#like burps with so much bass in them that you can feel it in your chest

[emoticonheart]

What’s your favorite type of belch: the lazy, long ones that just roll out of your mouth when you’re resting from a big meal, or the short but loud ones that make other people clasp their ears to muffle the sound? Maybe the juicy, saliva-spraying burps that come from drinking too much liquid, or the foul, gassy eruptions that can bring tears to people’s eyes? Or is it some other kind of eructation entirely?

oh gosh the first two 100%. but while my ultimate favorite would probably be length and volume combined, if i had to choose, i think i'd have to go with length.

imagine, if you will: someone finishing an absolutely ginormous meal. they've eaten so much that they can't bring themselves to stand, so they just lean back in their seat as they rub their full stomach. then, they open their mouth as a casual belch comes rolling out. it's not bery impressive in terms of volume, and they don't even seem to realize they're burping, with their eyes half lidded and shoulders slumped. but even so, the belch just keeps going. and going. and going. there doesn't seem to be an end in sight. then, when it finally does peter out, they just heave out a contented sigh, too tired and full to remark on how truly impressive that was.

oh yeah. that's the stuff.

[x-tracuddlycactus]

I actually love your list! Would you give reasoning to some of them (especially those who are high on the list)? Like wriothesley, zhongli etc.

Aww ty!

(My reasoning kind of goes all over the place here)

Soo my main reason for B.aizhu being at the top is mainly because I just love him that much. I don't really see him being a very gassy man, but when he burps, it always has a level of bass to it that he can feel rumbling in his chest. I can also totally see him using his burps to tease his s/o if he knows they like it, but he'd do it in the most polite way possible if that makes sense? Gonna have to make a tiny drabble about that idk hehehehehehe. He's purely there for personal preferences lol

I.tto actually shares first place with B.aizhu! It's because not only is he one of my top favorites, he actually is probably the best burper out of everyone on the list. Want to hear him belch out the alphabet? Done. Want to see him rattle the table from how loud he can get? Easy peasy! On top of all of that, he is absolutely shameless and cocky (which are traits I adore). He really has it going for me to say the least.

As for N.euvillette, I put him in third (technically 2nd) because he has the potential to be an even better belcher. It's just that his personality keeps him from achieving that. He's a very refined dragon, but that doesn't mean he can't burp. His main diet canonically consists of water, so he's bound to have these wet, bubbly, and guttural burps that really sound out and can make heads turn. The thing is, aside from knowing how to repress them, he doesn't really have much control over them, so he falls short on the talent end.

I put W.rio a tier below N.euvi, mainly out of personal preference, and because I think he would have these sort of lazy burps that last for a craaaaazy amount of time. I kind of want him to be more shameless tbh, cause he will definitely try to hold back around people he knows. Strangers, not so much. If he didn't hold back, he would definitely have much louder, more thunderous belches that would echo in his office. I think he would also try to practice learning how to burp on command if he had the time.

Z.hongli is another character that is up there for personal preferences. I think he has the same range as N.euvi when it comes to burping. The thing is, while N.euvi holds back to keep his reputation, Z.hongli holds back because he wants to be polite. However, if he finds out someone he dislikes is annoyed by his eructations, he'll casually let loose some airy burps into his fist just to fuck with them, all while playing dumb and saying he's an old man with heartburn lol. Idk ig since Z.hongli has the choice to care about his manners or not, and N.euvi has no choice but to be mindful. It hits differently?

(TW For alcohol mention.)

Last but not least, we have K.aveh! I put him in last place on the top tier because, honestly, I feel like this guy has some top-tier burps. The thing is, he doesn't eat as often as he should, so he can't produce them as deep and grand as I'd like him to. He does burp pretty often since he's probably stressed all the time, and all that tension just puts pressure on his stomach. Plus, he is prone to hunger burps. However, these ones are short, quiet, and sound more like a hiccup than anything else.

The problem is, I would prefer someone to burp because they're relaxed, full, or even feeling mischievous. In fact, I was debating on putting G.aming in his place instead, and writing this out is making me think that again. Hmm...

[zhongster]

Hii!! Can you make video references for twisted wonderland characters? I love your blog! (•ᴗ•)❤

hi hi thank you so much :))

same drill as the fruits basket post, i’m gonna do the characters that i have an actual interest in and the ones i’ve been asked about before and if there’s someone i didn’t do that you’d like me to feel free to send in another ask <3

THIS IS KINK CONTENT, DON’T READ IF YOU DON’T LIKE IT

MALLEUS:

Dear sweet Malleus

His are actually so deafening

Like wall rattling

HUGE

Sometimes he burps fire too hehe

He’s so cute when he burps too

He’ll give a small surprised “oh” and both of his hands will rush up to cover his mouth

And he’ll follow it up with a “pardon me, that was unbecoming”

I’m literally just thinking ab his black lips parting and a huge belch rushing past his sharp fangs

I can’t be normal about this

JADE:

First girl in the vid

His burps are like

Huge

Super long and super loud with plenty of bass

He and his brother both have really really huge burps tbh

They both blow azul completely out of the water

Speaking of azul, I like to think Jade’s behavior surrounding his own burps is so lowkey that he’s actually scared the absolute fuck out of azul before

Like he doesn’t do anything leading up to the burp that would tip you off on what’s about to happen

It just sorta comes out of him and the reaction comes after

He’s polite of course, always excusing himself

Especially in azul’s presence

I’d say he only gets truly embarrassed if one slips out entirely without his consent

He’s more embarrassed about his loss of control than the burp itself

ROOK:

For the most part his are pretty small and manageable

@moraygrotto wrote a lil fic ab vil and epel featuring a rook burp where he like

Showed vil how quietly he could burp by pressing vil’s ear up against his chest and burping through his nose

And besides absolutely wrecking me in the most unexpected way possible it also made me love the hc that he can burp near silently like 80% of the time

But that other twenty percent ooh boy

Sometimes a really long or a really bassy one will catch him off guard

When that happens he’ll usually bring a fist up to his mouth and mutter a “Pardonne, I’m terribly sorry I have no idea where that came from”

i feel like other people’s reactions to his big burps are rly great too

they’re always so shocked bc most of them have NEVER heard him burp

so they’ll be like “WOAH ROOK?!?”

“WAS THAT REALLY YOU?!?”

Y’all i really didn’t expect to like rook this much, that vil and epel story really fucked me up so good

I literally did not care ab him at all until i read that

Altered my brain chemistry fr

Anyway

He gets two videos bc he’s special

First is what his burps normally sound like and second is when he gets the bassy ones (like specifically the Alissa violet ones omg)

VIL:

We all know vil absolutely HATES burping

Both in front of people and honestly by himself too

He thinks it’s disgusting and shouldn’t happen to someone as beautiful as himself

However ofc he’s human so it’s gonna happen

I think he tends to hold them in for as long as he possibly can but when he does that they eventually explode out of him in the most desperate sounding bursts

Rook likes to tease him and pat him on the back, forcing all the pent up air rushing up his throat

Burp is at 2:15

AZUL:

Very belchy burps if that make sense

Not like super ear splitting but they’re definitely BELCHES

Often lets them out behind gloved fingers

Also thinking ab him hitting his chest like she does in the video HHHHHHHHHHH

And then immediately following the belch up with a “oh, excuse me…”

[invisibleraven]

❛ you feel like home to me. ❜ + whatever self-indulgent ship you're dying to write right now

Okay, this prompt screamed direct follow up to this prompt that I filled for you not that long ago. Another jaunt into your Reggie is the one that survives AU sandbox.

"So Reggie, how are you doing today?" Dr. Butler asked.

He gave a non-committal shrug. "I'm fine."

"What have we said about using the f word?"

"That it masks how I'm really feeling without giving you an answer," Reggie grumbled. His therapist looked at him expectantly, and he sighed. "I'm... I'm okay. Some days are better than others. We finally have the house all unpacked, which is a relief."

"And what about the garage?" Dr. Butler asked.

Reggie shuddered, and shook his head. "Not yet."

The therapist reached forward and squeezed his hand. "I know it's hard Reggie, but it's not going to get any easier the more you put it off. It's been almost a year. I think you owe it to yourself... to them to try. Okay?"

Reggie nodded, biting his lip. He could do that.

~

But once Reggie got home, confronted by the studio, he turned and went back up to the house. Back to where Ray was arranging his home office, where Rose was humming a tune as she made a late lunch. The garage-his memories-they weren't going anywhere. Tomorrow. He'd go out tomorrow.

Except of course he didn't. Reggie kept putting it off, finding reasons to avoid going out there, to really go back to the place that had meant so much to him, to his friends. Because he knew going out there would finally cement that it was real. That they were gone, never to come back. And Reggie couldn't bear it.

But then, the anniversary came, and Reggie found himself slipping from his warm bed, sandwiched between his two loves, and plodding down the path to the studio. It was a cool grey morning, the sun not even cresting the horizon yet, and Reggie sucked in a breath before flinging open the doors.

The pale morning light filled the space, and it looked like no one had touched it since they left that afternoon a year ago. Luke's blue coat was slung over a chair, still musty from not going to the laundromat in favour of buying new guitar strings. Alex's half finished Coke can sitting on the table, the one he never finished because he was too anxious about burping half way through his solo. Bobby's book, left open to the page where he had left off, because he was a heathen who didn't believe in bookmarks... it was all there.

The instruments, he knew where up in the loft, Celia had them collected from The Orpheum and kept them here, even though Reggie knew it pained her as much as it did him. She had hired people to get the instruments and store them, she had confessed it hurt too much to come out here to Reggie over tea. She would always expect four smiling young faces to greet her, and couldn't bear it if they weren't there. Reggie knew that feeling all too well. He had offered to let her keep Bobby's guitar, but she had scoffed, claimed she didn't want to be known as the rock and roll grandma of her new home. He was sure his bass was up there too, but he didn't think his shaking legs would support him climbing up the ladder.

He sank onto the couch, the familiar creak of the springs and leather under his weight almost like a gunshot in the silent space. Everything was coated in a fine layer of dust, particles of it filled the air from where he had disturbed the couch, and it gave the space an eerie quality. Reggie wondered if the guys were ghosts now, or angels, watching over him. He hoped so, that they were living it up in the afterlife, meeting all the legends. He just wished... well that line of thought led down a dark path, and Reggie couldn't bear to go down it again.

He ambled to the piano, gently lifting the lid, and sat, fingering a few keys. "Still in tune are you old girl?" Reggie positioned his fingers, but found they were almost frozen. How could he even think of playing today of all days? But music was what brought Sunset Curve together, what kept them going when everything else around them was rotten and awful. He could keep playing, honour the guys through it. Carefully, he plunked out the first few notes of 'Bright'.

His voice was shaky, uncertain as he started to sing, the song missing the harmony of Luke and Bobby's voices alongside him, Alex's steady beat behind him. But Reggie soldiered on, the tears streaming down his face as he got to the pre chorus. "Life is a risk but I will take it/Close my eyes and jump/Together I think that we can make it/Come on let's run..."

"That's beautiful carino," came a soft voice, and Reggie turned to find Rose beside him, running a hand down his arm. Ray was on his other side, gently dabbing away his tears with his ever present handkerchief, smiling sadly at Reggie.

"How-How did you know where I was?" Reggie asked, sniffling.

"Where else would you be mi amor?" Ray responded. "Where else to remember your friends than in the home you shared with them?"

Rose's fingers found Reggie's on the keys, giving him a small, encouraging grin. "Play for them Reggie, finish the song."

Reggie took in a shuddery breath, and nodded. His fingers knew where to go, so his eyes never left Rose as he played, Ray's chin hooking over his shoulder as the words came. "Rise through the night you and I/We will fight to shine together/Bright forever..."

Once the song was over, Reggie started to talk. About the band, his boys, everything that came to mind. Talked until his voice went hoarse, tears long dried on all of their cheeks. Yet Ray and Rose never stopped him, lapping up every word, laughing and scoffing and crying at all the right spots.

Finally, Reggie felt like he couldn't talk any longer. He was starving, and dehydrated from crying to the point that his head was pounding. But... he felt lighter. Freer. He closed the piano lid, and stood, stretching out the kinks in his back, and almost feel down from how stiff he was. But Ray and Rose were there to catch him, and he knew they always would be. "You know," he said with a raspy voice, "this place was my home... they were my home. But you feel like home to me too."

Rose shot Ray a warm look over Reggie's head and Ray smiled right back, the two of them helping their partner back into the house. It would never truly be easy for Reggie, grief was like that sometimes. But as time went on, he found that the studio no longer made him stop and ache as it once did. Just a warm sense of familiarity and belonging. Of home.

You can never really go back again, Reggie mused as he watched his children grow and play in that place that had meant so much to him as a youth. But as Julie pulled him towards the piano, urging him to teach her the notes to Bright once more, Reggie figured that a part of him never really left it in the first place.

[beautiful-and-terrible]

dazed ‘n‘ confused (part 3)

A/N: 3500 fuckin’ words y’all lmaooo i am so stupidly invested in this dumbass and his hot neighbor.

Ship: Rodrick Heffley x OFC

Warnings: underage drinking / drug usage, dubious consent (both parties inebriated), swearing, etc.

---

Nicole shouldn’t have worried so much about what to wear. When she showed up in Rodrick’s garage, his friends Ben and Chris were there, both dressed in ripped jeans and flannel shirts paired over band t-shirts. By comparison, Nicole’s black skater skirt and combat boots felt almost fancy.

“Hey, I’m Ben,” the dark-haired one holding a red electric guitar came up to her and gave her a fist bump. She almost laughed, not having fist-bumped anyone since she was 13. “Nicole,” she replied, smiling.

“I’m Chris!” the blonde called over, waving, before turning back to adjusting his microphone and checking the settings on their audio.

Rodrick seemed to appreciate her style, at least. He came through the garage door, carrying a four-pack of Monster energy and whistled, giving her a quick up-and-down glance, “Hey, groupie.”

Nicole punched his arm as he walked by. “I came here to listen to you play, so… play.”

“Your wish is my command,” Rodrick said with a dramatic bow.

Nicole found a relatively comfortable spot as far from the speakers as she could get - this wasn’t a concert, but loud speakers could still be painful after an extended period of time. The clack of Rodrick’s drumsticks alerted her, and before she knew it there was a blast of noise and a blur of limbs.

Honestly, he wasn’t bad, Nicole thought to herself after they had played a few songs. He could use a little more control, but what musician didn’t get caught up in their music? Glancing outside, Nicole saw that it was finally growing dark out. The sky had turned a soft purple, and she could see a few fireflies flashing in the cooling grass. She checked the time on her phone - 9:15.

“Hey, do you guys know Caitlin?” she asked the group. They turned to look at her.

“Caitlin Irving or Caitlin Peters?” Ben asked, taking an impressive gulp of Monster before burping loudly. The boys fell into fits of laughter. Nicole couldn’t help laughing, too.

“I don’t know her last name, she works at Starbucks, though.”

“Ohhhhhh, Caitlin! Yeah, we know her. Why?”

“She invited me to a party tonight, but I don’t really know anyone but her. Would you guys wanna be my plus-three?”

Ben and Chris high-fived each other, and Rodrick saluted her with his drumstick, whacking himself in the head in the process. Nicole hid a laugh behind her hand, not wanting to embarrass him. “For sure, Nikky. As long as there's drinks, we’ll be there,” Chris said. 

“C’mon, we can take my van,” Rodrick said, shoving his drumsticks in his back pocket and running inside to grab his keys. The other boys started down the driveway toward the white van, garishly painted with the band's name on the side in bold, black letters.

When Rodrick returned, Nicole gave him a smug look. “I thought it needed repairs?”

Rodrick stopped walking mid-stride, looking like a puppet caught on its strings. “Uh. Yeah. Well. My dad helped, when you were over at your house. Getting ready. It’s fine now. He’s the best mechanic I know.”

“Uh-huh. You sure you didn’t just… want to ride home with me from work?”

Rodrick scoffed. “You wish.” But as he rounded the front of the car to the drivers side, you caught the scarlet color of his cheeks against his tan skin. As if he could be any more endearing, he even offered Nicole shotgun. Chris grumbled the entire time, but begrudgingly gave you the seat he had worked so hard to acquire. 

“First stop - Capital. Ben has a fake, so we can BYOB,” Rodrick said, practically peeling out of the driveway. Nicole clutched the seat for dear life, heart stuck in her throat.

“Are you sure this thing is secure?” she squeaked, feeling the seat shaking a little in its bolts.

“No one has been ejected yet, Nikky,” Rodrick laughed.

“Go-go gadget get me the fuck out of here,” Nicole groaned, planting her feet on the floor to try and stop herself from flying forward as Rodrick squealed to a stop in front of a seedy looking liquor store.

Ben barely avoided taking the sliding door off its tracks when he opened the door. Chris lit a cigarette in the back, the acrid scent wafting to the front of the van. Nicole didn’t mind the smell much - honestly it reminded her of her Grandmother's house - but she hoped the smell didn’t linger on her clothes. That would be hard to explain to her mom. Speaking of, she sent off a quick text to her parents telling them that she’d be back late. Luckily, Nicole had always been the responsible type, so her parents trusted her to make good decisions and as a result, let her have free reign of her life (especially now that she was 18).

Ben returned after a few minutes, carrying a 24 pack of Natty Light and lighting his own cigarette.

“You have the address?” Rodrick asked, and you showed him Caitlins text.

“Yo, that's in Heather Hill’s neighborhood. Maybe we can tee-pee her house later,” Rodrick said, already zooming off again.

“Heather Hills?”

“Major bitch,” Chris called from the back of the van. Rodrick shrugged. “She’s not a bitch she’s just… not very nice.”

Nicole laughed, “You don’t have to defend the honor of all women by not calling her a bitch. If she’s a bitch, I believe you.”

Rodrick looked at you out of the corner of his eye, thinking briefly.

“Yeah, she’s a stone-cold bitch. She ran over my foot once. With her car.” 

Nicole grimaced in sympathy.

“Last year, we played at her Sweet Sixteen party, and Rodrick broke her ice sculpture bust. It was awesome,” Ben said.

“Oh, so you aren’t always perfect?” Nicole teased. Rodrick flipped her off.

Soon, they pulled up in front of Caitlin’s house. Nicole could already hear loud music from outside the house, and there were rainbow strobe lights flashing in the windows. Swallowing her nervousness, she followed Rodrick, Chris and Ben up the front walkway.

As they walked in the house, Nicole was hit by the fragrant, herbal smell of weed. From far away, the music had seemed loud, but coming in the house the music seemed to vibrate her ribcage - it was something with a repetitive bass, stuff Nicole didn’t normally listen to but she enjoyed it nonetheless. She followed Rodrick further into the house, trying to find the kitchen, weaving between people dancing and couples making out.

There were people surrounding an island in the center of the kitchen, decorated with colorful bottles of liquor and sodas to mix with. Nicole spotted Caitlin talking to a tall black guy, drinking out of a red solo cup. Nicole gave her a wave, and Caitlin excitedly came over to greet her.

“Hey! I’m so glad you made it.”

“Yeah, me too. I haven’t actually ever been to a high school party.”

Caitlin’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Well, you’re gonna have one hell of a first high school party experience, girly. Let's get you a drink.”

Caitlin turned to the kitchen island and poured about four shots of rum and filled the rest with coke in a red solo cup. Nicole took a sip. She could barely tell it was spiked, so she took a few more chugs and wiped her mouth on the back of her hand. 

“Do you wanna dance?” Caitlin asked, and Nicole nodded before following her back to the living room. Already, the rum was making her limbs feel looser and her brain fuzzy. She finished the rest of it in one go, enjoying the feeling of her nervousness and insecurities fading away. Nicole had never been unpopular, per say, but she tended to stay to herself and only had a few close friends at her old school, anyway. It was refreshing to feel included, and she couldn’t help feeling that this was the way her teenage years were supposed to be - loud and exciting and living moment to moment.

As they danced, Nicole swaying in place and occasionally spinning around, she couldn’t help but feeling a little awkward. Caitlin was actually a really good dancer - she knew how to move her body in all the right ways so they hit on beat with the music. Nicole envied her easy grace, but was quickly relieved when Caitlin accidentally bumped into someone, causing them to spill their drink. Nicole stifled a laugh, not at Caitlin’s expense, just at the irony of the timing. At least Nicole wasn’t the only clutz. 

They had been dancing for only a few minutes before Nicole felt a hand on her waist, making her jump slightly.

“Hey, the guys and I are gonna smoke some weed in the backyard. Do you wanna come?” Rodrick said. His voice was almost in her ear, close enough that she could hear him over the blaring music, his breath tickling her sensitive skin. 

She turned around to face him - in the dim light of the house, he looked much more appealing than usual - she hadn’t even noticed he had put eyeliner on, but it made the dark of his eyes look even more obsidian. Nicole nodded, giving a thumbs up, and pulled Caitlin along with her.

“I need you for moral support,” Nicole said, making Caitlin laugh.

“Have you ever smoked weed before?” Caitlin asked.

“Nope.”

Caitlin raised her eyebrows and pulled her closer as they walked to whisper in her ear.

“Okay, take a small hit the first time, don’t try to impress anyone. But breathe it fully into your lungs - I like to start by pulling it into my mouth first, and then inhaling fully. And if you cough, don’t worry, almost everyone does their first time.”

Nicole gave her a grateful look as they approached the circle of people sitting on lawn chairs in the backyard. Ben and Chris were already there, with two other girls Nicole didn’t know. However, there seemed to only be two more lawn chairs available to sit on.

Nicole was about to plop down on the grass before Caitlin grabbed her hand.

“You should sit on Rodrick’s lap,” she whispered, and Nicole almost choked on her drink.

“What?” 

“Dude, he’s totally into you - I don’t know what your sitch is, but I think he’s probably a little nervous about making the first move. Just do it, and if he asks, say ‘sorry, there weren’t enough seats and I don’t wanna get bug bites from the grass.”

Nicole stared at her, mouth agape. The alcohol in her brain was telling her it might not be the worst idea ever. And you know what? Fuck it. You’re only young once. Nicole made up her mind, and squeezing Caitlin’s hand, she walked over to where Rodrick was sitting before primly making herself comfortable on his thigh.

She felt him tense beneath her immediately, before his hand came up to her waist to steady her. Before he had the chance to say anything about it, the joint was passed to him, and he took an impressive hit, the cherry glowing red at the end for several seconds. Nicole watched him with interest, hoping she wouldn’t mess up too badly and embarrass herself. 

Rodrick looked up at her as he exhaled the smoke, holding the joint out to her. Not paying attention, and entranced by the eye contact they were holding, she reached out to take the joint without looking and promptly burned her hand on it.

“Fucker,” she hissed, shaking her hand to try and get rid of the pain. Rodrick just laughed.

“Do you want help?” Rodrick asked, before taking another hit of the joint. He reached up behind Nicole’s head, threading his fingers through her hair, before pulling her down close to his face, their lips inches apart. Nicole instinctively opened her mouth, half from surprise and half in anticipation of being kissed. But Rodrick simply blew a steady stream of smoke into her mouth, - their lips didn’t make contact. Belatedly, Nicole realized she was supposed to be inhaling, so she did quickly, trying to hold the smoke in her lungs for as long as possible. 

Somebody wolf-whistled in the group. Nicole was pretty sure it was Caitlin.

Eventually, she ended up coughing it out, Rodrick rubbing her back but still laughing.

“You’re a green at the green, huh?” Rodrick asked, and Nicole rolled her eyes.

“That obvious?”

“Yeah, but it’s cute. I’m glad you’re having your first high with me,” Rodrick said, smiling sweetly. Nicole’s stomach fluttered. Already, she could tell that this wasn’t alcohol she was feeling anymore - the buzz she had been feeling earlier was replaced by something much slower and velvety, like the world was moving through maple syrup.

“Dude,” Nicole said after a minute, realizing she had been staring at nothing. Rodrick looked at her. She looked at him. They both started cracking up laughing.

“What are we laughing at?” Nicole hiccuped through her laughter.

“No idea,” Rodrick said, wiping his eyes free of tears of mirth.

“Rodrick, pass the J,” Ben called out, breaking the two of them from their trance. Without thinking about it, Nicole leaned back onto Rodrick’s chest, enjoying the warmth of his body. It wasn’t a cold night, per say, but Nicole was only wearing a skirt and a t-shirt, and she had always had poor circulation. She shivered involuntarily.

“Do you want my flannel?” Rodrick asked, already taking it off. Nicole sat up, ruffling his hair playfully.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you just want to show off your arms,” Nicole said, slipping on the warm blue flannel and resting her hand on Rodrick’s exposed arm, once again in a cut-off tank top. Rodrick gave her a funny look.

“What do you mean?”

Nicole suddenly found herself tongue tied. “Uh. I mean. You just wear a lot of tank tops.”

Rodrick raised an eyebrow, but said nothing else. Nicole leaned back against him again, feeling simultaneously self-conscious and exhilarated. They had never touched for this long before. She wasn’t sure exactly what was happening between them, but she liked the direction it was going. Even though they hadn’t known each other long, Nicole felt more comfortable with Rodrick than she did anyone else - even though most of the time she had known him, he had been a nuisance to her. Well… maybe not a complete nuisance.

It was funny to think that only a few days ago, Rodrick was just an annoyance she dealt with at her job and admired from afar, and now she was sitting on his lap, wearing his flannel. She leaned her head back, looking at the stars. She hadn’t noticed that Caitlin had left, but suddenly she appeared over her line of vision, grinning.

“Do you want a beer?” she asked, holding a cold can over Nicole’s forehead. Nicole reached out to take it, sitting up before cracking it open. She wasn’t in the habit of enjoying beer for the flavor, so she’d rather get drunk off it quickly. It tasted like wet cardboard, but Nicole managed to chug it down.

“Damn, girl, where’d you learn to drink like that?” Chris asked, laughing as Nicole belched loudly. 

“Years of rigorous practice and intense concentration, young padawan,” Nicole replied.

“Do you wanna shotgun one with me?” Chris asked, half-joking, but Nicole was feeling overly confident from the buzz she was feeling and readily stepped up to the challenge.

“Whoever spits it out owes the other ten bucks.”

“Fuckin’ deal,” Chris grinned, Ben cheering him on as he threw a beer toward Nicole. She (surprisingly) caught it.

“Wait, gimme one,” Rodrick said, making grabby hands in Ben’s direction, who threw him a beer.

“On three, okay?” Ben counted. They all started to crack open their beers, Nicole with her house keys, Rodrick with his car keys, and Chris with his pen knife.

“One.. twoooooo…. Three!” Ben yelled, and they all tipped their heads back, drinking from the hole in the side of the can. Nicole’s eyes watered, but she was too competitive to back down now. Foam spilled out of the side of her mouth, but she kept drinking. She could hear people chanting her name as she finally threw the beer can down on the ground, raising her hands in victory. Both Rodrick and Chris were covered in beer foam, but Nicole somehow stayed relatively clean, minus the beer she wiped off her face.

“Ten motherfucking bucks, Chris,” Nicole slurred slightly, grinning at him as he pulled out a crumpled bill from his pocket and threw it at her. 

“Rodrick, how the fuck did you lose, dude? You were the one who taught me how to shotgun,” Ben said, causing Nicole to throw her head back in laughter, before letting out another massive burp that lasted for several seconds. The whole group dissolved into laughter. 

Eventually, the joint got finished, and people started to move back inside. However, Rodrick and Nicole stayed outside, talking about whatever came into their heads.

“Were you ever into Greek mythology as a kid?” Nicole asked, watching Rodrick’s eyes go comically large.

“Does Percy Jackson count?”

Nicole pretended to consider it deeply for a moment, before shaking her head. Rodrick pouted. 

“I only got into Greek mythology because of Percy Jackson. So, I think it still counts.

“Fine. But do you know shit about the constellations they’re associated with?”

Rodrick pointed at the sky, at a random cluster of stars.

“For sure - that's Dingus Humongus, he was a Greek hero with the fattest ass known to man.”

“Sounds like my kinda guy,” Nicole replied, sticking her tongue out as Rodrick squawked in indignation.

“Besides a fat ass, what do you look for in a guy? Not, like, that I care. Just. Wondering.”

“Very good English, Rodrick,” Nicole laughed, “I guess my type is… someone kind. And funny. Someone who tries to be cool and is actually a huge dork. And musical, that's always a plus,” she said, feeling very bold as she looked directly at him. It took Rodrick a moment, but eventually his mouth formed a small “oh” as he realized who she was talking about. His eyes flicked down to her lips. Then he frowned, “I am not a dork.”

Nicole rolled her eyes, “And I’m totally not waiting for you to kiss me right now.”

Nicole watched as the color slowly rose in Rodrick’s cheeks, turning them rosy pink, visible even in the shadow-drenched backyard. Nicole decided to pull yet another risky move, and adjusted herself on Rodrick’s lap so that she was facing him, her thighs on top of his arms around his neck. For such a seemingly confident boy, Rodrick seemed more nervous than she had ever seen him, even when he asked her to come to band practice earlier. Hell, he hadn’t even been that nervous to shotgun the joint into her mouth.

“Sorry, I just… I’ve wanted to do this for a long time. I don’t wanna be bad at it,” he confessed. Just as Nicole thought she couldn’t be any more endeared by this boy. She slid her hands into his hair, thick and soft. She leaned in and gently nosed at his jawline, placing small kisses against his warm skin. Right at his jugular, he smelled like cologne and nighttime and boy, the right mix of clean and sexy. Seemingly gaining his courage, he grabbed Nicole by the back of her head and brought her up to his lips.

It was soft, at first, merely a press of skin to skin, but the two gradually deepened the kiss, moving against each other like they were made for it. Nicole felt like her heart might beat out of her chest - or maybe she was just that high.

Feeling emboldened by Rodrick’s enthusiasm, she slipped her tongue between his lips, gently tangling their tongues together. He let out a low moan, and Nicole could’ve blacked out from how turned on she was by that simple sound. The warmth of his body against hers and the slickness of their mouths together caused a rush of liquid heat to form between Nicole’s legs. Goddamn, he was good at this. Nicole wasn’t sure how many girls Rodrick had kissed before this, but if he was a rookie at this she was damn impressed.

Rodrick’s hands, which had been resting on her waist, slowly moved down her ass and under her skirt, causing Nicole to gasp as he started to knead and grab at her cheeks - not hard, but enough to get her even more hot and bothered than she thought possible.

“Is this okay?” Rodrick asked, his voice low and rough. 

“Yeah, I’m good,” Nicole replied, running her fingers through his hair and scratching her nails down his neck. She felt him shiver beneath her, sending a heady rush of power to her stomach and lower. He pulled her closer to him by her ass, so that their crotches pressed together. Nicole was taken aback by the sensation of his bulge pressed against her, but didn’t pull back, instead grinding down on him.

“Are there still people out here?” Rodrick asked shakily. Nicole pulled back and looked over her shoulder - the backyard was empty, thank god.

“No, just us,” Nicole said, turning back and bringing her lips to his ear, biting and licking the sensitive flesh. Rodrick whimpered, grinding up to meet her, and Nicole almost lost it then and there.

The alcohol and weed in her system were slowing her reactions, but also kept her from thinking too much about what she was doing - all she could think about was how much she wanted this. Sober, this might’ve never happened - she was too nervous about what he would think if she ever made a move, constantly overthinking her every word and action. This dumb boy, who rode with her to work, who stayed to the end of her shift and bought her slushies, had wiggled his way into her every thought and every beat of her heart. She knew she was fucked.

She only wished it was literally.

Nicole opened her eyes briefly to catch Rodrick’s gaze, and out of the corner of her eye she glimpsed the red-and-blue flash of police lights. Rodrick caught sight of the lights at the same time.

“Oh, fuck.”

[secretobsessionstuff]

Hey so you mentioned in a story that Dakota gets heartburn a lot 👀👀 could you please please write one more instance? Like in a birthday party or sumthin

Here you go, lovely anon! 

There’s actually no puking in this because the story went in a different direction. I know I said I was going to include emeto but....

If you do want some pukey Dakota in the future then feel free to send a request. 

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

The bed’s wooden framed creaked as Dakota and Blair fell onto the mattress. Well, it was more like Blair shoving her boyfriend onto the bed than anything. She crawled on top of him with a playful smile and began kissing his stubble-covered jaw. Outside the bedroom door, the heavy bass of music drowned out any sound they might make. Like a moan.

Dakota did moan beneath Blair’s lips but not for the reason you might think. The sudden experience of being pushed onto his back caused the contents of Dakota’s stomach to slosh up his esophagus. It burned for a moment before a different type of heat took over.

He kissed Blair back, enjoying the way her hands snaked under his shirt. She obviously thought his moaning was caused by something else. They never intended to do this, especially not at someone’s else house, but the empty rooms upstairs were too inviting. Both of them were drunk because it was Shawn’s birthday party after all.

Dakota should have known that tequila coupled with lime and salt shots would set off a fire in his chest. He knew that alcohol was often the culprit for his heartburn, and then sucking the acidic fruit was just asking for it. He moaned again, feeling something rise in his throat, and then broke away from the kiss. He needed to get off his back or the burning sensation would continue to crawl up higher in his chest.

Dakota let out a long exhale and sat up on the bed with Blair still in his lap. Once upright, a deep belch erupted form his mouth which he tried to blow away from Blair’s face. “Sorry,” he said, rubbing his chest. The discomfort was quickly sobering him up and he didn’t like it one bit.

“You alright?” Blair asked, with her arms around his neck. “Heartburn?”

Dakota nodded while grimacing. He tried swallowing the buildup of saliva in his mouth, but it felt like there was a lump in his throat. His adam’s apple bobbed up and down. “I need to stand up for a second.”

Blair quickly got off his lap. “Maybe some fresh air will help.”

Heeding Blair suggestion, the two of them fixed themselves before leaving the bedroom. Blair was only slightly disappointed that nothing happened, but she soon got over that upon seeing the unease in Dakota’s face. She hoped they could find Shawn or Mateo and ask for an antacid.

The bedroom door no longer muffled the sound of voices and music. They walked through the house, trying to get to the backdoor while dodging ping pong balls and drunken partiers. Shawn definitely knew how to throw a birthday celebration.

Speaking of Shawn, before the couple could make it to a less crowded area, they ran into none other than the birthday boy. He was calmer than Blair expected him to be, but the scent clinging to him soon explained why.

“Yo Kota, Blair,” Shawn greeted them. He dragged out Blair’s name and gave her a goofy smile. “Havin’ fun I hope.”

“Yeah,” Blair said, slightly distracted. “Hey, Shawn, where’s Mateo?” She wanted to ask Shawn for help, but he seemed more that slightly distracted. His drooping eyes told her that Mateo would probably be the better person to ask.

“Uhh in the kitchen maybe?” He scratched his head, pointed to the ceiling, then walked away without another word.

Dakota and Blair exchanged glances. “Okay then…” Dakota said hesitantly. “Let’s hope he’s right because it’s getting worse.”

Thankfully, Shawn’s hunch was correct because Mateo was indeed in the kitchen. He was cleaning up empty cups and discarded cans. He smiled at them when they entered. “Hey guys, how’s it going?”

“Not so great,” Blair admitted. “Please tell me you have tums or something.”

Mateo thought for a moment, checked some cupboards, then turned back to them with a pink bottle in hand. “Will Pepto do?”

Dakota nodded as enthusiastically as you’d expect for someone with acid bubbling in their belly. “I’ll take anything.”

Normally Dakota would drink it straight from the bottle. He’d gotten pretty good at judging how much he needed. In this case however, he wasn’t about to take a shot of someone’s else medication.

Ironically, after Dakota’s insistence, Mateo poured the thick pink liquid into a red solo cup, so it really was like taking a shot…if that shot took fifty years to slide to your mouth. Regardless, Dakota was glad to have something to extinguish the flames in his chest.

“I hope that helps,” Mateo said. “Now, I have to go and find my very drunk and stoned boyfriend before he hurts himself. We’ll probably be needing that Pepto tomorrow.”

Dakota and Blair thanked him. Despite the chaos in the house, Mateo seemed to be relaxed, or at least having a good time. The first time they met him, Mateo didn’t speak much, but it seemed that dating Shawn was making him more outgoing.

Blair grabbed Dakota’s hand and they went outside to the front yard where it was quieter than out back. They sat on the stone steps leading up to the door. It was a cool night, so they snuggled up next to each other.

“Is it working? Blair asked. “Are you feeling better?”

Dakota held up his finger and swallowed thickly before burping into his fist. It was a long, chesty burp, but he sighed afterwards. “Getting there.”

“Good.” She put her head on his shoulder. With her long nails, she drew circles on his leg.

The music was once again muffled to where they could barely hear it. They could however hear crickets hiding in the bushes. Dakota exhaled while looking up at the night sky. “I feel old.”

Blair actually laughed out loud. “Why?”

“Did you see Shawn back there? I miss that,” he admitted while shaking his head. “Now I can’t even have a few drinks without my stomach acting up.”

“I’ll admit, we don’t party like we used to. But he is only two years younger than us.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Besides,” Blair said with a shy smile. “I don’t mind slowing down as long as it’s with you.”  

Dakota smiled. He leaned in to kiss Blair but the moment was ruined by another belch that hit the back of his throat. “Sorry,” he said, feeling his ears go red. He let his head fall onto her shoulder and buried his face in the fabric of her shirt. “I can’t fucking win tonight.”

[emoticonheart]

Do you have any burping headcanons for your original characters? Like, what their belches sound or smell like, and also how frequently each person burps, and what their own reactions to their belches are?

OH ABSOLUTELY I DO

you, my friend, have opened a very large can of worms. but, before i get started, i'll just say that for me personally, i'm not big on the way belches smell. that's just not something i'm really into personally, but i can totally understand why other people like it!! but bc of that, i'm not gonna really focus on that, but feel more than free to use your imagination as i explain everything else!!

and so with that being said, out of respect for everyone's tls, if you'd like to know the burping habits of all my ocs, then feel free to keep reading

ashley (flexsteel): she was born with this odd medical condition that just makes her gassier than usual. when she was a kid, her parents took her to doctor after doctor to try to get the issue fixed, but there was nothing they could do. and so, she just had to live with these huge belches. she is always burpy after a meal, but she also is very skilled at burping on command. either way, like i said, these belches are huge. not hyper belch huge, but for a normal person? yeah she's pretty much untouchable when it comes to volume, length, and power. in fact, idk how i would fit this into the actual story so i'll just tell y'all here: since all her burps on stream are recorded, ppl have gone back and seen that with a lot of them, she has gotten super close to breaking some world records. super close, and she wasn't even trying. imagine what she could do if she was. she was super embarrassed about this skill of hers growing up, mostly because her parents and family made her feel like a freak for it, but she starts breaking out of her shell a little after meeting lily. but what really helps her accept herself is becoming flexsteel. it's through streaming and her followers that truly helps her learn to love herself. she still gets embarrassed from time to time, especially when she accidentally lets one go somewhere inappropriate, but overall she's a lot more comfortable with her condition.

sierra (burp soulmates): she is a very skilled burper when it's on command. that's because her bio dad taught her how to burp on command when she was a child, and she has spent years mastering her technique. she can control the length, volume, depth, and intensity of her belches with pinpoint accuracy. in fact, a lot of people at school will play this game with her where they give her a random aspect of a burp (22 seconds, extra bass, airy and quiet, etc.), and she'll do just perfectly. it never ceases to amaze people. however, she's nowhere near as skilled when it comes to belching naturally. in fact, her natural burps are just plain average, which is a stark contrast to her ability to burp on command. she wishes she were better at the natural stuff, but she's super proud of her abilities. she'll flex it any opportunity she can get.

addison (wyfatw): she's a royal princess, so she shouldn't enjoy belching as much as she does, but she can't help the way it feels when she lets one go. like ashley, she's naturally burpier than most, but it's nowhere near on the same scale as ashley. the thing about addison is that her burps aren't very long. the longest burps she can produce are five seconds long, but that's only if she really concentrates. but, what she lacks in length, she makes up for tenfold in volume. even if it only lasts a second, her burps are loud enough to make you flinch and clamp your hands over your ears, as if ten whips going off at the same time. before running away, one of her favorite things to do while eating dinner was wait until a servant or something was walking through the dining hall with a large platter of food or drinks and then release a quick, shotgun-like burp that echoed throughout the entire hall and shocked the servant so much that it sent their tray crashing to the ground. she got a kick out of it, and then got an even bigger kick out of her parent's disappointment. except the servants eventually learned to expect her little trick and didn't react the same because of it, and that was when it became no fun.

thalia (first impressions): with her mom being full ogre and her dad being half giant, her digestive system was bound to be messed up. like i mentioned in the story itself, her giant lineage means she's always hungry, and her ogre lineage means she's always gassy. and thalia is living proof that that combination is a recipe for disaster. she is constantly releasing earth quaking hyper belches, and when i say constantly, i mean constantly. they interrupt her when she talks because she literally can't go five seconds without one escaping her. at first, when she was a child, she was pretty proud of it, especially when she pushed the daycare bully off of the seesaw by releasing a particularly powerful belch and made herself the queen of the playground for a day. but the glamor quickly faded, especially when she couldn't leave the house for months, attending class online and even finding a job that she could do from home. these days, she feels pure indifference about her unique talents. she lets one go and just carries on as if nothing happened. she can hardly feel it coming up anymore, anyway, so why bother making a big deal of it?

robin (stolen crown): she was cursed with magical belches, so of course her burps are just gnarly. unlike thalia, though, she doesn't burp nearly as much, so she hasn't found herself getting sick of it yet. in fact, she actually loves burping. the feeling of all that air coming out of you as the ground shakes underneath you, and knowing that shaking is because of you? yeah, robin can think of almost nothing better. like thalia, though, her condition meant she was forced to hide away at home for a lot of her life, but for very different reasons. she could've let this get to her, blame her burpiness for the fact that she couldn't go out and make friends, but she actually didn't mind. as long as she could let loose freely, she didn't mind staying away from people. besides, she had her monthly visits to the tavern to look forward to. when she went on her quest with arrach and runt, she was a little more careful about it, but overall she's always been shameless.

arrach (stolen crown): he's a troll with three stomachs, so he's a naturally gassy guy. while his burps are nowhere near as powerful, they're definitely not something to scoff at either. he can still make branches bristle and animals run for their lives. he's been conditioned to feel ashamed about his abilities, so he acts that way at first. but you may quickly discover that he has a competitive side buried deep within him. and if you know him well enough, you'll know how to pull that side out of him. when that competitive side is out, he'll get into a burping contest with anyone and everyone, and only feel embarrassed about it later.

overall, when it comes to my normal burpers, sierra wins in technique, addison wins in volume, but ashely wins overall best burper. truly no one can compete with her natural talent. she can take on anyone and everyone and come out on top.

when it comes to my hyper belchers, thalia comes out on top. the intensity of both her and robin's belches are pretty similar, but what sets thalia apart is just how often she burps. the difference between robin and thalia's condition is that robin always has gas sitting inside her, waiting to be released, whereas thalia is always producing gas, so there's no room in her to keep it, which is why she is constantly belching.

i hope this answers your question well enough!! if you have any other questions or if there's anything i missed, feel free to send an ask!!

[youwantstubby]

Stubby had been left alone his first five days out of the hospital. Well -- alone wasn’t quite true, not with the 24/7 security detail that his father insisted stay posted up inside Stubby’s flat. But there had been no visitors, and frankly that was a relief. The worse of his withdrawal had passed at St. Mungo’s, but the headaches and the tremors and the nausea that lasted past St. Mungo’s surely would only have gotten worse if he’d had to deal with his parents or worse, Hestia’s positivity. Instead he’d slept most of them off for a few days that seemed to blur together and woken up feeling remarkably clear-headed. More than he had in a long time. His flat was quiet. All his mail deliveries had been forwarded to his parents’ house so there was no fan mail or copies of the Prophet or Witch Weekly with stories about what happened to “Ferdi.” 

There were no potions or liquor in his flat -- he’d drank all he had before he’d ended up passed out in that ditch. The events leading up to that moment were gone from his memory, but the desperation wasn’t. And it was still there, urging him to go out and get more potions, more alcohol, to fill the hole that hadn’t gone away. But his head wasn’t pounding like it did most mornings he woke up craving a drink. His body wasn’t aching. And he could still remember what the healers had told him, that if he kept drinking and taking potions it would kill him. This morning it was quiet, he was up at 6 am with a cup of coffee he’d made himself, he could see the sunrise through his kitchen window, and he couldn’t help thinking maybe he didn’t want to die today. Instead he took his favorite guitar from where it was displayed on his wall and sat down on his couch, strumming a few notes, putting melody to the lyrics he’d scrawled on the back of his letter to Hestia at the hospital. Then he was getting more parchment and expanding the words, tinkering with more verses and changing the chorus a few times, alternating between writing words and playing notes, lost in the process until a knock at the door startled him out of it.

Stubby looked around, disoriented as he realized from the shadows of the light on his walls that it was late afternoon. Oh. He considered ignoring the knock; he hadn’t been expecting anyone, nor was there anyone he wanted to see. Then the knock came again, more insistent. He looked at his security guard, surprised to see the one there had changed shifts at some point while Stubby had been absorbed in writing his new song. “Whoever it is, send them away,” he said, turning back to what was now a mess of parchment spread out over his coffee table. He couldn’t remember the last time he’s felt this absorbed in the process of songwriting -- or the last time he’d gone so long without thinking about where he was going to get his next drink or potion. 

And then his father’s voice came through the door. “I hope you’ve enjoyed your little vacation, Stubby, because it ends tonight. Your fans are asking too many questions and you’re not going to cost us the expense of another cancelled concert,” Sanford said as he stalked through the door, pausing as he took in the sight of Stubby with his guitar and parchment. His eyes narrowed. “What’s this?” He snapped. “Let me see.” Sanford didn’t wait before he snatched up a couple pieces of parchment and scanned over the words scrawled across them. “Wait, it’s not done yet--” Stubby started, but he was cut off as his father threw the paper down on the table with a scoff. “I thought I told you to stop writing this kind of nonsense, Stubby. This isn’t what your fans want. Playtime’s over, you’re due in your dressing room in 20 minutes.” 

A show. He had a show tonight. Of course he did. In an instant that familiar sensation crawled back over him, an empty feeling that started in his chest and spread over the rest of his body. It was accompanied by dread at the thought of standing on a stage, the bright lights beating down on him, belting out that bubblegum pop trash to another sold-out crowd. His hands felt clammy; he could feel his chest tightening. It had been a long time since he’d had a panic attack, but it had been a long time since he’d been sober enough to feel that same level of anxiety. He tried to take a breath, but his breathing felt shallow. “I can’t --” he said in a shaky voice that Sanford cut off with a derisive, “Pathetic,” as he pulled a vial of potion from his pocket and set it down on the table. Instantly Stubby’s eyes fixed on it. It shimmered an impossibly bright shade of red that Stubby hadn’t seen since Rich cut him off. Stubby’s reaction was instantaneous and overwhelming: his heart racing, his mouth watering, his eyes fixed on the shining liquid as it called out to him, singing promises of filling the hole inside of him. He needed it. But before he could reach for it another voice spoke up, so unexpected it distracted Stubby. 

“What the hell are you doing?” Stubby and his father’s heads turned sharply in unison to face his security guard, the one who Stubby could never seem to shake as easily as the others, even when he wanted to. “He just got out of rehab,” the guy said and Stubby stared at him in shock. The guards were not supposed to speak to Sanford Bishop, especially not to interfere in business matters. And what did he care whether Stubby drank a potion? 

“Excuse me?” Sanford said in a voice that was quietly seething. “I wouldn’t expect someone like you to understand what a performer needs, but I can assure you I know what’s best for my client.”

His client. Stubby was his client. Of course he was. A father wouldn’t be giving him potions after they’d almost killed him. But Stubby’s manager cared only about getting Stubby onstage to make him more money. Stubby reached for the vial as the hole inside him clawed at his insides. But he paused again in surprise when the guard spoke up a second time. “He almost died from that stuff, clearly you’re not concerned with what’s best for Stubby.” 

Did that just happen? Stubby’s eyes widened as he looked from the guard to Sanford. His father. Who clearly wasn’t concerned with what was best for him. Only what he could get from Stubby, just like everyone else. Sanford was seething, but Stubby spoke up before his father could. “I’m your son,” he said, his voice soft and pleading even as his hand holding the vial of potion trembled. He wanted it. It would make this all go away. Or maybe his father could make it all go away. “I’m not just your client,” he said. “I’m your son.” Please. 

Sanford’s face twisted into a sneer. “Your little stunt’s made you sentimental, has it?” Sanford sneered. “You are Stubby Boardman. So why don’t you fucking act like it?” 

Stubby couldn’t take it anymore. Whatever else his father was shouting at the guard felt far away as Stubby spared one last glance at the bloke and then downed the whole vial of potion his father had brought. The relief was instantaneous. The clawing sensation inside him dulled, the trembling ceasing as if he’d been wrapped in a blanket. Everything felt lighter. Farther away. Nothing compared to this feeling and it had been too long since Rich cut him off. But it wasn’t enough. “I need more,” he said, his focus sharpened on Sanford now. Sanford pulled another vial from his pocket and Stubby’s eyes locked in on it. “It’s yours,” he said, but he pulled it out of Stubby’s reach as he grabbed for it. “After you get to the show.” 

The show. Of course. The show. And this was how Stubby always got through his shows, wasn’t it? “Fine,” he said, and he got to his feet. 

________________________________________________________

Stubby had never noticed how even before Rich cut him off, the other had been keeping an eye on his intake. Giving him smaller doses of the good stuff. Never a full vial all at once. Definitely never a second shortly after. And then there’d been the whiskey backstage. Some other drugs one of the drummers brought. Stubby was flying higher than he’d been in ages. He was numb. He was elated. He was nothing. He was everything. He took to the stage wild-eyed, his body going into autopilot as he sang through the first few numbers, the potions still coursing through his veins as the crowd cheered and called his name. That was its own kind of drug. They wanted him. They all wanted him. All Stubby wanted was to keep feeling like there was something inside of him, not just the ever-expanding emptiness that was always clawing at his frayed edges. “Thank you, London!” He shouted after only three songs, stumbling offstage and pushing past a couple of startled and confused stagehands and production assistants in the wings and grabbing the bottle of whiskey he’d left in the green room, downing another few swigs as he heard his backup singer saying something to the crowd about ‘a classic Stubby Boardman prank.’ A second later and a stage manager was snatching the whiskey from his hand and pushing him back toward the stage. “No,” Stubby pleaded. “I need it. Just another --” He grabbed the bottle and downed the rest of the contents, burped loudly in the stage manager’s face, and then stumbled back onto the stage to a sound of thunderous applause. They still loved him. Of course they did. He grinned a delirious grin and stepped back up to the mic. “Gotcha,” he said into it, as if he had indeed planned a hilarious fake departure, and the crowd ate it up just like they ate up everything he gave them. They took and they took and they’d keep taking until there was nothing left of him. 

He strummed the guitar around his neck, playing the first song of their set, realizing too late the other band members hadn’t joined in. “What the hell are you doing? We’re on song four,” the bass player hissed at him. Stubby laughed into the microphone. “Song four!” He said, instantly playing that one without cueing the rest of the band members like he was supposed to. They caught up to him and the crowd seemed eager to overlook the weird moment. They’d paid too much to see him, after all, to dwell on any hiccups. Only what happened halfway through the song was not so much a hiccup as Stubby stopping abruptly, lifting his guitar strap from around his shoulder and gently setting it down gently even as the rest of the band kept playing, shooting him death glares, and then shuffling a few steps over to vomit on an extremely expensive piece of sound equipment. The bassist groaned and left the stage, but Stubby did his best to straighten up and said. “I’m okay!” As he heard the crowd murmuring. “Don’t worry, London!” He slurred out the words into the  bassist’s mic. “I wrote a new song, just for you!” he moved to the keyboard, shouldering the keyboard player over, who rolled his eyes, shook his head and said, “I’m not dealing with this shit anymore,” and then stalked off the stage. Stubby was unconcerned as he started playing some upbeat chords. “This is what you want!” He sang into the microphone as he played the bubblegum pop notes. “But it’s all bullshit!” The drummer stalked off next and Stubby let out a loud cackle. “This was all rehearsed,” he was still singing, playing the keyboard with only one hand now so he could turn and start banging on the cymbal of the drumset with his other hand. “Everything is fake fake fake fake fake FAKE FAKE FAKE FAKE,” he played the same note over and over again, banging on the cymbal, going from singing to shouting the word over and over again. When he finally stopped, he looked out into what was now a dead silent crowd. He laughed. The stage lights were blinding, obscuring all the faces in the crowd. Stubby’s stomach heaved again and he couldn’t even turn away before he vomited on the keyboard. Normally when he got wasted to the point of illness, throwing up, while unpleasant, made him feel better. Tonight he felt worse afterwards. He felt woozy. He blinked rapidly as the lights became spotty, then they dimmed. He swayed on the spot. He leaned forward into the mic. “Help me,” was the last thing he said before he lost consciousness.

[zhongster]

Hello! Just found your blog, any burp head canons for zhongli?

hi new friend welcome to the blog :)

THIS IS KINK CONTENT, DON’T READ IF YOU DON’T LIKE

he’s definitely the type to have really deep burps

like to the point where they’re super loud even if they’re stifled in his mouth

i’d say he belches more than he burps but he definitely has been known to do both

despite the volume of his belches he often has a hard time getting them to actually come up

he can feel them come up from his stomach but they get stuck in his chest almost every time

usually he can force the burps up by thumping his chest a few times however occasionally there’ll be so much pressure behind his sternum that he needs someone else to help him by patting him on the back

i’m of the belief that childe has helped him on occasion and he might’ve even had ei help him out back in their archon days

hu tao has definitely heard him stifle some big ones behind his fist and she absolutely never lets him live it down

he doesn’t have a huge reaction if he manages to stifle his belches usually just excuses himself and his cheeks go a little pink

which that’s another thing: every single burp is followed by a “excuse me”, “oh dear, do pardon me”, “my apologies”

he’s very polite

however he is pretty comfortable around certain people

childe, the other archons, the traveler, and guizhong back in the day specifically

around those people he doesn’t really get as embarrassed unless he belches really unexpectedly

if he’s around someone he doesn’t know super well, however, he immediately excuses himself and then tries to guide the conversation as far away from his momentary lapse of manners as possible

eating too much spicy food in one sitting can really fuck his stomach up

and he loves spicy food

usually he tries not to overindulge in order to avoid something embarrassing happening

but sometimes that black bass perch stew just looks too good

when this does happen his stomach bloats up and he gets a cute little tummy underneath his suit jacket

after a spicy overindulgence he loves nothing more than to go home, take his coat off, and rub his stomach

he’ll sit there with his head laid back, pressing into his stomach and forcing belch after belch up his throat

also he’d never admit it but he loves it when other people rub his tummy when he has a stomachache

he’ll absolutely never ask for it though, the person would have to offer

[docmanda]

5 and 7 or 8 for the fic asks? say something nice about yourself ^^

Ahahahahaaa oh it’s my old archenemy, Doctor Selflove!!!

5.Share one of your strengths.

Hm I am kinda just bumbling about with the fic writing thingie yet so actually saying something is my strength feels like making too much out of it? One commenter called my writing evocative and I think that is something I am kinda good at, putting pictures and emotions into my reader’s heads with words.

And when inspiration hits I can churn out words pretty fast which is good I think :-) 7. Share a snippet from one of your favorite pieces of prose you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

...I know I am probably getting redundant with that one fic but it IS kinda my favorite so..have my favorite piece of “For The End Of My Broken Heart” once again. I just really like the way it makes me feel while reading, the weird vaguely disassociated sense of loss and horrors beyond recognition idk, it reads “right” and makes me feel the things I wanted it to make people feel if that makes any sense?

There are sirens afterwards and the frantic hustle of people in white trying to save the world while two ghosts cling to each other in excruciating fear, leaving deep red bruises on each other´s skin in their desperate hope for a miracle they both know is not going to happen. They know, deep down where their souls would be if they had one, where they carved a place reserved for a single being into their own flesh and core that it is too late, their God has left them behind, going where even they can´t follow. And yet they cling to that last bit of hope with stubbornness born of nothing but pure, raw desperation.

When finally, after an eternity of pain a white clad man comes out of the room that holds their whole world, his clothing still sticky with blood, the look of exhaustion and defeat in his eyes is enough to shatter even that last bit of hope.

And with the last tear that falls from their eyes time has finally run out. In all their lifes they have never known suffering like this...and for the crime of taking away the only one they ever, truly loved the world will suffer with them.

The doctor´s protest dies in his throat with an aborted wheeze as the one in black casually breaks his neck with an absentminded snap of long, skeletally thin fingers , a pair of burning golden eyes and a single black one fixated on the room in front of them, holding their only treasure in this world. Ancient power congeals around them like blood, ripping apart everything that stands in their way as they come for their God´s body, unheeding of the chaos and destruction they leave behind in their wake.

Their last bit of humanity lies dead in that white tiled room, still dripping with blood more precious then all the jewels in the world and they don´t care if their mourning leaves behind only ashes as the ground shakes apart and the ocean turns to blood, seething with ancient powers long forgotten by anybody but them.

And they all follow their King´s last call, those long forgotten nightmares and fairytales, clawing their way out of the ground dripping molten stone and rising from the abyss, devouring everything they can reach in their never ending hunger, vultures ripping apart a still breathing body as the Devastations burn themselves out with pain. Crimson Rain Sought Flower and Black Water Sinking Ships do not care as they cradle a slim, broken body to their chests, weeping as they cling to each other. As far as they are concerned, the world has already died with the sound of screeching tires and the sickening sound of bones being crushed into concrete. Now they´re just taking care of its carcass.

When Hua Cheng rolls his dice for the last time, they are the eye of the storm, leaving behind nothing but devastation.

8. Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

...I do not like writing dialogue much and I don’t have anything special that I can would be proud of? I like the snarky bits and when our Devastations express their love for each other by insulting the shit out of each other. If I had to pick one it would be this scene from “Of Abductions and other peculiarities” cause it amuses me and it was fun to write :-) The whole scene is funny and it does contain dialogue so it counts :-)

Xie Lian is still in Hua Cheng´s lap - no surprise there, really- looking a little worse for wear around the edges but mostly in a dusty way, not an injured one. He must have bled a little at some point, Feng Xin can see the droplets on his robe, but Crimson Rain must have patched him up the same as Mu Qing did with him. The Devastation still has the faint taste of killing intent around him, his singular eye wide and fully black, his aura prickly and spiky, like a cat with it´s fur standing on end but he doesn't seem to be injured.

And Black Water...Black Water is laying in the soft grass, sprawled out like a starfish, moaning softly.

"..what the hell even was that thing?" Hua Cheng asks him after a while, as if he had just remembered that they still didn´t know what had actually appeared in that cave, still focusing on picking out stone splinters and questionable soft pieces out of Xie Lian´s hair and carefully making sure there weren´t anymore injuries then the few cuts and bruises you could see on his hands and face, despite Feng Xin taking the brunt of the collapsing ceiling for him.

"Don´t know. Don´t care." He Xuan burps lightly "It tasted like sea bass and anise. Very -old- sea bass." He provides helpfully, smacking his lips.

Hua Cheng pinches the bridge of his nose, obviously lost for words here for a moment. Feng Xin, weirdly, gets a flash of sympathy for the Devastation. If that was how Black Water was on a daily basis, Crimson Rain was a lot more patient then Feng Xin had ever given him credit for.

"...you don´t know and yet you -ate- it? And you better not be kissing any of us with that mouth."

Oh. So that was what had happened. Feng Xin very deliberately tries to not think about what that implies about He Xuan´s true form then, the non-human Water Demon skin he is rumored to have but that nobody who could tell the tale had ever seen. Black Water just shrugs, a feat laying flat on his back as he does.

"It was trying to hurt you...and everything is edible at least once if you try hard enough."

He can hear the grin in Black Water´s voice, clearly not concerned about his unconventional dinner choice in the slightest and Feng Xin was sure that, if Hua Cheng didn´t have a lap full of bruised and battered Dianxia right now, Black Water would have least gotten a kick for that.

"Sometimes A-Xuan, just sometimes I really don´t know why I even bother."

"Because you looooove me..." He Xuan´s voice is a happy singsong, followed by a giggle and him trying, unsuccessfully, to catch a bee that had been passing by. Maybe for dessert, Feng Xin thinks, head pounding mercilessly...but apparently, as creepy and deranged and plain old crazy as Black Water Sinking Ships usually appeared to be this behavior seemed to be off even for him. He can see Xie Lian and Crimson Rain exchange a look of pure concern before Hua Cheng rises, carefully helping Xie Lian to his feet.

"A-Xuan are you alright? How are you feeling?"

Xie Lian slowly walks over to the Devastation still happily humming to himself, closely followed by Crimson Rain who squats down next to He Xuan to gently grab his wrist and feel for his spiritual energy.

"Hm...how am I feeling? Full, honestly and kinda sparkly? Tired? All of the above. Maybe I ate some of your Butterflies too A-Cheng, what do they taste like?"

Hua Cheng ignores the question, instead gently picking him up, He Xuan instantly going limp in his arms like a ragdoll, golden eyes dull and sleepy. He´s buzzing to Feng Xin´s senses, feeling like the oncoming rush of waves heralding the storm, drenched in the scent of brine and an elemental kind of wetness, eliciting fresh waves of pain from his head and making him squint in the bright sunlight, everything slightly fuzzy around the edges.

[mamawolfblood]

Though he didn't know it yet Chris Mclean was in for a shocking revelation. One of the campers is not exactly just some rando kid. This camper is his kid and she is out to expose it.

Name : Iris  Escalona

Age 16

Eye color green

Caramel skin

Black hair that she keeps in a high ponytail. A Cherokee rose on the left side of the hair tie.

Iris is 5ft 8",135lb

Out fit-White tanktop with the alchemists symbol blue acid washed jean shorts black converses

Iris has a dark sense of humor. She loves horror,pranks,is resourceful. Iris is not above smashing some skulls together. She is not quick to anger but Heather pushes a lot of her buttons.

All her life she just wanted Chris to know she was alive. Her mother never gave the reason why she left. She is the oldest of seven children.

____chapter5pt1____

Chris: Last time on Total Drama Island… The Killer Bass finally dodged their pathetic losing streak against The Screaming Gophers. There were bruises, tears, risky moves, and dangerous alliances. And in the end, it was Noah the know-it-all who didn’t see it coming. This week, another challenge will send one more camper on a cruise to Loserville. Population: Four. Who will sink? And who will stay afloat? Find out right now on Total. Drama. Island!

Iris walked back into the cabin after a shower. "Oh no this is bad. Im out of fake tan already." Lindsay said concerned. "Then go ger a real tan." Iris said putting her stuff away. "Oh its so tragic" Gwen said sarcastically looking a little more alive today. "Now I have to actually, like, suntan. In the sun! Do you realize how shriveled and wrinkly that can make your skin? Oh, you totally do." Lindsay said now by Gwen. I roll my eyes placing my hair in a ponytail. "See you ladies in the mess hall." Iris said leaving the crazy. "Oh off to find your delinquent boy toy. " Heather tried to get under my skin. "He at least I have a joystick. You should find one maybe you wouldn't be a stuck up bitch all the time." The girls laughed as I left. "That white girl is alright in my book." Leshawna said.

 [over loudspeaker]: "All right, campers! Enough beauty sleep! Time to show us what you’re made of!" Chris said

The campers made it to a make shift out door theater.

(Confessionals)

Iris

"I actually have a good feeling about this. Ever since I was little Dad and mom would take me to see musical and plays. I grew up a theater kid just something about it made it so magical."

*static*

(End of Confessionals)

Lindsay: Are we gonna see a musical? I love musicals. Especially the ones with singing and dancing. Heh." She asked amazed. I had to chuckle at this poor girl.

Trent: Gwen! Saved you a seat." He said moving aside for her. That is adorable I'm happy for them.

Gwen: "Thanks." She said sitting down next to him.

Cody: "W-W-Whoa! Uh, heh." Oh Cody you poor soul. She wont go for you give up already.

*Lindsay blows kiss *

Uhoh someone is braking the rules hahaha poor girl can't see the bitch she is helping.

*Heather turns and waves her ponytail in Lindsay's face. *

As I said bitch.

Lindsay: Oh! [spits out a wave of Heather's hair] "Hey Lindsay come sit with Me and Duncan." I said she got up and sat with us.

Chris: Welcome to our brand new deluxe state-of-the-art outdoor amphitheater! Okay, this week’s challenge is a summer camp favorite. A talent contest!" This made me happy.

Owen: Yes! Awesome!

Chris: Each team has eight hours to pick their three most talented campers.[Katie and Sadie squeal.] These three will represent them in the show tonight. Sing, dance, juggle. Anything goes, as long as it’s legal.[Duncan snaps his fingers.] You’ll be judged by our resident talent scout, former DJ, VJ, and rap legend, Grand Master Chef, who will show his approval via the Chef-o-Meter.[ding ding ding ding ding ding] The team that loses will send one camper home tonight. Good luck.

[whistle blows]

Heather started saying she was the captain. "Who said this Chika" I asked Gwen second it. "Beth and Lindsay"She said crossing her arms. "Fear is not the way to go Heather." I said and everyone backed me. "We shall see halfbreed." She said as I sat down .

It was Trent,Heather and Iris in the talent show for the Gophers.

For the Bass it was Courtney, DJ, Geoff.

Why we were killing time watching the other talents. Heather got ahold of some secrets that she was about to spill.

Cody: What you got there, a journal?

Gwen: Beat it.

Cody: Oh, I get it. Yeah, it’s private, huh? I’m down with that, yeah. It’s cool, brah.

Gwen: What part of beat it don’t you understand?

Cody: [sniffs]

Gwen: What are you, some kind of freak?

Cody: Y-you just… smell… really… pretty.

Gwen: It’s just… soap.

[guitar playing]

Gwen: I won’t even ask.

[guitar playing resumes]

Heather: Look! The first hook up of the season.

Gwen [sarcasticaly]: Oh yeah. We’re going at it big time. I need a swim just to cool off.

[door slams]

[door slams]

Cody groans

Trent: Gwen, wait up! I’ll come with you.

Gwen: Sure. I mean… whatever.

Chris [loudly]: It’s the TDI Talent Extravaganza! [normal voice] Welcome to the very first Camp Wawanakwa… Talent Contest. Where six campers will showcase their mad skills and desperately try not to humiliate themselves. First up for the Screaming Gophers… is Iris.

Iris walks out (a outfit that looks like Melanie from pokemon 2000. The Island maiden.) She started to play on her Ocarina my heart will go on.

It got a seven on the Chef-o-Meter.

Chris: First up for the Killer Bass… make some noise for the big guy! DJ!

[clapping]

Tyler: Woo-hoo!

Katie and Sadie: Yaaaay! Wooo!

[spiritual music]

[swirls]

[whips]

[thud]

Duncan: Ooh-hoo-hoo…

Katie: Gah!

[stretching]

[snaps]

Chris: Dainty and yet masculine. Let’s see what Grand Master Chef thinks.

[ding ding ding]

Chris: Not much.

Chris: So, with two down and four acts to go, it’s the Screaming Gophers… screaming ahead. Next on deck… Trent. Take it away, my bro.

Trent: This one goes out to someone special here at camp.

[guitar playing]

[Trent]

They say that we’ve only got summer

And I say that’s really a bummer.

But we’ll swim in the sun and have lots of fun…

It’ll just be the two of us…

Nothing to do… just hang…

So let me say only this…

Stick around… for just one kiss…

[clapping]

[ding ding ding]

Chris: Nice work! I’m liking your style, dude. And so does Grand Master Chef!

[clapping]

Chris: All right, quit hogging my light, buddy.

[objects tumbling]

Chris: Three down and three to go and the Killer Bass are totally sucking so far. Let’s hear it for Bridgette!

[clapping]

Courtney: Are you sure you can do this?

[stomach rumbling]

Bridgette[with her stomach rumbling]: Ooh. Definitely. No, uh, I’m great. Really. [She burps a few times]

[splash]

Screaming Gophers gasp and moan

Bridgette moans and projectile vomits loudly

Courtney and Heather gasp

Owen: I’m hit! I’m hit!

Bridgette projectile vomits loudly

Katie screams and vomits

Bridgette projectile vomits loudly

Lindsay [loudly] :Hey, puke on your own boyfriend!

Heather: On your own what, Lindsay?

Lindsay [quickly]: I didn’t say, boyfriend.

Chris [nasally] :Clean up in aisle three, four, five, and six! [normally] In the meantime, we’ll take a short break to hose the joint down.

[elevator music]

(Confessional: Bridgette)

Bridgette: Going home won’t be so bad… I-I can always work at the surf shack.

(Confessional Off)

Chris [loudly] : Welcome back to the TDI Talent Extravaganza! [normally] Welcome back. Okay. So in a strange turn of events, Bridgette’s chunk-blowing fest registered two thumbs up by Grand Master Chef. But, it’s not enough to pull ahead the Screaming Gophers, who held the lead with Trent’s love song. So, without further delay, here she is for the leaders… Heather!

[clapping]

Heather: Originally, I was going to dance for you. But instead, I want to celebrate team spirit, with a collaboration.

Iris saw what was in her hand. She started sweating.

Heather: So, with words by Gwen, performance by me, enjoy. [clears throat] Originally I thought he would be different. Even though mom says that my father and I are alike I don't see it. He said I remind him of someone her knew long ago but she left. I found that odd because I was alwats told he left. It doesn't matter either way because I know that Chris Mclean is 100% my biological father. " she said then handing my birth certificate to Chris who looked at me shocked. I got up and ran. Thats not how I wanted him to find out.

Heather: Thank you.

Courtney: [to Bridgette] That was so mean.

Bridgette: Seriously.

Chris: Well then, it’s down to the final act of the night. Can Geoff and his rad stunts turn it around? I seriously doubt it. Let’s find out.

[crashes]

Geoff: Whoa… that kinda wrecks the ride.

Bridgette [nervously] : Now what?! We have to send someone out there or we’re going to lose this!

[blerbdrops]

New Kid (Billy Hargrove X F!Reader)

Howdy folks, sorry I am late! I started school and I am also sorting out my work schedule. Here is part 4 of new kid, thank you for reading/liking/reblogging/following etc! I appreciate you all so so much.

Summary: You’re new in Hawkins, hailing from the big city on the east coast. As a city kid, you think you’ve been stuck here to suffer in a small town, but there’s a certain someone who shakes it all up. 

Warnings: Swearing, mentions of smoking cigarettes, underage drinking 

Taglist: @salemlysi​ @asheseiler

You sat at your mirror putting on your makeup and getting ready for tonight’s party. You swiped on a tube of red lipstick and pressed your lips together, spreading out the color. Tonight’s outfit consisted of a white cropped tank top with a slightly oversized black cardigan knotted in the front. You had on high waisted black pleather pants, and a black belt with a shiny silver belt buckle. You laced up your old red Doc Martens, they were well-worn and you wouldn’t be too upset if they got scuffed or dirty. Your hair was curled to the nines, sprayed in place so that nothing frizzed out. 

“Damn, I look good.” You said to yourself in your mirror. You threw on your denim jacket and pocketed your lipstick and your flask full of whiskey. Moments later, you heard loud beeps coming from outside.

“(y/n)! I think Steve is here to come get you!” Your dad shouts from downstairs. You come downstairs to find your dad is dressed up, with a suitcase at the door. 

“Uh. Dad? What’s with the suitcase?” 

“I have to go on a road trip, see Uncle Willy about some things.”

Your brows furrowed. “What kind of things?”

“Adult things, kiddo. I’ll be gone for the weekend. I’ll be back sometime on Monday.” He kisses your forehead and heads out for his car. You snag your keys and head out of the house, locking the door behind you. Nancy and Steve greet you right as you slide into the backseat of his BMW.

Nancy lets out a whistle, “You look fantastic (y/n)! Ready to have the best night ever?” She says to you enthusiastically.

“What are we waiting for? Let’s roll!”

--

You, Nancy and Steve enter the party house. You can feel the bass thumping in the house and your chest. The living room is full of teens with red plastic cups in their hands, dancing drunkenly and laughing. You navigate your way to the kitchen, where the rest of the booze was. 

“Hey! You’re that new girl! Come, come get a drink!” It was that kid in your chemistry class, the one that sat next to Billy.

“What’s your name again?” You shout over the music to ask him.

“Oh yeah, I’m Tommy!” He replies cheerfully. “Hey, come on, you look sober!” 

You laugh, “It’s because I am. Give me something to drink!” 

He hands you a beer, but before you can crack it open he stops you. “I bet you can’t shotgun that!” 

“What? Tommy, I could drink you under the table. Stop playin’.” You scoff. This gets the attention of the kids in the kitchen, with some of them ‘ooooh’-ing like owls. Just as this happens, you spot a mop of blond curls make its way to the kitchen where you and Tommy were. Billy eyed you up, taking a look at your outfit before turning his attention to Tommy. 

“What’s going on?” He asks Tommy. 

“Oh you know, (y/n) over here thinks she can ‘drink me under the table’, her words exact.” He laughs. 

Billy slaps five dollars down on the table. “My bets on her. Tommy, you’re a lightweight!”

You laugh out loud. “We’re placing bets now?” You pick up the five and examine it. “Who else is ready to see Tommy lose to the new girl, huh?” You were met with roars of excitement as teens were tossing cash on the table, your pile only slightly bigger than his. Billy watched you, taking a swig out of his can of beer.

“All bets are final, and winner takes all. Let the games begin!” Billy shouts, as you stab the side of your beer can, crack the lid and shotgun it. It empties fast, and you crush it underneath your boot. You continue on to your second one, choosing to chug it. The kids in the kitchen were cheering you on, hearing chants of “Chug! Chug! Chug!” over the Bon Jovi song that was booming throughout the house. 

You had finished way too many beers, the beer cans underneath your feet. You were still upright, while Tommy had half a can left. People in the kitchen were chanting your name, but all you did was let out a loud belch. You were met with cheers and claps on your back. 

“You give up yet? Ready to throw down the white flag?” You guffawed at Tommy. 

“Alright, alright! You win. Fair and square.” He shoves his bet money into your pile and you throw your hands up, inciting more cheers from your crowd of “fans”. 

“That’s how you drink Hawkins! That’s how you fuckin’ do it!” You open your flask and take a large swig, feeling its warmth trickle down your throat, feeling some drip down your lips and neck. You close your flask and feel a hard stare on you. 

Billy walks over to you and leans up against the counter while you count up and pocket your cash. 

“That was pretty impressive, (y/n). Didn’t know you had that kind of fire in you.” He smirks. 

You turn to him, uncapping your flask and drinking more out of it. “I’m a woman of many mysteries, Billy.” You laugh, tucking your hair behind your ear. 

“And I’m really digging this outfit. Completely different from that goody-two-shoes getup you had on at school today.” 

You raised an eyebrow and smiled at him, posing. “Oh? You like what you see?” You do a spin, almost tumbling over. 

He laughs at you, helping regain your balance. “Careful. Don’t need you busting your ass because you wanna show off.”

A hearty laugh emits from your belly, then a burp. “Excuse me! Jesus christ.” Your head snapped to the dance floor. You Spin Me Round (Like A Record) by Dead or Alive played through the speakers.

“Are you alright (y/n)?” Billy asks, a bit concerned. 

“I’m fantastic! This is my favorite song like, ever! Come dance!” 

“(y/n) I can’t dan-” You yanked him by the wrist and dragged him to the dance floor, completely ignoring what he had to say.

You got on the dance floor, and started to bob your head to the synth in the song, getting ready to dance and shout your heart out. 

All I know is that to me

You look like you're lots of fun

Open up your lovin' arms

I want some, want some

You spun around, dancing near Billy and trying to get him to loosen up and enjoy the song. You then grabbed his hand and yanked him closer so you two could actually dance. He began to relax and laugh along at you dancing. He didn’t know what it was exactly, but something about seeing you smile and have fun made his heart flutter. 

I set my sights on you

(And no one else will do)

And I, I've got to have my way now, baby

All I know is that to me

You look like you're havin' fun

Open up your lovin' arms

Watch out, here I come

You sang the second verse and pre-chorus, looked at Billy and shot him a wink. He laughed, a slow smirk spreading across his face. 

You spin me right 'round, baby, right 'round

Like a record, baby, right 'round, 'round, 'round

You spin me right 'round, baby, right 'round

Like a record, baby, right 'round, 'round, 'round

He grabbed you by your hand and spun you around like you were in a ballroom. He pulled you back into him, your back pressed against his chest. You were twirled out again, only this time you were dipped low, his face close to yours. It took all of your willpower to not kiss him right then and there. You came back up and danced for the rest of the night, laughing and taking the occasional sip from your flask. 

--

As the music died down, you had left the dance floor panting and sweaty, a dewy sheen spread across your face. You stumbled over to the kitchen and grabbed your jean jacket from the counter, making sure your keys were still there and they were. You put on your jacket and walk outside, only to see that Steve’s car was gone. 

“Goddamn Steve… and Nancy. Damn ‘em! Damn em to hell.” You spat, staring at the porch. “Now I have to walk and, and I don’t even know where I’m at. And its LATE! Goddamn it!” 

“Who are you talking to sweetheart?” Billy asked you. He was leaned against the banister, smoking a cigarette. 

“I’m talking to me, genius.” You slurred. “Now I’m talking to you. I wanna go home but I got ditched!” You sulked. You walked over next to the banister where Billy was and plucked the cigarette from his lips. You took a drag and exhaled, letting it escape through your nose and lips. Billy watched your lips wrap around the cigarette, wishing it was him. 

“Like what you see?” You shoot him a wink, blowing the smoke away from his face and stubbing out the cigarette. 

“Yeah. I kinda do.” He licks his lips, smirking. “Now, tell me (y/n), how exactly are you getting home?”

You sigh frustratedly, “I guess I’m just gonna walk and figure it out.” You took out your flask and opened it to drink, but there was no more whiskey left. You pouted. 

“You’re not walking. I’ll take you home.” Billy stands up and offers his hand to you. You slowly push yourself up and gather yourself. You take a look at Billy’s hand and high five it. He looks at you puzzled. 

“Fix your face! Is that not why your hand was out?” You asked, words slurring here and there. 

“No, smartass. Give me your hand so I can walk you to my car.” He states, the slightest pink flush spread across his face. Giggling, you take his hand into yours and you make your way to his car. He unlocks the passenger side door and opens it for you. You lower yourself in, his hand pressed gently on the small of your back keeping you steady. Billy closes your door and makes his way to the drivers side.

“Where to, gorgeous?” He turns towards you. 

“332 Oak Lane.” 

He nods, starting up his car. As the drive begins, you notice him slip a glance at you every now and then.

“Hey Hargrove, take a picture. It’ll last longer.” You chuckle at him.

He laughs back, “No picture could capture all that beauty you got.” 

Your eyebrows flew up, painting a shocked look on your face. “Oh! Smooth talker over here. Didn’t know you could flirt like that. Color me impressed!”

The ride was peacefully quiet, right up until he pulled up to your house. 

“Nice neighborhood.” He says, then continues, turning to look at you. “How will your folks feel about you coming in piss drunk after a successful night out?” 

You laugh at his sentiment, catching his gaze. “My dads gone for the weekend. Went outta state to see my uncle. I have the whole place to myself!” 

“You.. you’re real cute ya know. Real good lookin’.” You say to him with a dopey smile on your face.

He flushes the softest shade of pink, smiles for a second and licks his lips. “Ah stop it. You’re only saying that because you’re drunk.”

“I am not! It’s true. I might be a little tipsy but.. I am right, you know.” You smile at him. 

“Tipsy? You passed that stage after your third beer. (y/n), it’s time you head inside.” He pats your thigh. 

You playfully roll your eyes, smiling. You place your hand on top of his and give it a squeeze. “Okay, I guess so. Can you walk me in? My room is up some stairs.”

“And?”

“And I’m scared I’m gonna fall! Please?” 

He removes his hand from your thigh. “Alright, I’ll walk you in. Don’t go tellin’ anyone either. I have a reputation to keep.”

You let out a thunderous laugh. “Yeah, okay buddy.” He comes over to your side of the car and opens the door. You shakily get up, feeling the dizziness get to you. 

“Easy now. Here, I got you.” He puts your arm over his shoulder and scoops you up, carrying you bridal style to your front porch. 

“Oh wow. You’re so strong! I feel like a princess.” You giggle. 

“You are. And I work out.” He continues, “Where are your keys?” 

You pull out the key that unlocks your front door and pushed it in his hands. He unlocks your front door and uses his back to shut it. 

“Alright princess. Where to?” He asks, looking down at you. Your makeup is smudged, your hair frizzed out, your eyes glazed over, flushed pink from all the drinking you had done that night. Even in your disheveled state, he still thought you were gorgeous. 

“Up the stairs. You’ll know my room when you see it.” You mumble, the tiredness setting in. Billy walks up the stairs and to your room. He could tell it was your room because of the giant Bon Jovi poster stuck to your door. 

“Okay put me down.” You ask, and he lowers you down. You slap the light switch on, illuminating your room. Billy gazes around your room, looking at all the band posters hung up on your wall. You also had christmas lights strung around your room. You had a big bed to yourself, a vanity, a small dresser and a decent sized closet. He noticed one wall void of posters. Instead of posters, you had two guitars mounted on the wall instead. One acoustic, one electric. Underneath the guitars were some amps and other guitar tech. 

“You play guitar?” He asks, looking at the guitars, his back turned. You were changing out of your party clothes, leaving you in your tank top and black boyshort underwear. You took a nearby scrunchie and pulled your hair up into a ponytail. 

“Oh yeah. Back home I was in a band. Lead guitarist you know. I still got it. Maybe I’ll play for you one day.” You say to him. “I wasn’t blessed with good vocals, my dear, but these hands? God must have took extra time with ‘em.”

“You really are a woman of many mysteries, (y/n).” He turns back around to you, but you had slipped out of the room and into the bathroom next door. He walks out of your room and finds you hunched over the porcelain throne, emptying out your insides.

Billy kneels down next to you, feeling his large warm hand on your back. 

“I HATE throwing up!” You say, face still in the toilet. “Shit is so gross.”

He chuckles. “Maybe you shouldn’t have started that drinking contest with Tommy then.” 

You lift your head up, wiping your tears away and reaching to flush the toilet. “What was I supposed to do? Let him think he could get away with shit-talking me? Just let him test me?” You and Billy laugh on your bathroom floor. “I’ll have you know, Hargrove, I come from a line of strong drinkers.”

He laughs, “Yeah, and I’m next in line to be the King of England.” He stands up, and holds his hand out to you. He helps you up, and you turn to the sink to wash whats left of your makeup off. You’re both looking at each other in the mirror. 

“I look so gross right now.” You mutter, taking out your jar of Noxzema face wash. You ran the water until it was warm and bent down to the sinks level to wet your face.

“I’ve seen worse.” Billy says, looking down at your butt. You popped up from the sink and so did his eyes. You unscrewed your jar of face wash and began rubbing it in. Billy took a seat on top of the toilet, watching you. 

“You know, you didn’t have to stay.” You state to him.

“You kickin’ me out (y/n)?” 

“No. Just saying you didn’t have to stay. I appreciate it, though.” 

He hesitated with his response. Nobody’s ever appreciated me. Or said it out loud, at least, he thought. 

“Thanks.” 

“Mhm!” You rinse the soap off your face, pat it dry and moisturize with some face cream. You turn to Billy, smiling. 

“How do I look?” You say, posing. Some of your hair had stuck to your face while you were washing it, you were in a tank top and underwear. You thought you looked like a mess. 

“Like a million bucks, doll.” He chuckles, smiling at you. You turn away and brush your teeth. Here you are, in your home, with local bad boy turned softie Billy Hargrove in your house. You catch his eye, and he just doesn’t stop looking at you, lips slightly parted. 

You rinse and spit. “Hey, Hargrove. Close your mouth or you’ll catch flies.” 

That snaps him out of his gaze, and his mouth closes. You yawn and stretch, feeling fatigue and the slight pounding of a headache lingering in the back of your head. You shut your eyes and pinch the bridge of your nose. 

“It’s time for you to get some rest.” Billy looks up and says to you. You nod your head, and you walk over to your room. 

“Hey could you like.. turn around or something? I want to change tops.”

“Sure.” He turns his back to you and you grab a large sleepshirt out of your dresser drawer. You peel off the tank top and throw it across your room, allowing you to slip on your big shirt. “Okay, I’m done.”

“You look like a dork.” He says.

“Yeah? It takes one to know one. Dork.” You both chuckle. You crawl into bed and your head sinks into your pillow. You sigh happily. 

“Thanks for taking care of me.” 

“Not a problem doll.” He shuts off the light and begins to walk out. 

Before you fall asleep, you say one last thing to Billy. 

“Hey, Billy?”

“Yeah?” 

“You’re not as bad as they say you are, you know.” 

Billy becomes bashful at this statement. He’s lucky the lights are out or else she’d see just how red in the face he was. Those words would continue to ring throughout his head for the rest of the night. 

Before he had his chance to respond, you had already succumbed to the sweet embrace of slumber. Billy slowly approached your bed, lowered himself down and kissed your forehead. He watched the smallest smile form on your face before you turned over, enveloping yourself in your blankets.

He backed out of the room and went into the bathroom looking for medicine. He takes out two pills of Advil and places them on your nightstand, along with a handwritten note. He leaves your house, locking the door behind him. 

There was something about you that struck a chord within Billy somewhere. And it unnerved him to his core. 

---

A/N: AW YALL! I LOVE WRITING SOFT BILLY. thanks for reading! as always, i will keep writing as long as you keep reading. feedback is always appreciated. my requests are open for you all. come chat! see u in part 5 

[crazy-little-cool-cat]

Hand in Glove - Chapter 22 | Ben Hardy x OFC

A/N: I saved a bat earlier this week, and the feels got me writing up a storm. For reals. Also, a lot is going on in this chapter, and you might get whiplash. Sorry, not sorry. 

Warnings: the usual, but things might get a bit weird there for a hot minute. Again, not sorry.

Wordcount: ~4.7K (does this count as a fuckton, as well?) 

Chapter 1, Chapter 2,  Chapter 3,  Chapter 4,  Chapter 5,  Chapter 6,  Chapter 7,  Chapter 8,  Chapter 9,  Chapter 10,  Chapter 11, Chapter 12, Chapter 13, Chapter 14 , Chapter 15 , Chapter 16 , Chapter 17 , Chapter 18 , Chapter 19 , Chapter 20 , Chapter 21

Annie stared out the passenger side's window, tears silently falling down. Ben's gone. As soon as they untangled themselves from their embrace at the airport, the reality of it all hit her like a ton of bricks. Her Ben is gone, and she's not quite sure when he'll be able to come visit, and she wasn't quite sure she can manage this. She clasped her hands and squeezed them between her knees.

"Banana?"

Annie turned to face her cousin and saw his heart break at the sight of her face. Nose red and cheeks splotchy and wet from weeping.

"Oh, Annie." Gwilym reached over and squeezed her thigh gently. "You wanna talk?"

Annie shook her head and pursed her lips. Rory was in her carseat, cooing, clapping and kicking happily as she chewed on a toy.

"Do you want me to stay over with you tonight?"

"I don't know."

Gwilym licked his lips and nodded solemnly. He turned the radio on for some background noise. Ironically enough, the riff to Queen's "Under Pressure" started playing.

"Bloody hell." Annie breathed out what sounded like a chuckle. "Is this for real? Is this really happening? That better be Vanilla fucking Ice."

However, Annie’s wishes did not come true. Freddie Mercury’s Um bum ba be soon followed the familiar bass riff, eliciting a dramatic groan from Annie. She did not appreciate the symbolism of the song with her current situation.

"Pressure!" Gwil belted out, "Pushing down on me, pressing down on you, no man asks for!"

"Gwilym..." Annie closed her eyes and shook her head.

"Under pressure!" he started snapping his fingers to the beat as he sang, "that burns a building down, splits a family in two. Puts people on streets."

"Um ba ba be..." Annie sighed in defeat, rolled her eyes and joined in.

###

“God, you’re beautiful.”

“You don’t have to say that every single time!” Annie scoffed and readjusted Rory on her lap, stretching her arm out in front of her, holding her phone.

“I was talking to Rory.” Ben smirked cheekily.

“Sod off!” Annie stuck her tongue out over Rory’s head.

“Did you have a good day today?” Ben asked, the scenery behind him changing as he walked. “Tell me all about it.”

“Well, I worked.” Annie switched hands. “Rory spent the day with her uncle Rami this time.”

“Alone?”

“Indeed.”

“How did that go?” Ben chuckled.

“He tried to play peek-a-boo with her, but that seemed to terrify the living daylight out of her.” Annie smiled. “So much so, that he had to bring her to my set. She was inconsolable.”

“Oh no.”

“Oh yes.”

“Poor Rami.”

“He was mortified.”

“How was work?”

“Same as it always is. I think I fell asleep while I got my hair and makeup done.”

“You think? You don’t know?”

“I mean, everything is such a blur.” Annie shrugged. “I have no idea what’s been happening since you’ve left. I only have bits and glimpses of memories, sort of.”

“It’s only been one week, Annie!”

“Which is the same amount of time I haven’t gotten more than four hours of sleep at best, Ben!” Annie shot back. “Don’t you dare berate me. You don’t know what it’s like for me -”

“I wasn’t. I’m sorry.” Ben smiled softly. “You’re honestly killing it. I don’t know how you do it.”

“Me neither.”

“I found an apartment in Phoenix today!” Ben beamed. “No more hotels!”

“Finally!”

“Yeah! So, lots of table-readings this week and I don’t know, pre-production things going on. I’m working out for hours on end. So exhausting!” Ben scratched his blond locks of hair. “I’m doing my own stunts.”

“I had no doubt in my mind that you would.” Annie smirked. “So other than the peek-a-boo incident, our day was splendid.”

“Good, good!” Ben said and lit up when he finally got Rory’s attention. “What else did you do?”

Annie continued to tell him about the day’s events while he, waved, made funny faces at blew kisses at the camera. He glanced to the side every now and then, reacting to some of the weird looks he attracted from passers-by.

###

“Right, baby!” Joe clapped before he picked Rory up from the play-mat and bounced her on his hip. “Your parents clearly stated that it’s bath time, and I do not want to face the Supreme Leader’s wrath when she gets home and I failed to follow instructions.”

Rory tilted her head as she listened.

“Please don’t snitch.”

“Apppfffffft.” Rory replied and looked down at the floor, pointing at her toys.

“Oh God, you’re second in command, aren’t you?” Joe squinted as he carefully bent down and picked up as many toys as he could in one hand. Rory clapped and slapped his shoulder. “Alright, alright! I’m doing the best I can here!”

Joe walked, nodding and “you don’t say!”-ing as Rory babbled on and on. He tossed the toys in the designated plastic bin and started up the stairs towards Rory’s room.

As she rambled on, Joe picked a onesie for her to sleep in, took a diaper out of a drawer and proceeded to the bathroom.

“Ah, fu-” he stopped himself when Rory’s baby blues stared at him innocently. He blinked and shrugged. “Uck!”

He forgot to set up the baby-bathtub in advance.

After lots of manoeuvring, swearing and threatening to eat Rory’s cheeks unless she stops being so cute, he finally got the tub up and ready with perfect-temperature water.

“S’hot in here.” Joe mumbled as he set Rory down on the counter. A lightbulb seemed to light up over his head. “So hot in here!”

Rory kicked and waved about as she laid on her back on the counter, a towel underneath her.

“Wanna lil’ bitta ah, ah,” Joe started singing, shaking his bum for emphasis, “and a lil’ bitta ah, ah!”

Rory shoved her fist in her mouth and cooed happily.

“I said!” Joe bellowed on as he took Rory’s clothes off. “It’s gettin’ hot in here, so take off all your clothes!” He tickled Rory’s bare belly. “I am gettin’ so hot, I wanna take my clothes off!” he continued in a high pitched voice, fanning himself with one hand and removing Rory’s diaper with the other.

Rory bubbled with laughter.

###

The house was dimly lit when Annie trudged through the front door, greeted by a yawning Frankie.

“Hey, girly.” She walked over to where Frankie laid and scratched the dog’s head. “Joe?”

“Kitchen!”

Annie walked through her home, dazed, her nose filled with the smell of tomato sauce. When she entered the kitchen, a steaming plate of ravioli waited for her as Joe washed the dishes.

“You shouldn’t have…” Annie mumbled as she shovelled food in her mouth.

“Oh, but I should.” Joe snickered to himself. “And I did.”

“How were they?”

“Pure angels.” Joe turned the faucet off and shook water off his hands before towelling off. “Gwil and Rami were so well behaved when we met at the park earlier! Rory and Frankie were okay, too.”

“Ha, ha.”

“She’s the best damn baby I’ve ever sat on.” Joe said, causing Annie to raise a confused eyebrow. “Because babysitting… oh God, please don’t tell my nephews I said that.”

“Your secret’s safe with me.” Annie snorted. “Rory didn’t tear holes in your eardrums?”

“No, but I might’ve torn holes in hers when I started singing.”

“Singing?”

“Apparently, she’s a big fan of Nelly.”

“Nelly? The rapper?” Annie almost choked on her food. “The one with the band-aid?”

“Yeah!” Joe nodded. “Hot In Here is her new favourite song!”

“You didn’t.”

“Why not?!”

“It’s inappropriate!”

“You think that’s Inappropriate? How 'bout taking a shit in the bath,” Joe retorted. “You don’t see me scolding her for that, do you?”

“You should’ve waited for her to poop before you put her in the tub.”

“Well, I’m sorry for trying to stay on schedule, Your Majesty!” Joe crossed his arms, “and by the way, I cleaned the mess up. You’re. Welcome.”

###

“Uh, Annie?” Gwilym’s voice shook slightly as he tried his best not to hurl. “Annie, I need some help, please!” he raised his voice slightly and covered his nose and mouth with his sleeve. He looked down and Rory, splishing and splashing happily in the tub. “Oh, you’re just loving every bit of this, aren’t you? Little sh-”

“Call my daughter a little shit and I’ll personally break your neck.” Annie’s voice interrupted Gwilym’s tirade. “What’s that smell?” Annie sniffed and grimaced. “Oh no.”

“She pooped in the tub, Annie!” Gwil cried in between gags. “She pooped in the tub and - oh God.” Gwil’s face seemed to turn slightly yellow as he looked down at his chest. “Oh God, she splashed it on me.”

“Look, Gwilly, she can’t control her sphincters yet, alright?” Annie walked over to the tub and rolled up her sleeves. “Now either you make yourself useful or I’m dumping the shit-water all over you.”

Gwilym’s only response was the loudest, wettest burping gag Annie has ever heard.

“Good grief! It’s just poo!” Annie rolled her eyes. “Should’ve invited Joe over instead…” she mumbled as she picked Rory up and held her as far away from her body as she could.

“Excuse you!” Gwilym muffled from behind his sleeve. “Rude, much?”

“He handled bath-time poopies like a pro a couple of days ago, so…”

“You mean she’s done this before?”

“She’s a baby, Gwilym.” Annie set Rory on a soft towel on the bathroom sink counter. “She poops whether she wants to or not. Now, kindly dump the water from her tub into the big tub and refill it with clean water, please.”

“I am not touching the shit water.”

“Oh, my God!” Annie pressed her fingers to her temples. “Fine. I’ll bloody do it. Just make sure she doesn’t roll herself off the counter.”

###

"Annie, are you okay?"

Annie's eyes shot open.

"Did you just fall asleep standing up?" Mike put a reassuring hand on Annie's shoulder and pulled her in. She leaned in to rest her head against him. "Do you even sleep? Are you okay, Annie?"

"I try to." Annie yawned as she spoke. "I wake up so early to get Franks and Rory ready and then it's my turn and I always get in last minute for wardrobe, hair and makeup..." Annie sighed and closed her eyes again. "I really wish the season would wrap up already."

"That keen to get rid of me, huh?" Mike bumped his hip against Annie's.

"Oh, bugger off." Annie giggled. "I'm so bloody sleepy. Ben's been gone for... Um..."

"Alright! Boleyns!" the director yelled and clapped his hands. "Break time's over! Get in your places!"

Annie shut her brain off and worked on auto-pilot; a skill she aquired around two weeks after Ben's departure. She didn't quite remember how many takes she had to do and how many times she repeated her lines, over and over again. She felt like she left her own body for the duration of filming the scene and Anne Boleyn had taken over. In the weirdest sense, Annie was greatful for that. It finally gave Annie a chance to put her mind on ‘sleep mode’.

Yet, the very second the director shouted "Cut!", Anne had left and Annie's mind came rushing back. She made lists of things she needs to do still. Finish filming, go to ASDA, pick up Frankie from doggy-daycare. Come home and relieve whoever watched Rory of their duty. For the life of her, she couldn't remember if it was Lucy and Rami's turn, Joe's or Gwilym's.

When Annie reached her trailer at the end of the day, she had 20 unread texts and 3 missed calls, two of which were from Joe. The other one was Ben, followed by a ‘you're probably filming, call me when you can?’ text message. Scrolling through the rest of the texts, she noticed most were from Ben. She glanced at the time and then looked at the time of the missed call. It was 8pm as she gathered her things to leave work, and Ben called around 11am, London time. Meaning, he was awake at 3am in Arizona and tried to reach her.  

It only took two rings before Ben's smooth, sleepy voice came through the bluetooth speakers in her car.

"Annie?"

"What were you doing up at 3am on your day off?" Annie asked as she flicked the indicator handle up, signaling she was about to turn. "Were you blitzed again?"

"No, just missed you. Couldn't sleep." She heard sheets rustling in the background. "Time's it?"

"Quarter past 8 here. Wanker!" Annie cursed and flipped off a driver as he cut her off. "Sorry. Not you. Some arse."

"Fucking hell." Ben mumbled and rubbed his face. "I slept through my alarm. It's noon."

"When are you due on set?"

"It's just fittings and wardrobes stuff, I still have time. You're not home yet?"

"Obviously not."

"How much longer before you wrap up?" Ben sat up and leaned against his headboard. "Shouldn't be too long now."

"I really don't know." Annie chuckled softly. "I don't even remember who has -"

"Joe."

"Aw yes!" Annie pumped her fist victoriously, "ravioli night! Motherfucking arsehole! Use your blinker!!!"

"Fun." Ben's voice was flat. "Well, I'll leave you to it, then. Let me know when you're home, yeah? FaceTime, maybe?"

"Of course." Annie relaxed into her seat. "Joe will be thrilled!"

"I'm sure." Ben laughed. "Talk later, yeah?"

"Yes. I love you."

###

“Honey! I’m home!” Annie called dramatically as she shut the door behind her.

“Hello, dear!” Joe peeped from around the wall, where the arch to the living room was, baby in hand. “How was your day?”

“T’was lovely.” Annie yawned and kicked off her shoes. “Fell asleep standing up!”

“That’s on you, bub.” Joe switched Rory’s perch from one of his hips to the other. “We all asked you if you want us to spend the night after babysitting and your stubborn little tush just keeps refusing.”

“Stubborn… little… tush?” Annie’s face twisted in confusion. “What?”

“I’m trying to avoid bad words around her because she keeps giving me that face whenever I use… uh… profanities.”

“Does Ben know you’re here all day, thinking about my tush?” Annie smirked.

“Don’t flatter yourself,” Joe scoffed, “Rory’s tush is far superior to yours. That’s the only tush I care about.”

“Well, Creepy Uncle Joe has arrived!” Annie rolled her eyes and laughed.

“Shut up, you know that’s not what I meant.” Joe sulked.

“I’m just pulling your leg, bub.”

“I asked Ben if he’s cool with me spending the night, y'know.” Joe passed Rory over to her mum’s waiting arms.

“Ah.” Annie nodded. “That explains it.”

“What?”

“Your name came up while we were on the phone and Ben was just… Meh.”

“Meh?”

“Yeah, meh. Told him you’re making me ravioli whenever you’re here and he was all -” Annie lowered her voice to mimic Ben, “- fun.”

“Can you blame him?” Joe set about cooking dinner. “My ravioli is probably the best in the world.”

“Modesty becomes you.” Annie joked. “Although it would be nice to have someone else go check on Rory in case she wakes up.”

“Tell you what.” Joe waved the wooden spoon. “I’ll stay for as long as you want me to. Not necessarily sleep over, just hang out until you kick me out.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

###

Beer bottles scattered the coffee table and living room floor. The only sounds and lights came from Rory’s baby monitor and the television. Frankie was sound asleep, her head right next to Annie’s lap. Annie, too, was asleep - her head resting on Joe’s shoulder. Joe’s head was thrown back, his mouth open as he snored softly, an arm wrapped around Annie’s shoulders.

It was Frankie’s barking that woke them up. Joe’s head flew right back to upright position. His cheek collided with Annie’s forehead. She tilted her head up a bit, her eyes fluttering open.

They lost count of how many beers they had, but they both still felt the effects of the alcohol in their system. Annie wasn’t sure if she’s just dreaming or if whatever was happening was, in fact, happening. She missed Ben dearly, in every possible way. Having close human contact like that made her feel lightheaded in the best way she could imagine.

Joe’s brows furrowed. There was some sensation going through him, but he couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was. He was absolutely sure, however, that he was still drunk. He turned his head slightly at the same time Annie cuddled up closer to him, the tips of their noses bumping.

What they were doing was wrong. Annie knew she was just taking advantage of a drunken opportunity she’ll definitely regret later, and Joe knew that doing this will mean crossing a line that shouldn’t be crossed. Yes, they played “House” together while Ben was gone, but it was just that - playing.

But her body was so warm against his, and her skin felt so soft against his stubble. He could almost brush her lips with his. He moved his arm so he could put his hand against the column of her neck.

Their lips weren’t even a millimetre apart now. All it took was for one of them to make the move. They could feel each other’s breath fanning over their face.

And Joe burped. Right in Annie’s face.

“You are disgusting.” Annie’s voice was still raspy, her face contorting after a whiff of garlic slapped her in the face. “Revolting.”

“Well, I mean…” Joe mumbled drunkenly.

“Go easy on the garlic next time, maybe?” Annie turned her head and fanned the air in front of her face. “Jesus.”

Annie’s phone started buzzing on the coffee table, indicating an incoming FaceTime call.

“You would not believe what your disgusting husband just did to me.” Annie said as soon as Ben’s face appeared on the screen.

“He’s still there?” Ben wondered.

“Yeah, we had a few beers and watched some Netflix.” Annie shifted so Joe would be in the frame as well. “Ben, he burped in my face.”

“He… What?”

“He held onto my face and bloody belched right into it!”

“It was an accident!” Joe protested. “It just came out!”

“Why were you holding Annie’s face?” Ben was visibly confused.

“We fell asleep on the sofa and -”

“For fuck’s sake, Annie!” Ben lamented, his nostrils flaring as he got more and more upset. “I know where this is going.”

“Ben, listen to me,” Annie pointed at the screen, “he burped in my face. Almost melted my eyebrows right off.”

“I’ll go check on Rory real quick.” Joe stood up, a little wobbly. “Give you two some privacy.” He rubbed his hands together. “Yeah.”

Ben waited until Joe was out of earshot - or at least he had hoped Joe was out of earshot - before the proverbial gloves came off.

“Are you fucking serious, Annie?” Ben barked at the screen. “Are you actually fucking serious?”

“Ben, calm your bloody tits.” Annie groaned.

“Don’t tell me to calm my bloody tits, Annabelle.” Ben hissed. “We talked about this. I told you this is what scares me the most and then you go and almost snog my best mate!”

“But I didn’t!”

“Because he did the right thing!”

“He was going to kiss me just as much as I was going to kiss him!” Annie fired back, her speech slurred from exhaustion and alcohol. “Fuck!”

“He should’ve puked in your mouth.” Ben retorted, a bit calmer. He knew that had Annie been sober, Joe would have gone home long ago. “And being drunk is a piss poor excuse.”

“Ben, I wasn’t going to -”

“But you were!”

“Will you just listen for one bloody second?!”

“What?!”

“I’m horny, alright?!” Annie cried. “I’m a bitch in heat. It was human contact that wasn’t work-related or baby-generated!” she carried on, “I’m sorry but I’m so bloody horny and I miss you and -”

“Yikes.” Joe’s voice interrupted her.

Annie looked over her shoulder to see Joe standing with his hands in his pockets, his face beet red.

“Ben, I’m so horny.” Annie shrugged Joe’s presence off and carried on. “I’m losing my bloody mind. Everything is a turn on. A gust of bloody wind and -”

“Hello! Hi! Still here!” Joe stopped her.

“Well, fuck off then!” Annie waved her hand in Joe’s general direction. She squinted angrily at the screen. “Why are you laughing!?”

“I’m just -” Ben was shaking with laughter.

He put his phone down so all Annie could see now is a ceiling, and clutched at his side. All Annie could hear was her boyfriend, howling and hollering. Whenever he thought he was finished, another wave of laughter hit him.

“Ben!” Annie called, a childlike pout on her face.

Ben picked up the phone and felt his heart melt. Rory looked so much like her when she made the same face.

“Joe, mate,” Ben dabbed at the corners of his eyes with his finger, still giggling, “do me a solid and fuck my girl back into sanity?”

“While I do agree that this bitch be crazy,” Joe said, very matter-of-fact, “and it is very unfortunate,” he scratched at the corner of his mouth pensively, “nope, no. Nuh-uh. Not if you paid me.”

“You’re just going to pass me around like that?!” Annie gasped.

“I’m just trying to help here!” Ben snorted and chortled again. “Joe?”

“Yeah, buddy?”

“Go away. I need to take care of my girlfriend.”

“First of all, you two are disgusting.” Joe planted his hands on his hips. “Second of all, I thought you’d never ask and then I’d have to listen to you two weirdos get freaky on FaceTime.”

###

“I’m sorry, what?” Gwilym blinked at the screen and then looked at Joe, standing next to him. “You almost did what?”

“Yeah, mate, he almost snogged my girl.” Ben struggled to keep a straight face.

“Almost?” Gwilym tilted his head and furrowed his brows.

“Yeah.”

“I, uh, burpedinherface.” Joe mumbled.

“Sorry?”

“I burped in her face!” Joe spoke louder. Gwilym and Clara exchanged one look and cracked up, laughing hysterically. “Yeah, yeah, ha, ha, very funny.”

“Granted, I almost had a fit, yeah?” Ben continued the story. “But poor Annie. She kept saying how horny she is. She pouted!” Ben chuckled. “Couldn’t stay mad at her.”

“In her defence,” Clara chimed in, “she is not herself when she is horny and you are an ocean away.”

“That doesn’t make it alright.” Gwilym countered.

“I’m just saying…” Clara shrugged.

“You’re just saying?” Gwilym blinked at his girlfriend in shock. “Well, then, remind me to buy a vibrator for you before I go on press tour.”

“Can we please stop talking about this?” Joe asked and caused the other three to double over in laughter.

Ben didn’t notice his hoodie slid off his head.

“Oh, my God.” Clara covered her mouth with her hand.

“Oh, wow.” Gwilym mused.

“What the fuck did you do?!” Joe shrieked.

“Fuck,” Ben hissed and took the hoodie off completely, “it’s for the role, alright?”

“No, it’s not alright!” Joe snapped. “The fuck is this?!”

“It’s called an undercut, Joey,” Clara rolled her eyes, “blimey.”

“Looks good, man!” Gwilym gave the camera a thumbs-up.

“You look like such a douche.” Joe lamented.

“You tried to kiss the mother of my child and I’m the douche?”

“Ugh. Fine.”

“Anyways,” Ben brought everyone’s attention back to the topic at hand, “I’m coming home.”

“You are?!” Joe beamed. “For how long?!”

“Just for a few days while we still have press to do in London. I leave back a couple of days after you go travel the world without me.”

“Here we go again…” Gwilym muttered.

“Oh, Annie must be so excited!” Clara clapped happily.

“See, yeah, she doesn’t know I’m coming.” Ben scratched his chin. “I’m gonna need your help.”

“A surprise?” Clara’s eyes were as wide as saucers. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure. She’ll like this one.”

“So, what do you need from us, then?” Gwilym asked.

“Right, so here’s the plan.”

###

Another day, another dollar. Well, another quid.

Annie grabbed her bag and took one last look in the mirror before leaving her trailer to pick Frankie up from Doggy Daycare and head home to Rory. She almost dropped Clara flat on her ass when she collided with her outside of her trailer.

“Whoops!” Annie grabbed Clara and steadied her. “Oh my God! Rory!”

“Gwil popped by and brought her with him, thought we’d surprise you.”

“You sure did!” Annie cooed at her daughter. “Hi, baby!”

“Ahem.” Gwilym said monotonously. “I’m here too.”

“Yes, yes, hello, Tree Man.” Annie rushed and tried to take Rory from Clara’s hands.

“No!” Clara turned so Annie won’t have access to Rory. “I, uh…”

“She’s feeling a bit motherly.” Gwilym came for the rescue. “Let her.”

“Ugh. Fine.”

They started walking towards the parking, chatting about how Rory had spent the day with Gwilym until they had just showed up. From the corner of her eye, Annie thought she saw someone lean against the side of her car. After taking a second look, she sprinted towards the cigarette flinging figure.

“Ben!”  

She leapt into his open arms and wrapped her limbs around him, saying his name over and over again, peppering his lips with kisses. She inhaled his scent and relished the warmth radiating from his body. She almost didn’t notice his hair.

“I missed you.” He mumbled against her lips as she reluctantly untangled herself from him, her feet touching the ground. “God, I’ve missed you.”

“Is this real?” Annie’s cheeks were flushed, her head spinning. “Is this really real? Your hair!”

“Do you like it?”

Annie couldn’t form a coherent sentence if she tried. All she could do was smile and nod frantically, grazing her fingernails against the shaved sides, making Ben purr.

“Shall we just leave for dinner without them or…?” Gwilym said loud enough for Ben to hear him.

“We’re coming.”

“Save that for the bedroom, mister.” Clara said pointedly. “The world does not need to know about your climaxes.”

###

“They’ve been at it for hours.” Gwil spoke in a hushed tone. “You’d think they’d need air, or food, or - you know, sustenance. But I guess not.”

Clara, Gwilym and Rory had finished eating, while Ben and Annie’s plates were still full, and now, cold. They couldn’t keep their hands or their lips off each other, public place or not. They couldn’t be bothered.

“Guys, seriously.” Gwilym tried for the umpteenth time. “Your food’s cold, people are staring.”

“Let ‘em.” Ben grunted while Annie nibbled on the crook of his neck.

“Well, we already asked to doggy-bag your dishes because you will get hungry, hopefully.” Clara said. “And it’s getting late.”

“Mhm.” Ben and Annie hummed simultaneously as they kissed.

“Ben, sweetheart,” Clara tried again, “the food isn’t free.”

“Fuck’s sake.” Ben muttered and pawed at his jeans, fishing for his wallet. “There!” he dropped it on the table, “just take however much you need to cover our part.”

“Well, well, Mr. Hollywood.” Clara’s teasing went unheard. Gwilym took money out of Ben’s wallet and handed it back to him. “Okay, you’ll need to stop leeching off each other’s faces long enough to get to the car.”

“Ben, mate, don’t forget to drop us off, yeah?”

“Jesus Christ almighty!” Ben groaned. “Fine! I heard you! We’re going!”

They all filed out of the restaurant, Ben holding Rory in one arm and wrapping the other around Annie, who kept staring at him in pure awe. The drive back was filled with idle chit-chat in low voices, since Rory had fallen asleep in her car-seat. When Ben pulled up to Gwilym’s place, he almost punched him in the face.

“What in the bloody hell do you think you’re doing?” he asked as Gwil unfastened Rory’s seatbelt and picked her up. “You’re not taking my baby anywhere.”

“Yeah, I have a feeling you’ll need some alone time?” Gwil carried on.

“Touch my baby and I’ll kill you with my bare hands.” Ben retorted. “Try me.”

“Ben,” Annie leaned over the middle console and placed her hand on Ben’s thigh, edging upwards. “Let him take her. Just for tonight.”

“I’ll bring her back bright and early!” Gwil said already out of the car, Rory’s head resting on his shoulder. “Have fun, you too!”

Ben couldn’t drive home fast enough.

##########

TAGLIST:  @ramibaby @xgoingdownx @qweenly @violetpond @sweeterthancheese @drummerqueenrmt @westansstuff @justgivemethekeys  @blondecarfucker @cheeseedreams47 @rogerspoison @deacy-dearest @pinkmarvel @onceuponadetectivedemigod

[manjuhitorie]

Hitori-Escape Tour 2019, they're at the halfway point, so time to post reports!

消せます！

Disclaimer: These were all pilfered, ransacked, polished and ravished from my JP Twitter mutuals,,,, Who are all such kind souls,, Not only have they used their memory skills to seed Rie's words, but they even bothered to share the concert's happenings with the world wide web, AND they have urged me forward to keep on translating them... So I'll take the liberty to post them organized here... When you pass by any JP Rie fans on twitter, click hearts...💘 Shinoda’s name is shortened to SND, ygarshy’s to yg(a), and Yumao to Yu(ma) throughout...!

1 Hitorie's Hitori-Escape Tour, 9/3/2019 at Takutaku in Kyoto! Report! 

Yumao's tweet "Our tour starts today! I have cut my hair too short."

The first show, the first step….

SND looked back at both of the members to say “Let’s do our best guys.” Yg nodded back. Yuma started it up…

●SND played FAST guitar while singing, yg howled out harmonies on [a] chorus. Yu snickered at one of SND's slips.

SND used Leader’s jaguar on a [very very special song].

They did their best…

●SND “Its hoooot... We always came to Takutaku in the winter so now I’m experiencing Takutaku in it's true form.... Can I take a drink break, fwaaaaah, it's hot y'know? I'm even properly hydrated y'know? This water is gonna churn in my stomach, gehh I feel sick....”

SND: "RAISE THE AIR CONDITIONING!!!!!!!!!! I DON’T GIVE A DAMN IF ALL OF THE POWER IN KYOTO GOES OUT!!!!!! GIVE TAKUTAKU ALL THE ELECTRICITY!!!!!!!!!! LIKE IT'S OPERATION YASHIMA!!!! (*In reference to the wonderful Evangelion episode: https://evangelion.fandom.com/wiki/Episode:06).

●Shinoda’s band introduction was “On bass ygarshy, on drums Yumao, and on guitar and vocals is I Shinoda. Music and lyrics brought to you by wowaka.”

●SND “Umm…We have merch…But the towels? T-shirts? They all sold out… No seriously I’m just…. We really did bring a hefty load of stock…Thank you all… Also what else sold out?” Crowd “The cap! Pens! DVD! Pouch!!” Shinoda “‘OK, whatever..... Thank you…’” ←That is exact verbatim, SND spoke in English. All that Netflix watching is showing.

●SND “By the way ygarshy, did you know they’ve stopped selling HimoQ?" yg: ....... >>>*BWOON*<<< *responds with only the sound of his bass* *HimoQ is an old school gummy candy by the brand Meiji, and-

--yg turned away with a smile that couldn’t be concealed. While behind them Yumao was playing his drums while just repeating “HimoQ.... HimoQ..... Why HimoQ...”

●Lastly there were also many reports on people being showered on by SND’s sweat. Stay hydrated please sensei

●Nishimaki Taichi their cameraman’s comment: I was drenched in the sweat of Takutaku’s splintering heat until just a minute ago, yet now that I’m almost back home, this whole day feels like it could’ve been a dream. Lol

This is the start of a fabulous new year.

●Shinoda’s comment My ears are still pulsing,,, Takutaku of Kyoto, thank you so much. I’m glad I was able to come and be a part of your 45th anniversary, I’m happy I was able to see everybody’s faces. The journey begins. We’ll be in Okayama tomorrow, hope to see you there.

●The setlists I won’t repeat, just to avoid spoilers for any possible goers!

2 Hitorie's Hitori-Escape Tour, 9/4/2019 at CRAZYMAMA 2nd Room in Okayama! Report!

All members have interactions, I'm relieved..

●SND “Yesterday was so hot I thought I was going to puke, I’d only ever been to Takutaku in the winter not the summer… I came to Crazymama today shaking in fear but… Air conditioning is the BEST! The number one necessity for any venue is!!!! heavy-duty!!!! Air-conditioning!!!!!”

●As soon as SND started talking about yesterday, Yumao dashed up front in a rush to talk. He asked to borrow SND’s mic so he could join in on the MC,

The way they were standing next to each other got them called out for looking like a stand-up comedy duo.

●Yu “Yesterday I mouthed the words ‘Were concerts always this painful?’ to ygarsh 5 whole times and he didn’t understand me,” SND “Well of course not (laughing).” Afterwards when Yu did ask him, ygarsh responded with "They aren’t." Yu thought he was the only one dying, ah sweet relief~, he says.

●Yesterday did Yuma really get exhausted enough to collapse against the wall? Did SND slide atop speakers to then stick the landing, singing with his knees against the floor? It's out there...

●Yu and SND bickered with each other over who watches more Netflix. (They both praised the Netflix show The Naked Director etc. on Twitter recently also).

●SND “By the way ygarshy did you know that cicadas actually live longer than 1 week?”

ygarsh “BWOON♪”

(Cicada’s having only a life span of one week is a common myth in Japan. Also this interaction mimics yesterday, is SND subtly taunting yg in new ways the new staple for the Mannequin intro? Amen.)

●SND tweet: "Thank you Okayama, after doing 2 concerts in row, I see that I really am capable of singing. We'll be back,, until then,,"

●Katou Haruhisa, the founder of LUCK'A Inc. who’s produced Rie’s merch for so many tours, QRTed today's official backstage photo and strutted with pride: "They're all wearing great shirts lol #I made this"

3 Hitorie's Hitori-Escape Tour, 9/12/2019 at the five morika in Iwate prefecture! Report!

Yumao's tweet "Tomorrow is Morioka. The next day is Sendai. I hope to see you there!" 

●In a small box with but a platform as the stage and a metal bar between the rockstars and the crowd, what happens if a SND sizzles up and sits down on the bar, gets up and gets down on the floor? FAN SERVICE. LOTS OF FAN SERVICE, THAT'S WHAT. SND was poked by fans, clapped by fan, had his head pet by a fan…. Amazing..

●SND praised the drama "Methanol” he watched on Amazon Prime. ●SND blessed the cool air of Morioka and rebuked the weather up in Tokyo. "I've still been walking around in shorts and sandals." *Looks down and checks himself out* "I ate such a ridiculous amount of grilled meat yesterday, I'm worried about my figure" "We all ate a ridiculous amount"

●SND "By the way ygarshy did you know that honeybees' body temperature can go up to 50 degrees celsius?"

　yg "....*BWOOON*" (goes into bass intro)

(The series...It's certain.. last time it was SND's provocative tidbits about a snack discontinuing.. then long-living cicadas, now..this.)

4 Hitorie's Hitori-Escape Tour, 9/13/2019 at Sendai darwin in Miyagi prefecture! Report!

●All the effects smoke made Yumao, in the back of the stage, look like a mirage... Yumao got up and called himself a mirage... Yumirage bamboozle... From there the crowd was riled up into cheering: “Yumao~ Yumao~ You’re so cute Yumao~” 

Yuma kept posing and hugging his hands against his chest* “Thank you...” SND “You pretty boy...” Yuma “I'm snatched everybody... My wig is like snatched...” SND “Snatched, snatched... What are you a Twitter fangirl.”  (*Yumao was using the fujoshi term "尊い".) ●During encore intermission the electric fan next to the stage picked up yga’s shirt and blew it up, exposing yga. Laughter was induced among the crowd, and SND, who missed the whole thing, was left all confused as to why everyone was laughing—. ●SND “By the way ygarshy, it’s Friday the 13th but, did you know that Jason doesn’t actually use a chainsaw?”

　yg “*BWOOOON*” ●Someone dived during the last song... As in, a fan started climbing up on other fans and rolling around up there. Staff handled it, and their love for Rie is blazing but... Etiquette and respect for the show space is the best way to enjoy the best show!! Please... SND’s tweet: “Sendai performance complete. Thank you, thank you, thank you”

5 Hitorie’s Hitori-Escape Tour, 9/25/2019 at Koube VARIT in Hyougo prefecture! Report!

Yumao's tweet "Today is Koube, tomorrow shall be Hiroshima. I hope to see you there!"

●SND MC speech "Did you guys have fun today? I think there's a lot of mixed emotions right now. If you didn't have fun, know that we're coming back here again. And then if you still don't have fun again, we're still coming back here again." ●Encore intermission! Crowd as they were walking back out "ygarshy! Yumao! Shinoda!" Yumao, pretending to be a person in the crowd in a scheme for instigation: “Yumao~~!” The crowd “Yumao….?” Yumao “Yumao…? Yumao!!!” Crowd “Yumaooo~~~!” SND “You sound like a Pokemon, crying your own name as if you’re a Pikachu.” Yumao “Yumao!" SND "Can neither of you (or yg) talk normal on mic."

Yumao *Goes and sits down at his drums* Crowd "Yumao~" *Plays a drum trick*  “Yumao~~~”  *Plays an even more flavorful trick*  “Yumaoooo~~~”  *EVEN MORE*  “YUMAOOO~~~~”

 SND “He’ll keep doing that if you keep it up, so keep pampering him.”

●SND “Backstage, they have redbull right, so before the show I couldn’t get over how delicious it was and I kept glugging, and so I was ready to burp throughout the whole first song. SND tweet after: I was in danger of deranging into the wet pants monster.  ●Also Shinoda was hopping around playing guitar and he bumped into ygarsh at some point, of who seemed super annoyed—. ●SND “Remember last show, I mentioned Jason, I said there's actually no chainsaw? Well I watched the second movie and, he gets attacked by a chainsaw in that one!” yg *Makes a face as if questioning if that gag was his queue* SND *Nods* yg *>BWWOOON<* (Into the Mannequin intro)

●In the post concert photo Yumao seems to be drinking a Chocola BB, a vitamin B2 supplement to help with acne, mouth sores, and overall exhaustion....

●SND tweet: Koube concert: complete, thank you all. Playing at VARIT is, truly, fantastic,,, I’ll meet y’all in Hiroshima tomorrow. Until then,,,

6 Hitorie’s Hitori-Escape Tour, 9/26/2019 at Second Crutch in Hiroshima prefecture! Reports! 

●SND “By the way ygarshy-kun, did you know that Mocomichi Hayami started a youtube channel!”

  yga *>BWWOOON<*

(*Mocomichi, dubbed “The olive oil fairy“, is an actor who gained internet fame after his displays on the TV show ‘MOMO’S Kitchen’ where he would dump HUGE AMOUNTS of olive oil over his food, ignore the recipe requested of him, and then praise his cooking like crazy in the end. He was a riot! And he’s truly skilled at cooking! He's won Gourmand cookbook awards, he loves olive oil, he has his own kitchen brand, he was in the Kamen Rider 555 movie where he got killed by monsters halfway through, he loves olive oil- Anyway his channel is here.)

+ SND used wowaka’s red jaguar guitar in today and yesterday's concerts. Introduced (W)HERE with "As Hitorie we only make good songs, we only make God songs. And this is a good one even out of the good ones".

●Crowd “What did you guys eat for lunch!” SND “For lunch I ate soba.” Crowd “Booo! Eat okonomiyaki!” (*Hiroshima is famous for it) “Screw that assholes!!!” “Whyyyy just try it!!!”

THEN YG TALKED

SND “And ygarshy gave Yumao an egg sandwich.” yg “… ...Uhm..”  Crowd “!?!?!? Woooahh!!!” yg “Shut up for a second.” Crowd *Still bustling, not listening* yg “Over something so silly…. why are you all excited….” yg “… So uhm I just wanted to say that…. Yumao likes eggs.”

Post show Yumao tweeted “I like eggs.”

●SND tweet  “The Hiroshima show: done. A rare event occurred today huh. Y’all were lucky… in a way? That aside I had fun. Thank y’all. I’m off to have a drink.”

7 Hitorie’s Hitori-Escape Tour, 9/26/2019 at Sapporo SPiCE in Hokkaido prefecture! Reports!

Yumao's tweet "Today is Sapporo. I hope to see you there! Ahh the first magnitude stars".

●SND ”Hokkaido, you’re so full of spirit! It’s ‘cause RSR had to cancel the first day, isn’t it!? How many of y’all missed out on seeing Number Girl?” *Hands rising all over* SND “Muahaha!!!! Well I already got to see them!!! Poor you!!!” (*Rocking Sun Festival last month was canceled due to Typhoon 10 hitting Hokkaido).

●Shinoda rued and revered the heat. Said that Sapporo’s been the second sweatiest show after Kyoto.  Crowd “Let’s make it the hottest!” SND “No! You can’t beat it. That was a traumatic experience, I thought I was gonna die. But we can still make the excitement levels the hottest!”

●Encore intermission and the usual outfit change: SND “Aren’t you hot in that?” Yumao “Yeah, this sweatshirt is way too big for me. Oh, because it’s Shinoda’s” It was too hot for SND so he made Yumao wear and promo the official merch. SND opened his mouth to make a comment when the crowd slipped in with “Yumao you’re cute wearing that~~ so cute~~!” cheers. SND “Shut up I’m talking!!” SND “….I’m sorry for yelling!” ‘Apologizes before things go downhill’ Crowd kept the spirit high by asking ygarsh if he wanted to eat pizza, yg nodded his head, then scooted towards the mic as if to say something- but turned back... He tricked everybody!  Rie weren’t going to let him get away with that, they had to pick on him for revenge!

Crowd “Hello! [At yg]” SND “What?! You’re resorting to teaching him the basics of conversation?” (SND and Yu laughing out loud) SND “He’s not an AI y’know??” (Yuma has his hands on his stomach at this point). yg *Still not talking* SND “Ahh what are we gonna do with him” SND “yga~rshy~kun~, have some fun with me~~!”

　yg “*>>>BWOOOOON<<<*

●SND tweet: Sapporo concert: complete!! That was way too fucking hot!! Damn ridiculous! That’s what makes it so good. Thank you.

8 Hitorie’s Hitori-Escape Tour, 10/10/2019 at UMBER in Shizuoka prefecture! Reports!

Yumao's tweet "Today's Shizuoka!"

●A wild cockroach appeared before Yumao and SND backstage during the intermission.

It was a huge one, scurrying across the stage walls throughout the end of the show regardless of its own size.

●yg offered Yuma the rights to his front stage mic for Yuga and SND to be able to talk about it together, so he pulled at his mic in front of him…. Only for the cable to come spiraling out, yanked from the jack, off went the XLR connector, and all. yg's power move left him laughing hysterically. yga laughed!!!!! He laughed as he gave Yumao a powerless mic!!

●With the power move to piston off of, “Professor Yumao” was on the case to give a “lecture” with his cockroach wisdom! He told us about how the ones with the perfect figures come from the outside and live under trees, german cockroaches like to stay inside and come from the inside...

SND “Back when I used to live in a rundown apartment in Nagoya, there was 2 perfect cockroaches always waiting for me in front of my apartment”. Yu “Outside, right!!”

yga *Frozen up and now hiding against the wall*

●Prof. Yumao also gave another lecture about Shampoo from the anime Ranma 1/2, complete with “Ne!” imitations, SND piped in also until he realized something- and then got angry at Yuma because only few will know who he’s talking about....

SND “So tell me, what time is it?” Yu “Time to talk about things everybody will understand!” SND “No it’s encore time!” Yu " :O "

yg *Still hiding against the wall away from the nerds*

●SND “ygarshy! Ygarshy! Get a good look at this!” yg *Nods at him* SND *Proceeds to pose like the Dragon Ball Z Kamehameha* “Hah!” yga “>>>>*BWOOOOOOOOON*<<<” 

●SND tweet: “Shizuoka show: complete, thank you so much. I had a lot of fun. We’ll be back. Nagoya will be tomorrow. Until next time,,,”

9 Hitorie’s Hitori-Escape Tour, 10/11/2019 at SPADE BOX in Aichi prefecture! Reports!

●Hasegawa-san, the drummer of SND’s past past band “Dr. Right” from around 2007 (See video of youngin SND and crew performing: https://nico.ms/sm11604475?ref=share_others_spweb…), he also payed a visit to the show!!!! And took pictures with SND!  >See https://twitter.com/toshiya230/status/1182631585230704640

●First song SND immediately messed up the first note and the music halted, Yu and the crowd had to urge him onward-!

●SND “Hitorie is great. Hitorie’s songs are great. Only badass songs. Before I joined, Leader sent me demo versions and said “I want to do songs like this”… Electricity rushed through my veins, this is gonna be a revolution, am I really going to be a part of this?! I thought.”

●The stage at the venue is one that shook like crazy from everyone’s vigor, Rie seemed to enjoy the ride.

●SND “I left Nagoya, went up to Tokyo, and now I’m back in Nagoya, singing nonetheless... I’m not embarrassed carrying the mic to sing non-guitar songs anymore."

●SND "After 9 shows doin’ this, it's really hit me. Hitorie really make great songs! But even among all of them this one is peachy… Wait no one says that? This one’s at the tippy-top. ….Wait no one says these words in Tokyo, nor Nagoya?? Ah whatever let’s go” (The original words were ドンズバ and ダントツ, both old niche words).

●Encore intermission, Yumao came out in front of the mic then… Clenched his fist up into the air and stood stout! SND “You’re not gonna talk, now, what are you doing?” Yu “Freddie Mercury, is in the house!!”

“This move isn’t in Bohemian Rhapsody, b/c once the scene starts he’s already on the piano but, before the show Freddie does the *poses again*!!! SND “So that’s what you were doing? Even though you play drums? Drums aren’t a piano?” Yu *👌* SND “They are a little bit similar huh hahaha”

●Rie wished everyone safe travels home through Typhoon 19! They even cut the MC short to ensure swift departure- SND “I bet y’all would go off tweeting “Their chitchat was so long I couldn’t get home! Fuck them!” Well we’re fortunate, one day later and it would've been cancelled.."

●Then, the usual Thing.... SND “ygarshy, ygarshy! A fly seems to have sorta, landed on your bass over there!” yg *>BWWON*< (Interrupting SND’s sentence with a rushed note).

●SND tweet "Nagoya concert: complete. SPADEBOX shakes like crazy, it's such fun. Thank you so much. Make it home safe y'all. And let's meet again. Until next time."

🍕~~END~~🍕

((((((Shinoda, constantly: "I have a phobia of bugs" Also Shinoda, constantly: *His ways to provoke ygarsh involved cicadas, bees, cockroaches and flies.* + *Advises people dealing with heartbreak to go watch videos of giant hornets VS Japanese honeybees.* + *Draws super detailed cicadas in his manga Chikyuu Monogatari.*

Shinoda you maso.)))))

Ahhhh also! If you're a member Hitori-Atelier!-- (Which you should be!!! Because not only are Hitorie snazzy and there's the upcoming message campaign, but ALSO because Rie is always seeking more vigor which I KNOW YOU GUYS HAVE, I've seen your liberal usage of the almighty exclamation marks and emojis. You can't hide it, so show 'em some more of your energy!!!!!🙌🙌🙌)

--Shinoda has been periodically blogging about backstage tidbits and I've been translating those for fun so, plop: https://privatter.net/u/boat_manju 

[serraphima]

All the abc OC questions for Erin!

aaaaaaaaaaaaa ty mara, imma put it under a read more so there isnt a huge thing to scroll through

A1. what are your oc’s natural abilities, things they’ve been doing since young? shes a pyromancer and a dumbass2. what activities have they participated in? uh they were in robotics club in college3. what abilities do they have that they’ve worked for? (no clue what that means) but she keeps her friend aria alive with the augments she makes4. what things are they bad at? talking to cute girls, being a person5. what is their most impressive talent? she can dislocate her shoulder on command

B1. what is their hair color? red2. what is their eye color? green3. how tall are they? like 5′44. how old are they? 32 i think?5. how much do they weigh? 160

C1. how do they sit in a chair? the wrong way all the time2. in what position do they sleep? curled up in a ball3. what is their ideal comfort day? chilling out with her partners4. what is their major comfort food? why? anything with a strong lemon taste that isnt a lemon5. who is the best at comforting them when down? her partners

D1. how would they decorate a house if they had one under their name? she cant decorate worth a damn2. how would they decorate their child’s room? she wouldnt have any kids tbh3. how do they decorate their own room? posters everywhere, failed experiments and other stuff strewn about with clothes4. what type of clothes and accessories do they wear? she likes tight pants, crop tops, and a denim vest with boots on warm days, on cold days she wears skirts, tights, long sleeve tops and flannel with a denim vest5. do they like makeup/nail/beauty trends? she likes them in theory, not in practice since shes terrible with doing makeup

E1. does the way they do things portray their internal personality? kinda? like shes outgoing sometimes but shes also likes being alone, it depends on whos shes with2. do they do things that conform to the norm? only norm she conforms with is being gay3. do they follow trends or do their own thing? she does her own thing sometimes, follows trends other times4. are they up-to-date on the internet fads? she tries to keep up but hardly can5. do they portray their personality intentionally or let people figure it out on their own? she portrays herself as she is (ie a sarcastic bitch with a dry wit)

F1. what do they do for fun? set fire to things2. what is their ideal party? not a party person3. who would they have the most fun with? she loves being with her partners and has the most fun with them4. can they have fun while conforming to rules? she could if she was boring5. do they go out a lot? she doesnt really go out on her own a lot

G1. what is their most attractive external feature? shes happy with how her thighs and ass are so she loves showing them off as much as she can2. what is the most attractive part of their personality? shes extremely caring but doesnt like to show it to everyone3. what benefits come with being their friend? being a human test subject, you get to learn how to do fighting games, and seeing her in default state (which is only a bra and underwear)4. what parts of them do they like and dislike? she likes her thighs and ass, hates having her cock5. what parts of others do they envy? she envies that faith has a vagina and cant wait to get her own

H1. do they rather a hot or cold room? she likes a hot place, she cant function in the cold2. do they prefer summer or winter? she loves summer3. do they like the snow? she likes melting snow with fireballs but besides that she hates snow4. do they have a favorite summer activity? she likes going to concerts in the summer5. do they have a favorite winter activity? stay indoors with her partners and watch scary movies

I1. what is their sexuality? shes homoromantic bisexual2. have they ever questioned their sexuality? oh the entirety of her high school life3. have they ever questioned their gender? kinda, shes trans and had some trouble realizing that but shes happy now4. would/was their family be okay with them being LGBT? they arent5. how long would/did it take for them to come out? her parents dont know a lot of whats going on with her after her second stay in the psych ward when she came out to them, but her friends knew the second erin knew

J1. what makes them happy? making her partners happy2. who makes them happy? her partners3. are there any songs that bring them joy? anytime her favorite band releases a new song4. are they happy often? somewhat5. what brings them the most joy in the world? being with her partners and helping aria not be close to death

K1. have they ever thought about suicide? yeah2. have they ever thought about homicide? thought about doing it outright? no, but some of the test subjects she finds dont live through everything3. if they could kill anyone without punishment, would they? who? her parents4. who would miss them if they died? her partners5. who would be happy they died, anyone? probably her parents

L1. what is their favorite fruit? apple slices2. what is their least favorite fruit? whole apples3. are there any foods they hate? spicy foods4. do they have any food intolerances? she cant handle spicy stuff5. what is their favorite food? chicken picatta

M1. would they want a daughter or a son? probably a daughter2. how many children do they want? ideally none3. would they be a good parent? shes constantly worried shell end up like her parents4. what would they name a son? what would they name a daughter? son would be named azarel, daughter would be named valeria5. would they adopt? probably

N1. what would they never do? hard drugs and be in a gangbang2. what have they never done that they want to do? be in a gangbang3. is there anything they absolutely can’t believe people do? have a good relationship with their parents4. what is the most embarrassing thing they’ve done? thought she was a straight guy5. have they done anything they thought they’d never do? successfully keep someone alive

O1. are they optimistic or pessimistic? she finds both to be annoying and doesnt like answering that question (shes more pessimistic than optimistic)2. are they openly optimistic, throwing it on others? no3. are they good at giving advice? not in the slightest4. is there anyone in their life that throws optimism on them? probably bel5. were they always optimistic? nope

P1. what is their best personality trait? her quick wit2. what is their worst personality trait? her inability to read emotions3. what of their personality do others love? her caring nature4. what of their personality do others envy? her scathing remarks when other people are dumb near her5. do they hate anything about their personality/about other’s personalities? she hates she cant read emotion that well and hates overly chipper people

Q1. do they ask for help? nope2. do they ask questions in class? and look like a nerd? fuck that3. do they answer questions that make them a little uncomfortable? she tries to4. do they ask weird questions? more often than not5. are they curious? yes

R1. do they follow rules? theyre more guidelines and guidelines are more lenient to following than rules are (doesnt really follow the rules)2. would they be a strict or laid-back parent? shed be a bad parent3. have they ever been consequenced for breaking a rule? many times4. have they broken any rules they now regret breaking? nope5. do they find any rules they/others follow absolutely ridiculous? she find a lot of rules pointless

S1. are they street-smart?  not really2. would they give money to someone on the streets? yes she does that a lot3. have they ever gotten in a fight on the streets? many times4. has anything happened to them on the streets? she beat up people sexually harassing her5. are they cautious when out? she carries a pistol and a knife everywhere

T1. are they honest? she tries to be2. can they tell if someone is lying? not well3. is it obvious when they’re lying? if you know her yes, if you dont its hard4. have they lied about anything they regret lying about? nope5. have they told truths that have been spread against their will? kinda?

U1. have they been bullied? yes2. have they bullied anyone? also yes3. have they been physically attacked by a bully? no4. have they ever been doubted? not as often as she believes5. have they surprised people with being good at something? people who dont pay attention to her a lot so she constantly surprises them when they start to pay attention to her

V1. do they vomit often? she hasnt puked since she was a baby and shes proud of that2. do they get lots of stomach aches? yes3. are they good at comforting someone ill? no4. what do they like as far as comfort goes? being warm and cozy5. do they burp, cough, or hiccup most when nauseous? when vomiting? she hiccups a lot when shes nauseous

W1. do they drink enough water? she doesnt like water, it feels weird in her mouth2. have they learned to swim? yes3. do they like to swim? a bit4. can they dive? no5. can they swim without holding their nose? yes

X1. what is their favorite genre of music? lot of good bass and drum lines, hard guitar riffs2. do they have a favorite song? anything her favorite band puts out3. do they have a favorite band/artist/singer? yeah but good luck getting her to tell you (babymetal)4. can they sing well? a bit5. can they rap? nope

Y1. how old were you when you created them? i think like 19 or 202. what inspired you to create them? i kinda figured out i was trans and wanted a character like me but that was a girl (so i project onto her a lot)3. were they different when they were first created? she started out as a destiny oc, she was my warlock4. do you enjoy writing them more than other characters? i cant say tbh5. what’s your favorite thing about them? shes a lot like me

Z1. what’s their favorite animal? cats2. do they like animals? she likes cats3. cats or dogs? cats4. what’s their dream pet? like a big cat but housecat sized5. do they have any pets at the moment? nope

[b-afterhours]

For What It’s Worth (one-shot) revised

Summary: AU Bill in the 1970′s, meeting his wife and living a life of activism and travel. 

Inspired by asks sent to me imagining Bill in the 70′s. It gets fluffy in some parts too.

warnings: swearing, super light sexual comments.

She was packing sandwiches away inside a worn tan canvas and leather knapsack in the small kitchen, padding back and forth from the fridge to the counter barefoot. The windows and front door were wide open allowing the breeze in despite the January chill of '73. It was expected to heat up to fairer weather, it was California after all, you can't keep the sun away.

She stuffed two thermoses inside the knapsack, one with coffee and the other with homemade chicken and dumplings she had prepared the night before. Drifting through the window she could hear the slow bass beats of, I Heard It Through The Grapevine, from the outside garage. Delightfully she listened as she tied up a bandanna on her head to finish off the look of her high ponytail. As she got closer to the door she heard her husband muttering obscenities to himself as he tinkered with their wretched truck. They've had nothing but trouble with it. It was a wedding gift from her father, but frankly, it was just a piece of shit '65 Ford that he couldn't get sold off his used car lot. And with the miles on it, the transmission was on the verge of giving out.

"Are you gonna get it running, Bill?" She said warily but hopeful as to not discourage him from his work.

He huffed and pushed his shag hair back, out of his eyes. "Yeah..." he said focused as he screwed some bits on the engine. "Actually," he paused, "can you get behind the wheel and start her up for me? Starters acting up but... I think I got it," his eyes shifted skeptically.

"Antifreeze leak, yesterday. The starter today?" She muttered before climbing in the drivers' side. The truck swallowed her small frame, she looked like a child in the thing. Turning the key, the starter clicked a few times but – nothing.

"Shit," Bill exasperated. His wife hopped out the truck with a slight frown. "Don't worry I'll get it to work, promise," he assured. "You got everything packed and ready?"

She nodded, "just waiting on you, love."

"Well," he sighed, "just sit your pretty butt down." He winked. "I think I know what it is now." He shrugged his distressed jean jacket off  – which he's had since she met him – he was getting serious. He reached back down into the engine, the V cut of his pale hips showing as his cut off shirt rose up.

The truck was a piece of shit but she liked the view of her husband working hard on it that was for sure. Ten minutes had passed and it looked like Bill was getting nowhere while he basically just banged the engine with a wrench out of frustration. They needed the truck up and running to go to Berkeley. They were protesters – that's how they met – at a Vietnam protest years ago and they were still at it. Every year, every other month and even today they still couldn't believe they were still protesting this shit.

They had friends and family drafted in an unjust war. Bill narrowly escaped receiving that dreadful draft letter. Twenty-five was the cut off age – but his birthday was later in the year and they were scared. So two years ago, they got married and in the same year tried for a baby, so he'd be 100 percent ineligible to go. It was all for naught, he had just turned 27 and she was no longer scared of him leaving and coming back in a box. The baby though was still pending... They were too busy marching the streets in different cities across the country. Which meant they didn't really have a proper home base. They stayed with friends and family here and there or rented and bailed before the next payment. It was fun and free and they knew they were fighting for the right thing. Together, no less.

Bill glanced over at his wife picking at her nails impatiently. She glanced up at him through her lashes.

"Could you play something less depressing?" She said commenting on Tuesday's Gone.

Bill smirked. "It's Skynard, babe," he said which earned him a playful eye roll from her. "And besides its radio. We left the record player in Phoenix, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember," she sighed wistfully at the thought of it. She was surprised they hadn't run the needle dull on that thing, it was already old. They spent their evenings playing records, drinking cold beers and swaying together to Otis Reading Hits during their stay that scorching hot Phoenix summer.

"Wanna start the truck up again?"

"Is it gonna start this time?" She said climbing in the truck.

"I'll get you a brand-spankin' new record player if it does," he winked. She turned the key in the ignition, click! click! click! over and over and then, the engine roared back to life. "Hey," Bill cheerfully shouted. He slammed the hood down with a big grin of accomplishment on his face. Before getting in he tossed his tools in the truck bed, he never knew when the car was going to give him problems so better safe than sorry.

"So, you owe me a record player," his wife said sliding over to the passenger seat as he got in.

"Of course. Was planning to anyway," he leaned over to kiss her but she stopped him.

"You got some grease on your mustache," she said licking her thumb and rubbing it away. "And on your sideburn," she giggled as she took care of it and kissed him.

On the road, they listened to the tunes on the radio with the windows down. His wife put on her mirrored aviators and leaned into the side of him, kicking her bare feet out the window. Because of her laid-back position, he put a light arm around her neck and kissed the top of her head as he drove with one hand on the steering wheel.

"What did you pack for lunch," he asked.

"Soup and salami sandwiches."

"Extra mustard?"

"Yes, extra mustard on yours I know how much you like that nasty stuff."

Bill lightly laughed. As they drove on, he noticed her falling asleep as she slipped from his shoulder closer to the seat. He didn't dare disturb her, she was up in the morning before him getting everything ready to go to Berkeley. He reached over to her to scan the radio and stopped when he heard a tune he hadn't heard in some time – Fats Domino, Ain't That A Shame. He smiled to himself remembering when he last heard it. It took him back to the day he met his wife. ~~~

In Washington, DC, he was in town to see his buddies off to Vietnam in the fall of 1970. He would be lying if he said he didn't feel guilty sitting at a bar with them just before they went overseas on a big Navy ship. Neither of them wanted to go. The draft lottery was just that, a lottery. With his last name being Skarsgard, he had higher chances of not getting picked since it was further down the alphabet. But one of his buddies that he was currently having a beer with, had the last name, Steadman, further down the alphabet than his. It stuck alarm in him which he felt selfish for somehow ending up the lucky one when his friend didn't have that luxury. He remembered seeing good ol' Charlie Steadman at the pool hall, his long curly hair gone, now donning a fresh buzz cut and he knew, his friend was going off to the jungles of Vietnam. Bill lucked out but he hated thinking of it that way.

"Heard there's a nudie bar a few blocks away," his friend Joe said wagging his brows suggestively.

"You're already three sheets to the wind, Joe," Charlie laughed. "You were here before Bill and me!"

"Ah," he waved them off. "You two shmucks were takin' too long for me."

Bill was laughing at the both of them when he noticed the street steadily filling up with people out the bars front window. "What's going on outside," Bill asked straightening up in his seat to get a better look.

"More 'Nam, protesters and hippies," Joe shrugged, taking the rest of his Jim Beam to the back of his throat.

"And, Lyndon Johnson's in town for whatever reason, rat bastard," Charlie curled his lip.

"Johnson's just a bastard," Joe burped. "Nixon's the rat bastard," he corrected his friend.

"Lookin' pretty intrigued there, Bill," Charlie nudged him with his elbow.

"Just, never seen a protest this close up before." He hadn't taken his eyes off the crowd chanting, holding signs and marching the street. What he loved seeing so far, was that everyone got together to fight against the war from every creed, class, and color.

"Well quit your lookin'. Let's go," Charlie swung his legs around his stool and lead the way out into the middle of marchers.

With Joe and Charlie in their military uniforms, over the chanting, people would approach them offering to get them out of DC. To harbor them until the war was over, to save them from what everyone felt was a certain death. They would politely decline but they both loved and relished in the attention. Bill walked a little further ahead, away from the girls clinging on to his uniformed friends. The march began to stall as people approach a small park up ahead which harbored the hub of the protest. He pushed through to get to higher ground and to avoid getting crammed in.

He found a nice little spot by a birch tree at the edge of the crowd as the people huddled around a park bench. Stood on top was a guy with hair past his shoulders shouting in a loudspeaker delivering bullet points on the travesties of the war and preaching peace to the people as they cheered him on. Coming from the back end of the crowd he saw a few girls chanting with signs in their hands.

"Hey! Hey! LBJ! How many kids are you gonna kill today?!" They said in unison.

One girl lagging a bit behind them caught his attention. She was the shortest one. Her high waisted blue jean bell bottoms looking more like a skirt on her frame. Not even the heeled, brown leather Chelsea boots could help it. But her long straight black middle-parted hair that almost reached her rear is what caught his attention as it flowed in the wind like a curtain. Even from where he stood he could see the thick black mascara coating her long lashes and her rouge red plump lips. She was cute, he thought, stunning even. He took a look at the sign she had above her head, her message was simple, 'FUCK NIXON'. Just a quick as he saw her she was lost in the crowd and commotion.

"Bill! There you are!" Joe said catching up to him with Charlie right behind him not long after seeing the petite dark-haired girl he couldn't seem to shake from his mind.

"So," Joe handed him a lit hand-rolled cigarette, "nudie bar is just up the street from here."

Bill exhaled smoke. "Fine. Let's go. You won't be seein' tits for a while," he laughed.

"Oh fuck off," Joe grumbled. "I'll get your sister to mail me some pictures."

"Joe, you drunk ass," Charlie playfully smacked his head accidentally knocking off his military cap. "Sisters are off limits." ...

"Way to go, Joe," Bill grumbled shaking his head.

They were all begrudgingly walking back to the bar they had met at earlier that day since they had all gotten kicked out of Ladie Rouge because Joe wanted to be loud and grabby. They passed by the park again, most of the protesters had packed it in but still remained a hub of die-hards congregated around the same park bench. Though this time someone was strumming their guitar and crooning a folk song into the night. As they turned the corner, his buddies had bumped into some military friends they knew from boot camp.

"There's a little party going on not too far from here," One of the Navy men said. He only introduced himself to Bill by his last name, Johnson. "So what do y'all say? Up for it?"

Charlie and Joe, looked over at Bill to seal the vote. "Night's still young," he shrugged.

Bill's knees nearly pressing to his chest as he fit his long body in the crammed Ford Granada. On the way to the house party, Bill couldn't help but feel left out as all the other men talked about how fast they could assemble their rifles and how many sit-ups they could do in a minute. Fortunately, the house was close by saving him from having to just sit there out of the loop, nodding his head to things he didn't quite understand.

Upon arriving he could hear The Rolling Stone's being played loudly from the back garage of them home. He paused making sure this was the place but also because he didn't want to walk alone into a strangers party. The group was lagging behind him, he blamed his long legs for his strident pace.

He felt a hand on his shoulder. "This way man," Johnson said now taking the lead.

They walked into a decent party of 20 people give or take and he was promptly handed a Coors. He tossed his head back taking a few gulps to relax. Soon he was laughing along with his military friends and chumming it up after getting comfortable. Ain't That A Shame, began to play and he heard a few girls squeal in glee over the tune. He put a cigarette to his lips and turned his head in their direction to light it. When he brought the flame close to his face is when he saw her. She was sitting on the top of a dusty couch her feet planted on the seat cushions. A beer in her hand and a cigarette in the other emphatically singing along.

"You made, me cry, when you said, goodbye! Ain't that a shame!!" She practically scream-sang along with her girlfriends.

Seeing her by chance in the middle of a crowd of a Vietnam protest, he was surprised – shocked really – to see her now in the smokey haze of some unfamiliar garage. He could see tears at the corner of her eyes as she sang. Was she having a good time or was she sad? He wondered. The song ended had ended and his cigarette was still dangling from his lips unlit when he realized he was staring – too long. That even by his standards, wouldn't be deemed appropriate.

"Hey, you gonna use that?" Charlie pointed at the lighter still in Bill's hands, pulling his gaze away. He quickly lit his cigarette and passed the zippo over.

"You know the deal with her?" Bill quietly asked as he pointed behind him with his thumb.

Charlie peered over. "Who the blonde?"

"No the brunette, long hair."

"The one that looks like she's on the verge of tears?" Johnson said overhearing their conversation.

"Uh yeah. Is she okay," Bill asked.

"Her brother got shipped out last week. She's been a bit of a mess over it," he shrugged.

"Oh that's right," Charlie said. "Her brother's Marrow."

"Yup. Don't know why she's so upset it's not like she's got to dodge Cong bullets."

"Oh shit," Charlie quickly looked away from peering. "Don't look now, she's heading this way."

Bill felt a tap on his shoulder sending an icy chill up his spine that shattered his frozen state. "'Scuse me." He heard. He slowly looked over and then trailed his eyes all the way down to meet her eyes. He had to be more than a foot taller. She was even more beautiful close-up, heavenly with a bit of an edge which made his breath hitch.

"Yes?" He was able to muster.

"I'm just trying to grab a beer in the fridge, behind you," she pointed out.

"Oh! Right," he stepped aside and watched her bend down, her long hair sweeping to the side revealing the bareback of her white halter top. He felt his cheeks go hot noticing just a sliver of bare side boob. She turned her head, stretching her arm out towards him with a cold beer in hand.

"Need one?" She said with a slightly knowing smirk.

"Thanks," he said taking up her offer. He was thinking a mile a minute, how was he going to make this girl his? Which seemed outrageous to him, he didn't even know her at all he just knew there was a reason he ended up here in a crusty garage party with her. It couldn't have been just a coincidence. Just as she was about to pass him to go back to her part of the party he stopped her. "Wait," he said reaching for her unopened beer and with a slender finger popped that tab open for her.

"Thanks," she smiled at him. "You got another one of those?" She pointed at the cigarette perched on his lips.

Bill frantically searched the insides of his new denim jacket for his pack when he remembered it was in his back jean pocket. He gave her an embarrassed smirk as he handed her a Winston King. She put it to her lips expecting a lighter but instead he took his own cigarette, using the glowing hot ember to light hers. Looking up at him she watched as he nervously did it with a slight tremble in his hand, it was endearing and suave too. She took a drag and blew the smoke away from them yet never taking her gaze off him.

"What's your name?" She tilted her head.

"Bill. And yours? May I ask?"

"Francis."

"Beautiful," he complimented.

"Please. It was my great grans name. But it works I guess," she shrugged. "I go by Frankie mostly."

And from then history began to write itself. They talked for hours about everything and anything, late into the night while most of the party had left and some were crashed out drunk on the dingy couch. Joe and Charlie were chatting with some girls, hoping to get lucky for good time's sake. Bill and his beauty were drinking the last beers in the fridge, both good and buzzed, and laughing together in the little bubble they created for themselves.

"You know," she leaned into him, "you've got the prettiest eyes I've ever seen. So green," she said a bit slurred at the end.

Bill chuckled. "You've got to be the most beautiful girl I've ever seen," he admitted. "I saw you at the protest earlier."

"Oh, so you stalked me here?" She joked. "Did you see my 'fuck Nixon' sign? I've got it over there." She hopped off the bar stool to grab her sign behind the couch. She held it up above her head and marched around in a small circle. "Hey, hey! LBJ! How many kids you gonna kill today!?" She chanted earning a laugh from Bill. She came back to sit with him. "Stupid bastard was in town today, can you believe it?" She shook her head.

"It's all bullshit, right," he said before drinking the last of his beer.

"But isn't it though? Surprised you were at the march you don't really strike me as the type."

"Why not?"

"Well," she lightly shrugged, "you're a bit clean cut."

"Callin' me a square?" He lightly laughed.

"No, I swear. I don't mean it like that," she said taking it back, not wanting to offend this amazing man she just met. "It's just you've got your hair short and nice, clean face, black turtleneck," she curled her finger around the collar, popping it playfully. "It looks great on you, though."

"I'll take that as a compliment. And to be fair, that was my first protest. When did you start doing it?"

"Since last year. My brother took me to a small protest when the feds killed Fred Hampton. It turned into this massive thing. He ended up getting arrest and I had to wait outside the jail until he got out. It was a big mess. But I haven't stopped yet. Especially now since my brother's in Vietnam," she frowned.

"Sorry. I kinda know the feeling? My two best friends growing up are leaving in a few days," he said sharing her pain. "Have you been arrested?" He figured changing the subject was best.

"Not yet," she smirked devilishly. He felt his heart flutter from it. Could one fall this hard in love, this fast? He thought. Her attention was caught by the next song playing over the radio. "Oh, I love this song! Have you heard it?"

"Smokey Robinson?"

"Yes!"

Of course, he knew the song, Ooh Baby Baby, but in her tipsy state, it must have felt like she was the only one that knew about it at that moment. She began to sing it to herself as she swayed in her seat. Bill stood up and held his hand out, taking full advantage of the moment.

"Let's dance." He said pulling her to her feet and then wrapped a hand around her waist holding her close as he led. She rested her head on his chest and he could faintly hear her still singing along. He spun her, making her giggle in glee. He didn't know what came over him. Was it the song?  The alcohol? Fate? Or the beautiful girl he saw by chance now in his arms? Maybe all of it? He couldn't help himself, he leaned down to meet her lips and kissed her. And he knew right then he never wanted to be anywhere without her. ~~~

Bill's thoughts were interrupted when he heard the truck stuttering bringing him back to the present. He pumped the gas pedal just so he could keep it chugging long enough before having to pull off on the shoulder of the road.

"Shit!" He slammed the dashboard with his hand.

His wife jolted up from the noise looking around confused. "Is it the fuzz?" She said alarmed.

"No fuzz..." he huffed, "the fuckin' truck again," he got out slamming the door angrily.

Not wanting to be in his way and nag him with questions she stayed in the car for a while as he fiddled with the truck engine again. She had been nauseous since she abruptly woke. Craning her head out the window for air she saw a little drug store up the road in walking distance.

"I'll get it to work again. We won't be late," Bill said to her as she came around the truck.

"I was just going to tell you I'm getting a pop," she pointed down the road.

Bill glanced behind him. "Oh. Be careful. Stay on the grass," he said concentrating the engine again.

"Need anything?"

"Nah. Just need to focus," he said unscrewing something. "Frankie, baby," he stopped what he was doing realizing he was being a bit rude by ignoring her and kissed her before she went on her way. "And stay on the grass!" He reminded her again. "People drive like fucking assholes around here," he muttered, essentially to only himself as he poked around at different hoses.

Once in the drug store, she immediately went to the bathroom to vomit what little she had in her stomach. She cleaned herself up, grabbed a can of ice-cold 7Up, laid 15 cents on the counter and walked out drinking it wanting to get out from the clerks' suspicious gaze. Must have looked really weird when she ran inside. She couldn't wait until the morning sickness spells were over. She lingered by the storefront sipping her pop to her settle her stomach. She looked down the road where Bill was in perfect sight, diligently working on the truck. Suddenly, she began feeling bad for not tell him that she was pregnant yet. She was going to, it'll get harder to conceal later, but she knew as soon as she told him there wouldn't be any more traveling, no more protests. It's what they loved to do. To be vagabonds, them against the world, fighting for the greater good. And she hoped, god she dearly hoped, the world will be good enough for their baby and that their efforts weren't in vain.

On her walk back to the truck, Bill was in the driver's seat about to test his efforts. "Maybe we can thumb it? Someone's gotta be headed that way?" She suggested.

"Hold on," he turned the key in the ignition and the engine roared to life again. "Yes, baby!" He patted the dashboard. "Quick, get the hood down," he told his wife, "we're not too far!"

His wife happily hopped in the truck ready to fight the good fight with the people. She reached to turn volume dial on the radio to listen to Time of the Season by The Zombies but it was quickly interrupted by a news bulletin.

"Sorry to interrupt this radio broadcast but now a message from President Richard Nixon."

"Ugh," she rolled her eyes, "just turn it down." She was about to turn the dial herself but Bill grabbed her hand, stopping her from doing so.

"Shh, wait," he said.

"We today," Nixon spoke, "January 23, 1973, have concluded in agreement to end the war and bring peace with honor in Vietnam."

"What!?" She nearly yelled.

"It's over!? It's over babe!" Bill cheered, kissing the back of her hand. "Straight out of that rat bastards mouth!" He laughed.

She leaned back into her seat, in shock, and in sadness. Thinking of her brother, how he never made it to this day. Bill sensed where her thoughts were because he too began to think of Joe and Charlie. Charlie didn't make it either and Joe came back literally half a man losing both his legs. He laced his fingers in hers.

"I know love. But Jimmy and Charlie, you know they're cheering where ever they're at now. We did it, it worked."

She nodded. "Yeah..." she said coming out of her funk. "All the times we marched in the heat, in the rain, the blistered feet, bailing me out of jail. We did it. We're not going to a protest anymore we're going to a party."

"Exactly! We won this fight and now we keep going on for civil rights as we have been. Cause if it works, equality's gonna work!" Bill said excitedly feeling hopeful for the future. His wife listened to him preaching on, feeling proud and adoring him. It was such a contrast to the man she first met, he was a bit square then. But that clean cut square, now with his pushed back, messy shag hair and mustache, was going to be the father of her baby.

Sure enough, they arrived to a massive block party after hearing the good news. People cheered and danced in the streets of Berkeley. She relished in it, savoring it before she had to tell Bill she was pregnant. He wanted to keep going to protests to fight and God knew she wanted to, too. Maybe she could convince him to do sit-ins? Or maybe they could bring water coolers and sit in the truck bed, a new baby on her lap, passing out water to marchers? Something. She didn't want to leave it all behind.

They went off to the side of the celebration sitting along the curb having their lunch. They ended up sharing it with others, they didn't mind at all. They stayed late speaking with other activist and sharing the victory and left exhausted from the festivities at Berkeley. On the way home, she slept she couldn't help it, it seemed as if she was always tired lately. Before leaving a guy they met at Berkeley offered to take a look at their truck and like a godsend had an extra part for their issues. Bill drove confident they were making a straight shot home this time.

She woke up near home. Immediately, her mind went back to the baby. She had to tell him, her conscience was nagging her to. "Bill..." she began.

"You can sleep," he rubbed her arm, "I'll carry you in. You've been sleepy lately, huh?"

"Yeah..."

Bill turned the corner pulling up to their little humble one-bedroom rental. "Don't get out, yet. I'll open your door," he said to her.

"Wait." She said causing him to pause. He didn't like the weariness in her voice.

"Is everything alright?"

"Yeah."

"Then what is it?"

"I just want to tell you that, I love you," she chickened out at the last second.

Bill lightly chuckled. "Well, I love you too baby... Is that all?" He sensed it wasn't with how she was fidgeting with her hands. If her hair wasn't tied up she'd be running her fingers through the ends of it, it was her usual nervous tick.

Her conscious was yelling at her at this point and having backed herself into a corner now she blurted it out. "I'm pregnant." Bill sat taken aback. "I'm having a baby," she said now feeling better know that he knew. A weight lifted.

"Really? A baby?" He sighed it out so sweetly. "A baby," tears brewed but he blinked them away.

"You're not upset?" She bit her lip.

"No never. I'm the happiest man in the world right now. Why would you think that?"

"Because we won't be traveling anymore and marching..."

"It'll only be for a little while. And we can stay here until the baby comes or we'll leave if that's what you want? Or we can find something better, we have time."

She nodded, tears falling from her eyes, feeling grateful for the man she fell in love with. A man who from the very beginning jumped in to change the world with her without an ounce of hesitation. A man she was finally going to have a child with.

"Baby, don't cry," he held onto her as she cried on his chest. "It's us against the world. We're gonna make it work, okay? I promise. You make me so incredibly happy, whatever we end up doing, we're free. With you I'm free."

"I love you," she was able to choke out.

Bill laughed. He was going to be a dad. His heart couldn't have been fuller. "Today, was a good day, right? Despite the truck," he said trying to cheer her up. "Baby, you're having a baby!" He finally got a laugh from her. "And they'll come to rallies with us. On top of my shoulders with a little 'fuck Nixon' sign in their little hands, huh?" He kissed her. "We gotta make that happen."

FIN