#he comes back says he's glad im enjoying my trip and to drive home safe and that he's got to go goodbye

[the-yearning-astronaut]

.

[chubbygirlmaddy14]

The Dollmaker: The Dollmaker

Dale Kobble x reader

A/N: Hi guys :3

This was gonna be a crack fic (which it still kinda is to me) but I got serious with it because all of a sudden I got really into writing. This is the first fanfic I've written and I'm going based on fanfics I've read so DON'T JUDGE ME PLEASE IM TRYING MY BEST! Anyways, love you my pookie bears, enjoy!

TW’s will be at the beginning of each chapter (if there is any)

The story will also be on my wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/story/374688245?utm_source=ios&utm_medium=link&utm_content=share_writing&wp_page=create&wp_uname=chubby_girl_maddy16

Chapter 1: The Dollmaker (592 Words)

Cloudy and cold. How it's always been in my hometown, nothing new. Driving down the road I approached my new home.

                                 Well new to me.

It had been bought once I moved away for college a few states away, I couldn't stand being there after everything.

The blood, the mess, how everything was left after I came home that day. I closed my eyes as I parked in the driveway, taking deep breaths to forget.

         A 17-year-old me just                               

                 wanted to go to bed that night.

The U-Haul my friends helped drive pulled up on the sidewalk. Getting out of my car, I shut the door and start walking over to them as they get out. "Thanks for the help guys," I call out to them putting my hands in my trench coat.

"It's no problem! I always love road trips, you know that" Nicolas smirks leaning against the truck "Yeah you know how much we love you Y/N, we'll always help out, besides the fact you're now hours away," Linda sighs giggling a bit. I smile softly before coming over and hugging them tightly. "You know I will always come to see you guys, besides this isn't a one-bedroom house, you are always welcome"    

                                  Nicolas laughs

"Yeah sleep the night away in the murder house,

maybe have a little seance!"

We all laugh as I hit his arm shaking my head. After our laughter died down, I started getting a strange feeling. Someone's watching us, no     

                                        Me.

Shaking the feeling off, I open the back of the truck before pulling boxes out and heading inside. After a few hours we all slump down onto the couch the old owners left behind, catching our breaths. "So glad I didn't workout today, that was a awful" Nicolas said looking at the both of us.

"When do you ever workout twink?"

Linda said, making me giggle and cover my mouth having him hit me. "Y'all are both assholes" he said making us all laugh.

I stand up looking through the curtains to see that the sun was almost completely set smiling softly knowing I can relax now. Until I turned my head towards the tree and seeing something, someone, behind it.

  What is that.

I blink seeing it all gone and think it's just me being paranoid. New home, new state, new year. Everything was home to you but it was a fresh start, it felt different, not telling if it was a good or bad feeling. Linda and Nicolas stood up before heading over, saying their goodbyes to me, hugging me tight before heading back to Colorado and continuing with their lives. "Be safe." Linda said whispering to me as we hug. I know I wouldn't be able to get those words out of my head for a while

       "I promise." I say back hugging her tighter.

Deep down though I knew something was going to happen to make that difficult in the end.

I open the door for them, watching them turn back and walk to the truck. As they get inside it, I wave at them watching them turn on the truck, and step on the gas. They were gone, and even though I knew we all would keep talking.

                            I was alone again.

  In this cold, big, lonely house with nothing but memories. Some good ones, my sister and I playing in the yard, enjoying each others laughter, and the other day I don't wanna remember walking in on.

    All on her birthday, November 14th.

[fistsoflightning]

23: i wanna know what you’re doing tonight

prompt: shuffle || masterpost || other fills || ao3 mirror

word count: 2796

Does writing music based on things your friend said count as flirting?

It’s AU brainworm time everybody >:3 This “main street” AU is basically balefire/mom squad’s ‘what if we made a bunch of small town romance ideas and mashed them together’ which turns out to be a lot more hilarious than it should be. Featuring (chat) cameos from @windupcatgirl @to-the-voiceless @windupnamazu @verbroil and @winduphaurchefant because why not. Title from this song!

For all intents and purposes, Zaya enjoys autumn; summer heat cooling off into a pleasant chill, the sunlight that lingers enough to keep warm in the early weeks. The trees may die, but in doing so they grow colorful, and though the flowers in A’dewah’s little shop don’t do the same he changes which ones are on display to match better with the tree outside. It does mean Krile—and more recently, one G’raha Tia—have to return to Mor Dhona, their studies resuming, but it’s not like they can’t chat.

It does, however, mean the return of autumn showers—and they don’t even hate rain that much—and fortunately Zaya managed to forget their poncho just as the first big storm pulled in. Mor Dhona wasn’t that far of a drive away, really, just two or three hours on a road Zaya had taken enough times before, but in the middle of a rainstorm? Without a rainproof coat?

Well, at least Miss Eldfalk’s documents are staying dry in the carrier at Zaya’s back, even if the chill of the rain has already soaked through the wool of their jacket and started to dampen their shirt by the time they pull into the parking garage just a block or so away from the museum waiting on Sjanna’s delivery. Thankfully the inn is just an elevator away and not on the other side of the road; they should keep a spare poncho or umbrella in the motorcycle luggage next time.

Zaya pushes the thought aside as they slip off their helmet and the phone in their pocket begins to buzz about, safely tucked within the canvas pocket of their overalls and hopefully not just as soaked as their hands are. Wiping their palms and fingers on the inside of their legs, they unzip the soggy jacket and tug out the borrowed phone to see the numerous Linkcord notifications—of course.

Leaning onto the front of their motorcycle, Zaya hardly takes a second glance up to the storm just out the window behind them as a few taps and a swipe unlocks the screen, opening up to the Linkcord discussion of the day (night? Night.)

[ text channel #mom-panic; 9:47 PM ]

banned for baby crimes zayaaaaaa i miss you Hanami Hagane You are just saying that because you have no one to drag around the fair. Hanami Hagane Besides, they will be back tomorrow afternoon. banned for baby crimes no i’m not!! that’s too long!! i brought ihget but he’s being stupid and wont ride the ferris wheel with me :’) banned for baby crimes i cant find lunya and reese either so now im stuck with himbo here local breadhead we’re just by the cotton candy stand! lunya’s waving at you ;) banned for baby crimes OH THERE YOU ARE HOW DID I MISS YOU        hold on i gotta grab the chad first local breadhead 😊 banned for baby crimes but i really miss zaya even if they’re just over in mor dhona.. so does ochir he- i- banned for baby crimes has anyone seen ochir ihget lost him in the crowd- this says zaya 😱 reese is in pieces :O( YOU WHAT?? local breadhead oh dear lmao reese is in pieces :O( i hope no one tries to take him :( reese is in pieces :O( lunya says if your stupid catboy loses zaya’s bird shes not going to make you two the mini versions of zaya’s courier hat banned for baby crimes IT SNTO MY FAULT ZAYA JR HERE WAS BEIGNB ROODY ADN LOOKED AWAY         NOOOOOOO,,, Hanami Hagane Why bring the bird with you, anyways. Zaya lent you Ochir’s cage. banned for baby crimes he made sad noises when ihget n i were abt to leave,,,,

The chat quickly devolves from there into Sati panicking about Zaya’s violet-backed starling going rogue and everyone else jumping in and hells, they are not in the mood to manage that. Drops of water fall from their chin onto the screen; they hastily wipe it away before shoving the phone back into their pocket and hop off their motorcycle. A few quick movements with the key round their wrist opens up the luggage attachment with the satchel of papers inside—blessedly dry, thank the gods they splurged on a decent one instead—which they swing over their shoulder as they start walking to the elevator.

A dripping trail has probably followed them all the way from the parking garage to the lobby, they think in passing as they stop at the front desk, waiting for the receptionist to turn around. Their hand goes to fiddle with the small keychain on their keyring as they wait, still dripping their own personal puddle around them.

“Hello, hello! Welcome to the Seventh Heaven, how may I—” Tataru turns around, small smile widening into a sunny bright grin when she sees them, even if they’re dripping all over the lobby. “Zaya! Good to see you back again; need a room for the night, then?”

A curt nod (that sends water droplets onto the surface of Tataru’s desk) is all she needs to hop off her stepping stool and onto the ground, waving Zaya along before she cheerily marches down the halls with a keyring jingling in her hand. Not even the gloomy rainstorm thundering outside can put a damper on her mood, it seems.

“Payment for the night’s stay may be given in the form of Gannet Bay gossip, alright?” Tataru unlocks the door to a nicely decorated room with a quick turn of her hand, playfully winking over her shoulder as she does. Her violet eyes glimmer almost the same as Lunya’s, really; filled with teasing joy and secrets. “I’ve heard from the grapevine about a certain catboy quite enjoying the atmosphere out there, now!”

She steps aside as the door swings fully open, giving a little curtsy, and Zaya gives her an energetic thumbs-up as they walk past her into the room, pleasantly warm and bright from the small fireplace in the corner of the room, banked low so its amber glow only flickers across the floor.

First things first: getting out of all the soggy clothing they’re wearing.

They hang their satchel (papers still neatly bound inside, good) on the wall hook by the door and haphazardly strip off their shoes and socks, followed by the once-warm and fluffy jacket as they look about for spare hangers.

Ah; Tataru always has their back. Hanging on the end of the bed are a set of four or so hangers, which Zaya snaps up with ease, carefully slipping the wooden hangers through sleeves and loops as they finally get to their undershirt—blissfully dry, if not a bit cold. Their overalls aren’t all that damp on the top but are more than soaked the further down the legs one looks… hopefully that dries quick enough.

Just as they finish kicking their ankle-high boots to the mat by the door, a quiet yet unfamiliar chime fills the room, and Zaya nearly thinks to check outside the door for the noise when the light vibrations trickle up their arm. The soft ringtone—someone humming along to a muffled orchestra, maybe; not the smartest of choices for a calling ringtone—grows louder as Zaya stares down at their collection of soggy clothing.

...Alright, second: answer the damn phone?

Zaya nearly fumbles all the hangers to grab their phone from the pockets of their overalls and accept the call, only briefly reading the name from the screen before his face pops up in its place. White hair and a charming grin, perhaps—that is, to anyone who hadn’t heard the words that fall from his mouth like gentle rain.

(Okay, well, maybe that just helped. Zaya wasn’t going to say that out loud to anybody regardless; it didn’t matter what they thought of Thancred’s charms. Probably.)

“...I’d say ‘good evening’ but I wager you are having anything but just by the water dripping off your hair,” Thancred says in lieu of greeting, his voice warm and surrounded by the distant sounds of the usual fall fair attractions. “So instead, I’ll say this; is that old phone serving you well enough?”

Zaya nods; given, this one’s a bit clunky, but the lightness of their actual tomephone may have indirectly been the reason that they’d dropped it while helping out around town and eventually cracked the screen. At least Thancred had offered to lend them his old one for the trip to Mor Dhona in case, just on the off chance someone truly needed their attention, like for lost birds and ways to punish a distracted idiot.

They set it on the table, the front camera facing towards the window as Zaya steps into frame, still fiddling with the hangers in their hands. Mor Dhona may be covered in a gloomy storm, but the golden lights from the buildings around Revenant’s Toll Square still glow brightly in the distance, a refuge from the biting torrent of cold rain.

“Survived the water,” they sign slowly, stepping closer to the fireplace in a subtle attempt to dry off a bit quicker, almost fumbling when their fingers stiffen, chilled to the bone. Thancred laughs, the bridge of his nose crinkling just a tad like how it does when he can’t stop cracking himself up. “Still has power, too.”

“Glad to see it has survived, then.” There’s a slight pause where Thancred stops talking (and laughing) to catch his breath, the small silence filled with Zaya leaving frame to go hang their soaked clothes over the fireplace to hopefully dry for tomorrow. When they come back to look at the camera, a kaleidoscope of colorful lights dance across Thancred’s face, some colorfully lit attraction before him leaving his platinum blonde hair awash with a rainbow of color. “The storm there should burn off by early dawn, though; hopefully you will not have to drag yourself home dripping wet from your business in Mor Dhona.”

Ah, good. They yawn as discreetly as someone who’s on a video call can—which is to say, not very, and a rosy flush must spread on their face when Thancred chuckles under his breath, low and steady. 

“Forgive me,” he says next, voice lowered as if he were disturbing someone’s rest. “I must be keeping you from collapsing; I can’t imagine a drive in the freezing rain and getting soaked is the least draining way to spend one’s night.”

In-between stretching out the tense muscles in their back and neck do they grunt some noise of agreement, the strain flaring momentarily before melting into a drowsy warmth that drips down the ridges of their spine. Really, spending time in Mor Dhona at all is a draining waste of time—when you make your home in somewhere as vibrantly quiet as Gannet Bay it’s hard to want the big city over the comforts of familiarity, of knowing each shop and its owners personally, of being able to help them all and see their smiles.

At least they can see one person from home, now.

“ ‘S fine,” they mumble softly, heart stuttering when Thancred’s smile widens at the sound of their voice. Part of them wishes they were there to playfully elbow him for that—it’s not that rare tha they’ll speak—and the other part of them they are desperately trying to ignore. “How’s th’ fair.”

“Wonderful.” He looks up for a moment as Zaya wraps themselves in the bed coverings, presumably to whatever booth or stall is shining down on his face with fluorescent lights. “Ryne’s had a wonderful time, I think. I haven’t seen your friends around, but would you like to hear about the odd variety of attractions around?”

Zaya hums sleepily, waiting for him to continue. They hardly even notices when their eyelids grow heavy and their fingers return to their usual warmth, entranced enough by the fond familiarity of Thancred’s voice as they drift off to sleep.

…

The next morning, Zaya wakes with the dawn that rises across Mor Dhona, the bright golden sunrise sneaking through the cracks of the large curtains to tickle their bedsheets. The cityscape outside the window is covered by low autumn morning fog, glimmering as the sunlight dances over it and the puddles the passing storm had left behind in its wake. Outside, it is nearly silent, only a few passing cars and hardly any pedestrians around when Zaya does their morning stretches by the window.

As is always with a trip into the city, they fall into an easy routine; wake with the sun, stretch out whatever they can without breaking something, get dressed and hastily grab everything before rushing out the door, wave Tataru a rushed but genuine goodbye. Trot down to the parking garage, check the bike, throw the satchel back into the luggage on the back as they slip on their stereo cuffs and flick through playlists on their phone before going to get breakfast at the Bismarck—

Zaya pauses their flick-tap scroll through the playlists on their phone when they catch one with their name. Odd; Thancred did always have the habit of making his friends their own personal playlists, but they’d like to think they didn’t give him that much of a read on their tastes just yet.

Shrugging to no one but themselves, they tap on the playlist and let it begin to play as they slide the phone back into their overall pocket, starting up their motorcycle’s engine just as the song begins to play.

They stop. 

[ DM history with @superbolide; 7:36 AM]

zayaya ❓ zayaya 🌅😊❗🎵🎧💿❓❓ superbolide good morning to you too :) you’re up rather early superbolide something the matter? superbolide ah          i haven’t got another song for you yet, if that’s the question   rest assured, i’ll find something yet! zayaya 🙅

It hardly takes them more than a few seconds to grab a small screenshot of the playlist in question, sending it and another screenshot back to Thancred as they quietly listen to the same song Rjoli and Reese had playing near constantly for last Valentione’s Day in the bakery—still manages to be catchy, somehow. Let it not be said that acoustic covers were not their favorite.

The notification ringtone chimes when Thancred responds, cheery and bright.

Zaya goes a bit bug-eyed at what he types next, the song fading off as the next one on shuffle comes up—piano, humming, Thancred’s voice—

Thankfully, for it being so early in the morning, there’s no one around in the parking garage to judge the frankly embarrassing noise they make at their phone, or the bright flush that spreads across their face.

It isn’t like that, they remember saying, sputtering like a fish out of water when Lunya had barely insinuated that Thancred’s small wave as he walked past was a bit more than friendly. There’s no way he’d be interested in the courier that helped him choose out a ribbon at the local boutique, of all people! He doesn’t even know where I work!

Zaya drops their forehead onto the dash of their motorcycle, careful not to hit their horns against anything as they do.

Looks like they were wrong, about it ‘not being like that’. Maybe.

(Oh gods, they really hope they’re wrong.)

…

[ text channel #mom-panic; 8:03 AM]

💬 this says zaya is typing...

this says zaya😑 this says zaya💭🌑💘 🤟 ❓ banned for baby crimes DOES HTAT MEAN WHAT I THINK IT DOES closest to hell zaya qestir i swear on your lover boy’s life clarify for the peanut gallery local breadhead :0 reese is in pieces :O( i think            hm reese is in pieces :O( zaya did thancred just confess or did somethign else happen this says zaya [ superbolide: oh haha i must have forgotten to upload those to my lifestream] this says zaya [ superbolide: there are some songs i did save, but all the clips there were lyrics i thought of after chatting w/ you 😉] this says zaya [ superbolide: i could make an EP dedicated to you w/ the inspo you gave me] this says zaya [ superbolide: that is, if you don’t mind] Hanami Hagane I told you he was obvious. closest to hell SATINA YOU OWE ME GUMMIES FROM SHOOTING STAR I CALLED IT closest to hell IT WAS OBVIOUS THE MUSIC HES MAKING WAS BC OF THEM local breadhead oh bless… that’s v sweet… banned for baby crimes HBHBHHB NOOO MY HARD EARNED GIL,,, banned for baby crimes BUT WE ALL WERE RIGHT ABOUT HIM THO reese is in pieces :O( awwwauaua!! banned for baby crimes so banned for baby crimes zaya banned for baby crimes when’s the wedding this says zaya 😡😡😡 closest to hell me🤝sati “when’s the wedding” this says zaya 👆💀🏡 Hanami Hagane You two better start running. banned for baby crimes WAIT ZAYA NO-

[disloopy]

the heart is deceiving pt 4

BLOO

genre: angst, fluff, smut

word count: 1.7k

coming back to this fic after monthsss made me realize how shit and cringe it is and oh my god, you all deserve much better writing. yuck. HOWEVER, i will keep posting it until it's finished ( since id already written the whole thing ) because i do kind of like the ending sooo

pls stay w me cause im working on a sik k friends to lovers au and i know it's gonna be way better than whatever the hell this is...

clubbing really takes a toll on you, physically and mentally. i didn't even drink but i managed to have a headache by the night. i stumbled through the crowd, approaching the counter and slumping down in the seat. the bartender asked if i needed anything and i only ordered some water. she left to get it. 

my phone buzzed with a text from my dad, saying he might not be home tonight because of work. "oooh, that's exciting," said daniel, glancing at the text and sliding into the seat next to mine. he asked the bartender for something that sounded pretty intense and i gulped down my water.

"live a little," daniel urged, offering me the dark liquid but i shook my head. "ugh, you're so annoying and uptight." i rolled my eyes.

"thanks. that's sweet."

"kiss me."

"no."

"why?" daniel asked, pouting. 

"cause you're drunk as fuck and i hate the taste," i told him, trying to walk away but daniel grabbed my hand, turning me around. i pulled my arm away from him with a frown. "will you stop following me around like a lost puppy?" 

"i get worried when you're not with me." 

"yeah, i know," i said, reaching for my phone and showing it him. "you probably can't read but you know what says? 17 missed calls and 51 unread messages..." daniel grinned sheepishly but i wasn't finding it funny. "i was right next to you, daniel... i get that's it kinda dark in here but there's no way you could have missed me." 

daniel stuck out his bottom lip. "i just didn't want you to get lost, that's all. there's lots of creepy dudes here, they'll pick up anything with boobs." i groaned.

"stop. this isn't funny, it's an obsession and i don't like it." 

i tried to leave again and again daniel tried to pull me back but this time jojo got in between us, noticing the tension. "what the hell is going on here?" she asked, her voice trembling like she had just finished crying. i looked at her. her eyeliner was slightly smudged which gave me the answer right away.

"she won't let me love her," daniel whined.

"you only love me when you're drunk," i murmured and then jojo convinced daniel to go away for little while which he finally complied. the two of us sat on the curb outside the club, just on the sidewalk where we could still here the muffled sound of the music inside.

"what's wrong?" i asked her. she's usually the one comforting me and giving advice, so it was strange to be switching roles.

"boys are so complicated," she answered, blowing a puff of smoke into the dark of the night. "were you the one who gave my number to jinyoung?"

i nodded. "i'm sorry if i wasn't supposed to... i thought he was cute and you're cute and things could maybe..."

"it's not that," said jojo, taking a swig of the bottle she was holding. "did you know he loves me? he told me that."

"i just assumed..." i shrugged. jojo buried her face in her hands and i furrowed my brows. "jojo... you don't have to cry about it. you can choose the man you like... it doesn't have to be either." 

she sniffed, looking up and wiping her tears. "i know... i just feel so bad. i just like to fuck around and stuff but what if i'm actually catching feelings? nick called me babe.... what's it like to be in a relationship?"

i chuckled. "it's not all that... trust me, i feel like i'm not even in a proper one." we both laughed a little and the air felt lighter. "what are you going to do?"

jojo shrugged. "what i always do... nothing. besides i'm receiving clout from hanging out with these rappers so," she laughed and the smell of cigarettes just filled my nostrils. "why do i have to be so hot that boys are just tripping over themselves for me?" we talked for a little bit about how boys suck but also about which ones we'd smash because they can be fine sometimes too.

"it's fun when you're around," jojo told me with a smile. "daniel really bought out the wild side of you." i nodded and jojo leaned over, pressing her chapped lips against mine for a fleeting second before pulling away. 

"heyyyy, is it too late for a show?" daniel chuckled, walking over to us. "oh come on, keep going, don't mind me." 

"you're disgusting," jojo said, shaking her head and shoving him as he tried to put his arm around both of our shoulders. 

"i gotta go home anyway," i informed the both of them. "my head hurts and we got school... i haven't finished homework yet." 

"good luck with that," said jojo, brushing off her jeans and walking back into the club after ruffling me and daniel's hair. 

daniel rested his head on my shoulder. "i can drop you home." i sighed.

"you're too drunk to drive."

"we can test our limits." 

i ended up driving myself home in daniel's car while he blasted music and sang the lyrics out loud. then, i let him inside my house even though i told myself i wouldn't when we first got into the car. it was my foolish self who held his hand all the way to my bedroom and lied in bed with him until we let our bodies do the talking and our sounds created music in the silence of the night. i slept knowing he was right beside me, his arms wrapped around my waist, his bare chest slowly rising and falling to the rhythm of his  beating heart. he was safe and i was safe and we were each other's for the night.

***

"honey, are you decent, can i come in?" dad's knocking the door woke me up with a start. i quickly sat upright and shook daniel awake who just groaned. 

"um yeah, one second." i pushed him off the bed and his eyes shot open, about to complain but i hushed him, ushering him to get under the mattress which he obeyed. "come in!"

dad opened the door and i tried not to look nervous at all. "sorry i wasn't here last night." i didn't reply cause it was usual. "but i made breakfast for you and i wanted to tell you to have a good sunday before i leave to run some errands."

i smiled. that was the first time he'd said something like that. "okay daddy, i love you."

"i love you too baby."

when dad finally left, i let daniel come out of hiding. he clutched his head and i had to get him some tylenol and water before i let him eat breakfast with me. "did something happen last night?" he asked, eagerly digging into the pancakes. "cause you never allow me in your room and i just woke up in your bed."

i shrugged with a sly smile. "oops?" 

"well, whatever it was, i'm sure it was good."

"do you not remember anything?"

daniel shook his head. "nope." good, i thought, breathing out a sigh of relief. i was a major bitch to him last night - understandably. but i hoped it was something of the past that wouldn't ruin anything.

"i wish i could stay with you but i have to go to the studio today," daniel informed me while putting his clothes on. "jinyoung's like... totally diligent and he may be my friend but he's also my manager so." 

i giggled. "yeah, i get it." i handed him a water bottle to drink on the way back and he kissed my lips very gently. "i'll miss you."

"you can see me tonight. there's another party, i can pick you up."

"no, i have homework to do today."

"righttt, you're still in school." daniel chuckled, pulling his shoes on. "sexy schoolgirl." i rolled my eyes and kissed him once again at the doorway. i lowkey didn't want him to leave because i spent most of my weekend with him already and didn't want to be alone again.

"i'll visit you tonight... at your window." 

i was glad he left me with those words because it gave me something to look forward to tonight. i didn't go out at all that day. jojo came over and we did our homework together and we never usually did something like that but i enjoyed it.

she showed me her texts with jinyoung which we squealed over because i never realized how smoking hot he was until then. besides, he was good at flirting, just like daniel. 

when jojo left after eating dinner (which was thai takeout), i felt that loneliness again. no one was home but me so i decided to watch tv and maybe study for my next exam. life is quite boring like this but at least daniel would visit me tonight after the party.

i waited and waited and waited. he didn't show up. i called him a bunch of times but he didn't pick up. obviously he was partying too hard but i just wished he hadn't promised me something if he couldn't pull through. 

i sighed and lied in bed, still waiting. but he didn't come so i ended up falling asleep.

about 3am in the morning, my phone buzzed beside me. i groggily answered it. if the caller had been anyone other than daniel i wouldn't have. "hello?"

"babe?"

"hmm?"

i heard daniel breathe out on the other end. "sorry for leaving you hanging..."

"it's okay," i murmured, too sleepy to say anything else or to guilt trip him. "i guess you drank too much at the party."

there was a pause. "no... i actually didn't go to the party." 

"seriously?" i giggled sleepily. "that's hard to believe."

"yeahhh... i didn't feel up to it," daniel chuckled quietly on the other end. i felt my mind wander but then it was bought back. "i wanna sing my song to you." 

"go ahead," i whispered, holding the phone close to my face as i closed my eyes. the song started with something like "you're my downtown baby" and i couldn't remember the rest. i was too focused on how soothing his voice sounded over the phone while he sang.

after a couple minutes. "baby... are you still awake?"

"mhm," i replied. it felt like my mind was asleep but daniel's voice could keep me up all night long. 

"i'm moving back to korea."

[prettywordsyouleft]

Through His Eyes - Part 13 [Final]

Summary: Losing your sight after your accident was traumatic, and Jaebum’s guilt of knowing it should have been him instead creates an intricate bond between you both, as you overcome adversity and try to find your way in life again.

Genre: angst / romance

Characters: Im Jaebum x female reader

A/N: This story is emotional and raw compared to some of the content on my blog. It is in no way an attempt to glamourise or undervalue the lives of those who suffer from something similar. This story is purely fictional.

Index:  Prologue | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13

Jaebum was unable to relax.

Over the last year of your relationship with him, he believed he had mellowed out considerably. You had found yourself when you were apart and only continued to flourish at his side. If anything, you called the shots more than he did.

Which was rather refreshing.

Sometimes he didn’t agree with some of the choices you made, and since both of you were stubborn, it had led to a lot of arguments. Only to end up back in each other’s arms, apologising, compromising, reconnecting.

Jaebum had been adamant about refuting one thing you wished to do, however.

“Come on, like it’ll happen again,” you whined, and he groaned loudly, reaching down to fill Nora’s food bowl and then turning to the breakfast dishes pointedly.

Your arms slipped around his waist soon after, and he paused in scrubbing the plate, your lips finding his bare skin easily. After a series of kisses that led up to his ear, you sighed into him, Jaebum not needing to turn to see the pout now upon your lips. “Just one time, please?”

“I’m not relenting on this,” he announced and for three months, he had successfully stuck to this vow. He couldn’t fathom having you in the same situation as you had been that day. Even if you both agreed that your accident had to happen for you to be this in love with one another, Jaebum still wanted your eyes to see the world that he did. He knew in some sense, you did. Your artwork had been recognised and now you were being offered the opportunity of holding an exhibition. You spent just as many hours working as he did now, sometimes your schedule was fuller than his was. Your paintings and sculpts littered his apartment as much as your own, taking up as much residence as you did in his home.

Not that he minded, he loved whenever you stayed over with him.

But he had to admit your world had grown considerably larger and you weren’t struggling to keep up with it. And that was one of the reasons why Jaebum had eventually been overruled with his protective stance. There were only so many excuses he could use that you couldn’t refute. With the growth of your business-like mind, your tact and articulation exceeded his, presenting him with even a list of reasons why he shouldn’t hold you back from what you wanted.

With the last line of, ‘if anything were to happen, I know you’d be right there’ as a reminder, he had caved, allowing you this one visit.

Jaebum knew that if this went well, you would request more opportunities and that was what accompanied his nerves as he got his makeup done, the realisation that you were dynamic, able to achieve anything you wanted, regardless of how much he tried to ground you.

Once you had taken flight, there was no stopping you.

“It’s going to be fine,” Jackson assured from the seat beside him and Jaebum half-smiled, still unable to accept those words. He had chanted them since waking up this morning, and still, they held no true belief in his mind. He knew he needed it to be fine, a perfect execution with your safety paramount. Sure, onsite accidents had decreased since new regulations came into place after your loss of sight. His company held stringent checks on all places their artists performed now, and Jaebum had been relieved that the concert hall passed all safety checks the day before.

His nerves didn’t dispel, no matter how many reassuring hugs Mark gave him, or firm squeezes of his shoulder that came from Jinyoung. And when you stepped into the bustling environment with the help of his manager, Jaebum’s movement faltered, his eyes holding onto your approach and checking everything that surrounded you as fast as his brain could process.

Why had he agreed to this?

“Noona!” Yugyeom cried as he leapt off the stage towards you, and you grinned, hugging everyone who came your way before slipping into Jaebum’s arms.

You tensed only for a moment, your head snapping up to his, shooting him a reproachful look. “Are you seriously this worried about me?”

“He’s been driving us insane all morning with how anxious he is,” BamBam announced, and Jaebum glared in his younger friend’s direction.

Youngjae chuckled. “I’m convinced you are the most important person in his world after today.”

“Is that right?” you murmured, unable to hide your elation. Jaebum flushed with colour, which you managed to pick up on, allowing him the chance to bury into you. As everyone else moved off, back to their positions in the rehearsal, you gently rubbed circles on his back, soothing his wired body.

Jaebum was exhausted, and he had not even performed yet.

“Relax for me, hm?”

“Easy for you to say,” he retorted, stepping back just enough to look down at you. Now that you were here, Jaebum was conflicted. He felt your effect relaxing some of his physical reaction but his mind was still concerned for your protection.

“If you’re not relaxed then how can I enjoy your performance? You forget how easily I can hear when you’re out of tune or offbeat now. I’ll only be disappointed in myself if I’m the cause to all your fans having a sub-par performance from you.”

He gaped at you. “Y/N, are you playing the guilt trip on me now?”

“No, of course not,” you responded sweetly, a giggle soon escaping you. You patted his arm and then ushered him off. “I’ll be right here, listening on and expecting a good rehearsal from you.”

With a final grumble and farewell, Jaebum headed back up onto the stage, looking out to where you had taken a seat with some of the other staff. You were already animatedly conversing something with his stylist and Jaebum smiled, it was just like you to find a place in any setting these days.

Rehearsals continued for the majority of the afternoon and by the time the last song ended, Jaebum was in a different element. He was no longer fretting about your appearance on set; instead, it had propelled him to put on a better show. The reactions you gave were genuine. He watched all your emotions that you openly showed for each of their songs, laughing with the playful moments in the segments and then rendered speechless with the powerful way he and the six other members performed. Even if it was a dry rehearsal, you were impressed and Jaebum was feeling accomplished because of it.

He knew that taking you on tour now would be something he would no longer fear. Even if something were to occur, you could both face it together.

It was how you had come thus far as a couple, after all.

He didn’t allow himself to focus too much on you when the show actually began. Sure, he would look towards your seat next to where the members’ family sat now and then, grinning when he noticed how bright you looked and the way you fondly held onto his mother’s hand throughout. Jaebum focused on putting his all into his performances, not just for you, or the fans, but for himself as well.

He hadn’t felt this at home on stage since your accident. It was as if having you present could allow him to finally reach for his passion and share it around the arena all night long.

He had been exhausted earlier in the day, but after stepping off stage, he was full of energy.

It was you who was wiped out from the experience.

“I didn’t expect it to take that much out of me,” you admitted as you departed ways from the small gathering after the concert, leaning into his side as he slipped into the driver’s seat of his car. Jaebum glanced at you, leaning in to kiss your head softly. You sighed, your hand moving over his waist and holding him tightly. “It was a success.”

“You told me not to worry,” he reminded you and you sighed, not lifting your head up to face him.

“I’m glad you stopped and allowed me to in your stead.”

He grinned; he had noticed now and then you would slowly look around during the rehearsal, jumping when someone would start banging on something in the stage setup. It would be just like you to take on the universe and ensure him to leave it all to you. He nudged you lightly, starting up the ignition. “Next time, don’t try to take on so much.”

“I’m exhausted mostly because of how many emotions I faced due to your music, not because of that,” you stated, pulling away from your position against him, avoiding the vibration of his chuckles.

Yet you held his hand all the way to your home.

When the car came to stop in the parking lot, neither of you moved to get out of the car immediately, savouring your time together. Jaebum knew your mother would want to have you home tonight. Her concern over you would not always be at ease, even if you were proving to be a capable young woman despite your life changing almost two years ago. It was a mother’s right to worry for her child and in your case, she always would. Allowing you to come out to the concert had been a big thing for her, especially doing so without chaperoning. It was up to him to deliver you back tonight, safe and sound.

That much he would do.

He just didn’t want to say goodbye just yet.

And neither did you.

“What if I went up there, said hello and then came back?”

Jaebum chuckled, shaking his head. “I’ve been with you for most of the day; let your mother have your final hours before bed.”

“If I make an hour, I’m so tired.”

“See, so it’s better you just go home and unwind with her before sleeping. I can come around for breakfast tomorrow,” Jaebum suggested and you let out a small huff of air. He knew that you had conceded, even if you weren’t openly happy about it.

“My bed has space for you,” you attempted and Jaebum leaned over to draw you into his arms, uncaring of the gearbox between you both. “Come stay with me. Mum won’t mind.”

“Not tonight.”

“Why?”

Staring at you, he brushed the hair away from your face tenderly. He couldn’t wait for the time when you would fall asleep and wake up in his arms every day. You stayed over at his whenever he was home, sometimes going an entire week before you trudged back home, albeit with a delighted greeting for your mother when you saw her. You really did love the woman, even if you protested leaving his company every time. It was why he made a point of taking you home even when he didn’t want to let you go.

Jaebum knew your mother had been hinting at putting a ring on your finger lately, her not so subtle answer to allowing him what he craved. Only when you were truly bound to him would she allow you to leave the nest he had first found you within. Back then, your wings were unable to fly to his house, and she had nurtured you more than he could have.

It meant a lot to him that your mother was allowing him the ability to be that strength at your side now.

That’s why he made sure you spent as much time alone with your mother presently. When you moved in with him, he might not be as willing to let you stay away from him.

“You know you have a really bad habit of overthinking and not giving me an answer, Im Jaebum.”

He snapped out of his thoughts with a smile, which you reached out to touch with your thumb. He pursed his lips into you, kissing your hand softly and then undid your seatbelt. “Come on, let me take you home.”

You obliged despite his lack of an answer, swinging your linked arms softly with every step you made together. Soon you were standing outside your apartment and turned to face him, attempting to shoot him a luring smile. He laughed. “I’m not coming in.”

“No? Your loss then,” you tempted and he stepped up to you, hugging you warmly and kissing your forehead. “I’m going to go to bed and dream of someone other than you.”

“Oh really?”

“Yes,” you informed, though you were smiling too much for it to be effective. “Since you don’t want to be at my side tonight, I’ll choose someone else.”

“Suit yourself, Nora will be all too happy to take your spot anyway.”

You huffed again and he laughed. For a moment you were both jovial and then his smile faded, his eyes searching yours.

Even without sight, they were beautiful. The colours, the depth, he had fallen in love with them. In the hallway lighting, he spotted your faint scarring, the lines he had traced upon your face many times over. He had come to love them too.

All of you.

Yet the question remained on the tip of his tongue and he rocked back on his heels, unsure if he should ask it. You placed a hand on his cheek, rubbing it gently. “What is it?”

“Do you ever miss it?”

“Miss what?”

“Seeing the world,” he admitted, watching as you blinked slowly.

And then you shook your head. “No. I don’t any more.”

“Really? Wouldn’t you love to see what’s around you? View the things you haven’t in so long? What about the people you hold dearly in your life now, do you crave to see them at least once more?” Jaebum wondered, holding you back in his arms again. He was confused; he had thought there would be a small part of you that would long for vision of some sort. Some times, on your better days, you could make out vague shapes for moments at a time. That was the extent of your recovery. The doctors had ruled you wouldn’t perform some sort of miracle and gain your sight back.

Smiling again, your hand still on his face shifted, feeling along the strength of his jaw and up his cheekbone. Your fingers lightly dusted over his eyelids that, with instinct, he shut upon your touch there. When you stopped, he reopened his eyes, gazing at you and anticipating your answer.

“I already see enough of the world through you. Why would I crave anything more?”

Leaning into kiss you, Jaebum allowed the tears to fall from his eyes. He never knew what to expect with you sometimes.

But he would take care of his sight as best as he could.

Since he knew you would look through his eyes forever.

 The End.

_________________

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[marvelousaddiction]

Adventures of Ccco Danvers Ep 1

A/N: When I introduced Coco in Nothing to Prove I placed it after Captain Marvel and before Endgame so it is difficult for me to choose when this takes place, I think a point that makes since is post Civil War and pre Infinity War, so this chapter is around Homecoming. I know fanfictions dont have to stick to cannon timelines and such but I try my best to because it is what I like to do. I needed Tony to be on earth and Fury to not be dusted yet. Also a huge thankyou to @merthurians-prat-and-idiot for thier help so far and I apologize that this doesnt have a keep reading; I use mobile.

"How are you enjoying earth so far, Little One?" Fury asks the alien child laying on the floor and playing with a stuffed Winnie the Pooh bear that he had gotten from his mother's house, one of his old toys.

"How long have I been here?" Coco asks curiosuly, looking back up at him. "Two weeks, Little One."

"I like earth," she smiles brightly. "Im glad to hear it. Today we are taking a trip, okay?" "A trip? To where? Another planet?" "No, still earth but New York." "What is this New York?" "It's where we have some friends that I trust to look out for you while I'm away for a bit." He answers as she stands and slides the small matching Winnie the Pooh backpack straps onto her shoulders. He takes her hand and walks her to the car, opens the door for her and straps the five year old into the passengers seat before walking around the front to get into the drivers seat, turning the key and starting the car beginning the journey.

"Uncle Fury, when we arrive in New York, where are you going?" "Dont worry about that Little One, I'll be back real soon," he smiles and reaches over to rub her head. "Mom too?" "Little One, Coco, I dont know when Carol will be back but she will. Promise," he boops her nose and she giggles and nods. "Our friends in New York, Maria and Monica?" "No, I couldn't track them down but you will be safe, see Coco, I have trust issues, but I trust you, and I trust Carol. Do you trust me and Carol?" Coco nods, she didnt even have to think about it.

After driving for hours they arrive outside of Tony Stark's place. Fury gets out and let's her out, taking her hand her goes inside. "Hey!" He calls out. It was quiet, too quiet. Someone had to be here.

"Hey, Fury? What are you doing her?" Tony walks up wiping car oil from his hands onto a rag.

Coco held Fury's hand and hid behind him as the man with the dark hair and big brown eyes, covered in some dirty black stuff and wearing a light blue flannel and blue jeans came closer. "Bring someone?" The man asked, his eyes directing to her.

"Tony Stark," Fury leans foward and shakes the mans hand. "Better question, are you missing someone?" He makes obvious he means how empty and quiet everything was. "A few people yeah, something like that. Who's this?"

"This is Coco," Fury looks behind himself to her and she peeks around him. "It's okay Little One"

She stays attached to Fury's legs but comes around so Tony can see her, expecting him to be horrifed. "Coco, this is Tony Stark. I need to go somewhere and I need you to look after her."

Tony blinked at her and tilted his head. "Alright. Hey Honeybee, how do you know him?" He kneels down to her and smiles, pointing to Fury with his eyes. "Uncle Fury, Mom left me with him." "Your mom left you with him?" Tony points up to Fury and laughs softly, "blink twice if youre in danger," Tony whispers as a joke but she doesn't understand.

Tony looked up at Fury and could obviously tell that this was no joking matter to him so he clears his throat and stands. "I'll look after her, when will you be back?"

"A week, two. Soon," Tony found himself against the wall with Fury's hand around his throat and their noses so close they could pratically kiss. "Stark, if anything happens to Coco, it's me and you and I don't care what your suit is made of. Got me? I'm not playing with you." "You can trust me," Tony says honestly. Fury slowly release him and turns to go back to Coco. He kneels and kisses her cheek, "be good Little One, okay? I'll be back soon. Stay close to him, if anyone tries anything he will protect you," she nods and wraps her arms around Fury's neck, he returns the hug by gently wrapping a arm around her, so to not hurt her and leaves.

Tony smiles and he and Coco stand in a awkward silence in a hall for a few moments. "so....you like Winnie the Pooh?" He points to the bear in her arms and the bag. She looks down at it to see what he is talking about. "Yes," she answers honestly because she loved the stuffed bear. "Have you seen it?" "No?" "That's what I thought, Pop Pop Tony is going to upgrade that, sound good?" She nods, having no idea what he is talking about as he places a hand on the back of her head and goes to his bedroom.

"Okay, sit up there on the bed and watch some tv for a minute, okay?" He gives her the remote and shows her how to find channels and he goes to wash up in the shower.

She scrolls and stops on a channel that caught her attention. A half hour later Tony walks out in a tshirt and hoodie, drying his hair with a towel and all the black stuff from before gone. "Did you find something?" He asks her.

"Yes? What is this?" She asks about she was watching, "what was that on you?" Tony came and sat by her on the edge, "you mean the oil? It's what is inside of cars. That would be...," he looks at the tv, "Kung Fu Panda," he smiles and scoops her up.

--one drive to Target later, because I feel like Tony is a Target and not a Walmart person--

"See anything you like and just grab it and throw it in the cart," he tells her as he picks her up and places her in the seat of the buggy. "Why am I in here?" She laughs.

"Because I dont want to chase you," he answers cooly but she can see the small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "What's in your bag?" He asks and unzips it to look, "you need clothes. How long have you been on earth?" "Uncle Fury says two weeks" "what have you been wearing?" "Clothes from his mom, she had them in a box"

Tony shakes his head and begins looking around. "See anything you like?" "I'm looking." "Yes ma'am," he laughs as they look around. After a hour and a half, three new little flannels, some jeans, a little leather jacket, muscle t-shirts from the little boys section of the store, that she chose herself, and some Funko Pops! he isnisted were cool and she must have later, he is paying for everything and lets her change in the dressing room so she can wear a new outfit home.

--later that day--

"I'm looking for Tony Stank," a old man with a box says at the door.

Coco had just walked into the room after playing with her pops for hours to ask for food. There was a man with Tony.

Tony sighs and rolls his eyes, "twice, really? Im done with that site," he takes the package.

"Hi Sugar," the other man acknowledged her as he turned with a smile. She waves.

"Yeah Coco?" "Pop Pop Tony, I'm hungry."

"Pop Pop Tony?" The man cranes to face Tony ans asks teasingly. "Hey Sugar, I'm Rhodey, whats your name?" "Coco," she smiles and accepts the fist bump being offered to her, Fury and her mom had taught her how.

"Ever had a hoagie?"

"Pop Pop Tony, I don't want hoagies," Rhodey whines and forms a big shit eating grin.

"Fine, cheeseburgers?"

"I could go for that," Rhodey agrees and puts Coco on his shoulders as they leave.

Taglist: @merthurians-prat-and-idiot @weirdfangirl25

[hey--its--jess]

Summary: "If she had asked she would have learned that Aziraphale felt betrayed. He was angry. He was cursing Crowley, and the ineffable plan, and Above, and Below. It wasn’t supposed to turn out this way." In which Azirphale finds a scorch mark and a puddle of...something...in Crowley's office and makes assumptions. Rating: G

Warnings: This is set primarily in book canon. Follow the link to read the reasoning behind that. Also, this is the first time in two years that I have written and posted a fanfiction. I am rusty.

Aziraphale was not having a particularly good day. Any other time he would have enjoyed the events that preceded his current situation. Visiting Australia and Haiti again was pleasant and then being on TV in America! Oh, Aziraphale could hardly believe that had happened. He was still a little flustered over the host claiming that he was being possessed by a demon. The nerve of that man! Aziraphale was far from a demon, the exact opposite if he’s being precise. Then, he really could have gone without being discorporated in the first place. No matter how nice seeing some of the world again had been. He hadn’t been able to finish telling Crowley about the airbase in Tadfield and the boy Adam Young because of all the losing his body business.

Finding a new body was always such a chore. Aziraphale never quite knew where he was until he found a compatible host and got them to answer him. There tended to be a lot of confusion and yelling before and answer came. Normally, he would have gone back to Heaven, filled out the mounds of paperwork, and wait until he was issued a new one. But today, that was out of the question. It was Saturday, the Very Last Day of the Rest of their Lives. The hosts of Heaven and Hell were currently waiting for the Antichrist to arrive at the designated area and the long prophesied war between the two parties would begin. It was the war that he and Crowley had been working on trying to prevent, mind you.

It took time, more time than he would have liked, but Aziraphale had managed to find a compatible body in England. In London even! Aziraphale’s current body, the lovely Madame Tracy, accompanied by the root cause of his problem, Sergeant Shadwell, were on their way to Mayfair as fast as Madame Tracy’s scooter would go. Which was approximately 5 miles per hour with the two physical bodies aboard. Aziraphale would have preferred to go straight to Tadfield but as soon as Madame Tracy started driving he knew they would not get there fast enough. Besides, he still had to tell Crowley about Adam Young, and once he told him they could take the Bentley. Azirphale knew Crowley’s driving well enough by now to know that they would get there with time to spare. His only hope was that Crowley would be home. The demon had been busy when he tried to call him earlier. Azirphale sensed trouble as soon as the demon has picked up the phone and uttered his first “ngk”. It had been bothering him since the phone call.

Madame Tracy’s scooter pulled up to the front of Crowley’s apartment complex with a soft putputputput.  Sergeant Shadwell all but fell off of the scooter in his haste to be on solid ground, face as grey as the concrete, while Madam Tracy carefully took off her pink helmet.

“We really must hurry my dear lady. Armageddon’s right around the corner and it won’t wait while we dither about," Aziraphale said as Madame Tracy primped her hair after putting the helmet on the seat of her scooter.

“And you’re sure your friend, will take us to Tadfield?” Asked Madame Tracy as her feet took her, quite quickly, towards the entrance of the complex.

“I assure you he will.”

“How will he get through the traffic? It is dreadfully jammed, as you saw on the way here. My scooter barely fit between the cars!”

"Oh, you needn’t worry about that. He has his…ways.”

“I don’t care what ‘e drives. Anythin’ is better than that blasted contraption we ‘ust rode ‘ere on,” Shadwell said following behind Madame Tracy.

Madame Tracy giggled while teasing Shadwell as the two of them entered the lift. She pushed the button to Crowley’s floor setting the elevator into motion. With a ding the lift came to a stop and Madame Tracy was making her way down the hall before the doors had the chance to finish opening. Shadwell tripped in his haste to keep up with the woman. He may not be the brightest, but he was quite sure it wasn’t Madame Tracy in control of the body. It had to be the Southern Pansy. He hadn’t seen the woman move this fast since she was first starting advertising for “Intimate Personal Relaxation and Stress Relief for the Discerning Gentleman” decades ago. Shadwell had been glad when her knees stopped being what they used to be. It meant fewer phone calls and a quieter hallway.

The two came to a stop in front of Crowley’s door. It was slightly ajar. Shadwell looked around waiting for something to happen. "Is this it?"

“Yes, this is it.”

“Why aren’t we going in? The door appears to be open," Madame Tracy asked.

“That would be the problem dear lady. You see, Crowley would never just leave his door open. He’s too private for that,” Aziraphale said, slowly pushing the door open the rest of the way and peeking inside.

“Maybe he was expecting you. You did say you called, correct?”

“Yes, but I didn’t say I was going to stop by,” Aziraphale answered, entering the flat.

Something was off. Aziraphale could feel it. There was a slight buzz in the back of his head the further into the flat he got. It was a familiar buzz. Similar to the buzzing he felt when he goes back to Heaven to give a report, but at a much smaller scale.

Aziraphale called out for Crowley, but only silence answered. Crowley’s flat wasn’t particularly large. It was larger than a standard flat, because that’s what Crowley expected of it, but even with the extra space, he would have heard Aziraphale calling for him.

Aziraphale entered the lounge after checking the kitchen, bedroom and toilet. Crowley only had five rooms in the flat. The buzzing in the back of his head was getting louder and harder to ignore. There was only one thing that the buzzing could be, Holiness.

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Aziraphale muttered out loud. “Crowley wouldn’t have anything holy in his apartment except…”

Aziraphale’s eyes landed on the sketch of the Mona Lisa. The sketch was on the floor, leaning against the wall. In the place the sketch should have been was an open safe, an empty open safe that should have been holding an important item that Aziraphale had given to Crowley himself in back in 1967.

“It’s gone,” Aziraphale said, taking a step back.

“What’s gone?” Shadwell asked, squinting at the safe.

Aziraphale didn’t answer. Instead, he turned and rushed to the office, the last room he hadn’t checked. Madame Tracy’s poor heart was hammering in her chest at a speed that was most definitely not healthy for a woman of her age.

“Crowley! My dear, you better be in-“ Aziraphale started, but came to a sudden stop in the doorway, looking at the ground. A small gasp escaped his lips that could have been mistaken for the word ‘no’.

“An’ what are we lookin’ at exactly?” Shadwell asked, peering around Madame Tracy into the office. The office looked clean to Shadwell’s standards. There was a wet spot on the floor by the desk with the head of a plant mister on the floor next to it. Nothing else in the room looked out of place, so Shadwell turned his attention to what Madame Tracy or the Southern Pansy was looking at. Immediately, he scrunched up his nose. What lay before them in a scorch mark on the carpet was a glistening glob of mashed slug looking things with a bucket not too far away. Now that was definitely out of place in the otherwise spotless room.

He turned to Madame Tracy to comment on the disgusting puddle, but instead said, “What ye cryin’ ‘bout wumman? Is jus’ slugs.”

Madame Tracy jumped slightly. Touching her cheeks as if she didn’t know they were wet. She looked at Shadwell, but felt her eyes move back to stare wide-eyed at the mess on the carpet, then to the bucket. “I-I don’t really know Mr. Shadwell…I’m just…overwhelmed with a feeling of sorrow. L-like I just lost something…or someone...”

Shadwell balked as Madame Tracy moved a hand over her chest and clutched at the fabric there as it if was the only thing keeping her grounded. Slowly, she took as step over the scorch mark into the office and looked around as if to make sure the office was truly empty. Turning back to the scorch mark she crouched down and reached out with a shaking hand over the puddle. Her hand hovered over the goo before being pulled back as she quickly stood up.

“Come, there’s no time to waste,” Aziraphale said in a clipped tone, briskly leaving the room.

“What? I thought we came ‘ere to get yer friend,” Shadwell said.

“Unfortunately they are no longer…available,” Aziraphale said. If anyone noticed his voice crack on the last word nobody mentioned it.

“Available? He wasn’t even ‘ere to tell us he’s not. Why not jus' call ‘im again?” Shadwell asked as Madame Tracy ushered him into the elevator. The last thing Shadwell wanted to do was get back on the blasted contraption she called a vehicle.

“Mr. Shadwell!” Madame Tracy scolded. “You are going to listen to Mr. Aziraphale. If he says we’re leaving, we’re leaving. Come on now, we have an Armageddon to stop.”

The elevator reached the ground floor and the two hurried out to the scooter. Once they were situated, with the Thundergun in its place between Shadwell and Madame Tracy they were on their way. With a quick miracle, the scooter was soaring through the sky surrounded by a deep blue nimbus going no more than two hundred miles an hour.

Silence surrounded the small party as they flew. While Aziraphale was able to put himself together on the outside Madame Tracy could tell that something was still amiss. The tears may have stopped, but the pain in her chest was still there. It clamped around her heart and made it hard to breathe.

Underneath the pain, there was something else. If she had asked she would have discovered that Aziraphale felt betrayed. He was angry. He was cursing Crowley, and the ineffable plan, and Above, and Below. It wasn’t supposed to turn out this way. He had been assured that the holy water was just insurance, in the event that everything went pear-shaped, that it wouldn’t be used as a suicide pill. But the scorch mark in the office was hard to mistake. It was surrounded by holiness and then glistening glob in the middle was in fact not mashed slugs, but the remains of a demon. Aziraphale knew the scene well. He’d had to clean up his fair share of baptized demons back when the human churches were more active.

Crowley had promised him and he had been a fool of an angel who had decided to believe and trust a demon.

The anger was a mask though. Underneath the anger there was a little seed of fear, a thought, that Aziraphale was scared to entertain. Crowley had been talking as he answered the phone. He hadn’t been alone when Aziraphale had called. There was a chance that Crowley’s plan had gone terribly, horribly awry after Aziraphale hung up. That the insurance had backfired on him and whoever had been in the office with him had managed to use the holy water against him. That thought was more terrifying to Aziraphale than thinking Crowley had used it on himself. It was easier to be angry, to be mad that someone had betrayed your trust. It didn’t hurt as much. Knowing that the gift you had given to protect someone dear to you had inadvertently caused their death. Aziraphale couldn’t bear to think about it, so he refused too. There was an Armageddon he needed to stop after all.

Over the flaming ring that was the M25 and through the storm of raining fish they went, reaching Tadfield in record time. A kind gentleman directed them to the airfield and Adam Young, and there they were, arguing with the American guard about why they needed to enter the airbase.

"It really is vitally important that we are allowed to speak to whoever is in charge,”  said Aziraphale. “I really must ask that he’s right, you know, I’d be able to tell if he was lying yes, thank you, I think we’d really achieve something if you kindly allowed me to carry on all right thank you I was trying to put in a good word Yes! Er. You were asking him to yes, all right…now-“      

Shadwell decided, then, it was his turn to threaten the American guard with his finger, claiming that it would send the guard to meet the Maker. Aziraphale and Madame Tracy sighed. One of them put her head in a hand and slowly shook it. Now as not the time for one of Shadwell’s episodes, once he started there was no way of stopping him. The world was ending, the pain in Madame Tracy’s chest wouldn’t go away if anything it was stronger than before, and if Shadwell kept shoving his finger in the guard's face there was absolutely no way they’d be able to get into the airbase.

Pinging noises coming from behind her caused Madame Tracy to turn around and look at the car that just pulled up. The wheels were gone, along with the paintwork and it was billowing blue smoke. It looked as if it had smoked glass windows, but that was just an effect caused by it having ordinary glass windows but a smoke-filled interior.

The driver’s door opened and a cloud of choking fumes got out. Followed shortly by-

"Crowley?” Aziraphale breathed, so quietly that only Madame Tracy knew it had been said.

“Hi,” Crowley said. “How’s it going? Has the world ended yet?”

"He won’t let us in, Crowley.”

“Aziraphale? Is that you? Nice dress,” Crowley said, patting the Bentley.

While the conversation continued on about Armageddon and the car that apparently used to be a Bentley, Madame Tracy could feel a change in her. The tightness that had claimed her heart when they saw that puddle in the office in Mayfair and the anger that had taken hold on the flight to Tadfield had disappeared. It was replaced with relief and a stronger, lighter feeling directed towards the man that showed up in the burning car, the man that currently stared at her in fascination.

“Aren’t you going to introduce me to your new body?” Crowley asked.

"Oh? Yes. Yes, of course. Madame Tracy, this is Crowley. Crowley, Madame Tracy.”

“Charmed I’m sure,” Madame Tracy said, she felt her heart quicken, but it wasn’t because of anything she was feeling.

“Let’s get on in,” Crowley said, turning towards the gates.

The guard had disappeared and the gates had opened during the time Madame Tracy was mulling about the changes in her chest. As she watched a Jeep pull up full of American soldiers and Crowley lift his arms into the air like Bruce Lee and smile Lee van Clef style, Madame Tracy felt the corner of her own lips quirk up in a fond smile.

Ah! She finally placed what the new overwhelming feeling was.

Love.

[ididntlookback]

Could you maybe write something where lances ends up wearing keiths jacket but not by choice. Like his gets damaged or he forgot it and it’s freezing or something. Thanks sooo much ;)

I am SO awful, I got this ask like a month ago and i’ve had this finished for like a week but i’ve been super busy im so so sorry ahhh i hope you enjoy (wc: 2,800)

Lance was a stubborn guy. He was self aware of that. He liked to be right and he hated to admit it when he was wrong.

In the hellish situation he was currently in, though, Lance had to admit that he’d been very wrong. Very wrong.

Team Voltron had gotten back to Earth a few weeks prior. Things were looking scary. When they arrived at their home planet, instead of getting the calming, heartwarming atmosphere they’d hoped to rebuild their castle in, they were confronted with fighting and- you guessed it- the Galra.

They hadn’t taken over Earth yet, but there were regular attacks and voltron were doing their best to fend them off. The Galaxy Garrison wasn’t much help, as their weapons and ships didn’t even begin to size up to the advanced technology the Galra had.

It also didn’t help that the Galra were an enigma to most earth goers. The existence of aliens hadn’t been common knowledge until voltron came down to Earth. Even then, humans were hesitant to believe it until the first Galra attack arrived

Even with the minimal help the garrison provided, team Voltron wanted to stay close to the base, as that’s where their ship was being rebuilt. For the time being, they were all cramped up in Keith’s cabin.

It was a late afternoon and Lance was laying on Keith’s very uncomfortable couch. He was eating a bag of chips while staring up at the ceiling. Pidge, Hunk, and Coran were outside fixing up Keith’s old cruiser, which had broken on the last trip to the garrison. Everyone else was over at the Garrison working on the ship.

The sun was beginning to dip below the horizon, the sky tinted shades of orange and violet. Lance loved the sunsets. Ever since he got back from space he held a deep appreciation for them. Today, though, Lance would not be able to sit back and enjoy it.

Shiro entered the cabin with his signature serious face that meant ‘time to get to work.’ Pidge and Hunk trailed after him.

“The Garrison just signaled. There may be another few ships coming down,” He said. “Lance and Keith, take the cruiser and get over to the garrison. We’ll back you up soon.”

“Is the cruiser even ready to drive?” Keith asked. He was across the room from Lance, sitting against the wall.

“It should be good,” Hunk said. “Probably.”

“Probably?” Lance asked with an eyebrow raised.

“Yeah,” Hunk confirmed. “… Probably.”

Lance and Keith met eyes, both uneasy at Hunks unenthusiastic reassurance.

“Oookay,” Lance said. “Our armor’s at the Garrison, so we’ll have to gear up over there.”

Keith got up and pulled his jacket on, heading for the door. Lance followed suit.

“Get your jacket,” Keith said, halting in front of the door and causing Lance to bump into him.

“No thanks, Mom,” Lance said, rolling his eyes. “It’s the desert. How cold could it be?”

“Pretty fucking cold,” Keith scoffed.

“I’ve been at the Garrison for years, i think i know how cold it’ll be.”

“You’ve been in the warm, safe walls of the garrison, not stuck out in the desert at this time of night.”

“Whatever,” Lance said, pushing past Keith. “I’m not gonna bring my jacket just because mr. weather guy over here says I should.”

“Your funeral,” Keith sighed, following Lance.

When Lance got outside, it was slightly chilly but nothing like what Keith said it would be like. He mentally scoffed to himself.

After Keith took the front seat and Lance climbed on behind him, Lance wrapped his arms around Keith’s waist. At the contact Keith winced a bit, as if he’d been washing dishes and his hand touched something gross.

“You don’t have to act so repulsed by me,” Lance scoffed.

Keith shuddered a bit as he turned the engine on. “Do you have to… hold me that tight?”

“Well, excuse me for not wanting to fall off this thing and die.”

Keith didn’t answer. He just started driving.  

It was a 15 minute drive to the Garrison, and Lance, like Keith, was not enthused about the idea of physical contact between the two of them.

As they drove, Lance looked out at all the passing mountains and rock mounds. When he was a kid in the car, he’d imagine a man running with the car and jumping from tree to tree, from building to building. He liked to do that on the rides over to the garrison as well. It made him ache to visit home again, as he’d done when they first arrived on Earth.

“Did you really live out here for a full year?” Lance asked. He had to speak loudly, the wind carrying away his voice.

“Yeah. Why?”

“There’s nothing to do out here,” Lance said. “Besides following weird energy stuff, what did you do for fun?”

“What were you doing while i was out here,” Keith snapped. “Failing flight simulators at the Garrison?”

Lance didn’t reply for a few seconds. “Me-ow,” Lance laughed, “What’s with the aggression, Mullet? It was just a question.”

“… Sorry,” He said a few seconds later. “Sometimes i just forget that we, like… don’t hate each other anymore.”

“Oh, don’t worry. A small part of me will always hate you, no matter what,” Lance said, his words dripping in signature Lance sarcasm.

Keith actually laughed at that. “It does make me feel better, thank you.”

Lance was glad they weren’t facing each other. He didn’t want Keith to see the smile at their banter.

“You feeling the cold yet?” Keith asked.

Lance actually was. It got really cold really fast. Still, it wasn’t anything he couldn’t handle. They’d be at the garrison in no time.

“Nope,” He said. “I guess you’re just weak.”

“Oh, don’t worry,” Keith replied. “It’ll get colder.”

“Great,” Lance said, though his heart sank at Keith’s words, “I say bring it on.”

Lance let his mind wander as the air became increasingly more chilly, becoming like small daggers piercing his skin. He started formulating a plan for when they got to the garrison, but it was hard since they knew pretty much nothing about the attack.

When they were about seven minutes away from the Garrison, the cruiser began to slow down. The drop in speed brough Lance back to reality.

“What are you doing?” Lance asked.

“I’m not doing anything,” Keith said, angrily trying to get the speed up.

The cruiser finally stopped all together and at a strange smell Lance looked behind him. There was smoke coming out of the engine.

“That doesn’t look good,” Lance grumbled.

Now that they were just sitting in the now pitch black desert, Lance was shivering, the cold making his fingers numb. Him being stubborn, he tried not to shiver. He didn’t want to give Keith the satisfaction.

Keith got up to investigate and Lance missed his warmth. Not that Keith had much warmth- his hands were like iceicles- but in the freezing desert he was basically a heat generator.

Opening up the hood of the cruiser, Lance saw Keith poke and prod around, trying to see something wrong.

“I think the oil thing is leaking,” Keith said, frowning.

“T-the ‘oil thing?’” Lance asked.

Hearing the stutter in his voice, Keith’s head snapped over to look at Lance.

“You’re cold,” Keith declared.

“What?” Lance said, taking in a sharp breath that hurt his lungs. “No i’m n-not.”

“I told you to bring a jacket!” Keith scolded. “You just had to try and be right.”

“Okay, let’s back up a b-bit,” Lance said, holding his hands up. “Did you just call it the ‘oil thing?’ Can you fix it or not?”

Keith sighed. He walked over to where Lance was sitting. “I don’t think so.”

Panic was starting to rise up in Lance at their situation. He was trying to subtly hug his own arms for more warmth. “What do you mean ‘I don’t think so?!’ It’s your cruiser!”

“This is the first time it’s broken!” Keith argued back. “I’m not an engineer, i don’t know how the thing works.”

Lance looked at Keith blankley as he tried processing things. The cold air must’ve been slowing down his brain. Keith raised an eyebrow as he watched Lance make blank eye contact with him.

“You… okay?” Keith asked.

“We’re s-stuck… in the desert… the cold desert… alone,” Lance cleared up, talking with his hands for more emphasis.

“Yep,” Keith said.

“Well… shit.”

“Yep.”

“How far aw-away is the garrison?”

“Four miles,” Keith said miserably.

“How f-far away is the cabin?” Lance asked, hoping for a better answer.

“Four miles.”

Lance hung his head down dramatically. “S-s-so all our options s-suck?”

“Yep,” Keith confirmed. “We should walk to the Garrison. The attack is still happening and they’re counting on us.”

“That’ll t-take us an hour,” Lance groaned. He’d done track all through middle school, so he was acutely aware of how long a mile is.

“Better late than never,” Keith said. “Let’s get moving.”

Lance wanted to die. That’s when he knew that for once- well, maybe more than once- in his life he’d been wrong. What he’d do for his jacket. The two were walking against the chilly winds which added insult to injury. Lance’s lips felt numb and his fingers felt practically immobile.

Keith looked cold but not nearly as cold as Lance. How warm could that jacket be? It was so short it could barely be classified as a jacket.

About ten minutes into silently walking, Lance kept feeling Keith’s eyes on him. He didn’t look over, as he wasn’t in the mood for a conversation or awkward eye contact.

“You’re freezing,” Keith declared a few minutes later.

Lance had given up on trying to look warm at that point. He let himself shiver freely, giving in and embracing the consequences of the dumbass decision he’d made.

“No, i’m t-toasty,” Lance grumbled sarcastically.

He looked over at Keith, who did the same and met Lances eyes for a few seconds. Keith sighed and took off his jacket, offering it to Lance.

“W-why?” Lance asked, looking at Keith. “Y-you need it.”

“I’m used to the cold,” Keith said. “I lived out here, remember?”

Lance hesitated for a few second, looking at the jacket as if it was a bomb that could explode at any second.

Keith, his arm still outstretched, pressed it slightly against Lance’s shoulder. “C’mon. Take it before I change my mind.”

Deciding that his pride was less important than getting frostbite, Lance took the jacket and put it on with shaking arms.

Boy was he wrong about the jacket not being that warm. It was already slightly warmed up from being on Keith’s body for so long, and the inside was lined with a delicate fleece, which Lance had not expected.

Even though the jacket was small on Lance and and ended slightly above his waist, it felt like the best and warmest thing ever in the cold desert.

“Thanks, m-mullet,” Lance stuttered out. Keith didn’t say anything in response, he just glanced over at Lance a few times.

“I do have to s-say,” Lance continued, “this jacket is so not practical even though it is kinda warm.”

“W-what do you mean?” Keith asked, starting to shiver.

“Why is it cropped? Like… w-why? Also, look at this.” He connected both sides of the jacket and zipped it all the way up so that the huge collar was hiding half of his face. “Why?”

Keith looked over and honest to god laughed at that. Lance snapped his head over to look at Keith, hearing laughter come from him being such a rarity.

Lance looked forward quickly though, not wanting Keith to catch him looking at him.

“It’s a cool j-jacket,” Keith shrugged.

“On what planet!?” Lance laughed. “You clearly got your fashion sense from your mom because that jacket is definitely not cool on Earth.”

“I like it.”

The two left it at that and continued to walk. They’d bump shoulders every once in a while, the wind and cold making them unsteady.

“How much longer?” Lance asked.

“Probably another t-thirty minutes.” Keith’s lips were turning blue, his arms shaking where he held them up to his chest. “Have I said ‘i told you so,’ about the whole jacket thing yet?”

“I don’t think so.”

Keith looked over at Lance with a small smirk on his face. “I t-told you so.”

“And I now accept that.”

Lance had a selfless thought and he hated himself for it.

He slipped the jacket off and handed it back to Keith. “I was the dumbass who didn’t bring a jacket. You should wear it.”

Keith took it but didn’t put it on. He looked in thought, as if he didn’t know what to do with the jacket. After a few seconds he looked at Lance with a glare and a sigh.

“The second we get to the Garrison, all m-memory of this leaves both of our minds, got it?” Keith borderline growled.

Lance raised an eyebrow. “All memory of w-”

His question was answered when Keith practically rammed his shoulder against Lances and wrapped an arm around his waist. With his other arm he draped the jacket over both of their shoulders like a blanket, pushing the two even closer together.

“Oh,” Lance creaked out, the blood rushing to his face. He looked over to see Keith’s face was red as well.

Their heads were right next to each other, and Lance could feel Keith’s breath. He was hyper aware of the arm around his waist. Copying Keith, he wrapped his own arm around Keith’s. He didn’t know what to focus on more, how warm he was or how muscled he was.

“Why are you so warm?” Keith asked, taking Lance by surprise.

“Huh?”

“Y-you are weirdly warm. W-why?”

If Lance wasn’t blushing before he sure was now. “I c-can’t tell if you’re looking for a logical answer. I’m j-just warm blooded.”

Lance had been wondering why Keith had said that, but when he himself randomly blurted out, “you smell n-nice,” he assumed that the cold was short circuiting both of their brains.

“T-thanks?” Keith said. “What do I-I smell like?”

“Dunno,” Lance answered back. “You s-smell very K-Keith like.”

At his response Keith chuckled a bit, causing blasts of warm breath on Lance’s cheek. Lance looked over at the boy besides him and Keith looked over as well.

They made eye contact and it made Lance’s heart stop. Lance had always seen Keith’s eyes as a strange shade of purple, but up close he found so much more in them.

“Uh, we should k-keep on going,” Keith said, his voice a whisper.

Lance hadn’t realized that they had stopped moving. He had to take a few seconds to reboot his brain before looking away and stuttering out a response. “Y-yeah.”

They shuffled on forward, fighting another gust of cold wind and pretending the earlier moment never happened.

“I can s-see the top of the garrison tower,” Lance exclaimed. “We’re almost there.”

“Good,” Keith breathed out. “And remember, not a w-word of this to anyone.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll just repress the hell out of it like I d-did to the ‘bonding moment.’”

“What?”

“What? Nothing!” Stupid hypothermia, making Lance unintentionally say things.

The two didn’t speak for the rest of the trip. They finally made it to the Garrison and Lance could practically taste the heating they’d find inside the establishment.

They got to the doors and waited for their buzz to be answered.

“Well, it’s been fun sharing awkward contact wi-with you,” Lance said, separating himself from Keith but immediately missing his warmth.

“B-back at you,” Keith said.

The door opened and the two immediately rushed inside. Lance’s skin itched as it warmed up. Both him and Keith rubbed their hands together, trying to bring feeling back to their fingertips.

“Where have you been?” Coran asked, rushing over to the boys. “The Galra ships will be here any second. Suit up!” He rushed off somewhere else, not even waiting for an answer.

Lance and Keith had to go separate ways to get to their lions. Before they split Lance offered Keith his jacket back. “Thanks for helping an idiot out,” Lance told him.

“You can keep it till the mission ends,” Keith told Lance. He started walking away until he stopped and looked back with a small grin. “It looks good on you.”

“Oh,” was all Lance could squeak out as he watched Keith walk away. HIs face was red and his heart was beating fast. He probably would’ve stood there in shock for the rest of the night until he remembered with a start where he was supposed to be.

“Right. Earth is being attacked. I should deal with that.”

[kirishwima]

Hey there amazing! I saw you asking for prompts and since I enjoy all your fics and ficlets, what about a Hance or garrison trio roadtrip AU? Have a lovely day~

i am so so late to writing this ahh im sorry, but thank you so much!

i couldn’t decide between Hance or garrison trio so,,, i went for both! Who says Hance can’t take their small angry noodle friend for a road trip? >:3

******

Are there really any words to describe it?

That feeling-it’s when you’re driving down stretches of highways, flowing miles long and the sun is beating mercilessly down to the street, your car feels warmer, there’s music playing from the radio blasted loud and your friends are singing along louder than the singer, and it’d be annoying were it not for the sheer joy in their voices, the sound a melody that carries through the open windows, wind tussling your hair in all possible directions and you could nag about it but the breeze is so welcoming and soothing;

Have you felt that?Do you have a name for this feeling?

Lance isn’t certain.He’s not certain he even wants to put a name to it in the first place.

He looks to the back seat, Pidge with her hair tied into messy pigtails, her jean overalls a size too big and sitting cross legged with a game in hand, humming along to the music.

He turns to look to the drivers seat, the smile plastered on his lips spreading further.

Hunk, his usual bandana abandoned for a sunhat, his hands on the steering wheel and his mouth forming the lyrics of the song, the sun reflecting in his eyes making them melt like liquid ambers;

Lance changed his mind.There is a name for this feeling.

It’s called love.

Deciding to go on a roadtip was less of well, a decision, and more of an impulse really.

They woke up on Friday, at eight o’clock sharp, their yawns and mumbled good mornings the only sounds heard in their shared apartment.

Hunk was too busy leaning his weight onto Lance, the only one to be considered remotely a morning person out of the three, his chin resting atop Lance’s head as he made them all some coffee, humming along to whatever song had stuck to his brain the night before.

It wasn’t until Pidge-yes, Pidge, the one person whose rumoured to break your wi-fi router if you so much as look at her in the morning, came running to the two with a wide grin, waving her phone around.

“Classes were cancelled! For the entire day!” she gleamed, nearly glowing with excitement.

Hunk joined in, jumping off of Lance and towards Pidge, both of them excited for the prospects of doing absolutely nothing, but also too excited to sleep.

So Lance shrugged and suggested it-why not go on a trip? They could go outside of town, maybe stop by the beach, that amusement park in the next city, and come back tomorrow morning, either stay at a motel for the night or pull an all-nighter driving back.

He genially didn’t expect either of them to agree.

He definitely didn’t expect them to squeal with joy, their eyes so wide and giggles so loud he couldn’t help but shake his head with a laugh, and head back to his room to pack up a bag and get through his morning routine.

By nine they were standing in front of Hunk’s car, an older yellow fiat that had definitely seen some better days, but was well preserved with ‘love care and frequent check-ups’, or so Hunk insisted.

By ten they were already in the road, Lance’s arm resting outside the window, sunglasses covering his eyes but not the grin spreading on his mouth, the sheer glee coming from his friends infectious.

Hunk put a hand over the gear shift, letting it rest there before Lance sneaked a hand over his, interlacing their fingers.

Hunk smiled but said nothing, giving Lance a fond look with a quick side glance, one that Lance returned ten-fold.

“You guys are such absolute saps” Pidge teased, no hint of malice in her words.

Surprisingly, it hadn’t been that long since he and Hunk started dating.

They grew up together, they knew they felt something for one another, but it took a few more years and a pep talk from Pidge herself to get them to confess.They expected it to be awkward at best, that each skittering touch and gaze would cause their nerves to jump on end.

But that never happened.It wasn’t like first crushes, it wasn’t butterflies in your stomach and a knot in your throat.

It was more like two halves that met and got glued together, fitting so perfectly there was never a question wether or not they’ll fit.

Pidge, surprisingly, took it far more well than they expected, what with them all being flatmates and all-she’d make the occasional teasing remark, but other than that, she’d shake her head with a fond look, the same one they came to know she’d give her brother and family, to the people she loved.

Within another hour they reached their first stop, the view of crystal blues and the scent of salt being their tell-tale sign.

Lance all but shoved his upper torso through the window, laughing furiously as Hunk ushered him back in until he found a spot to park.

“The sea! We’re at the sea!” he yelled to the pier ahead of them, to the open skies above him.

The moment Hunk killed the engine Lance was already running out of the car, dashing through the pier and down the steps that lead to the beach, not caring that he had no swimsuit with him or a change of clothes.

He could distantly hear Pidge and Hunk running after him, a mixed chorus of “Lance no” and “Lance I swear to god-“ but he didn’t stop, feet light and carrying him through thigh deep into the sea, shirt and shoes forgotten somewhere along the way, not caring about the fate of the shorts he was wearing.

He was at sea.He was home.

With arms outstretched he let himself flop down and into the water, the sun warm enough to keep his body from freezing in the cool water-it may have been warm and sunny, but it was still spring after all.

He swam a bit further away, leaving Pidge and Hunk to their own devices, before meeting them back at shore, Hunk rolling up his pants enough to reach knee deep, Pidge alongside him tugging her overalls up and wincing whenever her feet made contact with a rock or seaweed.

They stayed there for a while, mainly waiting for Lance to get dry until Hunk sighed, giving him a spare t-shirt he had brought along ‘in an emergency like this one’-Lance smirked and kissed him, wearing his boyfriends’ shirt with a proud huff.

They grabbed coffee and breakfast at a nearby coffee shop, laughing to the point of tears when the cashier asked Hunk and Lance if ‘it’s okay to give their younger friend caffeine at such an age’, which prompted Pidge to look the cashier straight in the eye and order an iced americano, with triple shots of espresso.Lance had never seen such fear in a persons eyes.

Lance took to driving this time, stealing glances at  Hunk’s sleepy side, his eyes half-lidded and head resting on the window-the exact opposite of pidge, who three espresso shots later had went through the entirety of the Fire Emblem game she brought with her, and took to talking to Lance about theLoch Ness monster, and how “She’s real Lance. I’ve seen her with my own two eyes. She’s gay and dating a siren. They’re lesbians Lance.”

Their next stop came as a short break for lunch at a diner somewhere in-between cities;

“A luminal space!” Hunk and Pidge exclaimed with bright eyes, and Lance sighed, ready for what was about to be an hourlong of arguing over what a luminal space really was-and refusing to agree with either Hunk’s theory of them being portals to alternate dimensions, nor Pidge’s theory of being disruptions in the time-space continuum that were placed here as safe marks for aliens.

By the time they left the sun was already slowly easing down, not quite bidding the sky goodbye yet.

The sky tinted pink and purple as they drove, the sight of endless expanses of green around the highway, growing trees getting scarcer as they made way to their next destination.

Everything felt more mellow; the music hummed lowly on the radio, their chatter was less, the ice in their drinks stored in the cupholders slowly melting as the ice cubes clinked to one another.

Hunk was asleep in the backseat, Pidge content in just looking to the expanse of road ahead of them, a somber quiet falling between them.

“You know”, she said after a while, voice quiet, “I’m glad we got to do this.”

“The road trip?” Lance asked.

“That too. But just…everything. Meeting, becoming friends…I’m happy we had the chance to do that.”

Lance couldn’t help but smile, turning to face Pidge with the most sincere of expressions.

“So am I. Things wouldn’t be the same without you around Pidge-on” he teased, “I’m glad we’re friends. And I’m glad you’re here” he added, focusing his gaze back on the street.

He didn’t get to see what expression Pidge made.

He didn’t have to, her short laugh giving him the reply he needed.

*****

There’s still some purple hues in the horizon, but for the most part it’s dark, street lamps swirling into life.

Dark, except for the bright neon lights ahead of them, flashing in pulses and the distant sound of screams surrounding them.

Pidge’s face was all but glued onto the window, her palms leaving prints on the glass.

“The amusement park! Look at all those rides!” she squealed, feet tapping with excitement.

Lance laughed, looking to Hunk’s terrified expression.

“You’re not planning to-“ Hunk started, promptly interrupted by Pidge.

“I am most definitely planning on going to all the rides” she deadpanned, pointing to a particularly high flashing attraction they could see even as they were parking, “see that? I’m going to that first.”

“Pidge-“

“I do not care what the height requirements for it are Hunk. I’m a girl with a purpose and Mendel’s genetics can fight me.”

Neither Hunk nor Lance dared say anything-they were just glad Mendel wasn’t around for Pidge to fight.

*****Walking through an amusement park at night, where the lights illuminate the park into a virtual daytime, musics blending and dancing in the air, the scent of cotton candy and popping corn distinct and all-surrounding, there’s a childlike glee growing inside your chest, an innocence that’s laced with fear or, for some, adrenaline as you look to wagons turning upside down, rides that spin so fast you can only hear people’s shrieks, their bodies a blur of speed.

Pidge stopped and looked to each ride, animatedly talking about its mechanics with Hunk, Lance pitching in random sprouts of knowledge when he could.

He walked lazily, hand-in-hand with Hunk, Pidge leading ahead and pointing to each attraction and attempting to enter the more frivolous ones-only to pass by the ‘you need to be this tall to enter’ signs,  and promptly got nudged away by tired-looking employees, her pout growing bigger with each person that apologised and told her she’s not allowed to enter.

Not to say she didn’t sneak by a few-she hid herself between Lance and Hunk and went through the queue for one of those spinning rides, the ones that turn around an axis and around themselves with a speed that’s made for blending milkshakes if you ask Hunk.

She walked away from it stumbling with dizziness, but with the biggest, most mischievous grin on her lips.

Mid-walk she stopped, an eyebrow raising as she turned to face her two friends.

“So…Lance…I remember you bragging about how brave and how much of a realist you are…” she started, her face feigning innocence as she swung back and forth on her feet.

Lance gulped but nodded, not liking the direction this was going.

“So if I say…ask you to go with me to that” she nodded to what Lance now distinctly recognised as a haunted horror house, “you couldn’t possibly say no now could you?”

Hunk made a small ‘ooh’ sound from besides Lance, shrugging innocently when Lance threw a glare his way.

“Yeah, I’m not going in there”, Hunk shrugged, “but you guys have fun! I’ll go grab us some sodas until you finish.”

With one quick step to the side Hunk was gone, leaving Lance to his own devices.

Pidge raised an eyebrow, looking to Lance with a coy smirk.

“What’s it gonna be, brave sharpshooter?”

“You tiny devil.”

Pidge shrugged.

“That’s an accurate description. Now are you coming or?”

Lance knew he’d live to regret this. But he was not about to get his pride wounded over a horror house, thank you very much, and if he had to walk through dark corridors with random things creeping up to spook him to prove he was the brave sharpshooter he insisted he was, then so be it.

*****

Turns out Lance is afraid of the dark.And spiders.And small narrow rooms.

And Pidge.Lance is terrified of Pidge.

Hunk hugged him after, patting his back apologetically.He tried not to let Lance know that he could hear his screams all the way outside the attraction.

*****

By now it’s somewhere past midnight.

Pidge’s asleep, curled up in the back of the car, Hunk and Lance content with taking a short driving break to a side of the street that led to an eventual dead-end, looking down to the sea and the stars above, further away from the bright city lights.

There’s an endless amount of blinking lights, and Lance points to each bright star, naming the constellations and his favourite of the stars, back laying on the hood of the car, Hunk leaning besides him, hands clasped together.

There’s starlight in their eyes and cotton candy on their lips, both of them content in simply being there in that moment, letting the day’s excitement wane down into a happy memory, wearing tired happy smiles and clothes drenched in sweat and sea water, their feet heavy but hearts settled.

It’s a good day, Lance figures, and a good night.

And there’s a name to this feeling, the one that’s been cradled in his heart for so long.

It’s called joy.Sheer, indescribable joy.

*******

i love the garrison trio and,,,i love roadtrips