#oh! or maybe the fact that im fucking pacing around for hours everyday doing nothing but daydreaming even to the point of injury!!!

[0rionz-belt]

me to the doctor, trying to get a referal: yeah i just struggle to talk to people thats all but i would like to be able to please

me, once i actually get an evaluation to get another referal to a psychiatrist: i still feel bad for hurting someone 4 years ago out of the fear that they were going to abandon me. also hey seeing imaginary bugs that disappear when i look directly at them after killing a real one isnt normal is it

[shhhlikeme]

Hello! I want to start off by saying you’re really pretty and your writing is amazing 🥺👉👈 Could I request a oneshot where the s/o of either Yamaguchi or Suga (which ever you prefer they are both my babies) get into an argument and the s/o ends up flinching out of habit during it, and maybe some cute fluff at the end?

Sugawara Koshi x Reader Angst Fluff !!!!

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A/N: Hello! EYEEE want to start off by saying im blushing thank you angel💖💖💖 of course you can. Request anytime I’m all ears and keyboard taps!

This is super fluffy so I hope you like it!!!!

Yams is my favourite but I haven’t written a Suga story yet and I have a little crush on him so I’ll pick him, yay! (Also, Suga’s voice actor in the dub sounds so attractive to me ugh)

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“Hey baby!” You walked into your boyfriend’s room that his parents let you into. You flicked the lights on.

can we all collectively agree that Suga’s parents are some Queen Elsa & Jack Frost looking mfs?!

Surprised because you didn’t tell him you were stopping by, Sugawara’s eyes lit up when he saw you

“Y/N, what are you doing here?” He scrambled off his bed to you, giving you a chaste kiss.

You can’t tell anyone this, but Suga’s parents secretly invited you because they have been worried about their son

From their perspective, Suga came home everyday seemingly drained and depressed

He would mutter a hello to his parents, go straight to his room and lock the door

You didn’t know this, because your boyfriend was completely normal with you and with his friends from school

He was his regular cheeky self that you loved

But you couldn’t deny his parents anything and you wanted to see your baby so you agreed to come over one night after school to kind of “catch him in this act” that his parents described

You scanned your handsome boy’s face and it made you frown

He did looked drained. That’s not normal considering school had been out for maybe an hour and you just saw him during last period looking chipper.

He had lines under his eyes and his shoulders were slumped/lower than usual. Not to mention his eyes betrayed him because they looked like someone who was really going through it, even though you could see that his spirits lifted with your entry

You didn’t say anything, opting to poke his stomach instead and smile up at him

for someone’s whose weak spot is his ticklish tummy, the joy from his laugh didn’t reach his eyes whole heartedly like they normally did

You tested one last time.

“I made you tempura, just the way you like it,” You placed the wrapped dinner plate you bagged on his dresser, gauging his reaction.

Koshi appeared like he was a stage actor when he gave you a big smile and said thanks.

Your heart immediately sank then, because you knew his parents had been telling the truth.

There was something wrong with your Koshi. Very wrong.

Ok. Here goes.

You turned around to lock his room door and took his hand

You gestured for him to crawl back into bed which he seemed genuinely happy about.

You straddled his waist, sitting in a position where he couldn’t hide his face from you nor could he escape when this questioning started

“Uh oh. You only sit on me like this when you want “to talk.”

You nodded. He knew.

Your boyfriend liked talking about his feelings but not when they could potentially bring down the mood of others.... and with this specific circumstance where he was able to hide his sadness from you so well, you had no choice but to jump straight into playing hardball.

“Shishi.” You used the embarrassing pet name you made for him and he slightly blushed.

Marry him, aight?

“Yeah? You okay? I’m listening baby tell me.” He looked at you with his shining eyes.

“What’s wrong?”

Suga didn’t miss a beat. He was well rehearsed. “Wait—me? This talk is about me? Nothing. Why do you ask?”

“Well why are you laying in your bed with the lights off at 4pm? You’re usually doing your school work at this time. That’s what you text me.”

Suga sighed. “I was just tired today, that’s all.”

“Shishi.....”

“Y/N, baby. trust me I’m fi-“

“Is it about volleyball?”

Koshi sat up quickly, cradling your back to make sure you were safe. He scooted backwards, making it so his back was leaning on his headboard.

“Can I please put you next to me?” He asked.

You mentally noted that he didn’t answer the question.

And that he wanted to get out of this “truth spell” position

So it was about volleyball. You ignored his question back and pushed forward.

“Did something happen? Is Daichi injured again? Or is Ukai quitting—“

Suga locked his jaw, looking away from you. “No no. It’s not that— I’m fine. I’m good.”

You couldn’t tell who he was trying to convince more: you? Or himself?

You pushed a bit further.

“Tomorrow is your Senior game, right? You, Asahi, Daichi and Kiyoko will be awarded for the years you put in, right?”

Suga, looking pained, gently moved you off his lap to sit next to him. He got out of bed and paced the room. You knew you were about to crack him but you weren’t too concerned because he needed to let whatever this was out. It’s bad enough that your baby was having such internal conflict like this. It was depressing him and he was dealing with it all by himself.

You stared at him and moved to sit up on your knees, prepared to deal the final blow.

“Are you sad about not playing, Shishi?”

The volcano that Sugawara had been trying so hard to keep in finally erupted at your words.

“SAD?! Am I sad?!” He practically roared at you loudly.

You flinched because it was the first time you have ever heard your boyfriend raise his voice in anger, let alone at you. You remember that he told you he’d only shown his team that side of him once during a game and they were shook, rightfully so. He was kind of scary like this.

“YES I’m sad! But mostly, I’M PISSED! EVERYONE expects me to walk on stage tomorrow and accept an award I had no part in contributing to?! I have been on this team for 3 years, 2 of those years as a starting setter and those two years accounted for bullshit seasons for Karasuno. The one year I sat my ass on the bench is the year we WIN! The year the crows got their wings back I AM SITTING OUT! No one wants to admit it but what the fuck does that tell you, me, and everyone, huh?! It tells us that I was the problem. I was the broken part: the gear that caused the machine to malfunction. The gear that Kageyama came in and fixed—2 years my junior. I’m pathetic, you know?! How many captains sitbon the fucking bench while I watch my best friends play the sport we all love equally? Then I have to walk around all day pretending I don’t feel this way because I am too busy stopping Kageyama and Hinata from pummelling eachother, telling Tsukishima to stop being so mean, mitigating Yamaguchi and Ashai’s panic attacks, Forbidding Tanaka and Noya’s anger issues and the reward I get for all it isn’t the luxury of playing like Daichi who does similar work. I get no reward. I pretend to be happy the Sugawara that I used to be. I’m not happy. The only time I take off that mask off is when I get home and by that time I’m so exhausted from keeping up the facade that staying in the dark until I have to go to school again and put the mask back on is the only way I can cope. So YES I’m fucking sad, Y/N. Sad is an understatement.”

you stayed silent as you listened to every emotionally charged word, letting him catch his breath

Your heart had been shattered around the 4 second mark of his speech, hearing the mental turmoil your baby had been going through in his voice

He was going through all of that pain...

And in spite of it he would still call you every night and listen to you talk about how annoyed you are at your little sister for stealing your shirt

He didn’t change for you because he didn’t want to stress you out and that made you feel like a failure as a girlfriend

After a few minutes of Sugawara calming down, you opened your arms for him invitingly

“Come here.”

Suga looked at you, obviously fighting back tears. Not being able to bare going through it alone anymore, he mounted the bed again, hugging you then maneuvering your bodies so that he was spooning you.

“I saw you flinch. I’m so sorry for scaring you.” He whispered as he kissed the back of your hair. “I love you. So so much, Y/N.”

You reached back to run a hand soothingly against the side of his face. You felt wet tears there and you repeated the soothing gesture. “I love you more, Shishi.....” You backed up so you were pressed closer to his warm body, reinforcing the fact that you weren’t going anywhere. “And Shishi when you’re ready... I can’t wait to tell you all the reasons why you’re the team’s and my....MVP, alright?”

Sugawara nodded into your hair before tightening his grasp on you.

———————————

A/N: This is probably the post I’ve written that is the most realistic in terms of cannon character sentiment. As an ex competitive volleyball player I believe this is truly how Suga feels :( at least youre there to cheer him up!!

[ghostsray]

Danny Zombie chapter 2

(remember this fic? here’s the second chapter. tbh i dont even have a plot in mind, im just writing whatever bs pops in my head. based on @burning-clutch‘s prompt: an au where the ghosts are humans and the humans are ghosts)

.

Walker trudged into the cemetary. It was the dead of night, pun unintended, and he carried a flashlight to provide him better light than the dim full moon. He had received complaints from the surrounding residents about a strange occurence here: a flash of light, a sudden storm. To him, that sounded like a load of crap, but more than one person had witnessed it, so he had no choice but to investigate.

The flashlight's beam caught a group of teenagers up the hill, standing among a row of graves. As soon as they noticed him, they began to flee--two at first, then another pair trailing after. "Hey!" Walker called and picked up his pace, but he was too late. The four troublemakers had already made it to the opposite wall by the time he reached the grave they were ransacking.

Walker stopped and turned his flashlight down over the grave. He let out a disapproving tsk at what he saw. Whoever those teens were, (and he had an idea; he was familiar with all the troublemakers in town,) they had undoubtedly robbed the grave. A deep hole was dug in the mound, almost as if somebody had climbed out from inside the grave. Walker chuckled at that image. As if zombies were real.

The cop shone his flashlight down the hole. At first, he was met with nothingness, which was odd. Surely the graverobbers couldnt have taken the whole corpse with them, could they? Then, something stirred. Walker nearly dropped his flashlight in surprise, but he caught it and kneeled over the open grave to get a better look.

Nothing.

Walker exhaled. He was not a superstitious man, but this place gave him the creeps. He stood up, and as he did, his foot knocked against something. He looked down and grinned. A guitar--and a familiar one at that. He was sure the owner's parents would enjoy a nice chat with him.

He bent down to pick up the instrument, and that was when it happened. Toxic green light gradually grew from the grave and intensified until everything was shed in chartreuse. Walker momentarily forgot about the guitar, whipping his head back to face the grave.

It wasn't so empty anymore. When he peeked inside again, a swirling vortex of green...something...had filled it up. The light it produced was so bright it painted the soil a sickly green. Walker's jaw hung loose as he gawked, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. Just then, something rose out of the vortex--or rather, someone.

He was a tall man in a white suit and sunglasses hiding his eyes, but what really caught Walker's attention was the fact that he was glowing. If one stared at him hard enough, his skin appeared transparent, and Walker thought he saw his skull underneath his face. Oh, yeah, and he was floating in the middle of the air above the portal he had come through.

The man, whatever he was, looked down at Walker, and goosebumps broke out on his flesh. He picked up his jaw long enough to ask, "Who...What are--"

He couldn't finish his sentence before the creature lunged at him. Walker held his arms up to protect himself, but it didn't do anything, because he wasn't attacked. Instead, the man--the ghost--had entered his body.

Walker's entire body shuddered. He felt his mind being pushed into nothingness as whatever was inside him wrested control. He desperately tried to cling to his consciousness, but it was no use. When he opened his eyes, he wasn't Walker anymore.

Operative's eyes glowed red. He flexed his borrowed neck and smiled.

.

Sidney woke up on 6 AM, like he did everyday. The alarm clock was ringing by his bedside, and he rolled in bed and slammed the top until it quieted. His eyes fluttered open. Blue eyes stared at him.

"Jiminy Cricket!" he blurted and fell off his bed.

"Jiminy Cricket?" Danny echoed. "What year were you born in?"

Sidney glared up at him from his spot upside down on the floor. The halfa was standing in Sidney's bedroom, wearing his borrowed clothes after Sidney had insisted he take a shower last night to remove all that creepy dirt on his body. He looked more alive than he had yesterday, almost normal even, though he was still pale.

"Says the guy who died forty years ago," Sidney grumbled and righted himself. He glanced at the halfa again and asked, "Didn't sleep?"

Danny slowly shook his head. "Dreams...are scary."

Sidney raised an eyebrow. Now that he looked at those blue eyes again, he noticed they seemed pretty bloodshot. "Not all dreams are scary," he said. "For example, I was just having a wonderful dream about standing up to Aragon."

"Who's Aragon?"

"This bully in school," Sidney said, and the way he mentioned the word "bully" made it sound like the worst insult possible. "His real name is Aaron, but he thinks calling himself Aragon is edgier or whatever. He thinks that just because he's rich, he's so much better than everyone else." He shook his head and added, "What about you? What dream is so scary you couldn't sleep?"

Danny didn't reply. He averted his eyes and focused on a corner.

Sidney sighed. Once again, he wondered why he was even letting him stay at his house. Curse that Ember for dropping him here. Hey, Poindexter! Here's this undead guy I found in the middle of the cemetary. I'll just drop him in your house and then leave!

He can't say he doesn't understand her reasoning, though. Ember's parents would never let her sneak a boy in her house, but Sidney's grandmother was barely aware of what was going on around her. One time he managed to keep a cat inside for an entire month, and she had no idea. (The cat's name was Gene Kelly, and he escaped when Sidney left the window open one day.)

"Well, you're a human now, and humans need to sleep," Sidney told him. "Eight hours a day. Then again, you are only part human, so I'm not sure if you need that much...um, what are you doing?"

Danny had lost interest in whatever Sidney was saying and had started rummaging around his room. Sidney got up and stopped him before he could pull open his underwear drawer. "Hey, just because I'm letting you stay over in my room doesn't mean you're free to search through my stuff! What are you searching for, anyway?"

"I told you yesterday," Danny said. "I need to make a call."

"The phone is right there, in case you haven't noticed," Sidney retorted and pointed at the telephone on his desk. But Danny shook his head.

"Phones can't contact the dead. Don't you have a ouija board? A crystal ball?"

Sidney's eyebrows rose to his scalp. "No? I'm not really into witchcraft. Maybe Desiree might have that stuff."

"Who's she?"

"A neighbor. But I'm not taking you to see her."

"Why not?"

"Because," Sidney said, "I need to go to school, and I don't trust you enough to let you roam around town unsupervised. How do I know you won't eat anyone's brains or anything?"

Danny huffed. "Why does everyone keep mistaking me for a zombie? I'm a ghost."

"You're a walking dead person who crawled out of his grave, that's why. Now can you just...stay put while I get ready for school?"

"School?" Danny asked, sounding interested.

Sidney rolled his eyes. "Yes, school. You know, where you learn stuff? I'm pretty sure those existed around your time."

"Of course I know what a school is," Danny replied, then hesitantly added, "Can I come?"

Sidney blinked. "You...want to come to school?"

Danny shrugged. "I'm curious about what new stuff students are learning since I was gone."

Despite himself, Sidney grinned. "I didn't know you were a fellow nerd."

"I'm not a nerd," Danny said, blushing. Sidney laughed and patted his shoulder.

"Don't worry, buddy. Being a nerd is actually pretty cool these days."

"You're joking, right?"

"Nope. Dungeons and Dragons is hot. Star Trek is mainstream. You have a lot to catch up on."

Danny didn't look like he believed him, which only made Sidney laugh more. "Come on, I'll bring you to school."

.

Casper High hadn't changed much in forty years, although the student body did grow. Some of the students cast curious glances at Danny as Sidney led him through the crowded hallways, but they didn't say anything. Well, except for one.

"Who do we have here?" a voice purred. Sidney groaned and turned to face the speaker.

"Hey, Aragon," he greeted with a strained smile.

Aragon looked...not as intimidating as Danny expected. He was thin, with a pimple-ridden face and greasy hair, but his sneer was enough to signify that he was a bad guy.

Aragon sized up Danny and said, "I haven't seen you around."

"This is Danny, my, uh...cousin," Sidney lied. "He's..."

"Homeschooled," Danny supplied. "But I'm curious about what regular schools are like, so Sidney offered to show me around his school." He lied so effortlessly that Sidney wondered if he had practiced it beforehand.

Aragon snickered. "Homeschooled? That's probably because you're too wimpy to be around other kids. Hey, Poindexter, why don't you join your cousin at home? It's not like anyone will miss you."

Sidney bristled. He thought of numerous insults he could throw at the bully, and he almost might have said one out loud, but then Danny spoke up and said, "You're not scary."

Aragon blinked. "Excuse me? My dad can probably buy your dad's company."

"I doubt that," Danny muttered.

Aragon bristled and almost said something back, but then a girl came and rested a hand on his shoulder. "Leave them alone, Aaron," she told him.

Sidney smiled when he saw it was Dora. He loved Dora--she was basically the anti-Aragon, kind to everyone. She caught his eyes and smiled back.

Aragon shrugged her hand away and scowled. "Fuck off, Dora. I'm pretty sure that guy just insulted me."

"He just said you aren't scary," Dora said, "which is true."

Sidney snorted. Aragon turned on him, but before he could speak, his condescending posture dissolved at the sight of a woman coming up to them. "Miss Pandora!" he said, suddenly sounding polite.

The tallest human Danny had ever seen stood over them with her hands on her hips. "What's going on here?"

"Nothing," Aragon told her, and he actually wrapped his arm amiably around Danny's shoulders and said with a smile, "We were just greeting Sidney's cousin here."

She raised her eyebrow and noticed Danny. "Cousin, eh?"

"He's homeschooled," Sidney said helpfully.

"Well, then! It's very nice of you to show him around." The teacher smiled at Aragon, and it took Sidney considerable effort not to roll his eyes. Pandora added, "Maybe you can let him take a lesson with you. Class is just about to start, you know."

"Yes, ma'am," Aragon said with a white-toothed smile and saluted her. Pandora passed them, and as soon as she turned a corner and left, Aragon pushed Danny away from him.

"Have fun at school, fuckhead," he said and laughed. He left, and Dora turned to him with a grimace.

"I'm sorry about my brother," she apologized.

Danny shrugged. "He's...interesting."

"What the fuck!"

The three teens turned to see Johnny standing in the hallway, glaring at Danny with his jaw agape. He strode to him, then jabbed a finger at his chest and demanded, "What are you doing in my school?"

"Stop that," Dora said. "Why is everyone intent on bullying the visitor?"

Johnny stared at her with disbelief written all over his face. "You don't know what he is, do you?"

Dora looked confused, but Danny just smiled and said, "Hey, Johnny. Thanks for helping me last night."

Johnny scoffed. "I didn't help you. That was all Ember."

"True, but at least you didn't stop her."

"I'm sorry, what's happening?" Dora asked, glancing between them.

Johnny scowled and said, "He's a zombie."

"Ghost, actually," Danny corrected.

Dora stared at them for a moment, and then she burst with laughter. Johnny raised his eyebrows and saw her with a hand over her mouth, eyes crinkled humorously. "Ghost! Ha ha."

Johnny frowned and said, "It's not--"

"It's a very funny joke!" Sidney interrupted. "I bet he even crawled out his grave."

He smirked at Dora as he said this, and Dora laughed harder. Sidney felt Johnny's eyes boring into him, but thankfully, the school bell chose that moment to ring. Dora wiped tears from her eyes and said to Danny, "Have a nice day, ghost boy."

"Will do," Danny replied with a toothy grin.

Dora left, but Johnny stuck behind. He sent a glare at Danny and stated, "I don't trust the undead." Then he turned to Sidney and added, "You shouldn't, either."

The way his eyes bore into him made goosebumps break out on Sindney's skin. Finally, Johnny turned and left, his shadow trailing behind him.

"What a great guy," Danny said after he was gone. Sidney tried to study his expression, but Danny was wearing an unreadably simple smile, and his hands were in his pockets. Danny's blue eyes met Sidney. "So, where's your class?"

.

Fuck, Ember thought as she sped down the hallway. She was late for class and Ms. Pandora was gonna kill her. She turned a corner, then stopped so suddenly she almost slipped on the linoleum floor.

The man in front of her turned around. He was wearing sunglasses indoors for some reason. On his chest sat a sherrif badge, and in his hand was her guitar. She had no idea what was with the glasses, but it obviously wasn't enough to stop her from recognizing him, nor quell her anxiety at his presence.

"You," he grunted, which erased any chance she had of escaping unnoticed.

Ember gulped and waved nervously. "Heyyy, Sheriff Walker. What are you doing here?"

Walker held forward her guitar. "Is this yours?"

Oh boy. Ember began to explain, "I swear, I didn't rob that grave. Heck, why would I even be in the graveyard? I don't know how this got there, you must have seen someone else--"

Walker ignored her and shoved the guitar at her. Then, to her surprise, he said, "Take it. I have no interest in it."

Walker? Letting someone go when he had a chance to arrest them? Ember eyed him and asked, "Who are you and what have you done to Walker?"

She had meant it as a joke, but the way he stiffened made her reconsider the truth of her statement. He said, "I don't care what happens to you, human," which Ember thought was a strange choice of words, "I only wish to know where the escapee is."

"The what?"

Walker (if that even was him) turned his attention away from her and focused on the hallway behind her. Now that Ember listened, she heard footsteps approach. She turned around and saw Sidney and...was that Danny? What was he doing in school?

Danny seemed to freeze up at the sight of Walker. Maybe it was her imagination, but she thought she saw his breath turn to mist as it escaped his mouth, which shouldn't have been possible because it wasn't cold enough inside the building. His eyes widened.

When she looked back at who may or may not have been Walker, she saw his face stretched in an unnerving grin. He walked around her and strode toward Danny, who somehow got stiffer the closer Walker got to him.

Ember didn't understand what was going on, but she knew enough to be able to tell that this not-Walker was bad news (yes, even worse than the real Walker) and that Danny seemed to be, for whatever reason, in danger. She shoved herself between not-Walker and Danny and said, "So, Sheriff, how's life?"

Not-Walker growled and shoved her away. Yep, that definitely was not Walker. Danny saw that he wasn't stopping and began to run away, but not-Walker grabbed his arm and tugged him back.

It didn't feel right, seeing the undead guy look so scared. Ember barely thought about her next action. She looked down at her guitar, remembered how good a weapon it made when she whacked Danny in the head last night, and swung it at the back of not-Walker's head. Not-Walker grunted and let go of Danny. His glasses fell to the floor, and when he turned around to glare at her, she froze--because his eyes were as red as blood. Ember was fairly certain that Walker's eyes were supposed to be green.

"Ember, get away! He's a ghost!" Danny warned.

Ember stared wide-eyed at Danny, and that was long enough for not-Walker's fist to connect with her gut and send her toppling backward. He didn't just punch her--he also sent a strange beam of green light that made her body buzz with electricity and sent her skidding across the hallway. She fell over and clutched her stomach, wheezing. She weakly raised her head enough to watch not-Walker grab Danny again and lift him up by his neck. Sidney was next to them, but he looked too paralyzed to help, and Ember was in too much pain to get up.

"Danny Phantom--" Danny Phantom? "--I see you're alive," not-Walker said with a sneer.

Danny quit struggling in not-Walker's grip long enough to gulp. "Alive? Nah. I'm just overshadowing someone, like you are."

"You think you can lie to me? I know what overshadowing senses like. You're alive." His cheeks looked like they were pulled back by invisible strings into a cruel smirk, and he added, "But if you're really only borrowing this body, then I suppose killing it won't do anything to you, would it?"

His grip around Danny's neck tightened, and Danny's struggling became strained. Why couldn't he just go intangible? Sidney looked like he finally snapped out of his paralysis, and he ran forward to help Danny with a yell of, "Let him go!" Unfortunately, he was quickly pushed back by the same weird light that attacked Ember.

"You're mortals," not-Walker growled. "You don't understand the laws that govern ghosts. The dead stay dead. Ressurecting oneself is a major crime--against the laws of the Ghost Zone and the laws of nature."

Cool, so it wasn't Walker, but he sure as hell was equally obsessed with arresting people. Or, well...executing them was more like it, if he continued to squeeze Danny's throat any longer. (Re-executing? What would happen if you die a second time?)

Ember gritted her teeth and pushed herself up. She may have only known Danny for less than a day, but there was no way she was letting the weirdest friend she'd had disappear so soon after she met him.

Without a second thought, she ran up to not-Walker, ignoring the pain in her gut, and shouted, "Hey, dipstick!" Not-Walker turned around but did not have time to prepare when her boot swung up and connected with his crotch.

Not-Walker cringed. Ember wasn't sure if the ghost was able to feel pain from inside Walker's body (probably not, because she was confident in the power of her kick) but the shock of being kicked in the private part was enough to loosen his grip on Danny. Danny, now able to breathe, took this opportunity to thrust his hand into not-Walker's face, and before she could blink, a bright burst of green light not unlike not-Walker's own attacks was released from his palm and roasted Walker's face.

Apparently, the ghost did feel pain from that, because he yowled and let go of Danny. Danny didn't waste any time after he landed before grabbing Ember and Sidney by the arms and sprinting down the hallway and around a corner, away from not-Walker's sight.

Danny kept running, pulling the two humans behind him. She didn't know how long they went--lockers and windows passed by in a blur--before he apparently thought they were far enough from the ghost possessing Walker and let go of their arms to slump on the floor and pant.

"Okay, what was that?" Sidney demanded.

"Yeah, and why did that guy call you Danny Phantom?" Ember added.

Danny didn't answer them at first, still catching his breath. Finally, he gulped and said, "So, that was the ghost police."

"I kind of figured," Ember said, remembering the ghost's words. "Resurrecting yourself is illegal?"

"Of course it is," Sidney said, staring at Danny, and Ember thought she saw a hint of wildness in his eyes. "It's unnatural! You're supposed to be dead!"

Danny flinched. Ember bit her lip and placed a hand on Sidney's shoulder. "Hey, man. What's done is done. Danny's alive now."

Sidney kept huffing for a moment before he covered his face with a hand and sighed. "No. I know. It's just...I wasn't expecting to be a attacked by a ghost-possessed Walker today."

"I mean, you did bring Danny to school," Ember pointed out. "Why did you bring Danny to school?"

"I asked to come," Danny answered.

"Why would you want to come to school? Are you a nerd?"

Danny looked about to argue, but then Sidney spoke up, "That's not important. That ghost inside Walker is still around. How do we get rid of him?"

Danny hummed thoughtfully. "Usually, in the Ghost Zone, we just duke it out with ghost powers, but I don't think that would work when I'm part human."

It was then that Ember finally noticed the way Danny was cradling his hands tenderly. She looked at his palm and saw it filled with slightly greenish blisters. Danny caught her looking and covered his palms, but she had already seen them. Guess that ghostly light attack was too hot for a human body to handle.

"Then what do we do?" Sidney asked.

Danny shrugged. "Maybe...are there myths about ghost weaknesses? Usually those have a little truth in them."

"What, you mean like, sprinkle salt on him?" Ember said with a raised eyebrow.

"Maybe," Danny said. "I--"

Whatever he was about to say was cut off when a blur came through the wall behind them, grabbed Danny, and went through the opposite wall. Ember and Sidney both stared slack-jawed as they tried to make sense of what just happened.

"Ghost," Sidney said.

"Salt," Ember said. "I'll go to the cafeteria."

"I think I also have something that might help," Sidney said. "I'll go get that."

There was no time for Ember to ask what thing Sidney had that might work against a ghost. The two teens separated and ran down different directions, Ember to the school cafeteria. She arrived to find it empty apart from the lunch lady behind the counter.

The lunch lady was humming to herself as she cooked...whatever the fuck school lunches were supposed to be. Ember tried to crouch near the wall and sneak into the kitchen. If she was lucky, she could grab the salt and dash without any confrontation...but she had no suck luck.

The humming stopped, and Lunch Lady said, "What are you doing outside of class?"

Ember closed her eyes and silently muttered a few curses before standing up in front of Lunch Lady with a smile. "Sorry. I just wanted to grab some salt...for a lab experiment."

"Salt? We have salt," Lunch Lady said sweetly.

"Great! I'd love some, please."

Lunch Lady grabbed a salt container, and Ember reached out for it eagerly, but the woman held it back with a frown. "If it's for a science class, why were you trying to sneak past me?"

"Me? Sneaking? I would never," Ember said, her smile straining. "I just thought it would be quicker...you know...so I don't waste any class time."

"Of course your teachers wouldn't want you to waste class time. That's why they're supposed to bring their own materials for experiments. I talked to them about that last year."

Ember winced. "They...forgot?" When Lunch Lady seemed unconvinced, Ember brought her hands together in a pleading gesture and said, "Please, I just want some salt. It won't even be long. I'll give it back."

Lunch Lady narrowed her eyes, like she was considering Ember's words. "Salt is a very important part of food, you know. Salt and meat."

Ember quirked an eyebrow. "I thought too much salt is a bad thing. Same with too much fatty meat."

She probably should have kept quiet. Lunch Lady's expression turned into a scowl, and she all but screeched, "Are you questioning my nutritional knowledge?"

Ember had met ghosts, but somehow, this lunch lady was more terrifying. Ember faltered and stammered, "Um, uh..."

She was saved by the large dirt explosion outside. Lunch Lady jumped and leaned forward, trying to look out the window with wide eyes. The salt container in her hand was in reach.

Ember snatched the salt from her and darted. Lunch Lady yelled at her, but Ember was already running away...toward the explosion she heard come from the track field outside. Somehow, she had a feeling that had something to do with Danny and that other ghost.

She emerged outdoors, and sure enough, Danny lay in a crater in the ground, looking worse for wear. Then Ember looked up at the enemy ghost and did a double take. Walker's body must have been left back inside the school, because the ghost wasn't possessing him anymore, which meant she could see his true, ghostly form.

Being near him set her hairs on edge and filled her with dull dread. He was glowing. His edges were blurry, like an old photograph. His skin was bright green and translucent, showing his skull underneath. He wore a suit that looked like it should have been black but was bleached white, and white sunglasses covered his eyes, although Ember had a feeling they were the same red shade that possessed-Walker had.

The ghost hovered over Danny's bruised form. Danny weakly pushed himself on his elbows, wincing all the way, and said, "Can't we talk about this, Operative?"

The ghost, Operative, retorted, "Sure, once you're in jail."

He aimed a hand at Danny, and Ember could tell he was about to attack. She ran toward him, shouted, "Hey! Want some salt with that?" and swung the salt at him.

Operative flinched--then blinked when the salt went through him without any effect. Ember faltered. "So...salt doesn't work."

"Salt?" Operative smirked. "I've heard about that. It has to be blessed to work against ghosts. And it must be pure salt, not table salt."

"Well, fuck," Ember muttered.

She shrieked and ducked out of the way as Operative ghost-blasted the spot where she stood. While she hit the grass, the ghost turned back to Danny and held him up by the neck. Danny was too weak to even struggle in his grip.

Just as Ember was beginning to lose hope, she saw Sidney enter her field of vision. Ember scrambled to her feet and joined him in running toward the ghost. "What did you get?" she asked.

Sidney, poor non-athletic nerd that he was, was panting too much from the process of sprinting as fast as he could to really talk, but he didn't need to. He stopped a short distance away from Operative and held up the object he brought for everyone to see: a reflective silver mirror.

Operative turned his head away from Danny for a moment to look at the mirror. "What is that? Do you want me to see my reflection?"

Ember was wondering about his plan, too. A mirror didn't sound very useful against ghosts. Even Sidney looked uncertain of himself, his knees knocking together in terror.

To his credit, he bravely ignored his fear and ran screaming at the ghost, swinging his mirror right down at him. She thought she saw the ghost's eyes widen at the last moment before he disappeared right into the mirror, somehow sucked up by the silver. Danny fell on his butt as Operative was gone.

Ember picked up her jaw and asked, "What was that?!"

"I have no idea," Sidney admitted, still wide-eyed from the fact his plan worked. "I just remembered hearing some stories about silver working against werewolves and vampires and guessed it must do something about ghosts, too."

"That was brilliant," Danny said, smiling from his spot on the ground. He was bruised all over and had second degree burns on his palms, but other than that, he seemed fine.

Now that the big scary ghost was gone and Ember's heartbeat was settling, she crossed her arms at Danny and said, "You didn't answer my question from earlier. Danny Phantom?"

"Right," Danny said, reaching to rub his neck then stopping when that made him wince. "Ghosts don't usually use each others' real names. It's...personal, I guess. So everyone goes by a nickname."

"That's why you don't like us calling you Daniel Fenton," Ember said, remembering the way he flinched when he got called that in the graveyard and at Sidney's--the same way he flinched just now as she said that.

"Yeah," he said. "That ghost we just fought, Operative...well, he's lucky because no one even knows his real name. He worked with the government back when he was alive. Everyone just calls him by his title--or the Guy in White."

"That makes sense, considering how blindingly white his suit was."

Sidney suddenly yelped, and Ember turned toward him to see that he had dropped his mirror onto the ground. She looked down at it and understood why. A swirling fog appeared on its surface before it morphed into the Guy in White's face.

She jumped when the ghost brought a fist forward and at pounded at the mirror's surface--but the mirror didn't even vibrate, much less fracture. He continued to pound uselessly and growled, "You can't keep me in this relic forever. Just as you can't escape your punishment. You're upsetting the balance between life and death. You--"

Sidney crouched and flipped the mirror over so that its reflective surface was lying face down against the dirt. The Guy in White's voice was muffled.

Danny crawled to them and struggled to push himself up. Ember went to his side and helped him stand, and as soon as he did, she recoiled and asked, "Where did your bruises go?"

Most of them were gone, and she watched as the ones that did remain seemed to glow green before fading away. Ember stepped away from him, and he stayed stable on his feet. "Healing," he said. "Injuries aren't permanent to ghosts. I guess I kept that part of me when I got resurrected."

"You brought yourself back from the dead," Sidney said. Ember turned to him and saw him staring at the mirror he had just flipped over. "That ghost mentioned something about balance."

"Dude, the Guy in White is just ghost Walker," Ember said. "He probably comes up with any lame excuse to jail people."

"But maybe he has a point," Sidney argued, glaring at Ember--and at Danny. "What makes you special enough to get ressurected? Why not everyone else who died--like my parents?"

"Sid--"

"No, he's right," Danny said. He hung his head guiltily, gazing down at his hands. The burns on his palms seemed to take longer to heal. "This was a mistake. I thought I could get my parents' invention to work--and I did--but I didn't think about the consequences. Maybe they gave up on it for a reason."

Ember tilted her head. "So...what? You kill yourself again?"

Danny bit his lip and shrugged. "I...I don't know."

Ember glanced between him and Sidney, who was shuffling in place uncomfortably. She thinned her lips and stood straight. "Well, I'm not letting you do that," she said to Danny. "I don't care if you were dead before. You're alive now."

"Technically, I'm only half alive," Danny mumbled. "I still have some ghostly attributes, but..." He glanced uncertainly at Sidney.

Sidney fidgeted, then crossed his arms and sighed. "I guess...if you're human now...there's no point in going against that. You may as well enjoy your time back. I'll accept that. No need to kill yourself."

Danny's shoulders relaxed. Sidney still had his arms crossed, but he didn't look as angry anymore. The muffled voice of the Guy in White still came from the upside-down mirror on the ground.

Ember prodded the mirror with her foot. "So, what do we do with him?"

"Break the mirror?" Sidney suggested.

"No," Danny said. "Who knows if that would get rid of him. It might just release him again."

"I still don't get how he even got here," Sidney said.

Danny shrugged. "A portal? Though, it seems a little convenient that a natural portal would open up right after I got revived..."

"Or maybe he followed you back to the human world," Ember said.

"But he's not alive..." Danny's eyes widened. "Unless--"

He grabbed the mirror off the ground and began to run.

"Hey, where are you going?" Sidney shouted.

Danny turned back to face them. "My revival must have opened a permanent portal," he told them. "I'm going to send Operative back to the Ghost Zone, and I'm going to see my parents."

"A portal? But where?"

Danny met Ember's eyes, and he knew the same thought went through their heads. "My grave," he said. Then he turned around and kept running.

Sidney and Ember glanced at each other in bewilderment. Then Ember shouted, "Wait up!" and ran after Danny.

"Wait! But what about school!" Sidney shouted.

Fuck school, Ember thought. Ghosts, zombies, portals--ever since Danny entered her life, her days became exciting, and there was no way she was missing any second of this.

[joj-parisol]

Heartbreak Hotel (Paul McCartney x reader)

summary: just some teen fluff then angst

warnings: death and angsty shit and potentially shitty writing

A/N hi this is the first fic I’ve ever posted so I’m FUCKING TERRIFIED YAY. pls enjoy and don’t be mean! im kinda proud of this and teen paul is precious so fun. this might be bad but hopefully whoever reads this enjoys !! now as she helped boost my confidence enough to actually post this, I especially hope that @casafrass enjoys !!here we go !!!!

——————

Paul and Y/N had been best friends for years. Pretty much their entire lives. They’d gone through everything together, grown up from little kids who ran around the playground hand in hand singing to teenagers who sang and played their guitars, in the others bedroom.

They didn’t go to the same school, unfortunately. Paul went to a nice grammar school in Liverpool whilst Y/N didn’t go to school at all. She took books from the library and studied whatever topics she cared for. Granted, this made her quite slow and dim when it came to maths, but she could spout fact after fact about Victorian fashion.

Y/N locked herself in her room during the day, hiding away in her bedroom at the back of the house. Not that she hid from anyone. The house was empty. It always was.

But at half three every day, Y/N would leave her books and walk down to Quarrybank Grammar School. She waited outside the gates, until Paul appeared. He would sling his arm around her waist and pull her close as they walked to their spot.

It was in the summer he plucked up the courage to ask her to go with him. It was the last day before the summer holidays, so there was an excited buzz in the warm summer breeze. Daisies littered people’s front gardens, except for those who had freshly cut grass sprinkled on their lawns, which kicked off peoples hay fever but gave the air a fresh scent. Paul had discarded his school blazer and jumper into his bag and his white shirt was unbuttoned and rolled up at the sleeves. His guitar case occasionally bashed his knees and the breeze swept his hair back even more.

Their footsteps led them down a secluded path, away from the roaring and rowdy school kids who didn’t care about the motor cars on the roads as they ran across them at the last minute. The path was grassy, but had been treaded by many others so the grass was smushed into the earth. The pair of teens chatted idly, strolling along at a leisurely pace, without a care in the world. Black birds chirped above their heads in the blue afternoon sky.

They halted once they reached a small apple tree, which had provided a bed of blossom petals for the pair to sit on. Y/N pulled a crisp red apple from one of the low branches and sat next to Paul. The tree shielded their eyes from the sun and the blanket of shade reached Paul’s knees and the middle of Y/N’s shins. This was a usual occurrence now that the nights were long and light and the grass only held dew in the mornings.

“Play me somethin’, Paulie.” Y/N asked, nudging the guitar case with her foot.

“If I must,” Paul teased, opening his guitar case and slinging it into his lap. He dug a pic from out of one of his blazer pockets. “Any requests?” He raised his eyebrows at her. He knew the answer to his question. It was always the same song. Their song.

“You know what song, you ass!” Y/N’s use of an ‘affectionate’ nickname as she put it made Paul laugh.

“No need for heckles already, Love. I know the one.” Paul smirked at her and strummed the guitar, checking if it was in tune before beginning to play.

The first few notes of Elvis’ ‘Heartbreak Hotel’ where, quite literally, music to Y/N’s ears. She smiled as Paul played, engrossed in his guitar. When he began to sing, Y/N’s vocal chords couldn’t help themselves as she jumped in, singing along, her feet tapping and shoulders swaying to the tune.

Paul’s singing faded out as Y/N’s got more passionate, her voice going up and down. His eyes flicked up to her every once in a while, enjoying seeing her so engrossed in her singing. She was so effortlessly beautiful with closed eyes and knitted eyebrows. Her hands moved expressively as she sung and her cute nose scrunched when she sung certain notes.

The song was nearing the end and Paul focused back on his playing until Y/N’s voice changed drastically. It was deep and expressive and sounded strangely exactly like Elvis. Paul stopped playing for a moment and looked up at her. She was mimicking Elvis with her face as well.

“Well now, if your baby leaves you,

And you got a tale tell

Well just take a walk down lonely street-“

She was dancing like Elvis, well as good as she could whilst sat down.

It made Paul laugh and stop playing completely, which made her stop singing, with a pout and a glare. Paul’s laughter doubled up on him and he fell onto his back, laughter still tickling him. Y/N couldn’t help herself as laughter crept up on her.

“It’s a brilliant impression, love, yeh just don’t quite have the hair.” Paul rolled onto his side to face her and gestured to her long, soft hair that was the opposite of Elvis’ dark greased pompadour.

“Well, my performance would have been even greater if my guitarist hadn’t just stopped randomly.” She raised her eyebrows accusingly and stuck her tongue out at him. He stuck his out back at her.

“Your guitarist? I was the one who was singing first! You took over from me.” Paul teased straight back with a grin. She rolled her eyes and brushed him off.

“And it’s a good thing I did. Your an awful singer, McCartney. Absolutely dreadful.” Her comeback was overcome with a laugh as Paul gave her an exaggerated shocked look. He held his hand up to his heart protectively.

“Well. I know who I’m no longer singing to.” Paul ‘humph’-ed dramatically, crossing his arms defensively. It made her laugh even more and her laugh seemed contagious because Paul soon gave up and laughed.

They sat next to each other under the apple tree for three more hours. The sky turned a muted blue and the birds had stopped chirping, nestled in their nests rather than soaring through the sky.

They left the apple tree, hand in hand. Paul’s hands were warm and Y/N’s were cold against his warm skin. They always held hands so she thought nothing of it but Paul burned up, avoiding her gaze so she wouldn’t see the dusting of pink on his cheeks. He walked her home, sticking to the everyday routine. She leaned into him, resting her head on his shirt clad shoulder.

“Are you doing anything this weekend?” Paul asked out of the blue, blurting it out into the comfortable silent air between them.

“You mean tomorrow, Paulie? Today’s Friday, you ninny.” Y/N laughed and slowed down her steps as they reached her home.

“Well yes, I guess.” Paul’s voice was awkward as he stopped completely. There was a slight red blush on his cheeks. Y/N’s eyebrows furrowed and she took a step toward him, resting her hand on his arm.

“Are you alright, Paul?” She used his actual name out of concern. He nodded, but a grim sort of smile was on his face. “Ok, well I am free tomorrow and Sunday and everyday after that, it’s not like I have anywhere to be on school days but it’s the start of the holidays so I really don’t have anywhere to go.”

“Good, well would you maybe want to maybe come with me?” Paul asked, staring into her eyes.

“Come with you where?” Y/N returned his question with a question, staring back at him expectantly.

“Oh right. To the Fair in Woolton?”

Y/N was confused. They always went to the summer Fair together. Why did he need to ask if she was busy if it was tradition they went together?

“Paulie, we always go together. Of course I want to go with you.”

“No-I mean like, together together.” Her eyes widened in shock and realisation and Paul’s heart dropped.

“Like a date?” She asked breathlessly, her eyebrows raised.

“Yes, if you want. And please stop doing that with your eyebrows. It’s making me nervous.”

Y/N grinned at him, with normal, unraised eyebrows.

“You know what, yes. I’d love to go with you. Only, and I mean only, if you apologise about your rudeness towards my Elvis impression.”

Paul laughed, so damn relived she said yes and didn’t just run into her house and never speak to him again.

“Ok, my sincere apologies about my rudeness towards your Elvis impression.” Paul apologised. sounding as serious as he could. She laughed and nodded.

“That’ll do, I guess.” She cheekily smirked. He began to protest but was cut off as her soft lips pressed into his cheek.

A bright red blush followed the kiss. She smirked and Paul smiled bashfully, stroking his cheek subconsciously.

“See you tomorrow, handsome.” She winked and his blush became severe. Before she could leave, Paul caught her arm and plucked a daisy with pink petals from the grass in someone’s garden. He tucked it behind her ear and kissed her cheek. He pulled away, his warm fingers brushing over her skin, leaving goosebumps in its wake. She shivered but grinned.

The pair walked away from each other, cheeks burning. It felt as if Paul could still feel her fingers intertwined with his and her tender kiss made his cheeks tingle.

———

Paul could still feel her kiss on his cheek many years later. It was their parting kiss that young summer day in 1956. And they would use that kiss everyday afterwards. No matter what, they would both end up with a kiss on their cheeks

Every time they met after school. Every time they met after Paul preformed in the cavern. After every performance he played on TV or played in front of thousands and thousands of people, she would be the one to kiss his cheek and receive one in return.

Paul kissed her cheek after they had their first night together. After she got a promotion at work. After she then lost her job at work. After every fight. After he had carried her bridal-style into their first apartment. After she had cried watching him preform on the Ed Sullivan show. After she accepted his marriage proposal.

After they said ‘I Do’ and started the next chapter of their life together.

But one day, Y/N couldn’t return his kiss.

The pair weren’t much older now, only twenty four. They were beginning their own family and had been driving home from dinner with John, Cynthia and little Julian, who was excited to soon have a cousin.

Despite Paul’s drunken protests, Y/N affirmed she could drive. Unable to drink anyway, she had to deal with Paul, who had been drinking with John for who knows how long.

His speech was slurred and woozy, laughing at random things which made Y/N think that maybe it wasn’t just alcohol him and John had occupied themselves with.

It was when he leaned over to kiss her, that another car came speeding round the bend. Y/N hadn’t noticed the vehicle as she laughed at drunken Paul who tried his hardest to be seductive.

The impact of the other car made her scream. The car spun out of control, making her scream. The car smashed into thick trees but she didn’t scream. Paul screamed, the alcohol leaving his system. He sobered up when he didn’t hear her. His head throbbed and he couldn’t feel his legs properly but his vision was hazy. He couldn’t tell if it was through tears or impact.

His beautiful wife. His beautiful, beautiful wife. It looked as if she was sleeping. Her eyes were closed, arms wrapped protectively around her stomach. She looked so peaceful. Paul reaches out for her. His hands felt as though they’d been set on fire.

He shook her shoulders as gently as he could.

“Y/N....Y/N please.” His words came out in sobs and he grew more desperate. She had to wake up. “Wake up, Y/N! Wake up!”

He shook her but she didn’t wake up. Her body just fell into Paul’s lap. His body was overcome with sobs. He held her close to his shaking chest. His body shut down, overcome with pain. Paul brushed the hair away from her eyes.

His forehead rested on hers, Paul’s tears poured onto her cheeks. He kissed them away. Kissing her cheeks, pleading with every being that her eyelashes would flutter and she’d lean up to return the kiss.

But she didn’t. Her eyes didn’t open but a tear that wasn’t his rolled down her temple. It escaped her closed eyes - She was gone. Completely. And as Paul used all of what was left in him to wipe the tear from her face, sirens bleared outside the wreck of the car.

Officers approached the vehicle, trying to pry open doors that were smashed beyond compare. They wouldn’t be able to. And if they did they wouldn’t be able to pry him away from Y/N. Not until she kissed him back.

He couldn’t go, it was his fault she couldn’t. It was all his fault. With one last feeble kiss, his face fell into the crook of her neck. He sobbed and sobbed, that was the only thing he could hear. His sobs. No heart beat.

But all of a sudden there was a crackle in the radio. The only thing that wasn’t damaged. Paul didn’t bother to look up from her neck.

His sobs stopped for a moment as the radio fuzz cleared into the first bars of ‘Heartbreak Hotel’.

He screamed out weakly and hugged her tighter. Holding her against him, he just cried. But he couldn’t drown out the lyrics.

Well, since my baby left me

Well, I found a new place to dwell

Well, it’s down at the end of lonely street at

Heartbreak Hotel

Where I’ll be so lonely baby

Well, I’m so lonely

I’ll be so lonely, I could die

[softboywriting]

"Good Morning, Ice Princess" // Christmas Shawn AU

I heard someone wanted some fluffy Christmas/winter AU Shawn. Here it is! And I love it! I hope it’s alright because I half ass edited it.

Ending up waist deep in freezing cold water was not how you planned on ending your Christmas Eve, but here you were; legs so cold they burned and ached with each kick, arms desperately clinging to the ice in front of you while you screamed for help. You try for a solid two minutes to get out of the hole in the ice but to no avail.

If only you could get your coat off because it was really not helping at all. The arms were restrictive and when you reached forward the fabric pulled taut along the back and didn’t allow you to fully move. God damn coat. You should have bought the pea coat and not this one when you were at the shop in the airport last month. But no...no you had to have the pretty black coat with the gold stitching along the quilted pleats. Nevermind that it was a snug fit. You HAD to have it. Well. Good on you. Idiot. You’re going to die in this coat. You’re sure of it.

You can hear a vehicle approaching but you can’t see it. The noise dies down as if someone parked nearby. Suddenly just beyond the edge of the pond you can see someone walking with a couple of dogs and your heart skips a beat. A person. Finally someone who can help or call for help. “Hey! Help! Help!” you scream out into the frigid early morning air. The dogs start barking and you can see that they’re running in your direction, their owner not far behind them.

“Help! C’mere boy! Come on doggy!” you shout as the dogs approach the pond and stop. They pace around the edge and are close enough that you can see they’re both large malamute mixes. They’re whining and pacing back and forth, looking anxiously to you and back to their owner who is jogging up behind them.

“Oh shit,” the owner says and you feel like you could just cry. “Hold on! I’ll get you out!” he yells and you start to shake violently from the cold enveloping your lower half. Both of your legs have already gotten numb and you were starting to fear for the worst.

“Please b-be caref-ful,” you chatter. He drops the backpack on his back and rummages around for something. He pulls out a coiled up rope.

He makes a loop on the end and throws it out to you but it’s not close enough for you to reach. “Fuck...I’ll try again!” He shouts and you reach for it on his second throw. This time you can reach it and you cling to it with your frozen hands. “Put it around your chest, like put your arms through it!” the guy instructs and you do as you’re told.

“I’m going to have the dogs pull you out. Is the rope tightly under your arms?” he asks and you just barely nod. He threads the rope through the leash loops on the back of each dog’s harness and knots it before grabbing the little bit of slack left and ordering the dogs to pull.

Within seconds you’re being dragged out of the water and across the snow covered ice. Once you’re to the edge of the pond the guy peels his coat off and wraps up your legs with it  and puts his backpack on before he scoops you up in his arms. “Th-thank you. I thought I was going to d-d-die,” you shiver against his warm figure as he walks you away from the pond and toward a truck just down the hill.

“How long were you in there?” he asks as he loads you into the long back seat of his old truck. He clicks his tongue a few times and the larger of the two dogs jump up into the seat with you and lays on your legs. The other one jumps into the front of the truck.

“I-I don’t know. Maybe ten minutes? I was just w-walking home from w-work. I shouldn’t have tried to take a sh-shortcut.” Your hand finds the dog’s head and it’s so warm you can’t help but bury both hands into the fur around it’s neck.

“I’m going to take you to my place, it’s just over the ridge. I don’t think you’ll have any frostbite but if you do I’ll take you to Dr. Harper in town. Is that okay?”

You nod and lay your head back on the seat. Your body was exhausted from fighting the cold and struggling to get out of the ice. The truck door slams and the guy gets in the driver's seat and starts it up, blasting the heater as he heads away from the pond. He looks back over the seat and says, “I’m Shawn by the way. That’s Nala and Koda.” He gestures to the dogs and you open your eyes to look at them. Koda was the one on your lap and Nala was in the passenger seat with her head rested on the back of the bench seat staring at you worriedly.

You give him your name and close your eyes. Your legs were burning, tingling and stinging as the sensation was starting to come back to them. You hoped the drive wouldn’t be much longer.

Shawn carries you into his cabin and into his bedroom. You can’t help but notice how warm the place was and you see a fireplace on the far wall of the bedroom with some dying coals in the hearth. No wonder it was so warm. The fire looked like it had only recently died out.

The moment Shawn had you sat down he was tugging at your coat and peeling it off of you. “We need to get you out of these clothes as fast as possible. It’s only holding the cold in.” he explains as he kneels in front of you and works on getting your boots off. They land with a wet plop on the hardwood floor where he tosses them aside.

You try to unbutton your jeans but your fingers are still too cold to function. Shawn pushes your hands away as he makes quick work of the button and zipper, glancing up at you as he does so. You can’t help but flush. He was gorgeous. Dark wavy hair, angled jaw, plush lips and soft brown eyes. He wasn’t like the other guys you saw in town all day. They were big rough lumberjack types mostly. In fact in the month since you’d moved to the small town of Twin’s Pass you definitely hadn’t seen him. He wasn’t one you were going to forget.

Shawn pushes you back on the bed and grabs the waistband of your pants to peel them down off your legs. “H-hey!” you protest but quickly forget why because looking down, you see your skin is borderline frozen and way too pale to be normal. You sit up again and pull your half soaked shirt and undershirt off over your head so you’re sitting in your bra and panties. Shawn goes through a doorway on your right and you can hear water come on before he returns with a wet towel. “This is for your legs. We need to get your blood circulating again. The warm wet cloth will help,” he says as he holds the towel out to you.

“Thanks...” you mumble as you rub it down your thigh to your calf and ankle. It feels great and you run it over the other leg. You keep doing it as Shawn digs through his dresser and pulls out a long sleeve shirt and some sweatpants.

He comes over, giving you the clothes and kneels in front of you again. He lays his hands on your thigh and looks up at you. “Do you mind if I help get the circulation going?”

Did you mind? Did you /mind/ if this tall drink of cocoa literally caressed your legs and made them warm again? Of course not! Who in their right mind would say no to him?

“I don’t mind, as long as it get’s me warm,” you say, quickly realizing how suggestive it sounded and he grins, ducking his head and you put on the shirt he brought you. His hands are warm as they rub and squeeze down to your ankle and back up before switching off to the other leg. You can already feel the pins and needles of the coldness easing up as he works.

Shawn stands up after a few times over each leg and turns around so you can take off your still soaking wet underwear. Look down at them as you toss them aside, you can’t help but wish you had worn a cuter pair.

“I think you’ll be alright. I’m glad I could get you out when I did. Any longer and you might have needed to go to the hospital.” He sits down on the end of the bed next to you and you can’t help but fidget with the sleeves of the shirt that was too big for you. “What were you doing out there anyways?”

“I was heading home from work. I thought I could just cross the pond and get down the ridge faster but...obviously that didn’t work out. God...I should have just walked around the pond like I do everyday,” you run your hand through your hair and shake your head. “I’m so stupid.”

Shawn elbows you with a chuckle. “I wouldn’t say you’re stupid. Just reckless. You’re not from here are you?”

You look over at him and laugh softly. “Is it that obvious?”

“Yeah, yeah it is. But hey, everyone in Twin’s Pass came from somewhere. I’m not judging you. But I am going to judge your choice in winter attire. It’s not quite canadian mountain ready and especially not if you’re going to be walking to and from work.”

“Tell me about it,” you chuckle and sigh. “I was thinking the same thing when I was waist deep in that pond. I told myself if I got out then I’d go buy a new coat from the shop in town, one that is actually warm and let’s me move around.”

Shawn looks over at you and you look at him. The two of you share a moment of silence, just looking at each other until he breaks out into laughter and you can’t help but do the same. Both of you are just sat there laughing at nothing and it’s kind of the best thing you’ve experienced since moving to town.

You find yourself curled up on his couch, both Nala and Koda curled up beside you on top of the blankets Shawn gave you to warm up with. He had convinced you to stay for dinner. He already had a small roast in the crockpot after all. Way too much for him to eat alone. It was Christmas Eve after all. Might as well make the best of it right? He had showed you to the couch and gave you the blankets before disappearing into the kitchen to finish the rest of dinner and hour or so ago. The dogs were all over you the moment you sat down and you couldn’t say you didn’t like their attention. They were sweet giant fluff balls.

Shawn walks in with an apron on that has the body of a bear on the front and says IM A BEAR IN THE MORNING across it in big loopy red letters. You stifle and giggle as he sets down two mugs of hot chocolate and he smirks at you. “What? You don’t like my apron?” he asks, gesturing down himself to ridiculous article of clothing.

“It’s...wild?” you ask and laugh at your own punny joke as you mute the new channel you had put on to watch while he was busy.

Shawn sits down on the other side of the couch and pats Koda’s back a few times. “It was a gift from my little sister last christmas. She thought it was the funniest thing ever.”

“Well she’s not wrong.”

He just shakes his head and takes a sip of his cocoa. “So what do you do? What’s your job in town?”

“I work for Bruce and Marcella Applegate at the hardware store. They’re my godparents actually.” You grab your mug and take a sip. It’s outstandingly good cocoa. This man was after your heart at this point. “I moved here from Toronto after I got into some trouble with my ex and his friends. I’m not in trouble now or anything, I just had to get out of there for a while.”

Shawn grins big. “I’m from just outside Toronto actually. Small world huh?”

“Mmmhmm,” you smile over you mug and he smiles back. He was so cute. There was no way he was real. “So how about you? What are you doing out here in the middle of nowhere?”

“I actually care for sled dogs in the off season. Koda and Nala here are retired runners and I adopted them from a man who’s dog’s I’ve taken care of for years. I usually only take care of one team at a time and it’s usually because the owners don’t have space for them where they live. But the owners try to come out weekly to be with the dogs and help me keep them exercised and in top form.”

You can’t help the way your jaw drops. This man literally had the job of your dreams. He got paid to babysit dogs for months at a time. “So the dogs you care for, are they dogs that race in the Iditarod in Alaska?”  Shawn nods. “That’s amazing. Do you have some here now?” you ask, looking around the cabin living room as if several large dogs were just going to appear out of nowhere.

“Not right now. It’ll be a few weeks before John brings his dogs out for me. He’s got them with him for the time being. And they don’t stay in the cabin with me,” he chuckles and pets Nala’s head as she lays her face on his lap. “I have a small place out back for them, fully furnished and everything of course. Only Nala and Koda get to stay in here.” He leans down and holds Nala’s face in his big hands. “Isn’t that right Nala? Only the best doggies get to stay in the house!”

You smile warmly at him. The love he had for these dogs was amazing. You could feel your heart flutter. What was he doing to you? First he rescues you and makes you dinner. Then you find out he’s a dog sitter and has a huge heart. He was practically perfect.

“How’re you single?” you mumble quietly, so lost in thought that you don’t realize you’ve spoken until you notice the surprised look on his face that turns into a cheeky grin. You cover you mouth and look down at Koda who is looking up at you with big brown eyes that matched his owners. You close your eyes as you say, “I’m sorry, that was rude of me.”

“I don’t think it was rude. A little upfront maybe,” Shawn chuckles and you’re glad he’s got a good sense of humor. “I am single though. If you haven’t noticed, there isn’t a lot of women in town close to my age so...y’know....”

“What, you don’t like your women a little older and more experienced?” you giggle and he bursts out laughing. “Oh c’mon! You don’t wanna date old Jodie down at the bar?”

“Oh my god no!” Shawn wheezes in his fit of laughter. “She’s like sixty something and she’s always hitting on me when I stop in. I swear she’d hit on any man with a heartbeat though.”

You’re laughing so hard your sides hurt. He wasn’t wrong, Jodie was a terrible flirt and everyone in town knew it. It was hard to tell if she was serious or just being a cheeky old woman. Either way talking to her lead to some crazy stories.

“What about you? Is Mr.Jake not your type? I mean he’s been a barber for thirty years,” Shawn grins and you start another fit of laughter. Jake was the town barber if needed and he ran the general store. He loved to tell people how he had some of the finest clientele back at his old shop in new york and we ought to be blessed to have a man of his talents in our town. He would talk for hours if you let him.

You and Shawn spend a good hour or so swapping stories about yourselves and people around Twin’s Pass. A buzzer starts going off and Shawn jumps up, toppling Nala off his lap as he hurries into the kitchen to get his baked potatoes from the oven. You crawl off the couch, wrapping a blanket around your shoulders. You make your way to the kitchen, trailing the dogs behind you. The moment you step in the kitchen Shawn turns to look at you, a smile breaks out across his face. “You look like you’ve made yourselves a friend,” he says to the dogs who have taken up residence on either side of you.

“They do seem to like me don’t they?” you giggle and bury your hand in Nala’s neck fur.

Shawn leans against the counter. “They’re never this friendly. Are you sure you don’t have treats on you?” he asks playfully, looking you over a few times.

“Oh I’m sure you would have found them when you were so forward and stripped me down in your bed.”

Shawn’s face turns bright pink and he bites his lip. Guess he hadn’t been expecting that kind of flirty sass. “I- you know I was only so forward because you were freezing to death.”

You giggle and say, “Suuurreee you were.”

The dogs leave your side as Shawn crosses the small kitchen to pull the roast out of the crock pot. They’re obviously spoiled babies if the way they sat right beside him begging was anything to go off of. “Y’know I wouldn’t mind doing it again,” he says with a glance back at you and this time it’s your turn to flush.

“Well alright then,” you smile as you take a seat at the small dining table. “I wouldn’t mind helping you out of your clothes sometime either.”

Shawn sets two plates of food on the table and smirks at you. “Hey now, that’s a little forward don’t you think?” You laugh and start eating.

The sound of the fire crackling wakes you up and you look around the dark bedroom. It’s around 4am according to his alarm clock and you rubs the sleep from your eyes as you sit up. Shawn is standing in front of the fireplace stoking the coals as he tosses another log on. “Good morning Ice Princess,” he says and flips on the overhead light.

“Ice Princess? You think you’re real funny huh?” you laugh sleepily and he crawls onto the bed next to you.

“Mmmhmm. Koda and Nala think I’m hilarious.” He brushes your hair off your shoulder and smiles as his eyes drop down to your bare chest. “I seem to remember you thinking I was pretty funny yesterday too.”

“Oh shut up,” you giggle and he places a kiss on your shoulder. “Why are you up so early?”

“The dogs are used to having breakfast at this time.”

“Mmm gotcha,” you hum as you run your hand through Shawn’s hair. It’s so soft and so thick. It was giving you flashbacks to last night when you were pulling at it desperately. He leans his forehead on your shoulder and asks, “Did you have plans for today?”

“Just dinner and a gift exchange with Bruce and Marcella tonight. How about you?” Shawn shakes his head. “Do you want to go to dinner with me?”

“I’d love to,” he says and wraps his arm around you, pulling you down and against his chest. “I’d love to spend all day with you in bed too. If that’s alright with you?”

You run your hand over his chest as you look up at him with a smug little grin and say, “I can’t think of a better way to spend Christmas morning.”