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#also i just got confused by a synonym
lifblogs · 4 months
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Obviously that person is being helpful and isn’t going to know what I know and don’t know or what I remembered, but I legit know this stuff, so it feels like I’m getting talked down to.
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david-watts · 3 months
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sometimes I see shit on this site and feel enlightened because damn. reading haslanger might've not been entirely wasteful
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mrsdarkandyandere7 · 2 months
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oooh ok so i think something really fitting for dark luke would be him manipulating reader into joining kronos’ army and then reader realises that it’s wrong and tries to leave but he won’t let them (he perhaps might kidnap them just to keep them with him)🤭🤭🤭
Pairing: Dark Luke Castellan x (female) Reader
▶ This is a yandere/dark work and it may contain triggering content so please READ THE WARNINGS before. Do not read if minor.
More at Masterlist
Female reader
WARNINGS: Toxic Relationship; Minor Violence. 
Took me a long time to write it but here it is finally, so enjoy 😊
--
“Y/N, c’mon. We gotta hurry up.” 
You remain silent, feet fixed on the floor, bothered by the troublesome tentacles of doubt and uneasiness that have started to round you up. 
You had always agreed with Luke’s perspective on the Gods. Comforted him when Luke’s anger and anguish got the best out of him. Supported him when he rambled about the imperative need to act, to defy the Gods.
You understood him.
You had your fair share of bitterness and hatred dedicated to your own mother, something that often led to crying yourself to sleep. 
You even helped him design the plan that made sure that Zeus’ Lightning Bolt was stolen without the fault falling on Luke. 
But now… now things feel different. It feels wrong. Very wrong.
You’re not sure what changed, but as you passively observe Luke hastily stuffing some of your clothes into a small bag, you realize you can't do this.
Because it means to betray the only place that ever felt like home. To turn your back on the people you called friends. 
“I can’t go with you.”
Your words come out in a low tone, barely above a whisper and Luke stops for a moment, hands dangerously clenching around a few shirts of yours.
You think he’s going to say something, but as quick as the moment comes, it also goes away and your boyfriend resorts to ignoring you. 
“The rest of your shirts won’t fit here.” he says, with a strained voice. “But it’s fine. We can get you more clothes when we get there.”
A shaky sigh comes from you before you can stop it.
“Luke, I’m not going with you.” 
Luke tenses up and you nervously gulp when he twists his neck to glare at you with a mix of impatience, anger and exasperation and shakes his head before returning his attention to the bag, zipping it close. 
“Luke-”
“You’re not ditching me. Now right now.” he snaps at you, turning to fully face you. “You promised me you were on my side. Hell, you even helped me begin this. And now you’re abandoning me, seriously?” 
You shake your head, reaching for his hand. He lets you hold it, despite the angry frown he has. 
“This isn’t right, Luke. We can’t just-”
“But you get it, right? You get why I’m - we - are doing this, right?” he tugs you closer by the hand, his other hand wrapping itself around your other hand’s wrist.
Pulling you so close that you can practically see the rageful emotions exploding in his eyes. 
“It’s for a good cause. All of this! We’re doing this to stop the Gods, stop them from always getting away with every shitty action of theirs.” 
You look at him, pure confliction itching your heart and mind and Luke seems to notice that. 
“We’re in this together, okay?” his eyes beg you to accept it, to accept him. To be his partner in crime. “You and me against the world. Having each other’s backs.”
But as much as you want to, it’s not something you can do. 
Luke’s face falls at the tears shining in your eyes - a clear synonym of your decision.
“I’m sorry, Luke. I really am.” 
For a moment, his jaw tenses up and you think Luke is gonna shout at you. That you’re no better than the Gods. That you too have betrayed him when he needs you the most. 
But he doesn’t. 
“So am I.” your brows squirm in confusion at his apologetic words and the only warning you get is a light squeeze of his palms on your hands. 
It happens so fast that you barely have time to react. 
He shoves you hard with one of his hands grabbing the back of your head, smashing your skull against the hard wall.
The pain is excruciating, stars exploding in your vision and you feel a strange numbness disseminating through your body. Your knees give up and you’d almost fall if Luke’s arms weren’t there to grab you, softly rocking you till your back meets the floor. 
“I didn’t want to hurt you,” his voice sounds distant, your brain slowly disconnecting as you lean towards the darkness,
“...but I can’t let you walk away from me.”
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wambsgansshoelaces · 2 months
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omg a headcanon like the one you did for tom but for roman snd stewy? the period one i mean !! also gender neutral pls :>
thank you for requesting anon, i love u!!! enjoy xx
really craving pizza bianca rn
on your period (roman + stewy)
Roman
ᝰ has no idea what he’s doing
ᝰ he calls your period a full stop because ‘they’re synonyms lol’ (as his text said)
ᝰ just wants you happy
ᝰ so whenever you’re on your period he just
ᝰ does things for you??
ᝰ makes you breakfast in bed, attempts to pack you a lunch, botches dinner
ᝰ he’s trying at least
ᝰ he usually just settles for buying you whatever you’re craving and letting you lay your head in his lap
ᝰ he strokes your hair, your face, your neck, your back
ᝰ he makes sure you’re feeling good
ᝰ lots of chocolate all the time
ᝰ just so that he can eat it with you
ᝰ if you ever ruin any pants or clothing or even furniture, he replaces it without you knowing
ᝰ “didn’t i throw this pair of pants out last week?” you ask him one time
ᝰ “i got you a new one, don’t worry about it.”
ᝰ if you suffer with cramps or any sort of chronic illness regarding your reproductive health, he’s always quietly concerned
ᝰ “you sure it doesn’t hurt? you should tell me if it hurts.”
ᝰ keeps track of how long in between painkillers your pain returns
ᝰ makes you try a bunch of homemade remedies he googled
ᝰ the first time you go on your period while you’re living together, he goes out and buys you a heating pad, a weighted blanket, and a heated blanking thing all at once
ᝰ if you use pads or tampons, he gets really confused when out trying to buy some for you
ᝰ but he’s too embarrassed to ask
ᝰ so when you’re taking a nap he scuttles into the bathroom and takes a picture that he keeps on his phone
ᝰ and then gets the exact ones when he notices you’re running out or you ask him
ᝰ this man bullies the doctors that don’t listen to you
ᝰ like he is well known with the endocrinologists and gynecologists in the are as a nusiance
ᝰ and lowkey an asshole
ᝰ but it’s all ‘in your honor’ as he says
ᝰ “if they say they’re cramping, they’re cramping. aren’t you supposed to be helpful? how the fuck do you have a medical license?”
ᝰ has gotten kicked out of the appointment many a time
ᝰ but he always waits patiently for you outside
ᝰ and calls corporate like the diva he is
ᝰ has the means to get you the best care
ᝰ and he does get you it
ᝰ “you literally deserve so much more than i can give you. you’re my everything, remember?”
ᝰ “i love you, ro.”
ᝰ “fuck off with that sappy shit…. i love you more.”
Stewy
ᝰ knows enough about periods to be able to help you
ᝰ like he’s knowledgeable enough to cook things he knows your body is in need of during your period of ovulation
ᝰ urges you to work out specifically on your period
ᝰ “it helps clear your head,” he says
ᝰ but if you’re not up to it, he won’t make you
ᝰ maybe just a small walk around outside and he’ll let you just nap
ᝰ but if you even don’t even want to walk, he thinks you’re dying
ᝰ and showers you in affection
ᝰ which he does anyway even if he thinks you’re fine??
ᝰ he’s just dramatic
ᝰ he’s an awfully good cook
ᝰ he loves cooking
ᝰ especially for you
ᝰ he specifically makes you pho for dinner every first day of your period
ᝰ “it clears your sinuses, babe,” he says every single time
ᝰ it does, really
ᝰ he’s really big about the two of you sitting down at the table for meals
ᝰ but if you’re unable because of your period, it’s fine with him
ᝰ he bought one of those breakfast in bed trays just for those moments
ᝰ if you struggle with bad cramps or reproductive illness, he’s with you at every single appointment
ᝰ sometimes he even sits next to you on the patient bed
ᝰ he just likes swinging his legs over the side
ᝰ he scrambles off whenever the doctor comes in
ᝰ he’s so subtly evil with bad doctors
ᝰ “oh, i understand it’s your professional opinion, but i also understand this clinic operates solely on donations? huh, and i think those guys whose names are on plaques all over the place are my buddies! you know jeff? i know jeff!”
ᝰ holds your hand through everything
ᝰ pain, ultrasounds, examinations
ᝰ you’re both walking back to the car from a normal check up and he’s swinging your hands back and forth with his
ᝰ “you know, i’ll help you with anything you ask me to.”
ᝰ “thank you, stew. you’re sweet.”
ᝰ “i love you.”
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xmalereader · 3 months
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Moonknight x Shifter! Male Reader
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☆— MASTERLIST — ☆
Requested: can i request a fic that's more of a headcannons post than a fic? i really love the way you write the moon knight boys and was wondering how'd they react to a protective shifter!reader who's usually quite calm and reserved(maybe a wolf just for the irony of wolves being sorta synonymous with the moon)? maybe in a world where shifters are starting to be accepted but some people are still jerks. kind of a "three times reader protected the boys and the time they returned the favor" sorta thing. if all three is too much though i totally understand, im okay with just one, your pick. whatever your schedule allows for ❤️ sorry if this is hard to understand it's a fever at 4am kinda night but i couldn't pass up the chance to make a request lul love your writing! hope you're doing well! i wish you good writing thoughts and dexterous typing times 🫡
CONTENT/WARNINGS: Fluff, slight angst, request, Steven is a sweetheart and Jake is scary while Marc is trying, short, headcannons, reader is a shifter, werewolves, society differences.
WC: 1.5k
TAGS: @luci-the-brat-boy
NOTES: I apologize for the long wait on making this request I’ve been busy on my end but I’ve finally got the time to get these completed! Thank you for enjoying my moonknight shots, writing these characters can be a bit tricky since they all have different personalities but I was able to make it work! I did make a few changes so hopefully it’s still good!
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Shifters were still new to society and not many have grown used to them due to the fear of getting hurt one day if they were to shift in front of them and perhaps hurt them or kill them. Each shifter was different and due to their existence, laws were established in order to keep a balance between shifters and none shifters, but the laws didn’t really stop the hate that some people carried for them.
Steven Grant:
Steven didn’t think he’d end up dating a shifter, let alone one who shifts into a wolf the size of a car. He was shy at first since he was new to the whole shifting when it came towards his partner.
After a few dates Y/n grew comfortable in showing Steven his new form, taking things slow with the man since he was always so nervous around him until months of dating he’s grown used to him. Steven had also told Y/n about his DID and about Marc and Jake, giving him very little information about them expecting his partner to pry for more information only to reassure him that he doesn’t have to force himself.
After their confession they continued on with their dating life like normal. Until Y/n started to notice the way that Steven is treated at the museum, each time he paid him a visit he noticed how rude his manager was being to him, making him growl in anger by how to orders Steven around and makes him do the extra work while she sits back and does nothing.
Y/n knew how much Steven loved his job, but there were times that he couldn’t help but interfere with the situation.
It didn’t take long for him to track down Steven's mangers and corner them in an empty hallway, whispering them threats on treating their employees with respect and to not treat them as slaves, frightening the poor women.
“Treat them like slaves again and I’ll hunt you down on the next full moon.”
Lets just say that Steven stopped receiving bad treatment after that which only left him a bit confused and oblivious to the matter.
Y/n was always protective of Steven due to his innocence and oblivious state at times. Every time someone looked at him wrong or stopped his ancient Egypt mid rant he’d slowly turn to the person to give them the stink eyes as if saying, “how dare you stop him from talking about what he loves?!”
He had scary dog privileges…literally.
The first time that Steven actually lost it was when one of their neighbors caught Y/n coming back home from a full moon with Steven next to him. His wolf form looking a little smaller as he padded next to him quietly and tried to regain his thoughts after last nights events only for their snotty neighbor to step out into the hall and scold Steven for keeping a “mutt” around.
Y/n was close to turning around and snapping his jaws at the neighbor in order to scare them only for Steven to step in between them while glaring at the man angrily. Steven was already tired from chasing after his partner through the streets and making sure he wasn’t causing any trouble all night and his neighbors comment was his last straw.
The shifter had never seen Steven so upset, using every cuss word he knows to call the neighbor out, pointing a finger at him and jabbing them in the chest. It caught both shifter and neighbor by surprise until Steven finally cooled down and opens their door to allow them inside.
Once inside Steven slams the door behind him and leans his back against it with his face buried in his hands. Y/n had approached Steven slowly, still a small wolf and whining softly to get the man’s attention only for Steven to drop his hands and look at his partner in horror.
“Did I just do that? Oh god I’m gonna have a heart attack.”
Steven had never blown up like that before that even he was surprised by his outburst that night.
Marc Spector:
Marc wanted to scold Leon for picking a shifter as a boyfriend. Marc didn’t hate shifters he just didn’t know much about them to actually trust them yet, so when he finds out that Steven got himself a shifter of a boyfriend he couldn’t help but be a bit cautious around him.
Y/n didn’t spend much time around Marc since the man refused to be around him when it was his turn to take over the body. The shifter wanted to ignore him and let him do as he wanted, only to end up following Marc secretly whenever he went out.
The two didn’t get along quiet yet, but Y/n is still overprotective of the two of them. Yes, they share the same body but he can’t help but feel like he needs to be there to protect them both.
Only Marc doesn’t need protection he knows how to take care of himself and stick up for others, so the first few times he caught Marc being defensive or fighting back he couldn’t help but find the man quiet attractive.
Marc was perhaps the one who could actually make him blush whenever they spent time together back in Steven’s flat. Even when Marc returned back home stressed and upset, Y/n already knew how to help the man distress by shifting into his wolf form and lying on his back across Marc’s lap and letting the man scratch his belly or bury his face into his warm fur while groaning in frustration as if someone would do to a pillow. Y/n enjoyed cuddling with Marc during his full moons when he’s stuck in his wolf form for long hours of the night.
Y/n was in the cities office when he was first called out for being a shifter while renewing his passport due to Marc wanting to take them on a trip. A few strangers were waiting around for their turn and due to Y/n being a shifter he was first priority since he went through a longer process in getting a renewal which pissed off a lot of people.
Only for Marc to shout at them to shut up and reminding them the laws between humans and shifters and how not everything is fair between them, giving them a deadly glare that made them back off.
Y/n can’t help but crack a small smile when hearing Marc’s words as he focused on his passport renewal.
Jake Lockely:
It was harder for Y/n to get along with Jake since he acted like the silent but deadly brother between the three. He found Jake intimidating that he was perhaps the first person to actually make him tuck his tail between his legs.
Jake didn’t need protection and Y/n knew that since he’s seen the man beat another human to near death until he stopped him from going to far. Y/n didn’t know about Jake until one night when he noticed a change of smell in Steven and Marc’s scent, realizing that they weren’t the only ones.
Jake was suppose to be a secret, hiding in the shadows as he watched over Marc and Steven. Only the cab driver didn’t really need to protect them since they had a shifter by their side, but that didn’t mean Jake couldn’t keep an eye on him too.
Their first night together was awkward for them since Jake rarely spoke and Y/n was too afraid to ask him questions without getting the man angry. It didn’t take long for Jake to notice this that he finally decides to speak up, asking questions that’ll get him closer to the shifter.
They only spent time together during late nights when Steven and Marc are sleeping and Jake is able to take full control. Giving Y/n a chance to join him on his nightly trips and sitting next to him on the passenger seat while talking.
It didn’t take long for Jake to warm up to the shifter, not realizing that Jake had added him to his list of people to protect. Even though Y/n can shift into a large wolf, big enough to kill anyone on sight, Jake still decided to take the roll of taking care of the shifter too.
Y/n first witnessed Jake defending him when he was helping a man into the cab from a club, drunk off his ass while the shifter gets him inside the back seat. What he didn’t realize was the group of men lurking around the club, clearly drunk as they whistled at him, trying to get his attention which he ignored.
That was until one of them had the balls to slap his ass filling him with shock and ready to strike the man down, but when turning around Jake was already doing that for him.
Jake was filled with rage as he slams his fist into the man’s face over and over again. The others tried to pry Jake off, but he was faster than them, kicking their asses and forcing them on their knees and apologizing to the shifter.
Y/n could only stare at Jake with wide eyes as the men whimpered out their apologizes to him.
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yesimwriting · 2 years
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Final Girl (Part 2)
Final Girl Series Masterlist (currently updated parts 1 - 9 and extras) 
A/N this one’s a bit of a filler but it’s needed and i’m looking forward to part 3!! a scene in part 3 inspired this entire fic :)) also i love feedback!! comments make my day and motivate me to write :)) so if you’re so inclined,, i’d love to hear your thoughts :) 
also lmk if you’d like to be tagged!!
Fandom: (original) Scream
Series Summary: Y/n can’t believe that she has to leave the only home she’s ever known just because her mom’s latest boyfriend has a house in some town in California. Just as she’s starting to think that Woodsboro might not be that bad, something life altering happens after she agrees to sleep over at  Becker’s house. Now her name is practically synonymous with Ghostface’s.
Chapter Summary: The only good thing that’s come from Casey’s murder and your injuries is that your good friends Billy and Stu are determined to help you. 
also i made the reader’s birthday Halloween bc it helps the plot and i love halloween and am so jealous of fall birthdays!! So on the really good chance that your birthday isn’t on Halloween, just go with it!! Also I named the mom character bc the reader’s connection to her mom is kinda specific and relevant for plot and that felt easier lol 
Warnings: maybe a tiny bit too fluffy in some parts but there’s a reason for it!! also gaslighting and the beginning of emotional manipulation (it’s billy and stu, y’all should’ve expected it lol)
----
I’ve always hated hospitals. Waking up with bandages I don’t remember getting placed on me just to receive the news of Casey’s death certainly hasn’t made me grow fonder of them. If anything, each additional second I spend in this hospital cot adds to the agony in my body.
“Miss L/n, are you feeling any better?” Nurse Samantha’s voice is cautious and smooth, but not overly peppy like Nurse Molly’s. 
In another life, in another situation, I might have really liked Nurse Samantha. She gave me extra Jell-O when she noticed that it was the only thing from my tray that I picked at. She was the only one willing to be honest about Casey’s death with me. But this isn’t another life or situation, so when I look at her, all I can think about is what it felt like to wake up here. Alone. 
But that’s not her fault, so instead of attempting to get out of this damn bed again, I just nod slowly. “A little.” My voice is so hollow and hoarse that it sounds wrong in my ears. 
She waits for me to clear my throat before speaking again. “Your boyfriends are here to see you, but if you’re not up for visitors--” 
“Boyfriends?” My voice is slightly less gritty than it was when I first spoke. “I don’t have a boyfriend, let alone a plural amount of them.” 
Nurse Samantha’s eyes widen slightly. “Oh, my apologies,” she then tilts her head slightly, leaning against the doorframe of the hospital room. “But you might want to consider breaking that news to the two boys that have been harassing our receptionist since a little after you arrived.” 
My eyebrows draw together in confusion. What is she--
“You said she was awake, which meant she could take visitors, so take us--” 
Yeah, even in my state, that voice cleared everything up. “Billy.” 
He’s close enough to Nurse Samatha to tower over her, but when he snaps his head in my direction, all sense of anger is gone. In an instant, he’s in my room. I must be more out of it than I thought, because I’m slightly surprised when Stu comes in right behind him. 
“Visiting hours are technically over, but considering what you’ve been through and the late time you were brought in, I can make a bit of an exception. If you need anything, press the call button.” 
I nod again, a little more grateful for Nurse Samatha than I was before. Not only do I love the idea of not being alone here, I’m also glad she decided to let Billy and Stu in before they got irritated. I know I haven’t known them that long, but I think Billy has a bit more of a temper than he’d like to let on, and Stu takes not getting his way personally. 
“Okay, thank you.” 
She disappears down the hall after a quick nod of her head. 
Billy has pulled forward one of the hospital room’s chairs so that he’s sitting as close to my bed as possible. He grabs my hand as soon as he’s settled. His fingers are squeezing mine so tightly it’s slightly uncomfortable. “Hi.”
His greeting is oddly hesitant, maybe even a little nervous. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Billy this unsure before. “Hey.” 
The silence that falls over us after that is serious. Much too serious for Stu to just stand on the sidelines in silence. Actually, it’s weird that Stu’s on the sidelines at all. What’s his deal? He never needs an excuse to be touchy and now that I actually need a hug, he’s choosing to keep his distance. Where was this restraint when I made eye contact with a cute boy during lunch and Stu decided that that’d be the perfect time to rest his head on my shoulder? 
I tear my gaze away from Billy’s hard stare, ready to call out Stu for being so weird. But then I see his expression. His face is oddly pale and his eyes are wide and kind of blank. 
“Stu, I’m fine, you can’t catch a concussion.”
Instead of taking the out and making some kind of joke, Stu’s expression falls even more. “A concussion?” 
Oh. Maybe Stu’s more worried than I thought. “Relax, we don’t know anything for sure. Concussions can take up to days to form, it hasn’t been long enough.” He doesn’t seem eased. “Would you stop looking at me like that? I’m fine, Casey’s the one that--” My voice catches on itself. Nope—still can’t even say it. “Would you please just come over here and be normal? I’m tired and I-I really want to pretend that I’m not in a hospital and I can’t do that with you staring at me like I’m on death’s doorstep.” 
His eyebrows draw together, but all he does is shove his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “Stu,” Billy’s voice comes out so low and harsh I find myself gaping at him. “Y/n is asking you for one thing. For you to be normal.” 
On a normal night, I’d brush off their tension with some kind of joke or laugh. It’s not the first time I’ve ever witnessed the way they disappear into each other. A slightly longer than average glance or a simple sentence is all it takes to initiate one of their silent exchanges. Whenever they get like that, I can’t help but wonder what they’re like when they’re alone. 
Stu nods once, the motion oddly stiff, but then his eyes move so that he’s looking at me. And just like that, they’re back. Stu shuffles towards me. He moves like he wants to hug me but can’t figure out a tactful way to do it with all the wires connected to me. He settles for a gentle, barely there shoulder squeeze. It’s so awkward and unusually gentle I find an unexpected fondness tugging at my chest. 
He lets go of me, his hand moving forward to allow the knuckle of his pointer finger to graze the edge of the cotton bandage on my forehead. “It’s okay, Stu.” When he doesn’t ease, I continue, “No stitches. Doctor said it won’t even scar.” 
With that, Stu softens completely. He grabs the hand that Billy isn’t holding. “Won’t even scar, huh?” 
His easiness is infectious. “Nope.” 
“Good thing, too,” Billy says, “Wouldn’t want anything hurting that pretty face.”
My eyes widen slightly, heat rushing to my cheeks. “Shut up, I’m a total mess right now. I’m literally in the hospital.” 
“And you still look like an angel.” If I thought that the earlier comment had me struggling to form a coherent thought, this is something else. I hate how stunned into silence I am, there’s no doubt in my mind that he’s totally reveling in my reaction. “Don’t even think a scar could make you less pretty.” 
Weakly, I try to cover how sentimental I’m feeling. “I almost got murdered, you have to be nice to me.” 
Billy exaggeratedly frowns. “I’m always nice to you.” 
I pretend to contemplate his words. “Mm...nice-ish.” 
There’s something oddly comforting about Billy’s mock gasp. It’s a display of the softer side of him that I’ve only ever caught glimpses of. “Now who’s mean?”
“Still you.” 
Billy rolls his eyes at Stu’s reply. I turn, expression easing at the look on Stu’s face. “You’re on my side?” 
“Always,” he hums pleasantly, thumb running along my knuckles. He’s definitely lying. Billy and Stu seem to understand each other in way that I’ve never seen between two people, but the gesture is still nice.
The realization that I’m really glad that they’re here settles into me comfortably, in a content sort of way. “I’m happy you guys are here.”
Stu tilts his head, his free hand moving to gently catch my chin between his thumb and pointer finger. I blink, eyes widening like a deer caught in headlights. He’s staring, analyzing me with a focus I didn’t think he was capable of. “You’re cute when you’re high.” My lips part in protest, but before I can get any words out, Stu continues, “You probably watched your friend get gutted, they definitely gave you something strong.” 
I frown, sinking further into the hospital bed without thinking about it. Noticing my reaction, Billy throws a dirty look in Stu’s direction before leaning over me in order to punch Stu’s arm. “Shut up.”
“What? She knows I didn’t mean it in any bad way.” He then turns to look back at me. “You know that, right?” 
I’m not exactly in the mood to brush off Stu’s insensitivity the way I normally would, and I don’t think I have the energy to humor him--but I also can’t bring myself to alienate them. I nod once, the motion tired and vague.
Billy runs his thumb over my knuckles gingerly, brining my attention back to him. “You did say you wanted him to be normal.” 
At that, I almost laugh. “Yeah, that’s on me.” A moment of silence passes, and for whatever reason, I don’t like it. “Y’know, I didn’t see anything. I-I was knocked out before it happened.” I can’t believe I’m talking about this. “I didn’t even know what happened to Casey until one of the nurses told me so that I’d cooperate with police questioning.” 
“The police already questioned you?” Billy’s question comes out too fast, too urging. “We’ve been waiting to be able to see you for hours, we didn’t know if y--” 
“Billy.” Some hard to name aspect of his personality takes on a darker shade, but he does stop ranting. So much for getting used to slightly more lighthearted Billy. “If it makes you feel any better, I was asleep for most of the time. One of the nurses had to borderline sedate me because I kept trying to pull out my IV and disconnect the heart monitor.” 
Instead of finding humor in my admission, the corner of Billy’s mouth turns downwards. 
“Why?” Stu asks Billy’s silent question before tacking on something to ease the tension, “This stuff looks important.” 
My nose wrinkles. There’s no good way to describe the panic I felt when I woke up here. No way to summarize the need I felt to be anywhere but the hospital. The desire to see Casey and be told that everything was just a bad dream. “Just didn’t want to be here,” I explain weakly, “I didn’t know what was going on and I freaked.” 
Stu’s eyebrows draw together. I’m too tired to hide the way I study him. It’s not that he’s never serious (though it is kind of rare), but there’s something strange beneath the way he’s looking at me. His eyes seem dark, tired and emphasized by the bruise forming near the top of his cheek.
Now it’s my turn to frown openly. Slowly, I pull my fingers from his grasp. Stu lets me move my hand towards his face with no reaction until my fingers just barely graze the line of barely formed purple.
He catches my wrist between his pointer finger and thumb, his grip just a little too tight. “You okay, angel?” 
The nickname leaves my face a degree or two warmer. Stu grins in a way that doesn’t reach his eyes. “Your face is bruised--what happened?” 
“You’re in the hospital and you’re worried about me?” He lets out a breath, demeanor shifting back into something easier.
I roll my eyes, glad that his strange worry is passing. “Shut up.” 
His hold on my wrist loosens. Stu twists my hand in order to press a quick kiss to the inside of my wrist, right above my pulse. “Billy and I were going to watch a movie. He threw the tape at me a little too hard when I wasn’t paying attention. Between you and me, I think he did it on purpose.” 
Billy sighs, throwing a mean look in Stu’s direction. “I told you I was going to give it to you right before--” 
“Yeah, give not throw--” 
“You were right next to the VC--” 
“Guys.” My interruption isn’t particularly loud, but they both instantly shut up. On a normal night, I really doubt that would have worked. I guess being in the hospital has its perks. “I’ve dealt with enough conflict.” 
After a second, Billy concedes, “You’re right.” He squeezes my hand once, eyes softening. “I can’t believe the police questioned you right after you woke up. You must have been so confused,” his thumb runs up and down my knuckles, “Probably still are. You can’t be sure about anything you picked up on.” 
An uneasy feeling I can’t name settles in my chest. The police were the ones that insisted on speaking to me as soon as possible, but if I accidentally gave them anything that leads to an inaccurate lead, I’m not sure I’d be able to forgive myself. “It was a man, I know that. I know that I wasn’t confused about that.” That was something I told the officers confidently. The voice on the other line was masculine and distinct and my attacker was too large and tall to likely be a woman. “I didn’t really remember anything else.” 
The memories of right before are seared into my mind perfectly. Casey and her polaroid camera, the phone, the popcorn. Or--or was it the other way around? Did I make the popcorn before or after the phone call? Did Casey come in with the movies before or after she took those pictures of me? 
What were her last words? 
I can’t remember them and for some reason, that makes me feel guilty. He wants to talk to you. That’s when she gave me the phone for the last time. The phone I threw at the killer’s head. Did it hit him? And then she screamed. Wait, no, she clasped her hand over her mouth. She didn’t scream until the glass broke. And then...there was a second scream much later, a much more pained, animalistic sound. 
My mouth goes dry. That might have been the last sound Casey ever made. I heard it, but I was too busy trying to escape the killer to pick up on it. Which would mean she was killed while I was being attacked. Which means...
“Hey, don’t think about it too hard. Don’t think about anything too hard, you said it yourself, you hit your head.” Billy’s voice is soft yet assured. He’s right, I know he’s right, and yet I can’t snap out of it. 
“I,” my throat aches, a part of me regrets sending away the nurse before she could bring me ice chips, “I think there were two of them.” 
The admission is so slow and unsure I instantly feel the need to defend it. “Maybe. I-I mean, I don’t--” I squeeze my eyes shut so tightly all I can see are stars that turn my stomach. The sharp ache in my head is returning. “I didn’t remember before, but now that I’m thinking about it--Casey ran while I was being attacked and I heard her scream. And not just a scared scream, it was the kind of scream that victims in a scary movie let out right before they die. I think what happened to Casey happened while I was still awake. Which would mean there were two of them.” 
The two gape at me before glancing at each other. Their silence feels like some kind of reproach that tears at my insides. Stu breaks the quiet with a laugh. A loud, free kind of laugh that’s usually only ever used after the kind of inappropriate joke that earns him some kind of scolding from Tatum. 
“You’re cute,” Stu hums with the kind of fondness a parent would use towards a child that proudly declares insanely unrealistic goals. Sure you’ll be the first president in space, here, have a gold star for being so creative. “This isn’t one of those books you read or a project for newspaper. This is about a real murderer that probably got hard watching you try to fight him off of you and finished to the feeling of killing Casey.” 
I flinch. A full body, knee jerk reaction that has me pulling both of my hands away from them. Blinking, I cross my arms across my chest. I’m tired and the irritated frustration and embarrassment running through me aren’t making things easier.
The look on my face is probably only making me look more childish. I’m only a grade behind them, but it’s come up before. Only in a semi-joking way after a particularly naive reaction to something. Like the time Stu made a vague sex joke that everyone rolled their eyes at but I missed. Need me to explain it, kid. Stu had said, emphasizing the nickname to further embarrass me before Tatum smacked him in the arm. If she’s a kid, then that was a total pedo move. 
Billy punches Stu’s arm again. This time he’s harsher. “You’re an asshole.” Billy then looks at me, expression placid with understanding. “Do you really think there were two of them?” 
“I--” Now my already rickety train of thought feels even more unsteady. “I don’t know. It was just a thought. My memory of right before has been kind of iffy.”  I scratch the back of my wrist, eyes focused on where my skin meets the plastic of the IV. “But shouldn’t I say something? Just in case? The police said that if I remembered anything a little more I should call.” 
“You’re the one in AP Psych--aren’t most serial killers loners?” 
The urge to rip off the tape that’s holding the IV in place leaves my fingers itching to do something. I tap my nails against thin hospital sheets. “We don’t talk about that kinda stuff, but yeah, I guess.” 
Billy’s gaze flits away from my hands and towards my face. “So that means it’s unlikely for there to be two of them.” That’s a fair point, or at least, a point that’s a lot fairer than Stu’s. “You can say something if you want, but they’re so desperate for leads they questioned you right away. And we both know that police officers aren’t necessarily the most driven.” He’s gently referencing my mother’s boyfriend, who’s a cop and the bane of my existence. Billy and Stu both know exactly how I feel about him. “What if it does more harm than good?” 
I frown, letting his words slowly sink in. Maybe if my head felt less sore and my body less far away, I’d be reacting a little more. “Yeah,” I mumble, “I’ll wait, see if it’s something I actually remember or not.”
The corner of Billy’s mouth turns upwards. “Good, would hate to throw off your step-dad.” 
My glare is violent, which only fuels his smile. “That man is not my step-father. You know that.”
“Leave her alone, Billy,” Stu mumbles. I turn my head forward, gaze shifting upwards. Stu’s eyes are softer than they’ve been all night. He reaches for me, expression falling when I pull my hand back at the last second. “Aw, baby, don’t be like that.” My hand stays near my chest. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry for laughing, I’m sorry for what I said about you and your friend.” I try to glare at him through my lashes, but the look feels like more of a pout than anything. “Don’t give me that look.” He moves his hand again, placing it on my cheek before I can protest. “C’mon, hurting your feelings is like kicking a puppy.” 
Some instinct forces me to ease into the contact. Even though my shift is small, Stu picks up on it, because of course he does. My reaction unfortunately encourages him. His thumb gently brushes up and down my cheek. “Then don’t be mean.” 
It’s a sad attempt at holding onto my anger, and I’m sure all three people in the room know it. “Promise,” Stu nods, “Anything you want.” I thought he was laying it on thick as some kind of joke, but when I look into his eyes, I don’t see anything that indicates his usual brand of teasing humor. “I’ll even watch one of those lame chick flicks you’re always talking about with the girls.” 
A small, awkward noise that’s a hybrid of a scoff and a laugh escapes me. “Clueless may be my guilty pleasure, but it is not lame.” 
Stu kind of smiles, but he’s still stiff. “Still. I’ll watch it, whatever you want.” His touch loses all sense of hesitance. “You know I’d-I’d never hurt you. Not really hurt you.” 
“Stu.” Billy’s voice comes out a little too heavy, but I can’t look away from Stu.
“I’d never do anything to really hurt you, angel, you know that, right?” There’s something urging about the way he’s speaking. He’s waiting for an answer. 
I think of Stu, who I’ve only known for a little while but also forever somehow in a weird way. Stu, who’s always throwing an arm around my shoulders. Stu, who seems to know when I’m getting nervous before I do. Stu, who is always willing to hold my hand or say the wrong thing when I need a laugh. Stu, who’s always touching me but I’ve never thought twice about it until right now because he’s like that with everyone. 
Still, though, there’s usually something a little strange about the way his touch feels. More often than not, there’s a tension I don’t understand beneath his fingertips. Like he’s almost always trying to restrain the urge to hold on harder, to squeeze tighter, to keep pushing. 
I don’t know what that’s about, but I know that he always stops. That he’s never caused me any real pain. For all I know, he’s just so energetic that he has to constantly remind himself of his own strength. “Yeah, I know, Stu.”
My words are too honest. Something in Stu relaxes and that’s when I realize he wants me to be sure enough for the both of us. It’s an incredibly unfair--and weird--thing to ask for. 
Something flickers across Stu’s expression, but it’s quickly replaced by a grin. A genuine one. He leans down, pressing a shocking kiss to my forehead. My gaping doesn’t take away from his enthusiasm. “Does this mean I’m going to actually have to watch that movie?” 
“Oh, one hundred percent. No chance of getting out of it. Billy too.” 
Billy’s eyebrows draw together. “I didn’t make you any promises.” 
I feign a hurt look as best I can, turning my head to better face Billy. “I, your friend, was almost murdered and you can’t put aside your surprisingly good, but let’s admit it, pretentious taste for one movie?” He gives me a hard look, but it lacks any bite. “You know, if the killer comes back for me, you’re going to feel so guilty about saying no.” Billy must feel a little bad for me in some sense because at least he’s letting me continue this rant. “It’ll haunt you--I’ll haunt you.” 
He tilts his head downwards, the front strands of his hair falling forward. It’s an attempt to distract from the fact that he almost smiled. “Nothing’s going to happen to you.” 
I roll my eyes dramatically. “That was like the least important part of my argument.” 
“It was the main part of your argument.” Billy ignores my extremely pointed sigh. “Fine, compromise: a movie I pick, and then after, we can play your movie.” 
Biting my tongue, I fight down a grin and force myself to narrow my eyes. “Nothing too gore-y or stab-y.” 
“Deal.” He sighs the word like he can’t believe what he’s been conned in to. 
The feeling of having enough influence over these two to get them to agree to something like this leaves me beaming. They’re likely going to complain the whole time, but still, it’s the thought that counts. “No take backs, even when I’m out of the hospital.” A subconscious part of my mind begs me to yank out the IV and try to get out of here. “Which should be as soon as my mom gets here.” 
My mom and Wells were on a date--a show and a fancy dinner somewhere two towns over. The nurses and police assured me that my mom had been contacted, and that she was doing all she could to get here as soon as possible. But with traffic and the amount of time it took for them to get ahold of her, I’m not surprised that Billy and Stu beat her here. Actually, no, it is a little surprising. We didn’t have plans together that I missed and I’m not sure they’ve ever called me unexpectedly. Who told them I was here?
“How’d you guys know I was here?” The question is just as unexpected to me as it is to them. 
“Stu was over when your mom called me,” Billy says, ignoring the way I raise my eyebrows, “She said she still had my number from the time you called me from her phone when we were working on that history project, remember?” I nod, still in disbelief. 
Billy has been in my house twice. Both times were to work on the same project. My mom spent both of those times watching him like he was a danger to my entire future. I think in her head she was being subtle, but I can’t blame Billy for noticing. 
I give him a semi apologetic look. “You’re making it sound like my mom hates you.” He gives me a look that silently asks if I’m kidding. “She doesn’t hate you.” 
“Really?” 
“She doesn’t!” I sigh once, my face already feeling warm as I struggle to figure out how to best word my thoughts. “She doesn’t hate you, she just--” Ugh, there’s no non awkward way to say this. "On Halloween, I’m going to be 17. That’s the same age she was when she had me. She just worries and she’s going to keep worrying and giving any guy I’m friends with a hard time until I’m in college.” 
Billy pauses, letting the implications of my explanation sink in. With no warning, he pulls the sheets down just enough to expose a bit of my thigh. “So she’s worried that I’m gonna knock you up,” he teases, punctuating the comment by quickly pinching the newly exposed skin. 
My face has never been this hot in my life. I laugh, the sound somehow both lighthearted and nervous. “Shut. Up.”
Another rough yet brief pinch to exposed skin leaves me almost jumping out of my skin. I look up at Stu, glaring as he barely attempts to fight down a laugh. “Stu!” 
“What? I could knock you up just as easily.” 
I let out a sound that’s basically a snort. "That’s such a weird thing to want to be included in.” 
Stu half shrugs, placing a hand back on my thigh. Instead of pinching me again or doing something brief, he comfortably moves his hand up and down the expanse of visible skin. “The process would be fun.”
He’s joking, He’s joking. This is Stu--he’s definitely joking. Snap out of it, don’t be weird. I blink, coming to some sort sense. Pulling my legs forward, in an attempt to brush him off, I force myself to meet his gaze. “Fun for you maybe.” 
“I’d rock your world, babe.” I’m ready to roll my eyes, but before I can Stu moves his hand, pressing it firmly into my upper thigh. He slides his hand forward, his fingertips digging into the start of my inner thigh. I struggle against the instinctual need to press my thighs together. “You’d be begging to go again before we even finished.” 
In all fairness, I should have known better than to challenge one of those kinds of joke coming from Stu. He doesn’t know when to stop and doesn’t feel satisfied until I’m flustered. My brain must be as mushy as it feels, because I find myself digging my heels into the sand. “Pretty sure you’re all talk.” 
He tilts his head downwards, eyes darkening. “I’ll prove you wrong right now.” His fingers press even deeper into my skin. I wouldn’t be surprised if I found small, fingerlike bruises on my thigh tomorrow. 
“Mhm,” I manage after a long second, “There’s a supply closet in the hallway, give me a second to disconnect from all this and I’ll meet you there.” His expression is too good for me not to laugh. “Relax, I’m messing with you.”
“Haha,” he mumbles dryly, but makes no attempt to move his hand. And for some reason that I’m sure is head trauma or pain killer related, I don’t do anything to get him off of me. “You’re hilarious.” 
I poorly suppress another laugh. Stu frowns. Oh my god. There’s no way he’s going to be a baby about this. He’s the one that found a reason to put his hand between my legs and I haven’t smacked him upside the head for it. “Don’t pout. You had to have known I was kidding the entire time.” 
“Yeah, if she wanted to go to the supply closet with anyone, it’d be me.” I’m not sure if I’m more surprised by Billy’s comment or the way he says it. He’s much more evidently joking than Stu. The look he gives me after makes that clear. 
But there’s still something pointed about the way he said it. Pointed in a way that’s not meant for me. It’s another thing between him and Stu. I know I should make some kind of equally teasing comment just to keep everything normal, but I can’t help but sneak a glance at Stu. His expression is unreadable, but there’s something distinct about the turn of his head. More pressure is added to my thigh. Okay--that’s starting to become uncomfortable. 
“Alright,” I finally decide on, forcing a partial laugh into my voice, “We are dangerously close to either a bunch of threesome jokes or another one of those play fights over me.” I grab Stu’s hand by the wrist, moving it off my thigh before relaxing my legs. “And I do not have the energy for either.” 
Stu turns his hand over in order to press our palms together. I let him link our fingers. “You brought up threesomes pretty quickly.” 
My mouth falls open. “What?” 
“Fantasy or--” 
“Don’t even finish that sentence, Stuart.”
He holds up his free hand in defense, but he doesn’t have a chance to make some kind of comment. 
“Oh my god!” I’d know that panicked gasp anywhere. It’s been the same my entire life. One of my earliest memories includes that exact same shout, a bloody knee, and a tricycle that let me fall off the side walk and onto the (thankfully empty) road. 
Mom! “Okay, i know--” 
“Don’t you dare try to calm me down!” She reaches me in a flurry of motion that’s so her I can’t help but feel comforted. Stu steps out of the way after a second and my mom closes the distance between us, her fingers gripping the bed’s railing. “Oh my god, a concussion? You could be one of those professional football players--don’t they all have to retire early?” 
She presses the back of her palm to my forehead like I might have some kind of fever. I actually wouldn’t be surprised if she demanded the doctors perform more tests on me because something about me didn’t feel right. “Mom, be serious. Since when do you know anything about football?” 
Ignoring my response, she moves to cup my cheek. “I am so sorry it took me so long to get here. We were in the theatre when they first called and our cell phones were completely off. Never again.”
There’s so much emotion in her eyes I find myself feeling a lot less calm about everything. “It’s fine, how could you have known?” She’s still staring at me with so much maternal concern. Being so directly motherly is rare in our dynamic. If anything, I’ve spent just as much of my life parenting her as she has raising me. “I slept for most of the time, and when I woke up I had good company.” 
At that, my mom looks at Stu, analyzing his appearance. I’m ready to squirm for him. She then shifts her gaze to Billy and I bite my tongue to resist making some kind of joke. 
Her lips part and I fight the urge to interject, but then all she says is, “Thank you. I-I couldn’t think of anyone else I could call so late that knew her.” 
Billy’s expression is blank, but his silence lets me know that he’s as surprised as me. “No problem,” he finally settles on, “Wouldn’t have wanted her here all alone.” 
My mom nods once. She then looks over at Stu, “We haven’t met. I’m Gloria, Y/n’s mom.” 
I have spent my entire life dealing with reactions to people finding out my mom is my mom. I love her to death, but I don’t always love the way guys my age react. She’s pretty, I can’t be mad about that, but she’s also young and cool and I’ve had guy friends be super weird about it in the past. And she’s wearing a date night outfit. A dress that’s just a little too short that I’m pretty sure she stole out of my closet. 
And I know Stu. I know that he rarely filters through his thoughts before speaking. “I’m Stu,” he says normally, “I was over at Billy’s when you called.” 
My mom nods, processing the information before turning her attention back to me. I draw my eyebrows together, giving Stu a look. “Did they run tests on you?” 
“Yeah.” 
Answering was pointless, she’s already turning towards the hall. My mom waves down some poor, unsuspecting nurse. “You--I’m her mother,” she points back to me, “I want-I want her chart read to me, and I want every single possible test you could run done.” The doctor blinks. “If it’s something that could have been harmed, I want it checked out, I don’t care how unlikely--” 
“Ma’am,” the nurse finally says, “I can personally assure that your daughter received excellent care. I worked with her myself and her vitals have been regularly checked. I understand that this is an emotional time, but--” 
“If you tell me to calm down, I will sue this entire damn hospital and then find a way to personally sue you.” She takes a breath to prepare for her upcoming war path. “So go get a doctor. Now.” 
The nurse’s tired eyes widen before he scurries off. “Mom!” She turns to me, giving me a look that’s barely apologetic. “Relax a little, okay? They ran like a thousand tests on me already. They even said that if you approved, I could leave tonight.” 
“No way,” she gasps the words like the thought alone offended her. An instinctual, embarrassing whine escapes me. “Sorry, kid, complain all you want but you’re overnighting it.” 
Even though Billy and Stu are literally right here, I pout. “That’s so unfair! When you had complications after getting your appendix out, you signed yourself out even though everyone thought it was a bad idea.” 
“Totally different situations and you know it.” I glare at her. “Look, I know I’ve made a point of not doing this too often, but I’m pulling the mom card.” She ignores my frown, “Wells is already making calls and seeing what he can do--and do not roll your eyes, he is not some ‘monster that’s trying to ruin your life’.” 
“I only called him that once,” I mumble petulantly. “And you’re in my dress.” It’s a stupid thing to point out, but she’s being completely unreasonable. 
“You left home this morning in my skirt.” Ugh, why does she always have to have some kind of point? “I’m going to tell Wells that we’re staying.” 
Leaving no room for argument, my mom turns on her heels and leaves the room. Once it’s just the three of us again, an unfamiliar shyness rises up my chest. I know feeling awkward is such a small thing compared to everything else, but Billy and Stu are definitely thinking and analyzing that entire interaction. Their silence is starting to unease me. 
“Okay guys,” I say, eyes focused on the hands in my lap, “Let it out. I know you’ve got some kinda rea—“
“Your mom is hot!” These kinds of reactions aren’t unfamiliar to me, but from Stu, it kind of bugs me more than I thought it would. I don’t know why--I mean, he’s the exact kind of person to react like that. “I totally see where you get it from, babe. Amazing genes.” 
My eyes widen, “Stu, I get your sense of humor, but my mom doesn’t.” I drop my voice as I whisper, “Cool it with the nicknames as long as she’s in the same building.” 
“So now you’re embarrassed of me? I’m not good enough to bring home to mom?” 
I might kill him. “I’m serious--try anything and I. Will. End. You.” 
“You threatening me is really getting me going.” 
Rolling my eyes, I don’t even bother replying to that comment. I then turn towards Billy, who seems a little too amused by all of this. “I feel a little better about you, but same rules apply.” 
Stu gives me a particularly hurt look. “Him you trust?” 
“He’s met her before!”
With a sigh, I sink further into the hospital bed. They’re both being quiet. Stu made a comment about my mom, but I honestly expected more. I was mentally preparing myself for jokes about me being a mama’s girl or a little kid. Stu’s expression is something I don’t understand and Billy isn’t looking at me. He’s staring ahead, face stoic. He’s somewhere else now. 
“Billy?” My voice is soft, hesitant.
He blinks, the corner of his mouth pulling downwards as his head turns. “Yeah?” His voice reveals nothing. 
I didn’t think ahead enough to have a question to ask him. He doesn’t seem like the type to want anyone noting his feelings. “You okay?” I regret my awkward phrasing instantly. “You um...for a second looked kinda,” my noise wrinkles as I struggle to think of the right word that won’t offend him, “Wistful almost?” 
He side eyes me and I can’t even blame him. “I look wistful?” 
Billy nearly smiles at the look on my face. That alone makes my embarrassment worth it. “I said looked--past tense.” 
“Mhm,” he hums, eyes a little darker than before. I don’t break his stare until the sound of footsteps entering the room becomes impossible to ignore. A nurse has entered the room, likely due to my mother’s insistence. “It looks like you’re going to be busy, Stu and I should go.” 
Oh. I don’t know why that makes my heart sink the way it does. It’s logical--my mom’s here now and she’s going to force them to scan me with every single machine in this hospital. Maybe it’s because they calmed me down or maybe it’s because they’re the first familiar faces I saw, but the thought of them leaving bothers me. 
Stu squeezes my shoulder, his fingers lingering as he pulls away. “Yeah, babe, you don’t need us around while they poke and prod you.” 
The description of what I’m going to be doing makes me frown. They’re approaching the doorway. “Guys,” my voice surprises me. They both turn to look at me, and once again, I don’t know what I want to say. Do I want to ask them to stay? There’s no way that’s normal. My mom’s here--it wouldn’t work out anyways. “Thank you,” I mumble, “Thanks for coming and staying with me and making sure I didn’t have a complete meltdown. I appreciate it.” 
Billy’s looking at me in that way that makes me want to shrink into myself. Not that there’s anything particularly wrong or uncomfortable about the way he’s staring, it just feels so sharp and analytical. “Anytime, angel.” 
“Yeah, couldn’t leave you here all alone,” Stu says, “Call me when you get out, okay?” 
I nod, smiling a bit. “Duh--don’t think I’m going to forget about the movie promise you made me, and you can’t back out because hospital bed promises are like way more serious than regular promises.”
Billy throws me a look I can only think to describe as ‘bitchy’ and Stu rolls his eyes. “Yeah, yeah,” Stu mumbles, “Take advantage.” 
They manage to leave me grinning as they disappear out of the doorway. I don’t know what it is about them, but they always manage to make me feel...safe, I guess. I can’t remember the last time anyone made me feel like that. 
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raaorqtpbpdy · 11 days
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Creepy Carl
Danny is not fond of his parents' old ghost hunting friend that's come to pay them a visit for the week.
For the prompts: Jack and Maddie invite an old ghost hunting buddy (not Vlad) to stay in their guest room for the week. Expecting to catch up with their good ole pal, they're a little confused when this ghost hunter just keeps asking questions about their son, Danny [from @ectoblastfromthepast], and After the accident, Danny no longer has a shadow, and he isn't the first person to notice its absence. [from TheSilentBard]
Fair warning, Danny calls the old ghost hunting buddy 'Creepy Carl' for a reason. It may not be sexual in any way, but he is still very much creeping on a child, and I think y'all should be aware of that going in.
Read also on AO3
[Warning for uncanny valley elements, and (non-sexual) inappropriate behavior by an adult toward a minor]
How many 'old ghost hunting buddies' did his parents have? Danny wondered as they introduced them to one Anderson Carl. First Vlad, and now this guy?
Apparently, after college and before Jazz was born, the two of them had gone on many a ghost hunt with Mr. Carl. Now, he had his own paranormal investigation blog with a pretty decent readership, and he had come to Amity Park to do a piece on the town, which of course meant he needed a place to stay in town while he was doing research.
Luckily, he had a couple of old buddies with a guest room who happened to live right where the action was, and when he told them he was coming to town, they eagerly invited him to stay in said guest room for the whole week he was planning to stay. They thought it would be a great chance to catch up with their good ole pal, but Danny was wary the second he laid eyes on the man.
Anderson Carl wasn't as tall as Jack, as hardly anyone was, but he still loomed over Danny at a solid six feet tall, probably a few inches taller than that. He had close-cropped, dirty blond hair, and dark gray eyes like angry storm clouds, they even seemed to light up with electric curiosity as Danny watched the man, and the man also watched him.
"Welcome to Fenton Works," Maddie greeted him cheerfully. "That's our son, Danny. Our daughter Jazz is out tutoring right now, but she'll be back in a few hours."
"Nice to meet you, Danny," Mr. Carl said, and smiled.
The smile was perfectly ordinary, but Danny couldn't help feeling a sinister chill when it was directed at him. Maybe it was to too-white teeth, or the way it stretched his chapped lips so tightly they looked like they might crack, but Danny didn't like it.
"Uh... sure," Danny said cautiously. "Sorry, but I've got homework to do, so I'm gonna go."
He could feel those dark eyes following him all the way up the stairs, and when he closed his bedroom door behind him, he felt like Mr. Carl couldn't be leaving town soon enough. A whole week of this already sounded unbearable.
The next morning, when Danny got dressed and left for school, Mr. Carl was already awake, and sitting at the kitchen table, typing on his laptop. The laptop, too, was a dark grey, but it had a sticker on it that said UncannyCarl.com in bright red letters designed to look like they were partially obscured by smoke.
"Good Morning, Danny," the man greeted, with that same unsettling smile from the day before. "Off to school?"
"Yeah, it's Monday, so..." Danny trailed off. He took an orange out of the bowl on the counter for breakfast, not taking his eyes of the man before him. "Is that your blog, Mr. Carl?" he asked. "Uncanny Carl dot com?"
"That's right," the man confirmed. "Uncanny is something of a synonym for paranormal, but really the name is based on... are you familiar with the uncanny valley effect?"
"Never heard of it," Danny said.
"The uncanny valley effect is when you see something that looks human in most respects, but it's just slightly off enough to make your brain send out warning signals that it's not human, and you shouldn't be fooled by it," Mr. Carl explained. "Often times, you aren't consciously aware of what detail your brain registers as wrong that's causing the uncanny valley effect, whether it's that their arms are just slightly too long, the shape of their face is abnormal, or they don't have a shadow. Your brain notices it, even if you don't."
Danny couldn't help thinking that this guy was a little uncanny valley himself, but he thought it would be rude to say out loud, and he didn't want to piss off his parents' creepy guest.
"That's fascinating Mr. Carl, but I gotta get to school."
"Oh, and you can drop the 'Mr', by the way," he said. "Everyone just calls me Carl, even though it's my last name. In school, people used to joke that my parents must've but my name backwards on my birth certificate."
Danny just furrowed his eyebrows, shook his head, and left the kitchen, along with Creepy Carl, behind him as he headed out the front door to school.
Between classes, he caught Sam and Tucker up on his new house guest.
"Great, because all you need is another ghost hunter living under your roof," Sam said sardonically.
"I know, right?" Danny agreed. "At least this one's only staying until Saturday, but he's already creeping me out. I feel like he's constantly watching me whenever we're both in a room together. It's weird."
"Do you think he noticed something about you?" Tucker asked. "I mean, you don't know anything about this guy. What if he's actually a better ghost hunter than your parents?"
"It's not hard to be," Sam scoffed.
Danny ignored her, choosing instead to answer Tucker's question. "I'm not sure, but... maybe? He was talking about something called the uncanny valley effect, which he explained as being able to recognize when something that looked human wasn't, I guess. Something like that, anyway. He was just explaining the name of his blog, but he might've meant it as a warning that he was onto me.
"If you ask me, he's the uncanny valley one, though."
Jack and Maddie had been excited to show their old friend around their (relatively) new lab, especially the Fenton Ghost Portal. Carl seemed suitably interested in all of it, and he listened as they caught him up on their lives since he'd parted ways with the couple, but the whole time he seemed a bit... distracted.
Back when they were fresh college graduates, Carl had been an eager note-taker, his pencil hardly stilling on the pad of yellow lined paper he always carried with him. But now, he was hardly taking any notes at all. Even when he was staring at the portal between this world and the next, he only scribbled down a few sentences before twirling his pencil idly between his fingers.
They asked him about what he'd been up to since they last saw him, and he told them, but he was remarkably brief. He mentioned that he'd gone solo for a bit before deciding to start a blog, and he'd been running that ever since, writing the occasional opinion piece for local newspaper to get some supplemental income.
He'd finished talking about himself in under a minute, and even when asked, he didn't seem keen to elaborate on any particular investigation of his over the last sixteen years. All he said was that they could read about it all on his blog.
That wasn't the end of his strange behavior, because the next thing he asked about was Danny.
Jack and Maddie were of course very eager to brag about their kids, especially Jazz, but when they started to do so, Carl said they were getting off track, and he was really curious about Danny.
He asked them how old Danny was, if he was at all reclusive, or short-tempered, if they'd ever noticed him acting particularly odd or cagey.
They answered of course, seeing no reason not to. Carl was their friend after all, and they trusted that he didn't have any bad intentions when it came to their son—and if he did, they wouldn't hesitate to beat his ass and hand him over to the police—but surely he didn't. They were still confused though. Especially because, since the conversation turned to Danny, Carl's pencil hadn't stopped moving even once.
"What's with all the questions about Danny?" Jack asked. "I thought you came here to investigate ghosts."
"Oh, no real reason," Carl replied with a casual shrug. "Just... a bit of a hunch. I won't bother you with it unless I happen to find proof." Then he asked, "Have you even noticed that the air feels colder around Danny, or that standing next to him gives you an uncomfortable buzzing sensation under your skin?"
It was a odd question... but even odder was that neither Jack nor Maddie were actually sure of the answer. They worked with ghosts all the time so of course they felt sensations like that, but... neither could remember if they'd felt them around Danny... nor could they say for sure that they hadn't.
As Carl continued his line of questioning, a feeling of disquiet settled in on top of their confusion. After a point, they asked if he might want to hear about some of the recent ghost incidents around town, rather than just spending all day talking about their fourteen-year-old son.
Carl looked at them in silence for a moment, his eyes narrowed as if he might challenge them and insist. But then his lips quirked up in a smile, and he agreed to the subject change without resistance.
It wouldn't be the last time he asked about Danny that week though. He would stop, when asked, but by and by, the topic of Danny would always come up again, and when they told him about Danny's accident with the Fenton Portal a few months before, he seemed particularly intrigued.
It had been three days since Creepy Carl took up residence in the Fenton guest room, and Danny could confidently say that he hated the guy. He'd suspected as much from day one, but now that it was Wednesday, Danny had confidently confirmed that Creepy Carl almost never looked away from Danny when the two of them were in the same room, and it was seriously freaking Danny out.
At home, Danny was spending almost all his time in his bedroom to avoid running into the guy. Unfortunately, his bedroom shared a wall with the guest room, and just knowing the guy was right on the other side of the wall was causing Danny to lose sleep.
Still, Creepy Carl never did anything more than just watch him. At least, not until very late Friday night, or very early Saturday morning. Danny never did know which was more correct. His discomfort proved to be well founded when, around one in the morning that night, he awoke to a bright light being shined on his face.
Danny put a hand up to block the light and sat up to see what was causing it.
He wasn't sure if she should be surprised or not when he made out the silhouette of Anderson Carl shining a flashlight directly at his face. Danny was pretty sure his bedroom door had been locked. Ever since Carl started staying the room next door, Danny had been making sure to lock it. Obviously that had been a futile endeavor.
"What the hell, Carl?" Danny groaned. "Just... just what the hell?"
"What are you?" Creepy Carl asked creepily.
"What do you mean what am I? I'm a freshman."
"A freshman without a shadow?"
"What?"
"Look behind you?"
Danny was hesitant to take his eyes off the creep in front of him, but curiosity got the better of him and he turned.
On the wall behind him was a circle of light from Carl's flashlight. For a moment, Danny didn't register what he was supposed to be seeing, then as the tiredness in his brain started to lift slightly, he realized. He was supposed to be seeing his shadow behind him.
It wasn't there.
He snapped his head back around to look at Carl, and jumped with a start when he realized that the man had taken several steps closer to Danny's bed when he wasn't looking, in absolute silence, and without any movement of the flashlight in his hand. He was now knelt next to the bed, scrutinizing Danny with wide eyes.
"What are you?" Carl repeated.
He was close enough now that Danny could feel the warmth of his breath and lurched backwards in vague disgust and alarm.
"Uncanny Valley, right?" Danny said. "You would know better than I would. What are you?"
Danny had thought that Carl wasn't moving, but then he suddenly froze, and Danny realized the still he'd been a moment ago had been jittery and trembling, but the still he was no was statuesque and cold. He said nothing, and narrowed his eyes like he wasn't sure if he should, or if he should keep holding his cards close to his chest.
"I'll be honest, I never actually noticed I didn't cast a shadow until you pointed it out," Danny admitted. "But I've noticed plenty of uncanny valley around you."
"Like what?" Carl asked, though his tone didn't carry any doubt, just curiosity.
"Like... your smile is wrong. You teeth are too straight, and too white. Kinda like a TV news anchor, except I'm pretty sure there are too many of them." Danny saw Carl run his tongue over his teeth like he was counting them. Then he added, "And also, your lips are all cracked and gross, which isn't uncanny valley, but it is weird that you'd take such good care of your teeth and not even bother with some lip balm."
"Is that all?"
"Your eyes are weird, too," Danny continued. "Nobody's eyes are that color, and even if they were, they wouldn't spark like yours do, just tiny flashes of light. Human eyes don't do that. And your skin is too thin, I think, because your veins and stuff are all weirdly visible, even though you're not that pale."
Carl nodded slowly.
"And... how many teeth are people supposed to have?" he asked.
"I dunno," Danny said with a shrug. "I think, like, thirty, thirty-two, somewhere around there."
"Thanks for the tip," Carl said. "Your eyes flash, too, you know. Bright green. When your emotions are running high."
"Yeah, I know. I've been working on that."
"You're really not going to tell me, are you?" Carl stood, evidently resigned to not getting an answer. "I know you're not a human, and I know you're no ordinary ghost. You sure you won't even give me a hint?"
Danny gave him a derisive snort. "Will you?"
"No, I suppose not." Carl smiled then, and though it was dark, Danny could almost swear the number of teeth in his mouth had changed. "I guess we'll both just have to suffer in disappointment. Goodnight, Danny."
With that, he turned around and walked out of the room, not waiting for an answer.
Danny got up and went to check his door, to see if Carl had broken the lock to get in or something.
Not only was it not broken, it was still locked. Danny had seen the door open and close. He'd heard the doorknob twist. But it had somehow remained locked the whole time.
"Goodnight, Creepy Carl," Danny whispered.
He went back to bed, but didn't get a wink of sleep.
Creepy Carl left the following afternoon, much to Danny's relief.
He hoped that he would never have to see the man again, but somehow, he had a feeling he would. Someday, somewhere... when he least expected it.
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ohbo-ohno · 5 months
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Hear me out: micro-penis!Soap
Almost nothing changes, he is still extremely confident and cocky. But now he's even more focused on getting Ghosts dick bc it's not like he can fuck anyone with that tiny thing and masturbating when your pinky is thicker than your length is really fucking difficult.
It makes it possible for him to wear the tightest pants imaginable though. After all, it doesn't hurt his crotch area. He prefers shopping in the women's clothing section because they have the best pants to make his ass look good and there is so much variation.
He can't pee while standing - hard to direct the stream when the one finger you are holding your dick with is covering your pee hole (also ideal for puppy!Soap) - and there are no condoms that he can use - there is simply not enough length for it to hold on (which means his puppycunt is always leaking).
Makes it real easy to hide when he's aroused in public. Makes it even easier to hide when Ghost makes him cum in his pants with a (purposeful) touch or that look he gets when Soap has been a good boy. Not that it takes much, his tight pants have enough pressure on his small dick to make him cum just from walking around.
Has turned him into a pro in taking humiliation. Is used to the ribbing to downright abuse he gets from other soldiers once they've seen him in the showers. (As the FNG Soap has gone through too many hazings to count, distracting them with his small dick ensures that most of the hazing concentrates on that).
Is so attuned to getting humiliated for it that he is confused when he doesn't get it. Starts prompting for it, continues to desperately downgrade himself.
(Everyone on base knows that Soap has the smallest cock in the country. It's almost synonymous with his name. Soap likes it that way. Likes that everyone knows that for all his cockiness he could never fuck anyone. Loves that every soldier on base knows that he is just a hole waiting to be used. That if they approach him for a hook-up it's no question who is gonna be the bitch)
tbh i LIVE for any kind of dick humiliation - small dick humiliation, big dick humiliation, it's all fun and kinky. but sdh really lends itself to feminization, which is also hot
you made this Consensual (by nature of soap being a freak) which is great & super hot in it's own right and i love to read it, but i am unfortunately sick and nasty and have a bit more fun with this if soap's... not so into it. sorry to take it in that direction!
there's no way soap could hide his dick in the military, it's just not possible. so we are acknowledging it as fact, and disregarding it entirely so we can pretend that ghost wouldn't find out through other soldiers. also everything after this point is super scatterbrained and im so sorry for that lol
(btw.... soap having to sit down to piss... should not be as hot to me as it is, but something about that has me literally shivering)
thinking about ghost finding out about soap's tiny cock and kinda like... blackmailing him with it :/ threatens to tell everyone, both of them knowing that he'd lose so much respect from other soldiers. tells him he might even whore him out if soap can't behave
ghost fucking soap and holding a hand over his cock cause there's nothing to jack off, maybe he's nice and rubs a little like you might a clit, but usually doesn't even bother to give something so little any pleasure :/
ghost putting him in tight tight pants, so tight that it's impossible not to notice that he's either got no dick or a tiny dick. soap whines a little, squirms because the pants are pushing on his dick and he's so fucking hard, and the little tent in his pants just looks like another fold in the leather :/
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I don't think people really realize that systems are like. people. not really something that exists to fit in a binary to make discourse easier
Like sure CDDs are heavily associated with trauma, but then you have systems in real life who get diagnosed with them regardless of their trauma because that's the only thing in the DSM-V for plurality. Endogenic and no-trauma also aren't synonymous, you can absolutely be a system before trauma.
There's also just this obsession with making a ridged binary between trauma-based and not-trauma based that makes no sense. What about a system that's endogenic that went through trauma and now experiences dissociative amnesia? I know systems like that and sometimes you can't functionally tell the difference between them and a purely trauma-based systems. You also got trauma-based systems who don't have DID/OSDD or don't substantially struggle with plurality. Especially if it was a little t trauma that caused a system.
Plus like... there just flat out are systems who became systems after the cutoff age. The cutoff age is arbitrary and doesn't take into account developmental disabilities and like there are case studies that involve systems that formed at 13 and one at 31 that I know off the top of my head. You can say "but psychology says this" but that kind of doesn't work when there are systems going about their lives that go against it.
I'm also confused about the whole "theory of structural dissociation means endogenics aren't real thing", I don't like the ToSD because of the creator of it and the circumstance, but couldn't anything interrupt selves integration? like developmental disorders or childhood mental illness, or just anything that results in a delay in development?
Like almost all syscourse and broad generalizations fall apart once you start to think of systems as just human beings. Psychology as a whole also tends to dehumanize us already as is, and I feel like that might be seeping into the way people on the internet as a whole talk about us. You can spend all your time in a textbook reading only the most scientifically reputable websites you can, but it doesn't help you at all when you want to get to know how someone really is.
(plus I've seen studies that if you look at them you can tell the researchers are just trying to force their own interpretations of things and it's. hard to read.)
.
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amyispxnk · 6 months
Text
Pumpkin-face cookies
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Halloween drabbles with Joel Millerrrr
27/10- halloween baking!
Joel Miller x gn!reader
Word count: 751
Warnings: language, pet names (sweetheart, darlin’, baby), fluff, cookies?
A/N- someone give me some synonyms for ‘said’ please. Also someone make me pumpkin spiced pumpkin cookies right NOW
DO NOT COPY IN ANY WAY PLEASE AND TY
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“Whatcha got there darlin’?” Joel’s familiar voice sounded from behind you as he came to stand beside you, almost immediately sticking his finger into the bowl of cookie dough you were mixing.
You swatted his hand away, pointing at him with the spoon ‘threateningly’. 
“No eating the batter, Joel! Have you even washed your hands?”
He raised his arms into the air defensively and stepped back slightly.
“Okay, okay, sorry… Still haven’t told me what you’re making.”
“I am making some pumpkin spice cookie.. Thingies. I don’t really know.”
He hummed a noise of acknowledgement before leaning down to look at the recipe which was open on your phone.
“I dunno.. Yours don’t really look like these yet.” He teased, making you roll your eyes with a slight laugh.
“Yeah that’s ‘cause these aren’t actually cooked yet.”
“Right, right.. Ya want any help?”
You paused the mixing, thinking to yourself if there was anything he could to assist you.
“I guess you could make the icing.”
“Icing, got it. And how do I do that?”
You put the wooden spoon inside the bowl of batter and walked over to the cabinets on the other side of the kitchen, Joel following behind, reaching up and grabbing some icing sugar and orange food colouring. 
“All you have to do is mix the icing sugar with some cold water and then add some food colouring. I don’t want it to be too orange-y so like, just a few drops, okay?”
He nodded before taking the items from you and going over to grab a bowl for the mix as you walked back to your cookie mixture, reaching down for a cutting board and some flour.
You set the bowl to one side and poured some flour onto the board, spreading it as evenly as you could so that the batter wouldn’t stick to it before letting the ball of dough fall onto the wood. After rolling it and cutting the pumpkin shapes out, you put them on the tray and turned the oven off, letting out a relieved sigh when you closed the oven door. Who knew baking could be so exhausting?
When you turned back to Joel, you saw him with a strangely intense look of focus on his face, trying to drip the food colouring into the bowl of icing sugar.
You walked over to him.
“Joel? What’re you doing?” You asked, a look of slight confusion on your face. 
“Don’t wanna mess it up.” He murmured, tilting the bowl upwards to check the colour of the icing.
“But it’s just.. Icing sugar?”
“Yeah, but you said you wanted like- you didn’t want it too orange-y, and we don’t have any more icing sugar so I just wanted to make sure this is the perfect colour for you.”
Your heart melted at his words as you let out a small chuckle, your eyebrows tilting upwards towards each other when you saw how serious he was about it.
“Baby, it’s okay..! I wouldn’t even care if you made it too orange, it’s fine. Just do it.” You explained, gesturing for him to resume with the colouring.
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20 minutes later, the warm scent of pumpkin and cinnamon filled the air as you finished icing the cookies and called Joel back into the kitchen.
“Wow.. you’re like a chef, sweetheart, these look amazin’.” Joel said as he eyed the cookies, making you smile at him.
“You think? I actually tried with these, so, good to know it shows.” You replied, stepping back to look at the spread of cookies with different pumpkin-face designs on them.
“Hell yeah. I gotta try one now.” He said, already reaching for one.
“Okay fine, just one though. I wanna save some.”
“Uh-huh, just one.” He smirked as he took a bite of the cookie, both of you knowing he’d have at least 3 by the end of the night.
“Shit, these are really good sweetheart.”
“Well good.” You smiled, taking a bite of one yourself. “Damn, they actually are.” You said, unable to prevent a grin from stretching across your face. Normally, your baking either looked pretty but tasted terrible, or looked terrible but tasted pretty. This time, it actually had both.
“I’m gonna get you to make these every day, sorry baby.” Joel announced, already reaching for another.
“Hey! What did I say?” You said, swatting his hand away for the second time that evening.
“Just one more, promise.”
You sighed heavily before giving in.
“Fine, one more.”
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Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed! Likes, comments, and reblogs are always appreciated and requests are open 💞
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steviesbicrisis · 1 year
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I
I saw the sweetest thing on Reddit some time ago and I need to share with you! It was a girl telling that her boyfriend got a brain lesion and got into a coma for a week, so when he woke up he had to learn how to speak correctly all over again. The doctor was doing an exercise with him and she was there to know how to make it at home, the doctor says a word and the guy has to give a synonym or a definition of it, so he says "happiness" and the boyfriend points at her and says her name, the doc says "no, that's not right" and the guy was pouting not know why it was incorrect. Can you imagine this with Steddie? Initially I thought this with Eddie being in a coma after the S4 events, but I came to think of Steve in the boyfriend place because of his many head injuries, thinking he got one very hard and was out like light.
This ask really got me 🥺🥺🥺
I think this would make more sense if this happened after an hypothetical final battle! So, Eddie survives S4, gets together with Steve, they defeat Vecna but Steve gets badly injured (shocking) and gets into a coma.
The situation would be very tense, Eddie would blame everyone (for letting Steve taking too many hits in the head in the past) then himself (for not being able to protect him).
Robin and Eddie can only be around each other while they wait for Steve to wake up. They argue over the smallest things, but also laugh just by looking at each other at random times of the day. By the fifth day of being best friends and archenemies back and forth, they mutually agree they’re going crazy.
The worst part is that, in order to stay by Steve’s side, Robin pretends to be his girlfriend and Eddie his cousin, so the doctors tell everything to Robin first - another reason for their arguments. She’s the one who takes care of Steve, Eddie is nothing.
When Steve finally wakes up, things get better. They’re able to see him right away, he seems confused and unable to speak properly, but an exchange of looks is enough for Eddie to understand that Steve remembers him, and that he’s glad they’re both alive.
Once again, the doctors explain to Robin that Steve will need to do speech therapy multiple times a week, and exercises at home once he will get discharged.
“I’ll do it!!” Eddie jumps in immediately.
“That is very nice of you” the doctor says, but he sounds unconvinced “but I’m sure Robin here would be a better fit. We need someone that Steve trusts deeply, this is a delicate situation.”
Eddie knows that the doctor his talking like this just because, in his eyes, Eddie is just a cousin and Robin is the girlfriend, the one Steve loves. Maybe it’s the tiredness, maybe it’s the weird competitive dynamic he has developed with Robin, but he feels useless. In the end, why would Steve need him when he has Robin? When Eddie was supposed to protect him and wasn’t able to.
“Oh no, I think Eddie would be a better fit” Robin replies, getting two pair of surprises eyes on her.
“What? It’s true! I have to work - you know, since Steve won’t be able to for a long time” she adds, to save the appearances “and he trusts Eddie, they’re extremely close.”
When they get out of the hospital that night, Eddie hugs her impossibly tight. They stop fighting after that.
The speech therapy is challenging, Steve gets frustrated easily and Eddie can’t blame him: the doctor is very strict with him, gives him the hardest exercises and, for someone who does it for a job, he has too little patience in his opinion.
“C’mon Steve, last one of the day” the doctor shows him one of his card “happiness. Give me a definition or a synonym.”
Sometimes it takes him a few seconds before he can answer, but this time Steve lights up and points immediately at Eddie, saying his name out loud.
The doctor sighs “no Steve, h-a-p-p-i-n-e-s-s. C’mon, I know you can do it!” He tries with a little encouragement.
Steve huffs, points again and says “Eddie!”
Eddie, after the initial surprise, has to look away to hide his watery eyes from the doctor.
He only turns back when he hears the doctor getting out of the room.
Steve is pouting and looking down at his feet. Eddie melts.
“You did great sweetheart, don’t worry” he dares to come close since they’re alone in the room.
Steve looks unconvinced, still pouting. Eddie can practically hear his self deprecating thoughts, he knows him well enough.
He notices the doctor left his cards on the table. He lifts up the ‘happiness’ one in front of Steve, giving him the time to read it.
Eddie points at him “Steve.”
Steve blinks a couple of times, stunned. Eddie waves the card, points at him once again “Steve,” he repeats, firm.
Now it’s time for Steve to have watery eyes.
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ncredwolf910-8 · 1 month
Text
Disclaimer on synonyms Syntex, error and punctuation.  I’m dictating this onto my iPhone Monday morning,
 Friday afternoon:
I decided to surprise her by taking half of Friday afternoon off so that we could have a long weekend. I’d also been thinking about eating her pussy all morning and I was so horny. I couldn’t stand it anymore so I just signed off my computer and came home. I wanted to surprise her but I was the one that got the surprise. I came in through the front door which was not my normal habit, but I expected to see her in the living room just watching TV. She wasn’t there but I could hear the distinct sounds of sex, and the sounds she makes as she’s getting close to coming. we have a semi open relationship and neither of us are the jealous kind
I wouldn’t want to frighten the gentleman that was fucking my wife, but I wanted to see so I slipped off my shoes, took off my jacket and tie as I quietly walked towards the kitchen
I could hear her very plainly now, “that’s it, oh God, so fucking good. it fuck me, fuck me good, good boy keep going”!
“Good boy“? As I approach the kitchen I was a little bit confused until I saw her in the middle of the floor, facing away from me. She was on all fours, and I was covering her back, his hips moving at rapidfire pace. He was shoving his cock into her so hard, now she was just grunting, moaning and kind of crying out all thought or all conscious thought gone from her head.
I had watched this kind of thing on the Internet, and she had mentioned it once in passing, but never pursued in conversation or fantasy like our other things we discussed. There she was on her hands and knees her knees spread as wide as they could be, and still have the dog reach her pussy. I could tell at the moment she was climaxing. And then the dog gave one last push this time deeper and I heard her gas out and he stopped moving. I know it was happening. He had just pushed his knot all the way into her pussy and he was tied with her.
I watched her move, one of her hands between her legs while I couldn’t see it. I just assumed that she was playing with her clitoris or feeling around the dogs cock as it filled her. She was using words again, or rather one word I should say.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, “, over and over again like a chant or a mantra I’m assuming that she was playing with her clitoris. Now I could see her hand moving faster, and then I heard her cry out as she came again her pussy full of cock And one of the most incredible things I’ve ever seen when she was done she brought her fingers to her mouth and sucked them off. I had already noticed wetness running down both of our thighs, and she had done this when we fucked like this before where she would dig into her for my cum and eat it.
Now her hands were spread slightly and her elbows locked. The dog wasn’t moving and all I could assume was that he was filling her, I could see his com leaking offer. I stepped back into the living room, so she wouldn’t hear the sound of my belt, buckle or anything elseand stripped. My cock was as hard as it ever gets. I was afraid to even touch it. At this point I knew exactly what I wanted.
I snuck back into the kitchen oddly enough my dog was looking at me, panting still tied. For some silly reason, I put my finger to my lips in a shush motion. He was now off to the side slightly, and I could see his leg coming up I walked up right behind him and the instant happened I grabbed her hips and pushed my cock into her. She was still in a state of sort of sexual euphoria. But her head snapped around in surprise and the next thing she said, was “oh God”. Before she could go any further, I told her to shush grab both her hips and started fucking her freshly fucked pussy full of hot dog come. She didn’t come again from me fucking her because frankly, at this point, I didn’t last that long if it was 30 seconds that might be an exaggeration I was so turned on but when I started to come, I came so hard that it was almost painful.
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vikinglanguage · 2 months
Text
How to articulate your emotions in Danish
WARNING: LONG POST AHEAD
Literal years ago, I got an ask about how to talk about emotions in Danish. I was never really entirely sure, what the person was asking about, but I recently had the idea to just flat out translate one of those "how to identify which emotion you're experiencing" charts. So here goes nothing
Please note: all of these are approximations, and a lot of the words that are used to describe the same general feeling are in fact more or less interchangeable, as is the case with the emotion chart.
This is the chart I used:
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[ID in alt text]
bange - fearful
noun: frygt - fear
bange, frygtsom, ræd - scared hjælpeløs - helpless skræmt, rædselsslagen - frightened
nervøs, ængstelig - anxious overvældet - overwhelmed bekymret - worried
usikker - insecure utilstrækkelig - inadequate underlegen, mindreværdig - inferior
svag - weak værdiløs - worthless ubetydelig, betydningsløs - insignificant
afvist - rejected holdt udenfor, ekskluderet - excluded forfulgt - persecuted
truet - threatened nervøs - nervous udsat - exposed
sur - angry
noun: vrede - anger
skuffet, svigtet - let down forrådt - betrayed forurettet - resentful
ydmyget - humiliated ikke føle sig respekteret - feel disrespected gjort nar ad, latterliggjort - ridiculed
bitter - bitter forarget - indignant krænket - violated
vred - mad rasende - furious jaloux - jealous
aggressiv - aggressive provokeret - provoked hostile - fjendtlig
frustreret - frustrated arrig - infuriated irriteret - annoyed
fjern - distant tilbagetrukken/tilbagetrukket - withdrawn følelsesløs, følelsesforladt - numb
kritisk - critical skeptisk - sceptical affejende, afvisende - dismissive
frastødt - disgusted
noun: afsky - disgust
misbilligende - disapproving fordømmende - judgemental pinligt berørt - embarrassed
skuffet - disappointed forfærdet - appalled væmmes (verb, reflexive) - to be revolted e.g. jeg væmmes ved lugten af fisk 'I am revolted by the smell of fish'
frygtelig - awful kvalm - nauseated foragtelig - detestable
frastødt - repelled forfærdet - horrified tøvende - hesitant
ked af det - sad
noun: bedrøvelse, sorg - sadness, sorrow
såret - hurt flov - embarrassed skuffet - disappointed
deprimeret*, nedtryk - depressed mindreværdig - inferior tom, følelsesforladt - empty *while deprimeret like English depressed primarily should be used in relation to a medical diagnosis of depression, it is also used as a synonym of nedtrykt (literally ned 'down, de' + trykt 'pressed') in the vernacular
skyldig - guilty fortrydende, skyldbetynget, angerfuld - remorseful skamfuld - ashamed
fortvivlelse - despair adj: fortvivlet - despairing sorg - grief adj: sorgfuld, sorgramt, sørgende - grief-stricken, grieving magtesløs - powerless
sårbar - vulnerable gjort til offer, offergjort - victimised skrøbelig - fragile
ensom - lonely isoleret - isolated efterladt - abandoned
glad - happy
noun: glæde, lykke - happiness
legesyg, legende - playful ophidset - aroused fræk - cheeky
tilfreds - content fri - free lykkelig, glad - joyful
interesseret - interested nysgerrig - curious videbegærlig - inquisitive
stolt - proud succesfuld, succesrig - succesful selvsikker - confident
accepteret - accepted respekteret - respected værdsat - valued
stærk, magtfuld - powerful modig - courageous kreativ - creative
fredfyldt - peaceful kærlig - loving taknemmelig - thankful
tillidsfuld - trusting følsom, sensitiv - sensitiv intim, tæt - intimate
optimistisk - optimistic håbefuld - hopeful inspireret - inspired
overrasket - surprised
noun: overraskelse - surprise
forskrækket - startled chokeret - shocked forfærdet - dismayed
forvirret - confused desillusioneret - disillusioned perpleks - perplexed
forbløffet - amazed forbavset - astonished ærefrygt - awe
begejstret, spændt - excited ivrig - eager energisk - energetic
dårligt - bad
kede sig (verb, reflexive) - to be bored e.g. jeg keder mig 'I am bored' ligeglad - indifferent apatisk - apathetic
travl - busy presset - pressured forhastet - rushed
stresset - stressed overvældet - overwhelmed ude af kontrol - out of control
træt - tired søvnig - sleepy ufokuseret - unfocussed
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aemiron-main · 7 months
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A Freshman?? Something Weird Is Going On With Henry’s Age And EVEN MORE FIRM EVIDENCE FOR MULTIPLE TIMELINES!!
So, James sent me this pic:
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And it’s bizarre, frankly, because Henry should be 12 (and therefore not a freshman) in 1959.
What’s really interesting, though, is the way they worded that sentence:
“And we can’t forget, Henry Creel will be a freshman when we turn back the clocks to Hawkins in 1959.”
And it’s interesting, because this line about Henry’s weird age includes two things that are tied to Edward.
1.) the “and we can’t forget” part is tied to Edward based on what I talked about in this post regarding Eddie Munson vs Edward Creel and people not remembering Eddie Munson vs people not remembering Edward Creel.
2.) the “turn back the clock,” part is tied to Edward based on what I talked about in this post regarding the scene of Henward literally turning back the clock and why that’s likely Edward, rather than Henry.
Henry is 12 years old in 1959. This is canon:
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But the play is also canon:
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Which means that they can’t (and won’t) just change Henry’s canon age randomly for no reason- there’s something else going on here.
And also, something that caught my eye is the wording in that post, too- “canon event”, because “Into The Spiderverse,” is on the S4 board:
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And a “canon event” in Spiderverse is an event that must happen/can’t be interfered with, because interfering with it can cause the destruction of the multiverse. It also tends to involve the loss of a parental figure and the death of a police captain, which has me staring DIRECTLY at a.) the Creel murders and Virginia’s death/Victor’s imprisonment b.) Alice being missing from TFS and c.) Hopper’s dad/the police chief being in TFS. Timeline fuckery/multiple timelines is afoot here for sure, as usual.
And it’s extra weird that Edward moved to Hawkins two years before Henry- and we don’t know Edward’s age. If Edward was 15 in 1959 (being 12 in 1957, when he moved to Hawkins), then it would explain why he’s a freshman.
They also didnt tell Raphael Luce who he was playing in ST4- he didn’t know that he was playing 001 until the day he got it tattooed on his wrist. So, the ST team/the Duffers aren’t above keeping information away from their own cast, let alone the audience.
However, there may also be a far simpler explanation for this (although, of course, the points about canon events and timeljne weirdness still apply)- the wonderful @reikunrei also pointed out that “freshman,” is also simply a synonym for “newcomer,” which is what Henry is in Hawkins:
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So, there’s a chance that they’re just messing with us & chose to use the word “freshman,” because they knew it would confuse people/mess with them.
Anyway! I’m super excited for TFS because every day, things just get weirder!
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Fic Reader Highlights from this year! Thanks @mostlymaudlin for putting this together! This is such a lovely idea.
Fic that made me laugh: Worst Disney Princess Ever by @hushed-chorus.
So technically I listened to Demi read this in the discord, but who's counting. This is such a cute and fun fic in the absolute best way. The pigeons! The undead plotting rats! Baz's resignation to being the Disney princess with his undead animals 😂 Demi, hearing you read this was my first time reading (or listening) to this fic, and it was INCREDIBLE.
Fic that made me cry: you never quite say (but i hear) by @that-was-anticlimactic.
Yeah, this fic made me sob. It reminded me so much of my best friend, who also has ADHD and a loud voice and loves talking about their special interests. I adore them so much and love listening to them talk, even if I don't really get DND. I remember immediately sending them this fic after reading it. This is such a special fic. I absolutely adore it, and Zuko is the best boyfriend.
Honorary mention to He's Cruel But You Don't Have to Be by notanotherfanficwriter. Definitely made me cry. Soren's character arc, especially in Finnegrin's Wake, is incredibly cathartic.
Fic that gave me a story hangover: None Of Those Tiny Fluff Monsters In The House by @roxan1930.
Whatever a story hangover is, this definitely gave me it. I ended up naming one of my micropets in the Finch self-care app Poof because of it. I sometimes go back and reread parts of it because it's just That good and fun.
Fic I want to discuss book-club style: The Gay Bar by @scone-lover.
I think the Carry On discord actually has discussed this one before! It was very very lovely. Both the discussion and the fic. I ended up making a cover of this fic. The fic is so lovely and a very real depiction of queer experiences. Sconey, you are a gift to this fandom.
Fic that got me a lil flustered: Symbiotic by @thrandilf.
Um, yes. Hello. I am very very bisexual for a slutty gay practically-a-god elf tying up another slutty gay pretty-much-a-vampire elf and letting her drink from him. Thank you.
Fic by one of my favorite authors: Blooming by @hoothalcyon.
If you only read one neurodivergent ruthari fic, read this one. It's a collection of oneshots with autistic Runaan and supportive husband Ethari, and is so SO sweet and wonderful. Each chapter is a little slice of warmth and happiness to cut through the difficulties of life. And it's just so lovely seeing autistic adults being written about.
Fic I reread more than once: Keep You Safe by Tragicomic_Warrior_Poet
Just... Hakoda being a good dad to Zuko. Yeah. I love seeing that in zukka fics. I come back to reread this one a lot. Hakoda is such a good dad, and you can definitely tell how much he loves his kids. (And how much he cares about Zuko.)
Fic I sent to everyone I know: On the Edge of Morning by LassieLowrider
I love seeing the Carry On characters being disabled. I don't agree with Baz's leg being healed, and I really wish Simon being neurodivergent was touched on more in the books. So you better believe I sent this to the Carry On discord when I found it! It's such a wonderful slice of life fic <22
Fic that made me fall in love with an author: how familiar the danger by LiterallyThePresident (so sad I don't know if this author has a Tumblr)
So cheating a bit by doing a series for this one. But eh, rules were made to be bended. This series is SO DAMN GOOD. GO READ IT. AND THERE'S ART BY @sefarlen!!! Knight Ambrosius helping out slutty flirtatious commoner Ballister and them having an enemies to reluctant/tentative allies to lovers? FUCK YEAH, SIGN ME UP.
Gonna go ahead and tag some folks if you're interested in participating! Tagging everyone who's tagged above plus @bazzybelle @stitchyqueer @valeffelees @imagineacoolusername @artsyunderstudy @aristocratic-otter @captain-aralias @theearlgreymage @confused-bi-queer @no-cinnamon-for-synonym @yeonjunenby @yurayuramiharin @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @youarenevertooold @carryonsimoncarryonbaz @beautifulterriblequeen @cutestkilla @wellbelesbian @nightimedreamersworld @iamamythologicalcreature and anyone else who wants to! 💖💖
The blank templates 😊
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yesimwriting · 2 years
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Final Girl (Part 3)
- Final Girl Series Masterlist (updated part 1 - 9 and extras) 
A/n yall have been so kind!! all of the messages, likes, comments, and reblogs for this series have made me so happy! this chapter is a little bit of filler bc my original idea for this part was way too long especially with how busy this week is supposed to be, so i sort of split it!! 
also if this has pacing issues, i’m sorry, i had a panic attack yesterday and a really bad migraine today so it’s been kinda rough lately but i wanted to get this out!! Part 4 is going to have a little more going on :)
if this is messy pls don’t give up on me 😭 i promise the next part will have more going on i just didn’t want to leave y’all waiting forever and we needed a bit of a filler
also if anyone wants to leave me an ask about this series pls do:) i’ve had so much fun talking about Final Girl
Series Summary: Y/n can’t believe that she has to leave the only home she’s ever known just because her mom’s latest boyfriend has a house in some town in California. Just as she’s starting to think that Woodsboro might not be that bad, something life altering happens after she agrees to sleep over at  Becker’s house. Now her name is practically synonymous with Ghostface’s. 
Chapter Summary: Y/n’s first day back after the incident. 
----
My reflection has never bothered me more. I know vanity is such a stupid thing to worry about now after what happened to Casey, but I can’t help the way I scrutinize my appearance. 
The attention drawing cotton-y bandaid that was placed on the gash on the side of my temple has been (thankfully) downgraded to a regular bandaid. That’s fine--I can accept that. What I can’t accept are the stupid cuts caused by all of that glass.
After being released from the hospital, it took no time for me to learn that it’s going to be awhile before I can comfortably wear pants again. My arms are a little less cut up, so the white, long sleeved shirt I picked out covers my injuries without irritating them. I tried on a pair of leggings and I barely got them to my thighs without wincing.
So now I’m wearing the most comfortable skirt I own. Normally, I wouldn’t even think twice about it, I wear this skirt so often, but it barely covers any of the cuts on the back of my legs. God...people are going to think I’m doing this for attention, especially since media outlets keep calling my house. 
Ugh--this is as good as it’s going to get for my first day back. I pick my backpack up from my bed. My eyelids feel so heavy I have to fight the urge to collapse back into bed. 
The walk downstairs is painfully slow. Once I’m finally in the hall that leads to the kitchen, I stop. A vague confusion clouds my thoughts. Was I going to the kitchen? What did I want from the kitchen?
“Mornin’, kiddo.” I blink at the sound of Wells’ voice. At least it’s offering me a sense of a direction. 
Stepping fully in the kitchen, I greet back, “Good morning.” 
He eyes me for a long second, piercing blue irises lingering in a way that makes me feel uneasy in my own skin. “Skirt’s a little grown, ain’t it?” When my only reaction is to furrow my eyebrows, he continues, “What happened to those little girl dresses you used to wear? I liked those.” 
I grab the strap of my backpack, shifting slightly. I stopped wearing those dresses after he had been dating my mom for a few months. “Outgrew them, I guess.” 
Wells nods once, the motion gruff as he moves to grab his mug. He lets out a curt, gruff noise. 
“Oh, Wells.” Like always, my mom’s voice chases away all the tension. “Don’t you know better than telling a girl what to wear? Especially a teenager. Now ease up, 16-year-old me would make Y/n look like a saint.” With that, my mom finally looks at me. “You look pretty, like always, I especially like your top.” It takes me a second to realize that my mom’s referencing the fact that I stole this shirt from her closet. I let out a soft, slow laugh. “You okay?” 
I nod drastically. “Yep, just want to get the first day back over with.” 
“I can’t believe you only took one day off. When I was your age, I’d have taken half a week off for less.” 
“It’s going to be bad no matter when I go back. My name’s been all over the news.” I release the strap of my backpack, scratching the back of my wrist. “Plus it’s junior year and that one day off already has me drowning in makeup work. I can’t afford to fall behind. Junior year is the year colleges look at most. This year could make or break whether or not I get into Princeton.” 
My mom holds her hands up in defense. “Yes, I know, you ranted to me about it yesterday. Just promise me you’ll listen to your body. I don’t love that you haven’t had your follow up appointment yet to confirm whether or not you have a concussion.” 
“Mom, I’m fine, promise. I’ll let you know if I start to feel weird.” 
She watches me for a long second, likely attempting to scan me the way an MRI machine would. “Fine, you need a ride or--” 
“Actually, a friend’s picking me up.” 
At that my mom tilts her head in a way that’s so knowing I feel the urge to confess even though I’ve done nothing. “A friend as in one of those two boys that spent all weekend calling and checking in on you?” 
My mom spent the last two days at my side. Normally it would have annoyed me, but it was actually nice. It reminded me of life before Wells. There was one downside, though. She saw how often Billy and Stu called. It wasn’t terrible and she probably would have picked up on it anyway, but it’s opened the ground to a lot of jokes and comments on her part.
“You’re the one who brought them into this. I would have never thought to call Billy while I was at the hospital.” That’s true. Even though we were friends before the incident, I wouldn’t have thought to call anyone except my mom. “And they’re just trying to be there for me like good friends.” 
At that, my mom leans against the kitchen island. “Y’know when I was your age, I had a guy that just wanted to be a good friend and drove me to school. Now I have a daughter.” 
I roll my eyes, “Haha. Yes--I’m going to get pregnant in the less than 10-ish minutes we’re going to have before we need to get to class.” 
“It only took about 8 minutes to make you, and that includes me getting dressed and fixing my hair after. Just saying.” 
I make a point of fake gagging. “Bye mom, Wells.“
“What? I was joking!” 
I walk towards the front door. A hand on my shoulder makes me nearly jump out of my skin. “Mom! You scared me.” 
She offers me a sheepish smile, “You know I’m kidding, right? They’re nice for caring.” 
“I know, mom.” 
With a sigh, she continues, “Just be sa--” 
“Oh my God, mom! I’m not having se--” 
“Easy, pumpkin,” she laughs off my outburst, “I mean in general. Don’t strain yourself and don’t feel like you need to push through. You want to go home early and I’ll pick you up.” 
I smile softly. “Yeah, I will.” 
With that, I open the front door. The sun is so bright I have to drop my head as I walk down the driveway. Wells’ house is objectively nicer than the house my mom and I lived in when we were still in Texas, but I still find myself missing the familiarity of our old front porch. 
Squinting, I look up and notice a car waiting next to the mailbox. How did I miss that? Rubbing my eyes with one hand, I approach the vehicle. 
I pull open the door to the backseat. Two sets of eyes turn towards me. “You know you guys didn’t have to wait for me.” I push my backpack into the car before sitting down. “You could’ve honked or something,” 
“We just got here,” Billy says easily, but I’m not sure I believe him. 
Stu turns in his seat to face me better as I shut the car door. “Plus we don’t mind giving you time to get all dolled up. Especially since today’s going to be a total bloodbath.” 
His wording leaves me more confused than upset. I draw my eyebrows together, shifting awkwardly. “What do you mean?” 
“Everyone’s gone crazy over what happened. I think more people were talking about you than Casey, and Casey’s the one that got gutted. It’s all over the news. They hung her from that tree in--” Billy moves his hand from the console in order to smack the side of Stu’s head. “Ow, man--what was that for?” 
“It’s not even 8 yet, at least let her wake up first before you traumatize her.” 
The thought of Casey makes my stomach twist, but I’m not focused in on anything enough to really react. Tiredly, I pull my backpack onto my lap and squeeze it to my body. “It’s fine,” I’m not sure if I’m talking to them or myself. 
Stu and Billy exchange a look that I barely register before resting my chin on my bag. “Are you okay? You didn’t even do that cute, little glare thing you do when you want me to shut up.” 
“I’m fine,” I answer a little too quickly, forcing myself to sit up some more, “A little tired.” Stu’s watching me a little too carefully and I catch Billy glancing at me through the rearview mirror. “Seriously?” Sighing, I shift in my seat, “First my mom and now you guys. I’m fine.”
My reaction is just a little too angry. Maybe if I felt a little more rested, I would have known better. Stu moves until he’s siting in the passenger seat normally. “Crying over the fact that you’re a total mommy’s girl.” 
Rolling my eyes and ignoring the way the motion irritates my migraine, I lean back in my seat. “Put on a seatbelt, asshole.” 
Even though that’s said with more bite and irritation than anything I’ve ever said to him, Stu laughs. It’s light and terribly offensive. I frown, looking over at Billy as heat crawls up my neck and towards my face. He’s just barely fighting down a grin. “It’s not that funny.” 
“No,” Stu sarcastically agrees, “That was so mean of you. I can’t remember the last time someone insulted me and tried to take care of me at the same time.” 
I cross my arms around my backpack. “Why did I agree to getting into a contained space with you two so early in the morning?” 
“Because you don’t have a license.” Billy looks way too smug as he turns the wheel as we move down a curb. 
I glare at him. “You extorted that information out of me while I was super out of it and half asleep.” 
“You said it yourself, it’s not like one of us asked.” 
He’s right and I hate it. I sink further into the seat, tempted to shut my eyes, but knowing that there’s no guarantee that I won’t fall asleep if I do. “Whatever.” 
Stu half laughs at that before starting to talk about a new scary movie that’s coming out. The plot sounds kind of basic, but I’m not one to judge until I see the movie. Normally, I’d be totally invested. I kind of like when Stu rambles about something he’s interested in, but now I’m struggling to hold my head up. 
I don’t register that we’re in the school parking lot until both Billy and Stu get out of the car. Once they’re both out, I shake my head once in an attempt to clear my thoughts. Get it together.
When I step out of the car, I make a point of keeping my eyes on the ground in front of me. Stu may exaggerate every once in awhile, but I don’t think he’s wrong about school. My mom has been fielding calls since the morning I was discharged from the hospital and last night while I was flipping through channels, I saw my face three times.
Before I can even think, a bright flash makes me flinch. The light is like a punch behind the eye thanks to my headache. That is followed by a series of other equally bright and irritating camera shutters. 
Shit. 
Billy steps towards me, dropping his voice so that only I can hear, “You know we don’t have to.” 
Taking a settling breath, I tilt my chin up a fraction of an inch. “It’s fine,” I say, hoping that I’ll convince myself, “Can’t hide forever.” 
We walk forward, me a few steps ahead of Billy and Stu. My fast pace is a sad attempt at ripping off the bandaid. 
“Excuse--Excuse me, miss!” I squeeze the strap of my backpack so tightly my knuckles must be white from the tension. “Miss Y/n L/n.” The woman that waves me down is holding a large microphone. She barely glances at me before turning her attention back to the camera man that followed her as she chased me. “Hi. Gale Weathers. I covered the last one of these.” 
I wince. “I’m sorry, when you say ‘the last one of these’ do you mean the last murder or--” 
“...And we’re rolling!” In nature, bright colors are meant to warn living things of poison. I think that logic could be applied to Gale Weathers and her auburn hair and blood red lips. “I’m Gale Weathers and I’m bringing you an exclusive with the lone survivor of what some are calling the worst murder in Woodsboro history.” She then turns towards me, “Now, Y/n, our viewers want to know exactly what you’re feeling.” 
Her microphone is way to close to my face. “Well, Gale, I’m glad you asked,” I’m speaking in the polite tone I used to reserve for rude customers when I worked in the mall last summer, “I’m feeling fan-freakin’-tastic!” 
The false enthusiasm jars her the way I hoped it would. She brings the microphone back to her. “Really?” 
“No, you vulture. Ambush interviewing is as tacky as that suit.” 
With that, I turn away and attempt to storm into school with an aura that scares away reporters. I’ve only ever seen that kind of confident magic come from my mom, but she’s half my genetic material, that means it must be in me somewhere, right?
Apparently wrong, because the cameras continue to flash. One man gets so close to me that his rapid photographing leaves me dizzy. 
“Okay,” an arm quickly wraps around my side, stabilizing me, “You got your pictures, now leave her alone.” The scent of Tatum’s perfume is comforting as she guides me the rest of the way inside. Once we’re inside, we’re granted the semblance of some privacy. “And I thought they were bad yesterday. Are you okay?” 
I nod, relaxing a little at her casual expression. Maybe if I try hard enough, I’ll be able to pretend that this is an average Tuesday. “I’m fine, I’m just tired, and I can’t believe how obsessed everyone is.” 
“Of course they’re obsessed.” For the first time ever, Randy’s voice is completely unwelcome. “You’re the sole survivor, the only witness to tell the story, the--for lack of better term--final girl.” 
Being in a friend group with so many people that are really into horror movies is all fun and games until they summarize the great trauma of your life in a movie trope. “Really? I never would have thought of it that way.” 
Sidney glares at Randy in defense of me. I appreciate it, but it doesn’t make me feel any better. “It’s too soon for those kinds of jokes.” 
My sarcasm was pure venom and Sidney’s reaction, though well intentioned, only made me feel sorry. Randy offers me a sheepish sort of look that immediately makes me feel bad for being so snippy. His comment wouldn’t have bothered me so much if it wasn’t for what just happened, and he wasn’t really trying to be mean. That actually might have been an attempt to lighten the mood, especially since he knows that the final girl storyline is one of my favorites. He’s always recommending movies that end like that. 
“Thanks, Sid, but I came on a little strong. I’m sorry, Randy, I’ve been a total nightmare all day. Just ask Billy and St--” I look around, a little surprised that they’re not right behind me. Aw, I lost them in all that commotion. “Weird--they were just behind me.” Shaking off the slightly lost feeling with the turn of my head, I move on, “Ask them later. The point is, I’ve been awful. It’s not your guys’ fault that this is my life right now.” 
Randy’s expression morphs from being almost hurt to something that’s even more of a punch in the gut. He seems sympathetic. “It’s okay, you’re holding it together way more than I would be. I don’t even know how you’re at school today.” 
“Yeah, how are you even here, Y/n?” Tatum echoes, her voice a little softer than before. 
It’s a good question. Now that I’m here all those points I made about school and grades and Princeton feel so far away. “It had to happen at some point, I might as well rip off the band aid. I just want everything to go back to normal.” I shift awkwardly, watching them watch me. “And the man that did this doesn’t deserve the satisfaction of my fear.” 
After a moment, Randy prompts, “...And?” 
“And what?” 
He half smiles. “Come on, Y/n, if you want this to feel normal, you’re going to have to give us the Princeton rant.” 
I roll my eyes before scoffing. “I do not talk about Princeton often enough for you to warrant naming it a specific rant.” 
Randy raises an eyebrow at my obvious lie. “You must have really hit your head hard.” 
“Rude.“ I turn towards Tatum, “Tate, you don’t think I’m like obsessed with Princeton.
She parts her lips as she debates the way she wants to respond. Before she can say anything, Stu walks up from behind me and pulls Tatum into a hug. He then gives her a soft kiss that feels linger-y. Wait--why am I noticing that? That’s...that’s weird of me. And why does this feel more uncomfortable than the time I caught them full on making out in the girl’s bathroom? Why is that tiny display of affection sitting in my chest in a way that makes it hard to look at them? 
More annoyed at my thoughts than the way Stu cups her face, I force my myself to stare at the locker in front of me. There are polaroids of people I don’t know tapped to the front of it.
Ugh--screw the guy that threw me into that wall. My head must be totally messing with me. 
“What are you guys talking about?” Billy’s sudden appearance surprises me more than it should. At this point, I should know that when I see one the other isn’t too far behind. He has an arm around Sidney’s shoulders, and she’s leaning into his touch just enough for it to be noticeable. Since when is Billy so into PDA? 
Oh my god, what’s wrong with me? Maybe my mom was right to think I have some kind of brain injury. My eyes snap back to the locker. “Nothing.”
“Y/n’s obsession with an Ivy League school in New Jersey.”
After a moment of silence, I realize that everyone’s waiting for me to speak. “Not an obsession.” My response lacks my usual level of conviction when talking about Princeton in any capacity. I can feel the fragile way they’re all looking at me. My eyes focus on the polaroids in front of me until everything else blurs into the background. 
The polaroids have my eyes watering and I don’t know why. They’re just stupid pictures of people I don’t know. Casey’s voice echoes in my head. It’s a punch in the gut.
Stu’s voice cuts through the static of my thoughts. “Y/n? Are you o--”
“I think I remembered something.” The admission is so low I’m surprised anyone hears it. “Randy, do you have a copy of the news article? Not the first one, the second one that lists everything found at the crime scene?” 
“Yeah,” Randy admits it like it’s an apology, “In my backpack.” 
“Can I see it?”
Everyone stays quiet at that. There’s an energy in the air that makes me feel as trapped as I did in the hospital. “Come on, guys, I don’t need to be babied. The pictures aren’t going to freak me out, I was kinda there for the real thing.” 
“At the hospital, didn’t you say you were unconscious for most of it?” Billy’s remark earns him a glare so harsh that he moves his hands to hold them up in defense before dropping them to his side. 
“Fine. Whatever. Don’t show me the newspaper, I’ll find my own copy, it’s everywhere. There’s a good chance some jag-off shoved one into my locker anyways.” Ugh--why is everyone so impossible? I turn on my heels, unsure if I’m fuming or ready to burst into tears.
I don’t even make it a full step before something locks around my upper forearm. My head snaps back as the hand’s sudden grip softens. “Come on, bug.” That leaves me hesitant. Stu called me that the day after we first met. Since then, the nickname has mainly been reserved to calm me down. I’ve asked him about it before, but he always refuses to explain it. “You’re just going to make yourself sick.” 
Biting the inside of my cheek, I frown. The group learned about my weak stomach early on in our friendship. My first night drinking with them ended with me throwing up in Stu’s bathroom. That wouldn’t have been so embarrassing if I was totally wasted, but I was objectively way too sober to get that sick.
There’s some underlying quality to his words. A quality that’s too knowing, too sure. He’s being more condescending than sweet. “I think I can manage.” I pull my arm away, ignoring the way his expression blanks. “I’m not a vase or a little kid, I don’t need you all treating me like I’m that unbelievably fragile.”
Stu angles his head to the side. I force myself to tilt my chin upwards in an attempt to stand my ground. I don’t fully get whatever face off we’re in, but I’ll be damned if I lose it this quickly. “Since you’re all grown up, Y/n, look at whatever you want, but don’t come crying to me about it.” 
I take a step forward, indignation leaving my spine straight. “When have I ever--” 
“You couldn’t even spend a few hours by yourself in a hospital.”
The unfairness of his statement forces a scoff from my lips. I take a step forward. “I didn’t ask for your help then and I’m not asking for it now.” 
“Stu.” Billy’s voice is level, bordering on neutral. 
At that, Stu exhales, but he doesn’t stop staring at me. “It’s fine, Billy.” 
“Yeah,” Stu echoes, shifting towards me, “Y/n’s fine, she doesn’t need anyone.” 
A sarcastic, half thought out reply rises up my chest and jams itself in my throat. I don’t think I’ve ever thought about how much taller than me Stu is. He’s looking down at me with an intensity that hits me straight in the stomach. Great, another feeling I don’t understand. “Whatever,” I mumble, “I need to get to class.” 
The bell rings a moment after I turn. I walk to homeroom, not thinking twice about it until I’m sitting in front of an empty desk. 
My face is hot, my head hurts, and Mrs. Ramirez’s announcements are drowned out by a ringing in my ears. When the bell rings, I can’t get out of the room fast enough. Normally, Stu’s around right after homeroom, ready to walk me to math. 
I don’t know what that weird argument was in the hallway, but I’m not ready to deal with it yet. So even though I’m gripping the straps of my backpack so tightly it hurts, I take the long way to class. There are no memories of Casey in AP Calc AB, so this time when I sit at my desk, I can breathe.
By the time I’m pulling out my notebook, the bell rings. Mr. Williams walks to the front of the classroom, “Alright, everyone in their seat. For today’s exam, you are permitted the use of a graphing calculator.”
Shit. The test. I forgot about the calc test. Mr. Williams begins to hand out the exam. When he gets to me, I stop him, “Mr. Williams, I-I was wondering if I could possibly take the exam on another day? After the events of this weekend, I--” 
“Ms. L/n, I made it clear to the entire class that I do not believe in scheduling a makeup exam the day of.” 
My fingers nervously scratch at the back of my wrist. “And I understand that, and normally I’d never ask, but if you’ve seen the news--” 
“Ms. L/n, do you want to take the test or would you rather me put a 0 in the grade book?” 
I could scream. I want to scream, but instead, all I do is nod, “Take the test.” 
And with that, he places the packet on my desk. The sound it makes feels like a death sentence. The next 50 minutes are a nightmare. I don’t remember how to do half the problems, and what I do remember, I can’t seem to do right. By the time the bell rings, I’m in full on panic mode. Mr. Williams collects the test and I leave the room like it’s on fire. 
The sharp pain in my head has never been this bad. I reach my locker, unlocking it to grab my bottle of ibuprofen. I take two Advil without any water. Today totally, unbelievably sucks. I need to splash some water in my face. 
The bathroom is thankfully empty. Pushing my backpack off of my shoulders and onto the counter, I turn on the sink. The water is cool against my fingers, and for the first time all day, I feel like I can breathe. My bandaid is sticking out to me too much so I force my gaze downwards. 
There’s a long abandoned copy of a newspaper on the counter. Its corners are so wet that the words at the start and end of the article are unreadable. The page it’s opened to has no photos. I’m sure if I flipped through it I’d find something listing everything the police found inside the house that night. 
Stu’s earlier claim echoes in my head as I pick up the newspaper. I’m not sure if I’m more motivated by spite or the desire to answer the question in my head, but I guess it doesn’t matter, because the end result is the same. I turn the page, skimming the article. The intro is so long that I still haven’t gotten to the murder, let alone what the police found after. I flip ahead until I find what I’m looking for.
I read the section about everything that was found twice. They mention everything down to the burned jiffy pop and the tube of lipgloss Casey left in the living room. The paragraph never mentions the polaroids from the kitchen.
He took pictures of me from the crime scene. 
Unease leaves my stomach in knots. The killer, who talked to me on the phone like we were best friends and chose to not kill me took photos of me. 
I turn the page frantically, desperate to see if the polaroids are mentioned there. Big mistake. Casey’s photo is staring at me, but she’s not her in it. She’s hanging from that big tree in her yard and her--her intestines... 
Cold sweat leaves my hands clammy. My body knows what’s happening before I do. A stall door gets thrown open just in time for me to throw myself onto my knees. Bile and whatever’s left of last night’s dinner burn as they come up my throat. I wretch. 
An unexpected but not unpleasant touch is pressed into my back as my hair is pushed out of my face. More bile leaves me. 
After a second passes and I don’t throw up a third time, I turn my head just enough to see who’s next to me. Billy. He doesn’t say anything at my recognition, he just moves his hand up and down my back gently. 
“...I found a newspaper.” 
“Yeah, I assumed after i heard the…”
He’s trailing off to be nice. I shift in order to sit cross legged on the floor. “Right. That’s fair.” 
His hand stalls against my back. “I didn’t mean it li--” 
“I know.” My voice is too small.
Billy moves his free hand. I don’t know what he’s doing until he’s pulling the paper away from me. I let him take the newspaper and place it somewhere on the other side of him. “Why’d you look?” 
“I--earlier, I was looking at this locker in front of us and it had polaroids taped to it, and-and that made me remember that on Saturday, Casey took a bunch of pictures of me. Polaroids.” I wipe at my face with the back of my palm. "The article’s super detailed, but it didn’t mention any pictures. I-I think that means that the person took them.”  
Billy’s eyebrows draw together. The corner of his mouth turns downwards. “You’re making yourself sick over this.” 
“Because it’s a big deal!” My reaction is harsher than it should be. He’s being nice to me after I blew up at everyone this morning and they were just trying to be good friends. And after this, I’m in no position to talk about what I am and am not able to handle. “It’s a big deal that I’m alive and Casey isn’t.” Taking a shaky breath, I continue, “And I should--I have to make it right somehow. Casey’s dead and I’m alive because it fit whatever plot he wanted to make. It was total chance, the killer probably flipped a coin while outside of her house to pick which one of us would live and which one would end up like...” I gesture vaguely in the direction of the newspaper, “That.” 
He’s quiet for so long I think he may not respond at all. His hand begins to move up and down my back again in the form of small circles. “Do you really think that?” 
Shrugging, I lean into his touch. “I mean, it’s probably either that or a stalker scenario.”
“You don’t have to figure it out. Just because you’re the one that survived doesn’t mean you need to put yourself through this. Especially now. It just happened, give yourself some time.” His voice is so assuring and oddly comforting I feel my eyes water. “What’s wrong?” 
Despite myself, I almost snort. “I think you know what’s wrong.” 
He gives me a semi bitchy look. “Something else happened, I can see it on your face.” 
Frowning, I let my gaze drop to the ground. “Am I that transparent?” 
Billy moves, the hand that’s not on my back coming beneath my chin. I let him tilt my head upwards until our eyes meet. “You have no idea.”
Warmth crawls up my face. He smiles. “Fine, I’ll tell you but it’s stupid.” 
“It’s not stupid.” 
I raise an eyebrow. “Well, I’ve had a really bad headache all day and then I get to first period and Mr. Williams starts talking about an exam. And that’s how I realized that I completely forgot about the calc unit test. I tried using the whole almost murdered excuse--I kinda hated myself for it, but it doesn’t matter, because he didn’t even go for it.” With a dramatic, deprecating sigh, I start to pick at a loose thread in my shoe lace. “Mr. Williams doesn’t believe in getting out of the test the day of. There’s no way I didn’t fail it, and it’s an AP class so that’s going to mess with my entire GPA.” 
He doesn’t comment on my teariness or the way that I almost sniffle, he just continues to softly rub my back. The gesture is starting to feel somewhat maternal, but it’s nice. “He made you take the test?” 
“Mr. Williams’ is a total asshole.” 
Billy’s mouth turns upwards, “He sounds like it.” I smile, leaning into his touch. “You should go back to the doctor.” He frowns when I move away from him. “Your head hurts, you’re moody--” 
“Am not.” 
“Right, because that stand off with Stu earlier was like you.” 
Right--that weird moment in the hallway. Great, Stu’s probably mad at me, and there’s no way that me going out of my way to not see him before math is something he’s going to take lightly. “He’s probably so mad at me.” 
“I wouldn’t worry about it,” Billy says, “He can’t stay mad at you.” 
I give him a look. “He’s petty.” 
Billy smiles after a second. “He’ll be petty about it, but he won’t actually be mad.” Before I can respond, Billy stands, “Come on, you need to go to a doctor.” 
After a second, I stand, taking his hand. “Fine.” 
----
Taglist: @cole22ann @i-amnotokaywiththis 
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