#however it was worded with a big 'approximately' so who knows

[lastoneout]

I love when the city is doing work on the water pipes in my neighborhood and they decide to give us Absolutely No Warning Whatsoever before just turning the water off so I didn't have time to do anything that I need water for like I can't even fucking make myself breakfast it's great I love this

[cosyvelvetorchid]

Saturday night drabble.

*****

The first time Tommy says 'I love you' he didn't mean to. He absolutely meant it, of course. And he was planning on telling Buck, but he wanted to find the perfect way to do it.

He'd dismissed the 'obvious' ways like a room full of flowers, or a candlelight dinner in an expensive restaurant, etc. For a man who liked romcoms, he wasn't about those cliché gestures in real life.

He was, however, getting rather frustrated at not being able to figure out the perfect way to do it. He was approximately 1-2 business days away from googling 'top 10 ways of telling your partner you love them'.

He had a hard shift. It was one of those rare ones where more people died than survived. The balance of life to death usually tipped in favour of the positive, but every so often, the scale tipped in the other direction.

He was supposed to be going to Bucks after his shift for dinner, but he was too emotionally exhausted to be good company. He texted Buck to apologise and told him he'd make it up to him.

He pulled into his driveway and sat in the car for a few minutes. He'd be okay, he knew that. A hot shower and some good sleep and he'll feel better in the morning.

Eventually, he summoned the energy to get out of the car, grab his bag and walk to the door. Upon opening it he immediately heard noise in his kitchen. He dumped his bag and walked through to find Buck pulling a pot roast out of the oven.

"Hey you." He greeted Tommy with a smile. "You are right on time." He added placing the dish on the table. He removed the oven mitts from his hand and walked over to Tommy, putting hands around his neck and pressing a few chaste kisses onto his lips.

"You didn't have to do this, Evan. I told you I wasn't going to be the greatest company tonight."

"I know. And you don't have to be. I know you've had a rough day, so I just wanted to give you at least one good thing to end the day with." He smiled that gorgeous smile of his that melted Tommy's heart every single time.

It was such a simple and kind gesture, yet it was everything. In the few months they had been dating, he had realised Buck loved small gestures. Bringing him a coffee in bed in the morning or buying a bottle of his favourite shampoo to keep in his bathroom for when Tommy stayed the night. Once Tommy mentioned his grandmother used to make him meatloaf every time he visited her, and the next time he went to Bucks, he'd made it for him.

With Buck it wasn't about the big gestures of love; the romantic restaurants or public displays - it was the small ways he showed his affection for Tommy that told Tommy how he felt every single time.

Buck planted an extra kiss onto Tommy's cheek and went back to finish setting up for dinner. Tommy just watched him for a few moments, happily moving around the kitchen. There was a level of domesticity in it that made him feel warm.

"God, I love you." He said. His lips uttered the words before his brain had a chance to construct the sentence. Buck stood still, turning his head toward Tommy. His eyes were wider, and his lips parted. Almost identical to the look he given when, if Buck was left to tell the story - he'd kissed the language skills out of him.

Buck was taking an age to respond. Tommy felt pulse rise. In reality it was a few seconds. But to Tommy it felt like hours.

"Good. Because I love you too. Now come, sit and eat."

The words flowed out of Buck as though they were the most obvious and natural thing in the world.

Tommy didn't argue and made his way over to the table. He stopped to lift Bucks chin with his two fingers and planted a kiss on his lips before sitting down to eat, all the time thinking how perfect this moment was in the end.

[nayedoll]

ik wil je

joost klein x reader

summary : your crush on joost doesn’t seem so unrealistic after he dedicates one of his songs to you at his concert.

warnings : fluff, a bit suggestive towards the end but nothing crazy

a/n : some parts written in dutch may not be correct since i don’t speak dutch so im sorry in case there r any mistakes. 😞

rpf ahead, do not read if uncomfortable !!!

───────────────────────

“When is he coming on stage?” your friend, Jenna, asked as you both entered the venue where Joost’s concert was being held at.

“In two hours I think,” you answered, raising your voice a bit to be heard over the loud talking from the people around you. Jenna groaned, already feeling tired at the thought of waiting for so long.

“I cannot believe you convinced me to come this early to a concert just because you have a crush on this dude,” she rolled her eyes, earning a laugh from you.

“Who said I have a crush on him?” you teased her, both of you knowing that Joost’s music wasn’t the only thing you liked about him. You had discovered Joost through some friends shortly after having moved to Amsterdam to study abroad. The blonde artist had charmed you since the beginning and it wasn’t long before you found yourself having a little crush on him, one that you deemed as silly and would never act upon.

Although you knew there was no chance of him ever being romantically involved with you, in the back of your mind, there was still a hidden hope for something to happen at the concert. However, you would never try to initiate anything yourself and risk making him uncomfortable by doing so.

“Well if we’re gonna stand for two hours, we should at least try and get to the front,” Jenna suggested, took your hand and led you through the crowd at the arena, the air immediately becoming hotter as you pushed through the sweaty bodies of people.

Your decision to come earlier was proven to have paid off, seeing as there weren’t too many people at the venue yet. Eventually, you noticed an empty spot at the front with a direct view of the stage and walked there in a hurry to claim it for yourself and Jenna.

The stage was relatively small, with a big screen in the background that read joost klein on it. The strobe lights illuminated the room in various colors and you squeaked in excitement as you turned to face your friend, squeezing her arm.

“So what’s your plan now?” Jenna asked, her eyes scanning you up and down in a smirk. You furrowed your eyebrows, confused by her smug expression.

“My plan? Enjoy the concert I guess,” you scoffed and watched as disappointment took over her face. “What?” you exclaimed and lightly patted her shoulder.

“This is the hottest you’ve ever looked and you’re just going to enjoy the concert?” she mocked you in a coy tone. You bit back a smile. Jenna read you like an open book, being able to see right through your intentions to catch Joost’s attention with your outfit.

“Well, what do you want me to do? Go up there and fuck him?” you said as Jenna’s face lit up at your words.

“Well I don’t think he’d mind that,” she shrugged her shoulders and you playfully slapped her shoulder again, shushing her.

You two chatted as you waited, the venue growing more crowded by the minute and drowning out your nervous thoughts. After what was approximately two and a half hours, the lights finally stopped switching colors and settled on a purple hue, signaling that Joost was about to go on stage.

The familiar intro of Joost’s song, droom groot started playing, resulting in people screaming in anticipation. As Joost came out, dressed in a white button up and long black trousers, the screams only grew louder. You felt your pulse racing, your heartbeat becoming even louder than the bass ringing in your ears.

“Hallo Amsterdam,” Joost yelled into the microphone and scanned the crowd in a smile before his eyes lingered on yours. You felt Jenna’s hand playfully push you and quickly turned to look at her as she mouthed told you with a smug smile.

The rest of the concert went by normally with people dancing and screaming the lyrics to Joost’s songs. In spite of your wishes, Joost didn’t interact with you much, other than shooting continuous glances in your direction. You didn’t think much of them though, seeing as he was also interacting a lot with other people at the front.

“Dus dit volgende nummer,” (so this next song) Joost began saying and the crowd quieted down, “is een beetje anders,” (is a bit different). He suddenly looked much more nervous, his hands slightly fidgeting with his sweaty hair.

“Het is romantischer denk ik,” (it’s more romantic i guess) he chuckled and some people started cheering, you and Jenna included. “Oké hier gaan we.” (okay here we go). The audience erupted into screaming as you recognized the song to be ik wil je - one of your personal favorites of his.

You danced along to the song, putting one arm around Jenna as you noticed people hugging and jumping up and down to the beat. The atmosphere was electric and it saddened you that you would have to leave soon and return to everyday responsibilities.

It seemed like you were too caught up in the moment to notice Joost running to your direction with a smug smile. You gasped as he grabbed your hand, intertwining his fingers firmly with yours. He began singing the chorus of the song, his blue eyes piercing your face that was burning hot by that point.

“Ik wil je, blijf bij me, hou van me, ga nooit meer weg” were the only things you could hear, too focused on Joost to notice all the screams around you. You smiled at him while yelling the lyrics, the immense chemistry between the two of you obvious to everyone in the room.

The moment ended as quickly as it started as Joost let go of your hand reluctantly and backed away, breaking eye contact. Jenna shook you, bringing you back to reality and you realized only then how shaky your legs had become.

“Dude, what the fuck?” she said in a low tone as the music stopped and all you could do was shrug your shoulders and laugh in disbelief.

The concert soon came to an end as more people gradually started leaving the venue, you and Jenna being the last ones to exit the building. You were constantly checking your surroundings in hopes of spotting Joost somewhere, anywhere but to no avail. Jenna breathed a sigh of relief at the feeling of the fresh night air as you both stepped outside.

“Wanna go for drinks?” she suggested and you nodded quietly, letting her lead the way. You ended up at a small bar, a few minutes away from the venue and sat at a table near the window that showed the glistening streets, busy with cars and people passing by.

“You know you’re stupid for not getting his number, right,” Jenna broke the silence, taking a shot of her drink.

“What was I supposed to do, jump on stage?” you protested, rubbing your fingers anxiously. In all seriousness, you were bitter about what had happened earlier, mentally slapping yourself as you realized that you could, should, have pursued Joost more. But then again, if Joost was truly into you, he surely would have tried to make a move on you after the concert, right? Disappointment took over you at the realization that this was most likely some act with the sole purpose of the show, or maybe even a silly dare from his friends.

Jenna sensed your frustration and reached for your hand over the table. “Hey,” she smiled, “He’s just some guy after all, don’t forget that!” You chuckled and gave her a nod, taking a sip of your drink in an attempt to shake off the sad state you were in.

A couple of minutes passed in which you managed to have fun, letting Jenna be the speaker. Your attention on her was soon captured by the glass door opening and five tall men coming in. Your eyes widened as you recognized the last man to be Joost and Jenna seemed to notice, glancing back to see what had caused your reaction.

“No fucking way,” she exclaimed and you hushed her, burying your face in your hands.

As you lifted your head again, you were met with Joost looking directly at you, seemingly shocked as well. His friends caught on to his gaze and shared a knowing smile before one of them started singing what sounded like the words to ik wil je, teasing Joost, who let out a shy laugh. You lowered your gaze, fighting back a grin and heard Joost mumble shut up followed by a couple of laughs.

“I’m going for a smoke,” Jenna announced somewhat loudly, grabbed her purse and headed for the door, not before winking at you. Joost’s eyes flickered awkwardly between you and his friends, who had already taken a seat without him noticing. You nodded at the empty chair across from you, encouraging him to approach you, which he gladly did.

“Hey,” he smiled as he sat down, the orange light that emitted from the small lamp on the table making his dimples all the more visible. He gave you a handshake and you got chills at the familiar warmth of his big palm against yours - for the second time that night.

“Hi,” you breathed before properly introducing yourself to him.

“Pretty name,” he noted and you thanked him, your eyes never leaving his. He looked slightly different than before, wearing the same pants but with a black hoodie on top. His blonde hair wasn’t as messy anymore and a pair of glasses now covered his eyes, making him even prettier.

“Didn’t expect to see you here,” you said, switching topics.

“Yeah me neither,” Joost replied, “But I guess things happen for a reason, don’t they?” he grinned and you narrowed your eyes at him.

“What do you mean?”

“I looked for you after the concert ended but I just guessed you left in a hurry,” he went on to explain. You wet your lips in an attempt to hide your smile and your delight at the confirmation that he had in fact looked for you.

“Yeah, sorry about that,”

“What are you sorry for?” he asked, laughing.

“I should have searched for you as well but I just left,” you said apologetically, “Doesn’t that make me kind of an asshole?”

“A bit,” Joost answered, you scoffed at his bluntness and hit him playfully on his arm. “But you can always make up for it,” You raised your eyebrows at his smug expression, curious as to what he was insinuating.

“How?” you smirked, rubbing your legs together under the table to cool off the sudden rush of heat you got. Even if his initial comment wasn’t suggestive, the idea had still entered your mind as newfound desires emerged, that didn’t seem so unrealistic anymore.

“You’ll have to find out lieverd,” he said all too casually as a small chuckle left your lips.

Just then, your phone vibrated with a message from Jenna, informing you that her boyfriend would be picking her up and wishing you a fun night. You texted her back quickly, something about how lucky you were to have her as a friend and that you owe her, before setting your phone down and looking at Joost who questioned the excitement in your face.

“Wanna get out of here?” you asked him with as much confidence as possible, he nodded eagerly. His excitement only grew when he watched you get up from your seat and fix your already short skirt.

This was the first time you were both directly standing next to each other, finally noticing how much taller he was compared to you. You waited by the door for him while he briefly spoke to his friends, who seemed to cheer him on in a bad attempt at remaining quiet.

As you exited the bar, you winced at the cold air against your bare thighs, regretting your decision to wear a leather jacket instead of a long warm coat.

“I have a car, let’s go,” you held Joost’s hand and quickly walked with him to the direction of your car.

“Didn’t know you could drive,” Joost grinned.

“I can do a lot of things,” you responded.

“We’ll see about that.”

-

On the way to your place, Joost’s hand rested on your exposed thigh as you talked about various things, genuinely enjoying the company of one another. He drew small circles on your skin every now and then, the tingling sensation sending shivers down your spine.

After what felt like hours, you finally reached your place and got out of the car. You were struggling to find the right key to open the door when Joost came up behind you and stole your attention.

“Ik wil je, blijf bij me” he began singing, his voice just a bit louder than a whisper. He approached you, his arms holding your waist closer as he made you dance along to the rhythm.

“Hou van me, ga nooit meer weg”. The last words were hardly heard as Joost closed the distance between you and locked his lips with yours in a slow kiss. You kissed back almost immediately, the taste of cigarettes and liquor becoming clearer in your mouth as he deepened the kiss. He lowered his hands to your ass, caressing the area over the thin fabric of your skirt. Meanwhile, you played with his hair, gently running your fingers through his blonde locks. You felt his glasses softly press against your face, which confirmed that this was reality, that he was actually there, kissing you the way that he did.

You drew back, allowing yourself to breathe. His face was flushed, lips glistening with your lip gloss and his hair looked messy as he stared down at you with desperation.

“I should have taken you on a date first.” Joost admitted, letting out a small chuckle.

“That can be arranged for another time.” You kissed his lips softly before finally unlocking the door and dragging him inside by his shirt, excited for what the night would bring.

[bosbas]

Chapter 9: I cannot be your friend, so I pay the price of what I lost

series masterlist previous part || next part

pairing: colin bridgerton x enemy!fem!reader WC: 4.0k words

Warnings: period-typical gender roles, small part of the dialogue in French, colin being incredibly down bad it's insane, Penelope DOES NOT have feelings for colin in this, the bridgertons being tapped in as fuck

Summary: It took precisely two days in England for you to utterly despise Colin Bridgerton. It took him approximately twelve hours after that to hate you right back. But he doesn't care that you're the only person in the ton who doesn't like him. You're set to marry someone else anyway, right?

A/N: this one wrote itself basically. so enjoy! happy weekend and a big smooch

June 6, 1816 – It seems that one Mr. Nigel Berbrooke has returned after an extended unexplained absence. He was spotted at the gentleman's club last night, though only for a very short time. This author heard that Mr. Berbrooke was asked to leave only an hour into his appearance due to a particularly aggressive threat he made toward Simon Basset. It’s safe to say that he has been uninvited from the Duke’s ball this evening, and perhaps from the rest of the social season’s events as well, depending on how lenient the Duke and Duchess of Hastings decide to be. 

However, information regarding his whereabouts for the past month is scarce, and this author lacks any reputable sources about what the man has been up to while away from London. But rest assured, dear readers, that any information I receive will be relayed through this very column.

Colin looked nervously at his reflection for what seemed like the hundredth time, adjusting his cravat ever so slightly. He sighed in frustration, accepting the fact that his appearance wouldn’t look quite right no matter what he did. 

Tonight was Daphne’s ball, and he knew for a fact that you would be in attendance. As much as he was trying to convince himself that this ball was no different, he knew it wasn’t going to be the same. Not after his talk with Anthony. There were some concerningly similar aspects between Kate and Anthony and his friendship– could he even call it a friendship? –with you, and Colin was not too hard-headed to be able to admit that. 

But he didn’t want to scare you off. As much as he liked you, he knew you were skittish after everything that happened with Lord Barlow. Besides, Colin didn’t even know if you liked him, too, or if you considered all of this as just an attempt to make you look desirable to other candidates. 

Frankly, Colin wasn’t even sure he could convince you to ever marry him. Maybe just being friends, or whatever it was the two of you had now, would suffice. Truthfully, he would take anything. 

Tonight, he just wanted a dance. And perhaps a chat, too. 

Based on the past few times Colin had spoken with you, he had concluded that you might be his favorite person in the ton to talk to. The mere thought of speaking with you tonight stirred excitement in his stomach. Every time you engaged in conversation, he found himself utterly captivated, forgetting everything else around him. What's more, you seemed genuinely interested in his what he had to say, a rarity among the ton. For the first time, he felt truly understood, and he hoped desperately that you reciprocated his sentiment. 

“You look fine,” assured Eloise. “Now can we please go? We’ll never hear the end of it from Daphne if we’re late!” 

Colin grumbled in annoyance but begrudgingly made his way to the carriage. In truth, he'd do just about anything to be near you. Even if he didn’t immediately dance with you– knowing full well you would be flocked by hordes of gentlemen wanting your hand in marriage– he still liked to simply… observe you. How your eyes crinkled shut when you laughed, the way you nervously bit your lip when someone you didn’t particularly like asked you to dance, the way you fiddled with your gloves when you were itching to get out of a conversation.

Bloody hell, Colin thought, maybe he did have feelings for you. Well, not love, that would be absurd. But certainly something more than the petty rivalry that had consumed your interactions for weeks on end. It was a sobering realization, especially after relentlessly antagonizing you for the better part of seven weeks.

He was so caught up in his thoughts about you that Colin barely noticed once the carriage had arrived at Daphne and Simon’s residence.

“Colin, darling, is anything the matter?” his mother inquired, tapping him on the arm and gently leading him toward his sister’s home.

“No, no, sorry. Everything’s alright, just got a bit distracted there,” he smiled back. 

Christ, he had to get a grip. You’d be put off immediately if you saw how he was acting now. He smoothed his coat down as he entered the ballroom, eyes immediately searching for you in the crowd.

He quickly spotted you speaking to a man he’d never seen before with Isabelle and Carlos by your side. Damn, thought. He’d have to wait to ask you to dance. 

But it was no bother. In the meantime, he attended to his duties as the most beloved Bridgerton. He sought out his sister and Simon to thank them for hosting the ball, of course, and danced with Penelope Featherington. 

Yet his focus stayed on you. He found himself glancing over to where you were every few minutes, just needing reassurance that you were still there. And also because he quite liked looking at you in general.  

Colin shook his head, bringing his attention back to Penelope. He had to remind himself to pull himself together. Even though Colin had spoken to Anthony, you had no reason to believe anything was different between you two. And it wasn’t. Everything was the same. It was only Colin who had changed. Who wanted something different, something more. 

“What’s on your mind?” asked Penelope after she noticed Colin’s drifting attention.

“Ah, nothing,” he responded dismissively. “Does Lady Montclair look particularly… subdued tonight, do you think?”

“Y/N?” Penelope clarified, looking over at where you were standing next to Louis. 

“Oh heavens, don’t look now!” Colin whispered, panicked. “She’ll see us both looking and know we were talking about her.”

Penelope laughed in disbelief. “Could it be? That my dear friend Colin Bridgerton is finally falling for someone? Have you truly found roots in England? Is that why you’ve stayed for so long this season?”

Colin could only smile bashfully. She had never seen him quite like this. And though it was unusual, it was fairly endearing to see him so flustered over a girl.

“Well, go talk to her, then. What are you doing dancing with me?”

“Penelope, I dance with you at every ball. I can go speak with her after. And don’t tell anyone! I’m not even sure if she likes me.”

“Very well then,” relented Penelope, but Colin did not miss the knowing smile she sent him.

After the dance concluded, Colin chatted with his brothers for a few minutes before making his way over to you and Louis, wanting to avoid seeming overly eager. But once he started walking toward you, your head shot up, as if you could tell that he was getting nearer. 

Your eyes met for a split second, but you immediately turned your head away, choosing instead to look at your gloved hands, which were fidgeting nervously. Colin frowned in confusion at your reaction, but continued walking, thinking that perhaps you had seen someone else behind him. 

As he reached your side, he saw you chewing anxiously on your lip and his frown deepened. But he pushed through. This was what he wanted, after all. You were what he wanted. 

“Lady Montclair,” he bowed. “Would you care for a dance tonight?” he asked, a hopeful smile on his lips as he reached for the dance card on your wrist.

But you pulled your hand away abruptly, refusing to meet his eyes. “No, thank you, Mr. Bridgerton,” was your curt response. 

Colin’s confusion morphed into frustration. What was the matter with you?

“That’s alright, I understand if you want to save space on your dance card for more…serious suitors,” he cringed as he heard himself speak. But at the end of the day, he was well aware that you were looking for a titled gentleman to be your husband. “We could take a turn about the ballroom and chat for a bit,” he offered, looking at you hopefully once again.

You finally met his eyes, and he could tell you were searching for something as you looked at him, a pained look on your face.

“No, thank you,” you repeated firmly, an edge to your voice. 

Colin rolled his eyes. This was so typical of you. You let him in for about three seconds and then went back to keeping him at arm’s length for whatever unknown reason.

“Are we really back to doing this?” asked Colin, exasperated. “I thought we were friends, at the very least.”

Your spine was suddenly rigid, and a fury ignited in your eyes. “We were never friends, Mr. Bridgerton,” you ground out. “You were simply doing Eloise a favor. Now, if you’ll excuse me, there’s someone else I must dance with.”

Your voice was cold and uncaring, and Colin was slapped with a reminder of how things used to be as you sidestepped him to go toward the other side of the ballroom. 

Three steps into your journey, it was clear that there wasn’t actually anyone waiting to dance with you, but he couldn’t for the life of him figure out why you were so desperate to get away. Even at the peak of your hatred toward him, you were always open to verbally sparring. 

Colin turned around to Louis, shooting him a questioning look. But your brother could only shrug. Who knew what went on in the depths of your brain? Louis had noticed you had been slightly on edge ever since you returned from Hyde Park with your sisters yesterday afternoon, but he wasn’t expecting you to be this hostile, especially after getting along so well with Colin.

Feeling his desire to speak with you outweigh his pride, Colin turned back and grabbed your hand, turning you to face him. “If what you want is to go back to arguing, I’m happy to do that,” he said, heart sinking to his stomach at the thought of going back to how things were.

He sounded positively pathetic. But he didn’t care. All he cared about was keeping this fragile dynamic alive, keeping you near him. If Anthony and Kate could do it, couldn’t the two of you?

You seemed on the brink of tears, but your voice held an unspeakable fury. “What I want is for you to leave. Me. Alone,” you emphasized each word with a pointed jab at his chest. “Please,” you whispered, your voice faltering. “I do not wish to dance with you, or to chat with you, or even to be near you at all. Good night.”

With that, you pivoted away, heading towards the refreshment table, tears welling in your eyes. And Colin was left standing there, hand lingering over the spot on his chest you had prodded.

He felt a familiar anger rising through him. It didn’t matter that you were the only person in the world who understood him. It didn’t matter that you were completely beautiful and incredibly smart, either. And it certainly didn’t matter that he’d fallen for you. Because you still hated him. And he was a fool to ever think things could be different.

Colin was rooted to the spot, unable to move as he watched you smile and greet some gentleman or other. He flinched as he saw the man kiss the back of your hand, and watched, seething, as he led you to the dance floor. 

Deciding he needed something stronger than lemonade, Colin turned around and grabbed a glass of champagne, downing it in one go. He couldn’t believe you didn’t think he was your friend. What the hell else could you call it?

He spotted Eloise and Penelope chatting close by and stomped over to them. He was sure he looked like Gregory after a fight with Hyacinth, pouting with his arms crossed, but he couldn’t find it in himself to care. 

“I thought you were going to talk to Y/N,” said Penelope, confused to see him back so soon. 

Colin shot her a murderous look. “She wants nothing to do with me, apparently. She said the only reason I talked to her was out of a favor to Eloise.”

Eloise coughed awkwardly. “Well, didn’t you?”

“No!” shot back Colin defensively. “Not entirely, at least. I don’t know. I need to leave.” 

You were still dancing with the unnamed man, and Colin was very much still seething as he watched the pair of you twirl around and smile at one another. 

Usually, it was frustrating to watch you dance with other people because you were never like that with him. But this well and truly hurt. It hurt to see you like this when he knew, now for a fact, that he could never have that with you again. 

“I need to leave,” he repeated. He couldn’t bear to watch you do this all night.

Snatching another glass of champagne and downing that one, too, he bid his goodbyes to Penelope and Eloise and made his way across the ballroom to the exit.

“Are you leaving already, darling? You’ve barely been here an hour,” Colin heard next to him as a hand reached out for his elbow. 

Turning around, he faced his mother, who looked like she was in the middle of a conversation with Anthony and Benedict. 

Colin nodded. “I’m sorry, mother. I just can’t. I can’t stay,” he responded, voice breaking as he glanced back toward you again. 

Seeing you lean to whisper something in your suitor’s ear, he slumped forward, practically feeling physical pain at the sight. 

“I must go,” Colin said firmly, giving his mother a quick squeeze and rushing to the door. 

Violet nodded, bewildered, and followed where Colin’s gaze had been. Finding you dancing with Lord Norcliffe, Violet sent a knowing look to Benedict and Anthony. 

“I suppose Hyacinth was right,” she said sympathetically.

“And don’t you dare tell her! It’ll get to her head,” responded Benedict. 

---

“The Bridgertons will be in attendance tonight,” your mother informed you carefully as you sat in the carriage on the way to yet another ball. 

“And by the Bridgertons you mean…”

“She means Colin, yes,” answered Jacques, earning a stifled laugh from his wife, Chiara. 

Ever since they’d been back and learned of your intense hatred for Colin, Jacques had not been able to stop making a mockery of it. Usually, you were quite agreeable, and it was rare that you found yourself at odds with someone who wasn’t your sibling, so this seemingly unprompted hatred was quite amusing to your brother. 

You groaned and glared at him. “No one asked you to come tonight, you know. In fact, no one asked you to come to England at all! You could have stayed in Tuscany, and I would have been much happier.”

“Ah, but then I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to tease you about this,” answered Jacques, completely unbothered by your biting tone. 

“Whatever,” you grumbled in response, only slightly comforted by Chiara’s apologetic smile as she softly scolded her husband.

It had been four days since your run-in with Nigel, and three since you saw Colin at Daphne’s ball, and the thought of seeing him again made you feel sick. It was already bad enough that he was disgusting and had no respect for you, but it was made infinitely worse by the fact that you had let yourself grow to care for him. In a friendly way, of course. You could never have married him, anyway. But it was still embarrassing that you fell into his charming trap and thought that you could become something more than a conquest for him.

“Be nice,” your mother whispered in warning as you approached the Bridgertons. 

You shrugged her off, not needing a reminder. You had been brought up to be the perfect lady. You weren’t about to forget yourself now. You refused to give Colin that power. 

You greeted the family warmly until you got to Colin. “Mr. Bridgerton,” you said, giving him a curt nod.

Not waiting for a response, you moved to stand away from him as you looked out at the crowd. Perhaps you would find a gentleman who was actually enjoyable to talk to, though your chances seemed slim. 

Colin shifted uncomfortably on his feet, watching you intently. It seemed that your behavior at Daphne’s ball hadn’t been a fluke, after all. He ground his teeth in annoyance, growing increasingly irritated by the fact that you were just standing there.

Why weren’t you doing anything? It was infuriating. Perhaps it would have been less infuriating if it were anyone else, but it seemed like anything you did was particularly vexing to him.

Making his way over to you, he stopped beside you. Wanting to slip back into the comfort of your tumultuous dynamic, Colin took a shot at your attire. “I see the modiste-”

“Don’t,” you interrupted, your voice shaking, barely above a whisper, and your gaze locked ahead of you. 

Colin was taken aback. You had never, in all the time that he had known you, backed down from an argument. It seemed that you just… didn’t want him around at all. You hated him enough that you didn’t want to be near him. And in any way that mattered, it was worse than when you were antagonizing him.

“I’m sorry,” Colin said desperately. “I didn’t mean- Look, can we please talk? Just quickly, I just want-”

But you didn’t even let him finish. “There’s nothing to say.”

Colin scoffed, a futile attempt to hide how hurt he was really feeling. “What do you mean there isn’t anything to say? I have things to say, at least. Just talk to me.”

You finally turned to face him, feeling your stomach drop as you looked at his desperate eyes searching yours for an answer. 

“Let me rephrase. I do not wish to speak with you, in any capacity, now or any time in the future. I do not care to hear what you have to say, Mr. Bridgerton, and I would appreciate it if you could respect that, though I know that’s not usually in your nature.”

Colin could only sputter, staring at you in disbelief as you walked away. He felt his stomach turn uncomfortably as you reached a man he didn’t know, but whom you’d danced with at Daphne’s Ball. 

He had to have done something wrong. Colin hadn’t the slightest clue what, but you obviously had something against him, and it clearly wasn’t just you being silly. 

He swore under his breath. You were impossible. Not even Eloise knew why you hated him! How on earth was he supposed to know how to fix this when you refused to speak with him? It was almost easier when all you did was hurl insults at him and step on his feet as he poured lemonade down your dress.

Over on the dance floor, you couldn’t help but steal glances at Colin, mentally scolding yourself every time you did. This was not how you were supposed to be acting toward the man who had jumped at the first opportunity to compromise you.

The only reason you were dancing with Lord Norcliffe now was because he had not arrived in London until after your whole debacle with Lord Barlow. You supposed he could have heard what happened from someone else, but he was safer than the rest of the men of the ton, you thought grimly. It would’ve helped if he was interesting to talk to, or even nice to look at, but you supposed you couldn’t be very selective.

Curtsying and thanking Lord Norcliffe for the dance, you made a beeline toward Carlos and Philippe across the room. 

“You look like you don’t want to be here,” commented your brother, amused. 

You rolled your eyes at him. “Astute observation, Philippe.”

Carlos laughed and gave you a comforting pat on the head. “But what happened to your season in England? I thought you were excited to be here?”

“My mother and father were certainly excited,” you mused, taking Philippe’s lemonade and drinking from it. 

Seeing their confused looks, you briefly explained your encounter with Nigel Berbrooke, and they suddenly became very concerned. 

“Ce connard! Il est où? Je vai le tuer,” growled Philippe under his breath, not wanting the rest of the ton to hear his threat (That asshole! Where is he? I’m going to kill him).

“Philippe, it’s alright,” you assured him, glancing over at Carlos and seeing that he, too, had understood your brother’s words despite not speaking French. “I believe Simon Basset took care of him at White’s a few days ago.”

“That’s just as well, or I’d have done it myself,” he grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“You can just come to Spain next year, cariño,” Carlos said warmly.

You smiled up at your brother-in-law, silently thanking him for the offer even though you knew your parents would never allow it. 

Colin watched enviously as you had a conversation with your older brother and your older sister’s husband. He wished he could talk to you again. Even if nothing got resolved between you, he liked to hear your voice. He loved how stubborn you were and how frustrated you got when you forgot the English word for something. He just missed you, he supposed. 

Which is why, as Colin watched yet another man approach you and write their name on your dance card, he decided he couldn’t do this anymore. The watching, the waiting, the wanting. He couldn’t do any of it anymore. 

“I need to leave,” he said firmly.

Daphne, who had been standing beside him, turned to face him, startled. “Leave where?”

“India, Egypt, Morocco, back to Greece. I don’t care. I just need to get out of here.”

“What? Why?” asked Daphne, still confused. 

“You know why,” Colin responded flatly, giving her an unimpressed look. 

Daphne instinctively turned to look at you, laughing as the man you were dancing with whispered something to you. She turned to look back at her brother with a disappointed look.

“I can’t imagine leaving would be the best option.” 

“Why not?” Colin shot back. “What good can my presence possibly do?”

Daphne put a hand on her brother’s elbow, giving him a sympathetic look. However, her voice was firm. “You always leave when it gets hard, you know? You’re always the first out the door and onto a different continent. Why are you so scared of staying?”

Colin was stunned. He didn’t know his motives were that obvious. But he supposed it made sense for Daphne to know since she knew him better than most people.  

“I’m not scared of staying,” Colin insisted defensively. “I just think it’ll be better for everyone if I go.”

Daphne furrowed her eyebrows and shook her head. “And do what? What could you possibly be doing that is so important that you would abandon the woman you love?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Colin argued, his voice growing strained as he felt his chest getting tighter. “None of it matters. She doesn’t love me back. I could be down the street or in Brazil and she wouldn’t even notice. She clearly hates me and wants nothing to do with me, so why should I stay?”

Daphne crossed her arms, looking more than a little disappointed. “Well, I won’t be the one to stop you if you decide to go. But really think about whether you want to be the person who leaves time and again. Things could change. It's only been a few days since she's been like this.”

She had a point, but Colin was too upset to admit it. Daphne was right. He couldn’t just leave now. If anything, it would hurt him more than being near you with you not speaking to him. It was the strangest feeling, knowing you loved someone but feeling powerless to do anything about it. 

Colin knew he couldn’t continue like this. Perhaps he couldn’t leave, but he could certainly stay as far away as possible. 

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[hoe4rairai]

I thought of making a series of random scenarios between Raian and his S/O.

《 ♤ Let's goooooo ♤ 》

Scenario 1 :

😈 Raian pulls S/O into a tight space to get her all to himself 😈

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It was one of those festive nights, both still kept their dating a secret. Raian didn't want anyone to know about her because it's none of anyone's fucking business.

Fireworks were blazing the sky at the village. He was at the rooftop of one of the buildings watching in silence until he spotted her in the crowd with her bestie Fusui . His sharp eyes studying her tiniest details, an assassin behavior alright ... !

The cute pink silky short dress she was wearing, her beautiful long silky hair in a single braid, flat shoe that didn't aid her height but still she looked cute and small from where he was standing. His eyes gazed at her while she wasn't aware of his predatory behavior . She however, felt an intense eye on her, her head instinctively turned left and right and for some reason she raised her head up to where he was standing, she spotted him and gave him the most beautiful smile ever, which literally made him short circuit for a second.

She then got distracted by Fusui when she turned her head back to where he was, he wasn't there, she felt an undeniable heat of a body in a very close approximity to her's a strong hand around her waist and a firm pull. Without having to turn her head she knew who it was. Her back was against his chest, she then turned around to face him, she looked up at his face, he was mastering a frown and an unreadable face, when Fusui looked back where her friend was she screamed joyfully (Oh Bro you here too). He Swiftly took few steps away and moved his hands away from his S/O waist. S/O felt awkward and moved a little away not looking back at him. Raian wanted to be alone with her. The noises and sounds of different people irritated him, fireworks got on his nerves, HE WANTS HER ALL ALONE AND AWAY FROM ALL THIS NONESENS.

Suddenly, a big firm hand tugged under her soft, small arm, pulling her without any word, pushing her between the crowd to give a way, impatient and hungry. Raian finally got her where he wanted, is a dark alley away from the noisy crowd, all alone focused only on her. It was quiet and dark, moon light faint above them, she raised her head to look at him, his eyes were blown , focused on her lips, Raian, when they kiss, he never lowered his face to reach to her, but everytime he wants to kiss her, he pulls her chin up so she can reach up to him; while tiptoeing and resting her hands on his chest , He likes it that way ( he likes to show dominance in any way ) .

This time though, he was impatient, he towered over her, smirking devilishly, lifted her up wrapped her legs around him, pushing her back to the wall behind her and without a word said he started devouring her. Her neck first, the bites that drew blue bruises, the buttons of her dress were undone skilfully , her warm chest was littered with hungry bites and kisses. She moaned , he shuts her mouth with one hand while pushing his other hand, cupping her butt. That night, she will end up again in his bed, but his feelings shifted. He wants more of her, not just sex but her presence in his life. The night was magical, to say the least.

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❣️Let me know if you like the idea. I will start with the easiest and work my way up to more complicated ones..❣️

[moonsreid2]

Doctor Who-Spencer Reid

Summary: Spencer realises that he didn't actually know the girl who sat in front of him every day as much as he thought.

Pairing: Spencer Reid x F!reader (no use of y/n)

warnings: none! just fluff, reader is a doctor who fan because I'm self-indulgent as fuck

lmk if you enjoyed :)

She sat there, like usual. Nothing different about her should have made Spencer act this way. Except for the mug she was holding, the contents held the same coffee she always made but that wasn't the reason why Spencer stopped in his tracks.

The mug was of a special blue police box, that he would have recognised a mile away, the main feature of his favourite show. It was a mug of the Tardis. Her smile sipped on the mug, drinking away like normal, but he couldn't move. He was quite literally, starstruck.

"You okay, Pretty Boy?" He didn't have to turn to know who had just spoken to him.

But he turned anyway, locking eyes with Derek instantly, "The mug, Morgan, look at the mug." He whispered.

"What's the prob-"

He was cut off before he could finish the word, "The mug is the Tardis, She likes Doctor Who? Has she ever spoken to you about Doctor Who? How didn't I know she liked the show? Why has she never told me? What Doctor do you think is her favourite? Derek why arent you stressing out about this?"

"Because, Loverboy, it's a mug." His eyebrows raised as if it was no big deal at all, but Spencer thought he was crazy. How can no one care about this? Doctor Who is one of the best shows created and no one is freaking out that the girl he has been, not so, secretly crushing on for the past two years is drinking out of a mug that's about the show.

"Thanks, Morgan, you're great help" He scoffed.

"Would either of you explain to me why you're both staring at that poor girl?" Emily magically appeared in between Derek and Spencer placing her hands on their shoulders.

"Reids freaking out because his lady is drinking out of a mug from a weird nerd show he likes" Morgan takes this opportunity to smirk while taking a sip out of his own mug. Which ended up being a terrible idea, because Emily decided this was a great time to smack Morgan over the head.

"Stop bullying the poor guy, Doctor Who is a great show" Emily defended, which Spencer was greatly appreciative of. However, she turned to him and said, "But, just go talk to her instead of staring at her, you're gonna freak her out, you moron" She pushed him towards her, which he wasn't greatly appreciative of this time.

"Hi!" Spencer smiled at her, sitting lightly on the corner of her desk.

"Hi, are you okay?" She smiled.

He rubbed the back of his neck, "Yeah, I just noticed your mug, do- do you like Doctor Who?"

"What? Oh! Yeah, i love it! Have I not told you that before?" Her smile faded slightly, realising that she never told him such an important part of her life.

"No, you, ehm haven't" He giggled slightly, and she took this opportunity to walk over to refill her coffee, which Spencer immediately followed "Did you know the regenerations were an accident?"

"Really?"

"Yeah! A faulty mixing desk made the appearance of William Hartnell overexposed to the point where it was almost white which ended right after Patrick Troughton could be put in his place!"

"It was really an accident? I would have thought they made it on purpose its such an iconic part!" She encouraged, pouring the pot into her now famous mug. "Got any more facts for me, Doctor?"

"Ehm- Sure yeah!" He nodded his head before saying "David Tennant who played the 10th doctor, had a daughter in the episode "The Doctors Daughter" who was played by Georgia Tennant, who he ended up marrying and she's also the daughter of Peter Davidson, the fifth doctor!"

"You really do know everything don't you?" She smiled at him, and Spencer thought his heart had stopped right then.

"Not really, its certianly impossible for a human to know everything but I take pride in knowing I know approximately 78% more facts than the average human." He rolled his lips inwards, into a smile, making her blush which therefore made Spencer blush even more.

"Would you want to come over one time?" She blurted, Spencer taking a back, "I- I mean to watch it with me sometime, you know and we could get to know each other better? Maybe?"

"Really? Like as a date?" Spencer immediatly regretted the words that came out of his mouth, it was obviously not 'like a date' how could he just be so stup-

"Yes Spencer," She smiled at him, "as a date"

"Y-Yeah! That would be great!"

"I'll organise a date and a time then," She says smiling as she walks away.

Spencer stood there starstruck for the second time that day and was approached by Derek and Emily again.

"You alright, kid? You look a bit shaken up" Derek smacked his back.

"My first date ever is watching Doctor who." He stated, smiling like a schoolboy, walking away still smiling.

Emily's hand immediately rose in front of Derek's chest, folding her fingers inwards several times back and forth. "Cmon, owe up"

He immediately opened his wallet and placed 50 dollars into her palm "You suck, Prentiss, you know that right." Almost shouting now as she walks away.

"Yeah but you swallow" Blowing a kiss to him, making the rest of the BAU team giggle, but the two will never know their friends betted on their relationship and they will never know why Rossi, Emily and Penelope are all 50 dollars richer.

[peachymilkandcream]

Fraud | Part 12 | Yandere All Might x Hero!Reader

(A/N: Rewatching the show and writing this at the same time has just solidified in me that my version of All Might is fucked beyond comprehension. But anyways- Hope you enjoy and comment to be added to the taglist!)

WARNINGS: noncon, dubcon, manipulation, domestic abuse, yandere themes, forced marriage, forced pregnancy, stockholm syndrome, graphic depictions of violence, mind breaking, misogyny, power imbalance, age difference, cheating, forced orgasm, suicide, etc.

================================================

All Might tried his best not to grimace at the bright fluorescent lights. He was used to hiding in the shadows and fighting crime during the day, sitting in a police station for questioning was not something he was particularly enjoying. There were so many more important things that he could be doing at this moment.

"Is there a problem sir?"

"Thank you for coming, please, take a seat."

There wasn't an answer to All Might's question, and he much more preferred to stand in situations like this, his height intimidated those in his way to cower in fear.

"No thank you, I'll just stand."

The man across from him sits anyway. "Now I'm sure you know it's no big secret that you decided to take on another sidekick, you made it rather public."

"That I did." He chose his words carefully, never once acknowledging his feelings towards Shade.

"Are you aware that your newest sidekick is currently missing?"

"I was aware, but I believed that perhaps she may have gotten intoxicated and lost, or her quirk allows her to do more than we thought and chose to disappear."

"We have-" He paused, thinking of how to phrase this. "Speculation, that she could have been taken."

"I see. Any leads as to who?"

"No, none. Which is why I asked you here, do you know if she had any enemies?"

All Might took a pause to think, trying to fabricate this whole story and clear him of suspicion entirely. Officers were tough, that could see through lies and use methods to get the suspect to reveal the truth.

"Now that you mention it, there was one."

The man perks up at once, straightening up and pulling out a notepad. "Please, continue."

"Shortly after Shade came to work for me she mentioned wanting to see a man, another pro, that she had met on our patrols."

"Who was he?"

"I'm not sure, but I could try and find out if you'd like."

"Yes that would be most helpful. But continue."

"Well, she had planned a day or so ago to meet up with him, and had confided in me she was doing so. However I advised against it, there was something about that man that seemed- sinister-"

"Sinister how?"

"As the Symbol of Peace, one gets acquainted with evil-doers. Ones of all sorts, and there was something about this man that made him feel just like one of those criminals in your jail cells."

"Is that so? And did she meet up with him?"

"I'm not sure, but I don't think she had any other plans that night."

He seemed very pleased, a lead presented to him, all tied up in a bow. "And when approximately was the last time you saw Ms. Shade?"

"Well that would have been- five o'clock? I believe five, we were through with working for the day and I promised to see her the next day for her next day of work training."

"And that was the last time you saw or heard from her? No texts, phone calls, emails?"

"Nothing at all."

"I see, well thank you All Might for all of your helpful information. I'll get this off and we'll look at the next steps." He extended a hand to shake.

"Of course." All Might accepted it. "It was the least I could do. I hope you find her, it's hard to get good sidekicks these days." He laughs slightly, making the chief of police join in with him.

"You always know how to bring some positivity into a dark situation All Might."

"It's what I do best. Now feel free to let my other sidekick Sir Nighteye know if you need anything else, but my hero work doesn't stop if one person is missing. I have to get back out there!"

He rushes off, breathing a sigh of relief that hopefully he had past the test and was now above suspicion.

================================================

Precious time had been spent working her way out of those restraints. Shade had made a shadow clone of herself to look around the penthouse for a key before determining All Might had taken the key with him. So she turned to picking the lock with bobby pins.

How much time had passed she didn't know, worry about him returning filling her. But who knew when the next chance would be for her to have time away from him to work at this? She had to take a risk now.

When each of them had finally clicked open she made sure to be as careful as possible when leaving that bed, fearing he had put some kind of alert device in the penthouse to go off should she move.

Shade tried to ignore the dripping in between her legs, she didn't have time to clean up now, but made a personal reminder to thoroughly cleanse herself of this man she used to call a hero. This fraud. The last thing she wanted was to end up pregnant by the man who had kidnapped her and done things to her without her consent.

The main door was locked, as were most of the windows. The front door was an absolute no, who knows who had been told of the situation, who would stop her and bring her back. No, it had to be one of the windows.

Shade marched over to one and tried to open it, but the lock held fast. Her arm was still broken, and she had to be careful how many shadow clones she made before she was at her limit and therefore trapped at the top of a skyscraper. She had to be smart about this.

Her lack of experience and training were showing now, most pros would know how to get out of a situation like this easily and here she was aimlessly hacking at a window lock with a butcher's knife. There was nothing else she could think of to do or use so she went with that she thought best. Eventually the lock had to give out, right?

She was hopeful, believing soon she'd be free of this mess. Get the police to DNA test the semen found in her body and put All Might in Tartarus prison for the rest of his life. Never to be free to fool and then harm another living soul ever again.

Or so she thought until the door opened.

Slowly Shade turned, knife still in hand, terror running through her as she looked up at her captor.

"Now I thought I told you to stay put."

[thefrogdalorian]

The Best of Both Worlds - Chapter Three

Din Djarin x Female Reader Modern!AU

❁ Series Masterlist ❁ My Masterlist ❁ Read on AO3 ❁

Word Count: 8323 Rating: General Summary: Your internet bestie arrives in preparation for the Star Wars convention you will attend together. Everything is set for the greatest weekend of your life! Until you arrive at the con and find yourself overwhelmed by all the crowds and noise. At least you have numerous incredibly realistic Mando cosplays to distract you from how stressed you feel, and there's one in particular which is uncannily accurate... Content Warnings: Reader struggles to eat due to nerves and feels anxious due to crowds. Also, not sure if it's really a warning, but there's some allusions to fandom discourse in this one, particularly how men in the SW fandom can behave towards women. So warning for fandom wank, I guess, but reader goes off on them ;) Author's Note: A very long update, wow. Honestly, this chapter was semi-autobiographical lmao. It was my exact response to how busy SWC was last year, even down to hiding under the stairs! Except I did not have a cool internet bestie (just my uncool irl bestie), nor did I stand up and speak in a panel like reader does. I did however see many amazing cosplays and the picture of the Din cosplayer is one I took there! :) Hope you like this one. Not sure for how long me updating every two days will last, but my mind is fully focused on this story for the moment, so who knows! Thank you once again to the wonderful @suresnips for being my beta! Couldn't do it without you ♡

3. This Is Why (I Don't Leave The House) [Reader's POV]

You could scarcely believe that the person you had spent so many hours of your life gushing over The Mandalorian with online, was really here with you in your little flat. Ria had arrived a few hours ago and you two had instantly gotten along famously. Somehow, it was as though you had always known her, even though this was the first time you were actually meeting in person. 

You had left your flat earlier in the evening with a mix of trepidation in the pit of your stomach and overwhelming excitement crackling like electricity as it coursed through your veins. The prospect of finally meeting someone who meant so much to you was both daunting and exhilarating. There were so many things that could go wrong, since you had never spent any time together in person and were unsure of your dynamic in that sense. There was pressure, too, particularly bearing the distance Ria had travelled from the U.S. in mind, plus the money you had both spent on ForceCon tickets. 

It was a big deal for you to invite someone over to your flat to stay with you like this. From morning until evening, the two of you would be in each other’s presence constantly. At least it was only for five nights… Ria was leaving first thing Tuesday morning as you had to get straight back to work. You quieted your nerves with the thought of how brief her visit would be, until a notification lit up your phone and made your stomach drop:

[thisistheslay]: 18:36: I’M HEREEEEEE!!!! 

Ria must be here at the station. You searched around frantically for her, trying to spot her amongst all the commuters that were barreling through the station. You realised, then, that you had no idea how tall she was compared to your own height. That was something you had never needed to know online. Finally, you spotted the brown hair and thick black glasses that you instantly recognised as your internet best friend’s, making her way towards the barrier and the incredible weekend of nerdy fun that lay before the two of you.

After approximately five seconds of being in each other’s presence, you knew that all your fears were unfounded. 

As Ria had fumbled with her phone to make the contactless payment and make her way through the gates, the way her face had lit up at the sight of you instantly allayed your anxiety. The bone-crushing hug she had pulled you into had helped too, it was hard to believe she was actually here with you. This hug was for all of the hard days you had endured, separated by many miles when the two of you had just wished you could wrap the other in your arms and be there for them. 

It struck you how poised Ria was in real life, too. At the end of the day, the two of you shared a pretty nerdy hobby, it would have been understandable if she was quiet and a little nerdy. But here your internet best friend was, pushing her way through the busy rush hour crowds and throwing the death glares of the commuters, mainly old men in suits, who had glared at the two of you for daring to embrace in the middle of the station hall and block their way from making it to the next tube. 

It always baffled you to witness how eager people were to push and shove their way through others for the sake of arriving at their destination just two or three minutes earlier. Somewhere along the way, it felt as though a basic human kindness had been lost in how Londoners seemed to interact with each other when it came to public transport. 

But that was a gripe for another time. Your best friend was here, you would not let anyone ruin that. As you emerged from the station and onto the street, you found at a loss for what to say, other than asking about her flight. Luckily, Ria filled the gap in conversation by incessantly babbling about her travels here and the shady characters she had encountered during her two layovers, as she chatted all the way back to your flat. All the guilt you had felt at having her make her own way here – you had wanted to meet her at the airport but work had prevented you from getting away on time – vanished as you saw how much confidence she possessed. Her bubbliness was almost overwhelming, you could scarcely get a word in edgeways. But secretly you were glad of it; ordinarily you found that you were a little awkward in the presence of people you had just met as you adjusted to their presence and their energy. Ria more than compensated for your social shortcomings and fortunately, your dynamic appeared as though it would translate from online into the real world.

Ria burst into your flat after you had met her at the station, full of enthusiasm, lighting every corner of your abode with the warmth and humour that had always been present online. It was incredible how much energy she had actually, considering the fact she had just endured a transatlantic flight. You marvelled at her energy levels, considering you felt exhausted after merely going to the shops. It was so amazing to have her here with you, though. 

You had laughed before meeting her about how bizarre it was that internet friends always seemed to know the most intimate details about your life, in a way that you never felt comfortable sharing with real life friends… but you had never seen each other’s legs! Yet, now Ria was here, legs and all. 

The two of you were inflating the air mattress for Ria to sleep on, keen to get an early night after so much travelling and how early the two of you would need to be up to make your way to the Dockside Convention Centre for the Con the following morning. You positioned the air mattress underneath the TV, on which you had just spent hours watching your favourite episodes of the show that had brought the two of you together. Of course, you had only intended to watch one episode. But with Mando, there was no such thing as only one episode. Once you started, you just couldn’t stop and you had ended up watching most of the second season. Both you and Ria agreed that the second half of it was incredible, but it was a bit of a slow start. Overall the pair of you preferred the first season, which was a pretty popular consensus amongst fans.

Ria had no qualms about her sleeping arrangements. London was an extortionate city at the best of times, but accommodation when ForceCon was in town – especially close to the convention centre – had meant that your offer to allow Ria to stay in your flat was the only way she had been able to afford to come. It was a debt to you that Ria was grateful for. You didn’t see it as any kind of debt though, you knew she would do the same for you. 

Plus, there was no way you could not offer to help her. If something as ridiculous as actually encountering Mando happened, she would never be able to forgive you if she was not by your side.

Ria had always been your closest friend since you had first met her online and you were so relieved that there had been no hint of awkwardness between the two of you. Ria had made herself right at home, and you had struggled to believe as the chatter and laughter continued that this was genuinely the first time the two of you had ever met in person. 

You watched in awe as Ria moved around your flat, her brown hair which she usually wore in a bob, now tied up ready to sleep. The glasses with thick-black frames were still on her face, a sure sign she would be scrolling on her phone, probably replying to people on her wildly popular blog, before she finally got some sleep. 

Now that she had changed into the tank top and shorts that she would sleep in, you could see more of the extensive tattoo collection she possessed, including a few Mandalorian tattoos. There was an outline of Mando’s helmet that was so well-done, it made you want to rush out to the nearest tattoo shop and get one for yourself. You knew there would be tattoo artists at the Con too, but you also knew you would inevitably chicken out.

With her confident nature and collection of tattoos, you were both in awe of, and utterly intimidated by your best friend. You thought, as you watched her climb onto the air mattress with a giggle, as it tossed her around, that Ria seemed so much older than you even though she was actually eighteen months younger! But that was the bizarre thing about being in your mid twenties, people either seemed to be fully formed adults or still more like teenagers. There was rarely any inbetween. 

You shouldn’t have been surprised that the two of you had gotten along so well. After all, you and Ria shared a similar sense of humour, had a similar taste in music (that wasn’t the Mandalorian soundtrack) and a love of books that had allowed your friendship to blossom into something more than purely an entirely Mando-centric friendship that you felt like you shared with some of your other online friends. It wasn’t as though the friendships were shallow or that you didn’t get on with them or anything, but you had just not spoken more deeply about other parts of your lives in the same way as you had to Ria.

“How’s the air mattress?” You asked with a smirk as you watched Ria toss and turn as the unpredictable surface tossed her around.

“It’s fine! Just a bit lively but honestly now I’m lay down, it’s super comfortable. I’ll be asleep in no time,” Ria smiled.

“Good,” You nodded. “Still can’t believe you’re really here. I thought about this moment for months but now it’s actually here, it’s surreal,”

“I can’t believe I’m here either. In this flat, which I’ve seen so many times on FaceTime. It feels so weird in the best way!” Ria laughed. “We’re going to have the best time this weekend.”

“We are. It’ll be incredible,” You breathed, trying to contain your excitement so that you would actually be able to get some sleep. The thought of being surrounded by so many fellow Star Wars nerds was electrifying.

“And don’t forget that panel tomorrow, when we finally meet Mando!” Ria exclaimed. “I’m sure he’s going to fall in love with me at first sight.”

“In your dreams, Ria,” You rolled your eyes playfully. “Goodnight, see you bright and early in the morning.”

“Goodnight bestie, I need to get my beauty sleep for Mando,” Ria added with a wink.

You shook your head with a grin on your face as you made your way into your bedroom, still utterly bemused by Ria’s utter conviction that the two of you were somehow going to encounter the man who was sworn to complete secrecy. You kind of admired Ria’s utterly unshakable confidence in the matter, even if it was a little delusional. At the end of the day, though, you knew it was all lighthearted. She wasn’t the type of person to try to hack into CCTV cameras or bribe the doctors and nurses at the hospital where a suspiciously-realistic cosplayer had surprised sick children. Ria loved The Mandalorian a great deal, but she also had other hobbies and interests. 

As you tried your best to convince your body that it really needed to sleep before the Con tomorrow, you were struck by how surreal this all felt. Tomorrow, you would travel to what would become, for the next few days, the nerd centre of the world. It was an event that you had dreamt of going to for years, where all of the latest Star Wars projects were announced. Yet, you had never imagined it would be possible to attend, due to how expensive a trip abroad would be. Luckily though, ForceCon travelled around regularly and the stars had aligned to make this possible for you. When it had been announced that the next one would be held in London, you knew you had to do whatever it took to be there.

After almost an entire year of anticipation, you knew that in just a few short hours you would be there, at the event where everyone who was anyone in the Star Wars world and the people who admired them were to be found. 

There was just one exception, though. Mando would never get to see how much the fans appreciated him. Keeping his identity a secret meant that he would never be able to feel the amount of love that fans held for him. Your heart constricted as you thought about it. Even though you had tried in vain to convince yourself that you didn’t really care that much about not knowing who he was, you thought it sad that the man, who was so beloved by people young and old, might never know how truly appreciated he was. You just hoped that one day, on his own terms, he would allow himself to feel some of it. 

It was a thought that lulled you off into sleep, underneath the large poster of Season One that hung above your single bed.

The familiar sound of the opening theme to The Mandalorian jolted you awake. With its rhythmic drum beat and melodic bass recorder, it was really the perfect alarm. What wasn’t so perfect, however, was the ungodly hour at which it had interrupted the peaceful slumber you were enjoying. You fumbled around, bleary-eyed in the early-morning light as your hand felt around the nightstand to turn it off, frustrated at being awoken. Until you remembered precisely why you were awake at five in the morning.

For a second you lay there and closed your eyes, attempting to compose yourself and stop the fluttering in your stomach as the realisation dawned upon you: It was ForceCon day!

Finally, after months and months of anticipation, you would finally get to have one of the best weekends of your life. The big day was finally here and you and Ria did not want to miss a single second of time there, hence the early start. The venue for the Con, the Dockside Convention Centre, was a considerable distance from the outskirts of the city where you lived in your rented flat, which somehow fell within your budget despite how close it was to the tube station. 

The journey to the convention centre was even further than your daily commute to the museum where you worked. The thought of a journey that would take upwards of an hour to start your day, before you had even contended with the crowds at the convention, was slightly distressing to you. But you knew that with Ria by your side, there was no doubt that you would be able to get through it.

Getting up at five meant that you had ample time to get ready for the event. Your outfit was comfortable and practical but still showed your nerdy side. It had been somewhat of a project for you in the run up to the convention, with a denim jacket that you had walked past in a shop window and fell in love with, decorated with various iron-on patches that were a nod to your favourite characters. You coupled it with a comfortable pair of black jeans that weren’t too tight – a must when doing as much walking as you were about to do this weekend – and your trusty favourite pair of shoes. 

You wandered into the main room of your flat, quietly watching as Ria sat on the small couch and expertly applied the finishing touches to her make-up. Suddenly, she snapped the handheld mirror shut and turned to face you.

“Are you ready for the greatest weekend of our lives?!” Ria asked enthusiastically.

“Yes… but no… but yes!” You exclaimed, still unsure how to process the rush of emotions that you were feeling about the day ahead.

“Let me just fill my water bottle up and then I’m ready,” Ria said as she jumped up from the couch and grabbed the titanium bottle that was covered with various Star Wars characters.You chuckled at that. Despite how effortlessly cool your friend seemed to most people, even you, it was reassuring to know that at heart, Ria was still a nerd.

After one last check that you both had your passes for the event, you grabbed the backpacks you had carefully packed the previous evening, between episodes of The Mandalorian, and headed out, to where a weekend of nerd heaven awaited. 

Waking up so early had meant that the two of you could take your time getting ready and then head out to the convention before the main rush hour began on the tube. Much as you loved your sleep and wanted to feel well-rested, being able to avoid the worst of the crowds was a deeply appealing prospect. Plus, you would have a chance to stop for breakfast closer to the convention hall and eat food that wasn’t horrendously overpriced. 

But as you sat there, staring at the sandwich you had ordered and barely taken a few bites of, you seemed to have a mental block when it came to actually finishing the thing. You wanted to, you knew you needed to get some food in your body to give yourself the fuel for contending with the crowds at the convention. Try as you might, though, your mind was not onboard.

“Too nervous?” Ria asked with a knowing smirk as she munched on some fruit.

“I guess,” You shrugged, feeling as though your stomach had tied itself into knots and was attempting to strangle itself. 

“You can always bring it with you. We’ll probably have to get in line and wait around for a while before we go inside. Perhaps you’ll feel like eating then,” Ria suggested.

“Yeah, good idea,” You smiled, suddenly feeling immensely relieved that you had someone else here with you. “I don’t know how I’d do this without you, Ria. Thank you.”

The two of you left the cafe with your takeout coffee cups and finally headed towards the convention centre. As you made your way towards the crowds of people, your stomach dropped as you noticed just how busy things were going to be. For the first few hundred feet, things weren’t too bad as you were sent down what appeared to be a wide, service road, built into the side of the convention centre with the masses of people who were all heading in the same direction as you.

You stuck to the side of the walkway, where you could see the roads and city below, and feel the fresh air on your face over the barrier that bordered one side of the walkway. As long as you could still see daylight and the crowds were moving, you were fine. Slightly stressed, but you could cope. 

However, the sight that greeted you at the end of the walkway was like something from your worst nightmares. It was your first glimpse inside the packed convention hall, where you had been so certain that you would have the greatest weekend of your life. But if it involved walking into something as stressful as the sight before you, you were not so sure that it would be the incredible experience you had built it up to be in your head.

As far as you could see, in the biggest room you had ever stepped foot in, there was an endless sea of people. The space was enormous and industrial, with a black floor and white sliding doors at the far left end that opened sporadically to let attendees into the main hall. You felt sick as you looked at it, you couldn’t survive more than a few minutes in that space, especially without knowing how long you would be there for. But no one you encountered appeared to have any idea as to how long you would be in this space. You were just glad that you had arrived a little before the doors to the con opened.

You had expected that, given that ForceCon was officially endorsed by Lucasfilm, it would at least be professionally organised. Instead, though, it seemed as though there were a small number of stressed out volunteers responsible for herding the attendees into a series of pens, with no security or leadership in sight. The poor workers looked incredibly stressed and overwhelmed by the influx of people.

“Ria, I don’t know if I can do this.” You mumbled when you noticed the crowd of people that you were being swept towards as the volunteers motioned for you to fill one of the pens. It seemed as though it would never end, as far as your eyes could see there were people. You felt panic rising in your chest, how were you ever going to get out of here?

“Just breathe, bestie. Breathe.” Ria said, placing her hand upon your back soothingly. “This won’t last forever, it’ll all be worth it. Think about the Mando cosplays! Look, there’s one over there!”

But it was no use. Not even the greatest Mandalorian cosplay in the galaxy would be able to comfort you now. Panic was rising in your chest, you felt overwhelmed by being stuck between two metal barriers in a pen full of people.

You tried your best to focus on her words as you took a seat on the cold, hard floor of the hall. The buzzing in your head was back, it grew louder and louder. You shut your eyes and stared at the floor, hands covering your ears as you willed time to go faster.

“Won’t be long now. I promise,” Ria said reassuringly.

How was she always so calm and composed when you felt as though the world was ending over a few people in a room together? It seemed almost unfair. But you knew that Ria would not want you to feel bad, she just wanted to make sure that you were going to be alright.

Mercifully, before too long, the con opened and you eventually began to move out of the enormous room. At that moment, you felt excitement bubbling up in the pit of your stomach as it dawned on you that you were about to enter Star Wars heaven. You glanced for the first time at the various incredible cosplays that surrounded you, in awe of the hours each person had dedicated to their craft.

Any relief you felt was short-lived, though. The main hallway was not much better. You couldn’t move, or stop to think. The crowd continued plodding down the hall towards a destination unknown. You were sure it was the busiest place you had ever been in your entire life. 

“Just keep swimming, swimming,” You chanted to yourself under your breath as a way to soothe yourself. 

You took deep breaths and concentrated on the rhythmic thudding of your feet as you stared up the ceiling and continued on your way. You instantly felt lighter, the beginnings of a smile traced across your features when you looked up and saw a giant poster of Mando hanging from the ceiling. If you could just make it to him, you would be most of the way down the corridor and then you would almost be at your destination: the main hall.

Focusing on the Mando poster helped and before you knew it, you were there, surrounded by a dizzying variety of stalls selling more Star Wars merch than you had ever seen gathered together in one place in your entire life. You thought you had a pretty impressive collection yourself – having a proper, adult salary had made it easier to give into your whims and purchase a variety of collectibles – but this was really something else. 

You were like a kid in a candy shop, mouth open as you wandered from stall to stall, taking in the wares of the various vendors. You felt like Mando the first time he visited Tatooine. He had wandered around just like you were, amazed by the variety of produce on display. Unlike Mando, though, you were unable to get even remotely close to the stalls. There was a throng of people gathered at each one. You were not the least bit assertive in crowds, you had no desire to engage in a battle with your elbows through a gaggle of fellow nerds for some slightly-overpriced collectibles.

“Shall we find somewhere to sit and catch our breath before the panel?” Ria asked, sensing your discomfort. For someone that you had only met face-to-face the previous evening, she was more perceptive than some people who had known you for years.

You headed out of the main hall, desperate to find any relief from the overwhelming noises and sounds that the thousands of people crammed inside the Dockside Convention Centre were currently creating. The first place that you noticed was a staircase. You ducked under the metal bar that surrounded the bottom of it and flopped down unceremoniously on the floor, finally feeling your nerves begin to settle as there was a physical barrier between you and the rest of humanity for the time being. Things suddenly felt a lot quieter and more manageable as the buzzing in your head began to subside. Ria sat opposite you, her blue eyes looking into yours concernedly.

“Ria, I’m sorry I’m such a nervous wreck. It’s just… it’s so much busier than I was expecting.” You admitted.

“Girl, shut up. This place is crazy. Like, the craziest place I have ever been in my entire life. I suffer with this shit too.” Ria admitted. “I think I’m just running on, like, the adrenaline of thinking about Mando being at that panel.” 

“Ria, he’s not going to be at the panel!” You laughed. “Please stop being delusional!” 

“Sure, there he is right now!” Ria giggled breathlessly as she pointed towards the main hallway, which had emptied somewhat since you had fought your way through it just a few minutes ago.

You had fully intended to make another jibe about Ria being delusional, but when you turned your head, the sight caused all coherent thoughts to leave your brain. You were transfixed at the sight before you. It was as though you had suddenly been transported a long time ago to a galaxy far, far away. The most incredible cosplay you had ever laid eyes upon was heading straight towards you. The armour itself was immaculate, the details on it really looked as if they were forged out of Beskar by a Mandalorian armourer. Of course you knew that screen realistic cosplays existed, you had obviously seen the viral footage of a Mando cosplayer visiting a children’s hospital a few months ago. But it was more than the armour that made your entire world pause on its axis. It was the way this cosplayer carried himself: the self-assured, confident swagger that you would recognise anywhere. The way his hands were held at his side, somewhere between relaxed and tensed, ready to put his finger on the trigger at a moment’s notice. For one brief, fleeting second: you could have sworn that the real Mando was actually walking towards you.

“Wow… that’s…” You stuttered, failing to find words that could capture your feelings towards the sight before you. 

“Um, excuse me! I’m the one who gets called delusional and obsessed with Mando, but look at you!” Ria said with a knowing smirk, clearly where words had failed… your face had betrayed you. “You’re getting flustered over a cosplay!”

You couldn’t even deny it. You were feeling more than a little flustered. It was the first time you had ever seen a Mandalorian in real life. Nothing could have prepared you for it, the presence that the man had, even from this distance. Watching the way he carried himself as he had swaggered down the main hallway had been intoxicating to behold. It was also the way with his T-visor, that you never knew exactly where his eyes were trained. They could be right on you or they could be looking right past you, you would never know. As far as you were concerned, he had picked you out from the crowd, his eyes focusing on you and only you as he walked down the hall. It was an electrifying thought, you felt little bolts of electricity all over your skin. You had half a mind to run up to him and beg him to bring you in warm or cold, he could decide, you really weren’t fussy. 

“Hellooooooo, bestie!” Ria said sarcastically, waving her hand in front of your eye line, which was still trailed off into the distance where the cosplayer had disappeared into the crowd. “Anyone home?” 

“Sorry.” You said, shyly. Now that the Mando cosplay had walked past, you had sadly realised that he was not making a bee-line for you to sweep you off your feet, you felt a little embarrassed. “I just couldn’t stop staring. That was an amazing cosplay.” 

“It was. Or maybe… it was really him!” Ria said, throwing her arms like a conspiracy theorist gif that your groupchat had sent one too many times. 

You both collapsed into full belly laughter at that. Ria was so devoted to the bit at this point that you just went along with it. You silently called a truce: you would stop calling her delusional, it was a fun joke that had distracted your anxious brain from the throngs of people that surrounded you, just beyond the metal railing of your refuge under the stairs. Despite the distraction, they had not magically disappeared.

“The Mando panel isn’t for a couple hours yet. Is there anything you want to do beforehand?” Ria asked, once the two of you had finally stopped laughing. 

“Uh. I don’t know. We could go and have a look around, find where the stages are maybe and then have lunch?” You suggested, not feeling like working your way through the hordes of people by the stalls again. 

So Ria and you did exactly that, getting your bearings and orienting yourself in the massive convention hall. There seemed to be so much to see and do, you were so grateful in that moment that you had splurged on four day passes. It would probably take you four days to walk around the entire thing! Your exploration of the centre meant that by the time the panel came around, you were grateful that you would be able to sit down, you were more than ready to rest your tired, achy legs. 

As you made your way into the room where the panel would be held, you went out of your way to thank the staff on the door. You knew most of the people who worked here were volunteers and a lot of the panel goers were looking straight through them. Manners cost nothing though, a simple “thanks” and a smile and nod were enough to make someone feel valued when they perhaps felt as though they were doing a thankless task. You couldn’t understand why more people wouldn’t take just two seconds to say thank you.

Your heart was thundering as you took a seat in the hall. For a strange moment, you felt as though you were back in a lecture at University. Everyone sizing each other up, wondering where to sit – should they leave a gap or get close to others, maybe strike up a conversation? Personally, you wanted to place as much distance between yourself and others as humanly possible and the thought of speaking to strangers made you freeze up in terror. But Ria, ever the extrovert, was quite happy to strike up a conversation with the guys next to you. 

They were fans of Mando, but you could tell pretty quickly that they were casuals. They did not have the deeper love for the show that you and Ria held. After a few minutes of sitting around, the people who were hosting the panel emerged, walking down the gap between the neatly-arranged chairs to take a seat on the long table that sat on a raised platform so everyone in the room was able to get a good view of them. The room was long but narrow and you and Ria were sitting around 10 rows back. As you glanced behind you, you realised that it had filled up rather quickly. You were glad that you had been here well ahead of the scheduled start time to ensure you got a good seat.

The guys running the panel began messing around with their laptops so they could get the powerpoint they had created on the screen. They were certainly not what you were expecting for this panel. You had expected it to be on a bigger stage, with more fanfare. But it was actually just a small panel hidden away at the back of the convention centre, up a flight of stairs that people might have missed. You had wondered, momentarily, whether you should get up and leave… Yet something was telling you to remain seated and stay. Just because it hadn’t been what you were expecting, didn’t necessarily mean it was going to be a bad thing. The audience seemed to be friendly too, a combination of people who you hoped would ask some thought-provoking questions and wouldn’t turn this all into baseless speculation over who the actor behind Mando really was.

When it got started, though, it soon transpired that this was not going to be the discussion you thought it was. The guys running the panel were sharing their views about Mando as though it was one of the online Star Wars podcasts that you avoided like the plague. There was little room for audience participation. The chair of the panel, a man with a backwards baseball cap on, which was slightly cringeworthy considering he must have been pushing fifty, was called Jeff. 

Jeff was very American, thrashing his limbs around exaggeratedly, imitating Mando’s fight style as his voice got quicker and higher pitched in enthusiasm for the tough warrior. Jeff and his colleagues were definitely the kind of people who watched The Mandalorian just to see him fight bad guys and kill them in cool, new ways. Obviously you enjoyed that too, but there was really so much more to the show and the character than just fighting. You wished that they could see that too, especially considering they were running a damn panel about it!

You were so utterly tuned out by their incessant ramblings that you turned your head towards the back of the room to indulge in a bit of people watching. Principally, to see if the two guys on your row that Ria had chatted to before the panel began were as bored as you were. It seemed that even they were utterly uninterested in Jeff and his buddies. You found that your relative boredom was mirrored on the expressions of numerous others in the room who were just as unenthused by Jeff and co’s surface-level analysis of the show you all loved. You felt at that moment that if you and Ria had somehow been able to lead a panel it would have been much more exciting.

You would have actually introduced some nuance and character analysis as the title of the panel had suggested would happen. Ria’s wild theory that this would be the place that Mando would reveal himself to the world had soon gone out of the window, too. Out of all the places in the world that he could choose (or not) to finally reveal his identity, a room tucked away in the far corner of the Dockside Convention Centre did not seem the most likely.

But your stomach dropped in the familiar way that it had when you were crouched underneath the staircase, catching your breath after the bedlam of entering the Con. 

It was him. 

The same cosplayer was back. 

He was sitting on the last seat in the row, two rows behind and opposite you, perfectly straight with his shoulders back, hands resting on his knees. It was almost uncanny, the way he held himself… it was so much like the way you had witnessed Mando sit so many times on the show. When he visited cantinas or sat in his ship, Mando held himself in an uncannily similar position.

You shook your head, mentally telling yourself to snap out of it – you were being ridiculous! If Ria was thinking these thoughts, you would tell her to stop being crazy. You were usually the grounded, rational one. For even you to be getting caught up in such delusional thinking, well that was truly concerning. Perhaps it was thanks to the early start and crowds. Either way, it seemed as though you were really losing it. 

You blamed it on Mando, all logical thought went straight out of your brain when it came to him. Of course the best Mando cosplayers would be here at this con. It wasn’t really him, but it sure was uncanny how realistic both the cosplay and way he sat was. Extremely uncanny. You didn’t have time to dwell on it, though… because Jeff was asking a question to the audience. One that you were keen to answer honestly and defend the character that you loved so much, with as much ferocity as if he was really listening to your every word.

“So, finally, we wanted to leave a few minutes for discussion about what the character of Mando means to all of you, here. You must be pretty big fans of the show to have found us all the way back up here!” Jeff joked, to a few laughs from the room.

You had gotten the sense since you had walked into this panel that Jeff and his buddies viewed everyone here with a baseline level of contempt. It was something that you couldn’t quite place your finger on, but you felt as though if a person did not entirely agree with his point of view, then he was not impressed by them.It was a shame, really, you loved hearing the opinions of others. Even if you didn’t agree with them, you always found out something new about yourself. 

Jeff had only just finished speaking, and already there was a steady stream of people flocking to queue at the microphone positioned in the aisle. There was nothing on earth that could motivate you to go up there, so you sat, with your arms folded, and leaned back into your chair. This would all be over in a few minutes. Then there would be a hopefully much more interesting panel about historical parallels with Star Wars, something you were truly interested in, that you wanted to check out with Ria. 

The first few audience comments were pretty dull. You disagreed with all of them almost entirely as they again reduced the concept of understanding a character to things such as seeing a face and knowing a name. Jeff just responded hollowly, thanking the speakers for their thoughts. But it did not provoke any deeper discussions like you had been hoping for. 

That was certainly a disappointment, but it was not a reason for you to lose your temper. You just felt slightly numb to the whole experience, wishing it was over as soon as possible and already plotting your route to the next panel. It was dull, but inoffensive.

That was, until the next two speakers boiled your blood with their assumptions and cruel jibes.

“When I first started watching The Mandalorian I loved it. I really thought Star Wars was back!” A man in a Darth Vader hoodie, who was probably in his late thirties, said proudly as he echoed the empty talking points that you had heard over and over since The Mandalorian premiered. You scoffed and rolled your eyes. This guy was clearly someone who thought that Star Wars was all bad now. He probably bought into all the theories that his precious sci-fi franchise had been ruined by women. He continued his tirade: “But now, it’s just the same thing every week. A hollow, emotionless tin can man strutting around from planet to planet, taking guys out. Like, it was cool the first few times but it’s just getting boring now. We need to see his face!” 

Your blood was slowly boiling as you heard all of these hollow criticisms of the show you loved so much. It truly upset you that a place you had believed would be full of fellow fans who would be eager to enthuse about the show alongside you and Ria had been nothing of the sort. Instead of the welcoming, open-minded environment you had expected, things had been wildly different, as the next speaker was about to prove once again. 

The next man who spoke had long brown hair. He was dressed in a Mando t-shirt and jeans. 

“I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love the show and all. But I just feel like we don’t know that much about Mando. It’s as if we, as an audience, are being held back from connecting with him fully because of some diva’s selfish demands to keep his identity hidden!” The man exclaimed. Several people laughed and applauded. He was probably around your age but it stunned you how drastically different your opinions on the show could be. Perhaps he spent his time online in different circles than you. In fact, you were almost certain that you had seen these conspiracy theories about Mando’s actor pushed by people who swore it as the gospel truth, even though there was absolutely no proof of it. But he was not done yet, levelling a final cruel jab at the actor who played Mando: “Seriously, the guy who plays him must be such an asshole. Imagine having to work with that guy!” 

Your head was burning… that was too much. Once people got personal about the actor too, that did it for you. It was one thing to criticise the show, but to level insults towards the person behind the character, who clearly did not want his business in the public eye, was enough to compel you to speak up. 

Before you really knew what you were doing, you had somehow risen from your seat, stumbled over a few bags and outstretched legs and now stood in front of the microphone. Jeff looked at you expectantly, the eyes of everyone in the room were on you. Suddenly the gravity of what you were about to do had dawned on you, you felt your pulse thundering in your ears. But then you remembered what the previous guy had said about Mando, and you opened your mouth to launch into a passionate defence of your favourite fictional character of all time.

“I think tying Mando’s identity to his name and face is a pretty narrow way of viewing how we can understand who someone truly is inside and what exactly motivates them. I mean, I think I’ve connected to his character pretty well without ever seeing his face or knowing his real name. That’s because Mando has proved time and time again what kind of man he is. The way he has risked his life multiple times to rid the galaxy of threats and evil shows that he is committed to securing a brighter future, even if he is not around to see it. This man is willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good. Sure, we don’t know his name or face or a lot about his origins, but I think to us, that should prove that he has nothing but noble intentions. That human side of the man beneath all of the armour allows us to connect to him on a far deeper level than just seeing a face and learning a name ever could.”

Jeff began to thank you for your thoughts, using the same hollow phrases that he had used for every previous speaker, but you were not done yet. For the reason you had stood up to speak was not only motivated by the way people had spoken about Mando, the character. It was not just accusations against the fictional man that you were here to refute, but also the way that they had tried to turn on the man beneath the Beskar.

“Also, I know no one outside this room will probably ever hear what had been said at this panel, but I think attacking the character of the man who portrays Mando, simply because he wants privacy, is unfair. I think we should always talk about people, online and publicly, as though they can read or hear what we say. We don’t know why he won’t say who he is, but I trust that he has his reasons. Even then, he doesn’t need to have a good reason,” You argued passionately, noticing how the trembling in your voice had ceased the more you spoke. “Everyone is entitled to their privacy for the simple fact of wanting to be private. I just think that we see Mando go from planet to planet, connecting with locals and communicating with them respectfully. He leaves every place better than he found it… I wish more people would take those lessons from the show, too, rather than how skilled Mando is at fighting and killing,” You made a pointed effort to look straight at Jeff as you made that last quip about his fighting skills, but he just stayed slumped in his seat, hand resting under his chin, looking utterly bored. Your words had done nothing to get through to him.

You walked back to your seat, head down, trembling. Speaking that much in public had been a lot more than you would ever have expected yourself to be able to handle. Ria was staring at you dumbfounded, her mouth open in shock.

“Who are you and what have you done with my best friend?” Ria asked, astonished.

“I… uh….” You stuttered.

“Look, I knew you loved Mando, but that was insane!” Ria whispered excitedly, while beaming at you. “You defended him as if he was a real person, like he was actually here in the room! That was awesome, beyond badass! He’d be so proud of you, bestie.”

“Thank you.” You whispered, face suddenly feeling hot. You were sure you were visibly shaking after your public outburst. But it had been worth it, you had meant every word.

A few more people offered their thoughts but your head was still buzzing with the emotional exertion of public speaking, so you did not pay them much mind, even if they still repeated the same old tired arguments about Mando that you had just tried to argue against. 

Finally, Jeff drew things to a close and then it was time for everyone to leave. He had invited people to come and speak to him at the front after the panel if they wished to, but you were definitely not going to be taking him up on that offer. You had believed that anyone given such an incredible opportunity to speak about something they loved at an event as prestigious as ForceCon would be nothing less than delighted. But clearly, you were mistaken. Jeff had seemed utterly bored throughout the panel, not least when people he did not agree with had spoken. You were not a fan of him and his backwards baseball cap in the slightest. 

As the panel ended and people began to filter out, you glanced around to where the incredible cosplayer had been sitting. But it seemed that while you had been distracted by your emotional state after speaking so publicly, he had already made his way out. You were disappointed, you wanted to compliment him on his cosplay and maybe even get a picture with him.

Just being in his presence twice had been intoxicating, you had been unable to look away from him. When you saw him, it really felt like you were actually in the world of The Mandalorian. You had a strong desire to be near him again, but you were too late. The man was apparently long gone. But you didn’t want to dwell on that and ruin the rest of your experience. You still had three more days here. So it was time to get over your disappointment, even though you were still kicking yourself for not pointing him out to Ria.

As you made your way down to the main hall of the convention centre, you couldn’t help but feel your chest swell with pride when you remembered how you had spoken in such a surprisingly eloquent manner at the panel. It had really been so many steps out of your comfort zone, but you had proved to yourself that you could do it. This entire weekend, really, was out of your comfort zone. But so far, you were matching every hurdle before you. 

Perhaps speaking up at the panel would be the start of a new, more confident you. A you that was unafraid to stand up for what she believed in.

But then, the idea of a simple panel at a sci-fi convention being some sort of life changing experience was surely an absurd notion.

Wasn’t it?

Next Chapter

Taglist: @toxic-seduction

[angelbaby-fics]

You got an ask awhile back about Ransom taking reader to the dentist and paying for it. I’d love to see that fic or blurb!

Word Count: 900

A/N: Oh darling I’m so so sorry this took so long!! I think Ireally psyched myself out with wanting it to be perfect and not knowing how to write accurately write dentistry 😅 But I hope you enjoy what I came up with because I think it turned out really sweet! 💕💕💕

Ransom had the means to get you anything your heart desired, and since he’d never been told “no” his entire life, what right did he have to ever say it to you? And of course, that included late night treats, and when you fell asleep after those extravagant sweets, Ransom would carry you to your giant bedroom, teeth going unbrushed as he didn’t have the heart to wake you. Even though he thought he was doing what was best for you by never allowing you to feel even a hint of discomfort, that plan backfired, because you now found yourself with a mouthful of pain.

You didn’t want to tell him. You knew Ransom’s greatest fear was for you to be in any sort of harm, so you were afraid he’d be angry if he found out you were hurt. Even more so, since the thing hurting you was your own mouth, you were afraid that he’d direct his anger at you. Your plan only worked for approximately five minutes, however, as Ransom was such a doting caregiver, he knew you were feeling off in an instant.

“What’s wrong, bubba?” He asked from across the breakfast table as you winced your way through a fluffy waffle drenched in syrup.

“Nothin’,” you tried to respond, but a pointed look from Ransom had you spilling the truth in no time. “Teef hurt.”

Ransom stood up and circled the table to crouch in front of you.

“Can I see, angel?” He asked, gently holding your head as you nodded.

You opened your mouth to him, and he took a short look inside, hiding his reaction well. He knew immediately that you’d need to see a professional, and he also knew that the second you caught wind of that, you’d be inconsolable, so he pretended to think as he stood up.

“That does look pretty painful, huh, baby?” You nodded. “Well then I think someone deserves a treat for being so brave about it.”

You furrowed your brows. Not only was Ransom not upset, he was rewarding you? But before you knew it, you were being buckled into your carseat and being driven off to who knows where. You were looking out the window, bopping your head along to the music playing in the car, when you pulled up to a fancy little building in town that you’d never been to before. Ransom parked the car and unbuckled you from your carseat, carrying you up the steps to the door of the building. There was writing on the door, you couldn’t see it very well, but you did recognize one word.

Dentist.

Ransom could feel you tense up in his arms, your breath quickening as you looked around for an escape, someone to save you from whatever horrors awaited. Usually that would be Ransom, but now you stared at him with such betrayal in your eyes. He'd tricked you; you should have known. But just as soon as you'd started to fret, Ransom was already calming you down.

"Shh babydoll don't worry. This isn't a mean dentist, this is one of daddy's friends, alright?" He kissed each of your cheeks and then your nose before looking you right in the eyes. "I promise you're going to be safe."

Ransom carried you into the building, where a kind looking woman in a white coat guided the two of you towards the big chair.

"Do you wanna sit down and hold daddy's hand?" Ransom asked. "Or do you wanna sit in daddy's lap?"

"Daddy lap pwease," you whispered.

Ransom sat down in the dentist's chair with you on his lap, one arm around your middle and the other across your chest like a seatbelt. He lifted his arm only briefly to allow the woman to pin a cloth to your shirt, during which he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. Your eyes lit up despite your current situation; you weren't allowed much screentime during the say, let alone on daddy's phone. Ransom put his arm back over your chest, holding the phone so you could see the screen. In the delight of getting to watch Bluey in your daddy's arms, you hardly had time to worry about the woman as she examined and cleaned your teeth. Every now and then you'd feel a pain, or taste one of the pastes the spread across your teeth, but every time, Ransom would kiss your temple and remind you how safe you were in his arms. The next thing you knew, Ransom was turning off his phone and unwrapping his arms from your torso.

"No daddy!" You looked up with fear, but the dentist woman just smiled as she unclipped your bib.

"You did it, baby! You're all finished!" Ransom cheered for you, rubbing up and down your arms.

"I did?"

You'd barely even noticed it was happening. Your daddy was so lovingly protective of you that all your fears were whisked away. Ransom stood up with you still in his arms and carried you our of the room and back towards the door, thanking the dentist on the way. The whole ordeal was taken care of in what felt like no time at all and very little effort. You found most things in life went like that with Ransom around; you never had to worry about a thing.

[olivia-anderson-fanfic]

Dancing 'til the break of dawn - Pt2

<Pt1

(TWST zombie apocalypse au for all your crack-fic needs)

As a kind of ‘sorry for almost stabbing you, please do not sic your zombie cat on me’ gesture, Ace gripped Yuu’s hand and dragged him into the back of the convenience store so they could share a nice little meal together.

Well… it would be nice, if Yuu wasn’t approximately 99% sure that Ace was a cannibal. After all, he hadn’t had any supplies on him that would have been worth stealing, much less killing over, that was why he had come into the convenience store in the first place. And it wasn’t like the store had been openly claimed in any of the traditional ways, with a blackened zombie corpse out front or a big bar over the window and a handwritten sign telling people to stay out ‘or else’. 

And Grim had accepted Ace’s mystery meat. Yuu had lived with the zombie for quite a while, now, so he knew for a fact that Grim was very particular about his diet. Much to his chagrin, might he add. It was a little gross to watch his cat feast on the corpses of what had once been humans. He only spared so much of his innocence by turning his face away whenever the zombie needed to eat.

All of this to say: Yuu did not like the look of the bowlful of mystery meat he was offered. Especially since it wasn’t really all that much of a mystery.

He took it gingerly, but was reluctant to actually eat any. He tossed some to Grim when Ace turned away to prepare himself a bowl, and winced when Grim snapped it up without the slightest trace of hesitation.

Well, that confirms that theory.

Ace settled down a few feet away and started digging in. Without even cringing. Maybe it was good?

Yuu poked at the meat with his chopsticks, frowning a little. When cooked it, frankly, didn’t look that different from any other meat. Though it looked bland. Did Ace not know what spices are? Yuu was pretty sure he had seen a few spice jars scattered around the shop, couldn’t he have spared at least a couple?

Beyond that, though, he was… less than eager to learn if everything really does just taste like chicken.

Would it be rude to refuse, though? Ace had cooked it for him…

He cleared his throat awkwardly. “So, uh, why didn’t you just… eat the food that was here?”

Ace didn’t seem to know what he was talking about, so Yuu motioned to the aisles upon aisles of food that he was using as bait.

Ace seemed to buffer for an entire minute.

“Well… it’s not sustainable. I mean, we’re going to be stuck like this until… who knows how long. I don’t know how to tend to plants or – anything.”

Yuu gave him a flat look. “Y’know, I’d believe that if it wasn’t very clear that you’re making this up on the spot.”

Ace scowled and crossed his arms over his chest. “Well, what do you know? You befriended a fucking zombie.”

“It was really dark, okay?!”

Grim glowered at Ace. And then snapped at his knee.

“Get your fucking cat!” Ace screeched.

Yuu sighed. “Grim, just because you don’t like someone doesn’t mean you can kill them. We’ve been over this.”

Grim, for lack of a better word, sulked at the reminder.

Ace, however, looked horrified. “... how many times has Grim killed someone you made ‘friends’ with?”

“I try not to think about it,” Yuu admitted.

Ace looked like he wanted to die… well, actually, like he very much did not want to die. “Well, you – you scold him afterward, right?”

“Of course!”

“You’d scold him if he killed me, then?” Ace sounded a little bit desperate. He looked at the zombie. “You hear that? You’ll get told off if you kill me!”

Grim looked like he was very much ready to take that risk.

“You – you have to start doing more,” said Ace. “Like, at least say you won’t talk to him anymore if he kills me.”

Yuu frowned. That seemed a little bit extreme. Grim was his special little guy. He couldn’t just stop talking to him.

Ace would claim until the end of time that he did not whimper. That the sound he made was actually very cool and manly. Ace is a liar.

Yuu, however, is not. Which is why he never agreed to abandon his beloved cat.

His beloved cat was, technically, a murderer, but we all have our flaws. Yuu didn’t care that much. Though… he seemed to be an exception – people always stressed when Grim’s kill count was brought up, it was so annoying. And hypocritical, in Ace’s case, seeing as he was a serial killer/cannibal.

Yuu didn’t need to deal with this.

“I’m going to grab some spices,” he decided, pushing himself to his feet. “If I’m going to be eating this, it needs to actually taste good.”

Ace yelped and jumped up as well, almost running to latch onto Yuu’s arm, squinting at Grim with open suspicion. “Here, I know where they are, let me take you there!”

Grim narrowed his eye right back at him. But, upon receiving a warning look from Yuu, settled down on his front paws and glared at nothing.

So, with little additional fanfare, Yuu and Ace grabbed a few spices from the shelves, and Yuu worked at making a spice combination that would go with something he had never tried before and didn’t even really want to eat now.

He managed to make something that tasted… fine. On its own, at least. He had no clue how well it would work with human flesh.

So, Ace was to be his test subject.

(Should he trust Ace as a test subject? He was already eating people, his taste buds might not have been all that normal… whatever. Yuu was having a day. He was officially tired of parsing out things like logic and morality.)

He spiced up the meat and then gave it to Ace to try.

Ace glanced at him, slightly wary. But he had watched Yuu grab all of the spices, so it wasn’t like he could have poisoned it. The worst it could be was gross. He took a careful bite.

He almost dropped his bowl.

He looked at Yuu with stars in his eyes.

“Never leave me,” Ace said.

Yuu’s eyebrows raised just slightly. “Not scared of Grim anymore?”

“It’s worth it. I can’t cook for shit. I’ve been dying here.”

Yuu snickered into his hand.

Grim narrowed his eye at Ace. Ace – who was definitely a little more concerned about the zombie cat than he had originally tried to claim – hesitated, before scooping a little bit of the meat out onto the floor for him.

The zombie sniffed the peace offering for a moment before eating it.

Grim was enlightened.

Yuu realized, dully, that this was probably the first time the zombie had ever had seasoned food. He felt… strangely guilty about this.

He rubbed the zombie’s head, scratching behind his cat’s ear in just the way he liked it. Grim purred and, apparently, decided that Ace could live for another day, so long as Yuu continued to love on him for the rest of the night.

“I guess the food was a hit,” Yuu joked lightly.

“It’s really good,” Ace said, nudging the bowl towards him to try.

He picked it up gingerly and blew on the… ‘food’.

… in the end, Yuu only managed a few bites before he had to stop. It tasted fine, but he couldn’t get over what it actually was. He resolved himself to make a run to the store sometime within the next week or two for something he could eat without feeling physically ill – or mentally ill, for that matter.

(He wanted to use what they already had in the store, but Ace insisted that his bait was not to be disturbed. Remind him why he had chosen to be friends with Ace, again?)

~

Yuu stubbed his toe on a can of beans of all things. Ace had taken to trying to drive him away with petty inconveniences, since anything too openly hostile would end in him getting killed. It was kind of funny, when it wasn't happening to you.

He punched a shelf out of frustration.

Great. Now his hand, hurt, too.

"Sh-ugar," Yuu hissed.

Ace snorted. "You can swear, man, it's the apocalypse. I do it all the time. Watch: fuckshitbitchdamnhellIcan'tthinkofanymoreshitshitshit! See? No one to get onto my case about it."

Yuu scowled. "Nope. I'm perfect and virtuous and -."

"Your best friend is a zombie."

He threw up his hands in frustration. "You befriend one zombie and suddenly all of the good things you've ever done are null and void!"

Ace raised an eyebrow.

Yuu scowled. How was he supposed to have known that helping out a random stray would end the world as he knew it? Grim was the very first zombie, it would have been weirder to assume that there was something wrong, in his opinion!

"I'm never doing anything nice ever again," Yuu decided.

"You've done nice things before?"

"Shut up and go cut up that body at the front of the store so I can start making dinner."

"Very nice of you," Ace teased.

"It is," Yuu said flatly. "I don't have to feed you, you know."

Ace, to his surprise, didn't back off. Instead, he grinned widely. He clapped Yuu on the shoulder. "You're already getting the hang of it! I'll corrupt you in no time."

Yuu fought the urge to curse, if only because he didn't want to further prove Ace's point.

After all, he hated Ace and didn't find him at all funny. Ignore the little smile that threatened to tug at his lips the moment Ace was safely out of sight. Yuu was certainly ignoring it.

~

Yuu squinted at the veritable forest that had grown in the garden section of the old, abandoned grocery store.

Man, things go to the dogs fast in the apocalypse.

Or should he say they went to the cats? Since it was a cat that had started this all?

He looked down at Grim. The zombie had been clinging to his side even more than usual. Yuu wasn’t sure if it was because the almost-murder had spooked the cat, or if him becoming kinda-friends with his almost-murderer had made the cat decide that Yuu absolutely could not at any cost be left alone ever again, or if Grim was jealous that he no longer had Yuu’s undivided attention anymore, or if the zombie just really liked the texture of Yuu’s new baggy sweatpants and would take any opportunity to rub up against them. Really, all of those options were equally likely.

And, though Yuu was definitely the one with all the power in this scenario, he wanted his darling subordinate’s opinion:

“Do you approve of this?” he said, smiling wryly as he motioned to the mess of plants.

Grim squinted suspiciously at the plants, as if he was half-convinced there would be another Ace hidden in the shadows.

He didn’t seem to see anything, for he didn’t start growling or puffing up like he did when he was trying to be menacing, so Yuu took a cautious step forward.

Grim sunk his teeth into the fabric of his pant leg.

Yuu’s life flashed before his eyes. The zombie’s teeth didn’t touch his skin, but they could have if he had moved even the slightest bit unpredictably, and he did not appreciate that he had almost been killed.

He looked down at his cat, disapproving.

Grim didn’t look cowed (or… cated?), instead tugging on Yuu’s pant leg, trying to physically drag him away from the forest.

Yuu sighed.

He supposed that it was unlikely that he’d find any useful plants in the brush, anyway.

“Alright, plan B, then,” he said, somewhat reluctantly.

He grabbed the nearest plant pot filled with soil, and then walked right back into the store proper.

~

Yuu stepped into the convenience store, still frowning just slightly over his gross bag full of rotting fruits. It was wrapped in as many bags as he could physically tie around it, plus some, but it was still a miserable thing to carry.

You would think he’d get used to the smell of rot and death, but no. It’s a surprisingly varied smell. Just when you think you’ve smelled it all, another, worse smell will make itself known.

He hates his life. And his bag, right now. Ugh, he would never get the smell out of these clothes.

At least these seeds would, probably, sprout into something useful once he planted them. He wasn’t sure, since the plants themselves were rotted and therefore there was a very real chance that the seeds would be useless. He, frankly, did not have much knowledge about gardening, because he was a normal teen boy… but he could figure it out! He grabbed a couple of books on the subject, he’d be an expert in no time. By sheer force of will. He was determined to eat as few human beings as was physically possible.

Speaking of.

His cannibal friend.

He would… prefer not to catch the boy by surprise. For hopefully obvious reasons.

“Aaaaaace. I got that bell and string you wanted,” Yuu called, ringing the bell once for emphasis, before making his way further inside.

He could hear a flurry of movement, but he wasn’t entirely sure where it was coming from. Maybe Ace had been asleep and was scrambling to get himself back into order before Yuu could see his bedhead…?

Ace cursed, loudly. This did not necessarily disprove that thought, but Yuu did end up remembering that Ace’s hair always looked like a bedhead, and there was no reason for him to suddenly care about it.

So… the sound was probably…

Yuu looked down at Grim, betrayed. “Did you send a zombie after my friend?!” he hissed.

Grim looked like he had only just now realized that that was an option. Which meant that it wasn’t a zombie that Ace was fighting. But then… what?

“Ace?” he called, standing on tiptoes to try and see over the shelves, trying to figure out where the scuffle was coming from. “You good?”

There was a loud banging sound from somewhere in the back of the store, and a shelf wobbled uncertainly.

Well, that answers that question.

He rushed towards the back of the store, and… well, he wasn’t sure what he had been expecting, but it really wasn’t to find Ace sitting on top of the freezer, looking for all the world as if he was entirely innocent… with a backpack and bat that Yuu had never seen before at his feet, and what looked to be a bruise forming on his cheek.

“Oh, hey. Yuu. You’re back. Thanks for the. Bell,” the boy said, entirely natural in his cadence and definitely not doing that thing you do when you’re entirely out of breath and trying to keep quiet about it because someone is passing you and you don’t want this random stranger to know how inactive you are.

Yuu raised an eyebrow at him. “You’re… welcome?”

There was a banging sound from inside of the freezer Ace was sitting on. Ace tried very hard not to react, but his fingers curled tighter around his knife anyway.

“There’s a person in there, isn’t there?” Yuu said, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Noooooo,” said Ace, batting his eyelashes.

The not-person-inside-of-the-freezer screamed something that sounded distinctly like the word ‘yes’. This did not convince Yuu of Ace’s innocence.

Even Grim seemed to give Ace a look that screamed ‘who do you think you are fooling?’

“So, if there’s no person in there, then you’ll have no problem opening it, right?”

Ace’s smile strained at the edges. “... c’mon, man, don’t do this to me.”

Yuu looked at the freezer, mentally debating whether it was worth it to even get involved. Frankly, it was the apocalypse, and everyone that was still alive kind of sucked, and there was a nonzero chance that the person would not take being shoved into a freezer lightly and would try and kill them immediately upon being let out.

He sighed.

“How old did they look?” Yuu asked.

Ace hesitated just a hair longer than would typically be to Yuu’s liking.

He groaned. “Open it.”

Ace looked like he would very much prefer not doing that. But, when Yuu prodded him with his foot, he reluctantly stood and, holding his knife out in preparation for a possible attack, allowed him to unlock the freezer.

Another person, maybe about their age, emerged from the freezer like a vampire might emerge from a coffin, grim expression and all. This effect was ruined by the fact that his hair was… blue? Maybe he was a blond who had dyed his hair black with shitty dye and it had washed out weirdly without touch-ups. Or maybe he was just really into blue hair and was working to maintain it even throughout the apocalypse. Who knows?

The boy groaned and stepped out of the freezer, scowling at Ace. “Thank you,” he grumbled, immediately picking up his bat again. He stepped between Yuu and Ace, raising his weapon. He pointed it at the redhead, which is, really, not what you’re supposed to do with a bat. “You should run, he’s dangerous.”

Ace looked somewhere between flattered and offended. “Hey! That’s my –...” Ace trailed off, unsure. Yuu wondered, absently, what he would say. Would he call him a friend? Partner? Fellow survivor, even? “Chef!” Ouch. “He’s not leaving here, he’s mine!”

Grim growled.

“And Grim’s!” he added hastily.

The blue-haired boy, though, paused. He looked for the origin of the sound. Yuu nudged Grim into a shadowed area so he looked more like a normal cat. Because the boy seemed well-intentioned, and therefore was very likely to be against Yuu having a zombie for a pet.

What does that say about Yuu’s relationship with Grim? Well, he’d rather not think about it!

Yuu sighed, stepping around him carefully, holding his hands up placatingly. “I appreciate it, but it’s fine.”

The boy looked incredulous. “He’s killing and eating people?! He doesn’t even act like he likes you?! You’re his chef?!”

“Listen, man, it’s the apocalypse, I don’t have that many options.”

“Dude…” He offered Yuu a hand. “I’ll be your friend. I’m Deuce Spade. What’s your name?”

Ew, pity. He didn’t want a pity friend. He could take Ace talking to him out of fear of Grim or respect for his cooking prowess, but pity? No thanks.

Ace snatched up the outstretched hand before Yuu could even try to shake it (not that he currently wanted to), squeezing with way more force than was entirely necessary. “Ace Trappola. Nice to meet you.”

Deuce looked disgusted. And then mildly terrified when Ace made as if to slice off his hand.

Yuu was quick to grab Ace by the arm to stop him from murdering someone for the high crime of daring to suggest that he was not the safest person to be around. How could he not see that this was proving Deuce’s point?! You’d think he’d refrain from killing for the sake of being petty, at least, but no!

Deuce’s eyes looked strangely misty. Not even because of the almost-dying thing, that was pretty much par for the course when running into other survivors, he looked so upset about Yuu’s situation. Yuu wondered what kind of soap-opera-esque backstory the boy was dreaming up for him.

He didn’t get to ask, because Deuce quickly derailed the conversation before he could: “I guess I’ll have to stay here until you’re ready to leave.”

Ace spluttered. “No?! We let you live, you’re supposed to go, now?!”

Deuce scoffed. “Why do you get to make that decision?”

“This is my base?!”

Deuce, apparently, was not going to be swayed by Ace’s facts and logic.

Ace gave Yuu a pleading look. “Yuu, can we please kill him now?”

Yuu thought about it. And then shook his head, a tiny grin threatening to steal across his lips. “Nah, letting him stay is way funnier.”

From the look on everyone else’s faces, they vehemently disagreed.

But this isn’t about them! So, Deuce got to stay. Much to the chagrin of everyone. Including himself!

~~~~~~~

Pt3>

[aiyexayen]

Oh oh oh!!! Do an AITA for your choice of HanWenZhou *chin hands* pretty please *blinks my big brown doe eyes at you* 💜

AITA for stalking my boss after he quit the job and didn't tell me?

Good morning, internet. I need a wider range of opinions on this issue.

You don't need my name. I (23M) have been working for my boss (30M) for approximately ten years. He saved my life and took me in off the streets. Obviously, my dedication to serve him in turn will last even into the next life. Technically we both work for someone else, but my boss's boss (details confidential) has little to do with our department and barely knows of my existence beyond a name in a list so I have always considered my loyalty to be to my boss above all else and considered my boss's boss and the job as a whole to be secondary.

A year ago, my boss quit the job suddenly. He didn't say, but it's likely due to the death of his family who also worked the job with us, even though it had been something like eighteen months since that incident and my boss had shown no indication that he was slowing down or preparing to leave. If anything, he worked everyone harder than before.

One day he sent me out on an errand and then not only quit but vanished completely before I got back. Nobody knew where he'd gone, he left no contact information, and his position was already being filled.

My life is devoted to my boss entirely. Wherever he goes, I will follow; whatever he needs, I will be. I know he knows this for a fact, so I expected to find some instruction left for me or some word sent back. I waited weeks and heard nothing. I would have quit, too, in a heartbeat, but I stayed so I could use the resources at my job to look for him. I even got myself sent out on a business trip to a few cities where I thought I might find some clues.

It wasn't only for myself that I was searching--no one had reliable information about his departure, but I gathered that he seriously injured himself as an excuse to quit and I was deeply concerned for his health. Luckily, I know him well enough and I found him in only a matter of months.

My boss didn't seem upset to run into me, but he wasn't thrilled, either. I was glad to see him in good health--he had found a significant other in his travels and also taken on an apprentice. However, something seemed off in the way he dismissed me.

Even though he told me to go back to work and leave him be, I hung around town for a couple of weeks, still on my job's dime, following him through the streets to keep an eye on things. It was fortuitous that I did, because one night he went and got drunk after a fight with his new S.O. and only the fact that I was able to carry him out of there and to my hotel room kept him out of the gutter. And I was correct--something worse was wrong. He was refusing treatment for his self-inflicted injury, and it was secretly killing him.

He insisted that I leave him to die. I know him, though, and if he took on an apprentice and started dating again, what sense does that make? I offered to travel with him to take care of him, but he said he didn't need my help and ordered me to go back home.

Technically, I did, but only so I could keep using my position at my job to do research on methods of healing and recovery. Meanwhile I kept tabs on my [old] boss and his S.O. and apprentice's whereabouts. I knew he'd be pissed, but I was certain if I presented a comprehensive treatment plan with all the tools he needed, I could change his mind.

It got more complicated over the following months due to my boss's boss also trying to hunt down my boss (long story, irrelevant) to try and get him to come back to work while I was put under investigation for suspected unauthorized use of company resources.

Long story short, I stole what I could from my job and fled to the house where my informants told me my boss had settled down. I didn't make it out cleanly. I guess my boss's boss and my boss's replacement saw it coming and had me followed and shot and I arrived at my boss's place half-dead.

That was a few weeks ago now. I'm recovering just fine, and my boss seems to have reached some agreement with the company. He also seems to be doing a lot better mentally and has finally agreed to not die. However, he won't talk to me at all now. He hasn't kicked me out of his house, and his S.O. and apprentice seem to like me quite well, but they also seem to be on his side.

I will be the first to bow my head and accept correction, but in this case I can't imagine having done anything different, save being quicker on my feet to not get shot, or stealing more on my way out. I would give my life for his without question; how could I do less? I don't expect gratitude. I just don't know what's going to happen next, or if I'm missing something about this situation.

Am I the asshole?

[sergeantsporks]

Dadrius Week Day 2: Fashion

“Are you ready to go?”

“Go?” Hunter echoed. Darius held his cake on a plate, fully iced and covered to protect it from the elements. He’d been in the kitchen all morning and afternoon, yelping incomprehensible squawks of indignation and anger at tiny mistakes and blunders. Whatever standard he’d held himself up to, the cake looked perfect to Hunter, icing forming curvy, creamy borders around the edge and delicate script reading Happy Father’s Day.

“Yes. Go. For Father’s Day.”

“I thought you said we weren’t doing anything?” Hunter yelped. The card had probably gotten crunched in his belt pouch, and now Darius had made the food? Hunter might have only heard of the concept last night, but he was relatively certain that wasn’t right.

“I said you didn’t have to do anything,” Darius corrected, “You don’t have to come, you just seemed interested last night, so I thought you might want to.”

Hunter’s heart thumped in his chest, and he scrambled to his feet, tugging his boots on his feet. Darius being fine to go off by himself for father’s day and making a whole cake for it seemed a little strange, but Gus HAD said some dads wanted to be left alone. However, if Darius wanted to celebrate… “Yes! I do! I want to come! Let’s go!”

“Good. Excellent.”

Abomination matter swirled around them, and when it died down, they stood outside an unfamiliar house—a manor, really, big and grand enough to rival even Amity’s house. Darius took a deep breath, patting his hair, straightening his clothes, and then finally, finally, ringing the doorbell.

Hunter glanced around at the perfectly manicured lawn and flowers. “Where are w—”

The door opened, and behind it stood a woman who shared Darius’ height, build and approximate age, but wore bright yellows rather than purple. “Darius?”

“Jasmin?”

She didn’t say anything for a long moment, just looked at him and the cake, and, for long enough that he started to feel a bit like a zoo exhibit, at Hunter. She finally broke off eye contact to turn to the house behind her. “HEY!” she yelled, “Darius is here!” She eyed Hunter again. “And some kid!”

Thud.

Footsteps thumped down the hallway towards them.

“I didn’t know you would be here,” Darius muttered.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Jasmin said blankly, “It’s Father’s Day. I brought a present. For my father. We’re having dinner.”

“Why didn’t you tell me you had something planned?!”

“Because I didn’t think you would come! You always say no when we invite you!”

“Because I was always—”

“Busy with coven head responsibilities,” Jasmin said with him, “Yeah, yeah.”

An older woman appeared in the doorway behind Jasmin. She stood at the same height as Darius and Jasmin, but was thinner, making her look taller. She wore mostly red, and Hunter wondered idly if she and Jasmin’s color choices were from their coven backgrounds, or purely aesthetic. “Darius! Well, hello!”

Darius broke off his argument with Jasmin to turn towards the older woman, his back straightening, and his shoulders pushing back, as if he didn’t already usually have perfect posture. “Hello, Mom.”

“Oh.” The pieces clicked in Hunter’s mind, and he couldn’t help speaking out loud. “Oh! Father’s Day for your father! You have a dad?!” Of course Hunter had known Darius must have had parents at some point, but he’d sort of assumed they must be dead. Darius hadn’t mentioned them once.

Darius gave him a quizzical look. “Yes? I told you we were coming here.”

“No, you didn’t! You just suddenly decided to bake a cake and then said we were going out!”

“I could swear that I told you.”

Jasmin laughed. “Sounds like you to just kidnap the poor kid without telling him what he’s getting into. Who is this, anyway?”

“Ah. Right. Hunter, this is my sister, Jasmin, and my mother, Ariana Deamonne. Jasmin. Mother. This is Hunter. He is my… ward.”

The word fell cold and flat, almost as impersonal as “coworker.” Although, judging the way he seemed to feel about Hunter doing something for him for Father’s Day, maybe that was right.

Darius’ mother smiled warmly at him. “Hello, Hunter. Welcome to our home.”

“Your ward,” Jasmin sighed, “Okay.” Jasmin grabbed the cake out of Darius’ hands. “C’mon in, Hunter. Lets give Darius and our mom a bit to catch up.”

Hunter started to ask Darius if it was alright, but Jasmin took his arm before he could. “Nope, don’t look at him, just come with me.” She tugged him down the hallway into a kitchen, sliding the cake onto the counter. “Ward,” she snorted, “That boy.”

Hunter coughed at the descriptor of Darius as ‘boy.’ “Did we come at a bad time?”

“What? No, no. Actually, you came at a perfect time, we haven’t even started cooking dinner yet.” Jasmin peered at the cake. “How long did he spend obsessing over this being perfect?”

Hunter coughed again. “Half the day.”

“Haha. Of course he did. Well, we’ll see if it passes muster. Of course, she’ll tell him it’s delicious no matter what.” Jasmin must have caught his questioning look, because she shook her head. “Our mother? Ariana Deamonne? Ran a cooking competition? One of the highest rated chefs in the Isles?”

“Oh.” Hunter searched for the right word. “Congratulations?”

Jasmin’s face lit up. “No way,” she breathed, “Please, please, please—how about Pops? Designer? I think the only famous outfit he didn’t design was the emperor’s?”

“I… don’t know a lot about fashion?”

Jasmin leaned her elbows on the kitchen counter, putting her chin in her hands. “Incredible. Question, do you know who it is that adopted you?”

Hunter flushed. “Of course I do. He was the abomination coven head.”

“Oh well, would have been funny. Aw, don’t be embarrassed. I’m not surprised he doesn’t talk about us.” She glanced at the door and leaned in conspiratorially. “Between you and me, Darius is the red ratworm of the family. Went into politics, by titan. For shame.”

Hunter coughed, desperate to change the subject from Darius gossip. “What is it you do?”

Jasmin gave him an amused look. “Large-scale architecture. I designed the remodel of the emperor’s keep after the fire of ’99.” She snickered. “There was a brick in one of the bathrooms with my name carved in it. I put it in the one near the abomination head office so Darius would see it. Kinda tempted to go through the rubble and find it.”

“Oh.”

Jasmin’s face softened. “Don’t feel bad for not knowing. It was before you were born, I’m betting, and I’m not surprised Darius never mentioned it. He always did prefer the way the keep looked when his mentor was still walking through it.” She drummed her perfectly manicured fingers against the countertop, looking Hunter up and down. “Boy, he really must have been in a hurry if he didn’t even make you get changed.”

Hunter tugged on his T-shirt self-consciously. “What’s wrong with this?”

“Nothing!” Jasmin said quickly, “There’s nothing wrong with it! It’s just very… hanging out with your friends and going to the library, you know?” She gestured to her own yellow outfit, a flowy tunic over a set of leggings. “VS Nice Family Dinner.”

Hunter’s ears started to burn again, and his hand hovered over the belt pouch where the father’s day card sat. “I didn’t know—and honestly, I don’t know if I’m supposed to be here, I mean, I’m just sort of living in Darius’ extra room, I’m hardly fam—”

Jasmin smacked her hands down on the counter, cutting him off. “Darius,” she growled. “Hunter, I promise, you would not be here if he did not want you here. He’s just… frazzled. We haven’t seen him in a while. His fault, by the way.”

“And he forgot today was Father’s Day,” Hunter couldn’t help himself from adding.

Jasmin snickered. “Of course he did. Well. Don’t worry, Aunt Jasmin’s gonna find you the perfect party outfit. I wouldn’t bring it up if I wasn’t going to do something to help you with it, geeze, how mean do you think I am?”

Hunter had stopped processing what she said after “Aunt Jasmin,” but the rest of her statement caught up just as she put a hand on his shoulder. “What?!”

Jasmin steered him up the stairs. “What’s your preferred style?” she pressed, “Form fitting? Loose and flowy? Pants? Skirt? Cape, or no cape?”

“Um—I don’t know?” Hunter tugged on his shirt again. “Loose, I guess?”

“Gotcha.” She eyed him up and down. “I think we still have some of Darius’ clothes from when he was your size. And I know some of mine are floating around.” She ducked into a closet, pulling out hangers of clothes and holding them up, squinting at him. “Hmmm. I think you’d look good in gold.” She gave him a toothy grin. “Match me. Aw, hey, this is one Dad designed for Darius when he was just obsessed with the golden guard. Obviously it’s an ‘inspired by’ design, not real armor, but what do you think?” She held up a soft yellow tunic, embroidered subtly so that it flashed like gold in the light and emulated armor plating. “We can even put your belt over it so you can keep your stuff with you.”

Hunter’s heart beat in his throat as the tunic glistened menacingly. He’d drowned his own armor in a river, watching it sink to the muddy bottom, but now it seemed like the outfit was back to haunt him.

A heavy hand clasped his shoulder. “Hunter prefers blues, blacks, and browns,” Darius rumbled, “Not gold. And I’d appreciate it if you didn’t kidnap my guest, Jasmin.”

Jasmin gave Darius a cool look, but disappeared back into the closet without a word. Funny. She’d been overly friendly only seconds ago. What was it about Darius that made her so standoffish? Darius sighed. “I’m sorry about her. I thought we would just be meeting with my parents, who are a lot… less.”

A blue tunic sailed out of the closet, fwapping into Darius’ face.

“You are proving my point, Jasmin!”

“And you don’t get to act like you have any sort of moral high ground over me! You show up after years of minimal contact and expect no hard feelings?! I’ve done father’s day and mother’s day on my own for the past twenty years, and now you just pop over with a cake and a kid?” This time, a pair of pants flew out, smacking Darius in the chest. “You missed mother’s day this year, by the way. You better come for her birthday, or she’ll think you’re avoiding her specifically.”

“Jasmine, look, I…” Darius glanced at Hunter. “…I’ve realized some things. About who I want to be, and what is important to me. And I know I’ve been… absent… for the past couple of decades, but I’m trying to reach out. I’m sorry that I left you, and I’m sorry I gave you all the responsibilities for holidays and birthdays and family get togethers. I had my reasons, of course, but that doesn’t make it fair. Not to Mom and Dad. Not to you. But I’m here now, and I want to try the whole… family thing again.”

Jasmin poked her head out of the closet. “So you skipped right to the ‘give mom and dad a grandchild’ thing to make up for twenty years of nothing, huh? For someone who wants to try family again, you sure did an awful job of telling your new kiddo about the rest of us.”

Darius spluttered. “Grandch—that’s not why I—oh, forget that part. You’re right.” He turned to face Hunter. “I didn’t give you much warning, Hunter, and for that, I apologize. I should have let you know what my plans were.” A small, amused smile crept onto his face, and he tilted his head at the closet. “And I certainly should have prepared you for dealing with this one.”

Jasmin crinkled her nose at him.

“A heads up would have been appreciated,” Hunter agreed, “I thought…” He didn’t finish the sentence. He’d thought, what, that they were going to do some father-son bonding? Go play catch in the park or something corny like that? Darius wasn’t the only one who kept skirting around the adoption papers. It seemed like whenever Hunter wanted to sign them, Darius wasn’t ready, and the days when Darius thought it was a good idea, Hunter was having second thoughts. Of course Darius didn’t want him to do anything for Father’s day when he wasn’t even sure if he wanted it to be official.

Darius sighed. “I gave up my family to become a coven head; it was a mistake. I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my lifetime, and I’m attempting to rectify them now. So. Hunter. Let me start over. It would be an honor to introduce you to my family. If you are willing.”

“Ooo! I’ve got it!” Jasmin backed out of the closet. She held a blue shirt with billowy, loose sleeves, a pair of black pants, a silver belt, and a pleated blue half-cape, designed to be worn at the hip. She eyed Darius, then Hunter, then the outfit. “Hm. Yeah. Purple and blue. Good. Excellent. You two will match next to each other.”

Darius nodded. “It looks wonderful. Thank you, Jasmin.” He faced Hunter, and for just a second, Hunter thought he saw uncertainty and worry behind his usually aloof gaze. “Hunter? What do you want to do? Do you want to stay, or go?”

What did he want to do? He hadn’t had any real plans for father’s day. Just snippets of what Gus was going to do for his dad. He wasn’t even sure if “dad” was a role he wanted Darius to have in his life—or if Darius wanted to take it. But Darius wanted Hunter to meet his family—and surely that had to mean something, right? Besides, if it was father’s day, then didn’t Darius deserve to spend time with his father?

“I want to stay,” he said slowly, “I want to meet them.”

“Are you sure?”

Hunter took the clothes from Jasmin. “Positive.”

[booksandabeer]

Catching up

I got tagged approximately one million years ago by @burberrycanary 💙 and @somanywords 💛. Sorry it took me so long! 😬

Last song: I don't know the exact song, but I've been listening to the album Cat Power Sings Dylan: The 1966 Royal Albert Hall Concert a lot. I'm not a particuarly big fan of Bob Dylan, or a fan at all, really. However, I am absolutely a die-hard fan of Cat Power and I think that Chan Marshall is probably the best cover artist of...all time? Well, certainly of her generation. That's not to shade her original compositions, which I also love, but she's brilliant at taking songs that you thought you could no longer listen to because they've been played ad nauseam everywhere for decades, and then teasing something fresh and original and truly moving out of them. Listen to her covers of "I'll Be Seeing You" or "Mr. Tambourine Man" or even "New York, New York" and tell me they don't excite you in any way (if they don't, I suspect you have no soul). She's even great at covering herself! Please go and listen to her 2008 cover of her own 1998 song "Metal Heart" right now. It's one of my all-time faves and also, yes absolutely a Stucky song.

Relationship status: I have a person.

Sweet/spicy/savory: Everything all at once, please.

Favorite color: Blue, blue, blue. International Klein Blue to be precise. I cannot get enough of it. Also, I will die on the hill that chartreuse is actually a great color.

Last movie: The Last Stop in Yuma County which was a fun neo-western/crime thriller that didn't take itself too seriously and didn't outstay its welcome. Imagine that! A 90-minute movie. They still make those! Wild. If you like Tarantino and/or the Coen Brothers, but played at a faster, snappier tempo, you will probably enjoy this one too.

Last show: So many. Bodkin, which is the epitome of "this show doesn't know what it wants to be." Is it a quirky comedy? A crime show? A (very tepid) satire? It's not like you can't combine these genres, but the show doesn't combine them, it swings wildly between them. The ending was terrible. I've finally started watching Hacks (a delight!) and I'm still slowly making my way through Kings (only 2 episodes left). Also following along with the new season of IWTV, which remains an absolutely bonkers show. If *this* is what made it into the final cut, can you imagine what didn't? Oh, to be allowed to read the studio notes for this one!

Last thing I googled: The origin and meaning of a Norse/Russian name. For reasons.

Current obsession: The Terror brainrot is still going stong. I have learned so much about Arctic Exploration in the 1800s over the past few weeks. Also, in a curious turn of events, I have started reading Masters of the Air fanfic? I was unfortunately pretty disappointed with the show. I had hoped it would trigger a level-11 hyperfixation but instead it just kinda came and went and I didn't even think about it anymore. Then an author, who I still follow because they used to write Stucky, started posting one Buck/Bucky (yes, they are two different characters) fic after another, and one day I said, 'Why not give it a shot?' Well, here we are, tens of thousands of words later, and for the first time in my life I'm beginning to understand the people whose general fandom attitude is 'I don't care for the source material at all, but the fic! Oh the fic compels me!' I have been compelled. I'm now a person who reads fanfiction for a pairing that includes a character played by Austin Butler (sorry Butler heads, I just don't get it).

Wonders never cease.

--

Like I said, I got tagged for this ages ago, so I don't know who's done this (recently). I'm gently tagging @bromcommie, @aimmyarrowshigh, @zenaidamacrouras1, @shackleton2 and @hail-americas-ass. Also, I mean it when I say I want to know what everyone else is watching/eating/obsessing over/etc. Tell me! Open tag for everyone who wants to do this.

[mcalhenwrites]

Season kids when they were ages 0-3

I definitely wanted to type up a post about the Seasons characters during their earliest years (approximately ages 0-3), covering infancy and those toddler years. There are some spoilers all the way to the end of Seasons, so it’s up to you if you want to read further. I’ll put everything behind a cut so you can decide how much you want to know!

I am going from oldest to youngest.

Shannon

After the initial scare that he wouldn’t survive and the discovery that nectar is required for Cosmos/Seasons babies to survive, he went from a squalling infant to a very quiet one. A few soft whimpers let his parents know if he needed food or changed.

He learned to crawl and walk fairly early, but he liked being held. He was a clingy kiddo and during those days, liked to be close to Vivian. (Imagine that and let it break your heart. He loved his papa so much…)

He did a lot of private babbling, but he’d quiet if he had an audience. Once he started being able to hold conversations, though, he opened up a bit more.

Like a lot of children, he wanted to be a lot like his parents. He’d emulate them as a toddler, from the way they ate or gestured. He could be somewhat fussy to put down for naps and bedtimes, because he slept better when one of his parents was nearby. This is especially true as a summer child who needed to be warm at all times.

He enjoyed being outside in the sunlight and playing for hours on end, and most of his toddler fussing was related to being brought inside against his will.

Sophie

As with most of Sophie’s childhood, she has no trouble expressing her emotions strongly. If she was uncomfortable as a baby, she let her parents know quite loudly that she needed changed or fed. When she was feeling unwell (Seasons can’t get super sick, but they can deal with stuff like indigestion and weather changes), she was extremely fussy. No one else in the house could rest for days.

Aside from these inconveniences, however, she was a pretty happy baby! Lots of giggling and bonding time with her fathers and big brother.

She liked to roll around as a baby and did minimal crawling. Then she learned to walk, and soon was dashing around everywhere. She amused herself indoors as easily as she did when outdoors. She was an incredibly independent small child in all the ways Vivian approved: she was sharp and loved learning, she liked to clean, and she picked up easily on rules and followed them. (Often without needing to be told.)

She was also opinionated and even a little bossy, but this often led to amusing conversations with her. She learned to talk earlier than Shannon, and she could keep going for a while.

She did not like peppers of any kind, and Vivian tailored meals around her tastes and didn’t force her to eat any spicy foods.

El

El was not quite as quiet as Shannon, but he was an “easy” baby to care for. He was a rather sleepy baby who used his cries sparingly but still could be loud when the moment arrived. He was frequently happy and could easily amuse himself with the toys provided to him. He delighed in Sophie’s company most of all. She fostered his strong love of reading from an early age by acting out the scenes with different voices and displays of magic.

He kind of skipped over the crawling period and was on the slower side of child development for walking. He didn’t enjoy being outside much, although he did enjoy romping in the snow when it was available.

Like Shannon, he privately babbled. He also privately practiced words. He didn’t talk much, and his parents were actually concerned about his development in general.

As a toddler, even his infrequent tantrums were quiet. He would flare nostrils and cross his arms, sometimes holding his breath or trying to go dead weight. The most common situations for him to throw tantrums were over foods he didn’t like or leaving the house for family errands and outings. Putting shoes on him could be a challenge for that last part.

Howie Howie took after his big sister in many ways by being loud when something was wrong and expressing his joy with lots of giggling when he was happy. He also had a lot of quiet moments, because something would capture his attention, and he would be fascinated. This started even as a small baby.

He liked being held for short periods, but he often wanted to be left to his own devices. But he’s still a child who needs physical affection, so sitting in laps watching people and playing with toys was perfect for him as an infant.

He was an absolute clown as he grew up. He climbed before he crawled much, and he was very eager to get on his little legs and start running. Once he got to his feet, he made Sophie look lethargic in comparison. He would tumble around on the rug or pull Vivian or Graham by the hand to show them something he found–he really liked discovering new things and did this often.

Like Sophie, he was eager to start talking, and once he started learning, didn’t easily shut up.

He could play outside for hours in a variety of weather. Romping in the snow with El, dashing through mud puddles in the spring, flinging himself into piles of leaves in autumn.

He was probably the most expressedly happiest child out of any of them, but his energy levels were high enough to leave his parents pretty exhausted. He also did have tons of determination, and when something didn’t go as he planned, he would have a tantrum. Vivian and Graham had it far too easy with the three other kids as babies/toddlers, so Howie was a new challenge.

Then came…

Bee No one could prepare this family for this little spring bee. He had colic for a good couple of months. He was also demanding while being indecisive, and when he did know what he wanted, his parents had no clue. What a fickle infant he could be. He’d change his mind within minutes, too.

He did not like being alone. He required lots of attention. No, not El’s, not Daddy’s, he has to have Papa. No, he wants El now. No, Howie–who, by the way, did not care for Bee at first and complained about having him around.

When it came to crawling and walking, he learned at an average pace. Wasn’t in a hurry, but he didn’t delay like El. It was convenient, though. Now he could go after what he wanted himself. Or so he thought. If it didn’t work out, he was back to screaming and crying.

He learned names and important words. He didn’t care about speaking all the time, but he learned to shout out what or who he wanted. If he didn’t know how to express himself, he’d fling down on the floor and go red in the face from crying and screaming.

He could shriek if he was particularly upset.

The toddlers who want something and cry when they get it because they didn’t actually want it or something was ever slightly off for them? Yeah, that was Bee.

Not to say he was unhappy. He definitely giggled and laughed and played hard. He would even shriek joyously when being chased around the yard. (Actually, that’s not something he ever grew out of…)

I think Graham and Vivian were both like, “Thank goodness this one is our last.”

Oops.

Jacy This one slept hard for her first few weeks. Being a sudden live person is hard work, and this one decided to just sleep a lot. She certainly fussed if she needed something, but she mostly just wanted to rest.

Vivian suspected she would be easy, like El.

Jacy ended up being the second fussiest infant, but she was never anywhere near Bee’s levels with crying and tantrums. She was a very clingy child, though, and seldom tolerated anyone else holding her other than Vivian for the first year of her life. The exception? Phineas.

Even Shannon would hold her, and no, just because he looks like Papa? Definitely not, she knew the difference. Knew the smell. (And I think Seasons and Cosmos babies can sense something “off” about signatures, even if they’re far too young to read them.)

She crawled a lot. Absolute speed demon on all fours. Then she somehow slowed down when walking, just as Vivian expected her to be more like Howie and Bee when she got on two legs.

She loved being held often. Once she stopped insisting only Papa (and Phineas) could hold her, she let Howie and Shannon and everyone else cart her around. Bee let her ride on his back like he was a horse. One of her favorite games as a toddler.

She picked up on speech and using it pretty fluidly. I think part of this is due to her being around Jasper all the time, who didn’t talk at all for the first four or five years of his life. She filled the quiet for them. Suited him just fine to let her do all the work. He’d later only talk when he felt it “necessary” to do so, and luckily she often did all the asking for treats and favors for both of them. Nice of her, isn’t it?

She would be very playful and energetic into her toddler years. A mellowed version of Howie, really. She needed more “downtime” than her fellow autumn sibling.

Very much the “sleep hard, play hard” kiddo of the bunch.

[indigochromatic]

System Stuff Weeklies #1

Alright let's do this-- I'm going to put up 2 questions, intentionally pretty broad, with some examples from ourselves; go ahead and answer either or both of them, and feel free to interpret them however you want in order to get you to something you're interested in talking about! (No direct pings this time, just to see how it goes)

1. What's your favorite image, metaphor, or description of how your system works "overall" that you use to describe yourself(s) to others? We're personally a big fan of calling ourselves a binary star system. Singlets are just one big star in the middle, and we might look kinda like that from far away, but actually we're two stars, approximately the same size, orbiting a common center together. Neither one of us is the "real one" or the "actual center", both of us are stars even though we might have different, idk, emission wavelength spectra and chemical compositions or whatever, and we're matched enough in "mass" that we balance. And like, it feels like it used to just be one star and a bunch of inert stardust around it, but then a Bunch Of Stuff happened all in the right order in the right ways and that stardust all kinda coalesced and hit the critical point to start its own fusion process and become a star in its own right. 2. What's something you feel like you've learned or gained from being a system/part of a system? Either from the experience itself, from each other, or from the process of learning how to do this whole life thing together?

For us, I think one big thing that L's learned is how to stand up for ourselves better--really for me, initially, and then by extension for herself, too. She tends towards being a conflict-avoidant little ball of slightly-anxious sunshine who just wants to be friends with everyone...even when that means defaulting to the assumption that she must be the one in the wrong, always. This didn't cause too many big obvious problems in her life initially--and then system stuff started for us, and then suddenly we were confronted by all kinds of assumptions and assertions that it would've been so much easier to go along with than to fight: "You don't really mean that you feel like he's 'real', right?" "It was so weird talking to you in that other persona, haha" "Unless you fit exactly these XYZ specific criteria you're not a system and everyone who says otherwise is an ableist faker" "But this is only happening because you met [system friend], though, of course. Like, you wouldn't be saying this otherwise." And yeah. We had a lot of really vicious system-doubt spirals for that first year and a half. But she looked at what was going on, and looked at what it was doing to me, and went, "fuck it, I have to change." And she has. Not overnight, not perfectly--but she's a hell of a lot better at it, because she put in the work to be: "No, actually, this would still be happening, I just wouldn't have the right words for it if I hadn't met [friend]." "This is a post from some random person on the internet who knows nothing about us, we can just close the tab and walk away." "He's a person, not a persona--please don't ever call him that again." "Yes, I do think he's real, exactly as much as I am." There's a lot more for both of us that I could talk about (for example, I've been learning to...accept help and affection and support better? Actually letting myself feel it rather than constantly operating from a scarcity mindset about it), but I'll leave it at this for now.

[whimsical-sonic]

uhh hewwo i have written about 1,000 words for something involving sting. i don't usually write! but i did my best to try and capture my little guys

@sonic-oc-showdown

this is the scene where vi hires sting, as i mentioned here

Sting leaned his elbow against the table, scanning the crowds for anyone that looked out of place. He wasn’t quite sure who, or what, he was looking for. The message he received was short, simple, to the point. They gave a time, a place, but managed to neglect giving him a general description of who was meeting him. It wasn’t a big deal, no, but it was common courtesy. He’d prefer to not mistake a passerby for his potential client again, thank you very much.

He popped a curly fry into his mouth. He tried to avoid anything vague, any potential offers that withheld detail, but he had to admit: he was getting desperate. Living on fast food wasn’t ideal, but not being able to afford his classes? That was worse.

His tail knocked against the chair behind him, rattling it. Luckily for him, no one was occupying it. He really didn’t need to deal with anyone else today.

Just then, something caught his eye. Someone was navigating through the mass of people across the street, heading his with some type of determination. He squinted, trying to make out as much detail of this stranger as he could.

The character approaching him reminded him of moss, both in color and in how vaguely noticeable they were. They blended with the crowd well enough to almost fade in, but there was something about them that set them just apart. Maybe it was the way they were tapping their fingers together, glancing around before locking eyes with him. The way they hurried across the street, awkwardly halting to look both ways before carrying on. He couldn’t tell if they were in a rush or simply unfamiliar with city life. Maybe both.

“Sorry sorry, I know I’m a little late.”

“I don’t have anywhere else to be.”

“Hm? Oh, good, yeah.” They gently placed their duffel bag on the table and sat down, adjusting their glasses. “Introductions, uh, my name is Violet, but colleagues call me Vi. And, well, I know who you are, so I don’t suppose you need to tell me who you are. Unless you wanted to, of course.” Sting dipped a fry into his shake, staring at them. “Right, uh—” Vi cleared their throat, “the reason I contacted you. Probably wanna get into that right away, I didn’t give too much detail in the thing, the-the letter. Card. Envelope. That.” Surprisingly not the most awkward start to a potential job he’s had, but definitely pretty up there.

“Most potential employers do give a vague description.”

“Yes, there’s a, uh, reason why I left that out.” Sting raised a brow as the cat—caracal?—leaned forward. “It is of utmost importance that what we’re requesting of you stays quiet. No one else can know.”

Ah.

Vi continued. “Do I have your word? That what I talk about here stays between us? Even if you refuse the offer?” He shrugged.

“Sure.”

“My boss has been working on a research project for a long time, and has been getting closer to reaching a breakthrough. However, we’ve run into some...issues, small things that halt progress. Lack of specialized equipment and an inability to acquire a specific sort of intel.”

“That doesn’t sound small.”

“In the grand scheme of things it’s pretty small. Maybe not small small, but...” they waggled their hands, gesturing the approximate size of small they were referring to. “Getting the appropriate equipment wouldn’t be a problem if this research weren’t top secret; my boss doesn’t want to risk the possibility of any purchases being traced or linked or anything along those lines. What we’d require from you is for you to...acquire this equipment through specific means.”

“So...stealing, you’re asking me to steal.”

“I suppose that’s one way you could put it but yes. That’s part of it.” Stealing wasn’t so bad. He’s shoplifted a stick of gum and a pack of batteries before, he had experience in this. “The other part requires gathering intel on chaos energy.” That’s different.

“What sort of intel?”

“Any sort, really. Frequencies, wavelengths, power gauges, types, anything and everything. We do have readings, but—” they paused as someone walked by, eyes wide. Once the passerby was gone, they lowered their voice. “What we have isn’t enough for the scale of our research. We need information from someone, somewhere, who has more experience in this field.”

“Anyone particular in mind?” They nodded.

“The same person you’re going to collect equipment from. Dr. Eggman.” Sting nodded slowly, eating another fry as he mulled this information over. Eggman...he’s busted up badniks before, but has never outright fought the mad scientist. The closest he’s ever come to directly going against him was the Resistance’s effort to reclaim the islands all those months ago. To sneak into his bases, steal his likely well-used tech, scour through whatever databases he could gain access to...it was certainly more than he was expecting. Maybe more than he could... Sting glanced at the duffel on the table, studying it for a few moments before returning to meet Vi’s rather intense expression.

“On the matter of payment...how much is your boss offering?”

Vi rubbed their hands together before reaching over to the bag, looking around before zipping it open. Sting leaned forward, nudging the bag open to see what was inside. His eyes widened.

“If you agree, that is an upfront payment. Think of it as entering a contract with none of the paperwork. By accepting this, you agree to be on standby, to answer when we call upon your services, to carry out our requests without question. The, uh, payment after—there is a set amount that will be paid to you after finishing a request. An additional bonus will be sent depending on the value of whatever you give to us.” He re-zipped the bag.

“Count me in.”

Vi looked as though they were about to collapse in relief. Sting wasn’t sure why. Who would turn down that? There was so much he wasn’t going to have to worry about financially so long as this agreement was in effect.

“Alright, cool cool,” Vi clapped their hands, rubbing them together. “I’ll, uh, leave that with you. We’ll send you our general location soon, along with the first request. Just be sure to keep an eye out for that.” They paused. “Can I take a fry? Or few. For the road.” Sting pushed the basket towards them. “Thanks.” Without another word, they scooped up the basket and hurried off, swerving around someone before disappearing behind the corner.

Sting rose to his feet, staring at the duffel for a few seconds before slinging it over his shoulder. He pat it twice, feeling how the fabric crinkled at his touch. It was real. He was half-expecting it to be a prank, a scam, some false offer, but no. It was real. Awkward, but real.

All he could hope for now was for that cat to learn how to be more discreet.

~ End ~

if you've read this whole thing, i don't have much else to say asides from thank you! it's very appreciated ;y;

if you're interested in learning more about sting, check out his socs2 tag here!

round 4 is almost over! if you haven't voted yet, please consider tossing a vote his way here!