#finally got it finished on stream though. yay ^_^

[emeraldghast]

survivor's guilt

[kellystar321]

.

[eliomwah]

Nothing || Spencer Agnew x F!Reader

Summary: Y/N and Spencer being cuties and spend time together after work.

Word Count: 1.9k

Note: Inspired from "Nothing" by Bruno Major

----- <3 -----

Yet another shoot week and Y/N is exhausted. She had already spent one week filming, and they have a whole other week ahead of them. They slump down at their desk, barely awake, sipping a Monster, when Spencer walked up to their desk.  

“Hey, you look great.” He leans against their desk. Sarcasm was Spencer and Y/N’s normal form of communication but, because Y/N was tired, she just look up at him for a second. 

“Thanks. I love shoots weeks,” She rolls her eyes. “I definitely don’t feel like I’m on deaths door.” 

“You’ll do great today! Once you get into it, you’ll remember why you love this job.” 

“Or once the caffeine kicks in.” They take another sip of the energy drink. 

“I can’t believe you can drink that,” he says with disdain, a hint of his gentlemen's accent peeking through. “I only grace my body with the purest forms of fuel.” 

“Mountain Dew Kickstart isn’t pure, Spence.” 

“Don’t worry, Y/N, I won’t argue with you because I can tell you’ve completely lost your mind.” 

"Spencer, I drink this every day. You know this.” 

“I CAN’T believe this” He shouts, now fully in a proper British accent, dramatically stands up and walks away before Y/N could say anymore. She rolled her eyes again and laughed. Spencer always finds a way to make her feel better. As she were preparing for the TNTL they were filming this morning, she got a text from Spencer.  

Spence: Wanna come over after work? 

Y/N: Only if we watch the Notebook 

Spence: Again?? 

Y/N: YES  Y/N: IT’S MY FAVE 

Spence: okaaaayyyy 

Y/N: YAY 

For the rest of the day, all she could think about was going to Spencer’s apartment after work. This wasn’t unusual for the two of them; they have spent many nights playing video games and watching movies together. But the thought of spending time with Spencer lingered in the back of her mind. When they rapped for the day, Y/N went to find Spencer. He was sitting at his desk, finishing up the final touches on a video for the Games channel.  

“Hey, ready to go?” Y/N leans on his desk. 

“Yeah, let’s pick up a pizza on the way.” Spencer packs up his things and they head to his car. As the drive they debrief their days, recalling when Ian said some crazy thing to Spencer during a meeting or Angela’s newest character during TNTL. Y/N couldn’t help but feel comfortable. Her and Spencer had been friends for as long as she could remember but recently things have started to feel different. She had been noticing all the little things Spencer does for them, always checking in on them and bringing them a monster (even though it came was dirty looks). Y/N always felt seen by Spencer. Even sitting in the car, talking about work, she felt like he wanted to hear her funny stories. Even if he was there for half of them. 

As they arrived at his house, Y/N immediately went to put on the movie as Spencer grabbed plates from his kitchen. Spencer offers them a pair of his pjs (so they wouldn’t be stuck in their work clothes, right?) and settled down on his couch. As the movie progressed, they move closer and closer together. Y/N becomes aware of this when Spencer stretches his arm around her. She freezes for a moment, glancing over at his hand resting on their shoulder. She hoped he wasn’t looking or he would see her blushing, hard. Y/N looked back to the movie, slowly relaxing into him. She leaned her head onto his shoulder. If anyone were to see them, they would assume they had been dating. And maybe that wouldn’t be such a bad thing. 

As the movie was coming to an end, Y/N was still leaning on Spencer, his arm still around her. She started to tear up and she looked over at Spencer, who had tears streaming down his face. 

“Awe Spence! We watch this movie all the time. It still makes you cry?” 

“They have such a beautiful love.” He says. She gave him a sympathetic smile as he wiped his eyes. “This is a horrible movie.” 

“You say that every time.” Y/N replied softly. She loved seeing this soft side of him. 

After the movie, Spencer and Y/N continue to talk about everything and nothing. Neither of them wanted to leave their spot on the couch. They had spent many nights like this, talking for way too long while sitting way too close. But tonight felt different, there was something in the air. Under the friendly eyerolls and sarcastic tones there was a sense of longing, at least for Y/N. She hadn’t been in a serious relationship before and she hadn't wanted one until this moment. The way Spencer’s eye light up when he talked about his favorite video games or how he looked at her while she was ranting about her most recent hobby made Y/N’s stomach flutter. Sitting there, looking up at him while he went on about the next tattoo, she knew she wanted to be with him. It was if she hadn’t seen Spencer before, not truly at least. How could she not have seen it? Now all she could think about was Spencer's hair, eyes, glasses, smile, EVERYTHING. She wished she could stare at him for the rest of eternity. 

Eventually, Y/N left and drove home. The whole drive all they could think about was him. 

----- <3 -----

Later that week, they planned another hangout. This time at Y/N’s apartment, where she had planned a surprise for Spencer. She was going to cook Spencer his favorite meal. She rushed home right after the last video of the day, starting to prep all the ingredients. Y/N was quite the cook but not many people knew that. Cooking helped her feel calm. Following recipes and methodically cutting vegetables was a great de-stresser after a long day at work. She also loved making food for the people she loved. She, on multiple occasions, had Amanda and Angala over for a wine night and made elaborate meals for them to share. Making food was a love language as far as Y/N was concerned. 

While Y/N was almost finished with the meal, Spencer sent her a text. 

Spence: Here! 

Y/N: Let yourself in! 

Y/N: It should be unlocked 

Spencer walks into the apartment, greeted with the smell of his favorite foods.  

“What do we have here?” He asks, walking in the kitchen 

“Just some food,” Y/N giggles “Do you want some?” 

“Do I want some?” Spencer asked rhetorically. “Of course I want some. How did you know this was my favorite?”  

“I have my ways.” Y/N smiles. Spencer leans over Y/N shoulder and wraps his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder. She freezes for a moment, unsure of what to do. Nothing like this has ever happened to her before. She just knew Spencer had the widest smile on his face from how flustered he'd made her.  

“Well,” Y/N spat out after a long moment of silence. She turns around to face him, his hands still on her hips. She places her hands around his neck. “If I didn’t know any better, I would think you have a little crush on me, Spencer Agnew.” 

“And what would make you say that Y/N Y/LN?” He gave her the look. She smiled and broke way to get dishes for the food. 

“I’m not sure. Just have a feeling.” She says as she dishes up the food. Spencer laughs and takes a plate from her. Over dinner, they share more flirty banter. Spencer never failed to make Y/N laugh with his stories. She couldn’t help but notice how great his hair looked that day. When Spencer got up to put his plate in the dishwasher, he grabbed Y/N’s and kissed her on the top of the head. Her eyes followed him as he walked into the kitchen. She couldn’t wait to tell Courtney about this tomorrow at work. 

They moved to the living room and started a game of Mario Kart. As two very competitive people, they knew this was going to be a war. At one point, the two of them were standing yelling at the screen, hoping to mess the other person up. They would mess with the others controller or shove each other with their shoulders. It was ruthless. Y/N always seemed to win though. What she didn’t know was how much Spencer was looking over at her. She was so engrossed in the game she didn’t notice his eyes lingering on her. He wasn’t doing it on purpose. He would be in the lead then he would glance over and see Y/N leaning into the TV, eyes laser focused on Princess Peach, biting her bottom lip. He would forget about the game just long enough for you to take first place. Spencer couldn’t complain much, he loves how Y/N cheers when she wins.  

As Spencer drove home, he couldn’t help but wonder if Y/N knew. She had been acting differently since the last time they hung out. She would stare and she blushed a lot more than normal. He had had a crush on her since she started at Smosh. All he wanted to do was ask her out, but he was so scared she would say no. He had been flirting more then usual, hope she would give him a sign as to how she felt. 

----- <3 -----

Finally, the week was over. The cast and crew had a tradition of going to a bar on the Friday of a film week. As usual, Spencer declined the invitation. Bars weren’t really his thing. He doesn’t have a problem with going to a bar, he wasn’t much of a drinker and wanted to unwind after a busy week in a different way. When Y/N heard he wasn’t going, she didn’t want to go either. She had wanted to spend her night drinking a glass of wine and talking with him and their other co-workers. Y/N knew this wasn’t out of the ordinary but really didn’t feel like going out anymore. 

“Hey, I heard you're not going out after work?” Y/N says as she approaches Spencer’s desk. 

“Yeah, don’t really feel like hanging out in a loud environment.” Spencer spins around in his chair to face her. “Plus, bars are more fun when you're drinking.” 

“That’s fair.” Y/N leans against his desk. “What are you going to do instead?” 

“Nothing much. I was thinking about starting Stardew Valley. I’ve been meaning to try it for some time now. Probably order some food as well.” 

“Mind if I join?” Y/N asks. “You’ll need someone to help you figure everything out. And some call me an expert.”  

“Oh, do they now?” Spencer laughs. “I would love for you to help me, but I don’t want to stop you from going out. You deserve to celebrate a successful week with your friends. I don’t want you to miss out.” 

“Spence, I won’t miss out. Ang and Amanda will be more than happy to fill me in on what I miss.” Y/N laughs lightly. She then leans closer to Spencer. “Besides, there’s nothing like doing nothing with you.” 

[xiaokuer-schmetterling]

griddlehark fan edit SO EPIC Y'ALL

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if you like it! be sure to go back to op's channel and let them know!

from the youtube desc:

May 18, 2024 #TheLockedTomb#TakeMeToChurch#Hozier

✨ STREAM NOW ✨ https://ffm.to/eirytmtc

💀 Turn on subtitles for lyrics 💀

────────────

Read below for the music and animatic process!

This has been one of the longest passion projects I’ve worked on, and I’ve LOVED every second. It's been my absolute honour to work with some of the most talented musicians and artists on this, and everyone involved has put their heart and souls into this project over the last few months. I could not be more PROUD of how it all turned out. Hehe. Yay. 🥳

⚔️ MUSIC ⚔️ I’ve always yearned for a Phantom of The Opera style orchestration of this song. In late 2023, I pitched the idea to my favourite instrumentalist and multi-talented friend, Kāru. The moment he started working on the orchestration, I knew it was going to be magic. PS. can you hear those church bells ringing in the background? because church... it’s in the name. Finger-guns. Wink. On the vocal end of things, I had written into the very bones (haha) of the vocal arrangement to have a HUGE worship-style gospel choir alongside the leads. I experimented with three different live-choirs before finally landing on Itunu whose sound I truly, truly loved. I had the best time ever recording the leads for this song, and even though I always love the process of recording and arranging vocals, this holds a very special place in my heart. Hozier is truly an artist like no other, and he’s my absolute favourite lyricist of all time so it was just a pleasure and a half to work on this.

⚔️ ART ⚔️ The Locked Tomb series by Tamsyn Muir!! If you find the concept of sassy necromancer lesbians fighting in fantasy space (+ so, so much more) to be an interesting premise, I promise you won’t regret picking this series up (not sponsored, this entire project was made by fans for fans! I truly am just a nerd at heart) I finished Gideon The Ninth late 2023 and was immediately obsessed. An idea then fell out the sky and stabbed me through the chest. What if I got a GTN animatic to accompany my cover? The more I thought about the similarities between the story and the song, the more it made sense. So, I crossed my heart and reached out to ‪@cadencelewisart‬ to request a commission! She’s a huge fan of the books as well and I think that love and care really shines through the final scenes. I could not be more pleased with the animatic and I hope you all enjoy it too! You may recognise a few iconic poses such as “The Creation Of Adam”, "The Last Supper", and so, so much more! Head on over to my instagram to see some Behind-The-Scenes action for this animatic!

✨ CREDITS ✨ Lead Vocals, Vocal Arrangement: Reinaeiry Instrumentalist: Kāru Animatic Artist: Cadence Lewis Gospel Choir: Itunu Mix & Master: Mike Butler

────────────

If you enjoyed this, please like this video and subscribe to my channel for more! Comment down below your thoughts about this video/what I should do next. I try my best to read them all ♥

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✨ MY LINKS ✨ My Socials + Streaming Platforms + MORE: https://linktr.ee/reinaeiry

I am 100% independent! If you’d like to support me and my music endeavours, please consider sending over a small tip at https://ko-fi.com/reinaeiry - Every little bit is appreciated and I respond back to any messages you leave under your tip! Thank you!!

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Stay healthy, happy, and know that you are always loved. HAVE A GOOD GAY, FAEIRYS! ♥

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end post

[bengiyo]

Hi! I have a few questions I hope you don't mind me asking. Would you say that you like Lovely Writer more than I Feel You Linger In The Air considering the LW is a 9.5 in your book but IFYLITA is only a 9. And even though IFYLITA is only a 9, do you think you would include it within your Queer Cinema for BL Syllabus considering other notable aspects about it

Hello! I don’t mind questions at all.

Ratings are Recommendations for Me

Before we get into why each show got a different score, I think it’s important to explain my ratings system again. I come from the land of media criticism, and the primary question for me is “How easy is this to recommend to people?” I secretly use a five-stars system (5 Great, 1 Terrible) that I simple double for the 10 stars of MDL that basically works as such:

No one should watch this. It is incoherent, poorly made, and offensive.

Only genre fans could appreciate anything happening here, but it’s still offensive and/or poorly made.

Genre fans can appreciate this show, but it has major flaws in execution, narrative, or themes.

Genre fans will love this. Strong execution overall but requires some familiarity to truly appreciate.

Everyone will love this and is a fine entry point for the genre. Excellent execution and strong storytelling.

Bad Buddy is a 9.5 for me because, while it is an excellent project, the episode 12 first half sucks so hard

So why does IFYLITA get a lower score than Lovely Writer?

IFYLITA is a beautiful show with strong performances across the entire cast. However, it is a time travel show in which I don’t exactly know what the point of the time travel is, other than to enable a historical romance and enable the storyteller to play with that setting from the modern perspective. I don’t know why Jom is being dragged around the time stream or why he’s doomed to fall in love with and be torn from Yai repeatedly.

Additionally, this is a slavery romance. I am a Black gay man born and raised in the South. Solomon Northup’s autobiography is required reading, as are other first person accounts of chattel slavery in the US and the way the North surrendered Reconstruction to the South. I also watched Kindred this year after having not read Octavia Butler’s work in a long time. I am not a person who typically enjoys the power dynamics of historical romance, and I really don’t like slavery romances. I was talking with @lurkingshan yesterday about how much I didn’t like Jom and Maey sitting on the floor as Eaeang Phueng says goodbye to her family.

Finally, I think Lovely Writer is more coherent. It’s a single-season story about a potential romance between a BL actor and a BL writer. The show goes on to unpack all of the complexities surrounding these two as they are forced to collaborate and cohabitate during the filming of a show. IFYTLITA muddles its ending, and we have been reliant on spoilers from book readers to make sense of what the hell happened at the end of the episode. I don’t like that. I hate when we’re reliant on commentary from the source media to understand what the hell happened in an adaptation.

So, because of these particular issues, Lovely Writer is slightly easier for me to recommend to people over I Feel You Linger in the Air. Despite how Nonkul and Bright delivered on what may be the most accessible romantic chemistry of the year, and how much I loved the way this show tastefully approached m/m intimacy and sex, the show has some stumbles that I think diminish it slightly. I think episode 11 is incredible. I think Episode 10 is too pat. I think Episode 12 is hedging too much on a potential second season and doesn’t close off season 1 in a way that’s satisfying for me.

These are all bigger or smaller issues than others. I also very, very rarely go back and change my ratings for shows based on modern circumstances. Lovely Writer was special when it released. We don’t get IFYLITA without Lovely Writer. When I finished Lovely Writer, I thought it was one of the best shows of the year and I thought every BL fan needed to watch it. It doesn’t get a 10 because so much of the drama is about BL itself, and so there is some explaining that’s needed for people who aren’t in genre.

So, to be clear:

For me, Lovely Writer is easier to recommend to people than I Feel You Linger in the Air. That’s the .5 difference between them.

I hope that all made sense. Thanks for the question!

[northstarcoyote8]

my opinions on random “a starless clan” cats as i just finished river

thunderclan

-Nightheart: the angry mommy issues man himself. love him. this is probably the closest we’ll get to a trans character in warriors. also surprised no one mentioned Bristlefrost when he failed his assessments as i remember Bristlefrost failing at least once. they could’ve made a good connection there.

-Honeyfur: pretty design i think, got salty at twigbranch once and haven’t heard from her before or since. 

-Bayshine: a sweetie, good brother-ish figure for Nightheart in my opinion.

-Shellfur: never knew much of anything about him but yay he’s got a gf now. happy for him. 

-Bramblestar: just step down already man. (i know he does, i can’t wait till i get to it).

-Squirrelflight: can’t wait till i get to Squirrelstar!!

-Bumblestripe: a jerk as always.

-Finchlight: a lil too over enthusiastic about the “greatness” of thunderclan. really shows how arrogant they can be tbh.

-Ivypool: wish i heard more from her.

-Fernsong: i wish we saw more of Fernsong with Ivypool. or any Fernsong at all tbh.

-Sparkpelt: i’m not really sure how to feel about her and her relationship with Nightheart. it’s definitely interesting though and something new.

-Cloudtail: him as an elder is amazing.

shadowclan 

-Berryheart: Spireclaw’s relationship with her hits too close to home. all i gotta say. also (proceeds to say more anyway) totally Mother Gothel-coded, there’s a pmv of her with “Mother Knows Best” that fits so well. “i’m your mother, and i know you better than you know yourself” (226).

-Sparrowtail: i kinda like how he sorta initially was on Berryheart’s side but now he’s really uncertain about her beliefs. interesting in seeing more about this relationship.

-Spireclaw: love him!! a sweetie! wanna see more of him and Fringewhisker. also interested in the tension with him and Berryheart over this. lowkey kin him.

-Dovewing: she’s not deputy, but i see her as sort of like a clan “princess”, y’know?

-Sunbeam: relate to her a lil, also i think she has the cutest name ever. at first i thought her unrequited crush on Blazefire felt like a repeat of Bristlefrost and Stemleaf but at least Stemleaf was nice. Blazefire was straight up gaslighting her about being concerning about Lightleap “pffft she’s fine bro you’re not the clan leader” aughhh

-Blazefire: this is why you don’t do friends with benefits guys.

-Lightleap: augh she’s so terrible but i love her at the same time. i love how a protagonist’s sibling can finally be explored upon with how the previous events from the broken code affect her psychologically. doing a psychoanalysis on her hehe.

-Gullswoop: haha just a gal who loves gossip. glad a she-cat background character can actually have a personality now. 

-Pouncestep: wish we heard more from her tbh. there’s shadowsight obviously and now the whole lightleap thing but we don’t know much about Pouncestep or how things have affected her. she’s just kinda.. there.

skyclan 

-Leafstar: please just let her rest. i’m begging. 

-Hawkwing: i want him to be leader already, i feel like he would be a good leader with all the character development he’s had in his super edition.

-Fidgetflake: his name is so cute i love him. don’t hear from him at all though really, i just like his name.

-Uhhhh that’s about all the skyclan cats we hear from.

windclan 

-Hootwhisker: bro really just yeeted himself over a stream into thunderclan territory for a vole.  

-Whistlepaw: she’s so sweet i love her. please Erins let Whistlepaw and Frostpaw be together. please. please. i’ll give you all my warriors plushies.

-Crouchfoot: i know absolutely nothing about him but i just thought that’s a kinda funny name. 

-Songleap: what.. is a.. song ..leap..?? how do songs…. you know what, nevermind. 

-Fernstripe: with her and Fringewhisker, and also Dovewing from before, i’m really noticing a trend with typically she-cats leaving their clans for toms. not sure how i feel about that. 

riverclan 

-Splashtail: a nefarious lil guy from what i’ve heard? very interested to see more of him, he reminds me a lot of Hawkfrost. i also have a suspicion that he faked the curled feather sign on page 215. i mean, Frostpaw went with just Splashtail and she heard someone walking around above the moonpool then finds the feather on the path. is it a fake sign did bro just pull a Hawkfrost. —or what if the sign was real but meant for Icewing, as it was a white feather, and that night Frostpaw dreamed about the feathers turning into “birds, whirling around her head like a blizzard” (219).

-Owlnose: just a silly lil guy.

-Mistystar: was arguing and literally fell and died. best death ever. rip the queen. 

-Duskfur: still mad at her over Mistystar’s death tbh. 

-Reedwhisker: poor man. all i gotta say. 

-Havenpelt: i just like her name. 

-Mothwing: if anything happens to her, Blixemi is gonna lose it. 

-Icewing: haha Wings of Fire name. 

-Curlfeather: such a pretty name tbh. she seemed so sweet but i heard she’s actually evil? interested to learn more in the next books. it may make sense, she seemed a little overbearing at times, maybe a cover? also Curlfeather suggesting Frostpaw goes to her den and Frostpaw immediately finding the 5-pointed dock leaf sign there (124-125) is kinda suspicious, i feel like she might’ve faked a sign.

-Jayclaw: died of “unknown causes” is a lil suspicious. right after Curlfeather mentions his death, the book says “a heartbeat later Curlfeather went on more briskly-” (18) and she changes the topic. i’m wondering if Curlfeather killed him after maybe he disagreed with her evil plans? could’ve pulled a Hollyleaf and killed him to keep him mute.

-Frostpaw: poor lil fluffy kid is traumatized, i just wanna give her a big hug.

-overall, this book was amazing and so far i might like this arc even better than the broken code, we’ll have to see

[victorluvsalice]

-->By this point, it was getting pretty late, but there was one thing left for the gang to do before I could have them head home. Specifically, get Surprise spayed as well so I don’t get any more unanticipated kittens! Victor signed Surprise in for the procedure while Smiler – who was feeling pretty damn thirsty after all that pitching of sales – flew over to Alice by the fountain and got a drink from her. She then settled in for a nap while Smiler flew back to join Victor in the waiting room as Surprise had her operation. I noticed that they’d managed to pick up eight power points in the process (those had been stacking up for a while) – and, with nothing better to spend them on, I had them pick up the “Command” and “Vampire Creation” powers. *shrug* I mean, I sure as hell can’t have them get “Dampened Emotions,” that’s WAAAY off base for their character, and I don’t like most of the “max out a need forever” ones, sooo...be nice if Vampires also had a way to convert unused power points into satisfaction points, like werewolves do! Maybe one day we will get an update... Anyway, they amused themselves playing SimScuffle on the office computer while Victor got to know Butter better until Surprise was released from the operating room sporting her cone of shame –

-->And then it was finally back home at 10:30 PM! As you might imagine, Victor and Alice went immediately to bed. XD Smiler headed back out to the barn to finish updating their streaming drone with a lithium battery (extending its recording life) while Surprise and Kelly wandered off into the night on cat adventures (which did NOT involve getting pregnant, yay) –

And Shock headed back into the living room to scratch up the furniture. Cue me getting Alice back up to scold the cat, who ran away onto the front porch to try and avoid it. *sigh* I figured while Alice was up she could resume her book and sent her to do that –

-->And, hilariously, just like Smiler always uses Victor and Alice’s computer for gaming now, Alice went and continued writing on Smiler’s computer. XD At this point, I noticed Smiler was no longer upgrading their drone (though I’m not sure if they were truly done or if they’d been distracted out of it), so I had them fix a broken water collector by the side of the house, then sent them upstairs to upgrade their video production station to make it unbreakable – a process slowed down a bit by the fact that they and Alice got to talking, but it still got Smiler max Handiness! :D They really won New Skill Day today! And, as everyone else was up and Shadow was whining about being bored again, I woke Victor up and sent him downstairs to play with the dog –

Only for Temperance to spawn in AGAIN while Victor was waiting for Shadow to finish bounding around the obstacle course. Once again, she was easily dealt with by dragging Victor’s bizarre idol downstairs and into her general vicinity, but – come on, do we REALLY need a visit from this woman every night?! Haunted houses, man – sometimes I wonder if they’re worth it.

And so the day ended with Victor playing with a (very dirty, holy shit) Shadow; Alice writing her book; and Smiler finishing up their video station upgrades, along with everyone successfully completing New Skill Day. A good note to leave the family on, I feel. :) Next time, we’re back to more traditional retail times with a trip to the store – see you then!

[hotwaterandmilk]

The 3rd and final 3D Virtual Live just finished streaming and yay, we got to hear the final new track from Zombie Land Saga FranChouChou The Best Revenge, which releases on September the 28th! Hosting this week were No. 5 and No. 6 along with No. 0 because she’s legendary.

There was a lot of cute banter including mentions of doing radio calisthenics, the girls going fishing, No. 6 making ink illustrations of the fish that were caught, and after the final song the rest of the group dropped by (via wire, which No. 4 did not enjoy) to announce that Franchouchou will be doing a proper on-stage live next month (23rd of October) at Makuhari Messe (and yes, it will be streamed as well). The live will combine 3D animation with the real Franchouchou’s performance, which sounds cool!

I’m pretty exhausted so I won’t go into too much detail. Songs this live were Mezame Returner, Oikaze Travelers, and the new song, We Are Fran Chou Chou!

“We Are Fran Chou Chou!” ups what we had last month with Ai penning the lyrics to “Beginning�� by having the girls introduce one another with lyrics they’d penned and music they seem to have directed (it’ll be interesting to see Tatsumi’s score for this song). So No. 6 opens by singing about No. 1, No. 1 follows by singing about No. 2, etc. No. 0′s part (which features a very “We Will Rock You” beat , A+) featured a nice little dance from everyone’s legendary fave.

Apparently No. 5 wrote about 70 pages re: No. 6 and even though they weren’t exactly great for lyrics, No.6 treasures them. They have such an adorable sisterly relationship ;o;

No 6. also makes mention of their producer secretly filming them and saying, “This is what you’re like right now, keep it up” but also telling them to shut up which is... yeah, that’s him. 

I’ll sidetrack a little here but as we saw in the 2nd season, the girls are absolutely preparing for a life without Tatsumi whether they realise it or not.  Ai writing “Beginning” for last month was a big flag, but now “We Are FranChouChou” that they all collaborated on? The songs were about the only thing they weren’t doing themselves by the end of s2 (makeup being mediocre aside)... and the whole thing about him filming them... yeaaaaah.

I’ll be interested to see if we get more movie info at the live next month, anyway. These streaming virtual lives weren’t the best things ever but they were cute, fun ways to see the characters and hear the music again so I enjoyed them quite a bit. I can’t wait to get my copy of the album so I can listen to “Beginning” on repeat!

(I smiled when I saw Oobari Masami tweeting about his love for the series. He should definitely go to Saga!)

[theres-an-impulstor-among-us]

Friday Night Stabby best quotes part 23 (11/06/21)

Impulse is missing from this session so Astro’s wife Ursulala “Lala” filled in for him. i normally watch Impulse’s POV but for this stream, i watched Tango’s.

…

Endless: Alright guys, so I watched Evil kill Brody and then I started chasing Evil trying to report the body but that’s not how this game works. Evil, laughing: I can’t- I can’t even deny it!

...

*Astro has been caught killing with 4 people left* Lala: I don’t know who to vote for…! Etho: So… we’re gonna need you to turn on someone you care about right now. Lala: Oh, I don’t like that!

...

*silence as Tango does a task* Tango: This feels like a round where I’m gonna die early. Etho: *kills Tango*

...

Lala: The only person I saw at all in that direction was Joker so I’m voting for him, I don’t even care. Skizz: Alright! I like it! *votes* Etho: Whoa… Joker: What? Skizz: Wait… I dunno. I may have jumped the gun, there. I still got 3rd Life bloodlust on the brain.

...

Etho: Joker? Joker: What? Etho: Where were you? Joker: I dunno. Skizz: Joker, you are USELESS!

...

Etho: *reports a body* Etho: Well, well, well! Tango: Ooh…! Endless: Ooh…! *pause* Etho: ...I got nothing.

...

*Etho and Skizz are lovers, Etho is imposter with Tango, there are 4 people left alive* Etho: *calls emergency meeting* Etho: Okay, I think it’s pretty clear. It’s Tango. Joker: Yeah, he was the last person I heard [when Mrs Tango died]. Etho: Voting Tango. *votes* Skizz: *votes* Tango: No. Joker, listen. Joker, Joker- Joker: *votes* Tango: JOKER, you just blew it! *groans* Etho: *laughs* Tango: Joker, I’m gonna tell you the truth right now, cuz it’s all out there, okay? You just blew it, my friend. Etho: I got a pact with someone, Tango, I’m sorry. Tango: Etho and Skizz are lovers, alright? You just blew it. Skizz: We’re more than lovers, dude! Red Army forever!!! Tango: WRONG GAME, man! Wrong game, Red Army! Etho: You were- You were a Crastle people traitor. Skizz: *laughs hysterically* Tango: I shoulda killed Skizz when I had the chance, I woulda taken you both out, I would’ve won! I knew it was coming, Etho! It was just a matter of time! Etho and Skizz: *laugh* Skizz: 3rd Life lives on! Tango: I’m voting Joker cuz he smells. *votes are revealed, Tango is ejected* Skizz: Ah, Etho, you’re the best! Etho: That was beautiful. Tango: I waited too long, that was my fault. Joker: That was a no-win situation for me. Etho: You had no chance there, Joker. Joker: Yeah, I had no chance. Skizz: That was SO poetic!

...

Astro: Why is everybody killing Lala early? It’s very rude. Tango: Says Astro the killer. Astro: If I ever get a round of imposter, I’m gonna avenge every one of these deaths.

...

Tango: Joker and I were sharing sweet nothings over in nav and then in shields. Mrs Tango: Uhh… Tango: Oh yeah, you BET you wanna know ;)

...

Tango: Brody’s got me fooled. Brody: That’s not hard to do.

...

*after a stack kill* Evil: I saw Brody teleport to the body. Brody: I sure didn’t do that. Tango: Evil, are you voting for Brody? Evil: I did. Tango: Alright, I’ll do it. *votes* I’m afraid we’re gonna get jestered, but… Skizz: He voted for himself at the beginning, why would- *votes are revealed, Skizz is the only one who didn’t vote for Brody* Brody, being ejected: I’m so confused. Tango: Did he just win? Brody: I’m SO confused. Why did you guys just give me that? Evil: *bursts out laughing* Tango: Oh god… Skizz: Is this for real? Brody: Evil, why would you just give me that? You knew it was me. Tango: Evil! *Brody wins as jester* Etho: Why?! I don’t get that! Endless: What? Why would-? What?! Evil: *still laughing hysterically* Skizz: You guys are morons. Tango: EVIIIL! What’s wrong with you?! Why would you lie?! Evil, still laughing: I didn’t believe he was the jester! Skizz: HE VOTED FOR HIMSELF TWICE!

...

Tango: Rule number one: if you don’t understand a button, press it immediately.

...

Tango, running into electrical to find only Lala there: Oh hi, Lala! *silence* Tango: Lala, how you doing tonight? We haven’t had a chance to talk. *silence* Tango: Good chat, let’s do this again sometime. *silence* Tango: Thanks, Lala. That- Great stuff…

...

*imposter Mrs Tango accidentally killed her partner’s lover and got ejected for it* Mrs Tango: Dangit, Astro! Astro, laughing: Hey, Mrs Tango? D’you r- remember when I had a lover that round?

...

*after Skizz sheriffed Tango 10 seconds into the round* Tango: Let’s find Skizz and close all his doors. *ghost Tango floats over to electrical and finds Skizz’s ghost hovering next to his body* Tango: OH SKIZZ WHAT’S THE MATTER YOU’RE DEAD IN THE FACE YOU JERK BUTT! Skizz: *bursts out laughing* Tango: YOU ARE SUCH A MONKEY- *cuts himself off* MMMNNAAAA, alright?! You know that?! I did NOTHING- I did NOTHING to tip you off except mock colours! Skizz: Yes you did, dude! Tango: And you come over like *mocking Skizz* “mleh I’ve known you long enough”, you took a shot in the dark, you monke-! *again cuts himself off* Skizz: It was not a shot in the dark! Tango: Yes it was! Skizz: No it wasn’t! Tango: TOTAL shot in the dark! Skizz: NO IT WASN’T! Tango: You’re a flaming buttnugget! Skizz: *laughs again* Tango: I’m so glad you’re dead.

...

(the same round) Tango: I just wanna let you know right now: you’re dead to me. Skizz: *laughs* Tango: We used to be friends. I am setting your volume to zero. Goodbye, Skizz! Nice knowing you! Skizz, still laughing: You better not!

...

Tango, dead: Vote Skizzleman! Skizz, also dead, laughing: “Vote Skizz”. Tango: Vote Skizz. Resurrect his corpse and then throw him out into space.

...

Tango: How are the bubbles? Am I gonna experience this joy later or what? Mrs Tango: You can only hope. Tango: Ohoho! Can’t wait! Skiddley-doo!

...

Skizz: *calls a meeting* Skizz: I finally got to get there, and here’s what I’m gonna do. I will give the killer- I have risen from the dead. And I will give the killer a chance to step forward and admit to your sins and be forgiven. Brody: Did Astro save you? Cuz that sounds like something he would do. Skizz: Astro saved me, that’s correct. Lala: Awww, he’s so cute! Mrs Tango: Yay altruist!

...

*Etho is unanimously voted out* Brody, deadpan: It’s anonymous though, you don’t know who voted for you.

...

Endless: Why did you vote for me? I was literally on the other side of the ship when that happened. Brody: Because you killed me.

...

Skizz: Hey, Etho. Hey, buddy. You had an opportunity to confess your sins and you just weren’t having it. Etho: You know, I wasn’t really paying attention and then I realised “oh, this is actually coming back to bite me”.

...

*Tango reporting a swooper kill* Lala: Or Tango just killed Brody- Tango: No no no, listen. I’m the engineer, so- Lala: Uh huh- Tango: No no, I’m telling you right now, I’ll vent in front of your dumb face, let’s go. Astro: Hey now! Etho: This is getting spicy :D Lala: I don’t think I like you calling me dumb, Tango. Tango: Alright, I’ll just vent in front of your face. Etho: He didn’t call you dumb, he called your face dumb. There’s a big difference. Astro: I’m not sure that makes it better.

...

*in the lobby* Endless: Tango, here’s what happened. I was talking to Mrs Tango and I said “have you still not finished the swipe [card task]?” and then she said “I just did” and then I realised we didn’t HAVE the swipe [card task], so that’s why I was saying she was faking it. Tango: You know what would’ve been good? Endless: If I had said that- Tango, at the same time: If you had said that in the meeting. That would’ve been good.

...

Tango, as the game is starting: Everybody vote Etho off, he’s the imposter. Etho: Whoa whoa whoa whoa! Tango: Etho sus!

...

Lala: I gasped cuz I saw the purple body and I thought I died. Brody and Evil: *laugh* Brody: Those are two different shades of purp- How much juice have you had? Astro: Just a bottle. Lala: I don’t like your tone, sir.

[fanficbitch]

In Another Life // After Effects

November 2009

Aaron Hotchner x Y/N

As soon as the car pulled up to Hotch’s house, I ran to find everyone else. When I got there, Morgan was holding Hotch as tears streamed from his eyes. Foyet lays in front of him, I assume dead. 

Suddenly, Hotch gets up and rushes up the stairs. We all follow him to his old office. At first, I don’t see the point. That is until Hotch opens the bench to reveal Jack inside. He holds him tightly for a moment, but I can tell Hotch has other problems to deal with.

“Hey Jack,” I say, grabbing his attention. “Let’s go outside, okay?”

Hotch gives Jack one final squeeze, then Jack takes my hand. I pick him up and carry him down the stairs. I get him out as quickly as possible then set him down in one of the ambulances. Even if nothing happened, he still needs to be examined.

“Y/N,” he whimpers and holds out his hand. I climb into the ambulance and holds his hand.

“It’s okay,” I say and give his hand a squeeze. The exam is over quickly and Jack is fine, thankfully. We climb out of the ambulance and I’m not really sure what to do next. It’s not like we can go back inside and coroner’s van is pulling up. I squat down to Jack’s height. “Jack, is there a park nearby?” I ask and he nods then points down the street. “Okay, let’s go then,” I say then take his hand.

Once we get down the street a little bit, it’s easy to find the park. There’s no one there which probably for the best considering what is going down a block over. “Can I swing?” he asks.

“Yeah, do you want me to push you?” I ask and he nods. Jack situates himself on the swing and I begin to push him. He’s quiet for a few minutes, but the craziness of what just happened must’ve gotten to him. 

“Y/N,” he says softly.

“Yes buddy?”

“What happened to Mommy?” he asks. I pause because I don’t know if I should be the one answering this question. Haley probably had a prepared statement just in case something happened to Hotch. But, Hotch probably hasn’t thought about what he would say if Haley died. The situation seems so unrealistic, but here we are. 

“I don’t know buddy,” I say. That’s the truth. I don’t know for sure what happened to Haley. Do I have an idea? Yes. But Jack needs to hear that information from his dad.

“What happened to George?” Jack asks and I stop pushing him. I wait for the swing to stop, and when it does, I sit down in front of him. 

“Jack, you know how George is a bad guy?” I ask and he nods. “And you know how your daddy always gets the bad guys?”

That cause him to smile with a nod. “Well, your daddy got the bad guy.”

Jack’s smile fades quickly. “Is George dead?”

“Yeah, he is buddy,” I say. Although I don’t feel like I am qualified enough to answer anymore of his questions, I don’t want to leave him in the dark. “Do you have any more questions?”

“Is Daddy okay?” he asks.

“Yeah, your daddy is just fine.”

“Can I see him?” Jack asks and I hold out my hand.

“Let’s go see,” I say. Jack hops off the swing and puts both his hands in the air. That’s his signal that he wants to be carried. 

I carry Jack all the way back to the house. Luckily, by the time we get there a lot of the cars have left. Although there are still a few police cars and one ambulance, which Hotch is sitting in the back of. Once we get close enough, I warn Jack. “Jack, I think there’s someone who wants to see you.”

Jack turns around, sees his dad, then squirms out of my arms. I let him go and he runs and jumps into Hotch’s lap. I stand back and let them have a moment. 

When I walk up to them, I notice that all the blood is cleaned off Hotch and he’s wearing new clothes. “Thanks for taking care of him,” Hotch says. 

“Of course, I’ll do anything you need,” I say and he pauses. 

“There is another thing,” he says slowly. “I have to get somethings in order with…” he says then trails off. “Would you mind taking him for the night?”

“Yeah, I can,” I tell him.

“Would you mind grabbing some of his things and the carseat out of Haley’s-, out of the car?” Hotch asks.

“Yes, I’ll be right back,” I say then walk up the path to the house. People are still in and out of there, but I notice Foyet’s body is gone. I need to focus up. 

I run upstairs and grab a Thomas backpack then grab a new pair of day clothes and pajamas. I also brought some books just in case he wanted to read. He loves reading. On the way out I grab his carseat.

When I get back outside, Hotch is still holding Jack. “Do you guys need a little more time?” I ask.

“No,” Hotch whispers. “I think it’s best that he gets away from here,” he says then hands me Jack. 

“Bye Daddy,” Jack murmurs against my shoulder.

“Bye buddy,” Hotch smiles.

“Where are we going?” Jack asks once we get a few feet away from his dad. 

“You’re going to sleep over at my house. Doesn’t that sound fun?” I ask and Jack seems genuinely excited.

“Yeah!” he shouts. “Can we have pizza?”

“Sure, we can do whatever you want,” I say as I lock his carseat into the back of the SUV. I turn around to see Jack with the biggest smile on his face and I think that maybe everything will be okay after all.

                                                 **********

Jack was easy peasy tonight despite never having been to my apartment before. I first gave him a little tour, emphasis on little, ordered pizza and gave him a bath. No word for Hotch though. I’m not surprised though, there has to be a lot to deal with.

“Okay Jack, time for bed,” I tell him as he sits on the couch. He lets out a groan but gets up anyway. I follow him down the hallway because he already seems to know where he’s going. He pushes open the door to my room, then stops.

“Is this my bed?” Jack asks.

“Well, it’s actually my bed. But tonight you’re sleeping in it,” I say as I pick him up and set him in the middle of the bed. “Do you want a story tonight?” I ask and he shakes his head left and right. “Okay then get under the covers,” I say. Although, I can see that he’s thinking something. Once he gets under the blankets he opens his mouth.

“Can I have a back rub?” he murmurs. “Mommy always gives me a back rub.”

“Sure,” I say as I climb into bed with him. Jack lays on his left side, allowing me to run my right hand up and down his back. I can feel his little body getting more and more relaxed until I’m sure he’s asleep.

I slowly climb out of bed and turn out the light. But a little voice draws me back. “Y/N,” Jack whimpers.

“Yeah buddy?” I ask from the doorway.

“I’m scared,” he says.

“How can I fix that?”

“Sleepover?” he asks. I’m slightly confused because I thought we were already having a sleepover. But I quickly realize he means stay in the bed with him.

“Oh, do you want me to sleep in here with you?”

“Yes, please,” he whimpers.

“Okay bud,” I say then get back into the bed and under the covers.

                                                  **********

Jack wakes me up pretty early and basically begs for pancakes. So I make him pancakes. When I checked my phone, I saw that Hotch said he would be by in the morning to get Jack. Now, we sit at my tiny table and eat breakfast. “Do you like them?” I ask and Jack shrugs. “What’s wrong with them?”

“They’re not as good as daddy’s,” he says.

“What makes his pancakes better than mine?”

“He puts chocolate chips in them,” Jack smiles. 

“Well, I can’t beat that,” I say as I finish my food. We sit in silence until it is interrupted by a knock on the door. “Oh, I know who that is,” I say as I get up to answer it. I open the door and see Hotch in the same clothes he was in yesterday, but I don’t blame him. “Hey,” I say softly.

“Hi,” he says. Once Jack hears his dad he comes running from the table.

“Daddy!” Jack yells as he runs and jumps into Hotch’s arms.

“Oh, I’m so happy to see you,” Hotch says as Jack burrows into his shoulder. “How was everything?”

“He was great,” I say then lower my voice. “He had some questions about yesterday.”

Hotch nods. “I assumed he would,” he says then turns to Jack. “We’re going to have a daddy and Jack day.”

“Yay!” Jack yells. I turn around to grab Jack’s backpack then hand it to Hotch. I look back at him and feel like I should say something meaningful and heartfelt, but my mind is black.

“Hotch,” in a quiet voice is all that I can get out. 

“Don’t worry,” he says. “I’ll see you in a few days,” he says then disappears from my doorway.

[bxtchforstyles]

Baby

Y/N is a famous singer and when she releases her new song, her boyfriend is nothing but supportive.

(based of the song Baby by Madison Beer)

Warning: none

Word count: 1.5k

gif not mine.

“I just don’t know what to do for the part after the main chorus,” Y/N sighed from where she stood in the soundbooth. 

She had been working on this particular song for quite some time now, for many hours on many different occasions and just felt like she was never going to get in perfect.  

“I think what you have now sounds good, why are you trying to change it?” Her producer, Luke asked. 

Her slim fingers ran through her hair quickly as she sighed, looking at the ceiling that was covered in soundproof padding.

“Doesn’t it just seem a little too…” She pauses, looking for the right word. “Feministic?” 

Luke immediately shook his head at the idea she was presenting. “Y/N, the entire point of the song is to make every girl on the planet feel good about themselves. It’s not meant to just be some sexy song, it also serves a purpose.” 

Before Y/N could reply though, the door to the studio flung open, revealing Harry, holding two coffees in one of his hands. 

“Nooo,” Y/N dragged out dramatically at the sight of her boyfriend, making Harry give her a confusing look. “The song is not done! And no, I’m not showing it to you when it’s not done!” 

Harry chuckled lightly, setting the two cups on the small coffee table that sat in front of the couch that was behind all of the keypads and buttons that controlled the audio recordings. 

 Y/N flung the headphones that had been put over her head off and onto the stand where they usually sat before she opened the door to the soundbooth and walked into the regular studio area. 

“Why can’t I just hear a little snippet of it?” Harry whined, leaning his head back against the couch. 

Y/N sat next to him on the light purple couch, leaning her back against the armrest as she threw her feet into her boyfriend’s lap.

“Yeah, Y/N, I think you should show him a little part of it, maybe he could help you write the rest of it.” 

“No.” She immediately rejected as Harry ran his hands up and down her chins, seeing how obviously stressed she was. “It’s not good enough for your award winning ears yet.” 

“You know I’ve always enjoyed your music more than my own love.” 

He was bluffing. “Ha ha. You are so funny.” 

“Y/N, I’m being serious. I want to hear what you have, let me see if I can help at the part you’re stuck on.” He proceeded to beg to hear it, but Y/N didn’t budge. 

In all honesty, Y/N was just scared that Harry wouldn’t like the song to begin with since it had very clear, and sexual interpretations. She didn’t want him to think that this song was all about sex, so she didn’t want him to hear it until it was completely polished and finished. 

“Can we at least show him to instrumentals at the very beginning?” Luke suggested the compromise, making Harry’s eyes gleam with joy. 

“Yes, Yes!” He seemed very excited. “Please, baby? Just let me hear the beginning.” 

“Fine.” She finally gave in. 

Luke hit play, letting the pretty chords begin to play from the computer. 

“Ooo, I like this.” Harry sighed as the music paused before the vocals came into play. “Was the violin?” 

“Yeah, I thought it sounded really cool. Doesn’t it?”

The only thing Harry could think to do was kiss her on the cheek, “Yes darling, it sounds amazing. I can’t wait to hear the full thing.” 

“Great!” She exclaimed as she got up from the couch, “Because that’s all you get to hear.” 

*******

It wasn’t until a few weeks later when Y/N finally finished that song, and she was still hesitant for Harry to listen to it. 

“Now remember,” She pointed her finger sternly at him as the two of them sat in the studio, “This song is not strictly about sex, I mean it kind  of is, but still, don’t get any ideas.” 

“Love, have you not heard some of the songs I myself have written?” He laughs at her seriousness, only making her glare at him before hitting play. 

The same instrumentals that Y/N had let him listen to a few weeks ago began to play through the overhead speakers as Harry laid his head against Y/N’s shoulder. “I really like this part.” He then sighs. 

She laughed, “Oh just you wait.” 

The lyrics began a few moments later, “Baby, baby, tell me what’s the antidote.” 

His eyes widened at the sound of her voice cutting through the soft instrumentals, beautifully, but also seductively. 

“Wouldn’t text you this late less there's something wrong.” 

Y/N was watching him carefully, not being quite one hundred percent sure if he liked it or not yet. 

She also started singing along quietly, “I look too good to be in the bedroom without someone to touch me like you do.” 

“Holy shit.” He gasped at how amazing the song that his girlfriend had hid from him for so long was. 

Before he knew it, a few lines later the chorus hit. 

“If you wanna be my baby, know I’m gonna drive you mad!” Harry completely lost it at the insane beat drop. 

The rest of the song was still playing in the background, and Harry was still listening intently to the lyrics as he looked at his girlfriend, “Holy fuck, babe! This is so good!” 

“Really? You think so?” 

He was ecstatic for her, “Yes, I think so!” 

They continued listening to the song, and Harry continued to praise her for how amazing she sounded in it. 

“So, now I have a question…” She trailed off once the song was finished. 

Harry looked up at her, “Of course,”

She grabbed his hands as she stood in front of him from where he was sitting “Will you pretty please be in the music video..?”

His eyes widened immediately, not knowing what to say. “What? Is that seriously how you want to announce our relationship?” 

“I mean, we’re going to have to announce it eventually, so why not do it now?”

“I mean…” His voice dwindled, “I’m going to have to talk to Jeff about it, but I don’t think it will be a problem.”

“Yay!” She leaped, wrapping her arms around his neck, his wrapping around her waist immediately after. 

“I’m so excited!” 

“Me too, baby.” He smiled in return. 

******

It was safe to say that the media was not prepared for the relationship of which was Y/N and Harry. Everyone was overly shocked when the song came out, and even more so when the music video came out, featuring Harry. 

Of course there was always going to be a tiny bit of negative comments about anything that celebrities did in the spotlight, the couple expected that. But the amount of immediate support that they gained was completely mind boggling to them, and they couldn’t have felt more grateful. 

All of the fans especially went crazy when they had realized Y/N and Harry went live on instagram as the video first premiered.

“Just so you guys know, Harry hasn’t even seen the completed music video yet!” She yelled over the beginning of the song as the just released video began playing over the big screen of the Tv in the studio. 

Harry only smiled contently as he leaned back in the chair, pulling Y/N’s chair closer to his as he wrapped his arm around both her shoulders. 

By the time the music video had ended, there were over one hundred thousand viewers on the live stream, making Y/N a complete nervous wreck. 

“Okay, guys! We are going to end this live before I completely process how many people are watching this, because once I do, I will have a panic attack.” She tried to play it off as a joke by laughing lightly, but she was completely serious.

“Anyways, thank you guys so much for all of the support and love on Baby, and the music video. We hope that you enjoy it as much as we do. We love you, make sure to look out for the new album coming soon!” 

When Y/N finally ended the live, she let out a sigh of relief as she put her phone back down on the coffee table, basically falling into Harry’s embrace. He kissed her forehead from where he sat, her basically in her lap. 

“I love you, and I’m so proud of you.” He whispered lightly, already feeling Y/N becoming heavier as she began to fall asleep in the chair they were sat in. 

“I love you too, thank you for everything.” She mumbled as he wrapped his arms around her waist. 

“Of course love.” 

[lenaariewrld]

4. streaming

You rolled your shoulders back and fell into your seat, spinning idly with the weight of your body. You had thanked the guys for joining you on your stream, lamenting how you honestly enjoyed their company and would love to be in their content too if they needed or wanted you there. Of course, you had also gone through a five hour stream (not the longest one you’d had), and completely neglected the entire video you still actually had to edit and post.

So you pulled your chair closer to your desk, assuming your position and powering on your pc to begin the long and arduous process of editing your video. You really should’ve hired an editor or something when you had the chance.

A knock at your door alerted you to someone’s presence, obviously. “Come in,” You called mindlessly, not glancing over at your door. It creaked slightly as it opened, muffled footsteps nearing you before a mug was gingerly placed on your desk, a safe distance from your arms or anything that could knock it over or be a danger to your pc.

You blinked, turning your head.

Kageyama stood there, wearing his usual dark blue hoodie and sweatpants. “What, uh, what’s this? Are you poisoning me, Kags?” You asked playfully, pushing your keyboard away from you slightly and grasping the mug. It was warm in your palm.

“No!” The male flushed, looking away from you and mumbling out something that could couldn’t hear. cuz he was mumbling. “I was, uh, talking to Shoyo and he said to… check up on you after your streams,” He finally told you, speaking loud enough to reach your ears.

“Oh!” You smiled, understanding now. “Thank you, Kags, that’s nice of you… you still didn’t tell me what the drink is,” You pointed out, laughing softly as Kageyama’s eyes widened slightly. For someone who looked so stone-faced, he was awfully expressive. “Sit,” You offered, moving one of the chairs the other guys had been sitting it to be closer to your current position.

“It’s tea.. Sho told me what type would work best for you and insisted on calling the entire time I made it,” Kageyama rolled his eyes, huffing in slight annoyance at your more energetic friend’s gestures.

You chuckled, sniffing the mug and smiling at the warm and familiar scent that filled your nostrils. Hinata really did know you. “Sounds like him,” You admitted. “He probably was all ‘make sure she does this and that’ on you, wasn’t he?” You raised your brow in question. Kageyama nodded at you. Again, you chuckled.

Finally, you brought the mug to your lips, carefully sipping some of the liquid, it wasn’t boiling hot, so you didn’t have to worry about scalding your tongue. Yay! “How, um, was your stream?” Kageyama asked. You lowered the cup after taking a sufficient drink, shrugging and placing it back on your desk.

“It was pretty fun, the guys interacted well with the chat and all that,” You said, leaning back in your chair. You turned the question on him now, asking about what he did or just how his day was. Even though it had been a month since you moved in, you rarely had one-on-one time with any of the guys. Mostly it was in groups or something. Kageyama was more talkative when it was just you two, you noticed. Maybe he wasn’t a crowd person.

You went back to editing while he just sat beside you and talked. Eventually, you got your video done and began uploading it. “Want to watch a movie or something while I wait for this to finish?” You ask, jabbing your thumb in the direction of your screen. Kageyama stares for a second in silence before nodding. “Great!” You clap your hands together.

“You pick the movie, and I’ll set up the bedding!” You declared, standing up from your chair and stretching your back.

“Bedding?”

“Yup!” you popped the ‘p’ and began grabbing extra pillows from your closet, courtesy of the many sleepovers you had with Hinata, Tanaka, or Nishinoya where they left their things behind for you to lay claim to. “You know, any good movie viewing has to have comfortable blankets and such, otherwise you’ll just focus on wherever you’re uncomfortably sitting!” You said, speaking as if it was common knowledge and totally normal. Kageyama accepted your rules and took the laptop you offered him (another reason you were broke).

He helped you fix your blankets and pillows on your bed in a sort of nest-like situation big enough for the two of you, with an extra thick pillow placed between you two to act as the mount for the laptop. Kageyama picked a random movie for you two and settled onto your bed, at your request.

“Did you do this often with your other friends?” He asked while the movie loaded. You snuggled into your blankets, peering at him from underneath the fluffy duvet. “Sometimes, mainly with Yachi or Kiyoko.” You explained, attention turning back to the screen.

Kageyama nodded and let his eyes go to the screen as well, watching the movie as it finally started playing. Your whole focus was on the screen, watching the scenes play out with an intense look, processing the plot. You only looked away to glance at your PC, squinting at the loading video to see its progress, and then returning to the movie.

———

previous | masterlist | next

funfacts::

yamaguchi is indeed y/n’s favorite, but she enjoys all the boys company

kageyama and y/n fell asleep after watching five movies bc they forgot they were waiting for y/n’s video to upload

hinata usually blows up y/n's phone while watching her streams but was busy talking w kags

taglist: @odxrilove @pogpixelz @toshiswifey @thechaosoflonging @anime-meme-sanctuary @chaseyui @lucyrocks86

[mrsalwayswrite]

To Call Forth Love - Chapter 9

Yay! Next chapter! True confessions, this *sorta* slow burn is killing me....and i’m the one writing it! (sorry not sorry?)

Warnings: some swearing, nothing really, Hvitserk being a good bro?

Words:7100 (I hope these longer chapters make up for the wait)

Tag List: @youbloodymadgenius @evelynshelby @pomegranates-and-blood @deans-ch-ch-cherrypie @heavenly1927 @zuxiezendler @punkrocknpearls @love-all-things-writing @southernbe​

Series Masterlist

The ringing of her phone had Kari dropping the leggings she was folding on her bed to quickly snatch it up. 

 "Albus!"

 The voice on the other end sighed. "You know I hate that nickname."

 Kari laughed, picking the leggings back up to fold. "But it fits you so perfectly."

 "I am not an old wizard."

 "I'll give you that, but you're studious, kind and too wise for someone your age. So close enough."

 "I suppose if I haven't been able to convince you to drop that nickname for the past ten years, I won't be able to now."

 "Nope." She cheerfully said. "So, how are you? Your mother still wreaking havoc in your life?"

 "She set me up on a date last week." He grumbled after a moment's hesitation. 

 In her mind, she could imagine him sitting at his desk with a slight furrow between his brows and lips pursed as he lamented his mother's involvement in his love life. This would not be the first time he complained to Kari about this topic. "Ohhhh? How did that go?" She asked, even if by his tone she could already guess his answer. 

 "I know my mother means well, but the women she thinks I should date…." He trailed off with a forlorn sigh. 

 "Not your type?"

 "No."

 "I'm sorry. You'll find someone and your mother won't be able to help but love them."

 He snorted inelegantly. "I won't hold my breath for that."

 "See, you're so wise." She teased, smiling as she folded a work shirt. "Now, what else is new since last month?"

 The two spent the next hour talking. It had become their tradition after she moved. Hearing the gentle cadence in his voice, his quiet chuckles, it sent a wave of nostalgia washing over her. He was the only person from England she still kept in communication with, the only one who knew where she was. The last string tying her to her prior life. Although she would not have labeled him her best friend, they were certainly close and even more so after she moved. In their monthly conversations, they would chat about anything new in their lives, TV shows watched, books read, his latest exams in university. He always made sure to inform her what he knew about her family. Something she was grateful for but it always felt like a knife to the heart after. 

 As they talked, she finished folding her laundry, a necessary evil in her opinion. Once done with that, she moved on to the package she received in the mail today. It was addressed to her but the sender was a designer name she would never be able to afford in her lifetime. She shook her head, wondering what surprise the youngest Lothbrok had bought for her. 

 Listening to him regale her with the latest family drama of his, she opened the package and had to muffle a gasp at the two dresses that lay inside. The first was an off-the-shoulder, black skater dress that would reach mid-thigh in length. It was a classy and elegant cocktail dress that reminded her of the dress she wore on her and Ivar's "date" but way more sophisticated and stylish. It was the second dress that made her pause and wonder where Ivar thought she would ever wear something like this. It was a deep red evening gown, the hem long enough to trail slightly on the ground. The dress was gorgeous with a tight bodice and slight flair of the skirt. It was the slit in the skirt that touched her upper thigh and the sheer middle of the bodice that made Kari raise her eyebrows. The gown was the perfect blend of chic and sexy. What was Ivar thinking? She would feel so self-conscious and she never went anywhere fancy enough to wear it. Though as she stared at both dresses, she decided it never hurt to admire them on the hanger, even if she never got the chance to wear them. As her friend continued speaking, she hung both dresses up in her closet, making a mental note to talk to Ivar. 

 "It's probably good your brother moved out last year." She commented, tucking her laundry basket away in her closet. 

 "Yeah. He only comes over to the house if he has to." He said with a resigned sigh. After a long moment of silence, he spoke up again. His voice hesitant, almost remorseful, as what had been obviously on the tip of his tongue finally came forth. "Your mother has been talking about trying to find you again."

 Kari froze, her mind shorting out and heart rate skyrocketing as his statement sunk in. "What…. what did she say?"

 "Not much that I overheard." He confessed, sympathy in each word. "How much she misses her only daughter and feels abandoned by you. She has been telling people that you're doing charity work in another country when they ask about you."

 "It's been almost two years… I hoped…" She slumped onto her bed, legs wobbling and mind whirling. 

 "That your mother would forget about you?"

 "I don't know. I just…. I don't know."

 Silence reigned for a moment before he spoke again. 

 "Are you ever coming home?"

 "I…. I don't think that's home anymore."

 "I miss you." He whispered. 

 Tears welled in her eyes. She took a deep breath forcing them back, but knew her shaky voice betrayed her. "I miss you too. Maybe you can come visit me here?"

 "That would blow your cover."

 "Could we meet up somewhere? You take a vacation or something?"

 "I'll consider it…." His voice trailed off, only to come back stronger. "You know, when you wanted help to leave England, I thought it was just a temporary reprieve. I didn't imagine you would stay away."

 It felt like a knife twisted in her gut, because he was right. She had never thought she would be gone this long. "I know…. I just…. I like my life here. I don't…. I don't want to go back to that."

 He sighed as if giving up on convincing her to return. "I understand. I'll always be here for you. I still think of you as one of my closest friends."

 "Same. We've known each other since we were thirteen. A few countries between us isn't going to stop that."

 He chuckled. "Right. Well, I'll still hold you to your promise. If we're both unmarried by thirty-five, we'll have a courthouse wedding to keep our families off our backs."

 "Sounds good." She laughed out, wiping the tears from her eyes. 

 "I have to go. I'll text you about when we can catch up next month."

 "Perfect. Stay safe, Albus."

 "You too, Abs."

 "Ugh! That nickname is worse than yours!" She groaned, hearing a small chuckle on the other end of the phone. "Bye!"

 After hanging up, she stared at her phone for a minute, the smile fading as her mind revisited the conversation. The weight of everything slammed into her, her body no longer able to support her under the strength of her duress. She crumpled onto her bed, curling into a fetal position, tears streaming down her cheeks. It hurt that England no longer felt like home to her, but neither did where she currently lived. What hurt and confused her most, was when she thought of being home- Ivar's face filled her mind's eye. 

 *****

 "Thank you everyone for coming to class today. I'll see you either tomorrow or next week." 

 With the lights still dim, Kari turned off the soothing water music over the speakers in the yoga studio room. The women who had been laying in corpse pose on their mats began to rise and gather up their personal items. A quiet murmur of voices replaced the music in the enclosed room. She waved at a few of the regulars as they left her class. Even if she was not the one doing all the poses, by the end of class she still felt refreshed and rejuvenated. It always brought her joy to see people come in, stressed or anxious, and leave her class with a smile on their faces or just looking less tense. 

 Through the mirrors along the wall at the front of the room, she could see the tall, statuesque blonde making her way over, yoga mat tucked under her arm. 

 "Hey, you doing anything for lunch?" Gyda asked, coming up beside her. Even in leggings and a tight tank top, she looked like someone off the covers of a women's magazine. All Kari could figure was it was in the Lothbrok blood. 

 "Um, working on inventory?"

 "How about instead you come out to lunch with us?" She motioned vaguely towards Torvi, who was gathering up her yoga mat. "We planned on stopping at that new boutique down the strip. So, we can just meet you for lunch when you're done."

 "Really?" The brunette was startled by the offer. Sure, she had gone out with Gyda a few times but never with Torvi too. The three would chat occasionally before or after class and she liked Torvi's no-nonsense attitude. They had flippantly made comments about the three of them going out but to actually hear they wanted her presence both surprised and warmed her heart. "Torvi is okay with this too?"

 Gyda rolled her eyes. "Yes. So…. Yes? No? Don't leave me in suspense."

 "Yeah, I'd love to."

 "Great. Text me when you're done and we'll meet up."

 "It'll be at least half an hour…." 

 Gyda waved her off, her voice growing louder. "That's fine. Torvi takes forever when she browses anyway."

 "Sorry, I like to think through my purchases before I buy something!"

 Kari smiled at Torvi's retort. The other blonde was checking her phone, a smile on her face though as she peered up at her sister-in-law and her yoga instructor. 

 "Are you joining us?" She called over. 

 "Of course, she is!" Gyda replied, before Kari could respond. "But she's only coming if you swear not to share any stories about you and Bjorn's kinky sex life. Nobody wants to hear that."

 Without a word, Torvi gave her the middle finger salute, before looking back down at her phone. 

 Gyda chuckled then turned to raise an eyebrow at the shorter woman. "Unless you're into that kind of stuff…."

 "Oh gods, Gyda! No!" Her face flushed at the thought. 

 "Hey, it's the quiet ones who are the kinkiest. I bet Ivar would like that." She laughed as Kari tried to swat at her. Taking a step back, she pretended to zip her lips. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me. Text me when you're done! We can meet at the café down the street. " 

 Kari waved at Torvi as the two blondes walked out of the studio room. Quickly, she hurried to finish tidying up. It had been a long time since she felt this excited to go out to eat with some female friends. A handful of times she had gone out with some coworkers or Lydia. In the beginning she was excited when Alana would invite her out with her friends to a club or bar but Kari quickly learned that was not her scene and began making every excuse possible to not be forced out with them. She always felt like an afterthought amongst the group, especially since getting drunk nor sleeping around was not her style. This time, she had high hopes for spending time with Gyda and Torvi. It would be nice to have female friends again. 

 The door to the studio room opened and Lydia popped her head in. "Almost done? You've got a visitor out here and he's causing quite the distraction." She said with a distinct shit-eating grin and wink before ducking back out. 

 "He?" Kari questioned out loud, although her mind suspected who it was. He was the only one who ever visited her. Slipping her phone into the pocket of her maroon leggings, she gave the room one final survey, wanting it to be ready for the next class before she left. With a nod, she headed out, the door swinging shut behind her. 

 In the large open area, she understood what Lydia meant by 'causing quite the distraction'. If she paused for a moment to drink the sight in, no one could possibly know, right? 

 Ivar leaned his shoulder against a wall, arms crossed over his chest with the sleeves of his dress shirt rolled up to display his toned forearms. His dark locks were pulled back loosely in a man-bun, a few tendrils slipped free. Even in jeans, braces and smart-looking leather shoes, he looked quite handsome. With no cane in sight, it must be a good day. 

 Kari noticed more than one pair of eyes lingering on him from around the studio although he did not seem to notice as he stood there talking with Gyda and Torvi in hushed tones. The latter said something that immediately caused Ivar to narrow his eyes at her as he snapped a comment. 

 Even from across the room, Kari could read the tension in his frame and decided to intervene before he caused a scene. Walking over to them, aware of the many sets of eyes upon the group of three, she fixed a smile on her face. Once those intense, blue eyes locked onto her and his posture softened marginally, her smile transitioned into a genuine grin. "Hey, Ivar, what are you doing here?" She asked, coming to stand between him and Gyda. 

 "Do I need a reason to come see you?" He smirked down at her.

 That look released butterflies in her stomach but she ignored them to tease him back. "Usually that's how it works."

 "And if that reason is to fulfill my quota?"

 The blush that rose to her cheeks was so hot, she wondered if you could fry an egg on her face. Immediately, she dropped her chin to her chest, willing the warmth to vanish. 

 "Hmmm…. that blush for me, kattungen?" He shifted closer so his mouth was near her ear, his question asked in such a lecherous tone, Kari felt her core clench. 

 "Shut up." She mumbled, pushing him away. He rocked back on his heels, a smug grin on his face, and an amused chuckle leaving his lips. 

 Gyda patted Kari's shoulder, drawing the brunette's attention upward again. "Text me when you're done. We'll leave you with this grumpy asshole. I'm sure you can think of a way to cheer him up." She winked as she took a step away. 

 For a moment, Kari wished the ground would open up beneath her. Between Gyda's teasing comments and Ivar's blatant remarks and heated looks, Kari's face was going to be permanently red in an endless flush. 

 "Good luck on your trip, Ivar." Torvi called over her shoulder as she followed Gyda. 

 "Oi! Tell Bjorn to keep his big fucking mouth shut!" He yelled after the blondes; the tension returned with Torvi's parting statement. Glaring at the door the two women passed through, he muttered something in a foreign language as he rubbed his hand over his mouth. Briefly, his thoughts seemed to take him elsewhere but he quickly snapped back, blue eyes finding Kari once again. 

 It was only something she had realized lately, but when he looked at her, that consuming and burning gaze landing on her with all the impact of a sledgehammer, it made her feel like the only woman in the room. It was such a cliché thing, something stupid out of a romance novel, but it was the only way she could describe the feeling. When he looked at her like this, nothing else mattered in the room. She had his whole attention, all his focus. It was heady and powerful and terrifying and astounding. The weight of others watching made her skin itch but with his gaze locked on hers, lips tilted up slightly in the hint of a fond smile, she felt in the eye of a hurricane. 

 Her blue-green eyes dropped to his chest, unable to maintain eye contact when it left her feeling so flustered. Tugging on her earlobe, she quietly asked. "What are you doing here? I thought I wasn't seeing you until you picked me up for dinner tonight?"

 "Something came up." Silently, he reached over and grasped her hand, causing her head to jerk up. Intertwining their fingers, he watched her with regret in his eyes. "I have to fly out to Italy in two hours."

 "Oh. Is everything okay?" That was not what she had expected to hear. Her heart plummeted that their dinner would have to be canceled but tried not to let it show. 

 "Is there somewhere we can talk in private?"

 "Um, sure." Emotions flickering between curiosity and concern, she guided him back to the studio room. The weight of eyes lingered as they walked, especially since he refused to release her hand. A brief glance at the front counter, only to see Lydia and Sasha both staring at her with amused and proud smiles, had Kari trying to hurry out of sight with Ivar in tow. 

 Soon as the door shut behind them, hiding them from view, he pulled her against his body, one arm wrapping around her waist, trapping her against him while the other hand gripped the back of her neck. He kissed her passionately, like a man dying of thirst and only she could save him. 

 "Ivar…." She tried to pull away, aware she was at work and anyone could walk in. Instead, he held her tighter, molding her body to his. The drugging kiss that followed had her all but melting against him, knees weak and her resolve disappearing like smoke in the wind. When she opened her mouth, inviting his tongue to dance with hers, the growl that erupted from him was so thready and rough, it called to a primal part of her, making her warm all over and a tightness grow in her belly. 

 It had been two days since they had seen each other and she genuinely missed him. They had been texting during that time, but it was not the same. She missed his presence, his touch, his kisses, his grumpy comments and the way he made her laugh. Even when he annoyed or frustrated her, he still was the color in her otherwise monochromatic world. And with each day that passed, her desire to push him away fractured a little bit more. 

 When their mouths finally unlocked, both panting and lips swollen and red, she was almost shocked the nearby mirrors were not fogged up. Breathless and overwhelmed, she pressed her forehead to his, her arms around his neck. For a minute they stood there peacefully, only the sounds of their ragged breathing and the occasional noise from those outside of the studio room broke through their tranquility. 

 "What's going on, Ivar?"

 "Something with work." 

 "Does this have to do with why you've been so busy?"

 He sighed but when he spoke in a hushed tone, the rage painting each word was undeniable. "Someone on the inside has been selling information about us." She gasped, shocked but when she tried to pull away to look at him, he tugged her back against him, placing his chin on the top of her head. "I think I know who the fucker is."

 "That's why you're going to Italy?"

 "Hmmm."

 "Will you be safe?"

 That made him chuckle, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Are you worried about me?"

 She thought about making a joke, about teasing him about his recklessness. Instead the question knocked the air from her lungs momentarily, because the truth was, she was. What little she had gleaned about his work when he needed to vent, there was still an element of danger to it. She tipped her face up to look at him, her answer a quiet murmur that did nothing to hide the emotion behind her words. "Yes…. I don't know what I'd do if you got hurt."

 The amusement in his eyes drained to be replaced with a softness that made her heart clench. He inhaled sharply and glanced away for a moment. "Fuck, kitten…." When he turned back, he kissed her tenderly, a slow melding of their mouths like the taste of her was a fine wine he wanted to sip on endlessly. There was a promise in his action, just as much as his words when he finally whispered against her lips. "I'll be safe, just meeting with a contact. That's all."

 "Okay, just please be careful." Worry still tainted her, but she trusted Ivar to keep himself safe. He had been doing this job far longer than she had known him. 

 "Don't tell anyone about what I've said. No one else knows."

 "I promise. Not a word."

 "Good girl." He swatted her ass, making her squeak and glare up at him. "I'm going to have Hvitserk check up on you later."

 "That's not necessary." She tried to say. She would hate to be a waste of time for the older Lothbrok. The look he gave her said to not argue with him. "Fine," she dramatically sighed, "maybe him and I will watch movies and cuddle since you're soooo busy. I wonder if he'd think my bed is comfy enough or if the couch is better?"

 "Don't you fucking dare." He growled, gripping her waist in a possessive hold. 

 She just laughed at how easy he was to wind up. It was mean and she knew it. 

 He nipped at her bottom lip. "Keep playing, Kari and I'll have to punish you."

 "I have no idea what you're talking about." She batted her lashes at him, failing to suppress a childish giggle. 

 He rolled his eyes, the twitch of his lips betrayed his amusement. "I need to go." He softly said though he made no move to release her from his arms. 

 With that a wave of worry and fear cascaded over her, it was unfounded she knew, but it still threatened to drag her into its depths. Not giving it a second thought, she raised up on her toes to plant a lingering kiss on his lips. 

 "You're not helping." He muttered, never removing his mouth from hers. 

 "Maybe take the next flight?"

 "Don't tempt me, vixen. I'll lock that door and have my wicked way with you right fucking here until everyone hears you screaming my name."

 Between the image he painted in her mind and his mouth having moved to her pulse point, heated arousal pooled between her legs. She gulped, her mouth suddenly dry and words sticking to her throat.

 He leaned back, a devious smirk on his lips at her obviously flushed face. "No, my priestess," he purred, a filthy, predatory glint in his blue eyes, she could not help but gasp as her knees threatened to buckle under her. "When I finally have you, it'll be somewhere I can both worship you and fuck you all night long without fear of being interrupted."

 She let out a shaky breath. "But, um…. we…. ah."

 "Soon, Vakker, blir du min." He kissed her roughly, as if sealing his words. "I do need to leave. Walk with me." He took her hand, leading her out of the studio room, giving her no choice but to walk beside him. Not that her brain was fully able to make coherent decisions at the moment. 

 As they walked towards the front of the building, she wondered if their make-out session was obvious. Her lips felt red and swollen and a blush still colored her cheeks. A glance at Ivar showed his lips fuller but he appeared so calm and collected it was unfair. 

 "Did you like the dresses?" He asked, breaking her out of her thoughts. 

 "I do. They both are gorgeous, but they're too much. I don't have a reason to dress up that fancy."

 "With me, you will. I'll get you some casual dresses too."

 "Ivar…." She whined. 

 "You need more clothes, Kari."

 "Fine. Not because I want more clothes but because I know you'll buy them for me anyway."

 He winked at her, his tone smug. "I always get my way."

 "You're unbelievable."

 They stopped beside his SUV, parked next to the sidewalk. His driver was already in the driver's seat waiting. Kari made sure to wave at the man, earning a nod back from him. The driver was a huge guy with long, thick locks of white hair and a scar on his face. He intimidated Kari but she tried to ignore that and be friendly. Even if Ivar made fun of her for it. 

 "I should be back tomorrow unless some shit comes up." Ivar stated, opening the back door. 

 "Okay. Be safe."

 "Stop worrying. Shit. I'll be fine." He remarked, sliding into his seat. Before he closed the door, he met her gaze. "I'll text you."

 She smiled in acknowledgment and stepped back, giving him a quick wave as she headed back inside and his SUV started off.  

 Lydia leaned against the front counter with Sasha and Alicia now, all three watching her with expressions ranging from amused to shocked. 

 "Um, I'm going to…. go on my lunch break now." She mumbled and hurried away to grab her purse from the office, the sounds of laughter following her. 

 The stray thought crossed her mind that she would need some new bras if Ivar was set on buying her new clothes. Not that he would see those bras, but it would be good to have…. and maybe some matching panties.

 *****

 Summer was transitioning to fall, cool undertones intermixed with the residual warmth of a September evening. 

 Kari stared at the book in her lap but the words blurred together no matter how many times she reread the same line. She loved reading outside, sitting on the small patio behind the townhouse, especially when none of the neighbors were out. She could pretend it was her own place of solace, being out in nature. The sunlight shined through the line of pine trees separating their row of townhouses from the ones behind them, bird songs mixed with the sound of traffic from the nearby roads. She much preferred this too being stuck indoors. 

 Today though, her mind drifted like the breeze, but it all centered on a conversation she had not even ten minutes ago. If she listened closely, she could hear Alana through the screen door, making her dinner in the kitchen. She knew it was not Alana's fault, but the conversation still felt like a rug had been yanked from underneath the brunette. With everything going so well in her life, of course fate had to throw her a curveball. 

 Now her mind scrambled as what to do next. 

 A sound from her left had her glance over to see Erik stepping out of his back door. A boyish grin lit up his face when he saw her. 

 "Hi, Kari. Beautiful evening, isn't it?"

 "Yeah. It is." She gave a half-hearted smile, watching as he closed the door behind him and stepped closer. 

 "Mind if I join you?"

 She waved a hand at the patio set. "Not at all." Hopefully talking with Erik would be the distraction she needed for the moment, to pull her out of her quagmire of thoughts. 

 Dropping onto the cushioned chair to her left, he ran a hand through his dirty blond hair. In jeans and a t-shirt, he appeared ready to relax for the evening. 

 "What are you reading this time?" He asked curiously. This would not be the first time he had found her outside reading. 

 She reclined on the two-person, cushioned couch, legs up and bent with her open book resting against her thighs, wearing her typical leggings and slouchy shirt. At his question, she flashed him the cover. "The Princess Bride."

 "Isn't that a movie?"

 She pretended to gasp in horror. "Yes, but the book is still a classic."

 He raised his hands in surrender, grin spreading across his face. “If you say. Not really my taste. So how was your day?"

 "Nothing exciting. Yours?"

 "The usual. Customers thinking they could do my job better than me."

 She winced. "I know the feeling."

 They made small talk for some time, talking about work and a documentary he recommended for her to watch. They argued which was the better coffee shop nearby, something they continuously disagreed on. Soon the upsetting conversation with Alana drifted to the back of her mind. It did not take long for her to close her book and set it on the ground so she could be fully invested in the conversation, especially when Erik became so animated about a topic, his hands waving around like a conductor in his enthusiasm. It was an endearing trait of his, but also alerted her to settle in because it meant he would not need much encouragement to keep talking. 

 The opening of the sliding door behind Kari stunted their conversation.

 "Kari, someone is here for you." Alana said sweetly, stepping out onto the patio. 

 Unsure what she meant and since Kari never had visitors except for Ivar, she finally turned around. Only to be met with the view of Hvitserk leaning against the doorframe, a smirk on his lips. Standing there looking quite handsome in a dark navy business suit with a white undershirt, sans tie. Even his hair was nicely pleated back, making him look very professional and attractive. 

 "What are you doing here?" She asked in surprise, wondering if he just got off work. 

 Pushing off the doorframe, he meandered past Alana to approach Kari's side. "I came to check on you." He answered easily then scooped her up like she weighed nothing, making her squeal, and casually resettled them on the couch. Now he sat where she had been with her tucked against his side and his arm behind her. She also noticed how he purposefully put himself between her and Erik but chose not to comment on that. 

 "Ivar sent you, didn't he?" She grumbled, poking Hvitserk in the chest. "I told him it wasn't necessary."

 "Well, you know him." He shrugged, that teasing smirk still adorning his lips. When she tried to poke him again, he snatched her hand and held it hostage, even as she tried to tug it back. Ignoring her, he turned his attention to Erik. "Hey, man. I'm Hvitserk."

 "I'm Erik. I live next door." He responded warily, eyeing up the man as if debating to be friendly or not. 

 "Ah." With that understanding, Hvitserk seemed to give Erik a more assessing look before peering down at Kari. "You eat dinner yet?"

 "Sorta. I'm not too hungry."

 Alana spoke up from leaning against the other chair. "If you're hungry we can order something, Hvitserk. It's not a big deal."

 Kari's head whipped around to stare at her roommate in shock. Never had Alana played the hostess to Kari or anyone she knew. Then she really noticed the coquettish look of her roommate- the fluttering lashes, the sensual biting of her bottom lip in mock innocence, the way she casually leaned against the chair in a way to best highlight the curves of her body. Kari wanted to sigh. Of course, the only reason Alana pretended to care was to try and entice Hvitserk. An attractive man in their home, it was as if Alana could not help herself. 

 Apparently the flaxen-haired Lothbrok noticed her flirtatious manner also. He tipped his head, eyes blatantly tracing over her body with appreciation. Kari could see the blonde preening under Hvitserk's gaze. 

 "Did I fuck you?"

 What confident, amorous expression on Alana's face dropped in a second. "Excuse me?"

 Hvitserk waved a hand dismissively. "Sorry, you seem familiar but I can't remember…. Did you fuck one of my brothers?"

 Anger transformed her face, making her rigid and lip curled back in a snarl. "Fuck you, asshole." She shrieked, then stormed back inside, slamming the door shut. 

 He chuckled. "Huh. I take that as a yes…. ouch!"

 Kari slapped his chest. "That was extremely rude and insensitive."

 "Why? Because it's the truth?"

 "You can't just…. ask something like that." She turned to look at the closed door, wondering if she should go apologize to Alana and check on her. After a moment's debate, she turned away from the townhouse, figuring seeking out Alana would most likely end up with a door slammed in her face. 

 Hvitserk shrugged, pulling his phone out of his pocket and checking it before slipping it back in.  

 His nonchalance baffled Kari. Did he not care that he just humiliated her roommate? Should she make him apologize? Though she doubted he would. Finally, she settled for just muttering, "you Lothbroks are unbelievable."

 "Oh, are you related to…." Erik's question trailed off. Where he once had been relaxed back in the cushioned chair, now he sat tensely, one of his hands tapping his knee repeatedly. 

 "Ivar? Yeah, he's my brother." Hvitserk said with a knowing smirk. 

 "He's, um…"

 "A crazy, mad bastard? Yeah. Don't recommend getting on his bad side."

 "I was going to say intense."

 Hvitserk threw his head back as he laughed. Even Kari smiled at the hesitant way Erik answered. Intense was an understatement for the youngest Lothbrok. "Yeah, he's family." 

 Erik then motioned between Kari and Hvitserk. "So are you two…. just friends?"

 Before Kari could explain, Hvitserk jumped in to answer. 

 "Ivar and I share her."

 Immediately Kari choked on air due to his candid response. Her gaze darted to Erik in horror, seeing his jaw dropped and eyes wide as saucers. Beside her Hvitserk cackled like a hyena at both of their expressions. 

 "That's not…. ugh! No!" Kari tried to speak, once she could functionally breathe again, only to cover her face as her words tumbled out of her mouth inelegantly. 

 "Awww, come on, Kari. You know I'm teasing." The elder Lothbrok tugged her hands away from her face, which only caused her to bury her face in his shoulder. "We know Ivar doesn't share. But if you ever get tired of his cranky ass, I'll be more than willing to show you a good time."

 "Oh my god." She mumbled to herself, completely mortified. The evening had been going so well, and now…. all of this. Whose grave had she accidently stepped on today? 

 Erik awkwardly cleared his throat as he rose to his feet. "Um, I'm going to go."

 "I'm so sorry, Erik." She elbowed Hvitserk when he refused to release her hands, earning an 'oof' from him. Turning her body to give Erik her full attention, she continued, hoping this had not ruined their friendship or his night. "I know this is last minute but do you think you can give me a ride to work tomorrow? If you don't want to, that's fine, especially after all of this, I wouldn't blame you."

 "No, no. I mean, sure. It's not a problem. Just, ah, text me when you're ready."

 She smiled gratefully at him. "I will. Have a good night, Erik!"

 "You too, Kari." He gave her his signature boyish grin. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he looked at Hvitserk. "Nice meeting you."

 "Yeah, nice meeting you too." He said back, draping his arm once again behind Kari. 

 Erik gave Kari another brief smile before disappearing back inside his townhouse, the door sliding quietly shut behind him. 

 Hvitserk continued to stare where Erik disappeared for a long minute before muttering, "boy better watch himself."

 "What are you talking about?" She sighed out, feeling the lurking sensation of a stress headache coming on.  

 "He wants to fuck you. Ivar won't like that."

 "What is with…. No. I'm ignoring all of that." She pressed the heels of her hands against her eyes. "Ugh, my evening was going so well until an hour ago."

 "What happened? That guy showed up to bother you? Want me to tell him to lay off?" His questions came out in rapid-fire, concern infused in his voice. 

 "No, Erik is fine. It's …. it's nothing like that."

 "So, what happened?"

 "Nothing important. Have you heard from Ivar?"

 He raised a brow at her dismissal but changed the subject. "Yeah, looks like he got what he needed so he'll be back tomorrow morning."

 "Oh good."

 "Hmmm…. which means he'll want to take you out tomorrow."

 "He bought me some dresses." She softly confessed, fiddling with her diamond stud earring. 

 "I'd recommend wearing one of those."

 She swatted at him, only to mirror the easy grin on his face. After a moment, she asked, "I just…. is it weird for him to do that?" 

 "What?"

 "Buy me stuff."

 "Does it bother you?"

 "I don't know."

 "If you want my advice, I'd say to let him." He lifted a finger to silence her protest. Her mouth snapped shut at his pointed look. Once he was sure she would not interrupt him, he spoke. "Ivar has never been good with…. verbally expressing affection, something I am sure he learned from our father. So he buys gifts, something he can touch and control. If he's buying you gifts, not out of obligation but because he wants to spoil you, then you mean a lot to him."

 She pondered his words and how she felt about them. Never did she want Ivar to feel taken advantage of by her, especially in regards to his money. She would rather tear her own heart out than make him feel used again. It grated slightly how freely he wasted money on her. The dresses were lovely, something she could only dream of having with her current salary. But she worked hard for her life, to be independent. Even whenever they went out to eat together, he never let her pay for her own meal. She had given up that fight already but this…. It felt different. Yet what Hvitserk said slunk back to the forefront of her mind. If this was his way of showing affection, of letting her know he cared about her, would it do more damage to refuse his gift?

 "How did you become so insightful into Ivar?" She teased, deciding to think about this more later. 

 He laughed, flicking her ear with the hand he still had behind her. "Out of necessity. I don't think anyone can fully understand him, not even himself."

 "He's complex." She agreed. 

 "That's a nice way of putting it." He tipped his head to the side to meet her gaze. "Now, tell me what happened earlier."

 "You're not going to let this go, are you?"

 "Ivar told me to check on you. If I left you trying to hide tears and he found out, he'd probably break my hands or legs, not sure how particular he would be."

 Biting her bottom lip, she debated blowing him off again. It was not his problem, she could deal with her own issues. But there was something about Hvitserk that made her feel comfortable around him. Even though he was under no obligation, he seemed to actually care about her. 

 Finally, she gave in with a sigh, laying her head against his shoulder. "Alana said…. Um, this townhouse belongs to her uncle. Him and his family moved into a bigger home and instead of selling this place decided to rent it out for a little extra cash. The rent is minimal, since he isn't renting to really make a profit. It's honestly the only way I've been able to afford being here. Well, Alana told me earlier that he is having to increase our rent. She didn't really tell me why but now it's going to be an extra 300 a month…. and I don't have that. So unless I want to find somewhere new to live, it kind of looks like I need to get a second job."

 He waited a moment before flatly stating, "have Ivar pay the extra. Fuck, he'd probably pay your whole rent if you asked him too."

 "No! I don't want that!" She sat up so fast, it was a miracle she did not fall off the couch. Her eyes turned to the brother beside her, wide and pleading. "Please don't tell him, Hvitty! I don't want him thinking I'm using him for his money. I…. I need to do this on my own somehow. I'll figure it out, honestly. I just wasn't expecting this to happen, that's all."

 "You really don't care about our money, do you?"

 "No." It broke her heart a little at the shock in his questioning tone. Did any of them ever expect someone to care about them without the influence of their money? 

 He stared off into the distance before looking back at her with a solemn expression. "I'll make you a deal. I won't say anything to Ivar about this, but if you are struggling, even if it's just one month's payment, you come to me and I'll help until you get your head above water again, got it?"

 "Why would you want to help me?" She quietly asked, meeting his gaze. 

 He smirked. "I like you. You're genuine. Plus, you're also great for Ivar. I'd like you to stick around and if this is one way to help with that, it's an easy solution." He narrowed his eyes at her as she started to protest again. "Don't fight me on this."

 "You Lothbroks are unbelievable. Fine." She laid her head back on his shoulder. "Thank you, Hvitserk…. and thanks for coming to check on me."

 "Anytime. You've got my number. Just cause you're Ivar's woman doesn't mean we can't be friends. But my offer still stands, if you get sick of him, I'll be the first to snatch you up."

 She laughed, heart feeling lighter than it had all afternoon. "Stop. I'm not Ivar's woman."

 "You keep telling yourself that."

 They sat quietly for a few minutes, watching the sky change colors. 

 "Mmmm…."

 "What?" She looked up at him. 

 He peeked down at her with a shit-eating grin. "I still can't remember if I fucked your roommate or not."

 "Gods, Hvitserk!"

 *****

 Before she fell asleep that night, she checked her phone one last time. A jolt of elation shot through her when she saw an unread text from Ivar. Her fingers fumbled with how quickly she tried to unlock her phone to read the text. 

 Ivar: good nite, kitten. C u 2morrow.

 A silly smile on her face, she replied. 

 Kari: sweet dreams, Ivar.

 After that, she plugged in her phone and curled up under her covers. Relief and excitement bled into her veins, allowing her to drift off to sleep with thoughts of the dark-haired Lothbrok coming home to her.

[theleftovertaco]

April Fools

I’ve always wondered if April Fools existed in the wizarding world. I’ve come to the conclusion for this fic that it doesnt so the reader can introduce the Weasley twins to it. Chaos ensues. This takes place in harrys 3rd year and the twins 5th year. Technically you would be in 5th year as well, but your gender nor house are specified.

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You were writing your potions essay in the quidditch stands when an identical set of loud voices brought you out of your trance.

“Hey, short stack.” Fred and George flew up to your section.

“Oh look, it’s the demonic duo.”

George smirked, “Because we’re so devilishly handsome?”

“No, because your both so ugly that even Jesus couldnt save your face so satan had to take you.” You heard two squawks of indignation but continued on.

“Also, I’m not that short. Y/H is average.”

“Ah,” Fred sat down to your right, “but your shorter than us, so your short.”

“Everyone’s shorter than you two beanstalks.”

“You’re still short.” You stuck your tongue out at George and he mirrored you.

“What do you two want?”

“I’m hurt... always assuming we want something..” Fred trailed off.

“Yeah, we can’t have a conversation with our best friend?”

“I feel betrayed.”

“Depressed.”

“Cheated!”

“Is our friendship a lie?”

“Enough!” You giggled out.

“You don’t have to need something, but you stopped in the middle of practice for a reason.”

“Well... Gryffindor team likes to listen to music when we practice right?” Fred leaned in and put his chin on your shoulder.

“Ok and?”

“Well, all we have is Celestina Warbeck music and your muggle music just is much better than ‘a cauldron full of strong, hot love’”, George sung that last bit.

“So we wanna know if we can borrow your CDs and player?”

“Flawless impression. Yes you can use them, I’ll bring them out next practice. Though honestly, I really ought to get you one of your own so you don’t have to keep asking every time u want to listen to music.”

George hummed in agreement next to you.

“Maybe that’ll be your birthday gift. When is it anyways... I’ve known you two for almost a year and you never told me.”

“It’s in about a month. April 1st.” George confirmed.

You let out a bark of laughter. “Yeah, that checks out.”

You got a rare pause of silence.

“What do you mean ‘that checks out’?” Fred looked honestly confused, and so did George.

“Are you both messing with me? You have to know what holiday is on April 1st right?” They shook their heads no.

“Really? Hold on a second let me ask Hermione if she knows anything. ‘Mione!” You got her attention from a few stands over and she jogged over to the three of you.

“Yeah, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing, can you answer a question?” She nodded and you continued, “ without saying it out loud, you know what holiday is on April 1st, right?” She nodded again.

“Yea, why is that relevant?”

“Because they don’t!” You motioned frantically to the twins behind you and Hermione shook her head.

“Do not tell them they don’t need another reason to go around causing more chaos.”

“Oooh,” Fred lifted up his head in interest, “this sounds interesting. What holiday is on April 1st that we don’t know about?”

Hermione shook her head as Harry flew over and dismounted. “What’s going on, practice is over, why aren’t you lot leaving?”

You turned to him quickly, “Harry, without saying it, you know what holiday is on, April 1st, right?” He nodded before realizing what was going on and started laughing.

“Don’t encourage them Harry!” Hermione pushed him slightly.

“Why not? It would be funny to see what they do with that.”

Fred and George were getting frustrated, “With what?”

“Don’t tell them, Y/N!”

“Tell them, Y/N!” “Tell us, Y/N!”

“Ok ok I’ll tell you!” You conceded and Hermione threw her hands up in exasperation and left to collect her bag.

“On two conditions!”

Fred and George whispered to each other for a second before turnin to you and nodding.

“Of course.” Said George with a sly grin.

“What are these conditions?” Fred finished for him.

“Number 1. When I tell you the holiday, I get full immunity from the days effects.”

“But of course.” They spoke in unison

“Number 2. Anyone asks, I had nothing to do with this.”

Fred shrugged, “That’s fair. So, what holiday is on April 1st?”

You grinned before replying, “April Fool’s!”

“What is April Fool’s?” George’s eyes went wide.

“A holiday dedicated to playing pranks on people. Muggles prank their friends, family, teachers, principal. In my primary school one of my friends put a bunch of live chickens in a teachers car.”

They looked at you with pure glee.

“Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!” Fred and George each planted a kiss on you cheek and ran off.

-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-

Fred and George dropped into the library chairs in front of you two weeks later.

“So we were thinking.” Fred grinned from the chair closest to you.

“And since you were the one to tell us about this glorious holiday, you should be part of the celebration.”

“No.”

“Why nooooot?” George whined, setting his chin on the table and looking at you with his best puppy eyes.

“I’m not going to get in trouble for a holiday and besides, its your holiday. You don’t need me interfering.”

“But we want you there so you should do it, right? And you wouldn’t be interfering. Please?” Fred joined his brother in puppy eyeing you.

You sighed and nodded in agreement.

“Yay! So we were thinking that maybe we could pull something minor on each of the teachers and then something major on the whole school. What do you think?”

“It could work, but you would have to tailor it to each teacher. Snape can’t stand background noise and high pitches, McGonagall hates being even remotely interrupted, Flitwick can’t stand his bookstack being messed with, and Lupin, for whatever reason, doesn’t like fish.”

“Fish?” George tilted his head like a confused puppy.

“Yeah, he thinks they’re gross or something.”

They both nodded before Fred spoke up, “Ok, so what are you suggesting?”

You thought for a moment before responding, “For snape, I have this little old transportable music player. We could charm it to follow him around and play a bunch of kazoo noises in the background. The more he tries to get rid of it the higher pitch and louder it gets.”

“Ooh, I like that. What else?” George nodded for you to continue.

“We could find a spell where every time McGonagall tries to speak, she gets interrupted by, I don’t know, a horn or something? Flitwick I don’t really have anything.”

“I like the way you think.” Fred grinned and added in, “ . We could turn Lupin’s class into a tiny lake and fill it with fish while he’s up in his office?”

George nodded, “And we could make Flitwick's stack fly around the room while he’s on it?”

“You’re both evil. It’s fantastic.” You high fived them and the three of you left to enact your plans.

-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-

The next two weeks were a never-ending whirlwind of prank planning and late night kitchen runs, but finally the three of you were done. The plans were set up and now all there was to do was wait.

First class of the day was McGonagall’s and the three of you walked in trying to wipe the grins off your face.

“Good morning class, please turn to-” *HONK* Your professor whipped her head around to see where the sound was coming from to no avail. She shook her head and continued on.

“As I was-” *HONK HONK* “Where is that noise coming from?”

The class stifled laughter as she ran around looking for the origin of the honking.

For twenty minutes.

“I swear to” *HONK*

“Oh for the love of” *HOOOOONK*

Eventually McGonagall grew tired and dismissed the class half an hour early.

Snape was next on the hit list.

Your professor strode into the classroom, looking obviously annoyed. A tiny radio followed after him playing a nonsense tune with kazoos. The class  burst into laughter but was promptly shut up by a particularly harsh glare.

The next hour was trademarked by Snape repeatedly trying to destroy the radio physically or through magic while he had the class make a healing potion. The noise just got louder and louder and when the bell rang for the last class before lunch Snape barked at everyone to “GET OUT NOW”.

At lunch, you, Fred, and George each grabbed a sandwich and an apple and were about to rush out to have time to set up Lupin’s prank when Harry, Ron, and Hermione stopped you.

“The radio in Snape’s class, who’s bloody idea was that?” Fred and George pointed to you and Ron responded with a high five.

As you three left you could hear Hermione reprimanding Ron for encouraging you.

Lupin’s class took time to set up, but he always took lunch in his office and rarely opened the door.

The three of you placed a tiny device in the center of the floor, rushed out of the classroom, and waited.

You heard a loud BANG and then a stream of curses before running off to hide.

By the time you three returned for class, a student had opened the door to find Lupin taking refuge at the staircase and yelling that class was cancelled for the day and to read Chapter 17!

This brings us to Flitwick’s class.

The plan for his had already been enacted. Since when the three of you stepped into his class, he was clutching onto  Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2 and yelling out instructions while also asking that someone help him down.

You three took pity halfway through class and found a ladder for him to use.

The four pranks had gone off without a hitch, now you just needed to pull of dinner and everything would be perfect.

Fred and George snuck into the kitchens and as food was being prepared to go out, they placed a few drops of a specialized potion on about half of the platters.

So they reconvened with you at dinner.

You each sat there, and then you waited as people dug into their food.

After about thirty seconds the chaos you had been waiting for occurred. Half the Great Hall turned into various zoo creatures, all frantically running around the tables and crashing into people. The human half of the hall was torn between laughing and running.

They ultimately settled on running.

As everyone cleared out of the hall, the students were ushered back to their respective dorms, and the three of you escaped to the kitchens.

As soon as the portrait entrance was closed, the three of you looked at each other before bursting into laughter.

“AHAHAHAHA- OH that was BRILLIANT!” You half screamed.

“Did you see the look on Sprouts face when Snape turned into a peacock? A PEACOCK!” Fred screeched, nearly on the floor.

“I don’t know if we could ever outdo that!” George replied, who was on the floor.

Eventually the three of you calmed down and you caught your breath to reply.

“Knowing you two, you could. Before we leave, come on. I got you something.”

You brought them over to a table in the middle of the kitchens where two cupcakes and a CD player was set up, along with around 10 CDs next to it.

“I completely forgot about that!” Fred exclaimed.

“Thank you so much!” George and Fred leaned down a little to hug you at the same time.

“Uh, guys, getting a little crushed here.”

“Right, sorry.” George detangled himself from the hug.

“I’m not, gonna keep crushing you.” Fred squeezed tighter.

You laughed and hugged him back.

“Happy Birthday.”

[fanimesenseiwrites]

What happens when the MC can't choose just one brother (pt. 2)

Link to part 1

The next morning when Lucifer woke up, he just laid in bed and stared at the ceiling for what felt like hours but in all reality was probably no more than fifteen minutes.

Lucifer was still staring at the ceiling when Mammon walked in.

Mammon walked in quietly, closed the door behind him, and walked over to Lucifer's bed. "Lucifer, are you awake?" He asked quietly.

Lucifer looked at him. "Yes."

"Can we talk?"

Lucifer patted the bed beside him as a response.

Mammon laid down next to him and was quiet, even though he was the one who asked to talk.

"... what do you want to talk about?" Lucifer asked after a few moments passed.

"I kinda wanna talk about Hoshiko but..." Mammon trailed off and looked away from Lucifer.

"But what?"

"I don't know how to start."

Lucifer hesitated before admitting, "I miss them."

Mammon looked at Lucifer. "I miss them too... do ya think we could get them to come back?"

"I'm not sure how. Their letter was rather explicit in telling us to not try and change their mind."

"Yeah..." he sighed as he looked up at the ceiling.

Lucifer looked back to the ceiling as well.

They were both quiet for a moment.

"I must confess..." Lucifer started.

Mammon looked at him.

"I had always thought that Hoshiko was..." he sighed. "How do I say this...?"

"Fucking around with all of us?" Mammon suggested.

Lucifer looked at him. "I was going to phrase it more eloquently than that, but yes."

Mammon shrugged.

"... it didn't bother me as much as I thought it would for Hoshiko to also be with all of you."

Mammon nodded. "Yeah... I get it."

"You do?" Lucifer turned his whole body so he was laying on his side, facing Mammon.

"Yeah. I mean, Hoshiko made all of us better... why wouldn't I want that?" Mammon couldn't make eye contact with Lucifer.

Lucifer smiled slightly and sat up. "Alright, let's get up."

Mammon looked up at him. "Why?"

"We're going to go talk to everyone. Now move."

Mammon crawled out of bed. "What are we going to talk about?"

Lucifer got up out of bed and grabbed his house coat. "I want to gauge everyone's feelings about us all being in a relationship with Hoshiko."

"Uh... what?" Mammon just stared at his brother.

Lucifer looked back at Mammon once he had tied his house coat closed. "What?"

"You really think that'll work?"

Lucifer sighed. "I think that I can't sit here and try nothing. I think it would haunt me more to not try and wonder about what could have been."

Mammon nodded. "Yeah, I think you're right."

Lucifer hummed. "I know I am."

Mammon rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Let's go."

Lucifer nodded and walked out of his room with Mammon following close behind him.

They had an easy enough time approaching the subject and getting Asmo and Beel on board.

Belphie was skeptical at first, but didn't take much convincing once he realized Beel was already on board.

Surprisingly enough, the hardest part of talking to Levi was just getting into his room.

Lucifer actually got nervous as they approached Satan's room.

Mammon looked at him. "You good?"

"I fear that Satan may ruin this for the rest of us," Lucifer told him quietly.

"What? Why?" Mammon asked, sincerely confused.

"Because it's what I want."

"Oh. But its Hoshiko, you don't really think-"

Lucifer cut him off with just a look; a look that said "don't kid yourself."

Mammon nodded once. "Yeah, you right." He nudged Asmo.

Asmo looked at him. "Hm?"

"You should totally take the lead on talking to Satan."

Asmo glanced between Mammon and Lucifer. "Yeah, good idea."

Mammon nodded and grinned.

Asmo knocked on Satan's door when they got to it. "Satan, sweetie! Are you in there?"

It was a few moments before Satan responded. "What do you want, Asmo?"

"I just wanted to check on you. I hadn't seen you at all since..." he hesitated. "Since we read the letter yesterday."

"... I can't imagine you've seen any one else since then."

"Actually, I've seen all of our brothers."

"Even Levi?"

Asmo glanced over at Levi. "Yes, even Levi."

"Oh..." Satan opened his door. "Well, I guess-" He stopped when he saw all his brothers. He glared at Asmo. "This was a trap." He started to close the door.

Asmo quickly wedged his foot between the door and the door frame, keeping Satan from closing the door. "Wait! Hear us out! We think we can get Hoshiko back!"

Satan looked at him. "Don't... don't tease me like that."

"I'm not. I would never... We really do have a plan. Probably the best one considering why Hoshiko left."

Satan sighed. "Okay, what is it?"

"Uh, we all... share Hoshiko," he told him sheepishly.

Satan stared at him briefly, then looked amongst his other brothers. "Alright, who's half-baked idea was this?"

Everyone was quiet for a moment.

Mammon started to say something but Lucifer spoke first.

"I thought of this."

Satan looked at him, honestly surprised. "Wow, you must be desperate."

Lucifer narrowed his eyes at him. "May we talk alone?"

Satan sighed. "I suppose." He moved out of the way of the door to let Lucifer in.

Lucifer closed the door behind him.

"Are you gonna yell at me now?" Satan asked exasperatedly.

"No, because I am desperate," Lucifer told him plainly.

Satan looked at him. "... what?"

"I want Hoshiko back and I know you all do too. This hurts more than I imagine even their death would. We had no time to prepare and nothing to direct our frustrations at... except Hoshiko. But I can't be mad at them... I don't think any of us can bring ourselves to do it." He looked at Satan.

Satan sighed. "Normally being angry is second nature to me, but I can't be mad at Hoshiko. Especially not when I know they still love us."

Lucifer nodded.

"Do you really think this will work?" Satan asked.

"I think we have a good chance. And I think this is our only chance."

Satan nodded. "Yeah, you're probably right."

"And I think it's worth it to try rather than do nothing," Lucifer continued.

"I agree. Okay, I'm in. Let's go see Hoshiko," Satan told Lucifer, voice full of determination.

Lucifer smiled slightly and nodded to Satan before walking back out to the hallway. "Alright, everyone get dressed. We're going to the mortal realm," Lucifer declared.

"Yay!" Asmo exclaimed before running to his room to get ready.

"He's going to take hours to get ready..." Levi sighed.

"I will not! I wanna see Hoshiko!" Asmo called back to them, a little insulted that they thought he would take so long when Hoshiko was obviously so much more important.

Lucifer shook his head. "Everyone else just go get ready. We'll figure it out as we go."

Everyone went to their respective rooms to get ready.

Lucifer texted Diavolo when he got back to his room, telling him what the seven of them planned to do.

Diavolo's only reply was a 'Good luck.'

They all met up in the foyer once they each finished getting ready.

Asmo actually wasn't the last one downstairs for once.

"Wow Asmo, I'm impressed," Satan told him.

"I know, I'm just naturally stunning," he flipped his hair as he replied.

Satan rolled his eyes. "I was talking about how you weren't the last one downstairs."

Asmo looked around. "Oh Mammon's not down here yet, I thought he'd be the first one ready to go."

Mammon came running down the stairs when he was finally ready. "Oh shit, Asmo beat me???"

Satan snorted. "Yes, he did. What were you doing?"

"I was ironing this shirt..."

"Why not just wear a shirt that didn't need ironing?" Belphie asked.

"Because..." he glanced down at the ground. "Hoshiko bought this for me."

"It really makes your eyes pop!" Asmo put a special emphasis on 'pop.'

Mammon looked at him and grinned. "That's what Hoshiko said when they picked it out."

"Alright, alright. Are we all ready to go?" Lucifer asked them.

"Yes!" They all replied, mostly in unison.

Lucifer smiled slightly, then led them all to the gate nearest to the house. Lucifer couldn't help but feel more and more nervous as they travelled to the mortal realm and made their way to Hoshiko's apartment.

They stopped along the way to buy a few of bouquets of flowers for Hoshiko.

When they got to Hoshiko's apartment, they all stood outside the door for a moment, too afraid to knock on the door.

"... well its now or never, isn't it?" Satan asked.

Lucifer nodded and knocked on the door.

"Come in!" Hoshiko called from inside.

Lucifer looked at his brothers, unsure if he should really just walk in.

Mammon shrugged and tried to open the door, but it was locked.

Lucifer frowned and knocked again.

Hoshiko groaned dramatically. "Solomon, are you pretending like you don't have a key to make me get off the couch?!" Hoshiko unlocked and opened the door. "Well it... worked... oh... hey..."

"Hello Hoshiko," Lucifer greeted them.

Hoshiko nodded. "Uh well... You're here, so come in I guess." They opened their door all the way and moved to let them all in.

The brothers all handed their flowers to Hoshiko as they walked in.

"Oh my god, this is so many flowers," Hoshiko muttered. They closed the door with their foot once everyone was inside.

"Uh... y'all can sit," Hoshiko nodded to the couch as they said that. "I'll be right back." They took their flowers to the kitchen and just set them down on the counter before going back to the living room.

Levi, Mammon, and Belphie had taken a seat and everyone else had to stay standing.

Hoshiko couldn't look any of them in the eyes. "So... I guess this means that you found my letter... I feel bad that I did it in a letter, but I meant what I said."

Lucifer walked over and took Hoshiko's hand. "Hoshiko, it's okay. We're not mad."

Hoshiko stepped back from him, pulling their hand out of his. "Please, don't make me fall more in love with you..." tears started to stream down their face.

Lucifer frowned.

"Hoshiko, love," Asmo cooed as he walked over to them. He wiped Hoshiko's tears from their face. "We all love you. We all want to be with you and we're okay with you being with all of us."

Hoshiko sniffed and looked at Asmo. "What?"

He held their face in his hands. "We want you to come home. You can be with all of us, you don't have to choose."

Hoshiko glanced at the rest of the brothers. "Do you all want that?"

Most of the brothers nodded. Mammon responded with a very enthusiastic "Yes!"

Hoshiko chuckled, then pulled away and looked at Levi. "You're okay with this too?"

Levi blushed at Hoshiko's directed attention. "I... uh..." he took a deep breath. "Yeah. I thought I'd be jealous but... if the alternative is not having you in our lives at all... I don't want to go on without my best friend."

Hoshiko started to cry again; they walked over and hugged Levi.

Levi hugged back.

"I'm so sorry..." They pulled away from him and looked at everybody. "I'm sorry I put you all through this. I should've just talked to you about how I was feeling."

"Yes, you should have," Lucifer told Hoshiko as he grabbed their hand.

Hoshiko looked at him.

"But you're forgiven." He kissed the back of Hoshiko's hand.

Hoshiko smiled at him as they wiped their tears with the back of their other hand.

"Okay, I want hugs and kisses now," Asmo announced just before grabbing Hoshiko, dipping them, and kissing them hard.

Hoshiko gasped in surprise but kissed back.

"Asmo! What the hell d'ya think you're doin?! Showing off like that!" Mammon exclaimed.

Asmo pulled both him and Hoshiko up then grinned at Mammon. "I'm just expressing my love for Hoshiko."

Hoshiko put a hand to their head and leaned on Asmo.

"Are you alright?" Satan asked them.

Hoshiko glanced at him. "Yeah... I think Asmo's kiss just stole all the oxygen out of my body..."

Asmo beamed, obviously proud of his work. 

Satan rolled his eyes and walked over to Hoshiko and pulled them away from Asmo. "Let's get you away from the sex fiend."

Asmo pouted.

Hoshiko chuckled.

"And I'll show you that flamboyant is not always better." He placed a hand on Hoshiko's cheek.

Hoshiko blushed. "Oh okay..."

Satan kissed them soft and sweet, but was still able to convey the same amount of emotion that Asmo had.

The rest of the boys, save Lucifer, all wanted to kiss Hoshiko after that; seemingly trying to outdo each other.

And Hoshiko was absolutely breathless afterwards. They flopped down on the ground and stared up at the ceiling while they tried to catch their breath.

The boys all seemed startled by their collapse.

"Hoshiko? Are you alright?" Mammon asked as he knelt down next to them.

Hoshiko looked at him, still breathing heavily. "Yeah... but don't y'all ever do that again!" They pointed at the rest of the brothers.

Mammon chuckled. "Too much for you to handle?"

Hoshiko glared at him. "Just help me up. I gotta pack."

Mammon grabbed their hand and pulled them to their feet. "Pack for what?"

Hoshiko looked at him funny. "You don't want me to come back to the Devildom with y'all?"

"No!" The rest of the brothers yelled.

"No, you don't want me to come with you?" Hoshiko asked teasingly, knowing full well what they meant.

A cacophony of responses came from the brothers.

Hoshiko laughed at them. "Alright, settle down."

They slowly quieted down.

"I would like to go back to the Devildom with y'all for a little while, is that okay?" Hoshiko looked at Lucifer as they asked.

Lucifer nodded. "You're always welcome in the Devildom."

Hoshiko grinned. "Okay, I'll go pack."

"I'll pack your body care items for you!" Asmo told them before going to the bathroom.

Hoshiko chuckled. "Thank you!" They walked to their bedroom and pulled out a suitcase.

Lucifer followed Hoshiko into their room and helped them pack.

Hoshiko smiled at him. "Oh, thank you, but you didn't have to help."

"Yes I did," Lucifer told them as he pulled necessities from their drawers to pack.

Hoshiko looked at him. "Huh?"

Lucifer pulled out some red lingerie and packed it for Hoshiko.

Hoshiko watched him and laughed. "Is that a request?"

Lucifer looked at them, dead serious. "No. It's a command. You'll wear that tonight and you're going to be punished tonight," he spoke lowly.

Hoshiko blushed. "Oh... yes sir." They grinned at him.

Lucifer smirked and helped Hoshiko finish packing.

Hoshiko walked over and hugged him once they had finished packing.

Lucifer wrapped his arms around them and looked down at them.

Hoshiko laid their head on his chest. "I'm really sorry I put you through all this... I never would've thought that you'd all be okay with, well... sharing me."

"We already were, in a manner of speaking."

Hoshiko chuckled softly. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Lucifer hummed. "I know I am."

Hoshiko smacked his chest playfully and looked up at him. "So modest," they told him sarcastically.

Lucifer chuckled. "Are you ready to go now?"

Hoshiko pulled away. "Almost." They changed out of their pajamas and put on shoes and a coat as well. "Now I am."

Lucifer nodded and grabbed Hoshiko's suitcase before waking back out into the living room.

Hoshiko followed him out.

All the brothers looked at Hoshiko.

Hoshiko smiled at them. "Let's go home."

Lucifer opened a portal to the Devildom and ushered everyone into it, making sure he was the last to walk through it.

Hoshiko held one of each of the twins' hands as they walked through the portal.

They held a dinner party that night, inviting Diavolo and Barbatos over to celebrate Hoshiko's return.

Lucifer watched everyone as they ate and made merry; he couldn't help the smile that crept onto his face as he noticed how happy everyone was.

Once everyone had finished eating, Asmo put on some music, insisting they all dance as part of the celebration.

Hoshiko made sure that a little bit of each type of music that everyone liked was played so that everyone could enjoy it.

Hoshiko put on a slow song walked over to where Lucifer was sitting and held out their hand to him. "May I have this dance?"

Lucifer chuckled. "You may," he told Hoshiko as he took their hand and stood up.

Hoshiko grinned and immediately started slow dancing with him.

Lucifer held Hoshiko close as they danced, a soft smile present on his face.

"... do you actually forgive me for leaving y'all?" Hoshiko asked.

Lucifer looked them in the eyes. "Do you promise to never leave us like that again?"

"I promise."

"Then I forgive you."

Hoshiko hummed happily and laid their head on Lucifer's chest.

Lucifer rest his cheek on top of Hoshiko's head and closed his eyes, content to pretend he was alone with them... until his brothers cut in, all wanting a turn to show dance with Hoshiko.

Hoshiko was more than happy to give everyone a turn.

Diavolo walked over to Lucifer while he watched his brothers dance. "You know, nothing has really changed."

Lucifer chuckled. "Yes, you're right. Nothing has changed."

[yourcoffindoor]

Bulletproof Heart Pt.4

AN: YAY its finally here! Thank you so much to everyone for reading and for your patience! This is the final part of this series. enjoy <3

"Y/N?" a gentle tap on the wall outside your bunk. It was Liz. "We have an interview with Spin in like 5 minutes."

You groaned and pulled your wrinkled sheet over your face, turning away from the sound of her voice, soft and hesitant as though she were afraid the slightest noise would shatter you further.

"You guys go without me," was your muffled reply, "I've hogged the spotlight enough anyway."

" Are you sure? They'll probably be pissed the lead singer isn't there."

"Then let them be pissed."

Liz lingered in silence for a moment before deciding it was best to leave you be. It had been a couple of weeks since you'd found out about Alex's little foray into filmmaking, and a gush of old trauma had emerged new again. All the work you had put in to rebuild yourself and to forge a new life had all but crumbled away in a matter of minutes, and you isolated yourself in response.

You stopped leaving the bus because of the stares. Once rumors had gotten out that there was video footage of you doing the deed, people seemed to glance over at you before whispering insidious somethings among their companions. You didn't need to hear their conversations to know just how humiliating their words were. Things took a turn for the worse when reporters began to have the audacity to ask you about the video, probing into if you were in a relationship with Alex. It was then that you realized he had sabotaged your moment, your success, and made it all about him.

You began to miss a few shows, something you had never done before. But you just couldn't bring yourself to give a damn. Your bandmates kept their distance, realizing you needed your space; but their concern was permanently painted on their faces.

"Hey Y/N," Gavin spoke hesitantly one afternoon, "You know...Gerard's been asking about you."

The sound of his name made your heart beat quicker. You hadn't made an effort to see him since the video came out. "Oh?"

"Yeah he really wants to see you. He's worried about you...we all are."

"I'm fine." you said curtly. "I mean, tell him not to. I'm fine. I just need to be alone."

"You sure? I think some social interaction might do you some good--"

"Gavin, I want to be alone. Please."

He merely nodded before heading out the bus door, finally giving you what you asked for.

Out of respect for the fans, you managed to pick yourself for performances again, but it felt like you were merely going through the motions, your passion nearly extinguished. You became angry at yourself for feeling this way, like you were giving up on yourself and your goals. Between sadness and guilt, there was no bright side you could look to as an escape.

Then, you ran into Alex.

This was what you had really been dreading. You knew how smug he must be, knowing he must've gotten under your skin, his favorite place to be. You'd snuck out of the bus for some much needed fresh air, but you didn't need to go far before you heard your name being called.

"Y/N! wait up!" a chill shot down your spine. You didn't turn around. Instead, you began walking faster.

"Hey, hey, hold on a second--" He grasped your arm, but you pulled it back so quickly it seemed to surprise him.

"Leave me the fuck alone."

"C'mon don't be mad."

You couldn't help but laugh at the nerve of his comment. "How could I not be? I didn't even know you had filmed me. I didn't get to agree to any of this! And then you decide to make it public? And you," you said, angry tears building up to a waterfall, pushing a fist into his chest, "you are a nightmare that won't go away! Why can't you just leave me alone?"

Alex was calm-- So calm that it only angered you further. "You're thinking about this the wrong way. The publicity could be great--I mean people are already eating it up. They love us together. Honestly? I did us both a favor." He smirked, making your skin crawl. "But there's something else, Y/N. Something you should remember." He leaned forward, speaking into your ear in a low, serpentine voice, "This is what happens when you think you can go off and make something of yourself without me."

You were speechless, your stomach dropping as if it had been kicked. "You're disgusting. I'm leaving."

"Going to see your friend Gerard? Hey, ask him what he thinks of our movie for me. I'm making another one with some My Chem fans anyway." He spoke to you with your back turned, already walking away, but you could hear him smiling.

You halted in your steps, torn between slapping Alex across the face, crying, or simply walking away. After a deep breath and far more self control than you knew you possesed, you chose the latter, swiftly walking back towards your bus to isolate once more.

****

The sun was revolting.

That was the first thought when Gavin flung open the curtain that marked the border of your bunk, your own personal ecosystem that no one had dared enter for the past few weeks. He kneeled on your mattress and reached over you to open the blinds on your wall, and you winced as the sun struck your face like a laser.

"Merry Christmas, Y/N!"

"Gavin, its August."

"Well it might as well be Christmas when you hear what I have to tell you."

You groaned and rubbed your eyes. "What is it? I'm prepared to be underwhelmed."

"I didn't even need to open that window! There's that bright and sunny optimism we've come to know and love."

You hit him with a pillow. "Out with it."

"Alex got--"

"ALEX GOT KICKED OFF WARPED TOUR!" Liz shouted, bursting into your bunk from out of nowhere.

"What the hell Liz! I wanted to tell her!"

"Too slow!"she teased.

Your head was reeling. "Wait, wait, wait....what? How?"

"Don't know all the details but it definitley had to do with his...activities. Turns out he was asking underage fans to flash him and his band to get backstage and shit. Someone snitched I guess, thank god. The whole band's been kicked off and banned from Warped tour.

For the first time in forever, you laughed.

You practically cackled. You laughed so much that it felt like you couldn't stop.

"I think we broke her." Liz muttered to Gavin.

"That's fucking amazing." you said, wiping tears from your eyes.

"It is, and its good to hear you laugh again." Gavin said. "Come out with us later, to celebrate."

"I will sometime, but I'm still not quite ready. People are gonna try to ask me questions, I just know it. I'm still not up for it."

Liz and Gavin nodded. "We'll be here when you are."

***

Later that afternoon a few quick knocks sounded from the bus door. You debated getting up to answer it, but human interaction was the last thing you wanted right now. There were a few more small knocks; and you able to ignore the unwanted visitor until, after a moment of silence, something slid under the door. Once you heard their footsteps disappear into the distance, you peeled yourself from your nest on the couch to investigate.

It was a white envelope with your name scrawled across the front. You hesitated for moment, wondering if another piece of your past was about to jump out and bite you. But after steeling yourself you pressed on, your fingers swiftly retrieving the mysterious contents.

You immediately smiled. It was a card with a drawing of you on the front, in a style that was unmistakably Gerard's. You were on stage wailing into the mic, confidently waving your middle finger. You couldn't help but laugh.

Fuck em all. The world needs you out there. If you're feeling up to it, come to our set tonight.

Hope to see you there.

-G

You closed the card and reveled in the much needed buzz of happiness it gave you. Gerard. You thought he would've have been angry with you since you had all but ghosted him these past few weeks, but that clearly wasn't the case. Your legs wanted to run after him, but you as you were covered in dorito dust and sadness, you decided to stay put. You'd make yourself somewhat presentable and then see their performance tonight.

***

You stood just off stage,  just hidden enough in your oversized hoodie to feel comfortable. Right before they began their set, Gerard turned and saw you, eyes widening with a glad surprise as though he hadn't thought you'd actually come. His expression quickly melted into a welcoming smile, and you couldn't help but break out into soft grin of your own.

The band greeted the crowd, already energized and cheering them on. You'd expected them to launch into a song, but instead Gerard began speaking.

"This is a special set tonight guys, because someone very important to me is here. Someone so strong, so kickass that sometimes I wonder if she's even a real fucking human being." He glanced over at you, eyes electric and impassioned, immediately i heat rise to your shrouded cheeks. "Well some asshole tried to hurt her. Tried to make her feel small. But I want her to remember she's too fucking amazing to ever let someone make her feel that way."

You could feel the sting in your eyes as tears began to build.

"And that goes for all of you out there, cause these same assholes have been messing with fans too. So if you ever see shitty ass rock dudes in shitty ass rock bands asking you to show them your tits for backstage passes, I want you to spit right in their fucking faces and yell 'FUCK YOU!”

The crowd went crazy, and you couldn't help but let out a small cheer as well, despite the tears streaming down your face.

"Y/N," Gerard breathed, "This is for you." and with that, the band launched into one of the most passionate sets you'd ever seen. You stayed for it all, loving every moment. As soon as it was finished, Gerard thanked the crowd and made a beeline off stage, directly where you had been stationed all evening.

His eyes were dancing with happiness at the sight of you, pumping with the adrenaline of performing, sweat still dripping from his dark hair. "Hi," he said,pausing for amoment as though he was holding back from so much more, "you came!"

"After the invitation I received? How could I not?"

"So you liked it?"He beamed, his cheeks, pink from exertion, reddened further. "I wanted to do like a mini comic but I ran out of time." As he grinned, fresh crimson gleamed from a small split in his lower lip. What you thought had been makeup turned out to be a genuine injury.

"You're bleeding." you observed softly.

His brows furrowed in confusion, a finger darting to his lip. He dabbed it, smearing blood onto his chin.

"Damn, again? Don't worry, it's nothing."

You didn't hesitate to grab a tissue from your pocket, step forward and gently press it against his cut. He looked down at you with affection, causing you to look away as your heartbeat picked up its pace. Instead you analyzed his face and noticed it was patterned with small bruises.

"Doesn't look like 'nothing' to me. What happened?"

It had been just the two of you speaking intimately just off stage, but crew and media began pouring through and milling about the area. You realized just how close you were standing to Gerard, and pulled your hand back when you noticed people watching. A pew passerbys patted Gerard on the back, offering their compliments of the band's performance. He quickly thanked them, barely turning his attention from you, afraid you might run off. He grabbed your hand, leading you to a quiet area.

"I may have gotten into a fight."

"What!? You don't even leave your bus, how did you get into a fight?"

"I had to. Someone very important to me was being hurt."

You stared at him for a moment, putting the pieces together in your head. Gerard knowing about the video, Alex's sudden departure from the tour...

"Gerard, you didn't."

"I did, and I'd do it again, Y/N. Besides, you can't say he didn't have an ass-kicking coming to him."

You let out a soft laugh, but your vision began to blur as tears welled. A swirl of emotions welled inside of you, tumultuous and much more than you had anticipated feeling tonight. You were touched that Gerard was so concerned about you. Embarrassed that he had to get involved at all. Glad that he did, after all.

At the sight of your tears, he stepped closer. It was him now who tenderly wiped your face, brushing away stray tears with his thumb.

"Jesus, Y/N, I can stand a few punches to the face but I can't stand seeing you cry."

That was all you needed to hear to get oceans pouring from your eyes instead of streams. You embraced Gerard, burying your head into his shoulder. Gerard folded his arms around you in response.

"Y/N I want to tell you...I mean I hope you know...just how important you are to me and how I feel about you. You deserve to be happy."

"You're so nice to me that I almost don't know how to process it." you admitted beneath an awkard, tear-ridden laugh. "Thank you. You need to know you're important to me too. I..I just--" You planted an aggressive kiss on his cheek, unable to express your myriad of emotions in words.

"There, I think that expresses everything."

"Everything?"Gerard asked, brushing a strand oh hair behind your shoulder, "There's a few points I'd like to add."

His hand cupped the side of your face and your lips met, softly at first, a salty mixture of tears and coppery blood. The kiss quickly deepened, caught in your own world, unable to get enough of the taste of each other. That is until Gerard winced and pulled back, blood dripping from his lower lip. His cut had only deepened from your exertions.

"We'll have to postpone this until that's better." you said, handing him another tissue.

"Damn. Kinda regretting that fight now." He laughed.

"Don't regret it. Besides, its not an entirely bad look on you." you teased.

A bashful expression crossed his face as he brushed his hair back from his face.

"I hate to say it but I have a press thing to do in a few minutes with the guys. Meet me in my bus later?" He said, offering another peck on your cheek.

"I'd be crazy not to." you replied, ambushing him with one final hug before he walked off.

You realized something immediately. Despite everything, the heartache, the surprises--you regretted nothing. And as you lifted your fingers to your lips, still buzzing from impact, you knew this had been a tour that changed your life, after all.

Tomorrow, you'd be back onstage, ready to begin again.

Taglist: @pacifymebby​