#mike was so STRESSED and so DISTRACTED the ENTIRE TIME i see so much of myself in him

[apocalypse-shuffle]

PETER PARKER | SPIDER-MAN (tasm)

────────────────────

────────────────────

“Break” (Peter Parker x Fem!Reader)

| You visit Pete to let off some stress and to get out of your own head. He’s more than happy for the distraction.

| NSFW, 18+, minors dni, cockwarming, oral (male receiving), spacing out, in a zoom meeting

| Picture source: Spider-Man: No Way Home (left) and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (right)

| 1k+ words

You close your laptop only a little harshly, finally done with your work for the day. Now, you could read or do something else to decompress and rest your eyes from the strain of your computer screen, but something is pushing you towards your boyfriend in specific.

You know that - in a shocking twist of events - he’s working on a group project for one of his classes before the deadline and whilst not under threat of death, so you haven’t seen him in a few hours. He’s never rejected your presence as long as you weren’t disruptive though, so? You shrug and walk off towards his room. No harm in testing it out. You feel the tiniest bit deprived of your Peter and you want to give your mind a break anyway.

When you poke your head around the bedroom door he turns to you languidly, no startling and no obvious irritation on his face. Considering he likely heard you traveling towards him you’d take all that as a good sign. You nod to yourself and walk in, carefully clicking the door shut.

He taps his pen absentmindedly against the scarcely filled notebook by his hands.

“What’s up?” his voice is soft and he gives you his usual bright utterly smitten smile that makes you want to die (in a good way). “Class go well?”

You smile just as sappily back at him and revel in the way it makes him soften even more.

“It was alright.” You incline your head as he chuckles. “I could use some of your company though. You know, if it’s not too much to ask?”

“Ooof - I don’t know? My schedule’s pretty packed. I’ll have to check with my assistant to see if there’s any way I can move some things around.” He takes a second to unmute to declare he’s still present, apparently on hold because of complications on somebody else’s end. He beckons you over right afterwards though, grinning. “Well lucky you, Pretty Girl, it seems like I can squeeze you in. You have something to do?”

You shrug, leaning against the door.

“I have four hours to waste, which means I have four hours to relax. If you wanna fuck around some?”

His eyes widen briefly before he starts hurriedly moving things around.

“Oh,” he breathes. He knows exactly how you like to fuck around when your stressed. “Like right now, you mean? Cause I uhh-”

The moment you slip off your shorts Peter’s tongue catches. All he can do after that is look at you wide eyed for the entire time it takes you to cross the room to his desk. He only snaps out of it when you’re kneeling in front of him and running your hands up his thighs.

He makes a choked noise, hand jerking up to cover his mike and pull it away from his mouth even with it already being off. He scrambles to click his camera off a second later too.

“Are you sure?”

He whispers it like a kid with an especially juicy secret about stuff that was only really drama to people below the age of twelve, and you laugh, shrugging.

“I mean if you’re sure then yeah. You’re the one who’s on call right now.” Your lips purse after that as a thought strikes you and you shake your head.

Honestly, that was pretty sound reasoning to not keep going so you switch gears, standing and starting to move for the living room again.

“Or maybe we shouldn’t. I’m pretty sure this is the first time I’ve seen you sit down to work with those people since the semester started,” you throw over your shoulder.

Peter’s chair squeaks as he pushes it back.

“No no no, get your pretty self back here.”

The telltale thwip of his web-shooters sounds a moment before webbing hits your side and you’re being spun around. The yelp you let out turns quickly into laughter as Peter comes back into view while reeling you in.

“That’s not a very responsible use of your powers, Spider.”

Peter grins, arms circling your lower half, and you wrap your hands around his forearms to stabilize yourself.

“Oh really? You know what I think is irresponsible?”

“What?” you mock softly.

Peter chuckles and the hands on your hips squeeze, pulling you even closer. Pressed flush together he places a short kiss to your lips and you can’t not let out a tiny sigh at that.

“You being a tease when you know I can’t get enough of you.” Peter leans in and kisses you a little longer this time. When he pulls back away his eyes are twinkling and his pupils are a little blown, “Please can you get back on your knees for me? I mean you’ve got your pants off and everything, it'd be a real shame to waste that.”

“A shame. Really?”

Peter nods fully serious at your dubious tone.

“Yeah, worth shedding a few tears over. You want me to cry in front of all these people, Pretty Girl? Cause I will.”

That, that overdramatic lilt to his voice, has you rolling your eyes and sucking your teeth. “Just hurry up and sit down - but know I'm not taking any crap for how low your group participation rating is gonna be.”

Peter’s smile is blinding, “Totally fair,” he nods. A second later he swoops in to kiss you some more, leading you back to his desk without coming up for air and then darting around to move all his stuff around to make room for you.

“Give me a second to finish this module then I’m all yours, K?”

His voice is rushed as he’s looking at you with obvious interest and you nod, you could wait a few extra minutes. Especially considering that you could act annoyed with him all you wanted, but at the end of the day this had been your idea first; he was accommodating you.

You kneel on the carpeted floor, hidden under the desk you’d gifted him after riding the subway with it balanced on your head.

When you’re settled down there you wait maybe five minutes for him to say a portion of his piece before deciding it’d be way more fun to fuck with him a little. You smile up at him, making sure to catch the panic that flashes across his face, before leaning in and ghosting the tip of your nose over where you know his cock is hiding in his shorts.

You make eye contact, “Can I?”

Peter’s leg jumps and the rest of his sentence comes out in a rushed choked up jumble.

That soft needy question you pose is apparently all the incentive he needed to let you start before he’s finished presenting though because in a second he’s reaching his hand back for one of his pillows and dropping it down for you to kneel on. You do so with a small chuckle and a “thank you.”

He’s trembling and giving you the most eager looks in between participating, voice mainly only keeping steady because you’ve stopped trying to distract him. Now you just want him in your mouth, no mischief needed. Though he is still fidgeting; partially because he knows if the inclination struck you you could easily embarrass the hell out of him. All that vigilante shit be damned Spider-man may be ingurigable but Peter’s greatest weakness was you.

You laugh and move to pull his pants down his thighs with his assistance. Once he’s free to your satisfaction you brush the lightest kiss to his happy trail. He sighs, meeting your gaze intermittently as he talks through his turns. In response you trail featherlight kisses down to his cock, which is steadily hardening for your consideration, kiss at his base and then travel down to lick over his balls.

His voice stutters harshly over his next sentence and you smile before pulling away. He gives you this aggrieved desperate look, making as if he’s about to start complaining you, but you wave him off.

“Easy baby,” you mouth right before making him gasp by kissing his tip and then wrapping your lips around his head.

You keep your pace easygoing as Peter stutters and stops over his words; as he trembles against you, dick twitching while you slowly engulf him.

You wring your first moan out of him when you’ve gotten him all the way down your throat, mind steadily blanking on anything other than the weight of him on your tongue and the slight twinge in your jaw, when the back of your throat swallows over his head and you hum happily.

His head drops down and his hand clumsily snaps out to mute his microphone.

“O-oh, oh my god. It’s like you’re trying to kill me -fuck,” he groans.

You barely hear him, have no clue that when he moaned that he nearly did it for everyone to hear. You're just losing yourself in the sensations. The way he pulses in your mouth, the occasional twitch as he struggles not to fuck into your throat, how your jaw feels, the stretch of your lips, and then the drool running clear like polished glass down your chin and dripping onto Peter’s balls.

You sigh, going limp against him when his hand moves to your head. He burrows his fingers into your thick curls to get a firm grip but doesn’t do anything else. You swallow around his cock again in thanks, only in tune with the way it makes him shift against you. In the strangled noise he makes. The fact he’s on call isn’t even a factor any more; just his pleasure and how he feels in your mouth.

Your eyes flutter shut happily as he scratches blunt nails against your scalp.

“God baby,” he gasps and you whine just the tiniest bit, pussy twinging between your legs. Your hands don’t move from their position in your lap though.

Peter’s got you. The thought echoes in your mind nicely as you hand over control. You don’t have to worry about anything else but him.

- - -

Peter curses above your head, completely unregistered by you, and then rushes to get himself excused. You’re making him feel very good and for that you deserve all his attention - and boy does he want to give it. Plus, you dropped so fast that he’s a bit worried about you; it typically took way more coaxing from him to get you so completely out of your own head like this.

He’s extra careful with his movements as he logs off and shuts down his setup, but eyes draw fully to you once he’s done and don’t leave. You were too pretty like this, face relaxed like it only ever was in sleep with your lips stretched to accommodate his girth.

He brushes his free hand over your face when he shifts too much for your liking and you let out an utterly disparaging whine.

“Shh, Pretty Girl, it’s alright. You’re doing so good for me, you know that? I’ve got you I promise,” he grinds forward the smallest bit, moaning when you squeeze down. “So so good.”

NOTES: Hope you enjoyed!

I plan on posting spider-verse fics soon but since I’ve been working on this TASM!Spidey one I decided to go ahead and post it first.

Mind any inconsistencies/typos pls! I’ll get to them eventually.

btw: if you’d like to leave a comment I’d very much appreciate it. this is a sideblog tho so I won’t respond.

[aetheternity]

Hard pass (Levi x reader)

(Enjoy a beautiful pic of chubby cheeked Levi)

Synopsis: Levi is forced out of his comfy dorm room and in a strange twist of events right into your arms at a college party.

"No."

"But I haven't even finished the question yet.." Hange sighed

"You want me to come to one of these pointless weekend parties that you go to almost every Saturday." Levi responded, fingers clicking quickly against his laptops keyboard.

"Come on Levi, if I got forced into going you have to come too." Erwin said with exasperation thick in his tone.

"How did you stupidly end up saying yes?" Levi questioned looking up from his laptop with a small raise of his brow.

Erwin shook his head almost in shame. "Hange offered to purchase that book I've wanted all semester. The one I couldn't find for any cheaper than 350." He shrugged, "Speaking of which how do you plan on paying for it?"

"Don't worry about that. Worry about the party we're all going to have so much fun at tonight."

"I said no." Levi grunted

"Oh come on!" Hange's voice echoed in the small dorm room.

"What else are you going to be doing? You know besides staring at a screen all night and cleaning Mike's side of the room?"

Mike was an over all good roommate despite his cluttered space. Levi had known him his entire almost three years of college and after a while they'd become friends. Though Levi still sometimes found himself cleaning up after Mike because he just couldn't stand the growing clothes pile on the other side of the room.

"So what?" Levi shrugged rereading the same paragraph again because Hange kept distracting him.

"So?! Do you really wanna sit in here on a Saturday night again instead of going to get some pussy like Mike is probably doing?"

"That's so inappropriate Hange." Erwin commented

"Take the stick out of your ass we're all grownups here." Hange replied shooting Erwin a weak stare which Erwin reciprocated. "Come on! What'd I have to do to get you to come?"

Levi rubbed his eyelids. He knew this would pretty much be his night if he didn't go but parties definitely weren't his thing. Though somehow this might be mildly worse.

"One fucking hour. No more no less." He finally agreed

"YES!" Hange screamed so loud it could probably be heard in the building next door.

"Look who else stupidly ended up saying yes." Erwin smirked

"Shut up, I just want to be able to work in silence sometime tonight.

"Sure sure."

"Get ready! We'll be waiting downstairs!" Hange bounced

~ ~ ~ ~

It took Levi about thirty minutes to get ready. His attire comprised of a dark red shirt, black dress pants and a black jacket hung over his shoulder. He hopped into Hange's car ignoring the groans of how this was a party not a funeral and how him and Erwin sucked at having fun.

He hadn't even entered the front door yet and he was already praying for this hour to be quick. He didn't technically have to rush back to his paper since he was ahead of schedule for all of his classes. But he still hated to leave an unfinished paper just lying around. Even if only for an hour.

The drive was surprisingly (and thankfully) pretty short. Though Levi was surprised when they headed into a dorm building. Hange took the lead as they climbed up the stairs though the higher they got the worse the smell got.

Erwin coughed fanning his face, "God that is an ungodly odor." And Levi quickly followed suit wrinkling his nose.

"Can't have a party without it." Hange replied with a small laugh.

"Disgusting." Levi responded

"You can definitely have a party without weed." Erwin groaned

"Your stuffy book meetings are parties Erwin."

Levi almost wanted to laugh at this but he kept his composure. They finally rounded a corner coming up to a door where a guy and a girl were outstretched on the floor. Both of whom had drinks in their hands. They both greeted Hange and Hange quickly greeted them back.

"Alright boys. Time to party." She delighted

The booming music that Levi could hear out in the hallway went from mildly obnoxious to instantly pounding. Levi hated it. He might have to find a way to sneak out before the hour was up. Though at the moment Hange was pulling both him and Erwin by their collars as if she was scared either of them would make a run for it.

"You guys hungry?!" She asked "Let's go get some chips!"

It felt like the farther in you went the worse the godforsaken music sounded. And in such a small dorm. How was everyone not deaf? Somehow though it looked like almost everyone was ignoring the music. There were people on the floor making out, people talking, a guy laying in the sink with a lampshade over his head..

And throughout all of it Hange was getting greeted left and right. It was honestly weird seeing as Levi had never seen Hange with anyone other than him and Erwin. They finally reached the snack table where Hange quickly shoved the bowl of chips into Levi's hands.

Levi grumbled but Hange just smiled, "Come on guys, Loosen up this is your first party after all!" She sighed, loudly rubbing both of their backs.

Levi wordless handed the chip bowl to Erwin. "I've been to parties." Erwin replied, taking a chip and slowly chewing it.

"Your fifteenth birthday is not what I'm talking about." She huffed, "You guys are totally missing out on what makes college fun!"

"Watching people shove their tongues into each other's mouths and get drunk in a room that is far too hot and too crowded while music bumps obnoxiously over every word you say so you have to lose your voice screaming?"

"Yes! Isn't that great?!" Erwin and Levi simultaneously groaned over Hange's enthusiasm. "Here, come on have a beer!" She handed both boys a bottle. Levi stared at it plainly, that is until a voice shakes him from his gaze.

"Hey Hange!" This voice is much sweeter. So much more comforting to hear than the agitating speaker. He looked up in time to freeze in his place. His eyes transfixed on the person currently in front of him.

"Y/N! Hey, I didn't know you were coming out tonight."

"Yeah, my roommate forced me. She said I've been too stressed lately." Her smile was bright under all the strobe lights. Everything about her felt bright from her eyes to the shimmer of her hair. Was her hair shimmering? Maybe it was Levi's imagination.

Y/N? Was that what Hange called her? What a pretty name for such a pretty girl.. How could Hange know someone like you?

"You remember Erwin right?" Hange asked, which temporarily shook Levi from his thoughts.

Erwin stuck out his hand, "Hi again Y/N." Erwin knew you too??

"Hey! Erwin, let me guess you still haven't found that impressively old book full of research from like 1853?" Their hands stayed together for a minute longer than Levi would've liked.

"Incorrect, the only reason I'm here is because I found it."

She nodded her smile still warm and giving Levi a warmth that spread through his abdomen like a flame. "Sorry, I'm a little off my radar tonight. I'm the designated deliverer. Deliever because I'm just walking my drunk friends a couple floors down later."

Hange gave a brief laugh, "Where is Sasha by the way?"

Y/N searched for a second. "I'm hoping she's across the hall because I've been trying to escape all this noise all night."

"Oh! Right by the way this is Levi!"

Y/N's gaze turned from Hange to Levi and she stretched out her hand. "Oh hi Levi." She said

"H-H-Hi.." Levi said, hand shaking as he placed it in her's. She giggled and Levi swore he felt her thumb rub the back of his hand.

"Well, I better go look for Sasha. I can't go back to our room till she's with me. Come across the hall later I'll probably still be there."

"Sure, sounds good!" Hange replied

Y/N smiled, "Nice to see you again Erwin, Bye Levi."

Levi could've sworn up and down that Y/N had said his name differently. She had to have right? Her tone was so sultry.. the words ran through Levi's brain replying over and over. Shivers coursing up and down his spine-

"I can't tell if Levi looks red from the strobe lights or if he's flushed." Levi turned at Erwin's words cupping his face before grunting at how hot he felt.

Oh no..

"I can't believe you have crush on my friend!"

Levi felt his face grow even hotter. "I don't! Sh-shut up." He outwardly huffed over how pathetic he was being. His heart felt so heavy in his chest

"OH MY GOD SO CUTE!!" Surprisingly enough Hange caught the attention of a few people. "THIS'LL BE GREAT! I CAN BE YOUR WINGMAN!"

"Shut the fuck up Hange!" Levi practically growled. Erwin nodded to the people staring at them. "Shut up.. I-I don't have a crush on her.."

Hange finally stopped bouncing and weirdly fell silent as she stood staring at her best friend. "Fine, let's go across the hall then."

Levi's heart instantly fluttered. "But we just got here?" Erwin said, seemingly questioning his own weird reluctance to go across the hall when he definitely hated it here as much as Levi.

"No real reason. I mean. It's just that it's quieter over there. Everyone over there is just drinking and talking." Hange responded already walking towards the door. Levi felt his feet move without his consent practically bumping into Hange's back as he hurried out behind her. Erwin quickly following.

Hange knocked twice on the door across the hall. And the three of them walked in. And Levi didn't even realize how much of a relief it was to be here until the smell hit his noise and the peaceful chatter hit his ears.

Hange huffed but Levi barely noticed, his eyes scanning the room for Y/N.

"It's so quiet here. I'm not fond of this I might go back across the hall and you guys can stay here."

Erwin immediately protested, "We don't know anyone here."

"Yeah, but I didn't even get to enjoy the music!" Hange pouted stomping slightly like a child.

"You forced us to come now you have to stay with us." Erwin replied, "Besides-" he looked at Levi who was staring at three slightly cracked doors. "This could be way better."

"Soooooooo!" Hange smirked, elbowing Levi's shoulder.

Levi immediately tended up at the feeling. His gaze steely and cold. "What?"

"How are you gonna ask out Y/N?"

Levi's face betrayed him, turning a deep red at the spur of the moment question. "I'm not asking shit."

"Oh come on! I did not bring you two to this party for absolutely nothing exciting to happen."

"If you like her you should tell her Levi." Erwin replied honestly

Levi scowled, "I don't.."

"Yeah ok so let's pretend you're not talking out of your ass." Hange says, leading both boys over to the couch. "Nevermind we can't cause you're talking out of your ass."

"Tch."

"Is she even here?" Erwin asked

Levi did a quick look around once more just as you were coming out of the bedroom. A loud sigh falling off your lips.

"Hey!" She smiled "Didn't expect to see you guys so soon again."

"Oh yeah well, we just couldn't wait to see you again." Hange remarked ignoring the daggers Levi was sending her. "Come sit with us." Hange offers.

Y/N moves closer to sit between Hange and Erwin until Hange places a hand on her back. "No no no, you don't wanna sit here.. Erwin just let one rip. The whole room is gonna smell soon." She waved her hand in front of her nose and Erwin glared at her. "Sit next to Levi!" She offered

A part of Levi was genuinely thinking about how much Hange would sell for on Amazon while another part of him was relieved for the small plop of the seat next to him as you sat down. The way you reached forward to grab the tea cup you'd placed on the table.

It was easier now to see your curves and as much as Levi tried to hide his staring he couldn't help it. His eyes raking over every inch of your body he could see. Luckily you weren't paying attention to the way the tips of his ears grew redder by the second.

"You put her to sleep in someone else's room?" Hange laughed

"Well I think they're ordering another pizza so she's probably gonna wake up when she smells that."

And your smell.. Levi couldn't tell if it was your hair or your body but your smell was intoxicating right now. So mellow and sweet yet strong and vibrant.

"Uggghhh good cause I'm starving!"

Y/N laughed, "Ah I remember when I had to hear something like that every morning."

"That English class was way too early in the morning and you know it!" Hange laughed. Erwin had turned to his phone clearly more relaxed by the atmosphere.

"So, Levi what's your major?" Y/N suddenly turned to ask.

Levi blinked, then opened his mouth only to shut it again. His eyes were practically bulging and he felt like his face would melt off.

"He's business law." Hange helped clearly also holding in a laugh as Levi could only nod quietly.

"Oh. You know I know someone whose in-

"Y/N.. Where's my bed.." All four of you turned at once as a brown haired girl stumbled around in the space. "My bed.." she repeated staggering around.

"Ooo ok, you want you want your bed?" Y/N stood grabbing hold of the girl's waist. She giggled in delight and Y/N rubbed her back with a grin. "I'm gonna take Sasha downstairs."

"Are you going to come back?" Erwin asked and Levi was relieved in a way because he definitely wouldn't be able to get the words out.

"Mm, I don't think so. I'll see if she goes down easy then I might." She shrugged and Sasha giggled again. "Alright, time for bed." She chirped leading the girl in her arms out and soon far away from Levi's view.

He felt his stomach twist. Silently wishing he knew what being held like that by you felt like.

[cosplayproblemsposts]

Erwin Smith x M! Reader

Summary: Your Mikes younger bother and instead of great sense of smell you have an enhance hearing, Evey time your with Erwin you could hear his heart beat increase. When you ask him about it he makes up a stupid but yet reasonable excuse, Mike on the other hand isn’t convince.  

Warning: Fluff and Male x male Including sad ending/Long.

It’s a normal morning with normal things but the one thing that isn’t normal is the constant noise you hear every time. “This is starting to get on my nerves” You hear levi from at least a few doors away from you. Levi is struggling with paper work while Hange is dealing with the two titans in the courtyard and your brother is sniffing Connie.

Everybody else is continuing with their lives while you try to distract yourself. Y/N makes his way to the dinning hall to see if his older brother is still smelling Connie or not but halfway there you heard the one heart beat you’ll listen to for hours on end. Non-other than Commander Erwin came rounding the corner with his face impulsing the daily prophet.

“Hey Erwin” you smiled and waved while Erwin face turns 50 shades darker when he saw your wide smile, ‘Bump’ Bump’ Bump’. The commanders heart beat increases unhealthy and he knew you could hear it.

Erwin feels vulnerable whenever your around “How are you” you said while looking up at the blonde “I-I’m fine”. You frowned “your face has gone completely red, are you sure your fine” Erwin nods while propping his green hood over his face.

“Hey Mikey” You called to your older brother who is now smelling Marco (in this one Marco survived because of you). “Mikey” the horse face cadet snickers while you rolled your eyes at his childish reaction. “Your just sad because you don’t have any siblings” Jean frowned and gave you a death glare.

“Oh come on have you ever done the dishes before” you rolled up your sleeves while you took control. You bumped your hips into Marcos who is drying the dishes while Jean huffed “I have and I think I’m pretty good”. You stuck your tongue out at him “Well good isn’t great nor is it the best” Jean once again scoffed with wet hands.

Mike and Erwin watches while you showed them how to clean probable because Levi surprisingly praises you quietly. “You like my brother” Erwin seized his head and attention to the much taller male “Oh..I wouldn’t say like I would have to say you love him”. “No I don’t, he is one of the fellow higher ups and..” Erwin falls silent when Mike smirks smugly “That’s what they all say, Y/N is your Mr Lover-man”.  

“Okay but you have to dust the brim too” you said drying your hands after you done the dishes with the help of Marco as Connie and Sasha are attending to the large windows. Connie sighed “Why are we cleaning the dinning hall” you smiled at the young boy “You and Jean decided to go against Levis orders and now you have to face your punishment”.

Your conversation was yesterday and now it’s the first try to reclaim wall maria “Okay everyone stay in formation”. You clung to Erwin's side with you hobbling with your horse “Erwin do you think we’ll be able to have more meat after” Erwin could only smile while you asked such a question in the worst time ever. “I don’t know” he ruffled your hair while you smiled, that stress reliving smile is the one thing Erwin wants the most in his life.

You made it to the large tree infested forest with Titans behind you, “Erwin” you call out while abandoning your horse after she collapse. You dashed your way to him within the air. Erwin grabbed you in-mid air when he stood up while his horse still ran “Are you okay” you nod. 

You watch while your horse is ignored by the human eating beast “I hope she’ll be okay” Erwin smiled down at you. “Of course she’ll be fine” you tightened your grip around your commander strong hips. “Thank you Erwinie” the blonde grins at his stupid but cute nickname “Your welcome love”.

“Mikey” you hug your older brother when you met up with him deeper in the forest “Hey...what happened” you smiled while gesturing what happened. “And Erwin he reached out to me while he stood in his fall height to catch me” Hange paid attention so closely while Mike watched including Levi and Erwin.

“Your saying she is exactly like Eren” You said while the female titan is strap within iron hooks Erwin nods while you gasps. “Woah, now that’s some next level stuff” once again Erwin smiles down at you “I know it’s very impressive” Hange said while joining your little fan boying moment.

You hold the same passions as Hanges but isn’t so intense compared to hers “You think we’ll be able to see who it is” you said while sitting down against the large tree. “yes but how are we gonna get her out” Erwin said while he tap his boot against yours to which cause a small smile on his. “Stop that, it feels weird” Erwin grins.

All a sudden the large titan shrieked with a blood shot roar, you covered your eyes while Erwin covered you from the flying bark from fellow trees. “What ways that all a about” Erwin said until you and your brother said in sync “There coming from the east” you heard ear shuttering stomping while Mike smelled the titan filth.

Erwin covered your overly sensitive ears with his large ones and shouted out “protect the female titan”. To you his mouthing out an order with pure leadership but than that whole thing was merely two months ago including your death.

It happened when the beast titan showed up, you sacrificed yourself for your brother. You pushed him out the way when his horse came flying towards him. The conclusion is you took his place, the hairy titan took your valuable piece to your O.M.N.I gear.

Your screams froze your brother while the selfish titans tore into you with little effort. Mike blamed himself while Erwin is whimpering in his office. Levi explode his office. 

Levis paperwork swam within the air with drawers being flung opened including broken pens and ink drowning in the carpet. You were Levi best friend and he couldn’t help but hold a caring nature towards you.

Hange is trying to distract herself with new found research but sadly she found herself sobbing uncontrollable, she even started humming your moldy you sang to her when she was once injured. She was your first friend you have ever made and you loved her company including her psychotic behavior.

Mike hasn’t came out of his room for over three weeks, he couldn’t eat even sleeping was a problem for it was your favorite part. He even stopped bathing for he didn’t want to remember how you took care of him when he couldn’t, you’ll go as far to bathe him. Siblings are truly close if you bothered to hold onto their love.  

Erwin hasn’t left his office including his bedroom that is connected to his study. He hasn’t spoken a word to anyone expect muttering how it could have been him instead of you. Erwin completely cut off everyone for an entire month only for Hange to save him from himself. 

“I miss my Mr. Lover-man” Erwin sobbed after staring down at your grave on your mid 20′s birthday.                                      

[erekiosuncreativeideas]

The Part-Time Puppeteer - Chapter 07

<= Chapter 6

Summary : It is time for Lukas to show his acting skills... But of course, nothing can stick to the plan, can it? Also available on AO3 : https://archiveofourown.org/works/23828971/chapters/81199699

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

New chapter, woohooo ! This one was fun to write, I hope you'll like it ! Happy reading !

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Chapter 7 - “But what if I fail?”

Eventually, Lukas’ anger slowly disappeared, only to be replaced by a growing stage fright. The more seconds passed, the more his stomach hurt, and he felt like a weight was settling on his shoulders. As time went on, he was starting to regret agreeing to this whole thing- fuck, fuck, he should have said no, he should have insisted, why in the hell did he even agree to this…!

The student jumped as he heard a knock on the door and, for a small moment, he thought it was MJ coming back. However, he quickly pushed that idea away- there was no way that jerk would be polite enough to knock- he hadn’t the first time. But as the young man wondered who could be behind the door, it opened slightly. Through the small opening, Lukas’ eyes fell on Grooves. Instantly, his face paled up- oh gosh, it was time, already?

-“Ah, Mike told me you’d be in here,” the director’s suave voice brought him back to reality, and the student swallowed nervously.

-“Is… Is it time?” he asked, his voice trembling and full of anxiety.

The other didn’t respond right away, and entered the room instead, quietly closing the door behind him.

-“No, you still have a few more minutes,” his boss replied, though that didn’t reassure Lukas, on the contrary. If the director was there, then it meant something, right? He couldn’t think of any possible reason on why DJ Grooves would come into Mike’s workshop- and even then, from the other’s words, it was like he had been looking for him.

This… Didn’t sound so good, suddenly. And apparently, his fear must have been quite visible on his features, as the director seemed to notice it:

-“Okay, listen, darling,” he started, clasping his hands: “The Conductor and I were talking with our investor, the person funding this whole project.”

-“Oh, yeah, Mike told me something like that,” the young man nodded, still feeling anxious: “Is… Is something wrong?”

Perhaps the other was there to tell him they were going to take MJ back? It seemed like this conversation was important enough, and honestly it sounded like DJ Grooves was trying to bring up a sensitive subject. But maybe it was for the best? Lukas was not an actor, and they did promote him out of the blue, without really thinking about it- Although, why would they tell him to learn the lines all for nothing? Before he even got the chance to display his “acting skills”? He had used his own free time to learn them, it was a bit frustrating to have memorized them if he weren’t even going to get his chance.

His internal monologue was interrupted by DJ Grooves’ low voice:

-“Listen, I’ll be honest with you. MJ isn’t a great person to be around, but he is famous. When we announced to our investor we had pushed him out of the project, he… Wasn’t exactly pleased.”

The young man lowered his eyes and nodded- yeah, that made sense. Sure, MJ was a jerk, but he would have attracted more attention on the show.

-“So, you’ll take him back on the team?” guessed Lukas, who wasn’t so surprised, though perhaps disappointed. Of course, it was less stress on his shoulders, but… Yeah, he would be lying if he said it hadn’t brought him some excitement, or some change in his anxious routine. But it was certainly the best choice to make- however, that meant MJ would have the time of his life humiliating him about this, especially after their argument.

-“What? No,” the director frowned, his expression turning confused for a moment: “I mean… That is why I’m here, actually.”

It was Lukas’ time to be perplexed now, and he couldn’t help but tilt his head, not really sure to understand what the other was trying to say.

-“Look, darling, you did a good job yesterday. However, our investor is very insistent on keeping MJ on the team, because all he’s seeing is a celebrity who’s going to attract attention. And don’t get me wrong, it’s true,” he raised his hands, like he was defending himself: “But that means you need to prove your worth to him more than anything.”

Oh no. No, no, no, he could see where this was going.

-“Wait, wait…” he interrupted the other, his face paling up: “Are you implying this is some kind of… Exam?”

The man in front of him readjusted his glasses while raising his eyebrows, an unimpressed expression on his face:

-“Oh, I’m not implying anything, darling,” he answered simply: “I’m stating it, this is exactly what it’s going to be.”

It was like a cold shower for the young man, who was having a very tight knot in his stomach. His breathing increased in pace, and so did his heartbeat. Oh, fuck, fuck, he was going to hyperventilate, shit, this couldn’t be happening- he couldn’t do this! Playing a role was one thing, but having the future of a show depending on his sole performance was too much, way too much- okay, yeah, they’d probably get MJ back if he failed, but that still meant his performance would be examined.

This was too much stress for him to handle, he couldn’t, he just couldn’t-!

-“Woah, there, hey,” the director’s suave voice wasn’t enough to calm him down, but it did distract him slightly from his new panic attack. He felt something brushing his back hesitantly, and it didn’t take him long to understand DJ Grooves was trying to comfort him- but it only made it worse. Lukas didn’t like being touched when his anxiety was at its peak. He stepped away, and the director didn’t insist.

-“I… Suppose I did good to tell you in advance,” the other added, visibly uncomfortable by the current situation.

-“I can’t,” Lukas breathed out, really doing his best to calm himself down, in vain: “I didn’t even apply for this, I can’t, I just…”

His head was starting to spin from the stress, and he quickly sat down, not wanting to collapse on his second day at his job. He leaned against the wall and took deep breaths, bringing his hands up to rub his eyes. God, being so tired really wasn’t helping his mental state… Sounds of muffled fabric next to him caught his attention, and when he looked at his side, he was surprised to see DJ Grooves sitting next to him.

-“It’s okay to be scared, darling,” he spoke again, his voice sounding more reassuring than before: “It’s your first time acting, it’s normal. But you have something, you have potential.”

The student scoffed and rolled his eyes with an ironic smile:

-“Yeah, right. The only reason I’m replacing MJ is to teach him a lesson. I’m not stupid.”

The director shot him yet another unimpressed look:

-“You really think we’d lose production time just to punish a full-grown adult? You think it’s worth wasting a day of work?”

That made Lukas wince, and he looked away, falling silent. Yeah, okay, that was fair, but that didn’t mean it was the right decision to make!

-“I’m not going to lie, you do need some training, but there’s a spark in there,” he pointed to the young man: “You might not be able to play any character, sure, but you have a thing with villains. It’d be stupid to let that go to waste.”

A long sigh left Lukas’ lips, and he buried his face into his hands. His panic attack was slowly dying down, but God, did he feel terrible right now… His stomach still hurt like hell, as if someone were playing with his guts and twisting them around. Fuck, the last time he had felt so stressed was for his finals the year before… And back then, he had an idea of what awaited him! Today, however? He had no fucking idea.

That terrified him.

-“I can’t do this,” he weakly mumbled through his hands: “I’m not an actor, I’m just…”

-“A part-time stagehand?” the other guessed the rest of his sentence: “Yeah, that’s what you’re going to become again if you fail. But, darling, imagine if you do impress our investor! I know you had fun yesterday,” the director nudged him, with a teasing tone.

-“N-no, I didn’t,” denied the young man, though it was a lie. He had had a blast the day before… That is, when he had managed to throw his anxiety through the window, if just for a moment. But this was different, this was… Official! Yesterday, he had thought he was helping that little girl to get that role, now… Now he was doing that for himsel f, and fuck, he was not ready for it.

-“Oooh, don’t you lie to me. Sure, you were all shy at the beginning, but then… It was like you had flipped a switch, and then, there was the spark I was speaking about.”

The student remained silent. Yeah, it was true… Somewhat. Without knowing how, he had been able to put his fear aside.

-“I just…” he spoke again after a moment, shrugging: “I thought that since I didn’t have a choice, well… I told myself ‘ why the fuck not ’, you know?”

Next to him, his interlocutor smiled, as he got to prove his point.

-“So what’s so different here, then?” the latter retorted, his voice amused: “Why don’t you flip that switch again?”

-“But what if I fail?” Lukas brought his head back up and gave his boss a distressed look.

-“Then you’ll go back to being a stagehand, which is what you applied for in the first place. You’re not losing anything, darling, we’re not going to fire you if it doesn’t work out. Acting isn’t always about success, it’s about… Passion! Doing what you love, being yourself!”

He paused for a moment, his smile widening:

-“And for you, darling, it’s about having fun.”

The words had a bigger effect on Lukas than what he had first expected. Oh, he wasn’t convinced, his anxiety was still eating him from the inside, but at least… He was reassured on the fact that his promotion wasn’t just to piss MJ off. Sure, that asshole entirely deserved it, but it was good to hear he wasn’t being used.

He was genuinely wanted on the team. Obviously, he would never be as talented as the other actor, Grooves had even been honest about that, but… At least it was motivating, knowing people thought he had potential. And if it was the case, then… Why wouldn’t he give his best? His boss was right, he had nothing to lose, so… He might as well try and see where it would take him.

Plus, he had learned all those lines, it would be stupid to give up when he tried so hard to memorize them… Especially when it had cost him two hours of sleep.

Eventually, after what felt like centuries, he let out yet another sigh, as a small smile grew on his lips:

-“Alright,” he snorted: “You win.”

It was the director’s turn to sigh in relief at the student’s approval.

-“I knew I could count on you, darling,” his face was showing clear victory, and he moved his left hand to tap the young man’s shoulder: “Let’s show them what a great performance looks like!”

An embarrassed giggle left Lukas’ mouth as he looked away:

-“Ahaha, yeah…”

The two men stood up, careful not to damage any in-progress costumes. DJ Grooves dusted himself before doing the same to Lukas, who was taken aback by the attention. But he supposed that it was part of giving this investor a good first impression… Oh fuck, he was really doing this, wasn’t he?

He shook his head, and took a deep breath. Yes, he was going to do this, he could do this!

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

No, he was not going to do this, he couldn’t do this.

Now that the young man was on the scene, puppet in hand and a tensed smile plastered on his face, his motivation had been beaten to a pulp by his raging anxiety. Contrary to when he had acted in front of his bosses, this time the room was full of people.

People who had stopped working on their task just to watch him. Mike was one of them, perhaps one of the few people sending him thumb ups as encouragement. Great friend, really, but too bad this was far from enough to make Lukas more comfortable.

-“So… Your name is… Lukas Pryce, is that it?” asked a voice who sent shivers down the student’s spine. In front of him were both the directors and the investor he had been told about. It was an old man, around the same age as the Conductor. While the latter seemed like a person not to fuck with… That other person looked like a cold blooded murderer- as if a single word would be enough to make him snap. And with the clothes he was wearing- a dark green tartan suit and black loafers… Yeah, Lukas felt he was facing the boss of a criminal organization or something.

This wasn’t reassuring him in the least .

-“Is that it?” the voice called out to him again, and he jumped, his smile faltering for a short moment.

-“Y-yes, that’s me… Sir,” he quickly added, his voice trembling. Behind the man, the young student saw the Conductor facepalming, and DJ Grooves looking away, probably feeling second-hand embarrassment.

Yeah, no, there was no fucking way he was going to do this. How was he supposed to say his lines without stammering or without even messing this whole thing up?! He had not prepared for this- not like it would have helped a lot, but it would have been much better than learning that only fifteen minutes before rehearsing!

The investor shot him an unimpressed and annoyed look, rolling his eyes. He then looked back to a copy of a script he had been given by the two directors, flipping the pages as he was searching for a scene- oh, crap, this was going to be one of the scenes Lukas had the most trouble remembering, wasn’t it? With his luck, he couldn’t see any other scenario, this was going to be the worst day of his life all the way until midnight!

The man opened his mouth after flipping through the script, only to be cut short by a door opening loudly in the back of the room. Most of the crew, including the investor, turned to see who had interrupted the rehearsal. But of fucking course it had to be him .

The biggest douche in the universe had decided to grant them all of his presence- in other words, MJ was here now, bearing the widest grin ever. He was wearing what seemed to be a very expensive fur coat, as well as sunglasses preventing people from seeing his eyes at all. In his right hands, the bastard was holding a peanut bowl, casually eating some with his left hand.

Oh, obviously, that asshole wanted to see him fail. Why else would he be here when he had no other reason to be here, without any role in this show anymore?

-“Don’t mind me,” he sang with that insufferable voice of his, loud enough for everyone to hear him: “I’m just here to watch the show,” he smiled more, and Lukas just knew there were mockery, sure, but also bitterness. Wasn’t surprising, to be fair, given the other’s personality.

The latter found himself a chair and sat down, crossing his legs and, oh, how Lukas wanted to punch that arrogant face. But he wouldn’t. He was a civilized person, after all… And a coward too, but this wasn’t the topic of the day.

A long sigh came from the investor, who turned his head back to the student with a tired look, one that clearly said “I’m tired of everyone’s bullshit right now”. It wasn’t like Lukas could blame him… Though he was too preoccupied by his own situation to care.

-“Alright… So, as I was about to say… What about the scene from the act’s finale?” the older man suggested, even if it didn’t sound like an offer.

Lukas was about to say something, but when he noticed that the investor wasn’t asking him but the directors instead, he decided to shut his mouth. Apparently, he was not being consulted in the choice of the scene… Well, at least, he was lucky enough it was one of those he knew the best. It was one of the most interesting and, perhaps it was the future lawyer talking here, but it was intense . Like all these trials he had studied, with those passionate lawyers defending their clients, guilty or not!

The kind of lawyer he wanted to become.

-“Heh, if you say so,” the Conductor shrugged, before giving Grooves a reluctant look, as if he were acknowledging his colleague’s presence, for once. DJ Grooves was taken aback by the sudden politeness, but quickly glanced at Lukas, silently asking if the scene was one the student knew well enough.

This was… A really kind attention. Quickly, the young man nodded imperceptibly, and his focus went to his script soon afterwards. Searching for the scene he was going to perform, one of his ears was still listening to the discussion in front of him.

-“I think it’s a very good choice,” replied the eccentric director, his tone then shifting to a pensive one: “but we need someone to play Hat Kid… And Hailey isn’t here today.”

DJ Grooves looked around in the room, searching for anyone who could fit the role- until he and Lukas spotted a raised hand among the crowd. Their eyes moved in its direction and- oh for fuck’s sake, why couldn’t he have one (1) good day of work here?

Of fucking course MJ would be the one to raise his hand, his face beaming with that asshole attitude. In the other side of the room, Mike was trying to catch his attention, most likely to tell him to drop it, but the actor royally ignored his twin. Now, Grooves and the Conductor were very aware of MJ’s hatred towards the student- hell, the entire crew had seen that diva throw a tantrum the previous day! So it made sense that the two directors refused his oh so kind offer.

-“I don’t think it’s a good idea, darling ,” DJ Grooves was the first to answer, frowning, and it didn’t take long for the Conductor to add his own spiky comment:

-“Yeah, laddie, why are you still in the studio?” the old man put his hands over his hips, furrowing his brows at MJ, whose face darkened at the refusal. It didn’t last too long, however, as he rapidly put on his nice, innocent mask on.

-“Oh, I just thought that, since I used to have this role before and everything… I’m probably the only one knowing these lines by heart, aren’t I?” The mask fell for a few seconds as he smiled victoriously: “Even Hailey’s lines. I don’t need the script.”

Lukas tightened his fist- God, he wanted to punch that jerk’s face so much! What was he trying to do? Prove how much of a better actor he was? Hell, this most likely was it. What a brat- how could a grown ass adult act like a child so much?!

The Conductor was about to refuse once more, and DJ Grooves certainly would have too… If it weren’t for the investor, who interrupted them both with just a gesture of his hand. For the first time since he had entered the room, the older man’s lips were curling up in an intrigued smile.

Oh, this couldn’t be good.

-“Why not,” he agreed, gesturing at MJ to stand up and come closer: “This could be interesting, don’t you think, gentlemen?” the man continued, turning his head to the two directors, who were visibly wincing. Soon after getting the go-ahead, the actor’s face lightened up with arrogance, giving off a “I told you so!” kind of vibe. He quickly took off his sunglasses and his fur coat, showing the clothes he was wearing underneath: a fancy red shirt with psychedelic patterns, a black denim jacket, dark blue skinny jeans as well as black, shiny shoes.

What a show-off. That guy had changed clothes in the small amount of time they had gotten since their argument. Was he trying to impress the investor? Seriously?

The diva walked quickly to the scene, taking the stairs two by two. From afar, Mike was watching with an aghast expression, glancing nervously at Lukas and his brother, probably fearing for a fight. And that concern was more than justified, given how much the student wanted to strangle the jerk in front of him. However, the latter knew very well the ex-stagehand couldn’t do anything, and smirked widely in consequence.

That bitch-!

-“So, here’s what we’re going to do,” the investor announced, joining his hands together, all while the Conductor and Grooves could do nothing but watch with a grimace: “You will both play your roles, MJ as Hat Kid and… Uh…”

-“L-Lukas, sir,” the student reminded him, with a nervous voice, earning a mocking look from the diva at his shyness. The student glared at him in response, though not for long, as he had to focus on the older man’s words.

-“Yes, Lukas. You will play the Moonjumper’s role. Whoever plays their role the best get to keep the job,” he then turned to the two directors, shooting them a serious glance: “And I will be the judge of that, being the one funding this whole project. Do we have a mutual understanding, here?”

The duo frowned and gritted their teeth- but they couldn’t say anything. Not only the other was right, he had a power of decision on the show given his financing, but it was also a fair deal. Whoever had the best act would get the role- but in hindsight, was it, really?

MJ was a skilled actor, who had started his show-biz career when he was still a kid. He had a dozen of blockbusters in his resume, and even more regular movies and TV shows. With years of acting and practice in that field, living the celebrity life to its fullest… He was more than capable of getting a role in a children’s show!

In comparison… Lukas was a nobody, just like MJ had told him earlier. He had no experience in acting other than what he had done the previous day. Sure, Grooves had been nice enough to say he had “”potential“”, but next to a fully accomplished actor? He was never going to win, that was obvious. And yet…

Yet, Lukas wanted to win. Not only because he wanted to piss the diva off (’cause, frankly, he deserved it), but also because he felt like… If he had to try, and if he had been forced to learn all those lines on his sleep schedule, then, why shouldn’t he give his all? After all, this was probably going to be his last time on stage. Why not enjoy it while he still could? Furthermore, if he had to bear with MJ’s mockeries after losing, it was far better to have given his all rather than just… Giving up without even trying.

His glance went back on the celebrity, giving him a determined and serious look… Before dropping the script to his feet. MJ wanted to fight like this? Then he was going to get it. That asshole wasn’t the only one who had memorized all the lines- at least, this scene.

Lukas was not going to back down.

-“Ready? And… Action!” the investor yelled in the Conductor’s loud hailer, momentarily taking the director’s role.

The student felt his stage fright disappearing. Instead, his mind was soon filled with anger, determination and energy. And so, since he had the first line… He opened his mouth, and began what was perhaps one of the silliest thing he had ever done before.

Acting.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Heeeeey, looks like we're going to have an acting battle in the next chapter ! ... I sure wonder who's going to win :)c

=> Chapter 08

[cakesunflower]

Who’s Gonna Love You Like Me? [Brother’s Best Friend!Calum AU] Part 4

A/N: hello friends! i hope wherever you’re reading this, you’re quarantined and staying healthy and safe! this is a tough time for all of us and if you or a loved one is feeling sick, i wish you a speedy and easy recovery! i hope this chapter or any of my writing provides you with even a little bit of distraction.

stay safe, stay healthy, stay inside y’all! and happy reading!!

Previous Parts: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

When Josie pulled up to the driveway of the house during her hour long lunch break, she pursed her lips at the sight of the black Range Rover parked behind Luke’s car. Josie sighed, shutting the door of her car and jingling her keys in her hand as she walked through the threshold of the house, confused gaze immediately landing on a suitcase that was settled on the ground next to the couch.

“Luke?” Josie called, her voice traveling through the house as she wandered into the kitchen. She was in dire need of some leftover spaghetti—so much so that she made the trip back home just to eat some for her lunch break. “Oh, brother of mine—where you at?”

“Why are you yelling?” She heard Luke huff as she crouched down slightly to pull out the dish of spaghetti, straightening and shutting the door with her foot. Her brother stood at the entrance of the kitchen, blonde hair pulled back in a bun, looking unfairly comfortable in his lounge wear. Someone decided to skip work. “And what’re you doing home?”

Josie lifted the bowl to show him before settling it on the counter. As she moved around to grab a bowl and fork, she answered, “Needed sustenance. What’re you doing home?” 

Luke crossed his arms over his chest, raising an eyebrow as he asked, “Didn’t you check my text?”

Scoffing dramatically as she shut the microwave to heat up her bowl, Josie faced her brother and returned, “I don’t check my texts at work or while I’m driving, Luke. I’m a responsible adult.” Sure, she remembered her phone buzzing with a text or two from him, but that didn’t necessarily mean she stopped what she was doing to check them.

He rolled his eyes, used to the playful sarcasm she’d become an expert on perfecting over the years. Fixing her with a pointed look, he said, “Calum’s moving in.”

What?

The air ceased from circulating in her lungs, prompting Josie to remain still where she stood as the smile she wore froze on her face. The beat of silence that passed between the two felt like an eternity in Josie’s ringing head, her grip on the counter behind her tightening as she forced herself to process Luke’s words quicker. Less time to make him feel suspicious as to why she was internally losing her goddamn mind. Her heart had picked up its pace, fast in the way it lodged itself in her throat as she blinked quickly.

“I—uh, why?” She hoped the smile on her face wasn’t as nervous as her voice sounded in her ears. “And where’s he gonna sleep? You don’t have another extra room.” The only spare bedroom was now hers.

Luke scratched his beard as he pushed himself off the wall, walking over to the bowl of fruit on the center counter he’d been eyeing earlier. He picked up a red apple as he informed Josie, “Something about a burst pipe? I don’t know, I told him he could stay with us. The couch’s a pull-out. It’s only temporary—he should be fine.”

Josie desperately wanted to ask why Ashton or Michael couldn’t house their friend, biting her tongue when she remembered Ashton only lived in a one bedroom apartment and Michael and Crystal were currently going through a very stressful move from their own apartment to a new house. Despite the lack of bed, Calum moving into Luke’s place was the most logical decision. Even if it had Josie’s heart racing out of pure guilt and nerves. How the hell was she supposed to keep her mind off of him when he would be sleeping down the fucking stairs? Josie had known moving to L.A. would significantly increase her chances of running into Calum—but in the living room? Fuck.

“Wait, shit—I should’ve asked you first, right? I mean, this is your place now too and, like, if you don’t want—”

Luke’s rambling broke Josie out of her guilt ridden thoughts—as did the sudden beeping of the microwave—and she blinked her wide eyes before interrupting her brother. “No, no, it’s fine,” Josie assured him with a gentle laugh, almost forced, as she quickly turned to take the bowl out of the microwave. Her nerves didn’t even allow her to acknowledge the hotness of the bowl burning her fingers before she set it down. She felt a pang ricochet through her chest at her brother’s sudden worry of not clearing with her if his friend could move in to his own home. As an attempt of covering up her guilt, nerves, whatever the fuck it may be, Josie added with a gentle laugh, “I thought I wouldn’t be caught in another sleepover with you and your boys after you moved out.”

Apparently that was enough to have Luke break out into a short bout of laughter, grinning around the red apple as he bit into it with a sharp crunch. Her brother winked at her, moving to leave the kitchen as he said, “You can’t escape us that easily, Jos.”

She could wish, though.

Rather than retreating to the living room or to the dining table, Josie hopped up on the couch, placing a small tray in her lap so the bottom of the hot bowl didn’t burn her lap as she twirled the pasta around her fork. Josie ate her lunch absently, able to vaguely hear the music playing upstairs and the two pairs of footsteps, not at all making a move to go up and see her brother and new temporary roommate.

Luke was only being a good friend by having Calum move in with them, but of course he wasn’t aware of the complication that tensed Josie’s muscles at the thought of Calum living with them. That being said, Calum knew. He knew first hand how awkward it could potentially get with the two of them being under the same roof—the last time they were, they’d crossed the line that had disappeared since. They were already around each other more than it was helpful; this temporary living arrangement wouldn’t be doing them any favors.

Letting out a sharp breath through her nose as she chewed, Josie’s shoulders slumped, disenchanted gaze casted down to her bowl. Was she overreacting? She couldn’t clearly tell and couldn’t bring it in herself to care. Looking her brother in the eye had become hard enough—now the reason for that was living with them. The universe seemed to be against her.

So lost in her thoughts, Josie hadn’t even been aware of the footsteps that were approaching until there was another person in the room, looking up to see the man who had consumed her thoughts lingering by the entrance. She looked up, sensing him before she even saw him, slowly swallowing the mouthful of pasta as her eyes met his dark ones. Calum didn’t say anything, didn’t try to. She recognized, wryly, the reluctance he wore on his face, lips pursed as they silently stared at one another.

Josie lifted her chin, raising an eyebrow as she repeated the same words he’d said to her on one of her first days in L.A., right here in this kitchen. “You could’ve given me a heads up.”

“Thought I’d return the favor of giving you a surprise,” Calum returned smoothly, moving further into the kitchen. He went to the fridge, which happened to be on Josie’s immediate left, given that she was sitting on the counter right by it. Josie’s expression dropped into a deadpan, and Calum scoffed as he opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of beer. As he uncapped it, he looked at her, letting out a sigh as a meaningful expression flashed across his face. “It’s only temporary. It’s not a big deal, Josie.”

She narrowed her eyes, tilting her head. “Do you seriously believe that?” she challenged, not entirely satisfied by his statement. He didn’t even sound like he believed it, so how was he going to try and convince her otherwise?

Calum sighed sharply once more, facing the ceiling briefly—Josie fought the urge to eye at the expanse of his neck, at the way her lips had once felt on it—before looking down at her with a tired, almost bored expression. Calum spoke quickly, an irritated rasp in his voice as he retorted, “No, Jos, I don’t; but I can’t stay at Ash or Mike’s and I couldn’t give Luke a legit reason to deny his offer other than the fact that I fucked his sister.”

Her eyes grew wide, absently glad she didn’t have a mouthful of spaghetti she would’ve definitely choked on upon hearing Calum’s words. With her free hand, she smacked his arm, gaze darting towards both entrances of the kitchen, looking into the living room and towards the hall leading to the stairs in case Luke was anywhere near. Her heart had jumped in her throat, feeling a fire spark in the pit of her belly as Calum’s words resonated in her head.

“Are you serious?” she hissed, incredulous gaze on him as Calum rolled his dark eyes, taking a sip of the beer. No longer did he look as reluctant as he had when he first came into the kitchen, now adopting a demeanor too casual than the situation called for. He looked like he could care less about the situation, meanwhile Josie felt her heart pick up its pace. Whether it was at Calum so casually flinging around his words or at the reminder of a night she would never forget, Josie wasn’t sure. Most likely both. She shook her head at him. “Shut up—Luke might hear you.”

“He went to take a shower,” Calum informed, unfazed by the tension in Josie’s voice. She hated how calmly he stood there, and it only made her believe that she truly was overreacting over the whole situation. But she knew Calum—or, well, liked to think that she did—and she remembered the way he had looked so tense on the night of her welcoming party. If her being in the same city as him had his teeth grinding, Josie believed it was fair for her stomach to be in constant knots because of him staying in her house.

“Look, just—” Calum sighed once again, running a hand through his growing hair, resting it at the back of his neck as he looked at Josie. He dropped his hand to the side, offering a shrug. “Just relax, okay? It’ll be fine. You work during the day and I work at night so I doubt we’ll be seeing much of each other, okay? It’s only temporary.”

It’s only temporary. It was only that one time. The latter were words that echoed in the back of Josie’s head every time Calum came into view. She had a feeling the former would come back to bite her in the ass someday, somehow. 

Her eyes met his once more, her lips pursed, and Calum did his best by offering a small smile before turning to leave the kitchen once more. Josie watched him, took in the delicious expanse of his back under the soft material of his red shirt, the tattoos on his arms feeling as though they were only there to make her want to trace them with her fingers. The black ink looked so pretty against his skin, art on art, and Josie hadn’t realized she’d been chewing on her lips until she parted them to speak up without much thought.

“You’re telling me you’re not the least bit worried?”

About this? About us? About Luke finding out and about everything falling apart all over again even though it was barely put back together?

Calum stopped, shoulders lifting briefly before he looked at her over his shoulder. He shook his head with a proper shrug of his shoulders, raising his eyebrows as he asked, “What’s there to be worried about? So long as we keep our mouths shut, we’re fine.”

Josie wanted to laugh at his words, giving an unconvinced tilt of her head and an almost sad raise of her own eyebrows. In that moment, Calum had become too good at masking his emotions, his thoughts, and she found the frustration gnawing at her when she couldn’t get a good read on what he truly thought. “You seriously don’t believe that, do you?” she still tried by asking.

Calum’s gaze averted, looking towards the wall to his right. With the view she had of his profile, Josie picked up on the way he clenched his jaw, the muscle jumping, sexy and tense and complicated. There was a heavy silence for a minute, the tension of their situation weighing them both down as Calum finally sighed. He shook his head, turning away from her as he continued his way out of the kitchen, not before answering, “I’m trying to.”

The three word answer Calum had given Josie sat with her for the rest of the day when she went back to work to finish her shift. She moved mechanically, an interested facade put up to please the clients she met with despite her head begging her to focus on something else—to focus on Calum and what he had said.

In the midst of washing and drying and cutting hair, Josie couldn’t shake it off. I’m trying to. He was trying to what? Believe that they would be fine? That everything would be okay? Did he think that things between the two of them would never be the same after what happened? The thought of it, the thought of her friendship with Calum getting knocked down several pegs, left an ache in Josie’s chest she couldn’t quite voice. Of course things would be different after the night they spent together in her dorm. You can’t just look at someone, much less a person who was your good, close friend, the same way after they gave your five mind blowing orgasms in one night.

Shit. Fuck, that was besides the point. Even if she couldn’t stop imagining the way he kissed her every time she caught him biting his lower lip, or feel her knees quiver as she remembered the way he carried her to her bed in the dorm. . .

God. Of course things wouldn’t be the same between them after that night. She wondered if Calum had to fight similar thoughts from infiltrating his mind, if he had to remind himself that he couldn’t be thinking about her the way she thought about him. At this point, though, what was the use? They’d already overstepped physically. Thoughts couldn’t hurt anyone.

Though they were torturous. And as Josie continued with her shift, they only settled heavily on her heart. Both of them knew sleeping together would fuck things up, but they went through with it anyway—because they were selfish. Because they’d only been thinking about themselves and their needs, not about their friends or her brother. They had just been chalked up as consequences they would have to deal with later, and later was now and Josie had no idea what to do. Maybe Calum had the right idea, to just try and pretend it was fine. Fake it til you make it, that sort of thing. They’d come this far, right?

Yet each step forward seemed to be harder than the last.

When she’d returned home from work, Josie was quick to rid herself of her makeup and change into her pajamas before collapsing on the bed, the softness of the mattress and pillows and cool blankets inviting. She didn’t quite remember when she fell asleep, but she did remember being pulled out of it in the middle of the night, hours later with a dry throat and desperate need for water.

Sleepily, she got up from her bed, bare feet padding towards the door as she pushed her blonde hair out of her face. As Josie made her way down the hallway towards the stairs, her eyebrows furrowed as a sound greeted her, distant but still in the house. Slowly, she made her way downstairs, and with each step she descended, the more distinct the sound became, recognizing it as uncomfortable grunts and huffs.

She walked into the kitchen, flipping on the stove light which was the dullest, and as she filled up a glass of water, her gaze wandered to the kitchen where the sounds kept coming from. Glass in hand, Josie stepped over to the entrance of the kitchen that opened into the living room, and with the dull light on the stove, she could make out Calum’s figure tossing and turning on the pullout mattress of the couch.

The grunts were coming from him, annoyed and uncomfortable, and Josie realized that as nice as the couch was to sit on, the mattress was probably not the same. She rolled her lips into her mouth, eyebrows drawing together at his clear discomfort. Aware of his schedule, Josie knew he probably got home from work about an hour or so ago, probably battling for a comfortable position since then, and before she had the chance to truly think about it, she was making her way into the living room and where he lay.

“Calum,” she spoke, her voice quiet as to not startle him, standing by the makeshift bed. “Hey.”

He stopped before sitting up, dark eyes meeting hers as he blinked in mild confusion at the sight of her. The blanket pooled at his lap, hands brace against the mattress and providing Josie with the sight of his biceps, in full view thanks to his muscle tee. She pushed back the image of when her nails had dug right into the muscle, of the feeling of his arms wrapped around her in something more intimate than a hug.

“Josie,” he frowned, tired and a bit puzzled. “You good?”

She fought the smile that threatened to upturn her lips. “I should be asking you that.” She eyed the mattress, raising an eyebrow. “Is it that uncomfortable?”

“Uh,” Calum paused with a slight chuckle, looking at what he was laying on as if he was seeing it for the first time. “Prison beds might be more comfortable.”

Josie pursed her lips. For all his money, Luke should invest in a better pullout. She gave herself a moment to consider her thoughts, knowing the danger of even thinking them, but she couldn’t just let Calum suffer through a night of terrible sleep. Things between them were weird, both of them trying to navigate through uncharted waters, but she couldn’t use that as an excuse to allow him to sleep on an uncomfortable bed.

“Come on—” she ticked her head towards the stairs before she psyched herself out of her decision. “My bed’s a lot comfier.”

Calum’s gaze met hers, saw something unknown settle in his features as he asked her, “You sure that’s a good idea?”

There was a burning in her cheeks, grip on her glass tightening as she forced her expression to remain neutral, not effected. “We’re just sleeping,” she told him, hating that she felt her voice waver as if she was trying to convince herself of the truth. That’s all they would be doing. Sleeping.

He hesitated for a moment, eyeing her from where he sat, and Josie merely looked back at him with an expectant raise of her eyebrows. Her head kept telling her it was a bad idea, but she told it to shut up. The worst thing she could’ve done had already taken place—she couldn’t let him sleep so uncomfortably after being behind a bar all night. Besides, it’d only be for tonight; tomorrow, she’d tell Calum to hint at Luke in getting a new couch, and if Luke found out his best friend had a shit night on his own couch, no doubt the blonde would buy another one.

When Calum finally let out a breath and got up, Josie took a step back, glancing down at herself as she rolled her lower lip into her mouth at the sight of her clothes. Her pajamas consisted of sleep shorts and an old softball shirt cut to be a crop top, and under the sudden weight of Calum’s gaze, Josie felt a bit too exposed in front of him.

As he stood before her, tall figure easily looming over hers and dark eyes traveling from her blue painted toes all the way to her eyes, Josie’s skin flushed as she told herself she was being ridiculous. He’d fucking seen her naked; she couldn’t get more exposed to that.

Breaking their gaze because the fluttering of her heart was becoming too much, Josie silently turned to head back up the stairs, Calum’s presence behind her one she couldn’t hope to ignore as they silently moved through the dark house. Their footsteps were light as they approached Josie’s room, though it wasn’t needed—Luke could sleep through an earth quake.

Her bedroom was dark, which Josie was grateful for as she went to the right side of the bed, setting her glass down as she sat on the edge and was all too aware of Calum moving around to the other side. Josie’s back was still to him as she felt the mattress shift underneath her because of his weight, and she played with the blanket as she eyed the wall ahead of her. The room was suffocatingly silent, one she really wanted to get rid of. She didn’t want to be weird in front of Calum—too late for that, the voice in her head mocked—but she couldn’t help it. And not for the first time, while Josie didn’t regret what they’d done, she did hate the tense aftermath of it all.

As if she was trying to somehow reassure herself, Josie didn’t look back at Calum as she asked, “This isn’t gonna be weird, is it?”

He was silent for only a second. “No. It’s fine if, y’know, you don’t think about what happened the last time we were in bed together.”

The casualness in which he spoke in had Josie huffing with a drop of her shoulders, bringing her legs up so she could lay on the bed, though she paused as she shot Calum a look. Even in the dark of her room, she saw the smirk curling at his lips as he copied her position. She had nothing substantial to say other than, “Literally, shut up,” through flushed cheeks as she dug her legs under the blanket. Calum merely snickered, feeling a lot more at ease than she was, and she narrowed her eyes when she caught him just staring at her. The amused playfulness danced in his eyes, shamelessly raking his gaze on her as he sat with his back agains the headboard, an easiness in his features Josie felt overwhelmed by. With a heat in her cheeks, she subtly wrestled with the blanket and told him, “Stop looking at me like that.”

Her words prompted a laugh from Calum, raising his eyebrows as he tilted his head almost challengingly. “Really?” he hummed, picking up his phone. His face lit up with the screen, shadowing the sharp features of his face as she watched him set up an alarm for half an hour before Luke’s went off. Eyes meeting hers once more with a smirk, he finished, “You didn’t seem to care when I was literally in you, like, three month ago.”

Josie’s jaw slackened, an incredulous squeak getting caught in her throat as she stared at him in a mixture of disbelief, feeling the entirety of her skin flush at the blatant reminder of a night she couldn’t ever forget. “Stop,” she stated through gritted teeth, no real annoyance or anger in her tone as she huffed and laid down, turning her back to him as she added pointedly, “Goodnight, Calum.”

Assuming sleep would come easy when there was an achingly familiar warm body next to hers would be foolish on Josie’s part, the blanket brought up to her chin as she stared at the digital clock on her bedside table. The green numbers read 2:56 A.M. and Josie suppressed a sigh. Her shift wasn’t until ten, so not getting enough sleep wasn’t a concern. It was just the act of falling asleep itself, with Calum in the same bed as hers, that kept her brain kicking and muscles tense.

It was silent only for a few moments until Calum’s voice spoke up. “So. . . How’ve you been?”

Josie’s eyebrows raised where she lay, unsure of what he was playing at or why he was trying to start a conversation right now. He was fucking with her, wasn’t he? “Calum, it’s three in the morning and the only reason why I suggested sleeping in my room is because I’m a good person and you were being too loud.”

She could hear the damned smirk in his voice as he didn’t miss a beat and instantly retorted, “You think that’s what your neighbors were saying when you were screaming my name that night?”

Josie’s eyes squeezed shut as she brought her hands up to cover her face, preventing herself from screaming into her palms as she felt Calum’s body shake subtly with the deep chuckles that were escaping him. She hated that despite the memories his words brought up, she felt the tension in her muscles surprisingly ease, no longer feeling suffocated in her own room. “Calum, I swear to God I will kick you off my bed.”

“I’m just playin’, Josie.”

Despite the sound of his laugh making her heart thrum, Josie felt her jaw tighten as she remembered their conversation earlier in the afternoon. So she turned to face him, propping herself up on her elbow as she peered down at his laying figure. Calum’s dark eyes instantly met her blue, and she saw the way his expression faltered when he noted the mild hardness in hers. “You’re completely going against what you said earlier today, remember?” she demanded with a challenging quirk of her eyebrow. “Trying to pretend that we’re fine isn’t gonna happen if you keep bringing up what happened.”

“I was wrong.” Calum propped himself up on his elbow as well and Josie didn’t pull back despite the sudden proximity. She could smell his familiar cologne that still stuck to his skin, tickling her nose. With this new closeness, she saw the way his eyes flickered down to her lips, sending her heart to her throat as his low voice spoke, “You and I—we’re fine. No pretending necessary.”

Josie was having a hard time ignoring her racing heart, her own gaze on his kissable mouth, feeling the familiar pull tugging her towards him and doing her best to fight it. “Unless we’re with everyone else, right?”

His lips curled upwards in a small smirk. “We’ve made it this long,” Calum responded with an agreeing tone. Josie’s heart stilled when Calum’s hand reached up, fingers pushing back a lock of her blonde hair behind her ear, her teeth pressing together when his fingers just barely grazed her cheek, igniting a fire in their wake. He still had that effect on her. “We got this, pretty girl.”

Her lungs were robbed of air as he spoke, and Josie subtly raised her eyebrows as she shot him a look. Her voice was quiet in the dark of her room, teeth lightly grazing her lower lip as she told him softly, “We won’t if you keep calling me that.”

Calum had been watching her bite her lower lip and Josie wondered if it was just as difficult for him to not lean in and close the gap between them as it was for her. Calum half-smiled, dropping his hand from her as he finally said, “G’night, Jos.”

He settled back down, back towards her, and Josie tilted her head back to look up at the ceiling. She could feel the heat of his body next to hers despite the space between the two of them, and Josie rolled her lips into her mouth as she settled down as well, her back towards his. Yet another bad idea for the books.

At this point, she might as well become the poster child for stupid relationship decisions. Sooner or later, it would come to bite her in the ass.

--

tags: @irwinkitten @sweetcherrymike @meetashthere @loveroflrh @softforcal @astroashtonio @novacanecalum @captain-what-is-going-on @angelbbycal @singt0mecalum @hopelessxcynic @lfwallscouldtalk @bodhi-black @findingliam-o @softlrh @highfivecalum @calumsmermaid @erikamarie41 @quintodosuniversos @longlastingdaydream @babylon-corgis @lukehemmingsunflower @imfuckin10plybud @pastelpapermoons @conquerwhatliesahead92 @rotten-kandy @metangi @neigcthood @ohhmuke @old-zeppelin-shirt @5sos-and-hessa @trustmeimawhalebiologist​ @vxlentinecal​ @pettybassists​ @vaporshawn​ @lu-my-golden-boi​ @visualm3nte​ @isabella-mae13​ @dontjinx-it​ @lifeakaharry​ @neonweeknds​ @antisocialbandmate​ @ixcantxdecidexwhosxmyxfave​ @calpalbby​ @grreatgooglymoogly​ @sunnysidesblog​ @miahelizaaabeth​ @madelynerin​ @dramallamawithsparkles​ @kaytiebug14​ @hoodskillerqueen​ @theagenderwhocriedwolf @bitchinbabylon @empathycth​ @xhaileyreneex​ @inlovehoodx​ @calistheloml @aestheticrelated​ @bloodlinecal​ @sublimehood​ @madbomb​ @raabiac​ @britnicole11​ @outofmylimitcal​ @wildflower-cth​ @wildflowergrae​ @bloodmoonashton​ @vxidhood​ @gosh-im-short​ @thesubtweeter​ 

[windywooshes]

Mike x Reader

It was a busy day. The night was fuming with the chatter and buzzing of the guests of the manor. All hurrying and preparing themselves. Acting, repeating, summarising...

As an annual tradition of the Oletus Manor, hunters and survivors joined sides to prepare a play for one another. Maybe it was a rabbit hole to Neverland, escaping the devouring gloominess of the house they inhabited for so long now. A way to cope and bond with one another. A solution to forget the fear and stress from matches and to just concentrate on things which are more pleasing and fun.

It all started with the first celebration from the veterans of the manor and evolved into a yearly event. Thanks to the growing amount of inhabitants, more roles could be given out this time as well. Those who weren't picked, had the joy of helping which seasoned the theatre piece with live and spirit in the first place.

Here you come in, as you were an important part of the beehive. Alongside Violetta, who was a very skilled hobbyist tailor, you produced the costumes and accessoires for the actors, cooperating with Miss Nightingale to design the most fitting and charming pieces you laid your eyes upon.

As you were more experienced with tiny knacks and decorations for the grande piece, you were in charge of the details and small additions to each piece of design, which brings us to the current nerve wrecking problem which snacked on your patience and energy like a patroller.

As it was laid out on the drafts, one of the costumes belonged to a certain someone. And this certain someone had a certain something on a very certain spot which you had the honor to do.

Your eyebrows furrowed as you tried your best to focus on the swing of the brush to make the desired artwork look as stunning as possible to fit the equally beautiful outfit (and man) in front of you. Yet whenever you tried to set your ink-coated tool down you heard a chuckle of the blonde and once you realised, the color was all smeared over the leg once again, squeezing out a sigh in frustration from your throat. Quickly grabbing the now golden tainted napkin for another time, you started to wipe off the glittering paint from Mike's leg.

It made you happy to see that the manor owner finally saw the potential in the young Acrobat, gifting him more skins and Emotes with each new season. Yet this one especially threw you into the cold water.

Mike patiently sat on the chair while you tried your best not to die from the weird situation you were thrown at. Brush in your dominant hand, shaking, you attempted once again to draw an elegant pattern of a rose on to the outside of his left tight which goes all the way down to his knee. One would tell you off for being too flustered by the nugget legs of the Acrobat as he usually wears skin tight outfits which showed just as much shape and form as his current choice. Yet you never got to see so much leg from this man. It was as if his bare skin was a forbidden apple, not allowed to be seen by the mere peasants of this world and you being one of them, committing a crime of disrespect against the gods.

It was a weird reaction as other survivors and equally hunters, showed off even more than this, yet you were fazed more by a leg than a victorian aristocrat from a bare knuckle could ever be. To underline the obvious, it could have a link to your slight adoration for the blonde. When your eyes landed on the energetic lad, your mind couldn't stop taking every bit of his presence in. Matches were the worst as you'd end up as a flustered mess, shaking and nervous, letting calibrations slip or reducing your kiting time drastically to barely 15 seconds incase you knew that he was watching you from a cipher. So many matches were lost, so many Blackjack games thrown into the dust. All because of one little distraction which was Mike Morton himself.

While you were suffering, Mike was clearly enjoying himself too much. As your head never dared to look up towards him, you couldn't spot the cheeky grin which grew on his lips since you were given your task. Too focused on it. Yet here he was, enjoying every little bit of this fiasco. Playing with your hair, wiggling his legs while you set down for a stroke, standing up to get a drink...it didn't matter, as long as he could cause a bit of a trouble and have you there with him on the spot, he would sparkle like a little firecracker. Chuckling whenever he saw your adorable pouting face next to him while you tried not to make your head explode from all the frustration. His cheeky attitude found a stop when you put the brush down and rushed off to the side to finally get something to drink and snack on.

„Don't overdo it, Morton.“

A hand on his shoulder, broke him out of his trance watching how you were talking to Vera at the tables. Turning around he found old Burke himself, nudging his head before leaving him again. But not with Mike. Quickly jumping from his seat, he followed the inventor, throwing two of his juggle balls in one hand just to keep himself a bit busy.

„I think, I didn't quiet catch that, sir ?“ he said, smiling up at the frowning elder as he came to a stop.

„You shouldn't stress the poor kid out for too longer. Otherwise they'll end up like Guard 10. Not a pretty sight.“ he sighed and rubbed his chin, looking off to the side at the target themselves.

„They are very fond of you, so don't play around with that.“

And like an old wise man, he disappeared all of a sudden- to the food table.

Spotting how you finished your small break and waving a goodbye to the others who joined you, the blonde rushed back to his seat. But with a thought bugging his mind like a mosquito in summer.

„Well then...shall we try again ? This time no knee-head-bumps though.“, you chuckled as you bend your wrists a bit to get them warmed up again before taking up the seemingly impossible task once again. But when you looked up with a small smile grazing your lips, you found Mike looking a bit more uncomfortable than he was before.

„Are you okay ?“

He shook his head and put his hands up, his little sunny side up smile back on the spot where it belonged.

„All good~ don't worry about it, (Y/N).“

Yet once your head ducked down, Mike's ears tinted pinkish due to the high blood flow and heart rate. What if Burke was right ? How would he know about your feelings for him though ? He wasn't even sure about them himself. His head started to fume and before he knew it, he felt a bonk and a head on his lap. A groan of frustration emitting from the bush of hair.

It seemed that Morton started to wiggle his left leg without noticing while lost in thoughts. Much to the dismay of the poor part-time artist who just tried their best to get the job done. Regaining your mind, you noticed that the male stopped his shenanigans and your rather awkward position. Firstly you didn't want to look, yet you were rather nosy to know what Mike's face looks like. If it would hold any reaction in it besides his smily facade. And you were not disappointed. Now not only his ears but nearly his entire face became a reddish hue, especially after he felt your tight grip on his leg which you just tried to put in place for half a minute before.

Seeing THE Mike Morton blush like this, trying to hide his face behind his knuckles, it was satisfying. Not in a mean way but rather in a ‚hah, that's for all that teasing from before‘ way. But you didn't want to blow your facade for now. Clearing your throat you apologised for the small outburst, receiving a choked up ‚hm‘ as a response. Usually you'd end up a flustered mess but oh how the turns have tabled. It was difficult to hold in the laughter. The acrobat tried his best to avoid any eye contact for now but you didn't mind as you still had a small comeback in mind which you want to squeeze into his arms before leaving for your other duties. Now that the man stood still, you also finally managed to finish the golden rose on his leg.

But before he could even take some time to thank you after he cooled himself off, he felt a soft sensation on his tight. Pulling your lips away from his exposed skin you couldn't hold back the grin which krept up your cheeks like predators to their prey.

With one last poke on the nose, you left the man on the chair. A carousel of emotions twirling around his heart as he stumbled through the lobby, on his way to rehearsal.

[raendown]

Simple Joys & Easy Smiles

Tagged by: @dimancheetoile​ who really is a star shining brighter than they could ever realize.

The goal of this tag is to spread some love and happiness in hard, stressful and depressing times. Here are the rules:

be as honest as you dare. If there’s something you don’t wish to answer, invent something so outlandish no one will believe it and it’ll get a laugh out of them. That way, you don’t have to answer and you’re still spreading laughter and smiles!

change one of the questions for the next round of people you tag, without saying which one you changed. eventually, all my questions will have disappeared and I’m excited to see what this tag will look like in a few days!

tag people you love who deserve a smile and a distraction

Tagging: @kitsunekage88 @officerjennie @writhingbeneathyou @antukini @rookie-d @mike-remington-hanson Oh just everyone, say I tagged you, y’all know the drill. 

what is the last film that made you cry happy tears

The new disney film Soul is so fucking good, I loved every minute of it and I love the whole message it gives.

what song did you recently listen to that makes you feel like you could fight dragons (and give one line from it)

Giants - Dermot Kennedy

The hope and the hurt Has lived inside of me But there's gold in the dirt I never took the time to see

which video game have you lost yourself into recently (if you don’t play, pick a book or tv show)

Genshin Impact

name a tumblr person who brightens your life

@rookie-d always out here with positivity and support for anyone who needs it

describe your favourite colour without saying its name or naming a thing of this colour

Deep and elegant, a subtle kind of royalty and majesty. Growth after a deep rain. An often overlooked shade of the deep sea. Goodness and healing, a steady calm.

name another best tumblr friend

@writhingbeneathyou better fucking know how amazing she is or I swear I will beat her gremlin ass up

link the last tumblr post you reblogged that struck something deep inside of you

Made you look

recount a memory that made you believe that love exists in a way you understand

The whip of my partner’s hand, the flash of his movements, when I told him what my father had done. I remember how fast he reached for the phone to call my father and tell him exactly what he thought of a man who could ever blame his daughter for loving her mother. How soft and precious, to know in a single moment with perfect clarity that he really loves me, doesn’t he?

if you have children, tell me what little thing they did recently that shocked you up with how much you adore them (if you don’t have children, same but with another human)

Not really a deep or important moment but watching them both make funny faces and flail their arms without a hint of self-consciousness, it really makes me hope they don’t lose that freedom of self any time soon. 

if you could cover your entire body with a tattoo, what poem(s), quote(s) or song lyric(s) would you use

“I'll keep a part of you with me, And everywhere I am there you'll be”

There You’ll Be - Faith Hill

what does it mean to you

These are the lyrics we had carved in to my brother’s gravestone.

name a person that inspires you

Bitch, I inspire myself.

which book do you always come back to

The Redwall series will always be like sinking back in to all the good parts of my childhood just for a while. I will never tire of rereading them all. 

recount a memory that made you feel like you were worth the world

The look in my mother’s eyes when she all but scolded me for thinking I was going to pay even a cent for my own wedding dress. 

name one item close to you that is precious and tell us why

I have a 3D printed model of a Watcher from Horizon: Zero Dawn that I consider precious because it was the gift that made me truly let go of any bad blood left between me and the one who made it. Such an unexpected present that made me stop and realize that he too had let go of everything. 

what’s your comfort food?

Apple strudel inside of a turducken drizzled with spicy peanut sauce and a generous side of I don’t actually eat food for comfort but you can always ply me with chai tea or soda.

a fic you read recently that shook you to your core

Settle In Among The Raincoats

if it applies to you, what style, clothes, and/or makeup look makes you feel like you’re marching straight towards victory

Put me in a well fitted dress with a nice pair of heels, do my hair and get me some dark lipstick, I will be your motherfucking queen. 

[arrivalation]

2020: An Account

This year has been a nonstop, off-the-rails bullet train ride into what looked at first like chaos, but ultimately was a tearing down and reconstruction of my entire being. Because I know myself and I know I won’t remember much of this later, I’m recording it here. It’s hard to put some of this information out, but the universe regularly urges me to be more open. So here I go.

January

I got married.

It was, without contest, the absolute best day of my life. I’ve known since I was real little that I wanted to be married, that I wanted to be loved the way M loves me and to love someone just as much. I don’t know how to explain the feeling of having achieved that, and being able to share that with my entire circle. @abyssalsun​ made it down!! (my only regret is that @ladyoriza​ couldn’t make it, but I’m still so glad we got to make it to theirs). As often as I can, I revisit the memory of going to @chromecutie​’s house afterward, thinking it’d just be the four of us there, and opening the door to find a whole impromptu surprise party happening. Everyone cheered for us when we came in. I played CAH with Mordred, my brother and his wife, and several friends from out of town. By all accounts, these people would never have been in the same room together, but they were, and it was transcendent. It’s been almost a year, and I still haven’t recovered from all the planning and stress; but now that I’m past it, I can say with relief that it was 100% worth it.

February

We bought a house.

Up until this point, I’d been planning a wedding, participating in house-buying stuff as best I could, interviewing for a job I ended up not taking, and dealing with life-long mental illness that was festering and reaching critical mass. But then stuff started wrapping up. The wedding happened. The house was ours. We moved in. I could finally fucking breathe. LMAO bitch you thought.

March

The pandemic reached us.

I guess by this point it had probably already been in the US for a couple months, idr. But it wasn’t until March that things really started happening. People started dying in droves. New cases spread like wildfire. I remember thinking that this would be the zombie apocalypse, because at this point, I don’t think the CDC knew much about the virus. In my anxious mind, that was a completely reasonable assumption. My boss had us all start working from home. We all thought it’d be just a couple weeks.

April

I settled into working from home.

It didn’t take me long to get used to it, maybe a week. I hadn’t yet gotten used to my new hour-long commute from the new house to work, and so working from home quickly became my new normal. But I didn’t know yet why working from home was so good for me. All I knew was that I now had the brain-space to process things. I had the energy to do yoga and cook and do hobbies, and the time to appreciate and care for the home I lived in. I could think more clearly because there was no one else around to distract me. There was sunlight I could bask in. I felt human for once, and that became vitally important and infinitely valuable to me. Despite that, I still struggled with extreme anxiety, panic attacks, and some of the worst depression I’ve suffered through since I was a teenager. Outside my house, everything was a fucking mess and no one had their shit together.

May

I went back to the office for a few weeks.

There was a lull in pandemic activity. My boss had us all start coming back to the office again. At this point, I couldn’t make heads or tails of reality anymore. Everything was changing, nothing was stable. I desperately needed to stay working from home, because that was the one thing that felt Good and Right, but I had no real argument other than, 'I just need to.' So imagine me, at this point a soggy, run-over sloppy joe, attempting to return to normal. As you might think, it was... bad. I cried and hurt all the time. I think I really freaked out my boss with the way I reacted to coming back to the office. But then the second wave hit, and we all went back to working from home again.

June

Uncle Mike died on the first day of the month.

My uncle had been sick for a while, but no one was expecting him to die so suddenly. None of us were ready for it.

I also died that day.

It might sound dramatic, but I mean it quite literally and honestly. Over the years, I had gained suspicion that I was on the autism spectrum. M graciously found me a psychiatrist that took my insurance (and happened to be right next door). I wasn’t even going in for that - I was seeking treatment for my anxiety and depression. But I had amassed a (very long) list of my symptoms, and I brought it with me and read it to my doctor. I wasn’t even a quarter of the way through the list when he stopped me. I’m paraphrasing here, but in effect, he said, “No, yeah, you’re definitely autistic.”

I remember the way my body felt. Like someone had detonated a bundle of TNT in my chest, and I was burning from the inside out. At the time, I didn’t realize this emotional immolation was purposeful and executed by the universe to get rid of this old structure and build a newer, better, stronger one. For about fifteen seconds after he said that, I was relieved that it had been that easy, that there was an explanation for everything that my ADHD didn’t explain. It made a ton of sense why my environment was so important to me. And then I felt something unnameable. It was obvious to my doctor that I was autistic. Had it been obvious to everyone else? Why hadn’t it been obvious to me? I read the rest of my symptoms to him in a daze. I don’t remember how the rest of the appointment went.

And then I burned quietly and ungracefully until I was a pile of ashes. I didn’t know this at the time, but apparently it’s common for newly-diagnosed autistic people to have such dramatic and painful reactions, especially if they weren’t well-informed on the condition. Which I wasn’t.

I started therapy.

I also started learning about my “flavor” of autism. It was arduous, embarrassing, isolating, and ugly. I became aware that I had been masking my whole life, and I was astounded by just how often I did so. What really crushed me was knowing that I’d always have to mask to protect myself. I also became hyper-aware of the things that made me Feel Bad. Inexplicably, I stopped being able to react to those things the way I used to. Previously, if something made a loud and unexpected sound, I would suppress my reaction, because it’s not cool to get mad about it. But I found I couldn’t do that anymore. I had no choice but to react the way I needed to react. I realize now that this was to make me aware of what things make me feel a certain way so I can either avoid them or learn better tools to deal with them.

The therapist I saw wasn’t specialized in autism, and she wasn’t any help in that area, but she did teach me some important things. Like, “Is it reasonable for me to feel ____?”

July

Black hole.

I don’t remember a whole lot from this month, except sifting my own ashes through my fingers and crying. Every day brought a new revelation, a new thing that clicked. All of it was helpful and very painful. My psychiatrist recommended medication, but I’d had a bad and long-lasting experience with medication as a teenager, so I suffered through the pain on my own.

I shouldn’t have. I got so low I didn’t want to be alive anymore. But I think it took reaching the bottom and feeling that much pain for me to get over my fear of pharmaceuticals. 

I got into astrology.

I had been interested in it for most of my life, but it wasn’t until this point that I started studying it in depth. I discovered it was a language that I could use to translate so many things about my own life that I didn’t understand. It was a rulebook in a time when I desperately needed rules - but one just flexible enough that it taught me how to stop thinking in binary.

August

I got medicated.

There was a big adjustment period, of course. It didn’t cure me. But it did start to make things easier. And it helped to know that, even if I didn’t believe it at the time, I deserved to rest. I deserved not to feel so much emotional pain all the time.

I turned 30.

It was easily the second best day of my life. I learned a lot of important things, like that it’s important to be present, that I’m seen and loved (just the way I am!!), and that I deserve good things. M planned a whole day of surprises:

I woke up at my leisure and we had coffee on the couch. He got me a cute card with one of our inside jokes inside - I still have it.

We went to our favorite combination lunch place and bakery, which I believe was our first real outing since the pandemic started.

We stopped by a tattoo place. I almost got a tattoo.

He set me loose in Texas Art Supply.

We got dim sum for dinner.

We had a lovely virtual cocktail hour with @chromecutie.

He bought me an ipad!!

I became Spiritual™.

I had been agnostic for the past decade or so, slowly and subtly slipping into nihilism, without realizing how detrimental those ideas were to me. I’m not sure what I thought spirituality was before, but I wasn’t into it. I had always rolled my eyes at people who talked about “a higher power”, auras, and spirit guides, until I became that person.

My psychiatrist introduced some powerful ideas to me, ones that meshed well with my previously-existing idea of how the universe worked. I won’t get into details here. That’s a whole other post. Ask me though - I’d love to talk about it.

Anyway, I started (intermittently) meditating. I learned some exceptionally powerful stuff. I felt my scaffolding being erected.

September

I started learning who I am and why I am this way.

I started seeing a new therapist. She thinks like me. She follows my erratic, forking trains of thought. She sees me and offers real, actionable feedback and solutions. Working with her, I’ve gained the ability to see my life from a 30,000-foot view. I can see now why I’ve felt so lonely my whole life. I understand how my family’s dysfunction has shaped me. I know now that I have the opposite of a victim complex - by default, I believe I am so awful that I feel sorry for everyone who has to deal with me. Because that’s what I was taught to believe. Learning that I deserve to take up space, set boundaries, say no, and be wrong sometimes is still a hard lesson for me. But most days, I believe it now. It takes other people believing it and convincing me. I still need that reassurance often.

My parents sold my childhood home.

Mentally, emotionally, I still lived there. I was still the inverted victim, still beholden to my stepdad’s whims and my mom’s complete cognitive dissonance. This was a blinking neon sign from the universe that it was time to move out. My mom told me when the closing date was so I’d have time to drive down and look at the house one last time. I didn’t go, and I still don’t regret it.

I started learning my boundaries.

After my spiritual move-out, I learned I don’t have to jump when my stepdad holds out the little circus hoop. When he otherwise shows zero interest in my life but still baits me with passive-aggressive texts, I don’t have to answer!! What a concept! I don’t have to feel guilty for not talking to my mom more than I do. We have very little in common, and I still have a lot of things to work through regarding her.

I learned how not to be so reactive.

Or rather, I’m still learning. Something else I learned in therapy is that over the course of my life, I’ve developed a desperate need to defend myself and to justify every action or thought I have, even to myself. It’d been especially troubling at work. My RSD led me to felt stupid, incompetent, and unseen daily; if my boss complimented someone, I believed it also meant he thought I was stupid and bad and wrong, otherwise he would have complimented me too. If my boss said something that even remotely sounded like I’d done something wrong, I’d race to build an impenetrable defense: “This is the reason I did that. Here’s my line of thinking. Do you understand? Can you please understand?”

Now I know that so little of what everything everyone says or does at work is about me. I can appreciate a coworker’s accomplishment and also realize it doesn’t take away anything from me. I’m not stupid or incompetent, and I’m a valuable part of the team. A lot of times, my boss and I are on two different wavelengths - that’s because I think a lot faster, which can be frustrating for him sometimes. He doesn’t fully understand me, but that doesn’t mean I’m doing anything wrong.

October

I let go of an old friend.

This was especially hard, because I had known this person for years. We’d gone through a lot together, and we’d shared some really important and emotional story plots and characters. I had agonized over whether I was truly important to her or not. It didn’t matter how much I loved her as a friend, or how badly I wanted us to be close again and remain close. I had learned to read the universe’s signs, and it was clear it was time to move on.

November

The election happened.

I was expecting things to turn out badly, but I still hoped for something good. And then something good did happen. I cried watching Harris’ speech. I felt a tenuous hope that things might finally start looking up, societally. I still haven’t really let myself fully embrace that hope, but every time I see a court shoot down another lawsuit, or hear about trump’s own conservative republican supporters tell him, “Okay, buddy, it’s time to step down,” I feel a little better. 

M and I went non-monogamous.

There’s so much I want to say about this, but it’s for another post. Suffice it to say that like every other experience this year, it has been unexpectedly challenging and ultimately a catalyst for  priceless growth. I’m unfathomably grateful that we’re doing this together, for the things we’ve learned so far, and for how much closer this experience has made us, even when I didn’t think we could get any closer. 

Turns out I’m not gray-ace.

I had identified as such for a couple years, which was why we wanted to try non-monogamy in the first place. On the surface, it perfectly explained my sexual personality. But every time I told someone my identity, I felt inexplicably sad. When I read about others having “normal” sex drives and “normal” relations with their spouses, I felt jealous.

Turns out I’m just traumatized, lol. Walking along this non-mono path has unearthed a lot of things, including this gem.

December

This was our first married christmas in our new house.

One of the handful of good things the pandemic has done for me was allowing me to back up my boundaries with hard evidence. It’s been difficult dealing with my stepdad bullying me about not coming over for thanksgiving, and having my mom subtly guilt me into making plans for next year already. But what I needed this year was a quiet holiday, instead of the usual weeks-long chaos, and I got it. And it was fucking delightful. I’ve dreamed of days exactly like that one - spending a tranquil morning with my spouse, sipping coffee and listening to music and eating treats. Deciding exactly how we want our holidays to be, because we deserve to.

I’m scared of what’s to come in the new year. I’m still an anxious mess, and some days I’m not strong enough to pull myself out of the spirals I throw myself into. I’ve gotten used to the pandemic holding my hand, allowing me to shelter in my home, helping me enforce my boundaries, teaching me who I am. When it’s over, I don’t know what will happen or how I’ll react or what I’ll learn next. I’m not finished rebuilding, but I don’t think that’s the point. I’ll never be fully rebuilt. But at least I’m figuring out the new layout.

[officerjennie]

Simple Joys & Easy Smiles

Tagged by: @raendown

The goal of this tag is to spread some love and happiness in hard, stressful and depressing times. Here are the rules:

be as honest as you dare. If there’s something you don’t wish to answer, invent something so outlandish no one will believe it and it’ll get a laugh out of them. That way, you don’t have to answer and you’re still spreading laughter and smiles!

change one of the questions for the next round of people you tag, without saying which one you changed. eventually, all my questions will have disappeared and I’m excited to see what this tag will look like in a few days!

tag people you love who deserve a smile and a distraction

Tagging: Whoever hasn’t been tagged and feels like doing it

what is the last film that made you cry happy tears

I mostly watch horror movies, which aren’t really the type to make you cry tears of joy... I’ve been relistening to a podcast lately though, and a character that was believed to be dead for over 40 episodes just came back to life at the end of a really amazing arch. Even though I knew he would come back (I’ve listened to it before), it still had my heart Soaring as I walked home today.

what song did you recently listen to that makes you feel like you could fight dragons (and give one line from it)

“And now I come alive inside these flames”

which video game have you lost yourself into recently (if you don’t play, pick a book or tv show)

Haven’t been playing much of anything lately, or watching much recently either. Been mostly lost in either tidying up the home, or listening to music while painting.

name a tumblr person who brightens your life

@theintellectualweeb

describe your favourite colour without saying its name or naming a thing of this colour

The softness between. A calm that brings a small smile to your face.

name another best tumblr friend

@mike-remington-hanson

link the last tumblr post you reblogged that struck something deep inside of you

Struck a cord for sure

recount a memory that made you believe that love exists in a way you understand

The other day, I had to be sent home from work due to some serious fucking pain. Almost cried on my boss and I’d never seen him point his finger at a door faster. When I got home, I didn’t even change my clothes or put my uneaten lunch in the fridge, I just limped to the bedroom and collapsed down on the bed onto my side. And my sweet, old Lolla, who is almost always stationed at the foot of my bed, all toasty on her heating pad - Lolla waddled her way up the side of my bed to greet me. And for the first time ever, she put her front paws up on my side, and half laid on me while I shook and tried to breathe past the pain. She laid on me and purred and kept me company the whole while.

if you have children, tell me what little thing they did recently that shocked you up with how much you adore them (if you don’t have children, same but with another human)

I have furry children. Toddlers. They exasperate me to no end and I adore them. But I also recently adopted a little fishie child, who I watched dance in his water today. All flashy colors and movements. Turns out he wanted more food - he’s figured out he can dance around to get my attention, and I simply could not have been more delighted. I love him ^^

if you could cover your entire body with a tattoo, what poem(s), quote(s) or song lyric(s) would you use

My entire body? Nothing. But I already have a tattoo that holds the same purpose, and it’s a single kanji, in remembrance of someone I lost many years ago.

what does it mean to you

^

name a person that inspires you

My friends. But I’m careful about letting people inspire me, because I’ve looked up to people and had the veil ripped away too many times. 

which book do you always come back to

I have a difficult time rereading books. 

recount a memory that made you feel like you were worth the world

I remind myself pretty regularly that I’m worth a lot more than my depression tells me I am, and lately I’ve been pretty good at giving very good reminders ^^

name one item close to you that is precious and tell us why

I have a cheetah pillow pet that someone got for me back in 2012, and it’s literally travelled everywhere with me ever since. It’s been overseas and everything. Honestly I can’t sleep without it at this point.

what’s your comfort food?

Comfort drink, really. Tea. But I don’t seek it out when I need comfort, it’s more just a stable in my day-to-day life that relaxes me when I’m at home. I don’t eat or drink anything special to cheer myself up.

a fic you read recently that shook you to your core

I actually haven’t read it in ages, but citing it now just proves how much it did shake me to my fucking core

In All That's Dark, Our Colors Bright - by @mike-remington-hanson

if it applies to you, what style, clothes, and/or makeup look makes you feel like you’re marching straight towards victory

I haven’t found a full outfit, but damn did I figure out slacks make me feel like I’m the fucking Boss. 

[bambigoose]

Big Boyfriend Part 2- Tyson Jost

An: Wow it was amazing the response I got to the first part to this. I loved hearing from everybody. Here’s part two as requested :) 

Tyson followed his nose from the apartment door all the way to the kitchen, the rich aroma of fresh made cupcakes fumigating the room. After six months of dating he was familiar with this song and dance, Sarah was a stress baker and with a major test coming up in the next few days the rink she worked at, his team, and himself have been able to gorge themselves on new creations.  The baking supplies were a new addition to his kitchen, Sarah hated cooking in her dorm room the roommates have “greedy” fingers she says. Gabe, EJ, and Nate had purchased a Kitchenmaid stand mixer in the hopes the treats would keep coming and evolving, currently it was filled with freshly made frosting. Tyson didn’t mind, it was nice to have someone around the apartment. They’d worked out a system, claimed their areas of the couch for gaming and studying purposes and zoned each other out most of the time. Every once and a while he’d hear a giggle escape when he’d be chirping the boys over the Xbox, or she’d read out an odd fact she was struggling to remember. Nate says he’ll get smarter by osmosis.

Attempting to stretch his head into the hallway and check where Sarah was located he quickly swiped his finger into the frosting seeing the bathroom door still closed. Ducking back out into the main living area he called out a hello. Smiling as he heard Sarah shuffle quicker to fly out of the bathroom. She skids across the hardwood in her fuzzy socks before he caught her right at the stairs, a move they perfected over time. “Hi babe.” She smiled, kissing him as he lifted her to the floor below the three steps. Landing on her tiptoes, he pulled her closer when she attempted to pull away deepening the kiss. Smiling as they separated she flicked him on the nose. “You stole some of the frosting for my little boyfriend’s birthday cupcakes you brat.”

Tyson began to attempt a denial before she cut him off laughter in her voice, “Don’t you lie to me Tyson Jost I can taste it! And I’m sure if I take a look in that bowl a swipe the size of your finger is missing.”

He grabbed the finger she jokingly was wagging at him while shaking her head, “I see how it is the little boyfriend gets the cupcakes and I don’t get anything.”

“Well it is his birthday. It’s just a “Tyson Tuesday” for you. That happens every week, getting kind of old now don’t you think.” She joked squealing as Tyson pinched her sides, tossing her onto the couch before continuing his assault.

----

Two days later Tyson was sitting at his breakfast nook staring at the fridge. Well more specifically staring at a picture on the fridge his girlfriend had hung up to taunt him. Well she wasn’t taunting him, she’s not that cruel but the boys certainly were.  Mattie’s mother took a picture of the two after Sarah made him cupcakes for his birthday. It was a nice picture, even if the little pain was trying to make the moves on Tyson’s girlfriend. Mattie smashed a cupcake on Sarah’s face and he retaliated with one dropped on his head, the picture was taken at the perfect moment that both of them were laughing. When Sarah had been gifted the printed photo she begged him to let her pit it on the fridge, worried she’d lose it or her roommates would wreck it on theirs’s. Tyson of course said yes, but he forgot she’d be clocking extra hours at the lab this week and any time to get a frame was eaten up by school work. The boys ribbed him endlessly over it.

Hearing shuffling from down the hall he slide over the already poured orange juice and kicked out he chair next to him. Arms wrapped around his back and a kiss was laid on the side of his head, “Morning hun. Snow clear up?”

Tyson reached behind him, pulling Sarah over and into his side and kissing her forehead.  “Just stopped about five minutes ago, Mike texted he’s closing the rink today. Morning skate was cancelled too.” A snow storm had hit Denver last night, dropping mounds of snow too quickly for the plows to keep up. After dinner they finished dinner in the apartment last night Tyson convinced Sarah it be better to wait out the storm with him and head into class in the morning instead of returning to her dorm. It proved to be the right call about an hour later when her Friday classes were cancelled due to school closure and now she could stay bundled up with him all weekend.  A sneaky attempt to try and weasel more time with his girlfriend before his upcoming road trip this week.

“A whole day to ourselves with nowhere to go, what ever shall we do?” Sarah joked plopping down into the chair next to him while pulling her unbrushed hair up into a messy bun. “My other boyfriend will be devastated.” She said taking a gulp of her orange juice.  

“Well, he’ll just have to get over it. It’s my turn for some attention.” He laughed pulling her from her sit and into his lap for a kiss.

Sarah sighed and buried her head into his neck , “Stay warm and cuddly and I’ll give you all the attention you want.” She giggled as the laugh Tyson let out shook her entire body. He lifted her up before they collapsed onto the couch pulling a blanket over them both and setting up Netflix.

....

Tyson laughed watching Sarah buzz around the room entertaining all of his teammates and their mutual friends. Gabe Mel and Tyson had successfully pulled off a surprise part for her upon her graduation. Renting out a hall up in the mountains she fell in love with attending a conference earlier this year. EJ and Nate were humoring her as she told him all about her new job for what was likely the fifth time but her excitement was contagious. “MISS SARAH!” was screamed from the entrance causing her to freeze her hand mid-sentence.

Mattie rushed across the floor, a little package in his hand, dodging bodies left and right. Tyson walked over to greet his mother along with Mike and his wife that had just arrived from the rink. Together they approached the foursome while Sarah was squatting down to Mattie’s level opening the little gift.

“Invited the other man I see.” EJ chirped when they arrived. Tyson flipped him off while Mattie was still distracted telling Sarah what had made him choose this gift. She flipped open the little box inside to reveal small dangling earrings of crossed sticks with a puck in the middle.

“These are adorable! Best little boyfriend ever!” She exclaimed picking Mattie up and swinging him around.

Nate leaned closer to Tyson, “Dude you’re in a competition with a five year old and he’s winning.” Tyson punched him in the arm to laughs from the group. Looking across the room, Gabe nodded at him that his plan was complete. Has Mattie and the others headed towards the food, he gently guided Sarah outside to the balcony. He paused as they were outside, beginning to sweat in nerves, he took of his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders in the cool air.

Sarah gasped in the fair lights that surrounded the balcony, Tyson paused a moment to remember her in the cute wrap black dress that made him itch to see it on the floor, heels that made her legs appear a mile long, and hair up in a fancy braid Mel had done in anticipation of what was meant to be girls night. He was struck by how much he loved her and was fully confident in his next move, grabbing her and and dropping to one knee. “Babe..” she started eyes wide.

“I love you. I love you when you stress and bake so much that the team collectively gains ten pounds each. I love you when you stick your icicles you call feet against me in the morning, when you’re so mad at me you can’t even talk, and when you’re too tired to function straight. I love how passionate you are about your future and every little thing you do. I don’t deserve it, but will you marry me?”

Tyson didn’t even have time to brace himself before Sarah slammed into him harder then he’d ever been checked before. Grabbing his face and exclaiming yes before kissing him. Cheers erupted through the balcony doors.The couple laughed to each other before kissing again as Tyson slimmed the engagement ring onto her finger. Pulling her into another hug he whispered into her ear, “The other guys gonna have to go.”

Through her giggles Sarah replied, “He’s young, he’ll rebound.” Before connecting her and Tyson’s lips again to whistles and catcalls of an overly energetic Avalanche team.

[dearyams]

december 18, 1985

If you want to destroy my sweater, hold this thread as I walk away. Watch me unravel, I’ll soon be naked lying on the floor; I’ve come undone. - Wheezer, 1994

day 1

day 2

[ day 3: wow, that is an ugly sweater ]

Will sits on the steps outside the Wheeler household, a steaming mug of hot chocolate scalding his ungloved hands. The sharp heat is a welcome comfort against the whipping wind lashing snow against his face. He takes a hand from the cup and wipes it across his flushed and damp cheeks. The door behind him creaks open but he doesn’t bother to turn and give his sudden intruder his attention. He can tell from the person’s gait as they take a few steps from the door that it’s El anyway.

“Hi, Will,” she starts ever so kindly. Will gives her a hum of acknowledgement and scoots over as she squeezes in on the step next to him. He notes that she’s wearing a too-large green sweater, but it’s oddly familiar so he assumes it must be one Mike outgrew after his growth spurt. “It’s cold outside.”

“Yeah,” Will replies softly. The mug rim dances against his lips as heat from the liquid curls up his nose. “Why’d you follow me out here?”

“Me and Mike finished talking.” Will wants to correct her—Mike and I—but he just nods. “I’m happy for you; I hope you know that.”

He wants to say yes because deep down, he knows all El has ever wanted from him since they moment they met in the Upside Down is his happiness and safety. She trusts that Mike can give him both, which is part of the reason why she so excited approves whatever happens between them. Everyone knows Mike and El adore each other, and maybe there will always be a tiny part of Will inside that’s forever cold and bitter over El getting Mike first when it comes to romantic entanglements. At least until he grows out of it once he’s more comfortable about being with Mike. It’s still a weird thing, looking across the way and knowing that when Mike glances up and catches his gaze, the soft look in his eyes is meant for Will in that special way Will himself didn’t truly realize he wanted until he saw that gaze directed at El during Snowball the year before.

He wants to say yes because El really is happy and he knows that intellectually, factually, and objectively. She speaks the truth and yet a minuscule subsection of Will’s hardened heart still believes the words are nothing but a farce hiding disgust and disappointment.

Of course she’s happy, he thinks with a voice laced in self-deprecation and harrowing pity, happy she’s not dating a guy who likes guys. Happy she’s not kissing a boy who would rather kiss other boys.

And he knows it’s stupid thoughts because El really doesn’t care about things like boys liking boys and girls liking girls. Plus, he’s extrapolating a lot of his own internalized problems and fears onto Mike and that’s unfair too but he can’t help it. He has no clue what goes on in Mike’s head when it comes to what they are and he’s scared that Mike will run away once the reality of it all comes crashing down. It’s not as if Will is too sure he wouldn’t run away either; he’s never been with anyone before, he’s never had the freedom to express his affections for Mike in this manner, and the ability to do so freezes him in a stupor every time Mike brushes their hands together or how all day on this cold winter Wednesday, Mike sent Will gentle and warm smiles that screamed “I’m glad I’m with you”.

Despite not having her powers back, El seems to have the innate ability to read Will like a book. She tugs on his sweater and then tries to pull the mug out his hands when he can’t gather his thoughts from the swirling depths found in dark, bleak shadows hidden from the light of the moon. “Will,” she whispers kindly. “It’s okay.”

What exactly is okay about all of this? Will feels like he’s unraveling at the edges, unsure if this new relationship is really something he should be pursuing. “How do you do it?” he asks weakly, hating his voice for cracking.

El huffs out a short breath and Will watches her breath puff white in the night air. “Do what?”

Care for someone. Present that affection. Love Mike Wheeler. It feels so all consuming and Will can’t understand how he’s able to carry this much feeling for one person and be allowed to express it, act on it, enjoy it. It’s as if a dam inside him has smashed open, waves of besotted sentiment crashing into every thought until he’s drowning, one hand reaching out through the ocean in his heart only for nothing to reach out and save him from himself. He closes his eyes and lets the winter breeze brush calming fingers through his lightly tousled hair.

“Wear such an ugly sweater like that,” is what he says, nodding toward El as he tugs at the green cloth on her shoulders. Now that he looks at it, it’s definitely Mike’s—an old thing he got from his grandma a few Christmases ago. It’s decorated with battery operated Christmas lights and cotton puffs meant to imitate snow. Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer decorates the center with a glowing nose and Will remembers Mike tolerating the sweater just for the reindeer. A green, red, and white chevron pattern lines the edges and seams, and all in all, the sweater is far too decorated but it swells over El’s entire body and consumes her in a way it never did Mike.

Will finds it suits her in an endearing way.

El though seems to catch Will’s deflection but she doesn’t question it further. “It feels weird at first,” and maybe El is actually answering his unspoken question, “but you get used to it. Other people might say it’s ugly and complain that you wear it around but,” and she taps the flashing red nose which lines up over her heart, “I like it. I think you should be proud to have a gift like that. Not everyone gets to wear ugly sweaters for Christmas.”

Will drinks from his mug to hide his smile, nose crinkling once he realizes the drink has now gotten too cold for enjoyment. The door behind them opens and Will turns to spot their undisclosed topic of discussion working his way down the steps to them. “Hey,” he starts, ruffling Will’s hair as he squeezes El’s shoulder. He settles down on Will’s other side and snags the mug from his hands only to also scowl once he realizes the drink inside is cold. “You want me to warm this up for you?”

They hold eye contact for a moment, something silent and unspeakable passing between them in just a second or two. Will smiles and places his hand over Mike’s significantly warmer one. “Sure, if you don’t mind.”

El stands up and plucks the mug from Mike’s hands with a giggle. “I can do it, don’t worry about it.” She’s gone before either boy can protest and Will stares at his hands as silence fills the air.

Mike sits a little closer after a moment and places his hand on Will’s thigh with a small squeeze. “Was I too much today?”

“Too much?”

“Like with the glances and touches and stuff? I can stop if you want, it’s just...,” the lanky boy laughs and rubs at the back of his neck. “I don’t know.”

“I don’t mind really.” Will states and he doesn’t mind, not truly even if he’s still unable to really respond with anything more than stiff nods or quickly averted glances. “Don’t stress over it.”

“Take your own advice, yeah?” Mike nudges Will’s shoulder and lets loose a gentle sigh. “This is all so new, you know? I don’t know what to do.”

Will shakes his head. “Then why are you asking me? At least you’ve had a relationship before this.”

“Yeah, but you’re...well, you’re you.” Mike’s blushing, his freckles spotted against his reddening cheeks. Will feels an underlying urge to kiss each one he can see. “I don’t want to mess this up. Like you said yesterday, this is serious.”

“We’re serious?”

“Of course.”

The wind blows a bit stronger and Will closes his eyes against the incoming breeze filled with melting flakes. Mike curls in closer, not dressed for the winter weather even less than Will. The brunette unravels his scarf and wraps it around his companion’s shoulders, letting his hands linger just a moment longer than he usually would now that he has the permission to do so. They’re far too close to each other for public consumption and if it weren’t dark and snowy outside, Will wouldn’t dare be this close to him in case someone drives by and decides they need to comment in a more physical sense.

Will speaks up to distract his thoughts from taking a twist. “I saw you gave El your sweater.”

Mike laughs, hearty and sweet in the way Will has always loved. “She wanted it and you know I can’t fit it anymore. I don’t miss it, I mean, it’s so ugly anyway.”

“Yeah. That is an ugly sweater.”

Soft lips press against his temple and Will leans into the touch, letting the heat melt the chill that built up during his hiatus outside. Will feels more than hears Mike’s next words. “Bet it’d look cute on you.”

He smiles, no reply on his tongue, but he closes his eyes and doesn’t stress over it as Mike requested. How can he anyway when he’s got the cutest boy wrapped around him making sure his winter night ends in nothing more than love and comfort.

[all-of-the-imagines-for-eve]

Not Sorry ~ Embry Call (Part 1)

A/n: Oop look I'm not dead HAHAHHAHA! Anyway.... here we go, my BABY!!! I tried to keep this one part but I mean look how long I got. It was a hard no lmao. It should only be two parts though so I'll finish that up and then be done with the mini series! Hope you enjoy all the loopty loops and around and back and forth as much as I did.

Word Count: 6900+

Pairings: Jacob x reader, Embry x reader, Embry x Quil (mentioned)

MASTERLIST

The two of us left the Swan house hand-in-hand. Jake looked at me, next to him, with a deep frown. "What's wrong?" He asked.

I looked over, my undeniably sour expression breaking as my eyes landed on him. A weak smile lifted onto my face, my mood lightening just by seeing my boyfriend's face. "I was just thinking maybe it isn't helping by having us both come in. I know it's helping to have me at school with her, and you hanging out afterward, but..." I shrugged. "Did you are the way she looked at us when you held my hand in the car?"

Jake looked at his feet, nodding a little. "I get it," he finally said. "But I don't want to mess up how we do things just to-" he cut off, his jaw working. Jake had had a brief crush on Bella, leading him to hang around the house a lot. That was how we got together. We'd seen each other plenty of times since I'd always been close with the Swans. Bella and I had played as kids, since my mom and Charlie were on really great terms. There were rumors she had feelings for Charlie at one point but that never panned out- obviously. Now, I just visited on weekends to check in so he didn't get too lonely. It had become habit after my mom died. My dad was absent minded, tending to work and otherwise ignore me. Charlie and I were similar in that way: alone, unless we had each other.

With Bella's presence came a greater need for me. I helped her settle and helped Charlie adapt to having to be a dad to a girl my age, instead of a friend like he was with me. Bella and I vibed the same way Charlie and I did; we formed a friendship pretty quickly. With Bella came Jake, and with Jake came feelings. He was a year younger than me, so I hadn't been too keen on it at first, but Bella met Edward and then began to grow distant and then Jake caught feelings for me too, so things kind of just took off.

Now Jake and I were together and Edward and Bella... weren't. He had moved and she was absolutely crushed. From what I knew he had cut off everything between them... honestly, I couldn't even begin to imagine her pain.

I looked at him, my lips pressed together. "I know how you feel, but we have to think about her feelings too." He glared at his feet. He hated Edward to this day, even more now that he had left Bella the way he had than he did before when the only bad thing he'd done was 'steal' Bella from him- something that had begun to wear off as Jake and I continued to be together. Maybe the two boys could have been friends if Edward hadn't hurt Bella like this. I pulled him to a stop, pushing away how Jacob's hate for Edward made me once again wonder about how he felt for me and Bella - he had said a few times that he was completely over her but sometimes I still wondered - to focus on the discussion at hand. "I can't imagine how terrible it is to lose someone that you-" I looked into his eyes and felt suddenly breathless. "That you love." His lips twitched and I wasn't sure if it was a smile or a frown that he'd almost manifested, which made me nervous. "I just mean, I can't imagine how she feels. We have to be sensitive and even though I hate censoring our relationship a bit as much as you do, I also want her to be able to escape thoughts and memories and she can't do that when faced with a couple, because any couple and all loving relationships remind her of him."

He sighed through his nose and then moved close, his nose brushing mine. My eyes fluttered close and my body relaxed, sagging a little.

"Okay." As he spoke, I could hear his smile. He paused a second and then kissed me and suddenly I was smiling too. We were next to his truck, out of sight of the house, and I was thankful that neither of us had to stop this moment to spare Bella. When he pulled away, I was left breathless. He leaned close, his lips brushing the skin on my ear as he whispered as quietly as he could, "Do you love me?"

I never went so rigid so fast while being in as relaxed a state as I was in so soon before. The ease I'd had just a split second before disappeared as if I didn't know what relaxation was and my eyes shot wide. "I- well- I- um- I-"

He chuckled softly and I stopped breathing altogether. I had leaned away when he'd spoken so he moved back to where he was before, pressing against me. His fingers brushed against and fidgeted with mine comfortingly. "I love you too." He left a soft kiss against my neck and I shivered as he leaned away, looking at me through his eyelashes even though he was just a bit taller than me. He reached out, touching my cheek. "And I promise I'll never never do to you what he did to her. I'm here, forever and always."

A grin broke out on my face and I burst into giggles. My hands reached up, fingers curling around the back of his neck. I pulled him into a hug and he was laughing too, tilting as I leaned too much. We scrambled to catch ourselves, neither of us strong enough to catch ourselves as we went careening as my excitement threw off our balance. I took a breath in and he smelled amazing. He was warm and his smile light up the whole world and warmed my insides. It was the happiest I'd ever been and when I went home that night I went to sleep sure it wouldn't be the last time I was that happy, in Jacob's arms. For just a second I was sure of eternity.

-

Much later, Bella got a lot better and there was no pressure to censor our relationship in front of her. A few times she would put our hands together, winking and laughing and teasing and nudging us and talking about how cute we were and how nice it was to see us so happy. I think she lived a little through us as much as she used our love and success to distract her from her own pain so she could separate herself from it and grow without it there to hurt her. Jake became her best friend and I became her sister, is talking about things she couldn't with Jake, as well as me being over more often since I was closer and also had a closer relationship with Charlie, directly. She gave each of us the "I'll kill you if you hurt them" talk and joked about chaperoning dates if we started acting like we were being "naughty". She basically became my mom more than anything and I jokingly called her that constantly. That's how the parent-besties joke was born. Since Jake and Bella were best friends the same way Charlie and I were best friends, and now there was a running joke that Bella was my mom, Jake and I started calling Bella and Charlie the parent-besties. Every time Jake or I struggled with homework or school in general or family or friends or Jake brought up Sam - the leader of a gang on the Reservation that set Jake and Quil (his friend) on edge - or Embry - Quil's ex-best friend and therefore also someone who used to be a close friend of Jake's but who ditched them when he joined Sam's gang - or any other stresses came up, Charlie and Bella would team up to figure out what was wrong if we wouldn't talk about it, or figure out how to distract or cheer us up. They'd first bump and jokingly say, "Activate parent friend powers" and if Jake or I were around we would laugh and they would grin and wiggle their eyebrows.

It was like a little family. Jake would come over with Billy every Sunday night and Jake would pick me up on the way so the three of us would jam out and crack jokes and Billy and I would team up to tease Jake as we drove over, and then when we got to the house, Jake and Bella would impersonate Billy and Charlie poorly while Billy and I jokingly argued who was Billy's truest best friend and Jake and I would flirt over the table and Charlie and Bella would pretend to gag and roll their eyes and groan and call us gross. The more we hung out the closer I got not only to them but the people they cared about. I met Quil and the two boys began to teach me how to work on cars and related such things. Quil absolutely loved to give me piggyback rides and wrestle me while Jake usually took the lead on teaching me mechanics. For the first time in my entire high school career I actually held a lasting conversation with Bella's friends, Eric, Angela, Mike, and Jessica. I was the weirdo in town who talked to no one and always sat alone in every class and worked alone in every group activity. At this points even teachers had given up- at least the Cullens even had each other. Before Bella, I had no one. Now I had so many people it was nearly overwhelming.

Just as my life was reaching perfection, it came crashing down in a rain of fire and brimstone.

It started, weirdly enough, with something good. One day I hadn't talked to Jake in a full week so when he popped up at my house because I'd been telling him how much I was struggling with homework - I was too proud to go to Bella for help - so he'd found some free time and had gotten permission to come and help me. I'd run at him, completely meaning to tackle him. Except, he caught me instead and fully lifted me off my feet, spinning me around before kissing me hard. It was a wonderful feeling that had my head spinning and left me a little nauseous... but also, it shouldn't have happened. Jake wasn't weak but last I checked he was barely strong enough to catch Bella when she lost her footing, or push me off when I was pinning him to the ground so he couldn't move at all. After that, I noticed that not only was he a lot stronger than I remembered, he was also growing insanely taller and hotter. Like, temporaries wise. We couldn't lay under blankets anymore because it came hard to breathe very quickly.

It all climaxed when Bella set up a group hang out to go to horror movie. Jessica, Eric, and then Angela all bailed so it was just me, Bella, Jake, and Mike. With me and Jake joking and flirting especially hard, Bella was left to third wheel... with Mike, who was only too enthusiastic to sweep her off her feet and win her heart, just like he'd been trying to do since the first day she'd come to town.

At the end of what was supposed to be a group hang out, Bella was obviously at her wit's end. I decided to turn to Mike, glaring at him, hands on my waist. "Can you lay off?" He looked at me, raising an eyebrow. It was during the movie and he'd tried to distract himself from the movie by flirting with Bella but it wasn't working. I'd finally lost my patience.

"What's wrong? Jealous?" He joked.

I heard Jake next to me make a noise that raised the hair on the back of my neck. He growled. I shook my head to clear it and then turned my frustration to him. I stood, motioning Bella to take my place. She was only too eager to do so, leaving me between Mike and Bella... which meant that I was next to Mike instead of next to Jake, who was separated from me by Bella.

By the end of the movie, Jake was obviously as much losing his ability to keep his mouth shut as I was. Mike had long gone quiet but before that he'd tried to make jokes and talk to me and I was completely tired of him. Bella reaches over and took my hand, squeezing it in both apology and thanks. I shot a small smile at her. As Mike ran off to blow chunks after the movie ended, Jake pulled me against him. He leaned against the wall, his hands on my stomach and my back against his chest, his chin on top of my head. Bella talked to me as he stayed quiet, letting us girls go back and forth as we waited for Mike.

When he came out he tried to play cool, putting an arm around Bella after eyeing up me and Jake. "Let's head out." Bella moved away from Mike so his arm dropped and I smirked. As if to run it in, Jake moved next to me so he could put his arm across my choosers as Mike had just tried with Bella. I didn't stop him. That seemed to piss Mike off. "You're really attached at the hip, aren't you?" the blonde, pale with sickness boy shot off.

"I obviously don't mind my boyfriend being on me," I replied smoothly. "Unlike other people who might be averted to having a boy on them in this sort if they're not either close or dating." Jake snorted in my ear.

Mike made a mistake and caught Jake's shoulder, turning him so they were facing each other and pulling us apart. We had started walking past him so I kept going while Mike pulled Jake back. Immediately Jake smacked Mike's hands away from him, flaring with anger. I turned to see Bella pushing between them, trying to calm down a much taller, stronger, angrier Jake and a cowardly Mike who was trying to backpeddle and failing. "Don't touch me," Jake finalized, pointing at the other boy. "And for that matter, stop touching Bella and stop looking at my girlfriend. Stop being an ass, stop talking in general." He turned abruptly and pushed past all of us. I turned to go after him, catching his hand, but he yanked himself away. It wasn't hard as I let go of him almost immediately- his skin was burning. It had beeb warm all night but now it almost hurt to touch. I wat he's him go, speechless and unsure.

Mike, apparently still having not learned his lesson, moved next to me. "Seems like an ass to me."

Bella had to drive because Mike was half blinded by a black eye. Charlie picked us up from there. Mike's last stab was the last thing said of the night.

-

It had been weeks. No calls, no texts, no visiting. Nothing. He was completely ignoring me and I couldn't understand why. The few times Bella or I had gotten an answer from the Black house was when Billy picked up. He gave us some lame excuse about how he was super sick and couldn't get out of bed and couldn't have visitors and that was that.

Bella was pacing in front of my house, having dragged me outside to demand we go visit Jake and get some answers. She was trying to get me to go with her, but I wasn't confrontational. On top of my already timid, anxious nature, I hadn't been getting good sleep, unable to get my brain to quiet or my heart to calm or my tears to stop as I quietly sobbed in bed. As the days passed I began to think more and more that this was a Bella-Edward situation and the day that Jacob had first told me he loved me and the promise that had followed it echoed on repeat in my mind.

He promised he wouldn't leave me. Ditch me. He promised, forever and always.

Bella wasn't having it. "Come on I'll drive!"

Neither was I though. "If he's really that sick then whatever, he doesn't want guests. Okay. If he just doesn't want me around..." I shrugged. "It's been WEEKS, Bells. The Jake we know and love would have shot me a call at this point even if it would have killed him. After how he brushed me off, I just feel like something more is wrong than just some fever." I sighed heavily. "This is a choice. I can FEEL IT. He's actively making a choice to cut me off. If I'm wrong then he'll come to me eventually. If not..." I looked helplessly at my hands. "I can't force someone to be in my life." I looked back at her.

She must have seen herself in my face because she lost all the color in her face and stumbled away. I went to love to her but she held a hand up. I froze as she took a second to catch her breath and think. "Okay," she said finally. She looked at me and nodded. "I can respect that. But I'm going to his house, without or with you."

Another sigh slipped from me. "I can't stop you," I said as I shrugged, my hands moving through the air, palms facing the sky. We exchanged one more look before she left too and I went back upstairs. Bella would figure it out and bring me news. It would all be sorted when she came back; I had nothing to worry about. I fell into a restful sleep with ease for the first time in weeks, and it was absolute bliss.

-

"WHAT?" I shot to my feet, eyes wide and mouth open.

Bella couldn't meet my eyes. "He's... gay." She looked awkward and I knew she wasn't telling me the truth, which hurt even more.

"Bella, you're a terrible liar," I accused.

She sighed, rubbing her forehead. "He's probably going to break up with you. I can't tell you why, it's too hard to explain. But I think you two should talk in person and sort it all out." She looked so tired and wrung out that I didn't even argue. I just silently nodded. She stood and we both went out to her car. She drive us to Jake's and then had to kick me out of the car for me to head to the house. He could break up with me, she'd said. He might want to. Why? What had I done wrong? Was he in love with someone else? Had he simply just fallen out of love with me? WAS he gay? Was there some huge secret he was keeping from me that lead him to feel guilty and pull away from me? Oh my god had he cheated on me? Not even with someone he loved but simply someone that was around more than I was. Someone prettier or smarter or more like him than I was. Or maybe he was secretly a terrible person and the person I'd fallen in love wasn't real. Maybe this was all an act. A game. My brain was racing with too many improbable and dramatic probabilities to make sense of anything so I just forced myself to push it all down and knock on the door before I could overthink it and stop myself.

Jake answered the door. I gasped at him. He was in a tank top and short, not things I'd ever seen him wear before. His hair was shorn completely short where it had been SO much longer before, and- was that a tattoo on his arm.

Our eyes locked and he sucked in a breath-

And then let it out, his shoulders sagging as if... disappointed. My eyebrows came together. "Jake?" I choked out, the word dry and quiet. It was almost a croak. It sounded like my mouth was completely dry, even as I choked on words and tears that were only too ready to fall. I knew what was coming by the look on his face before he even opened his mouth. I knew him too well.

"Look, I-"

"Stop," I managed to get out. I looked at my feet, my hands shaking in my peripheral vision and my eyes watering. "Don't-" I tried again. "Don't continue." I swallowed, trying to pull myself together and catch my breath. Suddenly I went incredibly numb and I managed to look at him with what I assume to be dead eyes and an empty smile. He looked sick to his stomach at my expression. "Bella warmed me that when she brought me here you might break up with me." I tried to make my smile bigger but my lip started quivering so I stopped. "I  understand. Things change. People drift apart. Forever never lasts as long as it's supposed to." Jake mad es look like he'd been run over by a semi truck. i knew without even asking that he was remembering his promise too. His lips parted but no noise came out. He just stared at me, lost and heartbroken, and I couldn't understand why because HE was doing this so obviously he wanted to, right? "you-" I cut off, my eyes finally focusing. I finally saw HIM for the first time. Something clicked in my head and my numbness wore off to a subtle emptiness as my smile swapped out for a frown, my eyebrows coming together in irritation as I tilted my head. "You joined Sam's gang, didn't you?"

Finally he found his voice. "Sam's not at all like I thought he was. He's actually helping me, so much. I owe him a lot. He's-"

"Oh my god," I whispered.

I stumbled back and he scrambled forward to try and catch me but I yanked away from him, out of his reach. Behind me the truck door slammed, signaling Bella coming to the house to help. "Are you okay?" She began.

Spinning to face her, I shoved a finger in her face accusingly. "YOU!" I screamed. She jerked back, eyes wide as she stood, unsure. "You knew! 'It's complicated'? God, Bella! You know how scared of Sam Jake is!" I looked back at him, my lip curling into a snarl. "Was." I looked back at her. "What and now you're pro-sam too?"

"He's-" Bella began.

"STUFF IT!" I screamed. "I don't know why you even brought me here! What, to see Jacob break up with me in person? So he could break his promise officially? So he could pull a full Edward and twist the knife already in my gut?" At the mention of the Cullen's name she visibly flinched away from me. I was too angry to care. "FINE!" I screamed hysterically. "Break up with me! Don't even bother trying to keep being my friend Bella. I bet you realize you still have feelings for her after all, huh? All those promises..." I laughed sickly and the two most important people in my life looked at me like I was the villain. As if I had hurt them. "Fuck you." I turned away and began walking.

"Oh come on, where are you going?" Bella called.

"You can't walk home from here!" Jacob added.

"FUCK! YOU!" I screamed over my shoulder. "I'm no longer your concern!" I turned around so I was looking at them, walking backwards. "So have you ditched Quil too then?" I looked directly at Jake, who flinched as horribly as Bella just had. I shook my head, turning away and taking off running. I knew where I was going now.

I hoped to high heaven Quil was home and didn't mind if I spent the night, because there really was no way I was getting back tonight.

-

Long story, he didn't. We ended up spending every second we could together, watching movies and wrestling and exchanging puns and pick up lines and never talking about Jake and Bella, and Embry, who Quil brought up the first night to let me know how he felt. Apparently Quil and Embry had been a lot closer than I'd originally realized before everything had been messed up when Embry had joined Sam's pack. With us only having each other, we cling to each other. We almost finally healed and settled with our friendship when suddenly Quil was gone too.

We worked all that time to get me a license and then work and put our brains together to fix up the very old car I'd found for cheap as best we could without Jake. I drove by one day to show off the finished and completed product... only to have Quil answer the door with short hair, the same tattoo on his shoulder that Jake had when he'd answered the door to me what seemed FOREVER ago, in a muscle shirt and cut off shorts. Neither of us even had to say anything. He just looked at me with the most apologetic look I'd ever seen and I turned away, getting in my car and going home. Halfway I pulled to the side of the road to break down. I'd begun to get over Jake, but I was in no way over how much I missed Bella, and the huge hole in my life that had been created by losing Charlie was simply too much to bear.

I honestly should have seen it coming. It had been the same thing that I'd seen happen to Ake and heard had also happened to Embry. He grew warmer, taller, stronger. Then, our f nowhere, he broke fever and got insanely sick so that he couldn't talk to me for four whole days. Finally he called to let me know he was better and that I could come over. The call was brief and I'd blindly, desperately hoped with all my soul that he just wanted to see me after all that time. We'd grown to be really great friends, going on adventures and creating a completely different friendship than either of us had had before with anyone. We were just so chill. No promises or forever imagining, but an unspoken understanding that we both hated the same people and enjoyed almost all of the same things. We had inside jokes and had made memories hiking and swimming and doing homework and preparing each other for upcoming tests and in general being each other's wingmen, more joking about setting each other up than anything since we both knew neither of us were ready or interested in doing that quite yet.

Now he was gone. Like Jake. Like Bella. like Charlie. Like Edward and Embry. Like my mom. Like my dad sink after. I was completely alone, empty, with a distant father and more often an empty house than anything.

I'd gotten obsessed with mechanics, picking it up as a hobby to distract myself from my emotions. I hadn't really gotten into much else and the physical tiring the fixing things up required of me as I hefted and cranked and pulled and jimmied and all such related physically demanding things tired me out and kept my brain busy. With my only talent having been given to me by Jake, I was left to blast music to tune out any memory or thought the activity could dig up. If I wasn't snagging old bikes and cars and such things and then re-selling them in much better condition then I was cleaning and babysitting. I was saving money up to move from Forks. I was planning on getting emancipated from my dad and moving away from the small town that had become my own personal Hell. I'd go somewhere else. Meet other people. Make my own family and my own home, since the paces and people I'd come across this far had failed me.

A year passed. The Cullens moved back and I saw Edward walking around the halls with Bella, which made me feel even more empty. Bella had absolutely everything and I was left completely alone. I'd finally let go of Jacob enough that he didn't haunt me. I could think and remember him and only a dull ache would resound in my chest. The release of coming to terms with being alone and getting over Jacob had allowed me to do something I hadn't done in a long time but had come to absolutely adore doing while I was dating Jake and was friends with Quil.

On Saturday's, I went to La Push. I had te same car I'd bought during my friendship with Quil, driving myself to the beach a few hours before sunset. I pulled off my pants, exposing the bottom half of the swim suit I had on underneath. I put my feet in the water and wiggles my toes in the sand. I tilted my head back so I was looking at the sky and then closed my eyes, letting my body slowly unwind. With my the shirt I always wore when I went to the beach, I walked further into the water a while after letting myself come undone and then reopening my eyes. After I was waist deep in the fairly cold water, I fully dove in. It burned and woke me up. Though it wasn't cold season quite yet, it also wasn't quite warm enough to be swimming.

When I hit the surface, I gasped and groaned, a shiver running through my body. I shook my head, blinking my eyes rapidly. A wild, loud laugh erupted from me before I began to swim to where I could touch and then back out far too much go be considered safe before I swam back to where I could touch. Back and forth, back and forth, until my body was numb enough not to feel the cold anymore. Then I closed my eyes and lay on my back, breathing evenly and focusing on staying afloat. Every thirty second or so - I kept track in my head, sometimes waiting until thirty-five or even fourty seconds if I felt really confident - I checked to make sure I wasn't too far away from shore that I couldn't get back again without tiring out and being pulled out to sea again. When I did get on the edge of too far, I pushed forward and swam back.

Halfway there was when I heard it. A huge splash that made me look over. I realized I must be pretty far away from my car, even if I wasn't far from shore. I was by the huge cliffs on the edge of La Push, close enough to make out people at the top jumping, and people at the bottom who, presumably, had already jumped. Close enough, I realized with a start, to make out faces.

First I saw Quil, of all people. My heart stopped and I almost stopped swimming, so shocked by seeing my old very good friend after over a year of time that I forgot how to move for a full second before the water in my nose quickly reminded me. Next I saw who I could only assume was Sam. He was similar to the guy I remember who'd carried Bella out of the woods what must have been two years ago now, and also fit description from what Quil and Jake had said. I looked up next, only to see who must have been Jake at the top. I was stunned most by this. Not because it hurt to see him but.... because it didn't. I felt that same dull ache and a sort of whistful longing for the joy and completeness I'd once felt, but Jake had hurt me very deeply and I'd come to terms with him being an asshole and how I deserved better. I would find someone better, if that's what I really did want for me someday. Until then, it was about me. It was about what I wanted and needed and what made me happy. Jake didn't make me happy anymore. Any good was tainted by the tattoo and the short hair and how he was shirtless despite the slight chill, in cut off shorts. He wasn't My Jake anymore. He was Jacob Black, nothing but a heart breaker and a complete stranger.

My eyes returned to the people in the water, only to immediately notice that a few of the guys were now looking at me as well. I clouding Quil who's eyes went as wide as mine were. His smile completely dropped, his expression unsure. I shook myself out of my stupor, nodding once to him before turning away and focusing on getting to shore. I was done with the beach today. It wasn't fun anymore Unlike Jake, Quil was only good memories and Sam was only the person who had stolen everything for me. It was too many mixed emotions, all intense, and it ruined my relaxation and tranquility.

I heard someone scream my name as I reached the sand, exhausted and nearly falling over. I'd gotten too used to the feeling of the water. I ignored them and everything as I quickly made my way through the sand, folding my arms over my chest as my body tensed up more than it had been when I'd come here, shaking and shivering in the cold. Another scream of my name, much closer. How had they already gotten to shore? My teeth were chattering and I continued to ignore them, even though now I could identify them as- "Quil come on. She's not interested." That was a new voice. I turned, still protective of Quil even after everything we'd been through. But it wasn't Sam.

This boy was much smaller and skinnier, even though he was also muscular and taller and bigger than most boys I'd seen my entire life. Seriously what did they feed these boys?! He had wet hair that was kind of wild and strong features. He was pretty, I won't lie. Very attractive. I felt almost pulled to him, just a little. Perhaps it was my curiosity.

Then our eyes met. The whole world seemed to freeze over and burn up at the same time. My body was both too hot and too cold, tingling and burning and flashes of weird feelings everywhere. I felt the air get knocked out of my lungs and my body released any and all tensions it had held before. I almost lost my footing completely. He did, falling to his knees. Probably because of the bigger mass he had on me.

"Whoa, Embry, you okay?" Embry. THAT was Embry? The Embry who was Quil's ex-best friend and almost lover? Who had been Quil's Jake? Who had left Quil and Jake alike to join some gang for god knows why? Got into god knows what trouble?

Very quickly, I pulled myself together and turned abruptly to take off running away from them. It was hard to run in sand so I moved to the path past the beach and then finally took off at full speed. I didn't stop until I hit my car, my lungs burning and my body weak from over exertion. I moved to the beach first to grab my bag with my pants and keys in it, moving to my car as quickly as possible to take my keys out and get in. I didn't see the guys and thought I was gone free... but then my car wouldn't start. I rested my forehead on the steering wheel for a while before collecting myself, taking hold of my emotions, and then calmly getting out and heading to the trunk where my tools were. I left my bag on the driver's seat, door open as I popped the hood and then looked through what was wrong. There was a knob loose again and I shook my head, reaching over to where my open tool box revealed a wrench that I grabbed to tighten it again and hoping hat would do the trick. I put all my remaining strength in to tightening it as much as possible before putting the wrench back in the box and then going to the driver's seat to try turning on the car again. This time it worked.

With that victory, the same rush as always filled me and the boys and the worries they brought me simply melted away as I stood up, grinning. I moved my bag to the passenger seat, moving to my hood to close up my tool box and close it before I went to put it in the trunk and leave.

Whatever I'd done had allowed the boys I thought I was sure weren't following me to catch up because as I closed my hood I immediately saw Jake and I froze stiff, my joy forgotten. How soon the face of my ex could crush my happiness in the same way that happiness had wiped my mind of him just for a blissful moment. He had his arms crossed over his chest, seeming almost... proud of me. "You kept up the whole car thing. You handled that pretty well. Pretty quickly too."

"Yeah, you started me on a path that I followed. I'm pretty good at it I think. It's kind of all I do, other than school. Don't have any friends or family to occupy my time so what else am I going to do, right?" His smile dropped at that. My expression didn't change from an emotionless, distant disinterest. He swallowed, not liking my new reaction to him. It had been a year and a half though, what did he expect? "What do you want, Black?"

He made a face like he was tasting something bitter. "Look, I just came over here because my friend said you looked hurt-"

"Embry?" I perked up and immediately tried to hide it.

He eyed me. "No..." He swallowed, shuffling like he felt physically uncomfortable suddenly. "Paul- why- why did you ask about Embry specifically?"

I shrugged. "Nothing. You guys always come here on Saturday?"

"Usually," he said slowly, after a pause.

My face scrunched in distaste. "I'll aim for Friday's and Sunday's then. See you, Jake." My expression softened. "Look, I'm over everything that happened. It was forever ago. No bad blood?"

He didn't see to like that. "Sure." Seeking hin again reminded me that he was a different body and ran with a different group, but in the end he was still the same Jake. Still tender and concerned and proud of my progression. Still my friend. Still the boy I'd fallen in love with once upon a dream. Strange. What had changed with us then, if I was the same and he was the same? Then I noticed the tiredness. He looked almost.... aged. More hesitant. Darker.

So that was it. Whatever he'd gone through HAD changed him after all. If anything, I felt bad for him. I nodded to make my leave but was only able to put my tools in the trunk and move to my driver's seat before Embry himself finally ran up, eyes wide and totally out of breath.

"Wait!" He moved quickly to the front of the car. Jake wore an expression as bewildered as ny own, so I assumed this wasn't normal. "Sorry," he scrambled to pull himself together, raising a hand to run through his wild hair. I let out a short laugh, cutting it off and covering my mouth. He was honestly gorgeous, in a totally different way than Jake was. Embry's smile was crooked and charming and kind of boyish. He was lively and goofy and put me at ease instantly. He seemed as fun as Quil but much more energetic and I was almost too ready for it. Excited. "Are you free, maybe next weekend?" He rubbed the back of his neck and I knew I was blushing. "I know this is sudden and really weird but you're really pretty and um I'll probably never see you again."

"She probably isn't interested in-"

"Sure." I didn't mean to cut Jacob off, but I'd already been about to say it when he'd begun.

He shot me an even more surprised look. "What?" He demanded.

Quil strolled up, shaking his head. "SMOOTH, Embry. Honestly you're a disaster."

That knocked me out of my weird train of thought. Embry. Embry who was Quil's. Right? Embry who was part of Sam's gang. Sam who had taken everyone from me, including Jake, who was also probably one of Embry's best friends again now that they were in the gang together and up to who knows what. Trouble. This boy was nothing but trouble.

While Jake busies himself looking between me, Embry, and Quil, I pulled myself together. "Sorry, no." Embry seemed surprised by that. Fair, as he'd gotten an enthusiastic yes from me just seconds before. I smiled politely. "I'm sorry- Embry was it?" He nodded. "I'm not interested. I'm not in the dating scene right now and even if I was, I don't think whatever you're looking for is with me."

As I went to get in, he scrambled to stop me. "No you don't understand!" He was suddenly very close and it was incredibly distracting. "I know what you must think of Sam and the rest of us, but I promise you you're actually EVERYTHING I'm looking for. Specifically."

I was genuinely stunned. "Uh... excuse me?"

-

Forever Tag List: @alexa-playafricabytoto @chipster-21 @captainxholmes @bitchyseawitch @justanotherdaydreamersoul

[klaineanummel]

looking for something that’ll (never) come 2/6

Blaine Anderson-Chang knows that his crush on his brother’s best friend, straight football star Kurt Hummel, is foolhardy. But every now and then Kurt gives him a look and Blaine can’t help but wonder.

Welcome to chapter two!! This chapter is quite heavy on the Seblaine, but it's the only chapter of the story where Sebastian makes a physical appearance. Thanks so much for your comments so far <3 They mean so much!! 

Sebastian texts Blaine that very night, informing him that he’s very eager to meet up and get to know him a little, and asking if he’d be open to getting coffee that Friday. Just two days away.

Blaine agrees, then spends the rest of the night freaking out about it in his group chat with Sam and Tina.

Both of them think it’s a great thing. Sam tells him that it’ll be a good way to distract himself from Kurt, and Tina unhelpfully chimes in that since prom is two weeks away there’s still time to invite Sebastian as his date if things go well.

Blaine wants to agree with them. He knows they’re being logical, that they’re just looking out for him, but he’s also having a bit of a hard time imagining going to the prom with some guy he’s never even met. Especially since basically all of his prom-related fantasies so far have been about Kurt asking him to dance and then admitting that he’s madly in love with him while they’re on the dance floor.

Which, of course, is unrealistic, and that’s the point he supposes. Because no matter how much he wonders and hopes, at the end of the day Kurt is still straight, and Blaine is still very much a boy. It’s not going to happen, and he’s known it since the day he started to realize he’d developed feelings for his brothers best friend. He needs to accept it.

Especially since now he has a guy who actually likes guys and seems to like him wanting to go on a date with him.

He falls asleep that night telling himself that this will be a good thing, knowing full-well that he doesn’t believe it for a second.

**

The days leading up to his date with Sebastian are weird. Mostly because Kurt is weird.

He isn’t ignoring Blaine, per say, but he also isn’t seeking him out. He doesn’t stop to talk to him when they pass each other in the hallway, and at lunch he doesn’t try and convince Blaine to join them at the football table. He just nods and waves, or says a quick, “Hey,” and is on his way.

The hopeful part of Blaine keeps whispering that maybe, maybe, maybe, but he tells it to shut up. Kurt’s been weird around him forever, even before Blaine started to like him. He’s not about to suddenly develop feelings for Blaine, especially not feelings deep enough to evoke this kind of jealous reaction.

Maybe he’s annoyed about Blaine saying that he’s more Mike’s friend. Maybe Kurt took it to mean that Blaine doesn’t consider them friends.

Or, maybe Kurt is in a fight with Finn (a very common occurrence) and took Blaine agreeing to be set up with Finn’s friend as Blaine siding with Finn.

Or, maybe he’s just stressed about the upcoming football game, or any of the other dozen logical explanations that Blaine forces himself to come up with to shut up the tiny voice in his head whispering that it’s because Blaine is going on a date with someone else.

Either way, by the time school ends on Friday, Blaine feels weird.

Not weird enough to cancel the date, but still weird.

“Hey, baby,” Mama J is waiting for him in the parking lot a block down from the school. She greets him with a hug and a quick kiss to the top of his head. “You okay? You looked deep in thought there.”

Blaine shrugs, heading toward the passenger door. “Just thinking about later.”

She grins, “That’s right! Your big date is tonight.”

They both step into the car, and Blaine sighs. “Mom don’t get too excited. I don’t even know this guy.”

“I know, I know, but come on honey, it’s your first date. I’m allowed to be a little excited about it.”

He rolls his eyes but smiles as he does it. “I guess it’s better than Mama P wanting to threaten him with grandpa’s old shotgun.”

Mama J rolls her eyes as she starts the car. “Oh, ignore your mother, she’s just upset that this means you’re not a baby anymore. She did the same thing when Mike started going out with Mercedes, and now look, she adores her.”

Blaine chuckles, remembering how yes, in fact, Mama P had also wanted to threaten Mercedes when Mike admitted they’d been out on a couple dates and that he was going to ask her to be his girlfriend. Mama J, on the other hand, had been just as excited about Mike beginning to date as she seems to be about Blaine doing so.

His phone dings, and he sees that it’s a text from Sebastian with a picture attached. He opens it to find a selfie of an admittedly cute guy, captioned with Can’t wait to see you in a few hours! This is what I look like, in case you forgot ;)

“Is that him?” Mama J asks.

“Yeah,” Blaine says, texting Sebastian back saying that he’s looking forward to it as well. “He just sent me a picture so I’d be able to recognize him.”

“Oh, let me see!” She immediately snatches the phone out of his hand.

“Mom, oh my god, you’re driving,” Blaine says, eyes widening as she looks at the picture, eyes continuously flicking back to the road.

“I can multitask, baby,” she says. She looks a bit longer, then tosses the phone back to Blaine. “Huh.”

Blaine frowns. “What’s ‘huh’? What does that mean?”

She shrugs, suddenly very invested in keeping her focus on the road. “Nothing.”

“Mom.”

She glances at him briefly. “It’s just… He looks a little like Kurt, don’t you think?”

Blaine’s lips immediately press tight together. He pulls the picture back up, looking at it a little closer. At the angular face, the upswept light brown hair, the hint of freckles across his nose.

Shit.

“Oh my god,” Blaine closes his eyes, bringing his phone up to his chest.

“It’s okay, though!” Mama J quickly says. “Maybe it’s just the picture.”

It’s not, though. Because now that she says it, he specifically remembers seeing a Dalton player that he thought looked like Kurt, and he remembers thinking he was cute, but that Kurt was way cuter.

Shit.

He takes a deep breath, then says, “It’s fine.”

“Baby—”

“Really, Mom. I don’t want to talk about it. I’m kind of nervous enough already.”

She nods, and after a few moments of silence she turns on the radio.

Well.

He feels even weirder now.

**

Sebastian wanted to meet at the Lima Bean, which is thankfully within walking distance of Blaine’s house. Meaning neither of his moms, or Mike, need to drive him, meaning they can’t linger and watch him during any part of this.

Mama J still gets emotional, telling him he looks really nice, and Mama P reminds him to be careful and that if, “that boy tries absolutely anything I will hunt him down myself.” Mike just gives him an enthusiastic thumbs up.

Blaine texts Sam and Tina the entire way there, letting their excitement over this pump him up and distract him from the fact that he’s trying to move on from Kurt with a guy who looks like he could be Kurt’s cousin.

When he arrives at the coffee shop, he immediately sees Sebastian sitting inside. He’s still wearing his Dalton uniform, which makes Blaine look down at his own carefully picked out outfit with a frown, but he also has two cups of coffee sitting in front of him.

Taking a deep breath, Blaine pushes the door open and walks in.

**

Within ten minutes, all of Blaine’s worries have flown out the window.

For one, Sebastian doesn’t look that much like Kurt this close as he had on the football field, nor like he’d looked in the picture. And whatever similarities they have disappear in Blaine’s mind as they talk and it becomes crystal clear that their personalities are absolute opposites.

Sebastian is cocky and a little bit pretentious, but just enough to interest Blaine instead of turn him off. He talks like a kid who’s gone to private school his entire life, and actually engages Blaine when he talks about what he’s learning in English and History class instead of trying to get him to shut up like most of his friends do. He doesn’t tease Blaine for liking to study, or for having mostly academically focused goals.  And, when he eats his biscotti, he finishes chewing before he speaks.

But, most importantly, he doesn’t confuse Blaine.

There has not been a single second since Blaine sat down that he hasn’t felt Sebastian’s interest. It’s almost palpable. It’s in the way he watches Blaine, the way he listens. How he compliments him every other second, and occasionally says, “I really can’t believe how much hotter you are than I remember.”

How he plays with Blaine’s foot under the table, and, as the date goes on, starts to trail said foot up Blaine’s calf.

It’s intoxicating. Being wanted. Blaine’s never been wanted this obviously by anybody before.

It envelops him.

Which is why he’s more than happy to agree when Sebastian asks if he wants to go for a drive. “This place is starting to get a little stuffy, I think,” he says, foot rubbing up Blaine’s calf slowly.

He stands up with Sebastian, heart warming at how the taller boy immediately reaches out to take his hand. He lets Sebastian lead him out of the shop and to his car, heart hammering in his chest.

He wonders if Sebastian is planning to kiss him.

He kind of hopes that he is.

He gets in the passenger seat of Sebastian’s car. He glances at the backseat, and immediately notices that it’s spotless. No McDonald’s bags or cups thrown around, no Cheeto dust stains on the seats, no heap of dirty laundry taking up one of the seats.

He shakes his head, forcing the comparison out of his mind. Even if he’s favoring Sebastian with it, he knows it’s not good to compare him to Kurt in any way.

Instead, he forces himself to focus on how Sebastian tells him about this little park he found after the game a few weeks ago, and how as soon as he’d seen it, he knew he wanted to take someone special there. It’s easy to focus on that, especially when Sebastian smiles at him and then leans over and places his hand just above Blaine’s knee, making it more than clear that he’s the special someone he’s referring to.

His hand is a warm, constant presence on Blaine’s leg the entire ride, and it makes Blaine’s heart rate speed up.

He’s definitely going to kiss me.

It takes about ten minutes to get from the Lima Bean to the park. It’s small, like Sebastian said, mostly trees and grass, with a tiny pond near the center.

It’s also completely deserted.

Sebastian takes his hand off of Blaine’s leg to undo their seatbelts (and something about the way that Sebastian unclicks Blaine’s seatbelt makes his stomach do a flip), then turns to him with a mischievous smile.

“So,” he says, glancing around. “This is it.”

Blaine nods, looking out the front window to the park in front of them. “It’s really nice. Peaceful.”

“Yeah,” Sebastian says.

Blaine turns back to him with a smile. “Do you want to walk around a bit?”

Sebastian raises an eyebrow at him, smile growing a little. “Not yet,” he says.

Blaine is about to ask what he means by that, but then Sebastian is leaning forward, hand going back to Blaine’s thigh, higher this time, and pressing their lips together.

It’s basically everything Blaine dreamed his first kiss would be. It’s soft, tender, slow. Sebastian doesn’t deepen it yet, just presses their lips together gently. It’s totally and completely perfect.

(Well. Almost. But he pushes that thought away).

When Sebastian pulls away, it’s with a, “God, you’re so hot,” before he leans back in, bringing a hand up to cup the back of Blaine’s head so that he can angle their second kiss better.

This one is harder, deeper, and Blaine lets himself be swept away by it. He lets Sebastian lead, lets him move Blaine’s head however he wants it, lets him slide his tongue into Blaine’s mouth when he tries.

“Just,” Sebastian whispers, separating briefly before kissing Blaine a third time. “So hot,” a fourth kiss follows, and Blaine is pretty sure that he’s starting to lose some brain cells.

How do people do this all the time?

“Your mouth,” Sebastian says after they part again, bringing his hand from the back of Blaine’s head to his jaw, cupping it and bringing his thumb up to rub against Blaine’s lips.

As though it’s the most natural thing in the world, Blaine finds himself sucking Sebastian’s thumb into his mouth. It’s clearly the right move, because Sebastian’s eyes close and he groans, head falling back ever so slightly.

Encouraged, Blaine swirls his tongue over the tip of Sebastian’s thumb, and that just makes Sebastian moan a little louder.

Sebastian’s eyes flutter open, and he slips his thumb out of Blaine’s mouth. “Do you want to?”

Blaine nods immediately, brain not fully understanding the question. Still, he’s hard in his jeans, and he really wants Sebastian to kiss him again, and at this point he’s pretty sure that he would let Sebastian do anything he wanted.

Sebastian grins at Blaine’s assent and leans forward to kiss him again, and it’s so, so wonderful. Blaine wonders how he’s managed to live seventeen years without experiencing this, because it really is one of the best feelings in the world.

He hears the sound of metal clinking together and pulls away from the kiss with a wet smack of his lips. Following the source of the sound, he looks down and sees Sebastian has just finished undoing his belt and is now popping the button on his jeans.

Blaine’s heart speeds up. He hadn’t thought this far, not at all, but he just told Sebastian he wanted to, and he knows he can back out because he really hadn’t understood, not really, but his cock is so hard in his jeans, and Sebastian’s is too, he can see it as Sebastian lowers his zipper, bulging against his underwear and oh god, oh god…

Sebastian manages to lower his jeans and underwear down just enough to free his cock and balls, and Blaine feels his own cock jump in his jeans at the sight. It’s nice, honestly, nicer than Blaine’s own, and nowhere near as intimidating as he always imagined it would be.

He must be too quiet for too long, because Sebastian brings his hand back up to Blaine’s chin, frowning. “Hey,” he says. “I know you said yes before, but if you don’t want to…”

Blaine’s eyes fall back down to Sebastian’s dick and he licks his lips nervously. The action causes Sebastian’s cock to twitch, and the sight of it causes Blaine’s cock to do the same.

“Blaine,” he forces himself to look up and into Sebastian’s eyes. Sebastian looks at him steadily and asks, “Do you want to?”

There’s no doubt anymore. No questions about what he means. Blaine is now fully and completely aware of the situation, no longer overwhelmed by the feeling of kissing another boy for the first time in his life.

He licks his lips again and then, in a moment of complete clarity, replies with a soft, “Yes.”

[bulbpix]

If You Just Listened - Part 7

100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900.

No, that couldn't be right. You counted again.

100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800... 900.

You shook your head. 'Okay, wake up. Focus.' You counted again.

100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600...

You placed the bills on the table, burying your face in your palms. This wasn't enough. This wasn't nearly enough. After your bills, you had a little over fifty dollars.

You hit your forehead with the base of your palm.

'Where did it go?'

Your eyes widened with sudden realization.

'Food.'

You pressed your palms against your eyes. How could you have been so careless? Of course you worked hard. You wouldn't deny that. But you indulged yourself at the wrong time. The completely wrong time. And on top of that, you paid for all of Arthur's food too. You tried to think about your next course of action. Maybe sticking to beans and rice for a while could help? Maybe you could wait to wash your laundry every two weeks? You sighed, dropping your forehead against the table.

Lucy walked into the breakroom, stopping in her tracks once she spotted you. She cleared her throat.

You shot up, startled and embarrassed by her sudden appearance.

"Oh... Hey, what's up?" You brushed yourself off, trying to act casually. "Not much..." she responded, eyeing you curiosly. "Taking a nap?" "Yeah... yeah. I just got tired." She nodded, not quite buying it. She looked towards the bills on the table, which you quickly tucked away. She sighed, taking a seat across from you. "I see. Money problems." Your gaze drifted downward, and you sadly nodded. You opened your mouth to speak, happy to be able to vent- "You know this guy I dated was also bad with money. But man, he was HOT. I'm talking like six pack, long hair, bright eyes..."

The rest of Lucy's monologue was a blur to you. You tuned her out, her voice being nothing but a mumbling background to your thoughts.

What would you do now? How long would you be able to stretch fifty dollars? You certainly couldn't afford to treat yourself anymore. Maybe you could skip a meal or two. But there was something you were forgetting...

Oh god. You wanted to visit your parents. But there was nothing left.

You could feel your eyes begin to water, your face growing hot. Not wanting to be seen like this, you quickly stood up and began walking to the exit.

"Woah, where you headed?" Lucy asked, surprised by your sudden departure. "Home. Shift's over, I just wanted to get some things in order before I left," you responded. She looked at you, a hint of concern in her expression. "Okay...Oh. Also. Mike's buying new liquor for the bar, so the crew is gonna get trashed on the rest of the old stuff in a few days. You in?" "Uh... yeah. Sounds good," you replied, just wanting to leave. It was beginning to get difficult to keep your voice from shaking. "Great. See ya then."

You rushed out of Pogo's, making your way home as quickly as you could. You didn't want anyone to see you like this, Gotham was not a place to show weakness.

'Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. STUPID.'

The air reeked of garbage. Drug deals were clearly happening along every sidewalk. Police cars drove by, apathetic to their surroundings. Every wall was covered in old, peeling flyers and graffiti. And this is where you would stay. Your parents would have to wait.

The thought stung you in your core. You wouldn't be able to visit home, all because you couldn't be responsible with your money. Instead, you would have to stay in this miserable black hole that called itself a city.

Finally, your apartment building was in clear view. You sighed in incredible relief, so desperate to release your emotions somewhere private. You reached into your pocket, pulling out your keys as you approached the door.

You didn't realize how much your hands had been shaking until you tried to put the key in the door. You missed it, then you missed it again, and again,... and again. You furrowed your eyebrows, trying to steady yourself. You went for it again... and dropped your keys on the pavement.

Dropping your keys wasn't particularly upsetting. Nor was trying to guide your trembling hands. But you just couldn't hold yourself together anymore. You turned around, your back sliding against the glass entrance as you sunk to the ground.

You tried to be an optimist about your situation, you really did. But not being able to visit home had made everything so ugly again. You weeped quietly on the floor, your makeup running down your cheeks and dripping off your jaw. You hated this place. You hated the constant noise, the cost, the sense of dread. You just wanted to go home. Just for a little bit. You just wanted to see your family. But you couldn't. And you only had yourself to blame.

You gritted your teeth to prevent yourself from wailing, your body now shaking with your sobs. You took a deep breath, trying to calm yourself down.

Unbeknownst to you, Arthur was also arriving home from his clown gig. The sound of muffled sobbing caught his attention - and it was coming from the apartment building?

He walked closer, poking his head carefully around the brick wall, his green wig comically sticking out.

And there you were. Crying. Sad. Alone.

He quickly ducked back behind the wall, hanging on to his cap and wig. He knew he had to do something. But what? What could he do?

Honk-honk!

You were startled out of your sadness by the sound of a goofy clown horn. You looked up, scanning your surroundings for the source, but saw nothing. Until...

Honk-honk!

Arthur stuck his face out from the corner again, then hid it again, then poked it out again, playing a game of peek-a-boo. You stared at him in confused (but happy) amusement as he began taking exaggerated steps towards you in his ridiculously oversized clown shoes.

All of a sudden, Arthur whipped a magic wand seemingly out of the air, pointing it directly at your nose. You nearly yelped in surprise... but nothing happened. You looked at him, puzzled. Was something supposed to happen?

Arthur scratched his forehead, carefully inspecting the wand. He then offered it to you. You looked at him suspiciously as you took the wand in your hand.

As soon as he released it, the seemingly straight wand went limp like a noodle in your grasp. You smiled and sniffled, wiping your nose with your other hand as you handed him back the wand.

He tapped it against his leg, and like magic, it was straight again. He gave you a smug nod, as if he hadn't planned this from the beginning. You laughed at his stupid, sly expression - to the point of accidentally snorting. A bit embarrassing, but you were having a great time watching his performance.

And voila! He thrust the wand toward you again, a bouquet of fake flowers shot out of it and tickled your nose. You laughed again, taking the flowers from Arthur and holding them closely to you. He bent down in front of you, pointing at his red clown nose. You weren't quite sure what he wanted you to do, but you slowly reached up and pinched the nose between your thumb and pointer.

Arthur began to back up, the string that wrapped the nose around his head beginning to stretch. After taking a few more steps back, he gave you a thumbs up. You smiled, letting go of the nose.

FWOOSH! The nose smacked him on the face! He tumbled backwards dramatically, landing right on his rear. You let out a loud laugh, thoroughly entertained by the silliness of the entire situation, and pleasantly distracted from your stress.

Arthur stood up, brushing himself off and beginning to dance. He spun like a drunken ballerina, and jumped around like a monkey in the jungle. It was ridiculous, nonsensical, extravagant, and most of all - fantastic.

You rested your chin on your hand, softly chuckling at Arthur's show. Your eyes were still puffy, but you were successfully cheered up.

As you sat at the apartment steps, happily watching Arthur dance, you realized something. Arthur wasn't just a nice guy that showed up at Pogo's a lot. He wasn't just a talented clown or a good neighbor simply doing his part.

He was your friend. And he was a great one, too.

A/N - Sorry for the wait guys, ya girl has been very very busy. But here's the latest installment!! YaY!! I wanted to experiment with this chapter, and see how much interaction I could write without any dialogue. Let me know if you guys liked it!

[moonlightmadnessreviews]

It, Chapter 2 (2019)

After almost 2 years, Andy Muschietti’s highly anticipated It Chapter 2 is finally in theaters! I had the chance to see it opening night and I must stress something right up front: I am NOT jealous of the task Muschietti took on. Stephen King’s It has long been regarded one of his most ambitious novels, blending themes of childhood nostalgia, multidimensional beings, fear itself and the hold that your hometown can have over you. As proven by the 1990 miniseries, these can be very difficult concepts to translate from page to screen. So how did Andy and his producer sister Barbara Muschietti do this time around?

It Chapter 2 takes place 27 years after the events of 2017’s It, as Pennywise the Dancing Clown returns to the town of Derry, Maine to hunt children, made all the more tasty when forced to marinate in their own fear. After a quick flashback to the first movie, the film jumps to present day. Just as the death of Georgie kicks off the first movie’s, we set this film rolling with a brutal hate crime against Adrien Mellon, a gay man attending Derry’s Canal Day Festival. Upon further investigation, it’s confirmed by OG Loser Mike Hanlon that Pennywise has returned and phone calls are placed to each member of The Losers Club.

As I said, siblings Andres and Barbara Muschietti had no small feat on their hands. Not only did they need to take us through re-introductions of each member of The Losers Club, now all successful adults (safe for Mike, since he never left Derry) but they then dive back into flashbacks to show us more moments where Pennywise had tormented our protagonists. The adult Losers are rounded out by Jessica Chastain (Bev), James McAvoy (Bill), Jay Ryan (Ben), Bill Hader (Richie), Isaiah Mustafa (Mike), James Ransone (Eddie), and Andy Bean (Stan). Reprising their roles in flashbacks are Sophia Lillis (Bev), Jaeden Martell (Bill), Jeremy Ray Taylor (Ben), Finn Wolfhard (Richie), Chosen Jacobs (Mike), Jack Dylan Grazer (Eddie) and Wyatt Oleff (Stan).

Like Mindhunter earlier this year, It Chapter 2 does an amazing job with its casting. The adult Losers actually pass for grown up counterparts to the younger cast, Ben, Richie and Eddie’s character’s being at the top of my list for the “What Kind of Witchcraft is This?!” award. An honorable mention must go out to Teach Grant and Nicholas Hamilton as adult and young Henry Bowers respectively. I feel Bower’s character was somewhat underutilized, which is sad because both actors gave amazing performances as the Losers’ human bully.

Lastly, we see Bill Skarsgård reprise his role as Pennywise. Skarsgård gave a standout performance in 2017’s It, making the role entirely his own rather than trying to duplicate Tim Curry’s iconic performance in the 1990 miniseries. I was glad to see Pennywise get a little more time to shine during this feeding cycle. We get to see him as an opportunist, hunting down easy prey and we also get to see him as a clever, and ultimately deadly, conniving murderer. Skarsgård’s performance really highlights just how much Pennywise enjoys these feeding cycles, milking each and every minute he’s on screen and giving a portrayal that’s just as goofy as it is menacing. His dialogue this time around seems especially menacing, taking on the tone of an inter-dimensional bully.

As with any adaptation of a Stephen King novel, some key points and characters are left out to allow for breathing room. This gave Muschietti the opportunity to expand on some of the more esoteric aspects of the story, such as the Ritual of Chud, the Losers reverting back to their childhood selves (best exemplified by Bill’s returning stutter) and lastly the origins of Pennywise and the Dead Lights.

The tone of the movie also felt very balanced. It had been stated in many interviews that the Muschietti’s planned to make Chapter 2 much scarier than their first installment, which had me somewhat worried, as I didn’t want them to lose sight of what I felt made the first movie so great! Luckily for audiences, they still managed to effortlessly balance comedy, heartbreaking emotional scenes and amped up terror effortlessly.

Stephen King’s novel frequently jumps back and forth between timelines. Books tend to have an easier time with these jumps, however it has always been much trickier to get the same message across on film. Here is where I feel the movie had the most difficulty. At times, the shift from present day to flashbacks felt a bit jerky, and others felt as though they flowed pretty seamlessly. After a while, the film did feel repetitive and somewhat formulaic in that once one character’s flashback/present day block was done, we knew the next character’s mission was up next. You have to consider the fact that the film makers were working off of a Marvel Cinematic Universe style source material, with 7 main character’s and, at times, two villains to follow. That being said, the movie easily could have fallen apart in less experienced hands and I applaud Muschietti for the way he managed to meld things together as best as he could.

On the other hand, one aspect I found down right distracting was the de-aging effect used on the younger cast. I understand that the cast had grown up in the 2 years or so between filming movies, but I would have rather had the task of suspending my own belief and staying immersed in the movie over being distracted by the digital effects artists trying to make Jeremy Ray Taylor’s cheeks digitally chubby! At times it even made the audio feel as though it was off. There were certainly some wonky green screen shots in the first movie that distracted me in a similar way but I think I actually missed a few lines of dialogue from being thrown off by how strange it looked.

Where the digital effects were used best was in helping Pennywise transform into an array of different creatures. We got to see many different variations on The Eater of Worlds and although I’m a huge advocate for practical effects, I feel the digital effects was definitely necessary for some of the more fun-house-like sequences.

As a fan of both the book and the 1990 miniseries, I feel It Chapter 2 did a great job sticking close to the source material while still being its own adaptation that will surprise fans of King’s book. If you’ve only seen Chapter 1, I think you’ll really love how the story is tied up and would highly suggest you dive deep into the book. First time readers will also have fun realizing what all the shots of turtles in both movies mean! Andy and Barbra Muschietti have once again done a great job tackling one of the most complicated monsters in recent history, without losing sight of the emotional core that makes the story so amazing. Where the movie may struggle structurally, it excels thematically and brings the scares they promised. It Chapter 2 is surprisingly emotional, humorous and will remind you of what it’s like to check under your bed at night!

Rating: 4 Full Moons out of 5 🌕🌕🌕🌕

[dracula-in-purple-story]

From Enemies to Friends

CHAPTER TWO

Author’s Note : All of this is ENTIRELY NON-CANON. I’m still working on my writing skills. Thank You and Enjoy, hopefully.

It was late at the dark, gloomy night. Most residents are deep into their dream wonderland. Some are doing their shady businesses. Unfortunately for the hidden residents of Inkopolis, there were no rest for them.

Multiple alarms blasted out in the massive fortress located deep in the forest of Mount Nantai. Most of the people emerged from their slumber quickly and get dressed before waking up those who are a deep sleeper. After they geared up, they immediately rushed to the nearest kettle in order.

Nicholas, who had just walked through the gate door of the main entrance, heard the alarm and, with a little bit of hesitation, dropped everything he was holding as he rush straight to the emergency kettle at the corner of the front garden wall, where it was hidden by flower bushes. He changed into his other form and swam right into it.

As soon as he emerged from another kettle, the place around him reveals to be an underground base. Full with equipments, gadgets, computers and weapons. He rarely went here ever since he became a co-guardian for his young master but he knew, for a fact, that this place is now chaotic. 

Half of the night-shift people are typing away in their computers and tried to keep track on their task or rushing around, while another half of them seems to be missing, but it soon replaced by bunch of day-shift people fully suited up and lined up right in front of an old but fitted lady, who aged pretty well for a 130-years-old.

“Nicholas, just in time.” the old lady said in a firm authority, “Before we address the situation here, how’s my grandson?”

Fond murmurs were heard among the people before got silenced by the glare from the old lady. Nicholas sighed in bliss, “He’s fine, Mistress! He is still the pure boy who worried over small things.”

She nodded in acknowledgement, smiling a bit, before broadcast a image onto the huge projector screen in front of them. A crashed unidentified flying object. Half of the crowd gasped. “Isn’t that a failed prototype of Thunderstrike? Why is it here?!” Suzuki, another co-guardian of Erek, speaking her mind out in fear. 

“Minale, come here and report on what the Scout Squad D had discovered, please.” the old lady said with simple directness. A three feet being, equipped with a large propeller helmet, zoomed right behind the crowd. “As you can see from the picture,” she started her report while landed on the table with grace, “a failed prototype military aircraft, Thunderstrike, crashed outside the city, with a corpse of a Mini Zapfish that was used to operated the aircraft. Bless its soul.”

“The Scout Squad D previously assumed that it was just a public test run from the underground Oct-”

“Wait,” Nick rudely interrupted Minale’s report, “what do you mean by ‘previously’?”

“It is where I’m trying to get to the point, Mr Nicholas!” she scoffed, “If I may continue, they thought it was just a test run until a power outage happen. It only last for approximately five minutes before the power came back.”

“Ten minutes before we activate the emergency alarms...” Minale continued along with a stressful sigh, broadcast the picture of Inkopolis Tower, “...the Great Zapfish is gone.”

This statement alerted the uneasy crowd as they scanned the picture. Indeed, the Great Zapfish is missing from its tower. The Mistress clapped lightly to gain their attention back to her. She nodded to the Scout captain who zoomed back to her post, giving out commands as she spoke to the microphone that wirelessly connected to the Scout Squad D.

“So far, the conclusion of the report is that Thunderstrike is merely a distraction tool in order to steal the Great Zapfish. Even though we all know that we got more than enough Zapfishes to supply our power source and they have other resources to generate power,” the old lady halted her talk for a few seconds, “why would they want the Great Zapfish for? Any possible answer? Or someone knows exactly why he would need it?”

The absolute silence is eerie until Suzuki shakily raised her hands. The old lady arched her eyebrows before nodding to let her answer. “Twenty years ago, I... I participated the project before I escaped, Mistress Octivia. He’s building some... sort of heavy spherical aircraft with some built-in turntables and mixers... along with some Wasabi supplies...” she gulped, “...the module were estimated to use large amount of energy... but Alivia and Alivia Jr helped me sabotaged the process before aiding me to escape that hell hole!”

“Calm down, dearest.” a tall figure, wearing a set of laser sight goggles, patted her shoulders sympathetically as she cried uncontrollably.

“Go calm your wife, Hayato. I fill in the rest of the details to you two later.” The lady in charge pardoned them as they walked back to the kettle. “Unfortunately, even with their best efforts in sabotaging, the heavy aircraft was built. If he manage to tame the Great Zapfish to do his bidding, Inkopolis is doom to be destroyed.”

“And as Octarians ourselves, we know how Octavio operated behind his DJ set. If we let that happen, we would be back to the starting point! Are you ready to oppose against the hypnotisation once more, my fellow friends?!” she shouted in a fierce tone.

“YES, MISTRESS!”

~~~~~~~~~~

Erek woke up early in the morning, the sky was bright and the sunlight shone through the windows. Lazily, he stretch his body as he get up from his bed and walked out from his bedroom. The birds were chirping and enjoying the cool breeze when he opened up the slide door that leads to the balcony. The dew drops were falling from the leaves of various flowers he potted yesterday. The sun was rising up from the clouds as he water his flowers.

Just as he walked back to his bedroom to take some clothes for his fresh debut, there came a huge knocking and loud ringing on the main door. 

“Must be the neighbours... Cod, I forgot about introducing myself to them yesterday!” the boy mentally slapped himself, “Coming!”

He rushed to the door, not before he tied his tentacles to Topknot, and opened it to see three inklings standing there. One of them, the cyan ‘inkling’ girl, looks familiar but he couldn’t pinpoint on where he seen her before. The middle one of the group, a pink inkling girl, decided to talked.

“Hello there, rookie! The name’s Callie Mac N! Callie for short. On my left is one of my Roller buddies, Mike!”

Mike, an orange inkling boy, raise his Octoglasses and rest it in his forehead, “Hello~!”

“On my right is our little floof of our humble crew, Jewel!”

The cyan girl smiled brightly, “Hewwo, I’m Jewel. Your neighbour at the corner over there! My mommy told me about your arrival yesterday. What’s your name?”

The three of them stared at him with excitement. Nervously, he scratched his head before replying, “Oh... uh... My name is Erek! Nice to meet you all! Want to come in? I’m about to change my clothes and start cooking breakfast.”

“Oh, great! Thanks, buddy. Don’t mind us crash-... WOAH!” As soon as they were welcomed into Erek’s home, they were met with the most freshest living room they ever seen. A bookcase full of the latest video games, a clearly expensive LED TV along with its loudspeakers, limited edition of Chirpy Chips poster with the members’ signature and, is that a freaking CoroCoro hoodie hanging on a coat rack that was supposed to be out in like, next year?

“Umm, guys? You have been standing here for a long time. I made some light breakfast so we could... uh... chat?” Erek, now donning the Starting Gears, was quite concerned about his new friends, who gawked at his living room quite a long time. “Is it weird? My living room?”

The trio snapped out of their daze. “What, no!” Callie exclaimed, “It’s just... woah! My daily earnings couldn’t even pay for this kind of luxuries! Let alone that hoodie! How did you managed to get that?! It was supposed to come out next year!”

“Next year? But I got it for my birthday three days ago. My friend, Kevin, who gave me that just said they have extras so... yeah!” Erek recalled a little. 

“Dude, you don’t actually mean Kevin, the famous trendsetter who just opened a company called Cuttlegear? That guy knows his stuff about fashion!” Mike gushed, “This Octoglasses? Automatically became my favourite headgear after he post some cool model pictures with them. And you know him?!”

“Yes? He works for my Grandmama and he take care of my wardrobe since I was young.”

“Wow! That is crazily fresh! Can I check your closet?”

“Mike, that is rud-”

“Sure, go straight and turn left, you should be able to reach my gear wardrobe.”

Mike cheered as he rushed to the location. Jewel facepalmed, “I’m sorry about my boyfriend.”

“It’s fine. I could give some gears away if he loved it so much. I was planning to buy my own clothes with empty slots anyway.”

“Wait, wha-”

“OH MY GOD! CALLIE! JEWEL! LOOK AT THIS! EREK HAVE SUPER FRESH CLOTHES! EVEN THE SLOTS ARE GOD TIER! I’M IN HEAVEN!”

~~~~~~~~~~

“Gramps, come on... pick up the cells already...” Marie is pacing around the studio. After her cell ended with the monotone message and a beep, she heavily huffed before looked helplessly at her cheerful cousin, which now have a frown on her face as she fiddling with her thumbs. “Nothing?”

“Nothing.” she plopped down to a sofa as Callie sat down nervously beside her. 

“It can’t be... he usually would answer us in a few rings. And now this happens!”

“It’s going to be alright, Cal. Once we finished our broadcast, we head straight down to Octo Valley to check up on him. He’s the strongest squid we have ever known.”

“I know, Marie. But, it’s Gramps we are talking about. Possibilities are limitless! What if his SquidCell is broken? What if he was kidnapped? What if-”

“Callie, calm down!” her cousin smacked her head slightly before caressing it gently. Callie pouted before surveying around the studio. The production team is a hectic mess. Bumping against each other frantically, papers are flying everywhere, the cameras are being thrown left and right.

“Squid Sisters? Five more minutes before we start the Inkopolis News!” a female show betta glided gracefully in front of the two cousins, pointing at her blue watch impatiently.

“Ms Betty!” the Squid Sisters immediately stand up and bow to her. “Sorry, me and Marie were-”

“I know,” Ms Betty halted the black inkling, “I’m not blaming you girls. This is probably the first time we have to broadcast this kind of news. If it weren’t for that Great Zapfish to go missing on us...”

“We understand, Ms Betty. We truly do.” Marie grimaced a bit before following behind their director. Once they arrived at the Inkopolis News Studio, they immediately went into position, just like they had been practised for the last few weeks.

“Don’t be nervous and follow the script. Add some colours into it like you are not reading whatever was written here, okay? That was what made this program famous for.” Ms Betty addressed, “We are ready in three, two...”

~~~~~~~~~~

“Man, you are a really good cook!” Callie complimented Erek as they finally arrived at the Plaza. Jewel nodded shyly, agreeing what she had said while Mike is burping loudly, “Yeah, you should totally teach me that recipe! I could cook for my babs and mother-in-law too!”

“Mike!” Jewel slapped his back softly. They laughed loudly at the interaction. Probably loud enough to cause four certain inklings to turn their heads to them. 

“Oh, you guys! Where have you been?!” a dark blue inkling boy with glasses asked. Callie shrugged it off when her new friend have a questioning look, “Those guys are the rest of my crew. From left to right, we got the ever so quiet Kitty,” she gestured excitedly to a lime green inkling girl who just waved before turning her focus back to her SquidPhone.

“Marcus, the ‘cool guy’ wannabe,” a purple inkling boy just flicked her some fingers before finishing his drink.

“Blitz, my roommate and another Roller Buddies,” the boy with the glasses offered to shake hands. Erek accepted it and shake politely.

“And Marlee! Our new member from last week!” a dark green inkling girl grinned at them.

Once introductions are done, Blitz pondered a bit, “I’m going to assumed you haven't watch the news, yes?”

“No. Why?” Mike asked back, “Are the news reporter some blacklisted musicians?”

“No,”

“Racist?” Jewel cautioned.

“No,”

“Famous enough to actually expect them to report Inkopolis News?” Callie guessed before squinting at the big window where the reporters would be sitting. “Well, yes! But it’s not the point right now! The content-”

“HOLY ZAPFISH, IS THAT THE SQUID SISTER?! I’M A BIG FAN! HEY CALLIE, WE HAVE THE SAME NAME!” Callie Mac shouted enthusiastically as she run up the walkway and squeezed her way through the crowd outside.

“Why do we elect her as the captain?” Marcus scoffed at her behaviour. “So crazy, that woman...”

“I’m a big fan as well... but not as hyper as Callie is.” Erek giggled. The crew laughed it off for a while. 

“So, back to the topic, what do we miss?” Mike questioned with a curious tone.

“You see, well,” Blitz looked at his clueless teammates, and a new friend, with a sense of guilt, “I don’t think we could participate this month Splatfest.”

The trio gasped. They were shocked, especially Erek. His first day of debut had clashed with a horrific news. The kind of news he didn’t expect to happen in the first place.

“Are you serious, mate?” Mike fretted, “We never ever have a Splatfest cancelled before! All they need is to postpone, like they did in that Pencil vs Pen Splatfest!”

“News Flash, brother.” the purple inkling roughly tilted his friend’s head up, the rest of them followed suit, “Our humble energy source had disappeared!”

~~~~~~~~~~

“Staaaay fresh!” was all she last heard before turning off the radio. Furrowing her eyebrows, Tres quietly packed her Splattershot Jr. Before she could even tiptoed towards the old, rotten door, she was hugged from the back. Usually, she would roundhouse that person who dared to risk their life to hug her but there are few exceptions, especially this little yellow figure behind her is her baby sister.

“Paula...” she turned around before kneeling down to hug her back, making the little inkling giggled silently. Tres smiled softly, “Go back to big brother, would you? Breakfast’s ready.”

“Annnd you are going to stay this time, Big Sis.” another yellow figure, slightly smaller than Tres, spoke sternly while pointing a pan to threaten her. Tres smirked a bit before running to the door. She was succeeding before her face got stuck. A freaking clear tape prank. 

“Cielo... Zona...” she pulled the tape immediately before screaming in pain, “Again?”

“It’s ya fault that ya makin this easy for us, Big Sis.” two small orange figures appeared outside the door. They laughed heartily at her before shrieked as their eldest sister hugged them off the ground. It’s not long before the rest of the siblings decided to join their group hug.

They settled down after they finally convinced their eldest sibling to stay back and properly eat her breakfast. Although it’s been a while since they have breakfast together, Tres still wolfed down her share of food. Diego couldn’t stand this any longer as he hit her softly but still painful enough with the very same pan.

“Eat it slowly, Big Sis. It’s not like the Inkopolis Tower is going to run anywhere.”

“I know but the faster I earn some cash, the sooner we can get the surgery to be done.”

“Big Sis...” the small twin-tailed inkling mumbled before she quickly snatched back her small bits of bread from her twin brother. The eldest grinned at this sight before excusing herself from the table. She pecked each one of them before heading out.

“Be careful not to overwork yourself, Big Sis!” Diego shouted. Tres halted her movement before glancing back at the eldest brother of the house. “I can’t promise that.”

She sighed before whispering, “Not when our dad have his life on the line.”