#anyway freak rights. lets just keep on getting weirder everyone <3

[humanimalgam]

this slut has a body now

[differentkettleoffishalltogether]

I’m On Fire [Chapter 2]

With her sister’s wedding fast approaching and her Mom hounding her about finding a date, Y/N makes a terrible decision that lands her and her least favorite genius in a confusing situation.

Chapter Summary: Y/N and Spencer start to put a plan together.

A/N:  I’ve got a head cold at the mo’ but I had to get a covid test just in case so I’m not allowed leave my room till I get the results! So enjoy a bonus chapter while I wallow on my own for like 36 hours :( On a positive note, thank you guys all so much for the response to chapter 1 I really didn’t see that coming! I’ve tagged everyone who asked, let me know if you wanna be added

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Fem Reader

Category: Fake Dating, Enemies to Lovers, (Eventual) Smut, Fluff, Angst, it’s a Slow Burn Baby

Warnings: Cursing, some NSFW language/themes

Word Count: 6.1k

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"Are you coming up or what?"

The question was still ringing in my ears. It caught me completely off guard. 'Up' as in up to Spencer's apartment? Where he lived? I knew he lived somewhere in theory, just like I knew deep down that he wasn't made in a test tube. 

Without noticing I've undone my seatbelt and I'm hopping out of the car, following him around to the front door. I guess I am coming up.

Spencer's apartment is more cosy than I thought it was going to be. It's warm and lived in. It's not big, but I think that might be what makes it homely. Something about the way he behaves had me thinking it would be fully decked out in stainless steel or glass or something. But it wasn't pristine, it was messy. 

There were books bursting from the shelves that lined the walls of the apartment, along with books laid open over nearly every surface in the place, it looked like he was in the middle of reading all of them, and honestly, I didn't doubt it. Maybe I'd misjudged him. He even had some photos of what looked like his family, and maybe friends, even some of the BAU, lining his walls or propped up on his mantle. He had little trinkets and souvenirs on his shelves too, evidence that he'd been around the country for reasons other than a case. I would never admit it to him but there was a real charm to the place.

Once we got inside he took off his bag and suit jacket, tossing them on the desk just inside of the door. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do, and he seemed to pick up on my awkward energy.

"You can make yourself at home" he said, his confident streak remaining. I had no idea what to do with that. What would even make me comfortable in Spencer Reid's apartment? I took a seat on his sofa and just sat with my hands resting in my lap. Really not even sure where I should look without feeling like I was invading his privacy. Even though I wanted to. I think it was morbid curiosity, looking for clues on who this man might actually be outside of the BAU. What I really wanted to do was stand up and walk around, soaking in every bit if this place as if it would help me decipher our messy relationship.

He returned to the living room a few moments later, two mismatched mugs in his hands. He places one in front of me on the coffee table. I pick it up and take a sip. It's lemon and ginger, how did he know what kind of tea I liked? I held the mug in my hands inhaling the steam in an effort to relax. When I look up he's watching me, arms folded across his chest.

"So, how does this thing work. What's the game plan?" I honestly have no real idea. This evening really got away from me, I was still expecting to snap out of it and wake up in my bed at any moment.

"Well I can't say I've ever been in a Sandra Bullock movie before either so this is uncharted territory for me too" I say with a chuckle, trying to ease the tension. Even a little. I can see him crack a small smile but hides it almost instantly, his face hardening again.

"My sister, Margot, she's getting married in like 4 months." I can feel myself tense and I shake out my shoulders, I have to remind myself that he's agreed to this already, "Fuck it, I'm just going to be honest with you. My Mom's mostly freaked out that I'm too attached to this job and that I'll just never find someone again." I shouldn't have said again, fuck. I hope he didn't pick up on that. Who am I kidding. "Even though, I'm not sure I care if I do or don't?" he doesn't say anything, like he's waiting for me to continue. I know I've shared a little too much already but I keep going.

"Margot's 2 years younger than me, I introduced her to her fiancé Philip, we met in college, he's a sweetheart. But since they've gotten engaged Mom's gotten exponentially weirder. I think she's convinced I'm fully going to die alone, as if that would be the worst thing that could ever happen? Anyway, she's been trying to auction me off to all these guys, using this wedding as an excuse. I'm not sure how much of that phone call you actually heard earlier but Mom was trying to sell me on this guy, David, and I just… snapped." I look up at Spencer and he unfolds his arms, leaning in ever so slightly coaxing the story out of me.

"David, he uh, he worked for my father for a while back in high school, filing documents and stuff, busy work mostly. He used to make out with me when he was at our house after school, but then he'd ignore me in the halls the next morning. I know it's because I was a pariah back then or something but I didn't want to think about it today and I just got worked up. I shouldn't have let on that you were my date, I was just going to ask if I could bring Garcia or something, and I'm sorry." I cover my face in my hands, "I'm insane, you can back out if you want to."

I can hear him move from his spot on the opposite side of the sofa, he takes my wrists and gently pulls my hands from my face. He looks into my eyes, "I'm in this now Y/N, what do you need me to do?" he asks, and there's a genuine earnest in his voice that I think I've only ever heard a handful of times. And it's never been directed at me.

"Okay, well we've got a few months before you ha–, wait, fuck!" I throw my head back, there's already a complication, "shit" I curse under my breath. His eyebrows knit together, sitting upright.

"What's the matter?" he asks.

"I forgot about my Mom's 50th, it's next month. They've got this whole huge party planned back home in upstate New York. I've gotta go and they'll probably want to meet you, or they're gonna have a load of questions for me at least. I can try and get you out of it I'm sure"

He gets that cocky look again, he shakes his head "I don't know, I've always liked a bit of competition" he reclines back into his corner of the sofa, taking a satisfied sip from his own mug before speaking again. "You know, if I've got to learn enough to pass as your boyfriend in a month, surely that means you've got to learn enough to pass as my girlfriend within the month, no?"

Oh god. What have I done, why didn't I think this far ahead. "I mean, yeah I guess you're right." I had to remember he was doing me a favor. I had to get over myself. "Okay, if you're sure you're up for that?" I ask, and he nods, and I think he looks excited, or maybe he just finds the whole situation funny.

"If anyone's up for the competition it's you" he says, and I'm not sure if that's a compliment or a dig but I nod in agreement.

He takes another sip of his tea, collected and relaxed. I can't help but notice how at ease he is when he's in his own surroundings. I'm so used to seeing him sitting at a desk surrounded by paperwork, or combing through file after file in the make-shift office in a small-town police station, usually flustered or anxious, or antagonizing me whenever he wasn’t. This was a different Spencer. Completely in control, at ease.

"Alright, shall we get started then, we can't really afford to waste any time can we?" he was actually sort of right, so I nodded. It was only now occurring to me that I'd have to share parts of my personal life with him if I wanted this plan to work. We already knew the basics about each other, I'd read his file when I started at the BAU, I'd read everyones. And I feel like it was safe to presume he'd done the same.

His eyes bore directly into mine as he leaned forward, I think he was enjoying how uncomfortable I must've looked.

"How about I ask you some rapid-fire questions and you have to answer 'em?" he asks, and it's as good of a plan as any, and I can't think of any other suggestions, so I nod.

"Okay, shoot." I say, unsure and nervous, so I brace myself. I'm just grateful that he's making my life easier rather than harder for what feels like the first time since I met him.

I really should've known better.

He leans in, "So Y/N, first question, when did you lose your virginity?"

I almost choke on the mouthful of tea I just took, that can't be what he just asked, and he looks like he's savoring my shocked expression.

"I uh, I don't think you need to know that?" is all I can get out.

"Really? You think that's something your boyfriend wouldn't know about you?" he's right, but I didn't want to admit it outright.

"I feel like I sort of already hinted. It was that same guy David, I was 18, he was 19. We had sex on the couch while my parents went out one evening. I kept my bra on the whole time, he came, I didn't. It was all very standard stuff." I wasn't sure what compelled me to add that last part. I think I was giving in to the open honestly thing. "So what about you Doc?" I challenged.

He didn't seem embarrassed, or even shy. "I must've bloomed little later than you" he admits with a soft chuckle, "Vivian Stewart, I was 21, she was too. It was the last semester of my last PhD and I figured I must be missing out on something. And I sure was" he smirks to himself. "I came, she did too, 3 times. I did a lot of research ahead of time" he mirrored my story and I rolled my eyes. It was hard not to feel a little impressed but I tried with everything I had to stifle it so he couldn't tell. I wish it didn't make me feel something but it did. I gulp down the mouthful of tea that's been sitting in my throat.

I have to shake myself back to reality. I can't give him the satisfaction of throwing me. "My turn." I command, "When was your last relationship Dr. Reid?" I ask, "I mean like, serious one, not like hook-up" I clarify before he can ask. He thinks on it for a moment.

"I'm not sure what you classify as fully serious, but I guess it was this girl, Rebecca, we dated for a while when I first joined the BAU but it didn't work out. What about you?" he flips it back.

"So that was what, like 6-ish years ago?" I ask, he just nods.

"Mine was like 3 years ago now I think. I met this guy Nathan on my first week of college, we dated for like 4 years. He moved here for me when I got accepted by the BAU." I had to stop myself from delving into the detail. It was a long time ago now but it still hurt. "Long story short, the hours were demanding and they got in the way more than I would've liked. We ended up splitting a couple months after I got the job." I tried to play it off like it wasn't one of the more devastating things to happen in my life. But something told me he’d registered that, so he didn't push.

His energy picks up and he looks at me with a grin, but there's something a little sinister behind it. "I've got a more fun question for you." he leans in closer to me, "Y/N, when was the last time you got laid?" I just looked at him in shock. 

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me, I can go first if you really need me to?" his voice didn't waver,

"Fuck you Reid, I know when it was!" I snapped back at him. I did have to think back a little farther than I'd like to pull up the memory.

"Met this guy in a bar when I was out with Pen one night, we went back to his place and hooked up." I say as deadpan as I can make it.

"Well that's not very exciting is it?" he jokes, "Did you at least cum that time?" I know he's just trying to rile me up, but I answer anyway.

"As a matter of fact I did" I earn back a little of my confidence.

"I'm so happy for you, but you did manage to avoid my initial question" fuck "when was this exciting night of yours Y/N?" he probes, like I really, really wished he wouldn't. I could lie, but I'm sure he'd be able to tell. I cringe before I can say it.

"About 8 months ago" I mutter, just low enough for him to hear.

"Sorry, did you just say 8 months ago?" He nearly shouts in disbelief, he seems to find it funny.

"Hey fuck you Spencer!" I go on the defensive, "When was the last time you even got laid?"

"Like two and half weeks ago" he says, confident, and still laughing, "Wait wait, when was the last time you got yourself off? I know you're not waiting 8 months!" he giggles and I think I could kill him. I know I kept giving him outs but was it too late for me to just get up and leave?

"I'm not doing this with you if you're just gonna make fun of me Reid, I get enough of that at work" I get out, my voice is serious but I'm trying to hide how awkward all of this is making me feel, and I don't know that I'm doing a very good job.

I can tell that's gotten to him, he relaxes and eases up on the giggling. "Look okay wait Y/N. I'll stop, I'm not actually trying to make fun of you. I was being serious, I think stuff like this is important if we're gonna have to be comfortable around each other enough to seem like a real couple. Plus, it'll just help break the ice?" he shrugs. "But you don't have to answer if you don't want to."

I soften, because I agree, even thought I hate that he's right. "Fine" I collect my thoughts, "2 nights ago I'm pretty sure." I regret it almost instantly, but breaking the ice is supposed to feel awkward.

"Same here actually," he chuckles, "what'd you do?" I'm so startled by the question I almost forget how to answer.

"I, uh, my, my vibrator? I just felt like uh, I watched some..." I still can't force out a whole sentence. It's not like I was always awkward about sex or anything, I could talk to Garcia, or honestly probably any of the other team members about it. But with Spencer it didn't feel as comfortable. He still sat calmly, smiling just a little.

"Same here, 2 nights back, but with my hands I guess. I wonder if we were doing it at the same time?" he mutters the last part gently and my head goes a bit fuzzy. My eyes drift away from his face and settle on his hands, the mug he's holding looks so tiny with his fingers wrapped around it, I wondered how they'd look wrapped around my-

"Okay I think that's enough for one night, don't you think?" I jump up off the sofa and turn, mostly so that he doesn't catch the blush thats creeping from my neck up to my cheeks. And because I don't know what I'll say, or regret saying, if this conversations continues on its current trajectory.

"Sure," he says, standing up next to me, and I want to move further away instantly, "you're probably right, and it's getting a little late now anyway" he glances at his watch. Ushering me back towards his front door and opening it up. Before I can walk out he lightly touches my shoulder to turn me back to face him, and I wonder if he can feel the heat radiating from every part of me.

"So are you free next Friday after work?" he asks, and I'm so flustered I almost forget why, I just nod. "Perfect, how about we come here again and we can dive into preparing? You could also make a start on getting these onto a hard drive?" he gestures to the antique looking hardbacks adorning the shelves.

'Sounds great!" I perk up, feigning enthusiasm, "See you then!"

"Well, see you Monday morning actually Y/N" he smirks as I walk out the door. Fuck, he was right.

I really hadn't thought this through.

——

The weekend was a bit of a blur. I decided to try and put some useful information into a document for Spencer. It felt strange to try and condense my life into as few pages as possible. I knew Reid had an eidetic memory, and nothing would necessarily overwhelm him. But I also knew that he was someone that the team relied on to fill in a lot of the gaps in the rest of the our knowledge. So I felt bad about dumping a load of information on him, especially considering it was a favor he was doing for me.

I'd complied the majority of my life into a 15 page document and printed it out. Hopefully that would address most of what my family could guerrilla attack him with. There was also something unsettling about the imbalance. I was going to give him so many of the intricate details of my life in a little file, whereas all I really knew about Spencer was what I'd taken it upon myself to learn about him throughout the past few years.

I'd read all of his work while I was in college, given how he was the gold standard of getting into the BAU at a young age, I wanted to know who this guy was. I think I'd pictured something different. And I couldn't deny there was something enticing about finally getting to know him after all of these years of working together. Maybe this could actually be fun, or interesting at least.

----

I arrived early on Monday morning. I thought I was first into the office as usual but Garcia was sitting in my desk chair waiting for me. The second she saw me walk in she tensed, she must've known we were the only people in this early.

"What happened! You've been avoiding me all weekend?" she asked, and she was right. I'd drafted enough texts to her, trying to explain what the plan was, mostly without wanting to admit that she was right. Maybe I was stubborn.

"Alright okay, I drove Reid home." I admitted, dropping my bag by my desk. She rolls her eyes at me, dramatic as always.

"Well I knew that already Y/N damn! What happened next?"

"Fine, we went into his apartment and talked for a while. Trying to sort out the details, get a handle on things I guess?" I said, unsure of how much I should actually give away about our conversation.

"What things!?" She shouts, standing up from my desk,

"I don't know Pen, like logistics and stuff, I still haven't decided how I feel about that little stunt you pulled on Friday night!" I let my frustration get the better of me, and maybe that's why I haven't talked to her. It could also be because I know she's able to read me like a book and I'm not even sure how I feel about this whole situation.

"I call bullshit." She counters, "I know you were relived as hell when I sorted that whole thing out. You would've had anxiety tummy all weekend if I hadn't called Spencer!" I just go silent, she was right. I'd gotten so caught up in the whole, 'how to have a fake boyfriend' that I'd almost forgotten about how stressed I was about Spencer hearing my call in the first place.

"Okay, shit" I sigh. "Maybe you were right Pen. We're actually meeting up again this Friday after work to make a plan for the next while, so I guess that's progress?" I shrug, trying to play it off like this whole situation doesn't make my stomach flip.

"Ohhhhh! So like a date?" She probes, her enthusiasm rising drastically.

"Oh my God Pen no! Like an appointment at best" I diffuse the situation

"Ugh that's no fun" she says, not even trying to disguise her disappointment.

As if on cue Dr. Reid walks through the double doors into the bullpen. Both Garcia and I wave, overall awkwardly, but making an attempt pretend like things were completely normal and like nothing had changed since the last time we were all in the office together.

Penelope heads to her office as the bullpen starts to fill up quickly. Less than an hour later though Garcia's back at my desk and there's a new case that needs the teams attention in Boston. I follow her into the conference room and wait for the rest of the team to join. Spencer follows a moment later with 2 cups of coffee in his hands. I can see my mug in his hand and my automatic response is that he's messing with me. But he places my mug in front of me in the circular table before taking the seat next to me, listening to Garcia's briefing. I don't know if he's ever sat next to me in this conference room, at least not by choice.

I barely had any time to finish my coffee before I have to say goodbye to Garcia and hop on the jet to Boston.

----

The case was grueling. More so than usual. It was wrapped up late on Thursday night and the team decided to fly back home first thing on Friday morning. I was exhausted. Even if there was enough time to get sleep each night it wasn't like I got any. Whenever a case got on top of me like this it made it hard to rest, or get it off my mind at all until it was wrapped up. So even though it was over, that didn't mean I wasn't exhausted.

Hotch gave the team the rest of the day off, given that we have until submit our paperwork by Monday. I wasn't sure if Spencer's invitation from the following week still stood. I didn't want to ask, partly because I was so tired, but also because I was scared. I wasn't about to show up at his house in an effort to have a heart to heart, or hand him a condensed version of my life story on a manilla envelope if he was as drained as I was.

Standing by my desk I packed up everything I'd need to get my paperwork done over the weekend, I was just about finished when Spencer snuck up behind me, perching himself on the edge of my desk. "So, you almost ready to go?" he asks, like it's the most obvious question in the world. I couldn't really hide my surprise.

"Oh yeah. That's fine, I mean, if you're still cool with that?" I ask, and I hate how flustered I sound, like he makes me nervous.

"Of course, why wouldn't I be?" He chuckles, standing up straight.

"Cool, gimme a sec and I'll be good to go."

I pack up the rest of my stuff quickly and we make our way out. There's something that feels a little eerie about the two of us being in an elevator together alone again. It was a different kind of awkward to how it felt a week before hand. It almost felt like a kind of tension rather than a hatred or a rivalry. Either way we rode down in silence.

Once we got to the basement Spencer walks out of the elevator and walks straight to my car without having to ask. I unlock it and he hops into the passenger seat. Like this is a natural interaction. Something we do all the time. And I don't hate it as much as I thought I would.

"So," he says, buckling up his seat belt and breaking the silence, "do you know how to get to my place from here or do you need directions again?"

"Well I've got to turn on the engine first" I tease, hoping he picks up on the reference to our last car ride, he chuckles like he does.

"Are you hungry?" he asks

"Starving."

The delivery guy get's to Spencer's apartment at almost the same time we do.

---

Once the food's been demolished the two of us finally sit on his sofa, the same sides as the week before. "So, shall we get back into this?" He asks, sitting forward slightly to pull a notebook out of his satchel on the floor. It's small and lavender, and it's got a pen clipped into the spine. He cracks it open and flips to a specific page.

"Sorry, what's that?" I ask, pointing to the book, he looks confused,

"They're my notes?" he says, like it should be obvious

"Your notes?" I ask,

"My notes on you." he smirks, again like I'm silly for even asking.

He had notes on me? He had a whole notebook on me? What was even in that thing?

"You've got notes on me?" I ask, my hands reaching out to grab it, but he retreats faster than I can catch him. "What have you got in there that's so serious?"

"Nothing." and his tone's a bit too stern and I don't really want to push it when he's being so uncharacteristically nice to me.

"I've actually got this ready for you" I pull the file out of my own bag and toss it to him. "I'm not sure exactly what you need to know but that should be the majority of it at least."

He opens it up and glances over the the pages. It takes him all of 2 minutes to get through the whole thing. It feels unsettling that he's taking in a boiled down version of my life while I'm just sitting on the opposite side of the sofa. Trying to avoid the attention I pipe up.

"Um, hey, maybe it would be a good time for you to show me where to make a start digitizing your books over here?" I stand up and make my way to the shelf. He jumps up off the sofa and walks toward me, visibly excited.

"That's actually a great idea, I thought that the theses from my degrees could be a good place to start, since I'm pretty sure they're not backed up anywhere." he guides me to a section of the book case by the window. There's a series of leather bound hardbacks, the same gold font embossed on the spines. I recognize all of them, pulling out the first one.

"This is my favorite" I say without thinking about it and he does a double take, clearly thrown.

"You've, uh, you read my work?" he asks, completely puzzled. I'm sort of proud that I've managed to make him this awkward, and I nod.

"Mmhm, back before I joined the BAU actually. Before I really knew you" I regret saying the last part, it comes out a little meaner than I really wanted it to so I back track. "Spencer, I read all of your work while I was in college, you were like the gold standard. I don't think I slept more than 2 hours a night throughout my PHD because I was just trying to get as much done as you." and his face softens at the admission. But it takes him a moment before he responds. Leaving the two of us in silence a little too long.

"I had no idea" is all he says.

"I think this one was best" I say propping up the one in my hand, "you get a bit cockier as you move on” His eyebrows shoot up in surprise, "but I'll start with all of these I guess" I grab the matching books and stack them in my arms. Walking over to his desk and setting up. Glancing at the clock it was only 7pm so I decided to just make a start.

Spencer didn't contest. Letting me just get settled at his desk, I pull out my laptop and begin work on transcribing the first volume. After a few minutes he silently places a cup of tea down beside me and goes to sit on the sofa. The time rolls in quickly after that, each time I look up at Spencer he's carefully combing through the file I'd given him. Re-reading it and making little markings in his lavender notebook. I'm not really sure what I put in there that was worth making a note on but clearly he was reading between the lines on some things. That little notebook was like a profile of me.

When he seemed like he'd finished writing he pulls out his phone, scrolling through it aimlessly like I'd never seen him do before. It made him look so normal. His eyebrows knit together as he's looking at something on his screen and he stands up. Making his way over to me at the desk and shows me what he was looking at.

"Who's this?" he asks, "This guy you're with?"

I recognize the photo instantly. It's from a few years earlier, Nathan and I on the beach, my head resting on his chest. He'd taken it while we were on vacation celebrating our anniversary. That was about a month before I got into the BAU, I had no idea that was going to be our last anniversary. I gulp down the emotions that it stirs. I'm mostly over the whole thing by now, but looking at old photos like that, photos of happier times, it can still sting.

"That's uh, the boyfriend I was telling you about last week. Nathan, we broke up not long after I joined the BAU?" he nods, but he's smart, and I kind of figure he already knew that.

"Ah alright" he takes out the hardback and jots another note down. Maybe he's trying to get a read on me.

"What are you doing?" I gesture to the phone,

"It's research, do you not think that if you and I were really dating that stalking your social media profiles would be on my agenda?" he's smug, and he's right. But I guess I just didn't expect it from him.

"Well that's not really fair now is it? I can't reciprocate, you've got no social media presence whatsoever!" he finds that funny, letting out a deep chuckle and tucking his phone away in his back pocket.

"Maybe so, but that imbalance is hardly my fault. Besides, you've read all my dissertations apparently..."

"Bastard" I joke, slamming my laptop shut and throwing a pen from his desk at him so that it lightly bounces off the top of his head.

"Hey, there's no need for violence Y/N!" he rubs the spot beneath his curls, "Maybe it's time you took a break actually?" he says, sitting himself back down on the sofa.

I was reluctant to admit it but he was right. My eyes were starting to go a little fuzzy after looking at the screen for so long. I stand up and stretch my arms out above my head, feeling my spine stretch out after sitting for so long, letting out a low groan. Spencer waves me over to the sofa and I join him.

"How about we go back to basics?" Spencer asks with a small grin, and I can't help but let out a long sigh.

"I thought I was taking a break, no more questions" he just laughs at me,

"Relax, you're not that interesting, it's just a simple question." he states, and I'm not sure if I'm supposed to find it funny or offensive

"Ugh, fine, shoot"

"Well, actually it's two questions" he corrects, "what's your favorite movie, and what's your favorite snack?"

I'm confused mostly by the fact that it actually is a simple question, I was expecting something a lot more contentious, but also because he looks eager to know the answer.

"I'm not really sure what my favorite movie is to be honest, one of them is Night of the Living Dead?"

He nods to himself, and jots it down in the notebook again, "Alright, I can make that work" he stands up off the sofa before turning back to me, "and snack?"

"Peanut butter cups I guess?" I respond and he grins ear to ear, which is a completely new sight, and I like it way more than I thought I would.

"Perfect, gimme 2 minutes!" he leaves the living room and wanders towards the kitchen.

Spencer returns a few minutes later with a DVD, a packet of peanut butter cups , and a thick knitted blanket gathered in his arms. He drapes the blanket over me and gently places the peanut butter cups on top of it before popping the DVD into the player and sitting down beside me. I'm not really sure how to process any of the situation. Am I about to watch a movie on Spencer Reid's sofa? Sitting next to Spencer Reid?

"I... I, uh, thought you were just asking for your notes?" I ask, pointing at the notebook resting in his lap. He picks it up and throws it onto the coffee table.

"Sometimes I find experience is the best teacher, don't you?" he asks before pressing play, “And besides, it should keep you quiet for a whole 96 minutes” of course.

I can only nod in agreement, I'm not really sure what I'll say if I try to speak. I get myself cosy under the warm blanket and we watch the movie in near silence.

Once the credits roll Spencer finally speaks up, "I actually went to see a screening of this last month downtown, there was this little old horror movie fest-" I cut him off without really realizing, I'm just strangely excited that we've genuinely got something in common.

"Holy shit, I was there!" I say, more enthusiastic than the situation calls for.

He laughs at my excitement, "Well, I guess we have more overlap than I thought, that should probably help with the whole charade." he stretches his arms up over his head and let's out a small, gentle yawn. I'd been enjoying myself more than I thought I would, or would ever tell Spencer, that I'd almost forgotten that we'd both been on a case for almost every waking moment of the past week. I really should feel a lot more drained than I do.

I was just after midnight when I suggested that I head back home. I offered to take some of the books home to work on throughout the weekend but Spencer insisted that I just work on them whenever I came over again. I sort of felt like I should thank him for the evening when I was on my way out the door, or give him a quick hug, no that felt wrong. In the end all I could really muster was a lousy, "goodnight" and a meek wave on my way out the door before I drove home. And couldn't get to sleep.

— —

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[aestheticfangirl]

WE WILL MEET AGAIN ♡

{ Wonwooxreader }

~fluff , angst , best friends , hidden feelings

Word count : 3k

Trope : best friend au

[Y/N POV]

“Yah Mingyu yahhhhhhh, stop doing that or else I would kick your ass I swear”, I shouted from the top of my lungs.

“You can stop me if you can but I know you can’t”, Mingyu replied and then started running.

I was running behind him, breathless. I stopped and stood when Wonwoo came and handed me a bottle of water.

“You both should stop running and rest or else you guys will get tired and then I will be the one to suffer to drag you both to your respective houses”, he spoke and took me by my arm and made me sit. “Yah Kim Mingyu, you too come and sit”, he shouted at him. 

And then Mingyu returned. It was our daily habit since high school that I would mess up and he will help me. Wonwoo and I were best friends since 8th grade and then Wonwoo met Mingyu in college and they were best friends. He introduced me to Mingyu and now we three are best friends. Mingyu and I always create problems and Wonwoo always helps us. He is always an angel.

We three then sat down in silence for a few minutes and then left for our houses. Wonwoo came to drop me off and then he too left. I feel blessed always to have him.  When I had my first break up he was there by my side. Whenever I face any problems he comes to me to help. He never expresses everything openly but he does care about me the most and also he protects me. I just wish we won’t part ever.

[A few days later]

I don’t know why it aches so much. I had dated some people before too but this time it hurts so much. I can’t understand why he used me and left. I was crying since like three hours. I was dating this guy since 6 months but I found out today that he was cheating on me. I never said about him to Wonwoo and Mingyu because he said to me to keep this a secret. I don’t know whom to call. It feels so bad right now.

My phone lightened up and I saw Wonwoo was calling. I gasped if he will see me crying like this then he will freak out seriously. I wiped up my tears and drank water and then I picked up my phone.

“Hello”, I said managing my tone.

“Why is your voice so heavy?” he enquired. I don’t think I can hide it from him.

I explained him everything that happened. How I fell for the wrong guy and how that guy used me and now he threw me away. When I completed telling him everything I could understand from his voice how angry he was yet he maintained his calm and talked to me. That night we talked up to 3 in the morning until I fell asleep.

The next day when we met he didn’t ask me anything rather all he did was made me laugh the entire time and my heart felt a lot better. Till a few days all we did was some stupid and random things and met our other friends and hung out.

[A week later]

“How much long shall we wait?”, Mingyu asked irritated.

We have been waiting for Wonwoo for the past one hour because he called us here saying there is something important he wanted to tell us.

And finally Wonwoo came with a girl. Me and Mingyu exchanged glances confused.

Wonwoo came and spoke “hey guys, I am sorry the traffic was horrible”.

“hie and it’s fine but why did you call us here”, I said looking at the him and then the girl. I have to admit she is pretty.

“And Wonwoo who is she?” Mingyu asked.

And then pulled her closer holding her from her waist. Then he continued, “oh yeah about her only I called you guys here”, he said “actually she is my girlfriend, jihyo”.

Jihyo spoke up finally, “hi , I heard a lot about you guys” and then she shook my hands.

“ What girlfriend ?” Mingyu literally shouted in my ears. “Gyu I heard that no need to scream”, I spoke and everyone laughed.

“Umm it’s been a month since we started talking and a week since we are going out”, Wonwoo replied and then looked at me and said, “so many things were happening with y/n so I decided to postpone this announcement”. He smiled.

“I am so happy for you guys”, I replied and smiled. But something felt weird which was difficult to understand for myself too. I didn’t say anything. We all then went to eat ice cream as Mingyu had lots of questions. All the time I was watching Wonwoo and realized he never was this happy like he is now. I guess it’s good he found someone. 

[ Time skip ] 

A few weeks have gone by and a lot of things have changed. After Wonwoo getting in that relationship he is spending less time with us. It is kind of weird. And I feel a bit sad because of this fact. I really miss him but I can’t even say him this or it might sound weird.

Finally today Wonwoo was free and decided to spend time with me and I had to buy some books so we decided to go to book shopping together. When I reached my building’s gate he was standing there. He was wearing a simple black t –shirt and blue jeans. I never realized Wonwoo is this good looking. I always felt Mingyu is handsome but never thought of Wonwoo that way. I blushed, what’s wrong with me. I rushed to him.

“Hi , you could have called me if you reached here early I was ready already”, I said.

“It’s okay I was lost in thoughts anyway, let’s go now”, he replied.

We reached the bookstore and I picked up some of the books I wanted to read and then we decided to have lunch together. It was a long while since we spent some time together. But I don’t know this time it feels weird. I feel lighter and I blush a lot. I never found him this attractive. I shook my stupid thoughts away. He was my best friend and also he has a girlfriend. Jihyo is indeed lucky to have him.

“Umm Wonwoo , how is Jihyo ?” I asked, not that I was curious I just wanted to know.

“ I don’t know , maybe okay”, he replied and continued eating.

I was confused by his statement, I replied, “what, why don’t you know? She is your girlfriend.”  

“No more. We broke up”, he spoke calming and still focusing in his food.

Is he a robot or what who says about their break up like this? “WHAT? AND WHY HAVEN’T YOU SAID THIS EARLIER AND WHEN?”, I spoke mouth full of food.

“It’s been a while and first eat your food, you will get choked”, he looked at me and said with a straight face.

I don’t know why I was happy inside I know I shouldn’t be happy but something felt good inside. I hate these confusing emotions. I didn’t ask anything until I finished my food.

When we left the restaurant I asked, “why did you break up?”

“There was something”, he said and then pulled me to the side and we went to the edge. He always does this. I smiled looking at the ground.

“What was that something Wonwoo?” I said and stopped and looked at him. He too stopped and then sighed, “I have feelings for someone else which I realized after going with her”, and then he continued walking.

“Who”, I asked softly. I wanted to know who is this girl whom he loves this much.

 “ I can’t tell you , something should always remain hidden”, he said and we reached my room.

I didn’t ask anything further I knew when the time comes he always confronts everything.

[A few days later]

Wonwoo has been acting pretty weird since some days. It seems like he is avoiding me. He lies to us saying he has other work but again he hangs out with his other friends. His behaviors are also pretty weird. I asked Mingyu but he said there’s nothing he is normal with him and I am overthinking but I am pretty sure it’s not normal. He calls me even less now and leaves me on read pretty often. These things are getting the best of me now and it’s super confusing and I am hell lot scared to confront him too. But to be honest I have been feeling weirder too about him. I am maybe attracted to him and I know I shouldn’t be.

I saw him today but he smiled and left when I reached there. And now it’s quite hurting especially with these feelings. I always kept myself in check and also my feelings. When everyone teased us and said us we should date I always laughed it out but why can’t I do it anymore. I hate these feelings.

[ time skip]

Finally came the time of our graduation which is only a month left but I have to decide now whether I have to stay here or leave for further studies and I am pretty confused. I have never left my family and especially Wonwoo, but again I don’t want to suffer with these one sided feelings these hurt a lot more.

Right now we are in a better place he is pretty normal but I am kind of avoiding him and staying in home mostly. I can’t face him I can’t hide my feelings that too from him. 

Wonwoo called me to meet him and after ignoring him like for many days I decided to meet him. I went to our regular café where we usually hang out. When I reached he was already there sitting and playing games and looking perfect as ever and this thought made my heart jump a little.

“ Hi” , I said as I sat down in front of him.

“ Hi , it’s been a long time y/n”, he said putting his phone down.

“umm yeah it’s been a long time”, I looked down  thinking of excuses and then I continued, “ I was pretty busy cause of these final exams and all”.

“ I understand and how are you?”, he asked.

“ I am okay and you”, I replied. I never struggle this much to talk to him. Why is this getting difficult?

“ Yeah I am fine just a few things are stressing me”, he said and smiled.

“ what , you want to talk ?” I asked worried.

“ no it’s fine it will be okay , by the way are you dating anyone ?”, he asked and it caught me off-guard.

My pupils dilated and I coughed , “ no I am not dating anyone”, I managed.

“ Oh , okay. Then do you like someone”, he asked again and looked at me in genuine confusion.

I didn’t want to lie to him and if I say yes then he will ask me who and then I will get rejected and things will get awkward so I replied instead, “I don’t have time I am so busy for the future to think about these and also I don’t want to date anyone right now I had enough of dating experiences”.

“ OH I see”, he replied and then focused on his drink. I decide to ask him too who he is in love with. I know I might never replace that girl but I might help with her although it will kill me from inside. 

I spoke up, “anyways Wonwoo, you said you liked someone last time we met, and so are you still into her?”

“ Yes I am still in love with her”, he said without hesitating, it means he is pretty serious about her and I don’t have any chance.

“Oh okay , who is she ? Do I know her ?” I asked.

“ umm no you don’t know her and why are you asking ?” he questioned back.

“ I thought I might help with her it seems like you are pretty serious for her”, I replied.

“ Oh no need it’s fine don’t worry”, he said.

“ cool , if you ever want I will help you , even if you want to move on I will help you find blind dates okay”, I said with a smile and crying from inside.

“Thank you”, he smiled. 

I understood I don’t have a single chance with him. We sat there and talked for a few time and then finally decided to leave. As usual he came with me and dropped me off at my room and we said our goodbyes. After I went to my room I decided to leave this place. And I didn’t even realize when I started crying.

[ time skip]

Okay so as I decided I will leave and luckily I got a scholarship in a different city and it was actually a good place. I know I would hurt for a few time in the starting but then gradually I will move on. I was not that brave to deliver this news to my friends face to face so I decided I will lie to them and after I will reach there then only I will tell them. I don’t want to change my mind now.

The day came when I had to leave I still didn’t tell Wonwoo and Mingyu about this. My mom and dad came to see me off. My dad was super proud and my mom was crying. I consoled her and then went. I had already typed the texts I was about to send them once my flight takes off.

I completed all the security procedures and then as I took my seat I opened my phone and then I copied the entire texts and pasted it and hit that sent button. I am going to throw this sim card anyways so it didn’t matter what the guys would think.  I haven’t cried at all when I was with my parents but suddenly my tears started flowing down. I wanted to stop crying but for some reasons it didn’t stop and it made me angrier. I was thinking of all our past memories and all those moments I spent with them especially with Wonwoo. Thinking of him my heart ached more. I don’t know how to stay away from him but I had to do this. It would have hurt me more to see him with someone. His future always has that someone who isn’t me. I wiped my tears when my flight finally took off.

To Mingyu :

Hey Gyu!! I know after seeing this text you might freak out but I am sorry. I am leaving actually the time by which you have seen this text I might have left already. Anyways I just wanted to say thank you to you for all those memories we shared and for always being that goofy and protective friend and for always lending me an ear when I needed. And also for handing me tissues when I cried. To be honest I didn’t wanted to leave but my heart just couldn’t take it anymore. I wanted to confess you something that I like Wonwoo and it’s been a while actually, I never said this to you or else you would have forced me to confess him which I couldn’t.  So don’t think much and stay the way you are and please look out for Wonwoo and yeah I will be deleting this number but don’t worry I won’t lose your contact. But you should never say Wonwoo when I will text you please I want to disappear from his life so that he can concentrate on his life without worrying about me and at the mean time I can heal. Take care <33

To Wonwoo:

Hie!!

I know whatever I am going to say now might sound weird so sorry from now only. I like you, I know it’s weird so don’t freak out. I remember we used to laugh at others who did this but yeah I fell for you and who won’t. You are that perfect guy out there. Whenever I dated someone it never worked out because no one treated me like you do. And for that thank you. And also I am grateful that you were always there by my side even though everyone left. You did everything for me and you were there in my vulnerable state but you know what, all I ever did was burden you with my stupid and messed up life. I always created the mess and you helped me out. I never thought I would end up falling for you I know I am super stupid, you might me wondering now why I never confronted to you about this it’s because I don’t want to lose you but look at the irony I did already. I can’t take that burden of rejection so I left. And don’t freak out it’s of no use and it’s for the better as from now you can focus entirely on your life without worrying about me all the time. At first I thought it was a simple crush but when I saw you with Jihyo I felt jealousy for the first time and I felt so hurt. But I hope you will be with the girl you like and stay happy okay that’s what matters. Oh by the way I forgot after your break up Jihyo called me and blamed me for your break up I know right it sounds so funny and she said that you like me that’s why you guys broke up and you know what I low-key wished you did. Anyways that’s too much for a text but again this is the last text. Stay happy Wonwoo and live your life with no regrets. And yeah I love you.♡

[steve0discusses]

The Fullmetal Alchemist Live Action Movie Part 7: More Philosopher Stones than their PC Farm Can Possibly Render

So last we left off, a bunch of weird stuff was happening. Mustang just set Envy on fire, Lust and Gluttony kind of walked up from stage left, and Ed and Hawkeye just broke out of bougie jail and barged through a chain link fence on some Jeep. Good thing Mustang is here to explain it all to us:

(FYI I am so bad at spelling homunculus. I don’t even know which way is real anymore.)

What is incredible about this movie is just how much everyone else already knows, while Ed knows freaking nothing. Also, if you know about homunculi, then you know about sorcerer stones, and you’d know about...most of the things in Fullmetal Alchemist. Assuming that Mustang, who can look at a homunculus tattoo and be like “yep that’s a homunculus” doesn’t know anything else is kind of a big leap.

This actor had fun. I legitimately enjoy the actor who plays Mustang, I really do.

Anyway, we do get a little bit more explanation at this point by going back to the part where Hughes dies and just...showing it a second time but with this extra  reveal:

(see Hughes die yet again under the cut because this movie did it not just once but twice)

It’s at this point that Hughes turns to the phone and in his dying breath is like “It’s lab 5, go to the old POW camp, at lab 5” but not only did I think that the person on the line was the general (Because Hughes originally said it was the general) apparently now the person on the line is...Mustang? And that’s why Mustang knew about lab 5?

Like it’s...it’s just kind of confusing. I know this plot because I’ve seen the anime, but if you have not seen the anime beforehand or read the books, you’d be so freakin up a creek right now about why we saw this scene twice, and why it was completely different both times.

To make things even more confusing, that whole Tucker side plot is so random, that not even our baddies know what is going on with that whole Tucker side plot.

Anyway we have to give Gluttony and Envy have to do something in order to make their presence make sense. Honestly Gluttony just needs to have a single line in this movie.

Just everything is that same shiny neutral Phong. Look at all that Phong. Like other parts of this movie are passable, this was just so hilariously overlooked.

And like I dunno if this was a teeth harness or not but damn. Damn that looks stupid from the back, hahaha. He kind of lumbers slowly after these 9 dudes (same extras we’ve seen everywhere else, ps—this is still just the same guys) and it’s not all that scary because like...they can easily outrun him. The only way you can die to Gluttony is if you trip and then take a nap for a little bit.

Mustang gets hurt and it’s kind of funny how they shot it. It was actually rough to cap because they have to do so many tricks to not show us exactly what is happening, so they rely on sounds, on zooming in on people’s shocked expressions, because they Do Not Have The Budget to do more than this.

I don’t remember if this happened in the anime, too. Like from this point forward everything is kind of like “can you spot the source material?” because it’s just become so jumbled at this point.

Ed, who as you can imagine is a bundle of emotions by default, suddenly gets really protective of his mean Dad although like...we’ve barely made Mustang seem like a Father. Hell, we’ve barely made Ed seem like a kid. Why would he get weird and conflicted now?

Just the awkward teenage energy that only occasionally stems off of Ed is very unpredictable.

This is a full grown man.

Finally, we make it to Lab Number Five, the correct one this time. It’s got an alchemy circle…

It’s got a ceiling full of...zombie corpses, if you squint real good because I have to shrink all these images (Yes, they fit in the zombie corpses, but could not fit in the North or Father or Ling Yao or like anything Armstrong) It’s got everything that we need to put that nail into that Fullmetal Alchemist coffin, but ran out of time to fully explain or do.

It’s even got Al!

Yep, this is happening now, this part of the show. Ed is just having a WILD TIME trying to keep up with it and so are we.

So apparently Shou could just turn Al “off” this whole time. This explains why Al was just chilling under a blanket for 36 hours, but like...doesn’t really explain how Shou can do this or why he is bothering to do it right now.

But we need Shou because...well someone has to tell Ed what the plot is and what he should be doing at this very moment.

(Winry is here too)

So, with the threat of Winry getting shot in the head, Shou Tucker demands that Ed make it impossible to do any magic, because magic is very expensive and hard to animate. I could be wrong...but I’m pretty sure he also took off his right arm in the show at some point nearish to the end...I think? Forgive me, everything before 2020 is kind of a haze in my memory.

PS him ripping his hand off with all these sparks everywhere gave me serious Star Wars prequel vibes that I can’t explain. Something about the CGI, something about this contrived mess was like “Ah, I’ve felt this insanity before...long ago in a simpler time” and it was kind of nostalgic for me.

GOL LOOK AT THAT.

This Mickey Mouse glove just hot chilling on that sparking end. Hahaha I love it so much!

Shou just...delivers one of the most important reveals, sending Ed on a bit of a spirit journey because the stones he’s wanted for so long are actually very bad.

As you can imagine, because Ed likes to freak out, he has a big ass freak out, to top all freak outs. This actor spent like sooo much of his time just screaming at the ground. Which, I mean this is a shonen, so that checks out.

I’m just letting you know in case you decide to watch this movie and you have some epilepsy issues--skip this part. Just skip it. I don’t personally have it, but like...they went kind of extra in this part.

Now unlike the show, this movie has like...no apology for Dr Marcoh. Freakin stabbed him through the chest and was like “I don’t care if it means we can’t have the original FMA ending I freakin hate this guy” and you know...good on you, movie. Dr Marcoh was a really bad person. Thank you for not even attempting to justify this godawful man.

This crazy ass fanfiction movie.

Anyway, Shou directs Ed to look 10 feet up to get the rest of that juicy content. That Juicy FMA DLC that was within eye distance this entire time but youknow...cropped offscreen so it just didn’t exist.

Can’t believe this wasn’t the FIRST THING you’d notice when coming into this room, since Ed has been hardwired for red stones for like 10+ years. But youknow.

Anyways, we’re getting a ton of visual elements from FMA, just checking off that check list here in the last 1/3 of the movie. But wait, it gets weirder.

What I love about this is that Shou tells us all of this stuff because I guess Ed asked for Philosopher stones once, and even Shou is like...heyyy I figured it out! But like...hell would anyone even want to do this though?

Because that’s what happens when you have Shou freakin Tucker reveal the big master plan when he is not the big master. Like this explains nothing about Father, about Ed’s Dad, about the homunculi, about the corpses in the ceiling, like there’s just no explanation, other than just –“hey! Look at this atrocity I found just now!”

There is actually a horror element to that, where you don’t need to explain everything if you’re doing horror. If this were a horror movie, this would probably...be fine. You could have a fully explained movie by just saying “they turned POW camp people into rocks and now the zombies are here!” and that would be fine.

But it’s just...that isn’t this movie. I had so many expectations. And honestly...I expected way too much from 1.5 hours of content.

So Shou pulls a gun on Ed, which makes sense. Ed is lookin to make stones, and if stones are made out of people—then it’s time to kill Ed. First thing that make sense in this movie, but I don’t know if it makes sense coming from Shou freakin Tucker who made it seem like he just wanted to kill Ed because Ed got him arrested that one time.

It may have been just the translation on my end but like...Shou’s reason for pulling a gun out here was a little nonsense. But Shou himself is already a little nonsense anyway.

So we say goodbye, for the last time, being honest—he’s fully dead—he’s not coming back—to Shou Freakin Tucker. You were a mess Shou. I won’t miss you.

And if I forgot that this guy comes back, I fully apologize ahead of time, but I am 99% positive that I remembered that this guy never comes back.

(He might come back.)

And then Lust is like “Hakuro why did you do that? Like what are you even doing???”

And everyone else is like “Oh, the General. Of course. Why didn’t I uhhh….see that coming?”

Because they had to condense a whole bunch of corrupt Generals for this movie into one character, and so I guess Hakuro took it for the team?

Also these guys are here.

Just every single person standing in this room is pretty confused, as you can imagine. No one really expects to open up Volume 2 of FMA and it’s accidentally printed the last page of the entire series.

Anyway, that’s all for this 15 minutes (It was actually a little short 15 because there was ton of caps) I’m very tired because I did this workout routine with bro that was like 300 squats and I don’t know what day it is. I wrote “update blog” in my bullet journal (because it’s January, so I’m bullet journaling) so I’m just gonna do that because I want to use this green sparkly jelly pen and cross off all of today. Mm. Satisfying.

https://steve0discusses.tumblr.com/tagged/fma/chrono

[welcometophu]

Into the Split: Out of the Woods 1

Twinned Book 3: Into the Split

Out of the Woods 1

[ Previous | First | Next ]

“I need to go.” Alaric’s announcement is abrupt, and his departure just as much. The door slams in his wake.

“I’m just going to….” Carolyn’s voice trails off as she looks around, something cradled in her hand. “I need a charger. My phone’s dead—it’s been two weeks. But I need to call Kit. Or I could—” She touches her pocket, then shakes her head. “Kitchen. He has a charger in the kitchen, I think. I’ll just be—” She waves in that direction before following the same path Mac took a few minutes before.

“I’m going to go make sure they’re okay. Besides. Pawel might have a land line we can use.” Heather kisses Nikita’s cheek, hands on her shoulders. She leans in for a moment, then pushes away. “Yell if you need me.” Heather finger combs her hair as she walks, pulling it back into a ponytail. “Mac! Carolyn!” she calls out.

“Pawel will be back soon,” Nikita says.

Nikolai isn’t sure if that’s a warning or meant to be reassuring. “Great. Because we can’t go anywhere anyway. This isn’t our world. Half of what you say and do here sounds like nonsense.” Seth nods at his words, and Nikolai is glad that he’s not the only one feeling off balance.

In the distance, Carolyn’s voice yells out, “Kit!” then fades again.

“No one knew we were leaving,” Nikita murmurs.

“We didn’t know we were leaving,” Mattie says. She sits on the back of a couch, one foot propped on the arm, the other on the seat. A slender pillar of darkness lingers behind her, hovering close, features vaguely feminine and radiating discomfort.

“How do you stand the hunger?” Chelsea whispers, and the sound shivers through Nikolai. Chelsea leans forward, as if she can taste his fear.

“It gets easier,” Mattie says, patting the darkness near where arm should be. “You’ll remember how delicious they are.”

The front door opens and Pawel stands there in the doorway, his shoulders hunched. He takes in Chelsea and Mattie to one side, and Nikita, Nikolai, and Seth on the other. “Chelsea,” he says quietly.

“Pawel,” she whispers.

The silence is strained.

Pawel turns away, still hunched tight, a hand over his face. When Nikolai blinks, the Shadow is gone. Mattie looks straight at him as she slowly rises and drifts into a corner, slipping into darkness before she disappears as well.

“They’re gone,” he says.

Pawel’s shoulders relax and his head drops forward. “I don’t really know how to handle that. It’s probably for the best that my dad came out to pick up Conor. I wouldn’t even know how to explain that that’s—” He cuts off abruptly.

Silence again.

Seth’s hand rests on Nikolai’s knee. Nikita chews on her lip, watching Pawel. There are rumblings of sound from the kitchen, but no one interrupts.

And there is still a soft undercurrent of something wrong that prickles against Nikolai’s skin. He shudders, and Seth’s fingers tighten over his knee, holding on. Nikolai covers Seth’s hand with his own and clings.

“Nikolai needs a place to stay.” Nikita drops words like little bombs into the silence, and Nikolai flinches back.

“I—”

“We do,” Seth says firmly. “You dragged us here, so we need a place to live while we’re here.”

“I can do that.” Pawel turns away from them, takes two steps, then turns back. “There’s a spare room upstairs and you’re welcome to stay there for as long as you’d like. I’ll have to get you some clothes; it’s possible someone might have something to loan you, at least for now. Not Alaric, that wouldn’t fit.” Hands on his hips, he looks them both over, his mouth pressed thinly. “We’ll find something. Where are—?” He turns in place, as if expecting someone to step out of the woodwork.

Of course, Mattie could do that.

“Alaric left, and Carolyn, Mac, and Heather are in the kitchen using your phone chargers and making calls,” Nikita says. “Do you need to go call your dad?”

Pawel licks his lips. “Probably. Soon. Emily’s letting him know I’m back. I told her that I needed to finish taking care of things here, because I didn’t want to just leave Nikolai and Seth at loose ends.”

Nikolai’s not sure Pawel’s much of a help. He hasn’t done anything yet, other than offering the room they asked for. On the other hand, he appreciates the fact that he hasn’t just abandoned them.

“Are you okay?” Seth asks, and Nikolai nods.

He’s lying, but if he wants to be okay, they need Pawel okay, not spinning out of control. And right now Nikolai doesn’t think that Pawel’s okay.

Seth meets Pawel in the middle, grabs his shoulders and looks up at him. “Listen to me.”

Pawel blinks.

Mac appears behind Seth, “Maybe you shouldn’t—”

“Calm down,” Seth says softly. “Just, calm down. One breath at a time. One thing at a time. Because right now I am in a world that is completely different than the one I left and I need the person who is supposedly the adult and in charge to not be freaking out more than I am.”

When Seth puts it like that, Nikolai doesn’t feel any better about anything.

It’s just this place. It’s everything about it, from the way the air feels on his skin—like he can feel Nikita’s Talent here, nudging into his—to the way this room looks like any other room from his memory, only twisted sideways and a little to the left, because nothing’s quite right. There’s a thing that reminds him of a television, only it’s large and flat, as thin as a painting and hanging on a wall like one. Everything just feels wrong, and Nikolai can’t get his bearings.

“It’s like being in a Dream,” he mutters, because that’s it. That’s exactly what he feels like, when everything is real and not real all at once. It’s familiar from seeing it through Nikita’s eyes, and he can’t quite shake the idea that he might actually be asleep. Maybe it didn’t work. Maybe they didn’t emerge from the Dreamscape after all.

Maybe they’re trapped. Maybe he’s finally falling entirely into a Dream.

His chest is tight. Nikolai curls in on himself, hunched over, arms wrapped around his knees. The floor is cold, and he should get up. Everyone else has gotten up, started to move on, even Seth, and Nikolai can’t stop feeling wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong. Breath hitches, and he struggles to drag in another one. His head falls down, making a dark, warm space for him with his forehead resting against his knees; when he manages to exhale, the warmth washes back at him.

Something ticks sharply against the windows, slow at first, then faster, then fading.

“Nik!”

Heather? Seth? Both? Nikolai isn’t sure, but there are hands on his shoulders, and Seth wraps around him, familiar and strong, trying to pull him closer. Nikolai can’t stop shivering, even though the air doesn’t feel chilled. He’s warm and cold down to his bones, and it’s all too much at once. He hiccups around a strained breath.

Someone’s talking. Angry, hushed, worried.

Too much. It’s all just too much.

His fingers are pried loose and Nikolai clings to the familiar shape of Seth’s hand. He pulls it in, presses it to his heart, and a breath shudders loose.

“Breathe,” Seth whispers, and Nikolai manages to do just that. One slow breath, then another. He’s in a safe, dark place, circled around himself, with Seth wrapped around him to protect him.

“I think there may be a fundamental metaphysical difference between our world and Nikolai’s,” Pawel muses, his words the only clarity in the darkness. “Is his Talent interacting with yours, Nikita?”

Oh.

Nikolai raises his far too heavy head. “What?”

Seth’s hands on his shoulders settle him under his skin, keep the wrong wrong wrong prickle to a dull itch, something he can’t quite reach but it’s not overwhelming him anymore, either.

Nikita is on the other side of the room, curled in the corner of the couch, Heather next to her. Her posture is all too familiar, radiating sorrow more than panic. She raises her head as well, blinks at Nikolai.

“We’re the same person,” she protests softly. “It shouldn’t interact. And I can be around Del now. Mostly. Sort of.”

“While we were in Nikolai’s world, you didn’t have any difficulties at all,” Pawel points out. “If this world has a different—” He waves his hand, expression twisting in frustration. “I don’t know how to explain it. Nikolai’s world knows far more about Dreamwalkers than we ever will, I think. They know to tether them to Empaths, to give every Dreamwalker a solid tie to reality and stability. There’s nothing in the base magic of the world that’s unsettled with respect to Dreamwalkers. But in our own world, we never learned that—all we learned is that if two Dreamwalkers are too close to each other, their Talents naturally reach out and interact. Instead of teaching our Dreamwalkers how to control their Talent, we separated them, to the point where the genetics of Dreamwalker lines altered. We made a fundamental change to how that magic works, and it’s been going on for generations. You two,” he gestures between them, “either need to be separated, or need to learn how to work with that interaction and settle yourselves.”

“The news is already talking about the freak snowstorm.” Carolyn and Mac are both back. Carolyn has something in her hands, and is tapping at it. “It’s not like the ice storm, Nik. You haven’t hit the entire entire eastern seaboard. But it’s even weirder that it’s essentially just blown into existence here in Unity. It reaches as far out as Valiant, but I don’t think it’s gone much further than that. The news is seeing that. We’re probably going to go viral. Again.”

Nikolai doesn’t understand most of what they’ve just said so he focused on the one piece that makes sense. “You’ve done this before?” he says.

Nikita flushes. “When I was dreaming about you. Your dreams were so stressful and scary, and my Weather Witch Talent just… it gets out of control. I think your panic attack set me off this time. So maybe it’s more that we are the same person, and we need to figure out how to work within that? We can’t be separated. Not if we want to get anything done, right?”

“Maybe it’s that,” Nikolai says. He slowly pushes to his feet, keeping one hand linked with Seth, unwilling to release that tether to something familiar. “It’s you. It’s this place, too. It’s the way everything here is almost right but not quite, like a memory or a wish of what things could be like if I just kept Dreaming instead of living in reality.”

He takes a low, shuddering breath. “Everything’s so easy here. You’ve moved on from the point where we broke a decade ago, and maybe the cities at home are like this—I don’t know, those are human spaces, and my head just—I can’t keep up. It’s leaving me feeling like it’s all unreal.”

“And a Dreamwalker feeling unreal is a Dreamwalker who thinks he’s trapped in a Dream,” Pawel muses.

Nikolai’s shoulders pull back, tense. “Exactly.”

“We can work with that.” Mac is behind Pawel, her hand on his back, between his shoulders. “You have an air mattress, right? And the couch pulls out. We’re going to stay here tonight, and we’ll do our best to help Nikolai and Seth acclimate so he can settle in. Maybe we’ll watch some movies, so they can see the Hollywood idealized version of our world. But we can just all crash on your floor here. It solves the where do they sleep problem. It lets all of us try to settle back in, too.”

“I’m going to leave,” Carolyn says quietly. “I’ve been talking to Kit and to Serina, and I just want to see them both tonight. I’m sorry. Will you be okay without me? Serina’s got work in the morning, so I’ll come back then.”

It feels like the room is waiting for someone else to make a decision. Nikolai doesn’t care, even though there’s a part of him that feels strange that Alaric’s left, that they’re able to do that here and come and go as they please. This group has been attached to him for two weeks, and suddenly they’re independent. It adds to the surreality of the place.

“Go ahead,” Pawel says quietly. “If you feel like stopping back later, please do. We’ll be here.”

The mood shifts as Nikita slowly unfolds from the couch. She meets Nikolai in the center of the room and wraps her arms around him, holding on, her head resting on his shoulder. Nikolai’s surprised when the itch under his skin eases at her touch; she sighs softly like she feels the same thing.

“I think the snow’s stopping,” Heather says.

“Good,” Nikita mumbles. “It’s totally unfair for it to snow in April. Especially when it’s my fault.”

She steps back, and the itch stays quiet. Nikolai thinks that maybe he’ll be able to tease it out better in the future—feel the difference between what is Nikita, and what is this world, and what is just the idea that everything is unreal. He needs time to breathe and take it all in.

Seth’s fingers linked with his are perfectly real, and he squeezes to say thank you for that.

“Pawel, you get things brought in, and I’m going to show these guys around your house for a proper tour,” Mac says. She motions for Nikolai and Seth to follow her as she heads for the stairs leading up.

Seth waits until they’ve reached the landing before asking quietly as he points back to where Pawel is talking to Nikita and Heather. “Are you sure you two aren’t….” He doesn’t bother to finish the question, voice fading as Mac laughs.

“No, we aren’t,” she says firmly. “We’ve been friends for a long time, and I try really hard not to think about how inappropriate it is that one of my best friends is also my advisor and a professor. I’m older than a lot of people in my class year, and he’s young for a professor, so we’re actually a lot closer in age than we would be otherwise. We’ve both had a lot going on in our lives, and he understood where my head was freshman year better than anyone else did. He was there for me when I needed someone to be there. We both lost someone.” She glances at the stairs again. “I don’t know what it means for him to have Chelsea here, on top of everything else. I had no idea… I don’t think he had any idea, either.”

“That she’d become a Shadow?” Seth asks, and Mac nods.

“There are some extra blankets and pillows in the closet up here; we can bring those down when we go,” Mac suggests. “For now, I just want to make sure you know where everything is. The room at the end of the hall is Pawel’s. He’s got his own bathroom in there, so you don’t have to worry about sharing until Conor’s back.” She makes a face, and Seth’s brow furrows. Nikolai wonders what emotion he’s not catching there.

She stops at the first room along the hall. A blackboard hangs on the door with a list of tasks, some crossed off. “Conor’s room,” she says. “Bathroom’s across the hall from that, and the guest room—which doubles sometimes as Conor’s play room—is between Conor and Pawel.” She nudges the door open, makes a face and quickly closes it. “Might be for the best that we’re all staying downstairs. That room needs a little help before it’ll be ready for you. Unless you feel like stepping on Legos. Did you have Legos?”

Nikolai grins, holds up his hand with his fingertips close together but not touching. “Small plastic bricks to build with? Yes, we did.” For a moment he’s tempted to go into that room, rediscover that small piece of childhood.

But those are Conor’s toys, and he probably wouldn’t appreciate someone else touching them. It wouldn’t be right to do that without asking.

“There was this house, once when we were first on our own,” Seth says. “I think they’d left recently, and they hadn’t really stopped to pack much. Most of the clothes were cleared out, but they left books and toys behind. We picked up a few things we carried for a while, but it wasn’t something we could keep doing for long. But I remember they had this huge train set, and while we stayed there, we built a rail that went around their entire downstairs. Then Nikolai built plastic planes and buses to travel around it.”

They were still grieving then. It was a little like therapy to act like they were six instead of sixteen.

Nikolai feels tears prick the corners of his eyes, the memory of his parents sudden and bright. “I’d forgotten about that,” he says quietly.

Seth squeezes his hand. “I’m not surprised.”

“I’m just going to slip in here to grab pillows. You two open that door next to the bathroom and grab blankets,” Mac directs. They load up, and head back down the stairs.

Mac shows them around the lower half of the house, too, including a door that leads out to a fenced in back yard, and where to find the food in the kitchen. She shows them how to work the coffee maker as she puts a pot on, then starts water boiling in an electric teapot.

Nikolai just touches things, remembering how most of them work. “I haven’t seen a working electric stove in a long time,” he admits. “I think we had one when I was a kid, but everything had to be flames after the Split. Electricity didn’t make it out of the cities once the walls went up. I mean, it had to come from somewhere, I’m sure, but it seemed like all the abandoned houses were cut off.”

“You’ve probably got a lot to relearn,” Mac says. “Get down mugs, then pick chocolate or coffee.”

Nikolai looks at the cabinets, waiting until Mac points before he opens one and starts pulling down mugs.

“Chocolate,” Seth says firmly. “Definitely chocolate and always chocolate.”

Mac grins. “Smart guy.”

Voices call out as the front door slams in the distance. The electric tea pot hisses while Mac tears open packets and shakes powder into mugs. She pours in hot water, and the smell of chocolate fills the room.

“If you’re making tea—oh, it’s chocolate. We brought dinner.”

Nikolai turns as Mac disappears from her spot by the counter, reappearing in front of the tall, broad, dark skinned man in the doorway. Mac hugs him hard, and he bends down, his dreadlocks swinging over her shoulders as she buries her face against his shoulder.

“Yeah, Mac, I missed you, too. We were all worried,” he murmurs.

“Betting you missed Alaric more,” she says. She steps back, gestures at Nikolai and Seth. “We brought back new friends. Nikolai, Seth, this is Chris. He’s Alaric’s—” She stops at the rising growl from the other room. “He’s Alaric’s,” she says again and stops there, as if that’s enough.

Nikolai thinks he gets it.

“I called over to Minnisale’s when Alaric called me,” Chris explains. “Had them make some catering trays, then we drove over with Rory to pick it up. Rory’s uh….” His voice trails off, and he shrugs. “It’s been a rough couple of weeks. I think Rory and Kit were actually the worst off. It’s a good thing they had each other.”

Nikolai turns away, because the hot chocolate is waiting, and Seth has already claimed one mug. Nikolai ignores the conversation as he blows on it carefully before he takes a sip, luxuriating in the taste. It’s been a while.

“You get plates,” Mac directs, and Chris moves past Nikolai to get to the cabinets. “I’ll bring out the coffee and hot chocolate, and then we’re in for an evening of games and movies and food.” She hesitates. “It’s just you and Alaric and Rory, right? No Thorne. I don’t think these guys are ready for Thorne.”

Chris laughs softly. “He’s aware you’re all back and safe, and no, he’s not here. He’s working on a project with TJ, as far as I know.”

Nikolai keeps sipping at the chocolate, unwilling to leave the quiet of the kitchen just yet.

“Why don’t we take these out and I’ll come back for silverware and make these guys another cup of cocoa,” Mac says, ushering Chris out the door.

They don’t come back right away, and Seth sets his mug down on the counter. “We’re really here,” he says quietly.

That’s what Nikolai’s been wrestling with since the moment the Dreamscape spat them out. “Yeah,” he replies. “We’re really here. This isn’t a Dream. And there are more people out there than the first ones we met, and there’s even more of this world outside the house, and Seth, I don’t know—”

Seth cuts him off by surging up and lightly brushing his lips against Nikolai’s. “No more panicking. We’ll get through this together. Whatever it takes.”

Right. No matter what, they’ve got each other. “Whatever it takes.”

When he kisses Seth again, he tastes like chocolate, and Nikolai smiles. This part is something he could get used to.

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[shawnshoooodies]

Handsome stranger

You felt dumb, dumb and betrayed. You thought you finally found the one, the one you could love endlessly and vice versa. Turns out you were wrong, again. That having your loyalty was just a game. The moment you saw the messages from Ben, Toms best friend, about when he wanted is money from the bet, you know something was wrong. And when you figured it al out, it broke your hard into a million pieces. You checked your watch, it was already 11 pm, and you were sitting on a cold metal bench in the middle of Amsterdam. It was getting colder and the only thing keeping you warm was your jeans jacket. The only thing you wore underneath was a thin shirt and some sweats, not counting on the fact you had to leave the apartment at this hour. The second he told you, you didn’t want to spend even a minute longer there. You grabbed your bag and ran away, as far as you could. Your shame was to big to go back to your parents, telling them they were right all along, that Tom was not a good guy. And even if you would want to go there, they lived 90 minutes away, and the next train would probably be around 6 AM. Even though you only had one beer, you still felt a little tipsy. You couldn’t think straight.

You saw couples and groups of friends passing you by on their way to the bars of Amsterdam, ready to enjoy there free friday night. Amsterdam was beautiful at night time, little lights everywhere. You almost forgot all your worries, till you realized why you were here again. What were you gonna do? You had no one in Amsterdam to fall back at. You started losing hope. And after some time, a random guy came to sit next to you. Which was weird, since there was an empty bench not even a few meters from this one away. “Beautiful, isn’t it?” He said, probably to you, since there wasn’t anyone around who he could be talking to you. You turned your head to him, seeing him stare at the square were al the party people were enjoying their friday night. He looked cute and innocent. Your parents always told you, to never talk to a stranger. They could be a weird creep, who wanted to kidnap you. You smiled a little. The thought of your parents knowing this was happening, you, alone, on the square in amsterdam, where everyone was getting drunk, almost talking to a stranger while you just had a bear, in the middle of the night. They’d probably kill you. “What is?” you asked curious, not really sure were he was referring to. “Amsterdam, al the lights, people having fun, its amazing.” he said, turning his head to you with a smile. He was cute. like really cute.

You looked at him and smiled back. “yeah.” You replied back with a smile. He really was right, it was beautiful.

“So what is a pretty girl like you doing here all alone? You know that isn’t really that save right?” You giggled for no reason, just the irony. “Why would you ask? planning on kidnapping me?” He smiled. “Just curious, i mean you don’t look that happy.” You tried to keep your smile on your face, which was, by now, the hardest job ever. A tear starting running over your cheek. You wiped it away immediately. But it was to late, he saw. “Can i ask you what's wrong?” he asked with a worried face. You chuckled. “I don’t even know you.” He smiled to you and said: “The more reason there is to talk to me.” He had a point, you know he did. He was a random stranger. He didn’t even know you. “I broke up with my boyfriend.” You eventually said. “oh, i’m sorry.” You giggled and replied. “Why would you be sorry? It’s not like you just said you loved me because of a bet. or just used me for sex. So don’t be sorry please. It's fine.” by now, tears were running all over your cheeks. You couldn’t control yourself anymore. He kept quiet. “Sounds like a dick.” You smiled a little through your tears. “He was.” “is” he replied. “he is a dick. Otherwise you wouldn’t be sitting here.” You laughed. “so handsome stranger, whats your story? why are you sitting here?” You asked him. He smirked. “handsome stranger huh?” He looked at you, and hold his hand up. You shaked it. “Its Shawn, but Handsome stranger sounds great.” You laughed at his silly comments. “y/n. But don’t ignore my question, i shared my embarrassing story, now share yours, why the sad lonely looks?” He did look sad and lonely for such a handsome guy. “Just… things.” he replied with a sad look. “things? that's all i get?” “Hey did i sign a contract or something? i don’t owe you my life story, it's unimportant anyway.” he chuckled. “We don’t even know each other, so talk to me.” You said to him with a smirk, reminding him of how he convinced you to talk. He sighed. “My girlfriend dumped me by text.” He said with pain in his face. “ouch. She sounds like a bitch” He smiled a little. “She is, i just don’t wanna know it. And because we didn’t tell anyone we were in a relationship, she is gonna deny it to anyone.” You frowned. “wait you lost me, who is everyone?” He slicked. “Just, people.” You laughed. “Why are you laughing? Do you think its that funny.” shawn asked with a hurt expression. “Its not you, it's just.. this. We are sitting on a bench in Amsterdam at freaking midnight. We both have big broken hearts, and you are like ‘vague boy’ over here.” He reacted with a semi-mad face. “ hey i told you what kind of happened, that counts.” by now you two were lauging out loud. The whole situation is weirder than you thought it ever could be. Than suddenly your phone started ringing. You totally even forgot you had it with you. You grabbed your bag from between your feet and took your phone out. When you looked at your screen you saw it was ‘baby’. Looking at your phone took you straight back to reality. “baby? Let me guess. didn’t had time to change his name yet.” You kept quiet. it hurt. “It is the dick right?” Shawn asked. You nodded. “Here let me take it.” and before you could even respond, Shawn took the phone out of your hands, answered it, and put it on speaker. “y/n? thank god baby you picked up, i’m so sorry, please say where you are and i’ll pick you up.” You heard Tom speaking throught the phone. And you would be lying to yourself if you said it didn’t break your heart. Shawn knew this, don’t ask him how, but he did. He wanted to cheer you up, and he succeeded. “I’m sorry sir, but this is the assistant of Y/N. She can’t come to the phone right now, anything i can give through?” He kept his face straight the whole time, while you were keeping your laugh in as a crazy person. Shawn smiled at you when he saw the laugh on your face.“The fuck who are you?” Tom asked. “Like i said sir, this is y/n’s assistant. Can i do anything for you?” “what the fuck dude, just.. You now what, nevermind, whatever. The fuck man.” And than he ended the call. You started laughing so hard, people on the other side of the square started laughing at you. Again, it wasn’t just Shawn, pretending to be your personal assistant. It was the whole situation. A random stranger named Shawn, just pretend to be a personal assistant to your ex boyfriend, who just dumped you, you have been chatting with Shawn, on a bench, in the middle of Amsterdam. This was probably the dumbest thing you've ever done, but you didn’t even care. Shawn laughed with you, probably more about you than with you, but he laughed. And it was great having someone laughing with you. After your giggles started to cool down a little, you suddenly realized you were getting cold. Who blames you , since it was already 12:30 am. Suddenly Shawn stood up from the bench. “I think i should go, gotta get up early tomorrow, you have a place where i can walk you to?” Shawn asked friendly. Suddenly you remembered al the things that happened the past couple of hours, and you started smiling sadly. “You don’t?” he asked confused. “But where have you.. oooh right.”he suddenly came to the realisation that Tom was your only place to stay. “Well, you can come with me?” You looked up, not really sure if the thing he just suggested would be the dumbest thing to do for a 20 year old girl. “uh, i don’t know..” “Y/n, you realize sitting here on your own is even more dangerous.” You realize he had a point. a very good one. Shawn looked like a good guy, he had something familiar, you just couldn’t really put your finger on it. He reached his hand out to you. “i have a hotel room in the hotel over there. it just has one bed, but it a king size, you have completely your own space.” A hotel, what could go wrong in a hotel?. You took his hand and he smiled, pulling you up and walking over to the hotel.

After some minutes you arrived at the Hilton hotel. “Wait, you sleep here?” You asked, it was kind of hard to believe that the random stranger slept here, he looked so normal. “yes” he said like it was the most normal thing in the world.

After you guys took the elevator, you arrived at Shawns gigantic suite. “Damn, you sleep here al by yourself? This is gigantic.” Shawn chuckled. “Yeah i like it to.” He took of his jacket threw it on the chair in the middle of the room.

“I’ll take a quick shower, or do you wanna freshen up first?” Shawn asked you while standing in front of a door thats probably leading to the bathroom. “oh no its fine, you go take a shower.” “okay, the remote is probably on the nightstand, make yourself at home.” He said with a smile. he walked into the bathroom and closed the door. You walked to the middle of the room since you still were standing in front of the room door. Everything was so extra, it was awesome. You’ve never been to a hotel like this, with such luxury. And the bed was gigantic. unbelievable. You sat down on the end of the bed, and took your phone out of your bag.

You have 3 missed calls and 10 messages

Baby: Y/n its not what it looks like

Baby: i swear i can explain

Baby: please come back

Baby: y/n where tf are you??

Baby: Who is that dude who took the call

Baby: Fucking hell where did you go?

Baby: Are you at your parents?

Baby: please don’t tell them what happened

Baby: its not what you think, really

Baby: i’ll come and pick you up at your parents

Baby: please be there..

Fuck, you got yourself in trouble. if your parents would found out about any of this, they would make your life a living hell. The message was send about a hour ago, which meant you still had like 30 minutes before hell burns down. Explaining your parents you were in bed with a midnight stranger wouldn’t really improve the situation. You sight. “Just let it be y/n, you’ll be fine.” You told yourself quietly, hoping it would cool you down a little before handsome guy would be done showering. And if it was on que, there he was. “Are you okay?” You scared up, not realizing he was already done freshing himself up, and when you saw him you realized he wasn’t yet. “I'm sorry you have to see this, but i forgot to take some clean clothes with me.” Oh you didn't mind, really. He stood in the door opening of the bathroom, a towel casually knotted around his waist. But just low enough to see his V-line and a little scarf. It was cute but so damn hot. “Don’t worry about it.” you told him with a little smile. You looked at him, and he looked back, and it took him exactly two seconds to realize you felt like crap. “Y/n are you alright?” He asked with a worried look on his face. He took a few steps into the direction off the bed. A tear escaped your eye. “i’m fine” you said while quickly wiping the tear away. “No you’re not, what happened?” he asked, still looking worried. He sat down next to you, on the end of the bed. Still with the towel knodded around his waist. “Tom is on his way to my parents, and if they found out what happened, and where i am now, they’ll end me, i just can imagine how mad they’d be.” More tears started streaming from your eyes, and you keep your head down. It was just now that you realised how messed up this al was, Tom was your whole life. You did everything with that guy. And now, everything is just gone. “y/n you are not the one who should be worried about that, he should. When he arrives at your parents he is the one who has to explain the situation, and i don’t think your parents would be too pleased by that.” He strokes your shoulder. You can feel his eyes starring at you and you look up, right in his eyes. “Everything will be ok, i promise.” And with just that one look, you felt save and calm. Two emotions you almost forgot that existed. Two emotions you hadn’t experienced for the last couple of years.

-

[just-jordie-things]

The Boxer - Stiles Stilinski (part six)

word count: 3388 warnings: swearing, open ended ending a/n: well this is the final part !! hope y’all enjoyed this series <3 based on this song

[ and he carries the reminders of ev'ry glove that laid him down // or cut him till he cried out in his anger and his shame ]

“So, can I hold your hand?”

(y/n) jumped slightly, hand grabbing onto her locker door as she turned to see Stiles standing there.  Her cheeks flushed pink as she looked at him, instantly flashing back to the night before.

“Why?” She asked, quirking an eyebrow and looking around the halls.

“Because… I want to?” Stiles said, squinting his eyes and pursing his lips, not sure she’d give.  But (y/n) chuckled, and lifted her hand to hold it out to him, palm up.  Stiles grinned, and giddily clapped her hand before slipping his fingers between hers.

“So you’re still on this whole ‘doing whatever I want’ thing?” She asked, and Stiles nodded.

“Well yeah, it’s working for me so far isn’t it?”

“Touche” (y/n) responded dryly, shutting her locker with her free hand.  “So, you gonna explain this to your friends?” She asked, shaking their hands slightly.

“Our friends” He corrected.  “And sure, I will”

“And what are you going to tell them?” She asked.

“That… we’re….” He gestured between them, but (y/n) cocked her head to the side like she didn’t understand.

“What, dating?” She scoffed, and his brows furrowed at her response.  “I don’t remember you ever asking, Stilinski.  Is this your way of doing that?”

“I kinda figured it just happened” He shrugged his shoulders, and she laughed.  Not cruelly, just finding his demeanor to be humorous.

“Alright then, tell them that-”

“Oh my God!”

Kira Yukimura’s squeal echoed down the entire corridor, in in seconds she’d sprinted from the main entrance to the lockers where Stiles and (y/n) were standing, still holding hands.

“Did it happen!? It did didn’t it! Oh my God I’ve waited months! I’m so happy for the both of you!” She threw her arms around the two, still bouncing on her feet as she embraced them tightly.  “I’ve shipped you since day one!”

“Should I ask what that means?” (y/n) asked, running out of breath from how tight she was being hugged.  Kira released them from her hug, grinning between the two.

“No” Stiles answered quietly, shaking his head rapidly.  “Just save what little innocence you have left” (y/n) smacked his arm with the back of her hand.

“I just really love that this is happening” The petite kitsune clasped her hands together as she smiled brightly.  “I have to text Lydia and Malia.  And Scott ad Liam- you know what, I’ll just tell the whole group chat!”

She ran off before either Stiles or (y/n) could say anything.

“Should I ask what ‘shipped’ means?” (y/n) asked, turning to Stiles with a curious look.  “And why I feel like you started it?” He rolled his eyes at her comment, knowing she was just messing with him.

“Ha.  Ha, always so funny” He responded with a strong amount of snark.

“I do think my sense of humor is what people always remember most about me” She winked.  “Anyways, I have to get to Calculus”

“Alright” Stiles said with a short laugh, leaning down as though to kiss her, but she took a small step back.  He looked at her, puzzled.  “What?”

“Let’s just..” (y/n) looked around to see if anyone was watching, and then lowered her voice.  “Keep it casual? When we’re in public?” She asked him.  Stiles leaned back away from her and nodded.

“Yeah… yeah whatever you want” He told her with a forced smile.  She smiled back in silent gratitude, and squeezed his hand before saying bye and walking to class.

He didn’t blame her for not wanting other people to see her sweeter side, and he didn’t blame her now for not wanting them to see her being affectionate with him.  She’d been ogled at and talked about enough.

“I can’t believe that Kira texted me and you didn’t” Lydia hissed when she caught (y/n) in the library, Malia and the kitsune herself standing with her.  (y/n) looked up from her homework with a knowing smile.

“Let me guess,” She sighed.  “You want every detail?”

“Uh, yeah” Lydia replied with her proper amount of sass, setting her things down and taking a seat next to her.  Malia and Kira sitting with them as well.

“I want the details too,” Malia chirped up.  “My life in the sheets is becoming a bore, I’d rather hear about yours than even think about mine” There was silence between the four girls for a moment before (y/n) cleared her throat.

“There’s not a lot to tell… really,” She said.  “I mean, I think we’re dating, sort of, it’s all very unclear, but… it’s nice” Lydia smiled at (y/n), seeing her nonetheless being happy about the situation.  “He’s different than Gabe, I know that’s obvious but… I don’t know.  I genuinely like him”

“That’s good,” Malia nodded with pursed lips.  “Having an emotional attachment will probably improve your sex”

“Okay then,” Lydia said loudly and gave the coyote a pointed look.

“What?” Malia mumbled.  Kira didn’t say anything, but she did stifle her giggling behind her hand.

“I’m so happy for you honey,” Lydia turned back to (y/n) with a sweet smile.  “And Malia’s right” She added in a quieter volume.  (y/n) rolled her eyes but still smiled back at her friend.

“Thank you, I think” She answered.

“Are you going to talk to your parents?” Kira asked.  “Since he’s… your boyfriend?”

“Oh,” (y/n) paused, the thought hadn’t once crossed her mind.  “I don’t know… I guess I didn’t even think of that”

“You don’t have to,” Lydia urged.  “You can, if you want, but no one’s going to fault you if we don’t.  It’s your choice to make completely, and you do what you want-”

“It’s okay, Lydia,” (y/n) said.  “You don’t have to give me the friendship first talk.  I know that it’s a standard… I just don’t know with our lives it is” She shrugged.

“My mom took a while to warm up to Scott” Kira pitched in, but her expression gave away that she instantly regretted mentioning it.  “Not the same thing… sorry”

“It’s really not” Malia mumbled to the girl.  “(y/n’s) parents are psychos, yours are just conservative”

“Guys-” Lydia hissed.

“She’s right,” (y/n) laughed bitterly.  “There’s a good chance they’d hunt down all of you, to be honest.  They are psychopaths, huh?” She looked at Malia, who nodded in absolute agreement.  “So, I guess he’s a secret”

“Oh, it’s like Romeo and Juliet!” Kira said, holding her hands to her heart as she smiled lovingly at the girl.

“They both died in the end” (y/n) commented, but Kira waved a hand dismissively.

“You, a beautiful boxer of grace and mystery!” She went on dramatically, standing from her chair and waving her arms around.  Malia and Lydia shared a bored but not surprised look.  (y/n) on the other hand sat with wide eyes and a confused face.  “And him! A human detective! In a pack of wild card supernaturals! Lead by your parent’s arch enemy, a wolf!”

“Alright, why don’t you sit down before everyone in here hears about the only secret we need you to keep” Lydia suggested, and Kira took her seat again.

“I still think it’s a bit romantic, the enigma of it all” She said finally.

“You think it’s going to be a problem? Eventually?” (y/n) asked seriously.  “I mean… think about it” She visibly deflated the more she thought about it.

“Hey, woah” Lydia leaned towards the girl, setting her hand on her shoulder.  “Don’t think about that, that’s ridiculous.  It’s almost the end of your senior year, whether or not you go off to college, you could get your own place, take over your own life” She said supportively.  “And we’ll all help you out, of course” She added.

(y/n) smiled timidly, appreciating her encouragement.  But she couldn’t help but wonder how long it’ll take her parents to find out the truth.

A few hours later, she caught Stiles and Scott during the hall in passing time, so she quickened her pace to catch up and walk with them.

“Hey, guys,” She called, and both boys turned around and smiled as she caught up to them.

“Well if it isn’t the devil herself,” Scott grinned at Stiles knowingly, who flustered at the comment.  “What’s it like? Dating this guy?”

“In a word? Magical” (y/n) responded sarcastically, fluttering her eyelashes, and clasping her hands together as she looked up at Stiles.  “Oh, prince charming, do tell Scott of our beautiful night together, do tell him of the ecstasies-”

“Okay it’s not funny anymore,” Stiles chuckled, holding a hand over her mouth.  He could tell she was smiling behind it though.

“So far life is full of interviews when it comes to being with him,” She said, taking Stiles’ hand away from her face.  “Right now I’m waiting for random people to start asking me what he’s like in bed-”

“Still not funny” Stiles said, nudging her in the side.  She giggled slightly and Scott smiled at the two.

“I like this,” He said, waving his finger around at the both of them.  “You being a little less kickass and a little more girlfriend material” (y/n) rolled her eyes but still chuckled.

“Alright, I have to get to class now,” She said, smiling up at Stiles before heading off towards her classroom, waving at the both as she left.

“You guys have a weird dynamic,” Scott told Stiles when they were alone.  “But I can tell she really likes you” The pale boy smiled involuntarily, turning to watch (y/n) walking away.

“Yeah,” He sighed with a sort of happiness.  “I really like her too”

(y/n) had met Stiles at his Jeep after school, even though her car was in the lot just a few rows away.

“Hey,” She smiled at him, holding onto the straps of her backpack.  “So, Scott ask a lot of questions?”

“You have no idea,” He replied.  “Lydia?”

“Oh, all three of them” She clarified with a laugh.  “But that’s alright, I expected it” He nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, would’ve been weirder if no one said anything” He said.

“So, I kinda have to talk to you about something…” (y/n) said, voice uneasy as her eyes looked everywhere but him.  “Because that’s what we do, and I think it’s right to bring it up,”

“Are you trying to freak me out?” Stiles asked anxiously, and she laughed softly, shaking her head.

“No, no I just… I don’t think you should meet my parents”

“Okay”

“It’s not anything against you it’s just- wait, okay?” Her mind registered his answer, puzzled why he’d agreed so quickly.  “Really? You’re just fine with that?”

“Sure, if you don’t want me to that’s fine.  I can think of a few reasons on my own as to why” He clicked his tongue as he swiped a finger over his neck, and (y/n) laughed again at his metaphor for death.

“Yeah, that’s pretty much why” She responded.  “I’m glad you’re cool with it though, you get it” He winked at her, which made her cheeks flush pink a bit.

“You need a ride home though?” He asked, and she shook her head.

“No, I drove today so I’ll be good” She answered.  “I’ll see you tomorrow morning?”

“Sure will” he grinned, leaning forward to kiss her cheek swiftly in goodbye.  “Bye (y/n/n)”

She waved, heading off with flushed cheeks and a sweet smile.  This was definitely something that she could get used to.

Stiles went to Scott’s house after school, to catch up and play video games mostly, but the majority of their time was talking about his new relationship.

“Kira said that (y/n) was giddy, actually giddy this morning when they were talking to her about you” Scott said, smirking over at his buddy before going back to the game.  Stiles chuckled almost bashfully.

“Yeah… I think this thing is really gonna work out.  Not like last time,”

“You mean your two week fling with Malia?” Scott laughed, knowing Stiles hated having that brought up.  But at least with Stiles he doesn’t get punched, like Malia often does when it’s mentioned.

“Agh,” He groaned and waved a dismissive hand.  “This is different, it’s real,” He said, and Scott nudged his shoulder against his.  “You know, I think that I’m falling in love with her”

“We know” Scott laughed blatantly.  “Since you actually started being friends, we could tell.  It was kinda obvious, I mean, it was only a matter of time until someone did something”

“You could?” Stiles asked, completely surprised.

“Yeah,” Scott said, laughing again, to the point where he lost the round because he couldn’t focus on the game.  “You two were always around each other, she got close with you before any of us, and that’s saying something, since I think she genuinely hated your guts for a solid two years”

“She didn’t hate me…” Stiles said, but recalled his first encounter with her.  When she told him to fuck off, and he was certain she was going to spit on him.  “She just… wasn’t really my friend yet”

“Ha,” Scott scoffed.  “She hated you, just accept it.  But you know what?”

“How are you going to lift me up from that?” Stiles asked sarcastically.

“I think that she’s falling in love with you.  Really, I think that she is” Scott said when Stiles gave him a disbelieving look.  “She trusts you more than anybody else, and that’s just a fact”

“(y/n’s) friends with all of us” Stiles argued.

“Of course, and she’s great and I love that she’s one of us now” Scott agreed.  “But if she had… let’s say… big news, who would she tell first?”

“Maybe Lydia?” Stiles answered, and Scott shook his head.

“Nope.  She’d go straight to you, I guarantee it” Scott said.  “That’s what I’m saying, she cares about you the absolute most”

Stiles was going to argue, but he couldn’t help the smile that overtook his features instead.  Scott had a point, and he knew all alone (y/n) trusted him entirely.

“I do think I love her” Stiles mumbled after a while, and Scott grinned, clapping his friend on the shoulder.

The boys spent the rest of their night, talking and playing video games, just like the old days, before supernatural issues, before people started dying, and the only problem they had was sucking at lacrosse.  

Stiles almost missed those days, because looking back they did seem easier, but he found himself glad that they were over, and life had changed.  If it wasn’t for Scott getting bit, Lydia becoming a banshee, all the shit that had turned his life upside down.  They would’ve never met Malia, never saved her life.  Allison Argent would have been forced into becoming a hunter, just like (y/n) almost had.  He would never appreciate his life as much as he did now.

“I’m gonna call her” Stiles said, after thinking it all over for a few minutes.  “I’ll try to make it quick”

“Nah, take your time man” Scott replied.

When Stiles pulled his phone out from his pocket, it started ringing.

“Sweet irony,” Stiles said, showing Scott that (y/n) was calling.  The werewolf rolled his eyes and shook his head.  “Hey,” Stiles said when he answered the phone.

“Hey- um-” (y/n) hiccuped into the receiver.  “Could you m-maybe-”

“(y/n)? Are you alright?” Stiles asked when she stuttered over her words.

“Y-yeah could you c-come over? L-like now?” She asked, and he could hear her sniffling.  “I know it’s y-your night with Scott b-but I-”

“It’s fine” Scott said to Stiles, hearing (y/n) clearly through the phone.  “She obviously needs you”

“I’ll be there as fast as I can, okay?” Stiles told her, cutting her off from her slurred rambling.

“O-okay” She almost whispered back.  “C-can you come in through m-my window?”

“Sure, just open it for me, alright?” Stiles waved to Scott as he gathered his things and head out of the house.

“Th-thanks” (y/n) mumbled, and she hung up the phone before Stiles could say anything to her.  He sighed, putting his phone away and driving over.

(y/n) was sat on the edge of her bed, in her pajamas, with tears streaming down her face as she held a pillow tightly against her chest.  Her mental state in complete agony as she silently cried.

It wasn’t until there was a loud thumping, followed by a pained grunt, that she broke from her daze, eyes darting to her window.  Stiles had just pulled himself into her room, and fell onto the floor.  He muttered a string of curses before getting up, and seeing (y/n) with tear stains on her cheeks.

“Oh-oh my God (y/n)-” He scrambled up and rushed over to her, she barely had time to stand before he was wrapping her in his arms.  “What happened? What’s going on?” He asked, but didn’t let go of her.

“They- I’m-”

“Breathe first,” He told her softly, petting her hair slightly as she heaved to get herself under control.

“My parents,” She eventually sighed, and pulled out of his hold.  “They want me to either start training to be one of them, or move out after graduation” She said, looking up at him with big tear filled eyes.  “I just- they-”

“Hey,” Stiles said, cupping her cheeks and making her look at him.  “Look, hey…” He shushed her as her breaths came out in hiccups.  “You’ve got… five months until you’ve got to seriously worry about that” He said, thumbs wiping her cheeks dry.  “And even so, I’ll help you find a great fucking apartment, and to move all of your shit there, and out of this hellhole”

“You will?” She asked, staring adoringly up at him.  He nodded, smiling at her.

“Yeah, of course,” He told her.  “I hate you living here about as much as you hate living here” He told her with a bitter chuckle.  “I’d break you out of here if I could-”

He was cut off by her leaning up on her toes and pressing her lips against his, a soft and quick kiss, but it quietened him nonetheless.  When they parted she smiled at him, blinking away her remaining tears.

“Thanks,” She mumbled, holding his jaw in her hands as she smiled a sad smile at him.  He smiled back and nodded.

“You let me know when you need me to help you out with that, alright?” He asked, and she nodded at him, pecking his lips before wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly.

“I’m glad you came over” She mumbled, shutting her eyes as she buried her face into the crook of his neck.  “Stiles I- I’m just really glad to have you,” She told him.  Stiles chuckled slightly, thinking back to his conversation with Scott earlier.

“You know, Scott was just telling me how I’m your favorite” He told her teasingly, and she even giggled a little bit.

“You want to stay for a while?” She asked him.  “Not overnight, just in case my parents barge in or something, but maybe-”

“Yeah, yeah I don’t mind sneaking out in a few hours” He told her.  She grinned up at him, and crawled back in bed, Stiles following.  “I’ll leave after you fall asleep” He said, and she smiled as he brought the blankets over her.

“That’d be perfect,” She sighed, settling into his arms.  Her eyes already fluttering shut.  “Thanks, Stiles”

“Mhm” He hummed back, hand rubbing her back to try to relax her.  “Try to get some sleep,” He said before yawning.

“G’night” She mumbled, and not long after she fell asleep.

Stiles laid with her for a few hours, making sure to stay up and not get too tired.  After she was long asleep, he carefully slipped out of bed, covering her in her blankets, and crept out the window.

He loved her.  He was certain of that now.  And he couldn’t wait to tell her.

taglist: @theraggedwerewolf @cas-loves-pizza @fox-in-a-mousetrap-8 @lady-winterediting @the-crime-fighting-spider @socially-awkward-nerd @all-alone-he-turns-to-stone @lovelynerdytraveler  @writings-and-stuff @jurassicpork @the-crime-fighting-spiders @black-tights-black-heart @piper-x-lee @kal-pal @catcrown21 @anabundanceoftrash @dylxnob @barryallenplease @loverofwaytoomanythings618 @vibhati123 @spider-mendes

xoxo ~ jordie

[bellamyblinkingrapidly]

Honest Reactions to S8E1 Pt 1. (0-15min or so)

Really just a cathartic way to analyze and reflect on everything that happened.

1. I expected Arya to be more surprised to see Gendry... and the Hound too.

2. Dany is wearing bright white and she stands out from everyone in Winterfell including Jon. Something about her is just so off putting in this episode. She doesn’t belong.

3. Very obvious the trailer was just the first freaking episode basically which we already knew.

4. I hate the way Dang looks too happy about her dragons flying overhead while people scramble and cower. She’s so detached from “her” people.

5. I was satisfied with Jon’s reunion with Bran. I felt like Jon’s confused expression to Brans pretty normal comment of “almost” was maybe a bit forced - like Sansa & Arya both had an oh shit Bran isn’t Bran moment and if they wanted Jon to have one too... it could’ve been something weirder. This did get me wondering about two things though:

A. How much are they expecting us to read into things? Is it presumed/assumed that Sansa/Jon have been exchanging letters? Jon knew about Brans gift and what he saw beyond the wall. Maybe this moment was Jon just remembering that Bran is different now & it wasn’t so much about specifically this one comment. But the letters from Sansa? This leads me to wonder how much we are supposed to assume information has passed between them? Is that why Arya wasn’t surprised to see Gendry or The Hound? Did Jon write about them or the mission or Gendry mentioning Arya? There are so many side conversations that could be happening all the time.... I like this idea of playing into that but that also gets wild. I kind of want to know more what characters actually know sometimes.

B. I feel like we should all be very aware of Brans dialogue this season. He KNOWS things. I think there’s pretty strong evidence (see the end) that when he speaks he doesn’t throw away words and things that may seem meaningless now find meaning when we realize what he was referring to. Jon says “you’re a man” and Bran says “almost.” This could mean a lot. I don’t think it just means Bran doesn’t feel like a man or isn’t that old yet. It could be alluding to the idea that Bran is almost a man but he’s not quite fully human anymore? It could be alluding to some future event or action that will propel Bran into becoming a “man” in the sense of stepping into his role fully or sacrificing or stepping up for others? It could also mean something like him losing his powers and becoming a normal person again... so almost as in in the future.

6. Sansa does look genuinely happy to see Jon but I was struck by how distant we were from them. Much of that reunion isn’t intimate. It’s Sansa carefully watching Dany - as if she has to guard her feelings or she can’t let anyone in her pack turn their back or close their eyes to Dany. (It reminded me a lot of Jon/Dany later in the episode actually which I’ll get to...)

7. “The North is as beautiful as your brother claimed... as are you.” UHM WHAT. I have a lot of thoughts... I was under the impression Jon did not really talk about himself or personal life or family with Dany. We never really see him do that ever. So does this mean he HAS. Or does this mean Dany is making shit up and trying to be courteous? Trying to butter Sansa up with flattery? It’s a little condescending also because while I’m sure Dany likes the compliments she doesn’t want to be known just for her beauty. But ANOTHER THING IS DID JON REALLY SAY THAT SANSA WAS BEAUTIFUL. Imagine. Dany basically says “you’re as beautiful as your brother said you are.” I’m sorry what brother goes into detail about his sisters looks? And also why would Dany bring this up? I think Dany knows Sansa is important to Jon and important to impress - that’s even very clear in the way he presents Dany to her. Does she suspect more? Maybe. She’s a Targaryen after all. It also super struck me that in season one Robert Baratheon compliments Sansa on her looks and it DOES flatter her. She blushes and she’s pleased. She wants to be beautiful. I think now she knows there’s much better things to be than beautiful. She’s not impressed by this compliment, which leads me to...

8. Sansa’s like bitch are you really tryna come to my home and take over the place and rip the crown from my brothers head and steal our independence meanwhile calling yourself a savior not to mention all the past shit your dad did to my dad uncle and grandpa... and you think you can butter me up by telling me I’m pretty? Lol. But also this reaction could totally be like “really Jon?” too. She immediately skips over the niceties. She’s not gonna play like they’re friends or anything. She jumps right into who Dany really is - a conqueror. She says Winterfell is yours because that’s what Dany wants but she hates saying it. It’s almost like “Winterfell is yours” what more do you want? This is the best you’re gonna get from me.

9. NO ONE KNELT!!! I’m so happy no one knelt. Sansa did not kneel. This is SO important. There were so many parallels to season one, and everyone knelt for Robert.

10. Bran is great. He just breaks up the love triangle tension.

11. Lyannas next to Bran like a long lost Stark child lol.

12. Sansa is 100% in charge in this meeting. Love that. She has all the respect.

13. I thought Lyanna might say “bastard.” “It’s not important” it is clear it pains Jon. He hates this.

14. I love that when Jon is insecure he turns to Sansa. She does have that look of “I told you so” but just her looking at him is this show of support when she could just stay looking straight ahead. It shows us they’re on the same team.

15. Sansas look at Dany during Jon’s speech is SO good. “I brought those allies to fight alongside us” but the way Sansa looks at Dany she knows that he’s just brought another enemy to their gates. “I had a choice to keep my crown or protect the North” I think this is so telling of Jon’s motives and what he thinks of the decision Dany gave him. He didn’t bend the knee because he loved her or believed in her - he realized he had to give her what she wanted so she would save his people. And Jon hopes that everyone will see he’s not really meant to have a crown and never wanted it and it’s not that big of a deal (to him) that he doesn’t have it. I think he truly hopes Dany can be a great queen because he sees her as really the only option...

16. I was so shocked Tyrion stood up for Jon. I was a little shocked Sansa did not do the same. She didn’t say anything in support of Jon or against him either.

17. Tyrion’s mention of the Lannister army looks like he either thinks it won’t come or that people will be extremely unhappy to be fighting alongside their enemy.

18. SANSA IS THE ONLY ONE WHO LITERALLY CARES ABOUT FOOD I SWEAR. SHES SO FREAKING PRACTICAL AND EVERYONES MAKING HER JOB SO HARD. I also love that she emphasizes that she did her job. She didn’t mess up - she could not have known they’d bring so many soldiers and also without bringing any supplies. It’s a big stab at them because bringing military help without bringing supplies is actually extremely harmful and weakens the North tremendously. What good are soldiers if no one can eat?

19. What do dragons eat anyway? THIS IS THE MOST CERSEI LIKE MANNERISMS AND OFFHANDED COMMENT FROM SANSA LIKE EVER. I really felt Cersei vibes in this moment from her. She was vicious and sarcastic. Also she says “Whatever they want” and it’s like what the actual fuck. Did you forget when your dragons killed a little girl? I also think this is very telling of Danys perception of herself. She is a dragon & I think she does believe she can do whatever she wants... because of her power which mainly does come from her dragons and because of her “birth right.”

20. The way this scene is shot so suggests a conflict between Dany and Sansa with Jon in the middle. Similar to but it doesn’t have to be a love triangle.

21. Low key in some of the wides is Dany like holding Jon’s hand. I honestly want her to keep her hands to herself all The freaking time pls.

Overall I was very satisfied with the parallels to the very first episode of season one. I did wish sometimes we had longer to explore those parallels

[orangeoctopi7]

Stanswap AU Part 28

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8

Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12

Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16

Part 17 Part 18 Part 19 Part 20

Part 21 Part 22 Part 23 Part 24

Part 25 Part 26 Part 27

Fanfiction.net

And a couple of comics that inspired some things in this chapter.

Chapter 28: A Day on the Town

In the day or so since the government guys had left, things had settled down into what Dipper supposed would be the new normal, now that Stanley was here. Ford mostly stayed down in the portal lab, only coming up occasionally for food. That had actually become the norm over the past month or so. Stan was just exploring the house, although he seemed antsy. He didn’t seem ready to make himself at home just yet, like he was expecting he’d need to bolt any minute now.

Everyone could sense the tension in the house, even Mabel. Dipper had seen her plotting upstairs, with a flowchart and illustrations and everything. And she called him obsessed with planning; this was going to be even worse than what she’d done with Robbie, he could tell. Unfortunately, the boy thought, this was something not even Mabel could fix.

Speaking of Mabel, she came jumping down the stairs with a smile on her face and a notebook in her hand. On that notebook was a list of tv shows and movies, and at the very top, underlined twice, was Ducktective. She screeched to a halt in front of her brother.

“Hey bro, guess what? I figured out what Grunkle Stan needs!” She handed the notebook to Dipper, “I was just thinking how freaked out I’d be if I came back home after spending 30 years in space or wherever and everything was way different, I wouldn’t be able to concentrate on repairing broken family relationships either! So I asked myself, ‘what’s the best way to teach Stan about how the world has changed?’ And at first I was like, ‘The internet!’ but then I remembered that most old people have a hard time with the internet even if they weren’t gone for 30 years, so then I was like ‘TV!’

“So I made a list of all the TV shows that would teach Stan about the present, and I think Ducktective is the best show for the job. The London setting is old-fashioned enough for him to be comfortable with while still using digital-age language and technology. Also, with the themes of family and friendship that run through the whole show, it might subconsciously persuade Stan to make up with Ford! Also also, the season two finale is tonight and they’re marathoning the whole series today so that’ll make it easy to watch and Grenda’s coming over to watch it with us.”

“Uh… ok.” Dipper said simply as his brain processed the word-dump Mabel had just babbled at him. When he actually thought about it, he realized it was a pretty good idea. Stan obviously didn’t want anything to do with Ford right now, but maybe if they took the old conman’s mind off things for a while his emotions would settle down. And watching a show all about unlikely friendships and family couldn’t hurt. “That’s a pretty good idea. Nice job, Mabel!”

They found Stan rummaging around in the kitchen again, which was no surprise, really. Since he’d arrived, he’d spent about 70% of his time in there. A room full of food seemed to be a bit of a novelty for him.

“Hey kids.” Stan greeted them without even taking his head out of the fridge. “Is this peach soda a new fad, or is it some sorta local thing?”

“You mean Pitt Cola?” Dipper asked. “It’s a local thing.”

“Huh. ‘S good.” He guzzled a can of the stuff. The young twins noticed a small pile of empty and crushed cans next to the garbage. “Any other good local foods I should try?”

“Oooh! We should take you to Greasy’s Diner!” Mabel suggested.

Their discussion was interrupted by the arrival of Ford, which was so surprising that they all actually gasped. It wasn’t meal time; they hadn’t been expecting him to emerge from the lab for another few hours.

“Oh, good, you’re all here.” The old scientist said, a cheerful tone failing to mask his nervous posture, like he was psyching himself up to speak in front of a large crowd.

“Are you having an early lunch?” Dipper asked, confused.

“No, I… I was hoping… I was thinking…” He stammered, “it’s about time we got back to our weekly game of Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons.”

“Does this mean you found a way to keep the rift contained?” Dipper asked hopefully.

Ford flinched. “Well, no, not… not yet. I think I’ve made all the progress I can at the moment though. I… I thought it might be good for me to take a break.”

Mabel gasped again. She’d had to nag her Grunkle about taking a break constantly over the summer, and now he was deciding to take a break on his own!? This made her so happy, she didn’t even care that it got in the way of her earlier plan.

The younger twins seemed ecstatic to hear Ford’s proposal, but Stan still hadn’t pulled his head out of the fridge. He was pretending to ignore his brother, until Ford called on him directly.

“Stan, I… I was hoping we could all play together. You know, as a family.”

Stan was quiet for a long time. For a while it looked like he was going to go right on ignoring Ford, until he finally turned away from the fridge, slowly and deliberately. “You want me to play Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons?”

“Yes.” Ford replied, trying very hard to sound confident.

“That ‘game’ that’s more math and statistics than actual gameplay?” Stan continued dryly.

“Er, yes.” The old scientist confirmed, surprised that Stan knew of it. “Have you played before?” He was pretty sure the game had been invented after Stanley’d left home, and he had a hard time imagining his brother playing it on his own.

“Yeah, I was forced to play by some actual Nerd-Lords in Dimension 26*^.” Stan said bitterly. “And I’d rather eat one of those flap-drassin’ 38-sided dice than play it again.”

“O-oh.” Ford stammered. He was momentarily crestfallen, but pulled himself back together quickly. “Well, we don’t have to play that, I’ve got plenty more games in--”

“Nope.” Stan cut him of.

“Bu-wh… you don’t even know what I was going to suggest!” Ford protested.

“Yeah, but I know I don’t wanna play with you, jitata.” Stan glowered as he stomped out of the room.

Ford glared after his brother for a moment before heaving a frustrated sigh and leaving out the opposite door.

“Dipper, go after him!” Mabel pushed her brother towards the door Ford had left through.

“What?”

“This is the first voluntary break he’s taken in over a month! He needs this!” Mabel pleaded. “You go play DDMD with him or whatever it takes to keep him out of the lab for a while, I’ll take care of Grunkle Stan.”

“Narfin Ford, wantin’ to play his narfin games…” Stan grumbled under his breath. He didn’t want to play with his brother. Nope. Not one bit.

He paced around the living room, trying to think of what he could do to blow off some steam. It was weird. He’d been longing for home all these years, but now that he was here, he didn’t know what to do with himself. He hadn’t stayed in one place for more than a month in well over forty years. Of course, he reminded himself forcefully, he wasn’t planning on staying in Ford’s house for more than a few weeks anyway. But after that… the idea that he wasn’t going to leave this world was almost completely foreign to him now.

He should be learning more about this world, about what had changed, about what hadn’t… but he didn’t really know where to start. That and the fear that he wouldn’t like what he saw kept him from leaving the house and exploring the town. Or really do much of anything other than mope restlessly from room to room.

“Hey Grunkle Stan!” Mabel popped up from behind the couch, startling him out of his funk. He instinctively swung his staff at her. Luckily he realized who it was just in time.

“Yeesh kid, don't sneak up on me like that!” he barked. “That's a good way to get whacked upside the head!”

“It's ok.” She waved it off like a near concussion was nothing. “Hey, do you wanna watch the Ducktective marathon with me?” She didn't wait for an answer and immediately pulled him onto the couch.

“Uh, what?” Stan asked blankly.

“It's my favorite TV show!” She said, as if that explained everything. “I can tell you've been major-leauge stressed since you got here. You should sit down and relax for a while.” She sat down on his lap to close the deal.

“Look, uh, Muriel…”

“It's Mabel.” She corrected him cheerfully.

“Sure. Mabel.” Stan repeated, trying to remember her name for later. “I haven't really felt safe sittin’ down and relaxin’ in a long time.”

“But you are safe now.” Mabel assured him.

Stan chuckled wryly. “Yeah, but try telling my brain that.”

He sat there for a beat, waiting for her to get up and let him go. She just stared back up at him.

“You're not gonna move, are ya?” He groaned.

“Nope!” She grinned back.

Stan knew he could easily just stand up and send the girl toppling to the floor, but there was a glint of determination in her eye that told him it would be better not to try.

“Alright, so what's this 'Ducktrucker’ show about?”

Stan was surprised how quickly he was taken in by a cartoon about a duck that solves mysteries, but really, weirder things had caught his attention before. He felt like he'd just started when the doorbell rang, and Mabel got up to invite her friend Grenda in. The big guy from the other day, Soos, also joined them for the premiere of the season finale.

The incredible thing was that Stan was actually enjoying this! He was actually loosening up and joining the conversation with these kids, talking about theories of what would happen, favorite characters and how they’d developed over the course of the show, and jokes that had made him laugh sincerely for the first time in years. Maybe Mabel had known what she was doing, getting him to sit down and relax for a bit.

The finale itself was pretty fun, but listening to everyone's reactions afterwards was even better.

“He had a twin brother all along? That's the big reveal we've all been waiting for?” Mabel asked incredulously.

“What a rip-off!” Grenda yelled.

“The fandom came up with that theory over a year ago.” Soos said.

“Eh, I dunno if I buy it.” Stan said. “Speaking as an actual evil twin here, I wouldn't shoot my brother, I'd just go around disguised as him and make trouble. Y'know, just to mess with him.”

Mabel scoffed and punched Stan in the shoulder playfully. “Pfft, you're not an evil twin!”

Stan put on his best evil grin. “You sure about that, sweet-heart?” The others all laughed.

“Still, it was nice to watch the finale without any distractions or games or family getting in the way.” Soos said. “Can you imagine if like, some paranormal thingum showed up right before the show started?”

Everyone laughed again, relieved that, for once, it had just been a normal, adventure-free day.

Ford came up from the lab the next morning, not even attempting to stifle an enormous yawn. He was exhausted. After an admittedly much needed break playing DDMD with Dipper yesterday, he'd spent the whole night working. Now at long last, the portal was dismantled. After all these years, he could finally sleep without the dread of knowing that monstrosity of a machine was waiting below to swallow the world whole.

No, now he just had to worry about the rift. Which was really just as bad, if not worse. After all these years of working on it, the portal was a danger that Ford knew well. The rift was something he knew very little about. Could it be contained permanently, or would he constantly be working to keep the rift out of Bill’s clutches for the rest of his life?

Oh well, another morning had come, and the world had yet to end. He'd better grab some breakfast, or Mabel would be on his case. Ford wondered idly who he’d find in the kitchen this morning. Stanley emptying to fridge, giving him a contemptuous glare before ignoring him entirely? The kids, planning some sort of workaholic intervention?

It was Stan, idly sipping a cup of coffee and wearing a painfully bright red and gold Hawaiian shirt.

“Stanley, where did you get that?!” Ford asked. Surely he didn't get such an outfit beyond the portal.

“Found it.” Stan replied coolly.

“Just because you're hanging around the house all day doesn't mean you can dress like a street light.”

“I'm not hanging around the house, I'm going into town with Mabel. Think I'll tell her I found this in your closet, too.”

“You're going out?!”

“Yeah, can't stay cooped up in this shack all the time.”

“O-of course not… I just… got the impression you didn't feel ready for such a big step yet.”

“And what makes you think you're an expert on what I feel suddenly!?” Stan snapped.

Ford recoiled, like his brother’s words had physically stung him. “Sorry. I’m actually happy to hear you’re going to get a bit of fresh air, meet some new people.

“What do you care?” Stan grunted sullenly.

“Why is it so hard for you to believe I actually care about you!?” Ford asked in exasperation.

“Aw, gee, could it be the fact that you left me stranded for thirty krutacking years!?”

“Well, I wouldn’t have exactly been saving you if I brought you home just in time for the end of the world!”

“Or maybe it’s the fact that as soon as I got back you recreated one of the worst days of my life and told me to take the kids and go!”

Stanford felt his temper flare. “I will do whatever it takes to protect this family! That may not always match up with what you want, Stanley! Don’t go guilting me for trying to protect you and the kids!”

Stan didn’t seem to have a retort for that. He just left in a huff. Ford found some grim satisfaction in getting the last word, but it was a very hollow victory. The old researcher spent all day cooped up in his lab, wishing he could talk to his brother, and then the moment Ford actually worked up the courage to talk to Stan, it quickly devolved into a shouting match.

“What is wrong with me?” He sighed forlornly, and smacked his head against the kitchen table.

Stan had wanted to leave rather quickly that morning, but Mabel wasn’t bothered. She liked to get an early start on the day. They began their walk into town talking about Stan’s bold fashion choices. Apparently he’d rummaged through Ford’s old clothes and found the brightest, loudest, most over-the-top apparel he could. Mabel assured her Grunkle that it was very chic and fashion-forward. The conversation drifted to Mabel’s love of sweaters and where she got her design ideas from. The young girl found that Stan was a very good listener, always chiming in at the right moment with his own joke or opinion. Their humor and personalities meshed together well.

Once they got into town, Mabel started the grand tour of Gravity Falls, Oregon, hitting all the places where she and Dipper had adventures over the summer.

“Here’s the arcade! Dipper brought one of the games to life with a magic cheat-code!” Mabel said as they entered the darkened building.

“Uh Mabel, I’m pretty sure we had these when I left.” Stans squinted, waiting for his eyes to adjust.

“Yeah, but that was back in the 80’s, when arcades were struggling to maintain relevance in the face of the increasing popularity of home consoles. These days arcades have found a niche market that brings together both oldschool nerdcore gamers and casual nostalgic gamers, both classic standing cabinets and cutting-edge AR.” A voice said to their right.

“Soos!” Mabel exclaimed when she turned and saw her friend holding a plastic toy guitar.

“‘Sup dudes.” Soos greeted them. “I’m here playing Power Chords of Death, how ‘bout you?”

“I’m showing Grunkle Stan around Gravity Falls, so he can see what it’s like living in 2012!” Mabel told him.

“Sweet! You wanna play a modern-day videogame?” Soos asked Stan.

Stan gave him a surprised look. “Really?”

“Yeah, why not?”

“Well I’ve only got one arm, for starters.” Stan said dryly.

“No problem, dude.” Soos assured him. “We got a left-handed controller over here. All you really have to do with your other hand is hit the strummer in time with the beat, so if I just…” He got down on his hands and knees and started messing with the wiring, “...switch this bit from that doohickey… and move this here… oop, almost electrocuted myself! ...There!” he stood back up. “I rigged it so now you can use the foot-pedal from the drum instead of the strummer!”

Stan hadn’t actually been interested in playing (he’d never really cared for video games that weren’t gambling-related) but now that the guy had gone through all this trouble, he felt obligated to play. He was pleasantly surprised anyone would go to such lengths just to include him. He didn't want to seem ungrateful.

“Alright, let’s give it a shot.”

“Oooh, Grunkle Stan, you should play Danger-Lane to Highway Town!” Mabel suggested. “It’s the only song on this game I know all the words to!”

“What? I’ve never even heard of that song!”

“That’s cuz it’s from a movie that came out in ‘86. It’s ok if you don’t know the song, you just have to hit the same colored button as the one on the screen when it reaches the picture of the guitar at the bottom.” Soos explained. “This is a co-op game, so I’ll be playing the notes on the right side of the screen. This game has a thing where if your partner chokes, you can save them.”

“Uh… good?” Choke? What was he talking about? What was there to choke on?

The music started up, and Stan saw the colored buttons start scrolling down the screen. He pressed the corresponding button on the neck of the guitar as it reached the bottom, but nothing seemed to happen.

“You gotta tap your foot in time with the music!” Soos reminded him.

Stan started tapping the pedal Soos had rigged up for him, then looked back at the screen and watched the colored buttons scroll by again. This time, as he pressed the buttons, the toy guitar he was holding started to play music! The same music that was coming out of Soos’s guitar and the game console! Well, almost the same. Stan’s sounded a little distorted, and cut out whenever he missed a button. But he got better as the song went on. All those years of honing his hand-eye coordination with that paddle-ball were finally paying off! Mabel joined in singing once they reached the lyrics.

As they played, arcade-goers began to gather around and watch. It started with just a few, but news that an old, one-armed guy with a scraggly beard and crazy clothes was playing Power Chords of Death spread quickly.

“Whoa, he’s actually not terrible!”

“Look at him go!”

“His adequacy is amazing!”

“I am impressed because he is both old and disabled. But mostly because he’s old.”

“Soos, did you rewire one of my games again!?”

“This is gonna get so many views online.”

They had quite the crowd going by the time the manager threw them out.

They continued on with their tour to the library and the museum and the pool and the local newspaper. In each place Mabel told a story, sometimes assisted by Soos. Stories like putting together an epic sock-puppet show that was crashed by Bill, or the 8 ½ president lost to time, or her first kiss with a merman, or meeting a creepy reporter. In each place Mabel went out of her way to introduce Stan to everyone. And while she was doing this, Stan noticed a few things.

Everyone knew Mabel. A lot of people knew Soos, but they had yet to come across a single person who didn’t know Mabel. And she greeted each and every person like they were an old friend, even if as they walked away Mabel occasionally said something like “That’s Toby Determined. He’s messed up.” or “That’s Bud Gleeful! His son tried to kill us!”

“You kids come here every summer?” Stan asked.

“Nope! This summer is our first time coming here to Gravity Falls!” Mabel replied.

It was incredible how quickly Mabel had endeared herself (or at least introduced herself) to the whole town. Sure, Gravity Falls wasn’t exactly an overpopulated urban center, but it wasn’t the sticks either. They had a mall and a mini golf place, which didn’t really scream rural. The way she seemed to know everyone was an impressive feat.

The other thing Stan noticed was really driven home when they reached the police station.

“This is where me and Dipper broke Grunkle Ford out of jail from the government guys! You remember them! That was the day you got here!” Mabel pointed to the jail excitedly.

“Oh yeah, that was the day I had to throw down those agent dudes!” Soos remembered.

“Wait wait wait, lemme get this straight. You an’ your brother busted Ford outta there while it was crawlin’ with feds single-handed?” Stan asked incredulously.

“Well, we did get some help from Tyler and all the other guys at the bar to keep them from following us while we escaped,” the girl clarified, “But other than that, yeah!”

The look on Stan’s face was not just one of shock, but of a growing dread. This was lost on Mabel.

“One more stop to go!” She led them to Greasy's Diner. That lifted Stan’s spirits immediately. Mabel pointed out some local delicacies on the menu: Lumberflapjacks, beavertail steaks, roadkill ravioli, and of course, the waitress’ special: coffee omelette. Stan ordered the special out of morbid curiosity.

“Hmmm…” He chewed the rubbery omelette thoughtfully, “s’not terrible, once you get past the burnt coffee taste. Woulda killed for one of these when I was lost in the Hailfire Peaks on Raretania 2.”

“If you like it, you should go tell Lazy Susan yourself!” Mabel suggested. “Maybe if you two start talking you’ll get to know each other better! You could even ask her for her number!”

“What, the classy lady over by the cabinet? She seems way out of my league…” Stan trailed off, “Waaaaait a sec, you didn’t bring me here just to try and set me up with some stranger, did you?”

“What? No.” Mabel denied, “I just knew since you like weird local food so much you’d love the diner. And when I saw Susan I remembered she had a crush on Grunkle Ford earlier this summer, but he didn’t reciprocate. So I thought, since you guys look just alike, she might like you too.”

Stan nearly choked on what was left of his omelette.

“Are you ok?” Mabel asked in alarm, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything! I should have just left it alone! Dipper’s right, I do get too involved in other people’s romance!”

Stan thumped his chest with his remaining hand a couple of times and finally swallowed the food down the right tube. “Ha-hack, s’fine, just… just the first time I’ve ever heard of somebody havin’ a crush on Ford. Caught me off-guard.”

Mabel sighed with relief. “Good. So you’ll go talk to her?”

“Nope.” Stan grunted.

“Aw, come on Grunkle Stan!” the girl complained. “I’ve introduced you to half the town, and so far the only person you’ve hit it off with is Soos!”

“Don’t take it personally kid, I don’t plan on gettin’ emotionally attached to anyone in this town. ‘Cept you kids, course.”  The old con man said.

“Grunkle Stan, maybe if you just give some of these people a chance, you’d want to stay here in Gravity Falls.”

“Mabel, this whole town is quelfed!” Stan exclaimed.

“What do you mean?” Mabel asked in confusion.

Her uncle sighed wearily, and took it from the top. “My brother may not think so, but I do realize what a big risk it was to open the portal and bring me back. I know what kind of consequences we’re dealin’ with here. I know Ford’s workin’ on sealin’ that rift, but Bill’s comin’. It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when. And when he does… well, I’m not so worried about you an’ your brother, from what you’ve told me, it sounds like you two are survivors. You’ll find a way to make it together.

“But these townspeople? They barely know up from down! They don’t realize they got monsters running around in the woods, they line up around the block just to get a look at a party thrown by shazbots who won’t even let them in when a ghost is threatenin’ them, and they couldn’t keep my stupid brother locked up for more than a few hours! I thought my only hope was gonna be to fight Bill when I got the chance, but now… now it looks like we’re gonna have to settle for survive.”

“We can still fight Bill!” Mabel insisted. “We’ve beat him before!”

“Yeah, but he keeps on comin’ back. I’ve been lookin’ for a way to beat Bill for good the last twelve years.” Stan paused a moment, debating whether or not he should tell this story.  “You remember that story I told you ‘bout the time I invited Bill an’ my brother into my dream at the same time, and I found out Ford’s portal was operational, but he wasn’t gonna open it? Well, after that, things got weird. Well, weirder. I’d let Bill into my mind, and he wasn’t about to let me forget it. He couldn’t take control of me like a lot of other idiots who’d made a deal with him, but he was in my head day and night, messin’ with me, makin’ me see things. I was already in bad shape, I couldn’t take care of my stump properly by myself, I was still on the run from the royals I’d stolen the star rubies from, and Bill messin’ with my head on top of that wasn’t makin’ things any easier. I would’ve been a goner if it hadn’t been for her.”

“Her?” Mabel asked.

“Some giant space chick called Jheselbraum.” While Stan’s words weren’t exactly reverent, his voice certainly was. His tone softened considerably, and he lowered his gaze as if momentarily lost in a memory. “She’s the nicest person I’ve ever met, if not the nicest person in the multiverse. She swooped in an’ took me to her super-secret lair in the mountains, fixed me up, set me straight about Bill and what the jerk wanted with me an’ my brother, never expectin’ a single thing in return. She even gave me a way to keep Bill outta my head, even if it meant I wouldn’t be able to talk with Ford in my dreams anymore. Honestly, that seemed more like an extra perk at the time.” He leaned over the table towards Mabel and parted the hair at the back of his head, revealing an irregular patch of white. “Put a frellin’ metal plate in my head. See where the hair’s gone weird? That’s from the scar. I started growin’ my hair out to cover it up.

“Anyway, where was I… oh yeah. Once Jheselbraum explained what Bill’s deal was to me, I figured out he was the reason my brother wouldn’t open the portal. It was pretty obvious I’d have to get rid of that monster if I wanted to get home. No Bill, no reason Ford shouldn’t open the portal. So Jheselbraum set me up with a robo-arm, gave me a few pointers on Bill, and sent me on my way.

“Right before I left, she told me I’d see my family again. It took so long, I started wonderin’ if she was messin’ with me the whole time, but… here I am. Never should’ve doubted her.”

“So wait, if you spent all that time looking for a way to beat Bill, you must’ve found some stuff that can help us, right?” Mabel asked hopefully.

The old con man sighed. “It’s hard to learn anything about someone like Bill. Anyone who ever did know anything about him is either on his side, driven insane, or dead. For all those years of searchin’, it seemed like all I ever found was dead ends… until…” He looked around surreptitiously. “Hey, is that cute waitress watchin’ us?”

“No.”

“Anybody else?”

“I don’t think so.”

“That’ll have to do. There a bathroom in this place?”

“Yeah, follow me!” Mabel led her uncle to the restroom. He gave another fruitive glance to make sure no one and nothing was watching, grabbed Mabel by the wrist, and darted through the door.

“Hey! This is the boy’s bathroom! I can’t be in here!” Mabel protested.

“Hey, keep it down!” Stan shushed her as he carefully inspected the bathroom graffiti. He found one that was vaguely triangle-shaped and slapped a square of wet toilet paper over it.

“And I thought Grunkle Ford was paranoid…” Mabel muttered under her breath.

“Ok.” The old man nodded, satisfied that there was no way they were being watched. He twisted the round end of his staff, revealing a hidden compartment. “Feast your eyes on this!”

The end of the staff glowed blue, until Mabel looked directly at it. Then, there was just a plain old chunk of rock. “Uh, this is just a pebble.”

“Not exactly. It’s like some sorta quantum thingy. Like Schrodinger’s Cat or whatever.” Stan explained. Mabel looked at him blankly.

“Uh, when you look at it, it’s normal. When you look away, it’s radioactive and junk..” He tried again.

“Oooooookaaaaaay.” Mabel said slowly. That made slightly more sense.

“So not too long ago, maybe second-to-last dimension I was in before I got back here, I ran into a parallel universe version of Ford, where he somehow managed to fix the portal so it wouldn’t work for Bill with some help from his friend/assistant guy. But Bill still had control of Ford. It was my brother’s dream come true, but he couldn’t even be on the same floor as the portal without that jerk monster taking hold of him. Obviously, they were pretty invested in gettin’ rid of Bill too. So assistant guy and I use the good portal to go lookin’ for some theoretical elements or whatever that could ‘disrupt Bill’s extradimenstional form’ or somethin’ like that. Honestly, a lot of what they were sayin’ went over my head. What I got out of it was we were gonna make a gun to blow up Bill.

“Anyway, me an’ the assistant guy went to some super-bizarro-paradox world where we found this.” He gestured with his stump to the plain looking rock sitting in the hidden compartment of his staff. “We were in the middle of arguing over what to call it when his parallel/bizarro version showed up an’ he had to split. The jerk left me behind! Luckily I already had my own resources for dimension-hopping by then, but still! I’d wanted to talk to them about what they’d done to fix the portal and pass it on to my Ford somehow, but I never got the chance. So I had a piece of quantum junk that might be the key to beatin’ Bill, and no idea what to do with it.

“But in the end, none of it mattered. I showed up here maybe a week later. Turns out I didn’t have to fight Bill to get home. I’ll just have to fight him if I want it to stay home. And so far, I’m not likin’ the looks of my allies.” He said gravely as he closed the compartment in his staff.

“Hmm…” Mabel was deep in thought. “This assistant guy… did he have a really big nose, talk like a crazy robot-obsessed Colonel Sanders, and play the banjo?”

“Uh, yes to the first two, not sure about the last one.”

“That must have been parallel McGucket! Maybe he and Grunkle Ford can figure out what their parallel versions were gonna do with it!” Mabel suggested.

Stan grumbled. “I was afraid you were gonna say somethin’ like that.”

Mabel took his hand gently. “Grunkle Stan, I know you’re really mad at your brother right now, but you both wanna stop Bill and protect your family, right?”

“...Yeah.” Stan huffed.

“And the best way to do that is to work together, right?”

“Alright, I get it! That doesn’t mean I gotta like it. Now come on, let’s get outta here.” He climbed on top of the toilet and opened the window.

“Why are you trying to climb out the window?” Mabel asked.

“I don’t have any money to pay for lunch, do you?”

It was nice and cool in the shade of the forest as they walked home that afternoon.

“Thanks for today, kiddo. I feel a lot better gettin’ that all off my chest.” Stan thanked the young girl skipping beside him. “Sorry to dump all that on you, though.”

“Pch, that’s what family’s for, dum-dum!” Mabel pushed him playfully.

“Eh…” the old man shrugged. “Oh, hey, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t repeat any of that to Ford or your brother. It’s kinda… personal.”

Mabel made an exaggerated face of thinking it over. “Ok, but only if you promise you’ll tell them yourself!”

“Yeah, sure, I promise. Whatever.”

Stanley had to be going soft. He actually felt bad for lying to her like that.

[wordsinwinters]

Then Again, P16  Peter Parker x Reader

Hello, everyone! I’m still rushing with finals, so this note is short: I just wanted to thank all of you guys for being so wonderful and liking, reblogging, and replying to this fic! It honestly means the world - enough that during all of this stress, the only thing I’ve wanted to do is post this and hear your responses 💕💕💕 That being said, I hope there aren’t too many typos from the rushed editing.  Let me know what you think! (P.S. This is super dumb but while I love being validated by hearing that you guys like the writing, I get so super excited when you guys tell me about your reactions - like how you feel about the characters or which parts made you upset or happy or things like that. I hope that makes sense. Just a side-comment 😉 Okay, I need to finish this now, yikes!)

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

Then Again, Part 16

Words: (1,682)

An alarm is blaring, shocking me out of sleep like freezing water. I scramble to sit up without thinking. My eyes flash open to an empty bed.

I’m alone, the blanket neatly laid over me. She-?

Alarm still ringing, I rush to the other side of the bed and pick up her phone. The screen reads, “Wake up now for an extra hour of studying!”

I hit the off button and set it back down.

Jesus. It’s like my entire body has been jumpstarted. I pause a minute to steady myself and absorb my surroundings.

The room is only barely beginning to glow with sunlight, everything still faint. Water’s running in the bathroom and the light under the door hazy. Oh. She’s in the shower. Realizing a more (or less, I should say) awkward detail, I silently say a prayer of thanks: she must’ve gotten up recently and luckily, there’s nothing, um, going on, you know, downstairs like most mornings.

That’s an enormous bullet dodged. Well… maybe not enormous.

My hands go to my hair, last night now rushing my memories like countless images and sensations condensed into a thousand bouncy balls all thudding down a staircase in my brain. All my senses are tripping over themselves trying to remember. The lying next to her, the trying to hold her hand, her - maybe awake? - cuddling me, being able to feel all of my stress from the last week melt away, and even the limbo of tipping slowly over the edge of sleep with my arms around her, holding her, and wanting to never actually fall asleep - instead exist in that moment for as long as humanly possible. If I hadn’t’ve kept pinching myself to make sure it was real (and, you know, maybe to stay awake a little bit longer), I might have thought it was all another one of those dreams again.

I have to text Ned.

This all seems crazier with the sun coming up. Just the smell of coffee sneaking in from under the hallway door is like an adrenaline shot to the face. I roll back over to my side of the bed and grab my phone from the floor where I left it last night. Next to it is my retainer case. Oh yeah. I take those out before I start typing. 

“Ned”

Whoosh.

“Ned”

Whoosh.

“Ned”

Whoosh.

“Ned”

Whoosh.

“Ned”

Whoosh.

“Ned”

Whoosh.

I set the phone on the bed. He probably isn’t up yet. I should calm down first. Yeah, calm down first. I take in a deep breath. Slowly, I let it out. I bring my hands to my hair, ready to pull it out. Just be patient. It could be a while. 

Ding!

Nearly leaping out of my skin, I try to snatch my phone back up - but I knock it across the bed and scramble for it like a dog with a toy. Even when I pick it up, I drop it again. Shit, Peter. Chill out.

I fumble to pick the phone up again. This time, it sticks.

“Ned: what happened last night????”

“Dude its hard to explain I just woke up but let me try it might take a minute to type.”

Whoosh.

I start typing about how she did what she always does to MJ but this time it was with me last night and I’m wondering if it’d be weird to talk about how it felt to cuddle a girl like that or if I even should, you know, since it’s her and maybe she wouldn’t want me to tell anyone if she even remembers it, but then I realize that situation itself doesn’t make sense without going back to the actual fight but I really really really don’t even want to think about that right now. I’m trying to resist the urge to grab a pillow and shove my face into it. Then again, I can’t do that without remembering how she used me as her pillow only a few hours ago and how I need to remind myself that, like she said with MJ, it doesn’t mean anything. I wish it did though. God I wish it did. I mean, it did for me. Shit, I’m in so deep - this is such a mess.

The typing bubbles start on Ned’s side for a moment. Then they stop. Shit, I’m supposed to be typing. Then I hear a door in the hallway open and close. There’s a soft tap on my door.

Of course, duh, that’s way smarter. I don’t know why I didn’t just walk over in the first place.

I flip out of the bed and rush to the door. I swing it open to reveal Ned’s face.

“So?” he whispers, eyes wide, going up on his tiptoes to see around me and into the room.

Where do I begin?

“Dude,” I start, “It’s crazy. She’s in the shower, so I don’t know how long I can talk, but-”

“And you’re not in there with her?” Ned says, mock-surprised.

“Ned! That’s not funny- so, so, so not funny. Why would you say that? I have enough to think about and that’s, that’s just not cool!”

Ned stifles his laughter and puts his hands up, one covering his mouth for a half-second.

“Okay, I get it, I get it. That’s inappropriate. My bad. Go on.”

“I-I-I don’t know. We had this really serious fight and I was just- just such a dick. Like thinking about it right now, I want to punch myself in the face-”

“Do it.”

Again, Ned’s trying not to laugh, which only makes my brain scatter more. I’m suddenly aware that my hands are shaking and flying as I speak.

“- and like we worked some stuff out sort of- well, no, we yelled about stuff, but I think we can talk about it today! And make it better, you know? Conflict resolution stuff. Anyway, I left for a while - sorry about not answering you, but you did totally ignore me knocking on the door so I don’t feel that bad - and I was on the roof thinking it all over and I realized everything I’ve been freaking out about wasn’t even that bad! I’m gonna have to call Aunt May soon, but I don’t want to talk to her while Y/N’s in the shower just in case she comes out. And then I was trying to warm up and just use some of the blanket and she just- just sort of… and I-”

“What did you do, Peter?” Ned asks, now serious. “Peter, what did you do?”

Ned’s leaning forward, his eyes now less amused and more concerned. I stumble for a second shaking my head, then step around him just to check that there isn’t anyone in the hallway. I keep one hand on the doorframe and stay half in and half out of the room while I sputter out an answer.

“I didn’t do anything! And I don’t know if that’s wrong given the situation because, I mean, but I did kind of, a little bit, try to wake her up? She muttered something, like ‘shut up’ and I thought she might be awake but now I’m thinking probably not-”

“Peter!” Ned cuts me off.

I take a breath, still shaking, trying to steady myself against the doorframe. Why is this so hard to say out loud?

“We,” I start again. “We sort of cuddled all night by accident -”

“Accident? You don’t just accidentally-”

The water cuts off.

We freeze. Ned and I both whip our heads toward the inside of the room, mouths still half open. I look back at Ned who might as well be mirroring my panic because he seems stunned too. The shower curtain’s scraping against the bar. I flinch.

Time to do this. It’s cool. It’ll be fine. You’re Spider-Man.

“You gotta go!” I whisper, hands flailing.

Ned nods rapidly and turns to his and MJ’s door.

“Wait!” I grab his arm. “Can you bring me a shirt, please?”

Ned slides his card in the other door and looks at me, torn between laughter and pity.

“MJ said I’m not allowed to. She said she’ll bring you your clothes when you deserve them.”

My hands go to my hair again. I really think I might pull all of it out.

Just be cool. I swivel back and rush to the bed. I sit on it. That’s weird. I stand up. That’s weirder. Should I lay back down and pretend to be waking up? No, of course not. Why would you do that?

I hear a bag unzipping. I really wish I had anything besides swim trunks to wear.

I can taste my mouth. Ugh. I open the mini fridge and grab a water bottle. There’s floss on the dresser by the window, I remember Ned leaving it there.

As quickly as I can, I floss, throw out the string, ball up some more and swish it in my mouth with water. That’s a lot of mint going almost nowhere. It’s not great but it isn’t like I can barge into the bathroom for my toothbrush. I spit it into the trash can - or try to; it sticks to my bottom lip and I nearly panic as I tear it off with my fingers and throw it away.

Just be cool, Peter. You don’t have to freak out. You just… have to find a way to apologize that makes up for leaving one of your best friends to cry here alone and spend the eve of a big competition sad and probably hating you completely.

Shit. Shit shit shit shit shit.

I feel like such an ass, waiting for her without a shirt. It sounds like a dick move Flash would do to someone. And he’s the worst.

I turn around to the bed and grab at the sheet, tugging until it comes off, knocking pillows onto the floor at the same time. I wrap it around my shoulders and sit at the foot of the bed. There. That’s probably less weird. I shake my shoulders loose and try to be natural, putting my hands in my lap.

The doorknob turns.

Oh, God.

Part 17

Next chapter: Friday, December 8*

*Hopefully.

Tag List: If you’d like to be tagged in upcoming chapters, send me a(n) ask/message or reply to this post!

P.S. Good luck with finals, everyone!

P.P.S. If you guys ever want to reblog this fic but don’t want to reblog chapters (since they’re so long): feel free to reblog the masterlist I have linked in my bio 😉

Tagged: 

@breebree1198 @idontlooklikereginageorge @stumb1ing @bit-bot0711 @giggle-nova @justthatshortlittlenerd @jriles124 @avzuzu @5-seconds-of-sarcasmm  @melonmochi  @britdiandra @gotnotfeature @theconscientiouswriter @happysynonym @the-redthread @strangerwesley @i-love-superhero @livluvspiderboy @ohgloryy @nicunt @pxrrished @shugr12110629 @realitykilledtheteen @look-how-far-i-come @beardedsteveslut @abigail-1998 @thehanneloner @lionfart @tmrhollandkay @evanhansenisahufflepuff @tryn25 @slythergirlimagines @twentyjuanpancakes @hollandorks @peterparkerismybeing @littlekay15 @caitlyn-blackwell @hi-mishamigos @anxiousteengeek @twentychemicalpanics @profmmcgonagall @eversweet-imagines @tom-newsie-holland @thisisthetragicstoryofme @augurydemon @girl-tips-from-satan @spideymood @daisy-john @siriuspadfoot14 @debiwolf-t @casual-vaporwave @just-useless-things @swimmeranxiety @dangerousluv1 

If I missed anyone or if your tag is having trouble, please let me know :)

[thecitrinefox]

Well it’s no sexy Marie Curie but...

(sterekweek day 3, meet cute with a side of halloween and scenestealer I guess, since it’s inspired by a buffy episode. 2.7k, brief language. also imagine stiles’ outfit like hoechin’s from everybody wants some, basically)

Derek is pissed.

“Somebody has to go check on the Nemeton, Derek. Don’t worry Beacon Hills has been quiet lately anyways, Derek,” Derek snarks as he stomps to his car. “No self respecting supernatural creature would start shit on Halloween anyways, Derek. What bullshit.”

The thing is, Derek loves Halloween. Usually. He has a not so secret sweet tooth and an excuse to eat all the candy he likes. He can let his fangs drop and flash his eyes all night and all anyone does is ask where he got his special contact lenses. He can be truly himself and not get treated like a freak, and he loves it. The problem is that even though the Hales moved out of Beacon Hills years ago after Kate Argent had burned their house down, they’re still responsible for the territory. Which means checking in on the dreaded Nemeton every so often, to make sure it hasn’t awoken, and also see if any unauthorized supernatural nasties have moved in while they weren’t looking. This year, Derek drew the short straw, and this year his mom had insisted he do the Beacon Hills check-in on Halloween.

Things had been going okay for most of the day. Derek had run the town’s perimeter in the morning and smelled nothing out of the ordinary, even in the preserve. He’d visited the Nemeton, and there had been a few leaves sprouting out of it, which he’d thought was a bit odd, but he didn’t feel anything unusual from it when he’d pressed his hand to its trunk, so he’d just snapped a few pics with his phone and texted them to his mother and moved on. He’d spent the afternoon criss-crossing the town proper. He’d driven past the high school, walked around downtown. He ate lunch at the local diner that he was pleased to see was still there, and grinned at kids of varying ages he’d started to see out and about in costumes. He forced himself to go stop by the old Hale House, and it’d been sad to see the house he’d grown up in in ashes, but even that wasn’t enough to ruin his day.

When the sun has gone down and Halloween revelers start showing up around town he lets himself shift. Not fully, just fangs and eyes. He’d discovered if he does a full beta shift people have a tendency to just reach out and touch his face, wanting to feel the ‘prosthetics’, and considering the amount of people who squeeze his biceps or pat his chest without permission these days he doesn’t like giving them extra reason to touch. But it feels good to let his eyes glow and let his fangs out as he goes about his evening and have nobody even bat an eye. He hands some candy out to kids as he passes them, even scares a couple by letting his beta shift through, although their heartbeats tell him they’re more thrilled by the change than actually terrified, and he’s heading back to his car trying to decide if he wants to do one last sweep of the town or just drive back to the new Hale estate early when things change.

It’s nine pm on the dot when a breeze rolls through the town and Derek feels all of his hair stand on end. If he wasn’t partially shifted already he thinks he would have done so automatically and he stops in the middle of the sidewalk, looking around. He doesn’t see anything at first, just trick or treaters walking around, some older kids and adults in costumes clearly headed to or from parties, but then suddenly it seems like the crowds start getting a little chaotic.

At first Derek thinks maybe people are getting rowdier now that it’s later. There aren’t so many little kids out and about anymore and people have probably started drinking, but then he notices people are acting...odd. A guy dressed in a pirate costume talking like a pirate to him is regular Halloween behavior. A woman covered in what looks and smells like real cat fur with real cat ears running past him on all fours is weird, but it could be weirder, Derek guesses. But then he sees a couple people up ahead dressed as a Waterbender and a Firebender, and they seem to actually be manipulating water and fire in the air between their hands, no practical tricks as far as Derek can see, hear or smell, and well, it’s beginning to feel like something is truly up. But it’s when a girl dressed up as Supergirl literally flies by overhead that Derek begins to panic a little.

It’s a spell, it must be, he thinks, as he hurries back to his car, muttering to himself irritably and cursing his mom for picking him this year. People seem to universally be turning into their costumes, and the firefighters he passed were clearly harmless, he can’t resist a shudder when he sees an actual Minion run down the street. Derek gets into his car and carefully maneuvers down the street, trying to avoid hitting any confused pedestrians. He thinks about calling his Alpha, but his mom will want to come down, and if it’s something he can fix on his own, he thinks he should. Laura already teases him enough for constantly checking in with Talia about decisions he makes. He’ll start with the Nemeton, he decides, turning off main street and heading towards the Preserve.

He almost misses it when he’s just turned around a curve and a college aged guy in short shorts and a crop top darts out into the road, the reflectors on his blue and orange striped running shoes giving Derek just enough of a warning to slam on the brakes.

“Hey, I’m walking here,” the guy shouts, flipping Derek off.

“Well maybe you should walk somewhere that’s not right in front of a speeding car,” Derek shouts back at him out the window.

“Jackass,” the kid mutters under his breath, probably unaware Derek can hear him. The guy keeps walking across the street, then stops dead, turning back towards Derek’s car.

“Wait, you can see me?” the guy asks incredulously.

“Uh, yeah,” Derek scoffs.

“Damn, finally,” the guy says. “I wonder if it’s a werewolf thing.”

“I’m sorry, what?” Derek says, jerking back. He forces himself not to shift fully human. It’s supposed to be a costume, he reminds himself.

“Being able to see me,” the guy clarifies. He reaches out, and Derek can’t duck back fast enough before the guy’s hand is waving right through his face. It feels strange, although weirdly it feels slightly warm, not cold like he might’ve anticipated. “I’m a fucking ghost, and you’re the first person to be able to see me all night.”

“I can’t normally see ghosts,” Derek says.

“Well I’m not a real ghost,” the guy says, rolling his eyes. “I was wearing a ghost costume so…”

“You turned into what you were wearing, just like everyone else,” Derek finishes. He eyes the guy’s clothing somewhat dubiously. Up close there is a lot of pale skin on display, dotted with beauty marks, the guy’s arms and stomach practically glowing in the moonlight. “Sorry, what kind of ghost are you supposed to be?”

“How about you pull over into a parking spot before someone gets mad at you for clogging up the road,” the guy says, gesturing toward a spot just up the street. “Also I know he won’t be able to see me but I half feel like my dad is about to show up in his cruiser and bust me for solicitation dressed like this and leaning in your car window.”

“What,” Derek says dumbly.

“My dad’s the Sheriff,” the guy says. “Thankfully he was just wearing his uniform tonight. I stopped by the station to check, so it seems like he and all his deputies are all still just cops. Go on, go park, I’ll follow you.”

Derek doesn’t have any better idea, so he pulls up into one of the metered spots ahead, turning the Camaro off and getting out of it. The guy jogs up behind him, and very carefully leans against Derek’s car next to him, seeming very pleased with himself when he doesn’t just fall through it. He’s got soft brown hair, and an upturned nose and Derek doesn’t know what’s more obscene, the outfit he’s wearing or the way he licks his pouty lips nervously.

“It was kind of a dare,” the guy says, looking vaguely embarrassed, gesturing down towards his outfit. “I accidentally got suckered into a conversation with my friend Lydia about ‘sexy’ Halloween costumes and gender equality. Anyways long story short, I briefly blacked out and agreed to wear something as revealing as whatever Lydia was planning on wearing in the name of feminism. Lydia gave me this, like, seventies exercise outfit including booty shorts, a crop top and knee high socks, and I was like ‘hell yeah’, but then when I put it on I panicked, and cut some eye holes in sheet and put that over my costume, because being a ghost is way less terrifyingly revealing, and uh, ta da. Now I’m a slutty ghost from the seventies. Not that being slutty is a bad thing, as Lydia would probably say. God, she’s out there somewhere dressed as sexy Marie Curie, I wonder what that’s like. I’m Stiles by the way. Stilinski. I’d shake your hand but well...”

“Right,” Derek says, feeling overwhelmed.

“Anyways, you’re like, a real werewolf, right,” Stiles says. “It doesn’t just look like you turned into a werewolf costume’s idea of werewolf, those eyes are the real deal. Oh shit, you’re a Hale. Too gorgeous to exist, dark hair, sexy car, you’re here on one of your family’s semi-annual ‘I’m sure Beacon Hills is fine without us’ trips.”

“Who are you?” Derek asks.

“I’m Stiles Stilinski,” Stiles says, slowly and looking at Derek like he might be dumb. “I told you like a minute ago. The Sheriff’s son?”

“I know that much, yes,” Derek says. “But how do you know this stuff?”

“Dude, you think things in Beacon Hills have just been naturally quiet for the past few years? Beacon Hills? I mean, you did grow up here, right, you remember what that was like? You think having less peace-keeping werewolves about just magically made the town less nuts?” Stiles scoffs. “Look, things were maybe semi-normal for a year or two after the Hales booked it, after that hunter tried to fry you guys, but then word got around that Beacon Hills was up for grabs and things went sideways. You guys weren’t around and so the rest of us had to get with it real quick to keep Beacon Hills from getting completely overrun.”

“Who’s the ‘rest of us’ and why didn’t anybody contact my family if you knew what we were and things were happening here?” Derek asks.

“Um, I mean it took me a while to figure out you guys were werewolves, and honestly we weren’t exactly sure how your mom, the uh, Alpha right, would react to what was going on,” Stiles says, scratching at his chin nervously. There are beauty marks on the side of his face and down his long slender neck as well and Derek can’t help but stare. “I’m a spark, my friend Scott got bit by this total asshole Alpha, so he’s a werewolf. Lydia is a banshee...hey do you think she screamed when I ‘died’ tonight?”

“How did we not know about any of this?” Derek asks.

“Well we’ve had things pretty well under control for a while now,” Stiles says. “And my dad put an APB out on your whole family, so generally we lie low when any Hales roll into town. Like I said, we know it’s technically your territory so we were a little worried you guys might try to kick our merry band of misfit supernaturals out if you knew what we were up to. I think your uncle Peter knows, but he’s kind of an asshole, so I’m not surprised he didn’t tell your mom.”

“Jesus,” Derek mutters. He’s trying to wrap his brain around the revelations of the night, but honestly he can freak out about it later, they have a more immediate problem on hand. “So do you have any idea what’s going on tonight? Halloween is traditionally pretty quiet, supernatural-wise.”

“Oh, that ummmmmmmm,” Stiles says sheepishly. “So a couple of months ago I may have pissed off this witch? A little? I tend not to notice when people are hitting on me, and I may have been a little rude about her behavior because I thought she was trying to get some kind of magical favor out of me.”

“Stiles,” Derek huffs, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“To be fair though, the last couple spells she threw at us weren’t exactly harmful,” Stiles says. “It’s more along the lines of pranks than anything, so I’m guessing while it’s kinda weird everyone has turned into their costumes, I don’t think anyone will get hurt as a result of it. It’ll probably wear off by midnight. Like we could try to find her and make her reverse it, but by the time we do it’ll probably all be over anyways.”

“Well I guess it’s true I haven’t seen anyone get hurt or heard any real screaming,” Derek admits. Stiles raises an eyebrow smugly and Derek just rolls his eyes in response. “Okay I’ll let it drop, but one scent of blood and we’re tracking down that witch. And tomorrow you’ll make nice with her so this doesn’t happen again.”

“Deal,” Stiles says. “So I suppose that means you’ll be leaving Beacon Hills again?”

“I was only supposed to be here for a day,” Derek says. “But at the very least I should stick around long enough to meet the rest of your pack, and make sure things get settled with that witch.”

“Yeah and we have a few hours to kill before the spell probably ends,” Stiles says with a grin. “I’d invite you to my favorite burger joint for some boozy milkshakes but god only knows what the waitstaff was dressed up as, better not risk it. And it’s not like I could drink it right now anyways.”

“We may not have a house here any more but we still have a pretty nice loft downtown,” Derek says. “It’s stocked with a decent bar, if you’re really after a drink and willing to wait for it.”

“Why Mr Hale,” Stiles says, stretching one arm behind his head as he leans back against Derek’s car. “Are you inviting me home with you?”

“If that’s something you’d be interested in,” Derek says. He lets his gaze wander up Stiles’ bare legs, pausing heatedly at the wide swathe of bare skin between his shorts and the crop top above it, dark hair leading from Stiles’ bellybutton down under his waistband. Movement catches Derek’s eye and he looks up in time to see Stiles slowly lick his lips, a blush crossing his face.

“I suppose spending some time at your place wouldn’t be so bad, if I have to wait a few more hours until I can...touch things again,” Stiles says finally. “Let’s go.”

It’s merely the logistics of Stiles being unable to open the door himself that has Derek darting over to open the passenger side door of his camaro for Stiles, but Stiles still smirks at him anyways. He slips past Derek, their faces only inches away, and it’s some kind of torture, Derek thinks to be this close and literally unable to bridge the distance and just touch Stiles, but he closes the car door behind Stiles and gets into the driver’s seat to drive them both over to the loft. A few hours, he thinks, trying to ignore how Stiles is luxuriously sprawled out in the seat beside him. Stiles is smirking. Of course he is.

When he hits a red light, Derek quickly pulls his phone out and shoots a quick text to his mother.

Need to follow up on a few things here in BH.

May be here a while.

[foreverrosaliesbitch]

Prompt list

please take note NONE OF THESE ARE MINE i’ve only taken a few from random blogs around tumblr so i dont own any of these prompts im juts browwowing them and using them if anyone had a problem with that please message me privatly. 

secondly when requestting using the prompts plase include 

1. pairing eg. Jasperxoc EmmettxRosaliexchildoc 

2. the prompt number eg. C.127 and b.12 (note plese refrain from using any more than 3 prompts per request but feel free to request different ideas as many time as you like)

note there are 3 seprate prompt list A, B and c so when reqeusting add what letter A.6 C.89

_______________________________________________________________________

PROMPT LIST A

1.     “Well, what can I say? I’m a badass.” 

2.     “Define normal.” 

3.     “Do I get bonus points if I act like I care?” 

4.     “Just remember if we get caught, you’re deaf and I don’t speak English.” 

5.     “Don’t look for any redeeming qualities. I don’t have any.” 

6.     “It’s amazing how fast the world can go from bad to total shit storm.” 

7.     “I love you. You enormously stubborn pain in the ass.” 

8.     “Remind me to kill you. Please.” 

9.     “I’m listening to you. I’m just not paying attention.” 

10.   “That’s a little melodramatic, don’t you think?” 

11.   “Were you dropped on your head?” 

12.   “She’s crazy. And just when you think you’ve reached the bottom of her craziness, there’s a crazy underground garage.” 

13.   “She may seem like lollipops and rainbows but I bet behind close doors she’s latex and whips.” 

14.   “Sorry. I don’t speak skank.” 

15.   “If I survive, can I go home?” 

16.   “My middle finger salutes you.” 

17.   “This is a whole new level of moronic, even for you.” 

18.   “I don’t have enough middle fingers to let you know how I feel.” 

19.   “Insanity run in my family. It practically gallops.” 

20.   “Somebody’s cranky.” “Somebody needs to shut up.” 

21.   “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn.” 

22.   “All due respect, but that’s a bunch of crap.” 

23.   “I am one of the few people in the world who can murder you and leave no forensic evidence behind.” 

24.   “What did I tell you about calling her/him the devil?” “That it’s offensive to the devil?” 

25.   “I heard that!” “You were supposed to!” 

26.   “I need therapy after this.” 

27.   “You didn’t get in trouble for lying. You got in trouble for lying badly.” 

28.   “I turned out liking you a lot more that I originally planned.” 

29.   “I think you’re weird.” “I think you’re boring.” 

30.   “You seem somewhat familiar. Have I threatened you before?” 

31.   “I’m afraid I’ve been thinking…” “A dangerous pastime.” 

32.   “I’d explain it to you, but you’re brain would explode.” 

33.   “Wow, there’s a big surprise. I think I’m going to have a heart attack and die from surprise.” 

34.   “I’m gonna hit you so hard, it’ll make you ancestors dizzy.” 

35.   “Even when we were kids, I always kicked your ass!” 

36.   “Sarcasm is the body’s natural reaction to stupidity.” 

37.   “You’re good. A monster pain in the ass… but you’re good.” 

38.   “Well, excuse me, psychic wonder!” 

39.   “Do I regret it? Yes. Would I do it again? Probably.” 

40.   “I already know that I’m going to hell. At this point it’s really go big or go home.” 

41.   “What’s the point in screaming? No one’s listening anyway.” 

42.   “I’m not a damsel in distress. I’m a damsel doing damage.” 

43.   “So stick that in your juice box and suck it.” 

44.   “Never take life seriously. No one ever comes out alive anyway.” 

45.   “This place hold a lot of memories for me. Some bad, some… No. No, no, all bad.”

46.   “You’re insane, but you might also be brilliant.” 

47.   “What you call insanity, I call inspiration.” 

48.   “Sometimes I question my sanity. Occasionally it replies.” 

49.   “Why should we date?” “Because we are attracted to each other.” “I am attracted to pie, but I do not feel the need to date pie.” 

50.   “Why does everyone assume the worst of me.” “It saves time.” 

51.   “I like you. You’re different.” 

52.   “Neither one us is drunk enough for this conversation.” 

53.   “You’re questioning my methods.” “I’m not questioning it, I’m saying it’s stupid.” 

54.   “I didn’t do it!” “Then why are you laughing?” “Because whoever did it is a freaking genius.” 

55.   “You couldn’t handle me even if I came with instructions.” 

56.   “I care so little, I almost passed out.” 

57.   “Well behaved woman rarely make history.” 

58.   “You’re so weird.” “You have no idea.” 

59.   “The universe may not always play fair, but at least it’s got a hell of a sense of humor.” 

60.   “You haven’t even seen my bad side yet.” 

61.   “Obviously you have mistaken me for somebody who gives a shit.” 

62.   “Rule number one: don’t bother sucking up. I already hate you, that’s not going to change.” 

63.   “Damn, you’re strong for a little thing.” 

64.   “It’s called thinking. Go with it.” 

65.   “Where have you been all my life?” “Hiding from you.” 

66.   “The girl is strange no question.” 

67.   “Do us a favor… I know it’s difficult for you… but please, stay here, and try no to do anything… stupid.” 

68.   “I know most people don’t like me; I don’t care, I don’t like most people.” 

69.   “You are a very strange person.” “Well, thanks for noticing.” 

70.   “I can tell that you think what you’re saying is funny, but… no.”

71.   “I didn’t steal it. I permanently borrowed it.” 

72.   “If you pull out my earphones, I will pull out your lungs.”

73.   “I don’t dislike you, I nothing you.” 

74.   “Ah, he’s playing hard-to-get. That’s cute.” 

75.   “I feel like a freakin’ soccer mom.” 

76.   “My advice is much more subtle. Stop being an ass.” 

77.   “I’m just gonna pack up and go straight to hell now.” 

78.   “My ex? Yeah, I’d still hit that. Except this time it would be with a car or baseball bat.” 

79.   “She’s complicated like the DaVinci code, you know but harder to crack.” 

80.   “And just like everything else we do around here, it’s about to get weirder.” 

81.   “And hello to you too… little homewrecker.” 

82.   “I don’t need anger management. I need people to stop pissing me off.” 

83.   “This is fun.” “Seriously, we’re trying to hide a body.” 

84.   “That’s starting to get annoying”

85. “Hey,     hey, calm down. They can’t hurt you anymore.”

PROMPT LIST B

“You     can’t just sit there all day.”

“I’m     too sober for this.”

“You’re seriously like a man-child.”

“You     can’t banish me! This is my bed too!”

“The     ladies love a guy who’s good with kids.”

“She’s     hiding behind the sofa.”

“I lost     our baby.”

“They’re     so cute when they’re asleep.”

“Good     thing I didn’t ask for your opinion.”

“What’s     the matter, sweetie?”

“You’re     Satan.”

“I     don’t want to hear your excuse. You can’t just give me wet-willies.”

“I’m     bulletproof…but please, don’t shoot me.”

“Did     you just hiss at me?”

“I swear, I’m not crazy!!!”

“The     diamond in your engagement ring is fake.”

“How is my wife more badass than me?”

“Be     you. No one else can.”

“I     haven’t slept in ages.”

“I     locked the keys in the car.”

“Are     you sure that’s the decision you want to make?”

“Why can’t you appreciate my sense of     humor?”

“The     kids, they ambushed me.”

“Sorry     isn’t going to help when I kick your ass!!!”

“Stop     being so cute.”

“I feel     like I can’t breathe.”

“You     need to see a doctor.”

PROMPT LIST C

“I was   a joke, baby. I swear.”

“Dogs  don’t wear clothes!”

“I  didn’t think you could get any less romantic…”

“Safety  first. What are you? FIVE?”

“This   is girl talk, so leave.”

“Where  am I going? Crazy. Wanna come?”

“There’s  a herd of them!”

“Do you  think I’m scared of a woman?”

“I’m late.”

“Just     get home as soon as possible, okay?!”

“You     smell like a wet dog.”

“I     could punch you right now.”

“Are     you going to talk to me?”

“Welcome     back. Now fucking help me.”

“If you     can’t sleep…we could have sex?”

“I don’t want you to stop.”

“How     could I ever forget about you?”

“You’re     bleeding all over my carpet.”

“Run     for it!”

“We     need to talk.”

“Not     everyone is out to get you. Stop thinking that. It’s annoying.”

“I want     a pet.”

“Just     smile, I really need to see you smile right now.”

“I’m     not wearing a dress.”

“I’m     not wearing a tie.”

“Quit     beating me up!”

“Please     put your penis away.”

“It’s a     Texas thing.”

“Don’t     argue. Just do it.”

“I hope     I’m never stuck with you on a deserted island.”

“Does     he know about the baby?”

“Hold     still.”

“Enough with the sass!”

“Show     me what’s behind your back.”

“Oh honey, I’d never be jealous of you.”

“I’m     telling you. I’m haunted.”

“I had     a bad dream again.”

“I love you, please don’t go.”

“Stay     here tonight.”

“Please     don’t walk out of that door.”

“I     thought things were going great.”

“Don’t     you love me?”

“You     make every day worth living.”

“I’ll     keep you warm.”

“I’m     never letting you go.”

“You     meant too much to me.”

“I     won’t let you.”

“How     could you ask me that?”

“Don’t     you trust me?”

“I     won’t let anyone hurt you, you’re safe with me.”

“You     look amazing tonight.”

“Shouldn’t     you be with him/her?”

“I’ve     got you.”

“I     can’t sleep, can I stay here?”

“It’s     late.  Shouldn’t you be asleep?”

“How     are you feeling today?”

“You     look amazing tonight.”

“We’ll     figure this out.”

“This     isn’t goodbye.”

“What’s     cookin’ good lookin’?”

“Wanna     go grab a drink?”

“What     the hell were you thinking?!”

“Here,     let me help you.”

“Kiss     me.”

“I care     about you.”

“You     could have warned me!”

“That     was unexpected.”

“You     haven’t lost me.”

“Why     are you doing this?”

“Don’t     cry.”

“Please     don’t do this.”

“You     make me feel safe.”

“You’ve     shown me what love can feel like.”

“Thank     you, for everything.”

“All I     wanted was for you to be happy.”

“I     can’t do this on my own.”

“I     wasn’t lying when I said that I loved you.”

“Don’t     be afraid.”

“You’re     always on my mind.”

“You     have no idea how much I want you right now.”

“You’ve     always felt like home.”

“I     can’t imagine this world without you.”

“You     make me feel alive.”

“I     wouldn’t change a thing about you.”

“Who     cares about what they think?”

“Let’s     go.”

“I’m     not going anywhere.”

“Tell     me what’s wrong.”

“You’ve     always got me.”

“I’ve     waited for this moment for a long time.”

“Is     this okay?”

“You     look like you could use a hug.”

“Did     you need something?”

“Do you     have a ride home?”

“I am     home.”

“What     happened back there?”

“That’s     not gonna happen.”

“Why     me?”

“I’m     right where I belong.”

“Fine.”

“What     do you want me to say?”

“After     everything we’ve been through, you still don’t think that I love you?”

“You’ve     been drinking tonight, haven’t you?”

“You     need sleep.”

“Excuse     me?”

“What     are you doing?”

“What     did you expect?”

“You’re     not alone.”

“We’re     meant for each other.”

“You’re     worth it.”

“I     don’t care what anyone else thinks.”

“I’ve     always been honest with you.”

“It’s     cold, you should take my jacket.”

“Just     breathe, okay?”

“When     I’m with you, I’m happy.”

“Going     somewhere?”

“Don’t     lie to me.”

“Don’t     be scared, I’m right here.”

“You’re     so adorable.”

“I’m     better, now that you’re here.”

“I     could never forget you.”

“Forget     it.”

“That’s     in the past.”

“You     make me happy.”

“You’re     more than that.”

“I     won’t lose you too.”

“Come     cuddle.”

“Can’t     you stay a little longer?”

“It’s     not that easy.”

“I’ve     had enough.”

“I fell     in love with you, not them.”

“You’re     the only one I wanna wake up next to.”

“It     wasn’t your fault.”

“You     love me as if I deserve you.”

“This     isn’t what it looks like.”

“I     didn’t know you could dance like that!”

“I     found it in the recycling bin.”

“I know     what I want, when I want it. So get over here.”

“This     is… exactly what it looks like.”

“There’s     so much blood.”

“You     should see me in my old uniform. I’m pretty sure it still fits.”

“I know     you really want to hang it on the wall, but…”

“We bet and you lost, so you have to do     it.”

“Is     that a tattoo?”

“I     could tell it was your favorite book because of all the notes you wrote in     the margins.” 

“What     do you think?  Is purple my color?”

“That     is way too expensive.” 

“Girls     night in?”

“I     never imagined myself in a wedding dress.”

“I was     scared and I ran.”

“I’m     yours, in every way you’ll have me.”

“You might not like me, but you     definitely want me.”

“I want     to hike up your skirt and take you right here.”

“I love you. I just love her more.”

“A     package arrived for you, but there’s no return address and the box looks     really old.”

“If I     die, I’m going to haunt you.”

“I     didn’t say “sex party” as in orgy.  I said “hex party” as in     witches.”

“You     wanted me to walk in on you.”

“This     is a totally inappropriate soundtrack.”

“Let’s     get wasted and then go piss on his grave.”

“I     scalped my Hamilton tickets to pay for it.”

“Hold     my hand until it’s over?”

“If you     want to get me naked, you’ll have to convince me it’ll be worth my time.”

“I’m a     level 72 Rogue and if you tell anyone, I’ll deny it and I will kill you.”

[originaldetectivesheep]

A Life of Riley Part 1 - The Problem With Grinckles ch 4

Chapter 3

IV

At least it was still almost warm out; at least the sun was out and it was almost warm.  That was the good part – that was as good as it got. Because if I had been freezing, or drenched in cold rain, while I was standing waist deep in this goddamned ornamental puddle between the new dorms east of the arts quad, my legs covered in duct tape to keep any more grinckle spines from stabbing me in the shins and my third-best Boca Juniors shirt rapidly declining towards being my fifth-best Boca shirt on account of the sweat and swamp water and fish slime, waving a net around while Wilson yelled and pointed to spots where I should throw more of our groundbait and getting stared at by shocked and disgusted hippies, that would have been too much, and I would have given up on this grinckle garbage and moved to Antarctica or something.  As it was it was still sort of endurable. Kind of.

"Leo!  Left! Left!  Ten o'clock!"  I turned, eyes on the water, and saw the flash of red that Wilson was yelling about.  I crushed a bread ball in my left hand and scattered it on the water over the fish; the grinckle turned and popped up for the bait, and I shifted my grip to stab in under with the net, swiping it up and out of the water in a flurry of putrid spray and dangerously stabby spines sticking through the webbing.

"Got it!  Got another one!  One second!"  I turned the handle of the net over and over, getting the bag with the squirming, spasming grickle secured so that it didn't jump out while I was getting my glove on. We'd lost a couple on the first pond before I got this down, but after three hours of fish hunting on six pools, I had it down to a science.  I flexed my hand inside the thrift-store oven mitt to make sure of the grip, then started turning the net back to open it up again.

"What are you doing?  That fish is out of the water!  You're torturing it!  That's awful!  I can't believe this!  What kind of ethical researchers are you?"  I made sure I had a grip on the fish before I looked up, dorsal spines dug into the cotton not where my hand was, its menacing tail flap flap flapping  against the side of the glove; Wilson was backed up from someone blonde and distraught in designer jeans and dreadlocks down to the backs of her knees, trying to guard the fish bucket.

"Hey lady, you're going to torture it more if you don't let me throw it to Wilson up there so he can tag it.  Bug off, science in progress." I waved the fish at her, trying to wave her away.

She turned and looked at me.  "Is that an oven mitt? Is that duct tape?  What do you mean, 'tag'?"  She was distracted, so I sidearmed the fish past her to Wilson, who caught it bare-handed; he'd grown up having to watch out and not get knifed by fish, so he could do stuff like this without worrying about the spines.  "You – you can't – you can't just throw animals like a baseball!"

She was screaming at me, so Wilson could go on with his work; he balanced the fish expertly on a knee, punched with his biopsy punch through the webbing of the dorsal fin to collect the sample, then slid the sampled grinckle into the bucket with the rest of them with a splash. He knelt down to open up the sample case to collect and document the core we'd taken from this fish; our heckler turned around at the splash, and I had to chip in to distract her while we got the data collected.

"Sure we can; we just did.  And now that we did, and got our scientific data, the fish is back in the water with the other ones we've tagged, just like it would have been half a minute sooner if you didn't stick your nose in.  Good job.  Super productive."  I did a golf clap that of course didn't sound like anything because I was doing it with an oven mitt against a fishing net pole.

The hippie's nose ring wrinkled up, and she shot a look at our bucket. "That's – that's inhumane too – that's six, seven, seven big fish in just a half-full tupperware bucket.  You can't do this – you can't do this to the earth!  Born free!  Born free!" She must have been into crossfit or something, because she was deceptively strong for her size – strong enough to pick up our forty-liter bucket, full of grinckles and pond water, and throw it out at me.  And that sucker traveled – it rotated in the air, getting a lot of the weight out in a shower of fish and a plume of pond slime that instantly grabbed everyone's attention all around the quad and was probably going to blow up on Twitter in about a minute and a half, and I dove into the water to get away from it, but the bucket itself splashed down a good ten yards past me.

"Born free!  Born free!  BORN FREE!!" She was screaming her lungs out, and Wilson was balled up on the ground, curled up in the fetal position to protect our data.  I pushed myself up out of the water, soaked and stinking and now getting cold as the water dripped off me, and just looked at her; deprived of active resistance, she eventually got herself collected together, gave us the finger, and walked off to bother someone else, mission accomplished.  I felt myself over to make sure I hadn't gotten stabbed again while I was underwater, and hiked myself up to go wade out after the bucket.

Wilson was sitting up by the time I dragged the bucket back to the shore, checking over the data  with a grease pencil, shaking his head.  I thumped the tub up on the grass and sat down next to him.  "Let's just call time on this pond," I said.  "We're short samples, but seven's almost up to what we were looking for, and it'd take us all night to catch another three fish that we hadn't caught yet.  Let's go somewhere else and see if we can't finish another pond or two before dark.  Freaking hippies, man."  I shook my head, scattering the last of the water out.

Wilson nodded, opening up his backpack and tucking the data sheet back inside.  "Yes.  I agree.  It's more important to cover more places lightly than fewer with depth, this point in the investigation."  He shook his head.  "And we need to go fast, and not make a disturbance.  I thought I understood women from this country, but –"

"Yeah, like I'm saying, man; freaking hippies.  But it's not that bad – when we get to that lake behind Pettingill Hall, we're going to have to watch out, there's frat houses over that way.  This chick at least had a reason for wrecking our bucket here, even if it was a dumb and bad reason; some of those frat bros will throw you in the water just to be a dick."  I stood up, pulling out my phone.  "I'll text Yuping and ask which of the ponds near here we should hit next – or did you have something spotted?"  I thumbed open our map and swiped it to zoom in, finding where we were and looking around for pins from the rest of the team.

Wilson had his phone up landscape, braced on his knees, splitscreening between the map and a spreadsheet.  "I think the best is to go from here to the Facilities pond next to the sand depot – it is only a couple hundred meters, and Remy has it 'not confirmed'; I think we fish there, for half an hour, and if we don't find a fish, then we can set a border.  Unless Yuping has something he hasn't pinned yet; I will text him and check."  He flipped the spreadsheet out of the way and popped up Messenger.

"Sounds like a plan," I said.  "I'll pick up the bucket and crap and start moving; we'll want to get going that way anyway, since –" My phone buzzed in my hand, and I looked down to a text from Remy:

> yo dude can I call you real quick?

This was weird.  What the hell did Remy want to talk about by voice instead of texting like a normal person?  I poked his icon and swiped over to call him, bringing the phone up to my ear.  "Yo, Remy, it's Leo, what up?"

"Hey, yeah, I know it's weird but dude, I dunno how to explain this.  It would be hard by text and if I just sent you the pictures cold you wouldn't know what the hell was going on.  Lemme take a second and think about this."

"What? What's going on?  Remy, where are you at?"

"I'm on the road – I'm over on the side of one of those access roads on West Campus, the roads through the woods around the tennis courts and the incinerator complex and all those little ponds out there.  One sec, lemme drop a pin and it'll pop on the map."  There was a rustle in the phone as Remy moved it around to check himself in, and I put the phone on speaker so that I could look at the map and see what the hell was going on.

"Okay, so I'm out on these roads out here, and dogg, you are not going to believe this even after I send you the pictures, but there are fish, like that grinckle fish you guys are hunting, squished in the road like roadkill."  I caught a notification in our group chat, probably those pictures he mentioned.  Wilson would have got it too, but he was ignoring his own phone, stood up and leaned over mine, staring into the map and Remy's mic-crinkled voice through the speaker.

"So someone dropped a fish," I said, "I don't know that that makes it a thing; these grinckles flop around and fight like hell once you grab them, and if you fill up a bucket too high, they might get out.  I know the people fishing for them aren't doing it for trophies and don't want to let their food get away, usually, but –"

"No, Leo, Leo, this is serious.  It's not one fish.  It's, like three fish, three or four fish each time, and this place I'm posted up on is like the third one of these places that I've come across.  It's like these fish are like crossing the road and getting run over.  I didn't pin it before because I didn't know what the hell was up but dude, it's wack.  It's mad wack – can you like come over here and have Wilson take a look at this because I don't know what the hell is up with this fish biology, man."  There was a note of almost panic in his voice, and I took a deep breath.  This was still just fish.  This was still just weird fish, and Remy was overreacting and seeing things, and it wasn't going to get any weirder.

"All right," I said, "we'll come over and check it out.  I can see your pin – can you pin where you took the other pictures?"

"Like I said, I didn't pin when I shot them, but I left geotagging on, so I should be able to import them into the map that way.  Give me a sec while I get that set up."

"No problem," I said, "you can do it while we're coming over. It'll probably be about fifteen minutes – we had kind of an accident with some hippies and I'm covered in pond water, so we'll have to walk instead of taking the bus."

"Gotcha," Remy answered.  "You'll probably see the map buzz in a couple minutes.  And watch out – this shit's weird enough without you go and drag water fights with hippies into it.  Catch you in a few." The grinckles themselves were weird enough without you bringing in them getting allegedly roadkilled, I wanted to say, but that wouldn't've been productive and Remy'd already hung up anyway. I lumped the bucket up onto my shoulder and checked the map for the way we'd have to get going towards Remy's pin.

I had the bucket with all our stuff to manage, and Wilson was dialed in on his phone, tracking the pins as Remy put them in and swapping around between apps like he was onto something, so Remy saw us before we saw him, coming up on where he was, him and his bike at the side of the road on a gentle curve covered in fallen leaves.  He waved, and the motion got my attention, and I picked up the pace to get over, thunking the bucket down at his feet.  "Hey, good to see you guys; sup Leo, sup Wilson."  Remy had his hand out and shook like he always did.  "This is where it's at – you see the pictures?  The last ones was from right here."  He pointed out ahead of us onto the curve: onto the splashes of red scales in the orange leaves, the smears of stinking guts and solid, knobbly backbones that hadn't gotten crushed under whatever's wheels.  I hadn't seen the pictures – too much stuff to carry – but just looking at this, it was pretty easy to see how Remy got the idea that the fish were being roadkilled.  There wasn't a whole lot else that could explain something like this.

I took a few steps out onto the road, looking and listening around for traffic.  Wilson didn't follow; he was staring driven at his phone, fingers hammering madly at the glass.  "It's… yeah, Remy, sorry I doubted you.  The spray of these fish… it's like they were just in this one line across the road, and that's where they got ran over.  It looks weird as hell, but I don't know what else it could be.  I don't know how this even happens, or what it is, but shit, you're right.  Fish roadkill.  What the hell."

"This corner is a corner because of two ponds," Wilson said behind me, a nervous energy in his voice like he'd cracked the case.  "One of them, on the inside, is marked by Yuping as a big good fish pond; there are three students who have caught at least three fish from there.  The one on the outside is 'no fish' – three different students have fished there and found nothing, but not in the last week.  These fish were killed this morning, perhaps only as long ago as last night – the guts would not be this solid if it was older. It is the same with the other two sites – they are a shortest distance between ponds with different levels of noted fish presence. If there are fish in the road, it is that someone is moving them – probably from ponds of many fish to ponds of fewer fish."

I spun around, punching a fist into an open hand.  "Of course!  If this was a dump, they probably wouldn't want to draw attention to themselves seeding every stupid pond on campus with these things – they'd use like a septic truck and barf it out the hose into a couple ponds, maybe one full truck per pond, only however as many as they could fit in one night.  But they don't want to give themselves away with a mass fish kill either, so they'd have to thin them out – like with gill nets and put it on a trailer on a Bobcat to drag the extras around to other ponds, spread them thin so that they'll melt off and we won't have nine hundred dudes doing a fishing derby on one pond to attract attention."  I paced along the road, thinking.

"If they moved fish as late as over last night, they might still need to move more fish – and if we can catch them doing it, we can find out who's behind this and then Remy can just put them in a crossface chokehold or something and we can get the whole story out of them that way instead of having to genetically analyze any more grinckles."  I looked up.  "Wilson, you've been on your phone – are there any more gaps where they might move fish into ponds that don't have them yet?"

Wilson smiled, holding up his phone with a false-colored map on the face. "Way ahead of you, Leo.  I have already mapped out the distribution space: we had to to set the parameters.  And on the way over, I found some other shortest points: there are six more spots, I think, that we might find the same dead fish, if not now or tomorrow."

Remy leaned over, looking at the spots in Wilson's perimeter.  "Yeah – yeah, I get that.  I was past a couple of those, though, and I didn't see no dead fish there – not yet."  He looked over at me.  "So what – are we gonna do a stakeout?"

I shook my head.  "There's three of us – I'm not counting Yuping, Riley's not gonna let him out of the lab – and six maybe-crossings.  We can watch half of them in person, max, and there's no telling if they're even gonna go tonight, or not till next week.  There's a smarter way to do this – but I'm gonna need to bring in someone else.  Is that ok?"  I felt bad about asking sight-unseen like this, but if I mentioned that it was Sajitha I needed to bring in, Remy's tongue would be flapping out behind him like a '30s cartoon wolf, and if I mentioned her by name I'd also have to tell Wilson that she was in the Applied Physics lab.  He'd get over it, though; to the extent that he had a type, as far as I could remember, Sajitha was Exactly It, and he'd be too busy showing off to her to worry about what she might or might not be telling Riley about what was going on.

As it turned out, I was worried for nothing.  Remy shrugged.  "Do what you like, man.  This is your deal, dogg, I don't care who spots me in, just as long as I can drop a naeryeo on this fish burglar's head when we find'em."  He mimed pulling his knee up to start the axe kick.

Wilson nodded with folded arms.  "As long as it is not Riley you need to ask, I am fine."

I nodded back.  "Yeah, no worries.  I've got a friend who works a desk in Facilities – lemme text her real quick, I'm pretty sure she can lend us some infrared motion cameras."  Remy's face was already making the connection to Sajitha's job, while Wilson hadn't met her yet and was looking at him confused; I slid that problem over to the side for the future, and went back to my pocket for my phone.

Chapter 5

[chromemuffin]

Shoukoku no Altair Liveblog (Chapter 17)

Altair’s covers will never stop being lovely. What...is Mahmut wearing, though? This time it’s distinctly European (from where, I have no clue), but as always has the fluffy sleeves and billowing cloth going on (with the addition of lots and lots of lace). I guess it goes since the narrative is following stuff the Empire is doing across the continent. Or, the cover designs are random.

Anyway, we were just escaping a certain shitstorm when very ominous ships spied our main characters who are floating on a tiny little boat.

Chapter 17: City of the Sea

Oooh, we get to meet this guy in volume 4! 

We also seem to be moving to lands far away from home. Looks like a European town of some sort.

I do love that his symbol is a salamander/lizard.

While the new guy (he hasn’t been named yet, but I think this is Abiriga?) has a wasp. Interesting.

Looking spiffy. I love the color palette too. Wonder which country you come from...? I am terrible at guessing based on the clothes alone.

Suleyman! And Katerina! I just...love...how huge her wingspan is. so majestic.

New guy who looks very, very menacing.

This is such a wonderful page, I kind of wish I didn’t have the volume cover as the main picture here haha.

So did Iskander recover? That looks like him...sort of. I LOVE the detail on the wings and tail feathers, plumage is difficult to draw correctly. If anything, the middle row of feathers should be a bit thicker toward the body (yes I stared at pictures of eagle wings for 5 minutes to figure this out).

Anyway. Hello, Venedik ship. I TOLD YOU LAST CHAPTER YOU’D BETTER NOT RECOGNIZE MAHMUT. Damn, did that play about his escapades travel this far or does everyone he freaking meet go on to describe him in great physical detail to everyone else on the continent?

We’ve also got Kyros’s full name. And apparently their arrival by tiny boat was expected.

Maybe you should listen. It’s been a while since you got stabbed, and you’re still DRIPPING blood. Listen to the guy, c’mon, I think he knows a thing or two about injuries.

I have definitely missed all of Mahmut’s serious expressions in my absence. Seriously though, bleeding everywhere.

Maybe...

we can just blame this hysterical outburst on the massive blood loss. just a little. (those stains are never coming off the deck btw)

YOU SHOULD LISTEN TO YOUR HELPFUL RESPONSIBLE COMPANION.

Heey it’s the cool guy from the back cover.

Ah, poor Mahmut, he can barely hold on.

Aaand he’s out.

This Brega guy is very chill.

And we get to find out this guy’s name! Okay, so I’ve seen it around as Abiriga (instead of this early translation of Abliga), so I guess I’ll go with that. I know I’m super inconsistent with these names, but I can’t remember the general consensus since I’ve been away from so long and just go with what’s in the manga at the moment. Abliga sounds...much weirder than Abiriga though, so I’ll go with the updated one.

Ok cool drawing of his pen and bandaged hand BUT: it’s now ‘carpet’ month. lol...these random names for the months.

Like I said, Mahmut, you were half delirious from blood loss. They probably just let it slide.

also. he brought his book of poetry with him. :3

This is Abiriga’s room, right? I love all the little details crammed into this one tiny space.

Like owner, like bird. Or like bird, like owner.

wow Kyros. I wonder if it’s intentional. It’s equally likely to be a mistranslation on that “even”.

Is this supposed to be ‘hopping in excitement’?

I think this guy joins them later. If so, he (along with Kyros) will bring some well needed cheer to the group.

STUNNING. It’s so much better when I don’t have to shrink it but it’s so wonderful. Even the design on the ship’s side (hull?) has little bands of light to show how it’s shining in the light.

NEW MAHMUT EXPRESSION: ACQUIRED.

And thanks to Kyros, we even have a name for it this time instead of making 20 guesses. Gawking Mahmut. Gotta admit, he looks very different without his hair in his face. Also, my love for Kyros grows. I love his quips. People will think you’re a country bumpkin. Well, they wouldn’t be wrong. More like, he was born in a desert and seeing so many places with WATER EVERYWHERE might be a bit cool. Maybe.

lol he even warns that he’s going to get ripped off if he keeps acting like a tourist (which happened when he was still in his own country, mind you).

More lovely architecture.

Okay, one. That was a little rude. You definitely knew he was demoted beforehand.

But I can’t be too mad because you’re also likely to be the only one who will consistently be up-to-date with Mahmut’s rank. Like, everyone keeps calling him a pasha when he isn’t anymore.

Even though they’re talking about deception, this is one amazingly upfront political talk here. He didn’t even try to deny it lol. He could have lied and said it took time to mobilize their fleet or they were delayed or something. Instead he just admits: yup, we sailed all the way out and just sat there, no we didn’t intend on helping.

GLAD TO KNOW NONE OF YOU CAN KEEP YOUR HEADS IN FRAGILE POLITICAL SITUATIONS. We need a new team member. Mahmut’s not very...scream-y normally, but he says a lot of things he probably shouldn’t in front of meetings of people with power.

Ah, yes, Mahmut, that’s good. Redirect to more reasonable topics.

Welcome to the real world, guys. I guess this would be more of a business thing with politics, as opposed to the near declaration of war in the first few chapters.

I put these out of order because it fits. He even looks so, so young (and lost, in disbelief) here. Nothing like having what little faith you had in humanity get crushed in an instant, huh.

Ah, I like that Mahmut is at least trying to come up with reasonable things to say. He really wants to comment on the guy’s loyalty as a supposedly good friend of Constantinos, but he’s sort of learned his lesson on that already and shuts up to ask about logical consequences.

So, so ironically, Mahmut is the one who is advertised as the one seeking peace, but all he can think about is going to war. Because to him, there is no other option as much as he hates war. It’s either war or surrender, no in between. I’m assuming Antonio, if it comes down to it, will want to do the same thing the kaesar wanted to do and surrender.

Ah, so both options are up in the air for them.

WHY. YOU WERE DOING SO GOOD. He’s not a pasha anymore.

...are we to assume that bottom panel is how he pictured Mahmut. because.

Anyway, oh the irony.

And all I see is a young man who leaps before he thinks. He’s just...your decision making part of your brain doesn’t develop fully until the early 20s. 

I think it’s mainly pride and loyalty toward’s one’s country motivating him to go to war as the first option, though. That was Constantinos’s downfall, too.

But, so far it seems that one has to give in this environment. You can’t have peace, not go to war, and keep your pride as a country against the invading Empire.

lol so Mahmut is the type to curl up with himself and Iskander and mope/brood, Kyros takes it out on the nearest stone statue. xD

They seemed oddly upfront back there, though.

lol

They literally do not know how this city works. It’s based off Venice, so.

lol it’s Mahmut’s turn to make the funny faces. This is a very Shara face. I kinda miss her.

You are so chill, it’s nice. Hopefully you stay that way.

I also really love his design, like everyone in this manga lol. I like how everyone is quite unique in design without being too outlandish.

Oh! And that’s the end of the chapter. That was a good one. Ah, I wonder what troubles they will run into this time...

← back・onward →

[steve0discusses]

Yugioh S3 Ep 10: Tristan is Now a Robot Monkey

Been a hot minute since I did a Wednesday update...in fact, I may have never done a Wednesday update so like...may as well, right? What better time to discuss a Yugioh?

Last we left off, times have truly fallen for the Yugi team in the wake of Tristan’s death, who died because he backseated too much during a card game and thus was tossed into a pool of lava as a result. Which is a moral standpoint I stand behind 100%.

In this episode, Serenity has progressed from “ ✿*✫ I am a hot mess!!! ✫*✿ “ and now has turned into “ ✿*✫ I am no longer participating!!! ✫*✿ ”

And now Serenity will skip like I feel what was 8 turns. She just kind of sobs in the corner and Duke does all the dueling. Kinda like Yugi and Pharaoh in Season 1.

So Duke finally gets to play a normal game, I guess. Like this is just 1-on-1 and it should have been fine? Honestly, this show just really wanted to dump on Duke. He works alongside Pegasus youknow? The boss from Season 1? But while the show definitely wanted him to appear to lose, although it doesn’t make sense to me, at the same time they wanted to show how extra cool the Yugioh spinoff game is.

What makes this even weirder is that one of you guys mentioned that apparently this card didn’t come out until way after it aired on the show, but like I have no idea where to check that to see the exact date. But ya, it is basically what it looks like--they took the board game and just pasted it on a twisty filter. You can tell where they wanted to put their effort and it wasn't on this glorified box.

(read more under the cut)

Noah’s still around casting shade every so often from his shade-casting chair.

And, remarkably, Noah just straight up doesn’t know what robots are?? He goes off about how sad and pathetic it is that Nezbitt thinks he’s a robot and it’s like...Noah...You’re in a VR world, my dude.

Then I’ll have you know Steve-o just went on a rant about how, since our entire non-blimp cast has all been turned into AI floating in a computer, maybe, they’re all hypothetically robots right now. And, the only difference between the core cast and these ghosts is that our core cast with bodies on the other side have the ability to leave. And then Bro and I got into a way deep discussion where I was like “no you cannot BE a robot if your body still exists connected to yourself somewhere else” and he went down that well of “what is a body but a machine” and y’all we never came to a consensus of whether or not being an AI makes you suddenly not even human anymore.

It got way too deep for Yugioh because in actuality, this is what was happening on screen.

At this point our A team has caught up with our C team, and as typical, they’re all smiles and cheers when it’s like...y’all just walked in on a funeral. Again. (In Yugi’s case, for the second time in 6 hours.)

Ah, it took Joey and only Joey to convince Serenity to stop freaking the hell out. Feels like Serenity likes to freak out and roll into a little protective ball the moment something scary happens and Joey isn’t around. Not sure how this girl has survived the last 7 years their parents have been separated, she is so dependent on Joey.

Suddenly makes a lot more sense why he’s friends with Yugi, who freaks out a lot less than he used to, but still freaks out...kind of a lot. Joey just thinks this behavior is normal, I guess.

RIP the deadline to remember to cry about Bakura before it’s just way too late to even address it.

The AUDACITY of this show right now. 

Thing is...as I type this I’ve been thinking, the way that Bakura died was in the same Shadow Realm that made the memories of Mai’s friends disappear from her mind...so maybe Bakura has vanished from theirs?

I mean, that would be very convenient for the show and it would also explain how it is episode 10 and the power of friendship troupe still hasn’t discussed it.

But, then again, Yugi clearly remembered that Bakura died in a flashback in the first episode so like...I don’t know anymore. At least I get to mourn the loss of Bakura.

It’s gonna be really awkward when they all get magically reunited/reincarnated and Bakura realizes no one bothered to tell his parents he was even freakin dead.

And then, while Yugi’s off being completely rude, he does this.

The robot did not let Joey participate and that was the only reason he didn’t jump down there to “save” Duke Devlin, who has been playing for years longer than Joey has even known about these cards. Duke Devlin, who has engineered the very card he is using right now.

Anyway, Serenity is spurred on by her brother’s encouragement, as well as her card mascot basically telling her what to do, and they all win. Which they could have done a few turns earlier, if Serenity wasn’t like...12.

It would have been a good moment for Duke to realize that this girls he likes is a little girl and that little girls are unprepared for an actual mature relationship, and that maybe she only likes the attention of having two guys like her at once. But, in reality, she shuts down when this fun love triangle turns into people actually getting hurt. I say that with very high hopes because I’m gonna assume that after all of this nonsense, he’s going to go right back to robbing that cradle.

JK, no one wins.

So I have a list of everyone who’s died in it’s own post so I can keep track of all the numbers, and Bro and I had to really do some debating about how many times Tristan has died, since after Bakura killed him by turning him to a card, then Tristan was sent to the Graveyard and sort of double-died. In my mind that should only count as one death since the Graveyard keeper didn’t snatch his soul, but Bro thinks Tristan’s now been dead and revived 3 times.

Because yes, he does get revived and it’s like........this?

Really thought it would take more than 5 minutes for Tristan’s digital ghost to start possessing other people’s body. Did not expect it would be a monkey. But, it’s better than boarding the ghostbus Tea.

Not sure what the wires are about, considering that nothing here is tangible, but it’s not like I really know how VR works.

And yes, Bro went right back to “so is Tristan even human anymore now that he’s been a robot monkey” and like that’s a whole thing I...don’t think Yugioh was designed to think about so Don’t Think About It.

If you want to read these recaps from S1 Ep1 in chrono order like a book, you can click this link right here.

[faygosmayhem]

Story time #1- Final Fantasy & Me

At the time of this writing, the people following this sad little blog will all know me from the Final Fantasy XV community. For my first story session, I’ve decided to recount my history with the series and touch on what each game meant to me in the order that I played them. I’ll try to keep it as brief as possible, and restrict it to only the main games in the series, but I can rant for hours.

Note: I utterly failed at keeping this brief, I should have known better than to even try. To keep myself from writing a full novel in one post I’ve decided to split the story into parts. Below is the intro and memories from 7,8 and 9.

                                                  Part One

A Fangirl In The Making:

I’ve been into video games since the age of about 5 when my dad would regularly challenge me to competitive rounds of Super Mario Bros 3 for the NES. In the beginning I stuck mostly to NES, Gameboy, and N64 until Christmas of 02′ when all my begging and pouting finally came through and I was gifted with a PlayStation 2 and enough cash to purchase one game of my choice.

Oh how my parents would come to regret this decision.

The game I bought two days later was Kingdom Hearts. I’ll save my thoughts on that series for another time, but hands down this game can be pinpointed as one that permanently changed my life. What part of it changed my life? The journal, of all things. Prior to KH, I had no idea the Final Fantasy series even existed so when I encountered the Kingdom Hearts versions of FF characters, I initially started internally complaining because they were all so interesting and the game did almost nothing with them.  

Then I went back about mid-way through the game and read every character entry in the journal, and was met with two obsession worthy revelations. One: All these characters were also in other games, as part of the same series no less, and two: you could make them dance by choosing to view their full models and rotating the joystick around in circles (I am very easily amused, and doing this actually spawned my first work of Fanfiction).

“So, you mean to tell me that this weird dude with gravity defying hair, one random- mostly useless-wing, and giant sword that must weigh about three times as much as he does when naked and soaking wet who won’t stop emo rambling about Darkness is in another game and I can find out more??? Sign me the fuck up!”

The Gateway Drug:

Immediately after finishing Kingdom Hearts, I took myself down to a local mall where my go-to all encompassing general entertainment store was located. While browsing the shelves for anything that caught my eye, I saw a ‘Greatest Hits’ copy of Final Fantasy VII innocently sitting there, waiting patiently for the right person to walk by so it could take them willingly down the elevator into fandom hell. I didn’t just ride that elevator, I dove headfirst down the shaft.

I shit you not, when I saw that game there I picked it up like a baby and fell to my knees, hugging it to my chest. The video games were located near the cashier counter at the front of the store, and one of the employees who had been eyeing me suspiciously since I walked in started laughing like crazy, jokingly asking if I was OK. I was still dazed and euphoric, and also completely oblivious to the fact that I was causing a bit of scene in the store. The front was plate glass, and everyone walking by also saw and a few people were starting to look concerned. Now a bit embarrassed, I sheepishly walked to the counter and set the game down. After causing a commotion I couldn’t just not buy that game now- as if I would’ve left without it anyway. The guy at the counter was still laughing as he served me. Our exchange went as follows:

“I take it you found what you were looking for”

“Dude, you have no idea”

“You won’t be disappointed. Just, a pro-tip, when you get to the part with the water and the snake, don’t waste too much time trying to fight it, get a Chocobo instead. Also, avoid the things that look like houses in sector 6, they’ll kick your ass.”

I had absolutely no idea what he was talking about, but I filed the information away, paid my 14.95 (Ah, 2003), and walked out of the store cradling the bag like someone was going to steal it from me. When I got home later I tacked the receipt on my wall to immortalize the day forever. I eventually ended up losing it (a story for another time) but I still remember the date. 05/26/03.

I loaded the game and was immediately in awe ( “It’s three discs? No wonder the case is so freaking huge!”). The opening cinematic had me from the first note of the theme, and I remember laughing SO HARD when Cloud flipped off the train and suddenly everyone was a Lego character. It took an embarrassing amount of time for me figure out how to advance the text because it was set to use the circle button for confirm instead of ‘x’, and even longer to figure out how to move because I didn’t realize you actually had to use the D-pad.

Control struggles aside, I was so enraptured by the game I didn’t stop playing that first night until the Sector 7 plate fell and yeah, those damn houses did kick my ass. When I finally got out of Midgar about two days later (I spent an excessive amount of time in the Shinra building and on the Motorcycle mini-game), I couldn’t believe that everything I just did was basically the game’s intro, and that there was still so much more to explore.

I have so many fond memories of VII that  it would be almost impossible to write them all down. Down the road it ended up pretty far from my favorite game in the series, but as the first it will always hold a special place.

You’re Hooked Now Honey, Strap In:

Between the mixed obsession of Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy VII, video games quickly became one of the only things I talked about. I had thought I was obsessed before, but this took it to a whole new level of crazy. I started writing weird crack outtake reels from the games in the middle of classes, and would post little screen caps and fanart over literally everything I owned.

One day, I had out my handy outtake notebook during a bit of downtime in Honor Band (yeah, I’m a geek to the extreme), and one of my fellow trombonist’s decided it would be a jolly time to snatch the notebook out of my hands,run away with it and, start ripping the pages out and throwing them around the band room. Fortunately I had some pretty awesome friends, and they not only helped me to secure the notebook but also helped recover the missing pages. After class that day, a boy who played the trumpet shyly walked over to me and handed me back one of the pages that was still missing. He was obviously very nervous, and after handing the page back and accepting my very relieved and excited  ‘thanks dude!’ (I admit to not knowing his name at the time) he stood there awkwardly while I put away my instrument like he had something else to say but didn’t know how. I gave him a questioning look after noticing he hadn’t walked out yet and as I picked up my bag he followed after me into the hall. After a little while he finally fell into step beside me and asked, “so, you like Final Fantasy huh?” 

I don’t care how long I’ve known you, if you ask me about Final Fantasy you better be prepared to a.) Become my new best friend and b.) let me talk your ear off about for as long as you’re willing to sit and listen. I talked with my new friend until we had to part ways for different classes, and then later at lunch when he asked to join me and continue the conversation. I tell this story because a few months later, this same boy bought me a copy of Final Fantasy VIII and asked me to be his girlfriend. A damn diamond wouldn’t have worked better. 

Final Fantasy VIII was a bit of a mixed bag for me. Once again I was already hooked by the game’s opening, and the cinematic introductions of all the characters gave it an unexpected charm right from the start. That game eventually got very, very, veeeery, strange and I eventually stopped trying to make any sort of sense of the plot line and just sat back and enjoyed the ride. 

That is, until I got to the end of disk 3. I found myself horribly stuck on the battle with Adle where she has Rinoa captured. No matter how many times I tried it, I would get her down to the final phase and she would either Ultima wipe the party or Rinoa would die. I gave up on the game for a while, sick of the frustration, until I came across a Prima Strategy Guide for it while browsing a used bookstore. I normally refuse to touch any sort of guide book until after I’ve already been through the game once on my own, but I figured it wouldn’t be much harm since I was already more or less at what I thought was the end of the game (I was wrong). In flipping through the guide, I not only learned how to beat the boss, but discovered I had been playing the entire game using the combat system completely wrong. 

Somehow, I had managed to get that far in the game using only the Guardian Forces given to you at the start of the game and 2 others that you can encounter in the overworld and without stocking up on magic at all. To those familiar with VIII’s train-wreck of a combat system, you know that pairing GF’s and magic together directly effect a character’s stats- and no matter how leveled the characters are,if you don’t have the right combos of magic you have more or less no hope at most of the harder sections of the game. 

So, now I had the boss strategy, but still would have been unable to beat it because I didn’t have the magic required (the strategy was to cast Regen on Rinoa to ensure she stays alive). In the end I bought the guide, scrapped the file I had been playing on and started over from scratch,this time doing all the sidequests and such in the proper order. When I got to that boss again I wiped the floor with her, and was rewarded with the game getting even weirder. 

I still look back to the ending of FFVIII as one of my favorite ‘Ok WTF Just happened?!?!?!?!’ moments in media. Usually I piece together crazy stories pretty well, but even though I came to enjoy the game, I can’t say with any real confidence that I understand it at all. 

Forever Touched:

There was a pause in Final Fantasy games after I finished VIII at the start of ‘04. It wasn’t until almost a year later that I received IX as a Christmas gift. I had been passing on it because I was confused and unimpressed with the cover art, but now that I wasn’t the one paying for it I was willing to give it a chance. I held off starting until New Years, because my parents were letting me have a few friends over and I wanted to have the new experience surrounded for the first time with people just as obsessed with the series as I was. Even though it didn’t have a fancy opening, it wasn’t hard to fall in love with that game. I knew from the first few lines of dialog that my heart was gone, lost forever to endearing charm of that world and it’s characters. 

My friends and I were up all night with it. We had so much fun naming the characters and reading the text out loud ("Princess! It is I! The noble Betty!”).Then we all got so upset when Blank got petrified in the forest that we had to stop for the night. Right from the start, that game hit so hard in the feels. 

IX became not only my favorite game in the series, but my favorite game in general. There is so much emotion, charm, and soul in that game, and it touches on so many issues that hit so close to home that I tear up just thinking about it, Back in May of this year there was a mental health awareness speed run marathon fundraiser called RPG limit break  being held on Twitch.TV, and Final Fantasy IX was the closing game. I couldn’t think of any better way to spend about nine hours in the middle of the night than to re-live the best moments of my favorite game sitting on a couch with my best friend. 

Seeing everyone in the audience tearing up at crucial sections; the Black Mage Village, You Are Not Alone, the ending- made me feel less like an idiot for getting all emotional myself and my friend got to laugh at me freaking out over my favorite game cut-scene ever (The one where Alexander protects the city from Bahamut). When the game was over, the marathon had raised enough money for the runners to stand up and sing the ending theme of the game as a filled donation incentive. When the time came, not only the runners, but everyone in the room stood up to sing along. Melodies of Life, the ending theme, holds a very special place in my heart. Seeing all those people singing along, likely feeling similar things, turned me into a pathetic ball of mush. My friend laughed with me as I sang along with more tears than I think I’ve ever cried streaming down my face, and then I cried again when everyone went around saying their ‘thank yous’ to the people volunteering for the marathon and stood in lines to give each other hugs. 

It was one of the most touching moments of my life; and this game was at it’s center. 

Phew. Well I failed pretty hard at keeping that brief. Looks like this will end up as a series of sorts.  Tune in next time for adventures with Final Fantasy 6/3, X, X-2, and XII