#i was eating dinner outside and the moment i saw the tweet i was smiling so hard it made me so happy like (BWHBHWBHWB yknow

[mochiiniko]

winter cocole handholding send post (based on this cute cocole fanart by camella on twitter, tumblr im crying rn please let the link work im beGGING)

[let-me-luve-you]

Oscars Over Birthdays

Tom x Sister

Summary: The day Tom gets fantastic news is the same day your family forgot about your birthday.

Warnings: forgotten birthday, angst, slight cussing, rude family, fluff ending

MASTERLIST

You woke up and smiled as you smelled Sam cooking your favorite breakfast meal, cinnamon waffles. Tom introduced you to them on your grub tour in New York City. Weirdly enough, only the two of you liked them. The rest of the family didn’t. You quickly got dressed and had to stop yourself from running downstairs. You walked into the kitchen with a smile on your face seeing all four brothers and your parents there.

“What do we have here? Is that cinnamon waffles I smell?” You asked, faking confusion as why your favorite breakfast was being made.

“We have some celebrating to do Y/N.” Dom said, smiling at you.

“Tom has been nominated for an Oscar.” Nikki said. You looked at Tom shocked.

“Oh my gosh T!” You said running over to him to give him a hug. “That’s amazing! I’m so proud of you.”

“Thanks Y/N/N.” He smiled at you.

You walked over to the counter and made you a plate. Sam smiled at you as you grabbed a couple of extra waffles. “Eat up Y/N. I’m making a big dinner tonight. Everyone is coming.”

“Really?” You said trying to hide the smile of maybe your family was going to surprise you with a small party.

“Yup. Haz, Tuwaine, and the rest of the gang will be here.” Harry said.

“Cool.” You said trying not to sound hurt. You sat through breakfast and everyone just talked about Tom’s nomination and the rest of the nominations. You were quieter than normal, but your family didn’t notice.

You got a text around lunchtime from your best friend Ryann. It was always tradition to go out and eat on each other’s birthdays. No matter what your schedules were.

“Hey Y/N.” She said as you sat across from her at your favorite Italian restaurant. “How’s your birthday so far? What did your parents get you? What did your brothers get you?”

You sighed, “it’s been alright. I haven’t gotten anything. They haven’t even acknowledged my birthday yet. I thought maybe they would surprise me with dinner tonight when they mentioned Sam cooking, but they are doing it for Tom.”

“I saw that online this morning. I’m happy for him, but that’s no reason to forget your birthday.” Ryann said. You sighed once again and nodded in agreement. “Well you know what, forget it. I’ll give you the best birthday ever just with my presence.”

“My day is already better.” You said with a laugh, but you actually meant it. Throughout lunch, you and Ryann joked around and talked. You hadn't seen her in over a week due to her work schedule working against yours. It was nice to catch up in person.

“Here. I know you told me not to buy you anything, but I couldn’t help myself. Now after you telling me about your morning, I’m glad I did.” She said handing you a gift bag with Happy Birthday on it. You gave her a glare but she could see happiness in your eyes.

You took out the tissue paper and pulled out a basket with a bunch of small gifts in it. You saw a bath bomb with some bath salts, all of your favorite snacks, the new Ryan Reynolds movie, and an envelope. You gently set the basket onto the table and pulled out the card. You felt the thickness of it and glanced up at your friend. Ryann just smirked at you as you opened the card and saw a bunch of gift cards to your favorite restaurants, your favorite cafe, and your favorite shops.

“You didn’t?” You asked, shocked seeing the multiple different gift cards.

“Oh but I did because you deserve it.” She said smiling brightly at you.

“I don’t deserve you.” You said as you started to tear up. “This is too much.”

“No it’s not. Plus it makes up for that trip to LA you bought me.” Ryann said matter of factly.

“I invited you to Tom’s premiere. It only made sense to pay for it.”

“Yeah, but then you continued to buy everything. Even bought my dress for the premiere.” She said with a raised eyebrow.

You sighed before setting the card down and getting up to hug her. “Thank you Ry. You’ve made this birthday one of the best.”

She looked at you sadly, “I’m here to always make your days better.” You grabbed your gift and moved to exit the restaurant. Ryann followed. “Will you let me know how it goes with your family?”

“Yeah. Hopefully they’ve remembered by now.” You said sadly. “You’re welcome to come over for dinner tonight. Tom won’t be mad at you crashing his celebration dinner.”

“I’m meeting with Jake tonight or I would.” She said. When she looked up at you she added, “but I can reschedule. He’ll understand.”

“No, don't do that. You two are so close to making it official, I don’t want to get in the way of that.”

“You would never get in the way. Jake likes you and he knows how much you mean to me.” Ryann said as you stopped at your car.

“Please don’t cancel on him.” You begged. “Just call me when you get home so I can hear all about it.”

“I will.” Ryann gave you one last hug before she walked to her car. You got into yours and drove to your house. When you walked in, you could hear a movie playing and the light sound of your family talking. You walked upstairs to your room to set your gift down. When you walked back downstairs, you decided to join Sam in the kitchen.

“Hey Sammy.” You said as you sat at the counter.

“Hey Y/N/N. Where have you been?” He asked. He kept his head down as he chopped the vegetables.

“Ryann took me to lunch.” You said.

“Fun. Hopefully you didn’t feel up too much? I’m cooking a big feast.” He said jokingly.

“I’ll always have room for your cooking. What are you making for dessert?” You asked, hoping maybe it would be your favorite pie or red velvet cupcakes.

“Crepe bar.” He said lifting his knife to point towards the table in the corner where the fillings already set. You stared at it for a moment so you could hide the disappointment from Sam.

“Yum. I love your crepes.” You turned and smiled at Sam. He smiled back. “What movie are they watching in there?”

“I think they’re watching that new KJ Apa movie. What is it?”

“Songbird?” You asked.

“Yeah that’s it’s. Have you seen it yet?” He asked.

“No but I’ve been wanting to. I’m not going to walk in there to start it in the middle. I’m going to go take a nap.” You said standing up. “Come get me when dinner is ready.”

“Okay, I will.” He said, turning towards the stove. You walked upstairs and went into your room. You felt tears building in your eyes but you refused to cry on your birthday. After shutting your door, you threw yourself onto your bed and pulled out your phone. You don’t get on social media much, but figured it was time just to do a quick check on all of it. You got on Twitter first and saw that Tom was trending. You clicked on it to see what everyone was saying.

Tom being nominated for an Oscar is what he deserves.

We stan an Oscar nominated king

You kept scrolling through the fans congratulating Tom when you saw one that caught your eye.

Tom being nominated for an Oscar on his sister’s (who’s his best friend) birthday is what I live for. Congrats Tom and happy birthday Y/N. You didn’t want to post until later tonight so you wouldn’t get bombarded with tweets, so you saved the tweet to thank the fan later. You then decided to search your name. You knew looking yourself up brought nothing but pain, but you wanted to see what people were saying. Seeing if anyone else wished you a happy birthday. What you didn’t expect was everyone hating on you for being the only family member that hadn’t posted about Tom’s nomination.

You knew it shouldn’t bother you because you had told Tom personally, but it hurt that these fans were saying such horrible things because you didn’t post on social media. You saw some try to defend you, but then you saw a fan had taken a picture of you and Ryann at lunch.

Y/N can’t congratulate Tom for his Oscar nomination but she can go out to lunch with a friend. What a bitch.

You immediately closed the app and took a deep breath. You’re not a bitch. You were spending your birthday with your best friend. There’s nothing wrong with that, you thought to yourself. You decide to delete the social media apps off your phone so you didn’t risk getting back on them today. You set your phone down and stared at the ceiling. Insecure thoughts flooding your mind.

You didn’t remember falling asleep but when you woke up you saw Tom smiling down at you. “It’s about time you woke up. I’ve been trying to wake you for five minutes.” He laughed.

“Sorry. I didn’t realize I fell asleep.” You whispered. Tom leaned down and kissed your forehead.

“Come on. Everyone is here and dinner is ready.” Tom said, pulling you up from the bed. “After dinner, we are getting a fire started in the backyard.” You smiled at him and followed him to the dining room.

You sat down and noticed all of your family sitting there with Tuwaine and Harrison sitting there as well. You could tell they were all waiting on you.

“Good nap Y/N?” Harry said laughing.

“Shut up.” You whispered as you stared at him.

“This dinner is for Tom.” Dom said, raising his glass to cheers Tom. “He worked his butt off to get to this point and it’s only the beginning. Cheers.”

“Cheers!” Everyone said as they held up their drinks. You turned and smiled at Tom.

“I know I said it earlier, but I’m extremely proud of you. I'm glad I have you as my role model. Love you.” You whispered and kissed his cheek.

“Thank you Y/N/N.” He said smiling at you. “I love you too.”

Dinner went by quickly with everyone talking and laughing. You couldn’t remember the last time you had all sat down and ate dinner like this. Now you all sat outside around the fire pit. You sat next to Tom and shared a blanket with him. You just sat back and watched everyone interact. You get lost in your thoughts wondering how your family could forget your birthday. After an hour of sitting there, you decided you would go to bed. Even though it was still early, you just wanted to be alone.

“It’s been fun you guys, but I’m off to bed.” You said.

“Are you sick? You’ve been sleeping a lot today.” Nikki said, full of worry.

“No, I'm not sick. Just didn’t get a lot of sleep last night.” You lied. “Thanks for dinner Sam. And congrats again Tom. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Goodnight Y/N.” You heard everyone say. You walked up stairs and switched into pajamas. You were too mentally exhausted to shower. You figured you could just do it in the morning. Once your head hit your pillow, you were out.

Outside everyone kept talking. Harry was explaining something that he learned on set. Tom had heard the story a thousand times already so he pulled his phone out and got on Instagram for the first time today. He was scrolling through his timeline to see what his friends were doing when he came across a post Ryann had posted. He saw his sister smiling at the camera as she sat at a restaurant with a piece of cake in front of her with a sparkler candle on top. He looked at it confused and decided to slide through the multiple pictures. He saw one picture of her with a basket of goodies in front of her as she read a card. He scrolled down enough to see the caption.

A happiest 23rd birthday to my best friend and soulmate. I’m so lucky I got to spend time with you on your birthday. I love you and hope you have an amazing day.

Tom gulped as he stared at the phone with wide eyes. Paddy noticed his older brothers change in demeanor.

“What is it Tom?” Paddy asked concern. Tom looked up to him with pain lacing his eyes.

“Your nudes get leaked or something?” Harry joked. Nikki slapped him in the back of the head.

“It’s Y/N birthday.” Tom said. Everyone went silent. “We forgot her fucking birthday.” Tom stood up and paced. He was mad at himself for letting himself forget his best friend’s birthday. You and Tom had always been so close that everyone thought you were twins. You were only a year apart. It made sense that people would suggest that. Some even said they didn’t think Sam and Harry were the twins in the family.

“That’s why she’s been quiet today. We’re so horrible. I can’t believe I forgot my daughter’s birthday.” Nikki whispered more to herself but everyone heard. Tom looked at his parents and siblings before walking towards the house. He quickly walked in and ran to your room. He hoped you weren’t asleep yet. When he knocked on the door and didn’t get an answer, he decided to walk in. Your face was lit up from the lamp on your bedside table. What hurt Tom even more was he could see the tears that stained your face.

“Y/N?” He asked quietly. Thinking maybe you weren’t asleep. When he got no response and didn’t even see you flinch, he knew you were out for the night. He grabbed your extra pillow and blanket and sat next to your bed.

The next morning you woke up. Your eyes feel like sandpaper from crying. You didn’t even remember crying, but with the emotions from the day before it made sense you would. You gently sat up and jumped when you saw a figure lying on the floor. You leaned over to see Tom asleep.

“Tom?” You asked. He didn’t move. You got up and sat next to him. “Tom?” You asked again as you shook him. Tom slowly opened his eyes and looked around confused before looking at you. “Why are you sleeping on my floor?”

“I came in here shortly after you left so I could say how sorry I am for not remembering your birthday.”

You sighed. “It’s okay Tom. You got amazing news yester-“

Tom interrupted you, “it’s not okay. I don’t care if I was elected queen of England, no news is big enough to forget your birthday.”

“Queen of England?” You asked with raised eyebrows and a smirk.

“I think I would be an amazing queen.” He said with a small laugh. “Seriously though, I feel horrible.” Tom pulled you to him. You nestled your head into the crook of his neck. “I’m going to spend the day making it up to you. I promise. So get dressed. We’re starting with breakfast.”

You nodded and pulled away trying to hide the smile on your face. After getting dressed you walked downstairs and heard your family talking in the living room. When you walked in your whole family looked at you.

“Happy birthday Y/N!” They all yelled. Nikki ran over to you and crushed you in a hug. “I’m so sorry baby. We’re going to celebrate you tonight.”

“Yeah! I’ll cook all of your favorites.” Sam said.

“Don’t do that. You cooked all day yesterday.” Sam went to protest, “how about just make some red velvet cupcakes and we’ll call it good. We can order a pizza and have a nice family movie night.”

“Deal.” Sam said. After all members of your family apologized, you turned to Tom.

“Are you ready? I’m hungry.” You said with a pout.

“Then let’s go. Anyone want to join us for breakfast? We are also going to get lunch as well.”

“We will join you for lunch. Enjoy the morning together.” Dom said. Tom smiled at him before he turned to you and held his arm out for you to grab so he could lead you to the car.

“I’m going to treat you like the queen you are today. So if you want to do anything specific, just tell me.” Tom said as he got into the car with you.

“Just spending time with you and everyone else is enough. Thank you for making up for yesterday. I appreciate it.”

“I’ll go all out next year to fully make up for it.” He said.

“As long as there’s a bounce castle.” You joked with a laugh but Tom knew you weren’t joking.

[strawberryaziraphale]

reddie but they’re both famous

It all started with an innocent Twitter conversation between Richie Tozier, a successful comedian, and his not-secret yet not-public-knowledge boyfriend, successful LA Dodgers baseball player Eddie Kaspbrak. Richie had been watching Eddie’s game on the TV at home and had become invested, regularly shouting at the opposing team. In a moment of passionate support, he’d grabbed his phone and posted a tweet:

@trashmouth_tozier: I fucking hate baseball players 

The response was mostly negative, aggressive supporters of the sport came out in droves to try to cancel him. Not that he cared. His fanbase found it hilarious and tended to agree with him. And then there was Eddie’s reply, posted a few hours after his game had ended:

@dodgers_ek: bit rude

Richie smirked, unable to keep himself from retweeting and adding his own cheeky comment:

@trashmouth_tozier: oh sorry bro. meant to say I’m hate fucking baseball players 💅

Whatever happened after that, Richie didn’t know. Nor did he care. He received a private text from Eddie informing him he was on his way around once his team had cleared off the paparazzi lingering outside his building. Grinning, he stood and retrieved a bottle of wine, preparing for Eddie’s visit. Twitter could wait for a while...

-

comedian richie tozier and la dodgers star eddie kaspbrak’s bitter twitter feud

The article was the first thing Richie saw when he logged onto Twitter the following morning. He squinted at the words, blindly reaching for his glasses. He scrolled through the page, rereading the tweets between he and Eddie. Apparently, the exchange had gone viral with the duo’s fans coming out in force, each group defending their idol and insisting the other was to blame. Richie sat up in bed, lightly elbowing Eddie in the back.

“Dude, you gotta see this.”

Eddie groaned, burrowing further beneath the bed covers, “nope. Game season’s over. I’m not getting out of this bed until the new one starts.”

“By all means, cutie, stay as long as you want,” Richie snuggled up behind Eddie and held the phone in front of his face, gently tapping his face where the sleep mask rested over his eyes, “take that fucking thing off. Shit’s going down on Twitter.”

“Shit’s gonna go down off Twitter if you won’t let me sleep,” Eddie mumbled as he removed the sleep mask, rubbing his eyes to adjust them to the light. Before he looked at the phone, though, he looked pointedly at Richie, “well?”

“Oh, right,” Richie smiled, leaning down to kiss Eddie good morning, a long, sweet kiss he didn’t want to break. Eventually, though, he did pull away and kissed his shoulder, “morning, baby.”

“Morning,” Eddie sighed happily, finally taking Richie’s phone to observe the drama. After a little while of scanning said article (he would’ve finished sooner if it wasn’t for Richie’s constant yet not unwanted kissing interruptions), Eddie found himself chuckling, “they got ‘feud’ from that? What the fuck?”

“You know what these people are like. We could jerk each other off in public and they’d still be like ‘ah, yes. That close male friendship,” as he spoke, Richie’s eyes lit up as he got an idea, “hey, could we do that? They might take the hint.”

“Or we could just go public?”

Richie smiled warmly, wrapping his arms around Eddie and kissing his cheek, “are you sure you’re ready?”

“It’s not like we haven’t talked about it. And it would be nice to walk down the street together. Hold your big, sweaty hand in public,” Eddie giggled as Richie swatted him with said hand, “eat in the same restaurant without having to get separate tables and communicate by text.”

“We really did that, huh?” Richie had forgotten how exhausting it had been to constantly sneak around, looking over his shoulder for paparazzi. It would be nice to just be a normal couple with Eddie. He sighed, “it’s gonna be tough. For a while, until the hype wears off.”

“I know,” Eddie turned over in Richie’s arms so he was facing him. He reached up to smooth a curl off of his forehead, “but I want everyone to know you’re mine. Would you like to have dinner in a very fancy, very public restaurant with me tonight?”

Richie gasped, pressing a hand to his chest, “why, Edward Kaspbrak, are you asking me out on a date? You sure know how to treat a lady.”

“Shut up,” Eddie said fondly, silencing Richie with a loving kiss.

-

richie tozier and eddie kaspbrak confirm romance at intimate dinner and twitter is LOSING it

[hannie-dul-set]

“i'll take your word for it and no one else's.” [lee jeno]

SUMMARY | maybe snooping through your friend’s phone wasn’t that much of a good idea. or maybe it was. either way, you didn’t regret it. PAIRING | lee jeno x reader GENRE | friends to something, fluff, lots of bickering JHDFJ WARNINGS | swearing, invasion of privacy (LMAO idk) WORD COUNT | 2.1k TAGLIST | @danishmiilk​ @lucyinthesunshinee​ @sehunniepot​ @nct-writers​ @czennienet​ @neowritingsnet​

a/n: i didn’t think i’d turn another one of my dreams into a fic, but here we are HAHHAHA i tweaked a few bits and pieces to make it work (setting + added some dialogue + changed the ending because i WOKE UP before it could finish hmph) but please enjoy this unscheduled fic!! <3

early summer afternoons were warm.

bright rays of the sun were showering on your skin as you lounged on the park bench, hot enough to make you feel the season but not too hot to singe your skin. it was the perfect weather to waste the day outside, and your younger brother and cousin decided to haul you outside so they can play basketball at the park.

but you didn't know why your friend jeno decided to come along.

"your brother messaged me," he grinned at you, plopping down beside you with a long, refreshed sigh. a towel was slung around his neck and he used it to wipe the sweat on his face. "what? why are you staring at me like that?"

"since when were you close with my brother?"

"am i not allowed to be friends with the little guy?" he joked, but apparently he took the unamused look on your face completely the wrong way. "oh my god, are you afraid that he'll take all my attention away from you?" to further tease, he brought his smug face closer to yours that was dumbfounded in shock, his stupidly irritating smile moving in closer.

sometimes you wondered if this was the same boy who helped you cross the street the first time you met.

but you loved him nonetheless.

"like hell i want your attention," you sneered, lightly shoving him away with a glare. he only laughed at your display of annoyance. "go back to playing with the kids or something, you goof."

the never leaving grin in his face seemed brighter against the sun, and he playfully ruffled your hair before running off to disappear into the court.

"as you wish, m'lady."

you let out a huff of air, rolling your eyes as your cheeks were involuntary tugged upwards, prompting a smile to form on your lips. you brought your hands to your hair, fixing the mess that jeno left with, and your gaze landed on the phone he left beside you. the screen flashed on. someone was calling him.

brows knitted together, you picked up the ringing phone, unable to recognize the caller id. you brought the device to your ear, standing up walking towards the court— you figured that you'd just answer whoever that was now and just pass it on to jeno once he was at reach.

"hello?"

"oh, hello there!" there was a pause from the caller "is lee jeno around, miss? would you mind giving the phone to him?"

the voice was that of a middle aged woman's, but it wasn't someone that you recognized. you assumed it was a relative of his or something because you'd know that this was his mom if it were her. "ah, give me a moment! i'll just look for him."

your feet stopped at the edge of the court, the sound of a ball bouncing into the concrete jarring against your ears. not bothering to look at the scene in front if you, you covered the mic with your hand before deciding to shout.

"jeno! someone's calling you!"

there was no usual prompt answer from your friend.

"he's not here!"

the loud voice of your brother answered instead, causing you to narrow your eyes into the court scene with a tinge of confusion masking your expression. there was indeed no mop of blue hair within the area, and you were only confused even further.

"where did he— aish, nevermind."

scratching your head, you swiveled your heels and decided to just head back to the bench. "hi, sorry. i'm not sure where he is right now. so if it's fine with you, can you call him again later? or maybe i could just tell him to call you back when he returns?"

"oh, then can you just relay this to him? it won't take that long, i promise."

you inwardly sighed, but agreed nevertheless. oh, you were definitely gonna ask him to treat you and the kids dinner later. why the fuck did he just disappear like that? now you were responsible for memorizing whatever this woman was telling you (apparently it was about an architecture summer program he was interested in— the lady was a head from his department and she was just calling to tell him that he was accepted. she says she'll be forwarding more details later through text).

"alright, thank you! i'll be sure to inform him when he gets back."

the call ended, and you groaned. you were about to close the phone, but then all of a sudden a notification appeared with a quiet ding!

[haechan 🌟 liked your retweet.]

ding!

[ohhh shit why do i feel like i know who this is.]

"huh."

you knew that you shouldn't be snooping inside your friend's phone. you knew that you shouldn't be invading his privacy no matter how enticingly juicy the bait was. you knew that it was flat out wrong. but—

"ah, just a peek," you clicked on the notification. "payback for making me deal with his stuff."

a hint of excitement rushed through you. jeno never told you his twitter. actually, you didn't even know he had one. he was always buried with studies, sports, and friends so you didn't expect him to keep up with social media— this fact enough was surprising, but the moment the screen finally loaded the tweet

you were even more surprised than you were a few seconds ago.

[@markly tweeted: "it's kind of funny how sometimes we just meet random people at the most random of moments and you don't expect it but they just end up sticking by your side until now"]

[@leejeno quoted: "yeah. a few years back, i saw this girl while i was walking. it wasn't the usual path that i took to school. i saw her having trouble crossing the street because there was a dog hanging around (she's scared of them) so i decided to help her. she couldn't even look at my face back then out of embarrassment but earlier we were calling until four in the morning. if i took a different path that day or if i didn't help her, i don't know how i'd be like right now because she's become one of the most important people in my life."]

your heart skipped a beat. two beats. three. it was running a mile a minute and you could barely even breathe to catch up.

[@do0 replied: how are you two right now?]

[@leejeno replied: "we're good haha. i'm going with her and her brother to the park later. we're still really good friends.]

[@leejeno replied: but i'm not sure if i want things to stop there."]

"hey, sorry for running off there. i went to get some— whoa. whats up?"

oh my fucking god.

you shot up, eyes wide, and you automatically turned off the phone. broken stutters left your lips, as the leaping of your heart to your throat prevented you from saying even a semblance of a coherent sentence. all you could think of when you met his worried gaze, the way he rushed to your side to check on you, was the last thing you read. your grip on his phone tightened.

but i'm not sure if i want things to stop there

you were gonna fucking lose it.

"hey, are you okay?"

quick, gentle hands landed on your cheeks, fingers brushing against your skin like a match igniting a flame. you nearly got lost and tongue-tied all over again, but you quickly slapped his hands away in a scolding fit. "jesus christ, i'm fine. you just surprised me. are you a ghost or something?" you glared at jeno, but it only lasted one second because you couldn't bear to look at him without your insides going crazy. because of that, your eyes flicked to the plastic bag he dropped onto the bench. he brought you something to eat.

"a-and before you ask—" you defended yourself indignantly when he didn't even accuse you of anything. "i wasn't snooping. the school called. it was about your summer program. you got in."

"oh? they called already?" you nodded. "ah, let's talk while walking— the kids are mad because i only got you food. they're asking me to buy the entire store for them to compensate," he released an airy laugh. you mentally scolded yourself.

keep it cool. you repeated the mantra inside your head as you strided beside jeno, your brother and cousin racing ahead of you. street lights were lighting up and the sky was fading into the night. cool cool cool cool cool. keep it cool.

the walk to the store felt way too gruelling than it normally would. it wasn't even that far. you told jeno everything the lady had told you, including the more detailed texts that she'd be sending later on. you thought that he'd be a lot more excited after hearing— he was interested, after all. but to you, he just seemed dismissive. "should i go?" he mindlessly asked.

"what are you talking about?" your brows furrowed. "yeah, of course. you wanted to, right?"

"but it's gonna last an entire month this summer," he yawed, stretching out his arms and hooking you by the neck, causing you to halt and stumble into him. you held back a squeak, and he looked at you, eyes gleaming with curious anticipation. a car sped by. "you still want me to go?"

those damned words that you read echoed inside your head again. you wondered if it resonated into the fucking nerves of your heart, as well.

"i—i mean," you stammered. "it's only one month. and it would also help you a lot in the future, right? you'd make a lot of connections during the camp. so yeah, i do want you to go."

he blinked at you. a hum sounded from his closed lips. he let go of you and resumed walking. you gaped when he left you behind.

was this karma?

"hey, what the hell?" quickly, you caught up to him, grabbing onto the sleeve of his shirt so that you could hang on to him. "why are you being sulky? i didn't do anything wrong!" technically you did do something wrong, but he didn't have to know that.

"you said you wanted me to go."

"you're a baby," you scrunched your nose is disapproval. "i only said that because you said you wanted to go."

jeno abruptly stopped. maybe you were causing a scene in front of all the passersby, but you really didn't give a fuck anymore when your head was in a looped up mess. all thanks to your extremely difficult friend who apparently doesn't want to just be your friend. you swore that he was driving you insane on purpose.

he pulled out his phone and faced the screen to you. your sweat dropped.

[@leejeno replied: but i'm not sure if i want things to stop there."]

"even after reading this," he started. "you still want me to go?"

"w-well."

he just had to be so fucking sharp. well, you weren't exactly slick either. maybe he saw a glimpse of the screen before you got to turn it off earlier. heat started to rise from your neck into your face, a grinding mixture of embarrassment and desire to be hit by a moving truck afflicting your nerves. why were you the one suffering? shouldn't it be him?

"no."

he hummed, turning off his phone and shoving the device into his pocket. arms crossed, he leaned in to your face, bearing a look of feigned innocence. "but you said i'd make a lot of useful connections."

"you can make those anywhere."

"and it's only a month, right?"

"that's thirty days too long."

"and—"

"oh, come on!" you exclaimed, balling your fists in vexation. another car sped by with an accompanied honk. jeno simply wore a look of faint amusement at your little outburst. "i don't want you to join your stupid summer program. happy now?"

"well, if you say so."

you stared at him. he patted your head, eyes disappearing into a pair of crescents with a smile.

"i'll take your word for it and no one else's."

you were left frozen and dumbfounded in the middle of the sidewalk as jeno brazenly spun his heels to chase after the runaway kids that went before you— literally leaving you behind. letting a curse slip past your breath, you also went after them. he was definitely driving you insane on purpose.

sometimes you wondered if this was the same boy who helped you cross the street the first time you met.

this was one of those times.

"you said you weren't gonna go, you asshole!"

"payback for snooping through my phone!"

but you could still love him nonetheless.

© hannie-dul-set, 2020.

[robinofgothamcity]

♡ starting prompt: based off a tweet i saw that said ‘we always kinda shipped them together. he kept scoffing that he didn’t like her and yet he always look at her first when someone made a joke to see if she was laughing too’.  

♡ pairing: walter hahn (WWE / NXT) x fem reader

♡ lyric inspiration: “come with me and you’ll be in a world of pure imagination. take a look and you’ll see into your imagination. i’ll be begin with a spin....”

♡ note: not checked for grammar or spelling mistakes

"who’s that?” Walter asked his blond friend. Marcel looked up to see you, headphones in and blaring music so loud that everyone was able to hear. “oh, that’s ( your name ). she’s Timothy’s-,” before he could finish the sentence, Timothy came up to you and gave you a quick hug, “that’s his manager. she also works in the front office,” he continued. 

Walter’s eyebrows went down in confusion. never in the time that they were together in RingKampf had he ever took interest in having a manager and from the looks of it, you were the exact opposite of Tim. from afar, you were bubbly, excitable, and cute. 

Tim was nothing of the sort. polar opposites one might say. 

you were sitting in your seat as Tim was eating lunch. dancing to whatever you were listening, Walter couldn’t help but laugh at your antics. he knew Tim like the back of his hand so the decision to make you his manager was either his doing or something that was out of his hand. 

“she’s....interesting,” he said under his breath, making Marcel look at him for a moment, “any particular reason why you’re so interested in her? she’s been his manager for a while now,” Marcel put in. Walter shook his head, deciding not to respond. 

you were Tim, watching as he scarfed down his dinner while you finished up a few papers that needed to get done for next weeks taping. you were supposed to be dressed and ready to go by six but because of Tim’s new storyline with the boys from Imperium, you had to figure out a few things before the match. 

Timothy was a bit hard headed at first, stating that he didn’t need a manager but after a while, he got used to having you around. you were almost like a pest that he cared about like a sister. 

“hey, your friends are over there! why don’t you say hi!” you exclaimed, seeing Walter, Fabian, and Marcel in a corner, speaking to each other, “no. we’re not supposed to be speaking with each other,” was all he said before continuing to eat. 

you huffed before scooting out of your chair, “well, I’m going to say hello. since we’re going to be working with each other, I guess it’s only right to get formalities out of the way,” you stated, making Tim’s eyes go wide in panic. 

he instantly tried to get you to come back but by the time he tried to reach for you to come back, you were already prancing over to them. 

“hi!” you exclaimed happily. Fabian, the friendliest of the bunch gave you a smile, “i’m ( your name )! Tim’s manager. it’s nice to meet all of you!” you introduced yourself, giving them your hand to shake. 

Fabian introduced himself, giving you a hug instead. Marcel on the other hand just took the handshake and murmured his name to you. Walter remained looking at you, not bothering to say anything outside of giving you a simple head nod. 

to the untrained eye, like yourself and others, Walter’s reaction was a given. he was never a man of many words yet to the boys and Tim, they could see that Walter was holding himself back. almost like he wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words. 

you giving Walter a smile, one that would’ve made anyone fall for you but he just turned his head to another direction and started to speak to Marcel in German. you gave Fabian a confused look, wondering why he didn’t tell you much but you felt a hand clasp onto your shoulder a second after. 

“evening boys,” Tim’s voice spoke from behind you. you gave him another look, wondering why he went back on his word from earlier, “they’re looking for you in makeup and they’re pissed,” he whispered into your ear.

your eyes widened, realizing you were beyond late to get your makeup done. you gave them a quick goodbye, shoving your work into Tim’s hands and screaming at him to put it into your office before basically darting off to the makeup station. 

Tim, Fabian, Marcel, and now Alex who had shown up looked at Walter with suspecting eyes. no one said a word but Tim could sense Walter had taken an infatuation with you. 

+

a few weeks passed since your encounter with Walter and the rest of Imperium. since you were working 'against’ them now, outside of the ring, you got a bit close to Marcel and Alex. they would invite you to sit next to them when Tim wasn’t with you. 

you tried to get closer with Walter but he always closed you off. he would say absolutely nothing to you and when had too, it wasn’t anything besides a few words. at first you thought that maybe you just annoyed him to the point where he didn’t like you but eventually, Tim told you that he was just that way with anyone that didn’t know him. 

“good morning to my favorite Germans!” you said, running up to Marcel and Alex, engulfing them into a forced hug. they stood stiff, basically embracing the forced hug, “and Walter!” you added on, giving him a brief wave. 

“where’s your boyfriend?” Alex asked, looking around. you fluttered your eyebrows in confusion, “boyfriend? wanna tell me who that is?” you asked. Marcel gave you a hearty laugh, “Tim. he’s asking for Timothy,” he stated. 

you let out a laugh, louder than you intended as you sat down next to Walter and Alex, “Tim? my boyfriend? that’s like saying it’s gonna snow in Florida. never going to happen,” you joked, trying to calm down your giggles. “very defensive about it, aren’t ya?” Alex added on. 

“people love the idea that we’re secretly together but Timothy is like an annoying brother. I love him but I wanna kick his ass 90% of the time. the other 10 is caring that he doesn’t get killed by you guys.” 

before you could continue, you heard a producer call your name, telling you that you were needed to clear up a few things for Hunter. you told them goodbye and went over to the producer. 

“so she’s single, huh?” Alex said, tapping his chin. Marcel looked at him, “why do you care?” he asked. Alex shrugged, “now that we know maybe this idiot will ask her out,” he mentioned. 

Marcel let out a laugh as Walter stared at him annoyed, “yeah right. he actually has to make conversation first and he can’t even do that with her. I’ve been hearing a few people have been interested in asking her out. not that she knows or anything,” Marcel said quietly. 

he actually had no idea if anyone was interested in you or not. personally, he could have cared less but he knew his best friend better than anyone else. Walter liked you, he was just too much of a chicken shit to actually admit to it. 

“who?” Walter asked almost immediately. Marcel closed the circle in, “for starters, in the NXT roster is Jordan Devlin and Sami Zayn from Smackdown has been rumored to have gotten her number,” Marcel lied. Alex perked at the names, “and how did you find out?” he asked, a bit suspicious that he knew. 

Marcel shrugged, not bothering to say anything for a moment, “oh, just heard a few of the girls talking yesterday while I was working out,” Walter stared at the table, his mind racing with thoughts. he never knew others actually had taken an interest in you, not that it was wrong to do as such but he was taken back that it was more than one person. 

“what has you so quiet all of a sudden?” Walter shook his head, not responding as he got up, taking his jacket with him and leaving the table. “I wonder what his problem is,” Alex murmured. Marcel laughed, “he’s finally going to grow a pair and ask her out,” Marcel stated. 

-

you were working in your office, sorting through a few different files you needed for a storyline in the women’s division. it was already late into the night as you filed the sheets away and started to get your things ready to leave.

“of course this week had to be my busiest week, now I have to call an Uber home,” you groaned. you had put your car in the shop because of a few issues it had and it wasn’t expected to get finished until at least Monday, “god damn it Tim, you just had to leave,” you huffed. 

just as you pulled your phone out, you saw Walter walking out of the locker room, “hey Walter! what are you doing here so late?” you asked, trying not to make it awkward, “I stayed working out late,” he said. 

you nodded, “ah, don’t overwork yourself now,” you mentioned, “but give me a second? I need to call an Uber home. my car is stuck at the mechanics until Monday and Tim already left,” Walter’s eyes widened, realizing this was his chance. 

“I have a car, I can take you home?” he asked, trying not to come off as intimidating. you perked up in relief, “really? that would be so amazing!” you said happily. he grabbed his keys and jiggled them, “my cars on the other side of the building,” he said.

you followed behind, trying to make conversation and interestingly enough, he was actually responding to you like a normal person would. not those snippets of conversations he would say around the others. 

the entire ride home, you were trying to crack jokes, seemingly trying to make him laugh which ended in you making an idiot out of yourself and making him laugh that way instead. Walter had never realized he actually liked you as much as the others would joke he did but now that it was just the two of you, he could sense the feelings were there. 

the ride to your house was a bit on the shorter side. you lived in a small two bedroom house, closer to Full-Sail than he thought. just as he put the car into park to let you get out, you turned around and gave him a smile, making Walter glad that it dark outside and you weren’t able to see his sudden red face. 

“I know this is weird but would you like to come in? I have food I made for myself this morning after I came from work and I’m sure there’s enough for you.” 

Walter sighed in relief. 

“I would love too.” 

[the-fiction-witch]

She’s Not Yours P1

REAL LIFE X THE LAST LEGION KINDA

COUPLE TBS X READER

RATING ADORABLE + KINDA FLIRTY

I sat, My back straight, My mind clear. My feet barely touched the marble floor, My hands barely reached the rests of the throne I sat upon. My advisers around me, soldiers surrounded me, the men, women, and children of the city all here to ask favours of the crown. I rarely spoke, I barely moved, The decisions were made for me but I was far too used to it to mind. 

"My King," A Man bowed as he approached I nodded to him

"Speak your business" The adviser snapped beside me 

"It's the farm sir, barbarians have been raiding in the fields day and night Please I beg of you to spare but one soldier to protect the border of our lands, my farm, my home, my wife and children" 

"No Soldier's can be spared outside of city limits" The adviser snapped 

"I'm sure we can spare one," I said looking up to him, he didn't seem happy but nodded 

"Of course my king. One. and no more" 

"Thank you my king" He nodded before heading off 

I felt the glares of the staff around me so I stayed quiet until the people had all left 

"An Excellent day my king" My adviser smiled at me 

"I barely did anything"

"You did everything my king. Just appearing in person brings light into the presents lives" He says 

"They didn't seem happy to see me"

"Of course they were," He says kneeling in front of me "They adore you, they worship you, they would lay down their lives for you if you were to command it." he explained "and you own them. execute with a click of your fingers, exclie with but a flick of your eyes, the people would lay down their lives to protect you, The soldiers would fall on there swords if you where to ask it of them, anything you want, you ask, or you think will be done. You are the king." 

"Sometimes I don't feel like the king."

"You will. In time" He says but as he got up I heard a strange noise from outside the room clattering and yelling "What's happening out there?" He shouted I got up confused about what was going on until the soldiers brought a girl in, she wore an old moth-eaten dress, she looked as old as me, her hair dirty, her skin muddy, she was barefoot, the soldiers dragged her in holding her arms tightly, even if she screamed and tried to fight with them. 

"Let me go!" she screamed 

"Who are you?" He asked her 

"Let me go" she yelled again

"Barbarian slave daughter." The soldier said "she was trying to escape the palace kitchens" 

"So she's a slave girl." He says "... You wanted to feel more like the king, You may execute her"

"what?" I asked in shock

"All slaves who run from their masters are executed," He said "It's the law." He says handing me a sword "as a palace kitchen worker, she is yours. You can have the pleasure of executing her" 

I stared at the sword in my hand seeing my own reflection in it's blade, the sword felt heavy, too heavy for me. The men threw her onto the marble floor scraping her knees as she was thrown close to me 

"Please, Please you don't know what it's like, what they do to us, please I beg for mercy" she begged "Or if not mercy, then for peace." she whined tears running down her cheeks, I could see the fear in her eyes, she feared me. I looked closer at her noticing burns and scars on her skin, chains around her ankles, I held her sword close to her neck she bowed her head sniffling as she cried in fear 

"No," I said 

"My king?" He asked

"No.... Death, would be a... a uh quick punishment. for this slave." I said "She would not learn. death would be... a uhh... an escape for her"

"Then what is it you suggest my king?" 

"I would suggest for uhh. No, I would like. I would like her to be taken and cleaned, seen to medically, and for her to be put to work, here in the castle. Not the kitchens I would uhh like her to be put to work as my uhh my Handless, until her death" I said 

"Very good my King" He nodded "Death is not enough punishment for this slave. she will be put to work in your direct service my king, I am sure she will learn her lesson" He said "Take her away." He ordered 

"Thank you" she bowed tears of joy in her eyes as they dragged her away,

"I would like to return to my room now" I said "I uhh I am tried"

"Of course my king" He nods "I will walk you back"

"Of course" I nodded and he walked me with the soldiers along to my room, 

"my king? shall I send your new girl when she is ready?"

"Yes, Please do"

"If you would like a slave girl we can arrange that?"

"what do you mean?"

"If you'd like a slave girl, a concubine we can arrange that" 

"No, I just thought-"

"We will do as you ask my king." He nods before heading off into the palace, I went inside my room and stood a moment in the unearthly silence. 

I sat in the meeting hall confused exactly what was going on, my advisor seemed nervous, the guards held there weapons tight.

I glanced up and saw her, stood as she usually did in her long white dress, her hair perfect. It had been about five years since I spared her from death, she worked in the palace month by month getting more work at first the adviser made her simply my maid but I'm not sure what exactly she is now but it's rare in the day when she's not beside me. I smiled brefily at her and she smiled back nodding her head slightly to me I looked to my advisor and he seemed even more nervous

"Perhaps you should go my king" he says

"No thank you. I'd like to stay, to meet with them" I said

"Yes my king" he said sounding unhappy I heard steps down the corridor so I sat up in my chair unsure what exactly to expect.

The door opened to three burley men with black clothes, iron armor, and silver furs, red warpaint across the skin, they marched in handing weapons to there guard at the door.

"This? Little pipsqueak is the one I'm meeting with?" The man in the centre laughed

"You will respect the king" my advisor snapped

"I'll respect any man. Problem is this isn't a man, that, is a fucking puppy. Groomed and trained to sit and stay, only reason that little shits king instead of me is that he happened to plop out the right pussy" he said coming over and taking a seat across from us

"You will not speak this way against the king"

"Why? What's he gonna do? Cry? Send his guard boys on me" he laughs

"Please. We have business to discuss' I said

"Ooohhh look at that boys. Baby can talk" he laughs "how old are you now, thirteen, fourteen?"

"Fifteen" I answered

"Umm. I was a dad and a king by your age, then again I didn't have the servents to feed me and wipe my ass" he laughs

"We have much to discuss" my advisor told him

"I don't like discussing, I like settling things out there, like a real man." He said "some food? For my men?" He asked so servents began bringing them food and wine my advisor spoke to the men in great lengths but I understood very little off it exactly all I knew was he was watching me I didn't know what to do about it, but then I noticed he was not only looking at me, "she have a name?" He asked

"She's a slave girl" my advisor answered

"Oooh. Is she now." He smirked looking at her in a strange way "Don't you usually keep the slaves away from the king? Come here darling" he called

"No. She works for me, she's nothing to do with you" I said

"Works for you? She's a slave girl"

"She was caught trying to escape the kitchens, the king thought a quick execution to merciful so put her to work"

"Put her to work?" He laughs "oooh don't you worry, I understand" he smirked "works for you does she? Tell me... She a good worker,"

"Yes" I nodded

"Ohh I bet she is."

"What are you talking about?"

"Come on, I'm not as stupid as your fucking nanny, you only put her to work because you've got a hard on for her"

"I have not!"

"Don't you? Ooohh you haven't, not yet anyway, your ball haven't even dropped yet have they little king. But you like her"

"This is irrelevant, we are here to discuss" my advisor began

"I know we are, but teasing my nephew is much more fun" he laughs "come on let's get home, wives got my dinner on for me, can't be late. Her legs will get tried being open waiting for me" he smirked before him and his men headed out.

I sighed a little as I woke up, the sun blocked out by my curtains, I was awake earlier then usual, not sure why. The room was quiet, the feeling of the soft covers against me a few birds outside the windows tweeting in the morning light. I heard steps down the corridor but thought little off it, I heard a door open and close again making me wrap myself up more not yet wanting to exist my cosy bed. I heard gentle steps across my floor and then the curtains opening light flooding in

"Good morning my king," a familiar voice smiled I smiled a little and sat up in my bed seeing her stood there in her usual dress, her hair perfect and a small smile across her lips, her chain around her neck I had often asked them to remove it but they said she needed it so people still knew she was a slave. I sat up streching a little in the bed

"Good morning" I groaned

"It's a lovely sunny day my king" she smiled going and opening the other curtains

"It is. Is that why you smile today?'

"I smile for many reasons my king" she said "would you like to eat? Or bathe first?"

"Ummm can't I have five more minutes?" I whined

"I'll go prepare your bath" she said before she hurried off to the other room I sat trying to wake myself up a little more I couldn't stop my mind from racing, I felt so strange, I couldn't deny, I liked her. But I knew nothing could come of it so I did my best to ignore it. "You're baths ready my king" she smiled

"Excellent you uhh you can go"

"Why my king you usually don't ask that if me?"

"I know, I just uhh, alone today. If i may"

"Of course my king" she nodded going to make my bed I went quickly to the bathroom shutting the door seeing the hot steamy bath she had prepared for me so I did all my other business and then climbed into the hot water doing my best to wash when suddenly the door opened it was my advisor

"My king, what are you doing?"

"I thought I would. Myself today"

"No, no, washing and cleaning are jobs for slaves not for kings. Girl come"

"No"

'why not? Has this slave girl offended you?"

"No, no she hasn't I just...." I began "I don't want ...her to see me" I whispered

"I see. Girl. Do your job" he told her

"But my Lord the-"

"Did I permit you to speak!" He yelled at her "complete your work, I do not want another situation like this again, or I'll send you down to the amours"

She nodded and he left, so she came taking the cloth and slowly washing me being careful not to look at me and I did my best not to look at her feeling her hands across my skin was enough to make me want to scream

"What did he mean?" I asked

"I'm sorry my king?'

"The amours? What does that mean?"

"The amours is where the soidlers spend there days my king,"

".... What happens to slaves there?"

"Depends"

"On what?'

"If they like them"

"If they do?"

".... They uhh, they use the slaves my king"

"Use? How so?"

"For pleasure"

"And if they don't like you?"

"Target practice"

"Do they often send slaves there?"

"Yes my king, my mother was sent there"

"And what happened to her?'

"Well, I'm here" she said

"They... A soidler used your mother, and once born you where sent to the kitchens?"

"Not at first my king, first I was taken to the laundry, all the slave children go to the laundry, they said it's a job for those with little hands, then I went to the library but they didn't like me, so they sent me to the kitchens"

"What did they do to you? In the kitchens?"

"... A king shouldn't hear such things'

"A king wants to"

"Come, you'll be late" she says getting faster with her washing but I felt her hand on my stomach and I stopped her hand "what is it my king?'

"Not there. Please. Not you"

"Why ever not?"

".... Anyone, but you."

"Yes my king" she nods hurrying out of the bathroom, I finished up myself and went to the bedroom where the bed was made and breakfast in the table

"Could I uhh perhaps. Do myself today?" I asked her as she was in the wardrobe

"Very independent today my king" she smiled "perhaps not, wouldn't want my Lord to anger"

"I suppose so" I sighed standing by the wardrobe as I usually did

"What would you like to wear today my king?"

"Uhh, I don't know, you can pick for me" I smiled

"Alright" she giggled picking me out some clothes and slowly dressing me as she always did, I tried my best not to think about her hands all over me.

"I think I know why you kept getting moved"

"Do you my king?"

"You ask alot of questions? You ask your commanders and even your king? You speak back? Quite an insulent little thing aren't you"

"I'm sorry my king, I will learn to remain silent"

"No," I told her taking her hand "I like it. You're the only person Ive ever met who questions Me, who doesn't blindly obey what I say, I... I love that about you"

"Thank you my king" she blushed "is there anything else my king?" She asks as we finished up, I couldn't help looking at her sweet smile, the rose glow in her cheeks, her beautiful dress, I didn't know what I was thinking but I moved forward kissing those sweet lips, she tasted like soap, like daises and grapes. She kissed back clearly excited but tenderly not wanting to go any faster or harder then I was the room silent but the clacking of our kisses and the sound of my own breathing in my head till I pulled back "I'm sorry I shouldn't-"

"Sorry? What on earth are you sorry for? I kissed you I should be the one apologizing"

"Please, don't apologise. Tis a great honor to be kissed by a king" she blushed

"Well I am honoured to kiss such a lovely lady." I smiled "and, please. When were alone, call me Thomas"

"Very well Thomas. Y/n"

"Y/n, that's the most beautiful name I've ever ever heard" I smiled "and uhh that was my... First kiss"

"Well, your very good" she smiled "you'll will be late to meet your advisor" she said going to the door

"Y/n." I said stopping her

"Yes?"

"Kiss me again?"

"Yes my king" she smiled...

[jae-writes-fanfiction]

Caviar and Cigarettes

Ashton x Reader  -  Collab Masterlist - 3763 Words - Part 1 of 1

Notes: this was written as part of a collab event as a gift for @mermaidcashton using a mix of their different suggested tropes but specifically ‘waking up in vegas.’ I hope you enjoy it ❤️ also I’ve never been to a casino I’m sorry this is 100% based off of what I know from TV

Warnings: mentions of alcohol/alcohol consumption, people are on a plane which could be scary, light nsfw content, some swearing.

- - -

The overhead compartments creaked as the plane rushed down the runway headed for liftoff. The sensation always sent a shiver down your spine and caused knots to grow in your stomach.

You hated flying and had everyone been back in LA instead of visiting the UK on a press tour, you would’ve opted to drive to Las Vegas from home and meet the boys there. Unfortunately for you, being their one-person PR/Social Media Management team placed you behind the scenes for the entire junket. And now, it placed you in the window seat of a plane preparing to hurtle dangerously through the sky- although your friendship with the bride-to-be was partly at fault.

Next to you, Ashton rolled his eyes as you gripped the armrest tightly. Across the aisle he watched Michael and Crystal giggle at something, and just ahead of them he could see Callum and Luke watching a movie on one of their phones.

He loved his friends and was beyond happy for Michael and Crystal but each of their small smiles and soft looks felt stifling and Ashton found himself wishing things could just be like when they were younger. Everything felt easier then, it was much more fun going on trips, there was less pressure to do or say the right thing or post the right statuses. They were just four friends making music. Now, everything was different including you.

You silenced your phone and offered Ashton a consolatory smile. “I know you’d rather be across the aisle,” you said glancing over at the others, “but let’s try to be friendly it’s a long flight.” There was a slight edge to your tone and it didn’t go unnoticed.

“You’re right dollface,” Ashton bit back, “I’d much rather be seated with my friends. Not our social media manager.”

You felt a warmth spread across your face as you tried to think of a smart response. Ashton has always been the most aloof of the four when you joined the behind the scenes team yet every conversation with him turned sour.

When you didn’t respond Ashton decided to keep going. “I mean I offense but how the hell are any of us supposed to relax when you’re here hovering around? This is supposed to be a party! A vacation! But you make it look like work.”

“That’s right Ash,” you said icily, “because I am working. I have to make sure none of you do anything stupid while you’re ‘having fun and letting loose’.”

And there you go, Ashton thought, like always making everything else difficult. Why couldn’t you just be agreeable?

“Besides,” you said interrupting his thoughts, “the last thing the group needs is more dating drama. Your last stint did enough damage.”

There. You said it, after weeks of thinking it you actually said it. You didn’t blame him for how the breakup went and for a while you were proud at how little attention Ashton gave to the fan speculation. But then he deleted all their pictures together and made a few (now long deleted) vague tweets that sent the fan base into a deadly spiral that spewed death threats at his ex and caused you more than enough sleepless nights.

You felt a little guilty when he didn’t respond with another jape- but who did he think he was anyway? Sure he was attractive but he couldn’t get away with everything. Not this time. Not after you had to stage and arrange posts for him every time he swapped partners.

You huffed and slipped your headphones in. There was no hope for pleasant conversation, and you had no desire to fill the time with mobile games. The audiobook claimed to calm and soothe the overworked professional with meditation and organization tips. Compared to the $350 plane fare the $25 download seemed like a reasonable and informative way to fill the ten-hour flight.

By the halfway mark you’d been proven wrong on both accounts. The narrator’s lilting accent was distracting in all the wrong ways, and the information sounded like every motivational speaker ever; all hype and no substance. Twice you felt your eyes drifting closed and twice you managed to snap yourself out of it. The third time however you didn’t snap back awake as your head lolled to the side.

The brush of your hair against his shoulder alerted Ashton to the situation. He chuckled lightly under his breath, for a moment you were at peace. For a moment you were someone he didn’t know, someone he might’ve liked to know better.

But moments don’t last forever, Ashton knew this to be true and before long the light jostling of the plane woke you up. You blinked slowly trying to adjust to the lights and grimaced as Ashton came into focus. The intensity of his gaze puzzled you. Was there something on your face? The expression was unconscious, but Ashton saw it flicker across your face and that stung. Not even away more than a minute and you were already getting to him.

Uninterested in having another quiet row like a soon-to-be-divorced couple, he quickly looked away leaving you once again to choose between silence and the droning audiobook as the plane crossed the Atlantic and then the entirety of the North American continent.

The sun had already set when the descent started. Outside you could see the world swathed in swatches of brilliant color and dazzling shapes against the horizon. It felt like your heart skipped a beat. The Vegas strip was everything you’d expected. The hotel itself looked like a work of abstract art, it’s glass elevators sparkling under the desert sunset.

Late dinner reservations had been made for the five of them, and you took the opportunity to settle into your room, eat an entire room service pizza, and take a nap. They would be out on the hotel’s casino floor for the rest of the night and you were more than happy to join them.

By the time you put yourself together and got there, the house was in full swing. The music was loud, the people louder. You noticed Ashton first at a roulette table surrounded by other beautiful people. You turned to walk away and look for Crystal when he noticed you.

You smiled thinly and made your way over to him, you had to. Anything else would’ve been seen as rude and that was a problem you didn’t want to deal with.

You lightly touched his shoulder to let him know you were there and glanced over the table. He hasn’t lost anything but wasn’t winning either. Ashton froze at your touch, the innocuous gesture sent a shock through his body, and at that moment something changed.

The dealer called for bets to be placed for the new round as you settled in next to Ashton. The dark jacket paired well with the retro red shirt he wore and you had trouble looking away.

“You look-“ Ashton started but couldn’t finish the sentence, his wide eyes glanced over your body for one of the first times seeing it outside of business wear. The metallic accents caught in the low light and cast an ethereal glow over you that kept drawing his focus.

You flushed, “thanks...you do too.” The sentiment felt heavy despite the normalcy of the exchange and you quickly accepted a glass of something from a roaming waiter to loosen your tongue.

You glanced back over the table and turned to Ashton with a conspiratorial grin. You leaned in to whisper and Ashton felt your hot breath on his neck.

“Always bet on black,” you offered while biting your lip as he laughed lightly. Everyone said that everyone knew that was a rookie move. But for the moment it seemed like the best advice and you were shocked when he did it.

Not as shocked as you were when he won.

Ashton turned and looked at you, amazed.

“Ash that was so lucky!” You gushed openly and your genuine smile pulled at his heart.

“Maybe it’s just you,” he said softly, the honest edge to his voice surprising you. You laughed awkwardly trying to play off the sentimentality of the words but they kept playing over in your mind.

“I think the happy couple ran away for a little bit,” he offered quickly moving on, “but I think we ought to go celebrate.”

You nodded, “well since I did help you win, I suppose you could buy me a drink.”

Ashton grinned back and quickly gathered his winnings before wrapping an arm around your waist and leading you towards the lounge. You could smell his cologne as you walked and you weren’t sure if it was that or his hand on your hip that kept distracting you from whatever he was saying.

The hazy lounge atmosphere was almost as intoxicating as the cocktails that Ashton kept ordering for the two of you. The liquor burned in all the best ways and a soft sweet taste lingered on your lips. You felt warm and giddy, and surprisingly happy to have been spending this time with Ashton.

At some point, his arm wrapped around your shoulders and you laughed at one of his jokes. Had he been sober the sound might’ve broken his heart, like most secret things do if they’ve been dreamed about before.

You turned to say something but stopped with the words dead on arrival. Ashton was closer than you had realized while talking, your faces just inches apart. The red hue of the lights flashed across his features and seemed to show how truly beautiful he was.

For a moment the closeness lingered, and you could feel a tense stiffness in the arm around you, and electricity where his hand curled around your bare shoulder. Unconsciously you felt your face tilt up towards his, and Ashton felt the same desire to close the gap.

What am I doing, you thought trying to blink out of it, I technically work for him I can’t kiss him! Besides he doesn’t even tolerate me normally.

Ashton froze, unable to tear himself away from you, the soft tint of the lights exaggerated the shadows on your face and kept drawing his eyes back to your lips. His hand on your shoulder itched to run up to tangle in the hair at the back of your neck and pull you against him.

She doesn’t even want to be here, he thought suddenly, why the hell would she want to kiss me on top of that?

But somewhere in the back of his mind Ashton knew you were struggling over something similar. He knew you were at least tempted, otherwise you would’ve moved.

A scantily clad cocktail waitress interrupted the moment and sent you both back to looking away. Your stomach felt uneasy from the tension and you drank quietly for a while contemplating your next move. You needed to say something funny, something light to keep this good energy going.

“Look at the bartender,” you said, “can you imagine him working anywhere else?” Your joke was directed at a thin sort of person who without a doubt had the Vegas aesthetic down to a T.

Ashton felt his heart drop, couldn’t you say something nice? Did you always have to be so critical of everyone?

“That’s typical,” he mumbled into his drunk.

“What do you mean it’s typical?”

“You, princess. Always having some shallow thing to say,” he took a long drink draining the glass before turning back to your shocked face.

This had been a bad idea, you knew he had some problem with you but it had been enough.

Refusing to cause a scene on the crowded floor you swiftly stood. “It was just a joke,” you hissed through a clenched jaw before walking towards the lobby and elevators that would whisk you back to the safety of your room.

“Hey come back!” Ashton tossed money into the table and quickly darted after you, slipping into the elevator at the last second.

“We were having a good time,” he said defensively, “stop being such a spoilsport.”

“A good time? Sure, it’s all fun and games for you. Didn’t you ever stop to think that maybe something is majorly wrong when you can’t go twenty minutes without insulting me?”

“It wasn’t an insult it was a comment.”

You laughed openly, “oh that’s rich Ash. A comment.”

The doors slid open on your floor and you quickly turned heel and left. You heard his footfalls behind you and it took everything in you to resist slamming your door before he could enter the room. You angrily kicked your shoes off sending them in varying directions that you didn’t care to fix.

Ashton felt his palms get sweaty and his mouth dry. He didn’t want to keep watching you walk away anymore. “Can’t we just talk about this like friends?”

“Friends?” You felt your heart get all twisty at the words, “we’ve never been friends Ashton.”

When he didn’t respond you continued, crossing your arms in front of your chest as if the pressure would keep you still and safe.

“I used to think we could’ve been. When we first met I thought: now there’s the one- attractive and smart and mature. But all you’ve ever done is play games, spew pretensions, and hate me.”

“I don’t hate you,” he said lamely taking a step closer to you.

“You don’t hate me? Oh that’s right you just hate the way I dress, and joke, and talk...” You met his gaze with a challenge and in another first of the night, he accepted.

Ashton looked at you with a fondness he had never expressed out loud and a gentleness that’s translated in how he took your hand in his and pulled you against him.

“I don’t hate you at all,” he said softly cupping your cheek with his other hand, “I hate that when you’re here you’re always working, I hate that you can’t ever just be with us, I hate that I miss you when you don’t answer a text, and I absolutely loathe that when you do it’s because you have to talk to me.” Because I want to talk to you, he thought unable to form the words in the mouth.

You suddenly felt very small pressed against him and you knew he could see the heat rising in your face.

“Professional was just easier,” you whispered unable to look him in the eyes, “because I don’t hate you either. For a long time I hated having to orchestrate and present people with you-“ because they weren’t me, you thought unable to say the words out loud.

His thumb softly traced the slant of your cheekbones as you hesitantly looked back into his eyes, and unlike in the lounge you did resist the urge to close the space between you, and neither did he.

The kiss was soft and filled with the emotion of everything not said, like all first kisses should be.

“I don’t hate you at all,” he whispered whilst placing kisses to the sides of your face, “not even a little bit, not even at all.” As your lips let a second time you both felt how surely the sentiment was quite the opposite and had been for quite some time.

Ashton was the only thought in your mind, and the only word on your lips as the kisses grew sloppier and needy. He tasted like cherry syrup from the cocktails and you wanted more.

A little disoriented from the alcohol you haphazardly walked backward pulling Ashton with you until you felt the edge of the mattress press against your calves. In a fit of giggles, you both tumbled back onto the bed.

You had never seen him smile like this before, his whole face seemed brighter and you knew instantly he was thinking the same things too. You moved in a flurry of hands and touches that struggled through the haze to remove clothes.

You straddled him to slide the jacket from his shoulders and fumbled with the buttons on his shirt until that too was discarded. Your hands trembled as they skated across his chest, and you felt him shiver as they were replaced with your lips. You slid down his body leading trails of kisses that stopped just above his belt buckle. The way it caught the light sent a delicious shiver down your spine and you tucked that thought away for another time.

Deftly you slipped the belt off before working on the slacks. You slowed and groaned softly upon revealing a dark red pair of lace pants under his trousers.

“Sweetheart,” you cooed teasingly as you repositioned yourself between his legs, “you should’ve led with this.” His hoarse laugh stifled into moans as you traced the lace with your tongue. Your eye wandered to the glittering bottle of champagne on the nightstand and between it and the heady look on Ashton’s face, you knew it was going to be a good night.

The next morning which really ended up being the next afternoon- you were pleased to wake up curled and tangled around a very naked Ashton. The pounding headache and dry mouth were a direct contrast.

You were thankful the curtains were still closed as the moderate darkness seemed to help the monster out hangover you were now feeling. You shifted slightly and were surprised to notice you weren’t entirely naked. You were wearing a t-shirt you didn’t remember owning. The words looked like gibberish but you gathered it was from the hotel’s gift shop.

The discovery prompted you to look around the room and you noticed something. Ashton’s fancy clothes and delightful red panties were joined by a pair of his jeans, another shirt, and an extra pair of your bottoms as well.

There were papers strewn on the nightstand and a shopping bag near the door that you didn’t remember buying. The cool air stung your bare legs and prompted you to curl back into Ashton who lazily smiled and kissed your temple as you rejoined him.

“G’morning darlin’,” he said through a yawn making you giggle.

“Do you remember going back out last night?”

Ashton shook his head but before he could say anything his ringtone cut through the silence and roused a chorus of pained groans from both of you.

He scrambled to answer it and you noticed the empty bottle of champagne on the other side of the bed, and what looked like a sacked minibar’s worth of trash with it.

I am never drinking again, you thought as the ringing subsided and your head began to throb.

“Michael wants us for brunch,” Ashton said tossing his phone back to the cluttered nightstand. You groaned at the thought of food and hoped it would be greasy enough to cut through the drunk brain fog.

You had to swing by Ashton’s room for him to get dressed making it a little later than anticipated when you finally got to the lobby. Crystal and Michael were sharing a love seat and as you both exited the elevator they erupted into raucous laughter and cheers that reverberated pain through your head.

“Aw fuck,” you hissed rubbing a hand on your temple. Ashton had an arm around your waist which kept yours from stumbling.

“Oh come on I expected a little more life after last night,” Michael called with a grin.

“I didn’t think Mikey was serious,” Crystal said, “do you have the papers on you?”

On top of them, Luke chimed in, “I got the whole crying jag on video it’ll make a hell of an update when we get back.”

You and Ashton shared a confused look and silently looked to Callum for help. He was drinking a delightful looking mimosa and sighed putting it down.

“I don’t think they remember,” he started before getting cut off.

“Awe no way! Look at them, they’re the picture of romantic bliss,” Michael taunted with a laugh.

You sighed, “come on now guys I know it’s a little odd for us to hook up but enough with the jokes.”

“Hook up?” Luke laughed, “that’s not what Elvis would have to say about it.”

You were trying not to get frustrated but it was hard. “Luke, what in the hell does Elvis have to do with anything?”

Callum cut in before the others could keep hounding you.

“Promise me you won’t freak out?”

You nodded and felt Ashton do the same.

“Alright,” Callum started slowly leaving time to gauge reactions as he spoke, “Luke and I got a call last night around 4:30, one of you were crying about how you ruined mike’s moment when you were too out of it to explain we came down here to meet you...”

As he spoke flashes of memories seemed to play in your mind. You almost remembered dialing the phone inside who to talk to, but certain you didn’t want to upset anyone.

“Apparently you’d just come in from one of those 24-hour chapels and we’re worried Mike and Crystal would be upset you stole the show.”

“Why would we go to a church?” Ashton asked slowly. Neither you nor Ashton were specifically interested in that sort of thing. Yet as he asked it you remembered stumbling through the lobby looking for something new to wear.

Your mind reeled trying to fit together pieces that you weren’t sure went to the same puzzle. You ran a hand through your hair a small ring on your hand catching in the light. You recognized it immediately as Ashton’s. Something borrowed, you thought unsure of why that mattered.

Callum shook his head as Michael dissolved into a fit of laughter.

“You dumbasses, you got married!”

You and Ashton quickly looked at each other and then back at the others and then back at each other trying to process this whirlwind of information.

The moment lingered longer than Michael found funny and without much else said you were whisked by the other happy couple off for brunch and out into a world where nothing would ever be the same.

[fanfoolishness]

Home Cooking (SUF)

(Fluff and angst in nearly equal measure, Connverse, 8800 words. Set between Little Graduation and Prickly Pair.  Steven experiments with home cooking and decides to share his creation with the Maheswaran family, but he finds himself getting unexpectedly emotional.  Many thanks to @honestlyhufflepuff and @followerofmercy for help bouncing ideas around, and @taikova, whose tweet about the sadness of Together Breakfast is briefly referenced here.)

*************

Steven shuffled aimlessly down the aisles of Beach City’s small organic grocery store, his shoulders nearly brushing against the wares more than once in the cramped space.  Grocery shopping was one of the few errands that got him out of the house these days.  He supposed he should be grateful for that, at least.

He paused in the freezer aisle, wrinkling his nose as he looked at the lean selection of vegetarian options.  He was getting sick of the macaroni, even though it came in three flavors, and he hadn’t been impressed with the tortellini or the enchiladas.  They always seemed to come out mealy and weird when heated.

He left the microwave dinners in the freezer case, wondering what else he should get.  He’d already loaded up on a few packs of protein shakes.  He wandered into the spice section and noted a hand-written recipe card under some Cajun seasonings.  He looked it over for a moment, raising his eyebrows, then took a picture of it with his phone.  

He nodded to himself.  He pulled a few things into his basket, then wandered back into the loaded produce section, piling peppers, celery, onion, okra, and garlic on top of the spices.  

“Why not?” he murmured, and headed to check out.  The worst that could happen was that he might ruin it, and messing up dinner sounded a lot less intimidating than some of the other mistakes he could make.

***

It had been a long time since Steven had properly cooked anything, and he was starting to realize it.

He did mess up in a few ways.  Nicked himself badly, his eyes burning as he tried to cut the onion. He kissed his hand to heal it and tossed the bloodied knife into the sink, reaching for another one.  Luckily the onion remained unscathed.

He was fine with chopping the okra, celery and peppers, getting into a steady rhythm.  He julienned them first, then diced the resulting strips until he had piles of colorful, slightly unevenly chopped vegetables.  The garlic was tricky, but he was more careful this time, using a smaller knife.  His tongue poked out the side of his mouth as he focused.  

The roux almost stymied him.  It took three attempts before he stopped burning the flour and creating a sludgy black mess in the bottom of the pan.  He summoned his shield to fan away the smell out the front door, grumbling to himself.

But he’d come this far, hadn’t he?  The fourth attempt with the roux was okay.  He had been tempted to give up and order another cheese pizza, but he was determined now.  What else was he going to do with the vegetables he’d bought if he gave up now?  He stirred the roux carefully, brow furrowed in concentration as he added more ingredients and allowed them to simmer.

It smelled so good.  So different, too, from the greasy smell of pizza, the clean scent of tea, the dull lifelessness of protein bars.  He really had been eating just to eat, hadn’t he?  The kitchen hadn’t smelled this good in months.

He half wanted to text the Gems and ask them to try it with him, but he felt a little uneasy at the idea.  They weren’t talking much these days; Steven spent most of his time working on his plants in the greenhouse, now that he’d left Little Homeschool, and the Gems were working hard to pick up his slack.  They mostly saw each other in vague elliptical orbits these days, a hello from one of them running into a goodbye from another.  He wasn’t sure how to fit back in with them again.  Maybe he was just going through a phase.  He stirred the pot, taking care to keep the vegetables from burning.

Besides, food wasn’t exactly the Gems’ thing.  Garnet only ate occasionally, mostly at Steven’s request.  Pearl would share a cup of tea with him once a month or so, though he knew she still didn’t actually care for it; tea was just the least offensive thing she had discovered in the entire lexicon of human foods and drinks.  Amethyst would readily eat both the food and the spoon as well, but he didn’t exactly trust her judgment when it came to fine dining.  Yesterday he’d seen her eating dry ramen in the wrapper  with chocolate and motor oil.  

He thought about inviting Dad over for dinner.  But lately things had been kind of weird with Dad, too.  Steven knew he was still having a hard time adjusting to losing his hair and being attacked, but he wondered if there was more to it than that.  He also kept trying to ask Steven questions that made him uncomfortable, questions about plans and the future and how he was doing, and Steven wasn’t sure he was up for it right now.  He let out a long breath.

His phone buzzed.  Hi you! What are you up to? Connie asked.  

He mentally kicked himself.  Of course, it was a Saturday.  Connie actually had a little time to hang out some weekends.  Why hadn’t he asked her to do something earlier?  Too wrapped up in his own head, he supposed.

Trying out a new recipe.  It’s hard.  I burned it three times already, but I think this time is the winner.  It smells awesome.  He sent her a picture, having to try twice because steam from the dish clouded the first shot.

That looks amazing!  Wish I could try it.  Actually, I’m getting hungry just looking at it!

He gulped, fingers firing off a reply before he could stop himself.  Want me to bring you some?

The phone buzzed again.  That sounds like a great idea!  But I told my parents I’d hang out with them tonight.  Dad found a new strategy game and he thinks he can take out my mom, but he doesn’t know how badly she’s going to stomp him.  My mom gets really competitive.  It’s gonna be hilarious.

He considered.  Well, there’s a huge pot of this vegetarian gumbo.  I could make some rice, and we could all share?

Let me check! 

He paced back and forth with his phone in his hand, hoping to feel a familiar vibration. He gave the gumbo a stir, then nodded.  It looked like the recipe had said it would, three hours after starting it.  He dipped in a tablespoon and brought out a steaming spoonful, blowing on it gently, then swallowed a bite.

Oh.

“That’s… that’s really good,” he croaked to the empty dining room.  Tears pricked his eyes unexpectedly.  He tasted garlic and pepper, heat and spice. He felt warmer than he had all week, a warmth that had nothing to do with his jacket or the temperature outside.  It seemed to fill him up from his chest and belly outward.  How was food this powerful?

His phone buzzed.  He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and read Connie’s reply, and his face spread into a smile. 

They’d love that!  Come by as soon as you can!  Miss you <3

***

Steven rocked back and forth on his heels, standing on the Maheswarans’ doorstep, the food carefully nestled in his largest grocery bag.  He could feel the heat radiating through the cloth bag against his leg.  He rang the doorbell, his stomach flip-flopping as he did so.

She asked you to come, he reminded himself.  Yet he was seized with a sudden fear that the Maheswarans were just being polite, that Connie must have talked them into pitying him, that they didn’t actually want him around --

The door opened.  Doug Maheswaran grinned at him, looking comfortable and relaxed, no trace of pity in his warm eyes.  “Young Universe!  Good to see you.  Wow, have you grown again?  It’s been too long.  Come in, come in.”  Doug reached out and took the bag of food from Steven.  “Thank you for bringing dinner, it smells delicious. Saves me from having to come up with something!”

Steven blinked, slightly overwhelmed by the sheer force of Doug’s cheeriness.  “Hi, Mr. Maheswaran, you’re welcome!  Um, well, it made a much bigger batch than I thought it would, so it seemed silly for me to try to eat it all on my own…”

“Doug, for heaven’s sake, let the poor boy get inside before you badger him to death,” Dr. Maheswaran called from the dining room.  Steven peeked around Doug, hoping for a glimpse of--  “Connie!  Steven’s here, come on down.”

A barrelling of footsteps down the stairs, and Connie burst into the living room, grinning all over.  “Steven!”  She wore a shirt he hadn’t seen before on her, a pretty purple one with little white polka dots.  Her hair fell in loose waves around her face.  He fought a burst of giddiness.

“Connie!”  

Steven grinned back at her.  Normally they’d go for a full-on, leap-in-the-air style hug upon seeing each other again, but he held out his hand for a stiff handshake instead, conscious of Doug still standing a few feet away and Priyanka leaning into the doorway between the living room and dining room.  

Connie batted his outstretched hand aside and hugged him anyway.  He closed his eyes, her hair soft against his cheek, and held her for just a moment before she pulled back.  She was still taller than him by a good inch or two, but hadn’t grown since the last time he’d seen her.  Good. It hadn’t been too long, then.

“It’s, um, good to see you,” he breathed.

“Likewise,” she said, blushing.

Doug coughed delicately.  “All right, you two.  Come on, let’s get dinner set up before it gets cold.”

Steven followed Doug toward the dining room, but couldn’t help but take the opportunity to grab Connie’s hand and squeeze it, for just a moment, before letting it fall.  “You’re sure they’re okay hanging out with me?” he whispered to her.

She gave him a sweet smile. “Of course they are.  My parents love you, Steven.”

He chuckled, his nerves catching up to him.  “Are you sure?  I’m surprised they don’t think I’m a bad influence on you.”

“I’m perfectly capable of being a bad influence on myself, Steven,” said Connie loftily.  “Don’t flatter yourself.”  She winked.

They entered the dining room, where the table was already set.  He could see into their small kitchen through the propped open door, where Doug was already putting the rice and gumbo into serving dishes.  

Priyanka pulled glasses down from the shelf.  “It’s good to see you, Steven,” she said with a faint smile.  “This is so thoughtful of you.  Thank you.”

“Oh, uh, no thought at all, really,” blustered Steven. “I just was trying out something new and thought it would be nice to share it.”

“Were your father and the Gems busy?” Priyanka asked, opening the refrigerator.  “Water, or iced tea?”

Steven glanced at Connie, who caught the look on his face.  “The Gems are pretty busy these days, Mom,” said Connie.  “And they don’t have to eat, remember?  Iced tea for me, please.”

Doug laughed. “Oh, yes, I remember now.  It was very nice of them to try that time we went out to dinner.”  He set out the serving dishes on the table, faint wisps of steam still rising from the gumbo and rice.  

“And Dad… doesn’t like Cajun food,” said Steven quickly.  “Iced tea would be great.”

Priyanka gave Steven an odd look, but brought out their drinks without further questions.  “Well, I’m excited to try this. Connie tells us you’re an excellent cook.”

“Aw Connie, come on.”

“You are!” said Connie, sitting down at the table.  Steven sat beside her, and Doug and Priyanka took the seats across from them.  “I mean, I know you don’t cook fancy things all the time, but when you do, they’re always really good.”  Steven’s ears burned.

Doug doled out portions to each shallow bowl, setting out a scoop of white rice on each dish, followed by a full ladle of gumbo and a sprinkle of chopped green onions.  The gumbo was rich and reddish, thick-bodied and clinging to the edge of the rice, glorious with the scents of pepper, onion, garlic. Steven peered into his bowl, hoping it tasted as good as he thought it had in his own kitchen.

Priyanka was the first to take a bite.  She chewed thoughtfully, then smiled in satisfaction.  “Steven, that’s quite good.  This is your first time making this?”  He nodded. “Well, color me impressed.”

Steven’s eyes widened.  He knew exactly how much a compliment from Priyanka meant, and he blinked in astonishment.

Beside her, Doug dove in.  “Steven, this is fantastic.  This tastes just like something you’d have visiting the Crawfish State.  Send me the recipe, all right?”

“Sure,” said Steven. “Really?  You -- you guys like it?”

Connie licked her spoon.  “That is insanely good.  What did you put in it?  It’s nice and spicy. Not exactly hot-spicy, but more of an earthiness? It’s delicious.”

“I just followed the recipe,” he said, shrugging and looking from face to face.  They each kept eating, apparently honestly enjoying the food.  He’d known he could cook, he supposed, but it was different sharing that with people besides himself.  He felt a sudden stab of sympathy for Lars being nervous to share his ube roll cake, back before when Lars still worked at the Big Donut. 

But Steven had no reason to be nervous, right?  Connie was sitting beside him, relaxed and happily eating his cooking, and her parents both wore warm smiles.  There was something strange and familiar both about this, a scene he’d seen a thousand times on television, a scene he’d tried to recreate at home more times than he could remember.  He tried to imagine Dad and the Gems sitting around the table, each enjoying the meal, laughing together, conversation flowing as easily as breathing.  It seemed both more and less possible than it ever had before.  He watched the Maheswarans, eating and talking together, and he felt hungry in a way that had nothing to do with his food.

“Don’t you want some?” asked Connie, nudging him a little with her elbow. 

“Oh!  Yeah, yeah,” he said, carving out a bite of rice and gumbo.  The whole reason he’d come here!  He popped it into his mouth, heat and spice hitting his tongue, combining with the sharpness of scallion and the comfort of fluffy rice.  He swallowed and closed his eyes, breathing deeply.

Oh. Oh, no.

There it was again, that warmth, a comforting feeling that seemed less about the food than what the food meant.  He blinked, tears starting at the corners of his eyes.  Not here!  Not in front of Connie’s parents!  He stared furiously into the depths of his bowl, willing himself not to cry.  A losing battle.  A tear trickled down his cheek, falling into his food before he could wipe it away.

The conversation fell quiet, and the Maheswarans’ faces shifted from open and relaxed to suddenly worried.

“Steven?  Are you all right?” asked Priyanka, her voice cautious.  Soothing.  He wondered if she saved that voice for her patients.  He’d only rarely heard her use it with Connie.

“Is something wrong?” said Doug.  “It is a little spicy --”

“No!  I’m fine,” Steven muttered, setting down his spoon and rubbing at his face with his right hand. More tears.  Was he bright red?  He felt his cheeks flushing.  “I -- might have put too much garlic in, that’s all --”

He felt Connie’s hand on his left hand, nestled in his lap beneath the table.  She took it in her own and squeezed.  He didn’t trust himself to look at her without crying even more obviously, and that was not what he had come here to do.

She fumbled, trying to come up with something.  “Steven Universe, afraid of a little garlic?” The words were teasing, but the tone was concerned.

He sniffed, straightened up, and let go of her hand.  “You’re right. I’m being silly.”  He took a few more bites, the food as delicious as before, his eyes feeling puffy.  He smiled through it.  “So, Connie said you guys were going to play a new board game?”

“Oh! Yes,” said Doug.  “Now, Priyanka always claims to be above such frivolous things as board games --”

“I do not,” she protested. “Games have a place and purpose, as long as your responsibilities are taken care of first.  Besides, they’re a good way to hone critical thinking skills and --”

“And crush everybody,” Connie supplied.  “Don’t pretend otherwise, Mom, you love being competitive.  How were you surprised at all that I took up swordfighting?”

Priyanka arched an eyebrow.  “Because swordfighting is an archaic form of battle and you were twelve.  But I have to say, I have always admired your determination.”

“She’s the best, isn’t she?” said Steven, finishing another bite.  The comforting warmth in his chest was more manageable now that the topic had changed, and he found himself enjoying what he’d made, something filling, something delicious, something real.  The stinging in his eyes faded.  “She’s always worked so hard.  She’s amazing at swordfighting, and science, and literary analysis -- I mean, the conversations we’ve had about books --”

“Steven!” Connie hissed. “You flatterer!”  She giggled and nudged him again.

“All right, all right,” he laughed.

“I know it’s rough on you two not being able to see each other as often,” said Doug sympathetically.  He ladled a second helping into his scraped-clean bowl.  “What are you up to these days, Steven?  I heard you’ve been busy.”  He dug into his food.

“Hm,” said Steven, pushing a chunk of pepper around in his dish.  What am I up to?  “The school for Homeworld Gems is going well, I guess.  We had our first graduating class.”  Don’t think about the dome.  

He kept babbling, aware that the Maheswarans were looking at him.  “It went really well?  They were all pretty excited to head back out to space and move on.”  The chunk of pepper slid around in circles, aided by his spoon.  “I kinda stepped back from the school, though… I figured the other Gems were the best ones to be in charge.  You know, they actually know what it’s like, trying to adjust to life on Earth without being ruled by anybody.  I… don’t.  At all.”  He shrugged glumly.  “But I hear they’re doing great without me.”

Priyanka looked at Steven, then glanced at Doug, giving him a slight nod.  Doug finished his second portion, letting his spoon rest back in his bowl.

“That’s excellent news about the graduation,” said Priyanka, her voice measured. “You must be proud.  But I know that for me it’s always bittersweet, seeing the interns match to their new residencies and move on.  It does sound like you’ve helped a lot of people.”  She got to her feet and collected her dishes. “Doug, would you please give me a hand with these?”

“Of course, dear,” said Doug, gathering up his own dishes and following her into the kitchen. As soon as the kitchen door closed behind them, Connie turned to Steven, taking his hands in hers.

“Hey,” she said.

“Hey,” he said, gazing into her dark eyes.  He reached out, brushing a strand of hair back behind her ear. 

“Thanks,” she said softly.  “That was bugging me.”

“It was very cute though.  It made your ear look like an elf’s. Just the way it peeked through the hair.”

She smiled, but the action didn’t reach her eyes.  “Are you okay?” 

He looked down at their intertwined fingers.  “Ugh.  You noticed that, huh?”

“Of course I noticed you getting teary at the dinner table, and don’t tell me it was garlic.  You love garlic.  If you hadn’t realized, I know you pretty dang well, Universe.”  

He squeezed her hands.  “I -- I don’t know if you do,” he mumbled.  “I don’t know if anyone does right now.  I feel like I barely know me.”  He gulped past the sudden lump in his throat.

Connie leaned forward until their foreheads touched.  “Isn’t that what being a teenager is all about?”  They were quiet for a moment, their breathing matching.  

“Are you okay, Connie?”

She spoke into the stillness, her words winding, wandering. Wounded.  “I don’t know.  Mostly?  Not completely.”  She shrugged.  

“Come on.  You can tell me.”

“I know, it’s… hard to get started, is all.”  She held tight to his hands.  “I swear, I feel crazy some days.  It’s like I’m normal me, the same as I used to be.  But then there’s this new Connie fighting to form inside me, trying to figure things out, and I don’t understand her.  And in between the two of them, everything is just a mess.  Sometimes I mouth off to my parents and get in trouble, sometimes I just want to cry for no reason, sometimes I just don’t care about school, sometimes I hate everything --”  She squeezed his hands back, much harder than he had squeezed hers.  “Mom says it’s pretty normal for my age, but if that’s the case, this is a stupid age.”  Her eyes shone with sudden tears.

 “That sounds really hard.  And… kind of familiar, actually,” he said in a soft voice.  “I didn’t know you were going through all that.”

“That’s because I didn’t tell you,” she whispered.  “I knew you had your own stuff going on, and I didn’t want to pile on, especially when we don’t get to see each other as much as before.  It’s been weeks!”

“I know,” said Steven miserably.

“But it’s all so frustrating, and I hate not feeling like the me I’ve always been.  It makes everything more difficult.  I have a harder time focusing on my classes, but I need to, because for the first time in my life they’re actually challenging and it’s weird.  I got my first C on a test last quarter, did I tell you?  And sometimes I try talking to friends at school like Jeff or Bri, and that helps with the human stuff, but they don’t understand how much I miss seeing you and the Gems all the time. Especially you.  Because I do miss you, jam bud.”

 “I’m sorry, I should have been around more -- I should have been here for you --”

“Don’t apologize, you dork,” said Connie, wiping her eyes.  “It’s not like it’s your fault.  Sometimes stuff sucks a little and that’s how it is.”  She took a deep breath.  “Now.  Tell me what’s been going on with you.  I went first because I knew you’d feel bad telling me unless I shared my stuff too.”  She leaned back and stuck her tongue out at him.

“So rude,” said Steven, laughing despite himself.  “I guess you do know me pretty well still.  Um, as far as what’s going on with me, I -- I don’t know.  It’s like, everyone’s growing up, you know?  You’re getting ready for college prep stuff, and Lars and the Off Colors went back to space, and Lars, of all people, is… actually mature now.  I think he finally has his head on straight.  And it’s good, but it’s also confusing, because that was never the guy I knew.  And he and Sadie never made it work, and they’re fine with it, and that’s fine, but it just feels weird.”  He bit his lip.  “Did you hear, the Suspects broke up --”

“No!” Connie gasped.  “I heard about it, but I thought it was some sick prank --”

“Right? Me too!  But they all have their own things going on now.  Buck is going to medical school, Jenny’s got a little business going, Sadie has this new partner Shep and they have a totally different sound together… I don’t know.”

“Welcome to the club,” said Connie.  “Why do things have to be so confusing now?  I thought growing up was supposed to make things clearer.  Instead it seems like everything just gets more complicated.”

“It does, doesn’t it?” Steven mused.  “I keep thinking, it seems like Beach City is doing fine without me, and so are the Gems, too.  I hardly even see them now.  They’re doing great with Little Homeschool, and I wonder did they even need me at all?  What was I doing, trying to run a school?  I’ve never even been to school!  I was making it all up as I went!”  He huffed in frustration, then continued.  

“I guess I’m glad my schedule’s opening up now, but I haven’t figured out what I should do instead.  I have time to sleep in but I keep waking up in the middle of the night.  I could do music stuff, but I haven’t felt like it in forever.  Lately I’ve been messing with plants, growing them the old-fashioned way, but that doesn’t really feel like anything.”  His voice trailed off.  

“And…”  He hesitated.  He hadn’t told her yet about the dome he accidentally created on graduation night, how he’d nearly hurt everyone. Or what happened in the Reef with Pearl and Volleyball.  He still wasn’t sure how to say that out loud. To anyone. 

“-- and I think my dad is still messed up after what happened with Bluebird,” he said instead.  “He was starting to get more comfortable with Gem stuff, but now he’s not coming over as much.  He doesn’t say it, but I think he’s kind of worried something might happen again.  I am too, I guess.  It honestly scared both of us.”

“I still can’t believe they went after your dad,” said Connie, a glimpse of her warrior side shining in her eyes.  “I know you let them go, but if I’d been there with my sword --”

“There’d have been no stopping you,” he chuckled.  Could they have stopped me? If I hadn’t stopped me?

“So what we do, then?  I’m a mixed up bunch of stupid hormones and you don’t know what to do with your life or your family, and I guess that makes us both at least a little awkward,” said Connie.

“I don’t know,” said Steven honestly.  But not knowing wasn’t as scary with Connie holding his hands.  There was that much, at least, and that was a lot.

The kitchen door swung open and Steven and Connie quickly let go.  He wasn’t sure if holding hands would be frowned upon by the Maheswarans, but didn’t want to find out, either.  “All done with your food?” asked Priyanka.  They nodded.

“That was truly delicious, Steven,” she said.  “Why don’t you help me finish up, Connie, and Steven, you and Doug can set up the game.  That is, if you’d like to stay for it.  You’re certainly welcome to join us.  From what I’ve seen perusing the rules manual, this game is much better balanced with four players than three.”

“Oh, please stay, Steven!” said Connie brightly.  “Maybe we could form an alliance and actually take my mom out for once.”

Priyanka let out a sharp bark of a laugh as Doug took down a board game from the bookshelf behind the dining room table.  “You’d like to think that, wouldn’t you?”  

“All right, I’ll give it a shot,” said Steven. “But no promises, Connie.  Gemkind has abolished warfare, remember?  Strategy’s not exactly my strong suit.”

“Well, check out the rules and see what we can swing.  You’re going down, Mom,” said Connie.  They retreated, and Steven joined Doug in the living room, where he already had the game out on the coffee table.  Steven sat down beside him on the sofa.  

“Have you played this one, Steven?  It’s called Interstellar Showdown.  It can be collaborative and cooperative… or intensely competitive!”  Doug’s face glowed with anticipation.  “Priyanka always wins no matter what we play, but I’ve been studying strategies for this game on the sly.  Just between you and me, of course.”  He opened the box and started rifling through the instructions.  “Would you mind organizing the pieces for me?”

“Sure,” said Steven.  He held up one of the small transport ships.  “This is actually a pretty close version of some of the Gem ships I’ve seen,” he said.  “Do you think it’s a coincidence?” He grouped the blue pieces across from him, where he guessed Connie would probably sit, and got to work separating the pink pieces from the plastic that held them in place.  

“Hard to say.  What’s that thing Connie was telling me about the other day -- convergent evolution?  Sometimes nature makes things very similar to each other because it’s the best shape for the task, like bird wings and bat wings. I think that’s what she said.  She’s always telling me about interesting things she’s learned in school,” said Doug.

“Me too,” said Steven.  “I never knew our atmosphere was mostly nitrogen-based until Connie told me.  Who knew, right?”

“Right!  Nitrogen’s not the first thing you think of when you think ‘breathable.’  I always thought it was all oxygen, all the time.”  Doug set down the instructions and picked up a deck, tearing off the plastic wrapper. He shuffled the cards, doing both the regular shuffling as well as the bridge where the cards fanned upward.  Steven watched, slightly jealous.  He’d never figured out how to shuffle like that.

“How do you do the bridge thing?” he asked Doug.

“Bridge thing?”  Doug looked down at his hands.  “Oh, with the cards.  It’s not too hard.  You basically do the same shuffling action, but in reverse.  Give it a shot.”  He handed the cards to Steven.

“See, I can do the regular shuffling just fine --”  He demonstrated.  “But then this always happens.”  The cards limply collapsed between his hands, refusing to arc.  “Splat.”

“Try again,” said Doug, pulling out another deck of cards from the box and shuffling them downward.  Slowly he arced them upward, the cards bending into perfect semicircles.  Steven watched his hands closely.

“Okay, let’s see --”  Down shuffle.  He fanned his fingers outward, trying to urge the cards to go up instead of sideways.  They splatted again, and he frowned, mouth twisting.  “I can never get it,” he muttered.

“It’s hard to explain.  I think I had to keep practicing.  And try to change the shape of your hands as you lift the cards.  That’s key,” said Doug.  He shuffled again.

Steven tried it three more times, getting more irritated each time.  The third time the cards fluttered away from him, making a mess and knocking over the pile of pink spaceships.  A few of them skittered onto the floor and Steven flushed, suddenly embarrassed at his own irritation.  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to,” he said hastily, picking the pieces back up.

“Hey, it’s fine,” said Doug, picking up a ship he’d missed under the couch.  “No big deal if the bridge doesn’t work out for you.  But if you want to keep trying, we can.”

Steven took a deep breath.  “Okay.”  He tried again, this time flaring out his fingers more widely, driving his thumbs downward as he did.  A few of the cards finally arced, weakly, and he looked in surprise at his own hands.

“See, you’ve got this!”  Doug showed him again, and Steven studied how his fingers curled beneath the cards on the upswing, the angles in relation to the table, how the thumbs moved.

Steven tried again, and this time the arc was actually visible, if not as neat as Doug’s.  “Hey! I’m doing it!”

Doug set his cards down, smiling.  “You just needed a little help.  It’s tricky!”  He clapped Steven on the shoulder, and Steven shuffled the cards once, twice, a third time, smiling.  Doug switched decks with Steven, and Steven shuffled the cards, the action getting smoother with each attempt.  

“Thanks, Mr. Maheswaran.”  

“No problem.”  They went back to punching out spaceship pieces from their plastic frames.  Doug took the white pieces, and Steven took the pink ones, leaving yellow for Priyanka.  

Doug cleared his throat.  “I’m sure you already know this, Steven, but in general, there’s never anything wrong with asking for help.”

Steven’s hands stilled on the plastic spaceships.  “With… shuffling?”

“With anything.”  Doug kept setting out the yellow plastic pieces, one at a time, his hands steady and sure.  “No one knows how to get everything right on the first try.  Sometimes it’s shuffling cards.  Sometimes it’s stuff at home, too.”

Steven’s cheeks flared.  “It -- it was just too much garlic --” he faltered. “I wasn’t --”

“Hey, hey, I’m not trying to put you on the spot, Steven,” said Doug, turning a little to face him directly.  He looked worried, but kind.  “But you’re important to Connie.  And you’re important to Priyanka and me, too.”  He reached out again, and this time instead of a quick clap, his hand rested on Steven’s shoulder.  “If there are things that are worrying you, I know you already have a lot of people in your life you can turn to.  But when I was your age, sometimes the people closest to me were exactly the ones I didn’t feel like I could talk to.  And if you’re ever in a place like that, I want you to know you can talk to me and Priyanka, even if you feel like you can’t talk to Connie or your family.”

Steven looked into his face, then sniffed, reaching up to rub his eyes.  Part of him wasn’t sure what he could possibly say to Mr. Maheswaran.  But part of him felt like he was thawing, a cold layer of fear slowly breaking up and dissolving in parts.  Not completely.  Still, though, the feeling was a good one.  

“Thank you, Mr. Maheswaran.  I -- maybe I will.”  He let out a long breath.  “Though we should probably finish setting up the game.”  But impulsively he leaned forward, and Doug’s hand on his shoulder became a hug, brief and a little clumsy but warming all the same.

“Sounds like a plan, kid,” said Doug, smiling.  His own eyes looked a little watery, or was that a trick of the light?  “Come on, ladies,” Doug called.  “Are we going to defeat you, or what?”

***

They did not, in fact, defeat Priyanka.  Though it was very, very close.  Steven’s Pacifist aliens did form a powerful alliance with Connie’s Warrior race, and Doug’s strategic use of the Zombie aliens constantly stymied them.  But in the end Priyanka’s Virus aliens stood victorious with their colonies towering above the others’, with most of the other players’ ships lost to the warp. 

Priyanka was a restrained, if slightly smug, victor.  “Well,” she said, smiling faintly at her collection of yellow colonies.  “That was certainly tricky.”

“Modest as always,” Doug teased, reaching out to squeeze her hand briefly.  “Ahhh, one of these days I’ll get the perfect strategy together.  Maybe.”  He let out a long sigh.  “I thought for sure that last gambit was going to work….”

“My dad, the eternal optimist,” said Connie.  “What’d you think, Steven?  It ended up being a very Gem-like game, didn’t it?”

“Uncannily so,” said Steven.  He was glad he’d managed to draw the Pacifist card at the beginning of the game and could worry more about helping Connie win.  Even in board game form with painted on planets, the idea of colonization couldn’t help but creep him out a little.

Despite that, though, it’d been fun to see Connie with her brow furrowed in concentration, poring over the board to come up with a strategy.  He’d enjoyed Priyanka complimenting him on a particularly clever bit of negotiation, and it had been fun to cheer Doug on with Connie for the final encounter.  “It’d be cool to play again as some of these other alien species.  They all seem to have a special power that breaks the rules just a little bit. It’s a neat game.”

“I wouldn’t say no to a rematch another time,” said Priyanka.  She checked her watch. “But it’s nearly nine o’clock.  Won’t your family be getting worried, Steven?  Beach City’s not exactly down the block.”

Steven met Connie’s eyes.  He knew he’d probably be unable to convince the Maheswarans that it was fine to stay longer, that the Gems hadn’t had the concept of “bedtime” for him in years.  “I hadn’t realized it was getting so late,” said Steven.  “I hope I didn’t intrude on your family time --”

“Not in the slightest,” said Priyanka.  “It’s been a pleasure to have you, Steven. We should do this more often.”

“Besides, you were kind enough to bring over a delicious dinner!” said Doug.  “Don’t forget to send Connie that recipe for me.”

Connie reached out and poked him in the side. “If you don’t remember, he will hound me forever about it,” she warned.  “You wouldn’t do that to me, would you, Steven?”

“Of course not,” he laughed.  “Don’t worry. I’ll send it as soon as I get home.”

“Speaking of dinner, there was a little bit left. Let me go package it up for you,” said Doug.  “There’s plenty left for a few more servings.”

Doug and Connie both stood from their seats, and Steven gave Connie a questioning look. “I’m just going to the restroom,” she said.  Steven nodded, and realized he was now alone with Priyanka.

For a moment they didn’t speak, looking at each other from across the game board.  Steven wondered about Doug and Connie both excusing themselves, remembering how long Connie’s parents had taken in the kitchen after dinner. After he’d cried.  His cheeks burned as he put the pieces together.

He cleared his throat.  “Dr. Maheswaran, can I ask you something?”

She blinked, looking as if she had been lost in thought.  “Of course, Steven.”

He looked down at his hands, fingers twisting together.  “Did you and Mr. Maheswaran plan on… giving me a talk?”

“What do you --”

“Mr. Maheswaran talked with me earlier.  He told me I could always talk to you both.”  Steven looked pointedly at his shoes.  “That was planned, wasn’t it?  After I got weird at dinner?”

Priyanka sighed, then rested her elbows on her lap, leaning towards him.  “I suppose I can speak plainly, then.  Yes.  We saw that something seemed to be bothering you, and we didn’t want to leave it unremarked upon in case you needed to reach out.”

Steven blinked in surprise.  He’d fully expected her to deny the whole thing.  It was what the Gems would have done.

“Oh!  You -- I thought so.”

Priyanka smiled ruefully.  “You’re nearly an adult, Steven.  I’m not too surprised you realized.  I hope you don’t think that we’re trying to patronize you.”

Steven stopped twisting his hands and shoved them in his pocket instead, willing them to stay still.  His leg betrayed him by starting up a quiet jitter.  “No, I don’t think that,” he said in a rush.  “At least, not exactly.”  His leg stilled a little, remembering Doug’s quick hug, the way he’d felt like he was thawing.  “It was… really nice, what he said.”

She nodded. “That’s why I asked Doug to talk to you, instead of talking to you myself.  He’s far more approachable than I am.  I have been told I can be… intimidating.”

Despite himself, Steven could feel a smile tugging at the edges of his lips.  “I was pretty scared of you at first,” he admitted.  “I think Connie was too.”

Priyanka’s gaze softened.  “I can be very stern.  Subtlety isn’t one of my strong suits, Steven.  That’s why I wasn’t going to belabor the point by trying to corner you, if that’s what you suspected is happening right now.”

Steven looked anywhere but at her face. “Maybe…”

She chuckled.  “No. I wasn’t planning on pulling you aside myself, and Doug really did just decide to go box up the food.  And Connie wasn’t in on it, if you’re worried about that.  This was solely a parental decision.”

Steven relaxed, a fear he hadn’t even fully articulated slipping away.  “Oh.  That’s, um, good to know.  Thank you.”

“However, since you’ve brought it up… would you mind if I shared my thoughts?”

He thought for a moment.  He was, quite honestly, still a little afraid of her.  But he liked that she had asked.  “I’d like to hear them,” he said cautiously.

Priyanka straightened back up, leaning against the back of the sofa and looking thoughtful.  “I worry about you both,” she said, looking up at the ceiling.  “To be frank, this is a terrible age.  Every problem is magnified, large or small.  Human brains struggle so much at this age to mature, to grow, to form identity.  I wouldn’t go through it again if you paid me.” She let out a short, sharp laugh before continuing, still keeping her gaze fixed above him.  

 “I know Connie is having a hard time of her own, and sometimes she lets us in, but sometimes she doesn’t.  It’s normal, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t difficult.”  She sighed.  “And I know she worries about you. She’s always wanted to fight by your side, but soldiers often struggle after their war ends.  I know that neither of you was a soldier in the traditional sense, but still… as I said, I worry.”

“Was I a soldier?  I don’t know.”  He’d never thought of himself like that.  Yet he knew battle, didn’t he?  Didn’t he know sacrifice?

“Maybe,” she said.  “I don’t know all the details.  But I know it was a war.”

“Yes.  It was.”  He swallowed.  “There are things that happened to me I still haven’t told anyone,” he said, so softly that he could barely hear his own voice.  He followed her lead and gazed up at the ceiling, its plain eggshell surface slipping and blurring in his vision.  “And some things that only Connie knows.  Terrible things.”

A moment’s pause.  “I... wondered.”

“I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to say them out loud.  They’d be real, then, wouldn’t they?  The war is over.  Why do I still think about old scars?”  The tears started again, but if he didn’t look at Priyanka, he could pretend they weren’t happening.  He kept staring at the ceiling.  “And then there’s new things. I’m not human.  Not fully.  And sometimes things happen that I don’t understand -- that I can’t control --”  He sucked in a breath, suddenly remembering where he was.  He snapped his head back down and tore his gaze from the ceiling.  “No. I shouldn’t --”

Across the table, Priyanka’s eyes looked red.  She folded her hands in her lap.  “What if you did talk about it?”

Steven stared at her, his cheeks damp, his nose running.  “I can’t.  I -- I’ve already said more than I should. I’m sorry.”

Priyanka nodded.  “All right.  You don’t have to speak about it to me. Or to Doug.  Or even Connie.  But I would ask you… please think about sharing with someone.  When you’re ready.”

Steven nodded blearily.  “I’ll… think about it.”

She stood up, bringing him a tissue from the box on the end table and taking one for herself.  She dabbed at her eyes.  He got to his feet, feeling uncomfortable sitting while she stood.  He wiped his face, then balled up the tissue and stuffed it into his pocket.  

“You aren’t alone, Steven,” she said, standing beside him with her arms crossed, looking through the window to the darkened street outside.  “Even if it must feel that way sometimes.”

“It does,” he mumbled beside her.  “And I feel stupid for even thinking that, when you’ve both been so kind, when I have Connie, and my family, and --”

“That doesn’t mean it isn’t difficult.  Sometimes, it makes it even harder,” she said, and the fact that she didn’t tell him it was fine, or that he was going to be okay, made his chest ache.  He was more grateful to her for it than words could convey.

“Um… Dr. Maheswaran,” he said awkwardly.  “I don’t, um, I don’t know if you’re a hugger, but --”

Before he’d finished his sentence, she put an arm around his shoulders and pulled him to her.  He rested his head against her shoulder, closing his eyes, trembling only a little.

“Usually, I’m not,” she said, and he could tell by her voice she was smiling.  “But I make exceptions for those I care about.”  She embraced him a moment longer, then let go. He found the balled up tissue in his pocket and used it again.

“Thanks, Dr. Maheswaran,” he said in a hoarse voice.

“You’re very welcome, Steven.”

“Uh… what are you guys up to?” asked Connie uncertainly from the entrance to the dining room.

“It’s a clear night, and Steven was pointing out the regions of some of the nearer Gem outposts,” Priyanka answered without hesitation.  “I was curious about some of the missions he’s been on.  Once things settle down with school, hopefully you’ll both be able to explore further.”

“Thanks, Mom,” said Connie, though she still looked suspicious.

Doug appeared beside her, holding the bag of Steven’s food.  “Thanks again for sharing with us,” he said.  “Any time you want to come by and bring us dinner, you won’t catch me saying no.”

“Nor I,” said Priyanka. She nodded toward the front door.  “If you two want a few minutes to say goodbye outside, take your time.”

“Just not too much of it,” Doug joked.  He handed the bag to Steven, and gave him a warm smile.  “We’re up for a rematch any time though, Steven.  Take care.”

“Drive safely,” said Priyanka, smiling as well. “We’ll see you in a few moments, Connie.  Goodbye, Steven.”

Steven followed Connie through the front door and onto the doorstep, where she promptly sat down, patting the step beside her.  He closed the door and gratefully joined her, setting the food down between his feet.

“Um, what was that?” Connie asked.  

“What was what?” said Steven, trying to keep his voice casual.  Not that that would work on Connie.

“You and my mom talking.”  Connie waved a hand at the night sky, which was covered in clouds.  “I know she didn’t develop a sudden interest in astronomy.”

Steven buried his face in his hands, the ups and downs of the evening catching up to him.  He took a few breaths before he lowered his hands and looked at her with a watery smile.  “They worry.  About you.  About me.”

“About us?  Being together?”

“Not like that.  I think they’re fine with that.  I do think they like me,” he admitted. “But they know we’re not exactly fine.”

“Mm.”  Connie leaned against him, laying her head on his shoulder and wrapping an arm around his waist.  “I thought they might try some kind of concerned talk after I realized how long they were talking in the kitchen.  I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to warn you, but they came back too soon.  That’s where they go to be sneaky.  ‘Oh, we were just doing the dishes, Connie!’  And then the next thing you know it’s ‘we’re not mad, we’re just disappointed.’  They didn’t do that, did they?”

“No, no.  They were kind.  Really kind.  Your mom… She’s actually a big softy, isn’t she?  I never knew that before.”  He reached up, putting his arm around her shoulders.  He’d never stop marveling at how right she felt beside him.

Connie laughed, the sound sweet and silvery.  “It took me a long time to realize that’s why she’s so scary sometimes.  She doesn’t want anyone to know.  Whereas Dad -- he’s just out there with it.  He doesn’t care who sees.”

“Sorry if I made dinner weird.”  He tried to think of a way to explain how he had felt.  “I just… did I ever tell you about Together Breakfast?  That was before I knew you.”

“You mean Garnet’s wedding cake that we didn’t get to eat?  I figured there had to be a story behind it.”

“Yeah, we had one then, but there was an original Together Breakfast.  There was one day I was trying to get the Gems to hang out with me.  I was twelve, I think.  I made this nasty breakfast -- waffles covered in chocolate and whipped cream and popcorn -- and I wanted them to share it with me so much.  But they were all hiding in the Temple, and then Amethyst tried to eat the whole thing, and Pearl and Garnet were too busy.... Anyway, a Gem monster got out and it turned the breakfast into this hideous horrible whipped cream nightmare.  We defeated it and went out for pizza in the end.”

“That sounds messed up, but also, completely normal for you.”

“Right?” he laughed.  “But I thought about it a while back.  The messed up part wasn’t the monster.”  This was hard to say.  Harder than he’d thought it would be.  “Why’d I have to beg them to hang out with me?  I was twelve.”

“Oh, Steven.”  She was quiet.  “They really are aliens, aren’t they?  But that doesn’t make it okay.”

“I saw you and your parents sitting around the table, happy and normal and enjoying something I’d made -- something good, something I was proud of  -- and I don’t know.”  He pressed a kiss to her forehead.  “I really enjoyed dinner with all of you tonight.  But it was hard, too.”

“I didn’t know all this stuff was going on with you,” said Connie.  

“I didn’t know about your stuff, either,” he reminded her gently.

She nuzzled against him, her face soft against the crook of his neck.  “Okay, okay, fine.  I’ll talk to you if you talk to me.  Deal?”

“That seems fair,” he said, though his mind raced with thoughts of pink flashes and white-hot rage.  He forced the thoughts away, stuffing them down.  He’d talk to her about more things.  No need to bring up everything.  There were still some things he had to figure out on his own.

“I don’t know if I can see you every week,” said Connie sadly.  “Not until some of my classes start dying down.  But we should do a video chat every week for sure.  We’ve been bad at that lately.”

“Agreed,” said Steven.  He’d been the one to say he was too busy for the past three or four calls.  He swallowed his guilt and kissed her forehead again.  “I missed you, Connie.”

“I missed you too, Steven.”

A gentle knock at the door. Connie let out a long sigh.  “Ahh, that’s my cue.  I could sit here with you forever, you know.  But I guess they have a point.  I’m freezing.”

He laughed, holding her close.  “I’d better warm you up before you go.”  A quick kiss, then a longer one, slower, softer.  They broke apart, blushing furiously.  

“Now they’re really going to give me a concerned talk,” Connie giggled.  “‘Why are you so flushed, young lady?’”  

“Because it’s cold outside!” said Steven, his eyes wide in the picture of innocence.  They broke down laughing almost immediately.

She got to her feet and crossed her arms.  “Go on, you.  Before I do get in trouble.”  She beamed at him.

“Oh, fine,” said Steven, standing up and grabbing the bag of food.  He grinned as she kissed the tip of his nose.  “But… call me tomorrow?”  

“I will. And don’t forget to text me that recipe!”  She blew him a final kiss as she opened the front door.

“Bye, Connie!  Bye, Dr. and Mr. Maheswaran!” Steven called.  He turned and headed back to the Dondai, gently swinging the bag in his hand until he remembered it held his food.

He drove back home, the car still pleasantly full of the smell of spices and peppers.  This time of night there was an utter lack of traffic on the road.  The drive home passed quickly, smooth and dreamlike in the cloudy dark.

The Dondai’s wheels drove over the gritty sand, coming to a stop just below the path up to his house.  He sat in the car for a moment, considering, then pulled out his phone.

First he sent a text to Connie.  Made it home, safe and sound.  Here’s the recipe, he sent.  He included a few photos and perhaps an overabundance of heart emojis.

Then he hit a familiar phone number and raised the phone to his ear.  After three rings, it picked up.  “Steven?” asked Greg.  “Is everything okay?”

“Oh!  Sorry, Dad.  I forgot how late it was.  Everything’s fine.  I was just wondering… have you had anything for dinner yet?”

“No, I was just snacking around…”

Steven smiled, looking at the bag in his passenger seat.  “Want to come over and watch a movie?  I made dinner.”

Greg’s voice through the phone was surprised, but glad.  “I’d love to, son.  I’ll be over in five.  Love you.”

“Love you, too, Dad.”

He ended the call and lowered his hand.  He let out a long breath, then unbuckled his seatbelt and grabbed his dinner.  He stepped out into the sand, heading up the path home, and he left behind the sound of waves upon the shore.

*****************************************

(Note: I chose gumbo based upon the meal I had at a soul food restaurant for my 33rd birthday, five days after my brother died.  My family and my friends gathered there, and it was the first food we’d had all week that I could actually *taste.*  It made me feel alive again. It made me feel human.  And I thought Steven needed that too.

And yes, this is a real board game. It’s called Cosmic Encounter in our universe and it’s delightful.)

[faerune]

💘 + leon and cassie 🔫 now

also asked by @ottobooty!

where they first met and how hot local racoon city survivors in YOUR area want to fuck! no for real, cassie had holed up in a diner with a group of other survivors and prior to leon getting to the police station he helps cassie fix/find parts to load up an old delivery truck in the back alley to get them all to safety. when leon leaves cassie promises to come back and make sure he + claire have a ride out of town and she does appear in that last shot in her shitty little happy dairy truck like hey you guys look like you need a ride.

how long their ‘flirting’ phase was before feelings got involved cassie has always been kinda of a flirt just offhandedly and i feel like leon is kinda of the same way just he’s cheesy and awkward about it when he’s a little younger. they flirt during the couple months they’re all trying to get their bearings after racoon city and then don’t really stay in touch much until the gov drags them both in separately. 

after that more flirting, some undercover missions and zombies and leon finally asks her to dinner. cassie teases ‘don’t expect me to put out on the first date just because you saved my ass today’ pft.

who fell for who first cassie will never ever admit it but it was her. like hard. she fell for leon like she was carrying a drink carrier full of hot coffee across a busy intersection in new york, tripped off the curb in front of hundreds of people and slammed her knee into the pavement.

where their first date was and what it was like dinner and a movie! cassie loves film but also is not a snob and adores laughably bad movies so they went and saw a goofy ass B action movie and then went to a late dinner at a diner that they always eat at after work.

who asks who out and how ( with a sign? spelled out on a cake? just a simple ‘will you go out with me’? ) leon just pretty simply says let me take you to dinner and cassie teases ‘oh are you asking me on a date kennedy?’ and he just shrugs and goes ‘yeah. i am’ cassie admittedly gets like flustered for half a second and she’s like. okay cool fine.

who proposes first cassie. she’s been so weird and avoidant about getting married so leon has always let her bring it up. when they get back together a few months later they’re laying in bed together and cassie is like can you propose to me now? and leon is like well do you wanna be surprised or do you want the ring now? and cassie just smiles and plops her head on his chest and is like ‘surprise is okay’.

if they keep / kept their relationship secret or let everyone know right away due to their jobs and them being afraid of having each other just be another thing people hold over their heads to keep them working there, they keep it really quiet at the beginning. everyone on their team kinda knows but they aren’t announcing it everywhere.

where the proposal happens and how ( kiss cam at a baseball game? on a hillside surrounded by ducks? at a disney park? ) leon takes her out to dinner and then they take a walk in the park! they sit on a little bench all lit up by the winter christmas lights and he gets down on one knee :’)

if they adopt any pets together absolutely! i just have not figured out what kind yet! probably a cat because cassie has cat person energy.

who’s more dominant it kinda flip flops. cassie is more dominant in terms of talking to people, making decisions but in terms of progressing the relationship that’s definitely leon. in terms of some more ahem other times cassie’s a brat and leon just wants to give her whatever she wants.

where their first kiss was and what it was like they’ve kissed on undercover missions before but i’m not sure if it really “counts”. their first kiss as just leon and cassie was when leon dropped her off at her place after their date and cassie pulled him down for a kiss. after they finished leon was smiling all dopey and still kind of leaning down to her and she just smirked at him and wished him a good night.

if they have any matching couples stuff ( mugs? sweaters? pillowcases? ) sdgjksdg i can see them at the most having like a set of cute matching mugs but that’s about it. cassie would die before wearing matching sweaters with him no matter how much she loves him.

how into pda they are they hand hold/give each other pecks/leon throws his arm around her shoulders while they walk but they’re not too obnoxious about it! cassie likes it but if he tries to do anything else she gets flustered. admittedly, leon kinda loves when she does so he’s always whispering sweet stuff in her ears while she tries to elbow him in the stomach sdklgsdg.

who holds the umbrella when it rains leon!! he’s taller so it just makes sense.

where their usual ‘date spot’ is the diner where they just always got dinner cause it was near the facility where they worked together for so long! they both have never been to DC so they just went to the nearest place after their first day and they were like so this is OUR diner.

who’s more protective leon. cassie is very annoyed by it pft. especially when she pops up during the civil war. ya know. in the middle of an actual warzone with possible biological weapons. cassie: :) im here to cause problems on purpose. leon: why in the FUCK is my ex here armed with a thousand dollar camera and a tiny pistol.

how long it is before they sleep together they almost sleep together the day before their second date, making out on leon’s desk but they get interrupted and they’re like okay we gotta chill. leon arrives to pick her up for their date and cassie yanks him into her bedroom. needless to say they miss their movie.

if they argue about anything they bicker playfully but also cassie accuses leon of not treating her like an adult who can make her own decisions because he’s so fucking overprotective. leon accuses cassie of being careless with her life. they have i guess..not arguments but debates over morals?

who leaves more marks ( lipstick, hickeys, scratchmarks etc. ) leon leaves hickeys like he’s a teenager but he’s usually good about keeping them in places that can’t be seen. cassie wears red lipstick a lot so leon has to pay extra attention if they sneak away at work to make sure he doesn’t have it smeared all over his lips. she likes to kiss his cheek and leave a big mark too.

who steals whose clothes and how often cassie: not your hoodies babe, our hoodies.

how they cuddle ( spooning? facing each other? ) they are spooners through and through. cassie needs to be held and leon is happy to do it. 

what their favourite nonsexual activity is watching movies together! leon is happy that cassie wants to share all her favorites with him and they have movie nights.

how long they stay mad at each other leon normally just needs a second to cool down normally but cassie holds a grudge for a day or maybe two then she’s ready to talk. but uh...in terms of big betrayals leon gives off the im not angry im disappointed and betrayed and you hurt me energy loud and clear and takes a long time to forgive and settle. it’s the worst cassie has ever felt.

what their usual coffee / tea orders are cassie gets a tall black coffee (iced or hot depending on the season) and leon likes lattes with whipped cream and carmel.

if they ever have any children together yes absolutely! i haven’t decided on names or anything yet but they definitely have two little boys just because that tweet that’s about that dad and two lil boys getting out of the car and the dad goes “who can go hug mom the fastest?!” is THEM.

if they have any special pet names for each other pretty normal ones! baby, babe are the most common. cassie likes to say honey and dear sarcastically because she thinks those make her sound like she’s a 50s housewife but secretly kinda likes calling him honey.

if they ever split up and / or get back together hah UH yeah. cassie leaks information about completed STRATCOM ops and leon eventually finds out and they have a huge fight. leon leaves the next morning and they end their relationship. he doesn’t turn her in because he still loves her and knows she did it with goodness in her heart but he’s just so conflicted. he just basically says turn in your resignation and leaves. they do eventually get back together! they break up early 2004, see each other in 2006 when cassie reaches out to him for his contacts to help her father who gets sick and then in 2011 they’re present in the civil war in the east and they get together after reconnecting through that.

what their first christmas / hanukkah / etc as a couple was like they meet each other’s parents for the first time! they invite them over for dinner along with cassie’s sisters and nieces and nephews. it’s VERY chaotic but it goes really well. leon’s mom loves cassie. uhh cassie’s dad scares the shit out of leon just because he’s a Jokester and lives for freaking leon out because he’s so obviously very nervous lmao.

what their names are in each other’s phones leon’s phone has cassie as “cassidy 🖤”. cassie has him in her phone just as “baby”. bonus she has his name in her phone the few days after they decide to have a kid as “sperm donor”. leon goes “cassie” in his disappointed voice and she rolls her eyes and finally changes it.

if they have any ‘couple traditions’ ( buying a new mug for their collection every year? baking every friday evening? ) at the moment just their friday movie nights and whenever they go out of country on a mission they buy a magnet for their fridge!

who falls asleep first and who wakes up first leon usually falls asleep first and wakes up first. cassie usually stays up late on her laptop researching and writing.

who’s the big spoon / little spoon leon is big spoon 80% of the time but he likes to be jetpacked too!

who hogs the bathroom leon after he gets back from a really gross ass mission takes hours but cassie usually hogs it day to day.

who kills the spiders / takes them outside cassie flips out and leon gets a cup and a piece of paper, puts the little guy outside. there have been multiple occasions where it sounded like cassie was in legit danger and leon came skidding into the bathroom only to find cassie standing on the toilet.

[silvernmoonshipping-is-love]

DrownedSilver Week Day 6: Supernatural

WARNING: This story contains a short part with a near death experience/drowning. Please stay safe.

***** A gust of wind rippled through the papers of the sketchbook, almost making Ben lose his grip on it, finally snapping out of his thoughts, looking back at the sunset from the small hill he rested on.The ocean tainted in a mesmerizing pink and orange, sparkling even still far away. But Ben drifted away, having looked at the blank paper, trying to will himself for any kind of drawing. He hoped for the view to fuel his creativity, yet all he can think off was what was told to him last dinner when he talked about the beach. * “Oh, you wanna visit the beach on your own? I’d advise against that.”, his grandfather said, though still trying to keep his slight toothy smile, while Ben poked around in his stew, absentmindedly. “After all, you don’t want any mermaids to snatch you down.”

“Again? You need to stop with these fairy tales, you’re gonna make him paranoid.”, his grandma retorted, rolling her eyes, “Benjamin’s a big boy now, no longer six. There’s no need to try and impress him with these anymore.” She turned her attention to her grandson, smiling as she gained his attention, Ben having been rather curious what his grandpa wanted to keep telling: “If you’d like, the best time to visit is around 5 pm, but be back before 7.30. My poor heart wouldn’t be able to take it if something happened.” Ben simply gave a small sheepish smile and nodded. “Of course I don’t want anything to happen either, that’s why I’m warning him. Just the other day a sailor said to have spotted one-”“Enough, Vincent.”, Ben’s grandmother demanded, yet to no avail. “Why?”, Ben finally spoke up, almost surprising his grandparents due to him usually staying silent often, “What are these mermaids actually doing to humans? And what are they like?” He didn’t miss his grandfather giving a cheeky grin to his wife, who resigned quietly and kept eating as he started gesturing along with his story: “It is believed that they entrance you with a song, clearer than any human voice could muster. They lure you to the water, pulling you under as you see their red shining eyes…” “And then?” Vincent tried pulling off a sinister smile: “They eat you.” “Thank god I’m done, I’ve lost my appetite”, Mary sighed, getting up with her empty plate, “And now I’ve got TWO mermaids fanatics, god give me strength”. That sentence seemed to be more of a mutter to herself than towards her family. Ben chuckled: “Well, I enjoy fantasy and magic, it was bound to happen.” He swiftly got up. “Let me help you with the dishes-”“It’s fine, finish your meal first. I may be old, but I still feel fitter than ever”, she joked, as Ben settled back down, “But I appreciate your help.”His grandmother leaned down and lovingly pinched his cheek, which he accepted, though still not too happily. “Our daughter raised such a responsible young man.”Ben stayed silent towards that comment, yet hid it behind another small smile as he finished his food. The evening fading into a comfortable session in their warm cottage, talking about all sorts of things, of course Vincent going on and answering Ben’s questions regarding the legends. With Mary retorting almost everything with one remark after another, but never fully stopping her husband, considering how interested Ben seemed. And instead prompted to give him her old straw hat to wear at the beach. * ‘Not that you get sunburned. And remember.’ Ben thought back to what Mary said, as he pushed his straw hat back up, looking back at the sun setting, the sunflower on it brushing against his fingers. ‘These stories are just fairy tales to keep the children away from the beaches and lakes. Your gramps is just a bit crazy for these.’ He breathed out a slight laugh as he recalls them mentioning he wanted to become an author for a reason and the bickering between them that ensued. At home it would have surely frightened him. Ben wasn’t sure why, but something told him there was more to these stories. So he watched as the sun finally disappeared at the horizon and went back, his sketchbook still empty. * Ben sat up, the cottage’s sounds during the slightly stormy night having awoken him. It sounded almost like something big hit it, so Ben got up and to his window from his attic room to see. And he notices that the clothing rack was almost destroyed by the wind, a long fabric still hanging on, swaying in all directions.He panics, remembering how much his parents scolded him when he forgot the laundry one day, and a storm ruined some of their blankets. So without much thought, Ben hurried down, still as quiet as a mouse, a skill he picked up and put on his shoes, to at least get the fabric.Thanks to his fragile stature he almost got pushed back in once he stepped outside, but slowly makes his way over to the rack, the fabric only held on by one clip. However it breaks off, making Ben speed up and grab it, noticing the storm starting to pass

perhaps, or at least the wind. Satisfied he turns heel to go back to bed. But before he could enter his picked up a soft sound, and just like that, he dropped the fabric, it staying in place thankfully, turning around. At first he was motionless, just listening, before it become stronger. Ben quickly identified it as a song being hummed, his body moving on it’s own, trying to find the source.It was incredibly dark and lonely, not a single soul around, but Ben followed, the voice guiding him towards the cliff. He walked closer and closer, but then hesitated shortly before plummeting down, another sound distracting him for a moment. A cat, presumably the neighbor's, having meowed, but too late, as Ben turned around, but losing his footing. He feel down, creating quite the painful splash after a long way down. Ben was thankful he was out of his trance as he quickly swam back up, trying to keep his head above water, yelling, screaming, begging for someone to help. He started flailing more as something grabbed at his ankle and pulled him down, trying to kick towards it, not seeing what exactly it is. He flails, kicks, screams, his entire body tiring itself out. Before he sank however, he felt that whatever held his ankle let go, but it didn’t matter as he started sinking, too tired, even when the water filled his lungs. His eyelids grow heavy as he passes out. Before they’re fully closed, he saw some sort of shadow above him, the form seemed that of a human, yet not.But the one thing ingrained in his mind as he finally closes his eyes, going limb, was two pairs of shining red dots, staring down at him. ‘So this is it, huh…’ * It was black, pitch black, but it seemed he was still breathing, lying down on something both coarse and soft, his clothes sticking to his body like glue. ‘Am I… dead?’ Ben felt something at his arms, then shortly at his face, he presumed a hand, but it felt cold and… almost like fins for a moment?Perhaps it were his grandparents, having noticed him being gone, but surely, he’d hear them talk then, right? And he wasn’t hearing nothing, he heard faint waves and something… squeaky. The hand wandered to his chest, he believes they’re pushing down. Finally a bit of strength came back as he flinched ever so slightly, letting out a groan, though barely above a whisper. Along with the strength came something else, something rising up from his throat. But before he can ponder more, he turned to the side, curling up and coughed up the water still having rested in his lungs.Once he could fully breathe again, he manages to crack his eyes open, his mind and sight still foggy however. He sat up, noticing the presence not having left, ready to thank his savior. “Thank you, seriousl-”, Ben stopped as his eyes adjusted. In front of him wasn’t a human. Well, their upper body was human. But instead of legs they sprouted a giant fish tail, a pattern akin to a black and white koi-fish, as Ben has seen only in zoos and aquariums before. The spot where usually humans had ears had something like fins at the side of their head, but still being framed by dark, black hair. But the most noticeable thing were their eyes. Vibrant crimson, seemingly taking Ben in with just as equal confusion or perhaps fascination. Said eyes sparkled with interest, but still looked worrisome for a short moment, before scanning up and down and going back to staring. Alongside came a smile though, as they tried to laugh seemingly, but only a chirping sound came out. “...You… You are…”, Ben stammered, still staring in disbelief, looking them; him, judging by the chest; up and down multiple times, “You’re a mermaid, right? Or a merman-” Suddenly the merman leaped forward, his face inches away from Ben. ‘Is it normal for them to not understand personal space?’ He started sniffing Ben a little, going down his neck, tickling it, but Ben kept being stiff, even if he could feel his face heating up. He shut his eyes, not sure what to expect, if maybe the merman would turn a 180 and start attacking. Ben shivered, not sure if from fear or the cold, due to

still being soaked. Suddenly the merman stopped above his chest and instead pressed his head against it, listening to Ben’s heartbeat. Ben wondered if it was even that calming or nice for him, considering it must be pounding like crazy. Ben realized his body slowly gaining back it’s motion and he slowly created distance between them again, leaving the merman dumbfounded for a moment. “I...I’m- Thank you, again.” The merman tilted his head a little. It seems he didn’t understand. Instead he tried answering, back to his innocent smile, but just like before chirping sounds came out. It sounded like bird tweets almost, if they were under water. Regardless, it was clear there was some sort of language barrier here. Ben tried once more: “Hey… It’s okay, um… I should just go back-” The merman looked up, alarmed, his face like an animal having picked up near danger, Ben then hearing it too. Calls of his name. His grandparents.Without another sound the merman turned and dove back into the ocean, disappearing, even though Ben yelled for it to wait. But then promptly giving up, and going up the hill, where he spots Vincent, only a jacket over his pajamas. When he saw his grandson, he raced up as well as he could in his age, but Ben instead just ran up to him. He steadies him when he was close enough, despite being all wet and covered in sand.Mary wasn’t far behind, having looked just as relieved, when she saw them both, Ben promising he will tell them at home as they walk back, trying to dodge all the questions, regarding the moment just now. The sun began to rise behind, signaling morning. * Ben hasn’t seen the merman or any mermaids since then, almost as if it never happened. And he didn’t bother to tell his grandparents, not wanting them to be even more worried. Though their grandchild sleepwalking off a cliff wasn’t an any less worrying explanation.And yet, he swore he sometimes still heard faint singing, maybe even chirping, until he spotted him again, down at the beach. His grandparents noticed his insistence to keep going down to the beach, despite just almost having drowned there. How he would seem slightly more relaxed, or sometimes frustrated. Sometimes he even had a shell or something similar with him. Like usually Ben was in the living room, drawing in his sketchbook. He became very creative lately, drawing all sort of casual human objects, his grandparents are being left clueless. But they didn’t miss his smile when he went down to the beach again, or when he started drawing a certain figure over and over. A merman with black hair. His grandmother had long given up to try and make him forget about those creatures, while her husband provided many more stories. But as they watched him, she sighed with content and leaned over, telling why she no longer minds. “This is the happiest I’ve ever seen him.”, she whispered, “I think he made a good friend.”

[staystrange]

heart is yours for the taking

Brooklyn Nine-Nine • Jake Peralta / Amy Santiago Rating: T • ~5.2k words • ao3 cw: slight mentions of drugs but no one uses them in the fic

It was officially the first day of summer. But it wasn’t just the first day of any summer, it was the first day of Jake’s first summer as Amy Santiago’s boyfriend, and Jake was determined to make it count.

-or-

Five times Jake's well-intentioned summer date plans end poorly and one time they don't.

This fic was written for @santiagoswagger as part of the @b99fandomevents summer 2020 fic exchange! I had such a blast writing this fic, and I hope that you enjoy it : )

Prompt: Snapshots of Jake and Amy’s first months as a couple through the summer.

I took this prompt and just ran with it and ended up with this! I've always wanted to write a 5+1 style fic but never had the right idea for one, so this was perfect.

Title from Summer Forever by Megan Nicole - one of my favorite summer bops!

011:58, 11:59, midnight.

It was officially the first day of summer. But it wasn’t just the first day of any summer, it was the first day of Jake’s first summer as Amy Santiago’s boyfriend, and Jake was determined to make it count.

He looked over at Amy, already asleep in the bed next to him. She’d come over to Jake’s apartment earlier that evening after a long day at the nine-nine (she was so busy that she hadn’t been able to get any extra paperwork done, which to her was an absolute disaster), and they’d eaten takeout pierogies for dinner before getting ready for bed early. Amy fell asleep almost immediately after giving Jake a tender kiss goodnight, but Jake was so excited for the date he’d planned for their upcoming Saturday night off that he couldn’t sleep.

Jake’s train of thought slowed in favor of focusing on Amy and how beautiful she looked, even asleep with drool moving steadily down her chin. No matter how many times he and Amy shared a bed, it never quite felt real to Jake, that he’d finally admitted his feelings for her and that she actually liked him back. Heck, Amy had broken rules for him, and he’d tried to follow some for her in return (though the whole “light and breezy” thing didn’t last long, but the effort still counted). But there she was, lying next to him as she had every night so far that week. It took all of Jake’s self control to not reach over and kiss her (he didn’t want to wake her); instead, he lay back down, facing Amy so that she was the last thing he saw before he fell asleep, a soft smile forming on his face as he drifted off.

1

“Ready to go, babe?” Jake asked, leaning his hip against Amy’s desk.

“Hold on, let me just finish signing this paperwork,” Amy muttered in reply, the pen in her hand moving at a snail’s pace along the dotted line on the bottom of the page.

“Ames, we’ve been over this. You need to do something about that speed. Not the drug,” Jake added quickly, “I mean how quickly you write your signature. You get what I mean, right?”

“Yes, Jake, I get what you mean.” Amy capped the pen and stood up. “I just have to turn this in to Captain Holt and then we’re good to go.” Jake followed her across the bullpen to Captain Holt’s office door, almost crashing into her when she turned around just in front of it. “You can’t come in with me, babe, I don’t want you ruining this moment between the Captain and me.”

“You mean ‘the Captain and I,’” Jake replied, a smug smile on his face, his determination to catch Amy in a grammar mistake overpowering his offense at her comment.

“No, but good try though.” She patted him on the shoulder before turning and walking through the door, closing it behind her to stop Jake from following her inside.

“Damn it, I thought I had her,” Jake said to himself, but he couldn’t help but smile proudly as he watched Amy hand her paperwork in, Captain Holt nodding with approval in response.

———

When Amy finally emerged from Captain Holt’s office fifteen minutes later, a pleased smile on her face, Jake reached for her hand, tugging her toward the door. “Come on, babe, our shift has been over for almost an hour already. We’re going to be late for our date.”

“Ooh, you’re taking me on a date tonight?” Amy squeezed Jake’s hand.

Jake grinned. “Yep! I actually managed to keep it a surprise for once.” He called the elevator, the doors opening with a ding a few moments later.

“And what are we doing on this spontaneous date that I didn’t get to prepare for?”

Jake winced internally, refusing to let Amy see the doubt that began to permeate his excitement. “You’ll see! The surprise isn’t over just yet.” He opened the passenger side door for Amy with a slightly comical bow before walking around to the driver’s side and sliding into the seat. He started the car and cranked up the radio to his favorite pop hits station, realizing in that moment he should have probably asked Amy to choose the station instead. At a red light, he turned to her to offer to change the station, but then the newest Carly Rae Jepsen single came on and he was too busy singing along, loud enough to drown out his own nerves.

When they pulled into the drive-in movie theater that had just opened right outside the New York City limits, Amy’s face fell when she saw that the night’s showing was of —

“Die Hard?!” Amy asked, incredulous. “Really? We haven’t even been dating for that long and we’ve already watched this movie way too many times. You pick this movie every single time it’s your turn to plan movie night. Why are we paying money to watch this movie again?”

“Because I thought it would be fun and maybe even a little romantic to watch it at a drive-in movie theater on a warm, clear summer night?” Amy raised her eyebrow, her arms crossing over the seatbelt. “I brought snacks, if that helps at all.”

“I’m listening.”

Jake reached into the backseat and handed Amy a plastic shopping bag filled with snacks: greasy potato chips and gummy bears for Jake, chocolate pretzels and salted popcorn for Amy. “Come on, Amy, you didn’t really think I wouldn’t bring snacks to entertain us, did you?”

“I mean yeah, the snacks help, but we could eat snacks and watch Die Hard at home, Jake. Remember when we talked about budgeting and saving your money?”

“Amy —” Jake was about to reply, but then the stadium lights shut off and the screen lit up with the opening shot of the movie. “We’re already here, I already paid for the tickets, and I already bought the snacks. Just try to enjoy this, okay?”

Amy opened the bag of popcorn, putting a couple pieces in her mouth and chewing contentedly. “Fine. But only because this popcorn is really good.”

2

“You took her to a drive-in showing of Die Hard and called it a romantic date?!”

The second Jake had arrived at the precinct first thing in the morning after his and Amy’s night off, Charles had marched right over to his desk and demanded details. Jake knew better than to deny him, so he told him everything, disagreement and all. Thankfully, Amy had the morning off, and Jake had let her sleep in.

Charles’s response didn’t surprise Jake, and he more than deserved the dig, but he still felt the need to defend himself. “It was romantic! Drive-in movies are totally perfect for early-summer dates, and I brought snacks and everything! And you should have seen the sunset behind the screen!”

“Okay, to be fair, that does sound nice. But still, come on Jakey, this is Amy we’re talking about! You’ve been in love with her for years! And then you get to go out with her, and you take her on a shitty date?”

“Okay, I know it wasn’t great, but I wouldn’t necessarily call it a shitty date,” Jake pointed out.

“Well, whatever, you can do so much better than that, Jake.” Charles’s face lit up with an idea. “I know! You should take her to Bon Appe-tweet, this new restaurant that I just discovered the other night.”

“Bon Appe-tweet?” Jake asked, fighting back the laugh that bubbled up in his chest. “I don’t know, Charles, is this another one of your weird food restaurants?”

“No! Jake, you’ll like it. They only serve bird-based dishes. Chicken, turkey, duck, the works. And it’s pretty fancy, so Amy will swoon, and then you’ll go home and make babies and —”

“Alright, Charles, thank you for the recommendation,” Jake said, cutting him off before he got too far down that rabbit hole. Even though Jake knew from many prior experiences that if it was something Charles recommended, it probably couldn’t be trusted, for some reason he had a good feeling about this one and decided to go with his gut. “I’ll make a reservation for later this week.”

Jake just hoped he wasn’t making a huge mistake.

———

It was absolutely a huge mistake.

Everything was totally fine at first, to Jake’s pleasant surprise. He and Amy had decided to reserve an outdoor table since the weather was supposed to be clear and warm, and to their delight, the outdoor patio was surrounded by colorful sweet-smelling flowers. Jake decided to splurge and order a bottle of rosé for them to share, and they sipped the wine slowly as they perused the menu.

“Ooh, this fancy chicken dish that I don’t know how to pronounce sounds really good. What are you thinking, Ames?” Jake asked, looking up from his menu at his girlfriend across from him. Jake had told her to dress up for this date, and she’d chosen a dark blue dress that she knew Jake liked, her hair pinned up in a classy bun. She was stunningly beautiful; there were simply no other words to describe her.

“I think I’m going to get the orange chicken,” Amy replied, closing the menu and setting it down on the table, her hands folding over her napkin in her lap. “I’m still not totally ready to trust a restaurant recommended by Charles, but you can’t really go wrong with orange chicken.”

“I’ll drink to that,” Jake said, raising his glass with a laugh.

They ordered their respective dishes when the waiter brought over a basket of bread, and they returned to their drinks, content smiles on their faces.

“This is better than the other night, right?” Jake asked

“Yes, definitely.” Amy took another sip of her rosé, her smile widening.

And then it happened.

The squawking coming from behind the restaurant building caught Jake and Amy off guard, and it was a miracle that neither of them sloshed their drinks onto the table or their clothes. Amy looked horrified, and Jake knew his face reflected a similar look back at her.

“Is there like a farm up the road or something?” Amy asked, her palms pressing into her ears.

“I have no idea!” Jake yelled back to be heard over the squawking.

When it finally stopped, Jake exhaled in relief, but there was something uneasy about the silence that followed. No one else dining out at the restaurant that night seemed to notice or care, though, so Jake chose to just shake it off and focus on Amy, whose initially anxious smile had softened as she drank.

Jake had managed to almost forget it until his and Amy’s food arrived and it hit him that the sounds they’d heard were chickens being murdered for their dinner. The thought made him sick.

“Here you go, sir, madam,” the waiter said, setting their dishes down in front of each of them. “Fresh from our in-house farm. Enjoy!”

“We can’t eat this, Jake!” Amy hissed once the waiter was out of earshot. “They murdered these chickens right in front of us.”

“I mean, they didn’t kill them right in front of us —” Jake stopped when the look on Amy’s face made it clear she was in no mood for joking. “Okay yeah, they might as well have. And normally I would support leaving right now and getting dinner somewhere else, but this food is expensive so if I have to pay for it anyway, we might as well eat it, right?”

Amy opened her mouth to argue, but sighed instead, knowing she couldn’t argue with Jake’s logic. “Fine. But please, promise me you will never trust Charles to plan anything for us ever again.”

“I swear on my original copy of Die Hard that I will never trust Charles Boyle’s food recommendations ever again.” Amy nodded her approval, gulping nervously before cutting into her food, Jake following her lead.

The chicken was actually really good when he didn’t think too hard about where it had come from.

———

“Charles, why didn’t you mention that they kill the chickens in front of you?!” Jake asked the next morning, marching up to Charles’s desk.

“Why wouldn’t they kill them in front of you? If your food isn’t being prepared in front of you at a restaurant, then what is the point of going to a restaurant?”

“Okay, Charles,” Jake said, giving up and turning to the pile of paperwork on his desk.

3

Jake had decided to stop testing his luck with dates for the rest of the week, choosing to plan nights in for him and Amy instead. The next week, though, Jake was feeling brave enough to try again, and this time he sought advice from someone older and wiser.

“Sarge?” Jake approached his desk during an afternoon lull in work. “You’re older and therefore wise and all-knowing. Where should I take Amy on a date this week?”

“You don’t know your girlfriend well enough to know where to take her on a date?!” Terry replied, looking up from his computer.

“No, I do, but I’m worried my ideas aren’t good enough for her. The dates I planned last week were both disasters, and I need a new plan. Where do you take Sharon for date night?”

“Well, we’ve been taking ballroom dancing classes recently and they’ve been pretty fun. They also really add to the romance level of the date, and they’re good exercise too. It’s a win-win-win! Terry loves romance.” Terry puffed up his chest in pride.

“Alright, I get it, you’re the king of dates. How do I sign up, and more importantly, how do I make sure I don’t embarrass myself in front of Amy?”

“I’ll text you the website link in a few, and you won’t embarrass yourself, Jake. It’s a class for beginners. Everyone’s in the same boat. Just let yourself have fun, and Amy will have fun too, okay?”

“If you say so, Sarge,” Jake said. “Thanks. I really appreciate your advice.”

“Anytime, Jake!”

———

“Jake, this is so cheesy,” Amy said a few nights later when they pulled into the parking lot of the dance studio.

“Is it, though? Or is it… romantic?” Jake paused for dramatic effect.

“It’s cheesy,” Amy deadpanned.

“Just trust me, okay? This is going to be fun. We’re going to have fun, I promise.”

“Alright, Jake, whatever you say,” Amy said, following Jake into the building.

After signing in at the front desk, Jake and Amy chose a spot in the back of the room, their eyes wandering around to scope out their classmates. Their instructor walked in a moment later, plugging his phone into the speakers and pressing play on a calming playlist. He led them in a series of stretches, and Jake pretended not to notice the popping sounds his joints made as he followed the instructor’s movements.

What he did notice during a particularly painful stretch, though, was a bag of cocaine peeking out of the pocket of the instructor’s leather jacket that he’d taken off and hung around the back of a chair before the class had begun.

“Ames,” Jake whispered when they’d returned to a standing position. “The teacher guy has cocaine in his jacket pocket.”

“Damn it,” she muttered. “We have to text the squad.”

“Or we could just let this go? For the sake of the date?” Jake asked, hope evident in his voice before he admitted defeat when he saw the look on Amy’s face. “Yeah, no, we have to call this in.” He stepped away from the group during a five minute water break and sent a quick text to Captain Holt.

Just as the instructor began to reorganize the group into lines of partners, the door banged open and Charles and Rosa ran in, Rosa yelling “NYPD, you’re under arrest!” and Charles running up to the guy and handcuffing his hands behind his back.

“What is this about? I didn’t do anything wrong, officers,” he protested.

“Then why do you have a bag of cocaine in your jacket pocket?” Charles asked, holding it up carefully in between two fingers.

“Damn it,” the instructor muttered. “I knew I forgot to do something before I taught this class.”

“Thanks for the tip, Jake!” Rosa said. “Sorry we ruined your date.”

“It’s fine, Rosa,” Jake replied.

Rosa and Charles led him out of the room in handcuffs as the woman working at the front desk ran in to assure everyone that they’d receive a full refund and a discount code for a future class at the studio.

“Why do our jobs have to interfere with our lives so much?” Jake said to himself as he and Amy followed the group out the door.

———

“You arrested the dance instructor?!” Terry asked in shock the next morning. “What the hell, man? I put in a good word for you! You’re going to ruin my reputation over there.”

“You think I wanted to ruin my date, Terry?!” Jake replied, arms flailing. “Now that’s three dates that have been ruined.”

Terry patted Jake’s shoulder gently, or at least what Terry thought was gently. “ There, there. And hey, look on the bright side - at least you didn’t embarrass yourself in front of Amy!”

4

“Alright, Rosa, you and Boyle interrupted my date last night, and I don’t trust Boyle to recommend dates for Amy and me anymore, so where do you think I should take Amy on a date next?”

“I don’t know, Jake, take her to a binder store or something,” Rosa replied calmly as she sharpened her favorite knife at her desk.

“I can’t take her to a binder store, Rosa, you know that she’s going to want to buy like everything and that’s going to get out of control way too quickly. Something else.” Jake crossed his arms, chewing his lip to use up some of his nervous energy.

“Fine, Jake. Take her to one of those paint your own pottery places. Those are always fun.”

“I can’t tell if you’re being serious or making fun of me.”

Rosa paused, glancing up at Jake for a moment before returning her gaze to her knife. “I’m serious. I take myself out to those places all the time. I like painting the little puppy figurines, they’re so cute,” she replied in a deadpan.

“Rosa, oh my God, who are you? How did I never know that about you?”

She shrugged. “You never asked.”

———

Jake had butterflies in his stomach as they walked up to the doors of Color Me Mine, the late summer afternoon sun warming the pavement. He almost was too afraid to look over at Amy, but since his eyes were almost magnetically drawn to her, not looking at her was not an option. When he finally did turn toward her, she was smiling softly, and Jake’s pre-date nerves gradually eased until he was grinning, too.

“I love Color Me Mine!” Amy said. “I used to come here all the time when I was younger.” She reached for the door handle and opened it, the air conditioning cooling them instantly as they walked inside. “We should paint something for each other, babe.”

“Like what? Dog figurines?”

“No!” Amy said, her eyebrows furrowed. “Something practical that we both use at work every day, like…” She paused, eyes wandering around the room in search of the perfect item. “Like a mug!”

Before Jake could protest that hey, maybe he wanted to paint a dog figurine for his desk, Amy had crossed the room and picked up the display mug. “This is perfect, Jake! This was such a good date idea.”

“Don’t thank me, thank Rosa — I mean, thank me, it was all my idea.” Jake tried to cover up his mistake, but Amy’s smirk told him she saw right through it.

She set the mug back down before standing on her tiptoes and giving Jake a kiss on the cheek. “Come on, let’s go pick out our paints.”

“Okay,” Jake said softly, following her to the paint display.

———

Once Jake and Amy chose paints for each other (purple and blue for Jake; orange, yellow, and pink for Amy), they sat down at a small round table in the back of the room. Amy, ever the perfectionist, insisted they paint in silence for a while to ensure that the mug she painted for Jake turned out exactly the way she wanted it to. Jake was touched, and as he worked just as diligently on his mug for Amy, he found that the silence was a comfortable one, and he was content to just be in Amy’s presence.

Jake was just putting the finishing touches on the mug, trying not to let his hand shake too much as he painted Amy’s name on it in thin dark magenta lettering, when the sound of pottery shattering startled him, completely breaking his concentration. When he looked away from a crying child and his profusely apologetic mother, he noticed that not only had he completely ruined the lettering, he’d also bumped into the table, knocking over the water bowl which had spilled all over Amy’s lap.

Jake’s heart sank, knowing he’d managed to ruin yet another date. “I’m so sorry, Ames, I didn’t mean to ruin… all of this,” he said quietly, afraid to look at her face.

“Jake, it’s fine. These jeans are old anyway, and it didn’t really didn’t do that much to your mug,” Amy said, lifting the mug off of the brown paper tablecloth.

“No, it’s not fine. I had one job, and it was to not to screw up yet another date.” He could feel the volume of his voice rising so he took a deep breath, determined not to make the entire room of painters stare at him and Amy. “I’ll go get you some paper towels.”

Amy insisted that they stay to finish up their mugs, and even though she didn’t stop smiling for the rest of the night, Jake couldn’t help but blame himself.

5

“Hey, Captain,” Jake began, closing Captain Holt’s office door behind him as he walked in. “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course. Is this about the paperwork that was due on my desk yesterday that you did not finish before leaving to take Amy on another romantic escapade?” Holt asked, folding his hands with his pen still clasped between them.

“Uhhhhh, no?” He smiled sheepishly. “Anyway, since Amy looks up to you more than anyone else and you know her better than anyone else except for me, because, yaknow, we boink, and stuff —” Jake winced at his own awkwardness, but forced himself to continue. “—do you have a good recommendation for somewhere I can take Amy on a date? Preferably something that I can’t possibly screw up somehow.”

“Hm. There’s the new stationery exhibit at the MOMA that she would definitely like. Make sure you budget a lot of time; Kevin and I spent five hours there last week and we still did not manage to see everything.”

“Yikes,” Jake muttered to himself.

“Did you say something, Peralta?” Holt asked.

“Oh, uh, um, why didn’t you and Kevin stay longer?” Jake asked quickly.

“Oh, the security guards kicked us out. Apparently we’d completely missed the announcements and had managed to avoid security for a whole half an hour after the museum closed for the night.”

“Of course you did,” Jake said. “Anyways, thank you so much for your help, sir, I really appreciate it.”

“If you really appreciated it, you would have your paperwork on my desk on time,” Holt replied.

“You know what, fair.”

———

After finishing his overdue paperwork and all of his new paperwork for the day, Jake took Amy to the Museum of Modern Art and led her to the exhibit Captain Holt had told him about. The grin on her face rivaled the brightness of the lights in the building, and Jake was in… well, he had a heck of a lot of mushy feelings about it.

“How did you know I’ve wanted to come here ever since they announced this exhibit a few months ago? I never mentioned it to you,” Amy asked.

“I just know you that well, babe,” Jake replied, only feeling a smidge of guilt for taking credit for Captain Holt’s recommendation.

“Captain Holt told you about it, didn’t he?” Amy said, crossing her arms and turning to Jake.

“Okay, yeah, but still! I know you well enough to ask Captain Holt for recommendations!” Amy’s eyes narrowed, but her smile remained, letting Jake know she was joking. “Come on, let’s look at the fancy paper!”

“Stationery, babe,” Amy corrected.

“Fancy paper!” Amy rolled her eyes as they entered the exhibit.

———

Jake managed to feign enthusiasm for the first hour or so (he even felt it genuinely for a little while because Amy bled excitement as she explained each and every piece of stationery to him), but once he realized how much longer they had to go before finishing the exhibit, he felt his carefully controlled expression start to slip a little bit. He liked Amy a lot, and he wanted to enjoy this for her, but he just couldn’t. Still, he planned on enduring Amy’s long explanations for as long as she wanted to stay, because this date was for her and he was determined not to somehow mess it up.

“You’re bored, aren’t you,” Amy said after a while.

“What? No.”

“You keep staring out into space and saying ‘uh huh’ every three seconds.”

“I was contemplating the beauty of this piece of fancy paper!” Jake insisted, gesturing at the piece that Amy was explaining. Or at least, the one he thought she had been explaining.

“Well, I was talking about this piece,” Amy said, tilting her head toward the one adjacent to the one Jake had been referring to, “so clearly you weren’t listening.”

Jake looked down at the floor, unable to look Amy in the eye. “I’m happy to see that you’re so interested, and I love… listening to you talk for hours on end about whatever you want, I’m just really not that interested in stationery. But really, we can stay as long as you want, I don’t mind. Keep talking to me.”

“No, Jake, I can’t do that to you. You’ve already stuck this out with me long enough. I can just come back another time on my own; you know I have a membership.”

“Ames —���

“Really, Jake, it’s okay,” Amy said, linking her arm with Jake’s. “Let’s go home and watch a movie or something and go to bed early.”

“Okay,” Jake said. “But only if you’re sure.”

“I’m sure.”

Jake had never felt this much guilt in his life.

+1

“Hey, Jake?” Amy said as she slid under the covers of her bed later that night. “I really appreciate what you’ve been trying to do for me by taking me on all of these sweet dates and making our first summer together extra special. But really, babe, I’m just happy being with you. You don’t have to put so much pressure on yourself.”

“But Ames, I managed to ruin every single one of those dates. You deserve better than five disaster dates in a row,” Jake replied, eyes turning down toward his lap in humiliation.

“Jake, I’m serious. Stop doing this to yourself.” Jake looked up at Amy and they locked eyes in silent communication of mutual adoration for a moment before Amy reached over and took Jake’s hand in hers. “You don’t have to prove that you deserve me or anything. I just want to spend time with you and enjoy our first summer as more than coworkers. Can we do that?”

“Yes, Amy, we can do that.” He squeezed her hand, and she squeezed back.

“But hypothetically,” he continued, their hands still intertwined, “if I were to take you on another date to really make up for all of the other ones this time, what would you want to do together?”

Amy smiled. “Thank you for asking, Jake. I was thinking we could plan a beach getaway for next weekend. I already have an itinerary all ready to go in this binder.” She reached into the drawer in the bedside table next to her and pulled out a thick binder titled Jake and Amy’s Beach Getaway, handing it to Jake, who opened it carefully.

“Ames, why didn’t you tell me about this?” He flipped through the pages, smiling at Amy’s thoughtfulness. She’d really thought of everything - boardwalk rides and arcade games for Jake, relaxing and reading on the beach for Amy, and massages for the both of them. Jake’s heart was full.

Amy shrugged. “I was waiting for the right time, I guess. I didn’t want to interfere with the dates you’d already planned.”

“We could have done this ages ago! I’ve been asking the squad for date ideas for weeks because everything that I thought of was along the same lines as the Die Hard drive-in idea.” Amy laughed. “I wish you’d mentioned this earlier, but I’m excited for us to make it happen now.”

“Me too, Jake.”

———

Thankfully, Captain Holt granted Jake and Amy’s request to take the next weekend off, and together they drove to the beach house they’d rented for the weekend. They’d made a playlist before they left, and they’d spent the drive singing along terribly to Carly Rae Jepsen and Sara Bareilles and a bunch of random 80s songs that Jake had added.

After what felt like ages but was really just a few hours, Jake and Amy lay next to each other on the beach, enjoying the warm sun and the clear blue sky. It was surprisingly less crowded than Jake expected it would be on a Friday afternoon, but it gave them plenty of space on the beach, so Jake wasn’t complaining. Later, they planned to walk the boardwalk together and waste some money on the fun but endlessly stupid arcade games, and Jake couldn’t wait to win some giant stuffed animals for Amy.

She’d been right, of course. This was the perfect date, the perfect way to celebrate their first summer together as a couple. Jake should have asked her what she was thinking from the very beginning instead of trying to be romantic and plan everything himself. There were many benefits to dating an extreme planner like Amy, and this was definitely one of them.

Jake leaned over and nudged Amy awake from the half-asleep state she’d fallen into, kissing her softly. “Thank you for planning all of this for us. I’m so happy to be here with you.”

Amy smiled, lowering her sunglasses for a moment. “I’m so happy to be here with you, too.” She reached for the water bottle next to her and handed Jake the bottle of orange soda he’d bought at the vending machine earlier. “Here’s to our first summer together.” She gently tapped Jake’s bottle with her own.

Jake returned the gesture. “Here’s to hopefully the first of many.”

They each took a sip.

[another-sonic-blog]

Before disaster strikes

Situated between Sonic IDW Issue #6 & #7

This one-shot ff mostly focuses in Shadow and Amy’s relationship but not in a romantic way. (If you want to see it as romantic, then go ahead and do so) Just the two trying to communicate with each other and how they react with each other’s circumstances.This is basically “If Amy and Shadow interact in the Sonic IDW comics, how would it be?” “Can they be friends?” “And if so, how will this relationship start?” “Can they have a heartfelt moment? This is an experiment based of those questions. I apologize for the mistakes, I didn’t have time to revise.

5K100

. 

    The wind danced freely through the summer's grass as it tangled and disentangled the flowers within it. The sun was beginning to set and the tweeting of the birds made the scene almost too perfect. Looking over the horizons, a black and red hedgehog wondered where to go next.

He had said his goodbyes to Rouge at Windmill Village and that was the end of it. After Sonic somehow convinced him that Dr. Eggman was harmless he didn't have anything else to do.

"You tried to destroy me in the past too, remember? You even tried to obliterate an entire planet. So-what? You want me to take you out with Eggman? After all, if he can't be forgiven, can you?"

Sonic words still resonated in him. He tried not to let those kinds of things bother him, after all, he had redeemed himself and had come to terms with his past a long time ago.

... Did he?

Shadow began to run, he had nowhere in mind he wanted to go. He enjoyed the wind running through his quills, and thanks to his enhanced abilities, he could smell distinct flowers.

It was a beautiful planet and all he wanted was to protect it and all the Mobians on it.

But could he?

How could he save anyone if he let himself be convinced by Sonic so easily?  

He growled to himself. Maybe he could go back and wait till Sonic was gone so he could fully interrogate Eggman or take him to a place where he could be watched until he made sure he can be trusted.

But if Sonic was right? Maybe he was seeing too much of Eggman in himself. Shadow wished he had the same luck as him. He would have preferred to forget everything and be good than been evil like he was.

Now that he looks back at it, it scares him the measures that he was willing to go to find the truth about himself.

He was dangerous then and maybe unconsciously, he was dangerous now.

He was ready to destroy Eggman even if he had changed, without giving him a chance.

Maybe Sonic was right ... he can't be forgiven.

By night time, Shadow had reached a small town which he didn't know the name to. He was going to keep on running but the destroyed gigantic crab-bot outside the town caught his attention. He decided to investigate a little, after all, it wasn't like he had any plans. He entered the town, colorful small houses and many of them. Some of them were destroyed and others were already up for re-building. He reached what it seemed to be the town hall, he was surprised to see the great number of destroyed bots. Sonic or someone else from the Resistance most had taken care of it. Too bad he wasn't there, it seemed like fun.

Shadow turned around, ready to run back the way he came from but as he did a scream resonated in his ears.

"It's another robot!"

Shadow noticed a townfolk was pointing at him, he wanted to go against his words but today's incidents were still in his head.

After all, if he can't be forgiven, can you?"

He broke out of his trance but it was too late. The town's militia had come out of the biggest building around. It caught the dark hedgehog off guard. And within seconds, he was surrounded and pointing wispons at him.

Couldn't they recognize him? Didn't they know he helped save the world as well?

Or maybe they did remember him ... and how he tried to destroy the world.

"Chaos-"

"YOU ALL PUT YOUR WISPONS DOWN!"

Shadow heard a female voice scream at the militia, he somehow felt familiar with it.

"It's Shadow the Hedgehog, so you all better leave him alone."

Mobians from the militia moved away as Amy Rose walked past them, walking towards the dark one.

"Everyone, go back to the town-hall, I got it from here."

Shadow rolled his eyes. He was annoyed at the fact that no one in the militia tried to apologize to him for the mistake. Did he radiate that much evil that he scared everyone instantly?

Shadow and Amy watched the militia walk back to the town-hall. When everyone was in, Amy directed her attention to the red striped hedgehog.

"I didn't expect you to see you here Shadow," Amy said. "I thought you-"

"What happened at this place?"

Amy left out a chuckle. She was a bit annoyed that Shadow cut her off like that but once again that was how Shadow acted normally.

"Bots came to attack the town, Sonic and I took them out." Amy added, "There was a lot of them but it was fun-"

Once again, Shadow interrupted the pink one as he turned around, wanting to leave the town.

Amy pouted angrily. Would he ever change? She was annoyed that Shadow couldn't even give her a few minutes of his precious time to talk. Even for old times sake. Well, not like they shared many memories. Their most intimate moment must be at the ARK and probably Shadow didn't remember that.

"Please Shadow I beg you ... give them a chance!"

Amy shook her head at the memory. For a few moments, she was embarrassed at the thoughts of her old self. She was ... something else.

"Seems like you are in a hurry," Amy had an idea, just to give him a little bit of payback for his rudeness. "I was going to tell you about how the recent bots attacks have been more organized ... someone is behind this and it's not Eggman."

Shadow stopped walking and he turned around to face the pink hedgehog. He had been traveling as well and had noticed that the bots attacks were different from before. He knew it couldn't be Eggman because he just saw him ... but what if it was him? What if he was secretly planning the bots attack. But that wouldn't be ‘Eggman-ish’. After all, he wasn't one to keep on the low.

"Tell me more," Shadow walked back to Amy. She seemed to be too sure about her statement. As if she knew the answers to his questions.

Amy smiled devilishly at Shadow. He looked impatient and that made her happiest the most. "Well, it's late already and I am hungry ... What if you stay for dinner and we can talk afterward?"

Shadow rolled his eyes again. This girl was getting to his nerves. Why couldn't she just give him the details? It would be much easier that way and he could leave and investigate the matter right away.  

Shadow sighed, "I don't have time-"

"You never do."

He let out a loud growl, he thought Amy would be intimidated but on the contrary, she had a smile on her face. She found him funny. Amy was making fun of him.

"The guts of this girl,"

Shadow spoke again, "Just tell me. If you don't I am still going to find out."

"I doubt it," Amy said. "The only ones who know about it is Tails, Sonic and I and I doubt they will tell you anything on the matter."

Shadow hated to admit it but the pink one was right. He didn't have the best relationship with Tails and the recent fight with Sonic didn't leave them in the right terms.

Shadow looked around the town. He had his arms around his chest but he lowered his defense. He didn't want to say it, he was waiting for Amy to figure out his body language. But maybe that was too much to ask of her-

"Come on, let's go eat before the food gets cold."

.

Amy didn't have a good relationship with Shadow. Well, maybe she didn't have a relationship with him at all. However, she still tried to be nice to him whenever she could. In her mind, Shadow was still part of the Resistance and their team. He, just like everyone in the table, deserved to be treated with kindness.

But she had to admit she was having a hard time.

Inside the town-hall, the militia had already prepared themselves to eat dinner at the tables. Five long tables were placed across the room. In the middle, some catgirl and a sheep boy were distributing some type of soup. Amy and Shadow got a bowl of it and sat down in one of the tables.

Amy was in front of him, and as she took a sip of her soup she noticed that Shadow wasn't eating. She didn't know if it was because he was the Ultimate Life Form, that he didn't need to eat. Or simply because he wasn't hungry.

It was a lively atmosphere and the soup was really good, mostly because she helped to make it.

"Why can't he just enjoy it-"

The realization hit Amy like a truck. No one dared to sit next to them. They kept a distance of five seats away from the two. They looked at the two as if they were sick or infected with an incurable virus.

This wasn't a normal scene for the pink one. Amy was very used to be surrounded by Mobians. They would approach her and tried to be friends with her. However, today wasn't like that. She knew it wasn't her ... it was Shadow.

"Is this what everyday life is to him? Living alone and having to feel the judgemental stares of others on you?"

Amy drank a bit of water and tried to make some conversation as she smiled at him.

"Aren't you hungry-"

"No."

Well, that was that.

Shadow looked at Amy. He noticed how the smile on her face vanished the moment the word 'no' came out of his mouth. A sense of guilt overtook him. He still didn't know why Amy made him do all of this. They barely knew each other, maybe they had spoken a few words before. Probably when the BlackArms attacked but besides that, they didn't have any connection whatsoever.

And even so, he still felt guilty somehow.

"I don't need to eat. I never feel hungry ... " Shadow crossed his arms as he looked away. In the corner of his eyes, he could tell that the pink one had a surprising look but her face held a smile afterward.

"That doesn't mean you can't enjoy eating. You know eating is one of the few pleasures of life," Amy said. "You run like crazy as well ... so you can eat and no gain weight. So ... enjoy."

Shadow looked down at his plate as if he was thinking about it. Amy decided to give him one more push.

Amy smiled again, "Also, I helped to make it! It's good, I promise."

Shadow looked at Amy and seeing that she was expecting him to try it, he reluctantly picked up his spoon. He looked at the soup in his spoon and he placed it on his mouth.

Salt, pepper and hot peppers. Different condiments touched his taste buds and he wasn't expecting how warm it made him feel on his stomach. Shadow never feels hungry. But for the first time, he was for craving more of this soup.

He put his spoon up and down his mouth in a rapid manner trying to eat as fast as he could. Feeling like he wasn't getting satisfied by the way he was eating, he puts his spoon down. He tilted his head up and placed an edge of the bowl on his lips. He began drinking his soup straight up from the bowl.

Amy looked at him in wonder trying not to judge him.

"When was the last time he ate?"

Even with Shadow's lack of table manners, Amy was happy that someone was so eager to eat her food. It has been a long time since she had cooked because she was busy with the Resistance but it was comforting to see that her skills were still there.

Without Shadow noticing. Amy had stopped eating and gave him her complete attention. She placed her elbow on the table and placed her chin on her hand smiled at him as he ate.

"What does he think he is doing?"

"What a hero he turned out to be."

"He eats like a little kid ... that's humiliating."

Amy heard the Mobians whisper between themselves as they gave Shadow a nasty look. If Amy could hear them, then Shadow all the better.  

Hearing their remarks, Shadow had put his bowl down. He didn't want to show it, but he was ashamed of his actions although he didn't know exactly what he did wrong.

But he always felt like he was doing something wrong anyways.

A part of Amy broke as she saw Shadow. He was such a strong character and seeing him doubt himself wasn't something that Amy enjoyed.

Amy loudly puts her spoon on the table, smack it against the wooden table as she got everyone's eyes on her now. She began to do exactly what Shadow was doing. Eating straight from her bowl as she added some noises just to let her thoughts be known to the others.

She finished quickly and she burped loudly as she placed her bowl down.

"Well, that hit the spot, didn't it Shads?" Amy didn't know where did she get the courage to nickname him like that all of a sudden, but given the circumstances, she didn't care.

Shadow was surprised once again at this girl. He didn't doubt her skills or anything for that matter. But he had always had that feminine perception of her. That whatever she had to do, had to be cute and feminine.

But Amy Rose was more than that.

She stood up from her seat as she looked at Shadow.

"Let's go to the rooftop and talk, shall we?"

.

Shadow wanted to get the information out of her and leave. However, he couldn't find the right moment as she began to vomit.

"This is what I get for eating so fast- Blargh" Amy was on the edge of the rooftop. On the other side, Shadow looked from afar.

Shadow rolled his eyes, he just couldn't understand the female. "If you already knew that you would get like this, then why do it?"

"Blargh- I did it -Blargh- for you!" Amy said as she finally felt better after letting everything out.

Shadow stance softens. At first, he had thought that Amy was coping with his eating mannerisms just to be funny. However, it seemed like just like he did, she heard the comments the other Mobians said about him.

"Those Mobians were speaking badly about you, I couldn't just stand there and do nothing," Amy said as she stood up the edge. "They are hypocrites. Believe me, if it was anyone else, they wouldn't have said anything. But because it's you-"

Amy stopped herself. She didn't want to get there but maybe she should have. After all, she was sure that Shadow knew about what others thought of him by now.

"I know I don't have the best reputation," Shadow said as if he was reading Amy's mind. "And I don't care."

Amy knew that was a lie but Shadow had too much pride to ever admit that. A few minutes passed without them saying a word. Amy watched the full moon in front of them, bigger than usual and even more beautiful. If instead of Shadow, Sonic was here, this scene could be way too perfect. Straight out of a romantic movie.

"Well, this is awkward."

"Provide information." Shadow broke the silence. It took him a few minutes to realize where he was again. Amy's gesture had taken him by surprise. Even when she knew that she was going to throw up, she still decided to go through that pain for him. He decided, that he might as well try to be a bit nicer towards the pink one.

"Oh yeah about that ..." Amy looked around nervously. "I don't have much information. Tails was the one who came up with the theory that someone besides Eggman was controlling the bots in a more organized matter. Eggman likes to show off ... If it was him coordinating the bots, then we would have known by now. So we believe its someone else-"

"It's definitely not Eggman," Shadow interrupted her. He was a bit annoyed that everything he went through was for nothing. "We found Eggman in Windmill Village today."

Amy walked towards Shadow, confused.

"What?"

"Well, Sonic was already with him when I arrived with Rouge ... Eggman lost his memories and he now dedicates to building bots for good apparently." Shadow looked at the moon and not at Amy.

Amy had to admit that she was a bit angry that she was finding the news through Shadow and not Sonic. Couldn't he take some time off his day to communicate with her? She was only one call away anyways.

Amy dismissed her thought. At the moment Shadow was the one that worried her the most. His eyes showed something she couldn't quite describe.

“Oh, wait. I know what it is.”

"Alright, what did Sonic do?" Amy asked.

"What?" This time Shadow looked at Amy. She was next to him and maybe too close for his comfort.

"You have that face ... I always put that face when I am worried about Sonic." Amy said. "And something tells me you are not telling me the full story."

Shadow had to give credit where credit is due. Amy was very perceptive. He normally wouldn't say anything. In al honesty, if it was anyone else, he would have been gone in an instant. He wasn't very communicative but it seems like he was different with the pink one.

"I was there to get rid of Eggman but Sonic convinced me of giving him another chance," Shadow said as he looked at the moon again. "And I am just not fully convinced that he is good ... and if anything bad happens then there will be no one to blame but me."

Amy kept looking at Shadow as her eyes soften at the black hedgehog.

"He would blame himself instead of blaming Sonic for convincing him? That's very Shadow like."

"Shadow, why are you so invested in saving the world?" Amy asked.

The question caught Shadow off guard and he looked at the pink waiting for her to elaborate more on her question.

"I mean, I've seen how everyone treats you," Amy said. "I just saw it today ... a small moment of your life and you just deserve so much better. After today, I don't understand why you would want to save this world."

"Not everyone is bad," without a heart-beat Shadow answered. "Some people fight over the most trivial things. Some people may be selfish but they are basically good if they try their best and never give up on their wishes. They always have a reason to be happy and that's why I should help them out."

"Oh Chaos no, he remembers that? No, no, no-"

Amy gulped saliva and she looked everywhere but at Shadow's directions. She didn't want to show her embarrassment and at the moment, she didn't if Shadow was teasing her or he just simply remembered her words.

"What a nice ideology ..." Amy said as her voice trembled a little. "Where did you get it from?"

"Maria probably told me that, I think," Shadow made a pause. Maria's name came naturally to him but he was surprised that he was talking about her to Amy nonetheless. "But to be honest, I don't quite remember. It's a very blurry memory ... at the ARK and a voice."

Amy sighed in relief. She had to admit that it was a nice gesture of Shadow to remember her words at the ARK. After all, she did mean every word she said and she let her heart out when she begged him to save the planet. She has decided to keep that secret within her forever.

Even more now.

Knowing Shadow, he takes everything to heart.

And as far as he knows or remembers, Shadow helped save the word out of the goodness of his heart. If Shadow were to know that he helped save the world because Amy asked him to then he would have more complications. Would he think that he is no good? Shadow never gave himself enough credit for what he was done ...

"But maybe you are right."

Amy faced the black hedgehog again. A few moments of silence had passed between them and she still couldn't believe she was having a conversation with Shadow after so many years. Now, it was Shadow who started the conversation and she was grateful to him that he had started it this time.

"I don't know why I focus on saving the world when I am not even sure if I am good for it." Shadow said, "I always thought that the cause justifies the means ... but how can I save everyone when along the way I keep making the wrong decisions?"

Shadow didn't know if it was just the rush of the moment or the nice atmosphere around them that he felt relaxed. Maybe it was the fact that after this, they wouldn't be seeing each other after a long time. Until the world was at risk again. That comforted Shadow in a sense. Unlike Rouge, who he saw almost daily, he would see Amy in a couple of months or years even.

Right now, Amy was playing the role of a therapist which she didn't mind. She knew that people felt comfortable talking about themselves when the person they are talking to was a stranger. Or they had a low possibility of seeing each other.  

Whatever the reason it was, she was glad it was Shadow.

"Something tells me you are not telling me the whole story," Amy got closer to Shadow. For her, it was a way to bring him comfort and although he appreciated the gesture, he still wasn't used to it. "Did something else happened at Windmill Village?"

Once again, he couldn't figure out what it was. Yes, he hesitated. He was about to walk away and never come back but that strange thing is that he didn't want to. There was literally nothing attaching him to this moment. Amy had admitted to knowing almost nothing about this organized bots attacks, he should be gone by now. Looking for a nice tree to sleep on or try to at least.

But he felt very calmed and relaxed around the pink one. It can't hurt to let his guard down just for a few more minutes. Maybe it was something unconscious like his body and mind told him it was alright to be like this with her.

"I was fighting Sonic over whether Eggman was good an not and ..." Shadow looked to the side, not wanting to look at Amy for the moment. "He said that if Eggman can't be forgiven... then I can't be forgiven either."

A few seconds passed without the two saying anything. Shadow waited for Amy to say something, he expected something else. However, he should have known better. This was Amy Rose he was talking about. She would defend Sonic and his ideology's to the end of the world-

"Wow, what a jerk."

Shadow snapped his head at Amy's direction. Her words surprised the red striped one.

"Don't get me wrong," Amy said. "I trust Sonic and his decisions and I know that if anything bad happens he has our backs ... but that still doesn't give him the right to bring up your past mistakes!"

Amy looked over to the view in front of her, the town was beautiful at night. Fairy lights surrounded the entire town, Mobians lively walked and talk with their friends.

She saw that she had Shadow's full attention and decided to continue. "Eggman became good because he lost his memory but you? You made the conscious decision to redeem your self and you did! You worked hard and you are willing to do anything to save the world even when people aren't' the nicest to you. You are nothing like Eggman and will never be, Shadow you-"

Amy stopped herself. She realized she had been talking none stop about Shadow. Yes, she admired the black and red hedgehog. Her inner fangirl side may have gotten the best of her. She kept looking at the town, hoping that Shadow will take the hint and change the conversation.

"I may be nothing like Eggman but I still look like one of his robots." Shadow said. "Even this town's militia thought I was one today."

Amy sighed relief to be able to change the topic. "Don't blame them too much, your dark fur camouflages with the night and then you have the most vibrant red eyes I've seen! But to be honest, that's how I knew it was you. Your eyes are like rubies, very beauti-

"For Chaos Amy, stop talking! He is going to think you like him or something and it's definitely not like that!"

"Like I was saying!" Amy tried to compose herself, still, she didn't dare to look at Shadow. "You are not like Eggman and sometimes Sonic doesn't measure his words. If he ever offends you, just come to me and I'll show him a piece of my hammer."

"I can defend myself." Shadow said, "But ... thank you, Rose."

Shadow didn't expect this night to turn out like this. He thought he would have been gone in an instant but he was glad he decided to stay a bit longer. He wasn't to get complimented and in all honesty, he didn't know how to properly react to it either.

So, a simple thanks should be sufficient and proper.

"Rose? Should I refer to you as Shads now?" Amy let out a small giggle and it was Shadow time to be embarrassed.

"This is what I get for being nice ... never again."

They were looking at each other now and Shadow's uncomfortableness went away. They were so close that their shoulder's almost touched.

"Just call me Amy," Amy interrupted his thoughts. "Rose is too formal, and well I don't want us to be strangers."

"I'll keep calling you 'Rose'," Shadow responded.

"Alright ... Shads," Amy teased him and to her surprise, Shadow didn't protest against the nickname. After all, he did had a soft side. It's a bit sad however, she knew that it will probably be a long time before she gets to call Shadow that again.

"So ... what's your plan now? Anywhere specific you want to go?" Amy asked.

"Not really," Shadow said. " Eggman is no longer a threat and it seems like you and your team have everything under control."

"Well, if you don't have a place, the Resistance will always have the doors open for you." Amy looked at Shadow and their eyes met. They were comfortable with each other now and all past tension was gone. "We could use someone like you ... for cleaning the building I mean."

"What?"

"Come on Shads, you are fast! You will finish cleaning in the blink of an eye!! Amy added, "Or are you not as Ultimate as you say?"

"The guts of this hedgehog to insult me ... It's impressive."

Shadow looked over the moon once again, and then back to Amy. "Although I appreciate the thought ... I have to deny, I'll be on my way."

"Very well then, I can't stop you but just know I'll always be here in case you need anything-"

"Chaos Amy Rose! Stop talking like that! You sound like a crazy romantic, you have gone past that phase!"

Thankfully for Amy, Shadow was very unaware of what meant to be a crazy romantic or anything of that matter. Shadow was never one to pay attention to those things nor he had the time. Not like he cared as well.

"I meant everyone is here for you! We will always be here for you, Shadow." Amy smiled at him.

"Shads," Shadow said.

"What?" Amy asked.

"You are Rose and I am Shads."

If Amy could, she would hug Shadow but she knew that would be over the boundaries. Amy felt her body get warm at Shadow's soft side. He might have a cold personality but he had feelings like everyone else. Her heart was content at Shadow's hidden cuteness and she had a new personal mission.

Protect Shadow the Hedgehog at all costs.

"Well, it seems like I won't see you in a while then," Amy said. "Until the next destruction of the world at least."

"We will see about that." Shadow said, "I may go to the Resistance once in a while."

Shadow wanted to say something along the lines of 'I will visit you.' However, words like that will never come out of his mouth and for his own sake, he wasn't going to say them.

"For investigation purposes only of course." He added.

They looked at each other and Amy smiled at him. Surprisingly enough, Shadow smiled back at her and to be honest, that's all Amy wanted from tonight. For Shadow to have a good time and for her to learn something new about him.

Amy had always thought of Shadow as someone she could rely on. Now she was happy that Shadow thought the same about her.

Maybe, they could be friends later on. But for now, she was content at the moments they had.

"Of course, for investigation only."

There were many things Shadow wasn't ready to admit nor he ever was going to. But if there was one thing he was sure about was that Amy wasn't that bad at all. He could see himself talking to her more often and if she wanted, he could drop by the Resistance and help her out with the missions. It didn't seem like a bad direction to take after today.

But right now, that didn't matter. For once, he didn't care about his past nor the future. He was free to enjoy the present with Amy.

And that was all he could ever ask for.

.

.

.

.

.

.

A/N: I was re-reading Sonic IDW Issue #6 and it lowkey bothered me when Sonic brought up Shadow's past to convenience him to give Eggman another chance. I just couldn't stop thinking about it and I couldn't bring myself to write anything but that. That's why I decided to write this, to have a nice conclusion of my own. As well that I like to explore the relationship between characters. Yes, I ship ShadAmy but not of their interactions have to be romantic. Remember that intimacy can be many things and it can be with anyone.

Anyways, I am writing the last chapter of 'Stages' and that will be done and up online most likely tomorrow. I just sometimes need breaks from stories to get the ideas going. After 'Stages' is done, I'll start with the requests.

[dork-empress]

The Time Travelers (Immortal) Husband Part 3

Part 1 Part 2

A/N: Mystery composer is named for @tumultuoustabby who left the first reply for me on part 1. The mcelboys use tweets for their npcs, i use commenters.

“I guess their shit is cool,” Taako said, diving into the peanut noodle dish, “But if you ask me, Tabby’s later work is way better. They really let go, you know, just played their emotions, fuck all the rules! That’s some music after my own heart.”

“How am I supposed to compare that?” Kravitz asked, “They haven’t MADE their later work yet! I haven’t heard it!”

“Sounds like a YOU problem, babe,” Taako said again, smirking in that shitty way he did when he hinted at things Kravitz didn’t know. 

He was….infuriating. But also funny, and knew how to spin Kravitz at the drop of a hat. Not that he’d ever drop any of his fantastically garish hats, anyway. He had the ability to make Kravitz smile in a way no one, alive or dead, ever had.

And then he’d be gone again. Kravitz never knew when to expect he’d arrive. He sat in his usual seat in the rafters of the Neverwinter theater, and found himself retreating there more and more often these days, whenever he had off. Of course, he always enjoyed the music, but he was disappointed anytime he went and Taako wasn’t there. 

He wasn’t going to sulk about that now, though, not when he was here right in front of him. He’d offered to take him out for food. Apparently, Taako explored food in different times the same way Kravitz explored music. “What do you think?” Taako asked, nodding at Kravitz’ plate. 

Kravitz hadn’t much touched his plate. He was nibbling on it every once in a while, but when your true form was a ball of light, you didn’t really need to eat. “It’s good,” he said, not having any reference point. He hadn’t eaten in….it would have to be at least 50 years, give or take. 

Taako squinted at him, and he knew the elf saw right through him as if he were in skeleton form. “To be honest,” he admitted, “I don’t have a whole lot of sense of what’s good or isn’t. I certainly wasn’t a food connoisseur in life, and that did not improve in death.”

Taako tilted his head, “Huh,” he said, “Well, we’ll be changing that.”

Kravitz snorted, “Is that a declaration,” he said, “Or your knowledge of the future?”

Taako’s grin was wide and wicked with mischievous glee. “Both,” he said, “One way or another, you’re not getting out of more dinners with me, babe.”

Kravitz smiled, but looked down at his plate, contemplative, and moving the noodles around. Taako didn’t really talk about the future much. Well, he did, but only annoying hints and some vague clues as to what would happen. It wasn’t anything concrete.

But the more time they spent together, the more Kravitz suspected--no, he was almost SURE--that one day, he and Taako would be...together. Really together. 

He couldn’t deny some feelings, flutterings in what would be his heart if he still had one. How could he not, Taako was so incredible, smart, cultured, sophisticated...but also actually funny and down to earth. 

He didn’t know if he should ask. If the answer was no, he’d be devastated. But what was worse would be if Taako couldn’t or wouldn’t tell him at all. He might spend an eternity hoping for something that would never come. But maybe he HAD to ask, maybe asking is what would start their relationship, at least on his end, and he was just...caught in this spiral, unable to act in one way or another.

“Uh-oh,” Taako said, raising his eyebrow, “I know that face. That’s a stressed Krav face.” Kravitz couldn’t help the small smile that pulled at his face. Taako always seemed to know him, better than himself. “What’s gnawing at your bones, Bones?”

This was it, the best opportunity he had or might ever have. He just had to say the words, ask if they were together. “Are you--?” He started, but his voice failed him. He opened his mouth again, but instead, he asked, “Why do you always eat peanuts?”

He actually flinched. It was the stupidest question, he couldn’t believe he asked it. Peanuts? Taako would be gone again, and neither really knew the next time he’d get to see him and he was asking about PEANUTS? 

Taako smiled, though. “I was allergic,” Taako said, “Used to be, anyway, before the emissary gig. But now I can really eat whatever I want. I don’t gain any extra weight anymore either! It’s awesome!” 

Kravitz smiled while silently cursing himself. Coward, he called himself.

“Hey,” Taako said, pulling him out of his thoughts, “You got something to do after this?”

Kravitz blinked, “Um, no?” He didn’t exactly make plans, and the Raven Queen wasn’t actively calling him for a bounty, so, as far as he knew he was good.

“There’s a new tavern down the road,” Taako said, looking at his pocketwatch, “Or, I think it should be open by now. It’s one of your favorites, I thought we’d go check it out when it’s brand new.”

Kravitz sighed, “But we just ate?” He said, confused, even though he only ate half his dish.

Taako chuckled at him. “We’re not going there to EAT,” he said, winking. 

---

“No.”

“Come on, Bones.”

“No! I just like listening to music, I don’t keep up with this! It’s a whole other artform!” 

Taako put his hands on Kravitz’ waist, pulling him close, “Just follow my lead.” 

Quicker than he was comfortable with, Kravitz was pulled onto the dance floor, desperately trying to keep up with Taako’s movements. 

For all his protesting, Taako honestly didn’t let Kravitz flounder, guiding him and helping to figure out the patterns, “It’s like a battle,” Taako said, “But instead of trying to break the other’s rhythm, you’re trying to go WITH it.”

Kravitz swallowed, still unsure of himself, but he didn’t seem to be making a fool of himself. The pattern was simpler than it looked from outside, and as long as he stuck close to Taako, any missteps were overlooked. “How do you do that?” He asked Taako.

Taako tilted his head, “Do what?”

Kravitz was ready to answer ‘everything’ but that wasn’t helpful. “How do you know me better than I know myself?” 

Taako threw back his head and laughed, “Trust me, Bones, that ain’t always gonna be the case,” he said, “But I’m gonna go ahead and enjoy my advantage while I have it.” 

“Advantage?” Kravitz asked, eyebrow raised, but he couldn’t erase the smile from his face.

Taako smirked in that shitty way again. Then he leaned forward and kissed Kravitz on the cheek. Kravitz froze, but only for a moment before he turned his face to let Taako kiss his mouth instead. 

He didn’t even care he ended up getting smacked by other dancers going by.

Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11

[los-v-ers-club]

Unspoken - Reddie One Shot

It was unspoken between them. Almost in the same way it was between Ben and Bev after they kissed, years of pining love- not weakened by memory or distance doesn't need words. Yet Ben and Bev got together, officially. Richie and Eddie didn't.

They didn't see a need in official titles or words- fact is neither were good with words. Richie was a comedian and Eddie was a risk analyst- both good at bullshitting whoever was listening and dazzling them with bright lights or colorful data sheets, they weren't good at winning favors via words.

So it was a wordless bond.

Nothing was said when Eddie and Richie shared a bed at the inn- nothing other than Bill's questioning, to which Richie responded "Why, you jealous Big Bill?", and the conversation was dropped.

Nothing was said on the plane ride to Georgia, all the losers basically laid on top of each other as they flew to one of Atlanta's hospitals to meet Patty and see Stan, who had woken from his coma the moment the house fell.

Nothing was said as they all crammed into the too small hospital room, as Stan saw the soft touches between Ben and Bev, the fond gazes shared between Mike and Bill- he knew those signs far too well, it's how he and Patty are.

Nothing was said as he watched Richie and Eddie sit as close as they normally did, so close but so far away from each other, bodies twitching with the need- hand holding, pinkies intertwined, arms against each other.

Nothing was said as the losers slowly disbanded- Ben and Bev going to New York so Bev could get her items, and go file for a divorce, police report and lawsuit to get her company in her name.

Nothing was said as Bill and Mike went to LA so Bill could have a talk with Audra and his producers, nothing was said as later that week the two were found in Florida.

Nothing was said when Eddie flew back to New York, and Richie LA days after the losers originally left.

Days turned to weeks, which quickly turned to months. Three months had passed since they defeated It, three months since they last saw each other as the lucky seven.

Bill had started a new book- one clearly inspired by his friends, and one of the only means of true venting therapy he would get. Mike had worked with local charities and organizations to open a public library in a smaller town, one where the kids had potential but lacked chance, and Mike would be damned if he didn't give them a chance.

Bev got her fashion line in her name and her name only, donating millions of dollars to victims of abuse, spending free time advocating for the voiceless, teaming with Ben and his company to build shelters for those in need, providing care, food, help, medical attention, and food appropriate for the seasons.

Stan and Patty finally got their vacation times, blissful days and nights together, and they were truly just happy to have that, a few nights to themselves.

Richie and Eddie?

It was almost radio silent, Eddie quietly filed for divorce, keeping his head down as Myra yelled and belitted him. He kept working for his company, receeding back into himself as he threw himself into work.

Richie fired his ghost writer, a common named, straight, white man who wore specific red caps to work- and Richie managed to pay him well enough to not throw a fuss. He began working on his own material, tweeting once about a hiatus before silence.

So on the fourth montb anniversary, the seven met up. Illinois, Chicago. A place they used to joke about visiting, and Richie had friends from there so he pulled some strings. Dinner was Italian, and was filled with laughter, stories, jokes.

The unspoken bond between the seven only continued to grow, never resting or shrinking. It never would.

Stan had annouced he'd be a dad, and the losers would become uncles and an aunt. The tears in Richie's eyes as he crushed Stan to his chest weren't talked about, but the weight in Stan's heart as he held Richie, equally as tight spoke volumes.

Bill announced him and Mike had gotten together, and Eddie's shoulder pats turned grips held weight words would never be able to show.

Ben and Bev announced they adopted a dog. His name was Cujo, and the rest of the losers laughed when Bev joked and said they made the others uncles first.

They were all staying in the same hotel, Mike and Bill, Bev and Ben, Patty and Stan, Richie, Eddie.

No one spoke of the subtle tension between the last two, the lingering looks, soft touches, the newer aspects of them were as loud as the Chicago traffic. But no one said anything.

Their bickering, their banter, the same concept that Stan and Bill knew since elementary school, that Ben, Bev, and Mike knew since that summer, that Patty was beginning to know and adore- it never changed. The attitudes between them all stayed the same, and they were all silently grateful.

When the clock struck 1am, the hotel was dead silent. Richie feared he may be going deaf from the ringing in his ears it was causing- so the knock on his door startled him enough to nearly fall from his bed.

Eddie stood outside- clad in basket ball shorts, a tank top, and socks. Before Richie could get a word in, lips had tentively reached up to touch his, and he was lost. Lost in the emotion being poured between them, lost in the deafening silence roaring in his ears, lost in the tears slipping down his and Eddie's face as his hands came up to cup the stubble laid across Eddie's cheeks. Their lips moved slowly, softly, unsure, almost. They pulled back, gazing at one another.

"I -" Eddie trailed off, his eyes flitting all across Richie's face, fearful.

"I know." Richie's voice was strong but wavering, all the emotion he'd been holding back, the secrets he was so fearful of others knowing.

He knew, they both knew well enough.

So he took Eddie's hand into his, guiding him to the too large, too empty bed. There they laid, so wrapped around one another one would look at them and assume it was some abstract, Picasso painting. But they would feel the love radiating off of them, no captions or descriptions needed.

The next morning was their second day in Chicago and back together, and as they all met up at some local cafe, Richie and Eddie trailed quietly at the back of the group, pinkies locked around the others as if it was a life line.

Everyone saw, but no one said anything.

They didn't need to.

Stan's hug as Richie and Eddie came out of the hotel elevator, pinkies still intertwined, spoke volumes, and cut deeper as Richie remembered the letter Stan wrote him, one Patty sent in fear of the worst for her husband. Be who you want to be, be brave.

Bill's hands wrapping around Eddie's shoulders as he walked by him to sit was a weight that Eddie knew and loved- a grounding technique they had learned after Eddie's first panic attack. It was an silent rule between them- one hand means are you okay, two hands means I love you.

Mike had a soft, knowing look in his eyes. Sure, he normally did, he was one of the brightest of the group. But today was different. The knowledge was less secretive, but was all more important than anything all the libraries in the world could hold. The raw truth in what he knew now was something he would cherish- he cherished any moment a shred of vulnerability was shown to him, holding his friends trust and love for him higher than anything he had ever owned. He adored Eddie and Richie, and even more so for their trust in them.

Bev sat next to Richie, hand laying on top of his on the table, thumb brushing softly against his knuckles. Whenever he got worked up in high school- when he couldn't learn that stupid dance for her- he would rant, and this is what she would do. She wouldn't move her hand until he was calm, tension leaving his shoulders. Today, even as he felt himself relax and loosen up, she didn't remove her hand.

Ben radiated happiness and love at all times. But today he shone brighter than the sun, and was warmer than the heat inside. His smile never once left his face, it had grown several sizes upon seeing Eddie and Richie that morning. He had slung an arm over Richie's shoulder that morning, squeezing him in a side hug. He had hugged Eddie around the waist- and for a moment Eddie remembered the protective stances Ben took throughout their ordeal months ago- protecting him from the flying fortune cookie from hell, pulling him back from the trap door Mike threw open without a second thought- and Eddie knew at that moment no matter what Ben was on their side, and protecting them.

Patty saw the looks being shared all around, something the other five thought they were being secretive about. They weren't. They weren't good at that. But if her assumptions were correct- and they always were- she had been wrong before. She had thought Eddie and Richie were already together, the way they acted, their looks and touches- it reminders her of her and Stan. But she started to realize she didn't know the whole picture, only a sliver. Their relationship wasn't the loud banter, it wasn't the "yo mama" jokes or the "fuck yous!" It wasn't defined by any of the noise other patrons heard while eating. It was the soft looks given when one was laughing so hard they had to cover their mouth. It was the knowing gazes when one of their friends brought up an embarrassing story about another. It was the soft back pats, the hands lingering a bit longer. It was the way they leaned to each other, as if gravity was pulling them towards one another, and didn't plan on letting go.

The relationship between Eddie and Richie was an unspoken one, true love cannot always be defined by words. It was unspoken but oh so known. It was silent, but as loud as an explosion, and just as in your face.

And as years passed, as the two moved to Jersey to settle down, comedy specials being made with Richie changing his jokes to being about Eddie, as Eddie wore a necklace with a ring around it everyday- no one said anything.

But then again, with a love as obvious as theirs, no one had to.

[juliepop]

Inchworm

[Elliott Witt-Centric Fic] AO3 Link: here

Rating: General Audiences Warning: Sad feels? (A/N): That tweet about Elliott piano playing for his mom? Yeeeah, I had to write something because the song on the piano is so sad and slow.

Song link for your listening pleasure: here

Summary: A song can hold a lot of different meanings to people, and this song just means safety to Elliott.

Two and two are four

For as long as he could remember, his mother always sang him to sleep from a nightmare. Elliott could recall waking up from a dream when he was young, maybe four or five, and having his beautiful mother rush into his room. He was crying, great heaving sobs shaking his body as he babbled through an explanation about a monster coming to get him when his mother swept him into her arms.

Evelyn Witt had sung him to sleep, fingers gently combing through his curls as Elliott tucked against her neck and fell asleep to the soothing voice of his favourite person in the whole wide world.

Four and four are eight

When Elliott was eight, he got hurt really bad. It was an accident, his brothers had gotten stuck with babysitting duty, and the youngest Witt was a mischievous kid. He’d snuck into his mom’s workshop in the garage, a place meant to be locked, but some days she forgot to, and this was one.

Elliott had tried to grab something from the tall metal work table, chubby little fingers tugging at the overhanging rag his mother used to wipe off parts she worked with and managed to pull it down.

He also yanked down the array of heavy metal tools laid on top of it, one of the sharper edges of a tool smashing across the bridge of his nose and slicing it open.

He’d fallen backward and screamed, feeling his wet and warm tears mingle with the blood pouring down his small rounded face and alerting his brothers to where he was. Emmett had been the one to get there first, seeing Elliott curled up on the concrete floor sobbing and sweeping him up into his arms with a bark at the other two to call their mom.

The drive to the hospital was a blur, Elliott sobbing about being sorry and having to be sat on his brother Everitt’s lap even though he was too old to be doing that.

They’d gotten him seen right away; the little boy terrified that he was going to be in trouble for getting into his mom’s workshop when he knew he wasn’t supposed to. Except as soon as his mom saw him, she rushed over, smelling strongly of burning steel and the soft undercurrents of cinnamon as she drew Elliott into a tear-filled hug.

He’d needed to get stitches, Elliott recalling how he’d been held on his mother’s lap because he asked while the doctors came at him with needles and scary instruments. His mother had laid a hand over his eyes, whispering it wouldn’t hurt and how he shouldn’t look before she’d begun to sing.

Emmett had sung along too, Elliott relaxing into his mother’s arms as he cried a little but focused on the voices blending together and making him feel safe.

Eight and eight are sixteen

When Elliott was sixteen, his brothers died.

He’d answered the door to uniformed men looking solemn, asking very politely if his mother was home and Elliott had known then that something was very wrong. It was like having a boulder push up from your stomach to your throat, Elliott could barely breathe past the lump there as he panicked and called for his mother.

As soon as Evelyn poked her head around the corner, she knew, oil smudged face crumpling as she saw the two men stood at her door, and Elliott had managed to take two steps forward in a bid to get into the safety of her arms when they spoke behind him.

They were very sorry about their loss.

The officials kept talking then, speaking of how the three men in their service had gone MIA on a mission. They spoke of their sympathy and how truly sorry they felt, but all of that fell on deaf ears as Elliott felt his world-shattering. His mother had joined him on the ground at some point, Elliott not even remembering how he got there, the two knelt there caught in the unrelenting waves of grief that seemed to drown them with every passing moment long after the men had left.

Three lives had been taken, in an instant. Elliott had seen his brothers as invincible; they were all so young. It wasn’t fair, none of this was fair. Elijah was never going to marry his girlfriend and have that baby they wanted, and Emmett would never be a doctor. Everett wasn’t ever going to finish the bike he had sitting in the garage, and Elliott felt that like a tear in his heart. His brothers, the men who had taught him so much, were all dead.

Eventually, they got up, zombie-like in their mourning as the two climbed onto his mother’s bed to cry some more. Elliott wasn’t sure who started it, but sure as rain the soft sound of the lullaby his mother had sung to all the boys when they were feeling unwell sounded.

It was a duet, it had always been, and Elliott hadn’t realized it until he was older, and his mom taught him the song on the piano. It was the only song he knew, and the two of them sang it to one another between the tears.

Elliott wished he’d known how often he would sing it later on in his life.

Sixteen and sixteen are thirty-two

On his thirty-second birthday, Elliott did as he usually did, woke up early to eat breakfast alone in his small one-bedroom apartment before heading out. The care home nurse smiled when Elliott came by, waving him toward his mother's room with a comment that she was fairing well today but had not gotten much sleep.

It was a better day then.

Elliott rapped on the door sharply before letting himself in, smiling at the sight of his mother sitting on her bed with her hair braided to one side and staring out of the window. She barely reacted to his presence, just watching the birds outside as Elliott took his usual spot at her bedside table.

"Hey ma, you're looking extra beautiful today." Elliott greeted, lips curved up into a soft smile even as he was ignored. The steady drip of her IV was the only sound in the room for a while, Evelyn had been refusing to eat and drink, so they'd had to hook her up to a few things to remedy that. Elliott reached for her hand, feeling how cold it was and quickly stood to tuck a blanket around her.

Evelyn didn't even flinch.

"It's my birthday today, by the way. I know you sometimes forget it, but I thought maybe we could have some cake?" His mother doesn't respond, staring blankly outside the window and Elliott goes back to holding her hand in his. She's still cold, the doctor said giving her IVs for fluid would make it so, and despite the room being so warm, it doesn't help.

She used to reply when her sickness wasn't as bad. Some days they would have whole conversations, Elliott telling her about everything he could and watching as recognition flared in those hazel eyes. Then she slowly forgot more and more, asking him mundane questions over and over in the span of a few minutes, and sometimes she didn't even recognize him anymore. Now she kind of just sat there, coming in and out of her state, but those moments were few and far between.

Elliott still talked though, he told her about his day and what he had for breakfast. He spoke about funny bar stories that happened when he worked, talked about his training that was happening during the offseason of Apex.

He lied and talked about huge birthday plans tonight, saying that so many of his friends had planned something and tried to keep it a secret. He didn't mention he was going to go home after this, eat dinner by himself and go to sleep after he went to the gym.

No one had wished him a happy birthday.

When "lunch" arrives, the nurses bring in the cake Elliott had paid to have sent, two small pieces of chocolate sitting on thin paper plates with plastic forks. Evelyn doesn't react when they set up her actual lunch, the bag of artificial nutrition discreetly tucked away and leading to a tube that had gotten surgically inserted in her stomach. Elliott remains quiet when the care home workers do their job, waiting until the door is closed behind them before he perks up again.

"Hey, our cake is here! I'm not allowed a candle or anything because of oxygen or something, but we can pretend, and I'll make a wish." Elliott says brightly, tucking his chair closer to his mother as he moves the table hanging over her bed closer and starts singing happy birthday to himself. He makes it halfway through the song, voice cracking when the first few tears roll over his cheeks.

"...t-t-to me. Make a wish." Elliott rasps, shoulders shaking with the effort it takes not to just full-on sob as he holds his mother's hand. He pretends to blow out a candle, eyes slipping closed as he whispers the wish. "I wish you weren't sick anymore."

She doesn't react, and Elliott has to press his face against the bed in an attempt to compose himself. His mother needed him to be strong, he was her only living son. All they had were each other, and as badly as Elliott wanted just to curl up and cry, he couldn't. Not when she needed him.

"Inchworm, inchworm. Measuring the marigolds," A voice sounds softly, harsh from disuse but ringing clear in what was a deafening silence. Elliott jerks his head up, tears running down his face as his mother looks out the window but she sings. "You and your arithmetic, you'll probably go far."

He sobs openly then, hearing her voice for the first time in months, and Elliott breaks down. He shudders, trying to stifle his crying against the crisp white sheets of her bed and a small, frail hand presses to his head, resting there as his mother sings their song to him for the last time.

His final birthday present, before she was gone.

Inchworm, inchworm

Measuring the marigolds

Seems to me you'd stop and see

How beautiful they are

[spazzbunn]

Christmas With Friends

Today was pretty big. It was Christmas Day in Zootopia! The kids were opening their presents, the adults went out to get some items thanks to the gift cards they got, it was even snowing. Overall, this Christmas was really starting to feel jolly. Especially for a house full of mammals. The home had its two owners inside the warm comfortable shelter that kept them cozy from the snow and cold wind outside. Michael and Katrice, the rabbit and red panda couple. They both were huddled close with their paws holding looking over at their fully decorated Christmas tree they made together. It was full of lights and ornaments and had a big bright yellow gold star on top. It truly looked breathtaking for the two of them. Amongst the noise that surrounded them was the television and the voices of their good friends. One other sound was able to catch their attention. A click with a sound of a flash. They turned around to witness what was behind them. It was a tall and slim figure with yellow and white and little bits of black spots and areas around this body. It was Hammy the cheetah. Having to wear his suit being of cranberry red and pine tree green tie to fit the Holidays. He had with him his camera, taking a moment to take pretty good looking pictures on whatever he saw as stunning. It was his passion. “Sorry, just that felt like a postcard moment.” Hammy said as he turned his camera around to show the small screen to have the two witness his very professional photography. “Dang Hammy. This looks good.” Michael told him as Hammy was happy with his work being liked by all. “Thanks. I’ll try to have this be in a postcard for next year. Just hope I don’t forget.” Hammy rubbed the back of his neck with Katrice patting him on his back. “No worries. Just send it to us. I know Michael won’t forget Christmas moments.” Katrice smirked at her rabbit who blushed slightly but nodded. Hammy went into the kitchen to lay down his camera by the counter since the table was full of different types of food to snack on. Michael went over to one side of the living room as Katrice went another. Both of them wanting to be good hosts for their guests, who also were their friends. Michael went over to a group of mammals on the couch. Watching television as it is playing some videos on a tabby cats phone. Next to the male tabby was a male coyote, a male african wild dog, and even a male silver fox. The bunny walked around and sat down next to the tabby. “Hey Jake.” Jake looked over. “Oh hey dude! I’m just showing the guys some videos about this crazy show in Japan.” Milo, the african wild dog, took a sip of water from his red cup. “Yeah. It is very odd. Who the heck would even think of stuff like this?” “Maybe odd mammals?” Shadow the silver fox stated. Having to have no red contacts or any red or purple on his fur. He wanted to look clean for his friends. Mainly, because his girlfriend otter Karen got him to be cleaning the dye off. “That, or the show itself knows its audience?” Evan Coywise, the coyote, told the guys as they all pretty much agreed with his theory. “Eh. Hey, thanks for inviting us, by the way.” Milo said to Michael with the rabbit feeling happy to hear that. “Yeah. This Christmas get together is pretty sweet.” Shadow says as he looks around to see Tod coming back with a plate of food. Having mac n cheese, some turkey, and corn on it. “Oh hey Michael!” Tod the reddish orange fox went over to sit down at the last empty seat of it as he takes a bite of the mac n cheese with the fork he had. “I was kinda surprised everyone showed up early.” Michael says as he looked to see everyone was accounted for. “Well it is rare for us to hang out together. We all are different, but we still care for each other.” Milo points out as he takes another sip of his drink. Tod looked over at Milo. “You must have drank the philosophy juice or something.” Shadow laughed from Tod’s joke as Michael and Jake watch a bit of the weird game show as they questioned about if they both could ever compete with getting a show like this. The answer seemed like a ‘no’ to the tabby and bunny. Katrice in the meanwhile went over to the side of the house where the chairs from the kitchen were moved as a couple of mammals used them to sit down and starting to draw. One pig, the other a rabbit, and the last a raccoon with blue fur where its black should be. All three of them were female and another common thing was they were artists. Katrice raised a brow. “Hey you three. What are you all doing?” The gray rabbit with brown ears and brown stylish hair looked up at the red panda. “Oh sorry! We are doing a sort of challenge here.” “Oh?” The red panda seemed curious to know. Helena looked up as she fixed her glasses. “Yeah! We are trying to draw the tree you guys have and post our artworks on our tweets. The most liked picture wins” “Ah cool!” Said Katrice. “What would the winner get?” “Bragging rights.” The raccoon said as she took a sip of Dr.Pepper as she kept drawing with a smirk. “Oh, after we finish up, we wanna know if you wanna chat and eat with us in the kitchen.” “Awww. I’d love to. The kitchen seems a bit crowded though.” Katrice saw that inside were Hammy, Diana, Karen, and the brown bear Lou and the other rabbit Gerry. All of them talking and laughing and cracking jokes. “We can slip in fine.” Helena says to Katrice. “Besides, I am about to call quits before my paw breaks.” She sets her paper down on an empty chair they had. “Ehh. Same.” Fever and Trish said in unison as they gave their artworks to Hel as she puts them on top of hers. “I think I am gonna get something to eat as well.” Katrice said to her friends as the girls got up and the four of them started to head into the kitchen. Michael gets up as well, his stomach growling since he had to skip breakfast along with Katrice since they were busy cleaning and setting up the food. “Sorry guys, but I gotta get something to eat.” “It’s cool dude.” Evan says to him. “Hey, could you get me a bread roll? I want to finish this crazy show with the guys before I eat.” Michael obliged as he went around the couch and started to head towards the kitchen where he witnessed his girlfriend and their friends having fun. He walks in to go find a roll as Katrice comes up to him and smiles. “Well, everyone seems to be having fun here.” “Heh. I know. We did great Katrice.” Michael says with him smiling back at her. This got the attention of the skunk who saw the two being cute together and calls out to them. “Awwwe~ You guys having a little date over there?!~” Diana jokingly said with a smug grin. Her glasses even added more smugness to it. Michael and Katrice blushed and were trying to act cool with Diana laughing softly. “I’m just joking you guys.” Karen sipped her cup of tea. “Diana is a jokester I found out. She looks so sweet but yet can act like a spice at times.” “Eh. I just am Yin and Yang really. Both inside and out.” Diana ate a cracker as Lou thought about her sentence and snickers.. “Ok, that’s pretty funny. Especially since you are black and white.” Lou laughed as he was eating some cheese and grapes on his plate with Diana looking at herself but then smirking and trying not to laugh as well. She really walked into that one. Karen smiled along with Michael and Katrice while the mammals then hear that familiar click. Hammy had his camera out and took another picture to treasure. “Sorry again. Just, this whole gives off good vibes. I wanna cherish these you know?” Hammy put the camera down back on the counter as everyone was telling him it was fine. “Yeah dude. Nothing wrong with taking good pictures with friends.” Lou said with Karen and Diana agreeing. Michael looks at the roll in his paw. Then he remembered what he went in here for. “Oh! I almost forgot!” “Forgot about what?” A mammal came into the room with everyone looking over to who said that. It was Daniel the weasel. He was a pretty chill friend of Michael so of course he had to come and celebrate with him and his girlfriend and his friends. He was in the bathroom having to have to take a phone call from his parents. He was finished so he came down to see what was happening. “Oh nothing Daniel. I just gotta give Evan this roll. Also I planned on eating as well.” Michael tells Daniel as the weasel goes to the fridge to pull out a bottle of water. Michael looks around with his mind wanting to get a bowl of Katrice’s mac n cheese. She always makes the best food ever. Before the bunny could get started with getting a bowl, Gerry comes over and gives a big hug to both Michael and the red panda. “Jeez your hugs are pretty strong” Katrice said as he lets go with Michael holding on to the roll for dear life. “Hey I give bigger hugs too.” Lou stated with him going to get some sugar cookies. “Sorry, but I was just about ready to head out. My family is gonna head on over to my other family for dinner as well.” Gerry explains as he took a sugar cookie and started to eat one. “Awww. Sucks you gotta go.” Fever said with her and Trish eating some ham as Gerry sighed. “Well, the Holidays are pretty busy this time for year after all.” The light brown rabbit said as he took another bite. “You was pretty chill to hang around.” Daniel tells Gerry who took that compliment. “You gotta hang out with Michael and some of us at ‘Boys Night’” Gerry rubbed his chin. “I think I got time this weekend. So yeah!” He finished his cookie. “Besides, I am gonna throw a New Years Eve party so we can spend more time together!” “Wooo! Boys night!” Jake shouted as he and the rest of the guys came over. Evan seeing the roll and thanking Michael as he takes it and begins to eat it. Fever looked at the whole group that was in the big clean kitchen. Full of laughs and full of cheer. She was there when Hammy took that picture of Michael, Katrice, Lou and Karen with Diana as well. It was starting to give her an idea. She poked on the shoulders of Michael and Katrice as the two looked over and she whispered something into their ears. Both the bunny and the red panda’s ears stood up and had the same smile as their friend. “Hey Hammy.” Katrice says with the cheetah looking over to her. “Got enough space for one more picture?” “Of course!” Hammy said with pride. “What you got in mind?” Michael then spoke up. “We want to take a Christmas picture. Together with all of us here.” Everyone looked at each other. Quickly, they all pretty much agreed to that idea. “Alrighty. Been a rarity since I done one of these.” Trish said as she finished her plate. “Same here.” Jake said as he sipped his drink of cola. “Where would we take the pic at?” Milo questioned with Evan looking over at the tree. “Hmm. What about the Christmas Tree?” Evan points out. “Sure!” Michael and Katrice said together. “Alright!” Tod says as he went over to pick up a chair and carry it in the living room with everyone starting to follow. Karen and Shadow held each other close in front of the tree. Same with Michael and Katrice. Tod sets down the chair far away from the group so the photo can get the whole view of the mammals, the tree and decorations, even a glimpse of the snow outside. The group starts to form big with Lou being perfectly in place of the camera. The same goes for everyone. Hammy would be the last as Tod goes to join in the photo. He sets the camera down onto the chair and sets up the camera to be timed as it begins to beep. Quickly he runs in and fills in the last spot. “Oh! We should say Merry Christmas.” Katrice tells everyone with Michael loving the idea. “Sounds good my pumpkin spice raccoon. But why?” Michael asked in confusion. “Idk. Seems holly and jolly.” The red panda says with the camera starting to beep more, saying it was close to take the photo. “MERRY CHRISTMAS!” The group all shouted at the same time as the photo flashed and clicked, the picture being taken. Everyone would pretty much agree. This Christmas was the best one yet. Maybe, even the best one ever. They were glad to spend it together. Merry Christmas to all of Zootopia, and to the people that mean a lot to me.           - Spazzie Bunnie Katrice belongs to @msitubeatz Fever belongs to @feverwildehopps Trish belongs to @trashasaurusrex Helena belongs to @helthehatter Diana belongs to @skeletonguys-and-ragdolls Gerry belongs to @androace-bunny Evan belongs to @wartoxdude Hammy belongs to @hammytotherescue Jake belongs to @kingdomofkitten Shadow belongs to @n-p-wilde Karen belongs to @azshade Lou belongs to @firecracker-art-lounge Milo belongs to @juantriforce042 Tod belongs to @thefoxninja17 Daniel belongs to @owningsuperset7