#if I have one more phone call I’m gonna commit a crime

[steddieas-shegoes]

Steve Harrington, age 7, being forced to join Boy Scouts because his father wanted him to learn how to “be a man” but didn’t wanna be the one to put in the work

Eddie Munson, age 8 and three quarters, forced to join Boy Scouts because the CPS worker who placed him with Wayne said it always looked good when the kids were involved in extracurriculars

Steve and Eddie becoming best friends because they both hated the uniform, and the activities, and having to please a bunch of men who had nothing better to do than hang out with kids three nights a week (and one Saturday a month)

Steve and Eddie earning every badge out of spite for their situations, not because they actually cared about tying knots or starting fires (okay, actually, that one was kind of cool)

Steve’s dad actually coming to a badge ceremony and seeing the way he hugged Eddie, known trailer trash, and immediately deciding that Steve no longer needed to be in Boy Scouts

Steve being sent to sleep away camp that summer so there was no risk of him being around Hawkins kids, only to come back with weekly swim lessons and a commitment to the local Little League team that “could really use your arm, son”

Wayne being granted full legal custody of Eddie so he didn’t have to work so hard to impress CPS anymore, letting him stop Boy Scouts as long as he found a hobby, pleased when it was guitar

Steve and Eddie finding their way out of the Upside Down together because of what they learned in Boy Scouts, laughing about how only two good things came out of that whole time: tying knots and becoming friends

[satoruzlove]

hello again! first and foremost, thank you for doing my request 100000x more than what i imagined 🙇🏻‍♀️🫶 AND HERE I AM AGAIN lol i can't help but to imagine many scenarios with Haikyuu boys (courtesy of TikTok)

can i possibly request a scenario of atsumu (and whoever haikyuu boy you could imagine that certainly loves socializing) based on the tiktok trend where the boys are having a night out and they give their s/o food/money/or just something that makes their girl happy just to get their permission & telling them not to call/text/bother/find him for the whole night.

for better reference; https://vt.tiktok.com/ZS8jbW2rg/

- 🫧

my beloved bubble anon, FORGIVE ME FOR TAKING A GAJILLION YEARS WITH THIS. i was trying so hard to imagine writing it the right way around but i couldn’t stop myself from doing it the other way around!!!😭😭 i hope you don’t mind .

DONT TEXT ME, DONT CALL ME .

[ atsumu miya , rintarou suna ]

- one [1] ass slap in tsumu’s,touchiness, atsumu healing my daddy issues one ‘sweetheart’ at a time, rintaro almost strips, ALMOST. very soft angst , rin with an attitude lol-

a. miya !

tonight is your little reunion between your highschool friendgroup. fun, right?

no.

well, when you get there it will be but before you do wont. the reason for this is that your man child boyfriend has a habit of following you everywhere- it was actually the only reason he wanted to know everyone you spend time with. so he can always tag along and be with you 24/7, 365. you love him for it and it’s very endearing how he craves your presence but you couldn’t help but want a little alone time with some people that you’ve made memories with.

your group has been planning this about a month in advance, which gave you a month to decide how you wanted to go about keeping tsumu away. you thought about asking his friends to take him out, sending him to run errands but they all made you feel like you were committing a crime and trying to make sure atsumu stays in the dark about it.

discouraged, you had sat down to wallow in your own stupidity and opened your phone. scrolling through tiktok, you had found a solution to all your problems. a little video , no longer than 20 seconds, was gonna secure your fun night out with friends. said video showed a guy giving his girlfriend food in exchange for her not to call, text, email or even think about him. you reckoned that it would work on your blond lover too.

now you practically skip down the stairs barely able to see your feet because of the sheer amount of food in your hands. you even asked samu to make atsumu’s favorite rice balls and picked them up on your way back from work- safely hiding them in your bag. atsumu finally comes into sight when you reach the kitchen. he’s leaned up against the counter, hair messy and his honey eyes focused on the screen of his phone. he only looks up when you nearly trip- and his eyes widen.

“babe, what the hell-?” he tries, but you simply saunter over to the counter and look him dead in his eyes. first, you put everything down infront of you. “i’m going out with my high school friends and- before you ask i still love you- but i wanna go alone,so” atsumu’s eyes shoot up at the uncharacteristic seriousness in your voice, but he allows you to continue. you put down a bag of mcdonald’s, his favorite order with an extra large fry just how he likes, “ do not text me,” you take a bag of kfc , mainly wings that are extra hot because you know he loves to wash it down with coke,” do not call me,” as you put things down, you can see atsumu’s eyebrows drop and a pout grow on his pretty pink lips. finally you present the rice balls that samu made, and a coke, “ don’t email me, or smoke signal me, or anything. okay?” you finally finish, look up at him hopefully.

his lip is jutted out as he glances down at the items you used to bribe him and back to yours. you nearly start tapping your foot impatiently. atsumu leans down so for once, you two are eye to eye level. “ are ya sure you still love me?” he asks you softly. you think for a moment that he’s kidding, but the pause and loud swallow you hear give him away.immediately, you realise that you’ve screwed up. before you can answer, your boyfriend speaks again. “if you didn’t want me to come you could’a asked me to just.. stay here. i would have. ya didn’t have to go and spend all that time bribing me like i’m a mafia boss or somethin’” atsumu sighs, obviously disheartened and now walking away from you. you go to hold his bicep to stop him, but he easily moves out the way without making it look obvious.

you’re feeling really bad now, the dull look in his eyes eating into your tummy. “ i do still love you, tsum, don’t be dumb. i just,” you paused when he looks at you with a raised brow. he looks like he really couldn’t care less about your excuses right now. “i actually don’t have an excuse, i’m just being dumb,” your voice was small, timid from hoping that your boyfriend isn’t too upset. the last thing on your mind is the buzzing phone in your pocket but it’s the first in atsumu’s.

he turns again, getting a glass of water. “ answer it, go. have fun. just text me if you get drunk off your ass and i’ll come get ya, if ya aren’t sleeping at one of your friends’ places.” atsumu instructed you. you bite your lip in thought.quietly , you go up behind him. he pretends to not notice your presence, the warmth of your skin hovering over his clothed back. his eyes stay trained on his very important glass of water. your arms wrap around him gently at first but when you feel no protest, you get comfortable. he tuts, tongue clicking against the roof of his mouth. “ you’re gonna be late, yn. go.” and you nearly cry at him using your first name- but you soon realise that if he did what you had done, you’d be doing a lot worse than calling him a first name.

you inhale. deep, calming, hopeful. “ i’m not going,” you mumbled into his covered flesh. he fights a smile, affection creeping onto his skin. “ why? you seemed pretty interested in it a minute ago? i reckon you should go have fun with your little friends. god knows why ya wanna be here, with me, who you wanted to avoid all night.” as he talks, his tone is more playful , more pouty. you rub a thumb over his tummy, speaking into his back and causing vibrations that seem to warm his soul. “because i realise that i like you more than them and i screwed up,” you say. he nods curtly, eyes shiny with unshed tears that are now going away. “ good. i’m glad you know that.” he says.

your newly free arms are folded as you do your classic awkward smile- waiting for his verdict. “go change. we’re watching mulan.” atsumu tells you. before you walk away, you go closer to him.

“i’m sorry,” you say, tenderly putting a hand on his shoulder. “ i should’ve just asked you like a normal person. i wont do that again, promise.” you know you’re in the clear, his eyes soft and his own hands running up from your hips to your cheeks to hold them. he plants a kiss on your lips, affectionately holding your face until your cheeks squish slightly. “it was funny , kinda,” he mumbles. you huff air out your nose, shaking your head. “barely. i almost made you cry,” you reply. he shrugs. “‘s okay, sweetheart. i forgive ya. i wont crucify my baby just ‘cause ya don’t know how to communicate.” and you laugh at that. he releases your gorgeous face, placing a little slap on your ass. “ go on, get comfy. you got a whooole night of apology cuddles ta give me, lover.”

r. suna !

suna rintaro is apathetic, painfully apathetic.

everyone knows. it’s his resting bitch face, the monotone voice and hooded eyes that make people think that he doesn’t care. for others, it’s true, he doesn’t. when it comes to a news anchor or someone interviewing him he wouldn’t give them any time of his day if he wasn’t forced. he isnt the type to talk without purpose- and until you that purpose was only to tease people, communicate, or pass a sarcastic comment every once and a while.

but to you? suna rintaro was not himself , or what people have ideally plastered together of him in their heads. suna rintaro became rinnie, or rin. the rin who would hold your hands in his when it was cold or rub his cheek against you for fun, rin that kissed your nose and kissed your shoulders after you showered. rin who would lip sync any song he heard in the car to you.

rintarou became a completely different person around you; his walls of steel melting to a puddle and letting you pass. his heart became only for you. something that also changed was how tolerant he became to being around someone, that someone being you. he found himself wanting to be around you always, opting to come with you everywhere and always touching you in some way. no matter how much you writhed or attempted to sway his clinginess it never seemed to ebb away.

that is how you were put into this situation. standing across from him as he lain on your bed- all his favorite food, a new hoodie , and a $100 bill on top of it. he stared at you in absolute disbelief. “ .. so the reason i got you this is because i wanna go to the spa, and no. you cannot come.” you explain to him, tone firm but your heart nearly falling into your ass when he sat up with a bored look on his face. “ are you like,” he starts, picking up the gifts like they were toxic waste- only with two fingers, “ bribing me right now?” he asked. you pondered for a moment, “ basically. i am , yeah.” you reply. he looks up at you, green irises boring into yours as he tries to telepathically say that you’re kidding.

he sighs when he realises that you arent. he gets up, his t shirt draping down his large figure as he collects all the stuff and places it in your arms. “ don’t want it, and let me go shower,” he mumbles, walking past you. you drop the items back onto your shared bed, following him like a lost puppy. the sound of water wafts to your ears as you reach the bathroom, rin now shirtless in front of you. you look at him, confused.

“ showering.. for?” you ponder out loud. he blows air from his nose, pulling his sweat pants down and adjusting the water. your boyfriend, only in boxers, turns to you. “ so we can go to the spa, you silly thing.” he teases , hand coming up to pinch your cheek lovingly. you scoff. “ i just said that you can’t come, rintaro.” and he hisses in faux pain.“full first name? ouch.” your boyfriend jests. before he can hop into the shower, his hands hook around his boxers and-

“rintaro.” you call him sternly and he laughs wholeheartedly. running a hand through his brown hair he’s now inches away from you. “you did say that i can’t come, but you’re wrong. i’m literally getting ready to right now,” he says casually. you poke at his built chest, eyes flitting up beautifully to meet his own. “rintaro i said no, just stay here, you don’t even like the spa,” you were whining now, and his heart squeezed ever so slightly at your childish tone.

“true, i don’ like the spa, but i like you.” he smiles , hands rubbing your shoulders. he places a kiss on your nose, directing you towards the bathroom door. “so, before i get naked infront of you and we both end up staying here, go away.” and before you could protest - he was gone.

[vendoramachine]

we’re through.

veneer x male reader

i had to feed my veneer gentlemen too! angst makes me ill, so writing this one was REAL tough.

notes : angst, breakup, argument, everything is just depressing as fuck.

veneer and i were hanging out in their dressing room before the show and a knock on the door interrupted our conversation.

“knock, knock! showtime, you two!” someone called out to velvet and veneer. my boyfriend and i got up from the couch, and i planted a kiss on his cheek.

“good luck, handsome. you’re gonna be great.” he let out a dumb giggle like a lovesick idiot. “i’ll be out in a sec, i’m gonna go to the bathroom.” i announced before rushing to veneer’s private bathroom. while i washed my hands, i heard a muffled conversation between my boyfriend and his sister. i really couldn’t make out what they were saying, but the conversation soon ended and was replaced by the eruption of cheers from the crowd.

feeling in my pockets, i realized that i had left my phone on the couch in their dressing room. before taking my vip seat in the crowd, i was snagged up my phone and was going to head out, until i heard a voice.

“y-y/n!” someone called out. the voice was faint and weak, so i wasn’t sure if i was hearing things. i looked around the room, scanning for someone who might’ve said my name.

“y/n, over here!” on the floor, there was a diamond perfume bottle. what the hell? i crouched down to pick it up and look at what was inside.

“…hi? who are you?”

“i’m f-floyd. listen to me, y/n! velvet and veneer- they’re insane! they kidnapped me and trapped me here to steal my talent.”

“what? dude, i…” every bit of my heart begged to not believe him, but why else would he be here?

“you’ve gotta help me get outta here. they want to kidnap my brothers too! i’m literally dying, man. i don’t know how much more they can take from me before it’s too late. please. help me.”

thoughts spun around my head. is floyd telling the truth? why else would he be here? but velvet and veneer wouldn’t hurt innocent creatures… right?

“i know you love veneer, and i know it may sound hard to believe, but i don’t want to die like this, y/n. once i’m gone-“

“i’m gonna help you, floyd. veneer and i need to have a serious talk. they have one more show tomorrow, do you think you’ll make it till then?” floyd nodded, and i set the bottle down right where i found it.

“i promise i’m gonna get you out of there.” i refused to let my eyes water before heading out into the audience. despite being deafening with cheers and applause for the pop star duo, everything felt silent. all i could hear was the sound of my boyfriend’s voice. charming and perfect, but also knowing that it wasn’t true. i sat down in my seat, bouncing my knee up and down for the rest of the show.

after what felt like eternity, they said their goodbyes to the audience, which was my cue to join them again backstage. my fists clenched and my teeth gritted against each other as i walked through their dressing room door. i prayed with every ounce of myself that what floyd told me wasn’t true.

“veneer?” my eyes darted to where floyd was earlier, and i realized that he was no longer there. they must’ve hidden him.

“babe! hey, are you alright? i was watching you in the crowd and you seemed kinda out of it. is everything okay?” veneer ran over to be face to face. i can’t believe he’s acting so oblivious. if i had been committing a crime like this, i’d always be paranoid that someone found out.

“…no. not really. we need to talk.” the seriousness in my tone put veneer off. he looked uneasy, but tried to play it off by sitting on the couch and patting the spot beside him, indicating for me to sit down as well. i stayed standing right in front of him.

“uh, yeah, sure! what’s up?”

“how long have you been lying, veneer?” silence followed, but i could hear veneer choking on his own words.

“w-what do you mean, babe?”

“you know exactly what i mean, veneer. how long have you been torturing innocent creatures? and for what? for fame? popularity? and not only did you lie right to my face, but you lied to all of mount rageous.” i refused to let tears fall, but i could feel them stinging my eyes.

veneer stared at me, looking shocked. guilty. he really doesn’t have a good explanation. well, of course. what could possibly justify something as shitty as this?

“they love you, ven. i love you, but…” fuck. i was doing so good, being direct and non-emotional. then this lump in my throat decides that it wants to screw me over emotionally. fuck you, feelings.

“i-i’m… i’m sorry, y/n. please, i…” he stood up, trying to wrap my into his arms. all i wanted was to feel him, but i took a step back. “…i never wanted to hurt anyone.”

“but you hurt everyone. even me. you should’ve told me before i had to find out.” tears were streaming down his face at this point, and i could see his knees trembling.

“y/n, please just listen to me…” veneer placed his hand on my shoulder, and the other cupped me cheek. not even a knife to my throat would get me to admit how much i needed his touch in this moment. “…i really never meant it to get this far. this was all velvet’s idea, and i still don’t feel comfortable with doing it. you know my sister. she would never let me let him go.” he looked to his right, presumably where floyd was being kept hidden. i blinked away tears, swatting his hand off of me.

“maybe, but ven, this is a crime and you’re risking getting caught every second you keep that poor troll here.”

“i want to let him go, but-“

“but you need him, don’t you? for the money? for the fame? you need him in order to make sure the world never finds out that you can’t sing, ven.”

“y/n, you aren’t listening to me! this isn’t about the fame, it’s about my sister. if i let him go, velvet would kill me. if i refused to use him, velvet would dig my grave. if i even just suggested that we let him go, velvet would-“

“god, veneer, you can’t pin all of this on velvet! i know her, and i know what you’re saying is true, but think about this! you’re putting a life at risk because you’re scared of your own sister! doesn’t that sound like maybe you two have something to work out?”

“don’t tell me how my relationship with my sister should be like.”

the shift in his tone made my stomach turn. it sounded nothing like him. veneer took notice of my expression change, and his eyes softened, like he knew he should watch his tone.

“listen to me, y/n. i love my sister, and i’m doing this for her.” he took both my hands, staring down at them. his own trembled as his tears dripped onto my skin. god, why does he have to make this so fucking difficult? i feel horrible. i know veneer knows this is wrong. but in the end, i have to come to terms with the fact that he’s still using floyd. he’s still sucking the life out of an innocent troll just so he can keep the taste of fame on his tongue.

he’s my boyfriend and i love him so goddamn much, but this… this is horrible. i can’t stand the thought of staying with someone who can walk onto a stage and lie to the world. someone who is preying on a defenseless creature to gain popularity, money, fame, and power. hesitantly, i slipped my hands out his grasp, the warmth of his skin fading away. finally, for the first time during this conversation, tears streamed from my eyes.

“we’re through, veneer.”

there was a long silence. every second was torture.

“you don’t mean that, y/n… i don’t want to lose you, i…”

“i’m sorry, ven. i just… can’t.”

i raced out, not able to handle the sight of hurt on my boyfriend’s face.

days later, after sobbing myself to sleep every night since we broke up, i realized it was the night that velvet and veneer would receive the lifer award. reluctantly, i watched the live broadcasting through tears. though my vision was blurred with the purest form of heartbreak, i could see veneer’s face. his expression was of pride, like he was completely unbothered. he broke my heart, murdering an innocent creature, and all at the expense of fame. yet, he didn’t seem troubled. at all.

i had soon realized that in my wallow of depression, i forgot to let floyd go. fuck. barely any time passed before velvet and veneer were dragged away in handcuffs.

we really are through.

[i-eat-nail-polish]

Hey I’m gonna probably post more serious stuff because I need to have discussions with people about Palestine. For one I live in an area and am surrounded by people who aren’t pro Palestinian. They don’t take anything surround boycotts or information in general about the genocide serious at all because it doesnt effect them. It’s starting to wear on me because there’s no one to cope (idk if that’s the right word) with what I see online on a daily basis. Ever since mid October or so? (When the tik tok algorithm caught up with the time) I’ve seen countless atrocities that I’ve only ever seen in video games or movies played out in real life against real people. I learned what real bombs sound like both far away and up close because of these videos. Lately I’ve also started to dream about being trapped in Gaza with that feeling of death looming. It sounds dramatic but it’s true. Every day I’m thankful that I’m constantly shown information about Palestine and surrounding Arab countries and I’m also in shock. I’m in shock for a few reasons. 1: I’ve watched for months now, a country, a land and it’s people go through something worse than hell and nobody around feels the same sadness and basic human empathy. No one cares to take in that there’s a massive loss of life and culture and future for whatever reason. It’s gut renching to think about it. 2: I can’t help beyond witnessing and documenting. It seems stupid and corny to think that we’re privileged to have phones but documenting this horrible event through a phone camera is so incredible for history. It just feels almost insulting that that’s all I can do as a poor college student in America. Yes, I can call my representatives which thankfully where I live do support a free and liberated Palestine, but others won’t even do much as think about their constituents. It’s hard because it feels like we’re trying to move a volcano with plastic beach shovels. So all we can do is sit and save videos before social media giants take them down. 3: coming to terms that nobody looks out for each other on a large scale. Because I follow now many journalists from various sectors ranging from on the ground in Gaza to political scientists giving me lessons on the United Nations history, I’m shocked at how all of it is fake. Nothing makes sense anymore. You’re telling me because 2 countries won’t vote on a ceasefire but 98% do we can’t move on with it? Why does the US get privileges that to my limited knowledge no one else has the same power leverage as. How has nobody else stepped in when MANY war crimes are being committed. Why do they even exist if countries are never seriously prosecuted? Why even have rules if you can’t follow them? It’s disheartening to watch but I can’t give up hope. I’m not giving up hope because that’s all we have. I may not have direct ties to Palestine but as if needless suffering is enough for me to care, I care especially for the queer family in Gaza. They are as much apart of the queer family as my roommates are. I don’t know if and when we lose LGBTQ+ people in Gaza but I know it’s happening so I cry for the loss of our family. I need to see an end to this. I need to. I don’t know how to process any of what I’ve witnessed or feel right now or even what else I can do to help stop a genocide. I need to talk to people so please may you strike up conversation. Correct me in any place, tell me about the latest boycotts, show me protests. Please converse we have to keep hope alive.

[mushroommushy]

Please please tell me your ideas I will be so normal about it I am not at all desparate for Broken Masquerade content

Boy I have so many ideas I actually need to put this in a draft to list all of the brainrot things I’ve had circling in my head!! This does include some negative things so feel free for me to ask to tag.

All of the colleges (Particularly Harvard) adding Thaumaturgy to their classes is extremely cool in the canon and I think there should be many more schools

Site-43 College beloved I want to go there so badly please be real c’mon :[

Those Facebook mom groups…oh boy there’s so much drama

Lord help all the poor kids with minor anomalous power

Segregation with schools, even restaurants

A lot of anomalies end up in homeless shelters because not many jobs are willing to take the backlash of anomalous employees

Shitty parents faking their kid having a dangerous anomaly so they can send them away

Because they think the foundation would just kill them because of all the propaganda

You know that the cults are gonna take advantage of this to try and grow their numbers

Chaos Insurgency propaganda against the foundation

A flag that shows your support for the foundation, GOC, anomalies hanging outside your home

New Genders from the tumblrinas like us

Twitter DNI’s are a genuine hell

‘DNI IF YOU SUPPORT SCP’S/THREAT ENTITIES/OBJECTS’

‘Block me if you call anomalies SCP’s that’s a slur’

Speaking of slurs there’s probably a lot more

COTBG members constantly calling the Nälkan’s Sarkics just to piss them off

And Maxwellium members getting real pressed over internet drama

Someone trying to make the nicknames the Serpents Hand has into a slur

Dr. Glass walking down the street and just has someone scream ‘JAILER’ at him and he is desperately trying to not commit a crime

Also Twitter being Twitter

‘Is it wrong to kin SCP-076-2? I’d murder too if I was under the ocean.’

Extremely dangerous TikTok trends involving anomalies that makes both the GOC and SCP have collective heart attacks

Some girl posts a video from a foundation site doing Macarena during a breach and is just immediately cancelled on every platform

You know there’s gonna be dumbass teenagers trying to find some real dangerous shit to seem cool

‘Oh a lake full of bodies that makes you enter through mind control??? Sounds cool and not totally dangerous I’m gonna find it and go swimming’

Gonna readmore this it’s getting long lol

Five missing teens later the foundations getting slandered even though they did nothing

Articles with the ‘How to tell if ‘X’ is an anomaly’

Of course they’re bullshit and usually offensive

Charities to support anomalies

An actual cult around 2662 that didn’t spawn anomalously

You fucking know that the Christian’s will either take 343 well or absolutely horrifically

There’s also two sides of people when it comes to Cain and Able

The ones who hate Cain and think Able is reasonable and the people who think the opposite

Cain’s also not allowed to leave site-17 for more than just the fact he’d kill plant life it’s for his own safety tbh

Meri does get chances to wander the woods! Just..not in public because they rampage that would happen with the amount of broken phones and cars would be horrible

Iris gets to go home because she deserves it

I feel like Gerald would become a meme in general and people pay his hospital bills for him lmao

Parents keeping their kids out of school and switching to online or homeschooling to keep them away from anomalies

Conversion camps to send your kid to so people can ‘release them from their curse’

Those got the serpents hand real heated

Speaking of them they have the snarkiest Twitter account ever and just roast the living hell out of every word that comes out of the foundations mouth

Podcasts

So many fucking podcasts

There already is a writing on the broken masquerade hub of the foundation making a video with outdated slang to appeal to kids

But I think Dr. Gears should just stare at a camera and say swag with a straight face it would be beautiful

Kondraki, Clef and Gears get called dilfs and not a single one of them knows what it means

‘Kain’s the goodest boy’ even though he’s morally corrupt as fuck is very common

But he will Fuckin run if you even try to touch him he does not need his fur messes up

Ok I don’t want this to be a mile long so I’ll stop here but!!!

If you want more dm me so we can talk 👀👀👀 I need SCP friends

[icebluecyanide]

Alex Rider S03E04 Reaction

My unspoiled reactions to episode four, aka TUTOR YASSEN LET'S GOOOO

Liveblog

Oh okay so they are blaming Blunt in this, even if I think the trap was actually the Malta operation to bring him in.

Omg John/Yassen flashback!!! Yassen was so nervous!! I love how calm John stays throughout it all. And gosh the way Yassen closed his eyes when John told him to does things to me. I assume John saved him but gave him the scar in the process much like in canon

Yassen watching him sleep!!!

I was so ready to go noooo when Yassen said they had to leave their past behind them but apparently it was about Ian and not John lol. Love Yassen calling himself a professional

Twenty years ago 🤔 So with John being at Scorpia for three years that means Alex is canonically seventeen now

Alex stop questioning them in front of other people ahsldfhs

Tutor Yassen!!! Lmao ‘faster! This is slow’ I love how him having high standards is canon

SPARRING omg their faces

“He was kind to me” 👀 yesssss

How did they not realise yet that Scorpia went after Consanto when the woman literally said Julia Rothman was going to finish with Consanto lol

Lmao the awkward silence when Alex fails to hit the more human like targets, and they’re not even pictures

Yassen telling Alex how to kill someone 👀

The idea of them being allowed to keep their phones as they are training in the super secret training facility is just wild lol. Like yeah I’d make the signal bad too, what if people connect to their fitbit or something

Well this isn’t love bombing lol

Ahsldfh Alex is literally missing and you could tell the authorities Jack

Alex lying about the beating is big SAS training in the books vibes

Lmao Alex comparing Blunt and Mrs Rothman

Ahhhh so that’s the show equivalent of the vaccine!!

Gosh Alex forced to hit her as she’s held down

Does Yassen outrank Nile? 👀 omg Yassen/Nile showdown

“This one is my responsibility” 🥰

Love Yassen going ‘yeah you sadists are letting it cloud your judgement’

“What are you doing?” “Filming this?” “Why?” “Because it’s evidence” “Yeah of me committing a crime” ahsldfhsh yeah Tom!!

Yassen just. Refusing to talk about John is so funny to me

John saving Yassen <333 And gosh Yassen thinking of himself as expendable kills me

Exceptional agents <333 Though really there was no need to hit his cheek here lmao

Just let Yassen have his little speech about how emotions distract you, Alex 😭

Oh damn the taxi driver is Scorpia too, creeeeepy

“If he slips up just once, they are gonna kill him” yeah… unlike that other mission you were pretty casual about in s1… how is this a surprise??

Ahsdlfhs is Alex really gonna change their mind on weakness

Overall

Loved it!!! Really enjoyed the Yassen/Alex training scenes, though I kind of miss the love bombing from the book. Loved the John/Yassen flashbacks and I’m very excited to see more Alex & Yassen stuff!

Thoughts/Predictions

‘Kind of lonely though, right?’ I gotta be honest, the whole story with Alex challenging their notions of weakness and stuff really wasn’t doing it for me, but I feel like it sort of develops from Alex not being as isolated as he is in the books. Like yeah, it’s lonely, but Alex in the books is also lonely a lot of the time and it’s something that kind of goes with being in this world. But I do love Alex saying John saved Yassen out of friendship because it reminds me of his thoughts in Snakehead.

Some really interesting differences with the other students here, firstly in that the love bombing aspect isn’t there and they actually seem pretty antagonistic to Alex, while in the book they are all very friendly, in huge contrast to Alex’s earlier experiences with the SAS and MI6. It’s honestly kind of ironic that here it’s the exact opposite, because Alex lying about how he got beaten up is basically what happened with the SAS.

Second point about them is that they are all orphans and seem to be younger than in the book, so it seems the students are different? Are they teenagers like Alex? I honestly can’t tell, what with them casting adults, but I guess maybe Alex isn’t meant to be such an outlier in terms of age, which makes sense with the actors, but is interesting in terms of story because it means Alex isn’t exceptional for being young. I guess that’s also why it’s not made a big deal that he’s a teenager (also since it would seem unbelievable). But now John Rider joining at 30 seems like an outlier, since none of these kids actually had any experience haha.

Invisible sword seems to come from the gas and maybe still the nano particles, but how do all the people in London get hit by it? Just a cloud of gas? The football team probably got it in their system before the match with some excuse.

Nile’s so angry at Alex most of the time gosh. I guess Yassen took over the nice mentor role from Nile here.

Also real convenient that Mrs Jones and Jack don’t actually want to tell each other the truth lmao. I guess here the Department has no idea about who joins Scorpia since they have no eye on them like MI6 has in the book. But that also means there will be no all ports warning to arrest Alex.

Questions

Does Yassen know about John being a spy???

Did Tom and Kyra just… forget about Alex supposedly getting killed if they don’t do as told? Like do they really think Scorpia isn’t going to notice them not getting off the plane in London? The flight isn’t that long… 

[cyarskj1899]

I’ll never forgive him who has put meg through two years of trauma that he caused and made her look like a liar when he was the one who shot her. I wish He and his fans a very rih(as in rot in hell) Same thing with Drake , Joe budden , Zach Campbell, Lebron James , Mariah the scientist, Dababy, Dj akademiks, 50 cent, all the media outlets that were slutting themselves out for this piece of trash by spreading misinformation and lies about his trial so much that they didn’t care about being ethical or professional (the fact that two white women and crime journalists were more accurate than “black” bloggers is just whewww I’m pissed) and everyone else who ever doubted her and I meant that with the upmost disrespect. Like seriously they can all burn right now, heck I’ll get the matches and kerosene and fry them arssholes myself.

Meg tried to protect him until he opened his mouth. The DA prosecuted him and she was still treated like a villain instead of a victim/survivor. Absolutely DISGUSTING. That man brought his child to court as a prop for sympathy knowing DAM WELL he was guilty 🤡. I pray that Meg and any woman/man dealing with domestic violence, are able to move on and heal. Stay strong, keep your head up, and make yourself a plan to leave. 💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜

It’s crazy the amount of people who defended this violent troll over a black woman who literally got shot by a grown man. I’ve never seen a domestic dispute where people cancel a victim over a crime that is not only proven, but also completely logical considering his past. And people keep saying it’s the end of her career which sadly might be true cause we live in a backwards society but imagine being thrust into the spotlight right after you lose the only person you had and why you started rapping , your mom, and then being around a bunch of snakes and your sex life outed in front of the world to see for clout whilst in the midst of going to court for being attacked. And I’m sure it wasn’t a good feeling for her to know that she was gonna be locking up a man for a long time but she didn’t have no choice. If Meg didn’t press charges the state would have . She had no control over the outcome or even the investigation. Yeah she lied but I do believe she did out of fear because anything she did or said got back lash. I was even annoyed with her at points even tho I’m always gonna be on her side and the victims side. A recent phone call got leaked pretty much sealing the deal and I still see people refusing to give up their pride and still calling her a liar.

Imagine if your daughter got shot in the foot ? I lost my dad at 20 so I know Megan was extremly lost and just doing everything she was told to do bad influences or not. People don’t know that feeling of not being able to ask your parents for guidance or to just hold your parents for strength , you constantly just gotta think “ what would my mom or dad do” . She was hella young like 22 I believe. Until people have lost a parent they don’t understand how deep it can change you . Meg is a victim legally and figuratively but she’s been treated like a suspect this entire time.

Torey is a felon, torey has attacked people for not shaking his hand, he breaks gun charges , he fights in clubs, he’s very volitile , he is not a good person so why people defend him so heavy is lost upon me . Honestly I believe it’s just out of spite

He should have been deported long ago….you should not be allowed to commit all of these offenses and be able to stay here. You cannot behave like this in any other country and expect to stay there….. and his father can’t even raise his child right like You mean to tell me Tory’s daddy couldn’t rear his own son but wanna blame others for his failure as a father? Mane GTFOH!!!

This is the result of what happens when he had no one in his life to hold him accountable. He also fumbled every opportunity given to him. The shooting was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Now, he’s facing the consequences. And he deserves it.

He has no one to blame but himself if anything Dude's his own worst enemy🤬

[elsannasecretsanta]

Northern Lights - gift for Karolina

Happy Late Holidays, I’m sorry this took so long (╥﹏╥)

***

Northern Lights

One second, Anna is staring into the food on her plate, desperately trying to tune out the increasing noise. The next, it all goes to hell.

The first thing that breaks through her haze is the sound of the utensils falling on the floor. Then, the chair being pushed away so hard it almost hits the wall behind it. Then, the blurred mess of black and blue rushing out of the room.

She opens her mouth and says something, she’s not sure what, she’s not sure if it makes any sense but she doesn’t have time to think because her mother is already rising to protest, and her father is yelling at her uncle and she needs to get out of there and find Elsa right now.

She runs out of the dining room and follows the carpeted corridor to the front of the rental cabin, where the door is not quite yet shut, and she catches it just before the latch clicks in and she has to struggle with the old mechanism.

“Elsa!” she yells out as soon as the cold winter night hits her in the face, and the blurred shape stops, then turns around.

She’s crying, she’s furious, and Anna practically jumps down the short flight of stairs to get over to her, fighting her instinct to envelop her in a bone crushing hug.

“I can’t fucking stand it there,” she hisses angrily, clearly also fighting her own instinct to scream out in frustration. “I-I just need to get away— if I hear one more word from Fred I’m going to commit a crime of some sort.”

Anna nods in understanding, then lets out a hot breath and lets a shiver overtake her. Elsa’s eyes scan up and down her body, taking in her bare legs and arms, her definitely not winter dress, her high heels almost fully buried in the fresh snow.

“You should go back inside,” she mutters, tugging at her own cardigan, as if to prove a point that she was better dressed to be outside right now. “You’re gonna freeze out here.”

Anna shakes her head vigorously in protest. “I don’t want to. I wanna go with you.”

“Anna…”

“Nuh-uh, I’ve made up my mind,” she asserts. “They’re having a full blown screaming match in there and I don’t think I can take it anymore, either. I was already just completely spacing out and waiting for any excuse to leave.”

For a moment, Elsa just stands there, looking at her and considering, the only sound coming from her a soft jingle of the keys in her hand. Then, with a defeated sigh, she wipes the angry tears off her cheeks and says, “I’ll go get the car closer so you don’t have to walk through the snow. Can you go back and grab our coats?”

***

The gleam of the headlights makes every snowflake sparkle as they slowly make their way down the meandering road. In the otherwise complete darkness around them, it almost feels like they drove through a wormhole that will, hopefully, take them to the nearest town just a few miles from the cabin.

That, or Anna just had so much wine so far this evening that her head is spinning and her veins are buzzing, and the world feels just a little more four dimensional than usual.

The phone vibrating in her lap takes her mind off the dancing snowflakes.

“It’s mom.” It’s the third time she’s called since they left, even though it couldn’t have been more than 10 minutes. The car isn’t even properly warmed up yet. “Should I pick up?”

A soft shrug is the only sign that Elsa even heard what she said.

She grabs the phone and turns it upside down so the accept call button can’t bother her anymore.

“Do you have anywhere you wanna go?” She tries for a change, too bothered by the now overwhelming silence. “Or are we just driving aimlessly?”

“Just driving,” Elsa’s voice still bears a trace of anger, and Anna needs to remind herself she’s not angry at her. “I just…need to clear my head, and then we can go back.”

Anna nods, though she’s not sure Elsa can even see it from the corner of her eye, not with how dead-set she is on staring directly ahead with her hands gripping the steering wheel like it’s uncle Fred’s throat.

Or she’s just looking into it too hard. The road is difficult, not made any easier by the snowfall, and Elsa is just focusing on not driving them into a ditch.

Another, shorter vibration makes her pick the phone back up.

“Text from Rapunzel,” she says, casting quick glances between the screen and the windshield to make sure her dinner stays inside her. “She says she’s really sorry for her dad’s big mouth and asks when we’re gonna be back.”

Elsa huffs. “Tell her she shouldn’t have to apologize for her father, she’s not responsible for his actions.” She takes a sharper turn out of a side road just a little too fast and Anna feels the wine slosh in her stomach. “And I don’t know, just—just tell her not to worry, we won’t be long. And ask her to tell mom the same.”

Anna quickly taps almost word for word what Elsa dictated, hitting send just in time to avoid looking down during another turn.

“Now put your phone down, you’re gonna be sick.”

“I’m fine,” she lies, taking a deep breath in hopes of fighting the vertigo. “You’re not driving that fast.”

“No, but we’re about to hit that series of turns, and I can see you’re a bit more than just tipsy. I don’t want you to throw up in the car.”

Anna opens her mouth to protest, but just as she turns to face Elsa they hit the first turn, and the contents of her stomach swirl around dangerously.

She falls back into the soft embrace of the car seat with an annoyed huff.

A few disturbingly quiet and rocky minutes later, her phone vibrates again.

“Leave it,” Elsa’s voice cuts through the hum of the engine before she can even reach out for it. “They’re fine, they can deal with it.” Despite the harsh tone, she puts a comforting hand on Anna’s knee. It’s cold, and sends a shiver up her thigh, but still Anna wishes she could compact her entire body into the cup of Elsa’s hand. “Keep your eyes on the road.”

She nods, mouth suddenly too dry to speak. Her eyes transfix on the sparkling swirls outside again while her mind transfixes on the small, but overpowering tether she has to Elsa now.

She’s only marginally aware of the moment the contact is broken, and quiet, barely even audible music starts; the warm air blasting in her face from the heater, the soft rocking of the car and the six glasses of wine take over her, and god even knows how much rum take over her. Every inch they cut through the mesmerizing blizzard outside, the stress of the evening leaves her body, bit by little bit.

She doesn’t even know when her own hand shoots out to grab Elsa’s, where it’s enthusiastically welcomed, their fingers intertwining atop Elsa’s thigh.

The slow strokes of Elsa’s thumb across her skin are the final ingredient. Anna’s eyelids grow heavier with every breath she takes, and though she tries to fight it, she soon dozes off to a dreamless sleep.

***

When she opens her eyes again, it’s because Elsa’s touching her cheek; the world is light now, and instantly her chest tightens because something is off, but a quick scan of her surroundings reveals the bright, cold lights of a gas station.

For a moment, she’s not even sure why they’re there; the events of the past few hours— days, really, are just a jumble of images in her mind. Slowly, she constructs a somewhat coherent timeline, and when she finally gets to where they are now, she moves her wide, still confused eyes to look at her sister.

“I just need to gas up,” Elsa says when she assumes Anna is awake enough to understand her. “I wanted to let you sleep, but I also didn’t want you to wake up and freak out when I’m not here.”

Anna nods with a hum, and leans into the touch, earning a sly smile in return. “Don’t be long,” she whines, and internally blames the sleepiness for making her such a little bitch. “And can you get me something to drink?”

Elsa laughs, then pets her on the head before promptly leaving the car, slamming the door shut behind her.

Suddenly, Anna realizes just how loud the outside world was, as she’s left in the lonely silence of Elsa’s car.

She picks up her phone—she makes note of the low battery level, but there’s not really anything she can do about it, not when she so carelessly ran out of the cabin without grabbing the charging cable—and checks the notifications.

Five new messages and as many missed calls. Elsa had to ignore them really hard while she was knocked out.

She opens the first message and groans. A passive aggressive text from uncle Fred is the last thing she needs to be reading right now, and she immediately decides she’s not even going to mention this to Elsa. She scrolls past, not dignifying it with a response, to the next few; she takes a moment to send a quick ‘We’re okay, we’ll be back soon.’ to Rapunzel and her mom.

For the first time since Elsa left, Anna’s brain registers the hour. It’s already past 1 a.m., and now she’s not exactly so sure the messages she’d just sent were any close to the truth.

Before she can worry about it, the driver door flies open and in comes a flurry of snowflakes that bite into the bare skin of her ankles and calves, followed quickly by Elsa.

She mutters something about the price of the gas, but Anna’s brain is too tired to try and decipher the precise words through the howl of the wind.

Finally settled into the seat, Elsa closes the door behind her and the noise dies down. “I got you some water and an energy drink,” she says, passing the bottle and the painfully cold can over to her. “I figured you could use some pick up, you’re looking a bit pale.”

Anna gives her a brief smile, before placing the bottle between her legs and the can carefully down on the floor; she forces herself to keep the hiss of discomfort at bay when it touches her ankle. “Thank you. I’m sorry for falling asleep before.”

Her head snaps back to Elsa when she hears the crack of a can, and she watches her take a sip of her coke. “It’s really fine,” she says after a moment, but Anna can’t really tell for sure the tone of her voice. “It gave me some time to think and fume in peace, I didn’t want to accidentally be mean to you—”

“You weren’t mean to me,” she protests quickly. “And even if you were, I’d have known it wasn’t because of me.”

Elsa’s cold hand on her knee shuts her up. “I know you’d have known that.” Her voice is calm, but there’s a certain urgency to it. “I still didn’t want to be mean to you. I don’t wanna take my frustration with Fred on you, you don’t deserve that.”

Her hand gives a soft squeeze, and Anna’s mouth runs dry again. She picks up the water bottle and hastily takes a big gulp.

It’s only a few seconds later that Elsa sits back straight in her seat with both her hands on the steering wheel, but Anna feels like the skin just above her knee had been branded.

“Do you want me to drive back?”

The question catches her off guard; there’s something unsure in Elsa’s voice, something almost like a plea.

“Do you want to go back?”

A moment passes. Then, Elsa shakes her head.

“Then I don’t want you to.”

“Are you sure?” She sends her a puzzled look. “We’re already quite a bit away and it’s almost half past one. It’ll take a good while to drive there.”

Anna sighs. “I’m sure, Elsa. If you don’t feel like you can go back now, then I don’t want you to force yourself.”

“I just feel like I kidnapped you.”

“I literally chased after you and pretty much begged you to take me.”

Elsa rolls her eyes. “You didn’t beg,” she claims, but to Anna it still honestly feels like she all but did so out loud. Then, her face softens, and she runs her fingers along Anna’s knuckles. “But I am glad you came with me. It really helped me calm down.”

“I was passed out most of the time—”

“Having you near was enough.”

At that, Anna shuts up, trying not to think too hard about the rush of hot blood to her cheeks and ears, and she lets Elsa buckle her seatbelt. Even if the absence of her hand now feels colder than the snowstorm outside.

***

Elsa’s not ready to go back—which would imply, at this hour, probably having to sneak in the cabin and risk waking people up; or worse, run into anyone still awake and be berated on the spot—and Anna doesn’t have even a quarter of a heart to ask to end their little impromptu road trip, so when they pull up to the highway, they end up taking the way opposite of where their cabin is.

At least, she thinks it’s the opposite. It’s not like she’d watched the road carefully through her tightly shut eyelids, even if she wasn’t fully asleep as Elsa thought, and her sense of direction is not the best. She’s not concerned enough to ask, though, worried that even saying anything at all would make Elsa turn around and take them back.

In all honesty, she’s really enjoying herself much more than she was back at the cabin, and with far less alcohol, too.

She hopes so is Elsa. Judging by the little smile that ghosts over her lips now and then and the quiet singing along to their blended playlist, she might just be right.

***

Inevitably, of course, her fatigue and the ever present urge to fall asleep as soon as she gets warm and cozy and the car rocks her just right take over, and she’s knocked out. Again.

By the time she wakes up, however, there are no harsh lights of a gas station, no glare of the highway lamps, not even a lone, but overwhelming supernova of an oncoming car’s high beams. It’s as dark as it gets, and their car is almost completely still, save only for the heating.

She turns to the driver’s seat afraid Elsa would be gone, too.

“You’re awake.”

She can’t be quite sure, but judging by her tone, Elsa was napping as well. She must have been roused by the rustle of Anna’s coat when she turned.

“Where are we?” she whispers, noticing with some amusement that Elsa apparently unbuckled her seat when they stopped. Which also probably meant they’d been there for a while. “Did I sleep for long?”

Elsa hums, then her face is lit briefly by the gleam of her phone. “About an hour or so. It’s quarter past three now.” She puts the phone back down on her thigh and shifts so that she’s facing Anna. “We’re just far enough from the highway that there’s no light pollution.”

Cryptic, but in a way that sparks Anna’s curiosity rather than chills her veins. Elsa must have noticed—she’d always been able to see in the dark much better than Anna—her raised brows, because she lets out a short, quiet laugh before she continues, “you actually woke up just a little while before the alarm I set for us. I got a notification from the geomagnetic activity app when you dozed off and I thought— hell, why shouldn’t we, you know?”

Anna takes a moment to load all the new information in. “Geomagnetic?” she asks, racking her brain for the definition. Then, the one synapse that holds it connects to the mainframe, and her chest implodes with excitement. “Wait, like— Northern Lights?”

“Yeah.”

“Here?”

“Yes.”

“Like, right now, here?”

Elsa laughs, louder than before. “Yes, right now, here,” she repeats, her face lighting up once again with a notification from her phone as well as with a beaming smile. “I thought you’d like to see it.”

She offers no more explanation, simply puts her reclined seat back up and reaches for her coat in the backseat; Anna looks out the windshield, but it’s still dark as ever when Elsa opens the door to step outside.

“It’s cold as fuck,” she says, quickly throwing her coat on. “But I feel like sitting in the car would dampen the experience.”

Anna nods, and though her body screams at her to stay inside in the warmth, she slides out of her seat as well. She leaves her phone inside to hopefully save the last bit of battery from the cold.

She walks around the car to where Elsa is standing in front of the hood; now with a wider angle to turn her head around, she can see Elsa chose a nice, almost cozy spot to park their car just off the road. With trees on both sides, but a wide opening overlooking a field of some kind right ahead of them.

“When’s it gonna start?” she asks, huddling closer to her sister in a vain attempt to steal some of her heat. “Was that notif a moment ago from the app?”

Elsa nods and hums a quiet ‘mmh’, before looking back down at the clock on her phone. “Roughly five to ten minutes, but it could be a little earlier or later than that.” She leans back on the hood, then looks down at Anna’s feet. Her brows furrow. “Fuck, I— wait here, I’ll be back in a second.”

She trots away to the back of the car, leaving Anna to tremble alone in her spot. Her legs are slowly turning to ice, the feeling in her feet almost gone in just the two minutes or so she’s been standing in the snow.

“I’m such an idiot,” she hears Elsa grumble as she rummages through the trunk. “I should have thought of this before you got out of the car—”

The rest of what she’s saying is muffled as she apparently dives deep inside, and Anna just tries to sink into her coat. She’s still reeling a bit from the alcohol, though the cold is definitely keeping her more awake than the warm car. “Can you also grab my energy drink?”

Elsa’s answer is completely unintelligible, but a few moments later she hears the passenger door open behind her, and then the cold—but now warmer than the air around her—can slides into her coat pocket, just beside her hand.

She looks curiously at Elsa as she throws two huge blankets they usually use for picnics or sudden camp-outs on the roof of the car. Then, without a second’s warning, she all but jumps up on the hood, her winter boots squeaking loudly on the cold metal as Anna’s heart skips a beat or four in shock.

She stares up at Elsa completely dumbfounded for a second, before Elsa bends and reaches her hand out.

“Come on.”

Anna lets out a nervous giggle. “No, thanks, I’m good here.”

“Come on.”

She looks cautiously at the extended hand, now wagging its fingers impatiently. “I-I’m gonna damage the car,” she says hurriedly, lifting a leg out of the snow to point at her heel. “I could scratch or even dent—”

“Anna,” Elsa’s tone makes it clear there is no room for arguing. “Grab my hand before I get back down and just throw you up here.”

With a gulp, Anna does as she’s told.

“Now, put your leg up on the wheel and just—” She grunts when Anna lifts one of her legs, and the other one slips on the ice, but she manages to hold her up. “—just trust me, okay?”

Anna doesn’t even have the time to answer anything before the momentum hits, and Elsa yanks her up; for a moment it feels like they’re both about to lose their balance and eat shit, but somehow both of her feet make it onto the hood. She’s triumphant for all of two seconds before one of her heels wobbles to the side, and she closes her eyes in anticipation of the fall.

That doesn’t come; instead, a steady arm snakes around her waist and keeps her close. “Careful,” Elsa whispers just above her ear, which as far as Anna can imagine is blood red right now, together with her face and shoulders. “Move forward a little, you’re at a slant.” She doesn’t even take the step consciously, her body just moves along with Elsa on its own. “That’s better. I’m gonna let go of you, okay?”

Not trusting her own voice right now, she nods.

Instantly, the absence of Elsa’s arms around her is— it’s nothing. She’s simply cold. It was just nice to be close, because Elsa is warm, and that’s the only reason, nothing else definitely for sure.

She’s just drunk. And tired. And cold. And drunk. And still messed up after the dinner. And standing on top of Elsa’s car like they’re in some teen flick. And drunk, she can’t stress that enough.

She’s so lost in her weird spiral that she doesn’t even notice when Elsa lays out one of the blankets on the roof of the car. She doesn’t really notice when Elsa tells her to sit down, either, or when Elsa gives her a puzzled look.

She does, however, notice Elsa’s hands grabbing her hips to pull her closer again.

“—it’s okay, you won’t fall, I’m holding you,” Elsa’s voice tunes in through the rush of blood in Anna’s ears. At least she’s ascribing Anna’s weird behavior to her fear of heights. That’s one comforting thought amongst the sea of outright perversion in her brain right now. “You just need to turn around and—”

She doesn’t explain, and Anna doesn’t get it on her own either, and what was supposed to be her falling back—which, to be honest, did alert her fear of heights even in her preoccupied state—on the soft blanket turned into her fucking heels (which she will never wear again in winter) slipping underneath her and her falling square on her ass. Between Elsa’s legs.

She wasn’t sure if the sound she let out could be classified as a yelp, but she sure as hell could make a good voice actress for less than safe for work animation.

“A-are you alright?” Elsa asks as she scoots back to let Anna wiggle herself out from between her legs. “Sorry, I didn’t realize it was that slippery— I keep forgetting you’re not wearing winter boots—”

“It’s okay,” Anna manages, surprisingly calm after the total system failure just a minute ago. “I only bruised my ass a little, that’s all.”

They both chuckle (somewhat nervously) and shuffle around until they’re sitting side by side with no risk of either of them falling, sliding or rolling off.

Once Anna’s settled properly, Elsa drapes the second blanket across her frozen legs and pulls an arm around her shoulders.

It’s— well, Anna wouldn’t exactly call it comfortable, but it’s not uncomfortable to sit there, the bottom blanket doing a half-decent job of keeping the cold of the metal roof away from her; once she pulls her knees up a bit and her feet are under the top blanket, it’s leagues better than just out in the wind. She leans her head against Elsa’s shoulder and closes her eyes, just enjoying the moment.

Which might not be the best idea, as her eyelids turn out to be heavy as lead. She should drink that energy drink right about now.

Elsa sighs into her hair. “I’m sorry,” she apologizes again, and though there’s no way she can see it, Anna furrows her brows. “It all seemed much easier in my head. I didn’t think it would be this much of a hassle for you. And the cold— oh, I think it’s gonna be starting soon.”

Anna blinks her eyes open, then looks up to where Elsa’s finger is pointing at the sky. Right, the northern lights. She almost completely forgot about it in her internal turmoil, and it was literally the sole reason they even came here in the first place.

A lone, wispy cloud of greenish light flickers above them briefly before the sky goes dark again.

She reaches into her pocket and grabs the canned energy, then cracks it open and shotguns the whole thing, ignoring Elsa’s snicker.

“You’re irredeemable.”

She huffs. “I just want to be awake for this.”

Whatever Elsa is about to respond dies on her lips as the sky lights up again, this time holding back no punches as it explodes into a show of colors. Greens and pinks mix together above them, chased by a sudden flash of purple. They swirl together like waves, more tangible than a simple light and yet more ethereal than a cloud, like colorful oils mixing together.

Anna’s eyes are glued to the sky, unable to look away even if she wanted to.

“It’s so much brighter than I thought it would be,” she whispers, and only vaguely notes that she can feel Elsa nod in agreement.

Neither of them says anything for the next few minutes.

***

She’s not sure how long they just sat there, watching the wondrous display; the only thing she had to go off was the cold, which by now found its way deep into her bones.

“Anna?”

Elsa’s voice cut through the silent night so suddenly Anna’s head turning to the side almost gives her a whiplash. “Yeah?”

The aurora makes Elsa’s eyes shine in colors Anna’s never seen before.

“You good?”

“Why?”

Those colorful eyes are filled with worry. “You’re shaking,” she says, the arm around Anna’s shoulders tightening. “Like, really hard.” She brings a hand up to cup Anna’s cold jaw, and runs a thumb across her cheek. “And you’re crying.”

Her thumb brushes over her lips and they part, but there’s no words she can say; she watches the lights dance on Elsa’s face with her breath stuck in her chest, her own eyes straining to engrave this image into her retinas forever, her body paralyzed out of her control because all she wants to do right now is to reach out and hold her so tight they mold into one—

Elsa’s worried look deepens before her face turns away from Anna, and the spell is broken. “I shouldn’t have dragged you out here,” she says quietly, Anna’s brain racing to catch up. “You’re cold and tired, I should have taken a hint when you kept falling asleep, I— fuck, it’s already so late I-I don’t even think we’ll make it back before the sunrise.”

Anna reaches for her hand, but it moves away before she has a chance to grab it. “Elsa—”

“I ruined Christmas for you,” she continues, and Anna is reminded that it was, in fact, Christmas Eve last night. “At this rate I don’t even think we’ll make it to the gift opening, not to mention the breakfast—

“Elsa.”

—and if we do we’ll be fucking zomb—”

“Elsa!” she says as loud as she can without outright yelling, and Elsa finally shuts up and looks back at her. Triumphantly, Anna grabs the hand now hanging loosely off of Elsa’s knee. “I don’t care about the gifts, or the breakfast, or whatever else you think that I am concerned about right now.”

Elsa gives her a puzzled look. “But you’re cry—”

“I didn’t even realize I was crying.” Machinally, she runs her other hand to wipe her still damp cheek. “I’m just overwhelmed, a little cold and—”

In love with you, her brain suggests but she quickly shuts it down.

“—really happy to be here with you,” she settles on instead. “I’ve never seen something so— grandeur in my life, and I am really glad I got to share it with the one person I care for the most.”

Elsa blinks, surprised.

“Freezing my ass off is not that much of a price to pay.”

That finally seems to convince her, and her face breaks into a smile that threatens to put Anna into a daze again.

“Thank you for bringing me here.”

Elsa squeezes her hand. “Thank you for coming with me.” She sighs. “I’m still sorry you missed out on all the other stuff, though.”

“I really don’t care about that.” She moves closer, so close that she’s all but straddling Elsa’s thigh. “I just— I love you.” The words are out before she can stop them. “So, so much. As long as we’re together, I don’t care about the rest of the world.”

It… came out a little stronger than she wanted to, but instead of pulling away in discomfort, Elsa allows her to mold to her side. “I love you, too,” she whispers, so quietly that if Anna’s ear wasn’t just a few inches away from her lips she probably wouldn’t hear it.

There’s something in the way she says that simple statement, or the tone of her voice, or the way her other hand is now around Anna’s waist, or the otherworldly lights still flickering above them and across her face, or the chaotic night behind them and still before them.

Something that dares her to act.

Anna suddenly feels brazen like she’s never felt in her life, the voice of reason thrown to the frozen ground below them. Her body moves on its own; her lips lock with Elsa’s in a decidedly non-sisterly way, but instead of alarms blaring in her brain all she can feel is

Just

Content. Safe. Loved. Warm.

She could swear her body stops shaking when the kiss deepens, Elsa’s upper body now turned towards her, the steady hand on her waist pulling her closer until they’re flush against each other and falling backwards on the roof of the car.

When they pull away, there’s no need to talk. She can see everything written out clearly in Elsa’s eyes, now back to the brilliant blue she loves so much. The northern lights are gone, and there’s just enough moonlight in the sky to illuminate the outline of her face.

“We should get in the car,” she says after a moment of comfortable silence. “I’m afraid we might pass out if we just lie here, and I really don’t want you to freeze.”

Anna groans, and earns a soft kiss on her nose.

“Can we just curl up on the backseat and take a nap?” Then, she remembers the world outside of the two of them. “Just don’t let me fall asleep before I message someone and tell them we’re alive.”

Elsa laughs, already getting up—Anna’s needy little inner demon immediately missing the closeness—and jumping off, then holding her arms out invitingly to catch her.

When Anna falls into her arms, and their lips find each other seemingly on their own again, she’s not so sure they’ll be taking a nap in the backseat.

[universal-shenanigans]

Scarring Memories

((Took a break from updating the bog and co to put this chapter of the Mob AU out. Just so I can get into the mode of writing the storylines for the blog’s ACTUAL AUs.))

//TW: Slight mention of Ph*si*al A*use & P*nic A**ack

     Alexa, Alex, and Andrew had arrived back at their apartment. Although the complex and the others around it were decent, the area was still dingy and dark. The stench of trash, alcohol, and the cigars of the "local mobsters" took over the air like a toxic haze. As they climbed the stairs to their floor, they passed the halls that filled with assorted sounds. Televisions, children, animals, and the occasional rhythmic thumping. The trio reached their door and hurried inside.

     "Al, if you could." Alex nodded and loaded her pistols. She took a lap around the apartment. She checked every closet, under every bed, and behind anything that could even be considered a hiding place. When finished, she walked into the living room as she unloaded her guns. "We're clear."

     "Alright. Get ahold of Frankie and I'll call my dad. We need as many options as we can get to even get a step in the right direction."

     "Got it. Andy, could ya come help me out?" He nodded and followed her to her room. Alexa quickly grabbed her laptop from her own room and walked back to the living room as she waited for her father to pick up.

     "Hello?"

     "Hi daddy. I need your help with something."

     "Of course, Pup. Whatcha need?"

     "Alright, I need you to look up the ties Arthur and I had made when we were together. I’m also gonna need a list of our connections. Both of’em gotta be from most reliable to the least. Also, and this is optional cause I’m already asking for a lot and I don’t know if you really remember, it would help if you could mark who’s dead. Saves us a lot of time.”

     "Your mother and I are on it. I'll get it to you as soon as I can."

     "Okay. Thanks daddy. Tell mama I said hi. Love you lots."

     "No problem Princess, I will. Love you more."

     She put her phone away and sighed heavily. Running her fingers through her hair before typing away on the keyboard. Being the daughter of a very high-ranking mob boss came with its own perks. Alexa had access to previous records and files of various mobsters and the crimes they’ve committed over the years. It also helped that having had a previous relationship with Arthur, she had leeway on what she could access and keep on him specifically. She gazed at the laptop screen once she was able to pull him up. The first thing she saw almost acted as a warning sign:

CONFIDENTIAL

     Hesitantly scrolling past, his picture now plastered the screen. Arthur Bushell. The pages on him were extensive. The photos that littered the document made her stomach twist. As she searched through the file, Alexa found many incidents that she was certain were very new. Others made her breathing hitch as she gripped the bottom of her shirt. One incident made her abruptly stop her scrolling. The bruises, the gashes, cuts, and blood...the demented look in his eye as he looked at her. The photo caused her to let out a shaky breath and caress her abdomen. She could feel the reminders. Her heartbeat slowly increased its pace as she looked at each photo.

     "What the fuck are you doing?!"

     Hard to breathe.

     "Arthur, stop! Please!"

     The stinging.

     "One. False. Move. That's all it fucking takes Alexa..."

     The God damn ringing.

     Can't breathe. Stop. Please. Can't breathe. Can't breathe.

     CAN’T BREATHE.

     "I CAN'T BREATHE!"

     "ALEXA!”

     She jumped when Alex shook her. She quickly wiped her eyes and grabbed the bottom of her shirt to wipe the rest of her face. Her friend let out a heavy sigh and moved the laptop to the coffee table. Alexa was now visibly shaking, clenching her shirt and on the verge of hyperventilating. Alex sat down and wrapped her arms around her.

     "You’re okay. I’m right here, try to breathe slowly..."

     Alexa nodded, gripping on Alex's shirt. Her eyes wouldn't fixate on one thing. They moved constantly as she tried to relax her breathing. The ringing had slowly begun to stop. Alex's soothing voice did help a bit. But the thought of him-having control over her, touching her...she saw that as a fate worse than death.

     Brrring! Brrring!

     Alex answered, "Hello? Yeah, she’s right here hang on." She covered the phone and quietly asked her if was able to talk to her father. Alexa was still quite shaken up after her breakdown a moment ago, but she didn’t want to worry her father. Plus, it could be an update on the files they needed. She gave a small nod and Alex handed her the phone, “Yes daddy?”

     "Pup? Are you alright? You sound upset."

     She noticed that her breathing was still a bit heavy. Besides his fatherly instinct, it was kind of a dead giveaway. As it finally slowed down, she was able to answer clearly, "Yeah, I'm okay. Do you have an update?"

     "Yes. We’re halfway through the list and I’ll send it as soon as it’s finished."

     "Alright. Thanks again daddy."

     "Anytime sweetie, and you're sure that you're alright?" His worry still remained.

     "Yes, I promise I'm okay.” A lie.

     "Well, alright. I’ll get it to you as soon as I can. I love you."

     She managed to crack a small smile, “I love you too papa.”

     Once she hung up the phone, she dropped her head in her hands and sighed heavily. Alex rubbed her back softly, "Hey, maybe you should take a break. We know this is a lot."

     "..." She didn't say anything right away. Alex was absolutely right. This is a lot. Especially with everything she's gone through with the psycho. But she saw this as a chance. A chance she couldn't pass up. Too many things...too many people were at stake. Alex squeezed her shoulder to bring her back. She glanced at her friend and nodded. "Yeah...yeah I need a...a bath. Or something..."

     "Go ahead. I'll get Andy and we'll let you know about the rest of the list. But please, don't stress yourself out on this. We just, gotta be cautious and stuff, ya know?" She quietly nodded and pushed herself off the couch.

~

     Alexa laid in the tub, letting her face and hair sink in the water. The warmth against her skin was relaxing. Even it was for a moment. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She just needed to take a break. Breathe. Clear her mind as much as possible. But, she couldn’t help but run her fingers along the scars. The memories were starting to buzz around her head again. She could remember how loud she screamed before he...

     ...

     She took another deep breath. Push it down...Relax. Too much to do...

     She left the bath. Too much was racing around in her head to really try to relax. After getting changed, she walked into the living room and met with somber expressions on her friends’ faces. She gazed upon, worry starting to build inside her. “What happened?”

     “We got the list from both your dads...” Andrew said quietly. But she could hear a mixture of discontent in his voice. She looked at Alex, who was silent. However, she knew her friend long enough to know that her body spoke louder than her words. Alex whipped the laptop around and pushed it towards her. Alexa watched her pinch the bridge of her nose and let out a troubled sigh as she pulled the laptop closer. Not a good sign. She scrolled through the file and found...so many names. Way too many. Far too many with the same status: DECEASED. She wanted to throw the biggest fit at that moment. Scream, yell, throw things and punch holes in the walls. At least it would be something to get rid of the frustration that was building up. She took a deep breath, “...call ‘V’...”

[alsjeblieft-zeg]

272 of 2023

Do you hate it when people online tell you hi real quick before they leave?

...what?? What even is that question about? Grow up, please.

Have you ever talked to someone online while talkin to them on the phone?

My daily amount of WTF has exceeded the norm today.

Do you collect postcards?

Yes, I do. From all my travels.

What is the strangest e-mail you have ever gotten?

I had an account for trolling and someone took it seriously and sent me dick pics, no kidding. I laughed for two good weeks.

Have you ever forwarded a message because you were afraid?

...what?

If you could find a cure for world hunger, would you do it?

Is there anyone who wouldn’t?

Do you feel sorry for kids who have celebrity parents?

Kinda. Unless the parents arte like Rihanna, she’s admirable in protecting the privacy of her child.

When was the last time you visited an old teacher?

...never?

Have most of your elementary/primary school teachers retired?

I guess so, and some are deceased.

Someone gives you a horse as a gift. Your reaction?

“Look at my horse, my horse is amazing” 😂

Do you know anyone who owns a ranch or farm?

Yes. He was our coworker and he’s retired now, so he has more time to invest in his farm.

Who was your best friend(s) when you were 13?

There was a group of us, three boys and three girls.

Where do you think they are now?

One lives in Sweden, one is unemployed and has six kids with her husband (supposedly one of them is not his, though), one has a new boyfriend every year, and the last two I have no idea.

Has someone of the same sex ever called you cute?

Yeah. When it was the guy I liked, it was sweet. But when it was the man I wasn’t interested in, it was cringy.

Do you hold hands with your best friends?

I don’t even hold hands with my husband.

Has your friend ever held your hand and it made you feel uncomfortable?

I’m generally not very tactile person.

Are you afraid/nervous to speak aloud in class?

Not anymore.

Would you rather have some education or no education at all?

...what’s even that question?

If you have a pet is it skinny/average/or has some extra fat?

Both are within average, but one is kinda bigger than the other? Victoria has been always a petite cat lady. Susie is bigger by nature.

Are you afraid of being falsely accused of committing a crime?

If you don’t have a reason, you’re not gonna be accused. What’s the big fuss about?

Do you organize stuff when you’re bored?

I’m never bored. Boredom is for people with low intelligence.

What are you looking forward to?

Having the possibility to visit my parents.

What are you wearing?

White hoodie and white wide leg trousers.

Are you registered to vote?

I’m older than 18 and voting is mandatory where I live, so here’s your answer.

Have you ever won a trophy?

I kinda won an award in photography.

Last thing you bought at Walgreens?

I’ve never heard of that store.

Ever thrown up in public?

No, I don’t throw up at all.

Did you have long hair as a young kid?

No, it’s been always short.

When was the last time you cleaned out a bath tub?

We only have a shower in our bathroom.

Would you do your own surgery to keep yourself alive? (Ex. stitches)

Stitches are not necessarily surgery. I’m not a doctor, I wouldn’t risk.

Would you rather read poetry or write poetry?

No, thanks.

Have you ever had any really infected injuries?

Once, from self-harm.

Have you ever beat up someone because they had different beliefs than you?

...Jesus, what a stupid survey.

If you hair never got greasy again, would you still wash it?

My hair is dry, not greasy.

What was the last song you listened to?

Last.fm says it was Thousand-Arms Fortress by Returning We Hear the Larks.

If you could meet one famous person, who would it be?

Probably Baas B.

When was the last time you played jump rope?

I don’t think guys play it at all.

If you have ever jump roped, did you ever trip over the rope?

I haven’t.

Are you addicted to any energy drinks?

Great question to ask someone who has suffered a brain haemorrhage, right? I don’t even touch this shit.

what was the last thing you ate?

Chicken soup.

What’s the color of your front door?

Green.

Are you right or left handed?

I was left-handed, but then my left hand got paralysed.

Do you play any instrument?

No, you need two hands for that. Boring question anyway, everyone asks about it.

Do you snore?

I haven’t heard myself, so.

Have you ever worn a wig?

What’s the point?

Have you ever made a snowman?

Back in time when we had snow in this country.

Do you ever wish you were famous?

No. Lack of privacy is not worth it.

When was the last time you went bowling?

Never. I’m not interested.

Do you drink bottled water?

I don’t drink any water.

What was the last thing you drank?

Orange juice.

Do you believe in love?

I believe there are many types of love.

Last person of the opposite sex you texted single?

...can someone rewrite this question with correct grammar so I can understand it please?

Tell me about the shorts you’re wearing:

Who told you I’m wearing any shorts? It’s certainly one of the stupidest surveys I’ve ever taken.

How long have you lived in your current home?

Five years.

Have you ever talked to someone when they were high?

Yeah, one of my friends. He was weirdly cheerful lol.

What’s something you want to purchase at the mall next time you go?

Malls are the rarity in my country.

Would you rather be single all your life or grow old with someone?

I’m married not for no reason, I guess.

How long have you liked the person you like right now?

Five years, but I love him.

Do you like mac n cheese?

I hate it. One of the foods that could make me gag.

Do you listen to music everyday?

Almost every day.

Do you have a hard time making decisions?

No, but I always need to consider all possibilities.

Are you gonna be home alone tonight?

I don’t know yet, probably yes. Or maybe tomorrow.

Last book you read?

Answered it many times.

Last song you listened to?

Answered it as well.

Last show you watched?

Keeping Up Appearances.

What color shirt are you wearing?

Yet another stupid question. Have you ever heard about hoodies?

Last sport you played?

Basketball as a teen.

Are you one of those rare people that like to read?

Yes, but it’s not as rare. Maybe in your America.

You get to take free lessons of whatever you want! What do you choose?

Spanish language.

What were you doing 15 minutes ago?

Still this goddamn survey.

Do you wear contacts/glasses?

I do wear glasses, I’m very nearsighted.

Where’s your favorite place to get pizza?

Pizza is overrated.

What do you plan on doing for a career?

What I’ve been doing for the last nine years.

What are you wearing?

A hoodie and wide leg trousers, both white.

How tall are you?

180 cm.

Do you miss somebody?

Yes, my parents and my sister.

Are you too shy to tell people when you’re developing feelings for them?

Yeah, I never tell.

Do you wish you were with someone right now?

I’m good.

Do you always get along with your siblings?

Yes, but my sister is an awesome person. Sure we had some fights when we were kids, but who doesn’t, honestly.

Do you actually use the butter knife when buttering your toast?

I don’t butter any toasts. Disgusting.

What’s tomorrow going to be like?

Do I look like I predict the future?

Do you prank call people?

Not anymore.

Do you call fries “French fries” or “Freedom fries” or something else?

WTF is freedom fries?? French fries is creating the false history because France has nothing to do with inventing threm. Stop stealing Belgian heritage, you.

Do you like strawberry ice cream?

I do.

Where are your siblings right now?

In another country.

Have you ever swam while it was raining?

I can’t swim.

Do you take your time opening envelopes or do you just rip it open?

I have a disabled hand, so I can’t hold the knife with it.

Is your front door locked?

It locks automatically, you can’t open it without the key.

Is your lawn mowed?

What lawn? I’ve never had a lawn in my life.

Does anyone ever whistle at you?

I’m not a dog.

Last video you watched on YouTube?

Something about cats.

What did your dress for prom look like?

I’m not a crossdresser.

When you had the chicken pox, did you get it EVERYWHERE? And I mean EVERYWHERE?

I don’t remember if I’ve ever had it.

What was the last song you listened to?

Is it just me or did this question appear three times in the same survey?

What’s irritating you right now?

This survey, really.

Do long distance relationships actually work?

Didn’t work for me.

Have you ever lied to protect someone’s feelings?

I can’t recall any particular situation.

What does your last message in your inbox say?

Boring question, I’m not even gonna bother.

[seijorhi]

Inexorable ♕

My birthday present for my beloved wife @iwaasfairy​ and my contribution to her birthday bash collab you can find here. I love you, you’re incredible and I hope you like this i even wrote smut for you smh

Iwaizumi Hajime x female reader

tw: dub-con, stalking, unhealthy relationships, very questionable decision making, smut, nsfw, um... implied murder?

He’s sitting on the steps outside your apartment when you get home from work, a lit cigarette dangling between long fingers. He brings it to his lips, the bright cherry red tip glowing as he takes a nice, slow drag and you scurry on past.

Not a word passes between the two of you, but olive eyes follow you up the stairs regardless, just like always. His name is Iwaizumi – Iwa – but you only know that because you’ve heard his friends yelling it down the hallway. In the three months since you’ve moved in, you haven’t so much as introduced yourself to the guy, but like most strangers crammed into the same shitty place there’s some kind of a routine between the two of you.

Why he religiously chooses this time of night to take his smoke break is beyond you, but like clockwork you’ll arrive home, having walked back from the bus stop and Iwaizumi’ll be there waiting for you, cigarette in hand.

Well, not waiting, just… there. Black leather jacket with a hoodie underneath, there’s a cut above his eyebrow tonight that he hasn’t bothered to clean, a purpling bruise colouring his jaw. Whatever dealings Iwaizumi’s tangled up in, you don’t like to think about too much, but you know it can’t be anything good. His friends dress like him, all have the same ‘don’t fuck with me’ vibe. You’ve seen their scrapes and bruises too – the weapons that stick out from the waistband of their pants – though you’re always quick to avert your eyes when they catch you staring.

You’ve heard them snickering about it when you hastily dart past, all but slamming your front door shut. 

And it’s not that you’re scared of him. There are people who play at being dangerous, and ones who are. Iwaizumi doesn’t strike you as somebody who enjoys playing, and while you don’t doubt for a second that he is dangerous, he isn’t to you. He wouldn’t go out of his way to hurt or scare you – you’re not even a blip on his radar – but what Iwaizumi is, at least as far as you’re concerned, the reason your step quickens and you can’t bear to meet his eyes, is intimidating.

Tall and broad shouldered, with those piercing green eyes. You’ve only seen him smile once, though it was more a quirking of his lips than anything else – usually he just stares, his expression halfway between impassive boredom and a scowl. 

No, Iwaizumi doesn’t scare you nearly as much as the bouquet of flowers you find sitting on your doorstep, a handwritten note tucked in between the roses.

—

The calls come next. You block one number and he rings from another, followed by endless texts. Cute little messages you suppose are meant to brighten up your day. 

Hi baby, love the skirt you’re wearing today. You know blue’s my favourite on you, always look so damn pretty. It’s like you’re trying to drive me crazy haha

Morning babe, I was thinking about you last night. You remember that trip we always said we were gonna take in the summer down to the lake? I can’t wait to bring you there.

Why won’t you answer my calls? I just wanna talk to you, hear your voice again. Let me make things right. I love you.

Don’t you miss me? I miss you. So, so much… You look beautiful today, by the way.

Baby, I love you, but you really shouldn’t be staying out so late with your coworkers for drinks. I just want you to be safe.

They’re not all soft and sweet though. Sometimes he just sends you pictures, and those creep you out most of all.

You change your number, and it doesn’t make a difference.

—

It’s hard for you to try and convince yourself that you’re imagining the prickling sensation on the back of your neck as you go about your day. You know he’s watching you – the messages and the voicemails just drive that home, but what else are you supposed to do?

You can’t just pack up and run again, and what good is a restraining order when you have no proof he’s violating it – and by the time you do, it probably won’t help you.

Kazuma’s always had patience, but only up to a point.

The final nail comes the day you arrive home to find one of Iwa’s friends heading out from his apartment – the tallest, with the curly dark hair. Barely spares you a glance until he seems to think better of it.

“Didn’t realise you had a boyfriend, sweetheart.”

He says it so casually, but the words make you falter, a sinking feeling in your stomach. “What do you mean?”

And for a moment, he looks half surprised that you’ve bothered to reply – so far you’ve done nothing but pretend to ignore him and Iwa and every last one of their friends. But the mirth slips from his expression quickly enough once he gets a good look at yours, “Blonde guy with a shitty dye job, tall-ish. Saw him leaving your apartment an hour ago.” 

But to walk out of your apartment, he had to have first gotten into it.

“Guessing he wasn’t your boyfriend then,” he says, eyeing you with an odd look. But you don’t respond and after a short pause, he simply shrugs and continues on his way. 

You couldn’t care less.

Kazuma was in your apartment.

Leaving flowers at your doorstep is one thing, but now he has a key. 

And it feels like there’s somebody else moving your body as you stumble towards your apartment, your hand shaking so badly that you fumble and drop your own keys twice before you finally manage to slide them home and push your way inside.

It’s waiting for you inside your bedroom, sitting atop your pillow; a pretty blue box wrapped with white ribbon.

Your phone flashes to life a minute later; an incoming message from an unknown number. 

Did you like your present, baby?? I hope you don’t mind, I kinda borrowed a little something too… 

With your heart in your throat you watch those three bouncing dots as the image comes through. 

A pair of red lace panties – yours – scrunched up in his fist, wrapped around his–

Your stomach heaves, and you barely make it to the bathroom in time before you’re hurling your guts up.

—

You’ve always had an impulsive side, and more often than not it’s landed you into trouble.

So you force yourself to calm down and think before you do anything rash. You head to the police station the very next morning to file a report, fresh off a sleepless night. The officer seems sympathetic, but you know before she even opens her mouth that there’s nothing they can do.

There’s no proof of a crime committed; nothing was taken (nothing you can prove, at any rate) and because your door wasn’t tampered with and the windows weren’t smashed, there’s no evidence of a break in. She suggests changing your locks and going to stay with some friends or family for a few days and you don’t know whether you want to laugh or burst into tears.

And instead of going back to work, you call in sick.

Iwaizumi isn’t sitting on the front steps when you get back home, and why would he be? You’re not supposed to be home for another few hours – so instead you head to his apartment door and mustering every last ounce of courage you possess, you raise your fist and knock.

Silence greets you. 

You wait for a moment, a heartbeat, not daring to breathe, but there’s no answer. Which, really, shouldn’t be that surprising considering it’s mid-morning on a Tuesday, but you can’t help the crushing sense of disappointment that washes over you. The thought of trudging back to your apartment to sit and stew alone for the next few hours while you wait for him to come back makes your skin crawl. You can’t just sit still and twiddle your thumbs, not when–

Abruptly, the door in front of you swings open, and you find yourself face to face with a glaring Iwaizumi. His expression falters, momentary surprise flickering across his eyes at the sight of you standing in his doorway.

This time you don’t avert your eyes. Your heart’s pounding, your hands clammy and trembling by your side, but this is the only choice you have left. And so as a single eyebrow cocks and Iwa falls into a lean against the doorframe – the only invitation you’re gonna get – you steel your nerves, take a deep breath, and speak.

“I-I need a gun.”

To his credit, Iwaizumi doesn’t snort. “You planning on shooting somebody, princess?”

They’re the first words he’s ever spoken to you, and they make your cheeks burn, your stomach twisting into a knot. It’s not a dismissal, but there’s a tinge of amusement colouring his tone and you can’t help but wilt a little under the weight of his gaze. 

Better sense would tell you to turn around, walk back to your apartment and curse your own idiocy for entertaining this stupid idea to begin with But Iwaizumi’s staring at you like he’s expecting an answer and all you can think about is the fear that gripped your heart last night, how you couldn’t bear to turn the light off, half terrified that at any moment Kazuma would come back – and this time he wouldn’t be satisfied with just some panties.

You can’t live like this, and you can’t just pack up your life and wait for the same thing to happen in the next place, and the one after that. Kazuma won’t stop, you know that. 

“I…” you chew on your bottom lip, dropping your gaze so that you’re staring at his chest instead of those piercing green eyes. “I don’t, I-I’m not–”

“A killer?” he interjects, and you almost flinch at his bluntness“Yeah, no shit.”

Taking another breath in through your nose, you force yourself to meet his gaze, even as your nails bite into the palm of your hand and your heart skips a beat. “I just want…” but you can’t even bear to say the words aloud, not without your voice shaking like a leaf. “It’s for protection. I don’t know who else to go to. Please,” you beg.

Iwa exhales heavily, a crinkle appearing between his brows as he frowns, “This got anything to do with the blonde asshole that’s been sniffing ‘round your place?”

Your bewilderment must show, because he snorts, finally stepping back to let you inside. “Mattsun told me,” he says, answering your unspoken question. 

The unmistakably hard edge to his words takes you a little by surprise, but you nod anyway, gingerly taking a seat on the couch when he jerks his chin at it. “Oh, uh, yeah. He’s my ex, kinda. We… didn’t end well.”

It’s the understatement of the century, but you somehow doubt a man like Iwaizumi gives two shits about your past relationship with a stalker. Your fingers play with the hem of your skirt as the imposing man settles down beside you. “So does this mean you’ll get me a gun?” you ask. “I can pay you, if that’s what you’re worried about. I have some money–”

Iwa scoffs, cutting you off. “If you think I’m letting you anywhere near a loaded gun, pretty girl, you’re dumber than I gave you credit for.”

You reel back as if he’s slapped you. But Iwaizumi’s staring at you with that steely expression and blood rushes to your cheeks. Why are you surprised? Did you actually think he was going to help you – a veritable stranger – just because you have some sob story? Why even bother letting you in if he was just gonna make you feel like an idiot? And for a moment you forget the gnawing terror that’s kept you up all night, letting yourself become awash with indignation. You have no control over the hurt noise that leaves your throat, but the ‘Fuck you’ that follows; that one’s intentional.

You don’t have time to regret the insult as you jump to your feet; his hand shoots out to wrap around your wrist, jerking you to a halt the moment you try it. 

“I didn’t say you could go,” he tells you, and you can’t fight the shiver that rolls down your spine at the unmistakably commanding tone. “Sit.”

Wordlessly, you comply.

“Look at me.”

Again, there’s that harsh undercurrent in his voice that tells you he’s not asking, and you lift your gaze with a tense swallow. Iwa still hasn’t released your wrist, the warmth of his calloused palm searing against your skin. 

He doesn’t speak for a moment, olive eyes studying your face intently as you force yourself to sit still under the appraisal. “I said that I wasn’t going to give you a gun, not that I wasn’t going to help.”

Your eyebrows draw together in confusion, “What–”

“I’ll take care of it,” he snaps, cutting you off once again. And as you inhale sharply, you realise that it’s not anger you see burning in those pretty eyes, but sheer, unrelenting fury, an icy rage that you don’t understand, that terrifies you as much as it enthrals.

Because you feel like it’s on purpose. Like he’s finally letting you get a glimpse of what silently seethes beneath that impassive mask of his. Are you scared now, sweetheart?

“H-how much?” you ask breathlessly, eyes wide and heart pounding. 

“I don’t want your money,” he says quietly, his voice low and husky. And just in case there was any confusion as to what he does want, his other hand comes up to your face, a broad thumb tracing along your bottom lip as he cups your cheek.

Iwaizumi leans in slowly, as if he’s giving you time to shove him away and tell him that you’re not that kind of girl. Part of you – the part that’s terrified, frozen stiff and regretting the very moment you decided to step into his apartment and cross that line – wants to. Even now, as those hooded olive eyes drink you in, his warm breath ghosting across your skin leaving goosebumps in its wake, you’re afraid that it’s too late for that. You’ve opened a door that should never have been opened and there’s been a fundamental shift between you and him. There’s no going back for either one of you.

And the other part of you revels in it.

“Don’t kill him,” you murmur the second before his lips meet yours. “Not unless you have to.” You don’t even know if he heard you, and as Iwa deepens the kiss, his tongue sliding against yours you find that you don’t care. You lose yourself to Iwaizumi as he leans closer, gently pushing you to lie back on the couch.

He isn’t satisfied with just your lips for long, planting hot, open mouthed kisses along your jaw and down the column of your throat, sucking on the sensitive flesh. His teeth nip at your collarbone as he busies himself unbuttoning your shirt, but your gasp sounds more like a needy whine than a plea for him to stop. 

He laughs a little at that, his chest rumbling against your stomach, but he makes no moves to slow down. Instead he turns his attention to your bra, his hands far less gentle with the delicate lace than he was with your shirt, and then his mouth is on your tits, licking, sucking, biting. Tomorrow, your skin will be littered with pretty red and purple marks, and judging from the single minded focus glinting in his eyes as he stares up at you, that’s exactly his intention. Iwa drags the flat of his tongue along the swell of your breast, circling it around your nipple before he sucks it into the wet warmth of his mouth, and the whimpering moan you give him in response is a thing of beauty. 

“Good girl,” he croons. “Such pretty, perfect tits.”

Your back arches when he cups the other in his hand, and you cry out when he roughly tugs the sensitive bud. He waits until the sting fades and you relax, sagging back against the cushions with relief before he does it again, harder this time. The sharp, searing pain ripples through you, your breath seizing in your chest as you try in vain to writhe away from his touch, but it’s followed by a flood of pleasure so strong it almost makes you dizzy. The fleeting kiss Iwa bestows on the supple flesh a moment later could almost be taken as an apology – if not from the satisfied smirk curling at his lips. He has no desire to be gentle with you, not today or any other day. That’s not who he is. 

Large hands ease down your side, reaching for the hem of your skirt. Iwa doesn’t bother trying to pull it off of you, merely flips it up, exposing your soft thighs and the delicate panties lying underneath. 

In an attempt to be helpful, you lift your hips to allow him to drag the lacy scrap of fabric down your legs and discard it, but Iwaizumi seems perfectly content with leaving them where they are. Even so, it takes you by surprise when his mouth descends on your cunt, the wet, pink muscle laving along the seat of your panties. You shiver in response, one hand instinctively reaching out to tangle in those spiky brunette locks, but if you’re about to tell him to stop teasing, the words are robbed from you when Iwa pushes the fabric aside and buries his face in the heat of your pussy.

His nose nudges at your clit and you jerk at the first lap at your folds, already shamefully wet for him. There’s no rhythm or rhyme to the way he eats you out, letting a long, thick finger slide into your cunt while he suckles and licks at your clit, but you can’t deny that it’s working. Your thighs tremble and quake beneath his hands, every second of his attention dragging you closer to unravelling entirely. And you’re awash with pleas, little whimpers and moans as he chuckles, the low vibrations making your fingers tighten in his hair as another burst of pleasure flutters through you. Your hips rise and fall against his face, desperate for more when he finally slides his tongue inside of your heat, eager to taste your cunt properly. You want more, you’re desperate and aching for it; but Iwaizumi’s grip tighten bruisingly against your thigh in warning. 

You’re at his mercy, and he’s in absolutely no hurry.

The first time you cum, it takes you by surprise. It feels like an endless build-up, Iwa’s tongue lapping at your pussy like it’s heaven sent, his mouth working diligently to drive you insane. Every touch feels unbearably good, from the long, slow strokes to the way he drags the tip of his tongue along your clit. Your toes are curling, your tits heaving with the desperate breaths you choke down, and all of a sudden his mouth latches onto your clitoris and he sucks hard at the swollen nub. You almost black out right there and then, stars bursting behind closed lids as pleasure wreaks havoc over your body. But as good as that feels, it’s not until you open your eyes and catch sight of the hunger blazing in Iwaizumi’s eyes that you tip over the edge, cumming into his waiting mouth with an earth shattering moan. 

At some point he must have let you go to rid himself of his own clothes, and your panties, but you’re boneless, basking in the afterglow as he shifts you once more, lifting one of your thighs up to hook your leg over his shoulder as he settles back onto the couch.

You just watch through hazy eyes as Iwaizumi gives his thick cock, already hard and flushed an angry red, a few cursory pumps. And his eyes are fixed on yours as he leans down, guiding the tip to your sopping cunt. 

“Fuck, you have no idea how long I’ve been dreaming of this, princess,” he grunts out. 

Warning bells sound in your head once more, your gut clenching uneasily, but any protests you might have voiced fall by the wayside as he slowly presses into you. It’s the girth, more than anything else, that takes you by surprise. It hurts, stretching out your poor, oversensitive cunt as his cock fills you up, inch by agonising inch. 

Iwa hisses from between clenched teeth and your eyes squeeze shut, trying to breathe through the pain. It won’t last long, you know that, and until it does you just have to grin and bear it.

You can feel it twitching inside of you, every ridge and vein, the way your slick walls hug his cock. His thumb strokes along your hip, soothing you as your face screws up and another whimper slips out. You think you hear him say something, praise maybe, or encouragement, but all you can focus on is the way his cock throbs inside your pussy when he finally bottoms out and stills.

And for a moment, he doesn’t move. A small kindness, letting you become adjusted to his size before he fucks you the way he’s dying to. 

“Look at me,” he says, and while his tone isn’t as sharp this time, it’s no less of an order.

Your eyes flutter open as Iwaizumi turns his head just a fraction without breaking eye contact, pressing a soft kiss against your calf. His eyes are glazed with feverish lust, pupils blown wide, almost swallowing up that thin ring of olive green entirely, and you wonder whether you should feel afraid right now.

You don’t have the words to describe it, the distant unease that seeps through you as you stare into the eyes of a man who’s clearly not in control anymore. If you screamed right now, tried to fight back or stop him, would it make a difference? 

Do you actually want to?

“You’re mine,” he growls out, drawing his hips back and slamming them forward ruthlessly as you choke on a scream. 

He’s relentless, hissing out curses as he fucks you like a rag doll, filling your wet, tight little cunt again and again and again. It’s all you can do to fist at the edge of the cushion, one hand wrapping around his back, your nails raking down his skin, drawing blood in their wake.

And Iwa doesn’t care, tossing his head back as he pounds his cock into your needy cunt, his balls slapping against your ass with every thrust. “Iwa,” you plead between gasping breaths, clinging to his broad frame. You don’t even know what you’re begging for, not as he grabs you by the hips and lifts you up, hauling you closer so he can fuck you deeper. And you can feel his cockhead rutting against your cervix with every vicious thrust, the painful stretch of your cunt as you’re forced to take his fat cock. It hurts, it does, but holy fuck you can’t focus on that when his fingers slip between your legs and he starts to rub at your puffy, oversensitive clit.

You’re whining, mewling, hips shifting as you rock against him, desperate for more friction. “Please, Iwa,” you moan.

The sound of it, the lewd slaps of skin against skin, the wet squelching as he drives his cock home again with an unforgiving pace would be enough to make you burn with embarrassment, but you don’t care because you’re quickly losing yourself to mindless pleasure. Every stroke fills you completely, it’s hot and thick and the drag of his cock against your plush walls, the way it kisses that sweet perfect spot with every thrust is driving you to insanity.

“Fuck!” you cry, clenching tightly around his length as you hurtle over the edge for a second time. You’re gushing, convulsing, back arched up off the couch, lips parted and–

Iwaizumi stops with a growl and you barely have time to process it before he’s flipping you onto your front, yanking your ass up into the air and hammering his cock back into your swollen, abused little pussy. It’s a bruising pace he sets as he chases after his own end, your name falling from his lips in harsh, breathless grunts. 

It doesn’t take long for his thrusts to become sloppy, your cunt sucking him in and pulsing around his cock. And you don’t have the mental capacity to beg him to pull out, not as his muscular chest collapses against your back, his arms wrapping around your waist and he pumps you full of his seed.

Neither one of you move straight away, both fighting to catch your breath and calm down in the afterglow of your orgasms. Your eyes flutter shut as he presses soft, sweet kisses to the back of your neck, your shoulders, anywhere he can reach. It’s an intimacy that doesn’t belong here, but you find yourself arching into it, a small, tired smile curling at your lips as Iwaizumi lavishes you with affection. 

And you can only whine softly when he finally pulls his cock out and stands, lifting your boneless form up into his arms, chuckling quietly when you bury your head into his chest. Your head’s empty, your thoughts a jumbled mess as he carries you into his bedroom, depositing you carefully onto the bed. 

Iwaizumi leaves you there like that, and when he returns a few minutes later he’s dressed again. He doesn’t smile, but there’s something oddly content about his expression as he stops by the doorway and takes in the sight of you; naked and thoroughly fucked out, curled up amongst his covers. 

“Iwa?” you ask sleepily, stretching your aching body to make yourself more comfortable as you nestle further into the soft mattress.

He doesn’t answer you as he strides in, but you watch through half lidded eyes as his expression hardens. Stopping by the bedside, Iwaizumi reaches for you. You think he’s going to cup your cheek again, maybe run his fingers through your hair, but instead his hand slides between your thighs, gathering up some of the cum that’s seeped from your pussy with his fingers and slowly pushing it back inside of you, humming when you whine and shift under him.

“I’m leaving for a bit,” he tells you, your gut clenching as you remember why you’re in this position in the first place. “You don’t leave this apartment until I get back. You don’t answer the door, you don’t tell anyone you’re here, you don’t leave this bed unless you have a goddamn good reason. Understand?”

Weakly, you nod.

“Such a good girl for me,” he breathes, and this time when he leans over he does kiss you, sweeping your hair back from your face before his warm lips meet your cheek. He lingers there for a beat longer than necessary before pulling away with a sigh.

And as the door swings shut, the sound of the lock clicking into place behind him, you begin to question whether you’ve made a mistake. You don’t doubt for a second that Iwa will follow through with his promise. Whether it’s tonight or tomorrow or a week from now, he’ll find Kazuma; him and his friends, and they’ll make sure he stays away. And until they do, you won’t leave this apartment.

There’s a sinking feeling in your stomach that despite your pleas, Iwaizumi’ll kill him. 

Not because that’s the only way for this to end, though you realise that that’s always been a possibility, but because of what you glimpsed in his eyes today. Stupidly, you’d thought you had Iwa pegged. But there’s something that lurks beneath that facade, something more dangerous than you could’ve possibly imagined and the moment you opened the door to Iwaizumi it sunk its teeth into you and now you’re not sure if it’ll ever let you go.

And as you lie back in Iwaizumi’s bed, covered in the marks he left behind you wonder whether you’ve merely traded one monster for another. Perhaps it was inevitable. Inexorable.

[anenbylittlepotato]

MC introducing roasting the side dateables to new exchange students

The bros here

"The big guy who has the only red uniform is Diavolo- or, Lord Diavolo, I guess. Lucifer gets mad at us if we don't say that part even though Diavolo himself does not give a single fuck and would even prefer it if you didn't call him that. It's because Diavolo is like, the Demon Prince or somethin like that. But don't worry, he may look big and scary and have a really intimidating title, but he actually has the personality of an actual puppy - goofy, excitable, sweet, kinda dumb, very curious about everything, and hardly thinks about the consequences of his own actions. Which doesn't sound like the greatest qualities for a ruler to have, but he's doing his best, okay. And, little known fact, but he actually switched bodies with a puppy at birth... You didn't hear that from me though... He also really loves it when people act casual around him because no one ever does. He's lonely, man, please just be his friend :(."

"The guy who's just hovering over there to the side is Barbatos. He's Diavolo's dad loyal butler. He basically raised Dia, since the man's actual dad has been getting milk asleep for thousands of years. Barbatos scares me though... I don't trust that man as far as I can throw him. He's always so shady and secretive. I feel like he's plotting a murder or sumn. Idk, I just feel like he might kill me in my sleep. It doesn't help that he can also see the future and probably knows all the ways I might die. That's just.... Creepy. He's creepy. I don't like him... And supposedly he feels the same about me, but has he LOOKED in a mirror? Like bitch I'm adorable and you know it, tf you talking about homie. You, on the other hand, look like you've committed war crimes or somethin."

"The guy over there who's struggling with his phone is Simeon. He... He somehow manages to be just as shady and mysterious as Barbatos while also being more inviting than almost everyone here??? Idk how he does it but it's kinda scary tbh. I mean he's an angel so I shouldn't be too worried, I guess, but I'm still sus. What sort of atrocities have you committed... Oh, he's also Luke's dad legal guardian. And he makes for a GREAT father figure. Look, if you have a shitty dad or none at all, go talk to him, he'll adopt you immediately. In exchange for teaching him how the fuck to operate a phone, of course. Simeon = best dad 2021."

"That literal child over there is Luke. Idk he's just someone's Chihuahua, who knows where he came from :/. No- Luke, I'm joking, it's fine, calm down. You're gonna tell on me? To whom? Simeon teases you just as much... Oh- okay bye. Aaaaaannnd he's gone. Uh, anyway, Luke is basically just a child. He gets annoyed very easily 😔. And don't forget: he reports DIRECTLY to Micheal >:( But if you're nice to him he might give you some baked goods. Aw man, now I I'm hungry. Dammit, and I just made him mad. Now I have to apologize so he'll give me sweets... 😔 Damn..."

"The guy in a really cliche wizard costume over there is Solomon. He's, like, the only other human here, even if he doesn't act like it most of the time. He's the biggest troll here and loves pranking the brothers. It's kinda hilarious, honestly. Though he also pranks me and that's annoying. He's also another shady character. Like damn, what's with these side characters and being all shady and shit, stop it, y'all, you're creepy. Also I think he has 700 wives or sum shit, but that's beside the point. He also have pacts with, like, 70 demons. He really has a thing with going way overboard, doesn't he?"

[storiesforallfandoms]

you’re my best friend ~ pete davidson

word count: 2002

request?: yes!

“pete friends to lovers”

description: in which two best friends get super sappy while drunk

pairing: pete davidson x female!reader

warnings: swearing, alcohol and weed usage

masterlist (one, two)

You were already two glasses of wine deep when Pete showed up, two cases of beer in his hands. He had a look of excitement on his face, which slowly fell when he realized there was no one else in your apartment.

“Everyone else cancelled,” you answered his unasked question.

“Everyone?” Pete asked.

You nodded. “Prior commitments or just not wanting to come or some shit.”

Pete came over and plopped himself down on the couch next to you. The case of beer was at his feet and he popped it open, taking out a bottle and immediately chugging it. You looked at him in amusement as he did so. Once he was finished, you asked, “Aren’t they warm?”

“Room temperature,” he corrected.

“Isn’t that gross?”

“A little, but obviously I have to catch up with you so we can be on even playing fields all night.”

You smiled and poured yourself another glass of wine as Pete opened another beer and started to drink again.

Between the heavy amounts of alcohol and the joint that Pete had brought, the two of you had gotten fucked up in no time. At some point you couldn’t even get up off the couch for more drinks, or for water that you both knew you should be drinking. The hangover you were going to have the next day was going to be killer, but in the moment neither one of you really cared.

You were both laid back on the couch, legs intertwined as you laughed at something Pete had said. It probably wasn’t even that funny, but in your inebriated state, everything was hilarious.

“You’re, like, my bestest friend, Pete,” you slurred. “No one else even bothered the show up, but you did!”

“I’m sure everyone else had like...stuff happening,” Pete said. “Adult things like...I don’t know...kids and taxes.”

You retched at the thought. “Yeah, no, I’m good with not having those adult things to do. Having kids, while extremely cute, is also extremely exhausting. But I don’t think anyone would’ve shown. No one else really...hangs out with me anymore.”

You laid your head back so you were looking at the ceiling. You could feel a lump growing in your throat and didn’t want Pete to see if you started crying. You knew this sudden emotion was most likely caused by the alcohol and the weed, but you also knew it was something genuine, a concern you had deep down that you had never voiced to anyone before.

You could hear Pete move to sit up and immediately turned your head away so he couldn’t see your face, even though you knew that looked more suspicious than anything.

“Everyone is busy, (Y/N),” he said, his voice soft. “I’m sure they’ll be able to hang out soon enough.”

“They’re not too busy to miss out on work get togethers, or going out with one another.” You sighed. “I know people grow apart and that’s just what happens when you grow up, I just didn’t think it was going to be all of my friends growing up and drifting apart all at the one time.”

“What am I, chopped liver?”

You giggled and sat up. The room spun around you as you did so and it felt like your stomach lurched. You had to take a moment to steady yourself before focusing your attention on Pete.

“I told you, you’re my bestest friend,” you said.

Pete’s smile slowly faded as he looked at you. “(Y/N), don’t cry please.”

You had forgotten about your emotional moment entirely. You wiped your cheek to find a wet streak running from your eye to your chin. You looked away from Pete again, suddenly feeling ashamed by your needless emotions. You were glad that the two of you were so drunk in that moment and would likely forget all of this the next day.

Pete’s hand lightly touched your chin, lifting it so that you were looking at him again. You looked into his eyes as he used his thumb to wipe the tears from your other cheek. Your breath caught in your throat as you realized how closely the two of you were sat together.

“I’ll always be here,” he assured you. “No matter how much we grow up or grow apart, I’ll always be one phone call away.”

You nodded, unable to get the words to unstick from your throat. You believed him, you knew he’d always be here.

The smell of beer and weed was strong as Pete leaned forward more, and normally you’d hate the smell combination. But you were too distracted by Pete’s eyes to notice, and a moment later you were too distracted by his lips on yours.

You had never viewed Pete as anything more than a friend before. You had grown up together. You were partners in crime since the first day you met in middle school. Your friends, and even your family, often made jokes that the two of you would end up together, but you both laughed it off. You were best friends, two peas in a pod, nothing more.

But now, with his lips moving against yours and his arms pulling you as close to him as you could get, you weren’t so sure. It could’ve been the drunken state the two of you were in, mixed with the emotions you were feeling just moments before. When the two of you sobered up the next day you may have not even remembered what happened, but in the moment you wanted all of him. You wanted his lips, his hands, his body, his heart, and you wanted to give him all of you in return.

His tongue brushed against your lips and you gladly let it in. It was wet and tasted like beer, so not the most romantic thing in the world, but it felt good in the moment. You felt like nothing could ruin what was happening, until your stomach lurched again.

You quickly pulled away from Pete and rushed to the bathroom. You didn’t even have time to kick the door closed behind you before you collapsed next to the toilet and threw up everything you had eaten and drank the past few hours. Pete followed closely behind you, pulling your hair back and gently rubbing your back. When you stopped throwing up for long enough, he got up to get you some water and made you drink it all before he did anything else.

“I didn’t think I was that bad of a kisser,” he joked. You glared at him over your shoulder before throwing up again.

Once you felt steady enough, Pete helped you to your feet. You brushed your teeth and took a mouthful of mouthwash in order to get rid of the taste of vomit. Pete helped you to your bedroom, where he had another glass of water and an Aspirin waiting for you.

“You’ll need that in the morning,” he said. “I’ll let you get changed.”

“You’ll stay with me though, right?” you asked. Suddenly you hated the thought of Pete having to leave.

He smiled. “Of course I will. I just want to give you some privacy while you change. You’re not supposed to see a girl naked till, like, the third date.”

You smiled back at him, a fuzzy feeling building inside of you at the thought of actually going on a date with Pete.

You changed into a pair of comfy pajamas and downed the glass of water Pete had left for you. You ventured out of your room to the kitchen to pour up another glass. You found Pete putting the bottles of beer in the recycling container and putting your glass in the sink.

“Why aren’t you as fucked up as I am right now?” you questioned.

“I could always handle my booze better than you,” he teased. You scowled and stuck your tongue out at him. He chuckled and put an arm around your shoulders. “Come on, let’s go to bed.”

After some convincing, Pete agreed to join you in bed. At first he laid a respectable distance away from you, but you moved close to him and placed your head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around you, running his hands through your hair as your eyes became too heavy to stay open.

“You’ll regret this in the morning,” he murmured. “Or forget it completely.”

“Maybe,” you said, “but let’s wait for the morning to decide that.”

~~~~~~

When you woke up the next morning you groaned in pain. Your head felt heavy and like it had been stabbed by multiple little needles. You opened your eyes but had to shut them again immediately, hissing at the pain that small action caused.

Why the fuck did I drink so much last night? you questioned as you braced yourself and opened your eyes again.

You found yourself alone in bed, which didn’t seem too unusual until you remembered that you hadn’t been alone when you fell asleep. Pete had been there, more specifically he had been cuddling you.

You’ll regret this in the morning, you recalled him saying before you drifted off to sleep. You wondered if he had left before you had the chance to decide how you felt about the events of the night before.

You popped two Aspirin pills into your mouth and swallows them with a mouthful of water. You pulled yourself out of bed and slowly walked out of your room, the only speed you could manage in this state. You were halfway to your kitchen when you realized you were smelling something; bacon. You wondered where the smell was coming from, and didn’t have to look far to get the answer.

Pete was stood by your stove, two plates full of eggs and toast already sat next to him. When he heard you enter, he turned and greeted you with a smile.

“Good morning sleeping beauty!” he said. His loud voice pierced your ears and you quickly covered them and groaned. He chuckled. “You poor thing, you’re gonna hate today.”

“I already do,” you said. “Is that for me?”

He looked down at the plate of breakfast. “One of them is, yeah. Do you think you can keep it down?”

“I can try.”

The two of you sat at your dining room table and began to eat. Although your stomach still didn’t feel right, the food was definitely soaking up whatever alcohol was left in your system and thus was making the splitting headache you had subside just a little bit.

There was an awkward silence looming over the two of you. Despite what you thought the night before, you could still remember every detail; the emotional conversation, the kiss, the cuddling, how you felt when the latter two things were happening. You knew Pete remembered because he certainly wasn’t as fucked up as you were.

“Do you regret it?” you found yourself suddenly asking.

Pete looked up from his breakfast, fake confusion on his face. “What do you mean?”

You gave him a look. “Pete, I remember last night. I remember what we did, and what you said before I fell asleep.”

He sighed, turning his attention back to his food. “I don’t know...do you regret it?”

“I don’t,” you admitted. “If anything, I...I feel whatever the opposite of regret is. The only thing I regret is getting so drunk I threw up after we kissed.”

He smiled. “Yeah, that’s not exactly great timing.”

You looked at him, still waiting for his answer. Finally, he looked up at you again and said, “I don’t regret it either.”

“So what do we do now?” you asked.

Pete thought for a moment before saying, “I take you out on a date, one where we’re both completely sober, and we decide if we really want to do this. How does that sound?”

You smiled brightly at him. “I think that sounds like a great plan.”

[collecting-stories]

Hospitals - Jay Halstead

Summary: kinda loosely based around Jay getting kidnapped (well just the part where he’s in the hospital afterward). 

A/N: Just me practicing writing Jay really. 

One Chicago Masterlist

✰ ✰ ✰ ✰

Hailey called you after shift, when the fourth call to Jay’s phone went unanswered. Maybe, she reasoned, he was just home. And while she didn’t want to send you into a tailspin, because she knew you knew how stupid your boyfriend could be when he thought he was doing a good thing, she needed to be sure. 

“I haven’t talked to him since this morning,” you replied, holding the phone away from your ear so you could check the time on the last text Jay sent you. Before he left for work, you were already at the hospital after pulling a graveyard shift when the ER got slammed the night before. “I literally just got home…” you mentioned. 

“He got a text from Angela before he left.” Hailey filled you in, simultaneously texting Kim back that she would be at the crime scene they’d just been called out to, “I’ll look into it, alright, get some sleep.” 

“Easier said then done,” you muttered, looking around the empty apartment, “let me know if you hear anything, I’ll do the same.” 

If it wasn’t for the exhaustion of pulling two doubles and sleeping maybe three hours in a break room, you weren’t sure you would’ve been able to follow Hailey’s instruction at all. You fell asleep on the couch, managing a quick shower and a change into pyjamas and one of Jay’s hoodies. When you woke up again your phone alarm was going off, a full six hours that somehow had you feeling more tired that you’d been when you walked through the door. 

There was no word from Hailey yet but you called anyway as you made coffee and got ready for work. 

“Hey, I was just about to call you but something popped off.” Hailey explained quickly, “we don’t know where Jay is yet but…it’s not looking good.” 

“Fuck,” you cursed, “what happened? I mean, what can you tell me?” 

A door closed as you assumed Hailey went into a different room to talk. “It looks like an abduction…Angela got into some trouble, called Jay…whoever took her, took him too.” Hailey explained, “I’m sorry I can’t tell you more.” 

“I know you’re doing everything you can.” 

-

The very last thing you wanted to do after twelve hours in the ER was meet up for drinks but Will had been bugging you to go out and you wanted him off your back so you finally caved. You’d been in Chicago three months and you hadn’t met a single person outside of work. 

“I hear your reasoning Will but if we’re meeting your brother and his buddies for a drink am I really meeting new people?” You asked, ducking through the door he was holding open for you. 

“They’re new to you,” he reasoned, leading you  into Molly’s. Will had been an immediate friend when you started in the ER and honestly, you were happy to have someone show you Chicago with no expectation outside of friendship. 

Molly’s was crowded with people, most unfamiliar to you, but Will didn’t seem bothered with the volume at all as he led you right back to a table against the wall. You couldn’t help standing back a little as he greeted the few people at the table. At work you were far from shy around people but in a crowded bar in a city that you were still getting used to, you couldn’t help feeling like the new kid in school hoping to make friends. 

“This is my brother Jay,” Will was saying and you realized he was addressing you. Turning to the table, you followed Will’s outstretched hand to see he was pointing at the guy who had greeted him first. 

God, that face. You were gonna spend the rest of the night thinking about the way Will’s brother smiled as you shook his hand. Jay, you repeated in your head, committing his name to memory. 

“Nice to meet you.” 

Will introduced you to the other three people at the table, Adam, Kim, and Hailey, but you were paying such little attention to anything other than Jay that you didn’t learn their names until the next time you saw them out at Molly’s. (Hailey teased you about it to this day.) 

“Yeah you too,” you nodded, catching an expectant look from Adam out of your peripheral, “uh, all of you. It’s nice to meet all of you. I don’t really know anyone in Chicago so Will’s basically become my solitary friend. I suspect he’s getting sick of me.” 

“What?” Will looked incredulous as he tried to hide a smile, “never.” 

“Well,” Jay put his empty beer tumbler on the table with a quiet thud, “I’m gonna grab another beer.” He looked toward you as he stood, “can I get you something?”

“I’ll come with you,” you offered, hands tightening around the strap of your crossbody bag as you followed Jay to the bar.  

“What did you want?” He asked, stepping up to the counter and making room for you to squeeze in next to him. He stood leaning his side against the bar, facing you, as you stood next to him. You scanned the shelves behind the bar while he waved someone down to take the order.  

“Just a beer is fine.” You replied, “I have a shift in the morning anyway...I probably shouldn’t drink too much.”  

Jay nodded, asking the bartender for two beers and then turning his attention back to you, “so, you’re liking Chicago so far?” He asked.  

“I mean, I’ve mostly just seen the inside of the hospital but yeah...it’s pretty nice. And the food truck near the ER isn’t so terrible.” You joked. There was a hint of truth in it though, since moving and starting your residency at Chicago Med you’d spent most of your time at your apartment and the hospital. Aside from discovering a good take away and a Whole Foods that you liked, you hadn’t done much exploring.  

“Ah,” Jay groaned before smiling at you, “we need to take you on a real tour of Chicago then...can’t have you living out of the hospital.”

“Okay, okay...yeah, I’d like that.” You replied, nodding your head.  

-

You were on the floor when the ambo rolled in, already far enough into your shift that you were in ‘work mode’ as Jay always called it. Too focused at the task on hand to let anything get in. He’d told you before that your ability to compartmentalize like that was impressive, admirable even, and he wished he could check his emotions the way you did when you were working. 

And usually that was true. You clocked in and whatever you might be feeling or however your heart ached for a particular patient, you left that at the door. The ER wasn’t a place for slow paced residents. And you were great at your job and at doing what needed to be done. 

Except that afternoon because you’d gone hours without any real update from Hailey and then all the sudden the glass doors of the ER were sliding open and there she was clutching the side of a gurney as they rolled Jay in. You felt like the white noise of machines tuned in louder, drowning out everything else until it was just a buzz in your ears. Was that Will over your shoulder calling his brother’s name? Your feet were glued in place. Everything felt like it was slowed to a stop, time moving so languidly that you were caught in some bizarre purgatory state where you were tortured with Jay bleeding out on a gurney too far for you to reach out and touch him. 

And then Hailey looked at you and everything clicked back into place and you were grabbing the head of the gurney and shouting orders and dragging your boyfriend’s unconscious body to a room. This was the auto-pilot that Jay teased you for and you were never more grateful for it.  

It was gone the minute you walked out of his room though, walking into the waiting room where Hailey was sitting with Vanessa and falling into a chair beside her, leaning forward until your head was in your hands and your elbows were on your knees. Vanessa reached over to rub your back.  

“How’s it look?” She asked.  

“He’s stable right now...I’m trying to stay positive, just keep reminding myself what a bitch he’s gonna be when he wakes up.” You replied. “What happened?”  

Hailey ran through the events of the day, from what they had gathered at the crime scene and through their investigation and you tried to think of how much you wanted to shoot your boyfriend all over again for getting involved in something he should’ve been far removed from. You loved how much Jay wanted to help every single person he possibly could even if sometimes that meant you (and you didn’t want the help).

-

“Because I’m telling you that I don’t want you to go.” You huffed, pulling at the sleeves of your jacket as the door slammed shut behind Jay. “Things with me and my mom aren’t great right now and introducing her to my boyfriend after she sprung a visit on me isn’t going to magically fix it.”

“I’m not trying to fix it, I’m just offering you some support.” He reasoned, grabbing the left arm of your coat and pulling it down for you.  

“I don’t need support Jay. And I don’t need you to roll up with the nice guy act and have her thinking what a saint you are and fucking bugging me about you five months down the road when we like break up or something.”  

“Well, that’s news to me,” he replied, “why are we breaking up in five months?”

“Jay!”

“Hey, hey, come on,” he moved to stand in front of you, blocking your path into the living room and putting his hands on your arms, tilting his head to look in your eyes when you tried to look away, “what’s really going on?”

“I hate my mom and she’s toxic and I don’t want you to meet her is what’s going on.” You replied, still trying to look anywhere but at him.

“You’ve been acting funny this whole week, since before you knew, she was coming to visit. I'm not a detective for nothing.”

“It’s the mom thing, honest.”

“If it’s not the mom thing-”

“It is.” You replied, cutting him off quickly.

“If it isn’t...you know I’m here for you, I just wanna help....whatever that looks like.” He replied.  

You sighed, pulling away from him and going over to sit on the couch. You buried your face in your hands, squeezing your eyes shut as you tried to think of what you wanted to say. You knew that there was really no point in running around the issue. Jay had a way of convincing you to open up to him that you recognized on your first night hanging out, before you’d really started dating. It wasn’t persuasion so much as it was a feeling of safety that you got whenever you were around him.  

“But you were cynical by nature most of the time and while you desperately wanted to believe that you and Jay weren’t changing anytime soon you couldn’t help betting against yourself. “Every time my mom breaks it off with someone, she wants to do these ‘girls' weekends’ where she pops up and tells me how she totally thought this guy was ‘the one’ and how she’s gonna be basically alone forever. And I can’t help thinking like...what if that’s me? What if I’m sitting here thinking that this is it for me and then all the sudden I’m alone and getting drunk on appletinis?”

“I mean, brightside...you drink normal stuff like beer.” Jay joked, smiling when you glared at him. “Do you really think that’s gonna happen for us?”  

“I don’t know.”

“You aren’t your mom. Okay? We aren’t whatever crazy relationship she’s in and whether I go to meet her or not, I’m not about to walk away from this.” Jay replied.  

“You don’t-”

“Don’t say I don’t know that,” Jay cut in, already knowing exactly what you wanted to say. “Look, I’ll stay home, i just wanted to come cause I know you aren’t happy she’s here and it wouldn’t kill you to have someone in your corner.”

“I hate what a good person you are sometimes.” You replied.  

“Only sometimes?”

-

When Will came around to say that Jay was awake, you were on rounds, checking up on other patients to occupy your mind. “He’s already asking to go home, as if he wasn’t just shot in the shoulder.” Will told you on the walk down to his brother’s room.  

“Of course,” you rolled your eyes, “he’d daredevil it and have me stitch him up in our apartment if he could.”  

Jay was already sitting up when you entered his room, looking mildly annoyed at a machine that wouldn’t stop beeping and the fact that he was in the hospital at all. Though the troubled look in his eyes softened at the sight of you. Will promised to come back later and tapped the door on his way out, leaving the two of you alone in the room together.  

“I just want you to know, despite this injury, I am incredibly mad at you right now.” You mentioned, coming over to the side of the bed and taking a seat, “like...so pissed.”

“Trust me, I know.” Jay huffed out a laugh, holding his side as he did. He’d thought about it the moment he came to in that warehouse, that when the team found him, you were going to be livid that he had done the one thing you cautioned him against doing. “Guess I earned the ‘I told you so’.”

“I don’t really feel like saying it now.” You replied. “I just wanna go home with you.”

“If you can speed the discharge along you’d be my hero,” he said, “but...I didn’t mean to freak you out I just...needed to see this through. I mean, what happened to Marcus-”

“I know. I know.” You agreed, “next time you go over to someone’s house like that though, bring Hailey or something.”  

I promise to bring Hailey next time. Now can you be happy I’m alive and not pissed at me.”  

“You nodded, leaning over to kiss him, “I don’t think anyone on this floor would appreciate me being happy your alive...might involve some ‘not safe for work’ reactions.”  

“I would appreciate it.” Jay said, lips pursed as he tried, and failed, not to smile.  

[itsallyscorner]

Bring Me Back

Pairing: Tom Holland x Reader

Summary: Filming “Cherry” had its ups and downs for Tom. When filming finally takes its toll on him, you’re there to instantly bring him back from the world of Cherry.

Warnings: Mentions of drug abuse, PTSD, murder. A smidge of smut.

A/n: In honor of the Cherry🍒 trailer dropping, I decided to write this!

(GIF creds: @atealiers )

Any kind of project was a blessing to Tom. He loved being an actor. He was fond of telling stories through the big screen and got a kick from portraying many different characters. Acting was something he felt passionate about, it was his craft and he was very dedicated when it came to becoming his roles. Cherry was quite different from the other movies he’s been in. It was dark and contained many subjects like drug addiction, PTSD, and crime. The world of Cherry was something Tom was not used to; it was twisted. He hasn’t been exposed to things like drugs or the events that Nico Walker had been through. Which was why he was hesitant to take on the role of Cherry.

When the Russo Brothers approached him with the idea, he was excited. He was getting the opportunity to tell another story and would explore the world of a new character. Though the more he looked into it, he realized that maybe he wasn’t up for the role. Was he really ready to dive into the dark and traumatizing life of Nico Walker? As an actor, he was willing to take the job, it would give him an opportunity to expand his career and would possibly be one of his best work. As Tom, he wasn’t sure if he could handle learning or re-enacting the events that occurred in Cherry. But Tom did like a challenge, which was why he ended up agreeing to become Cherry.

He prepared himself mentally and physically pre- production. For research, he interviewed army veterans and former drug addicts to get an idea of what it was like to be in those positions. To get the look of Cherry, he did a variety of things. For example, going on a diet and losing weight, then gaining said weight again once they had to shoot the army scenes. Another thing he did was shave off the gorgeous brown curls that adorned his head. At first you weren’t too happy with his change in hairstyle, but later on you found yourself running your hands along the short strands of hair, loving the fuzzy feeling it gave your palms.

After the interviews and hearing others’ experience, Tom felt a level of responsibility to tell the story of millions of people around the world. Not only was it telling the story of Nico, but of other army veterans who suffered from PTSD and people who’ve had drug addictions. He was fully on board now and there was no looking back. He was going to push himself to the limit and to places he’s never been before.

Filming was tough. There were scenes he had to do that were so unlike him, that felt wrong, and sometimes he just had to take a step back. They didn’t feel right, but it was nothing he couldn’t handle. This was his job, if he wanted this movie to be the best that it can, he was going to commit. Thankfully, he was working with the Russos, who he’s known for a while now. He was familiar with the two and they were patient with him, giving him the time to regain himself before shooting an intense scene. The cast and crew were very understanding as well, creating a safe space for him on set. Having Harry along with him helped as well, the familiarity of his brother kept him grounded and avoided him from falling into the void of Cherry. Though he had all these supportive people around him, there was only one person who could calm him down when things got suffocating on set. The only person he wanted to be in Cleveland with him but wasn’t. You. Since you had your own life and job, you were unable to fly out to Cleveland with him. Instead you stayed at your shared home with Tessa as company. All he needed was you when he felt the affects of Cherry caging in on him. Just the sound of your comforting voice over the phone could clear his head and make him breath again.

He had his bad days on set, where he would have to take a moment and hide in his trailer for a few minutes. During those few minutes he liked to be alone as he waited for you to answer your phone. The line would ring, it’d stop, then the sound of your sweet voice would be the only thing he’d hear. Sometimes you didn’t answer the first time, but nonetheless you answered eventually. It wasn’t the same as having you with him in person, you had your responsibilities, and he understood that. He just wished that one day you’d come to Cleveland. He wanted to be in your arms, stuff his face into your neck, breath in your familiar scent, he just wanted to feel you. You were his home. His safe haven. And it was all he wanted right now.

•

Glancing at your phone, you wondered why Tom hasn’t texted you yet. Not that you were itching for him to text you, but because around this time he would be blowing up your phone telling you things that happened during filming or how his day was going. You decided that filming probably went into overtime making him busy during his break. You shrug to yourself and continue working on your laptop.

You hear the sound of Tessa’s nails clicking against the floors as she enters the office of your home. You greet her with a smile as she settles herself beside your legs.

“Is it dinner time already, Tess?” You scratch her head as you glance at the time on your screen. It was currently nine at night, a bit late for dinner, but you haven’t noticed.

“Just give me five more minutes and I’ll get us dinner. How does that sound, love?” A somewhat sound of approval emits from Tessa. You get back to work, fingers typing away as you finish off the last of your work.

You finish in four minutes, finally satisfied with your work. You let out a content sigh and turn your laptop off. When you get up you stretch and let your bones crack after being in the same position for hours. Tessa joins you, stretching out her front paws then shaking her body out. You chuckle as you lead the way to the kitchen. Taking the scoop for Tessa’s kibble, you fill her bowl up, causing the dog to look up in curiosity. Once you placed the bowl down, her tail wagged wildly as she stuffed her face into her food.

You decided on going for something simple, ramen noodles. You were too tired too cook anything and ramen noodles were the quickest thing to cook in your pantry. While you waited for the noodles to heat up you checked your phone. You went through your notifications, but there were still no texts from Tom. Though you were concerned, you assumed that they had a long shooting day, making him too busy to text. 

Hi love! I hope you’re doing well in Cleveland. I know you’re probably busy, but hopefully filming isn’t tiring you out too much. Have an amazing day! Don’t forget to drink some water from time to time and eat :) Tess and I miss you and love you so much! Talk soon xxx

You send the text with a smile. He won’t read it till he was free or done with filming, but you knew he’d see the message while you were asleep.

The microwave beeps, letting you know that your food was done. You end your night catching up on episodes of New Girl and eating soup. When you were done you did your nightly routine and settled in bed. You turn the lights off and snuggled under the warm sheets.

“Night Tessa.” You whisper to her. A huff comes out of her as she makes herself comfortable on the foot of your bed. When the both of you were settled, you slowly drifted off to sleep.

Buzz

Buzz

The harsh vibrations of your phone shook you awake. Desperate for sleep, you blindly grab your phone and turn it off. Silence fills the room again as you turn around to stuff your face into Tom’s pillow. You were slowly drifting back to sleep when your phone began to vibrate again. With a groan you stretch back and snatch for phone off the night stand. You don’t bother looking at the caller id.

“Hello?” Your voice rasps out.

“Thank God you answered.” The person on the other line said. “I know you’re busy, but how soon can you visit Cleveland?” The deep voice was belonged to Harry.

“Uh—I’m not too sure, I’ll need to check in with my boss.” You reply. When you start feeling more awake you become curious as to why Harry can be calling you. “Why? Is everything ok? How’s Tom? I haven’t heard from him all day.”

The younger Holland sighs. He takes a moment to answer your questions making you suffer in silence, wondering what could have happened to your boyfriend. “Um, they’ve been shooting some intense scenes lately. Tom’s been trying his best but everyone’s noticed that he’s been a bit different.”

You sit up in bed feeling more awake. “What do you mean by different, Haz?”

“Well he’s snapped at the Russos quite a few times. There was this one scene, that they shot multiple times, and Tom would just break down after every one. (Y/n), I’m concerned for my brother, I don’t know what else to do. He’s locked himself in his room after every shoot. A—and I don’t know. I’ve tried to tell him that he can talk to me but he wouldn’t.” Harry explained, his voice croaked. You heart felt heavy for him. Harry was always there for his older brother, so to see him feel so helpless made you feel sorry.

“Haz, calm down, you know how your brother can get. How long has this been happening?”

Harry sniffed over the phone, “About a few weeks now. It’s only started becoming worse last week and now.”

The concern you felt for Tom grew. From what he’s been texting you, filming had been going great. He appeared happy on your FaceTime calls and sounded like his usual self. But maybe he actually wasn’t.

“Harry everything’s gonna be fine, alright?” You assure him. “I’ll call my boss first thing in the morning and when I get the ‘ok’ to leave I’ll get the first flight out to Cleveland. How’s that sound?”

“It sounds good. Can you tell me if you can make it? I’ll have someone come with me to pick you up at the airport.” His voice is quiet, almost muffled.

“Yeah I will, don’t worry.”

“Ok, thank you (y/n).” A small smile forms on your lips. You rub the sleep out your eyes as you glance at your closet. “Alright Haz, I’m gonna go now. But if there’s anything else, just text me or call.”

“I know, stay safe (y/n).” You bid him goodbye and place your phone on the empty space beside your side of the bed. Tom’s side of the bed. You bite your lip in thought as you worry about your boyfriend. You knew he was doing almost everything he can to make sure the movie came out perfect. If that meant shredding himself emotionally and physically, he was going to do it. Tom was dedicated to his work, but he’s never done anything close to Cherry, making you worried about the thoughts that could possibly be going through your lover’s head.

Tessa, who’s now woken up, waddles closer to you, sensing your uneasiness. You appreciate the dog’s gesture and pull her into your side, resting your chin on her head. You were basically sleepless the whole night. Although you haven’t emailed your boss yet, you already had a suitcase packed of your clothes. Your passport and other important belongings were already in a bag, ready to leave London.

The morning had been hectic. You’ve managed to get two hours of sleep, waking up at six in the morning. Still in bed, you sent your boss an email about a family emergency and how you needed to be out of the country for at least a week. As if the gods above knew of your situation, your boss willingly let you go, no questions asked and gave you well wishes. With that out the way, you scowered the Internet for flights to Cleveland. Luck was on your side that morning because you’ve booked a flight that took off in the afternoon. With your bags packed, you drove to Nikki and Dom’s to drop off Tessa.

Now all checked in, you were at Heathrow Airport waiting to be called for your flight. You were sat at your gate, with an iced coffee and a croissant from Starbucks, texting Harry. The two of you were discussing the time you’d arrive and how he’d pick you up. When you were both in agreement, you two decided to catch up. He had been in Tom’s trailer eating his breakfast. An hour passes and you were being called to board the plane.

You settle in your seat, but your leg bounced in anticipation. After the things Harry told you, you just wanted to have your boyfriend in your arms. You knew everything was probably getting to his head, all you wanted to do was hold him and tell him that he was going to be ok. As the plane began to take off, your lack of sleep caught up on you. Throughout the whole flight, you slept soundly, the worries of Tom subsiding for the time being.

~🛬~

The plane lands in Cleveland safely. It was night when you arrived. With your bags, you looked around the airport for a familiar curly haired boy. Harry waves wildly at you before running and pulling you into a tight hug. You laugh wrapping your arms around the slender boy.

“How’s your day been, Haz?” You ruffle his hair as he rolls your suitcase to the parking lot. He shrugs, “The usual. Was on set with Tom, ran around and got things for him, nothing much happened honestly. But you’re here now, so this is the highlight of my night.”

The two of you approach a black car with a driver inside, Harry motions for him to unlock the trunk. He lifts your case in before the two of you get into the backseat.

“How was your flight?” Harry asks you. The car began to move, exiting the airport and entering the highway.

“I slept through all of it, I don’t remember a thing about the flight besides getting on and off it.” You chuckle, leaning your head back against the headrest.

Harry nudges your shoulder, “Thanks for coming out with such short notice.” You wave him off. “It’s no worries, anything for my boys.”

The car is quiet, the only sounds that could be heard is the car’s wheels against the pavement. You turn to Harry, “How was he today?”

“He was pretty good in the morning.” Harry started. “Then filming started and he would grow frustrated after a few scenes. His temper’s been short. He snapped at me during lunch, which is normal, but I just asked him if he wanted some water. He broke down after a certain scene today, I tried talking to him but he still wouldn’t open up about it.” Tom wasn’t too open about his feelings sometimes. He struggled to voice them at times making all his frustrations and feelings bottled up in his head.

Half an hour later and you guys arrive at Tom’s rented home in Atlanta. As soon as you opened the door, you felt the heavy atmosphere. It was somber and tense, the chilliness of the weather also felt inside the house. Harry gestures up the stairs, “Don’t worry, go see him. His room is the first door on the left.”

You quietly thank him and climb up the stairs. You find his door, taking a deep breath before knocking. You hear some shuffling behind the door, “Harry I’m fine! Leave me alone!” His voice was deep, a bit scratchy. You frown at the door.

“Tom?” The room falls quiet. Suddenly you hear fumbling and the sound of heavy footsteps behind the door. The door opens and you finally see him. He was dressed in a large shirt with sweatpants. He looked tired, dark circles under his eyes, eyes glassy, and chapped lips.

“(Y/n)? You’re here?” He asks you in disbelief. A tight lipped grin forms on your lips.

“Yeah, Har—“ You were going to explain how you got there but he immediately threw himself at you. His arms wrap tightly around your figure, his head dipped into your neck, pulling your closer into him. One of your arms go around his neck while the other rubs his back soothingly. A whimper bubbles out of him, his shoulders beginning to shake. You managed to shuffle the both of you back into his room, closing the door behind you.

“You’re ok.” You whisper into his ear, pressing a kiss to the side of his neck. His grip around you never falters. Though he was much taller than you, he seemed so small at the moment. His body drowned in the shirt he wore, making him look thinner. You feel tears soaking into your shirt, making your heart clench in pain. You rest your forehead against his shoulder, holding and whispering sweet nothings into his ear until he was ready to speak.

A few minutes pass until his removes his head from your neck. You frown at his tear stained face, his eyes and cheeks red from quietly sobbing into your shoulder. Your hands cup his face, wiping the trails of tears on his cheeks. Tom leans closer to your touch, his eyes shut while his lips kiss your palm.

“I’m sorry, you’re probably tired from the flight.” He apologizes but you shake your head. You lead him to his bed and sit against the headboard. Tom follows in suit, desperately trying to get closer to you. His arms wrap around your torso, his head rests on your chest, while your legs tangle themselves together.

“I’ve had plenty of sleep on the flight, how are you?” Your lips are against his short hair from holding him so close. You nails scratch softly at his hair, calming him down.

“I don’t know if I could finish it.” He quietly admits. He shakes his head at himself.

“Why’s that, Tom?” Your boyfriend takes a deep breath as he sits up, removing himself from your touch. He sits across from you with legs crossed as he holds his head in his hands.

“I—I, it’s too much. There’s so much fucked up things he’s done. And all the things he’s seen. I just—sometimes I feel like it’s me who’s committed all of those things. When we shoot the scenes in the war and when I had to do drugs and rob banks, I felt like I lost myself—“ He cries interrupting himself to take a breath in. Compared to your fingers that ran gently through his hair, his clawed at his head. His palms rub harshly at his face, turning his skin a bright tint of red. To see Tom in such pain made you sad. You hated seeing him like this.

You gently remove his hands from scratching at his face and hold them in his lap. He stares down at your hands, clinging onto them as if his life depended on it. “I get lost in the character sometimes and I have to pull myself out of it to bring me back. But it keeps on happening over and over again. Then the Russos kept telling me to reshoot the scene more like Cherry, and I lost it and yelled at them.” You feel his tears fall to your your hands, making tears well up in your own eyes. You shuffle closer to him and kiss his forehead before pulling him into you. You stay quiet, letting him get whatever he wanted to get out.

Tom’s face is against your shoulder again. He sniffs before continuing, “It’s like everyday I find something he and I have in common. Then I think that maybe I’m turning into him. I don’t want him to be part of me. (Y/n), I don’t want to be him, I don’t want to do the things he’s done.” He sobs into your shoulder. Your heart breaks at how broken he sounded. His shoulders shook again, his back burning up with tension. A few tears made it’s way down your cheeks as you pulled his face away from you.

“Look at me.” You urged him. His jaw clenched, still looking down at his lap. He shook his head in response. “Tom, please. Look at me.” Your voice cracks. He slowly tilts his head up, your eyes connecting. He didn’t have that twinkle in his eyes, it’s like they’ve lost the light in them. Instead they were dark, like there was no life behind them. There was a mix of sadness, confusion, and even fear in his eyes.

You sadly smiled at him, cupping his face with your hands. “You’re not going to be him. You never will. You’re Tom. You are nothing close to Nico or Cherry. You are the sweetest man I have known in the world, you wouldn’t even hurt a damn fly. You’re not him. I know you aren’t. You wouldn’t do the things he’s ever done even if you were forced to. I know you Tom, I assure you, you’re nothing like him.” Tom hiccups, gripping onto your wrists.

“When this is all over and you’re done filming, we can forget about him. We won’t even mention him.” You assure him, stroking his cheeks.

“What if—,” You cut him off.

“No, there’s no what if’s. You’re going to be fine Tom. You’re surrounded by people who love you and will make you realize that you’re nothing even near him. You are the kindest man ever, you love your family, you care about your fans, and your brothers. You’re busy always taking care of everyone else, I think it’s time you take care of yourself, love.” You tell him. A small smile is on your face but it falters, “You don’t have to go through this alone, Tom.”

Tom takes a shaky breath in. “You’ll be there right?” He asks like a child making sure his mother will be there when he wakes up. “You’ll be there with me to bring me back?”

Your thumb smooths the crinkle between his brows, “I always will. I promise.” He nods and pulls you into him. You climb onto his lap and settle on his legs. He stares up at you, one of his his hands supporting your back, the other pressed against your cheek. “Thank you. I missed you so much. I’m sorry for not texting, everything’s just been so taxing mentally and physically.”

“No, don’t worry I get it.” You turn your face to press a light kiss on his palm. For the first time since you’ve seen him, Tom managed to crack a smile on his lips. He moves some strands of hair away from your face before resting his large hand on the back of your head. “I love you. I love you so much, (y/n).”

“I love you too, Tom.” You whisper against his lips. He takes that as a sign to finally crash your lips together. After months being apart, the feeling of his lips against yours felt like coming home. The kiss was desperate, like it was the air you both breathed. Tom had been longing for your touch, he craved you every second of the day, whether it be sexually or just missing you. The kiss grew rough, your teeth clashing, tongues poking and gliding against each other.

Tom lays you down on the bed, hovering over you. His hands grab and stroke at your body, trying to pull off your clothes to get close to your skin. He suddenly pulls away from your lips. “I need you. Please, I need you.” He almost begs you. Panting, you nod and push him to lay on his back. “Ok, let me take care of you, Tommy.”

He yanks his shirt off, throwing it to the side. You do the same, leaning down to meet his lips again. You kiss your way along his jaw and down to his neck. When you find that certain spot, he lets out a throaty groan, head falling back against the pillows. You run your nails along his chiseled abs and slightly roll your hips against his growing length. Tom grunts, hands instantly connecting to your ass and gripping onto your cheeks. He helps you roll your hips more, deeper with more friction against you two.

“Mm, Tom. I missed you.” You moan against his neck. You bite down and soothe the spot with your tongue after.

Tom looks down at you, lifting his hips to meet your clothes pussy. “Fucking miss you so much. You have no idea how much I’ve been dreaming of being buried in you again.” You kiss your way down his chest, but Tom stops you. His hands grab onto your leggings and slide them off.

“N-no foreplay. I need to feel you.” He stutters out, mouth agape. You nod in agreement and take his sweatpants off along with his boxers. You spit in your hand, running your hand along his dick to give it some wetness. Tom helps you lift yourself over him and guides your hips down his erected cock. You let out a combination of a sigh and moan as your walls envelop and stretch around him. Tom slightly sits up against the headboard, your tightness wrapping around him. He lets out a cry of relief, your walls around him feeding his cravings. You use his shoulders as leverage to pull yourself up but Tom stops you.

“What’s wrong?” You eye him cautiously. Tom shakes his head, “Nothing’s wrong. I just—can we stay like this for a while? I just want to feel you, please?”

“Yeah, we can do that.” You send him a reassuring smile as you settle back down on him. His hands make themselves comfortable around your waist. You maneuver your arms under his and wrap them around his back. Tom smiles at you, rubbing your back and guiding you into his chest. Before you can nuzzle your face into his neck, he presses a kiss to your temple and lets his fingers get tangled in your hair.

With his eyes closed in bliss, he whispers, “Thank you for bringing me back. I love you.”

You kiss his collarbone basking in the feeling him being so close to you. “I’ll always be here. I love you too.”

[whisker-biscuit]

The Birds, The Bees, and The Bottles

Fandom: Psychonauts

Rating: T for mild language and discussions of underage drinking

Summary: Two teens are caught trying to sneak into a bar. Bob finally has a conversation he’s held off for far too long.

Because herbaphony is not the only thing that runs in the Zanotto family.

-------------------------------------

Bob’s phone rang at two in the morning. Judging by the jolly ringtone of Helmut singing Strawberry Fields Forever, it was his personal phone instead of his work one, and that was the real tip off to things being very, very wrong.

He woke up and groggily pulled out of his still-slumbering-husband’s arms to answer the little thing going off on his nightstand.

“H’lo?”

“Bob!” Truman’s voice came out far too loud for the time of night, and far too stressed. “Bob, I’m so sorry to wake you, but something happened with Lili. I need you to pick her up for me, please.”

The older man sat up, much more awake as worry and fear immediately rolled in his gut. Helmut finally began to stir beside him, sensing his partner’s agitation.

“Truman, what’s going on? Pick Lili up from where?”

“The city’s police precinct on Abbey Avenue. She – she called me, but I’m out of state and I wouldn’t get there for hours at least even if I left this instant. She’s not in danger!” He added hastily, hearing the concern before Bob could even voice it mentally. “She didn’t get hurt! She’s just…”

The way he tapered off, the way he hesitated, said more than words could.

“She just got herself into some trouble, and she needs someone to go get her.”

Helmut was sitting up now, and Bob felt the question cross their mental link.

 What happened?

 Truman needs me to pick Lili up from the police station.

“I’m up, I’m on my way right now,” He responded to his nephew verbally, heaving himself out of bed. His husband followed suit despite still looking extremely puzzled, bless him.

“Thank you so much, Bob. I’ll make it up to you as soon as I can, I promise.”

“Don’t worry about it.” The older man waved a dismissive hand even though Truman wasn’t there to see it. “Family is s’pposed to do that for each other anyway.”

“Did I hear that right? Our peppy petunia had a run-in with the law?” Helmut asked as soon as his partner hung up. He paused, and in a lower tone – “she didn’t kill anyone, did she?”

“I don’t think it’s that serious,” Bob said, pulling a coat on over his sleep shirt. “But something tells me we still have a few things to worry about. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“Ohohoh, no, don’t even think about hoofin’ it without me. We both know I’m the better driver.”

“Neither of us are very good drivers, Helmut.”

“Exactly! That little bit makes all the difference!”

The herbophanist sighed, charmed despite himself and the situation. “Alright, alright. Let’s not keep her waiting.”

The police precinct was nearly dead at this time of night. While it would’ve felt eerie to anyone else, Bob was grateful for the lack of people, and not just because he was still an introvert of the highest degree.

Two teenagers awaited them in the lobby, sitting on a bench together. One was hunched over and burning a hole in the ground with his downcast eyes. The other sat straight up, defiant, holding a glaring contest with the officer standing over them. When Bob entered the room first and met his great-niece’s eyes, her self-assuredness wavered for a brief moment. She hid the slip-up behind a wall of indifference.

“Lili,” he said softly. Then, just as softly but with a gruff tinge of surprise; “Razputin.”

There was no accusation in his voice, but the former scowled harder and the latter looked like he wanted to employ his invisibility. Bob studied them both a moment before his husband appeared and broke the tension with his mere presence.

“We’re here to bust you out, kiddos!” He announced with spread arms, cheerfully ignoring the looks he received from every person in the room.

“Are you Truman Zanotto?” Asked the officer who finally broke his gaze away from Lili to give them a disapproving once-over.

“No, I’m uh, I’m Bob Zanotto, and this is Helmut,” came the awkward reply. “Truman called me to pick Lili up. She’s my great-niece.”

A few seconds of silence passed as the officer made no move to do anything with that information. Bob cleared his throat.

“We’re, uh, listed in her emergency contacts for school?”

“I see. If you can just fill out some paperwork first, we can release her into your custody.”

The herbophanist watched the way Raz seemed to sink further in his seat at the mention of family contacts. The Aquatos were also out of state right now too, if he remembered correctly. Perfect timing for two minors getting up to mischief.

Well, up until they were actually caught.

“And…Razputin, too?” He asked, catching the teen’s startled gaze and giving him the mental equivalent of a thumbs-up.

The officer raised a brow. “Is he related to you, too?”

“Well, uh –”

“Yep!” Helmut interrupted, strolling right up to Raz and giving him a merry clap on the back. The teen had a physique comparable to most adult Olympic athletes, but even he nearly toppled forward from the force of such a big man. “He’s my third cousin, twice removed. Big family. Very close. Holidays are an experience, lemme tell ya!”

“Fine,” the officer pinched the bridge of his nose. “Fine, okay, I’ll make sure he gets cleared for release too. I’ll be right back.”

He stalked off, muttering something about it ‘being too damn early for this’, and the older couple turned to face Raz and Lili. Helmut steepled his fingers together to rest against his mustache.

“So! Now that Officer Spoil-Sport is gone, are we allowed to know what heinous crime has been committed in the night by my favorite pair of mischief-makers?”

The two glanced at each other. Raz was the one to break their silence.

“We, uh…got caught sneaking into a bar.”

Cold heat rushed through Bob’s core. Helmut blinked once, twice, then let out a boisterous chuckle.

“That’s it? Jesus! From the way you two were acting I thought you’d robbed the First National Bank.”

“…Helmut.” His husband murmured. The psi-king lost his mirth as he caught Bob’s eye.

“Ah…w-well, y’know, while I’m certainly glad we won’t hear about a righteous homicide in the news tomorrow, forgery ain’t exactly a humble hobby either.”

“It was just two IDs,” Lili muttered under her breath. “Not a big deal.”

The ice in her great-uncle’s heart turned frigid, but before he or Helmut could say anything to that, the officer was back. He shoved a handful of forms under Bob’s nose and the herbophanist fumbled to grab them before they all tumbled to the floor.

“Uh, uh, thank you.”

“Alright, we’re putting the pause on this conversation to make you free citizens again, but don’t think that means we’re done with it.” The Psi-King gave the teens the sternest look he could manage. “As soon as we get in the car, you two will have a lot of explaining to do.”

“O-Okay.”

“Uh-huh.”

------------------------------------

No one spoke a word as they got in the car and started the drive back.

Raz seemed content to continue his efforts to blend in with the background of his seat, still not meeting anyone’s eyes, and Lili stared out the window with her chin in her hand, leaning against the car’s backdoor and letting the lights of the city bathe her in neon sickness.

Helmut, bless his soul, dutifully kept the radio going while he drove, changing the station to something more mellow whenever a song started getting a little too upbeat for the collective mood of the vehicle. Bob sat in the passenger side with his arms folded awkwardly. His brain was buzzing, dreading the inevitable conversation he needed to have with his great-niece and trying to figure out how he was going to go about it.

It surprised them all when Raz spoke over the music.

“It was my idea.”

The two adults glanced at each other, then through the rearview mirror at the fidgeting teen.

“Your idea to go looking for a drink? Or to sneak into a bar to do it?” Helmut asked, turning off the radio.

“Both.”

He still wasn’t meeting their eyes. Bob sighed through his nose.

“I don’t believe you.”

Razputin’s head finally snapped up to stare at him in shock for the fast call on his bluff. “I’m telling the truth!”

“I think you’re only telling part of it, kid.”

“No! I’m telling all of it.”

“Razpu-”

“Oh, come off it, Raz,” Lili snapped a little too loud, making the whole car jump. “Quit trying to take the fall for me. It was my idea to try the stupid fake ID thing, okay? Happy now?”

“Wh – uh, who said anything about being happy about it?” Helmut asked, legitimately confused.

“Look. Neither of us had anything to do tonight, and we were bored, so Raz suggested getting a drink somewhere, but Adam and Lizzie are out of town so we couldn’t ask them.” She crossed her arms and spoke without any inflection. “So, we went out but no one would let us do anything cause we’re minors. I thought that was stupid, because we’re agents same as any of you, so I came up with the sneaking-in part. We only got caught cause one of the bartenders recognized Raz from a show.”

There were a lot of loaded things to parse through from that explanation, but Bob’s mind stalled on one particular detail.

“Adam and Lizzie give you two alcohol?”

“Not…often,” Raz admitted. “Just once or twice, when we asked.”

“Do you mean like, a literal once or twice, or a…an estimated once or twice?”

“Did Dad put you up to this?” Lili shot back. “It was just a few times, like he said. What’s with the inquisition?”

“…Lili –”

 “Raz.”

“Okay!” Helmut proclaimed as he slapped his hand against the steering wheel in boisterous aggression. “Who wants some ice cream?”

Everyone stared at him, dumbfounded.

“Cause I’m really feeling some chocolate-vanilla swirl right now. Basic bitch style. Right? Who’s with me?”

Silence.

“Great! Look at that, open Dairy King right there, better take advantage of this opportunity before it slips through our fingers like the melting ice cream we’re all gonna have in about five minutes!”

The psi-king swung into the parking lot in a frenzy and herded the car crew inside before any of them could come out of their shock long enough to protest. It was only as Bob was staring up at fifteen flavors of oversaturated sugary goodness that he realized what had just happened.

He couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief over his husband’s diversion. The tension that had been boiling over was cooled significantly by the sudden non-sequitur, and while the teens were rather half-hearted about picking out their sweet treats, there was no longer a risk of an explosion happening.

Metaphorically and literally.

Helmut caught his spouse’s eye with a meaningful look at Lili the moment all of them had their orders in hand, then slung his arm around Razputin’s shoulders and steered him away. “C’mon my lad! Nothing like the cool night air of three in the morning to keep your Hurricane ™ properly chilled!”

The poor boy had no choice but to let himself be pulled outside, leaving the two Zanottos standing awkwardly in the dingy restaurant. Bob gave a nervous scratch at his chin under his beard.

“How about we, uh, find a seat somewhere?”

Lili couldn’t fully cross her arms while holding ice cream, but she did a good job of making it work anyway. “Sure.”

They sat in a booth in the farthest corner from the front counter. Both great-niece and great-uncle stared at their respective sweet treats as if they could teleport them out of this situation. Bob glanced out the window and saw Helmut and Raz standing outside of the car. The former was on one knee with his hand on the teen’s shoulder, speaking earnestly but inaudibly, and the latter was scuffing the toe of his sneaker against the asphalt.

“Are you going to lecture me?” Lili finally cut through the silence.

Bob turned back to her. “No. Not really.”

“No?” She broke her gaze away from her ice cream just a little bit, eyeing him with surprise. “Then why did Helmut take Raz and leave us alone?”

She was so perceptive, so smart. And yet, still so young.

“Well, I… I still want to talk to you about what happened. I’m just not very, good, at this kind of thing.” He took his spoon and absentmindedly began drawing a flower in his soft-serve. “You already know what you did wasn’t a good idea, right? So I don’t think a lecture would help things any on that front.”

She didn’t respond. He continued.

“It’s less about the fake ID and more…the reasons you made the fake ID. Does that make sense?”

“I guess so, but I know what I’m doing, Uncle Bob. I’m not going to drink irresponsibly.”

The herbophanist shook his head. “But you’ll do irresponsible things to be able to drink in the first place.”

“That’s not –” Lili didn’t have a good rebuttal. She folded her arms and grumpily started eating her cherry chocolate delight. “Whatever. It’s two different things, anyway.”

Against his better judgement, Bob began picking at his own food as he thought about how best to bring the subject back up without making the teen defensive again. Spoons clicking against teeth was the only sound between them for a solid minute.

Finally, an epiphany.

“Did Truman ever…tell you anything, about your great-grandma?”

The girl paused with a bite halfway up to her mouth. She frowned, confused. “Grandma Tia? Not much. Just that she died when he was a baby.”

“Yeah. Yeah, she did.” He ran a tired hand over his face. The ache in his heart might have long-since healed into a scar, but that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt when pressed. “She passed away when I was nineteen. The doctors told me it was liver failure.”

He didn’t have to say anything else. Lili’s mouth thinned and she put her spoon down, uncomfortable.

“When I…found out the reason behind her death, I was horrified by it. It didn’t make sense to me why she would willingly do something that hurt her so badly, especially when I was right there to love her and help her. It felt like a betrayal that she never got help or made herself stop. I was…disgusted by the mere thought of doing anything like that.”

Bob took a moment to breathe and wipe his eyes. He wasn’t crying, but better safe than sorry.

“It sounds pretty hypocritical when I say it now, doesn’t it?”

His great-niece only gave him a hesitant look.

“Anyway, uh, where was I…” He worried his lip. “Oh, right. I told myself that I’d never touch the stuff after that. I was angry at what she’d done, and I was determined not to have the same ‘weakness’, so to speak. As you know, it, uh, it didn’t last long. I was at a college party barely a year later when I was invited by some friends to drink with them. I didn’t make human friends very easily back then – actually, I still don’t – so I was a little desperate to keep them. It turned out to be pretty hard whiskey, so I got hammered.”

The man leaned back in his seat, staring at the patterns in the booth table.

“Back then, no one really knew how alcoholism could run in a family. Everyone thought it was a personal choice to keep drinking. It wasn’t even classified as an addiction yet. So I didn’t know how susceptible I was, or how careful I had to be. I’d spend months not having a single drink, thinking I was fine and could handle myself, and then I’d get plastered for a week at parties and bars and God knows what else, and it would take me even longer to get myself to stop again. It was like that even when I was with Ford and his gang. It wasn’t until I started dating Helmut that I started trying to change those habits. I’d never met anyone who loved me so unconditionally that I wanted to be a better person for them, until him. And it worked for a while.

“Well, barring our wedding, of course. I got shitfaced at the reception. It was embarrassing afterwards, but Helmut told me it made our cake-eating ceremony a hell of a great time.”

Lili snorted, and it was accompanied by a tiny upturn of her lips. Then it dropped as her expression became solemn. “And then…everything with Maligula happened, right?”

“Yeah. I think you know the rest of that story.”

“Uh-huh.”

Great-niece and great-uncle sat together for a while, just thinking about it all.

“I know I have to be more careful drinking than a lot of people, Uncle Bob,” Lili finally said at length. “My dad warned me about it when I was old enough to ask.”

“Truman is a good dad,” he murmured in response.

“The best dad.”

“Definitely the best dad.”

More silence.

“I didn’t mean to worry you and him,” she continued. “Or scare you. I know it was dumb to do what we did tonight.”

Bob looked at her, and she gave a conceding sigh.

“Okay, it was dumb to do a lot of what we’ve been doing with this stuff. That doesn’t mean I’m not being careful.”

“Kid, it’s not always just a matter of being careful. I thought I was being careful. I thought that for years and years, and when I finally realized I wasn’t, I convinced myself I could stop any time I wanted to, and kept up the same patterns anyway. That’s what I’m trying to get you to understand. I just don’t want you to make the same mistakes I did. I’m just worried about you.”

Lili closed her eyes with a grimace. “I know. I’m sorry, Uncle Bob.”

“Hey, kiddo, look at me.” He waited until she did so. “I’m not mad at you. I’m not disappointed, either. That’s your dad’s job. I get it, is what I’m saying. It gives you a buzz, and it’s fun and exciting, and you just wanted to have a good time with your, uh…”

Bob leaned in a bit, and dropped his voice to a stage whisper.

“Is Raz still your boyfriend?”

“Wha –” her cheeks went red. “Yes, he is!”

“Alright, sorry, I’m just always out of the loop. No one ever tells me when these things change or not. Anyway,” he continued before she could get brighter than the cherries in her ice cream. “I’m just saying that you gotta be more than careful with this kind of thing. Everyone should be, really, but especially people like us. Plants aren’t the only thing that runs in the Zanotto family, unfortunately, so we just have to be aware of it and act accordingly.”

The teen turned this over in her mind. He could practically see the gears moving. When she looked at him again, it was with a slow, contemplative nod.

“No more late-night bar-hopping?” Her great-uncle asked.

“No more late-night bar-hopping.” She answered, sincere.

“Good.” He looked outside. Helmut and Raz were both lying on the front of the car, pointing out stars to each other. The sight made him smile. “Come on, we’ll work on that whole thing about Adam and Lizzie giving you alcohol another time, when it’s not three in the morning. For now, let’s rejoin our boys again and go get some rest, okay?”

“Okay.” Lili slid out of the booth and tentatively took her family member’s hand. His fingers squeezed hers in reassurance. “And...thanks, Uncle Bob.”

“Well, what can I say. Us weird Zanotto plant people hafta look out for each other, right?”

“Right.”

They walked out together, hand-in-hand.

------------------------------

A/N: I knew from promotional material that we'd be going into the mind of someone struggling with alcoholism, but Bob's Bottles punched me hard in the gut. It's probably my favorite mind in the game, both because it's visually gorgeous and because it hit a little close to home with some of the themes, like generational alcoholism and how the addiction can make someone a shell of themselves.

I wrote half of this three weeks ago and then found myself really struggling to finish it because it brought up a lot of old feelings I thought I'd sorted through a long time ago.

Psychonauts, man.