#JIMMY BEING ALL TIMID AND WORRIED

[zan-the-second]

Hi! Your stories are amazing and it's what got me in the fandom! I actually drew one of the scenes of SN&GL: Chapter 2. Hope you like it! 😊Keep up the good work!

I AM SCREAMING THIS LOOKS SO PRETTY OP I AM GOING TO CRY

Tbh at first I thought this was Scott in the meeting having a flashback about Jimmy then I saw Zeva and my brain went !!!! OH OH THAT SCENE OHHH

I'm very flattered that my work inspired you enough to make art about it!! Honestly, as a writer, people drawing scenes from my fics(looking at you @daydreamdoodles<3) fills me with so much joy. It's surreal ro see other people's interpretation of your work!!!

That being said: ZEVA IN THIS OH MY GOD I AM FROTHING IN THE MOUTH JDBDJDJD SHE'S SO PRETTY I AM ASDLKGDW THE GRACE THE POISE THE PERMANENTLY UNAMUSED EXPRESSION I LOVE HER

I'm glad you enjoyed Sn&gl! That fic really has my entire soul in it and it's so cool to see other people interested!

[goshdangronpa]

Even with a sizable cast of huge personalities, the stories of Danganronpa eventually center around a cluster of major supporting characters alongside the protagonist. Stalwart allies, staunch rivals, the hearts of the team, the pains in the neck. "I DISAGREE: An Ibuki Mioda SDR2 Protag Swap AU" is no different.

These Hands are Meant to Hold: The Major Side Characters

With that said, the characters who fills those slots in this AU are very different from the ones in the real SDR2. That’s on purpose: I prioritized those who don’t stick around for much of the story. As I promised in that first post, this story will see different victims, different killers, and different survivors. More fun that way, right? Here are my ideas:

The Ultimate Imposter: Every DR game needs that one character who basically carries the early class trials. The Ultimate Imposter - or rather, the Ultimate Affluent Progeny - is a big help, using keen observation skills in the investigations and handily shutting down irrelevant tangents (including from Ibuki) during the trials. Ibuki’s creativity helps piece together the evidence they gather, making them a formidable duo for any blackened. Already fast friends in the game, this AU would see the girl trying to solve the mysteries of this authoritative and snobby yet tenderhearted and protective person. Yet she can’t help thinking that there’s an even deeper mystery to “Byakuya Togami” - a secret that, once revealed, will test the fire-forged strength of their relationship.

Hiyoko Saionji: If Imposter is the Kyoko to Ibuki’s Makoto, then Hiyoko is the Byakuya (not to be confused with the Imposter pretending to be Byakuya …). She needs little provocation, if any, to insult and belittle her peers. Even the revelation of once being besties with Ibuki and Mikan won’t convince her to be any kinder - though it vindicates her close connection with Mahiru. As the bodies pile up, though, the Twilight Syndrome Girls come together as they should’ve in SDR2 (seriously, how was there no follow-up to that discovery after Chapter 2?!). Moreover, Hiyoko discovers that she can channel her aggressiveness to more selfless and self-sacrificing ends.

Hajime Hinata: Yep, you gotta make room for good ol’ Jimmy - whether he wants it or not. He’s the odd man out among the gang specifically for not being so odd. WIth arguably the game’s flashiest character stealing his lead role, he serves the thankless duty as her suffering straight man. This just takes the derisiveness he already shows toward his classmates in-game and really brings it out. Once he starts getting to know everyone, though, he does warm up to them. The challenge, then, is whether he can stifle his envy of his peers’ Ultimate talents. And later on, even his status as “the only normal person in the group” will be shaken to its core.

Mikan Tsumiki: After foaming at the mouth and passing out at the beach, Ibuki awakens to see the Ultimate Nurse treating her, making Mikan the first person Ibuki meets one-on-one. The timid girl and the loudmouth rock star make a strange pair, but they stick together as this strange situation unfolds. When a murder most foul takes place, Mikan’s medical expertise comes in clutch. Even as other loud voices try to drown her out, Ibuki’s perfect hearing can pick up her whimpers and make her words heard. There’s more I want to say about this … but I’m saving all that for a separate post. Same for tsumioda.

In fact, same for all these people. Same for Nagito Komaeda as well - I haven’t forgotten him, don’t worry. Maybe the same for a few others, though I may save the breakdowns of everyone else’s roles for other posts about individual murders, investigations, and trials. Suffice to say that in my current conception, the above four are the most important people in the Protagonist Ibuki story - and I take that straight from the original SDR2. The real question, to which even I’m not sure of the answer, is, “But are they the survivors?”

PREV: Ibuki in the Trials

NEXT: Starting the Game with Despair Disease

[clairethecutepup]

Puppy Eyes and Doll Eyes: The Complete, Short "Assassin AU" Comic (EEnE)

First, disclaimers: we all know Ed Edd n' Eddy doesn't belong to me, and the "Assassin AU" of the series is by "C2ndy2c1d". For more about the overall comic and my thoughts, click the "read more" below. Hopefully, this sample of my comic-related works sparks interest in a potential audience for more, both of original and fan-based content.

For individual pages and THEIR commentary notes:

Pg 1

Pg 2

Pg 3

Pg 4

Pg 5

Pg 6

Pg 7

For the final page, #8:

Finally, got it finished! Boy, talk about having a "funny way of showing it," when it comes to any feelings of endearment, huh? Let's just say, "It's complicated..." isn't just for romantic relations. Also, I hope you got your fill of Claire retaining her usual wolfishness there, as she's going to be a normal human in the actual fan comic series. As I've said before, the concept of "werebeasts" can be an interesting idea for an assassin-based series, just not for the world of EEnE-- "alternate universe" or not.

I admit that it'll be jarring, but I can still replicate Claire's wolf nature via her assassin theme: "Herr Wolf," which involves her dressing similarly to the common werewolf portrayal. If you're wondering why she's using "Herr" in that title, and not the more appropriate German addressment of "Frau," it's both for similar sound to the mythical monster and for the masculine nature of her outfit's appearance. Plus, wolves are generally associated with masculinity. As for when she's OUT of costume, she'll be wearing a little wolf-hoodie that has both ears and a tail. It'd be perfect, as constantly having the hood over her head would also portray her timid/shy demeanor. Besides, Sarah and Jimmy would probably find their apprentice cuter with her hood on and ears hanging about, so there's that.

Oh yeah, hope you grew to like the idea of Claire being with Sarah and Jimmy up there, as she'll be with them instead. Don't worry, they'll take good care of her; but that doesn't mean they can't have some fun with her, every now and again~. What's all this about apprentices and stuff? This post is your answer, in regards to the upcoming fan comic series. Of course, keep in mind that I also do more ORIGINAL series, so it's not like I'll dedicate every moment of "creative time" to that.

Back to the page itself, I really wish I could've figured out a way to make the colorless outlines match how I envisioned: a tad on the fancier side, but I definitely like the surrounding "oil paint" texture that CS-Art offered. At the very least, I find the "End" text very pretty and satisfyingly done: simple, yet nicely calligraphic. Then again, that IS the form of "pen" I selected, when writing it. Can you believe I also had trouble drawing in a more "chibi" style? Yeah, that's some irony right there: I can easily draw the more "professional" forms of characters, but it's drawing them in smaller/simpler forms that "hard mode" is activated... Eh, practice makes perfect, ja?

I also notice I forgot to add the little chick feet, on the back of Ed's magazine; but let's be honest, it's not really THAT big of a deal. It also looks a little better without the busy back cover, I'd say? As for Sarah's face, in regards to visible angels of things, she's grinning under her mask. Unfortunately, it covers the left side of her face; and she and Jimmy are heading to the RIGHT, therefore their LEFT sides will be toward the audience, in that perspective.

Anyway, I think I've finally figured how to go about comics, thanks to this little and fun fan one-- both to the actual EEnE series, and C2ndy2C1d's awesome AU concept. Seriously, Sarah and Jimmy may scare me to heck and back, as this version of their characters, but I'd be lying if I claimed they (and the other characters) weren't cool. Yep, from now on, it's gonna be: traditional panels (with less being more), handwritten lettering, a colored background for space outside the panels, and somewhat text-fitting bubbles that overlay the panels. Welp, hope you all look forward to future comic works by me, as I've finally found my niche!

[unexceptional-broken]

               SHE PUT HER tools down for a moment, looking over at her brother. They didn’t get too many afternoons like this — they hadn’t had many afternoons like this even before the entire world had changed — but the timid tranquility in the living room was both novel and nostalgic, like this scene scratched a long-scarred over part of her memories where something better sat. Becky had been organizing her medical kit when her brother had arrived claiming no other reason than to just BE with his sister for the afternoon. She’d been burning at both ends for so long that the idea felt alien, but not unwanted. 

She rested her chin on her raised knee, sitting on the murphy bed currently unfolded out of the wall to make more places to sit in the living room. The area was small, but not cramped: she’d been nauseas when she’d found out just how much real estate cost, feeling like she was back when an apple cost more than she’d be able to scrounge together in a week. But luckily for her, an administrative error had never taken her salary off of the Stark Labs payroll, and Tony Stark hadn’t wanted to revise the error when they found out, instead paying her out with a flourish. The decades of money had given her a small nest egg, the bulk of which went to her purchasing a smalll brownstone outright, refusing to leave Brooklyn despite its changes over the years. As such, the living room in which she now sat with her brother wasn’t quite as expansive as she thought it would be with the money in her possession, but she’d quickly warmed to it and found all the ways to pragmatically utilize the space, starting with the murphy bed. A bed that can unfold out of the wall meant more space when it wasn’t in use. She arranged the furniture so the bed would unfold right on top of the coffee table, and suddenly, she had a working medical space when she needed it, or a visitor’s bed if anyone ever thought to be a guest. 

Her brother was flicking through a book in a manner so painfully familiar she could almost convince herself that the last century had never actually happened. She could ignore the soft glnt of metal when he shifted his arm, or even the scar on his fleshy knuckle that she knew for certain had never been their prior, and if she managed to continue to put those changes aside, seeing her brother folded into a chair and engrossed in a book was a sight so him — so THEM — that she didn’t even know if it fit anymore. Despite the short time that had passed, Becky still had some trouble being normal around Jimmy, and she was worried he was beginning to notice, if he hadn’t already. She was so worried that he would finally open his eyes and realize that the best parts of herself were no longer residing in her scarred-up chest. A fear buried deep inside of her kept whispering that one day, he’d realize that she had left those good parts at his grave, needing to fill the empty cedar with something, and she didn’t know if she could get those pieces back. 

She just hoped that that day wouldn’t be today. She picked up the bandages she had been packing into her kit and let her brother continue in the quiet for as long as he needed, hoping she hadn’t shifted the energy of the day too irrevocably with her staring and the heaviness she always seemed to carry with her. Unconsciously and under her breath, she instead began humming, both as a means to comfort herself and to bring focus back into her body. It was an old song, old even when they had been children, but a favorite of a very young Becca Barnes when she heard the Ukranian grandmother through the paper-thin walls of their apartment singing it to her grown son on nights when whatever nightmares they’d seen before her birth overcame him. She didn’t know the words, only the melody, but... it had always felt like the words would just mean love. 

                                                    ( @wnterslder​ ) « starter call

[en-chantedslibrary]

More than your semblance (Qrow Branwen x Reader)

This is a pretty angsty fic and CONTAINS VOL 7 SPOILERS.

Synopsis: You try to comfort Qrow while in prison- basically just a rewrite of the prison scenes in volume 7, but make it a lovely little Qrow x reader fanfic. This may be a multiple part series Warnings: Strong language, mentions of death, mentions of alcohol abuse

1.4k words

"This is your fault. You realise that don't you?" The voice comes from the cell next to yours. The sound of Robyn's pacing filled the solemn silence of the room, and as you looked to your left, you saw Qrow staring at something in his hands. "All I wanted was to bring people together. To give them a chance at a better life. But you..."

"Me?" You hear a voice that brings a visceral feeling of rage and hatred with just a simple syllable. Great. Not only were you imprisoned by the Atlas Military, but you were stuck in a room with Jacques Fucking Schnee. You were somewhat grateful that you were here with Qrow but something seemed... off with him. You could usually distinguish the differences in each of Qrow's brooding expressions, but this one was new. He looked like someone had ripped his entire soul apart. There was no emotion in his eyes and that worried you.; you both had seen numerous things on your missions together that no amount of drinking could make you forget, but the huntsman seemed as if he had seen something worse than anything you had encountered.

"Qrow," you softly call, he gives you a soft hum in response. "What happened back there? At the crash?" Qrow freezes. He fiddles with whatever is in his hands and doesn't look up at you.

"And although my hands may not be clean, at least I am not a murderer!" You hear Jacques call out in response to Robyn's comments. What was he trying to insinuate? That Robyn was a killer? Robyn stopped pacing and looked at Qrow. Why would she look at Qrow? What did he-?

"He didn't kill anybody." You couldn't quite comprehend what was happening here. You knew he was an asshole but Jacques wasn't the type of man to blatantly accuse someone of murder. So why now? What exactly happened out there? You had now tuned out of the finger-pointing between Hill and Schnee and just stared at Qrow. He knew you were looking at him. You had to have hated him now. You must see him as a monster now. He couldn't bring himself to look up and meet once kind eyes now filled with hatred.

"Qrow, look at me." No answer. "Qrow." He didn't look up. HE just kept looking at whatever was in his damn hands. "QROW, LOOK AT ME DAMNIT!" The outburst took the huntsman by surprise and he finally looked up at you. Your eyes were glossed over as if you were about to cry. Not tears of hatred. Tears of concern, of fear. "Just tell me what happened." Your voice was quiet, timid; searching for an answer and praying it was the one you were hoping for. Qrow isn't a killer. Sure, you two have killed in the past but it was necessary means. Qrow was not the type of man to kill unless it was a last resort.

"I-" Qrow started, but was quickly interrupted by an alert sound and the opening of doors. Three Atlas guards walked in, guns in hand to collect... Authur Watts? What did they need him for?

"You do realise you've already caught me?" He quips, and receives a hard strike to the head from one of the guards, if you were not currently locked up in this fucking chicken coup- you'd be laughing at the sight. You watched them drag his pathetic self out of the room, only turning away when you hear a sigh from Robyn.

"I hate not being able to do anything."

"We can do something." Qrow responds, "We can kill the man who put us here." Qrow's voice is laced with pure rage. His words shock you.

"Kill James? I don't know what the hell happened between you two but you can't just say shit like that!"

"Really? 'Good Ol Jimmy' doesn't seem to think that's the case. Or did you not hear what my niece said? He's going to destroy Mantle. All to protect this floating piece of shit."

"I'm- I don't know what to think of it. James was never the one to simply abandon ship like this. There has to be some meaning behind all this!"

"How do you do that?" Qrow sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose and lying back on the 'bed' in his cell.

"What?" You snap, frustrated with him

"Always look for the best in people- even if they're a lost cause." You hug yourself at this comment.

"You make it seem like I'm naive, Birdbrain" You joke lightly

"You aren't. Your ability to show kindness is admirable. It's one of the things I love about you" He smiles, You at him in shock,

"Can we skip the romantics, please? I'd like to spend however long I have left in here without hearing your vexing voices" Jacques comments from across the room. You start to walk towards the wall keeping you and the weasel apart.

"What did you mean before, Schnee?" You asked sternly, "When you called Qrow a murderer?"

"I meant exactly what I said." He responded. "Qrow Branwen murdered Clover Ebi in cold blood."

"I didn't kill him, asshole." Qrow choked out quietly. You turned to your partner.

"Then what happened Qrow?" You asked

"What always happens" Qrow clutches the object in his hand tightly. "My semblance fucked everything up again."

"It wasn't your fault" Robyn chimes in

"It was though," Qrow sighs "I made a deal with the darkness, and he paid the price. It was all happening so fast but Clover wouldn't let up. We could've worked together against Tyrion if Clover just-" he swallowed the lump in his throat "But the thing that really stings? For the first time in a while, I thought 'Maybe- Maybe I could be around somebody, anybody without my semblance making it... complicated." Qrow finally looks up, only to look at you. "And now, it just feels like a childish dream. Gone. Like everybody else." He looks away from you again. There is a heavy silence for a while.

"I'm still here Birdbrain." You say, walking to stand close to the barrier between the two of you. "And I'm not leaving anytime soon."

"You can't promise that. My semblance-"

"You are more than your semblance." You interrupt, "You are not a bad luck charm, Qrow. You are a strong, kind, funny but deeply troubled man. I wish you would just let someone in, let someone who loves you take care of you for once." You started to tear up at your words, "Let me in Qrow." Hot tears started to stream down your face. Qrow was about to speak but was yet again stopped by the opening of doors. The guards drag in Arthur and lock him in a cell again. The guards are joined by Marrow and Harriet.

"You don't get to keep that" Harriet snaps at Qrow, his hand was no longer clasped around the object in his hand and now you could finally get a look at what it was he was so attached to.

It was Clover's pin. Covered in... was that Clover's blood?

"I didn't kill him."

"Hmph, you keep saying that, but it was your weapon covered in his blood."

"If you really want to know what happened, Mohawk," Robyn chimes in, "Why not open this cell and take my hand?" She challenges Harriet, only to earn a smug chuckle in return.

"If I open this cell, it won't be to shake hands."

"Yeah, because you don't care about the truth. You just want someone to be mad at." Robyn scoffs.

"Easier than taking an honest look at what side you're fighting for." You add. To this, Harriet lets out an angry grumble, looking at the keypad on Robyn's cell, as if she was considering actually accepting Robyn's challenge.

"Har, what are you doing?" Marrow calls out.

"Nothing," Harriet responds with a scoff, shoving past the Faunus boy to leave. Once all the guards leave, Robyn goes to lie on her bed.

"Well, that was... almost exciting."

"Might have had some actual entertainment," you joked. Qrow lets out a small chuckle.

"And he smiles! Did we win?" Robyn teases.

"Hey, it's your game. I don't make the rules," Qrow responds melancholily.

"Way to be cheery, Featherboy" You quip, Robyn chuckles at the nickname.

"Featherboy?" Qrow questions, fighting back a small smile.

"Seem's fitting doesn't it?" you say, laying on your side on the brick of a bed, facing Qrow.

"Whatever you say, dumbass." He jokes back, he still has a sad tone to his voice, but his face is a little brighter. You just let your eyes memorise every bit of his face while you slowly drift off to sleep, the sight of his stubble, his crimson eyes, his greying hair and the soft curve of his lips seem to comfort the deep feeling of dread in the pit of your stomach.

What happens now?

[smileymoth]

1 // 2 // 3  // 4 // 5. The final part of my double life writings :)

***

Scar stood above the burnt ground of the sanctuary, the light wind messing with his hair. He looked around trying to spot where all of the Jellies had travelled after their home was destroyed. The red velvet keep was gone, the panda reserve was burnt. His lives were gone. Everything was gone. The gravity felt so fragile after death, as if you were floating above the world, vision foggy yet somehow so crystal clear it scared him. It didn’t help that his body felt detached from his soul. He had stayed at the secret hideout for the past couple of days, he had been afraid of looking at the destruction fire had brought to their keep in the last days of the chaos. 

He had briefly spoken to Pearl and Bdubs in the meantime, as well as apologized to Tango and Jimmy who laughed it off instantly and gave him a big warm hug. He cleaned up the torn bamboo, throwing it all into a pile where the sanctuary used to stand, alerting the Jellies to walk toward Scar. He heard laughter from a distance, Joel and Etho, Bdubs and Impulse laughing as they chased each other down the steep edges of the ravine, being picked up by fishing rods when they fell. 

Oh the calmness, the forgiveness of floating in the afterlife with your friends and partners, with no way to hurt yourself other than the emotional damage and ache living deep in one's bones. All until the next challenge between life and death strikes. Scar felt lost, he wished he wouldn’t feel betrayed, but he did. Grian had ditched him, whether by accident or not. He couldn’t find him, nor feel his presence tied to him any longer. Laying down on the soft grass, he pushed his hat on his face to avoid the burning Sun. A few Jellie’s stomped there and curled up against him, their soft fur brushing against him -- at least someone was there for him. Closing his eyes, his mind drifted away while the soft sounds of nature soothed him. Maybe being alone wasn’t so bad.

It was a while until he felt another identity join his space. He thought it would be another of the Jellies, but when he pushed his hat from his eyes to peek, he saw Grian. He stood in silence, a bouquet of alliums and poppies in his hand, blocking the Sun from Scar. He looked worried, a bit timid and embarrassed to face Scar again. 

“Hello Grian.” Scar greeted him, pushing the hat back to cover his face, eyes closed once again. 

“I wanted to apologize.” his voice was shaking, eyes tracing his ex-soulmate and the pandas guarding him. “I’m sorry. It just… wasn’t meant to be.”

“You left me. I couldn’t find you anywhere…” his voice was apologetic, as if he had done something wrong. “I was trying to find you and then it was over. And then I… I couldn’t find you even then.” 

“I know. It just happened, you know?” 

“Oh I know full well, Grian.” as much as he tried to hide it, he couldn’t help but sound bitter. 

Grian sat down next to Scar and the Jellies in the grass. He looked at the flowers in his hand, pulling off a dried up petal from a poppy, “Look, I, I was wondering if we could still… be friends? I know I haven’t been the best soulmate and partner and, anyone, really. I’ve been awful to you. I brought you these flowers,” he raised the bouquet toward him, “as an apology. I... I had to bargain with Cleo for these, she was the only one who had alliums, I know you like them.” 

Scar sat up and leaned against one of the Jellies sleeping behind him at that moment, “Of course we can be friends, we will always be friends.” he took the bouquet, their hands brushing together for a faint moment. “Where were you?” he turned to Grian who was nervously rubbing his hands together. “I haven’t seen you in days.” 

After a moment of hesitation, Grian confessed to having been at The Box. He did feel guilty for abandoning Scar like that, but he wanted to apologize and make up for the hurt he had put BigB through. The wound between him and Scar was already rotten, it wouldn’t heal for some time. “I don’t have excuses for disappearing like that, I hope you can forgive me.” was all he could really say.

Scar nodded along, stroking the flower petals as one of the Jellie’s poked her face into Scar’s hands, sniffing the alliums before sneezing. Scar laughed and scratched the underneath of her chin, to which the Jellie purred,  “Isn’t she just adorable?” Jellie’s fur felt so light and silky to touch now, even more-so than before.

“She is, yeah. Uh, Scar, I don’t know if you heard, but Bdubs and Impulse and throwing a pool party. Are you coming?”

“A pool party?” he raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself. 

Grian rubbed the back of his head, aware of what Scar was hinting at with his question, “He promised us that no zombies would be present, Ren also gave his word.” he shot an awkward smile at him, “and Impulse said the copper has fully oxydized so, maybe it’s good luck this time.” 

“Oh that’s amazing. I better get ready then!” he felt a spark of joy in his heart for the first time in a while. 

Grian’s eyes shifted to the ground in shame, “I should also get going. I think. I promised I would be back soon.” 

“Of course.” Scar nodded, eyes tracing Grian’s movements as he stumbled to his feet and started to walk away. “Grian, wait.” he managed, before the fogginess of the world covered his silhouette in the distance. 

“Yes, Scar?” he looked over his shoulder, stopping in his tracks.

“I hope you and BigB are happy together.” he smiled, “See you at the party, Grian.” 

[blackhakumen]

Mini Fanfic #859: Meeting the WarioWare Gang (SSBU X WarioWare)

4:23 p.m. at WarioWare Inc.....

Ashley: (Fixes Up Lucas' Bow Tie) How are you feeling, Lucas?

Lucas: Nervous.....Shaky.... Maybe even a little terrified.....(Turns to Wario) I-Is there a word for all of this?

Wario: (Shrugs) I don't know. Fidgeted?

Lucas: Yeah. That's the one. Fidgeted. I am feeling definitely fidgeted right now.....(Turns to Ashley) Hey, how do I look by the way?

Ashley: (Smiles Softly) You look very handsome today. You really didn't have to wear the bow tie though.

Wario: Yeah. We're only having a picnic at the park.

Lucas: ('Sigh') I know. But Big Sis Ann insisted that I need to look my best for the occasion. This.... isn't too much, is it?

Ashley: It isn't. (Gently Grab Both of Lucas' Hands) And you have nothing to worry about here, Lucas. Everything is going to be just fine.

Wario: Ashley's right, squirt. I known these people for as long as I can remember. They're the most annoying and gullible- (Gets Startled Once He Notice Ashley's Dark Glare Is Pointing Directly at Him) I-I mean, they're the nicest people I know! A-And you don't need to worry about making a bad impression on them or anything. Just stay calm, be yourself, and everything will go good from there.

Ashley: (Genuinely Surprised) Wow, Wario. That's.... actually good advice.

Lucas: Yeah. (Smiles a Little) Thanks, Wario.

Wario: Eh. (Wave his Hand While Rolling his Eyes) It's whatever. I only did it to stop you from being a wuss. (Starts Picking his Nose)

Lucas: (Gets A Bit Grossed Out By Wario)

Ashley: (Gives Wario a Deadpinned Look on her Face) Stop picking your nose, Wario.

Wario: I do whatever I please. (Starts Wiping his Hand on the Side of his Pants)

Ashley: ('Ugh') (Starts Rolling her Eyes) Horridness aside, you think you're ready to do this, Lucas?

Lucas: (Sighs While Nodding) As I'll ever be. (Turns Towards the Office Door)......Y-You don't mind if I count to three before going in, do you?

Ashley: (Giggles Softly) Not at all, Lucas.

Lucas: Thanks! (Takes a Deep Breath) Okay. One......Two....T-

Wario: (Walk Past Lucas to Open the Door) One, two, three. We're going in. (Shoves Lucas Inside the Office) Move it already.

Lucas: Okay! Okay!

Wario: Wahahahaha!- (Gets Stomped on the Toe By Ashley Before Wincing in Pain) YEOOUUCH!!! (Starts Hopping on One Toe) You.... little....yauughh!

Lucas' eyes begins in widened in genuine surprise at the sight of everyone present in the office. Each of which are as colorful, energetic, and lively as Ashley described them to be.

Lucas: Are they really the employees of this company?

Wario: Yep. Each and everyone of them.

Ashley: Pretty lively, aren't they?

Lucas: Yeah..... They're so cool.....

Wario: (Already Getting Impatient) Hurry up and say something already!

Lucas: (Immediately Comes Back to Reality) R-Right!....U-Um!

Everyone in the office came into a complete halt at what they were respectively doing while turning their heads at the timid boy with a bowtie.

Lucas: I...u-um...(Smiles Nervously While Waving Hello to the Employees) H-Hi. I'm not sure if Ashley and Wario told you about me beforehand, but....my name is-

Everyone: LUCAS!!~

Without any hesitation, the employees excitedly rushes over to Lucas and pulls into a group hug/gathering.

Ashley: (Sighs While Having a Deadpinned Look on her Face) So much for toning the excitement.....

Wario: Yep.

Mona: (Giggles Awkwardly While Making her Way to the Duo Along with Penny) Sorry about that, guys.... They've been excited to see Lucas since we first heard about him.

Penny: (Smiles Sheepishly While Watching the Scene Play Out) It's kind of changeling for most of us to maintain our excitement for this long, ya know?

Ashley: It's fine. (Starts Smiling a Little at the Crowd) I'm glad they're taking a liking to him at least.

Mona: Us too.

5-Volt: (Makes her Way to the Trio While Holding a Megaphone in her Hands) Do you mind covering your ears for a second, dears? I got this covered. (Clears Her Throat Before Screaming her Heart Out on the Megaphone) QUIIIIIIEEEETTTTT!!!!!

Everyone stopped what they were doing and have their attention directly towards 5-Volt while letting Lucas go.

5-Volt: ('Sigh') Look, I'm happy to see our guest here as much as you guys are right now, but could you please start settling yourselves down before you give this poor boy a panic attack?

Everyone: Yes, ma'am......Sorry, Lucas.....

5-Volt: (Gives Lucas a Hand With a Soft Smile on her Face) We're sorry about all of that, sweetheart. Are you okay?

Lucas: (Smiles a Bit Sheepishly While Getting Back up on his Face) I'm okay, ma'am. A-And there's really no need apologize for all of that. You all just took me by surprise is all.

5-Volt: Well, as long as you're okay, allow me to properly introduce myself: My name is Mrs. 5-Volt.

Mona: (Smiles Brightly at Lucas) And I'm Mona!

Penny: (Happily Salutes to Lucas) Penny Crygor, at your service! Ashley here told us quite a lot about you as of late~

Ashley: (Eyes Widened While Blushing)

Lucas: She has?

Mona: (Happily Nodded) Mmhmm~ She told us about how much of a sweetheart you are, how much she admires you since day one....

Penny: Ooh! She even told us she has dreams of marrying you som-

Ashley: (Already Flustered in Bright Red) OKAY! How about we introduce everyone else in this room, yeah? (Gives Mona and Penny a Dark Glare) Before my patience starts to dwindle....

Mona: (Shivers in Fear by the Glare Before Giggling Awkwardly) Y-Yeah....That uh....seems to be a good idea right now, right Penny?

Penny: Yep! L-Let's Introduce everyone! (Turns to Lucas with a Bright Smile) Lucas, we want you to meet our whole gang!~ Jimmy T!

Jimmy T: Yo.

Penny: Young Cricket and Master Mantis!

Young Cricket: (Bows Towards Lucas in a Polite and Martial Arts Like Fashion Along with his Master) Please to meet you.

Penny: 9 and 18-Volt!

9-Volt: Hiya!

18-Volt: How's it going, little dude?

Penny: Dribble and Spitz!

Dribble: 'Sup, kiddo!

Spitz: Nice meet ya on this fine day, squirt!

Penny: Kat & Ana!

Kat/Ana: Kon'nichiwa!~

Penny: Our alien friend, Orbulon!

Orbulon: Greetings, young, timid youngling.

Penny: A little girl from Luxeville name Lulu!

Lulu: I'm the hero of my hometown!~

Penny: My grandpa, Dr. Crygor and his assistants, Mike and Doris 1!

Dr. Crygor: It is such a pleasure to finally meet Ashley's future hus- (Gets Startled Once He Noticed Ashley's Dark Glare) I-I-I MEAN boyfriend! Yes.... That's what I meant to say.

Mike: Greetings, Ashley's Boyfriend.

Doris 1: Hello.

Penny: And this is our new addition to the team: Pyoro!

Pyoro: (Happily Squeaks at Lucas)

Lucas: Aww~ Hi, little guy. (Pulls Out his Hand) Nice to meet- (Suddenly Felt Pyoro's Tongue Touching the Palm of his Hand For a Few Seconds Before Putting Back in his Mouth) You.....

Pyoro: (Claps his Arms Happily)

Penny: He can shoot his long tongue to any direction he wants! Neat, huh?

Lucas: (Smiles a Bit Sheepishly) Yeah. He...kind of reminds me of Yoshi in a way.

9-Volt: Hey Lucas! (,Shows Lucas a Tiny Yellow Figure Standing on the Palm of his Hands) I want you to meet my pet: Fronk!

Lucas: Oh uh. Hello, Fronk. (Pulls Out Finger as a Friendly Gesture) It's nice to meet you.

Fronk: (Uses Both of his Hands to Hold Lucas' Finger While Shaking Him Up in Down in the Mid Air Must to His Surprise) The pleasure is all mine, Master Lucas. (Finally Lowers Lucas Down) And I must say, that bowtie of yours looks magnificent on you.

Lucas: T-Thanks, Mr. Fronk....You look great too. (Turns to 9-Volt While Whispering to Him) How is he THIS strong?

9-Volt: (Smiles Sheepishly While Rubbing the Back of Head Back and Forth) I.... might've modified him to have superhuman strength.

Lucas: Woah......B-But anyways, it's really nice to finally meet you all today. My name is Lucas a-and after today......(Closes his Eyes and Shout) I-I HOPE CAN WE BE THE BESTEST OF FRIENDS!

Everyone: (Cheers in Rejoice) YEAH!!!

Ashley: (Sighs While Smiling Sheepishly at Lucas) My darling Lucas~

????: Awwwwwww~

Ashley quickly comes back to reality as her eyes begins to widened before turning around to see Mona and Penny smirking at Her In a teasing fashion.

Mona: Staring at him with that lovey-dovey eyes of yours already?~

Penny: Hmmmmmmmmm?~

Ashley: (Groans in Annoyance While Walking Away) Let's just get this picnic over with.....

An Hour and a Half Later at the Diamond City's Picnic.........

Lucas: Wait. So..... You're telling me that Wario set an entire stadium contest, mistakenly stole a portable potty, and almost cheated all of you out of your money....just to order pizza?

Penny: Yeah.....It was pretty chaotic in those a two and a half days. But at least we had good time regardless. Even after Wario tried to steal our share of the deal afterwards.

Wario: Hey! In my defense, that Gold Challenge was all my idea from the very beginning.

Mona: Yeah, but we still helped.

Everyone (Except For Lucas and Ashley) Yeah!

Lucas: I...gotta agree with them, Wario. That was a pretty jerkish move on your part.

Wario: (Crosses his While Looking Away in Annoyance) Ehh Whatever! I can always scam you losers anytime I want....

5-Volt: (Place her Hand on Wario's Shoulder While Giving him the Dark Glare Herself) What was that?

Wario: (Gets Startled) AHH! N-N-Nothing!! W-Wario didn't say anything! I swear!

5-Volt: (Sighs While Calming Herself Down) I sure hope not....

Everyone: (Giggles Softly at Wario's Dispense)

Lucas: If you don't mind me asking, when was the first all of you have met each other?

Mona: On the day we first started working with Wario. It was supposed to be one time thing, but.....oddly enough, the more we started working on the company together, the more we got more closer to one another than we ever thought we would.

Ashley: (Nodded in Agreement) It's true. While Red and I met them shortly after, our entire relationship with one another has gotten more close overtime. In fact.....(Starts Smiling Softly) Besides the Smash Family, everyone here is.... practically like a family to me. Even if they do get on my nerves sometimes.

Penny: (Heart Begins to Melt in Pure Happiness) Oh, Ashleyyyy~ (Pulls Ashley into a Loving Hug) Thank you!~

Everyone (except for Wario and Lucas) begins to join in on the group hug. Showing Ashley how much she means to each and everyone to them as well.

Ashley: ('Sigh') Thank you so much, everyone.....Now, get off.

Everyone: (Chuckles Lightly as They Pull Away From their Group Hug)

Lucas: (Chuckles Lightly) Even as co-workers, you guys managed to form a close bond with one another. You really are amazing.

9-Volt: (Smiles Brightly) Thanks, man. Ooh! Speaking of which, what's your family like back home? You know, besides the one back in the Smash World.

Wario: (Starts Choking Up on his Food a Little)

Ashley: (Eyes Widened in Horror) Oh no.....

Lucas: Oh. Well, umm....Back at my universe, I have a dad, grandfather, a really great dog named Boney, and a mom and twin brother......(Slowly Starts Frowning Sadly) Or.....at....least I used to have mother and brother.....

9-Volt: Wait. (Starts Frowning a Little in Worry) "Used to"?

Mona: (Frowns as Well) What do mean, Lucas?

Lucas: Well.....um....My mother and brother uh.... They're......gone.

Everyone: ('Gasps')

Penny: (Almost Speechless) G-Gone?

Lucas: Yeah...W-Well, I mean.... They weren't.... "gone" per say. They were....killed if anything.....

Everyone: ('GASPS')

5-Volt: (Covered her Mouth in Anguish) Oh my god.....

18-Volt: H-How!? What happened!?

Everyone: (Starts Rambling On About What is Happening Right Now)

Ashley: Everyone!

Everyone: (Stops at What They Were Doing and Turns to Ashley)

Ashley: ('Sigh') Look, I know all of you have questions in all of this, but... could you please not overwhelm Lucas here? He's been through a lot....

Lucas: (Gives Ashley a Sad Yet Reassuring Smile) It's okay, Ashley. I don't mind telling them what happened.

Ashley: Are you sure you wanna go through with this?

Mona: Yeah. You don't have to force yourself to tell us.

Lucas: (Simply Nodded) I'm sure. It's....not gonna be easy to tell, but... I'll do my best to stay strong throughout it all. (Takes a Deep Breath Before Speaking Again) Okay. So....it all started back in Tazmily Village, my hometown, it was morning time and.....

Regardless of how challenging it was in a few areas, Lucas continues to tell everyone almost everything that happened to him in the past. About Porky, the night that took his mother's live away, the disappearance of his twin brother and the sacrifice he took for Lucas in the later half of his tragedy adventure. As he told them each details, it wasn't long before tears begins to fall down on everyone's faces. Even Ashley started to shed a tear or two as she held Lucas' hand throughout the whole process. The explanation itself only lasted around fifteen minutes as Lucas mentally sighs in relief for lasting this long without breaking himself down.

Lucas: ......And that just about sums up everything that happened. It was.....a rough time for me back then. Losing love ones, getting out of a near death experience....It was a miracle dad and I managed to pull through till the very end without losing our minds. But....on the bright side....(Starts Smiling a Little) It....did taught me to be more brave and mindful over the years. And in a way, I'm kind of thankful for that, cause.... I don't think I would've become the person I am right now it weren't for that and all of the new friends and family I've made along the way. Kuma, Duster, Ness, Red, the Smash Family....(Smiles Down at Ashley) Even you, Ashley. I can't thank you enough for everything you've done for me.

Ashley: (Smiles Softly at her Boyfriend) It's really no problem at all, Lucas. If anything, I should be thanking you for being my friend to begin with....(Starts Blushing Again) A-And for being my boyfriend afterwards~ I love you for that....

Lucas: (Smiles Brightly) I love you too, Ash-

Before Lucas could finish saying his girlfriend's name, him and Ashley suddenly gets pulled into a hug by Penny, while she's still in tears.

Lucas: P-Penny!?

Ashley: (Glares at the Gender Girl) What has gotten into you!?

Penny: Sorry! ('Sniff') Didn't mean to ruin the moment. ('Sniff') My emotions are already running all over the place. So....('Sniff') I thought maybe hugging it out....('Sniff') Would help it go down a little, you know? ('Sniff')

Ashley: (Sighs While Rolling her Eyes) Whatever helps you feel better, Penny....

Penny: Thank you! ('Sniff') And Lucas?

Lucas: Y-Yeah?

Penny: ('Sniff') I'm so sorry you had to go through all of that in past and I'm so happy you're doing a lot better now. ('Sniff') And I know what it feels like to lose someone who's close to you, so....('Sniff') If you ever need someone to talk you, I'll always be there to listen and help, okay?

Dr. Crygor: (Joins in on the Group Hug) That goes for me as well, young man.

Mike: And me.

Doris 1: And for I as well.

Young Cricket: We would be honored to help you anyway we can as well.

9/18-Volt: Don't forget about us!

Kat/Ana: And us!

Lulu: And me!!

Mona: And me as well. We'll always be there for whenever you need us, Lucas. Promise.

Ashley: You guys are too helpful....Can you believe them, Lucas?.....Lucas?

Lucas: (Already in Tears) I know we just met and everything, but.... ('Sniff') I'm so glad.....('Sniff') THAT WE'RE FINALLY FRIENDSSS!~

Penny: Oh buddy! Don't cry!~

9-Volt: Yeah! Of course we're friends!~

Ashley: (Sighs Once More as She Hears her Friends Rambling on About Their Newfound Friendship) (So this is where my life has gotten to at this moment.... Being surrounded by a bunch of hyperactive fools and a cute, emotional boyfriend.....) (Smiles Softly) (I love it already.)

5-Volt: (Smiles Tearfully at the Kids Getting Along) ('Sniff') This is do sweet.....

Mantis: (Happily Nodded in Agreement) Agreed. I believe this will be a start of a beautiful friendship together.

Dribble: (Noticed Wario is Sniffing Right Beside him) Hey man, you getting emotional there too?

Wario: N-No! ('Sniff') I-I'm not crying! ('Sniff') I just got something in eye!

Spitz: Yeah? Like what?

Wario: ('Sniff') (Finally Burst Out Crying) YAHHHHHHHAHHHH!!! WHY DOES THE TWERP HAS TO BE SO SADDDDDD!

Dribble: (Starts Snickering) So much for not caring.

Spitz: (Snickering as Well) Yeah. Guess you really do have after al- (Felt Wario's Snot Coming Out on his Sleeve Before Sighing) Nevermind.....

Bonus

Ness: So.... Lucas met these guys yesterday and you're saying that ALL OF THEM wants to join the squad as well?

Ashley: (Sitting Next With All of the WarioWare Crew While Giving Ness Simple Nodded) Yes. All of them.

Mona: (Smiles Softly at the Boy) I hope you don't mind.

Ness: N-Not at all! I was just.... surprised by how many of you are there, you know? But....(Sigh Slowly Turns to Wario) Are you sure letting him join is a good idea?

Wario: (Glares at Ness) HEY! I can be nice and trustworthy as much as any of you losers in this stupid mansion! (Starts Eating his Chips While Looking Away)

Mona: (Smiles Sheepishly) W-We'll make sure he's on his best behavior.

Ashley: Yeah. (Slowly Starts Moving Herself Over to Ness) We'll...make definite sure about that....(Whispers into Ness' Ears) Write his name in the Unofficial category. I don't trust him one bit.

Ness: (Whispers Back to Ashley) Neither do I. (Writes Down Wario Name Down his Clipboard Before Smiling Brightly at the Gang) Welcome aboard, guys!

Everyone: (Happily Cheers in Rejoice)

@26shann

@keyenuta

@caleb13frede

@cyber-wildcat

@ma-lemons

@albion-93

@illyrilex

[jjkpls]

crayons ‘dul’ (PG)

> genre : fluffy fluff, angst, comedy

> pairing : kim namjoon x reader

> words : 3.7k

> warnings : none (except a rusty quill)

>Y/N, a primary school teacher, is way too soft for the quiet, timid new child in her class. Little did she know, the adult version, who engendered this cutie, is even more charming.

> prior

> next

It doesn't take Mr Kim too long to find a way to meet you.

A week or so later, Adrianne is handing you a little post-it where her curvy cursive spells his name, with his phone number and a time. He says he'll bring Jimmy early to school in two days, to contact him if it doesn't work for you and that he cannot wait to talk to you again. This last part you wouldn't bet on the accuracy. Adrianne says he stuttered his way through a mumbo jumbo of English and another language she didn't recognize, apologizing because he didn't know how to express what he meant but from what she could gather, he was excited to have this meeting about Jimmy.

He arrives two days later, right on time. Not a minute early nor late, perfectly on time and if you don't point it out loud, you still notice it with a discreet smile.

They both look perfectly relaxed, smiling for the man and rather calm for the boy. It's funny to see him now. Mr Kim looks pretty much nothing like the first time you saw him, with the worry, the low-key panicked, agitated state he came bursting in your classroom. He looks a few years younger, with an easy grin stretching full rosy lips, dimples digging deep in his roundish honey cheeks -almost the same as his son's, you notice with delight- wearing a straight maroon coat, this time well adjusted, that's making him even taller and more elongated if possible and of which the shade compliments his complexion endearingly so.

"Hi. It's really nice to see you." You end up greeting him first, as warmly as you can.

You've been pondering over this meeting for so long, time feeling like it never ceased to stretch out and felt dreading, dreading, dreading. It was never coming soon enough and you were terrified, even if you had no reason to doubt Mr Kim's honesty, that he'd bail on you for whatever reason.

But here he is, seemingly so open to discuss and after installing Jimmy at his desk with the same tools as last time (a pile of white sheets waiting to be filled and your set of crayons) you join him a few tables away (far enough for Jimmy not to be exposed to the conversation but close enough to keep an eye on him, or more accurately, for him to keep an eye on his guardian), pressing your hands together and against your bosom to try to contain my excitement.

"As I told you last time, Jimmy is a very sweet boy. He's not doing bad with the exercises and activities, it's quite surprising -in a great way!- since from my understanding English is not his first language, right?"

"Yeah, no, it's uh- it's Korean. We just moved from Korea a few months ago, well, right before he started school. But we- my- her mother and I would try to talk to him a bit of English at home to have him pick up on the basis..."

"Oh, that's nice! Children that young do learn languages particularly easily, it's definitely beneficial for him. I can already tell."

Namjoon sends a glance his way, a fond, dad's proud one lingering on his tiny figure hunched over the desk. You can't quite tell from where you sit but it does look like he's started drawing.

"Had you planned moving here for a long time? I mean, was it the plan from the start, that's why you wanted to teach him English?"

"No, not really." The mood feels different. It switches from rather tranquil and cheerful into a very heavy, uneasy silence his deep voice hardly disturbs. There's a glint in his eyes. It's not an easy one to look at and your heart stings as the glint takes over his whole gaze hovering over his son. You understand it's something sad. Probably painful and hard to carry even for such a strong-looking, shoulder-broad grown man.

You don't want to push it. You're curious, as one gets, but too decent and you know yourself to be too soft-hearted and sensitive, for you to be snooping through sad people's luggage. But you think back about Jimmy, whose curious eyes, beautiful but wide with something reflecting like a perfect mirror what you can now find in his dad's, and you're certain that his odd behaviour must come from that.

"Mr Kim, the reason I wanted to see you," You start, voice quieter. He's startled for a second, redirecting his attention back on you, and he looks a bit guilty. As if he highly suspects, if not already know full well, where this is going. "I do meet all the parents of my students, as I told you. But in the case of Jimmy, if I was so insistent, it's that I'm really concerned about him."

His eyes draw downwards, staring at his hands. Long slender fingers fidgeting with one another, pinching and twisting a bit. I wonder if like his son, he might start crying.

"He's lovely but he cannot- he has had a really hard time uh- how could I put it?" You don't want to sound too alarmist. You know parents have the tendency to freak the fuck out for the misinterpretation of one single word. Sometimes an onomatopoeia, misplaced, send them into a raging spiral of anxiety over what terrible condition their kid might be dealing with. Not all parents are insane or simply too quick to jump to conclusions -or plain stupid. Some understand, whatever words you use. The father sitting in front of you seems worried and pained enough you wish you could protect him but you need him to understand that his situation is serious, and how important it is for Jimmy to have the tools to change now, while he still can, before he gets too old and start to take all those unfortunate coping mechanisms as lifelong terrible habits. "He's had a hard time simply being a kid." Namjoon sighs deeply. "He doesn't speak to anyone, not even me. Hardly looks at his classmates, never approaches them. I've noticed also that talking is not the only issue, any form of expression, if not made to do because it's in the course and all the other children are doing it too, he simply won't do." Mr Kim has raised his head enough for you to see him. He's troubled, upset, worried. But he seems to want to show himself more involved and you can tell he is, you can tell he cares as he listens so carefully as you explain in great details the odd incident with the papers and the crayons he refused to play with, even without a soul to watch over his shoulder.

"I feel it's a bit more than simple timidity. Or that at least, there's something significant behind this timidity. I can understand that it might be sensitive to you," You do, his eyes are screaming at you and you can't ignore them. Sort of begging for something, you're not quite sure what, you're not quite sure they, themselves, know either. It's a terrible case of a grown adult, an apparent composed grown man with a mighty balanced life, not a child anymore, actually, a dad, appearing so vulnerable and broken. It's a horrid vision. You've never been able to handle those.

"But it's in Jimmy's interest that I know a bit more. It's quite concerning. He's at an age where he's supposed to develop those skills. If we just let him be, leave him in this... unease, whatever it is, he might adopt it for a very long time until the time comes when it's become an exhausting challenge, almost impossible, to overcome.”

"I understand what you're saying." Mr Kim starts, voice low and tiny I can hardly pick up on the words. "I noticed- I mean, he's not changed that much with me. He's never been a very loud, boisterous boy, you know? But lately, he's been a bit quieter. I can see it at home, he's a bit stoic, less... expressive." You lose the man for a second. He's staring at his son longly and you don't want to abruptly bring him back to the conversation. Eventually, he does come back on his own, clearing his throat and scratching his neck. "That's- ridiculous but I even told myself the other day that I miss his tantrums. He didn't use to throw a lot of fits but sometimes he would, for more candies or something stupid like that. But he hasn't in a while."

You can't count how many times you heard overwhelmed parents jokingly wish that their kid would just turn off, stop causing scenes, stop demanding, screaming and crying out ridiculous tantrums. You remember Adrienne, saying more than once, to chastise the behaviour of one too agitated child to take a look at Jimmy, learn to be more like him, and why can't they be like him.

The thing is, a child is not supposed to be quiet.

A child should be problematic, testing, challenging. Loud and cheerful and agitated because children are like that. They are little humans just starting this whole insane experience that is Life, trying to figure themselves out, trying to figure out the people around them and the whole world along with it. They're meant to be a mess.

They're not meant to be quiet and tranquil, and bathing in a sort of slow, stoic haze. They're certainly not meant to have this expression on their face. The one Jimmy is wearing. Of deep, deep sadness. Like he's been somewhere, he's felt something, he's lost something that has left him misplaced forever. As if he's not really part of this world, this Life, or doesn't care or know why he's in it. Just letting himself float about. Embarrassed and denying all impulse that could potentially shape him and his existence.

He's only five.

"Do you have any inclination as to why his behaviour has turned into this?"

You see the gears going into labour in his head. He looks pensive, lost in a pit of thoughts he doesn't know if he can nor should share. There's a tremble to his lips, to his fingers, a telling frown to his eyebrows as his eyes very obviously decide to avoid you. The question seems to seize him like an earthquake but somehow, it's a good one. A disturbing but potentially lucky one. One that would invite him to experience something hard but liberating, something that he really needs.

Not long after you've asked the question to which you already know half of the answer, he pauses to think it over and then decides to talk. You notice the way his body slump over himself instantly, along with an abyssal years-old sigh and he starts to talk.

"5 months ago, my- his mom passed away." You hate yourself for the way you gasp, eyes wide and already blurry as if it's appropriate, as if you're allowed when you can't even imagine the beginning of their pain. It all starts making sense and you're heartbroken. You wish you didn't show yourself so reckless, sensitive but somehow naive and unhelpful.

You mouth a silent apology and condolence you notice he accepts from the way he nods, not wanting to cut him off. He's already breathless and you wonder how many more words he has in stock before the resources shut down, right before he loses it and breaks the strong persona he has to keep straight and steady for his son. How exhausting it must be. "It was hard already in Korea but I thought -naively- that if we moved here, close to her family, maybe, being around them would ease- everything out a bit. I don't know. It was stupid." He shakes his head from left to right, scoffing to himself, a hand raised to his forehead, hiding his eyes.

"It wasn't, Mr Kim. It's very honorable of you to quit everything for your son." Your words have no effect whatsoever. Unfortunately, it's blatantly obvious, he's made up his mind already. He's guilty, he messed up, and he holds a grudge against himself for this decision and nothing a dumb teacher, sensitive and half-weeping, would say could change that opinion, as destructive and inaccurate as it may be.

"It really was. It's so different here, I thought after some time it would be worth it but I think he hates it. I think he's very confused and I don't know if he's too young to feel like that, I'm not sure, but he looks like he's embarrassed about being a foreigner. Like not speaking properly. I can't even tell if he understands well or if he doesn't get it at all when people speak to him in English since he just- he can't really communicate. Even with his cousins, it's-"

Oh.

"Oh." Now that you hear him say that, it lights a small bulb hidden at the back of your head. It shines upon a whole roof-tall shelf holding all of those awkward, disagreeable memories you tend to forget actively because even reflecting on them decades later still sends a thrill of disgust the length of your spin.

It's those moments of pure embarrassment, of horrid dreading feelings that you used to be overwhelmed with as a child and this until you were not much more of a child anymore, and those memories paired with their emotions simply faded into shadows of scenes that you can only wonder if they ever were real.

You used to be filled with stupid insecurities based on very confused, distant, impossible to decipher pretend truths, sometimes, you would just feel stupid. Completely idiotic, ignorant, and unlovable. In those moments, you just couldn't dare open your mouth to pronounce a word that would give you away. Because if you did, somehow, you would end up messing up and people would laugh and make fun of you and hate you because there are so many reasons to and of course you deserved it.

Images of the little boy, hiding obviously in a corner but longingly observing his peers. Obviously terrified but curious, and most definitely desiring.

Because of course, he'd want to. Talk to them, be with them but how could he when he's not even sure he could speak the way they do.

"Mr Kim, I can tell he wants to. Even if he can't let anyone approach him, I can tell he'd like to be part of the group. That being said his fears or as you said, maybe his insecurities, don't allow him to."

"Should I- Should I seek for a therapist? He had one in Korea but I don't think he was ready for it. He just reacts very badly to strangers, especially when they try to, you know, sink into your brain and- now that we're here, I can hardly picture how that would go."

"Well, therapy is never a bad idea. It can only be beneficial for him... for anyone." You're not sure how appropriate it is for you to add this but you owe to say it. Sometimes, parents don't realize, but a child's deepest wounds are born from seeing and feeling their guardians'.

"I'd seen someone already." He explains without needing you to insist further. Seems like you're not as subtle as you thought yourself to be. "I did because- I had to. His mom and I had been separated for a while before her passing, it'd always been complicated between us and I can't lie, I did feel terribly guilty... I thought it might hurt him somehow. Maybe he could feel it and experience it too. I had to for the both of us. It fixed me but not him, so I suppose, it didn't come from that."

"Grief is... It's very complex. It comes along with a plethora of confusing, untamed emotions as an adult but for a child... It must manifest in a way we can't even imagine. I'm sorry, you don't need me to tell you that." You're a mess of stutters. Words are running away from you, the smart ones are even flying, making sure there's no way you'd catch them by the tip of the tail. You just want to ease this father's struggles, somehow. You don't know him much but you know his son, a little, and you, for reasons you don't care much to look into, deeper than simply you having a saviour complex, need to help it all resolve. They don't deserve any of it all. No one does.

It might be silly. But the thought of Jimmy, that sweet, lovely child, sensitive and precious as he is, must have a father quite special himself to have been brought up this way.

"No, it's fine. You're right." A heavy silence settles in between you. In the background, faintly, you can hear the soft rustling of the tip of a crayon against paper. You open your mouth, the fantastic memory of the other day, when he arrived late to pick Jimmy up and something you still, a week later, recalling itself back to you. He opens his at the exact same time and before you're able to utter any word, he's the one starting, "Actually, I really appreciate it. Being able to talk about it like that with someone. Since my therapist, I don't think I was able to. People only have enough tolerance for other's pain. Which I understand, it's just- hard and well, I'm thankful for you."

He stammers saying that, seemingly scrambling with his own words. The compliment is so heartfelt, like a shot from his heart directly into yours. Most of the emotions it rises probably coming from his choice of wording, maybe an error of translation, a lack of exactitude that doesn’t come smoothly. You've never heard anyone said those words to you and somehow, so unprepared for it, you can hardly handle the overwhelming burst of gratitude.

With the greatest pleasure, you jump on the occasion to bring something good to him, what you meant to say when he started first, the story about last time and how confident you are that better days are yet to come.

It brings an evident brush of light to his expression. The youthful sense he gave off when he just walked in, made of warm colours and smiles, is back. As if a weight has been lifted. As if he trusts you with his son, now wearing his hopefulness and trust and appreciation on this soft face of his, and you feel yourself blush in delight.

It’s precisely why you do what you do. Most of the times, those moments come in more subtle, almost dubious manifestations. It’s a drawing made ‘only for you, Miss’ or a kid you haven’t seen in a few years recognising you from across a hallway and beaming all his teeth your way; or maybe a present too nicely picked out and wrapped up too well to be the product of a kid’s, handed to you at the end of the year.

It's a wonderful feeling you're experiencing.

Until it turns sort of awkward. You mean, from a third party, maybe from Jimmy's eyes, it’s definitely awkward. It doesn’t exactly feel this way for you though. You're just kind of staring at each other, grinning obnoxiously. Delighted by the turns of events -even more so with the start of the conversation, which brought difficult painful shocks to an already sensitive soul, the benevolence and mutual understanding feel all the more pleasant.

Conquered by each other in a way you probably won’t be able to express very well with words if any of you tried. You see in him an ally -which is always such a wonderful feeling because as curious as it is, all parents are not always reliable allies to you, teachers- and you think he does too.

It’s just that it lasts for quite a bit. Probably too long. Until finally, the rummage going on outside brings you back to earth and school that is about to start in a few reminds itself to you.

Quickly he thanks me again, in between the bursting in of a loud, chatty-feeling Riley Donovan, and a Charlotte dragging her feet in discontent. He says something about meeting again before he’s rushing to Jimmy, whose calm demeanour has wavered when his classmates starting walking in.

It’s as heartwarming as last time. The way Mr Kim just has to lean forward to wrap his arms around Jimmy to have him melt onto his chest, face burying in his neck and tiny hands squeezing, squeezing, squeezing until the chubby fingers turn white against his dad’s neck. There’s an exchange of secret words and of gazes, special ones that wouldn’t mean much to anyone else, you believe on the moment, until Mr Kim needs to depart and does so.

The gaze Jimmy had for his dad doesn’t disappear right as the later leaves. It remains and is directed solely on you in a very peculiar way, so notable that your heart starts racing when you notice.

Jimmy who usually avoids eye contact, sometimes would look at you, if you're addressing directly to him for example and those looks are systematically made of bewilderment, maybe fear, definite insecurity. Like a prey caught in a predator's radar.

But now those eyes, the round, dark wonders are lingering with something utterly different. A stillness that hits so differently. You're not sure if you are seeing things, if it’s wishful thinking. If it’s you now watching through the lens of someone beyond enchanted, purely content from the newfound trust and confidence and inspiration.

When you free your class for recess, you have confirmation that something has changed. You have no idea how he did it without you noticing but as you turn your back to the door to face your desk -and your chair, which your legs are dreading to have you throw yourself on- you see the perfect tidy pile of your crayons laid carefully on top of it. A few papers are sitting next to it, less than you gave him.

It’s ridiculous, embarrassing to an extent you would never tell that moment out loud but you end up jumping on the balls of your feet, clapping your hands together like a stupid seal, squealing before grabbing the stack of crayons and pressing it to your heart.

A/N : thanks so much for having waited for me so patiently; as always, lots of love send your way, thanks so much for reading, i hope you enjoy it :)

[a-scribes-words]

hello! I hope your day is going great! But I saw that you write for goodfellas, May I request a tommy devito imagine where they are dating and they are hanging out with the boys (Henry,jimmy, etc) and one of them starts to flirt with the reader and tommy gets jealous. Then (Maybe) they leave and the reader assures tommy he is the only one for them, and maybe a sweet kiss? :) :)

Tommy DeVito - “You Silly Man!”

The start of the night had honestly been a great one.

Everyone had gone out to a decent restaurant and sat down to have a nice meal. Everyone - meaning literally everyone, the whole family. Tommy had convinced his partner, you, to come out with him and to dress up for the evening, which he couldn’t tell if you were excited for that part or not. When he picked you up, you looked absolutely stunning. You two almost hadn’t left the house, but you had actually really wanted to attend this dinner, so you left.

You weren’t the first ones to show up, but you were damn near close. Paulie, Henry, and Jimmy, along with his ladyfriend, were the ones who had arrived beforehand. Turns out they were only ahead by about ten minutes anyway. Tommy wouldn’t have felt guilty making them wait, but you may have. You and Tommy greet the awaiting men, then all of you grip each other in warm, familial hugs.

When you sit down, you are offered some wine by the waiter, which you both take; though, the Scribe thinks you might take it a bit more gratefully. A long night consisting of a lasting headache? Yes, please. Tommy gets to talking with Henry and Jimmy, while you chat with Paulie. Despite the fear he tends to put into those who defy him, you were oddly comforted by him. Paulie has never been anything but kind to you, if not a little suspicious towards the beginning of your relationship with Tommy.

Speaking of Tommy, he excuses himself to the bathroom. When he does, Henry scoots from his seat into the seat next to yours, where Tommy had just been sitting. He greets you again, but he takes your hand and places a gentle kiss on your knuckles. "Heard from Tommy you started working at a new place?" He asks, letting go of your hand but sitting uncomfortably close. You confirm that you did. "How is it there?" You begin to explain your new schedule, your new boss, the environment you'll be working in. This type of conversation continues up until the moment Tommy comes back.

"Hey, hey, Henry, what're you doin'?" Tommy asks him, getting mildly aggressive upon seeing him so up close and personal with you, his partner.

"Oh! Sorry, Tommy, just talkin' while you were gone," Henry stands and retreats to his own seat, nearby Jimmy and his girl. "No harm."

"Yeah, no harm." Tommy sits down next to you. "He say anything weird to you?" He asks you quietly.

"No?" You answer. "It's all good, Tommy. No worries." You grip his hand as you speak, which visibly calms him down. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good."

You lean in, give him a little cheek kiss, but he's frowning. You pinch that same cheek, invoking a little reaction from him, then you kiss his lips gently. Then he smiles.

The rest of the night goes swell. Everyone else arrives, there's a wonderful dinner served, along with a half-decent dessert. Not too much wine had been drank tonight, just enough to keep a handle on your headache. The same folk who arrived the earliest are also the ones who stay the longest. But the night must soon come to an end, so you and Tommy decide to head home.

The two of you start to exchange goodbyes with the others. Jimmy and his girl leave before you two, but Henry's still talking to you. As a goodbye, he gives you a hug like normal, but kisses your cheek for an abnormally long time, making Tommy angry.

"Alright. Off, off, off!" He snaps. Henry practically jumps away from you at the sound of Tommy's voice. You raise an eyebrow as Tommy lectures him for a minute, but you can tell he could go on for hours about how Henry needs to back off. You grab his arm and pull him away from the now cowering Henry, waving goodbye to Paulie. You escort Tommy back to the car you came here in; the whole way there, he's complaining about not being done yelling at Henry.

When you stop just short of the car, you look him in the eyes and shush him. He almost looks offended and starts to speak up, but you just shush him again. "What was that in there?" You ask.

"Henry. He kept saying stuff to you all night, then he pulls that move--" Tommy goes to turn and march right back inside, but you keep him near you by grabbing his arm again.

"Hardly a move, Tommy." The statement does not ease his mind. "Why does this bother you so much?" He explains, quite hesitantly, that he doesn't like it when anyone else flirts with you, especially his buddies. "…You're a silly man, you know that?"

He nearly takes offense. "What--?"

"They're nothing to me, hon'!" You exclaim before he gets the chance. His gaze softens at your words. "I don't care what they say to me because it means nothing unless it's coming from you." Your voice lowers as you admit this. Almost timid now, you continue, "I'm sorry you had to deal with them. But you are the only one for me. You should know that."

He is touched because you managed to explain what he was feeling for you, out loud, with real words. He is grateful that you understand his jealousy and didn't get upset with him for lashing out. Tommy smiles when you place a hand on his cheek, then kiss his lips tenderly. So much emotion in one kiss, he can barely take it.

hey, anon! thanks for requesting, but i’m sorry for getting out so late, i had a pretty bad writer’s block moment that lasted for... well, more than a moment. i hope you like this, i enjoyed writing it! <3

[mariechambers]

Up the Stakes

Pairing: ten x rose Rating: T Warning: n/a Summary: “It’s customary isn’t it, for the female to, erm, set the pace on Earth. Like, like I kissed you to show you I was interested and then you, when you’re ready, you...up the stakes?” 

Rose scrunches her brows together. “Where did you get that idea from?”

Notes: listen I don’t know who I think I am going missing fo years at a time and the randomly deciding to write for this fandom again, but here we are. To be clear, I don’t know if this is just a one off or if I will have time to write again anytime soon but I hope someone enjoys this at least?

The first time he kisses her is nothing short of heavenly. For some reason, whenever she’d imagined it, she’d pictured them right after a life-threatening adventure, both of them out of breath and bent over laughing together until it had suddenly gone deathly quiet as their eyes connected. They would scoot closer to each other until not an inch of them wasn’t touching as the tension grew. He’d move one hand into her hair and the other would wrap tightly at her waist and both her arms would be wound around his neck and they would snog the very air out of each other. Maybe he’d even sneak a hand underneath her shirt, touching hot skin as their tongues slid together and-

Well. The point was she’d always imagined passion and lust, all the pent up tension coming to a head.

What she hadn’t imagined was this tender touch against her cheek. His thumb stroking over skin as he gently tilted her head towards his. What she hadn’t imagined was the feather light pressure of his lips, timid and chaste on hers. What she hadn’t imagined was that it would be on a perfectly safe planet while they bathed in the bright purple sun overhead and lounged on the soft, blue grass below. What she hadn’t imagined was that the only point of contact between their bodies would be their lips and his gentle fingers holding her face steady. And what she definitely hadn’t imagined was that this tender and achingly sweet taste of his lips would leave her more turned on then any other time in her life.

She wants to deepen the kiss, throw a leg over his lap until she feels him hard underneath her. She wants to rake her hands in his hair and make him gasp and moan until neither of them can take it anymore and she finally sinks down on him. Taking him so deep. Her legs clench together at the thought and she lets out a sigh against his lips.

The Doctor pulls back, just a little, just enough so she can see the pleased and happy look on his face and just like that her arousal is pushed to the side for a feelings even more important and all-encompassing. It grows in her sternum, radiating out into every fiber of her being until she’s smiling just as stupidly as he is. Because god does she love this man.

His hand still resting on her cheek, moves to push a piece of wispy blonde hair back behind her ear. “How was that then?” he says softly, his voice getting carried away by the light breeze.

“Perfect,” she whispers, cuddling closer to him, resting her head over his two beating hearts. The Doctor wraps an arm around her shoulder.

Nothing more needs to be said.

______________________________________________________________________

If Rose had been shocked that the Doctor had kissed her during one of the most mundane, non-life threatening moments of their normally crazy lives, well it’s nothing like the shock that comes when his kisses continue to only come when everything is calm. And if still that hadn’t been shocking enough, they continue to be incredibly chaste, gentle, and gentlemanly, almost like a bloke kissing her after the first date. A bit nervous, a bit hesitant, and always only a handful of moments.

If Rose is honest with herself, she’s ready to grab him by the collar of his pinstriped suit, throw him up against the nearest vertical surface she can find, and snog the living daylights out of him. Honestly, if she doesn’t get his tongue in her mouth soon, she simply won’t be responsible for her actions.

It’s really not so surprising that she snaps. They’ve just gotten back to the TARDIS, both of them terribly out of breath from running for their lives and the Doctor sporting a black eye from where one of the natives had punched him straight in the face when he’d mentioned being good at fishing. Apparently, fishing meant something very different to the natives than it did to them.

They’d had to haul themselves back to the TARDIS with hordes of angry half-buffalo looking creatures stomping after them.

When Rose finally catches her breath, she sidles up close to him and gently traces the bruised, swelling skin. “My poor Doctor,” she coos at him.

“Ah this,” he blusters back, peering at her from his good eye. “Be healed up in a jiffy. Though, he did have quite a right hook on him. Blimey, usually don’t bruise so easily, me.”

Rose smiles at how endearing he is. Stepping up on her tiptoes, she places a feather light touch of her lips to the bruise. “There,” she says triumphantly. Then because she simply can’t help herself, she trails her lips over his skin, seeking out his lips as her hands work their way to the back of his neck.

She feels the fear from just moment’s ago, the adrenaline slowly fading from her bloodstream and her heart pumping for a completely different reason now. She goes slowly at first, as gentle as he usually is with her, but the longer their lips are pressed together the more hungry she becomes and her mouth opens over his, swiping her tongue across his bottom lips as she instinctively shift her hips against his and digs her hands into his hair, waiting for him to open his mouth.

The Doctor’s reaction is unexpected. He shies away from her, blush rising up on his face. “Ah,” he says, flailing his arms a bit and stumbling backwards hastily. “I...I should, umm, the dermal regenerator.” His voice squeaks up at the end and then he bolts from the console room.

Rose furrows her eyebrows, completely perplexed, and then follows after him.

When she makes it to the medbay, he’s already finished healing his eyes, the skin faintly pink where moments ago it had been black and blue.

“Doctor?” she says, and he jumps and spins around.

“You kissed me!” he says accusatorially. Rose blinks, not having expected the outburst.

“I did, yeah,” she says calmly. “Well, tried to at least.”

“Yes, you-you-” seemingly at a lack for words, he flails his arms at her. She has never once in her life seen the Doctor speechless.

“What’s wrong with you? Do I have to remind you that you give me kisses all the time now.” She crosses her arms over her chest. “So, you did it first.”

The Doctor shifts in his trainers. “Exactly. I kiss you. And-and, you’ve never kissed me before. And it was-was-” His ears go pink.

Rose tries to follow the Doctor’s thought pattern, but can’t quite figure out what’s going on in that big alien brain of his. “I really don’t understand.”

The Doctor mumbles something.

“What was that now?”

“You should kiss me more,” he blurts out, finally.

Rose laughs a little, still confused. But delightfully confused now. “What?”

“You should kiss me more,” the Doctor stresses. “As in you,” he points at her, “kissing me,” he points at himself. “You initiating the kiss,” he continues. “You taking your lips and-”

“I get it Doctor,” Rose says, still giggling. She takes a step closer to him and he gulps, eyes focused on her every move. Loosely, she wraps her hands around his neck and presses her lips to his. Gentle, so gentle, the kind of kiss he would give to her. When their lips separate with a soft plop the Doctor groans and Rose jerks back a little in surprise. He’s never made a noise like that, kissing her before

He looks a bit sheepish, but keeps her close, his hands resting firmly on her waist.

“Are you going to explain to me what all this is about then?”

The Doctor tilts his head back and touches the top of his tongue to his teeth. “I was getting worried,” he finally admits, a slight look of vulnerability in his eyes. “That you perhaps didn’t want me kissing you.”

“Why in the world would you think that?”

He shrugs, looking away. “It’s customary isn’t it, for the female to, erm, set the pace on Earth. Like, like I kissed you to show you I was interested and then you, when you’re ready, you...up the stakes?”

Rose scrunches her brows together. “Where did you get that idea from?”

He shrugs, kicking at the ground. “Something you said once, about that bloke, Jimmy, who-who pressured you. I didn’t want you to think I was-”

“Oh Doctor,” Rose says, cupping his cheek tenderly and smiling when he leans into the touch. “You don’t have to worry about that. I can assure you that this is nothing like when I was dating Jimmy Stone.”

“Yeah?” the Doctor says, perking up. “So-so, I can-” he waves his hand all around in her general direction and Rose giggles.

“Yeah,” she says. “You can do all of that as much as you want,” she says, mirroring his gestures.

He wastes no time in crowding her up against the wall of the medbay, his lips pulled up into a smirk and his eyebrows raised. Rose’s heart rate spikes at the sudden unexpected move. All her thoughts scatter until only one word is left in her head. Finally.

When he kisses her, it’s nothing like when a bloke drops her off after the first date. In fact, she finds the things he can do with his tongue are downright obscene.

[clairethecutepup]

The Dreams and Nightmares We Share... (Ch. 3)

Chapter 3: A (Barely) Living Nightmare...

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

"--And in our world," Alexis continues, "we also have these big things called, 'cities,' where lots of people and buildings are!"

"We know what 'cities' are..." Sarah rolls her eyes, "How about actually sharing something that the rest of us don't have?"

"Ummm... Do you guys have 'towns' instead? They're like cities, but smaller..."

"We already told you that's what Peach Creek is!"

"Oh yeah..."

Unfortunately, one could easily say this rare opportunity wasn't playing out well: they're beings from different worlds and able to share insight into these different lifestyles, yet they can't seem to find much "difference" in their overall lives. If not for the species and time period differences, they may as well have all lived within the same home. Even overlooking the disappointing nature of the foreign information, the group's... less positive attitudes towards all or most of each other didn't help.

Claire refused to really look out from behind Jimmy. Jimmy worried it may fall onto him to play "peacekeeper," especially with the timid Claire's need for assurance and the annoyed Sarah possibly losing her temper again. Seve is bored out of his mind and barely listening; but simultaineously attentive enough, just in case Sarah decides to recreate the "one woman army." Sarah is trying to assure herself Alexis is simply a well-meaning kid that comes off annoying, while she also tries to swallow the uncomfortable feelings Claire stirs up because of her weird wolf-human appearance.

If anything, only Alexis seemed to be enjoying the current discussion. ... A repetitive, grating discussion, thanks to Alexis' inability to recall what's already been discussed or asked. She couldn't help it, though, she was just so excited!

"--So, do you have 'cities' where you're from? They're--"

"Okay, I'm done!" Sarah stands up, "We've all got buildings, phones-- what else do you need to know?!"

"But, do you have--?"

Sarah leans into Alexis' face, the former's teeth gritted.

"YES, cities exist where we're from..." Sarah slightly pulls back, "I swear, if you ask about 'towns' again, too..."

"Uh, Lex, maybe knock it off with the questions...?" Seve suggests, eyes fearfully glued to Sarah, "Like, maybe let them ask some...?"

"Oh, great idea, Seve!" Alexis grins, "Okay, ask away; I'm all ears!"

She loses her smile, in favor of a highly attentive and serious stare. Seve rolls his eyes, but is ultimately relieved Sarah won't be further provoked. Sarah crosses her arms and raises an eyebrow, before deciding to vent out her frustrations in a humoring manner.

"Do all the goats in your world like making people pull their hair out?"

Alexis actually considers an answer, her exposed tongue and head-scratching finger signifying her brain's endeavor. She points to the woman.

"Some of them... I think."

"... Okay, now for a question I'm more serious about," Sarah turns to Claire, "How do people look like you?"

Claire slightly ducks behind Jimmy, not enjoying the harsh stare of those disgruntled blue eyes. Jimmy smiles and reaches his opposing hand over to pat Claire's shoulder.

"It's alright," he assures, "I'm rather curious myself."

Claire's softspoken little voice was better meant for closer conversation, but Jimmy would help with that: after Sarah's request to "speak up," Jimmy would relay all Claire had whispered to him.

"I dunno why hybrids exist..." Claire explains, "My dad says humans might've been able to come from more than just monkeys, 'cause we already came from sea creatures and probably could evolve from other stuff, too... I dunno how it actually goes, though. We still have full-humans, too, but there's not a whole lot in Wolfuchs... Sometimes, the hybrids look more like the pigs did and they do," Claire points to Seve and Alexis, "but 'Anthro' hybrids are super rare."

"We're not 'hybrids,' though..." Seve shrugs, "We're mutant goats, not these weird 'human' things you guys are-- no offense."

"But, maybe we are hybrids..." Alexis grins, "After all, there's a reason they're called, 'corn pow--'"

"We're. Goats. Not. Unicorns," Seve points at her, "Besides, I don't like the thought of being part 'girly horse'..."

"Now, now," Jimmy rebuttals, "unicorns are among the most majestic and beautiful creatures there are. Not to mention, who wouldn't enjoy whatever magical abilities befall those lucky enough to be born as such pure beings?"

Seve points at him, switching the target for his annoyed face.

"Don't you start calling us some prissy horses, too..."

"I wasn't, I simply said it'd be something to appreciate, if you two were."

Alexis pops up in between them.

"But we are!"

She then runs behind Jimmy, so she could grab hold of Claire. The poor pup immediately resists: Claire attempts to flee, but Alexis catches her tail and pulls her over. Alexis, despite being shorter, manages to hug and carry Claire toward Seve. The pup simply accepts her fate and just shuts her eyes tightly; she knows they won't hurt her, but they still terrify her-- especially Seve. The boy rolls his eyes, wondering if she'll get over whatever problem she's got and realize Sarah's the sole one worth any concern.

"If a weird puppy and... 'hu-man' thing like her can exist," Alexis rebuttals, "Why can't goats who are part unicorn?" she then whispers into Claire's wolf ear, "By the way, I mean 'weird' as a compliment because 'weird-looking' things are awesome...!"

"You know what?" Seve sighs, "I'm done with this stupid debate, think whatever you want; but I'm telling you, we're goats, at the end of it..."

Jimmy stands up, ready to retrieve the uneasy Claire; while Sarah couldn't care less about the falling-out amongst teens. In fact, she wouldn't be caring any less about this entire dream, anytime soon. When was she going to wake up? It felt like she should've, by now... As Jimmy gently and kindly takes Claire back, and Alexis resists from how "soft and nice" Claire is, someone approaches them all.

Sarah simply raises an eyebrow at the figure, while Jimmy casually looks up toward him. Alexis ceases her resistence to better stare herself, while Seve rests his fists onto his hips and shares Sarah's elevated eyebrow. It was more curiousity than disdain. In fact, some strange feelings of comfort (perhaps?) befell them upon his arrival. Good, they were in no need of him terrorizing them with his presence... nor the overall end of theirs. Nothing of his fault nor intentions, but he's still with a job to do: inform them and guide them. Here's to hoping his canine form was truly made friendly enough: the chosen husky's form, a pleasingly close choice to his often preferred wolfish one.

He knows one to be more easily frightened than the others, so it'd be best to start with her and disprove any threat. Well, his presence would naturally be one because of what it means, but still... He approaches Claire, offering a paw.

"Hey, Cachorro," he gives his gentlest tone, "How's about helping show everyone they're in good hands, yeah?"

His eyes were red, but they shared no resemblence to Seve's unfriendlier ones: they reminded Claire more of the red shade a mother had back home. Blue, smaller paw easily finds the larger, gray one. Everyone else is surprised to see the girl, who so warily responded toward them, instantly bestow trust that not even Jimmy immediately saw. Claire calmly lay in the arms that had taken her up, as their owner looks to the rest of them. They certainly had their own trust cemented, if this strange and sudden figure failed to terrorize the most fearful; not even the small scythes, on either hip side, stirred any sense of danger.

Alexis was the first to speak: "Uh... Who are you?"

"I don't exactly have a name, per se..." the husky explains, "But I am someone... or something familiar. You might've heard of it before, as difficult as it must be to actually meet it..."

Oh boy, it was cases like this that were always the hardest... After all, the oldest ones here hadn't even reached their mid-20's. It's what made him furious with those who squander their lives, to the point where they disrespect life itself: with some so unlucky, how could those blessed with the ability to last longer and better appreciate their own existences act so ungratefully? He'd dare them to look at less fortunate souls like these and see if they still had such an attitude, if he could. Well, hard or not, he has a job to do...

"Hey," Sarah huffs, "that's not really an answer... Who are you?" she then groans to herself, "And why does it have to be more animal-people...?"

"Alright, direct approach then..." the husky sighs, "I don't mean it as some homicidal maniac, hunting down random kids and all; but I'm the reaper-- the literal embodiment of death itself, and I'm afraid your own times have come."

Naturally, he's not the most believable of individuals within their eyes. However, sharing the dates of passing regarding Sarah and Jimmy's class hamster, and Alexis' childhood loss of her great-grandmother; combined with the simpler knowledge of who everyone here is, he quickly desolves all doubt. All go quiet and their faces instantly drop into horrified stares. Claire squirms immediately, while Jimmy and Alexis quickly snatch her away. Unfortunately, avoiding the canine's embrace wouldn't make any difference.

"Y-You're... You're kidding..." Seve's voice finally returned, "There's no way... This is just some crazy dream..."

"Well, technically it is..." the husky sighs, "Not one of a normal slumber, but that of a coma. Before you ask, si, you're all in the same boat here."

"S-Sarah..." Jimmy naturally turns to her, "S-Say it isn't so...!"

"H-How the hell would I know?!" Sarah winces, "I don't even know why we would be!!"

Claire has fallen into pure shock: she simply gazes ahead in a wide-eyed and cold sweat, not even reacting when the horrified Alexis and Jimmy dropped her limp body. As for the aforementioned Alexis, she assumes a sometimes familiar pose: knees to her head, crouched over, with face buried and arms hugging her legs. The usual sobbing wouldn't be far behind... Seve takes notice of his friend's distressed state and bends down toward her.

"H-Hey, Lexi..." he barely maintains himself, "I-It's all just gotta be some cruel joke, right? I-I mean, h-he looks like he could be s-some kinda sick jerk...!"

"... We didn't even know we were dreaming..." Alexis finally whimpers, "Even with our corn powers... I knew something was wrong..."

"What gives, anyway?!" Sarah storms up to the husky, "Why are we apparently dead all of a sudden?!"

"For you and your friend over there," he begins, "his car had a nasty crash, with both of you inside," he looks at the goats, "Those two: a case of botulism from some very poor cheese sauce, courtesy of their local gas station's nachos," then he looks to Claire, "As for her, poor chica decided to take her friend's place in the crosswalk..." he returns his gaze to Sarah, "Although, I technically wouldn't say you're officially dead, until you all come along with me."

"Like hell I am!" Sarah raises her fists, "Neither is Jimmy, if you know what's good for you!!"

"Yeah, I'm gonna stop you right there, Senorita..." the husky pushes down each fist with a finger, "Everyone thinks they'll be the one to stop me from doing my job, but I always complete it in the end. Santo cielo, you don't even have your own proper weapon to fight me... Not that I'd even need the scythes."

"P-Please, this can't be it...!!" Jimmy walks over on his knees, his hands clasped below his teary eyes, "There must be some way for us to stay around, just a tad longer...! Surely the phrase: 'Too young to die,' holds some truth, doesn't it?! For Heaven's sakes," Jimmy motions his arms to Seve and Alexis, "some of us poor souls are teenagers-- children!!"

The husky looks at the group. Seve looks up at him with terrified and pleading eyes of tears, while Alexis can't even remove hers from her hiding arms. Claire still resembles the large-eyed corpse she may as well be now, but tears have finally streamed down her face of frozen distress. Jimmy continues to gaze up in that pleading position and with that begging face, while Sarah's enraged expression manages to show the vulnerability within her crying and glaring eyes. Conflict stirs within the canine, as he ponders the most appropriate choice here.

Comas were always a tricky case: the awkward standing in between life and death, slumber's take on the existence (or lack thereof) of "Limbo." Sometimes, the coma itself signified demise; other times, it signified a period of recovery that life required to resume. The main difference depended on whether the brain could still muster consciousness and physical functionality, and said "consciousness" is what's required for one to dream as these five do now; although, more than "awareness" recreates their forms within this literal out-of-body experience. 

The plain mental self-images of one's dreaming mind they are not, but the actual embodiment of all they are currently: lost souls invited into a dream realm like no other, serving as the sole avoidance of pure and dark nothingness for whomever finds themselves neither dead nor alive. They may have been of different worlds, but it's a purgatorical environment that stretches across their unknowingly shared plane of existence. With the vastness of space and its many galaxies, its many planets, different species and environments can exist without any need of "alternate realities." Yet, no matter which of space's many inhabitable orbs they originate, they're now of the same place and scenario: trapped, with the only alternative being whatever "Great Beyond" awaits them.

But maybe, they didn't need to go yet... The husky had moments where personal feelings interfered with his line of duty: he's granted second chances to those who prove deserving, whenever he wasn't going out of his way to hunt down those who mock death and treat life far worse. Right now seems like an appropriate time for the former option: the entire quintet is far before a more reasonable time, especially the two teenagers, and he did say they're technically not dead yet. Still, he'd need them to actually agree, especially when there are fates worse than simply passing on...

"Alright, I'll tell you all what," the canine sighs, "it's always possible to be revived, so long as you've still got a beating heart and all. Unfortunately, I should also mention that I don't just collect souls to 'move them on,' I also do it to protect them."

Sarah quickly grabs the sides of his cloak's neckhole and pulls him over.

"What do we do to wake up, then?!"

Alexis finally lifts her head at the mention of "revival," which also gets Seve's attention, before the two goats start shouting and pulling at either side of the dog's cloak. Jimmy runs up behind the canine, throwing in his own blubbering and pleading, as he holds onto the other's shoulders. Claire is still overcoming the shock, but has left her limp state in favor of hugging her knees. The husky effortlessly throws all on him aside.

"ENOUGH...!" he glowers down at each one who took part, "¡Maldita sea, todos!" he slows his heightened breathing, before taking a deep breath, "... If you were actually paying attention, you'd realize I also said something about it 'protecting your souls' to take them now..."

"Sounds more like they need to be 'protected' from you!" Sarah gets up, "You're the one trying to make sure we stay dead!"

"Oh please," the dog twitches his nose, "helping your souls pass on would be nothing compared to what the actually malicious would do with them. It's not even worth suggesting some comparison actually exists..."

"Sarah, please don't anger him any further...!" Jimmy grabs her shoulders from behind, "If he really has the final say in if we actually die, please don't rob us of such a chance..."

"Yeah, what she said...!" Seve points up at the husky, "Who do we gotta worry about, other than the guy trying to bump us off here?!"

"I already said I'm just here to lead you off, not--" the husky gives up and facepalms, "... Ugh, you want to hear more about the part on how to get back then?"

Sarah snarls, "Spill it!"

The husky lowers his paw, giving a final eye-roll and snort.

"Okay, you need to find a way back to your bodies and out of this realm," he continues, "but some might want to interfere with that, to put it nicely..."

Sarah asks, "Like you?"

The dog stares at her, silently wishing her friend had a muzzle on hand.

"No, not just 'me'..." the canine continues, "Demons, spirits, whatever you can think of that would enjoy a tasty little soul or two to use however's seen fit."

Claire's ears perk up at that and she sits up. She recalls a sibling and some friends telling her about the presence of malevolent entities before: both generic and actually of mythology. Alexis shares her unease: the goat's teary eyes widen and her ears droop, as her braced overbite digs into her lip. Alexis knew the devil himself liked to dabble in some dream-related affairs, even if Seve may not exactly find her word trustworthy. He certainly found the concept of "demons" and whatnot more convincing from an actual reaper, and Jimmy didn't seem too doubtful of his word either. Sarah simply raises an eyebrow.

"Like what?" she asks, "Are those stupid ghosts and monsters that my brother's obsessed with gonna jump out, in all their cheap make-up and other lousy things?"

The husky instantly towers over her, the serious gaze of his red eyes finally faltering her bold stance: her eyes widen, and her frown transforms from furious to remorseful. Everyone else recoils slightly themselves, afraid he'll take them all or at least Sarah, then and there.

"Not even your brother would have any real idea what's waiting..." the dog finally hisses, "And you all certainly don't..." he pulls back, "Do you have any idea how attractive a place like this would be to such things: how easy it is, for some 'stupid ghosts and monsters' to arrive in a place that could offer many souls ripe for the picking? They knew you were all here, the moment you showed up, and they'll definitely come to realize you're not going anywhere anytime soon... Not until they get their claws, hands, whatever-they-have on you, anyway."

Sarah couldn't believe it... That all really wasn't some stupid, made-up crap that Ed liked to mindlessly devour; the entities of many a horror film or comic could be real...? Then again, why not? She's apparently "dead" (or not?) and met actual beings from "different worlds," so nothing could really be off the table. Seve also tried coming to terms with everything, but instead on how everything Alexis said may not be pure crap. Then, was that one "nacho dream" really the devil trying to "control him," or however Alexis put it...?

"So..." the husky finishes, "Do you still want to try returning home? I won't be able to fully protect you, as long as your souls remain connected to your bodies. Speaking of, I should probably go a bit more into detail, so you fully know the risk for your little reviving reward... Sometimes, these things aren't satisfied with just having your soul; sometimes they'll want more than just you."

"Well, yeah..." Seve shrugs, "You said this place apparently has a whole bunch of souls, and that's why they like it...?"

"No, not the others here," the dog wags a finger, "'Others,' as in back home: your friends, family, whomever."

It was somehow possible: everyone grew paler.

"H-How?!" Seve demands, "I thought you said they'd just get our souls, so--?!"

"--And can extend that reach to your very bodies," the dog points at him, then lowers his paw, "After all, you're in a state where your souls are still linked to them, they just need the threads cut. As long as those threads remain, however, your souls and whatever may... 'absorb' them can enter when close enough. If you let me cut them instead, there's no chance of return; but that means nothing gets the chance to harm both you and anyone else."

"Wait, can't they just possess them anyway: like, don't ghosts or whatever just fly inside your bodies, and that's it?"

"Bodies realize when they're dead. It's why they decompose and all, while the souls or 'spirits' that once gave them life may still wander someplace. If something tried taking your bodies over without the proper soul to keep it all together, they'd just be walking around in rotting and falling-apart shells. Not exactly the most effective way at blending in, wouldn't you agree? So, I'll ask again: would you still accept that offer in trying to get back?"

The group all look at each other, as Claire finally stood and approached. This talk of malevolent entities proved frightening enough, when it was just them who'd supposedly be at risk. If there were things that actually could use their bodies to do who-knows-what back home, if they got "absorbed" or however it was put, was it still worthwhile? They start weighing the possibility of "passing on" against a potential return...

Claire knew her responsible friend would forever be devestated, possibly even hated, if she never returned. Sarah's mind goes to Ed, the man who constantly adored the baby sister he'd be devestated to lose. He also needed a member from their original family who would finally treat him as deserved. Not only that, but she and Jimmy had no right to just "skedaddle" out of everyone's lives, not until a better imprint had been left on everyone. Seve thinks about how his father only has him, after his mother left them, and imagining the man also losing him twisted the kid's gut. Alexis may have been driven purely by a love of life and the loved ones she didn't want to leave, but her determination was just as strong. They needed to at least try...

Despite how selfish they may have felt to also take a gamble at others' expenses, they wipe away their tears and show determination upon their faces. That was all the answer the husky needed.

"Alright, if you're certain..." he motions his paw, "Follow these, they'll lead you to the edge that separates this place and life. Call out if you feel the journey no longer becomes worth it."

The group all see white threads attached to their index fingers, or whatever equivilant they may have: they stretch out from the bow around each digit, properly hovering a couple feet off any present surface-- horizontal or otherwise.

"Well, what're you waiting for?" Sarah looks at Jimmy, "Are we going home or not?"

"Of course, Sarah, but..."

Claire quickly grabs onto the departing man's wrist, earning herself Jimmy's surprised glance and Sarah's harsh stare. Claire looks up at Jimmy with pleading eyes, trembling at the idea of losing the only face she's come to find pure comfort in. In all honesty, Jimmy was about to share concerns over her and the two goats to Sarah: they could not just leave two minors and another possible kid to fend for themselves. What manner of adults would they be-- especially if they're intended to be better people? Jimmy turns his head to the woman.

"What of them, Sarah...?"

"Does now really sound like a good time to play 'babysitter,' Jimmy?!"

The man has to blink the wide eyes of his silent face, as he processes her response.

"Sarah, they're children!"

"Didn't you hear what he said, Jimmy?! There's gonna be all sorts of things after us, it'll probably be hard enough getting us back-- hard enough getting just one of us back! Things are gonna be worse if we have to worry about some random kids, on top of that... I mean, what if they make things too difficult to actually get either of us back home, after all?!"

"Sarah, I understand that there's many an amend to make back home; but can we really be grateful for our second chance, knowing it came at possibly denying these three any themselves?!"

"Jimmy, trust me, it's a bad idea: for all we know, having more people means more of those... monsters and things wanting to attack us! They're not even from our 'world,' Jimmy... Why should we care?"

"So what: screw us and the people who'd miss us?!" Seve snarls, "You know what? Fine, Alexis and I don't need any of you jerks 'cause we're used to traveling in dreams! You'd probably be the headaches that we'd have to 'babysit' instead..."

"S-Seve, I don't think that's a good idea..." Alexis whimpers, "I wouldn't feel good about going back, if no one else got to either..."

"Why?!" Seve glares at her, while pointing to Sarah, "This jerk flat out said she didn't care whether we made it back!"

"Enough already!" Jimmy stands in between him and Sarah. Then, he looks to his friend, "Sarah, I cannot, in good consience, leave such helpless souls behind..."

Seve huffs, "We ain't 'helpless'!"

"As for you all," Jimmy looks down at the goats and Claire, "please forgive Sarah, I promise she's not some heartless wench of an icy cold nature..."

Seve rolls his eyes, "Could'a had me fooled..."

"Oh, don't act like you're so eager to blow your own chance back!" Sarah retorts, "I need to get back to people I actually care about and do some things; and I'm not throwing it away for some 'mutant goats' or the weirder version of some 'animal-person,' neither of which I'd see again anyway!" she looks at Jimmy, "That also goes for you, Mister! I already have to worry about keeping you safe, too, so that's that..."

"... Sarah, do you remember what we promised each other, shortly after... that event?" Jimmy asks, "That we'd never risk such 'responsibility,' ever again?"

"Why would anything be our fault?! We're not making these stupid 'monsters' come after them, and this kid even said they could handle themselves!"

"... Does it absolve us of all guilt, if it was technically Ed's own decision to leave in the first place? I don't recall us threatening him nor anything of the sort."

Sarah stiffens up and glares the opposing man down, clenching her fists and teeth.

"... He's part of why we need to get back, Jimmy..." she finally growls, "And I'm not risking anything that could possibly ruin that..."

"There's also strength in numbers, Sarah," Jimmy motions to Seve and Alexis, "Plus, even you pointed out the mention in them apparently being 'used to this sort of thing.' Even earlier, these two seemed quite knowledgeable on the matters of 'dreams,' and this certainly does seem to be one. So, wouldn't they actually increase our chances of making it back? They may even know some things on evading such dangers, as I'd imagine they'd be familiar with any type of threat someone's dreaming state could provide."

"That's right!" Alexis nods, regaining her grin, "I even knew how to save Seve from losing his corn powers forever and becoming a sacrifice for the devil to use; we could definitely help you guys get through anything that could happen to us here-- especially with those corn powers! We even made them stronger."

Sarah huffs, "What can those stupid powers, you keep going on about, even do?"

"I can do all sorts of things!" Alexis grows a large flower, "See? And Seve can climb all sorts of things, he's just like a ninja!"

"Yeah, finally..." the boy groans, "It was always annoying to only just do one wall-jump or rely on those boost pads to get higher up... even though it wouldn't help me get up all the way, sometimes. I always hated timing a final jump wrong..."

Sarah honestly believed Alexis as the more "useful" of the two, since simple parkour failed to be on the same and effective level of things like environmental manipulation. Still, maybe the other goat would come in handy with those less impressive abilities. Well, and the fact Alexis probably would demand Seve be brought along anyhow. But that begged the question: how does Claire prove she's useful enough to be worth any additional issues she may bring? Unfortunately, Claire isn't too knowledgeable of anything to make her so attractive, when confronted...

"I-I can help with stuff y-you ask..." Claire whimpers, "M-My dad taught me how to use guns, a-and I'm really good at water-related stuff..."

In all honesty, the poor pup is simply grasping at straws and sharing whatever pops into her desperate mind. She doesn't want to be left all alone, either!

"A jack of all trades, then?" Jimmy assists, "My, Sarah, we'd be foolish to leave any of this talent behind."

"Fine..." Sarah rolls her eyes, "But everyone pulls their weight, got it?!"

Seve growls, "Just make sure you do..."

The goat and woman hold their exchanged glare; while Jimmy, Alexis and Claire exchange frowns of worry. Jimmy crouches down a little, so he can put a hand on Claire's head and one on Alexis' shoulder.

"Well, don't fret too much," he offers a smile, "I'm sure we'll learn to get along... if not just simply make it back home."

[End Chapter 3]

---------

Author's notes:

... Well, that escalated quickly. Then again, there were rightful suspicions on Alexis' part, huh? I admit, I feel a little bad giving Claire a more noble reason as to why she's part of the "dream," but there's two reasons: she needed a bit more personality shown than "I'm timid," and you need to recall Chekov's gun... Hopefully, our group will be able to get along better, as time goes on.

Also, word of advice: if you're writing in a standard computer program, like WordPal, it's easier to post onto Tumblr by uploading the document to Google Drive and then "editing" it in Google Docs. You really just need to select it all, then copy+paste.

[tremble-and-shake]

Ficlet for “Church girl” anon

Like I said previously, this is just a short lead-up, nothing fancy. It’s NSFW but not really smut.  That dear anon asked me enough times (and kindly) that eventually dialogue for this started to come together in my head and I found it really hot. Still, I acknowledge that this is super cheesy and unbelievable.  Not knocking Christians or Catholics of anything (I grew up going under Catholic pretenses, but it just wasn’t for me and I got the fuck out). The storyline is just a classic, cliché turn on.

I’m calling it The Tempest of Lustful Shades after the vortex in the Second Circle of Hell in Dante’s Inferno. That’s where people go for lustful sins, and that’s where I feel like I’m going to end up writing this shit lmao  Anyway, maybe some of you will be there with me for enjoying it. I hope so. Thanks @starchild0985 for taking a peek and offering feedback <333

The Tempest of Lustful Shades

You were finishing up your undergraduate degree in Art History at St. Mary’s in London. The uni had a partnership with Tate Modern, the art gallery collective that Jimmy had recently loaned tapestries to for their Edward Burne-Jones exhibition.  And now, somehow, you were sitting in Jimmy’s parlor, sipping tea and chatting with him about your undergraduate thesis on the intersection between medievalism and Victorian ideals of womanhood in the Pre-Raphaelite movement.

“Above all else, Pre-Raphaelitism espoused naturalism, even when this risked showing ugliness. But that’s the true irony of it, isn’t it?” You nodded along, beaming at his words. “Look at what beauty they were able to create by embracing the fidelity of human appearance.”

It wasn’t too often you came across men who could carry on such a cerebral conversation on this topic while maintaining this level of passion.  It was even rarer to come across ones this attractive.  

“Let me refill your tea, love,” he said, placing his own cup down and taking the ceramic handle of the teapot.  Admiring the hand-painted Moroccan lattice, you wondered how lavish it must to have a home where everything within it, down to the teapot and silverware, was an authentic piece of history.

“So, what’s a young lady as brilliant, passionate, and beautiful as you are doing still single?”

Shifting your weight from one leg to the other, you stifled a timid laugh.

He sensed your uneasiness, offering a consolation in the soft lines that cradled his lips and eyes. “Too immersed in your studies at the moment, I presume.”

“That’s my priority, yes.” Engulfed in his warmth and this momentary comfort, you surprised yourself by opening to him. “But a lot of guys my age aren’t willing to, you know, wait for a Catholic girl.  Not even the ones at uni.”

Something flashed quickly in his eyes like a response to some subconscious trigger, and you realized what you had implied.

“No.  I didn’t mean, that’s not-” Your startled movements caused your tea to careen over the lip of the cup, sending you to your feet to escape the hot Darjeeling. “Ow, shit, that’s hot!”

He was on his feet beside you almost instantly, removing the cup and taking your hands inside his.  “Are you alright?”

“I’m so sorry. Jimmy, I got tea on the throw.”  You tried to pull away and daub the spill, but he wouldn’t let you.  

“Darling, don’t worry, it’s quite alright.  You’re not burned, are you?  How embarrassing to serve guests tea that’s scalding.”

“No, no, I’m fine.  It wasn’t that hot, it just startled me.”

“Let me get something to dry your blouse.”  

You cursed yourself for being so foolish, but silenced the self-berating in time for him to reenter the room, dinner napkin in hand.

“Here we are.” He began to blot along the hem your blouse, pulling the fabric off your skin. “May I?” You nodded, but it wasn't until you felt his fingers graze against your stomach that you realized what he was asking: to reach under your blouse in order absorb the stain from both sides of the fabric.

“Jimmy, I don’t know why I said that. TMI, I’m sorry.”  You're surprised by how soft his fingers feel against you. “But just so you know.. I’m- I’m not.”

“Not what, love?” He broke his focus from the stain.  When his eyes found yours, he seemed to genuinely be unsure of what you were saying.  

“A.. a virgin.” That look again: the calloused, wanton glazing of his eyes. But fleeting and nearly impossible to recall once it’s gone. “I mean, I’ve only done it once.  It was stupid, he was stupid.  But I've done my penance and have been forgiven.”

"Hmm, I think that should do it, yes?"

"W- well, yes," you proceeded shakily but found confidence through the verse. "As it says in the Bible, 'If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.'"

He took a step back and tugged down at the hem of your blouse. "I was talking about the Darjeeling, love. And you needn't offer an explanation, I'm not judging you in the least. Shall we go on?"

"I'm so embarrassed, I think maybe I better go. I talk too much when I'm nervous and I've already--"

"Don't be silly. My apologies if I've said or done anything to make you feel uncomfortable but it would be a shame for you to leave without seeing the artwork. Come," he motioned for you to follow him, his smile warm and inviting.

He lead you through the hall and into the study. You remained pace or two behind, trying to steady yourself in this whirlwind of lustful thoughts and conflicting emotions.

As you entered the room, you struggled to keep your focus on the awe-inspiring paintings. He saw this and  his dark brows became unsettled.

"It's just that I haven't felt this way before. Not even that first time,” your restless fingers searched for composure at the hem of your blouse. “I’ve never wanted someone so badly.”

His chin lifted and his gaze sharpened; he was eyeing you up as if assessing the honesty of your statement. “I see,” he lowered his chin slightly. “You’re here for academic research. I hardly think it’s appropriate. Do you?”

“Well, I guess not,” your gaze falls downward, disappointed.

“And what about your vow of abstinence? How do these thoughts make you feel?”

“Shameful,” you reply delicately. “Dirty.”

He smirked  “We haven’t even done anything dirty yet, love. Imagine how you’d feel afterward.”  Closing the space between you, he went on. “But it is the forbidden fruit that tastes the sweetest.”

“Let me taste it,” your tone was meek, but your hands spoke more strongly as they traipsed below his belt.

“Do you know what you’re getting yourself into?” His fingers lifted your chin firmly, forcing you to surrender into his eyes. They were the seductive pinnacle on a face so seasoned and sophisticated.

“You may no longer be a virgin in the eyes of God, but as far as I’m concerned you might as well be. I'm going to have to go gently with you."

You swallowed sharply. Nervous, but overruled by the strong ache growing between your thighs. You'd never been so wet that your panties actually became damp like this.

"But I assure you that you're going to feel filthy all the same.  Is that really what you want?" His fingertips skimmed your lips, finding a place to come to rest.  "Show me.” He tugged gently at your lips and you knew what he wanted, so you welcomed them in and sucked gently.

“Good girl.”  His smile brought a dramatic softness to his face. And yet somehow it still commanded a subservience you were eager to give. “You know you’re going to have to go to mass tomorrow to confess this dirty secret.  Then you’ll pray on the rosary for hours before you find absolution.” You nodded and moaned for him, still caressing two of his long fingers with your tongue.

“I wonder, how many Our Fathers or Acts of Contrition will you have to say in reparation for sucking the cock of a man old enough to be your father, or grandfather even?  Don’t answer with your mouth full, love. It’s poor manners.”   He removed his fingers and gently pressed on your shoulders, encouraging you to your knees.  

“I suppose you could just tell me next week when you come here again, no use in supposition. But I do know one thing: anytime you kneel again, you’ll be thinking of us. In the church pew, besides your bed for nightly prayers, wherever. And you’ll be wet when you do.”

[thundercaya]

Virginian Insight

James had met plenty of important people in his life. With the amount of money his parents had it wasn’t unusual for schmoozing to be going on in his general proximity, but it was only after he’d decided to pursue a career in politics that it ever mattered. It was certainly fortunate that such connections had been made over the years; though graduating from Princeton summa cum laude certainly made him stand out to potential employers, his timidity and fluster during interviews might have hurt his chances at internships and staffer positions without the weight held by his family name.

Of course, being a part of his particular family did have its downsides. Being the oldest of many children, James had given countless hours over the years towards the care of his younger siblings. Even now, living on his own as an adult, he was not free from family obligations. At least, he couldn’t seem to let himself be free. While his other adult siblings often found ways out of doing favors for their parents, James could not seem to say no, especially to his mother. And so it was that on a rare day when he had no obligations from the campaign he was working on, he was at his family home, watching over his youngest living siblings.

The no-longer living siblings were the reason that James’ presence was needed--it hadn’t been long since their untimely deaths and his parents were doing the sensible thing and seeing a therapist to help with the loss. Not that a therapist had ever helped him, but he hoped his parents could be happy again at some point. If not, then an afternoon spent with still-in-diapers Fanny and teenage drama-king Billy, watching terrible music videos for terrible songs on MTV, was decidedly not worth it.

“How do you sit through this?” James asked as some pop star waved through the window down at a crowd of young people in the street below the TRL studio--maybe if young adults were as excited about politics as they were about celebrities, the country wouldn’t be such a mess.

Eyes glued to the screen, Billy gave a half shrug. “Quddus is hot.”

The VJ. Well, at least a VJ was almost a journalist, which was a better occupation to admire.

James’ phone began go buzz in his pocket. He’d gotten into the habit of always keeping it on vibrate, always paranoid about a call coming in during an important meeting or a speech. He slipped his phone out, and seeing the name of the campaign manager, he flipped it open.

“Hello, Matt. Is everything all right?”

“Yes, great. Everything’s great James. I just heard that General Washington is visiting a couple injured vets at Culpeper Medical.”

“I didn’t know he was in town.”

“Yeah, it was kept pretty quiet. It’s not a publicity thing. No reporters invited or anything. Great opportunity for you to go talk to him.”

James stiffened. “What? Talk to him? To General Washington? There’s no way I can--”

“James, James, James, calm down. I’m not expecting you to get McIntyre his endorsement. God, no. You’re not ready for that, and that isn’t the place for it bsides. I just want you to have a light chat with him and make sure he leaves knowing your parents endorse McIntyre. See?”

James did see, and he didn’t even mind the use of his family connection. Matt was a genius, of the level James could only aspire to.

“Yeah. Yeah, got it. Culpeper Medical?”

“That’s right. Good luck, James. Can’t wait to hear how it went.”

After the call ended, James slipped his phone into his pocket.

“Do you have to go to work?” Billy asked, suddenly reminding James of where he was and what he was doing.

Shit. James looked from Billy to the armchair where Fanny was down for her nap. He looked back at Billy. “Do you know how to install the carseat?”

James wasn’t worried about his parents beating him home. They always took the time to eat after their sessions, and often ran errands, both to give them some time to decompress before seeing the kids again. He should have plenty of time to get to the hospital, talk to General Washington, and get the kids back home. That was, if he could figure out how the hell he was going to put himself in a position to talk to General Washington.

As soon as they walked into the hospital, Billy made a beeline for a vending machine, pulling some money out of his pocket to buy himself a snack. James carried Fanny to a set of chairs; catching Washington on his way out seemed like a better idea than trying to figure out what rooms he was visiting and trying to find reasons to be near them. Fanny was fortunately in a good mood after her nap and well entertained by her Strawberry Shortcake doll. At least, she was until Billy joined them with a Hostess cupcake.

“Gimme!” she said, reaching towards Billy.

“No,” Billy said.

“Gimme!” Fanny insisted.

“No. I paid for this myself.”

Fanny tugged on James’ shirt.  “Jimmy!” she whined.

“You can’t have it,” James agreed. “You’ll get it all over yourself.”

“I want it!”

“Billy, put it away for now. You can eat it when you’re not in front of her. See, Fanny? No one’s getting a cupcake right now.”

Billy traded his snack out for his Gameboy Advance, which quickly captured Fanny’s attention as she kept asking “what’s that?” to everything on the screen. It wasn’t much longer before an elevator opened, and out walked General Washington along with a uniformed soldier. James started to stand up instinctively, but stopped himself--he couldn’t just walk up to Washington out of nowhere and start talking to him.

Washington said something to the soldier, then started to make his way down the hall. The soldier began to follow him, but Washington held out a hand and the man stopped. Washington then proceeded to enter the mens restroom.

Good, the man was cornered now. James could run into him with no problem. However, the thought of having a conversation with his dick out was nothing short of horrific, so James needed to find an excuse to enter the restroom that didn’t involve forcing himself to take a piss.

“Billy,” he said. “Give me your cupcake.”

“What? No. It’s mine.”

“I’ll buy you another one. Just give it to me.”

“Fine,” Billy huffed, handing it over. James ripped it open and passed it to Fanny. She squealed with delight and went right to work on it.

“What the heck, Jimmy?” Billy demanded.

“Relax,” James said, pulling out his wallet. He handed Billy more than enough to cover the cost of the treat, then he pushed Fanny’s hand, squishing the cupcake more firmly against her face than it already was. She continued to eat, unperturbed as several crumbs and chunks of chocolate frosting littered down onto her dress. “Can you handle waiting here by yourself for a few minutes?”

“Uh, yeah. I’m not six.”

“Don’t leave the building and if anyone tries to make you, scream for help.”

“Okay, but can I go inside the gift shop? I’m pretty much rich now.”

“Fine, fine,” James said, standing up and picking up his sister. “All right, Fanny, let’s do this.”

When James entered the restroom, General Washington was nowhere to be seen. It was just as well that he was in a stall--James might not have caught him in time if he were only peeing. He sat Fanny down on the counter, wet some paper towels, and waited. When he heard a toilet flush, he began wiping up the girl’s face and clothes. He glanced up at the mirror, and there was the general.

“General Washington,” James greeted over his shoulder. “Long time no see, sir.”

“Hm?” Washington glanced at him. “Oh, yes…. Jimmy, was it?” He reached for a handshake, seemingly instinctively, then quickly drew back, clearing his throat before turning on a faucet to wash his hands. James elected to ignore this near faux-pas.

“James now, if you don’t mind. Unless my father is around.”

“Oh, of course. You’re a grown man now.” He nodded to Fanny. “Your daughter is beautiful.”

“Oh, she’s not mine.”

Washington’s eyebrows shot up. “Really. She looks just like you.”

“She’s my sister.”

“Oh. I thought….” Washington cleared his throat. “I mean….”

“That was the four year old and the seven year old. This one, however, is perfectly healthy. Isn’t that right, Fanny?”

The girl smiled up at him.

“I see. Very sorry for your loss, of course.”

“Thank you,” James said, rather graciously. He could certainly relate to saying the wrong thing and wasn’t about to give the man a hard time about it--not while he was trying to get something out of him, anyway.

“You must be done with college by now,” Washington said, changing the subject.

“Yes,” James said. He’d been out for several years now and wondered when that would stop being the topic of choice for older adults to bring up. “Political science. I’ve had a couple staffer positions since then. Right now I’m on the McIyntre campaign.”

“Ah yes, McIntyre. Haven’t looked into him very much. Not much time for that currently, you know. Seems like and upright man, though.”

“I certainly think so, or I wouldn’t be working with him,” James said. “He was over at the family home for dinner not too long ago. My parents were very impressed with him.”

“I’ll need to meet him some time soon.”

“I’m sure he’d like that very much as well.”

Washington cleared his throat. “Well, I should be going.”

“Yes, of course,” James said. “Good to see you, sir. Hopefully there’ll be less of a gap between meetings this time.”

As Washington made his way to exit, the door swung open and there stood Billy.

“Jimmy,” he began, “the gift shop has--”

His eyes locked onto Washington and he instantly went silent.

“Excuse me, young man,” Washington said, edging past him. Billy watched him go. Once the door shut again, James let out a deep breath, body going almost limp as his calm demeanor melted away. He grabbed the counter with one hand to keep himself on his feet, while his other hand stayed on Fanny to keep her on the counter.

“Wow,” Billy said finally. “Why didn’t anyone tell me General Washington was handsome?”

James glanced at his brother, straightened himself back up, and shook himself off. “If you’d change the channel away from MTV once in a while, you might have seen him sometime.”

[hattywatch]

Jimmy Vesey - All Smiles Part 2

A/N: Part 1   As always, thank you to @hockeyandtaylorswift for being my ride or die and hyping me up to post things. ilu bby <3

Thursday had come and gone without anything of consequence occurring. The flipper for his front teeth came in and you prepared the posts for the implants. You had taken another mold and placed a rush order on the implants for Mr. Vesey.

There wasn't much time for conversation in all fairness, with the Novocaine inhibiting his ability to speak and your gloved fingers poking around trying to do their jobs.

Although, he did shake your hand after you showed him how to put in the flipper- just a temporary replacement of his front teeth until the permanent ones were ready.

“I really appreciate it, Dr. Y/L/N. It's nice to be able to speak again... After the numbing wears off anyway, and I stop drooling all over myself like a dog,” he shoves his hands into the pockets of his sweats.

He drops his head a little but maintains eye contact, and you feel a little rude so you start degloving your hands and drop your mask down around your neck. You're also realizing for the first time just how tall and broad your patient is, since he's usually sat on a chair and not towering over you like he is now, and you all of a sudden feel a little grubby in your purple scrubs and lab coat.

“It's quite literally my job, Mr. Vesey. No trouble at all.”

“Yeah, but still,” he knocks his head to the side in a move that would look bashful on anyone but a 6’4” man, and pulls his hand out of his pocket for a handshake.

You slip your ungloved hand into his.

“It's Jimmy, by the way.”

You look up, a little confused at first, since your brain was still focused on the large, calloused hand that was warming you from the tips of your fingers to the tips of your toes and continues:

“Not Mr. Vesey. Just call me Jimmy.” You smile at that, trying to pull some of your brain back together to form a sentence. It's pathetic really. You're a doctor for Christ's sake.

“No trouble at all, Jimmy.” Your smile is likely that of a gooey schoolgirl, but you do your best to pull it together and release his hand.

“The implants may take a while to get here. I'll call you when they come in and we'll set up a final appointment.”

He nods and smiles, complete with front teeth and turns to leave.

_____

When the implants come in you call Jimmy. Usually you'd have Sarah do it, but you're feeling a little brave and what's the harm in calling. It's not crossing a line, you convince yourself. Even though Sarah stares at you smirking as you sit down next to her with his file open.

It turns out you're worrying for no reason; he doesn't answer, so you leave a message.

“Hi, this is messages is for Jimmy. This is Y/N… I mean, Doctor Y/L/N… the dentist. Sorry. We just got your implants in. They look great, so just uhh, give me a call when you're ready and we can set up a date… an appointment, I mean, for you to come in and get them all finished up. Talk to you soon… bye”

Your head is in your hands before you even hang up the phone, luckily Sarah has the good graces to wait until she hears the phone click into the cradle to start cackling in laughter.

“What are you, 16? I'm dying, I'm dead. If a smokin’ hot, genius Doctor can't keep  cool what hope it's there for the rest of us?”

She laughs harder when you grumble out, “You're fired,” from behind your hands, still holding your warm, embarrassed face.

He calls back just minutes after you left the message and made an appointment with Sarah. She motions for you to pick up when the caller ID read his name, but the embarrassment is still too fresh, so she stops laughing and picks up. You try to listen in as best you can, with your head face down on Sarah's desk on top of your stacked arms.

“Dr. Y/L/N? Oh, umm,” Sarah kicks you under the desk and you sit up, frantically shaking your head and waving your hands back and forth, mouthing No, no no! 

“She just stepped in with another patient, actually. Do you want me to have her call you back?”

You only catch Sarah's side of the conversation from here on out, but can assume that he doesn't want you to call him back, since she just nods and enters his name into the computer for tomorrow at 6, the last appointment of the day.

“Okay, we'll see you then Mr. Vesey, have a nice evening.” She hangs up and stands to put on her sweater.

“You're pathetic. Get it together by tomorrow. I can't handle this 'will they won't they’ anymore. It's wearing on me.” Sarah leaves for the day and you kind of agree with her.

______

The final time Jimmy comes in you're determined to be as professional as possible, still embarrassed by the voicemail he has the heart to not bring up, bless him.

He looks great today. Every other time he's come in he's super casual- always sweats and a hoodie. Today is clearly testing you because he's gelled his hair and he's wearing well fitting jeans and a Henley. It's all too much, especially since you're determined to not look him in the eye, lest he know about the very inappropriate crush you've developed on him.

When you're all finished your embarrassment has diminished. You've been working hard and just listening to the soft music playing through the speakers. So rolling your chair back, you hit the button that makes his chair raise back to an upright position and remove your mask and gloves.

“I am very proud of myself,” your smile is contagious and he smiles too, “really outdid myself here,” you assure as you hand him the mirror.

He smiles into the mirror and nods his head.

“Damn. Yeah, you do good work. Made me look presentable again,” he hands you back the mirror.

“All in a day's work,” you're cringing before you get the sentence out, feeling like such a nerd.

You initiate the handshake this time.

“If anything feels funny or you get any more teeth knocked out, you know where to find me,” you're smiling but desperately trying to think of a way to make him stay.

You come up short.

He laughs though, “Hopefully I don't see you under these circumstances again.” He pulls back from the handshake.

“See you around, Y/N,” he smiles wide, his new perfect smile, “I mean Dr. Y/L/N.” He tucks his head down and exits the room and you just know your cheeks are darkening with the heat you feel.

You're so fucked.

_____

You don't expect to see him again, let's be real, who actually enjoys going to the dentist. But you do see him again, under slightly different circumstances.

Sunday morning finds you in leggings and a sweatshirt ready to do some shopping like the weekend warrior you are. You stop by the sandwich shop near your apartment, Wichcraft, for a cup of coffee and maybe a pastry if anything strikes your fancy, something always does.

The only thing striking your fancy right now though is the man sitting the booth next to the coffee station, Jimmy of course is sat with a few friends, next to where you now stand pouring milk into your iced coffee.

Of course. How fucking awkward.

He gaze keeps flicking sideways to you but he determinedly looks away when you look over at him.

Whatever, got it, will not approach. You finish making your coffee and pop up onto the counter seating in front of the window, slightly wounded but not surprised. You did make an idiot of yourself on his voicemail, so that's the end of that.

It's not until he is on his way back from the bathroom that he gets close to you, as you're awkwardly picking apart your croissant and stuffing it into your face.

“Y/N? Doctor Y/L/N?” He's speaking lowly and tentatively, approaching you like you're a timid animal.

“Yes, everything okay?” You manage around your mouthful of French pastry.

“Oh wow!” He approaches quicker now, speaking louder and more confidently. His friends, still sat in the booth, look up at the sound of his voice.

“I wasn't sure if that was you. I didn't recognize you in clothes!”

You damn near choke on the croissant and hazard a sip of your iced coffee to help it go down. He's red and sputtering apologies by the time you're able to speak.

“Not... like that. I just meant out of scrubs! Not in your lab coat! You know what I meant right? Not naked. Oh my God. I am so not making this better I'm  sorry.”

He's holding his hands up in an effort to show he means no harm, while one of his friends is audibly trying to catch his breath at the booth and the other has his face down against the table, shaking with what you can only assume is silent laughter.

You do your best to help him along, “I know what you meant,” but you're laughing now too, “Please lower your voice, I don't want word to get around that I do my work in the nude. The ADA will have my head.”

Where you at now, Sarah? Look who's got some game!

He gapes at you.

Fuuuuuuuuuuu-

“I'm kidding! Just a joke!” Now your hands are up, shaking a little nervously that he really may report you. But he smiles finally, and damn, you really are fantastic at your job.

“We're really bad at this,” he huffs out. He shoves his hands in his pockets, sweatpants and a hoodie again, and he looks so soft that you can't help but give a tight smile back, still embarrassed.

“Can I maybe see you sometime, not at your office while you fix my teeth or here, where I imply I've seen you nude while you're trying to enjoy your breakfast in peace?”

Back in the game. After an internal fist pump, you decide you will relay this story to Sarah after all.

“Yeah,” you reply, probably too quickly to come off as anything but utterly desperate. “I mean, yes. Yes you can,” you amend primly, before scribbling your number onto a napkin and handing it to him.

“Awesome. I'll call you to make an appointment,” his smirk is back, “I mean a date,” he winks now and partnered with that smirk, you are literal mush.

You scrunch your eyes and lay your face into your palm, “Yeah, yeah, I know. Worst voicemail ever. Got it. I'm already embarrassed enough, stop making fun of me.”

He pulls your hand from your face, “Not by a long shot- got it saved and everything. I can call you later?”

“I look forward to it.”

His friends have joined his side now. A scruffy looking guy around Jimmy's height has a hand on his shoulder, but he looks straight at you when he speaks.

“We gotta get this guy to practice, I promise he'll talk to you later” he says as he steers Jimmy towards the door.

It's not meant for you to hear, but his jibe  is so loud that you can't help it, “Smooth Vese, real smooth.”

[comeondowntosouthparkrpg-blog]

Bradley Christian

out of character info

Name/Alias: Tots

Pronouns: she/her

Age: 19

Join Our Discord: yea why not lol mine is cursed bitch #0955

Timezone: EST

Activity: it honestly really depends- between 6-8 on a good day tho

Triggers: n/a

Password: Jimmy can fastpass my ass

Character that you’re applying for: Bradley(not THAT one. the one from season 11 episode 2 Cartman Sucks)

Favourite ships for your character: Bradley x Butters, Bradley x chemistry

in character info

Full name: Bradley David Christian

Birthday: December 25th

Sexuality, gender, pronouns: closeted homosexual, male, he/him

Age and grade: 18, senior

Appearance: Temporary face claim is Valter Torsleff. Bradley is a very nervous person and it shows in his nubby fingernails, in the way that his shirts are wrinkled from clutching at them, the dark circles under his eyes and the way they dart around. He’s tall but it’s difficult to tell from the way he hunches over in some attempt to try and hide himself. At his full height Bradley is six foot even. His body is pathetically scrawny making him look like you could easily snap him in two. Seriously, get this kid a fucking sandwich or something.

Bradley has pasty skin, blue-grey eyes and short curly golden blond hair that’s shaved at the sides. He’s always clean shaven and has a gaunt, oval shaped face with a pointy chin. He speaks quickly and mumbles frequently.

His clothing is well put together- mostly because his parents still choose his wardrobe for him. Button down shirts. Nice slacks and shoes. Business casual is the best way to describe his wardrobe. He has a few casual looking articles of clothing(t-shirts that are either plain or have some stupid cheesy christian slogan or a scripture on it, maybe cargo shorts or sweatpants) but he’s very seldom seen wearing these. Usually they’re reserved for when he’s lounging at home or if it’s a required part of a uniform.

Personality: Christianity is Bradley’s whole world. It’s what he sleeps, eats, drinks and breaths. He wants nothing more than for the holy spirit to get inside him( ;) ). He spends hours and hours pouring over the bible, devotionals and other forms of christian media to keep himself in check. Deep down however he’s disgusted by all this and loathes it all but his irrational fear of god and his parents keeps him going.

He’s an extraordinarily anxious and timid person with twitchy hands and is consistently easy to startle. He’s a closeted homosexual, having gone through conversion therapy and been considered cured. Bradley knows he’s gay and he hates this part of himself. He’s full of internalized homophobia. He’ll do whatever he has to in order to try and ‘fix’ this part of himself. So far nothing has worked.

Because of his heavy involvement with the church Bradley is repressed in the sense that he doesn’t know who he is or what he likes that isn’t involved with the church. Any hobbies he has, any personality traits, has to be somehow linked to christianity. It makes him a boring person since he has nothing else to talk about but God. He doesn’t know what else to talk about because he’s never been allowed to think about anything else. Because of this, most people brush him off and he’s used to that. However he has a hard time being as adamant to people about converting them then other people in his church, he’s more timid and is worried about upsetting other people.

History: Having grown up in a heavily conservative, christian home, Bradley David Christian has known nothing but religion his whole life. Within a week of his birth, he had gone to church for the first time and continued to go for the entirety of his life. His parents were completely and totally enthralled with christianity and wanted nothing more than for Bradley to be every bit as religious as them.

His relationship with his parents is… less than ideal to be putting it lightly. They’re controlling and invasive. They put everything under a microscope and leave him with little to no privacy. They choose his wardrobe, choose if he’s allowed to continue being friends with someone or not, go through his phone and social media accounts and so on and so forth. Bradley knows this isn’t normal but there isn’t really anything he can do about it seeing as he still lives with him and is too young to be on his own. So he just tries to appease them and keep them as happy as possible, working to be their wet dream of a child.

The church he went to was very conservative and pushed the ‘Fear the Lord’ mentality leading him to being constantly anxious about having any sort of sin weighing on his soul. The idea of hell is terrifying, and he would do anything to avoid being sent there. Convinced that the rapture could occur at any given moment he worked to have his soul constantly free of sin. His parents had successfully indoctrinated their son into their religion.

As Bradley grew older, he started to notice that he was developing an attraction to the same sex and that terrified him. He prayed to God to fix him and when that didn’t work, tried to hide it. But eventually his parents found out and sent him to Camp New Grace.

The camp didn’t change Bradley(There was a brief period of time where a certain boy with a cute smile and bubbly laugh that made him think maybe it was okay to be gay but that hope was quickly squashed). In fact it probably left him in a worse state than when he first entered. But he could certainly convince himself that it did. Thinking he was cured, he was sent home only to discover, much to his chagrin, that he was still plagued by these demons. But the very last thing that Bradley wanted was to be sent back to that place so from that day forwards he did everything in his power to hide and repress that part of himself. After all, Camp New Grace did always say that being straight, being NORMAL, was a choice. So he could just…. choose to be hetero. He would be his own accountabillibuddy and keep himself in check.

Bradley became an extremely active member of the church, had brief relationships with girls that always ended with frustration and tears, ran the christianity clubs at his school, maintained perfect grades and above all tried to keep his life as free from sin as possible. But deep down he still felt that gnawing guilt in his heart knowing that he really was. The reminder clung at the back of his mind like a tumor. Whispering to him that no matter what he did, he would never be rid of it. It kept him up at night, made his heart pound in his chest when the church talked about the sin that was homosexuality, made him sweat when he tried to deny just how much a boy’s laugh could make his stomach flip or a smile could make his face heat up. But if he could keep himself pure, maybe- just maybe God could overlook that and he wouldn’t be sent to burn in the fiery pits of hell.

A kid could hope.

Sample paragraph: A success story. That’s what they called him. A shining example of how homosexuality was a choice, that Bradley had been able to overcome his sinful urges and become a pure, gleaming light for the Lord Almighty.

The thought burned like acid in his throat, ate at his stomach, twisted his guts into painful knots. He was a liar and he knew it. He knew he was sinning every time his heart flipped when a handsome boy would call his name. Sinning when only thoughts of masculine voices could stir a fire in the pit of his stomach. Sinning every night when all he had was his own thoughts and fantasies.

It was ripping him apart, all the lies, the lust, the desires- he was an abomination wearing the skin of a holy man. Did that make him worse than the average sinner? He prayed, day and night, for forgiveness from a God he both feared and worshiped.

“Bradley, why don’t you share with the congregation how you were you able to overcome these desires?” the pastor asked, a smug gleam in his eye. Wasn’t pride a sin?

“W-well-” His hand twitched as Bradley had to remind himself to not lift his hand and chew at it. Instead he settled for rubbing the back of his neck, fingers catching on locks on the back of his head and anxiously tugging. Scriptures- scriptures- “As Matthew 26:41 says, ‘Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.’. So uh, I prayed. A lot. And the power of prayer… helped me overcome my temptations?"

The priest smiled like Bradley had gotten a correct answer on a test. His anxiety lessened for only a brief moment. The fear, the anxiety was always at the back of his mind. His hand pulled away from his hair to clutch tightly at his chair. This was humiliating. He didn’t want a soul to know about how he had struggled. How he was still struggling. But here Bradley was, in front of a group of kids lying to them about how they too could overcome temptations and sin to become pure in the eyes of God. He licked at his dry lips. “I’ve even uh, been able to have a few girlfriends.” His eyes darted at the kids and saw himself in their faces. “Anything is possible through the power of God.”

The way the priest smiled, his lips curling, made Bradley feel sick. Did he know what was going on in his head? Was he aware of the lies pouring from his lips or was he just proud of his ability to ‘fix’ people? Bradley wanted to vanish from here. Being near one of these conversion therapy places was the last thing he ever wanted but his parents insisted it would be ‘good’ for him to share his story. They’d arranged everything, written the emails for him and sent him here.

“Now, do you still experience those old…. Urges?”

Did the way his head shot up make him look guilty? “What? Uh- no- I mean uh-” Lying. He hated it. “Y-yeah. But I just pray to God in those moments. And he helps me.”

The priest’s face tightened, lips pressed into a thin line and a quick nod followed. Bradley felt like someone had stuck a knife into his stomach and twisted it. Should he have said something different? But the holy man laughed- “Well maybe you should come back and do our little program! Just kidding.” Bradley could taste metal in his mouth at the thought but forced out a laugh of his own.

“M-maybe!"

His limbs felt like tightly wound coils, ready to spring out of the chair and run from here. His muscles were tense and he couldn’t keep himself still. Hands gripping, twitching, leg bouncing, eyes darting. Did he look like a liar or just like someone with stage fright?

“Well, thank you for coming and speaking with us Bradley. God truly has blessed you.” Was it over? Relief washed over him. He smiled and lied once more.

“It was good to be here.”

Headcanons: nervous tick extraordinaire. He constantly tries(and fails) to break his finger biting habit through using fidget toys and fidgeting in other ways but always goes back to it. He has a tendency to pull at his hair as well as recite scriptures from the bible to keep himself in line. Part of why he’s so skinny is because he makes himself so nervous he gets sick and can’t eat or throws up whatever's in his stomach.

Anything else: I hope this meets the length requirements! Hope to hear from you dudes soon, constructive criticism is always welcomed and encouraged even if I’m not accepted!

[secondsofhappiness]

a new normal

A03

Robert has a new friend, a new start and a new perspective. Post-reunion. Monday.

[Basically, I’m a sucker for Robert and Vanessa being friends.]

Notes: Seems that once I start writing, I can’t stop. Plus, the fact that Vanessa Woodfield (my future wife) is now Robert’s friend is too perfect for words. Don’t let me down, show. Please enjoy!

——-

The text comes through at 11:30, Robert’s phone buzzing against his hip as he shoulders the filing cabinet door closed. There’s a clanging outside, the sound of raised voices and Robert smiles and cranes his neck towards the window.

Aaron’s out there shaking his head and pulling a length of pipe out of Gerry’s hands, mimicking hitting him over the heard with it. Gerry’s laughing, his face to the sky and dirt all down one side of his jacket. Aaron turns and Robert can see him now, eyes rolling but a quirk to his lips that Robert knows all too well - fondness .

He watches Aaron till he disappears around the side of the cabin and with one hand full of folders, slips his phone out of his pocket, thumb sliding against the screen.

Oi. You’re in trouble. There’s an Americano with your name on it in fifteen minutes. Meet me in the cafe and bring your gossip. Ness x

Robert reads it again and has locked and pocketed his phone by the time it sinks in. Vanessa is his friend. She’s not some passing acquaintance that might throw the odd ‘morning’ in his direction in the shop. She wants to know him .

What was it Bernice said? ‘ She likes you for some reason ’.

He shakes his head. She’ll realise soon enough. They all do.

The lingering self pity, like a limpet on his soul, doesn’t dissuade him from a free Americano, though.

——-

He puts down the phone and takes a deep breath. Another contractor sufficiently charmed following Jimmy’s clear lack of attention. He’s a useless oaf. It’s going to take a visit to Nicola to sort this one. Robert knows her, she’ll have her husband whipped into shape in no time. If there’s anyone Robert can rely on for efficiency and fear it’s Nicola King. He smiles to himself and checks the clock. Two minutes.

As if psychic, Aaron flings open the cabin door with a huff. “I’m telling you, that kid has a death wish. He’s actually talking about me letting him do the depollution. As if I’m letting him near a fuel tank.”

Robert leans back in his chair, smiling. He watches as Aaron rips off his gloves and flicks the kettle on, turning to Robert with a “what?”. He’s smirking though and Robert loves him .

“Just you. Taking in waifs and strays. You do know Mill only has two bedrooms, right?”

Aaron groans. “You weren’t here when he was sleeping in the bus shelter and Liv was all ‘ help him, Aaron, he has nowhere to go ’. What was I supposed to say?”

Robert scoffs, slipping out of his chair and rounding the desk to perch on the edge, fingers reaching for the hem of Aaron’s high vis. In one tug, Aaron’s shuffling towards him and pretending to be annoyed.

“You’re just a sucker for a sob story,” Robert says softly, gently running his hands along the wool of Aaron’s sweater. “So now you’re working and living with him.”

Aaron groans, his forehead tipping to Robert’s and for a split second the rush of realisation hits him for the hundredth time since Thursday. “Don’t I know it. You know he actually thought it was a good idea to just smack the hell out of a Volvo and just hope for the best. The kid’s mental. ”

“But you like him?” Rob asks and he watches Aaron narrow his eyes, his lips twitching into a smile. There’s the soft heart he adores so much.

“Someone’s got to give dodgy kids a chance, right?”

Robert wraps his arms around Aaron’s waist and squeezes. “Right.” With that, the kettle reaches a boil and Aaron presses a quick kiss to Robert’s forehead and wriggles free, focusing on his brew. The sacred mid morning tea is something Robert doesn’t dare interrupt. “I’m off to the cafe for a break. Vanessa text and she wants to see me. You want anything?”

Aaron’s stirring his tea now, settled against the desk with a grin. “So Vanessa?”

There’s a strange moment where Robert feels timid. He can’t help but shrug, palms running down his jeans. “Yeah, she’s getting me a coffee. You don’t mind, do you?”

“Why would I mind?” Aaron asks, smiling around the rim of his mug, “Gets you out of my hair for a bit, doesn’t it? I should be thanking her.”

“Yeah, well, don’t get used to it. You have to live with me too, remember?” The warmth that courses his veins at that reminder is miraculous. He feels the sense of home right down to his toes and even more so when Aaron locks eyes with him, a slow smile that he bites in two, teeth against his lips.

“I remember.”

Robert takes a deep breath, a smirk difficult to hide. There’s been a fight inside of him since Thursday, feelings bubbling and fizzing around inside of him and threatening to burst free. He needs to keep a lid on it, keep a semblance of cool because it’s all so… well, it’s perfect and he doesn’t do perfect. It can’t be something he strides into without care and attention and forward thinking. With Aaron, it’s all so easy to give in to the soft tender touches and the way they bicker and bite at each other but the past has proven that desperation and anger can soon be their replacement and he won’t let that happen again. Never .

“Anyway, I’m off. Don’t let Gerry burn the place down while I’m gone.”

Aaron grins, shaking his head. “He’ll be in the crusher before he even gets the chance, don’t you worry.” And with that, Robert flicks his eyes at Aaron, smiling as he closes the door behind him.

——

“Are you kidding me, Robert Sugden!”

He barely has a second to survey the cafe before Vanessa is grabbing at his arm and pulling him down into an easy chair. He groans and complains but she laughs at his face and pushes a steaming coffee towards him.

“What’s this?” he asks because, really, when has someone ever done this and meant it.

She frowns. “What do you mean, it’s a coffee and a chat. Or an interrogation, more like!” She’s smiling bright and wiggling her eyebrows against that fringe of hers and he can’t help but smile. He’s never really had a friend before but he clocks her jacket and before he can stop himself, barks out a laugh. “What?”

“Twins,” he says and gestures down at his Barbour coat, watching as her face floods with realisation, eyes sparkling.

“Well, I don’t know which one of us is the trend setter but I’m willing to call it a draw if you tell me just what you think you’re up to getting back with Aaron and not telling me. I want details and by details I mean the exact circumference of his biceps.”

Robert is speechless for a second, eyes wide as he takes in her quirked eyebrow. She takes a pointed sip of her tea and she’s serious. He scoffs, a little delirious against her enthusiasm and the bright yellow of her jumper. “You want that in inches or centimetres?” he asks eventually and if her wide eyed joy is anything to go by, she doesn’t intend to stop there.

It’s hard not to smile and Robert does, finds it hard to stop and hides it against the rim of his mug as Vanessa asks for a blow by blow account of the evening. He’ll give as much as he feels able to but knows he’ll keep the special stuff safe. He’d never betray Aaron like that, to declare to the world what Aaron wouldn’t willingly declare himself.

———

On the way out, he endures Daz’s inane chatter to grab Aaron a slice of the cake he loves so much and if his walk back to the cabin is a little quicker and a little bouncier than normal then so be it.