#i forgot to add the elbow spikes-

[ask-the-friendly-ink-demon]

[Title: Getting Ready For Christmas] so i was bored one day or a week ago, this took a long while to finish cause i didint know who i wanted to put in here, but i think it’s safe to say im proud of how this one turned out, happy early christmas to you all characters from left to right -susan -Pred [ @ask-the-demon-of-joey-studios‘s bendy ] -xier [ @sammys-sanctuary‘s new bby boi ] -benson [ @ladyfluffbutt aka @mybfsademon‘s winged twat] -Prowler  [my precious goopy armored boi] -lil bendy [ @kkw424 aka @little-bendy‘s bendy ] -Alice [ @licoriceblackaliceangel aka @candyredterezii‘s alice (i tried thinking of what your alice would of wear if she attended a christmas party- oof)] -Ritual!bendy [ @derpy-doodlees aka @ask-ritual-batirm-crew‘s bendy ] -My Boris -Soul/Dancer [ @ask-soul-bendy‘s bendy ] -Benny [ @the-inktype‘s bendy ] -Henry Jefferson Jarvis -Alpha hope you all like this!

[tenisperfection]

Chapter 2 of the Good emergencies series: Hot chocolate, gone cold 

A series of standalone fics about how Eddie learns and loves to cook, aided liberally by Buck, Chris, Bobby, and other friends. Find chapter 1 here!

This chapter feat. "gourmet” spiked hot chocolate, burnt plastic, hand holding, a lot of giggles, pasta salads you can’t stop thinking about, and love. Buck/Eddie.

Even the air in the kitchen smells tantalizing.

The late afternoon sunlight streaming through the open windows illuminate the dust beams that paint their bare ankles as they cut through its path. Buck looks at the jut of Eddie’s ankle as he stands at the counter, laughing at the number of olives Chris added to the pasta salad they’d nearly inhaled for lunch. 

Before today, Buck didn’t think it was possible to feel a well of tenderness at the sight of someone’s ankle bone.

Lateral Malleolus, Buck’s mind offers from quizzing Hen on her MCAT prep books. The end of the fibula.

“Where did you go?” Eddie asks softly, playfully knocking on the side of Buck’s head. Buck dodges after ten knocks, batting away Eddie’s hand.

“I was just wondering if I’ve ever had hot chocolate at 4 pm before,” Buck lies. 

“It’s not just hot chocolate, it’s—”

"—gourmet spiked hot chocolate, I know. I was there the first three times we did this. Still not sure what’s so gourmet about it,” Buck teases. “I wish Chris was here."

“It’s gourmet because we’re making it with the good spices, like it’s meant to be done.” Eddie points at the array of bottles sitting on the counter, holding vanilla pods, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and cayenne. “And using the best hot chocolate Target had to offer. Also, I don’t think we should be giving a ten year old spiked hot chocolate,” Eddie finishes drily. 

“You know what I mean,” Buck says and knocks his shoulder against Eddie’s, watching as he goes to pour milk into the saucepan.

“Wait—” Buck starts, putting out his hand, but it is too late.

“Oh shit, I forgot,” Eddie says, turning slightly panicked eyes at Buck. 

“Yeah, for the third time,” Buck pats Eddie on the back as he grabs a mini whisk. “It’s okay. It’s your turn to stir all the lumps out.”

Eddie whines a little, and Buck resists the urge to kiss him all over his petulant face. “It took ages last time. Why do we insist on making it with cocoa again?”

“Because you eat three-fourths of the chocolate bar every time we make it with solid chocolate,” Buck replies. “Did you know that most of the boxed hot chocolate we get in the US are actually hot cocoa?”

“Yes, because you or Chris tell me every time we make hot chocolate, sorry, hot cocoa.” Eddie stares forlornly at the lumps swirling in the milk. Buck smiles at the sight.

“If you promise to let me add the dollop to melt the cocoa next time—the dollop and not half the milk in the house, Eddie—I’ll get these lumps out,” Buck offers. Eddie’s face brightens and he immediately lets go of the whisk.

“Deal,” he says. “I’ll get the rum and the marshmallows. Or do you think we should stick to Baileys? That was good last time.”

“Let’s go with rum, Chim always picks the best ones,” Buck says. “And next time I really want to try that coffee liqueur.”

Eddie squeezes Buck’s elbow in answer as he walks away, and it’s a good thing Buck’s face is intently focused on getting cocoa lumps out of the milk so he can hide the warmth in his face behind it.

Tantalizing. That’s what they’ve become now. It’s like they’re waiting, like they both know where this is going, as surely as they know that when Christopher gets home from his playdate, he’ll find a mug of steaming hot chocolate waiting for him.

“Buck, he’s not going to mind that we had hot chocolate without him,” Eddie had said the first time they did this, watching as Buck started a second smaller batch when it was time for Chris to get home.

“I know, I just know how much he loves it. And there’s nothing worse than not having hot chocolate after coming into a house that smells like it.” 

Eddie, who’d had his hand resting lightly on Buck’s neck as he leaned over to watch him work at the stove, had stroked his thumb ever so softly where Buck’s t-shirt gave way to bare skin. Buck still thinks about that touch weeks later.

“It’s starting to burn,” Eddie says suddenly, coming up behind him.

“Shit,” Buck starts and moves the pan away from the stove. “Sorry, I got distracted.”

Eddie narrows his eyes at Buck, a bag of mini marshmallows clutched in one hand, a bottle of rum in the other.

“You better not already be thinking about what add-ins you can use to make Christopher’s mug. You know he’s not coming home until after dinner, right?”

“Like I’m not going to stay and make it for him however late it is,” Buck challenges. Eddie rolls his eyes.

“You spoil him,” Eddie teases. “He’s going to go off to college and expect you to drive several miles to make him hot chocolate because his dorm room smells like chocolate.”

“You know I won’t refuse if he asks me to,” Buck laughs. His chest feels like balloons have replaced the space usually occupied by his lungs and heart, and Buck’s possibly never felt as free, as light and as safe as he does in this kitchen.

Buck’s never sure what to do when Eddie looks at him with eyes like that.

“I know you won’t,” he says softly. The memory of another time he’d said those words travels through the intervening months between them, settling in Buck’s chest like a promise. The words Buck wants to say, the question he wants to ask so desperately, stays lodged in his throat as he keeps looking at Eddie. 

“Do you—” Buck clears his throat. The rest of the sentence dies in his mouth as Eddie wrinkles his face.

Shit, he figured it out, Buck thinks, even though he knows—he’s sure—that the answer won’t be no. His words will not be unwelcome. Not here in this kitchen, not with Eddie.

The smell stops him short of asking What’s wrong?

Burnt plastic mixed with the smell of burnt marshmallows, it turns out, does not make for a very pleasant smell.

“Eddie!” Buck yells, and Eddie turns off the stove and tries to pull the burnt bag away from the burner, cursing rapidly all the while. The plastic and burnt marshmallow stretch in his hand, firmly stuck to the metal, and Eddie curses some more.

“What the fuck, I can’t believe—,” Eddie swears. “Grabs the oven mitts, Buck, we might have to pry this mess apart with our hands.”

Buck complies, and the two of them work silently side by side to dislodge the half burnt bag of marshmallows, shoulders pressed together for a long minute. 

“Go ahead, ask it,” Eddie says quietly. He then passes Buck a fork and uses another to scrape at the burnt bits still stuck to the hot metal.

The air smells cloyingly sweet. 

“Eddie,” Buck asks seriously,  eyes locked on Eddie’s. "Why did you put a plastic bag of marshmallows on a hot stove?”

Eddie breaks first, collapsing against Buck as he laughs, and Buck follows suit barely a second after. Buck doesn’t know how long they stand there like that, holding on to each other, but he knows that when he leans against the counter, Eddie follows.

“I didn’t—I didn’t know it was still on,” Eddie gasps into Buck’s shoulder. “Fuck, I can’t breathe.”

“So it’s my fault?” Buck inquires, mock indignation in his voice. His touch is tentative as he slips a hand into Eddie’s, but Eddie intertwines their fingers like it’s the most natural thing in the world.

“Of course it is,” Eddie says. He looks happy when he leans back, laugh lines all around his lines. Buck wants to kiss every single one of them. “It smells weird, right? Chris is gonna give me so much shit for this.”

“Well, you kinda deserve it,” Buck answers. Eddie’s hand squeezes Buck’s hard.

“Well, you’re partly to blame too, for leaving the stove on and for distracting me,” Eddie says, laughing again. “Do you know how hard it is to focus on hot chocolate when you’re off on one of your tangents, your eyes all earnest like that?”

Buck’s breath catches in his throat. Suddenly, every one of Eddie’s looks when Buck regales them with facts about every obscure thing he’s read about makes sense.

Eddie’s phone pings on the counter before Buck can respond. Without letting go of Buck’s hand, Eddie leans over to grab the phone. Buck follows.

“It’s Anne, she says they’re just back from the movies.” Eddie smiles. “And that she’s looking forward to that pasta salad Chris told her about when we do a PTA event next.”

“Well, that was all Chris,” Buck laughs. “I didn’t think anyone could have that many opinions about salad components.”

“It was so good though, I’m still thinking about it,” Eddie confesses. “Can we have it for lunch tomorrow again? I’ll make it myself.”

“Oh, will you?” Buck teases. “Then let me warn you, Eddie, you might hold the ladle, but your son is the one who will be moving it. As he should.”

“As he should,” Eddie echoes in agreement. His eyes are soft as he lets go of Buck’s hand with a squeeze and goes back to the burnt plastic again. Buck follows.

The hot chocolate’s gone cold, and the stove is a mess, but Buck knows that he’ll stay to clean every mess and reheat every pot of hot chocolate with Eddie, shoulder to shoulder, hand in hand.

The air, with its smells of burnt plastic and gooey marshmallows and warm chocolate, smells like inevitability.

[calpalsworld]

Genuine Ninjago Respun question (asking here wince other people might be wondering too): how does Skales' prosthetic arm work? I've noticed that it bends sometimes but it doesn't seem to have any joints. It looks like one continuous spike. Is it magic?

I LITERALLY WAS DRAWING THIS MONTHS AGO BUT THEN I FORGOT TO POST IT HOLD ON

Ok so idk if this makes any sense. I think ive just been fucking up with how I draw her a lot. I might redesign her and will probably start focusing more on drawing her arm correctly. Any feedback is welcome.

Her arm died from exposure to the Elemental Master of Ice's attack, and was cut off by the Elemental Masters (probably Ray) because they wanted to help her. Her eye was also taken out. I want to show this in one of her flashbacks. (if you havent guessed already I want to have have like 1 skales flashback per chapter lol)

But I guess she still has a little bit of forearm which is how she bends her elbow? Idk if that makes any sense. I feel like she shouldn't have that. oops.

My justification for her being able to drag or grip things sometimes was that there is an automatic constriction mechanism when pressure is jammed against the "wrist" portion of the arm. I thought this made sense as something Serpentine would invent, since snake bodies bend differently than human bodies. This mechanism would absolutely malfunction often tho, and she would have to manually pull it back into a default state. If I keep this I should probably show that happening.

IDK HOW THE FUCK THE ARM STAYS ON LIKE THAT? I SHOULD ADD STRAPS I THINK!!!

Is it powered by magic? It would make A LOT OF SENSE and have COOL POTENTIAL if it was powered by Chi (like from Chima). Every species of animal and plant from the realm of Chima has small amounts of Chi in their blood. But I feel like it would be hard for Skales to channel chi through that part of her body because of nerve damage or something???? Idk. Its an option though.

I might redesign this so like I said, feedback is appreciated.

THANKS I honestly don't know if I like it anymore so I'm glad you do :D I kinda regret giving her all these scars because it seems over the top and cheesy and I didn't research it well, but at the time my brain was like "FROSTBITE EPIC LETS GO."

[jjksblackgf]

shh!

pairing — kim taehyung x female reader genre — smut  word count — 1.4k summary — “Would this time be the time where a photographer was following us, ready to destroy our future?” warning — explicit sexual content, public sex, exhibitionism, female masturbation, fingering, cunnilingus

a/n — To create a good image in my head of this story, I watched several Singularity and Blood, Sweat and Tears fancams. This information doesn’t add to the story but I needed you to know ksjsksks, enjoy <3

Dating Taehyung is an extreme sport, your heart races multiple times a day. First, his deep, low, and rich voice right to your ear and he wakes up; second, as you open your eyes to look at him, his beauty slaps you right in the face; and third, he always knows what’s going to leave you hot and bothered. 

One of the ways he loved to do it was through sex, trying different positions, sex toys, experimenting with most fantasies and kinks. He once roleplayed with you, satisfying this one desire of yours, and you would pay him back with one fantasy he never tried before: public sex. You had agreed with it and he was just waiting for the right moment to use his card.

“What if I take you right there in the bathroom?” he whispered in your ear, at BigHit’s Christmas party

“Are you crazy?” You managed to say to him, low enough so people wouldn’t notice “We can’t do that here, and you know it”

“Ok, I won’t do anything today, but just know that one day I will take you on a public place. Practice not to scream my name so loud, I won’t let you know when it’s coming.”

The months went by and you forgot all about your debt, but that thought never left Taehyung’s mind. Every time that you would walk by the beach, or go on a hiking, or even private events, he would watch you close, studying your face to see if that moment would be the moment. He loved the chance of people seeing him doing the most with you.

So now, you both were in a park, far outside the city and a little deserted, but not completely. You were laying on the grass, only protected by the picnic blanket you had brought, eyes closed, letting the sun hit your face, and playing with Taehyung’s hair as he laid down on your lap.

You lifted one leg, and as Tae looked to his side, the picnic basket was covering the space between your folded leg. Jackpot. You felt his grin at the same time as you heard his chuckle. You looked at him, trying to guess his expression through his sunglasses but he only wiggled his eyebrows, making you wonder the sudden spike in happiness.

“It’s payback time” He said, and you didn’t connect the dots until he licked his fingertips and slid aside your loose romper and panties, leaving you exposed.

You were now sitting almost straight, your palms touching the ground, you wanted to look natural to the people who were walking at a distance.

“Are you seriously-” you cut your sentence short as soon as his fingers touched your clit, getting immersed in pleasure

“Tell me to stop and I will” He said trying to look at you through the open space between his face and his glasses. He stopped his movements but he let his fingers still on your clit, anchoring himself in his elbow. You imitated his action and let your head fall back, letting the sun hit it again.

Tae went back to moving his fingers on you, using his new anchor to hold your clothes in place with one hand and work his fingers with the other, just stopping for a brief second so he could lubricate his fingers again, this time using your juices.

“This is crazy” you said to him as you laid back completely again, your hand going to the nape of his head, pulling his hair slightly.

“Pay attention and tell me if people are coming” he demanded and you complied. You double-tapped his shoulders to make him stop as you saw two men walking a little too slow, and he stopped his movements to look at where your head was pointed at.

He slid your clothes back, and he decided to lay on his belly at a perpendicular angle, holding himself up by his elbows again with his head up, not to draw suspicion. The two men stretched for a few seconds and started to jog in the opposite direction, making you both sigh in relief.

“Could you imagine if they were paparazzi?” He laughed it off, but he got into your head, and now you were very alert, various thoughts going through your mind.

You were always able to escape the paparazzi, being very rigid in keeping your relationship a secret, the only people at the company that knew about your relationship were the boys, his manager, and high executives. 

So far, the greedy sites had nothing on you. They never tried to sell pictures of you around, not even had baseless rumors or even based ones. But what if they were waiting for the right time to snap a picture? Would this time be the time where a photographer was following us, ready to destroy your future?

You didn’t notice that Taehyung was right by your side, analyzing your face. You only did when his damp fingers touched your jawline. “Tell me what you’re thinking” he had his sunglasses up on his hair, not caring if he would be recognized. “Are you scared?” he asked, and you could only nod your head.

“It’s okay, darling, we can scratch this idea out of the list” he smiled and pecked your lips.

“I love how attentive you are” your hands went to his neck and he grinned widely “And that’s turning the hell out of me” You were glad that you could see his eyes widen as he heard this.

“It’s okay, honey, really, I can-”

“Get down there before I take care of it myself” You cut him off, and you placed his glasses back as he bit his lips to stop smiling.

He went back to his position, placing one arm over your belly, laying his head on top of it. To your regular watcher, it just looked like a man napping in his girlfriend’s lap, but that was far from the truth, judging by the speed his fingers were working on your clit the way he knew you liked.

You pulled his hair for him to go faster, as it was your designated code. He inserted his fingers in a back and forth motion, this being an obvious declaration of what was happening, you moaned a little and placed a hand in your mouth to control yourself.

You had to double-tap his shoulder again, as a small family passed through you. You both decided that they didn’t see anything, the couple wished a good afternoon and the two little kids were playing tag around a few trees. They were seated on a bench to watch their kids and you were facing their back.

“This is going to be hard” you said

“But not impossible” Taehyung’s confidence allowed you to feel at ease.

He inserted his fingers and went back to his back and forth movements, you decided to concentrate on not moaning. You wished you’d practiced as Taehyung had recommended. 

His fingers were now curling inside you, and he picked up the challenge of placing his lips around your clit. Your horny instincts were about to fail you, so you went ahead and covered your mouth to whisper a “Fuck!” not knowing if Tae had listened to it

But he did, and the side to side motions of his tongue gained new pressure and speed, earning a hard hair pull to the nape of his head. You gripped on his soft hair and moved your hips up and down to accelerate the process. He helped you with it and just let his soft tongue out of his mouth, concentrating on the curling of his fingers.

You felt the build up on your stomach and you tried to grind harder against Taehyung’s tongue. Your feet were stretching, being on an almost perfect on pointe, your legs were about to give in and your toes were curling and your heart rate was fastening. With a final suck of his lips, your body finally gave him into relaxation. 

But you had accidentally moan loud, making the couple turn their heads to look at the scream direction. In an effort to look normal, Taehyung had seated straight and looked a the opposite direction, trying his best not to laugh, and you stretched your whole body to make it seem that you were just sore.

You were, but they didn’t know the details.

They looked back, ignoring both of you and you heard Tae’s snort as he looked at you again. “We are so doing this again” he went in for a kiss and you could taste your cum still on his lips.

[ellohcee]

I don't know if it'll bother but, may I ask : do you have tips on how to draw/design dragons ? Yours are always so magnificient ! And it always makes me want to try ^^ 🌸

No bother at all, and thank you so much! I’m not great at detailing my thought process or tips but I sketched up a few things. Basically my first tip would be to go wild with whatever you want, you do pretty much anything with dragons and that may sound like a cop out but really!!

Here’s a few directions you can go in if you want to focus on particular traits, you can go all out on horns, or make them really spiny and thorny, or with a mane and other little fur details. And of course you can mix and match all this stuff or you can keep kind of a theme. If you’re doing horns or spines it helps bring it together to continue down the back and some on the tail as well. If you’re doing a mane, again, down the back and some tufts of fur on ears, around the jaw or face, on the end of the tail, and on the backs of elbows and ankles.

Head shapes are a big way you can give them character. The above is my go-to, standard reptilian looking but not too fierce. But you can do anything, you can make them really reptilian, or you can go more mammal looking, and anything in between really. You can make them really pointed and sharp looking or more boxy. And any of these can go from cute to fierce depending on what direction you go.

A favorite way of mine to add charcter and details is with scales and rough bits and mouth detail. A long time ago I picked up a trick somewhere, don’t stress yourself going all out with drawing in scales. A few discernable patches across the body really helps without you having to draw every scale. They can be grouped together, or scattered, or interrupted with bigger plates like armor, and again you can mix and match all of this. It really helps add character on the face too, along with ridges of bumps or spikes.

Also I forgot to sketch some but horns really add personality too. Curly like rams horns, long, straight, curvy, sharp twists, short, spindly, and antlers are all cool.

And a lot of choosing these details is what kind of feel you want to give. Want fierce and dangerous? Boxy head, short neck, sturdy body, and big plate like scales/horns could be a good combo. Want more sleek and fluid? Long body, slim or pointed head, fur or feathers, and long flowing tail. Wings can be traditional leathery or covered in feathers, or you can do no wings at all.

This is getting long and that’s what I’ve got off the top of my head, so I hope that helps any! If you have other questions feel free and I’ll do my best!

[haloshornsinkstains]

Demons in My Head [Obey Me]

This is purely self indulgent comfort, I’m not remotely sorry. Featuring mainly Belphegor because apparently my comfort characters also like to try kill my MC. Also featuring my MC Kore.

CW: Mentions of Depression, Self Harm & ED behaviours. Nothing in depth really but be safe. Female OC. Lucifer is a bit of an ass in this, sorry Luci stans?

Belphie woke from his nap to find a second body under the covers with him, pressed up against the warmth of his own. It’s not the first time this has happened. It’s usually Kore, but sometimes Beel finds him in the attic and curls up under the covers with him, clearly not quite over the months they spent separated when he was kept up here against his will. It’s Kore this time, her shorter figure pressed against his chest, and really the fact he’d woken with a little spoon had given it away before he opened his eyes. But she seems smaller than usual somehow, curled up into herself in a way she isn’t usually. It worries him, and as he shifts up onto one elbow (carefully, so as not to wake her) he spots faded tear tracks on her cheeks. It sends a pang of anger through him, ugly and dark, wanting to lash out at whoever hurt her. Her face shifts, brows pulling together to form small wrinkles above her nose. She huffs and he sees her eyes cracking open ever so slightly before apparently she thinks better of it, burying her face in a pillow. Belphie sighed, gently wrapping an arm around her waist and tugging her into him, away from the pillows. “You’ve been crying.” Kore, eyes still firmly shut, shook her head. “You’re a terrible liar Kore. Unless you’re wearing eyeliner on your cheeks too now.” He grumbled, swatting her with his tail until she cracked her eyes open to look at him. “Who upset you?” She just shook her head again, burying her face in his chest. “Just sad.” Belphegor sighed, holding her tight against him as they started to drift off again, promising himself he would find whoever upset her and deal with them.

The Demon Brothers (New) (7) Belphegor: Alright, which one of you upset Kore? Asmodeus: Mammon? Mammon: What? Why’d you always blame me? Mammon: I was out all day. Can’t have been me. Asmodeus: You didn’t forget you had plans with her again did you? Mammon: Hey! Mammon: [angry demon emoji] Belphegor: So, not Mammon. Mammon: That’s what I said! Asmodeus: I’m fairly certain only you, Kore and Levi are in the house right now. Leviathan: I haven’t left my room all day.

Well shit, that was bad. It meant whatever had upset her wasn’t something external, which meant this wasn’t a problem he could easily fix.

Belphegor: And no one forgot a date or anything? Satan: Kore was supposed to attend the new cat cafe in town with me, but she told me she wasn’t feeling well and wanted to stay home. I presume that wasn’t entirely true? Belphegor: She doesn’t seem unwell. Just sad. Belphegor: I woke up from a nap and she was next to me with tear tracks down her face. She wouldn’t tell me who or what upset her though.Just that she was sad. Satan: Are you sure she didn’t just watch something sad? She was crying with Levi and Mammon over one of Levi’s animated films last week. Belphegor: She would have told me. Asmodeus: Come to think of it she has been acting strange lately. Asmodeus: I went down to the kitchen last night to get one of my face masks out of the fridge and she was just stood there eating Mammon: That’s not weird? Asmodeus: No. She was eating like Beel Mammon: Huh? Mammon: [confused demon emoji] Asmodeus: She was inhaling food like she couldn’t taste it.  Leviathan: Wait. Was that the night I heard someone throwing up? Beelzebub: I smelled blood on her the other day. Lucifer: Then it sounds like we have a problem.

Belphie swore under his breath. Saying they had a problem was a massive understatement, but then again none of them could see the way she was curled in on herself, or the dark circles and running makeup under her eyes. She looked like hell, and his worrying increased tenfold. She shifted restlessly in her sleep and sighing he pulled her closer again, gently pressing kisses against her head until she relaxed in his grip. Belphie hummed, resting his face against her shoulder and dozing off again.

He didn’t wake up again until Beel came to get them for dinner, the way his twins expression drooped on seeing the state of their human didn’t go unnoticed, though he managed to school it back into a smile as Kore opened her eyes and the corners of her lips quirked upwards in response. “Was I asleep long?” Her hand scrubs along her cheek as if trying to rub away some of the mascara tracked there, and her lethargy along with it. “Doesn’t really matter.” Belphie huffs in reply, looping an arm through hers and tugging her up. “We should get down there before Luci complains.” Normally she would make a joke, or protest about leaving the comfort of their small nest, but instead she nods slowly and follows him. Her footsteps are sluggish, slow in a way that suggests she’s dragging her feet though she doesn’t seem to be doing anything of the sort. She winces when she accidentally bumps a thigh against the door, a sharp hiss of breath through her teeth that she tries to pretend didn’t happen. He wants to ask, but the expression on her face makes him snap his mouth shut. There’s something empty in her eyes that gnaws at his insides horribly, and for the first time since they reconciled he almost regrets allowing himself to care so deeply for this little human. It was easier when he hated the lot of them, when he didn’t need to worry. He spent so long worrying about Lillith and Beel, he doesn’t need another worry to add to the pile. Yet here he was, worried about his human and the way she moved too slow, the way she hissed at anything coming into contact with her thighs, the tear tracks down her face and apparent late night snacking habit. Softly he guides her to her seat, watching like a hawk as she starts to eat, only glancing up to register the worried expressions on the faces of his family. Even Mammon, dense though he usually is, can see something is terribly wrong with their human, and they are all kicking themselves for not seeing it sooner. “Kore, sweetie, did you see Mammon made the cover of Devil Style again?” Asmo asks gently, clearly hoping to spark some excitement in her. Kore nods, blank and quiet. The silence is deafening, the absence of excitement feels so very wrong. Last time Mammon had a modelling gig she had sprinted through the house, locking herself in her room with a copy of the magazine and Mammon shouting through her door. The lack of reaction is somehow worse than the tears earlier, as if something had slipped out of her while she cried in her sleep, though her soul is still there burning brightly beneath her skin. He’d checked, of course, that nothing had managed to steal her soul away. “Kore. We need to talk.” Her head snapped up at that, eyes wide and panicked as she stared down the table at Lucifer. Belphegor felt a growl rise in his throat. “You need to snap out of whatever this is. You are disrupting the house.” Kore dropped her head as the table erupted in noise, tears burning in the corners of her eyes. Within seconds Belphie had an arm wrapped around her, scooping her out of her chair and guiding her towards the room he shared with Beel. And if he threw a rude gesture in Lucifer’s direction as he left, well everyone was too busy shouting to notice.

Before long they are in the twins room, Kore wrapped tightly in Belphie’s blankets. He considers it a small mercy that she manages to hold herself together until he closes the door. The sound of her sobs is so loud and so pained it hurts him to hear and he knows the chaos in the dining room would only increase tenfold if the rest of them had caught wind of this. In hindsight maybe he should have brought Beel with him, his twin was much better at comfort and Beel’s hugs were undisputedly the best in the house. But his twin wasn’t here and she looked so small and broken huddled in his blanket and sobbing. Sighing he pulled her against his chest, resting his chin on top of her head and gently rubbing her back. “Kore.... you have to tell us what’s wrong so we can help. You know that right?” Under him he hears her sniffle, shifting slightly to wipe the tears from her cheeks. “I don’t know. I’m just so sad. And… and…” she takes a long shuddering breath, desperately trying to hold back tears as Belphie squeezes her a little tighter “...he’s right isn’t he? I just… I-I- I cause trouble for you. I d-don’t deserve you guys.” A small growl rumbled in his chest, pressing her so tightly into him he could feel her heartbeat. “Lucifer is an idiot. We don’t deserve you, not the other way around.” “B-but, I get like this and I don’t know why and I-I…” “Shh.” Belphie clamped a hand over her mouth. “Lucifer is an idiot and I’m going to spike all of his food with hellfire chillies for a week. No, a month.”  He felt her chuckle against his hand at that, it was half-hearted at best but at least it was better than the lifelessness and the tears. “Now listen, I don’t want to have to say this again. We don’t deserve you, you’ve done more for us in a year than we managed to do for each other in centuries… you control Mammon better than Lucifer ever has, you get Levi to leave his room voluntarily, you calmed down Satan of all demons, and you never gave up on me even when I… Look, it doesn’t matter if you don’t know why you’re sad. Just tell us. We can help.” ‘I can’t lose you, we can’t lose you. Not like Lilith.’ Kore doesn’t say anything at first, but she leans back into his body properly and closes her eyes. Finally she whispers a sorry. Belphie huffs, pressing a kiss into her shoulder. The shouting from the dining room bleeds through the walls and he feels her flinch, growling into her skin.  “Let’s go to the attic.”

Leviathan (1) Belphegor: Grab Mammon and one of your shows that makes Kore laugh and meet me in the Attic. Leviathan: But, what show should I pick?  Leviathan: I have loads that make her laugh Belphegor: I don’t know, whatever you were watching the other week when she laughed so hard she choked? Leviathan: Do I have to bring Mammon? Belphegor: I’d rather not but yes. The idiot cheers her up.

By the time Levi and Mammon arrive Belphie has Kore bundled up in blankets in the middle of a pile of pillows, her body cradled against his. Mammon, ever the dramatic one, practically flung himself across the room to hug her, littering her face with kisses. If it wasn’t for the fond look in her eyes Belphie might have complained. “I was worried about ya! Can’t have my human being sad, it just aint right!” He whined, flopping down in her lap. Kore yelped, flinching away from the contact. Frowning Mammon tugged the blanket away, staring wide-eyed at the fresh bandage on her leg. His face dropped, and Belphie could swear he saw tears forming in his eyes as Kore tugged the blanket back over her lap. “You can still lie there, just be careful.” She hummed, patting her other thigh.  Slowly, as if she’d suddenly turned into thin ice, Mamon settled himself on the ground, propping his head on her un-bandaged thigh and humming contentedly as she ran her fingers through his hair. “I brought something for us to watch.” Levi hummed quietly, setting up the show on the small TV up there. “What are we watching senpai?” For all that Levi went bright red, her attempt at teasing sounded hollow and he whirled on her glaring. “S-stop pretending to be okay w-when you're not!” Kore blinked at him a few times before nodding. “Sorry.” “I brought the Devilball show. Um, “We’re Going To Defeat Everyone in Devilball and Maybe Learn Teamwork Along The Way”, that one.” This time Kore’s smile was wider, more genuine. “Oh! Thank you!” “A-and, I promise not to get too jealous when- when you drool over the characters this time.” Kore went a shade of red even Levi barely reached as the two demons on either side of her snickered. But despite the gentle hint of mockery their smiles and their warmth was genuine, Levi rolled his eyes (her one real companion in understanding the love for 2-Dimensional fictional characters) and settled down with them as soon as the show started, the three demons caging their human between them and their warmth. For the first time in a while Kore felt like she could breathe again, she felt safe. 

[qilwashere]

Hinata Shoyo

Hinata is your neighbor, and you've known each other for the past few years.

You met him near the bathrooms by the water fountains at one of his games, ironically, right after he had gone into the men's room to empty his stomach, since he used to get nervous all the time before a match. Since then he's gotten better, but you still worry for him sometimes.

You always help each other with homework or volleyball, although it's kind of one-sided, since you're super smart and he's very dedicated to being a middle blocker.

You always thought of him as a best friend, nothing more, although over the past few weeks, you'd been questioning yourself about that. He's been hanging out with you less, but youre pretty sure it's just because he's been busier lately. Sometimes your anxiety gets the best of you and you wonder if you did something to provoke him to not want to be around you. Every time this thought pops up in your head you have to take a deep breath to rid your brain of it.

At school his grades have gradually getting worse so you proposed a study date. As soon as you asked him you went red, hoping he didn't take it the wrong way. "I-I didn't mean a real date, it's not like--" you stumbled over your words, but he interrupted you with a laugh and said "Sure, that'd be nice. Whatever day you're free," he smiled at you. You nodded quickly and agreed on a Wednesday. You both parted ways until the set date.

At around 5:40 that Wednesday, you pace around your bedroom waiting for that familiar chime coming from your front door, letting you know that Hinata was there. It never arrives, and your worries that he's trying to keep out of contact with you come flooding your mind once again. You hope that at least he'll text you that he couldn't make it, but no chimes come from your phone either.

The next day, Thursday, at school, you don't see him in any of your usual classes together, which concerns you because he almost never misses a day. Is he sick? you wonder to yourself, and can't get him off your mind until your friend Yachi invites you to her table at lunch to discuss the new club openings that they could join together.

You start to ask her if she's seen Hinata but stop yourself mid-phrase and continue eating.

The days drag along. You haven't heard a thing from Shoyo all week.

You make a last attempt to contact him by texting, "Hey, we missed our study session :p wanna try again tomorrow?" It was a Sunday, so you felt like the next day would be a good time. It surprises you when he responds almost immediately after with "Sure :D See you at school :)". Your heart leaps but you remember that this could all be a set up.

Nah, you reassure yourself, Shoyo's way too nice for that.

For the rest of the day you surprise yourself when your feet guide you to the school gymnasium. You walk in hesitantly towards the door and remember that--

Of course. Why did you think the gym would just be open to anyone? On a Sunday, at that? You bury your face in your hand and turn back when someone comes up behind you-- Yachi.

"Hi Y/N! What are you doing here? I came because I was forgot my bag in here on Friday and never got a chance to get it back. I figured I'd stop by and pick it up before school tomorrow," she says casually. You stare at her wide-eyed. "...Is something wrong?" She asks you. You shake you head no but reply, "I was.. uh, well I was hoping to practice volleyball drills for a bit." Your response surprises you, since you'd been happy to talk with people about it but never really played the sport, or seemed interested in doing so.

"We can't get in without the key, though, so--" you start, but Yachi cuts you off: "Oh, that's no problem, I'm the manager of the volleyball club! I thought I told you... Anyways, let me just make sure I have it on me--" she pauses and pats herself down until she finds a keychain in her pocket, "--we're good!" She says cheerfully.

Your bubbly friend unlocks the key to the Karasuno gym and pulls the basket of volleyballs out of the corner. You grab a ball and toss it up, lace your hands together and face your forearms towards the ceiling, and bend your knees to receive.

The toss was off so you have to shift to the left a little to receive it right, but the feeling of it bouncing off of your arms is so... exciting. You shuffle your feet quickly forward to get directly under the ball again and - POOMF - you hit it up perfectly again. The ball comes down once more and this time when you receive it, you decide to send it over and aim for the left corner of the court. You brace your arms, wait for the point of contact, shrug your shoulders and send the ball flying up... Over... And right inside the left lines on the other side of the net.

You pat yourself on the back for a second and continue doing some volleyball practice. You practice aiming your tosses and have Yachi (attempt to) give you some good sets for spikes. After about an hour and a half, the sun starts to disappear behind the hills. You pick up the balls with the new club manager and say your goodbyes before heading home.

Once you get to your room, you notice that your laptop is open so you decide to check your socials. You try to deny it but you know you're secretly hoping for a DM from Shoyo. As you scroll through your messages you start seeing chats that you hadn't opened in a good while. They don't interest you, though, because you just want to hear from that energetic tangerine-haired boy.

You slump onto your bouncy mattress and it seems to groan in agony as you get comfortable. Eventually your eyelids grow heavy and you decide to rest.

That next day, Hinata comes over to your house,  and you're just hopping into your neatest skirt when you open the door. You're ready for your study date, but before you can stay anything, he grabs your hand and almost drags you down the block to a wide field. As you're jogging beside him on that cloudy day, struggling to keep up, you sneak a glance at him and notice that he's looking happier than you'd ever seen him. You smile to yourself, look down, up again, and run faster to challenge his speed.

"No fair, you got a head start!" He pants, and you laugh.

Eventually you get to a large field with tall grass and a few dandelions.

"I... Need a break," you can barely get out as you bend over and breathe hard. Hinata does the same thing, and after a moment he says, "Hey, (Y/N), see that really tall blade of grass over there?" He says to you. "You mean the one that's taller than you?" You joke, and he scowls. "....Yeah, that one. I'll race you to it!" He taunts, and you gladly accept the challenge. Forgetting about school for a while, you sprint towards the grass towering over all the rest. He beats you, as always, but you don't care because even if you lost, you had more time to spend with him and that's all you needed.

By the time you reach the grass, you're both too weak to stand up, so you lay in the field, next to each other, hands just barely touching, and look at the clouds in the sky. You breathe hard and think about your best friend beside you, and feel yourself blush as you smile to yourself again.

It's quiet so as you push yourself up on your elbows, you try think of a way to start a conversation. "I, uh... I practiced some volleyball yesterday." You stumble over your words, but he perks right up at this, wide-eyed since you're not exactly the athletic type.

"Really?! How was it? Did you hit a spike? Did you practice your tosses? How were your receives? When the ball hit your arm did it go 'poomf?'" He bombards you with questions, doing the same movements he usually would on the court, since this is his area of expertise.

You try to answer him the best you can, "Well, actually, I did try to hit the ball over - Yachi, the new manager, tossed some balls to me - but they always hit the net... My sets were pretty good, and, I could control my receives!" You got excited near the end, almost bouncing, because the few times you practiced with Hinata, strangely, you struggled the most with your receives.

Hinata seems to remember that, because when you mention your improvement, he almost yells, "That's great Y/N! We should practice one day!" You agree with a giggle.

After a few minutes, the world seems to calm down, and so do you. Taking in loads of air at a time, you stare at the sky and try to trace shapes in the clouds.

"I miss you," Hinata says suddenly, almost under his breath. It surprises you and you go silent for a while. "I..I missed you too. A lot," you add, unsure of how to really respond.

He sits up and says, "I'm sorry we haven't talked, it was an accident. I got caught up in volleyball and my failing grades but-- but the few days I haven't seen you made me realize that I want you... More than you, or I, even know..." He trails off, playing with his fingers, and your heart skips a beat.

"I need you, (Y/N)." Hinata mumbles, staring at your bright (E/C) eyes. You nod, not knowing what to say. "Can I.. can I have you?" He asks, embarrassed. You nod again, harder, and grin at him. "Yeah," you just barely whisper, gazing at him as if he were the only thing in the world, and for that minute, he was.

He returns the smile, and it seems like, for that second that he does, the clouds go away, almost like they're making room for the ball of sunshine sitting next to you.

In that moment, with the (real) sun setting, and the dandelions swaying in the slight breeze, you realize that you do love this boy, and that you'd do anything for him. You move your hand slightly to the right so that your pinkie is resting on top of his. You sneak glances at him, and wonder if something's gonna happen.

Shoyo is quiet for the  rest of the time, and you don't kiss, but that's okay because...

Because he's yours. And you're his. And that's a better feeling than any kiss could've granted you.

|~Fin~|

AHHH I know there wasnt much action lol I just had to do this lol. As always thanks for reading <3

[irrelevantdev]

An Order Fit For A King

Part 4 of “The Queen Of The Court”

Reader(volleyball player) x Kageyama Tobio

1K Words

Plot: You were on the Niiyama Girls’ volleyball team. They were also known as the “queens”. A certain setter catches your eye and you try to approach him.

Series Masterlist

Previous .. Next

Finally reaching the café, you opened the door, only to be alarmed by the sound of a bell. After the ding of the bell on top of the door notified everyone that you entered, you and Kageyama stood in front of the doorway, glancing at the new environment. The cozy environment of the shop stemmed from how it was quite small.

“This place is so cute.” you exclaimed in excitement as the two of you stood in line, waiting to order.

“It’s pretty empty, though.” Kageyama observed, head moving around to scan the shop.

“Well it’s the middle of the day. It obviously isn’t going to be that busy.” you explained.

“I guess you're right.” He tucked his hands into his jacket pockets.

“Hi, how may I help you.” the barista asked, as you both made it to the front of the line. 

“Hmmm, can I get a coffee? Black please.” you asked.

“Sure. What about you?” she asked, turning to face Kageyama.

“Milk, just milk, with three shots of espresso and a drizzle of caramel.”

“Ok...I’ll call you over when your drinks are done.” You both walked over to a small table in the corner of the shop. 

“Damn, that order was fit for a king.” you teased, nudging his side.

“Just a fan of milk.” Kageyama scoffed. You sat across from each other at a small round, wooden table.

“You sound mad, did I do something?” you panicked. 

“What? No. It’s fine.” he reassured. 

In practically no time at all you heard, “Order for Kageyama and Y/n!” being announced by the barista from across the shop.

“I’ll go get that for us.” You got out of your seat and walked over to pick up your drinks.

“Thanks.” Kageyama said when you came back and handed him his drink.

“Of course,” you smiled. “So,” you were desperate to start a conversation, “you guys beat Shiratorizawa, right?”

“Oh, ya we did.” A small smile appeared on the boy’s face.

“How were they? If their boys team is anything like their girls team they must’ve been scary, huh?”

“Ushijima’s spikes are worse in person.” Kageyama let out a small chuckle.

“How were Semi’s serves?” You took a drink from your coffee.

“I mean, all jump floaters are pretty scary.” he explained. 

“Not gonna lie, I wanted to watch Shiratorizawa lose at nationals.” you laughed.

“What? Why?” 

“I placed a bet ¥10,660 (about 100 USD) with Semi that Shiratorizawa would lose by the second round.” you clarified.

“You know him?” A shocked tone came along with the question.

“Oh, yeah, he’s a family friend.” you explained.

“You really do know everyone, huh.” Kageyama took a sip of his drink.

“I wouldn’t say everyone, but I definitely know a lot of people.” you smiled. “Enough about me though, I wanna know more about you.” You rested your elbow on the table and placed your face in your hand.

“What do you want to know?” Kageyama played with his straw, trying to hide his grin.

“Do you have any hobbies other than volleyball?” you asked.

“Not really, I just work out a lot. But other than that I’m always working on volleyball.” he explained. “What about you?”

“I go on runs pretty often, but other than that I also only work on volleyball.” 

“I run often too.”

“Hey, we should go on a run together some time.” 

“Only, if you could keep up with me.” a cocky grin showed up on his face.

“I’m probably faster than you.” you teased.

“What’s your 5k time?” 

“22 minutes and that's my average time.” a sly smile showed up on your face.

“My average is 23 minutes.” Kageyama sighed.

“Heh I’m better obviously.” you swoop your hair behind you. A scowl showing up on Kagyema’s face. “Anyway, what got you into volleyball in the first place?”

“It was actually my grandpa.” a genuine smile appeared on his face. “He taught me almost everything I know.” 

“He must be really proud of you, huh?” 

“Mhm, I hope he is.” 

“Imagine having such a good teacher. I’m jealous.”

“I was really lucky huh?” he looked off into the distance, a long, distant look present on his face.  

“My coach I had practically my whole life would never stop screaming at me. It was not encouraging at all.” an awkward laugh slipped from between your lips. 

“Hey, all that screaming worked out didn’t it? Your one of the best liberoes.” He complimented. Your cheeks were tinged with pink. Hearing his complement you made your heart flutter. The small gesture made you day and gave you a bit more confidence. 

“I guess it did help out huh.” Your eyes looked distant as you looked back on the old memories. You had never told anyone the truth about how terrible your coach was. At first, he was amazing. He just wanted you and the other kids enrolled in volleyball to have fun. One day, he asked you and the other kids what you enjoyed the most and you said receiving. You could receive a ball for the life of you as a kid, but that never lowered your spirits. It was like throwing gasoline at a fire, you wanting to get better burned passionately. Believe it or not, out of the group of 15 kids you and one other were the only ones who enjoyed receiving. He decided to make you two only do receiving drills. No matter how hard you worked, that other kid always did better than you. Not before long, they were moving on to digs and you were still learning how to make an A pass. Even as a kid, that ruined you a little more. You spent hours a day trying to get good but the one with natural talent always did better. Around a year after and a half after you were still struggling to make good enough passes to a setter. Your coach came up to you once and said “No matter how hard you work, natural talent will always be better than you.” He wanted to make sure you realized that from a young age. It never left your mind, and it was permanently engraved into your brain. 

“What about you, what got you into volleyball?” Kageyama asked, interrupting your flashback of memories.

Fun Fact: The happiest day of your life was when your old coach retired. 

A/n: I’m so sorry this chapter is short, I just needed to end it off here so the next chapter made sense. ALSO I’M SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG TO COME OUT school has been unexpectedly more time consuming than I thought so it’s hard for me to get chapters out. I really want each chapter to sound perfect so I tend to take longer finishing them than oneshots. <//3 Anyway, I’ll try getting the next part out sooner and I hope you enjoy it. Also, idk i feel like I could’ve made this ch better but oh well <//3

Taglist{open: ask/comment to be added} @senkuwu-chan @sunnyshoyou @abrabee @renmazing @melanieacademy @lumiriai @sunaswife (if i forgot to add you just msg me and I’ll add you next time!!)

[moonstruckbucky]

Come Over (5/7)

Summary: You’re new to New York City. Fresh out of post-grad and wanting a change of pace, and this change comes in more ways than one.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x fem!Reader. Neighbor AU.

Warnings for Chapter: There’s some fluff and a quick look into Bucky’s head.

Notes: We’re getting into the thick of it here, folks. There’s only two more parts after this and I can’t even believe it. Feedback is always appreciated! Enjoy x

P.S. - I almost forgot the goddamn Read More again.

Series Masterlist //  Main Masterlist 

The rest of October passes by in a chilly blur and in surprising quiet. It’s because, you learn, that Sharon is away again for work. You can’t help but notice the change in Bucky; he smiles more, doesn’t appear to walk on eggshells with anything, and you’re back to your regular coffee dates. You know it should set off alarm bells in your head that he’s so closed off when she’s around, but then you realize Bucky probably doesn’t have a lot of friends due to Sharon’s obvious insecurities and probable control issues. So you ignore it, allow yourself to feel bad that the only time Bucky can be himself is when she’s away.

The tension from the month before is gone, and so you choose not to look a gift horse in the mouth. Bucky’s apologized again and again for obviously upsetting you by being loud, and you find no choice but to accept each one when he looks at you with those goddamn eyes.

It’s during one of your weekend coffee dates that Bucky opens up a little bit more. About himself, his relationship, how Sharon went from being an amazing woman when they first started dating to now, where he barely recognizes her most days. 

“Her jealousy is out of control,” he sighs, shaking his head. He looks off to the window in your kitchen, lost in his head as if he’s trying to pinpoint the exact moment his relationship took a nosedive. Unthinking, you reach across the table and lay your hand on his and his eyes snap to first you and then your joined hands.

“Have you talked to her? See if you can find out why she’s started being like this? There has to be a reason…”

You can see the minute Bucky gets defensive; his jaw locks and he sits up, yanks his hand out from under yours. “I haven’t cheated, if that’s what you’re insinuating.”

You hold your hands up innocently. “I wasn’t insinuating anything, Bucky. I was just asking. Sometimes these kinds of issues are deep-seated and stay dormant for a while before coming out. When did you start noticing her jealousy spiking?”

He blows out a breath and shakes his head, his long hair hanging in his face. You have to clench your fist to resist reaching out and brushing it aside. Bucky leans forward on your small table, chin resting on his hands as he thinks. His eyes light up in realization and he seems almost bashful now. Your curiosity piques.

“A-About the time you moved in,” he admits quietly, and then hurries to add, “I-I-I mean, there were other, smaller instances, I guess. But it was just, you know, her arm around my waist or some sudden PDA. Nothing huge. But, god don’t take this the wrong way, but when I told her you’d moved in, it’s like some kind of flip was switched. We ended up fighting about it.”

“I...I heard,” you mutter, twirling your coffee mug. Bucky looks horrified and you hurry to placate him. “I couldn’t hear specifics. Just...just your raised voice, that’s all.”

Groaning, he slides a hand down his face. “Some neighbor I am, huh?”

You smile sadly and shake your head. “Bucky, you’re a great neighbor. People argue. It’s fine.”

He meets your eyes, gratitude shimmering within the blue depths, and his gaze holds you there. Heart beating erratically in your chest, you realize this is a moment. It’s magnetic, the pull between you, and it takes an exorbitant amount of effort to break the stare and shatter the tension. Bucky shifts in his seat and focuses on his coffee cup.

“More coffee?” you ask because you need to fill the silence with something. At his nod, you scoot back from the table and refill both mugs. Take your seat and try to bring back some lightness to the room. “So Thanksgiving is coming up. You and Sharon have any fun plans?”

He scoffs bitterly as he stirs his coffee. Body rigid and an eye roll barely suppressed. “She’s away for work so, I’m on my own.”

“For Thanksgiving? That’s unacceptable. You should come spend it with my family. Clint will be there, and maybe Sam. I’m sure they’d love to have you.”

The invitation is out before you can really think too much on it. It feels natural, asking him to join you. Feels too natural if you let yourself think on it, but you don’t. It’s out there between you and you watch Bucky for his reaction.

He’s surprised. But he wants to say yes, you can see it on his face, but he shakes his head. “I couldn’t intrude on your family like that.”

It saddens your heart to think Bucky would be intruding. For people who aren’t really that close, you’ve shared a lot of personal baggage between you, and the thought of Bucky spending a holiday meant to be spent with family alone hardens your resolve. You won’t accept ‘no’, can’t. Not when Sharon doesn’t seem to care about being home with him.

“You won’t be.” You’re sure of this. Clint loves Bucky, and you’re damn sure the rest of your family will too. “You’re coming with me. No ifs, ands, or buts. Got it?”

Bucky thinks better of arguing with you. Sighs and nods his head like an obedient child but with a quick smile that says he’s grateful for the invitation. The two of you settle back into your chairs, the air between you both light but with a lurking tension that bubbles just beneath the surface.

The weeks leading up to Thanksgiving are hectic, manic, whatever word that describes ultimate bedlam you prefer. Stark Industries is closing on a new deal to allow for human trials of a new “super-suit” Tony has dubbed it, and it’s crucial that all ducks are in their designated rows to minimize liability risks. It’s a tornado of paperwork, phone calls with lawyers and insurance companies, emails back and forth with the physicists assigned to the project.

It’s a mess, and it leaves you haggard, exhausted, and more than a little cranky. You’ve accidentally snapped at Wanda more times than you can count, and if you hadn’t been paying attention, Tony might’ve been at the end of one of your fits as well. Fortunately, you’d just managed to catch yourself after he’d reminded you—again—about the write-up due to the project managers before the holiday.

It’s late the Tuesday before the holiday when you return home—nearly eight o’clock, and you’re about ready to collapse. You feel drunk on exhaustion as you stagger down the hall barefoot, your stupid heels hanging over your index finger. Eyelids heavy, like two lead weights are weighing them down, you stifle a yawn in your elbow. One of your heels goes clattering to the floor.

“Fuck,” you hiss, groaning long and loud as you bend over to retrieve it and your back protests the movement. You don’t realize you’re in front of Bucky’s door until it opens, and your neighbor, in all his pajama-clad muscled glory, frowns down at you.

“Y/N? What the hell happened to you?”

You sigh and close your eyes, lean your head against your knee. “Thanks, Buck. You really know how to make a girl feel special.”

He rolls his eyes before stooping to wrap a hand around your arm. Gently he helps you to your feet, and you can’t help it when you stagger just slightly into his body.

“Whoa, easy there,” he coos, steadying you. His body is unnaturally warm where it presses up against yours and for a second, you let yourself bask in the heat. A moth to a flame. Wings scorched, but you’ll gladly burn.

“Sorry,” you sigh after a few moments, shaking your head, “it’s been a busy past couple of weeks and I’m about ready to collapse.”

“C’mon, gimme your keys. Let’s get you inside.”

He slides your keychain from your hand, opens your door, leads you in. You whine at the sight of your couch, but before you can faceplant into the cushions, Bucky’s steering you away.

“B-But,” you stutter on a whine, reaching out dramatically, childishly, for the piece of furniture.

“Mm, nuh-uh. First, comfy clothes. Then I’m making you something to eat. And then you’re going to bed.”

“Bucky.” You’re still whining, but you’re far too tired to care. Bucky sits you down on your bed, lunges forward when you tip backward in an attempt to climb under your duvet. He keeps you upright, and you pout. “Bucky.”

“Patience. Which drawer is your pajama drawer?” He sighs when he glances over his shoulder, sees you curling up in your blankets in your work attire. Averts his eyes when your skirt rides halfway up your thighs.

“Third from the top,” is your sleepy, mumbled reply paired with a half-assed lift of your arm. The drawer slides open then shut, and you grunt as fabric hits you in the face.

“Get changed and meet me in the kitchen.”

“You’re awful bossy,” you snark as you sit up, but he’s gone, and you can already hear him banging around in the kitchen.

When you’re finished, you step out of your room to see Bucky bent over the stove with a box of pasta in his hand. He dumps the entire contents of the box into the pot, stirs, and then glances up when you appear in his line of vision. He smiles softly. 

“You look exhausted.”

“Yeah,” you sigh as you sit at the island, dig your hands into your eyes as if to ward off said exhaustion. “We’re ready to move onto trials with one of the suits and Tony’s been running me ragged but fortunately he gave me tomorrow off because of the holiday Thursday so…”

“Good. You should rest a lot tomorrow.”

“You’re still coming Thursday, right?” you ask tentatively. You’re trying not to come across too eager, but Bucky’s sly little grin tells you you kind of failed.

“Of course. It’s definitely better than spending it alone.” There’s a bitter undertone in his voice, but he’s moving on before you can press on it.

You eat in the living room; Bucky throws on some true crime documentary that only holds your attention for about ten minutes. Between the comfy clothes, the blanket you’re under, and the warmth of the food in your belly, you’re out like a light, head cocked uncomfortably against the arm of the couch.

Bucky glances over, does a double take and smiles softly. Mouth open, eyelids fluttering. It shouldn’t make his heart race, yet he thinks it might give out with how fast it’s beating, how his chest vibrates with its beat. He gently grabs the nearly-empty bowl from your limp fingers, which curl up and into the blanket, tucking it under your chin as you roll over and shove your face into the back cushion of your couch.

It’s endearing, despite the deep circles Bucky can see even in the dimmed lighting in the room. Setting both bowls on the coffee table, he wipes his hands on his sweatpants; he’s nervous, has never been this close, much less in such a vulnerable situation. Your warm against him as he scoops you up; his conscience would never let him rest if he’d left you to sleep on the couch. He feels his heartbeat stutter when you curl into him like you’d curled into your blanket, nose buried against his chest. He hopes the rapid thudthudthud of his heart doesn’t wake you, prays you stay oblivious to the way you’re making him feel. Your nightshirt slides up and his fingers touch your bare skin. It’s like setting fire to flint—a spark, and then all-consuming flame as it slithers and writhes up his arm and into his belly, his chest. He knows his cheeks are a thousand shades of red; he’s never had such a visceral reaction to touch before, even when he’d met Sharon and still knew who she was. 

He side-steps into your room, avoids bonking your head or your dangling feet against the frame. Blankets pulled back, your soft and pliant body laid underneath. A soft sigh that slides between your parted lips, a content smile as you roll onto your belly, tug your second pillow to your chest, a visible deflate. Bucky’s immobile, feet planted so firmly into your floor he wonders if he’d grown roots there. He knows he should leave, knows he’s a creep for remaining unmoving, but he can’t look away from you.

Your eyelids still flutter, your mind lost in some dream that he’s yearning to hear about. How did he fall so deeply?

Like dragging lead through water, he begins to walk from your room, freezes when your lips mumble out something that sounds oddly like Bucky. He swallows around the lump in his throat, the rising guilt in his belly that burns like acid. He leaves the door open a crack, cleans your empty bowls, and leaves because he can’t bare the gnawing in his gut, the want, the longing, the absolute need for you to destroy him.

Chapter Six

[hunter-the-sad-skeleton]

Darkwing Duck Fanfic Chapter One

            Summary: “Hunter grows closer to Bushroot, becoming best friends            with the half-plant-half-duck.”

Warnings: Implied swearing, implied abuse, implied bullying, implied depression, religion mention.

Final word count: 4619

Tag list:(Feel free to ask to be added or removed!) @pidayforpi

Chapter 1 “A gift of freesias!”

Hunter quietly padded forward, following close behind her companion, Bushroot. She agreed to help him with one of his outings for some chemical of sorts, she didn’t really pay attention-science always bored her out of her mind-She was thrust out of her train of thought by a vined-arm putting itself in front of her. Hunter looked around, quickly picking a dark pink rose from a nearby bush, quickly putting it in her backpack, remembering what little flower symbolism she learned in her writing class back in high school.

“There it is, Hunter. The site of all I need.” Bushroot explained. Hunter nodded, perking up at noticing that it was a flower shop.

“Can I look around a bit while you grab what ya need?” Hunter asked nervously, getting a random spurt of courage.

Bushroot raised an eyebrow. “What would you need from a flower store?” He asked, confused.

“Oh! Nothing! I was just, ya know, curious is all…!” Hunter lied, not wanting to ruin the surprise.

“Hmm…” Bushroot narrowed his eyes, Hunter smiling nervously. “I don’t see why not!” Bushroot smiled gently.

“Wait, r-really?” Hunter asked, surprised at how easily Bushroot gave in to allowing Hunter to look around.

“Why not? It couldn’t hurt!” Bushroot shrugged, making sure the coast was clear. Hunter smiled nervously, giving him a thumbs-up.

Once Bushroot gave the all-clear, Hunter followed him inside, looking around in the rose section, earning an intrigued look from the other duck. “Oh, I get it.” Bushroot nodded, Hunter’s face immediately heating up.

“NO YOU DO NOT!! DON’T YOU HAVE LIKE, CHLORIUM SULFATE TO GO GRAB OR SOMETHING?!” Hunter wheezed.

“Right!” Bushroot chuckled, wandering off. Hunter sighed in relief. Bushroot popped his head back in. “So, just wondering, who is it?” Bushroot asked, grinning smugly.

“DUDE, IT IS NOBODY, SHOO!” Hunter snapped. Bushroot shrugged, leaning back into the room he was in. Hunter sighed, returning back to what she was doing.

Hunter wandered through the section, picking up some yellow roses before moving on to the Carnation section and picking up a few White Carnations from there. “So, are they anything special?” Bushroot asked, leaning in from another room.

“REGINALD!!!” Hunter groaned exasperatedly.

“It’s an honest question, Hunter!” Bushroot smiled.

“.....YES. YES HE IS.” Hunter frowned deeply. “SO SPECIAL, IN FACT, THAT I DON’T KNOW HOW HE HAS DECIDED TO REMAIN FRIENDS WITH ME.” Hunter added.

“Oh! One of those types, eh?” Bushroot winked.

“HE IS ALSO VERY CLUELESS.” Hunter sighed.

“........Dorkwing’s sidekick?” Bushroot asked, raising an eyebrow in concern and confusion.

“REGINALD, I SWEAR.” Hunter grumbled.

“....................................................Dorkwing?” Bushroot asked, scrunching his beak in disgust.

“NO, IT’S-never mind…” Hunter groaned.

“Well, if you wanna show him respect, I’d say to throw a few daffodils in there! They also mean admiration and hope for the future!” Bushroot advised.

“Wow...You...Know a LOT about flower symbolism.” Hunter gawked.

Bushroot gained an offended look, gesturing vaguely to all of him. “I mean, yeah. I should HOPE so!” Bushroot blurted out. The two fell silent as the sound of a small explosion was heard.

“I AM THE TERROR THAT FLAPS IN THE NIGHT!” A voice announced.

“Hey look, it’s your boyfriend.” Bushroot teased, elbowing Hunter in the side jokingly.

“HE. IS NOT. MY BOYFRIEND!!” Hunter snapped, shoving Bushroot’s arm away.

“I am the lawn mower that ruins your Chrysanthemums! I am-sorry, what did you just say?!?” Darkwing sputtered.

“Oh!” Bushroot said. Bushroot pointed at Hunter. “She said she likes someone dumb, so I assumed it was you!” Bushroot explained.

“Oh, well that’s very-HEY!! I’M NOT DUMB!!” Darkwing barked.

“Of coooourse, right, Hunter?” Bushroot said sarcastically.

Hunter nodded nervously, wanting to be careful as to not destroy the flowers she picked up. Hunter made sure her backpack was sealed shut, curling around it and rolling backwards, hiding behind cover.

“Hey!! Get back here!!” Bushroot called.

“One second!!” Hunter called back, setting her backpack down in a safe spot. Hunter rolled over, joining back up with Bushroot.

“What were you doing?!” Bushroot asked.

“Moving my backpack somewhere safe!” Hunter explained, prepping to block any attacks from Darkwing.

“Of course!” Bushroot nodded.

Hunter thought quickly, hurrying over to a nearby rolling cart, grabbing some dirt, soaking it with water, and rolling it into a ball, chucking it at Darkwing, nailing him dead in the face.

“HEY!!!” Darkwing yelped, trying to wipe the mud off.

“REGGIE, LET’S MOVE!!” Hunter called, hurrying out the exit.

Bushroot hurried to follow Hunter out, Spike following close behind him. The two hurried off to the typical hideout, catching their breath.

“That...was close…” Hunter wheezed.

“Yeah, I’ll say….!” Buhsroot nodded tiredly.

“Get what ya needed…?” Hunter asked.

“Yeah, you?” Bushroot nodded.

Hunter’s eyes shrank as she realized. “FAGUS. I forgot my backpack!!” Hunter yelped. “I-I-I-I gotta go back for it!!” Hunter panicked.

“What?! If you go back, Darkwing’ll catch you!” Bushroot objected.

“But I need my backpack! It had important stuff in it!!” Hunter whimpered.

“We can get you a new one!” Bushroot suggested.

“No! That one is the ONLY backpack I’ll EVER need!” Hunter declined immediately.

“Why is it so special, anyways?! It was falling apart!” Bushroot asked.

“BECAUSE IT WAS THE LAST THING I GOT FROM-” Hunter cut herself off, not wanting to finish her train of thought. “Listen, it’s just….REALLY important to me, okay?” Hunter said, breaking eye contact.

Bushroot hesitated a moment, gently putting a hand on Hunter’s shoulder in an attempt at reassurance. “We can go back tomorrow.”

“What if it’s gone by then?! What if Darkwing stole it?!” Hunter panicked.

“Then we can take it back.” Bushroot assured.

“What if we can’t…? What if it’s too hard?” Hunter asked, concern flooding her systems.

“We will, it won’t be too hard. If we don’t, I’ll let you adopt Spike.” Bushroot assured, Spike tilting his head in confusion.

“Promise?” Hunter asked.

“Cross my cell walls, hope to wilt, let my mind be consumed with guilt.” Bushroot promised.

“......Okay, what’s the plan?” Hunter asked.

“We drop everything off, wait until tomorrow, go back, grab your backpack, and head back here.” Bushroot explained.

“........What if that doesn’t work?” Hunter asked, worried.

“Again, you get to adopt Spike.” Bushroot reminded.

Hunter nodded, still worried that it wouldn’t work out somehow. “....Reggie..?” Hunter asked gently.

“Yello?” Bushroot called back, putting everything away.

“.....Never mind………..Wait, I forget, what’s the, uh, Passcode to the door again? Just wondering!” Hunter asked.

“Oh! Of course! The code is 3-5-12-41-44-45-57-60!” Bushroot said. Hunter nodded slowly, processing everything he just said. “Do I...Uh...Need to write it down?” Bushroot asked nervously.

“That would be appreciated, thanks!” Hunter confirmed.

Bushroot nodded, writing it down. Hunter waited patiently, gently patting Spike on the head, pulling her hand away before he could chomp down on it.

“There ya go! One door combination lock written down for ya!” Bushroot smiled, handing it to Hunter.

“Thanks, Reggie…!” Hunter smiled back.

“Sorry, I’m just curious, why wouldja need the passcode for the door? Any specific reason? If you don’t mind my asking…?” Bushroot asked.

“O-Oh, j-just in case! Ya know…! Backup?” Hunter lied.

“Ah! In case I forget it! Wow! You’re brilliant!” Bushroot exclaimed.

“Y-Yeah…” Hunter agreed, crossing her fingers behind her back. “Brilliant…”

(That night)

Hunter got up, sneaking past Spike towards the door and inputting the passcode, sneaking out as silently as possible. Hunter froze, deciding to leave a note behind. “Out for walk, got restless, be back soon, sorry not to tell you, be back as soon as I can, promise! -Hunter.” Hunter wrote, putting the note somewhere it could be found and sneaking back out.

Hunter froze, hearing the sound of leaf-like paws hitting the ground beside her. “Spike, no, go back inside…!” Hunter whispered. Spike tilted his head in confusion before hopping over to Hunter. “No, bad Spike, bad…! Go back inside…!” Hunter said gently.

Spike looked up at Hunter, head still slightly tilted. Before straightening up and gently ramming into Hunter, trying to get her back inside.

“Spike, no…! I’ll be fine..!” Hunter wheezed. Spike growled slightly, ramming into her again. “Ouch..! That’s REALLY starting to hurt, buddy…!” Hunter yelped quietly.

Hunter kept walking forward, despite Spike trying to drag her back inside. “Spike, stop…!! Go back inside…!!” Hunter hissed quietly. Spike whimpered, backing off slightly.

“Thank you…!” Hunter sighed quietly. Spike walked alongside Hunter, Hunter taking a few moments to register. “SPIKE, GO BACK INSIDE…!!” Hunter growled. Spike growled back, not budging.

“SPIKE, I SWEAR-” Hunter started.

“Hunter…? What are you doing up…?” Bushroot yawned, peeking outside.

“Reggie...! Taking a walk, I, uh...Couldn’t sleep.” Hunter explained.

“I take it Spike followed ya, huh…?” Bushroot asked, slowly trudging over.

“Yeah, I tried to get him back inside, but he wouldn’t listen an-” Hunter started.

“Didja add ‘please’?” Bushroot asked. Hunter froze, feeling incredibly dumb.

Hunter turned to Spike, officially done at this point. “Spike. Go back inside please.” Hunter said calmly. Spike perked up, hopping back inside. Hunter sighed exasperatedly, close to having a breakdown.

“So, ya head out for walks when ya can’t sleep?” Bushroot yawned.

“Y-Yeah, I, uh...Don’t...DO sleep.” Hunter chuckled nervously.

“Well, that can’t be good. Is there a reason behind it?” Bushroot asked.

Hunter tapped herself on the head fairly hard. “This old thinker-thonker refuses to shut off.” Hunter explained.

“Hmm…” Bushroot hummed.

“Don’t worry about it, Reggie, I’m already taking something to help keep this trainwreck focused…!” Hunter assured.

“Well...I guess if you’re doing everything you can…” Bushroot shrugged.

“Ironically, the stuff I’m taking for it is in my backpack that I forgot…” Hunter sighed.

“Are you gonna be up to getting it back tomorrow?” Bushroot asked, concerned.

“Yeah, I may just need ya to keep me on track.” Hunter explained.

“Oh, okay, I can do that!” Bushroot nodded.

“You should get back to bed, bud, I still gotta get my walk done!” Hunter advised. Bushroot nodded, too tired to argue on the matter, trudging back inside and waving goodbye. Hunter took a deep breath, heading out to find the flower shop from earlier.

(At the flower shop)

Hunter poked her head out of the hole used earlier to break in, sneaking over to where her backpack was hidden. “Come on, come on, where is it…?” Hunter muttered to herself.

Hunter spotted where it was, disregarding that it had noticeably moved from where she hid it-she was too relieved to care-and hurrying over to it. “THERE you are…!” Hunter sighed silently.

Hunter put the backpack on, smiling gently at having gotten it back. Hunter went to leave, getting cut off by a cloud of blue smoke. “Well, DAISIES.” Hunter cursed.

“I am the terror that flaps in the night!” A voice announced.

“You are the Rutabaga that robs robbers blind, blah, blah, blah, we’ve been through this so many times, you are Darkwing Duck.” Hunter rushed.

“I am-HEY!! ARE YOU MOCKING ME?!” Darkwing gasped incredulously.

“Oh, how SCANDULOUS!!! MOCKING!! TRULY a crime worth spending AGES in PRISON for!” Hunter mocked.

“Well you-you-well…” Darkwing stammered.

“I have what I came for, smell ya later, ya Sollya!” Hunter said, hurrying to the exit hole.

“Not so fast!” Darkwing called. Hunter pulled a portion of her hoodie over her mouth, ready for anything. “Suck gas, evildoer!”

Hunter chuckled, knowing her hoodie would act as an air filter type thing. “Ha ha! Take that, vill-wait what?” Darkwing halted.

“Hoodie works wonders as an air filter! No gas getting through this baby!” Hunter chuckled.

“Wh-no fair!” Darkwing called.

“And life is? Nothing’s ‘fair’, ‘fair’ is subjective. One person’s ‘fair’ could be your ‘Neglect’. Your ‘fair’ could be someone else’s ‘unfair’. I just came to get something I left behind, chump.” Hunter grumbled.

“I...You’re just trying to mess with me!” Darkwing denied.

“I’m TRYING to get BACK to where I’m staying so I can FINALLY go to sleep!!” Hunter retorted.

“How can you sleep when you commit crimes?!” Darkwing retorted back.

“HOW CAN YOU SLEEP WHEN YOU’RE RUINING SO-CALLED ‘VILLAINS’ LIVES?! WE’RE JUST TRYING TO SCRAPE BY!” Hunter snapped back.

“BECAUSE YOU-wait what?” Darkwing asked.

“Never mind. This is pointless.” Hunter grumbled.

“EXactly!! Now stop before you force my hand!” Darkwing called.

“I will! If you just let go and allow me to return home and get some fagussing sleep!!” Hunter yelled.

“I would, if you were an upstanding citizen!” Darkwing shrugged.

“BIXA, I WOULD BE IF I WERE FINANCIALLY STABLE ENOUGH TO DO SO!” Hunter snapped. Hunter froze, hearing the familiar sound of a venus flytrap sniffing something out. “Oh, Shortia.” Hunter sighed.

“Hunter! Your walk was taking longer than expected, so I followed Spike and-” Bushroot started, freezing as realization hit. “Oh.” Bushroot frowned.

Hunter grimaced, chuckling nervously. “Oopsie…?” Hunter gulped nervously.

“What are you doing here?” Bushroot asked coldly.

“I came back for my backpack…?” Hunter said nervously.

“On your own?” Bushroot asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I can’t sleep without it...So sue me…!” Hunter frowned.

“Bushroot AND……” Darkwing trailed off, trying to remember. “Hunter!” He added.

“Yeah, so?” Hunter frowned.

“Two in one!” Darkwing cheered.

“Now would be a good time to-” Hunter started.

“No. YOU broke this wasp’s nest open, you deal with it.” Bushroot said sternly.

“But I-” Hunter started.

“No buts. We should probably attack together for best resul-” Bushroot started.

Hunter set her backpack down somewhere, rushing out to a planter of flowers. “Okay, here goes nothing…” Hunter sighed. Hunter rolled out, over to a board of switches. Interested, Hunter flipped one, turning on a series of heavy duty sprinklers. “Oh! Okay, that’s what that does!” Hunter sputtered, turning them off. Hunter flipped another one, turning on another series of heavy duty sprinklers, this time, closer to Darkwing.

“Okay, I have a plan…” Hunter chuckled. Hunter switched them off, guessing which one was for the ones closest to Darkwing, nailing him and sending him splattered against the ceiling. “Ooh! That’s GOTTA hurt!” Hunter chuckled.

“HUNTER, I SAID WE SHOULD WORK TOGETHER!” Bushroot called.

“Oopsie daisy!” Hunter shrugged comically.

Bushroot sighed, sending an army of small snapdragons after the purple caped crusader.

Hunter switched the sprinklers off, turning to see...an extremely disappointed Bushroot.

“Okay, I can explain-” Hunter started.

“No need, I get the picture.” Bushroot interrupted.

Hunter grimaced, guilt bubbling inside her stomach. “I know, it’s sorta selfish, but…” Hunter trailed off.

“But WHAT?! I thought you weren’t gonna sneak out-THAT’S why I gave you the passcode!!” Bushroot snapped.

“I know, but-” Hunter started.

“But what?! Why are you so big on putting yourself in dangerous situations that you can’t possibly-” Bushroot started.

“BECAUSE I DON’T WANT TO BE THE TEAM’S WEAK LINK!!” Hunter blurted out.

“Huh?” Bushroot asked, confused.

“I’M the least useful member of the team! Take the whole of the members for example! Megavolt: Electrokinesis! Liquidator: Waterkinesis! You: Plant control! Quackerjack:...QUACKERJACK LOGIC!” Hunter rambled.

“What do I do?! A whole lotta NOTHIN’! I’m nothing special, and I drag the team down!” Hunter blurted out.

“No you don’t!” Bushroot denied.

“Yeah, I DO. I get scared of stupid little things, I can’t really DO MUCH, I’m basically the last person picked for GYM CLASS!” Hunter objected.

“If you DID, would you still be a part of the team?” Bushroot asked, sending an army of mini venus flytraps after Darkwing.

“.....no….” Hunter sputtered.

“You may not have superpowers, but you’re pretty dang smart!” Bushroot assured.

“.....you’re right….I AM.” Hunter grinned, rushing back over to the sprinkler controls.

“Wait, what are you doing now?!” Bushroot asked.

“USING MY SMARTS!” Hunter called back, pulling the levers in an order to trap Darkwing in a wall of water geysers.

“Get out of THAT one, Dorkwing!” Hunter laughed.

“Impressive…” Bushroot praised.

“Yeah, yeah, let’s move before the water runs out!” Hunter rushed, grabbing her backpack, the other two following close behind.

(At the hideout)

Hunter sat down, sighing in relief and checking her bag, finding that the flowers had died during the whole skirmish. “Aw…” Hunter frowned.

“Oh...I’m sorry. If we were quicker, they woulda been okay.” Bushroot apologized.

“No, it was my fault..I shouldn’t have forgotten it.” Hunter frowned.

“No, no, no, none of that talk!” Bushroot scolded gently. “Your memory just isn’t good! That isn’t YOUR fault, it’s your brain’s fault!” Bushroot explained.

“......About the passcode-” Hunter started.

“Oh, I’ve already changed it.” Bushroot smiled.

“R-Really..?” Hunter said hopelessly.

“Of course! Don’t want any more incidents like this happening again, do we?” Bushroot joked.

“Y-Yeah...Not that I would…” Hunter assured.

“Oh, I know, I just changed it just in case Darkwing somehow got the paper with it written on there!” Bushroot assured.

“Oh! So you...don’t hate me…?” Hunter asked gently.

“What? No! No, no, no, no! Did I come off that way? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to!” Bushroot apologized. Hunter laughed.

“No, no, I’m just a bit of a pessimist!” Hunter explained.

“Oh.” Bushroot smiled slightly.

“Yeah, it’s uh, it’s kinda silly.” Hunter said, slightly calming down from her laughing fit.

“Oh, but it’s not!” Bushroot assured.

“Yeah, it...sorta is.” Hunter assured.

“Oh? Why do you think so?” Bushroot asked.

Hunter took a deep breath, looking out the window at the stars. “Growing up, I, uh...Wasn’t exactly the...most popular kid...Heck, I was the exact opposite. I was sorta the odd kid out. I wasn’t picked on for being a nerd, I was the opposite. I never really retained anything I learned in class, due to my undiagnosed ADHD wrecking havoc on my focus.” Hunter started.

“I tended to flunk most of my classes when I was younger, I didn’t really care about passing, I just wanted it to be over.” Hunter continued, looking down at her hands, flexing them into fists and then out again for a moment. “I never made friends, nobody WANTED to be my friend. Thought I was a ‘freak of nature that deserved to not exist’.” Hunter scoffed.

“Then came the moment in my life that turned all that around. The moment I decided to not be that one weird kid anymore. I walked right up to someone and asked if they wanted to be friends. They said yes, to my disbelief, and we were good friends. For a while, at least.” Hunter grumbled.

“Well, what happened?” Bushroot asked.

“She. USED. ME.” Hunter frowned deeply.

“What?! How?!” Bushroot asked, aghast.

“She used me as a way of growing her already large friend group. She used me to grow in popularity while I stayed in obscurity.” Hunter remembered.

“No!” Bushroot gasped.

“Yeah. I still sorta remember what she said to me that day.” Hunter grumbled.

(Flashback)

Hunter trudged into the imposing high school building, shaking the nerves off, remembering that she would meet up with her best friend again. Hunter walked through the halls, finding her talking to other people. Hunter knew she had no reason to be shy, so she walked over, about to say hello when she froze as she heard the conversation.

“I heard you and that freak, Hunter are best friends now, what gives?” A gruff voice asked.

“Are you kidding me? That kid’s the weirdest kid here aside from Drake the dweeb, Sputterspark, and that one kid who stays in the back of each science class and knows everything under the sun about plants!” She laughed.

“Wait, I’m confused, aren’t you two friends?” A Weasely voice asked.

“Me? Friends with Hunter the freak? No way!” She gagged.

Hunter’s heart dropped. “I just needed her so I could become more popular! If it came down to it, I’d save myself over THAT shipwreck!” She smirked.

Hunter balled her fists, clearing her throat loudly. “Oh! Hunter! I...Didn’t expect you to show up to school on time! Normally you’re a little late!” She grinned nervously.

“Is that really how you think of me?” Hunter asked, struggling to stay calm.

“.........If you need to know, yeah. It is.” She said flatly.

Hunter frowned deeply. “Figured. Why would anyone wanna be my friend anyway?” Hunter scoffed.

“Exactly! Nobody likes ya!” The Weasely voice chimed in.

Hunter sniffled, rubbing tears out of her eyes. “Awww! Look! Hunter’s gonna cry~!” A Voice taunted. Hunter rubbed her eyes again, rushing off to the bathrooms, missing whatever her ‘best friend’ said to her.

(Present)

“...............I never saw her again.” Hunter frowned.

“Did she drop out?” Bushroot asked, confused.

“No, I just avoided her. I didn’t see any reason to talk to her again.” Hunter shrugged.

��Did your parents question it?” Bushroot asked.

“The ones that adopted me after my biological ones went missing? Oh yeah, big time. But...I told them everything and they understood, thankfully.” Hunter sighed.

“That...musta been rough.” Bushroot whistled.

“It was. I still found myself almost going to our meetup spot, but I stopped myself, knowing that if I ever returned there, I’d only get hurt even more.” Hunter shook her head.

“Did you ever think to ask her alone if she meant it?” Bushroot asked.

“No, why would I?” Hunter asked incredulously.

“Money is a large influence on people’s choices, but the social ladder is one that’s a much larger influence. Peer pressure is a horrible thing to be put up against. Maybe she was forced to say those things?” Bushroot asked.

“No, it doesn’t make sense!” Hunter denied.

“Does it? Or are you just so badly hurt by a few words you heard that you refuse to believe that there was anything but malice behind them?” Bushroot asked seriously.

“I…………..” Hunter faltered.

Bushroot assessed the situation and decided that a quick change of topic would be a good idea. “Family?” Bushroot asked.

“What?” Hunter asked, confused.

“Ya know, got any family?” Bushroot asked.

“Well, yeah, I have an adoptive mom, dad, and...my...brother.” Hunter said coldly.

“Did your brother do something wrong?” Bushroot asked gently.

“No…….We just….haven’t talked in a while.” Hunter lied.

“Oh. Why not?” Bushroot asked.

“I...I’ve been busy with other stuff, ya know?” Hunter asked.

“Ah.” Bushroot nodded.

“You?” Hunter asked. Bushroot tilted his head in confusion. “Any family?” Hunter explained.

“Oh! Well, I have Spike, the plants, and my niece!” Bushroot answered.

“Niece?” Hunter asked.

Bushroot nodded, a fond smile gracing his face. “Yep! Honey’s the sweetest niece you could ever ask for! Her father, Barnaby, is my older brother who decided to go off and become a big name company mechanic! A far cry from a family of scientists, but I try not to take it too personal!” Bushroot winked, whispering the last part.

“Sounds nice…” Hunter mumbled.

“Yep! It’s nice, even though I don’t really have the ability to speak to them much anymore.” Bushroot nodded.

Hunter shifted her feet nervously, looking at the stars again, muttering a few words under her breath and making a hand gesture of sorts to herself.

“Huh?” Bushroot hummed.

“Oh, right, sorry, a uh, family thing.” Hunter explained.

“What kinda family thing? If you don’t mind my asking!” Bushroot asked gently.

“Well, when I was adopted, I grew up in a, uh, religious family, so I just said a quick uh...Prayer.” Hunter said quickly.

“Oh? What kind?” Bushroot asked.

“.....A prayer for souls that have lost their way.” Hunter said softly.

“Oh! Is it a nice one?” Bushroot asked, interested in the other duck’s upbringing.

“Yeah,” Hunter started, smiling softly as she patted the backpack gently. “It is a nice one.” Hunter smiled softly.

“Apologies if this is too personal, but…” Bushroot started. “What was your childhood like? Like, you mentioned a religious family, so I’m just a little curious, as someone who didn’t quite grow up in such a fashion.” Bushroot explained.

“Well, it was...Interesting, to be honest.” Hunter started. “We didn’t-or rather, I didn’t take it too seriously, despite my ‘family’ being insistent on me being serious about it. I’m not an active practicer now, but I do still say prayers before meals, before bed, or just whenever I feel I need it.” Hunter explained.

“Your family wasn’t on your back about it?” Bushroot asked.

“Oh, no, they were.” Hunter corrected. “They just eventually gave up because I couldn’t ever bring myself to make it to services.” Hunter said. Hunter shook her head. “Anyway, how about you?” Hunter asked.

Bushroot was taken aback at the question. Someone wanted to know more about him? Normally people wanted the exact opposite. “Well, I-I mean I had a typical family, Mom, Dad, siblings, the whole shebang. Went to high school and college, got my degree in botany, worked at the university while taking more botany classes, and then everything happened that, ya know,” Bushroot paused, pointing at himself. “Made me a freak of nature.” Bushroot said sadly.

“You’re not a freak of nature, Reggie!” Hunter objected.

“No, literally, I’m a freak of NATURE.” Bushroot said, ruffling his petals.

“Ooooh!” Hunter exclaimed.

“Yeah, but, I was nothing special. Typical quiet kid in the back of class only speaking up when called on or it was something I knew I was knowledgeable in.” Bushroot shrugged.

“Understandable.” Hunter nodded.

“Yeah, nobody found that cool.” Bushroot sighed. “I was known as Reggie the Veggie.” Bushroot sighed.

“Ouch.” Hunter grimaced.

“Yeah, no kidding.” Bushroot chuckled dryly. “Not to mention I almost puked during the frog dissection lab.” Bushroot retched.

“Ech, yeah, I ACTUALLY puked when I had to do that lab.” Hunter gagged.

“Either way, I’m here now, alive and green, me as can be!” Bushroot grinned.

“Heh...Yeah…” Hunter chuckled, chuckle having a slight sad undertone to it.

“Is everything okay?” Bushroot asked, worried about his friend.

“Yeah, just wish I could go back to being who I was before I was...Like this.” Hunter frowned.

“Well, what made you this way?” Bushroot asked.

“Well, there was the ‘best friend’ incident, that one incident in high school we never speak of, and my ‘parents’ typically being too busy with work to spend any time with me.” Hunter explained, putting a finger out for each event.

“But yeah, I...Used to be more like Quackerjack than how I am now.” Hunter sighed.

“Hmm….” Bushroot hummed thoughtfully. “Maybe I can figure something out to help you out.” Bushroot suggested.

“I mean, if that’s what ya want, be my guest.” Hunter shrugged.

“You said you’ve never had a proper best friend, right?” Bushroot asked.

“Well...Yeah…” Hunter frowned sadly.

“Are you sure about that?” Bushroot asked.

As Hunter was about to say something, realization hit her. The witty banter, the in-jokes, the playful jabs, the venting help, the talking, the everything. She finally realized. “You’re...You’re my first best friend….” Hunter breathed softly.

“Surprise~!” Bushroot sang jokingly.

Hunter laughed, slowly starting to tear up. “Oh goodness! Are you alright?!” Bushroot asked, worried at the sudden tears.

“Y-Yeah, just...Haven’t been this happy in years…!” Hunter sniffled.

“Aww...Well, we can be Best Friends Forever! If you so desire!” Bushroot offered.

Hunter nodded, remembering the flowers and feeling bummed out. “Aw...The flowers…” Hunter frowned sadly.

“Oh! Yeah! I forgot!” Bushroot said, facepalming.

“I was supposed to get the ones I got and more, but that flopped…” Hunter frowned.

“Why? Were they for someone special to tell them your feelings?” Bushroot asked.

Hunter silently nodded, hugging the plant-duck tightly, enjoying the fact that she finally made a friend. Not a fake one, either. A TRUE friend. “Sorry if this is personal, but uh...Who was your fake best friend exactly?” Bushroot asked.

“...........Her name was Spring Fludd.” Hunter said spitefully.

“Understood.” Bushroot nodded, plan already formulating in his mind. Revenge was a dish he was willing to cook up for his Best Friend Forever. No matter the cost.

[wild-aloof-rebel]

is there a master post or something you could point me to of david’s designer sweaters? :))

not that i know of, so here’s one i put together for you. i didn’t include anything i didn’t know (and it’s always possible there’s one or two i forgot to list). if there’s something in particular you’re looking for and don’t see listed (including pants and shoes because i left those off of this list entirely), feel free to ask.

under a cut so i can continue to add to it throughout the remainder of the show…

episode - designer - description:

1x1 Our Cup Runneth Over - Rick Owens - Black sweater with leather sleeve patches

1x1 Our Cup Runneth Over - Rick Owens - Leather jacket

1x2 The Drip - Alexander Wang - Black sweater with shoulder zippers

1x3 Don’t Worry It’s His Sister - Raf Simons - Grey waffle weave sweater

1x4 Bad Parents - Balenciaga - Black and white scratch-patterned button-up

1x4 Bad Parents - Givenchy - Black polo with white stars around collar

1x5 The Cabin - Zara - Long black hoodie with zippered sleeves

1x7 Turkey Shoot - Givenchy - Cream cable knit sweater

1x8 Allez Vous - Rick Owens - Tan funnel-neck shirt

1x9 Carl’s Funeral/1x10 Honeymoon - ASOS - Black and white striped mohair sweater

1x11 Little Sister - Zara - White sweatshirt with blue roses

1x11 Little Sister - Zara - Black, white, and grey geometric colorblock sweater

1x12 Surprise Party - Topman - Tuxedo blazer

1x13 Town for Sale - Zara - Black sweatshirt with leather shoulders

2x1 Finding David - Helmut Lang - Black hoodie with mohawk

2x1 Finding David - Opening Ceremony - Grey “Love Me Tender” sweatshirt

2x2 Family Dinner - Dries Van Noten - Black and white “D” sweatshirt

2x2 Family Dinner - AllSaints - White and black striped mohair sweater

2x3 Jazzagals - Neil Barrett - Black sweatshirt with white geometric print

2x4 Estate Sale - Neil Barrett - White sweatshirt with black mesh applique

2x4 Estate Sale - Zara - Black and white colorblock sweatshirt (when he learns to ride the bike)

2x5 Bob’s Bagels - Comme des Garcons - Black and white poncho (the one Jared Leto gave him)

2x5 Bob’s Bagels - Rick Owens - Black tunic with shoulder clasp

2x7 The Candidate - Neil Barrett - Black quilted sweatshirt

2x8 Milk Money - Helmut Lang - White button-up with duct tape print

2x9 Moira’s Nudes - Etudes Studio - Black sweatshirt with circle of white stars

2x10 Ronnie’s Party - Saint Laurent - Black sweater with leather panel on front

2x11 The Motel Guest - Zara - Black and grey chevron colorblock sweater

2x12 Lawn Signs - Zara - Black and grey fleeced brocade sweater

2x12 Lawn Signs - Acne Studios - Blue and black striped suit

2x13 Happy Anniversary - Givenchy - Baby’s breath print sweatshirt

3x1 Opening Night - Neil Barrett - Black, grey, and white intarsia knit sweater

3x1 Opening Night - Neil Barrett - White sweatshirt with black plaid print at top (from the closing scene)

3x2 The Throuple - D.Gnak - White sweatshirt with black geometric print (from the opening scene)

3x2 The Throuple - Givenchy - White polo with black stars around collar

3x2 The Throuple - KTZ - Tattoo sweatshirt (from the cafe scenes)

3x3 New Car - Neil Barrett - Statue of Liberty sweatshirt

3x3 New Car - Rick Owens - Black longline cardigan

3x4 Driving Test - Christopher Kane - White and black face print sweatshirt

3x4 Driving Test - Acne Studios - “Radical Feminist” sweatshirt

3x5 Rooms by the Hour - Neil Barrett - Black, grey, and white sweatshirt

3x7 General Store - Balmain - Grey sweatshirt with spike studs on sleeves

3x7 General Store - Givenchy - Rottweiler sweatshirt

3x8 Motel Review - Rick Owens - Black sweatshirt with horizontal white stripes

3x8 Motel Review - Neil Barrett - Black, grey, and white color block sweatshirt (from the closing scene)

3x9 The Affair - Givenchy - Grey and white baseball skull sweatshirt

3x9 The Affair - Balenciaga - White sweatshirt with black abstract stripe print

3x10 Sebastien Raine - McQ by Alexander McQueen - Grey and black swallow print sweatshirt

3x11 Stop Saying Lice! - Neil Barrett - Black camouflage sweatshirt

3x12 Friends & Family - Dries Van Noten - Black sweater with metallic appliques

3x12 Friends & Family - Saint Laurent - Black and ivory tiger mohair sweater

3x13 Grad Night - Acne Studios - Black sweatshirt with white graffiti heart

3x13 Grad Night - Neil Barrett - Black sweatshirt with white lightning bolt

4x1 Dead Guy in Room 4 - Saint Laurent - Leopard print sweater

4x2 Pregnancy Test - Maison Kitsuné - “Parisien” sweatshirt

4x2 Pregnancy Test - Just Cavalli - Black sweater with white spots (from the night at Stevie’s)

4x3 Asbestos Fest - Marc Jacobs - XX sequined sweatshirt

4x3 Asbestos Fest - Givenchy - Baby’s breath print pants and sweatshirt

4x4 Girls’ Night - Rick Owens - Black asymmetric tunic

4x5 RIP Moira Rose - AllSaints - White mohair sweater with black stripes (from the opening scene)

4x5 RIP Moira Rose - McQ by Alexander McQueen - Black and white phoenix paisley sweatshirt

4x6 Open Mic - Juun.j - A Sky Full of Kindness sweatshirt (the one with birds and writing on it)

4x6 Open Mic - Givenchy - Flame print sweatshirt

4x6 Open Mic - Labelroute - “No Touch” sweatshirt

4x7 The Barbecue - Les Hommes - Black and white geometric print sweatshirt

4x8 The Jazzaguy - Givenchy - Doberman sweatshirt

4x9 The Olive Branch - Givenchy - Black, white, and red leather sweatshirt

4x10 Baby Sprinkle - Rick Owens - Black bodybag jumpsuit

4x11 The Rollout - Neil Barrett - Statue sweatshirt

4x12 Singles Week - Valentino - Black wing print sweatshirt

4x13 Merry Christmas Johnny Rose - Saint Laurent - White Fair Isle knit sweater with brown leather elbow patches

4x13 Merry Christmas Johnny Rose - Saint Laurent - Black sweater with silver horizontal stripes

4x13 Merry Christmas Johnny Rose - Christopher Kane - Grey and silver zigzag sweater

5x1 The Crowening - Rick Owens - Grey draped longline hoodie

5x1 The Crowening - Acne Studios - White sweatshirt with black stars

5x2 Love Letters - Juun.j - White tshirt with handwritten text (from the opening scene, he’s wearing it in bed)

5x2 Love Letters - Amiri - Palm cardigan

5x2 Love Letters - Christopher Kane - Geometric cube-patterned sweater (from the closing scene)

5x3 The Plant - Maison Margiela - Grey sweater with fringed sleeves

5x3 The Plant - Y-3 - Black hoodie with white vertical stripes

5x4 The Dress - Neil Barrett - Black sweatshirt with white lightning bolts

5x4 The Dress - Satisfy - “Possessed” hoodie

5x5 Housewarming - Diesel - Black lace-up sweatshirt

5x6 Rock On! - OAMC - Black and grey mohair sweater

5x7 A Whisper of Desire - Marcelo Burlon - Dove sweatshirt

5x8 The Hospies - Nº21 - “Nonchalance” sweatshirt

5x9 The M.V.P. - Beauty & Youth - White “Beauty & Youth” sweatshirt

5x10 Roadkill - Valentino - Black and grey panther sweatshirt

5x11 Meet the Parents - Rick Owens - Black draped asymmetric tunic

5x11 Meet the Parents - Givenchy - “I Believe in the Power of Love” sweatshirt

5x12 The Roast - Loewe - Black mohair sweater with red and white stripes

5x13 The Hike - Acne Studios - “You First” sweatshirt

5x13 The Hike - Takahiromiyashita Thesoloist - Black fringe stripe sweater

5x14 Life Is a Cabaret - D.Gnak - Black hoodie with white laces

5x14 Life Is a Cabaret - Givenchy - Black sweater with white roses on chest

6x1 Smoke Signals - Alexander McQueen - Black distressed sweater (I know I said I wasn’t including pants, etc. but I feel it’s important for Bea’s sake to mention that he wears this with Alexander McQueen culottes–not a kilt)

6x2 The Incident - Bianca Chandon - “Lover” tee (from the opening scene)

6x2 The Incident - Random Identities - Beige mohair hoodie with black dots

6x2 The Incident - Comme des Garcons - Black and white striped long sleeve shirt with heart (from the closing scene)

6x3 The Job Interview - Sacai - New York Times “Truth” hoodie

6x3 The Job Interview - Boohoo - Black and grey zebra sweatshirt (from the scene at Stevie’s)

6x4 Maid of Honour - Versus Versace - Black chainmail sweater

6x5 The Premiere - Soulland - “Beware” sweatshirt (from the opening scene)

6x5 The Premiere - Rick Owens - Black draped paneled long sleeve shirt

6x5 The Premiere - Dsquared2 - Black sweatshirt with white shoulders and silver sequined panels

6x6 The Wingman - Stella McCartney - Black and grey leopard sweater

6x6 The Wingman - Acne Studios - Black leather jacket

6x6 The Wingman - Alexander Wang - Black and white text block tee

6x6 The Wingman - Rick Owens - Black leather moto pants

6x7 Moira Rosé - Rick Owen - Grey detachable panel sweater

6x7 Moira Rosé - Mauna Kea - “Dream on” sweater

6x8 The Presidential Suite - Givenchy - Star and stripes sweater

6x8 The Presidential Suite - Dries Van Noten - Silver sparkly sweater

6x9 Rebound - Givenchy - Tattoo print sweater

6x9 Rebound - Kenzo - Multi-eye sweater

6x9 Rebound - Neil Barrett - Neoprene color block sweater (from the closing scene)

6x10 Sunrise, Sunset - Dsquared2 - “Icon” sweatshirt

6x11 The Bachelor Party - Bianca Chandon - “Lover” hoodie

6x11 The Bachelor Party - Rick Owens - Striped sleeve sweater (worn under the “I’m stupid” shirt)

6x12 The Pitch - Amiri - Snake sweater

6x13 Start Spreading the News - Dries Van Noten - Hand sweatshirt

6x13 Start Spreading the News - Off-White - Hands of fire sweatshirt

6x14 Happy Ending - Valentino - Love sweater

6x14 Happy Ending - Thom Browne - The whole entire wedding look

S6 promos - Burberry - English jacquard monogrammed tux

S1 through S5 - Maison Margiella - David’s silver rings (his gold ones are custom made)

[keydawolf]

Calming the Flames

Chapter 3

Matchoff

Boscha growls through the halls, she had woken up in a bad mood and everyone knew it from her posture, her clenched fists, the way she bared her teety at anyone walking by and the way she walked heavily on each foot, givimg very audible warning that she was approaching. One student however, didnt seem to get the schoolwide memo to leave her alone. Indigo seemed to run into Boscha after almost all their classes and happily waved and tried to speak to her, no matter how many times Boscha growled and told them to "Buzz off" Much to the dimay of anyone who liked Indigo, they kept at it, Luz, Willow, Gus and even Amity had told them they would end up hurt if they kept approaching the fuming witch, yet Indigo just shrugged with a smile. Once lunchtime came around, Indigo noticed Boscha heading for the gymnasium once again, this time they decide to not disturb her, lest she damage the door most, they do howver wait outside the gym. When Boschs did eventually come out, their mood was a little lighter, but upon seeing Indigo sitting there, obviously waiting for them, that mood changed back to anger. "Alright Weirdo, I've had enough of you following me around!" Boscha yells but the reaction she got was not what she'd expect. Rather than suprise, fear or anger, the weirdo simply smiles and stands up then has the audaxity to ask "Why? You seemed lonely to me" "Lonely? As if! I can't stand all you goody goody idiots, even if I was lonely, which I wasnt! Why the heck would I want to hang out with YOU instead?" "Cuz you are lonely, even if you wont admit it, I KNOW you don't hate seeing me around" Boscha felt her thrid eye twitch in irritation, then, an idea comes to mind and a smirk forms on her face. "Alright then, how about this, after school, one v one grudgby match, if I win, you have to leave me alone from now on" Indigo's eara twitch upwards in interest "And if I win?" Boscha snorts "If you win? You can bug me wherever the heck you like! I wont even get mad!" Boscha says, the weirdo may be good at dodging, but there was no way they could beat Boscha at scoring. "Sounds good to me" Indigo says and sticks out a hand to shake on the deal. Boscha looks at the hand in disdain but shakes it anyways, it wasnt a deal if they didnt shake on it after all. "You better not flake out on me" Boscha snarls and walks away. "Wouldnt dream of it" ----‐------------------------------- "You did WHAT?!" Amity almost yells as Indigo sits back down at the table with her news. Willow, Gus and Lux just stared, Before they all started talking at once, which made following all their words difficult. "...make an oath?" "....Can't possinly expect to..." "......Gonna really hurt you...." "....need to think before you...." Indigo's ears twitch downwards ans they frown at the others, which makes them all stop, Indigo wasnt one to frown often, so when they did it caught everyones attention. "I'm doing this" they state and even use their full worded voice to make it clear to everyone before them. The others don't argue, staring at them. "Why are you putting so much effort into Boscha?" Willow asks suddenly, gaining Indigo's attention "All she has ever done is hurt others, mentally and physically, heck she's clearly not opening up to you, why put yourself through all this just for her?" Indigo is silent for a long minute "Because she's stuck in the dark, she doesnt know what the light feels like yet, but she never will if no ones willing to show it to her" Indigo says and to Willow and Gus it just seemed like a metaphore, but Luz and Amity knew exactly what Indigo was reffering to and their eyes met for a moment, a look of slight understanding passed between them. Amity sighs and looks at Indigo. "Boscha is very prideful in her abilities for grudgby, she doesnt take defeat well at all, she WILL try to hurt you if she thinks she will lose to you" Indigo nods "I'll keep that in mind" Willow pipes up as well "Also make sure she doesn't pull the rusty smidge ploy again, make sure it isnt on the field" "Got it"

The line of concersarion continued until the end of lunch, apparently others had heard about this 1v1 match and were planning to come watch and see who won, though apart from a few grudgby fanatics, it was pretty much just Skara and the other grudgby teammates, Luz, Amity, Willow and Gus. Indigo stood on the grudgby field, staring across at Boscha, Indigo had chosen a nice blue uniform, Luz and Amity had done their face paint, red and blue lines down their cheecks from their eyes. Boscha had gone for the normal Banshee design. "You know the rules weirdo?" Boscha asks with a smirk. "Yup, is the rusty smidge on the field?" "Nah, if i'm gonna beat you, I wanna make it a good one" Boscha says with a smirk. Indigo smirks back as they wait for the ball to fly. Luz, Amity, Willow and Gus are cheering for Indigo on the sidelines, as the ball is sent into the air, Indigo had the height advantage and was able to grab the ball first, keeping it however, was harder than it looked. Boscha knew how capable Indigo was at dodging and didnt have any qualms charging full tilt at them for the ball, Indigo had to dodge a lot of attempts, trying for a goal too early just to get Boscha to stop, it misses and bounces off the goalpost, right into Boscha's waiting arms, she tears off to the other side, getting halted by an earth spike trap, which lead to a tackle from Indigo. Bischa had to commend the weirdo for their form on the tackle, but she refused to allow them the ball that easy, struggling out of their arms with a lot of effort and kicking the ball before they reach her again, scoring first. Indigo stands, wiping the dirt off their face, catching their breath. "Nice one" they compliment as Boscha gets back into place. "Hmm, your tackle wasnt too bad at all, but your aim is terrible" "Heh, we'll see" Indigo replies as their hand circles behind their back, unseen by Boscha, a clone of Indigo appeared behind her and as the ball shot up, the clone tackles Boscha before she can jump so Indigo can hop over them with the ball and head for the goal. "Agh, forgot you did Illusions too" Boscha grumbles and elbows the clone hard, it poofs away and she gets to her feet in time to see Indigo toss the ball through the goal with ease. Indigo's group cheers loudly, Gus waves his flags with vigor. Indigo jogs past Boscha to her place, grunning from ear to ear. "Pfft, you look like you just won the whole game, it eas only ONE goal" Boscha says condesendingly but Indigo doesnt falter at her snide comment, simply grinning as they waited for the next ball. "Man, psyching them out is NOT working" Boscha thinks to herself in annoyance. A few more goals on each side and it was all tied up, 5 points to each of them. Boscha glares up at the clock, only time for one more play, someone HAD to get this one. The ball flies and both girls jump, but rather than grab it, Boscha bats it right into Indigo's chest, Indigo couldnt dodge in the air, the shift in intent was too fast for them to even register, they hit the ground with a cough, clutching the ball. Boscha lands and folds her arms, waiting for Indigo to call it quits. "Hey! That cant be legal!" Luz yells. "It's a completely legal and well known play in grudgby" Skara answers from the next aisle "Besides, Boscha gave up control of the ball, if Indigo can get back to their feet, they keep it unless they miss" Amelia adds in. "They're right Luz, its a common play, but most grudgby players know not to leave their middle wide open" Amity adds with a look at the two, who nod in response. "Yeah... its usually for well prscticed captains that the other team want to slow down, but Boscha is risking a lot giving up full control of the ball like that, if Indigo can score, they win, if they cant, its a tie, so the only winner here is Indigo in the end" Amelia replies. Amity thinks it over "Yeah... that... isnt like her, what is Boscha trying to prove?"

Boscha waits as Indigo struggles to their feet, making their way slowly towards the goalpost, she hadnt skimped on that impact, they were quite resiliant, though the hit had very obviously hurt, they were still doing what they could to get the ball close enough to score.

waiting for Indigo to call it

"Hey! That cant be legal!" Luz

"It's a completely legal and well known play in grudgby" Skara answers from the next

"Besides, Boscha gave up control of the ball, if Indigo can get back to their feet, they keep it unless they miss" Amelia adds

"They're right Luz, its a common play, but most grudgby players know not to leave their middle wide open" Amity adds with a look at the two, who nod in

"Yeah... its usually for well prscticed captains that the other team want to slow down, but Boscha is risking a lot giving up full control of the ball like that, if Indigo can score, they win, if they cant, its a tie, so the only winner here is Indigo in the end" Amelia Boscha waits as Indigo struggles to their feet, making their way slowly towards the goalpost, she hadnt skimped on that impact, they were quite resiliant, though the hit had very obviously hurt, they were still doing what they could to get the ball close enough to score.

Indigo got to the goalpost and looked up at it, they had 20 seconds left, in one last ditch effort, they tossed the ball as high as they could, but it wasnt high enough, bouncing off the very bottom of the post and falling back.

One very small vine errupts from the ground, catching the ball and tossing it through the post, just before the timer ticked to zero.

Everyone looked surprised, naturally everyone also looked at Willow, who immediately raised her hands up,.

"Willow didn't cast that, I checked when I saw it" Skara confirms immediately when Bosxha looks their way.

Boscha shrugs and nods "Must have been the court itself then, guess it liked their determination" she says and walks away, no fuss, no screaming or flaming grudgby balls flying everywhere.

Everyone watches in astonishmemt as the three eyed witch leaves in complete calm.

Indigo had fallen back to a sitting position with a grin on their face.

"Thah was.... so much fuuun!" They yell loudly as they try to get on their feet.

Luz was the first over to help them up "You did great!"

Amity walks over soon aftwr with Willow and Gus in tow "I have to admit, if I was still captain I'd definately ask you to join the team, those were some smart plays"

"You did iiiiit!" Gus yells as he runs in circles around Indigo and Luz and waves his little flags eagerly.

"That was weird at the end though right? The court normally stops goals, it doesnt usually score them" Willow says quietly.

"Heh, this one tends to have a mind of its own, I hate to say it but Boscha must be right, it didn't send one obstacle to stop Indigo getting to the goalpost" Amoty observes.

"So wait... what was it you got if you won?" Luz asks curiously.

"Boscha can' geh mad if ah hang around 'er now" Indigo replies matter of fsctly.

"Wait... thats all you wanted?" Willow asks with a raised brow.

"Yeh" Indigo says with a grin."Eh was de opposi'eh oh whah she wan'ed" they explain

"Oh, I kinda doubt she'll keep to that, she was way too calm when she left, normally when Boscha loses... everyone loses... and I dont mean the game" Amity says.

Boscha sighs as she heads to change, noticing her potted plant had poked out of her bag for some sun, it had three little buds growing upwarss now.

"Hmph, is that some cheesy reference to my eyes? Titan damn it Amelia, if this flower matches my hair too I swear" she says and rolls her eyes, zipping her bag up so no one would see the plant.

[mwub]

Etched in Stone

Chapter 1: Celestite

Sorry for taking so long, I’ve been moving and have limited internet access so I’m not online as often as I would like😅.

Anyways this is the first chapter for my multi fic Etched in Stone, thank you @ineffable-nalu for beta reading it, it gave me some ideas how to progress the story better

Without further ado~

——————————————————————————-

“Mama!”

“Yes dear?”

“Can you tell me our story?”

“Lucy dear, you've heard that story what must be a thousand times. Are you sure you want to add another to that tally?” A regal blond woman laughed at the expense of her now pouting daughter. The little girl greatly resembled her mother both in bearing and in looks. Golden blond hair framed her round but not too round face, a light dusting of freckles crossed the bridge of her button nose underneath large chocolate brown eyes, now sparkling with wonder as her mother began the story.

“Long ago,” Layla hummed, tucking Lucy deeper into her bed. Brushing a strand of hair out of her face. “There was nothing, no animals, no plants, no people to call Earthland home. For Earthland did not yet exist. And then one day the sun and moon, who loved each other very much but could not be together began to cry for they were lonely and wanted to share what they have with others. From those tears came life.”

“When the moons tears fell, so did the stars, oceans formed and moved to the moons silent songs. When the suns fell, volcanoes reached high up for the heavens in hopes of one day meeting the stars.”

“Get to the part about how real life formed mama”

“I’m getting there sweetheart” Layla laughed in reply.

“When the volcanoes split the earth, so did the ocean in response, creating lakes, rivers, and streams. And in some areas so cold the oceans becomes living stone.”

“ But it was not enough for the Sun and Moon, for they wanted more. They wanted children of their own. So in desperation they shed more tears and breathed life into the environments of their own creation. From the sea the first mermaids and mermen sang their first songs. From the stars came the first celestial priests and priestesses. And from the volcanoes came…”

“Dragons” Came an excited squeal from underneath a mountain of blankets.

“Uh huh, from the deep depths of volcanoes came Dragons. Now, when the Sun and Moon formed their children , they warned them that they must not consort with humans, for it will bring disaster. The creatures of the sea and stars agreed but the king of the dragons did not. He believed one should love who they wanted and did so anyway.”

Lucy clutched her dragon plushie tighter in anticipation.

“The Sun and Moon grew angry with the dragon and so cursed him with his disobedience. Never to be seen again”

“Whatever happened to the rest of the creatures, mama?”

“Despite obeying the Sun and Moon, the others were punished as well for fear of rebellion. Their powers locked away in the stones for which they were born, serving as relics to a great betrayal. Living as ordinary beings amongst the humans they were told to fear.”

Lucys eyes began to droop as a deep yawn escaped her, sleep taking its toll. Layla smiled lovingly at her daughter, reaching to wind a small music box on her bedside, delicate music tinkling gently.

“What do you think happened to the Dragon mama?”

“ Well I would hope he’s found peace, one who loves too much shouldn’t suffer forever.”

“Good night my Darling... “ Was the last thing Lucy heard before letting sleep take her.

———————————————————————

“What do you mean you don’t have any of those kinds of books?”

“We sell fact not fiction mam, as I’m sure you are well aware of that by now miss Heartfilia.” A flat voice drawled in reply, timbre as dull as the face making it.

19 Year old Lucy Heartfilia couldn’t believe it, this was the third town she had visited that refused to sell any of the old lore books, believing them to be blasphemous to the sacred teachings of Zentopia. She had really hoped that Hargeons famous library would be different but no such luck.

Oh well, time for good ol’ plan T.

‘Are you sure there isn't any dusty old books hidden the back~” Batting her eyelashes with gusto, leaning onto the counter, giving the store keeper a peak at her generous cleavage.

“A-Absolutely not! For the last time miss, no one carries that type of literature anymore, the church ordered their burning years ago.” The old man blustered with a face as red as a Roma tomato. “I couldn't sell you any even if could get my hands on a tome”

“Now get out”

“Stupid old Geezer’ Lucy huffed outside the shop now, refitting her paperwork back into her leather satchel and straightening her dark blue tartan skirt and white button down blouse topped with a adorable black vest. She had even dressed the part too, a scholarly student researching for a history project. What a waste of time, Another day, another bust.

Oh right, I forgot to introduce myself didn't I? My name is Lucy Heartfilia, daughter of Layla and Jude Heartfilia, Jude being a local bank owner and Layla a seamstress, at least they were until the economy crash 13 years ago. Jude died of a stroke from over working and mama… let's just say fate had other plans for her. I’ve essentially been on my own since I was 15, with only a few belongings of my own I've been on my own ever since.

Taking out her notebook Lucy couldn’t help but sigh, there goes Hargeon off her list, uncapping her marker to cross it off. At least that’s what she was trying to do when life hit her with an unexpected surprise. A pink one in fact.

Before she could even put the tip of her permanent marker to the paper she suddenly was shoved to the hard concrete, black ink streaking across her cheek in a zigzag. Oh NO, her makeup was completely ruined.

Rising up on her elbows to give whatever hit her a piece of her mind Lucy was stopped short by something extremely odd. No, not something. Someone.

As her vision cleared she was confronted first with dark, almost black green eyes inches from her own chocolate ones, and even more oddly. Salmon pink hair sticking up in a messy disarray of spikes all over his head, almost seeming intentional in its unruly chaos.

Next was the alarmingly warm hands on either side of her waist, breaking the fall of what Lucy now realized was a boy perhaps her own age. Lucy could say for a matter of fact he was good looking, decently built with a muscular physique comparable to a pro athletes and a perfect tan to boot. Yes, definitely cute.

Lucy didn’t get to ponder for long as the stranger then suddenly jumped to his feet with surprising agility, his hands bringing her up with him in a rush that had her head swim a little dizzily. One hand on her waist and the other holding her own limp hand.

“Watch where you’re walking weirdo, don’t wanna get yourself hurt do you?’ The boy laughed, still holding her a little too close for a stranger to be doing. What’s with this guy?

“Excuse me? You bumped into me, who the heck sprints down the street like that without looking where they’re going” Lucy huffed, her head finally clearing from the shock of her present situation.

The boy only smirked. “Oh I know I where I was going, you just happened to be in the way. What's the point of going somewhere if you don’t know where you’re headed”

“I-I Know where I’m going” Lucy blushed. “I’m going to the Magnolia after I finish my work here.” Lucy finished with a sense of finality,gripping her satchel more firmly, why would he even ask that silly question? Of course she knows where she’s going.

“Ok… well in that case you were walking in the wrong direction. Magnolia isWest, not East of here.” Snickered her mystery boy.

“Oh, well thank you” Lucy coughed a little awkwardly, taking a step back finally to take in his full appearance finally. He really was in excellent shape. Broad shoulders tapered sharply under a black one armed waistcoat trimmed with gold thread, cream trousers held up by a similar colored sash around his waist and a pair of black sandals adorned his feet simply. The collar of his jacket open just enough for Lucy to get a glimpse of toned chest littered with faint white scars.

A bit of an odd outfit in Lucy’s opinion, but for whatever reason it seemed to suit him.

“What’s your name?” The boy asked suddenly, snapping Lucy back to reality.

“Lucy… Lucy Heartfilia” Answering automatically, Lucy cursed herself, she just met this boy and she already felt the need to spill all her secrets. Aquarius would be ashamed of her. Never trust a man with your secrets, secrets are a woman's best hand in a war.

“Thats a nice name,” Pinkie whistled. “My names N-”

“STOP RIGHT THERE! THIEF” A booming voice rang out over the stone courtyard, suddenly dozens of Zentopian royal guards flooded surrounding area.

“Thief..” Lucy whispered, eyes widening slowly.

“Crap” N growled, his Happy Go Lucky demeanor suddenly dropping as he made a run for it, he was practically a blur as he made a mad dash onto a more crowded street and seemed to vanish among the crowds of the local shopping district and boutiques.

“Excuse me miss” A grave looking guard approached Lucy. “Do you happen to know anything about this boy?” Holding up what appears to be a wanted poster of N. Except instead of the seemingly happy guy she just met, she was greeted with the face of a much more menacing looking criminal. Sharp soulless eyes pierced her soul with malice and a cruel sneer curved his lips. She did not know this person.

“No, nothing at all.” Lucy said curtly. Keeping a firm jaw in hopes of not giving anything away. While it was true she didn’t know anything about him, she wanted to. Gripping her satchel more firmly in an effort to stand her ground, she stared back at the guard.

Giving her a hard look the guard finally deemed her innocent enough and thankfully moved on to interrogate more passerby.

Releasing a breath she didn't know she was holding, she bent down to collect some of the papers that had fallen with her unexpected date with the ground, noting that some appeared to be missing or at the very least out of order. She’ll check on that later on the train to Magnolia.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts of pink hair and a fanged grin, Lucy slowly made her way to the train station with vague hopes of catching the last train of the evening. Better luck tomorrow she guessed.

[friendlylocalwhumper]

alex is @whump-sprite‘s oc.

Lux gives a small, squeaky yelp when his leg buckles and he nearly falls to his knees, catching himself on the back of the couch.

Something twinged wrong in his hip, and now his side, his whole leg too, is burning. The warlock makes a rough sound as he pushes himself back up and tests his weight on that leg. It holds, the problem isn’t the knee, it’s the hip. Remembering the source of lingering aches is hard, sometimes; this one reminds him of when his hip was dislocated, last time he was in the cellar, so he thinks it’s a remnant of that injury.

His perception of the space around him shifts. Instead of idly noticing the plants on the windowsill, the sunlight hitting the wood panels of the floor, he sees every remotely horizontal surface as something he can collapse onto if the pain spikes again. The floor, of course, is the nearest but hardest to lower himself onto. The chair over by the little reading table. The couch, the armchair, the papasan.

That hip twinges again, and the arm propping him up against the back of the couch trembles. The very slight new pressure on his arm makes his shoulder start to ache, too, and a lump catches in his throat. Why can’t his body pick one old pain and let him sort it out before the next builds back up?

Pushing off from where he leans, he tries to walk. He manages something of a stiff shuffling, maybe something reminiscent of how Anders walks on his less-painful mornings.

His hip makes an ominous snapping sound that he can hear, and feel the jolt of, but which brings no new pain - until it builds up, starts burning through his nerves, and with a strained yelp, Lux collapses to the floor.

He doesn’t want to bother anyone. Emory won’t be home for three hours. And as much as he wants to just use his magic to numb the offending joint and get back up, he’s scared that his magic won’t work. As in, he’s scared to even try, even think too much about trying, because he’s scared that one day it’ll just fail to work ever again. Surely, enough fear and pain associated with magic can make it wither up and die. He keeps forcing it when it’s not ready to be used, or when it’s drained or tucked away, and he’s, he’s just scared.

It’s fine though. He’s got a phone. He won’t call anyone for help, the pain’s manageable, it’s something that feels familiar. He doesn’t like being alone, so he’s reaching out for a bit of company while he works up the will to try to move.

hey alex, what’s up?

Seconds after he sends the text, it’s marked as delivered. Lux turned off the “send read receipt” setting because he got so nervous about people knowing when he opened their texts, judging how long he waited to answer, determining whether he was lying about having read what they sent when he just forgot about answering. But Alex hasn’t turned that setting off, so Lux can see that his text is read within two minutes.

    nothing much. grabbing pizza. want me to bring you some?

An invite to hang out. Lux bites his lip. Every time he’s invited to spend time with a friend, he thinks about the cellar. Remembers being alone for weeks, months on end, the only other person in his world bringing only pain. The kind of loneliness that set over him then feels permanent. Like any moment, he might be left behind and forgotten, deemed not worth the effort it takes to interact with him. It’s why he’s texting alex at all - he can handle being driven to lie on the floor as pain comes in constant, inescapable waves, but he can’t handle being alone while it happens.

Alex starts typing again, then stops. He’s considering changing the offer, maybe adding to it, maybe taking it away, since Lux isn’t answering right away. Not impatient, just worried.

sorry, Lux types and sends, apologizing for his delayed response. pizza sounds great! take your time i’m finishing something up you can come over in a bit!

He certainly can’t go out, can’t walk. Can’t even just walk to a car and sit in it. Alex can come here with pizza, though, that sounds like it won’t require moving much.

Lux does need to get up and over to the couch, though, at the very least. And hide the pain. There’s no question in his mind that it’ll be worth it, he wants to hang out with Alex, wants to have company.

Lux gets his arms folded at his sides, propping himself up on his elbows. Home alone as he is, he puts no effort into stifling the whimper that comes with the grinding of his pain-ridden joint; his shoulder, too, is protesting the movement. But he’s pretty good at pushing himself through pain like this, unless some grinding of bone physically stops the movement he’s trying to complete. Knowing Alex is coming over is good motivation not to give up. How could Lux forgive himself for inviting Alex over, making the healer let his guard down to have fun, and then making him heal, use up the little magic that he has burning at his nerves just for an old ache that Lux can handle?

He gets up onto his feet finally, putting most of his weight on his better leg. He wobbles slightly, arms shooting out to find some semblance of balance in the air, with nothing close enough to lean on.

In a painfully slow, whimpery shuffle, Lux makes his way over to the couch and then lowers himself gingerly onto it. Sitting makes his hip grind in a new way and he moans, jaw clenching so hard that a headache is coming on.

His hands fumble numbly for his phone. There are three new messages, about five minutes apart each, from Alex. Lux took longer to get up and over here than he thought.

    i’ll grab some sodas then too, then.

    okay, heading over, be there in a few.

    lux?

Fifteen minutes. That’s not too long to go without answering, right? Maybe Lux was in the shower, or finishing a chapter of a book, or cooking. It’s a normal amount of time to not look at your phone, if you’re busy. Alex doesn’t suspect anything - there’s nothing to suspect, no secret. Just something that Alex shouldn’t be bothered with. Lux starts typing his response with his left hand, slow and clumsy, since his right arm isn’t cooperating very well.

sorry! got distracted. are you here? you can come in!

He sets his phone down on the seat beside him and sets his expression to one that betrays no pain, eager to successfully hide his aches. He’ll honestly get downright scared if it’s found out. That’s usually how he feels about secrets. So Lux will move carefully, and make some dismissive comment about aches, and hope Alex doesn’t look very close. All Lux wants in the world is to be normal, to not be a hassle, and he’s going to try his very hardest to spend time with his friend, rather than beg someone for help with his pain for the millionth time. As Alex walks in, Lux’s hopes for being normal and relaxed are already dashed by his own mind. Don’t look at me, he thinks defensively, tensing a bit. Don’t hear my sounds, don’t ask questions, don’t figure out where I hurt just by noticing how I move. Please, I don’t want to be in pain, don’t make me think about it more.

Of course, Alex has no plan of digging out something that Lux is nervously hiding. He’s not seeing much past the three two-liter bottles of soda that he’s balancing on top of a box of pizza - clearly, he forgot which flavor is Lux’s favorite, so he just picked a couple different kinds.

“A-Alex, um, does - does your hip still hurt, sometimes?” Lux asks softly, hoping desperately that the question won’t make Alex upset. He knows that what happened to Alex in the cellar left him with some pain on top of the nightmares and fear, like his hip. It bothers Alex sometimes, and he doesn’t mention it. But Lux recognizes the movements of someone whose joints don’t always work how they should, much like Anders does.

Alex frowns and sets everything down on the table between them, taking the armchair and opening the box of pizza. “Uh, yeah. Why? Uh, it’s fine now, though.”

Lux blinks, and then feels guilty. Alex sounds like he finds the question awkward, or like he’s uncomfortable with talking about it. Maybe he thinks Lux noticed something - a limp, a wince, a flinch.

“Sorry, I - was just wondering if, if it still hurt, and if you knew how to make it, make it, hurt less, maybe.” He falters, realizing that he’s backed himself into a corner, here, and the reason behind his question is clear. I’m in pain, and I need help. He doesn’t want help, though.

Before Alex can say anything, Lux tries to add more of an explanation, tries to keep it casual. “I, just, mine is kind of achy today, and I was just wondering. B-but I don’t need healing, or anything, I mean there’s nothing to heal, mmh..” In his eagerness to clarify, he’s gesturing with his hands, but the movement needs to stop now if he doesn’t want to keen pitifully in front of his friend who just wanted to eat pizza and drink soda and talk about dumb fun stuff.

“Is it bad?” Alex asks, direct and quiet. Bad enough to need numbing magic, goes unsaid. Bad enough that I should offer?

“No, I can handle it. I’m okay. But, can you grab me a slice? ‘d rather not move.” He’d only have to lean forward, not even shift his position on the couch, to get his own slice of pizza. But Alex seems to understand that a simple tug anywhere near that throbbing joint will bring a level of pain that will erase thoughts and the ability to speak and any semblance of normalcy.

“Sure,” The healer answers, and grabs Lux a plate, and a cup for his soda, and the biggest slice from the box. No more is said about lingering aches in once-broken joints, or the balance between enduring pain and asking for help.

[hopelessromantic1352]

Navigating the Job

I've got another Ethan x Casey (OH MC) one-shot here. It piggybacks off my first Ethan fic, "Grief". Word count is 2,872

Tags: @perriewinklenerdie @cordoniansqueen @shelivesinthewoods @silversparrow02 @universallypizzataco @fangirlmum @alj4890 @naffeesaa @hija-del-universo @choicesmakemychoices @confessionsofabrokegirl @choicesfactor. If anyone else would like to be tagged, please let me know! :)

Disclaimer: Pixelberry owns Choices and all the amazing characters. (And of course me 😂)

Warning: it is super long and I had to post this from my phone, so unless I'm very, not smart, I can't add the keep reading break. Sorry it's sooo long!!!

Casey took a deep breath before she exited the locker room.

She and Ethan had hardly spoken since they had their moment a couple nights ago, and it made her uneasy. She knew he was busy, especially since the declaration of one intern being assigned to his diagnostic's team, but now that makes her even more uneasy. She is in the competition and she kissed the man who has a say in which intern won the spot. That wouldn't cause a scandal if they had gotten caught, right?

As she walked down the hall to pick up her patient assignments for the day, she heard footsteps closing in on her own.

"Rookie."

Ethan's voice sent her heart into overdrive.

This is it. Act normal and professional. Do not blow your whole career because you can't hide your emotions.

"Yes, Dr. Ramsey?" Casey stops and turns, waiting just a few seconds before he catches up.

His piercing blue eyes bore into her own for a split second.

"How many patients do you have today?" He keeps walking, forcing her to jog, attempting to keep up with his long strides.

Ok, easy, this is normal. Just like it was before anything happened, perfect. It causes her gut to twist with an emotion she doesn't enjoy. Jealousy? Envy? Over his job?

Stop being ridiculous Casey, get it together.

"I was just on my way to pick up my assignments." She coughs lightly, trying to force out the awkwardness she feels.

Ethan glances at her, but quickly looks away.

"If you have a lighter assignment list today, I've got a couple more patients for you. Dr. Emery wants the interns that are in the competition to have additional patients that she and myself can monitor with each of you."

Casey nods and bites her lip. "Okay, are you headed to the nurse's station?"

"Yes."

They glance at each other, briefly making eye contact before they both look away.

A little ways from the elevator, Casey breaks the silence between them.

"So, how was your weekend?"

His lips threaten to turn upward, but he forces them back down.

"Are you attempting to make small talk, Valentine?"

She smiles, but quickly bites her lip to hide it.

"I don't know, is it working?"

This time he smirks and doesn't hide it. Their back and forth banter was common knowledge among the interns and some of the attendings.

"I only make small talk with colleagues." He glances at her again, taking in her side profile.

"Ouch." A laugh escapes her, causing a small smile to find his lips for a brief second.

They finally reach the elevator just as the doors slide open. A small group of nurses exit together, making googly eyes at Ethan. They talk quietly amongst themselves as Casey and the handsome doctor pass to enter the elevator. Once the doors slide shut, he faces her, giving her his undivided attention.

"I need to apologize." He frowns slightly, his fingers tapping on the folder he's holding.

Casey jerks her head towards him. "What for?"

He looks into her eyes. "For the other night. I shouldn't have done that. I put your career in jeopardy, and I can't let myself ruin all of your hard work."

"Dr. Ramsey, I--"

He puts his hand up in the air to stop her.

"Please, call me Ethan when we're alone." He gives her a pained smile.

She can see the conflict in his blue eyes.

"Ethan, I made the first move, and honestly at first I thought you were going to turn me down and tell me how stupid I was." She laughs lightly, "But, when you kissed me back, I--I felt like I finally belonged somewhere. Like someone finally cared about me, for me, but I guess I shouldn't have assumed that. Especially after the night we had."

She looks away, remembering that night mixed with how she was feeling right now, was forcing her eyes to well up.

He shakes his head. His hand reaches out to touch her elbow lightly. "I'm glad you assumed that, because I felt the same thing. But, I still don't want to cause you to lose your job or chance at a career you absolutely deserve."

"No, no I won't put my career ahead of what makes me happy. I'll pull out of the competition, I'll transfer to a different hospital, but I will not put my happiness on the back burner." She pushes her red hair out of her face, looking at him determinedly.

"You will not pull out of the competition or transfer from this hospital because this is where you belong." He takes a deep breath just as the elevator doors open. "We'll continue this later."

Casey nods as they both walk to get her patient assignments. They walked in complete silence. When she got her assignments, she read them over quickly before passing the chart to Ethan.

His eyes scan the page before he nods. "Once you've finished your rounds, come find me and we'll go do a couple others together."

"Yes, Dr. Ramsey." She takes the assignment list from his hand. Their fingers brush causing her heartrate to spike. Her skin burned where his touch lingered for a that split second.

Without another word, he turns on his heel and strides the opposite way from Casey's first patient. Her eyes follow him.

Well, that was a cold shoulder if she'd ever seen one.

"He's so hot." Sienna's voice startled Casey.

She glances down at the young intern. "Think so?"

Sienna widens her eyes. "I would date him in a heartbeat. Do you need your eyes checked?"

Casey lets out a small laugh, "You'd let your career go to shambles over a good looking guy?"

"Well, all I'd have to do is give up the diagnostics team, I think. I mean come on, Ramsey and Emery were a thing until she became his boss so obviously workplace relationships aren't against any rules."

Casey's heart skipped. Sienna was right, "I've got rounds to do. See you later."

As she turned, her mind raced with thoughts of Ethan. He didn't have to protect her, but it did make her feel like he actually cared. Or did he just not care about her at all and was trying to let her down easy?

She stood outside her first patient's door, taking a deep breath in.

Just get through your rounds and then you can talk everything out with him.

***

It was afternoon. Casey hadn't sat down in hours and she still had not eaten lunch. She was on her way back to the nurse's station when Ethan turned the corner and was headed straight towards her.

"Done with your rounds?" He stopped when they met in the middle.

She nods. Her stomach rumbles with a loud growl. He raises an eyebrow. His eyes glint with amusement and he smirks at her.

"Haven't had lunch yet?"

She covers her face with the chart she was carrying. "That was so embarrassing."

He chuckles at her. "Go grab some lunch and bring it to my office. We can talk about the two patients I'm assigning you while you eat."

"Thanks." She passes him without looking up.

Casey quickly drops the chart off at the nurse's station before taking the elevator to the cafeteria.

Her lunch consisted of an apple, grilled chicken, rice pilaf, and a brownie. On her way out, she grabs a bottled fruit smoothie. The smell of the food is making her mouth water. Although it is hospital food, Edenbrook has a fairly good kitchen staff and pretty good food. The elevator ride back up to Ethan's office floor consisted of her stomach growling and her nerves building up again.

The doors open with a ding and Ethan's office comes into view. She quickly walks to his door and knocks.

"Come in." His muffled voice had lost its usual edge.

Casey tucks the smoothie under her arm to open his door. Once she gets inside the familiar room, she shuts the door behind her before sitting in a chair across from him.

"Can I set my food on your desk?"

He raises an eyebrow and looks at her over his reading glasses.

And here she thought he couldn't get any hotter.

"I'm not that controlling."

She smiles, setting her box on his mahogany table.

"Damn it." She frowns and bites her bottom lip.

"What's wrong?"

"I forgot a fork." Casey huffs.

She starts to get up but he stops her.

"I've got one you can use." He opens a drawer to reveal a bag of plastic forks.

"Those aren't used right?"

She can't hide the amusement on her face when he scowls at her.

"Take one before I change my mind and make you go back down to the cafeteria."

She giggles as her hand reaches into the bag to pull to a fork out.

"Thank you."

He nods and he puts the bag back in the drawer, shutting it before he speaks.

"So, the two patients that I've decided to assign are around the same age, but two totally different cases."

"Ethan."

He smiles at her use of his first name.

"I want to pull out of the competition."

The smile fades nearly as quickly as it came.

"Why on earth would you want to do that?" He pulls his glasses off.

"Because you said you felt the same way that I did about the other night."

Casey pauses, gauging his expression. He raises his eyebrows questionably, urging her to go on.

"I'm fine not being a part of the diagnostics team yet, if it means we can try 'us'. I am not going to let my happiness be thrown on the backburner. I will always work hard to be appointed to the team later on."

"I will not let you out of this competition." He pinches the bridge of his nose.

"Then what are we going to do?" She throws her arms up in frustration.

He sighs. "You are going to have to learn how to be discreet."

She perks up when his sentence registers in her brain. "Really? You want to try?" She breaks out into a huge smile, but tries to force it back down. She didn't want to seem too eager.

He smirks, he caught on to her eagerness, and it made him want her even more.  He wanted her to be his, even if it meant only they knew about them.

"Yes, I want to try us."

She wants to run around his desk to hug him. Hold him. Kiss him. But she controls herself, she has to. She's got to prove to him that she can be discreet and control herself around him in the hospital.

"Okay, well, I guess we should check on those two patients, huh?"

He furrows his eyebrows. "You haven't taken one bite of your lunch."

She looks down at the box and flushes with embarrassment. "I'm, uh, not that hungry anymore."

He chuckles, "I don't believe I've ever had that effect on a woman before."

She rolls her eyes, "Please, I'm just too excited now that I know I can stay in the competition."

"Sure." He smiles slightly, "Do you have an early shift tomorrow?"

She thinks for a second and furrows her eyebrows before she answers, "No."

"Good, dinner tonight?"

That makes her heart flip. A date, a real date, with Ethan.

"I mean, if you want to." She smiles sheepishly.

"Now your going to play shy?"

"Stop it." She whines and stands abruptly.

He smiles at the woman before him. The woman who is now his.

"Do you mind if I set my food in your mini fridge?" Casey is about to the door on the refrigerator before he even answers.

"Nope, it's all yours."

She hears him stand up from his desk chair as she opens the small door to the fridge.

"I suppose we better go check those two patients."

"Right," she stands up after closing the fridge.

When she turns around his heart starts beating faster. She is his. Her red curls frame her face perfectly. Those plump lips nearly cause him to break their silent rule of "no touching in the workplace". He takes a deep breath to compose himself.

"Let's get going. After we take care of these two, we'll meet tonight at 6, out front."

She nods, "Sounds good. Where are we going to go?"

He shrugs. "What sounds good to you?"

"How about a quiet, little Italian restaurant?" She tries to gauge his reaction, "it's not fancy so we can just relax. Plus, I don't think it's on any of the other interns radar. I kind of kept the place to myself."

"You're willing to share it with me?" His eyes are full of amusement.

"I guess."

He smiles as they walk out into the hallway. "Smart ass."

She giggles. She couldn't believe that they were actually going out on an official date tonight. It sent a shiver down her spine.

***

They met at exactly six o'clock. She slid into his Mercedes, hiding her face as he drove out of the hospital parking lot.

"You okay over there?" His hand slid off the gear shift towards her left hand once they got on the main road.

She straightens in the luxurious seat. "Just trying to be inconspicuous."

"That was you being inconspicuous?" His hand slides over to hers, interlacing his fingers with hers. "You probably brought more suspicion on us with you hiding your face like that."

Casey looks down at their fingers tangled together. Her thumb starts rubbing across his knuckles before she speaks.

"That's true. I guess I'm just a little nervous."

They were stopped at a red light as it began to rain. His eyes watched a rain drop trail down his windshield before he looked over to her. She is biting her bottom lip and he can practically see the gears turning in her mind.

"You don't need to worry." The light turns green causing him to steal his hand back momentarily to shift. As soon as they're cruising again, he grabs her hand and pulls it towards him. "Listen to me, I trust you. We'll be fine as long as we're careful around the hospital. Why do you think I had you meet me at the front of the hospital instead of the staff entrance?"

Her eyes flash quickly up to him. "Right." She clears her throat, pulling their hands back towards her, squeezing his tightly.

He glances towards her. "If you are having second thoughts, I understand. I can take you home." He begins to pull his hand away from hers, but she stops him.

"No! Are you kidding me? I've been wanting you--this, for a long time."

The feeling her soft, slightly dry skin on his is something he's wanted for a long time too.

"I'm just worried about you."

They're stopped at another red light, allowing him to look straight at her. He raises an eyebrow causing her to smile.

"I just mean that I don't want you to get in trouble because of me. You have way more at stake than I do."

His eyes soften when he realizes that she cares more about him than herself.

"You don't need to worry about me. I'm tougher than I look and besides you, no one questions me about anything."

It was her turn to raise an eyebrow. "I don't think you look tough, I think you look mean most of the time."

He chuckles gripping her hand once they got past the red light again. "I've told you before that I focus my energy on my patients."

He pulls into the small parking lot at the address Casey punched into his GPS.

"And me." She gives him a cheeky grin, earning her a smile from him.

"And you." His voice was softer than ever.

She noticed that he has one lock of hair above his eyebrow, adding to how attractive he is. Subconsciously, she leans towards him, as if being pulled by a magnet. His eyes drift to her lips, but look back up to her eyes, only to see she is transfixed on his mouth. He smirks and leans in.

The kiss is sweet and gentle at first. She runs a hand through his hair, enjoying the feel of the silk strands covering her fingers. When her hand slides to the nape of his neck, she pulls him closer. One of his hands moves to her waist, tugging her even closer. His lips move away from hers, down to her neck, kissing, sucking, and caressing her soft skin. His tongue teases her, sending a sensation through her body, wanting more. The stubble on his strong jawline scratches against her, adding to the sensation.

"Ethan," her voice is a breathless plea. A plea for him to keep going.

She attempts to climb into his lap, but is startled by his car horn.

They break away from each other and he laughs, wholeheartedly.

"Let's hurry and get some dinner." He begins to untangle himself from her, "Then we'll continue you this at my place."

She smiles at him, "I like the way you think."

[paradisobound]

I Want It, I Got It: Chapter 10

Summary: Phil Lester was a worker for the BBC in London. Working in the advertising department, he was content being alongside his friend and fellow coworker PJ during every shift. However, the BBC is temporarily being used as a film set for a new movie staring Hollywood ‘It’ star, Daniel Howell. Being stuck as an extra on the set, Phil finds it’s hard to ignore the famous star. And maybe, just maybe, Dan finds it hard to ignore Phil as well.

Word Count: 1.7k (this chapter)

Warnings: Occasional swearing

Rating: Mature (for right now)

Updates will be every Wednesday at 4pm and Sunday at 1pm EST

**MASTERLIST | READ ON AO3**

A/N: Before you all read. I have a very important poll that I need you to check out! You don't have to do anything with it if you don't want to, but I'd really appreciate the input! 

Link to Poll 

“What kind of video do you want to make?” 

Phil is still busy turning on the brand new camera and making sure everything worked to really comprehend that Dan had even spoke. He’d been relatively quiet the entire time. Well, besides when they were in the store and Dan couldn’t stop talking about the different cameras and which one he figured Phil should get. 

“What?”

“I asked what kind of video you were thinking about making.” Dan repeats, his head resting on his hands as his elbows sit on the ledge of Phil’s breakfast bar. 

“Oh, I’m not sure yet.” Phil answered truthfully. He hasn’t thought about YouTube in years and the only time he ever went online to watch a video was when he needed to look up how to do something on Photoshop or how to beat a level in a game. Other than that, he focused mainly on his Netflix account. 

“Well,” Dan said, drawing out the word. “What about doing something like what you mentioned earlier?” 

“I don’t remember how to read tarot cards.” 

“Not that!” Dan chuckled, rolling his eyes in a playful manner. “I was talking about that buying weird things video you mentioned earlier! You could do that? I mean, that sounds entertaining to me and you said before you didn’t know if you could remember how to be entertaining for your audience.” 

Phil found himself shrugging as he removed the battery from the slot in the camera and place it on the charger in the wall. When he was finished doing that, he laid his camera off to the side and finally answered Dan. “I’m not sure if people even like those types of videos anymore.” 

“Well, let’s see if they do.” Dan says, pulling his cell phone out of pocket and setting it down on the counter as he clicked on the YouTube app and opened it up. 

Phil looked at the screen and watched as Dan typed with two fingers ‘buying weird things’ into the search bar. Sure enough, hundreds of videos came up with millions of views. 

But Phil wasn’t sure if he wanted to do that anymore. 

Was that really good content to come back with? He didn’t feel like it. 

“There’s tons.” Dan said, which Phil could already see. “Looks like it’s very popular.” 

“I’m not sure if I want to do that now, though.” Phil answered truthfully as he walked around the bar and took a seat on the stool next to Dan. “That’s not really comeback material.” 

“Hmmm.” Dan hums as he taps on the trending tag and scrolls through the videos. “There is this like smoothie challenge that’s trending right now?” 

Phil pursed his lips. He remembered that smoothie challenge from years before. But it’s trending, so maybe it’s something that came back? Phil wasn’t sure if he was being honest.

“I’m not sure.” 

“It might be fun.” Dan says, tapping the video and letting it play with the sound off but the captions on. “So it looks like they’re just putting numbers to random food and then you draw like four numbers and that’s what you use in your smoothie?” 

“I remember this trend from years ago.” Phil says with a chuckle. 

“Looks like it’s trending again.” Dan said back. “We should do it.” 

“We?” 

Phil feels himself caught of guard. Did he hear Dan right? Was Dan really thinking about being in the video with him? This was new. He wasn’t aware that Dan wanted to join in the video. 

“Yeah.” Dan says, looking at Phil with a smirk across his lips. “Unless you don’t want me to.” 

Phil quickly shook his head. “No!” He says, feeling a smile begin on his own lips. “I think it’ll be fun to do a video together.” 

***

“Dan!” Phil screamed as he looked at how much BBQ sauce Dan was dumping into the blender along with the strawberries and lettuce Phil already had to add to his smoothie. “That’s way too much!” 

Dan rolled his eyes and cut off the flow of the bottle. “Pathetic.” 

“What!” Phil countered with a loud laugh. “You put half of the bloody bottle into the blender!” 

Dan waved it off and put the top on the blender and pressed the button. “You’ll live.” 

“No I won’t!” 

The sound of blender whirling cut through his thoughts as anxiety rose in his stomach at the thought of having to drink…that. It look disgusting and vile. And he wasn’t prepared to down even a sip of it. 

When it was blended, Dan pulled it up off from the base and pulled the top off. The smell of the BBQ sauce over took anything that Phil had ever smelled before he felt himself begin to gag. He turned away and hid his nose. “I’m not drinking that.” 

“You have to.” Dan said, finishing pouring the drink―if you could even call it that―into the glass. “Just a sip. I’ll do one too.” 

“NO!” Phil argued. “You can’t make me!” 

“Just a sip.” Dan said, holding out the brown glass to him. “Literally just wet your lips. Like you’re tasting wine.” 

“Well this is not wine.” 

Dan held it up to his nose and took one little sniff before he loudly coughed and sputtered, handing the glass quickly to Phil. “That is vile as fuck.” 

“I’m not drinking this.” 

Dan put it down on the counter and pushed it Phil’s way. “We’ve filmed it this far, just take a sip.” 

Phil looked down at the glass and felt his stomach knot and twist at the anticipation of the drink. He picked up the glass and slowly brought it up to his mouth. He tipped it, letting the liquid hit his lips and he immediately pulled the glass away at the taste. 

He brought the glass down to the corner and swatted his hands as he tried to distract his mind from the taste. He squealed and rushed to the sink as Dan laughed hysterically behind him. He grabbed the nearest glass and filled it with water before taking a massive swig of it and washing his mouth out. 

Phil turned around to see Dan still laughing, nearly doubled over now and clutching his ribs. “You try that!” Phil said as he pointed to the glass. “It’s vile!” 

“I’m not trying that, mate.” Dan said, wiping the tears of laughter from his cheeks. 

“You made me do it!” 

Dan side-eyed Phil and cocked his eyebrow as he slowly picked up the glass. While keeping eye-contact with Phil, he took a mouthful of the liquid and his face immediately showed regret. He dropped the glass down onto the counter, not smashing it, and rushed to the sink before Phil. 

He turned the faucet on and spit out everything from his mouth. He cupped his hands under the faucet and began bringing water to his mouth as he quickly washed out the taste, same as Phil. 

Phil found himself laughing harder than he has in years. This video was probably a mistake, but he hasn’t laughed this hard in a long time and it felt really good to do so. 

Just twenty minutes later, with the kitchen cleaned up and everything back into their places, Phil was grabbing the camera from the tripod and pulling out the SD card. Dan was sat on the couch next to Phil, scrolling through his phone as Phil pushed the SD card into his laptop and began to download the files. 

“New Twitter story about me.” 

Phil turns his head and sees Dan staring at his phone with a defeated look. 

“What is it about this time?” 

Dan lets out a sigh and locks his phone. “They saw me at the park earlier―paparazzi did―and now it’s a headline that I’m here in London.” 

Phil felt his heartbeat speed up. Did they see him and Spike with Dan as well? 

“Did they see us?” 

Dan shook his head. “No. The only picture I saw was me walking towards the Costa near the park.” 

Oh yeah, Costa. They had stopped their quickly for lunch following their outing to buy Phil’s new camera. Phil didn’t particularly like Costa but he preferred it over some other places. 

“Oh.” Phil says just as his computer finishes loading the files and he begins to open up an old version of Final Cut Pro that he forgot he even had until earlier. “Is the story bad?” 

Dan shrugged. “I’ve seen worse.” 

“I’m sorry.” 

Dan looks at him and shakes his head. “Don’t be.” He says, his voice soft. “I’m used to it.” 

The tone of Dan’s words are enough to make Phil feel a pit of sadness in his chest but he ignores it. He knows that Dan doesn’t need protecting. Dan handles a lot of his sadness and anxious feelings within his own mind and that’s okay. 

Phil begins to cut the video and piece it together when he hears soft snoring next to him. He turns his head and sees Dan, his head tilted to the side and his mouth slightly ajar. Phil finds himself smiling. 

Dan sleeping looked peaceful. The permanent bags under his eyes that Dan had noticed earlier were softened and the overall anxious look he always was sporting was also gone. His body wasn’t tense, it was relaxed. 

Phil found that sleeping Dan was his favorite Dan so far…because he knew that sleeping Dan had nothing to worry about. He had no paparazzi chasing after him. He didn’t need a black hoodie and sunglasses. 

He was able to just live in a state where none of that existed. Phil had known from multiple talks that Dan wanted that more than anything. He wanted a slightly normal life than the one he has. 

And while he was sleeping, he got that.

Phil got up from the couch, leaving Dan behind to go to his bedroom with Spike on his heels. He placed a gentle blanket over Dan’s form and shut the light off before he went to his bedroom. 

He was excited to see what tomorrow as going to bring for them, especially with this new video to go live soon.