here she was letting slip the detail that she hadn't been planning to tell anyone but her closest friends.

"Well..." she cleared her throat and pushed back her hair. "I should be getting back to class-" She moved for the door, but Azula grabbed her arm before she could make her escape.

"My father will never allow this to happen," Azula warned her. "You having my brother's bastard is one thing, but you will never be acknowledged as family." Katara wrenched her arm free and sneered at Azula.

"I think at this point, who is considered family is up to Zuko. Now if you'll excuse me. I have chem lab." Katara kept a sedate pace as she left the bathroom. She waited until the door swung shut on Azula's stunned face before she took a deep, shuddering breath and scrambled down the hall. The conversation she would have to have with Zuko later would not be pleasant. Still, she reflected as she tried to calm her pounding heart, that went much better than she imagined it would.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18, Part 19, Part 20, Part 21

[mynotsohealthyobsession]

Unexpected bond

Book: Bloodbound (between book 2 and 3)

Pairing: Adrian Raines x Lily Spencer (friendship) / Mention of Adrian Raines x MC

Words: 1.960

Rating: Mature

Warning: Angst / Mention of violence, death and harassment

**Tags in the reblog**

His jacket was on the floor, where he had thrown it a couple hours ago. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up as his forearms rested on his knees. He had his eyes shut and his back against the wall. His breathing was erratic and faltering, incapable of calming down. The powerful aura that he used to have, had completely disappeared, leaving him broken and defeated, looking as terrible as he felt inside. Whoever knew him beforehand and saw him at this moment, would doubt that that was actually the same Adrian Raines.

His hands had remnants of dried blood, the same that had coloured his white shirt, red. His body was still healing some wounds, cuts and a few broken bones, and bruises as result of their confrontation with Gaius. Every time he breathed, he felt a stinging pain in his chest but he couldn't care less. He had decided to not move from there no matter how long it took. Maybe she woke up before the expected, scared or disorientated. Maybe her bloodkeeper condition made it different for her and she needed some kind of help. Or maybe… Simply, he just couldn't leave her side. Whatever the reason was, he had decided to stay there, in Raines Corp.’s basement, near the sarcophagus in which, and he desperately hoped it was the case, Amy's body was changing, slowly transforming into a vampire.

As a couple of tears slipped on his cheeks, passing through the bloody print that her hand left on his skin as he held her, he couldn't avoid thinking how afraid he was of losing her, to face the world without her. Amy had saved them, after he had promised her he would protect her, she sacrificed herself for them. For him.

He squeezed his eyes tightly, letting his head fall back, against the wall. No matter how hard he tried, the images kept replaying over and over in his mind, in a horrible and constant loop. Amy taking the branch, getting close to Gaius. Her pained gasp as the sword went through her chest and emerged from her back. How his throat hurt from yelling her name, incapable of doing anything else but watch. The fire in her eyes, using the last of her strength to stab Gaius as her blood slipped down in the hilt of the sword onto Gaius' hand. Her little smile before she noticed that her knees gave up and hit the floor first as the rest of her body fell down. How quickly her skin became pale and cold as he held her, knowing that there was only one thing that could save her. How, mortally injured, she cupped his face, almost happy that they had 'won', even if right now it felt like he was about to lose everything that was important to him.

"Adrian?" His eyes flushed open, seeing Lily down the stairs. Her eyes puffy and bloodshot, all her usual energy and almost childlike happy mood, had disappeared. For the first time since he had met her, she seemed like an elderly woman who had lost against life itself. She sat beside him and offered him a pack of blood and what seemed to be a clean shirt.

"Thank you Lily, but I don't need it."

"You do." She gave him a broken look. "You think she would be okay seeing you still hurt?" She placed both things between them. "You are important to her, Adrian. She did what she did to save us. To save you."

"She shouldn't have done it! Now she's--" His voice abruptly cut, incapable to even put into words his fears and torments.

"I know." Lilly replied, distractedly fiddling with one of her rings. "But she's brave and her heart is bigger than anyone I've ever met." A pained smile lifted her lips a little. "Amy would never watch us die if she could avoid it. You know that." She fixed her stare on him, her voice a bit shattered. "Exactly like you or any of us would have done for her if the rolls were reversed."

"But I couldn't." His mind returned to the night before, when they had sleep holding each other. It felt so far away. "I promised her I would protect her no matter what and I couldn't. I failed her." It was the first time they shared this kind of conversation and time alone. It was obvious that Lily had a stronger relationship with Jax, like Adrian had with Kamilah. But, even if they were worried and sad too, right now, the pain Lily and Adrian were feeling, was different from theirs and had brought them together. "I should never have allowed her to get involved in this." To his surprise, she giggled.

"If you think you could have told her what to do, I'm sorry but you don't know her as well as you think." Adrian chuckled a bit alongside her. Lily was absolutely right about that.

"Did she ever tell you about the first time she saw me transformed, on her first day of work?" He wasn't sure why he asked her that. Probably because it was the moment that he realized that she would be special for him, even if he didn't know how much.

"Only a few parts."

"In almost 300 years a lot of people had learned the way she did about all this. And most… If not all of them, begged to forget, to return to their old lives." Despite himself, he smiled at the memory. "Amy… She just stood there. For a little while, she got scared, of course, but… She didn't run or scream. She started to ask me questions, curious, looking at me the exact same way she did all that day. Before her eyes, I was still… Me. She even joked about Nicole being dramatic during the feeding." He let out a sorrowful and shaking sigh. "I took her to Priya's fashion show and she told the security that she was my partner instead of my assistant." They both softly laughed.

"I think she had a crush with you almost instantly." Lily crossed her legs under her. "That night, before returning to the office, we chatted a bit. When I asked her about how you were, her answer was, and I'm quoting here 'super hot'." She said smiling at the same time that her palm dried her cheeks. "She was so happy to be able to stay in New York."

"It was an absolutely mutual feeling." Adrian passed his fingers through his hair, feeling an ache in his heart as his memory returned to the first time he saw her, that she had given him one of her beautiful smiles. "That night, she cut her hand with a glass. All the vampires around were drawn towards the fresh blood, to her."

"I know the feeling." She sadly murmured. "She mentioned that part actually, that you helped her and stood in front of her."

"I will never forget how she hugged me from behind. How when she was scared, she trusted me." His eyes started to burn with fresh tears. "She not only didn't allow the debriefing, but also convinced me to show her around the library." The tears ran free on his face and he didn't try to stop them. "She's brave and stubborn in the most wonderful way."

"I think you are not aware how important you are to her." They stood in silence, lost in their thoughts and memories until Lily talked again. "Amy had always tried to watch over you."

"I know she did." His voice was a low raspy whisper.

"Actually, I suspect you don't know how much." After a pause she sighed, as she had made a decision. "Amy is going to kill me for this…" She muttered. "There's something that she never told you." Adrian noticed the subtle change in her voice. "But I'm convinced you deserve to know." She took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment. "After the trial where Vega framed you and they declared you guilty, everybody started to discuss how to divide your stuff and..." She stood in silence, her eyes filled with doubts.

"What happened, Lily?" He shifted his gaze to look at her, taking his attention from the coffin for the first time.

"Priya grabbed her from the throat and 'claimed' her for herself." Lily shivered a bit beside him as his blood seemed to boil and freeze at the same time. "She said that she wanted to break her. And after forcing her to watch you die, maybe kill her."

"Was she hurt?" Adrian frowned, clearly disturbed as a new wave of anguish went through his factions. He was conscious of all the times she had been in danger because of him but discovering that there were occasions that she hadn't told him to protect him, it felt like a powerful hand grabbed his heart and squeezed it slowly and extremely painfully.

"Kamilah stopped her almost immediately but she had a bruise around the neck for a couple weeks. She covered it with makeup."

"Amy never told me about that." He lowered his face, both of his hands holding it, seeming overwhelmed as his fingers ran through his hair.

"I know. She didn't want you to know. She was sure you would feel guilty even when it wasn't your fault." Lily stared at his eyes, he never had seen her gaze so intense. "What do you think was the first thing she said, when we left the temple after that?" Adrian stared at her back, unsure if he wanted to know. "She asked Kamilah how we could help you, to save you." Lily sadly smiled at him. "Even back then she didn't wanted to lose you. That's why she did what she did tonight."

He remembered the deep sadness and concern he saw in her when their eyes locked to each other as he was dragged away. The softness of her hand and words when she had found him in The Baron's dungeon. The happiness he felt when he saw her in front of him. "I didn't want to lose her either." He forced himself to say the words that couldn't stop repeating internally. "I don't want to lose her. I can't. I need her, she just can't di--" The lump in his throat cutted his voice, incapable of ending the last word.

"I don't know if she had heard you but… If it's worth something, I know she loves you too, Adrian." Lily murmured, her voice gruff. "You are the most important person to her." Her hands dried her cheeks. "Well, the second more important at least. Best friends and roommates rights, you know."

"I'll take it." Adrian smiled before his face fell again. "And it's worth more than you can imagine." His eyes fixed again on the sarcophagus. "I just hope to have the chance to tell it to her like she deserves. And maybe hear her say it back."

Lily took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes, standing up. "Are you sure you want to stay here?"

"Yes." She nodded and headed to the stairs. "Lily." He called her and she stopped to watch him. "Thank you. For the blood and everything afterwards."

"You are welcome, Adrian." She leaned against the wall for a minute. "I just know how sad she would be seeing you like this." She stared at the sarcophagus one last time, thinking the same thing that has been in Adrian's mind the last two hours and couldn't dare to face it: how silent the coffin was, without even a faint heartbeat or shallow breathing coming from it. Almost like it was empty.

✨

[bonesandthebees]

Tommy and Techno time. You have been building the growth of their relationship in the background, but this is the first time we get to see it on full display. Tommy and Techno think they are alone, thus they act like it. Both or them are relaxed and no one is there to judge their actions, so they can fully express themselves. Except Wilbur (and Jack) are there and their openness toward each other stopped him from entering.

So what initially throws Wilbur off is the fact that Tommy is laughing like he used to. So he stops because he hasn’t heard that in so long. Maybe he just wants to hear it a little longer and he’s scared Tommy will stop laughing when he sees him because they are fighting. Maybe he needs a moment to process because he’s laughing this hard while with Techno. Which has thrown him off when it happened during the second training session.

Tommy then continues taunting Techno while sparing and it feels a lot like playfighting. The conversation is probably similar to something Tommy could have said to Wilbur or Tubbo because that’s how comfortable he feels around Techno. Both of them are also comfortable with physical proximity and Tommy clearly isn’t afraid of Techno.

There are a few things that throw Wilbur off a loop. 1 The dropping of titles because he hadn’t expected them to be so casual and he’s still kind of stuck in the etiquette or at least in the idea that outside off him and Phil they should still apply. 2 Tommy climbing on Techno and both of them being so casual about it because he’s still terrified of Techno and while he let’s Phil close, he’s still not fully comfortable with it, let alone to the point of touching him himself. 3 the personal name usage because until this point Wilbur has not given anyone permission to do that. If it were up to him, Phil would still be using his title because he’s the embodiment of the AE. Yet Tommy has given it to two people: The Imperator and his protege.

Wilbur feels like he’s intruding (which he is tbf). They would never act like this around him, but they didn’t know he was there and now he’s upset. He’s back to the why do they care when they have no reason to argument. Which brings him back to Phil and the thoughts he was trying to avoid because he can’t process them and he’s shortcutting. Also, he knows Tommy used to act like that with him and doesn’t do that anymore so maybe he feels like he’s being replaced with Techno aka their ‘enemy’ aka the person he loads and is scared of.

-🌲

yuppp I was excited to finally show what Tommy and Techno act like when they're alone. again, it's been super tricky trying to show their development when it's happening offscreen most of the time, but I think that also makes the impact of it even better since the reader feels the same surprise Wilbur does. wilbur was both taken back by tommy laughing like that because he hadn't heard it in a while, but more so because he was just wondering what could've caused him to laugh like that (or rather, who?) and then he realizes oh, it's techno. of course it's techno. he knew he was with techno but... why is he laughing like that with techno of all people? it's a weird thing for him to process

and then there's the taunting and playfighting showing just how close they really are which surprises wilbur even more. tommy is very relaxed around techno, and it shows.

tommy is also a bit more casual with granting permission for people to use his personal name. like I've mentioned before, wilbur holds onto his formal name and his title as signs of respect since he's so used to getting so little of it. tommy doesn't have that same problem, so he doesn't hold as much attachment to his title and formal name. but even then, wilbur never expected tommy to give his personal name to the imperator of all people. not the man who is literally their enemy right now

yeahhhh wilbur is basically having a lot of complicated emotions about the whole thing. understandably so, but also it's his own fault

[dark1k]

this is. oddly specific but. "we met up in a 24 hr convenience store reaching for the last box of something and now you look like you're going to cry or fight me for it or both, are you okay?" meet-ugly au

HELP THIS IS SO SPECIFICALLY FUNNY anyways thank you for requesting, I hope you enjoy my attempt at crack/meet-ugly but it's still cute? idk.

Human-Verse and College AU!

•••

Markus had a long week.

He received a 67% on his latest Computer Science essay (which was harsh, in his humble opinion) and spent the last 3 nights losing sleep over submitting his upcoming art portfolio.

Frankly, he didn't want to be in his campus' mini-market – he had a Netflix marathon to return to. But his dorm's freezer was empty, and if Markus wanted to wallow in his sorrows, he thought he deserved something sweet. At the very least.

So yeah, Markus was tired and had little patience.

Maybe that's why he didn't notice the other guy's arm reaching towards the last carton of mint chocolate chip ice cream.

Markus' hand jerked back in shock when he felt something brush against it and he whipped his head sideways, coming face-to-face with someone he's never seen before. And Jesus, this guy looked just as exhausted and stressed as he did. Unkempt curly hair and bloodshot eyes with heavy bags underneath, eyes which were glaring back into Markus' own.

Did this dude not understand personal space?

Nevertheless, Markus took a small step back and muttered, "Sorry man, didn't see you there. Must have been lost in thought. If you'll excuse me…" and he went back to grabbing his ice cream when the dude started shaking his head.

"Oh no, don't tell me you're grabbing the last carton of mint chocolate chip. I left my room specifically to buy some." Markus could only stare back at him in disbelief. This was the last thing he needed, he didn't even know this guy's name and he was adding onto Markus' already horrible week.

"Yeah, I was actually." Markus started, furrowing his eyebrows when the dude balled one of his hands into fists. "Listen, I got here first and there are dozens of other flavors, I'm sure you like more than just one."

This was officially the weirdest interaction Markus has ever had on campus. And to think, the dude was fairly attractive… would probably be even more so if he didn't look like he wanted to fight Markus in the middle of his college's convienence store.

The dude scoffed, "Yes, exactly! You can clearly see there are tons of other flavors! Take your own advice and pick a different one!" Markus felt like a bucket of ice water was thrown over him, the whiplash from such a conversation throwing him for a loop. He was going to respond in kind (besides, who starts a fight over fucking ice cream?) when he noticed the guy shakily wipe his eyes.

Well, he wasn't jokingly called a peacemaker by his friends for nothing.

"Are… you okay?" Markus asked, cautiously watching to see if the other was either going to burst into tears or throw him against the freezer for trying to take the last carton of (both of their?) favorite ice cream.

He stared at Markus as if he grew a second head. "Oh yeah, I'm awesome! Are we doing introductions now? I'm Connor, what's your name? By the way, I didn't just have the worst week of my undergraduate career and now, someone I've never met has the gall to deprive me of the one thing that might cheer me up! But no, I'm clearly having a great time!"

Was Markus dreaming? This dude, Connor apparently, sounds like he had an equally horrible week but man, was he sassier than Markus ever dreamed he could be. He wondered if he shared a class with North. He would have to ask her once he returned to his room.

Markus chokes out a small laugh when he realizes the insanity of this situation. "You know what, man. Connor right? You can have it." He takes another step back to show he means it, watching as Connor shifts his attention between him and the freezer door. "If me taking the last carton of ice cream is gonna be your breaking point, I really don't wanna contribute to that. I'll endure after my own awful week by getting something else."

He starts to walk away, musing at the thought that the universe must certainly have it out for him. Markus is about to step into another aisle when he hears a quiet curse and shuffling behind him.

"You never answered my question." He turns around and faces Connor again, who's looking at him with uncertainty as he holds the carton of ice cream that got them into this mess. "What question?"

"Your name." Connor deadpans. And Markus thinks, what the hell, he's met people under weirder circumstances (he hasn't but this stranger didn't need to know that).

He shrugs and looks to the side, picking up a bag of chocolate-covered pretzels. "Markus."

Connor nods and twiddles with the string on his hoodie, "Well, if this ever happens again, I promise you can have the last carton of ice cream. We can trade off." He still looks like he might collapse from stress and exhaustion, but Markus can understand an olive branch when it's presented to him.

He nods, "Sure, I'll hold you to that. Start thinking of other snacks to get instead." and Markus rattles the bag of pretzels for good measure, gleaming a bit on the inside when it manages to get Connor to stifle a laugh. Huh. First impressions at college are wild.

[spinchip]

i mean. the prompt I've got in my head is like. a lil bit zangsty but, zane being rebuilt post s4 make me wonder if he can like. actually remember stuff about what happened early on. maybe the og four are reminiscing about some of their early days, and zane can't relate because zane can't remember? like. all those memories were p much lost for good after s3... makes me think

A/n: 1150 words. this was fun!

“Hey.” Kai says, knocking on Zanes door. It’d been open, the invitation extended to anyone who wished to see him, but Kai still lingers in the doorway.

Zane blinks up from where he's been sitting on top of his bed, bookmarking the page he’s been on and setting the book he’d been flipping through aside, “Hello, Kai.” He smiles, though faintly, as he registers the expression on his face, “Is something wrong?” he sits up a little straighter, swinging his legs over the side of his bed.

Kai hesitates, shaking his head, “No- well, it’s just… I’m really glad you’re back.” He admits, stepping into the rooms.

“Oh.” Zane says faintly, instantly forcing down the Overlord's memory before it can snap to the front of his mind, “I’m glad to be back as well.”

Kai sits heavily on the edge of the bed, close enough for their legs to touch, “I… had a lot of time to think about things, after…” He doesn’t finish that sentence, licking his lips.

“What were you thinking about?” Zane carefully avoids any mention of his death.

“About when the Monastery burned down.” He admits, “The things I said… I just kept thinking about how I never said sorry. I know you said I didn’t need to, but I think you deserve it. From me.” He takes a deep breath, straightens up and squares his shoulders, and speaks with the most conviction he can muster, “I’m really sorry about what I said, Zane… and I’m sorry about the way I treated you. You’re one of my best friends.” He says earnestly.

Zane nods, taking the weight of Kais words. He smiles gently, reaching out to squeeze Kais shoulder reassuringly, “I forgive you, my friend.”

With the apology passed on, Kai seems lighter, smiling brilliantly at his teammate before throwing his arm around him in a tight side-hug. “You’re the best, Zane!”

“I know.” Zane smiles, returning the embrace.

Kai sighs easy, and as the silence stretches he seems to grow a bit more awkward, “Well, I didn't mean to interrupt! I’ll leave you to your book.” he nods to the leather bound book Zane had been studying, standing up with a clap of his hands, “I’ll see you around lunch, yeah?”

“I’m making grilled cheese sandwiches.” Zane confirms, Kai fist pumps as he heads out the door.

Zane hums, sitting back on his bed once again. He picks up his fathers journal and scans the pages slowly, letting his fathers looping handwriting and intricately scribbled doodles fill in the gaps in his mind, memories contextualizing in his head, and tries not to let it bother him.

It was easy for Zane to forgive Kai for whatever rash words he’d thrown against him.

He... didn’t ever remember that happening, anyway.

_______________

He remembers most things, it’s not all been lost when he died. He remembers meeting Master Wu for the first time, he remembers dressing in all black and ambushing Kai that night, he remembers giving Pixal his heart. There’s a lot of little memories in between, smaller things, the day-to-day that still makes its home in his head. He barely remembers his father, those memories damaged long before the overlord, unable to survive past that trauma.

He finds, quite unexpectedly, that he has no memory of the first time he met Jay Walker.

He has the memory of before, Walking up those endless stair with Master Wu (who had been trying to hide how he was looking at Zane, impressed at how he didn’t even seem winded on their way up) and after, When Jay had led him over to the living room to introduce him to Cole. the time between was blank, a record-skip in his mind, the scene transitioning sharply past the moment he first laid eyes on his future friend.

Once he discovers it’s missing, he thinks about it a lot. He wonders what Jay had said to him, what he had said to Jay? Would the boy have commented on his lack of belongings? Would Zane have explained why?

Zane consults another memory. Jay didn’t know he was an orphan. Then what would he have said, when they first met? Jay was anything but unmemorable, how could Zane forget?

He thinks about asking sometimes, or prodding and picking delicately until Jay volunteers the information himself, or even waiting for it to come up in conversation naturally. It never does, really, not in a way that would satisfy the burning itch.

He doesn’t tell him because it would hurt his feelings to know Zane had forgotten him, probably.

He doesn’t really know Jay all that well. Or maybe he did. Was supposed to?

(how many memories is he missing?)

_______________

He’d accepted on Chen's island he wasn’t the white ninja, he’s conquered that fear. He was the titanium ninja, and that was fine, really. He was still Zane, probably, just a different version. He doesn’t want to drag on this existential crisis any longer, so he shuts the door on it and washes his hands of it. He is who he is, Pixal helped him figure that out.

And Cole, too, but Zane would never tell him that.

It’s just that, when he’d been all alone down there in that dungeon, and Pixal had coaxed the shattered and splintered pieces of himself back together, his memory had been… it had been damaged beyond repair long before then, really, he could accept this now. Things had been lost for good. He knew lots of stuff abstractly, that he was a ninja, that he lived in Birchwood Forest at some point, that he had lots of friends and lots of enemies- but there was a disconnect he couldn’t describe, a distance he never told Pixal about.

A chasm made all the more apparent when Cole peeked through those bars and Zane... didn’t recognize him.

But the thing that settles the spiraling, unsettling identity crisis in his chest is that Cole recognizes him.

“You’re alive!” Cole says so confidently that Zane instantly believes it’s true, that there’s no way he couldn’t be the man Cole recognizes, “And you’re silver?”

He can match the face and the voice, he can understand that it’s Cole and commit that to memory, but he didn’t understand who he was looking at the moment he saw him based on the hole riddled, damaged program he’d been working off of now.

“Titanium.” He corrects, and there’s a dissonance with the face in his files and the one before him, “Cole, you look white.” He comments, and Cole just smiles and laughs and says a lot of things about getting Zane home.

The distance in his head closes when Cole calls him lug nut, and the memories are suddenly his again, within his grasp, Cole the one piece of the puzzle he needed to kick-start his code back into working order. His life snapping back into reality instead of a nebulous, intangible thing shaped around him.

This is his secret, not even Pixal had realized what happened, and she’d been in his head. He doesn’t want anyone to know.

It’s fine now, anyway. He can always make more memories.

_______________

“Hey, Zane, do you remember when-”

Probably not.

[limenysnocket]

Attention and Company

I couldn't help myself. @honorarytenenbaum

Summary: Sometimes you need someone to chill with, and that's okay. Maybe that person is your boyfriend who also gets a little roughed up at work sometimes. Pubs can sustain you both for only so long, but what you really need is to curb yourselves in the mall parking lot, right next to a shaved ice food truck.

Warnings: Just some light swearing, a bit of angst, a lot of fluff, and some brief mentions to "raunchy" behavior. This is a soft fic for y'all tonight, out here needin' some gentle lovin'.

A/N: Got some lonely feelings right now. I just wanna hug someone, dude. Yo, we could totally watch a movie over discord sometime... maybe.

○●□○●□○●□○●□○

Today sucked. Flat out. The bags under your eyes didn't lie, and now here you were, outside of your studio, sitting on the hood of your car, eating a granola bar to stave off hunger for a few more hours. Hopefully.

You pull your phone from your pocket, looking at the time for a moment, then looking at your screensaver. It was the only thing that could make you smile. You had your arm wrapped around one of your closets friends, Taika, and the phone didn't capture it, but he had his arm wrapped around your waist. His curls were all messed up, and the picture perfectly showed how drunk you both were by the fuzzy pink on your cheeks. It was 99 cent beer night at one of the local pubs, and unlike the first one held at a baseball game, all went well.

Of course, there was a limit to how much the two of you were allowed to drink, but that didn't stop the many failed attempts at stealing other people's drinks while they were looking away, just to get a taste more. Didn't matter that you guys were eventually thrown out of the bar for breaking rules and coming close to breaking a few faces, you had a great night.

That night also lead to a few other places, including his hotel room, but that end of the story has to be saved for another time.

Instead of staring at your phone for another century, you decide to unlock it and dial the man up. You knew he was somewhere around here, either charming his way onto another movie set to mess with his rich friends, or getting his tired ass kicked by daylight savings.

His number was saved to your favorites, so dialing him was quick and easy. The wait for him to pick up didn't last long either.

"Talk to me..."

God, his voice sounds like one big yawn. Looks like he needs a bit of perking up too.

"I've got two curbside tickets to eat a snow cone and watch kids do loops on their bikes in the parking lot. One of those tickets has your name on them," you grin, despite sounding exhausted too. The day really made you strain your voice.

His musical laughter really makes the sun look brighter from its low position in the sky.

"That's oddly specific... where would these magical tickets take me afterwards?" He had cocked his eyebrows up and leaned against his office door while he spoke to you.

"If this were a booty call, I would have told you already, Taik," you snort and tease him. "So, it's either make yourself fat on some weirdly flavored snow cone, or take your horny-ass home."

"Okay, okay... I'd like to make myself fat for a night, as long as your there," his voice is dreamy, desperate and warm. "You there already?"

"Nope," your lips pop the p, "but I'm nearby."

"I swear to God, if you're talking and driving, I'm gonna whoop your ass," Taika stood up, acting serious when he was just really worried about your safety in general.

"I'm not, I'm fine," you laugh again. "Not even in the car. Sitting on it though, trying to convince the world's sexiest man to go out with me again."

"And you said this wasn't a booty call," he retorts over the phone, making you playfully glare at the asphalt on the road. It's like he's in front of you.

"You coming or not?" you change the subject and you hear him laugh again, but softer.

"Yeah... I'll be there in a few minutes, gorgeous."

He always made goodbyes so easy. Maybe it was because you both knew you would be seeing each other again, no matter what circumstances you were thrown into. But the dial tone still had its effects.

You slip off the hood of your car, and take a seat in the driver's seat. The warm summer air makes your skin glow, and your brain went fuzzy only imagining it doing the same to Taika.

The drive feels so quiet. For a moment, you actually thought about calling him again, but you knew for a fact that he wouldn't pick up if he was driving.

As predicted, kids are zooming around on their bikes, showing off to their friends or trying to be cool, even though they all were obviously teary-eyed each time they scraped a knee. It was amusing to you and Taika, especially when some of the older boys would try to catch your attention and zip past you and Taika. It ended up being a heckle fest in the end, and some kid always went home with his butt hurt.

Keys and wallet in hand, you trek to the small, blue trailer tucked in the corner of the parking lot.

"Damn, you must have beat me here by just a few seconds," Taika calls, rustling his way through the small spaces between a couple of cars.

"Well, you've never been a speed demon type, so last place is your calling when it comes to racing," you guwaf and grin at him. He rolls his eyes and comes to walk right next to you.

"I pride myself on road safety," he hums, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

You glance at him from the side, just to silently check up on him. His hair was tousled and his eyes were resteless. It looks like he had it rough from the start. He had struggled to get dressed this morning, but picked the most eccentric clothes in his closet to make up from his lack of sleep.

"Dare you to try the dill pickle flavor this time," his cocky tone wakes you up.

"Like hell I will," you snort as you finally reach the trailer, where a teen boy happily greets the both of you.

"Oh come on, it'll be funny," he eggs you on, his bottom lip pouting.

"Keep trying to make me get dill pickle, and the next time we have a movie night together, I'm getting the pizza," you sniff and he rolls his eyes. He thinks it is an odd threat. "And I'm making it all Hawaiian pizza." That got his attention.

"Bull shit, you would never. Not on a perfectly good pizza!" He gasps.

"Oh, just watch me, pineapple boy," you snicker and point to his pineapple print shorts. You break conversation to order two piña colada flavored snow cones. Taika usually took for-fucking-ever when it came to picking a single flavor, so ever since the second time you've been out here with him, he assigned you to choose for him. He usually got what you got.

Now, you wait.

You plop yourself down on the curb, as you promised, and he joined you with a long, loud groan. You give him a bewildered stare, wondering if his age had really gotten him this much. He smiles at you through a wince.

"Sat on my keys," he wheezes and chuckles at his own stupidity under his breath.

Your eyes float down to where he pulls out his keys and you start giggling quietly.

"Oh, come on, I'm sure you've done the same thing," Taika says, not handling the fact that you have new material to mess with him, and also trying to get some stories out of you.

"Well yeah, but I don't sit down as violently as you do," you prod his bicep, and he laughs.

"Such a lady. Must sit down gracefully and slowly," he says, mocking an English accent, but he was horrible at accents so of course it was bad. You smack his bicep this time, and he playfully flinches, like it hurt.

"I really need to get you into some accent classes or some shit, before you get your teeth knocked out," you shake your head with a smile.

"What? I think I'm great at accents. My American accent is the best one yet, don't you think?" He smirks at you, and proceeds to demonstrate. "All you have to do is put an 'er' at the end of everything, right? That's totally how they speak around here."

"I would be careful, Mr. Waititi. Could get in some trouble if you say that too loudly," you roll your eyes, and he sighs. Yeah. Things were going to shit in LA. It was clear to everyone, but what could two hollywood producers do to stop things like that? Keep making films, you guess.

"Two, large piña coladas!"

You look up, and so does he.

"I'll get them," you volunteer, but he places his hand on your shoulder before you could get up.

"Let me," he speaks softly, in a damn near whisper.

He stands up and strides right over to the trailer with so much confidence, you're envious. He comes back with two large styrofoam cups in hand, spoons, and a warm smile. His smile was always warm. It set fire in your belly.

He sits down a bit more carefully this time, even though his car keys were sitting in the grass, far away from his landing zone. He hands you your cup and a spoon.

"Do these have alcohol in them?" He nudges you with your elbow and you shake your head.

"As if they would let a seventeen-year-old serve alcoholic beverages," you throw in logic.

"I dunno... ever been to a ballpark before? Pretty sure some of those kids are way too young to be peddling there too, but that doesn't stop people from hiring them," he says while pointing his spoon at you.

"Fair point," you finish, then look at your snow cone. You decide to start eating before it melts.

Silence swarms the air, but comfortably. There's the occasional murmur of cicadas or humming cars drowning them out. Birds would land on the scorching asphalt to pick at whatever crumbs were left by other patrons, before fluttering away at the sight of a zooming bike getting too close for comfort.

Taika will point out a few of the kids doing tricks. He picks his favorites for the night, and he keeps himself busy by watching them. You, on the other hand, are occupied with him. You examine him from the tips of his dirty white chucks, to his frazzled hairdo.

"You look like shit," you mutter. He barely pays you mind and that comment was hardly acknowledged. It was like the air had gone a bit stiffer. He was hiding something from you.

"What's going on, Taik?" you worry. He never kept things from you, unless they were hard to bear.

He sets his cup down and holds his hands together. He looks so tired. So solemn.

"Today was total shit," he whispers and runs a hand through his hair.

"Well, yeah, I get that. I wouldn't have known if you had looked a little spiffier," you say, reaching out and gently tucking a curl on his forehead back in place with all the rest of its friends.

"Look, I--..." he says, turning to you, lips parted slightly, and a yearning sensation bubbling from the tips of his fingers as he rests a single hand on you.

There were tough times with the occupancy you both, willingly, chose. The hardest part about it was making friends, or making love, then finding out you have to leave it behind for a new location the next morning.

"I have to leave... for Sydney..." he says, reaching to gently take your cheek into the palm of his hand.

"When?" you manage, though you were clearly becoming upset.

"In a few weeks. Thor is waiting for me," he sighs, barely able to look at you while his thumb rubbed your ample cheek.

"And what does this have to do with me?"

"I don't want to leave you," he says, tilting your head up just the slightest bit. "And I don't want to stop loving you."

Your eyes search his for a moment, wide and a bit confused.

"I thought you said we were just a fling with--"

He cuts you off, "A fling with benefits. I know..." he sighs again, "but every time I find myself waiting for you to call on a shitty day, each time you rest your head on my shoulder, all the times you smile at me and tease me, I find myself falling... more in love with you." He has to pause to breathe.

It's so quiet. Dangerously quiet.

"What happens if I love you too...?" you muster your courage, and look right into his expressive, brown eyes.

"I don't know," he says to you, thumb still rubbing circles.

"Guess there's only one way to find out, huh?" you breathe, and he nods.

Still as statues, you wait for words to touch the air. It's only when his foot makes a wrong move and knocks over his snow cone, does the tension break.

His bottom lip pouts for him again and you quietly pick his spoon up off the ground. You clean it on your shirt and hand it to him, all before taking your cup, and holding it out to share. He smiles down at you, taking his spoon from your hand and sticking it into the shaved ice.

Your head leans against his shoulder when the sun disappears behind the mall building.

"I love you too," you whisper.

"I know," he says back, sucking at the tip of his spoon.

"Think we can keep this up over the phone?" you ask, wondering about a brief virtual relationship, just until one of you catches a break.

"Guess there's only one way to find out, huh?" he says, lowering his spoon, wrapping his arm around you, and giving you his full attention.