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obsessedwithegos · 2 years

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Runa’s Freedom - Part 5/Final

Runa finally gets the news he’s been waiting for and reunites with his parents! Comfort ending!!!

CWs: Lady carewhumper, lady familial caretaker, nonhuman whump/comfort (Succubus, mermaid, sirens), famous whumpee, carewhumper used whumpee for her own fame, social media and news based whump, mentioned torture live streams, near constant feeling of disbelief and worry of the situation being a dream, whumpee reassuring themself that the good thing is not a dream

general content tag: @emmettnet

~~~~~~~~

The last two weeks have been.. Interesting.

Maci finished filming and editing the video within the first week and posted it. It’s since gone viral. Periodically Maci would ask Runa questions that the comments had that weren’t answered in the video.

Sometimes his curiosity got the better of him and he would ask if he could see some of the comments, which she would oblige and let him scroll through them.

Many of the comments were expressing shock that he was still alive and what he went through. Some didn’t believe him or Maci, some would combat that.

It didn’t take long until the live streams of his torture would surface due to people digging deep enough.

Runa often chose to not leave the apartment, not wanting to face people who might have seen the video and not wanting to risk facing news people that have managed to track down Maci’s apartment.

Maci helped by making sure to not even allow them in the building, going as far to temporarily hire bodyguards to ensure they wouldn’t be able to get in. At least not far enough where they could find which apartment she lived in.

With the news pestering them, the comments collectively seemed to be in agreement about one specific question and answer in the video.

“Do you plan to go to the police about what happened? Trying to press charges or at least get the kidnappers arrested?”

“No. I’m worried that if I do, they’ll come after me. They have a lot of money and a lot of power. I know B most likely won’t come after me if I don’t cause them any trouble. A and C follow their command and probably wouldn’t either.”

People seemed to agree that Runa’s thought process was wrong or a bad idea. Some people put it gently and tried to provide helpful advice, others not so much.

He personally never responded to any of the comments, he wasn’t ready to. So he let Maci handle that.

Runa had taken up a hobby during his time with Maci; Origami. It was perfect for keeping his hands busy and his mind focused on making something beautiful out of something simple.

He was working on his 3rd attempt at a crane when Maci walked into the living room, talking on her phone.

“Got it! I’ll let him know! Be sure to park in the back to avoid the news, see you soon!”

He looks at her as she hangs up and looks at him with a smile. “Great news Runa, that was your parents and they’re almost here!” she announces.

Runa looks at her in disbelief for a moment “Really?”

Maci nodded “Mhm! I already got some of the things I bought for you packed up, I figured I’d leave the rest for you so you can pick what you want to keep or leave behind. Here I’ll give you a hand getting back to the bedroom so you can do that.”

“Okay!” He says, a smile growing on his face as he gets up so she could help him easier.

Packing the bag felt so surreal. Not only due to the fact that Maci was actually letting him keep a lot of the stuff but also due to the idea that he was getting to leave soon! Actually leaving!

Just as he finished packing, Maci’s phone rang.

She picked it up with a “Hello?”

He did a quick double look over the bag to make sure it was properly closed as he listened.

“Awesome! I’ll meet you guys down there with Runa! See you in a moment!”

With that she hung up and looked at him “Ready to go?”

He nods as he stands up, holding the bag in one arm and extending his other arm to Maci for help.

The walk out of the apartment and down the stairs that led to the back entrance/exit has Runa’s heart pounding against his chest.

Was this real? Did he fall asleep at some point while working on his origami? Was he going to wake up right when he saw his parents? Was it actually his parents?

The thoughts ran through his mind but for once, he was hopeful. Hopeful that those thoughts were just anxieties and nothing else. Hopeful that he really was returning to his parents.

“Here we go!” Maci says as she opens the door.

Runa had to squint to protect his eyes from the bright sunlight at first, but it didn’t take long for him to spot the familiar blue SUV and the two people standing outside of it.

At that moment, all thoughts and worries left his mind. He didn’t think as he moved out of Maci’s helpful grasp, he wasn’t worried about falling and getting hurt as he ran towards his parents, he could ignore the slight pain in his eyes from the bright sunlight.

Tears welled in his eyes as he ran to his parents, a smile wide on his face as they embraced him in their arms.

Maci stayed back to let the three have a moment as she watched the three of them almost fall to the ground from the momentum of the hug.

Runa and his mom, Lilith, were crying while his parent, Wysteria, was trying to hold them up with a smile on their face and misty eyes.

Runa didn’t bother trying to hide or muffle his sobs as he tightly clung to the both of them.

He couldn’t believe it, it seemed like a dream come true that he was finally seeing his parents again and that he could go home with them!

“Do you have him?” Wysteria gently asks their wife

Lilith nods as she adjusts herself so she won’t fall over and so she could bury her face in her son’s hair and place gentle kisses on his head, muttering how happy she is that he’s back.

Wysteria carefully removes themself from the hug “It’s okay Runa, I’ll be right back, I promise.” they say when they feel his grip try to tighten on them.

Once out of the hug, they make their way towards Maci while they dig in their purse. “Thank you so much Miss Maci for helping Runa and letting him stay with you while we made our way here.”

Maci puts her hands up, ready to turn down money offered to her “Oh it was no big deal! It was nice having him as a temporary roommate. I’m just glad I could help!”

Wysteria pulls out a stack of cash and holds it out to the succubus “Please, at least accept this as our thanks. I would also offer to get you dinner but,” They look back at Lilith and Runa “I think all of us are overdue to spend some time together at home.”

Her eyes went wide when she saw how much cash was being held out to her, hesitantly she grabbed it. It had to be at least 6 grand. “Ho- How much is this?” she asks, audibly shaken.

“$10,000. That was the baseline reward.” They answer, raising an eyebrow “Would you like more for your effort?” She’s quick to shake her head “No! I mean- No thank you, it’s just.. A lot more than I was expecting.” She clears her throat “Thank you, Mx. Shoal. I hope you three have a safe trip back home, don’t be afraid to reach out to me if there’s anything I can do to help!”

They smile “Thank you Miss Maci. Have a wonderful rest of your day.” they say before heading back to their family and the car.

Maci smiles as she watches Wysteria open one of the car doors to help get Runa’s bag inside along with Runa. “Bye Runa! Take care!” she calls out.

Runa waves at her with one hand as he was using the other one to try to wipe his tears away enough so he could see where he was stepping.

He got into the middle back seat so that way both of his parents could see him with ease in the front seats.

They thought about Lilith sitting in the back seat with him but they decided it would be best to give him a little bit of space so it would be easier on him to process that this is indeed real.

The ride back was going to be a long one but Runa didn’t mind, he was grateful that it would be. That he’d have a constant reminder that he’s back with his parents and that he’s free.

That thought alone was enough to get him to start crying again.

He was free, he was finally free.

#whump #whump tag #owe writing #whump writing #my writing #Runa's Freedom (?)#runa tag #maci tag #lilith tag #wysteria tag #famous whumpee #known whumpee #ask to tag #hurt comfort #sorry if the pacing seems weird at all. I wrote this while I was still in very high positive vibes and continued as I calmed down /positive #runa writing tag #maci writing tag #lilith writing tag #wysteria writing tag

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thisaintascenereviews · 1 year

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Fireworks - Higher Lonely Power

For the first new album released in 2023, we got a nice surprise in the form of Higher Lonely Power from Fireworks, a band that hasn't been around since 2014. Let me back up a little bit, because Fireworks was never a super popular band in the pop-punk scene. They had a few great albums in the early 2010s, but they called it quits after awhile. The band went their separate ways, and since then, they've teased their return. They released a song in 2019, but that song didn't appear on the album, as the band stated that they wanted to put new songs on this record and not have a song people already heard. This album has been teased for the last three years, only now seeing the light of day, and it was a welcome surprise to see the announcement on New Year's Eve. I wanted to wait a few days after its release to talk about it, because I wanted to listen to it a fair bit to get into it. Fireworks is a band that I remember very well, and very much enjoyed them back in the day, so this album is sort of nostalgic, but not in the way you may think. Their sound is a lot more grown-up on this record, but it's the fact they exist at all that feels nostalgic to me. Listening to this band is something I haven't done in years, almost a decade now, and it's really cool to have them back. It's always a great feeling to have a band come back that you really liked back in the day, and it's almost like an old friend coming back into your life.

What is most important, however, is whether or not the music is good. I'm here to say that Higher Lonely Power is a very good album, and it may be an album of the year contender already. I do think this record needs more time to sit with me, because I wouldn't say it's an amazing record that is worth hearing, regardless of who you are, but I will say that it's worth hearing if you haven't listened to these guys in years and your tastes have changed along with them. This album, for those unaware, is more or less an indie-rock album with some electronic and heartland rock inspiration. Like a lot of other bands, they've grown and changed their sound. They're not Neck Deep, State Champs, or The Story So Far, who are admittedly legacy bands that can put out the same things and people love it. Fireworks are different, but they're also different people now. This record is different, too, and in all the best ways. It spans a lot of styles, but that is the one issue I have with this LP is that it's a bit disjointed in spots. I mean, the opening track is a heavy post-hardcore song and then it randomly goes to an indie-rock song. It's very jarring the first time you listen to it, because you don't expect a post-hardcore song with screamed vocals to open up a Fireworks record, but it works well for them.

The wait for this album was worth it. At 44 minutes, it's a bit lengthy, but the length is mostly justified. The songs are interesting, the lyrics are well-written, their vocalist sounds great, and the songwriting is really solid, incorporating more styles this time around, and feeling more grown-up. This isn't a "fun" album, but it is rather catchy and upbeat in spots, but it's not meant to be a fun pop-punk album. I can see some fans that love their early stuff going into this thinking it's 2014 again when that's not the point, or who they are anymore. Bands change, and people just need to deal with it. They don't sound the same here, but in the best ways. I've always loved this band for how off the wall and strange they are. They never quite fit in with the crop of pop-punk bands that were big at the time, but they still had a familiar sound. It was very weird, but Fireworks were always the underdogs to me, but here's hoping they can have their moment to shine. I'm really curious to keep listening to this throughout the year, because it might just get better and better, ultimately resulting in one of the best albums released this year. We're only a few days in, and there's at least already one great album that came out, much less as a complete surprise.

#fireworks #higher lonely power #state champs #the wonder years #neck deep #the story so far #pop-punk #indie #heartland rock #rock #alternative rock

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ofdreamsandreality · 11 months

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Three Plus One

Chapter one

/AN: tumblr spaces it weird. Idk why sorry. Been a while since I posted, and instead of updating my current fics I had to make a new one oops. I also tend to update AO3 more often than here, sorry! I hope someone likes this because I have a lot of plot ideas to put into future chapters./

“Morning my loves.”

The warm greeting was accompanied by the sound of their front door opening and closing.

“Morning, Pat.”

“How was your run?”

Roman and Virgil were in the kitchen of their small duplex, busy cleaning up from their breakfast. Virgil handled the task of washing and Roman was drying.

“It was great.”

“And how many dogs did you see?” The question was asked with a smile.

“Seven. And I got to pet three of them.”

“Good for you. Did you stop at the cafe or do you want me to make you something to eat?”

“I went to the cafe. But thank you, Virgil.”

Patton walked over to both of his partners, giving them each a respective kiss to the cheek.

“Speaking of the cafe..I met someone.”

Virgil tensed and Roman turned around to face Patton. A shocked expression on his face. This was an unexpected announcement.

“You met someone?”

“Yeah. I mean I haven’t said anything to them or anything about liking them because obviously I want to talk to both of you first..” Patton replied, a nervous tint to his voice as he grabbed a bottle of water from their fridge.

“Wow. Okay. Yeah I’m open for discussion. Virgil?”

Virgil could feel both their eyes on him as he continued to wash the dishes. Doing something with his hands always helped him to think and process. So neither Patton nor Roman took offense and neither pushed for a response. That’s just how their partner was.

“You met someone.”

“Yes.”

“It’s only been a year.”

“I know.”

“…Okay.”

He wasn’t going to not give Patton this. So talk they shall.

Roman and Patton sat at their small kitchen table, while Virgil remained at the sink. His response had been simple but the other two understood it was approval for conversation to continue.

“Go on Pat.” Roman prompted.

“Okay. Alright. So he was at the cafe. I mean he usually is on Thursday’s. Not that I’ve been keeping track! But I noticed. And we’ve spoken to each other while in line a few times before. Just a hi and all. He always sits in the corner with a new book. But today we talked talked. Like a whole conversation.”

“What about? Is he attractive? What’s he like?”

Roman couldn’t help but be intrigued. Sure this wasn’t what he thought this morning was going to turn into but now he was kind of excited.

“Just about this morning mostly. But also about stuff we like. He told me about his book and I told him about the dogs I met. And I would say he is, he definitely stands out in a room. I think he’s good.

Roman of course would be interested. He always was a fanatic for romance. Not that Virgil would ever fault him for it. It was actually a trait that he loved.

But he had an uneasy feeling about this.

“So you want to date him.”

It wasn’t a question. Virgil could tell Patton was very excited about it.

“Well..yeah. Maybe. If he’d be interested. And only if both of you are okay with this. That’s why I want to talk. I think I’m ready for this.”

Virgil took a deep breath, finally turning around and leaning back against the sink, drying his hands with the towel.

“I’m not going to get in your way. If this is something you want then.. do it”

He wanted Patton to be happy.

“Roman?”

“What do you think he’s going to think of us?”

Roman’s question was valid in Virgil’s opinion. Not many people would approve of their kind of relationship.

“I don’t know. I’d have to explain it to him first. But he’s really nice so I don’t think it’ll be a problem.”

At least he truly hoped not.

“Can I meet him? Do you think..never mind.”

“No, tell me Roman. We don’t keep things in anymore.”

“This is your thing. He’s your interest. I just..”

Roman trailed off, running a hand through his floofy brown hair.

“Ro, are you interested in dating?”

“I don’t know. Maybe? But I don’t want to hijack your crush.”

“Why didn’t you say anything before?”

“I didn’t think it would be right. I mean..Virgil’s right. It’s only been a year…I didn’t want to push. Not..not that you’re doing that! I was just..you know…”

“Roman easy. Breathe.” Patton soothed, grabbing the others hand from his hair and holding it in both of his. Roman would go bald one day because of that habit of his.

“That’s why I’m talking to you both now. I don’t want to push either of you. I know this isn’t the easiest thing to hear. And probably the last thing either of you would want to talk about. I’m sorry for that. I..can’t help how I feel though.”

“We know that. You’re overflowing with love to give. And I love that about you. I just..be careful with this. Please? Tread lightly.”

“Of course I will. I promise.”

Patton smiled at Virgil, looking to Roman.

“You’ll tell him about us?”

“Definitely. And I’ll be sure to mention how handsome you are if he’s interested in being a part of our relationship.”

“Your relationship. I don’t want anything to do with it.” Virgil added firmly. “If you both are ready to move on then fine great, I’m happy for you. But I’m not. I can’t.” Not again.

“Virgil baby, look at us.”

He had his eyes prev fixated on the floor adjusted to look at Roman when he was asked to.

“We would never force you into something you’re not comfortable with.”

“I-I know I just..”

“It’s okay Vi. We know.”

Patton assured him. Reaching his hand out across the table.

Virgil exhaled and took the few steps needed to be able to take Patton’s hand.

“Okay.”

He trusted Patton and Roman with every fiber of his being. He would fully support their romantic endeavors. Even if he refused to be involved.

“If this doesn’t work out, I’m okay if you guys want to find someone else.“

“Thank you.”

“We appreciate that.”

“Yeah, good. Whatever. I have dishes to do. I’ve been abandoned. Left to do these chores all on my own.”

“I think you’re doing a fantastic job with that.” Roman quipped. Laughing as a hand towel was thrown his way, hitting him square in the face.

These two. They made Patton so extremely happy. He was lucky to have them.

They were all lucky to have each other.

Tag list: @frankiprowsworld @kindly-falling @darkle-elkrad @harry-niclach @lesbianturtle @octopushugs @monikastec @superfanboy19 @a-ghost @pearls-of-patton @pearls-of-patton-moved @crownswriter123 @nienna14

#virgil sanders #logan sanders #roman sanders #patton sanders #sanders sides #sanders sides fanfics #sander sides fanfiction #sanders sides fanfic #my fic #poly sanders

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coldalbion · 2 years

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Great stuff from @technoccult/@wolvensnothere here - and I'm not just saying that 'cause he linked to my post ! ""The maintenance of our pavement is so important for anyone with mobility disabilities that it is written into disability access laws. But potholes, cracked concrete, and roots going through the sidewalks of any given neighborhood demonstrate that those laws are so often ignored that there continues to be a need to press their enforcement. The needs of disabled people have been literally encoded into federal law for 32 years (a shockingly short period of time), and yet remain so blatantly disregarded that people have to sue for accommodations.

Not only that, but as we’ve continued through the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve repeatedly been confronted with calls to ration care, or with statements from the general public and even public health professionals that we shouldn’t be worried because it’s “just” the people with comorbidities who are at the highest risk for hospitalization and death. So it’s not at all hard to believe that future American cities needing to reshape themselves in order to handle vast swaths of climate crisis refugees would choose to ignore disabled people first and foremost.

Anyone who recovers from COVID-19 or who gets “long COVID” faces increased likelihood of permanent neurological changes, decreased respiratory response, and increased chances of heart attack and stroke—probably for the rest of their life. Conditions which will be exacerbated as the world gets hotter and dustier, and as new (or very old) diseases come onto the scene. Disabled people could have led the way to keeping us all safe during this pandemic, and multiple chronically ill and otherwise disabled people have written guides on how to survive lockdowns, trying to get the general public to understand the toll on mental health and well-being that was on the horizon. It’s all the more galling because there’s a high likelihood that, given time and circumstances, we’ll all be disabled one day.

When nondisabled people think about the needs of disabled people at all, it’s generally in the context of innovations that “mean well” but end up just being what Liz Jackson—a founding member of the Disabled List, a design firm—calls a “Disability Dongle.” But the perspectives and lived experiential knowledge of disabled people have been ignored at best; more often, their lives are relegated to “acceptable casualties.” In Western society, people have spent decades and centuries advocating for eliminating disabilities all together—usually starting with eliminating disabled people. These eugenicist modes of thought persist and recur, even into visions of the future like those of transhumanism, where thinkers can envision changing the human body into that of an angel but still fail to imagine a bathroom stall wide enough for the wings.

So what would better civic and architectural planning look like? It includes things like the addition of subtitle tracks to public video announcements, the inclusion of Braille on all products in stores, and prioritizing lifts, ramps, curb cuts, and railings instead of stairs. Many of these innovations, and others like tactile directional arrows on buttons and auditory cues on crosswalks, already exist but need to be more widely used. Designing for disability means increasing the adaptability and multipurpose frameworks of the built environment—but it also means recognizing that some access solutions will conflict with others."

#disability #climate change #cripkult

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guardianbingo · 2 years

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About/FAQ

Welcome to Guardian Bingo!

This is a very low-stakes, low-pressure fest meant to be fun and inspire more Guardian fan creations. It began in January of 2022 and is continuing through 2023.

How Does It Work?

If you were a 2022 participant, you may continue working on your original card in 2023. You also have the option to request a new one if the original one wasn’t very inspiring.

New participants can request a card using the sign-up form and it will be emailed to the address you provide. You will have a total of 25 prompts on the card, which you are free to interpret however you wish.

Filling prompts will earn you Hallows badges as follows:

One Fill – Longevity Dial

One Line (Any Direction) – Mountain-River Awl

Bonus Prompt (Five Bonus Fills) – Merit Brush

Two Lines – Unlit Guardian Lantern

Blackout (All Squares Filled) – Lit Guardian Lantern

What Do The Badges Get Me?

Something nice to post on social media or just admire on your own, a sense of accomplishment, possibly a wormhole to ancient Haixing.

Can I Fill Multiple Prompts With A Single Work?

Because the fest has no minimum length/content requirements for creations, you can only claim one prompt fill per creation.

That being said, if you have multiple works tied together (for instance, you start a fic series and add on new parts, you make art to accompany a fic you wrote, etc.), you can use those multiple related works as individual fills.

When Do Sign-Ups Close?

Sign-ups are open all year. You're welcome to join at any time.

What Works Are Accepted?

Pretty much any new creations, including:

Fanfic

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Meta Analysis

If you have another idea, check in with the mods, but it very likely works.

What Are The Length Requirements?

None! This is meant to be fun, not stressful. Want to write a 100k multi-chapter epic? Sounds great! Is this the year you master the drabble? Also wonderful! The point is to make stuff, not worry over min/max requirements.

Is This Fest Novelverse or Drama?

Either or both! It’s totally up to you, though some of the prompts are more closely tied to one or the other. (If you get a card with a drama or novel specific prompt that you are unfamiliar with, let a mod know when you receive the card.)

What About Ships And Ratings?

All ratings and any ships (or no ships) are allowed, though works should be appropriately tagged.

What Are Bonus Prompts?

With the exception of January, each month will feature a bonus prompt in addition to the ones on your card. Those prompts will be announced on Tumblr at the beginning of the month.

You may substitute one bonus prompt for one of the prompts on your card.

Filling a total of 5 bonuses earns you the Merit Brush badge.

Crossovers, Derivatives And RPF?

All three are allowed, but please be aware that some prompts will be Guardian-specific.

Can I Use A Single Creation For This Fest And Another One?

So long as the other fest has no objections, you are good to go!

Collaborations With Other Creators?

Are fine, provided that everyone agrees and contributes to the creation. Collaborative works can be used as fills on all creators’ cards.

Ok. So What Isn’t Allowed?

Old works you’ve already posted

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Sounds Great! Where Do I Post My Creations?

The AO3 Collection

Tumblr – Tag @guardianbingo in your post or DM us for a reblog (you can also tag it #guardianbingofest but Tumblr’s tags are very wonky so that might not work well)

If you happen to post elsewhere (Dreamwidth, Live Journal, etc.), then you may submit a post on Tumblr if you’d like us to reblog your creation. You do not have to be on Tumblr to participate.

Will The Mods Keep Up With My Fills?

No. You’ll need to keep track of them on your card as you post them. When it’s time to collect a badge, use the badge claiming form to report your fills.

My Card Is Full. Now What?

Request a new one! (But only if you want to keep creating. Otherwise, sit back and bask in your own awesomeness.)

What If I Still Have Questions?

Ask away on Tumblr, or email [email protected]

Email may get a faster response.

Fest Coordinators

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reki-of-the-valley · 3 years

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Fall For You Like the Rain From the Clouds

Here it is! The rain fic from this post of mine!

Find it on AO3 here

1- Me

Langa groans as Reki bounces around his room. His face is pressed against the window, watching the rain stream down the glass, and Langa knows that he’s glowing. He knows that Reki is excited. He knows that Reki loves the rain. But he hates it. Langa hates the rain with a passion and nothing can change that.

Nothing good ever happens when it rains and Langa’s come to accept that. Rain just makes everything horrible. Everything feels sticky from the heavy humidity, the smell of earthworms makes Langa gag, his hair dye always runs down his neck, staining his clothes in the process, and more than half of the time he’s been caught in the rain, Langa’s caught a cold. Rain makes everything absolutely shitty and Langa’s luck in life does not make it better. Stormy weathers always announce another horrible thing that will happen in his life, like his fight with Reki, like when…

Langa flops down into Reki’s bed, his textbook heavy on his face. If he doesn’t see the bad weather, then it doesn’t exist. Nothing bad can happen if he ignores the storm. Maybe he can sleep the bad weather way. Anything to get away from the gray skies.

“Langa!” Langa pushes the textbook down onto his chest, his eyes locking with Reki’s. They’re shinning, big and excited, as Reki leans over him. Langa gulps, his heart pounding in his chest. Reki’s not usually this close. “Langa, c’mon! No one’s outside and I want to try something!”

Langa shakes his head. Even if Reki is looking at him with his big amber eyes, looking so excited, Langa still hates the rain. Whatever he feels for Reki will not make his hatred for the rain go away. Reki might be able to get him to act like a fool, but he won’t get him to stop hating the rain.

“C’mon, dude! Please?” Langa shakes his head once again. He will not be led out under the storm. “I need you, man! Who’s gonna be there to cheer me on when I fall on my ass? Please, Langa? I’ll buy you whatever snack you want if you come, I promise.”

Langa groans. Promising snacks is probably considered cheating since Reki knows Langa can’t refuse the offer. Langa forgets his wallet at home half of the time, and there’s always something he wants from the supermarket or the vending machine, something he would buy if he had his wallet on him. So the promise of getting him whatever it is that he would have bought himself, but can’t due to his forgetfulness, it’s cheating. Reki knows it. And he’s using it against Langa.

Langa sighs as he sits up, his textbook tumbling to the ground. He doesn’t want to go, but with everything that Reki’s said to him, promised him, he can’t refuse the boy. Langa knows that with enough pleading he would have ended up giving in, no matter how much he wants to deny that truth. In the end, he always gives in to Reki, gives in to his excitability, to his eagerness, to his happiness. Rain is the worst, but Reki is the best.

“Explain to me again why you love the rain so much?” Langa asks as he pulls his shoes on.

Reki’s grinning, holding his board tightly to his chest. He’s shinning against the dark skies behind him, the front door wide open. And he’s shifting from foot to foot, unable to stand still. It’s nothing new, Reki’s fidgeting, but sometimes it’s tiring to watch. When Langa’s mood is as dark as the sky, then Reki’s bouncing makes him want to turn away and crash into the nearest soft surface.

“Dude! Isn’t it obvious? The rain in your face, the deserted streets, the cool wind, what’s not to love? And I just made these new wheels that I really wanna test out and there’s just no better time than now!” He’s glowing. Reki is glowing under the porch light. “The grip is gonna be freaking amazing on these!”

Langa sighs, clenching his jaw as he pushes himself up from the ground. He doesn’t take his board. He doesn’t take anything actually. His own weight is already too much for him to bear, he can’t put on anything else.

“Can’t I just watch you from inside?”

Reki bumps his shoulder against Langa’s as they step outside. The rain is beating down, each drop bouncing off the pavement, but Reki doesn’t care. He’s running out under it, shaking his hair out of his face as he lets it fall freely against his skin. He grins and Langa wonders how he can bear it. How can he like the rain that much? But then he’s tilting his head towards Langa and Langa gulps.

“Well, you coming?”

Langa has no control over his legs. They carry him to the boy even if he really doesn’t want to be there, the rain soaking him to the bone. He curses Reki’s power over him. He curses his own desire to be near the boy.

Langa watches Reki kick at the puddles as they make their way down the street, to the empty parking lot they sometimes go to when they don’t want to go all the way to the skatepark. He’s giggling as he jumps into one, splashing Langa in the process. He’s already soaked, but the extra splashing makes him groan again as he stuffs his hands in his pockets.

“I hate it here.”

“C’mon, man!” Reki tosses his board to the ground. It lands in a puddle and Langa steps aside before he can be splashed again. “You gotta learn to have fun.”

And he’s skating off. His board is gripping onto the wet pavement, not slipping at all. Reki didn’t exactly explain how these wheels are any different from the other ones he used in the rain. He only said that their grip should theoretically be better, and seeing him slide down the street, his prediction seems correct. Langa watches as he zigzags down the street. He watches as he lands an ollie. The board doesn’t slip as it hits the road and Reki shouts, both arms up in excitement.

“It worked!”

Langa rolls his eyes as Reki swerves and makes his way back to him. He can feel the rain drip down his neck, down onto his shoulders, and he knows that blue hair dye is soaking through his shirt. He knows that as soon as he gets home, he’ll have to soak it with the stuff his mother bought, the detergent that pulls out all of the hair dye from the towels he uses to dry his hair after a shower. If he’s lucky, no trace of tonight will remain. But given his track record of luck when it comes to rain, he might as well say goodbye to his shirt right now.

“Great. The wheels grip fine. Can we go back in now?”

Reki puffs his cheeks and stares at Langa before bursting out laughing. “You always look so funny when you pout, you know that?” Langa glares at Reki who is still laughing. He almost kicks the board from under his feet out of petty revenge but holds back. “C’mon,” Reki pokes Langa’s cheek, “you gotta learn to have fun, man!”

“I have more than enough fun. I don’t need to enjoy the rain.”

Reki is mocking him, exaggerated mimicking, but before Langa can do or say anything to make him stop, he’s pushing off down the deserted street once more.

Langa’s toes curl in his shoes. The rain has soaked through his socks and everything feels itchy. He wants to go back home. He wants to kick his shoes off, get rid of the puddle that’s formed under the soles of his feet. He wants to jump in the shower and envelop himself with the hot rain that falls from the showerhead instead of the cold natural shower that makes him feel sticky and gross. He wants to wrap himself in a big blanket, those with the fluffy cotton on the inside, and watch a cheese movie he’s seen a hundred times but still can’t get enough of. He wants to be inside, far from the troubled skies that make him grumpy.

But Reki is skating up and down the street, coming to abrupt stops before pushing off once again. He’s trying everything he can think of to test the grip of his wheels while Langa just stands there, trying his best to conceal his shivers and chattering teeth, hands stuffed deep in the pocket of the hoodie Reki lent him. He’s having fun while Langa is miserable.

“Reki, can we please go back in?”

Reki can’t hear him, too busy rolling through puddles.

“Reki,” Langa tries again, dragging his cold feet towards the boy. “Reki, I hate it out here. Can we go back?”

Still, nothing. The rain is beating down too strongly. It’s draining Langa’s words out.

“Reki!”

He finally comes to a halt, splashing Langa once more, not that either one notices. Langa is practically panting, his whole body shaking. He’s cold, he’s freezing, but his face is red. It’s red and hot but it’s also so cold that it burns. His head is starting to hurt and he can’t feel his toes or fingers any more.

“Reki, I’m going home.”

“What?” Reki pinches his eyebrows. “Why?”

Langa clenches his jaw. His teeth are shattering and his shoulders are tense. He’s been outside for long enough now. “I hate the rain, that’s why. I’m cold and miserable and I want to go home.”

Reki sighs as he pulls his hoodie off. Langa recoils as the sights of Reki’s skin, the way his t-shirt rides up his stomach, clinging there instead of falling back as soon as Reki’s arms are back to his side. And Langa tenses as the hoodie is tossed on his head, the wet hood hitting him in the face.

“Sorry, dude.” Reki pushes the hood back, revealing Langa’s face. “I know it’s not much and that it’s soaked, but it’ll keep the rain out of your face for the time being, okay? And,” Reki picks up his board from the ground, tucking it under his arm, “I’m sorry for pulling you out in the rain. I didn’t think you hated it that much.”

There’s a beat of silence. Langa doesn’t know what to say; he wants to keep complaining, complain about his itchy feet, complain about his trembling fingers, complain about his chattering teeth, but no words want to come out. So he just stares at Reki, trying his best to not shake too much; he doesn’t want to make Reki worry.

Reki’s hand finds its way to Langa’s shoulder. His fingers dig into the fabric covering Langa’s shoulder, a reassuring squeeze before pushing him forward to start walking. His smile is there, but it’s not bright as it was moments before. It’s not the smile he had when his head was tilted back, laughing as the rain fell onto his face.

“Let’s go back to my place. It’s closer than yours, so you won’t have to be in the rain as long. And you can borrow some of my clothes while yours dry.”

Langa gives him a curt nod. He feels bad, pulling Reki out of the rain that had made him smile so big. Langa feels bad, but then his body is shaking so bad that even Reki comments on it. He’s laughing a bit, that choked laughter where he isn’t sure if he’s allowed to laugh but he can’t completely conceal it, as he says something about Langa not dealing with the cold that well.

“It’s not like snow,” Langa says, rubbing his hands together in the pocket of the hoodie he’s wearing. It doesn’t do much, but at least he’s moving and he can pretend to be warming up. “Rain soaks through everything and snow… You have thick coats and mittens and scarves and hats and boots. You’re bundled up enough to not be cold. But with rain… It just sucks.”

“Remind me to buy you a raincoat and rainboots then.”

Reki bumps his shoulder against Langa’s, flashing him a smile. Langa bites the inside of his cheeks, falling back into a pout as he turns away from the boy. The teasing almost feels comforting, but not enough to make him forget about the uncomfortable rain. It feels nice to hear Reki laugh at himself, but it’s not enough to get Langa to talk. So he stays silent for the rest of the way back to Reki’s house. He stays silent as Reki keeps talking, talking about everything and nothing at all. He’s silent, but always listening. He always listens to Reki’s chatter and, even if he feels miserable, it cheers him up ever so slightly. Reki’s warmth cheers him up just a little.

Langa hates the rain. Langa hates the rain so much that once the house comes into view, he runs to it. He runs, crashing into the door before pushing it open. He runs, stumbling over his feet as he kicks his shoes off. He runs until the heat of the house hits him in waves of relief. He runs until his body stops shaking, his teeth no longer chattering.

Reki isn’t far behind him, running after him, but not for the same reasons. Unlike Langa, he’s laughing as he chases. He’s laughing as he also kicks his shoes off. He’s laughing as his body crashes against Langa’s, both stumbling down the hallway but catching each other before they fall over. Reki laughs, laughter overflowing with happiness, as he ushers Langa towards the bathroom, urging him to go take a shower before he catches a cold. And Langa complies. Langa lets himself be pushed towards the bathroom, lets himself feel the warmth of the Kyan household even if he knows that he will be sneezing for the next few days.

2 - You

Langa purses his lips as he watches the rain beat down onto the pavement. He’s standing under the awning of the corner store, a bag of snacks hanging from his wrist. Reki is standing next to him, his hand extended to catch a few droplets. He’s grinning at the sky, laughing as he shakes the water from his fingers. He’s grinning as he cups his hands to catch more of the rain. He has fun catching the water and letting it fall onto the ground.

He's grinning as he keeps playing with the rain. And when his eyes lock with Langa’s, his head tilted to the side, they shine. They shine brighter than the thousands of stars that illuminate the night sky they usually skate under. They shimmer and shine and Langa can’t help but sigh. Reki loves the rain just as much as Langa hates it.

Langa stuffs his hands in the pockets of his jeans as he looks up at the sky. Gray clouds have covered every patch of blue, denying him any hope of the rain coming to a halt. If he’s lucky, he can take off, run as fast as his body allows him, and be home without too much of a mess. If he’s lucky, the streets won’t be too wet and his shoes will be able to grip onto the pavement instead of tossing him to the ground to eat said pavement. If he’s lucky, he won’t have to be trapped under the rain for too long. If he’s lucky, he won’t be in too much of a bad mood.

But then Reki has his shoulder pressed against his. He’s leaning into Langa, his board pressed to his chest, as he keeps staring at Langa. A little more and he’s falling onto Langa, sending them both tumbling to the ground from his whole weight shifted to the side. Thankfully, Langa is steady on his feet. He’s a pillar of support for Reki and his uncentered center of balance. He’s a pillar and Reki knows this as he lets his head rest against Langa’s.

“Would now be a bad time to suggest taking the long way home?”

Langa glances at Reki, Reki who’s smiling so brightly, feigning innocence with his big, amber eyes glued onto Langa. He purses his lips again before huffing and shaking his head. His eyes follow the way the rain falls to the ground, each drop bouncing before splitting open against the wet pavement. This isn’t some light drizzle he can almost ignore; this is a full-on rainstorm.

Reki straightens out and tucks his board under one arm while he rubs his nose with his free hand. His face doesn’t betray his emotions, but Langa knows that he’s something close to disappointment. He’s come to read the signs. He’s also come to miss the heat that had started to form between their bodies.

“C’mon!” Reki bumps his shoulder against Langa’s. A smile pulls at the corner of his mouth as he shakes his head, slightly bitter laughter spilling from his mouth. “I just don’t get it. How can you,” he steps out under the rain, his fluffy red hair quickly coming down with the rain and sticking to his head and cheeks, “hate this? It’s just- Dude, it’s freaking awesome!”

Seeing him grin, his cheeks reddening from the cold air, it almost pulls Langa out from under the awning to join him. It almost has Langa forgetting about his absolute hatred of the wet, sticky rain. It almost has him forgetting about it all. Almost, but not quite. Almost, but Langa counters by taking a step back, back almost pressed against the front wall of the little store.

“I already told you: rain is cold and it makes me miserable. But if you need more reasons, then-” Langa holds up a finger as he begins his list of miserable things that come with the downpour. With each reason, he puts up a finger. “It makes my hair drip and it stains my clothes, the humidity is disgusting and I have a hard time breathing, everything feels sticky, rain soaks through everything and my shoes are always wet for the next three days, and worst of all, everything smells of worms which is gross.”

Reki sighs, but his smile doesn’t falter. Langa watches him, eyebrows knit, as he crouches down, pulling off his backpack to strap his board to it. He watches as the boy jumps up to his feet, splashing rain as his feet hit the ground once more. Langa watches his every movement until his brain blanks out, the feeling of Reki’s warm calloused fingers against his own.

“C’mon.” Reki tugs Langa closer to him, a warm smile hazing Langa’s mind as he is forced to step out under the rain. Reki’s fingers tighten around his, giving his hands a reassuring squeeze. “Trust me? It’s fun, I promise.”

Langa is hesitant to believe Reki – he can’t think of a single thing that might be fun about the rain – but he doesn’t pull back. He doesn’t jump back under the awning. He trusts Reki, giving him a curt nod. And having Reki’s warm palms against his, it’s an opportunity Langa can’t give up. He can’t give up his change of having Reki’s hands in his, his precious touch which Langa so desperately longs for.

He might never admit to it, but he loves the feeling of Reki pressed against him. He loves it when Reki leans into his side, their shoulders pressed together as they walk down the street. He loves the feeling of Reki’s whole weight on him as he hugs him excitedly after another victory. He loves the feeling of Reki’s warm hands in his as he guides him around, pointing around with his free hand. Every touch, it never fails to shoot shivers down Langa’s spine, warming his whole body and flushing his face. Reki, with a single touch of his, manages to start a fire in Langa, warmth so different from his usual cold. Comfortable warmth contrasting the horrible cold of the rain.

“Reki…”

Reki raises an eyebrow as Langa begins whining, but his hold on Langa doesn’t loosen as he continues to guide him through the rain.

“Reki, I don’t wanna…” Langa pouts, letting himself be dragged along. “Can’t I just call my mom so she can pick us up or something? I know she’s home right now.”

Reki laughs, his smile so wide and happy. “Stop being such a big baby, man!” His fingers tighten around Langa’s, hands still clasped together as he continues to walk backward, tugging Langa closer to him. “You’ve dealt with way worse at S. So much worse than just a little rain. So c’mon!” His arms swing around, dragging Langa’s along in the movement. “Where’s the Langa that takes up every challenge he’s presented with, even the most insane ones? Where’s the reckless dumbass that never backs down from a challenge?”

Langa sighs as he continues dragging his feet against the street. He sighs as he feels the dampness of his hair, the blue-stained rain trickling down his neck. He sighs as his lungs begin to feel heavy from the humidity, the air clogging the entryway at the base of his throat. He sighs as his toes curl in his shoes, beginning to itch once more, his socks and sneakers soaking through.

“Only you’re crazy enough to skate in the rain, Reki. Because out of all the things I’ve ever done, this here,” Langa looks around the deserted street, his attempt at gesturing at the rain without his hands, “it’s the worst thing ever.”

“I promise you’ll have fun.”

Despite the rain, Langa somehow manages to smile. He manages to smile as Reki continues to drag him along, both hands still flush against Langa’s, his grip not loosening one moment. He manages to smile as Reki beams, his head tilted back, raindrops kissing his sun-kissed face. He manages to smile as he watches Reki so happy, so excited about the rain. He smiles as Reki goes on and on about the rain, about every wonderful thing that it brings: puddles to jump in, deserted streets to skate down, bright rainbows as the clouds start to part, beautiful blooming flowers in the morning. The list goes on and Langa can’t stop smiling. He can’t stop smiling as Reki laughs that beautiful laugh of his, excited and free. Langa smiles because Reki always manages to find a silver lining. He finds something beautiful even to the most dreadful of things. He always manages to brighten up Langa’s somber moods.

“Oh! And you can only do this when it rains!”

Langa frowns as Reki slips his fingers out of his, their hands parting ways as the boy slings his backpack to the ground and dashes off. Langa frowns as he shoves his hands back into his pockets, his plastic bag filled with snacks hitting his leg. He frowns until he’s snorting, laughter coming as he watches Reki jump, both feet landing in a puddle and sending him flying backward. Langa snorts as Reki yelps, trying in vain to grab onto the air.

For the first time, the rain makes Langa laugh. He laughs as Reki remains on his back, lying in the middle of the street, too stunned to get up. Langa laughed until he can’t breathe, crouching next to Reki to catch his breath.

“Right.” Langa takes a deep breath, trying his best to calm his fits of laughter. “Nothing quite like rain for you to bust your ass.”

“I hate mud,” Reki grumbles, still sprawled on the wet ground.

Langa doubles down laughing, falling to his knees as he chokes on his own laughter. It’s been a while since the last time he had laughed this much. It’s been a while since the last time he had clutched his stomach, gasping for air, desperately trying to calm his laughter before it made him pass out completely. It’s been a while since the last time his laughter had brought tears to his eyes.

Reki finally manages to sit up, laughing as well as he rubs the back of his head. He laughs that pretty laughter of his, loud and unguarded. He laughs as he rubs his nose, his whole face flushed from the cold. He laughs as he shoves Langa to the side, causing him to fall back into a puddle of his own. He laughs until it’s all Langa can hear, every hitch in his breathing, every snort, every little detail in his laugh pattern.

Together, they laugh until it hurts.

“I told you!” Langa gasps as he kicks Reki’s foot, drawing his attention to him. “The rain sucks.”

“And yet,” Reki leans closer to Langa, flicking his forehead as he grins his sunshine grin, “you’re laughing. See? Told you you’d have fun, dude!”

Langa can’t deny Reki’s words. He can’t deny that he’s having fun. He can’t deny that he’s enjoying himself as he pushes himself off the ground and pulling Reki up to join him, their hands coming together once again. He can’t deny the fun he’s having as he laughs so freely. He can’t deny that Reki was right. Not when he has completely forgotten about the rain trickling down his face and neck. Not when he’s forgotten all about the sticky humidity and the smell of earthworms. He can’t all the fun he’s having in the rain as he watches Reki jump from puddle to puddle like a child having the time of his life. He can’t deny any of it, not when he’s being pulled along, dragged into Reki’s game and jumping into the puddles as well. He can’t deny any of it as he laughs, laughs like he’s never laughed before.

No matter how hard Langa might have tried, he can’t deny that he’s having fun. Denial is pointless because Reki is there. Reki, as always, had managed to make him laugh. Reki, as always, had found a way to make him laugh. Reki, as always, had found a way to make him enjoy what life had to offer. Reki, as always, had managed to make Langa fall in love with the world that surrounded him.

3 - Us

The lights of Reki’s room flicker as a flash of lightning illuminates the evening sky outside his window. Langa tenses as the thunder rumbles outside, but Reki is jumping to his feet and running to his window. He throws it open and pushes himself onto his desk, legs folded under his body as he pokes his head out of his room to get a closer view of the storm. Another flash of lightning brightens the dark sky, electricity fizzling through the thick clouds. The thunder doesn’t even have time to reach Langa’s ears for him to grab onto Reki’s hood, pulling him back in the room.

Reki stumbles, falling back onto his desk chair which swivels around the room once or twice. He blinks as Langa pulls the window shut, huffing as he leans back against the cluttered desk. A grin breaks across Reki’s face as he relaxes into his chair.

“Don’t tell me you’re afraid of thunderstorms.”

“I’m not scared!” Langa snaps before jumping at the sound of yet another crash outside the window. Reki bursts out laughing as Langa whips around, pulling the curtain shut.

“You’re totally scared, dude.” He’s biting his lip, trying to contain his laughter as he rubs his nose. “S’okay, no need to be ashamed. Everyone has their fears.”

“I said I’m not-!”

Langa digs his nails into the desk as he ducks his head, his bangs falling over his eyes that he’s squeezed shut. More thunder rumbles in the distance, tensing Langa’s shoulders. The storm is getting worse, it seems. Even with his eyes shut, he can see that the lights are flickering again, and he fears the worse; if there’s a power outage, he isn’t sure how he’s going to react. He never liked storms and darkness, after all.

Reki’s fingers brush against his cheek and that alone pulls Langa out of his head, spiraling fears of the worse bleeding out as his eyes open to Reki’s look of concern. His head is tilted to the side, eyebrows pulled together as he pushes Langa’s bangs out of his eyes. And Langa feels himself flush as Reki pushes the strand of hair behind his ear, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth as his eyes lock with Langa’s. He flushes at the sight of those amber eyes filled with care and kindness.

“Really, it’s okay if you’re scared. I won’t judge you or anything.”

Langa takes a deep breath, trying his best to calm his pounding heart – he isn’t sure if it’s from the storm or from Reki’s touch. He takes a deep breath as he straightens out. His nails are still digging into the wood of the desk, but at least he isn’t shaking anymore. At least he isn’t jumping into Reki’s arms as another clap of thunder shakes the window behind him. He’s calm. Completely calm. Totally calm because he isn’t scared. He is not afraid of the storm. He simply hates the rain.

Slowly, almost reluctantly, Langa peels himself off of the desk. Tentatively, they return to what they had been doing before the rain had begun to beat down to the ground. Langa makes his way back to Reki’s bed, pulling his legs to his chest, back to the wall, as his phone rests against his knees. Reki drops his body to the ground, both elbows pressed to his sides as he holds his phone above his face. The air is tense and heavy, but they stay like that, each absorbed by their screens, plunged in silence. They stay like that until Reki is jumping back to his feet and crashing on his bed, his head on Langa’s shoulder.

His eyes twinkle as Langa clicks his phone shut and letting it slide down his knees. His attention is riveted onto Reki who is grinning wider than Langa’s ever seen. Stars play in the boy’s eyes, shining like the fluorescent plastic stars that have been stuck to his ceiling for over a decade now. They shine and Langa knows that he’s doomed. They shine and Langa knows that he’s going to do whatever it is that Reki suggests.

“So…” Langa gulps as Reki starts fiddling with a stray thread poking out of Langa’s sleeve. “Since you’re totally not scared of the storm, I was thinking…”

“Reki, no.”

He doesn’t want to hear the rest of Reki’s thought. Sure, he loves listening to Reki – he can listen to the boy ramble about most anything for hours on end – but he knows that whenever he gets like this, his voice just a little higher than usual, it’s because he’s about to suggest something absolutely horrible. Reki only ever takes that voice when he knows that his suggestion will get them in trouble. He only ever uses that voice when he knows that someone is going to tell him no. So Langa has learned to never trust that voice, that coy little tone of his.

“Maybe we could go outside?”

Langa shakes his head. He knows his eyes are huge. He doesn’t need a mirror to know that his horror is obvious on his face. He doesn’t need to see himself to know that Reki can pick up on the obvious signs because nothing about his suggestion appeals to him.

He hates the rain. He hates the lightning and the thunder. He hates the storm that’s brewing outside the house. He hates it all and Reki knows it.

“Absolutely not.”

Reki shifts to his knees before grabbing Langa’s arm. His eyes are big and pleasing, that look that Langa knows he can never resist. And he’s leaning closer, his face so close to Langa’s. His face so dangerously close to Langa’s.

“Oh c’mon, dude! Why not?”

Langa can feel his heart pounding in his chest. He can feel Reki’s warm breath against his skin and his head starts to fuzz. He can feel every one of his short breaths, his every puff of air as he chuckles, waiting for Langa’s answer.

“It’s dangerous outside?”

Reki flops down into his mattress, limbs spread open like a starfish. There’s that sweet laughter hanging in the air again and Langa feels himself crack a little. He feels himself slip. A little more and he might just give in.

“When’s danger ever stopped you from doing something? Like, seriously, since when has danger ever stopped the great Hasegawa Langa and his infinite amazingness?”

Langa sucks in a breath, still shaking his head. He knows his face is burning red, burning from Reki’s admiration, borderline idolization of him, but he can’t let that get to him. He can’t give in to Reki. He cannot let himself be pulled out under the rain clouds. So he does what he knows best; Langa pouts.

Reki shifts again on the bed, propping himself up on his elbows as he looks at Langa. He’s fallen back into something resembling seriousness, but his voice is still light and breathy, filled with adoration. No. Admiration. There’s a difference, Langa has to remind himself.

“Five minutes. That’s all I’m asking for. Just give me five minutes in the rain. And I promise,” he smiles as he finally sits up, “I promise, it’ll be worth it.”

Langa sighs. He’s giving in. He’s giving in to Reki’s eagerness. He’s giving in to his shiny eyes. He’s giving in to his adoration of the rain. He’s giving in to whatever Reki wants because in the end, doesn’t he always?

“You get five minutes. And you owe me chocolate bar after this.”

Reki tumbles off of his bed, shouting that Langa’s got himself a deal as he jumps to his feet and grabs Langa’s hand. Langa almost pulls back, startled by the loudness of Reki’s voice, but then his fingers are slipping between Reki's as he is pulled up from the bed. Reki’s grin is blinding, his eyes twinkling. He’s up to something, but Langa can’t tell what it is. Guessing what Reki is up to has always been an impossible game for Langa.

Langa slips on his shoes in silence. He groans as his laces fall undone once more, slipping from his fingers for what feels like the millionth time already. He’s never had a hard time tying his shoes until now, his eyes quickly bouncing between his feet and Reki’s incessant bouncing. He can’t concentrate on a single, simple task. He’s too fixated on Reki. He wants to know what he’s planning. He needs to know what he just agreed to.

Reki turns back to him, his eyes big and shiny, before poking his head out the door again. Langa can see him looking around, his head snapping left and right. He can see the bounce in his step as he excitedly shifts from foot to foot in the doorway. He can feel the excitement rolling off of Reki, buzzing the air around him.

“No one’s out,” he says, turning back to Langa with a smile, a smile like the morning sun peeking through the blinds, shy yet so insistent.

Langa huffs as he pushes himself up from the ground and smooths out his shirt. His shoes are finally tied after far too many attempts.

“No shit it’s deserted. Except you, no one wants to go outside.”

Reki’s smile drops at Langa’s words. His eyes search Langa’s face, perhaps searching for lightheartedness in his tone and features, and for a moment, it’s like the Heavens turned off the stars for the night, stars that usually shimmer and shine in Reki’s now dull eyes. His mouth moves, but no words come out. Nothing comes out, not that Langa would let a single word fill the air before he could fix his obvious mistake. Gently, he places his hand on Reki’s shoulder and gives it a squeeze, bringing the starts back to his world.

“I want to go with you. I said I would.”

Reki’s fingers fiddle and twist with the sleeves of his hoodie, poking through the holes that formed over the years of wear and tear. His eyes quickly shift between his hands and Langa’s face, looking almost unsure if he is allowed to even look at Langa. “It’s really fine if you want wanna. I mean, you’re right. No one would willingly want to go out in this shitty weather.”

“I said-” Langa tenses as another clap of thunder rumbles outside, but he pushes through. He said he would go. He wasn’t going to back out of this. He wasn’t walking away from Reki. “I said you had five minutes.”

Reki’s smile eases its way back against his lips as Langa’s palm brushes against his, fingers slipping between his. His summer sweetness breaks through as Langa smiles back, tone light with tenderness.

“So take me there?”

No star ever shone as bright as Reki as his fingers tighten around Langa’s. No star can ever hold a candle to Reki as he pulls Langa out of the house, his smile brighter than any summer sun. Nothing could ever compare to the joy that he exudes as his hair flattens and sticks to his face from the rain. Nothing can compare to Reki, to all that he is.

His hand doesn’t leave Langa’s as he pulls him along, corner after corner. And with every turn, his grip tightens. It has to be that he’s afraid that Langa would flee back home as soon as he let him go, run the moment he feels Reki’s hold on him loosen. It’s the only explanation Langa can come up with as Reki crushes his hand with his. It’s the only thing that makes sense, not that Reki is making sense to him right now. It doesn’t make sense, his uncontrollable giggles as he glances back at Langa. It doesn’t make sense, his little tugs every time they take a turn.

“Can I at least get a hint as to where you’re dragging me?”

Reki shakes his head, his giggles breaking up his sentence. His grin plays on something mischievous. “Nope! It’s a surprise, dude! You gotta be just a little patient for once.”

Langa sighs as his shoes splash against the pavement. Langa sighs but he doesn’t slow down. They’re practically running now, Reki laughing so openly as he drags Langa along. He laughs as he takes another sharp turn, slipping a little as he pulls Langa down yet another back alley. They’ve taken so many that Langa is lost. He can’t recall every turn they’ve taken, ever corner cut. The only things he knows is that they’re getting farther and farther from Reki’s house and that it’s been more than five minutes that they’ve been outside. All Langa knows is that, besides Reki and himself, there’s absolutely no one around.

They finally come to halt, both panting from the run. Langa, as he catches his breath, takes in his surrounding. He doesn’t know where they are; there’s nothing extraordinary from the deserted street in which they’ve stopped, but he also doesn’t recognize it. He doesn’t know where they are, but Reki seems pleased with himself. He seems pleased with his head tilted back, laughing and grinning. He seems pleased as he quickly glances around.

His cheeks are flushed from exhaustion as he turns on his heel to face Langa. His hair frames his face, sticking to his cheeks from the mixture of rain and sweat. All his clothes had soaked through, falling awkwardly against his body, but he’s still grinning. He’s grinning as if he just won the lottery, the jackpot that is this dimly lit street.

“Reki, what-!”

Langa’s eyes widen as Reki grabs the collar of his shirt. Langa’s breath catches as he’s pulled forward, stumbling on his own feet. Langa’s whole body freezes as Reki’s hands find their way to his cheeks before pressing his lips to Langa’s.

Langa almost misses the electric shock that jolts down his spine at the contact. He almost misses the whole world brightening for a split second, a flash of electricity lighting up the whole world as his lips meet Reki’s in a kiss. He almost misses the clap of thunder that syncs up with Reki’s impulsivity. He almost misses it all as the world fades away, only Reki remaining. Reki and his sweet kiss.

Langa almost doesn’t react, shock short-circuiting his mind. He doesn’t know what to do, actually. He doesn’t know what to do with his hands, hands that hover awkwardly around Reki’s waist. Should he hold on to Reki? Should he touch him? Can he do that? Is he allowed?

His whole body is tense, but then he’s squeezing his eyes shut as he tries his best to kiss Reki back. He tries his best to calm his pounding heart and just kiss Reki back. He tries to concentrate all his efforts on Reki, on the cold contact of his lips against Langa’s, on the warmth of his breath, on the sweetness of his kiss. Langa tries to kiss Reki back like he means it, like he wants it, because he does. He wants to kiss Reki, but he doesn’t know how to show Reki that he wants to. Kissing shouldn’t be this difficult. Kissing shouldn’t make the whole world spin. It shouldn’t make his knees so weak.

Reki is the one to break the kiss. It starts and ends with Reki, much like Langa’s new life in Japan. It always starts and ends with Reki. Starts with his laughter and ends with his tired giggles. It starts with his smiles and ends with his heavy eyes. Every day starts and ends with Reki for Langa. Every day for as long as he can hope for.

Reki breaks the kiss, biting his lip as he drops his head on Langa’s shoulder. Reki breaks the kiss, laughter falling from his lips as freely as the rain falls from the clouds. And Langa laughs with him, shaky yet so happy. Never in a million years did he expect to be so happy. Never in a million years did he think it was possible for him to be this happy.

Had he been discreet with his crush on his best friend? Not particularly. He never went out of his way to make it evident, but then Miya was nudging him and telling him that he was gross and being way too obvious with his wide-eyed staring. He never really tried to put it on display, but then Joe was ruffling his hair and telling him to go for it. Langa never really meant for his crush to be as obvious as it was.

Sure, a few jokes about it had slipped out over the months, but he didn’t think Reki had picked up on them. He didn’t even think Reki had heard them since he had never made anything out of them. Like most of the nonsense that he said, Langa thought his crush had gone a thousand feet over Reki’s head, but then, there he is, standing in the rain, completely drenched as he smiles wider than he ever has. Langa smiles into the open air as he laughs with Reki because Reki, despite his oblivious streak, picked up on his not-so-subtle hints. Reki had picked up on them and somehow, by some blessing of life, reciprocated Langa’s feelings. Or at least, Langa sure hopes his feelings are reciprocated given that Reki did drag him out in the rain just to kiss him.

Both their chests heave against each other as their laughter calms. Reki finally straightens out, but still, he stays close to Langa. The palm of his hand finds Langa’s, their fingers lacing together as he pushes a strand of dripping hair behind Langa’s ear. And he presses his smile to Langa’s once more, giddy giggles breaking up their kiss. But Langa can’t complain. He never would complain about that. He would never complain about Reki’s sweet kisses or about the way his eyes shine behind his wet hair. He would never complain about his happy giggles or how he holds Langa’s face so gently. Langa would never complain about having Reki this close, whispers breaking against his lips.

“Maybe now you won’t hate the rain so much.”

And Langa can’t resist it. He can’t resist pressing another kiss to Reki’s mouth, messy and clumsy but filled with adoration. Because Reki is right: Langa won’t hate the rain so much anymore.

#I wrote something!#I wrote something for real!#And it was fun to write so #yay!#Please don't let this flop 🤞#renga #snowgear #lanreki #langa x reki #reki x langa #langa #hasegawa langa #langa hasegawa #reki #kyan reki #reki kyan #sk8 #sk8 the infinity #lils writes

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lovemeleo · 3 years

Text

New York State of Mind (Part 2)

I had planned to have this posted earlier but here I am, right before the end of our Peanut’s birthday. Whoops. Here is Part 1 if you haven’t read it yet.

These OCs and their world belong to @lumosinlove.

cw: mentions of food

_________________________________

It took the three of them around 30 minutes to finish getting ready with only minimal interruptions, which honestly wasn’t bad. Sometimes they could take an additional hour if they were distracted enough. But once Finn was reminded of the plans, he was not going to get off track.

Finn knew people didn’t think he was good at presents. They honestly weren’t wrong, he was really bad at buying gifts. He never knew what to buy. But experiences. That he could do. He liked planning things that he thought the people he cared about enjoyed. And his boys. He knew his boys better than anyone. So when it got close to Leo’s birthday, him and Logan sat down and began planning. While Leo was easy to please, and would’ve probably been happy just having dinner at their house, this was 20th birthday. It had to be perfect. And it honestly had been so far.

He watched as his boys pulled on their jackets, tucking wallets and phones into pockets, “Don’t forget gloves. And a hat. Not a snapback, Lo. An actual keep your ears warm hat. We’re walking and I’m not gonna give you mine when you get cold.” Finn announced, pulling his own hat down over his hair. He also made sure to grab a small backpack, just in case they purchased anything while out and that way it was all easier to carry.

“How far we walking, Harz?” Leo asked as he pulled his gloves out of his suitcase, tucking them into his pocket as he followed the other two out of their room to the elevator.

Finn hummed, glancing up from his phone, “Ah, less than three miles. But we’re going to make some touristy stops on the way to the final destination.”

Raising an eyebrow, Leo glanced over at Finn, “Final destination? Sounds sorta ominous, mon rouge.” He said as they made their way out. A wall of cold air hit them as soon as they walked out of the hotel.

Finn began leading the way to 7th Ave, tucking his phone back into his pocket. This was his city, he knew where he was going.

Him and Logan had taken turns planning days during the trip, and today was his day. It was probably his favorite one that he planned. He even kept most of it a secret from Logan.

As they walked down the sidewalk, Leo’s head was constantly on a swivel as he took in the huge busy city. He had been to New York for games, but he never really got to look around or do any of the fun touristy stuff that everyone talks about.

“I know where we’re going.” Logan shouted as he looked around, recognizing the area from when Finn had shown him around. “We’re go-”

A swift elbow to the ribs cut him off as Finn gave him a look, “Don’t tell him!” He interrupted, hooking his arm through Logan’s as they kept walking.

Letting out a chuckle, Leo looked up ahead to see tons of lights and people. His eyebrows furrowed before his eyes lit up with recognition, “That’s Times Square, isn’t it?” He asked, bouncing excitedly on his toes as he picked up the pace a bit.

Finn grinned, dragging Logan along as they tried to keep up with the giant speedwalker, “You got it, baby. We’re gonna do a longer stop here later in the week to look around and shop and such but I figured you’ve gotta get your tourist in Times Square photo to start out with.”

As they finally got into the square, Leo couldn’t help himself as he stopped right in the middle, spinning a bit to try and get a look at everything. He’s seen it in movies and pictures, but those could never do it justice. “This is insane! There’s just so many people.”

Finn took a couple pictures as Leo looked around, a grin spreading across his face, “Peanut, this way. I’ve got the perfect place to take a picture.” He insisted before he began leading the way.

“The top of these stairs is the perfect spot. You can get like all of downtown in the background.” Finn explained excitedly as he led Logan and Leo up to the top. The two boys shared a look as they followed him up, a warm smile on both of their faces as they listened to him talk. “So first we’ll do Leo by himself for his birthday, and then we’ll ask someone to take one of the three of us, okay?”

Leo smiled, making his way up carefully, “Sounds good, sweetheart. This a good spot? Can you get everything in?” He asked, as he leaned on the railing. Finn leaned back with Logan standing behind him to make sure he didn’t fall.

“That’s great, Nutter Butter. Now gimme a big smile!” Finn said, unable to hide the giant grin behind his phone as Leo smiled. He loved that smile. It took over Leo’s face, lighting up whatever area he was in. You couldn’t help but smile right back at him.

Him and Logan both quickly looked at the pictures, smiling as they scrolled through to make sure they came out okay, “Perfect, Sunshine.” Finn said with a soft smile as he looked up at his boyfriend.

As he showed Leo the pictures, Logan found a lady to take the pictures for them. She followed him up the steps with a grin, “Alright, who’s phone should I take it on?” She asked.

Finn quickly switched over to the camera app and handed it over, “Mine please. Thanks so much.” The three of them moved to the top again with Leo in the middle as she situated herself to get the best picture.

“Alright, boys, smile!” She said with a grin. Logan couldn’t have picked a better person, as she seemed to take a bunch for them, moving to get better angles and everything. When she handed the phone back to Finn, there were at least 20 photos taken.

Finn scrolled through them, setting his favorite one as his background before looking back at her, “These are perfect, thank you so much.”

She shrugged with a smile, “It’s no problem at all. Hope you guys have a good rest of your day.” They watched as she headed back to her group.

“Can you send me all of those please?” Leo said, resting his chin on top of Finn’s head as he looked at the cute shots of them. Finn had already created an album on his phone just for pictures from this trip, so he added Logan and Leo in so they would have access.

Looking at his boyfriends, Finn smiled happily, “Y’know, we’re pretty fucking adorable.” He said, holding up his phone background.

Logan shook his head with a laugh before pressing a kiss to Finn’s cheek, “Well yeah, mon rouge. I could’ve told you that.” He said with a smile. It was still weird to be able to kiss or touch in public without worry. They had only come out a month or two ago, so there was still that brief moment of panic of ‘Oh no, did anyone see?’ before realizing that it didn’t matter if they could. It was nice.

“Alright, let’s keep moving. If you see anywhere you want to stop today, we can. We’re actually a bit ahead of schedule.” Finn said as he glanced at his watch. They made their way down the stairs and continued heading down the street.

They hadn’t even made it two blocks down 7th Ave when Logan let out a gasp, his eyes wide as he clutched at Leo’s hand. The taller boy followed his gaze before letting out a laugh. On one side of the street was Hershey’s Chocolate World. The other had M&M’s World.

“Guessing you wanna make a stop, Lo?” Leo asked, squeezing his hand.

Logan looked over at Finn, puppy eyes in full effect, “Pleeeeease, baby. You know how much I love chocolate and it’s Hershey and M&Ms, I promise I won’t be too long! Please please please!” He begged, his hands coming up to squeeze Finn’s cheeks.

Letting out a laugh, Finn nodded, “Of course, Lo. But what if we just do one today? We’ll be coming back this week and that way you don’t have to rush through both of them?”

“Yes! Hershey’s it is! Let’s go!” Logan cheered, quickly making his way to the shop. Leo and Finn quickly walked after him, following his red hat as he ran through the doors. When they got inside, he had stopped in the doorway, eyes practically the size of saucers. The store was covered in different types of Hershey’s chocolate, as well as things like caramel apples covered in Hershey’s chocolate.

Finn chuckled softly as he watched Logan’s face, quickly snapping a couple of photos of the awe on his face. Fingers intertwined with his as Leo came up next to him, snapping a couple pictures of his own, “I’m gonna send a picture to Loops. He’s going to be so jealous.”

“Lo, you okay? I think this might be the quietest I’ve heard you.” Finn asked, nudging his other boyfriend with his hip.

Logan turned to him, eyes still wide, “I think this is heaven.” He whispered.

The two boys couldn’t hide the giant smiles that formed as they watched the shorter man start to wander the store. After the fourth bag of candy was handed to them, they finally relented and grabbed Logan a cart.

“Lo. Babe. Love of our lives. My backpack is only so big. Where do you think we’re going to put all this chocolate?” Finn asked as he leaned on the cart.

Logan shrugged, putting an XL KitKat bar into the cart, “It’s alright, Harz. The nice Hershey’s lady told me I could leave it here and pick it up later.”

Throwing his hands in air, Finn let out a laugh, “Of course she did. Is she gonna let us use the cart to carry it to the hotel?” He shared a fond look with Leo over the cart. In all honesty, he would carry all of the chocolate in the world on his back if it kept that smile on Logan’s face.

After around 30 minutes in the store, Logan had fully filled their cart as well as got on first-name basis with the ‘Nice Hershey’s lady’ who’s actual name was Liz. Now he was finally finished. They left his treasure of treats in the capable hands of Liz before heading back out to the road.

“Alright, now we’re heading to the surprise. It’s about 30 minutes, but it’s a nice walk. We go past part of the park.” Finn said, fixing his hat over his hair again.

They started their trek, stopping every once and awhile to take pictures at various spots like Strawberry Fields and The Dakota. Then they finally arrived, Finn stopping abruptly in front of a cool looking building. He was practically bouncing in place.

“We’re here!” He said, gesturing to the building.

Leo looked up, reading the name across the side of the building, “Rose Center for Earth and Space.” His eyes widened as he turned to look at Finn.

“C’mon then, it’s almost time for our turn.” Finn said with a smile, opening the door for them.

As they walked in, smaller versions of the planets were above their heads. Finn walked up the front desk, talking quietly with the man at the desk who smiled. He looked back at Leo and Logan, “You guys ready?”

Leo was clutching Logan’s hand as he looked around before nodding, “I mean it’s hard to be ready when I have no clue what’s about to happen, but let’s go.”

The man behind the front desk led them to a dark room that had a theater set-up, “Welcome to the Hayden Planetarium. You guys can sit wherever you’d like.”

“Where’s everyone else?” Leo asked as they sat near the middle, staring up at the huge screen.

Smiling, the man shook his head, “This is everyone. You have it to yourselves. Enjoy.” He said before walking out.

“Mon dieu..” Logan said, eyes wide as he looked around.

Finn fiddled with his shirt as he watched their faces, “They were advertising their newest show on the hotel website.. This one is called Journey to the Stars.” He shrugged before looking up at Leo. “Told you I’d bring you the stars, Le.”

Reaching forward, Leo quickly pulled Finn in for a kiss, “Sweetheart..” He murmured, resting his head on the other boy’s forehead.

They pulled apart as the show began to start, sitting back in their chairs. Logan smiled softly, reaching across the back of Leo’s chair to grab Finn’s shoulder, “I don’t think anyone can say you’re bad at gift-giving anymore, Harz.” He whispered.

Leo sniffled softly as he watched the solar system spread around him, the planets and the stars right there in front of him. Finn really got him the stars. His boys took him to New York just for his birthday. The amount of love he felt for them was overwhelming while also never being enough. He would spend the next 20 years and all of the years after that giving his love to these boys.

Watching as the entire universe flew in front of their very eyes, Leo smiled.

Because he already had his entire world. Right next to him.

#leo knut #happy birthday leo knut #lumosinlove #nutter butter #sweater weather #coast to coast #finn o'hara #logan tremblay #lovely boys #fluff #tourist fic #cw: food #fic writing #fic update

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stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale · 3 years

Text

Fun little announcement today:

@pi-creates and I started a new discord server together called [the writer’s guild].

What does that mean? Well, lemme tell you a story.

Yesterday wasn’t a good day for me. It was one of those days where I woke up at 5am and laid in bed for a few hours like "what am I doing with my life...? ....Alexa, play 'so no one told you life was gonna be this waaaaay clap clap clap clap clap-'”

I pretty much had a mini morning life crisis where I was thinking about when I was in school, my new job and how exhausted it’s left me, all the effort I put into my blog and the fandom, how my dreams of becoming a writer who creates original content is slowly going down the drain as if I'm an eighty-year-old woman on the verge of death and not a dingus in my early twenties, how if I put that effort into my original writing I could maybe do something worthwhile, how I should go back to school but to do what? ....and many more things.

Y’know... all the good stuff.

So Pi and I were chattin’ like we do, talking about all of this and the skybound xpo. As we’re doing so, my roommates gives the suggestion of making a discord for original writing. If I’m serious about wanting to get back into writing original stories and not just fanfics, something like that would help, that sorta deal.

I looked at her and was like “pssshhh,” because even though I have my TWDG server, I don’t know anything about discord or creating servers, so that’s dumb. It would never work. Too hard.

Except then I brought it up with Pi, one thing led to another, and now we have this server...... so it was me who was dumb all along.

We took inspiration from TES: Oblivion when naming it [the writer’s guild]. In that game, there are factions you can join like the fighter’s guild, or the mage’s guild... so I thought it’d be fun to have a writer’s guild.

But this server isn’t just for writers. We’re welcoming anyone to join, whether you’re an artist wanting to share your original art, a writer who wants help with fanfics and/or original stories, someone willing to edit or beta read stories for writers, or you just wanna offer your moral support and hang out with us, see what we’re making and enjoy new content.

“Great, where’s the link to join?”

Great question, here’s the part where I tell you another story.

If you wanna join then you have to send me or Pi a DM on here requesting to join.

I won’t be posting any links for just anyone to click. The reason we’re doing this is because of an incident we had in our TWDG server.

What happened was when we created that and invited anyone to join, a certain person joined us and they never interacted with chat. They never introduced themselves, they never appeared online. Didn’t think much of it, so it’s fine.

However, this was around the time where I was getting flooded with lots of shitty anon asks whenever I so much as mentioned Violet in any of my posts. This went on a long time until one day that person suddenly appeared online in our server.

I was talking to everyone about these asks I was getting..... but then I started getting asks that were pretty much responding to everything I was saying in the discord chat. This time they were upset with me over a joke I made about Violet because what else, it’s always about Violet.

They were demanding to know my sexuality [something I have NEVER shared on Tumblr before and yet, they somehow happened to know I’m bisexual in the next ask just as I came out to the discord chat] so that they could use it to justify calling me lesbophobic and all these other things.

Well, then Pi messaged this person since we were all suspecting them, and suddenly they were offline and the asks stopped, and they were eventually kicked. We haven’t had any issues since.

No, we don’t have concrete proof that it was 100% them doing all of this but like.... quite a lot of coincidences, don’t ya think?

It was a bizarre thing for all of us, so maybe you understand why I’m a little hesitant to throw a link out there for everyone now, even though that happened a while ago. Pi and I decided this was the best way to do it so we could keep track of everyone joining just in case.

We don’t want anyone to feel uncomfortable in [the writer’s guild], we want you to feel like this is a safe space to share your ideas, help and support others, and grow as a creator. All we ask is that you follow the rules we have in place.

“Wait does this mean you’re stopping your twdg content?”

Nope! I’ll still be here running this blog, answering asks and making other posts related to twdg. I’m just also at a point where I want to put some of my focus on to creating original content and writing my own stories with characters I create. That doesn’t mean I’m never going to write another fanfic again, or that I’m abandoning the blog, so don’t worry! :D

And yeah.... I think that’s it. Feel free to ask any questions you might have, we’ll probably have answers hahaha

#[the writer's guild]

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tomfreakinghollandneedsaoscar · 4 years

Text

Post It's

Pairing: JJ Maybank x You

Summary: JJ and you both work at the hotel. Never meeting each other, you leave notes on the others locker.

Word Count: 1,787

Warning: Fluff that's its tooth rooting.

Note: Knowing that JJ works as a bus boy in the show and seeing how well he looked in episode 5, I couldn't get this idea out of my head. Tumblr was keep messing up as I was writing this so I'm going to post this and throw my phone out of my bedroom window now :) I hope you love it! :)

━━━

"DON'T EAT SOMEONE ELSE'S LUNCH!"

"Or what? ;) - JJ"

"I'll end your whole career. Side note: I found out who ate my PB & Jelly sandwich and it wasn't you so don't get any idea's now. - Y/N"

━━━

JJ bullshit his way through the hiring process. It might not be his dream job, but it was easy. He had to do something when he realized he had to grow and man up. His father didn't teach him that. His the reason.

The small tips he gets from all the older women after he gives them more attention than their husband's - they're either on 'work' call or still playing a game of golf - doesn't hurt. It's adds up quick. He normally buys more groceries for him and John B as an unspoken thank you for letting him basically live with him. Then he treats himself with new weed. He needs it after surrounded by Kooks and playing the part of a little bitch for them.

As soon as he clocks out for the day, he undo the tie harshly. That's another thing he hates about this job - the uniform. White button up long sleeves, black dress pants with black dress shoes. If it's a morning and evening shift, the finish touch is a black vest. For nights, it's a black tie. Even if he is only walking around to give people refills, asking if they're doing fine, and cleaning up afterwards, his hair must look well put together.

He is unbutton his shirt when he stops in front of his locker. He's smiling at the post it on his locker before he even reads it. He knows who it's from.

It started a month ago. Someone left a message taped on the fridge in the break room for everyone to read. He knows he didn't have to, but he wrote down a response on the piece of paper. He wasn't expecting one back. When the front and back got filled up, he started looking for the same name on a locker. He left a post it note.

He reads the newest one on his locker.

"Fun fact of the day: you're reading this. - Y/N"

He rolls his eyes. He pulls it off and opens his locker, grabbing his normal clothes to go change. He adds it to the pile with the others.

JJ decides to stop at use book store. When a co-worker asks him if he is back for extra hours, he says no. He's carrying a shopping bag.

━━━

Your morning doesn't start on a good note. Your mind wakes you up ten minutes after your alarm should've gone off. You didn't plug in the charger all the way last night, so you're phone is at 14%.

Somehow you get to work on time. You notice you forgot your nametag.

At least there's a new post it on your locker.

"Funny. Not. Look inside and thank me later ;) PS. Don't write your new comb on the back of your lock again. - JJ"

You curse at yourself underneath your breath. You start laughing when you read the title of the book he left for you.

"365 Jokes For Kids: A Joke A Day Book."

You put it in your bag and grab your clear water bottle before closing your locker to clock in.

━━━

The giant clock on the wall taunts you. Only ten more minutes until your break and you can finally eat something.

From the dinner-room area a cute blonde starts walking towards you. By his outfit, you can't help to silent pray that he isn't a boy on a vacation and just knows how to look hot as hell all dressed up. Underneath a black vest, the long white button up shows off his muscles and the sleeves are rolled up, which is just another level of attractiveness itself, and his legs look long and firm in the dress pants. It's his hair that got your attention in the first place and now you can't help to watch as he pulls it, running his fingers through it.

Checking out cute guys all day is definitely a perk for you. Sitting behind a desk all day and being first person people see as they walk in, helping them check in or out, and answering calls is not how you wanted to spend your summer.

Last month your dad pulled some strings over a game of golf to land you this job. He sounds like a robot every time he tells you that you need to work your ass off to get the money you deserve. How is this doing that?

You get out of you thoughts when the cute blonde doesn't go in front of the desk. Instead you have to spin your chair sideways. He learns over the pull-up door and does a hand gesture, telling you to come over. You do.

"Hey."

"Hi?" It comes out as a questin since you're confused as to why he is keep looking back at the dinner room. He seems like he is afraid of getting caught. "Can I help with you something?"

"Can you make an announcement? Over the speaker loud enough for all they to hear?" He looks over again and points.

"It all matters about what you want me to say."

"Say that it's hard as fuck for me to do my job when lil Satan's are running around and how great it would be if parents tell them to stop before I do. I can't get written up or life my job because of them."

You try to hide your excitement when you find out he works here. He's not wearing a nametag. You know that it's only bus boys who don't. Briefly, you wonder if he knows JJ.

"I'm sorry. I wish I could but I can't. Parents will come up and start yelling at me that I should keep my mouth shut and thoughts to myself."

He clenches his jaw and mumbles, "yeah. Right, of course."

"When I come back from my lunch, you can-uh everytime you want to lose your shit, look over here, and I'll give you a thumbs up for not killing someone. Especially the kids."

His laugh makes you wish he is JJ.

Someone comes from behind him to release you. He doesn't say anything before walking away.

But later, you lose track on how many times he looks over at you and mouths, "help me".

━━━

The next day on his day off, he gushes over the front desk girl to his friends. "She made me not want to hurt a room of kooks. I think she has superpowers or some shit."

Kiara takes a hint of his blunt. "I'm kinda jealous, not going to lie. What's her name? I need her to tell how she did it after talking to you for only a couple of minutes when I've been your friend for years."

"I don't know. She wasn't wearing a nametag and I forgot to ask." Pope slaps him on the back of the head. "You forgot or worried she wasn't Y/N?"

"Oh my god!" Sarah squeals, "What if the front desk girl is also post it girl?"

JJ chokes on the hit he was taking. "Life doesn't work like that." For me. He thinks to himself. He makes eye contact with John B. Curse him for being able to read him.

"I think it's time to ask Y/N meet up, dude."

━━━

When he walks through the front doors, he catches himself getting upset seeing someone else at the front desk. He still waves and says good morning. On the door of the back room, there's a sign.

"MANDATORY STUFF MEETING WEDNESDAY, IN THE LOBBY AT 6PM"

On the very bottom, he notices Y/N handwriting.

"Looks like we'll finally meet. ♡ - You Know Who"

He kicks the door open.

━━━

He is still thinking about the stupid little heart when a waiter calls him to come over towards the kitchen. "Can you bring this to the front desk?"

"This isn't a drive in restaurant- you know what? I shouldn't be surprised and know not to ask stupid questions." He salutes the waiter and grabs the bag.

He stops dead in his tracks.

The front desk girl is now there, talking on the phone and writing stuff down. When she feels someone looking instantly at her, she looks up. She smiles and gives a small wave.

JJ cringes at himself and tries to not trip over his own two feet. He puts down the bag, and looks at everything and anything but her as he waits for her to finish the call. When she does, he quickly states, "Someone ordered food to get pick-up."

"Ah yes, Mr. Hough. He called saying he was carving for some of the all you can eat bread rolls."

When she says the name, it's like a lightbuld goes over his head as he remembers. He doesn't listen to the rest of what she says.

Before he can ask, the phone is ringing. "I should answer." She smiles and it makes him feel a tug in the corner of his mouth. "See you at the meeting tonight?"

"Yeah. I should go back to working too."

━━━

Your eyes go wide when the cute blondie sits next to you at the same time the manager says the meeting will begin shortly.

"Hey, how are you?" You ask after a few seconds of awkward silence.

"Fine." He splits out.

"Doesn't sound like it." You cross your arms against your chest. He doesn't say anything, only rolls his eyes and takes his red snapback hat off. In the corner of your eye, you watch him pull on the loose trends.

Grabbing your bag off the ground, you open it to see what you can do to pass the time like him.

"Holy shit."

You look up at him, confused. You notice he is staring at the joke book JJ gave to you. With the way he makes eye contact with you, you can tell that he is nervous.

But why would he-

"Oh my god."

"JJ, Y/N." Both of almost get whip flash to look and listen to your manager. "Pay attention please."

━━━

You're going through all the post it's in your locker, dropping some when an arm wraps around you and your boyfriend. He kisses your cheek. "Are you ready?"

"To meet your friends? I'm kinda nervous. But you've told me so much about them that I already feel like I know them."

"Trust me, they'll say the same thing about you. Ignore the names they call you."

━━━

"You're the peanut butter to my jelly. - JJ"

"That's the cheeses thing you have ever said. Say more. - Y/N."

━━━━━━━━━━━━

Taglist: @harrysbbby @sunflowerbecca @latenitewolves @outrbank @katerosexx

#jj outer banks imagine #jj imagine #jj maybank imagine #jj maybank x reader #jj maybank x you #jj x y/n #jj x reader #jj x you #jj one shot

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zmayadw · 3 years

Text

Hello to all :)

So, before I run off for the weekend and from this unberable heat to my own little personal Duskwood (by which I mean a house in the woods :D ), I promised to someone I would post the epilogue to my story by friday, and I keep my promises :)

Anyway, I wish you all to have a great weekend! Take care :)

CALL OF THE RAVEN

PART 27 - EPILOGUE

And so a year passed. One year since Hanna was found, one year since I met my wonderful friends. And one year since the most beautiful blue eyes I ever saw stopped haunting my dreams and became my reality.

It's been almost six months since I decided to move in with Jake and make Duskwood my new home. It was the easiest decision I ever made. They all became the most important people in my life, and I couldn't even imagine a day passing without beeing close to them. We shared a bond stronger than anything. They became my family, and family definitely doesn't start or end with blood.

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

„You said five more minutes. Almost twenty passed!“ Jake announces from the doors. „I know, I know! I'm done!“ Turning in my chair, I just stare at him. „What? Do I look that bad?“ he asks worryingly after a moment. He was wearing black pants and a dark blue formal shirt, wich made his eyes color even more intense. That always amazed me, their color changing from greyish-blue to such an intense blue, I got lost in them so manny times. „Maya?“ His words snaped my attention back. Getting up I smile walking to him „Oh, the opposite, babe. You look very handsome.“ He smiles back. Wrapping my hands around his neck and kissing him softly first, then pulling him closer intensifying the kiss, hinting him more than clearly where I'm heading with this. He moves away raising his eyebrow „Oh, no, no, no.“ „What's a no?“ I ask, biting teasingly at my lover lip. Groaning he takes another step backwards from me „Argh, don't do this to me, angel!“ „I have no clue what you're talking about.“ I say taking a step towards him, playfully twirling a strand of hair arround my finger. „We don't have time for this!“ „Oh, well then.“ I say dissapointed and with a sigh start towards the bedrom. Passing him, I take my shirt off droping it on the floor at his feet „I suppose I'll go get ready then.“ I could feel his lustful stare following me. I barely stepped into the bedroom when his hand comes around me, pulling me to him, his other hand moving the hair from my neck. His soft lips on my skin sent tingles all over me. „You are driving me crazy.“ He whispers to my ear. „And you love it.“ I hum back. Turning me to face him he grins „But just so we're clear, you are going to explain to my sister why we were late to the wedding. And I'm dying to hear what excuse you will think of.“ Laughing I put my hands around his neck „Don't worry, babe, I can get quite creative when needed.“

„So, tell me you two, what was it that made you almost end up late for the wedding?“ Lilly was looking inquisitive at Jake and me. „Yes, Maya, please tell Lilly why we were almost late.“ Jake grins at me. Oh, he is so gonna get it for this! „There was...an emergency with my dress.“ She snorts „Right, I'm sure there was.“ Flashing her the most wonderful smile I could make „Oh, come on, Lilly, don't be like this. Hannah just got married, we should all be happy.“ „You two are impossible. I need a drink.“ She shakes her head before leaving us. „Emergency with the dress? That's the best you could think of?“ Jake raise his eyebrow at me. I grin „Shush it. It worked..kinda.“ „No it didn't.“ He laughs. „Fine, it didn't.“ I agree. „Then next time, you think of something better.“ He chuckles „Oh no, I'm not letting you make a habbit out of it.“ Turning to him with a wicked smile and going for a kiss, but stoping so close our lips barely touch „Whatever you say, babe.“ Without finishing the kiss, I slowly turn and head for the bar. „You are killing me!“ he yells after me. I turn my head and wink, just as Dan shows up next to him. „Troubles at paradise, man?“ he asks him. Jake grins, not taking his eyes off me „Quite the opposite, man, quite the opposite.“

The cool night breeze swirled arround me as I lean on the railings of the terrasse. Watching my friends looking so happy and laughing makes me smile myself. Seeing them like this, no one would ever thought that a year ago their lives turned into a nightmare. Even if the scars of the past events might not be visible to the eye, they are there, imprinted deep into each one of them. With time, they will fade more, and become just a distant memory.

The scars on my body are a different story. They will always be there, a reminder of bad days. But that's all right, I don't want to forget anyway. I want to remember, that no matter what shit life threw at me, I survived, I came out of it stronger. And no matter what might come my way next, I will be all right. They are also a reminder of all the good things that came along with them – new unbreakable friendships, and love, the purest and strongest love. Non of it would be able to exist without all the bad thats happened.

A raven perched on a tree cawed, calling for my attention. His beady black eyes curiously observed me. It's caw echoes around me again, it's sinister voice carried deep into the forest. That sound was frightening to me, sending shivers down my spine, bad memories resurfacing with it. But not this time. With a smirk I look at the bird straight in the eye „Don't waste your time with me, you don't scare me anymore.“ The raven continued to stare at me, moving it's head from one side to the other, as if searching to find just a hint of doubt in my words. Unsuccessfully. It's wings flapped, it's caws echoing as I watch it fly away, getting lost somewhere deep in the forest. „Everything all right, angel?“ Jake voice comes from the doors. With a smile I move from the railing and turn to him, call of the raven falling more silent behind me „Everything is perfect.“

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

„Finaly! I was beginning to worry.“ I almost yell in my phone. „Sorry, angel, I just stepped outside a minute ago.“ „Well that took forever. At least tell me you have good news?“ I ask impatiently. „Let me pick you up, then we'll talk.“ „Oh, no, no, no.“ I protest. „I've been waiting for hours, I can't wait anymore, I'm going crazy here!“ „All right, all right.“ He laughs. „Sooooo, what's the verdict? Is it over?“ I was so nervous to hear his answer. „It's over, angel.“ I screamed so loud from happines, scolding myself instantly for doing so in a place that I was at the moment. „Oh, babe, I'm soooo happy to hear this!“ I laugh „You haven't called back for so long, I was beginning to play the worst scenarios in my head. I know Dan said I can ask him for anything, but I doubt he would agree in helping me busting you out of jail. With a mention of it being a federal one, the chances are even slimmer. “ He chuckles „Yeah, I doubt that, too.“ „Tell me, did they agree to your demands? Is your record clean again?“ „Let me put it like this“ he says „They were more then extremely satisfied with the results they got from the informations I provided for them, that I could have asked for an island and they would say yes to it.“ I burst out laughing „Well, owning an island is a new trend these days.“ He laughs back. „Jake?“ I say serious. „What's up, angel?“ „Do you regret doing any of this? I mean, this was something you were forced to do, and honestly, I don't want you to end up hating me one day for any of this. I know I asked you that before, but still..“ „Listen to me, angel. I would do all of this the same way every time, without hesitation, through a thousand lifetimes, if in the end it would mean I get to have you.“ A tear escape my eye, more threathening to follow „Gosh, don't you get me in tears, silly! Now, come and get me, so we can go celebrate properly!“ He chuckles „All right, angel. And where are you?“ „You don't know?“ I ask surprised. „Don't tell me you stopped tracking my phone?“ „I will never do that.“ I laugh „Good, then you'll know where to pick me up. Love you.“ „Love you, too. See you soon, angel.“

I know why I decided to come to this place while nervously waiting for news from Jake. First time he brought me along, there was such calmness radiating from him, just sitting here, in the same spot I am sitting now. I never seen him being more at peace anywhere else but here. I guess I hoped coming here would do the same for me. And I was not wrong.

Collecting my stuff I stand up and look at the tombstone that I was sitting in front all this time.

Here lies Anna

A beloved daughter and mother

You will be missed forever

„Don't worry, Anna“ I smile at the tombstone throwing my backpack over my shoulder „Jake will be all right, I'll take good care of him. I promise.“

THE END

A/N: All right, so this is it, the end. I want to say a big 'thank you' to anyone who read it! :) I had fun writing it, and I hope you had fun reading it :) And honestly, I am a bit sad it ended, but we all know all things must come to an end eventually. Anyway, thak you again, much love to you all :)

#duskwood #duskwood everbyte #duskwood fanfiction #duskwood fanfic #duskwood jake #duskwood mc #duskwood jake x mc

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cherrypieships · 3 years

Text

the amusement park: chapter one

A/N: Hi all! This is my first fic posted here on my self ship blog! I’m really proud of this story, it’s gonna be a two-parter.

Ship: davey jacobs x pepper simmons (s/i), featuring my best friend V and my gf Khourey and their respective f/os, race higgins and jack kelly!

Summary: Some of the newsies head to Canobie lake's haunted house/amusement park. Pepper and Davey are the only non-couple.

The backseat of Race’s mom’s minivan was one of the last places Pepper wanted to be at 7 o’clock on a Friday morning. Yet here she was, awaiting their arrival to Canobie Lake Park’s annual Screemfest as she got crammed in next to Davey Jacobs.

Not that she disliked Davey. In fact, it was quite the opposite. Pepper liked Davey a whole lot. And that was exactly the problem. Here she was, in such close proximity to him that their knees knocked together every time Violet hit a pothole, harbouring a gigantic crush on her best friend. And everyone in the car knew beside him. And they were totally fifth- and sixth-wheeling on this trip.

It was fine.

Besides, Pepper was willing to endure a few hours pining quietly if it meant she could go on some sick roller coasters. So she sucked it up and tucked quietly into her seat.

Mickey turned around from the middle row and handed Pepper a piece of her chocolate croissant. “You cold back there?” She asked, wild red curls framing her face as she spoke.

After popping the pastry into her mouth, Pepper shrugged. “I’m fucking always cold.”

Jack tugged his hat up from where it rested over his eyes. “That is a fair point, she is always cold.” He said pointedly, and yelped when Pepper flicked the back of his head.

“I have poor circulation, dickhead.” She whined.

Race snickered from the passenger seat. “Good thing my dickhead doesn’t have poor circulation.” He quipped.

Though Pepper couldn’t see it, she could feel Violet rolling their eyes at their boyfriend. “I’m gonna file for divorce, Race.” They picked up their coffee and took a brief sip. “And I’m taking the kids.”

Beside her, Davey was digging around in the duffel bag he’d brought for the ride. He’d described it to Pepper as a ‘Minor Catastrophe Bag’, with a tiny first aid kit, nail clippers, some snacks, ibuprofen, pads, and a pair of tweezers. As much as she would have loved to gently bully him for being such a mother hen, she knew she’d be thanking him later through an inevitable headache. He straightened, finally, and emerged with a sweater. “Um, if you’re really cold,” He held it out to her. “You can wear this. It’s my backup but I’m pretty warm.” He said.

Pepper took the sweater in both hands with a gentle smile, trying to ignore the soft brush of his fingertips against hers. “You sure?” As much as she would love to immediately engulf herself in his clothes, it was Mid-October and she didn’t want to steal Davey’s source of warmth from him.

Like usual, he waved off her gentle concern. “I have my jacket and I’m wearing layers.” He explained, pushing the sweater towards her.

She took it in her hands, hoping and praying that the heat in her face wasn’t visible. “If you insist.” The teasing was playful, as it always had been. Their friendship had existed for years, the product of a few friend groups merging and discovering that they fit like puzzle pieces. Davey always gave up his cherry Starbursts to Pepper because they were her favorite. Pepper let Davey borrow her favorite poetry books. They spent summers at the pool together. Had napped, cried, laughed, celebrated together for what seemed like forever.

So why did wearing his clothes make her so much more flustered than anything before?

She slid the sweater on, enveloping herself in his scent- oh Christ she was dying- and did actually feel much better. Even though the dark blue didn’t exactly match her outfit.

Davey smiled at her. “When will you learn to dress for the weather?” He admonished gently.

“That’s why I keep you around.” Pepper said, rather than admitting that she was just forgetful and liked her outfit too much.

“Davey’s new occupation: Pepper’s coat rack.” Violet chimed in, handing their phone to Race to switch the song that was playing.

Davey sighed. “I’m really putting that college education to good use.”

The rest of the car ride went by relatively quickly, much to Pepper’s delight. They hopped out into the cool autumn air, cracked their cramped joints, and headed into the park. Davey thankfully left most of his supplies in the trunk of the minivan (save for the ibuprofen he’d managed to sneak into Pepper’s purse just in case), so they’d made it through security and into the place without much fuss as well.

Jack, ever the natural born leader of the bunch, snagged a map and immediately started planning their route for the day. He unfurled it in front of the group and, as Mickey curled into his side, eyed the pathways and rollercoasters thoughtfully. “So do you guys wanna start at the front and work our way back? Or the other way around?”

There was a beat of silence as everyone worked the thought over. “We should just head towards the back, I think everyone’s gotta start testing the rides first anyway.” Mickey piped up first.

Davey nodded. “Gives us more time.” He added.

They made the trek towards the back of the park, Mickey and Jack leading with the map.

Race sidled up beside Pepper and hip-checked her. “You been to these haunted houses before?” He asked, making reference to the night-time festivities. Once the sun set, the park released creepily-costumed actors to scare those who stayed, and previously blocked-off areas were transformed into small haunted houses. Truthfully, Pepper had never been to any haunted house, let alone ones set up at an amusement park.

So, she shook her head. “It’s my first haunted house, actually.” Something she’d confided in Mickey and Vi about.

Race feigned a gasp. “Well ain’t this a hell of a place to start!” He elbowed her, and she returned the gesture, their own weird little handshake.

“Are you serious?” Davey asked, his own elbow catching her shoulder, fucking ow, he’s bony.

Pepper nodded. “I was too scared when I was a kid, and then when I stopped being a baby, all that stuff with my mom happened, so I just never went.”

Davey hummed in acknowledgement, evidently eager to skip past the whole ‘my-mom-is-ill’ conversation. “Ah, well. If you need a buddy, I’m sure we’ll be left alone. Together.” He said, his head tilting to their friends, who had once again broken off into couples, leaving them to their own devices.

Shoving the impending smile down, she nodded. “I’m sure we will.”

“Well, we have a good, um,” He checked the watch on his wrist (the one with the brown leather strap that he wore with every outfit, even if Pepper told him it didn’t match, or that it was too clunky.) “Like, ten hours before we need to even think about that.”

She crumpled into a fit of giggles. “Perfect. I’m sure we’ll spend that time wisely.” She swatted his arm as he shoved his watch in front of her face.

---

They did not.

Six and a half hours later, the group stood in line at one of the concession stands, staring at the menu and nodding to the song playing in the background; some mid-2010s Kesha track that was making Vi go absolutely crazy.

Jack squinted at the chalkboard. “They don’t even have chicken tenders here?” He nudged Race. “They don’t even have chicken tenders here.”

Race nodded slowly, also squinting. Pepper wondered, briefly, if the pair needed glasses or if they were just trying to look contemplative. “Mickey’s gonna call it homophobic, you know.” He said.

“It is!” Mickey called dutifully from the table they had snagged for the gang to inevitably sit at. “I’ll take some cheese fries though!” To which Jack nodded and stepped up to the worker behind the plexiglass, beginning to list off the group’s orders.

Vi’s voice floated through Pepper’s ears. “Oh what a shame that you came here with someone,” they approached her, eyes closed and hands up by their shoulders as they got all the way into their performance. “My god, if they have candy apples at a stall somewhere, I’m gonna go buckwild.” They said suddenly, snapping out of their trance to stare at Pepper expectantly.

Before she could say anything, though, Davey stole the words from her mouth. “You are allergic to apples, V.” He chided, maybe more kindly than Pepper would have put it, but she was willing to overlook it for the sake of the way a small smile pulled at his mouth.

Violet dropped their hands. “Only a little bit.” They argued.

“A little bit allergic.” Davey repeated, and Pepper pressed her lips together firmly to fight off the grin at the exasperation in his voice.

“To apples, yes.” They nodded, and, evidently done with arguing, turned to keep Mickey company at the table.

Davey turned to Pepper, disbelief crossing his features. “Can you believe-”

“Yes.” She cut him off. “Yes I absolutely can believe it.” Pepper said, digging through her memory of the times V had pulled some similar shit; eating eleven mozzarella sticks despite their lactose intolerance, buying a Panic! At The Disco vinyl despite wanting Brendon Urie dead, and spending $40 on a Funko Pop figure of Spiderman Noir for no real reason other than some guy at a convention told them to.

Jack turned to his friends. “Okay I did the ordering, someone else has to do the collecting.” He announced, shoving the receipt with the order number on it towards Davey, who had inadvertently become Second In Command. Then, with a signature Jack Kelly Smug Smile, he stalked off to where V and Mickey were seated, Race following behind.

Great, Pepper thought, another conveniently timed moment alone with Davey. Briefly, she wondered if her friends had planned this ahead of time, and then she came to her senses and realized that yes, of course they had. Those conniving little weasels had been conspiring to get Davey to like her since senior prom.

She still remembered the way Mickey had shoved Davey at her when a slow song came on that night. Work Song by Hozier had drifted over the speakers, and V’s elbow caught her in the ribs as they growled a furious “Dance with him or I’ll fucking kill you.” and skipped off to sway with Racer. Pepper had stood on the dance floor, gaping as she watched Jack wink at Vi. Those two never got along about anything.

Davey’s hand had entered her field of vision, skin almost glowing under the light of the mirrorball. He’d smiled sheepishly, admitted that this was one of his favorite songs, and asked if she’d like to share a dance.

The strange thing was, she didn’t actually like Davey before that. At least she thought she didn’t. It wasn’t until she was cradled close to his chest, breathing in the smell of his soap and some soft, powdery cologne he frequented, that she found her heart pounding and her palms going clammy. And when he’d started humming against her hair, one hand in hers and the other around her waist, she knew she was absolutely fucked.

She’d started thinking about it and, yeah, it made sense to want to be with Davey. Handsome Davey, who sometimes made her laugh until soda came out her nose, and whose affinity for children’s cartoons made him the ideal conversation partner. Three years later, she was still in love with him.

And it was all her stupid, evil friends’ faults.

Back in the present, Davey tucked his hands in his pockets, his lips twisting as he lost himself in thought. “We’re gonna have so much shit to carry.” He murmured, exasperated at being the ones left behind.

“We sure are. At least you and Jack ordered drinks, so that’s more stuff to spill.” She twisted a long strand of hair around her finger.

Davey scoffed good-naturedly. “Yeah well you made me leave my water bottle in the car so I needed to be hydrated somehow.”

Pepper kicked at his shin with the toe of her sneaker. “And a caramel hot chocolate is the best way to stay hydrated?” She grinned up at him, watching him tuck the receipt into his back pocket and start moving for the pick-up window as the drink in question was called out.

He hummed in assent. “You bet it is.” He picked up the paper cup, taking a short sip and licking at his bottom lip. Pepper ignored the urge to run her thumb across it.

She must have been staring, because after a second, Davey held the cup out towards her. He didn’t say anything, didn’t need to. She loved chocolate and caramel, and always ran cold. He knew there was no way she’d have turned down a sip if he’d offered, so he must have decided to save his breath. She took the cup in her hands, the warmth emanating from it seeping pleasingly into her palms, and took a sip as well, subconsciously hoping to taste more than the drink. She licked her lips.

Davey watched her intently. He opened his mouth, ready to say something to her, when the order bell rang out. “Order sixty-nine!” The college girl behind the counter announced.

“Oh, fuck yes.” Race cackled from the table. V leaned into him, trying to hide their own laughter as Mickey gave him a high-five.

Pepper sighed, she should’ve known that would be their luck. The pair of them moved forward, Davey pushing in front of her to grab the tray before she could even reach for it. “I got it.” He mumbled, holding onto the plastic tray like a nervous Disney-Channel-Original-Movie teenager. “Grab the drinks, don’t worry about it.” And then he smiled up at her, a closed-lipped little smile that made her heart race as she picked up Jack’s orange soda.

Behind her, someone clicked their tongue. Pepper turned, making immediate eye contact with an older lady with greying black hair and soft folds in her skin, who gave her a knowing smile. “And they say chivalry is dead. You got yourself a sweet one, honey.” She said, then winked.

Pepper’s jaw went slack trying to think of a response. She turned back to Davey, whose eyebrows were so far up his face that they were basically in his hairline. “Oh God,” he said simply, “Um, thank you, ma’am.”

The woman laughed softly, leaned over and patted Pepper’s shoulder as if she knew something Pepper didn’t, and then disappeared into the line to order food.

There was a long, silent moment, where Pepper was racking her brain, searching every corner for something to say that would shift the air, move the mood from awkward to playful with a joke of some sort. She looked at him again, and he was staring at her, unblinking. There was a funny look on his face- regret maybe- his eyebrows low and his eyes a little soft. She wondered, distantly, if he was realizing that she was in love with him; if it was a look of pity-

“Hurry up with my goddamn cheese fries!” Mickey yelled, their hunger obviously taking control over their inhibition.

Without a second thought, Pepper turned on her heel and walked to where their friends were, leaving Davey and the unnerving encounter behind.

#pls drop a like/rb if you read! i'm really proud of this one!#davey #olive talks #my fic #the amusement park

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