#but also time crunch so fair enough

[distant-screaming]

so glad babe's good at racing because this is not how you get someone to help you 😭😭

[lemememeringue]

said family seemed to be doing better and my therapist immediately responded w "No." <3

[rabbitrah]

A continuation on my post about unloved foods, specifically this is my in-depth defense of root beer.

Root Beer isn't inherently gross, it's just one of those weird local flavors that's off-putting to people who didn't grow up with it. We all like different things and also we all tend to like flavors that are similar to what we grew up with. That's okay! But honestly root beer is pretty unique and, in my opinion, delicious.

One of the main complaints against root beer is that it tastes like medicine. Funnily enough, it was originally marketed as medicinal! This is true for most OG sodas actually. Pretty much as soon as carbonated water was invented, people were drinking it to soothe various ailments. A lot of the original soft drinks were actually invented by pharmacists. I just think that root beer is especially cool because the main flavor came from the root bark of sassafras, a common North American shrub. Because it's so widespread and aromatic, all parts of the sassafras plant have been used in food and medicine by many different Native American tribes throughout history and was subsequently picked up and used by European colonists. In the 1960s, some studies indicated that that safrole oil, which is produced by the plant, can cause liver damage. Whether or not this would actually remain true after it had been boiled and added to root beer is unclear, but it was really easy to replicate the flavor, so the sassafras in commercial root beer these days is artificial. Another fun fact about safrole is that it's a precursor in the synthesis of MDMA. None of this information has stopped my childhood habit of eating sassfras leaves right off the shrub whenever I walk past it on a hike. I'm like 85% sure it's safe and also mmmm yummy leafs go crunch.

Another root beer complaint is that it tastes like toothpaste. I think this is probably because another key flavor in most root beer recipes is wintergreen. I'm assuming that the people who think this are the same people who think mint chocolate chip ice cream tastes like toothpaste. I can understand and even respect that some people don't like mint and associate it only with brushing their teeth, but like. Mint is a pretty common flavor. I mean I think it's safe to say that humans have been eating mint flavored stuff for longer than toothpaste has existed... anyway!

Other common flavors in root beer (real or artificial) are caramel, vanilla, black cherry bark, sarsaparilla root, ginger, and many more! There's not one official recipe, and root beer enthusiasts often have strong opinions about different brands. Some root beer is sharper, with more strong aromatic flavors, and others are mild and creamier.

Another thing I think is cool about root beer is that it's foamier than most sodas. This was originally because sassafras is a natural surfactant (and why sassafras is also a common thickening agent in Louisiana Creole cooking.) These days, other plant starches or similar ingredients are added to keep the distinctive foam. Root beer foam > all other soft drink foams. That's why root beer floats kick more ass than like, coke floats.

If you've never had root beer before, imagine if a sweetened herbal tea was turned into a soda, because that's basically what it is. If your first response to that is a cringe, fair enough. That's why lots of people don't like it. If your first response to that is "interesting... I might actually like it, though" then I encourage you to track down a can of root beer today, hard as that might be outside the US and Canada. Next time you see an "ew, root beer tastes like medicine/tooth paste" take, know that there's a reason for that, but also the same could be said for literally any herbal or minty food/drink.

My final take on root beer is that it would be the soda of choice for gnomes. Thank you and good night.

[wheres-mylove]

ice-cold revelations - modern!cregan stark x fem!velaryon!reader

Summary: You are in a risky secret relationship with your brother's best friend. What happens when Cregan's unexpected injury exposes your feelings? Well, isn't there somebody you forgot to ask?

Disclaimer: English isn't my first language!

Word count: 2.8k

The wind tore through the streets with a biting ferocity, tugging at (Y/N)’s skirt and making her instantly regret both her outfit choice and this entire trip to the bus stop.

“Stupid winter has to be coming,” she muttered, yanking a colorful scarf up to cover her nose. Her phone chimed in her pocket, vibrating with the familiar sound of a new message. She fumbled with one hand to pull it out, her fingers stiff from the cold.

🐺: jace wouldn’t stop bugging me about that earring under my bed

🐺: i convinced him sara must’ve left it when she crashed at our place lmao

(Y/N) raised her eyebrows, her breath fogging the air as she sighed. The last thing she needed was her brother playing the part of a suspicious rom-com wife, finding random jewelry in odd places and jumping to conclusions. At least he hadn’t figured out where he’d seen that earring before.

Jacaerys Velaryon, as much as she adored him, had a habit of being a little too protective. He was always there when she needed him. But he was also the kind of brother who, despite being only a few minutes older, seemed to think that fact gave him full control over her dating life. Any guy who so much as glanced her way was either a potential threat or one of his friends. And friends were off-limits. Too much drama, he’d say. Too awkward if things went south. Even more awkward if things somehow worked out. Conflict of interest. Absolutely not.

Which was precisely why, in the grand scheme of things, the most logical solution was for her to start dating his best friend and his hockey team captain, Cregan Stark.

Cregan was wonderful. The kind of guy who would do anything for her, no questions asked. That's what had brought them to where they were now. Hiding their relationship from her dramatic brother and quite literally gaslighting him.

Did she feel guilty? Absolutely. Did she know it would be a hundred times worse if Jace found out? Also yes.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sight of a bus speeding past the stop, tires screeching as it flew by. Her bus. Of course.

With impressive force, she pressed the green phone icon.

“Hey, sweetheart. What’s up?” Cregan answered in three seconds. Her irritation melted a little at the sound of his deep voice. Down bad.

“Hey, did you guys finish practice?”

“Yeah, just now, I couldn’t cut the boys any slack before tomorrow.”

“Any chance the strict captain could give me a ride home? I missed the bus. Or more like the bus missed me.”

“You’re kidding,” Cregan said, sympathy already thick in his voice. “Of course I’ll come get you.” He paused for a beat, then cleared his throat. “Only thing is… Jace wanted a ride too.”

“The gods are punishing me today,” she groaned.

“Call him. It'll be the same ride. Just, you know, he'll think it was his idea,” Cregan suggested.

“Are we bad people, Cregan?” she asked, half-serious now.

“Nah. He’ll find out eventually, just better if I’m in full hockey gear when it happens.”

“Fair enough,” she said, the corner of her mouth lifting in a smile. “Thanks. Love you. Bye.”

She hung up and immediately dialed her brother, requesting the same exact thing.

“Sure, you owe me one though,” he said cheerfully. “I don’t have my car today, so we’ll have to go with Stark. Is that a problem?”

“Nope.” No, her boyfriend wouldn’t be a problem.

(Y/N) Velaryon paced back and forth under the shelter of the bus stop, her boots crunching against the thin layer of frost that had already formed on the pavement. She rubbed her arms, trying to keep the cold at bay, when the familiar growl of a black Jeep Wrangler cut through the quiet. It rolled to a stop near the curb.

She jogged toward the car, her breath puffing out in small clouds, as the driver’s window slid down.

“Your chariot awaits, princess,” Cregan announced with a mock flourish.

“More like a toad,” Jace quipped from the passenger seat, his grin unmistakable.

“One more word and you’ll get my bag to the head. I’ve got half my textbooks in there,” she threatened playfully as she slid into the backseat.

The backseat of this car had witnessed many events, and that was the first thought that crossed her mind. One look at Cregan in the side mirror, and she knew he was thinking the same.

She pretended to be very engrossed in buckling her seatbelt.

“How was practice?” she asked out of politeness.

“Not bad. Stark was all business today, but it was necessary. Big day tomorrow,” Jace replied, fiddling with the radio. Cregan slapped his hand away as he slowed down for a red light.

“Great,” the girl muttered, not trusting her tongue around the two of them together.

An awkward silence fell, broken only by some random song. How long can a red light last?

“So, (Y/N),” Cregan began, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. His voice wavered, but Jace was in his own world, watching pedestrians crossing the street. “How’s it going? How was your day?”

“Pretty good,” she replied, playing with the hem of her skirt. “Though the classes dragged on.”

The devil on her shoulder won an uneven fight with the weak angel. She smirked.

“‘M absolutely knackered.”

Cregan inhaled slowly through his nose.

“Dude, it’s green,” Jace informed him, just before the car behind them honked.

“I can see,” Cregan reassured him, finally moving forward. “I’ll need your sister’s address since I’ve never been there before.”

If Jace had one more brain cell, he wouldn’t be so easily fooled.

“Sure thing,” her brother agreed, typing the info into the GPS on his phone. “Hey, kid, are you coming to the game tomorrow?”

“How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?” (Y/N) asked angrily, kicking his seat. “Baela’s taking me.”

“You know what I think?” Jace started, spreading his arms dramatically. “A girlfriend in the stands is such a power boost. Such a boost… I never play as well as when Baela supports me from the bleachers.”

“You never play well,” His sister muttered under her breath, but her brother was currently listening only to himself.

“Cregan wouldn’t get it,” He patted Cregan on the shoulder in the meantime. “If you combined your skills with that support, if you brought a girl, trust me, your performance would be a hundred times better.”

“Talented people don’t need superstitions to play well, Jace,” (Y/N) chimed in, leaning forward. “Besides, Cregan is single.”

“Because he’s too serious and broody, girls don’t like that,” her brother declared in a know-it-all voice. She gave him a side-eye. “He is afraid of women.”

“Are you afraid of women, Stark?” she asked seriously, barely holding back laughter.

Cregan shot her a look in the mirror, his eyes twinkling with amusement. “Terrified,” he deadpanned. “That’s why I’m thinking maybe your sister should be my good luck charm tomorrow. Just as a friend, of course.”

“Eh, it’s not the same,” Jace protested, scrunching his face.

“Don’t you believe in the power of friendship?” the driver asked with full seriousness.

“Can I get a jersey with your number?” (Y/N) batted her lashes playfully at her boyfriend.

A jersey with his number was already hanging in her closet.

“Alright, you’ll see, you need deeper feelings for it to work, otherwise it just won’t…”

Jacaerys continued his monologue all the way to her apartment. The girl sighed with relief once she was back in her room, the familiarity of it a welcome escape from the tension.

Two new messages.

🐺: you looked so pretty today

🐺: but next time wear a damn coat, or you’ll catch a cold!!!

The fluorescent light above (Y/N)’s head flickered ominously, casting creepy shadows across the cramped janitor’s closet. She swore that if the bulb died completely, she'd either pee her pants or spiral into a full-blown claustrophobic meltdown. Leaning back against the wall, she tried to focus on the neatly arranged rows of brooms and mops. Soon, the door creaked open, revealing Cregan in all his glory.

Full hockey gear? Check. Helmet? Tucked under his arm. That goofy, ridiculous smile? Definitely check.

“You look so good,” she admitted, grabby hands already in the air. “Come here.”

Cregan shut the door behind him with a soft click, casting a glance at the flickering light overhead. He sighed, took one of her hands, and kissed her wrist softly. 

“We have to tell your brother,” Stark said, his voice serious as he placed his helmet on the wooden shelf beside them. “It’s not right that my girl has to sneak me a good-luck kiss in a smelly closet. You should be able to strut right into the locker room.”

His girl grinned. “You’ve got your gear on,” she pointed out. “We can tell him after the game. Besides, Baela’s softening him up for us. I asked her to.”

Baela Targaryen was known for sniffing out secrets, and the second she spotted (Y/N) wearing Cregan’s jersey before the game, she didn’t even need to ask. Her knowing look said it all, and within minutes, Velaryon girl spilled the truth, enduring Baela’s delighted squeal that had probably echoed for miles.

“I knew you had high standards, girl. Going straight for the captain!” Baela teased, laughing. “Jace obviously doesn’t know? He hasn’t said anything... and Stark’s still breathing.”

Thankfully, Baela had been more than willing to help, distracting Jace so Cregan could sneak away after the pre-game pep talk. Now, Cregan was looking at (Y/N) with pride, his eyes lingering on the jersey she wore. 

“She’s a real one for that,” he mused. “But seriously, we have to tell him. I want a picture of us on my lock screen, and that asshole keeps looking over my shoulder.”

She laughed, pulling him closer and kissing him hard, savoring the way his rough stubble tickled her skin.

“For now,” she murmured against his lips, “just focus on the game. You’re incredible. An amazing captain. And it’s going to go great. I believe in you.”

Cregan grinned, his eyes sparkling with mischief. “Maybe one more kiss. Just to make sure we win.”

“The power of having a girl in the stands,” she teased, poking his chest playfully.

“Jace definitely exaggerated that theory,” Cregan confessed with a chuckle. “But honestly... I’m just glad you’re here.”

With butterflies in her stomach and a grin she couldn’t wipe off her face, (Y/N) found herself in the stands minutes later, sitting next to Baela. Her friend was watching the silent exchange of glances between her and Cregan with thinly veiled amusement.

“I always knew Jace was blind, but this is just tragic,” Baela remarked, elbowing her in the ribs. Jace, oblivious as ever, waved enthusiastically from the rink. Both girls waved back, cheering with the crowd.

“You’ll boo with me when the Dornish Spears come out, right?” (Y/N) asked.

Baela gave her a mock-serious look. “Technically, we shouldn’t. Obviously, I will,” she promised. 

The game was fast, brutal, and nearly deadlocked until the very end. (Y/N) had never yelled so much in her life, though her shouts were lost in the deafening roar of the crowd. Cregan played like a man possessed, commanding the ice with his usual grace. At least twenty times during the match, she found herself holding her breath, her heart leaping into her throat with every risky play. But she knew he had it under control. He always did.

Of course they won.

The victory rippled through the stands like a wave, and (Y/N) screamed herself hoarse as the crowd erupted around her. Cregan pulled off his helmet, his eyes scanning the stands until he found her. His smile—tired and breathtaking—was for her, and her alone. She didn’t regret the ringing in her ears or the scratch in her throat for a second. Moments later, he was swept up in a sea of celebrating teammates.

“Girl, are you crying?” Baela asked, pulling her into a hug.

“I don’t know,” She sniffled. “I’m just emotional. I just like that boy so fucking much, Bae.”

“I know, honey. Come on, they’re heading off the ice. Let’s congratulate them, and then have a crazy party or something. No time for tears.”

Cregan was one of the last players to leave the ice, trailing just behind Jace. But before he could step off, the captain of the opposing team, his face twisted with anger, skated up to him. For a moment, it looked like they might talk it out. But then, it all happened too fast.

The player from Dorne shoved Cregan hard against the wall. Stark, ever the calm one, simply raised his hands in a peaceful gesture.

And then he took a fist to the face. The sickening sound of bone cracking echoed across the rink.

“What the hell is going on? Jace!” Baela shouted, holding her friend back as she tried to rush forward.

Jace jumped back onto the ice, but by the time he got there, the other team had pulled their enraged captain away. Cregan stumbled off the ice just as (Y/N) reached him.

“Are you okay? Oh gods, let me see,” she fretted, her hands hovering near his face.

“What a fucking jerk!” Jace nearly screamed, skidding to a stop by the exit. “I called for help, they’ll be here in a second.”

(Y/N) carefully moved Cregan’s hand away, revealing the damage. His face was a swollen mess, his nose clearly broken.

“Do you think they’ll make me lie face-down on the ice?” Cregan joked weakly, leaning on her for support.

“Does it hurt a lot? Maybe you should sit down. Oh shit, I can’t believe—”

“Hey, sweetheart. Calm down,” Cregan murmured, his voice soothing despite the pain. “It hurts like hell, but I’ll live.”

Just then, the medic arrived, momentarily distracting Jace. But despite the chaos, he had clearly heard what Cregan just said. For a moment, Jace stood there, his face pale as the words and the image before him sank in.

“Sweetheart?” he echoed softly, but no one paid him any attention.

“Jace, maybe now’s not the time,” Baela said gently, stepping up beside him.

“I feel physically sick,” Jace muttered, staggering to the railing for support.

The medic handed Cregan an ice pack. “Hold this to your face for a bit. I’ll get you something for the pain right away, but a doctor’s gonna have to set that nose.”

Cregan winced but smiled through it. “You might wanna check on my friend first,” he said, gesturing toward Jace. “I can wait. He looks like he’s about to pass out.”

Jace did, in fact, end up passing out.

Cregan had to take a break from sports after that little adventure. He’d recovered, but now sported a slightly crooked nose—something his girlfriend found oddly hot.

(Y/N) saw his temporary recovery as the perfect chance to manipulate him into watching Teen Wolf with her every evening. After all, the title worked in her favor.

They were nestled on the couch, wrapped together in a soft gray blanket. It was their first time lounging in the living room of the apartment Cregan shared with her brother, rather than hiding behind the securely locked door of his bedroom. 

It would be perfect, really. If it weren’t for Jace’s constant, deliberate trips to the kitchen and bathroom, each one an obvious reminder that he was keeping an eye on them.

“Dear Jacaerys,” (Y/N) said, her patience wearing thin, “you do know we don’t need a chaperone, right?”

Jace barely paused, shooting her a sidelong glance before muttering, ���You need someone to knock the stupid ideas out of your heads,” as he slammed the bathroom door.

Cregan chuckled softly, pulling her closer. “Give him some time,” he whispered, pressing a kiss to her temple. “To be honest, I thought it would be worse. He’ll come around eventually.”

They’d already gone through several long, tension-filled conversations, with Baela stepping in as the voice of reason when things got too heated. They were careful now, avoiding anything that might provoke Jace further.

But Cregan was right—Jace was slowly coming around, even if he was still stubborn. The days of silent treatment had finally passed.

“This is on us for hiding things from him,” (Y/N) sighed, watching her brother embark on yet another purposeful long journey to the kitchen. “No more secrets now.”

“Your brother’s just looking out for you,” Cregan called out, raising his voice slightly so Jace could hear. “He doesn’t want anything bad to happen to you, and I respect that. I don’t know anyone else who cares like he does.”

Jace stopped, leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed, eyes narrowed. His lips curved into a sweet, mischievous grin.

“Yeah,” he began, drawing out the word. “So tell me sister, when are you introducing him to Mom?”

[sugrhigh]

BOY NEXT DOOR - ( c.s )

part two

summary- you and your roommates live beside a bunch of senior hockey players, one of them being the infamous team captain chris sturniolo. he’s effortlessly flirty and undeniably attractive, but he’s also a pain in your ass. you find that you have to fight between lust and hatred as you finally get to know the boy next door, whether you want to or not.

warnings- swearing, drinking, no smut (yet 😁)

neighbor/hockey!chris x fem!reader

a/n: WELCOME TO MY FIRST REAL SERIES! i have a lot of ideas for this cuz i love this trope dearly so buckle up! more parts will come soon. also working on a tattooartist!reader x matt series (thank you anons) that will also be out eventually. in the mean time if you have smaller/specific reqs you’d like to see, my inbox is open babies! and if u just wanna say hello or ask a question i’m here xoxo

the music booms over the speakers inside the house next door, just like it always does on the weekends (and occasionally on thursdays too). it always drives you up a wall, but tonight it’s particularly bad.

you sit up slightly in bed, absentmindedly wondering who the fuck is on aux. you’re not sure why the thought crosses your mind, but you know it’s not chris, because these picks are horrendous.

it’s already past two in the morning, not to mention it’s the middle of the week. you haven’t been able to get a wink of rest, even with your headphones blaring at full volume. usually they do the trick, but tonight’s party is relentless, demanding to be heard.

wine wednesday, you think to yourself sourly.

neither of your roommates are home; they’re both off with their significant others, somewhere that’s not here, listening to fuckface and his friends get drunk.

you’re usually pretty passive about the noise, because they provide free alcohol for you guys when you show up and typically give you notice that they’re throwing something.

but tonight it’s just too fucking much. you’re tired, and groggy, and very much so still in your silky pajama bottoms and oversized t-shirt, but you don’t give a shit.

you jam your feet into some sneakers and grab a jacket, clutching it close to your chest as you head down the stairs to the main level of your own house.

you pass the dark living room, shadows leering in the corners as you’re guided only by the light coming from the street lamps outside.

you step onto the porch and the cold smacks you in the face, breath fogging up the air. it’s the middle of january in boston, and the expanse of dead grass between your houses crunches under your feet as you tread toward the front door.

the rest of the street is quiet, aside from the party. but they’re all senior hockey players, and it’s the beginning of their last semester, so what else can you expect?

besides maybe some basic human decency every once in a while. in fact, you’re so frustrated that you’re going in without backup, and without a real plan of any kind.

for some reason, once you get up the three steps to their door, you pause to knock. as if anyone would hear you over the music, or care enough to open the door for someone who’s fucking knocking.

so you twist the handle next, and it’s unlocked. of course.

it opens to a hazey front hallway that you recognize, stairs to the left hand side, blocked off by a young-looking guy you assume is probably a freshman on duty.

the front area is full of people, pressed against the walls, chatting over the music. well, more like yelling over it.

you can smell weed, which confuses you slightly. you know none of them smoke, not during the season at least. they usually don’t let anyone do it inside the house, so it must be an allowance for a girl.

you’re already getting strange looks as you step inside, which is fair. your shorts are hidden by the length of your shirt and jacket, so you’re just legs and shoes. you’ve got no makeup on, and you didn’t check your hair before you came.

but you swallow the lump in your throat, because it doesn’t matter right now anyways.

you shift your way through the crowd, gaze skipping over the people as you finally reach the dark living room. multi-colored strobes flash, lighting up the hoards of tipsy college kids dancing on the soaked wooden floor. furniture is pushed aside to make room, though the championship banner from last year still hangs on the wall.

his eyes find you before yours find him.

he stares at you across the tops of people's heads, standing by one of the couches that’s shoved against the wall. one of his roommates, connor, is leaned back on the cushions, watching the two girls they were talking to pass a joint back and forth.

but he’s no longer focused on anyone else, because he’s spotted you across the room, and he thinks this is the most disheveled he’s ever seen you. your angry eyes lock in on him seconds later, and they narrow instantly.

you beeline toward him, right through a group of people that are half-dancing along to the terrible playlist.

he lifts his eyebrows at your attitude, but not in fear. he’s actually a little impressed. his friends are watching you warily, just as confused as everyone else who saw you walk in.

he can’t help but stare at your legs as you finally reach him, admiring how cute you look in your pajamas, pale pink bottoms peeking out underneath your shirt with every step. he briefly wonders if you’re even wearing a bra.

then you open your mouth, and the fantasy is over.

“what time is it, chris?” you snap at him, one hand balled into a fist, the other clutching your phone.

“i don’t know, but i have a feeling you’re going to tell me.” he takes a sip of his drink to try and hide his grin.

it takes a lot of self control to keep yourself from slapping it out of his fucking hand, just because of how smug he looks. you hold up the screen to his face.

two twenty-two in the morning. chris almost laughs.

“the answer is way too fucking late to be having a party on a wednesday.” you reply, bringing the device back down to rest by your thigh.

“why didn’t you come? i missed you.” he pouts.

you glance over at the people on the couch, at the girls who are still making eyes at you as they converse with connor. he’s giving you a weird look too, as if no one could possibly understand why you’re here like this.

“yeah, sure you did,” you turn back to him, “now shut this shit down before i call the cops.”

chris puts his hands up in surrender, though he knows this is an empty threat just as much as you do.

“wow, somebody’s grumpy.”

you roll your eyes, crossing your arms over your chest self-consciously. “i’m serious. tell the puck bunnies to go home for the night or i’ll do it myself.”

he takes a tiny step closer, just a few inches, and yet it still seems suffocating. he looks too good, clad in a simple black tee and jeans, and he’s studying your face with the fire of a thousand suns.

“you don’t have to be jealous because other girls are here. you know you’re my number one.” chris replies easily.

even though his tone remains light, his expression is serious now. it enrages you more, that he thinks he has so much control over you.

“as if i give a fuck. i just want to sleep, so the choice is yours. police,” you wave the hand that holds your phone slightly, “or call it off.”

chris takes another sip of his drink, tipping it back so he can finish the rest of it in one foul swoop. then he nods his head, like he’s admitting defeat.

“fine. i’ll send everyone home.”

you can feel the relief creeping over you, knowing that you don’t have to actually get law enforcement involved. “thank yo—”

“on one condition.” he interrupts, and you furrow your brows.

“no conditions, chris. we’re not bartering right now.”

“come to the game on friday and we can hang out after for a bit. i’ll even give you a practice jersey to wear.” he offers, and the trademark smirk has reappeared on his face.

lights dance across his features, morphing his expression every few seconds. you just stare, because for once, you’re actually not sure what game he’s playing.

“what, can’t get a date without having to resort to blackmail?” you taunt, and he laughs.

“please, i don’t date. and i’d hardly consider this blackmail. just think of it as getting to know your friendly neighbor on a more personal level.”

there’s a humorous glint in his eye, one that’s daring you to say yes. what’s there to be afraid of? all you have to do is watch hockey, eat some popcorn from the concession stand, and deal with his attitude for an hour afterwards.

you’re still not sure what chris is getting out of this, or why he’s insisting that you need to be there, but at this point you don’t care. all you can think about is salvaging the rest of your sleep.

“alright, fine. now you have five minutes to get everyone out, and i better not hear any more shitty remixes for the rest of the week.” you point an accusatory finger at him and he shrugs, though he’s clearly content that you caved in.

“your wish is my command, princess.”

you turn on your heel to head back outside, retracing your steps from earlier as you slip through the mob. you half expect chris to follow, just because he’s annoying, but he doesn’t.

the overhead lights are coming back on now, and you can hear deep voices shouting, combined with collective groans from the crowd as they all realize they’re being kicked out.

luckily you make it out the front door first, and you jog back up the steps to your own place to get out of the cold.

you’ve only been inside for seconds when your phone buzzes in your hand.

chris

see you friday

sweet dreams ;)

[raitonsfw]

𝚢𝚘𝚔𝚘𝚑𝚊𝚖𝚊'𝚜 𝚌𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝚊𝚝 𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 (𝚕𝚎𝚝 𝚖𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚢 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚖 𝚢𝚘𝚞) | 𝚍𝚊𝚣𝚊𝚒 𝚘𝚜𝚊𝚖𝚞

synopsis: Dazai had saved you from the near pits of hell and you smiled at his invitation requesting that you join the agency. When you accepted his invitation, he was over the moon and you two quickly became inseparable. You obviously knew he had feelings for you and you thought nothing of it as you were too shy to return them. That is until he asks to spend the night in the midst of a snowstorm, let alone sleep in the same bed as you? You couldn’t say no, the thought of finally being with him weighing heavily on your mind.

warnings: 18+ mdni, fem!reader, virgin!reader, shy!reader, smut, first time, fingering, cunnilingus, breast play, grinding (specifically dazai grinding against the bed), p in v intercourse, a little bit of pain, teasing, slight dirty talk, cursing, consent, pining (if you squint), embarrassment (reader moans loudly and dazai fucking loves it), implied aftercare, mention of a dazai-typical suicide, reader wraps his bandages around him for him bc he cant do it himself (he’s a stubborn boy), pet names (darling, precious thing, baby, my dear), use of honorifics.

a/n: a piece for one of my dear followers, i hope you enjoy lovely! 🧡 personally adore writing dazai in every type of scenario and i also have another virgin!reader request for him with a special twist so fellow dazai lovers, be on the lookout for that in the next few days! wc: 3k. m.list

divider credit: @benkeibear

The air was astonishingly crisp and you sighed into your sleeve, the wind catching up to you to ultimately freeze you over. The coat you wore didn’t keep you very warm, it shouldn’t even be classified as a winter coat to be fair. Your boots crunched under the frost that had accumulated on the sidewalk and you bundled yourself up tightly as the winter picked up its rein over Yokohama, snow falling against the rooftops and you fumbled with your keys to the apartment door in front of you. 

Your apartment had a sickle warmth coming from it and you nearly collapsed onto the sofa from exhaustion. The day had been nothing but helping Yosano shopping in the heart of the city, the bags heavily weighing you down as she piled on top as much stuff she could possibly buy for the holidays. It was a cute gesture, you thought but you didn’t think that Ranpo needed that much candy stuffed into his stocking.

The sun had just begun to set, the lack of light barely registering as you looked around the dim apartment. It was neater than usual and you picked up the presence that somebody had cleaned it for you. The kitchen was tidied up with the exception of some baked treats sitting out on the counter and the living room had a scented candle lit against the coffee table. You couldn’t think of anyone else who had your house key besides Dazai. 

“Dazai-san?” You whispered out, looking towards the bedroom for his company. He sometimes stayed in your apartment after a much needed break from the agency dorms, away from its noise and the constant bugging of the other coworkers that resided there. You two were close, but there was still a certain distance kept between the both of you; but you trusted him nonetheless since he was the one who had invited you to join the agency. 

Peering into your bedroom, Dazai was fast asleep. Light snores came from him and you smiled to yourself as you moved over to wake him up. He was in your bed mind you, this has happened quite often and you found it adorable that he sought comfort in your bed. You knew he harbored feelings for you, that was the distance that refused to close between you two; you were simply just too shy to return his feelings and he never made a move on you in fear of making you uncomfortable. 

You placed your hand on his shoulder, the action enough to stir him from his sleep. His eyes lazily opened and he yawned loudly, “Oh, Y/N-san, you’re home.” 

“Thank you for cleaning.” 

“Needed a place to escape to, Atsushi-kun was driving me insane.” He whispered, stretching out onto the bed. He looked at you with a tired expression and you wished you could just gently lean down and kiss him but your nerves got the best of you. Again. You pressed your lips together as you pulled your hand away from his shoulder. 

“Can we share the bed tonight?” Dazai asked as he sat up from the bed, a smile playing on his lips. “It’s sooo comfy.” 

You blushed at his comment, completely blindsided by the sudden request from him. You were more than fine with him sleeping over, the snow had begun to pile up on the streets and it was beginning to look like a blizzard as it blew past the windows heavily. But sharing the bed is something he’s never asked you before, the intimacy of it making your cheeks hot. Normally he’d sleep on the sofa if he ever stayed over, leaving you to the privacy of your room. 

But this was different. Perhaps he was actually going to make a move on you? You weren’t really sure, the thought of it made your pulse quicken. Whatever happened you’d embrace it with open arms, hoping for a flourishing love with the man who had saved you from your old life.

You nodded and left him alone as you went about your home routines, though it didn’t last long as he followed you around your apartment with a grin. He ordered dinner for the both of you at no cost to you at all, though in truth it was probably Kunikida’s credit card he swiped because there was no way Dazai actually had more than twenty dollars on him. He rambled on about his day between mouthfuls and you found out about his suicide attempt had ultimately failed again, Ranpo’s breakdown about having not enough yummy snacks, and the holiday break coming up for the agency that you missed out on. 

Before you knew it, the clock struck late and you were standing in front of your bed after your shower, contemplating whether this was a good idea or not. Dazai had hopped in the shower after you, the water running as background noise for your thoughts. You dried off your hair, sitting on the edge of the bed and you heard the soft melodic hum of his song flow through the apartment. 

You dimmed the lights and went to find a book to read before bed when you heard the water turn off and you mildly panicked as he came out a few moments later, in nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. You had just gotten underneath the covers, the book opened to the page where you left off last abandoned as you gazed at Dazai. 

“I left clothes here before, haven’t I?” He muttered to himself, rummaging around your room as you sat quietly on the bed watching him. The droplets from his hair ran down his exposed chest back, something you didn’t see very often as his bandages wrapped around him fully. You felt that ache between your thighs, that cursed feeling that you knew you couldn’t satisfy very well. You were heavily inexperienced after all, the slightest bit of arousal made you quiver and you’ve never actually been with anyone due to the quietness you displayed.

“I think you left them in the second drawer, Dazai-san.” You murmured quietly, pointing to the dresser next to you. He glanced over to it then laughed to himself, opening the dresser to retrieve his clothing and a fresh stash of bandages to wrap himself in. 

“Of course I did, making myself right at home aren’t I?” He disappeared back into the bathroom and you exhaled shakily, pressing your thighs together underneath the covers. 

You heard a soft noise of disapproval from behind the closed door and Dazai came out with only his sweats on, a mild irritation waving over his face. “Kunikida-kun bought me the wrong brand. They don’t wrap right.” 

“Let me see?” You offered quietly, extending your hand out for the roll of bandages. He placed the wrinkled ball in your hand, (he must’ve balled them up in frustration), and you smoothed them out gently. Dazai sat in front of you in a criss-cross, his eyes following your movements as you started the end of the bandage at his shoulder. 

“I’ll start the wrap for you, then you do the rest yourself.” You said, holding onto the end of the wrap with your finger as you tangled the next wrap behind his neck and to the crevice of his other shoulder. You continued your motions for a bit, repeating it over and over until you got to his arms. You were practically red from the amount of time you stared at his chest while wrapping, but you kept silent as you handed the roll back to him. 

“Can you do the rest please?” Dazai pouted at you, thrusting the bandages back into your hands. You didn’t know why he wanted you to do it, he was already mostly wrapped in the bandages.

“W-Why?”

“Because I like seeing how flustered you get.” He said with a slight taunt and you dropped the bandages in his lap as you finished one loop around his arm. You couldn’t respond, a flush spreading throughout your cheeks again as you reached down to pick up the roll when you noticed the prominent bulge in his sweats. 

He was hard. In front of you, in the middle of your bed, and your heart skipped a beat. You felt the arousal slick right against your panties and you could barely contain yourself as your hand faltered whilst reaching the bandages. You must’ve been a bit obvious though as your chin was lifted up to look back at him and his dark brown eyes stared back at you with a glint of lust clouding the rims.

“What’s wrong, darling?” Dazai cooed, leaning in closer to you with a smirk. “Cat got your tongue?” 

“Dazai-san…” You whispered and he closed the space between you two, finally. You squeaked in surprise as he swiped his tongue into your mouth with ease and he pushed you back into the pillows gently. He climbed over top of you as he deepened the kiss, the bandages abandoned at his side, and you placed your hands on his chest. 

“This is okay, right?” He murmured into the kiss, moving to plant kisses down your neck and your voice trailed off as you attempted to speak. 

“Um, yes but…” Dazai came up from your neck to look at you with a worried expression. 

“What is it, Y/N-san?” He asked, about to get up but you instantly held him in place. You didn’t want to give him the wrong idea, you definitely wanted him, wanted this– but he had to know you were a virgin. 

“I’m a virgin.” You whispered, averting your gaze with the crimson tint in your cheeks coloring even more. “Is that okay?” 

It was more than okay in Dazai’s eyes, he’d show you– the girl he grew to admire from day one, all the ways he could love you and care for you. No one else had the pleasure to touch you as he did, he wanted you all to himself. Ever since he found you stranded from the depths of despair and nursed you back towards the agency with wide eyes. That’s why he was quick to close the gap between you two, he couldn’t stand to see someone else take you as theirs. 

“Of course it is.” Dazai assured as his fingers slipped into the shorts you wore, playing with the waistband for a moment. His other hand cupped at your breast lightly and he came down to kiss it over clothed skin. You held onto his back as he laid himself fully on top of you now, grinding into your thigh slightly. “Am I allowed to…?” 

“Yes, please.” You said and you felt him ruck up your shirt, pressing open mouthed kisses into the flesh of your exposed breast. Dazai sucked a bruise into it lovingly and you moaned out softly, his tongue lapping around your nipple. A small groan escaped him when you dug your fingers into his back, his fingers sliding through the wetness of the inside of your panties. They brushed against your clit and into your heat with acuteness and you couldn’t help the loud gasp you let out. 

“My my, aren’t we loud in bed?” He teased as he pulled away from your breast to tend to the other one, the sensation of his mouth and fingers making you see stars. “You precious thing– so quiet at the agency but when I do this...” He plunged a second finger in, emitting another loud whine from you, “You go crazy.”

You quivered under his touch as he curled his fingers into you, in and out, and you watched him bow down to kiss at your clit, promptly pulling your shorts and panties down in one fell swoop. He licked a fat stripe up the entirety of your cunt next to his fingers, savoring the way you tasted on his tongue with a grunt. 

“Fuck, you’re driving me crazy now.” Dazai moaned out into you as your thighs squeezed around his shoulders and you felt the bed shake slightly and your hands gripped his hair as you looked down. He was grinding against the edge of the mattress now and honestly, you thought you were about to die right then and there; he was so fucking turned on by you that he needed the friction, any friction, and you felt another wave of arousal shoot up your spine.

Your eyes squeezed shut as Dazai rubbed gently against your sweet spot and your head fell back onto the pillows, your back arching into the delicious feeling. He moved back up onto you, his chin wet with your arousal and he wiped it off against his forearm as he bent down to cover you in hickeys.

“Feel good, baby?” He asked in earnest and you nodded with a pitch to your breath; he was incessantly rubbing at the soft spot now, like he was desperate to make you cum for the first time with someone. 

“D-Dazai-san, please…” You whimpered out, clutching onto the base of his hip and he immediately realized what you wanted. You wanted him.

“Ready now, my dear?” Dazai made eye contact with you as he leaned back and you swooned as he pulled out his fingers, your slick dripping down them. He parted your legs with his knees, wedging himself between you as he palmed at his clothed cock. “Just can’t wait, can you?” 

He pulled himself out of his sweats, stroking his length a few times as you ogled at him. He was big, much bigger than you expected and you nearly drooled out of habit. Dazai positioned himself against your entrance, resting his one hand on your waist as the other guided his cock into you, inch by inch. There was a hint of pain, the pressure surrounding your middle and you closed your eyes tightly. It went away as he stopped stretching you open instantly, searching your face for any more discomfort.

“Are you okay?” Dazai breathed out, peppering little kisses wherever he could reach to lull the pain. His hips jolted a bit as you squirmed against him, but he stayed still to let you adjust. His free hand came to caress your cheek, thumbing it softly as he made sure you weren’t in too much pain. “If it hurts too much, we can stop-”

“K-Keep going.” You wrapped your legs around him, letting him bury himself into you deeper and you both choked on a quiet whimper as he fully bottomed out. Dazai groaned out quietly as you got used to his cock splitting you nearly in two. You felt so full, the twitch of his dick nearly made you cry out in ecstasy. “You can move…” 

Dazai nodded into your skin, pulling out of you halfway, then rolling his hips back into you at a slow place. You gripped onto his back again, the bandages slipping loose as he started to fuck into you earnestly and you couldn’t hold back the whimpers that flew out of your mouth. Dazai’s eyebrows furrowed and his mouth was agape from how good he felt and soft little ahs- filled the once silent air.

“God, so t-tight around me.” He stuttered out with a whine to his voice, rocking into you sensually as you became overwhelmed by such a throbbing feeling, sucking in a sharp breath. You felt the heat spreading underneath your skin, his cock hitting just right against your walls and you couldn’t help but arch your back up into him, your hips moving against his. The building pleasure spread like a wildfire and your thighs trembled, it wasn’t enough– you needed more.

“D-Dazai– Osamu!” You cried out as he nipped at the bud of your nipple harshly and he hummed, glancing up at you. His eyes were like the black of night, nearly enveloped in the drunk feeling and as you clenched around him hard while he languidly thrusted his hips, they squeezed shut and he panted out a few curses. 

“Shit, shit, fuck you feel so good...” He gasped out, pounding into you harder now and you felt your orgasm in the pit of your tummy. His fingers traced back to your clit, teasing it with each stroke of his cock and you writhed against him as your release hit you hard, stars imprinting on the back of your eyelids. You moaned out his name, pressing yourself further onto his dick as your walls fluttered around him and you barely heard his groan as he pulled out of you quickly. His hips stuttered and he spurted all over your tummy and chest with a broken moan, fucking into his hand until he came down from his high. 

“How was it, darling?” Dazai asked, out of breath as he pressed a kiss on your forehead. He wiped off his cum with some of his loose bandages and you vaguely understood you were going to have to restart your previous wrapping as you watched him. “Everything you imagined?” 

You didn’t answer him, too embarrassed by your moans from earlier. He hummed softly in your ear, planting a kiss behind it as you sat up in his arms. “You sounded like an angel, if that’s what you’re embarrassed about.”

“How did you know that’s what I was thinking about?”

“You think I don’t know you? You’ve always been shy, especially around me. And when you have such wanton moans…” He laughed to himself, helping put your clothes back on lovingly. “No, seriously don’t be embarrassed, you almost made me go feral.”

You shivered as he moved to the other side of the bed, playing back the moment in your head and your cheeks blushed red again. And Dazai, of course, noticed and teased you for it. “Still flustered?” 

That gap that had distanced the both of you silently closed as you grasped onto the feeling he gave you. You didn’t have to tell him how you felt, he knew. And he didn’t have to go out of his way to make a move when he already has. Everything was now perfect, the frost melting within the snowtops of the trees.

“Come cuddle with me, Y/N. It’s cold outside and I wanna warm you up.”

a/n: wanna get tagged in future writing posts? join my taglist!

[faeriekit]

TODAYBORDAY IS LABOR DAY

Brought to you by your local children's librarian! 😊

The library today is, obviously, closed. Thank goodness. However, we were open earlier this weekend, and I was grateful to have been given a chance to make a labor day display in the children's department!

And Y'ALL. Pickings were SLIM. Believe it or not, but society at large does NOT like teaching children about worker's rights, unionizing, and negotiations! 😭 Never fear, however, because I, under an extreme time crunch (3pm on a friday right before labor day) came up with a short list on kids' books that might help get thoughts flowing on what Labor Day means to us as a country. Good ol' 'Merica or whatever we're saying these days.

Behold: a kid's labor day reading list! ⬇

The candy conspiracy : a tale of sweet victory is classic "boss gets a dollar, I get a dime" story about the power of labor and bargaining. With candy! 🍫🍭🍬 Quick, sweet, and good enough to eat.

Click Clack Moo: Cows that Type is a great story about negotiating for better working conditions. That's right, the barnyard goes on strike for electric blankets and a diving board in the duck pond! A silly, quick read, told largely by the typewritten letters from the cows themselves. Click Clack, Moo!

Hey, remember when children used to have to work countless hours for pennies a day if that just to possibly die or be permanently disfigured on the job? The traveling camera : Lewis Hine and the fight to end child labor is the story of one man's quest to document child labor all across the country in hopes of finally ending it for good— through the work of the National Child Labor Committee. Remember to thank labor laws for the good they've done in your life!

Every student in the country ought to learn about exactly how many people died unnecessary deaths in the industries before workplace safety laws were implemented nationwide. The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire : core events of an industrial disaster is a nonfiction title about the how and whys of this horrific event. The most famous of its kind, we should not forget the people lost due to casual workplace cruelty and the demands of overwork.

Teach children to respect blue collar and working class heroes in Real Superheroes: a celebration of essential workers! From the people who keep our towns and cities free of debris and contaminants to healthcare professionals to emergency services, every down and dirty job is held by someone who keeps our towns up and running. Thanks, everyone! (I also recommend Night Job for the same reasons; very sweet, very good at portraying what a school janitor does as their work.)

I was going to add a book on the Mine Wars in West Virginia, since one recently published for a younger age group, but it was more teen than kid friendly unfortunately so I ended up cutting it. I was able to find another book on a different circumstance, however:

The real history of the transcontinental railroad covers a bevvy of relevant topics from the displacement of Native people in the west, the exploitation of Chinese immigrants, worker's rights, and the lingering ghost of Manifest Destiny that haunts this country to this day. Not every kid is ready for intersectional thinking on racism, xenophobia, and colonization, but at the very least, kids are very good at recognizing when a situation is "fair" or "unfair". Let them chew on this for a little bit and see what conversations come out of it.

Happy Labor Day, everyone! Be safe, be strong, and work in groups!

[j0hnj4ej3n]

08:02 p.m.

note: was being so delusional after mark came onto bubble & then did an instagram live to spend mark o'clock with us, and after declaring that he misses us and wants us to know AAAAAAKKK he's so crazy for that!!!! this man has me soooo delusional. so i thought of this little something because he looks so gorgeous today and i've been really busy these few weeks due to submissions~~ hope yall enjoy <3

(not proofread, i wrote this impulsively in less than an hour)

mark: are we still meeting to study at the cafe after your lecture tmr? y/n: yes! my lecture ends at 730~ mark: alright, i’ll wait for you so we can walk to the cafe tgt?  y/n: okayy sounds good

That was the texts you had with Mark last night. And as promised, once your lecture was done, Mark was already outside your lecture hall waiting for you. 

To be very honest, the two of you haven’t been friends for very long, having only met through a writing class last semester. But two weeks ago, you bumped into Mark at this newly opened 24-hour cafe just off campus. 

It’s crunch time now that finals are around the corner so the library is always packed. And the corner seat you love so much on the third floor is always occupied by this one freshman and his group of friends. So you were hoping this cafe was new and quiet enough to be your place to study for this time of the semester. 

When you got there, you found Mark, nose deep in his lecture notes studying with his wired earphones plugged in. You decided to greet him merely out of being polite, since you haven’t seen him around recently. But Mark seemed excited to see you and even invited you to study with him.

So here you two are again, routinely studying your Tuesday (and Friday) nights away together since that fateful day two weeks ago. 

Well, at least Mark is studying. 

To be fair, you’ve always found Mark cute. Since he asked if he could share your table in class last semester, you took note of how attractive your classmate is. His round, starry eyes and high cheekbones. His sweet smile that appears oh, so often. Better yet, he has one of the cutest and most contagious laughters you’ve ever heard. But you never took it as anything too serious. Mark has always been cute, but you didn’t really know the guy outside of class. 

These two weeks however, have made you acutely aware of how wonderful Mark really is as a person. He was diligent and intelligent, yet so humble about it all, refusing to slack just because he’s already getting good grades. Mark is attentive, if he notices you struggling, he takes the initiative to ask if you need help. And doesn’t mock you or make you feel small for not understanding something. 

He’s also just really sweet. You firmly believe Mark could befriend anyone and everyone. There’s just something about him that makes those around him feel comfortable. Like, you don’t have to put up a front when you’re with Mark because he won’t judge you. Instead he embraces all of you and is genuinely interested in everything you say, even if he has differing opinions. 

Being around Mark is easy. And the longer you stare at him, the more you realise that Mark isn’t just cute. He’s gorgeous. 

And you hate to admit it to yourself, but you’re definitely falling for Mark Lee. 

“Hello? Earth to y/n…?�� 

You can only bring yourself to blink back at Mark, who’s waving his hand in front of your face. Have you been staring at him all this time? 

“Oh, I’m sorry… were you saying something?” 

Mark chuckles, shaking his head. He looks down almost shyly, then lifts his head up to look at you again. 

“You’ve just been staring at me for a while, I was starting to wonder if I had something on my face.”

You want the ground to swallow you up. To be honest, you have not been getting any revision done tonight because the only real studying you’ve been doing is of Mark’s pretty face. And it’s embarrassing because he caught you. 

You can’t help but feel the embarrassment creep up on you, feeling the blood rush to your head. You cover your face with your hands and all Mark does is let out a quiet laugh. He really isn’t laughing at you though, he simply thinks you’re really endearing.

“Sorry… I didn’t mean to stare.” You pause, thinking of an excuse as you lift your head, “The lecture really butchered my brain, I was just daydreaming for a bit.”

“It’s okay, you just seemed so happily deep in thought. It was kinda cute,” Mark says, so casually as he returns his attention back to his notes, you almost miss his subtle compliment at the end. Did he just call you cute?  

He looks up at you again, smiling sweetly. “We don’t have to stay too late tonight if you’re tired.”

You shake your head, “It’s fine, I’m good now.” 

You really are not, because your heart is thumping so loudly against your chest over a simple smile from Mark. And your mind doesn’t focus on anything that isn’t Mark. But if you pretend well enough, if you control your urge to just stare at Mark for way too long… maybe you’ll get to spend a few more hours alone with Mark right here in this cosy, quiet cafe.

[redflagshipwriter]

Nest Swap 7

masterpost

Tim had one major takeaway about his experience when he got back to the right part of town and could stop looking over his shoulder for the Sausage Guy: He had to get better at this. 

Tim went right back to his hideout and then into the secret hideout portion, determined. He knew himself. There would be lots of useful information on the computer.

It took a while to find anything. But he was right. There was a treasure trove of information. There were years worth of mission reports, and there were multiple procedural handbooks. 

Batman apparently released one every autumn. Tim started printing them, and then looked at the much shorter Young Justice handbook. That seemed approachable. 

He read through that on the computer while the printer was still whirring away. It was only 21 pages long. Tim crunched on an apple in one hand and used the other to scroll down the side progress bar. This was all pretty simple. A lot of it wasn’t relevant to him because it was about the chain of command and coordination, but there were some interesting things about personal discretion and mission security. There were also some interesting implications vis-a-vis the color coding and graphic design for each section, which Tim could only assume was meant to hold the attention of an audience for whom the length would be challenging.

Once he finished that, he gathered up the most recent Batman procedural handbook and stapled it carefully into a neat and portable workbook. He took the indexes for each earlier edition as well so that he could easily cross-reference what he might need to look in another year's handbook for. He also found an empty notebook and some writing utensils. Then he dragged it all upstairs.

He put it on the table. Tim pressed his lips together pretty hard and hummed. It was a lot of paper. He probably needed a juice break.

He took care of that first. He spotted lunch meat while he had the fridge open and his stomach growled at him. Fair enough! Tim made a sandwich and ate it while he read and took notes on stakeouts. 

There were some areas for improvement on what he’d done. He took a few notes of what he really needed to remember. Then he turned back to the beginning of the handbook to read it through properly.

“Huh,” Tim said, squinting at the red all-caps admonition to never access these materials outside of a Bat-approved hideout or to print them. “Well, you should have told me before.” He ignored that and settled in with a pink highlighter for a long read. He had no idea how much time had passed, but it was all dark outside. The only light was the sickly glow from streetlights.

“Proximity alert,” said an unknown voice.

Tim jumped halfway out of his skin and looked around wildly. About a moment later he registered that the voice was kinda robotic sounding. “Where?” he asked stupidly. 

“External wall proximity alert,” said the robot.

His heart rate jumped up again. He accidentally dropped all his papers when he stood up. Tim started gathering them again and then realized no, he didn’t have time for this. He breathed heavily and looked around for an answer. What did he do?

“Initiating shutdown,” the voice said pleasantly. “In 3, 2, 1.”

Metal shutters slid down over the windows. Tim whirled around at the sound of thuds all over the apartment. It was dark inside. After moment emergency lighting turned on, soft red lights at ankle height that he had never noticed before. That was the only light source aside from what he forgot on in the kitchen.

The only sound for a few seconds was his own harsh breathing. Tim swallowed hard and wrapped his arms around himself. Was this ok? Did that shutdown mean he was safe from whoever was trying to get in? Maybe he could just wait it out. He tried to slow down his breathing. It didn’t work. His head felt kinda swimmy. He swallowed hard and stumbled towards a window. He couldn’t see anything, obviously, but maybe he could listen and figure out who it was. 

Despite thinking that, he jumped straight up when someone banged a fist against the metal shutter. 

“Let me in, bird boy!” came a female voice. She paused. “Let us in, it’s me and the Big Bird.”

Big Bird? Like, the yellow giant bird with the huge claws? It was real?

He felt like he was going to throw up.

Why was Big Bird at his house? And why was Big Bird real? Was Big Bird a predator? Tim started crying a little. Why was Big Bird trying to break into his house? He kept each sniffle silent, petrified that Big Bird was going to hear him. They didn’t actually know that he was in there. 

“You’re in trouble, Mister,” she continued. “Answer your phone sometimes!” She hit the window again. Tim put his hands over his mouth to keep as quiet as possible and hiccuped. 

‘I’m in trouble and she brought the bird to punish me.’ Tim dropped to the floor and hunched together as small as possible, butt touching his heels and arms wrapped around his shins. He buried his head in between his knees. ‘What did I do? Is this- is this because I blocked Robin’s messages? Why does this lady even know about that?’

“Timmy Tim Tim,” sang a new voice. Male. Pleasant. Tim hunched inwards even further. “This is a wellness check!”

A buzzer went off, harsh and ugly and loud. Two shrieks issued from the window.

Tim raised his tear-stained face to stare in confusion.

“Ah- O, come on-”

“My ears oh my god my ears are broken-”

The two strangers talked over each other for a few confusing moments. Big Bird still hadn’t said anything. Tim remembered just how big Big Bird actually was and he started crying a little. He didn’t want to meet Big Bird.

“Fi- Alright, alright. Bye!” The female voice had a distinctly harassed tone to it now. There was a scuffle against the metal covering the window. 

Then there was silence. It really did seem like they left. But maybe they were just waiting for him to make a noise. Tim waited and shuddered, scared they were going to come back. 

A soft beeping started up in the kitchen. 

‘...Did I leave something on?’ Tim wiped his face off with a wrist and rose. He gave the window one last look before he shuffled away.

When he entered the room, the kitchen’s water dispenser flashed at him. Then a voice came out of it. 

“Sorry about that, I didn’t realize they were heading over. I would have given you a heads-up.”

“How are you in my fridge?” Tim asked, indignant. He made a way-too-loud wet sound from his nose by accident. 

The lights in the room spun through a color change. “I am in everything,” the lady intoned.

That was when he placed the voice. “Thanks, Oracle,” Tim said.

“You’re welcome.” There was a pause. He knew that she was still there. Tim sniffled and wiped at his face again. It occurred to him too late that she might be able to see him. “Have you reached out to any magical specialists to fix this?” she asked casually, as if she hadn’t clearly been thinking over what she’d say.

Tim shook his head no and said nothing, testing to see if she could see him.

She breathed out a gust of static. “I think that the situation is affecting you,” Oracle said frankly. “Can I call Zatanna? We need you back on your cases and I can’t keep the birds out forever. They’re getting worried.”

…Tim had a suspicion that birds might actually not mean ‘birds’ in this context. 

He didn’t know anything, though. He was such a dummy. He didn’t know how to do his job and he was ruining Big Tim’s life, and he had made people so mad that they’d come and shut down his house. As he was thinking that, a soft whirring started up and the metal plating covering all his windows started to retract. 

“I think that help would be good,” Tim admitted defeat. He needed to go back to elementary school and become the Tim who could handle his adult life. He clearly wasn’t qualified for it. 

“Oh. Great.” Oracle paused again. Was he not supposed to say yes?  She recovered quickly. “I’ll get right on that. Have a good night. And go to bed!”

Tim stuck his tongue out as the connection ended. The lights went off on his fridge when Oracle went away.

[wooahaes]

collaborative effort

pairing: non-idol!95z x gn!reader

genre: fluff. domestic fic. established relationship. poly relationship.

word count: 1.1k~

warnings: food mentions.

daisy's notes: yes this references the october fic from this year where they all went on a hike together hehe

“You know, you’re supposed to be helping us.” 

Seungcheol stood beside the Christmas tree the four of you had put up this year. Or, rather, the two of you did, because Seungcheol and Joshua were the only two working on the thing at this point. Jeonghan had yet again pulled you away from decorating the tree (he helped pick it out! And the two of you tracked down the worker so you could buy it! Technically the two of you did help since you also untangled the lights!), linking the two of you together as partners in crime yet again. It reminded you of that time the four of you rented a cabin in the mountains, actually: it always felt like Jeonghan latched onto you because he knew you’d go along with him without a second thought. Seungcheol and Joshua did, too, but Jeonghan liked how you’d ask questions later most of the time. 

“We are?” Jeonghan said from his spot on the couch, happily cuddled up with you clinging to his arm. The two of you were sharing a blanket, and he had been eating a candy cane that you suspected he was purposefully sharpening… just to keep the others on edge. “Someone has to stand back and watch it all come together.” He nodded toward you, “and they’re our second pair of eyes.”

Seungcheol rolled his eyes, picking up another ornament. “Why do I love you both…”

“Because we’re irresistible,” Jeonghan chuckled, snuggling into you further. “Besides… You and Shua got to rest while we—”

“—Untangled the lights for us,” Joshua finished. “We know.”

With a crunch, Jeonghan broke off the slightly-sharp part of his candy cane. “If you need us to help, we’ll help in a few minutes. I’m resting right now.”

Seungcheol looked over, his eyes finding yours. “And you?”

“I’m keeping him warm,” you giggled. “And observing. Cheollie, move that red one over a few branches. It’s too close to that gold one.” 

Immediately, you were met with the pouty grumbles of Seungcheol as he did as you told him. A moment later, he took a step back, taking in the sight of it.

“Well?” Jeonghan was smiling, already fully aware of what Seungcheol thought. “Were they right?”

Seungcheol said nothing, earning a soft laugh from Joshua as he glanced over to see the man’s pouty face. Sometimes it was too easy to mess with him.

“How about this,” Jeonghan spoke up again, “if you two finish the tree, we’ll decorate the rest of the house, and we all can do anything outside together.” 

Joshua looked over, watching the two of you for a moment. “I feel like you’re planning something.” 

“We’re not,” you hummed. “We’ll handle the rest of the inside stuff. I don’t mind.” 

With a sigh, Seungcheol set down the empty box of ornaments, making his way over. “Move over,” he mumbled. “I’m tired, too.”

Before he could flop down onto the two of you (something both he and Joshua have done before… and, to be fair, you and Jeonghan were equally guilty of), you dove away, giving Seungcheol enough space to rest between you and Jeonghan before you cuddled back in. You reached a hand up, brushing back a strand of his hair behind his ear as he met your eyes. 

“The tree looks really good so far,” you said, leaning over to press a quick kiss against his lips. “If you need me to help, I will—”

“It’s fine,” he said. “Just keep Jeonghan company. We’ll bring the other boxes down later.” 

Jeonghan settled in after pulling himself free from the blanket the two of you had been sharing, head resting on Seungcheol’s shoulder. “I guess we owe Shua for convincing us to get a real tree.”

As if on cue, Joshua threw himself onto the couch next to you. “Because it’s nicer.” He rested his head in your lap, and you already dropped a hand down to play with his hair. “We can use the plastic one again next year if you want.”

“You’re going to have to vacuum up pine needles,” Seungcheol flicked the top of Joshua’s head, “since it was your idea.”

“I can live with that,” Joshua let out a soft hum as he curled up closer to you. 

The four of you simply stayed there for a while, cozy and warm in one another’s company. Joshua rested a hand on your knee, thumb dragging across the fabric of your sweatpants as he gazed at a nearly-completed tree. Seungcheol’s head rested against Jeonghan’s, his hand in your free one, your other hand still lovingly stroking Joshua’s hair. You could see Jeonghan wrap his arms around Seungcheol’s, shutting his eyes for a moment happily as he let out a blissful sigh. Sometimes it took moments like these for you to appreciate just how much the four of you loved one another.

“We still need to put the tree topper up.” Seungcheol glanced between you and Jeonghan, gaze settling on the person without Joshua laying on their lap. “Jeonghan—”

“I’ll get it,” he sighed, pressing a kiss against his cheek.

“We could put Jeonghan on top of the tree,” you mumbled, shutting your eyes as you leaned against Seungcheol a little further. “Don’t people put angels on top of their trees sometimes?”

Sure enough, you heard Joshua mumble something that you weren’t entirely sure he wanted anyone to hear, earning him a soft smack against his shoulder. He immediately started cackling, earning a confused look from Seungcheol, and a knowing look from Jeonghan when he glanced over. 

“Shua!” You whined at him. “I’m not repeating it.”

“I’ll tell them later,” he said, squeezing your knee. “Jeonghan—”

He shook his head, already moving the stepladder over. Jeonghan carefully picked up the shiny star tree-topper the four of you had bought years ago (back when it was just Seungcheol and Jeonghan living together, with you and Joshua crashing constantly at their place). With slow steps, you watched as Jeonghan stepped up the ladder, carefully placing the topper in its proper place. He drew his hands back, waiting just for a moment to ensure that it was secure before he descended, stepping back to admire the finished tree.

“There…” Jeonghan turned back to the three of you. “I think we’ve earned some hot chocolate. Cheol, you’re buying, right?”

Under the sound of Seungcheol complaining and Joshua’s soft laugh (because of course Jeonghan would rope Seungcheol into paying), you giggled, smiling to yourself as you moved to untangle yourself from your partners. Yet you found yourself stuck in place, admiring how pretty everything looked when it finally came together. Joshua stood up after you, leaning against you as he, too, admired the finished tree. Soon enough, Seungcheol and Jeonghan had come back together, the four of you standing in this sweet moment you felt would last an eternity.

“You know… I think we did a pretty good job,” Joshua mused aloud. 

“We did,” you nodded, a hand curling around his bicep. With a smile, you looked at your partners. “Let’s go get that hot chocolate.”

taglist: @twancingyunhao @wonuziex @synthetickitsune @staranghae @porridgesblog @weird-bookworm @bangchansbae @laylasbunbunny

[eepwriting]

the way I NEED a iii x reader, where he pulls them away for a quickie rightttt before he’s gotta be onstage. mans is wild and makes his own rules, ok? probably has the crew panicking, probably almost misses his cue, probably leaves reader side-stage, ravished and dripping with his…

Please? <3

Let Me In ✶ III x GN! Reader

Warnings: nsfw, smut, intercourse, public? sex

AHHHH this request!!! I'm eating it up anon thank you! Also this is SHORT I’m sorry 😞

!! mdni !!

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You watch Vessel from afar, hopping up and down, his hands wringing at his sides. II and IV stand off to the side in a quiet conversation and the girls are gathered in a small huddle nearby. The rest of the crew running around, making sure everything was in order for the night. With a solid fifteen minutes before they needed to be on stage, the energy behind the scenes was high and somewhat chaotic.

"Hey, come with me a sec." You don’t even hear him walk up behind you but III's voice is close to your ear, his hand dancing on your back.

His eyes are full of mischief when you spin around to look at him. "For what?" You let out a quiet laugh. His brows wiggle under his mask and he shoots you a wink. You feel heat rise to your neck and give him a bashful smile. “What? No! You have maybe twelve minutes before you need to be out there.” Your whisper is rushed as you look up at him in disbelief.

He grabs your hand and starts to walk backwards, dragging you along with him. “It’s okay, I don’t need long.” You can tell he has a grin plastered on his face with the way his eyes crinkle.

You can’t deny the excitement and rush that runs through you as he drags you to the green room. The two of you have had your fair share of fooling around before and after shows but never with such a time crunch. With the way iii kept excitedly looking back at you it was hard to say no to him.

He’s quick to close and lock the door behind you, his hands pushing against your hips til you’re pressed against the nearest wall. His mask comes off in a quick tug before it’s shoved into his back pocket. He wastes no time when reaching for your bottoms, fingers making quick work to tug them down your thighs. You’re able to move fast enough in grabbing his face, dragging it down to your own as your own hands work his belt through the loops of his pants. “We really shouldn’t be doing this right now.” You mumble against his lips, although your hands still push his pants off his hips.

He chuckles as he pulls away from you, his hand cupped near his mouth as he coats his palm with spit. “Like I said, I don’t need long.” He grunts when his wet hand makes contact with his cock. “But I just really need you right now.”

He looks so desperate and needy for you and it sends a crashing wave of desire through you as you look at him impatiently pumping his hand over himself. You reach out for him, hooking a leg around his hip. His mouth meets yours again after he coats his cock a second time, bending his knees to fit against you better as his hips grind against yours. One hand grips the side of your knee, keeping your leg splayed open for him, the other finds its way in between the two of you to work between your legs. You make a poor attempt to stifle a moan, not wanting to draw any attention to where the two of you had disappeared to. III smiles against your lips and speeds up the movement of his fingers. “I know, I got you.” He breathes into your mouth, the head of his cock sinking into you slowly. “That’s it, let me in.”

Your heart races at the sound of footsteps outside the door but the fact that anyone could knock on the door, and surely hear the two of you, only added to the insurmountable amount of need you were feeling right now. “Shit, love.” III’s words are mumbled against the side of your neck as his hips snap to yours quickly. Open mouth kisses travel up your neck, pausing to lightly nibble on your earlobe. “Anyone could hear me fucking you right now. That turns you on, doesn’t it? Could cum just thinking about it.” He can barely get the words out before they’re cut off by a deep groan against your neck. You have to bite over your bottom lip roughly to contain the sounds you desperately want to let out.

You know he’s close when his thrusts turn messy and he can barely keep his hand moving between your legs, letting you take over for him. You’re right there with him, teetering on the edge. Even with his mouth muffling most of your sounds, you know they’re still loud, but when that lovely feeling comes crashing down over you, being quiet is the last thing on your mind. III’s hips move on their own against yours, buried fully when he finishes. He’s somewhat better at hiding his groans but it was definitely no secret now which room the two of you occupied.

III lazily pecks your lips and cheek before he pulls out of you with a hiss. You barely have a moment to collect yourself before a startling string of pounds sound on the door. “III, c’mon man! What’re doing in there? You gotta be on in 3 minutes!”

You have to stifle a laugh as you watch iii struggle to get his bearings. His cock still hard as he pulls his pants back up. His hair a mess but at least you couldn’t even tell when he pulls his mask over his face. “I’m coming, I’m coming, hold on!” He pulls the mask over his mouth once more before he pecks your lips again. “Well I already did, but you know what I mean.” He says loud enough for only you to hear, making you muffle another giggle. He gives you goofy smile before tugging his mask back down.

“What the hell, man.” You can’t put a face to the voice once the door opens but you can definitely register the confusion, panic and slight disappointment in their tone. III closes the door behind him and you hope which ever crew member that was didn’t see you. You didn’t want everyone to know you were part of the reason iii was late. Who knows what kind of relentless teasing you’d endure.

You move as quickly as you can in redressing yourself, not even trying to wipe away the black smears on your hips and thighs. You manage to sneak out of the room without any weird looks but you had a feeling everyone knew.

How iii managed to make it to stage on time was a mystery to you. The telltale sign that he was right on time evident by the loud applause and the all too familiar opening song sounding just as it should.

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Guyssss I just loved this request!!! BUT I am struggling to write omg I gotta pick up the pace.

ANON!! Thank you for this request once again, I’m giving you a fat kiss on the forehead for it 😚

K. Bye bye.

[keep-on-burnin]

this short little piece was requested by my lovely friends, you know who you are😇 enjoy some drunk and lovey bob<3 also unedited cause I’m lazy ;)

the only sounds in the house were the washing machine rumbling quietly in the background and an old record you’d thrown on. You sat lounging on the couch of your living room, book in hand and half empty wine glass on the table. A stupid rom-com that you weren’t too interested in played on mute across your TV screen. The sun had already set and the sky was now filled with stars. A cool breeze from the ocean blew into your little home through a slightly cracked open window, gifting a pleasant scent of salt water.

You didn’t get much alone time nowadays. All the hustle and bustle that comes along with being a US Naval Aviator rarely let up, and when it did, you’d usually be enjoying a few pints and a round of pool at the Hard Deck with your fellow officers. Tonight though, you’d decided to let Bob go off on his own in favour of finishing a couple loads of laundry and a bottle of wine.

It was nice every once in a while to have time alone with yourself to catch up on all the missed self-care. Bob was always good at reminding you to take care of yourself, though he was kind of a hypocrite.

Tonight was yours to unwind and his to let loose. He was always the one to stay sober at the Hard Deck, politely declining every beer in favour of a glass of water to ensure that both of you and your friends had a way of getting home safe. He was ever the gentleman. Before he left though, you had told him to go have fun and if he needed you would pick him up when he was ready. So, it was quite the surprise to hear the crunching of gravel in your driveway and the sight of old yellow headlights beaming through your open window.

You heard faint slurred sentences of, “I can walk by myself,” obviously Bob, and “You’re plastered, Robert” which could be non other than Rooster.

You could only assume that Bradley was the designated driver tonight, poor soul. You’d had your fair share of DD nights and taking care of drunk aviators was not easy, especially a light-weight like sweet Bobby.

The sound of your front door flying open and a muttered “shit” could be heard from the entry way. You thought about getting up to help your boyfriend, but ultimately decided to sit back and enjoy the show. In your defense, you never got to see Bob drunk, like, ever. Once he passed through the threshold into your softly lit living room you realized just how drunk he really was. His normally gelled back and neat hair was askew, his cobalt eyes drooping, and his signature tipsy smirk was sitting on his lips.

He leans, a little ungracefully, against the doorway.

“Honey, I’m home!” He chirps, that stupid smirk growing wider.

Shaking your head and huffing out a laugh, you slide your bookmark into place and set your paperback next to your now empty wine glass.

“How was your night?” You ask, already full well knowing it must’ve been great.

Bob doesn’t move from his spot against the door frame, he just looks at you and smiles. That fucking smile that makes you weak in the knees. Thank god you’re sitting on the couch or you probably would’ve fallen face first into the carpet, but despite that, you rise to your feet and make your way over to him. Once you’re standing close enough, Bob practically throws all of his body weight on you, making you stumble back a couple steps. You laugh heartily as you let him nuzzle your neck and leave kisses along your skin.

“Night was good. I missed you though.” He confesses, breathing in the subtle scent of your perfume and sighing out once you begin to comb your fingers through his soft hair.

Moments like these were your favourite. Just you and Bob in your own little world, loving each other, holding each other. It was true bliss.

After a few minutes, Bob pulls his face away from your neck and smiles a lopsided, lovesick grin at you. Oh yeah, he’s hammered.

“How much did you drink?” You ask with a giggle, moving your hand down from his hair to the side of his face.

“Too much tequila.” He all but whispers, not wanting to speak too loudly in fear that this moment between you two would end. His soft eyes bore into yours, and now your sporting the same lovesick smile he is. Bob begins to sway back and forth slowly to the new song on the record. Of course it’s a classic love song from the 50’s that he knows by heart, so he sings it to you. It’s romantic, slurred words and all.

It truly feels like a movie. You and Bob dancing under the soft yellow light of the living room, one of you tipsy from wine, the other one plastered from tequila and cheap beer and both smiling like idiots in love.

The silence was nice and comfortable, until Bob said something you’d never thought would come out of his mouth, especially in this state.

“Will you marry me?”

“What?” You ask back in disbelief, chuckling at the very sudden question.

Bob would normally recoil while his pretty face flushed with a dark pink, but drunk Bob is a different breed. He just smiles wider, if that’s even possible, before continuing,

“I love you so much honey, and I wanna love you everyday for the rest of my life.”

The confession surprises you to say the least, but you know that drunk words are sober thoughts, you also know that sober Bob has probably been stressing about that question since the day he met you. So of course, with a teary eyed smile you answer his question by saying,

“Ask me again when you’re sober” and you sealed the deal with a kiss.

[aimbutmiss]

It was another long night in the office for Crocodile.

To be fair, it was never intentional. He always reminded himself to retreat to his sleeping quarters at acceptable hours as he sat down to get some work done, but the idea was forgotten the moment he picked up a document.

So, he had severe time management problems. Whatever.

He dropped the paper he was holding and rubbed his temple with a groan. He was getting too old for sleepless nights like this. But work never ended with Cross Guild. He had a lot of things to overlook, even with the help he had from Daz and Buggy, who surprisingly made quite the good businessman. And maybe he was being a bit too cautious—too detailed with his work, but he found out the hard way that attention to detail payed off. He wasn't new to all this, he had built Baroque Works from ground up and he had also very much done the same with Cross Guild. He was proud of his meticulous work habits. No matter how many sleepless nights he had, it was always worth it.

And he loved his office; it was his safe place. He loved having a little corner to himself, away from everyone and everything. Karai Bari was loud, always home to some type of festivity. Crocodile was never one for such ruckus, and only allowed it because it helped with crew morale. But no matter what stupid thing was going on out there, he could shut it out and hide in the peaceful silence of this room. He could crunch numbers day and night, without having to deal with nightmares in his bed.

Yes, Sir Crocodile had nightmares; for he was human like any other.

He wasn't ashamed of his demons, but he'd never admit it to anyone if asked about it. He had spent years building the strong, powerful persona he had. He had convinced many that he was invincible, without weakness. It would all crumble if the world found out he woke up in cold sweat some nights, tears staining his face.

Monsters did not cry.

He slammed his head on the desk and closed his eyes for a second. Trying to get his much needed rest from a few seconds of shut eye was ridiculous, but it was better than nothing.

Before he could get up and get back to work, the door to his office slowly opened. He could have looked up to see who it was, not that there were many people who would walk into his office in the dead of night, but he decided to act as if he had fallen asleep for some reason. He just... felt like it. He didn't move an inch as footsteps approached closer to his desk.

"That could be a fire hazard, you idiot."

The mysterious intruder turned out to be just Buggy, which was weird. The clown had no reason to pay him a visit, especially not at this hour. The man picked up the lit cigar on the ashtray and put it out. A few second later, he gently laid a blanket on the "sleeping" man's shoulders, making sure he was covered up nicely. He hadn't moved from his place, so he must have detached his hands to pick it up from wherever.

"You don't have to work yourself this hard, you stubborn old man."

Crocodile was suddenly hyper aware of everything: the smell of Buggy's newly washed hair; his hand on his back, drawing slow circles into his tense muscles... He felt himself involuntarily relax into the touch.

"I could have changed you into something more comfortable and carried you to your bed if you weren't built like a fucking sea king. Oh well, this should do for now."

Before his business partner left the room, he could barely feel him give a kiss on his head. Yet it was enough to make the hairs on his neck stand up.

Buggy walked to the door, trying his best to be silent, and shut the lights. He left with a gentle whisper of "Good night." and Crocodile didn't have it in himself to get up for the next... God knows how long.

Before he knew it, he had fallen asleep just like that. When he woke up the next morning, he had mild back pain from sleeping while hunched over a chair. But despite that, he hadn't slept so well in ages.

No nightmares, just a warm blanket and the lingering smell of shampoo.

[strawberry-smog]

SHERMIE.

Man, I hate this guy. While overthinking the Gravity Falls timeline brings me joy that only trying to put together a miscut puzzle with a boxcutter and some paint to scribble over the pieces that just don’t match anything can, Shermie is one of the fandom’s eternal lore tangles that just annoys me. I would prefer to simply never think about him, and yet after that stupid book taunted me about him again, I am opening this can of sherms and thinking about him and how he fits into the timeline and the wider Pines family dynamics.

I feel like most of the more lore-interested fan content, or at least the stuff concerning Stan and Ford, tends to go for the Older Shermie fan theory. And even though this is something that makes the most sense out of the mechanical number-crunching timeline part of the story, on a character writing level older Shermie just rings false to me: Stan and Ford are so defined by them being the only two people in each other’s lives from a young age, and even if Shermie was old enough or estranged enough or both to have never had any significant interactions with his baby brothers, I think the mere existence of an older brother would’ve cast a shadow over their childhood as something to idolize or something to be afraid of ending up like.

Plus, we’ve got Ford being given Filbrick’s wedding suit as a young man and the present day Stan-as-Ford inheriting all of the family’s old junk, which both seem to point towards Ford being the eldest son, although I will concede that this works for a no-contact Shermie too.

All of this seems like it should make me a Younger Shermie truther, but that doesn’t exactly feel right to me either - it works better for the older Pines family dynamic, but once you get to the younger generation you have to start thinking about the timeline again and how the unavoidable double teen pregnancies fit into the story there, and subjectively I feel like that doesn’t really fit the way Dipper and Mabel are presented. To me their branch of the Pines family seems a bit more insulated from those kinds of big dramas, with Dipper and Mabel as kind of these average middle class kids living a pretty normative life who find out about all the skeletons in their family’s closet over the course of the show. Also you’d think Stan would at least mention Shermie’s pipe game.

So if Shermie isn’t their older brother or their younger brother, who is he? Well, I don’t know, to be perfectly honest. I know there’s the time paradox gag in Lost Legends, but Shermie going through some crazy time dilation adventure is also something that feels off to me for the boring grandpa role he plays in the family dynamic, and it adds unnecessary wackiness and intrigue to the otherwise more grounded extended Pines family.

The scant other mentions of him aren’t very helpful for getting a clearer picture - Ford writes about him weirdly distantly for a brother in his journal. The only reference to him is him being full-named like he’s a stranger - which, I mean, I think it makes sense for the writers because it clears up any lingering “wait, is Shermie short for a male or female name?” confusion amongst people who didn’t play the DS game, while still letting them avoid “my older/younger brother” phrasing so as not to highlight the awkwardness of his place in the timeline and avoid canonizing a birth order for him. And to be fair, Ford in general seems 0% interested in his family once he gets back from the portal too: there’s some brief mentions, but he doesn’t have any questions about what they’re up to or whether his by-now-quite-elderly parents are even, y’know, alive. I think based on what Bill says about his family in the Book of Bill it can be assumed that Ford was estranged in all but name from his parents by the time he met Bill and being hunted across dimensions for 30 years certainly didn’t give him any opportunities to change his opinion on that, but this is getting off topic.

Anyway, now that I’ve rambled for a bit here’s me going through every Shermie theory I can think of and trying to present some evidence for all of them.

Theory 1: Shermie is Stan and Ford’s older brother and THE BABY is his child

Problems: The Pines are explicitly stated to only have two sons in ATOTS, and Ford is surprised to find out that he has niblings

Solution A: Shermie has been estranged from his family for long enough that the local high school principal has no idea he exists, and his parents don’t care to correct the mistake

Problem A: If Shermie isn’t in contact with his family why would they be looking after his baby?

Solution B: Shermie is not estranged, but for whatever reason the principal of Glass Shard Beach High has no idea he exists (he didn’t go to that school? The principal recently transferred from somewhere else?) and his parents still didn’t care to correct that mistake

Problem B: This makes it weirder that none of the characters in the flashback bring up his existence, and also doesn’t solve the issue of Ford acting like he hasn’t had niblings before Dipper and Mabel

Solution C: Shermie is trans and from the other characters’ perspective back in the 60s the principal was correct when he said there were only two Pines boys

Problem C: This still doesn’t solve the problem with Ford acting like he didn’t have any niblings, and maybe makes it a bit weird that Ford wouldn’t make any mention of it if he transitioned after 1982/3

Solution D: One of the above theories is correct and also THE BABY is not Shermie’s child but a fourth sibling or a random other baby being babysat

Problem D: who is this goddamn baby???

Solution E: Shermie IS estranged from his family and has also fucked off and left his child for them to raise

Problem E: Doesn’t really jive with him being at Dipper and Mabel’s birth or Stan calling him “a square”

Theory 2: Shermie is Stan and Ford’s younger brother and THE BABY

Problems: this makes both him and Dipper and Mabel’s parent very young parents, alongside possibly implying that Shermie died very young with how Stan refers to him in the past tense in Gnome Gemulets

Solution: there’s really nothing in canon saying they weren’t teen parents or that Shermie didn’t die in his forties (or that Stan wasn’t just using the past tense because he was telling old stories), it’s just kind of awkward

Bonus evidence: while Stan’s weirdly personal story about watching movies with your girlfriend leading to children ruining your life in Little Giftshop of Horrors is A) from a non-canon episode and B) said by Hirsch on twitter to have been something Filbrick said to him growing up, if you ignore Word of God it works pretty well as Stan remembering what happened to Shermie

Theory 3: Shermie is a normal age to have preteen grandkids but also isn’t Stan and Ford’s full brother

Problems: this is ridiculously blatant fanwank with zero in-text support aside from Stan and Ford never directly calling him their brother. It also has the same issues with who exactly THE BABY is as the standard Older Shermie Theory

Solution A: Shermie is Stan and Ford’s cousin and they’re referred to as great uncles because “first cousin twice removed Stan” doesn’t have a great ring to it

Problem A: when Ford hears about Shermie’s grandkids he specifically calls them his niece and nephew. While sure, this could be part of the same reasoning that has Dipper and Mabel calling the Stans their uncles in this theory, Ford at this point has no preexisting relationship with the concept of being especially close to kids-of-his-cousins'-kids, clearly wasn't very close with Shermie when they were both on the same planet, and singles out niece and nephew with a special kind of excitement that makes it seem like he's interested in the idea of a sibling of his having kids, rather than just more cousins which is something pretty much everyone has

Solution B: Shermie is a half-brother to Stan and Ford from another relationship of Filbrick’s

Problem B: this adds yet more convoluted family drama with zero canon evidence to the Pines family. However, since there is zero evidence for it there’s also nothing to really dispute it, seeing as how it’s mainly fanfic that has little relation to the canon backstory

Bonus evidence: Counting in dubiously canon sources such as Shmeb-You-Unlocked and the Stan DVD Commentary, Filbrick has had at least two careers before becoming a pawnbroker, which he was all throughout Stan and Ford’s childhood. Plenty of time to have had an entire other family, perhaps?

Theory 4: Shermie is THE BABY but Shmebulock’s conspiracy board from Lost Legends was correct when it brought up the possibility of a time paradox surrounding Shermie

Problem: wouldn’t the other characters notice that he was the wrong age?

Solution: it’s Gravity Falls so you can’t actually rely on people to act like normal human beings. This is another one where there’s no real evidence against it, it’s just kind of weird

Theory 5: Sherman is Stan’s middle name, and by calling them “Shermie’s” grandkids Stan is signalling to Ford that they’re secretly his grandkids… and THE BABY is his kid that he never got back in contact with, I guess?

Problems: why would Ford cover for this. Why wouldn’t Dipper and Mabel notice their grandpa doesn’t exist. Why

Solution: come on man

[livingasaghost]

okay i probably should not go down this rabbit hole but i think i deserve to do some andreil proposal/wedding headcanon because who cares!!

this is going to be inspired by these three posts because i cannot stop thinking about them

also the usual disclaimer: if this is bad or goes against your own personal headcanon....so be it<3

when andrew finally accepts that this is a THIS, he and neil do not talk about The Future

both of them know how quickly things can change and how you can't plan for anything in life because shit happens and life isn't fair and people always hurt you...so they just keep living in the present

but after a while it kind of becomes clear that neither one of them is going anywhere, even though neither of them actually believes it

more than that, they keep running into problems

like when neil plays a game for Court and ends up getting crunched against the wall and has to go to the ER and andrew has no idea where they took him because he wasn't fast enough to follow him and then when he finally gets to the hospital no one will let him back there and then when he almost attacks a nurse, kevin finally intervenes and lays on the charm to get the two of them back there to see him

and when they finally get in the room, neil is knocked the fuck out and that's when andrew decides that yeah fuck that we can't keep doing this

he doesn't tell neil he's decided this because neil will probably argue or try to run or come up with a bunch of excuses or worse he'll say yes

andrew asks renee for advice, and she doesn't make a big deal out of it because she knows that's the best way to get andrew to not want to do anything

so she decides to be casual

and by casual she actually just tells andrew that she had a conversation with katelyn that sounded like she and aaron were maybe thinking about getting engaged soon

andrew picks up his phone, intending to ask neil right there, but renee stops him and forces him to reconsider this proposal to at least do it in person

even so, there isn't a lot of fanfare

neil can sense something is off immediately when andrew walks in the door but he doesn't push him because he knows that's not the best way to get anything out of andrew

andrew won't look at him at all, doesn't say a word, just sits down next to him on the couch

neil: "drew?"

andrew:

neil:

andrew: "i don't want to wait for kevin to get me to you"

neil doesn't really know what he's even talking about, so he just kind of stares at him, waiting

andrew, actively staring at the wall: "this is not going to be some kind of fairytale shit and i refuse to get down on one fucking knee so yes or no?"

neil, finally having his lightbulb moment: "don't ask stupid questions"

andrew rolls his eyes because of course he'd get stuck with this one: "yes or no, junkie"

neil: "i already told you. it's always yes with you."

andrew: "this is different"

neil: "not the way i see it"

andrew: "this means no running away"

neil: "i stopped running a long time ago"

andrew really is going to kill this guy one day

they don't discuss real details until a few days later when neil asks if they have to have a "real" wedding or if they can just go to a courthouse and getting the papers signed

andrew was under the impression that that WAS a real wedding and thus it was the only thing they would be doing regardless

the two of them settle on a date — only a few days out because hey, might as well just get it done because "who knows the next time some fuckface is gonna kick your ass and land you in the hospital"

at first they decide they aren't going to tell anybody, but then renee asks andrew if he ever actually talked to neil and so she becomes the only person to know about this weird wedding thing

she keeps trying to convince them to tell everybody else, but that does not go over well

neil decides it's probably best if he dresses kind of nice for his wedding (even though he's a thousand percent certain that andrew is just gonna show up in his usual attire) and since he doesn't want to tell nicky what's going on (for everyone's sake), he calls wymack instead thinking he can just vaguely ask a few questions and wymack'll stay out of his business

wymack: "somebody better be dead for you to be calling me this late"

neil: "what are you supposed to wear to a wedding?"

wymack: "who the hell is getting married?"

neil: "me"

wymack: "are you fucking with me?"

neil: "andrew is sick of asking kevin to get him into my hospital rooms"

wymack: "maybe if you stopped going to the fucking hospital—"

even though neil didn't think he needed wymack there, he unexpectedly asks if coach'll be his best man.....and even though wymack is so sick of these idiot kids shortening his life-span, he can't help but say yes

so that is how the four of them end up at the courthouse, waiting for the judge to make it all official

that is, until andrew gets a phone call

neil doesn't see who it is when he picks up, he just watches andrew as he answers straightfaced

andrew: "we're at the courthouse....getting married.......coach is here.....no."

the others look at each other, but andrew keeps staring at the wall ahead of him

neil nudges his knee: "who was that?"

andrew: "nicky"

[keep-the-wolves-close]

Steady Heart

Chapter 34: Bridge Over Troubled Water

* Pairing: Slow-burn Kayce Dutton x OFC Stella Daniels

* Rating: M

* Warnings: NSFW, language, slight smut but mostly implied

* Word count: 4,528ish

I would love to give credits to @dameronscopilot and @deanscroissant for being sounding boards for me during this whole process, giving outsider insight, being cheerleaders, and allowing me to screech at them about things that have happened during the writing process. I seriously couldn't have gotten this far without y'all.

Author's note: I hope everyone is enjoying so far! I hope you love this chapter as well! My apologies for having y’all wait so long. I’ve been taking a much needed brain break lately. I’m slowly diving back in. There’s a detail in here, that I absolutely love, that I hope someone picks up on. 👀

Stella came down the hill to the pen they had Lucky separated in. She grabbed the lead rope for him and leaned on the fence and watched him walk around taking in everything. The sounds of the ranch were very new to him. It was a lot to take in. His nostrils flared every so often, and his ears were forward facing. He was definitely intrigued. The horse finally decided Stella was interesting enough to come stand by the fence.

She smiled affectionately at him. “Hey boy, you doin’ okay?” She held her hand out to him that held the lead rope. Lucky came a little closer to sniff at her hand and the rope, but still kept a good distance from her. She giggled. “You’re a smart one.” The crunch of footsteps in gravel grabbed her attention. She looked over her shoulder and saw that it was Kayce and his son.

“Finally decided to join us, huh?” She smirked at Kayce.

“Yeah, yeah.” Kayce easily fell back into his role of training with Stella. There was also an air of foreman about him this time. “You go on in and grab him, and I’ll go get the saddle. Tate you wait on the outside of the fence.” He directed both of them.

Stella and Tate scrunched their faces in annoyance in unison at being bossed around. As Kayce walked into the barn, Tate started to climb in between the rungs of the fence. “Ah ah. You heard your dad. I also say you can’t be in there with him yet.” Tate groaned. “I know, it’s not fair, but we gotta do this right. I had to do it with Abigail and she’s the best horse I could ask for. So it’s a lesson in patience for you right now.”

“I’d agree with her, son. Not much winning to be had here.” Kayce teased as he walked up with Tate’s saddle. He looked at Stella and put the saddle on the fence. “I thought you were gonna get a hold of him?”

Stella huffed. “I was keeping your son from going in there.” She opened the gate and went in slowly. Kayce closed it behind her. Lucky made his distrust known and backed away from the fence quickly. He parked himself in the farthest part of the pen and eyed her.

She placed herself in the center and let the lead rope touch the ground. She stood with her back to him and stared at the father and son.

Tate scrunched his face up. “What’re you doing? Shouldn’t you be going after him?”

“I’m waiting for him to come to me. Chasing him around is gonna do nothing except rile him up.” She smiled. “You remember what I said about that lesson in patience? This is part of it.”

“What’s that mean?”

“Well, you have to show him you trust him and he’ll start to trust you. The only way you can work with a horse is if that trust is there,” Stella explained softly. “That’s why my back is to him. It’s a vulnerable position for me, and I know at any point he could choose to hurt me, but I’m trusting him to not do that.”

“How do you get him to come to you then?”

“That’s the thing, Tate. Not only am I trusting him to not hurt me, I’m also telling him I’m safe to come to because I’m not pressuring him to do it.” A velvety warm nose touched the back of her neck. She moved and giggled lightly. Tate’s eyes lit up in wonder. Kayce smiled fondly at the interaction. He was taken back to when he and Stella worked on Abigail. He’d said the same exact words to her. Slowly she raised her arm up to touch Lucky’s face. He allowed her to grab his halter.

Stella turned around in gradual steps. Lucky flinched a couple times, but didn’t pull back from her. Now that she faced him, she carefully raised her hand that had the lead rope. Lucky looked at it like it was a snake. “I promise buddy, it’s just a rope. Smell it.” The horse nodded his head up and down a little bit, showing his personality. He leaned forward to sniff the rope.

When he didn’t spook at it, Stella moved and attached it to the rope halter. “Kace, I’m gonna walk him around for a minute before we saddle him up.”

“Whatever you say, boss lady.” He laughed at the glare she gave him.

As Stella walked Lucky around the pen slowly, she could hear Kayce talking to Tate in a low voice.

“See how gentle she’s being? She always approaches them like that, and I swear it makes them like her more than me.” Stella smiled softly at Kayce’s words. “Our old neighbor Sam would say it’s because she’s a woman, and they have quiet spirits.”

Stella defended herself. “I mean, I don’t know if I would describe it as quiet, but it’s safe. And the horses know that.”

“Then what do you do?” Tate asked.

“Then we start moving more naturally. Not aggressive, but not soft either.”

Stella brought Lucky back around to the front part of the pen. “I think we’re good now.”

Kayce nodded. “Alright son, stay on the outside.”

Stella held Lucky in place. Kayce softly sat the saddle on his back. He only flinched a little, but stood solid. She and Kayce locked eyes over top of the young horse.

She whispered, “you think he’s good?”

Tate yelled from the fence. “I wanna do it!”

Kayce gazed back at Stella, answering her silently. She knew the look meant “we’ll find out.” He said back to his son over his shoulder, “we’ll get you a chance, buddy. This takes a lot of practice.” He looked at Lucky and then at Stella. “Moment of truth.” He pulled one of the cinches on the saddle quickly.

Lucky bolted and Stella let go of the rope. They watched as he started broncoing. Kayce pushed him to move around the ring and get out his wild oats. Stella came to stand behind Kayce and watched as the horse circled them. After a couple passes, Lucky stopped and faced Kayce and Stella.

Kayce stepped forward with his hand out to the horse. “Woah.” Stella followed behind him as he continued to talk to Lucky. “That it? That all you got?” He stepped forward and Lucky allowed him to pet his nose. “You got a good mind, don’tcha?”

“I picked a good one.” Tate said proudly.

“You sure did, buddy.” Kayce smiled at his boy.

“He should probably pick all our horses from now on.” Stella laughed.

“I don’t know about that yet.” Kayce laughed with her. “Hey Stell?”

She turned to look at him. “Yeah?”

“I gotta get Tate to school. Would you mind finishing up with him here?”

“She wouldn’t mind at all.” Ryan interjected. “Would you, Stellee?” He fixed her to the spot with a look. Stella took in his tight shoulders and knew she was in trouble.

“Of course, cowboy. I’ll be here when you get back.” Kayce touched her arm as he walked by. She grabbed back at him while he passed her and watched the glare from her brother go ignored on Kayce’s part.

Ryan’s irritation turned to her. Rolling her eyes, she waved him in. “You hold him, I’ll get his saddle off.” He stomped over to her and took the rope from her. She side eyed him. “I can tell you’re pissed. You can talk to me all ya want, but don’t you dare scare this horse.”

“Are you fuckin’ around with him again?”

Stella reached for the cinch to undo the tightness Kayce had done up. “I’m not sure what we’re doing, Ryan. He saved me. He and Monica aren’t going back to each other. They’ve already decided that.” She paused when Lucky flinched. When he settled, she went for the cinch again. “I dunno. I’m trying to figure it out.”

Ryan pet Lucky’s nose to try and calm him. “I just don’t want you to get caught up in a bad situation.”

“I know.” She let the girth drop and slowly moved the saddle off of Lucky’s back. “Thanks buddy. Good job today.”

Her brother reached out to take the saddle from her. He walked it to the fence and placed it over the top. “Like you did with that brand. Tell me about it.”

“I was almost 18. Kayce had just found out Monica was pregnant with Tate. John wanted her to get rid of him and Kayce didn’t obey his order and the brand was his punishment.” Stella locked eyes with her brother. “The moment Monica knew she was pregnant, it wasn’t just about them anymore.”

Ryan’s mouth hung open. “Shit,” he whispered.

She shook her head. “Now whatever she chose to do with that pregnancy of her own choice, is none of my business. Nor do any of us hold room to judge that kind of choice that isn’t made lightly.” She slipped through the gate, her brother trailing behind her. She watched as he latched it behind them. “But I was not about to watch a crabby ass old man be selfish and destroy his son’s future, my best friend, just because he didn’t agree with them being so young or whatever his reasons were.”

They slowly walked along to the bunkhouse, Ryan took in everything she was saying along the way. “So, like I told you earlier. I pissed him off enough to brand me too. Because it wasn’t just about him and his princess attitude anymore.”

They got to the door of the bunkhouse and Ryan’s hand reached out to stop her. “I respect your reasons for standing up for your best friend, but my god you willingly put yourself through that?” He peeked at the scar popping out from her shirt.

“I did,” she nodded somberly. “And I would do it again in a heartbeat. It sucked, but my reasons were in the right place.”

“And you loved him.”

“Probably by that point, selfishly, yeah.” She could hear Kayce’s shout at her the night prior. “Because I fucking love you!”

“So is this something I should prepare myself for?”

Stella frowned. “What do you mean?”

Ryan looked around trying to find the right words. “You and Kayce changing pace and being together in a different sense than before.”

“Ry,” she sighed, “when I figure that out, you’ll know okay?”

He nodded. “Okay, now let’s go inside.”

“Wait, have you seen Rip?”

He pulled his lips together just like she did when something happened she didn’t want to talk about.

“Ryan, what happened? Did it have to do with Malcolm’s attack? Which by the way, why did no one tell me he went after Beth too!”

“I wanted you to worry about you for a change. Beth and Rip were fine. He’s been in the big house resting with her.” He stared at her, allowing the tough facade to slip for a moment and show her how truly frightened he had been. “I also was worried that you were gone when Kayce picked up your phone.”

Stella grabbed him in a tight hug. “I’m sorry, brub.” He returned the embrace just as tight. “I was fighting off more vomit. That’s why I handed the phone to him. I’m here, and that’s what matters. Dealing with taking lives, but I’m here.”

“We’ll make it through, sissy.” Stella’s eyes stung at his use of her childhood nickname. He pulled back and wiped the underside of her eyes with his thumbs. “Let’s go inside, yeah? There’s something we gotta take care of.” Ryan reached for the door and guided his little sister into the house.

As she stepped through the doorway, a chorus of happy birthday could be heard from every direction in the house. Stella stood in the kitchen flabbergasted. Lloyd, Jimmy, Colby, Jake, Ethan, Kayce and Jamie stood around the kitchen table. Sitting in the center of it was a plate of what looked like her favorite yellow cupcakes with chocolate icing and a few candles burning. She turned to her brother.

“Happy birthday, Stellee belly.” His eyes looked glassy as he called her another childhood name.

She launched forward and bear hugged Ryan so tight he thought he would pass out. “Thank you. It’s perfect.” She whispered. After being almost abducted or worse, and taking the lives of two people, the small gesture meant the world to her. She was grateful to still be here to experience the moment.

Kayce’s voice sounded over the commotion in the background. “Ryan had me tell Gator to make these for you this mornin’.”

Ryan let his sister go so she could mingle amongst everyone else. She made her rounds to everyone, giving them a hug and showing her gratitude.

“Blow these candles out so we can dig in!” Lloyd hurried her.

“Alright alright.” She walked up to the table and sucked in a big breath, but Jake stopped her. “What Jake?”

“Don’t forget to make a wish.” He said sheepishly.

Stella smiled. “Okay, Jake. Just for you, I will.” She closed her eyes and wished for everything she could think of in a 30 second span. She blew out the candles and everyone cheered. “Now dig in!”

She came to Jimmy as everyone else dug into the cupcakes. “You had a hand in this didn’t you?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He smirked at her. Kayce sidled up next to them, and Jimmy grinned between them and backed away to give them a minute.

Kayce gazed at her fondly. “Hey, you.” He poked her arm.

Stella fixed her glasses and looked up at him. “Hey,” she giggled. “Thank you for helping my brother and Jimmy with their plan.” She wrapped him in a hug, which he stuttered to reciprocate. He wasn’t sure how to do this inconspicuously. “Just hug me, cowboy.” She whispered into his ear causing goosebumps to blossom along his neck. He slowly placed his arms around her waist. She let her head rest in the crook of his neck for a moment, pleased by the silence that overtook her mind by being in contact with him.

She pulled back a few inches. “And what happened to you having to take Tate to school?”

He shrugged his shoulders against her arms. “I lied. Grandpa took him today on his way into the office.”

“You shithead.” Stella smirked at him. “Now I’m gonna get me a cupcake.” She chuckled. He slowly let her go and watched her mosey over to the plate of dessert. A warm smile rooted itself across his cheeks. He wasn’t sure what the next steps were going to be, but he was grateful he could trek through them with her. He felt a presence on both sides of him. Looking right and left it was Ryan and Lloyd.

“You remember what I said? Don’t fuck up this time. Because Malcolm will be the least of your worries.” Ryan reiterated his warning from a few weeks ago. Lloyd’s bushy eyebrows rose at the confirmation that there was something going on between the two best friends. “This time around, I’ll have help.” Ryan nodded to Lloyd.

“10-4.” Kayce acknowledged.

A few hours went by and Ryan could tell his sister was tired. They all had hung around, played some poker, watched tv long into the evening; her want to hang out with the people she cared about was filled. He watched her sitting on the couch next to Jimmy. Stella had curled down into the couch and was half leaning on the latest wrangler. He reached across the table and tapped Kayce on the shoulder. He stopped talking to his brother long enough to glance over at Ryan.

Ryan motioned to Stella basically falling asleep sitting up. “You should get her to bed.”

Kayce stuttered for a moment at the permission granted from her brother, in front of his brother. He nodded and rose from his seat. Weaving his way in front of the couch, Kayce reached out and grabbed Stella’s hands.

She blinked owlishly. “Hmm?” Her eyebrows scrunched together.

“C’mon sugar. Let’s get you to bed.” Kayce tugged her hands to signal her get up.

“But can’t I stay here?” She bargained.

“No, Jamie took your bunk.”

Stella grumbled, not actually mad at Jamie, just mad she had to get up from the couch. She turned to everyone and they all watched her. “Thank y’all. I gotta remember to thank Gator. I’m gonna go to sleep for 48 hours now.” They shared a laugh.

Kayce went and grabbed her coat and she went to give her brother a hug. “I love you, but I gotta go to sleep.”

“You go, and I’ll see you in the morning.” He released her as Kayce came up behind her.

Kayce held out her jacket for her to slip her arms into the sleeves. She whispered, “thank you,” and zipped the dark green jacket.

“Let’s go.”

Behind them everyone wished them a good night and when the door closed Stella relished the heavy silence of the outside. She blinked hard a few times trying to wet her dry eyes. On a fence post nearby was a single crow that looked directly at her. She frowned at the unnerving feeling that hit her stomach. She was snapped back to the present by Kayce’s hand on her elbow.

“C’mon.” He directed her toward the lodge.

Walking through the door, Stella sighed and removed her jacket. Kayce took it from her and hung it up along with his. He hung up his hat and watched as she meandered through the kitchen to the bedroom. She took the two shirts off as she made it through the door. Kayce followed behind her and started to remove his clothes. Things were quiet and almost domestic.

Stella was caught in her head. Kayce said he loved her. She’d forgiven him last night. She was fine with his confession, but she needed to know where they stood. Were they just fucking around, or were they going to try for something more serious? Not knowing was bothering her, but she didn’t want to ask and scare him off.

Once in her underwear, she walked to the bathroom and took off her bra. She grabbed the white shirt she slept in and pulled it over her head. Quickly, she brushed her teeth trying to put off the inevitable.

Walking out of the bathroom, she paused in the door for a minute to look at Kayce as he pulled off his jeans and socks. He folded them up and put them on top of the dresser. He turned and spotted her watching him. Smiling at her, he stepped closer to her.

She allowed him to wrap his arms around her waist. He leaned down and gave her a quick kiss. “Happy birthday, sugar.” Stella put her hands on his chest and stayed quiet with her eyes closed. “What’s wrong?” He asked.

She opened her eyes again and angled her face up to look at him. “Nothin’. I’m just stuck in my head again.” She hated the passive lie as soon as it left her mouth.

“The other night?”

She’d let him think that. “Yeah. I guess the nighttime will bring it back for a while.”

“Well you’re safe here, with me. Let’s go to bed.” He gently guided her to the bed. She took off her glasses and set them on the side table, and hopped in. She crawled under the covers.

“Thank you, Kace,” she whispered. He opened his arm for her and she snuggled in tight against his side.

“Every time, sugar.” They both let out a breath and Kayce closed his eyes.

In the darkness, Stella couldn’t get her eyes to shut. At the bunkhouse, she’d been tired. After seeing that crow her mind exploded in all different directions. She wasn’t much for superstitions, but some of them she had seen proven. And a lone crow was usually a bad sign.

Kayce didn’t open his eyes, but he could feel that Stella was unsettled. She was tense against his side. He knew something was bothering her and it was more than the guys she killed.

He wondered if it was the situation between them. They hadn’t actually spoken about it. Both of them had a bad tendency to ignore the elephant in the room and just act like nothing happened. The talking didn’t come until it was dire straits, and that hadn’t turned out well for them in the recent past.

What were they? He didn’t know. He did know he wanted more with her. He just didn’t know what steps to take next. He hadn’t done this in a long while. Kayce realized he had started moving his hand up and down along her arm.

She traced patterns across his chest when she felt him move his hand. “I can’t sleep.” She mumbled against his shoulder.

“I can tell.”

“I’m sorry for keeping you up.”

“I’m only awake because I know something’s wrong. Just waitin’ for you to tell me.” He pulled her closer.

“I’m scared, Kayce.” She nuzzled into his shoulder further to hide from the heavy feeling.

“Scared of what?” When she didn’t answer and her breathing deepened, he almost thought she fell asleep. “You scared of Malcolm’s men, you mean?”

Her fingers tapped his chest. “I mean yeah. I’m worried they’ll come back and take all of us from each other.”

“But?”

“But I’m also scared of this.” She turned and laid part way on his chest to be able to look at him. He raised his hand and brushed her hair out of her face, cupping her cheek. She leaned into his hand. “I want this, but it also comes with territory I don’t know how to navigate.”

“I don’t know how to either.” He gazed affectionately at her. “But I know if we put our heads together, we can make it.”

Stella leaned her chin on his chest. “You really think so? We’re not forcing something that shouldn’t happen?”

“We won’t know unless we actually try, instead of hooking up and then acting like nothing happened.”

She laughed. “We seem to do that, don't we?”

“So you know what that means?”

She raised her head. “Enlighten me.”

“That means if either of us have doubts, or something is wrong, we gotta talk about it. Maybe not at the moment, but later that day. Before we go to sleep. We can’t hide things from each other.”

“Okay, I think I can manage that. Can you?”

“Yes.”

Stella felt her cheeks heat up in the dark. “Would it kill the moment right now if I asked a question?”

“Should I be worried?”

“Not really, but how’s this gonna work? In general, with Monica, explaining it to Tate? She’s probably gonna wanna beat the shit out of me. She already thought we were moving on together the other day when she dropped Tate off.”

“It’ll be fine. I think once she comes to terms, she’ll be glad it’s someone she knows I’m safe with and Tate is safe with.” He rearranged to get comfy. “And Monica and I will have to sit down with Tate and explain the situation about how me and his mom aren’t together anymore, but still there together for him.” He rubbed her arm. “Then we’ll cross the bridge of whatever is happening here.”

Stella nodded. “Makes sense. Don’t wanna overwhelm him.” She chewed on her bottom lip while she thought about his statement of ‘whatever is happening here.’

“What is happening here? I don’t want my feelings to blind me like last time.”

Kayce lifted himself up onto his elbows and made sure he had her focus. “I know I wanna be more than just your best friend. You and I both know we’re more than that now. What do you want outta this?”

Propping herself on her forearms, she stared at him thinking hard. Since she was nearsighted, he was actually in focus for her. She observed every line of worry or happiness, every freckle that she’d memorized years ago. Her chest swelled with emotion and her bottom lip trembled. With a huge breath she took the plunge.

“I’ve wanted you to be more than my best friend since I was 15,” she softly verbalized while looking down at his brand. Her hands shook against his chest, afraid of the consequences from her confession. “When you saved me for the first time, any chance anyone else had flew right out the window,” she whispered.

He lifted her chin. “How come you never said anything?” She tried to look back down and he held her head in place. “Look at me while you tell me. It’s okay.”

Stella shrugged. “I was younger than you, and I didn’t have any experience with it at the time. There was no way a 17 year old wanted anything to do with a 15 year old. And the thought of you saying no, killed me inside. So I figured I would watch from the sidelines and be happy if you were happy.” She finally looked him in the eyes. “And by the time I built up any sort of courage, you and Monica had started talking.” She let out a huff of a chuckle.

“I wish you would have said something.”

“Don’t wish that, Kace. You got your wonderful son from my lack of confidence.” She smiled softly at him. “And plus we’re here now, if that’s what you mean to try. I want us both to quit hiding from each other. To see who we really are.”

“I think I can get on board with that.”

“Those are some big shoes for us to fill, cowboy.”

Kayce reached up to hold her face again, but this time pulled her closer. He touched his forehead to hers, and whispered against her lips, “I have faith in us, sugar,” and enveloped her in a kiss that she felt down to her toes.

Stella sighed allowing her mind to be open to experience these emotions presently. She had an idea of what they both wanted, and that made her feel free. She had a partner in crime that would have her back with whatever changes came along the way.

He moved onto his side and propped a leg up, pulling her leg up over his. Reaching down between them, he pulled his cock out of his boxer briefs. She quickly shimmied her boy shorts off. “Shoulda done this before, genius,” she puffed out a laugh at Kayce’s poor planning. Once she settled he jerked himself a couple times and dipped into her waiting cunt.

“Oh,” Stella huffed out at the change in fullness.

“Look at me.” Kayce brushed her hair back. She opened her eyes and she locked onto his. The feeling that swelled in her chest was overpowering. She let out a whimper as she clenched around him. “We’ve got this.”

“Keep me safe, Kayce.” She requested for the second time. Not only for her body, but her heart.

“Always.”

They started to slowly grind against one another, chasing a familiar high but somehow this one was different. It was slow and explorative, like they were getting to know each other all over again.