#i’m always so scared to use sarcasm because what if i didn’t do a good enough job at it and people will think i’m being serious

[doriantomybasil]

I haven’t cried in like three months because I’m just so good at managing my emotions and I started crying yesterday and I didn’t stop for like three hours

[chukys-mouthguard]

Could you do where the reader is a singer and dating Luke hughes and if you are a taylor swift fan you know how she said karma is the guy on the chiefs instead of on the screen you you do where Lukes family and friends are at the readers concert and karma is a song she wrote and she changes to karma is the guy on the deviles and the whole tent where his family and friends are goes wild and making him blush. If that makes since.

my muse

1.5k words

genre: fluff

featuring: luke hughes x famous singer girlfriend

summary: your world tour makes a stop in New Jersey the same weekend as the hughes bowl, so you seize the opportunity to reveal your relationship with Luke to the world

note: i just made up lyrics versus using an actual artists lyrics, but that is really the only thing i changed regarding this request 🫶🏼🩵 i am not super thrilled with how this turned out, but i still wanted to post this because i thought the request/idea was super cute with luke

You weren’t sure how the universe smiled on you when your schedule magically aligned with the annual Hughes Bowl, but it meant that the Hughes could all attend your show together. And while your relationship with Luke wasn’t yet public, you knew there were some rumors going around that their presence certainly wouldn’t help to silence.

As you got the finishing touches done to your hair and makeup, you headed off to do some pre-show photo ops. Having invited a few local friends backstage, along with Luke and his family.

“Hey guys!”

Greeting the Hughes you hugged both Ellen and Jim before moving to Quinn and Jack. Saving Luke for last as you gave him a kiss before you invited them all to get a photo with you.

“Thank you so much for the tickets, you really didn’t have to do that honey. You know we would’ve gladly bought our seats to support you!”

Ellen wrapped you in another hug, going on to tell you how nervous Luke was to have them all here with him for your show.

“Oh stop, it’s the least I could do for you all. You’ve always been so supportive of me and my career, as well as me and Luke.”

Looking over Ellen’s shoulder you watched Luke and his brothers talking with some of your friends they’d be sharing their suite with for the night.

“Is he really nervous?”

Ellen nodded with a smile, taking your hands as she pulled you to the side to talk.

“He said he’s nervous because you two aren’t officially public, and he knows that all of us being here is probably going to fuel those rumors even more. So he just doesn’t want all of us being here to stir anything up.”

“Oh my gosh, I’m not even worried about that! I want you all here one hundred percent! Maybe I should talk to him? Calm him down a bit?”

With a chuckle you headed over to steal Luke away, taking his hands in yours as you found a seat across the room. A smile on his face as he hadn’t stopped staring at you since you’d walked in the room.

“How are you?”

Luke chuckled at the question, a bit shocked that you were asking him those words.

“Well, you’re the one about to go perform for thousands of people and you’re asking me? I’m pretty good, can’t complain.”

Rolling your eyes you laughed at him, his sarcasm always being something you appreciated no matter the situation.

“Are you nervous of people finding out about us?”

He immediately shook his head, giving your hands a reassuring squeeze as he could sense in your voice you were a bit discouraged at the idea of him being scared. But it was the furthest thing from the case. Luke wanted to scream from the rooftops that you were his, he’d always been so proud to have you as his girlfriend. But he knew that your world was so different from his, and the media could be brutal and unruly. So he wasn’t sure what they’d potentially do with the story once it broke.

“I don’t care who knows that you’re my girlfriend, let them all know. I just don’t want you to ever feel like we have to tell people our business, or feel forced to confirm anything. I think it would obviously make things easier. Like being able to come here tonight and support the most talented girl on the planet without being nervous about photos leaking online and rumors spreading.”

He smirked as his lips peppered your neck with kisses. Making sure to avoid your face so as to not mess up your makeup. He’d learned quickly that the makeup artists were not a fan of having to fix smudges from his kisses. His arms snaking around your waist as he pulled you close to him, placing a quick peck on your lips before he rested his chin on your shoulder, whispering into your ear so no one around overheard.

“If you want to tell everyone, then do it. It’s not like they don’t already have an idea right?”

“Tonight?”

Pulling away you rested your hands on his cheeks as you looked at him, slightly shocked at his sudden boldness and want to go public.

“Why not? It would be the perfect time to do it. You’re in Jersey, I’m in the crowd. People are most likely going to figure it out so why not beat them to it?”

You raised an eyebrow at the idea, thinking to yourself how you might be able to work such an announcement into the show without explicitly calling it. Whispering to Luke your idea, you waited for his approval, which he gave in the form of a smile and a kiss.

“It’s going to be great, I love you.”

He wrapped you in one final hug before you had to bid farewell to everyone, the show set to start soon and you needed to go through your vocal warmups.

As you finished off yet another song it was time for the show to slow down, the next few songs being acoustics or ballads as one of the dancers brought you out your guitar.

Slipping it over your shoulder you tried to catch your breath as your heart was still racing from the previous number, the fans all screaming as you waved to a few in the front row.

“How’s everyone doing?”

You smiled as you looked out to scan the crowd, your eyes eventually falling on the sectioned off seating where Luke was sitting with his family and your friends. He gave you a reassuring smile as he knew you were about to sing the song that would contain the announcement you’d be nervous for all night.

“This next song is one off of my latest album. And while I know you all love it exactly how it is, I thought we might change up the words a little bit. It’s a special night here in New Jersey, there’s some special people in attendance. So I hope you don’t mind, but let’s see if anyone can catch it. This song is called, ‘Momma I think I love him’.”

You winked to the crowd before you heard the countdown begin to play in your in-ears. Strumming only the first few chords your fans instantly erupted over the song, all of them singing the words along with you, only making you even more nervous for the lyric change you’d barely had a chance to practice before you’d perform it live.

Looking out to Luke you caught him singing along with you, a smile on his face as he was in awe of you. No matter how many times he’d seen you perform live, he could never get over how talented you were. Loving that he was able to be here to cheer you on, just like you’d done for him so many times before.

Coming up on the ending of the song, you could feel your palms sweating, praying you didn’t drop your guitar pick or goof up the notes. Your heart was practically beating through your chest as you knew that once you sang the different lyrics, there was no turning back, and your relationship with Luke would be confirmed within minutes of the song's final chords.

The crowd watched in anticipation, knowing this was the moment of the lyric change. Their phones all pointed at you, unsure as to what you’d be saying but wanting to be sure to capture it on camera.

“He’s, six foot two with hazel eyes. But I promise you he ain’t like them other guys. He’s a, bit of a rebel. And he, plays for the Devils. Jersey 43, and he’s perfect for me. Oh momma, I think I love him.”

The roar throughout the arena made you blush as you shyly covered your face with the song coming to an end, hearing the screams over the reveal from those close enough to you. The word must have traveled fast as the crowd had begun chanting Luke’s name, your eyes immediately looking at him as you were nervous whether or not you’d done the right thing.

But Luke immediately washed those fears away, holding his hands up to you in a heart as you reciprocated. The camera men at the concert not letting the moment go unnoticed to anyone else as they quickly flashed the image of Luke up on the screen. He’d gotten a bit shy, but waved to the crowd before he forced Jack and Quinn to get on camera with him. The fans screamed louder and louder as each of the Hughes’ boys were shown.

“Well, surprise!”

You playfully spoke as you’d handed your guitar off to one of the stage attendants, fanning your face to try and calm your blush. The fans still obsessing over the news as you walked down the long runway towards the main stage to get ready for your next song.

“Hopefully the rest of the show will be just as exciting as seeing the Hughes’ brothers all in attendance, maybe if we are lucky I can get them to come on stage with me.”

You sarcastically spoke as you looked towards their section, immediately seeing them shaking their heads no as they waved their arms in disagreement. Rolling your eyes you laughed as they fans tried to encourage them.

“Trust me, you do not wanna see them dance. They are much better on skates!”

[imaslutforwritingshit]

Things Ethan Landry would text- (Fem Friend Reader) PART 3

Warnings- mentions of smut, knifeplay, sexting, fearplay, confessions to murder.

If you guys like this, I’ll make an extended version, where I write a story in Y/n’s pov that happens after this texting story:)

The Ballad Of Terror

Y/n: hey loser

Ethan: Loser? that’s new.

Y/n: but true

Ethan: no good night text, bunny?

Y/n: ugh stop calling me that. I promise I don’t jump that weird.

Ethan: in PE class you look like a rodent

Y/n: shut up

Y/n: I want something else first before you get your good night text

Ethan: let me guess. You need homework answers?

Y/n: I don’t get anything in science. I don’t even know what a molecule is.

Ethan: luckily I’m smart.

Y/n: luckily.

Ethan: click to view

Y/n: thank u <3

Ethan: np.

Ethan: hey, how are you and David doing together?

Y/n: why?

Ethan: I’m just curious

Y/n: maybe being curious isn’t always the right thing to be

Ethan: I’m your friend who wants you to be happy.

Y/n: I am happy

Ethan: with David?

Y/n: why are you asking that like david can’t make me happy?

Ethan: because I don’t think he could

Y/n: he does.

Ethan: oh, yeah?

Y/n: yes.

Ethan: as in, present tense?

Y/n omg yes

Y/n: why do you care so much?

Ethan: you broke up with him last night.

Y/n: how did you know that?

Y/n: Ethan??

Y/n: who told you

Ethan: no one told me.

Y/n: then why the fuck do you know?

Ethan: I watched you get that text. You cried over your bedside table.

Ethan: don’t leave me on read

Ethan: cmon

Y/n: how do you know

Ethan: I watched you through the window.

Y/n: you’re my friend

Y/n: this is scaring me

Ethan: Don’t be scared. Remember when you told me that you loved the real me?

Y/n: yes.

Ethan: this is the real me.

Y/n: a stalker?

Ethan: For you,

Ethan: Yes.

Y/n: if you were watching me, what was I wearing?

Ethan: That Ivy League shirt I bought for you in 2018.

Y/n: what pants, then ??

Ethan: oh, that’s the best part.

Y/n: please

Ethan: you weren’t wearing any

Ethan: you hiked your thighs to your chest

Ethan: you were wearing black panties

Y/n: you’re a fucking creep

Ethan: don’t be like that.

Y/n: how long has this been going on?

Ethan: How long have I been in love with you?

Ethan: or watching you sleep

Ethan: ?

Y/n: i should call the police. do you stalk other girls?

Ethan: you’re the only one for me

Ethan: nobody makes me feel the way you make me feel

Ethan: All those girls meant nothing to me. They couldn’t replace you.

Y/n: what girls?

Y/n: you’re a manwhore now?

Ethan: don’t be stupid. I didn’t fuck anyone

Ethan: I killed them

Y/n: im calling the police

Ethan: I disconnected the system from your number

Ethan: you can’t call anyone for help

Y/n: what do you want from me?

Ethan: Don’t you want to know?

Ethan: Why I did it?

Y/n: no

Ethan: I want to hurt you. Is that bad?

Ethan: it just turns me on so much

Ethan: to imagine you begging for me

Ethan: begging me not to slice you open

Ethan: fuck your brains out until your screaming my name

Ethan: i want to use you

Ethan: and you and I both know you would enjoy it

Y/n: you’re ghostface

Ethan: oh

Ethan: what gave it away ?

Y/n: you piece of shit.

Ethan: I don’t think you should insult me right now

Y/n: why? you gonna kill me??

Ethan: don’t tempt me.

Y/n: but apparently I already am. I’m basically asking for a knife to my throat, aren’t I?

Y/n: to watch your cock enter me as you choke me

Y/n: god, it would turn me on so much!!!

Ethan: I don’t take sarcasm too well

Ethan: if your asking for it, I’ll give it to you.

Y/n: im blocking you

Ethan: you can’t hide

Y/n: I’ll lock my doors. Get my parents to call the cops when they come back.

Ethan: your parents aren’t home?

Ethan: That changes things.

Y/n: I locked everything

Y/n: leave me alone

Ethan: why did you assume I was outside your house?

Y/n: please leave me alone

Ethan: let’s play a game of hide and seek, y/n.

Ethan: you run

Ethan: you hide

Ethan: and we’ll see if I can catch you.

Ethan: and if I do…

Ethan: god, I love making you my victim.

Y/n: Ethan please

Ethan: 3

Ethan: 2

Ethan: 1

Ethan: time to run, bunny.

🩷

[javierpena-inatacvest]

Soup for Breakfast

Summary: Javi comes home to find that you caught the flu from your class at school, and wants to help you feel better.

Word count: 1.7K

Warnings: FLUFF. This is literally just pure fluff, as Javier Peña lives in my mind rent free as the biggest softie alive. Mentions of food/eating, mentions of death (but in a really wholesome way), reader being sick

Paring: Javier Peña x f!reader (no use of Y/N, reader is an elementary school teacher)

This can be read as a stand alone, or as a part of the Never Too Late Series!

A/N: I wrote this when I had COVID because I am convinced that if you told Javi that you were sick, he would literally go to the ends of the earth to help you feel better.

“Hey hermosa, I’m home.” Javi set his keys down on the entryway table and shed his dark gray suit jacket, flopping it over the edge of the kitchen counter. 

Silence. 

“Hermosa?” He questioned again, concern beginning to creep in his voice. 

Since you had started the school year, Javi came home every day looking forward to the image of you sitting at the kitchen table, projects and papers from your 3rd grade class spread across the oak surface. You’d smile and give him a big kiss, ready to share whatever crazy antics your class was up to that day. But when he stepped through the doorway, he noticed the usual construction paper, notebooks and crayons, but the seat where you always were was empty. 

“Hey baby, it’s me!” He tried one more time, hoping that you were in a room further down the hall and hadn’t heard him. No response. The silence sent Javi into fight or flight, now picking up his speed as he looked into other rooms to find them all empty. He paced back to the living room, trying to keep his composure, his past experience with missing persons not boding well for his current state. Taking a few more deep breaths before doing anything irrational, Javi went to sit down on the couch, until he heard a small grunt underneath him. 

“Please don’t sit on me.” You grumbled, nestled under a large pile of blankets.

“Hermosa, Jesus Christ, you scared the shit out of me.” Javi shot up, breathing heavily, placing his hand on his chest. You rolled over, shifting around in your blanket heap, head peeking out to look at Javi. “Baby, are you okay? What’s wrong?” Panic still lingering in his words, now realizing you were laying in a near lifeless heap on the couch. 

“No, I feel great. Isn’t this what everyone does when they feel good? Roll themselves into a giant blanket pile?” Your remark oozing with sarcasm and a hoarseness in your voice. “The flu has been going around my classroom and I think I got it.” You groaned, your body aching as you shifted yourself further out of your fabric cocoon. “You’d think by this point I’d have the immune system of a steel truck, but these kids are just never ending germ factories.” 

Javi quietly chuckled to himself as he knelt next to you, sweeping your hair out of your face and kissing your forehead. As he got closer, he could feel the heat radiating off you, your breaths heavy and labored as you fought to keep your eyelids open. He grazed the back of his large hand against your hairline, his deep brown puppy dog eyes growing more and more concerned.

 “Cariño, you look awful.” 

“Way to make a girl feel good.” 

“No, baby, that’s not what I meant, I-” he tried to quickly rebuttal. 

“Javi, I’m just joking. I know I look like a Gremlin someone just pulled out of a garbage can.” You both quietly laughed before you let out a deep cough, only adding to the effect of your disheveled state. “I started feeling gross this afternoon while the kids were at Art and Gym, so I already made sub plans for the rest of the week, just in case.” 

Javi leaned back down to kiss your head once again, knowing you really must have felt awful if you were willing to admit the fact you couldn’t fight your way through your sickness so you didn’t need to find a substitute teacher for your class. “Okay, hermosa. I think that’s a good idea.” He sat up to peek his head over the couch, starting at your kitchen. “Give me one second, okay?” 

You nodded, already back to being half asleep. Javi began rummaging through the fridge and cabinets, looking for any food that you would 1- eat, and 2- help you feel better. Grimacing at the low stock of items, he began frantically scribbling down a grocery list full of supplies. 

“Hey baby?” Javi had made his way back to the couch, squatting down next to you as he handed you a glass of water. 

“Mhmmmmhh?” You moaned, outstretching an almost limp arm to take the glass, sitting up as you took a few sips. 

“I’m gonna go to the grocery store to get some things. I promise I’ll be right back. Are you gonna be okay while I’m gone?” 

“Well I wasn’t planning on going very far anytime soon, I think I’ll be alright.” You half smiled at him, handing him back the now empty glass. 

“Okay. I love you.” He kissed you on the top of your head, his nose nestled in your hair before he pulled away, frantically gathering his keys and shutting the door behind him. 

“Love you too.” You mumbled, half coherent as you burrowed back down into your blankets. 

When Javi got to the store, he was a man on a mission. You would have thought someone had told him Pablo Escobar was inside at the rate he was moving through the aisles. Completely disregarding the list he had thrown together at the house, Javi had a shopping cart of supplies full enough to tend to the entirety of your 3rd grade class. The thought of seeing you sick and in pain absolutely wrecked him, wanting to do anything he could to help you feel better. He was so desperate, in fact, at one point while in the pharmacy section, he had thrown in a box of bandaids, just in case. 

When he returned back to the house, he was relieved to find you at least sitting in a semi-upright position watching TV, laughing to yourself at the ridiculous amount of groceries he had just set down on the kitchen counter. 

“I didn’t know we were planning on running a hospital out of our home.” You giggled as Javi unbagged the items. 

“I just wanted to make sure you had whatever you needed. I may have gone a little overboard.” He replied sheepishly as he continued to unpack a bag full of snacks. 

“It’s okay, it’s sweet. Thanks Dr. Peña.” 

“Of course.” He finished putting everything in its place before coming back over to you. “Here, drink this.” He passed another cup over to you. 

“Wow, you even got me the red Gatorade? You hate the red kind! You really do love me.” A soft smile crept across your face as you took a small sip. 

“Well I’m not the one who looks like they’re on their deathbed, Hermosa.” It took every ounce of strength in you to give him a playful shove. “I’m gonna make you some soup, okay?” 

“You didn’t need to go all the way to the store for soup, we have soup here.” You rolled your eyes, knowing how much it physically pained Javi to watch you eat Campbell's canned soup after having a taste of one of his mom’s recipes not too long ago. 

“I can already hear mi mamá yelling at me from the grave if I let you eat that shit, especially when you’re sick. I’m making you Caldo de Pollo so she doesn’t come back to haunt me. Had it every time I was sick. Swear it makes you feel better.” Your  heart was warming at the idea of Javi making one of his late mother’s recipes, thankful that Javi’s dad had given you some of them from her cookbook. 

“Thank you, Javi. You’re the best. I’d kiss your sweet face but I’m guessing you don’t want my germs.” 

“A quick one won’t hurt anyone, doctor’s orders.” He winked before planting a soft peck on your lips. 

As he got up, he went over to your entertainment center under the TV, pulling out 2 different VHS tapes. “Which one?” 

“You can’t pit two Harrison Ford classics against each other! Hmmmm, I do love Indiana Jones, but I think Star Wars is gonna have to be the winner today. 

“I had a feeling.” He smiled as he popped in the tape, the theme music blasting as he got to work in the kitchen. 

Javi had to admit, he wasn’t a terrible chef. It wasn’t until he met you that he actually felt a need to cook. In Colombia, he was either eating out or stealing whatever leftovers Steve and Connie had, and once he came home, his dad cooked, insisting he wanted to keep his wife’s habit alive and well, even after she was gone. After Javi had chopped up all of the vegetables, he tossed them into the pot to let them simmer with the already bubbling chicken and rice. Once the soup was done, he filled a bowl practically to the brim, bringing it over to you, only to be greeted by the sweet sounds of your soft snores, muffled under the blanket draped across your face. He laughed quietly to himself before putting your soup on the end table of the couch and shuffling himself underneath your blanket mountain so your head rested against his thigh as a pillow. He stroked the ends of your hair between his fingers in one hand, the other, rubbing up and down your back in soft, gentle circles. 

He let the end credits of the movie roll before turning off the TV and carefully unwrapping you from your blankets, scooping you up to carry you back to bed. As he laid you down, gently tucking you in under the covers, he heard you mumble something. 

“What was that, Hermosa?” Javi’s voice just above a whisper.

“I never ate your soup.” You muttered, eyes still closed, words barely coherent. 

“It’s okay. Go back to sleep, baby. You need to rest.” He sat on the edge of your bed next to you, planting a soft kiss on the top of your head. 

“Can I have it for breakfast tomorrow?” You grumbled, as you turned over on your pillow. 

Javi laughed to himself. “Of course hermosa. Nos vamos por la mañana con tu sopa. Espero que te sientas mejor pronto. Te amo con todo mí corazon, Osita.” (I’ll see you in the morning with your soup. I hope you feel better soon. I love you with my whole heart, little bear.) 

If you would have asked Javier Peña all those years ago if he would have ever made someone soup for breakfast, he would have laughed in your face. But now? Now, he would make a million bowls of soup for breakfast, if it meant he got to spend it with you. 

[wd-ghosty]

Midnight Serenade

Donnie x reader fic

I really like this concept so I wanted to write about it, so basically you and donnie go on a date. I still new to writing so pls be nice, hope you enjoy <3.

It’s late winter early spring as you’re getting ready for your date, last nights flurry left some snow on your ground so it’s best to bundle up a bit. As you were putting on your shoes, you hear a knocking on the window, “Come in!” your window slides open and a turtle boy whereinga shit ton of purpel crawls in after he threw in a picnic basket.

“I was scared i was gonna be late, but i see you’re not even done yet”

“Scoff! I’m putting on my shoes so i basically am done, what happened to mr. attention to detail?”

“Heyyy i thought you hated ot when i said scoff!?”

“I have no recollection of that conversation,” he rolled his eye at your comment as he sits down on your bed. You get up to go get the drinks from your kitchen. “Common lets go.”

The two of you take a train to Clark st, then walk over to the brooklyn bridge. The two of you trot along the bridge and you’re excited to see where donnie is taking you.

“We’re here,”

“...Donnie we’re still on the bridge.”

“Exactly. You’re good at balancing on polls right?”

You face went white when he said that. You look at the belts of the bridge then you look back at donnie nodding. Your soul sinks in your stomach and the look on your face has donnie rolling around on the groud, kicking and screaming, “I’m just kidding hun.” his hover bike thing pulls up and your melanin instantly comes back.

“If you pull that shit with me again I will hop on your ass like super mario and beat you with your already shitty shell!” donnie went agaps, jaw on the groud, hand on his chest.

“Damn, I didn’t know it would scare you that much?” he laughs off his nevers as the two of you get on his bike. The two of you hop of when you get to the top of one of the tower things inbetween the belts, the city lights illuminating everything around you so you can see perfectly. As you are admiring everything around you donnie starts to set up the picnic blanket, “Wow i didn’t know you’d like it here this much.”

“What do you mean? This is so cool, you act as if you come here regularly.” he looks up at you with a smile, “... you come here regularly don’t you?”

“It’s our new favorite hangout spot, and much more discrete then rooftops.”

"Theres a really busy street right below us. what's the difference?" You sit down across from donnie on the picnic blanket and you help him take everything out of the basket,

"The difference, most people aren't looking up when they're driving. And why would they take their eyes off the busy rode?"

"Mabey they have a death wish?"

"Mabey."

You pull of the heart shaped plates and glasses out of the bag and start to gush over them, “Don’t you just LOVE these cups i got you!?”

“Yeah, i love that, including the heart shaped wicker basket, and pillows, and chocolates… I know that sounds like sarcasm, but i do love it.” as the two of you continue to unpack you see your favorite cookies, and cupcakes.

“Donnie! You didn’t!”

“Why do you sound so surprised like i dont do this all the time?”

“Its because you remembered!”

“It’s hard to forget our favorite things when we always talk about them. Every time we’re hanging out one of us just starts ranting as the other is working.”

“I love that for us, and because of that I know just how much you ACTUALLY like Atomic Lass… that and i check you search history.”

“And I yours… I shoudln’t have done that.”

“I warned you. Anyone who got quezy durring the saltburn bath tub scene, couldn’t handle whats on my laptop.” you laugh a little remebering the first time the two of you watched that, he left the room multiple times.

When the two of you were done setting up you just started talking, about whatever came to your mind. LMK, jupiter jim, the boondocks, anything you guys liked, “oh do you remember when we watched violet evergarden together for the first time?”

“Ofcourse you started crying when the episode about the littel girl came on.”

“Which one?”

“The one with the mom the wrote a bunch of letters for you daughter before she died.”

“That one was soo sad! But it was really sweet, that is what i call motherly love”

“You cry for the dumbest things hun,” he starts laughing at you but you laugh with him, “You wont cry for sad movies whatsoever but the second you relate to a character you start bawling. As far as i'm aware you mother is still alive.”

“It’s not about the dead mother! Its aboutt he dedication to her child!'' Donnie just listened to you rambling on about it, your voice is basically white noise. The amount of times he’s fallen asleep just by being around you is countless, the ease you put him at is unmatched. “and that just pulled all my heart strings!”

As the night went on the two of you purely enjoyed eachothers company, and the sweets donnie brought. As the two of you talked a sertain song came on,

But when the morning comes

We'll burn it down and then

We'll build the world again...

Our love is God.

“I forgot this song was on this playlist,” Donnie trys to skip it but you stop him,

“Remebere when we were fourteen how we did a two person play of the heaters?”

“Yeah what abo- ohhh” donnie gets up on his feet, “you remember the lyrics right?” he holds out his hand for you.

“Ofcourse,” You take his hand as the two of you get into character.

Hi Kurt, it's Veronica

How did you guys know it was always a fantasy of mine to have two guys at once?

Wowuhh... lucky guess?

Well, if you want it to come true, meet me at the cemetery, at dawn

Free pussy!

And we don't even have to buy it a pizza!

Punch it in! Whaat?! Hahaha!

The two of you were both theater kids, singing together mixed with your average acting filled the two of you with joy way back when you were younger. The two of you join hands again as you shift to veronica and JD.

We can start and finish wars

We're what killed the dinosaurs

We're the asteroid that's overdue

The dinosaurs choked on the dust

They died because God said they must

The new world needed room

For me and you

Well your average acting, everytime the two of you sang this song donnie was too realistic. The way he would make your heart throb was supernatural. Despite being cold blooded your were never cold with you touched him.

I worship you.

I'd trade my life for yours

They all will disappear

We'll plant our garden here

He cups your cheek in the palm of his hand, as he kisses you. His hand was warm, everytime he held you, you felt safe. He pulled away from you and continued the song, and you joined him quickly after.

Our love is God

Our love is God

Our love is God

Our love is God

“You missed acouple lines hun.” he pecks your cheek,

“Only because you kissed me,”

“Stop acting like you did’t like it”

“Ugh.” he wraps his hands around you hips and stuffs his face in the crook of your neck.

...I worship you

I'd trade my life for yours

We'll make them disappear

We'll plant our garden here

Our love is God

Our love is God

“I love that song don.”

“I know you do hun.”

I hope you guys liked it! There some references that some people might not get, like the super mario reference, but still. Kiss, kiss, hope you have a good night, day, afternoon or whatever. <3

[shadowbriar]

Anthony Lockwood - I Love You So

Pairing : (F/M) || Anthony Lockwood x TouchGifted!Reader Word Count : 5.7k. Damn I’m on fire this time. Warning : Mention of blood and injury. Angst. Possible OOC as I haven’t read the books. Not proofread. Synopsis : The ambition they’ve nurtured for years finally start to create a space between them, straining their relationship that turns what once were friends into colleagues. Notes : Inspired by The Walters - I Love You So. This song is very Lockwood coded for me, I recommend listening to it while reading. Please help and try to save Lockwood & co by using the hashtag #SaveLockwoodAndCo on social medias and don’t forget to vote for them on National Film Award 2023. You can check my friend Paulina’s tweet to see how. If you like this story and would like to support me, please visit my kofi page and perhaps get me a coffee?☕

Her fingers trace the writings on the thinking cloth, lips unintentionally curved into a smile whenever George's silly comment or Lucy's mocking remarks were visible. Their early bicker about their planning process replays in her head. She's always been one to easily record information in her head, no further recall or revising needed for her to proceed with their plans, but given her troublesome nights lately, supposed a late night go over with a cup of tea would be a brilliant idea.

“Trouble sleeping?”

She looks up, welcomed by smiling Lockwood who's leaning by the kitchen door, “Something like that.”

“Why didn't you come to the library?”

“Wasn't in the mood for a late night quarrel with you.”

She shot him a playful smile, earning a light chuckle that didn't sound like it was heartfelt. Just enough to let her know that he understood her sarcasm.

Lockwood steps in, pouring himself a cup of tea and sitting across her. She could feel his eyes trained on her, taking in every detail and admiring it as he wouldn't do it during the day. For whatever reason that might be, she wasn't sure. But it wasn't like he ever professed any feelings for her. For all she knows he might just be spacing out and planning something in his head completely unrelated to her.

He calls her name.

Not looking up to meet his eyes, she hums, “Hm?”

“We're good.. Aren't we?”

No, no we aren't, she thought. He might not notice it but the distance growing between them has been eating her alive. She wasn't sure when it started nor what exactly is the cause for her invisible wound, but something's changed between them. He would be there in the morning when they eat breakfast, would be there when they watch their late night show on the telly, but Lockwood has been anything but a friend to her. He's turned into a stranger she hardly recognise. There was a wall between them, one she couldn't climb nor break through, and it's maddening that she couldn't fix it or talk about it.

Because what exactly changed? She doesn't know.

“Of course.” She faked a smile, feigning her most believable tender tone “What makes you think we're not?”

Lockwood opens his mouth before closing it again, sealing it with a smile as if he thinks it would be better to entertain her lies, “Nothing. Just wanted to be sure.”

She nods, looking back down to the thinking cloth.

“Will you join me tonight?” He asks again, nervousness bleeds through his tone. This wouldn't be the first time he asks her to sleep with him, just to hold each other until the sun rises, but for some reason it feels much more nerve racking than the countless previous. Perhaps because for the first time, her answer might not be pleasant to his ear “We can discuss further about the plan. Maybe my rambling can help you drift to slumber.”

“Not tonight, Anthony.”

It's taken her every willpower to not look up and take her words back. She can imagine the disappointment in his eyes when she hears him let out a sigh. She's avoiding him now. Perhaps scared to actually feel the distance between them when she lays on his bed, no longer feeling the safety of his embrace.

“Alright,” He mutters as he stands and pushes his chair “Don't stay up too late, we need you sharp and alert for tomorrow's job.”

Again, she only replies with a nod.

When the doorknob lightly clicks, she lets out a breath she wasn't even aware she was holding. Her eyes now avert to the door, where he was standing just a few minutes ago with that proud smile and tired eyes. He looks the same, the very same Anthony John Lockwood who'd caused them numerous troubles on the field, the very same Anthony who's ego seems to inflate whenever a rapier is at hand, the very same boy she's been madly in love with for years.

There were moments when she thought that the water flows both ways. When he would hug her first after winning a fencing tournament, or when he would hold her after a terrible nightmare, or simply when he would give her freshly cut toasts for breakfast. The little things one would not notice as something sentimental after years of growing up together. But she does. She notices.

Perhaps had even taken things too seriously when it might just mean nothing for him.

She lets out a sigh, running her fingers through her hair and rubbing her temples gently. It might just be nothing, she tries to convince herself, it might just be the stress of work for both of us. With the agency's growing popularity and demands of clients that never seem to end, perhaps all her troubles were just caused by it. That nothing is wrong between her and Lockwood, that there is no distance, no space between them.

—-

“Another massive win for us, I might say.” Lockwood says as the squad enters 35 Portland Row. His arm was around her shoulder as support, dried blood littering his left cheek from the early action of the mission, but neither the ache nor wound on his temple seem to wither his satisfied-self “The papers are going to have to write about us this time.”

Lucy groans as she tidies their rapier to the stand, “Keep me out from them, please.”

“Oh, but you're the star of this agency, Luce!”

Lucy dismisses Anthony's remark as she proceeds to ascend the stairs, visibly in desperate need of a warm shower.

“I wouldn't want to be involved too, thanks for asking.” George sarcastically commented with eyes still studying the locket they retrieved from the site. An ancient relic that would be his source of research for the weeks to come “You two would be enough of a punching bag for them to pick on.”

Lockwood turns to her as George retreats to his room, a happy grin still etched on his face, “Looks like it's gonna be us two again.”

“We can worry about the press later. You have a wound to treat first.” She replies as they begin to walk deeper into the house “And don't keep your hopes too high, Anthony. DEPRAC has a tendency to stomp on our dreams.”

Wincing slightly as he rests himself on the sofa, Lockwood watches her leave the room to get their med kit and a basin full of water. He could never get tired of this. Walking home after a successful mission, her tending his wounds that wouldn't be there if he would just suppress his impulsive-self, and listening to her scolds about how he acts like he's got nine lives on his sleeves.

But when she returned with her kit, the nagging that he's braced himself to face never came. She remained quiet, eyes locked on his wound. Not even a second spared to look into his eyes.

The cleaning process felt like a blink of an eye. Before he knew it she was already fixing the bandages back to the aid bag. His wound was cleaned, a thin layer of healing ointment lacing it. All done in silence, no lectures.

“Try to keep the wound dry when you shower, alright?”

Lockwood blinks. Nodding at her words as he tries to digest the silence they're in.

“Are you hurt anywhere else?”

“I don't think so.” He answers.

She flashes a smile, standing from her seat. Without another word she exits the room, carrying the basin that is now slightly red from his blood and the aid bag. She spared no other glance at him. Silently returning the medical kit to the cabinet before entering her room and locking it shut.

Perhaps today isn't a big win after all.

—-

Having Lucy in the company has exponentially boosted their success. Such brilliant talent has brought them more accomplishment that it was getting troublesome for them to finish one mission to another. Lucy was truly Heaven sent, in short. The saviour to their dying agency and she could never thank her enough to revive Lockwood's dream back to life.

She understands the importance of Lucy's gift for their team and how the company is at it’s golden moment right now. Sure she and Lockwood are two of the most gifted agents there are, but with Lucy in the crew, the quartet was unbeatable. And it is obvious that Lockwood is determined to reap as much advantage as possible.

“I'm going to the grocery shop, anyone needs anything?”

It was a lazy Sunday morning. George making notes on the thinking cloth, Lucy trying to listen to their newest source, and Lockwood leaning on the kitchen set with his brows furrowed, clearly in a deep thought.

“I'll come with you.” Lockwood says as he picks up his coat “George, you said we need more teabags, right? Anything for you, Luce?”

The girl shakes her head, looking rather annoyed to have her focus broken from his question.

“I can go alone, it's not going to be a huge shopping trip.” She says as Lockwood comes to her “Really, Anthony, you can just stay and help brainstorm the plan.”

“I'm coming,” He insists with a light chuckle “What is it with you? Are you avoiding me or something?”

Yes, she wanted to say, I'm going out to have a breath away from you.

Lockwood opens the door, gesturing to her to come and ignoring her lack of answer, “Come on then.”

With a last smile and wave of goodbye to George and Lucy, she follows Lockwood's step outside of the house. The wind was blowing gently, sky clear and blue, the very perfect weather for her to take a stroll yet her mind couldn't help but to overlook such perfection and worry about the body walking next to her instead.

Lockwood's hands were buried deep inside his pockets. He was looking down to the cobblestone, as if there was some invisible stepping for him to step on. The creases on his forehead are a clear indication that his mind is occupied elsewhere. Almost as if he was mirroring her.

“So, uh,” He begins, trying to break the ice between them “What do you need from the shop?”

“Just some snacks and sweets.” She answers “You?”

He shrugs, “Maybe just a pack of gum.”

“Right.”

Lockwood nods, turning his gaze back to the road.

For someone who loves to brood in silence, Lockwood has always had her as an exception. She's the only person he could let his chatter-self loose, expressing all the most trivial thoughts he has, knowing that she would indulge them with a welcoming commentary or simply a warm laughter. The kind of laughter that makes you feel seen and heard. Her kind of laughter.

But after all her evident effort to turn him down, asking to be paired with George on their missions, declining his invitations to spend the night in his room or the library, and the most recent no-scolding-moment when she tended his wound, Lockwood couldn't help but to feel pressured on finding a topic to talk about.

“So what do you think about our last job?” He asks, forcing a happy smile as she turns to see him “A rather brilliant achievement, don't you think? With Lucy in our team, I'm certain our agency can be big in no time. Hell, we might have to start rejecting clients soon, can you believe it? We're lucky to have found such gifted talent-”

“Lockwood,” She cuts in, making him wince at the use of his last name instead of his first “Can I ask you a favour?”

He blinks, “Anything.”

“Let's not talk about work until we get back home, okay? Can I ask that of you?”

“Sure,” He nods “Of course, no talking about work for the rest of our shopping trip.”

She flashes a smile in gratitude, locking their arms together as a means of apology for stomping on his light. He smiles at her, a genuine one, before patting the back of her hand and continuing their walk to the grocery shop.

—-

The trolley wheels through the aisle as she scans for the particular brand of chocolate. She would certainly need a big bar of it along with a pint of ice cream tonight. For once after what seems to be forever, she finally cracked the code. The cause of space that has been growing between her and Lockwood has been found. What is left now is to find a way to solve it and to tell him about how they need to separate their lives with the job.

When he first told her about his dream of having his own agency, she was ever the most supportive and kind. Dropping her brilliant achievements at the academy, she was the first or perhaps second agent of Lockwood & co. Their talents were more than enough to ever become the elite team if they were in another agency, but since the company was still on its baby roots, finding clients was rather challenging. Things were getting better when George joined and even more brilliant now that Lucy is part of the team. She would have never expected his dream to be in the way of their personal lives.

Everything is just work, work, and work now.

“Fancy seeing you here, stranger.”

She turns to see the man, a wide smile plastered on his face. Almost as radiant as his yellow leather uniform, “Quill, hi!”

“Oh, it's been forever.” He says as they share a hug “Are you here alone?”

“Lockwood,” She replies “He's wandering around but with you here, I'm sure he'll pop up in no time.”

The two chuckles at her commentary. Lockwood and Kipps were always the cause of her nightmares back in the academy. The two boys could never seem to act civil, always bickering and hostile to one another, but when she's alone with either of them, they would act the most gentle as if she was someone they love dearly for.

A different kind of love from each of the boys, of course.

“How are you?” She asks, her expression turns to slight worry “Is it getting any better?”

Kipps smiles painfully, “Barely holding on. We've got to make most of what we have, don't we?”

If there were no bad blood between the two she would have offered Kipps to join the agency years ago. Having known him for years and to see just how brilliant he was, the way his techniques were always showcased whenever they have a fencing duel, it is no wonder that people hold a big expectation on his shoulders. He was promoted as supervisor in no time due to his proficient skills but with his talent slowly weakening, he needed someone to help patch this rather embarrassing fragility.

“Have you given it a thought?” Kipps asks with a gentle tone “I heard that Lucy girl is of great help for your team. Do you think you could finally help mine instead?”

“Quill–,”

“Kipps,” Lockwood says as he circles his arm around her shoulder, showing a rather possessive manner at the sight of them “What are you doing here? You're not stalking us, are you?”

Kipps snorts, making a disgusted face at him, “This is a public space, Lockwood. Don't flatter yourself.”

Understanding that their time has come to an end, Kipps flashes her a smile and walks away. He knows that Lockwood wouldn't give them another second to talk so unless he'd want him to know about his persisting issue, it was best for Kipps to find himself out of the scene.

“What did he want?”

“Nothing, we just had a chat.” She lied, pushing Lockwood's arm off of her shoulder and continued to wheel the trolley.

“About what?”

“About nothing of your concern.” She replies “You might never see him as one but Quill's a friend of mine, Anthony. We were just having a friendly conversation.”

Lockwood frowns at her dissatisfying answer. She's keeping something from him but whatever it is, he knew that poking about it now would be the recipe for a nightmare. Her sour mood hasn't watered and it would be wise for him to just let her be.

Besides, it wasn't like she'd leave him. Not for Kipps of all people.

“Can I ask you something?”

Lockwood turns to her, a loving smile decorating his face, “Anything.”

“How are you, Anthony?”

He frowns, “Splendid, how are you?”

“No, I mean, how are you?” She repeats, sighing in frustration to convey her true meaning “I don’t know anything about you outside of work anymore. What music do you listen to now? What book do you read? Do you even read still?”

Lockwood remains quiet, waiting for her to continue with her words so he would understand better.

“I live under your roof, see you almost 24/7. You’re the first person I see in the morning and the last I would bid goodnight to, yet I feel like I don’t know anything about you anymore.”

“That’s not true.” He argues, still not understanding the severity of their discussion “You know everything about me.”

“Do I?”

“Don’t you?”

“Stop turning my questions to me, Anthony. You know I don’t like it when you do it.”

His chuckle breaks, now pulling her for a tight hug, “Is that what you’ve been worrying about? That you don’t know me anymore?”

She remains quiet.

“If there is anyone that knows me down to my fibre, it would be you.” He continues, patting her head gently to soothe her “I mean, I suppose I have been too occupied with work but that doesn’t mean that you don’t know me anymore. We still share our meals together, watch our favourite shows and spend most of our time together. You’re still the one friend that knows me best.”

“I suppose,” She gives in “I’m just worried that this whole ghost hunting thing is burying our reality because I genuinely can’t draw the line between work and our lives anymore.”

“Well, our life is the agency, is it not?”

She shrugs.

“Hey,” Lockwood calls, breaking the hug and cupping her face to look into her eyes “You know me. I’m not a stranger to you, alright? You know what my current favourite jam is, what kind of tea I enjoy at the moment, and what colour of socks I wear the most. We’re still the same people as we were five, ten years ago.”

She smiles, nodding as she melts into his sweet words, “Alright.”

—-

"Anthony, I don't like this."

The group puts down their bags as they arrive at the mansion. Examining the place from the outside, she can already tell that whatever is waiting for them inside isn’t anything close to what they’ve encountered before.

“It’s still a couple hours till sunset but the energy is already this strong.” She told him, her senses heightened in fear “We’re not equipped to fight such a visitor, Anthony. Best we go back, rethink our plan, and maybe ask for assistance.”

“From who? Kipps you mean?” Lockwood asks with a bitter expression. He rubs his nose, a habit he does whenever he’s trying to tone down a brewing exasperation “Look, we’ve been through this a hundred times. The plan is foul proof, I can assure you. By this time tomorrow we’ll be crowding the sitting room, watching whatever unknown movie George picks to enjoy.”

“This isn’t about your ego or old feud with Quill, Anthony. There’s nothing wrong in understanding your limit and drawing the line. No shame in dropping a job we’re not capable of.” She tries to reason “Think about our safety.”

“You’re safe,” He insists, placing his hands on her shoulders for assurance “Nothing bad will happen to any of us. I’ll keep an eye for you, I promise.”

Not giving her another second to argue, Lockwood walks away and begins to help Lucy fixing the metal chain. The inside of her stomach flips when the wind blows. She knows that even for people who aren’t gifted, the atmosphere the mansion offers is nowhere close to the word homey. There’s something dark and cold, peeking through the windows and she could feel it in her bones that none of them four is strong enough to battle such power.

She walks to George and begins unloading their equipment. Her brows furrow at the sight of a strange item. A circular ball that looks like their salt bomb, only that it is heavier and bigger in size.

“Careful,” George says as he takes it from her hand with care.

“What is that?”

“A new bomb.” He answers “It has salt, lavender, and some other chemical thing inside that would explode from sudden force. Throw it to the floor and whatever visitor we meet would evaporate to thin air.”

“That doesn’t sound very safe.” She mutters, turning her eyes back to the mansion “I hope we don’t have to use that tonight.”

She looks back at Lockwood’s direction, trying to ease her worry by repeating his words in her head. Lockwood knows what he’s doing. They’ve been through the plan a hundred times, just like he said. Nothing will go wrong tonight. Everything is collected and under control.

—-

“Make it stop!” Lucy wails, closing her ears tight with her hands “Please, make it stop!”

“George, give us the chains!” Anthony yells as he tries to calm Lucy.

George quickly runs to their aid as she tries her best to fight the ghost with her rapier. She might not be the best there is, but she’s neck to neck as good as Lockwood and that should give her friends enough time to cast more protection for Lucy.

It hasn’t even been two hours since they entered the mansion and already the plans they came up with burned to ashes. This is more than just a case of an old abandoned house. The amount of type two occupying the building is enough to tell them that their client hasn’t been truthful. This place must have witnessed a mass murder, perhaps a cult sacrifice, to hoard this much energy.

“We need to find the source.” She says as she battles the ghosts “I can’t use my talent while fighting these ghosts.”

As if on cue, Lockwood came and began to fight the ghosts. He turns to her for a brief moment, “Go. I’ll protect you.”

With a nod, she walks away from her spot, running to the other side of the room. She places her hands to the walls, trying to get a clearer picture of what they’re dealing with.

The sound of screams and crying begin to fill her ears. There was so much pain and sorrow. This mansion has seen the worst of human acts, inflicting as much agony as possible to innocent lives. Her consciousness was slipping away, drowning in the torment that she is sensing and if it wasn’t for Lucy’s scream of cry acting as her tether to reality, she would have sunk in a ghost-lock condition.

“The blade,” She says as she finally gets the idea of their source “The source is a blade. An old one with a gold handle and Latin engraving.”

“Great work,” Lockwood praises her, his prideful smirk tugging on his face “George, prepare the chain net. Be ready to cover it.”

“How exactly are we going to find it? It’s pitch black here.”

Lockwood chuckles, “Well, use your flashlight, why don’t you?”

The three of them now begin to scour the place whilst fighting the ghosts coming in their direction. The screaming in her head gets louder as they come closer to the source, almost deafening her physically. Her stepping was getting unstable. Energy and focus drained out of her with every bead of sweat layering her skin.

“Stop!” She yells, dropping her rapier as the cries become unbearable “It hurts, please stop!”

“Oh, no,” George, who was closest to her, now kneels down and tries to bring her back to consciousness as he lightly taps on her cheeks.

“George!” Lockwood calls, panic seems to finally sink in as he watches her wail in pain “The source must be close, try to find it. I’ll protect her.”

Nodding, George begins to crawl away and look for the damned blade. His hands found what seems to be an old cabinet and began to rummage through. With very limited lighting and no idea of what the blade looks like, searching for a piece of steel through a locker full of metal items feels fruitless.

Scanning from one drawer to the other, George lets out a satisfied chuckle as he finally finds what they’re looking for. But before he could take it out and cover it with their chain net, a handful of ghosts headed his way.

“George, watch out!”

In the heat of the moment, George throws the chain net to the drawer, hoping that it would land and cover the blade, before throwing the new bomb to the ghosts.

To their luck, the chain net did fall on top of the source but due to the close proximity and the lack of understanding of just how big the explosion the bomb would produce, George was thrown out of the wall from the impact. Bits of broken wood scratch his skin and there was a big gash on his forehead. 

George was unconscious.

—-

Opening the keys to 35 Portland Row with a tired yawn, she put down her scarf and hung her coat by the rack. She’s been staying at the hospital for days, only returning home to take a shower and bring a new set of fresh clothes for George. Her body was aching. The scars on her skin from the previous mission are still fresh and hurting but none of it compares to the fatigue of worrying for George’s being.

The terror from that night still haunts her. How her head was filled with wails one moment to complete silence and darkness as George successfully covers the source. She remembers scanning the floor with her hands to find her flashlight, trying to get some light to understand their situation better, only to be completely frightened by the sight of George, lying unconscious with blood pooling around him.

“You’re home,” Lockwood greets, a relieved expression evident on his face.

She nods, not giving him an answer as she walks past him.

“How is he?” He asks as she gets to the stairs.

“Still unconscious but his vitals are stabilising.” She answers  “You'd know if you visit him yourself.”

“I want to, but I need to finish the report and paperworks.” Lockwood reasoned, following her behind like a lost puppy “Lucy's out at the library to do some research about our next mission. With George at the hospital I think we'd need more time to make our plans.”

She rolls her eyes, fist balling as she tries to hold in her anger.

“I was wondering if you could go to the DEPRAC office on your way back to the hospital and drop the locket? Inspector Barnes called and-”

“Anthony!” She yells, finally turning to face the boy who's now pale from her sudden outburst “Are you even hearing yourself right now? Sending Lucy to work on our next job, asking me to stop by the DEPRAC office, you being busy in your little library, do you not even care in the slightest for George? He's lying unconscious at the hospital for a work I've told you to drop about!”

Lockwood remained silent. His expression is hard and unreadable.

“I've told you that we didn't have the equipment nor skills to do the job. I've told you that the visitors are much more powerful than the ones we've faced before. I've told you to at least ask for help for the task and yet you've dismissed it all and look what it's brought us, Anthony!”

“Yes, but we did it, didn't we? We secured the source.” Lockwood answers with feigned optimism, giving her his unsure smile as he steps closer “We took a hit, sure, but it's not like George didn't know what he was getting himself into.”

She blinks at his words. Now taking a step back away from him as she tries to digest his answer, “Is that what you're going to say when each of us falls?”

His expression softens, “You know I would never let anything hurt you.”

“Yet here I am.” She argues, her poison laced smile evident “Hurt and wounded.”

Lockwood was at a loss of words. He remained silent, staring at her with his pleading eyes that silently screams for her to drop this and forgive his faulty words. But his silence served as nothing but a mere slap to reality for her that Lockwood was just a boy with a naive dream and no understanding of the risks he's committing the team to.

“I thought this was all I wanted.” She says with a volume just above a whisper, a pitiful smile plastered on her face as she tries to keep her tone steady. The cracks of her breaking heart is visible through her expression “You're everything I want, Anthony.. But I can't deal with your ambitions anymore.”

Giving him no chance to explain, she retreats to her room and slams the door, leaving him defeated in the hallway. The house feels colder now somehow. As if the silence wasn't enough to weigh his guilt even more. Lockwood knew that he messed up but never had he imagined that he'd ruin things this far. Especially not with her.

—-

Days have been slightly better now that George's discharged from the hospital. The kitchen is once again filled with their chatter but not nearly half as much laughter as before. The nightmare of wounded George still haunts her days and torments her at night. She would never be able to work with the squad as she did before. Something has changed in her and there's no turning back now.

Lockwood on the other hand has tried every possible way to talk to her but with every chance he makes to pursue her, she just has a hundred more ways to turn it down and avoid him. Her silent treatment was driving him nuts and it would be an understatement to say that he's desperate to fix it.

Now sitting in his study room, Lockwood turns to the door as he hears a light knock. She peeks inside with a slight smile, the most he's gotten after their fight a couple weeks ago.

“Can I come in?”

“Have I ever said no?”

She nods, stepping inside the room timidly. A piece of paper in her hand.

“What is it?” He asks with a warm smile, hoping that this would be the start of their reconciliation “What can I help you with?”

She looks down to the letter in her hand, sighing before handing it to him, “I wanted to give you my resignation letter.”

Lockwood stares at her blankly, not moving from his chair.

Gently, she reaches for his hand and hands him the paper. Lockwood's eyes were glued on her, trying to catch any trace of jest from the words she uttered. He prays for all gods out there to let this be a joke. Some cruel prank she's pulling on him as payback for his dickhead move for the past months. But as the ticking of the clock in the room grew louder, her playful smile never appeared.

“Why?”

“Anthony–”

“I promise to do better, I swear it.” He begs, standing from his seat and carelessly putting the letter away “I'll make better plans, I'll calculate each and every possibility there is and I'll listen to you better. Any input you have, I'll highlight it and make it work. Please, just– Don't leave. Don't leave me.”

She had to look away from his eyes before her fortress crumbled. Lockwood knows just when to put those big puppy eyes out and win her heart. But there's just so many times she could spare herself for him. There's just so many chances she could give and no matter how much she wishes and prays that this time would be different than the last, she knew that the damage done would still leave scars on them. An invisible one that could only be healed with time and space.

“Please,” Lockwood begs, seeming on the verge of tears “Name your price. Anything, please, just say it.”

“What I want you cannot give, Anthony.” She answers with a bitter smile “Because if you could, I know you would have given it to me years ago.”

“Just name it, please. Do you want a rise? Do you want to switch rooms? Do you want your name to be the agency's name? Because I can do that. We can just change the company's name to yours.”

A tear escapes her eyes. She knows that he was being genuine, that he was willing to give up anything to make her stay. But even with all he offers to give, Lockwood still couldn't see the one thing she desires of him.

And it's crystal clear to her now that he could never give the one thing she needs of him.

Placing her hands to his cheeks, she cups him gently and smiles, “You're going to be a brilliant agent, Anthony. Lockwood & co will be the best agency there is, I know it. I believe it.”

“Then why are you leaving?” He asks with a defeated tone “Why won't you be here with me?”

Because you won't love me the way I love you, she thought.

“Please,” Lockwood pleads “I can't lose you too.”

Pulling him for a hug, his dam finally breaks as sobs begin to echo in the room. He holds her tight, afraid that she would disappear if he loosens his embrace just a little. He would miss the sweet scent of her shampoo, the warmth of her body when he needed some comfort after a terrible nightmare, and her joyful laughter that always seemed to drunken him in bliss.

If only he would tell her exactly how he feels.

“You'll never lose me, Anthony.” She whispers to his chest, listening to his heartbeat before they part “I'm yours, always.”

↠ If You’re Going to Break My Heart

[aiura-stan]

0-6!

(If you’re wondering how I’m getting these done so fast, it’s because I’m doing these ahead of time. I'm running on a queue.) I used dictation and actual keyboard typing for this one, so it’s going to be long. (Side note, I love the ability to dictate things and using split screen mode! Highly useful features and I have no idea why it’s taken me this long to actually use them.) Also, I guess I should say that there will be spoilers in this and probably future posts too, because I’ve already read the manga. Okay! Onto the commentary.

I love that Saiki outright states he doesn't want to be the "guy you know what he's thinking.” Like, come on Saiki, admit it; you have a little bit in common with Kaidou. (I think he secretly kind of likes freaking people out. He definitely likes the fact that people are a little scared of him.)

He's always the odd one out; He's one of the loner kids. I don't think he really thinks it makes him look normal. I think that's just what he tells himself to feel better about the whole thing.

I think it's funny that he dislikes Kaidou for the same reasons that he thinks he's so different from everyone else. I mean, Kaidou is always trying to stand out, and Saiki does have a legitimate reason for not wanting to stand out. But even so. He’s just got it in his head that is so much better than Kaidou at the beginning of the series. Like, dude, you're no different from him. You're the same breed of weirdo in a different font. Lol. That font is “really intentionally manipulating others’ perception of you for personal reasons.” It’s just that Kaidou’s version is much flashier than yours. I like seeing it this early on in the comic; it's interesting to see how it all started. Also, Kaidou is a lot more polite than Nendou, apologizing for talking to Saiki out of nowhere. Amusing. He absolutely knows how to behave like a normal person, but chooses not to because his persona gives him confidence.

I also like that here in the beginning of the comic, we have an unnamed guy who is was basically parroting what Kuuusuke says further on in the comic, and it’s more clearly framed as delusional weirdo behavior.

Yes, duh, he came to you because you were alone, Saiki. Weirdo behavior attracts weirdos (weirdos attract weirdos.) That's just a basic social law for ya.

Also, I laughed out loud at “okay, I’m calling you Junpei.” good response, honestly. Saiki’s narrative commentary addressed to no one in particular is always really funny.

He also seems to be egging him on in the next panel with his sarcastic remarks (wow. Your punch was soooo fast I couldn’t see it at all), though it’s never clear in this manga whether the person being spoken about can actually hear anything he’s saying in all of its dry sarcasm. My headcanon follows the lines that Saiki uses hypnosis when he’s not actively addressing them (sending telepathic messages to them), so people just hear whatever they want to hear from him. Or something like that. I’m guessing that we, the readers, are supposed to assume that they can’t hear him unless Saiki is actively sending them telepathic messages/‘broadcasts’. "I fancy you" is a strangely British way of putting it. Which also means "I like-like you" if memory serves. Translators??? strange. anyways.

Ah… XD. I forgot that Kaidou saw him teleport in the manga. That’s perfect considering Kaidou’s name joke (shunkaidou = teleportation.) wahh, I wish this one came in the tankobon volumes so I could read them.

You know… since the third chapter of this volume was adapted into the anime, can volume 0 really be called non-canon? Maybe to the manga. Hmmmmmm.

Oh come on. Why didn’t they put this in the anime??? It would have been hilarious to have Kaidou imagining some kind of green monster-humanoid hybrid and then the screen transitions to Saiki’s expressionless face, with pink limiters and green glasses. There’s an element of color that manga sadly lacks. I get the point with the black arrows, Mr. Asou, but it just isn’t quite the same without actual color.

XD Asou’s attention to detail is good. We actually see the teacher wondering where the hell he’s going when he runs out of the room, and then following through showing that he won’t be running students down just to make sure they stay in class. It’s a small thing, but it definitely makes a difference, making the Saikiverse seem a bit more realistic.

Also, look, it’s this guy who appears a bajillion chapters later in that weird gag… What was his name again? Gah… refer back to this later, future me.

Yes, Kaidou becomes a completely different person outside of his riddiculous chunnibyou persona, which he only uses at school. I do like that Asou sensei writes him this way. It would be easier to have him be in character all the time, but he’s much more realistic like this. I love that Saiki remembers the stupid nickname he gave himself. It makes the contrast even more funny. Okay, I’ll stop analyzing Kaidou and explaining every joke for now.

XD XD XD

Things like this make me wonder if Saiki really doesn’t know that’s how his looks might be interpreted at a distance… even though he understood from the verbal description that he could be perceived as having “pink horns” and “green eyes.” And he spaces out in class just thinking about it. Thoroughly neurodivergent behavior.

I also love things like this, that imply but don’t outright show that Nendou just… openly teleports in front of Nendou because he can get away with it.

I also enjoy Saiki’s stubbornness in calling Kaidou ‘Junpei.’ Peak comedy.

I love that Kaidou would rather Saiki think he has multiple personalities instead of just being polite to people outside of school. And Saiki says he appreciates the effort… lol. I think he does actually appreciate it, in a way, sarcasm aside. Kaidou is committed to the bit.

“Whether that’s true or not, you need to get to a hospital.” Lollll. But also… makes me wonder if he really believes it, again. That along with the “Kaidou personality chart” further on in this comic. From Saiki’s other confrontations with people who clearly need help (including the one where he talks down a suicidal guy. And of course Terushashi’s brother.) It’s as if it never even occurred to saiki to have a sense of urgency about these kinds of things.

Mmmm! Once again I wish I had the Japanese version because I’m sure he is using polite speech here, for a minute.

Well, at least Kaidou acknowledges here that he’s in fact a chunni and therefore doing this on purpose. Which, again, makes me wonder why Saiki would ever believe even for a second that it isn’t an intentional thing. Or maybe it’s just supposed to be taken as sarcasm outright, but the panel where Saiki is confused about the Horns Saiki drawing really is throwing me off. Another thing I should look for raws of, to see if there’s anything to be gleaned from the OG text.

YES! You and saiki are pretty similar. In a way. Yes, he is worrying about his high school debut… in a way.

Saiki, it is entirely understandable that you think Kaidou is an egomaniac, but given his “other personality,” how did you not guess that he’s just lonely??? He literally had to explain his entire thought process for you to get it??? Yeah, emotional EQ in the single digits.

Earlier, I said Kaidou knew full well how to act like a normal person and just doesn’t do it, but he’s definitely awkward. I mean, of course it’s going to be awkward asking strangers if they’ve seen a guy with green eyes, sharp teeth and horns. (I am not quite sure why Kaidou is so committed to the bit myself.)

LMAO?!?

Saiki, that’s your own goddamned fault, lmao. Put your money where your mouth is and shut him down if you’re tired of annoying people “entering your life”… :)

That wraps up 0-6.

There’s a lot going on here, to be sure. In conclusion, I think Saiki works really well here as a character who is technically omniscient, in terms of perspective, but deeply limited in his ability to interpret information.

Alright, the end. Ja mata! 💫

[lovelybucky1]

Kinktober Day 21- Mask Kink

warnings: college au, enemies to lovers, mask kink, costumes, simulated violence, teasing, no real violence/not dark, 18+ minors dni

kinktober masterlist

main masterlist

Jake Seresin has always been an asshole. He’s bothered you since the day you met, constantly teasing you just because he had a crush. It was no secret that he wanted you, and you can’t deny his good looks or charm, but you had too much self respect to fall for a guy like him.

Every time someone throws a party, he ends up following you around like a lost puppy, hoping for a smidge of attention. It would be endearing if he wasn’t so goddamn annoying.

Tonight, Bradley’s frat is hosting a halloween costume party and everyone is having a good time. You’re not above wearing skimpy costume for halloween; you look good and you’re hoping to not go home alone later.

Everything is going great. You’re a drink in, your friends are laughing and having fun, and Jake is nowhere to be found.

Tasha, who is dressed as a devil, introduces you to her new friend Bob, who is dressed like an angel, but ironically wearing very little.

“Can you get us some punch?” Tasha asks, yelling over the music and the noise of the crowd. You nod, and start off towards the kitchen.

When you get there, you’re blessed with some quiet. The room is empty and you relax a bit now that you’re not worried about a hoard of drunk people knocking you over.

You fill two cups full of the pink, sickly-sweet liquid that is surely going to give everyone a serious hangover. Just as you’re about to pick up the cups and walk back to Tasha and Bob, you’re grabbed from behind.

An arm wraps around your waist, and a hand covers your mouth, muffling your scream. You thrash, trying to get out of the person’s hold, but you stop once you hear a familiar chuckle in your ear.

They let go of you and you turn around to face them. You’re met with the sight of someone in a Ghostface mask and a black robe, towering over you. You’re still catching your breath from the scare while you glare up at them.

“What’s the matter? It looks like you’ve seen a ghost,” they say, a smirk evident in their voice.

“You’re such an asshole, Jake,” you huff, trying to turn back around but you’re stopped with a hand on your hip.

“Oh, come on,” he says as he pulls his mask up, letting it rest on the top of his head. “I didn’t scare you that bad, did I?”

You cross your arms and glare up at him.

He laughs, his pretty smile splitting his face and it’s hard to stay mad at him when he looks like that. He steps forward, into your space and crowding you against the edge of the counter. You’re annoyed expression falls, transforming into something Jake has never seen from you before.

“You poor thing,” he coos condescendingly as he reaches up to brush his fingers under your jaw.

You turn your head away from his touch, but you don’t have far to move when he is so close.

“I’m just saying, you could’ve played along a little more,” he says.

“What, you want me to pretend to be your helpless victim?”

Jake shrugs, still smirking as he pulls his mask down. “Something like that.”

“Oh, please don’t kill me, Mr. Ghostface, I wanna be in the sequel!” you say, voice intentionally higher pitched and dripping with sarcasm.

“That was pretty good. You have practice begging?”

You should be used to Jake’s teasing and innuendos by now, but they still make you flustered. He pushed his mask back up and suddenly you feel small under his gaze. You flick your eyes away from his, now looking somewhere over his shoulder.

“I hate you so much,” you say instead.

“Awh, you’re breakin’ my heart, baby,” he says, tilting your head and making you look back at him. “You don’t mean that.”

“I do.”

“Well,” he leans closer. “If I scared you so bad, and you hate me so much… why didn’t you run?”

“Because you grabbed me, asshole,” you scoff.

Jake raises his eyebrows, then takes a step back and holds his hands up. You’re free to walk away, and he’ll let you go, but for some reason you don’t.

“That’s what I thought,” he whispers.

This time, you come to him. You can’t help yourself, not when he looks like that. He always looks good, yes, but for some reason the costume is doing it for you.

He grabs your hips and looks down at you with raised eyebrows.

“Don’t say a goddamn thing to anyone about this,” you say, looking up at him.

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he says, like he isn’t already planning to shout it from the rooftops later. “Let’s go upstairs.”

“One more thing,” you stop him before he starts to drag you down the hall. “The mask stays on.”

Jake grins. “Sure, sweetheart. Whatever you want.”

[fanfic-gremlin-ft-trauma]

15 people, 15 questions

Thank you @transboyzuko and @kiki-strike for tagging me!!

1.) Are you named after anyone?

Nope. My parents nearly called me Isabella but they chose Sofia last minute (I’m glad they did bc it’s Portuguese and there’s also like a million Isabellas.)

2.) When was the last time you cried?

Thursday last week bc I watched a movie in class that I didn’t expect to be triggered by but Oh Well.

3.) Do you have kids?

I don’t even have a job 😭

4.) What sports do you play/have played?

I’m absolutely terrible at every conceivable sport and hate it with a passion but I did play netball for like, six years when I was really young. Still shit at it tho lol.

5.) Do you use sarcasm?

When I need to, yes. But not if I know it’s gonna upset someone.

6.) What’s the first thing you notice about people?

Their eyes. I don’t know why it’s so random but I’m always drawn to eyes, maybe it’s because they’re the window to the soul or maybe it’s bc that’s the centre of the face and I’m scared shitless of first impressions and always think about Eye Contact.

7.) What’s your eye colour?

Green but it shifts from forest green when I wear dark green clothes to lighter green when I wear (shocker) lighter green clothes.

8.) Scary movies or happy endings?

I cannot be paid or coerced to watch anything vaguely scary so I’m strongly on the happy endings side. I just want my fictional characters to have good lives man 😭😭

9.) Any talents?

Well, I am a bit of an artist. That’s quite underground though, I’m not sure if people know? (I’m not funny) No but seriously I draw, sing, act, write, play3 instruments, I can do accents? If that counts lol. My friends say my ability to be nice to anyone is a talent, which is sweet so I’ll add it :)

10.) Where were you born?

Idk I just was

11.) What are your hobbies?

Drawing, singing, writing fanfic (guilty pleasure), reading fanfic, playing instruments, history facts (yes I’m a nerd shut up)

12.) Do you have any pets?

Never had one :’)

13.) How tall are you?

5’7 and still getting taller

14.) Favourite subject in school?

English english english I knoWW we all hate writing essays but uh. I don’t? It’s kinda fun actually 😭 and I like analysing poems? Uh. My English teacher is a gift to the earth so maybe that’s why

15.) Dream job?

Psychologist. I’ve always wanted to help people (especially teens) with whatever they’re going through, neurodivergent people, queer and trans people. Literally anyone who I can help. I know it’s a hard job, and it takes a lot of work, but honestly? Seeing people happier or if I can help at least one person would be worth it :)

Tagging people who might already have been tagged uhhhh but it’s fine probably

@adriancatrin @haroldtea @please-dont-burn-out @electro-strike-zukka-time @erisenyo @divorcedzukka @strrwbrrryjam @sukiluvvs @sukidude @bonksoundeffect @blu3berrydraws @mike-queerler @myguiltyartpleasure @moncuries @marriedzukka

[nectar-cellar]

15 questions for 15 mutuals

thank you very much for tagging me!! sorry i didn’t get around to this sooner 🙈

@sofiims @uglynormie @hiddenspriings @cupidia @obscurus-noctem @drawing-way-outside-the-lines @agnelid @descendantdragfi @satellite-sims @sim4areason @mainlyjustthesims @pleaseputnamehere @sim-songs @simolemons @theageofsims @its-adrienpastel

i loved reading all your answers.

my answers below:

Are you named after anyone? i was named after a place that was named after a person 

When was the last time you cried? earlier this week 💀 the reason: i was trying to write some goth family backstory, trying to write from cassandra’s perspective, and her life made me really sad. not sure if these ideas will end up turning into story posts or not. 

Do you have kids? no ❤

Do you use sarcasm a lot? a little bit. i’m more of a dry humor kind of person, not so much sarcastic lol

What sports do you play/have you played? i’ve played a variety of sports but never stuck with any for very long. i can’t say i enjoy sports in general. i think it’d be more fun if i had a partner or family or group of friends who were very into it. i’m such a couch potato lol but i do go to the gym 3x a week, trying to tone up a little bit okay 💅

What’s the first thing you notice about other people? i used to draw/doodle portraits a lot so i notice faces immediately. their noses and eyebrows especially because those are the “framing” features in my opinion. when i used to draw, those were the features i would sketch first.

Scary movies or happy endings? i like both! i grew up watching scary movies so i find it hard for a movie to truly scare me anymore. i do have a fascination with morbid things and i always want to know why this monster/serial killer etc is on the prowl, like WHY? also the creativity and ingenuity behind how a good plot is set up is really interesting to me as a writer/storyteller. so i’m always intrigued by horror movies, thrillers, mysteries etc. i get to be entertained, i get to analyze, and i get to learn.

Any special talents? related to #6, i’m really good at recognizing faces? i didn’t think this was special but my coworker recently told me he is terrible with remembering faces (we work in a big office) and i was a bit surprised. i remember faces much better than names while he is the opposite.

Where were you born? canada, eh

What are your hobbies? daydreaming about fictional ppl and situations 😐

Do you have any pets? sadly no, as a kid i always wished to have cats and dogs but it just never suited our lifestyle and my parents weren’t keen on them. pets like hamsters, birds and fish don’t really interest me. as an adult i can’t commit to the care and maintenance a pet needs so i don’t see myself getting any pets anytime soon.

How tall are you? one time at work they had the nerve to ask me to change a lightbulb. like... me! imagine. i got onto a chair and stood up and still couldn’t reach the ceiling. 😌

Fave subject in school? english and art!

Dream job? i don’t have one but when i was a kid, it used to be an author or an artist.

Eye colour? dark brown

hmm most of my mutuals have already done this. i’ll tag @olomayasims @zoeoe-sims @twinsimming @frostedshore @llamaheart @treason-and-plot @sunlithills @thegloomiestwhim @streetlites @wolfavens @hotpatched @fishduhh @chinsims @polrbearsims @bobnewbie @itssimplythesims @lazysunjade @amuhav @keibea @simbico @bool-prop @cinamun @rebouks

[prettywordsblog]

PAIRING Roman & gn reader

SUMMARY two friends, catching up. But the topic of childhood memories spark tensions.

WORD COUNT 1.7k

THEMES angst, one sided feelings, Roman being Roman

A/N got inspired when I was reading dog and bone on ao3 (go read it)

You and Roman have known each other since childhood. You, being Logan’s goddaughter, had grown up quite close to all the Roy children, but being closer in age to Roman meant that the two of you stuck together. Luckily, you never endured Logan’s toxicity— directly at least.

You often witnessed his wrath, unleashing on his poor children. It always made your head spin. Often, you’d stay up late, comforting whichever child that fell victim to his anger. And even more often, this was Roman.

The door of your apartment clicks open.

“Roman?”

“Nyello,” You hear his voice behind you. “I always forget how much I love your apartment. I really feel like I’m part of the lower middle class whenever I’m in here.”

You roll your eyes at his snarkiness, but smile. It’s nice to see your old friend.

“You really took your sweet time getting here didn’t you?”

He checks his watch. “Time is relative. I’m basically on time.”

“If on time means an hour late, sure.”

“We’re just hanging out, what’s the rush?” He sits on the couch across from you, slumping down on it like a bored schoolboy.

You raise your eyebrows “Well, if you showed up on time, we’d have more time together. Beer?”

“Yes please, madam” He says ‘madam’ with a certain sarcasm.

You grab two bottles and hand one to him. The two of you drink and talk for hours, like time hasn’t passed since you last saw each other. The conversations go from childish banter, to the siblings and the family.

“Maybe Logan will drop dead soon and you won’t have to worry about it anymore. He’s prehistoric.” You scoff. “I bet he witnessed that asteroid killing the dinosaurs.”

“Fingers crossed. But you know he’ll live forever just because he’s the embodiment of evil, and evil never dies.”

“I guess you’ll be around for a while then.”

“Oh fuck off,” He rolls his eyes. “I’m good. Unlike Dad I don’t have the soul of a sadist lurking under my skin.”

“Yeah, true. You got the soul of a masochist instead”

“Is that why I’m sitting here drinking beer with you instead of someone whose company I actually enjoy?”

You smile. “Yep.”

He takes a hearty sip of beer. “Sounds about right.”

Hours continue to pass. Time with him seems to fly by.

“Oh man, I'm going to hate myself tomorrow morning when my head is banging and I'm remembering everything I said to you tonight.” He puts the fourth bottle down.

“Hey,” You shoot him a look. “Talking to me is a blessing.”

“Hanging out with you like this is a sign I’ve truly hit rock bottom. I mean, I could be out doing something else.” He crosses his arms and puffs his chest out ever so slightly. He thinks he looks cool, but he’s clearly forgetting he’s a tiny, insecure man.

“Uh huh,” You nod, unamused. “Like what? Flirting with women and then getting scared when they wanna sleep with you?”

“Shut up. I have the worst friends.”

“Friend, you mean. There’s just me.”

“Well, you’re a shitty enough friend. I don’t need more.”

You smirk. You know he doesn’t mean it. It’s easy for you to see past the rude comments, despite the fact he hasn’t always been like this. “Glad I’m special enough to be the only one.” You pull your legs up to you, sitting criss-cross on the couch.

“At least somebody likes me. Well I don't even know if you like me actually, I think you just tolerate me because I'm your childhood friend and you've already invested too many years in this relationship to quit now.”

You shrug. “That’s definitely one theory.”

You think to yourself for a moment and chuckle. “You know, when I think about it, neither of us really had other friends growing up. Same with Kendall and Connor and Shiv.”

He thinks for a moment. “Yeah, I guess we never really did.”

“No wonder we’re such awful people”

“Well, I definitely think you're onto something. We're just a sad bunch of lonely little shits aren't we?”

“Roman? Talking about his feelings?” You let out a fake gasp. He’s not exactly talking about his feelings, but it’s rare he’s honest like this.

“Oh, shove it. I just had a thought, and I'm allowed to have thoughts.”

“You know what, it’s actually nice that you’re not having weird, perverse thoughts for once. Maybe this is good.”

“Hey. I’m not as depraved as you are. Whore.”

“Mhm,” You take another sip of beer. “Remember that time you sent your own father a dick pic?”

He groans. “I’ve told you this before. It was for another girl, who just happened to be under Dad’s contact.”

You raise an eyebrow. He left out the part about how it was for Gerri. “Oh yeah, speaking of that. How’s it going in the uh, woman department?”

“Well, it's pretty dead actually. I've just been so focused on trying to avoid my father's wrath recently I haven't had time for any more of my womanizing ways…”

“You could always go for the geriatrics in ATN, since that seems to be your type.”

“Oh yeah, those are the only women who would sleep with me right?”

“I figure you’d like it that way,” You laugh.

“Har har.” He rolls his eyes.

A moment of silence passes. Talking to Roman again had been sending waves of nostalgia all night. It’s only been a couple months since you’ve seen him, but it felt like ages. Your mind wanders down memory lane, particularly to the sweet, intimate moments you shared with him in your youth. You hesitate to bring things up, but decide there’s no harm in it.

“Remember when we used to sleep together all the time when we were little? ‘Cus you were scared of sleeping alone?”

He pauses, and then snickers. “My god, you have some nerve. Are you trying to embarrass me now?”

You scoff. “Way to ruin a potentially sentimental moment. I was just… reminiscing.”

“Reminiscing? Oh yeah I’m sure, you’re just all sentimental about our childhood. Is that what you call it?”

You furrow your eyebrows. “Jesus is it that weird that I think about it every now and then?”

“Well, for normal people maybe not, but for you it is a little weird I must say. You know why?”

Your nose wrinkles as you shoot him a look. “Why’s that?”

“Because you're you. And I know you're not just reminiscing and thinking about the "good old days." I know you're thinking about us and how we used to be and what could've been.”

Your mouth drops open slightly. The sudden aggression makes something in your stomach churn. It reminds you of Logan, in a way.

But you just inhale deeply and turn your head towards the window.

“Oh please, don't you play dumb with me! I know you better than anyone else does.”

You get up abruptly to throw the empty cans of beer away. “You’re such a dick.”

He gets up as well. “Oh, I'm the dick, okay. Because I can see what you're feeling and you're clearly not used to anyone actually reading your emotions so now you're freaking out and getting all pissy at me.”

“You don’t have to rub salt in the wound.”

“So there’s a wound?” He puts his hands on his hips, in the typical Roman fashion.

You narrow your eyes and him. “Yes. There’s several.”

“Oh come on, it was such a long time ago.”

“I would be over it if I wasn’t strung along by you all the time, like a fucking dog. I’m always stuck at your side but you just get to do whatever you want because you’re Roman Roy.”

He groans. “Oh please, don't even start with me. You love being at my side, because I'm the only person you know that actually treats you with a modicum of respect, unlike my father who's a walking pile of dogshit you've grown used to, or Kendall who is just an entitled brat, or Shiv who doesn't even see you as a person. But I still treat you like a human being despite all the crap you've put me through over the years. You just don't want to admit that I'm the most decent person in this whole rotten family.”

You pinch the bridge of your nose and squeeze your eyes shut, turning away from him. “God, you drive me insane.”

“Yeah? Well, welcome to my world.”

You lean against your kitchen counter. You can’t believe his audacity. To bring up the fact you still want him after all these years, to bring it up like it’s nothing. You never even told him.

You always forget how perceptive he is.

“I stick by your side ‘cus I know no one has your back like I do.” You mutter.

“Yeah, that's true. But you know what else is true? The reason you keep sticking by my side is because deep down you still believe that I might return those feelings for you one day.”

Your heart drops even more. You want to say something, something quippy. But you can’t, all you can feel is that burning in your throat, and you know you won’t be able to say anything without coughing up sobs. So you sit there. And sniffle quietly.

His gaze softens, however. He feels panic arize in him, snapping out of his ill-mannered mood. “Hey, wait. Don't cry. God, I hate it when you cry. Hey, hey, don't get all teary eyed on me. You know how much I don't like it when you're upset.”

He walks over to you, placing his hands on your shoulders, trying to present a scrap of regret. “Don't cry, I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me tonight. I'm sorry, I am. You're my best friend. You are, and you always will be. I don't know what I'd do without you to be completely honest.”

Seconds pass silently. He stands there, not knowing what to do, other than attempting to comfort you as he watches tears stream down the side of your face.

“…Rome?”

“Yeah?”

“… Can we lay down together? Like I mentioned earlier?”

You feel his grip on your shoulders lighten. “Yeah, yeah, okay. Let’s do that, it’s okay.”

The two of you walk to your bedroom, not a word spoken. You lay down beside him, looking up at your ceiling.

“I can’t remember the last time we did this.” He finally says.

You move your hand on top of his, gently running your thumb alongside his. “It’s been a while.”

“A long while.”

[melancholysway]

Rating all Raph's because I can

can we do it?

YES WE CAN.

Going off personality, character development, design etc

80s Raphael

No because this Raph took the cake for being the sass king- straight away from Donnie

It may be because Rob Paulsen voiced this mf, but holy shit is he fun to listen to.

No complaints, this Raph was funny and I love it. Made mfs SCARED of his sarcasm- he’s great. He’s not a personality type we’re used to for Raph though, he may fit Donnie’s- but either way, I love it.

This Raph was more sarcastic than anything, he wasn’t really mad.

Not much on the character development, and there’s nothing really memorable about his design since him and his brothers look similar!

3/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

2003 Raphael

Okay, THIS ONE.

This is it.

This the one yall, still sarcastic as FUCK, and his comedic timing is everything. He probably doesn't even mean to be funny and just says whatever mean shit he's thinking up in his head

He’s by far the most witty cunt in this whole 2003 series. I also love him x Casey Jones broship I’m here for it guys.

I loved his development and evolution up until the last ep, it wasn’t like Leo’s character development, but I still enjoyed Raph’s all the same.

Nothing strikingly different on his design, but his accent is the most notable!

4.5/5! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

2007 Raphael

TOTALLY NOT BIASED AT ALL GUYS 😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁

THIS RAPH. I love this Raph

It may be bc he’s the best looking in this one but idc He is so FINE.

Ahem this is about personality not looks so

As for his personality in the 2007 movie, he has his lil corny sarcastic jokes here and there

Knows how to “show a lady a good time” according to Casey mf Jones

He went viral in NYC. HE WENT VIRAL IN NYC. AS A VIGILANTE. HE MADE HEADLINES. HES THE GOAT.

I also have mad respect for 2007 Raph bc Leo straight up said he was better than Raph and the only thing Raph did was laugh at him he has more restraint than me fr fr

Bc me personally

I wouldn’t take that level of disrespect

Idk what restraint Raph had not to BITCH SLAP his brother, but I would’ve in a heartbeat for sayin that LMAO

His design is great, he’s the only brother with the amber eyes, while Leo & Donnie have light/dark brown, and Mikey has baby blue! He has his alt persona as the Nightwatcher, and his character development is rushed given its a movie, but you clearly see his transition from resenting Leo into accepting the fact that Leonardo took that absence to work on himself for his brothers.

4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

2012 Raphael

Hear me out rq

I enjoyed this Raph-

I really loved 2012 Raph because they always showed him caring for his brothers and pets! This was kind of the first time we got softie Raph and I’m so happy they added moments of him being soft- I would’ve rated him lower if he was strictly just mean and showed no vulnerability.

he’s getting a higher rank than intended because when he’s mean, it’s literally justified, ESPECIALLY with Spider Bitez omfg that man pissed me AWFF. He’s a good balance of sarcastic and mean honestly!

He had great development and evolution as a character, he took what Splinter said and applied it everytime, & he also didn’t just have unjustifiable anger bursts.

His design is the most unique Raph we’ve seen by FAR. He’s the only brother with bright electric green eyes, and a crack in his shell in the shape of a lightning bolt.

5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Bayverse Raphael

He calls Leo on his b.s. I love it. He called him out on keeping shit from him and I loved it. Mikey was begging this man not to, and he didn’t give a fuck. He did it anyway. Raph doesn’t take shit from anyone, INCLUDING LEO.

I also loved this version of him, in the second movie, he really comes to terms with being a mutant and having to hide from the world. That being said, I enjoyed his development in the second movie, though it isn’t as evident. It’s a movie, and unlike the 2007 movie where it’s mainly focused on Raph (it was supposed to be a trilogy, where the movies focused on one of the turtles! Luckily they picked Raph & his relationship w/ Leo for the first movie before they went bankrupt LMAO) it’s focused on the bigger picture. This was definitely a fan movie for those who already know why each character acts the way they do.

His design is…interesting? I couldn’t actually see them, but I’ve read somewhere he has tattoos? Leonardo has the most, but I couldn’t even see them? I only saw the symbols on his shell & bandana- I’m not sure if they were talking about that as being tattoos. Bayverse Raph brings back those amber eyes from 2007 Raph! I love me some golden eyed Raphael guys

Anyway, his personality was nice! They showed that he has fears despite his size. He has morals, and recognized the benefit of being human all the while realizing normal will change nothing internally but everything externally.

3.5/5! ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

Rise! Raphael

This is the first ever Raph as the unofficial leader! He’s taken Leo’s role and made it his own in this series!

That being said, I see why they had to change his personality up. He’s more upbeat, way less mean. He’s more soft. Not that I’m complaining, but I see why lowkey sometimes Leo don’t be listening to him / the other turtles don’t really take him serious? He LIGHTLY puts his foot down, he’s like the cool substitute who’ll let you use the bathroom the whole period, or the old rich auntie that gives you a wad of cash every time you and the family get together at the BBQ.

I also see a slight trend now, Raph’s becoming the largest character. I don’t know, it makes him distinctively different, but I enjoyed when he was the shortest in the 2012 version, he’s a small dog with a big bite.

Anyway, he’s a cutie in this series! His design is very unique, & his lil tooth makes him look less intimidating. I wish we could get some more on the development side for Rise!Raph, but the series isn’t done! So there’ll probably be more!

3.5/5!⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

Masterlist

[thisismysecondrodeo]

School Daze pt. 3

AN: Okay so there will definitely be a part 4 lol. This is a LONG chapter because there's smut (who me? writing smut?!) but it's skippable! Smut starts and ends with 🌶 so feel free to read or not read as you so choose.

Rating: Explicit

Tags: Michelle Lasso, Henry Lasso, Second Chance Romance, Alternate Universe - College/University, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Time Skips, Ted and Beard have the purest friendship, Ted Lasso Deserves Love, Getting Together, nipple play, explicit sexual intercourse, dry humping,

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Fic Masterlist

-

22 Years Ago

Beard didn’t know how he got there but he shivered in front of Ted’s dorm room and tried to force himself to ask for help. It was winter and he was soaking wet in a white t-shirt and black jeans, no coat, and no shoes. 

Ted knew about the drugs. Not all of them, he kept the worst of it from Ted, but it had gotten bad and he needed help and Ted wouldn’t judge. 

“Of course, I wouldn’t judge you,” Ted responded and all of a sudden Beard realized he was not only talking out loud but was wearing Ted’s clothes, crammed in Ted’s tiny bed. The man himself was sitting near his feet, his back pressed against the cement wall and a textbook opened in his lap. Beard didn’t remember anything between knocking on the door and then being here. He tried to push himself up into a sitting position, immediately embarrassed at being this fucked up and needy, but Ted pressed him back gently and Beard realized he was still shaking like a leaf. 

“I’m sorr—” Beard started to apologize, but Ted cut him off. 

“Don’t apologize for needing a friend. Do you want to stop?”

Beard nodded immediately and emphatically, “But I’m worried the minute I leave here I’ll be right back there and I can’t…I don’t…I’m not a strong person, Ted.” 

“Sure you are,” Ted said, his voice as cheery as always, but before Beard could get frustrated with Ted’s assumed naivety, he continued, “but I can be your crutch until you get your strength back. What do you say?” 

“I’d say you don’t know what you’re gettin’ into,” Beard mumbled, tucking Ted’s navy blue comforter under his chin. Deflecting, as usual. 

“Mmm,” Ted hummed, closing his textbook, “I could say the same for you because this is gonna require 100% honesty from you and lil ol’ me as your constant companion.” Beard shrugged under the covers and Ted climbed off the bed, slipping the textbook into his ratty Jansport, before pulling the covers away. “Let’s get a move on now, I’ve got theater.” 

PRESENT

Ted handed you the bouquet of flowers and your hands brushed, sending a spark tingling up to your wrist.  You grinned, leaning in to press a grateful kiss to his cheek. You’d wanted to meet his lips, you’d been thinking about it all day, but after your conversation with Beard, you were being a little more cautious. Beard didn’t scare you off, but he certainly made you remember this was potentially more than just a bit of fun with an old friend. Which meant you needed to have some serious conversations before you pulled him back into bed.

Ted just seemed happy to see you, rocking back on his heels, his eyes never leaving yours. “You look gorgeous,” Ted complimented with boundless enthusiasm and you winked, whispering conspiratorially, “I bought it just for you.” You tucked the flowers in the curve of one elbow, taking his hand and leading him toward the hotel restaurant. After settling and ordering wine, you cleared your throat, signaling that you were moving beyond the pleasantries. 

“I had a nice talk with Beard today,” you started and Ted arched an eyebrow. Clearly, Beard hadn’t said anything to him. “That’s not sarcasm, it really was nice. He’s a good friend.”

“The best,” Ted agreed sagely.

“So, here are some things I should tell you. Nothing crazy, I swear, but just… I should let you know before things go further. Not that I assume we’re going further, but after, you know… I’m rambling.” You sighed, taking a sip of your wine and Ted smirked. 

“I would love to take things further, so hit me.” The waiter came back and you both ordered entrees, and then you folded your hands on the table in front of you. 

“The reason you couldn’t find me after theater ended is because I dropped out. My mom got really sick and there was no one else to take care of her. I had no idea you were looking for me, I promise,” Ted looked like he wanted to interrupt and tell you it was no big deal, tell you he was sorry, but you pushed on, “No one’s fault. We both moved on and life happened and now here we are. But the other thing I should tell you is that I’m here on vacation because I got laid off. I still swear it's a coincidence, I really didn’t know you were here and I’m not after your money. I just thought, after my talk with Beard, I should lay all my cards on the table. Because…I have real feelings for you Ted.” 

Ted’s smile crept up slowly, his dimple deepening as he reached across the table to take your hand in his. “I appreciate that, darlin’. And I’m so sorry about all the tough times you’ve had, back then and now. Gosh, I’m sorry I didn’t try harder when you could have used a friend.”

Something about that sentiment, the idea of Ted being disappointed that he couldn’t have just been a friend when you were in need brought tears to your eyes, and you blinked them away swiftly. “I appreciate that Ted. I really do.” 

“I don’t know what the future has in store for you or us, but I’d really like to see where this could go,” Ted said sincerely, just as your plates arrived. Before he could pick up his fork, you leaned across the table and kissed him, sweet and bold and public as hell. As always, Ted kissed back. 

The two of you behaved yourselves for maybe half of your meal before it was boxed up and you were pulling Ted to your hotel room, too hungry for each other to even think about eating. The elevator was empty and Ted had you pressed against the mirrored wall, his lips hot on your neck and his hands heavy on your hips. Your hand curled around the back of his neck, his skin hot to the touch, and you sighed heavily at his affection. The elevator dinged and you quickly separated, still looking suspicious to the older couple taking your place but not enough to ruin the mood when you slid your key card into the door and ushered Ted in. 

🌶

You’d left a lamp on and your hotel room was small but cozy, the lighting bringing out the honey tones of Ted’s eyes, the shadows adding a layer of intrigue to his gaze. He watched you set your keycard aside, his hands in his pockets only drawing attention to his arousal. You smiled over your shoulder at him, pleased that he was letting you take the lead. You turned and slipped your hands into the shoulders of his blazer, sliding it back slowly as he removed his hands from his pocket so it could fall away entirely. His chest hair peeked out of the top of his dress shirt and you leaned forward and kissed him there, right at the base of his throat. He swallowed hard, his adam's apple bobbing as he pulled his arms free of his jacket and took it from you to toss gently on the back of an armchair. 

“I’m glad you didn’t wear a tie,” you said softly, pressing more kisses to his neck and moving on to the buttons of his shirt, revealing more and more skin to focus your attention on. 

“Yeah,” Ted asked, his voice low and breathy, “not too casual?”

“I like casual,” you shrugged, his shirt now hanging open. You nipped at the front of his shoulder and he hissed slightly. “No undershirt either. I like that you made it easy.” 

Ted laughed at that, the implication that he was easy—that any of this was— considering the whole relationship had been over 20 years in the making. You started working on his belt but Ted had let you have your fill and he needed more of you. He slipped his hands under your shirt, the barely there caress tickling and distracting you enough for him to lift it over your head. Your own pants followed easily, and you kicked them off your feet as he backed you toward the bed, his tongue sliding easily into your mouth. Ted wrapped an arm around your waist, lifting you just enough to get you centered on the bed, his knee finding a place between your legs that had you involuntarily jerking against his thigh. 

“Woah there,” he teased, using his large hands to press you down against the overstuffed duvet. “Someone’s ready to go, huh?” 

You gave a pointed look to his tented pants, “Yeah, someone sure is.” 

You sat up on your elbows and he met you for another deep kiss, his hands crawling from your hips to your back, easily undoing the clasp of your bra. You whimpered at the loss when he pulled back from the kiss, but his lips found your jaw and neck and sternum, and then he was sucking a nipple into the heat of his mouth and you moaned. He flicked his tongue against you, the sensation going straight to your clit. When you realized his leg was still between yours, you didn’t hesitate to find relief grinding down on his thigh. 

“Jesus fuck Ted, you’re so good with your tongue,” you whined, and you could feel him smile against you. He released your nipple, his eyes finding yours as he pressed his leg into you firmer and you sucked in a breath. 

“That’s a good girl, take what you need.” He didn’t wait for a response before he attached himself to your other nipple and you nearly shrieked with pleasure. One of your hands found the back of his neck, the other digging into this bicep, and you knew you were going to come. You, a grown woman, were about to come from nipple play and dry humping. It would have been embarrassing if it didn’t feel so magical. Ted’s tongue started moving in faster, tighter circles, and your hips shifted just so, and then you were falling apart. Curses and praise fell from your lips in equal measure as you jerked erratically. Ted sat back, his hands running warm gentle paths along your side as you came back down, your eyes immediately finding the small wet spot on his leg. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to—” 

“Don’t you ever apologize for that. Ever. That’s like apologizing for a miracle. Imagine Jesus sayin’, ‘sorry I turned water into wine.’” 

“Jesus Christ,” you laughed, knowing Ted was being ridiculous on purpose. 

“Yeah, that’s him!” 

You sat up to finally open Ted’s pants with a roll of your eyes and he chuckled at his own joke as he slipped off the bed to let them fall to the floor. He went to crawl back onto the bed, but you placed an open hand against the softness of his belly. 

“Ah ah,” you smirked, letting your hand trail down to cup his hard length over his boxer briefs and he growled. “Lose ‘em.” 

Ted peeled his striped briefs off and his cock bobbed, drawing your eye and your interest. Before you could get your hands on him he playfully launched himself back onto the bed, covering your body with his and you giggled. Sex with Ted was fun, everything about Ted was fun. Ted clearly felt the same, sucking ticklish kisses everywhere he could reach just to keep you laughing. He moved down your body, catching the edge of your underwear with his teeth and dragging them as far as he could without his hands. 

“You make me feel fucking 20 again, I swear,” you smiled, pulling him back against you, both of you now naked and joyful and wanting. 

“Good,” Ted whispered, his breath hitting the shell of your ear and making you shiver, “‘cause we’re not getting any younger, darlin’.” 

You reached a hand between your bodies to wrap your fingers around him and he dropped his forehead to your collarbone with a lustful exhale. “Well then you should probably fuck me sooner rather than later, hm?” You felt Ted grin against your skin before he sunk his teeth into your shoulder and you groaned, your hand tightening around him. 

Using a firm grip on Ted’s hair you encouraged him onto his side and then his back, quickly straddling him. You both took a moment to just look at each: cheeks rosy, eyes glassy with passion, bodies warm and soft. You reached a hand out to cup the side of Ted’s face, your thumb tracing his bottom lip and his mouth fell open easily. It was enough to know how willing he was, how pliable; it sent a burning heat through you that made you unable to wait even one more second for him to fill you.

The first time this had happened—was that just last night?!—Ted had ducked into the bathroom for a condom, but you didn’t want him to have to go scrounging through his pants if it wasn’t needed. 

“I was tested a few weeks ago. And I'm on birth control.” 

“Was tested last month, nobody in between,” Ted said quickly, “but if you’d be more comfortable—” 

“Nope,” you responded, raising up slightly to sink down on him slowly, letting yourself adjust to him and the feeling of no barrier between you. The firm weight of him stretched you perfectly. He cursed beneath you when you seated yourself fully, his eyes closed and his fingers digging gently into your thighs. You hoped you’d still be able to see where he touched you in the morning. He looked at you when you started to rock against him, slowly but already starting to build, already starting to chase what felt good. 

“You feel so good, Y/N. So good.” You appreciated Ted’s praise, but you liked when he lost control, when he cursed and writhed, so you pulled yourself almost all the way off of him and then quickly back down. Your thighs strained with the effort but it was worth it to hear Ted say, “fuckin' shit,” and feel his grip tighten on you. Supporting yourself on his chest, your thumbs brushed his nipples and his head fell back against the pillow again. You rode him earnestly, and though you could certainly come this way, your walls starting to flutter, your legs wouldn’t last that long—before you had to ask, Ted was flipping you. He barely gave you a chance to catch your breath before he was driving back into you, hard and fast. 

Ted was hitting the perfect spot inside you, his weight resting on one elbow, his other hand supporting your thigh. It wouldn’t take you long to reach your peak, especially if you could get a finger on your clit. You started to snake your hand between your bodies but Ted noticed and beat you to it. 

“Can I make you come again, sweetheart?” You knew Ted wasn’t asking if it was possible, but if he could be the one to make it happen and you couldn’t think of anything you wanted more. 

“Please, please, please, please.” 

Ted used his thumb, his hand moving slower than his cock so there was constant pleasure. You knew you were still saying something but you weren’t listening to yourself, too busy riding a roller coaster that only seemed to be going up. If Ted’s pace was anything to go by he was right there next to you. Ted’s hips snapped into yours and he panted your name, and you were so close, so close…

“Faster, fuck, your thumb faster, please” you whimpered, and Ted obeyed immediately. You cried out, obnoxiously loud for a hotel room, but there was no keeping this sensation to yourself. Your vision whited as Ted’s hips stuttered and he followed you over the edge, groaning your name as his cock twitched and emptied. It took a few minutes for your breathing to slow and your eyes to open, to stop being overwhelmed by the warm sense of fullness and return to the present. When you did, Ted was cleaning you up gently, smiling when he felt your eyes on him. 

🌶

“Not to be presumptuous, but I thought I might stay the night?” 

“Don’t ever leave,” you smiled, and Ted chuckled, lifting up the corner of the duvet and helping you under it. He followed you under, tucking you close to him. It would have been easy to slip into a safe sleep, but Ted’s phone clattered against the nightstand. 

“Sorry,” Ted grumbled, reaching over you to retrieve it, “might be Henry.” 

Ted picked up and just listened, his only real words were, “Where are you?” When he hung up you felt him sit up, preparing to go somewhere. He sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face, his other hand stroking lightly over your shoulders. 

“Was it Henry?”

“Beard. He’s somewhere downtown and…you have no idea how much I don’t want to go darlin’. But, long story short, when Beard says he needs me he means it.” 

“Tell him to come here.” Ted raised his eyebrows, his eyes darting between your naked bodies. “Okay, not like here here, but the hotel. I’ll stay out of the way, I promise, but neither one of you should be wandering around at this hour. Go sit with him in the lobby.”

Ted thought about it for a moment and then fired off a few quick texts before climbing out of bed and collecting his abandoned clothing. “You’re right, sweetheart. He’s gonna come here.” 

“Do you know what’s wrong,” you asked, watching from your cocoon in bed as he buttoned his shirt, his long fingers moving quickly. 

“Not exactly. But if I had to guess it's something about Jane. I’ll be back, gorgeous,” Ted leaned over the bed and kissed you sweetly. He made his way toward the door, flicking out the lamp and closing the curtains tightly for you. 

“Take my key card,” you called out quickly, his hand on the doorknob, “you’re a good friend, Ted.” 

<- Part 2 | Part 4 ->

[trolls-poppy-specialist]

X Marks The Spot (Those Holes In Our Hearts)

Summary: What happened after Viva didn’t come with the group to Mount Rageous. Mostly Poppy’s, because of the detail of her trudging back to Rhonda. An extension of the line ‘Poppy and I had a long talk after Viva refused to come with us to Mount Rageous. She’d had a meltdown when Clay brought her up, and I gave her a hug.’

Poppy knew Branch was always there for her.

Poppy knew.

But when it came to the aftermath of her newly found sister choosing to keep the gates between them shut, she didn’t know anymore. “…family’s always worth it,” lingered in her head. It was like the world that the discovery of Viva had given a new filter to had fallen apart in those five seconds. She’d seen the fear and guilt written on Viva’s face. And Branch had seen all of it, coming to her with a hand on her shoulder.

She’d smiled back.

But in her honest opinion, it wasn’t the comforted smile it appeared to be. Neither was it the optimistic, radiant smile she always emitted like light out of the sun.

It was a fake one.

She just smiled to make sure Branch didn’t worry too much. Anyway, it was probably trivial to the eye of any troll.

Just leave her be; she needs to be left alone, Poppy’s mind screamed.

And then she’d trudged back to John Dory’s vehicle Rhonda (technically, it’s a critter), her feet feeling heavier than ever as Branch following behind.

She assumed this was what grief feels like. The unspoken word spoke volumes in the silence.

Opening the door, she threw herself onto the couch, smoothing the crinkles in her hand-knitted ombré dress, and releasing a nearly inaudible sigh.

She looked up at Branch as took a seat next to her, “You don’t look too good, Poppifer,”

Poppy knew he’s not being insensitive, but she couldn’t help but ignore him. For once, she wanted some space to think.

“So,” Clay walked over with a bright grin on his face, “How did things with Viva go? Is she waiting for us outside or—“

“Clay, don’t,” Branch raised a hand to try to stop him, but the thought of Viva just made Poppy’s veins pop, and getting up, she tried to keep herself together but her attempts were fruitless as she screamed, with a hint of sarcasm, “SHE IS NOT WAITING FOR US OUTSIDE. SHE’S BEHIND THAT GATE THAT YOU RAISED. AND YOU DIDN’T EVEN WATCH HER REACTION. SHE LOOKED SO SCARED. OH, AND TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, SHE REFUSED TO COME WITH US! GET IT INTO YOUR BRAIN, OKAY? DO. YOU. GET. IT?”

Poppy could barely register the change in her breathing pattern or acknowledge the tears rolling down her face as the walls crumbled, and when she looked up, she only saw the stunned faces of Bruce, John Dory, Clay, Tiny Diamond and Branch (his seemed to reflect something else, though).

She’d really messed up. Big time.

She could see Branch reaching towards her from the corner of her eye, uttering her name, but she walked towards the door of Rhonda, opening it not before a, “I’m sorry,” choked by another sob, “I can’t do this anymore,” left her lips, and she ran away into the darkness of the abandoned woods, not caring if anyone were to follow.

—

She wasn’t lying when she said she couldn’t do it anymore.

She actually didn’t want to think anymore. For once she wished her mind was empty.

At least she had the space now.

To be fair, she didn’t know where she went running into the dark, scary woods near (near, she thought it was) the area where Viva was, stopping under a tree and letting out the most ear-piercing scream before falling back into sobs, curling in on herself under the shadow of the looming tree. She was mad at herself for losing her temper so easily, but at the same time she’s mad at Clay.

Everything was too much.

Why even bother with someone who doesn’t bother with you? A thought intruded her mind. But at the same time, another thought poked its head out to intrude the mess of her mind, don’t say that, Viva’s just traumatized; give her some space.

She didn’t know what to feel anymore. She didn’t know if anyone was trying to look for her. She didn’t know if anyone would bother.

Not after your eruption they wouldn’t.

You shouldn’t have burst like that. The queen of pop should never explode like that in front of her own people, and now they’re disappointed. Shocked. Scared.

Of you.

No one cares about you.

Noonecaresaboutyou.

No one gives a shit.

No one–

“Poppy?”

She looked up. She knew that voice. As it consistently called her name, she knew that troll is getting closer.

She might as well die alone at this rate, actually.

“--Poppy? POPPY! Oh, there you are! I was worried sick!”

It was Branch.

She felt his arms wrapping around her, and typically she would return the hug, but at this point she was too sick, too mentally exhausted to care anymore. She didn’t care that she was still crying salty tears into his green leaf vest.

She looked up at him, his sky blue eyes sparking with worry, and she could imagine her pink eyes clouded with whatever she couldn’t process.

She inhaled, “I’m sorry,”, vividly imagining his raised left (or her right) eyebrow as he asked, “What for?”

“For snapping. Viva didn’t come, and for once in my life I actually feel disappointed, but the answer to this will always be to give the person some space, so I guess I should. Clay must be shocked, John Dory disappointed, Bruce disapproving, and Tiny–uh, horrified. Anyway, I shouldn’t be mad over someone not coming with us even though we’re related by blood and just met like ten minutes ago, and I’m going to start speaking really fast because I really don’t want to be hyperactive anymore, and I just want to be alone, but at the same time I want you to be with me, and I’m just so tired of having to deal with this kind of crap, and if they tell any of this to troll village my dad is so going to disapprove of me and he might dethrone me and I can’t afford to be dethroned because you might break up with me and—”

She rambled everything that’s on her mind. Everything she’s kept so closely to her heart came spilling out in one chunk of fast-running words. She didn’t bother to breathe. She didn’t bother to look up at anyone, still crying, still a sobbing mess.

That wasn’t very queenly of you.

“Poppy,” Branch cupped her face with his hands, pulling her in for a quick kiss on the lips before giving her the best smile he can give at the moment, “I’m not asking you to go in-depth on this, but… Viva didn’t come, right?”

She knew Branch was asking what Clay asked, but she just couldn’t bring herself to snap at him like she did to Clay. So she tearfully nodded. She imagined his eyes reflecting some form of judgment-free understanding and empathy.

That’s what she liked about him.

Branch tightened the hug, using one hand running through her pink ponytail as Poppy rested her head on his shoulder.

“Clay must be done with me. I’ve barely met him for 24 hours and I just exploded in his face. And so is Bruce. If your brothers think I’m bad just tell them that I—” she couldn’t help but cry again. It’s in times like these that all your insecurities came to light, and people who might judge you for being you decided to point your insignificant idiosyncrasies to the masses.

“Do you think I will break up with you, ever?”

Poppy couldn’t bring herself to respond. She knew that Branch would never ever leave her, but at the same time, another part of her questioned that. Would he really not leave her? Would he eventually decide that she was too hyperactive and emotional and ditch her for some other troll out there? There were so many trolls—a large pool, a fine selection, a wide range— why did he pick her?

She started to question herself again. Someone as caring, kind and protective as him didn’t deserve someone like her— really.

It took her a while to realise she’d started to hyperventilate. Poppy couldn’t tell if she was just getting really anxious from her brain spiraling and the fear in everyone’s eyes, or if it was just a sign of something more.

She missed Viva. Deeply. Though she’d only got to know her for what seemed to be a few hours, the feeling of family had really shone, and she really wanted it to come back.

“Poppy. Look at me,”

Amongst choked breaths and clenched fists came his voice, the puff of a fire extinguisher on an ever-raging fire swallowing you whole. She felt herself being pulled out from the monstrous fire, crying ceased, but at the same time she couldn’t bear to look at him.

She’d blown up. At him.

She’d left. When he was trying to comfort her.

All the times he’s done what was right for her, and this was how she repaid him?

“…I’m sorry,”

“What?” Poppy didn’t realise she’d uttered it until Branch questioned her, helping her to stand up. Putt Putt Village was nearby, just a little short walk away. She could just retreat and never see Pop Village again. But she couldn’t, not when all her people were waiting for her after she’d left Bridget’s wedding for the one who she cared about most.

She still didn’t understand why he cared about her so much.

“I said, I’m sorry. I have no idea why I’m even dating you in the first place. You deserve someone better. I mean, you’d confessed to me, and I’d said I loved you too. But I was actually questioning myself about whether I really should love you. N-no offence to you, you’re great, but I wonder if I can say the same for myself. There’s a wide range of better trolls out there, so why did you pick me?”

All her insecurities came gushing out like water out of a running tap. She couldn’t control them. The tap was just way too tightly screwed in that position to be turned off. She could even feel her colours fading.

“Poppy, no,” Branch hugged her again, “you’re great. Sure, you can be hyperactive and emotional at times, but I know that deep down you’re just standing up for what you believe in or trying to express yourself. I truly love you, and I always will. I picked you because of your kindness and selflessness. When I was grey you made my day, so I guess this is my turn to make your day too. Now, deep down inside you, I know you miss Viva. Truth is, when Floyd left me back when I was known as Bitty B, I’d missed him. He’d told me to take care of grandma, and that was one of the reasons I turned grey when she got captured by that Bergen. But the point is, when you miss someone, the best thing you can do is keep them in your heart. And I don’t think my brothers are mad at you. Not one bit. They clearly miss her too, especially Clay— I know he is. Just— maybe don’t go too far next time, okay? But no matter what, I’ll always be by your side. Okay?”

Branch’s reassurances were all Poppy needed for her colours to return in one surge. The tap finally broke out of its lock, and it was screwed back to its normal position. The water stopped flowing.

“Thank you,”

—

“You know, I heard that a nap can help you relax a little,”

Branch clutched onto Poppy as she stumbled upon taking the first step. The woods seemed brighter than it once had been, and Rhonda seemed to be so far away. She remembered the days back when she was so, so little, that her father would tuck her into her bed at exactly one in the afternoon for that one hour long nap. “To recharge your little body, '' he always said, giving her a kiss on her forehead. But when she became queen she no longer had time for naps, always prioritising her duties ahead of everything.

Maybe she did deserve a nap.

She allowed herself to rest on Branch’s shoulde, wrapping one arm around his neck, listening to the fluctuations in his voice as he chuckled, “Tired, Poppifer?”

Poppy wearily hummed, letting Branch scoop her up, cradling her in his arms.

Just one.

She closed her eyes, feeling his heartbeat grounding her slowly but steadily.

—

“Guys? Should we go look for them?”

The Brozone brothers minus Branch and Floyd sat in Rhonda at different areas, arms crossed and one leg over another.

John Dory, ever the oldest, sighed, “Girl seemed mad then. I’m not sure if we want to trigger her again. I mean, just remember the way she exploded. No one’s going to want to touch her at this—”

Bruce stood up abruptly, hands on his hips, “Are you suggesting that we just leave her in who-knows-where-we-are? If she dies it’s our fault, and we’ll soon be found out! Besides, Branch is with her. We simply cannot leave our baby brother behind!”

“Kinda agreeing with John here,” Clay chipped in.

“Seriously?” Bruce shrieked.

“What? It’s not like we want to see her blow up again. I swear, she was on the verge of all of us in the face,”

“It’s all because you asked whether Viva was coming! YOU WERE CLEARLY LOOKING OUT OF THE WINDOW AND YOU SAW THE GATE CLOSE! Are you stupid or something? Did you lose your mind?”

“I just wanted to confirm it…”

“Well, you shouldn’t have, and now your blunder could potentially cost us two lives!”

“It’s just two lives; what’s the big—”

All of a sudden the door of Rhonda was pulled open, and Branch came in with Poppy nestled in his arms like a package, eyes shut and body still with her arms wrapped around his neck. Their eyes widened, both in shock and curiosity.

Bruce raised one eyebrow, “What did you…”

“Do? Absolutely nothing. Poppy just needed a short nap,” Branch gave him a small smile as he cradled Poppy, watching as she didn’t stir. Deep inside he wanted to tell them what went down, but he knew that that would be just a secret between him and Poppy. So he just told the last part.

Just the two of them.

He wasn’t sure if they heard her scream. He didn’t know if they’d felt any regret. But what he did know was that they knew she was sad.

Would they understand? He wasn’t sure.

Branch had always pictured his brothers to be his guardian angels back when he was younger– three, to be exact, when he first called John Dory ‘John Dory’. Before that he’d just called him ‘fish’– after all, it’s a decent alias for a troll with the last name of a sea creature. They’d cried. But when they left, he was the one crying. He’d simply clutched tightly onto Floyd’s leaf vest– the one he now wore every single day without fail– as he broke down into Grandma Rosiepuff’s arms. They’d all broken down into rusty parts that barely (or would never be) pieced together into a singular item anymore.

Nothing felt the same ever since.

During the loneliest nights, he’d ask himself what would have happened if they didn’t leave. Would Brozone still exist? Would they still be together producing songs that would captivate their fans? Would they still have concerts that stunned trolls?

It was always a yes, but at the same time, when he’d came back to reality from his mind, it would always be a no.

It was just him and his grandma now.

Since that day he’d thrown himself into the last promise he made to Floyd– take care of Grandma.

Then when Grandma Rosiepuff got taken, he cried even more.

So much till he lost his colour.

He’d let Floyd down.

But then he’d tried to make up for it by building the bunker, never knowing if grandma or his brothers would ever come back.

“Goodbye forever!” John had said, but internally Branch never let go. Every day he’d sat in his room and stared at the last picture of them together, and cried about it, still wondering when they’d come back.

Or if they’d come back.

He never knew if they would really leave ‘forever’.

He’d hoped John was lying about ‘forever’. Forever really seemed to be a long time after they’d left.

He’d wants forever to end quickly after that. Everyday he breathed, everyday he scooped soil for the bunker he’d wanted them all to live in like a hideout, everyday he stared up at the ceiling—he missed them. Deeply.

Moving forward, Branch sat down on a small bed at the back of the vehicle-slash-critter, carefully tucking Poppy into the crisp white sheets. He sat beside her, shifting her head such that it was resting against his chest. For her to hear his thumping heartbeat when she needed it most.

To him, he’s known her since the mission to rescue the trolls from the bergens.

And then during the World Tour, he’d parted ways with her temporarily after they’d had a falling-out. Sometimes he wished he’d turned back to see her face of pure heartbreak. And when he saw that, he wished he’d hugged her. Really. He didn’t know why he’d just cancelled out her sobs as he walked in the opposite direction.

Then came now, where John Dory interrupted Bridget and Gristle’s wedding, announcing that Floyd had been captured by Velvet and Veneer. Then they met Bruce at Vacay Island, and he’d done a wet Willy in his ear. He called it disgusting. Afterwards they went to find Clay, and this happened. And then Poppy snapped and he’d found her after he heard her scream in the forest.

He was so worried.

He didn’t know what would come next.

But he would always be here to ground her when she realised she was floating too far to be comfortable.

All his brothers seemed to really want to reconnect with him. Would they want to restart their family? Would they forgive each other after the years– decades, even– of being apart? Would Brozone be the rekindled trend among the trolls he now knew?

Branch hoped the answer to this was ‘yes’. He didn’t want another ‘no’ to grace his mind.

Sighing, he looked up at his brothers who were chatting as if their previous argument didn’t exist, and what he’d heard Poppy say to Viva hopped across his mind.

“…family’s always worth it,”

[kazz-brekker]

15 Questions 15 Mutuals

I was tagged by @lachrymosade so thank you!

Were you named after anyone?

I go by the nickname Pie online (and also in real life a lot) but my given name is Eleanor, and my mom likes to say that I was named after Eleanor Roosevelt and Eleanor of Aquitaine

When was the last time you cried?

Not usually a huger crier (once joked that I cry twice every calendar year) but the last time was because I was very frustrated about having gone went to a career center for help with the job search since I’m an unemployed English major and they basically told me to take some quizzes about my interests and sent me on my way.

Do you have kids?

Nope, also not super interested in having them. My cousins have kids and they’re very cute but seem pretty exhausting to keep track of.

Do you use sarcasm a lot?

Ehhh…a fair bit I guess? I try not to be mean about it, though.

What’s the first thing you notice about people?

Probably just like…their face and hair I guess. Also, there was awhile at college when I was meeting people in person that I’d only ever met on Zoom and I was always noticing their height (I didn’t meet my major adviser in person for like a year and I was surprised by how short she was).

Scary movies or happy endings?

Definitely happy, I would love to be better at watching horror movies but I get scared very easily.

Any special talents?

I mean, I’d like to think I’m a pretty decent writer and I can almost always think of a good and specific book rec for someone if they ask one. Oh, and I have a pretty good sense of direction in the outdoors, but for some reason not in urban spaces.

Where were you born?

Maine, USA.

What are your hobbies?

Mostly reading and writing, I enjoy swimming and skiing but not competitively so I guess those would be hobbies as well.

Have any pets?

Yes, I have two cats called Bean (black, obsessed with sleeping on my laptop case) and Jane (tabby, incapable of remembering that eating grass makes her sicks).

What sports do you play/have you played?

I was on the ski team when I was younger but other than that, not much for sports.

How tall are you?

Five feet, three inches (shortest person in my whole extended family except for the babies).

Favorite subject in school?

English, which is probably very unsurprising to anyone who follows me online.

Dream job?

I worked in my college’s library as a work study student and would like to keep doing it someday, though I feel like my ideal career is really just “something where I am not constantly on the phone or my feet, also have brainpower leftover for writing.”

As for mutuals to tag, no pressure, but how about @libraryleopard @acewizard @wizardysseus @allcountersarehipheight @luthiery @hauntedmoors @thewitchqueenofharrenhal @hangrybluewhale @ofstoriesandsongs @violaeade

[saintflint]

tagged by @opalsnake (thanks vin <3) to answer 15 questions & tag 15 others:

1. are you named after anyone?

unlike my father’d like to believe, i didn’t choose joel for its religious connotations, but because it’s my mom’s middle name (though she pronounces hers, jo-El). my little brother carries on my dad’s name, which my dad meant to give his “only son,” so i thought maybe i could do something similar using a part of my mom’s name & legacy. not spiteful of me at all………& yes, fine. joel from the last of us had some influence over my sticking with it. some.

2. when was the last time you cried?

this morning, watching footage from gaza.

3. do you have kids?

no, though i always wanted to be a mom/dad. now, i’m not sure. i’ll be honest, it scares me to think about bringing a kid into this precarious world. i still would though if my partner wanted it too, i think, & if we were financially secure enough to raise them well.

4. what sports do you play/have played?

god, i wish i’d played any, physical activity is not my strength. not really the same thing but i do love hiking, & i want to try more advanced trails this year.

5. do you use sarcasm often?

i’m too literal & i have more of a deadpan, dad tone of humor (i.e.“this is the dollar store how good can it be.”) but my siblings’ first language is sarcasm so i do well enough now with them & my friends.

6. what is the first thing you notice about someone?

their style, how they present themselves in that sense & behaviorally, & their openness. online, it’s also their openness but more the flow of their thoughts & if they feel compatible with mine.

7. eye colour?

copper brown surrounding the pupil, then kind of a hazelish, green-grey surrounding the brown.

8. scary movies or happy endings?

scary movies.

9. any talents?

i can recite from memory the beginning of every disney cartoon movie (can do this with some other movies as well, just depends). i can learn lyrics generally within two listens, if not one. i sing, act (specifically for theatre), write, cook/bake, practice photography, doodle, create collages. & i’ve mastered the art of being a “good listener.”

10. where were you born?

newport beach.

11. hobbies?

singing/acting, antiquing for old books, writing, cooking/baking, letter corresponding as a penpal, photography, doodling, creating collages, watching movies/tv series/recorded plays, hiking/trail walking, sitting at the beach, collecting rocks, practicing spirituality with tarot & pendulums, & making playlists for my friends & loved ones.

12. any pets?

just my family’s dog, really my sister’s: a bi-black sheltie named johnny cash.

13. height?

5’10 (the doctor said i was 5’9 the last time i went in but i don’t believe them).

14. favourite school subject?

english/literature, history, art, & theatre arts.

15. dream job?

local rare bookstore curator with a cat in the corner & my love nearby. that, or historic tallship worker. also with my love.

tagging: @romanticize-and-decay, @gorseflowers, @urb4ne, & anyone else who’d want to do this.