#cub is so smart <3

[tibby-art]

DECKED OUT LEVEL 4 IS OPEN HOW ARE WE FEELING !!

[star-sim]

boy's night ☆ riki nishimura

☆ summary: riki had no game, no rizz, which was why he employed the help of his six friends to text you. warning: having seven boys on the phone trying to text a girl does not give good results! ☆ genre: fluff, all enhypen members make an appearance, boys being boys, very stupid, it's getting rizzy in here but clearly i have negative game ☆ warning(s)? no just silliness :3 ☆ word count: 1.7k words

"Oh my god, she texted me!" was the sentence that completely destroyed Jake Sim's house.

Tonight, Riki was having a sleepover at Jake's house. It was supposed to be a chill night, a night in which Riki could bask in his friends' presence before they went off to college again.

There were many perks to being the youngest in his friend group. It seemed like Heeseung, Jay, and Jake forever saw him as their baby, after all, when they all met as children, Riki was a snotty little four year-old, constantly tattling on the older boys. Regardless, it was nearly impossible for them to not fuss over him, constantly asking if he ate yet or if he needed help. Sunghoon teased the ever-living shit out of Riki, sure, but the older boy never hesitated to take Riki's side whenever there was an argument. Sunoo and Jungwon were closest to Riki in age, but that didn't stop them from watching over him closely, like mother cats stalking their cubs.

Though, there was one thing that Riki had to admit that he hated about being the youngest: he was the most inexperienced.

Whenever his friends got their 'firsts,' he was always too young to care. It seemed like all his friends got to experience their first crushes and heartbreaks almost simultaneously, only for them to not be there when Riki had his.

Even when he was now a senior in high school, he had absolutely no idea how to talk to girls.

He'd heard all the stories about Heeseung and his antics at college, all the flirting tips that Jake liked to give out to Sunghoon and Jay, and all the crazed texts that Sunoo and Jungwon sent as they went through relationships.

Even so, Riki had never experienced teenage love for himself.

Enter: You.

You were the cute girl that sat in front of him in his Macroeconomics class. If it wasn't for the fact that Riki absolutely hated Macro, he would blame the fact that you were just so pretty that he couldn't bring himself to focus on the lecture about the New York Stock Exchange.

Initially, Riki had no intention of pursuing you.

You were cute, obviously, but hearing you talk to your partner in class was enough for him. Plus, it wasn't like Riki had any experience— even if he wanted to talk to you, he had no idea how to!

Except, thanks to his nosy friends, your name had been discussed what felt like a million times by the end of the week.

"So... [Name], eh?" was the first thing Sunghoon said as Riki's camera turned on during their weekly weekend FaceTime calls.

"This is so exciting, Riki," Heeseung said as he joined the call.

"Wait, how do you know her again?" Sunoo's voice cut in. "Sorry, my Wi-Fi is bad. You said you know her from Macro?"

With a little more prying, his friends managed to get a middle-school level confession out of Riki.

"I-I just think she's really pretty, and like, she's really smart," Riki huffed, "I don't think she likes me like that— I've never even spoken to her! Like, I can't talk to women, I straight up am a mess and the other day—oh my god— she looked at me and I think I almost passed out. What do I do? I actually cannot do thi—

".... But you think she's pretty, right?"

And that's how Riki managed to get your phone number. With the help of his friends (that felt more like them feeding into his delusions), he worked up the courage to stutter out a simple question.

And when you smiled, nodding enthusiastically as you typed your contact into his phone, Riki felt his soul leave his body.

So, it wasn’t hard to imagine the havoc that engulfed Jake Sim's house (the place of the sleepover) as Riki's phone pinged, your contact name showing up.

It was already late at night, so the boys were raiding Jake's pantry to get midnight snacks. 

The moment that Riki announced that you had just, in fact, texted him first, everyone stopped in their tracks.

"Oh shit!" Jay shouted as he jumped over Jake's sofa, bowl of cereal still in hand.

The sound of crashing as Heeseung knocked over the ramen cups, as well as cutlery dropping abruptly and cabinets slamming filled the house.

"Oi, don't mess up my kitchen!" Jake yelled as his feet pounded against his stairs, scrambling so fast that he practically glided downstairs. After Jungwon spilled milk on his shirt, he was half-way through putting on a new shirt as he clambered down.

"What did she—" Sunoo pushed Jay out of the way, knocking the older boy over as he plopped down next to Riki on the living room carpet and peeked over his shoulder— "What did she say?!"

Within seconds, all six of his friends were huddled around Riki, pushing each other out of the way to catch a glimpse of what you said.

"Move your fatass head!"

"I can't see!"

As his friends argued, Riki stared at his phone, chewing on his bottom lip. His heart was pounding in his chest. He only saw the notification, and didn't see what you said yet.

What if you said something crazy, like "I just found out about that one time in first grade when you peed yourself at the playground" even though Riki and all his friends agreed to never speak of that incident again?! Or, what if you confessed your everlasting love for him in a long paragraph?

His head was spinning.

"Wait, did you open the message yet?!" Jungwon abruptly yelled into Riki's ear.

"No..." Riki answered slowly, watching the way all of his friends' once tense faces soften with relief.

"Oh my god," Jake sighed in relief.

"Phhhhheeewww!" Heeseung said dramatically.

"Why?" Riki frowned. "What's wrong with opening the message?"

"[Name] can see if you read her message if you open it," Sunghoon said matter-of-factly. 

"Why is that a bad thing?"

All of his friends groaned.

They taught him a trick: swipe just enough so that he could see the message, but not enough that the system marks it as read.

Hey, was all you said, much to Riki's relief.

"What do I say?" Riki asked, clutching his phone. His eyes flickered to his friends as he sucked his bottom lip under his teeth pensively. "How do I respond to this?"

"Just say 'hey' back!" Jay blurted.

"No!" Heeseung shook his head profusely. "Anything but that!"

"Why not? You want him to say haiiii instead?" Sunghoon nudged the older boy.

"No, no, no!" Jungwon reached across to smack Sunghoon's knee. "All of you are wrong."

Jungwon turned to Riki. "Just respond with an emoji."

They all groaned loudly.

"Okay, anything but a goddamn emoji!"

Riki ended up typing out a simple hey in response. He had to make Sunoo press send for him, squeezing his eyes shut. Riki immediately shut his phone off, placing it face down.

"I don't want to see if she responds or not!" Riki moaned. 

Within a minute or two, his phone pinged again.

"She responded!"

Even though you only asked, How was your day?, the entire house was once again invigorated. The boys shrieked, whooping and hitting Riki's shoulder, so loud that the house probably shook.

"Oh my god, it's happening!"

"Ouuuuu, she wants you, Riki!"

"Everyone shut the fuck up, it's time to lock in, oh my god it's actually happening—"

And just as everyone settled back down, ready to give Riki their mind-blowing advice, his phone dinged again.

[Attachment: 1 photo]. It was a silly picture of you, one of those cute ones that showed your eyes, clearly taken on the spot. 

"OHHHHHHHHHH!"

"Shewantsyousobadohmygo—"

According to Jake, if a girl sends you a picture of herself, no matter how silly or cute it is, she is head over heels for you.

"One message at a time!" Jay yelled over Jake's shoulder as they tried to figure out how to respond. "You need to answer her question first and then respond to the picture!"

"No! Don't respond to the picture!" Sunghoon, who was all the way in the guest bathroom, yelled from behind the bathroom door, his voice both booming and muffled. "She'll think you're weird!"

"I agree," Sunoo said.

"I agree," Jungwon mocked him in a nasally voice, earning a slap to the shoulder. "Just heart the picture!"

But their arguing fell upon deaf ears.

"Riki, what are you doing?!"

Riki was on his own, his heart beating at the tip of his fingers.

I hung out with my friends today and it was fun, how was yours? was his first response. Pressing on the picture, he responded, You look cute.

When Riki glanced over at his friends, they were sprawled across the floor, crying aloud dramatically.

"It's over."

"You're insane."

"Fumbled."

Riki threw a pillow at them. "I didn't fumble— Oh shoot, she's typing!"

The house was once again filled with screaming and crashing as they scampered to Riki's side.

You typed for a few moments. Everyone was at the edge of their seat, simply begging to see how you'd respond. But then, you stopped.

"Good game, guys."

"100% over."

Riki chewed on his thumb, his eyes glued to his phone screen. Did he creep you out? Was it weird for him to say that you looked cute? Did he fuck up?

But then you finally replied.

My day was just filled with homework, very boring, you replied. Maybe if I spent it with you it would have been more fun.

Oh.

My.

God.

Riki's hands shook as he typed back another response, completely ignoring the complete and utter disaster around him. He didn't know what came over him. He wouldn't say any of the things that he typed out loud, let alone to your face. It was like he was possessed by some spirit that gave him the courage to type. Without even noticing it, his heart was palpitating in his chest, his entire face, neck, and ears covered in a red shade.

I'm free tomorrow, he typed. 

"RIKI WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU—"

Okay, you simply responded. 12PM. The Block. Let's have fun.

"D-Did she just ask you out?"

Riki glanced at this phone, then at his friends, who stared at him with eyes as wide as saucers and their jaws dropped to the floor, then back at his phone. He blinked. "Yeah."

"Yes?!"

Riki blinked again. "Yeah."

.

.

.

And then it hit him.

"Oh my god, [Name] asked me out...!"

[blicketdabest33]

Y'all remember that MCYT PJO au I asked for help with awhile ago? WELL HERE'S THE CABINS AND MY EXPLINATIONS BEHIND THEM!!

#1 Zeus Cabin: Jimmy, Joel Jimmy: He's a Zeus kid, but everyone somehow forgets about it. Joel: He's competitive and strong. Also, because Jimmy is his half brother through godly parent, i get to make a fun bit about him dating Lizzie. And one of his origins in Afterlife SMP was a thunderborn

#2 Hera Cabin: Scott Scott: Scott's whole thing is loyalty. Hera is the goddess of marriage and is insanely loyal to Zeus. However, I feel like Hera should get at least one affair. So now Scott can use peacocks as weapons.

#3 Poseidon Cabin: Skizz Skizz: Poseidon kids tend to be really, really loyal to a fault and heroic, both qualities I think Skizz possesses.

#4 Demeter Cabin: Sausage, Shelby, Bdubs, Stress Sausage: This man built Sanctuary in a jungle and has flowers in his hair. He sells wood. There is no other place to put him. Shelby: Mushroom gnome, spooky mangrove witch, powerful storm witch, i need not continue. Bdubs: Moss man. Stress: SHE HAS FLOWERS

#5 Ares Cabin: Martyn, False Martyn: His planet is Mars, which is the roman version of Ares. He ended Limited Life in such a violent way, i can't help it. He was also red for the majority of Secret Life. False: I just feel like False should get to kill people more often.

#6 Athena Cabin: Grian, Pix, Owen, Xisuma Grian: This sums it up pretty well

Pix: Smart man. Archeologist and definitely a nerd. I wanna see him skipping out on training just so he can read history books. Owen: He likes to explore and discover new things in Pirates. In Rats, he's a tinkerer. In New Life, he's an explorer who wants to study hybrids. In Empires, he's a Llama who's curious about how humans work. Just a very curious character overall. Xisuma: Admin. I'm not elaborating.

#7 Apollo Cabin: Gem, Oli, Lyarrah Gem: She is an Apollo kid because of her Empire in S2. She's the sunlight princess. Apollo kid. Oli: MUSIC. MAN. Lyarrah: She writes the captions for the hermitcraft recap.

#8 Artemis Cabin: Pearl Pearl: Y'know, Artemis could've just like... had a kid, even though she took that oath. It wouldn't even have to be with a guy. Gods can change to whatever gender they want. Anyway, Pearl gets to be an Artemis kid because her symbolism is moon, she loves dogs, and will commit murder and hunt at night.

#9 Hephaestus Cabin: Doc, Mumbo, Tango, Impulse, Cub, Zedaph, Fwhip, Iskall Doc: Redstone Mumbo: Redstone Tango: Redstone Impulse: Redstone Cub: Redstone Zedaph: Redstone Fwhip: Redstone AND has a red scarf (don't ask me how that's relevant) Iskall: Redstone

#10 Aphrodite Cabin: Keralis Keralis: Okay, I don't know why, but Keralis gives me the vibes of a very charming person. His voice is nice to listen to, so imagine how useful it'd be if I gave him charm speak.

#11 Hermes Cabin: Scar, Etho, Joe Scar: Trader Scar, scammer extraordinar. Etho: All i must say is Shady-E's. I get "jack-of-all-trades, master of none, often better than master of one" vibes from him. He's funny, he's mischievous, it just works. Joe: Comedy man. Excellent delivery. And, yet again, i look at this man and go "That right there is a multi-talented man with a habit for mischief."

#12 Dionysus Cabin: Joey, Beef Joey: *points at his season one empires theme* i need not say more Beef: Idk, food. I don't really have a reason. I don't know too much about Beef.

#13 Hades Cabin: Zloy Zloy: Zombie man. He writes the Hermitcraft recaps in the dark at 2am with nothing but pure spite.

#14 Iris Cabin: Katherine Katherine: SHE. HAS. COLORS. and also I couldn't put her in Demeter cabin because Shelby is already there and i am NOT excluding Nature Wives from this au

#15 Hypnos Cabin: Bigb, XB, Wels Bigb: Sleepy stuff, right? WRONG. Gaslight. Go in everyones dreams, make fake prophecies, peace out, and cause chaos. XB: I look at his fanon design, I see an alien, and I go "aha he sleeps" Wels: This guy (@dingdinghq) said so and i completely agree. Something about sleeping in S6.

#16 Nemesis Cabin: Edit: wels not here no more

#17 Nike Cabin: Ren Ren: VICTORY. I don't know much about Ren's story in the Life Series, but I look at this man and see someone who has won a lot.

#18 Hebe Cabin: 

#19 Tyche Cabin: TFC TFC: Man goes mining and gets really lucky. That's it.

#20 Hecate Cabin: Lizzie, Cleo, Jevin Lizzie: Witchy vibes. Also, Arson. Cleo: Arson. She uses her magic for Arson. Jevin: He's a magic slime. Also, Arson. All Hecate kids love Arson.

[fruitcoops]

Thunder Road

Prompts E2: "Oh, Oops!" and A4: "Snowstorm" with genderbent PWHL Cubs for @oknutzy-week-2024's Day 3 :) Characters belong to @lumosinlove! Let's go lesbians let's go!

Light chatter passed back and forth across the lounge. Every once in a while, when someone was brave enough to cross the canyon with a smile and an introduction, the middle strengthened for as long as it took to make polite small talk before falling quiet again.

It was…tricky. Minnesota fought hard. Not dirty—it would almost be better if they did, then maybe the New York team wouldn’t still be smarting with their first clean loss of the season—but with teeth and claws undoubtedly out. Their captain had been brutal on the ice, polite and reserved off it; with Potter and Lupin at the wings, their line had consistently put New York through their paces.

Safe to say, Leo wasn’t looking forward to reviewing tape the next morning.

It wasn’t all bad, though. The bliss of professional hockey had yet to dim; Leo wasn’t sure it ever would. Some days, she still woke up thinking it was all a dream. That instead of packing her practice bag and greeting her new roommate, she’d spend the day scrolling LinkedIn’s barista section and signing up for local women’s rec leagues on the side.

Some days, all she could do was take her beautiful, beautiful sea-green jersey out and lay it on the bed beside her to remind herself it was real. Trace her name in bold white letters lining the back. Run her hands over her number, the same since she first put on a blocker and felt something inside her sing.

Representing New York in goal for the inaugural season of the Professional Women’s Hockey League, we are proud to select Leo Knut…

Leo let out a shaky breath and stood.

Hi, you must be Leo. I’m Finn, Finn O’Hara. C’mon in, your room’s just down the hall.

Black and Lupin were on the opposite side of the room. Lupin’s faded red Wisconsin hoodie was pulled down over her hands while she lounged sideways on one of the many armchairs. Black looked as imposing as ever even in a simple Minnesota t-shirt, seated on the floor by the couch Potter claimed.

Hey, Knutty. Couldn’t sleep? Me neither. This game’s gonna be off the rails. Did you know I went to college with Tremblay? She’s killer. I brought cocoa, if you want some. Helps me calm down.

Finn was far away, chatting happily with one of Minnesota’s defensemen. Leo sort of wished she had gone with Finn in the first place, just so she wouldn’t be left to her own devices. These people were strangers to her in everything but newsprint.

Carefully, she balanced two lemonades in one hand and two cookies in the other. She could do this. She could be brave.

“H—”

Thunder rattled the windows of the lounge. The lights flickered—a wave of surprise rolled through the room, and Logan Tremblay jumped hard enough Leo nearly fumbled the lemonade right onto herself.

“Oh, oops!”

Green eyes stuck her in place. “Knut.”

Tremblay’s voice was smoother than it sounded in her interviews. Two thick braids crowned her head and ran down just past her shoulders.

Leo took a deep breath, and smiled. “Call me Leo.”

“Leo.” Softer, now, too. She was careful with Leo’s name. Lay-oh.

“Cookie?”

“Quoi?”

Leo held out her peace offering, placing her thumb over one of the cookies to reserve it for herself. The storm had hit them dead-on before they had been released to the bus and she had seen firsthand how hard Logan played. She couldn’t be the only one starving.

“Oh.” Tremblay sounded surprised. The side of her mouth pulled in a quick smile as she took the cookie from Leo’s palm, and widened when Leo nudged her other hand with the lemonade. “Merci, that’s very kind of you.”

“They said they’d have sandwiches soon, but I’m kind of dying here.”

Tremblay huffed a laugh. It was nearly silent, but honest. No wonder she and Finn had been friends. “Me, too. Something tells me DoorDash isn’t working top speed tonight.”

“Nah, probably not,” Leo agreed, grinning into her flimsy plastic cup. The room seemed easier now; the vise around her chest, looser.

“I’m Logan, by the way.” Tremblay shoved the last of her cookie into her mouth and dusted her hand off on her sweatpants.

“Nice to meet you.”

Her hand was coarse against Leo’s, callused and warm. Smaller than Leo’s own, but broad like the rest of her. Logan licked a few loose crumbs from the pad of her thumb and had just opened her mouth to speak when lightning flashed outside—a blur of red and gray barreled between them.

“Thirty-five minutes, and I don’t even get a hello?” Finn scolded through a blinding, brilliant smile. Her cheeks were flushed, though Leo hadn’t seen any alcohol about. She gave one of Logan’s braids a jaunty yank. “You dick.”

“I was busy,” Logan insisted without an ounce of real heat.

“Sulking, maybe.” Finn gave her an unreadable look, something playful and yet oddly intimate. Leo felt a little like she was intruding until Finn turned to her and beamed. “I see you’ve met my fabulous roommate.”

Logan blinked. “Oh?”

“You’re much better than she was,” Finn informed Leo in a stage-whisper. “No towels on the floor, a clean kitchen—oh, yeah, Tremzy, she knows how to cook.”

“I can cook,” Logan scoffed.

“That’s a lie and we both know it.” Finn slung an arm around her shoulders to tug the other braid. Logan pulled a face, but made no attempt to move. The arm stayed when Finn looked back up at Leo. “What was it you made the other day, Le? The beans and rice thing?”

“Jambalaya.” Her mother’s recipe, a fact Finn had loved. She liked it when Leo made food from home, even when the most mild spice level made her whole face turn red.

“It was so good. She shared some, I was so lucky.”

Leo felt her face heat and ducked her head. Finn was so free with compliments that it was starting to become a problem. She had told herself she’d be careful. This opportunity was too precious to risk—this team, this city, this game. There was already talk of expanding the league. Leo needed her contract to be first on the list with no complications holding her back.

That meant not noticing the fluff of auburn bedhead in the morning or sleepy brown eyes in the evening. It meant shrugging off compliments with placid smiles, no matter how much Finn’s earnest appreciation made her melt. Neither of them were guaranteed a spot in New York next year. One perfect season of one perfect roommate would be more than enough.

“Right, Le?”

“Hmm?” Leo felt her heart stutter. “Sorry, what?”

“You get big storms back home,” Finn repeated, unfazed.

“Oh, yeah, sure. Hurricanes, all that.” She winced internally and soothed the burn of awkwardness with the last swig of her drink.

“I don’t like them,” Logan said, waving a hand. One side of her nose wrinkled with displeasure. Leo wished she had left herself more lemonade. “The rain, fine, but the rest of it…blegh.”

“You should come back with us tonight,” Finn said suddenly.

“Quoi?”

“What?” Leo asked at the same time.

Finn was already nodding. “No, yeah, it’s perfect. The roads aren’t good, but we can take the subway back to Knutty and I’s place. We’ll drop you off at the hotel tomorrow morning.”

Logan shifted, the plastic cup crinkling in her hand. “I don’t know…”

“It’s late, Lo.” The nickname gave Leo pause. She saw Logan go still, too. Finn’s eyes had softened. “Come back with us. We’ll heat up some leftovers and fuckin’, I don’t know, watch a movie. It’ll be good to catch up.”

Logan’s gaze darted around the room, where the teams had slowly begun mingling. Lupin was telling some story about a roadie and a snowstorm and a cooler full of beer and sandwiches, a bit shy under half the room’s attention. Even Black seemed to be having a nice time listening to her.

“D’accord,” Logan said quietly. She gave another one of her small smiles to Finn and then, inexplicably, to Leo. “Alright, that sounds good. I’m hungry. I can sleep on your couch, or something.”

“We’ll figure it out,” Leo assured her.

--

Logan didn’t sleep on the couch.

When Leo woke the next morning, her first thought was not of problems or compliments or contracts. It was Logan’s loose, braid-crimped hair falling over the opposite end of the couch and the fit of a Mardi Gras 2011 shirt across her shoulders as makeshift pajamas. It was Finn playing music at the lowest setting and the soft spitting of the coffeepot. She would be wearing her glasses and the cotton shorts Leo just couldn’t handle, the ones she had thrown on last night while Leo cued the movie, red hair pulled back into a small ponytail at her nape.

Logan’s ankles were warm on her own. The DVD case was still open on the table in front of them. Leo couldn’t recall falling asleep. But this—this seemed as real as plastic lettering that shone beneath her awed fingertips.

Leo closed her eyes and let drowsiness pull her under. She had no fear of waking again to an empty dream.

[frozenjokes]

Hey, I binged read your cubscar(ian) hotguy au

And I LOVED it,

Cub's characterization is so precious, he's so autistic to me (I'm autistic so I kin heavily) the way you write him, chef's kiss and all that. Is Cub Demi? xx

Scar is so strong and yet so broken but he doesn't know it yet, I'm so glad he's in therapy now <3. I love that you wrote him this way, he's disabled (just like me) but he's not a child, he's whimsy but so life smart, I value so much when authors write him like this and his plurality is very relatable <3. And his friendship with Mumbo <3

Grian, well he's just so real, his need for a job ever tho Cub was happy looking out for him <3, his friendship just reconnecting with Mumbo so easily, warmth. I love how self aware he is, and the angst you wrote for him is heart strings shattering I loved.

Cub and Grian's relationship ahhhhh yessss. The commitment and devotion, how they are so connected they didn't notice it sliding from platonic to romantic. This just IS for me.

Cub and Scar, well (yes again 🤣) they are so sweet, and Cub holds 51% of the cards lol but Scar's 49% is really doing things for Cub wink wink. Some of the reasoning behind Cub's love is being loved. And Scar loving him because of his round edges and softness 🥹

Scar and Grian. I hope the flowers he got for them were poppies and lilacs /lh /nf; Scar's fear because of his sharp edges, Scar in other works has his weakness but he can always find in in himself to want to protect Grian almost as a superior?, but you write Scar so vulnerable and equal to Grian. They are enemies to frenemies to ... But really it's caused by the lack of knowing, eachother and their personal experiences. Again Scar and his plural view of people <3 I think Grian thought of Scar as stronger emotionally, physically, mentally then Scar ever was, and Grian used him because of this misconception. I'm glad they're getting there, truly. Did Grian feel dejected? when Scar didn't help with his wings? Angst <3

thank you!!! Cub could be Demi. So could Grian! They can be whatever your heart desires. Personally I don’t care to label any of them because it isn’t very important to me. I do think Cub would refer to both Scar and Grian has his friends even after years of being together and it drives Scar absolutely nuts. Why are you doing that. What do you Mean. Cub it’s been twenty years you can introduce me as your boyfriend I Promise no one here is going to judge you and cub just goes: ? oh right. and then he never does that. the word friend just comes easier. it’s cozy.

It’s very silly to me you pointed out scar’s friendship with Mumbo because they are not friends scar is Coping. /silly. I actually forget very often I write a lot of angst of these characters because that’s just not really how my brain categorizes turmoil. It’s always a jumpscare to see it pointed out /light hearted, joking. funniest instance of this happening 🔽

(from chapter two of the Jimmy decked out fic)

I was on call with a friend while reading this for the first time and for the life of me I Could Not think of what /nf meant and he didn’t know either so we came up with some ideas: NOT FUNNY. no fingers. non fungible. nut fart. NO FUN. no friends. Nice feet. never forget. nice flowers. new friend! NOT FAIR

it means not forced. we had to look it up LMAO /silly silly silly. thank you for the laughs

Grian thought of scar as a piece of shit self absorbed celebrity and this is true however it’s not everything. inside is a deeply, deeply, extremely deeply, unimaginably kicked puppy. he’s sad and pathetic and has big wet eyes. also he cares.

Grian wasn’t too affected by Scar’s not wanting to touch his wings, and in general the experience was a little more overwhelmingly confusing? Neither he nor Cub expected him to have such a strong reaction, especially when things between all three of them are getting better, but Scar is still carrying the weight of a lot of Grian’s poor treatment of him for weeks on end, and even though Scar’s forgiven him and understands where he was coming from, those aren’t things you can just brush off, especially when many of Grian’s gestures (good and bad) are sweeping and intense and unpredictable, and people pleasing for someone as unstable as that (less so now, but before it was bad) is Extremely Stressful. dealing with cuteguy (evil version) for months beforehand Did Not Help. there’s a reason Scar views Grian as Sharp and that’s because they have both beat the piss out of each other hundreds of times.

To a point Grian is aware of this. It’s a thing he’s discussed in therapy a thousand times, and something he had to confront directly with Jimmy. In his eyes, his friendship with Scar (despite blunders on both sides) is an act of Scar’s good will towards him as given with Scar’s forgiveness, and if Scar is having problems, then it’s not really something Grian can hold against him. Obviously that doesn’t stop feelings from being hurt, but this was more a result of The Panic Attack than the wing touching refusal. Which Grian dealt with by Pushing Minigolf Pushing Pushing Pushing Pushing. Grian’s reaction to guilt and/or rejection is I NEED TO MAKE UP FOR THIS RIGHT MEOW!!!!! and in doing so often fails miserably to read the room, which is why Cub steps in in that particular instance.

as far as wings though, if I were Grian, scar would be The Last Person I want touching them. Clumsiest motherfucker alive who in the case of this au, tends to be rougher with his affection because he literally can not tell what is too little or too much. Having someone nervous at your back probably isn’t a great feeling either, and for an activity that’s supposed to be relaxing, Cub brings a Much steadier aura. Cub also has the capacity to focus. Scar would probably need at least three other sources of stimulation to do a good job. And it would still hurt. Regular wing grooming is not supposed to hurt 💔

my rambling service comes free, well, perhaps at a small cost of a seemingly benign question. normal about her ocs frozenjokes back at it again

[blackjackkent]

As with Patch 5, I have compiled my favorite Patch 6 patch notes (the exciting ones and the hilarious ones) so you don't have to.

First of all, the Highlights section has some VERY nice QoL changes:

"You can now dismiss a recruited companion from your party while speaking to the companion you want to replace them with." (Fuck yes, this is such a small annoyance but it really adds up over time.)

"When a dialogue triggers automatically, the game will now try to prioritise your avatar character as the main speaker." (I spent literally like half an hour trying to ensure Hector got the conversational lead when walking into the vault with the Stone Lord for my liveblog post, so this fills my heart with DEEP joy.)

"The Elixir of Hill Giant Strength now applies its effects when thrown." (HUGE deal for Hector's party in my liveblog, as @zenjestrr has pointed out to me - Jaheira can hurl it onto Hector, Karlach, and Minsc together!)

Some general happy-making improvements (some for things in Act 3/epilogue that I haven't gotten to yet but which sound very positive):

"Your partner now has a few different kisses! They're brand new, unique, and randomized."

"If you sit on the stool in Shadowheart's camp corner, she will now react to you with a line based on your relation with her."

"Improved the cinematic scenes in the Elfsong Tavern to feel more intimate when you and your romance partner decide your future together after defeating the Netherbrain."

"Reworked the reflection scenes that take place after wrapping up the defeat of the Netherbrain for characters without romantic partners to better match the scenes for those who do have romantic partners, and to bridge the gap into the epilogue."

"Added a new cinematic scene to support the combat encounter that occurs after you choose whether to side with Nightsong at Sorcerous Sundries or not."

"If you romanced Lae'zel, grab a red dragon and saddle up - you can now join her in the rebellion against Vlaakith, even if you are not gith yourself."

"Increased the number of valid methods of knocking Minthara out to recruit her."

"Tooltips for spells requiring concentration now more prominently display a warning if you are already using concentration to maintain another spell."

And now the bits that just made me laugh. XD

"If you Long Rest with only alcohol as camp supplies, you will now get the new Hungover condition for 10 turns."

"The Long Rest camp supply menu is now better at pulling supplies from inside containers in companion inventories. Stop hoarding the cheese, Wyll."

"The owlbear cub will no longer gobble up Auntie Ethel's Hair before you can take advantage of the bonus it grants." (???)

"Creating harmful surfaces beneath NPCs will now trigger a crime reaction."

"Scratch can no longer equip certain weapons. Like the Everburn Blade."

"Jaheira could be in bad shape by the time she arrived at Moonrise Towers since she already had to fight. Now she's smart enough to heal up before she goes there, which we're hoping lets her last at least an additional second in combat."

"Fixed dice roll sounds playing if you have the 'Hide Failed Perception Rolls' setting enabled while exploring. We asked the narrator to quieten down when rolling the dice for your immersion."

"Fixed a bug causing player characters to get deleted from the game after stealing the Blood of Lathander."

"Enemies are now less likely to summon a Skeletal Involucre in range of a Spirit Guardian that will immediately destroy it."

"Nere's Legendary Action now correctly triggers when he is attacked, rather than when he attacks. Cut him some slack - being a True Soul is a lot of pressure; we'd all get confused in his shoes."

"Told Fezzerk to stop throwing his bombs on himself and his allies."

"The Apostle of Myrkul's Finger of Death spell is now treated as a Level 7 spell instead of a cantrip."

"Fixed Steel Watchers sometimes hurting themselves with their own attacks."

"Invisible characters who have something to say in a dialogue will now remember to actually show themselves."

" Throwing NPCs into a chasm will no longer trigger their crime reaction dialogue while they're mid-flight."

"Jaheira could have access to two types of Wild Shape in certain circumstances. We've toned down her blatant disregard for D&D rules."

"Fixed NPC heads occasionally detaching in Forced Turn-Based Mode."

"You can no longer place a corpse into its own inventory."

"Items can only be sent to specific companions in camp if a party member is in camp at the time. Stop sending every +1 dagger to Gale, he's not that hungry."

"NPCs should be a lot less eager to engulf themselves (or their allies) in flames now."

"Fixed NPCs using an incorrect throw range when they can't move. This sometimes caused them to, say, throw explosives on their own heads."

"Fixed NPCs sometimes successfully landing jumps that shouldn't be possible. Like through ceilings."

"You can no longer trade with sleeping characters."

"Fixed overhead dialogues still playing above the souls of dead characters - represented as blue wisps - in the epilogue camp. Lae'zel will no longer urgently proclaim 'Repositioning!' when you make her little wisp move around."

"Killing Omeluum or Blurg of the Society of Brilliance will now break your paladin oath. Because they're nice and you're not."

"Picking up fish from the beach at the Emerald Grove is no longer a crime. They take their vegetarianism very seriously, those druids."

"You can now no longer spawn infinite fish at the Emerald Grove beach. No wonder that bear smells."

"Told Art Cullagh to please stop singing during the combat when Isobel's being abducted."

"You can no longer trade with Voss when he ambushes you at the base of High Hall."

"If you escape prison and then return to your cell and close the door without being noticed by anyone allied to the arresting guards, you will no longer be considered a fugitive."

"Fixed a bug where a status could carry over from the final battle to the beginning of the epilogue, potentially killing the players."

"You can now clean your body and clothes in a fountain in the House of Hope's boudoir. Sometimes it's nice to freshen up before a big event."

"Fixed Scratch not feeling like playing in camp beyond Act I after partying too hard at the camp celebration."

"Minthara no longer speaks more about Shadowheart than Shadowheart does about herself."

"You'll no longer see text telling you that Gale approves of something if he's not even nearby to see what happened."

"Jaheira's memory in her old age was failing her, and she could tell you about Minsc twice if you left her in camp but advanced her quest multiple steps. Now she's much better at remembering what she told you, and will only prompt it the once."

"Good boys Scratch and the owlbear cub will now play together in any camp, not just the main one in the wilderness from Act I."

"Cerys will now leave your camp after the camp celebration in Act I. We know it's sometimes hard to ask the last person to leave the party, so we've done it for you."

"Fixed Rugan being upset with you for trespassing after saving him from impending doom. You're welcome, Rugan."

"Florrick now looks appropriately grimy and sweaty after escaping Waukeen's Rest."

"Lae'zel will no longer become hostile towards you, thinking you left the inquisitor's office in Crèche Y'llek while waiting to fulfil Vlaakith's orders, when you only jumped on one of the platforms in the corner."

"Fixed Smythin in the Goblin Camp sometimes getting stuck in a cowering animation. He's a little braver now."

"Rugan is no longer 'too busy' to thank you after you free him in the Zhentarim Hideout."

"One of the teenagers in the Crèche Y'llek will now tend to his cleaning tasks. He may or may not have been chastised for shirking his duties."

"Fixed a bug with Bernard in the Arcane Tower not giving you a reward if you previously befriended the squirrel in the Emerald Grove."

"Fixed a couple of goblins in the Goblin Camp not really doing much at all if you free Sazza."

"Rotated Barth and Remira near the Emerald Grove gate so they would shout in the right direction."

"The nurses in the House of Healing have remembered that they are capable of speech and will now react to crimes properly."

"Dame Aylin now permits all players to behold her radiance in the cutscene when ascending from the Shadowfell rather than just the one who freed her."

"Isobel and Marcus will no longer stop their epic confrontation at Last Light just because someone commits a petty crime nearby."

"In rare cases, Jaheira could be Frightened in the combat with Ketheric and end up so scared she doesn't show up to resolve the conflict in the Shadow-Cursed Lands. She now overcomes her terror."

"Bards can no longer say they saved Jaheira's Harper scouts when they did no such thing."

"Fixed some guards by the fountain at Last Light who were trying to speak each other's lines."

"Now you can convince Ch'r'ai Har'rak to go away in different ways."

"Mayrina will no longer still be Bloodless in Act III if Astarion bit her in Act I."

"Wyll no longer leaves the party when you commit a crime in the High Hall. With the city in ruin, the petty crime dramatics seemed a little extreme."

"A few more people around Baldur's Gate will notice if an article has been printed about you in the newspaper."

"Lumbar will no longer react as if you didn't pay for the privilege of hitting him if the single strike had different damage types." (Ah this explains why Hector got that weird reaction. XD)

"Vicar Humbletoes will no longer do a weird shrug before praying."

"Prevented Karlach's death scene from triggering if a solo player chooses to detonate while playing as Avatar Gale."

"Fixed Lae'zel talking inaccurately about Ptaris, for example suggesting he's dead when he's... literally right there."

"Auntie Ethel will no longer send you a letter written by Zevlor in the epilogue."

"If you part ways with Shadowheart and hide in the Underdark as a mind flayer, she won't forget and think you've spent the last sixth months together in the epilogue. Classic Shadowheart, always forgetting things."

"The Emperor will no longer send you a cheerful letter in the epilogue camp if you ate his brains."

"You can no longer invite the owlbear cub to live with you and Halsin in the epilogue if you do not, in fact, live with Halsin."

"Fixed avatar characters incorrectly getting assigned the Dream Guardian's skin colour in Character Creation on controller."

"The fish barrels in the Underdark, that clearly look like they have fish in them, now actually contain fish instead of tarts."

"You can no longer casually go walkies in the middle of a chasm in the Decrepit Village in the Underdark."

"Removed a platform in Grymforge that looked like it was accessible and was tricking a few of you into trying to jump on it to access the Gauntlet of Shar."

"You can no longer disappear into a couple of rocks near the mephits in Grymforge. Sorry."

"Added a new animation for Cranium Rats. They can now stand up on their hind leggies."

"Corpses thrown from your inventory now look dead rather than alive. As is right."

"Fixed missing sounds in Active Search. (We found them hidden under some rocks in Act I.)"

"Fixed a basket of onions claiming to be a fruit basket, and other issues with lying baskets."

"Gave the dogs at the Sword Coast Couriers names. Because they're the best boys."

"Lae'zel no longer slides or teleports away during her Epilogue dialogue."

"Made general improvements to Boo's animations. The hamster is a little less jittery."

"Fixed the goblet flying out of your hand when talking to Jaheira at Last Light. We knew you were suspicious of it, but you don't have to be so dramatic."

:D

This is a tiny fraction of the full set of changes/improvements/fixes listed in the patch notes and once again I am tremendously impressed. As I said last time - this game has a breadth of scope and ambition that repeatedly takes my breath away and I am mindboggled at the amount of work being put into it.

Very excited to finish out Act 3 in the coming weeks!

[amethystfairy1]

Ok, you dropped the crumbs in this latest TTSBC chapter and now I gotta know. What can you tell us about Hotguy's arrows/weapons/tech? I am so dang curious about... honestly everything in this AU, it's absolutely amazing <3

oooooo YEAH YEAH SURE!

Let's break down Hot Guy's hero fit, shall we?

So Scar has multiple biotech enhancements that he received over the course of several years in a hero program at the Institute, starting when he was fifteen. He was the only successful result of this program, the biotech of the previous generation was...let's just say it didn't have long-term capability, but we'll talk about that in another piece someday. 😬

Bracers: The biotech in his legs hooks to his braces, which essentially look like bracers. The ratchets close around his upper thighs, below his knees, and near his ankles where they kinda turn into boots. He can't wear any sleeves or anything beneath the bracers because they need to have direct skin contact, so they kinda look like funky thigh-high boots!

Visor: His visor is also biotech, it links into the augmentations that are beneath his eyes, which is why Scar has a very prominent scar over the bridge of his nose, that's where that's from! It means that he mentally adjust his visor, and his vision is also biotech enhanced so his eyes essentially have their own zoom function and can focus and trace movement over huge distances! When he also has his visor, that ability grows even stronger, and he can also use his visor to confer with the stuff back in the Hot Cave that is tracking like monster surges or crimes in progress!

Uniform: Scar's original Hot Guy uniform was a lot more tame when he first debuted while still working for the Institute, but he felt like it was too constrictive so once he broke away with Cub's help and established the Hot Cave he changed to something showing way more skin because he just felt like he could actually move that way. It had the happy side effect of covering for his secret ID as well, because Prof. Scar Goodtimes tends to wear layered clothes that cover him up, and Hot Guy...well, Hot Guy does not do that. 😆 His uniform has some light pieces of body armor built in, but considering his body has also been bio-technically enhanced so that he has tougher skin and can take more of a beating without risk of major injury (see: Sugar {We're Going Down Swinging}) so he doesn't SUPER need it.

Bow: It's a folding number, the draw strength is CRAZY strong but Scar can use it like nothing. It has a magnetic clamp mechanism in the grip so he can clip it easily to the harness on his back.

Arrows: He's Hot Guy! He's got tons of different arrows! Net arrows, cable arrows, explosive arrows, blunted arrows, adhesive-shooting arrows, just straight up arrows...and look at that, you can already hear Zedaph crying in the distance. 😬

Watch: He has basically a super sleek smart watch that is always linked up to the Hot Cave systems so he can get alerts on monster surges or anything else that might require Hot Guy's attention!

I think that's all of his major gear! Hopefully you enjoyed that! I'm so glad you like my AU thank you thank you! 💖

[bucketspammer4life]

☆ how the boxers were as children ☆

Hey besties, sorry for dissapearing i was busy decaying, enjoy my cringe ass writing

Glass Joe

- Really sleepy & an edgelord, he was the kid that had hair covering the side of his face in middle school

- his parents always said that he wouldnt really be able to take up boxing due to him being a natural coward, jokes on them Joe isnt scared to get hurt (physically)

- loved reading old writing, especially gothic literature, he has a soft spot for dark writing

- wrote cringy edgy poems about every crush he had, his parents sometimes pull them out to torment him

- tried to start his own band, failed miserably

- still attached to his edgelord phase very much

- if he was a teen during the 2000-2010's he def would have a edgy wolf oc and a Deviantart account

Von Kaiser

- sickly victorian child + little german boy hybrid

- his parents always spoke with permission so he also started copying them, leading to him always interrupting people by saying "can i ask something?"

- had that one little german boy outfit, along with the huge ass lollipop and dumb hat, anytime someone pulls out his childhood pictures he prays they dont whip out those photos or he will get bullied recklessly

- NEVER EVER cursed until the wonderful age of 15 when he yelled out the word "fuck" after dropping a wrench on his foot, his dad wasnt even upset he was more concerned because holy fuck his child dropped a wrench on their foot

- got sick really often, he was out here being asked to be taken out into the garden one last time before you all posers

Disco Kid

- that one kid who had a really cool dad that let him do anything as long as he didnt blow up the house

- Really creative, writing up stories with pictures, his grammar wasnt really the best (along with his writing) so his parents had to read "the addventours off the brince" and hold in their laugh

- He was the kid who performed an entire ass dance choreography to get your parents to accept the sleepover invite

- got introduced to Disco music by his dad, got obsessed with it instantly and started dancing everywhere

King Hippo

- ate glue

- never spoke with anyone, Just beat up anyone picking on him and no one messed with him ever since

- people just gave him paper to eat, fresh with colored pencils

- liked to play make believe with his plushies

Piston Hondo

- He let you copy off his homework, i think that tells you enough

- everyone only recognized him for being a smart ass, not being creative and that really upset him

- played chess a whole lot, joined tournaments and won some medals

- academic burnout hit him like a train

- for a while, art and writing was his only escape from stress & pressure, he journaled about his feelings and drew his soul out, due to this he struggled to express his feelings without words

Bear Hugger

- chased everyone around with a spider then ate it, he was so evil for what

- never actually went to school, his parents lived out in the woods and homeschooled him since no one likes walking 2-3 hours straight just to suffer in a seat

- He always had a interest in animals, him and mrs bear go are childhood friends, mrs bear met him when she was a cub, due to this he got spared by mrs bears mom and suddenly had a 2nd mom, once his family realized that their son got adopted by a bear, they kindly let the bears in and treated it like it was normal

- loved fishing with mrs bear, he taught her how to use a rod and she taught him how to catch fish with his bare hands

Great Tiger

- so called "self sufficient" When he was just used to being alone and kinda accepted the fact he'll never have proper friends

- created the most batshit insane scenarios with his clones that would make the average hollywood movie maker shed tears, these gems include: divorce, murder, crime, assault and tea parties

- talked to himself a whole lot to the point where his parents took him to a therapist

- never really made friends, Just made himself his own friend

Don Flamenco

- oh no.

- his dad basically hated him, insulted him a whole lot, made fun of him, literally just made him insecure, when he got the opportunity to escape his dad by boxing, he took it without hesitation and got out of there

- was never really home, he was always out with friends to avoid his dad back at the house

- emotional stability? Who needs that when you can ignore your problems?

- people pleaser no matter what he says

Aran Ryan

- greasy ass bitch

- his parents didnt teach him shit, you think tigers parents didnt care about him? They'll look like helicopter parents next to them when they see what aran has going on

- had bad hygiene, only learned to shower and take care of himself in the 5th grade, thanks to that and his name, my boy got bullied and developed his behavior to defend himself from people

- Always ran from school & home, he had a hide out from away from home and a bit close to school to escape whenever he had the chance, he always dissapeared for a few weeks (sometimes months) and nobody really went looking for him, either from knowing he'll return sometime or they just dont care enough

Soda Popinski

- lonely, him and tiger are the difference between feeling lonely vs being alone, he doesnt handle loneliness well

- grew up with his grandpa & his stories, always loved listening to them and copied him whenever he wanted to tell a story

- never had a proper social life due to having to take care of his grandpa + him getting concerned about soda whenever he was out for too long

- spent most of his time crying from loneliness, away from him

Bald Bull

- precious!!! Was really shy and had a rounder face that everyone in his family pinched like crazy

- extremely sensitive & emotional (he still is hes just bottling it up shh)

- stuttered a lot, think about that one "have you ever had a dream you could you can't you would you you could be anything" kid

- was really short and just shot up one day

- scaredy cat, could be scared from anything, including: bugs, darkness, thunder, needles, sharp stuff, blood, death and alcohol (he also still gets scared easily but shh shut up)

- Always snored in his sleep, inherited it from his dad

Super Macho Man

- obsessed with sharks, dinosaurs, trucks and cars, basically got obsessed with anything he found cool

- his parents spoiled the living fuck out of him, no dime left unspent on him, no quarter spared

- Always lied about having something at the playground, sure Macho i trust the fact that you have "every dinosaurs teeth" 100% never doubted you for a second

- his parents love language was money so it got passed down to him, they were just throwing money at him and fucking off

Mr Sandman

- oldest child in his family, has 4 siblings and loves them all very much, had to help his mom & dad take care of them since they were a handful

- started boxing early so he was never in school that often unless it was 99% neccessary

- slept a lot thanks to him being tired constantly from rushing around

- knows how to do hair & make up from his younger sister

[iwillstealyourjawbone]

My fic for the MCYTblr Holiday Exchange! For @hydrobugz, beta'd by the wonderful @blocky-tides

1.

Grian Dreamslayer, Ex-Watcher and Evo Admin, was bored. His executive function had decided that he didn’t need to be productive in the time he had set aside for working. No, instead his useless brain thought that what he really needed was to lie on some chests and let his thoughts run, because that always turned out great. 

He considered going to bother X, but didn’t want to get up from his (uncomfortable but simultaneously the only place he could be without becoming even more restless and despondent) sprawl across one of his several chest monsters. 

He was just dozing off when he was QUITE RUDELY awoken by one ImpulseSV yelling in his ear.

“Grian Grian Grian Grian Grian wake up! Wake up!”

Halfheartedly swatting him away, he rolled over to try to see what was going on, but forgot that he had sprawled on the edge of his chest monster, and fell flat on his face. Onto Impulse’s boots. 0 stars, would not recommend. The laces hurt your face. Grian should make laceless boots, they’d be better to fall on.

“Gri? You gonna move, bud?”

Oh yeah. Impulse. 

“No, I live here now.”

Problem solved. Grian wins. At life. Yeah.

“Grian, I will call Gem. You don’t want to get Gem angry, right? Remember what happened to Etho. You need to build the back of Dwayne. It’s an eyesore, and Scar just built a castle, you can build half a base,” Impulse said, presumably staring down at him with a stern look on his face. 

“Nooooooooooo :(“ Grian whined, pouting. Rolling closer to Impulse so that he laid curled around Impulse’s legs.

“How did you make that sound with your face. Grian. Grian how,” Impulse said, a look of utter horror written across his features. 

“Don’t worry about it!” Grian said, grinning in a way that stretched his void-black eyes just so to strike fear into even a mines-hardened dwarf like Impulse. 

“Grian,” He half-pleaded, half-sighed, a weary look on his face, the look of a man who has seen the Horrors (Grian, sleep deprived).

“:)”

Suffice to say, Grian didn’t have to finish the back of his base, and instead chugged a Slowness potion right after a Weakness to send himself into the closest thing he had to the sweet release of death on a respawn server, sleep. Doing that in the middle of the day had the unfortunate side effect of making him wake up at 3 AM and go for a night walk, terrifying Cub, who just wanted some water.

2.

“Hey Xisuma!” Grian said, sock-sliding into the room where the poor overworked admin was sitting at his desk doing smart-people work.

“What now, Grian,” Xisuma sighed, already anticipating Grian’s antics, spinning around in his gamer chair. (He denied it’s true nature, but Grian and Pearl had gotten it for him in the first place, it was supposed to help with posture, and the description that the seller had given it was ‘Posture Correcting Chair for Gamers’, so there Xisuma)

“Your desk is very messy for someone who works on code, notably not on paper,” Grian said, fully off-topic from what he originally came in to do.

“Why are you of all people here, Grian? Normally you avoid me at all costs until you’ve finished the back of your base, which you haven’t done. So what is your plan here, Gri?” Xisuma said, tenting his fingers like one of those old-timey movie villains.

“You look like that old guy, what's-his-face … DR EVIL! That's it. You look like Dr Evil. You know, from the movies?” Grian clapped his hands in a satisfied manner at having figured that out. “Anyways, I was wondering for no particular reason if you knew how to sew or weave anything, just for funsies.” Grian tried to look innocent, but Xisuma had seen him in the midst of prank wars several times too often to be fooled, and had to clean up his messes far too many times. 

“Grian, go build your base. I can tell from experience when you are hiding something or trying to get out of doing something, and right now, I see both. Stop procrastinating.” Xisuma said sternly, turning back to his Very Important Server Business and leaving Grian to find his way out of his base. 

“Fine, I’ll just ask Pearl, I didn’t need you anyways, Ixay-Soomay-Vhoyad. Harrumph.” Grian muttered, standing there for a few moments waiting for Xisuma to change his mind. When Xisuma didn’t, Grian turned around, striding out of the base, arms crossed and nose scrunched up angrily.

3.

Grian shot off a rocket to propel himself over Decked Out 2, taking a moment to admire just how much effort had gone and was still going into it. He waved to Tango, who was working on the exterior of the base, doing a loop-de-loop in the air as the blazeborne smiled up at him, then continued on his journey to the lands of Soup, also known as Gem, Impulse, and Pearl’s bases. 

A few minutes later, he alighted atop the great alien fungus that one PearlescentMoon called home, and (after sneezing a few times, alien pollen apparently still triggers allergies) began trying to get his friend to snap out of her building focus. 

“PEARL HELP!”

That should do the trick.

Sure enough, a second later he spotted her take off from her workplace on some rocks, and fly towards him.

“Grian, what? What’s happening? Why did you yell? Are you okay?” She said, landing next to him with her sword out, scanning the area for any danger.

“I didn’t want to walk around looking for you, your base is too big!” He said, bouncing over and bumping his head against her shoulder affectionately.

“Grina, you scared me, jeez. You are such a nugget.” She chided, putting her sword away and slumping.

“Sorry… anyways, do you know where I can acquire a bolt of fabric large enough to cover an area the size of the back of a base, for reasons of shenanigans?” Grian asked.

“Oooo, what shenanigans? I want in!” Pearl replied, excited with the prospect of a reprieve from her work.

Grian hesitated. Pearl was one of the most dedicated builders on the server, and he knew from personal experience that she was more than capable of knocking some sense into him if she thought he needed it. 

Pearl gave him a knowing look, “You’re procrastinating.”

It wasn’t a question.

“My base,” Grian sighed. The cat was out of the bag, he might as well go all in. 

“Gri, I’m not going to lecture you, because I know you know what I’m going to say, and when Xisuma gets on your tail about it you’re going to hear the unabridged version whether you like it or not. Now, all that said, what were you planning on doing with those large amounts of fabric?”

“I was going to fashion it up into a cape to cover the back of my base and call it finished,” Grian said, slightly sheepish but knowing that Pearl would find the idea hilarious. 

Sure enough, Pearl bonked her head against his and let out a laugh, “Gri! Oh, that’s amazing.”

He was about to ask if she would help him even still when she grabbed his arm and started dragging him over to her giant mushroom house.

“C’mon Grian! We’re having SOUP!” 

4.

[JoeHills] hey grian, are you available to help me get wood? behind cleo’s base

[Grian] sure! omw

Grian rocketed through the Nether tunnels, beautifully built by Tango and his helpers,  and one of the best ways to get around. As he came up on Cleo’s portal, he sent a quick message to Joe.

[Grian] @ cleo’s portal

[Grian] almost there

Shaking off the vertigo that always accompanied going though Nether Portals, he emerged into the daylight, only to be met with a stern looking XisumaVoid and one JoeHills standing behind him, looking slightly ashamed.

“Sorry, Grian! He made me do it.” Joe said, running back to his base. 

“Grian,” Xisuma stated. “You can’t put it off forever, the season’s almost over. You and I both know it will haunt you forever if you don’t finish before we leave.”

He was right, however much Grian didn’t want to admit it. 

“I know, but ‘Suma-” 

“No ‘buts’, Grian!”

Hehe. Butts.

“Fine, I’ll go try and get some work done, but you know how it is. No guarantees, never guarantees.” He said, all the defiance seeping out of him and leaving a quiet tiredness behind.

“That’s all I can ask for, Grian.”

“Do you have chocolate to give me in exchange?” Grian asked, not expecting anything to come of it but still wanting to try.

“I have chocolate!” Cleo said from around the corner, having apparently been there the whole time.

“Give please,” Grian said, making grabby hands towards her, moving on quickly from her eavesdropping and leaving the bad vibes behind, he didn’t need that in his life. 

The chocolate was very good, it was the fancy dark chocolate that melted on your tongue and that Grian would kill and die for. 

“Cleo, we’ve talked about this! Listening to other people’s conversations is not okay.” Xisuma said, not over the negativity. He needed some crystals, Grian had heard somewhere that citrine might be good for calming? He wasn’t sure. It helped with something!

“Chocolate?” Cleo asked, ignoring Xisuma, he wasn’t the boss of her. Snapping off a piece, she handed it to the admin.

“Are you trying to bribe me?” Xisuma asked incredulously.

“Is it working?”

In the commotion of an increasingly weary Xisuma trying to impart some life lessons onto Cleo, Grian managed to slip away and headed back to his base to ‘work on his base’ (aka go find Jellie for some stress relief).

+1

Grian rolled over in his bed, groaning as the sunlight hit his eyes. He usually had the curtains closed, that’s weird.

“Grian! Wake up!” Gem exclaimed.

Why was Gem here?

“All the Hermits are here! We’re going to help you build your base!”

Okay then.

Wait. What? His base?

“Pearl, X, and Joe helped arrange it! It’s our Hermits Helping Hermits project this week.”

That makes sense. 

Gem ran outside, and Grian followed somewhat bemusedly and still tired from being abruptly woken up. As he stepped out onto his scaffolding, he stopped dead in his tracks. 

All the Hermits were there. Gem wasn’t kidding. Cub and Cleo seemed to be competing over who could place trapdoors the fastest, while Joe fueled both the argument from the sidelines working in a crafting table where he was rapidly filling double chests with materials. 

To their right, Impulse, Etho, and Tango were laughing while Bdubs squawked indignantly, most likely the (lighthearted) butt of a joke.

Directly beneath them were Mumbo and Scar, who seemed to have gotten distracted, with Mumbo looking over Scar’s prosthetic supports for his back and legs while Scar waved his hands as he did when he was off on a tangent. Even from a distance, Grian could hear the words ‘Stormtroopers’ and ‘rides’, so he could make an educated guess that he was talking about Scar’s recurring hyperfixation, Disneyland.

The other Hermits were scattered around, all laughing and chatting and working on parts of the base.

He was snapped back to the present by Xisuma and Pearl landing right in front of him and Gem. Pearl beaming and Xisuma’s body language conveying happiness too, albeit a little more reserved.

“Pearl, ‘Suma, this is amazing! I- You- Why-. I have no words.”

Not knowing how to articulate the unabashed joy he felt at all his friends coming together to help him, he surged forward and enveloped them both in a hug. 

He stayed there, trying to regain his composure, for longer than he would like to admit, but eventually he pulled away.

“C’mon, nobody’s working on the roofs yet!”

[epicfranb]

*pretends to be an analyst like in the mcc subreddit* okay so do i think Cyan Coyotes will win

My main point here will be to compare MCC Underdogs Purple Pandas and MCC 33 Cyan Coyotes. Obviously my brainrot causes me to involuntarily compare a team that Bdubs was on and a team that Etho is on, however there are a few parallels.

First off, the most obvious one is FireBreathMan. He's an insanely good player, he's good at movement and PvP, and he's known for being ❗ Technoblade's sensei ❗ he also used to be an MCC tester, which, while a lot has changed since then, means that he has almost as much experience as a regular MCC player; and, after being in a few actual MCC's since then, would amount to a serious amount of experience.

Secondly, from my observations, Etho and Impulse are about on the same level in general Minecraft gameplay. They both learn quickly, are able to adapt and are smart and agile players. I would compare Bdubs and Scar in terms of skill as well, being only slightly behind their partners. That would mean that Etho and Scar would be on about the same level gameplay wise as Bdubs and Impulse were, BUT impdubs were both new to MCC, while Scar ISN'T, meaning scab could potentially be even better. I don't know how well Etho and Scar play together, but they certainly get along very well. I haven't watched MCC in a while, but i remember Scar's big problem being communication (when he went silent and the rest of the team didn't know where he was, how he was doing, what was happening, etc). I can see Etho communicating fairly well, but there's also a factor of being new to a THIRTY THIRD EVENT and getting a little paralyzed and overwhelmed, which WILL be an obstacle.

Now, Scott, FBM, Etho and Scar is a strong team with a lot of potential, and a similar team from before won the event, despite having 3 new players! BUT there is a key difference... In that MCC Underdogs, in which Bdubs, Impulse, FBM and Blushie won, was an MCC that only had people that haven't won yet. This means that, on average, it had less super good very competitive players. This time it's a normal MCC, which has more competition and more players that are a big threat (Fruit, Pete, Jojo, Purpled, Punz and Sapnap on the same team?!) Teams like Red, Aqua, Blue and Purple will be BRUTAL.

Do i think Cyan will win? No. Do i think they can win? Definitely. I don't think that's very likely. But i do think they will come in top 6. I predict Etho will be in top 35. He will do well in Grid Runners and Ace Race, maybe well in Parkour Warrior, TGTTOSAWAF and Sands of Time. I could see him do well in Battle Box, Sky Battle and Parkour Tag IF HE'S LUCKY. I don't remember other games.

But idc if all of what I'm saying is wrong!! I don't care if he's great at everything or if he sucks and comes 45th in a game with 40 players!! I just want to see Etho in a new setting that's unusual for him, and to see him have fun with his friends and meet new people :D my biggest wish for this MCC? have him join a few vc's at the end, when everyone is just chatting and discussing each others performance. Or others joining his vc would also be neat. I don't see him staying on for long, but imagine Cub, False, Joel, Impulse, Philza, Captain Sparklez joining to praise him???? That would be so sweet!! Maybe people who don't participate could also join the vc since they probably have access to it wink wink Bdubs wink wink actually i also want Bdubs in Etho's chat, and Etho replying to his messages once in a while. Usually it's Etho in Bdubs's chat, so to see this get reversed???? ONCE IN A LIFE TIME OPPORTUNITY, I TELL YA. Even if Bdubs ends up being too busy, he will definitely come watch at least for a little bit. Can't wait to see Tango and Skizz and Doc and Ren and perhaps some other friends in chat too. Can't wait to see them discuss Etho's first MCC afterwards. Can't wait to just. See Etho in MCC! It's wild that it's happening!!!! People have been speculating about him joining since the first events. It's actually happening guys. I'M SO EXCITED.

Edit: so, update, Etho won't stream apparently :( but hey! At least a part of my dream will happen right :D?

[kaylinalexanderbooks]

Thumbprint Challenge

Thanks @oh-no-another-idea for the tag!

Rules: look back on your work, both past and present, finished and unfinished. What are five to ten narrative elements or tropes that continuously pop up in your work? Give a list of these things!

Back at my old work? Okay...not sure how much of these count but here are the commonalities:

Found family/importance of friendship. The focus on best friends from when I was a kid is very prominent in childhood writing and friendship is still a key part. Interpersonal relationships are a very important theme across everything.

Female main characters. Not sure if this counts, but almost all of my childhood works were about girls. My first male main OC was a character named Julian/Mikey (changed his name) in an old draft of TSP. Hell, my first male POV was my Warriors cats fanfic (they were OCs though) and the first time I wrote a male voice in first person was a character named Jesse in eighth grade.

Queer undertones. Looking back at my old work, a lot of my main characters were sapphic or ace/aro spec. Anahi and Marlis from what later evolved into SOTL were very gay for each other. Even Mossflower and Lemonfrost from my Warriors fanfic. The aforementioned Jesse was asexual-coded. Christy and Trish in TEOS. It was just always there as I hadn't figured myself out yet.

Dialogue-driven storytelling. Maybe not in early early writing, but like age 8 onward included a lot of dialogue. I've always been more character focused than environment focused, so I'd say this adds up.

Intelligent main characters. Most of my protagonists were emphasized to be very, very smart. It's interesting that I'm not a STEM person, but I am a former "gifted kid" so that may have something to do with it, but I usually emphasized this with a STEM field they were interested in. Christy from TEOS, math nerd. Hollyn from Perspectives, science geek. Twinkle in my bear cubs series as a kid, astronomer. Even in the Warriors fanfic the first POV is Mossflower the medicine cat. The only pre-high school time I can find where I emphasized intelligence that wasn't in a STEM field is Anahi, who was very literature based.

Multiple main characters. I liked a group of people, even if it was one POV. TSP D1 followed Alexia and Aurora, then they ran into four other people. 3+ was my usual. I guess it comes from the interpersonal relationships themes, like #1 talked about.

Fantasy elements. Man, I almost never write in realistic fiction. I mean, my earliest works were, but then I'd occasionally have an anthropomorphic animal pop up and now it's fantasy. Now, the only realistic fiction WIP I have on the shelf is Perspectives. Arguably IWAJAD because I guess someone can have a vivid dream where a character arc is forced upon them but idk.

Dramedies. I loved to incorporate humor among things I thought were high stakes. I like to be angsty but that doesn't stop me from being very silly. I mean, look at TSP D1. They are threatened to be killed and I still have humor in there. Good? No, but I still tried.

Communication I realize is a prominent theme. Oftentimes, things are not resolved due to not communicating, or I show communication allowing a character to experience comfort, or how not listening to someone leads to trouble, or how hiding a part of yourself isolated you, or acting like someone you're not pulls the wrong people in... So much, man.

I hope this is an okay list. I'll tag @gracehosborn @illarian-rambling @mk-writes-stuff @little-peril-stories @buffythevampirelover @dyrewrites @elsie-writes @sleepywriter00 @theelfauthor @theeccentricraven @thepeculiarbird @finxi-writes @writingsfromspace @winterandwords @revenantlore + anyone else

[bearcubstory]

can you do some ocs for we bare bears

🐻 i sure can do some wbb hcs! thank u moppy :3

🐻‍❄️ regressor!ice bear headcanons

❄️ ice bear regresses to 2 years old! a little bear cub

❄️ he sometimes regresses together with panda, though usually he is looked after by both of his older brothers, panda and grizz

❄️ he is completely nonverbal when small, and sometimes uses a speaking device to communicate

❄️ ice bear loves to 'cook' with his brothers. he will wear his favourite apron, and is usually in charge of the smaller tasks suitable to his toddler brain, like pouring flour or gathering ingredients

❄️ he struggles with heat regulation, and can get very fussy in the summer. grizz makes sure he is equipped with plenty of kid themed ice packs and even cooling mats

❄️ ice bear regresses due to stress. it is hard being the strongest of the bears and doing most of the household chores, even though he enjoys doing so. when regressed, he can truly sit back and relax and rely on his brothers

❄️ he likes to look through picture books, and despite being a 2 year old, he is still very smart for his age!

[blicketdabest33]

FINAL CABIN PLACEMENTS I DON'T WANT TO EDIT IT AFTER THIS

So many of y'all had so many good ideas (and since a lot of these i came up with without any real reasoning) here's my updated version that i think fits A LOT better

#1 Zeus Cabin: Jimmy, Joel Jimmy: He's a Zeus kid, but everyone somehow forgets about it. Joel: He's competitive and strong. Also, because Jimmy is his half brother through godly parent, i get to make a fun bit about him dating Lizzie. And one of his origins in Afterlife SMP was a thunderborn

#2 Hera Cabin: Scott, Impulse, Ren Scott: Scott's whole thing is loyalty. Hera is the goddess of marriage and is insanely loyal to Zeus. However, I feel like Hera should get at least one affair. So now Scott can use peacocks as weapons. Impulse: According to @dawnfire7 Impulse is known for loyalty, which i did not know. He's also known to hold grudges. Perfect Hera kid. Ren: He's apparently known for loyalty (and i didn't really like his Nike placement anyway)

#3 Poseidon Cabin: XB XB: Something about water temple guardians

#4 Demeter Cabin: Sausage, Shelby, Bdubs, Stress Sausage: This man built Sanctuary in a jungle and has flowers in his hair. He sells wood. There is no other place to put him. Shelby: Mushroom gnome, spooky mangrove witch, powerful storm witch, i need not continue. Bdubs: Moss man. Stress: SHE HAS FLOWERS

#5 Ares Cabin: Martyn, False Martyn: His planet is Mars, which is the roman version of Ares. He ended Limited Life in such a violent way, i can't help it. He was also red for the majority of Secret Life. False: I just feel like False should get to kill people more often.

#6 Athena Cabin: Grian, Pix, Owen, Xisuma Grian: This sums it up pretty well

Pix: Smart man. Archeologist and definitely a nerd. I wanna see him skipping out on training just so he can read history books. Owen: He likes to explore and discover new things in Pirates. In Rats, he's a tinkerer. In New Life, he's an explorer who wants to study hybrids. In Empires, he's a Llama who's curious about how humans work. Just a very curious character overall. Xisuma: Admin. I'm not elaborating.

#7 Apollo Cabin: Oli, Lyarrah Oli: MUSIC. MAN. Lyarrah: She writes the captions for the hermitcraft recap.

#8 Artemis Cabin: Pearl, Gem Pearl: Y'know, Artemis could've just like... had a kid, even though she took that oath. It wouldn't even have to be with a guy. Gods can change to whatever gender they want. Anyway, Pearl gets to be an Artemis kid because her symbolism is moon, she loves dogs, and will commit murder and hunt at night. Gem: Someone really wanted these girls to be sisters, and I think Gem and pearl should get to hunt at night and be fierce together. Oh, and she's got the whole deer aesthetic.

#9 Hephaestus Cabin: Doc, Mumbo, Tango, Zedaph, Fwhip, Iskall Doc: Redstone Mumbo: Redstone Tango: Redstone Zedaph: Redstone Fwhip: Redstone AND has a red scarf (don't ask me how that's relevant) Iskall: Redstone

#10 Aphrodite Cabin: Keralis, Skizz, Bigb Keralis: Okay, I don't know why, but Keralis gives me the vibes of a very charming person. His voice is nice to listen to, so imagine how useful it'd be if I gave him charm speak. Skizz: Person in the tags said he was really charming and you can't help but love him. I agree. He's here now. Bigb: Smooth talker. Someone (i think it was Scott) said in one of their videos "It's hard to kill him while he's talking". Charmspeak. Ma man, go do chaos.

#11 Hermes Cabin: Scar, Etho, Joe Scar: Trader Scar, scammer extraordinar. Etho: All i must say is Shady-E's. I get "jack-of-all-trades, master of none, often better than master of one" vibes from him. He's funny, he's mischievous, it just works. Joe: Comedy man. Excellent delivery. And, yet again, i look at this man and go "That right there is a multi-talented man with a habit for mischief."

#12 Dionysus Cabin: Joey, Beef, Cub Joey: *points at his season one empires theme* i need not say more Beef: Idk, food. I don't really have a reason. I don't know too much about Beef. Cub: Someone said Cub was really laid back, i liked this idea, he's here now. C'mon, go make ur empire.

#13 Hades Cabin: Zloy Zloy: Zombie man. He writes the Hermitcraft recaps in the dark at 2am with nothing but pure spite.

#14 Iris Cabin: Katherine Katherine: SHE. HAS. COLORS. and also I couldn't put her in Demeter cabin because Shelby is already there and i am NOT excluding Nature Wives from this au

#15 Hypnos Cabin: Wels Wels: @dingdinghq said something about sleeping during S6 and i completely agree

#16 Nemesis Cabin:

#17 Nike Cabin:

#18 Hebe Cabin: 

#19 Tyche Cabin: TFC TFC: Man goes mining and gets really lucky. That's it.

#20 Hecate Cabin: Lizzie, Cleo, Jevin Lizzie: Witchy vibes. Also, Arson. Cleo: Arson. She uses her magic for Arson. Jevin: He's a magic slime. Also, Arson. All Hecate kids love Arson.

[vexcraft]

hi, i have a silly promt - 5 times Scar tries to flirt with Cub + 1 where Cub flirts back

couldn't quite scrape together enough ideas so have this... 3+1? i suppose? that i wrote on my phone while avoiding getting out of bed :D

1.

How had Scar managed to convince Cub to buy his very damp and rather miserable looking basement, he had no idea. Sure, Scar was a great salesman and Cub wasn't exactly known for having normal bases, but this still seemed like a rather unconventional deal.

It did, however, present some very good opportunities.

"I know it's a little… wet around the edges," Scar smiled innocently like there wasn't water dripping from the ceiling. "If it ever bothers you, you can join me upstairs."

"I'll manage," Cub hummed as he looked around, probably already calculating what he could fit here. "I managed alright in Ren's basement and this is definitely an upgrade, so it'll probably be just fine."

Not exactly the answer Scar had been looking for.

"If it gets cold at night, feel free to join me! Elven beds have plenty of space and it's very warm." Risky, but hopefully clear enough.

Cub blinked but didn't seem bothered. "Eh, don't worry about me, I'll figure out how to keep the cold out in no time. Wouldn't want to bother you."

It took all of Scar's self control to not audibly groan out of frustration. Cub was supposed to be a smart man, how oblivious could he be?

2.

This was hopeless, Scar thought as he took another bite of the wicked pumpkin pie he had sworn to avoid at all costs.

"It's not too bad," he commented, watching Cub's waiting expression brighten. It wasn't bad, per se, but Scar as a competitor automatically had beef with it.

He was still confident his cookies were much better, but this was not the time to bring that up.

"It's good, right?" Cub asked, cutting another piece of the pie for himself. He seemed excited to finally have the opportunity to get Scar's very professional opinion on this, curiously studying his reactions.

"It is," Scar admitted, hoping no one else would ever hear about this. The things he had to do to get the attention of his crush! "We should have a picnic one day, you bring pie and I bring cookies."

It was a good excuse, wanting to try the pies Cub so insistently praised again, to be able to spend more time with him.

"Oh yeah, that's a good idea," Cub agreed with a nod. "We should ask others to come too, I'm sure they have their own sweets they could bring."

Scar wanted to slap himself internally. How much more obvious would he have to get with this?

3.

Scar's Hotguy duties gave him a good excuse to go and find people every now and then, and Cub just happened to be his main target most of the time.

"You're like an evil Cupid," Cub commented as an arrow hit the ground next to him before Scar almost crash landed at the same spot, too busy staring to properly slow down.

He had spotted Cub digging through some chests around the shopping district and naturally couldn't resist the urge to go talk to him.

"Me? Evil? Nooo, never!" Scar grinned, standing up straight. He was feeling a bit reckless today. "I'll show you, I will shoot you and then you'll fall in love with me!"

Was that too straightforward? Surely not, Cub had been the one to start this joke after all, he couldn't blame Scar for getting a bit carried away.

Cub laughed, looking up from the chest. "I don't think that's quite how it works."

"I said I'll show you!" Scar took out his rockets to take off again.

"No thanks," Cub said nonchalantly as he took more things out of the chest. "I've almost just finished organizing my inventory, I'd hate for all the work to go to waste if you kill me."

At this point Scar couldn't tell where the bit ended and actual conversation began. Cub didn't seem bothered by the nature of his joke, not at all, but Scar couldn't tell if he was avoiding playing into it or simply actually valued his inventory management.

Scar was supposed to be good at this kind of stuff, how could it be this difficult with Cub?

+1

"Hey Scar," Cub called his name, interrupting Scar's probably not very well hidden staring session. "Do you have time to play a few rounds of Total Chaos?"

Scar thought about it - on one hand, it was Cub asking, and Scar would do almost anything if it was him asking. On the other hand, he was tired and while he'd love to spend some time with Cub, Total Chaos tended to get rather… chaotic with all the other people.

"I don't know," Scar replied. "I'm kinda tired."

"Oh, that's okay." Cub sounded almost sad, like he had been looking forward to this. "I just need to make some adjustments and wondered if you would help, it's nothing very big. It would be just the two of us."

Scar blinked, looking at the other. Cub seemed rather awkward, rubbing the back of his neck and shifting his weight from one leg to another like he didn't quite know what he was supposed to do. He seemed unsure, which despite how much he tended to worry about things, wasn't that common - usually Cub carried himself with confidence. He wasn't like this when he usually asked for help.

There was no way Scar was reading this wrong.

"Are you asking me out?"

Cub froze for a moment and Scar could see his face turn red. "Maybe? If you'd like to?"

"Of course I'd like to," Scar smiled, walking up to Cub to take his hands in his own, hoping to ease his nerves. "I've been nearly losing my mind, you have no idea."

[frozenjokes]

CuteGuy Would Prefer Greatly If HotGuy Never Ever Had Any Nice Things, But Especially Not His Good Friend And Roommate Cubfan135 (2/3)

prev / next

Grian, as CuteGuy, landed softly on the other side of the parking lot, tucking his wings non-threateningly at his back. Calm. Cool. Relaxed. He hadn’t been home when Cub left to meet HotGuy, but Grian knew well enough Cub would be timely, and with any luck, a little early. With no one in the empty parking lot, Grian wasn’t entirely sure what to do with himself, but he didn’t have to wait long before he spotted Cub down the street, absorbed in his music as always. Sure enough, Cub didn’t even notice CuteGuy as he entered the parking lot, only spotting him after sitting down on the curb and looking up, presumably for HotGuy. 

It didn’t feel tense when their eyes met. Cub didn’t look afraid. Part of Grian was deeply relieved; he cared very little about how the world viewed him, preferring they feared him if they felt anything at all, but.. Not Cub. He didn’t want Cub to be afraid. The other part of him was worried; did Cub not fear him because he recognized him? Not CuteGuy the villain, but Grian, who he thought was staying out of trouble and getting help- and it wasn’t that Grian wasn’t trying to get help. He was getting better, really! He hadn’t gotten into any fights as ‘Grian’ in weeks- hadn’t gotten arrested in over two months! But no amount of therapy could keep him calm in tense encounters or high stress moments; thinking about how he’d make it right, how he’d get them back later. That did it. Those sentiments brought the air back into his lungs.

“Should I leave?” Cub asked, a healthy caution behind his voice.

“I’d rather you stayed. I don’t want to hurt you,” Grian forced his voice lower as he spoke, hoping Cub couldn’t tell, and cursed himself for not thinking to practice. He sounded stupid. And given the small quirk of Cub’s eyebrow, Grian didn’t sound sincere, either.

“I don’t want to hurt you, either. But I do have pepper spray. Just so you’re aware. And it hurts. I know this from personal experience.” Cub paused briefly in a silent debate with himself, “I was curious. Mistake.”

Grian chuckled, but he couldn’t laugh too hard, not when he was there, and not when he had also pepper sprayed himself in some sort of horrible solidarity. Bad day. Horrible judgment from all sides, mostly because they had no one else to look out for them, literally as well as metaphorically. Top five dumbest things Grian had ever done, for sure. Even thinking about that day was enough to make his skin itch and burn. But there was a fondness there too, the type of fondness you can only achieve by doing something incredibly, irrefutably idiotic with your best friend.

“I’ve been there. Not eager to go back, either, so I’ll keep my distance if that’s what keeps you comfortable. I’d like to sit though, if that’s alright.”

Cub shrugged. “Whatever you want.”

“You can say no.”

“I don’t know if I can.” Cub eyed him evenly, not unfriendly as was often assumed about him, but cautious, appraising. It was a little bit funny. Cub looking at CuteGuy, a fairly well known supervillain, the way he’d look at any stranger; gauging intention. Cub didn’t navigate the world under the assumption that everyone was out to get him, but he was also the kind of person that liked knowing, and a Cub in the dark was not a Cub at ease. Grian hoped he’d be able to get Cub to relax with him before HotGuy arrived, but that would be no easy feat, not as CuteGuy. Cub was smart; he probably suspected CuteGuy knew HotGuy was coming. This was not a chance meeting. CuteGuy wanted something. And Cub wasn’t wrong, not really.

“You can,” Grian tried, hoping again he sounded genuine, but in these forced lower tones, it was hard to accurately get the emotions he was aiming for across. Grian wondered if Cub noticed the oddness in his voice, and was immediately sure of the answer. But Cub wouldn’t say a word, not to the avian known for being quick to anger.

“Well in that case, I don’t mind,” Cub said, almost dismissive as he looked back at his phone. Grian couldn’t quite tell if Cub actually did mind or not, but he sat on the curb regardless, not too close, but not far either. Grian winced at the thought of being pepper sprayed. He wouldn’t see it coming, that he was sure of; Cub was very good at concealing his tells. “Just so you know,” Cub continued after a moment, almost thoughtful, “HotGuy will be here soon. I’ve heard you two don’t get along, and, well..” he trailed off, gesturing vaguely, but Grian got the message. 

“I don’t know about that,” he said, the line vindictively practiced, and Grian couldn’t keep the smirk off his face, “Heroes are fickle things. I have a feeling HotGuy will be late, if he even shows up at all.”

Cub nodded, though Grian wasn’t exactly sure what that meant. “What’s he up to then, if you know?” His tone was mild, almost monotone, but there was a mutual understanding as to what was going on here. Grian knew better than anyone that Cub knew how to play his cards, and that he wouldn’t sit idly in the dark if he thought he could get away with it. Grian couldn’t remember a time when Cub had judged a confrontation incorrectly, or pushed his luck too far.

“Poultry Man made a bit of a mess on the other side of town. Left a message specifically for HotGuy, and if you didn’t know, HotGuy’s been dying to chat with him. As if Poultry Man would speak to anyone.” Grian laid back across the curb, spreading his wings in the grass. “No need to ask. I was involved, of course. We look out for each other, Poultry Man and I, but I just wanted to make sure you knew exactly where HotGuy’s priorities lie. Believe me when I tell you that you’re far from the only man he’s chasing. In every sense of the word.”

“What did he do?”

“What?”

“Poultry Man? What did he do?” It was a perfectly amicable, almost innocently curious question. Grian knew better than to take Cub at face value, but his facade was rock hard, and Grian had no idea what he was actually feeling.

“Told me he was saving these nails and things, sharp, sturdy stuff, and that he was going to dump a whole bunch of them in various parking lots of government buildings. They’re painted, of course. Like chickens. I don’t know how he was planning on leaving a message for HotGuy, but I’m sure he managed.”

Cub chuckled, which Grian didn’t expect, expecting even less for Cub to look genuinely amused. “I like that guy.”

“You-“ Grian felt his heart stop, or maybe beat faster, “You like Poultry Man?”

“Yeah. I kinda do.” Cub didn’t elaborate. Grian didn’t really expect him too, but he desperately wished Cub would. Well. He’d have to push for answers if he wanted any at all.

“I don’t understand how you can like Poultry Man and HotGuy. They’re like- complete opposites. Egg themed rebellion versus pathetic attention-hungry bootlicking, it’s not anywhere near compatible.”

“I wouldn’t go as far to say that I like bootlickers. I don’t.”

I know you don’t. Words Grian almost said, but couldn’t, so he settled on, “Well, given that’s basically HotGuy’s entire job, you may want to reconsider.”

“I don’t know about that.”

“What do you mean you don’t know? HotGuy is like the government’s top lap dog! He isn’t even that good at what he does- he’s just got a tragic backstory and a chiseled body, so the whole damn world can’t help but fall for him. He’s going to use you until he gets bored, then dump you, because he’s HotGuy and he can do whatever the hell he wants without paying the price.”

“I just mean that I don’t know. It’s as simple as that. I don’t know him. But I’d like to. We’ll see.”

“You’re going to get hurt.”

Cub threw him a critical side eye, the type of look a winner might wear, the type of look that let Grian know he had made a mistake. Almost agonizingly, Cub did not gloat or hold this victory of gleaned information over Grian’s head; he just sat there, silent, contemplative. He gave Grian nothing. No hints of his thoughts or feelings. Cub knew he didn’t have to. He knew just as well as Grian did that Grian would keep talking, keep losing ground, keep revealing too much. But still, Grian couldn’t stop. It was fine, fine that Cub knew he was emotionally invested in some way, but clearly this wasn’t working, so it was time for a pivot. Throw him off.

“I think you can do better. I think you deserve better. My hands are plenty dirty, but not any more than his.”

Cub blinked, looking up. There were a mix of emotions there that not even Grian could decipher, but the fact that he even bothered to look at all showed interest. “Oh?”

“Yeah.” Grian had Cub’s attention now, and he wasn’t about to let go, “You can play with heroes and see where it gets you, or cut the shit and have a little fun. Do you want to play games, or is it easier to believe HotGuy’s any different than me?”

“I don’t think HotGuy hurts people on purpose.”

“How many accidents need to happen before the people he hurts are a product of careless negligence. That’s what he is, Cub, careless. And no matter what he does, no matter how many people die under his watch, he will never be punished.”

“Good point.”

“How does it feel to put your heart in the hands of someone who’s above the law?”

“I think you’re making quite a few assumptions, CuteGuy.”

“I can see where this is going.”

“And you think I’d be better off with you? I don’t believe we’ve met, stranger. If I didn’t know any better, I might think you’re only here to spite HotGuy.”

“The things I’m telling you are true.”

“They are. And I’ll keep them in mind. But I’m not looking to trade out one interest for another, so you don’t have to pretend like you care.” Cub turned back to his phone. Grian gritted his teeth behind closed lips.

“I think you’re cute.” Distantly, Grian heard footsteps, the fast, heavy footfalls of someone running very quickly. Cub heard them too, but he didn’t look up, so Grian didn’t either.

“I’m sure you do,” Cub said.

“I do.”

“Well thanks. I think I’m cute, too.” 

“He’ll treat you carelessly.” The footsteps were louder now, quite close.

“I’ll make that judgment for myself.”

“Hey!” HotGuy yelled from the other side of the parking lot, but apparently that was all he had in him, hunching over with his hands on his knees and panting. He jogged the rest of the way, chest still heaving, and spoke as he neared the curb, “Is,” HotGuy had to stop, not having enough air to form the words, “this guy,” another pause, shorter this time, “bothering you?” The last words fell with what looked like a massive effort, HotGuy, hunching again to breathe.

“Not really,” Cub said, not put off in the slightest. Grian didn’t bother to get up, only snorting as HotGuy caught his breath. Though that seemed to set him off, the hero jolting upright to fix Grian with a fiery glare.

“You know, I am fed up with you!”

Grian choked on his own laugh, “Fed up? You’re fed up with me?”

“I am!” if HotGuy understood Grian was laughing about his choice of words, he didn’t show it, “I can not believe you sent me on a wild goose chase tonight, when I told you I had plans! And why- why are you talking like that? You’re going to mess up your throat; I had to take tons of voice lessons to-“

“You know, I think we should go.” Cub stood up, definitive in his tone, but HotGuy didn’t move.

“Where are we going?” Grian asked, and HotGuy seethed; honestly, Grian was having trouble telling if he was legitimately pissed off or not. Cub fixed him with a glare of his own, which Grian was not expecting, and couldn’t stop himself from shrinking under the look.

“We aren’t going anywhere,” HotGuy hissed through gritted teeth, drawing his bow, and at this point, Grian was pretty sure he was actually angry. Cub had backed off considerably at this point, but behind HotGuy, Grian saw him stiffen, a far more real look of terror crossing his face.

“You can show me whatever it is you wanted to later,” Cub insisted, and Grian recognized fear in the way his voice lost all of its edge, but HotGuy clearly didn’t, not even turning around as he nocked an arrow. “No-“ 

Grian wasn’t about to wait around to find out if HotGuy was actually angry enough to shoot him, launching himself forward off the curb and under the line of fire as the arrow whistled by. He aimed to grapple HotGuy’s legs, but the hero had just enough time to retaliate with a weak kick, sending both of them stumbling in opposite directions.

Grian didn’t have time to look for Cub before HotGuy was closing the distance, and Grian had to roll out of the way to avoid another much stronger kick. He felt the boot graze his feathers, but HotGuy was vulnerable in the follow through, and slow; adrenaline didn’t change the fact he had run quite some distance, and in this state, it wouldn’t be long before he got tired. Grian rebalanced with a few beats of his wings, shooting forward before HotGuy could recover and sinking his claws into the hero’s shoulder pads, hooking his legs around his chest, and battering HotGuy’s head with his wings.

HotGuy yelped, spinning uselessly, but there wasn’t much he could do besides shield his face- at least, that’s what Grian had thought, but then he was falling- they were both falling, and Grian couldn’t even scream when HotGuy crushed him under his weight, knocking the wind cleanly from his chest. Blackness curled over his vision, but a glint of something sharp brought his sight back, just soon enough to see the wickedly barbed arrow in HotGuy’s fist, raised above his head.

“I promised not to shoot you.”

Grian was hardly aware of his own body as he moved, kicking up and connecting with something- he heard the crack of contact, but he didn’t stop moving, flipping back onto his hands and toes, with distance the only thought on his mind. 

“FuacKing-“ Grian saw HotGuy out of the corner of his eye, stumbling with his hands over his nose, “Avians. Flexible.” Blood fell from his fingertips; dark blood, always too dark. Grian never loved to see people bleed- it didn’t satisfy him, not like fear, not like bruises, but he especially disliked HotGuy’s blood. It wasn’t right. It looked sick.

HotGuy was breathing hard already, his arms holding a slight shake. Pretty bad, even for a human. Just how far had he run before to tire out so quickly now? But before Grian could make his next move, he was distracted, his eye caught by the lack of a presence, the lack of- 

A fist connected with his cheek, and Grian was violently reminded of just how fast HotGuy was, even this exhausted. If not for his wings to balance him, he would have been thrown off his feet, but HotGuy was relentless, throwing punch after punch before Grian could even hope to recover from the first. He ducked sloppily under the second, then the third, but the fourth grazed his mask, and the fifth landed squarely at the side of his head. The sixth was only dodged because Grian stumbled, and Grian didn’t even feel the seventh under his chin before he was nothing.

…

Being something again was more than unpleasant, especially being crumpled in all the wrong ways on the cement ground. Grian struggled to his hands and knees, but when he looked up, HotGuy wasn’t anywhere near him, brows hitched as he stared at his phone and paced.

HotGuy looked up at the movement, looking far more distressed than angry. “Did you tell him- tell him what this was before I got here? Why- why did you tell Poultry Man to- you made me late!” 

Grian blinked, first slowly, then faster. His face hurt. Shit, if he had a black eye he was screwed. And then he remembered. Cub was gone. 

He was too disoriented to lie. “Didn’t say anything. Just tried to keep him off you.”

A moment of anger flashed across Scar’s face, but it didn’t last, melting back into distress when he looked back down at his phone. “You must have said something. Maybe you didn’t mean to, but you must have- you- Why did I let you ruin this for me!” 

Grian grunted, his sense returning just enough to be indignant, “It was your idea, asshole. What, did he figure out this was a set up?”

“He wouldn’t have if you didn’t come early!”

“Whatever.” Grian stumbled to his feet on wobbly legs, trying to keep some amount of his dignity intact, “You’re an idiot and he’s whip-smart. Doesn’t matter what I did, he probably would’ve found you out regardless.”

“What?” HotGuy snarked, “Did you figure all that out in the twenty minutes before I got here?”

Grian couldn’t keep the sigh out of his voice. “Yeah, actually. Played me like a damn fiddle, he did. Couldn’t break through no matter what I did. This was stupid, anyway, but I’m glad I came. I hope he’s mad. Hope he hates you forever.”

“You- you’re so immature! You lost. Feel bad about it.”

“Y’know, I think I’m just going to let you dig your own grave here.”

“I- I don’t want to deal with this right now. I don’t have to deal with this. I’m going home. You suck.” HotGuy dug around in one of his pockets, producing a small envelope, “Take your damn money.”

Grian didn’t think he could get any more surprised. “You’re actually paying me?”

“Take it. And try not to be a pain in the ass next week, so maybe I can pretend like this was worth something.”

Grian stepped forward cautiously, like a mouse to a trap, then snatched the envelope from HotGuy’s hand before the wire could snap down. But HotGuy did not move, eyes glued back on his phone. 

Grian reminded himself he did not feel bad before taking off. 

Time to check the damage. Not at his apartment of course, no, he had a different location for nights like these. The money couldn’t have come at a better time; he was running out of foundation, and getting low on concealer as well. Given how badly his face ached at every corner, he had a feeling he would be covering up some nasty bruises.

[fruitcoops]

The Roadtrip

Secret Santa 2022 gift for @veryspacecowboy, monarch of AUs, PhD in story spams, and altogether outstanding friend! M, I wish you all the best in the coming year. Hopefully you can experience even half the joy you bring to those of us on the server, because that would be a damn good year. Love and hugs, dear one <3 An AU seemed appropriate considering the wonderful nonsense we get up to in the channels. Cubs credit goes to @lumosinlove!

Fifteen Hours

Attention passengers. This airport has been closed indefinitely due to inclement weather. Please contact your airline for vouchers, assistance, and travel aides.

“…so, Gryffindor?”

“Gryffindor.”

“Same.”

The redhead nodded slowly, chewing the inside of his lip as he watched the other planes begin their slow return off the runway. “Y’know, my car is still parked in the garage.”

Fourteen Hours

Leo really wasn’t sure what he was thinking. Striking up conversation with the friendly guy in the window seat was bad enough—carrying it on to their middle-seat companion was far beyond his usual level of socialization with strangers. But getting in a car with them for a four-hour drive…

Christ, it was like he was asking to get axe-murdered.

He chanced a quick look at the driver’s seat, where the redhead—Finn O’Hara, nice to meet you, where are you from?—still seemed happy enough as they made their way to the freeway through the thickening flurries. He felt a little bad about making someone else drive, but if the soft snoring from the backseat was any indication, Logan had no such qualms. It was probably smart to let a local weave them out of the city anyway.

“Zeppelin?”

Finn startled a little. “What?”

“Led Zeppelin.” Leo nodded toward the dashboard radio. “Nice.”

“Ah, yeah, my dad likes it,” Finn said with a lopsided smile.

Close with his parents. Good sign. “What do you like?”

“Little bit of everything. I’ve got, like, two dozen Spotify playlists lined up. Let me guess, you’re…country?”

Leo laughed. “What gave it away? The accent?”

“The pins on your bag.” Finn gestured vaguely toward the backpack Leo had been cradling in his lap since they left JFK. A little murdery of him to notice, but also kind of sweet. “My mom loves Carole King.”

“Carole King isn’t country.”

A blush peeked out over the collar of Finn’s jacket as he coughed lightly, looking back to the road. “Right. Yeah, of course. I knew that.”

“You don’t like country,” Leo guessed, amused.

“It’s not—bad.”

“Mhmm.” He checked the rearview mirror again and caught Logan’s drowsy gaze; that pure jade color had captivated Leo on the plane, not that he would admit it aloud. If noticing the pins on someone’s bag was creepy, there were no words for ‘I want to stare into your eyes all day’ without sounding like an absolute freak. He tilted his chin. “How about you?”

Logan’s brows furrowed. “What about me?”

“Do you like country music?”

“Ouais, some.” He yawned, stretching as much as his seat would allow. The curl of his accent was a comfort Leo didn’t care to analyze. “Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash. My sister got me into it.”

“Noelle?”

“Non, Sydney.”

“Second oldest?” At Logan’s nod and slight smile, Finn fist-pumped. “Thank you, memory. I can’t listen to country while I’m driving, but you can put whatever on when we switch.”

Eleven Hours

Logan tapped his foot impatiently next to the accelerator. They had swapped after Finn got them through two full hours of standstill traffic just outside the city limits, but there wasn’t much he could do about the descending weather. Honking at the flurries wouldn’t be nearly as helpful as it was satisfying.

“I wonder if we can Flintstones it,” Leo mused from the passenger seat. His hair stuck up on one side from leaning on the window, burnt gold in the streetlights of the interstate. His knees were folded up awkwardly in the seat well; Logan hadn’t realized how much of a fucking giant he was before their quick stop at the gas station, and hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it since. He was otherwise so normal. Logan couldn’t help but feel a little cowed in his shadow.

“Logan?”

He jumped, double-checking his grip on the steering wheel. “Oui?”

“Flintstones?”

“Sorry, never saw it.” He gave Leo an apologetic glance and braced himself for the inevitable ‘ooh’s and ‘aah’s. People always assumed he had been sheltered, or homeschooled, or (memorably) in a cult, but the truth was that Rimouski had shit reception and his sisters always won the TV remote in fights. The annoying part was when strangers began to list movies and see which rang a bell.

Leo hummed and leaned his head back against Finn’s soft fabric headrest. “It’s a cartoon from the 50s or something about a prehistoric family. They’ve got a pet dinosaur and shit, and their car only works if the dad sticks his feet through a hole in the floor and runs.”

Logan waited a moment longer for the questioning to continue. What about Star Wars? was always a favorite. Do you know who Steven Spielberg is? Have you seen Jaws? Hey, you remind me of that actor from…

Leo gave him a funny look, something confused and yet not offended, then turned to look out the window at the falling snow with a small smile. “It’s nice out there,” he said quietly. “Peaceful.”

Finn’s slow, heavy breaths from the backseat as he dozed accented the crawl of traffic perfectly. Logan turned away from Leo and blinked at the cars in front of them. He couldn’t help but like it, just a little. Just enough to get by.

Nine Hours

“Three rooms?” Finn dug around in his pocket, then shook his head. “Or, sorry, room for three?”

Behind rhinestone-coated glasses, the woman gave him a sympathetic look. Hi, I’m: Rhonda! Ask Me About: New Jersey! was spelled in cheerful red lettering on her lanyard. “Oh, honey.”

“Sorry, ‘s a long drive.” The weight on his back increased as Leo swayed into him. Finn prodded him gently and felt him startle back into consciousness before offering her a smile. “Came from JFK. No planes, with the weather and everything.”

“Where’re you headed?”

“Gryffindor. Family visit.” He tilted his head back toward Leo, then down at Logan, who was staring vacantly at the far wall. “Visiting a college friend, and…honestly, I have no idea where he’s going.”

“Ma sœur,” Logan mumbled.

“Right, yeah, his sister.” Finn ran a hand through his hair and over the back of his neck. His brain was mashed potatoes. What was usually a four-hour hop had become far more of a journey than he had planned. “We’ve been on the road since six. It’s a mess out there.”

“I bet.” Rhonda tapped at her keyboard for a moment and bit down on her lip. “We’ve got a room with a bed and a pullout, but that’s it. Lots of folks are coming in for the night because of the storm. I can look for a cot?”

Ice. Bed. Pullout couch. Finn suddenly became aware that he had been staring at Rhonda’s red acrylic nails for far longer than socially acceptable. “Yeah,” he managed. Everything had a faint blurry halo, even through his glasses. “Whatever you’ve got.”

“I can help you pay for it.” Leo was warm where he pressed along Finn’s side for support, a welcome reprieve from the freezing wind outside. Logan made a noise of agreement.

Just the thought of maneuvering three sets of paperwork made Finn’s growing headache throb even more. “You can Venmo me later, ‘s fine.”

The papers Rhonda passed across the desk could have been the deed to his soul, and Finn would not have hesitated a second before signing. Exhaustion washed over him in waves. The road trip had been fun at first, but after six and a half hours of creeping down the highway he was just done. He listed into Leo and felt a strong hand come down to balance his elbow; his muttered ‘thanks’ was met with a light headbutt. The cold press of the motel room key in his hand was salvation itself.

--

“Didn’t she say something about a cot?”

“Yeah, forty minutes ago. Which one of you left your wet fucking towel on the floor in here?”

“Guys, the pullout’s broken.”

“…alright, just get in the bed.”

“Oh, thank god.”

Four Hours

Six a.m. broke cruel and dark and cold. Leo scowled at the window and turned over, into the soft thing in front of him. It smelled like cheap citrus shampoo and the starchy detergent of the motel sheets. He risked opening one eye; Logan’s face was smushed up on one side while he snored quietly. Bedtime had been a rushed and fumbling affair of discarded bags and a halfhearted attempt at pajamas once they gave up on the pullout or any hope of a cot. Leo was just grateful for a mattress for his aching body.

In the faint light of passing cars, Leo sort of wished he had taken the time to see them both properly. Plane seats and Finn’s Toyota didn’t exactly lend themselves well to getting a fair look at his companions. Friends? Could he call them friends yet? He knew the names of their siblings and their favorite music—he knew Finn wore thick tortoiseshell glasses when he had to drive at night, and that Logan hummed under his breath when he thought they were both asleep. Those felt like things a friend would know.

Leo…Leo wasn’t all that good at friends, though. He was excellent with acquaintances. People tended to like him just fine. It was the depth that made him uncomfortable. There always came a point when he had to toe the line of just how honest he could be.

So he let himself look. If they weren’t going to be anything but ships in the night, there was no real harm. He remembered Logan’s frustrated grumble when he dug through his duffel and came up emptyhanded, but his shirtlessness hadn’t registered in Leo’s weary mind beyond warm person soft. The shadows caught on his rounded shoulder and slipped down his arm like spilt ink. He was tan even in the low light, with a few dark freckles splashed in odd places. Leo pillowed his head on his arms and followed the line of Logan’s torso with his eyes—he was just so nice to look at, like this. Comfortable and mostly-hidden under thick polyester, with none of his careful walls up.

Leo was so caught up in the glimpse of Logan’s abs that he nearly missed Finn’s hand. Wouldn’t that be a tragedy, he thought as he shifted closer to them both. Finn was mostly invisible between Logan’s broad body and the dark room, but he was pale enough to stand out where his forearm was slung over Logan’s hip. He was strong, too, but where Logan was thick and sturdy Finn seemed to have been stretched out. The blanket bumps of his legs and feet sat a solid three inches further down the bed than Logan’s—even his hand was bigger and more slender, long fingers twitching in his sleep.

Leo thought back to the subtle pin on Finn’s messenger bag and the way Logan had looked at them both in his quiet, careful way. If they asked, he knew what he’d say. Takes one to know one. Clocking them was easy, when he knew where to look (that, and their music taste). It probably wouldn’t come up. But if it did, he wouldn’t protest a phone number. Or two.

One of them made a quiet noise when Leo shuffled closer to wrest the blankets back over his shoulder. He closed his eyes and let the sounds of the highway lull him.

Two Hours

“JOLENE, JOLENE, JOLENE, JOLENE!” Leo hollered at the top of his lungs through his laughter.

“I’M BEGGIN’ OF YOU PLEASE DON’T TAKE MY MAN!” Finn shouted back, cranking up the stereo until Logan swore he felt the window rattle. He could see them in the rearview mirror, both rosy from singing and generally being rowdy idiots. He would never understand morning people.

“Did you text your sister yet?” Leo called over his shoulder.

“Can’t!” Logan answered. “You’re too loud!”

“It’s texting!”

“I can’t hear myself think!”

“Come on, Tremblay, lighten up!”

Logan meet Finn’s eyes in the mirror and fixed him with a look. “You don’t even like country music.”

“It’s Dolly Parton!”

“Mon dieu,” he muttered. The happy, fluttery thing that leapt in his chest when Leo whooped and stuck his head out the window like a dog was entirely unimportant. Finn had finally been banished to the passenger seat, leaving Logan with an unobstructed view of his profile. He had spent much of yesterday sneaking glances at Leo’s round jaw and button nose; memorizing the angles of Finn’s cheekbones and neck was equally fascinating. It was deeply unfair of the universe to put him in close quarters with two attractive strangers. It was even more unfair that he slept solidly through the night sandwiched between them.

Finn had been an adorable, stammering mess when they woke up cuddling. Logan hadn’t had the chance to say anything of substance before Leo woke and Finn hustled off to find breakfast, though that was probably for the best. He would inevitably end up saying something to make it worse.

“Ninety minutes from Gryff, baby!” Finn crowed as they crossed the border out of New York. His whole face was alight when he turned to look at Logan. “Told you I’d get us here faster than the plane!”

“Yeah, yeah, Mr. New Yorker,” Leo teased.

Oh, no. Logan’s heart skipped a beat. There was that funny feeling again, right at his core, the one he hadn’t felt in so long it was nearly a dream. Finn’s exuberance was like watching the night sky explode into being before his very eyes. Leo’s smile was brighter than the sun on fresh-plowed snow.

This was going to be a problem. They were going to be a problem.

Five Thirty Minutes

We should keep each other’s numbers. Hey, do you want to keep each other’s numbers? Since we’re all here, do you want to grab lunch? Do you want to hang out? Do you want to meet my family? How do you feel about marriage?

“Either of you want a granola bar? I have a million of them.”

Logan looked amused, which Finn counted as a win compared to the studious staring he had been subjected to over the course of the morning. His dark curls fluffed out from beneath the sides of his hat. “I’m good, thanks.”

“Leo?”

“I’ve got lunch plans.” Leo’s smile was apologetic and more adorable than anyone had the right to be.

Alex’s block was coming up. Well, not Alex’s block, but the one he was frequenting more and more as the months passed until Finn had to check and make sure what city he was in before setting any plans. Two streets and they’d be at the apartment building.

Leo and Logan did not know that.

Leo and Logan were engaged in some sort of cross-console nonsense.

Leo and Logan were right there, happy and comfortable.

Finn turned his blinker on and took a left.

The End of the Road

“Attention, passengers, we have arrived at our destination.”

Logan snorted a laugh at Finn’s poor impression of their pilot. God almighty, Leo wanted to kiss the dimple on his cheek. The car came to a stop at the curb. He did not miss the way Finn’s hand lingered on the gearshift before moving to the emergency brake. He was already five minutes late for lunch. Part of him wanted Finn to knock the car right back into ‘drive’ in spite of what Regulus would surely say.

The car was quieter than it had been since the engine first rumbled to life, fifteen hours and a lifetime ago. They gathered their things from the wells and trunk and every corner of the seats. The snow was just starting to stick to the sidewalk, crunching under three pairs of sneakers before they came to a stop at the driver’s side. Finn scuffed his foot against the curb. Logan couldn’t quite meet either of their eyes.

“Well,” Leo said after a moment of silence. “Gimme your phones. I’m here for the next five days and don’t know shit about hell.”

Finn looked up with that crooked, endearing grin. “I’m pretty useless here.”

Logan half-shrugged. “Don’t look at me. I’m Canadian.”

Leo held his hand out expectantly; between one breath and the next, two phones sat in his palm. “Sounds like we’ll have to figure it out together.”