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banguette · 1 year

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Remember Me Once More | Ted Shackleford (The Man in The Yellow Hat) x f. Reader

description: He stayed. You left. 6 years after your last meeting, a game of circumstance lands you in the same room as him - and his monkey. With 2 weeks of working in close proximity, things are bound to come to light. The question is, how will he perceive it?

word count: 14.7k

warnings: they are both idiots!!! who are in love!!! angsty feelings, cursing a lot of talk of canada and the us as well as culinary schools (i did my research but i'm not from either of those places so pls forgive me if some things are wrong), some words are in italian because the pisghettis, awkward conversations, ted is a nerdy dilfy hotshot museum director, reader is a chef, sex fantasies (a LOT of them), they get trapped in a room, many many apologies, flashbacks to college, it's never explained but ted calls oc chowder, oc has two moms because we love diversity, brief mention of 'the office' and julius the monkey, sweet confessions, SO MUCH KISSING!!, cheesy lines are exchanged, boners, ted has a big virgin dick, experienced reader, oral sex (male and female recieving), a bit of a hair kink, clit play, ted is a bit too excited sometimes, bickering like they're an old married couple, reader has an iud, unprotected sex (do not try!! i repeat, do not try!!), several orgasms, creampies (yes, creampieS), missionary, riding, they act like horny teenagers, ted's butt deserves its own warning so here it is, brief mentions of bath sex, old wounds finally heal, the three of them are basically a family, public speaking, y/n is a bit unhinged, more sweet confessions, allusions to exhibition (pls keep in mind this is my first smut fic, be kind!!)

cover by: me (illustrations featured belong to their rightful owners)

note: I do not regret this book nor do I condone it. Fueled by Ted TikToks, inspired by 'Maroon' by Taylor Swift and 'Don’t You Remember?' by Adele.

Ted Shackleford was not a malevolent person.

Ask anyone and everyone who knew him; he was the last person to hold a grudge against anyone. His monkey had flooded his apartment - thrice! But his response every time he discovered George scratching his head uncomfortably and awkwardly giggling amid the soapy bubbles and rubber duckies surrounding him was to just sigh before proceeding to clean the place.

But you? You were a different story. Every time he recalls the blurry memory of you walking away from him - the last time he ever saw you - he only vividly remembers the anger bubbling up inside his chest. He only remembers the deep frown etched on his face, and the furrowing of his eyebrows as he dug his nails into his palm. Was it selfish to only recall what he felt at that moment, rather than the sight of you hurriedly making your way to your plane without sparing him another glance? To look back on perhaps the most significant turning point in his life and only focus on his emotions rather than figuring out why you left in the first place?

He didn't know. And, to be quite frank, a part of him doesn't care. Altruism was his one principle in life and constantly bent over backward 24/7 to make everyone happy; surely he could afford to be unkind in this one avenue.

But...

Some nights - including tonight - he thinks of the other memories you shared. That elementary school Halloween party, where you warned him that he was going to get teased relentlessly for dressing up as Percy Shelley (whom he was weirdly obsessed with back then), but come the day you surprised everyone by strolling in as Mary - Frankenstein plush and all in your hand. Yeah, you both still got ridiculed by all the Scooby-Doos and Rugrats in your class, but no bullying could have deterred the warmth he felt inside when you leaned over and whispered, "It's either both of us or none of us."

There was also that day in freshman year when you guys cycled through town, the sun setting behind you as you rushed home to make it in time for curfew. How you'd tripped over a train track and he'd tried his best to clean and dress the small gash on your knee, and how you looked at him as if he'd hung up the stars in the sky to accompany the moon when he matched his pace to yours and made it home extremely late. He'd gotten scolded, but it didn't matter. Not as long as you were safe. Besides, all was forgiven when you presented him with a history book in addition to his favorite cookies over a week later. The book inspired him to pursue history and eventually landed him a career as a museum director at the Met. Without you, he doesn't know how he wouldn't have gotten here.

It's that exact realization, however, that causes him to shift to his side on the bed and shake off all thoughts of you. He was approaching 30, for god's sake, and had a life to think about now rather than you; the one that got away. He lists them all in his head: a rambunctious monkey not even the age of 3, the meeting he has tomorrow for his new gallery opening, his friends... If it meant that, to focus, he had to drown out his thoughts (and the feeling of your soft lips pressing against his that one time) to the sound of George peacefully snoring in the room beside him, then so be it.

You had to remain in the past because Ted doesn't have space for you in his future.

The last thing you want to be confronted with after your tedious 6-hour flight to New York City is bitter coffee, but of course, that is what you get. The minute the foul-tasting liquid grazes your taste buds you spit it out onto the pavement, where the crowds don't even bother reacting to your gross public act of self-humiliation. It is at that moment when you truly feel like you are in New York, never mind the countless welcoming posters you'd seen passing through the airport. Being back in America after half a dozen years abroad felt dizzying - like something you'd spent so long carrying with you around British Columbia had finally lifted itself from your shoulders when you landed. You finally felt at home.

That being said, you weren't here for good just yet. Everything that you owned was still tied up in your apartment back in Vancouver, it depended on the outcome of your upcoming interview on whether or not you'd be moving here permanently. In the meantime, you'd spend the next few days here exploring the Apple; it's unlikely, but perhaps you could secure some last-minute Broadway tickets, or take a gander through the Central Park Zoo, or maybe even go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Right now though, the coffee had done nothing and you were more focused on getting to your hotel and crashing into the comfortable bed. Jetlag was a bitch, but it was one you were willing to give into.

After checking in, the concierge handed you a bunch of pamphlets on things to do while you're in New York before smiling and sending you on your way. Leaning against the elevator wall, luggage in tow, you flipped through them. You stop at the Met's in particular; despite being a culinary student, a dear old friend had gotten you somewhat interested in history and museums have kind of drawn you in since. You unfolded the paper, glazing your tired eyes over the words, briefly looking over the pictures.

Until you spot a familiar face staring back at you.

In your confusion, you bring the paper closer to your face. Surely it couldn't be - oh my god, it is. Your 'dear old friend' was right there on the paper, smiling and beckoning you to visit with a small monkey on his shoulder. Right as the elevator pinged, you folded the paper and removed the picture from your sight. Slight change of plans, you thought internally as you walked towards your hotel room. Maybe you wouldn't be visiting the Met after all.

"George! I'm home!" Ted yelled, walking inside and setting his keys into the designated bowl, and hanging his hat up on the hook. The day had been grueling, some cuddles with his favorite non-human in the world were all he was looking forward to. George was equally as excited to catch the man in the yellow hat up on his day; he'd spent his time playing with Hundley and one of the things they did together was making a mess in George's bedroom. Ted groaned, muttered 'I'll clean this up later,' under his breath before scooping the primate up in his arms and settling down on the couch. Together, they watched a few episodes of the show they'd started before Ted left to go shower.

As the water trickled down his body and he lathered the shampoo onto his hair, Ted recounted key points from his meeting. The new Invention of Cooking exhibit would be one of their grandest yet; aside from collecting hundreds of utensils, tools, and recipes from all around the world and from different points in history, they would also be flying in top culinary experts and food history enthusiasts for the opening. Having so many people come in and also having the entire gallery focused on food itself meant that they would have to bring caterers in, and obviously, Ted knew no one better to perform the task than the Pisghettis. He'd have to drop by their restaurant after work tomorrow to discuss the appetizers, main course, and dessert platters that they'd be serving. Aside from that, there were still a bajillion other things to do and only a month left to do it. He was losing his mind the more often he was left alone with it.

Once he got out, he tied a towel along his waist and ran another through his hair before making his way to the kitchen to make dinner. He only needed to heat up what he'd made the day before anyway, so he split the leftovers into two bowls and threw them in the microwave. While it was in there, he changed into his loose sleeveless shirt paired with his boxers; all his signature yellow. He made his way back to the kitchen before calling George over, and they made light conversation as they ate.

Later on in the evening, when Ted had read him his favorite bedtime story and tucked him into bed, he clambered onto the balcony and started to water his mini-garden. Halfway into this routine, he paused and looked beyond the railings to the brightly lit streets below him. In combination with the chill air, it was enough to make even the toughest day seem so distant from where he was now. Keyword: was. Ted had originally purchased the apartment solely for the view, but now he just felt lonely gazing down at it. He wished he had someone to share it with. There was always George, and he wouldn't trade that little guy for anything, but you could only converse with a monkey so many times. He longed for someone to be by his side, to have deep conversations, and also to joke around with. Someone who could do more than nod and make a few, albeit cute, sounds.

His mind flickers to an image of you for a millisecond. Then, he finishes watering all the plants and shuffles towards his cold, empty bed for another night.

You knock on the door anxiously, your gaze focused on the couple sitting at the dinner table in front of you. "Excuse me, I'm here for the interview?"

"Ah, you must be Y/N!" Netti, as you learn her name to be, says as she leads you to where her husband is sitting. "How was the flight, dear? Thank you for visiting on such short notice."

You wave her off, "My pleasure, I've been meaning to visit here anyway. You guys did me a favor!" Uh-oh. Was that too much? Possibly too little? They didn't seem to mind, both of them making polite conversation with you as Chef Pisghetti contentedly petted the kitten on his lap. They were extremely nice, you'd noted. Much better than some of the past bosses you'd had. At least, you'd hope they would be your bosses. Another thing you noticed was how each time one was speaking, the other would put their undivided attention on them and their eyes shone with adoration. It showed just how comfortable and in love they were with each other, and a fuzzy feeling filled your chest.

"Let's get into business, Y/N," Pisghetti says once the conversation fizzles out. "Your resume's extremely impressive; 4 years of school in Le Cordon Bleu and The Culinary Arts School of Ontario? Apprenticeship at the CN Tower? Ammazza! You're brilliant!" He grins sheepishly and you smile back in return. "I have one question though," He makes an inquisitive face.

"Yes?" Stress builds in your chest, scared of what was to come.

He throws his hands in the air excitedly. "When can you start?"

That's how you find yourself getting a pseudo-training session from the two for the rest of the time. The restaurant was closed for the day, so you got to learn the layout of their kitchen, how Pisghetti cannot accept anything less than perfection (which suits you fine anyway being a perfectionist yourself), and even take a tour through their spectacular rooftop garden. A lush green farm amidst the busy streets of New York, could you imagine? Most importantly of all, you learn about Gnocchi, the Pisghetti's kitten. The cutie had been saved from a tree by one of their firefighter friends a few months back, and once the pair had seen her they couldn't look back. Gnocchi was now part of their routine and soon would be a part of yours too. Everything revolved around the spoiled but loveable creature.

By the time it rolled around to half past 5, the Pisghetti's handed you some food so you wouldn't have to spend another day eating cup noodles and microwaveable mac and cheese and allowed you to hang your apron up. However, just as you said your goodbyes and were about to walk through the kitchen door, you heard a jingle come from the main dining area. "That's weird," You said to Netti and the chef went out to greet whoever came by. "Weren't you guys closed?"

"Don't worry about it tesoro mio, it's probably our friends. They told us they were going to drop by."

You nodded your head and hugged Netti one last time before making your way to the front entrance. At first, the odd and lanky yellow shape didn't register as anything familiar in your peripheral vision. It was only when the figure turned around to acknowledge you that you felt the wind get knocked out of your lungs. Your mouth felt dry and your knees felt weak as your eyes snagged onto those of the man in front of you. You felt zaps from his staring register in your brain, sending tingles down your spine to the tips of your toes.

Who knew that after so long, Ted Shackleford would still have the same effect on you?

It was strange. He always thought that, if he saw you again, he'd feel the same anger and resentment as he did when you left. But as your eyes connect and lock onto yours, all he feels is the sharp pain of old wounds reopening. An eternal flame of longing was reignited within him, surrounded by a moat of suffering.

After picking George up from Professor Wiseman's office after work, they made the journey to the Pisghetti's diner so that he could muck around for a bit with Gnocchi and Ted could discuss the menu for the opening with the chef. He'd called in beforehand to ask them if he should drop by the apartment or the restaurant, and they told him they'd be in the latter. Something about an interview with a girl who flew in? He didn't know. Forget pushing it to the back of his head, he'd thrown the piece of information out completely.

Pushing through the red door, the duo was soon joined by Pisghetti. George soon ran off once he spotted Gnocchi, making happy little monkey noises while doing so, whereas Ted settled down with Pisghetti and they had a light banter. "Like I was saying, Chef," Ted said. "I want you to go all out with this. Give it the full Pisghetti treatment. I'm thinking maybe 5 courses if you're up for it, some cleansers in between."

The cook nodded excitedly as he launched into his plan. "I've already been testing for this one recipe - I'll probably serve it as an appetizer - something I'm calling my giardino sliders. Oh, you'll love it! È magnifico!"

Had it not been for him keeping an eye out for George, he probably wouldn't have noticed the figure quietly making her way out of the kitchen. But he did. And once his eyes spotted her, his face turned to her and his jaw dropped. Pisghetti was unbothered at first, but once he realized the other wasn't responding anymore, his head shot up and he looked between the two of you, not sending the tension. "Ah, Y/N, this is Ted. He's a friend of mine. Teddy, this is Y/N - our new hire." He paused for a moment. "Hey, since she's going to help me make all of this anyway, maybe Y/N should join us here. What do you think?" Before either could reply, Netti called her husband from the kitchen and he shuffled his way to her.

Then, for the first time in 6 years, you and Ted Shackleford were in the same room together.

It was the latter that first broke the ice. "Y/N..."

"Please don't say anything." You mumble out, clearly uncomfortable as you shift from one leg to the other.

Ted's heart sank. He'd say this is not how he'd envisioned your reunion, but that would mean he'd have to admit he imagined it in the first place.

"I'm sorry, so sorry, that sounded rude as hell." You say, shaking your head. "I mean, please don't tell Chef Pisghetti anything. I really, really need this job, Ted." You stared at him with your pleading eyes. Ted could only nod in return.

"Um, anyway. How- how are you?" You say, biting your lip.

"Good. Uh, I'm a museum director now. At the Met. Metropolitan Museum. Of Art." He choked out, barely being able to form a coherent thought.

"Yeah, I saw a picture. You had a monkey in your hands and said something about coming by for an exciting afternoon."

"That's George, he's actually mine. In fact, he's around here somewhere. Where'd he go? George?"

After a few seconds, you felt a tug at the hem of your dress. You looked down to see the young simian from the pamphlet happily meeting your sight before rushing to sit on Ted's lap. "I adopted him about 2 years ago, he's been with me since." He said while George nuzzled into the man's arms (is it logical to be jealous of a monkey?).

You genuinely grin, "He's sweet. Wasn't expecting you to have a monkey but I guess it makes sense."

"I really don't think you have a clue about who I am." He replied, almost snappily. His eyes widen as he realizes the implications of his words.

Silence. Your heart pounded inside of your chest.

Chef Pisghetti thankfully walked in at that moment, "Mi dispiace, Netti was having some trouble with one of the recipes - or rather, some trouble reading my handwriting." He giggled to himself. "Anyway, Y/N, I've kept you waiting long enough. You can go, I understand you're tired. You can join us for another meeting, see you tomorrow. Ciao!" He said.

Nodding your head meekly and uttering out a soft 'thanks', you hurried out of there. You weren't tired, actually, but you couldn't stand being around Ted for another second. Could this get any worse?

Lucky for you, Ted didn't come back the next day. The entire week, really. Or the next. George would pop by from time to time, with you quickly getting fond of the silly guy, but his owner (dad?) was nowhere to be seen. Maybe it was for the best. You don't need to be digging up any trauma, especially right now.

This good luck streak would end when Pisghetti asked you to hand deliver a parcel. To Ted. At the Met. It was cruel, how life was treating you. After two weeks of blissfully testing and experimenting with recipes once the restaurant had closed, fate had decided you were having too much of a fun time and sent down a terrible idea to shake things up a little, knowing you couldn't say no. You sigh as you hold the large box in your hands and climbed up the steps, hoping to get it over and done with as quickly as possible. It was once again after 5 and you craved nothing but the leftovers in the fridge (nowadays, you prefer to leave the cooking at work) and the new season of your favorite show.

"Excuse me, ma'am," An old white man dressed in an even whiter lab coat approached you. "No food allowed on the premises, please."

"Ah, I'm afraid there's been a misunderstanding," You say, reasoning with him. "These are for Ted. Ted Shackleford? I believe he's the director?"

The man nodded his head in understanding, "Ah, yes! You must be the Pisghettis' new girl. Sorry for not realizing sooner, I'm Alvin Einstein. No relation to the big one, unfortunately. This way!" He said, leading you through some smaller almost unnoticeable doors along the wall to get to the director's office faster.

"Correct me if I'm wrong but you must not be local if you don't know who Ted is," Alvin pointed out as he ushered you inside the employee elevator. "Not that he's that well-known but people do recognize him in these parts."

"Yeah, I just came here from Ontario." You say in response, focusing on the ascending numbers as you got closer and closer to his office. "Started the job about two weeks ago."

Alvin nodded, briefly told you about the time he visited Ontario with his wife, and when the elevator reached its destination bid you off. "To the left!" He said. "You wouldn't miss it!" You face that direction as the doors of the lift close behind you and see a big door next to a plaque emblazoned with the words 'Director's Office - Theodore Shackleford' in gold. He was right, you couldn't miss it no matter how much you wanted to. You walk over and lift your hand, knocking once, twice, thrice.

You wait for a heartbeat before a faint 'Come in,' is heard from inside. You open the door and come face to face with Ted, sitting only a few feet away behind his giant desk with his reading glasses on his face. For one tiny split second that you would take to your grave, you imagine sucking him off underneath it as he takes an important call - beads of sweat trickling down his forehead as his glasses fog up - he'd clench his jaw, desperate to not moan and ruin your cover. God, he looked so fucking hot in his seat, even the absurd yellow suit draping over his curves and muscles deliciously.

His words snap you out of reality. "Oh, I'm sorry. I was expecting the Chef, I would've cleaned up a bit more had I known it was you. Come, sit. You're just in time for, err, linner?" He motions toward the seat in front of him, taking off his glasses to your disappointment.

You are about to protest when Ted shrugs you off. "Listen, I- I wanted to apologize. That was really rude of me to snap at you like that. You know that I'm not that type of person." He says, fiddling his thumbs.

"It's okay. Really, I wanted to thank you."

"Thank me?"

"For not telling the Chef anything. I don't really want to go back to Ontario; I'm kind of dreading picking up all my stuff. Had you said anything about our history, I could have been let go. I mean, he's your friend. He'd do anything to make you happy."

"Y/N," he sighed, rubbing his temples. Despite his tone, hearing him say your name was a treat in itself as if he'd coated it in everything that is good in this world before presenting it to you. "You know I'd never do that. And neither would he, I think. He's my friend but he'd be crazy to give up such a talented person as you."

Your heart fluttered, and you gave a small smile. Realizing his confession, he coughed and pointed to the bags. "So, what have you got for me?"

You walk him through the meals that had been prepared, sharing all the ingredients and ideas that culminated in them. You don't notice how he barely looks at the food and focuses on you instead. Eventually, he calls George in to try the food and even convinces you to have a few bites. Most of the time you talk about the kid;- mostly about how cheeky he is. He tells you how he once got stuck on the subway for the entire day, making Ted run all around New York to find him, but even moments like those are worth it because the bond between them is unbreakable. You found it endearing and secretly wished you got the same opportunity - a second chance to love Ted as freely as you did before, or at least could have.

George left as soon as you guys finished, already having arranged a playdate and sleepover with Charkie for that day. As he left, your minds were too buzzed from being in each other's company for the entire evening that you barely acknowledged the click behind you as you packed away. Ted had loved everything but gave a few notes here and there that you'd have to take up with Pisghetti. You beam warmly at Ted, giving your thanks once more before grabbing the door handle.

You tugged. Nothing.

You tugged again. Still nothing.

Third time in and you were panicking. Realizing your distress, Ted walked over (was his scent always this intoxicating?) and gave it a try himself before he outwardly groaned. "Crap." he said, "The doors automatically lock after 6 for security measures, George doesn't know that. It's stupid, I've been meaning to change it. Ugh. It just - it just became second nature to me you know?" He ran his fingers through his hair. You had to stop yourself from reaching out and playing with his tousled strands. On the other hand, he marched over to his desk and punched a few numbers in, and spoke firmly but politely into the phone. He was met with a disappointing response on the other end, causing a frown to settle on his face. After pleading for a bit more, he eventually returns the handset back in place. "I'm sorry, Y/N."

"Why, what's the verdict?"

"They can't get us out until 7 AM. We're going to have to spend the night here."

Nothing about this was ideal. You were sprawled over on the pull out couch, your back facing him as you try your hardest to fall asleep. Meanwhile, he'd have to periodically pull his eyes from your serene figure and try to focus on getting comfortable on the floor. He shouldn't be complaining, he'd practically forced you to take the bed. Still, being 28 meant that he didn't have the same body as he did when he was 18. He was definitely going to feel this tomorrow.

That being said, Ted doesn't know if he'd really call it unfortunate. When you'd started to leave, Ted was about to reach out and ask you to stay, to take a stroll with him. Reminisce about the past. Talk about why you left and why it felt like you took a piece of him with you. Anything. He just wanted to be near you. It had been so long. His nervous prayers were answered when the door refused to open. Sure, you weren't talking, but your presence itself was soothing.

He heard you shifting where you were laying down and looked over to see you staring at the ceiling, clearly unable to sleep. "Can't sleep?" he asks, giving in to temptation.

Your eyes quickly snap to him, and he feels them glaze over his chest. The suit was not at all comfortable to sleep in, so he'd loosened his tie and unbuttoned his shirt a little. He hadn't realized how it made him look seductive but seeing the way your eyes widened as you looked him up and down did cause pink to bloom on his cheeks and ears.

"Uh... sorry, what did you say?"

"Can't sleep?"

You lick your lips. "Um, yeah. Today's been a long day and it doesn't seem to be over anytime soon."

"I understand. Hey, sorry about this mess. This was not the way I envisioned this evening."

"Didn't you say you didn't know I was coming?" You say, giggling.

"You know what I meant!" He chuckles in return. "Is the couch uncomfortable? I haven't slept on it in a while, might be a bit stiff."

"Oh, don't worry about it. It's fine, I'm just restless." A blanket of silence covers you again, but this time it's not awkward. You move to sit properly on the couch, essentially telling him you're available to talk.

"We talked a lot about George while we were eating," Ted says first. "However I still don't have a clue about what you were up to when you were in Ontario. How've you been?"

"Well, I did two years at Le Cordon Bleu, but in my 3rd year I decided to transfer." You begin. "Partly because I wasn't meshing well with the other students and partly because; well, I could. I'd been offered a scholarship from CASO, so I did my last two years there. It sucks though, I really thought it would be my alma mater. I bought an apartment but after a year I fell out of love with it and soon I fell out of love with the entire province. So, I applied for the sous chef role in Pisghetti's and, well. Here I am."

"I'm sorry Le Cordon Bleu wasn't like what you'd seen in Julie & Julia - still don't understand what you see in it by the way -"

"Hey! Leave me alone."

" - But, I'm proud of you, Y/N. Your talent overshadowed our town."

You're left dumbfounded. "That's so sweet. Thank you. Truly." You say, playing with your hair. How could he say probably the nicest words you've ever received despite what you did? Surely Ted couldn't be that nice.

"What about you? I knew you were going places but I didn't expect you to end up here so soon." You inquisitively ask.

He scratches the back of his head. "It was all luck, really. I started off as an intern, but the previous director took notice of me and took me under his wing. I've been here for, what, 4 years now?"

"You were only 24?! Jesus, you must be the youngest museum curator ever. Why're you watering your accomplishments down?"

"Ha, I was far from the youngest. I believe that title belongs to a 5-year-old?"

"What? Wow." You say, bewildered. "Hey, isn't George under 3? Maybe you could help him beat both that record and be the first monkey to do so."

"That's - that's actually not that bad of an idea." He says, daydreaming about how chaotic that would be to even approach.

You take your chance. "I've been meaning to ask... what's with the yellow? You were never a big fan of the color growing up."

He falls shy. "It's going to sound really stupid, but I purposely tried to make myself look like a banana so that George would come to like me faster. Professor Einstein told me we associate ourselves with other objects better when we have a pre-established bond with them. I still don't know if he was trying to get a joke out of me, but I guess it worked. Look, the brown boots are meant to be the stem, and the polka dot tie is meant to be the seeds."

You make an 'Ahh' sound, realizing why he'd paired the odd combination together. "That's really smart, wow. But George loves you now, why keep wearing it?"

"I guess I haven't found the time to shift back." He replied, shrugging.

"We'll have to change that. Also, Julie & Julia is a very good movie thank you very much."

He gives you a lopsided grin in response. His gaze stays on your face. The silence envelops you both once more. You both stare into each other as if there were no other people in the world, your eyes sharing words that were hard to put out into the real world. "I missed you." he finally says. "I missed you like crazy, Y/N."

"I missed you too." You say, hesitantly. More than he could ever know.

"Why did you leave? You never gave me a real answer."

"It's complicated-"

"You seriously cannot say you expect to stroll back into my life like you never left after breaking my heart like that." He says, his voice getting firmer as he scoots closer to you. "I- I deserve better. You know I do. I deserve an answer."

A sigh escapes you. The truth had to come out one way or another.

6 years ago, you had an epiphany. You remember exactly where you were; Econ 101, senior year of college. Your mind was in a distant land even as you stared at the professor's whiteboard, but by the end of class, you'd come to a decision. This would be your last year doing anything related to economics; you were going to go to culinary school.

It wasn't that you were particularly bad at the subject, your heart just wasn't in it. Every day when you walked into school, all you wished to do was go back to the 4 walls of your kitchen;- smell the aroma as the onions carmelized on the pan, the repeated action of the knife chopping through different vegetables, the sizzle of the wok as you added oil to it. You wouldn't find your heart calculating the GDP or GNP bullcrap, it would always be there at home standing in front of the stove figuring out what seasonings the meal needed.

The moment the realization hit you, you rushed to your shared dorm with Ted. You know he'd stayed at home today and wasted no time in letting him be the first one to know of your new decision. He's a bit surprised to see not just you but the frazzled expression on your face, but ushers you inside anyway. You unload everything that was on your mind from the last hour onto him and eagerly wait to hear what he thinks.

"I think," He says, stroking his chin. "You should do it."

"Are you sure? You don't think it's too late? I mean, 4 years of my life have gone into this already."

"Don't forget this is the rest of your life, chowder. I'd much rather you do something you actually love rather than something you only picked because of convenience."

"I don't know, Ted... It's in Canada. I'll be there for a long time, too."

He reached out to grab your hands, your cheeks turning a shade of pink that you hope would go unnoticed by him. "Y/N. You've always been there for me, and I can't thank you enough for it. Let me be the same for you. It doesn't matter how long, or how much, or whatever - as long as you're happy. Take the leap, apply for Le Gordon Blah-blah." You grin, lost in his cheerful eyes.

That was the push you needed to finally tip yourself over the edge. He was by your side when you repeated the same process with your moms (slightly less rambly this time). They were skeptical at first - who wouldn't be? - but eventually accepted that this was your life and you were more than capable enough to handle it. He was also by your side when you applied for the program. He'd helped you write and rewrite your application several times, batting your hand away from your mouth every time you got the urge to bite your nails. Bless his heart, he even clicked on the upload button when you got too scared to.

When you were accepted, it was his arms you ran to. Ted has always been your number-one supporter, hasn't he?

Of course, with only a few classes left to go before you got handed your degree, you decided to stick around for the final exams. It was pretty funny to compare your calm and serene mood compared to your friends who were freaking the absolute hell out - most of all, Ted. He completely forgot that self-care was a thing, spending hours hunched over his history textbooks and going for hours without food. His reading glasses were on him 24/7 - not that you minded. Still, you had to step in for him at that moment; prepping his meals, dragging him to bed, and massaging his back every time it started to hurt. He kept on thanking you, but you brushed them off. It was honestly the least you could do, and you knew he would do the same for you.

One night, you dragged him from his studies to watch The Office with you. "It'll help your brain relax a bit. You can't keep cramming everything into your brain." He grunts but complies anyway, resting his head on your shoulder while Jim and Dwight plan Kelly's birthday. It's more background noise, really, as your focus is more on him instead of their on-screen antics. You hear his breathing slow down and his eyelids flutter shut. You tread your hands through his soft hair, knowing that it always helps lull him to sleep.

Soon enough, you notice how you're synchronizing your breathing to his. It amuses you at first, but a bolt of fear strikes your entire body. This time next year - heck, in just a few months, actually - you wouldn't have the chance to do this. Yes, you weren't going that far - Canada was literally the next country. But it was still a 6-hour flight, and it was still a 3-hour time difference. And it's not like you could come over every so often or expect him to - that would create a huge dent in the already little savings you had. Could these moments be your last with Ted for at least the next 4 years? Your glossy eyes turn to Ted's stoic sleeping face.

Maybe you'll allow yourself to be brave just this once.

Slowly shifting yourself to face him, you bring yourself closer. Your mouth ghosts his, your breath fanning over his skin. You stay that way for a few heartbeats, contemplating whether or not this was a good idea. You inch in closer and closer until your lips brush over his...

And that's when you feel his hands frame your cheeks, his face crashing into yours. Your brain doesn't absorb the shock of him not only being awake but also kissing you back at first but caution is thrown into the winds as you pull him closer. Soon your back hits the sofa below and he's over you, desperate to reach each and every crevice of your mouth. You tilt your face to allow him to get deeper, hands over his to hold him in place because you were scared he was going to pull away. His glasses knock into your face but neither of you seems to notice.

When Ted closed his eyes, he expected to wake up to the sight of Dwight taping up half-deflated balloons to the ceiling - not the most beautiful woman in the world kissing him. And really, what could he have done except kiss back with triple the fierceness? He loves how your lips mold against his perfectly, his tongue running against your bottom one to make you open up even more, eliciting a moan from the depths of your throat.

You don't know how long has passed when you break away, a long strand of saliva connecting your bruised lips. His hands fall to your waist, his face nuzzling your neck. You revel in his glow, reminding yourself that it wouldn't be long before you'd have to give him up. You couldn't handle a distance of 3000 km, and he didn't deserve that either. You should not have done this. You start tearing up, feeling as if the walls are closing in around you, popping the bubble surrounding the both of you.

Out of nowhere, Ted feels a wetness on his cheek. "What the - Y/N, are you okay? What happened?" You gently nudge him off your body, wiping the tears from your face.

"Nothing, I'm fine. You should go sleep, you have an exam soon." You say, turning around and making your way to your room without waiting for a reply. You still can't believe that you left him confused and heartbroken on the couch from something you had done to him. That night had been the worst of your life.

Exam season came and went, neither of you bringing up what happened and in all honesty, you tried avoiding him just as much as you could. The system you had built was working relatively well, you would only see him in the morning right before the both of you left for your exams. You'd leave leftovers for him in the fridge with a brief note taped on his fridge, but that's where your contact stopped. Every so often, when you were getting ready in the morning, you'd see him from the corner of your eye trying to reach out to you opening his mouth as if he was going to say something.

But he never did.

You started packing up your room the day you were done with your exams. You'd turned down a celebratory night out with your friends, feeling the need to leave as soon as you could. What use was staying here anyway? No, now was the time to shove your belongings in boxes and start arranging your flight back home, arriving much earlier than expected. It wasn't a permanent solution since Ted lived right next to you, but it would work for now.

That's how Ted found you just over an hour later. By that point, your room was mostly bare save for some of your essentials sitting out on your desk. He had just returned home, about to use the washroom when he heard some weird shuffling from the direction of your bedroom. A bit alarmed, he rushed to you, only to see you stacking your suitcases on top of each other. You stop in your tracks when you see him, expecting him to be gone for at least another two hours. "Oh. Hey."

"Hi...? What's going on?"

"Uh, I'm going back home for a bit. Probably the day after tomorrow."

He furrowed his eyebrows. "Wait, you're not staying for graduation? It's only two weeks from now."

"Yeah, but that's not really important to me." He clenches his jaw.

"Well, I suppose you would want to spend as much time with your parents before you go."

"Sure, yeah." You lie through your teeth. He was right, of course, but that wasn't the reason why. "How long are you here for?"

"A little after graduation, I think. Have a few job positions available, I'll need to go check them out."

"Oh, makes sense."

The conversation comes from a standpoint. Unable to maintain eye contact with him, you fiddle with your suitcase. "Y/N," He begins, sucking in a deep breath.

"Yes?" You say, biting your lip.

"Could you wait for me before you go? We could just, like, hang out?" He says nervously.

Oh god.

"Of course, Ted." You say unsure of what would come of the promise.

"Thank you." He adds, relieved.

Just as he's about to leave, you call out for him. "I don't know if I'm going to see you tomorrow, so, um. Bye. For now." If only he knew the true intent of those words.

He looks at you skeptically but returns the sentiment anyway. "Bye, Y/N."

True to your word, you didn't see Ted the next day, finally being dragged out of your cocoon by your other friends. You didn't see him the day of your flight either, not really knowing where he was. Once you'd lugged all your belongings outside, you paused to look over the apartment. A deep sadness instills within you - this was the place where Ted and you had spent the last 4 years of your life. He'd coached you through several panic attacks on that very table, you had spent hours behind that stove cooking whatever your heart desired, and the picture of the both of you still hung over the crack in the wall that came with the place. That sofa was the same place the both of you slumped over after a hard day to catch up on whatever you were watching and, very recently, where you'd both shared a brain-melting kiss.

You shake your head of these thoughts, it was time to move on. You had just been accepted into your dream school, why were you acting like your entire life was ending? Previously, you'd contemplated leaving him a note, but that didn't feel necessary anymore. You'd already said what you needed to say that night.

Wrapping your hands around the door handle, you say goodbye to the place one last time before locking it shut. As you load everything onto the small elevator, you hope that goodbye extends to Ted too.

The next two weeks have you fall into a pattern. You'd wake up and have breakfast with your parents before tagging along with either of them on any errands they needed to do. Sometimes that meant going with your mom to the grocery store or helping your mama in the soup kitchen a few streets away. Your days were dedicated to spending time with them, but your nights were left empty. It was really a matter of time before Ted occupied your mind during those times. You'd wake up and fall asleep to memories of him;- your best friend, your crush, your rock. The thought has you laughing. Despite the last 20 years of being friends, this was the legacy he'd left on you - and you had no one but yourself to blame. Funny how life works sometimes.

The day before you left, the Shacklefords came over to see you. You'd seen them at various points since you'd been back but this was the first time all of you were settling down in a room together. You didn't mind, these people were literally your second set of parents. The 5 of you discussed various topics over dinner; how your decision was so unexpected, how they would support you no matter what, how your brother was doing, if their other kids were coming for Ted's graduation party, etc.

"Oh yeah, how was the graduation by the way?" Your mama says. "Y/N robbed us of attending it," she adds, giggling.

"It went fine - it was pretty emotional to see our youngest reach such a milestone. We are really starting to feel the empty nest now." Ted's dad replies, smiling. "But Ted didn't seem to share the sentiment."

"Really? He looked pretty happy in his photos." Your mom questions.

"Yeah, he was pretty glum throughout it all. Those pictures I sent you were the best ones of the bunch. To be fair, I would be too if my best friend wasn't there with me." His mom says teasingly. You force a smile.

The conversation continues to flow around you but you let yourself simmer in that comment. No one except your parents knew that you were leaving tomorrow; they were extremely confused by your request but promised to not tell. His mom's remark was meant all in good jest, but now you're terrified of her reaction to the news that you left before saying a proper goodbye to her son. It would be fair, you felt like a horrible person, but you were not prepared for anything otherwise.

The next morning, your moms dropped you off at the airport. They both took turns kissing you on the cheek, helping you load your luggage onto a trolley before waving you off, promising to visit you once you'd found an apartment and settled in. You hug them and go to catch your flight, leaving a piece of your heart with them. Ted may have been your number one supporter, but those two had been with you through literally everything and you'd probably miss them the most when you're abroad.

An hour or so later you're done checking in, and you decide to spend some time window-shopping in the Duty-Free section. You didn't need anything, your mama had made sure of that while you were packing, plus everything was too expensive anyway. No, you just wanted to browse - at least, until, you'd noticed a pile of cute Julius the Monkey plushies in the corner of the shop. Okay, maybe you'd let yourself buy one thing. It could be a companion for this new scary stretch of your life.

You pick one up, fondly looking over the details on its plush body. Ted did very briefly have a Paul Frank obsession, you remember. He would've loved to have this. You miss him so much.

Suddenly, a hand reaches out to grab your shoulder. You jolt in surprise as you turn back, Julius falling from your hands in the process. "Sorry! Let me grab that for you," a wide-eyed and flustered Ted bends down before you, picking up the doll. He offers it to you, but you skip over it.

"What are you doing here?" You exclaim in shock. "Weren't you supposed to arrive in a week or something?"

"I got an offer I couldn't turn down, so I decided to come home early and surprise my parents. But I could ask you the same thing, Y/N. You said you were going to wait for me." He replies in an exhausted voice. You eye him. He looked a bit sleep-deprived, his messy hair poking out of his hoodie. A large suitcase stands next to him, adorned by his neck pillow. It must've been a rough flight.

You were cornered. "I, um, have to go. The announcement lady just mentioned my flight."

He stops you, spotting your lie. "Unless you're flying to Germany, I suggest you explain yourself." He replies in a firm tone.

Clenching your jaw, your eyes fall to the floor. You had caused all of this just because you couldn't keep your freaking lips to yourself. You deserved this moment of humiliation. "I'm sorry."

"You can't kiss me one day and then disregard our decades of friendship by running away, Y/N. What's going on?"

"That kiss was a mistake." You say, literal garbage falling out of your mouth. Was it something you regret? Yes, but it wasn't a mistake. "I did it in a moment of foolishness and I wish I didn't."

This catches him off guard. "No, it wasn't. You would have t-"

Gathering up all your courage, you stare into his eyes. "Don't make something out of nothing." Wow, now you were deflecting. Perfect. You sense anger building within him and realize you should probably step away while you still can. You grab your carry-on, about to turn away when he says something.

"I can tell when you're lying, Y/N."

You chose to not reply to that comment. "Goodbye, Ted. I wish the absolute best for you, congrats on the new job." At least that was wholehearted. You walk away, leaving Ted behind in that overpriced Duty-Free shop still clutching onto the Julius plushie as if it'll abandon him like you just did.

He purchased it in the hopes that you'd return back to him.

And there it was. The truth is all out in the open.

"You should know, Ted, I would do things completely differently now. I am so, so sorry. I never should have done that to you, it was stupid, I was a fucking coward-"

Ted's hands encase yours, and for the first time in 6 years, you feel like you're going to be okay. "No, you were completely right to feel those things, Y/N. God, if I had stopped being so hardheaded and realized why you became so closed-off, we wouldn't have missed so much time together."

"No, it's my fault." You say, gripping his hands tightly. "Don't you dare blame yourself. It was me - I made everything worse. I should have been more upfront with my fears. I shouldn't have lied to you." You cup his face, resting his forehead against yours.

"I would've flown there if you'd asked me to." He confesses, his voice a decibel over a whisper.

"I knew you would have, but I couldn't expect something of that scale from you." You reply. "You deserved to live your own life."

"When will you realize that you are my lifeline?"

"Fuck, don't say that... in some cruel and fucked up way, I'm kind of glad it worked out. I mean, think about it. You wouldn't have gotten George or this gigantic office!" You leave the warmth of his embrace, widening your arms to emphasize its size. He snickers, acknowledging that you have a point.

You spot something from the corner of your eye. Your hands reluctantly left their position and you reach to pick up a book lying next to you. Following your line of vision, Ted watches as you pick up and rotate the book in your hands. "Oh no, that's George's favorite nighttime story. He probably got it to read with Charkie but left it behind." He says, worriedly. He sees in your eyes, though, that that's not what intrigued you.

"You kept it? The book I gave you?" You say, staring at him with the rawest emotions anyone could ever see. There it was; the same look you'd given him when you'd fallen off the bike.

"It's you, chowder." He says, returning the stare. "It's always been you."

In a split second, you push your lips against his. You move the book aside and find your spot on the back of his head, playing with his hair. His travels further down your back until they meet your ass, caressing your cheeks and tugging them to be closer to him. This. This is what bliss felt like.

His mouth explores your tavern as if his only goal is to go deeper and deeper until you were one. It feels like the air is being sucked out of you in the absolute best way possible, melting into him just as you did that day 6 years ago.

Then, you feel something meaty poking your leg. Your eyes flow open in surprise and it takes you a few seconds to realize what it is.

"Are you hard?" You say as you pull apart. He squeaks, looking down and turning red and you stifle a laugh.

"I'm sorry, this isn't- oh my god, this is so embarrassing," he panics. "I'm so sorry, Y/N, I swear this wasn't my plan, maybe if we just wait a bit-"

"Ted," you caress his face and he immediately hushes. "It's okay. Honestly, it's kind of hot to know you're pining for me down there."

"Still, the girl of my dreams is finally back in arms-" your heart flutters. "-and this is how my body decides to react. Ugh. We could wait for it to go back down; or if you're uncomfortable having it around I could go to the bathroom and, um, take care of it?"

You bite your lip as you see the outline of his bulge and he instinctively covers it with both hands. "We could do that, but I am open to other options." His eyes widen as he realizes the implications of your words. "Only if you are as well, though." You add, quickly.

"...I'm open to it too," he reveals, and your smile widens.

Taking your chance, you smash your lips against his again before flipping your positions. Your fingers snake down to the buckle of his belt and you impatiently try to remove it, eventually being successful. Once it's off, you quickly discard his pants in the same way. Smirking into the kiss, you run your fingers over the erect tent in his boxers.

You pull away only to press more kisses onto his neck, making your way downwards to his nether region. He lets out a moan when you wrap your lips around his nipple and suck, and the sound sends a fresh wave of arousal through your body.

His flushed face scrunched up in pleasure, your saliva coating his lips, his bare chest dotted with sweat. The sight was simply erotic.

Your fingers slip into his waistband as your lips continue traveling downwards. You tug his boxers off and his member almost pokes you in the eyes.

My god, how was he hiding this in those tight pants? It was curved, veiny and thick. The angry, swollen red tip begged for some relief and your hands reached out to grab it in your hands. You felt drool escape from the side of your mouth as you realize your hands don't even wrap around properly. Your eyes shift to his. "I have to be honest," you say anxiously, rubbing circles on his slit with your thumb. "I don't know if you'll fit."

Those words were enough to send another shiver through his already overstimulated body. "You should know, I haven't really - um - done this before."

Your movements freeze. "What?"

"I'm still a virgin." He says, and your lack of reply sends him into a spiral of panic. "I'm sorry, is that a turn-off? I just never really thought about it that much. I'm so sorry-"

"What the fuck are you sorry for?" You startle him. "I'm sorry for literally everyone else in the world! Have you been hiding this monster in your pants for 28 years?" You grip the tip tightly once more, earning a groan from him.

"To think that I will be the first person to bring you an orgasm, to see how your eyes roll to the back of your head as you ride out your high... fuck, do you not know how hot that is? Holy shit, I cannot wait to feel you inside me."

Wasting no time for his reply, you pop his leaking tip into your mouth and roll your tongue over it. The whimpers he makes fuel you as your hands cup his balls. You bob your head, trying to fit him inside one inch at a time.

You see his palm quickly clamp over his mouth, amusing you immensely. "Moan as loud as you want, pretty boy. What are they going to do, walk in?" You laugh, unlatching from his cock for a bit before diving right back in.

He heeds your advice, letting out the most satisfying moans you've ever heard as he tangles his fingers in your hair. He gently pushes you closer and closer to him until your nose touches his pelvis. Is this what he'd been missing out on for his entire life? If only he could turn back time and slap himself across the face.

Your tongue only gets needier and needier, desperate to taste all of him all at once. You use it to trace his bulging veins, feeling him twitch as you do so. Your hands leave his balls to slip in between your own legs and you rub your clit in the same rhythm as you suck him.

Maybe the sight of you playing with yourself should've been enough to push him over the edge; but it's only when he makes contact with your hazy eyes that causes him to buck into your mouth and finally give you what you wanted, his essence running down your throat as you swallow. "Fuck," he says, surprising you by swearing. "You're a goddess." He says in his post-orgasmic bliss.

You wipe any remnants off your lips with the back of your hand and laugh. "That's my name, Teddy. Don't wear it out." Then you clamber onto his lap and meet his lips once again. He grins sheepishly when he tastes him in you, but that grin quickly turns into a moan as you grind down on him. He's tempted to let you bounce on him till he spills himself all over you, but he knew he wanted you to experience your own orgasm.

"Y/N," he shyly says. "Can I eat you out?"

You weren't expecting that, but who were you to refuse? "Yes, please!"

Placing his hands underneath your buttcheeks, he lifts you into the air - damn, has he been working out? His biceps are so hot - and awkwardly shuffles to the desk. He places you on the desk, albeit in the wrong spot as you end up having to scoot up a bit for fear of falling off - but with a man like Ted molding into putty in your hands, how could you care?

He fumbles to remove your shirt, his eyes darkening once he sees the glow of your breasts in the moonlight. You unclasped your bra and tossed it away without a care in the world, discarding your pants in the same manner. You feel exposed, desperately wanting to blow his expectations out of the water but secretly being afraid that you're not capable of it.

You see his breath hitch in his throat as he gazes at you lustfully, clad in nothing save for a pair of soaked panties. He reaches forward and plants a sloppy kiss on your lips, moving downwards to your chin, then the length of your exposed neck before settling on the center of your collarbones. You tingle with delight - only Ted could be so seductive in an endearing manner.

He wraps his pillowy lips around your nipple, one hand playing with your other breast. He's a bit rough at first but eases his force when he observes how you jolt up. His teeth graze your skin and you mewl.

He leaves your nipple and gets himself level with your clothed pussy. When you feel his nose digs into your clit, you instinctually gasp and wrap your legs around his head. You feel fucking powerful for a second, knowing you're suffocating him with nothing but you. You might just climax on the spot.

The feeling is interrupted when he pries your legs open. "Slow down, chowder, we have all night - and, err, next morning."

Just when you're about to reply with a giggle and call him cute, he pulls your panty to the side. He latches his mouth around your clit, giving it some experimental licks before deciding he was doing well when he hears you suck in your breath. He sucks on it like his life depends on it, teeth grazing ever so gently over your sensitive core. One hand keeps your legs apart so he could have access to more of you, while his other runs itself along your slit. When his fingers are sufficiently coated in your slick, he finally plunges inside with two digits.

The loud moan you let out makes his cock twitch.

His fingers repeatedly thrust into you, making a come-hither motion each time. It was really just a matter of time before he found your g-spot, instantly making you reach up and grope your breast.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck fuck fuck!" You curse, and you feel his lips twisting into a smirk as he keeps sucking the life out of you. When he feels you tightening as you near your precipice, he takes it as a sign to switch his position. You feel a warm, wet appendage poking your quivering hole, audibly gasping His tongue travels around the perimeter at first, but then they replace his fingers when it snakes inside of you - twisting, turning and plunging into you.

In just a few seconds your vision goes blurry and you wrap your thighs around his face again as you climax around his tongue. "Holy shit!"

He cheekily rises from where he was sitting, his mouth streaked with evidence of your orgasm. His breath catches in his throat when he sees the mess you're in. "Not bad for a first timer, huh?" You giggle exasperatedly, trying to catch your breath.

You were the definition of lewd at this moment; sweat highlighting the curve of your breasts.

"See something you like?" You joke, propping yourself in elbows.

"I love you."

"...what?"

"Sorry, sorry! I did not mean to say that! Forget what I said."

"Ted."

He sucks in a deep breath. "Maybe it's seeing you after so long but - I can't. I can't let you slip away again. I want to be with you, Y/N, you're it for me." He says, caressing your face and using his thumbs to wipe the tears welling in your eyes. "Stay with me." He hums, kissing your nose.

"You don't-" you start, holding onto his arms. Ted feels uncertain of what you're going to say. "You don't tell that to someone after you've given them an earth-shattering orgasm, you doof!" You exclaim, chuckling.

He feels like he can breathe again. "Reciprocate my love, woman." He says, pouting.

You pull him in for a hug tightly, never wanting to let go. His arm snakes around your back and holds you in place, his nose nuzzling into the base of your neck. "I love you too." You finally say. "It's definitely going to be an adjustment. I've only been back for two weeks, you have a monkey, I don't even have a place yet - but that doesn't matter. I love you so, so much. Letting you go was the worst decision I ever made, and I'll be damned if I let it happen again."

You're pulled into a kiss. This one is different though; not based on hunger or desire as before but rather passion. It feels like an ice cube spreading over your bruised lips. He breaks apart, resting his forehead on yours. "Soul meets soul on lover's lips." He quotes.

"Ugh, you haven't changed one bit, you nerd." You remark, rolling your eyes half heartedly as you recognize the line as one of Percy Shelly's. He shrugs shamelessly, elated that you remembered.

He gently lays you down on the desk once more, being careful to not crush you as his hands wrap around his dick and he strokes himself. He pulls away, slowly, leaning over to your ear.

"Think I can give you another 'earth-shattering' orgasm?" He smugly says, his sticky fingers gripping onto your hip.

"I might just die if you don't."

He blushes before slowly pulling your cum-soaked panties down, slipping them past your legs. God, the sight of your battered pussy was so lewd, but an essential detail registers in his head. "Y/N," he says, scratching the back of his head. "I don't have a condom."

That snaps you out of your trance. "Ugh, I completely forgot." You reply, annoyed. "I have an IUD, but I haven't been with anyone for a while. If you still want to continue, then I'm up for it too." You say nervously.

He bends down to kiss your nose again. "I trust you."

You reach out for his member, rubbing it against your folds with your slick making it seem so effortless. The pretty moan he lets out only edges you on - he had you wrapped around his gorgeous long fingers, didn't he?

He writhes in your grasp, fingers digging into the flesh of your hips leaving crescent-shaped marks that you prayed would remain. "Shit, shit, shit!" He exclaims.

His swearing really shouldn't be making you weak in the knees, but damn it all to hell.

"God, I can't wait to take you apart every single day." You say. "Crumbling before my very eyes. Fuck, I can't wait to be wrapped around you."

"Then what are you waiting for?" He pants irritatedly, arms placed on each side of your head.

"As you wish, pretty boy." You reach out for his hand to plant a kiss on his fingers. Finally, you align his head with your entrance and lace your legs around his waist. "I can't believe I'm finally making you mine."

He cups your face. "Chowder, I've always been yours."

And with that, you push him inside with your legs. The first stretch is uncomfortable due to his sheer size and girth, but that couldn't matter less. You were more focused on how his head rolled back and the loud groan that escapes his throat - possibly the most erotic sound you've ever heard.

It was like he'd lived in black and white before this, and all of a sudden there was an explosion of color and he was drowning in you, you only you-

"Holy crap, Y/N." He pants. "You're so tight and warm and- fuck."

"You're becoming quite the potty-mouth." You giggle.

"Hush, woman. You and your pussy are going to be the death of me someday." He says, hiding his face in the crook of your neck.

You stroke his wet hair, grinning. "That's the plan."

"Brat."

"Yours truly."

"At least you got one thing correct." He says, leaning in to kiss your lips. The inadvertent thrust that came with it causes you to let out a gasp, and you're starting to be weary of if you can survive being impaled by his monster dick.

Luckily your thoughts are silenced when his hips start to move; it starts slow as he adjusts to you, but he picks up his pace, pounding into you.

"Ted! Fuck - more!" You scream. Watching his cock disappear into you - seeing where you started and he began - it felt like he had no choice but to comply with your words.

Rolling his hips against yours, he diverts the attention of his mouth onto your exposed neck, pressing wet kisses along before harshly biting and sucking on your skin. It hurts - not unbearably so, but you still make a point to give him a hickey to show how it was done later on.

Wanting more of him, you slowly lift your hips and match his pace. "Holy fucking shit, your dick is skewering me alive." You cry, hands going to play with your clit. You see his face scrunch up at the image, which amuses you to no end.

Above you, Ted chases the warmth of your pussy. The sound of skin on skin makes him feel delirious, getting turned on by the mere thought of your fluids intermingling and leaving a mess on the space he has to work on.

He catches your lips with him, slowly feeling the coil tightening in his lower abdomen. Your pert nipples drag over his chest, sending tingles all over him. Between your pretty little moans, your tight hole sucking his cock in and the sight of your slick-covered fingers rubbing figure-8s around your clit, he knew he had no chance.

Soon he starts seeing white spots in his vision and something starting to unravel in his lower abdomen. "Y/N, I think I'm close. Where should I - um -"

"Inside, please." You say, panting.

And just like that, his hips still and he comes undone.

Holy. Fucking. Shit.

He was a fucking vision - you wanted the sight imprinted on the back of your eyelids. His thick eyebrows knitted together as his eyes closed shut, his lower lip falling under his teeth as his stomach caved in and of itself. His thick, warm seed shot into your pussy in uncontrollable spurts, stuffing you beyond your wildest dreams.

"Fuck, I love you so much." You say unabashedly, feeling his essence dribble out of you slowly. He chuckles lightly, struggling to catch his breath. "Can I ride you? I'm almost there."

He nods his head excitedly before flipping the both of you so you were on top, your palms planted firmly against his chest as you straddle him. You waste no time in moving your hips and he seems all too happy to let you take over, watching your actions through his lidded eyes. You create a fast but deep pace, the sound of him fucking through his own cum pushing you even closer to your end. "So good for me, love." You praise him as he mewls beneath you. "So perfect."

You slump backward, allowing you to grind against his cock more as his head smashes into your cervix. His fingers vigorously rub your clit, making you wail. "Don't stop, oh my god, fucckk!"

He bucks his hips into you, desperate to see you crumble in front of him again. "God, I must be the luckiest man alive," he eggs you on as you swirl your hips. You clench your walls, the friction bringing him to his edge once more.

"Ted..." you whimper. Looking into your glassy eyes, he understands.

"I'm close again, love," he grunts. "Cum with me."

"Fuck - I love you, I love you I love you I love you-" you chant frantically. With one final thrust, your orgasm overtakes you with such force that your vision blanks out. Your hips stutter as you fall onto him, gushing around his length as his cum paints your walls again.

He brings his lips to yours, kissing you amid your choked sobs of pleasure. You stay in that position for some time, with his bulky arms wrapping around you and his softening dick plugging his cum inside you.

Moments pass as you lay on his chest, listening in for his heartbeat as it slowly calms. "That was amazing." You say, breaking the silence.

"I don't think I could ever go back to my hand again." He sighs as you laugh. "Don't you need to go pee or something?" He says, brushing his fingers through your sweaty hair.

"I don't want to leave our bubble." You pout.

He kisses your forehead. "Well, we have forever, don't we?" You smile. "We can manage maybe a few seconds apart."

"Ugh, fine." You say, slipping him out of you as you wobbly walk to his attached bathroom. He watches himself slowly leak down your thighs, licking his lips contently. If he wasn't completely spent, he'd probably take you up against the wall right now and add another load to the stash. Oh well, maybe tomorrow.

He wipes off the mess you made as much as he can before arranging the pullout couch more comfortably. He waits for you, immediately reaching out to your warm body once you're out of the washroom.

He falls asleep tucked up in your arms, and as you listen as he softly snores you realize that this is the most at home you've felt since you left 6 years ago.

"I'm glad to hear he had a good time," Ted says onto the speakerphone as he ties his tie. "We're still trapped but it shouldn't be too long now. Thank you for taking care of him, Margaret, it's lucky this sleepover was scheduled when it was."

Ted was the first to wake up this morning, but you soon followed when you felt his tongue lapping at your folds. After another dalliance in the hay, you watch as he dresses while calling Charkie's house to make sure George was okay. Once he talks to him and promises to take him to the playground today, he hangs up.

You smirk as he bends down to pick up his belt, your eyes training in on his round ass. "You know, I've always loved your butt. You should bend over more, it's my biggest vice."

He turns to you, rolling his eyes in amusement. "Shouldn't you start getting ready? They could barge in any time now."

"I would, but I think you've broken me, Shackleford."

"Don't be so dramatic, chowder. Here, I'll help you."

Once you're dressed and have fixed your hair (to an extent), you place yourself on Ted's lap and overlook the view from his window. "We live right about there," he points to a tall yellow building in the distance, resting his chin on your shoulder. "Ours is the one with the garden on the balcony. Speaking of, remind me to water the plants as soon as we get back."

"Dang, if I wasn't too busy bouncing on your dick we could've seen it at night."

He groans. "Don't talk like you didn't enjoy cumming all over my de-"

All of a sudden you hear the scraping of a key being inserted into the door. Ted swivels the both of you around to meet a maintenance worker and Dr. Einstein. "Heard you kids got locked up yesterday. Ted, you really oughta get this whole system replaced." He says, eyeing the two of you. "Glad it worked out, though." He shamelessly adds.

You cough. "Of course, I'll get a locksmith up here immediately Professor Einstein. Thank you for letting us out, Jerry." Ted rambles, blushing.

The man only nods his head and leaves, unfazed and unbothered. Professor Einstein, on the other hand, lingers for a bit more. "You should take the day off, Shackleford. Maybe get a shower, or touch some grass." He says, before walking away, humming to himself.

"That... was the most embarrassing thing I've been through." He says, dumbfounded.

"Get used to it, sweets." You laugh, picking yourself off as best as you could. "I think I want you to fuck me against this huge window, let everyone see how much I love your dick."

"Jesus, Y/N, I didn't expect you to be such a pottymouth." He replies, shocked, getting up to embrace you again.

"Speak for yourself;- did you hear the shit you were saying last night?"

"I really hope you don't influence George to be just as crude."

"Um, wow. Have some faith in me."

He kisses your forehead, pulling you closer. A warm silence ensues.

"I don't want you to go. You just got back." He whispers.

"I don't want to leave." You mumble, hiding your face in his chest, inhaling his scent. He always gave the best hugs; the ones where you melt right into him.

"I take back what I said about being apart for a few seconds. I want to be with you 24/7." He groans. How did you get so lucky?

"The Pisghetti's are expecting me at 10, right before the lunch shift. Maybe you should tag along? I don't think they'd mind. Actually, it'd help us if anything."

"Well, Professor Einstein did basically tell to me take a day off, and we do still have nearly 3 hours before you're expected. How about we freshen up at our apartment?"

That's how you find yourself curled up around him as he pounds into you in his tub, your 15-minute bath turning into 35. After the stickiness between your legs is washed off (and a sex-crazed Ted is satiated), you quickly rush to get ready, despite knowing that the Pisghetti's are immediately going to know if something is up when they notice you wearing the same clothes as yesterday. Oh well.

The pair of you pick George up from Charkie's, who only live the next block over. Margaret, the sweet dog's kind owner, is delighted to be introduced to you and offers tea, but you regrettably take a rain check. George on the other hand is surprised to see the man with the yellow hat's fingers intertwined around yours but accepts it happily, even climbing to your shoulders as you make the walk to the Pisghetti's.

Safe to say the Chef and Netti didn't expect to see the both of you together, but they don't make a big deal of it. George plays with Gnocchi as the four of you discussed the final adjustments for the meals in the kitchen.

You try your hardest - you swear you do. But every so often Ted's hands hover over yours and it's goddamn hard to not run your fingers over his soft palms. This doesn't go unnoticed by Netti, but she doesn't say anything. She'll squeeze it out of you on Monday, you suppose, judging by how the corner of her lips turn up every time she spots it.

By the time it rolls around to 11:30, you start preparing for your lunch shift. "I wish I could stay, but I did promise to take George to the playground. And I think the Chef wouldn't like me hogging space for potential customers anyway." Ted pouts. "Should I pick you up after your shift? You can have dinner with us - I'll cook." He offers enthusiastically.

"That sounds good! I do have one request; can we drop by my hotel? I really need a fresh set of clothes, and also make sure the staff doesn't think I died or something."

He kisses you briefly but passionately. "Consider it a plan. See you in a few hours, chowder. I love you." With that promise, he reluctantly leaves.

That night, as you're sleeping and sprawled over him, belly full of lasagna and hands holding onto a rather flat plush of Julius the monkey, Ted makes the realization that he has two sources of snores to drown his spiraling thoughts in.

This time, it's enough.

He sleeps contently, tucked in your arms like he hopes to be for the rest of his life with his beloved (and live) monkey just a few paces away.

"Passport?"

"Check."

"Wallet?"

"Check."

"Suitcase and backpack?"

"Check."

"List of Canadian snacks George wants to try?"

"Check! That should be it."

"You are missing one thing." Ted gives you a grave face.

You nervously think back to what could be missing. "What is it?"

"A goodbye kiss for me, hello?" He says, puckering his lips like an idiot in the middle of the bustling crowd around you.

You roll your eyes before planting a big fat wet kiss on his lips. Even Ted wasn't expecting to drop you at the airport today. Heck, he'd actually been trying to avoid flying; partly because it brought a whole list of complications because of George being classified as a primate but also because every time he'd step in one memory of you leaving would rush back into his brain, leaving him a grumpy old mess. He'd even completely skipped over the Duty-Free sections every time he did have to go somewhere.

There was also another reason;- the gala was tomorrow, and dropping you off was already taking a chunk of precious time that could've gone into overseeing the preparations. Obviously, Ted didn't mind - Professor Wiseman was more than capable of being in charge for an hour - but this event was important to him. It was the biggest he'd thrown in his entire career, plus, it had somewhat brought you to him. He was next to you, yes, but he'd be lying if he said a part of him wasn't worrying about the exhibit in the back of his mind.

Of course, you didn't mind. Truth be told, your mind was also a bit preoccupied with the gala - specifically the food. Most of the work was done, Netti and the Chef only had to fix it up to look more presentable. Still, if it hadn't been for your lease expiring soon you would've extended your stay by at least one more day.

You brush these thoughts aside as you give Ted one final hug. "Is it too late to stuff you in my suitcase and carry you with me?" You ask.

"Unfortunately, yes, chowder." He says, kissing the top of your head. "Though... I wouldn't mind being stuffed somewhere else." He says, raising his eyebrows mischievously.

You hit his arm. "Oh my god, give my pussy a break. I'm going now." You whine, turning away from him.

He snickers, stopping you from leaving. "Okay, okay, calm down. Just one more kiss and I promise I'll let you go." He says before bending down and capturing your lips in his. You stay like that for a while before you begrudgingly pull away.

"See you in a few days. Tell George I'll miss him. I love you!" you grin before walking away to the check-in station, waving as you do so.

"I love you too," Ted replies. He watches as you disappear into the crowd, just as you did that day 6 years ago, but he reminds himself that this time is different. You'd be back. And very soon.

With that in mind, he turns back to head to the museum again.

Someone snaps him out of his trance. "You're up in 5, boss."

"Thanks, Andie." Ted acknowledges, flickering through his opening speech again. This wasn't the first time he'd given one but they were very nerve-wracking either way for an introvert. Dressed in an all-black suit for the first time in 2 years, he only wishes you were here to see him. You'd been trying to push him out of that yellow suit for a while now.

Adjusting his tie, he devotes one more second (okay, maybe a bit more) to thinking of you before making his way to the stage stairs. The MC for the evening, a guy by the name of William H. Macy, introduces him - and soon he's facing a room of 500 people with a mic in front of him. He hopes all that practicing with you and George paid off.

"Distinguished guests, it is my honor to unveil the new Invention of Cooking exhibit to you tonight on behalf of The Metropolitan Museum of Arts." A round of applause ensues as Ted searches the crowd for familiar faces so that he could feel a bit more relaxed. "We'd love to extend our warmest welcomes to each and every single one of you. People from every corner of the earth have flown in just to attend this event; food bloggers, world-famous chefs, historians of different specialties, and so forth. A diverse palette of company, really - but all of us, including me, are united by one thing." He pauses to draw the audience in. "None of us know what I'm going to say!"

That earns a cackle from the horde, the most distinct being George. That soothes his nerves, but it's hard to spot the monkey with all these bright lights flashing in his face. "Plans for this new extension date back to several years ago, so seeing everyone stand in it is a very special moment for all of us who have been dedicatedly working on it. We hope that you enjoy immersing yourself in how cooking evolved from the discovery of fire to the stage it's at now." His eyes adjust to the darkness a bit, and he notices George cheekily smiling at him about 50 feet away. He was on someone's head - who was that? "But please do make sure to try out the assortment of appetizers and courses that are sure to give you a taste of New York." He continues, squinting to seek out who George was on but trying to not make it too obvious. It seems like they were walking toward the stage. "They have been prepared by our very own Chef Pisghetti, his wife Netti, and my partner, Y/N L/N, who unfor-" George's mysterious booster seat finally comes to light, and Ted makes eye contact with you.

He coughs, dumbfounded, but picks his jaw up from the floor quickly. This was a professional event, the show must go on. "Who have all devoted the last few weeks of their life making sure everyone in this room gets the best experience attainable. Uh, if you have any questions, feel free to direct them to any of our dedicated staff. Otherwise, have a wonderful evening!" He reaches the end of his speech, pausing for the applause before rushing downstairs to embrace you in his arms. George scurries away, picking up cues that this should be a more private affair. "Y/N - how'd you- Weren't you-" he excitedly queries as you pepper his face in kisses.

"I'll explain everything, can we go to your office though?"

"Sure. Wait, is something wrong?" "No, no! I just don't want to be with you, not surrounded by a bazillion people."

5 minutes later, you're back in his office and he has you wrapped in the tightest of hugs. "You weren't supposed to be back for at least three days - what happened?!"

"Don't scold me, but I chugged like 4 Red Bulls to pack up my entire apartment in under 12 hours. Honestly, you should have seen me. I think I set a world record, but anyway. I brought what I could - all the boxes are in the restaurant - but my friends are going to have to sell my couch and bed and blah blah. Whatever, doesn't matter, caught a flight and ran here." Ted gazes into your eyes. "What? Say something."

"You're crazy." He says, "Why would you do that?"

"You're crazy if you think I would have missed this for the world."

"God, I'm in love with a lunatic."

You beam. "Tell me something I don't know." He grabs you by your cheeks and smashes your lips together and you savor his taste. How did every kiss with him feel like it was the first? Your fingers card through his hair as you try to breathe him in. His tongue pressed between your lips to part them, slipping inside your mouth. You don't know how much time passes before you finally part, lips wet with spit.

"I am wholly and irrevocably in love with you." He confesses.

"Ditto." You teasingly smile.

"Ugh, I take it back."

"No! Don't!" You cry. "I love you too, so much. You are my forever, I couldn't imagine a life without you."

He bites back a cheeky grin, resting his head against yours. "Imagine being so cheesy."

"Watch it, mister, or I'll kick you to Mars."

"Will you come with me?"

"Of course. We'll have to find a spacesuit for George, though. I doubt they make them monkey-sized. Speaking of suits, you look particularly ravishing tonight, Shackleford."

"I could say the same for you, chowder. Where were you hiding this little number?"

You twirl your dress for him. "Do you like it? Had to dig it out of the closet. Sorry, it's not exactly black tie,"

"Are you kidding? The only place this would look better is on the floor."

"Oh, really?" You smirk, turning and walking away from him.

He stares at you in confusion. "Uh, what're you doing?"

"You had them remove the auto-lock security feature thing, right?"

"Yeah, the day after we got stuck. Why?"

"Oops!" You say as you close the door shut and slide the bolt in place. "My hand slipped! Uh oh." He slowly catches on to your plan, a bulge already forming in his pants. You turn back to face him, a mischievous look on your face.

"Now, what happened to your promise of fucking me against your window?"

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miamigrandprix · 3 months

Text

dts s2 e8-10

ep8: -this is cool to watch with the context of nico back in f1 today -theres just something so funny about when drivers get told something they dont wanna hear over the radio and its just dead silence. theyre real for that tho -nico/cyril jet "therapy" conversation is so iconic TO ME -i now know how alain prost is yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy -i think both of daniel's one year teammate tenures (nico & estie) are both sooooooooo interesting. ship wise fascinating. underrated as hell. -neurodivergent daniel propoganda "nico huuuuuulkenburg" is 100% a vocal stim -ESTIE my beloved. the original Toto Wolff's Special Lil Guy™ -no its so nice to see him in this gap where it was all up in the air knowing how much he's cemented his place in formula 1 now. (like i KNOW that alpine is a shitshow rn but he could easily find another seat. even if not he's made his mark :) -this makes me excited to see nico in the new season. he makes pretty good tv and it'll be cool to see how much of that has changed with age! -another narratively well done episode. nico's only episode and a wonderful one. i also noticed the music a lot, i think they way they used music to build tension was rly cool and not something i've noticed in general. really really good episode

ep9: -"george, i think, is a one-in-a-million driver" claire i LOVE U. ur brain is so big and correct -hes such a BABY here -i really really need a return of a williams focused episode next season. badly -claire you are so strong and brave for surviving this shitshow i dont know how yall did it -i wish this episode was put earlier in the season, i dont know why they didnt? since it focuses a lot on preseason/testing drama why is it episode 9? i know its never perfectly chronological but they couldve at least tried

ep10: -the pierre v alex narrative is so silly when clearly red bull sees them as disposable. like babes neither of you are EVER gonna be enough because youre not max :/ like 2 women fighting to be the favorite mistress of a man who will NEVER leave his wife!!!!! -"if [mclaren] continue this trend, they could be competing with the likes of red bull, possibly ferrari and mercedes for podiums" i just love a good quote that ages well. thank you will buxton -this sebchal crash is SO canada 2010 sebmark coded TO ME -the dread that filled my body when i realized. oh this is the lewis stops alex from getting a podium episode. pain incoming -seeing how happy pierre is abt the podium is So Nice knowing whats coming!!! (monza 2020) he deserves everything -while i dont particularly like carlos i think this first podium story/celebration is so cool and i'm so glad netflix were there to immortalize it -oh my god the "what about everyone else?" placard cracks me up every time aldkjfslkdfjalksdjflksfjd -pre teammate dando crumbs make me INSANE wuv them -"i think they ignored me the whole year, so [Netflix] can fuck off." Dany is barely in drive to survive ever BUT WHEN HE IS he serves cunt 😘 -lewis almost being eaten by an automatic door is an ICONIC dts moment it makes me INSANE every time i watch its so fucking funny -talkin abt how 2020 silly season is gonna be crazy bc most drivers are out of contract; thinkin abt how this year is gonna be the same 😬 -long hair lance my beloved

and thats a wrap!!! on to season 3!! (i'm 3 episode behind 😬)

#dtsrewatch #she speaks #and NOW i'm gonna get started of gifs

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inevitably-johnlocked · 11 months

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hi steph! I've been a long time follower from another tumblr but i havent been on that account for months. that said, today after all my uni finals finally ended i decided to look this lovely page up, because you were/ still are a source of infinite comfort and johnlock fic recs that are just amazing <3 i missed you guys, and I'm glad to see you are doing this still, steph, it's so admirable and I hope you're doing well ❤️ i also write fics, and i randomly thought I'd search a tag of a fic of mine and i was hella surprised to see someone recommend it?? like?? WHAT???? the nonny was so adorable and like 🥺🥺🥺 it makes me feel things and i was surprised people receive it so well 🥺🥺 it's reichenbach falls, my gigantic superwholock fic, and I just want whoever reads it to know that i am alive, just was busy with a job and university, but!!!! i am still working on it! i am not ever abandoning it, i just need to gather up some strength for the next 200 chapters, because hoooo BOY will the story get even more exciting and probably well iver 1mil words :) so yeah, i got emotional today from the fact that you're still here, being lovely and helping (and hopefully you're good too) and from a cute nonny who took the time to read my giant project 🥺 the last 2 chapters of s1 are coming this month for sure, just as a teaser 🥺❤️ i love you guys!!!!!!!!

Hey Nonny!!

AHHHH This is such a beautiful message!! Sorry for taking so long to reply, I just wanted to make sure it got featured properly!! <3

Glad to see you return, and glad that your schooling went well!

AHH Vee!! Yes, a lot of people love your fic!! I get suggested it often for lots of tags, so yes, we're glad you're okay, and DON'T feel obligated to finish your story faster!! We all have personal lives!!

Thank you so much for the update on you, your life, and your fanfiction!! Have a FANTASTIC day!!!!!!

And if anyone wants to read the fic, it's this one:

Reichenbach Falls by VeeTheRee (M, 536,133+ w., 101/303 Ch. || WiP || Gravity Falls / Multifandom AU || Alternate First Meeting, Gay Sherlock, Mutual Pining, Unilock, Summer Romance/Love, Fluff, Insecure Sherlock, Villain Mary, First Kiss, Slow Burn, Doctor Who, Supernatural, Canadian John, French Canadian Lestrade, Insecure Sherlock, Mystery, Domestic Fluff, Developing Relationship Summer Love, Light Angst, BAMF! John, Case Fic) – Two Canadians, two Brits studying in Canada, and an upkeeper walk into a Mystery Shack…. and live there. Summer holidays are here, and the step-siblings, Irene Adler and Sherlock Holmes, find themselves in a boring town called Reichenbach Falls, Oregon, USA. It isn’t as boring as it seems, however, once Sherlock stumbles upon a mystery journal, and the author is unknown. The journal contains ciphers, a strange colour wheel, and information about magical creatures that are said to be looming in the Northwestern forests. With mysteries to solve in hand, he and Irene set out to get to the roots of the town, and the abrupt disappearance of the author of the journal. But they’re not alone - John Watson, quite the handsome nephew of the Mystery Shack owner Greg Lestrade, is on their side to help out, plus mess with Sherlock’s feelings, in a good way. Shenanigans, romance, fun, danger, and deductions ensue. Oh, and there’s also occasional SuperWhoLock and two dorky Winchester brothers to spark up the action later on. Part 1 of the Reichenbach Falls series

------

Enjoy!!!! <3 <3

#steph replies #chatting with lovelies #nonny stories #fandom love #happy posts

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imhereforbrownies · 1 year

Note

Hi this is my first time sending one of these so i am excited for it to be to you!

- your pronouns: she/her

- 27 years old, black hair, brown eyes, south Asian but born and raised in Canada

- your personality traits: quiet and observant, intuitive, thinking ahead always, "mom" friend, warm

- your hobbies: long walks, reading, memory journal (putting pictures in a journal and writing entries) l, will start singing along to music but has no sense of singing

- favourite shows: crash landing on you, tomorrow, moonlovers: scarlet hear ryeo, move to heaven, little women (basically any show that makes me cry), Brooklyn nine nine, modern family, friends

- songs: taste - stray kids, who you are, kang daniel, hot - svt, good to me - svt, getting closer - svt

- if you have any pets: none, I'm scared of animals and honestly want a partner that will understand and help me get over this fear I don't want to be but I can't help it

- your dreams and aspirations: want to live a normal life, not surrounded by worries, 3 kids and a loving husband

- zodiac sign/MBTI: Gemini, infj

- your aesthetic: nothing specific, varies depending on season and mood

- the group you'd like me to pick from: stray kids but bts is also fine, love both

Thank you!

I'm so so so happy you picked me to be your first one to send a request for ship to omggggg! I really hope I don't disappoint.

Also I love Brooklyn 99 and overall we have a lot in common :) so I'm glad to have you on my blog 💗

Now to your ship...

As I was reading through the information you sent me about yourself, I couldn't help but think how much you'd be compatible with Chan :)

(if I had to pick from BTS I'd probably choose Jin for you because I think you two would be a great match too btw 💗)

My reasoning behind it:

- you're INFJ and Gemini which goes along perfectly with Chan's Libra and ENFJ

- you also said you're the mom friend and I remember reading somewhere that Chan likes girls who have this vibe hihi

- I think Chan would definitely be very understanding of your fear of animals and would do his best to help you overcome it <3

- also I think your dreams might really match his own because Chan seems like the family oriented type of guy and he's soooo good with kids it's ruining my heart lol

- also taking a long walk with Chan as a date??? YES PLEASE

"You ready?"

You look up from your laptop, first episode of a drama you wanted to start watching already prepared as you awaited Chan's arrival.

The said boy finally made it into his room, bowl of popcorn ready in his hands as he crosses the little distance that kept him from you.

You give him a smile, scooting over a bit to make room for him in his bed and he grins, settling down next to you.

You and Chan love to spend time together like this, mainly because he didn't have enough time for it very often.

He covers both of you with a blanket, making sure you're comfortable before he lets you press play. You lean back, resting your head on his shoulder as you both get focused on the show.

"I missed you."

"I missed you too."

Your cheeks warm up at the quiet admission and you unintentionally press yourself into Chan's warm body even more.

You realize how good this feels, how natural. It always did with him. He was like your safe space, comforting, understanding and gentle. You hope your presence has at least a fraction of an effect on him that he has on you.

Stealing a glance at him, you find a small smile on Chan’s face, making you unintentionally mirror it.

“That’s silly,” he murmurs, commenting on the events of the episode and you don’t even bother looking at the screen as you hum, eyes fixed on him and his handsome face contoured under the purple neon lights of his room.

Sometimes you wonder whether this special thing you two have could ever become something more. You really really wish it could but you know how busy Chan can get and you’re not sure if he’s looking for a relationship in a first place. Maybe having a friend like you is enough for him.

Chan reached for the popcorn in the bowl on his lap, taking a glance at you only to find you already looking at him.

“What’s up?” He asks softly, making you snap out of whatever spell he casted on you and you advert your warm face to the screen.

“Nothing,” you murmur, making Chan chuckle.

“Didn’t seem like it,” he states and you bite your lower lip, not willing to surrender to his teasing as you force yourself to focus on the drama.

You wanted to watch it for so long so why are you letting it slip between your fingers now?

“I mean it though, Y/N. Are you okay?” He assures, his tone much more serious now and you look at him with a smile.

“Of course, I am. All good. Now let me watch the drama, will you?” You state, making him scoff.

“Your wish is my command,” he says with a smirk and you laugh a little, shaking your head at his antics.

“You’re the silly one here,” you murmur, using his previous comment against him, making him chuckle.

“Might be,” he replies before stuffing his mouth with the popcorn and letting you lean your head on his shoulder again, both of you falling into comfortable silence once again and this time even you are focusing on the drama fully.

And the thing between you? Whatever that is, as long as it’s here, you’re not the one to complain.

#skz #stray kids #fluff #skz fanfic #stray kids fluff #bang chan x reader #250 followers celebration #shipping hours

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moonlightperseus · 7 months

Note

You're genuinely making me want to try reading them again so badly give me a sec to like, pull them up for motivation. (93 issues? Insane fam) (also again your comic site is great lmao, like just for instance I just pulled up the first issue of bombshells NO pop-up ads, NO leaving the page. If I'd used mine the second I clicked the search bar I would've been sent to a scam site I had to back space from before it could load, then when I clicked on the actual comic there'd be a 50/50 chance that would happen again, same as when I clicked on the specific issue, and then there would've been a giant pop up over the whole comic that I'd either have to read around or exit and if would send me to another site, or open another tab, and would only be gone for like 2 minutes tops, so again, you're a life saver lmao this is GREAT)

That all sounds very interesting!!! That's very exciting!!!

and Barda isn't as BIG as I like my Big Barda, that's a bit of a con for me, but she is still very pretty and I appreciate the mention she deserves to be in a wlw relationship all the time. (Is there a girl doctor light in DC like normally? That's a genuine question idfk)

I DO honestly mostly agree everyone needs to love things and it's so exciting. But I started talking about orcas for like 10 seconds and I shit you not the mental health worker said "hey have you heard of Asperger's?" (I also get asked "have you ever thought of being a marine biologist?" And I say "no that sounds really boring" and then I get yelled at)

I've never been to SeaWorld (or anything of the sort) bit as a kid I BEGGED to go to Marineland so I get it. I, obviously, do not support that anymore. I haven't done anything like that but I want to go to British Columbia SO BAD to go whale watching. All of my writing is set in BC (a place I've NEVER BEEN) just because I long to be by the whales lmao. I NEED to see orcas before I die. I would think it's stupidity. I GENUINELY wonder, if I was like swimming in the ocean and a pod of orcas came up to me, if I would remember y'know, COMMON SENSE and leave the water, or if I'd just be so blinded by love I'd be like !!! Oh my god hey guys!! Hey buddies!!! Wanna play fetch?? Wanna be pet??? Because I'm NOT dumb but I HAVE loved them my entire life so they should just also love me instinctively.

dude that sounds SO FUN we should become Spies. I can talk about whales forever. My phone case is called like "Canadian whales" or "whales of the Hudson's Bay" (I think it's the former bit it's just belugas and orcas and Canada has more whales than that but The Hudson's Bay doesn't???) But yeah it's covered in whales. I can go ALL day. And with an AUDIENCE of ORCAS THEMSELVES???

My mother and brother and an ex-bestfriemd all loved/ liked agents of shield so I get it!! And Peggy!! I love like her style and her everything honestly. I had to do an assignment where I wrote a diary as a solider years ago in school and I drew a portrait of his wife and everyone was like 'thay looks like the girl from captain america" as though that wasn't the point? Why would I draw anyone else??

It's volumes, I barely buy issues because they're so delicate and that scares me, but I bought a couple individual issues of SAGA this year as they came out and I think *they* were 4$ each? And as for bombshells, as a direct comparison I'll check mine to tell you bit a) I bought it years ago (proves have gone up since) and b) I just recently reorganized my bookshelves but don't really have space for my comics anymore so I couldn't keep it in alphabetical order and I have literally no idea where bombshells is.

Okay so it was under a lot of comics and it was very hard to get at and I need to figure out what the fuck to do with my comic collection. But I bought it at Indigo (Canada's main book retailer, essentially our Barnes and Noble) so it sold for normal retail value and it was 22.99$ CAD. I remember it being more expensive? But I also had no job then because it was many years ago so. The most recent one I bought was definitely either 30 or 40$ but it's also like half of the green arrow and black canary run. (apparently the Hardcover Injustice: Góðs Among us year four volume 1 should be 27.99$ and the paperback should be 19.99, but most of my paper back (I don't think that's what they're called in comics?) Are 22.99$ like bombshells. The green arrow and black canary comic was 45.99$ and so is my deluxe rebirth justice league comic that I bought from Dollarama bit again I only paid > 5$ for two of those)

That could be good!!

That's faid yeah I don't like when they don't that either. It's cool to know it's all cohesive ( unlike how the current BOP started with Dinah talking with Oliver when in current green arrow comics he's "missing" (I won't like spoil the rest that's literally the plot so it's not intrusive if you haven't read them: Dinah's a fairly active character so far if you were interested but obviously it IS a green arrow comic and I always get annoyed when he's the main character) but it IS frustrating (and, if I were buying them as they came out, more expensive I'd think?)

I didn't even know that it moved!! And I really just know her from Gotham city garage and Injustice 2, so not like,,, canon things) and I love that the three mom's were so important you mentioned it twice thats wonderful I trust that they're very good

It is now OPEN on my phone so hopefully I'll get to it bit I won't be starting it immediately since I have go work early tomorrow but hopefully that will be SOON and I absolutely will

Oh dw I will talk about my mental health relentlessly and do not mind when people do it back so you're good. But I actually get that pretty much exactly so maybe it's kind of a common thing? I don't know how I feel about libraries (the last time I went to one was a year ago for my friend and I just read a book on dolphins while he looked for dantes inferno) but the used book thing is a big one. I have issues in thrift stores entirely but my town has a big book sale once a year where it's all just used books and I go every year and buy SO MANY books but I have go wash my hands as soon as I get home and am now too scared to read any of them. (which sucks because one is called the doctor who lived in a house at sea- I love doctors and the sea!! But I cannot touch it) it's good that you made progress!!! Buying them for someone else was a good idea. And I'm glad that made it easier! And tbch I mostly just buy new books, but that's because I'm stupid. I do have an online library app that's wonderful but my old library card expired so I have to go to my local library and ask for a new one but I am scared :( so I just can't listen to audiobooks for free until I do that (or read the books)

I have no idea what kind of books you like but while I had Libby (my library app) I only listened to two and one was Wonderwoman War Bringér, which was honestly really interesting but I do chronically read YA so. And then a book called wild and wicked things that you might like? It's an adult book set after WW2 about witchcraft and lesbians.

I didn't like the Harley x birds comic just because everyone but Harley seemed incredibly out of character but I do really like the way her relationship with Dinah was essentially just Harley being like !!!!! And Dinah being 😮‍💨 about it the entire time. I want that back. (honestly it's somewhat similar on Injustice too and it's just like bring that back please). I also hope it gets better!!! If worse comes to worst I'll take over and write it myself I can do it. We deserve it.

That's fair!! Hope you enjoy it!!

(I only know so many "good time of day" in Gaelic so you have to be reading this at the time I say I don't make the rules, anyway) Madainn Mhath!!

akalsjg i'm so glad the site is working well for you! and that’s very fair re:big barda. and yeah! dr kimiyo hyoshi exists as dr light in the main continuity too!! according to wikipedia she was introduce during crisis on infinite earths & has even come face to face with the villian who goes by the name dr light.

also like i don’t really know much about working in marine biology but i gotta say from my own personal experience in working in a career related to smth im passionate about (i work in the dog world) definitely has serious drawbacks in that im hitting serious exhaustion and burnout and it feels like my passion itself is kinda burning out. so yeah gotta say totally respect not wanting to go into a career specific to the animal you love.

ajsjdjsjs i did mention bombshells!kara’s three moms (four actually if you count her earth adoptive mother) twice huh. the silliest part is when i mentioned it the second time i even remember. going back and checking if i had mentioned it previously but clearly i didn’t read my own words throughly enough, whoops lmao

yeah supergirl was originally a cbs show for s1 and then i forget the details but it switched over to the cw for s2. thats why supergirl was set on a different earth from the rest of the arrowverse (up until they changed that with their version of crisis on infinite earths and they decided no more multiverse, which really is no fucking fun i love a multiverse)

i haven’t read the new green arrow run but i think i may give it a try bc i do enjoy comics ollie (he’s VERY much preferred to arrow oliver in every possible way ((which is kinda like saying i prefer pizza over a moldy slice of bread))) and i have a friend who’s really into green arrow comics so it could give me smth to talk about with them too.

also yeah!! thrift stores are hard for me too. it took me a long time but i can buy clothes from thrift stores now because they can go directly in the washing machine but anything else is a pretty hard no. i hope this isnt weird to say but its nice to find solidarity/similarity in struggling w/used items.

i actually own a physical copy of wonder woman warbringer!!! i got it as a gift, and then my dog decided to rip the cover of it and made me very upset (he has now been assigned Wonder Woman Hater-he also ripped up some wonder woman stickers i got as a completely separate gift) but yeah i really enjoyed warbringer, wouldve loved it even more if they let alia be diana's love interest instead of that dude who i barely remember (maybe i should reread its been a long time) i will have to add wild and wicked things to my to read list! one of my friend groups just convinced me to start the raven cycle series so i ended up listening to that on my drive to my parents today, i havent formed a solid opinion on it yet but ive been intriuged/enjoying it so far!

you know i actually dont remember if i read the harley x bop run or not. i feel like i probably did but i have no memory of it. alas such is the way my memory works

okay i kinda liveblogged my reading of injustice a little bit which i will put below the cut for you, its a little scattered bc i read a lot in one sitting last night after work and then fell asleep (on the couch lmao) but ive definitely gotten invested in it. but i have to ask, does dinah not come back until injustice 2? (she comes back right? i feel like i definitely remember seeing panels out there of her and other earth ollie). anyways. yeah here are some of my thoughts i had, a bit scattered, i might attempt more coherent thoughts later but i wanted to finally respond to this ask <3

okay i finished year one of injustice and i am continuing to read as i write this reply. i have to say it is by no means my favorite comic series and its a bit frustrating at times however..... the dinah of it all.... yeah. i was also really loving the dinahollie of it all, i did... forget that ollie dies in injustice. didnt know superman literally beat him to death. killing martian manhunter and green arrow really isnt a good look for superman i gotta say.

the hardest thing with reading injustice so far has been the whole wonder woman aspect of it but ive simply chosen to decide that its not really diana. like idk who that is but that is Not My Wonder Woman <3 i simply know her better. it is nice to see some of the other heroes working with superman questioning things and beginning to have Doubts about what superman is doing. (i feel so bad for shazam who is literally a fucking child he should not have to be a part of these horrors.) and im curious to see what reactions will be if/when they find out superman killed ollie bc like, sure he had a justification for killing martian manhunter (he was trying to kill imposter wonder woman) but ollie was just vibing (he... put an arrow in papa kent but papa kent was fine about it! and that was after clark starting attacking ollie) now if i remember correctly injustice brings in like an alternate earth version of ollie? looking forward to when that happens i hate when dinah is sad.

and okay just got to ollie's funeral and damn even hal's staying on superman's side huh. homoerotic friendship means nothing to hal i see. (i dont actually know that much about hal but from my understanding he does have a homoerotic friendship with ollie and i support that)

okay i just got to the beginning of harley & dinahs friendship and oughghghghghghghghghhghghghghg i love them (i had seen pretty much the entire interaction between harley & dinah that i just read previously but it still was so good and wonderful)

okay so its been a minute since the last sentence (more than a minute) i got home from work and literally.... read all of year two and year three. its 1:30am rn and i really need to not start year four but ouugh. year two was very good for me as a dinah fan. year three not so much however year three did have zatanna and i do love zatanna. (coulda been more zatanna in my opinion)

#comics anon #abby replies #anon #long post /

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beaversatemygrandma · 1 year

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*screams in excited and also pretty damn terrified*

So. There's a Real Good Chance that I'm heading back to FL within the next month or so. Like, finally heading home, finally within range of friends, and FINALLY in a town I Know.

Though. There is the news coming out of FL every day. Like "desantis passes something that's essentially 'let LGBT+ people die'" or "medicaid denied for trans people" etc. So uh. We're staying in the closet a little longer after a sudden realization that i was in a location where queer people were actually visible and this city actually has one of the biggest pride celebrations in the country (the only redeeming quality here tbh) and has been since like the 60s. So. Be me. Visibly a little queer (sans tits, ignore them. they're the only way I'm going to be treated like a human down there allegedly). I own 2 total outfits that look even slightly feminine. Very masc. Nothing aligns with AGAB. God help me if i need an ambulance. *is trained to adamantly deny calling one*

All i know is that if i really do get to the point where i really do finally want to get on T, we ain't doing it there. Maybe when shit gets to the point where I'm like "aight, we moving to canada" that sounds more stable.

But AH. PEOPLE. FRIEND PEOPLE. I mean, I'm gonna have to text a good few, run my ass over to my old job and be like "heyyyy, you know me. hire me temporarily, please.", and then finally have friends within a reasonable distance too. And work people i knew.

Also, holy fuck, i was mentioning the guy I've been talking to to my mom today during this long ass call, and she seemed actually excited to meet him?? Like what. This is new. I mean, i did give her a way to connect with him and essentially a reason to start baking again. But wow. She actually now expects him to be around which will make it easier to just randomly have him show up, which will most definitely happen. Because yeah, these conversations and gaming together have definitely moved in a direction. It's not just flirting, not just random sexting. We're talking actual romantic intentions which is insane for me to even think about. Not to mention the awkwardness of me basically being like "yeah, done calling my mom now." moments after she was like "go on now, go talk to your boyfriend" with me reeling to that word, not thinking she had even said it because i Did Not introduce him as such. and then him immediately following up with that his mom did the same thing a couple months ago. And then neither of us even denying it at this point.

And then him telling me exactly what his mom said a little later on. Because apparently he was just like "yeah, I reconnected with somebody from high school after a long time, just been texting back and forth." and essentially dumbed the conversation down to his mom immediately saying: "marry her" only to have her point fully beaten in there by his initial reaction. This is fucking hilarious to me now, but like a few months ago, i would've just backed away a little bit. But for the first time ever, apparently there's that weird level of parental approval which i have never experienced before.

So that's a thing. Probably going to suddenly be an actual relationship once I have him around physically.

Ntm with earlier topic, a straight passing relationship. Adds a small barrier for just in case reasons. Hate that i even think that i need that, but you know. Fuckin FL. The land of Disney and hating anybody nonconforming.

#taks speaks #anyways i'm going to go back to vibrating and chatting with that one guy #anyway i hate my home state but i love the range i will have to my people #i want my people back AND I'M COMING BACK

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deepestperfectiondragon · 1 year

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The beginning..

I spent a long time trying to decide on what to make my first post about, & I figured I would do an introductory blog as most of my posts will be journal entries anyways. For starters, my name is Jewels, and I am currently a 21 year old student living in Canada. I have struggled with my mental health since I was around the age of 13, and have been diagnosed with BPD, chronic depression, multiple eating disorders and anxiety since then. I must admit, I have come SO FAR since then, but I've found myself stuck in this spot between not okay/okay lately. I know I've done well, but I feel like starting a new journey revolving around finding myself, connecting with my inner spirit and truly expanding my mind is the next step for me. I also know a lot of people struggle in silence as I have for many years now, and thought a blog to share my own thoughts with you guys would not only help me but maybe help others as well. I am truly excited to share my journey with you guys, and I am 100% open to advice, as I am totally new to this whole blog thing, and completely SUCK at this whole life thing bahaha.

Lately, life has been throwing curveballs left right and center for me. A lot has changed, and I don't think it's planning on slowing down anytime soon. I have never been good with change, good or bad. Let me give you a quick backstory to what has been going on lately. So I was just in a very toxic relationship (on and off) for 5 years. I met him when I was turning 16, and I thought I was just absolutely in love. LMAO. Anyways, it took everything in me to leave, as he was my comfort zone no matter how bad the actual relationship was. But when I got accepted into college, I almost had this awakening that I had to move on with my life, start growing up and finding out who I truly was. So here I was, fresh out of a relationship, starting college, and I honestly was extremally happy and proud of myself and what I was about to accomplish. I had started talking to this guy who had been a good friend of mine since I was 14/15, and he honestly swept me off my feet. He took me on dates out of the city I live in, started spoiling me and treating me like no one ever has before in my entire life, and I just knew that this was going to be amazing (it's been 2 months now since, and I couldn't be happier with him). I have made so many positive changes in my life lately, lost some relationships along the way that yes hurt, but also made me realize I'm better off without, and most importantly started my journey to loving and finding myself again. Taking care of myself and the people who matter most to me has never felt so good, and I hope I can stay on this path of realizing my self-worth. I have also started using crystals and spiritual healing as a way of forming a positive bond with my mind, body, and soul. Life has been great since, and I can't believe I'm even sitting here writing those words. I'm not going to lie and say I haven't had some hard moments, because there still have been many, I've just found it easier to get back up quicker than before.

#self care #self improvement #living with bpd #spiritualawakening #self healing #mental health #mentalwellness #journal #breathe #self worth #self love

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thegirlwiththelantern · 2 years

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Hello, again! I write book release posts on my book blog, China Sorrows. But I like them to be specifically for books I'm personally excited about. In looking for 2023 releases I came across quite a few books I don't want to read but which would probably be really exciting to other people, so here some are.

Quick note- because I'm not covering them on my blog I didn't hunt through various sources and if the one I found doesn't list a synopsis, I won't. I also don't list synopsis for sequels in case of spoilers.

On A Wire: A Novel by Ryan Lill-Washington (queer)

Night of the Living Queers edited by Alex Brown (queer)

Authors including Shelly Page, Kalynn Bayron, Sara Farizan, Kosoko Jackson, Tara Sim, Rebecca Kim Wells, Trang Thanh Tran, Vanessa Montalban

Things I'll Never Say by Cassandra Newbould (queer)

Ten years ago, the Scar Squad promised each other nothing would tear them apart. They stuck together through thick and thin, late-night surf sessions and after school spodies. Even when Casey Jones Caruso lost her twin brother Sammy to an overdose, and their foursome became a threesome, the squad picked each other up. But when Casey’s feeling for the remaining members—Francesca and Benjamin—develop into romantic attraction, she worries the truth will dissolve them and vows to ignore her heart. Then Ben kisses Casey at a summer party, and Frankie kisses another girl. Now Casey must confront all the complicated feelings she’s buried—for her friends and for her brother who she’s totally pissed at for dying. Since Sammy’s death, Casey has spilled all the things she can no longer say to him in journals, and now more than ever, she wishes he were here to help her decide whether she should guard her heart or bet it on love, before someone else makes the decision for her.

Star Tent: A Triptych by Amie Whittemore (queer)

poetry collection featuring alien abductions, black holes, and weird-ass sestinas

The Wicked Bargain By Gabe Cole Novoa (nonbinary)

On Mar León de la Rosa’s sixteenth birthday, el Diablo comes calling. Mar is a transmasculine nonbinary teen pirate hiding a magical ability to manipulate fire and ice. But their magic isn’t enough to reverse a wicked bargain made by their father, and now el Diablo has come to collect his payment: the soul of Mar’s father and the entire crew of their ship. When Mar is miraculously rescued by the sole remaining pirate crew in the Caribbean, el Diablo returns to give them a choice: give up their soul to save their father by the harvest moon, or never see him again. The task is impossible–Mar refuses to make a bargain, and there’s no way their magic is a match for el Diablo. Then Mar finds the most unlikely allies: Bas, an infuriatingly arrogant and handsome pirate–and the captain’s son; and Dami, a gender-fluid demonio whose motives are never quite clear. For the first time in their life, Mar may have the courage to use their magic. It could be their only redemption–or it could mean certain death.

A Tale of Two Princes by Eric Geron (gay)

Edward Dinnissen leads a charmed life. He’s the Crown Prince of Canada, gets the royal treatment at his exclusive private school, and resides in a ritzy mansion. He thrives off being the perfect prince as he prepares for the Investiture Ceremony on his eighteenth birthday, the final step in his role as heir—and Canada’s future king. But this closeted Crown Prince has just one tiny problem: he’s unsure how to tell his parents, his beloved country, and his adoring fans that he’s gay. Billy Boone should be happy with the simple life. His family’s ranch is his favorite place in the world, he loves his small town, and his boyfriend is the cutest guy at Little Timber High. So why does it feel like something’s still missing? Maybe it has to do with the fact that this out-and-proud cowboy feels destined for more . . . When Edward and Billy meet by chance in New York City, they discover that they are long-lost twins, and their lives are forever changed. Together, will these twin princes—“twinces”—be able to take on high school, coming out, and coronations? Or will this royal reunion quickly become a royal wreck?

Last Chance Dance by Lakita Wilson (Black, bi)

Leila is crushed when Dev, her boyfriend of four years, breaks up with her right before graduation. Just when she’s thinking she wasted her entire high school experience on a dead-end relationship, her best friend Bree reminds her that Last Chance Dance is just around the corner. A high school tradition, the Last Chance Dance gives all the students one last opportunity to find love before they graduate. All Leila has to do is submit three unrequited crushes to the dance committee and if any of her crushes list her too, they’ll get matched. Presto: new relationship, just like that. To her utter amazement, Leila is matched with all three of her choices—and with someone she never expected, Tre Hillman, her chemistry partner and low-key nemesis. Though at times skeptical, Leila embarks on her Last Chance Dance mission—trying out her matches and going on dates. If Dev wasn’t her true love—then maybe someone else is. She knows it’s definitely not Tre, even though he seems more and more determined to convince her he’s right for her. But as graduation and the dance approaches, and each date seems to change her mind (and her heart)—Leila must figure out what—and who—she really wants. It’s her last chance, right?

The Last Catastrophe: Stories by Allegra Hyde

A vast caravan of RVs roam the United States. A girl grows a unicorn horn, complicating her small-town friendships and big city ambitions. A young lady on a spaceship bonds with her AI warden while trying to avoid an arranged marriage. In Allegra Hyde’s universe nothing is as it seems, yet the challenges her characters face mirror those of our modern age. Spanning the length of our very solar system, the fifteen stories in this collection explore a myriad of potential futures, all while reminding us that our world is precious, and that protecting it has the potential to bring us all together.

The Principle of Moments by Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson (queer)

In self-deified Emperor Thracin’s brave new galaxy, Humans are not citizens. Instead, they are laborers indentured to the empire, working to repay the billions in debt they unwittingly incurred when they settled on Gahraan—a planet already owned by someone else. Asha Akindele has lived her whole life on Gahraan, eking out an existence between factory assembly lines and constant terror—studying stolen aeronautics manuals in the dead of night and trying not to get herself killed for mouthing off to a guard. Then she discovers she has a sister imprisoned by the Emperor, and is forced to make a choice: stay enslaved, but relatively safe, or escape and risk everything in the name of family. Obi Amadi is a time-traveller, sick with a legendary disease. Armed only with his prosthetic arm, his ever-constant melancholy, and the humour he uses to mask it, he has spent years travelling through time and space in search of a cure for the sickness currently unmaking him limb by limb. His mandate: Find the cure, go home. And maybe figure out along the way if the prince he thinks sometimes he might love could be that home. When Obi saves Asha’s life, they make a pact: both will do all they can to get the other to the Emperor’s stronghold unscathed. With the reluctant aid of Xavior, a mouthy deckhand with a mysterious past, Asha and Obi attempt to navigate a galaxy that hates them to find the things they both believe will make them whole. But a prophecy has started that has other plans, and not only is Asha forced to make a terrible choice, she must soon reckon with the legacy of an ancient religion and its heroes, who may be awakening, reincarnated in ways beyond her comprehension.

The Memory Eater by Rebecca Mahoney (sapphic)

For generations, a monster called the Memory Eater has lived in the caves of Whistler Beach, Maine, surviving off the unhappy memories of those who want to forget. And for generations, the Harlows have been in charge of keeping her locked up—and keeping her fed. After her grandmother dies, seventeen-year-old Alana Harlow inherits the family business. But there’s something Alana doesn’t know: the strange gaps in her memory aren’t from an accident. Her memories have been taken—eaten. And with them, she’s lost the knowledge of how to keep the monster contained. Now the Memory Eater is loose. Alana’s mistake could cost Whistler Beach everything—unless she can figure out how to retrieve her memories and recapture the monster. But as Alana delves deeper into her family’s magic and the history of her town, she discovers a shocking secret at the center of the Harlow family business and learns that tampering with memories always comes at a price.

Running by Lindsey A. Freeman (queer)

In Running, former NCAA Division I track athlete Lindsey A. Freeman presents the feminist and queer handbook of running that she always wanted but could never find. For Freeman, running is full of joy, desire, and indulgence in the pleasure and weirdness of having a body. It allows for a space of freedom—to move and be moved. Through tender storytelling of a lifetime wearing running shoes, Freeman considers injury and recovery, what it means to run as a visibly queer person, and how the release found in running comes from a desire to touch something that cannot be accessed when still. Running invites us to run through life, legging it out the best we can with heart and style.

The Librarian of Burned Books by Brianna Labuskes (queer)

Berlin 1933. Following the success of her debut novel, American writer Althea James receives an invitation from Joseph Goebbels himself to participate in a culture exchange program in Germany. For a girl from a small town in Maine, 1933 Berlin seems to be sparklingly cosmopolitan, blossoming in the midst of a great change with the charismatic new chancellor at the helm. Then Althea meets a beautiful woman who promises to show her the real Berlin, and soon she’s drawn into a group of resisters who make her question everything she knows about her hosts—and herself. Paris 1936. She may have escaped Berlin for Paris, but Hannah Brecht discovers the City of Light is no refuge from the anti-Semitism and Nazi sympathizers she thought she left behind. Heartbroken and tormented by the role she played in the betrayal that destroyed her family, Hannah throws herself into her work at the German Library of Burned Books. Through the quiet power of books, she believes she can help counter the tide of fascism she sees rising across Europe and atone for her mistakes. But when a dear friend decides actions will speak louder than words, Hannah must decide what stories she is willing to live—or die—for. New York 1944. Since her husband Edward was killed fighting the Nazis, Vivian Childs has been waging her own war: preventing a powerful senator’s attempts to censor the Armed Service Editions, portable paperbacks that are shipped by the millions to soldiers overseas. Viv knows just how much they mean to the men through the letters she receives—including the last one she got from Edward. She also knows the only way to win this battle is to counter the senator’s propaganda with a story of her own—at the heart of which lies the reclusive and mysterious woman tending the American Library of Nazi-Banned Books in Brooklyn. As Viv unknowingly brings her censorship fight crashing into the secrets of the recent past, the fates of these three women will converge, changing all of them forever. Inspired by the true story of the Council of Books in Wartime—the WWII organization founded by booksellers, publishers, librarians, and authors to use books as “weapons in the war of ideas”—The Librarian of Burned Books is an unforgettable historical novel, a haunting love story, and a testament to the beauty, power, and goodness of the written word.

The Family Fortuna by Lindsay Eagar (queer)

Beaked. Feathered. Monstrous. Avita was born to be a star. Her tent sells out nightly, and every performance incites bloodcurdling screams. She’s the most lucrative circus act from Texas to Tacoma, the crown jewel of the Family Fortuna, and Avita feeds on the shrieks, the gasps, the fear. But when a handsome young artist arrives to create posters of the performers, she’s appalled by his rendering of Bird Girl. Is that all he sees? A hideous monster—all sharp beak and razor teeth, obsidian eyes and ruffled feathers? Determined to be more, Avita devises a plan to snatch freedom out from under the greased mustache of her charismatic father, the domineering proprietor and ringmaster. But will their fragile circus family survive the showdown she has in mind? By turns delightful and disturbing, bawdy and breathtaking, horrific and heartfelt, this electric and exquisitely crafted story about a family like no other challenges our every notion of what it means to be different—subject to an earful of screams—and to step out of the shadows and shine anyway.

Infamous by Lex Croucher (sapphic)

Twenty-two-year-old aspiring writer Edith (“Eddie”) Miller and her best friend Rose have always done everything together—from climbing trees and sneaking bottles of wine, to extensive kissing practice. But Rose has started talking about marriage, and Eddie is horrified. Why can’t they continue as they always have? Then Eddie meets charming, renowned poet Nash Nicholson––a rival of Lord Byron, if he does say so himself––and he welcomes her into his world of eccentric artists and boundary-breaking visionaries. When Eddie receives an invitation to Nash's crumbling Gothic estate in the countryside, promising inspiration (and time to finish her novel, a long-held dream), she eagerly agrees. But the pure hedonism and debauchery that ensues isn’t exactly what she had in mind, and Eddie soon finds herself torn between her complicated feelings for Rose and her equally complicated dynamic with Nash, whose increasingly bad behavior doesn’t match up to her vision for her literary hero. Will Eddie be forced to choose between her friendship with Rose and her literary dreams––or will she be able to write her own happily ever after?

The Third Daughter by Adrienne Tooley (sapphic)

THE THIRD DAUGHTER is a sapphic YA fantasy out next summer about emotional girls doing desperate things to save their families/country/souls from a corrupt church intent on seizing the throne.

Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner (sapphic)

CLEAT CUTE is about a rookie and a veteran battling for a spot on the World Cup roster who realize cooperation may be better than competition, both on and off the field

Cassidy is Queen by Cameron James (sapphic)

Endpapers by Jennifer Savran Kelly (queer)

It’s 2003, and artist Dawn Levit is stuck. A bookbinder who works in conservation at the Met, she spends her free time scouting the city’s street art, hoping something might spark inspiration. Instead, everything looks like a dead end. And art isn’t the only thing that feels wrong: wherever she turns, her gender identity clashes with the rest of her life. Her relationship, once anchored by shared queerness, is falling apart as her boyfriend Lukas increasingly seems to be attracted to Dawn only when she’s at her most masculine. Meanwhile at work, Dawn has to present as female, even on the days when that isn’t true. Either way, her difference feels like a liability. Then, one day at work, Dawn finds something hidden behind the endpaper of an old book: the torn-off cover of a ‘50s lesbian pulp novel, Turn Her About. On the front is a campy illustration of a woman looking into a handheld mirror and seeing a man’s face. And on the back is a love letter. Dawn latches onto the coincidence, becoming obsessed with tracking down the note’s author. Her fixation only increases when her best friend Jae is injured in a hate crime, for which Dawn feels responsible. As Dawn searches for the letter’s author, she is also looking for herself. She tries to understand how to live in a world that doesn’t see her as she truly is, how to get unstuck in her gender, and how to rediscover her art, and she can’t shake the feeling that the note’s author might be able to help guide her to the answers.

Sterling Karat Gold by Isabel Waidner (nonbinary)

Sterling Beckenbauer is plunged into a terrifying and nonsensical world one morning when they are attacked, then unfairly arrested, in their neighborhood in London. With the help of their friends, Sterling hosts a trial of their own in order to exonerate themselves and to hold the powers that be to account.

A Manual for How to Love Us by Erin Slaughter

Seamlessly shifting between the speculative and the blindingly real, balancing the bizarre with the subtle brutality of the mundane, A Manual for How to Love Us is a tender portrait of women trying their best to survive, love, and find genuine meaning in the aftermath of loss. In these unconventional and unpredictably connected stories, Erin Slaughter shatters the stereotype of the soft-spoken, sorrowful woman in distress, queering the domestic and honoring the feral in all of us. In each story, grieving women embrace their wildest impulses as they attempt to master their lives: one woman becomes a “gazer” at a fraternity house, another slowly moves into her otherworldly stained-glass art, a couple speaks only in their basement’s black box, and a thruple must decide what to do when one partner disappears. The women in Erin Slaughter’s stories suffer messy breaks, whisper secrets to the ghosts tangled in the knots of their hair, eat raw meat to commune with their inner wolves, and build deadly MLM schemes along the Gulf Coast.

#book #books #2023 #queer #booklr #my lists

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quaranmine · 2 years

Note

for some reason ao3 decided to be rovinphobic today and doesnt let me comment on htbahb properly? so i thought id just paste the comment here :o

when i saw u talking abt this fic on tumblr and when you started uploading the first few chapters, i was so so excited for this story. cant believe i hit a reading slum exactly as you uploaded most of it </3 but! im back now and i immediately went back to binge read this over the last two days, it has been so much fun :D first of all, yeah the concept is genius obviously. season 8 really dumped the wildest things on all of us and just expected us to be normal abt it huh. really glad somebody picked up the souleating storyline again, it had soo much fun potential and yeah you hit all of it. the themes?? and narratives?? in this story?? have been driving me insane theyre so good. going from what it means to be human to is this really me if im always wearing a facade to my identity not as a human or watcher but as a hermit sososososososo good. i have developed all the feeling for the way you portray mumbos and grians relationship like. yeah. yeah they really are that close huh. of course they end up soulmates with the most unfortunate timing possible. of course they do. i dont think ive ever felt as soft as when reading the preening scenes. ALL THE OTHER CHARACTERS TOO THO like skyduo!!!!!!!!! siblinghood is real they invented it. impulse scar everyone!! adored scar taking jellie to the void with him bc ofc. ofc he would. and the scene with jimmy ooo he really is Your Guy huh. "Jimmy held his secrets so close to his chest that people never even knew he had them" ough ough ough ough ough my man my boy my lad. i think having read the listerner!jimmy fic before that also added soso much. grian really saw the dream smp and said no thank u <3 and i think that was very correct of him BUT YEAH overall? amazing writing epic characterizations so many little lines that made me stop and just rethink how i think abt these characters haha. i am afraid i must plagiarize all of your ideas in my brian 😔 ur watcher concepts are simply too good to not be canon I HOPE U HAVE A GREAT TIME WRITING THE SEQUEL I CANT WAIT TO SEE IT

ROVINNNN MY ABSOLUTE BELOVED <3333333 first things first thank you so much for this ask i have read it over and over and i love it <333 also i would have replied to it the day you sent it but you send it like. just a few hours before i got on a plane to go to canada so i ended up a Bit Distracted and did not answer so so sorry

IM SO GLAD YOU LIKED THE THEMES!!! i go a bit insane everytime anyone comments on them because it is by far my favorite thing that i did with the fic, which was explore that concept of humanity/inhumanity/self-identity.

mumbo and grian's relationship...they make me ill! they make me ill. it's like...idk as much as LOVE desert duo, when it comes to my own writing i seem to just write mumbo and grian over and over again. they're just so. yeah. <3 im glad you like the preening scenes there will likely be more of them. it's just such an easily intimate type of scene you know? and the fact that grian up until this point has most done it alone (minus pearl helping sometimes), which is pretty uncomfortable and tedius when he can't easily reach his own back. and im so glad you appreciate scar taking jellie into the void he would never abandon her <3 it was one of my fave funny/lighthearted parts of the series

SLDFKJSLFJSFKFSF YEAH. YEAH JIMMY IS MY GUY. in a fic about grian and mumbo i manage to still insert jimmy solidarity brainrot into it. he'll be in the sequel too--not in any major role but i promise you he will There at some point because empires minorly factors into it. I'M SO GLAD THAT YOU LOVED THAT LINE. i know that i say every line someone quotes is my favorite but that might actually be one of my favorites in the whole fic. the Lonesome Dreams backstory for jimmy was in the works for a long time before I ever wrote the fic, since i came up with that before i even came up with htbahb. so I absolutely intended everything from that fic to be implicated in that line <3 also you're right, i think lonesome dreams does add to it. i may or may not put it in the series, but lonesome dreams is also planned to work with other series as well, so idk

AND YESSS THE DSMP REFERENCE i had a lot of fun with it. i chose blue and gold for the door because it reminded me of l'manberg uniforms and was less obvious than green for dream. i also like my other slight dsmp-adjacent throwaway in mcc too, where when mumbo joins the server tommy comments in chat about seeing him as a father figure (mcc19 does take place after that one collab video...just sayin')

thank you for this review i loved every second of reading it <3333 i hereby give u and other authors permission to take my headcanons and ideas. if u like directly copy/reference a bunch of things, i'd like a shoutout but otherwise i dont care because i dont own ideas and anything anyone writes is likely to be different anyway because it's their brain you know? so def feel free to use anything here <3

i am having a great time writing the sequel!! i actually have an update (not...chapter update. status update) to post no it later this week :eyes: because i finally reached a point where i can make proper progress on it. aka i was able to work out a lot of details and planning and am in the midst of writing it as fast as i can

#quara asks #save #<33333333333

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dystopiandilfs · 3 years

Text

Dream's discord podcast. Basically him answering questions for 2.5 hours. This will sort of be in order but I fucked up my notes so it might not be in order completely. (From 13th May 2021)

For reference the photos at the end are: A prototype of fidget spinner merch as loads of people asked, a reference photo of his favourite merch and a photo he sent of his hair to prove he wasn't a brunette.

•He said his teeth are mostly straight but he's thought about getting Invisalign. He's never had braces. He has a tiny gap in the left side of his mouth and his canines are longer and sharper (vampire arc). He's never had teeth surgery so has his wisdom teeth still.

•He thinks pineapple on pizza is good.

•He likes seafood like lobster and crab. He had crab made in an air fryer last night. He like peas. He thinks quesadillas are good and likes most food.

•He hates Coffee and most drinks

•The Dream Shorts team is Ken who is his personal reminder (Ken's main job is to spam him with texts so he doesn't forget things as he's got a habit of reading texts and not replying) and also comes up with a list of sets for Dream shorts. The builder is a friend and munchymc builder "his talent gets wasted on Dream's shorts but we pay him so"

•His editors are currently Dizzy, Firesale and Mjcr. Willz doesn't edit for him anymore

•The mask animation isn't done but Mask should be released May 21st. He wants to release them together as "the whole song is a double meaning and the whole nuance will be lost without the animation" but no matter if the animation is done the song is getting released on the 21st.

•He and Sapnap eat together often.

•He and Sapnap prefer medium rare Steak

•He wants a home gym it's something he's willing to splurge on. They currently have a weight rack but they haven't even set it up.

•"Eat the rich? Shut up shut up" - Dream

•Talked about money basically saying "Most people don't understand how money works I don't have millions in my bank account it's in assets like merch, land and warehousing for that stuff" (He's not in his landlord arc)

•He's been debating Pride Merch because of Rainbow Capitalism. He doesn't want it too be seen as a money maker and if he does most proceeds would go to charity. He's currently super busy merch wise with Sapnap joining and George in the middle of joining. He did say "Only if the LGBTQ+ community in this community wants it" He thinks he's going to at least change the merch website to a pride one. Sapnap wants to make pride merch including a rainbow flame on his.

•He wants to create a charity that's centered around helping LGBTQ+ one day because he thinks that there's a lack of them. He mentioned that creating a charity was expensive and took a lot and was a complicated process including a board of directors but he wants to do it someday.

•He wanted to buy a bunch of houses in Florida which was a service to house mostly LGBTQ+ youth and people stuck in abusive households for free to get them out of bad home environments. But he didn't because he didn't want people thinking he was profiting of of abuse victims and LGBTQ+ community.

•He said he's terrible with time management and replying to people which is why Ken helps him (and also helps George and Sapnap). He mentioned how Sam messaged multiple times and Dream just forgot to answer but felt bad "I feel like people think I hate them..... Cause I'd be mad if people did that to me"

•He tries to reply to a few texts a day (community number). He also can't do birthday messages everyday because you can only reply at certain times so it's not abusing the system so if you get one it's special. He said he does try but it's got a weird time gap.

•Him and the manhunt winner are trying to come up with a good time to film

•He wants to stream this MCC on twitch and says his team is good.

•He talks about why he's not partnered with Twitch. Basically Twitch has a lock rate (in which you make money) and you legally can't stream on YouTube. So legally if Tommy wanted to stream on YouTube he couldn't. Someone then mentioned how Bad is a twitch partner but still streams on YouTube "Bad streams on YouTube but he has for a while and I don't think that he cares" - Dream

•He likes to reply to every donation he gets on stream and feels bad when he doesn't so he'll turn them off when he streams and wants a platform deal where he can be payed to stream (not twitch). If he gets a streaming partnership he will stream a couple of times a week. He looked in to Facebook but they don't have an alias system meaning you can see everyone's actual Facebook account and personal info, he doesn't like seeing real names on Facebook so it would require a lot of altering if he was to stream there so he's thinking it's probably going to be YouTube.

•He was asked about if his demographic was what he expected and he said he went in with no expectations, he didn't even know what stans were, wasn't really on social media so he wasn't aware of the fan culture. "You guys are a handful sometimes but it's worth it"

•He also mentioned how he and the DreamSMP changed the twitch audience demographic. It used to be male dominated in both streamers and audience and now it's almost split which is unheard on.

•He has 5 fidget spinners in his house. Two in his bedroom. Two in his office. One in the living room.

•He likes his Minecraft skin as he thinks the arm is cook and you never see the rest of his skin really. He says it's unique and different and "me". Dream: You can't even tell half the skins apart on MC.

•He's not lost the motivation to stream. Most of the times if he wants to stream he gets George or Sapnap to do it and he just turns up. It's more beneficial to them as they have donos and subs on. (Don't we fucking know it "can you say hi to")

•He has listened to Lovejoy. Says the ep was great and they're very talented and awesome. Doesn't know what his favourite song is but probably would pick One Day because the chorus slaps.

•RIP to acoustic Roadtrip. He said instead of acoustic Roadtrip we get Mask so no losses today for Dream stans.

•"With Roadtrip I went to Parker and I said Hey I have a story I want to tell through music. I have no experience with that can you help me" He said sure. He crafted the music and melodies and how things are formed where it's catchy. I have less comfort singing that. I love the song and it's my song, it's very representative of me and I'm sure I could sing it but it's a song I'd be kinds of scared to sing live, with Mask I basically did everything. I sat there the entire time and maybe an hour out if the 100 I wasn't in the call. Dream came up with the lyrics and main melody for Mask (First one he's ever come up with) "That was just notes in my fucking voice memos"

•The clip we heard of Mask was a prechorus not the actual chorus. He thinks he'd be more comfortable to do a mask acoustic and it's more melodic than Roadtrip. The chorus also has a lot of instruments similar to Roadtrip. Mask starts of slow and guitar with minimal reverb and is more raw.

• He doesn't want music to be his main thing. It's something fun to do and he's passionate about it as it's a way to express emotions. He wants to release mask then go from there. He wants to release at least one more song but has nothing on his mind currently. His two ideas were Roadtrip and Mask.

•He wouldn't quit his job to become a pizza delivery man.

•His favourite features on himself are eyes or freckles and he also confirmed that he does have eyebrows.

•He was told that Parkour warrior would be bought back some time in the near future and he got excited for it. "Even if I don't win, which I will, it'll be fun"

•Went on about his MCC team but I'm not going to put that in as we should be getting them today. He did say he wasn't on Pink but he did sound confused. (For reference he's always in Pink as it's the last team announced and keeps the hype up by announcing the biggest streamer last)

•Said he and his mum had the Mr Beast burger. He recommends because he likes the avacado. He mentioned how Mr Beast uses "Ghost Kitchens" which is basically where he gives restaurants permission to cook his food so it's restaurant quality food.

•His favourite piece of merch is the circle smile. (The pool photo on Instagram). He said the quality was bad (he worked with a different company and didn't have his own company) and it was elasticy feeling and he's planning on re-releasing it again but with good quality.

•He's started to send merch out in custom packaging. So his bags have the smile and will mostly be green. Sapnap's has the flame and is either black or white. He's also trying to make it so every order has the sticker packs for both him and Sapnap.

•He loves the coins as it's cheaper than a hoodie but still celebrates the milestones and will last a long time. He mentioned how the old coins are getting removed off the site and how if you have any of the coins your special because only a few thousand get made. He's kept around 100 of each coin that he wants to give away in person.

•He wanted to have a cool store where you could access computers that give you access to the DreamSMP in spectator mode. But it's too costly and would require too much time and isn't safe fight now. He doesn't think it'd be worth it financially.

•Most of the hoodie are black instead of multiple colours because of limited supply and covid. Getting the colours are harder because if the pandemic which hopefully won't be an issue soon.

•He wants to do a short meetup tour with Sapnap and George with a few locations in the US (and if others nearby want to join like Quackity or Karl they can). He also wants to visit Australia, UK, Canada, Mexico and Philippines and do something like that there but definitely at least visit with George and Sapnap.

•He's never been to the Philippines but his mum has. He wants to set up a place in the Philippines where he can ship merch in bulk and it would help to reduce shipping. However it would probably be big milestone merch.

•He's not got the vaccine yet but will get it when he needs to. He doesn't leave the house so he doesn't see the point.

•He's the ideas man. George's footcam video was Dream's idea. The T-shirt video was Dream's idea. Most if not all of the Dream Team's videos are Dream's ideas.

•Said he's got a similar/the same hair colour as Froy (Dream buddy at this point the only difference between you and Froy is that one of you is dating Richard Madden /lh)

#dreamsmp #dream smp #dreamwastaken #mcyt #georgenotfound #sapnap

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remuswriting · 4 years

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hello !! can i request some hcs or one-shot for kageyama (or any character you want ) with a foreigner (canadian maybe ? i'm from canada !) bf ? i love your work, thank youuu !!!! •//v//•

Summary: Transfer student L/N Y/N meets Karasuno volleyball team through tutoring and Yachi

Pairing: N/A

Format: Heacanons

Warnings: None

Notes: I decided to do just Karasuno in general because I was struggling slightly with this (I have no idea why I struggled so much). I’m not the proudest of this but I hope you like it. Also, the language thing may not apply to everyone because I’m going based off my own experiences with learning Spanish and being around those who either don’t know English or know very little.

*****

You had just moved to Japan and even though you had been studying Japanese since your parents said you guys were having to move there; you struggled to talk to people.

The teachers were nice to you about it, understood how Japanese was one of the hardest languages for native English speakers to learn, and tried to find you a tutor.

Yachi appeared in your life like a ray of sunshine because she was one of the few at Karasuno that was pretty good with English, but she was so shy and anxious that it was hard to talk to her at first.

She’s tutoring you every other day and then she becomes the manager for the volleyball club and switched to only studying on the weekends.

That’s when you meet Kageyama and Hinata, who are struggling in English and Japanese kind of like you are (except you’re really good in English).

You join the study group easily, you and Hinata help each other with Japanese and English while Kageyama is writing down the answers you’re giving them.

When the study session is over, Yachi makes the comment that you didn’t stop to ask what someone had said once, which meant you were getting better with Japanese.

“Of course, I am. I have the best tutor ever,” you said as he ruffled her hair and she gets all flustered at the contact.

Then she says she may not be able to tutor you anymore because of becoming the team manager and you start begging because she was the only first year that understood English good enough to talk to you.

“You could always convince Kageyama and Hinata to study with you, even though they may struggle to talk with you sometimes.”

It’s an idea that you don’t explore until you start really struggling with your summer homework.

You call Yachi, desperate for help and you can hear her sigh on the other line before she agrees.

Kageyama and Hinata are there too and they are telling you how smart you are because you’re so good at English.

“I was born in Canada. English is my first language.”

The look on their faces and Hinata is then amazed at your Japanese while Kageyama just stares at you in awe.

“What’s volleyball like in English?” Kageyama asked and you laugh a little.

“I’ve actually never actually seen a volleyball match and only girls played it at my school,” you said and both Hinata and Kageyama just can’t believe it.

Instead of studying, you’re being bombarded with reasons why you should either watch a game or join the team. Yachi is trying to calm them down.

“Hey, he could be busy! Stop harassing him!” Yachi exclaims and is throwing her hands around all over the place.

“Don’t worry, Yachi. It’s kind of adorable,” you said and neither of the freak duo understood what you just said because it was in English (which was on purpose).

One day after studying, Kageyama asks to speak to you and you are kind of excited but not because your Japanese isn’t the best outside of study sessions.

You blame your parents for only speaking English at home for the reason of struggling with Japanese when at school and attempting to make friends.

“L/N-san, you should come to one our practices,” Kageyama said and you just stare at him because it was unexpected.

“I can try, I just know nothing about volleyball.”

“I will teach you everything you need to know about volleyball,” Kageyama said and you just nod because you’re pretty sure it doesn’t matter if you said yes or no at this point.

You go to one of their practices after they get to move on to the November tournament and it’s kind of stressful in a way. You’re impressed though.

You somehow get roped into going to practices nearly everyday with the promise of tutoring afterwards.

“Do you remember what that was called?” Kageyama asked and you just nod even though you kind of can but can’t say it aloud.

It’s like all those moments when you know what you want to say but you just can’t verbalize it. This time it’s literally just the word ‘receive’

“Kageyama, stop harassing Y/N and get back to practicing,” Sugawara said and of course, Tobio listens.

You’re about to go over to Yachi when Suga stops you and you just look at him kind of scared and confused.

“I’m sorry about Kageyama. You don’t have to come to practices for him though, no one will be upset.”

You would definitely stop going if you weren’t learning more slang Japanese from Tanaka and Noya or having Tsukishima correct you in a way kinder than you expected.

“It’s actually pretty cool watching you guys play,” you said with a smile and Suga chuckled before he walked off.

Noya suggests you become a manager because “you come to practice every day anyways.”

“He may not be comfortable with that because everyone we go against only speaks Japanese,” Tsukishima said nonchalantly. “Also, he probably doesn’t want to deal with your screaming.”

Tsukishima is right about being hesitant to join due to maybe not knowing enough Japanese to understand what’s going on all the time You were pretty sure that you’d know what was going on at least 75% of the time.

“Y/N! You came to practice again?” Kiyoko asked and you nodded, trying to figure out what you wanted to say.

“I really like the team.” There was more you wanted to say and you were getting nervous. “I don’t know some words in Japanese.”

“Oh, maybe try to explain them? I’ll try to help.”

Kiyoko is a literal angel.

“You and Yachi.”

“Managers?” She asked with a weird look and you nodded.

“Manager is what I want to be.”

That was such a choppy sentence and you want to die from embarrassment. You want to tell her that you really are better with words.

“You want to join the team?” She asked and that was what you were trying to say but your brain wasn’t processing.

“Yes, that!”

Takeda doesn’t necessarily try to talk you out of it but tries to make you aware.

He explains how everyone around you may speak Japanese you understand and you can’t always ask what they mean, which you knew. You didn’t grocery shop alone when you first got to Japan for that reason.

He also explains how late in the season it is to join, but you could if you really wanted to.

“You obviously know the best option for you and I can’t stop you from making that.”

Everyone on the team pretty happy you joined and Tanaka and Noya make sure to make a big deal out of the fact they’ll help you whenever you get confused.

Ennoshita then makes the comment that they would have to actually good at formal Japanese and English to really be of help, which deflates the two starters.

Surprisingly, enough Tsukishima is one that helps you most because he can tell when you’re trying to figure something out when others can’t.

Tanaka screams out “maji de” and looks frustrated, so you know he’s upset but you don’t know what to say to help if you don’t really know what he said.

“He said ‘seriously’ aka majime,” Tsukishima said as he took a drink out of his water bottle. “He’s pissed about something; I didn’t see what.”

You had never heard Tsukishima speak English until then and Hinata had once said he was a terrible tutor, but you’d disagree.

“Sorry, I won’t be at practice today I have to go to the doctor,” you said and Hinata got all wide eyed, even though everyone went to the doctor constantly in Japan.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes, I just have to go for the.” The words were there and you knew them because your mom had told you them yesterday but what were they again?

“He’s going for his yearly checkup.”

Tsukishima saves the day again when Hinata would have probably just stared at you.

Yachi helps you understand the rules to the game better than if you would have tried to research it yourself and she even helps you make a notebook of the English terms (you had to look some of them up or ask your parents) to Japanese, which made it easier for you to learn.

#haikyuu x male reader #male reader #maler reader insert #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu x reader hc #haikyuu headcanons

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takaraphoenix · 3 years

Note

Ofc I'm excited for the new chapter phoe, I am so starved for Jason content that even the suggestion that I'm going to get some (esp QUALITY Jason content like urs) makes me unbelievably giddy and I'm fr checking my phone to see when it's gonna be update time in ur timezone 🥺✨

Oh gosh, you're so sweet. Your messages always delight me a lot and since Jason took kind of a backseat today in favor of the build up of the secret reveal, yooou get a small, Jason-focused flash-forward into their future. ;) also because I actually have time to write again fdklghaöklh

Sky-blue eyes were large as they quickly flew over the words in front of him. His mouth was in a small oh-shape as he absorbed every little bit of information that was given to him. And then it just ended.

To Be Continued...

No, no, no. That couldn't possibly be! This was too exciting, it couldn't just end like that! His sister next to him made a squealing sound as she also reached the ending. She grabbed the comic book out of his hand and tried turning the page, hoping against hope there would be more.

"No, no, no," she whined frustrated and threw herself back onto the bed.

After a moment, her brother mirrored her. The two groaned and whined until their current babysitter walked in, a frown on his face. He brushed hazel-hair out of his face.

"What's gotten into you lot?"

"The comic ends, uncle Tyson! It just ends! And the next issue won't come out until next month, but it just got really, really exciting!" he heard his sister complain.

"Grace is right! This isn't fair. Cliffhangers are unlawful and inhumane!"

Tyson laughed and approached the bed to sit down between his niece and nephew. "I think I gotta talk to your parents about your definition of unlawful and inhumane, Jacky."

Jackson huffed and crossed his arms over his chest, pout in place and sky-blue eyes dark like a brewing storm. When it darkened in the room and rumbling could be heard from outside, Tyson frowned concerned and cleared his throat.

"You guys do know that you could just... ask your parents, right? They were right there. They know exactly how all of this unfolded," offered Tyson.

He took the comic-book - issue 13 of The Adventures of the New Olympians - and closed it to hold up the cover, where Jason di Angelo was standing heroically in his Blue Lightning uniform, fighting a giant space-octopus. Jackson frowned and turned to look at his sister.

"I dunno", admitted Grace. "Dad is like... dad. Not Blue Lightning. Dad sings bad old boyband songs in the shower and steals daddy's blue cookies and baby-talks to Mrs. O'Leary."

"Yeah. These comics are totally fiction, uncle Tyson", agreed Jackson seriously. "Dad's a total dork, not a superhero! He isn't like daddy and papa."

Tyson huffed a little at that, fond smile on his lips. "He isn't now. But when push comes to shove, he always got our back in a fight. Because he could never bear standing aside if his family gets hurt. Go and ask him about it, mh."

"Tyson? Where are you?", called his wife from somewhere else. "Jason is here to pick up the kids!"

"Ah, your cue, pipsqueaks", Tyson grinned and ruffled both their hair.

Grace quickly grabbed her Wisdom Warrior doll, while Jackson took the comic book, both kids quickly running out the room and downstairs. Grace just lept off a few steps before the end of the stairs, jumping straight into her dad's awaiting arms. Jason was smiling softly, hugging her tightly. Her blonde curls bounced as he whirled her around once.

"Hey there, kids. Had fun with uncle Tyson and auntie Ella?"

"Ye--es", chorused Jackson and Grace.

"Thanks for watching them, guys", Jason turned to offer Tyson and Ella a small, grateful smile. "With Perce and Nico still in Canada about that... maple syrup fuled robot apocalypse... it's been kind of stressful. And then Thabi got into trouble at school and-"

"No need to explain, or to thank us", assured Tyson, patting his brother-in-law on the back. "That's what brothers are for, Jay. We got your back. Besides, we love those two."

With a last smile aimed at the couple, Jason herded the twins out of the house and toward the car. He made sure their seatbelts were fastened before he got in the driver's seat and started the car. In the rear-mirror, he could see the twins whispering with each other, but neither speaking up. He decided against asking, for now. They'd tell him whatever was on their minds when they were ready.

Once at home, both of the kids ran off to their rooms and Jason was so busy with things around the house that he nearly forgot about the kids' strange behavior. That's what they got for having a ridiculously big house and stables, but then again, they did need the grounds to allow their companions enough space to roam free. He'd just finished feeding Tempest and Blackjack when the twins suddenly stood behind him, serious, matching frowns on their faces.

"We have come to the agreement that we should ask you", declared Grace.

A nine-year-old with pigtails had no right to look this serious. Jason smiled a little at that, nodding and waiting for more.

"We know that daddy and papa are superheroes", continued Jackson as the three headed back toward the house. "But you aren't! You're just... dad. Right?"

"Ouch", Jason huffed out a little laugh. "Just dad, huh?"

"I mean, you're normal, like us", corrected Grace with a frown, motioning at the posters at the walls when they entered the living room. "You're only a hero on the big screen! Not in real life!"

The smile on Jason's lips turned more nostalgic. His dorky, dorky husbands had decided to plaster every wall that wasn't filled with family pictures with posters of his movies. Right now, Grace was motioning very decidedly at The Twelve Tasks of Hercules. Hercules was his most popular role, a fictional superhero clearly supposed to be the son of Zeus but never actually name-dropping Zeus in the movie series. Or the spin-off TV show. It had spanned a whole cinematic universe about fictional superheroes after they had introduced Theseus, a water-powered superhero who was a thinly veiled homage to Percy, in one of the movies. Theseus got his own solo-movie, then a sequel and over the years, they had established more and more heroes in this universe. Jason was so incredibly proud of it, not just because he played the hero who started it all, but because he was also creatively involved; he had pitched the character of Theseus.

Sitting down on the couch, he let his eyes wander just a little. A poster of his first big breakout role as Jace Herondale in a TV show adaptation of The Mortal Instruments... naturally, Percy had chosen the poster where Jason posed shirtless, showing off the runes.

"What do you want to be when you grow up?", asked Jason softly.

"I wanna take over granny's bakery", declared Jackson with a puffed-out chest. "I'll learn all of her recipes and become the best baker in all of New York."

"I dunno, dad. I'm nine", huffed Grace with a pointed look. "Maybe I'll become a great fashion designer like auntie Silena! Or a teacher like auntie Annabeth. Or president. Or astronaut. Oh! Or doctor."

"Okay, okay", Jason interrupted her, laughing. "But neither of you wants to become a superhero like your dads?"

The twins exchanged a silent look before shaking their heads and Jackson answered. "No. It looks scary. It looks cool to watch but I'd be super scared."

Jason nodded slowly. "But if Gracie was in danger, like really, really scary danger, what would you do?"

"I'd help her!", exclaimed Jackson immediately, grabbing his sister's hand.

The smile on Jason's lips grew some. "Being a hero is really, really scary and really, really dangerous. And I never-ever wanted to be a hero. I'm not as brave as your dads when it comes to that. But when there is something very big and dangerous that your dads can't handle on their own, I'll put my own fears aside. Because you know what is just... so much scarier than being a hero? It'd be if something happened to your dads. And I couldn't help."

He knew their kids were under no illusions; they knew Nico and Percy led dangerous lives and they knew something could happen to them. Nico had already been hospitalized for a longer period of time a few years ago.

"So when they really need me, I'll be very brave to help them."

"So... So this is really real?", asked Grace softly, holding up the comic-book.

Jason snorted a little at the extremely overdone hero-pose he was striking on the cover. "It's... more or less real. There's some... made-up stuff there, because those who write these comics, they only had the news coverage to go by, they weren't actually there when we met in private and planned and talked. But yes, that happened."

Jackson straightened up at that and took the comic from his sister to open it on the last page, putting it down on Jason's lap and very decidedly pointing at the To Be Continued in the lower corner.

"How's it end!?", asked Jackson eagerly. "We don't wanna wait!"

"Ye--es! Did you save the day? Did you rescue daddy when he got abducted by the alien octopus?", wanted Grace to know, eyes large.

Laughing to himself, Jason leaned back against the couch and opened his arms, both his kids immediately snuggling up to him and eagerly awaiting the story. Jason wasn't the greatest story-teller in the family, Piper was the author, but he did his best to actually tell the story as exciting as possible. He talked and talked for over an hour and by the end of the story, both twins were deep asleep. Asleep on him, not giving him a chance to move from the couch either. Though he was tired too, so he closed his eyes, just for a second.

"I'm de--ead", groaned Percy softly and something shifted.

Jason blinked sleepily, turning his head toward the source of the voice. His face lit up when he saw Percy snuggled up to Grace from behind. When he turned toward his other side, he saw Nico behind Jackson.

"I'm sorry we were both gone, amore", whispered Nico as he leaned over to kiss Jason sweetly. "It was an all-hands-on-deck situation..."

"You don't have to explain", Jason smiled faintly. "You're the leaders of the Olympians. They rely on you. Especially now with all the newbies, they need your guidance."

"Yeah, but we promised you we'd step back some", Percy sighed frustrated.

"You can't control when a weird Canadian wants to start the robot- apocalypse", Jason chuckled amused. "I'm proud of you both. And you have been stepping back a lot."

Percy hummed in agreement, eyes slowly closing as he rested his head on Jason's shoulder. Within moments, he was out cold. So the entire family was going to sleep on the couch today, mh?

"How did your meeting go?", asked Nico, sounding sleepy.

"Good. I mean. Really good. The studio is still so stubbornly thinking that female superheroes won't sell, but we finally pushed through. We got the Helen of Troy spin-off greenlit", replied Jason with a puffed out chest.

Nico smiled at him, kissing his cheek. "Good. I'm proud of you."

And then he yawned and snuggled closer to Jason. It filled Jason with warmth to just sit here, with his husbands and children, in their home. Safe and happy. Yes, he worried for Nico and Percy when they were out there, but he also knew that this was their dream and they loved their job. And ever since the twins had been born, the two really had stepped back, leading from the headquarters and training new heroes, only going out themselves if it was an emergency and the others needed help. Jason couldn't be mad about that, wouldn't want to be either, because he could never resent his husbands for living their dream - they had, after all, always supported Jason and his dream. Even when Jason would be in another country for months filming a movie, they never complained, they took care of the kids and were proudly at his side during the premieres.

"I love you two", whispered Jason, carefully kissing the top of Nico's head on one of his shoulders and the top of Percy's head on the other. "My heroes."

#Jercico #Fic: The Legacy of the Big Three #Jason Grace #Fanfiction #Phoe's Tumblr Drabbles #mmmh does that count? yeha I guess

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three-headed-monster · 2 years

Note

L'Heureux not getting an invite is a bit of a travesty but I wonder if it’s because of his temper/suspension history. He has a long history of doing dumb things, like spitting on another player during Covid season for one (he still got first round drafted thoug so who knows).

Excited to see elliot desnoyers invite though! He honestly deserves the chance. Very good person off the ice and a really smart player on the ice. Rumor is multiple Q teams are fighting to get him at the trade deadline for their playoff runs!

anon...i really don't think hockey canada cares about his suspension history tbh. if they did, they'd care about ridly greig and daemon hunt's histories than they currently do. greig has been suspended 5 times in the whl already (potentially to be a sixth after he head-shotted daemon hunt yesterday) and will be sitting out his first ever nhl game on an nhl roster due to a lingering suspension issued this year when he high sticked pld. hunt has also been suspended twice in the past 6 months in the whl. in my personal opinion, they really just chose the players that the coach liked and truly not the most talented players in the group. if it was the other way around, i'm not sure l'heureux would have made the team, but i definitely think he would have been invited to camp, especially as a first rounder.

i'm glad that they took lots of qmjhl guys this year! the q has been really dominant this year and there's lots of talent there for sure that deserved to be invited. can't wait to see which ones (if any) end up making the team!

#ask #hockey #zachary l'heureux #wjc 2022 #team canada

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blairsanne · 2 years

Text

In the Cards (7)

Big Wolf on Campus fanfic. Merton x OC. [Tommy also gets some pairings.]

Chapter Summary: Tommy convinces Merton and Kalida to finally investigate whether or not the local movie store rental guy is a vampire. Kalida gets some unexpected visitors.

Also on FF & AO3.

Chapter 7: Company

"Merton doesn't believe me."

Tommy paced the floor in the Lair, pleading his case to Kalida. She sat cross-legged facing Merton on the couch, painting his nails a glossy black. "It's pretty hard to believe that there would be a vampire in town for so long and nobody would notice. Even you're an urban legend around here and you don't hurt anyone."

"Who better to believe than a werewolf on this!?" Tommy threw his hands up in the air. "Trevor is definitely a vampire." "Did you see him bite someone? Or bare his fangs?" "Well, no, but… I only ever see him on night shift, he's super pale-" "If he works nights, it's not like he's going to get a tan." "Don't bother," Merton snickered, shaking his head. "I've been having this argument with him for weeks." "I'm telling you, he's a friggin' vampire!"

Kalida capped the polish and put it on the coffee table. "Okay, let's say you're right. Is he a danger to anyone?" Merton blew lightly on his nails. "If you consider blood-sucking killers in the night dangerous, then, yeah, a vampire in the rental store would fit the bill." "But look at the facts." Kalida counted them out on her hand. "No instances of neck punctures in recent record. No rumours about a vampire in town. No concrete proof that he's a vampi-" "My wolf senses just know!"

Kali cleared her throat. "And finally," she held up four fingers. "We can't discount the possibility that even if he is a vampire, he might not be dangerous." Tommy huffed. "So, what, just ignore it?" She grinned crookedly. "Well, I didn't say that." Merton gawked. "Et tu, Brute?"

"Well, I…" She glanced to the side, smiling bashfully. "It would be the first thing we all investigated as a group since I got brought into the fold properly." Tommy pumped his fist victoriously. "Finally!" He pointed at Merton. "I'm going to prove that I'm right." Merton shrugged. "I guess we'll see." Tommy headed for the door. "Right now!?" Kalida gripped the back of the couch as she looked over it at the now half-open door. "My nails are still wet," Merton pouted.

Kali held the bottle up at Tommy. "I could paint yours next to pass the time?" He rolled his eyes, but closed the door. "Pass."

---

The next day after school, the trio gathered at their lockers. "Since you guys wussed out of checking out that Trevor guy last night, I think we should go tonight." "Awesome! I wanted to rent-" Kalida squealed as she was suddenly lifted into the air.

A teenage boy Tommy didn't recognize had come up behind her and picked her up, bridal style. "Found ya." He was taller than Tommy, with wavy blond hair that hit his shoulders.

Tommy swallowed hard, trying not to wolf out as his protective instincts kicked in. Kalida put her hands on either side of his face. "Steve-O!? Are you really here?" He rocked her in his arms. "It's not just me, baby girl. Whole gang came down to hector you." "Seriously?" She shook her head in disbelief. "You're joking."

Merton cleared his throat. Kalida looked over at him, excited. "This is my friend Steve! We've gone to school together since forever." She glanced back at Steve, then pointed. "That's my cousin Tommy, and our friend Merton."

Hugo ambled down the hallway and shouted at them. "Young man! There is no picking up fellow students in the hallway!" Steve grinned. "Better get out of here, I'm gonna get detention. Bye boys!" With that, he took off down the hallway, Kalida still in his arms. "Steve-O!" she laughed as they disappeared around the corner.

"I guess she's not free tonight anymore." Merton licked his lips. "Did she mention this guy to you at all?" "No, she's never talked about her friends in Canada." Merton bristled at the growl in Tommy's voice. "You okay? You're not going to, y'know," he made a gesture for alert ears. Tommy took a deep breath. "He just surprised me. I'll calm down in a sec." Merton put a hand on Tommy's shoulder. "Remember, deep, slow breaths." He demonstrated, gesturing with his free hand. Tommy pushed his hand away. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine."

---

Tommy and Merton entered the Factory, looking around for Kalida and her friends. "Tommy, isn't it a bit intrusive for us to be joining Kalida and her friends?" "Naw, man. She invited us." "I know, but she hasn't seen them in a while…" Tommy raised a brow at him. "C'mon, Merton. You're not just a little bit curious what her friends are like?" Merton laughed nervously. "Okay, well, maybe a little-" "Look, there they are." He pointed to the group of six, sitting around two tables pushed together.

The three guys sat on one side of the table; Steve-O sat on the end, followed by a guy with his hair in twists that was wearing a triforce t-shirt, and finally a guy with electric blue hair and a lip piercing. On the other side of the table were a scrawny, short girl with a bleached side-cut wearing punk clothing, a plump redhead wearing a retro-looking dress, and then Kalida.

"Ehhh, it's the dudes from earlier!" Steve-O pointed at Tommy and Merton when they approached. Kalida flashed them a cheery grin. "Hey, you made it!" She motioned at the two empty seats near her. "We got food." She held a chicken strip up. Merton slid into the seat next to her, stealing a bite. Tommy sat down across from him in the last chair and took a chicken strip from her plate. Kalida laughed at Merton, but rolled her eyes. "So I'm feeding you now?" She poked at his face with the partially-eaten strip as he tried playfully to chomp it.

The blue-haired kid beside Tommy held out a tattooed hand. "Isaac. You must be Tommy, the cousin." Tommy shook his hand, offering a smile. "I am the cousin." He nodded his head toward Merton. "That's my best friend Merton." Merton stopped messing around with Kalida and offered his hand across the table. "Nice to meet you. Hope you're enjoying America." Isaac nodded weakly, a lopsided smile glued to his face. "It's something."

Kalida started pointing at her friends, naming them all for Tommy and Merton. "So that's Margie and Bob, you met Steve-O, and finally Nate." Tommy pointed at the impish punk girl. "Bob?" "It's a nickname," she rolled her eyes. Margie giggled. "It's short for Roberta." Bob leveled a glare at the redhead. "I will cut you." "Sweetie, nobody believes that."

Steve pushed the plate of nachos toward them. "Go nuts on the appies, our treat." Tommy shrugged. "Don't mind if I do."

Kalida continued eating the chicken strip Merton had helped himself to, turning her attention back to Margie. "So, you have to tell me what happened with Connor's gig." The redhead lit up. "Right! So, the opening act didn't show, but there was this busker that he'd met earlier on Granville Island-"

Isaac nodded at Merton to get his attention. "Kali said you're the president of the Gothic Fantasy Guild?" Merton brightened. "Oh, yeah!" "You guys ever LARP or play table top?" "We don't really have the, uh, numbers for a LARP run, but I've run a few D&D campaigns here and there." "Niiice." Nate nodded approvingly at Merton. "Nerd club, represent!" He fist-bumped Isaac, who didn't even look at him, extending the fist instinctively.

Merton pointed at the two of them. "You guys play?" Isaac did a circular gesture with his finger. "I've run a few campaigns for the gang." He spoke a bit louder, interrupting the girls' conversation. "Kali, what was that pirate chick's name you played that had a negative to her wisdom check?" Kali blinked, furrowing her brow. "You mean Brash? She was a dex fighter, not a pirate." Nate laughed loudly. "She was a dang pirate in a dress." Bob leaned over. "In love with a kobold." Kali raised her hands defensively. "Hey, her and Raga never even kissed. He was an NPC."

Tommy rubbed the back of his neck, furrowing his brow. Merton stared at Kalida incredulously. "You never mentioned you played Dungeons and Dragons." "I don't."

Steve hit the table with his large hand. "We should run a campaign!" Kali shook her head. "No, no, no. Do not suck me into that right now. I have lost too many nights to role playing, and I really want to graduate high school." Merton elbowed her gently. "But you've never played with me…" He batted his lashes at her.

She pushed his face away with her hand and stood up abruptly. "I'm getting a drink." "Get a round!" Margie grinned. Isaac hopped up immediately. "I'll help you carry them."

Steve got up and stole Isaac's seat. "So Tommy, I hear you're the football team captain." "Yeah," Tommy nodded, grinning widely. "Starting quarterback." "Cool man, cool. I play rugby, but these nerds," he gestured briefly at the three remaining Canadians, "prefer the bleachers." Tommy glanced at Merton. "Yeah, I can relate." "I was briefly a cheerleader…" Merton offered, frowning as he realized how that sounded.

---

The group of eight talked and ate around the table for hours. Eventually they agreed that it was getting late and they should disband for the night.

"So what's the plan this weekend?" Steve rested his arms on Bob's head as he addressed the group. He fixed his eyes on Kalida. "Camping? Party at the Dawkins house?" Kalida held her hands up, eyes wide. "No, you guys can't crash my uncle's place. He'd kill me. Seriously." "Then why don't you show us around tomorrow?" Isaac passed her a business card. "That's the hotel we're booked at. Pop by in the morning." Steve nodded. "Yeah, tour guide!" Kali nodded, slipping the card in her pocket. "Okay, cool. I'll see you in the morning, then." She waved them off as they piled into Steve's mini-van, then headed over to Betsy.

Merton had parked right next to the camper, and he and Tommy were leaned up against the passenger side, talking excitedly to each other. "You're still here!" She stood before them, grinning. "So, what did you think of the gang?" "They were pretty cool," Tommy conceded. "It's awesome that they all came down to surprise you like this." Kali shrugged, looking away bashfully. "We're pretty tight, I guess."

Merton put his hands in his pockets. "You must have been lonely without them." "Not that lonely," she laughed, pushing his shoulder playfully. "So, movie store?"

"Oh," Kali blinked. "Is that why you waited for me?" "Yeah, you wanted to come along, right?" Merton rubbed the back of his neck. "Of course! I'll follow in Betsy."

---

When they walked into the rental store, Kalida leaned in close to Merton and whispered in his ear. "Is that the guy?" She pointed subtly to a pale brunette behind the counter signing VHS tapes back into the system. The lime green uniform shirt was unflattering to his skin tone, and he had bags under his eyes, but he was smiling softly to himself as he worked. Merton tried to hide the shiver down his spine at her proximity. "Yeah."

He strode across the floor to the counter and leaned on it casually. "Hey Trev. Any recommendations?" Trevor nodded, grinning. "Actually, yeah, I watched this cool vampire werewolf flick last night I thought you'd get a kick out of. Plus we just got a copy of Freddy Vs. Jason." Merton tapped the counter. "Great. I'll take both. Plus whatever my friends pick out." Trevor saluted. "You're the boss, Mr. Dingle."

Kalida glanced at Tommy with a raised brow, watching this from the new release section. "Yeah Tommy, he seems positively frightening." Tommy rolled his eyes. "I didn't say he was scary, just that he's a vampire." He browsed the movie cases, picking up Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle. "Sweet, I didn't know there was a sequel." Merton breezed up and put his arm around Kalida. "Wanna pick something out? I have a gold card, so I get a discount." She giggled, but leaned into him. "You come here a lot, eh?" "Sure, they've got the best selection in town." "What did you get?" Merton passed her the two cases. "A horror movie and… a monster movie." Kali pouted slightly. "I don't think I can watch these."

Tommy pat the top of her head. "Aww, cuz, are you too much of a weenie, even with two guys protecting you?" "Yes." She smoothed her hair out. "I'm gonna pick something a little less scary."

When she wandered off, Merton took the Charlie's Angels case from Tommy, grimacing. "Really?" "Come on. Hot chicks, fighting…" Tommy raised a brow, grinning. "Well… When you put it that way." Merton grinned back, laughing. Tommy looked up and tensed slightly. He hit Merton and gestured toward Kalida, who had gotten into a conversation with Trevor.

"You know, we haven't really talked about it before, but you're pretty protective of Kalida." "What?" Tommy growled slightly. "You almost wolfed out when Steve grabbed her, and you're literally growling at me right now." "Of course, she's talking to a friggin vampire." Merton sighed and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Let's just go over there. And calm down." He led Tommy over to the counter and added Tommy's pick to the pile of cases on the counter.

"So that's four all together," Trevor said to Merton. Merton passed him his rental card and flipped through the pile. "Pirates of the Caribbean." "It's a good one." Kali said defensively. Merton nodded, raising his brows slightly. "Sure, it's great. I just expected something like Finding Nemo." She smacked his arm. "Just because I want to sleep at night, doesn't mean I'm a child." Trev snickered, scanning the movie cases.

"Oh, actually." Kalida leaned against the counter. "I was wondering what your hours are?" "We're open til three." "Three am?" Kalida mocked surprise. "They make you stay that late?" Trev shrugged. "Graveyard shift." "Doesn't that bother your girlfriend?" "Nah," He gestured over his shoulder. "She works closing shift at the Hungry Bucket and picks me up on her way home." "Aww, that's sweet." Kalida smiled brightly.

---

Back in the parking lot, Merton looked over at Kalida with a raised brow. "How did you know he had a girlfriend? He's never mentioned her before." "Oh," she shrugged. "I didn't." Tommy furrowed his brow. "So, what, then? You were trying to find out if he was single?" "I was trying to find out when he gets off work, and if anyone would be expecting him. He gets off at three, and his girlfriend picks him up. So if we want to follow him home, that complicates things a bit."

"I doubt he'd take a detour to drain someone's blood on his way home with his girlfriend in the car." Merton rolled his eyes. Kalida shrugged. "Unless they're both vampires." He held the bridge of his nose. "Come on. You said yourself, there's no evidence-" "Actually after getting a good look at him, I think Tommy might be on to something."

Tommy pumped his fist again. "YES! So then it's a stake-out. Heh, get it? Stake?" He held his hand up for a high-five. Kali leveled a glare at him. "I think he might be a vampire. But I'm still not convinced we need to dust him, even if he is." She rolled her shoulders. "Besides which, I have plans tomorrow with the Granville Gang so I don't want to stay up that late tonight." "Granville Gang?" "My friends from earlier. We used to hang out on Granville Island a lot." "But you're not like, a real gang, right?" Tommy narrowed his eyes at her. "Um, like with turf and weapons and stuff? No." She laughed. "I think you're overestimating us." Merton smirked. "Isaac does have tattoos." Tommy leaned on him, grinning. "And Bob did threaten to cut Margie." "And you're both total dweebs." Kali hopped into Betsy's driver seat. "See you at the Lair."

---

They settled on Merton's couch, Kalida in the middle seat. Merton pressed play on the Pirates movie, then leaned toward Kalida. She held a bowl they'd mixed various snacks into, picking things out one by one. "Don't steal all the good stuff." he teased. She held a gummy worm between her teeth and grinned at him, then slurped it into her mouth with raised eyebrows. "No promises."

Tommy grabbed a handful and spread out slightly into a relaxed position. "You've already seen this?" Kali nodded. "Yeah. We liked it so much we dressed up as pirates to go to a second screening," she laughed. "It's fun. You'll like it." "Arrr."

---

When the credits rolled, Kalida put the empty snack bowl on the coffee table. "I'm totally gonna be a pirate for Halloween this year." Tommy made a hook gesture with his hand. "Savvy?" "I heard they're gonna make a sequel." "Sweet!"

Kalida looked around for a clock. "What time is it? I should probably head home." "It's only like ten." Tommy elbowed her. "Stick around." Merton smiled sweetly at her. "Yeah, it's not as fun without you." She hummed, furrowing her brow. "I dunno." Tommy pouted and batted his lashes. "Come on, stay. Stayyyyy…"

She rolled her eyes. "Oh my god, fine. But I need a blanket or something. And I'm not watching a horror movie." Merton got up, cheerily passing her a throw blanket. "Then Tommy's pick is up next. A tale of three strong young women who-" "It's a Charlie's Angels sequel, don't overhype it." Kalida wrapped herself in the black blanket, studying the skull pattern knit into it. "Did you make this?" "Bought it online." "Nice."

---

Tommy was immediately engrossed by the film. Not long into it, Kalida started yawning, pulling the blanket up around her neck. Merton tried not to actually look at her as he slowly inched toward her. A few minutes later, she laid her head on his shoulder, eyes half-open. He glanced over at Tommy, and upon noting that his friend was completely absorbed by the 'hot chicks fighting', he gently maneuvered his arm around Kalida. To his delight, she pulled her legs up onto the seat and snuggled right up against his chest, closing her eyes. He held her there for the rest of the film, feeling both satisfied and intensely nervous, despite her being asleep for the duration.

---

When the movie ended, Tommy clapped his hands together. "Well, I guess we-" He pointed at Merton and Kalida, lowering his voice to a loud whisper. "Is she… asleep?" "Uh, yeah, Tommy." Merton glanced down at the girl under his arm. "For like the last hour?" "Oh." He rubbed the back of his neck, frowning. "Do you think she'll want to drive if I wake her up?" "Oh, please. No need. She can crash on the couch and we can share the bed." "Merton, uh, no offense little buddy, but I don't exactly want to share a bed with ya."

"Alternatively she could join me in the bed." He gave a nervous laugh, picturing it. Tommy gave him a dirty look. "Why don't Kali and I share the bed, since we're cousins." Merton narrowed his eyes, trying to think of an argument against it, but came up short. "Yeah… I guess that's fine."

---

When Kalida woke in the morning, she was completely disoriented. The sheets felt weird, and when she tried to roll over, she hit something big and warm. She sat up in a panic, then held her hand to her chest with relief when she saw that it was just Tommy. She took a better look around, thinking that the Lair had a peculiar quality in the grey morning light. She fingered the sheets on Merton's bed, cheeks growing hot.

Carefully, so as not to wake Tommy, she slipped from beneath the covers and checked herself in Merton's mirror. She thumbed her now-greasy hair and grimaced at her smudged make up. She could change into less wrinkled clothes thanks to having Betsy with her, but she needed to clean herself up.

She walked softly to the couch, then perched on the edge of the seat beside Merton's torso. "Hey, Merton..." She whispered, tentatively rubbing his shoulder. "Wake up a sec." His brows furrowed, but he blinked awake, taking a moment to process that Kalida was hovering over him. "Wha-?" "Is it okay if I take a shower?" He propped himself up and stifled a yawn. "Mm, yeah, sure. There's towels in the cupboard over the toilet." He pointed vaguely toward the bathroom. "Thanks." She kissed his forehead. "You should go back to sleep, it's early." He watched as she made her way to the bathroom, then laid back on the seats. He closed his eyes and sighed blissfully, trying not to imagine her undressing in the other room.

---

When she came out of the bathroom, redressed and hair dried, she couldn't help but giggle at the sight of Tommy and Merton on the couch, eating breakfast and watching cartoons. Merton perked up at the sound and held up a box of cereal, using it to gesture at the empty bowl and jug of milk on the table. "Count Chocula?" "Don't mind if I do." She served herself, then sandwiched between them on the couch.

Tommy sniffed and gave her a weird expression. "What?" "Uh, it's... Nothing." Tommy shook his head and went back to eating. Kalida laughed incredulously. "You literally just smelled me and pulled a face." "No, I-" He sighed, rolling his eyes. "It's just a wolf thing. You smell weird today. Like Merton." Merton mimed being stabbed in the chest. "I smell weird?" "No, you just…" Tommy felt his cheeks getting hot. "You guys just have certain smells, but today Kalida really smells like you."

Kalida nodded, thinking. "Probably 'cause I used his soap?" Merton squinted at Tommy. "Do you always smell people?" "You make it sound so creepy! I can't help it." "Relax, it's cool." Kalida pat Tommy's knee reassuringly. "Sorry I smell weird." Merton gawked. "I don't smell weird." She rolled her eyes. "Let me correct myself. Sorry I smell like Merton." She sniffed her arm. "I don't really mind it, though." "Thank you." Merton nodded pointedly.

Tommy rolled his eyes. "Merton if I didn't like your scent, I wouldn't hang out in your room overnight." "R-right." He deflated a bit, relaxing. "Now that we've all established how great I smell, what's on the docket for for the day?" "I've gotta meet my crew when I'm done here." Kalida reminded him.

"What about Trevor the vampire?" Tommy raised a brow. "When are we doing our stake out?" "If I can take a nap, we could do it tonight. But I'm pretty sure his girlfriend is just going to drive him home." "Then we'll just watch his house to see if he leaves while the sun is up." "Yeah, that sounds thrilling," Merton sighed. "My friends are still in town? I don't really want to spend the whole day staring at a house." "Well, we can't do it during the week, or we'll get busted for skipping school." Kalida sighed. "Yeah, I definitely can't miss school." "Has to be tonight, then."

"Great." Merton huffed, rolling his eyes. "Stalking. Just how I always dreamed of spending my Saturday night and all of Sunday." "Right, like you had plans," Tommy rolled his eyes. "Speaking of plans, I have some. So I'll pop by here when I'm done for the night?"

---

Kalida hopped out of Betsy and skipped up to Merton's door. She was pleased to find it unlocked and called out as she let herself in. "Hey, I'm back!" Tommy waved from the couch, some kind of sports game on the television. Merton looked up from his desk and smiled. "Have fun with your gang?" She locked the door behind her and made her way over to Merton. "Yeah, I took them around town, and showed them that lookout spot we ate at." She squinted at the notebook he was writing in. "What are you working on?" "Just compiling some of my lycanthropy research." He gestured at Tommy with his pencil. "We took measurements again today."

She moved behind him and leaned her head over his shoulder to read the page. "You track all of that?" He swallowed, acutely aware of how close their faces were. "Yeah, just to make sure Tommy's doing okay… He can't really go to a doctor to ask about how long his fangs should be, or when it's time to trim his claws." She smiled and looked over at the back of Tommy's head. "Lucky he's got a friend who can help him out." Merton made a non-committal noise, shutting the notebook. "Anyway, you're back now, so what do you want to do?" He batted his lashes at her playfully. "Actually," she patted her messenger bag. "I have a bit of studying to do before we go to the rental place. Mind if I spread out on your bed?" "By all means."

She set out to make the bed, wondering if the sheets had been changed before she and Tommy had slept in it. She didn't remember anything between the movie starting and waking up beside Tommy. "YES!" Tommy cheered from the couch, making gestures at the TV. "I take it your team is winning?" Kalida laughed. "Oh man, Williams is a LEGEND!" "Okay, well, keep it down. I have some polynomials to deal with over here." "You got it, nerd girl." Tommy turned the volume down slightly on the tv set. She laid on her stomach to do her math homework, kicking her legs behind her absent-mindedly.

---

Kalida blinked awake, a metallic ringing making her head throb. "What the…" Once again she found herself waking up on Merton's bed. The ringing stopped and she heard a loud yawn. Merton's voice was surprisingly chipper. "Alright, friends. It's two-am. If we're stalking Trev, it's time to get ready." Tommy pulled himself off the couch and stretched, groaning loudly. "Let's hit a drive-thru on the way." Kalida pushed her math homework back into her bag, feeling slightly embarrassed. "What's even open this time of night?"

---

Tommy cradled the bucket of chicken they'd just picked up from Hungry Bucket. "You sure you don't want any?" Kalida snorted, wrapping Merton's skull throw around herself. "I'm not hungry. I guess I don't relate to always wanting fried chicken." She sipped at her coke. "The cold drink should help me stay awake though. Thanks." Merton dunked his nuggets into sweet and sour sauce. "A little midnight snack never hurt." "Midnight has long past."

As Tommy and Merton ate quietly, Kalida pulled out Merton's CD case and picked out a pop disc (to appease Tommy) to keep them all awake. "I can't help but notice a distinct lack of O-Town and B4-4 in your collection." Merton furrowed his brow. "I don't know them." She laughed. "Canadian boy bands. I was just joking. Tommy might like them, though." Tommy shrugged, still focused on his chicken. She sipped her cola and glanced over at Merton with raised brows. He shared a silent laugh with her, then tossed his bag of garbage into the back. He rubbed his hands together and tapped the clock on the dashboard. 2:55am. "Not long now."

Kalida sipped at her cola. "Y'know, I was thinking. Wouldn't it have been easier to invite Trevor to some event during the day? Just him showing up would be proof he's not a vamp." "What if he didn't show?" "Then we're back at square one I guess." She shrugged. "But it's a less creepy plan than following him home from work." "We're here now, we might as well see where he lives." "Yeah."

All three looked over as a beige sedan pulled into the parking lot. Kalida turned off the stereo and slunk down slightly to be less visible over the dashboard. "Trev's girlfriend's kinda cute out of her uniform." Tommy grinned. Kalida elbowed him. "So that's why you want to dust him." "Shh- here he comes." Merton clung to Kalida's arm, staring out the windshield as Trevor stepped out of the movie rental store in a deep blue hoodie.

They watched as Trevor's girlfriend greeted Trevor in the parking lot. They gave each other a tight hug, lingering near the driver's side door. Kalida couldn't make out what they were saying, but they were smiling and laughing and she could see the affection on both their faces. "Aww, look, they're so cute."

Merton squinted at them, then opened his eyes wide as Trevor leaned in close to the girl. "Yeah, it's real cute how he's biting her neck!" "I knew it!" Tommy wolfed out and rushed out of the passenger door. Kalida put her soda in the drink tray, then looked over to Merton, who was still staring out at the couple necking. "Merton. Weapons?"

He snapped back to reality. "Right." He passed the bag of stakes and holy water to Kalida, momentarily wondering if he should let her leave the car and be in danger. He didn't have time to argue though, because she pushed him toward the door. "We have to help Tommy, hurry up!"

Tommy and Trevor stood snarling at each other, fangs bared. Trevor's girlfriend held a bandage to her neck and cowered behind him. "L-leave us alone!" "I don't take kindly to vampires in my town!" Tommy pointed at Trevor. "I didn't ask to be a vampire, but I don't take kindly to being threatened!" Trev countered.

Kalida made eye contact with the other girl. "Are you okay!?" She nodded, eyes wide, glancing worriedly at Trevor. Tommy growled loudly and readied to attack, but Kalida suddenly ran between him and Trevor. "Wait!" She cowered as they each barely avoided hitting her.

"Kali, what the hell!?" Tommy's heart raced, thinking that he'd almost slashed her with his claws. Merton hesitantly approached her. "What are you-" "Not every situation needs to be shoot first ask questions later." She turned to Trevor's girlfriend. "You're okay, right?" She nodded meekly, clinging to Trevor's back. "I'd never hurt Amy." Trevor held his hand over his heart. "I love her!"

Tommy furrowed his brow, but dropped his fighting stance. "Wait, what?" Merton tilted his head. "We just saw you bite her."

"H-he has to feed," Amy explained. "So he bites me." "I'm really careful." Kalida nodded. "So you're a good vampire."

"Who's ever heard of a good vampire!?" Tommy cried. Merton scoffed. "Asks the good werewolf?" "Must be something in the water," Kalida laughed.

"Like I said, I never asked to get bitten." Trevor shook his head, fangs receding back to normal teeth. "We're not looking for any trouble." "I was hoping you weren't a threat. There wasn't a history of neck wounds in the area." Kalida tucked the stake into her back pocket. "Sorry we intruded." "So that's it?" Tommy threw his hands up. "We just have a vampire in town?"

Merton patted his shoulder. "Looks like you have competition for friendly neighbourhood monster, big guy." Trevor put his hand out toward Tommy. "Tommy, right? We won't tell if you won't tell." Tommy de-wolfed and shook Trevor's hand. "You've got a deal. But no funny business." "Same to you."

---

When they all piled back into the hearse, Merton turned to his friends. "Should I drop you at home? Or…" "I'm pretty sure Uncle Bob wouldn't want us walking in at three in the morning. We're gonna have to crash at your place again." She pulled the blanket around her again and leaned against Tommy. "Guess that means I've got the couch again," Merton sighed, but didn't really mind. Being around the Dawkins kids made him feel more at home than anything else.

"Is it really okay to just let him keep feeding on her?" Tommy murmured, staring out the window as they drove back to the lair. "Eventually he's either going to turn her, or they'll have to break up." Merton pointed out matter-of-factly. "What do you mean?" "Well, she's going to age, and he's not." "So there would be two vampires in town and nobody for them to feed on."

"They'll figure something out," Kalida interjected. "They're in love." Tommy snorted, but Merton smiled to himself, thinking it was cute that she was so sure it would work out. "Happy ending, right?"

---

Chapter 8 here.

Chapters: 1&2, 3&4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17

#bwoc #big wolf on campus #big wolf on campus fanfic #merton j dingle #merton x oc #merton dingle #tommy dawkins

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