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ladyswillmart · 1 year

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Serpent Isle Companion #2: Petra Base Stats:

Strength: 20

Dexterity: 15

Intelligence: 20

Combat: 7

Default Combat Style: Nearest

Carrying (02/40 Stones): Pot x1

❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧✤☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙

Robot or not, that barmaid’s smile could light up any room. Many a satisfied patron of the Blue Boar Inn commented to that effect in the guestbook anyway. Depending on the time of day it could be true in a very real and literal sense; the building was designed with an eastern exposure and large picture windows for revealing it, no doubt to ensure that the dining area would always be suitably bright and warm for the lunchtime rush. Unlike Mosh and her rats or the local gang of alley cats or Frigidazzi’s cherished bichon—who only needed a mere two and a half minutes after busting out of the confines of her manor to work out where the good sausages are—the sunlight was always allowed to stay in the tavern as long as it liked, without paying.

But back to the subject of our automaton barmaid and her apparently illuminating figure—say, a chromed chassis that cannot help but reflect the truth of everything that touches it, including light.

Say now. Say the tail end of the shepherd’s crook of dawn, say 8-ish. Breakfast time and there was Petra making her rounds, walking to and fro, from the kitchen to the dining area, to the dining area from the kitchen and blasting the room with the heady funk of frying something-or-other with every battering flap of the door. With the rhythmic swing of her mirror-polished limbs she splattered the splendor of a Little Island summer morning all across the room like specks of sunflower oil escaping the skillet.

No wonder why Rocco’s so stubborn about keeping the moggies out, a cat would go mad in here, Giselle thought as she watched so many bits of sunlight bounce off the walls and fixtures. At her right hand moped her fellow lag, apparently planning on enjoying his newfound freedom by settling his chin into his hand in a magnificent slouch and staring into space.

However a single stray glint was enough to catch Stefano’s eye; he snapped out of his exhausted stupor, even managing a lopsided grin as the waitress approached.

“Well hey there, good lookin’,” he greeted her. “What’cha been cookin’?”

Petra’s blue eyes blinked, off then on, only once. “Hashed potatoes,” she replied, voice flat before dipping into pure pity. “Oh no, Stefano... Is that the new line?”

“Afraid so,” said Giselle. “He must’ve rehearsed it on me a dozen times while we were in Freedom.”

“Giselle!” Petra approximated a gasp, so surprised she nearly dropped the one-handled pot she was holding. “Oh, I’m ever so glad to see you escaped! Safe and sound, yes? Goodness, you must be starving!”

“What about me...?”

“You too, Stefano.” But Petra’s eyes darkened slightly. “But if that pick-up line was the best one you could come up with, I think you might need a little more time in the pit.”

It was now evident that, alas, there would be no swooning this morning (much less a comped breakfast). Stefano sputtered sheepishness into a hearty guffaw. “More time in the pit! Hah! What’d I tell you, eh? Our Petra’s a terrific kidder. Oh, I am glad to be out of that place, let me tell you. And this lady!” Stefano pointed out Giselle with all the pride of a gentleman who just discovered that his new valet can juggle dinner rolls. “She’s the bee’s knees, a real darb. Couldn’t have busted out without her. Literally.”

“He means literally literally too,” she added. “There was some ridiculous trap in there where we both had to hit a switch at the same time—”

“—it was a lever, Giselle. Don’t you remember me practically bending a knot into my back as I tried to pull the blasted thing?” Stefano wiggled his eyebrows. “Nothing a good sternal rub couldn’t fix, eh?”

At least one person at the table knew where the sternum was, and Giselle knew who it wasn’t. “A lever, right,” she said. “And then there was this dragon—”

A loud-ish whizz-POP from the kitchen transformed Petra’s grin into a grimace.

“—oh dear, you two’ll have to tell me about it a little later!” she huffed. “No time to stay and chat at the moment, but I’ll take your orders if you’ve got something in mind. I’d recommend the hashed potatoes but something tells me you might be a bit late to that party...”

❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧✤☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙

Side Notes: Petra joins your party somewhat late in the game, normally for a specific side quest that involves a body-swap mechanic. I’m not sure if she comes with any equipment at all during this time. She starts the game equipped with a single pot, but no doubt this item gets swapped around as she goes about her business as the Blue Boar Inn’s barmaid.

She is unusual in that she is an Ophidian automaton, a humanoid robot created by the Order forces with the express purpose of transcending Emotion (a Chaotic principle). However, for whatever reason, Petra can experience a full range of emotions. My personal theory runs something like this (headcanon ahead!):

Petra is, in fact, the Order Mage (First Rank) Elissa, whom you meet in Silver Seed. Towards the end of the Ophidian War, she finally achieved her goal of becoming one of the elite Lords of Discipline—the first ever woman to do so. She had a custom body created and successfully underwent the mind-body transfer process. However, by the time she became an automaton, the war was basically over, with the forces of Chaos so thoroughly routed as to be functionally extinct. Order Hierophant Calithiss was already organizing an escape for her people via the Wall of Lights. Unfortunately, these plans did not account for the thousands of automated soldiers and servants in Order’s employ.

As Calithiss led her people into the Void and (hopefully) a new world, their automatons, including the much-vaunted Lords of Discipline, were simply abandoned, left to their own devices in empty cities. Some could maintain their programmed patrols for years and years while others—like Elissa—came to a full stop where their internal gizmos and geegaws ticked their last.

Centuries later her body would be discovered by Torrissio, who would restore to full operational capacity... with unfortunately vile intentions. However, her internal processing core suffered some damage at some indeterminable point (meaning, it is unknown if this happened due to Torrissio’s meddling or simply from prolonged exposure to the elements). In any case, while her memories of “Elissa” are very vague and inconsistent, she now possesses the ability to sense and display emotion, as if some repressed part of her own sapience has leaked into her processing core...

Also I find it kinda funny that Petra suffers hunger like the rest of your party. Not sure what she would eat. Maybe she needs some kind of fuel or oil though?

#ultima vii #serpent isle #pixel art

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tr4ggot · 5 years

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any other lgbt people out there involved in robotics? it’d be fun to connect w ur team if we go to the same regionals/root y’all on from the livestreams

#ofc this is during comp season though #ive literally never met another lgbt person in my years on #my robotics team and going to regionals who also did frc robotics #its lonely being surrounded by people i have to constantly censor myself around #i dont mean that as i dont love my friends on the team #theyre all great #im stealth and not loud about being bi so most of the time when i mention it they think its a joke so i cant really be totally myself #also theres just a lack of lgbt people in stem and a huge influx of edgy gamers who make homophobic jokes so its super isolating #and if y'all arent on a team and are still in high school #i highly recommend joining one #see if ur high school has one (even schools outside the us have them - just see if ur school has an frc team)#its great #i know im not selling it very well #but its been one of the best experiences in my life and theres something in it for everyone #regardless of if you think youre smart enough or skilled enough #ive been on the team for y e a r s and im still winging it #plus! fun with power tools and taking out of state field trips for competitions and being caught up in the spirit of the game #also robotics isnt like a super nerdy thing like tv shows make it out to be #and it really doesnt take much experience lol #i took one shop class in middle school and that was enough for me to understand just about everything i needed to know for robotics #im rambling but im desperate for other people to relate to with this

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danny-chase · 3 years

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The Batfam as Tech Majors

AU where Alfred got tired of watching Bruce slap duct tape on the Batmobile and call it good, so he forced the children into college. He makes each of them complete an internship with Lucius in R and D so they have better knowledge of how the devices that their lives depend on work. Majors/minors/tropes under cut.

Dick:

Mechanical Engineering Major

He was in undeclared engineering for as long as possible

He settled on mechanical because it seemed the most broad

Plus he joined a car club, loved it, and there were a ton of MechE’s there

He ends up taking credit overloads most semesters because he always finds 1-3 random classes that he wants to take

Despite taking everything from advanced computer science classes (he somehow convinces even the most intense professors to let him into their classes) to hyper specific phycology classes, he doesn’t have any minors to show for it

He just gets bored with the subject after a couple classes

This gives him a bunch of random knowledge

When he talks to his younger siblings about classes, somehow he’s always managed to take at least one that they’re in, and offers advice.

He has the best RA stories. He most certainly did not need to be an RA. But the school was hurting for them and he thought it would be fun.

His residents loved him, but that didn’t stop them from playing beer pong in the common spaces at 3am.

He founds a circus arts club after his residents pull up information about his past and get overly excited about it

Specifically, he finds out they know about his past, because one of them decided it was a good idea to try and juggle knives, and because he’d prefer there not to be any additional bloodstains on the carpet he decides to start the club

He nearly graduated late because he forgot he needed to take specific classes for his major

Barbara:

Computer Science/Math duel Major

She’s a TA for Comp Sci 1, all the students fight to get her help because she’s amazing at spotting bugs and is super patient

Somehow she’s the president of 3 clubs and is on student senate

She’s the curve breaker

She gets homework assignments meant to take a week done the day they’re assigned

She and Dick went to a single party together, stayed for five minutes, decided it was too loud, and went to get ice cream

Along with her club, she’s in professional organizations, and is part of a women in STEM mentoring program

She started a petition to get more wheel chair ramps installed. Half the buildings are protected under some “historical grounds” bs that’s an excuse for not being accommodating

The petition didn’t go anywhere at first, but it was widely shared on social media and made the school look horrible, so they implemented some of her proposals

Jason:

Philosophy/Cognitive Science duel Major

He gets asked “There’s a philosophy major?” every time he has to do one of those stupid what’s your name and major icebreakers

Jason lives in the library

He’s fallen asleep in there at 3am after it gets locked up

He quotes philosophers at his siblings when they’re being annoying, and it effectively shuts them up, because he only quotes the most nonsensical arguments

He gets involved with the college’s community outreach program

He volunteers for a local robotics team

When people find out his majors, they’re genuinely confused, because he understands robotics really well

He lies his ass off about being really interested in it as a child

Dick convinced him to be an RA for a semester, and he almost had a heart attack

Someone choked in front of him on the first day

Despite seeming like a tough RA, he genuinely cared about his residents and had to quit because he was so stressed out that one of them would do something stupid and die

Cass:

Innovation/Design Major

She’s really observant, so she’s great at spotting flaws in infrastructure and coming up with ways to fix them

Spending time with Barbara made her realize the lack of systems designed with wheelchair users in mind

Her experience being illiterate and not knowing English has imprinted on her the need for signage that can be understood by anyone

She focuses on taking project based classes, where she can draw out her designs and build them, rather than figuring out the math behind them

She has patents for the inventions she created at WE

She was exempted from the “Alfred’s mandatory college degree program” but decided to go as a part time student for herself

It took her twice as long to graduate, and a lot of tutoring from her siblings, but she made it!

The family threw her an extra special party when she graduated - everyone else had minor celebratory dinners, but they went all out for Cass

There was not a dry eye at her graduation ceremony

Cass works part time with WE on and off as a designer after her first internship

She comes up with ideas during patrols, draws them and sends them to Lucius

Tim:

Computer Science Major with a minor in game design

He makes it to approximately 20% of his lectures

He nearly didn’t graduate on time because he put off his humanity courses for so long

He missed the actual ceremony, even though the family showed up

He starts all his assignments the day before they’re due

If at all possible he avoids groupwork and offers to do assignments by himself because he gives his teammates heart attacks when he starts his part the project at 3pm the day before it’s due

This leads to extremely frequent all-nighters

He always finds himself rewriting everyone else’s code to make it work more efficiently

This can, of course, cause some people to feel a little upset

Other students specifically seek him out as a teammate so they can half ass their parts

He participates in game jams when he has time, and got super into the hacking club

Against all odds, he joined a fraternity

Dick literally fell off a building when he found out

He makes up stories about partying for the heck of it, when in reality he and the guys just play Smash Bros together until 3am

He hasn’t seen anyone drink more than two beers, and he hasn’t tried alcohol there either

He joined on accident, he had just pulled an all-nighter and stumbled into a recruiting fair, he heard someone shouting about Mario Kart Double Dash, and bada bing bada boom, he agreed to rush because it involved being stuck in a room playing video games all weekend

Steph:

Civil Engineering Major with minors in Sustainability and STSS (Science, Technology, and Social Science)

She gets constantly shit on for being a civie

Every time she introduces herself someone mumbles “fake mechie” in the background

She and Jason complain about the disrespect together

She was genuinely shocked when Bruce offered to pay for her college tuition

She’d been planning on going and cutting costs any way possible

But Bruce took her aside when she was applying and offered to pay it all

She refused at first, but then money just appeared in her bank account, and what was she supposed to do, give it back?

She also participates in professional groups and is a member of SWE (Society of Women Engineers), and she mentors younger students

She ends up as class president by running a very successful social media meme campaign

She got and email saying she’d won and panicked because she had no idea what she was doing and was just having fun making memes

She ended up staying class president the entire time, and ended up getting really into it, and ended up with a pretty solid approval rating

She joined a sorority and had a blast

They worked with the local animal shelter, and she started bringing Damian along as well

Her sisters think he’s adorable and he secretly enjoys the attention

She gets her revenge on all the civil engineering haters by landing her dream job redesigning the poorer areas of Gotham to include more green spaces, increase affordable housing, and upgrading access to utilities

Duke:

Biochemisty Major with a minor in Neuroscience

Harper, Tim, Steph, and him are all in the same year

Tim convinces him to join the fraternity with him

He joins a variety of professional groups as well

He mentors other BIPOC, and joins NSBE (National Society of Black Engineers) and runs helps run professional development programs

But he’s also in like million other clubs that he does not put on his resume

He’s runs the college’s meme page club, is part of the Pokémon Go club, is on the competitive Overwatch team, consistently attends the anime club’s Dragon Ball Z watch parties, joins the Dance Dance Revolution club, and the list goes on and on

When Tim is awake, and Harper isn’t busy, they go with him, but both of them have too much inconsistencies in their schedule to join

He ends up meeting like half the campus

He unintentionally has become a god of networking

Unlike his siblings, he goes all the way for a doctorate

He researches Joker venom, determined to figure out a cure for his parents (in my HC, he eventually does)

He wins like every award imaginable for his groundbreaking research into venoms as he comes up with vaccines that save countless lives

He still works on the meme page, even after he graduates

Harper:

She somehow defies all odds and triple majors in Physics, Mechanical Engineering, and Electrical Engineering

She takes credit overload every semester, and gets credit for her internships at WE

She and Steph were roommates freshman year, and Steph swears that Harper never sleeps

She is the most wanted partner for every engineering project

She thrives in college, and lives off of coffee

She’s in the front row in every lecture

She doesn’t leave the lecture halls, she’s gotten locked in more than once after falling asleep

She had a heart attack the first time she saw students using the machine shop

Half the students weren’t wearing safety glasses, she counted three people wearing slides, the machines were rusted over, the soldering irons were all broken, and she nearly watched someone break their wrist using a power drill

She refuses to work there

Her secret to success is prioritizing - she absorbs the material like a sponge so if homework is only worth 5%, it isn’t getting done, and she’ll just cram before the exam

She almost joined Tim and Duke’s frat (it’s co-ed), but she didn’t have the time

They let her in without rushing senior year because Tim ended up as the boss, and he said so

Cullen:

I don’t know a ton about Cullen, but I feel like he would be a comp sci major

He comes in when Harper, Tim, Duke, and Steph are upperclassmen, and he joins all of Duke’s clubs

They have a million inside jokes

To the other siblings, it seems like the two have their own language

He also joins a club that mentors LGTBQ+ students at the local high school, and encourages them to pursue STEM careers if they’re interested

Jason recruits him as a mentor for the robotics team (he’s the lead mentor at this point) after some of the kids in his mentoring program mention him at a meeting and Jason is like O.O

He avoids parties at all costs, and ends up joining the frat as well

It’s all Duke’s fault he’s in a frat

He does however, meet some lovely boys in the frat

Damian:

Aerospace Engineering/Environmental Engineering dual Major with minors in sustainability and biology

He nearly riots when he’s presented with the college’s idea of a vegetarian/vegan meal

He manages to get out of the meal plan after that, and begins rallying students to push for better options that contain actual protein

He joins a community service club that works with the local animal shelter, and secretly joins the circus arts club (that’s thriving even without Dick there)

He learns how to sew blankets out of old clothes for the animals

He and Barbara are the only siblings to graduate with a 4.0, simply because they were the only one that took the time to actually do all the homework, and remembered to turn things in on time

He refuses to live in the dorms, and instead lives in one of their apartments nearby (once again somehow managing to complain to the college enough to get his housing waived)

He literally walked in once when visiting Duke, and immediately walked out, and resolved never to step near one again

He makes a total of three friends while at the school, both are in the animal shelter club

They exchange vegetarian/vegan recipes, and get together to cook

He decides to move off campus with them his junior year when they needed another roommate, and he won’t admit it to his siblings, but he had a ton of fun

He and his friend group may have joined an animal rights hacktivist group and may have helped orchestrate some major hacks

Poisson Ivy finds out and feeds him targets and information when they’re supposed to be fighting (she just walks back to Arkham if the others aren’t watching, and slips him a list at the end)

Bonus Bruce:

He cries at every graduation

He’s asked to make a speech at every graduation

He never does - it’s about his kids, not him

He single handedly is keeping the school from bankruptcy - not that any of his kids (other than probably Barbara) know

He sobbed for days after Cass graduated

He genuinely didn’t expect Dick or Tim to graduate

After Dick graduated, he wouldn’t let Bruce touch any of the equipment, and the rest of his kids followed suit

He isn’t actually bad at engineering, his education was just super informal, and hey duct tape works 95% of the time in his experience

The real reason Alfred was annoyed was because he refused to take the time to properly fix something if someone was in danger, and then he’d forget that he’d just used duct tape to patch something

But now since no one lets him touch anything, he’s genuinely lost a lot of the knowledge

But in a pinch, he can fix stuff

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literaticat · 3 years

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A pretty major literary agency did a recent YouTube video in comps. One of the agents was saying that you can’t comp something as GONE GIRL meets cozy mystery. They went in to state that both of the comps have to come from the same shelf. As a querying author who has done much research on writing unique comps I thought I could comp a mashup with books from different shelves such as BEACH READ meets SLEEPING BEAUTY (romcom meets fairy tale). Is this not accurate? Thanks for your help!

Eeeehhhhhhhh ok, I'm kind of of two minds here!

I don't think that they are wrong. "GONE GIRL meets a cozy" doesn't work, because the goals of a psychological thriller and the goals of a cozy are totally at odds. There are RULES for both these types of genre book, and readers who crave the one but don't like the other would be flummoxed by a mash-up. GONE GIRL readers who are looking for the next great psychological thriller don't WANT a cozy. They are specifically looking for dark, twisty, tense. People who love cozies don't WANT a psychological thriller, that's why they are reading a cozy!

It's like how you can't add Dr Pepper to Hollandaise Sauce. Neither of those are inherently bad things, obviously -- but the two mixed together would make both of them far worse, and definitely ruin brunch.

So the thing I take issue with is not that GG and Cozy are a bad mashup (they are a bad mashup, yes) -- it's the "has to be on the same shelf" part. Rather, I think if you are using two titles, they both have to APPEAL TO THE SAME READER. Which probably DOES mean they are on the same shelf -- but look, GG and Cozy are both on the same shelf, too! The mystery shelf! They just have different types of readers.

THAT SAID. You don't have to necessarily comp two BOOKS, and if you are using a pop-culture thing like a movie or something, you might have more leeway for getting weird. For example... YOUR example. "Sleeping Beauty" is not a book. It's a STORY, that has been told in myriad ways across centuries and cultures. (Sidebar - I also would not characterize BEACH READ as a rom-com, personally, it's a contemporary romance IMO, but whatever). If I were describing a contemporary romance meets fairy tale, I'd probably say something like, "It's like BEACH READ with a fairy-tale twist" or "like BEACH READ with a Sleeping Beauty twist" (if SB is really the best fairy tale to describe it).

Another example that I use all the time is when there is a purposeful, surprising juxtaposition -- (because somebody recommended a book like this to me and I have never forgotten it, and YES it was a good book!) -- it was set in Regency England but with killer robots. And they were like "think Pride and Prejudice meets Terminator." LOL! But hey, you got me, what IS that all about?!

If you ARE using two (or more) books, my suggestion would be to NOT use the X meets Y configuration. Rather, I would say either:

"This will appeal to fans of X and Y" -- like "This novel will appeal to fans of Jasmine Guillory and Helen Hoang"

-- or, if the books are rather dissimilar and won't necessarily fit On The Same Shelf --

"This novel has the [trait] of X and the [trait] of Y." Like "this novel has the laugh-out-loud humor and swoony queer love story of RED WHITE AND ROYAL BLUE, but set in the eccentric 1970's San Francisco of TALES OF THE CITY.

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luvrpop · 4 years

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advil in the bathroom

source: homestuck pairing: n/a requested: yes tws: over the counter drugs (advil) word count: 1498 synopsis: dave gets an eyestrain headache, and goes on an epic quest for advil extra: shoutout to my discord server buddies for lending me some help with their master rap lyricism

There are some days where things suck.

Those are the days where you stay in your room and no one sees you until dinner, or until you decide that boredom will kill you faster than just sucking it up and hanging out in the presence of other people. You say that you make your best music on those days, although your brothers would probably disagree. To that you would respond that creativity comes from necessity or some shit, and Dirk would tell you that the saying is “necessity is the mother of invention” while Hal explains why that doesn’t apply to your situation at all. They’ll still listen to your demo at 3 AM that night, and they’ll still tell you that they like it. You know they might be lying just a teensy bit, but it’ll still boost your ego.

But not every day is like that.

Your name is Dave Strider, and today actually hasn’t been that bad.

You’ve been playing Minecraft with your friends all morning, which is one of your favorite things to do. You finally proposed to your best friend June, who doubles as your minecraft-gf-now-fiance, and the realm has been busy with wedding preparations. It’s been the ultimate will they won’t they of the century, and Roxy had been bothering you non stop about “putting a ring on it” for forever. Rose is going to be your best man, naturally, and Jade is going to be June’s. Dirk’s going to be the officiary. Hal spawned 64 diamond hoes as a wedding gift. It’s going to be fuckin’ awesome.

For now, you turn off your computer and push away from your desk. You rub the bridge of your nose, hoping to stave away a headache from staring at your computer for so long that you know is inevitable. Rose has offered to buy you blue light tint shit for your shades, but you’re not interested in fucking up the lenses like that. Plus, you’re no bitch. You suck it up and head out to the kitchen like always, to rummage through the junk cabinet for an Advil or something. Hal is already seated at the island, reading something. He looks up when you enter the room, and you both nod in greeting.

June asked you once if it’s weird for you to have a robot for a brother. You had replied that you already had a robot for a brother so it’s no big deal, but you both knew that you weren’t serious. On top of it being sick as fuck to be able to say that your big brother is a super genius who built a super genius AI and then a fully functioning body for said AI, you just really like the guy. Plus, he helps keep things organized. Without him, you’d never know where anything is. Dirk isn’t messy, really the opposite. He’s very particular about where things go. The problem is that his idea of where welding supplies go is in the cabinet next to the fridge, where you adamantly believe dishes should be. And so on.

After a minute or two of fruitlessly searching for pain relief, Hal finally speaks.

“What are you looking for?” He asks, not looking up from his book.

“Advil,” you say, shoving receipts and a neti pot back into the cabinet.

“I see. Check the bathroom.”

“Why?” The fuckin’ cabinet won’t close. “It’s always been in here.”

“Dirk was on a reorganization campaign this morning. You really missed out, dude.” He responds, watching in a bemused fashion as you do mad mental gymnastics to figure out how to stack empty inhaler boxes in a way that will let the cabinet door close.

“Yeah, okay, cool, but like-” You have to pause to catch the bottle of Pepto Bismol that you should have known wouldn't fare well on top of a bunch of empty boxes. “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it or whatever. Now I’m gonna die of eye strain, man, and Dirk’s gonna laugh at my funeral.”

“You know that saying doesn’t apply to him.” Hal says, and you know he’s right. Dirk’s more of an “if it ain’t broke, fix it weekly as to assure it remains unbroken” sort of guy. You snort, and finally get the door closed. Hal pats your shoulder (awkwardly, because the guy doesn’t understand physical affection for the life of him. You appreciate the gesture anyway.) as you walk by, and you begrudgingly make your way to the bathroom. The door is locked when you get there, and you jiggle the handle, just to be obnoxious

“Dave, I’m going to kill you if you don’t stop jiggling the doorknob,” Dirk snaps from the other side of the door.

You snort, and jiggle more aggressively.

“Dave.” “I have a headache.”

Dirk makes a sound that is halfway between exasperated and confused. “I- Okay?”

“A big dumbass moved the Advil into the shitter, and I have a headache. So hurry up or unlock the door,”

“Dude.”

“Unless you’re taking a shit. Are you taking a shit, Dirk?”

Silence.

“Dude, el mayo.” You can see Dirk’s face scrunch up at that. He hates you and Roxy’s incessant need to say acronyms out loud in stupid ways in your head. “Why’d you even move it? Did you just wake up randomly thinking: 'Hey, I know what I'll do! I'm just gonna obliterate Dave’s afternoon by holding his salvation hostage and then shitting near it? That’s really fucked up, man,”

“I don’t know how to tell you this, but the cabinet in the bathroom is literally called a medicine cabinet. This was inevitable.”

You kick the door half heartedly before stalking back into your room. You know he’ll bring you the medicine when he’s done, but you feel the tingles of a fire track coming on.

Fifteen minutes later, after turning down the Advil and locking yourself in your room, you’re convinced you’ve got the hottest shit since the meteor shower that killed the dinosaurs, headache long forgotten. You usher Dirk and Hal into the cramped bathroom (it takes a while to get them to comply, but you assure them that this shit will be legendarily mind blowing. And really, who could resist that?), and Hal calls sitting on the toilet lid. You’re obviously standing in the shower, so that leaves Dirk to sit on the floor.

“Couldn’t we have done this in the living room?” Dirk complains, interrupting you as you go to start the backing track (it’s the Minecraft opening theme, with some shitty bass over it.).

“It’s atmospheric, Dirk.” Hal replies, shaking his head.

“Yeah, duh,” You agree. “Now shut the fuck up, I’m about to take you to school.

Check it. Yo, I’m chillin’ on the comp but my head starts splittin’ Messin’ with my game, and fuckin’ up my sittin’ It’s bad, it’s mad, like an angry dad But it ain’t nothin’ compared to the rhymes that I’m spittin’

So I log out, get up, and leave my room My head’s killin’ me, I’m dyin’, y’know I gotta zoom Roll up into the kitchen, I’m cryin’, tearin’ out my hair So imagine my surprise when that shit ain’t there

Who the fuck locked my Advil up in the shitter? The fuck is your problem, I’ll vague you on Twitter I got a hundred followers, you forgot that I’m famous, They’re willing and ready to tear you a new anus.”

You’re about to continue creaming these suckers, but Dirk cuts you off before you can.

“Okay kiddo, I hear you, good god, sit down Is this bathroom a circus? Cause you’re actin’ a clown

I’m so sorry to tell you- Even Hal can attest- I’m so sorry for shitting This bitch has got IBS

I’ll spare you the details- My shit’s soaking wet- But may I remind you? That’s a medicine cabinet

So before you go cryin’ ‘I’m dying, I’m dying!’ Just study my flow, Cause that shit’s inspiring”

Oh, hell no. Not in your bathroom. Time to go fucking crazy.

“Eyes wildin’, I’m freestylin’ I’m crushin’ cube bitches, I’ll minecraft you some stitches Relief should be accessible, Otherwise that shit is unethical,

So you better say you’re sorry For puttin’ my drugs above the potty,”

This time, it’s Hal interrupting Dirk.

“Firstly, Dave, shawty, That don’t rhyme with potty To pay for these lessons? You’ll need a scholly

Your flow is vile, shit’s juvenile I think I’ve heard better from Terezi’s reptile

You’re frying my circuits, This shit is trash If I was organic, you’d give me a rash

I’ve got something to say, I’ll say it concisely: Shut the fuck up! I’m not asking nicely,”

Well shit. Hal’s got it on lock. You and Dirk groan, and the song ends. Hal always gets the last word.

The three of you will argue for the rest of the night over who wons (you did, obviously), and you’ll have a shitty microwaved dinner.

Today wasn’t so bad at all.

#modmori #homestuck #i really took the request and ran #anonrequest #sorry for any mistakes i didnt have someone else edit this #dave strider #dirk strider #hal strider #lilhal #hal

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napalmstrikebarbie · 4 years

Text

Growing Up “Gifted” with ADHD Like

authority figure: do this boring shit

me: why

authority: it’ll be important later

me:........why

dear god just let me apprentice with a blacksmith so I can do something productive

“she’s very smart but she’s just not focused”

can’t hear you, shirt’s too itchy

[bad marks for handwriting]

need attention or I might die

.................not tHAT MUCH ATTENTION ABORT ABORT

[intense apex predator phase]

social skills whomst? I didn’t get the script everyone else is reading off

well the class clown loves me for who I am!!

”what?” “you heard me”

sorry I hit you I don’t know where my body is in space

math has a shape but I can’t see the Whole Thing so what is the fucking point

WHAT DO YOU MEAN I’M BEING TOO LOUD?

[inappropriate use of musical instruments]

what do you mean I’m being too quiet I thought I was too loud dear god what do you want from me

“I know she knows the answer but she never raises her hand”

oh christ that project is due TOMORROW

yes I’ll carry my whole class to the Battle of the Books championships no I don’t remember when my mom’s birthday is and I never will

check out this entirely functional robot I built out of office supplies I found on the floor. what do you mean “this is gym class” can’t you see this fucking robot

hello Especially Large Older Cousin I need you to throw me across the room for science

[inappropriate use of spinny chairs]

mom my tummy hurts. again. yeah I swear I’m not lying to get out of going to school which I do indeed absolutely hate

can somebody please home school me I’m fucking begging you

me: Dad can I skip school and go to work with you

dad: sure, I’ll show you how to build a comp-

mom, hissing: honey

dad: ..........no

me, weeping: I hate this fucking family

#I cut the majority of the attachment issues and gross TMI in the final draft #we'll save that for later #on an occasion when I'm less inclined to be relatable #ADHD #actually adhd #chatter #sarah lore #...I guess #OP

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dvp95 · 4 years

Text

throw your head back laughing

pairing: chris kendall/pj liguori rating: teen & up tags: outsider pov, au, established relationship, idiots in love word count: 1657 summary: Cara has to wonder how much of it is performative. Of course she does; everything she knows about this game points to them being in a Scene of some sort. They seem to genuinely enjoy each other's company, if nothing else.

written for the LOVELY @jestbee <3 happy goddamn birthday jane!!!!!! you’ve been such a good pal to me and i hope i can make you smile with this stupid thing!!!!!

read on ao3 or here!

"Hello, welcome to -" Cara cuts herself off in the middle of her spiel when she looks up from the podium. Two men stand in front of her for probably the ninth time this year, matching grins on their faces as they watch the recognition wash over her. She smiles, closer to a real one than a customer service one, and gestures behind her. "Your table is available. Do you need me to escort you?"

"Thanks, love," one of them says with a wink, "but I think we can manage."

He takes his companion by the sleeve and makes a beeline for a table near the middle of the restaurant, the same one they always go for. Cara bites back a laugh as she makes eye contact with one of the waitstaff.

Nate makes a big show of sighing and turning back around to tell the kitchen at large about their arrivals. She can't hear it from here, but Cara knows that people who have been here long enough are either thrilled or frustrated, and the new hires are probably just confused. When Nate is looking at her again, Cara taps her glasses and holds up three fingers. He makes a note on his order pad. She wonders how big the betting pool is going to be this time.

The men are, as always, ensconced in their own little world the moment their asses hit the seats. Their long legs overlap under the table in a comfortable, familiar sort of way, and they talk to each other with such dramatic hand gestures that Cara wishes she could hear the topic that's got them so riled up.

Sometimes she makes excuses to walk by their table and eavesdrop. So far she's learned that they're passionate about science fiction, craft supplies, what specific colour the ceiling is painted, and gender expression. It doesn't seem to matter if they're talking about the sliding scale of acceptable femininity for men to show in public or how easy it would be to build a robot out of cardboard - they have the same amount of enthusiasm, every time.

Cara has to wonder how much of it is performative. Of course she does; everything she knows about this game points to them being in a Scene of some sort. They seem to genuinely enjoy each other's company, if nothing else.

It's always a strange atmosphere for the first half hour or so after they've been seated. They talk and they eat and they seem oblivious to the wary eyes of the staff around them, even though anyone with half a brain knows they're fully aware of the attention on them. The only time they left without anything happening was when the place was practically empty and there was no audience of unsuspecting patrons for their nonsense.

That had been a different sort of anticipation. Like the whole building had been waiting for a beat that never dropped. The men had left without fanfare, and every employee had gone home perplexed.

The general consensus, up to that point, had been that they did this for the free food and champagne, but their need for some kind of audience opened up a Pandora's box of possible motivations. Nate's convinced that they're doing some sort of social experiment, one of the line chefs thinks they must be YouTubers or something, and a very optimistic new waitress has been positing that maybe it's genuine every time.

"Maybe one of them has short term memory problems," she'd explained to Cara. "Or they're very on-again off-again."

Cara had nodded along at the time, but she's not buying it. It's the grins on their faces every time they meet her at the hostess podium that convince her they know exactly what they're up to.

As far as Cara can tell, they might just do it for the hell of it.

Forty-something minutes after the men are seated, the signs start to show themselves. Cara drifts over to Nate and nudges him, interrupting his bussing for something much more entertaining. He grins and turns around. Neither of them make an effort to hide that they're staring, because it's happened seven or so times before.

The man in glasses is twitching like he's nervous, all of a sudden, and keeps patting at the same spot in his jacket. Cara might find it sweet if she hadn't seen it so many times.

"Ha," she whispers. "Told you it was him this time."

"They don't have a pattern," Nate argues. He's always a little prickly when he loses.

"But only one of them is wearing a jacket," Cara points out. "So obviously, it was going to be him. Is it a 50/50 split again?"

Nate sighs and shakes his head, pulling out his notepad as the men start talking in low voices across the small table. "No, most people guessed the other guy. You're only splitting the win with two of the cooks."

"Nice."

It seems like Nate wants to whinge some more, but then the man in glasses is standing up. The waitstaff all pause in what they're doing and turn to look, prompting the other diners to look as well. With hilariously awkward movements for how practised Cara knows the motion is, he drops to one knee and takes his companion's hand in both of his own. Some of the diners gasp or whisper amongst themselves; the waitstaff mostly just seem annoyed to lose the pool.

"Christopher," the man starts. His voice trembles the perfect amount, and Cara is reluctantly impressed by how sincere they make this seem every time.

"Oh my god," Christopher stage whispers. Cara wonders if that's actually his name.

"We've been friends for so long," the man continues, "and I've been so deeply in love with you for most of those years - I couldn't believe it when you first agreed to see a film with me in a non-platonic sort of way."

Out of the corner of his mouth, Nate murmurs, "What the hell is that accent? I can't place it for the life of me."

"Not sure," says Cara. "He just sort of sounds like he's on telly, doesn't he? Like a presenter?"

"D'you think there are hidden cameras?"

"Surely we'd have seen it somewhere if there were."

"But why else -"

"Shh," says Cara.

They're all so familiar with this song and dance that she knows Christopher is going to fan at his face with his free hand and then start tearing up. Watching him cry on demand is her favourite part. They can argue about motivations once they've left.

Sure enough, Christopher is wiping at his eyes and grinning down at his partner in crime. "Are you serious? Of course I'll marry you."

The other diners applaud politely when the men embrace. Cara makes a mental note of those who aren't, those who roll their eyes and mutter things to their companions, those who look upset when Christopher tugs the other man into a short, sweet kiss. She's not sure if it's a perk or a curse to know which of their regulars hate her, but it's certainly useful to know who to sit by the loo.

"Better bring them their celebratory fucking champagne," Nate sighs.

"Every goddamn time," Cara says, unable to hide the fondness in her voice. She can't help but root for these idiots. "Don't forget to comp their food."

"That's not even why they do this," says Nate. He's whinging, but Cara knows it's not actually a bother to him.

Nate's right; the free food and champagne clearly isn't the reason they've proposed to each other a half dozen times in the middle of their restaurant, but it's probably a bonus. Just like weeding out the homophobes on the staff is a bonus.

When everyone goes back to their dinners and their jobs and the newly-engaged-again men are back in their seats, Cara approaches them.

"Congratulations," she says, tucking her hair behind her ear. She sees the way Christopher's eyes linger on her interlocked Venus tattoo. He holds tighter to his fiancé's hand and gives her the same shit-eating grin as whenever they ask her for a table.

"Thanks, love."

"I'm Cara," she says, tapping at her name tag. "Just so you know how to address the invitation."

The man in glasses laughs, loud. He still seems like he's performing in some way, but a look passes between them and makes his voice softer, less put-on. "I promise that we would," he says, "except that we got married eight years ago."

Cara bites back a cackle of her own and shakes her head, trying not to make eye contact with any of her curious coworkers. She's definitely keeping this one to herself - you never know when another opportunity to win a betting pool will present itself, after all - so she doesn't exactly want to draw attention to the conversation.

"Alright," she says. "I better go back to work."

"Don't you want to know why we do this?" the man in glasses asks, sounding a bit put out.

Cara shrugs. "For the hell of it, right?"

Another look passes between them, and Christopher tips an invisible hat to her. "Pretty and smart, eh? Do you accept tips?"

Technically, no. And while she thinks she probably deserves one for this, Cara knows she's got a good chunk of everyone else's tip money tonight.

"Do you?" she asks instead. "Because I've got a tip for ya. You should try saying no next time."

"Saying no?" Christopher echoes, grinning across the table.

"We haven't tried that," his husband agrees. "Not as much fun, maybe, but surely the sympathy from it will make up for that."

"Plus, I can cry more."

Cara snorts and heads back to her podium. As curious as she is, she thinks it'll be more fun to wait and see how it pans out the next time they wander in to shake things up.

#words words words

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boymeetsweevil · 6 years

Text

For science 1/7 - (NSFW)

Grouping: Reader x Nerd!Jungkook

Word Count: 6.1k

Warnings/Themes: masturbation (vaginal) & voyeurism, unrequited feelings, eventual sex. is this crack yet? lol there’s a plot i swear.

Summary: Jungkook asks you to let him watch you get off. For science.

A/N: posting this now because I’ve been working on it on and off for like a month and im tired of looking at it and jk’s bday is coming up HAPPY BIRTHDAY JK and i’ll be too busy with school plus im almost 7k into the second chapter so..

part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7

Your eyes burn in protest as you scroll to the top of your terminal window once more to search for the error that is fucking your code up. It’s been hours of work and you still haven’t managed to get your program to run even though the homework assignment is easy in theory. In fact it’s just like a problem that Jungkook said the professors would probably give you in your sophomore year, and here you are in your junior year seeing such an ‘easy’ question. With him, it had truly been easy, though. Jungkook was a better computer science teacher than any professor you’d ever encountered. Thinking back to early high school days has you smiling softly to yourself.

You miss sitting closely together, heads sometimes touching, as you both bent over a problem while he explained why it looked hard, but was actually something you could do in your sleep. The wide smile he would give you when you completed competition questions in minimal time would always set your heart fluttering.

Your phone vibrating brings you back to reality. The caller ID reads ~JK~ and you swoop in to answer the call. If the time in the corner of your computer is right (and it is) he should have already opened his decision letter from the PhD department.

“Hey, what’s the verdict,” you ask as soon as you accept the call. You know there’s no other reason why he’d call you when you were supposed to meet up in a few hours for weekly game night.

“I got in,” his voice is soft, but you know him well enough to be able to hear the joy mixed in.

“Congratulations, Kook! That’s amazing, I knew you would get in, they’d be crazy not to accept you. Oh my god, we should celebrate.”

“Yeah, I was thinking maybe we could go out for drinks before heading back to mine to play tonight. You in?” Now you can practically hear the smile in his voice.

“Of course I’m in. Let me just pack up and I can meet you. Where are you--the department lounge? I’ll come over.”

“Actually,” his shy tone has you sitting down slowly, returning your jacket to where you had it slung over the back of your chair. “You don’t have to leave right away. I was gonna try and call Yoori. You know, to tell her the news. And then tell Tae and Hobi, of course.”

“Oh. Yeah, no, that makes total sense. I should probably finish this code for Choi’s class anyway. It’s due on Sunday, but I’m almost done. Might as well turn it in early once I find this error.” Your hand scrapes at the sides of your jeans, looking for something to grab at.

“Well then I guess I have time,” he chuckles, “Your typos are always so tiny that they take hours to find. Let’s meet up at the bar in 2 hours then?”

You wince. Although it’s not at all a mean-spirited jab, you’re no longer in the mood for the friendly banter at the mention of Yoori, Jungkook’s long time unrequited love.

“Sure. See you then,” you hang up before he has the chance to say goodbye formally like he always insists on doing.

You put your phone down and berate yourself for getting distracted. If you were the brilliant Yoori, you wouldn’t have even made the typo in the first place. But you weren’t Yoori because you didn’t have the fortune of being born four years earlier and four times more beautiful, elegant, or intelligent. And you didn’t have the luck of being so much of a genius that you could skip years ahead of school like Jungkook either. So instead you would just have to chug along, always watching Jungkook chase Yoori.

You go back to scrolling through your code only to find the error a third of the way down. Jungkook was right, the typo was tiny--a misplaced equals sign. You sigh and run the code to make sure it’s perfect this time, and when it is you send it in to your professor to be graded. You consider heading home and using the extra time to make yourself look nice. Not that there was anything wrong with your oversized university t-shirt and jeans, but suddenly you think maybe things would be different for you with regards to your love life if you tried a little harder. You’re about to leave the library entrance that’s closest to your dorm, but you get a text from Jungkook.

6:41 - I called Yoori and she said she heard about my deal with RealiCorp and she wants to link up when she gets back on campus!

You narrow your eyes at the text. Jungkook had recently sold some software he developed to an up and coming gaming company that was supposed to make the imaging on immersion headsets better. He had made a pretty penny and was covertly offered a position at the company, but it was also a large victory for the computer science department at the university and his picture had been circulating around the department website for weeks. You suppose she finally saw it while she was taking a break from her research project off campus and decided to answer his calls for a change.

You text back what you hope sounds like a cheerful congratulation and decide to just go to the bar instead. What’s the harm in a few rounds before the rest of the crew arrives?

The harm would have been miniscule at most if you hadn’t been in your feelings, but when Jungkook, Tae, and Hobi arrive, you’re three rounds in and a little bit sloppy.

“Woah,” Hobi shouts, giving you a too strong pat on the back when he sits in the chair next to you. “Someone started a little early. What’s the occasion, are we celebrating something for you too?” Jungkook shakes his head with a sheepish smile and goes to sit beside you, away from Hoseok.

“Nope. Just getting ready for an evening with your loud ass.” He gives you a pretend pout and flags the bartender over. Tae sits next to him and gives you a little wave and smile.

“Two whiskeys, make mine a sour and make his straight. From the high shelf.”

“Hey now,” Taehyung’s eyes widen comically, “Are you forgetting that payday isn’t until next week? I’ll take the regular whiskey down there, please.”

“Don’t worry. Kookie said he was paying with his RealiCorp money,” Hoseok stage whispers into your ear, “He’ll probably cover your round too.” You swat him away and turn to Jungkook, raising a questioning eyebrow.

“You know I’ll cover yours. The rest of them, I don’t know.”

“What? Come on, you’re the youngest,” Tae whines, less than satisfied with his cheap whiskey shot.

“Shouldn’t that mean you guys pay for me?”

“N-no! Because you’re actually our senior now. You’re graduating this year, I’m the oldest technically but I’m not graduating until next year. We know these two aren’t graduating until the year after that,” he points to you and Tae, “Plus, you’re going to the PhD program next year. You should definitely be paying for us.” Hoseok has a point, you and Tae nod sagely to back him up.

“Fine,” Jungkook sighs, pushing his thick glasses up the bridge of his nose, “I’m in a good mood, so why not.”

“I bet you are,” Tae’s grin is big and catlike in the low light of the bar. His gaze a little lewd. “I would be too if I was one step closer to finally bagging a girl like Yoori.”

You look down into your beer bottle, the green glass suddenly much more fascinating than the conversation at hand.

“Did you hear,”Hoseok turns toward you,”Yoori is gonna come back soon and when she does he’s gonna make her Mrs. Jeon.”

“I’ll be sure to throw rice during the wedding,” you snark. The bartender brings you a new beer without another word. Taehyung howls at your comment.

“I’d kill to have a wedding night with her.”

“Hell, I’d kill to have a bathroom stall night. With anyone,” Hoseok sighs, “It’s hard out here for a comp-sci major. Right, guys?”

You hum in agreement. It had been a while since you’d last gotten laid.

“You’re right. I can’t even remember that geology minor’s face. Do you remember her? What was her name? Mara? Kara?”

“Sara,” Hoseok provides with a grin, “I think she has a thing for comp-sci majors. Kook, you ever hook up with Sara?”

Jungkook shyly traces a finger around the rim of his empty vodka class. “I haven’t hooked up with anyone.”

“Ever?” You try to keep incredulity from bleeding into your question.

“Ever,” he nods. He hiccups a little and all of the sudden you totally believe that Jungkook is a virgin.

“Dude, wait, I thought you hooked up with that one chick at the music festival last spring. Am I the only one who saw her?”

Tae nods in agreement. “Yeah, she gave you her hotel room key and everything.”

“It wasn’t like that. She told me her brother was there for a robotics tournament and I asked her if I could see the bot.”

You smile despite your sour mood. If there was one thing you loved about Jungkook it was his blind enthusiasm for STEM. Even if it made him a little oblivious to other things at times.

“Well, you better fix that whole virgin thing fast, bro. Chicks like Yoori probably want someone with experience. In more ways than one, if you catch my drift.” Hoseok nudges Tae with a wry smile.

“That’s not just a Yoori thing, most people don’t want to have to coddle someone in bed unless that’s, like, their kink or something,” you take a large swallow of beer.

“Wait,” Tae says, eyeing you like he’s had an epiphany, “You’re a girl--”

“Didn’t we establish this 2 years ago? When we met?”

“No, no, I mean you can help Kookie so he doesn’t drop the ball with Yoori.”

“Yeah, right,” you snort, “Help him how? Give him a sex-ed lecture?” You turn to laugh with Jungkook, but he’s looking at you seriously. Or as seriously as he can when he’s tipsy with unfocused eyes and blushing cheeks.

“You…don’t want to help me?” His voice sounds pathetic and small, making you feel bad instantly.

“Oh, Kook, it’s not that I don’t want to help you. But think about what that implies.”

“Is it because I’m a virgin?”

“Oh my god, Kook, there’s nothing wrong with being a virgin don’t listen to us. We’re idiots.”

“Then why don’t you want to help me?”

Because I like you. You swallow hard, your throat suddenly dry. You obviously don’t say that, though. Instead you sit back in your bar stool.

“I-I would if I could, but I don’t know how to help you,” you finally say.

“It’s fine. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I guess the thought of being with Yoori makes me a little stupid.”

Desperately you search for a solution. Instead of finding one, you call the bartender back and order a round of tequila shots. Jungkook gives you a sad look but doesn’t ruin the mood by not taking a shot. You order two more rounds because somehow, even though he’s drunk, he still looks dejected. After your third shot you can’t stand the way his shoulder slump.

“You know what,” you slur loudly, drawing three pairs of eyes to your face lazily. “It’s getting late and we might not get to play Fortnite this weekend. Let’s all get to bed so we can be up early tomorrow to play.”

Tae points a wobbly finger in your direction, eyes suspicious. “When you say early, you mean after 2pm right?”

It takes twenty minutes for everyone to get their shit together enough to leave the bar. Tae and Hoseok keep losing each other in the bathroom. Jungkook keeps forgetting that he has to pay and tries to ask the bartender what he thinks about sub-atomic particle physics. Even though you’re drunk off your ass, you somehow manage to keep yourself responsible enough to wrangle Tae and Hobi out of the bathroom and guide Jungkook through the motions of swiping his card and signing the bill. The four of you then squeeze into the back of an uber. Hoseok whines about being lonely while sitting in the passenger’s seat. Jungkook’s bumps his hand against yours until he can firmly grasp it and get your attention before you pass out.

“Hey, can I sleep on the couch,” he whispers in your ear. His breath smells like alcohol and limes. You turn your head to chase the scent away and rest your head on his shoulder. You yawn.

“Sure. No problem, buddy.”

Your apartment is the first stop on the route and you launch yourself out the car and run up through your lobby and to the elevator to escape the cold of the air conditioner and the fluorescent lights. Jungkook lingers in the car until Tae pushes him out to make room for Hoseok.

“Kook,” Tae calls out as he helps Hoseok pour himself into the back seat.

“Wassap?”

“The only way to get good at sex is losta—lotta...lot’s a practish. Okay?”

“But-but…Who am I gonna practice with?”

Tae merely whistles and points a finger upward, gesturing to your illuminated window. The car pulls away and Jungkook sways unsteadily up onto the sidewalk with nausea clawing at his throat. Thinking of the stairs he’ll have to climb—because there’s no way in hell he’s taking the elevator, even in this state—he regrets not just going to his own first floor dorm. Does he really need to get sex counseling from you? There’s always porn, he muses before remembering the rant you’d gone on blaming porn for making a guy you’d been hooking up with try to do weird things in bed involving a summer squash. Looks like he’d have to rely on the real deal to get anywhere with Yoori. Oh, Yoori.

A shimmering vision of the beautiful girl with elegant eyes and an ever-painted smile floats in front of his hazy vision and gives him the strength he needs to hobble forward towards the lobby door with dedication.

Minutes ago you couldn’t wait to go to sleep, but as soon you unlocked your door and made it to your room, you were wide awake. Even brushing your teeth and stripping out of your jeans didn’t to tire you out.

“Fuck,” you groan. You throw yourself onto your bed and hope that the way the room spins will lull you to sleep but when the spinning stops, your eyes still won’t stay closed.

The clock resting on your desk across the room reads 1:48am. It’s already clear that you’re going to be hung over, but knowing that it won’t be cushioned by a nice long sleep before you have to go to yoga at 12 makes you want to cry. You desperately wrack your brain for all the remedies there are to make you sleepy. You just canceled your cable last week to save some money, so you can’t veg out in front of the TV. You’re lactose intolerant, so warm milk isn’t an option. You’d take a warm shower but you washed your hair already and if you go to bed with wet hair your mother’s voice will haunt you all night with stories of the cold coming your way. Kicking your feet in frustration, you toss yourself over the edge of the bed to hang. Maybe all the blood will flow to your head and you’ll pass out.

You’re about to risk passing out and landing on your neck the wrong way and dying when a bright pink shoebox under your bed catches your eye. Of course, you think, how could you forget your precious vibrator. Luckily for you, a good orgasm or three always managed to knock you out like a light. You reach over and scoot the box forward with your outstretched fingertips until you get it close enough to reach inside and grab the petite tiffany blue bullet. Giddy laughter leaves your mouth as you heft yourself back onto your bed and fall back on the pillows with a contented sigh. Orgasms solve all your problems. You flick the device on to the lowest setting and ghost it against your clothed mound.

Jungkook is completely breathless as he leaves the center stairwell and finally arrives on your floor. The stairs were a bitch and a half, but your door is only two down from the floor entrance. He can practically hear the siren song of your pull-out couch. When he turns the knob to your front door, it doesn’t budge and he wonders if you must have locked it on instinct. There’s no way you forgot that he was staying over, he thinks to himself. Reaching above the doorjamb, he hunts for the spare key you left there especially for him. The door unlocks easily and he smiles to himself as he locks the door behind him and toes off his shoes. He’s about to face plant into the couch when you call his name faintly from your bedroom.

As he stumbles through the hallway slowly to your room, he thinks over what Taehyung said to him before driving off. To Jungkook’s drunk mind it makes sense, so it must be a good idea to seek sex practice from you. You’re the only girl he knows and he’s known you so long that he can already tell there would be no awkwardness. The sad look in your eyes as you listened to his predicament in the bar tells him that you want to help him, but you didn’t know what route to take. He flexes his hands by his sides and figures he’ll just tell you what Taehyung told him and get to coming up with a curriculum.

The door to your bedroom is half-open and the lights shine through the opening, so he figures you must be up and waiting for him. He can still hear you calling his name, but it still sounds oddly soft from where he is. He pushes the door open but freezes in his tracks when he sees you.

The first thing he notices is obviously the frantically moving hand you have between your legs and the loud buzzing sound that comes from it. He takes in more details the longer he looks. He realizes belatedly then that you’re not wearing pants. Thanks to the high prescription strength of his glasses, he can also see the way your hand and thighs shine and the huge dark spot in the crotch of your panties in the light of your table lamp. Your toes are curling and he can just make out the way your lower stomach clenches underneath the very same sweatshirt you’d been wearing to the bar. Technically he can’t see your other hand but he has a pretty good idea of where it is and what it might be doing with the way it disappears under your shirt. You can’t see him, though, because your head is thrown back and your eyes are closed. The only thing you’re probably at least partly aware of is the cacophony of wet sounds that come from where you work the nose of the toy over yourself. The last thing he notices is the way you call his name in a soft whining tone that has him stepping forward without thinking.

“Fuck, Jungkook,” you whine as the slippery heel of your hand bumps against your covered clit a little roughly on an upstroke.

“Yes?”

“What the hell,” your eyes snap open and your head whips around to see him leaning on the door frame as he watches you.

His eyes are heavy with alcohol and his cheeks are just as pink as the lip he releases from the grasp of his teeth. He reaches out and stumbles forward, causing you to scramble back to distance yourself from him. You bring your knees up to hug to your chest before you realize that you’re still very much on show.

“Jeon Jungkook, what is going on here,” you shriek, bringing your hands to cover your eyes only makes you feel a little bit better.

He sits down on your bed like it’s any other day and he’s just chilling in the room like you invited him over. And then you realize that you did kind of invite him over as fragmented memories of the recent uber ride you took together spring up.

“You said you wanted to help me, but you didn’t know how. But Tae told me I just have to practish.”

“Practish?”

“Practice,” he corrects himself.

“Practice what?”

“Practice sex. Duh!”

“Jungkook, no!”

“Please? I wouldn’t be asking such a huge favor if I didn’t think it was absolutely necessary.”

“Why can’t you just go to a frat party like everyone else?”

Your heart is beating rapidly and you think maybe you’re not drunk anymore. Never in your life did you think you would turn down sex from Jungkook, but then again you never pictured it happening this way.

“Because I,” his head hangs and he starts to pick at a loose thread in your duvet, “I guess I missed out on this kind of thing when we were younger and I don’t think I could get very good results in a basement party. Plus, I know you’d…”

“I’d what?”

“You’d be good to me.” He lifts his eyes to lock with yours. His gaze is oddly sharp despite the fact that his skin is still clammy like it gets when he drinks.

Your breath hitches and for a moment it does feel like the fantasies you have almost every other time that you settle into your room, lonely and horny. Jungkook laughs bitterly to himself and you can feel your resolve crumbling as something selfish rears its head in the back of your mind. He tries one last time.

“Please?”

You crack.

“Okay.”

“Really?” His eyes light up once more as he gives you a blinding smile. “Great. Let’s start!”

It feels as though you’re having an out of body experience as you watch him clamber closer onto the bed with you. Your legs naturally open to accommodate him and he scoots into your space, his hands falling to naturally stroke with the soft skin of your ankles. Even though he lacks experience, Jungkook has a leg up in that he’s naturally on the affectionate side. Something you can’t teach with any amount of practice. Even still, the idea that Jungkook will be sitting between your naked thighs makes your stomach do flip flops.You barely start formulating something to say that will sound educational when you hear him get ready to interject once more.

“God, what is it?” You worry that if he interrupts you one more time you’ll lose your nerve.

“I need a visual aid. And, uh, I won’t be able to see because of your, uh, undergarments.”

You’re certain that you’ve never taken anything off faster than you do in that moment. The panties fly into some far corner of your room and you can only hope that they don’t land in a clump of dust bunnies.

“Alright,” you stutter, “I don’t have to give you an anatomy lesson, right? Please tell me you at least know where everything is.”

“We took anatomy together in 7th grade,” he says like that’s a decent answer.

You roll your eyes. “Right, okay. Anatomy lesson it is.”

“What’s this,” you point at yourself.

“That’s the uh…entrance to the vagina?”

“Ok and?”

“It’s where the pleasure comes from?”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes?”

“Partial credit.”

“Isn’t that where the…phallus goes, though?” You decide it would be best to ignore his word choice for now.

“Yeah, I mean stuff goes in there but that’s not where all the pleasure comes from. For some people that’s not where any of it comes from.”

His eyes widen nervously. “Then where does it come from if not from penetration?”

You gesture again. “This is the clitoris.” His sweaty bangs flop over his lenses as he nods enthusiastically. Finally something he remembers.

“The clitoris,” he chirps affirmatively. You side eye him, but keep going.

“This little thing is basically there for the sole purpose of pleasure.”

“How do I activate it?” Again you blink at his terminology. Although you’d been a STEM freak with Jungkook for years, somehow he managed to baffle you with his nerdiness.

“Uh, you can stimulate it by touching it.” You draw a small circle in the air around the nub to demonstrate. “Like that, for example. You can also use your hands or your mouth.”

“Or that little blue thing you were using earlier,” he chimes in, reminding you of the embarrassing way this whole thing started.

You sigh. “Yeah. That too.”

“And that’s it?”

“No that’s definitely not it. We haven’t even touched the other places of pleasure or technique or foreplay. But this is a pretty good cheat code.”

“So what about the inside? Like the tubes?”

“There’s really not that much you need to know involving the actual reproductive organs themselves. We can just focus on the external bits for now.” You wince at how uncomfortable the discussion is.

“That makes sense,” his brows furrow seriously. He’s slow to blink, partly so he doesn’t miss anything and partly because he’s still fighting off tendrils of sleep.

“I mean,” you wring your hands anxiously, “that’s all you really need to know for now. It’s mostly learning on the go, anyway. You’ll be fine.”

“But what if I’m not fine. Don’t you think you could, you know, show me?”

“What is there to show?”

“How about you just continue…what you were doing when I came in.”

“Masturbating.”

“What?”

“I was masturbating when you came in.”

A hand flies to the collar of his shirt and he tugs on it sheepishly. “Yeah, that’s what I meant.”

You try not to focus on how weirdly awkward the mood is now that your lust has calmed down to barely even a simmer. You reach for the discarded vibrator that jumped out of your hand and landed by the edge of the head of your bed, but he stops you with a raised hand.

“Can you, uh, maybe do it the old-fashioned way? For the first time at least?”

“Right, I guess I’ll get to it.”

Jungkook sits back on his heels patiently and watches closely as your hand trails a path down your torso to the apex of your thighs. The first touch, though you know it’s your own hand, has you twitching a bit. You bite your lip hard to focus and circle your entrance to coax out more moisture, then you move back to circle your clit. You close your eyes in hopes that not being able to see Jungkook’s gaping expression will help. It does, a bit. After a few moments, you let out a breathy sigh and sink further into the pillows. You plant one foot more firmly on the mattress to give yourself some leverage and push yourself more into your circling hand. The slight increase in pressure has you moaning and your eyes fluttering. You peek through heavy lids to see Jungkook’s expression has also changed. His eyes, clear just a second ago, look glassy again from behind his lenses, his mouth slack and shiny. The rise and fall of his chest is a bit heavier. You let yourself think it’s because of you and go back to collect more arousal to increase the slip.

Apparently, you’re more turned on than you thought. When your middle and ring fingers wander down to your hole they come back pleasantly slick. Something in you suddenly feels rebellious, so you use your free hand to spread your lips further and bring your coated fingers up to Jungkook’s face. You flex your fingers and separate them to show crystalline streaks of arousal connecting them.

“Just so you know, this is a good sign.”

Jungkook swallows hard. Somehow, even though you’re still wearing socks and a baggy sweatshirt, you’re hotter than all the completely bare, busty women he’d watched moan and writhe wildly on his computer screen. He reaches out and delicately grabs you wrist before redirecting your hand back to your dripping center.

“Keep going,” he rasps.

You whine and begin to rub your clit more earnestly, lewd wet sounds fill the room. He can practically see your lips getting wetter and wetter as you redistribute your arousal with every rough swipe of your fingers. Your wrist is moving fast, but it’s clear that you’re becoming frustrated with all that you can do with one hand. Your other hand quickly moves to take over making tight figure eights around your clit while the one already coated in your juices moves back down to your entrance once more. This time, you crook two shining fingers and shove them into your hole. Immediately your back bends and a drawn out moan leaves your mouth. Jungkook gasps quietly. You pump your fingers in and out roughly, then withdraw them to add a third finger.

He watches you like that for a while before you get fed up again. It’s been a while since you’ve been so needy and you feel like you’re on fire. Your toes curl impatiently on either side of Jungkook and he realizes you’re looking for more. On instinct he scoots further until his own legs are brushing up against the undersides of yours. His hand reaches out to pet your quivering thigh in a sympathetic effort to help with your plateau. He looks down at your hand, twitching feverishly in and out of yourself. His hands are much bigger and suddenly he moves like he’s about to replace your fingers with his own.

When Jungkook’s hands start to approach your center your breath hitches. You’re not quite in the right state of mind to reject him if he offers to finger you, but you don’t want to take advantage of the situation and make it any more emotionally complicated than it already is.

“Not yet,” you offer when his hands get too close for comfort, “Next time, maybe.”

He seems to be thinking the same thing and averts his attention to the forgotten vibrator. His grip on your thigh disappears, and you sigh quietly, but it’s hidden under the slick sounds you make each time your fingers get sucked into your heat and the low moans you make every time your pinch your clit just so.

“W-what do I do?” His voice is small and his sudden worried look has you wrapping a hand around his and bringing it to show him how you click the toy on and circle it around your entrance.

His hands are sweaty, shaky, so when your hips start to circle on their own, they move to find a resting spot on your thighs and squeeze to deal with the tension rising in his own belly. He grits his teeth, clenches his hands, does anything he can to keep from overstepping and making this about him. As obviously cliché as it sounds, seeing you sweating and moaning underneath him lets him see you in a new light. You’d always been around, but your presence as a woman in his life was backgrounded at best. Now, with Yoori momentarily not clouding his mind, he wants nothing more than to ravage you. He’s almost certain that if he tried, his lack of experience wouldn’t matter too much. He’s sure his body would be able to act on baser instinct and give you the what you wanted. If you wanted.

Your moans change in pitch and soon he’s aware that this will be the first time he’ll have been privy to someone else’s orgasm in real life. His dick is painfully hard and straining against the jeans he’s wearing. But he forgets the discomfort fast as he watches you grind yourself down against the toy in a way that is absolutely filthy. Your bottom lip, shiny and reddened, is pulled taut between your teeth in ecstasy. Your eyes flutter open and lock with his own. You focus and notice his blown-out pupils look huge within the depths of deep brown irises. There’s no denying he’s turned on once you flick your gaze down to his crotch and see the large tent in his pants.

“I—I think I’m gonna…Oh!” Your leg kicks out on its own like some electric current runs through you. Your voice breaks as the waves of your approaching high begin to take over you. One of his hands inches upwards a bit and strokes the tense muscle near your groin softly, at a loss for words. “Oh god, Jungkook, you—” keening, your eyes roll into the back of your head.

One of your hands reaches up to squeeze at his bicep as he’s leaning over you. He wonders in the back of his mind when he got so close to you. Your leg hooks around him like it has a mind of it’s own and tugs him down, forcing him to topple over you. That’s the last straw and you sob from the intense pleasure. Meanwhile your warmth and proximity and your words prove to be a deadly combination and within seconds he’s spilling over himself in his boxers, untouched. He lets out a low groan that puffs against the side of your neck.

You both sit there and breathe for a long while, catching your breath and coming back down to earth. He sits up eventually and pulls away from you, leaving you cold. Your legs flop from around him heavily. You’re a bit irritated when you realize you won’t be able to walk normally for a while. He discretely wipes his hands off on your duvet while you wipe at the sweat soaking your hairline.

“That’s it, that’s the show,” you finally say.

He shoots up and looks at you anxiously. It’s cute. “You mean until next time, right?”

His eyes are wide and imploring as he hovers over by you. He looks a bit like a turtle from this angle. A cute one, though. One that you want to play with again next week. You nod even though he might have all that he needs to do well with Yoori, being the fast learner that he is.

“I guess so. Same time, next week. Do some research for next time maybe. Make sure it’s from something not involving the medical library.”

“Got it!” He turns and waits until you’re not looking to adjust his pants.

You notice his hair is sticking to his forehead when he finally stands up. And there’s a cowlick sticking up in the back that reminds you of middle school Jungkook, before he met Yoori. The idea of the other girl, the girl he’s really in love with, dims your post-coital glow. Although, you suppose you have her to thank for this evening’s events. How else could you have ever managed a one-sided romp in the sheets with your long-time crush?

Both of you take turns using the bathroom to clean up. While he hums in time with washing up, you slip panties on and debate about whether or not to throw your sweats back on. You decide that if you’re going to play this off like it hasn’t changed your relationship, you should put pants back on.He comes out looking pink and clean and you want to pull him back into your bed and wrap yourself around him.

To protect his glasses from the dangers of the bathroom, he left them in your room. Squinting, he walks with hands out to collect them. When he puts them on he doesn’t look at you and instead pulls his phone out of his pocket and swipes around while leaving the room.

“Heading out,” you ask with a quasi-disinterested tone.

“Yeah, I remembered I have to run the Saturday tutoring session this week. So I might as well go home so I can get ready for that. You should come, you know. Your test scores dropped 2 points this week.” Typical Jungkook. He couldn’t ever fully leave TA mode.

You roll your eyes. “Thanks for the reminder, but that’s still an A.”

“Maybe we can try this again next week the same time?”

“Yeah, uh, okay.”

“Cool, I’ll put it on my calendar.” He lifts his phone to his face to tell the digital assistant to pencil you in for next week. You try not to grimace at becoming a date in his calendar app.

“Get out already, you nerd.” You push him out after he puts his coat back on, but you do watch out the window to make sure his taxi comes.

#btssmutclub #bangtan bookclub #networkbangtan #bttnetwork #btswriters #bts smut #bangtan fanfic #bangtan imagines #bangtan scenario #bts fanfic #bts scenarios #bts imagines #jungkook imagine #jungkook fanfic #jungkook scenario

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blackevermore · 5 years

Text

How they met [Bumblebee x S/i]

[This follows the world of Bayverse ]

x Ceicei got her car as a birthday gift straight off the dealer when she was 16. Before she could roll the carr of the lot there was a red flag: no one at the dealer could tell her mother the car registration so the dealer quickly made one and handed over the keys.

x When Ceicei finally moved out she got an apartment close to her campus but still far enough away were the constant reminder of school wasn't in her face. x For a while Ceicei was kinda loner since she couldn't really keep any new friendships after graduation when all her friends moved away for college. She did have a friend she kept a very close bond with that she met online that she really enjoyed talking to. But they lived across the world from her. So Ceicei was left alone doing her everyday thing. x Before her friends all moved away they used to hang out at this old abandon supermall that lied on the outskirts of her city. They had a part of the mall furnished and set up like a secret layer were they've held a few afterschool parties. Now that everyone was gone Ceicei sometimes went there just to lay about and stare into space. That was until she found an old pair of skates and thought herself to skate. x Just imagine her falling on her face a lot at first and slowly but surely she got it under control. With just her skating around the empty mall, she was finally able to test the waters and go outside. She did a few laps around her car with her hand on the car just encase. When she felt confident she let go and did a few more laps. She was so proud of herself that she celebrated in her car screaming the lyrics to her fav song and dancing as she drove back home. x After a while of practising skating she stumbled upon a flyer calling ladies to join a new forming roller squad. With her heart on her sleeve, she went to try out and got the spot. Soon she had a new set of friends that were like a second family. Every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday night was practice days unless it was a comp. Ceicei surely made a name for herself when she became the team's main jammer, along with taking up the name Killer Queen Bee. x After a very rough match in another state against a team that was cheating Ceicei was driving home ranting about how unfair everything was and how hard her team worked to win. While she was ranting songs on the radio kept changing to range songs on her playlist. "Oh that's fitting, just the right song and a scream my lungs out." She grumbled and for a moment she thought she heard someone chuckle. x When another fit of rang ran through her she started yelling again about fighting all the cheaters when she notices a pair of bright pair of headlights running up the back of her and then a very bright yellow Camaro zooming right past her. She screamed about an asshole driver but then was unbuckled and launched back into the backseat as her car came to a very scary halt. Ceicei was scared as shit as she was thrown around in her backseat but she managed to pick herself up to look out the windshield to see that the yellow Camaro was not in front of the car a few yards away facing them. x She tried to get back into the front seat to drive away but the seat belt wrapped around her and held her back. Ceicei started to scream which caused the Camaro to rev it engage and speed throws them. Ceicei car started up again and slammed into Drive and took off right towards the Camaro. Ceicei was sure she was going to die so she closed her eyes and waited for impact. When it should have happened she heard the sound of metal shifting and the loud rumble of sounding landing but her car kept driving. x When she got home she tried to tell herself that she was just tired and didn't just have a weird Mexican chicken standoff with another car while she wasn't driving. That seemed to work because the next day her car was just a car just how she had it before. But now as she went on with her days she realized that there is now some random yellow Camaro on campus. Sometimes it was in the next parking lot, sometimes it was parked close to her apartment, sometimes she could have sworn it was just following her. x After a roller practice she's walking to her car when she sees the same fucking Camaro parked right outside the door. When she tried to go around the car to her car the lights kick on and the Camaro rolled towards her. She takes off running to her car which she notices is already started minus not having the key and rolling back to let her get into the driver's door. x "What the hell is going on!" she screams right when she's about to get to her car but a giant robot handpicks her up and pulls her away. While she scared out of her mind she too numb to scream but she realizes that the yellow car that's been following her and now has her in its hand is the famous Bumblebee. She looks at him and then to her car that now has it's brights on and if revving the engage. x Bumblebee is holding the girl back but she's screaming to be let go. "Excuse me Mister Bee but um that's just my car and I WOULD LOVE TO BE PUT DOWN NOW!" Bumblebee is very VERY hesitant but does as she ask and when her feet touch the ground her car quickly swoops her up into the driver's seat and speeds away. x The next few days Ceicei would even look at her car and would uber to classes and back, hell she even took the bus, finally after a week of avoiding her car she "comforts it" which is more so her asking it what's going on and why is Bumblebee following them. The car just opens the door and having no other choice she gets in the car and allows it to take her wherever it took it. Which was the old mall. x When she gets out the car she walks around to the front and that's when finally she notices that the car symbol in the front wasn't normal and that "oh shit.....are you the bad guy?" When she asked that her car transformed and the distant sound of a car coming towards them grew louder. Ceicei didn't know if it was cool as fuck that car was a transformer or if she was upset that she's been paying for gas this whole time. x Bumblebee had found them and was ready to throw hands but Ceicei stood between them "Yo man! My mom is still paying for this asshole! No fighting!" But too late Bee mistook her car trying to put her behind it as a sign of threat and they got in a fight. x You try breaking up a giant robot fight. x Ceicei can't believe she is now having a sit-down circle with two giant robots in a parking lot in the middle of the night.

#tf bumblebee #bumblebee #transformers #s/i #s/i x canon #self insert #f/o #my bee

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flavourlessfiction · 5 years

Text

Ice Melts When Heated ~ Chapter 3

Relationships: Jason Todd/Tim Drake

Rating: Mature

Tags: Alternate Universe - Skating, figure skating, Rivals, Slow Burn, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies is a slight overstatement tho, Banter, Time Skips, Rating May Change

Ao3: x

Three sharp raps on his hotel room door. It couldn’t be the national representative who was effectively his handler for the comp. She’d left just ten minutes ago and they’d already selected him for the gala. God knows why. It wasn’t often that someone who finished in tenth got the opportunity to skate in the gala, especially when it wasn’t in their home country.

The knocking started again, Tim pushing himself up and slowly trudging towards the door. He was fortunate to end up with his own hotel room, although could one really be fortunate when they’d choked? Or when their coach picked a minor competition over the last major event before Worlds? “What can I-” He started to say, stopping dead in his tracks when he was met face to face with Jason. No, he did not need to spar with Jason right now, he’d had a bad enough day without listening to the winner gloat. “- fuck off.”

“Hey, wait!” Jason’s foot got caught in the door frame, preventing him from shutting the door in his face. He couldn’t just slam it on the foot either, it would look like he was attempting to take out his competition. “I know you don’t want anything to do with me right now but you can’t be alone after something like that.”

“Go away, Jason.”

“Come out with me, we’ll have some drinks and you can think about anything other than that skate.”

Of course, his idea of a good time was going out and getting drunk. Forgetting about the skate and Bruce was certainly a good idea but that didn’t mean it was the right thing to do, they had practice for the gala tomorrow, as well as the actual performance and showing up with a hangover wasn’t going to make him look any better in the eyes of the skating federation. “I’m eighteen.”

“The legal drinking age in China. Tim, we don’t have to go out or drink. I just don’t want you to be left feeling how I felt just because Bruce can’t see what his skaters need.” There was the first dig at Bruce, it was to be expected and if he wasn’t pissed off with Bruce he might have defended him. Bruce had allowed all of this to happen, however, and he wasn’t going to pretend like he could just move past it. Not tonight at least.

Lowering his eyes Tim opened the door wider, flinching as Jason gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze. If it was anyone he liked it would have felt comforting but with the other it just felt so wrong. “You were injured, you didn’t just fall apart.”

“That’s true, but I shouldn’t have been allowed to skate. Just as you shouldn’t have been sent here without anyone. I’m not going to talk about that, get changed and we’ll go do something. You need a distraction.” That was probably fair, he’d already watched the skate twice in the time he’d been alone, not bothering to watch the scores or his reaction in the kiss and cry. He hadn’t exactly stopped feeling that way and it wasn’t about to change rewatching it for a third time. “Tim please, if they think you’re going to spiral they’ll force you to give up your spot at worlds. The best thing to do right now is at least look like you’re socialising and not panicking.”

“Okay,” He said, kneeling down in front of his suitcase. There definitely wasn’t going to be anything inside for going out to bars and clubs, aside from the suit he’d brought with him the nicest things he had were jeans and plain t shirts. They could work but it still didn’t leave him with many options. “Did it look as bad as it felt?”

“You hitting the boards multiple times or the breakdown,” it didn’t seem like Jason needed a response, the soft sigh that followed told him enough. “You just looked like you were in a lot of pain and this was the last straw. People might think you’re actually human now at least.” Quiet and awkward never translated to being robotic in Tim’s mind, but it was a joke that came out of multiple people’s mouths despite knowing him, despite the fact that he looked like anything but a robot on the ice.

It wasn’t important, his public image would never be the person he was even if he tried to remould it now. Everyone would still see him as a kid. “I’m surprised Talia isn’t up your ass for even trying to go out when you’re basically the main event tomorrow.” Thrown away, meaningless chatter, he just didn’t want it to be constant jabs at him or it to be talk about skating.

He didn’t need Jason to laugh about it though, and whilst his laughter was charming it wasn’t a welcome sound to his ears. “I disagree, I saw the music you’re using on the running sheet for practice tomorrow, are we seeing a return of girl Tim?”

“Uh, no. I’m doing a different version of the song.” There was a shirt that didn’t look like something he’d sleep in, keeping his back to Jason he shed his jacket and training shirt, hurriedly pulling the black ¾ sleeve shirt over his head. “And I know people will probably claim I’m going too many different exhibition skates in one season, but Dick did a new one every comp the year he won Olympic gold, so what does it matter?”

He wasn’t defensive, sure he knew plenty of people would say that if he had trained for the comp better; he wouldn’t have lost the way he did. Except it had nothing to do with that this time, it wasn’t new choreography, it was just a different version of the same song. “I think people will just be happy to see you skate, some people thought you really hurt yourself, in all honesty, you’ve got people in your corner.”

“I’m talking to you so that’s not accurate. Before you ask, Dick isn’t here because he couldn’t get a visa in time, which translation means he wasn’t given enough warning because everything’s so fucking disorganised lately.”

“Could he have gone to-”

“Yes.” He looked over his shoulder to see a tight-lipped Jason nodding, eyes averted picking up that Tim was just going to change in the middle of the room. Well at least he wasn’t going to have to awkwardly shuffle into the bathroom despite the fact that it was his hotel room. “I guess it’s appropriate that I hang around you, you’re kind of the master at being pissed off with Bruce Wayne.” It takes less than a minute and he’s sliding on a pair of shoes, looking like he was prepared to go out this whole time.

“Well if he tells you how mad he is about what happened, just tell him to eat a bag of dicks, this was his fault not yours.” He didn’t have to be friends or friendly with Jason, but he was right, he needed to be around someone, both for perceptions sake but so that he didn’t drive himself crazy. If that meant going to an obnoxious bar with music so loud that he couldn’t think, well then that was a positive thing. They didn’t need anything to say to each other, exiting the hotel, Jason looking at his phone briefly before setting off in the direction of wherever he planned on going, Shanghai had a nightlife scene of sorts, he was aware of that but he doubted there were clubs that were like American ones. “Would you rather go to a club or a bar?” He’d rather go to neither but he’d agreed to come out and he wasn’t about to be a sulking mess the entire night, he already knew he didn’t look great, just by how his eyes felt from all the crying.

“I don’t mind, I can’t speak mandarin very well though, so unless you’re skilled in it we might want to go to a must see place for American tourists.”

“I thought you spoke fine in Hong Kong… Wait that’s Cantonese, okay I can understand. Don’t worry I’ve already got a place in mind but it’s more of a club.” He didn’t feel game enough to ask just what kind of a club and in truth he wouldn’t know where or what it was.

Just follow and look around at the sights nearby. Well it wasn’t quite following as Jason had fallen into step with him. He was still certainly the one guiding although even Jason was glancing at his phone every so often, obviously using a maps app to direct him. At least they weren’t going to get completely and utterly lost. Finding their way back might be a challenge depending on how drunk Jason got. He knew the hotel name so he could get directions back there if the other was completely useless. “Arkham?” Jason only laughed, how he found a place that held the same name as the prison in their home city was amusing but he was sure the choice in venue was based upon the proximity to the hotel. They’d walked for no more than ten minutes to get there.

Thankfully they didn’t have to wait long to get in and even less to get a drink. He didn’t question what it was, it looked well enough like a bottle of beer and he wasn’t all that focused on enjoying it. It was loud enough in here with EDM that if he stayed sober he’d end up with a worse headache than what a hangover could possibly give him. “Drink and have fun.” A hand sat at his side, Tim recognising the touch as less for the purpose of being comforting but to prevent him from stepping away due to the breath against his ear as Jason spoke to him, it being the only way they wouldn’t be completely drowned out by the music.

It wasn’t music he’d ever skate to, he’d once joked about skating to a Portuguese pop song but one look from Bruce told him that wouldn’t happen in a million years. In truth he knew Bruce was irritated enough by his exhibition programs but didn’t deny him them because they were just supposed to be for entertainment’s sake. Pop music had been a quick line in the sand however, although it could be because Dick had a few too many obnoxious pop skates of his own and Bruce wasn’t willing to indulge any of his skaters after Dick.

The first drink was finished quickly, and whilst it took ten minutes or so to hit, he could definitely feel it. That wasn’t to say he was already a stumbling drunk, merely that there was a warmth synonymous with mild intoxication that was undeniable. That hand was still touching him, although he’d made no effort to squirm out of the touch either. He was a foreigner here and whilst he wasn’t thrilled to be here with Jason he didn’t want to end up alone and stuck. “I’d love to know the truth to a rumour about you.” Tim shifted slightly as he placed the bottle on the table in front of him, motioning for Jason to continue. “I always thought you were gay but someone said you and Tamara Fox hooked up on the road at Stars back in July, which one is true?”

Now that was a complicated question. There were always rumours but that was one he hadn’t thought would get out. Either of them. “Sexuality is complicated, yes we did.”

“Would you date her?”

“No, I’m not interested in dating women.”

“So… you hooked up with her to see what it was like and to know if you are gay?”

“It’s complicated.” It felt like a pitiful excuse but he wasn’t going to explain it now, everyone always just assumed it was an experimental excuse that he was covering up his sexuality when in truth Tim wasn’t attracted to women for the purposes of relationships. “I’m getting another drink.”

His feet hurt, someone had definitely stepped on them or dropped something on them multiple times when he was on the dance floor. At least Jason hadn’t entirely left his side to allow him to do something stupid, but he’d given him some amount of space. Although he had grabbed him around three in the morning, he’d had what, five drinks in the few hours that they’d been there?

He wouldn’t say he was plastered by any means but he was a lot closer to that than being sober. It was probably why it took so long to get back to the hotel.

No! They were slower because his feet hurt! He couldn’t wait to lay down, Jason had an arm around him again, keeping him from stumbling and getting hurt. He was definitely doing a much better job at not looking like a complete and utter mess. Maybe he hadn’t drunk quite as much as he had. Although Tim could have sworn that Jason was at least one drink ahead of him. It wasn’t fair!

Although what had been fair about the past week or so? No, he didn’t want to think about it, if he did he’d just get mad or sad and he’d certainly cried enough in the kiss and cry earlier. “Why are you helping me?” He grumbled as he was ushered into an elevator, it was lucky there weren’t any officials hanging around in the lobby, there needed to be as little evidence about their inebriation as possible and that would be given up all too quickly if they were forced to talk to anyone important.

Jason seemed to ignore him at first, opening his mouth to ask again before he was smothered with and embrace, being backed into the corner of the tight space, the chatter of the people that had joined them explained a lot. There was nothing more uncomfortable than getting called out right now. “I understand.” It was soft, even for someone that should be drunk, Jason never exactly came across as the guy with good volume control but perhaps it was more based upon the fact that he tended to not care.

Ordinarily he would have shoved Jason away, told him not to touch him but it was comfortable, he might have been stuck in a corner but for someone he’d been rather scared of following what happened at the Grand Prix Final a few years back, Jason was the safest person in Shanghai. A thought that he’d probably be sickened by in the morning. The elevator door opened and their company left, Jason letting out a small hiss. “Fuck, your hands are cold.” His hands? Tim hadn’t been aware that he’d reciprocated the hug, a fact made more startling as he realised his hands were under Jason’s shirt, seeking out the warmth of skin on skin.

He wouldn’t have thought it to be a pleasant feeling, although Tim didn’t think too hard about these kinds of touches, they just weren’t important compared to how a doctor might touch a sore spot of the feeling of skin rubbing off in a new pair of skates. “Yeah… ‘m sorry.” The words weren’t quite slurred but they didn’t come out easily either. He didn’t bother taking his hands away though. Tim finding himself resting his head against Jason’s chest, it was only a few more storeys up but to be able to rest for even just a few seconds just felt right. He was by no means about to pass out and embarrass himself.

He was released the second the elevator stopped moving, Jason giving him a moment to straighten himself before stepping back. Tim didn’t think he swayed at all but the pitied look Jason gave him told him otherwise. He definitely needed some assistance, stumbling over the slight lip in the carpeting from the open elevator door. Irresponsible design plan rather than his own struggles in walking, but there was an arm around him once more, guiding him towards his hotel room door.

Their night was certainly coming to a decided end, not by his own choice but given they had to be awake for the practice in just a few hours’ time, awake and sober, he could accept his fate and sleep likely would come quickly. “Do you have your key on you?” Tim felt around his pockets, pulling out his wallet and handing it over to the other, it wasn’t like he couldn’t have gotten the card out but he could also acknowledge the fact that if he did there was a decent chance that if he did the rest of his cards would spill out.

They were inside quickly, Jason standing awkwardly at the door whilst Tim made his way over to the bed. Laying on his back as he tried to kick his shoes off. “Jay… Don’t leave.” It was almost breathless as though kicking the shoes off was a real struggle for him, as though he wasn’t a professional athlete.

“I need to go to sleep and you don’t seem like you’re great at sharing a bed.” That got him to sit up, his lips pressed in a thin line. He could stand up and drag Jason over but then again, he would likely fall over within two steps. He wasn’t going to be able to conquer getting changed into more suitable clothing either.

“You won’t know until you try.” Defiant, almost childish as though he was trying to prove a point. “Sends a fuck you message to others… to Bruce.”

“I also don’t feel like having hungover Tim killing me for drunk Tim’s poor decision making.” He wobbled as he rose, Jason taking two long strides to grab a hold of him, set him back down on the bed.

Jason mustn’t have expected what came next, Tim’s hand gripping at Jason’s wrist and pulling him down onto the bed, he didn’t make a noise but an outsider would be able to see that he was startled by the movement. “I’m not some mindless drone who can’t stick up for himself and doesn’t know what he’s doing.” He whispered, hovering over Jason. He couldn’t read his expression, in all honesty he didn’t want to.

It wasn’t about Jason, it was about him. About what he wanted, to do or otherwise. Their lips didn’t crash together, at first it was all Tim, kissing him forcefully and desperately, it not being returned until a begging, ‘please,’ slipped past his lips. What did he want? The back of his mind told him this was more than enough, a thought that was quickly shoved to the side by the greedy voice that wanted to take as much as he could.

Kiss, touch, breathe each other’s air. It was something he needed, a touch that was unfamiliar but felt so safe, unlike others there wasn’t this residual fear that he’d intentionally hurt him. In the past or the future perhaps there would be but not tonight.

Was this the actual reason why Jason wouldn’t let go of him for most the night? Not because he’d wanted to avoid one or both of them getting lost but out of interest in him? It didn’t matter. It was happening unless one of them stopped it and Tim had no interest in letting it stop. Jason might have tasted like whatever crappy beers they’d been drinking, mixed in with a sweetness that Tim had no idea where it came from. Truthfully Jason could have started drinking cocktails at some point and he wouldn’t have noticed, he’d stopped paying proper attention to him the moment he moved over to the dance floor.

Kisses moved from Jason’s lips to along his jawline and neck, pushing up his shirt at the same time. It didn’t last long. A frustrated groan escaped him as a firm hand to his chest pushed him away. He got it, keep it light, only for Jason to jerk his head away when he tried to kiss him again. “Tim, no.” He let his hand rest on the bed, not understanding why he was turning him down, perhaps his previous review of the night had been completely wrong.

“I’m not a kid.”

“I know how you’re feeling, you’re pissed off with Bruce and you think this will get back at him. I’m the gold medallist at being pissed off with Bruce but I’m not going to let you do this.”

“It’s not just about Bruce.” He wanted nothing more than to show Jason exactly what he meant but he wasn’t about to endure the humiliation of being rejected again. God, he shouldn’t have tried anything. Jason was right hungover Tim was going to be mad about drunk Tim’s decision making. “I’m going to go…”

He could hear Jason suck in a breath between his teeth as he stood, Tim glancing down expectantly for whatever opinion he had. “It’s your room.”

Oh, right. Better sit back down then.

“I’ll leave, get some rest and we’ll talk tomorrow, okay?” That probably wasn’t true, Tim already wanted to start avoiding Jason, well just earlier tonight he wanted to avoid everyone but had let Jason in after a few convincing words. “Tim?” He really didn’t want to respond.

He should though. “Yeah, I’ll sleep.”

“That’s not what I’m- okay, just make sure you set an alarm.” There was a wave and then he was gone. Alone again, it wasn’t as bad as earlier though, he was thoroughly exhausted now but he still had the sense to check that his alarms were set. Other things were not taken care of however, leaving the lights on and still dressed he allowed himself to crash.

Drinking had been a mistake, not because of the headache. That hadn’t been half as bad as he’d expected it to be. No the mistake came from the fact that he remembered every detail from the night before, it was humiliating at best and now he had to not recoil under Jason’s gaze, he couldn’t shy away without people realising Tim had tried to get with him only to be rejected because it had been interpreted as revenge.

It hadn’t been. He knew that much. He’d wanted comfort and his intoxicated mind told him that Jason was the person capable of giving him said comfort. That sex was the best form of comfort. At least he hadn’t forced conversation on him, but that was because the practice had been busy, there was still time to be backed into a corner, whilst they waited to skate or at the banquet later tonight. He should have just changed his flight and gone home a night early.

That wasn’t going to be any easier though.

Going back home meant showing up to the rink and that wasn’t something he wanted to face for quite some time. If ever.

At least the jumps didn’t feel as off today. He didn’t exactly have anything to prove to anyone and if he popped them well at least he landed them. That wasn’t entirely true, he now had to prove he didn’t have some sort of injury and that the mistake riddled free program was nothing more than a fluke. That they hadn’t put too many eggs in the basket of a younger skater when they could have taken up someone who had been solid for years even if those solid scores didn’t always guarantee a podium finish.

“Tim are you running through the skate or are you just winging it?” Laughter came from the several skaters that were on the ice, it wasn’t comment he would wing it but the last time he’d used the song he had claimed to be doing so. A thumb up was all that was needed for them to put CD in, the piano was in a different key compared to last time, the piano rather than the odd synth mix coming through that anyone that was a fan in the stands watching the practice would likely be recording it to put it online. There were no secrets when it came to music and that was why the first time they’d gotten away with it had been such a coup.

In truth it probably looked like he was winging it right now, marking certain patterns, making sure he didn’t risk having any clashes. He might have right of way but focus still lapsed and there were more people on the ice than normal. The only things he did full out were the spins and the axel with the falling leaf flourish he’d put in there, purely to see if he could hit it. It didn’t feel quite right but he wasn’t going to let it weigh on him.

This was a Gala, it didn’t mean anything. It might be an emotional song but he was still entitled to have fun with it. He just couldn’t screw it up.

Iris Allen West @WestFigures 1 minute ago

And I thought his original version of this skate made me feel things.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ @PranceOn 1 minute ago

BRUCE WAYNE’S PHONE ABOUT TO BLOW UP WITH THE MESSAGE THAT JUST GOT SENT!

Wally West @WestSpeeds 2 minutes ago

I was promised trash club beats! @Tricky-Dicky you lied to me!

Dick Grayson @Tricky-Dicky 30 seconds ago

Lies and slander!

Mel -> Shanghai @MelMonster 2 minutes ago

JFC can he just do this skate forever. So many phone flashlights on.

Joker @MistahJSays. 2 minutes ago

No one could possibly be entertained or enthused about watching Tim Drake skate.

Dick Grayson @Tricky-Dicky 3 minutes ago

God I wish I could be there to watch that live. Come home so I can force you to skate it 50 times over #TimTrash

Tim Drake Trash @TinyTimTeam333 3 minutes ago

ASDFGHJKL DICK IS TIM TRASH NUMBER 1

Skater Zoned @SkaterZoned 2 minutes ago

Your beautiful choreography always helps!

Tim’s Coffee @JennyWeeps 4 minutes ago

How many times are you going to make me cry this week Timothy?!??!

#jaytim #jason todd #Tim Drake

15 notes · View notes

this-book-has-been-loved · 6 years

Text

Of Robots and Rocketships: Chapter 2

For @platonicvldweek day 2: Lion / Lamb

Chapter 1

Read it on Ao3 | Read it on FFN

It was Katie who texted first.

Two days after the competition (two days of Hunk not wanting to be the first one to say anything cuz would that be seen as too clingy??) his phone went off.

Katie: hey! how’ve you been? dad said he was sorry he missed you

A thousand thoughts were running through his head. He stared at the message for a long time, mentally dissecting it, trying to think of how best to respond.

The last part especially stuck out to him, since it implied two very important things: firstly, that Katie (and Matt?) had told their dad about him--and secondly, that Dr Holt actually wanted to meet him.

Hunk took a deep breath, quelling his thoughts, before starting to type out a response.

Hunk: Hi! I’ve been pretty good, you? And I’m sorry your dad couldn’t make it too; maybe next time?

Okay. That was good, right? Open, friendly, not too eager—

He was taking this too seriously.

He flopped over backwards onto his bed with a groan. Why was this so hard?

Katie: unfortunately ‘next time’ isnt until next year unless youre going to robocup

Hunk: I don’t think so :/

Katie: boo

They went on like that a little longer, making small talk about the little things, the things they already knew about each other. After about half an hour, the conversation dwindled to a stop. And it was days before it was picked up again.

It started that way at first: brief conversations, making general small talk, testing the waters. As the months went by, they got more and more comfortable with each other; by the time winter melted into spring came around, they were texting nearly every day, about the smallest things.

Katie: what about ur dad?

Hunk: Oh actually I don’t have one

Katie: oh shoot im sorry

Hunk: No that’s not what I meant XD I don’t have a dad cuz I have two moms

Katie: OH

“So who’s Katie?”

Hunk glanced up at his mom in surprise. “What?”

She gestured towards his phone, which was sitting on the table a foot away from him while he read. “You got a text message, sweetie.”

Hunk lunged for his phone, opening the message in a rush.

Katie: random question: star wars or star trek?

“It’s that girl he met at the competition back in Flagstaff,” Mama called from the next room.

“Phoenix,” Hunk corrected offhandedly. “Flagstaff is where her school was from.”

Hunk: Aw come on, you can’t make me choose!

Katie: help me win an argument against my brother

Katie: help me obi wan kenobi youre my only hope

“Oh, you made a friend?” Mom continued. “That’s great! What’s she like?”

“Um,” Hunk mumbled, still distracted. “Well, she likes peanut butter. And peanut butter cookies? But not peanuts, she says they’re too dry.”

Hunk: I’m sorry Katie, I’m going to have to go with Star Trek. The tribbles episode owns my soul

Katie: I CANT BELIEVE THIS

“Oh!” Hunk added with a smile, setting his phone down and giving his mom a starry-eyed look. “And you’ll never guess who her dad is!”

Hunk: So...what’s up?

Katie: i am eating peanut butter by the spoonful and i couldnt be happier

Hunk: Sounds like a day well spent :P

Mid-February, Katie was in class, her phone in her lap hidden under her desk. She and Hunk only had an hour difference in time zones, but that still lead to schedule conflicts. Hunk had texted her when he got out for lunch; Katie, and hour later, was already back in class after her own lunch break.

But that didn’t stop her from continuing the conversation.

(It’s not like Mr Hedrick was teaching anything new, anyways.)

Hunk: I’ve actually been looking into the garrison application process. I’ve been wanting to go there for ages and I’ll finally be old enough this fall

Katie: !!!!!!!!!

Katie: DUDE YOU TOTALLY SHOULD

Hunk: I want to!! But the application is pretty intensive

Katie: aw come on i know you can do it

Hunk: Thanks ^_^

Hunk: What about you, are you you applying?

Katie: still too young *eyeroll* its still a few more years till i turn 16

Hunk: What??

Katie: dude im like 12

Katie: i turn 13 in april

It was a couple minutes before he responded, and Katie bit her tongue to keep herself from laughing out loud in the middle of class.

Hunk: But you’re in high school?

Hunk: I’ll be honest here, I thought we were the same age O.O

Katie: yeah i skipped 7th and 8th grade

Hunk: :O

Hunk: You’re like a little child genius or something

She stifled another laugh with a cough. She glanced up to make sure that the teacher hadn’t looked over, then went right back to her phone.

Katie: yeah thats what they told me

Katie: probably explains why this class is so fucking boring

Hunk: LANGUAGE

Hunk: Wait are you in class right now??

Katie: ....quite possibly

Hunk: Get off your phone, young lady, and pay attention!!

Katie: but i already know all thiiissssss

Hunk: Respect your elders

Katie: booooooo

Hunk: (•̀o•́)ง

Katie: omg you nerd

Katie: fiiiiine

Hunk: I’ll talk to you once you get home from school ^_^ ♥

She smiled down at her phone screen before closing out of the messages app. Part of her was tempted to just pull up something else—a book, or the web browser—but she stopped herself with a sigh. She turned off the phone, stuffing it into her back pocket.

Later.

Hunk: I just thought you were really short, I didn’t realize you were a BABY

Katie: i hate u

The Garrison application process was even more daunting when he was actually filling it out. In the past, when he would look it up online to mentally prepare himself for the day when he’d finally get to fill it out, it all seemed so easy.

But now, he was starting to think he was biting off more than he could chew.

Between the GPA requirements, the essay, the mechanical skills project, the letters of recommendation, the other essay, the entrance exam, the preliminary engineering classes—

It was a lot.

And it was especially a lot when he had to juggle all that in addition to his regular schoolwork. Hunk glared at the pre-calc textbook open on his desk until the numbers all swam together.

He groaned, slamming the book shut and leaning back in his chair.

His phone vibrated, and he reached for it blindly.

Katie: maybe a rover-type probe? like what you guys did for the comp. that was pretty good

Hunk let out a long slow exhale. The physical project was causing him the most trouble at the moment, having to prove his engineering prowess by building something all on his own. It was arguably the most important part of the application, and Hunk had no clue what to do for it.

Hunk: Yeah but if I’m going to get into the garrison then my project needs to be more than just GOOD

Katie: how about a robotic turtle

Hunk: ...why?

Katie: why not

Hunk: I can probably think of a few reasons

Katie: turtles are cool bro

Hunk: Fair enough

A weary smile had managed to break through his look of frustration. Hunk glanced back at the pre-calc book, then sighed again as he slowly opened it back up.

One thing at a time.

Katie: bro u should go to bed its 1am

Hunk: Which means it’s 2am for you, right?

Katie: yeaahhh but i drank coffee mixed with redbull a couple hours ago im good

Hunk: KATIE NO

Matt and Sam made a point to come home on the weekends, and it was an occasion that Katie relished in.

She spent her days in Matt’s room, lying on his bed and keeping him company while he worked at his desk. She had her phone open to the messages app, idly relaying her conversation with Hunk to her brother.

“Yeah, Hunk has been working on his application for the Garrison.”

“Really?” Matt asked, spinning in his office chair. “That’s awesome!”

“Yeah, he’s going in for engineering,” she continued. “I’m really excited for him.”

“Does he need a letter of rec?”

“Um, lemme ask,” she replied, already typing.

Katie: matt wants to know if u need a letter of rec

It was a bit before he responded, and she watched the typing bubble appear, then disappear, then appear again. She smirked.

Hunk: Oh my god

Hunk: We only met once, does he know me well enough?

Katie rolled her eyes, reading the message out loud to Matt.

“Psh, ‘course I do,” Matt said flippantly. “I got to see his work back at the competition, and that’s the most important part, if I’m being honest.”

Katie: dude. you guys talked for ages about engineering crap

Hunk: Oh gosh. I don’t want to inconvenience him at all.

“He says he doesn’t want to inconvenience you.”

Matt let out a long groan. “Oh come on, I’m already writing them for Alec and Luca, what’s one more? I like Hunk.” He paused, thinking. “Here, ya know what, give me the phone.” He grabbed the phone from Katie’s hands without waiting for her response.

“Hey,” she protested, but Matt merely shushed her and continued to type away.

“There,” Matt said with a smirk as he hit send. A minute later, the phone vibrated, and Matt cackled, already typing a response.

“What did you say?!” Katie demanded, lunging for the phone.

Matt easily evaded her reach. “You’ll see,” he said cryptically. “But I think I’ve gotten through to him.”

When the phone went off again, Matt let out a cheer. “Alright,” he said triumphantly, tossing the phone back to Katie. “We are a go!”

Hunk: Happy birthday!!! (＾▽＾)

Katie: im officially a teenager bitch!!

Hunk: LANGUAGE!

Hunk: Jeez Katie you’re a little baby, you shouldn’t be saying stuff like that, you’re practically an infant!!

Katie: fuck

Hunk: /_(0{}0)_\

It was the middle of dinner when her phone went off.

“Katie,” her mom scolded as the girl grabbed at her phone and opened the message.

Katie ignored her, waving her hand impatiently. “Shh, it’s important!”

“Katherine, what could possibly—”

Colleen was interrupted by Katie’s sudden squeak of excitement. “He got in!!!” she squealed.

“Hunk?” Matt asked, beaming. “That’s great!”

Across the table, Sam’s eyes had lit up. “Fantastic!” he proclaimed. “Tell him congratulations for me,” he said. “I look forward to working with him.”

“Careful,” Katie warned, already typing. “You’re gonna break him.”

Katie: dad says hes looking forward to working with you. he and matt wish you congratulations

Hunk: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hunk: Thank you!!!!!!!! ＼(≧▽≦)／

Katie: hunk.exe has stopped working

It was summer when the Galaxy Garrison officially announced the Kerberos mission, naming the daring crew of astronauts who’d be going on the shuttle, and setting a predicted launch date in September.

The announcement made every headline imaginable, national and international news, NASA, a blurb in Katie’s high school’s newsletter, and just about every online publication in existence.

Katie was doing her homework at time, her phone stashed at the bottom of her backpack. With her headphones in, she didn’t hear it vibrating, too engrossed in her chemistry work.

She had ten new messages by the time she closed her textbook and fished out her phone.

Hunk: DUDE!!!!!

Hunk: I JUST SAW THE NEWS

Hunk: KERBEROS??? THAT’S SO COOL!!!

Hunk: THIS IS SO COOL

Hunk: That’s literally BILLIONS OF MILES AWAY

Hunk: And IT’S A MANNED MISSION

Hunk: THE FARTHEST MANNED MISSION FROM EARTH

Hunk: THIS IS HISTORY IN THE MAKING OH MY GOD

Hunk: I CAN’T BELIEVE YOUR DAD AND YOUR BROTHER ARE GOING TO PLUTO THIS IS SO COOL

Hunk: Sorry for spamming I’m just REALLY EXCITED

She laughed, carrying her phone and her laptop onto her bed where she could stretch out more comfortably. She flopped over onto her back, holding the phone above her face.

Katie: oh did that get announced today???

Katie: theyve been planning for months im so jealous

Hunk: Aaaaaaa this is all so exciting!

Hunk: I’m just

Hunk: Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Katie: same

Katie: kerberos must be so cool

Katie: hunk lets go to outer space

Hunk: Let’s do it

Garrison cadet move-in day was in mid-August.

She got his room assignment from her dad. He’d been more than happy to check the student records for her and send her a quick message with the hall name, floor, and room number.

Katie, not even 13-and-a-half, much too young to be one of the students moving in today, walked confidently down the halls, weaving in and out of parents and students.

Presently, she heard his voice up ahead, coming out of one of the many open door. An excited grin spreading across her face, she ran the last few yards to his room. Bracing her hands on the doorframe, she stuck her head into the room, shouting, “Surprise!”

Inside the room, Hunk yelped as he whirled around in shock. As soon as he caught sight of her, his guard dropped and he broke into a smile. “Katie!” He tackled her in a bear hug, lifting her off the ground.

Katie laughed. “It’s so good to see you again!”

“What are you doing here? Wait, no, stupid question.”

She giggled. “I came in with Dad and Matt. They went to do professional officey things, like boring adult paperwork or whatever.”

“Ah, the worst part of adulthood,” Hunk said, nodding sagely. “Don’t worry, Katie, you’ll understand when you’re older.”

She elbowed him. “Shut up.”

He laughed for a moment, and Katie realized that he wasn’t the only one in the room. Standing bemusedly by the closet was a woman who looked so much like Hunk she could only be his mother. She had a gentle smile on her face as she watched the two of them.

Hunk followed Katie’s gaze, and his eyes widened. “Oh, this is my mom,” he said, gesturing to the woman. “Or, well, you know. One of them.”

“Hi,” Katie said, holding out her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs Garrett.”

“Please, call me Lani,” the woman said, shaking Katie’s hand. “It’s lovely to finally meet you, Katie. Hunk has told me so much about you.”

“Good things, I hope,” Katie said, casting a dry glance at Hunk. He stuck his tongue out at her, and she stuck out hers at him.

“Only the best,” Lani reassured her with a wink.

“So how have you been?” Hunk asked. “It’s so good to see you! We should, like, hang out at some point and catch up.”

“Oh!” Katie interjected. “Mom told me to invite you guys over for dinner,” she added.

Hunk gasped, and Katie could have sworn she saw stars in his eyes. “Seriously?”

“Yes, seriously,” she echoed. “Please?”

“Yes! Absolutely!” Hunk cried. He looked over to his mom. “Right? That’s okay?”

Lani smiled at her son widely. “Of course, sweetie. I’ll go find Kiana.” She squeezed Katie on the shoulder as she walked past her to head out of the room.

“Dinner,” Hunk breathed. “With Doctor Samuel Holt.”

She snorted. “I promise you, he’s a normal person. Just kind of a nerd. But hey, I mean, so are you.”

He rolled his eyes. “Thanks, Katie.”

Hunk: The Kerberos launch is only a couple weeks away, omg

Katie: i knowww im so jealous

Katie: i might just stowaway on the shuttle tbh

Hunk: That sounds potentially life-threatening, please do not

Hunk watched the Kerberos launch live on TV.

They’d only allowed family to watch from the ground, and though Katie had offered to try to sneak him in, he’d declined. Instead, he watched it on the massive projection screen that the Garrison had set up for students.

In some of the camera shots, he could make out the tiny purple-clad figure of Katie on the observation deck, standing beside her mother.

“This truly is a momentous day in human history,” the newscaster was saying. “If successful, the Kerberos Mission will mark the farthest that anyone has traveled from Earth. We’re making history here, folks.”

The launch was glorious. With a blast of fire and a cloud of smoke, the shuttle took off, the cameras trained on it all the way out of the atmosphere, until it was just a tiny speck against the blue of the sky. The crowd gathered in the Garrison commons room let out a cheer. Hunk’s roommate, an aspiring pilot named Lance, propped his elbow on Hunk’s shoulder.

“That’s gonna be us someday,” Lance told him with surprising conviction. “Seeing the stars, traveling to worlds never before seen.”

Hunk smiled. “I can’t wait.”

Hunk: Oh my god

Hunk: Katie I’m so sorry oh my god

Hunk: Are you okay?

Hunk: Sorry, stupid question

Hunk: Can I do anything to help?

Hunk: Katie?

✓ Read 11:17 PM

#platonicvldweek #platonic vld week #Voltron Legendary Defender #Voltron: Legendary Defender #voltron fanfiction #voltron #vld fanfiction #fanfiction #Katie Holt #Pidge Gunderson #Pidge Holt #Hunk Garrett #Matt Holt #Sam Holt #Lance McClain #Colleen Holt #Of Robots and Rocketships #my writing #mine

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platinumshawnn · 7 years

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Grief | Jack Lowden pt. 2

Part One |

Word count: 3,000

Summary: Jack reflects on his life with his father and struggles readying himself to say his final goodbyes as the family finishes setting up the last minute preparations and details for the funeral

A/N: I may have went a little out as far as this part goes, I only meant for it to be like 2,000 characters max but....it practically wrote itself and went all out. Also, I figure I’d like this part’s soundtrack inspiration. Enjoy?

It was the first time in over a week that night that they slept in bed, back to back -- not touching, but she didn’t need to be pressed right up against him to feel his presence; to feel the heaviness that weighed him down into the thin mattress of his old room, the sadness and grief that he drowned in, that consumed his every fiber. He was restless, tossing and turning in bed for hours and hours and it was all she could focus on. His breathing seemed ragged and forced, too deep to be normal. She couldn’t remember what time she had lulled to sleep, just remembering that she had fallen asleep at some point to the sound of his struggled breathing; his pain physically evident. When she woke, it was to the sound of clinking, noting the emptiness of the bed immediately before anything else as her eyes wandered around the small room that was decorated by old school and family photos, small awards he’d acquired during his teens, all signs of the Jack she knew and loved surrounding her. A vast contrast to the broken man she’d witnessed as she glanced to the digital alarm clock that read 6:42 A.M., her eyes moving to find the blonde Scotsman near the window with a coffee mug in his hand, stirring so robotically she wasn’t even sure he was fully aware of what he was doing; like he wasn’t in control of his own hand.

His hair was disheveled, his expression hidden by the shadow that still cast the room into a It state of near complete darkness -- but it was common sense to assume that he hadn’t slept much or even at all if she had to be honest. Jack remained oblivious to her waking, just as he was that his coffee was probably stirred enough, that he didn’t even turn to look when his wife stumbled out of bed, tripping over her own feet as she crept from the room in her nightgown. They had begun to make progress the night before, for the first time since his father had passed, and that was all she could think of while looking over her shoulder to glance back at the vision that was of her husband in the open window; the peak of sunrise starting to come up with his silhouette stood there like some artsy photo you’d stumble across in a magazine or online. And though maybe today he’d revert back to silent and looking through her, she couldn’t deny the warmth that spread across her chest for the little amount of strength he had mustered to give her a piece of the man she knew -- the man who loved helping his wife and loved just basking in her presence, just as long as he could be near her he never needed for anything to be said. And maybe she was over analyzing and thinking too much about a moment that maybe was nothing, but to her, it felt like progress.

She ducked down the hallway as quietly as she could, making sure as to not disturb the house that was still completely and utterly silent and asleep as it should have been at this hour as she made her way into the bathroom with her arms folding over her chest like somehow it would provide her some warmth, by hugging herself. The hardwood floors were cool under her bare feet that tiptoed across, closing the bathroom door behind her and flicking on the fluorescent yellow lights that made her squint; blindly stumbling her way to the toilet. She did what she had to and finished her business, cringing when she flushed the toilet as it sounded almost as loud as shooting a gun in this silence and kept the water pressure of the sink low when she washed her hands.

Her eyes though lifted to the mirror before she left, her hand hovering over the light switch while she took in her exhausted appearance; the bags under her eyes more prominent than ever and hair a mess, yesterday’s curls barely even showing any sign they’d been there just hours previously as they were now replaced by frizzy bedhead from the tossing and turning she herself had done. She hadn’t slept well and it was obvious aside of the back pain from sleeping weird. Before she could linger on and wake up enough to complain about how dull and lifeless she looked, about the few pimples that were starting to break out across her forehead, and how dried out she looked, she flicked the light off and began to make her way back to Jack’s room. Her eyes had been drawn to the framed images hung on the walls, family photos and graduation pictures of the kids, childhood photos, pictures of a family with wide smiles and bright, happy eyes -- there was no way of ignoring the pain in her chest it brought her as her eyes stopped on one specific picture of her and Jack clinging to either side of his father, taken the previous Easter. She swallowed thickly and lifted a hand to brush the frame with her fingertips ever so gently.

When she returned to the bedroom, she stopped by the doorway and fidgeted with her fingers as she stared at Jack, who still had not moved much but at least he had stopped stirring and was now sipping slowly at his drink. Her voice was soft, almost a whisper, as she spoke.

“Did you sleep at all?” She asked.

It took him a minute before he quietly answered after lowering his cup, “No, couldn’t.” He admitted. Olivia nodded slightly and made her way across the room gingerly, wordlessly as she came up behind him and reached out to gently touch her fingertips to the spot between his shoulder blades as if test the waters. It was when he seemed unbothered by the contact, if anything relaxing slightly, that she moved in closer to close the space between them and wrapped her arms around his waist, her chin resting on his shoulder while her eyes focused out the window too. She pressed a soft kiss to his shoulder.

“What’s the agenda for today?” She asked, eyes flickering to his face as her hands clasped together just below his ribs. His chest expanded as he sucked in a deep breath and then sighed, eyes not even bothering to look at her.

“I have to go confirm flowers and drop off some other stuff for the boards. Double check that the obituaries turned out the way mum wanted, make sure everything is correct.” He ran down the small list of responsibilities, her cheek rested on his shoulder and watching his expression.

Nodding once, Olivia paused. “Would you like me to come with you?”

He didn’t say anything but by the flutter of his eyes, closing them for a moment too long and the visible flinch he gave before he opened them again, she knew she had her answer. She turned her head after one last moment of taking in the sight of him to look back out the window, the silence between them giving her a moment to think, really think, how much harder this must have been for him. The two had been as close as a father and son could be, this man that she’d become relatively close with in those last six year, was not just a father to him -- he was a role model and his idol, his best friend even. Jack was close to his parents but there was always something so much deeper between his father and him and she had admired it from the first time she witnessed it, envied even, despite having a good relationship with her own father.

She inhaled and backed up from his slightly, her tight hold around his midsection releasing but her hand reaching up to grasp his left elbow gently, “Let’s go for breakfast. That old cafe downtown your dad used to love, we can enjoy the sunrise during the drive.” She suggested, head tilting as she waited for an answer that took him a minute of contemplation. It was with a sigh that he turned and agreed, her small smile being met by his tired expression, his eyes still wavering the idea. “Come.”

He hadn’t been as eager to finish his breakfast, the eggs and toast still untouched, but he nibbled at the bacon slowly; eyes out the window and watching the cars and civilians that were starting to fill the streets; making their way to work, bundled up as they try to block out the cool morning breeze that had managed to leave a layer of condensation in their car’s windshield. Neither of them had said much either since sitting down and ordering, other than polite ‘thank you’s whenever the waitress came by to check everything or ask if they needed refills, but the soft hum of conversation from other customers and the staff and the quiet music playing overhead was something she was thankful for -- it gave her something to focus on while she ate, her eyes flickering up to look at him every so often.

She wasn’t used to their silent breakfasts and even if there was noise to fill that silence, it made her uncomfortable. “What are you thinking about?” She suddenly asked while scooping a forkful of scrambled eggs into her mouth and chewing.

“Nothing.” He shortly answered, looking away from the window and down to his plate that was barely touched, picking up his fork and knife to cut a piece of waffle off to pop into his mouth in the meanwhile but she could easily tell there was something more to say, keeping her waiting gaze on him. “Well I just,” He said after swallowing, “do you remember the last time we came here?” He added, glancing across at her.

“I think. We came here with your dad for his birthday, right?” She recalled, her hands going to rest in her lap while she leaned forward a bit.

Jack nodded, “Yeah. I’m just thinking about…” He said, drifting off and smiling slightly to himself. “He inhaled his food sometimes, do you remember? Just to bug me, he’d say it was a contest to mock me and eat as fast as possible and then he would be like, ‘come on, Jacky, you gotta give me a run for my money’ or that my grandmother ate faster because I would always make everything a competition as a kid and it was the stupidest thing. It frustrated him when I was a kid and it frustrated me as an adult and it was funny to him. He ate four waffles in five minutes and I was horrified. These things are huge.” He recalled, pointing out the size of the waffle on his plate with his fork.

Olivia smiled and watched the way his face seemed to light up at the memory, a smile on his face as he spoke but it was a short lived moment before he paused; smile faltering and looking across at her, looking back down when he met her eyes. “Anyways.” He finally finished, her own smile leaving her face as she realized the conversation was over, nodding once. “I think I’m just gonna get this to go, I’m not too hungry.” He quietly said. As much as she wanted to argue to at least have a few more bites, she remained quiet and sighed quietly, waving a hand to call the waitress over, forcing a small smile.

“Can we have the check please? Thank you.” She softly said.

They paid and got containers for their food, quiet as they left, walking shoulder to shoulder as they carried their take away boxes in their hands back to the car. I wasn’t vocally decided upon but Jack had decided it was his turn to take over, getting in the driver's seat as she clambered into the passenger’s, buckling up before they were off again.

Flowers took only five minutes to confirm, dropping off pictures for boards that would be placed around the church at the funeral took another ten; quietly speaking as Jack explained how they wanted everything placed, while Olivia wandered around and took a look around the lobby area, hands in her pockets. She timed everything. From the time it took to get from one place to another, to how long each conversation was, she counted. She could sense how tense he was by the end of their driving around, picking up a copy of the obituaries that would be available to take the next day for guests that were in attendance; still parked in the parking lot outside the printing place fifteen minutes later as he stared blankly down at it.

She didn’t say anything, just staring at him and waiting, waiting to hear for any mistakes; misspells or changes that needed to be made but he said nothing, just looking at the poem that was inside for a long time. It was when she uttered a soft call of his name that he sharply inhaled and looked up, putting the demo copy in the console between them, blinking rapidly as if to hide the evident tears she could still see from her seat, her heart aching as she sighed.

“Oh, Jack…” She breathed out, reaching a hand over to gently touch his jaw with her hand gently. He shook his head and began to reach for the key in the ignition to start the car.

“It’s fine, they got everything right, I think mum will give them the clear.” He rambled shakily. “I mean the picture inside is a little orange looking but he’d probably say it made him look more tanned so…”

“Jack, stop.” She said, grabbing the nearest hand to stop him from shifting gears. She kept her voice soft as she spoke, but stern as to make it obvious how serious she was. “Turn the car off and look at me.” She ordered. He stayed still. “Turn it off.”

He sighed deeply and turned the car off, avoiding her gaze until she forced him to look at her; grabbing his chin and turning his face until she could see his eyes, tears welled up and cheeks flushed red as he clenched his jaw. She shook her head, “You don’t have to constantly be strong, you just lost your dad. I know how much he meant to you, and if this is hard, and it hurts just let it out. Stop trying to be okay and let yourself hurt -- grieve, Jack. You’re allowed to be upset.” She advised quietly, seeing his mouth twitch. “But please don’t shut me out and lie to me, I’m your wife and I’m here to go through this with you. I’m here, okay? It’s okay.”

And it was just like that, hearing those words and the sincerity in his wife’s voice that had been there -- built up after convincing himself he was the one responsible for keeping it together for everyone and being tough -- that he let out a deep, shaky breath and leaned his head down against the steering wheel, his eyes screwing shut as Olivia watched on. Her hand moved to rest on his back as she shifted in her seat to be as close to him as she could, pressing a kiss to his temple as he let out a broken sob, his body tense; sliding her arm around him and remaining there in that position, lips pressed to his temple and closing her eyes.

“It’s okay, baby, it’s okay.” She quietly spoke, her own tears welling up at the anguished sounds that left his shaking body, sobbing.

He hiccuped, “No, it’s not. Olivia, it’s-- not.” He cried out, his speech muffled as he kept his head down. “He’s gone and there’s nothing I could fucking do. What the hell am I supposed to do now? I’ve got no goddamn idea and I’m scared and it physically fucking hurts.” He sniffled, the cries leaving his mouth fluidly as she gently rocked them, her hand pressing to the side of his head to pull him closer towards her chest; his body giving in until he was clinging tightly onto her.

“I hate this,” He muttered brokenly against her. “I hate this, I hate this, I hate this.”

She pressed another kiss to his hair, mumbling after five minutes as he was starting to calm back down into sniffles, still tightly holding on to her as if his life depended on it. “It’s not okay and that’s okay. You’re allowed to be angry and sad, and to want to set fire to the world, but know I’m still going to be here, reminding you he was proud of you every step of the way because you knew exactly what you were doing before and I know you’ll figure it out -- in a month, a year, but you’ll figure it out. You always do and he knew that.” She brunette explained. She paused a beat before continuing. “Take your time, the world will still be here for you when you’re ready -- I will, your family, your friends. We’re on your side and you’re not going to do this on your own, whether you want that or not. But don’t force yourself to pretend you’re okay and invalidate your own feelings.”

“I can’t do this.” He suddenly replied all too quietly.

“You can, you don’t want to though. You aren’t completely letting him go though, Jack, he’s not entirely gone.” Olivia shook her head slightly, her words now spoken close to his ear as her voice softened. “You are exactly the man your father was and one day you’ll see that, every time you look in the mirror, he is right there with you. You are a great man, Jack Lowden, just as your father was.” She finished, resting her cheek atop his head.

#jack lowden imagine #jack lowden #jack imagine #dunkirk boys

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papermoonloveslucy · 7 years

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Lucy Goes to Vegas

S3;E17~ January 18, 1965

Synopsis

When Lucy and Viv win an all-expenses paid trip to Las Vegas, they haven’t got any spending money, so Lucy decides to disguise herself as a wealthy heiress in order to get comped into the shows. When she’s pressed into gambling by a Texas oil tycoon, she makes a windfall for him – but not for herself.

Regular Cast

Lucille Ball (Lucy Carmichael), Vivian Vance (Vivian Bagley)

Gale Gordon (Theodore J. Mooney), Jimmy Garrett (Jerry Carmichael), Ralph Hart (Sherman Bagley) and Candy Moore (Chris Carmichael) do not appear in this episode.

Guest Cast

Jim Davis (Mr. Cardenas, below right) is probably best remembered for playing Jock Ewing on “Dallas” for which he was posthumously nominated for an Emmy Award in 1981. Most of his 179 screen credits were in Westerns. This is his only appearance opposite Lucille Ball.

Dick Winslow (Hotel Clerk, above left) appeared in the films Thousands Cheer (1940) and Easy To Wed (1943) with Lucille Ball. This is the first of his two appearances on the series. He also did two episodes of “Here’s Lucy.”

Robert S. Carson (Mr. Kelstrom, above right) was a busy Canadian-born character actor making the second of his six appearances on the series. He also made five appearances on “Here’s Lucy.”

Hollis Morrison (Chauffeur) made his screen debut as a Party Guest in Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961). This is his only appearance with Lucille Ball.

Gary Goldaper (Pit Boss, above left) was better known as Gary Morton or Mr. Lucille Ball. Goldaper was his birth name. He previously was billed under his professional name in “Lucy Takes Up Golf” (S2;E17). Before meeting and marrying Lucille Ball in 1961, he was a comedian who worked the famed ‘Borscht Belt’ in the Catskills Mountains. At her request, Morton gave up his nightclub career and became a producer of “The Lucy Show.” Morton also served as a warm-up comic for the show’s studio audience. In early episodes of the series, his loud guffaw can be heard on the laugh track. He will make two more appearances on the show as well as three appearances on “Here’s Lucy.” Morton passed away in 1999.

Sid Gould (Tourist at the Slot Machine) made more than 45 appearances on “The Lucy Show,” all as background characters. He also did 40 episodes of “Here’s Lucy.” Gould (born Sydney Greenfader) was Lucille Ball’s cousin by marriage to Gary Morton (born Gary Goldaper). Gould was married to Vanda Barra (aka Mrs. Sid Gould), who also appeared on “The Lucy Show” starting in 1967, as well as on “Here’s Lucy.”

Virginia Barbour (Waitress) only has two screen credits on her resume; this episode, and “Lucy’s Mother-in-Law” (ILL S4;E3) on “I Love Lucy”, where she played assistant to mind reader Professor Bonanova. She was married to Louis Nicoletti, who played a dealer in this episode.

Brenda Howard (Waitress) aka Breena Howard appeared with Lucille Ball in the 1963 film Critic’s Choice.

Howard has her back to the camera during her brief scene.

The casino dealers and croupiers are played by:

Jimmy Ames appeared with Lucille Ball in The Long, Long Trailer in 1953. This is his penultimate screen credit.

Louis A. Nicoletti was an integral part of the Desilu family working behind the scene and on screen on “I Love Lucy” and “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour.” This is the last of his three credited appearances on “The Lucy Show” but in 1966 he becomes the show’s assistant director, a job he also did for two seasons of “Here’s Lucy.” He was married to Virginia Barbour, who plays a waitress in this episode.

Larry Dean was a mime who specialized in playing a robot. He also did this on episodes of “Lost in Space” and “Bewitched.” He previously played the mechanical butler in Bigelow’s store window in “Lucy and the Ceramic Cat” (S3;E17). He returns to “The Lucy Show” in “Lucy and the Robot” (S4;E23), as well as playing non-mechanical characters here and in one more episode.

Bob Harris was a Hollywood stuntman making his only appearance on “The Lucy Show.”

Douglas Deane (Casino Patron, below left) only made a dozen screen appearances in his career, including one more episode of “The Lucy Show.”

Carole Cook (Casino Patron, above center) was last seen as Thelma Green in “Lucy Enters a Baking Contest” (S2;28), a part she played in four other episodes. She was a protege of Lucille Ball’s during the Desilu Playhouse years. Although she was born as Mildred Cook, Ball suggested she take the name Carole, in honor of Lucy’s great friend, Carole Lombard. Cook also went on to appear in five episodes of “Here’s Lucy.”

Bennett Green (Casino Patron, above right) makes his first credited appearance on “The Lucy Show,” but was an important member of the Desilu family, having served as Desi Arnaz’s camera and lighting stand-in throughout “I Love Lucy,” as well as making occasional appearances on camera. He will make half a dozen more appearances on the series.

Some of the uncredited casino patrons are played by:

Paul Bradley makes the third of his six appearances on “The Lucy Show” in various roles. He will also be seen in two episodes of “Here’s Lucy.”

Ralph Brooks made four films with Lucille Ball between 1940 and 1956. This is his only series appearance.

Jack Clinton was a background player who appeared in many Westerns. This is his only series appearance.

George DeNormand had appeared in three films with Lucille Ball from 1937 to 1963. This is the second of his many appearances on “The Lucy Show” and “Here’s Lucy.”

Georgia Holt, mother of superstar Cher, appeared as a fashion model in “Lucy Gets a Paris Gown” (ILL S5;E20). A frequent background player on “The Lucy Show,” she will also be seen as a fur model in “Lucy and Pat Collins” (S5;E11). In the above photo, she is in purple.

Sam Harris was born in Australia in 1877 and did a dozen films with Lucille Ball before appearing in the audience of Over the Tea Cups in “Ethel’s Birthday” (ILL S4;E8) and playing a subway passenger in “Lucy and the Loving Cup” (ILL S6;E12). In between, he was a wedding guest in Lucy and Desi’s film Forever Darling (1956). He was in the airport when “The Ricardos Go to Japan” in 1959. He went on to do several more episodes of “The Lucy Show,” the last being “My Fair Lucy” (S3;E20), a parody of My Fair Lady, a film he had also been in as an extra!

Monty O'Grady was first seen with Lucille Ball in The Long, Long Trailer (1953), and played a passenger on the S.S. Constitution in “Second Honeymoon” (ILL S5;E14). He was at the airport when “The Ricardos Go to Japan” (1959). He made a dozen appearances on the series and a half dozen more on “Here’s Lucy.”

Judith Woodbury makes the fourth of her more than 20 (mostly) uncredited appearances on “The Lucy Show.” She also appeared in several episodes of “Here’s Lucy.”

This episode was filmed on November 12, 1964. That same day, Lucy, Gary, Lucie, and Desi Jr. all were seen on (a previously recorded) installment of “Password,” a game show Lucy dearly loved.

This episode was originally aired on Danny Kaye’s birthday. Kaye and Lucille Ball were both born in 1911.

As the episode opens, Lucy and Viv are discovered sitting in the lobby of a swanky Las Vegas Hotel, although we soon discover that they are really sleeping at a “crummy motel down the street.” In 1975, Lucy Collins travels to Las Vegas’s MGM Grand in “Lucy Gets Lucky” (above), although we soon learn she is actually sleeping at a budget motel nearby.

Lucy and Viv are in Las Vegas with just $5.50 spending money. Adjusting for inflation, that would be like only having $45 today. Viv doesn’t want Lucy to gamble with the money, but it saving it to give to Mr. Krause, the butcher, to buy sweepstakes tickets. Mr. Krause was seen in “Lucy and the Plumber” (S3;E2) played by Tom G. Lindner. Sweepstakes tickets likely means The Irish Sweepstakes, an early form of lottery – another type of gambling, although Viv doesn’t seem to realize it.

Lucy won the trip to Las Vegas for being the one millionth customer through the door at Bigelow’s Department Store. Hopefully, Lucy entered the store through the front doors, and not the transom, which she did when she broke in during the previous episode “Lucy and the Ceramic Cat” (S3;E16, above), the series’ first mention of the store. Bigelow’s was named after a real-life Jamestown NY department store. Lucille Ball applied for a job there as a youth, but was rejected by owner Fred Bigelow. His cat is discussed on “I Love Lucy” in “The Passports” (ILL S5;E11) in 1955.

This is only the second time the characters are seen traveling outside of New York State. The first was in “Lucy Visits the White House” (S1;E25, above) where den mothers Lucy and Viv chaperoned cub scouts to Washington DC. Generally, the characters have stayed in or around fictional Danfield, with occasional trips to places such as nearby Ridgebury (also fictional), Manhattan, and Albany (in “Lucy’s Barbershop Quartet” (S1;E19).

If the small bank of slot machines looks antique compared to today’s models, consider that it was in 1963 that Bally Manufacturing invented ‘Money Honey’ (above inset photo), the first slot machine powered by electricity. After that, slot machines began to ‘light up’ and produce various sound effects. At first, many Nevada casinos were hesitant to buy the new machines, largely due to quality concerns and the expense of replacing their entire stock at once. The slot machine Sid Gould plays in the episode (above left) is a 1933 Extraordinary, manufactured by the Mills Novelty Company. Today, slot machines operate primarily on paper currency and rarely pay out coins, but distribute vouchers for later redemption. The machines that were once nicknamed 'one armed bandits’ due to their single pull lever, are now primarily operated by push buttons and touch screens.

“I Love Lucy” has inspired several slot machines, both in brick and mortar casinos and online.

Viv says that they got to hear Frank Sinatra – through the air conditioning vent in the hotel powder room. Sinatra was a fixture in Vegas, and his name was seen on a marquee in a “Here’s Lucy” episode set in the city. A clip of him in the film Guys and Dolls was inserted into the MGM executive show in “Lucy and the Dummy” (ILL S5;E3) but due to copyright issues, the clip was never repeated and has been edited out of the print, even on the restored DVDs. Prior to that he was mentioned in “Don Juan is Shelved” (ILL S4;E21). Sinatra later balked about the Desilu series “The Untouchables” as promoting stereotypes about Italian-Americans and the Mafia.

In order to get comped in to the shows, Lucy pretends to a be rich gambler named Pamela Pettebone and Viv masquerades as her pal, Penelope Poopendorf. The name 'Pamela’ was also the name of Lucy Ricardo’s heroine in “The Perils of Pamela,” (above) the play she wrote for the Wednesday Afternoon Fine Arts League in “Lucy Writes a Play” (ILL S1;E17).

The surname 'Pettebone’ was given to the haughty woman from the Society Matron’s League in “Pioneer Women” (ILL S1;E25) played by Florence Bates (above).

VIV (as PENELOPE): “Ever since we were little girls, she always wanted me to play Jacks.” MR. CARDENAS: “Well, all little girls play Jacks.” VIV (as PENELOPE): “Jacks or better?”

Jacks (the children’s game) is of ancient origin and involves bouncing a rubber ball while also scooping up small objects known as the jacks. The schoolyard game was associated with little girls at a time when more physical games that boys played were not deemed appropriate for young ladies. Viv’s pun here relies on it being compared with the Jacks in a deck of playing cards, a staple of casino gambling.

To convince Mr. Cardenas that she’s actually an heiress addicted to gambling, Lucy shuffles the crackers, rolls the sugar cubes, deals the toast, and spins the condiment caddy!

LUCY (as PAMELA): “Bet you a thousand it stops on the ketchup!”

MR. KELSTROM: “Miss Pettebone, was your father a wildcatter?” LUCY (as PAMELA): “A wildcatter? Well, not while mother was watching!”

Lucille Ball played a wildcatter named Wildcat Jackson in the Broadway musical Wildcat (1960), a musical about a woman in 1912 Centavo City looking to strike it rich with a gusher.

Viv says Lucy’s green feathered hat looks like a fresh crop of crab grass. In the opening moments of the episode we learn that their outfits were part of their prize for being Bigelow’s one millionth customer. Lucy’s green sequined dress and feathered hat are reminiscent of her costume for Sally Sweet in “The Diet” (ILL S1;E3), although TV viewers only saw it in black and white!

Lucy’s ‘crab grass chapeau’ turns up again (without the dress) on a Hollywood starlet when “Lucy Goes To A Hollywood Premiere” (S4;E20) in 1966.

Casino Callbacks!

The pink floral outfit worn by Carole Cook was actually created for Lucille Ball by Edith Head for the film Critic’s Choice (1963). Lucy famously handed down her wardrobe to her friends. [Thanks to the Lucy Lounge for this fashion tip!]

LUCY (as PAMELA): “Give me a thousand dollars in chips.” VIV (as PENELOPE): “No, Pamela! Remember what happened in Monte Carlo?”

Lucy Ricardo and Ethel Mertz had extraordinary luck (much to their chagrin) at the roulette tables in “Lucy Goes to Monte Carlo” (ILL S5;E25). Just as in this episode of “The Lucy Show”, Lucy wins big then looses it all in one careless bet.

Lucy Ricardo and Ethel Mertz traveled to Las Vegas in “Lucy Hunts Uranium,” a 1958 episode of “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour.” They don’t visit the casino, however, being too busy hunting uranium with Fred MacMurray. Besides Ball and Vance, Louis A. Nicoletti, who plays a croupier in 1965, was also in this 1958 episode. Also, in “Lucy Meets Orson Welles” (ILL S6;E3), Ricky Ricardo says he caught Welles’ nightclub act while he was in Las Vegas. This is not shown on the series and it is never discussed just how or when Ricky went to Vegas.

On November 1, 1959, Lucy and Ricky Ricardo joined ‘Mr. Television’ Milton Berle at the El Rancho Vegas as part of an NBC “Sunday Showcase: Milton Berle Special”. The entire action of the special took place in Las Vegas.

Sin City Fast Forward!

In “Lucy and Wayne Newton” (HL S2;E22) in 1970, the Carter Family drove to Vegas to see the Strip, but ended up at Wayne Newton’s nearby ranch.

In “Lucy Gets Lucky” (1975), one of the Lucille Ball Specials, Lucy Collins travels to Las Vegas to see Dean Martin. The special was shot on location at the MGM Grand.

Lucille Ball returned to Las Vegas with this remarkably life-like figure at Madam Tussaud’s, Las Vegas.

Blooper Alerts?

Not a blooper exactly, but an opportunity lost. "Lucy Goes To Vegas” might have started the show with a stock footage establishing shot or title screen reading “Las Vegas” to indicate the unusual location. Although establishing shots and location footage are rare on the series, they were not unknown. Also, although Desilu had previously sought out partnerships with hotels, casinos, car manufacturers, and other business on “I Love Lucy” and “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour,” there is no specific casino named mentioned when Lucy and Viv are praising the luxury hotel they are visiting.

“Lucy Goes to Vegas” rates 4 Paper Hearts out of 5

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rpf-bat · 7 years

Text

She’s Busy Hearing Voices

Pairing: Gerard Way x Reader

Genre: Fluff

Summary: Request fic for @geeksandfreaks6713. “Hey, I don't know if you're taking requests (if you aren't I'm sorry to bother you!) but could you possibly do a gerard imagine where the reader is blind??”

You were awoken from a sound sleep by the sound of singing. You felt for your watch on the hotel nightstand, and pressed a button on its cold, plastic surface.

The time is now 3:15 AM, a familiar robotic voice peeped.

“What the fuck?” you whispered to yourself. You had no idea why anyone would be up at this hour, much less making music. You gripped your cane and rose, swinging it left and right to avoid running into the table as you put on your dressing gown and exited your hotel room.

You walked down the hallway, hearing the music get louder and more distinct as you drew closer to its source. Being blind your whole life had made your other senses very sharp, so, soon, you were able to pinpoint the room where the voice was emanating from.

You placed your hand on the doorplate, reading the Braille, which said, Room 1229.

You pressed your ear against the door, listening intently. From here, you noticed that the singer had a man’s voice – and that his voice sounded incredible. Despite the hour, you found yourself enjoying the melody as you listened to his song:

We're not just dreamers

We're the kind that comprehend

We gather up our forces

She's busy hearing voices again

Pneumonic-screamers came to gather up our friends

If giving in is pointless, then get out of bed or this might be the end

Part of you wanted to hear more of this strange tune, but, ultimately, you decided to knock anyway. You heard the voice stop singing suddenly, and then you heard the man’s footsteps draw closer. You backed up as you heard him open the door.

“…..Hello?” the man said uncertainly. Your nose was immediately struck by the scent of coffee. He must have a cup in his hand. If he was caffeinating at this hour, he must really be burning the midnight oil.

“Hi,” you blushed. “Um, sorry to bother you, but my room’s down the hall, and your music woke me up.”

“Oh, shit!” the man swore, likely reddening himself. “I’m sorry! I’ll try and keep it down.”

“It’s alright,” you shrugged. “Actually, once I got over here, I thought your song sounded pretty cool.”

“Oh, really?” the man asked. “Well, thank you!”

“You’re welcome,” you smiled. “I’m Y/N, by the way.”

“I’m Gerard,” the man replied. “Nice to meet you.”

“Yeah, nice to meet you, too,” you said, your anger about your sudden awakening evaporated. “Are you a professional musician?”

“Yeah, I am,” Gerard said. “I used to be in a pretty big rock band, but now I’m just starting my solo career.”

“That’s cool,” you complimented. “Do the fans of your old band like your solo stuff so far?”

“Some of them do,” Gerard said hesitantly. “Others, well…….they don’t like that my new music sounds a little different from my old stuff. Plus, some of them take issue with my new……aesthetic, I guess you could call it. I used to have black hair, and black clothes, and all that. Now, I’ve dyed my hair red, and I wear these blue suits, and, well…..”

“Well, colors have never meant very much to me,” you interrupted. You had never seen colors, so the importance they held to some people baffled you. Even having skin in a different shade than someone else’s could apparently drastically alter people’s opinion of you. Sighted people were bizarre.

“I always liked music,” you continued, “because you don’t need eyes to listen to a CD.”

“Are you able to turn a CD player on by yourself, though?” Gerard wondered. He’d noticed you were blind the moment he saw your cane.

“I mean, someone had to help me the first time I used one,” you explained, recalling how the sales associate had placed your fingers on the buttons. “But, once I memorized where the ‘play’ button was, I was fine.”

“Well, that’s good,” Gerard said, sounding relieved. “Do you go to concerts?”

“Normally, the usher has to help me to my seat,” you confessed, “but, other than that, yeah, I love going to live shows.”

“That’s actually what I’m here in town for,” Gerard explained. “I’ve got a concert tomorrow morning. It’s the first stop on the tour, so I guess I’m nervous. That’s why I was rehearsing so late. I want to practice as much as possible, because I’m anxious about fucking these new songs up.”

“I think you sounded great,” you assured him.

“Thank you,” Gerard said gratefully. “This is going to be my first concert without my band. It’s going to be more nerve-wracking, because, y’know, there’s not going to be anybody else on the stage for the fans to have their eyes on.”

“Not really,” you laughed. For you, concerts were about listening, not looking.

“Oh, duh,” Gerard chuckled. “Sorry.”

“S’ok,” you shrugged. “Hey, if it would help, I could stick around a little bit longer, and listen to you practice, and tell you if you sound ok.”

“Really?” Gerard said, surprised. “Wow, that would be great.”

“Yeah, it’s no problem,” you smiled. “My cousin’s graduation, which I’m in town for, isn’t until late tomorrow afternoon anyway.”

“Then, come in,” Gerard offered, and you walked into the hotel room, swinging your cane again. You assumed the layout of his room was the same as yours, and sat down in the spot where you knew a bed should be. The soft sheets under your butt confirmed that you’d navigated correctly.

Your face reddened again for a moment as it occurred to you that you were in a strange man’s hotel room, alone with him, in the middle of the night. But, you truthfully didn’t think Gerard had any untoward intentions.

You heard his footsteps draw closer as he stood in front of you, clearing his throat.

“I’m going to take it from the top, ok?” he decided.

“Go on,” you nodded.

“Ok, here I go,” he said nervously, and began to sing:

We're not just dreamers

We're the kind that comprehend

We gather up our forces

She's busy hearing voices again

Pneumonic-screamers came to gather up our friends

If giving in is pointless, then get out of bed or this might be the end

Voices hearing you loud

We're taking the sound back with us

Now I'm hearing you loud

We're coming around

Just give us more

You listened, enraptured, as his voice washed over your ears. He sounded so good. Handsome faces, of course, meant nothing to you, but Gerard’s voice was sexy.

“….H-how was that?” Gerard stammered when he was finished.

“Amazing,” you said sincerely. “I think you’re going to knock ‘em dead tomorrow.”

“Thanks, Y/N,” Gerard said, seeming comforted by your words. “Hey, since you’re really helping me out, I can comp you a free ticket to my show, if you’d like.”

“What time does it start?” you wondered.

“Doors open at 7 pm,” Gerard informed you.

“The graduation ceremony should be over by then,” you considered. “I’ll have to ask the hotel staff to call a taxi for me, but, yeah, I’d love to go!”

“Awesome,” Gerard grinned. “I can’t wait to see you tomorrow, Y/N.”

You smiled back as you replied, “I can’t wait to hear you.”

#gerard way x reader #gerard way imagine #blind reader #hesitant alien gerard

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